JOURNALISM OF COURAGEbombaychamber.com/admin/uploaded/NEWS Block/13042020-BCCI... · 2020-04-13 · 2 THESECONDPAGE THEINDIANEXPRESS,MONDAY,APRIL13,2020 Privatelabs modelbutforthelastthree

JOURNALISM OF COURAGE

SINCE 1932

DA ILY FROM: AHMEDABAD , CHAND IGARH , DELH I , JA IPUR , KOLKATA , LUCKNOW, MUMBAI , NAGPUR , PUNE , VADODARA ● REG .NO . MCS/067/2018 - 20 RN I REGN . NO . 1543/57

MONDAY, APRIL 13, 2020, MUMBAI, CITY, 10 PAGES `5.00, WWW.INDIANEXPRESS.COMJOURNALISM OF COURAGE

SINCE 1932

RAVIKBHATTACHARYAPETRAPOLE (WESTBENGAL),APRIL 12

DRIVINGAtruckcarryingacon-signment of Bangladesh-or-dered truck chassis fromAlwar,Sunil Sharma reached Satberianear Petrapole, the Indian bor-der landport inWestBengal,onMarch 23, a day before the na-tional lockdown kicked in. Hehasbeenthereever since.For three weeks now, the

truckhasbeenhishome.The42-year-old from Haryana, whofoundspaceforhistruckinapri-vateparking lotoff JessoreRoadat Satberia in Bongaon inNorth

24Parganas, cooks andeats be-neath the truckandthencrawlsinto thecabin to rest.He hasmade new friends—

driversPremChandwhocartedmachinery fromFaridabad, andKamlesh Yadavwho had to de-liver industrial magnets acrossthe border. Short of cash, theynow settle for a meal a day, attimesdippingrotis in tea.“I am running out ofmoney.

When I calledmy employer formy salary, he toldme toborrowmoneyfromhomefornow.How

can I do that? I am supposed tobe the one sending moneyhome,”Sharmasaid.They are not alone. An esti-

mated2100trucksarestucknearPetrapole, the largest land portinthecountry.Thebordercross-ingisclosed,andtheyareunableto drop their consignments atthe warehouses in Benapoleacross theborder.While exporters have been

urging the Centre to allow un-loading for subsequent passageof goods, clearingagents,work-ers and even drivers are scaredtostepinsideBangladeshwhichtoo is fighting the coronavirus.Local Trinamool Congress lead-

ers, enforcing the lockdown,have beenwarning against anymovementof trucksandgoods.In parking lots, and on both

sidesof theJessoreRoadleadingto the land port, trucks havetakenupall available space.BSFpersonnel standguard500me-tres from Petrapole, and a localmunicipal team, armed withthermalscanners, isbusycheck-ingpeople for fever symptoms.The Integrated Check Post is

almost deserted. OnlyBangladesh citizens with validpassportscangopastthebordergates, returninghomeonfoot.On a normal day, 500-550

trucksmakeittoBenapolewhile

100-150trucksfromBangladeshenter Petrapole to unload theircargo. All that stopped threeweeksago.Throughthis landport, India

exports cotton fabrics, vehiclechassis, non-alloy steel, yarn,ironandsteelproducts,syntheticfibres,two-wheelers, juteseeds,machineryparts, booksandpa-per,cerealsandotherfoodprod-ucts.AndfromBangladeshcomeconsignments of jute, ready-made garments, betel nut, ricebranandotherproducts.Trade volume via Petrapole,

accordingtostatisticsoftheLandPorts Authority of India,

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PAGE1ANCHOR

TruckswaitatSatberia inBongaonnearPetrapole. ParthaPaul

InDharavi, aMumbaiFireBrigademachinespraysasanitisermistafter COVID-19caseswere foundSunday. PrashantNadkar

POSITIVECASESSTILLRISING,BIGGESTSINGLE-DAYSPIKEOF918WITH31DEATHS

On free tests, Centre assures pvtlabs: Will take up the matter in SCABANTIKAGHOSHNEWDELHI, APRIL 12

DAYSAFTERtheSupremeCourtordered private laboratories toprovideCOVID-19testingfreeofcost, theCentre has assured thelabs that itwill takeupthemat-terintheapexcourtinawaythatprotectsallinterests,sourcestoldThe IndianExpress.Followingtheorderlastweek,

private labscalleduponthegov-ernment to “come up withmodalities” so that their service“remains sustainable”. Sourcessaidthegovernment“recognisestheneedforliquiditytokeeppri-vate laboratories afloat” and is“not in favour of a universal free

testingrule”forCOVID-19.The Centre had earlier fixed

a price cap of Rs 4,500 on eachtest for the 65 private labs in 12states thatwereapproved.When contacted by The

IndianExpress,DrArvindLal,themanaging director of Dr LalPathlabswho has been holdingtalks with the government on

behalf of the private labs, said“thegovernmenthastoldusthatthey areworking on it and theywill go tocourton this”.“They(thegovernment)have

beengiven15daystoreply, Iun-derstand theywill reply soonerrather than later. They told us,‘You should notworry.Wewillrepresent our interest in court’.They said that currently our in-terest and their interest is thesameandthistimeweareonthesameside.Theywillrepresentus,too.We are currently doing thetestsforfree.Whenwerunoutofmoney,wewill stop,”hesaid.DrNaveenDang,director,Dr

Dang’sLab,said:“It(freetesting)is indeed an unsustainable

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Stopped at barricade,men chop off cop’s hand

EXPRESSNEWSSERVICECHANDIGARH,APRIL 12

PUNJAB POLICE have arrestedeight men belonging to theNihangsectforattackingpolice-men deployed at a lockdownbarricade in Patiala and chop-pingoff thehandofanAssistantSub-Inspector.Two other policemenwere

injured intheattackafterpolicestoppedthevehicleinwhichthegroupwastravellingnearaveg-etablemarket inSanaur.Policesaidtheeightmenfled

after the attack and took refugeinagurdwaranearby.Theywerearrested after exchanging firewith a police team, which sur-rounded the gurdwara. OneNihangwas injured in the firing

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In March, people hoarded cash, withdrewfour times more than monthly averageSANDEEPSINGH&GEORGEMATHEWNEWDELHI,MUMBAI, APRIL 12

AS INDIA imposed a lockdownto fight COVID-19, peoplewith-drew almost four times morecash from bank branches andATMs than they did on an aver-age every month in financial

year2019-20.Currencywithpublicjumped

byRs86,000croretoanall-timehigh of Rs 23,41,851 crore inMarch 2020.While it increasedby Rs 52,541 crore in the fort-night-endedMarch13justaheadofthecommencementofrestric-tionsby individual states, it rosebyRs33,539croremoreoverthenext fortnight tillMarch27.

Data from the Reserve Bankof India shows that the averagemonthly increase in currencywith public stood at Rs 23,895crore. During 2019-20, the cur-rencywith public increased 14per cent or Rs Rs 2,86,741 croretoRs23,41,851crore.According to the RBI, cur-

rencywith the public is arrivedCONTINUEDONPAGE2

In Mussoorieacademy, IASofficers gettraining intackling virusAVISHEKGDASTIDARNEWDELHI, APRIL 12

THENEWbatch of 180 IAS offi-cers,who are nowpreparing fordeploymentinthedistrictsforthefirst time, arebeingprovided in-depth training in enforcing theEpidemicDiseasesAct,1897,andthe DisasterManagement Act,2005,alongwithbestpracticesinpolicy intervention in the coun-try’s efforts tomanage the out-breakoftheCOVID-19pandemic.The Lal Bahadur Shastri

National Academy ofAdministration (LBSNAA) inMussoorie, where the elite civilservants are trained, began on-line classes this week to finishthe curriculum before the offi-cers,of the2019batchoftheIAS,are posted to their first jobs in acouple of months. Like the restofthecountry,theLBSNAAtoo,isin lockdown.The youngofficerswill be in

charge of the smallest adminis-trative blocks on the ground,where mitigation measuresmightstillbeinplacebythetimetheytakeuptheirposts,govern-mentofficials said.“Even if the lockdown is

lifted,a lotof restrictionswillbein place. In that context, how toimplementtheEpidemicAct,theDisasterManagement Act, andother government directives sothat preventive actions are en-forced, will be important.Normally we would not havegone into an in-depth study ofthese Acts and aspects. But thisyear is different,” a top govern-ment official told The IndianExpress.Thedetailedtermpaperthat

theyoungofficersareusuallyre-quired to do from the field, willbe done from the campus thisyear. A scheduled examination

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AMITABHSINHA&KARISHMAMEHROTRAPUNE,NEWDELHI, APRIL 12

JUSTASIndiapreparestoextendits 21-day lockdown period bytwomoreweeks,thefirstindica-tions have emerged that thismeasurecouldindeedbehelpingin slowing down the spread ofCOVID-19diseaseinthecountry.Scientists have observed a

slight, but “noticeable”, flatten-ingof thegrowthcurve startingApril6,anindicationthatthere-duced contact between peopleasaresultof thelockdowncouldbeshowing itsdesiredeffect.If the trend continues, it

could result in a significantlylower number of infections inthe coming days, an analysis ofdisease data by SoumyaEaswaran and Sitabhra Sinha atChennai’s Institute ofMathematical Sciences shows.

SinhatoldTheIndianExpresshisprojections show that by April20, less than 20,000 peoplewouldbeinfectedbythedisease.In the absence of any impact ofthe lockdown, this numbercouldhavebeenaround35,000.Indiahadcloseto8,400pos-

itivecasesonApril11,almostex-actly double of what it was onApril 5.Sinha said as a result of this

slowdownin thespread, the re-production number for the dis-ease between April 6 and April11was significantly lower thanthat for the entire period of theoutbreakinIndia,startingMarch4. Reproduction number referstotheaveragenumberofpeoplewhoget infectedby analready-infectedperson.According to calculations by

Sinha’steam,everyinfectedper-son is estimated to have passedon the disease to another

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SHAJUPHILIPTHIRUVANANTHAPURAM,APRIL 12

KERALASAWjusttwonewposi-tivecasesofthenovelcoronavirusinfection on Sunday, continuingto buck the trend of rapidly in-creasingnumbersofcasesinsev-eral states. On six of the last 10daysbeginningApril3, thestate,which has several identifiedhotspotsof thedisease,has seenonly single-digit increases in thenumbersofdailynewcases.The recovery rateof positive

cases too, has been higher inKeralacompared toother statesand the national average. Arecord number of 36 patientswere cured/discharged onSunday,takingthenumberofre-coveries to179,which is almost48percentof thetotal375casessince the beginning of the out-break,accordingtostategovern-mentdata.All-Indianumberspostedby

the Ministry of Health andFamilyWelfare (which lag be-hind the numbers provided bystate governments by sometime) on Sunday evening

showed 8,447 cases and 765cured/discharged,amuchlowerrecoveryrateofabout9percent.Maharashtra hadmore re-

covered cases than Kerala (208as opposed to 142, according toUnionHealthMinistrydata),butat 1,761, it has also had almostfive times as many cases asKerala.AsofSundayevening,ac-cording to central governmentdata,Keralaaccountedformore

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HARISHDAMODARAN&PARTHASARATHIBISWASNEWDELHI, PUNE,APRIL 12

INEARLYNovember,thedistrictadministration of Chandauli ineastern Uttar Pradesh bannedharvester combines, citing astate government order to pre-ventburningof“parali”(leftoverstraw) from the paddy cut bythesemachines. Panic-strickenfarmersapproached thedistrictmagistrate, who relented afterobtaininganassurancethattheywould not burn any standingstubble later.But the permission came

late:Harvestingcouldstartonlybyearly-December, \againstthenormal period from mid-November.Andwithheavyrainson December 11-13, the cropsufferedextensivedamage.Now, asChandauli’s farmers

harvest wheat amid the lock-down, “parali” andair pollution

is hardly a priority. “Harvestingwon’t be a problem.Mydistrictalone has over 100 combines,with an equal number comingfrom outside. We have some2,30,000 acres under wheat,nearly three-fourthsofwhich iscombine-harvestedandtherestmanuallyusingsickles.Eachma-chinecando35-40acresover18hours daily,” says Ajay KumarSingh,a42-year-oldfarmerfromEmiliyavillage inChandauli.

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ABANTIKAGHOSHNEWDELHI, APRIL 12

EVENAS several states have al-ready announced extension ofrestrictionsfortwomoreweeks,theCentreis learnttobelookingat a lockdownmodelwhich al-lows thestates todecide if thereisroomforrelaxationinsomear-eas. However,with 354districts—almosthalfthetotaldistricts—reporting novel coronavirus(COVID-19) cases, the task ofidentifying the “very safe” areaswillbedifficult.Also, the number of cases is

still rising. Inthehighestsingle-day spike so far, 918 cases and31 deaths were reported onSunday.Thetotalhasnowgoneup to 8,447 cases, of which 273died and764 recovered.At PrimeMinister Narendra

Modi’s video conference withchiefministersonSaturday,sev-eralstateshadfavouredagradedapproach, pushing for resump-tionofsomeeconomicactivitiesin regions with no COVID-19cases.SomelikeBhupeshBaghel(Chhattisgarh), PinarayiVijayan(Kerala) and YSR JaganMohanReddy(AndhraPradesh)soughtthefreedomandauthoritytode-cideandalloweconomicactivi-ties, be it farmingor industry.“After the three-week lock-

down is over (on April 14), it isclear that somethingswillhavetobedone.Productionwillhavetoopenenoughtomaintainsup-plyof essential goods. Therearealsothoughtsonallowingrelax-ationsinthe‘verysafe’areas.Butif that is done, theonusof iden-tifying those areaswill bewiththe states, because they are theones doing the containment onthe ground and they know

which are those areas. Also, thenumbersandspreadarechang-ing every day;more than a top-downeffort is required(so) thatthestatesaregivenmoreroom,”saida topgovernmentsource.There is a sense in the gov-

ernmentthatgivingstatesmoreroommaynotactuallymakeanymajor difference on the groundas no state, at this point, can af-fordtooptfora“thoughtless”re-laxation and then bear the bur-denof a spike incases.Anotheroptionbeingconsid-

ered is relaxing restrictions forharvestingworkandmovementofgoods,asdemandedbymanystates. The HomeMinistry hasalready issued directions to al-low goodsmovement, regard-lessofwhethertheyarecoveredin theessential listornot.“Any substantive change in

terms of allowing people tomove around does not seem tobeagoodideaatthistime.Itwillhave to wait till the end of themonth,” saidanother source.Thefocusisnowonramping

up testing capacity.CONTINUEDONPAGE2

Cases inover350distscomplicateexit

BUSINESS AS USUAL

BYUNNY

CORONACOUNT

8447CASES

273DEATHS

765RECOVERED

1,79,374sampleshavebeentestedasonApril11

Harvesting inprogress inChandauli,UP. Express

From UP to Maharashtra,farmers say problem notin the field but in market

TESTREP RTSFROMTHE

FIELDTRACKINGTHEVIRUS,

LOCKDOWN

Three weeks and counting: Stranded and hungry at shut gatewayAn estimated 2100 trucks, their drivers and helpers are stuck atPetrapole on the India-Bangladesh border

DAILYNEWCASESDate Kerala IndiaApr1 24 357Apr2 21 504Apr3 9 500Apr4 11 713Apr5 8 566Apr6 13 526Apr7 9 554Apr8 9 674Apr9 12 722Apr10 7 756Apr11 10 768Apr12 2 918

New cases increasinglyin single digits, howKerala has bucked thenational corona trend

COVID-19 growthcurve sees slight but‘noticeable’ flattening

5000

10,000

15,000

20,000

25,000

30,000

35,000

40,000

45,000

50,000

Mar1

PROJECTION FOR APRIL 20: 2 SCENARIOS

Num

berofactivecases

Apr46 11 16 21 26 31 10 15 20

Incasetherewasnolockdown

Likely impactofthe lockdown

Shadedzones indicatemaximumandminimumspreads ineachscenario

Trajectorysofar

Centre’s thinking:More flexibility tostates on easinglockdown curbs

MAHARASHTRA:87HATESPEECHCASES,P4

THESECONDPAGE2 WWW.INDIANEXPRESS.COMTHEINDIANEXPRESS,MONDAY,APRIL 13,2020

Private labsmodel but for the last threedays, we have been testing forfree. We have done about ahundredtests...weagreedtoRs4,500, knowing that even thenwe would take some losses.Theactual costsarecloser toRs5,000, but we agreed in na-tional interest. But we cannottake this below-the-belt hit(free testing).Nobodycankeepspending from their ownpocket. Let’shopeweget somerelief.”Currently, 151 laboratories

in the ICMR systemare testingfor COVID-19. And the testingoutput of private labs has notpicked up as yet. For instance,official figures show, of the16,564samples testedonApril10-11, 14,210 were scanned ingovernment facilities.

IAS officerscould not be held two weeksago because of the lockdown,so assignments are giventhrough the classes now,trainee officers said.Sanjeev Chopra, director of

LBSNAA,said:“Wehavestartedonline classes from yesterday.From the 15th, we will beteaching them the EpidemicAct and the DisasterManagement Act. We haverampedup the syllabus.”The Epidemic Diseases Act

and the DisasterManagementAct are the principal instru-ments with which the statesand the Centre are designingthe various outbreak-mitiga-tion measures, including thelockdown.The young officers are col-

lating best practices of policyintervention across states forstudy. “Everydistricthasoneortwo nodal officers. They aresending their best practices,whichwearestudying. (Wearestudying) Things like theTelangana government tyingup with the Indian SpaceResearch Organisation (ISRO)for delivery of services, etc,” atraineeofficerof theTelanganacadre said.“In public administration

we have questions like, whatwillwedo ifwearegoing toanaspirational districtwhich hasissues with health infrastruc-ture;howwillwefocusoneachindicator,”aMaharashtracadretrainee said.The new officers have also

joined the Corona Network, anationwide platform for serv-ing civil servants to connectandexchangenotesonthesub-ject.At the locked-down acad-

emy, the library is open for acouple of hours on alternatedays, andsome200shortlistedbooksare issuedtotheofficers.Locked in their hostels, theyoungofficers have started in-ternal communication plat-forms where they have paneldiscussions, music, and reachout to anyone who might befeeling lonely.

Corona trendthan18percentof the total re-coveries in the country, whilecontributing to a little morethan 4 per cent of the totalnumber of cases.Until March 26, Kerala had

the largest number of positivecases in India, following byMaharashtra. In the days sincethen, the theatre of COVID-19hasshiftedtootherstates.New

hotspots with a sudden spurtin cases have emerged else-where in the country, even astheemergenceof newcases inKerala has progressed slowly.Kerala Health Department

officials said thegrowthtrajec-toryofCOVID-19hashitaslopefor over aweek now.“Thepeakperiodwas in the

last 10 days of March, markedbycases of personswith travelhistory. They returned fromabroad in large numbers fromhotspots of the infectionabroad.Now,mainly their con-tacts are showing up as posi-tive. These contacts aremostlyclose family members of thepersonswithtravelhistory,”anofficial said.According to this official,

there is no indication of com-munityspreadof thediseaseatthe places identified ashotspots. “The infection inKeralahasbeenso farconfinedto persons with travel historyandtheircontacts,underhomequarantine. As the general in-cubation period of those re-turned from abroad is almostover, now the focus is on theirprimary contacts. The testingof samples fromall contacts inthe high-risk category are ex-pected to be completed in aweek. However, we haven’tloweredthevigil andarework-ing with the realisation thatthere isachanceof communityspread or spike in cases at anytime,’’ the official said.Of the 375 cases reported

since January 30, as many as233haveahistoryof travel, ac-cording to state governmentdata. Seven foreign touriststestedpositive inKerala,and19positivecasesare thoseof indi-viduals who attended theTablighi Jamaat congregationin New Delhi’s Nizamuddinarea in the middle of March.The remaining are locally in-fected cases or primary con-tacts.Only two people have died

from the disease in Kerala sofar. A third death that tookplace in a Kannur hospital onSaturday is of a 71-year-oldmanfromtheenclaveofMahe,which, though geographicallylocated in Kerala, is part of theUnionTerritoryof Puducherry.Saturday’svictimhadnotravelhistory.In Thiruvananthapuram

district, where a 68-year-olddied on March 31, authoritieshad fearedcommunityspread.But even though the source ofhis infection has not be tracedso far,no freshcaseshavebeenreported in the places wherehehadsocialised.Thepatient’ssuspected sources of contacttoo, have tested negative.Data from the districts of

Kasaragod and Kannur, whichtogether account for 63 percent of cases in Kerala as ofSundayevening, areencourag-ing. In Kannur, out of 71 cases,36 have been discharged. InKasaragod, these numbers are166 and 61, respectively. Thatmeans, 41 per cent of positivecases from these districts to-gether have been cured.In both these districts, the

cases were clustered in a fewlocations,whichmadecontain-ment more effective. Around90percentof thepositivecasesin these two districts had re-turned from Dubai, mainlyfrom the COVID-19 hotspot ofNaif. Locally transmitted casesare family members of thesearrivals fromabroad.In Kasaragod district, 20

contactsof apositivecasewithtravel history have been in-fected. InKannurdistrict, eightmembersof a familyhavebeeninfected the same manner.Severalvillagesandurbancen-tres in thesedistrictshavebeenvirtually sealed and lockdownsteps have been increased,completely blocking peoplefrom moving out of theirhomes.In other 11 districts in

Kerala, COVID-19 cases camedowntoeitherzeroor insingledigit as on Sunday.AlkeshKumarSharma, spe-

cial officer for COVID-19 con-trol in Kasaragod, tweeted onFriday, “Kasaragod is showingresults due to effective lock-down, efficient public healthand medical teams, clustercontainment and smart isola-tionandquarantinestrategies...and aproactivepublic supportto defeat Covid.”On the encouraging num-

ber of recoveries, an officialsaid:“A lotof factorscontributeto the fast recoveryof aCOVID-19 patient. The age of the pa-tient, severity of symptoms,and the virus load are criticalelements.All over the country,the treatment protocol sug-gestedby the IndianCouncil ofMedicalResearch(ICMR) is fol-lowed diligently. We have tostudy the fast recovery sce-nario in Kerala.”Asper thestatedata,82per

cent of the positive cases fallwithin the age bracket of 20-60, and a majority of the pa-tients are in the working agecategory.HealthDepartmentsources

saidmostpositivecases turnednegativewithin threeweeksofdiagnosis.However, oneof thethreepositivecaseswith travelhistory from Wuhan tooknearlyamonthtobecomeneg-ative, despite the mild symp-toms and young age.A member of the state ex-

pert committee on COVID-19cautioned that thedangerwasnot over for Kerala yet.“The post-lockdown sce-

nariowouldbedecisive for the

trajectoryof thedisease.Scoresof expatriatesarewaiting to flyback toKerala from theUnitedStates and the Middle East.Besides, the growing numberof cases in other cases, partic-ularly in Tamil Nadu, is also amatter of concern consideringthe mobility through the bor-ders of the states,’’ he said.Centralgovernmentdataon

Sunday evening showed 969cases in TamilNadu - themostafter Maharashtra and Delhi -and 10deaths.

Hand choppedand has been shifted to hospi-tal, police said.Police said the attack fol-

lowed an argument betweentheNihangsandofficialsat thebarricade. “Theywereasked toshow curfew passes. But theycrashedthevehicleagainst thegate and barricades put upthere,” SSP Patiala MandeepSingh Sidhu said.“An ASI’s hand was

chopped off by a sword. AStation House Officer of SadarPatiala sustained an injury onhis elbow and another officialsufferedan injuryonhisarminthe attack,” Sidhu said.The ASI, identified as

Harjeet Singh,was rushed to aprivatehospital fromwherehewas referred to PGIMER inChandigarh.

Cash hoardingat by deducting cash withbanks from the total currencyin circulation. Currency in cir-culation refers to cash physi-cally used for transactions be-tween consumers andbusinesses. In simple words,currency with public is thequantum of cash individualshold.Economists said the only

plausible reason for this jumpcouldbethatpeoplestartedac-cumulating cash ahead of thelockdown as the Central gov-ernment and states imposedtravel restrictions, closed cin-ema halls and shoppingmalls,

andaggressivelypushedsocialdistancing norms.“In such a scenario, there is

a tendency to keep cash, evenif one does not keep it nor-mally. This is also because insuch a scenario, as organisedretail has suffered, the neigh-bourhood grocery store is themost reliable,” said DK Pant,Chief Economist, IndiaRatings.Banking experts said this

also indicated that more ofcashwas being used for trans-actions,whichexplainshighercash withdrawals to supportthe same level of currency de-mand. A “bullwhip effect” toocouldhave led toa surge inde-mand for currency, they said.Such an effect on the supplychain occurs when changes inconsumer demand promptscompanies to order moregoods tomeet newdemand.The RBI has been pushing

for digital payments in the lasttwo weeks with GovernorShaktikantaDashimself takingto twitter and TV channels topushthe“PayDigital, StaySafe”campaign.Bankshave,meanwhile, re-

portedthatbranchesandATMsareworking normally. “All thecustomers will get the mini-mum services which are re-quired.Thismeans theywillbeable to operate their accounts,deposit cash, receive cash,make transfers,” said the CEOof a nationalised bank.After currency notes of de-

nomination Rs 500 and Rs1,000 were withdrawn inNovember2016, thecashincir-culationhadfallentoaroundRs9 lakh crore in January 2017.Since then, cash in the systemrose steadily.

FarmersSinghhasplantedwheaton

40 acres and summer moong(green gram) on 12 acres,which will be harvested fromMay, but his worry isn’t overharvesting. The authoritieshave issuedpasses for thecom-bines and their operators —typically one foreman, twodrivers and two helpers. “The

grainwill get cut, butwedon’tknow how it would be mar-keted. Wheat procurement isusually from around April 10.This time, itmay not be beforeMay,” he says.Echoing the concern is Rao

Gulab Singh Lodhi fromNanhegaon village in MadhyaPradesh’sNarsinghpurdistrict.He began harvesting his 36acresofwheat lastWednesday,after having finished withchana (chickpea) and masur(red lentil) on 8 acres each inearlyMarch.“My chana and masur is

harvested, cleanedandgradedfor quality. But I cannot sell, asthe APMC (agricultural pro-duce market committee)mandiatKarakbel isclosedandthere’s nobody to buy,” saysLodhi. While procurement inMP is slated to start fromApril15 — a delay of over 15 days —he isn’t sure if thatwouldhelp.“The government has de-

clared that itwill not purchasemore than13quintals per acreof wheat fromany farmer, and5 quintals each of chana andmasur. My own average per-acre yield is 20 quintals inwheat, 12 quintals in masurand10quintals inchana.Whatdo I do with the remainingcrop? They wants us to in-creaseproductivity,butareun-willing to procure our extragrain,” says Lodhi.The story isn’t different in

onions, where around 30labourers are required to har-vestoneacre inasingleday.ForSantoshGorade, a farmer fromTakli Vinchur village inMaharashtra’s Nashik district,that isn’t an issue. “There areenoughlabourers inmyvillage.Although the ones in nearbyvillages may not be able tocome due to the lockdown, Icanstaggermyharvesting,”hesays.Gorade plans to harvest his

rabionionontwooutof his to-tal 6-acre holding after April20. Eknath Sanap, fromNaigaon village in Nashik’sSinnar taluka, harvested 200quintals from 1.5 out of his 3

acres lastweek.Hedidnot findit difficult to get labour, whichis largely local.For both farmers, the pri-

mary concern is marketing.Rabi onions are amenable tostorage in ‘kanda chawls’.Farmers generally keep thecrop harvested inMarch-Aprilin these on-field raised plat-form structures — to preventmoisture ingress thatcausethebulbs to sprout — and sell intranches till September-October. “Yes, I cantake it to themarket later. But what if afterlockdown,everybodyrushestosell and thepricescrash?”asksSanap.Currently, the APMCman-

dis of Lasalgaon andPimpalgaoninNashikare func-tioning with skeletal staff.Unlike in farms, the labourersat these two big wholesaleonion markets — those whounload, clean, bag and reloadproduce—aremostly fromUPandBihar,whohavegonebackdue to the lockdown.Availability of labour for

farmworkdoesn’t seemacon-straint insugarcane.Accordingto Jitender Singh Hooda, an 8-acre farmer fromKheri Bairagivillage of western UP’s Shamlidistrict and tehsil, a skilledlabourer can harvest, bundleand load12-14quintalsof canedaily, for which he charges Rs45/quintal. Four of them can,thus, deliver a full tractor trol-ley-load of 55-56 quintals forjust over Rs 2,500.Thesame job—of onlyhar-

vesting and bundling 12-14quintals— can also be done bythree unskilled labourers. At adaily wage rate of Rs 350, itworks out to Rs 4,200 for 56quintals, plus another Rs 800for loading on to the farmer’strolley. “There’s no dearth oflabournow,especially thepeo-plewhohave lost their jobs af-ter lockdown.But theyhave lit-tle experience in canecultivation,” saysHooda.Hooda’sworkforce includes

Rakesh, a ladies tailor; Vinod,an electrician; Manoj, a con-struction labourer;andKrishanPal, a mender of old jute bags— all previously working inShamli, Karnal and nearbytowns. Technically more“skilled” than farmhands, theyarenowbeingengagedforsug-arcaneplantingaswell.Hoodaestimates the cost of plantingone acre using skilledworkersat Rs 4,200. The samewith thenew less productive personscomes toRs6,000orso, “butatleastmywork gets done”.Thatharvesting labour isn’t

amajor issue is also borne outby sugar mills in UP crushing932.08 lakh tonnes (lt) of caneduring the current 2019-20season till Friday. Over 100 ltout of this has been after thelockdown from March 25.“Nearly 85 per cent of the sea-son’s projected crushing of1,100 lt is over. Mills will con-tinue to crush beyond May-end,” says UP’s cane commis-sioner Sanjay Bhoosreddy.For cane growers, themain

problem again is gettingmoney. They have so far sup-pliedcaneworthmore thanRs29,800 crore at theUPgovern-ment’s advised price, but re-ceived only Rs 15,581 crore.Millsareunable topay,as thereis little offtake of sugar by in-dustrialbuyersorof ethanolbyoil companies for blendingwith petrol.

StrandedwasRs21,380crore in2018-19.In thenext financial year, up toJune2019-20, thatvolumewasworth Rs 4859.18 crore. In2018-19, as many as 163,555vehicles crossed the land portand the passenger count was23,54,962.As soon as the lockdown

was announced, all drivers al-ready at Benapolewere told to

leave the trucks and return tothe Indianside. Itwas thesamewithBangladeshidrivers. Theytoo returned, leaving their ve-hicles. There are 100 loadedIndian trucksacross theborderwhile 30 Bangladeshi trucksare at Petrapole.AjaySahai,DirectorGeneral

and CEO, Federation of IndianExportOrganisations, told TheIndian Express over phone:“Westandwith thenationandthe central and state govern-ments at this time, fightingCOVID-19. However, we havewritten to Chairman of LandPorts Authority and otheragencies in India.Asperordersandnotificationsof thegovern-ment, ports — land, sea, air —and related activities andmovement of cargo trucks toand from ports have been cat-egorized under essential serv-ices. But in Petrapole, there isno movement. Already therearedelays and cancellations oforders. The little orders wehave, thesehavetobeexecutedand all agencies should pitchin.”Fromhishome inBongaon,

KartickChakraborty, secretaryof Petrapole Clearing AgentsStaffs’ Welfare Association,said: “There were meetingsheldwith all stake holders, in-cluding Customs, BSF,Immigration,warehousing,ex-porters, labourunions, clearingagentsandothers. Immigrationbanned movement on foot toBangladesh side.Second,driversand labour-

ersarescared that if theycomein close contact with peopleacross the border, there arechancesof COVID-19 infection.If a driver enters Bangladesh,he will be quarantined for 14days.Whenhereturns to India,he will again be quarantinedfor 14 days. All this has led tothe logjam. There should be aproper medical team at theport. Nothing ismoving here.”The association has also writ-ten to the West Bengal ChiefSecretary, seeking a medicalunit for the land port.Pradip Kumar Dey, an ex-

porter in Bongaon, said: “Theentire business chain will behurt since the trucks arestranded. For instance,wedealin jute seeds. Thereareover50trucks with more than 1,000tonnes of jute seeds stuck onthe Indian side. Bangladeshfarmers just havea little over aweek to sowthem. If the seedsdonot reach in time, juteculti-vation in Bangladesh will behit.Bangladeshsupplies jute tomills in India, andthesewill behit. Lakhs of jute mill workerswill be affected. All agenciesshould allow us to export andend the logjam.”At No. 44 bus stand in

Bongaon, near the CITU office,a group has gathered. “Truckowners are not paying salariestodriversandhelpers.Theysayno payments unless goods aredelivered.Wearetryingtopro-viderationtothedrivers.So far,wehavebeenable tohelpover200 drivers, but there are somany,”AnandaBiswas,a leaderof the Janpath ParibahanMazdoorUnion, said.Local Trinamool Congress

leaders have a different takethough. They are against anymovement of truckswhile thelockdown is on.Gopal Seth, former TMC

MLA and mentor of North 24Zilla Parishad, said: “I told theDistrict Magistrate andSuperintendentof Police thatalockdown is in place and ourTrinamool Congress govern-ment is doing everything tofightCOVID-19.Therehasbeenno infectioncase inBongaon. Ifthey try tomovetrucks,peopleof Bongaon will protest andthere may be a law-and-orderproblem. We will not allowanything to move until thestate government ends thelockdown.”

FROMPAGEONE

Centre’s thinking: More flexiblityto states on easing curbs

Curve sees slight, but ‘noticeable’ flattening

Joint Secretary, HealthMinistry, Lav Agarwal said 14medical institutes have beenidentified to serveasmentorsofmedicalcolleges intheiral-lotted areas and facilitate theestablishment of COVID-19testing facilities.“Till 2.30 pm today,

1,86,906samplesweretested,ofwhich4.3%havebeenposi-tive; inthelast fivedaysanav-erage of over 15,747 sampleshave been tested,” Dr Manoj

Muhurekar,epidemiologistatthe Indian Council of MedicalResearch (ICMR), said.Tracing the trajectory of

theoutbreakinIndia,Agarwalsaid that at every point,morebeds were available than re-quired.According to the Health

Ministry, as onApril 12,whilethe requirement of beds for8,356 cases is estimated to be1,671(20%of confirmedcaseswith moderate and severe/

critical clinical symptoms),there are 1,05,980 beds avail-able in 601 dedicated COVID-19 hospitals across the coun-try. The number of isolationbeds is being further aug-mented, theministry said inastatement.Thecurrentavailability in-

cludes 242 beds at AIIMS-Delhi (including 50 ICU beds,30-40 in high dependencyunit and 70 ventilators) and400isolationbedsand100ICU

beds at Safdarjang Hospital,Delhi.Dedicated hospitals for

COVID-19 patients have beenincreasingly set up across thecountry. Besides governmenthospitals, these include pri-vatehospitals,militaryhospi-tals, IndianRailwayshospitalsand PSU hospitals. TheOrdnance Factory Board hasmanufactured specialisedtents to augmentmedical in-frastructure in remoteareas.

1.83 persons on an averagesince the outbreak began.However, between April 6and April 11, this number isestimated to be only 1.55.“It is still too early to say

this for sure, but it is possiblethat this reduction in thegrowth rate of the disease isthe result of the lockdown,”Sinha said.The estimated slowdown

could come as a justificationfor thegovernment toextendthe lockdown in a bid to fur-ther reduce thegrowthof thespread. The slowdown doesnot mean the beginning oftheendof thedisease in India.It does not even mean thatthenumberof people testingpositive for the virus would

begin to fall immediately. Allthat the slowdown implies isthe rate at which the viruswas spreading would slowdown.Besides the reproduction

number, there is another in-dicator that seems to bepointing in the same direc-tion. The positivity rate — ortheproportionofpeople test-ing positive against the totalnumber of tests being con-ducted—has remainedmoreor less static despite an in-crease in thenumberof tests.Since April 3, which had

seenanabnormalspike inthepositivity rate possibly as afallout of the Tablighi Jamaatevent, this number has con-tinued to hover around 4 per

cent, meaning two in every50 tests is positive.“Positivity rate can give

you a sense of how wide-spread the disease is, assum-ing thatasubstantialnumberof people are being tested.We’ve now reached roughly16,000to17,000testsperday,which is pretty good. But weneedtoseewhere it stabiliseson an average. If we are test-ing more and the positivityrate remains the same, it’s aclue that the infection iswhere it was, and is not ex-pandingperse. If yousee thatit suddenly goes up, that’ssomethingthatcouldbewor-risome,” said TarunBhatnagar, a scientistat ICMRand National Institute of

Epidemiology, Chennai.On April 9, ICMR had said

that thepositivity rate in test-ing over the last one to twomonthshadnotchangedsub-stantially, between3percentand 5 per cent. An examina-tion fromMarch18toApril11of the positivity rate - or theproportion of positive casestothenumberof tests-showsthat the ratehas fluctuated inthe range 1.1 per cent to 4.1per cent.April 3 was an exception

when the rate was 4.68 percent. Thatday, as reportedbyThe Indian Express, theTablighi Jamaatcongregationin Delhi accounted for one-fifthof theCOVID-19positivecases nationwide.

WWW.INDIANEXPRESS.COM

HowtheBhilwaramodelof containmentworksNEWEPISODEEVERYDAY

Todayonthe3Thingspodcast,we lookathowBhilwaramanagedtocurbthespreadof thevirusandthechallenges it facedalongtheway

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DOORSTEPDELIVERYOF ESSENTIALSWithanextensionof the lockdownby twoweeks, theBruhatBengaluruMahanagaraPalike onSundaylaunchedadedicatedhelplinenumber to ensure essentials aredeliveredat thedoorsteps to theresidents.

VIDEOOF THEDAY EXPLAINED

SRISRIRAVISHANKARIn conversationwithAnantGoenka,ExecutiveDirector,IndianExpressGroup

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CLARIFICATIONS & CORRECTIONS

ON11.04.20

RESPONDING TO the report ‘ICMR asks 13 institutions to help in-crease corona testing’, Maj Gen Vibha Dutta, Director and CEO, AI-IMSNagpur,haswrittentosayitisAIIMSNagpur,andnotAIIMSPuneasmentioned in the report, which is one of the 13mentor institu-tionsdesignatedby the ICMR. Theerror is regretted.

3THEINDIANEXPRESS,MONDAY,APRIL 13,2020

THEOUTBREAK Nation


ANANDMOHANJNEWDELHI,APRIL12

THERE’SNO tombstone and nocustomarynamaz.His soncan-nottouchthesandwherehisfa-ther—a62-year-oldfromSadarBazar who died of coronavirus— is buried. The scene playedout on Friday at the JadidQabristan near Delhi Gate,whichhasbeensetasidetoburycoronavirusvictims.The62-year-old’sfamilywas

turned away from two grave-yardsbeforetheyfoundthisone.Evenhere,gravediggersrefusedto dig or stand near the body.Healthcare workers from RamManohar Lohia Hospital, whocame equippedwith personalprotective equipment (PPE),keptwatch fromadistance.Eventually, his family spent

Rs 1,500 each on two PPE kits,and conducted the last rites. Astheman’sbodywasthrownintothe 15-feet deep grave -- therewere no ropes to lower it — his

sonbrokedown.Attheend, thefamilymembers took off theirPPEsanddumpedthoseintothegrave, to be buried alongwiththeman.“Nobody gave us support.

WespenthoursroamingaroundMangolpuriandBaraHinduRaoareas,visitinglocalgraveyards,”his sonsaid.

The DelhiWaqf Board haddesignatedagraveyardforcoron-avirusvictimsatMillenniumParkbutsincebulldozerscouldnoten-ter due to a narrow entrance,burials are being conducted atJadidQabristan,whosecaretakermanagesbothgraveyards.The bodies of four Tablighi

Jamaat members, however,

were refused even here. Thefamily members were told toheadtoagraveyardinDwarka’sSector14.A seniorWaqf Boardofficial

said,“Nobodycanrefusetoburythedeadinthisgraveyard,evenif theybelongtoTabhligiJamaat.If gravediggers arenothelping,it is their prerogative as this is

voluntarywork. A bulldozer isused todig thegraves.”Sitting outside his house

nestled between graves, care-takerMaskoorAlam(70)saidheisleftwithsevenworkersassev-eral fled when the first coron-avirus burial took place. So far,sevenwho died from the virushavebeenburiedhere.“Thereisnoquestionofhelpingthefam-ilies bury them;we don't wantto get the virus. No bodies ofTablighi Jamaatmembers willbe allowed; they come in largenumbersandmaycreateaprob-lemforus,” saidAlam.Alam said they were not

given PPE kits, only a standardmask, gloves, a bottle of handsanitiser and soap to carry outtheburials.Asperguidelinesis-sued by AIIMS, it ismandatoryfor those handling bodies ofCOVID-19 victims towear PPEkits,andnottoremovethebodyfrom the body bag or carry outembalming.Theguidelinesalsoadvisecremation.“Wedon’teventouchhospi-

taldocuments.What if theyarenot sanitised?” said graveyardsupervisor MohammadShahmeem.Thegraveyardislocatedona

50-acre plot and the dead areburied in small niches at theback. The gate to this area islocked, and opened onlywhenhospital authorities informthemof aburial.Itusually takes twohours to

manuallydigagravebutabull-dozerdoesitin20minutes.SherSingh,themachine’sdriver,saidhe is scared of getting out: “Ihave dug some graves in thepast.This is thefirst timeIdugagrave foraCOVID-19victim.”Contractors who lease the

bulldozer chargeRs6,000 fromeach family. An additional Rs2,000 is taken by QabristanCommitteemembers as burialcharges. MohdHafeez, a com-mitteemember, said “We havedecided to waive the Rs 2,000fee, itwill bebornebythecom-mittee.Wewillhelpbury thesepeople.”

AtthegraveyardatDelhiGateonSaturday.AmitMehra

Graveyards turn families away, burying the dead a challengeNO DIGNITY IN DEATH

MOHAMEDTHAVERMUMBAI, APRIL 12

FOR TWO days in a row, ProfLaxmanKamblehasbeenforcedto wait outside the MumbaiPoliceheadquarterstogetanes-sentialservicespasstomovehisfather toKolhapur.His father, who has to un-

dergodialysis, isfacingdifficultyusingthecommontoilet, locatednearly 200 metres fromKamble’sresidenceatachawlinGhatkopar (East). “Two peoplehave to carry him to the toilet,”Kamblesaid.TheirKolhapurresidencehas

an attached bathroom thatwillbesaferandmoreconvenientforhisfather,whocametoMumbaitoundergotreatmentforhiskid-neyailment.“Yesterday (April 10), I sub-

mitted an application seekingpermission for six people, in-cluding a driver, whichwas re-jected. Today (April 11), I havecome with an application forfour people,” he said, as hewaited for his turn on the fifthfloorof thenewpolicecommis-sionerofficeonSaturday.Kamble’s case is in stark con-

trast to the easewithwhich theWadhawanbrothers—KapilandDheeraj—managedtogetpolicepermission to move fromKhandala to Mahabaleshwarwithoutevenhavingtoapproachthepolice.Thebrothershavebeenon the runsincebeingnamedasaccused in amulti-crore scam

connectedtoYesBank.Thebrothersreceivedanau-

thority letter from IPS officerAmitabhGupta, who describedthem as “family friends” andgranted them permission totravel with a cavalcade of fivecars carrying23people, includ-ing familymembers and a ret-inue of domestic help. Gupta isnowonforced leave.According to rules, those

whowant to travel within thecity can approach the local po-lice station, while those whowanttomoveacrossthestateorcross state borders in cases ofemergencyhavetoapproachtheoffice of DCP (Operations)PranayaAshok.“Eightoutof 10casesare re-

jected,”Ashoksaid.“Wehavetoscreen every application care-fullyandensurethatonlyessen-tial casesgetpermission.”Another staffer from the de-

partmentsaidinsomecases,evenaftertheMumbaiPoliceprovidestheessentialservicespass,theSPinaparticulardistrictmaynotal-lowentry. “Given that there is ahigh number of cases fromMumbai, other districts, espe-cially thosewith lower numberof cases, aren’t keenonallowingentry to anyone coming fromMumbai...policepermissionisnoguarantee,” the staff memberadded.Accordingtoanestimate,the

MumbaiPoliceheadquartershasreceived anywhere between6,000 and 10,000 applicationsseeking“essential”passes.

Unlike Wadhawans,essential services passfor travel does notcome easy for others

FIRFOR ‘OBJECTIONABLEREMARKS’AGAINSTADITYANATH Another ceasefireviolation at LoC,resident killed

EXPRESSNEWSSERVICENEWDELHI/LUCKNOW,APR12

DAYSAFTERregisteringtwoFIRsagainst the “editor of TheWire”formaking allegedly objection-able remarks against UttarPradesh Chief Minister YogiAdityanath, a team of Ayodhyapolicearrivedatthehomeofthenewswebsite’s founding-editorSiddharth Varadarajan in Delhion Friday and served a notice,askinghimtoappearonApril14.InaseriesoftweetsonFriday,

the day the police team ap-pearedattheirresidencearound2 pm, Varadarajan’s wife,Nandini Sundar, professor ofSociology at theDelhi School ofEconomics, mentioned that hehas been asked to appear inAyodhya evenwhen the “lock-downwill still be in force”.Confirming that local police

personnel had gone to Delhi toserve the notice, askingVaradarajan to appear beforeApril 14 to get his statementrecorded in the case, AyodhyaCircleofficerAmarSinghsaidtheteamwasaccompaniedbyapo-licemanfromDelhi.Asked howVaradarajan can

appearbeforeAyodhyapoliceata timewhen the lockdown is in

place, Station House Officer atAyodhya Police Station SureshPandeysaidonSunday, “I spoketo the editor of TheWire todayandaskedhimtosendhisstate-ment through email. He agreedtosendhisstatementbytomor-row.”Two cases were lodged on

April 1 - at City Kotwali andAyodhyaKotwaliPoliceStation-the former against against un-known editor of TheWire andthe second against one“Siddharth”.SHO Pandey said, “The FIR

lodged at City Kotwali has beenmergedwith the case lodged atAyodhya police station becausebothFIRsarerelatedtothesameincident.”Varadarajan had, in a state-

mentonApril 1, said, “What theFIRsaysIhavestated-thatChiefMinister Adityanath attended apublicreligiouseventinAyodhyaon March 25 after the PrimeMinister had announced a na-tional lockdown - is amatter ofrecord.”He also stated, “UP Police

seems to think its job is to go atthosewho criticise the CM. Theregistrationof anFIR isablatantattack on the freedom of thepress.”FollowingtheFIR,theEditors

Guildof Indiahadsaidinastate-mentonApril2thatthe“FIRun-der criminal lawsat this stage isanoverreactionandanactof in-timidation”. It stated: “Anysuchintimidation of the media orblamingthemedia formassmi-grationofworkerswillbecoun-terproductive. Such actionswillbe tantamount to disabling themessenger.”On Friday, Nandini Sundar

statedinmultipletweets,“WhenitcomestogrossabuseofpolicepowerbytheAdityanathadmin-istrationinUPanditsintoleranceof press freedom, it is clear thatCOVID-19,thelockdownandso-cial distancingmake no differ-ence....at2pmaplainclothes(po-lice)mancametoourhomeandsaidhehadcomefromAyodhya‘prashasan’ to serve notice on@svaradarajan. He would notgivehisname.Itoldhimtoleaveit in themailbox.Herefused.”At 3.20 pm, she posted, this

policeman and “7-8 uniformedmen(atleast2notinmasks)”re-turned in“ablackSUV,nonum-ber plates. Only 2 identifiedthemselves. On insisting, theygaveplainclothesman’snameasChanderbhan Yadav, not desig-nation. Cops said they’d drivenfromAyodhya for this essentialservice!”

Wire editor asked to appear inAyodhya on Apr 14, SHO sayssought statement on email

ARUNSHARMAJAMMU,APRIL 12

AN ARMY man and a doctorwere among 21 people whotested positive in Jammu andKashmir since Saturday night,leading UT health officials toquarantine 75members of themedicalfraternityincludingtwodozen doctors working in gov-ernmentandprivatehospitalsinJammuandKathuadistricts.UT government spokesper-

son Rohit Kansal, who is alsoPrincipal Secretary, Planning,Development andMonitoringDepartment, tweeted, “21 newcasesofCovid-19reportedinJ&Ktoday,17fromKashmirandfourfrom Jammu division”. “Totalnumber of positive cases now245,”headded.Sources said that the four

who tested positive in JammudivisionincludedaservingArmyman who had come home onleave in Samba district lastmonth. Hewas posted in UttarPradesh and had a history oftravelby trainviaDelhi.Awomandoctorandadental

assistant who tested positive

werepostedataprimaryhealthcentreinUdhampurdistrict.Theformer hailed from JammuandthelatterfromTikri,sourcessaid,adding that thedental assistantwasreportedlyincontactwitha61-year-old woman who re-cently died of coronavirus. Thedoctor’s husband, who is also adoctor posted in Kathua, hasbeenquarantined, sources said.She is the fourth doctor inJammudivision to testpositive.The fourth person who

tested positive in Jammu onSundaywasachancedetection,as the 46-year-oldwas alreadyundertreatmentforchronicliverdisease at a private hospital inSidhra area and had no travelhistory. Sources said the hospi-tal administration had called ateamof UTHealth Departmentto take samples of a cancer pa-tient.When the teamcame, thehospital superintendent re-questedthemtotakesamplesofanother patientwhowas beingtreatedforliverdisease.Thefor-mer responded, sources said,addingthatwhilethecancerpa-tient tested negative and diedlater, the other turned out to bepositive.

JAMMUANDKASHMIR

Soldier, doctoramong 21 new cases

ARUNSHARMAJAMMU,APRIL 12

ALOCALresidentofQasbavillagein Pooch district was killed onSundayasPakistankeptupmor-tar shelling and small arms firealong theLineof Control (LoC) inJammuandKashmir.The deceased, identified as

Mohammad Showkat, was re-portedly sittingwithin the com-poundofhishousewhenamor-tar shell fell nearby and injuredhim.Hewas evacuated to ahos-pital, localsourcessaid.Army PRO Lt Colonel

DevenderAnand said “ Pakistanitroops initiated theunprovokedceasefire violationby firingwithsmall arms and intense shellingwithmortars inQasba andKirnisectorsaround1.40pm.”Thelatestviolationcomesina

seriesofsuchinfractionsalongtheborder over this month. OnSaturday,awomaninLanjiyotvi-lagewas injuredduring “intensemortar shelling” by Pakistanitroops inBalakote andMendharareasofPoonch.The Indian Army had on

Friday,inretaliatoryfire,destroyedPakistan’s ammunition dumpsandanumberofmilitantlaunch-padsacrosstheLoC,inKeransec-tor. Earlier this month, threePakistanisoldiersandfourinfiltra-torswere killed along the LoC inPoonchduringanexchangeoffirebetweenthetwocountries.

EXPRESSNEWSSERVICENEWDELHI, APRIL 12

FORMER MADHYA PradeshChief Minister and Congressleader Kamal Nath on SundaysaidthattheCentrehascommit-tedabigmistakebynotplacingorders for coronavirus testingkitsontimeandarguedthattheuncertaintyaroundthearrivalofrapid testing kits from China is

hampering the fightagainst theepidemic.Nath also asked the govern-

ment to come up with a “fo-cused” economic package andsaid a package is as good as itsimplementation.Addressing a press confer-

ence, he also alleged that thegovernmentranParliamentonlyto ensure that the MadhyaPradesh Assembly could func-tion and the Congress govern-

ment headed by him could betoppled.The Congress leader said

MadhyaPradeshistheonlystatein the world without a healthandhomeministeramidsuchagrave crisis. Nath said ChiefMinisterShivrajSinghChouhan,whotookoathonMarch23,isina business as usualmode evenat sucha time.Madhya Pradesh, he said, is

notconductingenoughtestsde-

spite the highest coronavirusdeath rate in thecountry.“It is business as usual in

MadhyaPradeshandat least45health ministry officials havetestedcoronapositive,”hesaid.Notingthatthecountryisgo-

ing to face a very serious eco-nomiccrisisduetoCOVID-19,hesaidtheCentre’seconomicpack-ageneedstobe focussedand itssuccess lies in its execution andthesectors it focuseson.

Nath: Not placing test kit orders on time Centre’s mistake

REACHING OUTAprivateorganisationdistributes foodtopeople inAllahabadonSunday.RiteshShukla

ARUNJANARDHANANCHENNAI,APRIL12

TAMILNADU’S plan to increasethenumberof sample testswithrapid antibody test kits has hit aroadblock, with consignmentsfromChinagettingdelayed.State Chief Secretary K

Shanmugamconfirmed reportsthatthekitsfromChinawerede-layedbecauseaconsignment forIndiawassenttotheUS.Itwill take24hourstogetthe

consignment after China allowstheshipment,buttherewasnoin-dication of a decision untilSaturdayevening,saidaseniorof-ficial of Tamil Nadu MedicalServicesCorporation.Meanwhile, Tamil Nadu re-

ported 106 confirmed cases ofCOVID-19onSunday.OnedeathwasreportedinChennai.Withthelatestaddition, the

totalnumberofcoronaviruspos-itivepatientsinthestateincreasedto1,075.Thestatehadplacedordersfor

4 lakh rapid antibody-basedkitsinadditiontothoseexpectedfromthe ICMR. The first despatchof 1lakhkitswastoreachTamilNaduon Thursday. The state healthserviceswere prepared to shipthemtovariousdistrictsandhadtrainedhealthworkerstoadmin-isterthem.“When the shipments from

China are cleared,wewill get atleast 50,000 kits in the firstdespatch,” Shanmugamsaid.Hesaidthestatehasenoughstandardswab test kits and that theywillcontinue aggressive testing offamilymembers and secondarycontacts of positive caseswithavailablestock.“Rapidtestisforalargerpopulationsetting. Forex-

ample,ifwehadit,wecouldhavetestedeveryoneinthequarantine,containment zones aswell as allfrontlineworkers,”thechiefsecre-tarysaid.Unlike Kerala’s rapid-poly-

merasechainreaction(rapid-PCR)testing kits from Pune-basedMylab,whichtakenoseorthroatswabs and give a result withinthree hours, antibody rapid testkitsgivetheresult in30minutes.Blood samples are taken for thetestwithalancetprovidedforfin-ger-pricks. If the test is positive,samplesaresent foraPCR(poly-merasechainreaction)test.Until Friday, Tamil Nadu re-

ported911 confirmedCOVID-19cases and tested 7,267 samples.Amid criticism that testingwasnotadequate,thestatehasmain-tained that it has been followingICMRguidelines. On Friday, thestate ordereddistrict health de-partments to test all secondarycontacts and everyone withSevereAcute Respiratory Illnessirrespectiveof travelhistory.Over 20,000healthworkers,

includingthoseattachedwithlo-calbodies,aresurveyingvulnera-ble spots for potential cases andpeoplewith symptoms. For ex-ample,11,000healthworkersandvolunteers visited9 lakhhousesin theGreaterChennai regiononFriday and identified515peoplewith symptoms. G Prakash,CorporationCommissioner, saidthat2488peoplewereidentifiedwithsymptomslikecoldandfeversincethecontainmentoperationsstarted.DrKKolandaswamy,Director

ofPublicHealth, saidtheywouldcontinue the existing procedureof screeningandtestingsamplesuntiltherapidtestkitsarrivefromChina. (WITHPTIINPUTS)

China test kits forTN delayed

EXPRESSNEWSSERVICELUCKNOW,APRIL 12

A PRIVATE hospital in Agra hasemerged as the newCOVID-19hotspotwith20patients testingpositiveforcoronavirus.Ofthe28new cases in Uttar Pradesh onSunday, at least 12of themwerereported fromAgra, andallwerethepatientsof theprivatehospi-tal.Thetotalnumberofconfirmedcases in the state, meanwhile,reached480,includingfivedeathsand46recovery.According to Agra District

Magistrate PrabhuNarain Singh,20 patients - 16 fromAgra andfour from Firozabad - at ParasHospital inNewAgra area havebeen found positive for coron-avirus.“Nonewpatienthasbeenadmitted to the hospital afterApril6,”hesaid.Thedistrictadministrationhas

sought a list of doctors, nursingstaffandcleaningstaffofthehos-pital alongwith the informationaboutpeopleconnectedtothem.“It is highly required that the

normalprotocolofscreeningandsampling is followed on thesepeople. Residents of Agra are re-questedthatwhoevermighthave

visitedthehospitalOPDandhavebeenadmittedorcameincontactwith any staff fromMarch22 toApril6shouldprovidetheirinfor-mation onWhatsapp number8859074040or thedistrict con-trol roombyMonday2pm,” anorder issued by the DM officeread.The number of confirmed

casesinAgrahasnowreached104with89activecases.Inthelast24hours, 232 samples were col-lectedfromthedistrictfortesting.Till date, 2,144peoplehavebeentested for coronavirus in thedis-trict.Meanwhile,thegovernmenthassteppeduptestingamongmi-grantworkers,who returned tothestatefollowingthelockdownand have been kept at shelterhomes across the district. OnSaturday,an18-year-oldmigrantworker fromBihar,whowasat ashelter home inBhadohi, testedpositive for coronavirus, leadingtoconcernaboutthespreadofthevirus amongmigrantworkers.Thenumberof testshasbeenin-creased further in the state to al-most2,000perday,andtheplanis to increase it evenmore in thedaysaheadtoidentifyandisolateany coronavirus-infectedpersonandcontainthespread.

20people inAgra hospitaltest positive

EXPRESSNEWSSERVICEMUMBAI, APRIL 12

TALKSWEREonwiththeCentreto allow districts in the “green”zone— those that have not re-portedasinglecoronaviruscase—to allow industrial manufac-turingif theycouldmaintainso-cial distancing amongworkersandkeptthemattheirpremises,saidstateHealthMinisterRajeshTope on Saturday, adding thatguidelinesregardingthematterwere expected to be issued bytheCentre inacoupleof days.Topesaidthediscussionthat

greenzonedistrictsmightbeal-lowedtoresumeinternalactivi-tiesaslongastheirborderswere

sealedwas taken up during thevideo conference with PrimeMinisterNarendraModi.Thehealthministersaiddis-

tricts across the countrymightbe classified as “red”with 15 ormore COVID-19 cases, “orange”withup to15positive cases and“green”withnone.“ThePMhas also said green,

orangeandredzoneswillbecre-atedacrossthecountry.Detailedguidelinesaboutthesewillbeis-sued in adayor two. Even if thelockdown is extended, in greenareas which have no cases, wemaybeable to start someactiv-ities by completely sealing thedistrictborders.ThePMhaspro-posed a new concept of lock-inunderwhichindustriesthatvow

toabidebysocialdistancing,and,what lock-inmeans, will keeptheirworkersinsidetheirprem-isesatasafedistance, thentheirmanufacturingmay continue.These things are being consid-ered. The PMhas given such anindication in today’s video con-ference,"Topesaid.He also said to increase the

testing rate, Maharashtra hadproposed to the Centre andIndian Council for MedicalResearch (ICMR) to allow “pooltesting”inthestate.This,hesaid,mightincreasethetestingcapac-ityby10to20times.This method involves put-

tingmultiple swabsamples to-gether, and testing themusingasingleRTPCRtest. If that test isnegative, it means that all thepeople tested are negative.

However, if the test is positive,everyonewhosesampleswerepart of the test have to betested separately, to identifypositive individuals."In pool testing, the sputum

of 10 people is tested together.Among them, if we find a posi-tivecasetheneachonewillhavetobetestedindividually.But if itis negative, then in one test wewill have tested everyone. Thiswill save time and testing kits.This new concept can be usefulin a highly-populated countrylikeours,"Topesaid.Maharashtra, which has the

highest burden of COVID-19cases, has also conducted thehighest number of tests in thecountry,thehealthministersaid.“We have, so far, conducted33,000 tests,” Topesaid.

VISHWASWAGHMODEMUMBAI, APRIL 12

WITHTHE lockdownset to con-tinueuntilApril 30, concernsarerising in the state governmentabouttheincreasinglyuntenablesituationof largenumbersofmi-grantworkers in the state,whowere prevented fromwalkingback to their homes in otherstates, andhave taken shelter inrelief camps, aswell as in otherplaces,acrossMaharashtra.Chief Minister Uddhav

ThackerayonSaturdayraisedtheissue of over six lakh migrantlabourersinthestate,inthevideoconferencewith PMNarendraModi, asking if the Centrewilltakeadecisiononwhattodowiththemasthelockdownisbeingex-tendedtillApril30.Asperthestatementissuedby

theChiefMinister'sOffice,Modisaidthatstatesshouldfindout,af-terholdingdiscussionswithlocalindustries, how the migrantworkers can be given employ-ment in the respective stateswheretheyareatpresent.Sources said the issue ofmi-

grant labourers was raised byotherchiefministersinthemeet-ing. “Punjab Chief MinisterAmarinder Singh said the lock-downwasstrictlybeingfollowedbyvillagerswhowerenotallow-inganybody toenter thevillagesin his state. Referring to PunjabCM'sremarks,Modisaidthatthismayleadtoanotherissueofwork-ersreturninghomeandnotbeingallowed into their ownvillages.PMthenadvisedCMstoconvincethemigrantworkersintheirstates

about the problems of villagesbarringentry,andmakeeffortstoretainthemwheretheyare,”saidanofficial,requestinganonymity.State Home Minister Anil

Deshmukh,whowaspresent inthemeeting, said that Thackerayputforththeissueinthemeetingfor deliberation on it and to seewhether there is consensusamong other CMs. “It was dis-cussed in themeeting and oneviewwas thatwhether one dayexceptioncouldbemadetotrans-port them to their respectivestates.While someCMsagreed,others opposed it. Finally, itwasdecided to retain the migrantlabourerswheretheyareandcon-vince them to continue living atthesameplaceasthevillagesmaynottakethemin,”DeshmukhtoldTheIndianExpress.“Attempts may be made,

wherever possible, about find-ing jobs at local levelwhere thefactory or an unit will take careof theirjobs,mealsandstay.Thiswillhelpus tokeepthemin iso-lation, run the factories or unitsand keep them engaged,”Deshmukhadded.Another minister said that

transportingthemigrant labour-erstotheirhomeswouldhavere-ducedtheburdenonthestatead-ministration.Aseniorbureaucratsaidtwo

meals,breakfastandmedicalfa-cilitiesarebeingprovidedtomi-grant workers. “We are takingtheirbestpossiblecareanddon'tsee Surat like incident (wheremigrantworkers turnedviolentand wanted to return to theirhome)happeninghere,”saidthebureaucrat.

INONEWEEK

State police register 87 hate speech cases

ELGAARPARISHAD

Anand Teltumbde tosurrender beforesessions court on April 14

BJP corporator throws birthdayparty, booked; 10 others charged


THEMAHARASHTRAPolicehasregistered 87 cases in instanceswherehatespeechandcommu-nalmessageswere found to becirculatingonsocialmediainthepastoneweek.AsofSaturday,thestate’scy-

berpolicedepartmenthadregis-tered 172 cases sinceMarch 23against individuals spreadingfakenews,unverifiedmessages,rumours and for attempting togive the COVID-19 pandemic acommunal colour, said BalsingRajput,SuperintendentofPolice,Cyber. Twelve caseswere regis-tered in the state in the last 24hours, addedRajput.Onewidely circulated video

purported to show a Muslimfruitvendorspittingonfruitsbe-fore selling them to unsuspect-ing customers. Themessageac-companying the video allegedthatMuslimswere actively in-volved in spreading COVID-19.

Thevideo,whichwascirculatedon WhatsApp soon after itemerged that several TablighiJamaat members who had at-tended a congregation in Delhilast month had tested positiveforCOVID-19,wassubsequentlyfoundtopredate thepandemic.

Rajput added that 61morecaseswerefiledagainstpersonscirculating fake news and 24against those spreadingmisin-formation.Atotalof108offend-ers have been identified and 32arrested. “Perpetrators aremainly spreading rumoursabout coronavirus and its treat-ment,”hesaid.The cyber department

found that unverified andma-licious messages were circu-lated mostly usingWhatsApp(85 cases), followed byFacebook (49 cases), TikTok (3cases) andTwitter (2).In spite of issuing notices to

thesocialmediaplatformstore-movetheobjectionablecontent,the messages continue to re-main available onWhatsAppdue to its encryption features,said Rajput, resulting in only 32postsacrossmediumsbeingre-movedso far.Faced with slow and non-

compliance from certain plat-forms, both the cyber depart-ment and the Mumbai Police

haveheld admins of socialme-diagroupspersonallyresponsi-ble and liable for legal action ifincorrect, unverified, discrimi-natory and derogatory mes-sages causing panic, confusionand mistrust in the govern-ment’s actions to prevent thespread of COVID-19 are foundon their groups.“Cyber Police is making co-

ordinated efforts to reach thecommon citizen and sensitisethemaboutfakenews,rumoursand hate speech through socialmedia handles of each district.The platforms and intermedi-ariesarealsobeingnotifiedtofil-ter the fake news videos andposts in order to reduce theirspread,” saidRajput.Citizens have also been

urgedtoverifyany informationtheyreceiveonsocialmediabe-fore forwarding it or actingupon it, follow only officialsources of information and toreport rumourmongers to thepolice, addedRajput.

Centrelikelytoissueguidelinessoon

AFTERVIDEOCONFERENCEWITHPM

Districts with zero cases may be allowedto begin industrial activity, says Tope

FOLLOWINGSOCIALDISTANCENORMS: Peoplequeueupfor foodgrain inNaviMumbai. AmitChakravarty

Cyber Police ismakingco-ordinated efforts toreach the commoncitizen and sensitisethem about fake news,rumours and hatespeech through socialmedia handles of eachdistrict. The platformsand intermediaries arealso being notified tofilter the fake newsvideos and posts in orderto reduce their spread. ”

BALSINGRAJPUTSUPERINTENDENTOFPOLICE,CYBER

EXPRESSNEWSSERVICEMUMBAI,APRIL12

POLICE BOOKEDBJP corporatorAjay Bahira of PanvelMunicipalCorporation for allegedly throw-ing abirthdayparty, and10oth-erswhowerechargedforattend-ing the party, during thenationwidelockdown.On Friday night, police con-

ductedaraidafter localresidentscomplainedof anongoingpartyon the terrace of Bahira’s three-storeybungalow.Bahira is a resident of Takka

villageand lives inhisbungalow,

‘ShreyasNivas’. According topo-lice, hehadorganised aparty ontheterraceandamongtheatten-dees,fivewerehisrelativeswhiletheotherfivewerefriends.Anofficer fromPanvel police

station said, “We received infor-mationthatpeoplewerepartyingontheterraceof abungalow, fol-lowingwhichwesentateamandraidedtheplace.”Police said besides violating

lockdownnorms, people at thepartyfailedtomaintainsocialdis-tancing andwere notwearingmasks.Bahiraand10othershavebeenbookedunderrelevantsec-tions of the Indian Penal Code,Epidemic Diseases Act,Maharashtra COVID-19Regulation, 2020, DisasterManagement Act andMaharashtraProhibitionAct.Senior Inspector

Ajaykumar Landge of Panvelcitypolicestationsaid,“Theraidwasconductedafter11pmonFriday.Wegotthemtothepo-licestationanddetainedthemfor awhile. Theyhaven’t beenarrestedas theywereallowedto go afterwe served themanotice.”

EXPRESSNEWSSERVICEMUMBAI,NAGPUR,APRIL12

A MEMBER of the TablighiJamaat committed suicide in ahospital in Akola town onSaturday hours after testingpositive for COVID-19.The 30-year-old native of

Nagaon inAssamhad travelledto Akola last month with agroupofotherJamaatmembersafter attending a religious con-gregation in New Delhi be-tween March 6 and 8, saidAmogh Gaonkar,SuperintendentofPolice,Akola.Having travelled with the

group initially, the man had

been staying at a Jamaatmosque inBalapur townbeforetravelling to Akola town onApril 7. “The man had himselfapproachedthe localhealthau-thorities and was admitted tothe isolationwardonApril7.Hetested positive on Friday. OnSaturday morning, he wasfound lying in theward’s bath-roomwithaneck injury,”AkolaCollector JitendraPapalkar told

The Indian Express.The man was admitted in

an isolation ward at theGovernment Medical College.On Saturday, the man slit histhroat inside a bathroom andbled to death, said the police.“We have registered a caseof accidental death and arecarrying out an investigation,”saidGaonkar.The police added that the

investigation would also seekto establish how the deceasedhad found a blade in thehigh-security isolation wardwhere hewas among 12 otherpatients.“Thehospital’spsychologist

had noted that the deceased

was disturbed after learningthat he had tested positive forCOVID-19 and also because hehad been away from his homefor the last10months,”aseniorMaharashtraPoliceofficial said.Akola has, of late, emerged

as one of the main COVID-19hotspots in Vidarbha, havingrecorded13positivecasessofar.Meanwhile, twomorehave

tested positive in Nagpur forcoronavirus. One of them isfrom Chandrapur but wasquarantined here after histravel from Indonesia. TheNagpur coronavirus tally hasnow gone up to 27. Eight ofthem have so far been dis-charged.

OnSaturday, themanslithis throat insideabathroomandbledtodeath, saidthepolice

Tablighi Jamaat member tests positive,commits suicide hours later in Akola


AFTER THE Supreme Court onApril 8 gave activists GautamNavlakhaandAnandTeltumbde,facing charges under UnlawfulActivities(Prevention)Act(UAPA)for alleged Maoist links oneweek's time,Teltumbdewill sur-render at sessions court inMumbaionApril14afternoon.Teltumbde,whoishusbandof

DrBabasahebAmbedkar’sgrand-daughter RamaTeltumbde,willsurrender ‘coincidingwith lateleader’sbirthanniversaryandwillbecomplyingwiththeSCordertosurrender to the jail authorities”,said his daughter PrachiTeltumbde. “Wheneven repres-siveregimesaroundtheworldarereleasingpoliticalprisonersinthefaceoftheepidemic,scholarslikeDr Teltumbde are incarcerated,”the release issuedbyTeltumbdefamilystated.Rightsactivists,politicians,ac-

ademics and lawyers includingVanchit Bahujan Aghadi (VBA)president Prakash Ambedkar,Rajya SabhaMPKumar Ketkar,academician BhalchandraMungekar,seniorjournalistNikhilWagle,authorandactivistMeenaKandasamyand senior advocateMihirDesaicondemnedSupremeCourt’sdecisionaskingactiviststo

surrenderbeforeauthoritiesdur-ingazoomvideopressconferenceheld on Saturday afternoon andsaid that cases againstNavlakhaand Teltumbdewere fabricatedandpoliticallymotivated.“Prisons in the country are

already in the process ofreleasing thousands of inmatestoforestallthespreadofdisease.Government’smotivationwasofpure political vindictiveness. Itposes serious threat to the livesof eleven accused, many ofwhom are over 65 years of ageandhighlyvulnerabletothedis-ease,” activists said.The video-conference on

Saturday was organised byMumbai Rises to SaveDemocracy (MRSD), a forumconstitutedbynearly 40demo-cratic rights, civil society andpeople’sorganisations.OnMarch 16, the Supreme

Court had rejected theduo’s an-ticipatorybailpleaandhadgiventhem threeweeks to surrender.The two had moved the apexcourtafterasingle-judgebenchofBombayHighCourtrejectedtheirpleasforanticipatorybail.However,theydidnotsurren-

der and once again approachedtheSCseekingmore timetosur-render in viewof the COVID-19situation. The SConApril 8 gavethemoneweek’s timetosurren-derbeforeauthorities.

As lockdown isextended,stategovtconcernedaboutplightofmigrants, raises issuewithPM

Customerswait in frontof arationshopinKalbhornagarareaatPimpri-ChinchwadonSaturday.RajeshStephen

TABASSUMBARNAGARWALAMUMBAI, APRIL 12

THE BMCplans to have 40,000quarantinebedsand5,000isola-tion beds inMumbai in its nextphase of expansion in order tomanagesuspectedandconfirmedcoronaviruscases.Civic officials said theywere

aggressively tracking thevirus incontainmentareasandtakingnochances, even if people in thesezoneshadmild symptoms.Over1,000people fromcontainmentzones,which are densely popu-lated,havebeenmovedtoCOVIDcare centres such as hostels, ho-tels, guest houses and govern-ment buildings to enforce socialdistancing. “We are testing allthese people too.We have de-cided to test evenasymptomaticpeople fromcontainment areasandwhowethinkarehighrisk,”said BMCAdditionalMunicipalCommissionerSureshKakani.Basedonguidelinesissuedby

thecentralgovernment,theBMChas set up a three-tier system tomanageCOVID-19. A fever clinicin each ward will be set up toscreenpatients anddirect themfor testing. At the lowest rung,COVID care centreswill admitasymptomatic ormild cases orpeople from high-risk groupswho require to be quarantined.Mumbaihas186suchcentres.ThenexttierisaCOVIDhealth

facility, inwhich patientswithmoderate symptomswill be ad-mitted.Thecityhas11suchhospi-talsandmaternityhomes.TheBMChas26hospitalswith

1,956 beds that are catering asCOVID-dedicatedhospitals—thehighest in the three-tier systemfor critically-ill patients, whichprovideventilatorsupport.

Kakani said Mumbai has4,000 isolation beds and11,000quarantine beds as of now. “Weare takingaphasedapproach. Inthenextphase,itwillbeincreasedto 40,000quarantine and5,000isolationbeds,”hesaid.Stategovernmentofficialssaid

thecentral governmentnotifica-tion to have a three-tier systemcamearoundthesametimeastheBMCwas settingupdifferent fa-cilitiesbasedonseverityofillness.“This three-tier systemhas

beengeneratedaftertrialander-ror.We learnt fromourmistakesanddecided that it is best touseone facility for onepurpose,” anofficialsaid.Initially,thestategovernment

reserved somebeds inmostpri-vate hospitals for coronavirus,whileallowingthesehospitalstoalso treat other illnesses. Casesemergedwheretheinfectionwasspreading fromaCOVID-19 pa-tient to healthcareworkers andfrom them to other staff mem-bers.InJaslok,Wockhardt,BhatiaandHinduja, coronavirus spreadfrom infected patients to staffmembers.Allthesehospitalshadtobedeclaredcontainmentareas.“We decided to have dedi-

catedhospitalstoavoidtheriskofcross-infection,” an official said.Mumbai has designated Saifee,Nanavati, KEM, Kasturba,Jogeshwari Trauma and SevenHills totreatseverecasesthatre-quiremedical care. Right now, ithas 14 coronavirus-dedicatedhospitals. In total, 25 hospitalshavebeenidentifiedtotreatsuchcases.Civicofficialssaidtheywillexpandwhen patient flow in-creases.With the three-tier sys-tem,thegovernmentishopefulofreducingtheburdenonhospitalslike Kasturba and KEM,wheremostpatientsarereferredtofromperipheralcentres.

BMC targets 40,000quarantine and5,000 isolation beds

3-TIERSYSTEM INNEXTEXPANSIONPHASE

30 hospital staff from Mumbaiquarantined after patient whounderwent surgery tests positive

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Mumbai: In Sionhospital, 30hospital staff, including 11nurses,werequarantinedonSaturdayafteranemergencypatient,whounderwentsur-gery in the hospital testedpositiveforCOVID-19.Hospital staff saidseveral

were exposed to thepatient,includingsomeresidentdoc-torsandotherpatients intheward.Thepatientwasadmit-ted for a surgery of the pan-creas, said Dean DrMohanJoshi. His surgerywas con-

ductedandhewas later sus-pected tohave symptomsofcoronavirus.OnFridaynight,hissamplestestedpositiveforCOVID-19.At least 11 nurses, some

doctorsandparamedicshavebeen quarantined at theirhomes or hostels. “Theirswabs were taken. We areawaitingresults,” Joshisaid.In Nanavati hospital, a

staff nurse tested positive.The hospital is tracing herclosecontacts. ENS


THEOUTBREAK Maharashtra


ABANTIKAGHOSHNEWDELHI, APRIL 12

EVEN AS trials are undertaken across theworld,someindependentlyandat leastoneunder the aegis of the World HealthOrganization(WHOSolidarityTrial) to lookfor therapeutics to fight the novel coron-avirusdisease (COVID-19), India is all set totry out a therapy that involves attemptingtojump-start theimmunityofaseriouspa-tient by infusing someof the bloodplasmaofapersonwhohasalreadyrecoveredfromthedisease.This is called convalescent plasma ther-

apy and has in the past been used inmanyotherdiseases.

What isconvalescentplasmatherapy?Convalescentplasmatherapy,whichwas

recently allowed by the US Food and DrugAdministration (FDA) for investigationpur-poses-clinical trialsetc inaregulatedway-involvestransfusionofthebloodplasmaofarecovered patient into another patient.Plasmaisthematrixonwhichthebloodcellsfloat. It also houses crucial components ofimmunityknownasantibodies.Antibodiesaretheimmediatewarriorswhofightanin-vading pathogen - an antigen - to defeat it.Oncethat isdone,somebloodcells functionasmemorycellssothattheycanidentifyanddefeat the same enemy if andwhen it in-vades again by quickly producing the sameantibodies.

Convalescent plasma therapy banks onthe age-old concept of passive immunitywhenantibodies for somediseases, suchasdiphtheria,weredevelopedinhorsesandin-jectedintohumans.Activeimmunityiswhatis achieved by introducing an attenuatedpathogen(suchastheBCGvaccine) intothebody togenerate an immune response. Theotherkindof immunityispassiveimmunity.According to the Textbook of Medical

Physiology byGuyton andHall, “Temporaryimmunitycanbeachievedinapersonwith-out injectinganyantigen.This isdonebyin-fusing antibodies, activated T cells or bothobtainedfromthebloodof someoneelseorfrom some other animal that has been ac-tively immunised against these antigens.These antibodies last for two-threeweeksandduringthattime,thepersonisprotectedagainsttheinvadingdisease.ActivatedTcellslast for a fewweeks if transfused from an-other person and for a few hours to a fewdays if transfused from an animal. Suchtransfusionof antibodiesor lymphocytes toconferimmunityiscalledpassiveimmunity.”T-cells are blood cells that have a crucial

role in immunity.

What is Indiaplanningtodo?Thecountry’sapexmedicalresearchor-

ganisation, Indian Council of MedicalResearch (ICMR), is framing a protocol forinfusing blood plasma from people whohaverecoveredfromCOVID-19intoseriouspatients.Thiswillonlybedonebywayofaclinical

trial, in patientswho are in a severe condi-tion, or on ventilator. “We are in the finalstagesofmakingaprotocolforconvalescentplasma therapy and after thatwewill needapprovalfromthedrugcontrollergeneralofIndia.This isnot foruse inallpatients. Itwillbe done on trial basis. Abroad it has beenfound successful in limited trials. Herewewilldoitonlyonpatientsonventilatororse-

verepatients,”DrManojMurhekar,Director,ICMR-National Institute of Epidemiology,saidonThursday.InKerala,DrAnoopKumar,memberofthe

state-constitutedexpertcommitteeforadvis-ingthegovernmentonCOVID-19,saidhehadspoken to somewho had recovered fromCOVID-19andtheyarereadytobepartoftheplasmatherapytrial.Thestatetoowouldneed

clearance from the national drug controllerbeforegoingaheadwithsuchatrial.Though Kerala has expressed anxiety

abouttheavailabilityofkitsforcheckingtheantibody level in the plasma of a recoveredperson, the transfusion process itself is notvery complicated. It requires separation oftheplasmafromwholeblood,throughama-chineand then transfusion. Thekit to checkantibody level, though, is not available inIndiaandhas tobebrought fromGermany.

What is thepositionofothercountriesonsuchtherapy?The United States FDA said on April 8:

“FDAhasissuedguidancetoproviderecom-mendationstohealthcareprovidersandin-vestigatorsontheadministrationandstudyof investigational convalescentplasmacol-lectedfromindividualswhohaverecoveredfrom COVID-19 (COVID-19 convalescentplasma) during the public health emer-gency... Because COVID-19 convalescentplasma has not yet been approved for useby FDA, it is regulated as an investigationalproduct.”In a study last last month in the

Proceedings of the National Academy ofSciences of the United States of America,Chinese researchers reported about a pilotconvalescentplasmatherapyin10patients.They reported: “all symptoms in the 10 pa-tients, especially fever, cough, shortness ofbreath,andchestpain,disappearedorlargelyimprovedwithin1dto3duponCPtransfu-sion.PriortoCPtreatment,threepatientsre-

ceivedmechanicalventilation,threereceivedhigh-flow nasal cannula oxygenation, andtwo received conventional low-flow nasalcannula oxygenation. After treatmentwithCP,twopatientswereweanedfrommechan-ical ventilation to high-flow nasal cannula,and one patient discontinued high-flownasalcannula.Besides,inonepatienttreatedwith conventional nasal cannula oxygena-tion,continuousoxygenationwasshiftedtointermittent oxygenation.” Most impor-tantly,theyreported,noadverseeffectswereobserved.

Whenhasconvalescentplasmatherapybeentriedbefore?Ithasbeentriedforseveraldiseases,most

recentlyforEbola.TheWHOhadissuedade-tailed guidance document for its use in thewakeof theEbolaoutbreak, tobeusedasan“empirical treatment modality”. “Whilethere is no proven treatment available forEbola virus disease (EVD),whole blood col-lected from patients in the convalescentphaseof infectionhasbeenusedasanempir-ical treatment with promising results in asmallgroupofEVDcases.Duringthecurrentongoing EVD outbreak, whole blood andplasma collected from EVD recovered pa-tientshasbeenprioritized for investigation,asoneof thetreatmentmodalities.Thecon-ceptthatthistreatmentcouldbeefficaciousis biologically plausible, as convalescentplasma has been used successfully for thetreatment of a variety of infectious agents,”reads theWHOdocument.

5WWW.INDIANEXPRESS.COM

Plasma therapy: how it works, what India plans

EXPERTSEXPLAIN

SIMPLYPUTQUESTION&ANSWER

Asgovtpreparestoframeaprotocol forconvalescentplasmatherapy,a lookatthesciencebehindinjectingarecoveredpatient’splasmaintoaseriouspatient

THIS COLUMN offers a ‘people view’ —household-leveldata—ofIndianhouseholdstofeedintotheongoingmacro-leveldiscus-sionabouttherightlevelof financialsupportneeded to help citizens get to their feet fol-lowingthelossof incomecausedbythelock-down,andwhere it shouldbedeployed.Presented here is a ground-up calcula-

tionbasedonwhatcategoriesof jobsandjobarrangementsmainly contribute to the in-come of households, andwhat that actualincome level is.Macro-level discussions are based on a

broadbrushunderstandingofoccupation—largeswathesof informality,agriculturede-pendenceandmigrants.Webaseourassess-mentonamore specificmapof occupationandincomelevelbytownclassforurban,anddistrictdevelopment level for rural areas.The data comes from our pan-Indian

study, the ICE360database, 2016and2018,onhowIndianhouseholdsearn,spend,save,live, andaccesspublicgoods.

Occupations & vulnerabilityIn the accompanying table, occupation

categoriesaredescribedandarrangedinde-creasingorderof vulnerabilitybasedon thenature of work and income level; the tableshows how large, how dominant, and howvulnerable or “at risk” each occupation cat-egoryis,separatelyforurbanandruralIndia.Wemeasure vulnerability bywhat per-

centage of households in each category fallintothebottom40%of incomeearners,sep-arately forurban/rural.We chose 40% to define the vulnerable

insteadoftheconventionaldefinitionofbot-tom20% because ourwork shows that thisentiregrouphasverylittlecushionbetweenincomeandexpenditureeveningoodtimes;it’s always touch-and-go for them.The poorest 20% don’t manage tomeet

even their routine expenditure required forday-to-dayliving,whilethe20%abovethemhave a slimmargin in good times often de-stroyed by health or social emergencies orinflation.Row 1 of the table shows themost vul-

nerable group by far of 91million house-holds,dependentoncasuallabour,aquarterof all urban Indian and a third of all ruralIndianhouseholds, largely low-income.Twomonths of income support at the

lowerendof thegroup’s earning level of Rs10,000intier3andtier4towns,andRs8,500in the less developeddistricts of rural, addsuptoRs1.62 lakhcrore -0.85%ofGDP.Next most vulnerable are petty trader

(hawkers, street vendors) households (row2 of table), for whomonemonth’s incomesupportcanalsofundinventory,whichtheycanstart rotating.

Thisgroupearnsaboutasmuchoras lit-tle as casual labourwith noU-R difference,andwill requireRs10,500crore.Next are the individual service provider

households(row3of table)whoarereason-ablywelloff.Manyhave theskills forwhichpent-updemandalreadyexists(beauticiansandelectricians for instance).Thereis,however,a30%segmentwithin

this occupation category that classifies aslow-income, earns only slightlymore thanlabour or petty traders, and needs support.OnemonthofincomesupporttothemneedsRs5,000crore.

The support billThetotalsupportbillofRs1.78lakhcrore

for this core vulnerable group of 10.6 crorehouseholdsisabout0.92%ofGDP.Thisgroupis only about one fourth of the Jan Dhanhouseholdbaseof 38.3crore.Thereisanotherlargegroupof45million

salaried work-dependent households,mostly in the informal sector (row 4 of thetable), butattachedtoanemployerof sorts.If thePrimeMinistercouldrepeathisplea

totheemployersofthisgrouptopleaseshareand pay full salaries through the lockdownperiod,itwouldsecurethisgroup-the“India2”thatshapesourcities,andisabigenablerof “India1”.Most of them are fairly well off in large

townsandruralareas,butwithasmalllowerincome segment equally distributed be-tweensmalltownurbanandlessdevelopedrural. Onemonth’s income support to thissegment at the casual labour rate amountstoRs8,250crore.Inourassessment, all told, the totalone-

timeincomesupportbill,assumingliftingofthelockdownasplanned,amountstoaboutRs1.86 lakhcrore, orabout1%ofGDP.Whatof small shopandmicrobusiness

owners (row5 of the table), who are hurt-

ing with no revenue, and who have fixedexpenses?They are better aided through business

concessions or directed small ticket ‘work-ing capital’ lending at rates far lower thanwhat NBFCs would charge for unsecuredlending.Asrows6and7of thetableshow,these-

cure formally employed salaried group arevery small relative to the others and finan-ciallywell off,more secure, and have a sav-ingscushion.Yet, theygetalargerthanwar-ranted shareof concernas all the talkof joblossesand layoffs shows!Perhapsachangeinourvocabularytore-

place the word ‘jobs’ with ‘livelihoods’wouldhelpusbemore in tunewith the re-alityof India.

(RamaBijapurkarandDrRajeshShuklaareco-foundersof think tankand fact tankPeople

Researchon India’sConsumerEconomy)

Basedonhousehold-leveldataonoccupationandincome,acalculationforhelpingcitizensgettotheirfeet

Loss of income: ground-up assessmentof recovery support to households

E EXPLAINED TheOutbreak

THEINDIANEXPRESS,MONDAY,APRIL 13,2020

Donatedbloodandplasmasamplesatahospital inGermany.Reuters

TOP 10STATES

INDIA COUNT: 6761 (206 DEATHS)

1364Maharashtra

834 Tamil Nadu

463 Rajasthan

473Telangana

259MP

431 UP898 Delhi

241 Gujarat

357 Kerala

Have a question on the COVID-19 outbreak andwhat you should/should not do?

Write to [email protected]

RESTOFINDIAAndamanandNicobarIslands11ArunachalPradesh 1Assam 29Bihar 60Chandigarh 18Chhattisgarh 10Goa 7Haryana 169HimachalPradesh 28JammuandKashmir 184Jharkhand 13Karnataka 197Ladakh 15Manipur 2Mizoram 1Odisha 44Puducherry 5Punjab 132Tripura 1Uttarakhand 35WestBengal 116

UnionHealthMinistryupdateasof11pm,April10.Somestatesmayhavereportedhighernumbers.Onlystateswiththemostcasesarelistedabove.516PATIENTSDISCHARGEDIN23STATESACROSSTHECOUNTRY

363 Andhra Pradesh

Casual labour—dailywage /piecerate (egconstruction,cleaning,loading,agricultural labour)

23.7mn

25%80 67mn

36%75 2

months’ income

Petty trader /hawker/ streetvendorwithnopermanentestablishment

6mn

6%47 4.5mn

2%33 1

month’s income

Individualservicesproviderswithvaryingdegreesof skills (egplumber,electrical,dhobi, delivery)

7.3mn

8%36 6.8mn

4%25 1

month’s incomeonlyfor lower income

Salariedworkers,mostlynojobcontract,gradeIVtype(egpeon,messenger, securityguard,driver,officeboy,householdhelp, factory)

25mn

26%27 20mn

11%14 Persuadeemployerto

payORpaythosewhoarelowerincome,1month’sincome

Shop/businessownerswithpermanentretailestablishments/registered(eg.contractor,wholesaler,kirana, tailor,barber)

15mn

17%27 11.3mn

6%23 Businessconcessions,

lowinterestworkingcapital loans

Supervisory/clericalsalariedworkers

4.5mn

4%4 1.7mn

1%— Notrequired

Self-employedprofessionals,officers /executives

4.4mn

5%11 3.4mn

2%— Notrequired

Otherswholiveoff remittances,rent,pension,welfaresupport

7.3mn

9%33 18mn

8%33 Notrequired,no

incomeloss

Agriculturists — — 52mn

30%19 Othersupport

mechanismsinplace

Numberofhouseholds;%of totalurban

households

URBAN INDIAOCCUPATION MAINLY CONTRIBUTINGTO HOUSEHOLD INCOME

BREAKDOWN BY OCCUPAT ION , MOST VULNERABLE F IRSTRURAL INDIA

Numberofhouseholds;%of totalrural

households

%ofcategorywhoarelowincome

%ofcategorywhoarelowincome

NATURE OFREQUIREDSUPPORT

CORONAVIRUSOUTBREAKDAILYWORLDAND INDIACOUNTS

68,192Iran

143,626Italy

119,401Germany

65,883United Kingdom

118,790France

157,022Spain

26,667Belgium

473,093US

82,941China

42,282Turkey

TOTAL CONFIRMED: 1,631,310 DEATHCOUNT:98,401Source: JohnsHopkinsUniversity,updatedat11:00pmonApril 10

10/03/20

12/03/20

14/03/20

16/03/20

18/03/20

20/03/20

22/03/20

24/03/20

26/03/20

28/03/20

30/03/20

01/04/20

03/04/20

05/04/20

07/04/20

09/04/20

678

115140

26 1 10

467

121

17

229

DAYBYDAY, CONFIRMEDNEWCASESINMAHARASHTRA AND INDIA

■ INDIA ■MAHARASHTRA

MAHARASHTRAACCOUNTSFORALMOST1/5thOFINDIA’SCASESMaharashtraMedicalEducationDepartmentupdateat10amonApril10.Thelastcountwillnotmatchthatof theUnionMinistry’seveningupdate

RamaBijapurkar &Rajesh Shukla

@ieExplained#ExpressExplainedIf there are questions of current or contemporary relevance that youwould like explained, pleasewrite to [email protected]

6WWW.INDIANEXPRESS.COM

HARVESTING REFORMDealingwithcoronaviruscouldhaveasilver lining: It couldhelpremoveunduerestrictionsonmovementof farmproduce

EVENASTHE21-day lockdowntillApril 14appears set tobeextendedby twoweeks,boththeCentreandthestatesareagreedthat theblanketrestrictionsonproductionandmovementwillnotapplytofarm-relatedwork.Agriculturewould, indeed, be themost significant, if not the only, economic activity the

countrymight see at least till the end of thismonth. The government’s focus, too, willnowhave to be asmuchon the rabi crop’s harvesting andmarketing as on keeping thewaragainstthenovelcoronavirusgoing.Butharvestingperseisunlikelytobeaproblem.Thebulkof themustard,chana(chickpea),masur(redlentil), sugarcane,potatoandrabionionshavealreadybeenharvested. It’s onlywheat and someseasonal vegetables (thelikesof bottlegourd,okra,brinjal andcucumber)andfruit (mangoandmelons) thatarestill inthefields.Harvestingofrabimaize,summermoong(greengram)orevenDasheri,ChaunsaandLangramangoeswill onlybeafterMay.Simplyput,harvestingwillhappen.Farmerswill somehowmanage,whetherbyus-

ingcombines (whosemovementanddeployment, both inter- and intra-state,hasbeenexempted fromthe lockdown)or labour (including those forced to return tovillagesaf-ter being rendered jobless in factories and urban centres). The challenge is going to bewiththecrop’smarketing.Therearetwomajorissueshere.Thefirst isthemandis,whicharenormallyahiveofactivityatthistime,whenfarmersinthousandsbringtheirtrolley-loadsofproducetosell.Giventheimperativeof socialdistancing, that isruledouttoday.Evenif farmersweretocome, therearen’tenoughlabourers inwholesalemarkets -pre-dominantly fromstates such as Bihar andUttar Pradesh,whohave fled back home - tounload,clean,bagandreloadtheircrop.Thesecondissueisthecollapseofdemand.Withhotels, restaurants,caterersandmostagro-processingunitsshut, themarketcannotab-sorbabumpercrop-asituationsimilartothatduringApril-June2017postdemonetisa-tion. Then, itwas lackof cash.Now, it is lackof institutionalbuyers.Whatisthewayout?Ifovercrowdingatthemandisisnottobeallowed,farmershave

tobegivensomeincentive fornotbringingtheirentireharvestedcropstraight fromthefield.Thereisastrongcasetogive,say,abonusofRs50overtheminimumsupportpriceofRs1,925perquintal forwheatthat issoldafterApril30andRs100if afterMay30.Notonlywill this enable staggeredcroparrivals, therewouldalsobe interest savings for theFoodCorporation of India through reduceddrawdownof cash credit limits. This is alsothe time for theNarendraModi government to enact an omnibus law to remove all re-strictions on sale, stocking,movement andexport of farmproduce. Coronavirus candoforagriculturewhat1991did for industryandservices.

UNSC AND COVIDDeepeningtensionsbetweenUSandChinaprecludeanyagreementonwhatSecurityCouncil cando incurrentcrisis

ANY EXPECTATIONS THAT the United Nations Security Council would re-sponddecisivelytothespreadof thecoronavirusthathaskilledmorethan1,00,000peopleacrosstheworld,werebeliedassoonasthemembersmetfor their first consultation during the crisis last week.While themeeting

wasthefirstevertobeheldviavideo, itsoutcome,or the lackof it,wasquitepredictablegiventhedeepeningdividebetweentheUSandChinaonarangeof issuesstarting fromthe questionof naming thevirus.ThroughthemonthofMarch,whenChinaheldtherotatingchairof thepresidencyof

the Security Council, Beijing stalled any discussion of the crisis. It was onlywhen theDominican Republic took over the chair in April that a “discussion” of the internationalsituation triggered by the virus becamepossible. But collective actionwas certainly noton the anvil. TheUS called for greater transparency and insisted that the “most effectivewaytocontainthispandemicisthroughaccurate,science-baseddatacollectionandanaly-sis of theorigins, characteristics, andspreadof thevirus”. China, in contrast, rejected thefocus on the origin and spread of the virus as “scape-goating”. It called, instead, for ex-pandedinternationalcooperationandtouteditsownsuccessincontrollingthevirusandsupporttoothernationsinfightingthepandemic.TheCouncilheardouttheUNSecretaryGeneral,AntonioGuterres,whopresentedagrimpictureofthecrisisanditsconsequencesforinternationalpeaceandsecurity.ButtherewasnoagreementonwhattheUNcoulddo.TheUN Security Council was towork as a concert of its five permanentmembers.

Agreementamongthefiveveto-wieldingpowersiscriticalforanycollectiveaction.Iftheis-sueisabouttheactionsofaP-5state,thereis,unsurprisingly,littleroomforprogress.Barringafewyearsaftertheendof theColdWar,consensusamongthegreatpowershasbeenelu-sive.Andoverthe lastdecade, thetensionsbetweenUSandChinahavesteadilydeepened.Moscow, facingproblemsof its ownwithWashington, has aligned itself withBeijing. AsPresidentDonaldTrumpmovesclosertothere-electionbattleandhisChinesecounterpart,Xi Jinping, strives to fendoff blame for thehandlingof the crisis, conflict between the twopowers is likely toacquireasharperedge. It’sbynomeanscertain that theUNanditsvari-ousagencies, includingtheWorldHealthOrganisation,willcomeoutof thisunscathed.

April’s cruel dilemma

Aruna Sundararajan

Efficacyofuniversal lockdownisn’t completelyendorsed,nor is thereindisputableevidencetosuggest it isoptimal response

CITIZENS IN THE DARKWemustact responsibly, butgovernmentmustalsoanswer

ASTHEcountryapproachestheendof itsna-tionwide lockdownonApril14,onequestiondominates national discourse: Should Indiaextendthelockdown?NeverbeforehasIndiaconfrontedapublicpolicydilemmathat im-pactsthelivesandfatesofmillionssocritically.A number of states have already an-

nouncedextensionofthelockdowntilltheendof themonth;more are expected todo so. Itwouldappearthatthelockdownislikelytogetextendedbytwomoreweeks,callingtomindTSEliot’s haunting line aboutApril being thecruelestmonth.CanIndiaaffordsuchanextension,seeing

the costs so far?What are the trade-offs in-volved?Inthefirstflushofthepandemic,whenthe

world’sexpertsandgovernmentswerescram-blingtocometotermswithitsetiologyandef-fects, aswell as the appropriate policy re-sponse,manycountries,includingIndia,optedto erect a barrier of containment by lockingdown thepopulation. The trade-off seemedsimpleenough—achoicebetweensavinglivesor livelihoods.Unsurprisingly, every country,barringSweden,chosetosavelives.ThissetapowerfulprecedentforIndia.However,asdayspass,thetrade-offislook-

ing increasingly complex and open to chal-lenge,giventhelife-threateningconsequencesthat look likely if the lockdown is extended,unlessmassive relief and support are forth-comingfromthegovernment,ensuringaccesstolivelihoodsandsustenanceforall.Inmakingthedecision,onemustacknowl-

edge thatmuchhas changed since the epi-demicfirststruck.Wearenow in amuchbetter position to

understandthetrajectoryofthedisease,aswellastohaveafairassessmentoftheimpactsandlimitations of lockdowns and social distanc-ing.Wenowknow, forexample, that inplaceof a one-size-fits-all lockdown, there canbegradedcontainmentstrategiesthatcanbefine-tunedagainst three vectors:Geographic, de-pendingonthevaryinglocationalintensityofthedisease; vulnerability-oriented,withdif-feringcontainmentstrategiesformorevulner-ablesections liketheaged;andsectoral,withamoreliberalcontainmentregimeinplaceforessentialactivitieslikeagriculture.A significant number of reputed global

healthexperts,whohavespentdecadesstudy-ing epidemics, are beginning toquestion thevalidityofinitialassumptionsaboutthenatureoftheillness,andtheefficacyofradicalreme-dialstrategiessuchaslockdown.Wecannolongergosolelyonthebasisof

internationalprecedent.Norcanoursolecon-siderationbetohaltthepandemic,nomatterthe cost. India’s present lockdownhas beenratedastheseverestintheworldandthemostdisruptive by far, impacting a seventhof theworld’s population.Whatever decisionwetake,wemustkeepforemosttheimpactofthelockdownonthepoorestandthemostvulner-able: For it is theywhoare likely to bear thebrunt.WhileweknowthattheCOVIDpandemic

ismuchmore infectious andmore virulentthantheflu,itisalsoawidelyacceptedfactthatviral epidemics abate onlywhenaround60-80percentof thepopulationacquires “herd-immunity”-eitherbyvaccinationorbyacquir-ingthedisease.Lockdowns can indeed reducemortality

ratesbyflatteningtheinfectioncurve,therebyensuring an even distribution of cases. Butmuchdependsonhoweffectivelyweareabletousetheinterveningtimeavailable-totrainpersonnelaswellasprocuretherequisitede-vices, supplies and protective equipment,amongstotherthings.Recentglobalexperiencealsoteachesthat

the timingof the lockdown is critical. Unlikewhat is intuitively believed, early lockdownsare known to be sub optimal because theymerelypostponethepeak,butdonotreducethenumbers.Many countrieshave imposedlockdownsonlywheninfectionspeakedtolev-els that threatened to swampthe capacity oftheirhealthcaresystems.Basedonthetrajectorysofar, thereisalso

fairlikelihoodtosuspectthat India,likeothertropicalcountries,maybeexperiencingalessvirulent epidemic than seen in thewest; ei-therduetohighernaturalimmunity,orvastlydifferent demographics. Some countriesaroundus, likePakistanSingapore,Thailand,Malaysia,Singapore,Philippines,Japanetcap-pearthusfaralsotobehavingarelativelyflat-terdiseasetrajectoryatpresent.MostofAfricadoesnot seemtohaveentered theepidemicphase.One-size-fits-all lockdownsare similar at

thispoint to anexperimental one-shotdrug;withpotentiallyunknownandpossiblyunde-sirable side effects. The efficacy of universallockdowns is by nomeans completely en-dorsed, nor is there indisputableevidence tosuggestthatit isanoptimalresponse.Whereas countries initially hadonly the

Wuhanmodel of containment to go by asprecedent,wenowhaveawide spectrumofresponsesandstrategies-rangingfromIndia’stotallockdowntoSweden’slargelynon-inter-

ventionist, voluntary social distancing. Inbe-tween,wehavecountrieslikeKoreathathavefollowedastrategyofaggressive,widespreaddiagnostic testingandisolationcoupledwithsocial distancing, aswell as others that haveimposed highly limited geographic andde-mographiccontainmentprotocols.We also nowknow that several leading

global health experts have questioned thenumbersprojected in the initial studies andforecasts as being inordinately high. Theseexpertshaveurgedgreaterconservatismandcaution before radical, society-alteringmethodologies likeuniversal lockdownsareextended. Some are even arguing that theearlierapopulationacquiresherd-immunity,the better the outcomes of the disease. It isincumbent that our experts and advisorspresent the decision-makers with the fullfacts,thelatestknowledgeandinsightsandabroaderarrayofoptionsratherthanmerelyasingle option; namely, to extend or not ex-tend.Economists and social scientists have al-

readydrawnattentiontothepossibleimpactsof aprolongedlockdownonIndia’seconomyandthelivesandlivelihoodsofthevastmajor-ity, aswell as theemergentneed formassiverelief and fiscal stimulus to get the economyrebooted. Reports have highlighted the un-precedented surge inunemployment levels,emergingwidespreadfarmandruraldistress,andincipientstarvationevenasharvestswiltin the fields. Foodandmedical supply chainsarebrokeninparts,andevenhospitalsclosedinafewsmalltowns,atatimewhentheirneedhasneverbeengreater.Thisisallhappeningameretwoweeksinto

the lockdown.Furtherdecisions onthereliefandstimuluspackages thatareawaited,mayyet hopefullymitigate to some extent thelosses.Anyamountofreliefnotwithstanding,thecostsareboundtobesubstantiveanddis-proportionatelyhigh for thosewhocan leastaffordit.Giventhemomentousnessofthedecision,

itisincumbentthatitisguidedbyextremecir-cumspectionandinformedbyaclear-eyed,re-alistic cost benefit analysis arising fromourownandglobalexperience;sothatwearenotcaughtinaproverbialchakravyuhfromwhichthereisnoexit.Most importantly, any decisionmust be

precededby thewidest possible public con-sultation. For, collective knowledge and rea-sonalonecanilluminethesedarktimes.

Thewriterisaretiredcivilservant

WHENIARRIVEDattheDelhiairportonthelastflightfromLondon,aftertheIndiangov-ernment had issued a travel ban, theworldhad already knownmuch about the deadlyCOVID-19fromtheexperiencesofpeopleinChina and other affected countries. Visualsof the Chinese response to the pandemic—a temporary 1,000-bed hospital built in amatter of days, for example—were telling.TheWHOhaddeclared theoutbreakapan-demic. We knew about the virility of thecoronavirus, evenwhen Iran and Italywerejustaboutemergingasnewepicentres.India had substantial time in hand to

learnfromthedataandpracticesofotheraf-fectedcountries.Butthefirsttraveladvisoryfrom the government — informing peoplethattravellers fromChinabequarantined—wasissuedaslateasFebruary5.And,itwas-n’tbeforeMarch2, that thegovernmentbe-ganlookingattravellersfromothercountriesaspotential carriersI landed in Delhi on the night of March

18-19. By this time, theUKhadseena surgeinitscases.ThefactthatthecountrysitsrightnexttocontinentalEurope,anddidnothavetravel restrictions for EU nationals, shouldhavebeenagoodenoughsignthattravellersfrom the UKwere a potential risk. But wewere cleared to go home after a thermal

screening.MostCOVID-19infectionsinIndiahavespreadfrompeoplewhohavetravelledfromabroadanddidnotshowsymptomsatthe time of being screened at the airport. Ifhaving cleared the thermal test, some trav-ellers assume themselves to be virus-free,canweblamethem?It is important tonote that atnopoint at

the airport, I or anyone else standing aheadofmeinthequeuewastoldtoself-isolateathome.We are, of course, expected to be in-formed, but a littlenudge fromtheauthori-tieswouldhavehelped,especiallywhenwecannot afford to take any chance. A con-cernedwomanstandingaheadofme in thequeue to submit the self-declaration formwanted some information on how to self-isolate. She also asked if her domestic helpcouldvisitherduringthisperiod.Whileshewasstill at thedesktryingtoprocess the in-formation she had received, and possiblywanting to knowmore, the official at thedeskstartedattending to thenextperson inthequeue—this,whentherewasnorushattheairport.Whatoptionsdidpeoplehavewhenthey

were asked to go home? Evenwith all thegoodintentionsofself-isolatingthemselves,theypossiblyhadnooptionbuttousebusesandtrainstoreachtheirfinaldestinationsin

othercities.Alotofpeoplecouldaffordpaidquarantine facilities but therewasno infor-mation at the airport about any sucharrangements.A number of studies have indicated the

significant role of asymptomatic infectionsin the spread of COVID-19. These asympto-matic cases are different from caseswhichare yet to show symptoms, or “preclinicalcases”. Such people carry the infection, butnever show symptoms. In them, the virusgoes undetected unless tested. In fact, onestudy,publishedinNatureonMarch20,alsofound that theviral sheddingcapacityof anasymptomaticinfectedindividualwasaspo-tentasthatofpeoplewhohavetheinfectionandshowsymptoms.Therefore, the impor-tanceof quarantinecannotbeoverstressed.Peoplewith secure jobs and savings are

braving the lockdownwithout much of aproblem.However, thepoorarebearingthebruntof therestrictions.Thelockdownwas,of course, much needed, but it could havebeenbettermanaged.Everyonemusttakeownershipofthecri-

sis.But,ascitizens, it isalsoimportanttoaskquestionsof ourgovernments.

Thewriter teachesand isa researcherat theUniversityofWestminster,UK

We can no longer go solelyon the basis of internationalprecedent. Nor can our soleconsideration be to halt thepandemic, no matter thecost. India’s presentlockdown has been rated asthe severest in the world andthe most disruptive by far,impacting a seventh of theworld’s population.Whatever decision we take,we must keep foremost theimpact of the lockdown onthe poorest and the mostvulnerable: For it is they whoare likely to bear the brunt.

It is important to note that atno point at the airport, I — oranyone else standing ahead ofme in the queue — was toldto self-isolate at home... a littlenudge from the authoritieswould have helped, especiallywhen we cannot afford totake any chance.

FOUNDED BY

RAMNATH GOENKA

B E C A U S E T H E T R U T H I N V O L V E S U S A L L

§ §

THEINDIANEXPRESS,MONDAY,APRIL 13,2020WORDLYWISE

Good leaders need a positive agenda, notjust an agenda of dealingwith crisis.

— MICHAEL PORTERTHEEDITORIALPAGE

ASSAM TALKS FAILTALKS BETWEEN PRIME Minister IndiraGandhi, andAssam student leaders on theforeigners’ issue have failed but both sidesarekeepingthedooropen.Athernewscon-ference,MrsGandhisaidthat1971wasnotacut-off yearbutastartingpoint to initiatethe process of identifying foreigners. Thestudentleaders,whoaddressedanewscon-ference in the afternoon, said the PrimeMinisterdidnottell themthat1971wasthestarting year but if she were to do so for-mally “the matter would be considered”.Their contention was that 1971 wasmen-tioned as a base year but not as a startingpoint. The atmosphere of optimism that

had built up after hearing about the primeminister’svisit toGauhatihas transformedinto gloom.

LIBERIAN COUPA COUP LED by a national guard staff ser-geant toppled the government of LiberianpresidentWilliamTolbertandTolbertdiedintheoverthrow.Liberianradiobroadcastssaid it was the first such overthrow in the133-year history of the nation founded byUSslaveswhichwasoneof theWest’sclos-est allies in Africa. Radio Monrovia, moni-tored byWest German radio, said Tolbert,whowouldhavebeen67inMay,waskilledduring the fighting.

FIGHTING CONGRESS (I)DEVARAJ URS, CONGRESS Presidentand Charan Singh, Lok Dal President, dis-cussed the comingassembly elections andthequestionof seatadjustments invariousstates.Both leadershavereportedlyagreedon the need for a national alternativewith all concerned parties combiningto fight the Congress (I). Charan Singhpointed out that the people wanted suchanationaloppositionparty.BothSinghandUrs felt convinced that there should bea straight contest between the Oppositionas a whole and the Congress (I) intheupcomingelections—wherever itwaspossible.

APRIL 13, 1980, FORTYYEARSAGO

Freeze Frame E P Unny

ONE OF

800MILLION

A VOICE, UNDER 35

Geetanjali Kala


WHATTHEOTHERSSAY“A holiday from the lockdown would provide no welcome break, whatever theweather. On the contrary, it would be a dereliction of our commonresponsibility to maintain physical distancing.” — THEGUARDIANTHE IDEASPAGE


LETTERS TO THEEDITOR

I AMA historian. I don’t predict the future.And I generally don’t write about the pres-ent.Butmyknowledgeofthepast,especiallypastepidemicsandpandemics,meansIcan-nothelpbutdraweerieparallelsbetweenthepast and the present. For example, in 1851,when the French delegate to theInternational Sanitary Conference spokeaboutcholera’sspreadaroundtheplanet,hecould almost have been talking about ourworld in 2020: “Add now the communica-tionsbetweenthepeoples, todaysonumer-ous andmore andmore rapid; the naviga-tion by steamship, the railways, and on topof that this happy tendency of the popula-tions to visit each other, tomix, tomerge, atendency that seems tomake of differentpeoplesa soleand large family, andyouwillbe forcedtoadmit that for suchadisease, sowidespreadandundertheseconditions,cor-donsandquarantinesarenotonlypowerlessand useless, but they are, in the very greatmajorityof cases, impossible.”Decades later, as thepandemic flumade

itsway around theworld, in 1918, reactionsinmanyplacesbearastrikingresemblancetocontemporary responses to coronavirus.When influenza first appeared inBloemfontein, SouthAfrica, initial reactionswere muted. The city considered itself sohealthy that a local guidebook called it the“SouthAfricansanatorium”.Soconfidentwasthecityinitsabilitytowardoff illhealththatinearlyOctober,whilethefluwaskillingpeo-pleinWestAfrica,thelocalnewspaperwon-dered howdangerous could “our friend theordinarycommonorgardeninfluenza,be?”Theysoonhadananswerasbodiespiledupandhospitalsbecameoverwhelmed.Whilehistoriansdonotpredictthefuture,

whenitcomestoepidemicsandpandemics,any historianwould almost certainly agreethat another onewas coming. Because epi-demicsandpandemicshavebeenpartofhu-man history formillennia, there aremanythingsthattheirhistoriescanteachus.Butinourcurrentmoment, a fewwill suffice.Forone, epidemics andpandemics force

us toreckon,againandagain,with theobvi-ous fact that thenatural—ornon-human—world has a powerful effect on the humanworld. At the same time, wemust keep inmindthatthereisnothingnaturalaboutwhyinfectious diseases strike when they do orwhy theyaffect oneplaceorpeople andnotanother.AsDavidArnoldwroteaboutcholerainmid-19th century India, “Like any otherdisease, it has in itself nomeaning: It is onlyamicro-organism. It acquiresmeaning andsignificance from its human context, fromhowitinfiltratesthelivesof thepeople,fromthereactionsitprovokes,andfromtheman-ner inwhich it gives expression to culturalandpolitical values.”Take cholera.While there is strong evi-

dence that cholerahadbeenanepidemic inIndia in the18thcentury, itwasnotuntil the1820s, that it travelled theglobe. Keydevel-opments inworld historymade this possi-ble:Britishcolonialismincreasedtravelandtrade between the East and theWest; rail-way lines continued to link huge swaths of

previously unconnected space such as theMediterraneanandRedSeas;theopeningoftheSuezCanalacceleratedthepaceof travelbetweenpartsoftheglobe;increasedurban-isation across Europe— the reasons go on.While influenza’s lethaleffects in1918weresurely because of the strain’s peculiar viru-lence, it couldnothave spreadas it dideven20yearsbefore.Thepointmightbeobvious,but it’sone I

wanttostress:Epidemicdiseasesdonotoc-cur outside of a human context. This iswhyunderstanding their history is so obviouslyimportant.Epidemicsandpandemicsalwayshavea

disproportionate effect on the poor and themarginalised.We have known this for cen-turies.Writingof theplague inMarseilles in1720, a doctor wrote the following about aneighbourhood spared of the pestilence:“The streets arewide, the houses large, andinhabitedchieflybypersons living ina stateof opulence, andsucharealways the last at-tacked by a contagion, on account of themeans theyhave toplace themselvesout ofitsreach.”Wewillseethisplayout,tragically,as COVID-19 inevitablymakes its way intothe places least able to contain it. Whencholerabegantomakeitswayoutof Indiainthe1820s,“It,”asthehistorianMarkHarrisonwrote,“definedthecontoursofanewworldeconomy,revealingitsconnectionsandalso,morestarkly, itsdivisions.”Thesamewillbetrueof thecoronavirus.Sincethelaboratoryrevolutionofthelate

19thcentury,andespeciallysincetheinven-tionof antibioticsandother“miracledrugs”intheyearsafterWorldWarII,wehaveover-relied on technology and biomedicine tokeepussafewhileatthesametimewehavesteadily dismantled any semblance of a ro-bust public health infrastructure. The resulthas been overconfidence and unrealisticpromisesaboutthedemiseofdisease—seenmost recently in US President DonaldTrump’sunsubstantiatedclaimthat chloro-quine would cure coronavirus. In the pastcentury,andinourcurrentone,adangerousside effect of medical progress has been anirresponsible optimism. For example, the1918pandemicarrivedatatimewhenmod-ernmedicine was armed with newfoundconfidence regarding its ability to discoverthe causes of diseases and then offer cures.Yet, before the development of a vaccine inthe1930s,when itwas identified as a virus,modernmedicinewas utterly defencelessagainst influenza.By theendof the fallof 1918and into the

winterof1919,medicalprofessionalsbegantoreflectontheirinabilitytocontroltheepi-demic. Some simply said they had no ideawhat caused influenza. One official at the

NewYorkCityDepartmentofHealthwrotethat“Therealcause,Iamafraid,wemustad-mit to be some vagary of plant life beyondour kenup to thepresent time.” So ineffec-tive was modern medicine that AlfredCrosby,oneof thefirsthistoriansof thepan-demic,calledit the“greatest failureofmed-icalscienceinthetwentiethcenturyor, ifab-solutenumbersof deadare themeasure, ofall time.”None of this diminished the optimism

associatedwithscientificmedicine.Withthediscovery of antibiotics in the 1940s, confi-dence inmedicine only accelerated.WalshMcDermott, a prominent TB and interna-tional health expert, claimed in the early1960sthatbecauseofantibioticsthecontrolof TB “is one of the few instances to date inwhich amajor disease can be decisively al-teredwithouthavingtoawaitimprovementin the social infrastructure.” And in 1973,Frank MacFarlane Burnett, a Nobel prizewinnerinbiologyfromAustralia,wrotethatbecauseinfectiousdiseaseshadlargelybeendoneawaywith—“oneof the immemorialhazardsof humanexistencehasgone.”But,ofcourse,thiskindofoptimismwas

wildly misguided. For one, even in 1973,lurkingandreadytotakeoff,wasoneof themost devastating infectious diseases inhu-manhistory—HIV/AIDS.None of thismeans that drugs ormed-

icalresearcharenotessential forthecontrolofepidemics.Anti-retroviral therapy,anex-traordinarydiscoverybyanymeasure, hasbeenessential inthefightagainstHIV/AIDS.Yet, access has been uneven. Since its dis-covery in the1960s, oral rehydration ther-apy for cholera has been lifesaving. But itdoes nothing to address the reasons whymillions of people in the global south aredrinking faeces-infested water. TB can becured with antibiotics, yet we have moreTBnowthanatanyothertimeinworldhis-tory. The very simple point — made bymanyothers—isthatthere isarelationshipbetweendiseaseandsocialconditions,con-ditions thatwillnotbealleviatedwithbio-medicine.No historian could have predicted the

current coronavirus pandemic. But mosthistoriansof epidemicsandpandemicsarelikely unsurprised by some of its key fea-tures:Thepowerthatthenaturalworldstillholdsoverhumanlife; thedisproportionateeffect of pandemics and epidemics on thepoor and themarginalised; and the over-relianceonbiomedicinetotheexclusionofa robust public health infrastructure.

Thewriter isassociatedean for the socialsciencesandprofessorofhistory,University

ofVirginia

TRUMP’S FAULTTHIS ISWITH reference to the edito-rial, ‘WHOinthemiddle’ ( IE,April10).Nodoubt, theWHO’s role inhandlingthe outbreak has been far from effec-tive in any manner. But PresidentDonald Trump’s accusation of theWHO being the sole reason forAmerica’s miseries is simply not ac-ceptable. Despite warning from theauthorities, Trump downplayed thepandemic. If anything is tobeblamedfor the US’s predicament, it is theblotched response of the Trump ad-ministration indealingwiththecrisis.

VidhyaB.Ragunath, Thanjavur

RISE AND FALLTHIS REFERS TO the article, ‘Let it fall’(IEApril,10).The Indiancurrencyatanall time low, hovering at around 76.6against US dollar and our foreign re-servesarefalling.Butwecouldusethisopportunity to climb the ladder andacquire our share in world business.With limited importsandcrashingoilprices,we could put aside our importfiscal for the timebeing.Ourpharma-ceutical industry was valued at$33 billion in 2017 and generic drugsaccount for 20 per cent of global ex-ports in terms of volume,making thecountrythelargestproviderofgenericmedicines globally. With increasingdemand all over the globe for cheapandgenericdrugs, Indiacouldusethisopportunity to increase its ambitof supply.

MayankPant,Haldwani

PRIVACY MATTERSTHIS REFERS TO the article, ‘After thestorm passes’ (IE, April 10).While thearticlemakes sound arguments aboutprotecting privacy during the currentcrisis,somekeypracticalaspectsofen-suring this need to be answered. Intimes like ours, jumping on the band-wagon of a supposedly majoritarianview peddled through a colossal net-workofalargelycompliantmediathatis all too happy to use evocative labelslike “anti-national” and “traitors” tocrushdissent iscommon. If anarrativewere to be peddled to ask citizens togive up their right to privacy as a serv-ice to the nation, what safeguardswould theminority of dissenters thenhave?

KushalKhandhar,Mumbai

7

Epidemics and pandemicsforce us to reckon, again andagain, with the obvious factthat the natural — or non-human — world has apowerful effect on the humanworld. At the same time, wemust keep in mind that thereis nothing natural about whyinfectious diseases strikewhen they do or why theyaffect one place or people andnot another. As David Arnoldwrote about cholera in mid-19th century India, ‘Like anyother disease, it has in itselfno meaning: It is only amicro-organism. It acquiresmeaning and significancefrom its human context, fromhow it infiltrates the lives ofthe people, from the reactionsit provokes, and from themanner in which it givesexpression to cultural andpolitical values.’

Connections and divisions

LETTER OF THEWEEKAWARD

To encourage quality readerintervention, The IndianExpress offers the Letter oftheWeek award. The letteradjudged the best for theweek is published everySaturday. Lettersmay be

e-mailed [email protected] sent to The IndianExpress, B-1/B, Sector 10,Noida-UP 201301.

IT ISPAINFUL tosee theWorldometerdis-playingthenumberofdeathsgloballydueto COVID-19 racing towards six-digit fig-ures,with Italy and theUS topping the listwith the five-digit figures. In India, thenumber of deaths is still in the low threedigits. Butwe don’t know the true extentof infectionanddeathsasourtestingislim-ited.Sofar, Indiahastestedalittleoveronelakh people against a total population of1.35 billion. Our cumulative testing num-ber is today roughly the same as the UStests every day. Eachday theUS is discov-eringlotsofnewpatientsandrecordinganincreasing number of deaths. The figuresfromChina are always suspect as there isno freemediaorpeople’s voice.It is well known now that the Chinese

knew about this virus inNovember/December when one of theirowndoctors,LiWenliang, turnedwhistle-blower. But his voicewasmuzzled and Lihimselfdiedfromthevirus.Buttheepisodeindicates that the authoritarian nature ofthe Chinese regime is amisfit in the glob-alisedworldof the21stcentury. It is inter-esting that in China, even asking a simplequestionastohowmuchgrainstockthereisinthecountrycanlandyouintroublebe-causegrainstock figuresarestate secrets!In India, we take pride in our democ-

racy,nomatterhowflaweditis.Itistheme-dia, the fourth pillar of democracy, thatraisedtheissueofmigrantlabourerswhentheprimeministersuddenlyannounceda21-daylockdowninthecountry.Thefront-pageimagesof strandedmigrantworkers,walking long distances to their homes,made it clear that the administrationwasnotprepared.Theyarenowreactingtothiscrisiswhichhas led to large-scale destitu-tion.Better late thannever.Interestingly, the central government

evenwent to theSupremeCourt toask fora control onmedia reports that are creat-ingpanic.Anythingthat isnotpalatable tothegovernentcanbe“panicky”.Luckily,theCourtdidnotsidewith thegovernment. Itis due to the strength of our democraticsetup,withafreemedia,thatIndependentIndianeverfacedanylarge-scalestarvationdeaths, unlike the 1943 Bengal faminewhichclaimedanywherebetween1.5and3millionlives.Thisneedstobejuxtaposedwith China’s authoritarian regime underChairmanMao—30millionpeoplestarvedto death during the Great Leap Forward(1958-61), and the world did not knowmuchabout it because of the absenceof afreepress.However, what the Indianmedia has

still not flagged is the brewing trouble invillages. Most of these migrant workers

come from farming families. Because ofsignificantdisruptioninsupplychainsasaresult of the lockdown, farmers are stuckwithalargeamountofproduce,especiallyofperishables likemilk, fruitsandvegeta-bles, flowers and even poultry meat andeggs. Due to this glut, farmprices are col-lapsing, pushing farmers intodestitution.Manyof themaredumpingmilkandveg-etables on the roads. With the procure-mentseasonforrabicropshavingstarted,themandi systemwill choke, and socialdistancingwill go for a toss if immediatesteps are not taken to organise procure-mentoperationsinanorderlymanner.Thewisdom lies in converting this crisis intoan opportunity for reforming the agri-marketingsystem.Herearea fewsugges-tionsthatmayhelptoputtheagri-systemonanefficientpath.One,abolish/reframetheAPMCActand

encourage direct buying of agri-producefrom farmers/farmer producer organisa-tions (FPOs). The companies, processors,organised retailers, exporters, consumergroups, that buy directly from FPOs neednotpayanymarket feeastheydonotavailthefacilitiesofAPMCyards.Two,theware-houses canalsobedesignatedasmarkets,and thewarehouse receipt system can bescaledup.Theprivatesectorshouldbeen-couragedtoopenmandiswithmodernin-frastructure,cappingcommissions.Three,futures trading should be encouraged byallowingbankingfinancetohedgeforcom-modityprice risks.Four, promote e-NAM through proper

assayingandgradingtheproduceandset-ting up dispute settlement mechanism;rope inmajor logisticsplayers fordeliveryof goods. Five, procurementmustbe stag-geredthroughcouponsandincentivesthatgivefarmersanadditionalbonusforbring-ingproduce to themarketafterMay10,orso.Andsix,theamountprovidedunderPMKisanshouldbeincreasedfromRs6,000toatleastRs10,000perfarmingfamilytopar-tially compensate themfor their losses.Besidesthese, I feel,astheleaderof the

largest democracy, Prime MinisterNarendraModiwould benefit by taking aleaf out of the book of President DonaldTrump.Modishouldleadfromthefrontbyholdingdailypressbriefingsandannouncea country-wide relief package amountingtoaround8-10percentofGDP.Once the fire-fighting is over, India

needstoevaluatetheWHO’sroleinthisfi-asco. The January14 tweet fromtheWHOstated: “Preliminary investigations con-ducted by the Chinese authorities havefoundno clear evidence of human-to-hu-man transmission of the novel #coron-avirus(2019-nCOV)identifiedin#Wuhan,#China.”Thisnowappearsbizarreandmis-leading.Whateverthecausesofthisdisasterare,

it isclear that theWHOfailed in itsdutytoraise the alarm in time. Indiamust ask forfundamentalreformsintheUNSystem,in-cluding theWHO,making it more trans-parent, competent, andaccountable.

Gulati is InfosysChairProfessor forAgricultureat ICRIER

ChristianMcMillen

Epidemicdiseasesdonotoccuroutsideofahumancontext.Thisiswhyunderstandingtheirhistoryissoimportant

After thefire-fightingUsetheCOVIDcrisis to transformtheagri-marketingsystem

CR Sasikumar

Amomentofrebuildingisonus.Bestmindsmustcontribute

IAMbewildered.Inthelast30years,thelead-ershipofthisworldhasbeenincompetentandnegligent.Theyhavestruttedaroundlikeim-mortals.Countryaftercountryhashammerednature and avoided dealing with climatechangeandglobalwarming.Seldomhavetar-gets and commitments for preventing envi-ronmentaldisasterbeenachievedandsuperpowers like theUS have even pulled out oftheirpastclimatechangeagreements.China,overthesedecades,encouragedtheirwildlifemarketsandthetradeinanimalspeciesbothformedicinal and foodpurposes. Theywerewarnedmany times aboutmutating virusesandtheirpossibleimpact,butchosetoignore.The natural world over the last three

decadeshasbeendevastated.Andoverthesedecades,ourbusinessleadersandtheirgreedfocusedonlyontheso-calledeconomy,andevery year they ran off to Davos to restatetheirmission. Yes, this super rich commu-nity lost the plot. They just could not givebacktonature, theironlydesirewastotake.People like Bill Gates are exceptions. Ourglobal leaders are inspired by big business.It has become the newmantra of life andeveryone aspires formore. Nature gets in-creasinglyexploited.Thensuddenly theco-ronamissile explodes. It mutates from theWuhan wildlife market in China and en-velopstheworld.Lifestops.TheDavosdreamvanishes. Thousands die, and economies

gasp for breath. There are no supermen tofightthismonster.Mortalityishigh,bordersaresealed.Adeathlyquiet.Nature’srevenge,orthefirstseriouswarningtolifeonearth—lookatitasyouwill.Theworldwillneverbethesameagain.Will theworld ever learn?Will we stop

thebillionsspentonwargamesandthearmsrace?Canwerestartourlivesinsimplerwaysafter this virus fades? Dowe have a designforlivingwheretheaspirationforsuper-lux-ury does not determine eitherwhatwe door howwe do it? Canwe hold each other’shandintimesofneedwithoutburrowinginour selfish holes? Canwe create a new erathat gives back to nature? Canwe give ourbillionstoendingthehorrorsofnewviruseswe have created by our never-ending ex-ploitation? Can we even have a dialogueacross the world with amore human faceandwithreal truths,notdeception?CanwereviewandrewritethechartersoftheUnitedNationsandWHO?Theyhavenotonlyfailedus but their bureaucracies need to be re-tooled in order to face the crisis we are in.They have been completely inadequate inboth theirpreparationandarticulation.Our past is full of ugly andmonstrous

deeds. If we go on as we have done newviruseswilldestroyallofhumanity.Weneedto restart ourplanet inavibrant and innova-tiveway. Let us never forget that thosewho

arefightingthisvirustosurvivearethosewhocreateditinthefirstplacebytheirshort-termtwistedprioritiesandgoals.Hopefully, someof themhave learnt a lesson. Hopefully, themacabrewildlifemarketswill close forever.Hopefully,ourbillions,insteadofgoingwasteonwargames,willgo intoscientificresearchthatpreventsfutureviruses.Itmustgoinnon-invasive solutions that reduce green housegases and globalwarming. Sadly, it is afterdeath and suffering that pollution levels aredownandtheairqualityisbetter.LessexhaustfumesandCO2arebeingpumpedintotheair.Therearenoplanes flying.Butall thisshouldhave been the normwithout the horrors ofthisvirus.Hopefully,whenthisisover,thenat-uralworldwillget itsdue.Letme now focus on India. It will take a

fewmonths of rigorous curfew to dealwiththe firstwave of this deadly disease.Maybetheheatwillhelp.Itgetshottereachday.Heatcreates virus instability. As soonas it settles,wewill require our PrimeMinister to bringin an era of reconciliation between politicalleadersandtheirparties.Non-partisangover-nance andpolicy is the need of the hour. Bythistime,wewouldbeteeteringoneconomiccollapsethatcouldcauseseriouslawandor-der issues. If the Nyaya scheme in theCongressmanifestoisthebest,thenwemustimplementit.Allforceswillhavetounite.Ourelectronicmediamust stop the nonsense it

spewsandthebizarreconflictandbickeringit encourages. It will not be amoment forthosewho spewconflict andviolence. Theywillhavetobequarantinedforever.Weneedthebestminds ineveryparty toworkunderthe PrimeMinister and we need the bestideas to restructure and restart our engines.Peoplewillwantpeaceafterthiswar.Nobodyis interested in the ridiculous verbal brawls,andthenastysarcasticremarksbetweenpar-tiesandpoliticiansorthehorrorsofourmis-chievous electronicmedia. It will be amo-ment for rebuilding and an opportunity todesignanewwaytoprogressintothefuture.Itnolongermattershowsevereourvirus

wave is.When it settles,wewilldesperatelybesearchingforanewbeginning,newsolu-tionsthatarenon-invasiveandprotectlifeonearth.Thebestmindsineveryfield,irrespec-tive of their political leanings, will have tocometogetherfor it.Thatkindof teamefforthastobeledbytheprimeministerwhomustuniteoneandallandleadfromthefront.Wemustreconcileourdifferences,unite,governwithout divides andbeprepared to use thismoment todeliveranewIndia.Theworld isliterallygaspingforbreath.Weallneedanewkind of oxygen — a new design for living.Without itwewillgonowhere.

Thapar isauthorofTigerfireandhas spentnearly40yearsworkingwithwild tigers

Press restartValmik Thapar

FROM PLATE TO PLOUGH

byAshokGulati


THEOUTBREAK TheWorld


UNITEDKINGDOM

Assangesecretlyfatheredtwochildren:PartnerLondon: Julian Assangesecretly fathered twochildrenwhile living in-side the Ecuadorian em-bassyinLondon,hispart-ner has revealed as shefiled a bail plea in a UKcourt to seek his releaseamid growing healthfears due to the coron-avirus pandemic. StellaMoris, who gave birth toGabriel, 3, andMax,1, af-ter what she said was a“strong intellectual andemotional bond” devel-opedwith Assange, saidtherewere now genuinefears for his health as heremains behind bars atBelmarsh prison inLondon fighting extradi-tion to the US on espi-onagecharges.

JulianAssange

PANDEMICWATCH

IRAN

With117newdeaths,toll risesto4,474Tehran:IranonSundayan-nounced 117newdeathsfrom the coronavirus,bringingtheofficialtoll to4,474, even as it easedsomerestrictionsthathadbeenimposedtoslowthespread of the illness.Health ministryspokesman KianoushJahanpouralsotoldapressmeetthat1,657newinfec-tionshadbeenconfirmedin the past 24 hours, tak-ingthetotalto71,686.Iranhas carried out 263,388testsforthevirussofar,headded.Ofthoseconfirmedtobe infectedandadmit-ted to hospitals, 43,894have recovered andbeendischarged, while 3,930areinacriticalcondition.

NEPAL

ThreeIndiannationalstestpositiveforvirusKathmandu:ThreeIndiannationals, who enteredNepal fromIndia forare-ligious mass gatheringand were staying at amosque in the southernpart of the country, havetested positive for thenovel coronavirus, thehealthministryheresaidon Sunday. The threeIndianmen, aged 37, 44and 55 years, were stay-ing at the mosque inBirgunj city, 135 kilome-ters south of the capitalKathmandu, due to thenationwide lockdownwhichhasbeenextendedby another eight days tillApril 15.

MARIACASPANI&JONATHANALLENNEWYORK,APRIL 12

THE UNITED States surpassedItalyonSaturdayas thecountrywith thehighest reported coro-navirus death toll, recordingmore than 20,000 deaths sincetheoutbreakbegan,accordingtoaReuters tally.The grim milestone was

reached as President DonaldTrumpmulled over when thecountry, which has registeredmore than half amillion infec-tions,mightbegintoseeareturntonormality.TheUnitedStateshasseenits

highestdeathtolls todate intheepidemic with roughly 2,000deathsadayreportedforthelastfour days in a row, the largestnumberinandaroundNewYorkCity. Even that is viewed as un-derstated,asNewYorkisstill fig-uring out howbest to include asurgeindeathsathomeinitsof-ficial statistics.Public health experts have

warned the US death toll couldreach200,000overthesummerif unprecedented stay-at-homeorders that have closed busi-nessesandkeptmostAmericansindoorsareliftedwhentheyex-pireat theendof themonth.Most of the curbs, however,

including school closures andemergencyorderskeepingnon-essential workers largely con-fined to home, flow from pow-ersvestedinstategovernors,notthepresident.

Nonetheless,Trumphassaidhewantslifetoreturntonormalas soon as possible and that themeasures aimed at curbing thespread of the COVID-19 diseasecausedbythenovelcoronaviruscarry their own economic andpublic-healthcost.Speaking by telephonewith

FoxNews on Saturday evening,Trumpsaidhewouldmakeade-cision “reasonably soon,” basedon the advice of “a lot of verysmartpeople,alotofprofession-

als,doctorsandbusinessleaders.”Hesaid“instinct”wouldalso

playa role.InNewYork, the state’s gov-

ernorandNewYorkCity’smayorengagedinafreshsquabbleovertheir efforts tocombat thevirusinwhatisnowtheglobalepicen-ter, in this instance over howlongschoolsmight stayclosed.The state was sometimes

slowertoimposesocial-distanc-ing curbs than elsewhere, no-tably California, while New

York’s twomost powerful offi-cials, both Democrats, some-timesdisagreedovermattersofjurisdiction and the best termi-nology for certainmeasures.They have not appeared in

public together sinceMarch2.OnSaturdaymorning,Mayor

Bill deBlasiodeclared thatNewYorkCity’spublicschoolswouldnolongerreopenonApril20butstayclosedfor therestof theac-ademic year, saying it was “theright thing todo.”

NewYorkGovernorAndrewCuomo, however, later used hiswidelywatcheddailynewscon-ference to dismiss themayor’sedictasmerelyan“opinion,”andsayhewouldmakehis ownde-cisiononschool closures.Thegovernmenthassaidthe

economy shed 701,000 jobs inMarch. That was the most joblossessince theGreatRecessionand ended the longest employ-ment boom inU.S. history fromlate2010. REUTERS

Headstones intheMountZionCemeteryduringtheoutbreakof thecoronavirusdisease intheQueensboroughofNewYorkCity.Reuters

YOSHITASINGHNEWYORK,APRIL 12

US PRESIDENT Donald Trumpwaswarnedaboutthepotentialforapandemicbutherepeatedlyplayeddown the seriousness ofthevirusandfocusedinsteadoncontrollingthemessage,protect-ing gains in the economy andbatting away warnings fromsenior officials, a lengthy inves-tigative report in a leadingAmericannewspaperhas said.The report in The New York

Times revealed that therewerewarnings from the intelligencecommunity,nationalsecurityaidesandgovernmenthealthofficialsaboutanimpendingpandemic.“Anexaminationreveals the

presidentwaswarnedaboutthepotentialforapandemicbutthatinternal divisions, lack of plan-ning andhis faith inhis own in-stinctsledtoahaltingresponse,”theNYTsaid.“TopWhiteHouseadvisersas

wellasexpertsdeepintheCabinetdepartments and intelligenceagencies all soundedalarmsandurgedaggressiveactiontocounterthe threat from the coronavirus,but President Trump remainedslowtorespond,”itsaid.

Trump's views were“coloured”bylong-runningdis-putes inside the administrationoverhowtodealwithChinaandhisownsuspicionofthemotiva-tions of officials insidewhat heviewedas the“DeepState.”Trump's top trade adviser

PeterNavarrowroteina"searingmemo”attheendofJanuarysay-ingthatinaworst-casescenario,30percentof theUSpopulationwouldbeinfected,leadingtothedeaths ”on the order of a half amillionAmericansouls.”Inrecentdays,Trumphasde-

niedthathesawthememoatthetime but “The Times report re-vealsaidesraiseditwithhim...andthathewasunhappythatNavarrohadputhisideasinwriting.”PTI

AT THE WESTERN WALLOnlyafewworshipperswerepresentduringthepriestlyblessing,a traditionalprayerwhichusuallyattracts thousandsofworshippersat theWesternWallontheholidayofPassover, in Jerusalem’sOldCityonSunday. Reuters

ASSOCIATEDPRESSTELAVIV,APRIL 12

THE CORONAVIRUS pandemichas forcedmilitaries andmili-tias to adapt to an invisible en-emy, even as traditional con-flicts grindon.Armies have had to enforce

social distancing rules amongtroops while helping with na-tional outbreak containmentandpostponingmaneuvers.OnThursday,SaudiArabiade-

clared a temporaryhalt to fight-inginYemenbecauseofthepan-demic, while in Libya andAfghanistanconflictsare intensi-fying despite UN appeals for aglobal cease-fire. Anoutbreak inpoor or war-scarred nationswouldbeparticularlydevastating.Before thepandemic, Israel's

military kept tabs on the Iran-backed Hezbollah militia inLebanon, carried out occasionalairstrikes against Iran'smilitarypresenceinSyriaandretaliatedforsporadicrocketfirefromtheGazaStrip.Now troops are beingmo-bilisedtohelppoliceenforcequar-antines, assist the elderly orpro-videchildcareforhealthworkers.Spurredbyconcernover the

pandemic, the Saudi-led coali-tion fighting the Iran-backedHouthirebelsinYemendeclaredatemporarycease-fireafter fiveyears of war. The Houthis havedismissedtheofferasaployandclashes continue, casting doubtovera futurepeaceagreement.TheUNhadcalledforanend

toescalating fightingsoauthor-ities can confront the coron-

avirus.Yemenconfirmeditsfirstcase this week, while foreignbackers Iran and Saudi Arabiahave struggled to stemmassiveoutbreaks. Evenmodest hopesforpeacetalksinYemenstandincontrast to Libya, where rivalforceshave ignoredhumanitar-ianpleasforacease-fire,seekingtoexploitthediplomaticvoidleftby thepandemic.MilitiasalliedwiththeTripoli

government have expandedtheir use of Turkish drones, atonepointattackinganaircraftal-legedly carryingmedical sup-pliesandprotectivegear.

REUTERSSHANGHAI, APRIL 12

CHINAISsteppingupscrutinyofinboundforeignersandtighten-ingbordercontrolafterthenum-berofsingle-dayimportedcoro-navirus cases set a record,helping double the daily num-berofnewlydetectedinfections.New confirmed cases in

mainland China reached 99 onApril 11 from 46 the previousday, with all but two involvingtravellers from abroad. In com-mercial hub Shanghai, 51Chinesenationalsflyinginonthesame flight from Russia testedpositive. “The risk of importedcases has increased dramati-cally,” Wen Guohui, mayor ofGuangzhou,aneconomichubinSouthernChina,toldanewscon-ferenceonSunday.Guangzhouisenforcinganti-

virusmeasures on anyonewhoenters the city from across thenationalborder,regardlessofna-tionality, raceorgender, foreignaffairs official Liu Baochun saidat thesameevent.“We hope foreigners can

strictlyabidebyanti-virus rulesasChinesedo,”hesaid.“At the moment, the epi-

demic is still spreading rapidlyoverseas,soChina’scoastal,ma-jorcitieswithcloseinternationalcontact are highly vulnerable,and could see the epidemiccomebackagain,”China’sseniormedicaladvisorZhongNanshantold the official People’s Dailynewspaperinaninterviewpub-lishedonSunday.

AGENCIESLONDON,APRIL 12

BRITISH PRIMEMinister BorisJohnson was discharged fromhospital on Sunday, a DowningStreetspokespersonsaid,aweekafter being admitted for treat-ment for coronavirus.Johnson,55,wasadmittedto

St Thomas' hospital, in London,on last Sunday — 10 days aftertestingpositive for thevirus.Hehadthreenightsininten-

sive care before returning to award on Thursday. "On the ad-viceofhismedicalteam,thePM

willnotbe immediately return-ing towork.Hewishes to thank

everybodyat St Thomas' for thebrilliant carehehas received," aspokespersonsaid.Meanwhile,Johnson’sgovern-

mentcameundermountingpres-suretoexplainwhythedeathtollwas rising so fast. Britainhas re-ported twodays in a rowof hos-pital deaths increasing bymorethan 900people. Friday’s deathtoll of 980 surpassed thehighestrecordedinasingledayinItaly.TheBritishgovernmenthas

had to defend its response,which has included carryingout far less testingthaninsomeother European countries andorderinga lockdownthatcame

comparatively late.Health minister Matt

HancocksuggestedduringaBBCradiointerviewonSaturdaythatBritain’s dailydeath toll hadex-ceeded Italy’s because it had abigger population. TheUKpop-ulationisabout66millionwhileItaly’s is60million.When askedwhy Germany,

with a population of about 83million, hadmuch lower num-bers,hesaid:“TheGermansitu-ation isone I lookata lot.”Ministers have insisted that

the government took the rightstepsattherighttime,guidedbyscientific advice.

OTHERTOPGLOBAL STORIES

ASSOCIATEDPRESSKABUL,APRIL 12

THE TALIBAN announcedSunday it will be releasing 20Afghan government prisonersthe group has been holding, inthe first phase of its commit-ment under its historic peacedealwith theUnitedStates.Thedealcalls for thegovern-

ment to release 5,000 Talibanprisoners in exchange for 1,000governmentofficialsheldbytheTaliban.TheAfghangovernmentreleaseditsfirst100Talibanpris-onerslastweekandJawedFaisal,a spokesman for Afghanistan'snationalsecurityadviser,saidthegovernmenthasthusfarreleased

300 Taliban prisoners overallfromgovernmentcustody.Suhial Shaheen, a

spokesmanfortheTaliban'spo-liticaloffice, said ina tweet thatthe first governmentprisonerswill be handed over to theInternationalCommitteeof theRed Cross in southernKandahar.The exchanges come after

theTalibanmetwiththeheadofUS forces in Afghanistan to callforanendtowhat theysay isanincrease in American attackssinceapeacedealwassigned inFebruary,allegationstheUSmil-itary denied. On Saturday, a USmilitary spokesman called onthe Taliban to stop attackingAfghansecurity forces.

ANISURRAHMANDHAKA,APRIL 12

BANGLADESHONSunday exe-cutedaformermilitarycaptainforhisinvolvementinthe1975coupinwhich the country's founderBangabandhu SheikhMujiburRahmanwasassassinated,nearlyfour-and-a-halfdecadesafterthehighprofilemassacre.AbdulMajedwas hanged at

12.01 am (local time), LawMinisterAnisulHuqtoldPTI.Anofficial of theDhaka Central JailatKeraniganjontheoutskirtsofthecapitalsaidthatadoctorde-claredMajeddeadat12.15am.

Inspector General of PrisonsBrigadier General AKMMostafaKamalPashaatamediabriefingin front of the jail said that thebodywouldnowbehandedover

tothefamilymembersforburial."Concerned officials who

wererequiredtowitnesstheex-ecution under lawwere pres-ent,"hesaid,addingthiswasthefirst case of execution since theDhakaCentral Jailwasrelocatedat the newly-built facility atKeraniganj twoyearsago.A number of people had

gathered in front of the jail atmidnight,defyingCOVID-19re-strictions, he said, adding thatMajedwasexecutedbyhanging.MajedwasarrestedinDhaka

on Tuesday after hiding in Indiafor nearly two-and-a-halfdecades.OnFriday,Majed'swifeandfourother relativesmethim

fornearlytwohoursintheprison.President Abdul Hamid on

Thursday rejected his mercyplea,removingthelasthurdleforhishanging.A specialised police unit ar-

restedMajed,oneof the fugitiveconvicted Bangabandhu assas-sins, as he returned home afterhiding for nearly two and halfdecadesinIndia.HomeMinisterAsaduzzamanKhanKamal saidthe"selfconfessedkiller"wasnotonly involved inBangabandhu'sassassination but also took partin the subsequent killing of fournational leaders inhighsecurityDhakaCentral Jail onNovember3,1975. PTI

AGENCEFRANCE-PRESSEJERUSALEM,APRIL 12

ISRAEL'SPRESIDENTonSundayrejected parliament speakerBennyGantz's request formoretime to form a government, astalks persist on a possible in-terim alliance with PrimeMinisterBenjaminNetanyahu.Ex-military chief Gantzwas

giventhemandatetoformagov-ernment four weeks ago byPresident ReuvenRivlin follow-ingIsrael'sMarch2election, thecountry'sthirdinconclusivevoteinayear.Then in a surprisemove last

month, Gantz was electedspeakerof Israel'sparliament,or

Knesset, andpledged toseekanemergency unity alliancewithNetanyahu to ease the politicaldeadlock and help the countrytackle thepandemic.Whilehismandatetoforma

government runs until the endofMonday,Gantzwasnolongeractivelyengagedintalkstoforgea coalition led by him as primeminister.Instead, he was widely be-

lievedtobepursuingaunitydealthat would see Netanyahu re-main as premier for a definedperiod, possibly then handingpower toGantz.Despite reports of progress

from the two sides — and fromIsraelimedia—nodealhasbeenagreedupon.

Trump played downcoronavirus crisisamid warnings: NYT

Trump’sviewswerecolouredbyhissuspicionofwhatheviewedasthe‘DeepState’

Pandemic forcesworld militaries toface new enemy

SOUTHKOREAOver450militarymedicalstaff and2,700troopshavebeendeployedtohelpwithtreatmentathospitals, screeningtravellers,enforcingquarantine,producingfacemasksandhelpingtracecontactsof viruscarriers.ThecountryhaspostponeditsmilitaryexerciseswiththeUS.While it isunderconstantthreat fromNorthKorea,expertssaycutback intraining is inevitable.

China stepsup scrutiny oftravellers asimported caseshit record

Apersonpraysat thecloseddoors toWestminsterCathedralonEasterSunday.

UK PM discharged; concern over toll grows

Bangladesh executes former Armyofficer for assassinating Bangabandhu

SheikhMujiburRahmanwaskilled in1975.APFile

Afghan Taliban confirmrelease of govt prisoners

Gantz request for moretime to form govt denied

Reuters

US toll tops 20,000—highest globallyHCQSHIPMENTFROM INDIAREACHESUS

Washington: A consign-ment of hydroxychloro-quine from India hasreached the US, the globalCOVID-19hotspot, days af-ter NewDelhi lifted a banon the export of the anti-malarial drug to Americaand some other countriesonhumanitariangrounds."Supporting our part-

ners in the fight againstCOVID-19.Consignmentofhydroxychloroquine fromIndiaarrivedatNewarkair-port today (Saturday),"India's Ambassador to theUS Taranjit Singh Sandhutweeted.Trumphasboughtmorethan29milliondosesof hydroxychloroquine forpotential treatment.PTI


ECONOMYWWW.INDIANEXPRESS.COM

Market WatchFPIS PULLOUT`9.1KCR INAPRSOFARNew Delhi: Foreign portfolio investors (FPIs) pulled out a net Rs9,103 crore from the Indian markets in April so far as the Covid-19crisis triggered a return to safe haven assets like gold and dollar-denominated securities. PTI

TRUCKSBEINGOFF-ROADED,DEARTHOFLABOURHITSFMCGMANUFACTURERS

PRANAVMUKUL&AASHISHARYANNEWDELHI, APRIL 12

AT A timewhen large nationalfast-moving consumer goods(FMCG) brands are facing diffi-cultiesproducingandtransport-ingmanufactured items to thelast mile, private labels andlesser-known regional brandshave found space on shelves athomesandkiranashops.FMCGmanufacturers have

been facing logistical issues onaccountofmorethan90percentof India’s trucks getting off theroads, aswell as lack of enoughlabour affectingmanufacturingprocesses.“There are some challenges

in securing sufficient suppliesdue to production shortagesfrommanufacturers or trans-portationof theproducts toourlocations, but we are workingclosely with our suppliers andwiththelocalauthoritiestomin-imise and address these chal-lenges. In order to ensure that

our members can seamlesslyprocure essential items acrosscategories,wehavealsorampedupnewproductdevelopmentinourprivatebrandssegmentandfast-tracked commercialisationof products such as sanitizers,liquidwashesandbulkpacksofstaples,” aWalmart spokesper-sonsaid.Similarstepsarebeingtaken

by online grocers too. Bikram

Singh Bedi, president—strategyandnewinitiatives,Grofers,saidrecentlythattheGurgaon-basedonlinegrocerhassteppedonthegaspedal for itsprivate label.“Wehaverampedupmanu-

facturing significantly (for ourprivate label).With this, we areabletoensurethatanyshortageof supplies from large nationalbrands is supplemented withour private labels. In times like

this, direct control over supplywith themanufacturer helps,”Bedipointedout.Smaller mom-and-pop

stores and kirana shop ownersare also strugglingwith acquir-ingstocksofwell-knownbrands.“We had ordered around 50

sacks of 5 kg atta (wheat flour)of a well-known brand. Earlier,thestockusedtolastaweekbe-forewehad to order again. Thistime around, it sold out withinan hour. And now that brand’sdistributor has asked us towaitat least 15 days before the nextstock comes,” a grocery chainshop owner in Greater Noidasaid, adding that locally packedwheatflourwasbeingstockedathis shop for the timebeing.Theconditionisthesamefor

otheritems,suchasrice,biscuitsand even jam.Many big brandssuchasDaburIndiaandITChaveexpresseddifficulties inprocur-ingrawmaterialsandsupplyingfinishedgoods to themarket.Anothergroceryshopowner

in East Delhi said that some lo-calbrandshavestartedpushing

their products to shopkeepers,and because of lack of topbrands, products like biscuits,jam,tomatoketchup,etc.ofevenlesser-knownbrandswere sell-ing likehotcakes.AsofApril6,DaburIndiahad

reported logistical issues, andhad said that while the centralgovernment had issued guide-lines to ensure smooth passageofgoods,theimplementationonground was still short of themark. “Proper implementationof these guidelines on thegroundwould ensure seamlessmovementacrossstatesanden-able timelydeliveryof thesees-sential products to end-con-sumerhouseholdsacrossIndia,”Shahrukh Khan, the company’sexecutivedirectorofoperations,hadthentoldTheIndianExpress.Executives at other MNCs

saidthattheyweretryingtoon-boardmore local suppliers andwhite label production units toovercome the logistical chal-lenges of sending their ownproduct to all markets of thecountry.

BRIEFLYGoldETFswitnessinflowsin2019-20NewDelhi:Investorsinfusedover Rs 1,600 crore in goldexchange-traded funds(ETFs) in 2019-20, afterpulling outmoney for thelastsixfinancialyears,asthecoronavirus outbreakspurredsafe-havenbuying.Given the threat posed bythecoronaviruspandemictothe global economy andmarkets, this segmentmaycontinuetogaintractiongo-ing ahead, saidHimanshuSrivastava, senior analystmanager research,Morningstar India. The in-flows meant asset undermanagement(AUM)ofgoldfundssurgedby79percenttoRs7,949 crore at the endof March 2020, from Rs4,447 crore inMarch-end2019, data from theAssociationofMutualFundsinIndia(Amfi)showed. PTI

PNBtoretainstakeintwolifeinsurancecosNew Delhi: State-ownedPunjabNationalBank(PNB)will retain stake in two lifeinsurance ventures as thelender has got permissionfrom InsuranceRegulatoryandDevelopmentAuthorityof India (IRDAI). FollowingthemergerofOrientalBankof Commerce on April 1with PNB, 23 per cent ofstakeoftheformerinCanaraHSBC OBC Life Insurancestands transferred to latter.Already, the state-ownedlender isapromoterofPNBMetlife Insurancewith thehighest stakeof 30percentsince2012. PTI

FMCGcompaniesnowofferingwhitelabelproducts

MOSTOFthewhite label companiesmanufactureproducts forotherbiggerbrands,andsell theirownitemsonaverysmall scale inareasnear theirproductionunits.As thebiggerFMCGcompanieshavebeenunable to

procure the finishedgoods fromthesesmallerunits, theyhavestartedoffering the finishedproducts in labelandcompany lesspackages toshopsacrossDelhiandsurroundingareas.

LALITKJHAWASHINGTON,APRIL12

INDIAIS likely torecord itsworstgrowth performance since the1991liberalisationthisfiscalyearas the coronavirus outbreak se-verelydisrupts theeconomy, theWorld Bank said on Sunday.India’s economy is expected togrow1.5percentto2.8percentintheFY21whichstartedonApril1,theWorldBank said in its SouthAsiaEconomicFocusreport.ItestimatedIndiawillgrow4.8

percentto5percentinthe2019-20fiscalthatendedonMarch31.TheCOVID-19outbreakcame

at a timewhen India’s economywas already slowingdue toper-sistent financial sector weak-nesses,thereportsaid.Tocontainit, the government imposed alockdown, shutting factoriesandbusinesses, suspending flights,stopping trains and restrictingmobilityofgoodsandpeople.“The resultingdomestic sup-

ply anddemanddisruptions (onthe back of weak external de-mand)areexpectedtoresult inasharpgrowthdecelerationinFY21(April 2020 toMarch 2021),” itsaid,addingthattheservicessec-torwillbeparticularlyimpacted.A revival in domestic invest-

mentislikelytobedelayedgivenenhancedriskaversiononaglobalscale, and renewed concernsaboutfinancialsectorresilience.“Growth is expected to re-

boundto5%inFiscal2022(2021-22)astheimpactofCOVID-19dis-sipates, and fiscal andmonetarypolicysupportpaysoffwithalag,”theWorldBanksaid.TheWorldBankjoinsachorus

ofinternationalagenciesthathavemadeasimilarcutingrowthesti-matesinrecentdaysonconcernsabouttheCOVID-19outbreak.TheAsianDevelopmentBank

(ADB) sees India’s economicgrowth slipping to 4 per cent inthe current fiscal, while S&PGlobalRatingshasfurtherslashedits GDP growth forecast for thecountryto3.5percentfromapre-viousdowngradeof5.2percent.FitchRatingsputsitsestimate

for India growth at 2 per cent,while India Ratings & ResearchhasreviseditsFY21forecastto3.6percentfrom5.5percentearlier.Moody’sInvestorsServicehas

slasheditsestimateofIndia’sGDPgrowthduring2020calendaryearto2.5percent,fromanearlieres-timateof5.3percent.In its report released on

Sunday, theWorldBank sawtheSouthAsian region, comprisingeight countries, growing by1.8-2.8percent thisyear,downfromthe 6.3 per cent it projected sixmonthsago.Its2019-20estimatefor India

at4.8-5percentis lowerby1.2-1per cent of the estimatemade inOctober 2019. The 1.5 - 2.8 percentgrowthestimatein2020-21islowerthan5.4-4.1percentesti-matedinOctoberlastyear.“The green shoots of a re-

boundthatwereobservableattheendof2019havebeenovertakenby the negative impacts of theglobal crisis,” theWorldBankre-port said, adding India has setaside just over 1per cent of GDPfor programs to increase healthsectorspendingandcompensatetheunemployed,withthebulkofthemoney going towards cashtransfers, freefoodandgascylin-ders,andinterest-freeloans.In a conference callwith re-

porters, World Bank ChiefEconomist for South Asia HansTimmer said India’s “outlook isnotgood.”Andifthedomesticlockdown

is prolonged, then the economicresult can bemuchworse thanwhat theWorld Bank has in itsbaselinerangeof forecasts.Among the steps that India

cantaketoaddressthischallenge,Timmersaidthefirstistofocusonmitigating the spreadof thedis-ease,andtomakesurethatevery-bodyhasfood.“Then,itisveryim-portant toprepare for a reboundandthatmeansthereshouldbeafocus on temporary jobs pro-grammes, especially at the locallevels.Thoseinitiativesshouldbesupported.Andit is important toprevent bankruptcies especiallyof asmall andmediumsizeden-terprise,”Timmersaidinresponsetoaquestion.“Inthelongerrun,thisisreally

anopportunitytobringtheIndianeconomyonsustainablepathnotjust fiscally, but also socially,” hesaid.TheWorld Bank isworking

with India tomitigate the chal-lengeposedbyCOVID-19. It hasapproved $1 billion to India, ofwhichthefirsttranchehasalreadybeen released to deal with theemergencyinthehealthcaresec-tor.Thefirsttrancheaimsatdeliv-

ering civilian diagnostic equip-ment, put inplace additional ca-pacity to dealwith testing andmaketestingavailablethatbene-fits the entire population, saidWorld Bank Vice President forSouthAsiaHartwigSchafer.ItisalsoworkingwithIndiaon

twoadditionaloperations,whichisanticipatedtobereadyinamat-terofweeks.These include, employment,

banking and micro, small andmediumenterprisessector.In its report, theWorld Bank

said that theCOVID-19outbreakhasmagnifiedpre-existing riskstoIndia’seconomicoutlook. PTI

PRESSTRUSTOFINDIANEWDELHI,APRIL12

INDUSTRY CHAMBERConfederation of India Industry(CII)onSundaysuggesteda“slowand staggered” approach to re-openingvarioussectorsbasedonclassification of geographies asred,amberandgreen,dependingupon the incidenceof COVID-19cases.Textilesandapparels,pharma-

ceuticals,foodprocessing,miner-als andmetal, besides e-com-merce, automobiles andchemicalsarethekeysectorsthatneedtorestartoperationsinacal-ibratedmanner,asperareportbyCII.However,priortotheliftingofthelockdown,therehastobead-equatenoticegiventoallandalsothe announcement of an eco-nomicpackage,CIIsaidinastate-ment.Acalibratedandsafeexitfrom

the lockdown, subject to consid-erations being given to the geo-graphical spreadof COVID-19 inthecountry,wouldbeapracticalapproach,saidCII,addingthatthisis an evolving situation andonehastoflexibleinapproach.“Given that the number of

cases has rapidly increased andhotspots have emerged in thecountryoverthelastfewdays,andthat the opening up across thecountrywould need to be slowandstaggered, itwouldbedesir-able tohave three classificationsofgeographiesasred,amberandgreen, basedon the incidenceofCOVID cases,” said CII directorgeneralChandrajitBanerjee.A more complex point is

whether all industries canopen in the green zones andwhich ones should open in theamberzone,assumingthatnonewould be operational in the redzonesotherthanessentialandex-emptservices.

CII suggests calibratedreopening of sectors


COALMINISTERPralhadJoshihaswritten to chief ministers of allstates asking themtonot importthe dry fuel and take domesticsupply of fuel fromstate-ownedCoalIndiaLtd(CIL),whichhasthefossil fuel inabundance.Thedevelopment comesat a

time when there is a drop inpowerdemand in thecountry inthewake of the lockdown im-posedtocontainthecoronavirus.Asourceprivytothedevelop-

mentsaidthe“CoalMinisterafewdaysbackwrotetochiefministersofallthestatesaskingthemtonotimport coal”. Theminister askedthe states to take the domesticsupplyofcoalfromCoalIndiaLtd(CIL)whichhasampleavailabilityof thedryfuel, thesourceadded.The country’s coal import in-

creasedmarginallyby3.2percent

to 242.97 MT in the just-con-cludedfiscal2019-20.Inabid togiveaboost tocoal

demandhitby theongoing lock-down, the government has alsoannounced a slewofmeasureslike increaseddry fuel supply forlinkageconsumers.Joshiannouncedseveralrelief

measuresforconsumersofCIL,in-cluding the power sector, in thewake of situation arising fromcoronavirus, according to coalministry. Theministry also ap-proved relaxation in quantity ofcoalforlinkageconsumers.“Now, they can lift quantities

even beyond their contractedquantity, if coal isavailableat themines,”theministryhadsaid.Now,theauctionswillbeheld

atnotifiedprice.“Thesemeasuresareexpectedtogiveboosttocoaldemand in thepresent situation.Wewill review the situation inSeptember2020 for further con-tinuance,”Joshihadsaid.

‘CMs asked to not importcoal, source domestic fuel’

PRESSTRUSTOFINDIAMUMBAI, APRIL 12

THE CHINESE central bank hasincreased its stake inmortgagelender HDFC Ltd to over 1 percentattheendofMarchquarter,asper statutorydisclosures.People’s Bank of China’s

holding in HDFC stood at1,74,92,909 equity shares, ac-counting for1.01percentof theshare capital of the company asof March-end, as per exchangedata. Equity indices have cor-rectedbyafourthinthelasttwomonths, as fears of coronavirusgrippedinvestorsglobally, lead-ingtoheavysellingthatpossiblyoffered the bottom-fishing op-portunities.Accordingtoreports,Chinese

banks were looking for neweravenuesof investmentsinIndia.The price at which shares

were purchased could not beconfirmed.

HDFCstocksawa33percentcorrection during January-Marchquarter-fromRs2,433.75on January 1 to Rs 1,630.45 onMarch31.Ithadhita lowofRs1,501.80

apiece on the BSE onMarch 24,fromwhere it saw a sharp rallytoRs1,754onMarch27.Central banks typically have

investments in various assetclasses including gold, foreigncurrencies and also bonds, in-cluding both government andcorporateones.

China central bank buysover 1% stake in HDFC Ltd

PRESSTRUSTOFINDIAMUMBAI, APRIL 12

THE GLOBAL economy is likelyto facemore financial pains asthe dollar swap cost has spikedto historic levels, reflecting theincreased need for currencyhedgingbygovernments,corpo-rates and investors outside theUS, warns a paper by the Bankfor International Settlements(BIS).In the wake of the coron-

avirus pandemic, which hasbroughttheworldtoastandstill,the dollar premiumhas startedshooting over the roof, forcingthe US Federal Reserve to openforexswaplineswithatleastfivecentralbanksonMarch15.Governments around the

world are looking to raise fundsineffortstofightagainstthepan-demic,thathaskilledover1lakh

peoplebesidesinfectingmillionsindifferentpartsof theworld.The paper by the

Switzerland-headquarteredBIS,often described as the centralbank for central banks, notedthat dollar funding cost in for-eignexchangemarketshasrisensharply, reflecting demand andsupplyfactorsfollowingthepan-demicandthecurrencyhedgingneedsof corporates andportfo-lio investorsoutside theUS.Over The Counter (OTC) de-

rivativesdataavailablewith theBIS shows that outstandingglobal debt at the end of June2019 stood close to $86 trillion,withforexswapsaccountingforan estimated three-quarters ofthe total amount. Not surpris-ingly,thedollarisalmostalwaysone of the two currencies ex-changed(89percent)andthree-quartersof itareunder-one-yearmaturity.

Nearly89percentofthe$86-trillion global debt pile is de-nominated in the greenback,whichmeansanyincreaseinthedollar swap premiumwill havean equal amount of additionalinterestburdenongovernments,

corporationsandotherborrow-ers, asper thepaper.There can bemore financial

pains for the global economyasthedollarswappremiumspikes,heavilyburdeningthosenationsbeyondtheUSFedReserve’sdol-

lar-swap lines, it said.The US Federal Reserve

opened forex swap lines withtheEuropeanCentralBank,Bankof Japan,BankofEngland,SwissNational Bank and the Bank ofCanada onMarch 15, bringingdown themassive premium tosomeextent.Still, broader policy chal-

lengesremaintoensurethatdol-lar fundingmarkets remain re-silient and that central bankliquidity is channelled beyondthe banking system. “Since theonset of the pandemic, dollarfunding cost in forex marketshaverisensharply, approachinglevels last seenduring the2008crisis.“One such measure is the

forex swap basis, which is thedifferencebetweenthedollarin-terest rate in themoneymarketand the implied dollar interestratefromtheforexswapmarket

wheresomeoneborrowsdollarsbypledginganothercurrencyascollateral,”thepapersaid.Aneg-ative forex swap basis meansborrowing dollars through theswaps is more expensive thanborrowing in the dollarmoneymarket, the paper said, addingthat in normal times, the swapbasis is close to zero, as an arbi-trageurcanexploitthebasisandsupplydollars in the swapmar-ket topocket thedifference.“A large negative basis re-

flects a scarcity of dollar fund-ing,” it said.This pre-agreed exchange

rate is called the ‘forward rate’,and defines an implicit interestrateonthedollarrelativetothatin euros given the current spotexchange rate and converts do-mestic currency into dollars,thereby gaining access to dollarfunding on a currency-hedgedbasis.

AsFMCGmakers strugglewith logistics,private labels& local brands get a break

CUTSFORECASTFORFY20FROM5%TO4.8%

■ In itsSouthAsiaEconomicFocusreportreleasedonSunday, theWorldBanksawtheregion—comprisingeightcountries—growingby1.8-2.8percent thisyear,downfromthe6.3percentitprojectedsixmonthsago

■Tohelp Indiamitigate thechallengeposedbythecoronaviruspandemic, theWorldBankhasapproved$1billionto India,ofwhichthefirst tranchehasalreadybeenreleasedtodealwiththeemergency inthehealthcaresector

RELEASESSOUTHASIA ECONOMIC FOCUS


THEMSME sectorwill tide overthe huge blow caused by thelockdown, and reduce chineseimportdependencebyrampingupdomesticmanufacturingwiththe government support, UnionMinisterNitinGadkarihassaid.In a video-conferencewith

PTI, theMSMEminister said thegovernmentwasworking on a“war footing” to resolve issues -likeworking capital crunch andaccess to affordable financing -facedbythesector,asmillionsofunitsstareatstaggering losses.Gadkarisaidthecommittees

constituted by the PrimeMinister’s Office are continu-ouslymonitoring and assessingthe situation on the ground andwould suggest if andwhen thelockdowncanbeliftedincertainsectors fornormaloperations to

resume, and added that “workshould begin where possiblewhilekeepingthevirusatbay”.TheMSMEMinistersaidnea-

rly8-10lakhunitswillberestruc-tured in coming days, assertingthatownerswillhavetotakecareof theirworkersandputinplacemechanismsforpropersanitisa-tion as a preventive measureoncetheyreturntowork.Gadkari also informed that a

Rs10,000crore “Fundof Funds”has been approved by theFinance Committee andwill beplacedbeforetheUnionCabinetfor approval. This fund, he said,will facilitate MSMEs to raisemoney from the capitalmarket,asaportionoftheirequitywillbepurchasedbythegovernment.“Wewill encourageMSMEs

to enter the capitalmarket andattract foreign investments, in-crease exports from the sectorthrough large-scale productionandcreate jobs,”hesaid.Heobservedthatthegovern-

mentwaswell aware of the is-sues faced bymicro, small andmediumenterprises, and pack-ages announced by the FinanceMinisterwill set inmotion a re-covery for thesector.Gadkarisaidthatrecommen-

dations of the UK SinhaCommittee appointed by theReserve Bank of Indiawill soonbe implemented.

Gadkari: Govt working on ‘war footing’to resolve issues faced by MSME sector

World Bank sees FY21 Indiagrowth at 1.5-2.8%, slowest sinceeconomic reforms 3 decades ago

Green certificate sales up 79%to 8.38 lakh inMarchSales of RECs rose over 79 per cent to 8.38 lakh units inMarch, as against 4.68 lakh in the samemonth a year ago

5.2 lakhNumber of RECs traded onthe Indian Energy Exchange(IEX) in March, compared to2.25 lakh in year-ago month

3.18 lakhNumber of RECs traded on thePower Exchange of India(PXIL) last month, as against2.43 lakh in March 2019

HIGHSUPPLYBothnon-solarandsolarRECswitnessedsupplyatthetwopowerexchangesinMarch:BIDSRECEIVEDATIEX

■Buybidsfor6.93lakhRECs■Sellbidsfor26.84lakhRECs

BIDSRECEIVEDATPXIL■Buybidsfor3.73lakhRECs■Sellbidsfor5.59lakhRECs

OVERALLBIDS■Buybidsfor10.66lakhRECs■Sellbidsfor32.43lakhRECs

WHATARERECs?Renewableenergycertificates

(RECs)areatypeofmarket-basedinstrument.OneRECiscreatedwhenonemegawatthourofelectricity isgeneratedfromaneligiblerenewableenergysource

REQUIREMENTUNDERRPOUndertherenewablepurchaseobligation(RPO),bulkpurchaserslikediscoms,openaccessconsumersandcapacitiveusersarerequiredtobuycertainproportionofRECs

Source: IEX/PXIL/PTI

“Wewill encourageMSMEs to enter thecapitalmarket andattract foreigninvestments, increaseexports fromthe sectorthrough large-scaleproduction andcreatejobs”

NITINGADKARIUNIONMSMEMINISTER

Aworkeratgrocerystorespaysandwipesdownashoppingcart inChicago, Illinois,US. Reuters

People’sBankofChina’sholdinginHDFCstoodat1,74,92,909equityshares,accountingfor1.01percentofthesharecapitalofthecompanyasofMarch-end,asperexchangedata

PAPER BY BANK OF INTERNATIONAL SETTLEMENTS SAYS DOLLAR FUNDING COST IN FOREX MARKETS UP SHARPLY

‘World stares at debt pains as dollar swap premium shoots over the roof’

Vol. LXIVNo. 86 Printed for the proprietors, The Indian Express (P) Ltd byMs Vaidehi Thakar at The Indian Express Press, Plot No. EL-208, TTC Industrial Area,Mahape, NaviMumbai - 400710 and published from 1st floor, Express Towers, Nariman Point, Mumbai - 400021. Editorial & Administrative Offices: ExpressTowers, Nariman Point,Mumbai - 400021. Phone: 22022627/67440000. Fax: 022-22835726. Chairman of the Board: Viveck Goenka, Chief Editor: Raj Kamal Jha, Editor: Unni Rajen Shanker, Editor (Mumbai): Nirupama Subramanian.* (*Responsible for selection of News under the PRB Act) Additional air surcharge of `1

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SPORTWWW.INDIANEXPRESS.COM

10MOTORRACINGGREATMOSSDIESStirling Moss, the British racing driver who ranked as an all-time Formula One great despite never winning the worldchampionship, died on Sunday at the age of 90 after a longillness.

CROSSWORD4090

ACROSS

1 Does itproduceticker tape?(11)

9 Bill givenbyaretailer (7)

10 SeeSuegoingoutwithameanperson(5)

11 Strikesmayresultwhenthis isputout (4)

12 Hepreferspeopleof goodtaste(8)

14 Arrived likeruralgentry (6)

16 WildherbwebroughtbackfromIsrael (6)

18 Showyroguesgowrong(8)

19 Areaof Palestine (4)

22 Tongueof landsurroundingalakethat’soverflowed(5)

23 Aheavenly intervention?(7)

24 Unfairgossip? (4,7)

DOWN

2 ACaledonianplaceofcourse(5)

3 Abarrel to tap(4)

4 He’snotathomewith legalrules (6)

5 Advanced inarush,butthoughtbetterof it (8)

6 Isheanartisanof somedepth?(7)

7 Hemaydevelopa lightstoopfrombendingoverclinicalcases? (11)

8 Tropicaldisease thatmaymakeonefeelvery low(6,5)

13 Moneyput inbank lately (8)

15 Dealingwithsomeonewithacomplaint (7)

17 Foreignoffice (6)

20 Itmaybecutandpickled(5)

21 Anumbergiventosomeonetosing (4)

ARIES(Mar21-Apr20)At first sightagreatdealmayseemtobeunclear. Switch intoclassicalArienmode

andappreciate thatwhat isverynecessarynowisan instinctiveand intuitiveapproach. Inotherwords, althoughthe factsandfiguresmaybe important, theydon’tnecessarily tell thewholestory.

TAURUS(Apr21-May21)I’d like tobegin theweekwithawordabouthealth, for theplanetsareadopting

oneof thoseclassic formationswhichtendstomakeTaureansfeel so terriblyunder-par. It’svery important thatyoupaceyourself,puttingyour feetupasandwhennecessary.

GEMINI (May22- June21)Mercury is still inacritical relationshipwithaseriesofplanets.We

astrologersdescribe thisparticularpatternaselectrifying, sowait for thesparks to fly—if they’renotalreadydoingso.Thebiggestboneof contentioncouldbemoney,perhapsbecauseyoufoundyourself holdingthebill.

CANCER(June22- July23)Inasenseyouarenowbeingofferedone lastchance.Alast chancetodo

what,youmayask?Thestraightanswer isachancetocompletewhateverwasbeguntwoor threemonthsagoand isstill of veryspecialpersonalimportance.So,whatever’shappened inthemeantime,getonwith it.

LEO(July24-Aug23)Youmay safely leavedomestic initiativesuntil the endof themonthwithout

riskingyour reputation.Today’s lunar inclinations arenicely sociable, so a fine timemaybehad if youmixaswidely aspossible andremember that everyonehas astory to tell.

VIRGO(Aug24-Sep23)Careermattersarehighlightedtoday,althoughwhateverhappensatwork

mayhavestrangelyemotionalovertones.Securityseemstobeoneof themajor issues, sodon’tobject if othersarea littleclingy.Afterall, youhaveoftenreliedontheminthepast.

LIBRA(Sep24-Oct23)It’sallhappening.Theveryspecialfeatures inyoursolarhoroscopeat the

momentareprovidedbythelinksbetweenplanetswhichruleyour inner,private lifeandthosewhich influenceyourpublicaspirations.That’swhyyoumightactuallybeexpressingyourdestiny.

SCORPIO(Oct24-Nov23)Youmustbeawarebynowthat lifeisbecomingincreasinglystrange

andalittlemysterious.Apartnermayhavesomegoodnewslateintheday,sostickaroundandgiveanoldopportunityanewchance.Financialdetailsneedfurtherconsideration,sodon’tberushed.

SAGITTARIUS(Nov24-Dec22)Theentire financialsystemis inastateofflux.Howfar thisaffectsyou is

anothermatter,but Ibelievethatyouarenowinaverystrongpositiontoeffecta long-termreforminyourpersonalaffairs.You’llbeable toslipbetweenthecracksandworkoutyourownsolutions.

CAPRICORN(Dec23- Jan20)Splendidplanetaryaspectsarewakingyoufromyourslumbers. It’sallvery

reminiscentof risingfromatroubleddreamtodiscover justhowmarvellous lifereally is.Eventheoddtraumaoverthenextmonthmayteachyouwhatawonderfulworldwelive in.

AQUARIUS(Jan21-Feb19)Agreatdealof thisweek’scelestialactivityseemstoinvolvethethought

processes. Iwouldn’tsay itwasagoodtimeforharmoniousdiscussionandagreement,moreforoutrageousstatementsandextremepositions.Andthenthere’s thequestionofyoursecret fantasies.Moreaboutthemlater.

PISCES(Feb20-Mar20)I knowIhavewarnedyouabout financialindiscretions in the

recentpast,but I’d like tomakethepointonceagain thatyou’rewalkingatight rope.There isnoroomforerrorandyoumustbeonehundredpercentontheball.A friend,perhapsa femalefriend,maybeable tohelp.

SUDOKU4178

DifficultyLevel5sInstructionsTosolveaSudokupuzzle,everydigitfrom1to9mustappear ineachofthenineverticalcolumns, ineachoftheninehorizontalrowsandineachofthenineboxes.

DifficultyLevel1s=Veryeasy;2s=Easy;3s=Medium;4s=Hard;5s=VeryHard;6s=Genius S

OLU

TIONSUDOKU4177

Givenbelowarefour jumbledwords.Solvethejumblestomakeproperwordsandmovethemtotherespectivesquaresbelow.Selecttheletters intheshadedsquaresandjumblethemtogettheanswerforthegivenquip.Treataworkofart______.Letitspeaktoyoufirst.-ArthurSchopenhauer(4,1,6)

SOLUTION:LEAVE,RIGID,LACUNA,UPTICKAnswer:Treataworkofartlikeaprince.Letitspeaktoyoufirst.-ArthurSchopenhauer

LVAEE AAUCLN

DGIIR CITUKP

SolutionsCrossword4089:Across:1Raised,4Forfeits,9Tithes,10Stunning,12Logs,13Brief,14Flee,17Standingarmy,20Closepursuit,23Tote,24Knots,25Item,28Travesty,29Polite,30Chessman,31Meagre.Down:1Ruthless,2Integral,3Ewer,5Onthewarpath,6Fund,7Icicle,8Signed,11FrankSinatra,15Idols,16Smart,18Hurtling,19Stampede,21Static,22Strafe,26Keys,27Gone.

JUMBLEDWORDS

OVERTHEHEDGE byMichael Fry&TLewis

CALVIN&HOBBES byBillWatterson

MARVIN byTomArmstrong

DAYTODAY BYPETERVIDAL

SHAHIDJUDGEMUMBAI,APRIL12

ON THE evening of April 5, world no. 438SidharthRawat got an email from theATP. Itwasacautionarymessage,warningtheplayerthat a company in Francemay try to get intouchwithhimtoprovidehimfinancialhelpduring the time that the professional tenniscircuitisonhold.Thatemailissaidtohavebeensenttoeveryplayeronthemen’stour.“When I first sawthemessage fromthe

ATP, I thought theywerewarningusaboutsomethingsimilar to those fraudmails thatkeep coming about somebodywhowantsto give us money and all they need is ourbankaccount,”Rawat says. “I haven’tbeenapproached by this company at all. I onlygot to knowof its existence, or that it evenhas thiskindof scheme,whentheATPsentthatmessage.”In the letter, theATPwrites that the com-

pany Atton & Price claims to be starting a‘Tennis Solidarity Fund’ and says it’sworkingcloselywiththetennisgoverningbodies.“TheletterimpliesthattheATP,WTA,and

ITFareworkingwithAtton&Pricetoformthisfund,butthatisnotcorrect.WhileeachofATP,WTA,andITFareexploringoptions for the fi-nancialsupportofourrespectiveplayermem-bersduringthisdifficulttime,wehavenoaffil-iationwithAtton&Price,”readtheATP’sletter.“Duringthistime,weexpectthatyouwill

beapproachedwithvariousoffersforfinan-cial relief.We recommend that you be cau-tious and confirm the legitimacyof anyun-solicitedapproachesthatyoureceivebeforeyoudecide topursue them.”ThetourhasbeensuspendedsinceMarch

12due to the coronaviruspandemic, leavingplayerswithout the incometheywouldhaveearnedasprizemoneythroughtournaments.This lack of fundshas, in particular, been

problematictothelower-rankedplayerswhodonotearnasmuchasthosecompetingintheuppertiersof thesport.Subsequently, world no. 375 women’s

singlesplayerfromGeorgia,SofiaShapatavahadalsostartedanonlinepetitiontoappealto the ITF to provide financial assistance tolower-rankedplayers.Claimingtoeasethestressontheseplayers,

Atton&Price reportedlystartedapproachingthem.Themanagementcompanywasstartedjust over twomonths agoand intend topro-vide funds toplayers ranked from50 to500.According to Frenchnewspaper L’Equipe, thecompany’sinitiativerequiresatleast100play-erstosignapetition,whichwillthenhelpthecompanyclaim20millioneurosfromtheten-nis authorities,whichwould thenbedistrib-utedamongtheplayers.Subsequently,theATPsentthecautionary

emailtoall itsplayers.“Thewhole thinghas been absurd,” says

India no. 4 and world no. 281 SasikumarMukund,whohas alsonotbeenapproachedbyAtton&Price.“PlayersarewellprotectedbytheATP, so it’s abit surprising thatpeopleac-tuallymanagedtoapproachplayersinthisway.Atthesametime,ifthisisallfraudulent,it’sre-allysadthatpeoplearedoingthisatsuchatimewheneveryoneissuffering.”

SoonaftertheATP’semail,thecompanyre-leased a statement from its president EricBrimberg,awealthmanager,andhisbusinesspartnerOlivierRoumelian,abusinesslawyer.“Atton&Pricereiteratesthatitsactionisin-

tendedtohelpthosewhoneeditandthatallof

the peoplewhohave adhered to it and con-tinuetoadheretoorsupport itarenotboundbyanylegalorfinancialobligation,”readsthestatementreportedbyL’Equipe.The company further asserted that they

will be looking to collect a fund fromprivatesponsorswhich theywill distribute amongplayers.Meanwhile,formerworldno,18VijayAmritraj asserted that playerswill have nochoicebuttoendurethislockdownphase.“The unfortunate issue is, like every

other independent contractor or businessin the world, you are not covered for any-thing. The ITF, ATP,WTA, they are all inde-pendent bodies that are prettymuch non-profit,”hetoldThe IndianExpress lastweek.“They don’t have large cash reserves likevarious governmentsmayhave to supportthe system. This is a high-risk venture themomentyoustepintoit,whichiswhereweare all stuckunfortunately.”

ATPwarns of unsolicited helpTennisauthoritiescautionplayersfromjoiningtheinitiativeofaFrenchfirmforcreationofasolidarityfund

Georgia’sSofiaShapatava, ranked375,hasappealedfor financialassistanceto lower-rankedplayers. AP

JEJE COMES TORESCUEOFPEOPLE IN NEEDOFBLOODINDIAN FOOTBALL team striker JejeLalpekhluahascometotherescueofpeo-ple in dire need of bloodwhen it is notreadilyavailableinMizoramduetotheex-traordinary situation arising out of theCOVID-19pandemic.Indiaisunderathree-week lockdown enforced to contain thenovel coronavirus and given the currentsituation,itissetforatwo-weekextension.“Due to the lockdownbloodunits are

notreadilyavailablenowadays.Sothehos-pital connected with the Young MizoAssociation is seeking help. The newsreachedmeandIknewimmediatelywhatIneededtodo,”the29-year-oldstated.“Youcannotkeepquietandsitidledur-

ingsuchcircumstances.”HeimmediatelyrushedtotheSynodHospital inDurtlang,Mizoramtodonateblood.“Uponreceivingthe informationwechalkedoutourplan.We headed to the hospital from theDurtlang branch of YMA. Out of 33whohad reported, 27were deemed fit to do-nate,” Jeje informed. “It’snotaboutmeorsomeone else, it’s about the human racethatneedstofighttogethernow,morethanever."TheYoungMizoAssociation(YMA)isthelargestnon-governmentalvoluntaryorganisationwhich operates primarily inMizoram and some parts of the othernorth-easternstatesaswell.“It issosatisfyingthat Ihavebeenable

toplayaminor role. I thank theAlmightyforgivingmethestrength.”This isnotthefirst time that Jeje has been involved inphilanthropic activities. He has time andagainrosetothecauseinMizoramwhen-everthesituationhasdemanded.

KNOCK, KNOCK, IT’S NICK:KYRGIOSDELIVERS FOODAUSTRALIANTENNISstarNickKyrgioshasapparentlyfollowedthroughonapromisetohelppeoplegoinghungryinthecoronavirusshutdown,withsocialmediaimagesshow-ingboxesofessentialitemspreppedfordeliv-

ery.ThecontroversialKyrgios, infamouslyoutspokenandknownforhisfieryon-courtantics,saidonMondayhewouldpersonallydropfoodondoorstepsafterCOVID-19re-strictionscloseddownentireindustries,forc-inghugenumbersof peopleout ofworkacrossAustralia.Peoplequeueingforwelfarepayments across the countryhavebeenlikenedtoscenesfromtheGreatDepression.“Pleasedon’tgotosleepwithanempty

stomach,” Kyrgios, theworld number 40,posted on InstagramMonday. “Don't beafraidorembarrassedtosendmeaprivatemessage. I will bemore than happy tosharewhatever Ihave. Even just for aboxof noodles, a loaf of bread ormilk. I willdrop it off at your doorstep, no questionsasked!”hesaid inapost thatattractedal-most 100,000 likes. Hismother, NorlailaKyrgios, posted on Instagram over theweekendaphotoofatableladenwithfood—includingbread,fruitandcannedgoods—with the caption “dining roomor fooddistribution centre”. Images of Canberra-basedtennisstar’sInstagramstoriessharedonNewsCorpwebsites showedboxes ofessentials captioned “deliveries inprogress”. It comes justmonths after the24-year-oldledabushfirereliefcampaignthatraisedmillionsofdollars.KyrgiosgaveAUD200($125)foreveryacehehitacrosshishometennis summer,whichranuntiltheendoftheAustralianOpen. AGENCIES

TRACKINGTHE VIRUS

The letter (fromAttonandPrice)implies thatATP,WTAand ITFareworkingwith themto form thisfund, butwehavenoaffiliation.During this period,weexpect youtobe approachedwith variousoffers for financial support.Werecommend that youbecautiousandconfirm the legitimacyof anyunsolicited approach.”ATP’S LETTERTOPLAYERS

NickKyrgios’ Instagramfeedswererepletewithimagesshowingboxesofessential itemspreppedfordelivery.

JOURNALISM OF COURAGEbombaychamber.com/admin/uploaded/NEWS Block/13042020-BCCI... · 2020-04-13 · 2 THESECONDPAGE THEINDIANEXPRESS,MONDAY,APRIL13,2020 Privatelabs modelbutforthelastthree

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