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JOURNALISM OF COURAGESINCE 1932

DA ILY FROM: AHMEDABAD , CHAND IGARH , DELH I , JA IPUR , KOLKATA , LUCKNOW, MUMBAI , NAGPUR , PUNE , VADODARA

SATURDAY, JUNE 27, 2020, NEW DELHI, LATE CITY, 18 PAGES `6.00 (`8 PATNA & RAIPUR, `12 SRINAGAR) WWW.INDIANEXPRESS.COMJOURNALISM OF COURAGE

SINCE 1932

INSIDE

GARGIVERMARAIPUR, JUNE26

ON DAYS that he has virtualclasses, Modiyam Sukhlal, 17,cycles 10 km from his home inPeddakorma, aMaoist affectedvillage deep inside Bastar, toCherpal, a villageon theway toBijapur town.“This is the firstplace Icatch

somedecent signal. Back inmyvillage, there is no network,”said Sukhlal, who spends 2-3hours at a relative's home inCherpal, attendinghis class.While in Chhattisgarh the

pandemic has forced a shift to

virtual classrooms, like else-whereinthecountry, thelackofaccess to data and devices thathas hobbled these sessions isparticularlyacuteinastatewiththelowestpercentageofhouse-holds with internet facility — amere 15.2 per cent against thenationalaverageof23.8percent,according to the NationalSample Survey Office’sEducation in India report for2017-18.AccordingtotheSocio-Economic Caste Census Data2011, the state alsohas the low-est cellphone penetration— 29percentagainstthenationalav-erageof 68percent.On April 7, the Chhattisgarh

educationdepartmentlaunched"PadhaiTumharDwaar", anon-lineportalthathasregistered20lakh students (of the 60 lakh inthestate)and2lakhteachers,in-cludingthoseofprivateschools.The portal, put together in 15daysbyan in-house teamof theeducationdepartment,hasmul-tiplevideos—someproducedbySCERT (the state version ofNCERT) and the others by indi-vidualteachers–bothforschoolandcollegestudents,andsorted

according to the ‘likes’ eachvideohasgarnered.“Thebestpartaboutthepor-

tal being developed in-house isthat we can make changes asandwhen needed,” EducationSecretary Alok Shukla told TheIndianExpress.Butinastatewhichisamong

the most deprived, with highlevelsof illiteracy,notmanyhavebeen able to find their waythroughthemazeofhyperlinks.In Murka, a village in

Balrampur district, there arethreesmartphonesforapopula-tion of 500.Most of the parentsTheIndianExpressspoketointhevillage seemed to know of the

government'swebsite,butfew,ifany,hadthemeanstonavigateit.“If I could teach my son at

home,whywould I sendhimtoschool?”saidRashmiBhagat,30,when asked if she has seen anyof theeducationalvideosontheportal. “I am illiterate, so is myhusband.We don’t even have aphone,” she said, complainingthatherseven-year-oldspentalldayhangingoutwith friends.Shukla accepts the portal is

out of reach formany. “Inequityexists,wearenotcreatingit.Thisis not to say that it should exist.However,thisisalearningcurvefor us. To imagine educationwithout a school and actual

presence of teachers is difficultand we plan to learn from thefeedback,”hesaid.Even for thosewithaccess to

smartphones, these sessionshaven’tbeenwithoutdisruptions.AtonesuchsessionforClass3stu-dents of a government school inBijapurtown,nine-year-oldAshastares blankly at her father’sphone screen, her face brieflybreaking into a grin when shespots her classmates, Ranju andMina. The half-an-hour class onthree-digit addition is disruptedtwice–oncewhenAsha’s fathergetsacallandtheotherwhenherthree-year-oldbrotherbitesher

CONTINUEDONPAGE2

PAGE1ANCHOR

Onlineclassesbeingrecorded intheSCERTstudio. Express

Jeyaraj (left),his sonBennixdiedonJune22

Cycling 10 km to get a decent cellphone signal — and the day’s lesson

KJMVARMABEIJING, JUNE26

INDIAON Fridaywarned Chinathattryingtoalterthestatusquoon the ground by resorting toforce will not just damage thepeace that existed in theborderareas but can also have "ripplesand repercussions" in thebroader bilateral relationship,anddemandedthatBeijingstopitsactivities ineasternLadakh.The onlyway to resolve the

currentmilitary standoff alongthe LAC in eastern Ladakhwasfor Beijing to realise that tryingto "change the status quoby re-sortingtoforceorcoercion,isnotthe right way forward,” India'sambassador to China VikramMisrisaidinahard-hittinginter-viewtoPTI.Asserting that actions taken

by the Chinese forces on theground have damaged "consid-erabletrust"inthebilateralrela-tionship,theIndianambassadorsaiditwasentirelytheresponsi-

bilityof theChinese side to takea careful view of the relationsand to decide which directionthe ties shouldmove.Noting thatmaintenance of

peace and tranquillity "on theCONTINUEDONPAGE2

TABASSUMBARNAGARWALAMUMBAI, JUNE26

THE NUMBER of daily deathsfromCovid-19inMaharashtrahasbeendecliningforoverafortnightnow, governmentdata analysedbyTheIndianExpressshow.This declining trend con-

trastswiththecontinuingrisingtrendinthenumberofdailynewCovid cases, and could indicatethe impact of several relativelyrecentpolicyinterventionsinthebattleagainst thepandemic.The availability of larger

numbers of oxygen-equippedbeds,earlytesting,requisitioningofmorebedsinprivatehospitals,useof newerdrugs, andpromptmedical intervention overall,couldallbereasonsforthedipindaily fatalities,expertssaid.Maharashtra carries India's

heaviest Covid case load anddeath toll, having reported close

to1.52lakhcasesand7,106deathsuntil Friday. The first case in thestatewasreportedonMarch9.Thedata ondaily deaths ac-

cessed by The Indian Expressshow the numbers spikingsharply around the middle oflast month — it went past 100first on May 15 (102) and re-mained in three digits on eachday until June 14, peaking onJune7and8 (170each).

The number droppedsharply to 122 on the followingday, however — and hasmain-tained a generally decliningtrend thereafter. On each of thesixdaysfromJune20toJune25,thestatehashadfewerthan100deaths— and on Thursday, thisnumber fell to33.As a trend, the 10 days from

May 15 to May 24 saw a totalCONTINUEDONPAGE2

REJECTSBEIJINGCLAIMTOGALWANVALLEY

Misri:Stopcreatingobstructions inpatrollingpatternsof Indiantroops

BUSINESS AS USUAL

BYUNNY

CBI, IN PPECBIofficialscarriedoutasearchat theNewFriendsColony,Delhi, residenceofRatulPuri, anephewof formerMadhyaPradeshchiefministerKamalNath, inconnectionwithanallegedbankfraudcase.ANI RELATEDREPORT,PAGE9

SUSHANTSINGH&KRISHNKAUSHIKNEWDELHI, JUNE26

AS TENSIONS simmer on theIndia-Chinaborder, the govern-ment does not expect an earlyresolutionofthetwo-month-oldstandoff on the Line of ActualControl(LAC)becauseofadead-lockinbothdiplomaticandmil-itary talks.Aseniorgovernmentofficial

told The Indian Express that thearmed forces had been given a“free hand” to dealwith the sit-uationandsufficienttroops,mil-itary equipment andmaterialhave beenmoved to various ar-easalongthe3,488-km-longdis-putedborderwithChina.The official said that the

armedforceshadstartedtomoveadequate reserves to respond toany further developments de-spite grappling with the chal-lengeofCovid-19pandemic.Talksaredeadlockedbecause

of the obstinate Chinese ap-proach,saidtheofficial. It ishardtodecipherwhyespeciallywhenthey keep on insisting in all thetalks that “it is their territory,”the official added. However, asboth sides have agreed to keeptalking, that, in itself, is a goodthing, theofficial said.Multipleroundsoftalkshave

beenheldatthediplomaticlevelin Beijing and at the militarylevel in Ladakh, including tworounds at the level of CorpsCommandersonJune6andJune22.ThecoreagendaoftheIndiandelegationduringthesetalkshas

CONTINUEDONPAGE2

LOCKDOWNLESSONS

116DAYSSINCEPANDEMICBEGAN

KEYSTATESTOWATCH■Maharashtra■Delhi■TamilNadu■Haryana■Telangana

7 DAYS EARLIER:

3.3NOW:

3.12

7 DAYS EARLIER:

5.92NOW:

6.31

DETECTED TODAY

17,296RECOVERED TODAY:

13,940

TOTALCASES1,47,74173,78070,97712,46311,364

DOUBLINGRATE**24.3712.5816.1816.357.59

SURGEIN24HOURS4,8413,3903,509453920

7-DAYAVGGROWTH*2.95%5.72%4.45%4.40%9.48%

TRACKING INDIA’SCOVIDCURVE

CASES:4,90,400TESTS: 77,76,228 | DOUBLING RATE: 19.51**

RECOVERED:2,85,636DEATHS: 15,301

*CompoundedDailyGrowthRateover last7days **Calculatedover7-daygrowth

BasedondailydatafromUnionMinistryofHealth, ICMRandstates.Oftendailynumbers includedatafrompreviousdays.Assuch, trendsbasedondailynumbersare indicative,notdefinitive

CASE FATALITYRATIO

Deaths as a ratio ofpositive cases (in %);indicator of progressin averting deaths

Positives againstnumber tested

(in %); indicator ofthe spread of disease

Becoming sick vsrecovering; more

recoveries for 14 daysmay signal the peak

POSITIVITY RATE DAILY IN, DAILYOUT

China building helipadin Pangong, massingtroops on south bankSUSHANTSINGHNEWDELHI, JUNE26

ASTENSIONSrunhighbetweenIndia and China on the Line ofActual Control (LAC) in Ladakh,andnotalksscheduledsofarbe-tween military commanders,the Chinese army has startedconsolidatingitspositionsinthePangongTsoarea.This includes undertaking

construction of a helipad atFinger 4 and a sudden increaseof troopsonthesouthernbanksof Pangong Tso. This has led toapprehensions that theChineseare asserting their claims andconveying their disinclinationforrestorationofstatusquoantein thearea.An official told The Indian

Express, “It is correct that the

Chinesehavestartedconsolidat-ing their positions on the northbank of Pangong Tso. There is ahelipad that is now being con-structed in the Finger 4 area,which is in addition to all theother infrastructure construc-tion done by them in past eightweeksor so.”“PLA patrols are now regu-

larlymaking small forays downtheridgeofFinger3towardsthebankofthelakeandthenreturn-ing to the ridge. Theyare essen-tially asking us tomove back toFinger2,” theofficial said.A second official said this

meant that “the Chinese aretellingusthattheyhavenointen-tionofgoingbackorrestoringthestatus quo as in April. It is whytheyhavenotbeen interested indiscussinganydisengagementor

CONTINUED ONPAGE2

PRABHARAGHAVAN&AANCHALMAGAZINENEWDELHI, JUNE26

CLOSEON the heels of consign-mentsfromChinareportedlyfac-ingcustomshurdlesatanumberof ports, Indian exporters havebegun reporting similar issueswith their shipments to theneighbouringcountry.In a recent note to the

Ministry of Commerce andIndustry, the Federation ofIndian Export Organisations(FIEO),whichistheapexbodyofexport promotion councils, hassaidthatHongKongandChineseCustomswere holding back ex-

port consignments from Indiaover the last fewdays.Thiscomesatatimewhenre-

lationsbetweenIndiaandChinahave soured following a deadlyclash between their troops inLadakhearlier thismonth.Accordingtotherepresenta-

tion made by FIEO, a copy ofwhich The Indian Express hasseen, some exporters have re-portedfacinghurdleswiththeirshipmentstoChina.Anexporterin the know said a majority ofthe shipments stuck for clear-anceatChinaandHongKongin-cludeorganic chemicals.“We have been given to un-

derstand that Customs isCONTINUEDONPAGE2

Ataround$15.5billion,Chinawas third largestdestination for IndianshipmentsbetweenApril 2019andFebruary2020.Theexporters’complaints coincidewith reportsof Chineseconsignmentsbeingstuckat Indianports.

Escalationoftradeskirmishes

First seniorIAS officerfrom outsideJ&K getsUT domicile

ARUNSHARMA&NAVEED IQBALJAMMU,SRINAGAR, JUNE26

HAILING FROM Bihar’sDarbhanga district, NaveenKumar Choudhary, PrincipalSecretary, Animal and SheepHusbandry,hasbecomethefirstsenior IAS officer from outsideJammuandKashmirtobecomea domicile of the UnionTerritory.Adomicilecertificatewasis-

sued to Choudhary onWednesday by the tehsildar ofJammu district’s Bahu, as pernew rules notified last monthfor the issueof domicile certifi-catesintheUT,giventhechangeinstatusof J&Kafterabrogationof Article370.A 1994-batch J&K cadre IAS

officer, Choudhary has beenserving in J&K for 26 years. “Iwanted the certificate and just

CONTINUEDONPAGE2

ARUNJANARDHANANCHENNAI, JUNE26

THE familymembers of the fa-therandsonwhodiedofallegedcustodialtortureinSathankulamtownnearThoothukudiinTamilNadu describe two days of try-ing desperately to meet them,and finding them in blood-soakedclothes.Following outrage and

protests over the deaths of PJeyaraj, 62, andhis son J Bennix,32,fourpoliceofficershavebeenplacedundersuspensionandaninspector transferred. TheMadrasHighCourthassoughtareport frompolice.On Wednesday, the Tamil

Nadu Traders’ Associationdowned shutters across thestate,seekingtohighlightpolicehighhandedness. Thepolice ac-tionagainstJeyaraj,belongingtothepowerfulNadartradercom-munity, sprang from an argu-menthehadwithpoliceonJune19eveningoverkeepinghismo-bile phone shop open inSathankulambeyond thedead-line of 7 pm, set as a part ofmeasures to tackle the coron-aviruspandemic.After a patrol team took

Jeyaraj to a local police station,Bennix reached there with afriend andwas also taken intocustody. Two days later, bothweredead.Apreliminarypoliceprobe found severe injuries intheirprivateparts.Vinoth Kumar, who ismar-

riedtoBennix’seldersister, saidthatonhiswaytothepolicesta-tion, the 32-year-old had calledher up. “As she did not pick up,he called up another sister and

CONTINUEDONPAGE2

Afterambulanceswereattacked,HCaskedpolice tohelpmovepatients fromAlHind

ASCASESRISE,GUWAHATI TOSHUTFROMSUNDAYPAGE7

WAITER’SMURDER

Delhi Police chargesheetnames owner of hospitalthat treated riot victims

SOMYALAKHANI&ANANDMOHANJNEWDELHI, JUNE26

THEOWNERofahospital,whichhad during the Northeast Delhiriotsprovidedemergencytreat-ment to victims, has beennamedbytheDelhiPoliceastheorganiserofaprotestwhosepar-ticipants indulged inviolence.DrMAAnwar’snamefindsa

mentioninthechargesheetfiledbyDelhi Police in themurderof20-year-oldwaiterDilbarNegi.Anwar, owner of New

Mustafabad’s Al Hind hospital,hadattendedtoseveralpatientswith injuries, including bulletwoundsandskullfractures,sus-tainedduringtheFebruaryriotsat his hospital, which has beenrunning for threeyears.

Documentary filmmakerRahul Roy, through advocateSuroor Mander, had movedDelhiHighCourtonFebruary25after seriously injured patientscouldnotbetransportedfromAlHindtothebetter-equippedGTBhospital because rioters weretargetingambulances. Inamid-night hearing, the High Courthad directedDelhi Police to en-sure safepassageof injuredvic-timstoGTBoranyothergovern-ment facility.The chargesheet, filed on

June4beforeChiefMetropolitanMagistratePawanSinghRajawatat Karkardooma court, states:"Since15.01.2020,neartheplaceof incident, at FarooqiaMasjid,an anti-CAA/NRC protest wasunderwayillegallyinwhichsev-eral speakers, on several dates,

CONTINUEDONPAGE2

THE EXPRESSINTERVIEW

P 7

WITH

AJOY MEHTAPRINCIPALADVISORTOMAHARASHTRACM

BackfromRussia,RajnathmeetsArmyChief

Status quoante the goal,India digs infor long haul

MOREREPORTSPAGE6

175

150

125

100

75

50

25

0

DAILY COVID-19DEATHS IN MAHARASHTRA

June25:33

Mar17 Apr1 Apr15 Apr30 Jun25Jun15

June7:170

May15:102

Trend of decline in daily deathsoffers glimmer in Maharashtra

TN family’slast memoryof father, son:blood-soaked,police around

Repercussions if Chinauses force to alter LACstatus quo: Indian envoy

Now, Indian exporters complainshipments stuck at China ports

Source:GovtofMaharashtra. Recent figures could changeasdataareupdated.

New Delhi

becomevery competitive in theinternationalmarket...Thattradeleads the industry and that ulti-mately helps the nation in be-comingstrong,inbecomingself-reliant,AtmanirbharBharat...,”hetoldCIImembers.“It is tooearly to saywhether

thisisretaliatoryaction,butasmallnumberofconsignmentsfromex-portersherehavebeenheldupatportsoverthere,”saidanexporteronconditionofanonymity.A query sent to Commerce

Minister Piyush Goyal andCommerce Secretary AnupWadhawanonFridaynightwasunansweredbypresstime.Meanwhile,somecompanies

have stopped picking up ship-ments fromChina for India.DHLExpress India, the Indian armofGerman courier services com-pany, said they are temporarilysuspending pick-up of importshipments from China, HongKongandMacaofor10days.“Wearewitnessing a severe

lagincustomsclearanceforship-ments originating fromChina,HongKongandMacaoacrossalltheportsinIndia...Wewanttoen-sure that shipments originatingfromother countries around theworld are not impacted by thiscongestion.Therefore,wewillbetemporarily suspendingpickupof importshipmentsfromChina,Hong Kong andMacao for thenext10days," itsaid.

Maharashtra1,188Coviddeaths, or adaily av-erageof118.8;overthefollowing10days, fromMay25 to June 3,1,434deathsoccurred,anaverageof143.4deathseveryday.Inthe10daysafterthat, from

June4 to June13, thenumberofdeathsfellto1,388–adailyaver-age of 138.8. And in the next 12daysuntil June25, thenumbersaddedup to 977– an average of81.4 deaths every day. This lastnumber, however, is likely to in-crease somewhat as somedailyfiguresthisweekareupdated.In contrast, numbers of new

caseshaverisenconsistently–be-tween May 15 and May 24,2,287.3newcaseswererecordedeachdayonaverage;thisnumberrose to2,463.3betweenMay25and June 3; to 2,968.8 betweenJune 4 and June 13; to 3,444.2fromJune14-23.The daily death figures re-

portedbyMaharashtrasofarhaveincluded deaths thatmay haveoccurred over the past severaldaysorweeks,makingitdifficulttogaugetheprecisenumberoffa-talitiesthatoccurredoneachday.This isthefirsttimethatthegov-ernment has provided a date-wisebreak-upofdeathdata.While figuresof somerecent

daysmaybeupdatedslightlyasafewdeaths thatmayhave goneunreported are reported, theoveralltrendinthedatasuggestsacleardecline inthenumbersofdailydeaths.DrSubhashSalunkhe,techni-

cal advisor to the state govern-ment, cautioned that thedeclin-ing trend indaily deathsdidnotmean thepandemichadpasseditspeakinMaharashtra.“We have not reached the

peakyet, that isevidentwithris-ing cases,” Dr Salunkhe said.Instead,hesaid,theclinicaltreat-mentprotocol hadevolvedoverthelastthreemonths,anddoctorsand nurses were now betterequipped. “We are using a newcocktail of drugs and providingearlyintervention,”hesaid.DrArchanaPatil,additionaldi-

rectorintheDirectorateofHealthServices,saidthestatehadnotyetanalysedwhatthefallindeathfig-urescouldmean.“Wearestillrec-oncilingthedata,”shesaid.Thelatestavailabledatashow

Mumbai now accounts for lessthan half the total deaths inMaharashtra—47.2 per cent—and Thane and Pune for 20 percentand12percentrespectively.InMumbai,amassivescaling-

upofhospitalbedshashappenedsinceMay. The BrihanmumbaiMunicipal Corporation (BMC)scaledup to 5,000 oxygen-sup-portedbeds by June11; this fig-ureisexpectedtotouch9,000bytheendof thismonth.Thenumber of ICUbedshas

increasedfromfewerthan800tomore than 1,200 in amonth inMumbai.“Bedavailabilitywasabig is-

sueearlier,” stateepidemiologistDr Pradeep Awate said. Thegamechanger, he said, has beentheimprovedbedreferralsysteminMumbai,andtheavailabilityofalargernumberofoxygenbeds.Hesaiddailymonitoringindi-

cated that thenumberof criticalpatientswas declining, and thenumber of mild andmoderate

patientswasrising.“Earlier4-4.5per cent of patients required in-tensivecaresupport;overthepastfewdays,thisis intherangeof3-3.5percent,”DrAwatesaid.Health SecretaryDr Pradeep

Vyassaid:“Mumbaihasmoreorless stabilisedwhen it comes tonewcasesanddeaths.Morepeo-pleareunderhomeisolation.”Therewereover63,000active

patients in Maharashtra as ofFriday. The exodus of migrantlabourhadreducedboththecasecountandfatalitiesinthestate,DrVyas said.Maharashtrahas over2.8lakhbedsforCovidpatients.Dr Sanjay Oak, chairman of

theStateTaskForceappointedtoadvise on strategies to reducedeaths, said amultipronged ap-proach had helped. “We havebeencapturingpatientsearly,putthemonoxygen, andusing sev-eraldrugs.Wehave insisted thatthegovernmenttestmore.”An indicationof the trendof

earlyhospitalisationcameintheseconddeathauditreportinMayinMumbai—itfoundthatpeoplewerebeing admitted tohospitalwithin 3.64 days of developingsymptoms, from3.74days intheperioduntilApril15.InKEM, SionandNair hospi-

tals, the threemajor civic hospi-tals inMumbai, the number ofcritical patients seeking admis-sionhas reduced. “This indicatesthatpeoplearegettingadmittedsooner. The drugs tocilizumaband itolizumab have saved somanylives.Wegotaccesstothesedrugs about a month ago,” DrHemantDeshmukh,deanofKEMHospital,said.DrAwate,however,cautioned

againstanyloweringoftheguard.Both case numbers and deathswereexpectedtoriseagaininthemonsoon, he said. The state epi-demiologydepartment expectsCovid-19 case numbers to peakbytheendofJulyorthebeginningofAugust.

Delhi Policehadgiveninstigatingspeeches.AfalsenewswasspreadtherethatMuslims would not be givenIndiancitizenshipduetoNRC,andtheywouldbe sent todetentioncamps. On the outside, thisprotest site had pictures of BRAmbedkar, Shaheed BhagatSingh,MahatmaGandhiandtheTricolorwaswaved.However,one

particular communitywas in-cited against the central govern-ment.Thosewhoparticipatedinthisprotest,whowereincited,onthenightof 23.02.2020tookpartin the violence followingwhichtheFIR…wasregisteredatpolicestationDayalpur. TheorganisersoftheprotestwhichtookplaceatFarooqia Masjid are 1. ArshadPradhan2.DrAnwar,ownerofAl-Hind hospital. The abovemen-tionedpersonscouldnotbeinter-rogated; theywill bequestionedlater andwewill accordingly in-vestigate. The violence whichtookplaceonFebruary23-24wasnotanisolatedincident….”When contacted, Dr Anwar

said, "I amaware thatmynamehas been mentioned in thechargesheet.NeitherdidIorgan-ise nor did I participate in theprotest because I was alwaysbusy.Infact,afewtimesItoldthelocal police that commuting inthe area is a problemdue to theprotest and it should be clearedout.Mynamehasbeendraggedin this simply because I treatedpeopleinthehospitalduringtheriots. I ambeing dragged in thiscasebecauseIshowedbasichu-manity. I am being targeted.Theseare falseallegations."Pradhanhasbeenmentioned

in the chargesheet as a NehruVihar resident; his phonewasswitchedoff.The hospital is about 1 km

fromthesweetshopwhereNegiworked,aswellasfromFarooqiaMasjid.Police have so far named 12

persons as accused in thechargesheet—all of themare injudicialcustody.Theyhavebeenidentified as Mohd Shanawajalias Shanu,Mohd Faizal, Azad,Asraf Ali, Rashid alias Monu,Sharukh,Mohd Shoaib, Parvez,Rashid alias Raja, Md Tahir,SalmanandSonuSaifi.Negi, who hailed from

Uttarakhand,usedtoworkatAnilSweetsshopinShivVihar.PolicehavesaidNegihadgone

totheshop’sgodownforlunchonFebruary24andcouldnotbe lo-cateduntil latethatnight.Asperthechargesheet,amob

camefromBrijpuriPuliaandtar-geted and torched propertiesownedbyHindus includingAnilSweets shop and godown, AnilDairy&Pastryshop,abookshopandDRPschool.

Chhattisgarharm in an attempt to snatch thephonefromher.Withminutesleftfortheclass,

Asha’s fatherAvinashEkkatakesthe phone away as he is gettinglateforwork.WhileShuklaadmittedtothe

limitationsof online learning,hesaid the governmentwas tryinghard to bridge the gap. “Severalprojectsareinthepipeline.Weareworkingonaudio-based classeswhichwillbeplayedviacallcen-treswhere students can call.Weare also looking at the option ofmobileschooling,whereteacherscanmake weekly visits to vil-lages,”hesaid.Despite these attempts at

reaching out, in Chhattisgarh,where almost 4.5 lakhmigrantshavereturnedtothestate,expertsworryaboutdrop-outratesrisingasaresultof thepandemic.That concern is alreadyplay-

ingout inPritamGond’s life. The20-year-oldfromGaneshpurvil-lageinSurajpurisamongthefirstfromhisvillagetoattendcollege.Hehadconvincedhisfamilytolethimtravel toPratappur,anhour-longjourneyonabike.Hewouldwakeupat 5 am,helphis fatheronthefamilyfieldsbeforetravel-lingtocollege,whereheisafirst-yearBAstudent.Hehasasmartphone,buthas-

n’theardoftheonlineportal.Nowthatheisnotgoingtocollege,hisfamily insists he takeupa job. “Idon'twant to, because then I'llhavetoleavecollege,”hesaid.

TN familytoldherhewasgoingtocheckonhisfather,”Kumarsaid.When no word came from

Bennix,S Joseph,whoismarriedto Jeyaraj’s sister, said theywenttothestation. “However, thesta-tionwas locked.” He said theywaitedtill1.30amoutside,beforedeciding to leaveandcomebackthenextmorning.EarlyJune20,thefamilywent

tothepolicestation,andweretoldtoarrangeavehiclesothatJeyarajandBennixcouldbetakentotheSathankulam GovernmentHospital, as well as clothes forthem. Joseph said after theyhadarranged the vehicle, he andhiswifefolloweditatadistanceandsawJeyarajandBennixfromadis-tance,atthehospitalentrance.Hesaid they seemedbadly injured,withtheirclothesblood-soaked.“Theywere surrounded by

policemen.MywifepleadedthatshewasJeyaraj’ssisterandwasal-lowed to go near them. Jeyarajwasunabletotalk,pointingtohisclothes,whichwereseepedwithblood,especiallybelowhiswaist.Bennix’s backwas drenched inblood.Jeyarajmanagedtoconveythat the two of themhad beenbeatenup100,200 timesbypo-licemen, all through the night,”saidJoseph,hisvoicebreaking.PolicemenallowedBennixto

changehis trousers for a veshti,Joseph said. But blood seepedthrougheventhat.“Theyaskedustobring another veshti, but thattoowas drenched before theyeventooktheminsidethehospi-tal. Policedidn’t letmywife taketheclothesBennixhadtakenoff.”The familyclaimstheexami-

nationatthehospitalwasan“eye-wash”aspolicenever left JeyarajandBennixalone.Aseniorpoliceofficer,who is

awareoftheinitialprobeanddidnotwant to be quoted, said thetwowerekeptat thehospital forabouttwohourstostabilisethemandtoreducethebleeding.“Theyweregivensomemedicine.Theychanged half-a-dozen times astheirclotheskeptgettingsoakedwith blood, especially Bennix’s.Around11.30-11.45am,theyweretaken to themagistrate for re-mand,”theofficersaid.The family said that at the

courttoo,JeyarajandBennixweresurroundedbyseven-eightpoliceofficersatalltimes,andcouldnotspeakfreely.Thejudgesentthemon remand toKovilpatti Sub Jail,with a bail hearing not possible

beforeMonday.OnSunday, June21, the fam-

ilysaid,theygotnowordfromthetwo.Afamilymember’sattemptsto meet them failed, with theprisonauthoritiescitingCovid-19fearstodenytherequest, includ-ingonMonday.The same evening, Jeyaraj’s

wife received a call sayingBennix’sbloodpressurewascrit-ically low. Later, another call toldthe family to come immediatelytothejailhospital.BennixdiedonMondaynight,followedbyJeyarajafewhourslater.Aseniorofficerpartofthepo-

lice probe said initial findingsshowthetwowerestripped,tor-turedallofJune19-20nightandabatoninsertedintotheirrectums.“Bennixhadmorebleedingthanhis father. Police reportedly setuponhimafterhetriedtostopanofficerfrombeatinghisfather.”Refusing to comment on a

matter that is in court,Thoothukudi SP ArunBalagopalansaid,“Theydiedinju-dicial custody, not in police cus-tody… The post-mortem hasbeencompleted.”Thereport,sub-mitted to the court in a sealedcover, isnotyetout.

IAS officerapplied for it,” he told The IndianExpress,adding,“IamnotseekingajobinJ&K,asIalreadyhaveone.Plus,Iplantolivepost-retirementinGurgaon. Iwas entitled to thecertificateandgotit.”At present, thedomicile cer-

tificate only entitles one to a jobin theUTgovernmentor admis-sionintoprofessionalcollegesrunby it. Sources said that in theab-sence of any amendment in theUT’sexistinglandlawsrestrictingpurchasesbyoutsiders,itdoesnotentitleonetobuypropertyinJ&K.Sources said that nearly

33,000 people have applied fordomicilecertificatesacrosstheUTsincethenewruleswerenotified,andover25,000issuedthesame.The number of those seekingdomicilecertificatesinKashmirisfar less as compared to those inJammudivision.In three days after the elec-

tronic application for grantingdomicile certificates openedonJune22alone,over6,000applica-tionswerereceived.About65%ofthese till June 25 (over 3,900)were from the Jammuregion. Amajority, however, were fromthose who already holdPermanentResidenceCertificatesof theerstwhilestate.As per thenewrules, people

residingintheUTfor15years,orthosewhohave studied in it forseven years, or appeared in theClass 10or12examination fromaneducational institution in theregion, aswell as their children,areeligible fordomicile.Alsoeli-giblearechildrenofofficialsoftheCentral government, all Indiaservices, banks andPSUs, statu-torybodiesandCentraluniversi-ties,whohaveservedinJ&Kfor10years.Migrants and their children

registeredwith the Relief andRehabilitationCommissioner,andchildren of those J&K residentswho live outside theUT for em-ployment,business,orotherpro-fessional or vocational reasons,canalsogetdomicile.AsthenewsofChoudharyre-

ceiving a domicile certificatecame,theNationalConferenceaswell as the PDP reiterated theiropposition to thenew rules. NCchief spokesperson Aga SyedRuhullahMehdisaidthemeasureis aimedat “disempowering thepermanent residents politicallyandeconomically”.ThePDPaccusedtheCentreof

tryingtodo“demographicflood-inginJammuandKashmir”.Back in Darbhanga,

Choudhary’s father DevkantChoudharycalledtheissueofJ&Kdomicilecertificatetohim“asuc-cessofthevisionofPMNarendraModi”.“Itcouldbecomepossibleonly after Article 370was abro-gated(bytheBJPgovernment).”

Chinese use of force to alter status quo willhave repercussions on ties: Indian envoyborder is sine qua non forprogress in the rest of bilateralrelationshipbetweenIndiaandChina",Misrisaid:"Theresolu-tion of this issue is quitestraightforward fromour per-spective. The Chinese sideneedstostopcreatingobstruc-tionandhindrancesinthenor-mal patrolling patterns of theIndiantroops,”hesaid.He also rubbished China's

claim of sovereignty overGalwan Valley in Ladakh as"completelyuntenable”,andas-sertedthatthesekindsofexag-gerated claimsarenot going tohelpthesituation.“Whateveractivitieswemay

becarryingonhavealwaysbeenonoursideof theLineofActualControl (LAC), so the Chineseneedtostopactivitiestoalterthestatus quo. It is very surprisingthat they should attempt todoso in a sectorwhichhas neverbeforebeenasectorofconcern,”hesaid.Emphasising that India is

"very aware and very clearaboutthealignmentof theLACin theGalwanValley," he said“ourtroopshavebeenpatrollingup to these areaswithout anydifficultyforavery,verylongpe-riodof time”.Misri's strong comments

came in response to the recent

claimsby theChinesemilitaryandtheforeignministryofsov-ereigntyoverGalwanValley.On Chinese Ambassador

SunWeidong's assertion onThursday that the onus is onIndia to de-escalate tensions,Misri said, “I think we havebeenvery clear, andvery con-sistent in pointing out that ithasbeenChineseactionsoveran extended period of time,thatareresponsibleforthecur-rent situation”.“In factbeginningwiththe

time frameof April andMay, Iwould say therewere a num-ber of Chinese actions alongtheLACintheLadakhsectorinthewestern sector that inter-feredwith and hinderedwiththenormalpatrollingactivitiesofourtroopsinthatsector.Thisled obviously to a few face-offsituations,"hesaid.During an interviewwith

PTI,Sunrefusedtoreplytoques-tions about China's transgres-sionsof the LAC.Hewas askedwhyChinahasnotbeenallow-ingIndianpatrolsfromFinger4toFinger8areasinPangongTsoeventhoughtheareasbelongedintheIndiansideofLAC.Hewasalso askedwhy China has re-sorted tomassive build-up oftroops inalmostallareasof the3500-km LAC. But Sun side-

stepped the questions and re-mainedmum.Misri said he "would un-

derline the remarks of ourExternal Affairs Minister (SJaishankar) when he spoke toForeignMinisterWangYi thatthese developments cannotbut have an impact on the bi-lateral relationship.”"Thebilateralrelationshipis

of great value to the twocoun-tries. It is importantnot just forus but also regionally impor-tant,”hesaid.“SoIthinkthereshouldbea

realisationon theChinese sidethatthereisnogainintryingtoalter the status quo on thegroundespecially by resortingtoforce...thatwillnotjustdam-age the peace and tranquillitythatexistedontheborderbutitcanhave ripples and repercus-sionsinthebroaderbilateralre-lationship,”Misrisaid.“Wehavenowishanddesire

for that. Therefore, it is entirelytheresponsibilityoftheChinesesidetotakeacarefulviewofourbilateralrelationsandtodecidewhichdirectionthebilateralre-lationshipwillmove forward”,hesaid.“Tomymind there is only

one answer, I do very muchhope that theChinese sidewillalsoseeitinthatway,”headded.

Noting that in the GalwanValley especially there hasnever been any difference asto where the LAC lay, theIndian envoy said: "It is verysurprising that they shouldhave chosen to, in the contextof theserecentdevelopments,todothiskindof thinginasec-tor which has never beforebeena sectorof concern."“So, for China to nowvoice

these kinds of claims is com-pletely untenable. These kindsof exaggerated claims are notgoing tohelp thesituation. Thekindof language thathasbeenusedisnothelpfultotheresolu-tionof thissituation,”hesaid.Intheongoingmeetingsin-

cludingatthemilitarylevelthataregoingon"wehope that theChinese sidewill realise its re-sponsibilityinde-escalationanddisengagement", he said. "Thatwould be a true resolution ofthisissue,”hesaid.Misri's comments came a

day after the External AffairsMinistry said China has beenamassing a large contingent oftroops and armaments alongtheLACineasternLadakhsinceearlyMay,andwarnedthatcon-tinuation of the current situa-tionwould only vitiate the at-mosphereforthedevelopmentof therelationship. PTI

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India digs inbeentherestorationofstatusquoante as of April, before tensionsboiledover.India is now prepared for a

long stand-off, the official said.Compromising on territorial in-tegrityisnotanoption,theofficialunderlined, themindset is to bepreparedforanyeventuality.Meanwhile,backfromRussia

onThursdayafterathree-daytrip,DefenceMinister Rajnath Singhheld a detailed review of theground situation in easternLadakh Friday. In an hour-longone-on-onemeetingatSingh’sof-ficial residence, Army ChiefGeneralMMNaravane briefedSinghonall the faceoff “friction”pointsalongtheLACandthepre-parednessof theforces.ThiswasSingh’sfirstmeeting

with Naravane after the CorpsCommandersmetonJune22forthe second time to draw aroadmapfordisengagementandde-escalation.Naravanewent toLadakhonJune23.Acknowledgingthatthereisa

senseinthegovernmentofbeingcaughtunawaresbythescopeandnatureofChinesedeploymentonthe LAC, theofficial said that thisisnotthetimetopointfingers.Thetime for reviewingwill be onlyonce the situation is under con-trol, theofficialadded.

Pangong Tsode-escalationinPangongTso.”“Wearealsodeployed inad-

equatestrengthbuttherearetac-tical restrictions imposedbythelocalterrain.Letmejustsayitisachallengingareaforus,”theoffi-cial said.PangongTsoanditsnorthern

bankhavebeenaterritoryofcon-tentionbutbeforethecurrentten-sionsarose,theChinesehadaper-manent base at Finger 8. Theyhavenowdeployedthemselves8kmtothewest,atFinger4wheretheyhave also constructed shel-ters,pillboxes,bunkersandotherinfrastructure.TheFingersaremountainous

spurs jutting out from the ridgeon the northern bank towardsthe lake.While India asserts that the

LAC in the area passes throughFinger8,theChinesehavealwaysclaimed it much further to thewest.Historically, IndianpatrolshavehadaccesstoFinger8whiletheChinesepatrolswouldcomefurtherwestwardonvehiclesus-ing the road constructed during

the 1999 Kargil War. A sharprockyfeaturebetweentheFinger4 and Finger 3means that theareatothewestofFinger4isonlyaccessibleonfoot.India’smain base is close to

Finger3,around2kmwestofthecurrent Chinese deployment.The Indian side also has an ad-ministrativebaseclosertoFinger4,atthestartofthesharpfeature.It is around this area that theArmyhasnowdeployeditself inresponse to the suddenChinesedeploymentinthearea.Lessthan500metres separate soldiers ofbothsidesat this faceoff point.The official also said that

therehasbeenasuddenincreasein Chinese troops on the south-ern bank of the lake, which hasbeenmatchedbytheIndianside.This is the area of Chushul

heights,whereIndiahasabaseatThakung on the southern bank.According to maps with theIndianArmy, the LAC in the areagoessouthfromThakungtoPoint5167 and Bump opposite theSpanggurGapontheChineseside.Meanwhile,Armyofficers in

Delhi confirmed thatno furthertalksbetweenthemilitarycom-mandersofbothsideshavebeenscheduledso far.

Indian exportersphysically examiningall importsfrom China, which is delayingclearance,addingtothecostofim-ports.Whilewehave been toldthere is no official communica-tion,buttheexaminationislead-ingtopilingofimports,”statedthebodyinitsrepresentation.“Some exporters have in-

formedthat, inresponsetosuchaction, Hong Kong and ChineseCustoms are also holding backexports fromIndia,” it said.The body has requested the

ministry to takeup thematterofdelayed clearances at ports inIndiawith the Central Board ofIndirectTaxesandCustoms(CBIC)and issue a denial if no instruc-tionshadbeengiventocustoms.Separately in aCII-organised

‘e-conference on leveraging e-SANCHITforstrongersinglewin-dow system’, CBIC ChairmanMAjit Kumar said thedepartmentwastryingtoensurecuttingtimeforclearances,sothatpricescomedown and the goods becomemorecompetitive.“...Weare truly yourpartners

inthisendeavourofyours.Wearenotheremerelyas taxcollectors,wewanttoensurethatyourtimeandprice both comedown, you

FROMPAGEONE

New Delhi

SOURAVROYBARMANNEWDELHI, JUNE26

THE NUMBER of containmentzonesinDelhiislikelytosharplyriseoverthenextfewdays,withdistrict magistrates redrawingtheboundariesof existingones,dividinglargeonesintomultiplesegments, and identifying “asmany new clusters of cases aspossible”.There are 280 containment

zones inthecity,housingapop-ulation of over 2.5 lakh. Thesouthwest,south,west,eastandnorth districts account for over150 of the zones, where entryand exit is regulated and all ac-tivitiesarebarred.

The Union HomeMinistryhadonJune21directedtheDelhigovernmenttoissue“revisedde-marcation of all containmentzones”byJune26.Theissuealsofiguredinareviewmeetingheldby Union Home Secretary AjayBhallaon June25.The DMswere empowered

totakealldecisionspertainingtocontainment measures, andDCPs, deputy commissionersofthemunicipalbodiesandheadsof all hospitalswere directed toreport to them to ensure effec-tive implementation of lock-downmeasures.Senior district-level officials

involved in the exercise to re-draw the maps said existingzoneswillremain,evenasnewer

oneswillbeadded. “Wearetry-ing to cluster asmany cases aspossible,” SouthwestDMRahulSinghsaid.West DMNeha Bansal also

said the existing zoneswill re-main sealed, save one at TilakVihar,whichisbeingbrokenintomultiple contained areas. TheTilak Vihar containment zone,housingapopulationof 5,897, isthelargestsealedareainthewestdistrict,whichhas21suchzones.“Aroundfourseparatezones

will be carved out of the TilakVihar cluster. Separately, 9-10new areas where clusters ofcases have been identified arebeingsealed,”Bansal said.A similar carving out of mi-

cro zones from large sealed ar-easwascarriedoutinthecentraldistrict earlier, where densely

populated localities such asChandniMahal,NabiKarimandSadarBazarwerecontained.In identifying the new clus-

ters, the DMswere directed tomake use of the Itihaas andAarogyaSetuappsby theMHA.Thedistrictadministrationsdidmakeuseof theapps,whilealso“plotting the cases on our ownand finding out clustersmanu-ally as the apps do not give thecompletepicture”, saidaseniorofficial.“UnionHomeMinisterAmit

Shah also approved the com-bineduseof theAarogyaSetu&Itihaasappsasstrongpredictivetools for future detection ofCovid-19 outbreaks in popula-tion clusters. Training on the

combined use of the apps wasimparted by NCDC trainers tothe district teams of the Delhigovernment on Thursday,” theMHAsaid inastatement.The statement added that a

city-wideserologicalsurvey,ex-pected to cover 20,000 people,will begin Saturday. The surveywillbe jointlyconductedbytheNCDC and the Delhi govern-ment.Separate door-to-door

screening of people, to find outthe spread of the infection andensure timely tests for peopleshowing symptoms, especiallythose with co-morbid condi-tions such as cardiac ailments,hypertension,diabetesandcan-cer,hasalreadystarted.

‘MORE ICUBEDSWILLBEARRANGED’

EXPRESSNEWSSERVICENEWDELHI, JUNE26

THEREISadequateavailabilityofbeds for Covid patients in thecapital, Delhi Chief MinisterArvind Kejriwal said Friday,adding that the situation hasbeenbrought“undercontrol”byattaching hotelswith hospitals.The fact thatmost patients areshowingmild symptoms, whodonotrequirehospitalisation, isalsoencouraging,hesaid.Currently,outof13,240beds

forCovidpatientsacrossfivestategovernment-run,fiveCentre-runand 116 private hospitals in thecity, 6,100 are occupied, accord-ingtothecoronadashboard.“Over the last oneweek, the

dailyaverageofbedsoccupiedinhospitals has remained around6,000.Over3,000newcasesarebeing registered every day, butnotmanyarerequiringhospital-isation. InDelhi, people infectedwith thevirusare showingmildsymptoms,”Kejriwalsaid.In the five government hos-

pitals,1,424outof4,119bedsareoccupied;1,094outof2,022bedsat five Centre-run hospitals arefull;3,582outof7,099bedsat116privatehealthfacilitiesaretaken.The capacity of many privatehospitalshasrisenonaccountofthembeingattachedwithhotelsthatareservingasextensions.TheDelhiCabinetFridayalso

gave necessary approvals to op-erationaliseanothergovernmenthospitalatBurari,with450beds.With 3,460 new cases on

Friday,takingthetotalto77,240,Delhi continues to remain the

citywiththehighestcaseloadinthecountry.Thecityalsosaw63deaths, taking the toll to2,492.Whileexpressingsatisfaction

with the number of beds avail-able, the CM underlined thatmore ICU beds are likely to beneededinthecomingdays.Thereare currently 744 ICU/ventilatorbeds,outofwhich167areinfourDelhigovernmenthospitals,185infivehospitalsundertheCentre,and392in74privatehospitals.“WearealsocreatingICUbeds.

Wearenotsittingidle.Over3,500bedshavebeen laid at hotels at-

tachedtohospitalsoverthelast10days,whichiswhythenumberofbedshasincreased.Morebanquethalls are beingprepared.Wearepreparing for tomorrow, for thedayafter.TherewasashortageofbedsduringthefirstweekofJune.I used to attend calls throughoutthenight, trying to arrangebedsforpeople.Thesituationisundercontrolnow,”saidKejriwal.Therewill bemore ICUbeds

at Lok Nayak, GTB and RajivGandhi Super Speciality hospi-tals in thecomingdays,hesaid.Kejriwalsaidthecityisrecord-

ingabove3,000casesalmosteverydayasmore tests arebeing con-ducted:“Whenwewerecarryingout5,000-6,000 tests in the city,around2,000-2,500positivecasesusedtocomeup.Nowthat18,000-20,000testsaregettingconducted,casesarenaturallyontherise.”TheCMsaidthegovernment

hasmanaged to provide all pa-tientsunderhomeisolationwithoximeterstohelpthemmonitoroxygen saturation levels. “Theideal saturation level is 95%.Anythingbelow90isconsidereddangerous,andsevereifconcen-

tration drops below 85. Peoplehave been provided oximetersso that they can call us if levelsdip below 95. The governmentwillarrangeoxygencylindersforthemandshift tohospitals if re-quired,”hesaid.

Attendant allowedThe Delhi government has

directed all Covid hospitals topermitoneattendantperpatientin the premises, amovewhichwill ease the communicationgap between families and pa-tients.Tillnow,noattendantwasallowedtoenterthepremisesofthe hospital where a Covid-19patientwasadmitted.Thedecision comesdays af-

ter the Supreme Court sug-gested a series of measures toimprove patient care in Covid-19hospitals.Thegovernmenthasalso re-

iteratedandaskedallCovidhos-pitals to install CCTV cameras.TheCCTVfootagehastobemadeavailable to the inspecting/su-pervisingexpertteamformedbytheGovernmentof India.

CMArvindKejriwaladdresses thewebcast, Friday

Workersonsanitisationdutyatacontainmentzone.Archive

Protest at Hindu Raoover delay in salariesEXPRESSNEWSSERVICENEWDELHI, JUNE26

EVEN AS North MCD’s HinduRaoHospital is likely to be con-verted into a Covid facility onSaturday, paramedical staff andnursesFridaystagedaprotestforan hour on the premises over“delayinpaymentofsalary”and“lackof infrastructure”.InduJamwal,presidentofthe

hospital’s Nurses’ WelfareAssociation,said,“Wedon’tmindworkingattheCovidfacility,butweshouldatleastbegivensalaryon time.Wehavenot beenpaidsince April.” She also claimedthere were several problemssuchas “noproperdonninganddoffingarea,andairconditionersnotworkingproperly”.North MCD director, press

and information, said several

measuresarebeingtakentoim-prove infrastructure includingprovision of ACs, CCTVs, whichwillbevisiblesoon.“Ontheclin-ical side, we have adequatehealthcare professionals. Allthose put on duty in the Covidcare facility will be providedwith accommodation as pernormsfixedbytheDelhigovern-ment,” said thedirector.Aseniorofficial said thecor-

poration is trying to increase itssources of revenue so thatsalariesarepaidontime.OnJune14,theDelhigovern-

menthadorderedthat the980-bedhospitalbeconvertedintoaCovid facility. The order tooktime to be implemented as thehospitalpreparedtorampupitsinfrastructure, saidofficials.A hospital official said 50

bedswill be set aside for Covidcases initially.

CORONAVIRUS IN THECAPITAL

TOTAL CASES

77,240Total Vacant

HOSPITAL BEDS 13,411 7,190VENTILATORS 743 243

Dailycases Recoveries Deaths TestsJune25 3,390 3,328 64 17,305June26 3,460 2,326 63 21,144Total 27,657* 47,091 2,492 4,59,156

*Total active cases

Bed shortage in firstweek of June, undercontrol now, not sitting idle, says CM

With new plan, containment zone number set to rise

THECITY3 WWW.INDIANEXPRESS.COMTHEINDIANEXPRESS,SATURDAY, JUNE27,2020

NOTICE

Registered Office: Bombay House, 24, Homi Mody Street,Fort, Mumbai - 400 001, India

Tel.: +91 22 6665 8282 Fax No.: +91 22 6665 7724Email: cosec@tatasteel.com Website: www.tatasteel.com

CIN: L27100MH1907PLC000260

June 26, 2020Mumbai

Tata Steel Limited

Parvatheesam KanchinadhamSd/-

Company Secretary &Chief Legal Officer (Corporate & Compliance)

A meeting of the Board of Directors of Tata Steel Limited(the 'Company') will be held on Monday, June 29, 2020, interalia,1. to consider and take on record the audited Standalone

and unaudited Consolidated financial statements andresults for the quarter ended March 31, 2020;

2. to consider and take on record the audited Standaloneand Consolidated financial statements and results for thef inancia l year ended March 31, 2020; and

3. recommend dividend, if any, for the financial year endedMarch 31, 2020

The financial results will be made available on the websiteof the Company at www.tatasteel.com as well as onthe website of the National Stock Exchange ofIndia Limited at www.nseindia.com and BSE Limited atwww.bseindia.com.

New Delhi

ANANDMOHANJNEWDELHI, JUNE26

ADELHI court refused to grantDelhiPolicecustodyofRajdhaniPublic School owner FaisalFarooq,whowasarrestedincon-nectionwith a Northeast Delhiriot-relatedcase,notingthattheinvestigating officer knew thefactsofthecasefromthefirstdaybut the applicationwasmovedafteradelayof fourmonths.Farooqwasrecentlygranted

bail in connection with a riotcase,with the judgenoting thatthepolice“chargesheetisbereftofmaterial showing the linksofapplicant with PFI, Pinjra Todgroup and Muslim clerics”.Police had moved Delhi HighCourt to cancel his bail, follow-ingwhichtheHChadstayedthetrialcourt’sorder.Later,Farooq’slawyers had informed HighCourt that hewas arrested in aseparatecaserelatedtotheriots.MetropolitanMagistrateRicha

Parihar,whorefusedtograntpo-lice four days custody of the ac-cused,noted,“Idonotfindanyjus-tification inmoving the presentapplication after delay of aboutfourmonthswhenthefactswerewithin the knowledge of the IOhimself fromthevery firstdayofincident,moreover,bothcasesaresimultaneously registered at thesamepolice station i.e.Dayalpur.Consideringoverall factsandcir-

cumstance of the case...I do notconsideritafitcaseforgrantofpo-licecustodyremandofaccused.”The investigatingofficerhad

informedthecourtthat“76FIRshave been registered and thatthe facts of the present case aredifferent”fromthecaseinwhichFarooqwas granted bail. The IOargued that they required thecustody of the accused for fur-ther investigation, the arrest ofco-accused persons and to col-lect corroborative evidence inthepresentcase.Farooq’slawyerRKKocharop-

posedthepoliceremand,arguingthatitwas“anabuseofprocessoflaw”.Kocharhadarguedthat the“FIR in thepresent casehasbeenmalafidely registeredagainst theaccused on the same facts”. Healsosubmittedthat“accusedwasformallyarrested inpresent caseon22.06.2020only todefeat thepurpose of bail granted to ac-cused”inthepreviouscase.The court had noted that it

was a matter of record thatwhenFarooqwasarrestedinthepreviouscase,thepolicehadgothis three-day custody on thepretext that hewas to be takento various places of UttarPradesh,Uttarakhandandsomeparts of Delhi. The court notedthat the allegations in both FIRswere similar and took place onthe sameday “thus the ingredi-entof theallegedoffenceinbothFIRsaremoreor less similar”.

THEINDIANEXPRESS,SATURDAY, JUNE27,2020

THECITYWWW.INDIANEXPRESS.COM

4

SUKRITABARUAHNEWDELHI,JUNE26

ALL SCHOOLS in the capitalwillcontinuetoremainclosedtillJuly31,announcedDeputychiefmin-isterManishSisodiaFriday.Schoolshavebeenshutsince

mid-March, following whichmostof themturned to learningthroughonlinemeans. Summervacations,whichbeganacrossthecity inMay,arescheduledtoendon June 30 formost schools, in-cluding Delhi governmentschools. Schoolswill nowreturntoremotelearning.However, with NCERT and

CBSE yet to finalise the adjustedcurriculum for secondary andseniorsecondarystudentsforthecurrent academic year, schoolsand the education departmentarestill finalisingplans.Aneducationdepartmentof-

ficial said the government is stilldiscussinghowtoconductteach-ing-learning in its schools July 1onwards. “We had adopted astaggeredapproachinApril-May,makingdecisions based onhowthingswereworkingout.Wearelikelytodothatafterthebreakaswell,butwewillhavemoreclar-ity. The student body will be

clearer because the results andpromotionofstudentshavebeendone, andwehavemore or lesscompleted the transfer of stu-dentsfromMCDprimaryschoolstoclassVI.Wewill issue instruc-tions to schools by nextweek,”saidtheofficial.Ontheotherhand, somepri-

vate schools thathadconductedonlineclassesaggressivelyearlierarelookingtoeaseclasses.“Wewereteachingmorethan

usual becausewe used to have30-minuteclassesbutwerecon-ductinghour-longonlineclasses.Wewereconducting5-6hoursofclassesdailyforclasses6-12.Nowthat theHRDministry is likely tolimit the lengthof classes to twohours and that the course-loadmightbereduced,wewillreduceour class hours,” said SuruchiGandhi, principal of Bal BhartiPublicSchool,Dwarka.Another challenge for the

government will be to resumethemid-daymeals.OnTuesday,the Delhi Commission forProtectionofChildRightshadis-suednotices toeducationdirec-torsoftheDelhigovernmentandthemunicipal corporations onnutritiondelivery.“...thedepart-ment will have to plan someway...,” readthenotice.

MAHENDERSINGHMANRALNEWDELHI,JUNE26

ELEVENSPECIALpublicprosecu-tors (SPPs) havebeenappointedby Lt-GovernorAnil Baijal to en-sure a “speedy trial” in connec-tionwith theNortheastDelhi ri-ots in February. Theprosecutorswill handle over 700 cases, in-cluding 53murder cases, filedwithrespecttotheriotssofar.Theadvocates have been appointedafter their nameswere recom-mendedbytheDelhiPolicetotheL-G’soffice.In a notification issued on

June 24 in the name of the L-G,theDeputySecretary(Home)ofthe Delhi government stated,“...the Competent Authority ispleasedtoappointthesepersonsas Special Public Prosecutors(SPPs). They shall conduct allcourt proceedings, includingbail, trial, appeals, and all othermiscellaneousmatters, inciden-taltoandconnectedwithall theFIRswhichhavebeenregisteredin respect of riots in NortheastDelhioranyothermatterrelatedto theseFIRs.”The Indian Express had re-

portedonMay2thatDelhiPoliceCommissioner S N ShrivastavahaddecidedtoappointapanelofSPPs. The lawyers have been se-lectedonthebasisof theirexpe-rience, aminimumof 10 years,andexpertise.“AdvocateManojChaudhary;

Rajiv Krishna Sharma;Nitin RajSharma; Devendra Kumar

Bhatia;NareshKumarGaur;AmitPrasad; Jinendra Jain; AnujHanda; Ram Chander SinghBhadoria;UttamDatt;andSalimAhmad. Their fee structure is Rs5,000 per day along with 10%clericalchargesaseffectivehear-ing charges, Rs 1,000 per day asnon-effectivehearingcharges,Rs20,000 per day as maximumhearingchargesandirrespectiveofnumberofcases,”thenotifica-tionstated.The Indian Expresshas learnt

that initially, names of 20 advo-cateswereproposedbytheDelhiPolicetoL-GBaijal forapproval.“In the last week of April, a

meeting was called byShrivastavainwhichhediscussedthestatusofallthecasesandwasinformedthatmorethan800ar-rests have been made... TheNortheastdistrictpoliceareprob-ing cases of assault during vio-lence,vandalism,androbbery.Allunits of the crime branch areprobingmurdercases,while theSpecialCell, theanti-terrorwingof theDelhiPolice, isprobingthelargerconspiracy,”saidanofficer.Police also sought help from

the SPPs while preparing thechargesheets. Ameeting of allshortlisted advocates had beencalled by the officers of the legalcell at the Delhi PoliceHeadquarters. Officers from theNortheast district and crimebranch were also part of themeeting. “Theywere briefed astheyhavetocoordinatewiththecrimebranch anddistrict policetohelpthemprepareawatertightchargesheet,”saidanofficer.

KEEP IT FASHIONABLEMasks forsaleoutsideaCovidhospital inGhaziabad,Friday.PremNathPandey

Schools to be shuttill July 31: Sisodia

SUKRITABARUAHNEWDELHI,JUNE26

WITHTHECBSEreleasingdetailson the grading system for ClassXII students, whose remainingboardexamshavebeencancelleddue to the pandemic, educatorsacrossthecapitalhavewelcomedtheformulaasthe“bestpossible”one.“Given the circumstances, I

don’tthinkanythingbettercouldhavebeendoneforthestudents’interests.Moststudentshadoneortwoexamsleft.Astheyusuallyperformsimilarly across all sub-jects, I think it’s a fair formula,”saidBirlaVidyaNiketanprincipalMinakshiKushwaha.Themarkingschemereleased

by CBSE takes into account thatdifferentstudentshaveappearedforadifferentnumberof exami-nations. This is particularly so inNortheast Delhi, where examswerenotheldforfourdaysduetoriots in the region.While 12pa-perswere earlier scheduled forClass XII students across thecountrybetweenJuly1and15,11other papers remained for stu-dentsfromNortheastDelhi.“Thisarrangementlooksafter

children’sbestinterests.Forthosewhohadgiventwoorlessexams,the boardwill look at their per-formanceintheinternals,wherethey usually score well,” saidAshok Pandey, director, Ahlcongroupof schools.Themostimmediateutilityof

theboardresultsisforadmissiontoundergraduatecolleges—par-ticularlyDelhiUniversity,whereadmission tohonours courses isdone through ahighly competi-tivecut-off system.HinduCollegeprincipalAnju

Srivastavasaid,“Everythingabouttheadmissionsystemisdifferentthis year.Wewill not bedirectlyinteractingwithapplicants,asit’san online system.Without anytrends,it’sdifficulttoknowifthismarkingschemewillimpactcut-offs.Aswewanttokeepintaketoourcollege’ssanctionedstrength,wewillcarefullytakesmallstepsintheselists.”Somequestioned if students

would be placed at a disadvan-tage in the new system. “Themarkingschemeisgoodandfair.ButinthecaseofDU,wherethereis competition for eachpercent-agepoint,somestudentsmayfeeltheycouldhavedonebetterinex-ams they had not yet appearedfor,”saidAwadheshJha,principalofagovernmentschoolinRohini.

To speed up riotcases, 11 spl publicprosecutors picked

ASTHASAXENANEWDELHI, JUNE26

DELHI HEALTH MinisterSatyendar Jain was Friday dis-chargedfromMaxHospitalaftertesting negative for Covid-19.The 55-year-oldminister, whowas administered plasma ther-apy, had tested positive on June17, a day after hewas admittedto Delhi government’s RajivGandhiSuperSpecialityHospital(RGSSH)with high-grade feverandadrop inoxygen levels.On June 22, Jainwasmoved

out of the ICU of the dedicatedCovid facility, two days after hewas administered plasma ther-apy.The therapy involves trans-

fusion of plasma from a conva-lescent coronavirus patient to acritical patient. The blood of aconvalescent patient is rich inantibodies that are expected tohelp thecriticalpatient recover.Delhi Chief minister Arvind

Kejriwal said the number of

deaths due to Covid-19 inDelhihascomedownsinceLokNayakHospital started using the ther-apy. “It may be difficult to savevery serious patients usingplasma therapy, but it can helpmoderatepatientsbynotlettingtheir conditionworsen. This iswhatwehavefoundtillnow,”hesaidFriday.InDelhi, seven institutes, in-

cluding AIIMS, Maulana AzadMedical College in coordinationwithInstituteofLiverandBiliarySciences, Indraprastha ApolloHospital, Batra Hospital, LadyHardingeMedical College, RamManoharLohiaHospitalandMaxHospital Saket have been ap-provedtoparticipateinthetrials.The CMsaid that RGSSHhas

also received thenod to start tri-als. “Ninepatientshavebeenad-ministeredthetherapyinthefirstphaseofthetrialatLokNayakhos-pital andnowwehave receivedpermissiontoconduct200more.Someprivatehospitals havealsogotseparatepermissions,”hesaid.OnApril16,theDelhigovern-

mentreceivedago-aheadtouseplasma therapy from ICMR.Earlier,MaxHospital Saket hadalsousedthetherapyontwopa-tients.While onedied, theotherhad shown improvement. Butgetting donors remains a chal-lenge.Duringthefirsttrial,ILBSincoordinationwithLokNayakhos-pital had contacted around 448recovered Covid patients, out ofwhichonly16donatedplasma.

Court flags delay inapplication for policecustody in riots case

SHIVAMPATELNEWDELHI, JUNE26

CONCENTRATION OF nitrogendioxide (NO2) over Delhidropped to its lowest level thisyear in April since July 2018, anew analysis by three interna-tional space agencies includingNASA, the European SpaceAgency, and the JapanAerospace Exploration Agencyhas shown.The concentration of the air

pollutant began reducing fromMarch 16 and continued drop-pingunderthefirstphaseof thenationwide lockdown imposedfromMarch25toApril14tocon-trol the spread of coronaviruspandemic.Satellite data records,which

show the drop in NO2 levels,have been put together by thethree agencies in a Covid-19Earth Observation Dashboard,whichisalsotrackingchangesinenvironment,economicactivityand agriculture caused by thepandemic related restrictionsacross theglobe.“Air quality changes around

theworldwere among the firstnoticeableimpactsofpandemic-related stay-at-home orders...Oneairpollutant,nitrogendiox-ide,whichisprimarilytheresultof burning fossil fuels for trans-portationandelectricitygenera-tion,showsupclearlyinsatellitedata,”apressstatementbyNASAsaidThursday.OnApril13,thetropospheric

NO2overDelhi dropped to 31.3micromoles per square meter

(µmol/m2),thelowestlevelseensinceJuly9,2018,asperthedatafromthedashboard.

In the same period last year,onApril 15, theNO2concentra-tion over the city was 113.9

µmol/m2,morethanthreetimeshigher than the levels recordedthisyear.

Theconcentrationbegan in-creasing after April 13 but re-mained much lower than thesame period last year. On June22, the levelwas76.7µmol/m2,ascomparedto102µmol/m2onJune24,2019.The dashboard also high-

lightshowglobalandlocalreac-tions to the pandemic havechanged concentrations of car-bondioxide(CO2),agreenhousegas.Data shows that inApril this

year, the concentration of CO2hadalmosthalvedascomparedtoApril 2016 inDelhi.“These changes are very dif-

ficult to attribute to the pan-demicbecauseofthelarge-scalenaturalCO2changesseenacrossIndia during this season," thestatement said.

AMID LOCKDOWN

NASA dashboard confirms pollution drop in capital

JainhadtestedpositiveonJune17

Jain out of hospital, CM says plasmatherapy has cut number of deaths

TheconcentrationofNO2beganreducingfromMarch16.Anil Sharma

RemainingexamshavebeencancelledduetoCovid-19

Schools say gradingsystem for Class 12best possible scenario

SAKSHIDAYALGURGAON, JUNE26

MALLS INGurgaonwill reopennextweek, threemonths aftertheyweredirectedtoshutamidstthecoronavirusoutbreak.“Thereisanimportantdevelopmentweareexpectingfromthestategov-ernmentonmalls.TheCentrehadalreadygivendirectionson theirreopening,aspertheirSOP.Inthecoming week, malls will beopened inGurgaon,” said VinayPratap Singh, Commissioner ofthe Municipal Corporation ofGurugram(MCG),duringapressconferenceFriday.“District administration offi-

cialswillcheckthatSOPsarebe-ingfollowed.Iftheyaren’t,orderswillbegiventoclosethosestoresormalls,”hesaid,addingthatnodirectionshavebeenreceivedonreopeningreligiousplaces.Asmanyas4,944peoplehave

tested positive in Gurgaon, ofwhom3,266haverecoveredand81havesuccumbedtotheinfec-tion.Thecitysaw93casesFriday.

Officialsalsodismissedreportsof a second complete or partiallockdown. “The country ismov-ing towardsunlocking. In such asituation, there isno justificationto impose a lockdown again inGurgaon; theadministrationhasno plans for this,” said DeputyCommissionerAmitKhatri.“Terms like lockdown and

containmentshouldnotbeusedliberally...Containmentzonesarean established thing; lockdownis already in effect here,” headded. There are 106 contain-mentzones inthedistrict.Officials from the adminis-

trationsaidtheywould, incom-ing days, ramp up enforcementin containment zones. In an or-der issued Friday, the DistrictMagistrate also identified 20“large outbreak regions” (LORs)ineightwards,wherealsomove-mentwill be curbed and inten-sivehealthscreeningcarriedout.Incontainmentzones,Khatri

said:“Betterenforcementmeansbettermanningofentryandexitpoints, barricading, CCTV cover-age,plusenforcement internally

withinthezones...Assistancewillalsobeprovidedinhealthaspectsin terms of intensive healthscreening, house-to-house sur-vey,symptomassessment,useofrapidantigenkits,distributionofimmunitykits.”The LORs, as per the order,

have been devised because de-spite“lockdownefforts,therestill

have been cases” in the districtwith “contact history traced toareas beyond the boundaries ofcontainment zones”. “... It be-comesimperativeinpublicinter-estthatmeasuresareundertakenincertain...(LOR)...tocontainfur-ther spread of the virus with athree-fold approach— reason-able restrictions onmovement,

intensivepublichealthcampaignandminimiseadversesocio-eco-nomicfalloutofthesemeasures,”states theorder.Apart fromlayingoutguide-

lines for enforcement, such asbarricading,identificationofen-try and exit points, the orderstates that if movement in andout of the LOR is “unavoidable”,the personmust install AarogyaSetu, thermal scanning andsymptomaticscreeningmustbedone at nakas during entry andexit,andrapidtestingfacilitydur-ingexitwillalsobe“advisable”.Apart froman intensivepub-

lic health campaign—door-to-door screening, testing, sanitisa-tion — the order also lays outguidelines for industries in theseareas, stating that “in situ indus-trialactivity”willbepermittedbutaccommodation formanpowerwill have to bemadewithin theLOR.Similarly,forthosestayinginthe LORbut having tomoveoutforwork,arrangementswillhaveto bemade for accommodationoutside.Onlyessentialshopsandcommercial establishmentswill

beallowedtooperateinthesear-eas. The order states that it shallcome into force “from10amonJune30”andremaininforceuntilJuly14.The state government Friday

also issued orders to cap pricescharged by hospitals for Covidtreatment.Accordingtotheorder,private hospitals have been di-videdintotwocategoriesintermsof rate of treatment— those notaccredited by the NationalAccreditationBoardforHospitalsand Healthcare, and those ac-credited by Joint CommissionInternational(JCI)andNABH.For the former, rates have

been set between Rs 8,000 andRs 15,000— Rs 8,000 for isola-tion beds, Rs 13,000 for ICUwithout ventilator, and Rs15,000 for ICUwithventilator.Forthelatterthesehavebeen

set between Rs 10,000 and Rs18,000 per day— Rs 10,000 forisolationbeds,Rs15,000for ICUwithout ventilator, and Rs18,000 for ICUwithventilator.Khatri said, “Wewill impose

theorders.”

COVIDCASESCLOSETO5,000

Malls inGurgaonhavebeenshutsinceMarch18.Archive

Gurgaonmalls set to reopen nextweekAdmintorampupenforcement incontainmentzones, identifies20 ‘largeoutbreakregions’wheremovementwillbecurbed

0-50 Good

ANANDVIHARModerate

0 500

130AQIPM:2.5

SIRIFORTSatisfactory

0 500

SHADIPURModerate

0 500 500

51-100 Satisfactory 101-200 Moderate 201-300 Poor 301-400 VeryPoor 401-500 Severe

DWARKA- SECTOR8Moderate

0

116AQIPM:10

112AQIPM:2.5

95AQIPM:10

New Delhi

NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGYKURUKSHETRA-136119

Advt. No.13/2020

SXf¿MÑXe¹f ´fiüôûd¦fIYe ÀfaÀ±ff³f, IbY÷YÃfZÂf

Admission to M. Tech. Programmesunder Sponsored Category for Academic Year 2020-21

Applications are invited for the admission to M.TechProgrammes of the Institute under Sponsored Category for theAcademic Year 2020-21. For Application Form, Fee and otherdetails, please visit the Institute website: www.nitkkr.ac.in.

Duly completed application form to be submitted on orbefore 03.08.2020. Application submitted without fee, incom-plete or late will not be considered. Please visit the Institutewebsite regularly for any announcement and updates in thisregard.

Sd/-Registrar l/c1675/NIT

5THEINDIANEXPRESS,SATURDAY, JUNE27,2020

GOVT&POLITICSWWW.INDIANEXPRESS.COM

MAULSHREESETHLUCKNOW,JUNE26

DRAWING A parallel betweenUttarPradesh'slargepopulationof approximately 24 crorewiththatoftheUnitedStatesandfourEuropeancountries,andtheirre-spective fatalities due to coron-avirus,PrimeMinisterNarendraModi on Friday said the stategovernment under YogiAdityanath has saved close to85,000 lives.The situation, Modi said,

wouldhavebeendifferentunderprevious governments, as theywouldhaveonlymadeexcuses.But theAdityanathgovernmentforesawthesituationandmadequarantineandisolationcentrestocurbthevirus’spread,hesaid.Modi made the remarks

while launching the ‘AtmaNirbhar Uttar Pradesh RojgarYojna’, thatseekstopromotelo-cal entrepreneurship with in-dustrial associations.“If we see four European

countries—England,France,ItalyandSpain—whichhavebeensu-perpowers,andstillhavesignif-icantinfluenceacrosstheworld,their (combined) population isabout24crore.InIndia,justUttarPradesh has thismuch popula-tion.While1.30lakhpeoplehavedied of coronavirus in thesecountries,UP,withasimilarpop-ulation, has seen just 600deaths,” saidPrimeMinister.Talking about the US, the

PrimeMinister said, “Youmusthave seen reports coming fromAmerica,whichcanarrangeany-thing in the blink of an eye. Butwith a population of about 33crore,Americahasseen1.25lakh(Covid-related)deaths.”He emphasised, “If the Yogi

Adityanathgovernmenthadnot

made arrangements, and if UPhad seen similar (rate of) fatali-ties like America, then about85,000peoplewouldhavediedhere. Those lives have beensaved (inUP).”ModisaidAdityanathdidnot

gotoperformthelastritesofhisfather and insteadworkedwithofficials onplans to savepeopleof the state from coronavirus,and that UP's figures have “sur-prised experts from across theworld”,hesaid.Modialsoexhortedpeopleto

rememberthatthebattleagainstthevirusisnotgoingtoendnow,and as people move out forwork,itwouldbeafightforbothlifeand living.“Yaadrakhiye,coronakekhi-

laf ladhayi bandh honay walinahi hai…. Ladhayi jaari rakhnihai, ladhayi jaari hai. Kaam parnikaliye, lekin do gaj ki doori,

chehre pe mask aur lagataarsaaf-safayi. Jeevan aur ajeevikadono ki ladhayi UP jeetega, aurBharat bhi jeetega (rememberthatthefightagainst thevirus isnotgoingtoend;thisfighthastocontinue. Go out for work butmaintain a two-yard distance,coverthefaceandmaintaincon-stanthygiene.Itisafightforbothlife and living, which both UPandthecountrywillwin).”In an indirect reference to

Jawaharlal Nehru and the 1954Kumbh stampede, which killedmorethan500people,Modisaidthat being an MP from UttarPradesh, the state’s achieve-ments give him satisfaction but“once there was also a PrimeMinister fromUP” andwhen alarge number of deaths tookplace in Prayagraj due to stam-pede during Kumbh, the entireenergy of the governmentwas

used tohide fatality figures.Modi also said the UP gov-

ernmenthasmadebothquanti-tativeandqualitativeadditiontothe Centre’s scheme for provid-ing employment. He said otherstatesshouldfollowitsexamplein launching such employmentschemes.The PM said UP is taking a

lead in implementation of sev-eral government schemes andhasnowprovided1.25crorejobsto labourers. Claiming that UPhas seen visible progress in thepastthreeyearsunderaBJPgov-ernment,hesaid30lakhperma-nent houses have been con-structed, more than 3 lakhyouths given government jobs,maternalmortalityratereduced,encephalitis controlled, andpower and drinkingwater sup-plyaswellasroadnetworkinthestatehave improved.

DELHICONFIDENTIAL

COMMON THREADASPARTof itssocialmediacampaign‘speakupforourjawans’,the Congress Friday released a video of Congress presidentSonia Gandhi. Senior Congress leader Rahul Gandhi too putoutavideoclipofhisonsocialmedia.Boththevideoshadthesame background, which included a bust of Indira Gandhi.Veteran leaders recognised that the videoswere shot at 10,Janpath.Coincidentally,PriyankaGandhiVadratoomentionedhergrandmother IndiraGandhi inhervideowhile attackingtheBJPgovernmentofUttarPradesh,accusingitof threaten-ingher throughvariousdepartments for speaking the truth.

TARGET CLOSEDESPITETHEpandemic,BJPcadresareclosetoaccomplishingtheirtargetofreachingouttopeopleattheirhouses.OnFriday,BJPpresidentJPNaddatookameetingofoffice-bearerstore-viewtheprogressof theoutreachprogrammeannouncedonthe first anniversary of NarendraModi government's returntopower.TheleadersassessedthatcadreinMaharashtra,oneof theworst Covid-19-affected states, have done verywell.According to the report of the stateunit, they reachedout to80lakhhouses.UPalsodidwell, sourcessaid.Whenthepro-gramme is wound up next week, the party would haveachieved the target of connectingwith10 crorehouseholds,themeetingassessed.

REFORM TIMEINDIANRAILWAYS’ topbrasswants thecurrent time—whenafractionof theusualnumberof trains isoperational—tobeused for long-pendingreforms.Oneof themis tocheck themisuse of free travel passes issued to its employees. Aprocesshasnowstartedwhereinall requests forsuchpasseswould have to be made online on software developed forthe purpose.

ATMANIRBHARUPROJGARYOJNALAUNCHED

PMNarendraModivirtually launchestheAtmaNirbharUttarPradeshRojgarYojnafromNewDelhi.ChiefMinisterYogiAdityanath, too, ispresentviavideo-conferencing. PTI

MAULSHREESETHLUCKNOW,JUNE26

OFTHE1.25crore jobsallocatedby the Uttar Pradesh govern-ment in a single day under dif-ferent schemes and pro-grammes, approximately 60lakh jobs have been providedunder the Rural DevelopmentPanchayatiRajDepartment,ma-jorityofwhichareunderMGN-REGA, and another nearly 50lakh inMSME units across thestate, it was announced onFriday.According to the state gov-

ernment, about 10 lakh jobshavebeengiven indifferent in-frastructure projects such asexpressways, road develop-ment, irrigationprojects,worksof Public Works DepartmentandUrbanDevelopment.Nearly 5 lakhworkers have

beengivenemploymentunderself-helpgroups (SHGs),whichincludes a large number ofwomenworkers.Besides these, the govern-

ment released Rs 5,900 croreloanto2.40 lakhMSMEunits inthe state on Friday under theCentre’s ‘AtmaNirbhar Bharat’package and provided 5,000workers tool kits under differ-ent schemes.Under MGNREGA, sources

said most of these workershavebeenengagedunderproj-ects of river rejuvenation proj-ects, revival of ponds and treeplantation drive. The list alsoincludeabout1.69 lakhmigrantlabourers,whohave beenpro-vided employment underNational Rural LivelihoodMission.In theMSME sector, the UP

government claims tohavegot7.80 lakh units opened sincethe lockdownended.Out of about 30 lakhwork-

ers who have returned fromother states in the wake of thepandemic, Chief Minister YogiAdiyanathsaidabout24.75lakhworkers are associated withconstruction, real estate andother development works;about 92,000 are factorywork-ers; there are 65,815 tailors,45,204 drivers, 10,758 handi-craft workers; and approxi-mately3.61lakhworkersassoci-atedwithsales,securityguards,courier services andso forth.Adityanath also said that of

thereturnees,nearly26.11 lakhin rural areas and approxi-mately1.63 lakh inurbanareashave completed their quaran-tine period in the state.“Around 4.71 lakhworkers arestill in homequarantine,whileabout 51,000 are in institu-tional quarantine,” he said.

Of UP govt’s 1.25 crjobs, over 1 cr wentto MGNREGA andMSME sectors

1.3 lakh Covid deaths in 4 European nations, UPunder Yogiwith same population saw600: PM

SHUBHAJITROYNEWDELHI, JUNE26

DEMOCRATIC US Presidentialcandidate Joe Biden is critical oftheIndiangovernment’sdecisionon the National Register ofCitizens(NRC)andtheCitizenshipAmendmentAct (CAA), andhasalso askedNewDelhi to take allnecessary steps to restore rightsof thepeopleofKashmir.These are part of Biden's

agenda for Muslim-Americancommunities, which has beenpublished onBiden’s campaignwebsite.“In Kashmir, the Indian gov-

ernmentshouldtakeallnecessarysteps to restore rights for all thepeopleofKashmir.Restrictionsondissent,suchaspreventingpeace-fulprotestsorshuttingorslowingdown the Internet, weakendemocracy,” itsaid.“Joe Biden has been disap-

pointedbythemeasuresthatthegovernment of India has takenwiththeimplementationandaf-termathof theNational RegisterofCitizensinAssamandthepas-sage of the CitizenshipAmendmentAct into law. These

measures are inconsistentwiththecountry’slongtraditionofsec-ularism andwith sustaining amulti-ethnic andmulti-religiousdemocracy,” itsaid.Former US Vice President

Biden’svisionstatementisinsyncwithDemocraticCongressmem-bers who have been critical ofNewDelhi’s positions in recentmonths. The criticismhad led toan unusual step that had raisedeyebrows inWashington,whenUnionExternalAffairsMinisterSJaishankar is said to have can-celled his scheduledmeeting inDecemberlastyearwiththeinflu-ential Congressional committeeon foreign affairs because it hadIndian-AmericanCongressmem-ber Pramila Jayapal,whohad in-troduced the resolution urgingIndiatoliftallrestrictionsinJ&K.This had prompted then

Democratic Presidential candi-date ElizabethWarren to sup-port Jayapal. “Efforts to silence@PramilaJayapal are deeplytroubling. US and India have animportantpartnership—(it)...canonly succeed if it is rooted inhonest dialogue and shared re-spect for religious pluralism,democracy, andhumanrights.”

EXPRESSNEWSSERVICESHIMLA, JUNE26

THEHIMACHALPradeshPoliceonFridayarrestedaformerCongressMLAafter bookinghim for sedi-tion, amongother charges, over“objectionable”FacebookpostsontheLACsituationinLadakh.Neeraj Bharti is an ex-MLA

fromJawaliwhohasservedasthechiefparliamentarysecretary(ed-ucation)inthepreviousCongressregime.Bharti posted four Facebook

posts between June15and20—threewrittenposts andaphoto-graphicmeme. The postswerecritical of the government and

PrimeMinisterNarendraModi,andwere related to thedeathofIndiansoldiersinGalwanandthesituationattheLAC.According to the police,

Shimla-basedadvocateNarendraGuleriaapproachedthepoliceonJune 20 alleging that Bharti hadtriedtoincite“hatredandtreason”by using “objectionable and in-flammatory”language.ThepolicebookedBhartibasedonGuleria'scomplaint.SPKhushal Sharma, the state

police spokesperson, said thatBhartiwasarrestedonFridayfol-lowingthreedaysofquestioningon“variousaspectsrelatedtothecase”.Hewouldbeproducedbe-foreamagistrateonSaturday.

EXPRESSNEWSSERVICENEWDELHI, JUNE26

ARGUING THAT “organisedarmedgangs” are running theirown so-called governments” inNagaland,challengingthe legit-imacyof theState,GovernorRNRavihas, inanunusualdecision,told Chief Minister Neiphiu Riothathewill“periodicallyreview”law and order situation in thestate and issue "required lawfuldirections".Arguingthathecannolonger

abstain from his Constitutionalobligations, Ravi wrote in theJune 16 letter, “I propose thathereafter important lawandor-der decisions like transfer andposting of officials entrusted

withmaintenanceof lawandre-sponsibilities of and above thedistrict levelwillbeaftertheap-provalof theGovernor...”Ravi stated that “day to day

unrestrained depredations byover half a dozen organisedarmed gangs, brazenly runningtheir respective so called‘Governments’challenginglegit-imacy of the State Governmentwithoutanyresistancefromthelaw and order machinery hascreated a crisis of confidence in

thesystem.”“The constitutionally estab-

lished State Government is be-ingchallenged...byarmedgangswho question sovereignty andintegrityof thenation,while in-struments of law and order re-main totallyunresponsive.”The BJP is a constituent of

Rio’s Nationalist DemocraticProgressive Party (NDDP)-ledgovernment.Ravi’slettercomesweeksbe-

fore the peace talks are likely toresume. A former special direc-tor of the Intelligence Bureau,Ravi is also the Centre's repre-sentative in these peace talkswith Naga groups and its inter-locutor.G Zhimomi, general secre-

taryofNNPG,anumbrellabody

of seven Naga political groups,said: “...the letter is directed atthe failure of state governmentand has nothing to dowith us.NNPGhasnocommenton it.AsGovernor, RNRavihas the righttoraiseissueswiththestategov-ernment.Forthepeacetalks,theNNPGhasfinalisedeverything.”While NDPP did not react to

the letter, insiders say the partyis upset. “When thematter ofarmedgroupsisbeingdealtwithdirectly by the Centre, and thestategovernmentisnotinvolved,how can the state governmentcrackdownontheircadres?Thisisnotalawandordersituation;itis a political problem. This hasbeenconveyedtoRaviwhentheCMand theCabinetmethimonJune19,”aparty insidersaid.

GovernerRNRavitoldtheCMthat law&orderhascollapsed

Ahead of US elections,Democrat Joe Bidencritical of NRC, CAA

Ex-Cong MLA charged with seditionover FB posts on LAC, arrested

Gangs challenging State’s legitimacy, willreview situation: Nagaland Governor to CM

New Delhi

SHUBHAJITROYNEWDELHI, JUNE26

SUNWEIDONG,China’s ambas-sadortoIndia,hasacknowledgedthattherewereChinese“casual-ties”toointheJune15clashesinGalwanValleyinwhich20IndianArmypersonnelwerekilled.Inthefirstacknowledgement

by Beijing of Chinese casualties,Sun, during the course of an in-terview Thursday, told the PTInewsagencyabout“fiercephys-ical conflicts and casualties be-tweenthetwosides”.Untilnow,Chineseofficialshad

been speaking of “casualties”withoutspecifyingonwhichsideof the LAC.While India releasedthenamesofitspersonnelwhofellfighting,Chinaremainedsilent.ThetranscriptofAmbassador

Sun’s interviewhasbeenpostedonlinebytheChineseembassy.

HuXijin,editor-in-chiefofthestate-runGlobal Times, too haswritten about deaths in theChinese ranks in the GalwanValleyclashes.Paying“hightributetothePLA

officers and soldiers”,Huwrote:“Ibelievethatthedeadhavebeentreatedwith thehighest respectinthemilitary,andthattheinfor-mation will eventually be re-portedtosocietyattherighttime,sothatheroescanbehonoredandrememberedastheydeserve.”Sofar,theChinesestatements

were ambiguous about casual-ties on their side. On June 19,Chinese Foreign Ministryspokesperson Zhao Lijian spokeof “fierce physical conflicts andcausingcasualties”.Herepeatedthis on June24without specify-ing casualties on the Chineseside.Butadaylater,AmbassadorSunmade clear therewere “ca-sualtiesbetweenthetwosides”.

GOVT&POLITICS6 WWW.INDIANEXPRESS.COMTHEINDIANEXPRESS,SATURDAY, JUNE27,2020

SHUBHAJITROYNEWDELHI, JUNE26

THEUSisreviewingitsglobalde-ploymentofforcestoensurethatit is "postured appropriately" tocounter the growing Chinesemilitary threat to countries likeIndia, Malaysia, Indonesia andthe Philippines, US Secretary ofStateMikePompeohassaid.Pompeo’s comments come

at a timewhen India and Chinaare in a border standoff sinceearlyMay,andarebeingviewedasasignificantsecurityposture.Speaking in response to a

question during the virtualBrussels Forum 2020 of theGerman Marshall Fund onThursday night, Pompeo said,"We'regoingtomakesurewe'repostured appropriately tocounter the People's LiberationArmy (PLA).We think that thechallengeofourtimes,andwe'regoing tomake surewe have re-sources inplace todo that."The force posture review at

thedirectionofPresidentDonaldTrump,aspartofwhichtheUSisreducingthenumberofitstroopsin Germany from about 52,000to25,000,hesaid.Pompeo said the force pos-

ture would be dictated byground realities. “In certainplaces there will be fewerAmerican resources. Therewillbe other places — I just talkedabout the threat from theChinese Communist Party, sonow threats to India, threats toVietnam, threats to Malaysia,Indonesia,SouthChinaSeachal-lenges, thePhilippines,”hesaid.Trump had last month of-

fered to “mediate or arbitrate”the border dispute betweenIndia and China, saying hewas“ready,willingandable” toeasethe tensions.

Chinese ambassadoracknowledges PLA deaths

MikePompeo

EXPRESSNEWSSERVICENEWDELHI, JUNE26

STEPPING UP its attack on theCongressinthewakeofthepartyraisingquestions on thegovern-ment’spositionoverthestandoffwith China at the LAC, the BJPFriday allegedmoney from thePrimeMinister’sNational ReliefFundwasdivertedtothe“family-run” Rajiv Gandhi FoundationduringtheUPAregime.BJPpresidentJPNadda,who

has been targeting CongresspresidentSoniaGandhiandsen-ior leader Rahul Gandhi,tweeted: “One family’s hungerfor wealth has cost the nationimmensely. Ifonlytheyhavede-voted their energies towardsmore constructive agenda. TheCongress’ Imperial Dynastyneeds to apologise to theunchecked loot for self-gains.”

In a series of tweets, Naddawrote: “PMNRF, meant to helppeopleindistress,wasdonatingmoney to Rajiv GandhiFoundation in UPA years.Whosat on the PMNRF board? Smt.Sonia GandhiWho chairs RGF?Smt. Sonia Gandhi. Totally rep-rehensible, disregarding ethics,processes and not botheringabout transparency.”On Thursday, Nadda had

questioned a purported dona-tion of $300,000 that the RGFhad received from People'sRepublic of China and theChinese embassy in 2005-06 tocarry out studies that were notinnational interest, healleged.

EXPRESSNEWSSERVICENEWDELHI, JUNE26

BREAKING ITS silence on theBJP’s allegation that the SoniaGandhi-headed Rajiv GandhiFoundation received donationfromChinaandtheChineseem-bassy in 2005-06 to carry outstudiesthatwerenotinnationalinterest, the Congress on Fridaysaidthefoundationhadreceivedagrantof Rs1.45crore fromtheChinese embassy for disabledpersonswelfareprogrammeandresearch on China-India rela-tionships.“The BJP president and the

Modigovernmentkeepreferringto a 2005 grant of Rs 1.45 crorereceived from the Embassy ofChina to Rajiv GandhiFoundation for the purpose (i)Disabled Persons Welfare

Programme;and(ii)ResearchonSino-India relationships. Thisgrantwasusedforthepurposesspecified,” Congress communi-cation department in chargeRandeep Surjewala said in astatement.He said the accounts of the

foundationwere “duly auditedandstatutoryreturnswere filedunder Foreign ContributionsRegulation Act (FCRA) to theGovernmentof India”.“Thisgranthasbeendulyre-

flectedinallfilingstotheincometax and theHomeMinistry andnoauthorityhasever foundanywrongdoing of any nature,” he

said.Surjewala said the RGF also

received a “modest amount” ofRs 20 lakh from the PrimeMinister’s National Relief Fundin the financial year 2005. Thefund,hesaid,wasgivenafterthe2004 tsunami and was “dulyutilisedtoundertakereliefactiv-ities in the Andaman andNicobar Islands”.“We want to tell Prime

Minister (Narendra) Modi andBJP president (J P) Nadda thattheir total failure to protect na-tionalsecurityandterritorial in-tegrity of India cannot bewashed away in the cacophonyofmanufactured anddesperateallegations vis-à-vis grants re-ceived by the RGF which hasbeendulyauditedandreportedbothtotheIncomeTaxasalsotothe HomeMinistry,” Surjewalasaid.

KANCHANVASDEVCHANDIGARH, JUNE26

VINI MAHAJAN, a 1987-batchIASofficer,onFridaybecamethefirst woman bureaucrat in thehistory of Punjab to be elevatedtothetoppostofthestate’sChiefSecretary.With her elevation it is also

for the first timeinPunjab’shis-tory that both the civil and po-lice administrations in the stateareheadedbyanIAS-IPScouple.MahajanisthewifeofstateDGPDinkarGupta.Mahajan took charge as the

newChiefSecretaryonFridayre-placing Karan Avtar Singh,whohas nowbeenposted as SpecialChief Secretary, GovernanceReformsandPublicGrievances.The orders announcing

Mahajan’s elevation wereawaited for over a week.Considered close to the CMamong the state's bureaucrats,MahajanwastippedtobetheCSfor thepast coupleof days.Whilesomehadclaimedthat

herhusbandDinkarGupta’s as-signment as DGPmay come inthewayofherbeingelevated, itwas counter-argued that an of-ficer couldnotbedeniedanop-portunity because her spousewasholding an important posi-tion thegovernment.WhileKaranAvtarSinghwas

set to retire on August 31,Mahajanhassucceededhimtwomonths prior to that. CMAmarinder Singh had backedhimtothehilt lastmonthwhenhewasembroiledinarowforal-leged “misbehavior” with

Cabinetministers.Theministershad sought that he should beousted. The CM had, however,thrownhisweightbehindhim.Sources in the government

said that Karan Avtar Singh islikely tobeabsorbed inthegov-ernment after his retirement inAugust.Heislearnttohaveappliedfor

thepostofChairpersonofPunjabWaterRegulatoryAuthority.Thecommittee that would finalisetheappointment istobeheadedbytheChiefSecretary.ThenewChiefSecretary,Vini

Mahajan,meanwhile,hassuper-seded five IAS officers senior toherandhasaffectedthechancesof elevation of a batch-mate,ViswajeetKhanna.While Mahajan is a 1987-

batchIASofficersheisyoungestofallsixcolleaguesandretiresinOctober, 2024. The five IAS offi-cers, whoMahajan she has su-perseded, include a 1984-batchKBSSidhu,andfour1985-batchofficers.

AVISHEKGDASTIDARNEWDELHI, JUNE26

ASECONOMICactivitiesresumeacross the country, the data ofrailwayticket-bookingindicatesthatpeoplemaybegraduallyre-turning to the big cities fromtheirhomestates.Trains from states like Bihar

and Uttar Pradesh toMumbai,Ahmedabad,Surat,Secunderabad,Bengaluruandotherroutesofmi-grationhavestartedseeinga riseinpassengernumbers.Based on this trend, more

trainsaregoingtobeintroducedoncertainroutes,butfull-fledgedresumption of servicesmay notbe possible in the near future,Chairman, Railway Board, V KYadavtoldreportersonFriday.Sources said Railways is in

regular consultationwithMHAonresumptionof train services.MHA sources told The IndianExpress that they've received alist of around 35 pairs of moretrains to be run in the comingdays and a decision on thiswouldbe takenshortly.Ananalysisoftheticket-book-

ingdataonIRCTCwebsiteshowsthatthewaitingtimetogetacon-firmed ticket on trains leaving

Bihar,UP,Odisha,WestBengalforcities likeMumbai,Ahmedabad,Pune and Surat has increasedoverthepasttwoweeks.“Thesignsareveryencourag-

ing. We are seeing high occu-pancy in reverse direction also,likeGorakhpurtoMumbai.Basedon the occupancy patterns onroutes,theCovidsituationandaf-terconsultingwithstates,weare

goingtointroducemoretrainsinthenearfuture,”Yadavsaid.An analysis by The Indian

Express shows that this week,multipletrainsfromDarbhanga,MuzaffarpurandPatna,toplaceslike Ahmedabad, Bengaluru,Howrah and Delhi ranwith upto123percentoccupancy.Also,trains fromVaranasi, LucknowandGorakhpur toMumbai and

Ahmedabad ranwith over 120percentcapacity.Railwaydata show that over

the next four days, trains fromGorakhpur, Patna, Danapur,Varanasi, Ranchi andHowrah toMumbai,Ahmedabad,BengaluruandSecunderabadhaveanover-alloccupancyrangingfrom80percenttomorethan120percent.There is,however,noplanto

run “reverse” Shramik specialtrains,Yadavsaid.Twoweeks ago, The Indian

Express reported that whiletrains leavingbig cities for east-ern states were witnessing arush,thosereturningtothecitieswererunningwaybelowcapac-ity.Whiletrainsleavingbigcitiesarestillheavilyoccupied,there-verse direction is alsowitness-ingasurgenow.In the second class, the

cheapest ticket option on thesetrains, waiting time to secure aconfirmed seat has increased.Thesecondclassisnowcarryingonly as many passengers asthere are seats in view of thepandemic.For instance, Gorakhpur-

Lokmanya Tilak Terminus spe-cialhasconfirmedsecond-classtickets only from July 7 andsleeper tickets fromJuly19.While 2.4 crore people trav-

elled by trains daily during full-fledgedservicesbeforethelock-down, about 25 lakh aretravelling in a day now. Of the230 trains running currently,only 78 have an occupancy ofmore than 100 per cent.Seventy-five trains are runningwith occupancy between 0-50percent,data shows.

AVINASHNAIRAHMEDABAD, JUNE26

“THIS IS the first time I sat in anairplane. My family was com-pletely against my leavingOdisha... We had to come incompulsion as we had left theworkincompleteandthelabourcontractorwho had brought usto Ahmedabad for the project,his name too was getting tar-nished,” saysBiswaRanjan.Ranjan, 29, was among the

100-oddworkers flown downfromOdisha toworkon theun-derground section— the costli-est part — of the Ahmedabadmetro railproject.Hewas in a batch of the 23

workerswho landedon June20

in Ahmedabad fromBhubaneswarandarenowquar-antined.Theseworkerswhoare“tun-

nelling experts” are among the300-odd migrant workforcewhowillbebroughtbackbysec-ondweekof Julyfromfivestates,officials working with theGujaratMetro Rail Corporation(GMRC)said.“There isnotevena rupee to

be earned back home, whatwould we do there too?” saysRanjan adding that the part oftheprojecttheywouldworkon,had only twomonths to go be-fore thedeadline.Ranjan,whohasbeenwork-

ing on the Ahmedabadmetroproject since March 2018 andearns about Rs 30,000 amonth,

says, “Wehavebeenpromisedagoodplacetostay.Thecompanywill also bear the cost of food.”RanjanhaspreviouslyworkedonDelhiandJaipurmetroprojects.Ofthe250-oddworkersfrom

Odisha, only 7-8 stayed back,while the rest went home bywhatevermodecametheirway.Deepak Kumar Swain, 24,

Ranjan’s co-workerontheproj-ectisalsoquarantinedwithhimatthelabourcolonyinMirzapur,inthewalledcityofAhmedabad,where theywill beginwork onthe toughestpart of theproject,in theKalupur section.Also fromNayagarh district,

Swain says, he left for home onApril 1 tobewithhis family,butis happy to be back. “The com-pany is looking after all our

needs,”he told thispaper.Gujarataccountsforatotalof

27.09 per cent of migrantswhoreturned to Odisha after thelockdown,which is the highestamong returnees compared toother labour destination states,accordingtotheOdishagovern-mentdashboard.A total of 5,17,534 people

have returnedvia roadand rail-wayswhich is accounted for. Ofthese 1,40,224 are fromGujaratalone.Asmanyas1,28,737havereturned by trainswhile 11,487via road.The cost of flying down

workers fromOdisha has beenborneby Larsen&Toubro (L&T)which is constructing a portionof the 6.83-km undergroundsectionofthemetrorailwhichis

the costliest part of a 40-kmPhase-I of the Ahmedabadmetroproject.TheworkersfromOdishaarepartofthe“tunnelingcrew” that consists of ringbuilders,erectionoperators,locooperatorsamongothers.“L&T will be bringing back

100-oddworkersbyflight.Theywillbecominginthreedifferentbatches,” Amit Gupta, ChiefGeneral Manager (CorporatePlanning),GMRCtoldTheIndianExpress.Theundergroundsectionof

4.38 km which involves con-struction of two undergroundmetro stations at Shahpur andGheekantawas awarded to L&Ton January 2017. A second sec-tion of 2.45 km was given toAfcon Infrastructure Ltd in

March 2017which includes de-velopmentofKalupurmetrosta-tion and Kankaria East station.Both these sections are part ofthe East-west corridor of themetrorailapartofwhichwasin-augurated by Prime MinisterNarendraModi inMarch2019.This section is about 30me-

ters deep and bypasses severalheritageandASIprotectedmon-uments in theoldcity.Accordingtoofficialsources,

L&Twas supposed to finish theunderground sections by April2020. However, the Covid-19lockdown delayed the comple-tion and theworkers had to beflown in on “an urgent basis tocomplete thetask.”L&Texpectsto finish thework “on priority”in thenextcoupleofmonths.

ABHISHEKANGADRANCHI, JUNE26

JHARKHAND’S EDUCATIONDepartmentonThursdayissuedan order instructing all private,unaided,accreditedschoolstore-frain from charging any kind oftransportationorannualfeefromstudentsuntil schoolsreopen.A letter by the state’s

Education and LiteracyDepartment to the heads of allsuch schools, stated that failingtoadheretoalltheseinstructionswould lead to stringent actionsuchasNOCbeingcancelled.EducationMinisterJagarnath

Mahato posted the order onTwitter and said, “All privateschools shall abide by it. Also,therewon't be any reduction inteacher's salaries.”The order stated, “The eco-

nomicconditionhasdeteriorateddue to COVID-19. It has also af-fectedparentsof thestudents...”Itaddedthattherewillbeno

hikeinschoolfeesforongoingac-ademic sessions and schoolsshouldchargeonly themonthlyfees until classes are resumed.Even if feesarenotpaid, schoolsshouldn'tcancelanyadmissionsorcharge late fees, it said.

Cong on grant to RGF: Nowrongdoing of any nature

WithViniMahajan’shusbandDinkarGuptabeingthePunjabDGP, thepowercouplenowheadsthestate’s civil andpoliceadministration. PTI

Punjab gets its firstwoman Chief Secy

100 Odisha workers flown to Ahmedabad for metro project

Ticket data hints at people returning tocities, Railways may start more trains

MEANWHILE, INLUCKNOW:AdesertedCharbaghRaiwaystationonFriday. Vishal Srivastav

Jharkhand to pvtschools: Don’ttake transportfee till reopening

SHUBHAJITROYNEWDELHI, JUNE26

AFTER SENDING Beijing a clearmessagethatcontinuationofthecurrent situation on the Line ofActual Controlwill “only vitiatetheatmosphereforthedevelop-ment” of relations between thetwo countries, New Delhi hasaskedVikramMisri, Indian am-bassadortoChina,tospeaktothetop members of the ChineseCentralMilitary Commission toresolve thebordercrisis.The IndianExpresshas learnt

thatSouthBlockfeelsthatdiplo-matic and military positionshavehardenedonboth sides. It,therefore,wants toengagewiththe topechelonof theCMC.TheCMCistheapexmilitary

bodyofChinaandhasPresidentXi Jinping as its head and sixothermembers.TheCMCof theCommunistPartyofChina(CPC)and the People’s Republic ofChina(PRC)areactuallytwosep-arate bodies, with the same 7-member leadership.

Bothcommissionsareidenti-cal in membership —actuallyformingoneinstitutionundertwodifferent names— to fit in bothgovernmentandpartysystems.Inreality,thecommandandcontrolof the PLA (People’s LiberationArmy)iswiththeCentralMilitaryCommission of the ChineseCommunist Party CentralCommittee–thepartyCMC.Under Xi, it has two Vice-

Chairmen:XuQiliangandZhangYouxia.Theotherfourmembersare Defence Minister GeneralWei Fenghe, General LiZuocheng, Admiral Miao HuaandGeneralZhangShengmin.When Pakistan Army chief

GenQamar Javed Bajwa visitedBeijing in October last year – itwas just before Xi’s visit toMahabalipuramfortheinformalsummit--hemetViceChairmanXu Qiliang and briefed him onthe significance of India endingthe special status granted toJammu and Kashmir underArticle370.Xu is considered extremely

closetoXi.HeworkedwithXiin

the capital of Fujian province intheearly1990s,winningXi’spo-litical trust.SourcesinNewDelhisaidef-

fortsarebeingmadetoreachouttoXu,who is said to be keepinga close eye on the situation onthe LAC. Indian diplomats andthe defence advisor in Beijingwill be reaching out to him andotherkeymembersof theCMC.Sources said that after the

meetingof theworkingmecha-nism of diplomats on June 24and Army Corps Commanderson June 23, it became clear thatthetalksattheselevelswerenotgoingtobeenoughtoresolvethesituation.Moreover,eachside,inpublic statements, has put theonusontheother.Sourcessaida“politicalinter-

vention at the top is theneedofthehour” tobreak thedeadlock—andoneneedstoengagewithleaderswho can take decisionsat thehighest level.The outreachwill also be to

the othermembers of the CMC,including Defence MinisterGeneralWeiFenghe.

Delhi asks its envoy to open talkswith China’s topmilitary body

Pompeo: USreviewing globaldeployment offorces to counterChina’s Army

RandeepSurjewala

J P Nadda

EXPRESSNEWSSERVICENEWDELHI, JUNE26

THE SUPREMECourt on Fridaycleared the Central Board ofSecondaryEducation's(CBSE)de-cision to cancel the remainingBoard examinations for Class XandXIIstudents,scheduledinJuly,in viewof theCovid-19 situationand approved its scheme to in-stead award studentsmarks onthebasis of the exams theyhavealreadytaken.According to the scheme, re-

sults of studentswhohave com-pletedexaminationinallsubjectswill be declared based on theirperformance. Out of 12.66 lakhClassXII students in CBSE-affili-atedschools,aboutone-thirdhadfinished their exams before theCovid-19disruption.For students who have ap-

peared formore than three sub-jects, average of themarks ob-tained in three best-performingsubjectswillbeawardedforsub-jectswhose examinations havenotbeenheldyet.Theschemealsosaysthatstu-

dentswhohaveappearedinonlythree subjects, averageofmarksin twobest-performing subjectswillbeawardedforpaperswhoseexamshavenotbeenconducted.Themajority of the examinees,who were going to appear forBoardexamsinJuly,belongtothecategory of students who hadcompletedthreeormorepapers.TheBoardtoldthecourtthere

are“veryfewstudentsofClassXII,mainlyfromDelhi,whohaveap-peared in the examinations inonly one or two subjects”, and

“their results will be declaredbasedonperformance in theap-pearedsubjectsandperformancein internal/practical project as-sessment”.Thereareabout2,300suchstudents.Inadraftnotificationdrawnup

on Thursday – a copywas pre-sented to thecourtFriday–CBSEstated“thesestudentswillalsobeallowedtoappear intheoptionalexaminationsconductedby”it“toimprovetheirperformance,iftheydesiretodoso”.Their“result...willalsobedeclaredalongwithotherstudents,”itstated.Sourcessaidst-udentswill haveat least tendaysnoticefortheoptionalexams.The bench of Justices A M

Khanwilkar,DineshMaheshwariand Sanjiv Khanna, which pe-rused the draft presented bySolicitor General TusharMehta,approved it andpermittedCBSEtoissuethenotification.The courtwashearing aplea

seekingcancellationofCBSEandCISCEexamsscheduledinJuly.

EXPRESSNEWSSERVICEMUMBAI, JUNE26

MAHARASHTRACHIEFMinisterUddhavThackerayFridaysaidthestategovernmenthasdecidednottoconduct finalyearandfinal se-mester exams for non-profes-sional andprofessional courses.Thackeray has also written toPrimeMinisterNarendraModi,re-questinghimtoinstructapexbod-ies to cancel final year/ semesterexamsof professional courses inviewofthecoronavirusoutbreak.In the letter to thePM,dated

June25,Thackeraysaidconsider-ingthecurrentsituation,thestateDisasterManagementAuthority,in ameetingon June18, decidednottoconductfinalyear/semesterexamsofnon-professionalaswellasprofessionalcoursesandawarddegreestostudentsbasedonafor-

mulatobedecidedbyuniversities.Sinceprofessional courses in

thestatecollegesareregulatedbyvariousnational-levelapexcoun-cils,whicharethefinaldecidingau-thorityinmattersofexaminations,Thackerayappealed to thePMtoinstructthem“toendorsethedeci-sionofthestategovernment”.“The present atmosphere is

not conducive for conductof anyexaminationsandclasses.Further,conductingexaminationsamidstexistingpandemicmayproveanenormoustaskforthedistrict/mu-nicipaladministration,examiningauthorities, besides studentsandparents,”theletterstates.The apex bodies includeAll

IndiaCouncil of Technical Educ-ation,CouncilofArchitecture,BarCouncilof India,NationalCouncilofTeacherEducationandNationalCouncilforHotelManagementandCateringTechnology.

Uddhav says Maharashtrawon’t hold final exams forany course, writes to PM

Kolkata: The West Bengalgovernment on Friday an-nouncedthecancellationofthe pending Class 12 stateboardexaminations.“TheWBCHSEisprepar-

ing norms regarding theevaluation process of thesecancelled examinations,which will be advertised,”state Education MinisterParthaChatterjee said. ENS

SC clears CBSEdecision to cancelClass 10, 12 exams

Bengal cancelspending exams

PMNRF donated toRGF, says Nadda

New Delhi

7THEINDIANEXPRESS,SATURDAY, JUNE27,2020

THEOUTBREAKWWW.INDIANEXPRESS.COM

MAHARASHTRA’S OUTGOINGChief Secretary and ChiefMinister Uddhav Thackeray’snew Principal Advisor AJOYMEHTA, who has been at theforefront of the state’s battleagainst Covid-19, speaks toSANDEEP ASHAR on why hethinks the infection curve hasplateaued,economicrevivalandthechallengesahead.Excerpts:

HowwouldyoudescribethecurrentCovid-19situationinMaharashtra?It is stableandundercontrol.

Let’sbehonest,numbersarenotgoing down yet, but they aren’tgoingupeither.Therewasboundtobe an increasewithwhateveropeningswehavedonesofar.Butwhatwe have been doing is toopenuppublicandeconomicac-tivitytoanextentthatourhealthinfrastructurecanmanage…

Whataretheprojections,peakandplateau, forCovid-19?My feeling is that we have

plateaued.Unlesssomethingdra-matic happens during the rains,wewon’tgobeyondthis.Ourcasedoublingratesarenowmorethan30days.Wehavealmostreachedastagewherethenumberofnewpatientscomingisequaltothosebeingdischarged.Butwehavetobecautious.Westilldonotknowhowtheviruswillmutateduringmonsoon.

Whenandwhat is thenextphaseof reopeningsgoing

tobe inMumbaiandtherestof thestate?Thenextstepistoassesshow

muchmore you can allow in of-fices. Everythingwill dependonhow youmanage public trans-port.We are looking at a coupleofthingsreally.Oneistokeepthe(infection)curvestableandhead-ing southwards. More impor-tantly,wearelookingatchangingpublicmindset.Oncewearealit-tlemoresurethateveryonewon’tcomeout togetherwhenwe re-open further, we do not mindopening even fully. Theminutewehave a solution to social dis-tancing inMumbai, Iwould sayopeneverything.

Buthowdoyouevenmanagethesuburbanrail traffic load?That’s thekeyquestion...We

are coming to the conclusionthatstaggeringofofficetimings,staggering of work days andwork from home is the onlymethod throughwhichyoucanmanage largecommercial citieslikeMumbai.Wehavealsobeenworkingon

howtoopenupthecity’sbusinessdistricts.Intheseareas,everybodywill be allowed to operate dailywithacertainstaff attendanceatagiventimeandeveryhourofthedayandeverydayoftheweekwillbeoccupiedbywork.Five-orsix-dayworkweek systemwill go.Eachofficewillhavetocomefor-ward to saywewill call (say) 10per cent staff in themorning, 20per cent post lunch and 30 percentatnight.Similarly,workdays

canbedividedamongemployees.Youwillnowhavetolookatsomeofficesstartingatsay6amandfin-ishingbylunchtime.Anothersub-setbeginningatlunchandfinish-ingbydinner.Thenthosewhowillstartpostdinnerandrunthroughthenight.

MaharashtrahasthesecondworstmortalityrateafterGujarat.Whatstepsarebeingtakentochangethis?Wehave been honest with

thenumbers. Tobringdownthemortalityrates,wehavesteppedupsurveillanceinabigway...

Economistsdon’t seeasustainedrecoveryanytimesoon.Yourviews?My feeling is that you will

seevery,verysharprecoveries...But thismay not be across sec-tors. There will be some thatrecover fast, others that willtake time...

Jobsarebeinglostacrosssectors,unemployment isontherise.But thestate isyet toannouncearevivalpackage.Why?Youneed to dowhat I call a

shift of jobs. Thesectors thatwilltake off faster will absorb a lotmorepeople. Then therewill benewbusinesses that youhaven’teven knownabout. That iswhy

we plan to take up short-termreskilling programmes in a bigway. We are also aware of theneed to protect the vulnerablesections.While the revival pack-agewill come, one thing’s clear:wecannothaveamechanismthatlets units pay off dues and shutdown.Wewillmainlybelookingfor thosewhowill carry on andeven increase employment andsectorswhich have a cascadingimpactacrosstheeconomy...

Whataretheplanstobringbackthemigrantworkforce?Anyincentives tobeoffered?Cansonsof thesoil fillallpositions leftvacant?People leave homes for bet-

terprospectsandnotincentives.IamconfidentMaharashtrawillprovide the best prospects. Thebiggestincentivewillbeaboom-ingindustry.Asfarassonsofsoilareconcerned,theissueisnotre-placingonepersonwithanother.It istheneedtoupskillthework-ing population. So that whenjobs become available, thesepeoplebecomeeligible for it.

Chief Secretary for threedifferentgovernments, twoextensions,anelection,afarmloanwaiver,Covid-19,andnowPrincipalAdvisortotheCM.Theyeargonebyhasbeenrathereventful foryou?I amtired (smiles).

ButcoalitionpartnerCongressseemsdispleasedwithyou?

I am bound to work by thelaw.My loyalty is to the goodofthe state... To achieve this, therearemany timeswhenwe haveto speak our mind fairly andfrankly. In that process, theremay be peoplewho do not likeit. That’s something I can’thelp.

Complaintsofoverchargingandlowbedavailability inprivatehospitalspersistdespitethegovernmentcappingtreatmentratesandsettingupabedavailabilitydashboard.Why?Itisnobody’scasethatdeviant

behaviour has been completelywishedaway. Butwhatwehavenowisasystemwherepeoplecancomplain and redressal takesplace.As far asbedavailability (isconcerned),whathas changed isthatpreviouslythepatientwouldhuntforbeds,nowweareholdinghim to abed. Beds are available.However, if youwant topickandchoose,therecouldbeaproblem.

TheOppositionsaysthestateadministrationhas lackedacohesiveCovid-19strategyIwon’t get intowho is saying

what. I don’t think there is anyproblemwith communication...Please realise themagnitude ofthiscrisis.Afloodhitsone, twoor25villages.Herethewholeworldhas been swept away... Butwehavelearntalongtheway.Thead-ministration has its ears to thegroundandhasbeenproactive.

FULLINTERVIEWONwww.indianexpress.com

THE EXPRESS

INTERVIEWWITH

AJOYMEHTA

PRINCIPALADVISORTOTHEMAHARASHTRACM

‘Staggering of office timings,work days andwork fromhomeonlyway tomanageMumbai’

SREENIVASJANYALAHYDERABAD,JUNE26

ONEOF the three states selectedby theCentre for avisit byanex-pertteamtoassistandadviseitoncoronavirus management,Telanganahasseenprivatehospi-tals in capital cityHyderabadgetswampedbypatientsas it rampsupitslowtesting.Withcases jumpingto11,364

asonJune26,privatehospitalsarenow issuing advisories askingasymptomaticcasesorthosewithmild symptoms to stay athome.Somearealsoofferingpackagesforhomeisolation,whichincludeon-line consultationwithdoctors, amedical kit, including pulseoximeter tomonitoroxygen lev-els,papergloves,sanitisers,masksandspecialdisposalbags.Telangana has been consis-

tentlyattackedforhavingamongthelowesttestingnumbersinthecountry—1,200 testspermillionagainst the national average of4,800-oddtestspermillion—de-spiteapositivityrateof18%thatisnearlythreetimesthenationalav-erage. The state government onJune15allowedprivatehospitalsto take in Covid patients,whichpromptedarushtogetadmitted.“We are telling people to let

bedsbeavailableforcriticallyillpa-tients.Don’t choke thehospitals,we are already full,” Dr BhaskarRao, president of the TelanganaSuperSpecialityHospitalsAssoci-ation,toldTheIndianExpress.Hesaid thereareabout2,000

coronaviruspatients inthe30-35big private hospitals in the city.“Theprivatehospitalshavearound3,000bedswith oxygen facility,and180-200bedswith ventila-tors,”Raoadded,urgingmilderorasymptomaticcasestotakeupthehomequarantinepackagesbeingoffered.Privatehospitals arecharging

aroundRs10,000toRs15,000 perdayfor14-dayhomeisolation.TheTelangana government has

cappedthecostperdayinaniso-lationwardataprivatehospitalatRs 4,000. Treatmentwithout aventilator in ICUcan’t costmorethanRs7,500perday, andwithaventilator Rs9,000perday. Thisdoesnot includeoverheads, likemedicinesandinjections.AnofficialofYashodaHospitals

said theyhadstoppedadmittingasymptomaticpatients. “Wesawan increasingnumber of peoplecomingeven if theyhada coughorcold,becausetheywereanxiousabouthavingcoronavirus…Thereis no space, soweare asking themildcasestoquarantineathomeandavailtreatmentwhichweareprescribing.Ourdoctorsandmed-icalworkers stay in touchwiththem,’’hesaid.Between them, Apollo,

Yashoda, Care, and the KrishnaInstituteofMedicalSciencesclaimtohaveabout3,000coronaviruspatients inhomequarantineun-derthecareoftheirdoctors.Managements ofmajor pri-

vatehospitalssaidtheywerealsointalkswithover15privatemed-ical colleges to make at least10,000bedsavailable.“Ifsuccess-ful,morehospitalbedswithoxy-genfacilitieswouldbeavailable,”anofficialsaid.Telangana Health Minister

Etela Rajender said they hadhandedover the sports village inHyderabad to the TelanganaInstitute ofMedical Sciences toprovide1,000beds.Currently,GandhiHospital is

the only fully Covid-dedicatedgovernmenthospitalinHyderab-ad.Rajendarsaidthecity’s12gov-ernmentgeneralhospitalshaveacombinedcapacityof4,777isola-tionbeds,including325ICUbedsand275ICUbedswithventilators.As of Thursday, 86 people

wereonventilatorsupportinvar-ioushospitalsofHyderabad,while460 peoplewith comorbiditieswereinICU.Of the total active cases in

Telangana,4,688have recovered.Itsdeathtollstandsat230.

Cases up, on offer inprivate Hyderabadhospitals: homeisolation packages

ANURADHAMASCARENHASPUNE, JUNE26

DEVELOPINGAvaccine againstCovid-19 is currently themostpressingchallengetheworldfaces,and such an enterprisemay re-quirefundingofupto$18.1billiontodelivertwobilliondosesbytheendof2021,WorldHealthOrgan-izationchief scientistDrSoumyaSwaminathansaidonFriday.Over200vaccine candidates

areatdifferentstagesofdevelop-mentand15areinhumanclinicaltrials, Swaminathansaid, addingthat there is ahope thatvaccineswillbereadyin12-18months.Addressing a virtualmedia

conference, Swaminathan saidthatcommitmentsfromhigh-in-comeandupper-middle-incomecountrieswereneededtoprocure950milliondosesthroughtheCO-VAXFacilityandtoensurethatvac-cinescanbedeliveredatthegreat-estpossiblespeed.Respondingtoqueriesonleadingvaccinecandi-dates, Swaminathan saidAstraZenecahasthelargestglobalcommitmentandwastheleadingcandidateintermsoftiming.“They have advanced into

Phase 2 trials and are planningPhase 3 in many countries.Moderna also has plans to go toPhase3ofclinicaltrialsbymidJuly.However,untilweseeresultsfromclinical trials, the efficacy andsafetyofthesecandidatesremainsunknown.Hence thisunderlinestheneedtoinvestinclinicaldevel-opmentofmultiple vaccine can-didatesandmaximisingchancesof success,” Swaminathan latertoldTheIndianExpress.TheUniversity of Oxfordand

AstraZeneca’s experimental vac-cine is the first to enter the finalstagesofclinicaltrials.ThevaccineisalsobeingtrialledinSouthAfricaandBrazil,withSerumInstituteofIndia investing $100million tomassproduceonebilliondosesforIndiaandotherlow-andmiddle-incomecountries.

Central team takes stockof Ahmedabad situationEXPRESSNEWSSERVICEAHMEDABAD, JUNE26

A CENTRAL health team led byjoint secretary Lav Agarwal onFridayvisitedtwomicro-contain-ment zones in Ahmedabad,Covid-19control rooms,andoneprivateandonegovernmenthos-pital treatingCovid-19cases.Theteam also held ameetingwithChiefMinister Vijay Rupani, hisdeputyandstatehealthministerNitinPatelandotherofficials.Jaiprakash Shivahare, who

was accompanying the team,saiditfirstvisitedacontainmentzone in Satellite area and in-spected several DhanvantariRaths in the northeast zone ofGota andGhatlodia and centralzoneareaofShahpur.Dhanvantriraths are vans equippedwith adoctor, paramedical staff and apharmacist.Theywere launchedto addressmoderate Covid-19cases and provide assistance topatientswithcomorbidities.OmPrakashMachra, deputy

commissionerofhealth,said,“Theteamappreciated this initiativebecauseIdon’tthinksuchalarge-scale operation has been doneanywhereelse.”The teamvisitedanothermi-

cro-containment zone nearShahibaugand tooka tourof the

control rooms in Kathwadaarea.“The ideawas to see the co-ordination in the reporting ofcases, surveillance, follow-upspost discharge and telemedicinefacilities,”saidShivahare.Italsosurveyedtheinfrastruc-

tureandtheoverallfunctioningofGujaratCancerResearchInstitute,aCovidfacility.TheteamwasalsotakentoHCGHospital,whichwasamong the firstprivatehealth fa-cilitiestosignanMoUwithAhme-dabad Municipal Corporation(AMC)forCovid-19treatment.Later,theteamheldameeting

withAMCofficials. According toanAMCofficial, therewas somedisagreementbetweentheteamand officials.Machra, however,said,“Itwasblownoutofpropor-tion, therewasnodisagreement.Itwas somethingminorwhereoneofficialwasreferringtostatis-ticsasaparameterofsayper1,000andanotherwasreferringtoitasper10,000.Theteamsuggestedtofollowasingleparameter.”The team latermet Rupani,

deputyCMPatelandstateofficialsattheCM’sbungalow.Agarwalwassatisfied “over thearrangementsmadebythestategovernment incurbingthetransmission,health-relatedmeasures,intensivesurveil-lance and clinic treatments ofCovid-19,afterUnlock-1situation,”saidastategovernmentstatement.

Govt bars all, will shut Guwahatifully from Sunday, says no choiceABHISHEKSAHAGUWAHATI, JUNE26

THE ASSAM government onFridayannouncedastringent14-day lockdown in state capitalGuwahati fromSundayevening,with HealthMinister HimantaBiswa Sarma saying that practi-cally“nothingexceptpharmacies,laboratoriesandhospitalswillre-mainopen”.Saying they had no other

choice,Sarmareferredtothecur-rent spike of Covid-19 inGuwahati.SinceJune15,notravelhistoryhasbeenfoundinaround700 cases in the city, indicatingcommunity transmission. OfAssam’s total 6,600 Covid-19cases,2,600-oddremainactive.Ithas seen 10deaths. The spike initscasescoincideswithincreasedtesting, with Assamnowdoing

15,000-oddtestsaday.Announcing the lockdown,

Sarmasaidgroceryandfruit-veg-etable stores would not be al-lowedtoopeninGuwahatistart-ing June 28 evening.While thefirst seven days would see themoststringentcurbs,Sarmasaidtheycouldconsidercertainrelax-ations after that, depending onthesituation.“Withalotofpain, letmesay

thatwedonothaveanyotherop-tion at this point,” Sarma said,noting that of the 276 peoplewhotestedpositive inAssamonThursday, 133 were fromGuwahati.Apart from the coming lock-

down inGuwahati, Assamstart-ing Friday has imposed a nightcurfew(7pmto7am)acrossthestate. All towns andmunicipali-ties of the state — exceptGuwahati, as of now—will re-

mainunder complete lockdownSaturdayandSunday.Sarmasaidtheweekend lockdownwouldstaytill thepandemicisover.Among those exempted are

defence and security personnelandthoseassociatedwithemer-gencyandessentialservices.Printand electronicmedia aswell asnewspaper distribution are al-lowed.Agriculturalworkandteagardenactivitiesareallowed.The Health Minister also

talked about themakeshift hos-pitalsettocomeupinthreedays,takingGuwahati’s bed capacityto1,600—nearlydoublethecur-rent890.Earlier, the BJP government

had announced 31 CovidCounsellingCentres forcity resi-dents tovoluntarilysubmit theirsamples. The centres areequippedwith an ambulance,doctor,nursesandstaff.

Atraffic jaminGuwahation Fridayafterpeoplewentout tobuyessential itemsfollowingthestategovernment’sannouncementof a14-day lockdown,startingSunday. ANI

Covid-19 vaccine maybe ready in 12-18 months,says WHO chief scientist

Kanpur sheltercase: Probationofficer, actingsuperintendentsuspended

Express

MILINDGHATWAIBHOPAL, JUNE26

KRISHNACHAUDHARY,apainter,wouldhaveneverleftJiganhatvil-lage inMadhya Pradesh’s Satnadistrict hadhe got enoughworkathome.The 24-year-old returned to

the village after the factory inJammuwhere heworked shutdownduring the lockdown.Hewaslucky:hereturnedhomeonabike,whilemanyofhisfellowvil-lagersinotherstatesmadethere-turnhomeonfoot.However, he could not go

homestraightaway—uponmak-

ing the journey home, he wasquarantinedfor14daysinMayatthevillageschool.

Chaudhary said hewas un-happy because of the long, idlehourshe spent inquarantine.He

andhisfellowinmatesatthequar-antine centrewere looking forwork, and approached thesarpanch.Atthispoint,thegovern-mentlearntthathehadworkedasapainter,andaskedhimifhecouldusehis skill tomake the school-turned-quarantinecentreresem-bletheVandeBharatExpress.Others also volunteered to

chipin,andoverthenext15days,theseworkerspaintedtheschoolaccordingtothedesignsprovidedbyofficials.Ashok Vishwakarma was

amongadozenlabourersquaran-tinedintheschool.“Wediscussedthattheschool

buildingneedsacoatofpaintbe-

causeitwasinbadshape,”the27-year-old,whousedtopaintboardsinMumbai,said.“Thereisnobet-terbuildinginthevicinitynow.”SarpanchUmeshChaturvedi

says he arranged for paint andbrushandothermaterial.Themi-grantsdidnotchargeanymoneyfor their labour. He says it tooknearly three weeks for themakeover.Krishnahassinceleftquaran-

tine,andsayshehasgotsomeor-ders in nearby villages. “I don’twant to goback (to Jammu),” hesaid,statingthathehopeshegetsmore orders to match theRs 6,000 he was paid in thefactory.

Panel to provide jobstomigrants back home

TheMadhyaPradeshgovernmentFridayconstitutedacommissionthataimstoprovideemploymentto labourerswhoreturned to thestate after March 1 due to theCovid-19pandemic. The setting-up of the commissionwas an-nouncedaboutfourweeksago.Thepanelwillhaveatenureof

twoyears,whichcanbeextended.Thegovernmentwill soonnameits chairmanand twomembers.“Wewillmaketheir livelihoodsocomfortable that theywill nothave togooutside the state,”CMShivrajSinghChouhansaidFriday.

Residentsof Jiganhatat thevillageschool. Express

Thecentral teaminAhmedabadonFriday.Express

Kerala starts IgM antibodytests on West Asia returneesThiruvananthapuram: A day af-ter it softened its stance on re-quiringallexpatsreturningfromWestAsiatoproduceCovidneg-ativecertificates, theKeralagov-ernmenthasbegunadminister-ingIgMantibodyteststoallsuchpassengersarrivingatitsairports.Thestatehadearlierdecided

tomake Covid-19 negative cer-tificatesmandatoryforexpatstofly back home, but the require-mentwasdroppeddue toprac-tical hurdles aswell as protestsfrom opposition parties. As perthe latest screening protocol,symptomaticpassengerswillbeisolatedinCovid-19hospitalsir-

respective of their test result.PassengerswhotestpositivewillbeisolatedatCovid-19carecen-tres and their swabswill be col-lected for RT-PCR tests. Thosewhotestnegativewillbeplacedunderhomequarantine.OnFriday,Keralareported150

newcases—91hadreturnedfromabroadand48 fromother states.This is the eight consecutivedayonwhichthestatereportedthree-digitcasecounts.Aboutonelakhpeople reachedKerala betweenMay7andJune25throughevac-uation flights.One lakhmoreareexpected to reach through char-teredflights. ENS

DrSoumyaSwaminathan

Quarantined at school, migrants give building a makeover

EXPRESSNEWSSERVICELUCKNOW,JUNE26

THEUTTAR PRADESH govern-ment on Friday suspendedKanpur’sDistrictProbationOfficer(DPO), and theofficiating super-intendent of a shelter homewhere57girls, ofwhomfive arepregnant, tested positive forCovid-19lastweek.Department of Women

Welfare’sDirectorManojKumarRai said DPO Ajeet Kumar andAssistant SuperintendentMithleshPalwere suspendedonchargesofnotfollowingdirectivesof the state government and thedepartment.Theyarealsoaccusedofnotprovidingcorrectfactstothemedia, resulting in circulationoffalseinformation,Raisaid.According toanothergovern-

mentofficial, AjeetKumar is alsoaccusedofnotconductingregularinspectionsattheshelter,andPalisaccusedof not takingnecessaryprecautions after thepandemicbegan. Anofficial in thewomenwelfare department said that intheabsenceof a regular superin-tendent, for thepast threeyears,Palwaslookingaftertheshelter.Earlierthisweek,AjeetKumar

had lodged a complaint againstunidentifiedpeopleandthepressfor allegedly circulating false in-formationabouttheshelter.Meanwhile,NationalCommis-

sion forWomen, taking cogniz-ance of a complaint by activistNutanThakur,hassentanoticetotheDistrictMagistrate, seekingareport on thematter. ThakurhasallegedthatSupremeCourtdirec-tionsregardingprotectionofchil-dreninshelterhomeswerenotfol-lowedinthisinstance.

New Delhi

EXPRESSNETWORK8 WWW.INDIANEXPRESS.COMTHEINDIANEXPRESS,SATURDAY, JUNE27,2020

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION KINDLY VISIT: www.haryanaeprocurement.gov.in or www.etenders.hry.nic.in

TENDER NOTICE

81480/HRY.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION KINDLY VISIT: www.haryanaeprocurement.gov.in or www.etenders.hry.nic.in

TENDER NOTICE

81476/HRY

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Haryana Rail InfrastructureDevelopment Corporation Ltd.

(Joint Venture of Ministry of Railways andGovernment of Haryana

No: HORC-48/2020 Dated: 26.06.2020

GENERAL PROCUREMENT NOTICECOUNTRY: INDIANAME OF PROJECT: HARYANA ORBITAL RAIL CORRIDOR(HORC) PROJECT SECTOR: TRANSPORTATION AND LOGIS-TICS (RAILWAYS)Project ID No. 000370

The Haryana Rail Infrastructure Development Corporation (HRIDC)intends to apply for financing in the amount of USD 400 million' equiva-lent from the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AllB) toward thecost of the Haryana Orbital Rail Corridor (HORC) Project, and it intendsto apply part of the proceeds to payments for goods, works, related serv-ices and consulting services to be procured under this project. This proj-ect will be jointly financed by the Government of Haryana GoH) andMinistry of Railways (MOR) in addition to some other stakeholders.A detailed description of the project along with the main project compone-nts is provided below:Project descriptionHORC will be a new electrified Double Broad-Gauge rail line of around122 route km (including connectivities: 144 route km) from Palwal toSonipat via Sohna, Manesar and Kharkhoda, It will have around 14 newstations and 03 existing station. Further, HORC will have 04 intersectionswith Indian Railways main radial routes i.e. Delhi-Mumbai, Delhi-Ahmedabad, Delhi-Rohtak, Delhi-Ambala emerging from Delhi and 01intersection with Dedicated Freight Corridor at Pirthala (near Palwal) aswell as major logistic hubs in the region. It will also provide seamlessinterconnection with Regional Rapid Transit System (RRTS) atPanchgaon near NH-48. Rolling stocks and related services will be pro-vided and operated by Indian Railways.Major project componentsThe following are the project components under HORC:

Component 1: Consultant ServicesComponent 2: Civil Works including tunnel, bridges, embankment,stations and the land acquisitionComponent 3: Track worksComponent 4: Railway systems including Electrification works,Signaling and Telecommunication (S&T) works Procurement of con-tract financed by AlIB will be conducted through the procedure asspecified in the AIIB’s Interim Operational Directive on ProcurmentInstructions for Recipient (June 2, 2016 ) and is open to all eligiblerenderers as defined in the Instructions.

Specific procurement notices (SPN) for contracts to be bid under theAIIB's international open competitive tender (lOCT) procedures and forcontracts for consultancy services will be announced, as they becomeavailable in UN Development Business and the AIIB website. SPN forcontracts will also be posted on www.hridc.co.in andhttps://etenders.hry.nic.in.

All tenders under the Project will be processed throughhttp://etenders.hry.nic.in.Contact information:Shri Pradeep Kumar, lRSEGeneral Manager/ProjectsE-mail: gmphride@gmail.comTel: +91-8766-347-125Haryana Rail Infrastructure Development CorporationAddress: SCO 17-18-19, 3rd Floor, Sector-17 A, ChandigarhE-mail: hridc2017@gmail.com

81482/HRY

EXPRESSNEWSSERVICEPANAJI, JUNE26

GOACHIEFMinisterPramodSawantonFridaysaid that community transmis-sionofCovid-19hasoccurred,andtheonusisoneveryonetotakeprecautions.Responding to a reporter, Sawant

said, “We are aware… there are casesspread acrossGoa andwehave to ac-cept community transmissionhasoc-curred.”Thisisthefirsttimethegovernment

has acknowledged community trans-mission,withcasesspreadacrossvari-oustalukas inGoa.OnFriday, thestatehad667activecasesand370recoveredcases.“Wehave strict SOPs. Even yester-

daywehadameetingonenforcinglawandorderacrossmarketsandensuringpeople follow rules,” Sawant said.“People have to take precautions andensure social distancing. Theyhave totakeresponsibility for themselvesandforthoseneartothem.Theyhavetofol-lowsocialdistancingandwearmasks.”

AsofFriday,therewere315isolatedcasesspreadacrossthestate.“Wehavecontact tracing details and also learntthesourceformostofthecases…,”theCMsaid.Currently, 778 people are quaran-

tined at hotels and residences, and alargechunkof asymptomaticpatientsareatCovidcarecentres.While44peopletestedpositiveon

Friday,another35weredischargedaf-terrecovery.Tilldatethestatehascon-ducted 60,350 tests, of which 1,039werepositive

EXPRESSNEWSSERVICEPANAJI, JUNE26

THEGOAPoliceonFriday regis-tered an FIR against unknownpersons, acting on a prominentPanajischool'scomplaintofstu-dentsallegedlyuploadingonso-cialmediademeaningandmor-phed images of teachers fromonlineclasses.Theschoolhassuspendedall

liverecordingsandrecordedses-sionsforThursdayandwillnowadmitstudentsintoZoomstudysessions only after they submitwrittenapplications.Theschoolmanagementhas

also asked parents to monitorstudents' online activity andstudysessions.“Wereceivedacomplainton

Thursday from a school inPanaji,”confirmedPankajKumarSingh, Superintendent of Police(SP),CrimeBranch,Goa.Headdedthattheschoolhas

complained of images beingcaptured, morphed and up-loadedwithderogatoryremarks.Inastatementtoparentsand

teachers, the school manage-mentwrote: “…a few studentshaveshowndisrespectbyusingsocial media platform likeInstagraminademeaningman-ner. Teachers’ faces have beenclicked during Zoom classes aswell as from recorded sessionsandmorphedintounacceptableanddemeaning imagesandup-loadedon Instagram.”InMay,teachers inGoawere

given tutorials on using onlineportals to reach students in thewakeof theCovid-19pandemicandthesubsequent lockdown.TheDirectorateofEducation

hadorganisedathree-daywork-shop to train them on variousplatforms, including GoogleMeetandZoom.The school wrote: “...This

methodofteachingisnewforallteachers and preparations arequite tedious and strenuous forthem...Theeffortof themanage-ment and the teachers shouldhave been appreciated by thestudentsandparents.”

Goa Police filesFIR after schoolcomplaint over‘morphed’teachers images

EXPRESSNEWSSERVICEMUMBAI, JUNE26

ASPECIALcourtonFridayrejectedtheinterimbail applications of 81-year-oldwriter-poetVaravara Rao and61-year-old former profes-sorShomaSen,whoarebehindbarssince2018in theElgaar Parishad case. BothRaoandSenhad sought interimbail citing their ill healthandsusceptibilitytoCovid-19.TheNational InvestigationAgency (NIA),

whichhadtakenovertheprobefromthePunePolice earlier this year, hadopposed thepleasstatingthatsincetheyhavebeenchargedundertheUnlawfulActivities (Prevention)Act, therewasnoprovisiontograntthemtemporarybail.Rao had lastmonth fallen unconscious at

his cell inTalojaCentral Jail andrushed to the

state-runJJHospital.His lawyershadsubmit-tedbeforethecourtthathismedicalconditionneeded proper and immediate attention topreventfurtherdeterioration.FourteenMPs had last weekwritten to

ChiefMinisterUddhav Thackeray to provideurgentmedical attention to Rao stating thatthehealthreportsfromJJHospitalindicatedanelectrolyte disturbance, which could provedetrimental as hewas already suffering fromcardiacailment.TheNIAhadsubmittedthatthejailauthor-

itiescanbedirectedtoensurepropermedicalattention,whenever required, and said stepswerebeingtakenforisolationandquarantinewithinthe jail toprevent thespreadofCovid-19.So far, two inmates at Taloja Central Jail,

whotestedpositiveforthevirus,havedied.A54-year-old female inmate at BycullaWomen’s Jail,whereSen is lodged,hadtested positive for Covid-19 and hassincerecovered.Sen’slawyer,too,hadsubmittedthat

she is aged about 61 and suffered frommultiple ailments such as osteoarthri-tis, glaucoma and high blood pressureandwas vulnerable to the coronavirusdisease. They also submitted that thehigh-powered committee, constitutedon the orders of the Supreme Court in

March, had directedthat state jails shouldbedecongested.

Special court rejects interim bailplea of Varavara Rao, Shoma Sen

HAMZAKHANJAIPUR, JUNE26

A TWO-PRONGED strategy ofaggressivetestingandscreeningthe elderly as part of a specialcampaign has seen RajasthanreportthehighestrecoveryrateforCovid-19patientsamongthetop10stateswithmost cases inIndia.As on Friday morning,

Rajasthan's recovery rate stoodat 79.24 per cent, while that ofIndia was 58.25 per cent.MadhyaPradeshfollowedclosebehind with a recovery rate of76.37percent,aheadofGujarat(72.83 per cent), as per UnionMinistry of Health and FamilyWelfaredata.According tohealth officials

in Rajasthan, aggressive testingwas a key factor in the success.“Aggressive testing leads us todetect cases early. And whenyou detect early, you can takethemtoan institutionor isolatethemathomequickly. So that’sthe key. And if you detect late,then the infection is already af-fectingyourvitalbodypartsand

recovery might be difficult,”Additional Chief Secretary,Health,RohitKumarSinghsaid.Of the 16,387 cases in the state,12,935have recovered.Another critical measure

was the launch of Mission LISA(life saver) as early as in April.Sincemostdeathswere amongthe elderly and the high-riskgroups, the governmentlaunched a campaign to surveysuch people in the hotspots,conduct check-ups, and taketheirsamplesfortesting,where

needed.“Itwaslaunchedit inallcon-

tainmentzones,wherewecate-gorised people. The high-riskpeoplewereidentifiedandcho-sen for testing,” Singhsaid.The government also em-

ployed the data from recordsavailable under governmentservices such as the AyushmanBharat Mahatma GandhiRajasthan Swasthya BimaYojana. The data under healthservices helped officials zero inonthose“whohavebeentohos-pital inthelastfouryearsforres-piratory and other co-morbidconditions.Soyouidentifythemand give themextra attention,”Singhsaid.Under Mission LISA, as of

Friday, 932 teams had coveredhotspotswhile5,588teamshadcovered other areas in the 12worst affected districts.Together, they have now sur-veyed 2.05 crore people. Ofthese, 21.10 lakh high risk per-sonswere “made aware” aboutthe increased risk they facedfromthedisease.A total of 3.06 lakhhigh risk

persons were checked by doc-

tors for vitals, such as oxygenetc.—in hotspots, outsidehotspots, and in OPDs, underthemission.A total 40,520 samples of

high-risk persons have beentaken for testing as part of themission. Importantly, 37,777 or93.23percent,of thesesamplescamefromhotspots, thusmark-ingacrucial interventioninsav-ingtheelderlyandthoseathighrisk, ultimately leading to ahigher recovery rate comparedtoother states.Praising the department for

“the best recovery rate”,Rajasthan Health MinisterRaghu Sharma on Friday, how-ever, said the risingnumbers ofcaseswere “a cause for worry.”Cases were rising in the statedue to the “carelessness” ofsome, andbecauseof returningmigrants, he said.Approximately 10,000 peoplehave arrived in the state fromthe Gulf countries and the for-merSoviet states.On June23, active caseshad

crossed the 3,000mark for thefirst time. On Friday, this num-ber stoodat3,072.

UKSWAN FACILITY MANAGEMENT SERVICESTender Notice No. 04/e-ITDA-PRJ/SFMS/1/2020-PROJECT dated 08/05/2020

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Public Notice The public are herebyinformed that 3 Lakh cubic meter Dry FlyAsh is available at the compartment-B ofHarduaganj Thermal Power Plant,situated beside NH-93, near villageNagola, Tahsil -Kole , district Aligarh. Thisdry fly ash is available free of cost andinterested General Public /Firm/Cement/Ash brick manufacturers maytake out from the site on their own cost.For more information please contact :Office of Executive Engineer ElectricityCivil Construction Division-II Kasimpur,Aligarh Mb No:-9412753271 e-mail:-eenishithsharma@gmail.com Sd/-Nishith Sharma) Executive Engineer Sd/-(Aftab Ahmed) Superintending Engineer´fÂffaI 31/A²fe. Ad·f/¸fb./d½fÄff´f³f/I` ¸´f-1 (24) 20 dQ³ffaI24.06.2020

Focus on testing, elderly takes Rajasthanto the top of Covid-19 recovery chart

Ahealthworkercollectsasample inBikaner. PTI/File

Have to accept community spread has occurred: Goa CM

New Delhi

DEEPTIMANTIWARYNEWDELHI,JUNE26

FORMERMADHYAPradeshCMKamalNath’snephewRatulPuri,who has been facing probes bycentral agencies in connectionwith the AgustaWestland dealandallegedbank loan fraud, hasnowbeenbookedbytheCBI inafresh case of loan fraud. The ac-cused includehis fatherDeepakPuriandmotherNitaPuri.A CBI team on Friday con-

ductedsearchesatmultipleprem-isesassociatedwiththePurifam-ilyandtheircompanyMoserBaer.Puriwas booked based on a

complaint fromPunjabNationalBankallegingfraudofoverRs787crore by Moser Baer Solar Ltd(MBSL).Lastyear,Puriwasbookedandarrested in connectionwiththeVVIP chopper scamcase andallegedRs354croreloanfraudonCentral Bank of India. He is cur-rentlyoutonbail. "ItwasallegedthattheaccusedhadcheatedthePunjabNationalBankledconsor-tiumcomprisingPNB(leadbank),SBI, EximBank, IndianOverseasBank,CentralBankofIndia,UnionBankofIndia,andBankofBarodatothetuneofRs787.25crore(ap-prox)bywayof diversionofbankfunds, shamtransactionsand in-flatedsecuritydepositsetc,”aCBIstatementsaid.

CBI spokesperson R KGaursaid searcheswere conductedatseven locations inDelhi, Noida,GhaziabadandAnnupur(MadhyaPradesh)atthepremisesoftheac-cused,includingdirectorsofMBSLand the company. He said thesearches led to “recovery of sev-eralincriminatingdocumentsanddigitalevidences”.Apart from the Puri family,

otheraccusedinthecaseincludeDeepak Khandelwal, RajeshKhandelwal,BernhardHermannGallus, Sunita Mowdgal andSanjay Jain. All are directors inMBSL. Puri’s lawyer VijayAggarwalrefusedtocommentonthedevelopments.According to CBI’s latest FIR,

between 2007 and 2013,MBSLavailed of loans of over Rs 950crore both for funding a powerproject and asworking capitalfromdifferent banks in the con-sortium.However,astheloansbe-camestressed,arestructuringex-

ercisewaslaunched.MBSL,how-ever, did not agree to the termsandconditionsofthedebtrestruc-turingin2016andaccordinglytheloansweredeclaredNPAs.Aforensicauditwasthencon-

ducted by the banks throughHaribhaktiandCoLLPwhichsub-mitteditsreportinJune2019.TheauditfoundthatinviolationofRBIrules,MBSLhadopenedaccountsoutsideof the consortiumbanksanddivertedrevenuethere.MBSL also invested Rs 696

crore in loss-makinggroupcom-pany Helios Photovoltaic Ltd(HPVL). Puri’s parents are direc-tors in the company. At the timeof the investment, the total assetvalueofthecompanywasRs455crore, indicating therewere nochancesof recovery,FIRhassaid.Irregularitieswerealsofound

in supplier advance andsale/purchase made byMBSL.Theaudit report found that44%of all purchasesmade byMBSLwere fromHPVL. “79.6%of suchpurchase from HPVL were ofmaterial thathadalsobeensoldtoHPVL. ...86.58%of sales (fromMBSL)toHPVLwereofmaterialalsopurchased fromSPVL.”Verification of sale/purchase

accounts showed theywerenotbacked by adequate evidence.“Thus fromtheabove it is crystalclear that all the above transac-tionswere sham transactions,”

theFIRhassaid.TheauditfoundthatMBSLhad

alsomadeaninterest-freesecuritydeposit of Rs135 crore toMoserBaer Indian Ltd for lease rentagreement. Thiswas found tobe“58.82 timeshigher thanagreedannualrental”.ThePNBcomplainthasalsoalleged the “primary se-curityofthelendersintheformofstockof finishedgoods,semi-fin-ished goods and rawmaterialhave also been fraudulently re-movedbyMBSLanditsdirectorsinordertopreventtheirdistribu-tionamongcreditorbankstosat-isfytheirdebts”.Puri had been booked last

AugustforallegedloanfraudandsubsequentlyfirstarrestedbytheEnforcementDirectorateinadra-maticfashion.FacingprobeintheAgustaWestland case, Puri hadbeencalledforquestioningbytheEDinJulylastyear.However,afterarriving at theEDoffice, Puri ex-cusedhimselftovisitthetoiletandneverreturned.Hethenappearedincourtseekinganticipatorybail.While the hearingswere on,

ED sent a reference on aCentralBankofIndialoanfraudtoCBIanda casewas registered. Based onthis,EDregisteredamoneylaun-deringcaseandarrestedPurievenas his bail hearing inAgustaWestland casewaspend-ing.HewaslaterarrestedagainintheAgustaWestlandcase.

9THEINDIANEXPRESS,SATURDAY, JUNE27,2020

EXPRESSNETWORKWWW.INDIANEXPRESS.COM

SAGARRAJPUTMUMBAI, JUNE26

YUSUF MEMON, the youngerbrotherof fugitivegangsterTigerMemon,diedduetoaheartattackatNashikRoadprisononFriday.Officials said the55-year-old,

whowasservingalifesentenceforhisroleinthe1993Mumbaiserialblasts, suffered a stroke around9.45 amanddied during treat-mentatthecivilhospitalinNashik.According to the jail officials,

Yusufwas lodged in thehigh-se-curityAndacellwithhisyoungerbrotherEssainaneighbouringcell."Hewastalkingtofellowin-

mates when he collapsed sud-denly.Hisbrotherandother in-mateswere around. As soon ashe fell down, we called the in-house doctors, who tried totreat him. But as his conditiondidnot improve,hewasrushedto the Nashik civil hospitalwhere he died,” said PramodWagh, jail superintendent.The body has been sent to

Dhulemedical college for post-mortem,followingwhich, itwillbe handed over to the family.“Doctors are expected to con-duct the postmortem earlySaturday. The family is on theirwaytoDhule,” saidWagh.Yusuf was arrested soon af-

terthe1993blastsandhadbeenlodged in different jails across

the state since then. Hewas atArthur Road jail inMumbai till2007 and was then shifted toAurangabad jail. From there, hewas transferred to Nashik Roadjail in2018.JailerAshokKarkar said, “He

suffered from amental illness(schizophrenia), for which hewas being treated by doctors inthe jail.”Yusuf was sentenced to life

imprisonmentbyaspecialTADAcourt in 2007 for his role in the1993 blasts that killed over 250people and injuredhundreds inMumbai.Hewasarrestedforlet-ting the conspirators use hishouse andgarage in the city.Hewas held guilty for conspiracyandabettingactsof terroralongwith threeothers–his brothersEssaandYakubandsister-in-lawRubina. Yakub, who was sen-tenced to death, was executedon July30,2015.

YusufMemon

EXPRESSNEWSSERVICENEWDELHI, JUNE26

THE SUPREME Court on Fridaystayed FIRs registered byWestBengal Police against editors ofnews portal OpIndia and gaveprotection from arrest to newsanchor Amish Devgan, whofacesmultipleFIRsoverremarksmadeduringaTVshow.The plea by OpIndia editor

NupurSharmawastakenupviavideo-conference by a vacationbench of Justices Sanjay KishanKaulandBRGavai.The petition pointed out

that West Bengal police hadregistered three FIRs againstOpIndiastaffersSharma,AjewtBharti andRahulRoushanoverreports on the website. It saidalthough other news outletsalso carried write-ups on thesubject, the police had singledout OpIndia, and the “authori-tarian Kolkata police" was us-ingregistrationof FIRsasanex-cuse to"intimidate journalists"in getting online content andreportscriticalof thestategov-ernment deleted.Thepolice evenquestioned

their familymembers, and de-spite repeatedrequestshadre-fused to supply thema copy ofthe FIRs, or to upload themonofficialwebsite, thepetition-ers stated.They stated that the state

governmenthas"blatantlymis-used"policepowersunderCrPCto"scuttlebonafideinstancesofjournalism", thereby violatingthe fundamental to freespeech.

Thepolicehadaskedthemtotakedowncertaincontent fromtheOpIndiawebsiteandTwitter,andwarned them of repercus-sions if they failed to do so, theplea said.They also pointed out that

thereisaregulatorymechanismto oversee internet content asper Section 69A of InformationTechnologyActandsoughtadi-rectionfromthecourttoexcludepolice in matters concerningdeletionof internet content.Devgan’s plea came up be-

fore a bench of Justices A MKhanwilkar and DineshMaheshwari, which directedthatnocoerciveactionshouldbetaken against himuntil the firstweek of July over FIRs for al-legedly hurting religious senti-ments.Thecourtalsostayedtheinvestigation in thematter.Devgan, an anchor with

News 18 India channel, had ap-proached the court seekingquashingof theFIRs.AppearingforDevgan,senior

advocate Siddharth Luthra toldthecourtthattheanchorhadal-readytenderedapublicapologyonthe issue,ashehadconfusednames. "Itwas unfortunate andhappenedintheheatof themo-ment,” he said and urged thecourt to consolidate the FIRsagainsthimindifferentstatesinthis regard.Luthra told the court that

FIRs have been filed againstDevgan in Rajasthan,MaharashtraandTelangana.AnFIR was also lodged in UttarPradeshagainstthreatsmadetothe journalist's life.

ADILAKHZERSRINAGAR, JUNE26

ACRPFconstableandafive-year-old boywere killed in an attackby ISJK militants in SouthKashmir's Anantnag district onFriday,police said.Meanwhile, in Tral, three

Hizbul Mujahideen militantswerekilledinanovernightoper-ation by security forces, the po-lice said. They said that noHizbmilitants are now active in theareaforthefirst timeindecades.Regarding the incident in

Anantnag,officialssaidthatmil-itants attackedaCRPFpartyde-ployednearPadshahiBaghareain Bijbehara town. A CRPFspokesperson said that un-known militants on a two-wheeler fired upon the pa-trolling party of G/90 BattalionCRPF around noon. “One CT[constable]of 90battalionCRPFsustained bullet injury & at-tainedmartyrdom,”hesaid.TheCRPFmanwasidentified

as Shyamal Kumar Dey, hailingfromWest Bengal. The boywasidentifiedasNehanYawar,ares-ident of Machwa Yaripora inKulgamdistrict.IGP Kashmir Vijay Kumar

said, “We have identified thekiller of aminorboyandaCRPFman.TerroristZahidDaasof ISJKoutfit is involved in today’s at-tackatBijbehara.Policehavereg-istered a case against him byname.” A J&K Police spokesper-sonstatedthattheyreceivedin-formation of “a terror crime in-cident in Bijbehara arearegardingwhere terrorists hadfiredonCRPFparty”.“Preliminary investigation

revealed that terrorists firedupontheCRPFparty,resultingininjuriestoaCRPFpersonnelanda minor boy. Both the injuredwere shifted to a nearby hospi-talfortreatmentwheretheysuc-cumbed to their injuries,” thespokespersonsaid.Ahealthofficialinsubdistrict

hospital Bijbehara told TheIndianExpressthattwopersonswerebroughtdeadatthehospi-tal. “They had bullet injuries ontheheadandchest,”hesaid.AccordingtoNehan’s family,

theboyhadgonewithhisfatherMohammad Yaseen, a govern-ment employee, and uncle toBijbehara, where the former isposted. “Nehan asked him (theuncle)tobringsomethingfromashop... Inbetween,anattacktook

place and Nehan suffered in-juries,” Nehan’s grandfatherMohammad Yusuf told TheIndianExpress.Regarding the incident in

Tral, IGP Kumar told The IndianExpress, “Three HizbulMujahideen terrorists werekilledtodayinTral.Withtoday'soperation, there is no Hizb ter-rorist intheTralareaactivenow.Ithashappenedforthefirsttimesince1989.”Police said the gunbattle

started Thursday evening inChewa Ullar village area ofAwantiporainTral,andwentonfornearly17hours. “In the... en-counter, 3 terroristswere killedand their bodieswere retrievedfromthesite...,”saidastatementby the J&KPolice.

ANJALIMARARPUNE, JUNE26

THE SOUTHWEST monsooncovered the entire country onFriday, completing its advancea fortnight earlier than itsnormaldate.MrutyunjayMohapatra, di-

rector general, IndiaMeteorological Department(IMD) said on Friday themon-soonhadreachedallpartsof thecountryagainstthenormaldateof July 8. This is only the thirdtimesince2011whenthemon-soonadvancewascompletedinJune. Between 2011-2020, theearliest advance was in 2013(June16)and in2018(June28).

Though the formationof cy-cloneNisargaintheArabianSeaposed a threat and had the po-tential to delay themonsoon'sprogress fromMaharashtra on-wards, itwasnotrealised.Thisisbecausefavourableweathersys-

temstookbirthsoonafterthecy-clonehit,aidingfurtherprogress.Themonsoon soon revived andmadeaswiftadvanceoverpartsofGujarat,MadhyaPradesh,eastUttar Pradesh and covered cen-tral Indiaontime."The formation of a low-

pressure area over the Bay ofBengal, which moved west-northwestwards along with acycloniccirculationovercentralIndia, helped in the advance ofthemonsoon," saidMohapatra.SinceitstimelyonsetonJune

1,therainfallhasbeenrelativelygood andwell distributed thisseason so far. Quantitatively, 31out of the total 36meteorologi-cal sub-divisions in the countryidentifiedbyIMDreceivedrain-

fall ranging between normal tolargeexcess.Barring Himachal Pradesh,

Uttarakhand, Mizoram,Manipur, Tripura and TamilNadu,theremainingstateshaverecorded rainfall between nor-mal to largeexcess thismonth.From the time themonsoon

makesitsonsetoveraregion,thewindowforkharifsowingopensand continues for the nextmonth.On kharif sowing this year,

the IMD chief said, "June is themainsowingwindowformajorpartsofthecountry,exceptsomeareas in west Rajasthan. Thisyear, theremay not be anyma-jor impact on sowing and therainso farwill bebeneficial."

SREENIVASJANYALAHYDERABAD, JUNE26

A 32-YEAR-OLD software engi-neer living on the outskirts ofHyderabad has allegedly com-mittedsuicidefollowingharass-mentbyherhusband.In the last video she up-

loaded on social media, thewomansaidsheendured“phys-ical andmental torture” by herhusbandforseveralmonthsbe-cause she loved him. She thenadded that “he is having affairswithotherwomen”andthatsheis taking “this finaldecisionduetoall these reasons”.Her family has, however, al-

leged that her husband M

Venkatesh, a senior pilot withTruJetAirlines, strangulatedherandhungherbodyuptomakeitlook likeacaseof suicide.On June 25 evening, the

woman, a senior softwareengi-neerwith anMNC, posted sev-eral messages on social media,narrating the harassment shewasbeingsubjectedto.Shewaslater found dead at their resi-denceinShamshabad.Inthelastvideo she uploaded, she said,“For several months I enduredhis physical andmental torturebecause I loved him a lot. Butnow I cannot accept it anymorethat he is having affairs withother women and makes itknowntome.WhyshouldI lovehimandwhyshould I live? I am

taking this final decision due toall these reasons.”Police have also released a

September 2019 CCTV footagefrom the housewhere the cou-ple lived earlier. The footageshowsVenkateshbeatingupthewomanastheirdogtriestopro-tecther.Thewoman’sfatheraccused

Venkatesh of killing her. “Ourson-in-law is having an affairwith another woman. He wasangrythatevenaftereightyearsofmarriage,theycouldnothaveachildandblamedmydaughterfor that. He had been harassingher physically for months butshe told us only recently. I don’tbelieve she committed suicide.Venkatesh killed her and hung

herbodyfromthefantomakeitlook likesuicide,’’ he said.Rajiv Gandhi International

Airport Police Station InspectorVijay Kumar said investigationhadrevealedthatVenkateshwashaving several affairs. “He is inrelationshipswithotherwomeninHyderabad andChennai. Thecouple married in 2012.Thereafter, Venkatesh had losthisjobandhiswife’sfamilytookcareof theirrequirements.ThenhegotajobasapilotwithTruJetandwas earning about 7 lakh amonth. Hewas upset that theycould not have children andstarted physically abusing hiswife.He torturedher everyday.We have taken him into cus-tody,’’ Kumarsaid.

EXPRESSNEWSSERVICENEWDELHI, JUNE26

THE PRESS Council of India hasaskedtheUttarPradeshgovern-mentandstatepolice to submitareportonthekillingofUnnao-basedjournalistShubhamManiTripathi.Tripathi, 25, worked for

Kanpur-based newspaper

KampuMail. Hewas shot deadon June19 inUnnao.Thebody said in a statement

onFridaythatit“highlycondemnsthe incident of killing of a youngjournalist”. It said “taking suomotu cognizance in thematter”,it has directed theUttar Pradeshgovernment through its ChiefSecretaryandDirectorGeneralofPolice “to submit a report on thefactsof thecaseattheearliest”.

5-yr-old boy, CRPF man killed inmilitant attack in J&K’s Anantnag

Supreme Court staysFIRs against OpIndiaeditors, gives anchorprotection from arrest

Tortured by husband for not conceiving,32-year-old techie hangs self, say police

Southwest monsoon covers entirecountry two weeks before normal date

In JaipuronFriday. Rohit Jain

Securitypersonnelat thesiteof themilitantattack inAnantnagonFriday. ShuaibMasoodi

EXPRESSNEWSSERVICENEWDELHI, JUNE26

THE SUPREME Court on FridayissuedanoticetotheJammuandKashmir administration on aplea by Mian Abdul Qayoom,presidentof J&KBarAssociation,challengingtheHighCourtorderupholding his detention underthePublicSafetyAct (PSA).Thepleawasheardviavideo-

conference by a vacation benchof Justices Sanjay Kishan KaulandBRGavai,whichsoughttheadministration’s reply by thesecondweek of July when thecourt would reopen after sum-merrecess.Senior Advocate Dushyant

Dave, who appeared forQayoom,saidthepetitioneronlyhadwinter garments when hewasbroughttoTiharJail inDelhiand that given the currentweather conditions, he shouldbeallowedsummerclothing.Takingnote,thebenchasked

jailauthoritiestoensurethatap-propriate clothes and other es-sentials aremadeavailable.Qayoomhasalsosoughtadi-

rection to shift him to Srinagarcentral jail onmedicalgrounds.The high court on May 28

upheld his detention underthe PSA. Qayoom has said hewasdetainedonthenight inter-vening August 4 and 5, 2019,underprovisionsof JammuandKashmir Code of CriminalProcedure and PSA was im-posedonAugust7,2019.Hehascontended that the high courtorder is ex facie unsustainableinlawasit ispremisedon“stale,irrelevant, remote, vague, im-precise and deficient” groundsof detention.

EXPRESSNEWSSERVICEVADODARA, JUNE26

THEDAHODpoliceisinvestigat-inganallegedcaseofsuicideofagirl(15)andaboy(17)whowerefound hanging from a tree inBaina village of Devgadhbariatalukaof thedistrict.The bodies of the minors

werediscoveredbythevillagerson early Fridaymorning near alake in the village. According tothe police, they had received acomplaint from the girl's fatheron Thursday. alleging that theboy had abducted her and fledfromthevillage.The bodieswere discovered

when the police investigationinto the alleged abductionwasunderway. Preliminary investi-gations hinted at an alleged re-lationshipbetweenthe two.Sanjay Patel, assistant sub-

inspector at Devgadhbaria po-

lice station, said, "As per pre-liminary investigations, theirrelationship was not acceptedby their respective families,which is why they may havetakenthisextremestep.Nosui-cide note was recovered fromthe spot.""As per initial autopsy re-

ports, both of themdied due toasphyxiation by hanging.However, we are still awaitingthefinalautopsyreports.Wearealso interrogating their familymembers and investigating ifthere could be any kind of foulplay in the case.We are tracingwhere theyhad fled to fromthevillageandwhentheyreturned,"Patel added.Acaseofaccidentaldeathhas

been registered at theDevgadhbariapolicestationandfurtherinvestigationsareunder-way. The bodies of theminorswerehandedovertotherespec-tive familiesafterpostmortem.

MILINDGHATWAIBHOPAL, JUNE26

THE MADHYA Pradesh HighCourt has granted bail to an ac-cused in amolestation case un-der sections of POCSOAct afterhe offered to become a “coronawarrior”andalsoplantasaplingandnurture it.JusticeAnandPathakdirected

that the accusedplant a saplingand fence it. “He shall plantsaplings/treespreferably6-8feetsothattheywouldgrowintofull-fledged tree at anearly time. Forensuringcomplianceheshallsub-mitphotographsofplantationbe-fore the concerned trial courtalongwithareportwithin30daysfromthedateofrelease,’’readstheorderpassedonWednesday.Charged under Section 354

of IPC and Sections 7/8 of thePOCSOAct, the accusedwas ar-rested on January 22. The courthasaskedtheaccusedtosubmitthe report before the trial courton the firstdayof everymonth.The court said the accused

can choose any place and willhave to bear the cost of treeguardor fencing.Seeking bail, the accused

had given an undertaking thathe would not get involved inany criminal activity, becomeabetter citizen, cooperate withthe trial, not harass the victimand notmove in the vicinity ofthe prosecutrix. The accusedsaid hewants to becomea “co-ronawarrior”,performcommu-nity service and serve the na-tional cause by contributing tothePMCARES Fund.The government advocate

hadopposed theplea.

Threekilled inencounter,nomoreHizbulMujahideenmeninTral, saypolice

’93 blasts convictYusuf Memon diesin Nashik prison

Press Council asks UP for reporton Unnao journalist’s killing

SC seeks UTreply on J&Kbar chief’s pleaover detention

Bail for POCSOaccused afterhe offers to becorona warrior,plant a sapling

2 minors found hangingfrom tree, say police

18-YR-OLD INJUREDIN FIRINGBYPAKTROOPS ALONG LOCJammu: An 18-year-oldwomanwas on Friday in-jured in small arms fire byPakistani troops along theLoCinJammuandKashmir’sPoonch,thepolicesaid.NaziaKouser of Mandhar inShahpur Kirni sector wasgrazingcattlewhenhit. Shewas rushed to the districthospital. In Rajouri andPoonch,threeIndiansoldiershavebeenkilledinPakistanifiring along the LoCduringthepastfortnight.ENS

RatulPuri

CBI books Ratul Puri over‘Rs 787-crore loan fraud’

New Delhi

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of work

Approx.cost of

work (Rs.)

Cost ofTender

document(Rs.)

EarnestMoney(Rs.)

Contractperiod

Date &time of

closing oftender

TST_3_GL_11_142_PART_20Training ofT e s t i n gDi rec torate ’sofficers andSupervisors

25,22,840.00 3,000.00 50,500.00 180 Days 04/08/2020(Tuesday)at 15:00

hrs.

Sd/-Jt. Director Testing/Labs.

Testing Directorate, RDSO, LucknowFor and on behalf of President of Union of India

Rajasthan State Road Development And Construction Corporation Ltd., JAIPURNo. NIT/2020-21/3561-72 Date 25.06.2020

d³fd½fQf Àfc¨f³ff/20-21

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d³fd½fQf ÀfZ Àfa¶fad²f°f Àf¸fÀ°f d½f½fS¯f E½fa ÀfaVfû²f³f ½fZ¶fÀffBÊM http://eproc.rajasthan.gov.in, http://sppp.rajasthan.nic.in °f±ff

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Construction of 24 No. Type-II Judicial Qtrs. at Jodhpur.UBN No.: RRC2021WLOB00091

940.00Lac

BÊ-46/20-21

Remaining work of Boys Hostel, Girls Hostel, Horticultue and other campus works atMedical College, Sikar.UBN No :RRC2021WLOB00090

760.00Lac

A»´fI f»fe³fBÊ-70/20-21

II,, Vishal Sharma,SonOf,VijayKumarR/o-104, Lok-ViharApptts.Vikaspuri NewDelhi-18,Wants to changedmyname,fromK.Gopal Sharma toVishal Sharma,in futureall,purposes. IwasAlreadychangedmynameon-20.12.2005. 0040540415-8

II,, Vijay LaxmiRawalW/o JanakRaj Rawal R/o 118Avtar EnclavePaschimViharNewDelhi110063have changedmynametoVijayRawal for all purposes.

0070707412-1

II Haurshit@Hurshit S/oSh.DineshSinghR/oB-2/20PharmaApartments 88, I.P.Extn, Patparganj, Delhi-110092have changedmyname toHarshit for all purposes.

0040540405-1

II KM.NISHAD/o JagadishSingh,W/oAbhishekKumarSinghR/o-H.No.C-119,Maharani-Enclave,Hastsal,UttamNagar, Delhi-110059,have changedmyname toNISHASINGH. 0040540415-3

IIMithuSinghS/OShamLal R/O-WZ-79,MohanNagar, Pankha-Road, Delhi-110046. HaveChangedmyName toMithaiLal Pal. 0040540415-5

II Parneet KaurD/oSaravjeetSinghR/o-4/239 (GF) front sideSubhash-NagarNewDelhi,have changedmyname toParneetKaurArora.

0040540415-4

II RishuSharmaS/O, RaviPrakashSharmaR/o 67 1stFloor KishanKunj Extn. Part- 2LaxmiNagarDelhi 110092 havechangedmyname toRishabhSharma for all purposes

0040540424-1

II,, AaishahBandaywants toconvey for the informationofgeneral public at large thatmymother’s namehasbeenchanged fromAsmat Iqbal JantoAsmat. Anybodyhavinganyobjection to this effect shallinform the concernedwithinsevendaysof publication ,afterwhichnoobjectionwill beentertained. 0020407635-1

II,, SatishPRASADBHATT, S/OBHEEMANANDBHATT, H.NO24,C, POCKET-D-1,JANTAFLATSMAYURVIHARPH III, DELHI110096, changedmyname toSATISHBHATT,for all,purposes.

0040540415-1

II,, NO.4090898PNKSURENDERSINGH, S/OLATE.DALIP SINGHR/O-RZ-445/316,GALI.NO-7,GEETANJALI-PARK,WESTSAGARPUR,DELHI-110046.havechangedmyminor son’sname,fromDIVANSHRAWAT toDIVYANSHRAWAT,for all,futurepurposes. 0040540415-6

II,,Melroy SavioDesyiva S/oShriClarenceDesylvaR/o-A-901,Appu-Enclave,PlotNo.3D,Sector-11,Dwarka,NewDelhi-110075,have changedmynametoMelroyDesyiva,for all,futurepurpose. 0040540437-3

II,,Manoj KumarBansal S/oSiyaramBansal R/oB-202,Pearl GatewayTowers, Sector44, Noida, Sector- 37 , GautamBuddhaNagar, Noida , UttarPradesh , 201303declare thatthenameofminehasbeenwrongly printed inmysonVaasuBansal aged 17 yrsmarksheet asManoj Bansal.Theactual nameofmine isManoj KumarBansal.

0070707411-1

II,,MOHIT S/O JAIPALRUHILR/OA-1/1, SECTOR-3, ROHINI,DELHI-110085. HAVECHANGEDMYNAMETOMOHITRUHIL.

0040540437-1

II,,MOHAMMADASLAMS/O-SHOKATALI, H.NO-C-40,BLOCK-CGROUND-FLOORNEAR-COMMUNITYCENTER.D.D.ACOLONYNEW-JAFRABADDELHI-110032,changedmyname toMOHAMMADASLAMANSARI,for all,purposes.

0040540415-2

II,, JAI PALS/OBHIMSINGHR/OA-1/1, SECTOR-3, ROHINI, DELHI-110085. HAVECHANGEDMYNAMETO JAIPALRUHIL.

0040540437-2

II,, Arul ValiasV. Arul aliasArulVenkatachalapathi aliasVenkatachalapathi Arul S/oM.VenkatachalaPathi (M.V. Pathi)R/o 16/9, CassiaRoad, ShipraSuncity, Indirapuram,Ghaziabad, Uttar Pradesh-201014, have changedmynameandshall hereafter be knownasVenkataArul. 0040540396-1

II,, AnitaKothariW/oPiyushAggarwal R/oH.No.29UGF, StNo 1-BDurgapuri Extn.ShahdaraDelhi-110093havechangedmy nameaftermarriageRadhikaAggarwalfor all purposes for future.

0040540371-1

II,, Ajit SinghKahdianS/oGainiRamR/o.Village-Wazirpur,Distt.Jhajjar (Haryana)havechangedmyName,fromAjitSinghKahdian toAjit Singhvide-Affidavit No.12583dated-17-06-2020 at Beri(Haryana)

0040540415-9

PPEERRSSOONNAALL

Classifieds

PUBLIC NOTICEMy Client Shri Ombir Singh S/O ShriFool Singh and his wife Rajesh Deviboth residents of house no-22, ShivMandir Mohalla, Village Badli, Delhi-110042, do hereby severe all relationsand debarred My Daughter SHALU PALfrom my all their movable andimmovable properties due to theirdisrespectful behaviour and badconduct towards my client. Anyonedealing with them will do at his/her owncost, risk and responsibility, my clientwill not be responsible for any of theirdealing/acts.

AdvocateAmarnath Shukla

Enrolment No.D/1819-E/04Delhi High Court

PUBLIC NOTICEBe it known to all concerned that my clientSh. Anil Kumar Vaid S/o late Sh. C.P. Vaidand Smt. Urmil Vaid W/o Shri Anil KumarVaid both r/o WZ-6 B/2, ground floor,Krishna Park, Street no. 8, Tilak Nagar,New Delhi- 110018 have disowned theirson Shri Ankit Vaid R/o WZ-6 B/2, secondfloor, Krishna Park, Street no. 8, TilakNagar, New Delhi- 110018. My clients havedebarred him from all their movable andimmovable properties which exist or mayexist in future in name of my clients. Myclients sever all relations/connections withtheir son. That my client(s) shall not beliable or responsible for any acts(s) and / oromission(s), any claim, loss, interest and/or otherwise to anyone in any manner onthe part of above person/relations henceforthwith.

Sd/-MANISH GARG & ASSOCIATES

(ADVOCATES)Chamber AT: C-92, C.L. JOSEPH

BLOCK, TIS HAZARI, DELHIOFFICE: 011-23936573 9213415030

PUBLIC NOTICEThis is to inform the general public atlarge that my clientess Smt. Asha DeviW/o Late Sh. Rajendra Bhati R/o1/7226K, Mohar Singh Gali, ShivajiPark, Shahdara Delhi have disowned& severe all relations with herdaughter’s “VANDANA RANA” &“RATNA RAWAL” from her allmovable and immovable assets asthey are not respect my clientess, notunder her control, and any persondealing with them shall be doing so athis/her own risks and consequencesand my clientess will not be held liablefor any of their acts & deeds.

Sd/- (SANJAY SOTI)Advocate

Office: C-396, Street No.-11,West Vinod Nagar, Delhi-110092

PUBLIC NOTICEIt is for the information of general publicthat my clients Smt. Harpreet KaurMalhotra w/o Sh. Surinder pal malhotra,and Surinder pal malhotra s/o Sh.Raghubir singh, both R/o H.No. A-131,shankar gardan, vikaspuri New Delhi-18,has severed all their family relations withtheir elder son Pavneet Malhotra as he isquite disloyal, disrespectful, disobedientand also disown their said son frominheriting their movable and/or immovableproperties in any manner whatsoever. Anybody dealing with the said son of myclients shall be doing so at his/her/theirown risk and costs.

Sd/- GINNY SHARMAADVOCATE

D-4533/16Off no- 8, wz-13d/4, Asalatpur,

janakpuri, New Delhi-110058Mob: 9910977168

PUBLIC NOTICEMY CLIENT SH. ROOP CHAND GAUTAM AGE 58YEARS S/O LATE SH RAJINDER SINGH R/O A-33,JAGJEEVAN NAGAR VILLAGE KAITHWARA DELHI -110053 DECLARE THAT HE HAS NO RELATIONWITH HIS BHABHI NAMELY SMT. RAJVEERI W/OLATE SH. BHOOP SINGH GAUTAM, AND HERCHILDREN NAMELY SIDDHARTH GAUTAM,ABHISHEK GAUTAM, POONAM, SARITA, MANISHAAS THEY USED TO ALWAYS INSULT HIM AND THEIRBEHAVIOUR AND CONDUCT IS VERY BADTOWARDS HIM AND THEY USED TO BEAT, QURELL,HARASS HIM AND WITH HIS FAMILY HE AND HISFAMILY DO NOT WANT TO HAVE ANY RELATIONSWITH THEM IN ANY MANNER SOCIALLY ANDECONOMICALY, IF THEY INDULGE IN ANY ILLEGALACTS OR DEAL WITH ANY PROBLEMS, THEY WILLBE RESPONSIBLE FOR ALL THAT, HE WILL NOT BERESPONSIBLE FOR ANY ACT OF THEM. ALL THERELATIONS OF MY CLIENT ROOP CHAND GAUTAMWITH HIS FAMILY HAVE BEEN FINISHED. THEREWAS OF DISPUTE BETWEEN RAJBEERI AND HERSON'S OVER THE PERSONAL PROPERTY OF THELATE FATHER OF MY CLIENT SHRI RAJENDRASINGH WAS GOING ON. ON 09.12.2018 ABOUT TWOYEARS BACK IT WAS SETTLED WITH THECONSENT AND WILL OF THEIR FAMILIES BUTTHEIR FAMILY IS NOT READY TO ACCEPT THE SAIDSETTLEMENT. THE SETTLEMENT WAS SIGNED BYOUR SISTER SUMITRA DEVI'S FAMILY AND MAINRELATIVES AND PROMINENT PERSON OF THECOMMUNITY BUT RAJBEERI AND HER FAMILY ISNOT READY TO ACCEPT THE SAID SETTLEMENT,DUE TO END OF THE TIME OF THIS SETTLEMENT,THE SAME BE CONSIDERED AS CANCELLED.

Sd/-RAJENDRA KUMAR CHAUHAN (ADVOCATE )

Enrollment No. D-1018/1993Office: Seat No. 134, Opposite Gole Canteen,

Civil Wing, Tis Hazari Court, Delhi-110054

k 3 6hRLY(7)

New Delhi

11WWW.INDIANEXPRESS.COMTHEINDIANEXPRESS,SATURDAY, JUNE27,2020

DISTRICT POLICE HEADQUARTERS, KATHUAE- mail: sspkathua@jkpolice.gov.in

Fax/Phone No.: 01922-234010

LOOK OUT NOTICEOn 28.02.2019, Chairperson, Child Welfare Committee,

Kathua reported that on 27.02.2019 (night hours), one unknown deafand dumb male child (Age 10 Years) who was restored to BalAshram Kathua on 17.02.2019 went missing and thereafter hiswhereabouts are unknown. On this, a Case FIR No. 67/2019 U/S363 RPC was registered at P/S Kathua and investigation started.

During the course of investigation, best efforts were made tolocate the missing/kidnapped individual however his whereaboutsare still unknown.

As such Description Roll/Photograph of said individual is beingshared with the appeal that anybody having clue/information abouthis whereabouts may inform us accordingly. The informer will berewarded suitably:-

DESCRIPTION ROLL PHOTOGRAPH

✯ Name : Unknown✯ Parentage : Unknown✯ Permanent address : Unknown✯ Present address : Unknown✯ Tehsil : Unknown✯ Police Station : Unknown✯ Age : About 10 years✯ Height : About 03 Feet✯ Complexion : Fair,✯ Built : Average✯ Face : Oval✯ Eyes : Black

Any information related to the missing individual may be communicat-ed on following contacts:-1. DPO Kathua- 01922-234010 (Phone/Fax)2. dpokathua@jkpolice.gov.in ( Mail ID)3. PCR Kathua- 01922-234311(Phone/Fax)4. P/S Kathua-01922-234310.

Sr. Superintendent of Police,Kathua.DIPJ-1738

Website faridabadccb.in IFCS Code: UTIB0SFCB01 Email: faridabad.dccb@yahoo.com

THE FARIDABAD CENTRAL COOPERATIVEBANK LTD., FARIDABAD

(RBI License No. RPCD.CHD.FR(HR) 05 Dated May 30, 2012)1C_DTI-1A, 1st & 2nd Floor, Bata Hardware Road, NIT

Faridabad, Haryana-121001

CO-OPTED OF PROFESSIONAL DIRECTORSThe Faridabad Central Co-operative Bank Ltd. Fardiabad is one

of the leading Licensed Central Co-operative Bank in the State ofHaryana. It was registered under Haryana Co-operative Societies Actin the year 1979. The Bank is carrying out Banking Business in accor-dance with B.R. Act 1949 (AACS). The working capital of the Bank is102481.57 Lacs. The Bank is in service of peasants of the area ofDistrict Faridabad and Palwal since its inception.

As prescribed by R.B.I. and R.C.S., Haryana Two professionaldirectors are to be co-opted on Board of Directors of the Bank. Co-option will be made in accordance with section 29-B of HaryanaCooperative Societies (Amendment) Act 2006.Eligibility:1. Candidates should have minimum Five Years of experience in fol-

lowing areas:-i) Accountancy (Qualified Chartered/Cost Accountant).ii) Agriculture (Agriculture Graduate/Post Graduate/ Agriculture

Engineer).iii) Banking (A1 Senior Management level being a Graduate).iv) Finance/Economics/ Commerce/ Business Administration

(CFA/Post Graduate in Economics/ Commerce/ Finance/Management/ MBA).

v) Law (Law Graduate/ Post Graduate).2. He/She should be permanent resident of area of operation of the

Bank i.e. District Faridabad and Palwal.3. If he/she is a borrower, he/she should not be a defaulter.4. He/She should not have, had a Business relationship with this

Bank during the Two proceeding years (a person havingCommercial dealing with the Bank such as Contractor,Professional like legal advisor, auditor etc. will be treated as hav-ing Business relationship with the Bank). A person havingDeposited/ Borrowing from the Bank will not be classified as hav-ing Business relationship for this purpose.

5. Interested person should obtain application form with detail infor-mation from the office of G.M./ C.E.O. of this Bank 10.00 A.M. to4.00 P.M. on any working day on payment of Rs. 500/- in cash orDemand Draft/ Pay Order drawn in favour of the Faridabad CentralCoop. Bank Ltd. Faridabad. Application complete in all respect willbe accepted till 16.07.2020 upto 4.00 P.M.

Sd/- General Manager.Phone No. 0129-4057943, 4057947, 4057942, 4057941, 4057940, 405794581475/HRY.«

DIRECTORATE OF DISTANCE EDUCATIONKURUKSHETRA UNIVERSITY KURUKSHETRA (HARYANA)

(Established by the State Legislature Act XII of 1956)

(A+ Grade NAAC Accredited)

ADMISSION NOTICE (JULY 2020)Applications on the prescribed proforma are invited from eligible persons for admission to the following courses offeredthrough distance mode:

LAST DATE TO APPLYLAST DATE for receipt of Admission Form (A-E) Complete in all respects without Late Fee for all the courses is 31stAugust 2020 except M.B.A/M.B.A (Hospitality Management)/M.C.A & B. Ed (Part-I) which is 14 Aug. 2020

DIRECTOR81467/HRY

A TRADITIONAL COURSES² B.A.(3-year) Part-I/II/III² B.Com (3 year) Part-I/II/IIl² M.A. (2 year) in Hindi, English, Sanskrit, Punjabi, Political

Science, Philosophy, Public Administration, History &.Economics Part-I/II

² M.Sc. (2 year) Mathematics & Geography Part-I/II² M.Com (2 year) Part-I/IIB PROFESSIONAL COURSES(I) COMPUTER/IT COURSES² Certificate Course in Computer Application (1-year)² Bachelor of Computer Application (3-year)Part-l/lI/III² P.G. Diploma in Computer Applications (1 year)² M.Sc. Computer Science (Software) (2 year) Part-I/II² MCA (3 year) Part-I/II/III(II) COMMERCE & MANAGEMENT COURSES² P.G. Diploma in Export Marketing Management (1 year)² P.G. Diploma in Taxation (1 year)² P.G. Diploma in Business Analytics (1 year)² MBA (2 year) Part-I/Il² MBA (HM) (2 year) Part-I/II(III) LIBRARY & INFORMATION SCIENCE COURSES² Diploma in Library &. Information Science (1 year)² Bachelor of Library &. Information Science (1 year)² Master of Library &. Information Sc. (1 year)(IV) JOURNALISM & MASS COMMUNICATION COURSES² P.G. Diploma in Journalism & Mass Communication (1 year)² M.A. Mass Communication (2 year) Part-I/ll(V) EDUCATION COURSES² Bachelor of Education (2 year) Part-I/II² M.A. Education (2 year) Part-I/II(VI) LAW COURSES² LL.M (2 year) Part-I/II² P.G. Diploma in Cyber Law & IPR (1 year)(VII) ENVIRONMENTAL EDUCATION COURSES² P.G. Diploma in Environmental Education (1 year)² M.A. Environmental Education (2 year)(VIll) OTHER COURSES² Certificate Course in Urdu (1 year)² P.G. Diploma in Translation (Hindi/English) (1 year)² P.G. Diploma in Human Rights (1 year)² Diploma in Gita (1 year)² Diploma in Yoga (1 year)C LATERAL ENTRY COURSES² Master of Computer Applications (3 year) Part-Il & III² M.Sc. Computer Science (Software) (2 year) Part-ll² M.A. Mass Communication (2 year) Part-II² M.A. Environmental Education (2 year) Part-II² MBA (2 year) Part-ll² MBA (Hospitality Management) (2 year) Part-II

Apply Mode ProcessingFee

Online General Category Rs. 500/-

For SC/BC/Blind Candidate Rs. 125/-of Haryana only

Offline General Category Rs. 600/-

Downloaded For SC/BC/Blind Candidate Rs. 150/-of Haryana only

Offline General Category Rs. 600/-

Prospectus For SC/BC/Blind Candidate Rs. 150/-Purchased of Haryana onlyfrom UniversityPress

RECOGNITIONAll the courses offered by the Directorate are duly recognizedby the Distance Education Bureau, University GrantsCommission, New Delhi. The B.Ed. courses is also recog-nized by the statutory body i.e. NCTE. Recognition letters areavailable on DDE Website.

HIGHLIGHTS² Annual Scheme of Exam with 20% Internal

Assessment² Govt. Scholarships available.² Financial Assistance from University for Weaker Section² Incentive Fee for Girl Students

ALERT² The Directorate has neither authorized any Agency/

instituation/ Agent nor running any study centre/ fran-chise to deal with any matter related to AdmissionExamination or other matter related to this Directorate.

² The candidates seeking admission to distance educa-tion courses of Kurukshetra University are advised tocontact the Directorate directly at their own level.

² The Directorate awards only such degrees as are specifiedby the UGC and published in the official gazette.

MAILING ADDRESSWrite your Class and Part on the Top of the Envelope andsend the same through Registered/Speed Post to theDirector, Directorate of Distance Education, KurukshetraUniversity, Kurukshetra, Haryana (India) Ph. 136119.

FOR FURTHER DETAILS: You may get in much with theDDE Website www.ddekuk.ac.in OR Contact on Phone No:+91-01744-238518 or E-mail at dde@kuk.ac.in

NEW DIPLOMA COURSES

Diploma in IT/ Information Technology enabled Service (ITES)Diploma in ManufacturingDiploma in Banking, financial Service and Insurance (BFS)Diploma in Micro FinanceDiploma in e-commerce.

Advt. No. 01/2020Employment Notification for Faculty Positions

Ref. No.: CUO/Admn./Rect./Teaching/83/ Date: 22.06.2020Online applications are invited in the prescribed Application Format from theeligible Indian Citizens and candidates possessing Overseas Citizenship ofIndia for appointment to the posts of PROFESSOR (15), ASSOCIATEPROFESSOR (28) and ASSISTANT PROFESSOR (44) in accordance withthe Regulations of UGC (2018), NCTE (2019) and AICTE (2019), Last datefor submission of online applications complete in all respects is 31 July 2020.For further details please logon to our website www.cuo.ac.inThe earlier advertisements issued vide Advertisement Nos. 01/2019,02/2019 and 03/2019 of 01.08.2019 stand withdrawn. The applicationfee remitted by the candidates in response to these advertisementswill be returned on submission of details of the fee paid, receipt No.and Bank Account (including IFSC code) for online transfer of thesame.davp 21317/11/0001/2021 Sd/- REGISTRAR

AûdOÞXVff IZÔYQie¹f d½fäd½fôf»f¹fCentral University of Odisha

Dept. of Higher Education, Ministry of HRD, Govt. of IndiaPost- NAD, Sunabeda, Dist. - Koraput, Odisha. PIN- 763004

GOVERNMENT OF GUJARATNARMADA WATER RESOURCES WATER SUPPLY &

KALPSAR DEPARTMENTSHORT E-TENDER NOTICE NO.6 OF 2020-21

In the name and on behalf of Governor of Gujarat State. The Executive EngineerUkai Division No. 1, Ukai. Taluka Songadh Dist : Tapi pin code No.394680(Phone No.02624-233221) Invites online tender from Experience and resource-ful agencies/Consultant for Work as under.Sr. Name of Work (1) Class of RegistrationNo (2) E.M.D.

(3) Tender Fee D.D.(4) Solvency

1. Selection and appointment of Consultancy (1) Experience and resourcefulservices for detailed engineering services, agencies/Consultantpreparation of estimates and bid document, (2) 2,25,000=00etc for renovation/modernization/ (3) 3600/-up gradation of Ukai dam. (4) 45,00,000=00

B Schedule of E-Tendering2. Downloading of tender Document Dt.26-06-2020 to Dt.08-07-2020

up to 18.00 Hrs.3. Tender Uploading Date Dt.26-06-2020 to Dt.08-07-2020

up to 18.00 Hrs.4. Pre-bid Conference Date & Dt.02-07-2020 at 12.00 Hrs. Office

Address of the Superintending Engineer, UkaiCircle (Civil), "Tapi Jal Bhavn" 2nd

(Second) Floor, (Conference Hall)Ukai, Ta.Fort Songadh Dist.Tapi.

5. Last date & Physical Submission of Dt.15-07-2020 up to 18.00 Hrs.document Tender fee, EMD during Executive Engineer, Ukai Divisionoffice hours by RPAD/Speed Post / No.1, Ukai. Ph.No.02624-233221Courier Only. -233289

6. Price Bid Opening Date & Time On Dt. 09-07-2020 12.00 HrsSuperintending Engineer Ukai Circle(Civil), Ukai Dist : Tapi. Ph.No.02624-233270, - 233269

7. Inquiry/ Contact office Address Executive Engineer, Ukai DivisionNo.1, Ukai. Ph.No.02624-233221-233289

8. Internet Site Address:- Further details are also available on web Sitewww.nprocure.com. No.:INF-Surat/283/2020

ELECTRONICS AND RADAR DEVELOPMENT ESTABLISHMENTDRDO COMPLEX, CV RAMAN NAGAR POST, BANGALORE - 560 093

LRDE: Advt. No. 02/2020Electronics and Radar Development Establishment (LRDE) is one of the R&DEstablishments set up under the Defence R&D Organization, Govt of India to address theservices needs in the field of Radar, Electronic Systems and related Technologies. Werecommend prospective candidates to visit our website at www.drdo.gov.in to knowabout LRDE.

Following Fellowships are available initially for a period of two years (extendable as perrules), at a monthly stipend of R 31,000/- (House Rent Allowance is also admissible as perrules). Applications are invited from candidates possessing below mentioned qualification.

* Number subject to varyUpper Age Limit: 28 years for JRF as on last date of receipt of application. The upperage limit relaxable to the candidates belonging to Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribesand OBC as per Government of India orders.Tenure: The initial offer shall be for a period of 2 years extendable upto a maximum of05 years as per provisions of scheme of Research Fellow in DRDO.Duly filled application with complete bio-data should reach Director, LRDE, CV RamanNagar, Bengaluru-560093 within 21 days from the date of publication of theadvertisement. Affix a recent passport size photograph on the right opt corned for the firstpay of application. Candidates working in Govt./Public Section Undertakings/Autonomous Bodies should apply through proper channel.Candidates will be required to produce certificates/ testimonial in original at the time ofinterview.It may please be noted that offer of Fellowship does not confer on Fellows anyright for absorption in DRDO.

Application Format:1. Name of the post :2. Name (in block letters) :3. Sex :4. Father's / Husband’s name :5. Age & Date of Birth :6. Qualification :

7. Parmanent Address :

8. Correspondence Address :

9. E-Mail ID * :

10. Mobile / Telephone number * :

11. Nationality :

12. Whether SC/ST/PWD/ESM (If yes, attach :supporting document)

13. GATE details (Attach GATE Score card) :

14. Experience details including salary :drawn,if any

15. Candidate’s Signature :

NOTE :

(a) Affix a passport size photograph on right top corner of the application.

(b) Xerox copies of all relevant certificates to be enclosed.

(c) Candidates will be required to produce the original certificates at the time ofinterview.

(d) Candidates working in Government / Public Sector Undertaking / Autonomousbodies should apply through proper channel.

(e) No TA/DA will be paid.

(f) Offer of Fellowship does not confer on the Fellows any right for absorption inDRDO.

*Upon scrutiny of applications, candidates will be contacted through e-mail and mobileno. for informing about the Interview details.

SI.No.

Type offellowship

Number offellowships

Subject /Discipline

Educational Qualification

1

JFR

8* Electronics Graduate degree from recognized University inprofessional course (BE/ B.Tech) in first divisionwith valid GATE score.OrPost Graduate degree from recognized Universityin professional course (ME/ M Tech) in First divisionboth at Graduate and Post Graduate level.

2 1* Electrical

3 1* ComputerScience

Photo

Sl.No.

Qualification Subject Institute /University

Year ofPassing

Grade / Divwith % of

marks

Remarks

i. SSLC / 10th

Attach Xerox copiesin support ofqualification

ii. PUC / 12th

iii. BE / B Techiv. ME / M Tech

davp 10301/11/0021/2021

Tender Ref no.:-kha..up.Ni.01 (Chini Vitran Yojna)- 10/2020- 730Date- 26/06/2020

Government of JharkhandDirectorate of Food&Consumer Affairs,

Ground Floor, Engineer's Hostel, HEC Sector-III,Dhurwa, Ranchi- 834004

Notice of Re-auction for ProcurementNotice of Re-auction for Procurement“Empanelment of Suppliers for Supply of Free Flow WhiteCrystal Sugar (Grade-S-30/M-30) for 2nd Quarter(Jul- Sep 2020) of Financial Year 2020-21 under ReverseAuction Mode on platform of NeML”Tender Ref No- kha..up.Ni.01 (Chini Vitran Yojna)- 10/2020-487Dated- 20.05.2020

1 Name of the Client

Directorate of Food & Consumer Affairs,Govt. of Jharkhand, Ground Floor,Engineer’s Hostel , HECDhurwa, Ranchi-834004

2Address and concernedperson forCorrespondence

Customer service Group - NCDEX e Marketslimited, 101,101T, Akruti corporate park, 1stfloor, Near GE Garden, L.B.S. Marg, Kanjurmarg (west) Mumbai–400078 Tel –022-48810555 or 7575002165 E- mail–askus@neml.in

3 Date of Re- Auction 02.07.2020

1. All eligible Individuals or partnership firm, RegisteredCompany or Co-operative society or any legal organizationshould mandatorily register with NCDEX e-Markets Limitedfor participation inReverseAuction.

2. The schedule of Re-auction to be conducted on date0 2 . 0 7 . 2 0 2 0 w i l l b e p o s t e d o n w e b s i t e : -http://jharkhand.gov.in.

3. Any changes/ modification in the Tender documents in thetender documents will be posted on website:-http://jharkhand.gov.in Sd/-

Director(Directorate of Food & Consumer Affairs)

PR 230002 Directorate of Food and Consumer Affairs(20-21)D

''IMPORTANT''Whilst care is taken prior toacceptance of advertisingcopy, it isnotpossible toverifyits contents. The IndianExpress (P) Limited cannot beheld responsible for suchcontents, nor for any loss ordamage incurredasaresultoftransactions with companies,associations or individualsadvertising in its newspapersor Publications. We thereforerecommend that readersmake necessary inquiriesbefore sending any monies orentering into any agreementswith advertisers or otherwiseacting on an advertisement inany manner whatsoever.

New Delhi

12WWW.INDIANEXPRESS.COM

USE THE PAUSECBSEdecisionwilleasestudents'anxieties.Adiscussionon

makingexamsystemmorebroad-basedandsensitiveisneeded

ENDINGTHREEMONTHSofuncertaintyforClassXandXIIstudents,theCentralBoardofSecondaryEducation(CBSE),onThursday,cancelledtheexamina-tions thatwere stalled inMarch because of the COVID-19 lockdown. TheBoardhad earlier decided to hold the examinations in the secondweek ofJuly.Butwiththecountry’sCOVIDgraphcontinuingtoriseaftertheendofthe

lockdown,parents’associationshadrequestedtheCBSEtoscraptheexams.TheDelhigov-ernmenthadalsoofferedthesamesuggestion.Butithastakenapetitionbyagroupofpar-entstotheSupremeCourt,andanudgebytheapexcourt,fortheCBSEtoenditsprevarica-tion.TheBoardhadinitiallytoldtheCourtthatitwouldgiveClass12studentstheoptiontoappearinexaminations“afterthesituationisconducive”ortakeanassessmentontheba-sis of their performance “in past three exams”. The SC rightly found the Board’s formulalackinginclarityandaskedittospelloutatime-frameforholdingtheexams—italsosug-gestedcancellingtheexams.TheCBSE’sdecision, thoughbelated, iswelcome.Thestudentswillnowbeassessedonaspecialmarkingschemethattakesintoaccount

anumberofscenarios,includingoneinwhichsomestudentscouldhavecompletedalltheirexams.Theschemealsooffers scope for internalassessment.And if studentsarenotsat-isfiedwith the results, basedon this system, they canopt for anexaminationwhichwillbescheduledlater.Suchcomplicatedmethodshavebeennecessitatedbytheemergencycreated by the pandemic. But the current situation also offers an opportunity to educa-tionalauthoritiestorethinkthecurrentboardexaminationsystem,whichbyallaccounts,seemstobeagrowingburdenonstudents.Muchhasbeensaidandwrittenonhowtheseexaminationshavereducedlearningtomemorisingmatterintextbooks.In2010,theCBSEdidmaketheClassXexamsoptional.Theywerereplacedwiththecontinuouscomprehen-sivesystemof evaluation(CCE)—aproblematicschemeonseveral counts.Therewasnoclarityonhowtoassessstudents.Anumberofstudiesunderlinedthattherewasnomech-anismtousetheevaluationstoascertainachild’seducationalgrowth.Teachersalsocom-plainedthattheprocessaddedtotheirworkload.Thischurnshouldhaveoccasionedfur-therengagementwiththecountry’ssecondaryandhighersecondaryexaminationsystemsandledpolicymakerstodebatesolutionsmorecreativethantheCCE.Instead,in2017,theCBSErevertedtotheoldsystemofboardexaminations forClassX.It’s a truismthat theboardexaminationshaveacquireddisproportionateweightage

in a student’s academic life. There is perhaps a case for staggering the exams tomakethemlessstressful.Moreimportantly, theimpassecreatedbythepandemicshouldleadto rethinkingonhowtomake theexaminationsystemmorebroad-basedandsensitivetodifferentkindsof learnersand learningenvironments.

THE BIHAR ARENAMasspolitics is set to return innewformsas thepoll seasonapproaches. Fornow, theOpposition looks far fromready

RECENTPOLITICALDEVELOPMENTS inBihar point to the impending re-turnofmasspolitics thathasallbutgoneintohibernationfollowingtheCOVID-19 outbreak. Assembly elections are due in the state later thisyear and the indications, thus far, are that the Election Commission islikely to staywith the schedule (October/November) despite the pan-

demic. It is only apt thatBihar,wherepolitics is the lifebloodof public life,will kickstartanelectionseasonthatwillwitnesspolls in large,electorallysignificantstates includingWestBengal, TamilNaduandKerala in thesucceedingmonths.Biharwill bevoting in thebackdropof theeconomicdistress followingCOVID-19and

the flaringof tensionson the India-Chinaborder. These issuesprovideanopportunity fortheOpposition to regroup and assert itself against the ruling BJP in theHindi heartland.However,thesignalsfromBihararehardlyreassuringfortheOpposition.TheRJD,themainpoleofnon-BJPpoliticsinthestate,hasnotceasedbeinginthethroesofaseverechurnandnowfaces the threatof an implosion—fiveof theparty’seightMLCshaverecently joinedtherulingJanataDal(United).SeniorleaderRaghuvanshPrasadSinghhasalsothreatenedtoresignfollowingreportsofarivalmeetingpartychiefTejashwiYadavaheadofjoiningtheRJD. ThesedevelopmentsbringTejashwiYadav’s leadershipwithin theRJD itself under acloudandstrengthenthevoiceswithintheOppositionalliance—JitanRamManjhi,UpendraKushwaha amongothers—against projectinghimas its chiefministerial candidate. ThefactisthatwithLaluPrasadailing,TejashwiYadavhasseemedill-equippedtomountachal-lengetoNitishKumar,who,byallaccounts,maybefacingvoterfatigueafteralacklustrethirdconsecutiveterminoffice.Onpaper,theOppositioninBiharhasaformidablesocialalliancethatcancompetewiththeBJP-JD(U)-LJPcombine,but theabsenceof acharismatic figurelikeLaluPrasadmaylimit itspotential inmobilisingvoters.AstheRJDgrappleswithleadershipissues, theBJPispressingaheadwithpollprepa-

rations.HomeMinisterAmitShah’sdigitalJanSamvadrallyinearlyJunewas,byallmeans,the launch of the BJP election campaign and an experiment inmobilisation at a timewhenthenormsofsocialdistancingbarlargephysicalgatherings.Thiscost-effectiveex-erciseinpoliticalcommunicationmayhavesetthetoneforacampaignthatmakesheavyuse of social media platforms and tools and seeks to overcome the limits on physicaltravel andmeetings imposedbyapandemic that isyet toslowdown.

LETTER AND SPIRITTheHindujaundivided family isback in thenews,quarrelling

overapact tokeep its fortunesunited

WHENTHEPANDAVASbroughtDraupadihome,Kuntiwasathandto advise them to share and share alike.Modern interpreters ofmythremaingainfullyemployedasaconsequence,eternallyde-bating if it is a reference to polyandry, whichwas common insomecommunitiesinancienttimes.TheHindujabrothersnum-

beronelessthanthePandavasandwerefurtherdisadvantagedbytheabsenceofparentalguidance,buttheyapparentlyfollowedthenoblerinstinctsof theHinduundividedfam-ily.Theysignedaletterin2014,declaringthatassetsinthenameofonebrotherbelongedtoall, and thateachwouldappoint theothersexecutors.Ah, executors. Thatmeans that this letter is essentially awill, though it doesnot be-

ginwiththetraditionalhair-raisingphrase:“Sincelifeisuncertain…”ButIndianfamilieswill be Indian families, even if they offshore themselves in London.When life gets un-certain,amembersues.SrichandHinduja,headofthefamilyandownerofHindujaBank,toldacourt in2015 that the letterdidnot representhiswishes.His brothersprotest that the familyhas alwaysbelieved that “everythingbelongs to

everyoneandnothingbelongstoanyone”,whichsoundslikeamaterialisticversionofthemottosofSwitzerlandandtheThreeMusketeers—“All forone,andoneforall.”Theideais tokeepwhatbelongstothefamilywithinthefamily.A lotof stuff belongs, includingafamily fortune of $11.2 billion and the ownership of valuable international brands likeGulfOil.Thefamily’scredoisdesignedfortheorderlytransmissionofproperty.Butiron-ically, if it spilled out of the family into society, it would echo the thoughts of anothergreat citizenof London,KarlMarx, andspell communism.

ShahAlamKhan

Onlysciencecancombatvirus.Scientificcommunitymustnotremainsilentontallclaims

problemis in theabsolutenessof curewhichthose likeRamdevclaim.His so-calleddrugsforCOVID-19claimtocure100percentpatie-nts.Thisistheflawandshouldraisearedflag.Theinabilitytoquestiontheirownassertioniswhatisproblematicwhenitcomestoalterna-tivesystemsliketheonepractisedbyRamdev.Thebeautyofscienceliesinitsabilitytoques-tion its ownhypotheses.Nothing is absolutein science.No allopathic drug claims to cure100percentpatients.Nosurgicalinterventionremains100percentfreeofsideeffects.Havingsaidthat, the“discovery”ofdrugs

for the treatment of COVID-19 byRamdev’sgroup is clearly indicating somethingmoreimportant vis-à-vis the current pandemic.BusinesseslikethePatanjaliconglomerateareeagerlylookingtocashinonthemarketwhichisripefortheintroductionofadrugorvaccinefor COVID-19. The fear that has engulfed theworld needs to be urgently doused. This ishappeningequallyvigorously inothercoun-triesaswell.According toa reportpublishedbytheAustrianInstituteforHealthTechnologyAssessment(AIHTA),atotalof155drugsand79 vaccines are currently being developedworldwide to combat COVID-19. These fig-ures imply that besides the humanitarianneed for a cure or vaccine for the dreadedvirus, theclearspacetoearnmoneythroughsuchcurativetoolsisupforgrabsandthishasbeen realised bymany. The crisis of capital-ism,asdescribedbyMarxacenturyago, isatitsbestduringthecurrentpandemic.Nowon-der,market forcesarepushingtheirbest footforwardtocombatthecrisisandemergevic-torious.Itisamatterofinvestigationhowmostcountrieswithasocialised(ifnotsocialist)sys-temof healthcare, likeNorway, Japan, IsraelandGermany,havedoneparticularlywell incontrollingthepresentpandemic.ThecaseinIndiaisdifferent.Intheabsence

of literacy, and in the presence of deeplyrooted traditions and religion, a large chunkofthepopulacefallseasilyformagicandgim-mickry.Beingaspecialistofbonecancers,Iamwitnesstomanypatientsbeingluredintoal-ternative systemsofmedicine for the “cure”of their cancers.Most, if not all, returnwithdisastrouscomplicationsanddiseaseprogres-

sion. The absence of a scientific temper andthepresenceofadeeplyreligioussocietycre-ates anappeal formagic andgimmickry, thenarrowcorridorinwhichplayerslikeRamdevoperate. Butmore painful than the noise ofdestroyersofscienceinIndia, isthesilenceofthescientificcommunitytothehubrisof theunscientific.Inthelastfewyears,theerosionofscience

has happened at a more rapid rate.Unfortunately, thishasbeenheraldedby theunscientific andunempirical rhetoric of thecurrent political leadership. Theprimemin-ister,Unionministers,sittingjusticesandevendoctors are on record quoting religious andtraditional jargon against established scien-tific facts. Interestingly, countries like China,KoreaandJapan,consideredleadersinscien-tific thinking, are alsodeeply traditional. It isimportantforustolearnhowtheykeeptheirscienceinsulatedfromtraditions.Despitethecurrent pandemic being born inWuhan,China, I have yet to see a claimof a ChinesemedicinecuringCOVID-19.China’sapproachtothepandemichasbeenasperthesetrulesofepidemiology,andhencescience.Even thoughCOVID-19 continues to rule

andruinourdailyworlds,itstilldoesnotgivethe right to the righteous of the land to pro-motecures,remediesandpreventionswhicharebeyondtherealmof theirunderstandingand operation. Prudence is the need of thehourandprudencecomesfromwisdom.Weneed to strengthen our healthcare systemwhich has been exposed like a bleedingwoundby theongoingpandemic. Thechaosandcomplexitywhichthecurrentpandemicbringstotheforecannotbedealtwithbytra-ditionormagic.Weneedsolidsciencetocom-batthevirus.Weneedtostrengthenourpres-ent,notdwell in thepast. Inhisbook, InLightofIndia,NobellaureateandauthorOctavioPazhassaidmodernisationcanonlybeginbybe-ingacritiqueofourpast.This pandemic has givenus a goldenop-

portunitytochoosemodernisation.

Thewriter isprofessor,DepartmentofOrthopaedics,AIIMS,NewDelhi.

Viewsarepersonal

As a scientist and anallopathic practitioner, Ihave no problem with theuse of Ayurveda,Homeopathy or otheralternative systems ofmedicine in the treatment ofdiseases. The problem is inthe absoluteness of curewhich those like Ramdevclaim. His so-called drugs forCOVID-19 claim to cure 100per cent patients. This is theflaw and should raise a redflag. The inability toquestion their own assertionis what is problematic whenit comes to alternativesystems like the onepractised by Ramdev. Thebeauty of science lies in itsability to question its ownhypotheses. Nothing isabsolute in science. Noallopathic drug claims tocure 100 per cent patients.No surgical interventionremains 100 per cent free ofside effects.

FOUNDED BY

RAMNATH GOENKA

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

§ §

THEINDIANEXPRESS,SATURDAY, JUNE27,2020 WORDLYWISEMostofusmustgeta jobbefore thirty, orspongeonourrelatives, andmany jobs canonlybegotby passinganexam.— E M FORSTERTHEEDITORIALPAGE

KhaledAhmed

NO MIDDLE GROUNDInPakistan,oppositionisontherun,but Imran’sownsideisweakening

PAKISTAN PRIMEMINISTER Imran Khan’sPakistanTehreek-e-Insaf(PTI)partyhadtodealwith a broken economywhen he came topowerin2018buthistroubleswerelatermag-nifiedbyhischarisma,ariseinpopularity,thatleft a lotof personaldevelopmentgaps inhisstrategy.Hewasaggressiveasa fastbowler, a“crusher”ascaptainwhogavenoquarterandknewno “middle ground”,whereas politicsthrivesoncompromiseandaccommodation.Almosttwoyearslater,hehashisopposi-

tionon the run, buthis partyhas split underpressure from natural calamities such asCOVID-19 and locusts. He damaged the sys-temwith the use of intemperate languagewhich in turn ruined the imageof his party-menwho lacked characterwhen it came tobearing up under pressure. Minister forScience and Technology Fawad Chaudhry,whowasbootedoutof his firstpostas infor-mationminister, has chosen to comeon TVandtellPakistanisabouttheinternalcollapseof theparty.Chaudhry stated that the PM had ap-

pointedasministers “weakpersonswho re-quireddictationforeverymatter,whichdam-agedPMImranKhan’svision”.Khanhadputtogethergovernments inonlytwoprovinces—PunjabandKhyber-Pakhtunkhwa—butinPunjabheneeded allieswhomheendeduptreatingnot toowell.Hisparty led theoppo-sitioninSindhbuthisadviceofaggressivedis-coursehasdiscreditedhisbadmouthinglieu-tenantstheretoo.Khan’sadvantagewasthathis twooppo-

nentparties,PakistanMuslimLeagueNawaz(PML-N) and Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP),were on the run from the army and theNationalAccountabilityBureau(NAB)whichhuntsdownhisopponents.Socrippled ishisoppositionby theNAB thatPakistanwill notbeabletofindhisreplacementforalongtime.Afterlambastinghisalreadycomatoseoppo-sition,Khanhasalsomanagedtobooby-traphis ownpartywhile brandishing his cheap-shotworry-beadsinpublic.His over 50-strong cabinet is rivenwith

undergroundrivalriesamongministerswhoearlier favoured the partywith big financialhandouts, some of them advisers becausethey didn’t come through elections and arenow resented by partymen for their brazenincompetence. The infighting trio that hasmost come to the notice of theman on thestreet is:Ex-general secretaryof PTI JahangirTareen, Federal Minister for Planning,Development,ReformsandSpecialInitiatives,Asad Umar, and Foreign Minister ShahMehmoodQureshi.Khanneeded coalition partners in three

provinces:Punjab,Khyber-PakhtunkhwaandBalochistanwhile counting on their votes inthe National Assembly. Muttahida QaumiMovement-Pakistan (MQM-P), GrandDemocraticAlliance(GDA),PakistanMuslimLeague-Quaid-e-Azam (PMLQ), BalochistanNationalParty(BNP)andBalochistanAwamiParty (BAP)—all of themare unhappywithhiminvariousdegreesfornotcarryingouttheconcessionshehadagreedtoandarethreat-

eningtojumpship.MoreandmorepoliticiansfromwithinthepartyareappearingonTVandcriticising him for allowing hisministers tospoil theirstandingintheirconstituencies.Khan’scharismaisfoldingup.Hisdefiance

oftheopposition—herarelyattendsthepar-liamentarysessionsanddoesn’ttalktotheop-positionleaders—isnolongeradmiredbythejoblesscommonmannowunderattackfromhunger and COVID-19. His foreign policy ofdefiancehassaggedafterhedumpedtheGulfArabsundertheinfluenceofTurkey’sErdoganandMalaysia’sMahathirMohammad; andIndiadidn’tmakepeacewithhimunderPMNarendraModi.Heiscalled“selected”insteadof“elected”

byanoppositionthatresentsthewayhisoth-erwisenonfunctionalministerskeepsubject-ing them to abusive language. The Pakistanarmy, thatheleanson, is feelingthepressurefromAfghanistanwhere it plays its cards onthebasisof therepeatedlyunreliableAfghanTaliban and their internationally abhorredpartners.On theotherhand, IndiahasmuchbetterrelationswithPakistan’sneighbours—Iran,theGulfandCentralAsia—thanPakistan.Unfortunately, Khan is bound to react

wrongly to the recent China-India scrap andriletheIndiansmoreagainsthisgovernment,not realising that the scuffle in Ladakhmaysoonbe tactfully resolvedby the twoneigh-boursinvolvedinbig-timebilateral trade.

Thewriter isconsultingeditor,NewsweekPakistan

His over 50-strong cabinet isriven with undergroundrivalries among ministerswho earlier favoured theparty with big financialhandouts, some of themadvisers because they didn’tcome through elections andare now resented bypartymen for their brazenincompetence.

ASSAM BANDHWORK IN BANKS and Central governmentoffices and normal life was completelyparalysed because of the 24-hour longbandh. Despite the government’s strongwarning, most of the officers did not turnupforwork.KRamamurthy, senioradvisorto thegovernor, saidnountoward incidentwas reported from the state.He said about70 protestors of the AASU and GanaSangram Parishad were arrested for pick-eting in frontof governmentoffices.Whilevehicular services were off the road, trainandairservicesweresuspendedfortheday.However,abombexplodedinBongaonyes-terdaykillingninepeople.

OIL AHOYOILHASBEENstruck for the first time intheBay of Bengal. The petroleum ministerVeerendraPatilannouncedintheLokSabhathat the firstwelldrilledontheGodavari25structure, 25 km off the Andhra coast, hadshown a flow rate of 600 barrels a day. Healso disclosed that an offshore exploratorywell drilled near Port Blair in the AndamanIslandshadyieldedgasattherateof1.8lakhcubicmetresaday.

VIETNAM VS POL POTTHEVIETNAMESE FORCESwere reported tobebattlingguerillasoftheoustedCambodianpremierPolPotalongakeyroadneartheThai-

Cambodian border. The Thai MillitarySupremeCommander said that the fightinghas spilledover intoThailandasHanoi’s sol-diers tackled “anti-Communist” FreeKhmerguerillasnearthebordertownofBaanSangae.

YOUTH CONG FOR RAJIVEIGHTEEN LEADERSOF Youth Congress (I)and theNSUIwantRajivGandhi to takeovertheleadershipoftheYouthCongress(I). InanopenlettertotheCongress(I)PresidentIndiraGandhi they have expressed the view thatRajivGandhi is the fittest person to lead theorganisationafterSanjayGandhi.RajivGandhishould “come forward to showus the pathfromdarkness”, theysaid.

JUNE 27, 1980, FORTYYEARSAGO

INTHESPRINGof1991,DrGordonGuyattfromMcMasterUniversity, Canada, coined a term—EvidenceBasedMedicine(EBM). Insimpleterms,itistheconscientiousandjudicioususeofcurrentbestevidenceinmakingdecisionsinthe careof patients. In the last 30years, EBMhas formed the backbone of allmedical re-searchglobally.Anynewdrug,implantortech-niquehadtoundergoastandardisedprocessofscrutiny, evaluationandre-evaluationbeforeimplementation. EBM, thus,made sure thatmagicandchicanerywerekeptatbaywhenitcomestothecareof thesick.Unfortunately,theongoingCOVID-19pan-

demic has seen a sequential erosion of EBMacross theworld. Thehavocand fear createdby COVID-19 has led us into a dark abyss ofknowledgewhereitisassumedthatanythingrelatingwithacureforCOVID-19couldbeeas-ily researchedandpublished. Even themosthighly reputedmedical journals, like TheLancet, havenot laggedbehind inpublishingresearchwhich couldnot stand the scrutinyofEBM.AwebsitecalledRetractionWatchhasreportedatotalof22papersofCOVID-19be-ing retracted fromdifferent journals,world-wide,betweenJanuary-April thisyear.In this mayhem of fear and anxiety,

PatanjaliAyurvedLtdgroupinIndialaunchedtwoayurvedicmedicines,namelyCoronilandSwashirVati,andclaimedthatthetwodrugscan cure patients suffering fromCOVID-19.Although the UnionMinistry of Ayurveda,Unani, Siddha and Homeopathy (AYUSH)barred Patanjali fromadvertising andpubli-cisingthetwodrugs, inapressconference inHaridwar the owner of the group, Ramdev,claimed that the said drugs have treated 69percentCOVID-positivepatientsattheendofthreedaysofadministrationand100percentafter seven days of administration.Interestingly, the terminology used byRamdev was full of EBM jargon. He usedwords like “clinical case study” and “clinicaltrials”throughoutthepressconference,albeitwithoutmakingtoomuchsenseoftheusage.Asascientistandanallopathicpractitioner,

I havenoproblemwith theuseof Ayurveda,Homeopathyor other alternative systemsofmedicine in the treatment of diseases. The

A cure for COVID-19

New Delhi

13THEINDIANEXPRESS,SATURDAY, JUNE27,2020 WHATTHEOTHERSSAY

“While officials are eager to pat themselves on the back and are marvelling atwhat they claim is the success of ‘smart lockdowns’ or achievement of ‘herdimmunity’, the celebrations are premature if not entirely unjustified.”

—DAWNTHE IDEASPAGEWWW.INDIANEXPRESS.COM

The situation in India is amirror reflection of, if notworse than, the world’scurrent scenario. How canwe forget the hauntingimages — of a child, fastasleep and clinging on to thesuitcase being dragged by hismigrant mother on foot totheir native village, or of atoddler trying to wake up hisdead mother lying on arailway platform? Whatwrong did the little souls doto deserve such hardships?

What Kabul needsDelhishouldplayanactiveroleinarticulatingandpromotingapeaceprocessinAfghanistan.Post-2001

constitutionalordercanbecomethebasis

THE “SHOCKANDawe”missionof theUSSpecial Envoy for Afghan Reconciliation,AmbassadorZalmayKhalilzad—especiallyhisopencall for India’sdirectengagementwith the Taliban—has created polarisingwaves in NewDelhi. The fact that hardlyanyonequestionedthepremiseofhispro-posalshowsthenewnormalinaTrumpianworld:AseniorUSdiplomatactsseeminglyas a lobbyist for an active UN-proscribedterroristorganisationinacountrythatseesPakistan’s use of militancy as a principalnationalsecuritythreat.Theproposalisbe-ing debated between proponents ofKhalilzad’s suggestion and sceptics argu-ing itsprosandcons for India.Evident in the justifications offered by

the proponents is the fatalism that atakeover by the Taliban is inevitable, andhence, theutilityofappeasingthenewvic-tor. Khalilzad’s proposal has also benefitedfroman entrencheddeference toWesternauthority/wisdom among a segment ofIndianpunditsandpolicy-makers.Ontheotherhand,thescepticsdrawat-

tention to the complexity andarduousna-tureof theAfghanconflictandtheneedforDelhi to stand its ground in supporting thepost-2001 constitutional order—anorderthatcanaccommodatetheTalibanasanon-violentpoliticalstakeholder.Thescepticsarenot against talkingwith the Talibanper se,but they see little value in engagingwith agroup that remains fully under Pakistan’stutelage, despitemassive propaganda toshowotherwise. In linewithDelhi’s statedpolicyofsupportinganAfghan-ledprocess,the sceptics recommend following theAfghangovernment'sleadinengagingwiththeTaliban.Khalilzad'smissionhas tobeevaluated

withinahistoricalcontext,includingtheUS’srecord andpriorities in SouthAsia, theUSelectoral politics and the personal back-groundandambitionofTrump,USSecretaryof StateMike Pompeo and Khalilzad. TheDoha agreement between the Taliban andtheUShaseffectivelychangedthestatusofthepost-2001constitutionalorderfrom“atthetable”toan“onthetable”newreality.Khalilzad’s colleague, former

Republican strategist Karl Rove’s descrip-tionofUSbehaviourcanshedlightonUS’scapacitytomanufactureanewrealitytosuitits interests: “We're an empire now, andwhenweact,wecreateourownreality.Andwhile you're studying that reality— judi-ciously, asyouwill—we'll actagain, creat-ingothernewrealities,whichyoucanstudytoo,andthat'showthingswillsortout.”Thisimperialentitlementisoftensupportedbyother elements. It is, therefore, unsurpris-ing that The New York Times published anOpEd by a keymember of an UN-desig-nated terrorist group, SirajuddinHaqqani— a piece that a former Director ofAfghanistan Intelligence alleged to havebeen partly drafted by a well-knownAmericanscholarofAfghanistanstudies.

If Israel is a key ally of theUS, and Iranthechief trouble-maker forWashington inWestAsia,Pakistanhasbeenbothan IsraelandanIranfortheUSinSouthAsia.Butun-likeWashington’s primordial hostility andobsessionwith Iran, Pakistanhas been thecentrepieceof theUS's SouthAsia engage-ment, despite occasional rhetorical admo-nitionandhalf-bakedsanctions.Months before the Soviet intervention

in1979,WashingtonjoinedPakistaninsup-porting theMujahideen in toppling theAfghan government through OperationCyclone. Days after the collapse of theTalibanregimeinlate2001, theUSallowedPakistan to airlift hundreds of its capturedtroopsfromNorthernAfghanistan.In2004,Pakistanwasrecognisedas“majornon-Natoally” of the US. Concurrently, majorAfghanistan-related political, security anddefence decisionsweremade to appeasePakistan’s concerns. These include down-sizing the Afghan National Security andDefenceForcestoaparamilitaryforce,pro-moting pro-Pakistan officials within theAfghan government anddefence/securitysectors, limiting India’s role to just a largeNGO,andprojectingtheTalibanasaninde-pendentnationalisticinsurgency.ReplacingthepoliticalorderoftheIslamicRepublicofAfghanistanwith the Islamic Emirate ofTalibanistheculminationoftwodecadesofPakistan’s strategic resolve,Washington’simperial hubris and naivety, facilitated byAfghans’ division andNewDelhi’s reluc-tanceandcomplacency.Afghanistanwillbeatpeaceifandwhen

thereareasetofthreemutuallyreinforcingpillars:Asustainablestatetoprovidedecentpublicgoodstoitscitizens;inclusivedemo-cratic governance; and a supportive envi-ronment to protect Afghanistan’s status asaconnectorofcompetingexternalinterestsratherthanabattlefieldforproxies.Acoher-ent peace process should be based on thefourpillarsofdevelopment,democracy,de-fence and diplomacy. Inclusivity has to berecognisedasacross-cuttingprinciple,cou-pledwithaprimaryroleforAfghanowner-shipandensuingAfghanresponsibility.InaCOVID-19-afflictedworldandwith

aloomingUSpresidentialelection,theafore-mentioned frameworkwould attract thechargeofnaivetyandidealism.However,thealternativewould result in anAfghanistaninpieces. TheAfghanistanof 1990sandto-day’s Syria, Iraq, LibyaandYemenarevividexamplesofmyopicandpartisanpolicies.Indiashouldplayanactiverole inartic-

ulatingandpromotingaprocessthatleavesAfghanistanatpeace.Despite its structuralflaws,thepost-2001constitutionalorderhasthe capacity and legitimacy tobecome thebasis for an inclusive peace process. Indiamustcomeupwith ideasandstructures inthefieldsofdevelopment,politics, securityanddiplomacy.SimilartoIran’stenacityandresolve in supporting the UN-recognisedSyrian government, India can and shouldchampion an inclusive,multifaceted andKabul-centricpeaceprocess.Despiteanad-venturist temptation, “Afghanistan inpieces”isanightmarish outcomeformanystakeholdersandeventhePakistanmilitaryestablishment.

Thewriter isdirectorof theAfghanInstitute forStrategicStudiesandaformer

seniorpolicyadviser intheMinistryofForeignAffairs

THECOVID-19PANDEMICisflaringupintoamass humanitarian crisis. Its foremost vic-timwillbe innocentchildrenwhohavehadtheir childhood stolen from them since thepandemicsurfaced.Evenwhen/if thehealthcrisis subsides, its ramifications in the formof economic depression would indirectlydent their developmental years for sometimetocome.This global threathasalsobeen flagged

in theUNICEF’s and the ILO’s combinedre-port — “COVID19 and Child Labour” —which forecasts that thenumberof peoplefacing extreme poverty could increase by40 to 60million this year alone. Due to theprobabilityof “reducedopportunities inthelabourmarket forparents”,millionsof chil-drenwill be at an increased risk of findingthemselves in exploitative and hazardouswork. In addition to this, the UN’s policybrief — “The Impact of COVID19 onChildren” — has observed that “hundredsof thousands of childrendeaths”would beadire consequenceof the economic reces-sion (the report also highlights the possi-bilityofunderestimatingthenumber).Thebriefhighlights that thedirect falloutof thepreventivelockdownpolicyhasbeenonthenutritional health of the 368.5 millionschool children in 143 countries —whereschools were shut due to the lockdown—whoreliedonschoolmealsasadailysourceof nutrition. While over two-thirds of de-veloped countries have adopted distancelearning, theparticipationrateamongstthelow-incomecountries isamere30percent.Limited access to high-speed internet andsparsepower supply are thebiggestdeter-rents todistance learninginsuchcountries,directly impactingtheir literacyrateandthefuture bankof humancapital.ThesituationinIndiaisamirrorreflection

of, if notworse than, theworld’scurrentsce-nario.Howcanweforgetthehauntingimages—ofachild, fastasleepandclingingontothesuitcasebeingdraggedbyhismigrantmotheron foot to their native village, or of a toddlertryingtowakeuphisdeadmother lyingonarailwayplatform?Whatwrongdid the littlesoulsdotodeservesuchhardships?Acknowledgingtheadversitiesbeingin-

flicted on our future generation, Save TheChildren foundation conducted a surveyacross16stateswithover7,000respondentstoassesstheimpendingcatastropheunfold-ing inhouseholds.Of these, 62per centhada child whowas less than six years old athome. The survey found that knowledgeabout the virus was limited. For instance,only 26 per cent knew to stay away from aperson exhibiting coronavirus symptoms,therebyexposingthemselvesandtheirchil-dren to the risk of contracting the virus.Anotherpracticethatcanpotentiallyendan-gerthehealthofachildandvulnerablefam-ilymembers isneglectingWASHbehaviour—over50percentof thehouseholdsadmit-ted tonot cleaning their handsbefore feed-ing their child and after cleaning child exc-

reta,while5percentrespondentsresortedtounhygienic hand-washing. Although chil-dren are not severely affected by COVID-19(till now), evenmild illness could put theirfamily under financial distress, just like anunplannednationwide lockdownhasdone.Thelockdownlefthouseholds—income

fromlabourwork, salaries,wagesandcom-mission is theprimarysourceof income for60 per cent of households in the survey —struggling tomakeendsmeet.According tothe Centre forMonitoring Indian Economy(CMIE), themonthlyunemploymentrate inMaywas 23.49 per cent as against 8.74 percent inMarch.Whenconstructionactivitiescametoahalt,thedaily-wagelabourerswereforced todependon themercyof others forfood,whereas industrialworkershad to fallback on their savings. According to the sur-vey,70percentofhouseholdsreliedontheirpastsavingswhileover40percentofhouse-holdsavailed loansorsoldassets tomanagetheir home. The condition of such house-holdsmay not improve after the SupremeCourtheld thatnocoerciveactionwouldbetakenagainstprivatefirmsfornon-paymentofwagesduringthelockdown(FicusPaxPvtLtd vs Union of India, June 12). It added thattheemployerandemployeemustnegotiateamongst themselves issues regarding pay-mentofwages,allowingexploitationofsuchemployees at the hands of private firms. Inreturn,thereducedandrestrictedsourcesofincome andunemploymentwould compelparents toengagetheirchildren in labour—the surveynoted that 22per cent of house-holds had children working at or outsidetheirhome,withurbanhouseholds record-ingworseperformance thanruralones.Thereisaclearcorrelationbetweenlim-

itedhouseholdincomeandavailabilityofra-tionathome.Asestimatedbythesurvey,72per centof householdshadpartial ornoac-cess toessential food itemsduring the lock-down.Half of theurbanhouseholds and27per cent of rural householdshad food suffi-cienttolast for lessthansevendays.Theun-availabilityof foodhasacleardominoeffectonthehealthofchildrenandhasbeenwors-ened due to the inefficient service deliveryof take-home rations (THR) andmid-daymeals under the Integrated ChildDevelopment Schemes.While only 17 per

centofhouseholdswereabletoaccessTHR,theshuttingdownofschoolsdeprived43percent of households themandatedmid-daydeals. Keeping inmind that presently Indiahas37.9percentchildren(underfiveyearsofage)stuntedand20.8percentchildren(un-derfiveyearsofage)wasted—bothpercent-ages being the highest in developing coun-tries, such numbers portray a poverty andhunger-stricken future forournation.InMarch-Aprilalone,“CHILDLINE1098”

respondedto4.6lakhcalls,displayingthese-riousness of the problems facing children.While30percentof thesecallswererelatedtopandemic-inducedproblemsof shortageof foodandtransport,9,385callsreceivedbyfrontlineworkers were requests related tochildlabour,trafficking,abuseandchildmar-riage. As the economic slowdownbecomesmoresevere,andinvoluntarypovertyunrav-els, suchdistresscallswouldunsurprisinglybecomerampant—perfectly seasoning thedishof disasterwaitingatourdoorsteps.Beforethingsgetoutofhand,thegovern-

mentandcivilsocietymustgetintotopgeartoprotectunderprivilegedfamiliesandtheirchildren fromstarvation. There is anurgentrequirement to putmoney in the hands ofthe impoverished to support them duringthe pandemic. This has been the refrain oftheNobellaureateAbhijitBanerjee.Further,thegovernmentmusttightentheimplemen-tationof itscriticalschemesrelatedtonutri-tion, food security and healthcare. Its latestdecision to extend the Ayushman Bharatscheme tomigrantworkers across states islaudable. However, there ismuch left to bedesired of the primary healthcare system.Concerningeducation,civilsocietymustin-novate and allow the less privileged equalaccess toeducation.Asforus, thecommonpublic,openyour

heart and bemore compassionate, for hu-manity needs to stand the test of time. Thenext timewhen someone knocks on yourdoor for food or help, remember s/he has achildtofeedathome.Don’tletthatinnocentsoulbear thebruntof our insensitivity.

Thewriter is formerChiefElectionCommissionerof India, andmember

governingcouncil, SaveTheChildren.HeholdsaPhDinchilddevelopment

MAKE IT HERE

THISREFERSTOtheeditorial,‘Unmakingin India' (IE, June26).While identifyingthe country of origin of products, likemany other recent decisions to restrictChinesegoodsinIndia,mayincreasethesale of indigenous products because ofthe popular anti-Chinese sentimentnow, itwon'tbepossible to sustain thisconsumer behaviour. Improving thecompetitivenessofIndianproductsistheonlysustainableroutetoself-reliance.

DimpyBhatia,Delhi

INSECURE BJPTHIS REFERS to the article,'UnderstandingXi'sChina' (IE, June26).There is no denying that the PM's re-marks—thatChinahasnotintrudedintoIndia's territory—has contradicted theforeignministry’s earlier position. Theproblemwith the BJP and the govern-ment is that it takes every genuine andlegitimatequestionaskedof it asanactof sedition. The fact is that almost all ofourneighbourshaveturnedmorehostilethan ever. This is aworrying situationandmust be dealtwith strategically, inlinewith our traditional, well-estab-lishedforeignpolicy.

NadeemAkhter,Patna

UNDEMOCRATICThisrefers tothearticle, 'Whendemoc-racywasshackled'(IE,25June).Itisironicthatthewriterhailstheanti-Emergencyleaders as democracy-savers and calls

today'santi-CAAprotestersasanarchists.It shows that he has no understandingof thephilosophyofdemocracyorhe isnotabelieverinit.Beinganexperiencedleader, thefirstoptionseemsless likely.

RavdeepSinghHundal,Ferozepur

QUACK’S RISINGTHISREFERSTOtheeditorial,‘Tallclaims'(IE,June26).KarlMarxsaidifyouarego-ing to hang a capitalist, hewill sell youthe noose. That’s today's India. BeforeRamdev, questionsmust be asked ofNIMS Jaipurand theAyushministry.Atatimewhenpeoplearedying,quackeryis rising.Many sham sanitiser compa-nies have croppedup. If Patanjali reallywants toextendthehelp, it shouldpro-videroomsforquarantinecentres.

VarunTiwari,Etawah

LETTERS TO THEEDITOR

THEGOVERNMENTHAS put up for publicconsideration and comment the DraftEnvironmental Impact Assessment (EIA)Notification,2020,whichifputintoforcewillreplacetheEIANotificationof2006forallfu-tureprojects.TheEIAprocessscrutinisesthepotential

environmental impact and negative exter-nalitiesofaproposedprojectbeforegroundisbrokenanddetermineswhether it canbecarriedoutintheformproposed,orwhetheritistobeabandonedormodified.Theassess-ment is carried out by an Expert AppraisalCommittee (EAC), which consists of scien-tists and projectmanagement experts. TheEACframes thescopeof theEIAstudyandapreliminary report is prepared. That reportis published, and a public consultationprocesstakesplace,whereobjectionscanbeheard including fromproject-affected peo-ple.TheEACcanthenmakeafinalappraisalof the project and forward that to the regu-latory authority, which is the Ministry ofEnvironmentandForests(MoEF).Theregu-latory authority is ordinarily obliged to ac-cept thedecisionof theEAC.Thebasisinglobalenvironmentallawfor

the EIA is the “precautionary principle”.Environmental harm is often irreparable—onecannotreverseanoilspill. It ischeapertoavoid damage to the environment than toremedy it.We are legally bound to the pre-cautionary principle under internationaltreatiesandobligations,aswellasbySupremeCourt judgments.

Sinceenvironmentalregulationmustbal-ance damage to the environmentwith sus-tainable development andpossible benefitsof theproject, anunbiasedassessmentmustbemadeonaprecautionarybasis, before in-vestment, jobs and infrastructure areput ontheline.However,industriesandbusinessin-terests have long regarded EIA as a thorn intheirside.Under the guise of streamlining the EIA

process and bringing it in linewith recentjudgments,theDraftEIANotificationdisablesit, shrinks its scope and removeswhat teethitdidhave.Readingthroughitincomparisontothe2006notification,onegetstheimpres-sionof deliberate sabotage, as if an engineerhas gone through themachinewith a set oftools, loosening controls, opening escaperoutesandobscuringtransparency.Themost devastating blow to the EIA

regime is the creation of an ex-post-factoclearanceroute—whereanEIAclearancewasneversoughtorgranted,andtheconstructionof theproject tookplaceregardless, theproj-ectproponentcanenteranassessmentproce-dure,withsomeminorfinesfortheviolations,andfinditssinsblessed.Wheresuchex-post-facto clearanceswere being granted previ-ously,thecourtscrackeddownonthemasil-legal.Therefore,whatcouldnotberatifiedwillnow find itself notified. The legality of side-stepping the courts is questionable andwillhavetobetested.Inshort,theEIAregimewillnowcarrythe

instrumentof itsdemiseinits text. Itwillbe-

come a business decision as towhether thelawneedstobefollowedortheviolationcanbe “managed”. Theargument that this routewillbean“exception”isdifficulttobelieveinIndia.Ourlawhasalonghistoryofexpandingtheexceptionintotherule.The draft notification also shortens the

time for the public to furnish responses ontheproject.Forproject-affectedpeople,whoare frequently forest dwellers or otherwisedonothaveaccess to informationandtech-nology, thiswillmake it harder to put forthrepresentations.Monitoring requirements have been

slackened. The draft EIA notification halvesthefrequencyofreportingrequirementsfromeverysixmonths toonceayearandextendsthevalidityperiodforapprovalsincriticalsec-torssuchasmining.ThescopeoftheEIAregimeissettoshrink.

Industriesthatpreviouslyfellunderthecate-gories that required a full assessment havebeendowngraded.Theconstructionindustrywill beone suchbeneficiary,whereonly thelargestprojectswillbescrutinisedfully.Whiledefence and national security installationswerealwaysunderstandablyexempt,avaguenew category of projects “involving otherstrategicconsiderations”willalsonowbefreefrom public consultation requirements.Wouldapowerplantfall intothatcategory?Weakening theEIAprocess is essentially

anti-democratic. For affected communities,whereseismicshiftsinthelocalenvironmentcanthreatenlivelihoods, floodavalleyorde-

stroyaforest,publicconsultationisareferen-dumonexistentialthreats.Tocurtailitistosi-lencevoicesthatarescarcelyheardotherwise.The government’s actions on environ-

mentalregulation(asopposedtoitsbonmotsandrhetoric) showthat it considers itan im-pediment to the ease of doing business.Duringthenationwidecoronaviruslockdown,theMoEF has beenworking swiftly to clearprojects, even carrying out public hearingsovervideoconference.WheretheMinisterforEnvironmentand

ForestsandtheMinisterforHeavyIndustriesandPublic Enterprises are the sameperson,theconflictofinterestisperfectandcomplete.Twochargesthatareoppositionalarevestedwiththesameperson.Thefruitsofthislackadaisicalapproachto

precautionaryenvironmentalregulationhavebeen recently put on display. Oil IndiaLimited’s oil wells in the Tinsukia district,Assam,onlyafewkilometresawayfrompro-tectedforests,wentup in flamesthismonth.Recent processes for expansion andmodifi-cationapparentlytookplacewithoutfreshen-vironmental clearance. A deadly gas leak atLG Polymers’ Visakhapatnamplant inMaykilled12peopleandharmedhundreds.Whatcame to light after the disasterwas that theplanthadbeenoperatingwithoutavaliden-vironmentalclearancefordecades.

Sarna is an advocate andwriter inNewDelhi. He is amember of theGreen

Justice Party of India

DraftEIANotificationisanattempttoweakenregulation,silenceaffectedcommunities

Ease of harming environmentSatyajit Sarna

IDEASONLINE

ONLY IN THE EXPRESS

●●LET’SCREATEMEMORIESOFEMPATHY:MOHDTARIQUE

●●WHENSPORTSALIGNSWITHPOLITICS:SHIVAMSINGH

www.indianexpress.com

S YQuraishi DavoodMoradian

CR Sasikumar

In this timeof crisis, themosturgent imperative forgovernmentandcivil society is toprotectunderprivilegedfamilies fromstarvation,provide foodsecurity

For the sake of our children

New Delhi

ANJALIMARARPUNE, JUNE26

THE COLLECTIVEwater stock in 123 reser-voirs monitored by the Central WaterCommission(CWC)is56.72billioncubicme-tres(BCM)asof June25.Thisis33%oftheto-tal capacityof all thesedams,171.09BCM.The current stock is almost twice that of

June 2019 (29.16 BCM), and alsowell abovethe ten-year average storage of all thesedams (33.21 BCM). Asmany as 104 of thereservoirsholdwaterthatisover80%ofwhatisnormal for thisperiod.This additional storage is now a buffer

stockas themonsoonseasonenters July.

Last year’s rain helped“Thewaterreservesareinahealthyposi-

tion this yearmainlydue to theexcess rain-fall that the country received last season.Besides, themonsoonwithdrawalwas alsodelayed,” said Rakesh Kumar Gupta,Member,DesignandResearch, atCWC.Last year, the country-wide rainfall was

110%oftheLongPeriodAverage.Thissurplusrain left dams at optimumcapacity, forcingdischargemanytimesduringthemonsoon.Couldthelockdownhavehadaroleinthe

wateraccumulation?While it is truethat thelockdown fromMarch25 throughMay sawverylittlehumanactivity—especiallyinfacto-ries and industries that are themain con-sumersofpower—thereisnoevidencetolink

thistothewatersituation.“Thedamswereinagoodpositionsincelastmonsoon.However,wecannot link theconsumption (loworreg-ular)withCovid-19situation,”Guptasaid.

The distributionAtleast88reservoirshavehigherstocksas

compared to June last year. In theCentral re-gion,thecollectivestoragestoodat17.21BCMagainst 9 BCM at this time last year. In theWesternregion,thestockis12.13BCMagainst3.56 BCM last year. In the Southern region,reservoirshavestored13.05BCM,givingthemdouble the reserves theyhad in June2019. IntheNorth,water reservesareat7.23BCM,upfromwas 6.87 BCM. In the East, the currenstockis7.11BCMasagainst3.12BCMlastyear.

Almost all river basins — Ganga, Indus,Narmada, Tapi, Mahi, Sabarmati, Cauvery,Krishna,Godavari,Mahanadi—haveabove-normalreserveswhereasriversintheSouthhavenormalwater stocks.

The projectionTheIndiaMeteorologicalDepartmenthas

forecastanormalmonsoon.So,if thereisgoodrainfall, both spatially and temporarily, thereservoirpositionwillremainhealthythroughthe season.Withmost regionsmaintainingstocksbetween25-40%of capacity in June it-self,theseason’swaterreservesinmajorpartsof thecountryshouldbelargelywellmanage-able. The country has received 22% rainfallabovenormal, ason June26.

STATUSREPORTAs percentage of live capacity at full reservoir level

■ June25,2020 ■ June2019 ■10-yearaverage

STORAGE STATUSHow full are reservoirs(percentage of capacity)

Current Last 10-yryear avg

NORTHERNREGION(HimachalPradesh,Punjab,Rajasthan)8reservoirs38 36 29

EASTERNREGION(Jharkhand,Odisha,WestBengal,Tripura)18reservoirs37 16 19

WESTERNREGION(Gujarat,Maharashtra)42reservoirs34 10 17

CENTRALREGION(UttarPradesh,Uttarakhand,MadhyaPradesh,Chhattisgarh)19reservoirs39 20 19

SOUTHERNREGION(AndhraPradesh,Telangana,Kerala,Karnataka,TamilNadu)36reservoirs25 12 18

ALLINDIA123reservoirs57 29 33

*LivestorageasofJun25,2020.Checksmeanthatcurrentfiguresarehigherthanlastyear’s&10-yraveragefiguresforcorrespondingperiod.

RIVER BASINS, TOP& BOTTOM3Percentagedeparture from10-yraverageSabarmati 158.70Tapi 124.16Mahanadisystem 121.19Indus 22.14Mahi 5.38West-flowingriversof South –3.33

19

MOSTRESERVOIRS AT80%+

123

104 OUTOF thecountry’s123reservoirs, thestorage in104onJune25,2020wasmorethan80%ofnormal for thisperiod

OFTHE remaining19reservoirswherestoragewasbelow80%,only9hadstoredbelow50%while theremaining10hadbetween50%and80%.

Source:CWC

Healthy stock in reservoirsFACT CHECK, GROUND REALITY

India’smajorreservoirshavetwiceasmuchwateras lastyear,andmuchmorethanthe10-yearaveragestorageforthis timeof theyear.A lookathowitstoredup,andwhattoexpect fortherestof themonsoon

GobindSagar

264029

RanaPratapSagar

442332 Tilaiya

27

016

Maithon

61

1430

Hirakud

51

1211

Salandi

655431

Kangsabati

543329

Gumti

503043

Ukai

42

319

SardarSarovar

352010

Parambikulam

19 1525

Aliyar0 0

32

Mettur

62

1528

Idukki

301425

Tungabhadra

7 218

Ghataprabha

191 6

Bhadra

2713 23

LowerManair

391722

NagarjunaSagar

21016

Srisailam

11 10 9

Mahanadi

46

1622

IndiraSagar

192310

Tawa

16 720

GandhiSagar

57

016

Tehri4 1 6 52

29 25

Rihand

2712 12Matatila

13 7 24

Pench

70

016

UpperTapi

18017

Isapur

37

018

Thein

545449

Pong

393423

Ramganga

9

10TOP 10STATES

INDIA COUNT: 4,90,401 (15,301 DEATHS)

1,47,741Maharashtra

70,977Tamil Nadu

16,296Rajasthan

12,596MP

20,193 UP

73,780 Delhi

29,520Gujarat

15,648West Bengal

12,463Haryana

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

Write to explained@indianexpress.com

11,364Telangana

UnionHealthMinistryupdateasof11pm,June26.Somestatesmayhavereportedhighernumbers.Onlystates/UTswithatleastonecaselistedabove.2,85,637PATIENTSDISCHARGEDIN35STATESANDUNIONTERRITORIES

RESTOFINDIAAndamanandNicobarIslands 59AndhraPradesh 10884ArunachalPradesh 160Assam 6321Bihar 8473Chandigarh 423Chhattisgarh 2452DadraandNagarHaveli 155Goa 995HimachalPradesh 839JammuandKashmir 6549Jharkhand 2262Karnataka 10560Kerala 3726Ladakh 941Manipur 1056Meghalaya 46Mizoram 145Nagaland 355Odisha 5962Puducherry 502Punjab 4769Sikkim 85Tripura 1290Uttarakhand 2691

CORONAVIRUSDASHBOARD

COVID-19SHARESnumberof symp-toms with the common flu.Researchers are now developing anewsensorthatcantellthedifferencebetweenthetwoillnesses— andtestforbothsimultaneously.A dual test improves on current

optionsinseveralways.It’smorecon-venient for patients who wouldn’thavetogetmultipletestsdone. Italsosaves time for medical personnelwhenresourcesarestretched.Adualtest would also reduce the usage ofnasal swabs–sinceoneisneededforeach Covid-19 or in-fluenza test – amid ashortageof equipment.The sensor is being

developed at theCockrell School ofEngineering, Universityof Texas at Austin. DejiAkinwande, a professorin the department ofelectricalandcomputerengineering,recentlyre-ceived a grant from theUS National ScienceFoundation for thework, theuniver-sitysaidinastatement.Theyhavede-veloped a prototype device and are

beginning theexperimentalprocess.The sensor is the size of amicro

USBdriveandisinfusedwithantibod-ies of both Covid-19 and influenza.Onepartofthedeviceissensitiveonlyto the flu,while another partwill re-

act only to the coron-avirus.Theteamhasnotdeterminedyethowthetest would be con-ducted, but it could bedoneviasalivasamples.The researchers are

planning touse inactivesamplesofCovid-19andinfluenzaforinitial test-ing of the device, andtheywill measure howwellthesensorconnectswith the coronavirus’s

spikeproteins,whichhelpitenterhu-mancellsbybindingwith them.

Source:Universityof TexasatAustin

PAPERCLIP

NEWRESEARCH

490,401India

239,706Italy

217,724Iran

310,836United Kingdom

259,064Chile

247,905Spain

2,425,814US

1,228,114Brazil

268,602Peru

TOTAL CONFIRMED:9,654,269 DEATHCOUNT:490,632Source: JohnsHopkinsUniversity,updatedat11pmonJune26. JHU’sIndiatallyandHealth

Ministry’stally(below)maynotmatchastheseareaccountedatdifferenttimes.

THEWORLD619,936Russia

A sensor for flu & Covid at thesame time; can tell difference

14WWW.INDIANEXPRESS.COM

TUSHARBHADURINEWDELHI, JUNE26

FROMINITIALLYinsistingthattheOlympicswould be held on the originally stipulateddateswith theusual pompandpageantry,Japan had to agree to an unprecedentedone-yearpostponement.AndnowwiththeCovid-19 pandemic refusing to go awayanytimesoon, theorganisershaverealisedthat the onlyway the Gamesmay be heldin2021couldbe if theyarescaleddowntokeepcostsandhealthhazards incheck.Thisvisionof a “simplified”Olympics–

to use the description by Tokyo GovernorYuriko Koike – includes doing awaywiththe one-year countdown to the revisedGames, scheduled for July 23 to August 8nextyear,scalingdownof theopeningandclosingceremonies,andreducingthenum-berof spectators.Theorganisers intendtotesteveryath-

lete, coach, official and spectator. Also, themovement of everyone involved in theGames, inwhatevercapacity, is likely tobeconsiderably restricted.Allthesemeasuresbecomeallthemore

crucial as the International OlympicCommitteehas said theGameswill notbe

postponed again, but will be cancelled iftheyarenotheld in July-Augustnextyear.

The 1948 precedentThecurrentpandemicisconsideredthe

world’s biggest common challenge sinceWorldWar II. In the aftermath of that, too,the1948LondonOlympics—andsports—helped theworldbounceback, andplayedamorale-boosting role.Onekeydifference is thatTokyohadal-

readymadearrangements foragrandedi-tionoftheGamesandwillnowhavetoscalethemdown, but London 1948 couldn’t af-ford the expenditurewhen theworldwasrecovering fromthewar.SeveralpartsofLondonwerestillwear-

ing a dilapidated look from the bombingstheyhad suffered. Therewas a shortage ofmostprovisionsandstrictrationingofdailynecessities for citizens.IncontrasttotheGamesVillagesetupat

Tokyo Bay, themale athletes in 1948werehousedatRoyalAir Force campswhile thewomenstayedat colleges.As The Guardianwrites: “Not onlywas

there no newOlympic stadium, therewasnonewvelodrome,aquaticscentreorhand-ball arenaeither.Norwas thereapurpose-builtOlympicvillage…Theorganisers laid

onbeddingbut asked contestants to bringtheirowntowels.”They even convertedWembley into an

athletics stadiumbyputting800tonnesofcindersoverthegreyhoundtrack.Nowon-der the 1948 Olympics were called the‘AusterityGames’. Itwashard for even theBritishathletestogetthefoodtheyneededforoptimalperformanceintheirdisciplines,whichmay partly explain the host coun-try’smeagrehaulofthreegold,14silverandsix bronzemedals. Many teams broughttheirownfoodto theGames.

But the Games are today rememberedforthefeatsofFannyBlankers-Koen,the30-year-old Dutchmother of two, whowonfourgoldmedals,andCzechoslovakia’sEmilZatopekwhotookhomethe10,000mgold.ForIndia,competingattheOlympicsas

an independent country for the first time,the highlight was their fourth successivehockey gold medal – that too defeatingBritain, their erstwhile rulers, in their ownbackyard.ButtheGames—featuring59countries,

withdefeatedpowers JapanandGermanykept out and the SovietUniondeclining toparticipate—alsobroughtpeoplesomere-lief amid their post-war struggles. TheGuardianwrites that the 1948 Olympicsevenmanaged a profit of almost £30,000,something unthinkable in the present ageof ballooningbudgets.

Preparations compromisedUnderstandably, the state of battle-

readinessthatOlympic-boundathletesareexpectedtobe inwas lacking in theBritishteam. For one, the equipment required forelite trainingwas largelyabsent, andsomeof it was donated from overseas. TheGuardian recalls that Canada gave a “cou-pleofplanksofspringypine”forthediving

boards.Accordingtoolympic.org,Denmarkdonated160,000eggsandtheNetherlands100tonnesof fresh fruit.The Indian Express got in touch with

katherinegreen.co.uk;Greenin2012hadgotin touchwith several of the then survivingBritishsportspersonsfrom1948.Thesourceprovided oral histories that highlight thesituation back then. The projectwas donein the lead-up to the 2012 Games, whenLondonhosted theOlympicsagain.GeorgeWeedon,aBritishgymnastwho

finishedwell down the rankings, recalledthat the training sessions didn’t quite re-semble the competition that onewas ex-pectedtoface. “Wedidn’thavecrashmats,only coconut mats. At the back of yourmind,youdidn’tgoflatoutbecauseyoujustthought ‘Am I going tomake it?’”Weedontold theproject.Hepassedaway in2017.FellowgymnastAudreyBeever,then15,

remembers the facilities on offer: “It wasthe recovering process after thewar, andtherewereno roomsavailable, no appara-tus…” But therewas an air of excitementamong the people. “Whenwe travelled tothe various places where we had to re-hearse, we used to have hordes of peoplerunning after us for autographs,” Beevertoldkatherinegreen.co.uk.

British high jumper Dorothy Tyler-Odam is the onlywoman towin Olympicathletics medals before and afterWWII.“Myhousegotbombed.Ieventuallyjoinedthe air force (as a driver), because I didn’twanttodonothing.Youareworryingaboutyour husband, but you can’t worry all thetimeasthere’ssomuchgoingon,”Dorothytold theproject.Sheappreciatedthedistractionthatwas

provided by the 1948 Games. “It was likethe sun coming out after the dark days ofthewar. It was so uplifting for everybody.We had to stay at downtown boardinghouses. I do know that one Australianwomancomplainedaboutthefoodandwewereonrationing,” shesaid.

Takeaways for 2021Today,theworldismuchmoreintercon-

nected than it was in 1948. If the 2021Olympics do take place, it will not be justabout thesportingachievements.As Emil Zatopek had said at the end of

the1948Games: “Afterall thosedarkdays– thebombing, thekilling, the starvation–the revival of theOlympicGameswas as ifthe sun had come out... Suddenly therewerenofrontiers,nomorebarriers, justthepeoplemeeting together.”

@ieExplained#ExpressExplainedIf there are questions of current or contemporary relevance that youwould likeexplained, pleasewrite to explained@indianexpress.comE EXPLAINED

THEINDIANEXPRESS,SATURDAY, JUNE27,2020

Prototypeofsensorbeingdeveloped.Source:UniversityofTexasatAustin

FannyBlankers-Koenwonfourgoldsat theLondonGames. olympic.org

TOTALRECALL

London 1948:WhenOlympic Games brought cheer after a crisis

New Delhi

15THEINDIANEXPRESS,SATURDAY, JUNE27,2020

THEWORLDWWW.INDIANEXPRESS.COM

USACARLY FIORINABACKSBIDENCarly Fiorina, the former Hewlett-Packard Co chief executive who joined theRepublican party and ran for the GOP’s presidential nomination against DonaldTrump in 2016, said would cast her vote for Democrat Joe Biden in November.“I’ve been very clear that I can’t support Donald Trump,” Fiorina told The Atlantic.

RUSSIA

CourtfindsprominentdirectorguiltyofembezzlementMoscow:One of Russia’smost prominent theaterandfilmdirectorswascon-victedonFridayonanem-bezzlement charge thatwaswidelyseenasmanu-facturedto justifyacrack-down on independenttheater.Butinasurprisingturnofevents,thedirector,Kirill Serebrennikov,wasgiven only a suspendedsentence after the prose-cutors had requested atermofsixyearsinapenalcolony.Thetrial,knownastheTheater Case, openedthree years ago. The the-ater project at its center,calledPlatform,wasestab-lishedwithagrantin2011fromtheRussianMinistryof Culture and is widelythought tohaveoffendedsensibilitiesintheRussianOrthodoxChurch.

Kirill Serebrennikovatcourt inMoscow

TOPOFTHEWORLD

INDONESIA

Fishermenrescuenearly100RohingyaINDONESIANFISHERMENrescued nearly 100Rohingyarefugees,includ-ing 79 women and chil-dren, in Aceh province af-ter officials said theywereplanning to push themback out to sea. Countriesaround Southeast Asiahave grown increasinglyreluctanttoacceptrefugeeboats as they battle thenovel coronavirus, but theAcehnese fishermen toldReuters that rescuing theRohingyawasamoralduty.“It is nothingmore than asenseofhumanityandpartofourtraditioninthenorthAceh fishermen commu-nity,” said local fishermanHamdaniYacob.

USA

NativeAmericansprotestTrumptriptoRushmorePRESIDENT DONALDTrump’s plans to kick offIndependenceDaywith ashowy display at MountRushmore have angeredNative Americans, whoview themonument as adesecration of land vio-lentlystolenfromthemandused to pay homage toleaders hostile to indige-nouspeople.SeveralgroupsledbyNativeAmericanac-tivistsareplanningprotestsforTrump’sJuly3visit,partof his “comeback” cam-paign for a nation reelingfromsickness, unemploy-mentandsocialunrest.

JAMESPEARSONHANOI, JUNE26

VIETNAMAND the Philippineswarnedof growing insecurity inSoutheastAsiaataregionalsum-mitonFridayamidconcernsthatChinawassteppingupitsactivityin thedisputed SouthChina Seaduringthecoronaviruspandemic.Both Hanoi and Manila

lodged protests with China inAprilafterBeijingunilaterallyde-claredthecreationofnewadmin-istrativedistrictsonislandsinthetroubled waterways to whichVietnamandthePhilippinesalsohavecompetingclaims.“Evenasourregionstruggles

tocontainCovid-19,alarmingin-cidents in the South China Seaoccurred,” Philippine PresidentRodrigo Duterte told an onlinemeeting of Association ofSoutheast Asian Nations(ASEAN) leadersonFriday.“Wecallonparties to refrain

from escalating tensions andabide by responsibilities underinternational law,”hesaid.China has been pushing its

presence in the ExclusiveEconomic Zones of other coun-trieswhile claimants are preoc-cupiedtacklingtheCovid-19pan-demic, prompting the UnitedStates to call onChina to stop its“bullyingbehaviour”there.InearlyApril,Vietnamsaidone

of its fishingboatswas sunkbyaChinesemaritime surveillancevessel. China said thatVietnam’sclaimsinSouthChinaseaareille-galand“doomedtofail”.Inhisopeningremarksatthe

ASEAN Summit, Vietnamese

Prime Minister Nguyen XuanPhuc said international institu-tions and internationl law hadbeen seriously challenged dur-ing theglobal crisis.“Thepandemicis fanningthe

flames of dormant challengeswithinthepolitical,economicandsocial environment of theworldandineachregion,”Phucsaid.“While the entire world is

stretchedthininthefightagainstthepandemic,irresponsibleactsand acts in violation of interna-tional law are still taking place,affectingtheenvironmentofse-curityandstability incertainre-gions, including in our region,”Phucadded.REUTERS

AP&REUTERSSEOUL, JUNE26

WHILE CHINAmoved closer tocontaining a fresh outbreak inBeijing, the coronavirus took astrongerhold elsewhere, includ-ingtheUnitedStates,wheresurg-ing infections across southernstates havehighlighted the risksof reopeningeconomieswithouteffectivetreatmentorvaccines.Countries with big popula-

tionslikeIndonesia,PakistanandMexico grappled with largecaseloads and strained healthcaresystems.SouthAfrica,whichaccounts

forabouthalfoftheinfectionsonthe African continent with118,375,reportedarecord6,579new cases, as transmissions in-creaseafteritloosenedwhathadbeenoneof theworld’s strictestlockdownsearlier thismonth.In China, where the pan-

demic originated in December,authorities havemobilised re-sources for mass testing andlockeddownpartsofBeijingthismonth due to an outbreak thathas infected 260 people. The 11newcasesreportedinthecapitalFriday continued a downward

trend that suggests transmis-sionshavebeen largelybroughtundercontrol.The United States on

Thursday reported more than40,000newcoronaviruscases,arecord total for the secondstraight day, as a nationwidesenseofurgencygrewandcase-loads soared in Southern andWesternstates thatwere far re-moved from the worst earlyoutbreaks.Inanapparentsignofthatur-

gency,WhiteHouseofficialssaidthat the coronavirus task forceplanned to reconveneonFridayafternoon for its first briefing innearly two months. The lastbriefing tookplaceonApril 27.

RICARDOALONSO-ZALDIVAR&MARKSHERMANWASHINGTON, JUNE26

INTHEmidstof thecoronaviruspandemic, the Trump adminis-tration on Thursday urged theSupreme Court to overturn theAffordableCareAct.Theadministration’slegalbrief

makesnomentionofthevirus.Some 20million Americans

could lose theirhealthcoverageandprotections forpeoplewithpre-existing health conditionsalso would be put at risk if thecourt agreeswith the adminis-tration in a case that won’t beheardbefore the fall.In the case before the

SupremeCourt,Texasandotherconservative-led states arguethattheACAwasessentiallyren-dered unconstitutional afterCongress passed tax legislationin2017thateliminatedthelaw’sunpopular fines for not havinghealthinsurance,butleftinplaceitsrequirementthatvirtuallyallAmericanshavecoverage.Afterfailingtorepeal“Obama-

care” in 2017whenRepublicansfully controlled Congress,PresidentDonaldTrumphasputtheweight of his administrationbehindthelegalchallenge.AP

SIMONROMERO,GIULIAMCDONNELLNIETODELRIO&NICHOLASBOGEL-BURROUGHSJUNE26

ITWASanothergruesomevideoofpolicinginAmerica—anakedLatinoman, his face covered bya mesh spit guard, his handscuffed behindhimas he lay dy-ing face down on the ground athis grandmother’s house. Hepleaded for watermore than adozentimes,sayinghecouldnotbreathe as police officers re-strainedhis legsandtorso.This time, the scene was a

southernArizona citywith apo-liticallymoderate image, a largeLatinopopulationandapolicede-partmentsaidtobeprogressive.

ThevictimwasCarlosIngramLopez, a 27-year-old cookingschool graduatewho preparedeverymealfromscratchforhis2-year-olddaughter.Hisdeath,ashewashavingamentalhealthcrisis

thatledtoacallforhelp,wasajar-ringreminderthatLatinosaswellasAfricanAmericanshaveatrou-bledhistorywiththepolice,eventhough Latinos’ struggles donotgetthesameattention.Stillunanswerediswhyittook

thepolice twomonths toreleasethevideo takenbyofficers’ bodycameraswhenLopez’sfamilyhadalmost immediatelyaskedtoseeit. ReginaRomero, Tucson’s firstLatinamayor, saidThursday thattherehadbeena“breakdown”in-side the PoliceDepartment andthatshehadnotlearnedofLopez’sdeath until lastweek,when thepolicechiefcalledher.Eventhen,shesaid,thecity’slawyerwarnedherandtheCityCouncilnottosayanythingpubliclybecauseitcouldbe seen as an effort to influencetheinternalinvestigation.NYT

ASEANLEADERSHOLDONLINESUMMIT

SEAsiannations raisealarmoverBeijingactivity inSouthChinaSea

Chinesevessels intheSouthChinaSea. InearlyApril,Vietnamsaidoneof its fishingboatswassunkbyaChinesemaritimesurveillancevessel.Reuters file

Thepandemic is fanningtheflamesofdormantchallengeswithinthepolitical, economicandsocialenvironmentof theworldand ineachregion.”

NGUYENXUANPHUCVIETNAMPRIMEMINISTER

EXPRESSNEWSSERVICENEWDELHI, JUNE26

THEUNITEDNations’independ-entexpertsonFridayraisedtheirconcernsregardingarangeof is-sues related to China, from thecollectiverepressionof thepop-ulation, especially religious andethnic minorities, in Xinjiangand Tibet, to the repression ofprotestanddemocracyadvocacyin the Hong Kong SpecialAdministrativeRegion (SAR).In a statement issued in

GenevabytheUNspecialrappor-teurs, it asked for the establish-ment of an impartial and inde-pendent United Nationsmechanism— such as aUnitedNations Special Rapporteur or aSecretaryGeneral Special Envoy—tocloselymonitor,analyseandreport annually on the humanrightssituationinChina,particu-larly,inviewoftheurgencyofthesituations in theHongKong, theXinjiangAutonomousRegionandtheTibetAutonomousRegion.“TheUNexpertshaverepeat-

edly communicated with the

Government of the People’sRepublicofChinatheiralarmre-gardingtherepressionof funda-mental freedomsinChina.Theyhave denounced the repressionofprotestanddemocracyadvo-cacy in the Hong Kong SpecialAdministrativeRegion(SAR),im-punity forexcessiveuseof forceby police, the alleged use ofchemicalagentsagainstprotest-ers, the alleged sexual harass-mentandassaultofwomenpro-testersinpolicestationsandthealleged harassment of healthcareworkers,” it said.It also raised concerns re-

gardingthedetentionof lawyersand the prosecution and disap-pearances of human rights de-fendersacross thecountry, alle-gations of forced labour invarioussectorsof theformalandtheinformaleconomy,aswellasarbitrary interferenceswith theright to privacy, cybersecuritylaws that authorise censorshipand the broadlyworrying anti-terrorismand sedition laws ap-plicable inHongKong.

FULLREPORTONwww.indianexpress.com

Experts call for UNmechanism to monitorhuman rights in China

Apackedbus inRiode Janeiro,Brazil, onThursday.Authoritiessaidbusescouldoperatewithpeoplestanding,but limitedtotwocommuterspersquaremetre.AP

Virus surge continuesglobally, US sees newrecord daily increase

AtakindergarteninBarcelonaonFriday,asSpainlookstoemergefromthecoronavirus lockdown.AP

London: L’Oreal, theworld’sbiggest cosmetics company,will removewords referenc-ing “white”, “fair” and “light”from its skin-evening prod-ucts, a spokeswomansaidonFriday, a day after Unilevermade a similar announce-ment in the face of growingsocialmediacriticism.

L’Oreal to dropwords like ‘fair’

ProtestersgatherinFrankfort,Kentucky.TheoutcryforthearrestofofficersinvolvedinthefatalshootingofBreonnaTaylorinsideherKentuckyapartmenthasgrown,leadingtomoreprotestsinthestate.Theofficerwhofiredtheshotswasremovedfromhisjob.Reuters

Another gruesome video ofdeath in custody shocks US city

CONTINUINGCALLSFORPOLICEREFORM INU.S.

Teen who threw boy fromgallery roof gets 15 yrs in jailLondon:ABritish teenagerwhothrewasix-year-oldFrenchboyfroma10th-floor viewing plat-form at the Tate Modern artgallery in London with the in-tentionofkillinghimwasjailedforatleast15yearsonFriday,theBBC reported.JontyBravery,whowas17at

thetimeof theincidentandsaidhecarriedouttheactbecausehewanted to be on the TV news,pleadedguiltytoonecountofat-temptedmurderlastDecember.

The unnamed victim, whowasvisitingBritainwithhisfam-ily, fell five floorsandwas foundon a fifth-floor roof while hismotherwasheardbywitnessesscreaming: “Where’s my son?Where’smyson?”The boy survived but suf-

fered a bleed to his brain and anumberof fracturedbones.Bravery, now 18, told police

hehadplannedtohurtsomeoneat themuseum to be on televi-sion,prosecutorssaid.REUTERS

RUSSELLCHEYNELONDON, JUNE26

AMAN stabbed two people todeath in the Scottish city ofGlasgowonFridaybefore beingshot deadbypolice, Britishme-diareported,inanattackthatleftapoliceofficercritically injured.AneyewitnesstoldSkyNews

shehadseenseveralpeoplecov-ered in blood being treated byemergencyservicesafterthein-cidentat a city centrehotel, andarmed police on the scene, ataround1.15pm.Policesaidsixpeople,includ-

ing the police officer, had beenhospitalised. Authorities haveyet to say what themotive fortheattackwas.Agovernmentsourcetoldthe

BBC that a total of three peoplehaddied, includingtheattacker.Police Scotland Assistant

Chief Constable Steve Johnson

said the incident hadbeen con-tained and therewas nowiderrisk to thepublic.“Theindividualwhowasshot

byarmedpolicehasdied,”PoliceScotland said in a statement,addingtheywerenotlookingforanyothersuspect.REUTERS

6-YR-OLDSURVIVEDFALLATUKMUSEUM

HE CAPTURED THAT PERIOD OF CHINESE HISTORY AT GREAT PERSONAL RISK

Li Zhensheng, who photographed dark side of Cultural Revolution, dies at 79AMYQINJUNE26

LI ZHENSHENG, a Chinese pho-tographerwho took great per-sonal risk to document thedarkside of Mao Zedong’s CulturalRevolutionandproducedapow-erful compilation of black-and-white imagesthatremainsararevisualtestamenttothebrutalex-cessesofthattumultuousepisodeinhistory,hasdied.Hewas79.His death was confirmed

Tuesday by Robert Pledge, afounderof Contact Press ImagesandeditorofLi’sphotobookRed-ColorNewsSoldier,whosaid that

Li hadbeenhospitalized inNewYork City. He lived in Queens.Furtherdetails,includingthedateofhisdeath,werenotreleased.Liwasayoungphotographer

at a local newspaper in north-easternChinawhenMaostartedthe Revolution in May 1966.Wearing a red arm band thatsaid, “Red-Color News Soldier,”Li was given extraordinary ac-cess toofficial events.“I was excited like everyone

else,”herecalledina2003inter-viewwith The New York Times.“Thehappinesswasreal.Wefeltlucky tobe living themoment.”But his excitement quickly

gavewaytoanxiety.Whatbegan

asapoliticalcampaignaimedatconsolidating power soon en-gulfed the entire country, un-

leashing decadelong turmoilthat upended Chinese society.Factionsofradicalyouthsknown

as “Red Guards” roamed thecountry battling one anotherandperceived“classenemies.”

Countlesshistoricalsitesandrelics were destroyed in thename of stamping out China’s“feudal”and“bourgeois”culture.Li began to have doubts afterwitnessing Red Guards in thenortheastern province ofHeilongjiang ransackingchurches and temples, burningscripturesandcriticisingmonks.“I realised that I had todocu-

mentthistumultuousperiod,”hewrote. “I didn’t really knowwhetherIwasdoingitforthesakeoftherevolution,formyselforforthefuture,butIknewIhadtouseacameraasatooltodocumentit.”Li took not just the propa-

ganda photos— the raised fists,

the revolutionary fervour, themassassemblies—thatwerere-quiredbyhisnewspaperbutalsoless flatteringones.Heamassedabout 100,000 photos duringthatperiod,stashingmanyofthenegatives under the parquetfloorboards in his home inHarbin, the capital of China’snorthernmostprovince.Hiscollectionremainsoneof

themostcompleteandnuancedvisual chronicles of how theCultural Revolution upendeddaily life far away fromthe cap-ital, Beijing. Among the photosare numerous ones of “strugglesessions”, inwhichpeoplewerecriticised, abused andmade to

standforhourswiththeirheadsbowedbeforeaseaof accusers.By the end of the Cultural

Revolution, in 1976, tens ofmil-lions of people had beenperse-cuted and up to 1.5million haddiedaccordingtosomeestimates.Manyweredriventosuicide.“Nootherpoliticalmovement

inChina’srecenthistorylastedaslong,wasaswidespreadinitsim-pact, andasdeepin its traumaastheCulturalRevolution,”Lisaidina2018interviewwithTheTimes.Li Zhenshengwas born to a

poor family in the northeasternport city of Dalian on Sept. 22,1940.Hisfather,LiYuanjian,wasaformercookonasteamship.NYT

Manyofhisphotos focusedonthetreatmentof counter-revolutionaries

Two killed in Glasgowstabbing, suspect shot

Atthesceneofthestabbings,inGlasgowonFriday.Reuters

THETRUMPadministration’sbidtorepealtheAffordableCareAct,alsoknownasObamacare,comesasmil-lionsofAmericansfileforunemploymentbenefitsamidtheCovid-19pan-demic,whichhasravagedtheeconomyandrenderedmanyjobless.Thelossof jobsandincomehavemeantthatmanyhavealsolosttheir in-surancecoverageevenasthehealthemergencyworsens.Accordingtothegovern-ment’sownfigures,halfamillionpeoplewhohadlosttheirhealthinsuranceduringthelockdowngotcoveragethankstoObamacare.Apartfromthesepeople,another20millionmoreAmericansstandtolosetheirhealthcoverageif thegovernmentsucceedsinitslegalefforttorepealtheAffordableCareAct.

Coulddeal hugeblowamidCovid

Trump admin movesUS Supreme Courtto repeal Obamacare

New Delhi

16

Government of IndiaMinistry of Science and Technology

Department of Science and TechnologyNo. A-41012/01/2020-Estt. I Date: 24.06.2020

Applications are invited from the retired Government Servants forengagement on 03 posts of Consultant in the Department ofScience and Technology on contract basis initially for a period ofsix months. Persons fulfilling eligibility criteria may apply in theprescribed format details of which can be downloaded from theDepartment's official website www.dst.gov.in and completedapplication may be sent to the Under Secretary, Estt.II,Department of Science & Technology, Technology Bhawan, NewMehrauli Road, New Delhi 110016 within 45 days from the date ofpublication of this advertisement.

B.K.P. Angamdavp 36101//11/0002/2021 Under Secretary to the Govt. of India

E-Tender in two parts, Part-I & Part-II valid for four months are invited for the workmentioned as under:-

E-Tendering NoticeU.P POWER TRANSMISSION CORPORATION LTD.

E-Tender Notice-13/ECTC/AGRA/2020-21

The tender document against this bid specification can be downloaded from e-procurement website http://etender.up.nic.in & www.upptcl.org. Tenders can be onlysubmitted on e-procurementwebsite http://etender.up.nic.in. upto schedule date& timeas above. Cost of Tender and Earnest Money Submitted in the Account of ExecutiveEngineer, Electricity Civil Transmission Division, Lal Diggi, Aligarh with A/C No.-10975837739, IFSC Code- SBIN0000604 Payable at S.B.I Main Branch Aligarh,through NEFT/RTGS. “SAVE ENERGY IN THE INTEREST OF THE NATION”SUPERINTENDING ENGINEER, ELECTRICITY CIVIL TRANSMISSION CIRCLE,AGRA. Ik=kad%791 fo0tk0ik0ea0vk0@fufonk@fnukad%26-06-2020

Date andTime ofopening

Date andTime of

Submission

TenderCost

(IncludingGST) &

NITCharges

EarnestMoney

Periodof

Work

Name of WorkTenderSpeci-fication

No.

TotalTender

Cost

24

02Month

29.07.2020/12:00

30.07.2020/12:00

5,000.00

1430.001180+250

Civil work for Repair ofold damaged chainlinkfencing at 132 KV Sub-station Jalesar Distt. Etah

Construction of civil workof Increasing capacityfrom 1x40+2x63 MVA To2x40+2x63 MVA at 220KV Sub-station Etah,Distt Etah

02Month

75,000.00 3540+372

3912.00 29.07.2020/12:00

30.07.2020/12:00

Repair & Renovation ofcontrol room building &BCU at 220/132 KV Sub-station Boner & 132 KVSub-station Aligarh-VDistt- Aligarh

6400.0002Month

590+250

590+250

02Month

18,000.00

840.00

840.00

29.07.2020/12:00

29.07.2020/12:00

30.07.2020/12:00

30.07.2020/12:00

Construction of 33 KVAmapur Bay at 132 KVSub-station Ganjdundwara(Etah)

Construction of 01 Nos33 KV New Fozuaka Bay(under Deposit Scheme)at 132 KV Sub-stationJattari Distt. Aligarh

02Month

11,000.00 1180+250

1430.00 29.07.2020/12:00

30.07.2020/12:00

25

26

27

23

Invitation for expression of Interest

Expression of Interest is invited from reputed Manufacturers/Supplier companies for entering into MOU for supply of brandedcrop protection products (Pesticides/ Insecticides/ Fungicides/Weedicides) on consignment basis through Hafed network.

The document containing details of terms & conditions areavailable on Hafed Website www.hafed.gov.in . EOI document Fee ofRs. 5000/- may be deposited through Demand Draft drawn in favorof The Haryana State Cooperative Supply & Marketing FederationLimited, Panchkula or through online bank transfer. The Shortlistedapplicants will be subsequently contacted for further discussion/presentation.

The interested parties may download the document andsubmit the EOI along with all the documents and proof of fee pay-ment, within due date addressed to General Manager Marketing,Hafed Corporate Office, Sector-5, Panchkula or through emailhafedinputs@rediffmail.com or hafed@hry.nic.in upto15.07.2020 at 5.00 PM.

MANAGING DIRECTOR,HAFED, PANCHKULA

THE HARYANA STATE COOPERATIVE SUPPLYAND MARKETING FEDERATION LIMITEDCORPORATE OFFICE: SECTOR 5, PANCHKULA,

HARYANA (INDIA)TEL.: 2590520-24, FAX: 2590711.

E-Mail: hafed@hry.nic.in Website: www.hafed.gov.in

81459/HRY

Notice Inviting e – TendersFRESH e–NIT No:- 15/PHED/RWSD/CIVIL – SHG OF 2020 – 21

For and on behalf of the Lieutenant Governor of UT of J&K FRESH e-tenders (Two cover System) on Turn Key Basis are invited on Turn Key basis including the main-tenance cost for a period of Five years from reputed and resourceful contractors /Firms/companies/SHG’S joint venture of repute in PWD or Equivalent in CPWD/Railwaysand other state Governments for the following works:

Table (I)

GOVERNMENT OF JAMMU AND KASHMIROffice Of The Executive Engineer Rural Water Supply Division, Ganderbal

H.Q: Cheki Duderhama Ganderbal.E – mail. pherwsd@gmail.com / pherwsd@ yahoo.in Phone/ Fax: 0194 – 2416292.

Sd/- (Er. M. Aslam Zargar)Executive Engineer,

PHE RWS Division Ganderbal/Sgr. H.Q: Cheki Duderhama Ganderbal.

01 Date of Publishing of Tender Notice 24.06.2020

02 Date of downloading of bidding documents From 25.06.2020 (10.00 A.M.) To 13.07.2020 upto (04.00 P.M.)

03 Date of Pre-bid meeting In the Office of the:-1. Superintending Engineer, Hyd. Circle Srinagar/Ganderbal, H.Q. Srinagar ON 09.07.2020.

04 Last date of submission bid Queries 10.07.2020 upto 3.00 P.M.05 Bid submission start date 25.06.2020 (10.00 A.M.)06 Bid Submission end date 13.07.2020 upto (04.00 P.M.)08 Date & time of opening Bids (Technical Cover) 15.07.2020 at 11.30 A.M.

THE ABOVE MENTIONED WORK FIGURING AT SERIAL NO. 01, WAS EARLIER ADVERTISED VIDE THIS OFFICE E NIT NO 05 OF 2020-21 & THE WORK FIG-URING AT SERIAL NO 03 WAS ADVERTISED EALIER VIDE THIS OFFICE E NIT NO 48 OF 2019-20 (S. NO 02) & FRESH E NIT NO 07 OF 2020-21 ( S. NO 02)

The Bidding Documents and other details can be downloaded from the website: https://jktenders.gov.inFrom 25.06.2020 (10.00 A.M.) To 13.07.2020 upto (04.00 P.M.)

The Bidding documents consisting of qualifying information, eligibility criteria, specifications, Drawings (if any), Book of quantities (B.O.Q), Set of terms,conditions of contract and other details can be viewed/ downloaded from the website: www.jktenders.gov.in

Note: Two or more Self Help Groups can form a Consortium to execute works upto ?2 (two) Crores subject to the condition that the SHGs forming Consortium have beengraded by the Superintending Engineers R&B/PHE/ I&FC/UEED/PDD, as the case may be, as very good and/or excellent. Furthermore, SHGs forming the Consortiummust have a minimum six years of experience, each. For works beyond ?2 (two) Crores no special incentive like 30% quota or 1% earnest money shall be available forthem and the Consortium shall have to participate in tenders, like other contractors, for works in the common pool. Provided where there is no Superintending Engineer,the SHG shall be graded by Chief Engineer concerned. (For full details please refer to the Tender Document).

The Schedule showing the critical dates is given belowTABLE (II)

No.: PHED/RWSD/Corrs./2351 – 75.Dated:- 24.06.2020 DIPK-NB-998/20

Sr. Name of Work Tender Cost Cost of Earnest Time of Tender Tender opening Class ofNo. including all Taxes Document Money Compl- Call Place and Contractor

Construction Maintenance (Rs. in Lacs) Deposit etion datePart Part (Technical

(Quotable) (Fixed Cost) Cover only)

1.

2.

3.

SELF HELPGROUP

“A” Class -Reputed and

resourceful con-tractors/

Firms/Companies/Joint Venture of

repute in PWD orEquivalent in

CPWD/ Railwaysand other stateGovernments

“A” Class -Reputed and

resourceful con-tractors/ Firms/

Companies/ JointVenture of repute

in PWD orEquivalent in

CPWD/ Railwaysand other stateGovernments.

“Design, Construction, successful testing &Commissioning of 0.20 MGD Rapid SandFiltration Plant along with flash fixer, cloriflocla-tor with inbuilt backwash tank , Chain link fenc-ing, construction of catch water drain, retain-ing/ breast wall, approach road and washroom including water closet facilities complete, construction of dry stone bund at Baba ReshiGasul for WSS Baba Reshi Cherdara with Trialrun for 06 months after completion of theConstruction work and maintenance for aperiod of five years including other existingStructures like Service Reservoir, PST , RWM, mains , sub mains & distribution Network onTURNKEY BASIS under NABARD includingConducting complete necessary soil tests asrequired at selected site , as per theParameters/ Specification mentioned in thetender document”. Architectural aestheticsshall also be kept in consideration to make thestructures appealing.”

Design, Construction, successful testing &Commissioning of PST for 0.21 MGD R.S.F.Plant, Two No Service Reservoir’s (0.50 lacgallons and 0.40 lac gallons), SluiceChambers, Chowkidar’s Quarter, Retainingwall / Breast wall, Construction of Crate/pro-tection work at off take point, RCC Jackettingto old SR’s, Intake Chamber, incld. L/F ofpipes, construction of saddle/ anchor blocks &Chain link fencing around various structuresfor WSS Rayil Gund with Trial run for 06months after completion of the Constructionwork and maintenance for a period of fiveyears including other existing Structures likeRSFP, RWM , mains , sub mains & distributionNetwork on TURNKEY BASIS underNABARD including Conducting complete nec-essary soil tests as required at selected site ,as per the Parameters/ Specification men-tioned in the tender document”. Architecturalaesthetics shall also be kept in considerationto make the structures appealing.

Design, Construction, successful testing,Commissioning of 20,000 Gallon additionalService Reservoir at Baba Bader-u-din Sahib,16000 Gallon Service Reservoir at Hapatnar,40,000 Gallon Service Reservoir at Tar-wali -Khodi Chountwaliwar, 18,000 Gallon ServiceReservoir at Ranglam Halnar,, SpringProtection works, RCC Collection Chambers,Sluice Chambers, Jacketing of Existing serv-ice Reservoir / Construction of Dome atBarwalla (Naik Mohd Spring), Laying fitting ofPipes in Mains, Sub mains & distribution sys-tem for Development of Various Springs ofChountwaliwar with Trial run for 06 monthsafter completion of the Construction work andmaintenance for a period of five years onTURNKEY BASIS under LanguishingProgramme (JKIDFC) including Conductingcomplete necessary soil tests as required atselected site, as per the Parameters /Specification mentioned in the tender docu-ment. Architectural aesthetics shall also bekept in consideration to make the structuresappealing. LUP Code:- 2325.

` 171.24Lacs

` 164.78Lacs

` 162.39Lacs

` 25.00 lacs

` 25.00 lacs

` 8.53 lacs

` 0.04(FavoringExecutiveEngineerRWS

DivisionGanderbalunder MH0215)

` 0.04(FavoringExecutiveEngineerRWS

DivisionGanderbalunder MH0215)

` 0.04Lacs

(FavoringExecutiveEngineerRWS

DivisionGanderbalunder MH0215)

` 1.75 Lacs(Pledged to

theSuperintending

EngineerHyd. CircleSrinagar/

Ganderbal)

` 3.30 Lacs(Pledged to

theSuperintending

EngineerHyd. CircleSrinagar/

Ganderbal)

` 3.25 Lacs(Pledged to

theSuperintending

EngineerHyd. CircleSrinagar/

Ganderbal)

07Months

07Months

06Months

1st

1st

3rd

Office of theSuperintendingEngineer, Hyd.

CircleSrinagar/Gander

bal on15.07.2020

Office of theSuperintendingEngineer, Hyd.

CircleSrinagar/Gander

bal on15.07.2020

Office of theSuperintendingEngineer, Hyd.

CircleSrinagar/Gander

bal on15.07.2020

Position of Funds: - Available; Major Head of Account: NABARD/LANGUISHING.The following detailed instruments in shape of original and Scanned/ Photostat copies in separate envelopes for each work be submitted by the successful bidder to the

Tender Receiving Authority i.e. OFFICE OF THE SUPERINTENDING ENGINEER HYDRALIC CIRCLE SRINAGAR/SGANDERBAL HQ. ENGINEERING COMPLEXRAJBAGH SRINAGAR in person or by Registered Post / Courier within 04 days after opening of the bid online, failing which the Earnest Money shall be forfeited withoutany correspondence in this regard, besides the bidder shall be debarred from participating in tendering process for two years which may be noted.

01 Earnest Money in shape of CDR / FDR Original(PLEDGED IN FAVOUR OF THE SE HYD CIRCLE SGR/GBL)

02 Treasury Receipt (T.R) / Challan as cost of tender document Original(PLEDGED IN FAVOUR OF THE EXECUTIVE ENGINEER RWSDIVISION GANDERBAL/SGR HQ CHEKI DUDERHAMA GBL.

03 Valid Registration certificate of enlistment card clearly indicating Scanned Copydate of registration along with renewal page renewed for 2019-20(RELAXED IN VIEW OF COVID -19 CORONA VIRUS).

04 Latest GST clearance Certificate (NOT BEFORE MARCH – 2020) along with Scanned CopySelf Attested What’s App Number and e-mail ID of the contractor

Government of IndiaDepartment of Atomic energy

Bhabha Atomic Research Centretechnical Services Division

North Site, trombay, Mumbai–85

The Chief. Engineer, Technical Services Division, BhabhaAtomic Research Centre, North Site, BARC, Trombay, Mumbai -400 085, on behalf of the President of India invites online itemrate tenders on two bid system for following work :-NIT No.BARC/TSD/130/2019-20, Name of work - Externalpainting with structural repairing, repairing of RCC façade / jaliof back side & side faces of Old & Annex building of BARCHospital at Anushaktinagar, Mumbai. ; Estimated cost -Rs. 1,72,00,000/- ; Earnest Money - Rs. 3,44,000/-; Period ofcompletion - 12 months; Last date and time of submissionof bid - 07.08.2020 (23:59 Hrs.).The bid forms and other details can be obtained from theWebsite www.tenderwizard.com/DAE or www.barc.gov.inContact for assistance/clarifications 24x7 @ 9969395522 ShriRudresh, e-mail: rudresh.tenderwizard@gmail.com

Chief Engineer

NotICe INvItING e-teNDeRS

Purvanchal VidyutVitran Nigam LimitedVidyut Nagar, P.O.-DLW, Varanasi-

221004 Phone: 0542-2300543 Tender Notice E-tenders are invited for thefollowing materials. Thetender will be accepted up toat 15:00 hrs. Please visitwebsite www.etender.up.nic.in for tender details/download and for any othercorrections/ amendments/modifications/ extensions tillthe date of submission ofbids. Sl. No. 1 e-Tender No.EAV-11/20-21 Name ofMaterial Fresh TransformerOil Quantity (KL) 2600.00Earnest Money (Rs.)14,72,000.00 Tender Fee(Rs.) 10,000.00 +GST @18% Last date & Time foronline submission of tenderdocument 29.07.2020 15:00Hrs Last date & Time foropening of tender part-I30.07.2020 15:00 Hrs. Sd/-S U P E R I N T E N D I N GENGINEER (MM-I) “SaveElectricity in the interest ofNation” ´fÂffaI : 1749/´fc.d½f.d½f.d³f.d»f.(½ff.)/Àff.´fi.-1/AA-1/d½fÄff´f³f dQ³ffaI :26.06.2020

OFFICE OF THE EXECUTIVE ENGINEERRURAL WATER SUPPLY AND SANITATION

DIVISION, CUTTACKMAHANADIBIHAR : CUTTACK-753004

Telephone: 0671-2441619, e-mail: eerwss_ctc1@nic.inGovt. of Odisha e-procurement Notice

Bid Identification No. rwssctc-03/2020-21The Executive Engineer, RWS&S Division, Cuttack on behalf ofGovernor of Odisha invites percentage bid through e-procurement indouble cover system according to norm of e-procurement.1. Nature of Work : Rural Piped W/S Scheme.2. No. of tenders : 3 Nos.3. Tender Paper Cost : Rs. 10,000/-4. Value of Work : Rs. 70.81 Lakh to Rs. 144.77 Lakh5. Class of Contractor : “B” & “A” Class6. Date and time of availability of bid document in portal : 11 hour of

02.07.2020 to 14.07.2020 up to 17 hours7. Date & time of seeking tender clarification : 10.07.2020 up to 17

hours8. Date & time of opening of tender : 15.07.2020 at 11:30 Hours in the

office of the Executive Engineer, RWS&S Division, Cuttack9. Time of completion : 180 days & 270 days10.The bidders have to participate in online biding only. Further details

can be seen from the website https://www.tendersorissa.gov.in.Sd/-

EXECUTIVE ENGINEER,RWSS DIVISION, CUTTACK.

OIPR-25022/11/0004/2021

O-137

e-Tender NoticeTender No: 04/2019-20/SE/Q Supplying and laying various size DI pipes andpvc pipes for distribution lines in zone II EMD : Rs. 7500 + 1350 ( 18% GST– It will be paid by the contractor on reverse charge basis while filing hisreturns). Last date for submitting Tender : 21.07.2020, 02:00 pm Phone :0474 2745293 Website : www.kwa.kerala.gov.inwww.etenders. kerala.gov.in

Superintending EngineerKWA-JB-GL-6-94-2020-21 PH Circle Kollam

KERALA WATER AUTHORITY

Government of IndiaBhabha Atomic Research Centre

Nuclear Recycle BoardINRPRD

e-Tenders in two parts inclusive of Technical Bid and Price Bid arehereby invited on behalf of the President of India, by Chief Executive,Nuclear Recycle Board, Bhabha Atomic Research Centre, Anushakti-nagar, Mumbai-400094, for the following workName of work : Generation of Civil Drawings for NRB StructuralBlocks such as Master Services Racks in Zone of Front & WMBlocks, SBT Corridors, Block 153, 108D, RCC Trenches, etc. basedon the design input from NRB for INRP TarapurNIT No : BARC/NRB/INRP/2020/DKJ/01Estimated cost : Rs. 54,00,000/-(Rupees Fifty four lakhs only)Dates for Request for Purchase/ Download for Tender Documents(MS-Excel / MS-Word formats) : From 26/06/2020 (10:00 Hrs) to 16/07/2020(15:00 Hrs) on website www.tenderwizard.com/DAELast Date and Time of Closing of Online Submission of Tenders :07/08/2020 (17:00 Hrs)

NotICe INvItING e-teNDeR

WWW.INDIANEXPRESS.COMTHEINDIANEXPRESS,SATURDAY, JUNE27,2020

New Delhi

17SENSEX: 35,171.27 ▲ 329.1 NIFTY: 10,383.00 ▲ 94.10 NIKKEI: 22,512.08 ▲ 252.29 HANG SENG: 24,549.99 ▼ 231.59 FTSE: 6,248.25 ▲ 101.11 DAX: 12,311.89 ▲ 134.02

THEINDIANEXPRESS,SATURDAY, JUNE27,2020

ECONOMYWWW.INDIANEXPRESS.COM

GOLD`49,058

RUPEE`75.65

OIL$40.91

SILVER`49,300

Note:Gold, silverratesatspotmarket inDelhi;goldper10g, silverper1kg;Brentcrudeasof2330IST

Internationalmarketdatatill1900IST

BRIEFLYMoretimeforlistedcostoholdboardmeetingsNewDelhi:SebiFridayeasedcompliancerequirementontime gap between twoboardmeetings for listedcompaniestill July31.

SebiclarifiesonmanagingmultipleInVITsNewDelhi: Sebi Friday saidthataninvestmentmanagerisallowedtomanagemulti-ple emerging investmentvehicles, i.e. InvITs.

DGHcutstimefromdiscoverytoproductionNewDelhi:DGHhasprunedprocessesandprocedurestoallowoilandgas findstobeputintoproductionsoonaf-tertheyarediscovered.

BYJU’SraisesfundsfromBONDNewDelhi:BYJU’SFridaysaidithasraisedfundsfromtechinvestment firmBOND,butdidnotdisclosetheamountraisedorthevaluation. PTI

Amazontobuyself-drivingstartupZooxBengaluru:Amazon.comIncwillbuyself-drivingstartupZoox,inadealsaidtobewo-rthover$1billion.REUTERS

CBIC: Blanketexemption of latefee unfair to thosewho filed returnswithin due date

‘Will end central control of gasprices, lift LNG transport use’

PRESSTRUSTOFINDIANEWDELHI,JUNE26

THECBIConFridaysaidablanketexemption of late feewould beunfair towards those taxpayerswho filed February,March andAprilGSTsalesreturnswithintheextendedduedateof June24.Aspart of COVID-19 relief packageannounced inMarch, a condi-tionalwaiverof latefeehadbeenprovidedfortaxpayers.Accordingly, for entities hav-

ing turnover of more than Rs 5crore,latefeewaiveronGSTR-3Breturns for the tax periodFebruary,March andApril 2020wassubjecttotheconditionthatthereturnis filedbyJune24.

HC rejects plea seekingno blocking of incomingservices during pandemicEXPRESSNEWSSERVICENEWDELHI,JUNE26

THEDELHIHighCourtFridaysaidthat courts cannot do charity atthecostofothers,whiledecliningtoentertainapetitionseekingdi-rections to theTelecomRegulat-oryAuthority of India (Trai) andthe Department of Telecom-munications(DoT)toensurethattelecomoperatorsdonotblockin-coming services of subscribersduringtheCOVID-19pandemic.“Telecom companies also

needmoney. Courts cannot docharityatthecostofothers,”ChiefJustice D N Patel and JusticePrateek Jalan said. Takingnoteofthe observation by a Bench, thepetitioner-law student decidednot topress for the reliefs sought

inhispetition.Tothis, theBenchrecordedin

its order, “Petitioner is notpress-ingthewritpetition.Itisdisposedofasnotpressed,”itsaid.The petitioner, Priyatam

Bhardwaj, had contended in hispetition that the telcos’ actionofblockingincomingcallsandmes-sages on account of failure torecharge subscription is causinggrave hardship to people whocannotaffordtospendmoneyonthat under prevailing circum-stances.“Forcingapersonamidfinan-

cial crunches to recharge theirsubscription out of limited re-sourcestheyareleftwithinordertopreventtheblockingofincom-ingcalls and incomingmessagescauses graveprejudice to them,”thepleahadsaid.

Microsoft to shut physicalstores, take $450 mn hit

REUTERSBENGALURU/SANFRANCISCO,JUNE26

MICROSOFTCORPsaidonFridayitwouldcloseitsretailstoresandtakearelatedpretaxassetimpair-mentchargeof$450millioninthecurrent quarter. A Microsoft

spokeswomansaidallcurrentre-tailemployeeswouldbegivenanopportunity to remainwith thecompanyindifferentroles.“Speakingover120languages,

their diversity reflects themanycommunitiesweserve,”Microso-ftCorporatevicepresidentDavidPortersaidofthecompany’sretailemployeesinastatement.

NIDHIVERMANEWDELHI,JUNE26

INDIAWILLgraduallyendcentralcontrolsongaspricingasitseekstoattract foreigninvestmentandtechnologyto lift localoutput,oilminister Dharmendra Pradhansaid on Friday. “This is an incen-tiveweare giving to investors to

cometoIndiaandtakeadvantageofpricingandmarketingfreedomand produce more and investmore,” Pradhan said at theBNEFsummit.Toboostgasusage,Indiaisex-

panding infrastructure includingbuildingnewliquefiednaturalgas(LNG)importplantsandconnect-inghouseholdswith anexpand-inggaspipenetwork. REUTERS

Virus crisis could ultimatelytest $1-tn war chest: IMF MDWashington:InternationalMonet-aryFund(IMF)ManagingDirectorKristalinaGeorgieva said FridaytheglobaleconomiccrisisspurredbyCOVID-19couldultimatelytestthe Fund’s $1 trillion in total re-sources,“butwe’renotthereyet.”Georgieva told a Reuters

Newsmakerwebcasteventthatit

wasnowclear that aneconomicrecoverywouldhavetogetunder-waywithout amedical break-through and the virus’ presencestillwidespread throughout theworld. IMFmember countrieswerestandingbytoprovidemoresupport to the Fund if necessary,shesaid. REUTERS

ENSECONOMICBUREAUNEWDELHI,JUNE26

AFTER RECORDING expansionoversevenstraightweekstohitahighof$507.6billionintheweekended June19, foreignexchangereserves fell by $2.1billion in theweek ended June 26 to $505.55billionduetofundoutflowbyfor-eignportfolioinvestors(FPIs)andriseinBrentcrudeprices.In theweek ended June 19,

while theFPIspulledoutanetof$342million, theBrent crudeoilprices rosebynearly 10per centfrom$38.54perbarrel to$42.33.Sources saya rise in crudepricesresult inhigherpayoutforoil im-port leading to adip in reserves.Duringtheweek,eventherupeeweakenedagainstthedollarby21paisetoloseat76.26onJune19.

Data releasedby theReserveBank of India shows that in theweekendedJune19, foreigncur-rencyassets,amajorcomponentoftheoverallreserves,declinedby$1.7billionto$467.03billion.Thevalueofgoldreservesdeclinedby$370millionto$32.8billion.Severalfactorsplayedarolein

the expansion in forex reserves.While rise in FPI inflowand for-eign direct investments helpedthe cause, they have been sup-portedby fall in importoutgoonaccountofsharpdeclineincrudepricesandCOVIDimpactontrade.BetweenSeptember20,2019

and June 12, the reserves havegrownby$79billion.High levelsofforexreservesnotonlyprovidecushiontotheeconomyintermsof covering the import expendi-ture, but alsoprovide stability tothecurrencyagainstthedollar.

Week Reserves inEnded $billionMar27 475.60Apr3 474.60Apr10 476.50Apr17 479.60Apr24 479.50May1 481.08May8 485.30May15 487.03May22 490.04May29 493.48Jun5 501.70Jun12 507.64Jun19 505.55Source :RBI

FOREXRESERVES

Forex reserves slip from all-time highon FPI outflows, rising crude prices

COVID IMPACT

India’s overall softwaremarket is forecast to grow at 3.8per cent year-on-year (y-o-y) in 2020 as enterprisesrelook at their IT spends, IDC said in itsWorldwideSemiannual Software Tracker, H219 (July-December)

Why this is important:There is a significantdecline in the overallsoftware market becauseof the COVID-19pandemic which isforcing enterprises torelook at their IT spends

Shareofvariousproducts/servicesinoverallmarketrevenuesinH219:61%:Applications:21.6%:Application development anddeployment17.4%:Systems infrastructure software

Products/servicesthatwillhavehighdemand:■Collaborativeapplications■Applicationplatforms■Securitysoftware■Systemandservicemanagementsoftware■Contentworkflow&managementapplications

7.6%Expectedcompound annual

growth rate (CAGR) ofsoftwaremarket in Indiaduring2019-2024

16%Growth in Indiansoftwaremarket

during second half of 2019,compared to year-ago period

Source: IDC/PTI

‘India’s enterprise softwaremarket to see 3.8% growth’

AMicrosoft store insuburbanBoston.Aspokeswomansaidall currentemployeeswouldbegivendifferentroles. File

Petrol pricecrosses `80 inDelhi for 1sttime in 2 yrsPRESSTRUSTOFINDIANEWDELHI, JUNE26

PETROL PRICE in the CapitalFriday crossedRs80per litre forthe first time in over two years,asoilcompaniescontinuetoraisepetrol and diesel prices in linewithcosts.Oil companies hiked petrol

price by 21 paise per litre anddieselby17paisea litre, accord-ingtoapricenotificationofstateoilmarketing companies. Petrolprice in Delhi was hiked to Rs80.13 per litre from Rs 79.92whiledieselrateswereincreasedtoRs80.19a litre fromRs80.02.

Subramanianto join AshokaUniversity asprofessor ofeconomicsPRESSTRUSTOFINDIANEWDELHI,JUNE26

FORMER CHIEF EconomicAdviserArvindSubramanianwilljoin AshokaUniversity as a pro-fessor in thedepartment of eco-nomics beginning July, the uni-versitysaidinastatementFriday.Subramanianiscurrentlyvis-

iting lecturer at the HarvardKennedy School. Hewill also bethefoundingdirectorof thenewAshoka Center for EconomicPolicy,whichwill be devoted toresearchandanalysisonpolicyis-sues related to India and globaldevelopment,theuniversitysaid.

ENSECONOMICBUREAUMUMBAI,JUNE26

TWOWEEKSafter affirming thecountry’s ratingat lowest invest-mentgradeandmaintainingasta-ble outlook, S&PGlobal Ratingssaid India’s economy is in deeptroublewithgrowthexpected tocontractby5percentthisfiscal.“India’s economy is in deep

trouble.Difficulties incontainingthe virus, an anemic policy re-sponse, andunderlyingvulnera-bilities,especiallyacrossthefinan-cialsector,areleadingustoexpectgrowthtofallby5percentthisfis-cal year before rebounding in2021,”S&PsaidFridayinareport.On June 10, S&P affirmed its

ratingsonIndia’slong-termforei-gn and local currency sovereigncreditatlowestinvestmentgrade

andmaintainedastableoutlook,arguing that “India’s economy islikelytoachieveastrongrecoveryfollowingthedeepcontractioninthis fiscal; forecasting real GDPgrowthat8.5percent”inFY22.Theregion’seconomyislikely

to shrinkby1.3per cent in2020,butgrowby6.9percentnext fis-cal, S&P said in its report titled

‘Asia-Pacificlossesnear$3trillionasbalancesheetrecessionlooms’.Thisimpliesalossnearing$3tril-lionoutputoverthesetwoyears.“Asia-Pacifichasshownsome

success in containing COVID-19and,byandlarge,respondedwitheffectivemacroeconomic poli-cies,” said Shaun Roache, chiefeconomist for Asia-Pacific, S&PGlobal Ratings. “This can helpcushion the blowandprovide abridgetotherecovery.Therecov-erylookssettobeweigheddownbyindebtedbalancesheets.”One risk now looming larger

is yet another “balance sheet re-cession”inwhichatleastoneim-portant sectorof theeconomy—thegovernment, firms,orhouse-holds—triestobolsteritsweakfi-nancial positionby savingmore,payingdowndebt,andspendingless,S&Psaid.WITHPTI

Economy in ‘deep trouble’, to contract 5%this fiscal before rebounding in 2021: S&P

‘India’seconomyisindeeptrouble.Difficultiesincontainingthevirus,ananemicpolicyresponse,andunderlyingvulnerabilities...areleadingustoexpectgrowthtofallby5%thisfiscalbeforereboundingin2021’

S&PGLOBALRATINGSIN AREPORT

GEORGEMATHEW&KHUSHBOONARAYANMUMBAI,JUNE26

CONTRARYTOexpectations, theCentralBoardoftheReserveBankof India (RBI) didnot takeup theproposal to restructure the loansof borrowers hit by COVID-19pandemic.Theboard,whichmetthroughvideoconferencingFrid-ay, discussed the economic sce-nario,impactoftheRBImeasuresandinterestratetransmission.“Theboarddidnotdiscussthe

loan restructuringproposal. ThiswasthefirstmeetingafterCOVIDvirus hit the country. It was astock-takingmeetingonhowtheRBImeasures haveworked, liq-uidity has improved and abouttransmission of interest rates,”saida top-level source.However,sources said the loan recast pro-posal isundertheRBI’sconsider-ation and a decision is likely tocomelater.OnThursday,FinanceMinisterNirmalaSitharamanhadsaid the government is in activediscussionwiththeRBIforaone-timeloanrestructuringplan.

Though there’s no officialwordfromtheRBIaboutallowingaone-timeloanrestructuringpro-posalsofar,sourcessaidaloanre-castschemeforborrowersislikelyinthewakeoftheeconomiccon-tractionandclosureofthousandsofunitsacrossthecountry.The source said adecisionon

the RBI’s surplus transfer to thegovernmentwillhappenonlyaf-ter the central bank’s financialyearendsonJune30andaccountsarefinalised.Adecisiononthesur-

plus tobe transferred to thegov-ernmentislikelytobedecidedinthenextboardmeeting.“Anydecisiononloanrecastis

likely to come only in July or inAugustwhen the loanmorato-riumends.There’salikelihoodofa spike in bad loans fromSeptember. The loan recast pro-posal is before the RBI,” said abankingsource.The RBI also issued a state-

mentsayingthatthemeetingdis-cussed the economy and chal-

lenges.“Theboarddeliberatedonthe current economic situationandtheevolvingchallengesposedby the pandemic,” an RBI state-ment said. Among others, theboardalsodiscussedtheReserveBank’sactivitiesduringtheperiod(July2019-June2020),thebudgetfor thenext accountingyear July2020toMarch2021(alignedwiththeGovernment’sfinancialyear),otherpolicyandoperationalmat-ters,thestatementadded.“GovernorandDeputyGover-

nors briefed theboardabout theoverallmacroeconomic condi-tions—bothdomesticandglobal,financial sector situationand theimpactof variousmonetary, reg-ulatoryandothermeasurestakenby the RBI in the context of theCOVID-19 pandemic,” the RBIsaid.ApartfromGovernorShakti-kantaDas,DeputyGovernorsBPKanungo,MK Jain andMichaelPatra and otherDirectors of theCentral Board—Tata Sons chair-manNChandrasekaran,DrAshokGulati, chairmanand founder ofTeamleaseServicesManishSabh-arwal, formerAPChief SecretaryPrasanna KumarMohanty, Sun

Pharma chief Dilip S Shanghvi,formerchairmanofUnitedWest-ernBankSatishKMarathe,formerDeputy Comptroller & AuditorGeneralRevathyIyerandRISDire-ctorGeneral Prof Sachin Chatu-rvedi — attended themeeting.Tarun Bajaj, Secretary, Depart-ment of Economic Affairs andDebasishPanda,Secretary,Depar-tmentofFinancialServicestooat-tended. Chartered accountant SGurumurthydidnotattend.According to banks, the RBI

needstogiveoperationalflexibil-ity tobanks fora comprehensiverestructuringoftheexistingloansand also a reclassification of the90-daynorm.Asofnow,theJune7circularonloanrestructuringisstringent andgives little flexibil-itytobanks.Therewas also ademand for

easing of bad loan recognitionnorm from90days to 180days.However, the RBI is unlikely toagree to this proposal. Currently,loans inwhichtheborrowerfailsto pay principal and/or interestchargeswithin90daysareclassi-fiedasnon-performingassetsandprovisioningismadeaccordingly.

FIRSTMEETINGSINCECOVID-19OUTBREAK

Loan recastproposal stillin theworks

ALOANrecastschemeforborrowersisstill intheworksoftheRBIinthewakeoftheeconomiccontractionandclosureofthousandsofunitsacrossthecountry.AnydecisiononloanrecastislikelytocomeonlyinJulyorinAugustwhentheloanmoratoriumends.Asthere’salikelihoodofaspikeinbadloansfromSeptember,banksandIndiaIncwerealsolobbyingforNPAreclassificationnormsfrom90daysto180daysasareliefmeasuretotackletheimpactof lockdown.

RBIboardtakesstockofeconomy, ratetransmission;nodecisionon loanrecastCallontransferof surplus to theCentralgovernment likely tobetaken inthenextmeeting PRANAVMUKUL

NEWDELHI, JUNE26

THE CENTRE, with two decisi-ons, on Fridaymoved further inthe direction of fully resumingflight operations in the country.One, the Directorate General ofCivilAviation (DGCA),whileex-tending the international flightsuspensiontoJuly15,saidinter-national scheduled flightsmaybeallowedonselectedroutesoncase-to-case basis. Two, theMinistryofCivilAviationhasal-lowed airlines to operate up to45 per cent of their pre-lock-downscheduledcapacityondo-mestic routes, compared with30-35percentearlier.On the one hand, the slight

relaxation of restrictions on in-ternational operations couldpavethewayfor foreignairlinesto resume flights to India in linewiththegovernment’sproposalof establishingtravelbubblesorair bridges with countries liketheUS,theUK,France,Germany,etc.Ontheotherhand,airlineex-ecutives said themove on do-mestic flight operations couldhelp themresumeflights toair-ports where they have not yetstartedflyingposttheunlockon

May 25. However, according toan official at a low-cost airline,Indiancarriersareflyingonly65percentof theirapproved1,200flightsadayonaccountofweakdemand on certain sectors andrestrictions imposed by stategovernments.Civil Aviation Minister

HardeepSinghPurihadsaidear-lier that the governmentwouldconsiderresumingscheduledin-ternationalflightoperationsoncedomesticoperations functionata50-55percentcapacity.“Inonemonth since recommencementof calibrateddomesticcivilavia-tion operations in the country,our skies & airports have beenbusy.18,92,581passengershaveflown so far on 21,316 flightsacross the country. Going for-ward, these numberswill growfurther,”Puri saidFriday.

UshaPadhee, jointsecretary,Ministry of Civil Aviation said:“Domestic airlines ferried 18lakh passengers in onemonth.Over700flightsadayareoperat-ing.Thesenumbersarelowonayear-on-year basis.Wewill re-work, renew and retune ourstrategies for the growth of thesectoraswegoalong”.Accordingtodatareleasedby

the DGCA for the one week ofdomestic flight operations inMay,domesticairlinesoperatedat significantly low load factors.India’slargestairlineIndiGoreg-istered a load factor of just 52.6per cent. A senior airline officialsaid that this was because ofheavyone-waydemandoncer-tain routes where flights goingto smaller towns frommetroswere fullypacked,while the re-turn legswerenearlyempty.

ENSECONOMICBUREAUNEWDELHI,JUNE26

DEBTAND fiscal consolidationshouldnotbethefocusofthegov-ernmentatpresentand it shouldrather concentrate on interven-tionsandfastestpossiblerevivalofthe economy, 15th FinanceCommissionChairmanNKSinghsaidFriday.Headdedemploymentnumbers, alongwith theagricul-tural sector and anecdotal evi-dence fromthe industry, suggestasharprecoveryisintheprocess.“This isnot the time to talkof

fiscalconsolidation.Thisisthetimeinwhichtheworldbelieves,Ithinkthatwhatneedstobeprotectedistheexpenditureoverfiscaldeficitandthisisexactlywhatthecentral

governmenthasdone ... thisyearwemustnot concentrate on thefiscalorthedebt.Wemustconcen-trateonthefastestpossiblerevivaloftheeconomy.Wemustconcen-trateonensuring that in termsofthepainful transition, thepain isminimised inmultiple interven-tions, andmultiple interventionshavetakenplace,”hesaid,addingthese things should concern the

Centreandstatesaftersharpeco-nomicreboundincomingyears.Speakingtoreportersafterthe

meetingof thecommissionwiththeEconomicAdvisoryCouncil,Singhsaidtherearemultiplegreenshootsintheeconomypointingto-wards a recovery. “The fact of afairly rapid resumption of bothemploymentandeconomicactiv-ity suggest that the recoveryprocessisunderway...thefactthatemploymentnumbershavegoneupvery sharply, the huge greenshoots in the agricultural sectorwhichhasbeentheleastaffected.Given thenormalmonsoon, thistimeagricultural recoverywouldbe an ingredient of the revivalprocess. FDI flowscontinue tobemodest,sharprecoveryintheautosector. Therearemultiple green-

shoots, andnot onegreen shootonly, covering various sectors oftheeconomy—agriculture,man-ufacturingandessentialservices,”Singhadded.Hesaidthereisacutepressure

onthefinancesofboththeCentreandstates given themuch lowergrowthnumberand revenue re-ceipts. The termsof referenceoftheCommissionincludessuggest-ing a consolidated roadmap intermsofthedeficit,finances,debtof the general government forFY22toFY26.Notingthatnothingsuggests that India'smedium-termeconomicgrowthpotentialhasbeendamaged,hesaidtheCo-mmissionwould deliberate onwhich fiscalyear is tobe takenas'baseyear' forpurposeofmakingprojectionsforthe5-yearperiod.

■TheMinistryofCivilAviationhasallowedairlines tooperateupto45%of theirpre-lockdownscheduledcapacityondomestic routes, comparedwith30-35%earlier

■Airlineexecutivessaidthemoveondomestic flightoperationscouldhelpthemresumeflights toairportswheretheyhavenotyetstartedflyingpost theunlockonMay25

‘45%OFPRE-LOCKDOWNCAPACITYONDOMESTICROUTES’

DGCA suspends foreign flightstill July 15, indicates restartmay happen on selected routes

Focus on revival of economy for now, noton debt and fiscal consolidation: NK Singh

15thFinanceCommissionChairmanNKSingh. File

New Delhi

THEINDIANEXPRESS,SATURDAY, JUNE27,2020

SPORTWWW.INDIANEXPRESS.COM

VolLXXXVIIINo.197Regd.No.DL-21046/03-05R.N.I.No.506/57. PrintedandPublishedbyR.C.Malhotraonbehalf of The IndianExpress (P) LimitedandPrintedatThe IndianExpress (P) LimitedPress,A-8, Sector-7,Noida -201301andPublishedatThe IndianExpress (P)Limited,MezzanineFloor, ExpressBuilding,9&10,BahadurShahZafarMarg, NewDelhi-110002.Editorial office: The IndianExpress (P) Limited,MezzanineFloor, ExpressBuilding,9&10,BahadurShahZafarMarg, NewDelhi-110002.Phone:0120-6651500.Advertisingoffice:The IndianExpress (P) Limited,B1/B, Sector -10,Noida -201301.Phone:0120-6651291.Chairmanof theBoard:ViveckGoenka,Chief Editor:RajKamal Jha, Editor:UnniRajenShanker, Editor (Delhi):RakeshSinha** **Responsible for selectionofNewsunder thePRBAct.

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18Chelsea’swinoverManchesterCityhands thetrophytoLiverpool, endinga30-year titledrought tocapthestrangestof seasons

Alone, togetherRORYSMITHJUNE26

THEFIRSTfireworksburstintotheclear,stillskyafewminutesearly,athud,afizzandacrackleofwhatwas to come. It hadnothappened—notquite,notyet—butafter30longyears,alit-tleimpatiencewasunderstandable.Along,sultryday,thehottestoftheyear,had

givenway toawarm,quiet evening. The fire-worksbrokethepeace,heraldedtheshift.Thencamethecarhorns,blaringandechoingaroundemptystreets,aMorsecodeintheirshort,sharpblasts, summoningpeople fromtheirhomes,confirmingthatthemomenthadarrived.InLondon,ChelseahadbeatenManchester

City,2-1.Liverpool’s leadat thesummitof thePremierLeaguehadbeenfirstimpressive,thendaunting, thenunimaginable.Now, at last, itwas insurmountable. For the first time since1990,LiverpoolwaschampionofEngland.And then, almostoutof nowhere, thepil-

grimagebegan. The tight streets around theclub’s stadiumchokedwith traffic. Flags flut-tered fromwindows, scarves twirled aboveheads.Aroundthem,thesidewalksweresud-denly filledwithpeople:hundredsandhun-dredsall of the samemind, allwith the samedestination,alldrawntoAnfield.Itwasnot,ofcourse,quiteastheyimagined

it, not quite how it was meant to be. ThatLiverpoolwouldwin the title this seasonhasbeenall but certain formonths: since JürgenKlopp’steamwentclearbybeatingManchesterCityinNovember,maybe;sincetheydisman-tledLeicesterCityonBoxingDay,perhaps;sinceMohamed Salah confirmed victory againstManchesterUnitedinJanuaryandeventheKopdecidedthatitcouldaffordtotemptfate.All thathasbeen left todecidewaswhen,

andhow, themomentmightarrive. Thepan-demic,ofcourse,changedallthat.Therewouldbenodeliriuminsideapackedgroundwhenthetitlewasclinched.Therewouldbenotrophyparade, nogarlandsandconfetti on thecity’sstreets.Whenever the title came, itwouldbecelebratedwithout fans. Through the shut-down, through those long, fretful dayswhenthepossibilityof thePremierLeague’s seasonbeingcanceledentirely lingered in the springair, itthreatenednottocomeatall.For all the relief of the restart, Liverpool—

thecluband the fans—knewtheywouldbedeniedthatmoment.OnWednesdaynight,af-

ter Klopp’s teamhadproduced a display ofswaggerandpowerandintentagainstCrystalPalace tomove to the brink of the title, theGermanmanager haddaydreamedwhat itwouldhavebeenlikewithfansinsidethesta-dium:thedeliriumof thegoals, thenoise, thefervor. Instead, themoment,when it arrived,wasa fractured,distantone. Liverpool’s play-erswere at a hotel in Formby,watching theChelsea,ManchesterCitygametogether,count-ingdownthe last fewsecondsbefore thetitlewaswon. Liverpool’s fanswere in their ownhomesandgardens,doingthesame.

Perhaps, though, thatwas fitting. Thehis-toryof Liverpool’s last threedecadessuggeststhatitcouldonly,really,havewonthePremierLeaguelikethis:byproducingaseasonsoim-periousitwasallbutdevoidofdrama.Every other modern incarnation of

Liverpool,afterall,hasfallenshort.Theyouth-ful, homegrown teamof themid-1990shadbrio andpanache, but lacked grit and steel.GerardHoullier’sobdurate,grizzled2002edi-tionlackedimagination.RafaelBenítez’sfinesteffort in2009ran intoa superiorManchesterUnited. BrendanRodgers cameclose, his fre-

netic,flawedteamdeniedbyasingleslipfromits shot athistory in2014.Klopp’s altogethermorefinessedversionseemedtohavemissedout last year thanks to the relentlessness ofManchesterCity.Thatyear,Liverpoolbecametheonlyteam

to lose justonegame inaseasonandnotwintheleague.Onlyoneteamhaseverlostjusttwogamesinaseasonandfailedtowintheleague,too.Therearenoprizesforguessingitsidentity.Bydefinition,perhaps,Liverpoolneededasea-sonlikethis:onedefinednotbyamomentbutconstructedofaseriesofmoments. NYT

GORAN INFECTED,HAFEEZTESTS+VEAGAINNovak Djokovic’s coach, the former Wimbledon champion Goran Ivanisevic,has confirmed he has tested positive for coronavirus. The Croatian haddefended the Djokovic-organised Adria Tour, which had to be cancelled after aplayer, Grigor Dimitrov tested positive. Meanwhile, Pakistan cricketerMohammad Hafeez tested positive again after a PCB facilitated re-test.

SANDIPGJUNE26

INTHE2017-18EnglishPremierLeague(EPL)season, Liverpool finished fourth, 25pointsadriftofchampionsManchesterCity.Buttherewasstillsomethingremarkableaboutthewaytheyplayedthatseason,theirthirdyearundermanager JurgenKlopp— it sug-gestedtheywouldbeManchesterCity’ssternest titlechallengersnottoofarinthefuture.SospectacularwasthetriumphwhenitcamethatKlopp’sLiverpoolsideisalreadybe-ing spokenof as oneof the finesteverinEPLhistory.

Whatwasthestandoutfeatureoftheirtitletriumph?While Liverpool narrowlymissedout on

emulatingThe Invincibles, ArseneWenger’sArsenal thatwon the 2003-04 Premiershipwithout losingagame,havinglosttoWatfordinFebruary, theyexudedastreakof ruthless-ness in closingoutgames.No teamhasover-turnedmoregoal-deficits thanLiverpool didthisseason.Noteamhasscoredmoregoalsaf-ter70minuteseither.Klopphasinstilledasenseofbouncebackabilityinaclubthathasseemedtowiltundertheslightestwhiffofpressureinrecentyears.

Whatistheirfundamentalstyleofplay?Whatwouldpleasemost Liverpool faith-

fuls,neutralsandconnoisseursisthattheywonthetitleplayingfootballthe“Liverpoolway”.Klopp’sunwaveringfaithin‘gegenpressing’,

thestyleofhigh-pressingfootballthatinvolvespushinghighupthepitch,evenwhenyoulosetheball,andhisabilitytoinstil itsprinciplesinhis players preceded him. It took time forLiverpooltoacquaintandthenmasterthestyle,butKlopppersisted, tweaked formationsandplayersaround,broughtpersonnelthatsuitedhissystemandjettisonedthosethatdidn’t,andrefinedthestyleofplay, forgingLiverpool intoaninvulnerable,unstoppablemachine.

Howdoesthesystemwork?Liverpoolplayers seldomsatbackand let

theadversariesenjoypossession.Themomentthey lost theball, theybeganattacking themlikeapackof hounds. For,Kloppbelieves thattheplayers aremost vulnerable to losing theballwhentheyhavejustreceivedit.Thepushingwasrelentless,panicking the

opposition,whoeventuallyconcededtheballfor Liverpool’s lightening fast at-tackerstolaunchthemselvesup-front.Itwasnotblindpressingei-ther—once theopposing teamswere set with possession, thewide-menwould drop back sotheywoulddefendwithtwoverytraditionalbanksoffour.Klopp has what he calls a

‘shadowman’.Oftenthefirstmantocommitatattackwhentheylosetheballisadummy—heknows,moreoftennot,thathecan’twintheball,buthismerepresencecansowdoubts, as themantohissidepresseshardertodispossesstheopponent.It’sgenerallytheforwardswho’rede-putedintherole,whilehard-tacklingmidfield-ers like JordanHenderson,FabinhoandJamesMilnersnatchtheballbackandfeedthewaiting,vibrantattackers,equippedwithpaceandantic-ipation. To attack blindinglywithout losingshaperequiresheightenedcoordination,area-sonLiverpool tookyears tosettle in.Youdon’tseeforwards,aversatiletridentofMohammadSalah,SadioMane,andRobertoFirmino,loiter-ingaroundwhentheylosepossession.Instead,theyarethefirsttopressforthwhilethedefen-siveplayersregaintheirshapeandterritory.Sofromthedefensiveresolutenessemerges

theirattackingfluidity.It’sthereasontheother-wiseconservativeLiverpoolshelledoutarecordsumforpurchasing thebest defender in theleague,VirgilVanDijk. Theyhavequite a fewpace-setters, none somarauding as fullbackTrent-Alexander Arnold and AndrewRobertson.Itgoeswithoutsayingthatforsucha system to sustain their energy levels, theyneedtobesuperfit.Klopphasbeenlayingalotofemphasisonelevatingtheirfitnesslevelsinthepastfewyears,whichfullyboredividend.

The high-pressing systembehind Liverpool’s success

CROSSWORD4155

ACROSS1 Astakenbyaparachutist?(6,4)6 Inthecourseofmakingalacklustrecomeback(4)

10 Catchsomeof theclassoutofschool(5)

11 Mariner’sdependent(9)12 Tidesebbaboutworkersfindingalluvialdeposit(8)

13 Theatmosphereinasmallcompanymaybecapital(5)

15 ComplexKingofThebes(7)

17 Bagswildshe-cats(7)19 Playfulpets?(3,4)21 Newprocessexaminedinthemortuary(7)

22 OnehalfofafamousWesternstagepartnership(5)

24 Tellinglie,Grantisfoundout(8)

27 Enterintoanarrangementforstorage(9)

28 Bailarrangedbyonehavingareasonforinnocence(5)

29 Kindholymanhasaheartofgold(4)

30 Richandofhighstanding?(4-6)

DOWN1 Reducethesizeofanenclosure?(4)

2 Thistimetomorrow(9)3 Biblicalcharactercausednoendofaminorriot(5)

4 Dealersbecomingthebest inthebusiness(7)

5 Shrubhereinthecellarbutusuallyoutdoors(7)

7 MariobecomesaNewZealander(5)

8 Istohaveunder500totakeaway(10)

9 Goodmanrebuiltacrock-forracing?(5,3)

14 Heraldicbattledress(4,2,4)16 Scholarly,competentperformergetsdiscovered(8)

18 It’snecessarytocorrectlatenessI find(9)

20 Adiner’sorderedfish(7)21 Officerwhosoundsabitofanut(7)

23 Itmovesthehelicopterupordown(5)

25 I leavebelligerentspeechforbusiness(5)

26 GenerouslydisposedtotheGermanissue(4)

ARIES(Mar21-Apr20)Themostsatisfyingwaytospendyourtimeisby followingyour favourite

hobby,especially if it’spractical,andparticularly if itoffersyouthechancetopotteraroundbyyourself. Thebestrelationshipsarebasedaroundshared interests rather thanrawpassion.

TAURUS(Apr21-May21)Youmaygive extra-special attention torelationshipswithchildren and

younger relations, andseekmuch-neededimprovements—whereverpossible.Make the fulfilmentof your ownunique talentsthe priority, rather thanalways doingwhat otherpeoplewant.

GEMINI (May22- June21)Youmay still be pre-occupiedwithtangled emotions athome, although the

general drift seems to beextremely positive. You areeasily provoked at themoment, so if partnersseemdetermined to irritateyou, take a deepbreathbefore responding.

CANCER(June22- July23)Yourmoodlooksincreasingly lively,andyourhiddennomadic tendencies

maybecomingout—soyoucouldbesmittenbyanattackofwanderlust.However,what ismost importantatthemoment is toexplainyourself properly, andbanishallmisunderstandings.

LEO(July24-Aug23)It’s timeforaspotofmoderateextravagance,andit’s surprising

howafewextra treatscan liftyourmorale.Youshouldalsobefreewithyour feelings, andavoidplacingany financialvalueonemotionalrelationships—don’t judgeotherpeoplebyhowmuchtheyearn.

VIRGO(Aug24-Sep23)You should be ontop form, and this iscertainly no time forregrets. Thepresent

is the gateway to the future,and thewayyouhandleyour personal affairs nowwill colour your life over thenext twelvemonths.You’re creating your futureright now—and that’s quitea thought.

LIBRA(Sep24-Oct23)Youmaybe inarelativelyquietmoodtoday,whichmeansthat if you’ve

arrangedsociableactivitiesyoumaybedreamingofbeingbyyourself!Bytheeveningyoushouldbe feelingmoreontopofthings. If there’sa lesson, thenit’s tokeepyouroptionsopen.

SCORPIO(Oct24-Nov23)Youmayfeel thatyouhavebeenslightedorwronged,but theremightnot

bemuchthatyoucandoaboutit. It’s farbetter to turnawayfromstrifeandgetonwithpersonalambitionsandtreasured friendships.Thepeopleyouneedtomixwithare thosewhohavestoodbyyou.

SAGITTARIUS(Nov24-Dec22)Youhavecertainlyhada lot toputupwith,but there ismuchtobethankful

foraswell. Peoplewhohavebeenrather roughwithyourfeelingsshouldbebalancedbythosewhoarehelpingyoutodiscoveryourdesires.Perhapsthe friendsyouneedmostarethosewhocanappeal toeverysideof yourpersonality.

CAPRICORN(Dec23- Jan20)Leaveyourdoubtsandqualmstoonesideandseizeallpassingchances

whileyoucan.Youreallywon’tknowwhatyou likeuntil you’vetriedasmanydifferentactivitiesand lifestylesaspossible.Anddon’t letyourbeliefsundulyrestrictyourexperiences.

AQUARIUS(Jan21-Feb19)There seem tobe alot of calls on yourresources at themoment, and there

maybenothing you candobutto spendyour valuable funds.You can, if youwish, gowiththe stars and exploit thechance to be extravagant.But it’s up to you tomake surethat every crumbof cash iswell-spent.

PISCES(Feb20-Mar20)ThesensitiverelationshipbetweenVenusandMarsmayhave

broughtaresurgenceofemotional tension,but ithasnowpassedandyoushouldrelaxonceagain.Oneof thebestthingsyoucando isopenupmoreto family relationships,removingall thosebarriersandemotionaldefences.

SUDOKU4152

DifficultyLevel4sInstructionsTosolveaSudokupuzzle,everydigitfrom1to9mustappear ineachofthenineverticalcolumns, ineachoftheninehorizontalrowsandineachofthenineboxes.

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

OLU

TIONSUDOKU4151

Givenbelowarefour jumbledwords.Solvethejumblestomakeproperwordsandmovethemtotherespectivesquaresbelow.Selecttheletters intheshadedsquaresandjumblethemtogettheanswerforthegivenquip.Somepeople___ittohappen,some___itwouldhappen,others__ithappen.—MichaelJordan (4,.,4,.,4)

SOLUTION:AWAKE,SHIFT,HANSOM,KOWTOWAnswer:Somepeoplewantittohappen,somewishitwouldhappen,othersmakeithappen.—MichaelJordan

KWAAE AOSHMN

FHIST OOTKWW

SolutionsCrossword4154:Across: 1Lagoons,5Bogus,8Thrusting,9Orb,10Oars,12Room-mate,14Cashew,15Outwit,17Contends,18Trap,21Ion,22Drayhorse,24Tread,25Deepest.Down:1Lotto,2Gar,3Oust,4Saigon,5Bigamous,6Globalwar,7Subject,11Resonance,13Defended,14Cyclist,16Edward,19Pleat,20Shoe,23Rue.

JUMBLEDWORDS

OVERTHEHEDGE byMichael Fry&TLewis

CALVIN&HOBBES byBillWatterson

MARVIN byTomArmstrong

DAYTODAY BYPETERVIDAL

For thecityof Liverpool, thishasbeenaparty threedecades inthemaking.Reuters

■Afteradominantcampaignthatwasinterruptedbythepandemic,LiverpoolbecameEngland’searliest-everchampions—andthelatest.Noteamsincetheleague’sinceptionin1888hasclinchedthetitlewithsevengamesremaining,andinJune.

■Authoritiesexpresseddismayatthefloutingofthelockdown,despiteboththeclubandpoliceaskingfansnottotravel.MayorJoeAndersonsaid,“We'llhavetoseewhetherthere'saspike.”Liverpoolhasseen1,677coronaviruscasesand544deaths.

■OnlyafewdozensupporterswereoutsideAnfieldasthefinalwhistleblewatStamfordBridge.Buthundredsmorequicklyarrived,settingoff flaresandfireworks,wavingflagsandsinging‘Allez,Allez,Allez’onthestepsofthestadium.

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