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

MONDAY, JANUARY 4, 2021, MUMBAI, LATE CITY, 14 PAGES `5.00, WWW.INDIANEXPRESS.COMJOURNALISM OF COURAGE

SINCE 1932

THECITY

‘SHIV SENANOTCONCERNEDABOUTMIDDLECLASSANDPOOR; FOOLEDPEOPLEOFMUMBAI’COURTDISMISSES30CASES LODGEDFORVIOLATIONOFLOCKDOWNNORMSPAGE3

ANILSASINEWDELHI, JANUARY3

JUST AS it was stepping up itseconomic offensive againstChina, India, through a newly-floated state-owned company,inked a pact with an Argentinefirm mid-last year to jointlyprospect lithium in the SouthAmerican country that has thethird largest reserves of the sil-ver-white alkali metal — a cru-cialbuildingblockofthelithium-ion rechargeable batteries thatpower electric vehicles (EVs),laptopsandmobilephones.The new company, Khanij

BideshIndiaLtd—incorporatedin August, 2019 by three state-

owned companies, NALCO,Hindustan Copper andMineralExploration Ltd, with a specificmandate to acquire strategicmineral assets such as lithiumandcobaltabroad—isalsolearntto be exploring options in Chileand Bolivia, two other toplithium-producingcountries.Currently, Indiaisheavilyde-

pendentonimportof thesecellsand the move to ink sourcingpacts for lithium is seen as an-other salvo in the front againstChina, a key source of both therawmaterial and cells. India isseen as a late mover as it at-temptstoenterthelithiumvaluechain, coming at a time whenEVs are predicted to be a sectorripe for disruption. And 2021 is

likelytobeaninflectionpointforbatterytechnology,withseveralpotential improvements to theLi-ion technology, and alterna-tivestothistried-and-testedfor-mulation, under advancedstagesof commercialisation.Themostpromisingaresolid-

state batteries that use alterna-tivestoaqueouselectrolytesolu-tions—aninnovationthat couldlowertheriskof fires,sharplyin-creaseenergydensityandpoten-tially take only 10 minutes tochargeanEV,cuttingtherecharg-ing time by two-thirds. Thesecells can extend the driving dis-tanceofacompactelectricvehi-clewhilemaintaininglegroom—aquantumleapinbatterytech.

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Eye on China, India looks at lithiumreserves in Argentina, Chile & Bolivia

TABASSUMBARNAGARWALAMUMBAI, JANUARY3

A4,000squarefeetbuildingrightoppositetheDrRNCooperhospi-tal’scanteeninMumbaiwasear-liersupposedtobeusedasahos-tel. InMarch, it was convertedintoanisolationfacilityforCovid-19 patients. On December 29,work to convert it into amodelvaccinationcentrebegan.Over 30 labourers are now

workingonwarfootingdayandnight toprepare themodelcen-tre in Cooper hospital. TheBrihanmumbai MunicipalCorporation (BMC) has askedcontractor Eckon to hand overthecentrebyMondaynight.Cooper hospital, alongwith

seven BMC hospitals, has beenselectedforthefirstphaseof im-munisationofhealthcarework-ers.Mumbaihas registered1.26lakhheathcareworkers for vac-cination in the firstphase.

CONTINUEDONPAGE2Insidethevaccinationcentreathospital. TabassumBarnagarwala

Cooper hospital’s model vaccination centre to be ready today

DEEPTIMANTIWARYNEWDELHI, JANUARY3

BRENTON TARRANT, the lonegunmanwhokilled51people,in-cluding five Indians, in twomosques in Christchurch, NewZealand, onMarch15, 2019, hadstayedinGoa,MumbaiandJaipur,amongtheseven-eightplaceshevisitedinIndia, in2015-16.Following inputs from their

counterparts in New Zealand,Indian intelligence agencieslaunched an investigation intoTarrant's three-month visit toIndia. They found that Tarrant,an Australian, travelled exten-sively in India betweenNovember 21, 2015, and

February18,2016.Sources said Tarrant largely

travelledandstayedinsouthernstates, spending considerabletimeinGoa.HespentafewdaysinMumbai too; the only northIndian state he visited was

Rajasthan.“Wehave verified the infor-

mationprovidedbyNewZealandauthorities about his travel de-tails. As yet, we have not foundanythingthatsuggeststhatanyofhisactivitieshere,orconnectionsmade thereof, had any linkwiththe attack. There is nothing tosuggest that his travels in Indiacould have prompted him tocarry out that ghastly attack,”saidaseniorintelligenceofficial.“He stayed in cheap accom-

modations, largelypopularwithbackpackers, and visited spotspopular with tourists from theWest.Hisitineraryshowsthathelargely stayed in South India,barring one visit to Jaipur. He

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Three deaths, lowesttoll since AprilMumbai on Sundayrecorded only three Covid-19 deaths – its lowest sinceApril. The city has recorded11,135 deaths so far. Thenumber of deaths per dayhas come down to singledigitsincethelast fourdays.Currently, 8,916 people stillremain infected.

DCGIGIVESNODTOCOVISHIELD,COVAXINFORRESTRICTEDUSE

OndatapendingforCovaxin,HealthMinistersaysbetteragainstUKvariant

PRABHARAGHAVANNEWDELHI, JANUARY3

INDIA’S TOP drug regulatorSundayapprovedCovishieldandCovaxin vaccines for restricteduseagainstCovid-19inthecoun-try,pavingthewayformassvac-cinationagainstthevirusthathassofar infectedmorethanacrorepeopleandkillednearly1.5lakh.Theapprovalstothetwovac-

cines, both to be given in twodoses,followarecommendationregardingthesamebytheDrugsController General of India's(DCGI) expert panel. In the caseofCovaxin,forwhosePhase3tri-als limited data is available, in-formed consent would have tobe sought from those receiving

the vaccine, which will be ad-ministeredaccordingtoaproto-col that is still in the process ofbeing decided, according to aseniorgovernmentofficialcloseto thedevelopment.Announcing the clearance to

Covishield andCovaxin at ame-diabriefingonSundaymorning,DCGIDrVKSomani saidclinicaltrials regarding both the drugswouldhavetocontinue.Thefirmsarerequiredtosubmitsafetydataevery 15 days for the first twomonthsandmonthlythereafter.“After adequate examina-

tion, the CDSCO (Central DrugsStandard Control Organisation)hasdecidedtoaccepttherecom-mendations of the expert com-mitteeand,accordingly,vaccines

CONTINUEDONPAGE2

Phase 3 efficacy data ismissing, say experts, callfor close monitoringAMITABHSINHA&PRABHARAGHAVANPUNE,NEWDELHI, JANUARY3

MEMBERS OF the NationalCovid-19taskforceclarifiedthatCovaxin,thevaccinebeingdevel-opedbyBharatBiotech,wouldbeusedina“clinicaltrial”modeandUnion Health Minister HarshVardhan said its emergency useapproval was “a strategic deci-sionforourvaccinesecurity.”Butsomeindependentscien-

tistssaidthatwhiledatafromthe

vaccine’sPhase1andPhase2tri-als is very encouraging, theyquestioned the process of ap-provalwhen efficacy data fromthevaccine’sPhase3trials,whichbeganinNovember,hadn’tcomein.Efficacydataisanindicationofhow effective the vaccine is inpreventingthevirusattack."If you take a look at what

wasproposedbytheDCGI(DrugControllerGeneralof India)asanadequate data package back inSeptember, when they pub-lished their draft guidance (for

CONTINUEDONPAGE2

SAKSHIDAYALGURGAON, JANUARY3

ONTHEeveof thenextroundoftalks between the protestingfarmerunionsandtheCentreonMonday, the Haryana police onSunday fired tear gas shells tostop a group of farmers,mostlyfromRajasthan,frommovingto-wardsDelhi.The incident occurred near

Sangwari village in Rewari dis-trict, on NH-48, about 16 kmfromGurgaon, ataround4pm.Confirming that tear gas

shellswere fired,RajeshKumar,Deputy Superintendent ofPolice,Bawal,said:“Theprotest-ers said those who had gone

aheaddidnothaveenoughpro-visions. They asked for permis-sion to go to them and set up alangar, andwere allowed to doso. However, when they gotthere, the entire group tried tobreak through the barricadesandmove forward.”OnThursday,over300farm-

ershadforcedtheirwaypastthebarricades at the Rajasthan-Haryana border and enteredRewari. On Sunday, about 50more farmers, mostly fromHanumangarh and SriGanganagar in Rajasthan, fol-lowed them, afterwhich policefired teargas shells.Mostof theprotesters, how-

ever, remained at the border.“About 15-20 tractors entered

Rewari today... they had a clashwithpolice.However,thoseofusfollowing the directions of theSamyuktKisanUnionare still atthe border andwill continue toremainthere.Thenextcourseofactionwill be decided depend-ing on the outcome of tomor-row'smeetingwith thegovern-ment. If they don't fulfill ourdemands, wewill look atmov-ing towards Delhi after January6,” said Ramzan Chaudhary,headof theNuhunitof JaiKisanAndolan, which is a part of theSamyukt Kisan Union — the

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Ahealthcareworkeratavaccineregistrationcentre inAhmedabadonSunday.NirmalHarindran

KAUNAINSHERIFFMNEWDELHI, JANUARY3

THE INDIGENOUS vac-cine developed byBharatBiotechwiththeIndian Council ofMedical Research(ICMR)willbeusedasa"back-up", only if the countryneedsextradoses tovaccinatealarge number of people, partic-ularly given the possibility of a

surge triggered by the UK vari-ant. And, unlike the SerumInstitute of India's (SII) vaccine

Covishield,Covaxinwillbe used only in 'clinicaltrialmode',where con-sent will be taken andside-effectsmonitored,the heads of AIIMS andICMR, part of the

NationalCovid-19taskforce,toldThe IndianExpress.On Sunday, Indian regulator

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Haryana police use tear-gas onprotesters; talks with Govt today

Covaxin back-up, for useif surge, under controls:AIIMS, ICMR headsWholevirusvaccine, somaybemoreeffectiveagainstnewstrain: ICMR

HaryanapolicefiredteargasshellstostopprotestersinRewaridistrictonSunday.Reuters

BUSINESS AS USUAL

BYUNNY

TwoCovid vaccinesget emergencyusenod, one inclinical trialmode

EXPRESSNETWORK

ROLLOUTTOBEGININNEARFUTURE,SCHEDULESOONPAGE5

MOREREPORTSPAGE7

MIHIRVASAVDAMUMBAI, JANUARY3

AS DIFFERENT courts and stategovernmentsdebate its legality,there isagrowingbodyof opin-ion in theofficial establishmentin favourof aunified regulatoryapparatusthatallowsonlinefan-tasygames—andlooksatopen-ing some doors to legalisingsportsbetting.In a draft paper lastmonth,

NitiAayog,thegovernment’spol-icythinktank,proposed“uniformnational-level regulation” ofOnline Fantasy Sports Platforms

(OFSPs)with a set of initiatives:“legislative safe harbour,” “light-touch regulatory framework,”and“self-regulation.”Inviting stakeholder com-

ments until January 18, NitiAayog, citing a KPMG India re-port, flagged the sharp surge inthesector:2millionusersinJune2016 to 90 million December2019;numberof OFSPsupfrom10 in 2016 tomore than 140 in2019; a tripling of revenuegrowth, from Rs 920 crore in2018-19toRs2,470crorein2019-20 and the potential of 12,000jobs inthenextcoupleof years.Key barriers to this growth,

NitiAayogsaid,werethe lackofa“definabletest”or“regulatoryguideline or forum” to assessand determine if a game is oneof skill or chance; and frag-mented regulation.“WhileOFSPsoperatethrough

onlinemedia onapan-India ba-sis, their regulationproceedsun-der varied State-wise regulatoryregimes. This could impact fan-tasy sports users’ interests oftransparency, OFSP operator in-tegrity, and fairness may varyfromstatetostate,”saidthedraft.Niti Aayog’s paper comes a

monthafterMinisterofState forFinance Anurag Thakur was

quoted by PTI that his “sugges-tionwillbetolegalisebettingandgambling activities.”Minister ofSports and Youth Affairs KirenRijiju said online fantasy gamesare“veryinstrumentalinrevolu-tionising”sportswatching.Thepaperalsored-flags“un-

scrupulous operators who lureusers with games of question-able legality in the guise of fan-tasy sports.” This amid scrutinyat several levels showing howpolicyplayscatch-up.Consider:■ In the last 18 months, at

least six petitions seeking a banononline gambling and fantasy

sports have been filed in differ-entHighCourts.

■ In March last year, theSupremeCourtstayedtheoper-ation of a Bombay High Courtjudgment dated April 30, 2019,upholdingthelegalityof fantasysports, which bear a close re-semblance to gambling, an ille-gal activity.

■ In September, AndhraPradesh joined Telangana,Assam, Odisha, Nagaland andSikkiminbanningonlinefantasygamesplayed formoney.

■ InNovember, theMaduraibenchof theMadrasHighCourtissued notices to India captain

Virat Kohli and cricket boardpresident Sourav Ganguly,amongothers, forendorsingon-line fantasygames.And yet, industry-watchers

underline, growth is the irre-versible force.According to a Financial

Times estimate, venture capitalinto gaming start-ups in Indiahasskyrocketedfromamere$25million in 2015 to $337millionlast year. In September alone,DreamSports—theparentcom-pany of Dream11, the biggestdaily fantasy sports operator —raised $225 million from

CONTINUEDONPAGE2

PAGE1ANCHOR In fantasy games surge, policy plays catch-up with reality

Dream11is the IndianPremierLeague’smainsponsor. File

IRAMSIDDIQUEBHOPAL, JANUARY3

THEMADHYA Pradesh govern-ment isall set tobring inastrin-gent law against stone-pelters,with provisions to attach assetsof theaccusedtopayfordamagecaused to any property, includ-ing that belonging to individu-als, ChiefMinister Shivraj SinghChouhansaidhereonSunday.Speaking tomediapersons,

Chouhansaid,"Stone-peltersareenemies of society, whoevertheyare. Stone-pelting isnot anordinarycrime,itcankillpeople,create an atmosphere of terror,chaos, and disrupt law and or-der."Therefore, itwouldnolonger

betreatedasapettycrime,butastringent law formulated tocheck it, theCMsaid.The move comes after two

cases of stone-pelting on ralliesby Hindu right-wing organisa-tions in Ujjain and Indore dis-tricts seeking donations for theRam temple, as they passedthroughMuslim-dominatedlo-calities."If someone raises their is-

suespeacefully,thendemocracyprevails.Butnoonehaspermis-siontodamagepublicproperty,"Chouhan said, adding that in-structionshadbeengiventofor-mulate the law andwork on ithadstarted.A senior official said the law

being drafted by the MadhyaPradesh government is on thelines of the Uttar PradeshRecovery of Damage to PublicandPrivatePropertyOrdinance,2020, withmore stringent pro-visions."The basic idea of the law is

to cover all public and privateCONTINUEDONPAGE2

Democracy only ifpeace: Chouhanwarns of strict lawagainst stone-pelters

BrentonTarrant.AP file

In 3-month trip to India, Christchurchattacker visited Goa, Mumbai & Jaipur

‘Root cause of theproblem is surplusfoodgrains and

higherMSP than themarket price’NITINGADKARI

MINISTERFORROADTRANSPORT&HIGHWAYS,ANDMSME

PAGE8

CovaxinDrugControllerGeneral of India(DCGI) approved the SubjectExpertCommittee’s recommen-dation for emergency use ofCovishield and Covaxin.WhileCovishieldisthesamevaccineasdeveloped by Oxford-AstraZeneca, that has got emer-gencyuse approval in theUK, incase of Covaxin, concerns havebeenraisedabouttheabsenceofefficacydata,which isgeneratedduringPhase3ofhumanclinicaltrials.Thedecisiontograntemer-gencyapprovaltoBharatBiotechisbasedononlyimmunogenicity,the ability to trigger an immuneresponse, and safetydata gener-atedinPhase1and2clinicaltrials.However,themembersofthe

national task force, includingAI-IMSDirectorDrRandeepGuleriaand ICMRDirector General DrBalramBhargava, emphasisedthat the approval granted toBharatBiotechisdistinctlydiffer-entfromtheonetotheSII.SaidDrGuleria: “This is likea

back-up.Ifwefindthatcasesdon’trise,thenwesticktotheSII,tilltheBharat Biotechdata comesearlynextmonth. And if that data isfound to be good enough, thentheywillgetthesameapprovalasthe SII. Indirectly, looking at thesafety profile, that (Covaxin) is asafe vaccine, althoughwedon’tknowhowefficaciousit is.”As a vaccine that uses aplat-

formusedfortraditionalvaccinesinIndia,whichtargetsthewholevirus for antigen response,Covaxin is also considered bysometobemoreeffectiveagainstanymutations.“It (the approval to Covaxin)

says itmaybeused in an emer-gency situation, whichmeansthat becauseofwhat is happen-ingintheUK,Europe,andtheUS,in case there is a sudden surge,andconsideringthatwehavenoanti-viraldrugstillagainstCovid-19, if vaccinationmay preventspreadofaninfection,onlyinsuchcircumstances--whenthere isaneedtovaccinatealargenumberofpeople,thatcannotbedoneus-ingonlytheSII’svaccine--BharatBiotechwouldbeallowedtogivethevaccine,"DrGuleriasaid.Intheabsenceofefficacydata,

he emphasised the “abundantprecaution” to be observed inCovaxin's use. “... Thiswill be inclinicaltrialmode,sothatthereisveryclosemonitoring...Theywillbecalledupfrequentlyabouttheside-effects, and adatabasewillbemaintained."TheAIIMSDirectorcompared

the scientific rationale behindclearing Covaxin to the grant ofapprovaltorepurposeddrugslikehydroxychloroquine andremdesvirfortreatingsymptomsarisingfromCovid-19.“Ifyouhavedatathatthevaccineissafe,oranydrug is safe, thenyouwould saythat in case there is a need,wemay consider using it withoutknowing that itwouldwork 20per cent or 80 per cent. This iswhatwas done evenwhen ap-proving hydroxychloroquine orremdesivir or evenconvalescentplasma,” Dr Guleria said.“Regarding this vaccine, there isdatawhichshowsgoodimmuno-genicityandsafety."Dr Bhargava, theheadof the

ICMRthatco-developedCovaxinwith Bharat Biotech, said, “Intermsoftheefficacydata,wehavedone extensivework at theNIV,Pune.Therehavebeensmallani-mals' study, large animals' studyandmonkeychallengestudy.AndahugestudydoneattheICMRfor14 days, where samples were

takeneverydayandlookedatforefficacy,”hesaid.“In the Phase 1human trials

data, that included375patients,andthe380participantsinPhase2,wedidnotfindanycaseofany-one getting Covid-19,” DrBhargava said, adding that eveninPhase3,nosafetyconcernshadbeen reported from the 22,500participants.Bharat Biotech had com-

menced Phase 3 trials onNovember 16. On Sunday, thegovernment's press statementsaid the Phase 3 trials had beeninitiated in25,800volunteers, ofwhom22,500had received thefirst dose. Covaxin is injected in-tramuscularlytwice,withagapof27days.Theinterimsafetydataisexpectednextmonth.Dr Bhargava said that

Covaxin's potential inmountingaresistanceagainstthenewmu-tantstrainwasakeyfactor.“Someof the vaccines just target thespikeproteinof the virus... Fromthat perspective,weare lookingatawholevirusvaccine(Covaxin),whichpotentiallymayhaveben-efits,”hesaid.However,DrGuleriaadmitted

that,atthispoint,morelabdataisrequiredon this. “BharatBiotechuses an inactivated virus, usingthe platformdeployed in othervaccines inour country. Theevi-dencethatisbeingputforwardisthat because thewhole virus isbeingusedastheantigen,thean-tibodyresponsemaybemorero-busttotakecareofanymutation...However,wewill needmore labdata,”hesaid.“Thebottomlineisthat, ifwe

don’thaveanysurgeincases,thenwewouldusetheSIIvaccine.Thatiswhatmyunderstandingisafterreading the recommendation.And, if there is an emergencyneed, in clinical trialmode andtakingabundantprecautions,wemayuse theBharat Biotechvac-cine.Otherwise,wewaitforfour-sixweekstillthefinaldataisout,”DrGuleriasaid.

Phase 3 dataapprovalofCovid-19vaccines), itwas very clear that theywantedsafetyandefficacydataanditwasexpectedthat,forthesafetydata,there would be at least twomonthsoffollowup,”saidvaccinescientist and ChristianMedicalCollegeprofessorDrGagandeepKang.“In the case of Covaxin...you

haven’t finished enrolment. So,where is your safety data?Obviously,there’snoefficacydataeither,”shesaid.Said Shahid Jameel, a virolo-

gistanddirectorofTrivediSchoolof Biosciences at AshokaUniversity:"Evenemergencyuseauthorisation requires efficacydata... These Indian vaccineswould eventually go into the in-ternationalmarket aswell. It isveryimportantthatthereistrustinourregulatoryinstitutions.”RandeepGuleria,memberof

theNationalCovid-19 task force,toldTheIndianExpressthattheap-provaltoCovaxinwasgiventoen-surethatincasetherewasasud-den surge, and theavailability ofOxfordUniversityvaccinewasin-sufficient,itcouldbedeployed"inclinicaltrialmode".Jameel said thiswas all the

morereasonwhytheapprovalforCovaxin need not have beenrushed through. "The SerumInstitutehasalreadysaidthatitisready with at least 50 milliondoses.AndtheBharatBiotechvac-cineisnotbeingdeployedimme-diately.Sotheproperthingwouldhavebeentowaitfortheprelim-

inarydata fromthephase-III tri-als...Itwouldbeavailablewithinafewweeks,"hesaid.Satyajit Rath, whowas for-

merlywiththeNationalInstituteofImmunologyinNewDelhi,saidscientistswere not questioningthe safety or effectiveness of thevaccineitselfbutraisingconcernsabouttheinstitutionalprocess."The problem is not in the

formof anyenhancedrisk to theindividualwhois takingthevac-cine... There are several issueswith theway the approval hasbeengranted,which can lead topeople losing confidence in theregulatorysystem,"hesaid.LShashidhara,abiologistand

professor at IISER, Pune, sug-gestedawayforwardthatwasinagreementwithwhatGuleriade-scribed. "Theuseof Covaxinandothervaccines forwhichdataonefficacy is limited should betreatedasextended trials.Whiletheyarebeingproduced in largequantitiesandsubjectedtobatchtesting, the government shouldbuildcapabilitiesacrossthecoun-trytomonitorimmuneresponsetodifferentvaccines,"hesaid.

Haryana policeumbrella bodyof farmerunionsprotestingatDelhi'sborders.Aheadof their talkswith the

government, the farmer leadersreiterated their demands. “Thefarmlawsmustberepealed.Thetwo amendments need to berolledback and thegovernmentmust listen,” Jageer SinghDalewal,BKU,said.“OnLohri,January13,wewill

burn copies of the three farmlaws. On January 18, we inviteeveryonetocarryoutprotests.Wealsowant to tell thePunjabgov-ernment that if they don't stoppoliceactionagainstpeople,therewillbeprotestsagainstthem.Weare against both the BJP andCongress, since this is an issueofthefarmers,"saidManjitRai,BKU,Doaba, at a press conference atSinghu.In New Delhi, Agriculture

Ministryofficialsworkedovertheweekend toprepare for thenextroundoftalks.Anofficialsaidthegovernment is "extremely con-cerned".Meanwhile, three deaths

were reportedat theSinghuandTikriborders,wherefarmershavebeen camping for over amonthnow.Jagbir,66, fromJinddistrict,andJashnpreet,18,fromBathinda,diedinTikri.“Jashnpreetwas brought to

the civil hospital in a deliriouscondition onSaturdaynight.Hewas referred to PGIMS, Rohtak,wherehedied,”saidaJhajjarpo-liceofficer.“Intheotherincident,thebodywasfoundinsideatruckattheprotestsiteitself.Aheartat-tackissuspected.The protester who died at

Singhu was Shamsher, 44, afarmerfromSangrur.“Shamsherdiedataround8am,afterhecom-plained of chest pain. A Dalitfarmer, he had been protestingwith his 13-year-old son," saidJagmohan Singh of BKU-Dakaunda.

—WITHENS,NEWDELHI

Chouhanpropertydestroyed throughactsof any sort of vandalism, be itstone-peltingorarson,wheretheaccusedwouldhavetopayforthedamage."The official said theMP law

willhaveawiderdefinitionofthescopeofprivateproperty."UPhasdefinedprivate property as thatbelongingtoareligioustrust, theWakf Boardor any firm, exclud-ing property ownedby an indi-vidual.Whatweaim is that, in alawandorderissue,ifsomeone'scar is damaged, he can lodge anFIR andapproach the claims tri-bunal."Aftertherecentstone-pelting

incidents,18peoplewerearrestedfromUjjain'sBegumBagh,whileinIndore'sChandanKhedi,27vil-lagerswere arrested and sent tojail. The rallies onwhich stoneswerepeltedhadbeenorganisedby theVHPaspart of its drive to

raisedonationsfortheRamtem-pleinAyodhya.No actionhas been takenon

counter-complaints by the ac-cused,whohaveallegedthatthestone-peltingwasinretaliationtoprovocativeslogansraisedat therallies. At Indore andMandsaur,participants had also climbedontomosques.

ChristchurchstayedforquiteafewdaysinGoa,largely putting up near thebeaches,”theofficialadded.Sources saidhis interactions

were limited to fellow travellersand locals in the trade. “All thispointstothefactthathisinterestsinIndiawerelimitedtotravel.TheprobebyNewZealandauthoritieshas found that Tarrant travelledextensively before carrying outthe attack. He had even visitedMuslim countries like the UAEandPakistan. In any case, hehassaidhewas inspired tocarryouttheattackaftervisitingEuropein2017,”saidanotherofficial.BetweenApril 15, 2014, and

August17,2017,Tarranttravelledextensively—always alone, ex-ceptforhisvisittoNorthKoreaaspartofatourgroup.ThecountriesthathevisitedforperiodsofaboutamonthormoreincludedChina,Japan, Russia and South Koreaamongothers.Before the attack inMarch

2019, Tarrant hadput uponlineposts that containedanti-immi-grant, anti-Muslim and RightWing extremist views. He re-ceived a life sentence inAugust2020. According to agency re-ports, in December 2020, theRoyal Commission of Inquiry inNewZealandreleasedareportonthe attack that claimedTarrant,30,workedas apersonal traineratalocalgymuntil2012whenhesufferedaninjury."He never againworked in

paid employment. Instead, helived off themoney that hehadreceivedfromhisfather...Withthemoney fromhis father, the indi-vidual travelled extensively,”PTI

quotedthereportassaying.

India eyes lithiumAnumberof alternatives are

being fostered to achievemoreoptimaloptions.

■Toyota’ssolidstatebattery:Among the 1,000-odd globalpatentsinvolvingsolid-statebat-teries, Toyota heads the list. TheJapanese automaker is attempt-ing towrest back the lead fromtheChinese,whoare current Li-ion battery pack leaders. Toyotaplans to be the first company tosellanEVequippedwithasolid-statebattery.Nissan too is in thefray.

■Apple battery tech: In thelast fortnight of 2020, Apple Incsaidit'smovingforwardwithself-drivingcartechnologyandistar-geting2024toproduceapassen-ger vehicle.While the rumourswere abuzz for awhile, the sub-text held out a clue—central toApple's strategy is anewbatterydesign that could "radically" re-ducethecostofbatteriesandin-creasethevehicle'srange,accord-ingtoapersonquotedbyReuters.

■QuantumScape’ssolid-statebattery:Californianbatterystart-upQuantumScapeCorp. isbeingseenas another bright prospect.Foundedby StanfordUniversityscientists,with financial backingfrom Volkswagen AG,QuantumScapeisoneofthelead-ing developers of solid-statelithiummetalbatteries.Itsuseofasolidstateseparator

technologyeliminatesthesidere-action between the liquid elec-trolyteandthecarboninconven-tional lithium-ioncells’anode.Appreciationfor thetechnol-

ogyhascomein fromDrStanleyWhittingham, co-inventor of Li-ion battery and winner of the2019NobelPrizeinChemistry.

■Tesla’snewtablessbattery:In September 2020, Tesla un-veiledplanstodevelopanew“ta-bless”batterythatcouldimproveanelectriccar’srangeandpower.Atabisthepartofthebatterythatformsaconnectionbetweenthe

cellandwhatitispowering.Thesenew tabless cells,which Tesla iscalling 4860 cells, will give thecompany’sEVbatteriesfivetimesmoreenergycapacity,makethemsixtimesmorepowerful,anden-ablea16per cent range increaseforTesla’svehicles.

■InJuly2020,researchersatStanfordUniversityclaimedthattheyhaddevelopedanewelec-trolytedesignthatboostslithiummetalbatteries’performance,in-creasingthedrivingrangeofEVs.Theysaidthattheelectrolyteso-lutionhadbeenoneof themostsignificant factors holding backprogress for lithiummetal bat-teries.

■ChinesetechgroupQingTaoEnergyDevelopmentisspendingover$150millioninR&Dofsolid-state batteries, amongother ar-eas.

Fantasy gamesUSA-basedTigerGlobalandoth-ers. Days later,Mobile PremierLeague (MPL) raised$90millionin funding, led by Hong Kong-basedSIG.Asubstantialchunkofthisin-

vestmentisusedtosponsorplay-ers, teams and tournaments indifferent sports – fromcricket tokabaddi, footballtohockey.“This is oneway to increase

their user base, which in turnhelps them generate revenuesinceeveryuserhastopayafee,”saidaconsultanttoaplatform.WhileDreamXI is the Indian

Premier League’smain sponsor,the logoof theMPL, a branden-dorsed by India captain ViratKohli, isontheTeamIndiajersey.Virtuallyeverypopularcricketer,presentorretired,promotesafan-tasy league – this list includesBCCI president SouravGangulyand Bharat Ratna SachinTendulkar.Of late, international betting

companies, despite sports gam-bling being illegal in India, haveslipped intothesportingecosys-temby advertising directly andthrough surrogateways accept-ing online bets through Indianbankingsystems.The Niti Aayog draft stays

awayfromtheonlinebettingde-batebut says that fantasy sports“shouldnotbelegallyclassifiedasgambling”sinceskill,notchance,is a predominant factor. It hascited the example of the regula-torysystemsintheUnitedStates--where fantasy sports are al-lowedin43states.Former US-based fantasy

sports writer and podcasterGabrielHarbersaidfantasygamescontinuetoberegulatedthroughstatelegislation,whichmakesop-erators accountable. "A largenumber of states had banned itoutright but brought thembackby passing legislation,” Harbersaid. “Since it's regulated on astate-to-state basis, the gamingcommissionshavetoensurefair-ness.”NitiAayoghassaida“self-reg-

ulatory organisation” shouldcommunicatewithallstatesandrequest“themtoconsidergrant-ing to OFSPs immunity fromcriminalprosecution”.Said Sai Srinivas, co-founder

andCEOofMPL:"Westronglybe-lievethattheself-regulatorybodyproposedbyNitiAayogshouldbeset up on principles of fairness,transparencyandindependence,soitcanhelpspurfurtherinnova-tion." Butmore safeguardsmaybeneeded, experts said. “Thesearenotjustgames.Thereisanin-cursion into vulnerable sectionsofsociety,likeminorswithaccesstomobilephones.Andwherever

the section cannot protect itself,youwillneedStateintervention,”said Bengaluru-based lawyerSridharPrabhu.Prabhu,whorep-resentspetitioner SharadaDR inaPIL filed in theKarnatakaHighCourt, seeking a ban on onlinegambling, said a regulator likeSEBI,maybeneeded for fantasygaming.“Thesearemammothor-ganisationswith hugemoneypower and reach. People whoplay cricketmultipliedby four isthenumber of peoplewhoplayandparticipateinthesegames.Soit needs regulation, particularlybecauseminorshaveaccess to itthroughmobilephones,”Prabhusaid.

Cooper hospitalOn Sunday, the Drug

Controller General of India ap-provedemergencyrestricteduseof Serum Institute of India’sCovishield andBharat Biotech’sCovaxinvaccines.BMCofficialssaidtheyexpect

thevaccinerollouttobeginsoonand have asked contractors tospeed up work. On Sundayevening, labourers were busypainting chairs forwaiting areasatCooperhospital,withsomeset-tingupbeds and some finishingoffelectricalwork.“We began civil work last

weekandhaveonlyadaytofinishwork.We are not changing thebasic infrastructure since itwasalreadybeingusedasanisolationward,” anon site Eckoncontrac-torsaid.WhiletheKWestwardishandling drainage and installa-tion of curtains or partitions,BMC'smaintenancedepartmentisgoingtosetupsignages.Thecentrewillhaveawaiting

areaunderashedattheentrance.Theregistrationwillbedoneinacorridor,which leads into threevaccinationrooms.Ineachroom,aroundfivepersonscanbevacci-natedatatime.Anobservation roomfurther

downthecorridorwillhavesev-eralchairstomonitoreachvacci-natedbeneficiaryforhalfanhour.Incaseofanaphylacticreactionorsevereadverseeffects,thebenefi-ciarywill be transferred to twootherroomsthathousebedsandemergencymedicalequipment.Dr Pinakin Gujjar, Dean of

Cooper hospital, said a teamofspecialistsfromanaesthesia,ENT,chest andgeneralmedicinewillbeavailable tohandleseveread-verseeffects. “Wedidnothavetospendalotonthecentre,wejusthad to spruceup theexisting fa-cility. We are installing watercoolerandrepairingtoilets,”saidAdditional MunicipalCommissionerSureshKakani.BMC currently has selected

fivestoragecentres–inKEM,Nair,SionandCooperhospitalsaswellas the F South health office –where the first batch of vaccinewill be stocked. Anodal storagefacilityis,meanwhile,undercon-structioninKanjurmarg.TheCooperhospital vaccina-

tion centre can vaccinate 2,000people a day. Ten teamswill bedeputedtoworkintwoshiftsforthepurpose.With Cooper hospital being

themain vaccination centre inwesternsuburbs,BMCismullingover creating a token systemattheregistrationcounter.“Itispos-siblethatahugecrowdcomesatthesametimeforvaccination.Topreventovercrowdingatthever-ification counter, a tokenwill beissuedtobeneficiariestocreateawaitinglistandhousetheminthewaitingarea,”Kakanisaid.

FULLREPORTSONwww.indianexpress.com

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Violenceafter ralliesbyHindurightwinggroups inMPNEWEPISODEEVERYDAY

wetalkabouthowclashesbrokeout inMadhyaPradeshafterrallieswerecarriedout throughMuslim-dominatedandcommunally-sensitiveareas.

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of M/s Serum and BharatBiotecharebeing approved forrestricteduseinemergencysit-uation...,”Somanisaid.“A decisive turning point

tostrengthenaspiritedfight!”tweeted Prime MinisterNarendraModi following theannouncement. “It wouldmakeevery Indianproudthatthe two vaccines that havebeengivenemergencyuseap-provalaremadein India!Thisshows the eagerness of ourscientific community to fulfilthe dream of anAatmanirbhar Bharat, at therootofwhichiscareandcom-passion,” he added.With some experts and

Oppositionleadersraisingcon-cerns over the grant of ap-proval to Covaxin, without itsefficacy trials being over,Health Minister HarshVardhan tweeted that BharatBiotech'svaccineismorelikelytoworkagainstnewervariantsof the virus, including the UKvariant, "as it contains im-munogens (epitopes) fromother genes in addition tothose fromSpikeprotein".Vardhan also underlined

that the emergency use ap-proval for Covaxinwas "differ-ently conditional" fromCovishield andwas in clinicaltrialmode. "All Covaxin recipi-entstobetracked,monitoredasif they’re in trial," theministertweeted."ThisapprovalensuresIndiahas anadditional vaccineshield in itsarsenal (especially)againstpotentialmutantstrainsin a dynamic pandemic situa-tion -- A strategic decision forourvaccinesecurity."Vardhanaddedthatno"se-

roconversion"--fromthepointof viral infection towhenanti-bodies becomepresent in theblood -- hadbeenobserved inthose givenCovaxin, an inacti-vatedvaccine,inPhase1and2ofitsclinicaltrials."Ourexperiencewith inactivated vaccines nothaving serious adverse eventswas also observed in Phase IIdone... No serious adverseeventsseen.Only7percentper-sons receiving 6 microgramdose had mild symptoms,"Vardhansaidinanothertweet.ASubjectExpertCommittee

(SEC) looking into applicationsby the two firms formarketingauthorisation had recom-

mended that the SerumInstitute of India (SII),which ismakingCovishield, be grantedrestricted emergencyuse per-mission“subjecttomultiplereg-ulatory conditionalities”, theMinistry of Health and FamilyWelfaresaidonSaturday.TheSIIhadsubmittedsafety,

immunogenicity and efficacydatageneratedfrom23,745par-ticipantsaged18yearsandolderfromoverseasclinicalstudies,aswell as interim safety and im-munogenicitydatafromitson-goingPhase2/3clinicaltrialson1,600participantsinIndia.The immunogenicity of a

vaccineisitsabilitytopromptanimmuneresponse,whiletheef-ficacy, in this case, is ameasureof its ability to bringdown thenumberofsymptomaticCovid-19cases.The SEC had also recom-

mended similar restrictedper-mission,“inclinicaltrialmode”,to Bharat Biotech, which hassubmittedsafetyandimmuno-genicity data frompre-clinicalstudiesonanimalsaswellasre-sultsfromPhase1and2humantrialsinapproximately800vol-unteersofCovaxin.

TheSEC’srecommendationcame after it reviewed thissafety and immunogenicitydata, according toDr Somani.While he did not mentionwhether the firmhad submit-tedanyefficacydataonthevac-cine, he said that the recom-mendationwas also “in publicinterestasanabundantprecau-tion... to havemoreoptions forvaccinations, especially in caseof infectionbyamutantstrain”.BharatBiotechiscurrentlyin

the process of recruiting andvaccinating 25,800 volunteersforthePhase3trialsofCovaxinand,tilldate,22,500participantshave receivedat least onedoseof thevaccine.Covishieldwould be ready

to roll out “in the comingweeks,” tweeted SII CEOAdarPoonawalla. "All the risks SIItookwith stockpiling the vac-cine(have)paidoff."TheapprovaltoCovaxinisa

“giant leap for innovation andnovel product development inIndia,” said Bharat BiotechChairman and ManagingDirectorDrKrishnaElla.

—WITHINPUTSFROMENS,PUNE

Two Covid vaccines get emergencyuse nod, one in clinical trial mode

EXPRESSNEWSSERVICEMEERUT, JANUARY3

A 35-YEAR-OLD man was al-legedly beaten to death by po-licemenathishouse inShamli’sElamtownonSundayafternoon.Thepolice, however, denied theallegation, saying Omveer diedofcardiacarrestafterthepolice-

men left his house. The policehavealsoorderedan inquiry.While the Kandhla

Superintendent of Police saidthatpolicemenvisitedOmveer'shouse in connection “with acomplaintagainsthim”,thelocalSHO said that hewas not awarewhy the policemenwent to hishouse.Omveer's14-year-olddaugh-

ter, Puja, told the police thatwhen she returned home fromthemarket,shesawthreepolice-men “attacking her fatherwithclubs”. “When the policemenleft, I rushed to my father andfound him lying lifeless on theground,” saidPuja.Thefamilymembersclaimed

that therewas no case pendingagainstOmveerinanypolicesta-

tion inShamli.“I have ordered an inquiry

into the incident. A few police-

men from the Elam police posthad gone to Omveer's house inconnection with a complaintagainst him. The policemen lefthis house. Later, Omveer diedprobablyfromcardiacarrest.Wehave received a written com-plaint fromhis familymemberswho alleged that he has beenbeaten to death. I have assuredthemno guilty will be spared,”

Kandhla SPSukritiMadhav toldThe Indian Express over thephone.“Wewill certainly bring out

thetruththroughour investiga-tion,”Madhavadded.“We have sent the body for

post-mortem.An inquiryhas al-ready been ordered. We don'tknowyetwhythepolicemenhadgone to Omveer's house,” said

RajanTyagi, in chargeof theareapolicestationinShamlidistrict.Following Omveer's death,

his family members and resi-dents of the area blocked theDelhi highway demanding im-mediate action against the“guilty policemen”. The road-blockwas lifted after senior po-lice officers intervened and as-suredthemofimmediateaction.

Policesaidthe35-year-olddiedofcardiacarrestafterthey left thehouse

Man ‘beaten todeath by police’at his home inShamli town,probe ordered

3THEINDIANEXPRESS,MONDAY, JANUARY4,2021

THECITYWWW.INDIANEXPRESS.COM

With just a year remaining forBMCelections, alsoknownas the“mini Assembly” polls, politicalpartieshavestarteddrawingtheirstrategies.DespiteShivSena,NCPandCongress ruling the state inacoalition, the three may contestthe civic polls separately.Opposition leader in BMC andCongress corporator RAVI RAJA,who has been training his gunsagainstSena,whichrulesthecivicbody, speakstoLAXMANSINGHandSANJANABHALERAOabouta rangeof issues.

Congresshas renewed itsaggressionagainstShivSenainBMC.Why?Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA)

exists in the state government,not in the BMC. I am the leaderofOppositioninBMC. Iamclearthat I will speak forMumbaikars. Insomecases,wehave supported Shiv Sena. Butof late, especially amid theCovid-19 pandemic, the partyhasstoppedconsultinganyone.Whenever we oppose what isnot in the interest ofMumbaikars, the BMC(Standing Committee) chair-man(fromSena)says– 'humkoupar se order aaya hain'. Wedon’t knowwho this 'upar' is, itmay be CM saab, Aaditya sahibalso.Hehas to clarify.Secondly, in the first stand-

ing committee meeting inOctober, of the 600 proposals,over250were related toCovid-

19expenditure. They tabled forpost factoapproval.Allwerere-ferred back to the administra-tionandallcorporators, includ-ing those fromSena, supportedit.Wewantedtransparency.Buttwomonths have passed sinceand no reply has been receivedfrom the administration. Nowthey want approval for extrafunds.Howcanweapprove?Wehavenoobjectiontogiv-

ingthemoney,weareobjectingtothenon-responsivenatureoftheadministration. ShivSena isknownfortakingU-turns.Sena,which had backed the earlierdecision to refer the proposalsback to the administration, isnow saying all proposals havebeen approved. This is a com-plete eyewash.

DoyouthinktherenewedaggressionwouldcreatedifferencesbetweenCongressandShivSena in thestategovernment?MVAisaseparate identity. It

is based on a common mini-mum programme (CMP). InBMC, we don’t have a CMP.Weopposedthepropertytaxbene-fit given tohoteliersandhoard-ingowners.Whenyourrevenueisaffected,whygivesuchbene-fits? We opposed the waivergiven to 5-star hotel Taj MahalPalace. This is only benefitingthe rich. This clearly shows thattherulingpartyisnotconcernedabout themiddle class and the

poor. The CM is from the rulingparty, what is he doing?Property tax waiver for housesupto500sqftwasapprovedbutonly one of the (eight) compo-nentsof thetaxisbeingwaived.Somewhere, you have fooledthe people ofMumbai. Howdoyou expect us to go alongwithsuchaparty?

After therecentwardcommitteeelectionswhereCongress supportedSenacandidates,BJPcalledyoua“friendlyopposition”.Doyouthinkthisoppositionagainst

Senastarted too late?Inthewardcommitteeelec-

tions,wherewedidnothavethenumbers,wewithdrewourcan-didate. Thiswasdone toensurethatBJPdoesnotcometopower.But that doesn’tmeanwe havegivenablanketsanctiontoSenatodowhatever itwants.On occasions, whenwe op-

posedSena,whydidtheBJPnotdo the same? Because BJP justwants to play games... I will saythis now and in future also, ifSena is trying to fool thepeopleof Mumbai, Congress, alongwithNCPandSamajwadiParty,will opposeSena.

WasthereanunderstandingbetweenyouandShivSenain thewardcommitteeelections?In the ward elections, we

were offered three posts bySena. But we refused. We willnot share power with Sena inthe corporation. That is thestand of the party high com-mand.

WillCongresshaveanalliancewithSena forBMCpolls?OurnewCongresspresident

(for Mumbai) Bhai Jagtap hasclearly stated that wewill con-test from all the 227 wards. Ihave also said the same. Ourstand is clear, wewill fight thiselectionalone.Weareanationalparty, our workers are there in

eachward.

Manycorporatorscomplainthat commissionersandotherofficialsdon'tmeetthemorpayheedto theirissues.AfterOctober,manyinstruc-

tionsweregivenbytheStandingCommittee chairman to addi-tional municipal commission-ers and the commissioner buthardly anything was followed.Inthepast,commissionersusedto provide answers but nowthey are not taking corporatorsseriously. They are answeringonlytoMantralaya(statesecre-tariat)orVarsha(chiefminister'soffice). BMC has been totallydecimated. Sena is responsiblefor thisunfortunate situation.

AsanOpposition leader,haven't youfailed to takeonthecommissioner if asyousayhe is runningBMConhisownwhim?Standing Committeemeet-

ings have been taking place forthe last three months. Thrice,MunicipalCommissioner(IqbalSinghChahal)was called to themeetingsbuthedidnotturnup.Earlier, (previous commission-ers) Ajoy Mehta and PraveenPardeshi used to attendStanding Committeemeetingswhen called. This shows he(Chahal) has become biggerthan the institution.Also, while the Standing

Committee andother statutorycommittees have met physi-cally, a physical meeting of theBMCHouse is yet to take place(amid the pandemic). A physi-calmeetingwillbringallcorpo-ratorstogetherandthecommis-sioner will have to attend. Itseems Sena also doesn't wantthemeetingorelseitcouldhaverequested permission from thestate government (to hold themeeting). The Sena is happywithvideoconferencemeetingssince the current set-up is ben-eficial to it.

Whyis theOppositionnotbringinganoconfidencemotionagainst thecommissioner?For a no confidencemotion

to be introduced, a physicalmeetingof theHousehastotakeplace. IhavealreadymovedanoconfidencemotionagainstBESTGeneral Manager SurendraBagadebutit isstuckbecausenophysical meeting has takenplace. Most of the time whencorporators ask for a meetingwiththecommissioner,theyareinformed that he is inMantralaya. Howwill he givejusticetocorporators?Thestateshould also think about this.Otherwise, the corporationshould be dissolved... let themrun it. This is local self-govern-ment and it has autonomy. Theindependent stature of BMC isindanger.

MONDAYINTERVIEW

RAVIRAJAOPPOSITIONLEADER INBMCANDCONGRESSCORPORATOR

Citing abuse of lawby police, courtdismisses 30 caseslodged for violationof lockdown normsSADAFMODAKMUMBAI, JANUARY3

INAlegalhurdlefortheMumbaiPolice,which is seeking topros-ecutepeoplefoundnotwearingmasksinpublicplacesorviolat-ing lockdownandnight curfew,at least 30 cases have been dis-missed last week by a court, onthe ground that proper proce-durehasnotbeen followed.Multiple orders passed by a

metropolitanmagistrate’s courthavesaidthatthepoliceactionis“withoutauthorityoflaw”andan“abuse of process of law”, as thesections invoked in the cases re-quireacomplaintfiledbythecol-lector or his subordinate officer,whichhasnotbeendone.Theor-ders also stated thatwhile thosebookedhavebeen chargedwithspreadinganinfection,theyhavenotbeentestedforCovid-19.The police have been book-

ingpeoplenotwearingmasksaswell as for violating lockdownandnightcurfewundersectionsincluding188(violationofanor-der by a public servant), 269(negligently doing anactwhicha person knows is likely tospread an infection of any dis-easedangeroustolife),270(ma-lignantly doing such an act) ofthe Indian Penal Code and theDisasterManagementAct,2005.In many cases, the accused

who have pleaded guilty havebeendirectedtopayafinebeforetheir casesweredisposed.In at least 30 cases lodged in

the eastern suburbs, when thepolice filed chargesheets andsoughtthatsummonsbeissuedtotheaccused,thecourtconsid-ered themaintainability of thecases. Inmultipleorderspassedlast week, it observed thatchargesunder sections269and270of the IPC isnot attracted inthesecases.“Admittedly, thepolicehave

notcarriedoutCovid-19testsofthe accused persons.Moreover,there is no documentary evi-dence to show that the accusedpersons had tested positive. Inabsenceof suchmaterial on therecord, itcannotbesaidthatthe

accusedhadindulgedinanyact,whichwaslikelytospreadinfec-tion of Covid-19,” one of thecourt orders said. It added thatthere was no proof that any ofthosebookedhadviolatedquar-antine ruleseither.Theordersfurtherstatedthat

Section188–thechargeinvokedinallcasesof lockdownviolation– related to disobedience of anorder promulgated by a publicservant.Inthiscase,theorderre-garding the lockdown waspassedby thecollector’soffice.Moreover, the orders stated

that to be booked under theDisaster Management Act, thecomplaint has to be authorisedbyanational,stateordistrictau-thorityconstitutedundertheActandtheaccusedshouldbegivenanoticeofatleastamonth.Theyadded that in these cases, thecomplaintswere filed by policepersonnel who are not autho-rised todosounder theAct.“Inabsenceofsuchstatutory

compliance, it is nothing butabuseof processof law,” theor-derssaid,addingthatinvestigat-ing authorities “actedwithoutjurisdiction” in registering FIRsandconductingprobes.Since March, over 56,000

cases have been filed underSection 188 of the IPC acrossMumbai.

EXPRESSNEWSSERVICEMUMBAI, JANUARY3

SHIV SENA leader DeepakMhatre was shot at by bike-borne assailants on SaturdaynightoutsidehisBhiwandiresi-dence when he was with hiswife. Mhatre, who is the ShivSena's shakha pramukh fromBhiwandi, survived the attack.Narpolipolicehavestartedanin-vestigation in thecase.The incident took place late

Saturday night whenMhatre,whohadgonetoThanewithhiswife, was returning home. Heparkedhisfour-wheeleroutsidehishousewhentwopersonsonabikefiredathimbeforefleeingfromthespot,policesaid.Thein-cident was captured on CCTVcameras. The CCTV footageshows Mhatre first taking hiswife to safety in their housebe-fore running outside to look atthebike,police said."There is suspicion that the

attackmay be linked to the up-coming gram panchayat elec-tionsintheareaasMhatreisoneof the hopeful aspirants in therace. We have some leads andshouldbeabletotrackdowntheaccused soon," said an officerfromNarpolipolice station.

EXPRESSNEWSSERVICEMUMBAI, JANUARY3

THENARCOTICSControlBureau(NCB) detained a Tollywoodac-tor from a hotel room in MiraRoadonSaturday inconnectionwithadrugracket.Thepolicehad intercepteda

suspectnamedChandShaikhatGurunanakMarg near BandrarailwaystationonSaturdayandrecovered 400 gm of MD fromtheBandra resident.After interrogating Shaikh,

thepoliceraidedahotelroomatThe Crown Business Hotel atBhayander, but failed to nab asuspect,SayeedShaikh,whohadfled. However, police found theactor in the room and are cur-rently interrogatingher.Anofficersaid thatSayeed,a

resident of Mira Bhayander inThane, is supposed to be themain supplier ofMDdrugs. TheNCBinMumbairegisteredanof-fenceandareon the lookout forhim.

EXPRESSNEWSSERVICEMUMBAI, JANUARY3

THEMUMBAIPolice, investigat-ing themurder of a 19-year-oldwoman at a New Year party inKharearlyFriday,hasbegan theprocess of recording the state-ments of those present at theparty to establish the chain ofevents that led to themurder.So far, two of the woman's

friends – a 19-year-oldwomanand a 22-year-oldman -- whohad comewithher to theparty,whichwasheldat the terraceof

abuilding,havebeenarrestedonchargesofmurder.The murder is believed to

have taken place on the stair-caseof thebuilding followingaphysical altercation betweenthe three.Thepolicesaidthatintheab-

sence of any CCTV camerafootageofthestaircaseofthe10-storey building and no eyewit-nesses, a friend that the de-ceased spoke with some timebeforeshewaskilled,willbevi-tal.“Itappearsthatthedeceasedspoketoafriendoverthephoneaftershehadafightwiththetwo

accused. Shewas upset andherfriend consoled her. The state-ment of the friendwill be vitalevidencetoestablishthattheac-cusedandthevictimhadafightand therefore, had amotive toharmher,” said thepolice.The police are also trying to

gather evidence onwhat tran-spired between the time thethree were seen leaving theparty and when the body wasfoundon theground floor stair-case of the building some timelater. “Usually, everybody takesthe lift. In this case, why theytook the stairs is another ques-

tionbeforeus,” said theofficer.The police have recovered

CCTV footage of the one of theaccused leaving the building inaninjuredconditionafterthein-cident in the wee hours ofJanuary1.The postmortem report has

revealed that the victim’s skullwas fractured and she had alsosustained injuries on her fore-head, on the back of her head,hipandthighs.Thepolicehavesaid that the

two accused also sustained in-juriesontheirheadandbackandhad visited Sion and Hinduja

hospitalsaftertheincidentwith-out informinganyone.Officers have also recorded

the statements of other friendspresent at the party to corrobo-rate themovements of the ac-cusedandthedeceased.“Some of these accounts

cover different aspects of whathappened that night. One ofthosepresentsaidthatthethreehad a fight at a friend's place inthe same building after the de-ceasedwas feeling unwell andwas taken there.We are tryingto ascertain the exact sequenceof events,” theofficer said.

MURDERATKHARNEWYEARPARTY

Police record statements to establish sequence of events

SHYNAKALRANEWDELHI, JANUARY3

MUMBAI-BASED AnandRajkumarMishra has notchedup 99.92 percentile in theCommonAdmission Test (CAT)2020despitespinalmuscularat-rophy, a genetic disorder thatmakesitdifficultforhimtowalkwithoutbraces.Mishra, however, did not let

it affect his studies. Born in afamily of four siblings, all ofwhom are doctors, the 23 yearold always had an affinity to-wardstradingandfinancewhichmotivated him towards a B-school. He aspires to join any ofIIM-Ahmedabad, Bangalore, orCalcutta or Delhi University’sFacultyofManagementStudies.“I had joined coaching to

crackIITentranceexambutdur-ing that time I used to study

booksrelatedtofinance,billion-aires, andbiographyof success-ful people. I started developinganinterestintrading.However, Istudiedscienceasitwasconsid-eredtherightstreamformerito-rious students,” said Mishra,who studied B.Tech in projectmanagement.Aftercompletinghisgradua-

tion, he applied forCAT in2019.Eventhoughhehadcrackedtheentrance exam by scoring 73

percentile, hewas not satisfiedwith his performance and at-tempted for the exam again in2020. He said he was deter-minedtogetadmissioninoneoftheIIMstofulfillhisdreamofbe-cominganentrepreneur.“Ihavestudiedalotaboutal-

ternative investments and re-alised that this field is under-served in India. There is avacuum in this spacewhich of-fersagreatopportunity fornew

businesses,”hesaid.To crack the exam this year,

Mishrasaidhefocusedonmocktests.“Lastyear, Ihadfocusedonbookish knowledge, and thisyear I focused onmock tests. Ihad registered formocks for al-mostall topvendors. Iappearedforover100mocktestsandeachtimeIanalysedmyperformanceandworkedonmyweakareas. Iwouldrecommendthispracticestyle toeveryaspirant,”hesaid.

He had expected to scoreabout99percentileafterreview-ing the answer key and is cur-rently seeking coaching for in-terview rounds at QuoinAcademy. His teacher at theacademy, Patrick D’Souza, hasalso cracked CAT 2020 with99.98 percentilemarks. He hadgot 100 percentile last year aswell and has so far attemptedCAT 18 times and topped sixtimes.

EXPRESSNEWSSERVICEPUNE, JANUARY3

THEREGIONALMeteorologicalCentre (RMC) in Mumbai hassought cooperation fromschools, colleges, governmentoffices and institutions to allota small piece of land on theirrespectivepremises for the in-stallation of Automatic RainGauges (ARG).The RMC plans to

strengthen its existing raingauge network in the city inthe comingmonths.Itwill install 20ARGs,of the

total proposed 50 ARGs, byMarch this year.With additional ARGs, the

weather department aims togather more localised meteo-rological data -- rainfall, tem-perature, humidity in real timeat regular intervals -- whichwill thenbeused inmakingac-curateweather forecasts, espe-cially during the crucial mon-soonmonths.

Last year, Mumbai becamethe second Indian city, afterChennai, to get its own inte-grated flood warning system,which is being operated withthe help of the MunicipalCorporation of GreaterMumbai and theStateDisasterManagement Authority. Thesystemwasable tomonitor ris-ing water levels, following in-tense rain in specific geo-graphic areas, and share theinformation with the civicbody for issuing timely floodwarnings.The strengthening of the

rain gauge network is beingundertakenaspart of the IndiaMeteorological Department's(IMD) urbanmeteorology.The RMC will need space

measuring about 10 feet by 10feeton theground ina securedplace and the installation andmaintenance will be per-formed by the Met depart-ment. Interested institutionscan reach out to the body onrmcmumbai@gmail.com.

AnandRajkumarMishranotchedup99.92percentiledespitespinalmuscularatrophythatmakes itdifficult forhimtowalkwithoutbraces

23 year old overcomes disability to crack CAT, wants to be entrepreneur/

AnandRajkumarMishra

Met centre in Mumbai seeksspace in schools, collegesto boost rain gauge network

Sena shakhapramukhshot at inBhiwandi

Actor arrested inconnection withdrugs racket

PradipDas

19.42 lakhTOTALPOSITIVECASESINMAHARASHTRAActiveCases 54,317NewCases 3,282TotalDeaths 49,666NewDeaths 35Quarantined 2.47lakhTested 1.29crore

2,95,241TOTALPOSITIVECASESINMUMBAINewCases 581TotalDeaths 11,135NewDeaths 3

Workinprogressat thenodalCovid-19vaccinestorage facility inKanjurmargonSunday.Deepak Joshi

Shiv Sena not concerned aboutmiddleclass and poor; fooled people ofMumbai

MAHARASHTRA4 WWW.INDIANEXPRESS.COMTHEINDIANEXPRESS,MONDAY, JANUARY4,2021

Navi Mumbai Municipal CorporationCity Engineering Department

RE-Tender Notice No. NMMC/ E.E(Digha)/168/2020-21Name of work :- Construction of ESR and GSR on OS1 (AM-5)

plot at Digha Ward.Estimated Cost Rs. :- 12,41,63,126/-Tender booklets will be available on e-tendering computer

system at https://organizations.maharashtra.nextprocure.in andat www.nmmc.gov.in website of NMMC on dt. 04 / 01 /2021. Thetender is to be submitted online athttps://organizations.maharashtra.nextprocure.inFor anytechnicaldifficulties in the e-tendering process, please contact thehelp desk number given on this website.

The right to accept or reject any tender is reserved by theHon'ble Commissioner of Navi Mumbai Municipal Corporation

sign/-City Engineer

NMMC PR Adv no./2392/2020 Navi Mumbai Municipal Corporation

Office of the Chief Engineer (East),

7th Floor, Cauvery Bhavan, K.G. Road, Bengaluru - 560 009

No.BWSSB/EIC/CE(E)/ACE(E)-I/DCE(M)-I/TA(M)-I/4195/2020-21 Date: 28.12.2020

INVITATION FOR TENDER(Through e-Procurement Portal Only)

BANGALORE WATER SUPPLY

AND SEWERAGE BOARD

BWSSB invites item rate tenders in Two Stage Tender system

from eligible contractors for the work of "Providing andLaying 600 mm dia, 300 mm dia MS water supply Feederlines by replacing the existing leaky PSC/CI lines Under

the Jurisdiction of EENE starts from i/f BDA flyover (nearMahindra Showroom) along Bellary Road to K.G. TowerGLR premises and by linking 300 mm dia from 600 mm

dia line at Bellary main road to Jayamahal-Nandidurgaroad junction (Snow City) via Mekhri circle by connecting

to existing n/w to by pass the old CI line which is passing

through Palace Ground coming under the jurisdiction ofAEE(NE)2 Sub Division."

Amount put to tender: Rs. 381.24 lakhs. EMD: Rs. 5.72 lakh.Last date for submission of completed tender documents is

on 04.02.2021 up to 15.00 hrs. and tender will be opened on

06.02.2021 after 17.00 hrs. The details regarding the tenderand participation in the e-Procurement process can be

obtained by logging on to https://eproc.karnataka.gov.in For

further details contact the undersigned office during working hours.Sd/-

DIPR/DDU/2253/MCA/2020-21 Chief Engineer (East)

EXPRESSNEWSSERVICEMUMBAI, JANUARY3

THEREPUBLICANParty of India(RPI) on Sunday threatened anagitation if the Maha VikasAghadi (MVA) government re-named Aurangabad asSambhajinagarafterChhatrapatiSambhaji Maharaj, a demandbackedby its biggerpartnerBJPas thecity'smunicipal electionsapproach.“TheRPIisnotinfavourofre-

naming Aurangabad. The cityhas its own distinct culturalidentity. If the Maha VikasAghadi government renames it,RPIwillbeforcedtolaunchanin-definiteagitation,” RPIpresidentand UnionMinister of State forSocial Justice RamdasAthawalesaid.Aurangabadcity,withasize-

able population of Dalits andMuslims,hasbeenanRPIstrong-hold. The controversy over theissuehasroiledthecityover thelast few days, withMaha vikasAghadi partners Shiv Sena andCongress engaging in a war ofwords, and BJP trying to cornertheShivSenaonthis.AcknowledgingthatBJP is in

favourofrenamingAurangabad,Athawalesaid, “RPIasapoliticalparty has its own ideology andagenda.WehavedecidedagainstrenamingAurangabad.”TherenamingofAurangabad

has been on the Shiv Sena'sagenda for long, and is an issuethat tends to crop up aroundeveryelection.While theShivSenahasput

out that it iskeentoadoptares-olution in the state Cabinetfavouring the renaming, stateCongresschiefBalasahebThorathadsaid thematterwasnotun-der consideration of the MVAgovernment and if sucha situa-tion arose, the Congress wouldoppose it.“The renaming issue is not

part of the CommonMinimumProgrammeof theMVAgovern-ment,”hehadsaidonFriday.“The issue will lead to the

downfallofthegovernment.Thedifferences between CongressandShivSenawillleadtothecol-lapse of the government...,”Athawale said, but alsomade itclear that he differed with hisownallyBJPonthe issue.Congress leader and PWD

Minister Ashok Chavan said onSunday, “Our concern is the de-velopment of Aurangabad.Wedon't subscribe to renamingcities.”

EXPRESSNEWSSERVICEPUNE, JANUARY3

POLICEHAVE launched a probeinto a suspected card-cloningracket following the arrest of a23-year-oldengineeringstudentwhoused toworkaswaiter at aBhosari hotel. The student hadallegedly cloned cards of threecustomerswhoendeduplosingoverRs94,000.AnFIRhasbeenregisteredat

Bhosari police station by localresident and one of the threecustomers, Pimple Gurav, 35,who lost Rs 50,000 from hisbank account briefly after visit-ing a bar at Landewadi in

Bhosari, Pune. The probe re-vealedthattwomorecustomers,who had visited the bar onDecember 4 and 15, had lost Rs25,000 and Rs 19,500 respec-tively,fromtheiraccounts.Theseamounts had beenwithdrawnfromanATMkiosk inBihar.A teamfromtheBhosaripo-

lice station, led by inspectorJitendraKadam,launchedthein-vestigation with the help ofPimpri Chinchwad police’s cy-bercrime cell. The investigatorsinitially zeroed in on a waiterwho had served all the threefraud victims. They subse-quentlyidentifiedthewaiterasastudent,a Jalgaonnative,whoispursuing his diploma in engi-

neering. He was arrested onSaturdayandwassubsequentlyremanded to police custody foraweek.The probe revealed that the

student had been using a skim-mingdevicetostealdata fromatleast three cards handedover tohimbythecustomersduringbillpaymentatthebar.Thedatawasthensharedwitharacketeerwhoissuspectedtohavegivenhimthecard-skimmingdevice.Whilethemain racketeer withdrew Rs94,500 fromthe three cards, thestudent received less than Rs4,000ashisshare,anofficersaid.Inspector Kadam said, "A

hunt is on to nab the accusedwithwhom the studentwas in

touch. We are trying to find ifmorepeopleareinvolvedinthisfraud.We are also probingwhyandhowthestudentwastappedby the racketeers and if morepeoplehavebeendefraudedinasimilar fashion."Cloningofcards,alsoreferred

to as skimming, involves elec-tronic theftof thecreditordebitcarddatausingvariousmethods.Thestolendataareusedbyfraud-sterstogainaccesstousers’bankaccounts andwithdrawmoney.Officialssaidthatsuchcrimesre-quirealotoftechnicalknowhow,elaborate set of software andelectronic systems. Generally,such fraudstersusemules togetaccess tocard information.

PrithvirajSathe,generalsecretaryofMaharashtra Pradesh CongressCommittee,hasbeenpromotedassecretary of AICC and co-inchargeofAssamCongress.Sathe,whohailsfromPimpri-Chinchwad, inan in-terviewtoManojMore,deniesthegrowing public perception thatCongresswastryingtoweakenthegovernmentandpull itdown.

CongressministersinMVAgovernmentareconstantlycomplainingabout‘injustice’.Somearealsotargetingthegovernment.IstheCongresstryingtodestabilisethegovernment?ThethreepartyMVAgovern-

ment has come to power on thebasis of theCommonMinimumProgramme. The government isbeing run as per the CMP.Congressministershadsome is-sueswhichtheyraised.Solutionscanbefoundtoany

problem. I am sure the seniorleadership of the three partieswillsittogetherandfindoutaso-lutiontotheissuesraised.

PublicperceptionisthatCongressistryingtoweakenthegovernmentbyraisingpersonalissuesratherthanpublicissues.In fact, the Congress is trying

tostrengthenthegovernmentinwhichever way possible. It iswrongtosaythattheCongressistrying to weaken the govern-ment. Inmyregular interactionswith the public, I get the feeling

thattheCongresshasdoneevery-thingrightsofar.

WhenwilltheCongressgetafull-timenationalpresident?That process is on theway.

Oncetheorganisationalelectionsare held, the Congresswill get afull-timepresident.

NCPchiefSharadPawar’snameisdoingtheroundsasUPAchairman.WilltheCongressagreetoit?The decision regarding the

UPAchairmanwillbetakenbyallits constituents. Evenotherwise,theseareonly speculations.NCPhasalsodeniedthat.Wewillcrossthebridgewhenwecometoit.

Inthestatetoo,theCongressdoesnothaveafull-timepresident. IncumbentpresidentBalasahebThoratisaministeraswell.Wealreadyhaveastatepres-

ident in Balsaheb Thorat. I havenoideawhetherthereisaplantochange thepresident. Thisques-tioncanbebestansweredbyournationalpresidentSoniaGandhiandHKPatilwhoislookingafterMaharashtra.

WillCongress,NCPandShivSenafightcivicpollstogether?Thereisstilltimeforcivicelec-

tions. An appropriate decisionwillbetakenincomingmonths.

FULLINTERVIEWONwww.indianexpress.com

‘Congress not trying toweaken MVA govt…we have some issueswhich will be resolved’

INTERVIEW:PRITHVIRAJSATHE

Card-cloning fraud: 23-year-oldengineering student arrested

AMaha-MetrotrainpassesbythePimpriChinchwadMunicipalCorporationheadquartersduringatrial runbetweenPimpri-ChinchwadandPhugewadionSunday.RajeshStephan

PROMOTEDIDZESKUNDAN,a1996-batchIASofficerwhowasoneof12bu-reaucratsnamedintheAdarshhousingscam,waslastweekpro-moted to the Principal Secretary-rank.While the scamwasun-earthed 10 years ago, the government is yet to initiate adepartmentalinquiryagainstbureaucratswhosenamescroppedupinit.Withnopendingdepartmentalinquiryagainsther,thisisKundan'ssecondpromotioninthedecadesincethescamcametolight.PradeepVyas,a1989-batchofficer,istheonlyotherremain-ingservingIASofficerwhosenamewasembroiledinthematter.

IN THE RACE...MAHARASHTRAPUBLICServiceCommission's(MPSC)chairmanSatish Gawai has applied for the post of Chairman of theMaharashtraElectricityRegulatoryCommission,whichwillsoonfallvacant.Butasectionofbureaucratssayhisapplicationmaybecon-trarytotheConstitutionalprovisionthat"prohibitsthechairmanofastatepubliccommission"toholdanyofficeunderthestateorcen-tral government after ceasingoffice, barringmembership to theUnionPublicServiceCommission.

AT LOGGERHEADSTOCUTdownonitsownrentals,thestateadministrationwantstorelocatetheStateElectionCommission, theRightto InformationCommission,theRighttoServicesCommissionandtheLokayukta,toWadalawithin thenext twomonths. This has apparentlynotgonedownwellwithretiredbureaucratsheadingthesecommis-sions,whohaveindicatedthatthealternativelocationisnotsuit-able.Of the four commissions, threeareheadedby formerChiefSecretaries.

UNDER THE LENSQUESTIONSAREbeingraisedovertherecentelevationofPublicWorksDepartmentChief EngineerAnilGaikwadto thepostofaSecretaryinadditionalcapacity.Gaikwad,whowasanaccusedin amulti-crore scam, is alreadyholding another plumpost inastate-runcorporation.Afterbeingsuspendedforgettingem-broiled in thescam, theengineerwas reinstated in2017.

POLITICKLEWHILETHEstateleadershipoftheCongressinMaharashtrahasin-dicatedthat thealliancewithShivSenawasfor thestateonly, thelatterisconsideringtakingittoUttarPradesh.Lastweek,ShivSena'sofficebearersinUttarPradeshareunderstoodtohavesentfeelersto theCongress for apoll understanding for theupcomingpan-chayatelectionsintheNorthIndianstate.

COMPILEDBYSANDEEPASHAR

MUMBAICONFIDENTIAL

Haveacommentor suggestion forMumbaiConfidential?Write tomumbai.newsline@expressindia.comwithsubject line:MumbaiConfidential

RPI opposesrenaming ofAurangabad,threatens stir

RamdasAthawale

EXPRESSNETWORK 5WWW.INDIANEXPRESS.COMTHEINDIANEXPRESS,MONDAY, JANUARY4,2021

EXPRESSNEWSSERVICENEWDELHI, JANUARY3

ASECTIONof theCongress lead-ership Sunday questioned thedrugregulator’s“premature”ap-proval for Bharat Biotech’sCovaxin,pointingoutthatthein-digenously-developedCovid-19vaccinewas yet to complete thefinalstageofhumanclinicaltrials.Senior party leaders Anand

Sharma, Shashi Tharoor andJairamRameshaskedthegovern-menttoexplainwhyitwas“bypa-ssingmandatoryprotocols”. ButCongresscommunicationdepart-ment head Randeep Surjewalacongratulated the Hyderabad-based company’s scientists andresearchers.SpokespersonGouravVallabhsaidthepartyhasfullfaithinthescientificcommunitywhileseniorleaderandformerlawmin-isterAshwaniKumar said the is-suemustnotbepoliticised.Thedifferingresponsescame

hoursafterDrugsControllerGen-eralof IndiaapprovedtheOxfordCovishieldvaccine,manufacturedbySerumInstituteofIndiaPvt.Ltd,andCovaxin,developedbyBharatBiotech,forrestrictedemergencyuseinthecountry.“Thegovernmentneedstoex-

plain.Howcanyougoontheba-sisofphase2data?Andthereisnopeer revieweither... Thegovern-mentneedstoexplainthesituat-ionwhichnecessitateddispensingwiththemandatoryrequirementofcompletionofphasethreetrialandpublicationof thedata, bothonsafetyandefficacy,whichhasbeenpeer-reviewed,”SharmatoldThe IndianExpress. His party col-leagueandRajyaSabhaMPJairamRameshtweeted,“BharatBiotechis a first-rate enterprise, but it ispuzzling that internationally-ac-ceptedprotocolsrelatingtophase3 trials are beingmodified forCovaxin. HealthMinisterHarshVardhan should clarify.” Tharoorconcurred.

SREENIVASJANYALAHYDERABAD, JANUARY3

THETEAMofscientistsbehindtheindigenous Covid-19 vaccineCovaxin includeBharat BiotechfounderDrKrishnaElla,who is aresearchscientistinmolecularbi-ology,andDrSumathyK,whowasearlier instrumental in thedevel-opment of vaccines against ZikaandChikungunyabythecompany.DrKrishnahasaPhDfromthe

UniversityofWisconsin-Madisonandworkedasa research facultyattheMedicalUniversityofSouthCarolina,Charleston,beforestart-ingthecompanyin1996thatnowhas over a thousandemployees.Bharat Biotechhas earlier devel-opedvaccinesforH1N1,Rotavirus,Japanese Encephalitis, Rabies,Chikungunya, Zika and theworld’s first tetanus-toxoid con-jugatedvaccineforTyphoid.Covaxin was developed by

Bharat Biotech in partnershipwith the ICMR-NIV. After theDrugsControllerGeneralof India(DCGI)announcementapprovingthenod,DrKrishnasaid,“Theap-proval of Covaxin for emergencyuse is a giant leap for innovationandnovel product developmentin India. It isaproudmoment forthenationandagreatmilestonein India’s scientific capability, akickstarttotheinnovationecosys-teminIndia.”Dr Krishna is part of the

ScientificAdvisoryCommitteeoftheUnionCabinet;theGoverningCouncils of the Council ofScientificandIndustrialResearch(CSIR) and Centre for Cellular &

Molecular Biology; ResearchCouncilforCSIRNationalLabora-tories;andtheBoardofVisitorsofthe Global Health Institute,UniversityofWisconsin-Madison.A Phd in Life Sciences from

JNU, Dr Sumathy heads BharatBiotech’s Research andDevelopment team. The othermembersof the teamincludeDrKrishna’ssonDrRachesElla,whohascontributedtoallthefivepub-licationsregardingthesafetyandimmunogenicityofCovaxinpub-lishedso far. Earlier, hehadbeenleadscientist indataanalysisandmanuscript preparation ofRotavirus,typhoidconjugate,andJapaneseEncephalitisvaccines.Healsoconductedprotocolreviewforinvestigational vaccines for ZikaandChikungunya.Covaxinisaninactivatedtwo-

dose vaccine developed andmanufacturedbyBharatBiotech,with the company claiming “anexcellent safety track record ofmore than300milliondoses”. ItstarteditsPhase3humanclinicaltrialsinmid-November,targetedtobedoneonnearly26,000vol-unteersacross India.

Some in Congquestion nodto Covaxin,others saydon’t politicise

PRABHARAGHAVANNEWDELHI, JANUARY3

WITHTWOCovid-19vaccinesap-proved, India is set to begin itsmass vaccinationprogramme inthe“nearfuture”,accordingtotheheadof the expert groupon thecountry’sCovid-19vaccinestrat-egy.Thegovernmenthastoldco-mpaniesmanufacturing the twovaccines—Covishield andCova-xin—topreparetoship“asignif-icantamount”toover30vaccina-tionhubsacrossthecountry.According to the govern-

ment’s Covid-19vaccines opera-tionalguidelines,around30croreof the populationwill be vacci-natedonpriorityinthefirstphase.This includes healthcare andfrontlineworkers aswell aspeo-plewithco-morbiditiesandthoseaged50years andabove.HealthMinister DrHarsh Vardhan hassaid the government plans tocomplete this phase by August2021,andthatthefirstshotsmaybegivensometimeinJanuary.“Thevaccinationprogramme

canbeundertakeninthenearfu-ture.Thegovernmentwillputoutthe exact schedule very soon, ofwhereandhowwearemobilisingthe vaccines,” Dr V K Paul, NITIAayogMember,Health,andchairof theNational ExpertGrouponVaccineAdministrationforCovid-19,toldTheIndianExpressonSun-day.Thisshouldn'ttaketimegiventhatthedryrunisover,hesaid.The30vaccinationhubsarelo-

catedacross the country, suchasin Lucknow,Panchkula, Chennai

andDelhi. Once the companiessend the vaccines to thesehubs,stategovernmentsareexpectedtomobilisethedosestothevaccina-tionpoints.Inthefirsttranche,thevaccinationpointswillbehealth-carefacilitieswherepublicandpri-vatehealthprofessionalswork.Thedetailsofhowmanydoses

will bemoved in the first part ofthisphaseofthemassvaccinationexercise are “beingworked outnow”withthecompanies,DrPaulsaid.“We are telling the compa-nies to be ready to ship a signifi-cant amountof dosages andwilltell themwhere specifically tosendthem."While it isunclearhowmany

dosesofCovaxinhavebeenread-ied by Bharat Biotech, SerumInstitute of India (SII) CEOAdarPoonawalla said Sunday thatCovishieldwouldbereadytorollout “in the comingweeks”. AsofJanuary,around70milliondoses

ofCovishieldhadbeenstockpiled,TheIndianExpresshaslearnt.By February, the SII plans to

rampup itsmonthly output ca-pacity to100milliondoses fromaround50-60million currently,Poonawallahadearliersaid.The governmentwill also be

working out how itwants to di-vide the procurement ofCovishieldandCovaxin.“Let’sseehow itworks out. This partwillnowunfold,”DrPaulsaid.QueriestoBharatBiotechand

SII about their capacity, procure-mentsof their vaccinesand theirdistributionstrategyremainedun-answeredbypresstimeSunday.Thefirstphaseof thevaccina-

tionwillstartwitharound70lakhhealthcare workers registeredacrossthecountry.Overall,thein-frastructure is ready tovaccinatearoundonecrorehealthcarewor-kers,DrPaulsaid.“Thiswillbethefirstwaveofthefirstphase,which

will beginwithhealthcarework-ersbecause it iseasier toconductthevaccinations for themastheyarealreadyinhealthcarefacilities."Aboutthetimeframe,hesaid,

“Itisdifficulttosayexactly,buttheaimis todo itas fastaspossible. Ihopeitwillbedoneinamatteroftwo-threemonths. Remember,wehavetoadministertwodosesofvaccinetoeachperson...Then,itwillbuildup."Thenexttoreceivevaccinesare

likely tobe frontlineworkersandthen people aged 50 years andabove.“Itwillstartstage-wisebutwillnotbeinaseries—wewillnotfinishthelasthealthcareworker’svaccinationbefore startingwithfrontlineworkers.Soon,itwillbe-comesimultaneous,”DrPaulsaid.“Whenwego to the field for

the26crorepeopleabovethe50-year age group, that is the timewhenthisideaoftheelectionpro-gramme-aligned, booth-basedapproachwill be taken. But, fornow,wewillbegoingthroughthehealthcarefacilities,”hesaid.“Thiswillalsohelpusunder-

standthenuancesandwewillbemuchmoreready(tovaccinatealargergroup).Butthis isgoingtounfoldfairlyrapidlyinaveryen-ergeticway,” he told The IndianExpress.While countries like the UK

havedecidedtoattemptgivingasmanypeoplethefirstdosebeforemoving to the second,whetherIndiawill followsuit in its vacci-nation strategywill depend onthe dosing patterns recom-mended by the Subject ExpertCommittee,DrPaulsaid.

Vaccine rollout in near future,exact schedule soon: Panel

Anofficial collectsdetailsduringadoor-to-doorsurveyforCovid-19vaccination inAhmedabad. NirmalHarindran

Bharat Biotech behindvaccines againstZika, Chikungunya

BharatBiotechfounderDrKrishnaElla

TABASSUMBARNAGARWALAMUMBAI, JANUARY3

INVESTIGATORSATTACHEDwiththe phase III trial of BharatBiotech’sCovaxinsaidthatwhiletheyhaveat least fourmonthsofdatatoassesssafetyandimmuno-genicityfromphaseI/IItrials,theyareyettogatherstatisticaldataonitsefficacyfromphaseIIItrial.TheDrugsControllerGeneral

ofIndia(DCGI)-CentralDrugStan-dards Control Organisation onSundaygaverestrictedemergencyapproval forCovaxinandSerumInstituteof India’sCovishield.“I am surprised the DCGI

madeanovernightdecisionbasedon subject expert committee’s(SEC) recommendation. IdeallyDCGIreviewsthedocumentsrec-ommendedbySECand that cantake a few days,” said DrDhananjay Lad, attachedwithRedkar Hospital and ResearchCentre,Goa,asiteforphaseI/IIandnowphaseIIItrialofCovaxin.Ladsaidthevaccinewasfound

to be “extremely safe” for use inPhaseIandIIexceptformildadve-rsereactionslikefeverandpainatsiteforaday.“Avaccinehastobemeasuredforsafetyaswellaseffi-cacy.Covaxinhasabilitytoinduceanimmuneresponsebutforhowlongwedon’tknow.ThephaseIIItrialsareongoingandwewillgetanswersoncerecruitmentisoveranddataisanalysed,”hesaid.Covaxinisaninactivatedvirus

developed inpublicprivatepart-nershipbetween ICMR,NIVandBharatBiotech.BharatBiotechbe-ganphase I/II human trial in Julyandcommencedphase III trial inNovemberacross26sitestocover25,800 participants. It has re-cruited 22,500 so far, but onlyaround10,000havereceivedbothdoses,whiletheresthaveonlygotthefirstdose,severalinvestigatorsconfirmed. Dr MohammadShameem, an investigatorwithAligarhMuslimUniversity, saidtheirhospitalsiteisthefirsttore-cruit all 1,000 participants forPhase III trials. “ByMonday,wewill complete theseconddoseofall participants. Butwe canonlystart studying theefficacy42-45daysafterthefirstdose.Thatis15daysfromnow.”InMumbai, Sionhospital has

recruited less than200of 1,000

participants and started givingsecond doses last week. GrantGovernment Medical College,Mumbai, has recruited close to500ofthe1,000participants.“Webegantheseconddoselastweek.Till nowonly83havebeengivenbothdoses,”saidDrDineshDhodifrom thepharmacologydepart-ment. “Wehavenot seen severeadverse reactions in our partici-pantsbutwehaverefrainedfromrecruiting peoplewith uncon-trolleddiabetesorbloodpressure.WeneedtowaitforDCGItoissueconditionsofapprovalforthisvac-cine.Ibelieveonlythosewithcon-trolled comorbidity canbegiventhevaccinefornow.”InAIIMSPatna, Dr Chandra-

mani Singh said theyhavegiventhefirstdoseto1,177participantsbutonlyafewhavegottheseconddose.“Itwilltakeafewweeksbe-forewestartstudyingefficacy.”Dr Venkata Rao from the

InstituteofMedicalSciencesandSUMHospitalinJajapur,alsoatrialsite, said thepandemiccalled foran emergency decision. “This isjust a conditional approval. Fullapproval will only come afterphase III results.” Anefficacy re-sultassesseswhetherthevaccineprotects aperson fromCovid-19infection.WhilephaseIandIIlookat safety and immunogenicity,phaseIIIdrawsdataonefficacy.“Wehave clinical data from

phase I and II but it isnot statisti-cally significant tomeasure effi-cacy. That is why a large-scalephaseIIItrialisimportant,”saidDrSavita Verma, from PGIMS,Chandigarh,whichhas recruited450participantsandgiventhesec-onddoseto350participants.Ithastorecruit550moreparticipants.Dr Prabhakar Reddy, from

Nizam’sInstituteofMedicalScie-nces,which has so far recruited1,600subjectsinphaseI,IIandIII,said they have immunogenicitydataon250participants.“InPhase1 /2we found70per centdevel-opedimmunogenicity,”hesaid.AllIndiaDrugActionNetwork

questionedtheapproval.“Itisnotclearif thereisanyscientificbasistoclaimthatCovaxinwillbeeffec-tive in thecontextof infectionbymutantstrainwhenitsefficacyhasnot beenestablished and is cur-rentlyunknownagainstanystrainofvirus,”itsaidinastatement.

FULLREPORTONwww.indianexpress.com

Investigators inCovaxin trials sayefficacy data not in

307DAYSSINCEPANDEMICBEGAN

TRACKING INDIA’SCOVIDCURVECASES:10,323,965TESTS: 174,899,783 | RECOVERIES: 9,927,310

ACTIVE CASES:247,220DEATHS: 149,435

JAN2CASES DEATHS RECOVERIES TESTS18,177 217 20,923 958,125

STATESWITHRISINGACTIVECASESACTIVECASES RISEINLASTWEEK

Kerala 65,452 1,632Ladakh 261 43Jharkhand 1,624 29

STATESWHEREACTIVECASESAREDECLININGACTIVECASES DECLINEINLASTWEEK

Maharashtra 53,137 4,954Chhattisgarh 10,517 3,511WestBengal 11,008 3,100

STATESREPORTINGMAXIMUMCASESONJAN2 TOTAL

Kerala 5,327 771,252Maharashtra 3,218 1,938,854Chhattisgarh 1,147 281,654

STATESREPORTINGMAXIMUMDEATHSONJAN2 TOTAL

Maharashtra 55 50,782WestBengal 28 9,766Kerala 21 3,224DataasonJanuary2,releasedbyUnionMinistryofHealthandFamilyWelfare, IndianCouncilofMedicalResearchandstategovernments.Oftenthenumbersreleasedeverydaycontaindatafrompreviousdays

aswell.Assuch,trendsbasedondailynumbersareonlyindicativeandnotdefinitive

PRESSTRUSTOFINDIANEWDELHI, JANUARY3

THEBJPonSundayhit out at the

Congressaftersomeofitsleadersquestioned the approval forBharatBiotech’sCovid-19vaccine,withpartypresidentJPNaddaal-leging that whenever India

achieves something commend-able,theOppositionpartycomesup with “wild theories” to“ridicule”theaccomplishments.Nadda accused theCongress

and otherOpposition parties oftrying to cause panic to furthertheir“failedpoliticsandnefariousagendas”. “Congress and theOpposition is not proud of any-

thing Indian. They should intro-spectabouthowtheir liesontheCOVID-19vaccinewillbeusedbyvested interest groups for theirownagendas,”hetweeted.

Oppn parties not proud of anything Indian, says Nadda

Maya welcomesCovaxin, urgesgovt to give itfree to poorLucknow: BSP presidentMayawati Sunday congratulatedscientists associatedwithdevel-opingtheindigenouscoronavirusvaccine, Covaxin, andurged theCentretogiveitfreetothepoor.“Muchwelcomeoftheindige-

nouslydevelopedvaccineagainstcoronavirus... a special request tothe Central government that ifalongwithallhealthworkers,theextremely poor also get vaccineforfree...”shetweeted. ENS

NewDelhi: Keralahas asked theCentre togive itpriority indistri-butionofCovid-19vaccines, con-sideringthehighnumberofcasesin the state and tomake thebestoutof its strategyof delaying thepeakincontainingthedisease.Kerala Health Minister K K

Shailaja told The IndianExpressthatthestategovernmenthasre-quested the central governmenttogive thestatepriority so that itcan bring the pandemic undercontrol soon. The state govern-ment cited its epidemiologicalconditions–ithashighnumberofcasesrelatedtoheartdiseasesand

diabetes–anditspopulationden-sity aswell as its strategy in con-tainingthediseasetojustifyitsde-mand.“Our strategyhasbeen tode-

laythepeak.Thoughwewerethefirststatetoreportthedisease,thecases in thestatehaspeaked justnow.Despiteourpopulation’svul-nerability and susceptibility,wehavesucceededinourstrategy.Soinorder toget thebestoutof ourstrategy,weneed toget thevac-cinefirst,”MohammadAsheel,ex-ecutive director of Kerala SocialSecurityMissionundertheSocialJusticeDepartment,said. ENS

Give priority to us in vaccinedistribution: Kerala to Centre

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''IMPORTANT''Whilst care is taken prior toacceptance of advertisingcopy, it is not possible toverify its contents. TheIndian Express (P.) Limitedcannot be held responsiblefor such contents, nor forany loss or damageincurred as a result oftransactions withcompanies, associations orindividuals advertising in itsnewspapers or Publications.We therefore recommendthat readers makenecessary inquiries beforesending any monies orentering into anyagreements withadvertisers or otherwiseacting on an advertisementin any manner whatsoever.

TThhee IInnddiiaann EXPRESS

Eligibility : As per the norms of DTE (refer DTE websitewww.dte.in) Any Graduate Passed with Minimum

50% (45% in case of caste category) OR Appeared forthe final year examination of any Bachelor's degree.

MATOSHRI USHATAI JADHAVINSTITUTE OF MANAGEMENT STUDIES &

RESEARCH CENTRE

Padmashri Annasaheb Jadhav Bharatiya Samaj Unnati Mandal’s

Bhiwandi, Dist. Thane

Approved by AICTE, Delhi & Recognised by Govt.of Maharashtra) Affiliated to University of Mumbai

M.M.S. / M.B.A. ADMISSIONNOTIFICATION 2020-21

For Institute Level QuotaInvites application for Admission to 2 years full time

M.M.S / M.B.A PROGRAMME

INSTITUTION CODE NO. 3452BNN College Campus, Kamatghar Rd., Dhamankar Naka, Bhiwandi, Dist. Thane

Applying through CAP - DTE

*Institute Code 3452 * Choice Code 345210210

Contact

Immedia

tely

Website : www.muimrc.org

02522-228585 / 7208755258

9096389300/7588556024

22 JUL 67 - 04 JAN 96

We pay homage to our noble martyr, whomade the supreme sacrifice while fightingthe enemy in ‘OP RAKSHAK’, J & K in theyear 1996. His dauntless courage andsacrifice will forever inspire the organisation.

CO & all ranks of 6th BattalionBrigade of The Guards

SALUTE THE SOLDIER

MAJ RKLAUL, SC

CALENDAR6 WWW.INDIANEXPRESS.COMTHEINDIANEXPRESS,MONDAY, JANUARY4,2021CROSSWORD4318

ACROSS1 Mixedmetaphors inMoliereplay (11)

9 Italonecanprovidehighspirits (7)

10 Itnaturallybeatspeasandbeans (5)

11 Prepositionused inanyamountof sentences (4)

12 Hisworkmaybeabstractorconcrete (8)

14 Engagement foradoctor inUlsterperhaps (6)

16 Change fromevilpastorheartlesspresentpossibly(6)

18 Got therequitedishevelledbutall inonepiece (8)

19 Eager togobackafterakey(4)

22 Subjectof articlebyme(5)

23 Nolongerclear?Tryandmakeit so (7)

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6 Handyplace forapainter tomixhiscolours (7)

7 Whatarevivalistmaydo?(11)

8 Apersonof intelligence,nodoubt (6,5)

13 Seeher inpants - leopardskin-at thezoo(8)

15 Newmatgone fromthecarperhaps (7)

17 ThestoryofAchilles’heel?(6)

20 Noterateallowance(5)21 Fightcommonlyrigged(4)

ARIES(Mar21-Apr20)If you’restillwonderingwhatexactly itwas thathityou, thentheanswer

is theplanetMars,metaphoricallyspeaking,ofcourse.What thatmeans inpractice isanunexpectedandrather largeobstacle.Theplanetarymessagenowis thatthebestescaperoute ispleasure, soputyourcaresbehindyou.

TAURUS(Apr21-May21)AsalwayswhentheMoonchallengesyoursign,as itdoesthisweek, close

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GEMINI (May22- June21)If thedaycouldbesummedupinoneword, itwouldbeduty.This is

thereforeamomentto fulfil allyourresponsibilitiesandavoidalldistractions,nomatterwhatsize, shapeor formtheycomein.Youmayneverknowthetroubleyou’ll avoid if youtakeafewsimpleprecautions.

CANCE