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B arring some States which have decided to extend the lockdown, India will largely open up on June 8 except in containment zones. The Union Home Ministry on Saturday issued guidelines to open up malls, hotels, hospitality ser- vices and religious places from June 8 with strict social dis- tancing norms, like wearing of mask, etc. The decision to open schools and colleges will be decided by the States in con- sultation with stakeholders in July. The lockdown guidelines will be applicable in contain- ment zones up to June 30 and only essential services will be permitted in these areas. The MHA’s new guidelines say after assessment of the sit- uation, opening up of interna- tional airlines, metro rail, cin- ema halls, swimming pools, bars, auditoriums and social political gathering will be decided later. The night curfew will remain in place and movement of individuals shall remain strictly prohibited between 9 pm and 5 am throughout the country, except for essential services. Local authorities are per- mitted to implement Section 144 in this regard, said the MHA giving more power to States. “Schools, colleges, educa- tional/training/coaching insti- tutions etc will be opened after consultations with States and UTs,” the MHA said, adding that the States may hold con- sultations at the institution level with parents and other stakeholders. Based on the feedback, a decision on the re- opening of these institutions will be taken in July, said the MHA. Containment zones’ geo- graphical area and demarcation will be decided by the States and powers are given to local authorities for house to house and patient tracing. States are empowered to demarcate buffer zones outside contain- ment zones were new cases likely to occur, said the MHA. “In the containment zones, only essential activities shall be allowed. There shall be strict perimeter control to ensure that there is no move- ment of people in or out of these zones, except for med- ical emergencies and main- taining supply of essential goods and services,” said the guidelines, empowering local administration for strict implementation to contain Covid-19 pandemic areas. There shall be no restric- tion on inter-State or intra-State movements of persons and goods. However, States are empowered to take a decision on not allowing this based on public health scenario, said the new guidelines. The guidelines insisted that wearing of mask in public places is compulsory and also said that persons above 65 and children below 10 years and pregnant women and patients are advised to stay at home. O ne year into his second term, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday listed abrogation of Article 370 and inclusion of Jammu & Kashmir into the mainstream, criminalising the practice of Triple Talaq, Citizenship Amendment Act, and cross- border air strikes as the “bold decisions” of his Government, which, he said, is on the path to overcoming the coronavirus pandemic with the collective resolve of 130 crore Indians. Addressing the country through a letter, the PM said clearing of several administra- tive bottlenecks, major improvement of infrastructure, and freeing the country from the swamp of corruption in the first term had given the right momentum to the governance in the second term. Modi took note of the fact that the coronavirus had sud- denly put brake on the speed of development of the country which in comparison to nations with powers having great eco- nomic resources and state -of- the-art healthcare system is “besieged with problems amidst a vast population and limited resources.” The PM, however, assured that the country was “on way to overcome the crisis created by the pandemic.” He said India must become self-reliant. “Many feared that India will become a problem for the world when corona hits it. But today, through sheer confi- dence and resilience, you have transformed the way the world looks at us,” he said. In his address, Modi, for the first time, specifically mentioned the troubles faced by the migrant workers due to the lockdown announced on March 24 to contain the pan- demic with many walking on foot to their native destina- tions. “In a crisis of this magni- tude, it can certainly not be claimed that no one suffered any inconvenience or discom- fort. Our labourers, migrant workers, artisans and craftsmen in small-scale industries, hawk- ers and such fellow country- men have undergone tremen- dous suffering,” Modi said. However, the PM said, “We have to take care to ensure that the inconveniences we are facing do not turn into disas- ters” and people have shown patience and followed rules and “this is one of the impor- tant reasons for India being safer and in a better state than many other countries”. “This is a long battle but we have started traversing the path to victory, and victory is our collective resolve,” Modi said. He short-listed feats of his Government in the last one year which also included “ami- cable solution” of the vexed and long-pending Ram Mandir- Babri Masjid dispute by the unanimous SC verdict. I n a bizarre incident, an Air India’s Delhi-Moscow Airbus A-320 Neo (VT-EXR) flight was forced to return midway on Saturday morning after ground team realised that the pilot was tested coro- na positive. The VT-EXR Air India Flight was on its way to Moscow, under the Vande Bharat Mission to bring back stranded Indians. Somewhere near Uzbekistan, the crew was informed that one of the pilots onboard has tested positive for Covid-19 and they were called back immediately as per protocol. This was a ferry flight, so only the crew was on board with around 6 people. The Director General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) will probe the lapses. “Prima facie, this appears to be a lapse” as the pilot was not supposed to be on the plane if he was found pos- itive,” DGCA officials said. W ith tension continuing at the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in Ladakh, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh said here on Saturday that India and China are engaged at diplomatic and mil- itary levels to resolve the face- offs. Making it clear that the issue is bilateral, Rajnath also said this was conveyed to his US counterpart Mark Esper in telephonic conversation on Friday. It is the first time that a Minister has given a statement on the stand-offs. Rajnath also said the coun- try should be assured that, “We will not allow India’s dig- nity to be hurt under any cir- cumstances.” He went on to add that India has always tried to maintain a peaceful relation with its neighbours. “We do not seek to challenge any nation,” he said. A ny hope that the blazing sun or a favourable plane- tary configuration — if not the claustrophobic lockdown or some alternative medicine or malarkey — could slow down the relentless march of coron- avirus across the globe seems to be misplaced. The hopes of any approaching “global peak out” was dashed on May 29 when the world reported 1.25 lakh fresh cases and more than 5,000 deaths. This was the largest single-day spike since the start of the outbreak five months ago in China’s Wuhan province. It was a black Friday for the globe in its fight against the undead enemy. For the better part of May, the world report- ed around 90,000 fresh cases every day. Beginning the month at a figure of 33,94,152, the number swelled to 60,31,023 across the globe on May 29 with the addition of 1,25,048 cases during the day itself. Friday’s 35 per cent spike above the monthly average is a clear pointer to two things: Coronavirus is constantly on the move to find new hunting ground; and removal of lock- down will come with a price. The global picture could be a serious cause of concern for epidemiologists and world leaders who were expecting that at some point in time the virus would lose steam and the world would learn to live it. The globe was reporting around 80K-95K cases till May 10. Then it saw a sudden spike and recorded 1,06,000 new cases on May 25. Commenting on the sudden rise in the num- ber of cases, WHO Director- General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said, “We still have a long way to go in this pandemic.” We are very con- cerned about rising cases in low and middle-income countries.” May 21 was another big day with a spike of 1,00,000 plus cases, followed by May 22 when the world reported 1,07,000 cases. And then came Friday, May 29, when coron- avirus struck in a big way leav- ing 1.25 lakh new patients and over 5,000 dead in a day. It’s obvious that as the world begins to reopen after nearly two-months of lock- down, the virus gears up to take advantage of the securi- ty breach in the geographical terrain it has already con- quered. Secondly, after leaving tens of thousands dead and millions infected in Europe and the USA, the virus has found new theaters of play — South America and India. Bhopal: Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan said on Saturday that the lockdown in the State to contain coronavirus will be extended till June 15. The West Bengal Government too extended the coronavirus-trig- gered lockdown in the State up to June 15 with relaxations and conditions. RNI Regn. No. MPENG/2004/13703, Regd. No. L-2/BPLON/41/2006-2008
12

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Mar 20, 2023

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Barring some States whichhave decided to extend the

lockdown, India will largelyopen up on June 8 except incontainment zones. The UnionHome Ministry on Saturdayissued guidelines to open upmalls, hotels, hospitality ser-vices and religious places fromJune 8 with strict social dis-tancing norms, like wearing ofmask, etc.

The decision to openschools and colleges will bedecided by the States in con-sultation with stakeholders inJuly. The lockdown guidelineswill be applicable in contain-ment zones up to June 30 andonly essential services will bepermitted in these areas.

The MHA’s new guidelinessay after assessment of the sit-uation, opening up of interna-tional airlines, metro rail, cin-ema halls, swimming pools,bars, auditoriums and socialpolitical gathering will bedecided later.

The night curfew willremain in place and movementof individuals shall remainstrictly prohibited between 9pm and 5 am throughout thecountry, except for essentialservices.

Local authorities are per-mitted to implement Section144 in this regard, said the

MHA giving more power toStates.

“Schools, colleges, educa-tional/training/coaching insti-tutions etc will be opened afterconsultations with States andUTs,” the MHA said, addingthat the States may hold con-sultations at the institutionlevel with parents and otherstakeholders. Based on thefeedback, a decision on the re-opening of these institutions

will be taken in July, said theMHA.

Containment zones’ geo-graphical area and demarcationwill be decided by the Statesand powers are given to localauthorities for house to houseand patient tracing. States areempowered to demarcatebuffer zones outside contain-ment zones were new caseslikely to occur, said the MHA.

“In the containment

zones, only essential activitiesshall be allowed. There shallbe strict perimeter control toensure that there is no move-ment of people in or out ofthese zones, except for med-ical emergencies and main-taining supply of essentialgoods and services,” said theguidelines, empowering localadministration for strictimplementation to containCovid-19 pandemic areas.

There shall be no restric-tion on inter-State or intra-Statemovements of persons andgoods. However, States areempowered to take a decisionon not allowing this based onpublic health scenario, saidthe new guidelines.

The guidelines insisted thatwearing of mask in publicplaces is compulsory and alsosaid that persons above 65 andchildren below 10 years andpregnant women and patientsare advised to stay at home.

���� �5���5�6+

One year into his secondterm, Prime Minister

Narendra Modi on Saturdaylisted abrogation of Article 370and inclusion of Jammu &Kashmir into the mainstream,criminalising the practice ofTriple Talaq, CitizenshipAmendment Act, and cross-border air strikes as the “bolddecisions” of his Government,which, he said, is on the pathto overcoming the coronaviruspandemic with the collectiveresolve of 130 crore Indians.

Addressing the countrythrough a letter, the PM saidclearing of several administra-tive bottlenecks, majorimprovement of infrastructure,and freeing the country fromthe swamp of corruption in thefirst term had given the rightmomentum to the governancein the second term.

Modi took note of the factthat the coronavirus had sud-denly put brake on the speed ofdevelopment of the countrywhich in comparison to nationswith powers having great eco-

nomic resources and state -of-the-art healthcare system is“besieged with problemsamidst a vast population andlimited resources.”

The PM, however, assuredthat the country was “on way toovercome the crisis created bythe pandemic.” He said Indiamust become self-reliant.

“Many feared that Indiawill become a problem for the

world when corona hits it. Buttoday, through sheer confi-dence and resilience, you havetransformed the way the worldlooks at us,” he said.

In his address, Modi, forthe first time, specificallymentioned the troubles facedby the migrant workers due tothe lockdown announced onMarch 24 to contain the pan-demic with many walking on

foot to their native destina-tions.

“In a crisis of this magni-tude, it can certainly not beclaimed that no one sufferedany inconvenience or discom-fort. Our labourers, migrantworkers, artisans and craftsmenin small-scale industries, hawk-ers and such fellow country-men have undergone tremen-dous suffering,” Modi said.

However, the PM said,“We have to take care to ensurethat the inconveniences we arefacing do not turn into disas-ters” and people have shownpatience and followed rulesand “this is one of the impor-tant reasons for India beingsafer and in a better state thanmany other countries”.

“This is a long battle but wehave started traversing the pathto victory, and victory is ourcollective resolve,” Modi said.

He short-listed feats of hisGovernment in the last oneyear which also included “ami-cable solution” of the vexed andlong-pending Ram Mandir-Babri Masjid dispute by theunanimous SC verdict.

���� �5���5�6+

In a bizarre incident, an AirIndia’s Delhi-Moscow

Airbus A-320 Neo (VT-EXR)flight was forced to returnmidway on Saturday morningafter ground team realisedthat the pilot was tested coro-na positive.

The VT-EXR Air IndiaFlight was on its way toMoscow, under the VandeBharat Mission to bring backstranded Indians. Somewherenear Uzbekistan, the crew wasinformed that one of the pilotsonboard has tested positivefor Covid-19 and they werecalled back immediately as perprotocol.

This was a ferry flight, soonly the crew was on boardwith around 6 people. TheDirector General of CivilAviation (DGCA) will probethe lapses. “Prima facie, thisappears to be a lapse” as thepilot was not supposed to be onthe plane if he was found pos-itive,” DGCA officials said.

���� �5���5�6+

With tension continuing atthe Line of Actual

Control (LAC) in Ladakh,Defence Minister RajnathSingh said here on Saturdaythat India and China areengaged at diplomatic and mil-itary levels to resolve the face-offs. Making it clear that theissue is bilateral, Rajnath alsosaid this was conveyed to hisUS counterpart Mark Esper intelephonic conversation onFriday.

It is the first time that aMinister has given a statementon the stand-offs.

Rajnath also said the coun-try should be assured that,“We will not allow India’s dig-nity to be hurt under any cir-cumstances.”

He went on to add thatIndia has always tried tomaintain a peaceful relationwith its neighbours. “We donot seek to challenge anynation,” he said.

��� ����������� �5���5�6+

Any hope that the blazingsun or a favourable plane-

tary configuration — if not theclaustrophobic lockdown orsome alternative medicine ormalarkey — could slow downthe relentless march of coron-avirus across the globe seemsto be misplaced. The hopes ofany approaching “global peakout” was dashed on May 29when the world reported 1.25lakh fresh cases and more than5,000 deaths. This was thelargest single-day spike sincethe start of the outbreak fivemonths ago in China’s Wuhanprovince.

It was a black Friday for theglobe in its fight against theundead enemy. For the betterpart of May, the world report-ed around 90,000 fresh casesevery day. Beginning themonth at a figure of 33,94,152,the number swelled to60,31,023 across the globe onMay 29 with the addition of1,25,048 cases during the dayitself.

Friday’s 35 per cent spikeabove the monthly average is aclear pointer to two things:Coronavirus is constantly onthe move to find new huntingground; and removal of lock-down will come with a price.

The global picture could bea serious cause of concern forepidemiologists and worldleaders who were expectingthat at some point in time thevirus would lose steam and theworld would learn to live it.

The globe was reportingaround 80K-95K cases till May10. Then it saw a sudden spikeand recorded 1,06,000 newcases on May 25. Commentingon the sudden rise in the num-ber of cases, WHO Director-General Tedros AdhanomGhebreyesus said, “We still

have a long way to go in thispandemic.” We are very con-cerned about rising cases in lowand middle-income countries.”

May 21 was another bigday with a spike of 1,00,000plus cases, followed by May 22when the world reported1,07,000 cases. And then came

Friday, May 29, when coron-avirus struck in a big way leav-ing 1.25 lakh new patients andover 5,000 dead in a day.

It’s obvious that as theworld begins to reopen afternearly two-months of lock-down, the virus gears up totake advantage of the securi-

ty breach in the geographicalterrain it has already con-quered.

Secondly, after leaving tensof thousands dead and millionsinfected in Europe and theUSA, the virus has found newtheaters of play — SouthAmerica and India.

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Bhopal: Madhya Pradesh ChiefMinister Shivraj SinghChouhan said on Saturday thatthe lockdown in the State tocontain coronavirus will beextended till June 15. The WestBengal Government tooextended the coronavirus-trig-gered lockdown in the State upto June 15 with relaxations andconditions.

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Empty roads and peopleglued in front of their TVsets was a common sight

in almost all parts of the countrywhen Ramanand Sagar’sRamayan was aired on DD backin 1987. Despite being a Sundaypeople would be up early andbathe. After all, they were aboutto see Lord Ram come alive. Infact, many people would not eattill after the episode ended sincethey had to do puja and eatprasad before starting their day.

Such was the craze for theshow that over the years almostevery channel since then has runa mythological show. For manyit is a recollection of the takesthat they had heard from theirgrandparents, for others it is theback story to a story and forsome others it is the best way forthe kids to know more abouttheir culture, Gods andGoddesses.

Tarun Khanna who hasplayed Lord Shiva eight timesand is currently seen asMahadev in Devi AadiParashakti on Dangal TV tellsyou that this generation doesn’tknow much about our history.“Ram and Krishna, I believewere real people. That is why wecelebrate Diwali. These are trueevents but there is no onewritten record. There are somany versions of Ramayan.When you don’t know yourhistory and you want to knowabout it, these programmes inthe name of mythology showsgive you a sneak peek of the past,people watch them because theywant to stay connected to theirroots. In this mythology are theirGods — Vishnu and his avatarsand Shiva. People want to watchthem again and again and thestories of their manifestations,”Khanna explains.

Another attraction is to seehow an actor will play a certaincharacter and how the makerswill interpret the era. “When Itell you a story, there is some partin that story where the personwill have his own interpretationwhile narrating it. Thesealternations make thingsinteresting. People want to knowhow the makers and the actorswould play it on the screen,”Khanna says. Vishal Karwal,who plays Lord Krishna inDwarkadheesh-Bhagwan Shri

Krishna that airs on Dangal TVsays that the when he used towatch TV back in the 90s, theshows were so good andprogressive. But since the 2000sthe content has been somewhatregressive. “There are not manyshows that are happy and onecan learn from them. But frommythological shows, one canlearn life lessons and are a visualtreat too. There is so muchpositivity in them,” he says.

Arpit Machhar, head ofmarketing, Enterr10 TelevisionNetwork tells you thathistorically, mythological showsespecially Ramayan has alwayshad a strong appeal with viewers.“Re-runs of some popularmythological and costumedrama shows like ChandraguptMaurya, Mahima Shanidev Kiand Dwarkadheesh, Devi AdiParashakti were already beingbroadcasted before thelockdown. The re-run of 2008Ramayan during the lockdownwas soon extended to one houra day because of viewershipinterest. Within the first weekitself, the slot grew by 45 per centindicating enthusiasm. We haveunderstood that mythologicalcontent appeals to viewers andthey find a connect with theseshows,” Machhar says.

One is told that producinga mythological show is a verydifferent ballgame as comparedto regular fictional shows sincethe audience has a preconceivednotion about the costumes of thecharacters, the look and feel ofthe sets and it is the makersresponsibility to stand up to theirexpectations.

“The mythological storiestend to have a lot of versions indifferent parts of the countryand people are also sensitiveabout it. Hence, the researchbecomes the most importantpart of the whole process.Additionally, the grandeur of aperiod drama is at a differentlevel, in terms of set size,location, costumes, number ofartists and the post productionteam involved,” he tells you.

There is a reason why manyof the mythological storiesrevolve around Ramayan,Mahabharat or on Shiv andKrishna. “These are the mostcommon stories that peoplehave heard at least once. Theaudience tends to resonate morewith them,” Machhar tells you.

Ishita Ganguly who playsMahakali/Goddess Uma/Parvatiin Jag Jaanani Maa VaishnoDevi-Kahani Mata Rani Ki thatairs on Star Bharat tells you thatthe reason why she chose to bepart of mythological shows isbecause our epics have so muchto tell and very few peopleknow everything about ourGods and Goddesses. “I amfrom Kolkata and devout of MaKali. The role is so challengingand I get to play many shades.The drama, colours andcostumes come alive sobeautifully that it attracted me tothe show,” Ganguly says.

She agrees that the sameholds true for the audience too.“The characters in mythologicalshows are larger than life, theyare Gods and Goddesses. It isnot just the dialogues but theVFX, the research that goes

into costumes and character, ittakes time to flesh these out.Also, for the audience to see aGod whom they pray to comealive, is a pull.

For the children, suchshows are the perfect way toknow about our mythologysince both parents are workingand live in nuclear families.The idea of listening to storiesfrom grandparents is a thing ofthe past. Such shows are not onlyentertaining because there is astory behind a story but you get

to learn life lessons as well,”Ganguly tells you.

Sha points out a case. “Takethe Jag Jaanani…. We talk aboutwoman empowerment. MahaKali is the perfect roop that talksabout how a strong energy cankill negativity and false ego.When you watch such shows, itgives out a message to womenthat they can be strong andpositive. Men also need to realisethis. As a woman, if I can makeanother woman become strong,I feel obliged that I got to playthis role,” Ganguly says.

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/0�1�2�2�'�23������������������ ������'��"�4���/��������5 �1����-�������)))1����)�6����������� �������/0�7�2��/�-/52�������������� ������������������������������������������������&��������������������������������"���������������� "������������ Hope all good with your hand and youare doing better.

Yes, all good. I am much better. It hasbeen three weeks since the accident. Thepain is still there but bearable now. It willtake time, around two months before all isback to normal; I cut my tendons. It wassuch a freak thing and happened in afraction of a second. I slipped and I triedto break my fall and fell on a glass top table.Though I knew that the injury was seriousI was calm and drove myself to thehospital.� Did playing Ranvijay SampooranSingh propel you to stardom?

Initially, when I started my first show,Suvreen Guggal-Topper of The Year, Iwasn’t aware of how things worked. I amfrom Delhi, didn’t know how the industryworked and was entering a new world. Itwas the love for my craft that made mestand where I was at that time. The goodwas that it was a hit show and realisedthat people liked my work. Thencame Ranvijay. The kind of crazeand how people connected withme as the character and theseries was totally different. I gotto see first-hand massfollowing. It was a changingexperience. This showmade my image — that Iwas more than a prettyface and could act.� What made you taketo acting?

There was attractiontowards cinema andacting like any otherperson. But I knew thatfame was never thetrajectory. I was not thekind who wanted to doa reality show to getrecognition. I wasattracted to the world ofacting and filmmaking. Itook to modeling and gotthe offer doing a TV. WhenI heard the script and took it upto look how things worked. Igave my 100 per cent to theshow. My journey was afairytale. First day inMumbai and first dayof shoot.� Was it tough fora Delhi boy to bein Mumbai?

It was tough.Taking a decisionto leave Delhi andgo to a new cityfrom where one

had got a call not knowing if it was hoaxor I was truly selected for a TV show. I wasin college and my parents are a workingclass. There were many questions but I tooka risk and here I am.� How did you come on board forKhatron Ke Khiladi 10?

I never did it because of the name. Itwas due to what the show represents. It hasbeen eight years since I have been in this

industry and it had been coming my wayagain and again. This time I asked myselfit was time to face what was holding meback and face my fear and took it up. Ihaven’t taken it up to make a name formyself but to test myself and how much Ican push myself. It was not taken up toentertain anybody.� You have also done a music video. Howmuch fun was it?

It was definitely a different experience.From the very beginning I never restrictedmyself to a medium. Acting is acting. I amasked if I am interested in TV or films. I havedone three music videos till now. I am happyto explore myself and happy with mychoices.� Usually films are the endgame. Is it thesame for you?

For me, it is always the work. I believewe are infinite but the world tries to limitus by giving you titles. It has always beengoal to do diverse work. I have done ads,music videos, TV shows and a film as wellon Hotstar.� People watch you in series. What do

you watch?After work, I of course don’t watch

my own shows. I watch whateverlooks promising and pick up stuff asan audience rather than to critiqueit. I watch regional show as well. Itry to be neutral and not dissect it.I love to see English shows sinceyou learn from them. � Your best fan moment.

There have been so many.Over time, you take each fanmoment in your stride andthank God for putting methere. You take it as a gestureof kindness and get a senseof gratitude. Wherever Igo, whether in India oraboard, I get so much love.I have even done a show inIndonesia, the fans are so

nice and good to you. I gotso many messages enquiringafter this injury. It was

overwhelming. This makes mework harder towards my craft.

� What was yourinternational project

about?It was a TV

show. I was offeredthis project becauseVeera was such ahit in Indonesia.

It was fun to doand a differentexperience.

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I learnt four things bywatching the Amazon Primethriller series Paatal Lok.

One, online entertainment isdeeper, faster and moreengaging than mere cinema.Two, content is packaged andsold here without the wingclipper called funds andcensorship and is, thus,delectably raw yet refined.

Three, viewers who have enmasse switched to onlineentertainment, are going to staythere even after lockdown, thanksto the depth and nuance providedto them. Four, and mostimportantly, web series can be agood platform to enrich yourglossary of Hindi abuses.

Having said this, the real valueof online entertainment lies inAnushka Sharma’s productionPaatal Lok which flowers on astory that’s grounded, real andtense. The thriller engages youwith acumen, earthiness and pace,leading you from episode toepisode on a binge prescription.

Jaideep Ahlawat is thequintessential cop disillusionedwith a system which has sidelinedhim to the noxious peripheries ofhell, which he calls Paatal Lok, aworld from where very manypolice procedurals have emanated.

Paatal Lok opens with manyquestions and the best thing aboutit is that through all its nineepisodes, it manages to dodge the

answers, instead, throwingintrigue, drama and, of course,wholesome gaalis at you, makingyou finally admit that the seriesdoes have the licence to abusemaking it situationally the need ofthe hour.

Ahlawat as an out of sorts cop,lands with a case of a lifetime tosalvage his botched-up reputation.He does the groundwork like theseasoned, low-ranked inspectorthat he is despite the rust that hasgathered on his starless uniformover years of inactivity.

A TV journalist star is aboutto be shot before the gang isbusted by Crime Branch, nevermind, after an aborted mission.Things, however, are not a wee bitsimple as they look. The onionlayering of the plot gives viewersa time of their nail-biting life. And,

one gets to thank high heavensthat unlike most web series, thisone does not throw a Season 2 atyou.

A complete, gritty policedepartment thriller is just what thedoctor, or should we say, thePrime Minister, prescribed for ahealthy time for home quarantine.

The other good thing aboutthe series is that it tugs at you witha reality ridden narrative whichmakes you understand theunderbelly of police-criminal-political connection that will neverdie, only come dressed in newgarbs to what they call oil thesystem.

The acting, plot, story,ambience, dialogue — all colludeto make Paatal Lok a talkingpoint for viewers, starved ofimpactful content.

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In this lockdown, we hear ofcrazy and funny things thatpeople are doing to keep the

blues away. Taking a leaf out ofthat, OTT platforms are coming upwith Originals that will tickle thefunny bone. The latest is MetroPark Quarantine Edition. There areseveral things that work here. First,each episode is between five to 10minutes. One can watch thesewhile taking a break in-betweenwork or to refresh the mind if oneis studying for an entrance exam.Second, it gives a sneak peek intocrazy and funny things that peopleare doing. There is an episodewhere the lady of the house coaxesher son to be part of a haircutexperiment by putting a steel bowlon the head to get the shapecorrect. Or a scene where a groupof men, via webinar, have a partyand tell each their lockdownproblems and why they have theirwives’ display picture.

The edition is an extension of theMetro Park series about an IndianGujarati family — Payal and KalpeshPatel and their children, living inMetro Park in America. In theQuarantine edition, there is dramaand lots of hilarious situations thatfind a connect with what people are

doing in real life. Take the case of Kanan (Omi

Vaidya) who in order to protecthimself from the Coronavirus pickshis mail with a pair of tongs and thenmicrowaves them to kill the virus. Orthe time when he self-quarantineshimself in a room because he suspectshe is COVID-19 positive and wantsto protect himself.

The director and editor need tobe applauded. Each of the actors werehome bound and shot their piecesindividually and nowhere does it givethe impression that Vaidya is inWashington DC, Rnvir Shorey inMumbai, Purbi Joshi in LA,California and Vega Tamotia inDelhi.

The mini-series couldn’t havecome at a better time, typically whenis looking at creative ways to come upwith ideas on a tight budget. Kudosto the actors for their performancegiven the restriction. A big pat on theback to family members who turneddirectors for the series. The camerawork is bound to be simple but theperformance catches attention.

Shorey and Joshi are a delight asin Vaidya and his paranoia relate tothe Coronavirus.

Though the episodes areentertaining they come with amessage on how there is need to bewell-informed and not believeeverything that is shared on socialmedia platforms.

A fun way to spend one’s chuttigiven the lockdown and no stoppingthe rising number of cases. Stayhome, stay entertained.

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Chief Minister ShivrajSingh Chouhan congrat-

ulated Prime MinisterNarendra Modi and the entirenation on completion of thefirst year in his second term.

Chief Minister Chouhansaid in his message that thepopular Prime MinisterNarendra Modi is not just aname but he is in the heart ofcrores of people of the coun-try.

He rules their hearts andis a crown jewel of India.People have a unique affec-tion towards him. The greatleader Prime Minister Modihas not taken a single holidayin the last six years.

He always works dili-gently and tirelessly for BharatMata and his people. He tries

to take the nation to greatheights. Chief MinisterChouhan said that the mes-sage is hidden in Modi'sname. The letter ‘M’ standsfor Motivational andMehanati (hardworking), ‘O’to Ojaswi, and a leader whotries to identify and refineshidden opportunities in India.

He turned Corona's chal-lenge into an opportunity.Chief Minister Chouhan saidthat Modi's ‘D’ means a leaderwith Doordarshita (foresight),dynamic leadership, anddevelopment.

The letter ‘I ’ meansInspiration, a leader whoinspires, distinguishes Indiafrom strong will power. Theywork to charge everyone withenergy and confidence. ChiefMinister Chouhan said thatthe world knows Prime

Minister Modi as VikasPurush.Chief Minister

Chouhan said that the wholecountry is united on the callof Shri Modi. Modi is not justa name; it is a mantra, whichgenerates energy. Chouhansaid that we are fortunate tohave Shri Modi as a PrimeMinister, a leader who hasabolished Section-370 fromKashmir,

legalised citizenship law,solved Ayodhya temple con-struction issue, abolishedtriple talaq law as well asannounced the special pack-age of twenty lakh crores forthe welfare of everyone tobuilt Aatmanirbhar Bharat(self-reliant India).

Chief Minister Chouhanhoped that likewise, PrimeMinister Shri Modi will con-tinue to inspire Indians, keeptheir spirits up, and rule thehearts.

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��������������� 76D���

An online Art TherapyWorkshop was organised

on Art and Beyond FacebookLive Page. Organised by ArtDesign Teacher's Forum Artand Beyond, an learning ini-tiative, the workshop was con-ducted by expert HritikaBhagat. She hails fromBangalore and is conducting

art therapy from long. It is to be noted that Art

therapy is a distinct disciplinethat incorporates creativemetho ds of express ion

through visual art media.One of the participant, and

an art teacher Saba Iftikharsaid, "It was quite an infor-mative workshop by Hritika

Bhagat from Bangalore." First day was concentrat-

ed around "agility" whichseemed like a synonym ofstudent agency and even sim-

ilar to freedom of creativeexpression in design think-ing. She also talked abouthow it is important for us toch assa be the old conven-tional way of thinking togrowth mindset.

On the second day sheshared how colours play animportant part in our life.colours could help us expressour inner most feelings in

our subconscious mind. "Arttherapy has proven very help-ful in calming stressful livesand even solving problems,"Saba added.

Art therapy can be used tohelp people improve cognitiveand sensory motor function,self-esteem, self awareness,emotional resilience. It mayalso aide in resolving con-flicts and reduce distress.

��������������� 76D���

Chief Minister ShivrajSingh Chouhan has said

that the death rate has to bereduced by ensuring the bestsystem of corona treatment inthe State. Every life is preciousto us. Even a slight lapse intreatment will not be tolerat-ed.

Chief Minister Chouhanon Friday started analysiswith senior officials and doc-tors through video confer-encing of every death due toCovid. Firstly, a detailedanalysis of the deaths due toCovid-19 was done with theDean and Medical Specialistof Medical College Indore.

Health Minister NarottamMishra, Chief Secretary IqbalSingh Bains, DGP Vivek Johri,

Additional Chief SecretaryHealth Mohammad Suleman,Principal Secretary MedicalEducation Sanjay Shukla,Commissioner PublicRelations Sudam P Khadewere present on the occasion.

Chief Minister Chouhansaid that in order to ensurethat no community spreadprevails anywhere in the State,all the collectors shouldensure intensive survey, con-tact tracing, testing as well asstrict lockdown in infectedareas with all other precau-tions.

ACS Health Suleman saidthat the mortality rate of coro-na in Madhya Pradesh is 4.3per cent, while the death rateof the country is 2.8 percent.Reviewing the Rewa dis-trict, Chief Minister Chouhan

directed that utmost careshould be taken to ensurethat there are no deaths fromCorona in the district. Thecollector informed that therewere 35 corona positivepatients in the district, out ofwhich 10 have been dis-charged. The number of activepatients is 25. No death in thedistrict from Corona has beenreported yet.

Chief Minister Chouhaninstructed that complete careshould be taken to checkspread of infection frommigrant labourers. Ensuretheir health test and properquarantine arrangement headded. Have all necessaryarrangements at QuarantineCenters. There should be agood arrangement of healthyfood, clean water, fans and toi-

lets in Isolation for the labour-ers.Additional Chief SecretaryHealth Suleman said thatthere has been a decrease inactive cases in the State. OnMay 29, total 192 new corona-infected patients were found,while 219 healthy patientsdischarged. The number ofactive cases in the state is3042.

The state's corona recov-ery rate has gone up to 56 per-cent, the country's recoveryrate is 42.8 per cent. Today, 28healthy patients have gonehome from Hamidia HospitalBhopal.ACS Health informedthat the trauma center atUjjain is all set as a Covid hos-pital. Amalatas HospitalDewas has also been con-tracted. Now RD GardiHospital is not required.

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Atotal of 113 coronaposit ive patients

recovered and happilyreturned to their home onSaturday. They include 55patients from RD GardiMedical College, 56patients f rom PoliceTraining Center and twopatients from Indore.

In the presence ofsenior officers in RD Gardiand PTS, the patients whowere cured were greetedwith drums in a jovialatmosphere and senthome. People going homeafter treatment from RDGardi Medical College werepresented bouquets byDivisional CommissionerAnand Kumar Sharma, IGRakesh Gupta, CollectorAshish Singh andSuperintendent of PoliceManoj Singh.

Winning the battlefrom RD Gardi and theCorona from PoliceTraining School, peoplegoing to their homes weregreeted by senior officials.Divisional CommissionerAnand Kumar Sharmainquired about their wellbeing and informed aboutthe facilities provided tohim in RD Gardi and PTS.

Divisional commis-sioner and IG alsoinstructed people to stay athome for the next 7 to 14days as a precaution andfollow social distancing.

Collector Ashish Singhsaid that Saturday was agood day for Ujjain that113 Corona posit ive

patients of the districtrecovered and returned totheir homes.

The collector said thatthe recovery rate in Ujjaindistrict has gone above 60percent.

The Collector saidthat whatever hotspot is inUjjain district, now coro-na positive patients arecoming out less.

He said that the con-tinuous survey conductedby the survey team in thedistrict is identifying thesuspected patients ofCorona and their samplesare being taken.The col-lector said that due toearly identification ofcorona patients, theirtreatment is also startingsoon, due to which therecover y rate hasimproved.

Nodal of f icers SSRawat, Dr SudhirGawarikar, Dr SudhakarVaidya and others werepresent on this occasion atRD Gardi Medical College.

On the occasion atPTS, people going to theirhomes thanked the admin-istrative officers and doc-tors and clapped in honorof Corona Warriors.During this time, seniorofficers were also sentaway for their homes witha thunderous applause,encouraging the people toremain healthy.

A person from Ujjainsaid that the doctors wereready to serve him day andnight. During treatment,he and everyone else in thePTS were taken care of.

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During the ongoingnationwide lockdown

when the civil administrationis fighting with Covid- 19corona pandemic round theclock and the frontline work-ers of the civil administrationare moving in the red zonesand contaminated areaschecking the spread of thisdisease, acknowledging theyeoman efforts being put inby the civil administrationwho are in the forefront of the

nation’s fight against Covid . The ladies of the Army

War College Family WelfareOrganization under thechairperson Mrs LakshmiSreenivas have cometogether to support thecorona warriors of the civiladministration and made asmall contribution fromtheir side.

About 150 PPE Kits werehanded over to the SDMMhow Pratul Sinha on behalfof the Army War CollegeFamily Welfare Organization.

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��������������� 76D���

Amonth long workshop onCinema will be held online.

It is organised by Film Instituteof India and the National FilmArchive for the aspirants whowan to enter the film industry.

The Course will com-mence on June 15 June and willend on July 11. It will be heldon Monday to Saturday with 3hours of online class andapproximately 3 hours ofwatching films. The last date forreceiving applications is June 2,2020.

Film Institute of India andthe National Film Archive areconducting the Course and I willbe leading it. For more infor-mation contact www.ftii.ac.in orwww.nfai.gov.in. In these Covidtimes when one needs to keeponeself engaged, here will be an

opportunity to watch somemovie classics and get anunderstanding of not just howfilms are made but how toappreciate them whichevergenre they may be. In this 4-week journey the participantswill have a different experience.

It is an understanding ofthe language of Cinemathrough the intricacies of mak-ing and discovering narrativesbeyond what is seen on thescreen, with a bit of history andthe various movements from allover the world via a speciallycurated selection that throwslight on how films are madeand seen over the years.

��������������� 76D���

The renowned critic andwriter Ram Vilas Sharma

was paid tribute by MadhyaPradesh Sahitya Academy onSaturday. On this occasion,Director Culture Aditi KumarTripathi recalling Sharma, saidthat the top critic of the twen-tieth century.

The status of contempo-rary criticism is still remem-bered in the name of RamVilas Sharma, its directionand importance of literaturehas been discussed by theyoung and famous contempo-rary creators and critics of thestate and country.

Ram Vilas Sharma was aneminent progressive literarycritic, linguist, poet andthinker. He was born inUnchgaon Sani, UnnaoDistrict, Uttar Pradesh. He

came into the limelight as acritic in 1939 with his schol-arly paper on SuryakantTripathi 'Nirala', presented ata session of Hindi SahityaSammelan. The SahityaAcademy has been only one todiscuss contemporary criti-cism.Assistant Director H.R.Ahirwar, while paying floraltribute, said that Ram VilasSharma has given a huge con-tribution in Hindi language.

On this occasion, Directorof Punjab Sahitya Academy,Nityanand Shrivastava,Director of Bhojpuri SahityaAcademy, P.K. Jha andDirector of Natya VidyalayaAlok Chatterjee were also pre-sent. Deepak Kumar Gupta,Programme Officer thankedall the dignitaries on presenceof senior staff and officers ofSahitya Academy and otheracademies.

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Under various cultural per-formances by Department

of Culture, dance and musicperformances were held onlineon Saturday. The Departmentof Culture featured a play, folkdance and gazal performanceswere featured on YouTubeChannel. Folk dance UchatiLehki was featured.

It is a dance from Dindoriand was performed by MaanSingh. A solo play performanceby Rashmi Vishwakarma drom

Bhopal was featured. Next wasTathiya Tribal Dance was fea-tured. It was performed byNanu Uikey from Betul district.It is to be noted that in view ofthe worldwide crisis ofCoronavirus, a creative initia-tive is taken by the CultureDepartment Madhya PradeshGovernment by connecting theartists of the country and State,which has received an encour-aging response.

The writers, poets andartists invited by theDepartment of Culture fromtime to time in its events, wererequested to send thier creativeact for the society on theirbehalf in this hour of crisis,

which they circulated to allthrough their social media.The initiative has started keep-ing in view the ongoing lock-down. A series of events is beingpresented everyday.

��������������� 76D���

Chief Minister Shivraj SinghChouhan has said that the

Senior Doctors must visit theCovid Hospitals daily andensure better treatment to thepatients. Stringent action willbe taken even against slightestnegligence and lapse in treat-ment.

Hamidia Hospital shouldbe the ideal hospital but it isunfortunate that the mortalityrate is high there. Chouhaninstructed ACS Health to givehim daily report of treatmentin Hamidia hospital.

Besides, Chouhan men-tioned that now E-pass is notrequired for movement withinthe state. E-pass can beobtained for travelling outsidethe State. The Chief Secretary

Iqbal Singh Bains informedthat these e-passes will be auto-generated. The Chief Ministerwas reviewing the status ofCorona in the State and otherarrangements through videoconferencing at Mantralaya onSaturday.

The Chief Secretary IqbalSingh Bains, DGP Vivek Johri,Additional Chief SecretaryHealth Mohammad Suleman,Principal Secretary SN Mishra,Principal Secretary MedicalEducation Shri Sanjay Shuklaand other Officers were presenton the occasion.

During the review of Sagardistrict, Chouhan asked thatWhy the patients were referredelsewhere despite of having allthe facilities in Medical Collegeof Sagar? He directed the ACSHealth to improve the arrange-

ments at Sagar Medical college.It is not good to refer patientselsewhere, he asserted.

During the review ofBurhanpur district, it wasinformed that the recoveryrate is quite good at 67 per cent.Out of 297 positive cases, 200patients have recovered andwent back home. The numberof currently active cases inBurhanpur is 82.

Fever clinics are also func-tioning well in the district andhealth checkup of more than 5thousand people have beenconducted there. Chouhanappreciated the arrangementsin the district and said that theyshould continue to work withutmost care, even a small neg-ligence may prove fatal.

In context to the spread ofinfection in CHL Apollo

Hospital, Chouhan said that thespread of infection in the hos-pital is gross negligence; noticeshould be served to the hospi-tal. Keeping in view theincrease in number of Covidpatients in Neemuch district,Shri Chouhan directed that aspecial attention should bepaid to Neemuch district.

Survey should be expand-ed, contact tracing should bedone and testing should beincreased. It was informed thatthe recovery rate of Neemuchdistrict is 40 per cent.

The ACS Health Sulemaninformed that 59 hospitals ofthe state have already beenempanelled under theAyushman Bharat Yojana andnow patients will get facility ofmedical treatment in thesehospitals under the scheme.

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Protem Speaker of MadhyaPradesh Assembly Jagdeesh

Deora has expressed profoundgrief over the demise of formerChhattisgarh chief ministerAjit Jogi.

In his condolence mes-sage, Deora said that Jogi'sdeath is a political loss to thecountry. He prayed thealmighty to grant peace to thedeparted soul and give strengthto his his family to bear the loss.

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Chief Minister Shivraj SinghChouhan has said that

commendable work has beendone in procurement of wheatdespite the adverse conditionsarising out of Corona lock-down in the State. It was a for-midable challenge which hasbeen met out successfully, headded.

Madhya PradeshGovernment started wheatprocurement on April 15 andwithin a short period of aboutone and quarter of monthover 1.20 crore MT of wheathas since been procured from15.29 lakh farmers and pay-ment thereof made to themwithout delay.

The most important thingis that 13.80 lakh of thesefarmers are small, mediumand marginal ones, who arethe neediest at this time. TheChief Minister has comple-mented the staff of all con-cerned departments includingFood and Civil Suppliesdepartment for workingagainst time to make a goodjob of it for the welfare offarmers.

First Time So Many Small,Medium and MarginalFarmers Benefited Chouhansaid that it is for the first timein the state that such a largenumber of small, medium andmarginal farmers have soldwheat on MSP.

Earlier, they had to sell itin the open market due to lackof storage facility and paucityof cash at lower prices. Butduring the lockdown they did-n't have even that option. Thegovernment realized theirproblem and despite adversesituation procured wheat fromthem.

Secretary, Food and CivilSupplies Shiv Shekhar Shuklasaid that it was a formidablechallenge to launch wheatprocurement process duringlockdown period and procur-ing the produce from farmerswhile ensuring maintenance ofsocial distancing norms.

Under the leadership ofChief Minister Chouhan theadministrative staff workedday in and day out and madeit a success. First SMSes weresent to very few farmers andtheir number was increasedgradually, to ensure all pre-cautions and to avoid over-crowding at procurement cen-tres.

Shukla informed that thereare 19.46 lakh registered farm-ers in the state and so far total15.29 lakh farmers have sold120 MT wheat on MSP. A sumof over Rs 16 crore has beenpaid to them. Remaining pay-ment will be made shortly. Heinformed that 85 percent ofthe procured wheat has beentransported and stored safely.

The Principal Secretaryinformed that out of total reg-istered farmers, 13.80 lakhsmall, medium and marginalfarmers have sold wheat onMSP.

They include 3.18 lakhmarginal, 5.41 lakh small and4.68 medium farmers. Besides,1.39 lakh big farmers have alsosold wheat on MSP. Amongthem, 1.18 lakh farmers own5 to 10 hectare and 21 thou-sand own more than 10hectare of level.

In year 2019-20total 8.62lakh small, medium and mar-ginal farmers had sold wheaton MSP. They included 2.12lakh marginal, 3.24 lakh smalland 3.26 lakh medium farm-ers. Besides, over 90 thousandfarmers having 5 to 20 hectareand 14,000 farmers with over10 hectare of land had sold it.

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Rejecting allegations ofwithdrawal of free power

to Punjab’s farmers, ChiefMinister Capt AmarinderSingh on Saturday said hisgovernment is ready to willingto forego the portion of fiscaldeficit enhancement offeredby the Centre but would notcompromise with the farmers’interest at any cost.

Dismissing the Centre’ssuggestion on replacement offree power to farmers withDBT as ‘totally unacceptableand a direct attack on the fed-eral structure of the nation’, theChief Minister said he will takeup the issue with the Centrefor trying to impose such ananti-farmer condition on thecash-strapped state in the

guise of extending fiscal sup-port amid the Covid pan-demic.Asserting that the freepower facility for farmerswould continue to exist till hisgovernment is in power,Captain Amarinder said hisgovernment will take loans tobridge the fiscal deficit, andthe Government of India can-not dictate the terms of a sov-ereign loan being taken by aState Government.

Capt Amarinder alsolashed out at Shiromani AkaliDal (SAD) chief SukhbirBadal for trying to pin theblame for the central govern-ment’s misdemeanors on thestate government, which hadunwaveringly been providingfree power to farmers sincetaking over in March 2017,despite the massive fiscal

crunch it had inherited fromthe erstwhile Akali-BJPregime.The CM asked Sukhbirto immediately quit the rulingNDA at the Centre, anddemanded Union Minister andAkali leader Harsimrat KaurBadal’s resignation from thecentral cabinet, pointing outthat it was the Government ofIndia that took the decisiondirecting the states to withdrawthe free power, and also failedto come to the rescue of thestate, and any section of itspeople, in the wake of theunprecedented Covid crisisand lockdown.

Terming their allegations asmalicious and mischievous,and totally unsubstantiated,Capt Amarinder hit out at theSAD leadership for not fightingfor the rights of Punjab and its

people, including farmers, at theCentre or in Parliament, andresorting, instead, to petty andshameless politicking even onsuch a grave issue of nationalconcern.

“If you have even an iotaof shame, you should leave theNDA coalition, of which youare a part, immediately, andjoin my government in work-ing for the people of the state,”the Chief Minister said, crit-icising Sukhbir and Harsimratover their pathetic attempts tomislead the people of Punjabwith their patent double stan-dards, blatant falsehoods,unfounded allegations.

Capt Amarinder clarifiedthat the state cabinet had, inits last meeting, given an in-principle approval to under-taking certain reforms to

become eligible to avail addi-tional borrowing of 1.5% ofGross State Domestic Product(GSDP) amid COVID-19, asmandated by the Governmentof India. While allowing anenhancement of fiscal deficitof States under FRBM Actfrom 3% to 5%, Governmentof India had linked a portionof the same to certain admin-istrative reforms.

It is for the BJP and itsalliance partner SAD toexplain why there is anattempt to force such a con-dition on Punjab, he said.The Chief Minister had earli-er, on Friday, also tweeted onthis issue, saying: “Let mereassure our farmers that thereis no plan to withdraw freepower to agriculture inPunjab.”

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Punjab Chief MinisterCaptain Amarinder Singh

on Saturday announced a 4-week extension in the lock-down in Punjab, till June 30,with certain more relaxations,subject to the guidelines of theCentral Government.

Though experts haveadvised against opening of thehospitality industry and malls,the Chief Minister said theState would take into accountthe Central Government guide-lines for Lockdown 5.0.

The CM announced hisdecision after an on-groundassessment of the Covid situa-tion through a VideoConference with healthexperts, along with top officialsand Cabinet Ministers BharatBhushan Ashu, Balbir SinghSidhu and Tript Singh Bajwa.The move is also in line withthe central government’s deci-sion to extend the nationallockdown beyond May 31.

Later, during his weeklyFacebook Live session, CaptAmarinder said the threat ofCovid was not over yet, and ifnecessary, he would continue totake tough measures to save thelives of Punjabis. Underliningthe need to continue to exerciseextreme caution, he laudedthe citizens for following allhealth norms to help the StateGovernment in controlling thepandemic spread to a greatextent.Making it clear that theextension of the lockdown inPunjab would be conditional tostrict adherence to Covid safe-

ty protocols, including physicaldistancing and wearing ofmasks, the Chief Minister alsoordered distribution of freemasks to the poor.

He directed Food & CivilSupplies Minister BharatBhushan Ashu to ensure imme-diate steps for the distributionof masks as part of ration kidsto the needy and poor, whocould not afford to purchasethem. DGP Dinkar Gupta toldthe review Video Conferencethat wearing of masks wasbeing strictly enforces acrossdistricts, with more than �1crore collected so far in finefrom the offenders.

The Chief Minister soughtan update during the meetingon the state government’s plansfor launch of home surveillanceand Covid Foot Soldiersdeployment to track and traceinfections. He was informed byAnurag Agarwal, PrincipalSecretary (Health & FamilyWelfare) that both would belaunched over the next coupleof days.

Asha workers and otherlocal women from the com-munity were being hired toundertake home to home sur-veillance across districts, andthey would be paid �2 per headin every household surveyed,he said. As for the tracing andtracking of symptomatic caseswho were not reporting to thehealth authorities, an app wascurrently being field-tested andwould launched in 2-3 days.

Youngsters would be askedto download the app to volun-tarily report on such cases, said

Agarwal, adding that manda-tory OTP verification of theseCovid Foot Soldiers would beensured to check false report-ing.Capt Amarinder in his FBsession, said non-reporting tohealth authorities by thosereturning to the State, especiallyfrom abroad, was a big chal-lenge, as it complicated theircontact tracing and endan-gered the lives of others. Herevealed that 9560 of suchpeople had been traced andtested, and some positive caseshad been found among these.

Though there was an over-all decline in the daily cases,and of the 2158 positive casesso far, 1946 had recoveredfully, the new cases that hademerged in the last few dayswas a matter of concern, headded, appealing to people toreport any instance of returneessomeone jumping medicalchecking by the StateGovernment.

Chief Secretary KaranAvtar Singh apprised the ChiefMinister during the VC of thescreening/testing being done atairports and railway stations tocheck the spread of the Covidin view of the large influx ofpeople coming from otherstates.

While all entrants to thestate were being screened, andhad to undergo 14-day manda-tory home quarantine, testingfacilities had also been installedto undertake random testing atthe airports and stations, headded. Those who could notdownload COVA app would

have to fill in declaration formson the trains, and submit thesame at the stations, he said.

Underscoring the need tostrictly adhere to all healthnorms, Capt Amarinder said inhis FB session that 36,820 peo-ple have been fined for notwearing masks and 4032 per-sons for spitting in public injust 11 days from May 17 tillMay 28. As many as 6061 per-sons had been fined for notwearing masks in just the last24 hours, he said, adding that503 FIRs had been registered inthis period for violation ofrules.

Expressing his concernabout possible communityspread in his reply to anotherquery, he said this is the threatwe face now and he would keepthis fact in mind while decid-ing about relaxations. Referringto cases in Amritsar, in reply toanother query by a resident, hesaid out of 7 cases reported yes-terday, six were contact cases.

Regarding rapid testingkits, he said those received bythe state from China and SouthKorea had to be returned asthey were defective.

More flights are resuming,with three flights daily fromDubai, the Chief Minister saidin reply to a Dubai residentseeking to come to Chandigarh.Normal flights had not yetresumed, he said, asking thequestioner to get in touch withthe Consulate Office.We havenot stopped private buses in vil-lages to operate, but the deci-sion was up to private opera-tors, he told a questioner.

On the crackdown on spu-rious liquor during lockdown,the Chief Minister said 97bhattas had been sealed, with1,729 FIRs registered and 1360persons arrested. TheGovernment was also takingstern action against those try-ing to smuggle liquor intoPunjab, he added.

He expressed his appreci-ation for farmers for anotherbumper crop year, saying thataround �23,000 Crore hadbeen infused in the rural econ-omy due to the procurement of128 LMTs wheat. On thelocust threat, he said allarrangements had been put inplace in seven districts bor-dering Rajasthan and Haryana.

Responding to a question,the Chief Minister said he washappy to note that 85% of thestate’s industry had alreadystarted operations with 65% oflabour engaged in it. TheGovernment was facilitatingmany multinational IT firms,including Quark, to set base inMohali and many more wouldcome to Punjab as the situationimproves, he said in reply toanother query.

To a question regarding theCentre’s conditions for availingadditional debt, the ChiefMinister said that in a federalstructure, a state is responsiblefor ensuring the economicgrowth of its people. “We arecustodians of our people'sfinancial needs,” he said, assert-ing that the Centre would haveto remove these conditionali-ties in the spirit of federalism.

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Even as he underscored theneed for diplomatic solu-

tion to the escalating bordertension, Punjab Chief MinisterCapt Amarinder Singh onSaturday warned China againstany attempt to intrude intoIndian territory, saying Indiawill not back off in the face ofBeijing’s intimidation.

“While we do not wantwar, we will not tolerate anybullying by Beijing,” said theChief Minister, warning theneighbouring country againsttaking India lightly. “This is not1962,” he said, making it clearthat if China did not stopindulging in intimidatingbehaviour, it would have to paythe price.

“The Indian Army is readyto give a befitting reply andChina should not take anychances,” he warned, inresponse to a Kolkata resident’squestion, during his FacebookLive session.

“We don't want war withany nation and want the situ-ation to improve, but if theykeep behaving like this wewon’t have any other optionleft,” he said, urging China tomend its ways and talk toIndia to resolve the issue.

Capt Amarinder said saidChina cannot stop India frombuilding any infrastructure onits side of the border. “They (theChinese) don't listen to uswhen we object to them mak-ing roads inside our area inAksai Chin, but when we makeone road inside our area theyreact with aggression,” headded.

The Chief Minister wasequally stern in warningPakistan, which had been try-ing to foment trouble in Punjaband other parts of India bypushing terrorists, weapons anddrugs from across the borderthrough use of drones andother means.

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Now, more seats can be filledin all technical institutes of

the State. Chief MinisterHemant Soren has instructedthe Jharkhand CombinedEntrance CompetitiveExamination Board (JCECEB)to finally conduct a cycle spotcounselling after counselling tobe held for enrollment in eachacademic session. After this,seats in various technical insti-tutes will not remain vacant andthe mess in allocation of seatsamong students will also bestopped.

The CM has asked theBoard to ensure strict adherenceto the schedule prescribed by theAICTE and the guidelines forcounselling or nominationprocess from time to time.

The enrollment of studentsin technical institutes ofJharkhand was taken throughonline counselling based on themerit list of Joint EntranceExamination (Mains) conduct-ed by the National TestingAgency (NTA) from the previ-ous academic session by theJCECEB. But, due to certain rea-sons, there were many mistakesin seat allocation.

Due to this, many seatswere left vacant due to lack oftimely information to institu-tions and students. In such a sit-uation, seats in governmenttechnical institutes do notremain empty from the new ses-sion, for this last cycle coun-selling is being arranged forenrollment.Meanwhile, inanother decision, the CM hasordered the JCECEB to conductan inquiry against those serving

for 28 years by hiding the castecertificate during and afterenrollment by 132 HomeGuards from the last academicsession. The Chief Minister hasalso ordered these home guardsnot to take any work till furtherorders in case of taking remu-neration and allowance etc.from the government. Sorentoday also approved the proposalof compensation of Rs. 3 lakh tothe dependents of Abdul Jabbar,who died in police custody.

It is to be known that AbdulJabbar committed suicide inpolice custody in Sahebganjdistrict in the year 2017. In theinvestigation of National HumanRights Commission, there wastalk of negligence by the policebehind his death. In such a sit-uation, the commission hadrecommended to the StateGovernment to give compensa-tion of three lakh rupees to thedependent of the deceased.

At the same time, theNational Human RightsCommission investigated thecase of the death of a mother fortreatment for four days after tak-ing the dead child into thewomb in the year 2015 inGarhwa district.

In the light of the recom-mendation of the Commission,the Chief Minister has approvedthe proposal to give compensa-tion of one lakh rupees to thehusband of the deceased.Meanwhile, a delegation ofG.E.L Church Central Council,Ranchi met the CM today andhanded over a cheque of Rs. 5lakh as a contribution to theChief Minister's Relief Fund tofight against the Corona Virus(Covid-19) infection.

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At least 180 Jharkhandmigrants, stranded in dif-

ferent parts of Andaman andNicobar Islands, were flowndown to Ranchi in a charteredIndigo flight on Saturday at thebehest of chief ministerHemant Soren – a developmentthat comes close on the heels ofthe return of 60 such migrantsfrom Leh on Friday, a presscommunique from the ChiefMinister's office said.

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The Congress on Fridaydescribed the first year of

the Modi Government as a“year of disappointment, dis-astrous management and dia-bolical pain.”

Congress leader KCVenugopal said the six years ofthe Modi dispensation haveseen fraying of bonds of empathy, fraternity andbrotherhood with increase inacts of communal and sectar-ian violence.

Party’s chief spokespersonRandeep Surjewala said that atthe end of six years, it appearsthe Modi Government is at warwith its people and is inflictingwounds on them, instead ofhealing them. “It is inflicting wounds on MotherIndia,” he said.

“This Government is try-ing to fill coffers of the selectrich and is inflicting pain onthe poor,” Surjewala said.

On the BJP’s charge of theCongress playing politics overthe Covid-19 crisis, Venugopalsaid the Opposition party didnot indulge in any politics andgave suggestions instead.

“Being a responsible oppo-sition, it is our duty to raise theproblems faced by the commonpeople. As Opposition, we

highlighted the failures of theGovernment,” he said.

Venugopal said theGovernment “is totally insen-sitive” to the plight of migrantlabourers and farmers.

Surjewala also demandedthat a virtual session ofParliament be convened imme-diately to discuss pressingissues and the due process beset in motion for holding ofmeetings of various parlia-mentary committees. Modiand his cabinet had taken oathon this day last year for a sec-ond term in office.

The Congress also high-lighted the failure of theGovernment on the economicfront, saying the PrimeMinister announced two crorejobs whereas India witnessedthe highest unemployment ratein the last 45 years whichreached in 2017-18 to 6.1 percent overall — 7.8 per cent inurban India and 5.3 per cent inrural India.

“Post-Covid, India’s unem-ployment rate has soared to anunprecedented 27.11 per cent(CMIE),” he said.

He said under the Modigovernment, the GDP hasbecome synonymous with‘’Grossly DecliningPerformance’’.

“Most international andnational rating agencies have

predicted negative GDP growthin Financial Year 2020-21. Theeconomy had been misman-aged to the point of ruin longbefore Covid-19,” he said.

“The way in which thePrime Minister holds talkswith the chief ministersthrough video conferencing,why cannot the standing com-mittees and Parliament also beallowed to convene importantmeetings through virtual ses-sions,” he said.

Venugopal also said thatthe six years of the Modi gov-ernment witnessed “loan write-offs” for bank fraudsters to thetune of Rs 66 lakh crore from2014-2015 to September 2019.

He pointed out that in thelast six years, India witnessed32,868 bank frauds involvingpublic money to the tune of Rs2.70 lakh crore and stressedassets of the banks rose to Rs16.5 thousand crore. “BankNPAs rose 423 per cent fromRs 2.24 lakh crore on June 30,2014 to Rs 9.5 lakh crore inMarch 2020,” Venugopal said.

“The most shocking reve-lation of write-offs came onApril 24, 2020, in an RTI reply.In the midst of Covid-19, theModi government wrote offloans worth Rs 68,607 crore forthe likes of Mehul Choksi,Nirav Modi, Jatin Mehta, VijayMallya and others,” Congressalleged.

The Congress alsoslammed the Government overthe Rs 20 lakh-crore Covid-19relief package touted by thePrime Minister as 10 per centof GDP to be a mere 0.83 percent of GDP in reality.

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While the precise origin ofSARS-CoV-2, which has

caused havoc across the world,remains a mystery, researchershave found evidence that acombination of genetic shuf-fling and evolutionary selectionof near-identical geneticsequences among specific batand pangolin coronavirusesmay have led to the evolutionof the deadly virus and itsintroduction into humans.

The study is published inthe peer-reviewed journalScience Advances.

The team led by DukeUniversity in North Carolinashowed that the virus’ entirereceptor binding motif (RBM),a component that plays a keyrole in viral entry into hostcells, was introduced throughrecombination with pangolincoronaviruses.

Understanding the originsof SARS-CoV-2 is critical fordeterring future zoonosis, dis-covering new drugs, and devel-oping a vaccine.

“We show evidence ofstrong purifying selectionaround the receptor bindingmotif (RBM) in the spike andother genes among bat, pan-golin, and human coron-aviruses, suggesting similarevolutionary constraints in dif-ferent host species,” explainedXiaojun Li, the lead researcherfrom Duke University.

“We also demonstrate thatSARS-CoV-2’’s entire RBM wasintroduced through recombi-nation with coronaviruses frompangolins, possibly a criticalstep in the evolution of SARS-CoV-2’’s ability to infecthumans,” he added.

The study joins ongoingefforts to identify the source ofthe virus that causes Covid-19.

“Proximity of differentspecies in a wet market setting,for example, may increase thepotential for cross-speciesspillover infections, by enablingrecombination between moredistant coronaviruses and theemergence of mutations,” the

authors wrote.By analyzing 43 complete

genome sequences from threestrains of SARS-CoV-2-likecoronaviruses from bats andpangolins, Li and colleaguesdelineated which strains weremost and least similar to the

novel coronavirus, with a spe-cial focus on genes related tothe virus’’ spike protein com-plex, - a critical component thatfacilitates viral entry into hostcells.

They found evidence ofstrong evolutionary selection

around the RBM among thebat, pangolin, and human coro-naviruses they studied.

Amino acid sequencesfrom these viruses and SARS-CoV-2 were identical or near-ly identical in the regions adja-cent to the RBM, suggestingthat common evolutionarymechanisms shaped these dis-tinct viral strains.

Together, evolutionaryselection and frequent recom-bination among coronavirusesfrom bats, pangolins, andhumans may have allowed theclosely related viruses to read-ily jump between species, lead-ing to the introduction ofSARS-CoV-2 in humans, saidthe study.

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With tension continuing atthe Line of Actual

Control (LAC) in Ladakh,Defence Minister RajnathSingh said on Saturday Indiaand China are engaged atdiplomatic and military levelsto resolve the face-offs. Makingit clear that the issue is bilater-al, he also said this was con-veyed to his US counterpartMark Esper in telephonic con-versation on Friday. It is thefirst time in the last 25 plusdays since the four stand-offsthat a senior Central Ministerhas given a statement.

Making these assertions,Singh also said “the countryshould be assured that we willnot allow India’s dignity to behurt under any circumstances”adding “India has always triedto maintain a peaceful relationwith its neighbours. We do notseek to challenge any nation.”

Elaborating upon theGovernment’s plan of action toaddress the ongoing con-frontation in Ladakh withChina also bolstering its troopstrength besides intruding intothe Hot Spring area in Galwanvalley, the minister in an inter-view with a private televisionchannel said he told the US thatIndia will resolve the issuewith China bilaterally.

“Yesterday (Friday) I spoketo the Secretary Defence of theUS and I told him that India hasa set mechanism under whichwe resolve our disputes withChina, both at the military anddiplomatic level. The mecha-nism is in place and our talks areon with China,” Singh said.

His comments come daysafter US President DonaldTrump said he is willing tomediate between India andChina to resolve the ongoingdispute in Ladakh region andtermed it “raging border dis-pute.” The foreign ministries ofIndia and China had rejectedhis offer two days back and saidparleys were on.

At least seven rounds oftalks at the local commanderlevel of two armies have alreadytaken place in the last fortnight.However, the face-offs are stillon as there is no breakthroughso far. The external affairsministry had said some daysback that the issue will be

resolved as per the five agree-ments on border managementsigned between the two coun-tries between 1993 and 2013.

Without going into thespecifics, Singh said “India is try-ing to ensure that this tensiondoes not escalate. Engagementsare on with China both at themilitary and diplomatic level.Even China has said it wants tosettle this via dialogue.”

On the current situation onthe LAC, he said “India’s poli-cy has been very clear that weshould have good relationswith all neighbours. This hasbeen a long-standing effort. Butsometimes, circumstances arisewith China that things like thishappen,” he said.

To a question on China’sability to exert pressure onIndia, the Minister said therewas no question of this hap-pening since the country had astrong leadership and the peo-ple knew this. Asked aboutreports that Chinese troopshave crossed into Indian terri-tory in Ladakh, Singh saidthere were differing percep-tions on the alignment of theLAC due to which both sidespatrol across the LAC till theirlines of perception.

Singh also referred to theDoklam stand-off between thetwo armies in Sikkim plateau in2017 and said “it appeared atthat time that the situation wasvery tense. But we did not stepback… Ultimately, we wereable to resolve the situation.”The eyeball to eyeball con-frontation there last for nearly73 days and intervention at thehighest diplomatic level led tothe two armies stepping back.

Asked about dispute withNepal over Lipulekh andKalapani regions, Singh said,“Nepal is our brother. We willsettle our difference via dialogue.”Kathmandu is protesting againstopening of nearly 100 km longroad near Lipulekh inUttarakhand by India therebyreducing Kailash Mansarovaryatra by more than ten days.Incidentally, Singh had inaugu-rated this road earlier this month.

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The India MeteorologicalDepartment (IMD) on

Saturday said conditions arestill not right to declare onsetof monsoon over Kerala.

The IMD’s reaction cameafter the private forecasterSkymet Weather announcedthat the southwest monsoonhas arrived in Kerala before itsonset schedule. After this, in atweet Ministry of EarthSciences secretary MadhavanRajeevan said the news aboutmonsoon onset over Kerala insocial media is not correct.Monsoon has not arrived overKerala. The IMD also issued atwin depression alert for theArabian Sea as the latter read-ies to match the Bay of Bengalin terms of the build-up for aspectacular onset of the mon-

soon over Kerala. The mon-soon had hitched a hike on aneventual super cycloneAmphan to enter the Bayalmost 10 days ago.

According to the IMDdirector general MrutunjayMohapatra, conditions are stillnot right to declare onset ofmonsoon over Kerala.”Conditions are becomingfavourable for further advance ofSouthwest Monsoon into somemore parts of south Arabian Sea,Maldives-Comorin area, south-west and the southeast Bay ofBengal during next 48 hours,”the IMD said.

According to the IMD,there are three major condi-tions to declare the onset ofmonsoon. The first is if, afterMay 10, 60 per cent of the 14weather stations -- Minicoy,Amini, Thiruvananthapuram,

Punalur, Kollam, Allapuzha,Kottayam, Kochi, Thrissur,Kozhikode, Thalassery,Kannur, Kudulu andMangalore - report rainfall of2.5 millimetres or more for twoconsecutive days, the onsetover Kerala will be declared onthe second day. The second isthe depth of westerlies shouldbe maintained up to 600 hec-topascals (hPa) and the third is

the Out wave LongwaveRadiation should be below 200watt per square metre (wm-2).

The IMD said that twindepression has been trackedover south coastal Oman andadjoining Yemen. It is very like-ly to intensify further into adeep depression during next 12hours. It is very likely to moveslowly west-northwestwardsduring next 12 hours and west-

southwestwards thereafter.“Another low pressure area isvery likely to form over south-east & adjoining east centralArabian Sea during next 48hours. It is very likely to movenorth-northwestwards andconcentrate into a depressionover east central and adjoiningsoutheast Arabian Sea duringsubsequent 48 hours,” it said.

Earlier, Skymet WeatherCEO Jatin Singh said all condi-tions such as rainfall, Out waveLongwave Radiation (OLR)value and wind speed have beenmet to declare the arrival of thesouthwest monsoon over Kerala.

“#JUSTIN Southwest#Monsoon2020 finally arrivedon the mainland of India,#Monsoon arrived on Keralabefore the actual onset date. Allthe onset conditions includingrainfall, OLR value, wind speed,

are met. Finally, the 4-monthlong festival begins for Indian.#HappyMonsoon (sic),” the pri-vate forecaster tweeted. Theonset of monsoon over Keralamarks the commencement offour-month rainy season in thecountry. The country receives75 per cent of the rainfall fromJune to September.

Skymet had predicted thatmonsoon will hit Kerala on May28 with an error margin of plusor minus 2 days. Whereas, theIndia MeteorologicalDepartment (IMD) had said themonsoon will make an onsetover Kerala on June 5, four daysafter its normal onset date.However, earlier this week, itsaid a cyclonic circulation in theBay of Bengal will help inadvancement of the monsoonand it could reach Kerala onJune 1, its normal onset date.

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The EnforcementDirectorate (ED) has

attached movable and immov-able assets worth Rs 14.32crore of Srijan Mahila VikasSahyog Samiti Limited(SMVSSL) and others underthe Prevention of MoneyLaundering Act (PMLA) in acase relating to embezzlementof Government funds.

The attached assetsincludes 20 flats at Noida,Ghaziabad, Pune, Ranchi,Bhagalpur and Patna, 19 Shopsat Noida, Ghaziabad andBhagalpur, 33 Plots/Houses inBihar, a Volkswagen Car andavailable balances in bankaccounts amounting to Rs 4.84crore. Probe under PMLA hasrevealed that during 2003-04onwards funds to the tune ofRs.557 crores have beensiphoned off from theGovernment accounts afterbeing illegally transferred to thebank accounts of SMVSSL

The ED initiated investi-gation under PMLA againstSMVSSL and others underPMLA on the basis of FIR reg-istered by Central Bureau ofInvestigation (CBI) for com-mission of offences underIndian Penal Code Sectionsrelating to criminal conspiracy,cheating, criminal breach oftrust and forgery besides pro-visions of the Prevention ofCorruption Act. Late ManormaDevi was the Secretary of thesociety SMVSSL since its incep-tion till her death on February13, 2017.

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Catch them young! TheWorld Health Organization

(WHO) on World No TobaccoDay on Sunday is reaching outto Generation Z — the kids andschool students to make themaware and alert about the nefar-ious tactics adopted by thetobacco lobby to lure them totheir nicotine and tobaccoproducts.

It will launch school kitsexposing the tactics such as par-ties and concerts hosted by thetobacco and related industries,e-cigarette flavours that attractyouth like bubble-gum andcandy, e-cigarette representa-tives presenting in schools, andproduct placement in popularyouth streaming shows.

The kit for school studentsaged 13-17 has a set of class-room activities including onethat puts the students in theshoes of the tobacco industryto make them aware of how theindustry tries to manipulatethem into using deadly prod-ucts. It also includes an educa-tional video, myth-buster quiz,and homework assignments.

The focus of World NoTobacco Day, this year, is “pro-tecting youth from industrymanipulation and preventingthem from tobacco and nico-tine use”. Health experts saythat industry eye children in abid to replace the eight millionpeople that its products kill

every year.Dr Poonam Khetrapal

Singh, Regional Director, WHORegional Office for the South-East Asia (WHO SEARO) inher message on the occasionadvised the countries of theSouth-East Asia Region thatschools can raise awareness ofthe dangers of initiating nicotineand tobacco use by providinginformation resources and mak-ing their campuses tobacco andENDS free.

“Youth groups can organ-ise local events to engage andeducate young people on themany harms of tobacco use,including its impact on per-sonal finances,” she said.

Dr Jagdish Kaur, Regional

Adviser, Tobacco Free Initiative(WHO SEARO) added pro-tecting youth from tobaccouse, new and emerging tobac-co and nicotine products andthe tactics of tobacco industryis of paramount importance fora tobacco free generation.

According to the WHO,every year the tobacco indus-try invests more than USD 9billion to advertise its products.

Even during a global pan-demic, the tobacco and nico-tine industry persist by push-ing products that limit people’sability to fight coronavirus andrecover from the disease. Theindustry has offered free brand-ed masks and delivery to yourdoor during quarantine andhas lobbied for their productsto be listed as ‘essential’. Littlewonder that over 40 millionyoung people aged 13-15 havealready started to use tobacco.

“Educating youth is vitalbecause nearly 9 out of 10smokers start before age 18. Wewant to provide young peoplewith the knowledge to speakout against tobacco industrymanipulation,” said RuedigerKrech, Director for HealthPromotion at WHO.

Countries can protect chil-dren from industry exploitationby putting in place strict tobac-co control laws, including reg-ulating products like e-ciga-rettes that have already begunto hook a new generation ofyoung people, said the WHO.

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BJP president JP Nadda onSaturday applauded Prime

Minister Narendra Modi-ledGovernment for completingthe first year of its second con-secutive tenure and called it ayear of “accomplishment withunimaginable challenges” say-ing that a “cultural change” inpolitical arena is very muchvisible with the BJP dispen-sation showing its capacity totake bold decisions unlikethe paralysis reflected duringthe Congress regimes.

He said Prime Minister’sleadership has been acknowl-edged globally and in thetime of global pandemic, hehas led the country with a“timely lockdown” and situa-tion has been “stabilised.”

“This has been a year ofaccomplishments and we havealso faced unimaginable chal-lenges. The Prime Minister ledfrom the front to give a visionto the country and managed thecoronavirus crisis well. Startingfrom testing facility to devel-oping PPE kits and ventilatorsin the fight against Covid-19,the country under PrimeMinister Modi’s leadership isheading towards indigenousand self-reliant India. A holis-tic package was also announcedby our Government,” BJP pres-ident said addressing a digitalPress conference from BJPheadquarters.

Nadda said his partywould conduct 2,000 virtualrallies through one month ashe accepted that coronavirushas created a problem forfuture political campaigns andactivities. “We have seen thatthis Government is responsive,receptive and has the capacityto take bold decisions. Withthe announcement of Rs 1.70

lakh crore package, the WHOaccepted that India is thecountry which has shown thateconomic aspect is also to betaken into consideration dur-ing the time of Covid-19 cri-sis,” he said.

Nadd said the Modi-Government took bold deci-sion and did not stop at ifs andbuts. “If we felt it was right thenwe went ahead with a decisionand did not waver,” he said.

BJP president listed abro-gation of Article 370,Citizenship Amendment Act,criminalisation of triple talaq,resolution of Ayodhya templedispute and cross-border airstrikes as the major achieve-ments of the Modi-Government.

He charged the Congressof putting hurdle on the wayto the resolution of courtdecision on the temple issueand “delaying” it.

BJP president said whilethe Government did all tocontain coronavirus, theCongress sought to politicisethe pandemic and describedCongress leader RahulGandhi’s comments as “irre-sponsible” and “without prop-er facts and study”.

Nadda said in last six-years, Modi has moved thecountry from the indecisiveand paralytic mood prevailingduring the CongressGovernment to a culture ofdecisiveness.

Former BJP president andUnion Home Minister AmitShah also congratulated PrimeMinister on the first anniver-sary of his government’s sec-ond term.

He described the secondterm of PM Modi as “historic”and claimed that that the rul-ing Government has correct-ed many “historic wrongs.”

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The ICMR has advised theStates to conduct sero-

survey to measure coronavirusexposure in the populationusing IgG ELISA Test. Thesero-surveys help to under-stand the proportion of pop-ulation exposed to the virusinfection including asympto-matic individuals.

Depending upon the levelof sero-prevalence of infection,appropriate public healthinterventions can be plannedand implemented for prevention and control of thedisease. Periodic sero-surveysare useful to guide the policymakers, said the ICMR in astatement here.

IgG antibodies generallystart appearing after two weeksof onset of infection, once the

individual has recovered afterinfection and last for severalmonths. Therefore, while theIgG test is not useful fordetecting acute infection, itindicates episode of SARS-CoV-2 infection in the past. .

In an attempt to decide thefuture course of action againstthe pandemic, ICMR hasalready shared a detailed planto all the States to measurecoronavirus exposure in gen-eral population as well as inhigh risk populations.

This sero-survey will

guide appropriate publichealth intervention. The ICMRhas provided an indicative listof different groups to be test-ed with states depending uponthe requirement and situationin that particular area.

To increase availability ofthe IgG ELISA test, ICMR hastransferred this technology tomany pharma companies viz.Zydus Cadila, J Mitra &Company, Meril Diagnostics,Voxtur Bio, TrivitronHealthcare, KarwahEnterprises, AveconHealthcare, etc.

The technology has beentransferred to various entitieswithout exclusivity clause andtherefore can be further sharedwith others as per demand andcapability. IgG ELISA tests fromother USFDA/CE-IVD/indige-nous sources are also available.

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In order to exhibit the modelstretches of National

Highways as per norms, theNational Highways Authorityof India (NHAI) is planning todevelop 57 stretches of NH(1,735 km) across the countrynear each State capital.

These Model Stretches willalso serve as a platform to edu-cate the highway engineers ofthe country, including StatePWD engineers.

These stretches will have allthe required safety and aes-thetic features like road signs,road markings, road furniture& safety items, proper junctionsand entry/exit points, func-tional drains, pedestrian facil-ities, street lighting, planta-

tion & landscaping, toll plaza,user facilities & wayside amenities.

The stretches will also beequipped with CCTV cam-eras at all vulnerable locations,no black spots to avoid accidents and eco-friendlymeasures.

The idea is to make thehighway stretch look like a per-fect textbook version of amodel road. Some of the NH sections identified for development as Model Stretches are Dausa toJaipur, Jalandhar to Amritsar,Srinagar to Banihal, VaranasiRing Road, Chennai Bypass,MP/MH border to Nagpurincluding Nagpur Bypass,Brahmaputra Bridge toGuwahati.

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Food regulator FSSAI onSaturday said it has

launched a new online platformfor granting licenses and reg-istration to food business oper-ators (FBOs) as well as regula-tory compliances.

Since 2011, the FSSAI’sonline licensing platform FLRS(Food Licensing andRegistration System) has issued70 lakh licenses/ registrationstill date. Over 35 lakhslicensees/registrants are active-ly transacting on it.”FSSAI islaunching its cloud based,upgraded new food safety com-pliance online platform calledFood Safety ComplianceSystem (FoSCoS),” the regula-tor said in a statement.The newURL foscos.Fssai.Gov.In willreplace the existing foodli-censing.Fssai.Gov.In, it added.

The regulator said the new plat-form FoSCoS is conceptualisedto provide one point stop for allengagement of an FBO with thedepartment for any regulatorycompliance transaction.

The platform has beenintegrated with its mobile appand will be linked with other ITplatforms. “A single regulatoryplatform will enable pan Indiaintegrated response system toany food fraud and ensure anadvanced risk based, data dri-ven regulatory approach. Forthe start, FoSCoS will be offer-ing licensing, registration,inspection and annual returnmodules,” FSSAI said.

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After being in red for 13consecutive quarters, LIC-

owned IDBI Bank reported aprofit after tax of �135 crore inthe quarter ended March 31,helped by higher interestincome. The lender had report-ed a net loss of �4,918 crore inthe same quarter last year.“After a long gap of 13 quarters,we have been able to show netprofit of �135 crore in theMarch quarter.

The profit would have beenhigher but for the recoveries

that were affected duringMarch due to the COVID-19situation,” the bank’s managingdirector and CEO RakeshSharma told reporters.

He said recoveries had fall-en short of by �700 crore dueto the disruptions caused by thecoronavirus outbreak. Therecoveries and upgradation inthe quarter stood at 1,457 croreand �328 crore, respectively.

The profit in the quarterwas also supported by thereversal of �1,500 crore of pro-visions made for non-per-forming loans (NPAs). Netinterest income (NII) improvedby 46 per cent to �2,356 croreas against �1,609 crore last

year same period.Net interest margin (NIM)

improved by 154 basis points to3.80 per cent for the fourthquarter, 2020 as compared to2.26 per cent in the year-agoquarter.

For the full year, the bankreported a net loss of Rs 12,887crore as against � 15,116 croreof loss booked in the financialyear 2019.

Gross NPA of the bankstood at 27.53 per cent asagainst 27.47 per cent . NetNPA improved to 4.19 percent from 10.11 per cent. Freshslippage in the quarter stood at�727 crore. Provision coverageratio (PCR) stood at 93.74 percent.

The lender, which is underRBI’s prompt corrective action(PCA) since May 2017, expectsto come out of it soon. Sharmasaid the bank has extended theReserve Bank of India’s mora-torium on term loans repay-ments to all its borrowersIn value terms, 66 per cent ofretail borrowers and 97 per centof MSME and agriculture bor-rowers have availed the mora-torium. It had set aside �247crore for COVID 19 relatedprovisions as mandated by theRBI.

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India’s foreign exchange reserves rose by over $3 bil-lion during the week ended May 22.

According to the RBI’s weekly statistical supple-ment, the overall forex reserves increased to $490.044billion from $487.039 billion reported for the weekended May 15.

India’s forex reserves comprise foreign currencyassets (FCAs), gold reserves, special drawing rights(SDRs) and India’s reserve position with theInternational Monetary Fund (IMF).

On a weekly basis, FCAs, the largest componentof the forex reserves, edged higher by $3.035 billionto $451.706 billion.

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Yes Bank said it has acquiredover 24% stake in Dish TV

India following invocation ofpledged shares due to debtdefault by the DTH serviceprovider and other group firms.Yes Bank Limited, pursuant toinvocation of pledged shares,has acquired 44,53,48,990 equi-ty shares of Dish TV IndiaLimited constituting.

����� ��7�+

The Reserve Bank of India(RBI) has imposed a fine of

�4 crore on Citibank for non-compliance of regulations.

In a statement issued onFriday, the RBI said the penal-ty has been imposed onCitibank N.A. for violation ofbanking regulations related tocustomer credentials.

According to the centralbank, Citibank had not com-plied with the directions issuedby the RBI on obtaining dec-laration from customers aboutcredit facilities enjoyed withother banks, granting non-fund based facilities to non-constituent borrowers, verify-ing data available in CRILCdatabase and obtaining no-objection certificate (NOC)from lending banks at the timeof opening current accounts,and submission of complianceto risk assessment findings.

“This penalty has beenimposed in exercise of powersvested in RBI under the provi-sions of Section 47 A (1) (c)read with Section 46 (4) (i) ofthe Act, taking into account thefailure of the bank to adhere tothe aforesaid provision of theAct and the directions issued byRBI. This action is based ondeficiencies in regulatory com-pliance and is not intended topronounce upon the validity ofany transaction or agreemententered into by the bank withits customers,” the RBI said.

The RBI said that the statu-

tory inspection of the Indianoperations of the bank with ref-erence to its financial positionsas on March 31, 2017 andMarch 31, 2018 and the RiskAssessment Reports (RARs)pertaining thereto revealed,inter-alia, contravention withthe provisions of the Act and non-compliance with theconcerned directions of thecentral bank.

In furtherance to the same,a notice was issued to the bankadvising it to show-cause as towhy penalty should not beimposed for contravention ofthe provisions of the Act andfailure to comply with thedirections issued by the RBI.

“After considering thebank’s reply to the notice, oralsubmissions made during thepersonal hearing and exami-nation of additional submis-sions, the RBI concluded thatthe aforesaid charges of con-travention with the provisionsof the Act and non-compliancewith RBI directions warrantedimposition of monetary penal-ty,” it said.

Further, the apex bank hasalso imposed penalty on threeco-operative banks - NagarUrban Co-operative Bank Ltd.,Ahmednagar, TJSB SahakariBank Limited and Bharat Co-operative Bank (Mumbai) fornon-compliance with variousdirections issued by it.

It has imposed a fine of �60 lakh on Bharat Co-operativeBank for non-compliance withthe norms on income recogni-tion, asset classification andreporting of frauds. Similarly,fines of �40 lakh and �45 lakhhave been imposed on Nagar Urban Co-operativeBank and TJSB Sahakari Bank,respectively.

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India will emerge strongerfrom multiple crises of econ-

omy, pandemic and supercyclone in the next 6-9 months,say industry leaders, based onthe resilience shown by people,businesses and theGovernment.

The telecom and informa-tion technology will be key tosurvival and revival of lives andeconomy, said the businessleaders as they shared theirviews on challenges faced bythe Indian economy at a webi-nar organised byConfederation of Indian

Industry (CII), Delhi.“Covid-19 has resulted in

the world adopting to the ‘newnormal’ by accelerating busi-ness transition towards digitalpractices. IT as the backbone ofthe economy respondedimmediately to this crisis as theindustry was prepared andworking towards digitalisa-tion,” said Sujit Baksi, Head-APAC Business & President,Corporate Affairs at TechMahindra.”Today around 93-94per cent of our workforce isworking from home.

We see this as an oppor-tunity for our industry tochange the way of working and

an enhanced engagement withthe telecom sector, which hasemerged as a lifeline, yet again.I am confident that the ITindustry will bounce back inthe second half of the financialyear,” Baksi told the webinar on“New Normal: Impact of Covidon Business and Economy”.

According to PrativaMohapatra, VP Sales at IBMIndia/South Asia, as the newnormal sets in, leadership, deci-siveness, empathy and teamwork will become moreessential.

“The telecom industry hasemerged as the nervous systemand IT as flesh and blood in the

current pandemic,” she said.Rajan Mathews, Director

General, Cellular OperatorsAssociation of India (COAI),the challenges also presents thetelecom industry the opportunity to innovate andcreate critical solutions indige-nously which can be globallyscalable.

“Our industry faces anunprecedented financial crisisand at the same time we requireinvestments in our infrastruc-ture so that we can be futureready to take up emergingchallenges,” he said. Accordingto Prashant Solomon,Managing Director, Chintels

India Pvt. Ltd and Treasurer,Confederation of Real EstateDevelopers Association ofIndia NCR, the lockdown hasgreatly impacted the real estatesector which is the secondlargest employer in India.

“Operational resiliencealong with strong governmentinitiatives, like increased liq-uidity and one-time restruc-turing of loans, are necessary tohelp the sector recover.CREDAI recently specifiedthese requirements in an openletter to the PM and we arelooking forward to furthersupport,” Solomon said.

“We are entering in an

economy contraction of 5 to 15per cent depending on theindustry and this economic cri-sis is unique for India as wehave not experienced some-thing like this in decades,” saidAditya Berlia, Chairman- CIIDelhi, Co-Promoter ApeejayStya and Svran Group.

“CII has immediatelyresponded and is helping dur-ing the crisis but we know morecan be done and will be done.The steps taken by the gov-ernment are fantastic for themedium-term but what werequire is something whichcan help businesses next week,not in six months.

����� �65���+

Car maker Hyundai MotorIndia Ltd. on Saturday said

it has exported over 5,000 unitsin May after restarting production.

In a statement issued herethe company said after restart-ing production on May 8 it hasproduced over 5,000 units forexport markets.

Pointing out the compa-ny’s exports of over three mil-lion cars since 1999, S.S. Kim,Managing Director and ChiefExecutive Office said: “Wehave once again made a humble beginning towardsnormalcy by exporting more than 5,000 units in May2020.”

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Retailers Association of Indiaon Saturday welcomed the

Govt’s order to allow openingof malls and shopping centresfrom June 8, saying it is impor-tant for retailers to open up toget the economy moving for-ward. RAI CEO KumarRajgopalan said the retailers’body has been in touch withvarious Govt officials since thelockdown.

“We believe that the gov-ernment is satisfied that themalls would follow the SOPs asis required,” he said in a state-ment. Stressing on the signif-icance of the Home Ministry’sorder, he said: “It is importantfor malls and various retailersto open up and to get the econ-omy moving forward”.

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The Government’s decisionto allow shopping centres

and malls to open from June 8will help ease enormous pres-sure that the industry was fac-ing due to the lockdown,Shopping Centres Associationof India (SCAI) said onSaturday.

Welcoming the stepsannounced in the fresh guide-lines by the Home Ministry,SCAI Chairman AmitabhTaneja said, “Revival and resur-gence is a long process, whichhas just about begun”.”Therelaxation is certainly going tohelp ease an unimaginableamount of pressure that wasput on the industry followingthe lockdown.”Taneja saidSCAI will await further infor-mation from the Ministry of

Health and Family Welfare(MOHFW) to ensure theguidelines are followed in let-ter and spirit. Pacific MallsExecutive Director AbhishekBansal hailed the decision andsaid: “We will follow all theguidelines of central and stateGovernments and will run ourmalls responsibly”.

Ambience group’s AmanGehlot too welcomed the deci-sion. The company has shop-ping malls in Delhi andGurugram.Shopping centresand malls were shut after thegovernment imposed nation-wide lockdown from May 25 tocontrol the spread of the coro-navirus disease.

This resulted in huge rev-enue losses for both mall own-ers and their tenants — retail-ers, cinemas and food businesses.

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Minneapolis: Fires burnedunchecked and thousandsprotesting the police killing ofGeorge Floyd ignored a curfewas unrest overwhelmed author-ities for another night inMinneapolis, and the Governoracknowledged on Saturday thathe didn’t have enough man-power to contain the chaos.

The new round of tumult— which has also spread toother cities — came despiteMinnesota Gov Tim Walz vow-ing Friday to show a moreforceful response than cityleaders had the day before. Butby early Saturday morning,Walz said he didn’t haveenough troops, even with some500 National Guardsmen.

“We do not have the num-bers,” Walz said. “We cannotarrest people when we are try-ing to hold ground.” Walz saidhe was moving quickly tomobilize more than 1,000 moreGuard members, for a total of1,700, and was considering thepotential offer of federal mili-tary police. But he warnedthat even that might not beenough, saying he expectedanother difficult night Saturday.

The Pentagon on Saturdayordered the Army to put mili-tary police units on alert tohead to the city on short noticeat President Donald Trump’srequest, according to threepeople with direct knowledgeof the orders who did notwant their names used becausethey were not authorized to dis-cuss the preparations. The rarestep came as the violencespread to other cities: A manshot dead in Detroit, police carsbattered in Atlanta and skir-mishes with police in NewYork City.

Criminal charges filedFriday morning against thewhite officer who held hisknee for nearly nine minutes onthe neck of Floyd, a black manwho was handcuffed at thetime, did nothing to stem theanger. Derek Chauvin, 44, wascharged with third-degreemurder and second-degreemanslaughter.

Minneapolis police saidshots had been fired at lawenforcement officers duringthe protests but no one wasinjured.

As the night dragged on,fires erupted across the city’ssouth side, including at aJapanese restaurant, a WellsFargo bank and an OfficeDepot. Many burned for hours,with firefighters again delayedin reaching them because areas

weren’t secure.Shortly before midnight,

scores of officers on foot and invehicles moved in to curb theviolence, one day after city andstate leaders faced blowback fortheir handling of the crisis. OnThursday, protesters hadtorched a police station soonafter it was abandoned by policeand went on to burn or van-dalize dozens of businesses.

The Minnesota Police andPeace Officers Association urgedGov Walz to accept any help.

“You need more resources,”the group said in a tweet. “Lawenforcement needs leadership.”Not all the protests were violent.Downtown, thousands ofdemonstrators encircled a bar-ricaded police station after the8 p.M. Friday curfew.“Prosecute the police!” some

chanted, and “Say his name:George Floyd!” Some protest-ers sprayed graffiti on buildings.

Anger filled the streets ofMinneapolis.

Ben Hubert, a 26-year-oldlocal resident, said he wasn’tsurprised people were breakingcurfew and setting fires. “I’moutraged,” he said of the Floydcase. “But I’m also sad. Theinjustice has been going on forso long. It’s been swelling foryears.”

Chauvin was also accusedof ignoring another officerwho expressed concerns aboutFloyd as he pleaded that hecould not breathe, whileChauvin pressed his knee intohis neck for several minutes.Floyd had been arrested on sus-picion of using a counterfeit$20 bill at a store. AP

Johannesburg: As Minneapolisburns over the police killing ofGeorge Floyd and shock anddisappointment in Africa grow,some US embassies on thecontinent have taken theunusual step of issuing criticalstatements, saying no one isabove the law.

The statements came as thehead of the African UnionCommission, Moussa FakiMahamat, condemned the“murder” of Floyd and saidFriday the continental bodyrejects the “continuing dis-criminatory practices againstblack citizens of the USA.”

Africa has not seen the

kind of protests over Floyd’skilling that have erupted acrossthe United States, but manyAfricans have expressed disgustand dismay, openly wonderingwhen the US will ever get itright. “WTF? ‘When the loot-ing starts the shooting starts’?”tweeted political cartoonistPatrick Gathara in Kenya,which has its own troubleswith police brutality.

He, like many, was aghastat the tweet by PresidentDonald Trump, flagged byTwitter as violating rulesagainst “glorifying violence,”that the president later said hadbeen misconstrued. AP

Washington: President DonaldTrump has tried to walk backhis post-midnight “thugs” tweetabout Minneapolis protestersthat added to outrage over thepolice killing of a black man.

Trump’s repeated condem-nation of the killing and out-reach to the man’s family was amarked change in tone from hisearlier comments that alsoinvoked a civil-rights-era phrasefraught with racist overtones.

“When the looting starts,the shooting starts,” Trumphad written in a tweet that wasquickly flagged by Twitter asviolating rules against “glorify-ing violence.”

Trump later said his com-ments had been misconstrued.“Frankly it means when there’slooting, people get shot andthey die,” he said.

Trump’s whiplash com-ments came after protesterstorched a Minneapolis policestation on Thursday night, cap-ping three days of searingdemonstrations over the deathof George Floyd, who was cap-tured on video pleading for airas a white police officer knelt onhis neck for over eight minutes.

And they underscoredTrump’s complicated relation-ship with race as he tries tomaintain a law-and-order

mantle while looking to appealto black voters during an elec-tion year.

They also highlighted hisrefusal to avoid controversy orcede the spotlight even as thebattered nation tries to makesense of another killing andreels over the mountingCOVID-19 death toll.

Trump, in his tweets, bor-rowed a phrase once used byformer Miami Police ChiefWalter Headley in a 1967speech outlining his depart-ment’s efforts to “combat younghoodlums who have takenadvantage of the civil rightscampaign.” AP

Washington: Joe Biden lament-ed the “open wound” of thenation’s systemic racism onFriday as he responded to thepolice killing of a black man inMinnesota. He drew an implic-it contrast with PresidentDonald Trump, who has sug-gested authorities could respondwith violence to the protests thatfollowed George Floyd’s death.

“The original sin of thiscountry still stains our nationtoday,” Biden, the presumptiveDemocratic presidential nomi-nee, said in remarks broadcastfrom his home in Wilmington,Delaware. “It’s time for us to takea hard look at uncomfortable

truths.” Biden announced his bidfor the presidency last yeararguing he’s uniquely positionedto unite a deeply divided coun-try. He pointed to Trump’sresponse to a white supremacistrally in Charlottesville, Virginia,as unworthy of America’s peo-ple and values.

As the country enduresanother spasm of racial unrest,the central premise of Biden’scampaign is being tested. Bidenis responding by positioninghimself as an empathetic counterto Trump, who often strugglesto convey emotion or connecton a personal level duringmoments of crisis. AP

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US President Donald Trumphas issued a proclamation

banning the entry of Chinesestudents and researchers hav-ing ties with the People’sLiberation Army to dismantleChina’s efforts to use graduatestudents to acquire intellectu-al property and technologyfrom America.

Trump’s announcementcame amidst escalating con-frontation between the US andChina over trade, the origins ofthe novel coronavirus pan-demic, Beijing’s security crack-down in Hong Kong and thecommunist giant’s aggressivemilitary moves in the disputedSouth China Sea.

Berlin: Chancellor AngelaMerkel will not personallyattend a meeting in the US withthe leaders of the world’s majoreconomies if President DonaldTrump goes ahead with it,unless the course of the coron-avirus spread changes by then,her office said Saturday.

After canceling the Groupof Seven summit, originallyscheduled for June 10-12 atCamp David, Trump said aweek ago that he was again con-sidering hosting an in-personmeeting of world leadersbecause it would be a “great sign

to all” of things returning tonormal during the pandemic.

Immediately after thatannouncement, Merkel sug-gested she had not yet made upher mind on whether to attendin person or by video confer-ence, but her office told the dpanews agency she has now madea decision. “As of today, giventhe overall pandemic situation,she cannot commit to partici-pating in person,” her office said.It added that the chancellorwould continue to monitor thecoronavirus situation in casethings change. AP

Detroit: One person was killedin downtown Detroit aftersomeone in an SUV fired shotsinto a crowd of people protest-ing George Floyd’s death inMinneapolis custody, a Detroitpolice spokeswoman saidSaturday. The shooting occurredabout 11:30 pm on Friday near Detroit’s Greektown entertainment district as officerswere confronted with dozens of protesters, said Sgt. Nicole Kirkwood, a policedepartment spokeswoman. Shesaid an officer wasn’t involved inthe shooting. AP

United Nations: The US andUK raised the issue of China’scontroversial security law forHong Kong during an emer-gency discussion in theSecurity Council, angeringBeijing which said the UNorgan should instead pay atten-tion to the US’ excessive use offorce against protesters inMinneapolis and its racial dis-crimination against black com-munities.

The 15-nation Council dis-cussed Hong Kong in an infor-mal virtual meeting after theUS and United Kingdombrought the issue for emer-gency discussion under “anyother business” on Friday.

“Today I asked the Councilone simple question: are wegoing to take the honourablestand to defend the human

rights and the dignified way oflife that millions of Hong Kongcitizens have enjoyed anddeserve like all freedom lovingpeople, or are we going toallow the Chinese CommunistParty to violate internationallaw and force its will on thepeople of Hong Kong wholook to us to preserve their wayof life and their freedoms?” USAmbassador to the UN KellyCraft said.

Craft said that the US isresolute and calls upon all UNmember states to join it in demanding that Chinaimmediately reverse courseand honour its internationallegal commitments to this institution and to the HongKong people.

Beijing shot back, sayingthe adoption of the legislationis purely China’s internal affairand has nothing to do with thework and mandate of theSecurity Council.

China’s Ambassador to theUN Zhang Jun, along withRussia, slammed the US forthe killing of George Floyd, anAfrican-American man whodied this week in Minneapolisafter a white police officerkneeled on his neck while hewas handcuffed and pinned tothe ground, triggering vio-lent protests.

“It’s our view that, instead ofwasting time on this issue, theCouncil should pay more atten-tion and even take action onissues more relevant to inter-national peace and security.

“Just to name a few, theimpact of the Brexit on inter-national peace and security,the unilateral sanctionsimposed by the US and othercountries, the excessive use offorce against protesters inMinneapolis, the killing of anAfrican American young manand racial discriminationagainst African Americans.

This list can be endless. Chinastands ready to work with

you on these issues,” Zhangsaid. PTI

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Two children and theirunborn sibling have been

killed in a Kenyan police oper-ation aimed at detaining theirfather, a human rights groupsaid Saturday.

Police, who called the man a suspected Islamicextremist with an al-Qaidalinked group, confirmed thechildren’s deaths and assertedthey were used as “humanshields.”

A police report seen by TheAssociated Press said an elite

unit went to the house ofMohamed Mapenzi inKibundani area of coastalKwale County in search offirearms Friday night.

The report said the unithad been directed there byanother suspected member ofal-Shabab, based in neighbor-ing Somalia.

Al-Shabab has been carry-ing out attacks inside Kenyasince 2011 in retaliation forKenya’s troop presence inSomalia. The report says offi-cers ordered the suspect toopen his house but he refused.

Seoul: South Korea onSaturday reported 39 new casesof the coronavirus, most ofthem in the densely populatedSeoul area where officials havelinked scores of infections towarehouse workers.

Figures from South Korea’sCentres for Disease Controland Prevention broughtnational totals to 11,441 con-firmed cases and 269 deaths. Atleast 12 of the new cases werelinked to international arrivals.

KCDC Director JeongEun-kyeong said Friday that atleast 102 infections had beenlinked to workers at a massivewarehouse operated byCoupang, a local e-commercegiant that has seen orders spike

during the epidemic.The company has been

criticized for failing to imple-ment proper preventive mea-sures and enforce distancebetween employees, with thevirus discovered on safety hel-mets, laptops, keyboards andother equipment they share.

Health workers have alsofound at least 266 infectionslinked to nightclubs and otherentertainment venues in theSeoul metropolitan area, whichsaw huge crowds in early Mayas officials eased social dis-tancing guidelines. The resur-gence in infections has alarmedofficials as millions of childrenhave been returning to schoolnationwide. AP

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New York City, the epi-centre of the COVID-19 pan-demic in the US, will beginreopening in a phased manneron June 8, bringing about4,000,000 employees back towork, Governor AndrewCuomo has said.

New York City has beenshut since mid-March as coro-navirus ravaged the metropo-lis, which has reported over199,038 coronavirus cases sofar and close to 20,000 deaths.US has so far reported morethan 1,747,085 COVID-19cases and over 102,835 fatali-ties -- both the numbers high-est in the world.

Regions across New YorkState began their phased re-opening this month but NewYork City remained shut as itdid not meet the seven health-related criteria necessary for thefirst phase of reopening.

Addressing a press confer-ence on Friday, New YorkGovernor Cuomo said the cityis on track to meet all the met-rics and will enter phase one ofreopening on June 8.

“Phase one should bringabout 4,000,000 employeesback to work in New York City.Remember that reopening doesnot mean we’re going back tothe way things were...It isreopening to a new normal, it’sa safer normal,” Cuomo said.

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The mouthpiece of China’sruling Communist Party

said US moves to end sometrading privileges for HongKong “grossly interfere” inChina’s internal affairs and are“doomed to fail”.

Saturday’s editorial in thenewspaper People’s Daily wasresponding to an announce-ment from President DonaldTrump, after China’s ceremo-nial Parliament bypassed HongKong’s local legislature toadvance legislation that couldseverely curtail free speechand opposition political activ-ities in the semi-autonomous

Chinese territory.It was the “firm determi-

nation of all Chinese people” tooppose interference in HongKong affairs by any externalforces, the paper said.

“This hegemonic act ofattempting to interfere in HongKong affairs and grossly inter-fere in China’s internal affairswill not frighten the Chinesepeople and is doomed to fail,”it said.

Attempts at “forcing Chinato make concessions on coreinterests including sovereigntyand security through black-mailing or coercion...Can onlybe wishful thinking and day-dreaming!”

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Washington: The EuropeanUnion on Saturday urged USPresident Donald Trump torethink his decision to cutAmerican funding for theWorld Health Organisationamid global criticism of themove, as spiking infectionrates in India and elsewhereserved as a reminder the glob-al pandemic is far from con-tained.

Trump on Friday chargedthat the WHO didn’t respondadequately to the pandemic,accusing the UN agency ofbeing under China’s “total con-trol.” European CommissionPresident Ursula von der Leyenon Saturday urged Trump toreconsider, saying that “actionsthat weaken internationalresults must be avoided” andthat “now is the time forenhanced cooperation andcommon solutions.” “TheWHO needs to continue being

able to lead the internationalresponse to pandemics, currentand future,” she said. “For this,the participation and supportof all is required and verymuch needed.” The US is thelargest source of financial sup-port for the WHO, and its exitis expected to significantlyweaken the organization.Trump said the US would be“redirecting” the money to“other worldwide and deserv-ing urgent global public healthneeds,” without providingspecifics.

The WHO wouldn’t com-ment on the announcement butSouth African Health MinisterZweli Mkhize called it an“unfortunate” turn of events.

“Certainly, when facedwith a serious pandemic, youwant all nations in the world tobe particularly focused ... Onone common enemy,” he toldreporters. AP

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Colombo: A prominent doc-tors’ body in Sri Lanka warnedof a second wave of COVID-19infections in the country afterthousands of people defyingsocial distancing rules gath-ered to pay tributes to a promi-nent Tamil minister, who diedearlier this week.

Ceylon Workers Congress(CWC) leader ArumugamThondaman, who representedTamils of Indian origin, passedaway on Tuesday and is due tobe cremated on Sunday in thecentral hilly Nuwara Eliya dis-trict.

Tens of thousands of hissupporters gathered to payrespects to Thondaman, defyingall quarantine regulations put in

place to curb the pandemic.In a statement on Saturday,

the doctors’ body warned thatgatherings at the politician’sfuneral could trigger the secondwave of coronavirus infection.

Thondaman’s body wastaken to the national parliamenton Thursday for a lie-in-stateand for public viewing at hisCeylon Workers’ Congress partyhead office in Colombo beforeit was airlifted to his home dis-trict of Nuwara Eliya.

The doctors expressed their“displeasure” over the publicfuneral of Thondaman at atime when health authoritieshad asked people to restrictfunerals to the closest family.

The country will impose a

nation-wide curfew tomorrow. The government already

declared curfew in NuwaraEliya district on Saturday aheadof the funeral.

The island nation hasreported a sudden spike in the number of COVID-19cases, mainly among thosewho were recently repatriatedfrom overseas.

The country has recorded1,559 infections as of Saturdaywith 10 deaths. Over 750 of theCOVID-19 patients have beendischarged from hospitals. Onlythis week the Government for-mally ended the lockdownimposed since March 20 by lift-ing daytime curfew in the cap-ital district of Colombo. PTI

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Jerusalem: Israeli police shotdead a Palestinian nearJerusalem’s Old City onSaturday who they had sus-pected was carrying a weaponbut turned out to be unarmed.

The police say he was car-rying “a suspicious object thatlooked like a pistol” and ranaway when ordered to stop.The police say they chasedhim on foot and opened fire.

Police spokesman MickyRosenfeld later said that no gunwas found in the area.

A relative of the deceased

identified him as Iyad Halak,32. The relative said Halakwas mentally disabled and washeading to a nearby school forpeople with special needs. Therelative spoke on condition ofanonymity because of privacyconcerns.

The shooting came a dayafter Israeli soldiers killed aPalestinian in the occupiedWest Bank who they said hadtried to ram them with hisvehicle. No Israelis werewounded in either incident.

Tensions have risen in

recent weeks as Israel haspressed ahead with plans toannex large parts of the occu-pied West Bank in line withPresident Donald Trump’sMiddle East plan, whichstrongly favors Israel and wasrejected by the Palestinians.

The Palestinian Authoritysaid last week that it was no longer bound by pastagreements with Israel and the United States and was cutting off all ties, includinglongstanding security coordi-nation. AP

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It was business as usual in Paris. The cafeswere crowded. Pavements busy with hur-rying office goers and students. Themanicured parks filled with more adultsthan children. Long queues at bakeries.

Joggers out in the winter sun as much as in thegyms and health clubs. Subway trains packed.The shops luring in customers to the last dis-counts of the winter sale. Only the media wasabuzz with around 800 new COVID casesbeing discovered in France every day.

So much so that the Indian governmentannounced that the country would close itsborders to any foreign national entering fromFrance. My family and I had to scramble to getour air tickets for the very next day to leaveParis where we live three months every year toreturn to our home in Goa — my husband andtoddler son are New Zealand citizens.

It was March 13, 2020 when we landed atDelhi international airport, where COVIDrelated messages to socially distance wereblasting on loudspeakers and all passengershad to undergo thermal tests. At that timeIndia had 74 cases in total.

India has about 12 million children on thestreets. Migrant workers often live in over-crowded temporary rooms in our cities. Indiais home to about one-third of the global slumpopulation, with an average of one in six cityresidents living in slum zones where popula-tion densities vary between 277,136 personsper square kilometre (sq km) in Dharavi to125,000 persons per sq km at the Rasolpooraslum in Hyderabad. In fact, in Dharavi, there isone toilet per 1,440 residents. How are theyexpected to ‘socially distance’ themselves?

Yet in India, that was our best bet andworth a try because with our size of popula-tion and low healthcare facility, we clearly haveour own unique challenges to beat theCoronavirus. Testing is expensive and if thenumber of cases increase at the pace it did inItaly and France, then India would not haveadequate numbers of beds to treat patients.

It was for this reason that on April 2, at thetime that India had about 2,543 cases ofCOVID-19, that my team at Anant NationalUniversity submitted a detailed proposal to thePrime Minister’s Office about how to trans-form vacant community halls, marriage halls,office spaces, and residential buildings intotemporary hospitals and quarantine facilitiesfor COVID-19 patients in an effective yethighly affordable way.

I set up the Anant Centre for Sustainabilityas a think-teach-do tank about two years ago,and since the past 10 months the team therehad been collecting primary data at a city levelto unravel the reasons why 7.5% homes inIndia are vacant as well as what we could dowith them to close the housing gap in thecountry. In our proposal to the PMO, weincluded intricate details about the vacantspaces that were suited for specific COVID-19conditions, room layouts, list of equipmentrequired, costs, vendors, as well as a financingstructure that did not require the governmentto pay for the costs to set up COVID-19 recov-ery facilities in vacant buildings.

Yet wondering if we would ever even hearback from the Prime Minister, I also reachedout to friends who I thought might help usimplement our proposal. Anil Antony, who isnational coordinator of the Parliamentariansfor Innovators of India, a multi-party parlia-mentarian organisation to which I too serve asa mentor, readily connected me to the Keralastate government. Milind Deora, formerMinister of State, immediately connected meto the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation(BMC).

Before the end of the week, I did hear backfrom the Ministry of Commerce who request-ed immediate assistance for creating new cate-gories on GeM, GOI’s e-market for govern-ment projects, for building COVID-19 recov-ery facilities as we had proposed to the PMO.Indeed, AnantU was registered on GeM aswell. But by that time we already had twospaces in Thiruvanantharapuram and in SouthMumbai that were ready to be converted in toa 20 bed temporary hospital for moderatecases of COVID-19 patients and a 100 bedquarantine facility for mild cases, designed,implemented, and funded by AnantU.

Within the same fortnight we had trans-formed three more facilities totalling 700

beds in Mumbai in to quarantine facilities, atone tenth of the cost of traditional quaran-tine centres. Milind Deora generouslyarranged for CSR funds from Godrej. DhavalMonani, Director of Affordable Housing atAnantU came up with an incredibly inge-nious design of making hospital furniture outof laminated corrugated cardboard that weredurable, water proof, priced at 10% of thecost of a steel bed. The equipment is at man-ufacturing cost and the cheapest in the mar-ket, while mine and the university team’sefforts are at zero cost and completely on avoluntary basis. Due to the relentless effortsof Professor Monani and the team, withinthree days we built up the capacity of manu-facturing 2,500 beds, tables, room separatorsevery week, and transporting them to anyplace in India. Now every week we are settingup about two new facilities across India.

This extraordinary pace of scale of aninnovative solution during a nationwidelockdown will probably make it to the bunchof stories I would tell my grandchildren oneday. For now, I am convinced that it has beenmade possible only because of a government-university-private sector partnership whichcame with it’s share of challenges that essen-tially pointed to the lack of habitude for this.

For instance, is each entity a partner or avendor? When the government-university-private sector come together as partners,

each entity is contributing in money or inkind. This is very different from a transac-tional approach where the funder is theowner and the provider of goods is seeking aprofit. Another example is the ability for thethree entities to tango, given that each wouldhave their unique interests and concerns.And finally, the role of universities anywherein the world is to further knowledge, with nobias and without seeking profit. The under-standing of this is still at a nascent stage andmust be mainstreamed in our country. At atime when some individuals and organisa-tions (even while declaring to be non profit)might be trying to make a buck out of thedesperation that this crisis creates, the advan-tage of partnering with good universities isthat its mandate is only to push new thinkingand research instead of profiteering.Overcoming these minor hiccups in govern-ment-university-private sector endeavourswill only lead to greater innovation andaccelerated implementation, besides attract-ing the best talent of the country to teachand implement research driven projects with-in universities.

During the pandemic that has hurt mostthe vulnerable pockets of the population, weneed solutions that cater to scale and afford-ability. For instance another innovation weare bringing to market this week is a mobiletesting facility fitted within the humble

autorickshaw — once again offered by a uni-versity and therefore at only the exact cost ofthe materials needed to manufacture it. Weare putting mobile x-ray and swab collectioncentres upon an autorickshaw platform usinginsulated tarpaulins. It dramatically bringsdown the cost of testing while bringing theopportunity to test at the doorstep of resi-dents living even in overcrowded zones.

In the wake of the relaxation in the lock-down in India, we must be prepared to livewith the virus for an extended amount oftime. Being prepared will help India avoidthe path that France initially took with their‘business as usual’ aporoach. Unless there is avaccine, the virus is not going away. The rateof spread might flatten at some point andthen spike again. No amount of modellingand simulations can predict the course ofthis. While those who have shelter and liveli-hoods during this crisis, can afford to physi-cally distance (more apt than ‘social dis-tance’!) from others, we need to tap in to fru-gal innovations to scale up solutions forthose who need to choose between hungerand the virus.

Dr. Miniya Chatterji is CEO of Sustain Labsand Adjunct Professor at SciencesPo Paris. She

is also a columnist and author of the 2019 best-seller Indian Instincts — essays on freedom

and equality in India

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US President Donald Trump hasbumped his way along from one

revolutionary decision to another.Not a bumptious fellow he is!President Trump has dedicated all hisenergies in opposing former USPresident Obama’s health-care planand the immigration conundrumand other electoral battlegroundissues such as the context of the ter-ror outfits and other geo-economicnon-State actors and institutionsoperating in the larger internation-al system. President Trump’s term hasbeen a mixed one with both positiveand negative consequences but thepositive proclivities of tackling theterror infrastructure and the Chinesethreat should go down well with theAmerican electorate in the upcom-ing Presidential elections.

The Democrat presumptive can-didate has hopped on to the popularbandwagon which tarnishes PresidentTrump’s striving at containing theCovid-19 malady through a grandAmerican lockdown along with otherpalliative measures. Such a partisanway of politicking will not go downwell for the Democratic Presidentialcandidate, Joe Biden, though it can becontended that during the intra-Democratic primaries, none of thecandidates posed a viable threat to hisnomination for the DemocraticPresidential candidature. The current

President has to do well to keep hisWasp constituency intact and makefurther forays into the Red States inUnited States of America. Despite thereading of the international media,immigration amendments, the judges’recruitment and his acerbic repliesand tweets might not become brick-bats for Democrats to beat and chidePresident Trump with, as it’s a stableconstituency of homeland andinward-looking Americans whichstays intact with President Trump andthe roaring Republicans but theCovid-19 theme has to be cannily dealt with by the Republicanelectoral machinery and the attendantwar-room.

The question that can be raisedis that will the US elections be dis-rupted by the intervention of theCovid-19 outbreak which as a pos-sibility has been negated as a non-probability in one of the policystatements of President Trump whileDemocratic Presidential candidateJoe Biden has ranted otherwise.Moving away from it, it has to be keptin mind that the Pew ResearchCentre, a public opinion think tank,reports in one of its releases that theAmerican electorate prefers votingmail, which as a rankling theme bythe Opposition in the America’shustings. The Pew Research Poolcontends, “The national survey by

Pew Research Center, conductedfrom April 7 to 12 among 4,917 USadults on the Center’s AmericanTrends Panel, finds broad public sup-port for giving voters the option ofvoting by mail — and less wide-spread but growing support for con-ducting all elections by mail.” Thepoll further suggests, “Overall, 70 percent favour allowing any voter to voteby mail if they want to, including 44per cent who strongly support thispolicy. About half of the public (52per cent) favour conducting all elec-tions by mail. The share supportingthis proposal has increased 18 per-centage points since 2018.”

It can also be surmised that theAsian Americans are the largestgrowing electorate in the US and haveto be wooed by both the political par-ties, but traditionally this ethnicgroup has been voting for the democ-rats since they found their feat in thehomeland. The number of AsianAmerican electorate has nearly dou-bled since the benchmark year of 2000till the rabid and Covid infected con-temporary context in 2020. Theymake up for a handsome and decisive5 per cent of the total American elec-torate and are mostly constituted bythe naturalised citizenship and notoriginally born in the Americanhomeland. Indian-origin denizensare the largest section of the Asian

Americans who have at least a bach-elor’s degree along with high annualincomes of the order of 105,000 dol-lars in comparison with other Africanand Latin American groups whichamount to annual incomes muchbelow the 80,000 benchmark for theother bevy of immigrants in theAmerican homeland.

The Vice President’s kitty ofvotes is formidably constituted byAfrican Americans while otherPresidential hopefuls such as BernieSanders and Michael Bloomberghad a lesser quantum of African-Americans supporting them. Thisanalysis posits and pits PresidentTrump squarely in the face of the fol-lowing enjoyed by the DemocraticPresidential Candidate, Joe Biden.The rally behind the flag phenome-non has been marred by bothPresident Trump and Joe Bidencontaining themselves to campaignindoor and to shun the rallies at leastfor the time being.

The presumptive candidate JoeBiden has already faced a key alle-gation of debauchery by a Capitol Hillstaffer in 1993 and if Richard Nixonhad the debilitating tapes and can-didate Hillary Clinton in 2016 hadher emails serving as their bêtenoire, it is yet to emerge as to whatwill prove to the failing of theDemocratic Presidential nominee, Joe

Biden. One element going in JoeBiden’s favour is his vast Senatorialexperience with reams of whitepapers and other Government andpublic opinion documents preparedby himself and his Governmentalteam which posits him undeniably asan insider. The archives of Joe Bidenhad been transferred to the Universityof Delaware in 2012 which can serveas a treasure trove of his seat successin the upcoming elections.

The Guardian pinpoints towardsthe fact that the DemocratPresidential nominee might haveinformation in the closet whichmight be good staple fare for inves-tigative reporters. The Guardiancites three such grey areas which areof the order of, “His long politicalcareer includes the 1991 confirma-tion hearings for supreme courtjustice Clarence Thomas, accused ofsexual harassment, as well as his sup-port for a 1994 crime law that con-tributed to mass incarceration. Thenthere was his 2003 vote authorisingthe invasion of Iraq, which he hassince said he regrets.”

President Trump has made acomeback with his slogan and actsof MAGA, which in the expanded foramounts to, “Make America Great”and will definitely echo in the heartsand minds of the homeland elec-torate but for the Covid outbreak and

an iota of 85,000 deaths as a resultof the outbreak. Still, what needs tobe rummaged through the idiom thatit’s not President Trump but anyother President would have had to gothrough the same firestorm and theoutbreak does not categorically posesquestions for the Presidential poli-cies, but, for the larger preparednessof the American health infrastructureand attendant resources. And, this isno laughing matter by any context.

With the Chinese dragnet hang-ing over the American homeland anda review still adrift, President Trumpcan conveniently pose as a victim ofthe Wuhan Lab’s ministrations. Nonation would want a military conflictat the cusp of these testing times butother predominant issues are up forthe tasking. Candidate Joe Biden’s joberadicating Green New deal in thepast, his support for NAFTA andTPP and his repeated nonchalanceover the fact that the Chinese areresponsible to a certain extent for theemployment scenario in theAmerican homeland are some of thepower keg themes which have beenrumbustiously ratcheted up by theRepublic election war room.

(The writer teaches atInternational Relations andInternational Organisations, IIPA,New Delhi)

����������������������� ��������The March 21, 2020, horrif-

ic Naxal attack on the secu-rity forces in Chhattisgarh’sSukma, killing 17 personneland injuring 15 others, after along time highlights a criticalshift in the ideological moor-ings of the CPI-Maoist.Arguably, a critical factor lead-ing to such a tactical change inthe Maoists’ approach can beattributed to the new leadershipunder Namballa Keshava Rao,alias Basavaraj.

Considering the involve-ment of the District ReserveGuard (DRG), Special TaskForce (STF) and the eliteCommando Battalion forResolute Action (CoBRA) ofthe Central Reserve PoliceForce (CRPF) in a joint oper-ation against the Maoists, theMaoists carried out the brutalattack with surgical precision.It is important to mention thatSukma district continues to bea hotbed of Maoist activities asit accounts for 25 Maoist-relat-ed deaths so far in 2020. At atime when the State has beenclaiming the Maoist violentmovement is on a terminaldecline in terms of its dimin-ishing activities and reducingnumber of recruits, the Sukmaattack, the audacious actsagainst the elite security forces,warrants revisiting the Maoistmovement. Also, as the Maoistsare continuously losing theirsupport base substantially andare limited to a few pockets, thehigh-level attack confirms atactical shift in the Maoist strategy.

In the last two years, espe-cially since Basavaraj took overas CPI-Maoist general secretaryfollowing the resignation ofMuppala Lakshmana Rao, aliasGanapathy, as Maoist chief inSeptember 2018, there has beena major tactical shift in theMaoist activities. Under theleadership of Basavaraj, whowas also the chief of Maoists’Central Military Commission(CMC) prior to his elevation aschief, the Maoists are carryingout “spectacular” attacks, choos-ing elite commandos and high-profile political leaders, toscotch the growing under-standing that the Maoist move-ment is on its last legs. Eversince Basavaraj has taken overthe leadership, the Maoists havecarried out four major attacks inthe last two years. On May 1,2019, the Maoists killed 15 per-sonnel belonging to the com-mandos of the C-60 force of theMaharashtra Police and a civil-ian with an improvised explo-sive device (IED) in Gadchirolidistrict. Preceding the incident,the ultras had torched 26 vehi-cles used for construction workat the National Highway-136site to lure the security forces intheir trap. Earlier on April 9,2019, the Maoists attacked theconvoy of Chhattisgarh BJPMLA Bhima Mandavi, killingthe MLA and two others justbefore the first phase of the gen-eral election. A critical com-monality among all the above-mentioned attacks is the surgi-cal precision in which theywere carried out.

The surgical precision ofthese attacks is stressed as theMaoists are believed to be in aTactical Counter OffensiveCampaign (TCOC) under thenew leadership of Basavaraj. Asthe Maoist activities have beenlargely contained, the newleadership aims to revive thestrength and reclaim the areasthrough militant activities.Considering his experience asthe chief of the Central MilitaryCommission of the CPI-Maoist, Basavaraj believes in

instilling fear through theattacks, especially against thestate machinery and leaders.This is a critical shift in the ide-ological framework that instilsnew tactics into the newrecruits and legitimise the “rev-olutionary causes” via violentactivities. Such a tactical shiftalso highlights the shrinkingspace of the Maoists whichhave caused the state whole-some measures — security,development, surrender, andrehabilitation and ensuring

rights and entitlements of thelocal communities. These statemeasures have prevented theMaoists to garner local supportand recruit trusted cadre.

Ganapathy was heldresponsible for not being ableto spread to the new areas andfor losing the areas of influence.This was a major factor forGanapathy to step down.However, as the ideology takesa backseat under the new lead-ership and selective violentactivities take prominence, the

Maoists seem to expose theirvulnerability like never.

When it comes to carryingout guerrilla attacks, the Maoistsseem to have an edge over thesecurity forces which have beena major drawback that the latermust overcome sooner. In morethan five decades of their exis-tence in multiple forms andshades, the Maoists have neverbeen so delegitimised before interms of popular support. As theromanticising of “revolutionary”ideas doesn’t have many takers,

the Maoists under this newleadership would continue toresort to such attacks now andthen. The important motives ofthe Maoists behind killing thesecurity personnel in largenumbers are to highlight thevulnerability of the state and toboost the morale of its cadre sothat they could plan a possiblerevival of the movement.

(The writer is AssociateProfessor, National Institute ofAdvanced Studies, Bengaluru)

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It is in human nature to look towardsa better tomorrow. So, invariably webegin life with high hopes and aspi-

rations. Accordingly, we set our dreamdestination. Dreams are necessary forreaching heights one is capable of, asthey serve a focus to reach an objective.Since time immemorial, the Moon fasci-nated and evoked man’s curiosity, seenevery day — yet unknown. A longing toknow and understand, it led scientists tosend man on the Moon. Yet, not every-body’s dreams get fulfilled. Non-realisa-tion often brings in frustrating experi-ences. Why? Are we so helplessly fated?If so, what is the relevance of freewill, weare supposed to be endowed with?

The obvious question now is: Whatprimarily drives our lives — freewill orfate? This debate has been ongoing sinceages, which finds reflection inRamayana, Yoga Vashishtha, and evenMahabharat. The rationalists and thosebelonging to science fraternity haveoften challenged the relevance ofAstrology, which primarily deals withfate. Little reflection would reveal that itis the exercise of freewill option, whichis an exclusive human privilege, thatbinds you to fate. This option is not

available to other species. Remember,the freewill option grants you with thefreedom to make choices. It needs to beappreciated here that if there is choice inhand, the probability of its use and mis-use becomes equal. And there is nothinglike a free lunch in this world. You haveto own up and bear with consequencesof the choices you make. This way, youbecome stuck to a cause-effect chain,which runs in succession. In this schemeof things, there has to be a cause behindevery effect, which, in turn becomes thecause of future happenings.

Someone curious to understand therelation between freewill and fate soughta wise man’s help for the answer. Thewiseman asked the questioner: Stand onone feet with the other raised in air. Thequestioner followed. The wiseman thenasked him to raise the other leg also.How can I? I will fall. Now you have theanswer said the wiseman. Freewilloption gave you the choice to raise eitherthe left or right leg, or not raise any. If,however, you raise one leg, you are stuckand so fated. To sum, the exercise offreewill binds you to fate.

So said Rousseau: “Man is born free,and everywhere he is in chains. One

man thinks himself the master of othersbut remains more of a slave than theyare.”

The obvious question now is: Isthere any scope to come out of thebinds of fate? The answer is ‘yes’ and‘no’. Well, the choice option you havealso enjoins upon you with the capacityto make necessary amends. You canmake a conscientious choice purportedto deny the implication of fate.Remember, what is fated is imprinted inyour memory in the form of thought-seed, which when gains a congenialground, it comes into play. Remember, aseed if kept on a table will remain inert.The same seed when planted into earthmass may breed a plant.

It is pertinent to note here thathuman mind is empowered to self-reflect upon its own space and identifyundesirable thought-trends. Followingwhich, you could consciously deny theground necessary for its fruition. Or youcould modify it by feeding the mindwith fresh educative inputs. Therefore,in so far as human potential is con-cerned, one is capable to come out of thebinds of fate. It is, however, easier saidthan done.

The fact of life is that all ordinary

mortals are born unique, each being’smind pre-programmed one way or theother, coming as they may as Karmiccarry-over from the past. Remember,one’s Karmic cycle keeps running in suc-cession, transgressing birth-death cycles.So, ordinarily, we are all born fated, eachmanifesting varying desire and mind-trends. That leads us, all through the runof life, unless otherwise consciouslymodified, which is not easy. Not that wecan’t change. Our indwelling faculty ofdiscriminate intelligence empowers us todispassionately see things in perspectiveand make necessary amends. But it can’tcome into play involuntarily. It has to beconsciously invoked for due diligence,which is the prerogative of Ahamkara(ego consciousness). The irony, howeveris that often our ego plays the spoiler byidentifying itself with the indwellingdesires, and is tempted to pursue it as anend game. It then doesn’t leave scope tolook beyond for a better option if any.

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