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In a chilling reminder of thedevastating Bhopal gas

tragedy, at least 11 persons diedand nearly 250 others were hos-pitalised following the leak oftoxic styrene gas in LGPolymers’ plant atGopalapatnam on the outskirtsof Visakhapatnam in AndhraPradesh on Thursday.

The gas started leakingaround 2.30 am from a plantthat was reportedly beingrestarted following relaxation ofthe Covid-19 lockdown. Theleak was plugged and the plantbrought under control somethree hours later. But by then,the gas spread across at leastfive nearby villages, within aradius of five kilometres, affect-ing thousands of people, mostof them in deep sleep.

A night shift maintenanceworker had discovered theleak from a tank.

According to officials, atleast 25 of those who have beenhospitalised are in a criticalcondition and the possibility ofthe death toll increasing is notbeing ruled out. Unconfirmedreports said around 3,000 per-sons, including those admittedin hospitals, have fallen sickdue to the poisonous gas.

Its impact on cattle and

verdure has not yet been fullyassessed but several animalsand birds in the vicinity havedied. Discoloured, witheringplants across the affected areasinvoked haunting memoriesof the 1984 Bhopal gas tragedy.

Scores of people fell likelogs, listless and unconsciouson roads and sidewalks, as thegas spread from the plant to thehuman habitations. Many peo-ple, who developed pneumo-nia-like symptoms after inhal-ing the gas, are on ventilators.

On the request of AndhraPradesh Chief MinisterJaganmohan Reddy, his Gujaratcounterpart Vijay Rupani gaveorders to chemical companiesin Vapi to send 500 kg of para-tertiary butyl catechol (PTBC)chemical by road to Daman.The PTBC will be used toneutralise the gas leakage.

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To ensure social distancingduring lockdown at liquor

shops, the Delhi Governmenton Thursday launched e-tokensystem for sale of liquor in thenational Capital. Under the e-token system, customers wouldbe given specific time for pur-chasing liquor.

The system will help main-taining social distancing andcut down on waiting time inlong queues by specifying timefor each e-coupon holder tobuy liquor at a shop.

According to an officialstatement, the Governmentreleased a web link —www.Qtoken.In — where peo-ple will be designated specifictime for purchasing liquor afterthey fill personal details. The e-tokens will be sent on themobile phones of the registeredpersons, it said.

The people will require to

furnish address of liquor shopin their area along with theirmobile number and otherdetails, while applying for e-token on the web link.

The Delhi Governmenthad allowed opening of 200liquor shops run by civic bod-ies but only 50 opened due toovercrowding, the statementsaid.

Meanwhile, the DelhiPolice has also urged theGovernment to extend the tim-ings of the sale of liquor, hiringof private volunteers for crowdcontrol, if needed, and openingof private liquor shops —except those located in markets,malls and commercial com-plexes. Currently, the shops areallowed to open from 9 am to6.30 pm.

Delhi has 864 liquor shopswhile only 172 Government-owned shops have beenallowed to operate followingthe MHA guidelines.

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The deadly coronavirus caus-ing Covid-19 continue to

spread its tentacles across thecountry infecting over 56,325persons while claiming over1,846 lives till Thursday night.The country added 3,318 newcases and 61 more death dur-ing the day.

However, the worst is yet tocome with AIIMS-DelhiDirector Dr Randeep Guleriaon Thursday ringing alarmbell as he said that as per themodeling data and the wayIndia’s Covid-19 cases areincreasing, it is likely that peakcan come in June and July.

“According to modelingdata and the way our cases areincreasing, it is likely that peakcan come in June and July. Butthere are many variables. With

time only we will know howmuch they are effective and theeffect of extending the lock-down,” said Dr Guleria.

Maharashtra has the high-est number of cases — 17,914— followed by Gujarat whichadded 388 cases to reach a totalof 6,625 cases. Delhi reported448 case for a total of 5,980cases. Rajasthan reported 110new Covid-19 positive cases onThursday taking the total num-

ber of positive cases to 3,427while 6 deaths took the deathtoll to 99.

Telangana reported 15 newcases on Thursday, taking thetally to 1,122 including 400active cases and 29 deathswhile in Madhya Pradesh, 114more persons tested positive forthe infection taking the totalnumber of cases in the State to3,252. Death toll stands at 193.

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Two BSF jawans and oneCISF man died of Covid-19

even as paramilitary forcesbattled to contain the spread ofcoronavirus in their ranks. Thenumber of positive cases in theCentral paramilitary forcesincreased by 100 during the last24 hours, taking the total tonearly 500.

The BSF on Thursdayreported 41 new cases, takingthe total count of active casesin its ranks to 193. The twodeaths that it reported are thefirst in the BSF ranks due tocorona virus infection.

A Head Constable of theCISF deployed in Mumbai diedon Thursday morning. Thereare 32 active cases in the CISFacross the country.

“A critically ill patient diedwho had contracted Covidwhile visiting clinics for histreatment. Other BSF mandied on Monday (May 4) inSafdarjung Hospital, where hewas admitted on May 3. Fromthe normal ward he was shift-ed to ICU on May 4,” a BSFs p o k e s p e r s o nsaid.

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Avideo showing at least fourbodies wrapped in black

plastic lying on beds next toCovid-19 patients undergoingtreatment at the LTMGHospital at Sion in north-cen-tral Mumbai went viral onThursday. An acutely embar-rassed BirhanmumbaiMunicipal Corporation (BMC)ordered an enquiry into theshocking incident.

Within hours after BJPMLA Nitesh Rane posted onhis twitter handle a chillingvideo that showed at least fourbodies wrapped in black plas-tic lying on beds next to Covid-19 patients undergoing treat-ment at the Lokmanya TilakMunicipal General (LTMG)Hospital at Sion, a major polit-ical controversy broke out inthe metropolis, with theOpposition BJP slamming theBMC and demanding anenquiry into the incident.

“Sion Hospital incident isextremely serious and shock-

ing. Patients who are beingtreated are lying beside deadbodies. This is utterly inhuman.Is there no one to care forMumbai? Government mustimmediately look into this &ensure that it doesn’t happenever again!,” former ChiefMinister and senior BJP leaderDevendra Fadnavis tweeted.

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In a shocking development, asmany as 72 prisoners lodged

at the Arthur Road Central Jailand seven of its staffers testedpositive for coronavirus onThursday, after which theBrihanmumbai MunicipalCorporation (BMC) quaran-tined them and 100 others,including some jail officials andstaffers, at an isolation facilityoutside the prison.

While State Home MinisterAnil Deshmukh himself con-firmed that 72 prisoners lodgedat the Arthur Road prison test-ed positive for Covid-19,sources at the jail said thatseven prison employees hadbeen diagnosed positive forcoronavirus.

“To ensure against thespread of coronavirus on theArthur Road prison premises,we had made special arrange-ments for inmates there. Thejail authorities had banned theentry and exit of anyone fromthe jail. But, still some inmatescontracted the pandemic as

they were exposed to a Covid-19 affected staffer inside theprison,” Deshmukh said.

Deshmukh was speakingto mediapersons at Palgharafter reviewing the situation atGadhchinchale village wheretwo Sadhus and one driverwere lynched by a mob of vil-lagers on the night of April 16.

Initial reports had said thata 45-year-old undertrial, whohad been rushed to the JJHospital after he suffered par-alytic attack, had tested positivefor Covid-19 on May 2. Whenhe was admitted to the hospi-tal, he had been suffering fromsevere fever at that time. Aswab sample taken from himtested positive for coronavirus.

Subsequently, the JJHospital doctors had takenswab samples of at least 150prisoners; as many as 72 werediagnosed positive for the pan-demic.

Subsequently, two prisonguards, who were staying at aguest house near Byculla jail,tested positive.

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Seven workers fell ill, three ofthem seriously, after inhal-

ing poisonous gas while clean-ing up waste at a closed papermill in Chhattisgarh’s coal-richRaigarh district on Wednesday,officials said on Thursday.They fell unconscious and wererushed to hospital. One work-er has been put on ventilator atRaipur’s MMI Hospital andhis condition was stated to becritical.

The incident took place onWednesday night at ShaktiPapers Mill in a rural pocket,about 250 km from Raipur.However, the factory owner didnot inform the administrationabout the incident, which cameto light after the hospitalauthorities alerted the police onThursday, said Superintendentof Police Santosh Kumar Singh.A case has been registeredagainst the mill management.

The gas leak sparked panicin nearby areas housing about

60 poverty-hit families. A teamof forensic experts are exam-ining the site to ascertain theexact cause of the accident.

“Seven workers of thepaper mill who were takingpaper waste out of an opentank complained about diffi-culties in breathing and wererushed to a local hospital.Three of them were taken toRaipur for urgent medicalattention,” the SP told ThePioneer over phone.

He said the paper mill,

which is based in village Tetla,had been closed since lateMarch this year when a nation-wide lockdown was enforced inthe wake of Covid-19. But theworkers were undertakingcleanliness work without wear-ing safety masks in a bid toresume operation at the unit.

Chhattisgarh ChiefMinister Bhupesh Baghel tookserious note of the incident anddirected the local administra-tion to provide all possiblehelp to the workers.

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Visakhapatnam: In a state-ment, South Korea’s LG ChemLtd’s owner LG Chem said, “Weare currently assessing theextent of the damage and aretaking all necessary steps toprotect residents and employ-ees,” said. The company said itis investigating the leak.

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In a major development, theOrissa High Court (HC) on

Thursday directed the StateGovernment to ensure conductof RT-PCR test of the peoplewilling to return to Odisha inthe respective States beforebringing them back.

Hearing a PIL filed by oneNarayan Chandra Jena, thecourt further asked the

Government not to allow thereturnees into the State if theyare found Covid-19 positiveduring the test.

The petitioner hadappeared in person before thecourt. While court proceedingshave remained suspended dueto the lockdown, a DivisionBench comprising JusticesKumari Sanju Panda and KRMohapatra heard the PIL tak-ing into account the urgency ofthe matter.

Jena said he made theappeal before the court after thenumber of positive cases inOdisha rapidly increased fol-lowing return of stranded peo-ple from various States.

The court ordered theGovernment to make sure thatpeople wanting to return toOdisha undergo Covid-19 testin the respective States beforecoming back and to allow onlythose who test negative for the

virus. If anyone found positive,the State Government shallbear the expenses of treatmentin the respective States, Jenasaid quoting the HC order.

“Put up this matter on thenext sitting of the Bench, onwhich date necessary interimorder shall be passed,” said theHC directive.

Following the High Courtorder, the Odisha Governmentcancelled permission for threetrains scheduled to leave Suratfor Ganjam on Friday.

The Surat Collectorinformed this to the media andsaid those who had bookedtickets for the trains would berefunded by the Railways.

However, the Railways saidthat as per the earlier schedule,three trains have left fromSurat carrying Odisha peopleon Thursday and are scheduledto arrive at Jagannathpur inGanjam district on Friday.

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The Union Government onThursday allowed con-

struction of chariots for theannual Rath Yatra in Puri,which is scheduled for June 23this year.

The Union Ministry ofHome Affairs (MHA) allowedconstruction of chariots atRath Khala (chariot-makingyard) with certain conditions,including maintaining socialdistancing, to prevent spread ofcoronavirus.

The MHA said that noreligious gathering would beallowed in the Rath Khala as itis a workplace and not a placeaccessible to the general

public.It asked the State

Government to ensure isolatethe Ratha Khala from theadjoining Bada Danda (GrandRoad) and the adjacent hous-es by erecting a cloth partitionwall so that the public can beeffectively prohibited.

It said the decisions regard-ing holding of Rath Yatrawould be taken by the StateGovernment keeping in viewthe situation at that point oftime.

The Ministry gave the per-missions and instructions inresponse to the StateGovernment’s proposal in thisregard on Wednesday.

The Shree JagannathTemple Administration hadearlier recommended to theState Government to allow forconstruction of the chariots,following which the lattermoved the Centre.

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As many as 34 persons, mostof them returnees from

Surat, tested Covid-19 positiveon Thursday, taking the totalnumber of cases in the State to219.

This is the highest numberof cases reported in a day.

The highest number of 24

cases was reported fromGanjam district. All of them arereturnees from Surat and are onquarantine. Out of them, 23 aremen and only one is a woman.With this, the total cases in thedistrict rose to 28.

After a few days’ lull, threecases were reported from cap-ital city Bhubaneswar. Thecases include a 36-year-oldman from Mancheswar, a 34-year-old man from VSS Nagarand a 67-year-old man fromSurya Nagar.

Their contact tracing andfollow-up action is being car-ried out, said the Informationand Public RelationsDepartment.

With the new cases, thetotal cases in Khordha districtrose to 50; and all patients areresidents of Bhubaneswar. Theactive cases in the city is 16

while 32 have recovered andtwo have died.

For the first time, fourpersons were found positive inMayubhanj district. All of themhave returned from Surat andwere on quarantine.

Two persons tested positivein Baleswar district. While oneof them is a 26-year–old man,another is a 29-year-old man.Both of them had also returnedfrom Surat. With this the totalcases climbed to 27 in the dis-trict.

A 70-year-old man, with atravel history to West Bengal,tested positive in Jagatsinghpurdistrict, taking the district’stally to five.

However, one more personin Bhubaneswar recovered onthe day, taking the total recov-eries to 63 in the State.

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The State Government hasdecided to rejuvenate the

tourism sector for scaling upeconomic activities both inrural and urban areas in thepost-lockdown period. Thiswas revealed in a high-levelmeeting held under the chair-manship of Chief SecretaryAsit Tripathy on Thursday.

Tripathy wanted to bringdomestic tourism to core focusas this segment is expected torevive faster than internation-al tourism. The departmentwas directed to bring out pack-ages for promoting intra-Statetourism. Tripathy also wantedproactive steps to attract privateinvestment in the hospitalityand tourism sector, particular-ly at key tourist locations.

The meeting decided toprioritise destination develop-ment projects like Rambhaand Satpada clusters in Chilika,Bhitarkanika National Park,

Chandrabhaga and Talsaribeachfront development. It wasfurther decided to explore pos-sibilities of developing Eco-Retreat 2020 hubs in the loca-tions like Daringibadi,Debrigarh, Satkosia, Konarkand Mahanadi riverbedbetween Naraj andDhabaleswar. A comprehensivedevelopment of the BuddhistCircuit and the ShamukaProject was also brought tofocus.

Tourism Secretary VishalDev apprised that his depart-ment has made a holisticassessment of the Covid-19impact on Odisha Tourisminvolving key stakeholdersfrom hotels, restaurants,resorts, tour operators, adven-ture sports, home-stays andboat operators. He suggestedthat on lifting of lockdown,there could be liaison withfinancial institutions for allpossible support to the indus-try players.

Odisha Tourism roadshows would be held in majorcities of neighbouring Statesand Tier-II cities across thecountry to attract domestictourists.

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Awhopping financial assis-tance of over Rs 9,000

crore is needed to mitigate theproblem in power sector ofOdisha, which has beenplagued due to the Covid-19pandemic.

While the Government ofIndia imposed lockdown fromMarch 22 to contain spread thepandemic, restriction on mul-tifarious activities severely

impacted power sector andability of all kinds of con-sumers to pay the electricitybills.

With tight cash flow situ-ation in the power distributionsector, the Odisha Governmenthas approached the UnionMinistry of Power to facilitateavailing assistance of Rs 3,800crore as working capital for thedistribution companiesDISCOMs and Rs 5,375 croreto clear outstanding duespayable towards power pro-curement. In total Rs 9,175crore is needed, official sourcessaid.

The Department of Energy(DoE) has reiterated therequirement for assistance tothe power sector to managetight cash flow situation, as due

to lockdown there is severe col-lection shortfall for theDISCOMs and clearing duespayable to generators towardspower procurement.

Principal Secretary Energy,Bishnupada Sethi has written toUnion Secretary Power SanjeevNandan Sahai to finalise themodalities for financial assis-tance to be provided throughthe agencies like Power FinanceCorporation (PFC) and RuralElectrification Corporation(REC) to the State DISCOMs.

Earlier, Chief SecretaryAsit Tripathy had written toUnion Secretary Power propos-ing few steps to mitigate theproblems envisaged in powersector due to an unprecedent-ed Covid-19 pandemic.

It was proposed that thePFC, the REC and other lend-ing institutions should provideloan to power sector at con-cessional rate to generators,transmission and distributioncompanies for bridging rev-enue gaps at concessional rate.

In view of almost standstillactivities of industrial, com-mercial as well as Governmentand corporate sector offices,power demand of the State hassubstantially reduced.

Take for example, averagepower demand of the State was3,869 MW in April, 2019,which has gone down to 2,682MW in April, 2020.

During April, 2019, peakdemand of power was 5,193MW, which has recorded 3,620MW, official sources added.

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The Union Government hasreleased Rs 2,100 crore to

Odisha towards its share in theCentral taxes and duties for themonth of April 2020.

The Centre has decided torelease more funds to States inview of the Covid-19 battlebeing fought by them whiletheir revenue generation hasbeen hit. The State would alsoreceive its share in Centraltaxes in the month of Maywithout much delay.

The Union Governmenthas decided to go for marketborrowing to pay the StateGovernments their share, saidan official.

Besides, the Union

Government has also releasedits share of the State DisasterResponse Mitigation Fund(SDRMF).

The Centre has alreadyreleased Rs 17,287 crore to var-ious States, including Odisha,from their SDRMF shares.

However, the StateGovernment has not yetreceived GST compensationfor February and March whileCentre releases GST compen-sation for two months regularly.

The GST collection hasalso been hit due to the Covid-19 lockdown.

While the State’s GST col-lection in April 2019 was Rs900 crore, it came gone downto Rs 360 crore in April 2020,said sources.

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This pandemic Covid-19 hasbrought myriad issues of

Odisha before us and helped usgo for self-reflection about ourown position in the world.There are issues like mindset of

the bureaucracy, police, hospi-tals and house owners. Therehave been reports of police bru-tality against common manon street in many places,harassing common public withtwo wheeler in markets, attackson Dalit hamlets in Nayagarh,Forest department evictinghomeless ST families inKalahandi and similar evictionfrom so- called forest land andarrest of two innocent tribals inGondia of Dhenkanal duringlockdown, private hospitalsdenying Muslims and otherpatients emergency treatmentin Cuttack and Bhubaneswar.

But above all, the plight ofmigrant workers goes unabat-ed as no one knows about thecorrect estimation of Odishamigrant workers outside theState in the absence of data with

the Labour Department andtrade unions from where most-ly it is expected. Though Inter-State Migrant Workmen (reg-ulation of employment andservice condition) Act 1979 isavailable but there has been noregistration of workers atPanchayat level where the sup-ply can be tracked. Privately itis estimated that their numberis around 25 lakh.

The Census 2011 revealedthat total 12, 71,221 personsenumerated outside the Stateare from Odisha and top threedistricts having maximum outof State population areSundergada, Khorda andGanjam.

The Covid-19 has given anopportunity to ponder overthese issues. 78 per cent of thepopulation has been covered

under NFSA-2013 with 83 percent of population living inrural areas. But still there arelakhs of families who arewrongly out of list and not ableto get the ration though StateGovernment has made addi-tional provision but at groundlevel many of the inherentmistakes have affected the poorand vulnerable the most.

Along with migrant work-ers, the other marginalizedpoor, the forest dwellers, losttheir income due to problem innon timber forest produce(NTFP) collection and sale.The fisher folk is also equallyin a deplorable state. Besides,small producers, artisans, farm-ers vegetable growers, milkfarmers have suffered a lot .But in the context of Covid-19,the measures declared by

Government have been morefavorable to privileged class,salaried groups with assuredsocial security and nothing fordaily wage earners ,rural poor,small producers, self-employedentrepreneurs and migrants.

The protective measuressuch as face-mask, physicaldistancing, hand wash andlockdown at home are notnearly possible for the poor inrural hamlets and urban slumsthose who struggle for mini-mum basic amenities due tonegligence of Government.They have no homestead land,house, safe drinking water, toi-let, electricity and many otherfacilities to live a life. They usu-ally spend most of their timeoutside the house because oflack of adequate physical space.It is almost impossible for a

poor daily wage earner to con-tinue in lockdown for morethan a month and it has manysocio-economic ramificationson daily life.

Lakhs of migrant workersfrom Odisha have been strand-ed in different parts of thecountry and eagerly want toreturn back home. A few ofthem have undertaken adven-turous journey by foot, cycleand boat to cover thousands ofkm to reach home. However,very lately, the home comingarrangement by the StateGovernment to repatriate theseworkers by special bus andtrain and collection of heftyfees from the for the purposehas stoked a controversy.

It is unfortunate that eventhere were reports of death dur-ing travel by bus. Recently it is

being reported from manyplaces that the quality of foodand logistics provided tomigrant workers in quarantinecentres in their native places isa matter of concern. It is beingobserved that the State sup-ported facilities are dispropor-tionately available to themigrant workers and the Stateauthorities and their local ser-vice providers show a discrim-inatory attitude towards its fel-low citizens and taxpayers. Itseems equal right is a far cry forthese hapless poor.

This pandemic Covid-19also very well exposed thepoor state of health sector andits move towards more pri-vatisation.

Globally, the message isprivatization of healthcare hasproved undesirable and the

public sector has emerged asmost dedicated and reliable forall. The need for free universalhealthcare by the Governmenthas been very well realized asthe service providers inGovernment hospitals are moreaccountable to Governmentand public. The fear and appre-hensions are more becauseOdisha has not developed arobust heath sector to meet theemergencies. We have notdeveloped required infrastruc-ture, adequate manpower andmedicinal products. Not manypeople are much aware aboutbasic heath and hygienic issues.Illiteracy and lack of basicamenities and inherent pover-ty from generation togethercontinue to pose a grave threat.

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In an act of justice to the preg-nant stray dog that was mer-

cilessly beaten to death heresome days back, the Lingarajpolice registered a case againstthe woman culprit onThursday.

Bhubaneswar DCP AnupSahoo informed that the culprithas been identified and bookedunder Sections 268 and 429 ofIPC and Section 11 of theCruelty to Animal PreventionAct.

“In view of the SupremeCourt’s direction on arrest dur-ing Covid-10 pandemic, anotice has been served and theaccused woman will be charge-sheeted soon,” said Sahoo.

It may be pointed out thatthe heartrending incident had

taken place on April 21 whenthe woman in the Old Townarea here accompanied by a fewother persons thrashed thepregnant stray dog on the roadwith a rod. Unable to bear thepain after being beaten, the ani-mal collapsed on the spot.

The injured dog was takento veterinarians by some ani-mal lovers. The doctors had topull out three pups from thedog’s womb as it was in no con-dition to give birth. Althoughthe delivery was successful,the surgery could not save thedog. Later, one of her puppiesdied within hours.

The incident angered ani-mal lovers residing in the Statecapital while some of them fileda case at the Lingaraj police sta-tion demanding arrest of thecruel woman.

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Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik andUnion Minister Dharmendra Pradhan

expressed deep concern over the gas leakincident in Visakhapatnam in AndhraPradesh, which claimed at least 10 lives andleft many ill on Thursday.

Taking to Twitter, Patnaik wishedspeedy recovery to those undergoingtreatment. “My thoughts and prayers arewith bereaved families in the hour of griefand pray for the speedy recovery of thosewho are hospitalised,” Patnaik tweeted.

Pradhan said the situation was beingmonitored and all assistance provided.

“I pray for the safety and wellbeing ofpeople in Vizag,” he posted on his Twitterhandle.

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BRAHMAPUR: Following asudden surge in Covid-19 casesin Ganjam district, theBerhampur MunicipalCorporation (BeMC) onThursday cancelled homequarantine option for thereturnees from the States ofGujarat, Maharashtra andKerala to the city.

“All people returning fromGujarat, Maharashtra andKerala will be kept in institu-tional quarantine mandatorily.Home quarantine option willnot be made available,” a BeMCorder stated.

The district has so farreported 21 coronavirus caseswhile all of them are Suratreturnees. As many as 17 out ofthe 21 cases were registered onthe day. PNS

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In a bid to prevent uncheckedentry of people from other

States during the lockdown, theOdisha Government has issueda revised standard operatingprocedure (SOP) for districtadministrations for bordercheckpoints.

As per the SOP issued bythe Special ReliefCommissioner (SRC), no busor vehicle would be allowed toboard or alight any returneeenroute to the destination dis-tricts from the border check-points.

In any case of violation, thevehicle and the driver would bedetained for questioning andaction would takenagainst

them as per law, the notifica-tion issued by the SRC stated.

The registration ofreturnees to Odisha travellingin buses may not be insistedupon at the border checkpoints. However, the registra-tion of vehicle with details ofdriver, number of passengersand destination districts ismandatory, the SOP stated.

The vehicle entry pass asper prescribed format would beprinted in duplicate. The firstcopy would be affixed on thewidescreen of the vehicle andsecond copy would be handedover to the driver with aninstruction to report to the des-tination district reception cen-tre.

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ROURKELA: Two persons ofa family of Kabi Samratpalli inSector-5 of Rourkela, who hadsustained critical injuries in aLPG cylinder explosion onMay 4, died while undergoingtreatment on Wednesday night.

The deceased were identi-fied as Ajodhya Sahu and his11-year-old son Guddu. Sahu’swife Ritajanli is still battling forher life. The trio was injuredwhen the cylinder explodedwhen Ritanjali was preparingfood in the kitchen on Monday.The fire quickly spread andengulfed the entire house. Theywere rescued and rushed to ahospital here. Later, they wereshifted to the AIIMSBhubaneswar. PNS

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Aday after a steep hike inCovid-19 positive cases in

Ganjam, the district has beenclassified as a red zone.

As per the Union Ministryof Home Affairs guidelines,Ganjam now falls under redzone with a total tally of 21cases with all active numbers.

Since maiden cases havebeen reported fromJagatsinghpur and Mayurbhanj,the two Odisha districts havebeen categorised as orangezones.

All necessary stipulationsby the Government of Indiaand the State Governmentapplicable for different zones indistricts or municipal corpo-rations are to be followedscrupulously, a notification bythe State Health & FamilyWelfare Department stated.

Now, Ganjam is the fourthdistrict and fifth area in theState to have been designatedas red zone after Jajpur,Bhadrak, Baleswar districtsand the areas under theBhubaneswar MunicipalCorporation (BMC).

In Ganjam, all the personstested positive for the coron-avirus are returnees from Surat,Gujarat. On Thursday alone, 17positive cases were reported inthe district.

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Indian National MigrantLabour Congress (INBCWF)

president Dr Rama ChandraKhuntia on Thursday demand-ed that the Union Governmentimmediately reimburse thetravel expenditure of themigrant labourers, who havealready come back homes ontheir own expenditures,through Sarpanches and BlockDevelopment Officers (BDOs).

“After Congress presidentSonia Gandhi asked all PCCpresidents to purchase ticketsfor migrant labourers, theUnion Government said theCentre and concerned Stateswill share the travel expendi-ture of migrant labourers. But50 per cent of migrant labour-ers have already come back totheir native places. Thus, theCentre should immediatelyreimburse their travel expen-diture through Sarpanches andBDOs,” demanded Khuntia.

Stating that ConstructionWorkers’ Welfare Board in allStates have already given finan-

cial assistance, Khunti lament-ed saying that 7 lakh in Odisha,5 lakh in Delhi and more than5 lakh in Telangana construc-tion have been deprived of get-ting assistance because theircards have not been renewed.Unorganised workers workingin agriculture, forest anddomestic sectors and as autotaxi drivers are registered. Butno financial assistance has beengiven to them, he lamented fur-ther.

Dr Khuntia demanded thatall contractual employeesengaged in Covid fight be cov-ered under the Rs 50-lakhinsurance scheme as doctors,police, health workers havebeen provided.

Mentioning that 20% ofpoor people have no rationcards, he demanded that theyalso be given ration for threemonths. He urged theGovernments to take immedi-ate steps to pay the salary andwage of all workers engaged invarious firms. He said thou-sands of mining workers havenot got job and salary asDuburi, Neelachal Ispat Nigam,MESCO, Mathan Plants andSukinda Chromites havestopped operation due toCovid.

He demanded that migrantand contract labourers be givenRs 7,500 as demanded by theCongress chief.

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Achieving another milestonein the anti-coronavirus

fight, Odisha tested over 50,514swab samples till May 6, saidNational Health Mission(NHM) State Director ShaliniPandit on Thursday.

She told reporters that theState currently has a Covid-19testing capacity of over 3,000per day. The Government isplanning to set up 11 more lab-oratories at various placesacross the State to boost up thetesting.

The tests per million pop-ulation in the State stood at1,155 against the national aver-age of 983 as on May 7, sheinformed.

Regional Medical ResearchCentre (RMRC) Director DrSanghamitra Pati said, “Testingis the major factor in the fightagainst Covid-19. We in Odishaare doing well in this direction.”

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The deadly Covid-19 pandemic couldbe controlled in the State with com-

munity support in maintaining social dis-tancing, use of masks and frequent handwashing, said Dr Srinath Reddy, HealthAdvisor to the State Government onThursday.

Delivering a talk on “Learning fromCovid-19” through videoconferencingfrom Gurugram, Dr Reddy, who is nowan executive member of the CovidSolidarity Group Trial of WHO, high-lighted the origin of coronavirus, the pre-sent situation in the world and futurestrategies in battle against the virus.

Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik,Ministers Pratap Jena, Ashok ChandraPanda and Dibya Shankar Mishra partic-ipated in the discussion.

“As no vaccine or particular drug hasbeen developed, social distancing, maskuse and frequent hand washing are bestmeasures to check spread of the virus,” saidthe doctor.

“Public cooperation and community’sactive participation is the only shield thatcan protect us from the deadly infection,”he said.

He also suggested to the StateGovernment to look after the elderly per-sons as they are more vulnerable to the dis-ease.

Stating that the virus is believed tohave originated in bats and pangolins, hesaid it causes of both pneumonia and fatalthrombosis. The virus is climatic tem-perature neutral.

The infection is transmitted throughdroplets of different sizes, he said.

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During past sev-eral weeks, there

were severalinstances whenpolice personnel andcelebrities in differ-ent parts of the coun-try spread awarenessabout Covid-19 through songs,placards, humours and dance.

Now, an Odisha politician,Raghunathpali BJD MLASubrat Tarai, has tried an inno-vative way for an engagingawareness campaign.

Tarai released a song titled

‘Hey Odia Pua’ appealing topeople to fight the Covid-19together. His coronavirus-themed rendition of a popularOdia song ‘Hey Phaguna Tume’is expected to hit the right noteamong people. The song iswritten by Dr Nirmala Nayak.

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To ensure undernutrition iskept in check, the State

issued a circular in end ofMarch for home delivery ofentitlements under the ICDS(Integrated ChildDevelopment Services)scheme. According to the cir-cular, the Anganwadi Workers(AWWs) are going door-to-door for home delivery of dryrations at this pandemic Covid19 time.

The AWW are supposed toprovide dry ration for TakeHome Ration (THR) under theSupplementary NutritionProgramme (SNP) as well asfor Hot Cooked Meals (HCM)under SNP. The HCM is pro-vided to children aged 3-6years for six days per week atAnganwadi Centres but sinceAWCs are closed, there is dryration being provided for thattoo.

Principal Secretary ofWomen and ChildDepartment (WCD), Odisha,Anu Garg has said even asAnganwadi centres in Odishaare closed, supply of foodunder SupplementaryNutrition Programme is con-tinuing. “We are monitoringsupply of rations, eggs and

morning snacks to all centresand ensuring that the benefi-ciaries are provided with theirrequired nutrition uninter-ruptedly. Rations are providedto all beneficiaries at theirhouseholds without any fail,”she said.

Garg has said thatAnganwadi workers and self-help group (SHG) workers areworking as the foot soldiers inthis fight and have turned intothe eyes and ears of the admin-istration at this criticalmoment. “Although theAnganwadi Centres wereclosed in this extraordinarysituation, the Anganwadiworkers have not stopped pro-viding services to the mothersand children. While their usualduty is to improve the nutritionof women and children, theyare now going door to door,recording people’s travel his-tory, noting flu symptoms and,where needed, even helpingtrace contacts. They are mon-itoring the health of children,pregnant and lactating womenwhile providing them withnutrition,” she added.

AWWs, who are alreadyconsidered champions whofight against malnutrition atthe village or gram panchayatlevel, are now emerging as avital link in the fight against

COVID 19 too. In addition toproviding dry ration fromdoor-to-door, they are alsoeducating the communityabout the best practices tofight against COVID 19.

Some of the common mes-sages that the AWWs are giv-ing include regular hand wash-ing (for 20 seconds at least),social distancing, avoid touch-ing face, eyes, nose and mouthand wearing a mask or cover-ing mouth while sneezing orcoughing.

Garg said that over 72,500Anganwadi workers have beenengaged in door to door deliv-ery of dry ration and eggs tothe beneficiaries. “They areplaying an important role indistribution of essential com-modities, old age pension andawareness drive. Besides, theyare preparing health databasewith coordination of ASHAs,persuading people for homequarantine," she said.

“It is important to appre-ciate and acknowledge theefforts of frontline workersduring these times. At thesame, the Government needsto ensure that maternal health-care services like ANCs are notaffected and still accessible ”said associate director at IPEGlobal Neha Saigal.

In Angul, members of

community-led movementAngul Pusti Adhikar Abhiyan(APAA) have been assistingAnganwadi workers to spreadthe message of f ightingCoronavirus far and wide.

Convener, APAA, AdityaMohapatra believes it is impor-

tant to not ignore under nutri-tion in these times as it puts thevulnerable populations at risk.“The AWWs are the realchampions, who continue todo their duty relentlessly. Theyare no less than the doctorsand nurses who at the frontlinefighting COVID 19,” he said.

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Since the day Covid-19 wasdeclared a global pandemic,

the Indian Red Cross Society,Odisha State branch (IRCSOSB) has been working roundthe clock to deliver differenthumanitarian services.

The volunteers and coun-sellors from the Red Crossand Social EmergencyResponse Volunteer (SERV),the Youth Red Cross, JuniorRed Cross and Juniors, CycloneShelter, life members and oth-ers who are trained in crisismanagement have been indi-vidually and collectively creat-ing awareness on hand wash-ing, respiratory hygiene andsocial distancing in towns, vil-lages and slums across theState. They are also distribut-ing masks to the needy.

Working on mission “No

one should remain hungry”, theIRCS, OSB has been distribut-ing cooked food and ration tosupport the migrants, thedowntrodden, homeless, dis-tressed, economically vulnera-ble, the underprivileged, andother marginalised sections ofpopulation all over the State.

The IRCS, OSB has alsobeen feeding animals in themidst of the lockdown.

The Livelihood Unit ofRed Cross is supporting farm-ers and has created a bridgebetween the farmers and con-sumers by purchasing the veg-etables from them. They thendistribute these to the needyand the vulnerable people. Italso created awareness amongstpeople to purchase the vegeta-bles before they wilt away or aredestroyed in an attempt toextend a supporting hand tofarmers.

As blooddonation campswere difficult toorganise, manyvolunteers ofOdisha Red Crossdonated blood tothe thalassemiapatients, pregnantladies, cancerpatients and othercritical patients by donatingblood at different blood banksall over the State. During thesecond and third phase lock-down, the IRCS, OSB organ-ised many voluntary bloodcamps maintaining social dis-tancing.

The volunteers are workingwith high risk population at theswab collecting centres andalso at quarantine centres. Thevolunteers are supporting thedoctors and nurses in collect-ing swabs and also in manag-

ing the quarantine centres atschools and colleges.

The IRCS, OSB providespsychological support to seniorcitizens and children who arepsychologically most vulnera-ble for corona. Many trainedvolunteers who have takentraining on first aid are pro-viding psychological first aid tothem to help them keep fitmentally and physically. Manyjuniorshave also taken to cre-ating awareness through paint-ings.

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In a maiden attempt to holdtheatre seminars on a web-

based platform, the Nandanik,a theatre group based inKoraput, has launched a‘Covid-19 Theatre WebinarSeries’.

Eminent theatre directorSubodh Patnaik delivered atalk on the topic ‘Theatre andSpace’. He narrated varioustheatre spaces in India andabroad like Under the Sal treein Assam, Akhra in WestBengal and Arena in Greece.The talk was moderated byAshok Kar. Theatre workersand researchers actively par-ticipated in the session.

Arijit Roy from Satabdi,Kolkata, Srinivas Denchanalafrom Hyderabad, Dr SaratKumar Jena, Faculty, Visva

Bharati, Shantiniketan, GaganDeep from the RabindraBharati University and eminentplaywright Manoj Rath werepresent, among others. A bignumber of students from dif-ferent universities attended.

‘During current lockdown,the webinars will provide a vir-

tual space to socialize, learnand exchange ideas,” said sec-retary Monideepa Gupta.

Among others, treasurerSaumendra Swain was present.

As many as 85 personsfrom different States of Indiaand Sri Lanka and Bangladeshhave registered for the webinar.

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The Vedanta Limited,Odisha operations,

which include Lanjigarhalumina refinery andJharsuguda aluminiumsmelter have joinedforces with the State,district and communi-ties in the Covid-19fight by already reaching7 lakh people.

“We are closelyworking with theGovernment alongsideour people and part-ners to emerge fromthese trying times strongerand better together,” said CEORahul Sharma.

The Vedanta has so farprovided 34,000 numbers ofPersonal Protective Equipment(PPE) to the State Government.

It has supported the 110-bed-ded Covid hospital inJharsuguda.

The company has distrib-uted rations to nearly 5,000poor people in the two districts.Over 11,000 workers were pro-

vided meals along with otheressentials in both plants. Ithas also supported holdingabout 300 awareness sessionson corona preventions. Besides,it has distributed masks andsoaps free of cost.

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In view of oronavirus out-break, which has crippled

livelihoods and modes of sus-tenance for many, the NTPCTalcher Kaniha has come insupport of vulnerable com-munities in the vicinity of itsstation. Under its CorporateSocial Responsibility (CSR),the station contributed essen-tial grocery items to Navjeevancommunity center in Anguldistrict on Tuesday.

A team of CSR officialscomprising of Dhaneswar Naikand Bhismadev Nayak visitedthe centre and distributed gro-cery items like rice, dal, veg-etables, oil, etc. to the residents.The Navjeevan community,an NGO, houses over 70orphange children and seniorcitizens. The distributed items

are expected to provide for thedaily meal requirement forover two weeks.

The NTPC Talcher Kanihahad earlier provided support tomany such communitiesaround its plant area. It wouldcontinue to do so, informed anofficial release.

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In my student life, I wasinvolved in some social work

like NCC and NSS pro-grammes. Further, I was alsoelected as the seminar secretaryof the commerce society,Dhenkanal College. Our village

club Arunodaya Yuva Sansad,Angul, had also given me achance to do some social work.

Meanwhile, the districtyouth co-coordinator selectedme as the national service vol-unteer and I worked with theNehru Yuva Kendra,Dhenkanal. Further, for myhigher studies, I came toBhubaneswar and took admis-sion in the Utkal UniversityLaw College and then as alawyer I started practice in thefield of taxation.

In 1999, I became the lifemember of Red Cross andactively participated as volun-teer in many programmes ofthe Indian Red Cross Society,Odisha State branch. It is a co-incidence that I have rendered20 years of voluntary servicewith Red Cross by now whenthe Indian Red Cross Societycompleted its 100 years in2020.

In these 20 years, the RedCross has given me many scopeand received my service with-out any cost. Now I want to dis-cuss my perspective about RedCross.

Red Cross, the name isenough to define itself. From1999 Super Cyclone to 2019Fani, I rendered voluntary ser-vices in distribution of relief. Itwas 2004. A Red Cross teamled by me was returning fromSundargardh district toBhubaneswar via Keonjharafter distributing tri-cycles,wheelchairs and blind-sticks,etc., to physically-handicappedpeople. On the day a strike washeld supported by leadersacross party line in Keonjhardistrict. Hence the completedistrict was in lockdown, butwe were unaware of this. Soconfidently we reached on themain square of the town ataround 7 pm. Immediately we

were surrounded by hundredsof outraged strikers who insist-ed us to hand over the vehicleto make fire. I convinced theirleader about Red Cross andtold about how the war soldiersare not allowed to aim to thevehicles or persons having RedCross emblem. Finally theyreleased us and allowed tomove. That situation is unfor-gettable.

In Odisha, blood banksand Red Cross are the two sidesof a coin. Because at that timemore than 50%t of Red CrossBlood Banks of India were inour State. But voluntary blooddonation was nearly ten totwelve percent only where 20%of blood was needed only foraccident cases. In the year2002, an association of volun-tary blood donors and moti-vators namely “OrissaVoluntary Blood Donors’ andMotivators’ Association” was

formed by me as founder-pres-ident. To work throughout theState we established its districtbranches. Through thesebranches we arranged manymega blood donation camps indifferent districts and places.On April 1, 2005 a mega blooddonation camp was organisedin my chairmanship where2,002 units of blood were col-lected in Bhubaneswar.

For voluntary blood dona-tion I was trained by manyorganizations like State BloodTransfusion Council andAmerican Red Cross Societyetc. I also participated in manynational and international con-ferences held at Hyderabad,Kolkata, Chennai, andBhubaneswar and Burla. Booksin Odia namely 'VoluntaryBlood Donation and Red CrossRa Katha' was written by meand also many articles in Odiaand English was published in

the local newspapers. The State Red Cross

Branch had organised manyactivities and observed manydays including the WorldHealth Day in Bhubaneswar.Prior to a function the thenRed Cross State secretary, lateRabiratna Das called a prepara-tory meeting. In 2002, a HealthDay Preparatory meeting washeld on my proposal in a ruralvillage except the capital city. Itwas accepted and done inAngul district in 2002 and inBoud district in 2003.

So, the World Health Daywas observed in Talmul vilageof Angul which was my nativevillage and the complete organ-isational responsibility wasupon me. I went to my villageand called a meeting attendedby three sarpanches, five schoolrepresentatives and two collegerepresentatives along withsome selected local volunteers.

Our programme was a grandsuccess. For the first time theState level programmee wasorganised in a rural villagealong with voluntary blooddonation camp, health camp,rally and meeting.

In the Red Cross, we haveperformed many activities likeadopting villages, health camps,plantation and a lot of blooddonation camps. For Red CrossDay and World AIDS Day, wealso execute many social basedtheme plays. I am also the exec-utive member of the IndianRed Cross Society,Bhubaneswar-Cuttack PoliceCommissionerate Branch andalso contributed my time andenergy in many disastrous sit-uations like relief distributionduring Fani and organizingblood donation camps duringCorona and many more. I wasfortunate enough to get achance to participate in the

general body meeting of IndianRed Cross Society atRashtrapati Bhavan, NewDelhi.

I, however, feel the IndianRed Cross Society, Odisha StateBranch, is not giving impor-tance to the life members aswell as not conducting theannual general meetings, exec-utive meetings for last tenyears and discontinuing themonthly meeting of life mem-bers for last three years. Manylife members also lost the rightsfrom 55 Red Cross BloodBanks. Hence I have the sup-port of all the active life mem-bers and we are united togeth-er to claim our rights. Weformed an association in thename of “Red Cross StateBranch Protection Committee,Odisha”. Let’s hope that we getback our rights in State RedCross and maintain the origi-nality of it.

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Health Minister NabaKishore Das has placed six

demands relating to Covid-19fight before Union HealthMinister Dr Harsh Vardhanduring a discussion betweenthem held through videocon-ferencing on Wednesday.

Stating that a provision ofpre-screening of workers hasbeen inserted in the standardoperating procedure (SOP) bythe Centre, Das suggested forRT PCR test of those coming toOdisha at departure pointsonly.

Besides, he urged to pro-vide testing kits to Odisha fordoing rapid tests of the work-ers coming to Odisha fromother States. He also requestedto relax ICMR Act and givetesting permission to theDirector, AIIMS Bhubaneswar.He urged that all private hos-pitals be permitted by theICMR to do corona tests on apriority basis.

Further, he demanded thatall coaches of special trains beproperly sanitised and availedwith all precautions for safereturn of the migrant workers.

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UMARKOTE: The inflow ofteachers to their workplacesstarted after the report of DEOabout the absence of 1,374 inNabarangpur district withoutleave applications.

According to reports,Jasobanta Dey, a teacher ofRabnaguda Nodal Primary

School in Beheda cluster underUmarkote police limits, alleged-ly came from his native districtMayurbhanj with his family bycar on the wee hours ofThursday here and arrived at hisrented house located in ward No10. The teacher has been quran-tined. PNS

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In the ongoing effort to makethe defence forces lean and

mean besides cutting downexpenditure, Defence MinisterRajnath Singh has approved theabolition of 9,304 posts in theMilitary Engineering Services(MES), which is responsible forcreating military infrastruc-ture. The cutting down of postsis part of the recommendationsmade a panel in 2017 toimprove the functioning of thearmed forces and rebalancedefence expenditure.

The pruning of numbers inthe MES mostly pertains to thecivilian staff. Officials said hereon Thursday most of the postsabolished are in basic andindustrial workforce.Moreover, the minister’s nod isfor abolishing 9,304 posts outof a total 13,157 vacancies,they said.

Giving details, officials saidSingh approved the proposal ofEngineer-in-Chief of Military

Engineering Services (MES)for optimisation of more than9,300 posts in the basic andindustrial workforce. It is in linewith the recommendations ofthe Committee of Experts,headed by Lt GeneralShekatkar(retired), which hadrecommended measures toenhance combat capability andrebalance defence expenditureof the Armed Forces.

One of the recommenda-tions made by the Committeewas to restructure the civilianworkforce in a manner that thework of the MES could be part-ly done by departmentally

employed staff and other workscould be outsourced. The rec-ommendation was aimed atmaking the MES an effectiveorganisation with a leanerworkforce, well equipped tohandle complex issues in theemerging scenario in an effi-cient and cost effective manner.

The 11-member Shekatkarcommittee was appointed bylate Defence Minister ManoharParrikar in 2016 with a broadmandate and had made about99 recommendations fromoptimising defence budget tothe need for a Chief of DefenceStaff (CDS). The panel had sug-

gested that if the recommen-dations are implemented overthe next five years, it can resultin savings of up to �25,000crore in defence expenditure.

Realising the importance ofhaving a lean and mean force tofight modern day warfare, thedefence ministry approved thefirst batch of 65 recommenda-tions pertaining to the Armywere approved in 2017 by thenDefence Minister Arun Jaitley.

Those reforms includedredeployment and restructuringof approximately 57,000 postsof officers, JuniorCommissioned Officers(JCO)and civilians.

The panel also stressed onoptimisation of Signals estab-lishments to include radiomonitoring companies, corpsair support signal regiments, airformation signal regiments,composite signal regiments,and merger of corps operatingand engineering signal regi-ments.

It also called for restruc-

turing of repair echelons in theArmy to include base work-shops, advance base workshopsand static/station workshops inthe field Army. The panel also recommendedclosure of military farms and

army postal establishments inpeace locations. The last twohave already been implement-ed.

Highlighting the urgentneed for synergising the threeServices namely the Army, IAF

and Navy, the panel recom-mended the establishment of aJoint Services War College fortraining for middle-level offi-cers, even as the three separatewar colleges — Mhow,Secunderabad and Goa —

could continue to train youngerofficers for their respective ser-vices. Similarly, the MilitaryIntelligence School, Pune beconverted to a tri-service intel-ligence training establishmentwas another proposal.

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Chipping in the nationaleffort to fight coronavirus

pandemic, the Indian Navy hasindigenously designed andmanufactured PersonalProtective Equipment(PPE)and this product is com-paratively cheaper than thosenow available in the market.This product comes weeksafter the Navy successfullymanufactured handheld ther-mal gun to gauge body tem-perature.

Giving details about the

PPE, officials said here onThursday the product was test-ed by the Institute of NuclearMedicine and AlliedSciences(INMAS), Delhi, aDefence Research andD e v e l o p m e n tOrganization(DRDO), taskedwith the testing and certifica-tion of PPE. The PPE was cer-tified to be mass produced andused in clinical COVID situa-tions, they added.

Shortage of PPE during theongoing COVID-19 pandem-ic is of serious concern as itimperils the well-being and

availability of the HealthcareWorkforce, apart from adverse-ly impacting their security andmorale. The PPE is required tomeet stringent criteria on test-ing and the benchmarks of thesame are set by the IndianCouncil of MedicalResearch(ICMR) and theHealth Ministry.

The naval PPE passed with6/6 Synthetic blood penetra-tion resistance test pressure.(the Indian government man-dates minimum 3/6 and abovelevel as per ISO 16603 stan-dard) and is thus certified to be

mass produced and used inclinical COVID situations, offi-cials said.

The outstanding features ofthe PPE are its simple, innov-ative and cost-effective design;thus it can be made by basicgown manufacturing facilities.The PPE is noteworthy for theinnovative choice of fabricused, which gives the PPE its'breathability' and penetrationresistance rendering it bothcomfortable and safe for theuser. The cost for this PPE issignificantly lower than thosecommercially available.

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Road Transport andHighways Minister Nitin

Gadkari on Thursday said theMinistry is pursuing the long-delayed vehicle scrapping pol-icy to support the domesticautomobile industry amid thecovid-19 pandemic. He also seta target of constructing roadsworth 15 lakh crore over thenext two years which canengage more manpower to putback the economy on tracks.

"I have been trying topursue the scrapping policyfor the last two years. We needcooperation from other min-istries, stakeholders. Havetold the secretary to follow itup as soon as possible. This isone of the steps to boost theindustry because it will reduceproduction," Gadkari said ina video conference with thesociety of Indian automobilemanufacturers (SIAM).

“I will find out what arethe obstacles. We will clear itand go ahead," he said.

The vehicle scrappage

policy, which awaits clearancefrom the finance ministry,aims to eliminate the fleet ofold polluting vehicles andboost demand.

The coronavirus-led cri-sis has only made mattersworse for the local auto sec-tor that was already strug-gling due to weak demand.The imposition of the nation-wide lockdown had halted alleconomic activities, adding tothe woes of businesses.

The automobile industrycontinues to expect tepiddemand in near term as itbelieves that normalcy inbusinesses may not berestored immediately even ifthe lockdown is lifted com-pletely.

The proposed policy hadgot a fresh push in August lastyear even when the automo-bile sector reeled under slow-

down pressure. Separately,the road ministry had issueddraft guidelines in October toset up vehicle scrapping cen-tres in the country to protectthe environment and pro-mote a legally-backed dis-mantl ing and scrappingindustry.

During the meeting inthe presence of officials,Gadkari informed that hehas set a target of construct-ing roads worth �15 lakhcrore in the next two years.He said, his ministry is work-ing overtime to clear all arbi-tration cases with conces-sionaires.

On the question of BS4vehicles, he said, the gov-vernment is bound bySupreme Court verdict on thesame. However, on industrysuggestion, he will get thematter examined afresh.

Regarding relaxationssought on other regulations,Gadkari stated that he willendeavour to provide reliefwherever possible whereindustry is seeking exten-sion of time.

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Reeling under the Covid-19pandemic, India has turned

towards its traditional medi-cines as on add-on interventionto see if it works against dead-ly contagion which has killedlakhs across the world.

On Thursday, the Ayush,Health and Science andTechnologies Ministries joinedhands to kick-start a clinicaltrial of traditional medicinesbased on herbs likeAshwagandha, Yashtimadhu,Guduchu Pippali on workersand those working in high-riskareas.

Dr Harsh Vardhan saidthat the study will draw a com-parison between the impact ofHydroxychloroquine andAshwagandha for the prophy-laxes against SARS-COV-2 inthe health care providers withincreased risk during theCovid-19 outbreak.

It will also include theeffectiveness of ayurveda for-mulation as an adjunct to‘Standard of Care’ for the treat-

ment of mild to moderateCovid-19. A randomized,open-label, parallel efficacy,active control, multi-centreexploratory drug trial will takeplace, he said.

The population-basedinterventional studies on theimpact of Ayush based pro-phylactic interventions willbe carried out through fourresearch councils under theAyush Ministry and nationalinstitutes in 25 states across thecountry and several state gov-ernments covering approxi-mately 5 lakhs population.

Union Ayush MinisterShripad Naik said that hisMinistry is also studying theimpact of Ayush advocaciesand Ayush measures for pre-vention of COVID 19 amongthe population.

The Union HealthMinister said that the AyushSanjivani mobile app devel-oped by Ministry of AYUSHwill be useful to generate dataon acceptance and usage ofAYUSH advocacies and mea-sures among the population

and its impact in prevention ofCOVID 19.

Sanchit Sharma, ExecutiveDirector at AIMIL Pharmawhich is engaged in produc-tion of herbal products likeFifatrol and BGR-34(devel-oped with the help of govern-ment scientific research body,CSIR) welcomed the moveasserting that many Indianherbs are already known fortheir immunity-enhancingproperty as well as managingvarious diseases.

Prime Minister NarendraModi too have been at variousplatforms exhorting the use ofIndian Traditional medicinesto tackle the Covid-19 whichhas claimed over 1,700 lives inthe country.

The Government is alsolaunching Ayush Sanjivaniapplication based study forimpact assessment of accep-tance and usage of Ayushadvisories in its role in pre-vention of COVID 19 for gen-erating data of large popula-tion with a target of 5 millionpeople.

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Vice President andChairman of Rajya Sabha

M Venkaiah Naidu onThursday held a meeting withLok Sabha Speaker Om Birla todiscuss the situation regardingthe COVID-19 disease in thecountry, role being played byMembers of Parliament and thefeasibility of holding meetingsof Committees of Parliamentthrough vide conferencing.

Both the Presiding Officersnoted that the Members ofParliament are actively engagedin the fight against coron-avirus besides initiating welfaremeasures and supporting var-ious humanitarian initiativesbeing taken up by both the gov-ernments and civil society.They were happy to note thatMPs are with the people whomthey represent when they needthem the most, according to aRajya Sabha official.

Naidu and Birla also dis-cussed the issue of feasibility ofvarious Committees of

Parliament holding their meet-ings at the earliest in the pre-vailing situation and in the con-text of restrictions on travelacross the country. They feltthat if the situation does notallow regular conventionalmeetings of the Committees inthe near future, alternativemeans of enabling such meet-ings may be explored.

Accordingly, they havedirected the Secretaries Generalof both the Houses to examinein detail the pros and cons ofParliamentary Committeesholding meetings by video con-ferencing by taking into con-siderations the present Rules ofBusiness of both the Houses ofParliament, the practices andexperiences of various countriesin respect of such virtual meet-ings and the time required toenable secure technology plat-forms required for such mode ofmeetings. The report of the twotop officials of Parliament willform the basis for a considereddecision by both the PresidingOfficers in the matter.

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Already grappling with ris-ing number of

Coronavirus cases, the Stateslike Maharashtra, Gujarat andWest Bengal are now faced withdaunting task of testing lakhsof migrant workers as well asimmigrants who are graduallyreturning from abroad.

In view of the surge innumber of migrant labourexpected to reach the States inthe days to come, Union HealthMinister Dr. Harsh Vardhanexhorted the States that robuststrategy and mechanism need tobe drawn up for their testing,quarantine, and treatment of thepositive cases.

Some States shall also seeimmigrants from abroad too.Flights are being on their waybringing stranded Indian fromvarious countries.

An effective strategy alsoneeds to be put in place for theirtesting, institutional quaran-tine and treatment, if needed, hesaid.

Authorities estimate around300,000 jobless labourers haveregistered for the journey bytrain which are now being rundaily as per the demand com-ing from the States.

They will have to be med-ically screened before they'requarantined.

Dr Harsh Vardhan alsosuggested that along with thesurveillance teams in the con-

tainment areas, community vol-unteers may also be identifiedat the ward-level to spreadawareness about the preventivemeasures like hand washing,physical distancing etc., andwho can also play an effectiverole in removing the stigma pre-vailing in the society.

The matter does not restwith just handling of the Covidcases. The Minister said thatattention needs to be accordedto provisioning of non-COVIDessential health services regard-ing immunisation drives, TBcase finding and treatment,providing blood transfusion fordialysis patients, treatment ofcancer patients, ANC of preg-nant women, etc.

States were also informedthat helpline number 104 inaddition to 1075 can be used forGrievance Redressal for non-COVID essential services, andfor informing regarding avail-ability of these services etc.Adequate measures for preven-tion of vector diseases alsoneeds to be taken, they wereadvised.

“Need to increase samplingand testing of SARI/ILI casesalong with proper quarantinearrangements of the migrantworkers coming from otherStates”

Dr. Harsh Vardhan has alsoasked the States to focus onmore effective surveillance, con-tact tracing and early diagnosisto keep low fatality rate”.

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HRD Minister RameshPokhriyal ‘Nishank’ on

Thursday announced that toboost research in the countryvarious amendments have beencarried out in Prime Minister’sResearch Fellowship Scheme.

He said that after theamendments, now for the stu-dents from any recognisedinstitute/ university (other thanI I S c /IITs/NITs/IISERs/IIEST/CFIIITs), the requirement ofGATE Score is reduced to 650from 750 apart from minimumCGPA of 8 or equivalent.

The Minister alsoinformed that now there willbe two channels of entries, onedirect entry and lateral entry.In lateral entry, the students,who are pursuing PhD inPMRF granting institutions(completed 12 months or 24months as per certain require-ments) can also apply tobecome fellow under thescheme as per new guidelines.

Pokhriyal further high-lighted that NITs, whichappear in top 25 institutions asper NIRF Ranking (overall)can also become PMRFGranting institution.

The Minister hoped thatthe modifications will enablemore students to avail of thebenefit under the PrimeMinister’s Research FellowshipScheme.

The Minister has alsoinformed that, to boost

research a dedicated Divisionis being created in the ministrywith the name of “Researchand Innovation Division”. Thisdivision will be headed by adirector who will be coordi-nating research work of vari-ous institutions coming underMHRD.

Union Minister said that.“The Prime Minister’sResearch Fellows (PMRF)Scheme has been designed forimproving the quality ofresearch in various higher edu-cational institutions in thecountry. With attractive fel-lowships, the scheme seeks toattract the best talent intoresearch thereby realizing thevision of development throughinnovation.”

He added that the schemewas announced in the Budget2018-19. The institutes which can offer PMRF includeall the IITs, all the IISERs,Indian Institute of Science,Bengaluru and some of the topCentral Universities/NITs thatoffer science and/or technolo-gy degrees.

Pokhriyal further said thatthe candidates will be selectedthrough a rigorous selectionprocess and their performancewill be reviewed suitablythrough a national convention.

Starting Academic Year2020-21, candidates can applyfor PMRF through either directentry channel or lateral entrychannel.

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Coronavirus injures lungs.But targeting the part of the

brain that controls breathingand blood flow might helppatients with lung injury-induced respiratory disordersdue to Covid-19, and speed theprocess of weaning patientsfrom mechanical ventilators,researchers have suggested

With respiratory infectionslike Covid-19 or other pul-monary infections, activationof the immune system is partof the normal, healthyresponse.

However, said theresearchers in their study pub-lished in the Journal ofPhysiology, in some cases theinflammatory response is sopowerful that it leads to furtherlung damage called acute lunginjury (ALI) and in its mostsevere form acute respiratory

distress syndrome (ARDS).Typical clinical care of

patients with ALI and ARDS isfocused on minimising furtherlung damage using specialisedforms of mechanical ventila-tion.

The researchers also sug-gest that the injury is not lim-ited to the lungs, but may alsohave a lasting impact on thecentral control of respiration.Thus, targeting the parts of thebrain that regulate our breath-ing might be an importanttherapy for weaning patientsfrom ventilatory support fol-lowing their recovery fromsevere respiratory infections,ALI and ARDS.

This is important to under-stand during the Covid-19pandemic as these patientsmay experience the same dif-ficulties transitioning to breath-ing on their own.

Currently, ALI and ARDS

therapy focuses on the lungs tomaintain gas exchange andminimize further injury. Theseresearchers examined rats withlung injury and determinedthat the brain regions that con-trol breathing are affected also.

In fact, the characteristicsof the pathologic breathingpattern remain even when thelungs are removed. In addition,inflammation was evident inthe part of the brain that gen-erates the breathing pattern.This indicates that the lungs arenot the only factor involved inbreathing disorders in lunginjury.

These scientists then exam-ined what happens in consciouslung injured rodents whenthey introduced non-steroidalanti-inflammatory drugs with-in the central nervous system.

They found that this treat-ment reduced neural inflam-mation and minimised the

effects of lung injury. Thesefindings suggest that brain-stem circuits play a role in thepathophysiology and potentialrecovery of the respiratorysystem following lung injuryand ARDS.

First author of the studyYee-Hsee Hsieh from CaseWestern Reserve University,Ohio said, “Clinical treat-ment for respiratory illness-es typically focuses on adopt-ing ventilatory protocols thatprotect the lung from furtherlung injury and currentresearch focuses on repairand restorat ion of pul-monary tissue and function.

“This study suggests wealso need to address the roleof the central nervous systemand neuro-inflammation tocompletely treat acute lunginjury and perhaps otherlung diseases like Covid-19."

��

Following demand from theenvironmentalists and

Opposition amid Covid-19pandemic, the Governmenthas extended time from May22 to August end for publiccomments on the draftEnvironment ImpactAssessment (EIA) notification which proposesvarious relaxations for infra-structure projects whileextending the validity of envi-ronmental clearance in vari-ous sectors by several years.

The draft notificationwhich is expected to signifi-cant ly overhaul the environmental clearanceprocess for all infrastructure

projects in the country wasissued by the UnionEnvironment ministry onMarch 23 and almost theentire sixty-day period forpublic scrutiny of the draftcoincided with the lockdownperiod.

The nationwide lockdownwas imposed on March 25and has been extended tillMay 17.

Former environmentminister and Congress leaderJairam Ramesh had tweetedon May 1 that UnionEnvironment MinisterPrakash Javadekar had putout the draft EIA notificationgiving 60 days for publiccomments. “This deadlineshould be extended by 3

months at least due to covid19 to enable better under-standing of the changes pro-posed.” BJP MP, RajeevChandrasekhar also tweetedsaying, “Dear PrakashJavadekar j i please extend 60-day time for com-ments on draft EIA notification 2020 givenCoronavirus crisis. Thisdeserves a good, robust public discussion of changesproposed.”

CK Mishra, secretary,environment said, “The timeperiod for public consultations is likely to beextended till August.”

One of the main objectives of the draft is tobring those industries or

projects under regulationwhich have violated the EIA2006 notification by startingconstruction work beforeenvironmental clearance isgranted or by expandingcapacity.

“Dealing with violationcases” is an entirely new sec-tion in the draft notificationcompared to the EIA notifi-cation 2006.

The draft increases thevalidity of the environmentclearances.

The draft provides envi-ronment clearance validityfor 50 years for mining projects, against 30 years inthe present notification and15 years for river valley pro-jects against 10 years.

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Tamil Nadu’s encounter withcoronavirus has reached a

crucial and critical stage as thenumber of persons tested pos-itive for the pandemic reached5,409 on Thursday evening.Medical bulletin issued by theDirectorate of Health andFamily Welfare said that 580persons tested positive for coro-navirus on Thursday.

Out of the 580 new cases,Chennai accounted for 316 per-sons making it the district withthe highest number of covid-19patients. There are 2,644patients in the metropolis. Theday also saw two persons suc-cumbing to the pandemic making the number of fatalitiesto 37.

Since last week, the numberof persons testing positive forcoronavirus increased by leapsand bounds in Tamil Nadu . OnApril 30, the State recorded 130persons while the next day itregistered 203 patients. On May2, there were 231 new caseswhile the next day saw 266 per-sons testing positive for the pan-

demic. On May 4, Tamil Naduwas bewikdered when the gov-ernment announced that 527persons tested positive on a sin-gle day. Since then the numbersincreased steeply with 508, 771and 580 respectively.

The main reason for theconsistent and consecutivehike in the number of personstesting positive for the pan-demic is the scant disregard thegeneral public is showingtowards the guidelines andprohibitory orders issued bythe Government of TamilNadu. The Fruits andVegetable Market atKoyambedu, Tamil Nadu’sleading mandi (market) spreadacross 65 acres accounted formost of the coronavirus casesin the State. “Wholesale andretail businessmen crowdedthe market along with peoplewho frequented for purchasingvegetables for household uses.There was no sign of any pre-cautions like face mask orsocial distancing and it wasknown on April 26 itself thatTamil Nadu is in for a majorcrises,” said Dr C V

Krishnaswamy, lead physicianin Chennai, The Pioneer hadreported about the unprece-dented and uncontrolled activ-ities of the people in the clus-ter during the last week itselfand of a possible ‘explosion’ inthe number of coronaviruscases.

Though the Government ofTamil Nadu is reluctant toaccept the fact that coronavirushas become a pandemic prop-agated by community trans-mission, virologists of repute areof the view that the disease hasentered the stage of communi-ty transmission. “One infectedperson in the community,unaware that he is infected,infects others in the communi-ty. If A was infected by a knowncontact B, in epidemiology wesay B infected A. when contactis unknown we say ‘someone inthe community infected A.Hence the term communitytransmission,” writes Dr T JacobJohn, former professor of virol-ogy, Christain Medical College,Vellore, in a scientific paper heauthored about the present stateof affairs.

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There is a sense of nervous-ness prevailing all over

Tamil Nadu every eveningwhen it is time for theDirectorate of Health andFamily Welfare Department torelease the medical bulletincarrying the number of patientstested positive for coronavirusin the State.

Even as people pray silent-ly for a decrease in the numberof patients and flattening of thecorona curve, the news thatcomes out of the daily bulletinis that of unabated increase inpeople affected by the pandemic.

During the initial days ofthe breaking out of the covid-19 disease, Tamil Nadu waswell behind its southern neigh-bor in the number of coronapatients. But by the last week ofMarch, Tamil Nadu was farahead of Kerala in the numberof covid-19 patients. Initiallythe increase was in the order of70s, 80s and 100s. The last fewdays saw the number ofpatients increasing by 500 and700 and racing towards the5,000 mark.

After an initial hiccup

Kerala managed to contain thepandemic and by the first weekof May has almost eradicatedthe coronavirus from the State.Till Wednesday evening, theState had 502 confirmedpatients while 469 have recov-ered from the pandemic. TheState saw 4 persons succumb-ing to the pandemic. Till date,Kerala has tested 35,000 sam-ples, much below than that ofTamil Nadu. There were nopositive cases recorded duringthe last four days in the Stateexcept one in Wynadu districtin the Western Ghats.

Dr Nirmala Sanu George,advisor to the Sixth StateFinance Commission whoworks closely with KeralaMinister for Health K KShailaja said that the Statecould fortify itself against thecorona virus attack throughfour factors. “We could bring inan attitudinal change amongthe general public and stream-line the health system with freeflow of information and data.The involvement of theGovernment staff as well as themembers of the local bodies(the last mile connectivity) intaking the battle to the turf ofcorona virus and a well pre-

pared team of doctors and paramedical staff.. these are the fac-tors which helped Kerala incontaining the disease,” said DrNirmala.

K Narendran, a health careprofessional with more thanfour decades of experience incorporate hospitals as admin-istrator, said the two frontswhich ruled Kerala alternatelybetween them (the Congress-led UDF and the CPI(M) ledLDF) ensured that the healthcare in the State always retaineda minimum standard. “There isno scarcity of primary health

centres or hospitals. But weshould thank the family physi-cian system prevailed in theState for decades which laid thefoundation for a strong treat-ment protocols. The super spe-cialty hospitals and corporatehospitals are late entrants. Wealso have to acknowledge therole played by the Church insetting up hospitals in areasinaccessible even during nor-mal times. Cynics may say itwas for religious conversionand making profits. But thetruth remains that some of thebest hospitals and educationalinstitutions in the State are runby the Church despite thiscriticism,” said Narendran.

Dr Madhu, a physicianwith three decades of experi-ence in the GovernmentService concurred withNarendran. “It was a synchro-nized operation by the gov-ernment and private sector.Kerala has always been credit-ed with cleanliness and sanita-tion and that could be one ofthe reasons for the contain-ment of the pandemic in theState,” said Dr Madhu who didnot hide his anxiety over thereturn of expatriates from WestAsian countries starting

Thursday. “Till date it wassmooth. Our mortality ratewas less compared to otherStates. Kerala has registeredonly four deaths till Thursdaythough 93 Keralaites had suc-cumbed to coronavirus in WestAsia, Europe and USA,” said DrMadhu who remained non-committal when asked aboutthe return of the expatriateKeralites.

Credit is also due to KKarunakaran, A K Antony andOommen Chandi, the formerchief ministers along withPinarayi Vijayan who all madehealth sector their top priori-ty. Chandi is known for hiscatchword “Health cannotwait” during his days asFinance Minister.

Along with the familyphysicians in small towns,Kerala’s rural areas were ser-viced by traditional physicians(vaidyan in Malayalam ) whoknew the health pattern of alltheir clients. Gone are the daysof 1960s and 1970s when chiefministers like E M SankaranNamboodirippadu and CAchutha Menon used to takethe next available flights toRumania and East Berlin forany medical treatment.

Lucknow: Two employees of theLucknow Municipal Corporation(LMC) have been suspended forallegedly spraying disinfectant onmigrant workers at the Charbaghrailway station, here.

Lucknow MunicipalCorporation CommissionerIndramani Tripathi said on

Thursday, buses were being sanitisedat the station and in the process thedisinfectant was accidentally sprayedon migrants.

He said the employees respon-sible for the incident had beenremoved as they didn’t follow the setprotocols.

The controversy erupted on

Wednesday when a video clip,showing migrants workers beingsprayed with disinfectant here, wentviral on the social media.

The incident took place onTuesday when migrant workers de-boarded Shramik Express trains atthe station.

The migrants had been divided

into different groups to board busesto their home districts, when civicemployees sprayed chemical on afamily sitting on the ground.

LMC has confirmed the verac-ity of the video and said the civicstaff committed mistake.

About a month ago, a similarincident was reported from the

Bareilly district where migrantworkers were sprayed with disinfectant.

A viral video showed morethan two dozen migrant workers sit-ting on the streets as sanitationworkers wearing protective gearsprayed disinfectant on them.

Many in the group, mostly chil-

dren, had complained of burningsensation and irritation in the eyesafter the incident.

The disinfectant used was sodi-um hypochlorite, a bleaching agentused widely in textiles and deter-gents sector. If used in a concen-trated form, it can cause skin burning.

Thousands of migrant workers from different states arearriving at the Lucknow railway sta-tion since the Ministry of HomeAffairs allowed inter-state travelfor people stranded due to theCovid-19 lockdown across thecountry.

IANS

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Aday after Centre slammedthe Trinamool Congress

Government for blockingIndo-Bangladesh trade whichwas reopened a few days agothe Bengal ruling outfit onThursday came out all gunsblazing against the BJPGovernment for opening theborder trade with the neigh-bouring country risking livesmillions of in this part of theborder in a pandemic situation.

Attacking the BJP for “try-ing to play politics with cadav-ers” to gain political mileagebefore the next year’s Stateelections Minister RajivBanerjee and senior leaderSamir Chakrabarty said the saf-fron outfit only wanted to winthe elections and had norespect for the people ofBengal.

“BJP as a party is anti-Bengal. It has no love or respectfor our State or its people. It isin search of dead bodies so asto play politics over them... Theborder with Bangladesh hasbeen opened because they wantthe locals to get infected by thepeople coming from the otherside ... so that they can playaccuse Chief Minister Mamata

Banerjee for the rising numberof deaths,” said the leaders in a1video press conference adding“with its rich political heritageBengal has never seen a partythat trades in cadavers. BJP isan anti-Bengal party.”

Attacking the BJP-ledCentre for targeting Bengal“because they want to the peo-ple’s gallery to win politicalpoints an year ahead of theState elections,” the TMC lead-ers said “the Centre shouldhave focused on the BJP-ruledStates like Gujarat, MadhyaPradesh, Uttar Pradesh wherethe situation is far worse thanBengal... Still they are targetingout State because they wantpolitical mileage.

Earlier the Home Ministryhad written to the StateGovernment for failing to com-ply with its orders facilitatingthe trans-border trade.

In his letter Union HomeSecretary Ajay Bhalla said, “theunilateral action on the part ofthe West Bengal government tostop the cross land bordermovement of essential goodswould have larger implicationsfor the Indian governmentwith regard to its legally bind-ing international commit-ments....

“This act of the state gov-ernment ... amounts to viola-tion of the orders issued by theMHA under the DisasterManagement Act, 2005 as wellas articles 253, 256 and 257 ofthe Constitution of India.”

Regarding the alleged poormanagement of the corona sit-uation in Bengal the MHAwrote the response to the coro-na situation was “characterisedby a very low rate of testing inproportion to the population,and a very high rate of mor-tality of 13.2 per cent for thestate, by far the highest for anystate” adding how it was a“reflection of poor surveil-lance, detection and testing inthe state. There is also a needto increase random testing incrowded clusters.

The letter written to StateChief Secretary Rajiva Sinhasaid “Lockdown violations havebeen noted in the cities ofKolkata and Howrah by spe-cific groups in specific locali-ties with media reports of the‘corona warriors’ includingeven the police being attacked.”

It also drew reference to the“instances of problems faceddue to ostracism of health careprofessionals and lack of quar-antine facilities.”

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Aday after the BengalGovernment put the

Kolkata Municipal Corporationunder a team of administratorschaired by State Minister andformer Mayor Firhad Hakim,State Governor JagdeepDhankhar invoked Article 167of the Constitution askingChief Minister MamataBanerjee to explain why thedecision was not referred tohim and why he was kept in the dark.

Senior TrinamoolCongress leader and MPSaugato Roy however said thatit was not the prerogative of theGovernor to raise a question orblock the initiative of the StateGovernment.

The Governor who hasbeen involved in a letter warwith the Chief Minister on a

host of issues including thealleged diluted implementa-tion of lockdown in Bengal hasexpressed displeasure that hewas kept completely in thedark and no information wasshared with him regarding theappointment of a new team ofadministrators for KMC.

The five year term of theelected Kolkata civic body and93 other municipal boards ofthe state ended in the first weekof May requiring the StateGovernment to appoint admin-istrator in a situation when noelection is possible due to coro-na pandemic situation.

The Governor also wrote aletter to Chief Secretary RajivaSinha to inform him about theprocedures and circumstancesthat led to the new arrange-ment.

Replying to the situationSaugato Roy said “under Indianconstitution the Government isnot bound to take theGovernor’s clearance forappointing administratorsthrough administrative orders,”adding an ordinance could notbe brought because “we weredealing with a Governor likeJagdeep Dhankhar who isknown more for his non-coop-eration than anything else.”

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In a curious developmentseven migrant workers from

Jhalda block of Bengal’s WestMidnapore district cycled allthe way back home fromBihar’s Samastipur district andtook shelter on tree tops as thelocal villagers did not let them in.

“We cycled back homehungry and tired. But the vil-lagers would not allow us inand they forced us to moveback to Jharkhand. But weagain sneaked back crossing ariver and took shelter on treetops.” However the local SDMsaid the seven workers wererescued and taken back toshelter homes.

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Vizag gas tragedy should bea wake up cal l for

Telangana State Governmentand more so for the depart-ment of factories to focus onindustrial safety issues postlockdown.

Hundreds of polymer,plastic industries, especially inMSME sector are operating inGHMC limits.

Several of them were setin gross violation of the normsand located close to denselypopulated residential areas.

These factories remainshut for nearly two monthsdue to corona lockdown andset to start operations anytimewith the State Governmentrelaxing lockdown normssince May 6.

There is an urgent needfor department of factories toswing into action to assess thecondition of machinery andsafety measures in all the fac-tories to avert Vizag-typetragedies.

The Government shouldallow factories to reopen onlyafter taking up thoroughinspection of factories andafter certification by thedepartment of factories thatthe condition of factories,machinery and safety mea-sures are satisfactory.

Since the lockdown wasimposed without any priornotice from March 22 andGovernment went on extend-ing the lockdown till datewithout giving any scope forthe managements of factoriesto take adequate safeguards bytaking up overhauling, main-tenance of machinery, facto-ries, they pose the danger ofmalfunctioning and leakage ofgases if factories are open inhaste.

The Telangana HighCourt in March this yearordered state Governmentthat over 200 polluting plas-tic units in Hyderabad’sKattedan industrial area mustbe shut down, as they were setup in violation of the rules butthe Government is yet to act.

The court said that offi-cials of the Greater HyderabadMunicipal Corporation(GHMC) and PollutionControl Board (PCB)remained ‘mute spectators’ asillegal plastic units mush-roomed in the area.

There are several indus-trial areas in GHMC limits.Though industrial areas wereset up decades ago onHyderabad city outskirts, the

rapid expansion of city overthe years has made them partof residential zones as sever-al colonies come up aroundthe industrial areas. Accordingto Centre for Science andEnvironment (CSE),

“This (gas leak incident)shows us that there are tickingbombs out there as the lock-down ends and industriesstart resuming activities.Therefore, an immediatedirective must go to all unitsto ensure safety while resum-ing operations -- in case thelockdown continues, thesesafety precautions must not benegated,”

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Visakhapatnam: Utter chaosprevailed at the government-run King George Hospital(KGH) where about 160 peo-ple affected by the gas leakagefrom a chemical plant werebrought in early on Thursday.

Already under stress due toCovid-19 situation, the doctorsand other medical staff at thehospital have been makingfrantic efforts to provide med-ical aid to the gas leak victims.

Three of the 160 suc-cumbed while undergoingtreatment. KGH officials saidthey were mobilizing all thehuman resources and equip-ment to deal with the situation.They claimed that they havesufficient number of ventilatorsto tackle the emergency. At least10 persons were put on venti-lators while some others werebeing supported with oxygen.

About 70 people were shift-ed to various private hospitalsin the city.

Families separated from

each other in the utter confu-sion that prevailed after the gasleakage have frantically search-ing for their loved ones. Peopleran helter skelter after the leak-age of Styrene from LGPolymers India plant in RRVenkatapuram nearGopalpatnam.

Municipal CommissionerSrijana Gummalla said the gasleaked from the plant around2.30 a.m. Hundreds of peoplewho inhaled the gas either fellunconscious or felt breathingproblems, she said.

Shocking scenes were wit-nessed with people includingwomen and children lyingunconscious on the roads.People were seen rushing thevictims to ambulances and pri-vate vehicles.

Greater VisakhapatnamMunicipal Corporation(GVMC) officials threw waterthrough mist blowers to sub-side the effect of the gas leak atGopalapatnam area. PNS

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Inspector General of Jammuand Kashmir police, Kashmir

range, Vijay Kumar onThursday claimed by elimi-nating Chief OperationalCommander of HizbulMujahideen, Riyaz Naikoo, thesecurity forces have brokenthe back bone of pro-Pakistanterror outfit in South Kashmir.

Kumar also claimed thatwith the elimination of Naikoo,

the rate of recruitment of localcadre would certainly declineacross South Kashmir. Sinceimplementation of nation widelockdown over 30 terroristshave been eliminated acrossKashmir valley, majority insouth Kashmir districts.

Addressing a media con-ference in Srinagar, Vijay Kumartold reporters, “the police offi-cers were tracking the move-ment of Riyaz Naikoo for almostlast six months”. He said, the

police officers toiled hard to gen-erate pin pointed intelligenceabout his presence in Beighporaarea of South Kashmir’sPulwama district where he waseliminated in the six hour longoperation on May 6.

Police sources claimed, thesecurity forces had infiltrated into the OGW network of HMcommander, Riyaz Naikoo andpersistent follow up lead to spe-cific input about his presenceinside a house in Beighpora

area before the operation waslaunched.

IG, Kashmir said, in thepast we had busted around sixhideouts of Riyaz Naikoo andthis was his seventh hideout.The operation was launched inthe area on Tuesday eveningand the tight cordon was main-tained by the security forcesthrough out the night beforelaunching the final assault onWednesday morning to elimi-nate Naikoo. The house, where

he was hiding was blasted bythe security forces.

Referring to surge in terrorattacks on security forces inNorth Kashmir belt ofHandwara, Vijay Kumarclaimed, in two recent opera-tions in Handwara, securityforces lost senior officers inaction but they also managedto eliminate a dreadedPakistani terrorist Haidar. Hewas back bone of Lashkar-e-Toiba outfit in North Kashmir,

he added.Responding to a quesiton

whether terror groups areattempting to revive terror activ-ities in Handwara, IG Kumarsaid, “we cannot say terror groupsare regrouping in Handwara andtrying to revive their bases in thedense forest areas”.

He said, last year 35 ter-rorists were killed in differentanti-terrorist operations whilethis year so far we have killed9 terrorists in the region. He

said the attack on CRPF jawansin Wangam area of Handwarawas carried out by two localcommanders of LeT. He saidwe have identified them andsoon we would be able to elim-inate them.

Talking about their futurestrategy on tackling the increas-ing number of terror attacks onsecurity forces, IG Kashmirsaid, the anti-terror operationswill continue and there will beno slow down on them.

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Awoman Chief Medical Officer(CMO) posted at Super Specialty

Hospital Shireen Bag Srinagar was test-ed Positive for Covid-19 infection onThursday possibly after coming in con-tact with a couple of attendants whilea 32-year-old youth, died on lastevening, shortly after he was tested pos-itive at SMHS hospital.

Meanwhile, the total number ofpositive cases in Jammu and KashmirThursday rose to 793 with 18 freshcases, 15 from Kashmir division andthree from Jammu division.

Spokesman of Jammu and Kashmir

government, Rohit Kansal Thursdaytweeted,” J&K breaks the 3000 tests aday barrier- 3429 samples tested; 18positives detected. Total positives now793- Jammu 68; Kashmir 725. Our pos-itivity rate 2.1%; Mortality rate 1.13%”.

According to the daily MediaBulletin on Covid-19, out of 793 pos-itive cases, 449 are Active Positive, 335have recovered and 09 have died.

Moreover, 13 more Covid-19patients have recovered and dis-charged from various hospitals ofKashmir Division. The Bulletin saidthat out of 37706 test results available,36913 samples have tested as negativetill May 07, 2020.

Guwahati: After one and a half months,Assam’s Inland Water Transport (IWT)Department on Thursday resumed thepassenger ferry services over riverBrahmaputra adhering to all the Covid-19 and lockdown norms, top officials said.

IWT Department Director PabitraRam Khound said that from Thursday, thepassenger ferry services would continueto operate daily. “All the Covid-19 normsincluding social distancing, wearing of facemasks, hand-washing and sanitisation arebeing followed before moving the eachvessel from the ‘Ghats’,” Khound told iANSover phone.

Each vessel is carrying passengersamounting to only 50 per cent of the totalseating capacity.

The ferry services, which had sus-pended in Assam when the first phase ofthe lockdown began on March 25,resumed from Guwahati to NorthGuwahati, Guwahati to Madhyamkhanda,Rajaduwar to Guwahati and Guwahati toKuruwa routes.

The ferry services, operated by theIWT Department, had already startedfrom May 4 in the Majuli (eastern Assam)and Jorhat route.

Assam Transport Minister ChandraMohan Patowary on Wednesday hasdirected the IWT Department to resumeits passenger ferry services in Guwahati.The Assam Inland Water TransportDepartment was set up in 1958.

IANS

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Ariane Passenger PayloadExperiment (APPLE), a productof India’s first geostationaryexperimental communicationSatellite Project during 1977-83,

was successfully launched by Ariane-1,from Kourou, French Guyana, on June 19,1981. The journey to its successful launchwas tricky though. In 1981, the Indian SpaceResearch Organisation (ISRO) did not havemainframe computers and the satellite’santenna needed to be tested as problemswere detected in certain links, specificallythe telemetry, tracking and control links thatwere crucial to ensure regular communica-tion with the satellite in space. It was, there-fore, crucial to ensure that these links werefunctional before the launch.

But it could only have been done in aproper antenna range, with the satellite struc-ture placed under a thermal blanket and theISRO did not possess such infrastructure atthat time. The satellite needed a non-metallic structure where it could be placedand where testing could be carried out. Sincetime was of the essence, such a structurecould not be developed. So, there came aningenious idea of placing the satellite on abullock cart so that the test could be car-ried out. The bullock cart, which was hiredat a nominal cost �150, provided a non-mag-netic environment and enabled ISRO tocarry out the antenna test in an open field.

The great thing about this story is thatit underlines Indian ingenuity and ambitionat its finest. The ancillary benefit, of course,is that it provides a lovely story behind anincredible Indian organisation and providescolour to the country’s impressive spaceadventure. However, this is just an ancillarybenefit. ISRO did not set out with puttinga satellite on a bullock cart and then hap-pened to successfully ensure proper testingof the satellite. The publicity that this storygenerated was a byproduct of what ISROwanted to achieve, not a motivator.

Political parties today, especially the BJPGovernment at the Centre, would do wellto remember this story. The clearest exam-ple of how “publicity” and “politics” is theprimary motivation and the end result forthis Government is that of the recentmigrant crisis. As everyone is aware, millionsof labourers from States across the countrywere suddenly left stranded after the nation-wide lockdown came into force. Withoutpay, they were barred from returning to thecomfort of their homes. Their families, too,had to face this emergency. This forced themigrant workers to walk thousands ofkilometres under the sweltering summersun. Some even hid inside cement mixersto try and reach their homes. However, ourinternational evacuees did not have toendure such indignity when the lockdownstarted.

There have been no stories of individ-uals swimming across the English Channelto the shores of India but our migrants have

had to suffer that indignity.Then the Centre asked theStates to look after the migrantlabourers even as no provisionswere made for their travel andreturn. This was further exacer-bated by the fact that States suchas Delhi did not receive anyfund from the Centre to aidtheir fight against Corona. In theend, they were largely left ontheir own to ensure that themigrants are not adverselyaffected, even though the prima-ry plea of the labourers has con-sistently been to return to theirrespective homes. Since inter-State transport falls under theUnion list, the expectation wasthat the BJP Government at theCentre would take care of thisconcern.

However, in reality, whathappened was that though cer-tain special trains were madeoperational, the migrants werecharged thousands of rupees. Ifany worker had that kind ofmoney, would he/she be hidingin cement mixers or evenattempt to walk home? It wasthis action that promptedSubramaniam Swamy, a BJPleader, to call the Government’sidea to charge poor migrants fortheir journey home as “moron-ic.” I hardly ever find myself inagreement with Swamy butthese are strange times.

Thereafter, a political rivalof the BJP said that the Stateunits of the Congress would pay

for the tickets of the migrants.This generated negative public-ity for the BJP and, therefore, theGovernment cleared that therailways would pay 85 per centof the ticket prices with theStates footing the remaining 15per cent.

However, this face-savingmove by the BJP did not comewith any intention to help themigrants but to score politicalpoints or to rather prevent los-ing more political points. Howdo we know this? Well forstarters, the Centre is not pay-ing 85 per cent of the farebeing charged to the migrants.

Moreover, there is no orderto that effect anywhere as on thedate of writing this article.Instead, what the BJP is doingis media manoeuvring. TheIndian Railways has always sub-sidised in general to keep theticket prices low. The BJP wantsus to believe that this sub-sidised fare amounts to cover-ing 85 per cent of the cost andin asking the States to bear theremaining 15 per cent of the costis actually asking them to paythe entire cost of the ticket.

Even in the Supreme Court,where the question cropped upbefore the Solicitor-General ifthe Centre was actually bearing85 per cent of the fare, he saidthat he had “no instructions” toreveal what proportion wouldbe shared by the Railways andthe States. Why this uncertain-

ty to a rather straight forwardquestion?

In fact, in Karnataka, theBJP went one step further andcancelled all the trains formigrants to relegate them tobonded labourers. BJP MPTejasvi Surya even went on totweet that such a move will helpthe migrants “restart theirdreams.” The moral flexibilityon the show is almost admirable.However, after all the uproarand noise, the Karnataka BJPhas apparently now reversed itsdecision, much like how it cameout and said that it would “bear”85 per cent of the ticket fare formigrants after it was pushed toa corner.

The question is: Why doesit always take bad Press for thisGovernment to be forced intogood governance? It’s because alarge part of what it does isimage management. Questions(when taken) are either refusedon technicalities or obfuscatedas in the present case of themigrant trains. The need of thehour instead is to focus onproblem-solving by includingthe States and Opposition par-ties and being honest with thecitizens. In doing so, the BJPwould finally put the “bull”before the cart. It can learn athing or two about it fromISRO.

(The writer is a former IPSofficer, a former MP and current-ly a member of the AAP)

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Sir — Last week, Congress leaderRahul Gandhi discussed theCoronavirus pandemic and itseconomic implications with for-mer Reserve Bank of India (RBI)Governor Raghuram Rajan. Now,Nobel laureate Abhijit Banerjeehas spoken to the Congress scionas part of a series of video conver-sations with experts on economyand health. Indeed, when life isbecoming monotonous, Gandhihas brought some fresh air andconstructive ideas. While Rajansaid that �65,000 crore should bespent to support the poor hit hardby the crisis, Banerjee was of theopinion that India should take acue from the US and pump moremoney into the hands of people torevive demand. He stressed on theneed for a bigger stimulus.

Comparing India, which isthe fifth largest economy in theworld with a GDP of $2.94 tril-lion, with the world’s richestcountry is not justified. Afterholding discussions with twogreat economists Rajan andBanerjee, Rahul Gandhi musthold discussions with formerPrime Minister ManmohanSingh, who brought about an eco-

nomic revolution in the countryin 1991, and former deputy chair-man of the planning commissionMontek Singh Ahluwalia. Bothhave practical understanding ofthe Indian economy.

Bidyut Kumar ChatterjeeFaridabad

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Sir — This refers to the editori-al, “Creation to preservation”(May 7). It is shocking that withIndia’s unemployment rate stand-ing at a record high of 27.1 per

cent for the month of April, theunemployment rate is four timeshigher than that of the US. Giventhe current situation with Coronacases crossing the 50,000 mark,there may be more pain in store.Just in case the lockdown isextended further, businesses will

have to either stay shut for alonger time or may have to oper-ate on very low capacity. In bothscenarios, demand would be low,which may worsen the job crisisscenario. The economy cannotany longer stay without big bangreforms. The Government needsto reopen more of such industri-al units although with strict safe-ty protocols.

ManishaVia email

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Sir — It’s intriguing that despitethe Delhi Government levying a70 per cent tax on the sale of alco-hol, serpentine queues were seenoutside liquor shops. In Mumbai,the Brihanmumbai MunicipalCorporation (BMC) closed liquorshops after people failed to main-tain social distancing norms. Itwill be worth watching if Delhi,too, would emulate the BMC.Sure liquor brings revenue butonline deliveries should beencouraged now.

SunitaVia email

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The COVID-19 pandemic is one of thebiggest challenges India has faced inrecent times and is, in fact, a test of the

resilience of our democracy. There is a collectiverealisation in Indian society that the world welive in has changed forever. This shift is not lim-ited to social interactions or healthcare infrastruc-ture but permeates all aspects of our socio-polit-ical lives, including the criminal justice system.

In several countries, police powers have beenexpanded and are being used in a repressive andeven brutal manner in what has been referred toas a “toxic lockdown culture” by the UN HighCommissioner for Human Rights, MichelleBachelet.

While we have fortunately not faced such abroad misuse of emergency powers in India, con-cerns have nonetheless been raised about the con-duct of the police and the operation of the jus-tice system as a whole. The judiciary’s deferenceto the executive, the abuse of power by police offi-cers in dealing with ostensible lockdown viola-tions and prison overcrowding are just some ofthe issues that have come to light.

A particularly complex issue is the contin-ued arrests of individuals in connection with theFebruary riots in North-East Delhi. The man-ner in which these arrests have been made by thepolice has been the centre of much controversy.Numerous instances have been reported ofindividuals allegedly being arrested without anyclear information regarding the charges againstthem. The prohibition on visits to jails means thatfamily members are unable to ascertain the well-being and sometimes even the location of thearrestees. In some cases, it is even unclearwhether the individual in question has beendetained for questioning or has, in fact, been for-mally arrested.

There have allegedly also been instanceswhere family members have been detained by thepolice when the intended arrestee could not beimmediately located. Advocates representing sus-pects or individuals charged in connection withthe riots have also expressed their frustration atnot being able to meet their clients to ensure thatthere is no violation of their constitutional rights.In many cases, lawyers have alleged that they wereunaware that their clients had been arrested orof the precise charges against them.

The issue of arrests in the unrest, thus, sitsat the crossroads of many different concerns —whether legal representation should be consid-ered as an essential service, possible politicalmotivations behind the arrests, how pursuing jus-tice in a particular case should be balancedagainst broader public concerns and how policepowers should be exercised in emergency situ-ations.

However, a particularly important concernis safeguarding the arrestees’ right to health,which is guaranteed under the broader right tolife under Article 21 of the Constitution of Indiaand determining the extent to which this rightshould be protected against the police’s power toarrest.

In light of the COVID-19 pandemic, arrest-ing and placing individuals in jails can serious-ly jeopardise their health. One especially poignantexample is that of Safoora Zargar, a Jamia MiliaIslamia scholar, who was 14-weeks pregnant

when she was arrested in relation to theFebruary riots and has allegedly beenfacing difficulties with medical carewhile in custody. Zargar is just one ofthe cases that provoked the recent state-ment of protest by feminist activists andscholars and brings to light the way inwhich factors such as gender furthercomplicate the impact of such arrestson arrestees’ right to health.

This danger to prisoners’ health wasrecognised by the Supreme Courtwhen it issued directions addressing theproblem of overcrowding in prisons. Aclose reading of the apex court’s ordershows that the court addresses theCOVID-19 pandemic both as a publichealth issue as well as a serious threatto the health of prisoners.

The Supreme Court clearly recog-nises that prisoners are particularly sus-ceptible to infections due to their closeliving quarters and emphasises the needto ensure that they, as well as prisonstaff and anyone else who may come incontact with them, are protected fromthis pandemic.

The Jamiat Ulama-I-Hind relied onthese directions in its petition before theDelhi High Court against the arrest ofindividuals in connection with theNorth-East Delhi riots. In response tothis petition, the Delhi High Court, inits order issued on April 28, directedthat all arrests in connection with thiscase have to be made in accordancewith the Supreme Court’s directions. Itfurther stated that all such arrested indi-viduals are free to individually apply forbail. The High Court’s order is problem-atic in that it gives primacy to bail as aremedy without recognising the diffi-culty that arrestees may face in avail-ing it without adequate legal assistance.

In fact, the lockdown itself can beused as a reason to deny bail. SharjeelImam’s bail was denied on the ground

that the period of investigation in hiscase had been extended. This extension,in turn, had been requested by thepolice on the ground that the probe hadbeen slowed down by the ongoing lock-down. If, for a moment, we set aside thequestion of bail in sedition cases, it can-not be denied that the threat to Imam’shealth caused by the COVID-19 pan-demic is being further exacerbated bythe pressures put on the police infra-structure.

Nevertheless, the High Court’sengagement with this issue reflects theSupreme Court’s concern with prisonovercrowding and the resultant healthhazards for arrestees and prisoners.Several other High Courts, mostnotably the Kerala High Court, havealso attempted to limit arrests to caseswhere they are absolutely unavoidable.

Thus, the continued arrests ofindividuals in the North-East Delhiriots cases fly in the face of the judicia-ry’s concern with protecting arrestees’and prisoners’ Article 21 rights. This isparticularly egregious in light of thelarge number of arrests in this case,which progressively compounds therisk to the health of both individualsand the public. Even prior to this case,the susceptibility of the police toarrests, abuse and arbitrariness has longbeen recognised in Indian and interna-tional legal discourse.

The Supreme Court, too, in land-mark cases such as DK Basu vs. Stateof West Bengal, has recognised the needto regulate the arrest powers of thepolice in order to prevent their rampantabuse. In a time of public crisis such asthe present pandemic, it is particular-ly important for agents of the State, suchas the police, to exercise their power ina rational and ethical manner that bothprotects the rights of the individual andthe safety of the public. While the

Government has said that these arrestsare necessary in light of the seriousnessof the offences, it has failed to justifywhy arrests in the cases of particularpeople are unavoidable. It has notprovided any evidence that these indi-viduals may flee, tamper with evidenceor engage in further offences. Inessence, the Government fails to pro-vide an explanation strong enough tojustify endangering the right to life ofthese individuals as well as the threatposed to public health. Ironically, whilediscussions of arrest powers have usu-ally focussed on balancing the rights ofthe individual with the safety of thecommunity, in this case the rights of theindividual coincide with the safety ofthe community. Arbitrary and unnec-essary arrests, thus, damage both.

Globally, where individual coun-tries have responded to the COVID-19epidemic with forceful and repressivemeasures, international bodies havecalled for a renewed respect for humanrights. As Indian society adapts to thechanges brought by this crisis we, too,are faced with choices about the func-tioning of our legal and political insti-tutions, including the police. As the UNSecretary General has said, “Humanrights cannot be an afterthought.” It isnecessary to ensure that police powersare not abused, especially when theyjeopardise a right as crucial as the rightto life as well as public safety. It has longbeen understood that the State isexpected to exercise its power in aresponsible and ethical manner. It isnecessary that we make a renewed com-mitment to this principle in presenttimes.

(Bajpai is Professor andChairperson, Centre for Criminologyand Victimology at National LawUniversity, Delhi and Gera is a ResearchAssociate.)

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The Indian economy was alreadystruggling before the pandem-ic struck the world. Now, India’s

fiscal woes have been further exacer-bate by the Corona-enforced shut-downs that began on March 25 andwere subsequently extended till May17. The 53-day-long work disruptionhas seriously impacted small andmedium enterprises (SMEs) that covera wide range of sectors and provideemployment to 120 million people.The pandemic has hit most of thelabour-intensive industries, includ-ing the automobile sector, smartphone manufacturers, the solar indus-

try, textile and steel manufacturing toname a few. SMEs are usually hard-pressed to meet production and deliv-ery deadlines. Operational inefficien-cies are thus overlooked most of thetime, leading to high consumption ofresources like energy, raw materials,water and so on. This results in a highcost of production, thereby squeezingprofit margins.

However, adoption of Resource-Efficient Cleaner Production (RECP)strategies that optimise use of resourcescan help SMEs cut production costswhile reducing the environmentalfootprint through lesser waste gener-ation for the same product output. Thecurrent situation could thus be anopportunity to move towards moreefficient operations and enhance over-all productivity and profitability inSMEs around the nation.

During the shutdown period,enterprises can focus on capacity-building of human capital and plan-ning for operations post the lockdown.Given the widespread access to smartphones and internet penetration in

India, suitable virtual meeting plat-forms and the wide range of materi-als available online can be used to trainmanagers and supervisors in energymanagement, water management andgood housekeeping practices.

These learnings can be utilisedsubsequently to make workers awaredown the chain to enhance theirknowledge and skills. Keeping intouch with the workforce during thischallenging time would also helpreduce their anxieties. Further, duringthis period, suitable norms could bedeveloped for proper sanitation of thepremises and for practising social dis-tancing once the lockdown is lifted.

Once enterprises are allowed tocommence operations, the focus wouldbe on productivity while taking careof workers’ safety. To maintain socialdistancing, enterprises may need tooperate in smaller and multiple shifts.It is important to stress the need forgood housekeeping measures such asmarking man-machine pathways,implementing international best prac-tices for sorting and setting-in-order

by providing separate bins for differ-ent categories of wastes, designatinglocations for storage of raw materials,semi-finished and finished goods aswell as tools and inventories.

Additionally, inspection of variousmachines for oiling, dusting, eliminat-ing any external objects and for secur-ing wiring connections should beperformed to reduce unexpectedbreakdowns.

Worker safety can be addressed bynon-contact thermal screening usinginfrared thermometer on a daily basis,access to alcohol-based hand sanitis-ers and sanitation tunnel combinedwith an updated Aarogya Setu app onmobile phones for checking theCorona status of the persons enteringthe factory premises. It is equally essen-tial to acquire and allocate the requiredPersonal Protective Equipment (PPE),ensure workers wear them and provideclean changing and washroom facili-ties to the staff. While improvinghousekeeping, low cost or no-costRECP measures can be implementedto achieve resource savings.

Electricity savings can be realisedthrough lighting optimisation bycleaning fixtures and windows, by pro-viding lighting at the point of use,avoiding lighting at ceiling heightand switching off unnecessary lightsduring lunch and tea breaks.

Savings can also be accrued by fix-ing leaks in compressed air systems,water and steam pipelines. Forinstance, one bar reduction in deliv-ery air will result in six to ten per centreduction in power consumption inthe compressor. Additional opportu-nities for energy savings include powerfactor improvement (by capacitoroptimisation for reduced penalty inelectricity bills); motor optimisation(by providing well-ventilated, dust-freesurroundings with proper belt tensionand replacement of flat belts withcogged belts and checking electricalconnections to avoid heating of termi-nals); fan and blower optimisation (byensuring clean and unrestricted inletair, checking for unwanted noise andvibrations, cleaning filters and fanblades of motors, ensuring adequate

belt tension and ensuring leakage-freeair distribution network in the ducts);cooling tower optimisation (by routinecleaning of motors, blades and water,replacing metallic fan blades with light-weight fibre-reinforced plastic blades,controlling fan speed as per weatherconditions and reducing the algaedepositions); compressor optimisation(by providing clean and cool surround-ings, reducing the distance betweencompressor and point of use, installinga closed-loop, low-friction and mini-mum bending pipeline, conductingfree air delivery and leakage test,installing air guns and using com-pressed air only for high pressurerequirements) and heat loss optimisa-tion in boilers and furnaces (by pro-viding adequate insulation, tight doorclosing and adjusting air to fuel ratio).

Water savings, including reducingwastewater generation, can be achievedby installation of aerators and sensorsfor flow reduction, placing water-filledbottles in high-volume toilet tanks toreduce amount of water per flush, recy-cling and reusing of reverse osmosis

reject for floor cleaning, washing andother applications should be encour-aged. Developing energy and waterconservation strategies with periodicreduction targets will further boostresource saving initiatives.

Effective pandemic control fol-lowed by a suitable policy drive wouldbe needed to provide enabling condi-tions for the economy to rebound.SMEs must position themselves forstarting sustainable production prac-tices after the lockdown. To deal withthe economic slowdown caused by thepandemic and to be on track toachieve the Nationally DeterminedContributions to meet SustainableDevelopment Goals 2030, SMEs needto remain competitive in a sustainablemanner. Adoption of RECP strategieswould help enterprises reduce costsand enhance their profitability whilecontributing to economic growth in anenvironmentally-sustainable manner.

(Tewari is Fellow and Srivastava isResearch Associate, TERI. Inputs fromMalini Balakrishnan and Vidya Batra,Senior Fellows, TERI)

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China on Thursday said thebio-lab in Wuhan, which is

in the eye of storm in the wakeof the coronavirus pandemic, isa Sino-French cooperation pro-ject with its staff trained inFrance, even as it soundedambivalent about agreeing fora WHO probe into the originof Covid-19.

Accusing US Secretary ofState Mike Pompeo of fabri-cating lies over the involvementof the virology lab in Wuhan,Chinese Foreign Ministryspokesperson Hua Chunyingsought to deflect criticism overits role by highlighting itsFrench connection.

“May be he still doesn’tknow the P4 Wuhan Instituteof Virology (WIV) lab is aChina-French Governmentcooperation project and it fol-lowed international standardsin its design construction andmanagement,”

Hua told a media briefinghere while responding toPompeo’s allegations.

“The first batch of staffwere trained at French labs,”

she said, adding that its equip-ment is tested every year byinternationally recognised thirdparties.

In recent days, USPresident Donald Trump andSecretary of State Pompeo haveclaimed that the deadly virusoriginated from the WuhanInstitute of Virology in the cen-tral Chinese city of Wuhan,where the outbreak was firstdetected last December.

Hua again asked Pompeo toshow “enormous evidence” hehas to prove that the novel coro-navirus originated from the labin Wuhan. “He (Pompeo) con-tradicts himself. He is makinglies to cover up other lies. It isan open secret,” she said.

About President Trump’sassertion that Covid-19 attackwas worse than that of the PearlHarbour attack in WW-II andSeptember 1, 2001, terroristattack, Hua said that in such acase the enemy is coronavirus,not China.

“If it can be compared topearl harbour or 9/11 attack, sothe enemy US faces is coron-avirus. The US should workwith China as a comrade in the

fight instead of enemy. Becauseonly with the concerted effortswe can win this war againstvirus,” she said.

“But regrettably, we seesome in the US officials shift-ing the blame which we believeis wrong,” she said.

While China contained thevirus attack in over twomonths, the US being highlydeveloped country has not suc-ceeded yet, she said.

Since emerging in the cen-tral Chinese city of Wuhan inDecember, the coronavirus isconfirmed to have infected 1.2million Americans, killingmore than 73,000.

Hua sounded ambivalentabout China agreeing for aninquiry by the World HealthOrganisation (WHO) into theorigin of the coronavirus.

Asked about reports thatChen Xu, China’s ambassadorto UN institutions in Geneva,backed the WHO probe, Huasaid, “we have never said weoppose WHO. We have beensupporting WHO’s work.(We’re) Cooperating withWHO in an open and trans-parent manner including trac-

ing the origin.”“At an appropriate time

we will have a conclusion onthat. But we oppose the US andsome other countries trying topoliticise this issue and conductinvestigations on the pre-sumption of guilt,” she said.

“So in the future if it isgood for human beings to dealwith similar pandemics infuture Chinese side can dowhatever it can to achievegood results and make all thecontributions”, she said.

She reiterated that the issueof the origin of coronavirus isa scientific matter and shouldbe assessed by scientists andprofessionals.

Besides attacking Chinaover the coronavirus emanat-ing from Wuhan, Trump is alsodeeply critical of WHO accus-ing it of siding with Beijing inmismanaging and covering upthe spread of the virus. He alsosuspended over USD 400 mil-lion funding for the WHOpending an enquiry.

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President Donald Trump hassaid the coronavirus out-

break has hit the US harderthan the Japanese bombing ofPearl Harbor during WorldWar II or the 9/11 terrorattacks, pointing the finger atChina.

Since emerging in the cen-tral Chinese city of Wuhan inDecember, the coronavirus hasinfected 1.2 million Americansand killed more than 73,000.

Speaking to reporters inthe Oval Office of the WhiteHouse on Wednesday,President Trump said, “Wewent through the worst attackwe’ve ever had on ourcountry, this is worst attackwe’ve ever had.

“This is worse than PearlHarbour, this is worse than theWorld Trade Center. There’snever been an attack like this,”he said during a meeting with

the nurses, who are on thefrontline of the battle againstthe Covid-19.

“And it should have neverhappened. Could’ve beenstopped at the source. Could’vebeen stopped in China. Itshould’ve been stopped right atthe source. And it wasn’t.”

The Trump administra-tion is currently weighing puni-tive actions against China over its early handling ofthe global health emergency.

Washington is also pressingBeijing to allow Americanexperts to probe the origin ofthe deadly virus, including if itescaped from a virology labo-ratory in Wuhan.

China has stoutly deniedthe allegations and ays the USwants to distract from its ownresponse to the pandemic ahead of theNovember presidential elec-tion in which Trump is seekingre-election.

Jerusalem: Israel’s Parliamenton Thursday approved amend-ments to two basic laws by ahefty majority, paving the wayfor Prime Minister BenjaminNetanyahu to form a fullyfunctioning unity Governmentfor the first time sinceDecember 2018.

The Knesset or Parliamentvoted by 71 votes to 37 to backthe power-sharing dealbetween Netanyahu’s Likudand his main rival former mil-itary chief Benny Gantz’s Blueand White parties.

The bills were supported bythe lawmakers in Netanyahu’sCenter-Right bloc, except forthe lawmakers of Yamina, whoabsented themselves, because it

is still unknown whether it willenter the coalition. Blue andWhite and Labor lawmakersvoted in favour, except forLabor lawmaker MeravMichaeli, who opposes theGovernment, The JerusalemPost reported. The bills werenecessary for Blue and Whiteto be able to recommend PrimeMinister Netanyahu to form aGovernment by Thursdaynight’s deadline to prevent afourth election, the paper said.

Later, representatives ofLikud and Blue and Whitesubmitted 72 signatures of law-makers recommending thatNetanyahu form the nextGovernment to PresidentReuven Rivlin, it added. PTI

Washington: In a major devel-opment, the Trump adminis-tration has urged a federal dis-trict court not to block anObama-era rule allowing certaincategories of spouses of H-1Bvisa-holders to work in the US.

In a submission before theUS District Court, DistrictWashington this week, theDepartment of HomelandSecurity (DHS) argued that theAmerican technology workers,who had challenged the 2015ruling on giving work permits toH-4 visa-holders, have not beenirreparably harmed by suchwork authorisation.

An H-4 visa is issued by theUS Citizenship and ImmigrationServices (USCIS) to the imme-diate family members (spouseand children under 21 years of

age) of the H-1B visa-holders,most of whom are Indian ITprofessionals. It is normallyissued to those who have alreadystarted the process of seekingemployment-based lawful per-manent resident status.

The DHS, in its submissionon May 5, said the argument bySave Jobs USA on behalf ofAmerican technology work-ers “only speculates aboutpotential economic harm to itsmembers, based on five-year-old affidavits”. In its lawsuitfiled in 2015, Save Jobs USAhad argued that the regulationissued by the Obama adminis-tration to provide employmentauthorisation for certain H4dependent spouses harms theirmembers, who are Americantechnology workers. AP

Johannesburg: A virtual meet-ing of South African lawmak-ers has been disrupted by hack-ers who flooded the video callwith pornographic images.

In the the incident onThursday, the hackers alsohurled racial and sexual insultsat the meeting’s chairwoman,Thandi Modise, who is thespeaker of the NationalAssembly. South Africa’s par-liament is closed and all itsmeetings are currently held byvideo conference calls as thecountry remains under strictlockdown restrictions to com-bat the spread of the coron-avirus. A shocked Modise saidthat she had earlier warnedabout using the virtual meet-ings platform Zoom for themeeting. The parliamentarymeeting later continued with adifferent link. AP

Baghdad: Iraq’s former spy chiefwas sworn in as Prime Ministerby lawmakers early Thursdayafter weeks of tense politicalnegotiations as the country facesa severe economic crisis spurredby plummeting oil prices andcoronavirus pandemic. Themajority of 255 legislatorsattending the session approvedthe Government plan and themajority of Cabinet ministersproposed by Mustafa al-Kadhimi, officially inauguratinghim as Iraq’s sixth premier since2003 and ending five months ofa leadership void.

Legislators accepted 15ministers and rejected five,among them the ministries oftrade, justice, culture, agricul-ture and migration. AP

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Regional and political riftsare emerging in many

countries over how fast to liftthe lid on the coronaviruslockdowns, as worries abouteconomic devastation collidewith fears of a second wave ofdeaths.

French mayors are resistingthe Government’s call to reopenschools, while Italian governorswant Rome to ease lockdownmeasures faster. As the BritishGovernment looks to reopenthe economy, Scottish leaderNicola Sturgeon has warnedthat acting too fast could let thevirus wreak havoc again.

“Any significant easing upof restrictions at this stagewould be very, very riskyindeed,” Sturgeon saidThursday.

The economic damagearound the globe mounted.

In the U.S., nearly 3.2 mil-lion laid-off workers applied forunemployment benefits lastweek, the Governmentannounced, bringing the run-ning total over the past sevenweeks to 33.5 million. Whenthe nation’s April unemploy-ment rate comes out on Friday,it is expected to be as high as16%, a level not seen since theDepression.

Neiman Marcus, the 112-year-old luxury retailer, filed forChapter 11 bankruptcy, thefirst U.S. department storechain to be toppled by the out-reak.

And the Bank of Englandprojected that Britain’s econo-my will shrink by 14 percentthis year, its biggest declinesince 1706, when Europe was

locked in the War of theSpanish Succession.

In Britain, where the offi-cial death toll stands at morethan 30,000, second only to theUnited States, Prime MinisterBoris Johnson was expected toextend a more than six-weeklockdown on Thursday buthopes to ease some restrictionson economic and social activ-ity starting next week.

Johnson said theGovernment will act with“maximum caution” to preventa second wave of infections.

As governments grapplewith when to restart theireconomies, the Trump admin-istration has shelved a Centersfor Disease Control andPrevention document withstep-by-step advice to localauthorities on how and whento reopen restaurants and otherpublic places.

The 17-page report withdetailed instructions on whatprecautions to take was sup-posed to be published lastFriday, but agency scientistswere told it “would never seethe light of day,” according toa CDC official who was notauthorized to discuss the mat-ter and spoke to TheAssociated Press on conditionof anonymity.

In France, more than 300mayors in the Paris regionhave urged PresidentEmmanuel Macron to delay thereopening of schools, set forMonday. Many mayors aroundthe country have alreadyrefused to reopen schools, andmany parents will keep theirchildren home even wherethey are functioning again.

The mayors called the tim-

ing “untenable and unrealistic,”saying they were put on a“forced march” to get schoolsready without enough staff orequipment. They complainedthat the Government guide-lines were too vague and slowin coming.

But governments are alsounder pressure to reopen fasterand kick-start economies thathave been plunged into hiber-nation.

Italian regional governorsare pressing to open shopsand restaurants, just days afterthe country began easing itstwo-month lockdown by allow-ing 4.5 million people to returnto work in offices and factories.

Governors want to beallowed to present their ownplans for reopening, tailored tothe rate of infection and eco-nomic needs of their regions.

After an outcry from thenation’s Roman Catholic bish-ops, Italian Premier GiuseppeConte announced that publicMasses will be allowed toresume on May 18.

In Spain, support for theGovernment is crumbling afterseven weeks of a strict lock-down, with some regions andopposition parties demandingan end to the state of emer-gency declared on March 14.The Government argues that itis far too soon.

Some of Germany’s 16powerful state governmentsare more impatient than othersto open up businesses such asrestaurants and hotels.

At a meeting Wednesdaywith Chancellor AngelaMerkel, it was agreed that stateleaders would have wide leewayto decide when to open more

sectors of the economy. They also will have to

reimpose restrictions locally ifinfections rebound.

In Russia, where the num-ber of new infections is grow-ing fast, President VladimirPutin delegated the enforce-ment of lockdowns and otherrestrictions to regional gov-ernments, leading to wide vari-ations across the country.

Mikhail Vinogradov, headof the St. Petersburg Politicsthink tank, told the Vedomostinewspaper that the MoscowGovernment is sending mixedmessages that governors findhard to decipher — wanting avictory over the virus, whilealso encouraging easing of thelockdown.

Fractures are also evidentin the US, where about half ofthe 50 states are easing theirshutdowns, to the alarm ofpublic health officials.

Many states have not put inplace the robust testing andcontact tracing that expertsbelieve is necessary to detectand contain new outbreaks.And many governors havepressed ahead with reopeningbefore their states met one ofthe key benchmarks in theTrump administration’s guide-lines for reopening — a 14-daydownward trajectory in newinfections.

“If we relax these measureswithout having the proper pub-lic health safeguards in place,we can expect many morecases and, unfortunately, moredeaths,” said Josh Michaud,associate director of globalhealth policy with the KaiserFamily Foundation inWashington.

London: A genetic study ofsamples from more than 7,500people infected with Covid-19suggests the new coronavirusspread quickly around theworld after it emerged in Chinasometime between Octoberand December last year, scien-tists said on Wednesday.

Scientists at UniversityCollege London’s GeneticsInstitute found almost 200recurrent genetic mutations ofthe new coronavirus — SARS-CoV-2 — which the UCLresearchers said showed how itis adapting to its human hostsas it spreads.

“Phylogenetic estimatessupport that the COVID-2 pan-demic started sometime aroundOctober 6, 2019, to December11, 2019, which corresponds tothe time of the host jump intohumans,” the research team,co-led by Francois Balloux,wrote in a study published in thejournal Infection, Genetics andEvolution.

Balloux said the analysis alsofound that the virus was and ismutating, as normally happenswith viruses, and that a largeproportion of the global genet-ic diversity of the virus causingCovid-19 was found in all of thehardest-hit countries.

That suggests SARS-CoV-2was being transmitted exten-sively around the world fromearly on in the epidemic, he said.

“All viruses naturallymutate. Mutations in them-selves are not a bad thing andthere is nothing to suggestSARS-CoV-2 is mutating faster

or slower than expected,” hesaid. “So far, we cannot saywhether SARS-CoV-2 isbecoming more or less lethaland contagious.” In a secondstudy also published onWednesday, scientists atBritain’s University of Glasgowwho also analysed SARS-CoV-2 virus samples said their find-ings showed that previous worksuggesting there were two dif-ferent strains was inaccurate.

JUST ONE VIRUS TYPE CIRCULATINGA preliminary study by

Chinese scientists in March hadsuggested there may have beentwo strains of the new coron-avirus causing infections there,with more of them more“aggressive” than the other.

But, publishing their analy-sis in the journal VirusEvolution, the Glasgow teamsaid only one type of the viruswas circulating. More than3.71 million people have beenreported to be infected by thenovel coronavirus globally and258,186 have died, according toa Reuters tally. Cases havebeen reported in more than 210countries and territories sincethey were first identified inChina in December 2019. Thegenetic studies offer “fascinat-ing” insights into the evolutionof the virus, and emphasise thatit is “a moving target with anunknown evolutionary desti-nation”, said Jonathan Stoye,head of the division of virolo-gy at Britain’s Francis CrickInstitute. Agency

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Jo h a n n e s b u r g : A r o u n d8,50,000 people across Africa— population 1.3 billion —have been tested for the coro-navirus since the pandemicbegan. That’s according to theAfrica Centers for DiseaseControl and Prevention.Director John Nkengasongagain tells reporters that “weare not testing enough.” TheAfrica CDC last month said ithoped to test 1 million peoplewithin four weeks and 10 mil-lion within about six months.But the supply of testing kitsremains a challenge. AP

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New Delhi: “Every challengepresents with a new opportu-nity which can be replicated inthe present crisis”, said Mr. AtulSobti, Director General,Standing Conference of PublicEnterprises (SCOPE), the apexbody of Public SectorEnterprises (PSEs) whileaddressing the SCOPEWebinar on “Future of Work inthe New Normal (CPSEPerspective)”.

Sobti addded while Workfrom Home may become thenew normal in times to come,but there would be equal num-ber of challenges associated.However, by developing nim-ble and agile operating modelsand adopting new ways ofworking, the same can beresolved. The webinar was suc-cessfully organised’ in associa-tion with Deloitte.

New Delhi: Shaheed Sukhdev College ofBusiness Studies (SSCBS), a college underthe University of Delhi, and funded byGNCTD, takes immense pride toannounce that it bagged the first positionfor India in the Global Case Competitionat Harvard while representing the coun-try at the International Finals of the pres-tigious event. This is a first-of-its-kind winfor India. The competition commenced on24 February with the launch of a prelim-inary round witnessing participation fromover 140 teams from across the world. Thepreliminary round required all teams toprepare pitchbooks comprising in-depthfinancial valuation, financial analysis andstrategic analysis of a hypothetical M&Ascenario comprising Amazon and Netflix.The preliminary round finished on 21March and was extremely intense, as only10 out of the 140 participating teams wouldmake it to the Final round.

New Delhi: During the ongoingcrisis owing to Covid-19Pandemic, one of the most impor-tant initiatives of Government ofIndia is the announcement ofPradhan Mantri Garib KalyanAnn Yojana providing free foodgrains to the affected population.

Under the scheme, forRajasthan State about 6.69 Lakh Metric Tonnes(LMT) foodgrains are being distributed to the vul-nerable sections of society across the country affect-ed by the pandemic. Government of India hasensured that all priority households (PHH) underNFSA gets double their usual allocation during threemonths of April, May and June 2020 along with eachAntyodaya Anna Yojana beneficiary getting an extra5 Kg/month than their normal quota of 35 Kg per cardper month.

There has been enthusiastic response from theState Governments against this scheme and a quan-tity of 4.81 LMT has already been lifted upto 06.05.20.

New Delhi: In support of thegovt’s measures to contain thespread of the COVID 19, someof BSES services, includingmeter reading and bill distrib-ution have been curtailed. Butthis should not worry BSESconsumers, as they can notonly get both through self ser-vice, but also get a rebate whiledoing so. For bills raised tillJune 30, 2020, BSES consumerscan get a rebate of upto Rs 220in their electricity bills. All theyhave to do pay their bills with-in 7 days of bill generation anddo ‘Self Meter Reading’ of theirelectricity usage. This willensure, that apart from gettingthe rebate, they can also getelectricity bill based on actualmeter reading and not provi-sional reading.

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As smartphone brands facea state of uncertainty as

both supply and demand hasbeen diminished in India, theindustry will bear the maxi-mum brunt in the second quar-ter (April-June period), leaving the sector with at least11-12 per cent overall declinein shipments for the entire2020, a new report said onThursday.

According to CMR’s ‘IndiaMobile Handset MarketReview Report for Q1 2020’, thetotal smartphone shipmentsin India in the March quarter grew mere 4 per cent(year-on-year).

The first wave of 5G smart-phones hit the market, account-ing for 2 per cent of the over-all smartphone shipments inQ1 2020.

The smartphone marketgrew modestly on the back ofgood consumer demand before the onset of COVID-19hit the market.

“Going forward, we remain

cautious about the speed ofrecovery in India’s smartphonemarket this year. We are keep-ing a close tab on the macro-economic factors and how itplays out from here on. Ourbest-case scenario suggests adecline of 11-12% in overallsmartphone shipments for2020,” said Prabhu Ram, Head-Industry Intelligence Group,CMR.

At the beginning of theyear, COVID-19 was merely asupply-side challenge confinedto China and smartphonebrands in India were able totide over the initial wave of thecrisis with enough inventorysupplies.

“However, as COVID-19cases in India crossed the 500mark in late March, India wentinto a complete lockdown. Forsmartphone brands, this hasput both supply as well asdemand in a state of uncer-tainty. Q2 2020 will be wherethe industry will face the bruntof the pandemic and test theresilience of smartphonebrands,” Ram elaborated.

� ��

Aversion of Aarogya Setuwill soon be available

to 10 crore users of JioPhone, and testing of thesolution is currently underway,a senior Government official said.

Aarogya Setu is currentlyavailable on iOS and Android,and nearly 9 crore users havealready downloaded the app,which has now been mademandatory for governmentand private sector employees,as part of nationwide efforts tocombat the spread of coron-avirus.

The mobile applicationhelps users identify whetherthey are at risk of Covid-19. Italso provides people withimportant information, includ-ing ways to avoid coronavirusand its symptoms.

The new solution in themaking will work on JioPhone, which supportsKaiOS operating system, theofficial said.

The official further said theintegration is on, and tests arebeing conducted.

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The Indian equity indicesdeclined on Thursday with

heavy selling in finance, bank-ing and FMCG stocks.

The BSE Sensex fell belowthe 31,500-mark and theNifty50 on the National StockExchange (NSE) ended justbelow 9,200 points.

According to analysts,surge in the number of coron-avirus cases also weighed onthe investor sentiments.

The Sensex closed at31,443.38, lower by 242.37points or 0.76 per cent from itsprevious close of 31,685.75. Ithad opened at 31,677.69 andtouched an intra-day high of31,705.25 and a low of31,362.87 points.

The Nifty50 settled at9,199.05, lower by 71.85 pointsor 0.78 per cent from its pre-vious close.

Rahul Sharma, Head ofResearch, Equity99 Advisors,said: “Yesterday’s pull-back

rally failed to sustain today astraders turned nervous as thenumber of coronavirus infec-tions cases crossed 50,000mark. Today’s fall was led by selling banking andFMCG stocks. Kotak MahindraBank, Asian Paint and Titan led

the fall.”He noted that the rising

number of coronavirus casescould force the government tofurther extend the ongoinglockdown and it could furtherput pressure on an alreadyslowing economy.

New York: Stocks climbed inmorning trading on Wall StreetThursday as reports suggestedthat even though the economyis still getting walloped, at leastconditions aren’t worsening asquickly as they had been.

The S&P 500 was up 1.2per cent, following up on sim-ilar gains in Europe. Oil pricesalso rose, but other areas of themarket were more hesitant,including bonds and Asianstocks.

The day’s headliner eco-nomic report showed another3.2 million US workers appliedfor jobless benefits last week,bringing the total over the lastseven weeks to 33.5 million. It’sa shocking number, but it’s alsothe fifth straight week that ithas declined since hitting apeak in late March.

Several companies on lateWednesday also cited signsthat the worst may be behindthem, at least in some parts oftheir businesses, though moreweakness is still definitely onthe horizon.

That was enough to bolsterhopes that have coursedthrough the stock marketrecently as investors look aheadto a future that’s not as bad asthe horrific present.

PTI

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The Government has pro-cured 216 lakh tonnes of

wheat till Wednesday, as againstthe target to buy 400 lakhtonnes from farmers in theongoing harvesting season ofrabi (winter-sown) crops.

According to the Ministryof Food and Consumer Affairs,the procurement of wheat andrice (second crop) during theongoing Rabi season has pickedup pace despite severe logisti-cal constraints posed due tocountrywide lockdown.Against the target of 400 lakhtonnes of wheat, procurementfor the central pool (bufferstock) has touched 216 lakhtonnes till May 6.

The procurement in majorwheat producing states likePunjab, Haryana and MadhyaPradesh had started only afterApril 15. Punjab is leading inwheat procurement with104.28 lakh tonnes purchasedso far, followed by Haryana(50.56 lakh tonnes) andMadhya Pradesh (48.64 lakhtonnes). Similarly, paddy pro-curement is also going onsmoothly with 44.9 lakh tonnesprocured so far by the govern-

ment agencies. Due to unsea-sonal rains, some of the wheatstocks in producing states wereaffected. The Centre hasalready relaxed the specifica-tions for procurement whichhas greatly aided the processand saved farmers from anydistress. Regarding paddy, themaximum procurement hashappened in Telangana.

Out of the total paddy pro-curement of about 45 lakhtonnes, the contribution ofTelangana alone is 30 lakhtonnes, followed by AndhraPradesh with about 10 lakhtonnes. The lifting of food-grains by state governmentsunder the Pradhan MantriGarib Kalyan Ann Yojana hascrossed 70 lakh tonnes, whichis about 58 per cent of the totalallocation for three months.

Under this scheme, 5 kgfoodgrain is being distributedper month free of cost to about80 crore beneficiaries across thecountry. Free grains will besupplied for three months.“Every state has completed lift-ing of stocks against April 2020quota and 5 Union Territorieshave completed lifting of theentire 3 month’s quota,” thestatement said.

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Finance Minister NirmalaSitharaman on Thursday said that

the Indian economy is poised to recov-er from the recent crisis brought uponby the coronavirus pandemic with thepublic sector banks (PSB) sanctioningloans worth Rs 5.6 lakh crore in justtwo months, March and April, to over41 lakh accounts.

In a tweet, the office of Sitharaman said that the borrowersinclude MSMEs, retailers, farmers and corporate and the amounts would be disbursed once the lockdownis lifted.

“During March-April 2020, PSBssanctioned loans worth Rs 5.66 lakh crfor more than 41.81 lakh accounts.These borrowers are from MSME,Retail, Agriculture & Corporate sectors,waiting for disbursal soon after #lock-down lifts. Economy poised to recov-er! @FinMinIndia @DFS_India,” thetweet said.

In a series of tweets, her office hasoutlined the development in terms ofloans given by public sector banks andthe loan moratorium allowed by theReserve Bank of India (RBI).

Another tweet said that forMSMEs and others, pre-approvedemergency credit lines and workingcapital enhancements are being pri-

oritised by state-run banks. Noting that it is a work in progress,

the minister said that more than 27lakh customers contacted from March20 and 2.37 lakh cases sanctioned loansworth Rs 26,500 crore.

Observing that the there has beensmooth credit flow to non-bankingfinance companies (NBFC) and hous-ing finance companies (HFC),Sitharaman’s office tweeted: “PSBssanctioned loans worth Rs. 77,383 crb/w Mar 1-May 4. Inclusive of TLTROfunds, extended total financing of Rs.1.08 lakhcrore, ensuring business sta-bility & continuity going forward.@FinMinIndia @DFS_India@PIB_India.”

The Finance Minister, who is alsoleading the task force for the economicresponse to the pandemic said thatPSBs have complemented to theReserve Bank of India’s (RBI) mora-torium on loan repayment.

Over 3.2 crore accounts haveavailed the three-month loan morato-rium, said another tweet.

“PSBs complemented RBI on loanmoratorium. Their effective commu-nication & proactive actions ensuredthat over 3.2 cr. a/c availed 3-monthmoratorium. Quick query redressalsallayed customer concerns. Ensuringresponsible banking amid #lockdown@FinMinIndia @DFS_India.”

New Delhi: Cash flow in smallvillages across the country hasbeen severely impacted duringthe lockdown period, as a sur-vey by Smart Power Indiashows that 75 per cent respon-dents in villages receiving elec-tricity through mini grid havereported low cash flow duringthe period.

The report further saidthat shops and commercialcustomers have been the worst-hit because of lockdown as only21 per cent have agriculture asthe main source of income.

Shops selling essentialgoods are also affected due tolow customer footfall, reducedcash flow in rural and a brokensupply chain, it said. The reportalso said that 80 per centrespondents claimed negativeeconomic impact due to thelockdown. Around 4 per centrespondents haven’t reportedsignificant economic impactdue to agri-based livelihood asmain source, it said. IANS

� ��

Union Minister Nitin Gadkari on Thursdaysaid micro, small and medium enterprises

(MSME) sector is on the verge of collapse andurged major industries to release the outstand-ing dues to such companies within a month.

He said the position of MSMEs was “worst” as they were now engaged in a “battle fortheir survival”.

The Minister also noted that the pendencyof dues owed to MSME units by the central gov-ernment, state governments, public sector under-takings and major industries was “very high”.

“My request to all of you, as members ofmajor industries, if it is possible for you to at anycost release the payment within a month. Don’ttake more time than that otherwise the situationis very bad,” the MSME minister said in an inter-action via video-conference with the members ofSIAM Institute.

“But still if anywhere you have a problem,please be positive about this sector, because thisis really on the verge of collapse. Now it is a veryimportant thing if you can help them, within amonth if you can give their payment it will begood,” Gadkari said. The minister said he was try-ing to introduce a scheme envisaging setting upof a “rolling fund” where the interest cost on thepayments due to MSMEs shall be borne either bythe supplier or the purchasing industry. Gadkarisaid the “rolling fund will be helpful for MSMEsto get their working capital”. Last month, the min-ister had said the government will set up a Rs 1lakh crore fund to repay outstanding payments toMSMEs owed by the central and State Governmentundertakings as well as major industries.

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Union Minister NitinGadkari on Thursday said

he has requested FinanceMinister Nirmala Sitharamanto expedite processing of taxrefunds to businesses “any-how” within eight days to easethe liquidity crunch being facedby MSMEs during the lock-down.

The Minister said he wasconstantly in touch with thePrime Minister and FinanceMinister and there was “seriousconsideration” underway inthe Government regardingunveiling of another financialpackage soon.

“GST and Income Taxrefunds are not released for sev-

eral days. I have also recom-mended that anyhow, thisshould be processed withineight days so that it contributesto liquidity. Wehave...Communicated this tothe Finance Minister,” saidGadkari.

Addressing a webinarorganised by the IndoreManagement Association, theminister for MSME and RoadTransport and Highways saidindustries should keep a posi-tive outlook and tap the opportunities that mayarise after the COVID-19 pan-demic is over.

He called upon the indus-try to ensure that necessarymeasures are taken to preventthe spread of COVID-19.

Organisations should ensurethat their workers and execu-tives are taken care of by pro-viding food, shelter and main-taining social distancingnorms, he added.

Gadkari stated that all thestakeholders must adopt anintegrated approach to comeover the crisis while safe-guarding the lives and liveli-hood of the people.

The minister emphasizedthat special focus towardsexport enhancement is theneed of the hour.

He highlighted the need tofocus on import substitution toreplace imports with domesticproduction.

Gadkari added Japan hasoffered a special package to its

industries for taking outJapanese investments fromChina and moving elsewhere.He opined that the current sce-nario is an opportunity forIndia which should be grabbed.

Some of the major issueshighlighted by industry par-ticipants included increasingprovision of 10 per cent ofworking capital limit as addi-tional funds to 30 per cent,benefit for labourers infected byCOVID-19, relaxation inlabour laws, deferring GSTand advance tax, among others.

Gadkari assured the repre-sentatives of all possible helpfrom the government. Theminister said he would take upthe issues with related depart-ments.

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Permitting trucks to move isjust not enough and the

government should ensure thattruckers are not subjected toharassment at inter-state bor-der check posts, transporters’body AIMTC said onThursday.

It also demanded a rescuepackage for the road transportsector, saying the delay in itsannouncement was makingtransporters restive.“Permitting trucks to move isjust not enough...We have beenreceiving reports of harass-ment on the ground level apartfrom extortion at border checkposts. We urged the govern-ment to ensure seamless move-ment of vehicles carrying goods

and essentials,” All India MotorTransport Congress (AIMTC)President Kultaran Singh Atwalsaid. He said that at Bengal-Assam borders - Barobisha ofAlipurduar district andBakshirhat in Cooch BeharDistt. (WB) and Dhubri district(Assam) — about 10 kilometreslong queue of trucks still per-sists each side, which arestopped for screening.

This leaves drivers andhelpers high and dry withoutfood and water, he said.

AIMTC is the apex body oftransporters representing about95 lakh truckers and entities.

“The inordinate delay inannouncement of rescue pack-age for the road transport sec-tor is making them restive asthey are not finding the move-

ment of trucks alone as solu-tions to their problems,”AIMTC said in a statement.

There has been strongundercurrent prevailing acrossthe fraternity with augmentingfinancial strain on them, it saidand added that repeatedrequests for direct or indirectfinancial to transport sectorhas not yet acceded to by thegovernment.

“Increase of excise dutyby the central government, bynot passing on the benefit ofcrude oil to the transport sec-tor, farmers and the commonman and increasing of VAT bystate governments, is like rub-bing salt on raw wounds. It willonly cause inflation and exertacute pressure on small oper-ators as they cannot absorb

this,” it added. The truckers’body said penalties on latesubmission of fees towardexpired fitness, permit fees arestill being charged though theirvalidity has been extended bythe Ministry of Road Transportand Highways till June 30,2020, vide advisory fromMoRTH and recent tweet byRoad Transport and HighwaysMinister Nitin Gadkari.

It said majority of thetrucks are not on roads as theoperating cost has increasedexorbitantly with the dieselprice hike and resumption oftoll. The current scenario maylead to large scale shuttingdown of operations and loss oflivelihood apart from sustainedanxiety and depression amongthe fraternity, it cautioned.

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Ever wondered what brutal processesan animal goes through before final-ly being consumed by humans? And

how, later, bit by bit, they go on to disruptnature in various ways? Or how your one‘spicy hamburger’ makes its way to yourplate after using enough fossil fuel to drivea small vehicle up to 20 miles? What aboutthat piece of pork you ate for dinner, pro-ducing which generated the same amountof raw waste as a city of 12,000 people? A2019 report in the British medical journal,The Lancet, pointed out how consumingmeat can have “dire” consequences on theplanet. It can wreck such devastation onthe environment that the Union ofConcerned Scientists has even listed eat-ing meat as one of the biggest environmen-tal hazards facing the earth.

Well, in the wake of the Coronaviruspandemic, this has made the world’s worstnightmare become more immediate. Manyare now giving a thought to how meat, itsmarkets and both its production andconsumption can adversely impact thewhole ecosystem. As per People for theEthical Treatment of Animals (PETA),when lands are used to raise animalsinstead of crops, a huge amount of waterand soil is lost, trees are cut down to makeland for grazing or factory-farm sheds, anduntreated animal waste pollutes rivers andstreams.

Poorva Joshipura, Vice President ofInternational Affairs, PETA, (and formerCEO of PETA India), through her book,For a Moment of Taste, presents stories ofanimal slaughter and exposes the role ofmeat, egg and dairy industries in the healthcrises. She warns about how it is “a ripetime for a deadly pandemic.” Well, thatwarning has already come to pass.

She hopes that the one who is at allcurious about the origin of one’s food andthe impact of its production on animals,human health and the planet, will findvalue in this book, published by HarperCollins, which presents a first-of-its-kindin-depth investigation of India’s foodindustry. Excerpts of interview:

�Why did you name it as For a Momentof Taste?

Taste lasts in our mouths for just amoment, a few seconds at best with everybite. For those few seconds of joy, pan-demics are caused, up to trillions of ani-mals are killed each year, pollution and cli-mate worsen and, eventually, we put ourown health at risk. Those few seconds aresimply not worth all this.

�How did you research for the book?How long did it take for you to completewriting it?

I’ve been studying meat, egg anddairy production systems in India for thelast 20 years. This includes personally con-ducting investigation of animal transportand slaughterhouses and overseeingnumerous investigations of live animalmarkets, factory farms and more. I havealso met pioneering medical doctors whohelp reverse conditions like heart diseasesand diabetes through plant-based foods,and I keep up with the impact of the pro-duction of meat, eggs and dairy on theplanet.

�How does this subject have to be dis-cussed now given that there is a globalhealth crisis at hand?

In For a Moment of Taste, writtenbefore the COVID-19 crisis, I warned thatthe time is ripe for a deadly pandemic, say

experts. That dire event has come to pass.And sadly, it’s a matter of when — not if— the next pandemic will occur as long aslive animal markets, factory farms andfilthy slaughters are permitted to contin-ue endangering both humans and animals.

The last few decades have seen a risein infectious diseases in humans, ofwhich 75 per cent originatefrom animals. This coin-cides with ourincreased inter-ference in nature,including the offi-cial establishmentof China’s wildlifetrade since the late1970s and our globalintensification offarmed animals.

COVID-19 andSARS are both believed tohave first infected humansthrough wildlife. The spreadof these two and various otherdeadly bird flus — like theH5N1 and the H7N9 — havebeen linked back to the live animal meatmarkets in China. Many of the animalswho end up there, like chicken, come fromfactory farms. The H5N1 bird flu kills 60per cent of people who catch it, while theH7N9 bird flu killed about 39 per cent ofpeople who caught the virus then.

In such markets, which abound inIndia too, animals are soaking wet frombodily fluids and crammed together incages. Such conditions provide ampleopportunity for disease to spread from oneanimal to another, including to humans,who come into their contact.

Butchering animals also poses a riskto humans. The Ebola virus and HIV inhumans have both been traced back tokilling wild animals for food. About Ebola,the Centres for Disease Control andPrevention (CDC) said, “In Africa, humaninfections have been associated with hunt-ing, butchering, and processing meat frominfected animals.” HIV, on the other hand,is largely believed to have first infectedhumans through killing and eating or hunt-ing chimpanzees.

�Allegedly, the novel Coronavirus is said

to have been originated in China due toits wet markets. As per the year 2016,USA topped the list of most meat-con-suming countries in the world. How doyou think such meat markets in India andacross the world can be dismissed toensure lesser meat consumption and

health pandemics in future? How isPETA ensuring the same?

Indeed, but zoonotic, i.e. of animalorigin, diseases in humans don’t juststart in China. The US CDC esti-mates that up to over 5,75,400 peo-ple worldwide died from H1N1swine flu just during its first yearof circulation. Its roots havebeen traced to a strain that exist-ed in North Carolina pig farmsin the US in 1998. In thedecade before that, NorthCarolina’s pig populationjumped from two millionto 10 million, and the ani-

mals were crowded ontofewer farms.

According to Farm Animal InvestmentRisk and Return (FAIRR), over 70 per centof the world’s farmed animals are now fac-tory-farmed, and in the US, that figure is99 per cent. Factory farms house pigs,chicken, cows, fish and other animals bythe hundreds, thousands, or even millions— confining them to cages, crates, or stallshardly any larger than their own bodies orin severely crowded tanks or sheds — tomeet the demand for meat, eggs, and milk.Bob Martin, former executive director ofthe Pew Commission on Industrial AnimalFarm Production, calls these farms “super-incubators for viruses.”

Antibiotics help factory farms, includ-ing fish farms, continue to exist since delib-erately keeping genetically identical andstressed animals in jam-packed, filthy con-ditions means that diseases can spreadquickly. Globally, antibiotics are usedmore heavily in animal agriculture than inhuman health. This antibiotic overusemakes factory farms perfect breedinggrounds for superbugs and simultaneous-ly risks rendering important drugs ineffec-tive in humans who need them. It’s estimat-ed that resistant infections kill more than58,000 babies in India every year.

However, thanks to vegan advocates,

according to GlobalData, the number ofAmerican consumers identifying as vegangrew between 2014 and 2017 by 600 percent.

�Not only the consumption, but how doyou think the ‘production’ of animal-based products impacts the environ-ment?

Chapter 12 of For a Moment of Tastedetails the environmental toll of meat, eggand dairy production. To accommodateand rear 77 billion land animals alone formeat, eggs and dairy, farmers need to pro-vide crops and water for the animals, landand water to grow the crops, farms to keepthe animals, and so on. In contrast,humans eating plants directly instead ofchannelling them through animals is farmore efficient and kinder to the planet.

A report released in 2010 by the UNEnvironment Programme’s InternationalPanel of Sustainable Resource Managementpoints out that as the global populationswells towards an anticipated 9.1 billionpeople by 2050, diets based on meat, eggsand dairy will be unsustainable. It furtherstated that a global shift towards vegan-eat-ing is necessary to protect the world fromhunger and the worst impacts of climatechange.

And while India has over 190 millionhungry people and 163 million withoutaccess to safe water, a study published byNational Academy of Sciences reveals rais-ing animals for meat, eggs and dairy usesa staggering one-third of the world’s freshwater resources as well as one-third of theworld’s global cropland as feed for animals.

�In metros, people are waking up to thebenefits of having vegan food and a plant-based diet. How do you think the changehas come about?

Most people are kind but simply don’tknow how animals are manipulated, muti-lated, severely confined or killed for meat,eggs or dairy. Once they learn this and howconsuming animal-derived foods canharm the planet and their health, they willchoose to eat vegan (wholly plant-based)food. They are learning about animalsthrough books like mine or AnimalKind,documentaries like Earthlings and ForksOver Knives, PETA India’s social mediapages and other means.

�Why are more and more chefs insist-ing on keeping their menus green?

They know what’s good for business!A recent article on a website run byFranchise India Holdings Limited, readsthe number of vegans in India has risenby 360 per cent in the past decade.

�Animals like fish are a good source ofprotein, eggs are high on vitamin B, etc.Given this fact, how can a global shifttowards a vegan diet be ensured? Are theconsumers and food production indus-tries ready for their substitutes? Howdoes the book address such contradic-tions about the idea of veganism?

You don’t need substitutes for ciga-rettes because they’re bad for you and youdon’t need substitutes for meat, eggs anddairy in your diet for the same reason.Chapter 13 in For a Moment of Taste cov-ers what doctors and nutritionists arewarning us about animal-derived foods.

Fish contains significant levels ofmercury, which is toxic and can be espe-cially problematic for children in thewomb and is a possible carcinogen.Studies published in various reputed

journals have found that eggs are in factso unhealthy that consumers who ate themost eggs increased their risk of cardio-vascular disease by 19 per cent and theirrisk of diabetes by 68 per cent. Diabeticswho ate the most eggs increased their riskfor developing heart disease by an incred-ible 83 per cent. Egg consumption has alsobeen associated with colon, rectal, blad-der and prostate cancers.

The Academy of Nutrition andDietetics said, “Vegetarian, includingvegan, diets are healthful, nutritionally ade-quate and may provide health benefits forthe prevention and treatment of certaindiseases. These diets are appropriate for allstages of the life cycle, including pregnan-cy, lactation, infancy, childhood, adoles-cence, older adulthood and for athletes.Vegetarians and vegans are at reduced riskof certain health conditions, includingischemic heart disease, type-2 diabetes,hypertension, certain types of cancer andobesity.”

�The meat market employs a consider-able number of people in India, how doyou think its reduction or a complete banwill impact the economy?

As per a recent report by GlobalData,70 per cent of the world’s population aregoing meat-free — both in consumptionand production. Abroad, farmers and foodindustries are responding to this changeby transitioning to plant-based food pro-duction altogether or by getting involvedin the vegan food business.

For example, in the US, big meat com-panies like Tyson, Smithfield, Perdue andHormel are now selling plant-based burg-ers or other such products. Dairy compa-nies abroad are also starting to invest inplant-based milk.

In India, many people are opting forjackfruit instead of meat during theCoronavirus crisis. And when chicken salesin India recently plummeted, PETA Indiasent chicken-meat chain KFC a letter sug-gesting that it can add a vegan chickenoption to its menu as other KFC restaurantsabroad have done the same. In India,GoodDot is among the companies offer-ing meat-free chicken and other veganmeats.

As the demand changes, so does thesupply.

�In India, many religious activities andbeliefs are linked to animal killing andconsuming. What’s your take on this?How do you think the issue can be tack-led in a society as complex and rigid asIndia?

No religion requires meat-eating andall religions call for compassion. Chapter2 of my book examines why people eat ani-mals while generally caring for them. Weare often told since childhood that certainanimals are our friends and others are food.But in some places, animals we common-ly call friends, like dogs, could also be con-sidered food. When we recognise thelabelling of animals as food as merely abelief, rather than a truth, we can choosea different path.

�Any anecdote or personal experiencethat you would like to share...

I would like to share a quote by Russianwriter Leo Tolstoy, who said, “When thesuffering of another creature causes you tofeel pain, do not submit to the initial desireto flee from the suffering one but on thecontrary, come closer, as close as you canto him who suffers and try to help.”

Researchers, business professionals andinnovators of various countries around the

globe are using technology to alleviate theeffects of the global health crisis.

From monitoring platforms that track thespread of the virus to finding passive vaccinesto clinical trials to drone deliveries — these area few of the different technology projects usedby Israel to fight Coronavirus.

COVID-19 remote assessment and monitor-ing platform

It is a triage and monitoring platform thatallows officials to monitor the progress of thedisease and alerts health providers of patientsat risk. A symptomatic Coronavirus heat mapis leveraged to locate Coronavirus symptomaticpatients, and track the path of the pandemic.The information provides data-based guidanceon next steps for patients, providers and pub-lic health agencies.

Currently it is in-use with the Ministry ofHealth, the emergency services, and all majorHMOs in Israel, with the Department of Healthin the State of Odisha, India, and with theDepartment of Health in the State of RhodeIsland. Diagnostic Robotics has partnered withDeloitte and Salesforce for seamless integrationto all Salesforce customers and is a member ofthe COVID-19 Healthcare Coalition, alongsideAmazon, Google, Mayo Clinic and others.

It provides an AI layer for the healthcaresystem, providing services to patients, providersand insurers. Their AI-driven personalisedtriage system guides the patients through theirjourney in the medical ecosystem, analysingtheir medical history and current medical caseusing AI and NLP technologies, with genericability to integrate with multiple sensory out-put data.

The Israeli Ministry of Health has devel-oped a COVID-19 strategy which includesdaily nation-wide monitoring of Coronavirusrelated symptoms of the population usingDiagnostic Robotics digital risk assessment andmonitoring platform for COVID-19, screen-ing eight million patients daily.

Drone deliveriesDrone technology company Flytrex, in

partnership with EASE Drones, the GrandForks Region Economic DevelopmentCorporation and the City of Grand Forks,announced the launch of its drone delivery ser-vice directly to backyards in Grand Forks,North Dakota. The initiative will provide food,medicine and other essential goods via droneto selected households.

The deliveries will be made in cooperationwith the Northern Plains Unmanned AerialSystem Test Site (NPUASTS), with takeoffs tak-ing place across the street from a local shop-ping supercenter, where provisions will be pur-chased. “In this time of crisis and social dis-tancing, drones provide the ideal solution tobolster delivery capacity while keeping citizenssafe at home,” said Flytrex CEO Yariv Bash.

Power the video experienceKaltura has emerged as the fastest growingvideo platform. Various companies are usingit to build knowledge, improve team produc-tivity and collaborate. It also engages viewersand facilitates the delivery of message moreeffectively. From executive messaging to livestreaming of events, it ensures high quality, reli-able playback for viewers and powerful, easy-to-use tools for producers. Kaltura also trainsemployees, faster, and more cost effectively.

Mobile sports training platformLegend is an immersive mobile sports train-ing platform that engages young athletes, byproviding a virtual, AI driven, trainer. Itenables the young athletes to train and com-pete with their friends and participate in theglobal community through unique daily andweekly workouts, challenges and competitions.

Plasma-Derived Anti-CoronaImmunoglobulin (passive vaccine) Kamada is developing an anti-Corona (SARS-COV-2) immunoglobulin (passive vaccine)using its proprietary plasma derived FDA-approved platform technology, as a potentialtreatment for patients from the disease. Theproduct is being produced from plasma donat-ed by patients recovering from COVID-19,which is expected to include antibodies to theCoronavirus.

Clinical trials Pluristem Therapeutics (NASDAQ, TASE:PSTI) is a leading regenerative medicine com-pany developing a platform of novel biologi-cal products candidates. The company hasreported robust clinical trial data in multipleindications and is currently conducting latestage clinical trials in several indications.

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The Coronavirus might havechanged life for the entire

planet but one thing has notchanged, our penchant for catch-phrases. The latest one made pop-ular by political leaders, scientistsand media columnists is ‘the newnormal’; as in we will all have toadjust to it once we have dealt withthe viral scourge. Or whether wego back to work with social dis-tancing as a norm even as the viruscontinues, something will be thenew normal. The problem is thatneither you or I have any clueabout what this ‘new normal’ willbe. However, the Indian automo-tive industry, days removed froma month of zero sales, believes thatit will involve a lot more digitalactivity.

Of course, this brings up thequestion about how on earth youcan buy an expensive product,which requires registration andlicenses, possibly even paperworkfor loan sanctioning online? Afterall, it is one thing to buy a phone,yet another thing to buy, evenselect a car online. I spoke toMercedes-Benz India’s Vice-President of Sales and Marketing,Santosh Iyer, to get some perspec-tive. Mercedes-Benz India haslaunched a very comprehensive

online campaign called#MercFromHome during the lock-down. “First thing you need tounderstand is that there is still amajor physical element as the carhas to be registered by a dealer butwe are trying to do a few thingsquite differently online. One ofthem is understanding that manypeople search online for cars afterwork hours, and it is important toengage with them and not just givethem the information. So ouronline concierge is operationaltill midnight. The second is that wehave to give full transparency withregards to deals and stock levels. Soif you want a silver E220, you willknow which dealer in your area hasone and also the best deals. Earlier,buyers used to call up multiple

dealers to see what sort of dealsthey could get. Now they can justgo online.”

Iyer admits that whileMercedes-Benz’ solution, devel-oped by Roadster Technologies isa start, it will take some time tofinally do the entire process online,which will need some regulatorychanges. “But why won’t someonebuy a product that he or she is fullyaware of online? It may not be the

case with a new product but some-thing like the C-Class or E-Classthat has been around for a year, youmight have tested your friend’s caror driven one abroad. And whileyou have some customisationoptions, most of our mainlineassembled products are fairly stan-dard,” Iyer told this columnist.

In an earlier chat HyundaiIndia’s Director of Sales andMarketing, Tarun Garg expressed

the opinion that while some cus-tomers would go in for online pur-chases, for mass market brands atleast, online platforms will play acritical role in service and customerretention. “There will be a lot moretransparency in service. You will beable to see the prices of compo-nents and consumables as well aslabour online. You will also be ableto see the position at the servicecentre and make all your bookingsthrough the website or app.” Inaddition, with Hyundai India’s lat-est service promise, which plans apick up and drop facility, you maynot need to meet anyone from theshowroom at all.

Working from home andonline tests have become a realityfor many of us during the past sixweeks, a surreal world which wenever thought would exist.Computers have enabled social dis-tancing for those of us who canafford them as well as stable high-speed data. Things will not be thesame again, as Iyer admits, “Wedon’t know how we will recover.Will it be a ‘V’ curve like the gov-ernment wants or a ‘W’ curve oreven a ‘L’ shaped flatline. I do knowthat different parts of the countrywill respond differently and theadoption of online buying will be

dissimilar in divergent markets inIndia. There is no ‘one size fits all’solution to the country but this isthe direction that we were headedin before the lockdown and thepast few weeks have only reaf-firmed that belief.”

On that front, it is hard to dis-agree with Iyer, the world wasgoing online. A few years ago, onequestioned why anyone wouldbuy a two-lakh rupee computer ortelevision online but over thepast few days, online purchasesare the only way one can ensuresocial distancing. And car compa-nies had already started to rampup their online portals, movingbeyond information to offeringsecond-hand certified cars as wellas test-drive booking engines. Inmany other major automotivemarkets, the entire process frombooking a car to getting loan sanc-tions and applying for registrationcan be done online, India is actu-ally slightly behind the curve. Oneexpects government policy, par-ticularly with regards to loansanctioning and registration toalso evolve in India. The pandem-ic has not changed the directionthat the automotive industry wasmoving towards, it has just accel-erated it.

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Hospitality — the very word encap-sulates a whole set of emotions,many of which are sensorial. But

when a pandemic has been raging, youknow emotions have to be kept on hold infavour of practical decisions. And this isespecially true for eating out, an essentialelement of the industry. For patrons, thiswas an activity to bond over, catch up, cel-ebrate, unwind and more. While diningout has been on hold for more than amonth, industry stalwarts are bracing forthe time when they can reopen, as restau-rants wouldn’t be the same and the busi-ness is bound to remain affected for a longtime to come. If you take into account thefact, the food service industry’s market sizewas �4,23,865 crore and employed 7.3 mil-lion people in 2018-19 according to theNational Restaurant Association of India(NRAI), the enormity of the situationwould sink in.

#-- #�,,��$�� Restaurant business, by it its nature,

thrives on people coming in and a dip inthe numbers means that the propositionbecomes untenable. Chef Vicky Ratnani,culinary directory, GIPL who also concep-tualises restaurant menus and food con-cepts says, “The situation is very uncertainat the moment. We will see a decline in thenumber of people visiting restaurantsduring the initial months. However, it willgradually increase if we keep following thesafety measures and make our customersfeel secure and comfortable. ZorawarKalra, founder, Massive Restaurants agrees.

Celebrity chef, TV show judge andfood stylist Ranveer points out, “Therewould be an initial reduction in theinflux of patrons, especially in the bars andnight club spaces but house parties aregoing to get bigger.”

However, Chef Sabyasachi Gorai, pop-ularly known as Chef Saby is not veryhopeful about the restaurant landscapeeven after it is allowed to be operational.While Saby did not eat out often, he didgo to coffee shops or bars for a drink. Heasks, “Would I go to a bar? First, will itopen? If it does, would I have the feelingof safely sitting at a stool and caressing thetable where someone sat before me? Iwould have apprehensions touching either.The whole fun of having a drink is chat-ting with bartender and if you stand ametre away, it would be a silly scenario. So,would you want to go?”

$�� Restaurants are usually located in

places where the footfalls and, by that rea-soning, the rentals are high. So it is not sur-prising that ever square foot of space isutilised to break even. Ever noticed, howclosely packed the tables are in the bud-get joints in central market spaces are? Butnow restaurateurs would have to take intoaccount social distancing norms in seat-ing to ensure adequate space between twotables.

Chef Entrepreneur Tarun Sibal says,“It’s a given that a 100-cover restaurant willnow be a max of 60 to 70 covers, ensur-ing, and practicing social distancingguidelines and protocols. Customers willnot venture out to crowded places.”Ratnani, places the figure at half of theexisting levels.

Brar — who often hosts gastronom-ical experiences with the Doer's Club, anexperiential platform — has a slightly morenuanced take. He says, “Globally, we arelooking at 40 per cent of the cover capac-ity from the current trend, India's would

be at least 50 per cent of the seating capac-ity. ”

!� 3� -� � �,� �AWill our eating habits change post the

lockdown? Will there be an emphasis onslow-cooked food, healthy and mindfuleating or do we want to grab a meal andexit quickly so as to spend a minimumamount of time inside the restaurant?

Chef Saby says that there was alreadya major trend towards vegan and vegetar-ian food. “Covid has shaken people’s faithon non vegetarian. Many feel that it canmove to any domesticated animal. So thesteaks and grills would take a backseat. Theprices are already prohibitive. So, a switchto vegetarian is likely.”

More than the ingredients, Brar feelsthe methods would be more in focus. “Thedishes being cooked and ordered would besimpler, the menus, on the whole, will besmaller and simpler where dishes use less-er ingredients. Also, typically becausewhen you are running a restaurant to halfcapacity and with lesser staff, you'd look

to reduce inventory and overhead costsand definitely reduce wastage.”

Sibal on the other hand is morefocussed on the service. He says, “We willsee the initiation of contactless diningwhere various touchpoints like a menu, billand more will be eradicated. This will bedone digitally. We will also see smallermenus, dishes that are suitable for deliv-ery, automation in the kitchen, less man-power so on so forth.”

Kalra too focusses on the safety ele-ment of food. “There will be fewer chefsworking in the kitchen as we aggressive-ly maintain social distancing. This mightmake us compress the menu slightly butthat is the need of the hour is safety. Weall took a lot for granted and this currentscenario has made us realise a lot and valuea lot.”

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Do you remember the last meal youate at a restaurant before the shutdown?Or the second last? Well, that is how much

we took eating out for granted. It was asnormal as breathing. But then, like all otherthings, there will always be a pre and postpandemic era.

Sibal says, that post Covid, there willbe new rules of engagement and therewon’t be a single mantra that will work.“Two schools of thoughts are prevailing,one suggesting that the consumer willbecome extremely conservative and theother suggesting that the disease hasgiven a new meaning to life and peoplewould want to make the most of what theyhave. As food and eating out gives joy topeople and creates memories for a life-time, I am optimistic that if we survivethe onslaught, we will come back strongerwithin a year.”

��#� % #�� Washing hands frequently, sanitising

and maintaining hygiene are some of theactions that have become second natureto us, now in all our interactions. In food,it cannot be overemphasised. Ratnanisays, “All the safety guidelines and hygieneprotocols will be revisited. The chefs andowners will push their staff for personalhygiene and work practise ensuring thateach employee wears masks and gloves.Hand sanitisers will be provided at everytable while thermal probes will beinstalled to check the temperature beforepeople enter a restaurant. Takeaway willprobably play a bigger role in the nearfuture.”

Brar agrees and adds, “The hot andcold food temperature logging andrecording standards will be revisited aswill the personal hygiene of the server andchef.”

Kalra has mapped out a large plan forhis restaurants like Farzi Cafe, MasalaLibrary and more. “Our aggressive anddynamic plan for safety include extensivescreening of all employees and guestswithin the restaurants, maintaining allsocial distancing norms not only of thefront team but in the kitchen as well.There will be fewer chefs working in thekitchen. Deep cleaning will take place

daily. We are also contemplating puttingup live cameras so anyone across theglobe can log on to our website to see howwe are operating. Sanitisation will begiven utmost importance using high-techinstruments for surface cleaning and ultraviolet-enabled technology to ensurecleanliness especially during tableturnovers. Staff training and awarenesshas already begun over zoom calls.”

Sibal says safety protocols would varydepending on the establishment andformat but will be stringent. “From guestmanagement, floor control, safe distanc-ing, medical checks of staff, deep clean-ing every week, fumigation and sanitisa-tion drills all will come in play,” he says.

��.��.-�.��With lesser money in the pocket,

high concerns about safety and less incli-nation to venture out into crowdedplaces, dining will undergo a sea trans-formation. Brar feels that the shiftwould be towards affordable luxury. Theindustry, now, instead of waiting for peo-ple to come to them will now go to theirhomes. Restaurants will look to cater tomore house parties, as also doing moremeal kits.” Saby has been brainstormingwith others in the industry about the via-bility of food trucks that serve hot andfresh food by taking the restaurant expe-rience to one area one day and anotherthe next.

Ratnani, who has been the host of anumber of popular food shows and hasbeen associated with the Doers Clubtwice, says, “Customers will most likelyrely on takeaway more than dining at therestaurant and avoid travelling for foodfor the first few months.”

Sibal foresees a spiral in pizza deliv-eries and in order to attract customers,“Restaurants will boast about hygiene rat-ing and food safety procedures. Coffeeshops, casual dining restaurants will bethe flag bearer for the resurgence as guestsmight take more time to be back to lux-ury restaurants, clubs, and high-endbars. Street food will also take a huge hit,as the humble gol-gappa cart might be athing of the past, as quality and hygienewill swing it for consumers. This alsomeans that there will be an opportunityfor street food to come into mainstreamdining concepts.”

Kalra sees a re-jig in the way the busi-ness will operate. “New projects will haveto be put on hold for some time whileevery single cost would be controlled. Sothe ones that are not related to the guestsexperience will have to be revisited.Most costs will go down except for foodwhich will probably go up because the

main concern would be safety andhygiene standards which needs moreinvestment. Packaging will have to be farbetter and superior. There will be no com-promise on the food preparation anddelivery aspects.”

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With more expensive ingredients,investments on safety equipment and dis-posables as well as reduced covers, thelikely outcome is a price spiral. Ratnanibelieves it will depend on the restaurantif they wish to push prices up or not. Brarthinks that the costs would be broughtdown and this would reflect in simplerrestaurants, simpler decor with smallermenus and courses.

Sibal believes that costs are bound togo up as the same real estate and infra-structure will now be utilised for a less-er number of guests. “Also, the addition-al cost of technology and safety proce-dures will add its weight to the cost,” headds.

Saby on the other hand points outthat it will take at least six months to anyear for a restaurant to start again. “Thisis as good as starting new as all the oldstocks of groceries would have to bethrown out or donated to food banks,beers drained. This along with having topay the employers and rents needs some-thing around �50-60 lakh.”

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Like all businesses, the industry is suf-fering during the lockdown and stares atuncertainty when it opens up. Ratnani says,“Every single person would have to comeforward and work together to revive theindustry. Cost-consciousness will be amain factor and unnecessary expenditurewould have to be controlled while maintain-ing consistency in quality. The menu wouldbe short, simple and creative which will beimportant for customer retention and therecould be a huge shift in attention towardshome deliveries and takeaways.”

Brar thinks that the entire industrywould surely have to re-jig itself. “There'sgoing to be real-estate corrections, profitabil-ity figures are going to look very different.A large sum would have to be parked awayfor contingencies, insurances as also forhealth and safety regulatory compliances.High rentals won't be viable anymore.”

Sibal feels that the ones that survive willbecome stronger, leaner and effective. “A cutin the overall salary brackets of the employ-ees is on the cards.”

One thing is for sure, dining will not bethere.

CRYSTAL GAZE ON DINING8��!��!��#��!��#��!��!��&��"��"��#��*.). �*((*2

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Bundesliga clubs were racing onThursday to get ready for therestart of the season in nine days’

time, amid concerns about whetherthe players will stick to the stricthygiene guidelines implemented toensure the campaign is completed.

Twenty-four hours afterChancellor Angela Merkel’sGovernment gave the GermanFootball League the green light toreturn, the league said it will resumethe season on Saturday, May 16.

The Bundesliga will be the firsttop European football league to restartmatches since the outbreak of thecoronavirus forced lockdown mea-sures to be imposed across the conti-nent.

All games will be played withoutspectators.

The opening day’s key game isbetween second-placed BorussiaDortmund and arch-rivals Schalke inthe Ruhr derby at Dortmund’s SignalIduna Park — but instead of beingroared on by an 81,000 crowd, theteams will play in an empty stadium.

France has already ended theLigue 1 season, with football inEngland, Spain and Italy still suspend-ed.

The situation gives “German foot-ball a huge head start”, according toEintracht Frankfurt sporting directorFredi Bobic.

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��2 Juventus star Paulo Dybalarevealed on Wednesday that hehas been given the all-clear sixweeks after contracting coron-avirus, but Serie A rivals Torinoconfirmed that one of their play-ers had tested positive.

“Many people talked in thepast weeks ... but I can finallyconfirm that I am healed. Thankyou once again for your supportand my thoughts on all who arestill suffering from it. Take care,”tweeted the 26-year-oldArgentina forward.

Dybala was diagnosed onMarch 22, along with his girl-friend Oriana, who recoveredsooner from the disease.

Dybala on Wednesday alsoposted a picture of himself onInstagram with his arms out-stretched looking at the sky: “Myface says it all, I’m finally curedfrom Covid-19.”

But city rivals Torinorevealed that an unnamed play-er had been diagnosed withCovid-19 during testing of play-ers and staff as Serie A teamsreturn to individual training thisweek.

“During the first medicaltests carried out on the Torino FCplayers, a positivity to Covid-19emerged,” the northern club saidin a statement. AFP

� ��

His ice cool demeanour is thestuff of legends but former

India skipper Mahendra SinghDhoni has no qualms conced-ing that he is not immune topressure and fear.

Dhoni, lending support toMFORE — an initiative offeringmind conditioning programs toachieve peak performance insports — offered his perspectiveon the issue of mental health.

“In India, I feel there is stilla big issue of accepting thatthere is some weak-ness when it comes tothe mental aspects, butwe generally term it asmental illness,”Dhoni was quot-ed saying in apress release.

“Nobodyreally saysthat, when Igo to bat, thefirst 5 to 10deliveriesmy heartrate is elevat-ed, I feel thepressure, I feela bit scaredbecause that’show everybodyfeels — how tocope with that?” theWorld Cup-win-ning icon asked.

“This is asmall problem buta lot of times we

hesitateto say itto a

c o a c ha n dt h a t ’ swhy the

relation-ship between a play-er and coach is veryimportant be it anysport,” said Dhoni,who hasn’t playedany internationalcricket sinceIndia’s WorldCup semifinalexit last July.

Highlighting the impor-tance of a mental conditioningcoach, Dhoni said: “Mentalconditioning coach should notbe the one who comes for 15days, because when you comefor 15 days you are only shar-ing the experience.

“If the mental conditioningcoach is constantly with theplayer, he can understand whatare the areas which are affect-ing his sport,” Dhoni, who ledChennai Super Kings captain tothree IPL titles, said.

MFORE has been foundedby former Indian batsman SBadrinath and Saravana Kumar.

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Football’s lawmakers this week areset to announce a “temporary”

change to the laws of the sportallowing teams to make up to fivesubstitutions in games when thesport resumes after the coron-avirus-induced suspension.

The proposal to help teamscope with likely fixture congestionin a packed calendar was made byworld governing body FIFA and isexpected to be validated by theInternational Football AssociationBoard (IFAB) this Friday.

The IFAB said last week that itwas working with FIFA on a “tem-

porary dispensation of Law 3 (ThePlayers) allowing competitions togive teams the option to use a max-imum of five substitutes on up tothree occasions during the match,plus at half-time.”

Limiting the number of occa-sions on which teams can makechanges would remove the incen-tive to do so purely for time-wast-ing purposes.

A sixth change may also be per-mitted in matches that go to extratime.

Currently teams can make threesubstitutions during games,although since 2018 teams havebeen allowed to make a fourth sub-

stitution in extra time.Leagues will not be obliged to

implement the change, a sourcesaid, but they will be free to do soas soon as they restart.

The IFAB’s objective is to “pro-tect players’ health” when matchesdo resume, with a fixture schedulethat could be even more packedthan usual potentially leading to an“increased risk of injuries”.

While the measure is intendedto be temporary, it could be main-tained for the whole of the 2020-21season and right through to thenext European Championship,which was postponed by a yearuntil June and July 2021.

&�, -��2�Australian openerJoe Burns on Thursday said thathis team’s much-awaited homeTest series against India later thisyear is primarily set to be a bat-tle between “two incrediblystrong bowling attacks”.

Virat Kohli and Co Arescheduled to play four Tests inAustralia in December-January.

“I look at Australia andIndia as having two incrediblystrong bowling attacks and that’swhat’s going to be so excitingwatching the two teams go at it,”Burns told reporters in a videoconference on Thursday.

India’s attack would bespearheaded by Jasprit Bumrahand Mohammed Shami, whileAustralia’s pace attack would be

led by world No1 Pat Cummins.Burns view is in sharp con-

trast to the focus of the overallhype, which is the batting of the

two sides. India boast of thepeerless Virat Kohli and amarauding Rohit Sharma, whileAustralia have been bolstered by

the return of Steve Smith andDavid Warner.

“I think both teams aregoing to have a lot to play forwith the number one rankingand their positions in the worldTest championships,” he said.

In the latest ICC Test rank-ings, Australia regained theworld’s No1 status after overtak-ing India. However, they areplaced second in the ICC WorldTest Championships pointstable, behind leaders India.

“That’s what’s motivatingus at the moment in terms of allthe training we’re doing with aneye looking forward to a hugesummer against the Indiancricket team,” he explained.

As a specialist opener, Burns

said his role will be to negate thenew ball Indian bowlers early inthe Test.

“I guess as an opening bat-ter, that’s why its so exciting formyself. There’s going to be ahuge challenge this summerand a big role to play in nullify-ing the Indian bowlers, especial-ly early in a Test match, themorning of day one with thenew ball.”

“They are obviously worldclass team. You look at theworld ranking, they were num-ber one and now we have got tonumber one, so I know thatseries will be anticipated byeveryone and as a player this isa sort of series you want to playin and do well in.” PTI

� ��

All-rounder Dwayne Bravo is inawe of the current West Indies

T20 team’s batting depth, saying it isbetter than the 2016 World Cup-win-ning side and can intimidate anyopposition.

“In the last series in Sri Lanka, wehad a team meeting, and coach Phil(Simmons) put the team down, thelist, and he put it down in battingorder, and he had my name down atNo 9,” Bravo told ESPNcricinfo.

“And I said to the guys, I said lis-ten, I don’t think I was ever involvedin a T20 team when I am down to batat No 9.

“I’m just in awe of our battingline-up, and I said to the guys, I saidlisten, I think this team is actually bet-ter than our World-Cup-winningteam, and that is no joke, because atthe end of the day, you have battingall the way down to No 10.”

Bravo, who returned from inter-national T20 retirement in Decemberlast year to strengthen West Indies’title defence, said the batting resourcesof this “intimidating” team hasreduced his role to a specialist bowler.

“It’s an intimidating team, it’s ateam to intimidate the opposition, andthat excites me. So I will just do mypart as a bowler, try to control theback end of the innings, especially

closing off the innings with deathbowling, which has been, in the past,a bit of a concern for us,” said Bravo,who made his international comebackin January against Ireland.

“You saw how Oshane Thomasdid with his pace in Sri Lanka. Thenyou have Sheldon Cottrell, now aleader of the attack, Kesrick Williamson the bench, so things starting tolook bright again, things starting tolook good again.”

Bravo also was effusive in hispraise for skipper Kieron Pollard, whohad taken over the reins of limitedover teams last year.

“He loves to win (Pollard). That’sthe most important thing, and as acaptain, he’ll do anything to win, inthe right way and the right spirit, andhe’s very determined to win, to makea difference,” he said.

“I remember when theyapproached him to take over, I said tohim, it’s going to be a good challenge,a big one, a tough one, but now is thebest time. You get both teams at thebottom of the table. There’s only oneway you can go, which is up, right?

“I said now is the right time, youbuild a team and you create a dress-ing-room environment where every-one is on the same page.”

Pollard has represented WestIndies in 113 ODIs and 73 T20Is, scor-ing 3619 runs and taken 88 wickets.

��

Former India pacer Ashish Nehra hassaid that MS Dhoni was always open

to a chat with his players after a matchand his hotel room would always beopen for them after the games.

“People think that Dhoni doesn’ttalk much. That is not the case. Hisroom would remain open in the nightafter matches. Anyone could walk in,order food and discuss cricket,” Nehrasaid while speaking to former Indiaopener Aakash Chopra on his showAakash Vani.

“Be it in CSK or in the Indian team,Dhoni would pass on the message onwhat he thinks a player needs to do dur-ing a conversation and that would beenough for the players to get the drift,”added Nehra who played a lot of crick-et under Dhoni’s captaincy both forIndia and at Chennai Super Kings in theIndian Premier League (IPL).

Nehra also spoke on SouravGanguly, saying he was a leader whoused to back his players to the hilt.

“Dhoni had senior players aroundhim when he took over and the chal-lenge was how to manage them. Dadahad a team of juniors and he backedthem to the hilt. He would go all out toback his players,” said the former left-arm pacer.

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Until Merkel gave the go-ahead, clubshad still been training in small groups.

On Thursday, Dortmund, who were fourpoints behind leaders Bayern Munich whenthe league was halted in mid-March, held fullteam training for the first time in sevenweeks.

“We have had very constructive talkswith the local health authority about it,” aclub spokesman said.

Borussia Moenchengladbach also

resumed team training, despite announcingon Thursday that one of their backroom staffhad “a very weak” positive test of the coro-navirus and had been quarantined.

“The coaches and the team have workedunder unusual conditions over the past fewweeks. Everyone is happy team training ispermitted again,” said Borussia’s sportingdirector Max Eberl.

The Bundesliga wants to complete thelast nine rounds of matches before June 30

to secure around 300 million euros ($325 mil-lion) in television money.

‘STARTING FROM ZERO’However, it is a step into the

unknown.“One must not forget, we are

now in a situation that we do not know,”admitted Bayern Munich chairman Karl-Heinz Rummenigge.

“We’re all starting a bit from zero. Onecannot rule out that there are one or two sur-prises.”

The worry is that an outbreak of the coro-navirus in the league could again halt theresumed season, this time for good.

There were 10 positive cases from 1,724tests of players and staff at the top 36 clubs inthe first wave of testing.

The onus is firmly on the players to fol-low the hygiene guidelines, including avoid-ing contact at all times.

Hertha Berlin striker Salomon Kalou, 34,was suspended earlier this week by his clubfor posting a video on social media where heshook hands with team-mates.

Kalou issued an apology, but politicianspointed to the Ivory Coast forward as anexample of how not to behave during a pan-demic which has so far claimed over 7,000 livesin Germany.

Germany captain Manuel Neuer has saidBundesliga footballers have a “enormousresponsibility” to be role models.

To drum home the point, German dailyBild translated “Follow The Rules!” into 28 lan-guages for the 278 foreign players in the league.

‘WARNING’“I was horrified,” Dortmund CEO Hans-

Joachim Watzke told Bild when asked aboutthe Kalou video.

“I will tell our players again that we havea big responsibility.

“Hertha did the right thing. Such individ-ual cases have to be sanctioned harshly.”

A similar message will be the mantra atBayern.

“I hope that the Kalou video remains anisolated case and we have received a bit ofwarning with it,” added Rummenigge.

Bayern will also have a tough fixture asthey resume their search for an eighth con-secutive title.

Bayern travel to Berlin on Sunday, May17, where Union will not be able to rely onthe usual cauldron-like atmosphere of theirhome ground.

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'�� "�� ;�&��:�.�=/�3��3"$�*��&�'��/�"�3�/-�� /��>��(��0�� !� $�,�2 Out-of-favourwicketkeeper-batsman ParthivPatel does not consider himselfunlucky to have played in thesame era as Mahendra SinghDhoni as he knows that the for-mer captain grabbed his oppor-tunities way better than him.

Patel led Gujarat to the2016 Ranji Trophy title. His lastTest appearance for India wasin 2018, while the last time heplayed an ODI for the countrywas way back in 2012.

“I don’t see myself asunlucky to be playing in the

Dhoni era. I started mycareer before

him, and Ihad the

opportunity to perform beforehim,” the 35-year-old Patelsaid during an interaction withFever Network’s 100 hours 100stars.

“Dhoni came in to theteam because I did not have acouple of good series and I wasdropped. I know people can sayit just to gain sympathies thatI was born in the wrong era.But I don’t believe that,” headded.

“Whatever Dhoni hasachieved was something very,very special and he achievedbecause he made sure of theopportunities he received. Idon’t feel unlucky at all,” Patelasserted. PTI

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The 32-year-old all-rounder remains a huge fig-ure in limited over cricket, having played in sev-eral leagues across the globe, including the IPL.

Bravo described Pollard as a “figurehead” andsomeone who commands respect across theglobe for his achievements.

“I think what Pollard has is his honesty, whichis the most important thing. You have leaders inthe past sometimes that said, okay, well, I don’tget involved in selection, I had no say, you know,they give all types of excuses and stuff, and thesystem will be able to manoeuvre them and con-trol them, but Pollard, you can’t control him,”

Bravo said.“... The players also respect him,

because of whatever he has done andachieved in the white-ball format, especial-ly in T20 cricket. So if someone like Pollardis speaking in the dressing room about T20cricket, we all have to listen, because he’splayed the most games, he’s had success,and he’s highly respected around theworld.”

The 36-year-old also had words ofappreciation for for coach Phil Simmons.

"And that relationship we have withPhil Simmons as well, it's another goodthing. Captain, coach - always have to havea good relationship," Bravo said.

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