€¦ · tected monuments and central museums across the country will be shut till march 31, union...

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F rom closure of abode of Gods like Siddhivinayak and Tuljabhavani temples and ASI-protected monuments and Central museums besides tourist hotspots Ajanta and Ellora Caves, sanctuaries and national parks to shutting down of malls, schools and col- leges, both the States and the Centres have decided to expand the ambit of the social distancing in view of the threat from the rapidly spreading coronavirus (Covid-19). The Union Health Ministry said four new coron- avirus cases -- one each from Odisha, Jammu & Kashmir, Ladakh and Kerala, have been reported, taking the total num- ber of cases to 114. The ‘con- tact tracing activity’ of these positive cases has led to iden- tification of more than 5,200 contacts, who are kept under surveillance, it added. These cases include 10 discharged, three cured and two reported deaths. On his part, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday said there has been a coordinated response to the coronavirus outbreak and asserted that “no stone is being left unturned” to ensure people are healthy. Modi also hailed the contribution of doctors, nurses and healthcare workers in fighting the virus and said the country will always cherish their contribution. “The Group of Ministers has proposed several preventive steps such as social distancing to contain COVID-19 in the country and will be in force till March 31st, 2020. The impor- tant measures include closure of all educational establish- ments (schools, universities etc), gyms, museums, cultural and social centres, swimming pools and theatres. Students should be advised to stay at home while online education to be promoted,” Union Health Ministry Joint Secretary Lav Agarwal told reporters here on Monday after the Group of Ministers (GoM) meeting. The GoM has also sug- gested people to avoid non- essential travel by buses, trains and aeroplanes to maximise social distancing in public transport besides ensuring reg- ular and proper disinfection of surfaces. The Government is encouraging private sector organisations/employers to allow their employees to work from home wherever feasible and hold interaction through video-conferencing. Local authorities will have a dialogue with organisers of sporting events and competi- tions involving large gatherings and they may be advised to postpone such events, the Government has said. The Government on Monday also prohibited entry of passengers from EU coun- tries, Turkey and the UK from March 18 till March 31. “No airline shall board a passenger from these nations to India with effect from 1200 GMT on March 18, 2020. The airline shall enforce this at the port of initial departure,” Agarwal said. Both these instructions are temporary measures and shall be in force till March 31, 2020 and will be reviewed subse- quently, he said. As precau- tionary measures, all ASI-pro- tected monuments and Central museums across the country will be shut till March 31, Union Culture Minister Prahlad Patal said on Monday. On their parts, the States are already taking various steps on social distancing. While Andaman and Nicobar banned travellers entry in the island from March 16 to March 26, rural Maharashtra announced closure of schools and col- leges and world famous Ajanta and Ellora Caves as a precau- tionary measures. The Siddhivinayak Temple, one of the most visited shrines in Mumbai and Tuljabhavani Temple in Maharashtra will remain closed for devotees till further notice. Jawahar Navodaya Vidyalayas (JNVs), fully residential and co-educa- tional schools affiliated to the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) and operat- ed by the Navodaya Vidyalaya Samiti (NVS), an autonomous body under the HRD Ministry have advanced summer break to March 21 in view of the c o r o n a v i r u s outbreak. W ith coronavirus cases in India multiplying fast, the Delhi Government has prohibited all the religious, cultural, social and political gatherings. Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Monday said that no religious, cultural and political gathering with more than 50 people shall be allowed in Delhi vicinity. There is, however, no restriction on weddings but people are advised to postpone the dates, the CM said. All auto-rickshaws and taxis will be disinfected for free to prevent the spread of the deadly disease, he said. Educating the masses about the scourge of deadly coronavirus, the AAP Government also announced that nightclubs, gyms and spas will remain closed till March 31. Urging people to avoid large gatherings, Kejriwal also said that wedding programmes are excluded and has given instructions to all municipal corporation officials to set up mobile washbasins in public places on a large scale. Pertinently, seven cases of coronavirus have been con- firmed in Delhi so far. Soon after his video-con- ferencing with all the stake- holders — three municipal corporations health officials — he said his Government is tak- ing all steps necessary to tack- le the coronavirus crisis, and monitoring them at all times. “Out of total seven corona cases to date, with the unfor- tunate demise of one of the patients, two patients have fully recovered and the remain- ing four are under treatment. The Delhi Government is tak- ing all precautionary measures to quarantine those who have been affected. We have suffi- cient resources. More than 500 beds are ready to be installed,” said Kejriwal. Washington: A leading med- ical school in the US has rec- ommended yoga, meditation and controlled breathing to address anxiety issues related to the novel coronavirus that has now spread fast across America. There are at least 3,485 cases of the novel coronavirus in the US, according to the State and local health agencies, Governments and the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. D elhi Sikh Gurdwara Management Committee (DSGMC) has decided to ban entry of foreigners who have not completed their 15-day stay in India in all Delhi gur- dwaras with immediate effect to check the spread of coron- avirus. He said only foreigners who are staying in India for more than 15 days will be allowed to visit gurdwara premises as a matter of pre- caution and preventive mea- sures. Speaking to The Pioneer, Manjinder Singh Sirsa presi- dent, DSGMC said the com- mittee is following all measures conveyed by the Government of India. “We are preparing lan- gar (food served to devotees) in house only. In the wake of coronavirus, no outside items shall be cooked/prepared in kitchen,” Sirsa said. “We have conveyed that all the devotees have been requested to take langar prasad from main lan- gar halls only.” “All the gurdwara sevadar henceforth will start services in gurdwaras after sanitising them and washing their hands with soaps and take every possible precaution to check transmis- sion of coronavirus,” said SAD leader. T he Government on Monday night issued a notification announcing former Chief Justice of India Ranjan Gogoi’s nomi- nation to the Rajya Sabha. Ex-CJI Gogoi — who will remembered for the Ayodhya verdict that gave Hindus the 2.77 acre disputed land for construction of Ram Temple — will be the first former CJI to be nominated to the Upper House. Before him former CJI Ranganath Misra was also a Rajya Sabha member but he was elected on a Congress party ticket. Gogoi also headed benches that pro- nounced several key judgments like the Rafale fighter jet deal and the entry of women in Sabarimala temple. “In exercise of the powers conferred by sub-clause (a) of clause (1) of article 80 of the Constitution of India, read with clause (3) of that article, the President is pleased to nominate Shri Ranjan Gogoi to the Council of States to fill the vacancy caused due to the retirement of one of the nom- inated members,” the notifica- tion said. Mumbai/Aurangabad: The Siddhivinayak Temple, one of the most visited shrines in Mumbai, will remain closed for devotees till further notice in view of the coronavirus out- break in Maharashtra, it was announced on Monday. The Tuljabhavani Temple, another popular shrine in Maharashtra located in Osmanabad district, will remain shut for devotees from March 17 to 31, an official told. Detailed report on P6 I n view of novel coronavirus (COVID-19) spreading its wings, the State Government on Monday ordered closure of all schools and postponement of the examinations with immediate effect till further order. “In view of the pandemic situation arising out of COVID-19, all Government, aided, public and private schools of the State will remain closed and examinations of all classes, i.e, from Classes-I to IX and Class-XI stand postponed,” the School & Mass Education Department stated in a notifi- cation. As per the order, the teach- ers would not attend the schools but should remain available over phone for spe- cific instructions. However, the examination for Class-XII would continue as per the schedule. Also, the evaluation work for Classes-X and XII would continue as per the schedule following the instructions made by the Health & Family Welfare Department. Besides, a notification has been issued by the department for closure of all coaching cen- tres, tutorials and private tuitions with immediate effect. The move came after the State reported its first con- firmed case of COVID-19 in Bhubaneswar. T he State Election Commission (SEC) on Monday postponed the rural by-elections scheduled for March 24 due to the Novel Corona Virus (COVID-19) threat. State Election Commissioner Aditya Prasad Padhi held discussions with senior officials and took ground realities report and implementation of COVID-19 Regulations by the State Government into consideration and postponed the by-polls with immediate effect until further orders. The SEC had earlier issued notifications to hold by-elec- tions to the posts of two Zilla Parishad Members, six Sarpanches, eight Panchayat Samiti members and 84 Ward Members on March 24. A n amount of Rs 225 crore was on Monday sanctioned from the State Disaster Response Fund for contain- ment of COVID-19 in the State. A decision in this regard was taken at a meeting held under the chairmanship of Chief Secretary Asit Kumar Tripathy here. The amount was sanctioned in the favour of the Health & Family Welfare Department. The fund would be utilised for measures for quarantine, sample collection, screening, provision for temporary accommodation, food, medical care, etc., for the people shel- tered in quarantine camps, cluster containment opera- tions, setting up of additional testing labs and procurement of essential equipment, personal protective gears, etc. A midst the coronavirus scare, a youth, who returned from Italy recently, has tested positive for the dead- ly virus in Bhubaneswar. He is currently admitted at the Capital Hospital here. This was confirmed by State COVID-19 Spokesperson Subroto Bagchi on Monday. “The 33-year-old youth was doing research in Italy. He had returned to India on March 6. He reached Bhubaneswar on March 12 in a train. He con- sulted a private doctor on March 13 and was admitted to the Capital Hospital on March 14. On March 15 night, we got report that he has tested posi- tive,” Bagchi said. “However, there is good news that the patient does not have other complications so far. His health condition is now sta- ble. As he had stayed at home with family between March 12 and 14, his father and domes- tic help have been asked to put themselves under home quar- antine,” he added. Following the incidence, the State Government has con- tinued contact tracing. The patient came in contact with at least 129 persons recently, said Bagchi. The youth came in con- tact with 53 people and 76 train passengers, Bagchi said, adding that efforts were on to collect information regarding them. He further informed that the clinic in Bhubaneswar, where the youth had consult- ed a doctor on March 13, has been sealed. The doctors and staffs of the clinic have been put on home quarantine. “We have made arrange- ments to track the persons with whom the patient had come in contact in Delhi and Bhubaneswar during that peri- od as well as the passengers who were in the bogie of the train in which he had travelled to Bhubaneswar from the national capital,” he said. Necessary steps would be taken by the State Government after tracking those persons, Bagchi added. Source said the youth is a resident of Bhubaneswar. He was quarantined in Delhi for a few days after screening at the airport. As no symptoms of coronavirus were detected in him, he was allowed to return home. On March 12, he had arrived at Bhubaneswar in a train. However, he consulted a doctor here after he suffered from cold and fever. Even after taking medicines prescribed by the doctors for flu-like symptoms, he did not recover from illness. A patient, who had been admitted to the Phulbani Government hospital in Kandhamal district for sus- pected coronavirus infection, was found missing from the hospital on Monday. The suspect had been admitted to the hospital on Sunday night and was kept in the isolation ward. After the matter came to light, the ADMO lodged a complaint at the Town police station. Sources said the man had reportedly returned from Kerala. F ollowing restrictions on pil- grims and tourists due to the coronavirus, the Jagannath Temple wore a deserted look on Monday. A very few pilgrims entered the shrine, that too, after scanning at the Lions Gate by officials. After filling a declaration form, a few pil- grims could be able to enter the shrine wearing mask after screening at the Lions Gate and returned cutting shut their stay time. Availability of Mahaprasad in Ananda Bazar (temple din- ing space) was severely affect- ed due to restriction on sales. The rituals of deities were observed by servitors who wore mask also. Due to spread of threat perception, the city came to a standstill with movement of few vehicles on the Badadanda. While most of the shops and other business establishments were shut, the hotels and guest- houses were vacant. At the Pipili tollgate most of cars and tourist busses could not move forward towards Puri because of checking by officials. Similarly, tourists could not enter Alarnath Temple in Brahmagiri and Konark Temple as both shrines were restricted for public. All the boats and vessels carrying tourists in Chilika stopped ser- vices. I n view of the outbreak of coronavirus, Acting Chief Justice and Judges of the Orissa High Court on Monday direct- ed that functioning of the court from March 17 shall be restrict- ed to urgent matters while routine matters would not be taken up for the time being till the threat persists. “Only those cases which are urgent in nature and can- not await may be mentioned before the Deputy Registrar (Judicial) during the mention hour. Deputy Registrar (Judicial) shall place those memos before the Hon’ble Court for obtaining instruction regarding listing of the same,” an official notification of court said. Personal appearances of the parties unless the same is indispensable would not be insisted and no adverse order would be passed for absence of any lawyer or litigant on account of illness, the notifi- cation said. Further, members of the bar were requested not to rec- ommend issuance of visitor passes during this period and to avoid congregation in and outside the court rooms.

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Page 1: €¦ · tected monuments and Central museums across the country will be shut till March 31, Union Culture Minister Prahlad Patal said on Monday. On their parts, the States are already

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From closure of abode ofGods like Siddhivinayak

and Tuljabhavani temples andASI-protected monuments andCentral museums besidestourist hotspots Ajanta andEllora Caves, sanctuaries andnational parks to shuttingdown of malls, schools and col-leges, both the States and theCentres have decided toexpand the ambit of the socialdistancing in view of the threatfrom the rapidly spreadingcoronavirus (Covid-19).

The Union HealthMinistry said four new coron-avirus cases -- one each fromOdisha, Jammu & Kashmir,Ladakh and Kerala, have beenreported, taking the total num-ber of cases to 114. The ‘con-tact tracing activity’ of thesepositive cases has led to iden-tification of more than 5,200contacts, who are kept undersurveillance, it added. Thesecases include 10 discharged,three cured and two reporteddeaths.

On his part, PrimeMinister Narendra Modi onMonday said there has been acoordinated response to thecoronavirus outbreak andasserted that “no stone is beingleft unturned” to ensure peopleare healthy. Modi also hailedthe contribution of doctors,nurses and healthcare workersin fighting the virus and saidthe country will always cherishtheir contribution.

“The Group of Ministershas proposed several preventivesteps such as social distancingto contain COVID-19 in the

country and will be in force tillMarch 31st, 2020. The impor-tant measures include closureof all educational establish-ments (schools, universitiesetc), gyms, museums, culturaland social centres, swimmingpools and theatres. Studentsshould be advised to stay athome while online education tobe promoted,” Union HealthMinistry Joint Secretary LavAgarwal told reporters here onMonday after the Group ofMinisters (GoM) meeting.

The GoM has also sug-gested people to avoid non-essential travel by buses, trainsand aeroplanes to maximisesocial distancing in publictransport besides ensuring reg-

ular and proper disinfection ofsurfaces.

The Government isencouraging private sectororganisations/employers toallow their employees to workfrom home wherever feasibleand hold interaction throughvideo-conferencing.

Local authorities will havea dialogue with organisers ofsporting events and competi-tions involving large gatheringsand they may be advised topostpone such events, theGovernment has said.

The Government onMonday also prohibited entryof passengers from EU coun-tries, Turkey and the UK fromMarch 18 till March 31.

“No airline shall board apassenger from these nations toIndia with effect from 1200GMT on March 18, 2020. Theairline shall enforce this at theport of initial departure,”

Agarwal said. Both these instructions are

temporary measures and shallbe in force till March 31, 2020and will be reviewed subse-quently, he said. As precau-tionary measures, all ASI-pro-tected monuments and Centralmuseums across the countrywill be shut till March 31,Union Culture MinisterPrahlad Patal said on Monday.

On their parts, the Statesare already taking various stepson social distancing. WhileAndaman and Nicobar bannedtravellers entry in the islandfrom March 16 to March 26,rural Maharashtra announcedclosure of schools and col-leges and world famous Ajantaand Ellora Caves as a precau-tionary measures. TheSiddhivinayak Temple, one ofthe most visited shrines inMumbai and TuljabhavaniTemple in Maharashtra willremain closed for devotees tillfurther notice. JawaharNavodaya Vidyalayas (JNVs),fully residential and co-educa-tional schools affiliated to theCentral Board of SecondaryEducation (CBSE) and operat-ed by the Navodaya VidyalayaSamiti (NVS), an autonomousbody under the HRD Ministryhave advanced summer breakto March 21 in view of thec o r o n a v i r u soutbreak.

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With coronavirus cases inIndia multiplying fast,

the Delhi Government hasprohibited all the religious,cultural, social and politicalgatherings. Chief MinisterArvind Kejriwal on Mondaysaid that no religious, culturaland political gathering withmore than 50 people shall beallowed in Delhi vicinity.

There is, however, norestriction on weddings butpeople are advised to postponethe dates, the CM said.

All auto-rickshaws andtaxis will be disinfected for freeto prevent the spread of thedeadly disease, he said.Educating the masses about thescourge of deadly coronavirus,the AAP Government alsoannounced that nightclubs,gyms and spas will remainclosed till March 31.

Urging people to avoidlarge gatherings, Kejriwal alsosaid that wedding programmesare excluded and has giveninstructions to all municipalcorporation officials to set upmobile washbasins in publicplaces on a large scale.Pertinently, seven cases ofcoronavirus have been con-firmed in Delhi so far.

Soon after his video-con-ferencing with all the stake-holders — three municipalcorporations health officials —he said his Government is tak-ing all steps necessary to tack-le the coronavirus crisis, andmonitoring them at all times.

“Out of total seven coronacases to date, with the unfor-tunate demise of one of thepatients, two patients havefully recovered and the remain-ing four are under treatment.The Delhi Government is tak-

ing all precautionary measuresto quarantine those who havebeen affected. We have suffi-cient resources. More than500 beds are ready to beinstalled,” said Kejriwal.

Washington: A leading med-ical school in the US has rec-ommended yoga, meditationand controlled breathing toaddress anxiety issues related tothe novel coronavirus that hasnow spread fast acrossAmerica.

There are at least 3,485cases of the novel coronavirusin the US, according to theState and local health agencies,Governments and the USCenters for Disease Controland Prevention.

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Delhi Sikh GurdwaraManagement Committee

(DSGMC) has decided to banentry of foreigners who havenot completed their 15-daystay in India in all Delhi gur-dwaras with immediate effectto check the spread of coron-avirus.

He said only foreignerswho are staying in India formore than 15 days will beallowed to visit gurdwarapremises as a matter of pre-caution and preventive mea-sures.

Speaking to The Pioneer,Manjinder Singh Sirsa presi-dent, DSGMC said the com-

mittee is following all measuresconveyed by the Governmentof India. “We are preparing lan-gar (food served to devotees)in house only. In the wake ofcoronavirus, no outside itemsshall be cooked/prepared inkitchen,” Sirsa said. “We haveconveyed that all the devoteeshave been requested to takelangar prasad from main lan-gar halls only.”

“All the gurdwara sevadarhenceforth will start services ingurdwaras after sanitising themand washing their hands withsoaps and take every possibleprecaution to check transmis-sion of coronavirus,” said SADleader.

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The Government onMonday night

issued a notificationannouncing formerChief Justice of IndiaRanjan Gogoi’s nomi-nation to the Rajya Sabha.

Ex-CJI Gogoi — who willremembered for the Ayodhyaverdict that gave Hindus the2.77 acre disputed land forconstruction of Ram Temple —will be the first former CJI tobe nominated to the UpperHouse. Before him former CJIRanganath Misra was also aRajya Sabha member but hewas elected on a Congress

party ticket. Gogoi also headed

benches that pro-nounced several keyjudgments like theRafale fighter jet dealand the entry ofwomen in Sabarimala

temple. “In exercise of the powers

conferred by sub-clause (a) ofclause (1) of article 80 of theConstitution of India, readwith clause (3) of that article,the President is pleased tonominate Shri Ranjan Gogoi tothe Council of States to fill thevacancy caused due to theretirement of one of the nom-inated members,” the notifica-tion said.

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Mumbai/Aurangabad: TheSiddhivinayak Temple, one ofthe most visited shrines inMumbai, will remain closedfor devotees till further noticein view of the coronavirus out-break in Maharashtra, it wasannounced on Monday.

The Tuljabhavani Temple,another popular shrine inMaharashtra located inOsmanabad district, willremain shut for devotees fromMarch 17 to 31, an official told.

Detailed report on P6

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In view of novel coronavirus(COVID-19) spreading its

wings, the State Governmenton Monday ordered closure ofall schools and postponementof the examinations withimmediate effect till furtherorder.

“In view of the pandemicsituation arising out ofCOVID-19, all Government,aided, public and privateschools of the State will remainclosed and examinations of allclasses, i.e, from Classes-I to IXand Class-XI stand postponed,”the School & Mass EducationDepartment stated in a notifi-cation.

As per the order, the teach-

ers would not attend theschools but should remainavailable over phone for spe-cific instructions.

However, the examinationfor Class-XII would continue asper the schedule. Also, theevaluation work for Classes-Xand XII would continue as perthe schedule following theinstructions made by theHealth & Family WelfareDepartment.

Besides, a notification hasbeen issued by the departmentfor closure of all coaching cen-tres, tutorials and privatetuitions with immediate effect.

The move came after theState reported its first con-firmed case of COVID-19 inBhubaneswar.

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The State ElectionCommission (SEC) on

Monday postponed the ruralby-elections scheduled forMarch 24 due to the NovelCorona Virus (COVID-19)threat. State ElectionCommissioner Aditya PrasadPadhi held discussions withsenior officials and tookground realities report andimplementation of COVID-19Regulations by the StateGovernment into considerationand postponed the by-pollswith immediate effect untilfurther orders.

The SEC had earlier issuednotifications to hold by-elec-tions to the posts of two ZillaParishad Members, sixSarpanches, eight PanchayatSamiti members and 84 WardMembers on March 24.

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An amount of Rs 225 crorewas on Monday sanctioned

from the State DisasterResponse Fund for contain-ment of COVID-19 in theState. A decision in this regardwas taken at a meeting heldunder the chairmanship ofChief Secretary Asit KumarTripathy here. The amountwas sanctioned in the favour ofthe Health & Family WelfareDepartment.

The fund would be utilisedfor measures for quarantine,sample collection, screening,provision for temporaryaccommodation, food, medicalcare, etc., for the people shel-tered in quarantine camps,cluster containment opera-tions, setting up of additionaltesting labs and procurement ofessential equipment, personalprotective gears, etc.

����� �-9�+67�1+:

Amidst the coronavirusscare, a youth, who

returned from Italy recently,has tested positive for the dead-ly virus in Bhubaneswar. He iscurrently admitted at theCapital Hospital here.

This was confirmed byState COVID-19 SpokespersonSubroto Bagchi on Monday.

“The 33-year-old youthwas doing research in Italy. Hehad returned to India on March

6. He reached Bhubaneswar onMarch 12 in a train. He con-sulted a private doctor onMarch 13 and was admitted tothe Capital Hospital on March14. On March 15 night, we gotreport that he has tested posi-tive,” Bagchi said.

“However, there is goodnews that the patient does nothave other complications so far.His health condition is now sta-ble. As he had stayed at homewith family between March 12and 14, his father and domes-tic help have been asked to putthemselves under home quar-antine,” he added.

Following the incidence,the State Government has con-tinued contact tracing. Thepatient came in contact with atleast 129 persons recently, saidBagchi. The youth came in con-tact with 53 people and 76 trainpassengers, Bagchi said, addingthat efforts were on to collectinformation regarding them.

He further informed thatthe clinic in Bhubaneswar,where the youth had consult-ed a doctor on March 13, hasbeen sealed. The doctors and

staffs of the clinic have been puton home quarantine.

“We have made arrange-ments to track the personswith whom the patient hadcome in contact in Delhi andBhubaneswar during that peri-od as well as the passengerswho were in the bogie of thetrain in which he had travelledto Bhubaneswar from thenational capital,” he said.

Necessary steps would betaken by the State Governmentafter tracking those persons,Bagchi added.

Source said the youth is aresident of Bhubaneswar. Hewas quarantined in Delhi for afew days after screening at theairport. As no symptoms ofcoronavirus were detected inhim, he was allowed to returnhome.

On March 12, he hadarrived at Bhubaneswar in atrain. However, he consulted adoctor here after he sufferedfrom cold and fever. Even aftertaking medicines prescribedby the doctors for flu-likesymptoms, he did not recoverfrom illness.����� ,-98�+6�

Apatient, who had beenadmitted to the Phulbani

Government hospital inKandhamal district for sus-pected coronavirus infection,was found missing from thehospital on Monday.

The suspect had beenadmitted to the hospital onSunday night and was kept inthe isolation ward. After thematter came to light, theADMO lodged a complaint atthe Town police station.

Sources said the man hadreportedly returned fromKerala.

����� ,9:�

Following restrictions on pil-grims and tourists due to

the coronavirus, the JagannathTemple wore a deserted look onMonday.

A very few pilgrimsentered the shrine, that too,after scanning at the LionsGate by officials. After filling adeclaration form, a few pil-grims could be able to enter theshrine wearing mask afterscreening at the Lions Gate andreturned cutting shut their staytime.

Availability of Mahaprasadin Ananda Bazar (temple din-ing space) was severely affect-ed due to restriction on sales.The rituals of deities wereobserved by servitors who woremask also.

Due to spread of threat

perception, the city came to astandstill with movement offew vehicles on the Badadanda.While most of the shops andother business establishmentswere shut, the hotels and guest-houses were vacant.

At the Pipili tollgate mostof cars and tourist busses couldnot move forward towards Puribecause of checking by officials.

Similarly, tourists couldnot enter Alarnath Temple inBrahmagiri and KonarkTemple as both shrines wererestricted for public. All theboats and vessels carryingtourists in Chilika stopped ser-vices.

����� �9��+�5

In view of the outbreak ofcoronavirus, Acting Chief

Justice and Judges of the OrissaHigh Court on Monday direct-ed that functioning of the courtfrom March 17 shall be restrict-ed to urgent matters whileroutine matters would not betaken up for the time being tillthe threat persists.

“Only those cases which

are urgent in nature and can-not await may be mentionedbefore the Deputy Registrar(Judicial) during the mentionhour. Deputy Registrar(Judicial) shall place thosememos before the Hon’bleCourt for obtaining instructionregarding listing of the same,”an official notification of courtsaid.

Personal appearances ofthe parties unless the same is

indispensable would not beinsisted and no adverse orderwould be passed for absence ofany lawyer or litigant onaccount of illness, the notifi-cation said.

Further, members of thebar were requested not to rec-ommend issuance of visitorpasses during this period andto avoid congregation in andoutside the court rooms.

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Page 2: €¦ · tected monuments and Central museums across the country will be shut till March 31, Union Culture Minister Prahlad Patal said on Monday. On their parts, the States are already

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Intensifying its efforts to con-tain the coronavirus out-

break, the State Governmenthas made registration of thosecoming to the State fromabroad mandatory, informedChief Secretary Asit KumarTripathy at a Press conferencehere on Monday.

Anyone coming to theState from abroad has to regis-ter himself or herself manda-torily in the toll-free number‘104’ or the online portalhttps://covid19.odisha.gov.in.This should be done within 24hours of arrival with basicdetails and phone numbers.However advance registrationbefore arrival would be highlypreferable. They would berequired to be in home quar-antine for 14 days, Tripathysaid.

They would be given anincentive amount of Rs 15,000for registration and home iso-lation. Their locations would be

tracked during their home iso-lation and mandated numberof calls would be made everyday to keep a close watch andgive appropriate medical guid-ance, he said.

However, to trace and trackthe persons who have alreadyentered the State on or afterMarch 4, a 48-hour periodfrom 6 am of March 17 to 6 amof March 19 has been allowedfor them to register them-selves. Registrations can bedone by the passengers or rel-atives or friends.

Anyone not complyingwith the instructions would bepunished under the provisionsof Indian Penal Code (IPC) andCriminal Procedure Code(CrPC), he said. This regula-tion would be in force tillApril 15 and may be extendedbasing on the situation, theChief Secretary added.

Notably, Odisha is the firstState in the country to havemade such a regulation tocombat the COVID-19.

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The Commissioneratepol ice on Monday

ordered special measures tocheck spread of theCoronavirus.

In consultation with themunicipal corporations ofBhubaneswar and Cuttack,the police enforced socialdistancing measures by pre-venting people from congre-gating in large numbers.

All shopping malls in thejurisdiction of the Twin CityPolice Commissioneratewould remain closed tillMarch 31.

The closure order inrespect of malls would notcover shops and commercialestablishments selling gro-ceries, vegetables, fruits, milk,medicines and other daily

essential requirementsAll commercial estab-

l ishments , Governmentoffices would have to takestrict social distancing mea-sures like:

(1) Limit the number ofpersons entering into theirpremises at any given time.

(2) Ask customers andemployees to maintain six-feet distance.

(3) Don’t hold any pro-motional events, workshops,entertainment programmes,non-essential meetings andconferences, etc.

(4) Owners, occupants,managers of such commercialestablishments/offices mustensure strict hand hygieneand respiratory etiquettes oftheir employees and providefor hand-wash with soaps

and water and/or alcohol-based sanitization liquids.They would also ensure sani-tisation of table surfaces,doorknobs, light switches,handles, phones, keyboards,toilets, etc.

(5) Not permit anyemployee with fever and dry-cough to work in theirpremises.

The order came intoeffect from Monday. Anyestablishment office failing tocomply with the orders shallbe liable to fine/prosecu-tion/closure as may be con-sidered necessary under thelaw. All police officers abovethe rank of ASIs may visit anysuch establishment and initi-ate appropriate legal actionfor violat ion of the order.

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In coming years, Odishawould be getting a lesser

share from Central taxes,according to the FifteenthFinance Commission (FFC)recommendations.

Based on FFC recommen-dations, the CentralGovernment has already cur-tailed its grants to the State byRs 3,000 crore for 2019-20.

In coming years, the Statewould also receive lesseramounts Central grants as theFFC has adopted 2011 popu-lation growth rate as its man-date replacing 1971 populationcriteria for determining devo-lution of Central taxes.

Odisha’s share of the coun-try’s total population declinedto 3.53 per cent in 2011, which

was 4.04 per centin 1971. So, theState would getless share fromCentral taxes,which would poseserious problemfor the State, saidofficials.

While earlierOdisha was get-ting grants at4.641 per cent,now it is getting 4.629 per centunder the revised formula ofFFC.

During the last financialyear, Odisha had receivedaround Rs 37,000 crore fromthe divisible pool of Centraltaxes. However, it would receiveRs 34,000 during the currentyear.

While mining royalty con-tributes 25 per cent to States’own revenue, non-revision ofmining royalty for years hasadded to the woes. Royalty oncoal, iron ore manganese andother major minerals have notbeen revised despite repeated

requests made by the StateGovernment.

Again, as mining blocksbeing auctioned and theywould take time for operation,the State is likely to earn lessroyalty.

The State may opt for moremarket borrowings to make upits fund need.

While the AppropriationBill for 2020-21 will beapproved on 31 March, officersare now trying hard to find outways and means to increasemore revenue for the State tofinance Developmental spend-ing, said sources.

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The State Government hasrequested the Union

Government to enhanceCentral share of financial assis-tance for Home Guards andCivil Defence to 50-basis point.

Now the Central and Stateshares for spending towardsHome Guard and Civil Defenceis 25:75.

As many as 16,865 HomeGuards are now serving as anauxiliary force to Odisha police.

They are engaged in main-taining internal security, pro-viding essential services duringemergency, traffic manage-ment and all sorts of services.

With growing requirementand pressure on the Stateexchequer rising, the State hasappealed to the Centre to hikethe share basis to 50:50.

Several State Governmentshave also put this demand,according to sources.

As the Home Guards areparticipating in the disasters forrescue operations, they requireskill training to face situations.Establishment of a traininginstitute is required, argued theState Government.

Similarly, Civil DefenceOrganization is having volun-teers in several urban zones ofthe State.

These volunteers are serv-

ing in 11 districts of Khordha,Angul, Sundargarh, Koraput,Jagatisnghpur, Kendrapada,Bhadrakh, Baleswar, Ganjam,Puri and Dhenkanal.

They have displayed out-standing performance in thetime of natural disasters. CivilDefence volunteers havereceived President and ChiefMinister’s awards for theirexemplary work during thetime of disasters like CycloneFani.

The State Government hasapproached the MHA toenhance the ratio from 25:75 to50:50 to meet expendituresincurred for the Civil Defence.

����� �-9�+67�1+:

The Housing and UrbanDevelopment Department

has written a letter to theCommissioners of municipalcorporations, ExecutiveOfficers of municipalities andNACs for precautionary mea-sures to combat spread coron-avirus.

The department has direct-ed the civic bodies to undertakethe following measures imme-diately:

Temporary Quarantinecentres, i.e., Kalyan Mandap,Community Centre, CycloneShelter, shelter for urban home-less or any other buildings ofany department/agency(Private or Government) withelectricity (sufficient lights andfans with power back up-DGsets) and continuous water

supply facility should be keptready for use when required.These buildings should get afacelift by way of colouring ofthe exterior and interior partswherever required. It may beconsidered to engage facilitymanagement agencies for man-aging these centres whenrequired.

Service provider agenciesmay also be immediately con-tacted to provide additionalman power for managing thefacilities.

The buildings should beproperly sanitised for main-taining proper hygienic condi-tion. Dedicated team should bedeployed for proper mainte-nance, watch and ward, house-keeping, etc.

Specific teams should beformed on a cluster approachbasis to oversee the sanitary

condition and health status oftheir localities with properreporting of the status daily.

The Ward Officer shouldact as Surveillance Officer forthe entire area.

The Ward Officers shouldkeep in touch with communi-ty for updating the currentposition relating to their wardfor taking further action at dif-ferent levels.

The Swachha Sathisengaged for the solid wastemanagement purpose shouldbe extensively engaged in col-lecting and reporting the infor-mation pertaining to presenceof any foreigner or any inhab-itant who visited foreign coun-tries within last 15 days in theirlocalities to the Commissionersor Executive Officers.

Focus should be given onenvironmental sanitation. The

earlier instructions need to bescrupulously followed.

As instructed earlier, waterjetting machines should beprocured and made availablewithin two days in all toiletsand Aahaar centres.

Fogging and spraymachines should be used reg-ularly to sanitise the localities.The machines should be pur-chased in adequate numbers tomeet the requirements. Even ifthe delivery time on placingpurchase order is more, it isworthwhile to procure nowfor the present and futureusage in sanitation activities.

All community toilets andpublic toilets should getfacelifts. They need to be givencolour coating and make surethat it gets running water sup-ply and electricity, hand washwith soap facilities, etc.

All parks shall remainclosed from 2 pm onwardsevery day.

The IEC campaigns shouldcontinue to generate ampleawareness. Any misleading andfalse information spreadthrough social media or anyother mode should be imme-diately reported to the author-ities.

The civic bodies are autho-rised to make necessary expen-ditures for all these activitiesout of the funds available underthe FC grants/ State funds/ownresources.

All kind of gatheringsshould be strictly prohibited.

Regular coordinationshould be made with districtCollectors and HealthDepartment officials to ensureproper adherence to the advi-sories.

����� �-9�+67�1+:

The Zonal DeputyCommissioner (South East)

of the Bhubaneswar MunicipalCorporation (BMC) onMonday submitted to theAdditional Commissioner a listof buildings that would providequarantine facilities to the sus-pects of novel coronavirus in theState capital.

According to the list, 25buildings have been allotted in thecity to provide quarantine facili-ties to the suspected persons.

The list of buildings:Acharya Vihar Primary

School (Ward-28)Unit 9 Boys/Girls High

School (Ward-29)Saheednagar High

School/IPSC Building (Ward-30Office)

Palasuni UG School,Rasulgarh (Ward-31)

Laxmisagar UP School,Aurobindo EM SChool, Lane-1, Jagannath Nagar (Ward-32)

Jatriniwas, Cuttack Road(Ward-33)

Khelaghar School,Satyanagar (Ward-34)

Capital High School, Unit-3 (Ward-35)

Unit IV UP School, NagarCommittee, Madhusudannagar(Ward-36)

Unit II Girls’ High School(Ward-40)

Text Book Press ColonyHigh School (Ward-41)

Budheswari CommunityCentre (Ward-42)

Laxmisagar High School(Ward-43)

Baragada UP & HighSchool (Ward-44)

Chintamaniswar Girls’

High School and SabarsahiPrimary School (Ward-45)

Bapuji Nagar PrimarySchool (Ward-53)

Gosagereswar PrimarySchool, Ratha Road (Ward-54)

Mission School,Vivekananda Marg,Gautamnagar Girls’ HighSchool & Harihar Vidyapitha,Nageswartangi (Ward-55)

BJB College New ArtsBlock (Ward-56)

Saraswati Sisu Mandir,Baragada Brit Colony (Ward-57)

Brahmeswar UP & HighSchool (Ward-58)

Samantarapur UP School(Ward-59)

SM Girls High School, OldTown (Ward-60)

Bhimatangi Primary School(Ward-61)

Ekamra College (Ward-67)

����� �-9�+67�1+:

Transport and CommerceMinister Padmanabha

Behera on Monday directed thebus owners to strictly avoidoverloading. The decision wastaken amidst the growing fearof the coronavirus outbreak.

The guideline was issuedfor the owners of private buses.

As per reports, buses aredirected to refrain from takingaboard passengers more thanits sitting capacity. Besides, thebus driver and other staffers ofthe bus to wear masks at alltimes while plying.

Besides, the focus is beinggiven on maintaining properhygiene like sanitising the vehi-cles on daily basis so that pas-sengers travelling in the busesdon’t get infected.

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In a preventive measure forthe outbreak of COVID-19,

the Forest Department hasbanned the entry of touristsinto the BhitarkanikaBhitarkanika National Park inKendrapada district fromMarch 17 to 31 , informedRajnagar DFO Bikash RanjanDash on Monday.

Even though the coron-avirus has spread its tentacle inmany countries only five for-eign nationals visited the park,including two tourists fromSwitzerland, two from Ukraineand one from France.

While the two Swisstourists made a night halt onMarch 11, the two Ukrainenationals, who visited onMarch 11 and a French nation-al, who came on March 13 vis-ited the park at daytime

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Flights from Jharsuguda toBhubaneswar will not take

place for three months at least.As informed by Jharsuguda

VSS Airport Station ManagerAbhijit Satpathy, the flightsprovided by Alliance Airbetween Jharsuguda-B hu b an e s w ar- Var an a s i -Bhubaneswar-Jharsuguda willremain suspended from March29 till June 30.

He further said that due toimplementation of NOTAM(Aeronautical, facilitation,Service, Information for changein f light schedule) in

Bhubaneswar Airport, theseflights have been cancelled.However, from July 1, as per theearlier time schedule, AllianceAir flight will fly from Kolkataat 05.50 am to reachJharsuguda at 07.20am.

The flight will again leaveJharsuguda Airport at 07.45 amand reach Raipur at 08.50 am.Again from Raipur, it will leaveat 09.15 am and reachJharsuguda at 10.20 am.Thereafter, it will leaveJharsuguda at 10.45 am toreach Bhubaneswar at 11.50am. Likewise, fromBhubaneswar it will leave at12.15 pm and reach Varanasi at

2.05 in the afternoon. FromVaranasi airport, it will leave at02.30 pm and after landing atBhubaneswar at 04.20 pm theflight will move at 04.45 pm forJharsuguda and reach there at05.50 pm. The same flight willleave Jharsuguda Airport at06.15 pm in the evening andreach Kolkata at 7.45 pm.

The passengers will be fac-ing difficulties due to suspen-sion of flight service fromJharsuguda to Bhubaneswar.They will depend upon bus andtrain service, which will bequite time consuming, pas-sengers said.

����� �-9�+67�1+:

Senior Congress leader andformer Finance Minister

Panchanan Kanungo onMonday alleged that illegalsale of granite stones from 60mines is rampantly going on inthe Chhindakhandi area underJajpur district’s Dharmasalablock.

A representative team ledby senior party leaderAryakumar Jnanedra broughtthis to the notice of the Odisha

State Human RightsCommission (OSHRC). Adharna is being staged at thesite under the leadership ofCongress Dharmasala MLAcandidate Smrutirekha Pahisince March 14.

Addressing a Press meet,Kanungo and Pahi alleged thatthe land having mines wascovered with valuable sal treesyears back. In 2003, theGovernment converted a bigportion of land into forestland.The Government has leasedout six stone mines. But it isdisappointing that black stonesare being mined illegally from60 mines there. There are 120stone crushers operating inthe area and stones are beingsupplied to them illegally,

alleged they.They further alleged that

the Government is earningrevenue of Rs 2 crore from sixmines and losing crores ofrupees due to illegal mining in60 mines. There is a nexusamong the Government,mafias and ruling party leaders,they said.

They wanted to know whythe district Collector, con-cerned Tehsildar and police aresilent over the illegal mining.

They demanded that theGovernment stop the illegalmining and file criminal casesagainst mines mafia and guiltyGovernment officials.

Among others, Jnanendraand Jnanadeba Beura were pre-sent.

����� ,+88+-+:+

The Swain Construction,which has undertaken a

road construction work fromTandabereni to Kansar underthe PMGSY, has cut many saltrees illegally.

Former Sarapanch UmeshGarhnayak has made this alle-gation before the KhamarForest Ranger. About big saltrees have been felled, he said.

A forest squad visited the

spot andi n q u i r e dabout thematter. Butno action hasbeen takenagainst thecontractor tilldate. Theremight be an e x u sbetween thec ont r a c t orand theRanger, alleged villagers ofAlluri and Kansar.

The Ranger avoided ques-tions from media saying that hewas looking into the matter.

Villagers also informed this

to Dhenkanal MP MaheshSahoo in a grievance meetingheld at Khamar on Friday. TheMP assured them that hewould facilitate for a depart-mental inquiry soon.

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Koraput district CollectorMadhusudan Mishra on

Monday directed the con-cerned authorities to completecorona centres at all CHCs addPHCs within eight days tocombat coronavirus in the dis-trict.

The Collector said this at ameeting held at the DRDAoffice here. He said the StateGovernment has sanctionedRs 10 lakh per establishment ofCorona Kendra at CHCs andRs 5 lakh for PHCs. Each cen-tre will have a capacity toadmit 100 patients at a time.

The Collector said an 11-member taskforce has beenformed for checking sale ofduplicate masks and originalmasks at higher prices. Blood

samples of all outsiders and for-eign returnees would be testedfor COVID-19 compulsorily,he said.

The Ashakiran Hospital,hospitals of the Hal and theNalco and the Global PrivateHospitals have been asked toinform the DistrictHeadquarters about Coronasuspects if coming to them fortreatment. Sub-CollectorDeben Pradhan, DRDADirector Prabir Kumar Nayak,Project Direcotr MaheshwarNayak, CDMO DrMakarananda Beura, BJPMUSubhrakanta Gantayat, DIPROJagannath Prasad Ray, KoraputMunicipality Executive OfficerGaurachandra Patnaik,Kotapad EO Aloka RanjanSamantray, all JEEs andTehsildars were present.

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Page 3: €¦ · tected monuments and Central museums across the country will be shut till March 31, Union Culture Minister Prahlad Patal said on Monday. On their parts, the States are already

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After Ganjam on Sunday, thedistrict administration of

Jajpur on Monday imposedprohibitory orders underSection 144 of CrPC to avoidspreading of COVID-19.

Besides, leaves of allGovernment employees in thedistrict were cancelled.

The Baruni Snana at theBaitarani river side that wasscheduled to be held on March21 has also been cancelled.Following the prohibitory

orders, gathering ofmore than five personsat one place in the dis-trict has been restrict-ed.

Meanwhile, leavesof Government offi-cials in Bhadrak andRayagada districtshave also been can-celled.

As part of precautionarymeasures, the Ganjam admin-istration has clamped Section144 in the district. On Monday,the district Collector and theBerhampur MunicipalCorporation (BeMC)Commissioner ordered clo-sure of all shopping malls andshowrooms in Brahmapur tocurb spreading of the highlyinfectious virus.

The Puri district adminis-tration also cancelled the leavesof all Government employeestill March 31. Puri CollectorBalwant Singh said no employ-ee would be allowed to leavethe district headquarters tillthis deadline.

As per the directive, theGovernment offices wouldremain open on all holidaysduring the period and no leaveapplication would be granted.

Meanwhile, police person-nel along with officials of RTOand Health Department areengaged for checking all vehi-cles en route to the pilgrimtown at the tollgate in Pipili.The Collector has asked theofficials to return the vehiclesand passengers from Pipili ifrequired.

Leaves of Governmentemployees in Khordha,Gajapati, Rayagada andJharsuguda districts have alsobeen cancelled.

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It was March 4, 2015, whenChief Minister Naveen

Patnaik had declared the XavierInstitute of Management,Bhubaneswar’s second cam-pus at Rourkela. It had createdhope and enthusiasm amongthe residents who were dis-heartened over the IIM issue.

Rourkela fulfilling all cri-teria was a strong contender forthe IIM, but at the lastmoments, the StateGovernment had decided toestablish the IIM at Sambalpurowing to a strong lobby.

However, looking at thedismay spreading in Rourkelaover the IIM, the CM hadassured establishment of the

XIMB branch at Rourkela. Buttill date the assurance of theCM has not translated intoaction.

The agitation for IIM atSambalpur put the Union HRDMinister under pressure towrite a letter to the ChiefMinister, Odisha for his sug-gestion on establishing the IIMin western Odisha and espe-cially in Sambalpur. The ChiefMinster in response had rec-ommended Sambalpur as theCentre was prepared to relaxthe criteria.

Even though that time theopposition party leadersincluding BJP and Congresshere were not against IIM inSambalpur, they very cun-ningly were targeting Patnaik,saying that they would havebeen happier if Rourkela wasrecommended for the IIM.While the BJD was at a backfoot in Rourkela, the ChiefMinister suddenly declared ofthe second campus of premiermanagement institute, Xavier

Institute of Management,Bhubaneswar (XIMB) atRourkela.

While the BJD said theChief Minister’s recommend-ing Sambalpur for the OdishaIIM and declaring the XIMBcampus for Rourkela is a dou-ble bonanza for westernOdisha, the Opposition blamedthat to cover up the apathyagainst Rourkela, the CM hadmade a false declaration.

However, the sudden dec-laration for a second XIMBcampus at Rourkela by Patnaiksaved the BJD here at that time.While simply welcoming thesteps, the opposition partiespreferred to keep themselvesaway from making furthercomments. Political slugfestover management institutionapart, the XIMB decision waswidely hailed by the intellec-tuals and students at that time.

But since then there hasbeen no new development onthe project. As a result, the BJDunder fire of the opposition

parties again. It is alleged thatthe XIMB campus declarationwas a political game plan ofPatnaik to divert attention ofthe people from the IIM set-back.

Even when it was declaredthat the RSP will provide landwith other supports, it wasascertained that the campuswill be in Rourkela city itself.But neither from the RSPsource, nor from the StateGovernment is there any con-firmation regarding this man-agement school.

Interestingly, while the BJDis on back foot on the issue, theother major political partieslike the BJP and the Congresskeep mum on it now. Even thesocial and other organisationsdo not raise the issue to mountpressure on the Government. Itmay be noted here that not onlyXavier campus but also manyprojects which carry impor-tance for Rourkela are limitedeither to assurance or laying offoundation stone so far.

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Athreat poster put up on theJuanpada bridge in R

Udayagiri block of Gajapati dis-trict on Saturday has triggeredpanic among locals.

After getting information,Gajapati Superintendent ofPolice Sara Sharma immedi-ately asked the police to carryout on the spot investigations.Sharma said the people whohave spread panic by putting upsuch poster would be tracedand punished as per the law.

But she asked the peoplenot to panic as the posterappears to be a hoax. She also

appealed people to provideinformation about the mis-chief mongers.

In the poster it was stated,“Kindly do not commute onthis bridge. It would be blast-ed. So be careful. For moreinformation, contact mobileno 9438012860.”

But when contacted, it wasfound that the number belongedto Energy Department Junior

Engineer Ratiranjan Patra.Later, the JE lodged a complaintwith the R Udayagiri police sta-tion in this connection.

Following which, as per theinstructions of the SP, GUdayagiri PS IIC MamataNayak and bomb squad went tothe spot and carried out inves-tigations. As Gajapati district isMaoist-infested police are tak-ing no chances.

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The Lower Suktel MilitaKriyanusthan Committee

would resort to agitation if theirfive-point charter of demandson different issues relating tothe Lower Suktel IrrigationProject is not fulfilled within 10days.

This was announced byKriyanusthan Committee con-venor Lalit Nayak at a Pressconference on Sunday.

The demands includeequivalent ex-gratia compen-sation to displaced people as per

the 2013 Land Acquisition Act,a fresh survey to identify thosewho have attained adulthood inthe meantime till January 1,2020, a special package forlandless people and homesteadlands to all and appropriatemeasures to solve the problemsof displaced people.

Even as 29 villages aregoing to be affected fully orpartially, according to reports,

outsiders other than displacedarea people have purchasedlands.

As revealed by a memberof the KriyanusthanCommittee, in village Bijapati,which would be affected and itsresidents would be displaced,outsiders have purchasedaround 70 per cent of the landwith a view to getting highercompensation.

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Craze for selfie cost a youthdear as a train crushed him

when he was trying to take aselfie on a railway track inSambalpur district on Sundayevening.

The deceased was identi-fied as Prabadyut Tiwana (24)of Tiwari Gali under theKhetrajpur police station in thedistrict.

As per eyewitnessaccounts, the youth was click-ing selfie standing on the rail-way track near Atharahazaarunder the Burla police stationin the district. Though thelevel crossing was closed, hetook his motorcycle and parkedit on the track.

In the meantime, a freighttrain hit him from behindresulting in his death on thespot. The Burla police haverecovered the body for post-mortem and registered anunnatural death case into theincident.

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Paradip Port Trust (PPT)Chairman Rinkesh Roy,

addressing the Press onMonday, reiterated the suc-cessful completion of dredgingoperations at the Mahanadiriver mouth. The work in thenavigational channel having1-km length and 100-meterwidth carried out by theDredging Corporation of Indiawas completed on February 26this year.

He appealed to local fish-ermen to use the designatedchannel and not to use anyshortcut while venturing intothe sea. The PPT marinedepartment has alreadyinstalled four temporary buoysin the channel with propermarking, which is clearly visi-

ble, Roy informed.To impart training to the

fishermen, the PPT SeiorHydrographic Surveyor wouldconduct a programme regard-ing GPS coordination withproper latitude and longitude.Roy cautioned that fishingtrawlers not following the des-ignated channel would be atrisk of stranding.

Notably, an IntegratedFishery Harbour is operationalat Paradip located in theMahanadi right bank, forwhich maintenance dredging isrequired in regular intervals.The harbour is presently man-aged by the State FisheriesDepartment. The local fishingcommunity has been facing dif-ficulties as the river mouth hasbeen silted up over the yearsand the fishing vessels face hin-drance to navigate duringapproach/exit from the har-bour. The river mouth was lastdredged almost 20 years back.

On the steps undertakenby the PPT to prevent any pos-sible outbreak of COVID-19 in

the locality, Roy said the shipscoming to the port from thecountries, where there isreporting of maximum out-break of corona virus are sub-jected to quarantine of manda-tory 14 days in the anchoragearea and the Master of Vesselsends the health status of itscrew members twice a day tothe designated medical team of

PPT. After quarantine period,the Port Health Officer or theChief Medical Officer, PPTboards and screens the crewand if everything is alrightthen the ship is allowed toundertake cargo operations.As the Limited Pratique is inplace, no shore leaving per-mission is given to the crew.

In case of Indian crew, if

there is any essentialrequirement then heis subjected to med-ical screening andthermal scanning.Disposal of waste orfaecal matter fromthe ships berthinglocally is not permit-ted.

Cautioning abouthard summer daysahead, Roy appealedto the inhabitants oftownship to cope upwith one-time watersupply very soon.Repair work of theTaladanda Canalwould begin in

Cuttack and continue till May31. Hence, the port adminis-tration is trying to revive thewater intake point atChoudhurygada and drawmaximum possible water innext few days. The reservoirs ofPPT can meet the waterdemand for 30-35 days withone-time supply; otherwise thecapacity is for 17-20 days.

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The municipal authoritiesof Baleswar have braced up

for recovery of pending hold-ing taxes from the defaulters.

They have appealed to allthe defaulters to pay theamount to avoid actions,including legal options , saidthe municipality ExecutiveOfficer Pranaya Kumar Jena,adding that certificate caseswould be initiated against thebig defaulters.

“We have identified about1,000 big defaulters, includingresidential houses and com-mercial establishments. AboutRs 1.5 crore is pending. Thetarget date to pay is March 20.After the mentioned periodother actions including snap-ping water and electricity con-nections. Further, arrest, cer-tificate case and property

attachments would follow ifrequired,” said Jena, adding,“About Rs 1.4 crore is alreadycollected and it is expected tocollect at least Rs 60 lakh by thetarget date. We have identifiedthe defaulters ward and zonewise whose amount pending ismore than Rs 10,000 each.The list is sent to each warddirecting them to pay by March20.”

The names of big default-ers would be published in massmedia, the administrationinformed.

Jena further informedthat in order to contain themenace of the Coronavirus,all schools, colleges, educa-tional institutions , swim-ming polls have been closed.The municipality hasstopped giving permissionsfor the assembly hallsincluding Gandhi Smruti

Bhawan and Town hall etc.Those who have booked

wedding halls in advance havebeen advised not to have muchcongregation.

“Since Chaitra monthbegan , ideally ,there won’t beany marriages for at least onemonth . Mostly , today therewould be few receptions. Wehave been creating awareness.And we are asking the estab-lishments to close where theyare opened. However , forshopping malls, there is noinstruction so far,” said Jena.

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Three persons were killedwhen the motorcycle by

which they were travellinghad a head-on collision witha pickup van in Mohana areaof Gajapati distr ict onMonday.

The deceased were iden-tified as Sudhir Mallick, MailaMallick from Ramraju villageand Ram Mallick from Hoeruvillage.

According to reports, theincident took place when thetrio was returning back homefrom Mohana and speeding apick-up van coming from theopposite direction hit the

bike. The collision was sopowerful that the three diedon the spot. However, thepick-up van driver managedto flee from the spot soonafter the mishap.

Tension prevailed at thespot following the incidentand irate locals stage a block-ade by placing stones on theroad demanding compensa-tion and arrest of the accusedvan driver.

Gett ing information,police reached the spot andpacified the locals, seized thebodies for postmortem. Thecops also seized the van andlaunched a manhunt to nabthe absconding driver.

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Acouple of Gapatia villageunder the Mohana police

station in Gajapati district wasbrutally killed on suspicion ofpracticing witchcraft onSunday night.

Later, their bodies weredumped in the nearby Judimajungle. The deceased wereidentified as Patu Mallick andhis physically challenged wifeSabitri Mallick.

While Patu died due toinjuries on his chest inflicted bya sharp weapon, Sabitri’s throatwas found slit. The assailantshad also sprinkled chili powderon their bodies.

After a complaint waslodged with the Mohana policeon Monday, a police team wentto the spot for investigations.

Later, police recovered thebodies and sent them for post-mortem. The incident has trig-gered panic in the area.

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In order to combat the men-ace of Corona virus, the dis-

trict administration has openeda control room which func-tions round the clock here. Andthe number is 06782-262184.

Besides, the number ofnodal officer, 9439982001, isavailable to people at large. Anyquery can be made in thesenumbers , without getting pan-icy , informed districtCollector K SudharshanChakravarthy, addressingmediapersons on Sundayevening.

He said preventive andprecautionary measures couldplay a major role to mitigate themenace.

Stating that massive aware-ness exercise has been taken bythe district and health admin-istration, he claimed that asmany as 5 lakh leaflets and60,000 posters had been dis-tributed across all the blocks togenerate awareness among peo-ple.

The Anganwadi, ASHA,ANM and health workers havebeen engaged in the awarenessspreading programme, heinformed.

Chakravarthy appealed tothe people to keep them offfrom the crowd and not to gooutside unnecessarily.

Schools, colleges and othereducational institutions exceptfor examinations while

remained closed, swimmingpools, gymnasiums and otherpublic gathering places toowere shut.

He further informed thatnot a single case of Coronavirus affected had been so fardetected although 89 peoplewho came from outside wereunder observation. As many as31 people of Bhograi blockalone were under 14 days'observation, he told.

He further informed thatsanitisers and masks were nowessential commodities andwarned that stern action wouldtaken against compliant ofhoarding and black-market-ing of these items, adding thatraids were being carried out.

He, however, appealed topeople to adopt precautionarymeasures without getting pan-icked.

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Fire broke out in the Korabanditeak forest under the

Pachhikote Demarked ProtectedForest (DPF) of the Jajpur RoadForest Range on Monday after-noon and spread throughout theforest.

A number of valuable treesincluding Sal, Piasal and teak weredestroyed in the fire and manywild animals including over 300rabbits, about 100 wild bears andmany snakes were reportedlyburnt to death.

Till the last reports received, about100 acres of the forest was gutted.

Environmentalist Dushmanta Rout

expressed his concern and informed thematter to the Angul RCCF. He allegedthat the protection squad deployed atRagadi under the Korai PS has beenremoved arbitrarily by the Jajpur RoadRanger to work at the Sapagadia nurs-

ery. The Ragadi beat house seems to beclosed since a year defying the order ofthe Cuttack DFO. Rout demanded ahigh-level probe into the matter.

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The Ganjam district administration onMonday ordered temporary closure of

shopping malls, parks, libraries and eateriesas part of measures to check possible outbreakof the coronavirus in the district. BeMC offi-cial Dr Ranjit Patro was appointed nodal offi-cer for coronavirus.

Addressing a Press meet, district CollectorVijay Amruta Kulange and BeMCCommissioner Chakrabarty Singh Rathoresaid all Government and private colleges,libraries, parks and coaching institutes wouldremain closed till March 31.

The BeMC issued guidelines for operationof hostels, hotels, restaurants, Kalyan Mandapsand marriage gardens. Students were asked toleave hostels at the earliest. Messages tocounter coronavirus would be electronicallydisplayed at different places. Gatherings atmutts, temples, mosques and charges havebeen restricted.

The BeMC has engaged SHGs in mak-ing and supplying affordable two-three layersmasks to people on demand.

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Page 4: €¦ · tected monuments and Central museums across the country will be shut till March 31, Union Culture Minister Prahlad Patal said on Monday. On their parts, the States are already

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Vigilance officers onMonday arrested

Divisional LabourCommissioner-cum-DistrictLabour Officer, KalahandiPradeep Kumar Mohanty andRural Labour Inspector JayantKumar Panda for taking bribeof Rs 30,000 from Daktar Tareiof Aitipur village underGanjam district’s Khalikotepolice station to renew thelabour license of his elderbrother Mohan Tarei.

Acting on a complaint,Vigilance police laid a trap andcaught Panda red-handed whiletaking bribe from Tarei in theDivisional LabourCommissioner’s office. Panda

after receiving the bribe moneywent to DLO Mohanty’s cham-ber where they both signed onthe renewal labour license ofMohan Tarei. Residential rentedhouses and office room of Pandaand Mohanty at Bhawanipatnaas well as their houses at nativeplace at Kendrapada and Cuttackwere being searched.

In a similar incident,Vigilance sleuths also arrestedNarayan Tudu, StatisticalInvestigator, Directorate ofFamily Welfare, Odisha,Bhubaneswar for demandingand accepting illegal gratifica-tion of Rs.2,000 fromHimanshu Sekhar Panda ofGanesh Bazar, Jajpur Road, forissue of duplicate Green Cardin favour of the complainantand his spouse.

Tudu’s house atBhubaneswar was undersearch, informed an officialrelease.

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Eminent physi-cian and first

BMC Mayor DrJ a g a n n a t hMohapatra hasbeen honouredwith theC h a n d r ap r av aSmriti SevaSamman by the AssociatedMedia Foundation.

While film producer BijotProgya Tripathy was honouredwith the Chandraprava SmrutiSahitya Samman, stage artistVaswoti Basu felicitated withthe Chandraprava SanskrutiSamman and social workerRita Patra with Prabasi OdiaSamman.

The all received the awardsat a colorful function organised

at the Press Club of Odisha onMarch 14.

The awards are given inmemory of ChandraprvaPatnaik, who had sacrificed allcomforts to help the sufferingand the deprived without anyfinancial aid from Governmentand private agencies.

Justice (retired) AS Naidu,RS member Sasmit Patra andadministrator BishnuapadaSethi graced the event as guests.

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The police at Sambalpuraccompanied by special

squad arrested a man, FaizulHassan, having connectionwith illegal pangolin(Bajrakapta) trade.

At the same time, the

police also seized scales ofpangolin from his possession.

“The youth belongs toSunapali area of Dhanupalipolice station and the scalesseized from him will be worthlakhs in internatinal market,”informed the police and forestdepartment sources.

Police further came toknow that this trade had gotlink with Burma and people ofseveral other States and differ-ent districts of Odisha have linkwith Faizul.

�����576�:+,+�+

The much-await-ed mass nesting

of endangered OliveRidley sea turtlescommenced atNasi-ll beach with-in the Gahirmathamarine sanctuarysince Sunday nightas more than 10,000female Olive Ridley sea turtleslaid eggs, said Ranger DebashisBhoi.

The golden beach of NasiII is said to be largest rookeryof the species. The forest per-sonnel have also taken all theprecautionary measures to pro-

vide a congenial atmospherefor the Olive Ridley sea turtlesto come en masse to the gold-en beach for laying eggs.

In last 24 hours, more than

10 ,000 female Olice Ridley seaturtles laid eggs at Nasi-IIbeach. It will continue foranother five to six days, saidsources, adding the forest per-sonnel have made 24 segmentsat Nasi-II for counting turtlenests.

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Armed with the queriesregarding cricketer-

turned-politician Navjot SinghSidhu starting his new inningby starting a YouTube channelor directly approaching heparty high command, PunjabChief Minister Capt AmarinderSingh on Monday played downhis differences with his partycolleague saying that he has noissues with it.

Capt Amarinder main-tained that anyone can start achannel or can even discuss anymatter with anyone in the party.

Notably, the formerMinister Sidhu, who has beenat loggerheads with CaptAmarinder, was blamed forhis “inept handling” of theLocal GovernmentDepartment for the party’s“poor performance” in theurban areas during the 2019Lok Sabha polls.

In June, the Chief Ministerhad divested Sidhu of the LocalGovernment and Tourism andCultural Affairs Departments,allocating him the Power andNew and Renewable Energyportfolio after which he hadresigned from the PunjabCabinet.

When asked about the sta-tus of the Congress MLA in the

party, the Chief Minister onMonday said that he was aCongressman and “we willcertainly consider all his wish-es” in taking any decision.

Capt Amarinder said thathe had known Sidhu since hewas a two-year-old and had “nopersonal issues with him”.

To a question about Sidhumeeting the central party lead-ership on Punjab issues insteadof raising these with the stateleadership, the Chief Ministersaid, “He is welcome to discussany issue with anyone in theparty...If he has anything, whichhe would like to discuss, he iswelcome.”

Sidhu, the previous month,had met Congress chief SoniaGandhi and party leaderPriyanka Gandhi Vadra inDelhi and apprised them of aroadmap for the “revival” of theCongress-ruled state "to itspristine glory".

Commenting on Sidhu'sYouTube channel, CaptAmarinder said: “That is up toanybody. If I want to run achannel who can stop me.”

“WILL DEFINITELY CON-TEST NEXT POLLS, STILLYOUNG ENOUGH”

Three years after hedeclared 2017 state assemblyelections to be his last polls,

Punjab Chief Minister CaptAmarinder Singh on Mondayasserted that he will be con-testing the next assembly elec-tions in the state. “I am stillquite young. Do you think I’mtoo old to fight the polls,”quipped Capt Amarinder.

In 2018, Capt Amarinderhad said that he would nothang up his boots until theState was taken out of the“mess”. In 2019, the scion of theerstwhile Patiala's royal familyhad said that he would not quitpolitics until Punjab's numberone position was “restored”, andhe might fight the next assem-bly polls, if needed.

DON’T GO BY KEJRIWAL’SDRAMA

Dismissing the power sub-sidy being given by the AamAadmi Party (AAP)Government in Delhi as a“drama” by Arvind Kejriwal,the Chief Minister said thatthere was “no comparison”between Punjab and thenational capital as the latter hadno farmers or police to takecare of.

Kejriwal had reduceddomestic tariff through crosssubsidy, he said, pointing outthat the Punjab Governmentwas already giving much high-er subsidy than Delhi.

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Haryana ChiefM i n i s t e r

Manohar LalKhattar on Mondaygave the mantra of3-I's ---Integrity,Involvement andInnovation to thenewly appointedofficers of HaryanaCivil Service-2020(HCS), saying theyshould work bykeeping the welfareof people as their foremost con-cern. Addressing the valedic-tory ceremony of First JointFoundation Course of newlyselected officers of HCS 2020at Haryana Institute of PublicAdministration (HIPA) inGurugram, Khattar said theyshould work with integrity i.e.honesty for the public andinvolvement i.e. work byinvolving the team.

By explaining the meaning

of the team, the Chief Ministersaid that by making a list of thetasks of their offices, distributethem among the team and takethe lead by yourself where weak-ness is spotted. This will increaseconfidence of the employees intheir officer, he added. Giving thethird mantra of innovation, theChief Minister said that newtechnologies are coming thesedays; for example IT, adoptinnovation to serve the people in

a better way .Khattar said that while serv-

ing as an officer, they will comeacross many types of situations,but in those circumstances, theymust keep control on themselvesand don't be swayed by seeingothers, they should work byrules and regulations. He saidthat the officers try to come upto the expectations of massesand deliver clean administration.

Earlier, HIPA DirectorGeneral, Surina Rajan said thatHIPA has prepared a program forthe induction training to all newlyrecruited officers and refreshercourse after every three years. Shesaid that on the directions of theChief Secretary, a knowledge net-work will be started for capacitybuilding of officials.

Haryana Chief SecretaryKeshni Anand Arora joined theproceedings of the event throughvideo conferencing fromChandigarh and other districtofficials from their respectivedistricts.

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In order to develop PatanjaliResearch Institute into a

centre of excellence, a mem-orandum of understandingwas signed between the insti-tute and the Tribal ResearchInstitute, Uttarakhand hereon Monday.

The MoU was signed inthe presence of chief ministerTrivendra Singh Rawat at theCM’s residence. The TribalWelfare director Suresh Joshisigned the memorandumalong with Achar yaBalkrishna representingPatanjali institute.

This project will be under-taken with the assistance ofthe Tribal Affairs ministry ofthe Government of India. Aspart of the MoU, the medici-nal plants found in the tribalareas of the state and the tra-ditional medicine systems will

be researched and document-ed. This work is being startednow as a pilot project. TheGovernment of India hasapproved a sum of Rs 3.12crore for this purpose. Lateron, the project will be extend-ed and undertaken in otherstates too for which the TribalResearch Institute,Uttarakhand will be the nodalagency.

CM Rawat stressed on theneed for compiling and doc-umenting traditional knowl-edge along with evidence.Traditional knowledge andscience will have to be broughttogether while focus will alsohave to laid on utilisationand conservation of herbs,said Rawat.

It was stated on the occa-sion that under the project,traditionally occupied per-sons in tribal areas will betrained. Knowledge will be

shared while medicinal plantswill be identified and the

components found in themwill be ascertained.

Monograph of the plants willalso be created.

����� -+:��1+:

Expressing dissatisfaction atthe pace of works for the

Kumbh Mela to be held in 2021at Haridwar, the AkhilBharatiya Akhada Parishad

(ABAP) president NarendraGiri said that the ABAP is plan-ning to meet the Union HomeMinister Amit Shah on thisissue soon. Giri said this aftermeeting the state’s UrbanDevelopment minister Madan

Kaushik, the Kumbh Mela offi-cer Deepak Rawat and KumbhMela SSP Janmejay Khandurion the weekend.The ABAPpresident had a talk with thecabinet minister at theNiranjani Akhada here on theweekend. Giri said that he hadexpressed his dissatisfactionto the Chief Minister regardingpermanent works not startingin the Akhada.

In a telephonic conversa-tion with this correspondent,the ABAP president said thatpermanent works have notbeen started in the Akhada bythe Kumbh Mela administra-

tion so far while such perma-nent construction works weredone by the respective stategovernments during the Ujjainand Prayagraj Kumbh Melas.

He further said that duringthe Haridwar Kumbh Mela ifthere are encroachments on thepath used for the Peshwai of theAkhadas, the Akhada memberswill leave. The administrationmust remove all suchencroachments on time, hestressed. Stating that about 10months are left for the KumbhMela to be held in Haridwarduring 2021, the ABAP presi-dent said that the pace of

works is not satisfactory. TheABAP is planning to meet theUnion Home Minister AmitShah so that necessary bud-getary allocations can bereleased for the Kumbh Mela,he said.

Earlier, in the meeting withthe minister and officials, Giriasked the officials to speed upthe execution of constructionworks.

He also stressed on theneed for necessary action totreat the instability of theground at Mansa Devi toensure the safety of the devo-tees and their convenience.

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The police inspector general,Kumbh Mela, Sanjay

Gunjyal inspected the newlyconstructed city control roomunder Rishikesh Kotwali areaon Monday.

Reaching Rishikesh in theafternoon, Gunjyal inspectedthe various undergoing con-structions as part of which hechecked the office of the localintelligence unit (LIU), womenbarrack, integrated commandcontrol room and other facili-ties. He said that in the Muni-

ki-Reti area, the LIU office andwomen barrack are being con-structed in view of the KumbhMela 2021. Talking to this cor-respondent, he informed thatthe construction work which isunderway will be quite usefulduring the Kanwad Mela 2020and Kumbh Mela 2021.

He further informed that abudget of about Rs seven crorehas been passed for construc-tion of the integrated com-mand control room while abudget of Rs 85 lakh has beenpassed for building the office ofthe fire security officer.

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Due to the fear ofCoronavirus mayhem like

situation is witnessed in thestock markets of the Country,equity investors fromJharkhand are said to havelost �5,000 crore only in themonth of March after touchingits peak in January and expertssay that the markets will remainvolatile in coming couple ofmonths.

Equity benchmark Sensexand Nifty recorded the secondbiggest single day fall onMonday ended almost 8 percent lower, amid heavy sellingin global indices and height-ened fears of Coronavirus.Indian bourses also followedtheir European counterparts asEuropean stocks and USFutures also traded 4 per centand 5 per cent lower.

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A27-year-old man allegedlycommitted suicide by

hanging in his quarter nearGM colony on Sunday night.His family members havealleged torture by higher-upsas the reason behind his sui-cide, as he has been com-plaining about it for about amonth.

Police said that Hira LalMandal, a resident of GMcolony in Dhori area has beenworking as a mining sardar inthe CCL, Kargali and used tocomplain of pressure and tor-ture by his higher-ups.

His family members saidthat though he did not blameanyone for the alleged torturehe used to tell them that hewanted to end his life. Mandal’smother and his other familymembers had even advisedhim to quit the job.

The victim’s father DasoMandal told police that HiraLal was a very reserved personand never used to share hispersonal or professional lifewith friends and family.

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Page 5: €¦ · tected monuments and Central museums across the country will be shut till March 31, Union Culture Minister Prahlad Patal said on Monday. On their parts, the States are already

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In the five months since theimplementation of the

amended Motor Vehicles Act,there has been a 10 per centreduction in the number ofdeaths caused due to accidentsin the country, TransportMinister Nitin Gadkariinformed Rajya Sabha onMonday. He also informed theHouse the Government is com-mitted to reduce the accidentrate by 50 per cent in the nextfive years as India is a signato-ry to this affect at the WorldSafety Conference held recent-ly in Sweden.

Giving this informationwhile fielding questions per-taining to his Ministry, Gadkarisaid a total of 5 lakh accidentstake place in the country andaround 1.5 lakh people losetheir lives in these accidents. Of

these, 65 per cent people die inthe age group of 18 to 35years, he said.

He said Tamil Nadu hasmade significant progress inreducing the number of deathsin road accidents in the coun-try by 24 per cent in the last fivemonths, the maximum any-where in the country.

“There has been a 10 percent reduction in the numberof deaths due to accidents inthe country in the last fivemonths ever since the passageof the new Motor Vehicles Actby Parliament,” Gadkari saidadding “We have been able tosave 10,000 lives.”

Giving statistics state wise,he said Jammu and Kashmirand Chandigarh have shown 15per cent reduction in the num-ber of deaths due to accidents,Gujarat

14 per cent, Uttar Pradesh13 per cent, Andhra Pradesh 7

per cent and Manipur reduced4 per cent. However, Keralahas seen a rise of 4.9 per centwhile Assam recorded 8 percent rise, he told the House.

The minister also informedthat among various steps being

taken to reduce accidents, thegovernment proposes to open1,000 driving schools in thecountry, of which 22 havealready been opened. He saidmost accidents happened dueto poor road engineering and

the government has identified3,000 black spots to help reduceaccidents in the country.

He said a Rs 14,000 croreplan has been put in placewhereby the World Bank andAsian Development Bank will

invest Rs 7,000 crore and thesame amount will be spent byIndia towards education,enforcement and improvingroad engineering to help reduceaccidents.

Gadkaris also informedthat the Motor Vehicles Act isin the Concurrent list andstates are empowered to com-pound the offences and imple-ment the provisions of the Actas per their requirements.He said both his and a chiefminister’s vehicle have beenchallaned for traffic violationsand no one is spared whateverthe position one may occupy.

The Minister informed that73 per cent transactions arebeing handled currently byFASTag, electronic toll collec-tion, and the plan is to have 98per cent transactions through FASTag within thenext one month to ensureseamless traffic.

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The issue of coronaviruspandemic figured in the

Rajya Sabha on Monday withsome elders suggesting follow-ing preventive measures tofight the disease and urging theGovernment to instruct airlinesand the Railways not to levycancellation charges on ticketsdue to travel restrictions.Adjournment of the ongoingBudget Session of Parliamentwas also mooted to preventlarge gathering.

Raising the matter of can-cellation charges, Elamaram

Kareem(CPM) said severalStates have closed educationalinstitutions and other places tocheck the spread of coron-avirus. Besides, public gather-ings have been cancelled.

He said a large number ofpeople have changed their trav-el plans and forced to canceltheir air and train tickets. Inthis backdrop, Kareem urgedthe Government to interveneand ask airlines and Indian rail-ways to forgo cancellationcharges.

As several other membersagreed with Kareem, ChairmanM Venkaiah Naidu said it wasa suggestion worth consideringand asked the concerned min-

istries to have a look.Mooting the adjournment

of Parliament, S RBalasubramoniyan(AIADMK)said at any given time nearly200 people were present in theRajya Sabha, 500 or so in theLok Sabha and 300 in theCentral Hall. This was againstthe World HealthOrganisation(WHO) guide-lines of preventing a gatheringof more than 200 people, he

said and said the budget sessionshould be curtailed.

While Ram GopalY a d a v ( S a m a j w a d iParty)favoured screening ofvisitors at various entry pointsof Parliament complex as peo-ple from all over the countrycame here, DerekO ’ B r i e n ( T r i n a m o o lCongress)stressed on followingbasic hygiene practices likewashing hands regularly, stay at

home and cover mouth whilesneezing or coughing besidesraising awareness at all levels inthe society.

Sasmit Patra(BJD) calledfor sanitizing ATMs, socialdistancing and screening atdomestic airports too. He alsocalled for increasing the num-ber of corona testing laborato-ries and said at present therewere only 50 laboratories witha capacity of testing 4,500cases.

Vikas Mahatme(BJP)drewthe attention of the house torumors about the pandemicand said rumors like con-sumption of chicken should becountered as it was not scien-tifically proven. He also urgedpeople to refrain from visitingholy places in large numbers.

The Chairman also calledfor following good practices tocounter the disease and askedthe government to counterrumor mongering and high-light preventive steps.

����� 671��78-�

As Opposition insisted thatthere were 282 deaths of

sanitation workers engaged inmanual scavenging and 70,000children forced to beg by crim-inal network, the UnionMinster Social Justice andEmpowerment MinisterThaawar Chand Gehlot high-lighted measures taken by hisMinistry to uplift Dalits, trib-als, backward classes and dif-ferently-abled people andmaintained that hisGovernment is working on acomprehensive policy for elder-ly citizens.

Replying to a debate on thedemand for grants of his min-istry, which was later passed bythe House, Gehlot said‘divyang’, a term for people withdisabilities, across the countrywill have a standard identitycard through which they canavail of benefits meant forthem anywhere.

As of now, he said, the cer-tificate issued in one district isnot accepted in another district.

The Indian cricket team forthe physically challenged, henoted, has been winning theworld cup cricket for the dis-abled for the last three times.Over one-third members of theIndian team have won medal inParalympic Games, he said,lauding the efforts of divyang.

In the last five years someof key decisions taken by theGovernment was to accordconstitutional status to theOther Backward Classes (OBC)Commission and giving reser-vation in educational institu-tions based on economic cri-teria.

He said that theGovernment has broughtMaintenance and Welfare ofParents and Senior Citizens(Amendment) Bill, which isbeing scrutinised by a standingcommittee, and it has provi-sions for day care centre andold age homes, which would berun with the help of NGOs.

While he asserted that allo-cations under various scholar-ships had increased by a bigmargin under the BJP-led NDAGovernment, Congress leaderAdhir Ranjan Chowdhury tooka dig at his claims, saying “zeroincrease” under several provi-sions and underutilisation or

reduction in budgets of variousprogrammes were its “historicachievements”.

The mandate of the SocialJustice Ministry is very large, hesaid, attacking the Governmentfor the deaths of 282 sanitationworkers.

Over 60,000-70,000 chil-dren every year are forced tobeg by criminals, he said.

“You have no numbers.What is your priority,”Chowdhury said while alsohighlighting drug menace inparts of the country, includingPunjab.

Responding to him, Gehlotsaid de-addiction camps havebeen set up in 28 districts of thestates. Over Rs 137.72 crore wasspent during 2009-14, when theCongress-led UPA was inpower, while over Rs 242.55 crwas spent by the NDA gov-ernment in 2014-19.

The issue of begging, hesaid, is a State subject, and theCentre issues advisories tostates from time to time in thisregard.

Gehlot said the ministryhas become “active” in the lastfive years and has taken sever-al historic decisions.

He said a high-level boardwas also constituted fornomadic tribes. For divyang,132 camps were set up in 126districts to give assistance, hesaid.

����� 671��78-��

Reliance Group ChairmanAnil Ambani was on

Monday summoned by theEnforcement Directorate (ED)and asked to appear before it inconnection with its money laun-dering probe against Yes Bankpromoter Rana Kapoor andothers.

However, Ambani hassought exemption from appear-ance on personal grounds andthe agency has summoned himagain later this week to appearbefore its Mumbai office torecord his statement under thePrevention of MoneyLaundering Act. The Yes Bankhad an exposure of about�12,800 crore which has turnedNPA, officials said.

Ambani has now beenasked to appear on Thursday,they said, adding, the agency isprobing if bribes were paid tothe loans.

In a statement last week, theReliance Group had said that itsentire debt from Yes Bank wasfully secured and was availed inthe ordinary course of business.

Ambani’s nine group com-panies are stated to have takenloans of about �12,800 crorefrom the bank.

Finance Minister NirmalaSitharaman had told a Pressconference on March 6 that theAnil Ambani Group, Essel,ILFS, DHFL and Vodafone wereamong the stressed corporatesYes Bank had exposure to.

All the big companies whohad taken large loans from thecrisis-hit bank, which laterturned bad or were in the red,are being summoned for ques-tioning in the case to take theinvestigation forward. Promoterof Avantha Group GautamThapar, who has been named asan accused along with Rana, isalso being summoned for ques-

tioning, they said. Yes Bank promoter Rana

Kapoor, 62, is undergoing EDcustody after he was arrested bythe central probe agency earlythis month. A Mumbai court onMonday extended Kapoor’s cus-tody till March 20.

The ED has accusedKapoor, his family membersand others of laundering “pro-ceeds of crime” worth �4,300crore by receiving alleged kick-backs in lieu of extending bigloans through their bank thatlater allegedly turned non-per-forming asset (NPA).

As many as 44 companiesbelonging to 10 large businessgroups ae reported to haveaccounted for NPA worth�34,000 crore of Yes Bank.

Other companies on the listof defaulters include DewanHousing Finance Corporation,Jet Airways, Cox & Kings, andBharat Infra and the promot-ers of these companies will alsobe questioned soon in connec-tion with the ongoing moneylaundering case.

Kapil Wadhavan of DHFLhas been summoned onTuesday, Naresh Goyal of JetAirways and Subhash Chnadraof Zee have been asked toappear on Wednesday andThapar has been asked toappear on March 21, sourcessaid, clarifying that they are yetto be booked in a criminal caseby any agency as accused tillso far.

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The Election Commissionon Monday appointed

Hirdesh Kumar( 47), a 1999batch IAS officer, as the newChief Electoral Officer (CEO) ofJammu & Kashmir. The ECissued a notification announc-ing the appointment of Kumarand asked the Jammu&Kashmiradministration to ensure thatthe new CEO takes charge“immediately”.

He originally belongs toUttar Pradesh. He was theDistrict Magistrate in the dis-tricts such as Chitrakoot,Ghazipur and Ghaziabad.Presently, he is posted asSecretary, School EducationDepartment and Social WelfareDepartment. His name wasselected from a panel of namessent by the J-K administrationto the EC.

According to the EC, thedelimitation process of J-K isexpected to start within amonth. Last delimitation wasdone in J&K in 1995-1996.Besides redefining the bound-aries of the existing 83 Assemblyseats and five Lok Sabha seats,the commission would almostbring the representative char-acter of the Jammu region at parwith that of the valley.

����� 671��78-�

Parliament on Mondayapproved The Central

Sanskrit Universities Bill, 2019 toupgrade three deemed Sanskrituniversities into Central univer-sities after some minor amend-ments. The Bill brought by HRDMinister Ramesh PokhriyalNishank was passed by voice votein the Rajya Sabha. It was passedby Lok Sabha in December lastyear and was introduced inRajya Sabha on March 2 butcould not be taken for discussiondue to the logjam in the upperhouse.

The Bill seeks to upgradethree deemed to be universitiesin Sanskrit -- Rashtriya SanskritSansthan, Sri Lal Bahadur ShastriRashtriya Sanskrit Vidyapeeth,and Rashtriya SanskritVidyapeeth Tirupati -- into cen-tral universities. Since Rajya

Sabha has passed the Bill withamendments, it would now go toLok Sabha again. As per the pro-posed legislation, SanskritCentral Universities will be set upby converting three deemedSanskrit universities, presentlyfunctioning in the country.

Replying to the debate,Pokhriyal said the Modi gov-ernment is committed tostrengthen all Indian languages.Speaking about the spread ofSanskrit, he said that around fivecrore students were studyingthe language in the countryitself. Besides, there were manycountries across the world wherethe language was being taught,he added. “All languages areimportant for us. We are com-mitted for the growth of all lan-guages that are spoken in thecountry,” the minister asserted.

Cutting across party lines,several members supported the

bill during the debate. CongressMP Jairam Ramesh, SukhenduSekhar Roy of AITC andPrashant Nanda of BJD spoke inSanskrit. However, DMK mem-bers opposed the bill saying itwas “against” classical languageslike Tamil.

Initiating the debate, JairamRamesh said that though he sup-ports the bill as it will help thecause of Sanskrit, which is a sci-entific language and part of cul-tural legacy, the governmentwas neglecting other classicallanguages.

“Sanskrit has always been amonopoly of few and that is amatter of great sadness andtragedy for India. We have tomake this monopoly into a trea-sure of many and that is what thisbill hopes to accomplish,” he said.

However, the government isignoring other classical Indianlanguages such as Tamil, Telugu,

Kannada, Malayalam and Odiawhich are spoken by millions ofpeople, while Sanskrit is spokenonly by hardly 15,000 people inIndia, he added.

The Congress MP also sug-gested that Sanskrit universitiesbe named after Sanskrit scholarssuch as Panini.

Supporting the Bill,Sukhendu Sekhar Ray ofTrinamool Congress (AITC)spoke in Sanskrit and termed itas “mother language”. RamGopal Yadav of SP suggested thatthere should be a provision forstudents union in the three uni-versities rather than a studentcouncil, in which members werenominated by the faculty.

Prashant Nanda of BJD,who also spoke in Sanskrit, sup-ported the bill said that the lan-guage has scientific importance.Kahkashan Perveen of JD(U)also backed the bill and said that

the government should alsoconsider to upgrade the SanskritUniversity in Darbhanga, Bihar,which was the second such var-sity opened in India in 1961.

L Lakshmikanta Rao of TRS,K K Ragesh of CPI-M andBinoy Viswam of CPI also par-ticipated in the debate.Supporting the bill, V VijayasaiReddy of YSRCP suggested thegovernment ask MPs to adoptone village in their constituencyto promote Sanskrit language.

However, M Shanmugam ofDMK opposed the bill sayingthat it was against classical lan-guages such as Tamil. Vaiko ofDMK also opposed the bill say-ing: “If this bill is passed then notonly South Indian languagesbut others like Punjabi and Odiawill be in jeopardy. He also saidthat Sanskrit is a “dead language”and Tamil is the only aliveancient language.

����� 671��78-�

Congress leader RahulGandhi on Monday raised

in Lok Sabha the issue of badloans and sought a list of 50 topwilful defaulters and “stealingof money by large number ofpeople” even as his party stageda walkout protesting that itsleader was not allowed to aska second supplementary onthe issue.

The Congress memberswanted Union FinanceMinister Nirmala Sitaramanto respond to Rahul’s questionbut Minister of state AnuragThakur answered his query.

The House soon witnessednoisy scenes and a walkout byCongress members as Rahulwas not allowed to ask a secondsupplementary related to wil-ful defaulters during theQuestion Hour.

The protests came afterSpeaker Om Birla announcedthe end of Question Hour atnoon as the designated time forit is 11 am to noon.

While asking the first sup-plementary, Rahul said hewanted to know the list of 50top wilful defaulters, includingfunds given and the amountwritten off by banks but did notget a proper answer in the writ-

ten reply.“The Indian economy is

going through a difficult peri-od. Banking system is facingdifficulties, banking is failingand many more banks aregoing to fail. One of the mainreasons for the failure of banksis stealing of bank money by alarge number of people.

“The prime minister hadsaid those who have stolen themoney will be brought backand punished. But I have notgot the answer to my simplequestion,” he said.

When Minister of Statefor Finance Anurag Thakurstarted replying to the question,Rahul and Congress leader inthe House Adhir RanjanChowdhury protested, sayingSitharaman, who was presentin the House, should reply.

However, the Speaker said

normally the junior ministersanswer during the QuestionHour. Thakur said the Congresswas trying to put the blame onthe NDA government for irreg-ularities committed in banksduring the previous UPA regime.

The Minister said theNarendra Modi governmentreviewed the asset quality ofbanks and performance ofbanks has improved to a greatextent due to various stepstaken by the Government.

“The list of all bankdefaulters above �25 lakh loansis available on the website of theCentral InformationCommission. I have the list andif the Chair allows me, I amready to table it in the House,”he said.

Thakur said �4.8 lakh croredefaulting loans were recoveredever since the Modi govern-

ment came and a number ofsteps were taken, includingenactment of the FugitiveEconomic Offenders Act, sothat the guilty can be punished.

Referring to the recent YesBank crisis, Thakur said theunion finance minister hadalready said banks are safe andthe money deposited in YesBank is also safe.

He said there were manyinstances of irregularities dur-ing the UPA Government andthat include forcing bankers tobuy paintings at exorbitantprice —in an indirect referenceto Rahul Gandhi’s sisterPriyanka Vadra selling a paint-ing to the Yes Bank founderRana Kapoor, who was recent-ly arrested.

The Speaker then endedthe Question Hour and movedto the next item of the agenda.

With this, Rahul protestedsaying he should be given theopportunity to ask the secondsupplementary as is the norm.However, the Speaker ignoredhis request and continued withthe business of the House.

Congress leader wasimmediately joined byChowdhury and other mem-bers. At least a dozen Congressmembers rushed to the Well ofthe House and started sloga-neering saying grave injusticehas been done to Rahul. As theSpeaker continued to ignorethe protests, the Congressmembers staged a walk out.

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The Andaman & Nicobaradministration has shut all

travel and tourism relatedactivities in the union terri-tory starting Monday tillMarch 26.

In an advisory issued onthe COVID-19 outbreak, thehealth secretary of theAndaman & Nicobar admin-istration wrote: “In order toprevent the outbreak ofCOVID-19 in Andaman &Nicobar Islands all tourists areadvised to refrain from trav-elling to the islands from mid-night March 16 to March 26.”

It has also decided to reg-ulate the passenger occupan-cy in the vessels of Directorateof Shipping Services and pri-vate operators, with effectfrom March 16 to 26.

According to a statement,all the vessels of theDirectorate of ShippingServices and private operators,operating in the MainlandIsland, Inter Island, Foreshoreand Harbour ferry sector,shall carry only Islander pas-sengers up to 50 percent of

their carrying capacity. “No tourists shall be

allowed to travel by pri-vate/Government ferries.These measure have been ini-tiated to avoid crowding in thevessels and to facilitate thepassengers to maintain a safedistance with co passengers, sothat the potential risk ofspreading infection of coron-avirus,” it said.

In another statement, theAndaman & Nicobar admin-istration has changed theoffice timings of departmentsin the island to avoid conges-tion in public transport.

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Page 6: €¦ · tected monuments and Central museums across the country will be shut till March 31, Union Culture Minister Prahlad Patal said on Monday. On their parts, the States are already

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Tamil Nadu Government isleaving no stones un-

turned to fortify the State fromthe COVID-19 virus, respon-sible for the spread of coronavirus.

The Government issued aspecial notification late Sundayauthorising the district collec-tors and superintendents ofpolice in the districts sharingborders with the neighboringStates to check, regulate andcontrol the intra-State andinter-State travel by people.

The office order named

COVID-19 PreventiveStrategies has empowered Stateofficials to forcibly hospitaliseor isolate any person suspect-ed to have come in contact withinfected persons or places. Thedistrict collectors are empow-ered to seal a geographicalarea itself , if cases of COVID-19 are reported from the area.

Dr C Vijayabaskar, TamilNadu Minister of Health, askedpeople on Monday to restricttheir movements to other Stateslike Kerala, Karnataka andAndhra Pradesh. “We will havehealth officials including doc-tors and para-medical staff

monitoring the border checkpoints, railway stations, airports and other entry spots tothe State,” said Dr Vijayabaskarwhile addressing a speciallyconvened Press briefing atChennai on Monday. The min-ister said everything was undercontrol and there was no needto panic.

The COVID-19 PreventiveStrategies empower StateGovernment officials toforcibly hospitalize or isolatethose who had travelled toany country or area, whereCOVID-19 has been reportedin the last 28 days and thosewho had a history of coming in

contact with anyone suspectedor confirmed to be carryingCOVID - 19. The orderempowers the officials to hos-pitalize such persons for aperiod of 14 days or till the labtest results.

Colleges and PrivateUniversities in Tamil Naduhave started rescheduling theirsummer holidays in view of theCorona Virus threat, SRMInstitute of technology andVelore Institute of technologywere the first institutions todeclare holidays ahead of thesummer vacation.

Meanwhile, a section of theIslamic organizations which

were on an agitation against theCitizenship Amendment Actbrought in by the Centredeclared on Monday that theywere calling off all the rallies,sit-ins and demonstrationsdemanding the withdrawal ofthe Act. But Tamil NaduThowheed Jamaath , declaredthat it would go ahead with itsagitations as scheduled.

P. Abdul Rahman, vicepresident, Tamil NaduThowheed Jamaath, told thathis organization was in theforefront of the agitationagainst CAA and continued tobe so irrespective of the Coronavirus threat. “From March 18,

we will launch a Jail Bharo agi-tation demanding the passingof a resolution against NPR inthe Tamil Nadu Assembly.“Lakhs of Muslims would joinus in the agitation from 36places in the State . Our agita-tion would continue till theGovernment of India with-draws the CAA,” Rahman toldThe Pioneer.

But earlier in the day,Revenue Minister RBUdhayakumar said in theAssembly that there was nogoing back in the StateGovernment’s decision not toadopt any resolution against theCAA in the House.

Mumbai: Authorities inMaharashtra, which has reg-istered the highest number ofcoronavirus positive cases inIndia, have decided to closesome prominent tourist andreligious attractions as a precautionary measure.

The world-famous Ajantaand Ellora caves nearAurangabad, the popularSiddhivinayak temple inMumbai and the Tuljabhawanitemple in Osmanabad districtwould remain closed in view ofthe coronavirus situation in thestate, officials said.

Entry restrictions toMantralaya, the state secre-tariat in south Mumbai whichsees thousands of visitors daily,will also be in force, PublicHealth Minister Rajesh Topesaid.

The State Government,which had announced closureof urban schools and colleges,has now decided to extend themeasure in rural areas also, theminister said.

Schools and colleges inrural Maharashtra will remainclosed till March-end due tocoronavirus situation, Topetold reporters.

Four new cases of novelcoronavirus infection havebeen detected in Maharashtra,taking the State tally to 37 onMonday.

Of the four cases, threewere reported from Mumbaiand one from Navi Mumbai, aState Government official said.

"The total number of coronavirus positive casesincreased to 37," he said. PTI

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A25-year-old woman, whosehusband in Bengaluru is

hospitalised with coronavirus,has tested positive for COVID-19 here, three days after she fledfrom a hospital withoutinforming authorities, officialssaid on Monday.

So far, there have beenseven positive cases in the Tajcity and five of the patients haverecovered from the novel viruswhile two, including thiswoman, are under treatment,the Health Department officials

said.Around 20 people related

to these two patients have beenquarantined for observationand in order to check thespread of the virus, they added.

According to the officials,this woman and her husbandreturned from their honey-moon in Europe earlier thismonth and landed in Mumbai.From there they went toBengaluru, where her hus-band, who works for an ITcompany, tested positive forcoronavirus and was hospi-talised.

Jaipur: A combination of twoanti-HIV drugs has provedcrucial in the treatment ofcoronavirus positive cases, asenior official of the RajasthanGovernment said.

Additional Chief Secretary(Medical and Health) RohitKumar Singh said the patients'condition improved after theywere administered the anti-HIV drugs. Three of the fourpatients in the State have nowbeen declared coronavirus-free. Singh said the first twopatients tested positive for thevirus were an Italian couple.

"Their symptoms were flu-like so they were initially given

anti-malaria and anti-swineflu drugs," he said.

"All this while, our doctorswere in touch with the IndianCouncil of Medical Researchand the Drug ControllerGeneral of India. Since thestructure of coronavirus is sim-ilar to that of HIV to someextent, so they tried a combi-nation of the two anti-HIVdrugs," he added. "It appearsit (combination of drugs) isworking because three patientshave recovered. Good thing isthat all the three patients areelderly and the successful resultof the drug on patients of suchage is a big thing," he said. PTI

Thrissur: Four people havebeen arrested for allegedlylocking up a couple, who werein self- quarantine followingthe COVID-19 scare, in their flatin an apartment complex here,police said on Monday.

The elderly couple, whohad returned from Saudi Arabiaon Sunday, had undergonescreening at the airport and didnot have any symptoms of coro-navirus, they said. "The couplefound their door locked upfrom outside and informed thepolice. The residents associationmembers took the extreme stepof confining the couple to the flatand pasting a sticker related tocoronavirus on their door. Thatis not the right way. We have reg-istered a case," police said. PTI

Kottayam (Kerala): With Kerala on high alertfor coronavirus, foreign tourists visiting God'sOwn Country are finding it difficult to getaccommodation and move around, prompt-ing the Government to disapprove of such actsand ask people not to see every foreigner as aCOVID-19 carrier.

With two people, including a UK nation-al, testing positive for coronavirus on Sunday,the number of those affected in the state hasrisen to 21 as the Government began a "breakthe chain" initiative to prevent spread of thevirus.

It has also launched intensified medicalcheck up at border areas for people enteringthe state by rail and road.

Amid the stepped up preventive measures,several cases of foreigners being 'denied' trav-el in public transport systems and stay in hotelshave been reported in the past few days fromvarious parts of the state, a major attractionfor travellers with its picturesque locales andenchanting backwaters. PTI

Patna: Bihar Chief MinisterNitish Kumar on Mondayannounced that the StateGovernment will bear allexpenses of the treatment of anypatient who tests positive forcoronavirus in the State.

Making a statement to theeffect on the floor of theAssembly, Kumar said the treat-ment cost will be providedfrom the Chief Minister's relieffund. He also said that in theevent of any death caused by thedisease in the state, the next ofkin of each deceased will get �4lakh as compensation.

The chief minister alsospoke about the measures beingtaken to prevent the spread ofthe pandemic in the state, wherenobody has so far tested posi-tive for the virus.

These included closure ofeducational institutions, cine-

mas and public parks till March31. He said Group C and GroupD personnel of all governmentdepartments have been asked toreport for duty on alternate daysin order to prevent crowding onoffice premises.

Speaking on the last day ofthe Budget session, which wasscheduled to end on March 31but was cut short in view of thepandemic, Kumar said "inten-sive screening" of people wasbeing carried out at transitpoints.

"Those with symptoms arebeing quarantined at govern-ment expenses for the stipulat-ed period of time. Medicalinfrastructure is also beingstrengthened to facilitate earlydetection and hospitals arebeing equipped with addition-al ventilators and isolationwards," he added. PTI

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Even as corona scare grippedBengal, Chief Minister

Mamata Banerjee on Mondayextended the corona leave—that many called CL —in allschools and colleges till April 15besides announcing �200 crorefund to tackle any future out-break that the State still had for-tunately managed to evade.

In sync with theGovernment decision the StateElection Commission post-poned the civic elections “per-haps till the first week of June.”The Kolkata MunicipalCorporation too followed suitclosing down all the KMC

owned theatres and entertain-ment halls.

The Chief Minister whohad on Sunday announced acorona-propelled holiday tillMarch 31 on Monday extend-ed it by another 15 days “con-sidering the gravity of the sit-uation and the havoc it is cre-ating in many European coun-tries.”

All board and universityexaminations save the HigherSecondary (Class XII) examswhich has already started a cou-ple of days ago have been post-poned till further notice.

“We are creating a �200crore fund to tackle this crisis,”Ms Banerjee said citing how

“around 3.24 lakh people havebeen screened in Bengal and weare keeping a close watch on5,590 of them.”

Till now there have been nopositive cases in the state, sheadded saying the State was act-ing as per World HealthOrganisation and CentralGovernment guidelines. Bordermanagement — including theone with Bangladesh and otherStates — was being done withutmost sincerity she said.

“Bengal has border notonly with Bangladesh which istaken care of by the Borderforces but also other States andthe North East… and evenChina is two hours from Bengalso we are extremely cautiousabout this and want to take no

chances,” she said. On municipal elections she

said “we know that politicalprocess is necessary and elec-tions are a priority but at thispoint safety of human life ismore important so we from theGovernment requested the SECto see whether the polls can bepostponed,” Banerjee saidreminding that “Bengal is adensely populated area with alarge population… So it is bet-ter to take precautionary mea-sures before hand.”

By late afternoon StateElection Commissioner SouravDas who chaired an all-partymeeting announced postpone-ment of elections though hewould not give any date. “Wehave met all the parties and

everyone has agreed that thereis a need to postpone the elec-tions,” he said. When asked toprovide a tentative date for thepolls he said “we shall reviewthe situation after March 31.”

Inside sources however saidthat the polls may not be heldbefore first week June consid-ering the ruling TrinamoolCongress’ sensitivityto themonth of Ramzan which fallsduring April-May. “It is not thatpolls have not been held duringRamzan on earlier occasionsbut this Government has pre-ferred not to hold elections dur-ing that period consideringMuslim sentiments,” an officialsaid adding “polls are most like-ly to get pushed back till the firstweek of June.”

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Jammu & Kashmir Government onMonday scaled up their efforts to con-

tain the spread of coronavirus cases byshutting down hotels in famous touristresort of Patnitop in Udhampur district.Large number of pilgrims/tourists visitthe area after performing pooja in thecave shrine of Shri Mata Vaishno Devi.

According to the daily bulletinreleased by the Ministry of Health andFamily Welfare, so far three cases havetested positive, while as reports of sixcases are awaited in Jammu & Kashmir.

Meanwhile, the Jammu & KashmirHigh Court Monday issued a circularrestricting the functioning in both of itsJammu and Srinagar wings to urgent mat-ters only.

According to the circular, function-

ing in both the wings of the High Courtfrom March 16, 2020 to March 31, 2020shall be restricted to urgent matters.

The Government had already orderedshutdown of shopping malls, multiplex-es, restaurants, clubs, gyms, spas, educa-tional institutions, and denied permissionto various organisations to hold dharnas,run community kitchens, protest demon-strations to check assembly of largenumber of people at one place.

On its part Shri Mata Vaishno DeviShrine board authorities had also issuedan advisory to the NRIs/ foreigners andother visitors not to visit the Shrine for28 days after landing in India as a pre-cautionary measure against Coronavirus.

The domestic visitors having symp-toms like cough, heavy fever and breath-ing problems also advised to rescheduleor postpone their visit to the HolyShrine, the advisory said.

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The MaharashtraGovernment on Monday

scaled up measures to combatthe spread of Coronavirus in theState by allocating �45 crore forsix revenue divisions in theState and postponing the localbody polls by three months,even as the total number ofCovid-19 cases rose to 39 in theState.

After reviewing the situa-tion arising out of the spread ofCoronavirus in the State withthe divisional commissionersand collectors across the Statethrough video-conferencing,Chief Minister UddhavThackeray announced thatthose who were under 100 percent self quarantine at their

homes would be stamped ontheir left hands, so that theycould be identified.

The State Government’sdecision to tag the patientswho have been put under 100per cent quarantine at theirhomes came in the wake ofseven patients with symptomsof Coranavirus fleeing fromisolation wards in theAhmednagar Civil Hospital andthe Mayo Hospital in Nagpurover the weekend.

The patients who had fledthe hospitals have returned tothe two hospitals. “In the wakeof the two hospital fleeing inci-dents, the state government hastaken steps to secure publicquarantine facilities to preventpatients from leaving again.The local police will carry out

regular checks on patients whohave been quarantined them-selves at home,” Uddhav said.

Having invoked theEpidemics Disease Act, 1897,the state government is attempt-ing to to establish testing andquarantine in private hospitalsif required, take punitive actionagainst those who violate quar-antine rules and restrict accessto geographical areas to controlthe outbreak of Coronavirus.

In Mumbai alone, there aremore than 500 persons are inself-quarantine.

The Chief Minister saidthat the State Government hadmade available television set,carom boards and food at pub-lic quarantine centres.

With six more fresh positivecases, the total number of pos-itive Covid-19 rose to 39 in thestate. While Pune and theneighbouring Pimpri-Chinchwad accounted for amaximum of 16 cases, the

break-up of positiveCoronavirus cases elsewhere inthe state was: Mumbai-6,Nagpur-4, Yavatmal-3, Panvel-1, Kalyan-3, Navi Mumbai-3,Thane-1, Ahmednagar-1 andAurangabad-1.

Addressing a news confer-ence in Mumbai, the chief min-ister announced a host of mea-sures, including the closure ofschools in the rural areas,restrictions religious and polit-ical events that contribute tocrowds, postponement of localbody polls by three months andmade an allocation of �45 croreas disaster relief for five revenuedivisions. The disaster reliefallocation made comprised: �15crore for Konkan, �10 for Punerevenye division, �5 crore eachto the revenue divisions ofNagpur, Amravati, Aurangabadand Nashik. Making a ferventplea to the people in combatingCoronavirus, Uddhav said:“Patients may have been affect-

ed by Covid 19, but they shouldnot be treated as criminals.They will be treated with utmostempathy while taking into con-sideration their psychologicalneeds. It is important to main-tain a humane approach."

The chief minister under-scored the need for initiatingmeasures aimed at the safety ofthe population. “It is essentialfor the district level officialsneed to communicate the sameeffectively and provide publicsanitation facilities equippedwith essentials like sanitizer,soap and water supply,” he said.

Uddhav said that as part ofthe effort to prevent large gath-erings at religious places, theauthorities were denying per-missions to such events "Wehave asked the officials at thedistrict levels to prevent regulargatherings at religious institu-tions of all faiths

"People can take part inlarge gatherings and festivals

once the threat has passed.Safeguarding human life is thetopmost priority right now.This rule, however, does notapply to daily prayers at placesof worship. However, we haverequested that the places ofreligious worship restrict thepresence of worshippers forsome time," a news release putout by the chief minister’s officesaid.

Meanwhile, theMaharashtra Governmentannounced that the Universitiesin the state had decided topostpone exams till 31 March.

“After risk assessments, theHigher & Technical Ministryhas decided to postpone alluniversity exams, in its juris-diction, to a date later than 31stMarch, 2020 All educationalinstitutes must therefore observea complete temporary closuretill further notice,” MaharashtraMinister Aditya Thackeraytweeted.

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Page 7: €¦ · tected monuments and Central museums across the country will be shut till March 31, Union Culture Minister Prahlad Patal said on Monday. On their parts, the States are already

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Bengaluru: Accusing partiesopposing CAA of trying toconvert it into a political issueto create confusion among thepublic, the RSS said on Mondayit was the duty of the rulingparty and the Government toclear the air.

RSS General SecretarySuresh Joshi said repeatedappeals by Prime MinisterNarendra Modi and HomeMinister Amit Shah to politi-cal parties to “understand” theCitizenship Amendment Acthad not yielded a positiveresponse.

He called on the politicalparties to come together onissues of national interest.

“Unfortunately the nation-al issue has became political.Any country in their nationalinterest- to take care of its cit-izens, prepare the list of its cit-izens, and no outsiders shouldbe allowed to stay after a cer-tain period, there are limita-tions...But unfortunately on

the national issues- for politi-cal reasons- leaders of politicalparties are trying to createconfusion in society,” Joshisaid.

Speaking to reporters here,he said the Prime Ministerand Home minister haveappealed to political parties tounderstand the CAA, but thosewho want to create confusionand chaos in the country were“misguiding” the people.

He said all political partiesshould honestly think about itand cooperate with the govern-ment and also try to clear theirconfusion.

“...Everyone has the right tooppose (if) something is not cor-rect for the nation and say itshould not be implemented.But whatever is in the interest ofthe nation everybody should tryto understand and support it,” headded. Joshi addressed thepress in the backdrop of theAkhila Bharatiya KaryakariMandali baitak held here on

March 14.RSS' highest decision mak-

ing body, the Akhil BharatiyaPratinidhi Sabha (ABPS), wasscheduled to meet from March15- 17 here, but was called offdue to COVID-19 concerns.

Asked if RSS would direct-ly involve itself against the pro-paganda opposing CAA andNRC, Joshi said the Sanghdirectly is not involved in it, butthere are several organisationsthat support the movement in itsfavour and naturally its swayam-sevaks are supporting them.

Stating that the forces sup-porting CAA are huge, he saidall political parties should cometogether for a dialogue regard-ing this. “BJP as a rulingparty has to take some initia-tive to initiate a dialogue....The Home Minister and PrimeMinister have appealed to thepolitical parties to come and tryto understand, but I don'tthink there is a positiveresponse,” he added. PTI

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After a treacherous wait ofmore than 30 long years, a

special TADA (Terrorists andDisruptive Activities Act)Court in Jammu on Mondayframed charges against YasinMalik, a Kashmiri separatistand Chief of banned Jammu &Kashmir Liberation Front(JKLF) and six others alleged-ly involved in 'gruesome'killing of four IAF personnel inSrinagar on January 25, 1990.

Squadron Leader RaviKhanna along with three otherIAF personnel were allegedlykilled by JKLF terrorists lead byYasin Malik in Rawalpora areaof Srinagar.

Out of the seven accusedin the case, five of them wereproduced in person in theTADA court while Yasin Malikand another accused ShowkatBakshi appeared via video-conferencing from their respec-tive jails in Tihar andAmbedkar Nagar.

The charges were framedunder section 302, 307 RPC,section3 (3) and section 4(1) ofTADA Act, 1987 and section7/27 of Arms Act 1959, section120-B of RPC.

The court room in Jammualso witnessed some chaoswhile charges were being readout to the accused. YasinMalik and all others,waitingsince morning, pleaded notguilty and sought trial. Thenext date of hearing in the casehas been fixed on March 30.

Earlier on Saturday, deckswere cleared to frame charges

against the seven accused whenspecial Judge in its order hadobserved there was enoughprima-facie evidence for pros-ecuting Malik for involvementin the killing of the IAF offi-cials.

Yasin Malik, currentlylodged in Tihar jail, is also fac-ing trial for the kidnapping ofRubaiyya Sayeed, daughter ofthen Union Home MinisterMufti Mohammed Sayeed inDecember 1989.

69 year old Shalini Khanna,fighting for justice for lastthree decades on behalf of hermartyred husband, SquadronLeader Ravi Khanna, is keen-ly awaiting outcome of thecase.

When the trial in the casebegan after a long gap inSeptember 2019, she had toldreporters at her residence inJammu, “I had taken a pledgeto fight this battle till my lastbreath.Now i leave it to the wis-dom of Judges to punish thekillers of my husband as perlaw of the land”.

Referring to the reopeningof murder case against YasinMalik, responsible for killingher husband and three otherIAF personnel on January 25,1990, Shalini Khanna had toldreporters , “if the governmenthas decided to reopen the casei think they are going to deliv-er justice”.

Agartala: The TripuraGovernment on Mondaypromised all help to the parentsof a woman, whose charredbody was found in a paddy fieldthree days ago.

State Education Ministerand Cabinet spokespersonRatan Lal Nath, who visited theparents at their residence inRangacherra village of the dis-trict on Sunday, also said justicewould be meted out in the caseat the earliest.

“We would take all mea-sures to ensure that the culpritdoes not go unpunished. Wewant exemplary punishmentfor the perpetrator....” the BJPMLA told reporters on Monday.

The charred body of a 23-year-old woman was found at apaddy field in West Tripura dis-trict on Friday, with the victim'sfather alleging that a neighbour,a driver by profession, raped andburnt his daughter to death.

Based on a complaint filedby the family, the accused wasarrested and presented before alocal court, which remandedhim in police custody onSunday. Meanwhile, OppositionCPI(M) on Monday sought ajudicial inquiry into the inci-dent, claiming that attemptswere being made to hush up thematter.

“This is a ghastly killing, butthere is this strange attempt tosuppress the crime.Investigation is going on at asnail's space.... We demand ajudicial inquiry into the inci-dent,” Gautam Das, the state sec-retary PTI

Aligarh (UP):With tensionsafter the death of a youthinjured in a protest over theamended citizenship lawappear to be subsiding, shopsand other business establish-ments opened in the old cityareas here on Monday.

Shops and business estab-lishments in Upperkot, BabriMandi and Turkman Gateareas had remained closed forthe past two days following thedeath of Mohammad TariqMunawwar (22), who had suf-fered gunshot injuries duringthe violent protest against theCitizenship Amendment Act(CAA) on February 23.

Security at sensitive spotsin the old city here was beefedup after the youth died onFriday night at JawaharlalNehru Medical College andHospital in Aligarh MuslimUniversity (AMU).

Aligarh Zone DIGPreetendra Singh on Mondaysaid security arrangements will

continue as a precautionarymeasure and praised the roleplayed by Tariq's family indefusing the tensions.

He said they received fullcooperation from the family indefusing the tensions, whichwere palpable after Tariq'sdeath.

On Friday night, the dis-trict authorities, along withthe AMU authorities, hadmade special arrangements forthe youth's funeral at theAMU's private cemetery.

Tariq's funeral took placeearly on Saturday morning.

DIG Preetendra Singh saidSub-Inspector Kapil Kumar,posted at Babri Mandi, hasbeen suspended for negligencein connection with incidents ofviolence on February 23.

The DIG said the videoevidence of the entire sequenceof events is being collected bythe special investigation teamand no guilty person will bespared. PTI

Banda: A girl was allegedlyraped by three men in a villagein Chilla area of Uttar Pradesh'sBanda district, police said onMonday.

Circle officer (Banda Sadar)Raghvendra Singh said the girl,aged 15, was allegedly gang-raped on Sunday afternoon.The girl had gone to draw waterfrom a handpump when a manforcibly took her to a lonelyhouse, where he and his twoaccomplices allegedly raped her.]

The girl narrated the inci-dent to her family members afterreaching home, the CO said.Based on the complaint lodgedby the girl, a case has been reg-istered against the three menunder various sections of theIndian Penal Code (IPC) andprovisions of the Protection ofChildren from Sexual Offences(POCSO) Act, police said.

Singh said the three accusedare absconding and efforts areon to nab them. PTI

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In a move that would resultinto better health resources

in the country, the MedicalCouncil of India's Board ofGovernors has approvedincreasing post graduate med-ical seats for MD and MS pro-grammes by more than 4,800 to36,192 for the next academicsession, a top official said onMonday.

BoG Chairman and NitiAayog member VK Paul saidthe increase is more than thetotal number of additionalseats created in the past fiveyears.

“So, as a result, in the newacademic session counselling,36,192 PG medical seats(MD/MS, broad speciality) willbe available,” Paul said.

Paul also said the capaci-ty expansion would improvetertiary care in the country.

“In 2020-21 academic ses-sion, approximately 44,000 postgraduate medical seats (36,192MD/MS seats and 8,000DNB/FNB seats) will be avail-able for 54,000 undergraduateMBBS pass outs,” he said.

MS is the post graduatedegree in general surgery, whileMD is the post graduate degreein general medicine.

Continuing the focus oncreation of healthcare infra-structure, the government hadearlier approved establishmentof 58 medical colleges to beattached with existing districtand referral hospitals underphase I of the scheme and 24institutes under the secondphase.

Of the 58 medical collegesapproved under the first phaseof the scheme, 39 have alreadystarted functioning and therest would be made operationalby 2020-2021.

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New Delhi: The SupremeCourt on Monday rejectedanticipatory bail pleas of civilrights activists GautamNavlakha and AnandTeltumbde in connection withthe Bhima Koregaon violencecase, saying it cannot be saidthat no prima facie case is madeout.

A bench of Justices ArunMishra and MR Shah while dis-missing the anticipatory bailpleas of Navlakha andTeltumbde said their petitionscannot be maintained in viewof the bar contained in 43D(4)of the Unlawful Activities(Prevention) Act (UAPA),1967.

Section 43D(4) of theUAPA bars grant of anticipa-tory bail to a person accused ofhaving committed an offencepunishable under this Act.“The special leave petitionsare, accordingly, dismissed.However, since the protectionhas been enjoyed by the peti-tioners approximately for one-and-a-half years, three weekstime from today is granted tothem to surrender. The peti-tioners shall surrender theirpassport forthwith with theinvestigation agency/officer,”the bench said. Duringthe hearing, senior advocateKapil Sibal, appearing forTeltumbde, said that the

offence under section 120B ofIPC is not laid down in the FIRand contended that some doc-uments which the MaharashtraPolice recovered was fromanother person's computer.

He said that these docu-ments are not even emails so asto justify their credibility.

Senior advocate AbhishekManu Singhvi, appearing forNavlakha, said that UAPAcharges were added in the sec-ond FIR in June 2018 and hisclient has not been named orany role assigned to him in thesecond FIR. PTI

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Uttar Pradesh has got backits lost prestige in the past

three years of the BJP rule,Chief Minister Yogi Adityanathclaimed here on Monday.

“UP has regained its lostprestige in the past three years.Our Government has success-fully implemented schemeslaunched by the NarendraModi Government at theCentre and the State is bene-fited by them,” the CM saidaddressing a programmeorganised by a news channelhere.

The CM said the state wasin “pitiable condition” duringpast regimes. Developmentwas hampered and the lawand order situation was worse,he claimed, adding that peoplewere forced to migrate fromUP. “Our government hasestablished the rule of law andcrime has declined due towhich investment is coming ina big way,” he claimed.On anti-CAA protests, he said,“Those involved in arson anddamaged properties will bedealt with strictly. In a democ-racy, there is freedom to protestbut there should be no vio-lence.”

New Delhi: The Congress-ruled Rajasthan Governmentmoved the Supreme Court onMonday challenging the valid-ity of the Citizenship(Amendment) Act, saying itwas violative of “basic structureprinciple of secularism” andfundamental rights of equalityand life.

It became the second Stateafter Kerala to move the topcourt invoking Article 131 ofthe Constitution under whicha state is empowered to direct-ly move the top court in case ofa dispute with the Centre.

The newly amended lawseeks to grant citizenship tonon-Muslim migrants belong-ing to Hindu, Sikh, Buddhist,Christian, Jain and Parsi com-munities who came to thecountry from Pakistan,Bangladesh and Afghanistanon or before December 31,2014. “Pass a judgement anddecree that the Citizenship(Amendment) Act, 2019 isviolative of Article 14 (right toequality) and Article 21 (rightto life) of the Constitution ofIndia as well as violative ofbasic structure principle ofsecularism. Thus Act 47 of2019 (CAA) be declared as voidunder Article 13 of theConstitution,” said the pleafiled through lawyer DKDevesh.

Article 13 of theConstitution, under which theCAA is sought to be held asunconstitutional, says any law“inconsistent with or in dero-gation of the fundamentalrights” can be held unconsti-

tutional to the extent of its con-travention of fundamentalrights.

The plea said the CAA bedeclared “ultra vires” to theprovisions of the Constitutionof India.

Besides, the plea has stat-ed that the Passport (Entry toIndia) Amendment Rules, 2015and Foreigners (Amendment)Order are ultra vires theConstitution and be declaredvoid.

It said the CAA, theamended Passport Rules andForeign Order are class legis-lations harping on the religiousidentity of an individual, there-by contravening the princi-ples of secularism, which hasbeen recognised by the court asa basic structure of theConstitution.

Earlier, the CPI(M)-ledKerala had become the firststate to challenge the CAA inthe Supreme Court. The KeralaAssembly was also the first inthe country to pass a resolutionagainst the Act. PTI

New Delhi: The SupremeCourt on Monday took suo

moto cognisance of over-crowding and infrastructureof prisons across the country inthe wake of the coronaviruspandemic.

A bench of Chief Justice SA Bobde and LN Rao issued anotice to the Director General,Prison, and chief secretary of allstates and union territoriesseeking their response byMarch 20 on steps taken forprevention of COVID-19.

The court also asked allstates and union territories todepute an officer on March 23who could assist the court inthe matter.

The bench also took suomoto cognisance of conditionsin remand homes where juve-niles in conflict with law arelodged.

It observed that somestates have taken steps for thepandemic but there are somestates which have not takenappropriate measures.

The court also cautionedthat mass gathering is a bigproblem and it can become acentre for the spread of coro-navirus.

The court also said it willissue reasons on why it hastaken suo moto cognisance of

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Page 8: €¦ · tected monuments and Central museums across the country will be shut till March 31, Union Culture Minister Prahlad Patal said on Monday. On their parts, the States are already

Afghanistan’s peace process hasstumbled as talks between theGovernment and the Taliban inOslo, Norway, could not begin onMarch 10, as President Ashraf

Ghani’s rival, Abdullah Abdullah, held a par-allel swearing-in ceremony on March 9, repu-diating the results of the September 2019 elec-tion. Abdullah had challenged the 2014 ver-dict, too, but accepted a US-brokered deal,wherein he was to be made Prime Minister,but was instead given the designation of ChiefExecutive Officer. In Afghanistan, observersbelieve that Abdullah enjoys more supportfrom major political parties and players.

On March 10, the UN Security Councilunanimously recognised the Doha deal(February 29, 2020) between the US and theTaliban as part of “significant steps towardsending the war” in Afghanistan and to pro-vide “sustained support” to achieve peacethrough negotiations. However, expertsobserved that the Doha deal contradicts UScommitments to the internationally recog-nised Government headed by Ghani. The res-olution was amended to allow Beijing to pro-mote the Belt and Road Initiative for recon-struction of Afghanistan while Moscowinserted a paragraph regarding “the urgentneed for all Afghan parties to counter theworld drug problem with the goal of combat-ing traffic in opiates originating fromAfghanistan.”

Washington’s hurry to sign the deal withthe Taliban without resolving the deadlock inKabul does not bode well for the region. Manyhave questioned the bilateral pact as theTaliban did not renounce the Al Qaeda andmade no commitments regarding the rightsof Afghan women (the excuse for the 2001invasion) or human rights of Afghans. TheTaliban pledged to prevent the use ofAfghanistan’s territory for terrorist attacks onthe US and “its allies” but was silent about itsbases in Pakistan, Ayman al-Zawahiri, whoescaped to Pakistan in 2001 with Osama binLaden and Sirajuddin Haqqani.

Excluded from the deal, President AshrafGhani refused to release 5,000 Taliban pris-oners in exchange for 1,000 AfghanGovernment prisoners but later offered torelease 1,500 by the end of March and theremaining 3,500 in groups of 500 every fort-night after the intra-Afghan talks begin. Ghaniis demanding reduction in violence as theTaliban continues attacks in rural areasthough it has spared cities and district head-quarters after Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradarhad a telephonic conversation with USPresident Donald Trump. Ghani also wantsall released prisoners to give a writtenpromise not to return to the battlefield. TheTaliban insists that all the 5,000 prisoners mustbe released before talks begin.

The deal is contentious as it puts the fateof the new Kabul Government in peril as fewexpect the Taliban to settle for power-shar-ing. Reports from Washington suggest the USGovernment has “persuasive intelligence” that

the Taliban will renege on itspromises; Trump admitted onMarch 6 that the Taliban could“possibly” overrun the AfghanGovernment after troops with-draw. Pointing out that at the pin-nacle of the Taliban power in2000, only Pakistan, Saudi Arabiaand the United Arab Emirates(UAE) had recognised theregime, Brookings scholar BruceRiedel said President Trump’sagreement “is strikingly reminis-cent of Nixon administration’sdeal with North Vietnam in1973, which excluded the SouthVietnam Government.”

Former director of NationalIntelligence, John Negroponte,observed that the deal lacked ameaningful enforcement mech-anism and peace between theAfghan parties requires contin-ued US support to the currentGovernment and retaining atleast some military capability inthe event of large-scale conflict.He said the bilateral agreementopened the door to differinginterpretations about what wasagreed, as already evident in theprisoner exchange issue. USSecretary of State Mike Pompeohas admitted that the Talibanmade over 70 attacks on theAfghan Government forces aftersigning the agreement and saidthe accord would not move for-ward if the Taliban reneged on itspromises.

Some observers wonder ifcomplete troop withdrawal isenvisaged, as this would meanshutting nearly 400 US andcoalition bases, includingcamps, forward operating basesand combat outposts. Given

Washington’s renewed assertionvis-à-vis Moscow, Beijing andTehran, it is unlikely that itwould give up bases inAfghanistan, the heartland ofthe great game. The allegedsecret annexures to the Dohadeal possibly include retentionof bases, with passive US mili-tary presence.

There are misgivings inKabul. A day before the pact wassigned, Afghan Vice PresidentAmrullah Saleh recalled the hor-rors of the Taliban rule from 1996and said people fear a return tothat medieval wasteland, whichPakistan will use to spread itsinfluence across Central Asia andagainst India. In the recent elec-tions of 2019, a suicide squadattacked his office, killing around30 people, including two of hisnephews. Akram Gizabi, chair-man of the World HazaraCouncil, said the deal is based onAmerican war fatigue andZalmay Khalilzad is an old asso-ciate of the Taliban from 1996,when the US Government heldsecret negotiations with theTaliban to build oil and gaspipelines through Afghanistan.

Currently, most analystsbelieve that Pakistan’s intelli-gence services, particularly theInter-Services Intelligence (ISI),could emerge stronger if thetalks produce some kind ofpower-sharing between theTaliban and the KabulGovernment. A stronger Talibanwill quickly overwhelm theregime and increase Pakistaniheft in the region, at least forsome time. But this could alsoencourage groups like the

Tehrik-i-Taliban (PakistaniTaliban) to try to take control ofthe Pakistani State. Islamabadcould, thus, find itself riding theproverbial tiger.

Clearly, Washington’s initia-tive has complicated matters inAfghanistan, in both the shortand the long term. Russia andChina have moved dexterously toprotect their interests in theregion and both can leveragetheir ties with Pakistan to containthe Taliban, if necessary.Washington also needs Pakistanto stabilise the region; Islamabadwill have to show smart diplo-matic skills. Iran will lean onRussia and China.

New Delhi cannot useIslamabad’s good offices to estab-lish working relations with theTaliban, should it manage to seizepower in Kabul. The IC-814experience is fresh in manyminds. India contributed hand-somely to Afghanistan’s recon-struction in the post-Talibanyears, especially towards therehabilitation of landmine vic-tims.

We have much to offer aGovernment that desires infra-structure development, tradeand extraction of the country’suntapped mineral resources. Theinvitation to be present at Dohawas not only recognition ofIndia’s positive contributions butalso highlighted the failure ofmultilateral attempts at peace,such as the Heart of Asia process.India will have to watch howevents unfold in Kabul.

(The author is a senior jour-nalist. Views expressed are person-al.)

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Sir — On March 9, JyotiradityaScindia tendered his resignationfrom the primary membership ofthe Congress, blaming the highcommand’s negligence of hiscapabilities and contribution tothe party, which, he said, helpedit form the Government in hishome State of Madhya Pradesh.

The writing, however, was onthe wall long before the Scindiascion actually made his move. Itwas evident from the beginningthat the Maharaja would not take the fact that he was keptaway from power roles of theparty lightly.

Unfortunately, this is a patternand not an isolated incident for theCongress. It has already seen play-ers like YSR Jaganmohan Reddy inthe south to Himanta Biswa Sarmain the North-east, making a switchand being voted to power there-after. The egotism of the party’shigh command seems to be itsundoing.

The time is ripe for theOpposition to free itself from theclutches of a system that priori-tises loyalists over young talent.But if the party chooses to put itsdynastic ambition over the need

to repair the fractures within,India might soon find itself with-out a strong Opposition capableof enforcing checks and balanceson the Government.

Gaurav AgarwalVia email

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Sir — The memory of India’s lossat the hands of Australia in the T20World Cup final will be hard forthe team to forget. Alyssa Healy,

who made 75 runs, was droppedon the fifth ball of the innings byShafali Verma off Deepti Sharma.Beth Mooney — she made anunbeaten 78 — was dropped on acaught-and-bowled opportunityby Rajeshwari Gayakwad in the

fourth over. Healy and Mooneywent on to share 115 runs in 11.5overs for the opening wicket togive Australia a flying start. Whenwill our team learn that catcheswin matches?

India also got off to a dismalstart, losing the in-form openerand tournament sensation, ShafaliVerma, in the first over. Thewickets kept on falling as JemimahRodrigues, Smriti Mandhana andthe captain, Harmanpreet Kaur,who struggled with the batthroughout the tournament,departed in the first six “powerplay” overs. One hopes India willlearn from this loss and bounceback at the next World Cup.

Bidyut Kumar ChatterjeeFaridabad

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Sir — The Sports Ministry hasdone well to issue an advisory topostpone sporting events. Thisbodes well because there is alwaysa risk of the spread of Covid-19 inlarge gatherings.

ShashankVia email

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Any announcement of foreign direct invest-ment (FDI) is normally welcome in view ofits contribution to capital formation, accel-

erating economic growth and adding to the foreignexchange kitty. Deviating from this normal practice,last month, the Union Minister for Commerce andIndustry, Piyush Goyal was dismissive about thedecision of the Amazon boss to bring a few billiondollars into India. He felt that Jeff Bezos was bring-ing money to make up for the huge loss the com-pany was incurring in its operations in the coun-try. Losses or gains are intrinsic to any business. So,what was so special about the terse observation bythe Minister?

Amazon essentially operates the “market-place” model of e-commerce — a special dispensa-tion carved out by the Narendra Modi Governmentunder which 100 per cent FDI is permitted. The“market-place” is a platform where vendors sell theirproducts to consumers even as its owner (say,Amazon) merely acts as a facilitator.

The market-place owner books orders, raisesinvoices, arranges deliveries, accepts payments, han-dles rejections, warehousing and so on but can’tundertake “direct selling.” Considering that the oper-ator only provides services in lieu of a fee, there isabsolutely no question of any loss (unless the infra-structure created by him remains idle which is clear-ly not the case). Yet, Amazon has been incurringhuge loss. The money Bezos promised to bring isto plug this loss, instead of adding to the stock ofcapital, which is the raison d’être behind FDI. In thisbackdrop, the reprimand by Goyal was not unex-pected.

The losses incurred by Amazon and others likeFlipkart are due to huge discounts on the productssold on the platform as also expenses on promot-ing exclusive brands. But discount is normally givenby the seller; this is also true of promotion. The ser-vice provider can’t do it unless he is also masquerad-ing as the seller. To unravel the mystery, let us lookat the 2016 guidelines. The permission for 100 percent FDI in the “market-place” is subject to two mainriders viz, “The entity cannot permit more than 25per cent of total sales on its platform from one ven-dor or its group companies. Further, it can’t direct-ly or indirectly influence the sale price.” The devillies in these very conditions.

Sans any specification as to “who the vendor is”,a firm connected with the “market-place” (either itssubsidiary or a joint venture (JV) with an Indiancompany) is eligible. In other words, each such enti-ty could control up to 25 per cent of sales on theplatform. So, you have companies like Cloudtail -an Amazon venture in partnership with a firmowned by Narayan Murthy — operating as lead sell-er on the platform.

Thus, contrary to the real intent of the policywhich disallowed the e-commerce platform own-ers from direct selling to individual consumers, thefine print permitted them to do so, albeit througha subsidiary or JV. This is precisely what the e-com-merce majors have been doing They were operat-ing as direct sellers, controlling inventory, giving dis-counts and so on. But, why should they be burn-ing cash?

The answer lies in their attempt to capture a size-able chunk of the market even if it means a coupleof billion dollars going down the drain. No wonder,small traders and businesses, whom the e-commerceplatform was intended to help (as reiterated by Goyal,time and again) have suffered heavily. This is because

the business that should have gone to theformer was, in fact, appropriated by thelatter i.e. the dominant seller owned byitself.

The All-India Online VendorsAssociation — an umbrella organisationof small traders — petitioned theCompetition Commission of India (CCI)alleging abuse of market dominanceagainst Flipkart India Private Limited,which is into wholesale trading/distribu-tion of books, mobiles, computers andrelated accessories and e-commerce mar-ketplace Flipkart Internet Private Limited.It is ironical that CCI saw nothing wrongin this practice.

The CCI ruled that looking at the pre-sent market construct and structure ofonline platforms in India, “It does notappear that any one player in the marketis commanding any dominant position atthis stage of the evolution of the market.”This was bizarre. That a few players con-nected to the owner of “market-place” aredominating the platform is visible even tothe common man, yet the regulatorthought otherwise.

The National Company LawAppellate Tribunal (NCLAT) has rightlyquashed the CCI ruling and ordered aprobe. In another complaint filed onJanuary 13 by the traders’ body DelhiVyapar Mahasangh (DVM) alleging anti-competitive behaviour by Amazon SellerServices and Flipkart Internet, the CCI hadordered a probe. But the investigation hasbeen stayed by the High Court ofKarnataka for two months.

Meanwhile, in a public interest litiga-tion (PIL) filed by the Retailers Associationof India (RAI) in early 2018 alleging vio-lation of norms for FDI in e-commerce,the Enforcement Directorate (ED) hadeven informed the Delhi High Court(DHC) on October 31, 2018, that it was

investigating violation of the ForeignExchange Management Act (FEMA)against Amazon et al. But the proceedingsare stuck due to the lackadaisical attitudeof agencies and the court.

The judicial proceedings may takelong to conclude. But prima facie e-com-merce majors can’t get away from the factthat they have violated the spirit behindthe policy on FDI in the “market-place.”They are also acting as dominant sellerson the platform and disingenuous bureau-crats have allowed them to do so by suit-ably crafting policy details.

A clarification issued on December26, 2018 has not materially altered theposition on ground zero. It says, “Theowner of market-place or its subsidiary orits JV with Indian company can’t haveownership of the seller. A seller/firm onthe platform can’t source more than 25 percent of its inventory from a firm connect-ed with the latter.”

The “market-place” owner can getaround both, first by having less than 50per cent shareholding in the seller firm andarguing he has no control (albeit major-ity) over the latter and second with itswholesale arm continuing supplies to theseller but within the 25 per cent thresh-old. The current state of affairs is doingno good to any stakeholder, be it foreigninvestors, small traders or consumers.Even as small traders are losing heavily,Amazon et al have a Damocles’ swordhanging over them for all time and theconsumer, though a beneficiary current-ly, will pay heavily in the medium to long-term, as Indian retail gets increasinglycartelised by a few players. The very ideaof attracting FDI vide the “market-place”is flawed. The Government wants to havethe cake and eat it too. It wants foreignmajors to invest heavily in infrastructurefor procurement, handling, warehousing,

delivery and so on (only to help smalltraders) but not allow them to sell.

With no permission for “direct sell-ing”, no foreign entity would invest. Yet,if Amazon et al came, that is because theywere allowed to sell albeit through the“back-door.” But when there was backlashfrom small traders, the CommerceMinister was forced to talk of actionagainst these foreign companies.

The Government is caught betweenthe devil and the deep blue sea. If it does-n’t take any decisive action againstAmazon et al, the wrath of small traderswill snowball and could cost it political-ly in the State elections. On the other hand,if it acts then, it will tantamount to “ret-rospective” change of policy (with refer-ence to what is written in the fine print)and affect its image as a good investmentdestination. But allowing things to lingeron will only worsen the situation. It shouldtake a clear-cut stance.

The Government should shun the“market-place” model and allow 100 percent FDI in retail, both online and offline(at present, 51 per cent FDI is allowed inoffline retail but that is subject to too manyriders. That is as bad as barring FDI). Thiswill fully legitimise the operations ofAmazon et al, who are already in directselling and preserve India’s global image.At the same time, permitting 100 per centFDI in offline will create a level playingfield for brick-and-mortar retail outlets.

It will help small traders by leading toall-round development of infrastructureand offering a wide range of choice forsourcing products. They can and will co-exist with foreign majors. It will be pro-consumer in the long-run with many play-ers catering to their needs atcompetitive/affordable prices.

(The writer is a New Delhi-based pol-icy analyst)

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The bugle for the 2021 TamilNadu (TN) Assembly electionwas sounded on March 11 by

none other than the superstar ofTamil movies Rajinikanth, who isbeing seen as a rallying point for allnon-All India Anna DravidaMunnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK) andnon-Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam(DMK) parties in the State. ThoughRajinikanth is yet to announce thename or programmes of his yet-to-be-launched political outfit, the promo-tional teaser he presented before fansand loyalists evoked a positive response

from his well-wishers and critics. When he made his political ambi-

tion known on December 31, 2017,there were many who doubtedwhether the actor was serious. Spiritualpolitics was something beyond thecomprehension of an average Tamilian,who grew up watching the DravidaMaya (the illusion of being part of amake-believe world of Dravidianism)propagated by EV Ramasamy Naickerand CN Annadurai whom the later daypoliticians described as ThanthaiPeriyaar and Perariyaar (Tamil forgreat father and father).

TN is yet to recover from theshock of the demise of Jayalalithaa onDecember 5, 2016. The vacuum wasfurther aggravated by the departure ofM Karunanidhi, the DMK founder inAugust 2017. Jayalalithaa andKarunanidhi were the pillars of Statepolitics and their exit has led to anirreparable loss to both the parties. Thetruth is that both the AIADMK andthe DMK don’t have leaders who couldmatch the stature of Amma(Jayalalithaa’s followers addressed heras mother) and Dr Kalaignar (ultimate

artist), as Karunanidhi wanted peopleto address him. It is at this junctureRajinikanth is entering the arena.Though another star Kamal Haasantested the political waters in the State,his Makkal Neethi Meiam party wassubmerged by the giant tidal waves ofthe two Dravidian parties in the 2019Lok Sabha election.

“The problem with Kamal Haasanis that he is not clear in his ideologyor programmes. One need not be agood orator but should have the capa-bility to make his followers understandwhat he stands for,” says Sam Rajappa,veteran journalist.

It is to this world of uncertaintythat Rajinikanth made an entry withhis brand of spiritual politics. He madeit clear that professional politicians(numbering more than 50,000 each inthe AIADMK and the DMK) wouldnot have any place in his political sys-tem. “We will run the Government andthe party with a minimum number ofpeople. Party workers are neededonly at the time of elections. Once wedo away with thousands of partyposts across the State, corruption will

die a natural death,” says the actorwhile explaining his party’s ideology.It is a strange coincidence that this hassimilarities to what was proposed byPrime Minister Narendra Modi (min-imum government and maximumgovernance). Legal luminary NaniPalkhivala used to cite “too much gov-ernment and too little governance” asthe main reasons behind India’s back-wardness in his speeches and writings.For the first time in TN’s history, awould-be politician has come outstating that the Chief Minister (CM)and Ministers should be from amongthe people. Rajinikanth declared thathe would not be the CM because heis not cut out for the job. This is some-thing which has gone down well withthe people of TN who have seen pol-itics as a dog-eat-dog world wherefriends turn foes and long-time rivalscome together to consolidate power.

People will fall in line whenRajinikanth names the chief ministe-rial candidate and extend their supportto the latter. The party head, who inall probability would be the actor him-self, will be the de-facto Leader of

Opposition because a committee head-ed by the former would act as a watch-dog to ensure transparency, simplici-ty and honesty of the Government andgovernance.

Cynics may say this won’t work inIndia and will point to the ManmohanSingh-Sonia Gandhi arrangementduring the 2004 to 2014 tenure of theUPA Government. Well, it functionedwell. Sonia wanted a servile PrimeMinister and Manmohan proved to bethe right person for the job. ButRajinikanth is no Sonia and he wouldnever opt for a Manmohan.

Rajinikanth also declared that 50per cent of the party candidates wouldbe people below the age of 50 withsound educational qualifications andthe remaining seats would be allocat-ed to professionals and retired bureau-crats. For some, this may sound likean Utopian concept but it is time fora change in the political ecosystem ofTN which has been incapacitated bythe stale Dravidian ideology.

While conventional politiciansexpressed their reservations aboutRajinikanth’s way of thinking, he

found support and encouragementfrom the most unlikely source.Subramanian Swamy, the BJP leaderwho has been a critic of the cinema anddrama-based politics of TN was thefirst to extend a hand of cooperationto the actor. “Rajinikanth has come ofage and has started thinking different-ly from conventional politicians. Hisspiritual politics has imbibed energyfrom Indian heritage and culture andthis will bring TN back to the nation-al mainstream. The spiritual politics hespeaks about is nothing but theHindutva way of life and the State’sfuture lies in this ideology,” saysSwamy who reveals that he does notknow what awaits the BJP in the State.

Rajinikanth earned the goodwillof the people when he spoke againstthe Dravidian ideology of insultingHindu gods and goddesses. Whileaddressing the Tughlaq magazine’sanniversary recently, he came downheavily on Ramasamy Naicker for gar-landing pictures of Lord Rama and Sitawith slippers. Naicker, who is por-trayed as a revolutionary leader by theDravidians, stood only for the rights

of the intermediate castes. There is noneed to look further to find the rootcause of the honour killings in TNdespite more than 50 years ofDravidian rule. The AIADMK and theDMK share between them 60 per centof the votes. The remaining 40 per centis split between fringe groups, includ-ing the Congress and the BJP. TheCongress which ruled the State till1967 has become servile to the DMKand the BJP is yet to take root here.Though the Paattali Makkal Katchi(PMK), a political outfit launched bythe Vanniyar community, gave hope ofa refreshing change with its out-of-the-box ideas, the party is yet to makemajor inroads. There is no dearth offringe groups and leaders in TN butthey are all riding on the shoulders ofthe DMK or the AIADMK. Well,Rajinikanth speaks of a welcomechange and the idea he proposeslooks encouraging and inspiring. Butas the saying goes the proof of the pud-ding is in the eating. Over to the vot-ers!

(The writer is SpecialCorrespondent, The Pioneer)

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Page 10: €¦ · tected monuments and Central museums across the country will be shut till March 31, Union Culture Minister Prahlad Patal said on Monday. On their parts, the States are already

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Reserve Bank GovernorShaktikanta Das on

Monday assured that crippledYes Bank has enough funds tomeet any requirements andpromised that the central bankwill step in with additional liq-uidity support if needed.

The assurance comes at atime when there is a worry thatonce the moratorium is liftedon March 18 evening, there canbe a run on the bank, puttingmore liquidity pressure.

“I would like to mentionthat Yes Bank has enough liq-uidity to meet any requirement.If there is a requirement, theRBI will provide necessary liq-uidity support” Das toldreporters and also announcedthat after 6 pm on March 18,depositors can take theirmoney out without any restric-tions. The bank’s deposit baseeroded by �72,000 crore to�1.37 lakh crore as of March 5,

2020 as against Rs 2.09 lakhcrore as of December 31, 2019,according to data shared by thebank last Friday whileannouncing the Q3 earnings.

Under the reconstructionscheme, which the governorsaid is progressing as planned,the private lender has receivedover �10,000 crore from eightfinancial institutions, including�6,050 crore from SBI.

ICICI Bank and HDFC(�1,000 crore each) Axis Bank(�600 crore), Kotak MahindraBank (Rs 500 crore), BandhanBank, Federal Bank (�300 croreeach) and IDFC First (�250crore) also joined the SBI-led

consortium and invested inYes Bank.

The Government notifiedthe Yes Bank reconstructionscheme late last Friday. Withthat, the moratorium on thebank will be lifted by March 18.

The RBI on March 5 putclamped a moratorium on YesBank, capping withdrawals to�50,000 per depositor till April3. This was done according todeputy Governor NSVishwanathan, was requiredunder section 45 of theBanking Regulation Act thatrequires a moratorium as a pre-condition for drawing up arevamp scheme.

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Mortgage lender HDFCwill pick up 7.97 per cent

stake in Yes Bank for a �1,000crore capital infusion in thecash-strapped lender. OnMarch 14, Yes Bank allotted100 crore shares of face valueof �2 each to the Corporationaggregating to 7.97 per cent ofthe post issue equity share cap-ital of Yes bank, HDFC said ina regulatory filing on Monday.

The allotment of sharescomes “after giving effect to theallotment of shares to StateBank of India, theCorporation, ICICI Bank, AxisBank, Kotak Mahindra Bank,Federal Bank, Bandhan Bankand IDFC First Bank ,” it said.

On Friday, HDFC said it isinvesting in 100 crore equityshares of �2 each in Yes Bankfor a consideration of �10 pershare (including �8 premi-um) for an aggregate consid-eration of �1,000 crore. As perthe scheme of reconstructionof Yes Bank, 75 per cent of thetotal investment by theCorporation would be lockedin for 3 years, HDFC had said.

SBI has invested Rs 6,050crore in crisis-ridden YesBank. ICICI Bank, HousingDevelopment FinanceCorporation (HDFC), AxisBank, Kotak Mahindra Bank,Bandhan Bank, Federal Bankand IDFC First Bank have alsojoined the SBI-led consor-tium and invested in Yes Bank.

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The IMF on Monday calledfor increased coordinated

action to boost confidence andprovide stability to the globaleconomy, amidst fast spread ofcoronavirus that has killedover 6,500 people worldwide and resulted in lock-down-like situations in sever-al countries.

“Many governments havealready taken significant steps,with major measures beingannounced on a daily basis -including yesterday’s bold,coordinated moves on mone-tary policy,” InternationalMonetary Fund ManagingDirector Kristalina Georgievasaid in a blog post.

“But clearly, even moreneeds to be done. As the virusspreads, increased coordinatedaction will be key to boostingconfidence and providing sta-bility to the global economy,”she wrote.

Asserting that the case fora coordinated and synchro-nized global fiscal stimulus isbecoming stronger by the hour,she said that during the GlobalFinancial Crisis, for example,fiscal stimulus by the G-20amounted to about 2 per centof GDP, or over USD 900 bil-

lion in today’s money, in 2009 alone.

“So, there is a lot morework to do,” she said and calledfor additional fiscal stimuluswill be necessary to preventlong-lasting economic dam-age.

“Fiscal measures alreadyannounced are being deployedon a range of policies thatimmediately prioritize healthspending and those in need.We know that comprehensivecontainment measures - com-bined with early monitoring -will slow the rate of infectionand the spread of the virus,” shesaid.

Governments should con-tinue and expand these effortsto reach the most-affected peo-ple and businesses - with poli-cies including increased paidsick leave and targeted taxrelief, she added.

In advanced economies,she said, central banks shouldcontinue to support demandand boost confidence by easingfinancial conditions and ensur-ing the flow of credit to the realeconomy. For example, the USFederal Reserve justannounced further interest ratecuts, asset purchases, forwardguidance and a drop in reserverequirements.

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The Indian rupee continuedits downward spiral and

plunged 50 paise to 74.25against the US dollar onMonday as concern over theeconomic fallout from thecoronavirus pandemic out-weighed the US Fed’s emer-gency interest rate cut and theRBI’s liquidity enhancing mea-sures.

Forex traders said the fallin the domestic unit was in linewith other Asian peers amidmounting fears of a coron-avirus-led economic slowdown.

At the interbank foreignexchange market, the localcurrency opened at 74.10.During the day, it saw a high of74.09 and a low of 74.35 againstthe American currency.

The domestic unit finallysettled at 74.25 against thegreenback, down 50 paise overits previous close.

The local unit had settledat 73.75 against the greenbackon Friday.

The US Fed on Sundaymade its second emergencyrate cut in less than two weeks,slashing the benchmark bor-rowing rate to a range of 0-0.25per cent, where it was duringthe 2008 global financial crisis.

New York: Stocks dropped 8per cent in the first minutes oftrading Monday on Wall Streetand triggered another tempo-rary halt to trading as hugeswaths of the economy comecloser to shutting down, fromairlines to restaurants.

Emergency actions takenby the Federal Reserve lateSunday to prop up the econo-my and get financial marketsrunning smoothly again mayhave raised fears even further,some investors said.

The selling was just asaggressive in markets around theworld. European stocks andcrude oil were both down close

to 10%. The world’s brightestspot may have been Japan, wherethe central bank announcedmore stimulus for the economy,and stocks still lost 2.5 per cent.The spreading coronavirus iscausing businesses around theworld to shut their doors, whichis draining away revenue.

That has economists slash-ing their expectations forupcoming months, andJPMorgan Chase says the USeconomy may shrink at a 2 percent annual rate this quarterand 3 per cent in the April-through-June quarter. To manyinvestors, that meets the defi-nition of a recession. AP

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The RBI on Monday hintedat a rate cut but stopped

short of a decision, belyingmarket expectations at a hur-riedly called presser even as itannounced some liquidityenhancing measures to containthe economic fallout from thecoronavirus.

But Governor ShaktikantaDas was quick to assure that theReserve Bank has “enough pol-icy tools and stands ready totake any measures” needed tohelp the economy tide over theimpact of the coronavirus pan-demic.

To a question why the rateswere left unchanged at 5.15 percent, Das said, “according to theprevailing law, the rate cut callhas to be taken through themonetary policy committee,but I don’t rule out anything.Depending on the evolvingsituation, we will decide on thetiming of our action.”

In two liquidity enhancingmeasures, Das announcedanother round of $2 billion dol-lar-rupee swap on March 23,and in another measure he saidthe RBI will continue to con-duct the long-term repo oper-ations (LTROs) of up to �1 lakh

crore as and when the marketneeds it.

On March 16, the RBIconducted the first dollar-swapfor $2 billion under which thecentral bank buys rupee fromthe market by selling the dol-lars.

On the LTROs, it hasalready conducted four roundsworth Rs 1 lakh crore opera-tions since February 14, afterannouncing it at the February6 policy review.

Given the short notice forthe press meet amidst the con-tinuing mayhem in the marketand the rising call for rates cutsto the tune of 65 bps by Juneincluding a pre-term cut of 25bps by some analysts, the meet-ing spawned too much expec-tation of a rate cut.

Had he announced a ratecut, it would have been the firstinter-meeting rate reductionsince the monetary policy com-mittee was instituted inFebruary 2016.

The hurriedly called press-er comes amidst widespreadcall for an inter-meeting ratecut following similar steps bythe world’s leading centralbanks like the US Fed which ina span of 10 days has cut thepolicy rates to near zero levels.

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The Lok Sabha on Mondaypassed the Appropriation

Bill 2020-21, authorising thegovernment to draw over Rs110 lakh crore from theConsolidated Fund of India forits working as well as imple-mentation of its programs andschemes.

This completes two-thirdsof the exercise for approval ofthe Budget for 2020-21.

Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabhahad debated on FinanceMinister Nirmala Sitharaman’ssecond Budget in the first halfof the current session and inthe second part, the lowerhouse of Parliament passedthe Appropriation Bill. In thethird stage, the Finance Bill,which details the tax proposals,will be discussed and approved.

The house passed theAppropriation Bill, envisagingspending of Rs 110.4 lakh croreduring the financial year 2020-21 after Speaker Om Birlaapplied ‘guillotine’ on demandsof grants for various ministries.

With Parliament havingvery limited time for scrutin-ising the expenditure demandsof all the ministries, it takes up

discussion on spending ordemands for grants for a fewministries during a pre-decid-ed period of time. Once this isover, a guillotine is applied.

Once the speaker appliesthe guillotine, all the out-standing demands for grants,whether discussed or not, areput to vote at once and passed.After this, Appropriation Billwas taken into considerationand passed.

This year, the Lok Sabhadiscussed demands for grantsof ministries of tourism, rail-ways and social justice andempowerment.

Finance Minister NirmalaSitharaman moved theAppropriation Bill, which waspassed by voice vote.

The Lok Sabha will nowdiscuss the Finance Bill, whichessentially contains the gov-ernment’s tax proposals.

Once the Finance Bill ispassed, the budget exercise iscomplete.

Both appropriation andfinance bills are classified asmoney bills which do notrequire the explicit consent ofthe Rajya Sabha. Rajya Sabhaonly discusses them andreturns the bills.

New Delhi: McDonald’s andDomino’s Pizza have intro-duced contactless delivery, withstate governments taking mea-sures to avoid gathering ofpeople in the wake of the coro-navirus outbreak.

Westlife Development,owner and operator of ofMcDonald’s restaurants in westand southern India, on Mondaysaid it has launched contactlessdelivery to ensure food reach-es customers without beingtouched by bare hands anddelivered safe with adequatesocial distancing measures.

Similarly, JubilantFoodWorks Ltd (JFL), thelicensee for Domino’s Pizza inIndia said it has introducedzero-contact delivery all 1,325restaurants of Domino’s Pizzain India. PTI

New Delhi: Shares of SBI Cardsand Payment Services made aweak debut at the bourses onMonday plunging over 10 percent against its issue price of�755 as coronavirus fears con-tinued to hurt investor senti-ment.

The scrip listed at �658,dropped 12.84 per cent from itsissue price on the BSE. Duringthe day, it touched high of �755and a low of �658. Later, it

plunged 9.50 per cent to closeat �683.20.

On the NSE, the scriptanked 10.19 per cent to closeat �678. The company’s marketvaluation stood at �64,149.53crore at close of trade on theBSE.

The drop in the company’sscrip was in-line with a weakbroader market, where the BSEbenchmark plummeted over2,700 points. PTI

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Wholesale price index(WPI) based inflation

softened to 2.26 per cent inFebruary on the back of cheap-er food items and vegetables,the government data showedon Monday.

In January, the WPI infla-tion stood at 3.1 per cent andin the year-ago same period itwas at 2.93 per cent, as per thedata from the commerce andindustry ministry.

The WPI inflation for foodarticles for February 2020 camein at 7.79 per cent as against11.51 per cent in the previousmonth. The rate of price rise foronion and potato too camedown to 162.30 per cent and60.73 per cent, respectively asagainst 293.37 per cent and87.84 per cent in January 2020.

Build up inflation rate inthe current financial year so farwas 1.92 per cent compared toa build up rate of 2.75 per centin the year-ago period, it added.

In the fuel and power cat-egory, wholesale inflation dur-ing the month eased to 3.38 percent while for non-food articlesit slowed to 6.82 per cent.

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Page 11: €¦ · tected monuments and Central museums across the country will be shut till March 31, Union Culture Minister Prahlad Patal said on Monday. On their parts, the States are already

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The number of confirmed COVID-19 cases across India is now110, as per the Health Ministry website. India also record-

ed its first death due to corona virus after a 76-year-old manpassed away in Karnataka. He had tested positive for the virus.

Persons with lower respiratory tract infections are the sourceof infection of COVID-19. The virus spreads mainly through largedroplets that are produced when an infected person sneezes orcoughs. Hence, the World Health Organization (WHO) has rec-ommended wearing a medical mask by a perosn with cough andfever as one of the prevention measures to limit spread of cer-tain respiratory diseases, including 2019-nCoV, in affected areasin combination with other standard droplet precautions includ-ing regular handwashing and covering the nose and mouth whilesneezing.

It is important to wear a mask correctly to protect oneselffrom the infection; knowing how to dispose of face masks prop-

erly is just as important or per-haps even more important asthere is a risk of the infectionspreading.

WHO ADVISE � Before putting on a mask,clean hands with alcohol-basedhand rub or soap and water.� Cover mouth and nose withmask and make sure there are nogaps between your face and themask.� Avoid touching the maskwhile using it.� Replace the mask with a newone as soon as it is damp and donot re-use single-use masks.� When removing the mask,remove it from behind (do nottouch the front of mask).� Remove the mask from theface gently so as to not disturbliquid and solid contaminants onthe mask. Put it in a plastic bag(use the type of plastic bag per-mitted) such as a grocery shop-ping bag or a zip lock bag andtie or seal it tightly.

Discard the bag straightaway in a closed bin. Washhands immediately with soapand water or clean hands with60% alcohol-based hand rubfor at least 20 seconds. Onlythen, put on a new mask.� Masks (and other personal

protective equipment) that are used in hospitals or quarantineor isolation facilities constitute medical waste and should be treat-ed accordingly.� Masks used at home by persons in self-isolation who are oth-erwise well, should not be thrown on the roads or discarded ran-domly anywhere.� The mask with cough secretions and sputum may be poten-tially infectious. Put in separate containers and transported toincineration plants.� Dedicated mask collection centers and incineration plantsshould be identified or set up.� Local bodies or RWAs can be involved in this drive. Specialtrash cans can be set up in local communities.

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�� �� Plums are very highin nutrients. They alsocontain 15 differentVitamins in addition to fibreand antioxidants.These antioxidants help inreducing inflammation andprotecting the cells fromdamage by free radicals.

Plums are low in caloriesand can also help in controllingblood sugar. Consumingplums on a regular basismay also keep the hearthealthy.

They are agood source ofdietary fiber,along with thecomponents sor-bitol and isatin,which help in regulat-ing the digestive system.

Plums are also beneficial in

strengthening the immunedefense of the body due to thepresence of high vitamin Ccontent. This vitamin pro-motes the body’s resistance toinfections and inflammations.Keeping in mind the currentsituation of COVID-19, plums

make for a great foodto be added to

the diet.

� � � � � � � � � � � � It is important to have astrong immune system. Itkeeps the body healthy and

diseases away. Feeding thebody certain foods may helpkeep your immune systemstrong.

One of the most importantways to increase immu-nity is to includeVitamin C in thediet. Eat pep-pers, spinach,Kiwi, broc-coli, grape-fruit, straw-berries, andoranges. One

can alsotake a

Vit aminC supple-ment to boost

intake of this vitamin.Garlic can build a

strong immune system. Onecan eat garlic in a variety ofrecipes. Garlic soup is a deli-

cious way to boost immunesystem.

Dark chocolate can help toboost the immune system byprotecting the body’s cells.However, it is high in caloriesand is sweet, Diabetics need tokeep away.

Eat broccoli. It is agreat source of

Vitamin C.Eatthis vegetableregularly.

G i n g e rbesides hav-ing anti-inflammato-ry and

antioxidativeproperties, it

can several ill-ness and boost

immunity.Almonds are an excellent

source of Vitamin E. Eat Asmall handful or a quarter ofa cup of almonds to buildimmunity.

Besides washing hands regularly, doctors are advising

people to boost one’s immunity. ROSHNI DEVItells you how eating certain

foods can help keepCOVID-19 at bay

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Aesthetic medicine is the medical process ofmodifying a body part of a person, either to

enhance it or to decrease the risk of certain typesof diseases including body fat, hair loss, skinpatches and skin problems. It is a treatment thatincludes surgical practices from non-invasivetreatments such as laser treatments to invasiveprocedures such as reconstructive surgeries.Nowadays many non-invasive aesthetic treat-ments are available through which one canenhance his beauty.

Some of the best aesthetic medicine treat-ments are as follows:

Chemical peels: Chemical peels are cosmet-ic treatments primarily performed on the face,typically used as an anti-ageing solution to reju-venate the skin. These chemical peels are usedto correct skin irregularities in texture, such asfine lines, and color, such as spots caused by sundamage. In this treatment, a chemical solutionis applied on the skin, which makes it blister andafter few minutes these chemical peel are takenoff. After applying chemical peels, the new skinis usually smoother and less wrinkled than theold skin.

Laser skin resurfacing: It removes the outerlayers of the skin that are damaged due to var-ious conditions. This technique uses concentrat-ed pulsating beams of light at irregular skin andremove skin layer by layer. Laser skin resurfac-ing treatment is also called lasabrasion, laser peel,or laser vaporisation.

Mesotherapy: The treatment uses brighten-ing agents such as glutathione, tranesxemic acid,hydrating agents, vitamins and minerals andmicropuncture techniques. In this treatmentinjections with very fine needles to deliverenzymes, hormones, and vitamins to skin totighten is injected on the skin that need to betreated and rejuvenate it.

Oxygen facial: It’s a non-invasive, relaxingand painless skin care treatment. This treatmentcleanses the damaged skin with oxygen andsaline, exfoliates, boosts lymphatic drainage andprovides extraction benefits. It’s considered anonmedical procedure because nothing is inject-ed into the body and no chemicals are used.Oxygen facial allow the pores to easily absorbhyaluronic acid and other powerhouse ingredi-ents from serums.

Facial fillers: In this treatment injectable gelsare used to smoothen wrinkles, iron out lines andfolds and fill up scars and other depressions onthe skin surface. It relax the muscle under a wrin-kle, fill the line, crease, or area with one of sev-eral different substances. Wrinkle and facialfillers can also be used for plumping and liftingcheeks, chins, jawlines, and temples; filling outthin lips, and plumping sagging hands. They aresafe and can help in forming the body’s natur-al moisturiser. On the other side permanentfillers are synthetic and last longer, but there isa rare possibility of infection or granuloma withthem.

Microneedling: Microneedling is a processof skin resurfacing technology that uses the skin’snatural healing process to reduce skin imperfec-tions, treat sun damage, and restore a smoother,clearer complexion. Microneedling does notremove any layers of skin with harmful chem-icals or lasers and it is safe for all skin types.

Aesthetics treatments are some of the mosteffective ways of improving one’s appearance.These non- invasive treatments are used to givemore natural and healthier look to the skin with-out causing any damage .

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Anear-constant stream ofnews reports aboutCoronavirus (COVID-19)

outbreak is enough for anybody tofeel anxious or distressed. Somemight lose sleep or sleep less aswell.

However, they should not.Health experts are of the opinionthat it is not only important to fol-low basic precautions such aswashing hands, maintaining goodhygiene and social distancing, butone should also take proper sleepwhich will help further bolsterdefences against the deadlypathogens.

Incidentally, as one tries tomake efforts to get good sleep whatone should also simultaneouslyknow about coronavirus — thedisease that has reached pandem-ic proportions — is that one of thetimes we are most vulnerable tocontracting it is during sleep.

Hence, in other words, whilesleep is essential for our health andboosts natural, built-in defensesystem against harmful, disease-causing germs known aspathogens, it is also equally impor-tant to take steps to limit ourexposure to the bug during sleep.

A study released on the WorldSleep Day on March 13 this yearfound that people are not gettingquality sleep as the collectivelyaverage hours of sleep have comedown in most of the surveyedcities. The study was conducted in10 cities across India includingBhubaneswar, Hyderabad,Bangalore, Chennai, Pune, Kochi,Ahmedabad, Indore,Vishakhapatnam and Raipur.

In 2018, people slept 7.66hours on weekends and 7.48 hourson weekdays which has comedown to 6.85 hours on weekendsand 6.76 hours on weekdays in2019. It means, majority of thepeople are not able to sleep for the

required 8 hours, as per the sur-vey.

Looking at the gender-wisesleep duration, the findings aremore worrying with the youngerwomen (25-35 years) sleeping for6.60 hours on weekends and 6.97hours on weekdays in 2019 whichwas 7.70 hours and 7.43 hoursrespectively in the year 2018.Compared to them, the youngermale slept for 6.73 hours on week-days and 6.58 hours on weekendsin 2019 as compared to 7.66 Hourson weekdays and 7.50 hours onweekdays in 2018, as per the sur-vey “In Search of Better Sleep2020” conducted by CentuaryMattresses and Wavemaker.

Uttam Malani, ExecutiveDirector of Centuary Mattresses,says that the data suggests thatwhile people are waking up to thereality that sleep is fundamental-ly important, for most people,achieving quality sleep is still outof reach.

“Various factors are deprivingthe people of the quality andduration of their sleep. If we wantto take sleep seriously and addressthe social and emotional aspects ofpoor sleep, we must begin to

demonstrate that we can addressthese problems in both easy andmeaningful ways,” says Malani.

Kamlesh Patel affectionatelycalled as Daaji, the guide ofHeartfulness, adds, “How well wesleep and how deeply we sleepdetermines our state of mindthroughout the day. Discipliningour sleep cycle changes our life.Increasing number on sleep stud-ies are all pointing to far reachingbenefits of sleep on physical, men-tal, emotional and recently on spir-itual wellbeing of a person.

“Adequate and appropriatesleep ensures alround develop-ment of an individual, and medi-tation is proving to be an enablerof sleep even for chronic condi-tions,” he said.

Patrick McNamara, an associ-ate professor of Neurology atBoston University School ofMedicine, says: “Getting enoughsleep can help protect you againstall kinds of common infectionsand viruses. Sleep strengthensyour body’s capacity to fight offpathogens of all kinds. We need allthe help we can get in fghting thiscoronavirus outbreak.”

However, Seattle-based Dr

Bruce L Davidson, an expert inrespiratory transmission of infec-tions, cautions that as people areparticularly vulnerable to gettingthe coronavirus while sleeping, itis important to follow certain do’sand don’ts to keep the COVID-19at bay. “Around half of people areprone to aspiration — or breath-ing in foreign objects to the air-ways, which can allow the virus in.

“Coronavirus infects cellsbelow the voice box, in the airwaysand deep in the lungs, unlike fluviruses which start with your noseand throat,” he wrote.

“Other than via tiny particlesinhaled in air, coronavirus reach-es those cells via fluid in the noseor throat that sneaks past yourvoice box (this is called aspiration)and slides down your windpipe, ortrachea,” he said as per a report.

There are several steps thatpeople can take to limit theirexposure to the bug as they sleep.First, he advises to thoroughlywash your hands and face wellwith soap and warm water, includ-ing — on a finger — a quarter-inchinto each nostril. “Then gentlyblow your nose.”

The doctor also suggested thatpeople limit any sedatives, such asalcohol, before they sleep since itcan increase aspiration. Also, peo-ple should make sure that anydevices they use to sleep are clean.

“The key is to minimise thevirus burden around and insideyour face before you go to sleep.If you use a device at night forsleep apnea, make sure it remainsaway from where people couldcough, sneeze and breathe on it,and clean it regularly,” he wrote.

Coronavirus, a respiratory ill-ness that spreads through dropletslaunched when an infected personsneezes or coughs has infectedover 152,000 people in at least 144countries.

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As per a recentreport in theJournal of the

American MedicalAssociation, adults inthe 30 to 79 age grouprepresented a whopping 87% of theCOVID-19 cases. The WHO foundsomething similar in China, with 78%of patients falling between the ages of30 and 69. Adding to this is the fact thatwith the rising number of infections,there will not only be lesser hospitalbeds to accommodate all cases but alsoan increase in the risk of complications.Home healthcare can emerge as theanswer particularly for the elderly.

Dr Vishal Sehgal, Medical Director,Portea Medical suggests that senior cit-izens keep the following importantthings in mind:� Take everyday precautions. Makesure to eat medications on time andkeep all vitals under check.� Keep away from others who are sick,limit close contact, and wash yourhands often. Avoid crowds.� Eat foods that are rich in antioxidantsand help build immunity. Eat greenleafy vegetables and whole grains.� Senior citizens today are technolog-ically sound and understand how to usesmartphones. This can help them keepup with their appointments. However,for others, it is a good idea to teachthem the basics including calling up aspecialist in case of an emergency orsymptoms. They can even video call thedoctor for their appointment.

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,4���QUARANTA GIORNI40 days you stay away… Docked along the port, I pray... The term they called as quarantine... A stitch in time, to save nine! The medieval period introduced this to

us… As plague plagued Italy, the crew was

cursed… We face again horrors of the past… Unless we gather ourselves acting timely

and fast… Corona the word, brings forth the crown… Today when I utter, it invites a frown.. Or is it worse, I ponder , is it fear now?.. A new death dancer is indeed on its

prowl… No sneeze, no cough… They’ve forgotten to laugh… Towns are deserted... Villages are skirted … With maskmen galore, with gadgets

advanced...Hesitation and agony commanding a com-

mon man's stance... It all was indeed a made in China tag... Doesn’t give a free hand though to random-

ly bind and gag...

Bats or pigs.. pangolins or civets... Or Is it the air, or water from the rivets? How to contain this menace, is baffling to

one and all... The stocks meanwhile continue to fall.. WHO names it as COVID-19 .. The crown as it were, is not losing its

sheen... While the nation of origin claims falling

numbers... Other parts of the world , continue to

awaken from their slumber...Simple measures to say the least … Wash your hands before your feast.. Sneeze or cough you may but use your

handkerchief If you don’t have one, use your elbow

sleeve... Alcohol is better utilized to manufacture

hand rubs.. Cinemas and gatherings can wait, so can

your popcorn tubs.. Masks work better on those sympto-

matic.. And an approach is mandated which is

logical and pragmatic…

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Page 12: €¦ · tected monuments and Central museums across the country will be shut till March 31, Union Culture Minister Prahlad Patal said on Monday. On their parts, the States are already

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The European Union (EU)'stop official on Monday

called for more coordinationand insisted on the need to keepthe 27-nation bloc's internalborders open as much as pos-sible as member states imple-ment measures to slow thespread of the novel coronavirus.

After the surge of COVID-19 cases in Europe led theItalian Government to put thecountry on lockdown, othermember states have imple-mented drastic measures andtravel restrictions, includingpartially closing their borders.

"Our measures to containthe Coronavirus outbreak willbe effective only if we coordi-nate on the European level,"European Commission presi-dent Ursula von der Leyensaid. "We have to take excep-tional measures to protect thehealth of our citizens. But let'smake sure goods and essentialservices continue to flow in ourinternal market. This is the onlyway to prevent shortages ofmedical equipment or food."

EU leaders are set to holda summit via video-confer-ence on Tuesday on efforts tocontain the spread of the virus,which has now infected more

than 50,000 people acrossEurope, and claimed morethan 2,000 lives.

With Italy reporting themost virus cases and deathsanywhere in the world exceptChina, neighbouring countriesincluding Austria and Sloveniahave moved to slow traffic. Butother EU nations, includingGermany, Poland, Slovakia andCyprus have also introducedrestrictions that could damagethe bloc's economy and slowdown the circulation of med-ical equipment.

Austria, Hungary, CzechRepublic, Poland, Lithuaniaand Germany plus non-mem-ber Switzerland have notified

the commission that they havetaken immediate steps underthe EU's border rule bookallowing member states inexceptional circumstances toreintroduce border checks fora limited period. The EU'sborders code stipulates that theinitial period of 10 days can berenewed for up to two months.

The different approaches indifferent countries are raisingconcerns that vital medicalequipment may be blocked.The EU is urging its membersto put common health screen-ing procedures in place at theirborders to limit the spread ofthe virus, but not to block thetransport of important medical

equipment.In a series of guidelines for

border management measures,the commission urged memberstates to facilitate the circula-tion of workers, to ensure anefficient movement of goodsand to impose restrictions onlywhen they are "duly motivated"and science-based.

"Member States shouldpreserve the free circulation ofall goods. In particular, theyshould guarantee the supplychain of essential productssuch as medicines, medicalequipment, essential and per-ishable food products and live-stock," the commission said.

Jon Worth, a visiting lectur-

er at the College of Europe inBruges, said he was not surprisedthat member states decided torestrict the movement of peopleat their borders given that healthcare is a matter of nationalresponsibility in the EU.

"But the single market isdefinitely the EU's responsi-bility and they have to makesure the chain of supply doesnot break down," he told TheAssociated Press on Monday."That will be the short-termchallenge to come."

European Council PresidentCharles Michel, who chairssummits of prime ministers andpresidents from the 27 EUnations, announced the videoconference in a tweet, callingwhat will be the second meetingof its kind within two weeks.

"Containing the spread ofthe virus, providing sufficientmedical equipment, boostingresearch and limiting the eco-nomic fallout is key," Michel said.

Michel called the summitshortly after he held talks withFrench President EmmanuelMacron, German ChancellorAngela Merkel and EuropeanCommission President Ursulavon der Leyen. Macron's officesaid their conversation allowedthem to make decisions aboutmeasures to take at the external

borders of the EU which will beannounced in the coming hours.No details were provided.

European Centre forDisease Prevention andControl figures releasedMonday show that 51,771coronavirus cases have beenreported in Europe, most inItaly, Spain, France andGermany. A total of 2 ,316 peo-ple have died, the overwhelm-ing majority in Italy.

For most people, the viruscauses only mild or moderatesymptoms, such as fever andcough. For some, especiallyolder adults and people withexisting health problems, itcan cause more severe illness,including pneumonia.

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Monday marked anothermilestone in the global

battle to outwit the new coro-navirus, as reported infectionsin the rest of the world over-took those in China. Millionsof people in Europe and theUnited States began holing upat home amid rapid-fire borderclosures announced by onenation after the other.

Spain officially became thefourth-most infected countryin the world, surpassing SouthKorea as its arc of contagioncurved higher.

Only China, Italy and Iranhave more confirmed cases ofCOVID-19 than Spain, wherethe number of infectionsincreased overnight by rough-ly 20% to 9,191 and the num-ber of fatalities rose to 309,according to the SpanishHealth Ministry. The actual fig-ure was presumed to be evenhigher, because Spain switchedto a new system of reporting.

Spain's interior ministersaid European Union nationson Monday would discuss pos-sibly closing the country's bor-ders. "It is a real possibility tofight against the expansion ofthe virus and to guarantee the

health of European citizens,"said minister Fernando GrandeMarlaska.

Portugal and Spain havealready halted tourism acrosstheir 1,200-kilometer (750-mile) shared border. Goods andworkers will still be allowed tocross. Spain has also alreadydeployed the army to thestreets, ordered its 46 millionpeople to stay home and takencontrol of private hospitals.Marlaska said a total lock-down could be the next step.Nearly 500 people are underintensive care in Spanish hos-pitals for the virus, 70% of themin Madrid, the capital.

The measures echoed thosealready in place in Italy andnow being rolled out in otherparts of Europe and the UnitedStates. Serbia called out thearmy to help enforce the virusrestrictions.

Among the most drasticmeasures, the Swiss city-state ofGeneva banned gatherings ofmore than five people, thoughexceptions were made for busi-ness meetings that followedpublic health rules.

"What we don't want ispeople having picnics" withfriends or relatives, said Genevaofficial Henri Della Casa.

Beijing: China announced plansfor an orderly withdrawal ofthousands of medical staffdeployed in the worst-hit Wuhancity as a top medical expert saidthe coronavirus outbreak has"almost seen its end" in thecountry but a final judgementwould be made after a month.

A leading Chinese officialgroup, headed by Premier LiKeqiang, suggested orderlywithdrawal of the medical staffsupporting virus-hit Hubeiprovince for which Wuhan isthe capital, where the virus firstemerged in December last year.

China deployed over30,000 medical personnel,including staff from the mili-tary, and built 14 makeshifthospitals at the height of thecoronavirus outbreak inJanuary. The makeshift hospi-tals have been dismantled. Theleading group asked officials toensure high-level treatment ofsevere COVID-19 patients inWuhan while withdrawing thesupporting medical teams,state-run China Daily reported.

Timely and full payment ofsubsidies should be guaranteedfor frontline personnel in epi-demic prevention and control,including medical staff, com-munity workers, police andvolunteers, leading group said.

PTI

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The World Health Organization calledon Monday for countries to test everysuspected case of COVID-19, as the rest

of the world registered more cases anddeaths in the pandemic than China. "You

cannot fight a fire blindfolded," WHO chiefTedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus toldreporters in Geneva, saying the WHO rec-ommended that countries "Test, test, test.Test every suspected case." "In the pastweek, we have seen a rapid escalation ofcases of COVID-19," he said, describing thepandemic as "the defining global health cri-

sis of our time." More cases and deaths havenow been reported in the rest of the worldthan in China, where the new coronavirusfirst surfaced in December, he added. AFP

TEHRAN: Iran reported another129 fatalities from the new coro-navirus on Monday, the largestone-day rise in deaths since itbegan battling the Middle East'sworst outbreak, which hasclaimed more than 850 lives andinfected a number of senior offi-cials in the country.

Businesses in Iran's capitalremained open, however, evenas other countries in the regionmoved toward full lockdowns,with Lebanon largely shuttingdown and Iraqis racing to pre-pare for a curfew set to beginlater this week. The divergentapproaches adopted by localauthorities reflect continueduncertainty over how to slowthe spread of a virus that hasinfected around 170,000 peo-ple worldwide and caused morethan 6,500 deaths.

Some have opted for aneven more aggressive response.Israel, where the number ofconfirmed cases has more thandoubled to around 250 inrecent days, has authorised theuse of phone-snooping tech-nology long used againstPalestinian militants to trackcoronavirus patients. Suchpractices will spark reneweddebate over privacy issues ascountries around the worldconfront the pandemic. AP

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Marriage is a highly regulatedinstitution in Indian society,even when it is a result of a love

match. Suddenly, it becomes a matter ofa social contract, where the wholecaste, class and education dynamiccomes into play. We may claim urbanaspirations and refinements but classdifferences in love and relationshipsaren’t typical of Jane Austen’s England.They exist just as overtly and not soovertly even today.

Actor Tillotama Shome’s forthcom-ing feature film, directed by RohenaGera, Is Love Enough? Sir, revolvesaround the relationship between a richman (played by Vivek Gomber) and ahousemaid (played by Tillotama). Thelatter struggles to acknowledge herfeelings for Vivek, keeping in mind therestrictions and prejudices of society,something she doesn’t want to bedefined by. The film comments on thedeep-rooted class differences in Indiaand how a relationship between twopeople from different strata is looked atonly in an exploitative set-up and neverpart of a normal discourse. The inter-esting bit about this film is that thehousemaid is as much aware and does-n’t want to cross the line for her ownsake rather than giving in to the com-forts of a rich life.

How difficult was it internalisingthis conflict? Says Tillotama, “Love, theysay, is blind. But I think there are a lotof factors — social, propriety, status, aperson’s background — which mattermore. Marriage is a social contract andall these things are properly scannedbefore marriages get fixed. So I think,love is not so blind at all. It’s actuallyquite harshly determined. Like anyother contract, there is a lot of scruti-ny even here. It is not only about lovebut about a lot of things other than thepure emotion it is meant to be. We willnever choose to fall in love across theclass barrier. Which is why the filmquestions — is love enough for two peo-ple to be together?”

Throughout her career graph,Tillotama has embodied charactersfrom the lower strata of society, the lastbeing Nayantara’s Necklace. Why did shesay yes to Sir? “When I was offered the

role, I felt the story was about the verything that we would criticise if it hap-pened in reality or even feel guilty about.We live in a society where we judge peo-ple who work for us or belong to thelower strata and we cannot imaginefalling in love with them. I felt that thisis the reality of the world I live in. Nomatter how progressive and liberal Ithink I am, ultimately, I have thisprejudice that breathes andgrows inside me. Even afterwatching so many greatfilms or reading books, Imyself would not chooseto have feelings forsomeone who works atmy home. I can watchParasite and be blownaway by it but I can’tpretend that I don’thave biases in myown head. It wouldnever allow me tofall in love withsuch a personbecause of thework s/hedoes,” she tellsus.

Certainly.But that leavesus with anotherquestion —how far can wetake it even ifwe do fall in lovewith our house-help? Tillotama feelsthat it completely dependson a person’s choice. Shesays, “It depends on howmuch can I transgress? Howmuch am I willing to loiter ortake on society’s judgement? Howmuch courage and strengths doI have to battle the prejudices andcomments that society’s going tothrow at me for the rest of mylife? It’s because I have donesomething that doesn’t fit intopeople’s idea of propriety. Hence,it comes down to a deeply per-sonal choice.”

At the same time, the HindiMedium actor feels that one can-

not be prescriptive about it. “Weare not talking about makinginter-class relationshipsmandatory. It is not somemoral science lesson. It is achoice that each one of usneeds to reconcile with deepwithin ourselves and accord-ingly decide whether we canwe live with it. Decisionshappen when you challengeyour own mentality. So wecannot be prescriptive aboutit ki ‘karna hi chahiye’,” sheadds.

Films like Bobby (1973),Raja Hindustani (1996),Laadla (1994) and more havebeen examples of the class

divide though all of them weredone in a masala entertainerformat. What stands out in Sir

is the process of realisation andactualisation of the choice in thereal world. Says Tillotama, “InSir, the explanation is more from

the point of time when theyacknowledge their feelings for eachother. It is about acknowledging eachother and becoming suddenlyaware of their desires and actingupon them. In a typical love story,

girl and boy meet and realise that ‘oh,there’s something between them,’ kissand follow it up with a ‘happily everafter’ phase. But here, only theacknowledgment of their desire ismore important for them because thisisn’t something they had planned orexpected. They certainly don’t knowhow to articulate it or do anything aboutit. It’s a helpless situation and it’s almost

becoming a prisoner of your own desiresbecause the expression of it is not some-thing that the society would embrace hap-pily or even have any taste for.”

She adds that such an affair is onlysomething that can be accepted in theworld of pornography in India. “If yousearch or talk about such stories, the onlything that comes up is pornography. Irealised that the only situation in whichwe can imagine a home servant and theowner together is in the most exploita-tive context of pornography,” says she.

Be it Nayantara’s Necklace, whereTillotama’s character is a social wannabewho faces a moral question in the end orQissa: The Tale of a Lonely Ghost, whereher character’s life is disrupted andshaped by India’s brutal Partition,Tillotama’s roles have always pushed thefrontiers of societal gaze. How does sheselect her roles? “If I get to learn a newaccent, dialogue, language or some kindof action/physical activity, I would defi-nitely go for it. I like to constantly addsomething new to my skill set. The othermajor factor is the script. It has to be thehero. If it’s not a hero on the pages, it can’tbe that on the screen. These are two pri-marily important things that I look for.But yes, at the same time, I don’t want tobe the flag-bearer of independent, seri-ous cinema. I am an actor and don’t wantto take myself too seriously. I am verymuch open to do all kinds of works,” shetells us.

Well, her recent role in web series,Mentalhood, of a loud-mouthed Punjabiwoman proves that. She says, “She maybe loud and crass but she is still a human.”And she is a humane artiste.

(The film releases on March 20.)

Overheard as the entertainment worldstalled in response to the coronavirus out-

break: “What are we going to do now, readbooks?” That’s exactly what Pamela Milam willbe doing, and lots of them.

Milam is a selection reader for the Women’sNational Book Association, a nonprofit estab-lished in 1917 to support, well, reading. She andher colleagues began a marathon this monthto make it through as many as 100 books eachas they help develop the organisation’s annu-al Great Group Reads list for National ReadingGroup Month in October.

She’s also an avid theatre-goer. She lives inthe heart of Times Square and goes to the the-atre about once a week, but when Broadwayand many other entertainments canceled, cutback seating or postponed performances lastweek, Milam knew exactly how she’d fill theextra time.

“I’m happy snug on my couch. I’ll do mybest to make the most of that,” she said. Manyconcert tours, awards shows, festivals, muse-ums, sporting events and more have shut downto help “flatten the curve” as the virus spreadsaround the globe. Bans on big and medium-size gatherings are proliferating, promptingmore people to hunker down at home.

“We’re catching up on our reading. I juststarted Love in the Time of Cholera. It seemedappropriate,” said Beverly Pfeiffer in SilverSpring, Maryland, of the Gabriel GarciaMarquez classic that, spoiler alert, doesn’t actu-ally involve cholera.

Other people are working more, especial-ly now that they’re doing it from home. Somehave upped their kitchen game by taking onfussy recipes and baking projects. One com-pany that offers online courses has seen a hugejump in business, as has another that sells dig-ital photo scanning services.

Interior designer Genevieve Gorder, co-host of the Netflix series Stay Here, asked fol-lowers on Instagram to share home improve-ment goals that had been lingering at the bot-tom of to-do lists. Cleaning blinds, a basementsort-out and deck repairs are now on front

burners.Devotees of opera and art are being treat-

ed to special live streams and virtual tours.Museums have joined a social media move-ment started by the Museum of the City of NewYork to offer art and other imagery using thehashtag #MuseumMomentofZen.

While a few are heading outdoors, somefolks who are shunning or shut out of their exer-cise classes are working out new routines athome.

Cynthia Shaw in Brooklyn is a classicalpianist and piano teacher who regularly gath-ers with students and friends who play for eachother. Since many in their group of eight or soare older, including some in their 80s, they’regiving up their monthly home gatherings fornow, but played Sunday using a video confer-encing platform instead. “Some of the oldermembers had a hard time figuring it out, butthey did,” she said. “I had my computer set upnext to the piano. I played the first movementof a Beethoven sonata. People played Chopin.There was some Gershwin. I think we’ll do itagain.”

Elsewhere, the TV binge is definitely onwith some new gems on offer. The Walt DisneyCo will release Frozen 2 on Disney-Plus sev-eral months early to give families cooped upby the coronavirus a welcome distraction, andgive its streaming service a boost. For docu-mentary lovers, Netflix is rolling out new fea-tures and series from acclaimed creators,including The Innocence Files, Jeffrey Epstein:Filthy Rich and David Attenborough: A Life onOur Planet.

Psychotherapist Jeff Larsen in San Diegohas a plan, for himself and his clients. “It’s allabout slowing down,” he said. “So absolutelypick up that book that’s been gathering dust,watch that movie or binge-watch that TV showthat you haven’t had time to watch. Most impor-tantly, it’s the mindset that we, as humans, needto have going into this time period. It’s alwaysa good thing when we can slow down and sim-plify our lives.”

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Global health guidelines may havewarned against large gatherings

and public events owing to theCoronavirus pandemic but can thatever dampen Bollywood’s mood tocelebrate, especially when the event inquestion is about scooping up awardsand enjoying live performances by thesuperstars?

If you were at the Zee CineAwards, pandemic would probably bethe last word in your mind. It was astar-studded gala where HrithikRoshan, Ranveer Singh and Sara AliKhan’s dance performanceshad them asking for more.Of course, for the sake ofcaution, the general pub-lic was not allowed entryand there was no redcarpet either.

Among B-Town A-listersspotted keepingthe shutterbugsbusy with theirstyle quotientand posing wereA y u s h m a n nKhurrana, KartikAaryan, AnanyaPanday, TaapseePannu, Kriti Sanon,Nora Fatehi, RakulPreet Singh, TaraSutaria and UrvashiRautela. Govindacame with wifeSunita, while fashion

designer Manish Malhotra was spot-ted giving photo-ops.

Ranveer Singh lived up to hisimage of being an outrageous dress-er, flaunting shock value in fashion asalways in a shiny black coat that hadgaudy, multi-coloured motifs all over.He insisted on keeping his deep-tint-ed Harry Potter shades on even whenhe was sitting inside the dimly-litvenue.

If you do keep track of who wonwhat, Ranveer won the Best Actor(Male) in a Leading Role award for hisperformance in Gully Boy while

actress Taapsee Pannu won theBest Actress award for her rolein Badla. Posting a photowith the trophy on social

media, Taapsee wrote, “Thefirst one for ‘NainaSethi’.”

Ranveer returnedon stage to collect the

Best Onscreen Pair tro-phy along withSiddhant Chaturvedifor Gully Boy, while

Siddhant was also declaredBest Male Debutant forthe same film. AnanyaPanday won BestFemale Debutant forStudent Of the Year 2.

“Blessings onBlessings onBlessings,” wroteRanveer alongside animage in which he is

seen f launting his trophies.Ayushmann Khurrana was declared“Best Entertainer of the Year” whileKartik Aaryan won the Best ComicPerformance award for his role in PatiPatni Aur Woh.

The Best Music award winnerswere Sachet-Parampara for KabirSingh while Parvez Shaikh, PaulJennings, Oh Sea Young and FranzSpilhaus shared the Best Action tro-phy for War. The Best Choreographyaward went to Bosco-Caesar for thenumber Jai Jai Shiv Shankar in War,and the film also won Best VisualEffects.

The awards will air on Zee TVand Zee Cinema on March 28.

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As an admirer and a res-ident of UstadBismillah Khan’s city,

Varanasi, I enjoyed the priv-ilege of visiting him at his res-idence several times. He wasvery affectionate to me andtreated me as his grand-daughter. Nai Sadak,Beniyabaagh that time wasone of the dirtiest, narrowand poverty-stricken lanesof Varanasi. I would wonderhow a legend like Khan hadthe humility to bloom in itsdeepest recesses. ButBismillah sa’ab himselfdescribed it as “Banaa” and“ras”, a place with the essenceof delight. That’s why he hasbecome a metaphor of thecity itself.

The title of Bharat Ratnahad not been conferred onhim back then but he hadalready carved his place in myheart. I remembered the dayI went to his house. Finally,we were in front of an unas-suming door, which had amodest nameplate bearinghis name. With nobody toguard, none to stop or ask anyquestion, it was open and ledstraight to an inner verandah.The cemented floor was dot-ted with repaired patcheshere and there; the walls,too, had not been white-washed for a long time andwore an old look. A few fam-ily members were there,engaged casually in the dailycore. Habituated to seeunknown visitors, they gaveus a cursory look and with-out asking any question ateen-aged girl pointedtowards the staircase.Everything seemed so infor-mal, natural and homely thatwe began feeling as if we werein our own home.

No one accompanied usbut as indicated, we reachedstraight to the second floorroom in which Ustad lived.The room and the adjacentterrace served as his usualplace to meet visitors whooften included national andinternational celebrities anddignitaries. The room, like therest of the household, hadnothing to boast of, withoutany pomp and show that one

might expect in the house ofa great artist. It had a tinshade without any false seal-ing and a simple table fankept in one corner.

Surrounded by nearly adozen people, he was sittingon a simple cot knitted withpackthread. Talking to every-one with his characteristicaffection, he saw us hesitatingat the door and called us in.I looked around for a vacantchair ; there was none.Without waiting or askinganyone, Ustadji himself went

out and brought two plasticchairs. It is difficult for me tobelieve that the great oldman of Indian music himselfbrought a chair for me, a col-lege student. With the conver-sations going on in the room,I came to know that the vis-itors were family members of

Daler Mehndi, the renownedsinger. Baba, as I started call-ing him from that very day,did not know who DalerMehndi was. That lack ofcuriosity was not unusualconsidering he did not worryabout his self-image at all.That day, too, he was wearing

a simple lungi and a multi-holed vest. His unconscious-ness about appearances wasno less remarkable than hismusic. Within seconds I wasoblivious of the filth andstink outside and his greatstature. But I can never for-get the eternal gleam on hisface and his blissful eyes. Itseemed as if he survived onlyby the nectar and rhythm ofmusic.

In later years of my life, Imet a number of artists andwell-known people but nonewas so simple, humble andheavenly. When I touched hisfeet, he blessed me with anaffectionate smile, asking mewhich class I was studying inand if I could sing. I sang afilm’s song, “Kabhi khwab meinya khayaal mein...” He appre-ciated my immature singingand repeatedly blessed mewith many words in such away that visitors became curi-ous about me. Baba said,“Everyone should sing. It isnecessary. Keep singing,whether you are cooking orwashing clothes or taking astroll, just keep singing.” Heloved cold drinks and offeredit to everyone. When he gotBharat Ratna, people suggest-ed he should buy a ceiling fanand give a facelift to his house.His reply was again character-istic, “Has the Bharat Ratnachanged the colour of myblood or has it changed myface?” He could have askedanyone to improve his lane; theauthorities would have done sowithout making any fuss butthe thought of seeking anysuch favour never crossed hismind.

I used to visit him everynow and then but couldn’t gofor a long time when I wasbusy with my research work.Later I went to seek his bless-ings after my marriage toRishi. Baba blessed me pro-fusely and complained in thesame breath, “Your husband?Blessings to both of you.Where were you all theseyears? Don’t you think youshould see your Baba? Asatonement, you will have tocook my meal today.” Andthen he jokingly added, “Don’t

be afraid, my granddaughterswill help you... And you gen-tleman, you have got the bestof them as your life partner.She is a gem. She sings so well.You also sing?” Rishi, a regu-lar singer, sang two songs butBaba was not impressed andsaid: “No, not up to mark. Youhave to put your soul into it.Then only the sur shall arrivesome day. It has visited me justtwice or thrice in my whole life,the rest that I play is just a fee-ble remembrance of those raremoments.”

While talking or listeningto someone, Baba would sud-denly start punctuating thesong with his immortal voice.Those sporadic punctuationsformed the most precious andmemorable moments for thegathering. Coming out of hislane, I asked Rishi, “You havealways been a better singerthan me but why could younot give your best today?” Hereplied, “Ignorance is bliss.You are ignorant of his stature;to you, he is simply your Baba.I know how great he is. It wasthe consciousness of his great-ness that kept hovering uponme as long as I was sitting inhis presence.”

But Baba himself wasnever conscious of his ownpresence. It was only the musicthat mattered. In his ownwords, it was ibaadat. I find noparallel for this word in anyother language. Any placewhere he could sit and sing wasibaadat for him . Often, it usedto be the Hanuman temple atManikarnika Ghat. Baba hada great reverence for KashiVishwanath and swore in typ-ical Banarasi Boli when terror-ists attacked the SankatMochan. He used to say, thosewho spread hate are neitherMuslim nor Hindu.

Sometimes I miss himand want to ask, “Baba, don’tyou think you should comeand see your granddaughter?”But then I wonder, had he beenalive, how much pained hemight have felt in the atmos-phere prevailing today.

(The writer is an assistantprofessor, department ofEnglish, MGK Vidyapith,Varanasi.)

Gond artist Bhajju Shyam hascarved a space for himself in

India’s art landscape by combining tra-dition and simple beliefs withacquired techniques of expression.And he uses folk motifs as urbanmetaphors. For example, he had oncepictured an airport as a gobbling bird.So there is a rootedness that informshis works, some of which are on dis-play at the Ojas Art Gallery.

Among 50 artworks of differentgenres of folk and indigenous arts ofthe country, the work of Padma ShriBhajju Shyam stands tall. There is notjust compositional control but a felic-ity and fluidity with contours andcolour tones. Known as the most pres-tigious practitioner of Gond art,Shyam’s work has a rare uniquenessthat embodies the entire range ofhuman emotions through animal

imagery. In an interview to me lastyear he had said, “I’m constantly find-ing new subjects and metaphors fromthe stories of the Gond art tradition.That comes from the cradle, we areborn with it and I cannot deviate frommy being. My inspiration is my uncleJangarh Singh Shyam. Whenever Imixed colours for him in his palette,he would share stories and thoughtswith me. They stayed on and I drawon them for my interpretations.”

The Metropolitan Opera canceledperformances and rehearsals

through March 31 due to fears ofthe coronavirus spreading, leavingsingers scrambling to get home andcosting the financially-challengedcompany millions of dollars.

The move was announcedThursday, one day after USPresident Donald Trumpannounced a suspension of travel tothe US from Europe for 30 daysstarting Friday. Met GeneralManager Peter Gelb said it was tooearly to determine whether thecompany will resume for any partof the remainder of its season,which runs through May 9. “Withhealth authorities urging socialdistancing with greater emphasis, itis simply untenable for us to con-tinue to perform, as it puts ourartists, staff and audience at risk,”Gelb said.

Among the 21 canceled MetOpera performances were thisSaturday’s matinee of a new stagingof Wagner’s Der Fliegende Holländer(The Flying Dutchman) that was tohave been televised to film theatersaround the world. Also canceledwas a March 29 recital by SopranoDiana Damrau with Royal Operamusic director Antonio Pappano atthe piano. “We do not have businessinterruption insurance. In fact, Idon’t believe any of the performingarts companies, or at least none ofthe others I’ve been talking to, haveit,” Gelb said in a telephone inter-view. “There are many ticket buy-ers who we hope might considergifting us the tickets they’ve alreadypurchased rather than asking forrefunds.”

Gelb said the orchestra, chorusand other full-time union memberswill be kept on payroll at leastthrough the end of March. Many ofthe Met’s singers and conductorstravel regularly from Europe.

Soprano Anna Netrebko postedon Instagram that she would not betraveling to New York for perfor-mances of Puccini’s Tosca that hadbeen scheduled to start March 26.Gelb said if the season resumes, itwould be more difficult to pulltogether productions that have notyet been on stage this season. “Ourcasting is totally compromisedbecause many of the artists whowere scheduled for these perfor-mances can’t even get to this coun-try,” he said. “And those who werein this country would like to getout.”

Carnegie Hall also announcedit was closing its doors at midnightThursday for all public eventsthrough the end of March, cancel-ing performances from ThePhiladelphia Orchestra, AngéliqueKidjo, the Castalian String Quartetand Musical Armenia. The NewYork Philharmonic, ChicagoSymphony and Los AngelesPhilharmonic also announced plansto close.

The Philadelphia Orchestraand music director Yannick Nézet-Séguin went ahead with Thursdaynight’s world premiere of ImanHabibi’s Jeder Baum spricht (Everytree speaks) at an empty VerizonHall and streamed the performanceon its website.

For most people, the new coro-navirus causes only mild or mod-erate symptoms, such as fever andcough. For some, especially olderadults and people with existinghealth problems, it can cause moresevere illness, including pneumonia.

The vast majority of peoplerecover from the new virus.According to the World HealthOrganisation, people with mild ill-ness recover in two weeks, whilethose with more severe illness maytake three to six weeks to recover.

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�What has been your guidingforce that made you achieveso many accolades at such ayoung age?

It’s strongly and purely myparents motivation andstrength which has encouragedme to work day and night. Myamma (mother) has alwaysstood with me, right from mystudies to various dance prac-tices and performances. Evenmy Guru Dr JayaprabhaMenon has always remainedmy greatest inspiration. Everynew class or a lesson taught byher is a great learning.

�What made you chooseMohiniyattam as your spe-cialisation?

I have been learning danceunder prominent gurus sinceI was five years old.Mohiniyattam is the classicalsolo dance form of Kerala andhas always inspired me with itsAbhinaya (expressions) as itdirectly and easily connectswith people. Its delicate bodymovements and subtle facialexpressions brings a flow inyour body. The other mostimportant and beautiful factoris its grace which is very diffi-cult to bring out.

�How do you think classicalIndian artforms have evolvedover the years?

The classical Indian art-forms have evolved overtime interms of the facial expressions,footwork, hand movements,synchronisation and manyother such factors.

�How do you see your peersfollowing classical artformssince youth are more inclinedtowards pop culture?

Even though pop culture isknown and liked by many I feelthat even now classical art-forms, be it dance, music oranything else, is highly appre-ciated and valued by many,even youngsters. I have partic-

ipated in various competitionsheld by Delhi University. ThereI have always see a rise in thenumber of participants forclassical programmes everyyear. In fact, other state anddistrict level competitions areconducted in and around Delhifor youngsters and kids whofocus on classical artforms toinspire students.

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In another work titled Pawan, wesee an idyllic simplicity. Worms

and reptilian species dot the “treeof life” canvas but what stands isthe continuity of tradition throughantiquity that seems as just as rel-evant to modern contexts. Bhajjuhas a distinct approach and under-standing; we see the way he fills inthe details even as he plays with thebeauty of concentric and geomet-ric circles. There is a strong senseof symbolism in the manner inwhich he uses juxtaposition. Whilethis varies from modern sensibil-ity, it becomes a delicious blend ofindigenous and contemporaryexplorations.

It also draws attention to thesymbiotic relationship betweennature and the individual. Sowhen we see the work, there is aholistic pattern and aura of indige-nous wisdom.

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Another delightful workis Saila Haathi or the

dancing elephant. Acrylicand ink become hisfavoured medium here.The elephant is both sub-ject and object, myth andreality. It belongs to the fig-ment of Bhajju’s imagina-tion as well as the folk lorethat he loves to transcend.But the elephant alsobrings us face to face withman’s greed and selfish-ness, the truth that this beautiful giant is on the way to extinction. Rememberthe persecution and cruelty meted out to elephants in the temples of Keralaand many other places? This image becomes a mascot of malpractices andthe last cry of an animal that is pleading to humans.

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The piece de resistance amongthe artist’s works is Naur

Rupi Machli, which translates asa fish-shaped boat. You have toadmire the intricate details ofGond art and the thoughtsbehind the creation in this beau-tifully-painted work of two largefish, a bird and smaller fisharound them. Characteristic ofGond art are Bhajju’s teemingdecorative patterns that fill theimages. In order to highlightthese patterns — which eachartist develops for her/himself asa unique signature it — are theirneatness and accuracy. Bhajju’sversatility stands out for hisperfection in the geometric pat-terns that he creates. That exper-tise comes from helping hismother with digna or the geo-metric pattern before he appren-ticed under the masters ofJangarh. The colours are bothneon-tinted and flat, yet heweaves in a robust balance ofdarkness and light to create asurreal syntax.

Page 15: €¦ · tected monuments and Central museums across the country will be shut till March 31, Union Culture Minister Prahlad Patal said on Monday. On their parts, the States are already

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The Quinton de Kock-ledSouth African team onMonday checked into a

city hotel near the airport asCricket Association of Bengal(CAB) took all precautions fortheir safe return home amid theCOVID-19 pandemic.

After their three-match ODIseries was called off due to thevirus outbreak, the SouthAfrican players and the supportstaff stayed put in Lucknowwhere the second match wasslated.

They had the option to flyout from Delhi but they pre-ferred the ‘safest city’ Kolkata asthe Eastern metropolis was yetto record a single positive casefor COVID-19.

“We have made full arrange-ments so that the South Africanplayers return home safe. Wehave a three-member medicalteam looking into their arrange-ments. We are taking adequateprecautions,” medical commit-tee chairman Pradip Dey toldreporters at the city hotel onRajarhat.

Maintaining social distanc-

ing, the team was received at theairport by Cricket Association ofBengal (CAB) president AvishekDalmiya, secretary SnehasishGanguly and joint-secretaryDebabrata Das.

“Everything is fine. Theirrooms are all sanitised. Our liai-son manager, medical team arealso there in two rooms. Theyare all equipped with specialmasks, sanitiser. We have spokento the players, they are fine,”Avishek said.

The visiting team is flyingout to their respective destina-tions in South Africa on Tuesdaymorning via Dubai.

Returning SA check in for Kolkata stopover

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With the COVID-19 pan-demic creating a global

upheaval, Cricket South Africaon Monday suspended allforms of cricket in the coun-try for the next two months.

After South Africa presi-dent Cyril Ramaphosa onSunday declared a state of dis-aster, CSA also decided to

suspend all cricket activities inthe country to contain thespread of the virus.

“Cricket South Africa(CSA) has taken the decisionto immediately terminate allforms of cricket in the coun-try, for the next 60 days, name-ly: First-class cricket; List Acricket (Momentum Cup); Allsemi-professional and provin-cial cricket; as well as All

Junior and Amateur cricket,”CSA said in a statement.

The two-month suspen-sion means the ongoing fran-chise one-day cup competi-tions semi-finals and final willnot take place.

In South Africa, thePremier Soccer League, SuperRugby and the Two OceansMarathon were also sus-pended.

Page 16: €¦ · tected monuments and Central museums across the country will be shut till March 31, Union Culture Minister Prahlad Patal said on Monday. On their parts, the States are already

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The first two competitions ofthe Indian Grand Prix (IGP)

series will be held without anyspectators due to the COVID-19pandemic, the CompetitionCommittee of AthleticsFederation of India (AFI) said onMonday.

The second competition ofthe Indian Grand Prix series wasscheduled to be held at Sangrurbut it will now be held at NISPatiala.

“IGP-1 will be held on 20thMarch 2020 and IGP-2 will beheld on 25th March 2020 as perschedule. The venue of both thecompetition will be SAI NS-NISPatiala,” AFI said.

“Spectators will not beallowed inside the competitionvenue.”

Given the health hazard, theAFI made it clear that “person-al coaches, support staff or fam-ily members/friends of athletes

who are not part of the NationalCoaching Camp will not beallowed inside the competitionvenue”.

The AFI also said that all theathletes coming from outsidewill be allowed to enter the NS-NIS campus only after a medicalcheck-up by AFI/SAI medicalteam at the SAI NS-NIS gate.

The governing body alsosaid that “all the athletes will beprovided with an accreditationcard” and they have to “leave thevenue soon after completion oftheir event without waiting towitness other events”.

As part of its many precau-tionary measures, the AFI alsodecided to strictly restrict themovement of competitors fromNS-NIS entry gate to the athlet-ics track and back.

“Those who are not part of

the National Coaching Campsare not allowed to go to the res-idential hostels/guesthouses,” itsaid.

The AFI Competit ionCommittee also revised theevents list for both the first andsecond competitions.

The events in the first com-petition include: Men’s — 200m,400m, 800m, 5000m, 400mHurdles, Long Jump, TripleJump, Shot Put & Javelin Throw;Women’s — 100m, 200m, 400m,800m, 5000m, Long Jump, TripleJump, Shot Put, Javelin Throw.

And the events in the secondcompetition are: Men’s — 200m,400m, 1500m, 5000m, 400mHurdles, Long Jump, TripleJump, Shot Put & Javelin Throw;Women’s — 100m, 400m, 800m,5000m, Long Jump, Triple Jump,Shot Put, Javelin Throw.

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Doubts are growing in Japan about theTokyo Olympics, with growing oppo-

sition to holding them as scheduled andsome urging officials not to risk lives bypressing ahead during the coronavirusemergency.

Officials like Japanese Prime MinisterShinzo Abe and International OlympicCommittee chief Thomas Bach haverepeatedly insisted preparations shouldcontinue to light the Olympic flame onJuly 24.

But with events from the PremierLeague to NBA basketball scrapped, andJapanese sport also at a standstill, even USPresident Donald Trump has suggestedputting the Olympics on hold.

Japan has seen relatively fewcases, with 814 testing positive and24 dead. But some people on thestreets of Tokyo voiced concern forthe fans that would pour in fromabroad.

Koki Miura, a 27-year-oldemployee at an internet com-pany, said: “To be hon-est, even if Japan over-comes this crisis, wewouldn’t receive visi-tors from the world.I think we’d betternot hold it.”

“We cannotsacrifice people’slives for it,” addedMiura, who saidthe Gamesshould be post-poned — if notcancelled outright.

Public opinionin Japan appears to bemoving against theGames. A poll for publicbroadcaster NHK takenon March 6-9 suggested45 percent were opposedto going ahead as

planned, with 40 percent in favour.And a new poll of more than 1,000

people released Monday by Japan’s Kyodonews agency showed 69.9 percent ofrespondents believe Tokyo will not be ableto hold the Games as scheduled.

Tokyo governor Yuriko Koike has saidit is “unthinkable” to cancel the Olympicsbut the decision rests with the IOC, whichis planning emergency talks with interna-tional sports federations on Tuesday,according to an IOC source.

Bach has stressed the IOC will followWorld Health Organization recommen-dations regarding a possible postpone-ment. But he has also acknowledged thatthe cancellation of qualifying events was

posing “serious problems”.At the beginning of March,

Bach said the IOC would show“flexibility” regarding qualifica-tions for the Tokyo, and encour-aged “all athletes to continue to

prepare” for the Games.

‘LOOK AT THE PANIC’Masao Sugawara, a90-year-old pension-er, said: “Personally, Ithink it would besafer to postponethe Olympics for ayear, just asPresident Trumpsaid. Look at thepanic.”

“Of courseit would be dis-ap p o i nt i n g ,though,” headmitted.

M a n f r e dOtto, 45, a half-

Japanese, half-German lawyer, said

he was “worried”about the Games andstressed: “We reallyneed to be careful.”

“If the outbreak

does not get controlled by June or July, Ithink we should postpone it,” said Otto.

The betting odds are increasinglyshifting towards the opening ceremonynot taking place on July 24. BookmakerPaddy Power is offering 4-1 against theGames opening on time.

This comes as the virus — which haskilled 6,400 people worldwide — shredsthe international sporting calendar, withalmost no elite sporting action takingplace last weekend.

Preparations for the Games havealready been affected, with qualifierscancelled, test events scaled back and theOlympic torch arrival and relay altered.

Plans have been scrapped to involvehundreds of children in the torch’s arrival

ceremony, while an exhibition and threeevents to display the flame have also beenaxed.

Cancelling the Olympics would be aheartbreaking decision for Tokyo residentswho rushed to buy tickets, and authori-ties whose preparations have won wide-spread praise — with the majority ofvenues ready well ahead of schedule.

Hisaya Suzuki, 47, said he had tick-ets to see baseball, Japan’s most popularsport.

“It’s a once-in-a-lifetime opportuni-ty, so I really wanted to take my son,” hesaid, but added: “If there will be negativeconsequences, it may be wiser to pause it(the Games).”

Sugawara said the magnitude of the

coronavirus trumped sporting consider-ations.

“I am 90 years old. Except forwartime, I have never felt so worried.”

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Being home to 130+ Crore people and many mar-tial art forms, it’s hard to believe that almost no one

has heard about Brazillian Jiu-Jitsu (BJJ) and it has onlyrecently started to take off in India and produced itsFirst Black Belt.

Arun Sharma, Founder and Head Instructor of BJJIndia and Jeet Kune Do Athletic Club India, recentlyearned his BJJ black belt after 13 years of training inthe Art, from multiple times world champion and a4th Degree Black Belt Rodrigo Teixeria from Rio DeJaneiro, Brazil.

Brazillian Jiu-Jitsu is a form of martial art that wasdeveloped by the Gracie family in the early 1910s. Itis also known as The Gentle Art of Self Defense as itteaches its students to defend themselves without hurt-ing the assailant by relying on techniques that are basedon leverage and principles of physics, which also givesthe smaller person to defend themselves against a big-ger attacker without relying on speed and strength.

BJJ is also the fastest growing sport around theGlobe. It is already a mainstream sport in theAmerican and European countries and India is catch-ing up with the rest of the world rapidly.

Brazillian Jiu-Jitsu can be practised as an art of self-defence, a sport or as a part of fitness regime. Somepeople also do it as an activity to socialise as world-wide BJJ community is known for being welcomingand friendly.

In the past 13 years, Arun has taught more than150 free seminars in the rural areas of the country. Hisvision is to spread the art of Brazillian Jiu-Jitsu in Indiaand he plans on doing it by making 1000 instructorswhich will allow people to see it as a viable career pathas well.

Arun’s journey in martial arts started at the age of12 after he witnessed two of his friends getting killedwith a knife. He started with Shaoling kung fu, JeetKune do (JKD) and Filipino Kali before ultimately find-ing that his true self and passion lied within BrazillianJiu-Jitsu.

There weren’t any Jiu-Jitsu Instructors in Indiawhen he started training. In 2004, the internet was notreadily available in India so he used his father’s workcomputer to watch videos of BJJ. That changed whenRodrigo Teixeria started visiting India from Brazil togive Arun private training without charging any fees.

Arun has been training the Indian special forcesand NSG along with various other Military and LawEnforcement Agencies since he was 18 years old.

“Jiu-Jitsu for me is self-improvement every dayand exorcising the demons within. Jiu-Jitsu has mademe calmer, it has given me the skill of understand-ing that you can defend yourself without hurting theaggressor. It has taught me that you can be anywherein the world and still help people by spreading theart. “I was an introvert and shy kid in schooland it has really helped me out to bring outmy personality, of helping peopleout and of making my passion,my career" said Arun.

Arun’s Martial arts academyBJJ India, located inMalviya Nagar, Delhi,has now over 200 stu-dents enrolled withthem. His studentshave participated innumerous tourna-ments and haveaccumulated over15 Gold medals sofar in the Nationals andInternational tourna-ments and now hehopes and envisions tospread the art in theupcoming times inIndia.

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Adecision over whether to postponefootball’s Euro 2020 by up to a year,with all the sporting and financial

consequences that would entail, is set tobe made when UEFA holds a crisis meet-ing on Tuesday as Europe battles the ongo-ing coronavirus pandemic.

European football’s governing bodywill hold a videoconference with represen-tatives from all 55 member associations aswell as from clubs and players bodies.UEFA will then hold an executive com-mittee meeting at 1400 (1300 GMT) attheir Swiss headquarters.

The future of the EuropeanChampionship, due to take place for thefirst time in 12 different cities spread acrossthe continent from June 12 to July 12, isup in the air along with those of theChampions League and Europa League.

The “dark scenarios” that UEFA pres-ident Aleksander Ceferin warned againstenvisaging when he spoke at the organi-sation’s congress in Amsterdam just twoweeks ago now have to be considered.

All of Europe’s leading domesticleagues ground to a halt last week, whileUEFA suspended all Champions Leagueand Europa League games due to beplayed this week. Both tournaments arestill in the last-16 stage.

Europe has become the epicentre ofthe coronavirus pandemic, with Italyand Spain on lockdown, France gradual-ly following suit, and other countries clos-ing borders to halt the spread of the out-break. More than 1,800 people have diedin Italy, which is supposed to host theopening game of Euro 2020 in Rome.

POSTPONED FOR A YEAR?The head of the Italian football fed-

eration, Gabriele Gravina, has already pro-posed that the Euro be postponed, withItaly coach Roberto Mancini calling for itto pushed back 12 months.

“We would have won the EuropeanChampionship this summer, we can alsowin it in 2021,” Mancini told television sta-tion Rai Sport.

It is a position that many around the

continent are coming round to amid muchuncertainty as to when club football canresume.

“UEFA has no choice. They have topostpone the Euro and the ChampionsLeague,” one senior figure in the worldgame said, although finding agreementacross the board may not be easy.

“There are people who want to play,and others who don’t,” French football fed-eration president Noel Le Graet toldbroadcaster TF1 on Sunday.

German broadcaster ZDF reportedthat two possible options are on the tablefor the European Championship.

One is to push it back to 2021,although that is not as simple as it mightappear, as it would need FIFA president

Gianni Infantino to agree to halting theinaugural edition of his highly lucrativeClub World Cup, due to take place in Juneand July next year in China with some ofEurope’s top club sides involved.

FIFA offered “no comment” onMonday on the matter.

There is also the issue of the women’sEuropean Championship, scheduled torun from July 7 to August 1 next year inEngland, with the final at Wembley. TheLondon venue is also supposed to hold thesemi-finals and final of Euro 2020.

The alternative option, according toZDF, is to maintain a Euro 2020 by play-ing it towards the end of the year.

That supposes that the crisis will havecalmed down by then, and there is also the

issue of all the other football that has beensuspended.

Le Graet said “it is probable” that allfriendly matches scheduled to be playedat the end of this month will be postponed.Play-off matches to decide the last fourberths at Euro 2020 can be expected to gothe same way.

In any case, world governing bodyFIFA has already moved to say that clubsno longer need to release players for thescheduled international dates.

They may come to a decision to tryto complete the Champions League andEuropa League by curtailing the compe-titions, meaning ties up to the semi-finalscould be decided in one-off matches.

From a financial viewpoint, UEFA

would undoubtedly preferpostponing their flag-ship tournaments tocancelling them alto-gether, or playingmatches behindclosed doors.

In any case, theEuropean Leaguesgrouping of almost a thou-sand clubs in 29 countries across thecontinent warned that “cooperation, coor-dination and flexibility are going to beessential”.

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Italy coach Roberto Mancini said on Sunday hewas ready for the European Championship to be

postponed until 2021 amid the coronavirus pan-demic.

“We would have won the EuropeanChampionship this summer, we can also win it in2021,” Mancini told Italian television station RaiSport.

“Let’s wait to see what UEFA decides, but Iadapt to everything, right now the priority is to savelives.”

Italy are set to host the opening match in Romeon June 12, in a tournament which will be playedin 12 countries across the continent.

“The fact is that the problems we are havingnow other nations will have shortly,” continued theformer Manchester City and Inter Milan coach.

“First of all we need to protect people’s health,we have to wait for the peak, then when this situ-ation begins to ease off we could start talking anddecide everything later.

“When we return to our normal life, to foot-ball, we will be happier, we’ll find

freedom, be able to go backto matches at the stadium,have fun,” added the 55-year-old.

“These dramatic situ-ations can make you

become better. I hopeso.”

Italy won all 10of their Euro

2020 qualifyingmatches asthey roaredback underM a n c i n i ’sg u i d a n c ehaving failedto qualify forthe 2018World Cup.

T h e ya p p r o a c h

Euro 2020searching for

just their secondEuropean title

after winning in1968.

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With the coronavirus out-break bringing all sports

activities to a halt in the coun-try, Sports Minister Kiren

Rijiju on Monday urgedthe athletes to notlose spirit and keepworking hard to stay

battle ready forcompetitions.

“Due to coro-navirus, sporting

events and competitionsare postponed temporar-ily but I appeal all our ath-letes not to lose the spir-it, keep practicing andfocus on your training,”Rijiju wrote on his Twitterhandle.

The government last

week imposed travel restrictionsto control the spread of thevirus, while the Sports Ministryalso urged all national federationsto follow the Health Ministry’sadvisory and avoid large gather-ings in sports events.

Following the directives, thethree-match ODI series againstSouth Africa was called off, whilethe 13th edition of the IndianPremier League (IPL), whichwas due to start on March 29, wassuspended till April 15.

The shooting World Cupand Indian Open Golf was post-poned, while badminton’s IndiaOpen was also deferred afterBadminton World Federation(BWF) suspended all WorldTour and sanctioned events,owing to the outbreak of thedeadly disease.

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‘Football can wait’

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In the wake of thec o r o n a v i r u s

(COVID-19) pan-demic, theChampions Leaguecan see both semi-finals and the finalplayed over a four-day period in Istanbul.

According to a report intelegraph.co.uk, this idea is among a seriesof proposals to be put forward duringemergency Union of European FootballAssociations (UEFA) video conferencemeetings on Tuesday.

If the idea is agreed, the same wouldapply to the Europa League where thefinal is due to take place in the Polish cityof Gdansk.

Another idea which would be con-sidered during Tuesday’s meet is to con-dense all the games, including the quar-ter-finals and semi-finals, which wouldnormally be over two-legs, home andaway, into one-off matches to crammedinto one week.

The UEFA plan would see theremaining last-16 ties being played asnormal once football is allowed toreturn. During the meeting, they couldalso look at postponing Euro 2020 for anyear.

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The leader of the IOC’s co-ordina-tion commission for the Tokyo

Olympics said there is no May dead-line to cancel the games and heremains confident the event will goahead despite sports coming to a vir-tual standstill globally.

John Coates, who will have to gointo government-mandated self-isola-tion when he returns to Australia thisweek from Olympic business inEurope, told the Sydney MorningHerald newspaper: “It’s all proceedingto start on the 24th of July.”

Dick Pound, a former IOC vicepresident, said in an interview with theAssociated Press last month that theend of May loomed as a possible dead-line for the IOC to make a call on theTokyo Olympics.

But Coates, an IOC vice president

and head of the Australian OlympicCommittee, told the paper in a tele-phone interview from Switzerlandthat the IOC didn’t recognize the dead-line and he thought Pound had backedaway from it, too.

“It’s never been the IOC’s position.It was Dick’s idea. There is fourmonths to go,” Coates told the news-paper on Monday.

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0��$�������� ��/������#��7�%�� ��>����#������� �� �#����� �������������������� �������9����<� Spectators will not beallowed inside the historic Panathenaicstadium on Thursday during theOlympic flame handover ceremony forTokyo 2020, the Greek OlympicCommittee said on Monday.

The ceremony will take place in thepresence of Greece President KaterinaSakellaropoulou and a small delegationof the Tokyo 2020 OrganizingCommittee, said the Hellenic OlympicCommittee. “The Panathenaic Stadiumwill be closed to the public,” it said.

“Tokyo 2020 has been informedthat the Greek leg of the Olympic TorchRelay has been cancelled. However, wehave been also informed that theHellenic Olympic Committee hasagreed to carry out the handover cer-emony as planned on March 19,although there will be no public inattendance,” the organising committeeof the Olympics said in a statement.

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