c m y k c m y k

Max: 33.2OCMin: 23.5OC RH: 86%Rain: 1 mm

Forecast: Cloudy sky. Rainor thunder showers likely.

Max/Min temp 33/24ºC

WEATHER

ASTROGUIDESarvari; Uttarayana

Tithi: Ashada Bahula Chavithi till 10.13 am

Star: Shatabhisham till 3.09 am (Friday)

Varjyam: 9.02 am to 10.46 am Durmuhurtam: 10.11 am to

11.03 am; 3.23 pm to 4.15 pmRahukalam: 1.30 pm to 3 pm

HIJRI CALENDARZulqaidah 17,1441 AH

PRAYERSFajar: 4.38 am

Zohar: 12.31 pmAsar: 4.56 pm

Maghrib: 7.00 pmIsha: 8.16 pm

SUNSET TODAY 6.54 PMSUNRISE TOMORROW 5.48 AM

MOONRISE TODAY 10.19 PMMOONSET TODAY 9.22 AM

COUNTER POINT

Actor Jagdeepdies at 81

Mumbai: Veteran Actor-comedian Jagdeep, best

known for his role asSoorma Bhopali in Sholay,died on Wednesday at hisresidence. He was 81. The

actor, real name SyedIshtiaq Ahmed Jafri, was

not keeping well. “Hepassed away at 8.30 pm athis residence in Bandra. He

was not keeping well due toage related issues,” produc-

er Mehmood Ali, a closefamily friend, said. Jagdeep

has appeared in around400 films and is survived

by two sons — JavedJaffrey and Naved.

Armymen told todelete FB A/Cs

New Delhi: The Indian Armyhas asked its officers and

jawans to immediatelydelete their Facebookaccounts and has also

barred them from usingsome other 88 apps, includ-

ing PUBG and Instagram.Among the apps which

have been barred are someIndian apps like Hike.

“As far as Facebook is con-cerned, the Army personnel

are required not to justdeactivate their accounts,

they have also to deletetheir Facebook account,”

said a senior Army official. ■ Full report on Page 4

IN BRIEF

SANJAY KAW | DCNEW DELHI, JULY 8

Students appearing for theCBSE board exams fromnext year will not have tostudy secularism, nation-alism, federalism, demon-etisation, GST, citizenshipand democratic rights asthese chapters, along withothers, have been droppedfrom the syllabus toreduce the students’course load amid the coro-navirus crisis.

The Central Board of Sec-ondary Education (CBSE)notified the new syllabus

for Classes 9 to 12 for the2020-21 academic sessionon Wednesday after cut-ting 30 per cent of the cur-riculum. A CBSE officialsaid the changes in the syl-labus were suggested by acommittee of NCERTexperts and were dis-cussed by the board andsubject experts beforebeing made public. It alsoasked teachers to continueteaching the deleted topicsto students if they felt itnecessary.

Under the updated cur-riculum, the chaptersdeleted from the Class 10

syllabus deal with democ-racy and diversity, gender,religion and caste, popularstruggles and movementsand challenges to democ-racy.

For Class 11, the deleted

portions are chapters onfederalism, citizenship,nationalism, secularismand growth of local gov-ernments in India. Class 12students will not have tostudy chapters on India’srelations with its neigh-bours, the changingnature of India’s economicdevelopment, social move-ments in India and demon-etisation, among others.

While the news broughtrespite to students prepar-ing for the exams, it set offa meme fest on the socialmedia. Many academicscriticised the move, saying

it was “ideologically dri-ven” and due to “politicalconsiderations”.

West Bengal Chief Mini-ster Mamata Banerjee andCongress leader ShashiTharoor thrashed the mo-ve. Ms Banerjee urged theHRD ministry to ensure“these vital lessons aren’tcurtailed at any cost”.

Core science subjectswere affected too. Therevised Class 11 Physicssyllabus omits portionsfrom Newton’s Laws ofMotion, Kepler’s law ofplanetary motion and theDoppler effect in waves.

No democracy for CBSE examsSecularism, federalism, demonetisation, GST being dropped from syllabus

PAWAN BALI | DCNEW DELHI, JULY 8

Chinese troops on Wednes-day completed the disen-gagement in Ladakh’s HotSprings area by withdraw-ing by 2 km. In GalwanValley, the Chinese troopshad pulled out on Mondayfrom Patrolling Point 14,where Indian and Chinesesoldiers had clashed onJune 15, by 2 km.

In Gogra Post, China wasseen withdrawing itstroops and vehicles andthe complete disengage-ment is expected byThursday.

On Pangong Tso, govern-ment sources said therewas no change in theground situation andChinese troops were still

at Finger 4. However,another senior officer saidmore Chinese troops wereseen going back fromFinger 4 and some tentswere also seen being dis-mantled. “Though therehas been thinning ofChinese troops, they stilloccupy Finger 4,” the offi-cial said.

More India-China talksmay be needed to resolvethe face-off at PangongTso. The Army comman-ders from both sides are

reported to be in touch.Under the agreementbetween the corps com-manders, a buffer zone ofat least 1.5 km on bothsides of the Line of ActualControl must be created inthese standoff areas. Thebuffer zones are beingestablished as the twoarmies were in an eyeball-to-eyeball position,increasing the risk offresh clashes between thetwo sides. There will berestrictions on patrollingin these buffer areas forsome time, and the zoneswill be monitored withdrones and satellites.

Once the buffer zones arestabilised and confirmedby both sides, the corpscommanders from bothsides will meet again to

discuss more steps for de-escalation. The next stepwill be to move out forcesfrom the depth areas andthe final step will be torestore the April 2020 sta-tus quo.

Some analysts havevoiced concern that bystopping Indian troopsfrom patrolling till PP 14in the Galwan Valley therehas been a change in theregion’s status quo.

Sources, however, saidpatrolling by Indian sol-diers will resume after alldisengagement phases areover. They said, despitethe ongoing disengage-ment process, the IndianArmy remained cautiousand on high alert to pre-vent the PLA from carry-ing out any misadventure.

Chinese leave Hot Springs,Gogra; Pangong Tso talks onPLA continues to occupy strategic Finger 4 area, says official

MADDY DEEKSHITH | DCHYDERABAD, JULY 8

The Greater HyderabadMunicipal Corporation(GHMC) has made anoth-er U-turn and has decidedto set up containmentzones in the city at loca-tions where there aremore than five Covid-19positive cases. With therising number of Covid-19cases, this would be likevirtually re-imposing thelockdown.

Instructions have beengiven to zonal and deputycommissioners to barri-cade the containmentzones, set up medicalcamps under police sur-veillance, and begin con-tainment activities.

Vambay Colony, DhobiGalli, Bheem Maidan, andDomalguda have all beendesignated containmentzones.

There are more than10,000 active cases in thecity. In the past six days,7,800 new cases have beenreported in the GreaterHyderabad region.Following the instruc-tions of five or more peo-ple in an area beingCovid-19 positive, virtual-ly means re-imposing thelockdown

The GHMC will also con-tinue house clusters incase of single casesreported in a colony orstreet and will allow homeisolation of patients whohave a dedicated bedroom

and toilet. As yet civicofficials are cluelessabout the number of con-tainment zones to be setup. There were 226 con-tainment zones in March,April and May, whenthere were just 1,655active cases. With morethan 10,000 active Covid-19 cases now, very manynew areas will have to bebarricaded and contain-ing the movement of peo-ple within these areas willbe extremely difficult. TillWednesday evening thecorporation had identi-fied 500 colonies for con-tainment and will deploymedical teams to conductfever surveys within aone kilometre radius andcheck the health status ofCovid-19 patients on anhourly basis.

A senior GHMC officialsaid, on condition ofanonymity: "We are justfollowing the instructionsof the state government.”

■ Page 2: Most of city is under containment: Official

Most city areasin containment

VIKRAM SHARMA | DCHYDERABAD JUNE 8

Glitzy weddings and enga-gement parties, get-togeth-ers for a baby shower, or afun night out among frie-nds over endless games ofpoker and drinks, hasmade a particular busi-ness community in thecity one of the biggestCovid-19 spreaders.

For more than a monthnow, several such get-togethers organised by thecommunity members hasenabled the killer virus tospread rapidly, infectingover 250 members of thecommunity (and count-ing). These are the verysame people who wenthammer and tongs againstthe Tablighi Jamaat forspreading the virus afterattending a religious con-gregation in New Delhi.

Two more members ofthe community, both jew-ellers, died on Tuesdaydue to Covid-19, sendingshockwaves through thebusiness communitywhich is already on theedge due to quite a fewdeaths and many either

undergoing treatment orin home isolation. One ofthe two jewellers hadattended a lavish weddingrecently.

Deccan Chronicle spoketo several businessmen inthe community who con-firmed that the virus hadspread like wildfire intheir community due tothe get-togethers and func-tions where social distanc-ing norms were thrown tothe winds and face maskswere absent.

It started more than amonth ago when one topjeweller had a ‘’babyshower’’ at the family’sBanjara Hills residence.‘’Due to Covid-19, the gath-ering was limited to about80 to 100 people,’’ said abusinessman who was

invited to the event. Atthat event alone, over 70members of the communi-ty got infected, many fromtop business houses, par-ticularly jewellers.

Around the same time,there were two marriages,one in Abids and the otherin Falaknuma Palace,where many got infected.There were engagementparties and prior to that,‘Poker nights’ for a selectgroup of friends and rela-tives. Last month, therewas also a birthday partyof a businessman. He anda jeweller friend both con-tracted the virus and died.

‘’Normally at ourevents, the guest list ismassive and so are thearrangements. But due toCovid-19, the organisers ofthese particular events(mentioned above) hadtrimmed the guest list tohardly 50 to 100 people.But there was no socialdistancing and it has nowended in disaster. Morethan 250 members of ourcommunity got infected.”

■ Page 2: Communityignored Covid-19 threat

Biz community invitesCovid through parties

VINEETA PANDEY | DCNEW DELHI, JULY 8

Pakistan on Wednesdaysaid that former IndianNavy officer KulbhushanJadhav has refused tofile a review petition forthe reconsideration ofhis death sentence, con-viction and has insteadpreferred to follow upwith his mercy petition.

A Pakistan official,however, said India hasbeen invited to filereview and reconsidera-tion petition on hisbehalf. He also said thatthe government can giveIndia second consularaccess to Mr Jadhav andallow him to meet hiswife and father.

Pakistan Foreign officespokesperson said thatthe mercy petition is aseparate process that hasnothing to do with thereview and reconsidera-tion.

India, however, reject-ed Pakistan’s claim andsaid that Mr Jadhav hasbeen coerced by thePakistan military not tofile a review petition.

External affairs min-istry spokespersonAnurag Srivastava saidthe Government of Indiawill do its utmost to pro-tect Mr Jadhav andensure his safe return toIndia.

New York, July 8:Harvard and MIT askeda US court on Wednesdayto block an order by USPresident DonaldTrump’s administrationthreatening the visas offoreign students whoseentire courses havemoved online because ofthe coronavirus pandem-ic.

The universities' law-suit was in response toan announcement by theUS Immigration andCustom Enforcement(ICE) on Monday that theaffected students mustleave the country ortransfer to a school offer-ing in-person tuition.

“We will pursue thiscase vigorously so thatour international stu-dents, and internationalstudents at institutionsacross the country, cancontinue their studieswithout the threat ofdeportation,” Harvardpresident Lawrence Ba-cow said in a statement.

ICE said the StateDepartment would notissue visas to studentsenrolled in programmesthat are fully online forthe fall semester andsuch students would notbe allowed to enter thecountry. The measure isseen as a move by theWhite House to pres-surise institutions adopt-ing a cautious approachto reopening amid thepandemic. — AFP

■ Page 2: TS students ina fix

HARVARD, MITSUE U.S. ADMINOVER VISAS

Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddyposes with a plough after unveiling a statue of formerchief minister Y.S. Rajasekhar Reddy at IIIT campus inIdupulapaya in Kadapa district on Thursday. Later, theAP Chief Minister laid a foundation stone for a 125-feetstatue of B.R. Ambedkar at Swaraj Maidan inVijayawada on Wednesday. — DC

YSR remembered

KANIZA GARARI andATHER MOIN | DCHYDERABAD, JULY 8

As many as eight or 10members in more than 100families are Covid-19 posi-tive in the congested OldCity. Worse still, each ofthese families has experi-enced more than twodeaths.

Many of those who diedhad not been tested. Thepandemic has taken a trag-ic toll on people living

here; in one family thegrandfather, two brothers,a son, mother and fatherdied one after the other.

The death of their 45-year-old son from thevirus, shocked his parentsso much that the father col-lapsed and the mother diedof shock shortly after-wards. The wife and chil-dren of the 45-year-old manwere tested but they werenegative and were asked toself-quarantine. Otherextended family members

tested positive and had tomove out of their homesand go into an institutionalquarantine facility.

Transmission in thisclose-knit community endsup creating multiple infec-

tion clusters, and low-scaletesting has led to peoplegetting incorrect treat-ment, sometimes ending indeath. Sudden deaths havebeen noted here and grave-yards are full up.

Mushtaq Malik, presi-dent of Tehreek Shabban,said, “There is not a singlefamily that has been leftout by the virus. Each of usin our close circles hasencountered the virus andtrauma it has created afterthat. There are at least twodeaths in many familiesand that has left manyshattered. We are trying toarrange oxygen and pro-vide help, but the govern-ment should have beenstrict in clusters to control

spread of the disease.”Congested habitats have

led to faster spread of thevirus. Lack of space, orextra bathrooms and com-mon areas, makes it diffi-cult for many families topractise any kind of socialdistancing. Isolation thatshould be followed in clus-ters is not possible eventhough the infection rate isso high.

■ Page 2: Many familieswon’t opt for govt hospitals

Large families turn into Covid hotspotsLow-scale testing in Hyderabad led to people getting incorrect treatmentVIRUS | CHAOS

S.A. ISHAQUI | DCHYDERABAD, JULY 8

Amidst the growing cho-rus of voices in politicalcircles demanding Presi-dent’s Rule in Telanganabecause of the misman-agement of the Covid-19crisis by the state gov-ernment, Union ministerof state for home affairsG. Kishan Reddy metUnion Health MinisterDr Harsh Vardhan inDelhi on Wednesday.

There has been analarming surge in Covid-19 numbers in Telanganaand both opposition par-ties, the Congress andthe BJP, have demandedPresident’s Rule in thestate. The Governor, Dr.Tamilisai Soundara-rajan, too, has expressedher displeasure at thestate administration’shandling of the Covid cri-sis and the TelanganaHigh Court has madeobservations critical ofthe state administrationduring hearings of thepetitions before it on thissubject.

■ Page 2: Harsh Vardhanto speak to Etala

KISHAN MEETSVARDHAN OVERCOVID CRISIS IN TS

● ● WHILE THE decisionbrought respite to students, it set off a memefest on the social mediaand many academics criti-cised the move, saying itwas “ideologically driven” and due to “political considerations”.

INDIA SEES PAKFARCE IN JADHAV‘NOT FILING PLEA’

● ● TRANSMISSION IN thisclose-knit community endsup creating multiple infec-tion clusters.

● ● SUDDEN DEATHS havebeen noted here andgraveyards are full up.

● ● ONE OF the two jewellers who died onTuesday was well knownin jeweller circles inHyderabad. He wasknown to deal in antiqueVictorian jewellery. Hiscompany in Gunfoundry,Abids, was into wholesaleand exports.

● ● AREAS THAT havemore than five Covid-19cases will be declaredcontainment zones.

● ● INSTRUCTIONS HAVEbeen given to officials tobarricade the contain-ment zones, set up med-ical camps under policesurveillance, and begin containment activities.

● ● SOME ANALYSTS havevoiced concern that bystopping Indian troopsfrom patrolling till PP 14in the Galwan Valleythere has been a changein the region’s status quo.

Vol. 83 No. 190 Established 1938 | 16 PAGES | `6.00deccanchronicle.com, facebook.com/deccannews, twitter.com/deccanchronicle, google.com/+deccanchronicle

TABLOIDSPORTS|8Covid-19 sparks innovative career paths

Footballer bites rival inItalian league match

WORLD|5Don paid friend to writecollege test in his place

THE LARGEST CIRCULATED ENGLISH DAILY IN SOUTH INDIAHYDERABAD I THURSDAY I 9 JULY 2020

iNSIDE■ Pg 2: ‘I lost 3 membersof my family in 7 days tothis virus’■ Pg 2: 1,924 fresh Covidcases in Telangana

12,055,188CASES AROUND THE WORLD

STATE GOVERNMENT BULLETINS

CASES

(+26,329)

7,68,345

(+1,924)

(+1,051)TS: 29,536

DEATHS

(+501)

21,144

AP: 22,259

324

264

5,48,993

213

DEATHS

COUNTRIES,AREAS WITH

CASES

COVID-19 C UNT

worldometers.info/coronavirus

covid19india.org

(+12)

(+11)

CITY pg 2DECCAN CHRONICLE | HYDERABAD | THURSDAY | 9 JULY 2020

SHORT TAKES

Four Sectt blocks razed on day 2S.A. ISHAQUI | DC HYDERABAD, JULY 8

The heavy machinerydeployed for demolition ofstructures in oldSecretariat razed four ofthe ten blocks on the sec-ond day of demolitionamid tight securityarrangements.

Roads and Buildingsdepartment authoritieshave been carrying out thedemolition on a day andnight basis. They areexpecting to accomplishthe entire demolition bythe end of the week.

Sources in the R&Bdepartment revealed thatdemolition of A, B, C, Gand H blocks are nearingcompletion while smallstructures, includingmedia point and theMosque, were demolishedTuesday night. Sourcessaid that the deity ofGoddess Nalla Pochamma

was removed after per-forming the rituals in thepresence of priests, DGPand Chief Secretary.

The massive trafficrestrictions imposed bythe police on arterialroads besides several busyroads leading toSecretariat continued onthe second day too.

There were traffic snarlsaround the Secretariat inview of closure of roadsleading to it while policeerected check posts ateight junctions and theemployees working innearby offices wereallowed only after theiridentity was verified.

‘I lost 3 membersof my family in 7days to this virus’KANIZA GARARI AND ATHER MOIN | DCHYDERABAD, JULY 8

I am 37 years old and inquarantine right now.Twelve members of myfamily are in quarantineafter three members ofour family died of Covid-19.

I live in Jahanuma. Welive in close proximity toone another. We tookwhatever precautions thegovernment told us totake, but we were notaware that if we live insuch close quarters, thetransmission of the virusis very fast.

Now each of us is in adifferent room and somehave also sought help andopted for isolation facility.

It began with my 58-year-old mother, who sud-denly collapsed in thehouse. I thought it was aheart attack and tried toarrange an ambulance.But before it could arrive,she was gone. Her burialwas done. She was haleand hearty before thisand there were no symp-toms like cough, cold orfever. She never even com-plained of any uneasi-ness.

On the third day afterher demise, her 70-year-old brother complained ofnot feeling well. Since hewas old, it was thought tobe age-related. Within afew hours, in front of allof us, he died. I and mycousins could not under-stand what could be thereason for his deteriora-tion. There was total con-fusion in the family andmost of us were veryscared.

On the fifth day after mymother's death, her 75-year-old elder sister had acontinuous cough. Thisalerted us and we decidedto take her to GandhiHospital for testing andtreatment. She tested pos-itive and was kept for twodays.

On the seventh day, she

died. Her body was takendirectly to the graveyardfor burial.

The rest of us, 12 innumber, did the tests,were found to be positiveand are now in quaran-tine. There are some mildsymptoms but all of usare on medication. In aspan of seven days, I lostthree senior members ofmy family to this virus.

1,924 fresh Covidcases in TelanganaDC CORRESPONDENT HYDERABAD, JULY 8

A total of 1,924 positivecases have emerged in thestate taking the totalnumber to 29,536 cases.There have been 11 deathsrecorded and the totalnumber of dead is 324.

The Greater Hyderabadmunicipal corporation(GHMC) has recorded thehighest — 1,590 cases —which it has been doingcontinuously since lastmonth.

The increasing numbersare an indication thatevery area of the GHMClimit is infected and thatpeople who are movingaround the city have toexercise maximum care.There are also five seniordoctors in GHMC limitsworking with the govern-ment and private sectorswho have tested positivefor Covid-19.

There is also a spike in

cases in other districts:Sangareddy, 20,Mahabubnagar, 15,Warangal Rural, 26,Nizamabad, 19 cases,RajannaSiricilla, 13 casesand Vikarabad, 11 cases.

The hue and cry for bedsis being noted and thegovernment states thatthey have a capacity of17,081 beds of which11,928 are isolation beds,3537 are oxygen beds and1616 are intensive careunit beds.

The government is urg-ing people to opt for treat-ment in their hospitalsbut the situation at theground level is very dif-ferent with people veryscared to go out of theirhomes to any hospitals.People are wary even ofprivate hospitals due tothe huge bills that arebeing handed out. Most ofthem are opting for videocounselling and hometreatment only.

HC refuses urgent pleaagainst demolitionDC CORRESPONDENTHYDERABAD, JULY 8

An urgent petition wasmoved before theTelangana High Court onWednesday seeking adirection to the govern-ment to stop demolitionworks at the Secretariatbuilding, which havebeen going on for the pasttwo days after the HighCourt permitted con-struction of a new com-plex at the existing place.

Professor P.LVishweshwar Rao andCheruku Sudhakar filedthe urgent petition, stat-ing that the demolitionworks are not adhering to

the Solid WasteManagement Rules, 2016.They contended thatlakhs of people residingin the surroundings willbe deprived of fresh airbecause of the dust gen-erated by the demolition.

Chikkudu Prabhakar,Counsel for the petition-ers, urged the court tohear the case onWednesday because hear-ing later would be too lateas the demolition couldbe completed. However,the court rejected theplea of the Counsel andsaid that it would hearthe case only when itappears in the list onbeing duly numbered.

Fear of visiting hospital delays treatments KANIZA GARARI I DCHYDERABAD, JULY 8

The fear of getting infectedwith Covid-19 in a hospitalhas resulted in many peoplewith serious ailments pre-ferring to suffer in silencerather than go to a hospitalfor treatment, or putting offtreatment until it gets criti-cal. Emergency care unitsare seeing highly complicat-ed and near-fatal casesbecause the ailing patientshave waited too long to seektreatment.

Hospitals have now createda ‘non-Covid-19 pathway’,which will keep thesepatients safe. There is no

mixing of Covid-19 and non-Covid-19 patients in terms ofdoctors, nursing staff, equip-ment, hospital rooms, opera-tion theatres and recoveryrooms. Dr GhanshyamJagathkar, critical care spe-cialist, said, “It is only whenthere are complications thatpatients come to the big hos-pitals and by that time it istoo late. In cases of stroke,heart attack and headinjuries, we are spending alot of time counsellingpatients that they need toopt for treatment.”

In cases of head injuriesdue to accidents and trauma,families are seeking onlyprimary level care. This can

lead to internal bleeding,stroke and comatose condi-tions.

There are also suddendeaths due to unexplained

conditions and these are notbeing reported at all.Doctors state that their fol-low-up with regular patientsreveals that they have triedto manage their heart, dia-betes, and kidney problemson their own. Underliningthat hospitals were function-ing normally, nephrologistDr K.S. Nayak, said, “Kidneytransplants are being car-ried out in acute patientsand we are opting for aCovid-19 test a week beforethe procedure. There arecadaver and living dona-tions being done on needbasis. People must not sufferin silence but seek help fromtheir treating doctors.”

Doctors said that patientsopen up about their prob-lems only after persistentquestioning during onlinesessions. The time spent ininvestigating cases on videoconferences has increasedwith the patient trying tohide the real condition dueto fear of being told to cometo the hospital.

Another problem that doc-tors are noting is the lack offinancial resources amongpatients due to lay-offs andmedical insurance lapsingas premiums are not paid.This is making it difficultfor many families to seektreatment and leads todelays in treatment.

GREYHOUNDSHEAD CONSTABLE

ENDS LIFEJAYENDRA CHAITHANYA T. |DC HYDERABAD, JULY 8

A Greyhounds head constableshot himself to death with theservice pistol of a colleague attheir campus in NarsingiWednesday morning. Policesuspect that the head consta-ble could have taken theextreme step due to personalissues, and registered a casefor a probe.

According to Narsingi police,42-year-old Chand Pasha, anative of Suryapet district,working with the anti-Naxaloperations unit, lived with hisfamily in the Greyhoundsquarters.

“At around 9 am, Chand tookthe service weapon of a col-league near the checkpointoutside the armoury, tellingthat he would check the 9mmpistol and shot himself in thetemple,” said NarsingiInspector M Gangadhar.

As he was posted at the unitand at the armoury, his col-league also did not suspectChand and gave the weaponfor checking, the Inspectorsaid.

“Prima-facie, it is found thatthe head constable had confid-ed in his colleagues aboutsome personal issues, whichdrove to his suicide. He is sur-vived by a wife and two sons,”he said adding that a case hasbeen registered.

MOST OF CITY INCONTAINMENT

ZONES: OFFICIALSFrom Page 1

“The government has instruct-ed the civic body to identifyareas with more than fiveCovid-19 positive cases andcontain them. As per our pre-liminary data, there are morethan 1,000 such areas, whichindirectly means we have tocontain the entire GHMC areawithout imposing lockdown,”the official said.

He said overall 1500 areaswould have to be declared con-tainment zones in a couple ofdays.

Apart from containmentzones, house clusters will alsocontinue in the city, he added.

The state government hasalso issued guidelines for con-tainment zones. All contain-ment zones will be barricadedor sealed off. This means allroads leading to the localitywill be closed and there will bejust one common entry andexit point.

Nodal officers have beenappointed from the GHMC,health, police, and entomologydepartments.

A sanitation officer has alsobeen appointed from theGHMC for every zone.Surveillance teams will con-duct door-to-door fever survey.

Details of the nearest med-ical shop from where residentsof the containment zone canget medicines have been com-municated to all households.

All residents in the contain-ment area are to be confined totheir homes.

One nodal officer is appoint-ed for the convenience of thepublic in the containmentarea. Pamphlets have been dis-tributed to all residents withcontact numbers for essentialneeds. Vendors have beenappointed to supply essentialcommodities, vegetables andmilk.

One GHMC employee willattend to household calls forhome delivery.

Special teams will attend tosanitation of the zone twice aday. Sodium hypochlorite willbe sprayed twice a day in thecontainment zone.

Emergency teams will beworking round the clock tomonitor the situation in thecontainment area. All thisinformation will be conveyedto residents of containmentzones.

●● THE FIRM of one ofthe two jewellers, whohad died on Tuesday,had made its presencefelt not only domesti-cally but also in theinternational marketsof the US, Europe andthe Middle East.

●● IN HIS late 50s, thejeweller had attendedthe wedding inFalaknuma Palaceabout 10 days ago andwas infected with thevirus. He died yester-day while undergoingtreatment in a corpo-rate hospital inBanjara Hills.

●● THERE ARE about50 other families, allfrom the same busi-ness community, whohad attended thesame wedding andhave been infected.

●● HOSPITALS HAVE nowcreated a ‘non-Covid-19pathway’, which will keepthese patients safe.There is no mixing ofCovid-19 and non-Covid-19 patients in terms ofdoctors, nursing staff,equipment, hospitalrooms, operation the-atres and recoveryrooms.

●● ROADS ANDBuildings departmentauthorities have beencarrying out the demo-lition on a day andnight basis.

ADITYA CHUNDURU | DCHYDERABAD, JULY 8

Mayuri, a woman fromKhammam, had just begunher Masters at the NewEngland College in NewHampshire days ago. Thepandemic has alreadygiven her much grief. Heruniversity has startedonline learning sessions,forcing her to stay alone athome in a city in which shehas no friends or family in.Little did she know, howev-er, that there was moretrouble on the horizon.

Mayuri is one of thou-sands of Indian studentswho might be affected bythe new directive from theimmigration and customsenforcement (ICE). whichrequires them to leave thecountry if their collegeshave gone completelyonline this semester.

The directive was issuedon Tuesday, leading to pan-icked phone calls betweenthe students and theirfamilies in India.

Speaking over the phone,Mayuri said the studentcommunity from her uni-

versity has written to theadministration, asking fora solution that will pre-vent their displacement.The administration, with-in hours, assured themthat it had their backs.“They sent us a mailtelling us they will findsome workaround. I hopethey are serious,” she said.

Many universities havealready found such‘workarounds.’ They haveannounced ‘hybrid’ mod-els of teaching, includingoffline teaching for inter-national students so thatthe ICE directive doesn'tapply to them anymore.

Columbia University, anIvy League school in NewYork, told its internationalstudents it would offerthem a one-credit globalcourse in which theycould enrol. The universi-ty said it would create'global pop-up centres' invarious locations whereinternational studentscould visit for academicengagement, in order for itto qualify as in-personteaching.

Universities are pushing

back on the order, sincethey, too, stand to lose theconsiderable income theymake from tuition feespaid by international stu-dents. Some have gone onthe offensive as well. TheMassachusetts Institute ofTechnology (MIT) andHarvard University havesued ICE, asking for a stayon the order.

Harvard president,Lawrence Bacow, in astatement, noted that theorder came without noticeand “its cruelty is sur-passed only by its reckless-ness.” MIT president, LRafael Reif, in his state-ment, noted that interna-tional students now had

many questions, one ofwhich is if they are wel-come in the country at all.

Meanwhile, the NorthAmerican association ofIndian students (NAAIS),formed in 2020, asked stu-dents to exert pressureand lobby their respectiveuniversities.

The past few weeks havebeen rough on Indian fam-ilies with members study-ing or working in the USA.Recently, the country hadannounced it would besuspending the issuanceof new, non-immigrantvisas until the end of 2020,leaving many H1B seekersin a limbo. The latestdirective has raised ques-tions about whether thestudents can expect to leada secure life in the US.

Nishanth, hailing fromWarangal, had moved tothe USA to study in a uni-versity in Missouri in2019. He wondered if hehad done the right thing.“From the moment I camehere, I have only receivedbad news from the US gov-ernment. A lot of my sen-iors are still waiting for

H1B visas and by the timeI apply for one, it couldtake me many years to getit. Green cards (for perma-nent residence) are a dis-tant dream,” he said.

Nishanth has been luckysince many universities inMissouri have started con-ducting in-person classesalready, keeping him safefrom the ICE directive.However, this hasn'tallayed his fears about thekind of a life or future hewill have in that country.

Mayuri’s family calledher from India themoment they heard thenews on Tuesday. “Theyhave been pleading withme to come back homesince March. They thinkthere is no life here any-more,” she said.Incidentally, Mayuri ispursuing her secondMaster's course in thecountry. She was unable tofind a job after graduatingfrom another universitylast year, so she enrolledagain to keep her studentstatus. The desperatedream to be in the US mayhave just turned very sour.

TS students in US jitteryNew F1 visa rules trigger fear, anxiety among international students in US

Demolition hits traffic

Commuters argue with police to allow them through on roads leading to the Secretariat which were closed fordemolition for the second day on Wednesday. Commuters said the authorities are unnecessarily causing inconven-ience to the general public in these times of the Covid-19 pandemic. — S. SURENDER REDDY

COMMUNITYIGNORED COVIDTHREATFrom Page 1

“Many are undergoingtreatment in private hos-pitals and others haveisolated themselves intheir homes,’’ the busi-nessmen disclosed,adding that the commu-nity clearly took theCovid threat lightly andare now paying a heavyprice. Many of them arerunning around variouscorporate hospitalsshelling out of lakhs ofrupees for treatment.

This closely-knit busi-ness community, num-bering a few lakhs, isspread acrossGoshamahal, BegumBazar, several areas inthe old city, BanjaraHills, Jubilee Hills, andGachibowli and aremainly engaged in thebusiness of some kind.

MANY FAMILIESWON’T OPT FORGOVT HOSPITALSFrom Page 1

Ability to understandprecautions for diseasecontrol is also limited.The aged grandfather ofa family in Nampally hadbeen feeling unwell fordays but as he did nothave a cough, the familythought it was some age-related problem.

He complained ofbreathlessness just twohours before his death.By the time an ambu-lance was arranged andhe was admitted to hospi-tal, he had died. His swabsamples confirmed hehad Covid-19. All theseven members of thefamily tested positive andrequired rigorous treat-ment.

Mujtaba Askari ofHelping HandFoundation said, “Manyfamilies are suffering butthey do not want to go togovernment hospitals fortesting or treatment.They are seeking helpfrom local physicians.Home treatment is effec-tive if the protocols areproperly followed.” It is asad commentary on thehousing policy of thecountry that the poor aremost vulnerable to dis-eases because of theirmiserable living condi-tions.

From Page 1

After the meeting, MrKishan Reddy posted onTwitter: “Discussed soar-ing number of Covid-19cases and ways & meas-ures to tackle it inTelangana.”

Sources close to MrReddy said that the Unionhealth minister has takenstock of the situation inTelangana and hasenquired about the meas-ures put in place by the K.Chandrashekar Rao gov-ernment to contain thespread of the virus.

Mr Reddy apprised thehealth minister abouttesting, tracing, commu-nity surveillance, hospitalmanagement, identifica-tion of isolation wards,availability of PPE kitsand masks in the state.

During the meeting,they discussed the reportof NITI Aayog in which

Telangana was named asthe state with the second-lowest Covid-19 testingrate in the country.

Mr Kishan Reddyreleased a press statementafter the meeting, inwhich he stated that hehad requested the healthminister to provide moreventilators to Telanganaas many Covid victimshave highlighted on socialmedia the shortage ofventilators.

He said that the Centrehas already supplied 7.14lakh N 95 masks and 2.41lakh PPE kits and hasagreed to supply 1,220 ven-tilators to the state and688 of these ventilatorshave already reached thestate.

The Centre has alsosanctioned `215 crore forTelangana to procure therequired medical equip-ment and he requested thestate government to con-

duct Covid tests on linesof AP and Delhi.

The Union health minis-ter has assured him of allassistance and said hewill speak to the statehealth minister EtalaRajender with regard tothe issues he has raised inthe meeting, the state-ment said.

He appealed to the stategovernment to concen-trate on containing theCovid-19 pandemic leav-ing aside other issues, andalso arrange for 10,000beds in hospitals for Covidpatients on lines of theDelhi government.

The state governmentshould follow the guide-lines of the IndianCouncil of Medical andResearch (ICMR) in con-ducting the tests and intracing the primary andsecondary contacts ofCovid positive patients,Mr Reddy said.

Harsh Vardhan to speakto health minister Etala

● ● THE PAST few weekshave been rough on Indianfamilies with membersstudying or working in theUSA. Recently, the coun-try had announced itwould be suspending theissuance of new, non-immigrant visas until theend of 2020, leaving manyH1B seekers in a limbo.

CITY pg 3DECCAN CHRONICLE | HYDERABAD | THURSDAY | 9 JULY 2020

POWER | SHUTDOWN10 am to 12 noon

AC Guards Sub-station(Shanthinagar)

Imperial Garden, MoghalAgency Apts, More Super

Market Area, Shanthinagar,Vijaynagar Colony,

Laxminagar, PS Nagar, Police Qrts.

A.C. Guards Sub-station(VBRI)

VBRI, Nice Hospital, ITIMallepally, A-Battery Line,

Vijaynagar Colony,Laxminagar, Hussaini Masjid,

Police Qrts.1 pm to 3 pm

SD Hospital Sub-station(Humayun Nagar)

Humayun Nagar,Mehdipatnam, MIGH,

Sriramnagar, Muradnagar.3 pm to 5 pm

SD Hospital Substation(Khadi Bhandar)

MG Nagar, Khadi Board,Hasham Mosque, Cha Cha

Nehru Park, Dobighat.

Tribute to a leader

TPCC Chief N. Uttam Kumar Reddy along with other party leaders pay tributes to thelate Y.S. Rajasekhar Reddy, former chief minister of Andhra Pradesh, on his 71st birthanniversary in Hyderabad on Wednesday. — P. ANIL KUMAR

HC for dashboardon beds at hospsCourt wants TS to emulate Delhi systemVUJJINI VAMSHIDHARA | DCHYDERABAD, JULY 8

The Telangana HighCourt on Wednesdayasked the State Gove-rnment to adopt the sys-tem formulated by theDelhi government in giv-ing details of beds avail-able at every private andgovernment hospital andintake of patients andCovid-19 positive personsby affixing dashboards athospitals.

The Delhi governmenthas developed software,

which is being used in allCovid-designated hospi-tals. This helps any per-son or patient visitingsuch hospitals get first-hand information as tothe availability of beds,ventilators, doctors andother related information,thereby saving his timeand facilitating in gettingtreatment in the shortestpossible time.

A division bench, com-prising Chief JusticeRaghavendra SinghChauhan and Justice B.Vijaysen Reddy, was deal-ing with a PIL of Shiva

Ganesh Karnati, advocate,seeking a direction to theTelangana government tomandate all Covid-desig-nated hospitals in the St-ate to affix live dashbo-ards and help patients getall relevant information.

Advocate General B.S.Prasad, Advocate General,informed the Court thatthe state has already com-menced the work of devel-oping similar softwareand sought a week’s timeto furnish updated infor-mation to the court. Thecase was adjourned toJuly 14.

SCB residents, officialsjoin hands to fight CovidT.S.S. SIDDHARTH | DCHYDERABAD, JULY 8

Residents and officials haveunited in a bid to stop thedreaded Covid-19 diseasefrom spreading its tentaclesin the Secunderabad can-tonment board (SCB) limits.

According to officials,there are 70 positive casesand 50-odd containmentzones, most of which havesprung up because of assis-tance from the Residents’Welfare Associations(RWA).

“Many colonies under ourlimits are coming forwardto report any Covid-19 case.In the places that there is aconfirmed case, they movethe person to a hospital. Thehouse is sanitised andsealed and proclaimed a

containment zone,” SCBvice-president, J. RamaKrishna, told DeccanChronicle.

If the patient is moved to amedical facility and thereare occupants still in thehouse, the board is ensur-ing that they are kept inreach of essential commodities.

“We have scheduled onevisit to a containment zone

by our official. They willvisit the house or colony forone hour each day. Duringthe visit, the official willhandover essential com-modities like groceries,medicines and more,” saidB. Ajith Reddy, CEO, SCB.

Board officials say thatthey still receive dailyupdates from the state gov-ernment about the numberof cases and tests conduct-ed in their limits.

As things stand, the boardis permitting colonies toproclaim themselves in iso-lation as well.

One such colony is theVasavi Nagar colony whichhas weaned itself awayfrom the usual traffic byinstalling two barricadesout of five entry and exitpoints to it.

Husband ends life aswife refuses to returnJAYENDRA CHAITHANYA T. | DCHYDERABAD, JULY 8

The uncontrolled spread ofCovid-19 in Hyderabad cityappears to have spooked peo-ple beyond the borders ofTelangana state. Worriedthat she might contract thedisease if she followed herhusband’s advice to come toHyderabad and find work, awoman who lives with therest of her family in Prak-asham district of AndhraPradesh, refused to do so.

His wife’s refusal to joinhim is said to be the reason23-year-old Katta Rambabucommitted suicide.

According to Keesarapolice, who are investigatingthe case, Rambabu came toHyderabad a month ago, af-ter lockdown restrictions we-re lifted to allow movement ofpeople to find work in thecity. His brother Shankar is amason and lives in Nagaramwith his wife and Rambabufound work as a labourer andlived with them, the police

said. Rambabu’s elder broth-er Anjaneyulu also lives herein the city.

On the evening of July 6,Shankar and his wife wentout to buy vegetables whileRambabu stayed back home.When they returned half anhour later, they found Ram-babu hanging from an ironrod. He was rushed to hospi-tal but was declared dead onarrival.

The Keesara police saidthat Shankar told them hisbrother was upset becausehis wife would not come toHyderabad for fear of con-tracting the Coronavirus. Ac-cording to the police, beforetaking his life, Rambabu issuspected to have consumedalcohol. “We have registeredthe case and are making fur-ther inquiries into the inci-dent,” the police said.

FIVE HELD FOR LOOTING SHOP,ONE ABSCONDSDC CORRESPONDENTHYDERABAD, JULY 8

The east zone task forceteam nabbed a gang ofthieves who stabbed avictim and fled witharound `3.3 lakh in cashon Wednesday.

The accused have beenidentified as SyedFarooq Pasha, SyedFayaz Imran, AmerKhan, Mohd. Waseemand Syed Abdul KhaderHussain.

According to thepolice, the kingpin ofthe gang, Pasha, whoworks in a pharmacy atKoti, noticed a shopowner of a neighbour-ing store and planned torob him.

“When the victim leftfrom his shop with themoney, the accusedFayaz and Waseemtailed him and obstruct-ed him in Putlibowli.The accused attackedhim with a screw driver,robbed a bag containingcash `3.3 lakh and spedaway from the spot,”said Hyderabad citypolice commissioner,Anjani Kumar.

Acting on a tip off, theeast zone task force teamapprehended the fiveaccused, recovered `2.6lakh and seized knivesand the screw driverused in the offence.

Hyderabad records dropin crime conviction ratesDURGA PRASAD SUNKU | DCHYDERABAD JULY 8

The crime convictionrate in Hyderabad citythis year from Januaryto June is low whencompared to last year,according to the halfyearly crime review sta-tistics released byHyderabad City policecommissioner AnjaniKumar on Wednesday.

Out of the total 1,307cases in Hyderabad com-missionerate, convic-tion was achieved in 450cases, which is 26 per-cent. In the same periodlast year, of the 3,300cases, 887 cases wit-nessed conviction (27percent).

Explaining the reasonbehind the decrease inconviction, AnjaniKumar said, “Investig-ations had slowed downa little due to Covid-19.Even the courts sus-pended hearing for sometime because of the pan-demic. This led to adecrease in conviction.”

Giving out this infor-mation on Wednesday,the city police commis-sioner said 12,374 caseswere registered inHyderabad commission-erate last year (in firstsix months) compared

12,273 cases this half-year. There is thus aslight decrease in over-all crime.”

He attributed thedecline in crime rate torestrictions in move-ment due to Covid-19.The offences reportedduring the periodincluded property offen-ces, dacoities and housebreakings.

In this half-year,Hyderabad city policeopened rowdy sheets on145 members, 50 inSouth zone, followed byNorth Zone 39. After thelock down relaxation,South Zone witnessedmurders in Baha-

durpura, Reinbazar andChandrayangutta policestation limits, where abrother killed his twosisters and stabbedanother sister and herhusband. He later com-mitted suicide in thesame house.

According to policedata, 597 of the 1,068property cases regis-tered in this year hadbeen solved, the detec-tion rate being 56 per-cent. In the same periodlast year, the detectionrate was 53 percent.Property crimes includeoffenses such as burgla-ry, theft, stealing ofmotor vehicles and oth-ers. Other cases are dac-oity (3 cases), house br-eaking in day (21 cases)and night (133 cases).

Overall, there has beena substantial increase(500 cases) in centralcrime station cases,most of them fromCyber Crime Depart-ment. Commenting onthe increase in cybercrimes in Hyderabadcity, Anjani Kumar said,“It is the same scenariowith other citiesthroughout the country.As many are dependingon computers to workfrom home, computer-related crimes haveincreased.”

Civic body intends to spend `10 crore for more machines

Gadgets to fight dengue languish MADDY DEEKSHITH I DCHYDERABAD, JULY 8

With public attention onCovid-19, the GHMC is qui-etly purchasing moreequipment of the kind thatis already lying unused inits stores, which is ostensi-bly meant to fight dengue.The corporation intends tospend `10 crore for the pur-pose. Much of the equip-ment purchased last year isstated to be lying idle.

Last year, during thedengue crisis in September,the GHMC had told theHigh Court, which was

hearing a slew of petitionson the matter, that it hadonly 50 power sprayers tospray insecticides to killmosquitoes for the entirecity. The court said thenumber was insufficientand asked the civic body toincrease this number to1,000, as well as procure 800knapsack sprayers.

The GHMC then purchas-ed 812 knapsack sprayers,each costing about `5,000,and 1,000 power sprayers atabout `8,000 apiece, apartfrom 64 vehicle mounted th-ermal fogging machinesand 305 portable fogging

machines. It also purchasedseven drones for `7.12 croreto perform anti-larval oper-ations in water bodies inOctober.

The GHMC reported backto the court stating that ithad the equipment to fightthe mosquito menace in thecoming years.

Just eight months later,the corporation has decidedto purchase 11 drones andother machinery. Zonalcommissioners, some ofwhom have been recentlyappointed the posts, havebeen asked to make thefresh purchases with a cap

of `2 crore each.The GHMC says the knap-

sack sprayers and powersprayers, most of whichwere unused, need repairs.However, highly placedsources said the corpora-tion had the equipment tofight the mosquito menace.A few equipment was usedto spray disinfectants dur-ing the Covid-19 pandemic.

Despite having the staffand the machinery, the cor-poration has taken up fewanti-larval or fogging oper-ations in the recent past,evident from the number ofcomplaints pertaining to

mosquito menace on socialmedia platforms as well asthe MYGHMC App. Askedabout this, an official at theGHMC headquarters saidthat the corporation waspurchasing more equip-ment only to cut short thetime taken for fogging andanti-larval operations.

Deccan Chronicle contacteda few zonal commissionerswho said that they were yetto shortlist the equipment tobe purchased. Asked aboutthe unused machinery, theysaid they were only follow-ing the instructions ofsenior officials.

SPEND | THRIFT

●● BOARD OFFICIALS saythat they still receive dailyupdates from the state government about the number of cases and testsconducted in their limits.

●● THE BOARD is permittingcolonies to proclaim them-selves in isolation as well.

●● KEESARA POLICE saidthat Shankar told them hisbrother was upset becausehis wife would not come toHyderabad fearing Covid-19.

FROM APHEALTH STAFF

WRONGLY BRANDSWOMAN COVID +VE

SAMPAT G. SAMRITAN | DCVIJAYAWADA, JULY 8

A faux pas by health authori-ties whereupon they declaredthat a 64-year-old woman hadsuccumbed to Covid-19 result-ed in her being cremated inthe absence of her kin inGuntur recently.

Kondabathini Tirupatha-mma, hailing from Guntur,developed chest pain on June20 night and when her rela-tives rushed her to a privatehospital they were told toobtain the Covid-19 statusreport first. Eventually, shewas admitted in a private hos-pital and put on a ventilatorafter being informed that shehad suffered a stroke. Even asshe was getting stable, she wassubject to a Covid-19 test onJune 22. Two days later, thefamily was informed that shehad tested positive.

Things worsened on June 25,when the private hospital alle-gedly expressed its inability tocontinue her treatment whilemunicipal and police officialserected fencing near theirhouse. The family memberswere sent to home quarantine.

Driven to the wall, her kin onJune 25 managed to shift herto the government hospital inGuntur where she was admit-ted to the Covid-19 ICU ward.The next evening, the familywas informed that she hadpassed away while undergoingtreatment.

As she had tested positive,the hospital authorities hand-ed over the body to municipalauthorities in accordance withthe Covid-19 protocol. A biggershock came when the family,already in quarantine, was get-ting ready to perform the 15thday ritual. They received a callfrom health officials and alsofrom the private hospitalinforming that the deceasedhad tested negative to Covid-19and apologised for their blunder.

AP REPORTS 1,051FRESH CORONA

CASES, 12 DEATHSDC CORRESPONDENTVIJAYAWADA, JULY 8

There was no let-up in theCovid-19 positive cases asAndhra Pradesh recorded1,051 new confirmed infectionsscaling up the overall tally to22,259 on Wednesday. The last24 hours also saw the death of12 people.

Out of 27,643 samples testedin the last 24 hours, 1,051 newdomestic cases were reportedapart from nine cases fromother states and two foreignreturnees thereby taking theirtotal to 1,062.

The state has tested 10,77,733samples so far and of them,10,894 were found to be activecases while 11,101 individualshave been discharged.

DECCANCHRONICLE

LOOKING FOR SOMETHING?

We have itfor you

Commissioner of policeAnjani Kumar inspectsthe police vehicles beingsanitised at ClosingGrounds in city.

— DEEPAK DESHPANDE

TWO WOMENSAVED FROMFLESH TRADEDCCORRESPONDENTHYDERABAD, JULY 8

The Special Oper-ations Team ofRachakonda atJawaharnagar res-cued two womenwho were forcedinto flesh tradefrom Mumbai. Theteam held four per-sons including twobrothel organisersand produced thembefore the court.

Based on a tip-off,the Malkajgiri SOTsleuths along withJawaharnagar pol-ice raided a houseat Registration Col-ony in Yapral, wh-ere Rajaneesh Ran-jan, 24, and Suk-hesh Ravan Kam-ble, 32, working un-der Mithilesh Sha-rma, ran a brothel.

Two women hail-ing from Mumbaiwere rescued and P.Saikiran, 29, andMd Siraj, 27, whowere exploiting thewomen were alsocaught.

The questioningof accused revea-led that Mithileshand Rajaneesh bo-th natives of Biharlured victims onthe pretext of pro-viding a job in thecity and forced th-em into flesh trade.The duo employedSukhesh to lookafter the necessi-ties of the victimsincluding cookingfood and also arra-nged customers.

Rachakonda com-missioner MaheshBhagwat said, “Pri-me accused Mithil-esh Sharma has be-en into human traf-ficking for few ye-ars. Mithilesh tak-es houses on rentand lures young gi-rls. The accused isabsconding and te-ams are workingon the clues to nab him.”

KPHB TO SHUTSHOPS AT 3 PMTILL JULY 20 ADITYA CHUNDURU | DCHYDERABAD, JULY 8

Wary of the spurt in Co-vid cases, many groceryshopowners in the KPHBColony have decided toshut their shops in theafternoon every day fromThursday until July 20.

The shopkeepers, arou-nd 40 of them, are not af-filiated to any market ass-ociation and have takenthe decision informally. Inspite of registering dec-ent business, they are sh-utting down at 3 pm everyday. The owner of oneprominent shop on RoadNo. 2 said the decisionwas taken completely outof fear, as it was becom-ing dangerous for them tobe out in the public. “Itterrifies us that any per-son who visits our shopcan have Covid-19 and caninfect us. We all have to goback to our families at theend of the day, and theirsafety is important to us.A little money loss won’thurt us,” he said.

NATION pg 4DECCAN CHRONICLE | HYDERABAD | THURSDAY | 9 JULY 2020

SHORT TAKES

TERRORISTS KILLBJP LEADER, KIN

IN VALLEYYUSUF JAMEEL | DC SRINAGAR, JULY 8

A local BJP leader was alongwith his brother and fathershot dead by assailants inBandipore district on lateWednesday evening.

The police officials blamingthe incident on militants saidthat Sheikh Waseem Bari, aformer district president ofthe BJP, was sitting in a familyshop on the ground floor of hisroadside house in the mainBandipore town, 66-km northof Srinagar, when attacked.They said his father SheikhBashir Ahmed and brotherUmar Bari who were also pres-ent were critically injured inthe indiscriminate firing bythe “terrorists”.

The police and hospitalsources said that the trio wasrushed to Bandipore’s districthospital where doctorsdeclared them brought dead.

Another report said thatWaseem Bari, his father andbrother were attacked whilethey were standing outsidetheir house located oppositethe Bandipore’s police station.

Sources said 10 policemenwere assigned to guard thefamily in view of the militantthreat faced by them but noneof them was apparently pres-ent at the time of the attack.

DC CORRESPONDENTMUMBAI, JULY 8

The vandalism of ‘Rajgruh’,the residence of Dr BabasahebAmbedkar at Dadar inMumbai, has created a stir inMaharashtra with the actbeing condemned by variousquarters in the state. Thepolice have detained one sus-pect in the matter.

Terming the incident as‘shocking,’ Chief MinisterUddhav Thackeray said thegovernment will not spare theoffenders. He vowed to takestern action against thoseinvolved in the incident.

“The premises is not just asacred place forAmbedkarites, but the entiresociety. Ambedkar preservedall his writings in this premis-es. This is like a pilgrimagecentre for allMaharashtrians,” he said.

According to police, the inci-dent happened on Tuesdaynight, in which the unidentifi-ed accused entered the premises of Rajgruh andsmashed flower pots, damagedplants, CCTV camera and pelt-ed stones at a window beforefleeing.

AMBEDKAR’S‘RAJGRUH’

VANDALISED

NIRAV’S ASSETSWORTH `329 CR

CONFISCATEDDC CORRESPONDENTMUMBAI, JULY 8

Fugitive diamantaire NiravModi got another jolt after theEnforcement Directorate (ED)seized assets to the tune of`329.66 crore in connectionwith the ongoing investigationin the Punjab National Bank(PNB) scam case, also involv-ing his uncle and fugitiveaccused Mehul Choksi.

The fresh action was taken asper the provisions of the fugi-tive economic offenders law.

“Attached properties of fugi-tive Nirav Modi consisting offlats, farm house, windmill,shares and bank depositstotalling to `329.66 crorestands confiscated to theCentral government under theFugitive Economic OffendersAct, 2018,” ED tweeted. (sic)

The seized property includesfour flats at Samudra Mahal inWorli, a sea-side farm houseand land in Alibaug, a wind-mill in Jaisalmer, a flat inLondon and residential flats inUAE along with shares andbank deposits.

The action came after clearance from a special courtin Mumbai for the confisca-tion.

Gangster Dubey’saide gunned down L u ck n ow / K a n p u r,July 8: Police shot deadan aide of gangsterVikas Dubey, arrestedsix other alleged accom-plices and sent two oftheir own men behindbars in connection withthe ambush which killedeight police personnellast week, officials saidWednesday.

But the gangsterappeared to have givenpolice the slip inHaryana’s Faridabad,near Delhi.

A team raided a housearound midnightTuesday in Faridabad’sKheli Pul area, wherethe gangster had stayedfor a while, Haryanapolice said. They arrest-ed three people thereafter a brief exchange offire.

Also, CCTV footageshowed a man whoresembled the gangsterat a Faridabad hotel. Hedid not check in when astaff member insistedon an identity card witha clear photograph.

Apart from theFaridabad encounter,police engaged Dubey’salleged accomplices inUttar Pradesh’sHamirpur, where an oneman was killed, and inKanpur, where threewere arrested.

An inspector and con-stable were injured inthe Hamirpurencounter.

The Uttar Pradesh

Special Task Force(STF) also detainedDubey’s brother-in-lawin Madhya Pradesh’sShahdol district onWednesday.

On Monday, the rela-tive’s son was detained.

Those arrested onWednesday included twosuspended sub inspec-tors, Chaubeypur sta-tion officer VinayTiwari and Bikru beatin-charge K.K. Sharma.

Both are accused oftipping off Vikas Dubey,which allowed thealleged gangster to setan ambush for a policeteam which had gone toarrest him at his Bikruvillage near Kanpur.

Since the ambushearly Friday, threealleged accomplices ofthe gangster have beenkilled and 10 arrested, inaddition to the twopolicemen. All 68 per-sonnel at theChaubeypur police sta-tion, where Tiwari wasthe station officer, weresent to the reserve policelines.

Police sources saidAmar Dubey, the man

killed in Hamirpur’sMaudaha village, trav-elled with the gangsterwherever he went,ensuring his security.

Additional DirectorGeneral of Police (Lawand Order) PrashantKumar said there was areward of `50,000 for hisarrest.

An unlicensed semi-automatic .32 bore pistolwas seized.

“Acting on a tip-off, ateam of the STF andlocal police surroundedAmar. He was injured inthe firing and he diedduring treatment at ahospital,” HamirpurSuperintendent ofPolice Shlok Kumarsaid.

In the encounter inKanpur’s Chaubeypurarea, under whichDubey’s Bikru villagefalls, Shyamji Bajpai,also known as Shyamu,was shot in the leg, theADG said. Sanjiv Dubeyand Jahan Yadav werealso arrested with him.Shyamu too carried areward of `50,000 for hisarrest.

In Faridabad, the local

crime branch arrestedthree men Ankur, hisfather Shravan andKartikey alias Prabhat.

The encounter inHamirpur followedinformation extractedfrom one of them,according to police.

Four weapons, includ-ing two 9 mm pistolsbelonging to police, and44 live cartridges wereseized in Faridabad,Kumar said.

The Uttar Pradesh gov-ernment has increasedthe reward on VikasDubey from `2.5 lakh to`5 lakh.

The FIR lodged bypolice after the Bikruambush named 21 peo-ple and mentioned 50-60others.

“The STF is trackingall those named in theFIR and wherever we getinformation, we are tak-ing the help of the localpolice,” STF InspectorGeneral Amitabh Yashsaid.

“We are also trying totrace the weapons takenaway from the police-men,” he added. An AK-47 and an INSAS rifle,snatched during theambush, are yet to berecovered.

Asked about the delayin arresting Dubey, theIG said “he is hardenedcriminal and used toremaining in hiding.But we will surely nabhim. We have startedgetting success.” - PTI

A small gathering of people at Nishant garden near Jammu and Kashmir on Wednesday following theannouncement that gardens, parks throughout J&K would be thrown open for general public. Theannouncement was made amid the gradual unlocking process. — H.U. Naqash

DC CORRESPONDENTNEW DELHI, JULY 8

In a move that will trig-ger a political controver-sy, the home ministryhas set up an inter-min-isterial committee tocoordinate investiga-tions into alleged viola-tions of the Preventionof Money LaunderingAct (PMLA), the Inco-me-Tax Act and theForeign Contribution(Regulation) Act by theRajiv Gandhi Found-ation, Rajiv Gandhi

Charitable Trust andIndira Gandhi Memo-rial Trust. A specialdirector of the Enforc-ement Directorate willhead this committee.

These three trusts arelinked to the Nehru-Gandhi family.

The Rajiv GandhiFoundation was set upin June 1991, while theRajiv Gandhi Charitable

Trust was set up in 2002.Both of them are headedby Congress presidentSonia Gandhi sincetheir formation. Homeministry officials saidthe decision was takento assess if there wereany financial or anyother irregularities inthe work of these organ-isations, and there was“no question of any pol-

itics in it”. TheCongress was, however,quick to react, andcalled the move a “polit-ical vendetta”, as itcomes close on the heelsof the Centre cancellingthe allotment ofPriyanka Vadra’s gov-ernment bungalow inNew Delhi’s LodhiEstate area. TheCongress said the “partyand its leadership willnot be intimidated bythe cowardly acts andblind witch-hunt by thegovernment”.

Jawans told to delete FB accountsPAWAN BALI | DC NEW DELHI, JULY 8

Indian Army has asked itsofficers and jawans toimmediately delete theirFacebook accounts andhas also barred them fromusing some other 88 appsincluding PUBG andInstagram. Among theapps which have beenbarred are some Indianapplications like “Hike”messenger.

“As far as Facebook isconcerned, the Army per-sonnel are required not tojust deactivate theiraccounts, they have also todelete their Facebookaccount,” said a seniorArmy official. Sourcessaid that recently therehave been cases where for-eign spies had usedFacebook to target person-nel from Indian securityagencies.

The Army could take

action against any personnel found to beusing these banned appsfrom July 15.

This is the strictestwarning sent by the Armyto its personnel at a timewhen foreign spies areusing apps for espionagepurposes.

Among the apps whichhave been banned for useby Army personnel areZoom, True Caller,Nimbuzz, Line, Helo and

Snow. Army personnel will

also not be allowed to usethe popular dating appTinder to prevent honeytraps by foreign spies.Other dating apps whichare barred areTrulyMadly, Happn,okCupid, Badoo, EliteSingles and Couch Surfingamong others in this cate-gory. Some 17 e-commerceapps too have beenbanned.

22,000 NEW COVID CASES RECORDED;RECOVERY RATE ALSO PICKING UPDC CORRESPONDENTNEW DELHI, JULY 8

The recovery rate in India isfast picking up as onWednesday it reached 61.53per cent, and the gap betweenthe infected and recovered toowidened.

During the last 24 hours,16,883 patients of coronaviruswere discharged taking the

cumulative figure of recov-ered cases to 4,56,830 so farwhile 2,64,944 are still undermedical supervision.

India on Wednesday record-ed a total 7,21,417 cases out of which 22,752 were freshcases.

The deaths so far in thecountry stand at 20,642 out ofwhich 482 fatalities occurredin the last 24 hours.

OBITUARY

L. VASANTH DACHA DOB: 14.04.1933 DOD: 30.06.2020

“You are our shining star, you will liveforever in our hearts, shower yourblessings to your loving family members.”Inserted by: Wife: Chandrakala Dacha

Sons: Lalith, Luna, LokeshDaughter: Kavitha

Daughters-in-law: Sharada, NirmalaGrand children: Rugved, Brinda, Ritika

(S/2021/D00247)

Sri. A.R. SRINIVASAN Reached heavenly abode on 04.07.2020

Nadappu on 13.07.2020Karyam on 14.07.2020

Around 11:00 a.m. at our residence.From: T. Raju

10-1-554, Nehru Nagar WestMarredpally. Ph: 9000363939

(S/2021/D00251)

OBITUARY

VEERA SOHRAB CHENOY W/o Sohrab N. ChenoyMother of Rukshana,

Mother-in-law of Alex HorwoodGrand Mother of lilya

Passed away on 8th July, 2020

(S/2021/D00253)

SECOND ANNIVERSARY

M.S. DHAMODHARAN (Retd. EME Records)

It hurts too much to think how we willnever see you again, but we know you arewith us. Helping us through out our life.Inserted by: Wife: Smt. D. Rukmani &

Family Members

(S/2021/D00254)

2nd DEATH ANNIVERSARY The memory of the righteous is blessed.

Proverbs 10:7

Dr. T.S. SUDHIR DOB: 13.10.1941 DOD: 09.07.2018

Inserted by:Dr. Jamuna Sudhir (Wife)Sons, Daughters-in-law &

Grand ChildrenPhone: 99596-43049, 98480-42567

11th DAY REMEMBRANCE

PANCHEDHRI GODAVARI DOB: 19.07.1946 DOD: 29.06.2020“Your lovely memories remains in our

hearts forever Mummy.”11th Day remembrance on 9th July2020, at Subhakarya Hall, Mirjalaguda,Malkajgiri, Hyderabad.Inserted by: Sons, Daughters-in-law,

Daughters, Sons-in-law,Grand Children and

All Panchedhri Family Members.Ph: 9849985401

4th DAY CEREMONY

PANKAJ HOLADOB: 05-07-1969 DOD: 05-07-2020

According to the current situation allare requested to pray for the soul ofbeloved Pankaj Hola from their ownresidence on 9th July 2020 from11.00 am to 12.00 noon.Inserted by: Wife - Sveta Mohan Hola,

Daughter - Kritika Hola & FamilyPh: 9949032329

Flat No. 101, Rustom Ji Fortune,Bogulkunta, Opp. Fernandez Hospital,Abids.

(CA-3359)

We regret to informyou about the

demise of Bejju Damodar on

8-07-2020

BEJJUDAMODAR

D.O.B 17-07-1943 D.O.D 8-07-2020

OBITUARY

✦

Dubey may have given police the slip in Faridabad

Limping back to normalcy

Probe into Gandhi family-linkedtrusts ordered; vendetta, says Cong

● ● THE TRUSTS UNDER SCANNER ARE Rajiv GandhiFoundation, Rajiv Gandhi Charitable Trust andIndira Gandhi Memorial Trust.

● ● THOSE ARRESTED on Wednesday included twosuspended sub-inspectors, Chaubeypur station offi-cer Vinay Tiwari and Bikru beat in-charge K.K.Sharma.

● ● BOTH ARE ACCUSED of tipping off Vikas Dubey,which allowed the alleged gangster to set anambush for a police team which had gone to arresthim at his Bikru village near Kanpur.

WORLD pg 5DECCAN CHRONICLE | HYDERABAD | THURSDAY | 9 JULY 2020

Colombo, July 8: Sri Lankafor the first time has recordedthe birth of twin elephant calv-es in the country’s MinneriyaNational Park, a senior officialsaid on Wednesday.

According to various resear-ch papers, elephants are lessthan one per cent likely to givebirth to twins. It’s even lesslikely both calves survive intoadulthood. “For the first timein Sri Lanka has recorded thebirth of twin elephant calves,”Tharaka Prasad, the Director ofWildlife Health at Departmentof Wildlife Conservation, said.

He said the calves are three tofour weeks old as of now. Sum-ith Pilapitiya, a prominent wil-dlife research enthusiast, saidthis is the first time Sri Lankahas recorded the birth of twinelephant calves.

“We have been observing agroup of elephants during thelast few days, and yesterdaythrough observations, we wereable to confirm there is a set oftwins born to an adult female.This is the first time this hasbeen recorded in the country,”he said. He said the authoritieswere taking all measures toprotect the twin baby elephantsand their mother.

TWIN ELEPHANTCALVES: FIRSTTIME IN LANKA

IN BRIEF

Benny Gantz inquarantine

Jerusalem: Israeli Defence Mi-nister Benny Gantz says he is

going into quarantine over co-ncerns he was recently expos-ed to a Covid-19 carrier. Gan-

tz, who also serves as alterna-tive prime minister, says he fe-els well and is isolating out of

a sense of responsibility. Hesays he will work remotely un-

til he receives his test resultand an epidemiological inves-

tigation is concluded.

Twin hits kill 6Afghan cops

Kabul: A suicide truck bom-ber targeted a police district

headquarters in Afghanistan’sKandahar province on Wedn-

esday, killing three officers.Three more officers were

killed in a roadside bombingin Ghazni province. The Talib-an claimed responsibility for

both attacks. In the Kandaharattack, the suicide bomber

struck in the district of ShahWali Kot. The explosion alsowounded 14 policemen andcivilians. An official said the

shooting by guards set offthe explosives’ load, trigger-ing a huge blast that causedthe casualties and damaged

several buildings. In theGhazni bombing, Habibullah,the police chief of Dayak dis-

trict, was killed along withhis two bodyguards.

Biden wins NewJersey primary

Washington: Former Vice Pr-esident Joe Biden has won

New Jersey’s mostly mail-inDemocratic presidential pri-mary. Biden faced VermontSen. Bernie Sanders on the

ballot Tuesday, even thoughBiden has accumulated eno-

ugh delegates to become theparty’s presumptive nominee.New Jersey’s already-late pri-mary got pushed a month la-ter because of the Covid-19.

July 14 hearingfor Epstein aide

New York: Jeffrey Epstein’sex-girlfriend will appear rem-

otely by video for a July 14courthouse arraignment andbail hearing on charges she

recruited girls for him to sexu-ally abuse over two decades

ago. US District Judge AlisonJ. Nathan set the date as she

announced special arrangem-ents to allow limited publicaccess to the video feed of

Ghislaine Maxwell facing cha-rges for the first time in Manh-attan federal court next week.

4 dead in NewJersey shootingPaterson: A street shooting ina northern New Jersey comm-

unity has left four peopledead and three others wound-

ed, authorities said. The gun-fire in Paterson, New Jersey,

erupted shortly after 11 pmTuesday. Four victims foundat the scene were taken to a

hospital, where they all died ashort time later, authorities

said. Three other victims wentto the hospital on their own ashort time later seeking treat-

ment, but further details ontheir conditions were not dis-

closed. The names of theseven victims have not beenreleased. “I want to be clearthat we will have zero toler-

ance for violence in our city,”Mayor Andre Sayegh said in

an email Wednesday.

Will quit WHO, US formally briefs UNWashington, July 8: TheTrump administration hasformally notified the Unit-ed Nations of its decisionto withdraw the US fromthe World Health Organis-ation, breaking off tieswith the global healthbody amidst the ragingCovid-19 pandemic.

President Donald Trumpsaid he was halting fundi-ng to the organisation inmid-April and announcedhis intention to withdrawfrom the WHO in May aft-er he said it “failed tomake the requested andgreatly needed reforms”.

The US has also accusedthe WHO of siding withChina on the outbreak ofthe virus, which originat-ed in the Chinese city ofWuhan late last year, alleg-ing the health body misledthe world resulting in dea-ths of over half a millionpeople globally, includingover 130,000 in America al-one. “China has total cont-rol over the World HealthOrganisation,” PresidentTrump said in May.

He has also alleged thatthe Chinese governmenttried to cover-up of the Co-vid-19 pandemic’s origins.In April, the US stopped fu-nding to WHO as the Tru-mp administration review-ed the ties. A month later,President Donald Trumpannounced the US was ter-minating the relationship.

The US is the single larg-est contributor to theWHO, providing over $450million per annum. Chi-na’s contribution to the gl-

obal health body is about$40 million, one-tenth ofthat of the US. “I can saythat on July 6, 2020, theUnited States of Americanotified the secretary-gen-eral, in his capacity as dep-ositary of the 1946 Constit-ution of the World HealthOrganisation, of its withd-rawal from the World Hea-lth Organisation, effectiveon July 6, 2021,” said Ste-phane Dujarric, spokesm-an for the UN secretary-ge-neral, in a statement.

Dujarric said the secreta-

ry-general is in the processof verifying with the WHOwhether all the conditionsfor such withdrawal aremet. The US has been a pa-rty to the WHO Constitut-ion since June 21, 1948. Itsparticipation was acceptedby the World Health Asse-mbly with certain conditi-ons set out by the US for itseventual withdrawal. Thesaid conditions includegiving a one-year notice,meaning the withdrawalwon't go into effect untilJuly 6 next year. — PTI

US, China impose visa curbs in Tibet rowBeijing, July 8: The Uni-ted States and China impo-sed visa restrictions oneach other in tit-for-tat mo-ves over their disagreeme-nt on Tibet, adding fuel tothe diplomatic fire betw-een the superpowers.

China announced Wedn-esday its curbs on peoplefrom the US who “behavebadly” on Tibet-related is-sues, in retaliation for Am-erican curbs unveiled aday before. Secretary ofState Mike Pompeo saidTuesday he was taking ac-tion against an unspecifi-ed number of officialsunder a new US law thatpresses China to let Ame-ricans visit the far westregion, renewing a call for“meaningful autonomy”in the predominantly Bud-dhist area.

“Unfortunately, Beijing

has continued systemati-cally to obstruct travel tothe Tibetan AutonomousRegion and other Tibetanareas by US diplomats andother officials, journalists

and tourists, while PRCofficials and other citizensenjoy far greater access tothe United States,” Pomp-eo said in a statement.

Pompeo restricted visas

to Chinese officials deter-mined to be “substantiallyinvolved” in the exclusionof foreigners from Tibetanareas. The State Departm-ent declined to name theofficials or say how manypeople were affected, citi-ng US confidentiality laws.

Chinese foreign ministryspokesman Zhao Lijian ex-pressed China’s “firm opp-osition” to the move andurged the US to “immedi-ately stop interfering inChina’s internal affairsthrough Tibet-related issu-es”. “In response to thewrong actions of the US,China has decided to im-pose visa restrictions onUS personnel who behavebadly on Tibet-related iss-ues,” he said, warning offurther damage to US-Ch-ina relations and coopera-tion. — AP

CHINA SLAMS USFOR PULLING OUT OF WHOBeijing, July 8: China onWednesday slammed theUS decision to withdrawfrom the WHO as yet anot-her example of Washingt-on upholding “unilaterali-sm” and defended the UNbody for coordinating theglobal response to Covid.

Chinese Foreign Minist-ry spokesman Zhao Lijiansaid, “This is yet anotherexample of US upholdingunilateralism, withdrawi-ng from treaties and grou-pings.” The US move willundermine the interna-tional anti-epidemic effo-rts and has a serious nega-tive impact on developingcountries in urgent needof international support,he said. — PTI

BEIJING DISMISSES AUSTRALIANWARNING OF ARBITRARY DETENTIONCanberra, July 8: TheChinese Embassy on Wed-nesday dismissed Austral-ia’s warning to travellersof arbitrary detention inChina as “ridiculous” and“disinformation” in thelatest diplomatic spat tomar a deteriorating relati-onship. Australia’s Depar-tment of Foreign Affairsand Trade said on Tuesd-ay in an updated travel ad-visory for China that aut-

horities have detained for-eigners because they’re“endangering national se-curity”, adding that Austr-alians may also be at risk.

China’s embassy in Aust-ralia replied in a stateme-nt: “This is completely rid-iculous and disinformati-on. Foreigners in China,including the Australians,as long as they abide bythe Chinese laws, have noneed to worry.” — AP

Beijing, July 8: A seniorChinese arms control offi-cial called US pressure tojoin nuclear arms talkswith Russia an Americanploy to avoid signing anew deal, and said Chinawould gladly participate ifthe US would agree to par-ity among all three natio-ns. “I can assure you thatif the US says that theyare ready to come down to

the Chinese level, Chinawill be happy to participa-te the next day,” Fu Cong,the director general of theForeign Ministry’s armscontrol department, saidWednesday. “But actually,we know that that’s notgoing to happen.”

Fu spoke to journalistsin Beijing after the US poi-ntedly noted the Chineseabsence at talks with Russ-

ia in Vienna two weeksago on replacing the 2010New START arms controltreaty. The pact, which ex-pires in February, is betw-een the US and Russia,long the world’s majornuclear powers.

Fu called joining thetalks unrealistic becauseChina has a much smallernuclear arsenal than theother two. — AP

N-talks ploy to avoid new deal

MEET TO DECIDEOLI FUTURE PUTOFF AGAINKathmandu, July 8: Acrucial meeting of theruling Nepal Communi-st Party to decide the po-litical future of beleagu-ered Prime Minister K.P.Sharma Oli was once ag-ain deferred on Wednes-day till Friday to allowmore time for the top le-aders to reach a power-sharing deal amid theheightened intra-partyrift and his anti-Indiaremarks. The 45-mem-ber Standing Committeemeeting has been postp-oned to Friday, saidSurya Thapa, the PM’spress advisor.

With this, the crucialmeeting has been put offfor the fourth consecuti-ve time in a bid to prov-ide enough time for thetwo chairmen of the rul-ing party, Oli and Push-pa Kamal Dahal ‘Pracha-nda’, to sort out differ-ences. The future of 68-year-old Oli is expectedto be decided amidst thegrowing involvement ofChinese ambassadorHou Yanqui to save him.

— PTI

K.P. Oli

New York, July 8: Pres-ident Donald Trump’sniece offers a scathingportrayal of her uncle ina new book, blaming atoxic family for raising anarcissistic, damagedman who poses an imme-diate danger to the pub-lic, according to a copyobtained by The Asso-ciated Press.

Mary L. Trump, apsychologist, writes thatTrump’s re-electionwould be catastrophicand that “lying, playingto the lowest commondenominator, cheating,and sowing division areall he knows”. “By thetime this book is pub-lished, hundreds of thou-sands of American liveswill have been sacrificedon the altar of Donald’shubris and willful igno-rance. If he is afforded asecond term, it would bethe end of AmericanDemocracy,” she writesin Too Much and NeverEnough, How My Family

Created The World’s MostDangerous Man.

Mary Trump is the da-ughter of Trump’s elderbrother, Fred Jr., whodied after a struggle withalcoholism in 1981 at 42.The book is the secondinsider account in twomonths to paint a deeplyunflattering portrait ofthe president, followingthe release of formernational security adviserJohn Bolton’s bestseller.

In her book, Mary, whois estranged from heruncle, makes several rev-elations, including alleg-

ing that the presidentpaid a friend to take theSATs — a standardisedtest widely used for col-lege admissions — in hisplace. She writes that hissister Maryanne Trumpdid his homework forhim but couldn’t take histests and he worried hisgrade point average,which put him far fromthe top of the class,would “scuttle his effortsto get accepted” into theWharton School of theUniversity of Pennsylv-ania, where he transferr-ed after two years atFordham University inthe Bronx. “To hedge hisbets he enlisted JoeShapiro, a smart kidwith a reputation forbeing a good test taker, totake his SATs for him,”she writes, adding,“Donald, who neverlacked for funds, paid hisbuddy well.”

White Housespokesperson SarahMatthews called the alle-

gation “completelyfalse”. Mary also writes,in awe, of Trump’s abili-ty to gain the support ofprominent Christianleaders and white evan-gelicals, saying: “Theonly time Donald went tochurch was when thecameras were there. It’smind boggling. He has noprinciples. None!”

White House presssecretary KayleighMcEnany slammed thebook Tuesday, saying,“It’s ridiculous, absurdaccusations that haveabsolutely no bearing intruth.” Mary tracesmuch of her pain to thedeath of her father whenshe was 16. The presi-dent, who rarely admitsmistakes, told TheWashington Post lastyear that he regrettedthe pressure he and hisfather had put on Fred Jr.to join the family busi-ness when his brotherwanted to be a pilotinstead. — AP

Don paid friend to take collegeexam in his place: Niece’s book

Mary Trump

Washington, July 8: Pres-ident Donald Trump onWednesday threatened to with-hold federal money if schoolsdon’t reopen in the fall, and helashed out at federal healthofficials over school reopeningnorms that he says are im-practical and expensive.

Taking to Twitter to voice hisfrustration, Trump argued thatcountries, including Germany,Denmark and Norway, havereopened schools “with no pro-blems”. He also repeated hisclaim that Democrats want tokeep schools closed for politi-cal reasons, not because of anyrisks associated with Covid-19.

“The Dems think it would bebad for them politically if USschools open before the Novem-ber Election,” he said, “but isimportant for the children & fa-milies. May cut off funding ifnot open!” He did not immedia-tely say what funding he wouldcut off or under what authorityhe had to make the move. Hemade the comments a day afterlaunching an all-out effort pr-essing state and local officialsto reopen the nation’s schoolsand colleges this fall. — AP

Prez disagrees with FauciPresident Donald Trump onTuesday said he disagrees withthe assessment of the countr-y’s top immunologist, AnthonyFauci, on the dire situation theUnited States faces as cases ofCovid-19 continue to spread.

“The current state is reallynot good,” Fauci said.

Trump, speaking Tuesday ina TV interview, disagreed withFauci, a key player on the Wh-ite House’s own CoronavirusTask Force.

“I think we are in a goodplace,” the president said in aninterview. — AP

TRUMP THREATENSAID CUT IF SCHOOLSDON’T REOPEN

34 MORE PIAPILOTS’ LICENCESSUSPENDEDIslamabad, July 8: Pak-istan’s aviation authorityhas suspended the licenc-es of 34 more pilots of Pa-kistan International Air-lines on suspicion of hold-ing fake degrees. Lastweek, the national carrierterminated the services of52 employees on variouscharges. — PTI

Rio de Janeiro, July 8:Brazilian President JairBolsonaro says he is confi-dent that he will swiftlyrecover from the new Covid-19 thanks to treatment withhydroxychloroquine, the

anti-malaria drug that hasnot been proven effectiveagainst Covid-19. Bolsonarosaid he tested positive forthe new Covid-19 on Tues-day after months of down-playing its severity. — AP

BOLSONARO: I AM TAKING HCQ, WILLSWIFTLY RECOVER FROM COVID-19

EDIT pg 6DECCAN CHRONICLE | HYDERABAD | THURSDAY | 9 JULY 2020

In one stroke of penning a directive to strip international college stu-dents of their visas if their course of study was entirely online, theDonald Trump-administered United States has thrown more than amillion lives into uncertainty, that too in the time of the pandemic.

Among the 10 lakh students who were issued visas to US last year, thereare at least two lakh young Indians who may face the distressingprospect of being deported at a time when there are no flights home andat the cost of several lakhs of rupees spent in college fees, getting to theUS and setting up their lodging.

The Trump administration may be doing this to force universities intoearly reopening and filling dormitories and populating classrooms as away of thrusting normality, but at a particularly difficult time when the

virus is rebounding even as the USreopens. It is clear that the move goes farbeyond domestic compulsions. The xeno-phobic outlook of the Trump regime is onceagain exposed, the trait already made evi-dent in restrictive moves made againstwork visas in June. The action against for-eign students can be interpreted as blatant-ly racist too as a majority of students whowill be affected are Chinese (about 3,70,000),Indians (2,02,000) and South Koreans(52,000) who enrolled in 2018-19.

The pattern of hostility to immigrants,fuelled on in the Trump years that beganwith the idea of a Mexican Wall, is clear.This could mean not only the end of pursuitof studies in the US but also evaporation ofthe “American Dream” for many youth

who will be missing job opportunities, which may have been a good rea-son why they chose to study in the US. Foreign students, many of whomwho pay full tuition fees, are also estimated to contribute upwards of $30billion a year to the US economy while supporting about half a millionjobs in and around academia. US varsities may innovate in offering in-person classes in hybrid courses and students residing in the US mayjust find ways past the regulations. But what is destroyed as lakhs ofyoung people agonise over regulations that put them in the crosshairs isthe old belief in America as the land of opportunity. In narrow-mindedpandering to American sentiment favouring the reduction of legal immi-gration to the US, the country could be shooting itself in the foot.

Nothing will, however, cut ice with the US President when he is seek-ing re-election. Every manoeuvre that projects itself as putting America,Americans and US jobs first can be traced to one man’s ambition toremain in the White House. The student visa restrictions could be seenas primarily hitting at China, derided now as the source of the Covid-19pandemic and consequent fall of the global economy. But, if Indian stu-dents become collateral damage, all the talk of special US-India ties amidTrump-Modi camaraderie gets shown up as empty.

9 JULY 2020

Trump’s 2nd term price:2 lakh education dreams

Nothing will, however,cut ice with the US

President when he isseeking re-election.

Every manoeuvre thatprojects itself asputting America,

Americans and USjobs first can be

traced to one man’sambition to remain in

the White House.

Revenue dented,Railways beginausterity drive

It is high time thatIndia corrects itspast mistakes, asits 1.3 billion peo-ple face uncom-

fortable truths and anuncertain future, like somany countries aroundthe world. It may be dif-ficult, if not impossible,for us to disentangleourselves from the drag-on’s clutches, as it haspenetrated Hindustanlike an octopus, with alife-threatening hug.India’s core and criticalsectors — from banking,investments, consumergoods and pharmaceuti-cals, to computers, cell-phones and cellularpower — all havebecome China-infested.It’s not just the flagrantbreach of territory inthe Galwan Valley andelsewhere in Ladakhthat we are looking at.

The widespread publicoutrage against theChinese after the PLA’smassacre of 20 Indiansoldiers, including adecorated colonel, isunderstandable, ofcourse, and it shouldgoad the nation into tak-ing decisive action.Ordinary Indians haverightly seen this cold-blooded killing as yetanother addition to thelong list of foreignincursions into India,which has made its his-tory so predictable —and humiliating. Andit’s not just about ourpast, after 1947 too thehumiliation by foreigninvaders has continued,with a helpless peoplelet down by their lead-ers, time and again.People are resigned toseeing foreign soldiersecho Julius Caesar’swords with ease: “Icame. I saw. I con-quered”. From Mahmudof Ghazni to Nadir Shahto the Mughals, theBritish and now theHan Chinese in Galwan-Pangong, the story hasremained the same for athousand years: enter

India at will, and kill allthose standing in theway! The more Indiaseems to forge ahead,the more static and stag-nant it emerges.

India is the only oneamong the world’s top10 economies and mili-taries whose soldiersare slaughtered by therogue forces of theCommunist Party ofChina, which pretendsto be this country’s“strategic partner”, andwhose promises weappear to accept with-out question. Chinamay aspire to be theworld’s numero uno,but it doesn’t care aboutdiplomatic niceties (andin fact despises thosewho do as “weak”), andwhose expertise indeceit, cunning andtheft is universallyacknowledged. And it isconfident that with bag-fuls of cash it can sim-ply “buy” support wher-ever it needs to, includ-ing in Hindustan. Canwe prove them wrong,even at this late stage?

Do we in India evenrealise how muchstature, honour, respectand standing we havefrittered away in theinternational arena?Take a look at what isbeing published in theinternational media,how New Delhi is per-ceived in the face ofBeijing’s aggression.“The apparent lack ofhesitancy the Chinesehave in killing Indian

soldiers, compared toTaiwanese or Japanese(soldiers), is due to thefact that India’s securi-ty is not guaranteed bythe United States. Ifthat’s the problem,there is a solution: anagreement withBritain,” says a letter inLondon’s FinancialTimes last month.“India should havesome of its soldiers jointhe British Army asCommonwealth citi-zens, and asks Britainto send the soldiers topatrol its borders withChina, and in returnpays their salaries… IfChinese soldiers don’tfeel free to kill troopswhose government iscovered by a US securi-ty umbrella, thenIndians will be quitesafe in British uni-forms.”

How humiliating canthings be? China doesn’tdare to touch Taiwan’sor Japan’s soldiersdespite being swornfoes. But India? Chinafinds it totally safe tokill Indian soldierswithout an iota ofIndian retribution!Beijing seems to beutterly confident thateven if some Indian sol-diers die at the hands ofthe Han Chinese,India’s public memoryis so short that peoplewill forget it sooner orlater, and life will go onas usual. And theChinese will be free tostart making moneyonce again in the Indianmarket.

On June 26, America’sWall Street Journalwarned: “What are thecosts of kowtowing toChina? India faces thisquestion afresh afterclashes on theHimalayan boundarywhich took the lives of20 Indian soldiers”.Should India fail to

push the Chinese back, “it would be anexample of very suc-cessful public intimida-tion by China, thatopens door to furtherblackmail down theline”. The Chinese areonly following a time-tested policy, one thathave been successfullydoing since 1949 on alltheir borders and withall neighbours. Theywill simply never giveup the easy way ofexpanding territoriesthrough surreptitious,illegal means becausethat’s where the exper-tise of the PLA, thepolitical sword and armof the CommunistParty, truly lies.

For India, it may bethe worst of times,despite the dubious, so-called “retreat fromGalwan”. First came the“Chinese virus”, and weare still struggling tocope with it. Then camethe Chinese penetrationof India’s economy, andfinally, the Han Chineseinvasion of India, maul-ing our sovereignty andour soldiers? Can Indiahit back? Yes, but not inhaste; and perhaps notby force. Some of thegear our armed forcesneed are also made, ifonly indirectly, by theChinese! TheWashington Post report-ed June 28: “A strikingexample of the Chineserole came days after theGalwan clash.

The MD of SMPP, afirm that was awarded amajor contract to makeover 100,000 bulletproofjackets for the IndianArmy in 2018, said thecompany relied onimported materialsfrom China to make itsproducts,” thoughadding: “If required, wewill look to alternativeroutes.”

After this, how canIndians absurdly talkabout a war with China?If Indian businessmenimport materials forbasics like bulletproofjackets, and ignore callsto “Make in India”, doIndian corporates wantNew Delhi to kowtow toa marauding Beijing?

The writer is an alumnus of the National

Defence College. Theviews expressed are

personal.

Subhani

AbhijitBhattacharyya

How humiliatingcan things be?

China doesn’t dareto touch Taiwan’s

or Japan’s soldiersdespite being

sworn foes. ButIndia? China finds it

totally safe to killIndian soldiers

without an iota ofIndian retribution!

The Chinese willsimply never give upthe easy way ofexpanding territoriesthrough surrepti-tious, illegal meansbecause that’swhere the expertiseof the PLA, the polit-ical sword and armof the CommunistParty, truly lies

After Galwan, correctIndia’s past mistakes

Between 3 and 5 am on Tuesday, purportedly as per Brahma muhur-tam (anointed auspicious time), the Telangana state governmentbegan demolishing the Secretariat buildings and released a design

of a palatial replacement resembling the palace of Versailles to cost over`500 crore. The focus on demolishing an existing building, which accord-ing to most experts had a structural strength and life for another 30 to 40years at the very least, during a week when Coronavirus cases have beenincreasingly at an alarming rate of over 1,800 a day, with a total officialtally of over 28,000 cases and a new lockdown was to be announced is incongruence with the maverick style of Chief Minister K. ChandrashekarRao. Shortage of oxygen, crippled hospital infrastructure, collapsed man-agement of containment zones, low testing inviting the chiding of thehigh court, restless hospital staff, a pandemic spreading to villages andincreasing number of deaths would push a lesser leader to think it wouldbe a great priority over a new building as a gift to posterity to mark hislegacy, or align astrological for forces to his overvaulting ambition.

Even as the state government is conspicuous in a phantomlike absence,leaving the Governor to rise to the occasion to manage the fight againstCovid, people are reacting with disbelief at this surreal situation, not toounlike the Shakespearean observation on Denmark.

In Delhi, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, too, is striving similarly witha legacy-marking architectural creation, grandiose, immortal andwrongly timed. Not long ago, in Tamil Nadu, proving that no politicalparty has a monopoly on wasting public money, while M. Karunanidhispent over `1,200 crore on a new Assembly building, his arch-nemesis J.Jayalalithaa converted it into a multi-speciality hospital.

Surely people’s lives should matter more. Alas, they don’t.

Its earnings seriously dentedby the Covid-19 pandemic, theRailways have announced aseries of austerity measures.

These range from a freeze on cre-ation of new posts, rationalisationof manpower at workshops, shift-ing outsources work to CSR andmoving ceremonial events to digi-tal platforms to cutting down onthe use of stationery by half.

According to sources, the finan-cial commissioner of the Railwaysrecently wrote to general man-agers of all zones on this.Apparently, the traffic earnings ofthe railways dropped by 58 percent at the end of May as comparedto the corresponding period lastyear.

Under the austerity drive, thezones have been asked to controlexpenditure by reducing staff costand rationalising their tasks,review contracts, reduce energyconsumption and cut administra-

tive and other costs. The financial commissioner has also recommended that all work be transferred to the digital space and all correspon-dence be done through secureemails.

DENIED PROMOTION, SENIOR COP RESIGNS

In an earlier column (June 10) Ihad reported that senior IPS offi-cer and director of Telangana StateAcademy Vinoy Kumar Singh was‘unhappy’ and had threatened toresign from the service. He haskept his word. Mr Singh has put inhis papers. In a letter to the Unionhome secretary, Mr Singh said thathe does not want to be a “burdenon the government”.

According to sources, in his let-ter, Mr Singh said he was seekingpremature retirement from theservice effective from October 2,the birth anniversary of Mahatma

Gandhi.Those in the know say that Mr

Singh’s exit was expected eversince he was overlooked for pro-motion as director general ofpolice (DGP), although he was eli-gible. Earlier in May, in a letter tothe state chief secretary SomeshKumar, Mr Singh had reportedlycomplained that though he wasempanelled for the post of DGPthree months ago, the governmenthad still not taken up the matter ofhis promotion.

Mr Singh is a 1987-batch IPS offi-cer and has alleged that officers of1986 batch of regular recruits ofTelangana cadre were promotedthree years ago without clearvacancies. Similarly, IAS officersof 1989 batch of Telangana cadrewere also promoted without clearvacancies. IPS officers of 1989batch of many states, includingAndhra Pradesh, were promotedlong back.

He has reportedly said that afterretirement, he would like to workfor reforms among the people ofTelangana. Seems like he’s hintingat a new career.

TAMIL NADU COPS SHAMEDIn the aftermath of the alleged cus-todial deaths of P. Jeyaraj and hisson J. Bennix at Thoothukudi inTamil Nadu, the Madras highcourt passed an unprecedentedorder directing the district collec-tor to depute revenue officials totake control of the Sathankulampolice station, where the incidenthappened. The deaths had shockedthe nation once the details of tor-ture and police brutality came tolight.

Apparently, this is the first timesince the Indian Police Act cameinto existence in 1861 that a courthas ordered for a police station tobe taken over by revenue officials.The court further initiated crimi-

nal contempt action against addi-tional SP D. Kumar, deputy SPPrathapan and constableMaharajan for destroying evi-dence, not cooperating with theinvestigation and intimidating thejudicial team conducting theprobe.

The Tamil Nadu government hasordered a CBI inquiry into thedeaths of Jeyaraj and his son fol-lowing a public outcry. Othersteps are being taken. The Tiruchyrange DIG V. Balakrishnan hasreportedly released 80 cops withanger issues from duty and askedthem to undergo behavioural ther-apy for one month. This coincideswith a major reshuffle involving39 senior IPS officers. But thestate’s cops can’t live down thisdisgraceful behaviour easily.

Share a babu experience! Followdilipthecherian@Twitter.com. Let’s

multiply the effect.

Dilip CherianDilli Ka Babu

Criminal, wasteful spending

DECCAN CHRONICLE

ADITYA SINHA K. SUDHAKAREditor Printer & Publisher

DECCAN CHRONICLE offices are located at:

Hyderabad: 36, Sarojini Devi Road, Secunderabad - 500 003, Ph: 040-27803930-4; Fax : 040-27805256Vijayawada: No.C-3 & 4 Patamata, Industrial Estate, Auto Nagar, Vijayawada (A.P.), Ph: 0866-2555284/2555287; Telefax: 0866-2555234Visakhapatnam: Survey No.1/3A Beach Road, Near Kailasagiri Ropeway, Sector-9 MVP Colony,Visakhapatnam - 530 017 (A.P), Ph: 0891-2552333/2552334; Fax: 0891-2755285Rajahmundry: Vemagiri, Dhawaleswaram Rd, Rajahmundry, Ph: 0883-2417618/2417208; Telefax: 0883-2417208Anantapur: Thapovan colony, Bangalore By-Pass Road, Anantapur - 515004, Ph: 08554-276903; Fax:08554-276904Karimnagar: Survey No.1341, Vavilalapally Colony, Jagityala Road, Karimnagar - 505 001, Ph: 0878-2228908; Telefax: 0878-2220433Nellore: Survey No.527/2, Burranpur Village, Venkatachalam (M), Chemmudugunta Panchayat, Nellore,Ph: 0861-2348581/82; Telefax: 0861-2348580Chennai: SP-3 Developed Plot, Industrial Estate, Guindy, Chennai - 600 032, Ph: 044-22254747/ 48/50/51;Advt Fax: 22254765/22254766/42305325Bengaluru: 5th Floor, BMTC Commercial Complex, 80 Feet Road, Koramangala, Bengaluru-560 095 Ph:080-43460500; Fax: 080-22960552. Coimbatore: 77, Vivekananda Road, Ramnagar, Coimbatore - 641 009, Ph : 0422 2231255Kochi: No.3-B, 3rd Floor of DD TRADE TOWER, Kaloor-Kadavanthara Road, Ernakulam, Ph: 0484-4039408Thiruvananthapuram: St Joseph�s Press, TC 15/1040, Cotton Hill, Thycaud (PO), Thiruvananthapuram695 014 Kozhikode: Door No 6/1002 E, First Floor of City Mall, Opp. YMCA, Kannur Road, Kozhikode - 673 001,Fax : 0495 4019 018Gram: CHRONICLE Postal registration no: No. H/SD-348/2006-08

TS SECRETARIAT The Telangana state gov-ernment should haveselected a modern build-ing design for the newSecretariat with at least 50floors to save on groundspace for greenery, foun-tains and parking in the25-acre plot taking inspira-tion from several skyscrap-ers. The present designwith only six floors occu-pies more plinth area thana 50-storied skyscraper.

J. Vijay KumarSecunderabad

The CM could have waited for ayear or more to have a new Secre-tariat. He should have engaged hishigher officials to coordinate totackle the pandemic and denguefirst.

M. JeevanandSecunderabad

DISTRACTION GAMEI agree with the comments in theletter titled 'Chinese chequers', (DC,June 8). India and China are justtrying to divert the attention of peo-ple and fool them. The damage ofthe nation started with demonetisa-tion. It is very sad.

KuriakoseSecunderabad

COVID RESEARCHThe lack of research into Covid inIndia is unfortunate (No researchon Covid in India: Virology expert,DC, July 7) when we are at thehighest risk of getting infected.Epidemiology research only canguide us to plan for future.Depending on research from USand other countries is not right asvirus behaviour can differ fromcountry to country.

Dr Jaspal Singh BhatiaTandur

LETTERS

State agrees to takeE. Bengal refugees

By a staff reporterHYDERABAD, July 8

The State Government hasagreed to rehabilitate about 1,000families of refugees from EastBengal.

The first batch of these refugeesconsisting of 250 families isexpected to Isagaon in Sirpur

taluk ofAdilabadd i s t r i c ttomorrowfor beingsettled on

agricultural lands reserved forthem there.

According to an officialsspokesman, the second batch of250 families will arrive atIsagaon in about a week’s timewhile the third batch of 300 fami-lies will arrive on or about July25. The last batch of 200 familieswill come in August.

50 YEARS AGO IN

Inflows fall to `240 cr Vs `5,256 cr in May

pg 7HYDERABAD | THURSDAY | 9 JULY 2020

VRISHTI BENIWAL &ANIRBAN NAGJULY 8

The government is run-ning out of options to fundits budget and may soonhave to knock on the cen-tral bank's door once againfor support.

The administration canget the Reserve Bank ofIndia to buy sovereignbonds directly or boost div-idends to help supplementrevenue, which has beenhit by a crippling lockdownto contain the virus'sspread. The government isfacing a budget deficit of ashigh as 7 per cent of grossdomestic product, thewidest in more than twodecades, according to someestimates.

It would "make sense togo for some form of deficitmonetisation" right away,said Sabyasachi Kar, RBIchair professor at theNational Institute ofPublic Finance and Policyin New Delhi. "Demandcreation can only happen ifthe government spends."

Central banks from theUS to Japan are helping tofund record fiscal stimulusfrom their governmentsamid the pandemic. That'seven been the case inemerging markets likeIndonesia—where the cen-tral bank this week agreed

to buy billions of dollars ofbonds directly from thegovernment. The approachthough carries risks, espe-cially for inflation, curren-cy and the independence ofthe central bank.

The Fiscal Responsibilityand Budget ManagementAct prevents the RBI frombuying bonds directly fromthe government in the pri-mary market, but the lawprovides an escape clausein the event of the countryfacing a national calamityor a severe slowdown.

The RBI has so far madesome discreet bond pur-chases in the secondarymarket, but the govern-ment's debt manager is yetto outline a plan on how itwill manage the adminis-tration's record Rs 12 lakhcrore ($160 billion) of bor-rowings in the current fis-cal year to March.

For now, banks areamassing sovereign bonds

on optimism the centralbank will soak up the debtsupply. Lenders awashwith cash, given poordemand for loans in theeconomy, have raised theirholdings of sovereignnotes to Rs 41.4 lakh croreas of June 19, up 13 percent from end-March.

"We still think it is feasi-ble to finance a deficit ofaround 11 per cent of GDP—Centre and states—with-out resorting to largeamounts of RBI financ-ing," said Sergi Lanau,deputy chief economist atthe International In-stituteof Finance in Washington."Banks have alreadybought many bonds andwith an economy in reces-sion, they may not havemany opportunities to lendto firms anyway."

A possible credit ratingdowngrade is another riskfor India, which is headingfor its first economic con-

traction in more than fourdecades this year. The cred-it score of Asia's third-largest economy is only astep away from junk atFitch Ratings and Moody'sInvestors Service, both ofwhich have kept the sover-eign on negative watch cit-ing deteriorating fiscalstrength.

Economists in a Bloom-berg survey expect thenation's fiscal deficit thisyear to hit 7 per cent ofGDP—a level last seen in1994—against a target of3.5 per cent. The IMF seesthe country's public debtrising to 85.7 per cent ofGDP next year fromaround 70 per cent now.

While the threat of a rat-ing downgrade may reducethe likelihood of the cen-tral bank buying bondsdirectly from the govern-ment, there is room for theRBI to rescue the govern-ment by way of a dividendpayout in August.

The "RBI would berequired to partiallybailout the government byallowing its revaluationreserves to be utilised,"said Kunal Kundu, an econ-omist with SocieteGenerale GSC, addingthere is also the possibilitythat the government couldissue a special "Covidbond" to tide over theexpenses. —Bloomberg

SANGEETHA GCHENNAI, JULY 8

In order to provide afford-able rental housing formigrant workers, govern-ment-funded housing com-plexes, which are lyingvacant, will be put to use.Private and public entitieswill also receive incen-tives to develop complexeson their vacant land. TheCentre will spend Rs 600crore for the scheme thattargets three lakh benefi-ciaries initially.

Approving the Afforda-ble Rental HousingComplexes (AHRCs) forurban migrants announ-ced during the stimuluspackage, the Cabinet hasmade it as a sub-schemeunder Pradhan MantriAwas Yojana-Urban.

The vacant housing com-plexes funded by the gov-ernment will be convertedinto ARHCs throughConcession Agreementsfor 25 years. Concession-aires will make the com-plexes livable by repairingthem and providing basicinfrastructure. States andUnion territories willselect concessionairesthrough bidding. Compl-exes will revert to urban

local bodies after 25 yearsto restart the next cyclelike earlier or run on theirown.

As per 2017 governmentdata, around 2 lakh hous-ing units, funded by differ-ent centrally sponsoredhousing schemes, arelying vacant. Maharash-tra and Delhi have a majorshare of these units.

Private and public enti-ties too can developARHCs on their own avail-able vacant land for 25years.

A study by Knight FrankIndia had recently foundthat public sector under-takings have more thantwo lakh surplus landlying with them. Withland prices being high,utilisation of vacant landwill only make affordablerental housing projectsviable.

RBI may bail out govt with direct budget financingVacant units to be usedfor migrant rental housing

FC BANKING BUREAUMUMBAI, JULY 8

Two years after proposingthe merger of the threepublic sector non-lifeinsurance companies, thegovernment in a suddenmove decided to halt themerger process andinstead approved a fundinfusion of Rs 12,450 croreto improve their financialhealth. On Wednesday, theUnion Cabinet decided topause the merger processof National Insurance,Oriental Insurance andUnited India Insurance.Instead, the cabinet head-ed by Prime MinisterNarendra Modi decided toincrease the authorisedshare capital of NationalInsurance CompanyLimited (NICL) to Rs 7,500

crore and that of UnitedIndia Insurance CompanyLimited (UIICL) andOriental InsuranceCompany Limited (OICL)to Rs 5,000 crore each.

The Rs 12,450 crore capi-tal infusion approved bythe Cabinet includes Rs2,500 crore provided tothese companies during2019-20, it said, adding Rs

3,475 crore will be releasedimmediately, while thebalance Rs 6,475 crore willbe infused later in one ormore tranches.

The government inBudget 2020-21 had made aprovision of Rs 6,950 crorefor capital infusion inthese three insurancecompanies in order tomaintain the requisiteminimum solvency ratio.

“Further, the process ofmerger has been ceased sofar in view of the currentscenario and instead, thefocus shall be on theirprofitable growth,” an offi-cial statement said.

Briefing reporters, min-ister of information andbroadcasting PrakashJavadekar said the recapi-talisation will make theinsurers more stable.

Govt halts merger of 3 PSUinsurers; to infuse `12,450 cr

RAVI RANJAN PRASADMUMBAI, JULY 8

Investors are withdrawingmoney from mutual fundsand reducing fresh alloca-tions to mutual funds dueto reduced householdincome during the lock-down period.

Monthly data released bythe Association of MutualFunds in India (Amfi)showed a sharp 95 per centdrop in equity mutual fundinflows in June to Rs 240.55crore compared with Rs5,256.52 crore inflows inthis category in May 2020.

However, the averageasset under managementof the mutual fund indus-try went up to Rs 26.06 lakhcrore compared with Rs24.28 lakh crore due to therally in both equity andbond markets in June.

As on June 30 the AUM ofthe mutual fund industrystood at Rs 25.48 lakh crore.

The debt fund inflowswere lower at Rs 2,861.68crore in June due to quar-ter end withdrawal of Rs44,226.23 crore from the liq-uid fund by corporates.

Monthly systematicinvestment plan, or SIP,inflows also dropped belowRs 8,000 crore after a longtime to Rs 7927.11 crore.

N. S. Venkatesh, chiefexecutive, Amfi, said,Reducing interest ratesand gradual unlocking ofeconomic activity have ledto renewed buoyancy inmarkets. “With monthlySIP contribution at Rs7,927.11 crore, SIP investorsmay have opted for pausefacility and we should seeSIP contribution surging

in Q4 CY20.”Sayalee Khandke, manag-

er (research), Inves-tica—an online platform forinvesting in mutual fundssaid, “The surge in bench-mark indices led toimproved NAV (net assetvalue of MF units) thattriggered profit-booking byinvestors and in turnredemption. Moreover, theabsence of fresh flowsthrough SIPs and stoppageof existing SIPs due to jobloss or pay cut following

the nation-wide lock-downalso contributed to the 96per cent decline in equityflow for June over the pre-ceding month.”

The majority of hybridschemes saw outflows ledby balanced hybrid fund/aggressive hybrid fund cat-egory of Rs 1,704.81 croreand balanced advantagefund of Rs 941.41 crorewhile the arbitrage fundcategory saw inflows of Rs3,537.65 crore.

Rajeev Srivastava, chiefbusiness officer, RelianceSecurities, said, "Suddenrally has caught theinvestors by surprise andmany of them are sittingon the fence waiting formarket correction for abetter entry. Profit bookingin the equity segment alsocontributed to major out-flows in the multi-cap andlarge cap segment.Disruption in face to faceselling, due to covid 19,could have resulted in tra-ditional channels of MFcollection through physi-cal mode & IFA (independ-ent financial advisor)channel being muted.Customers’ anxiety ontheir own cash flows hasalso contributed to thefall."

FALAKNAAZ SYEDMUMBAI, JULY 8

The country’s largestlender State Bank ofIndia (SBI) onWednesday reduced itsmarginal cost of fundsbased lending rate(MCLR) by 5-10 basispoints in the shortertenors i.e. up to 3 monthswith effect from July 10.However, this reductionwill not have any impacton your home loanequated monthly instal-ments (EMIs) as the one-year MCLR to which thebank’s home loan ratesare linked have remai-ned unchanged at 7 percent.

“This is the 14th con-secutive reduction in thebank’s MCLR. With thisrevision, SBI’s MCLRupto 3 months tenorcomes down to 6.65 percent per annum which ison par with the externalbenchmark lending rateof SBI. SBI’s MCLR con-tinues to be the lowest inthe market,” said arelease from SBI.

Earlier, SBI’s one-yearMCLR was last reducedby 25 basis points to 7per cent per annum witheffective June 10. As aresult, borrowers whosereset date falls thismonth will get the bene-fit of the MCLR cutannounced in June.

All retail loans, includ-ing home loans sanc-tioned by banks betweenApril 1, 2016 andSeptember 30, 2019, arelinked to MCLR.However, banks areallowed to keep a spreadover and above theMCLR to arrive at thehome loan interest rate.

SBI cutsshort-termMCLR rates

MICHAEL GONSALVESPUNE, JULY 8

Auto components majorBharat Forge on Wednes-day said it has introducedhealth risk monitoringsystem (HRMS), whichenables companies andinstitutions to complywith government-providedguidelines for safe reopen-ing, in collaboration withartificial intelligencestartup Blackstraw.

HRMS consists of twomajor components: A con-tactless thermal screeningsystem integrated withRFID badge reader; and AIalgorithms running onsurveillance CCTV cam-eras to monitor and con-trol human behavior.

The Pune-based firmsays the contactless ther-mal screening system withRFID badge reader recordsthe temperature of associ-ates, and also maintainsan automatic daily recordof the temperature ofevery person entering andexiting the premises. TheAI (artificial intelligence)algorithms running onsurveillance cameras aler-ts administrators and pro-vides them a dashboardwhen distancing normsare not met or the like.

BHARAT FORGELAUNCHES HEALTH

RISK TRACKER

AGNIESZKA DE SOUSAJULY 8

Poor diets in developing coun-tries are costing businesses asmuch as $850 billion a year inlost productivity, underliningthe need for companies to play abigger role in tackling a prob-lem that's being compounded bythe coronavirus pandemic.

Those are the findings of astudy by Chatham House andVivid Economics, the first toanalyse the impact of undernu-trition and obesity on businessin low- and middle-incomecountries. Both conditionsmake it difficult for employeesto reach their potential and leadto ill-health, which leads tomore sick leave.

Multinational companies needto do more to fight malnutri-tion, according to ChathamHouse. That should includepolicies that support breastfeed-ing mothers, offer regularhealth checks and provide

nutritious and subsidised foodat work, the London-basedthink tank said.

"Business has a significantrole to play," Laura Wellesley, asenior research fellow atChatham House, said in aninterview. "Aside from produc-tivity losses, there is a signifi-cant reputational risk for com-panies who have a large foot-print in low- and middle-incomecountries and who aren't doinganything on nutrition."

Obesity has been on the rise inpoorer countries, which werealready grappling with highrates of undernourishment.The pandemic has further high-lighted the importance of nutri-tion, with studies showing thatobese people are more likely todie from Covid-19. The UnitedNations predicts the virus couldpush another 10 million chil-dren into acute malnutrition.

"We can expect the pandemicto worsen the costs, because

economic insecurity is so close-ly associated with nutritioninsecurity," Wellesley said. "Wecan expect that more house-holds will struggle to accessnutritious diet."

The Chatham House studyexamined the impact of poornutrition on 13 business sectors-- from mining and agricultureto construction and retail -- in19 countries. It then scaled upthe findings to estimate theannual productivity losses dueto obesity and undernutritionacross developing nations.

The greatest productivity loss-es from being undernourishedwere in agriculture, mining andconstruction, with Ethiopia andIndia facing the highest burden.The biggest impact from obesitywas felt in the mining, educa-tion and health sectors.

The direct productivity lossesare estimated at $130 billion to$850 billion. That range reflectsa number of variables and theway Vivid Economics's model

extrapolates the findings fromthe 19 countries, according toChatham House.

Still, the impact of poor nutri-tion could be even larger. Themodel doesn't include the costsof impaired cognitive develop-ment and low educationalattainment resulting fromundernutrition in childhood,nor does it capture indirectcosts such as paid sick leave formalnutrition-related illness.

"The toll on human health isenormous, but the economicimpact is so huge as well,"Sarah Rawson, a nutrition andhealth lead at OlamInternational Ltd., said in aninterview. "If we're going to faceup to future pandemics, we needthe whole population to be aswell nourished as possible sothey're resilient to it."

Olam, an agribusiness giant,is one of the companies backingthe Power of Nutrition founda-tion that funded the study.

—Bloomberg

Poor diets costing businesses up to $850 bn a year

SANGEETHA GCHENNAI, JULY 8

Assets managed by Indiangold-backed exchange trad-ed funds have almost dou-bled in the first six monthsof 2020, indicating increas-ing investor interestamidst rising gold prices.

Gold ETFs had startedwitnessing net inflows inthe second half of 2019. ByDecember-end aggregateassets under managementof all the 11 gold ETFsstood at Rs 5,767 crore. Thenet inflows kept on increas-ing in the subsequentmonths as the gold pricescontinued to remain bull-ish. In February itself,there was a multi-foldincrease in net inflows.

By June-end, AUMstouched Rs 10,857 crorewith net inflows of Rs 494

crore, as per the data fromthe Association of MutualFunds of India. The num-ber of folios too increasedfrom 599,331 in the end ofMay to 631,300 in June. Thenumber of folios at the endof 2019 stood at 423,157.

The increase in AUMs

also was a function ofprice rise. Gold prices havemoved 12 per cent in theJune quarter itself.

Indian gold ETFs havebeen following the trend inthe international market,which has seen holdings atrecord high levels.

Global gold ETFs record-ed their seventh consecu-tive month of positiveflows in June, adding 104tonnes valued at $5.6 bil-lion. With 734 tonnes val-ued at $39.5 billion, goldETFs saw highest H1 netinflows. In fact, year-to-date inflows into gold ETFshave topped the record full-year total set in 2009 (seechart) at 646 tonnes. Invalue terms it’s higherthan the record $23 billionin 2016. Gold ETFs account-ed for 45 per cent of goldoutput in H1 2020.

quickBITES

INDICATORS %Sensex 36,329.01 -0.94Nifty 50 10,705.75 -0.84S&P 500* 3,152.97 0.24Dollar (`) 75.02 -0.09Pound Sterling (`) 94.11 -0.68Euro (`) 84.66 -0.22Gold (10gm)* (`) 49,898▲723 1.44Brent crude ($/bbl)* 43.09 0.01IN 10-Yr bond yield 5.778 -0.015US 10-Yr T-bill yield* 0.666 0.018

* As of 9:30 PM IST

Global economyto contract by5.2% this yr: D&BThe global economy is likely tocontract by 5.2 per cent in 2020with the coronanvirus stillspreading and the economicprospects of countries acrossthe world looking muted.According to Dun & Bradstreet'sCountry Risk and GlobalOutlook Report, that covered132 countries, the wider globalcontext remains sombre and theglobal economy will not reachpre-pandemic levels of activityagain before 2022.

ICICI Bank toraise up to`15,000 crore

ICICI Bank said its board hasdecided to raise up to Rs15,000 crore in core capitalthrough a variety of routes.The lender joins peers AxisBank, Kotak Mahindra Bank,Federal Bank and Yes Bank,which have either raised freshcapital or decided to do sosoon. The board, at its meetingheld on Wednesday, hasapproved raising of funds Rs15,000 crore in one or moretranches, ICICI Bank said.

Sebi, CBDT signpact for data,info exchangeSebi said it has signed a pactwith the Central Board ofDirect Taxes for facilitating reg-ular exchange of data andinformation. The MoU comesinto force from July 8. A DataExchange Steering Group hasbeen constituted for the initia-tive, which will meet periodi-cally to review the dataexchange status and take stepsto further improve the effec-tiveness of data sharing mech-anism.

BMS to holdweek-long stirfrom July 24RSS-affiliated Bharatiya MazdoorSangh (BMS) said it will observe'Sarkar Jagao Saptah' from July24 to 30 under which nation-wide demonstrations will beheld to highlight workers' issues.The decision was taken at a vir-tual meeting of national officebearers of BMS held on Tuesday."Sector-wise demonstrations willbe held at state capitals, districtheadquarters, tehsil / block cen-tres and also in all big industrialestates," a BMS statement said.

Global prevalence of malnutri-tion among adult population■ Underweight ■ Overweight

Source: Vivid Economics, WHO/Bloomberg

40

30

20

10

0

Double burden

1976 ---------------------------- 2016

India’s borrowing plans havesurged this year

Source: Nirmal Bang Institutional Equities/Bloomberg

Financial year to March

Record borrowings

Year-to-date inflows into gold-backed ETFshave toped 2009’s full-year record■ 2020 cumulative flows■ 2009 cumulative flows

Tonnes

700600500400300200100

0

Yellow brick road

Jan Jun Oct

Higher than2009 full-yearrecord

10

5

0FY 2016 17 18 19 20 21

Lakh cr( `))

Gold ETF AUMs almost double in H1

Source: Bloomberg

MF equity flowsdip 95% in June

RAVI RANJAN PRASADMUMBAI, JULY 8

The long lull in the pri-mary market has got overwith virtual initial publicoffering (IPO) launchreplacing the earlier prac-tice of road shows in dif-ferent cities.

Speciality chemicalsmaker Rossari Biotechannounced its IPO in aprice band of Rs 423-Rs425 per share of Rs 2 facevalue, aiming to raise Rs496 crore.

The IPO opens for publicsubscription on July 13and closes on July 15.

The public offering com-prises fresh issue ofshares worth Rs 50 croreand an offer for sale ofshares worth Rs 446.25crore (1.05 crore shares).

ROSSARI FIXESIPO PRICE BANDAT `423-`425The greatest produc-

tivity losses frombeing undernourished

were in agriculture,mining and construc-

tion, with Ethiopiaand India facing the

highest burden

Mumbai, July 8:Snapping a five-day ris-ing streak, the Sensextanked 346 points onWednesday, dragged bylosses in index heavy-weights RIL, Infosys andTCS amidst weak cuesfrom global peers. Trad-ers said the market fol-lowed volatility in globalequities as the risingcases of Covid-19 acrossthe world stoked con-cerns over economicrecovery. —FC Bureau

SENSEX SNAPSWINNING STREAK

Prakash Javadekar

Printed & Published by K. Sudhakar on behalf of Deccan

Chronicle Holdings Limited, Printed atDeccan Chronicle Press at Deccan

Chronicle Holdings Ltd. #563/9/D&9/E,Behind Andhra Bank Pet Basheerbagh,

Kompally, Ranga Reddy Dist. Editor:T.Venkatram Reddy, RNI Reg

No.APENG/2008/24282. © All rightsreserved. Reproduction in whole or in

part without written permission of TheEditor, Financial Chronicle ® is

prohibited.

GAMES pg 8DECCAN CHRONICLE | HYDERABAD | THURSDAY | 9 JULY 2020

SHORT

SNOWBOARDCHAMP ALEX

DROWNS

TAKES

Joshna in top 10of squash world

Humpy scoresan easy victory

’Lifter caught for dope, suspended

NNeeww DDeellhhii:: India’s squash starJoshna Chinappa has broken

back into the top-10 of the PSAworld rankings following the

shock retirement of EgyptianWorld number one Raneem

El Welily.Joshna, who has not played

since March due to the Covid-19pandemic, moved up a spot to

be in 10th position.The 33-year-old had entered

the top-10 for the first time in2016. Dipika Pallikal is the other

Indian female player who hasachieved the feat.

Egypt’s Nouran Gohar is thenew world number one follow-

ing Raneem’s retirement.Raneem had held the top spotfor 19 months before announc-

ing a sudden retirement lastmonth.

India’s top male player SauravGhosal remains 13th in the

latest rankings.The PSA tour is suspended until

at least mid August due to theCoronavirus outbreak.

— PTI

CChheennnnaaii:: World championKoneru Humpy outplayed

young Grandmaster R. Vaishali7-3 in a battle of Indians in the

first round of the third leg ofWomen Speed Chess

Championships on Wednesday.Humpy, the world number two,

jumped to an early lead againsther compatriot and sealed an

easy win in the FIDEChess.comevent.

The Chennai-based WGM hadreached the semifinals of the

opening leg before losing in thequarterfinals in the second leg.The Grand Prix consists of fourlegs, with a total of 21 partici-

pants. Each of the 21 playersparticipates in three out of four

Grand Prix legs.Each GP is a 16-player knockout

event.In each Grand Prix leg, every

player scores cumulative GrandPrix points according to the

position in the final standings.The two players who score thehighest number of cumulative

Grand Prix points in all threeGrand Prix legs qualify for theSuper Final to be held on July

20. — PTI

BBuuddaappeesstt:: Two-time Europeanchampion weightlifter AndreiDemanov of Russia has beenprovisionally suspended for

doping after testing positive fora banned steroid.

The International WeightliftingFederation said that Demanov

tested positive for traces ofDHCMT, an anabolic steroid

also known as turinabol whichhas been widely used in

weightlifting. Demanov nowfaces a disciplinary hearing.

The IWF didn’t given a date forDemanov’s positive test, but it

appears to be the latest in astring of cases based on a re-examining of Russian athletes

from several years ago.Demanov doesn’t appear to

have competed since serving atwo-year ban from 2016 for a

positive test for turinabol at the2012 London Olympics.

Three other Russian lifters,including former world champi-on Nadezhda Evstyukhina, had

been charged for usingturinabol. — AP

GGoolldd CCooaasstt,, AAuussttrraalliiaa:: Two-timeworld snowboard champion

and Winter Olympian AlexPullin drowned on Wednesday

while spearfishing here.A police spokesperson said a32-year-old man, later identi-

fied as Pullin, was unresponsivewhen taken from the water and

died despite receiving CPRfrom lifeguards and emergency

treatment from paramedics.The accident happened at Palm

Beach around 10.40 am localtime. Pullin had been diving on

an artificial reef when he wasfound by a snorkeler.

“Another diver was out thereand located him on the sea

floor and raised the attention ofnearby surfers who sought life-guards to bring him in. He did-

n’t have an oxygen mask. Weunderstand he was free diving

and spearfishing out on thereef,” police said. — AP

Regd. No. H/SD/509/2018-20Printed and Published by

K. Sudhakar on behalf of DeccanChronicle Holdings Limited. Printedat Deccan Chronicle Press situatedat Plot No. 9 Alwal Village, VallabhNagar Taluk, Medchal Malkajgiri

Dist. Telangana and Published at 36,S.D. Road, Secunderabad-3.

RNI Registration No. 3081/1957.Editor: Aditya Sinha

Cricket down on kneeEngland, West Indies bat for black lives in first Test

Lazio’s Patric bites hisrival in Italian league

Southampton, July 8:England and West Indiesplayers took a knee in sup-port of the Black LivesMatter movement beforethe start of play in thefirst Test at Southamptonas international cricketreturned after a four-month absence.

Moments before the firstball was bowled at anempty Rose Bowl, WestIndies’ fielding playersknelt in the outfield whiletheir England counter-parts did the same aroundthe field.

A Black Lives Matterlogo also was on the collarof the shirts worn by play-ers from both teams forthe match played in astrict isolated environ-ment and followingrepeated testing of play-ers and staff members.

The West Indies squadhas said the movement,which has grown since thekilling of George Floyd inthe United States in May,has been a source of moti-vation on this tour.

The kneeling gesturehas been made beforePremier League matchessince the resumption ofsoccer in England lastmonth.

There was a minute’ssilence in honour of thosewho died in theCoronavirus pandemicand also West Indies great

Everton Weekes, who diedlast week.

Play started after athree-hour delay becauseof light rain and a wet out-field. There can be a maxi-mum of 70 overs on therain-affected first day.

It meant cricket fans hadto wait a while longer forthe return of internation-al cricket since the lastaction in early March.

In the 17.4 overs of crick-et possible before anotherrain interruption,England were 35 for 1, hav-ing lost Dom Sibley,bowled by ShannonGabriel for a duck in thesecond over.

Rory Burns and JoeDenly were batting on 20and 14 respectively whenthe heavens opened upagain.

England’s stand-in cap-tain, Ben Stokes, won thetoss and opted to batunder overcast skies.

Filling in for Joe Root,who was absent because ofthe birth of his secondchild, Stokes was captainfor the first time and madea big call in leaving outfast bowler Stuart Broad,a long-time regular in theteam.

Jofra Archer, MarkWood and JamesAnderson made upEngland’s pace attackalong with Stokes.

West Indies captainJason Holder, who left outRahkeem Cornwall, saidhe was not too disappoint-ed to be bowling first.

After the toss was made,Stokes briefly forget aboutsocial distancing when hewent to shake the hand ofHolder. Holder moved hishand away and both all-rounders laughed.

BBRRIIEEFF SSCCOORREESSEngland 35 for 1 in 17.4overs (Rory Burns batting20, Joe Denly batting 14,Shannon Gabriel 1/19).

SSAACCHHIINN PPRRAAIISSEESS SSTTOOKKEESS

Meanwhile, Indian bat-ting great SachinTendulkar has little doubtthat Ben Stokes will leadEngland from the frontwith his “controlledaggression” and infec-tious energy aiding himthe most.

To a question from Laraabout Stokes, Tendulkarsaid, “He is someone whois going to lead from thefront, we have seen that ona number of occasions. Heis aggressive, positive andwhen he has to be slightlydefensive he is prepared. Ialways feel controlledaggression producesresults.” — Agencies

West Indies players take a knee in support of the Black Lives Matter movementahead of play on the first day of the first Test against England at the Ageas Bowl inSouthampton, England, on Wednesday. — AFP

New Delhi, July 8: BCCIpresident SouravGanguly on Wednesdayannounced cancellationof the Asia Cup T20,which was scheduled tobe held in September.

With the T20 World Cupin October-Novemberalso unlikely to go aheadin Australia, the cancella-tion allows BCCI to have afull-fledged IPL in thesame window.

Pakistan had the host-ing rights of the six-team

continental event but itwas expected to be held inthe UAE. “Asia Cup can-cel ho chuka hai, joSeptember me tha (AsiaCup, which was to be heldin September, has beencancelled),” Ganguly toldSports Tak in an insta-gram live session.

The Pakistan CricketBard confirmed that theyhave agreed to host theevent in 2022 and SriLanka is now expected tohost it next year follow-

ing the cancellation ofthis year’s edition.

PCB chief Ehsan Manisaid the decision wasmade due to the worsen-ing pandemic. “TheAsian Cricket Council islooking at organising itnext year. It is too danger-ous to host it this year Wehad swapped the eventwith Sri Lanka this yearbecause it is one of theleast affected from thevirus,” the veteran said.

Mani said the postpone-

ment was purely on safe-ty grounds. “We wereoriginally going to host itbut when I looked at theCovid situation in UAEand Pakistan and otherSouth Asia countries, theonly country which wasahead of the cycle was SriLanka and most likely toconduct the event. So SriLanka Cricket and PCBdiscussed it, we put theswap proposal to ACC andit was approved by theBoard,” he said. — PTI

Ganguly against 4-day Tests

Asia Cup is off, Sourav smiles

New Delhi, July 8:India’s cricket chiefSourav Ganguly has comeout against playing four-day Tests, proposed bythe world governing bodyas a way to squeeze morecricket into a packed cal-endar.

The InternationalCricket Council has float-ed the idea of reducingmatches in the World TestChampionship by one dayfrom 2023, but Gangulysaid officials should not“tinker” with what hecalls the best form ofcricket.

Four-day Tests havebeen tried in one-offgames between SouthAfrica and Zimbabwe andEngland against Ireland,but the Board of Controlfor Cricket in India isamong a growing list ofcritics.

“I am not a big fan offour-day cricket because Ifeel lot of Test matcheswill not finish,” Ganguly,who turned 48 onWednesday, said in anonline chat hosted by theBCCI.

“When you have fourdays the approach is dif-ferent,” he said.

“I really feel that thereis no need to tinker withthose five-day Test match-es. And for me Test

matches are the toughestand the best form ofcricket,” he added.

Ganguly, who isrumoured to be in therunning for the post ofICC chairman, backsother innovations, how-ever, including day-nightTests.

India, who refused toplay a Test under flood-lights in Australia in

2018, joined the pink ballparty against Bangladeshin Kolkata last year.

The final Test of a two-match series attractedpacked crowds at EdenGardens despite the Testlasting less than threewhole days. India won theseries 2-0.

“Day-night cricket, oneTest a series is important,because cricket needs

everyone back,” the for-mer India team captainopined.

“We played that pinkTest in Kolkata, I don’tthink if it was a normalIndia-Bangladesh Testmatch we would have onetenth of the people,” hesaid, noting that 150,000people attended overthree days played.

— AFP

Lecce (Italy), July 8:Lazio defender Patric wasbanned for four games andfined 10,000 euros ($11,300)for biting an opponent. Theincident happened in stop-page time of Lazio’s 1-2loss at relegation-threat-ened Lecce on Tuesday.

With Lazio’s title chancesall but evaporating andplayers getting into anargument, the 27-year-oldPatric suddenly dipped hishead and bit Lecce defend-er Giulio Donati on the leftarm.

The incident could be

seen as even more seriousbecause of the effects ofthe Coronavirus pandemic,with football havingresumed under strict regu-lations which even dis-courage hugging in cele-bration after a goal.

Luis Suarez was bannedfor 10 matches by theEnglish FA in 2013 for bit-ing an opponent when heplayed for Liverpool. TheUruguay forward was alsosuspended for nine match-es for biting Italy defenderGiorgio Chiellini at the2014 World Cup. — AP

ANIMALINSTINCT

Sourav Ganguly plays with a pink ball alongside VVS Laxman in this file photo.

Lazio defender Patric (left) bites Lecce defender GiulioDonati during their Italian league match on Tuesday.

TThhee ffoouurr-dayformat is a good

idea I think. Tests havenot been drawing

much crowds of late,except in England,

Australia and India,where you get to see abetter number of fansduring theweekends.Also, afterthe 50 and

20 overformats,

the game has got a lotfaster. Against that

backdrop, having fixedovers per innings —perhaps 100 each —

should ensure results.We can give it a shot.

VVEENNKKAATTPPAATTHHII RRAAJJUU,,Former Test cricketer

TTeesstt ccrriicckkeett issacrosanct and

its format should notbe tinkered with. That’s

the way the highestlevel of the game has

been playedhistorically. Slicing aday off will take the

charm offit and

reduce thepossibility

of anoutright

result. If you see RanjiTrophy matches thatare played over four

days, 6 out of 10 gamesend up in draws andpoints are garnered

over first innings lead.

DDAANNIIEELL MMAANNOOHHAARR,,BCCI match referee

FFiivvee ddaayyss ofcricket brings

out the skills of playersbest. Cricket is not just

scoring runs at a fastpace, though that

provides much fun tofans. The ability tostay at the wicket,taking

time to batyour way

out oftough

situationsis a joy to purists. Take

a look at batting ofVVS Laxman, Rahul

Dravid andCheteshwar Pujara tounderstand how they

compose their innings.

NN.. SS.. GGAANNEESSHHcricket fan

II ttoottaallllyy agreewith Sourav

Ganguly’s opinion. Testcricket should not betinkered with even as

the InternationalCricket Council may

think otherwise. Manythings have changed incricket over

the yearsbut the

length ofthe wicket

remains thesame. Test cricket is

the feeder root of thegame, let us not

disturb it lest we losethe precious crop that

provides us fruits forthe future.

KK.. SSUUNNIILL BBAABBUU,,cricket organiser

LUIS SUAREZ: REPEAT OFFENDER

The Uruguayan hasbitten rivals during

football matches thrice.While playing for Ajaxin 2010 he was bannedfor seven games by theNetherlands footballfederation after bitingPSV Eindhoven mid-fielder Otman Bakkal.

Turning up forLiverpool in 2013, hebit Chelsea’s BranislavIvanovic and got sus-pended for 10 matches.

Suarez struck againat the 2014 World Cup, this time bitingItaly’s Giorgio Chiellini in their groupstage game. Suarez lunged towards thedefender and bit his shoulder beforedropping to the ground clutching his ownface. FIFA banned Suarez for nine inter-national matches.

MIKE TYSON: LEND ME YOUR EARS

Perhaps the mosticonic bite in box-

ing’s history is the 1997heavyweight fight inLas Vegas betweenMike Tyson and Evan-der Holyfield. After los-ing to Holyfield in thefirst bout, Tyson again found himself onthe ropes in the re-match when he bitHolyfield, taking off a one-inch piece ofcartilage from his right ear. Tyson wasdisqualified in the fight.

KASH ALI: TEETH IN TORSO

Aheavyweight boxing bout betweenEnglishmen David Price and Kash

Ali ended in disqualification for the lat-ter after he bit his opponent on the lowerchest and left visible marks. Price, whowas ahead on points in round five, wasforced to the floor by Ali, who then pro-ceeded to bite him on the torso.

Suarez bitesBranislavIvanovic ofChelsea.

Tyson bitesHolyfield’s ear.

VOICES

THE BIG BITESAthletes using their teeth on one another has a long history in sports,earning a special kind of outrage from both fans and players alike. A

look at a couple of famous sports bites.

c m y k c m y k

hyderabad spotlight

4 >>

When thewild worldbeckons

tollywood

2 >>

Priyamani findsmany firsts inVirata Parvam

THURSDAY | 9 JULY 2020

CHRONICLECOVID-19 sparks

innovative career pathsNIVI SHRIVASTAVA

While many have been util-ising the lockdown periodto rediscover and explore

long-forgotten hobbies, a fewenterprising individuals have cho-sen to monetize their talentsonline, teaching, baking, conduct-ing podcasts and consulting,among others.

Why not, for as the wise oncesaid, “When life gives you lemons,make lemonade.”

Even as the economic scenariolooks increasingly dismal, indus-tries such as fashion, travel, hospi-tality and entertainment havebecome some of the most affected.With companies cutting costs tomaintain their bottom line,many professionals have startedpicking up side jobs or evenswitching to new incomesources to sustain themselves.

Startedonlineclasses,workshopsAMIT RANJAN (Mumbai-based model)

He foresaw the upcom-ing recession inMarch and joined an

online fashion school forimparting his professionalknowledge. “After readingthe WHO reports about thepandemic, I could predictthat things won’t become‘normal’ anytime soon andthat my modelling shootswould be on hold,” he tellsus. “As work from home(WFH) became a normand digitalisation wasthe next logical thing, I

started with onlineclasses and workshopsfor fashion studentsand aspiring models.”Talking about how heunderstood the vulner-ability of being in acareer such as his,Amit tells us how healso realised theimportance of hav-ing a backup andalternate careeroption. “My nextmove is to increasemy digital outreachwith fitness videos

and collaboratewith brands forpaid projects

until the fashionmarket picks up,”

he explains.

The pandemic has compelled some innovative professionals to change careers directions, even helping them excel

TARINI NIRULA, designer

Tarini took her love for teaching yoga and meditation online, which helpedher reach out to several seekers and earn simultaneously. “Because of thelockdown, a large part of my accessory business was on standstill. Although

I am still designing and strategising for the brand, I have more time to exploreother interests. In the past three months, I started connecting with many whowant to learn yoga online, especially meditation and pranayama. As I am a certi-fied yoga teacher, I started teaching students online,” she said. Tarini takes threeto four classes a week for various batches. Additionally, she has collaborated with

some wellness experts in India and abroad to conduct special workshops.

Teaching online

Moved from weddingevents to technologySAURABH MEHRA, founder of Hookah Royals

Another industry that has been severely hit owing to thepandemic is the events and wedding industry. In a bid tosustain himself during with the challenging time,

founder of Hookah Royals, Saurabh Mehra, chose to transitionfrom events to technology. “We supply sheeshas for big-scale wed-dings and celebrity gatherings, but because of the lockdown, allevents started getting cancelled. So to utilise the extra time, I usedmy technology background to develop two apps for home delivering.Party Royals and Bar Royals facilitate house party essentials and bever-ages, respectively,” he said. The hugely enterprising Saurabh is currentlyworking on his third app, which would feature food delivery options for people who want toorder from local eateries. “The apps are already operational and I have started makingmoney from the new ventures,” says a clearly excited Saurabh, summing up. “Of course, Iplan to continue this even when things are back to normal.”

TURN TO PAGE 5

Actress Jhansi clarifiesThere have been rumoursthat popular anchor and

actress Jhansi has tested posi-tive for COVID-19, and she is inquarantine. However, in anInstagram video, she has clari-fied that she decided to go intoisolation merely as a precau-tion because two people at herworkplace had tested positive,and she didn’t want to take anyrisk as her elderly parents areliving with her. There is a difference between

isolation and quarantine, Jhansipointed. “I have completed oneweek of isolation and I have another week to go,” she said, andappealed to the public not to spread rumours about her health.

While stressing that she wouldn’t shy away from letting peopleknow if she did test Coronavirus positive, the actress said shewas planning to get back to work as soon as the two-week isola-tion period was over.

“The virus may come to anyone and everyone is at risk. Ifanyone tests positive, don’t discriminate against them; instead,support them,” Jhansi added.

SASHIDHAR ADIVI

DECCAN CHRONICLEAudiences have so far seenPriyamani in glam diva,action and homemaker

roles. However, the National-Award winning actress is set tosurprise her audiences in therole of a Naxalite in her forth-coming film, Virata Parvam. TheVenu-Udugala directorial will seethe actress as ComradeBharathakka.

Raving about the part and abouthaving gotten it, Priyamani tellsus that this role is a first for her.“When director Venu narratedthe script, they went in for alook test right away. He had afew references of Naxalites,and he was adamant that I dothe role as he felt I fit thebill perfectly. He alsoexpressed to me that hewanted the role to be avery realistic one,” sheadds.

Then talking about howthe process for the photoshoot took close to twohours, she states that thedirector and his team

carried real rifles to seehow she looked with themin the photographs. “The

hotel authorities wereshocked when they saw the gun

until we clarified that it was forthe photoshoot,” adds Priyamaniwith a smile.

Ter mingd i r e c t o r

Venu as someone with a lot ofclarity the Raktha Charitra startells us how he had revealed toher during the shoot that he hadworked as an assistant directorfor one of her earlier films,Pellaina Kottalo.

TURNING INTO HER CHARACTER

Priyamani says that playing aNaxalite was a role she had want-ed to do as there weren’t toomany films with a Naxal back-drop in the recent past. Also, itwas a role she never played earli-er. Priyamani reveals that shehad to put in a lot of work totransform herself for the part.

“The level of detailing for mycharacter was fairly deep,” shesays. “Virata Parvam is Venu’s

vision — a differently made film,which I hope the audiencesappreciate. And as my characterwas not a glamorous role, Venudidn’t want me wearing anymake-up; he also wanted me toleave my hair natural, have it tiedinto a bun, etc.,” she expresses.

Priyamani then talks about theamount of detailing that wentinto her role for a realistic por-trayal — from the Naxalites’ uni-forms and what they carriedincluding their guns and howthey move in camps to how theyare constantly on the go. In fact,she talks about how she had tolearn many things for her part,including how to hold a rifle,which was another first for her. Astunt master from Germany wasbrought in to train the actress onhow to handle the gun.

“I have a few action sequencesin the film, and while I have heldpistols in my earlier films, it wasfor the first time I had to shootwith a real gun, even if they werewithout bullets,” explainsPriyamani, further adding thechallenge she faced with it. “Ihadn’t realised a rifle could be asheavy as that, and runningaround with that gun was one ofmy biggest challenges whiledoing the film.”

For Priyamani, the best part ofthe shooting was sharing screenwith Sai Pallavi and RanaDaggubati. “I am sure the audi-ence will have a great time watch-ing all of us on screen together,”she signs off.

Priyamani finds manyfirsts in Virata ParvamThe National-Award winning actress talks about playing aNaxalite in her upcoming action thriller

2Thursday 9 July 2020

Deccan Chronicle

Prahbas’ look in new film to beout on FridayThere’s just a little bit left to be shot

The makers of Prabhas’ latest film have announced thatthey will release his look in the movie on July 10.

Prabhas has been keeping himself away from social mediaduring the lockdown, unlike many other actors. His fans havebeen pressuring him to share some information about hisupcoming film directed by Radhakrishna.

The team had returned to Hyderabad from abroad just before thelockdown in March, and since then, there have been no updatesabout the film.

Prabhas became a national star after Baahubali and Saaho, andthe new film too will be released in multiple languages.

The film is almost complete and the remaining scenes will beshot once the COVID-19 crisis is over.

— Snippets by Suresh kavirayanai

tollywood

Isolation is only a precaution

Priyamani in a Naxal look

BIPIN DANI

On Wednesday morning, Team Indiacaptain Virat Kohli tweeted a littlesomething about a dish that one of his

players’ mums had sent him, and the dishcould well be on the way to becoming worldfamous now. At least the mother of the play-er who made the dish thinks so.

Speaking of his teammate, India’s top orderbatsman, Shreyas Iyer, Virat tweeted, “A kindneighbour who lives 500 m away from usbrought us some homemade neer dosas andmade us smile. A big Thank you to your momamigo we haven’t had such delicious dosasfor a longgg time. Hope you enjoyed themushroom biriyani we sent back. J Goodman @ShreyasIyer15 (sic).”

Digging further into the matter, thisreporter got on a call with Shreya’s mother,Rohini Iyer. Speaking exclusively to us,Rohini told us, “In a casual talk with Virat,my son said I make good neer dosas andwould like him to try it. Virat readily agreedso I sent him about a dozen dosas, which Ihoped he and Anushka would enjoy. And nowwith his tweet, Virat has mademy neer dosa worldfamous.”

While Virat lives inRaheja Towers inWorli, the Iyer familylives in AdarshNagar, which is halfa kilometre away.Telling us that sheconsiders Virat as shedoes her own sonShreyas, Rohiniexpressed pleasure to beserving him south Indiandishes during the lockdown giventhat Virat’s mother Saroj lives inDelhi.

Keeping with the Indian tra-dition of never returning adish empty, Virat sentShreya’s family some foodtoo. “He sent us mushroombiryani with pomegranateraita, which was awesomeand all of us enjoyed it,”Rohini adds.

DC CORRESPONDENT

Like any other B-town celebs,Tiger Shroff too is spending his

time off with his family and hasoften been spotted in the city withhis mask on. A fitness enthusiast,the Baaghi actor has also been stay-ing on top of his fitness game as wellas sharing his throwback pictures ofhis chiseled physique.

Tiger took to Instagram sharing anold photo from his initial days ofHeropanti. The actor posted an oldphoto where he is seen lying on thecouch shirtless, flaunting his ripped

muscles and clean-shaven look.Taking cues from his debut days

when he was often trolled for havingno beard, Tiger hilariously cap-tioned the photo: “Jab daadi nahiaati thi... #bachpana, (When I was-n’t able to grow a beard) (sic)” hewrote.

While many praised and hailed hislook, senior actor Anupam Kher’scomment stole the show. The veter-an actor trolled Tiger over not eat-ing anything as his bones can beclearly seen in the photo.“Haddiyaan Nikal Aayi Hai, kuchkhaate kyon nahi? (Bones are visi-ble, why don’t you eat anything?),

(sic)” he wrote.

3Thursday 9 July 2020

Deccan Chronicleglam sham

Anupam trolls TigerHe left a funny comment on a throwbackphoto in which the Heropanti actor’s bonesare peeking through.

Virat all praise forShreyas’ neer dosaHospitality tales within Team India

ViratKohli tweeted alittle something

about a dish that one ofhis players’ mums hadsent him, and the dishcould well be on the

way to becomingworld famous

now Johnny’s violentside exposed?

A video used in court shows

the actor smashing a wine

bottle on thefloor at

ex-wife AmberHeard ‘in a

drunkenrage’

DC CORRESPONDENT

When actress Amber Heard filed for divorce fromJohnny Depp in 2016, the UK tabloids widely car-

ried out reports of her having faced domestic abusefrom the Pirates of the Caribbean actor in their year-long marriage. The actor then sued a British publisherfor painting him as a “wife-beater” in a 2018 article. OnTuesday, as the case of libel proceeded, a video was pre-sented in the court that has the actor smashing a winebottle on the floor at Amber ‘in drunken rage’.

In the video, the pair is seen arguing while Johnnykept on slamming the cupboard doors and even kicked

a cabinet. He is also heard saying ‘motherf*****’multiple times in the 90-second video. A

moment after he shouted, “I’ll give youf***ing crazy,” he threw the bottle on

the floor.The 57-year-old actor continued todeny being violent towardsAmber, and reportedly said, “It isa strong and central part of mymoral code that I would neverstrike a woman, under any cir-cumstances, at any time. I find itsimply inconceivable and itwould never happen.”Meanwhile, his lawyer listed

out a series of incidents, in whichshe had allegedly attacked him

throughout the course of the mar-riage. Among the accusations was an

incident when she threw a vodka bottleat him, severing his finger in 2015.

Anupam Kher Tiger Shroff

Virat Kholi andShreyas Iyer

4Thursday 9 July 2020

spotlight Deccan Chronicle

When thewild world

beckonsWildlife photographer and owner of

resorts in Kabini and South Africa,Shaaz Jung shares a few of his favourite

images and moments with usNAYARE ALI

His bio on Instagram catchesthe eye. Cinematographer anddirector of photography for a

Nat Geo film on Black Panthers — thefirst in the world of wildlife. Hailingfrom Hyderabad’s illustrious Jungfamily, Shaaz’s wildlife images haveearned him a place in BBC news. Anaccomplishment that his proud aunt,Kareena Kapoor highlighted on her

insta account.

We chat with this talented young-ster on the jungle life.

Q What has kept you busy rightnow?I’ve dedicated the past five years todocumenting melanistic leopards inthe jungles of South India and helpedproduce a feature film for NationalGeographic recently, for which I wasthe Director of Photography. It tookus two and a half years to finish thefilm. It feels great to make a film, forthe first time in the world of wildlife,on a black panther.

Q Your involvement with the fami-ly owned wildlife resorts in Kabiniand South Africa?My parents (Saad Bin Jung andSangeeta) are avid wildlifers andwere one of the first pioneers for eco-tourism in Karnataka. That passion-ate outburst happened after I gradu-ated from University in 2010. I movedto Nagarhole National Park andhelped establish an eco-friendlywildlife resort on the banks of theKabini reservoir. This is where Ispend most of my time guiding, pho-tographing and making films.

Q How did your interest in wildlifephotography evolve?It happened after I saw my first leop-ard, which sparked my love affair

with the woods. The camera had theability to immortalise moments, rel-ish life, protect ecosystems, inspiremovements and spark change.

Q What has been the mostthrilling moment while shootingwildlife? It would be on safari in the Serengetithis year. I was guiding a group of sixavid photographers in an open jeepand we were parked in the tall grasswith a herd of Water Buffalos, whichare considered to be one of the mostdangerous animals in Africa. Weknew there was a hungry lionessaround but we had no idea where shewas. After several anxious minutes,one of the buffalos sensed her pres-ence and was now very disturbed. Wewere surrounded by an angry herdand they had the power to upturn ourjeep in seconds. After a few nervousseconds, the lioness broke cover andcharged at a buffalo calf. It caused astampede and one of the bulls, in araging fit, destroyed the left tyre ofour car. It was terrifying!

Q What has your time in the jungletaught you? Is your wife as pas-sionate about nature as you are?The jungle has taught me the art ofpatience. It’s inhabitants, such as thebeautiful leopards, have been mymentors. They’ve taught me to live bythe day and how to appreciate thepassing of time, and not let it worryus. My wife Nayantara grew up inNew York. After we got married, shemoved to the jungle and has quicklyadapted, almost like a leopard! Sheenjoys the wilderness and helpedproduce the National Geographic fea-ture film on the black panther.

I’ve dedicated the past five years todocumenting melanistic leopards in

the jungles of South India and helpedproduce a feature film for National

Geographic recently. It feels great tomake a film, for the first time in theworld of wildlife, on a black panther

A melanistic leopard with a spotted deer fawn kill.This is possibly the first ever recorded sighting of amelanistic leopard in the wild with a kill

“The firsttime I sawhim. Hewas young,very shyand onlygave usfleetingglimpses,”says ShaazJung

“This photo is a personal favourite. He descended at duskand his eyes were locked onto us!,” Shaaz

“This was the first time we spotted him courting with afemale. The tail wrapped around his neck belongs to aleopardess,” says Shaaz, whose wildlife images haveearned him a place in BBC news

“A melanistic leopard at first light. This was my mostchilling experience with the black panther. We could barelysee him approach us,” says the wildlife photographer

✔SRISAILAM HIGHWAY Facing@Kadthal, Near Mucherla Pharma

City. DTCP Approved Villa OpenPlots. Per sq.yd:9499/-. Spot Booking onSpot Discount. Free Site-Visit.Ph:7799998858. (HYCL/2021/C00357)

6 LAKH kilo calories used Boiler inrunning condition for sale at Medchal.Contact: 8125511511. (S/2021/C00399)

TWO SHOPS 2500 Sft each in groundfloor inside newly build complex TridentArafat Arcade, Road No.10, Banjarahills,opposite Star hospital. Suitable forDesigner Boutiques, Jeweler ShowRoom, Banks, Fashion Store, Saloon,Restaurant etc. Contact Aditya Kumar:9160222230. (S/2021/IC00017)

TO-LET COMMERCIAL Space on 2ndFloor and 3rd Floor for Rent @ King Koti,Opp Eden Garden Function Hall. Area-2000 Sq.ft each. Mohsin 9885537083.(HYCL/2021/C00351)

3BHK,1800 SQFT spacious& fullyfurnished Flat for Rent @ Sindi colonyPenderghast Road behind paradisecircle, Sec-bad Ph 9133105050(HYMM/2021/C00673)

WEST MARREDPALLY, SeethapathiColony, Secunderabad, suitablefor Office/ single family 2BHK, area1100 Sft, ground floor. Contact:9848049847. (S/2021/C00401)

WAREHOUSE SPACE available atMedchal & kalakal main road 20000 to100000 sft @ 8.50 per sft Ph :-9393834321 (HYMM/2021/C00567)

WANTED DRIVER for ISUZU-DMAXVehicle with 2 to 3 years experience fordelivering material in twin cities. Contactbetween 10.00am to 5.00pm fromMonday to Saturday. Ph:27722689,27817207. (S/2021/C00404)

WANTED MALE Nurse/ Assistant toDoctor/ Therapist/ Male Lab Technicianwith multitasking skills for AndrologyCenter @KPHB. Walk-in Interview on 8,9, 10th July. Contact Ph:7879329999/8096918266. (HYCL/2021/C00353)

WANTED THE Following personal forTIMS Hospital Gachibowli. RespiratoryTechnician, Chest Physiotherapist,Radiographer, Digital Imaging Technician,Plumber cum Waterman, ECG Technician,Lab Technician, Lab Attendant, StoreKeeper, Lift Operator. Ph:9395524440/9100222201 (HYMM/2021/IC0047)

SALES MAN, STORES MAN, BACKOFFICE 3-5 YEARS Experience ofTALLY Inventory, billing, quotation, orderprocessing Good communication SkillsContact No 8074765531 .Email yourresume along with your photos tos i n e r g y p r o j e c t s @ g m a i l . c o m(HYMM/2021/C00669)

TELECALLER, TEAM Leader, FieldExecutive, Backend person, Computerhardware, Skip traces, Office Managerbelow 25- 35 years for MNC BankCollections purpose, soft bucketcollections, Telecaller salary 12k to 20kincentives, Team Leader 15k to 25kincentives, Field Executive 12k to 20kcommission+ petrol. Office at Barkathpura.Ph:7799362961, 9182792189, 040-66326878. (B/2021/C00105)

A REPUTED Real Estatecompany Require Lady Receptionist&Sales Executives work atkondapur. Fluency in English,Hindi. Attractive salary. Walk in interviewon Today &Tomorrow between 10am-5 p m . p h : 8 5 2 0 8 9 9 1 7 7(HYMM/2021/C00663)

DEC INFRASTRUCTURE, requiresAccountants (2-5 years exp.), Junior HRExecutive (Male) MBA qualified & SeniorHR Executives (Male) with MBA having5+ years experience. Walk-in interviews:11-07-2020, 13-07-2020 to 16-07-2020.Ph:9346246043/ 32. Email:hr@decinfra.com (B/2021/C00106)

SECRETARY TO MD havingknowledge of Computers and EPLATFORM with Communication skillsKindly send your biodata with photo tos i n e r g y p r o j e c t s @ g m a i l . c o m8074765531. (HYMM/2021/C00670)

FEMALE/ MALE Telecallers Urgentrequirement. No QualificationRequired, Office Location Ameerpet.Salary Rs.10,000/- to 25,000. Below25 years only. Ph:9573947077.(S/2021/C00406)

WANTED SALES Consultants, SeniorAdvisor, Senior Technicians for RevoltBike Dealer ship. EducationQualification: Any Graduate or ITIElectrical/ Mechanical or Diploma inElectrical/ Mechanical with goodcommunication skills in English can calland apply. Membi Motors, RevoltHyderabad. #8-2-293/82/A/1259,Jubileehills, Hyderabad 500033.Contact: 8142901111. Email:a d m i n @ m e m b i g r o u p . c o m(S/2021/C00400)

PRUNUS PHARMACEUTICALS &Chemicals Pvt Ltd. manufacturingHuman Medicines Requirement:Dynamic People/ Distributors,Contacting Doctors / Hospitals/ MedicalProfessionals/ Shops to Initiate sales ofour products inTelangana, AndraPradesh Interetsed, Contact::Muralikrishna, #9100464252, EastAvenue, Ayyappa Society, Madhapur,Hyderabad. (HYMM/2021/C00672)

I SHAMIM SULTANA W/O LateAbdul Quddus Khan R/O of206/C ligh, Santoshnagar, Hyderabad.have changed my name fromSHAMIM SULTANA to SHAMEEMSULTANA for future reference.(HYMM/2021/C00671)

COMPUTER SERVICE purchasingold desktop,laptop workingor not working @doorstep,upgradation, formatting, nodisplay,hanging,exchange any problemcall:9948480885 (W/2021/AT000147)

✔ONE-SITTING / Fasttrack:-Graduations (All), Post-

Graduations (All), PG Diplomas,Polytechnic Diplomas, Secondary(10th) & Senior Secondary (12th),Provided Online results & Onlineverifications, Eligible for Private &Abroad. Ph:9912540011, 9912540033,www.hyderc.com (A/2021/IC00013)

WE BUY Old Gold&Silver. We help youin releasing your Pledged MortgageGold from Loan Institute like Muthootetc. and buy back with Spot Payment.Ph:8790707205. (HYCL/2021/C00356)

MOSQUITO MESH: Glass Fiber, Aluminiummeshes with different systems.Detachable:Velcro, openable: with Aluminiumpowder coated frames for windows,Doors, Roll-on, U-PVC Sliding systems. ForEstimation, Installation. Call:SatyaCreations. Ph:8328647852/ 9849057513.www.satyacreations.in (HYCL/2021/C00283)

VENCOBB CHICKEN rich in protein,great in taste eat & enjoy. Vencobb’sBroiler Hyderabad Zone price per kg.Farm Gate Rs.112, Retail Live BirdRs.134, Dressed with skin Rs.193,Skinless Rs.221, Ph:27992239.(HOPE) (S/2021/C00182)

REDDORKINS PEST CONTROL: KitchenCockroaches Rs.599/- ExpertizedTreatments: Termites, Woodborers,Bedbugs, Ants, Rodentrats Honeybees,Lizards, Mosquitoes, Centipedes,Spiderinsects Ph.9989956152/9885076578 (HYMM/2021/C00665)

CORPORATE BUSINESS Website@3999 Ecommerce site @9999. We DoMobile Apps, Dynamic WebsitesAlso 7287006677- WebDzyners.com(HYMM/2021/C00664)

C M Y K

25

Deccan ChronicleCLASSIFIEDS5Thursday 9 July 2020

NOTICEReaders are advised to makeappropriate enquiries whileresponding to advertisements inthese columns. Deccan ChronicleHoldings Ltd. does not vouch forany claims made by theAdvertisers. The Printer,Publisher, Editor and Owner ofDeccan Chronicle Holdings Ltd.shall not be held responsible /liable for any consequences, incase such claims are found to befalse.

FOR SALEPROPERTY

PLOTS

MACHINERY

COMMERCIAL

RENTALS

THREE & MORE

FLATS

DOUBLE BEDROOM

INDEPENDENT HOUSE

COMMERCIAL

LEASE

DRIVERS

SITUATION VACANT

MEDICAL

MULTIPLE VACANCIES

OTHER VACANCIES

WALK - IN

BUSINESS OFFER

CHANGE OF NAME

COMPUTERS

CAREER/ENTRANCE COURSES

EDUCATIONAL

GOLD & SILVER

MOSQUITO NET

POULTRY

PEST CONTROL

WEBSITE

From fashion he moved to healthcareKARAN VIJ, Delhi-based businessman

Karan, founder of Scentra, who was known for designingand retailing scented shoes, tells us how the crisis brought

his family together. Talking about how they worked around thechallenge by changing their core business to suit the ongoingsituation, he said, “Post-COVID-19, our manufacturing unitshad to close down and labourers began to return to their home-towns. We run a family business and my brother Sidharth andwife Akriti joined in the brainstorming. Soon, we decided tomake use of the infrastructure that we already have in placeand started manufacturing certified PPE kits, disposable bags

and protection jackets for the masses. From fashion to health gear, we switched themodus operandi and started selling these essential products online only to discov-er a new source of income.”

Trading careersARCHIT VASUDEV, Supreme Courtlawyer

He’s anotherperson who

utilised the lock-down period toexplore an alter-native career.“During the firstfew days of thelockdown, Irealised that thiswill be a longhalt for us, andthe physicalhearings/ meet-

ings clients will be difficult. Therefore, Istarted doing online consultations,” hesaid.

In addition to the legal work, Architdecided to dabble with a care solutionsbrand to create a new sanitizer brand. “Istarted trading in healthcare essentialssuch as sanitizer, gloves and masks tomake some extra income till the courtsget fully operational,” he elaborates.

Fashionablechanges

KAVERIWAGHELA,Bengaluru-based fashionwriter

She movedfrom writing

to baking. Shetalks to usabout the roller-coaster that thelockdown

showed itself to be. “I currently workwith a start-up, and the lockdown hasbeen tough for me. While the initialmonth was great, it started becomingtoo taxing for me. Baking has alwaysbeen my passion, so I thought of bak-ing some sweet treats and selling itonly in my building premises for someextra bucks. This worked and slowly Ibegan getting orders for cakes, brown-ies and cookies every single day.”

Jaya Prada wishes topen her biopic soonYesteryear heroine and politician hasmovies and web series lined upLIPIKA VARMA

Actor-turned-politicianJaya Prada, who has

portrayed to acclaim, manystrong woman characterson reel, considers herself adedicated, adamant andcommitted person. “Whilethese three qualities areusually seen as minuspoints in a woman, I consid-er them a blessing from theAlmighty,” says the beauti-ful actress.

Given the retrospective tone in hercomment, we wonder if she is on orwishes to start working on her biopic forthe celluloid. Instead, she simply laughsaloud and says, “Let me think about it —maybe after I face more challenges — asof now, I have faced all the challengespossible in the political arena. On a seri-ous note, though, I definitely wish towrite my biography soon, and I assureyou that I shall hand over the works ofpenning my biopic to some strongwoman only. Only then, would I like to

reprise my own biographyon the celluloid.”

Coming back to the pre-sent, the actress points outhow she wants to first sup-port women who areundergoing sufferings, inan attempt to make themstrong enough to face thewraths of the society ifthose befall them.

Jaya Prada, who was aniconic and influentialactress from the late ’70suntil the early ’90s, was

seen in a television soap opera PerfectPati on &TV. However, that was complet-ed just as she turned her attentiontowards the elections in 2019. Now theactress and politician might be soonseen more often on screen.

“There is a web series I am doing.Additionally, I have been approached fortwo films though these are productionhouses from outside. I also have aMarathi film where I will be seen play-ing a strong character,” she tells us aswe wrap up the interaction.

COVID-19 sparks innovative career pathsCONTINUED FROM PAGE 1

6

Deccan Chronicle

Thursday 9 July 2020

coffee-break

Taurus: Creativity, instead ofspending money, will show youways to improve your living spaceand make it more comfortable;

you’ll feel refreshed and renewed.

Gemini: Catch up with friends andfamily members you haven’t seenin a while. You deserve this. Baskin the glory of your achievements;

avoid worrying about other things.

Leo: Good friend and partnersshare work and pleasure pleasant-ly. You may expect a minor healthproblem, though it’s not alarming.

Your partner would help you financially.

Virgo: Expect differences withhigher-ups. Avoid controversies.You may have to decide regardingdisposing of old articles. Your hec-

tic schedule could make you feel exhaustedand restless all day.

Cancer: You’re energised by goodrelationships — in love and friend-ships. You handle your affairs skill-fully, completing projects success-

fully, but love is more important than work.

Capricorn: Health problems mayarise but you’ll get over them; becareful. One of your businessesbrings money. You’ll spend time with

someone you love and consider marriage.

Aquarius: You’ll straighten yourfinancial affairs. Mend yourwork ways and be tactful abouthow people perceive you. Your

finances improve.

Pisces: Pay attention to avoidminor accidents. You’ll be day-dreaming about love andromance. The work you love will

become an unbearable chore, frustratingyou. Financial settlement problems will beresolved positively.

Scorpio: You may get attracted tosomeone who’s unsuitable for you.Make significant decisions careful-ly. Avoid differences with friends

this evening. You may make new friends.

Libra: You’ll have a great evening.Entertainment may be your top-most agenda. You would feel men-tally alert and physically energetic

today. Optimise your creative and commu-nication skills to succeed.

Sagittarius: Higher-ups at work takeyour views seriously. Your articula-tion and perseverance help youovercome obstructions. Stay away

from temptations to flirt.

Aries: An old property-relateddispute may resolve. Your intel-lect and logical reasoning are attheir best, and you’ll handle even

the trickiest job easily.

Your day today

By Dr C.V.B. Subrahmanyam

Tom Hanks, Hollywoodactor. He is best known

for his roles in ForrestGump, Saving Private

Ryan, Catch Me If YouCan, The Terminal,

Sleepless in Seattle,You’ve Got Mail, Apollo

13, Saving Mr. Banksand A Beautiful Day in

the Neighborhood.

You share your b’day with

scrabble brand | G2 R1 As Ms S1

DIRECTIONS: Make a 2 to 7-letter word fromthe letters in each row. Add points of eachword, using scoring directions at right. 7-letter words get 50-point bonus. “Blanks”used as any letter have no point value. AllJudd’s words are in the Official ScrabblePlayers Dictionary (Merriam-Webster) andOSW Official Scrabble words (Chambers).JUDD’S Solution Tomorrow

TODAY’S RATINGS: 24 AVERAGE; 27 GOOD; 29 OUTSTANDING

Word Mine

How many words of four or more letterscan you make from the letters shown intoday’s puzzle? In making a word, each

letter may be used once only. Each wordmust contain the letter at the top of thepyramid. There should be at least one

nine letter word. Plurals, foreign wordsand proper names are not allowed.

NT A R

R M I S O

ANSWERS:arson, inmost, into, iron, main, manor, martin, mason, matron, minor, mint, moan, morn, norm, rain, RAINSTORM, ransom, rant, ration, roan, rosin, saint, satin, snort, sonar, stain, strain, torn, train

WHAT TO DO

Fill in the gridso that every

row, everycolumn, and

every 3x3 boxcontains thedigits 1 to 9.Every puzzlehas only one

correctsolution.

YESTERDAY’S ANSWER

SU◆DO◆KU

YESTERDAY’S ANSWER

SU◆DO◆KU 2

Did you think the

SU◆DO◆KUon the left was easy?

Try this. Check the solution tomorrow.

Tips available at www.sudoku-xls.com

DC-AGE SU DO KUFORUM: Discuss theSU DO KU puzzlesprinted and con-

tribute mind teasersof your own at

www.sudexel.com/forum

There are some plantsand flowers that seemto survive despite all

of our best efforts to killthem. Others, though, foldup almost immediatelyunless they are treatedwith tender, green-fingeredcare.

Bridge partners are likethat. Some will find thebest plays despite ourattempts to mislead them.Others, though, must beguided over the pitfalls of adeal. East's play on today'sdeal might be determinedby whether West falls intothe first category or thesecond.

How should the defenseproceed against fourspades after West leads thediamond five?

In the auction, the firsttwo bids were artificial,and the rest was natural.

As soon as he saw twospades in the dummy, East

knew that his partner wasvoid. So, if West had ledfrom the diamond king,which his fourth-highestcard promised, there werefour defensive tricks avail-able: two diamonds andtwo spade ruffs.

The careful defender sit-ting East, who likes to treathis partner kindly, playsthe diamond queen at trickone. When it wins, he shiftsto the spade nine. Westruffs and leads a diamondto East's ace. The secondspade ruff defeats the con-tract.

An East who is playingwith an expert, though,can afford to win trick onewith the diamond ace -- aslong as he returns thespade nine at trick two.West will read this highcard as a suit-preferencesignal for diamonds.Knowing East doesn't havethe diamond king, West

will realize that it is show-ing the queen (or anunlikely singleton). He willunderlead in diamonds toget the second ruff.

Treat your partner kind-ly.

Copyright United FeatureSyndicate

(Asia Features)

bridge

PHILLIP ALDER

TREAT WITH CARE ANDTRICKS COME

Across1.Food store (6)3. German wine (4)7. Paddles (4)8. Gloomy and sullen

(6)10.Leather (7)13.Refinement and del-

icacy (7)16.Paid male lover (6)17.Telephoned (4)18.Legal document (4)19.Culpable (6)Down1. Stratagem (4)2. Lacking breadth (6)

4. Musical instrument(4)

5. Mixes by pressing(6)

6. Warrior (7)9. Elates (7)

11.Roughly serrated (6)12.Attack (6)14.Man-eating giant (4)15.Repulsive (4)

QUICK CROSSWORD

YESTERDAY’S ANSWER

Across: 1. Interpret, 6. Sabre, 7. Nails,9. Lies, 10. Ghetto, 12. Broker, 14. Flag,17. Elite, 18. Organ, 19.Incapable.

Down: 2. Noble, 3. Eyed, 4. Poncho, 5.Exist, 6. Soluble, 8. Shotgun, 11.Geneva, 13. Onion, 15. Legal, 16.Goya.

hocus focus

C A L V I N A N D H O B B E S | B i l l W a t t e r s o n

25

coffee-break7Thursday 9 July 2020

Deccan Chronicle

jumble

Dennis the Menace

B L O N D I E | D e a n Y o u n g a n d J o h n M a r s h a l l

A N D Y C A P P | R e g S m y t h e

T A R Z A N | E d g a r R i c e B u r r o u g h s

T H E W I Z A R D O F I D | P a r k e r a n d H a r t s d

A R C H I E | B i l l H e n r y S c a r p e l l i & c r a i g b o l d m a n

Fans of SushantSingh Rajput (SSR)

are on an overdrivesince his death by sui-cide on June 14. The key-board warriors are nowat it after the trailer ofDil Bechara, SSR’s lastmovie, dropped 48 hoursago and received 31,000dislikes on YouTube. Theangst that has been rid-ing high since then con-verted into negativeenergies once again.Assuming that fans ofSalman Khan andAkshay Kumar had cre-ated all this negativity,SSR’s fans pounced uponthe duo trying to trollthem.

In the past few weekssince SSR’s untimely andtragic death, the actor’s fans and fol-lowers have mercilessly trolled KaranJohar and Alia Bhatt. Fans and othertrolls on social media have been run-ning a sustained campaign againstfavouritism in casting for the movies

and have targeted sev-eral filmmakers andactors, includingSalman Khan, reck-lessly trolling them.

However, in theirlove for the departedactor, they seemed tohave missed otheraspects of the trail-er.

An industrysource summed itperfectly, when hesaid, “The fans arenot really botheredthat the trailer of thefilm has over 43 mil-lion views and 7.7million likes andthat it is the fastestfilm in the world toreach that mark,

even over Avengers: Endgame. Theyare only bothered about the 31,000 dis-likes that the trailer has gotten. Andthey are attributing the outrage to theSalman and Akshay Kumar fans andspewing venom on them yet again.”

– Sanskriti Media

Kareena Kapoor Khan can’t wait toget back on the sets. After spendingover a 100 days suspended in

abeyance, Kareena — who turns 40 inSeptember this year — says she would ide-

ally want to spend her next birthday atthe shoot of Laal Singh Chaddha, theupcoming film she was working onuntil the lockdown was declared.

However, given the current circum-stances, there is still no clarity regard-ing when the film’s shoot will begin.

A source shared with us that a lot ofthe shoot is to take place in real-lifelocations. “One cannot oscillatebetween indoors and outdoors.

However, while there is alot of shoot left for

the film, Kareenahas already shotquite a bit andhas a little lessthan a month’sworth shoot tocomplete,” thesource says.

“Though AngreziMedium did come

into the theatres, ithad to be pulled out

owing to COVID-19 and thelockdown. But for the moment, Kareena

just misses being on the sets as she lovesthe character she is essaying in this film.She has been wishing that she is on the seton her 40th birthday, which falls inSeptember this year.”

The source also reminds us that herdebut film Refugee also completed 20 yearsthis year. “In a way, this year has been20–20 for her in many ways,” says thesource with a chuckle.

– Sanskriti Media

8Thursday 9 July 2020

Deccan Chroniclematinee

Staying away from hershoots is making Kareena

Kapoor Khan restless

KKK is missing work

Herdebut film

Refugee alsocompleted 20

years this year, soit has been a 20-20 for her

Prachi calls out Ajay DevgnShe reminds the actor that he missed out her and other castmembers in his Bol Bachchan tribute on the Twitter postDC CORRESPONDENT

When Ajay Devgn shared a poston Twitter, as a throwback on the

eight years since one of his films withthe Bachchans, he must have not real-ly thought it could bring him a truck-load of criticism.

The actor–producer took to hissocial media handle to share somebehind-the-scenes images of the filmthat released in 2012. The picture fea-tured him, Abhishek Bachchan,Amitabh Bachchan and Rohit Shetty— He even captioned the post, “Whenthe Bachchans speak, I listen(espe-cially Amitji)#8YearsOfBolBachchan@SrBachchan @juniorbachchan

#RohitShetty(sic).”Ajay’s tweet caught the attention of

actress Prachi Desai, who was one ofthe casts in the film. She replied toAjay’s tweet and in it, tagged all the

actors from the film. Ajay had missedout on tagging himself. “Hey @ajay-devgn looks like you forgot to men-tion the rest of us aka #Asin@Krushna_KAS @apshaha #Asraniji #NeerajVohra ji #JeetuVerma ,yours truly & everyone involved inmaking this baller of a film#8YearsOfBolBachchan(sic),” Prachiwrote back.

Her reply to Ajay’s tweet, got manyof her followers replying to her, con-gratulating her on calling out Ajayfor his selective memory of the filmand its cast. One of the users@BardOfBread wrote, “Oh my!Bollywood has become ballsy all of asudden! You go girl!(sic)”

Akki and Salmanget targetedFans go berserk over dislikes against the recently released Dil Bechara trailer on YouTube

Ajay Devgn and Prachi Desai