12
W ith a Covid-19 tally of nearly 86,000 cases, India on Friday surpassed neigh- bouring China where the coro- navirus first originated. China had 81,440 cases on March 25 when India with merely 500 cases had announced first lock- down. Now, in 52 days of lock- down and 106 days after reporting the first case, India tally is more than China’s. Over 30,000 people have recovered and 2,753 people have died from the coron- avirus disease in India, com- pared to China’s death count of 4,633. The US, Spain and Russia are the worst affected countries in terms of +ve cases. Seven States in India which includes — Maharashtra, Delhi, Tamil Nadu, Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, and Uttar Pradesh — have reported the maximum num- ber of cases. Maharashtra, which is the worst-hit State in the country, reported 1,576 cases in the last 24 hours, pushing the total count to 29,100 whereas Tamil Nadu reported 434 with total 10,108 cases and Delhi regis- tered 425 cases taking the total to 8,895. Gujarat too registered spike in cases at 340 pushing the tally to 9,932. Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan and Uttar Pradesh too continued their march reporting 4,595 cases, 4,747 cases and 4,057 cases respec- tively. West Bengal reported 84 new cases which led to increase in total number to 2,461 cases. In Bihar and Karnataka, the tally crossed 1,000 mark. The total number in Bihar inched to 1,005 with 6 new cases reported on Friday whereas Karnataka tally rose to 1,032 after 45 new cases were reported in the State. Of 97 total deaths regis- tered in India on Friday, Maharashtra at 49 fatalities, Gujarat (20), Delhi (9), and West Bengal (8) recorded the highest number of deaths due to coronavirus in India in the past 24 hours. Goa which was one of the first States to become corona- free in India also reported 7 new cases on Friday which again brings back the State to the red zone from green zone. The total number of cases in Goa now inched to 14. Similarly, in Manipur a fresh case emerged after 26 days, tak- ing the total tally in this North- East State to three so far. The country’s doubling rate of coronavirus infection cases has slowed down to 13.9 days, said Union Health Minister Harsh Vardhan, referring to the time it takes for the number of cases to double. An ICMR official said the number of RT-PCR tests for detection of Covid-19 crossed the two million-mark in India on Friday. “A total of 20,39,952 samples were tested in the country as on Friday 9 am, with 92,911 tests being conducted since Thursday 9 am, Dr Rajnikant Srivastava, the head of the Department of Research Management, Policy Planning and Communication at the ICMR here said. Continued on Page 2 I n a move to ease agriculture sectors and support farmers, who were hit during the nationwide coronavirus lock- down, the Modi Government has announced the third tranche of economic stimulus package of 1.63 lakh crore for agriculture and allied sectors aimed at strengthening infra- structure, logistics and capac- ity building at farm gate. To bring reforms in agri- culture sector and to help farm- ers earn better prices, the Government has also rolled out sweeping reforms to amend the Essential Commodities Act 1955, removing cereals, edible oils, pulses, onions and pota- toes out of its purview and a new Central Act on Agriculture Produces Marketing Committee to allow farmers to sell their product freely. Besides, schemes for micro food enterprises, cattle vacci- nation, dairy sector, herbal plantation, beekeeping, and fruits and vegetables were also announced. Announcing the third tranche of economic stimulus package, Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Friday said a package of 1 lakh crore for strengthening Agri infrastructure fund for farm-gate infrastructure for farmers; 10,000 crore scheme for the formalisation of Micro Food Enterprises (MFE); 20,000 crore Pradhan Mantri Matsya Sampada Yojana for development of marine and inland fisheries; 15,000 crore for Animal Husbandry Infrastructure Development fund and 4,000 crore allocat- ed for promotion of herbal cul- tivation. The Minister said in the last two months of lockdown, several measures have been taken to support farmers that including minimum support price purchases of 74,300 crore, 18,700 crore trans- ferred to PM-KISAN and 6,400 crore on payment of claims under PMFBY during the lockdown. The Government will pro- vide 1 lakh crore for aggrega- tors, farmers producers organ- isations (FPOs), primary agri cooperative societies, agri entrepreneurs and startups under the agri infrastructure fund. The fund will be used for setting up cold chains and post-harvest management infrastructure. The Government will also launch 20,000 crore Pradhan Mantri Matsya Sampada Yojana for the development of marine and inland fisheries. The Minister also announced 10,000 crore scheme for formalisation of micro food enterprises, (MFEs) to implement Modi’s vision of ‘Vocal for Local with Global outreach’. Continued on Page 2 D epending on their share of coronavirus and the rate of its growth, States want to adopt different strategies in the lock- down-4 post-May 17 with focus on the revival of econo- my in “green zones” and re- starting mass transport, includ- ing the metro services. The containment “red zones” will have complete cur- few-like enforcement of lock- down and stress would be to help convert them in the “green units” before the end of the next-phase of the lockdown. Adopting contrasting strategies Bihar, Jharkhand, Assam and Odisha have sought strict continuation of lock- down in all zones with some relaxations for economic activ- ities, but States like Gujarat do not favour the extension of the lockdown despite high spurt of cases in the State. Congress governed Rajasthan wants economic activity to begin in the “green zone”. Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot has demanded from the PM that the zone determina- tion for the lockdown be at the State level so that economic activities can be started. Continued on Page 2 A gainst the backdrop of Nepal objecting to the newly constructed road in Uttarakhand to shorten the travel time for Indian pilgrims going to Kailash-Mansarovar yatra, Army Chief General MM Naravane, said here on Friday the Himalayan neigh- bour was raising the issue “at the behest of someone else.” His observation, which is seen as an apparent reference to China, came against the backdrop of recent face-offs between Indian and Chinese Armies in Ladakh and Sikkim with troops from both sides indulging in fisticuffs. Rejecting Kathmandu’s reservations on the 80-km road inaugurated last week by Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, Naravane said there is no “contradiction at all” in the new road constructed via Lipulekh pass. He said Nepal may have raised the issue “at the behest of someone else,” without naming any country. Continued on Page 2 T he Supreme Court on Friday stayed the Gujarat High Court order nullifying State Minister and BJP leader Bhupendrasinh Chudasama’s 2017 election on the ground of malpractice and manipulation. A Bench of Justices M Shantanagoudar and R Subhas Reddy, conducting the hearing through video conferencing, issued notice on Chudasama’s plea and sought response from his rival Congress candidate Ashwin Rathod, among others. In the HC, Rathod had challenged his BJP rival’s vic- tory from Dholka by a margin of mere 327 votes in the 2017 Gujarat Assembly polls. During the hearing, senior advocate Neeraj Kishan Kaul, appearing for Chudasama, said that election of his client was set aside by the high court on ground of corrupt practice as 429 postal votes was not count- ed and which were more than the victory margin. Continued on Page 2 T he India Meteorological Department (IMD) on Friday said the onset of the southwest monsoon over Kerala is likely to be delayed by four days this year, adding that the expected date now is June 5 as against the normal date of June 1. On the other hand, private forecaster Skymet has assessed that monsoon may arrive over Kerala around May 28 (with a margin of error of +/- two days). Skymet has said the onset date has no bearing on its further advancement to other parts of the country. According to the IMD, the onset of southwest monsoon over Kerala is likely to be slightly delayed as compared to normal date of onset. Continued on Page 2 H ours after BJP MP Parvesh Verma tweeted a video of a group of men offering namaz on the roadside, with a message that the congregation took place during the Covid lock- down, the Delhi Police on Friday called him out openly for indulging in a false rumour- mongering. The East Delhi DCP said, “This is totally false. An old video is being used with a mali- cious intent to spread the rumour.” The Delhi Police also sug- gested the MP be cautious in future and verify the content before posting it publicly on social media in order to curb the spread of rumours. Soon after the police response, the MP deleted the tweet without any further clar- ification. F ormer judge of the Mumbai High Court Abhay Thipsay has defended his role in giving a legal opinion in the Nirav Modi case as a witness before a UK court and feels that Law Minister Ravishankar Prasad has targeted him apparently because he refused to “com- promise” despite pressure and persuasions from different quarters in some sensitive cases. Speaking to The Pioneer on phone, Justice (retd) Thipsay explained that the entire con- troversy has two parts. First, to do with his legal opinion in the extant case; the other one with his past judgments. “Let me first deal with the first part,” he said. “I simply gave a legal opinion as a wit- ness. I was not defending Nirav Modi or anyone. Some people are trying to project this as a case of my collusion with an anti-national. This is not done.” Justice (retd) Thipsay, who is elder brother of former national chess champion and Grandmaster Pravin Thipsay, said that in his legal opinion as a witness he merely explained that under the Indian law no offence has been defined as a “financial fraud” and as such the Nirav Modi case is being treated as a case of cheating. “I explained that since the bank officials were themselves involved in issuing the Letter of Undertakings, how the bank can pretend to be a victim?” “Under the Indian law, for cheating there has to be a con- spirator and a victim — a deceiver and a deceived. The person who has been deceived can initiate legal action against the deceiver. But the bank is not an individual with its own mind. It’s represented by cer- tain officials and there action alone can come under legal scrutiny. The bank as an enti- ty cannot pretend to be a vic- tim under the definition of law.” “But were not shareholders and depositors ended up becoming victims of the finan- cial fraud?” “As I said before in the India law, there is nothing defined as financial fraud. So we’ve to see this under the law of cheating. If the depositors and shareholders had filed complaints and the case was based on it, it would have been a different situation. That was not the case before me. Here PNB has been presented as a victim.” “The Law Minister has accused that you were acting at the behest of the Congress party, which you joined in 2018, as part of a bigger game plan to bail out Nirav Modi.” “Well, let me make it very clear that my opinions have nothing to do with the Congress. Don’t people in my position in other parties dis- charge their professional duty independent of the party’s views or position? My opinion is not a secret document. I gave it to the Government of India long back, and they replied to that also. I don’t know, why they are suddenly upset,” he said. Thipsay went on to remind Ravishankar Prasad that before Nirav Modi fled India, and even after the IT conducted raid on him, former Law Minister Arun Jailey’s daugh- ter was his advocate. “I’ve nothing against her or Jaitely. She was doing a profes- sional job. Just like I’m doing my job. I can name dozens of advocates with political asso- ciations who appeared in sev- eral sensitive cases and defend- ed highly controversial accused persons. It’s the job of an advo- cate to do this. I’ve merely appeared as witness to expound on a law point. Why make such a hue and cry over it?” Continued on Page 2 T he Myanmar Government on Friday handed over 22 wanted insurgents from Manipur and Assam to India on latter’s request. These insur- gents were hiding and clan- destinely operating from that country against Indian inter- ests. The move has come as a major boost to counter-insur- gency operations in the Northeast, source in the secu- rity agencies said. Out of the 22 insurgents, 12 are from Manipur and repre- sent banned groups like United National Liberation Front (UNLF), People’s Revolutionary Party of Kangleipak (PREPAK), People’s Liberation Army (PLA) and Kanglei Yawol Kanna Lup (KYKL). The remaining 10 are func- tionaries of the National Democratic Front of Bodoland (NDFB-S) and Kamatapur Liberation Organisation (KLO). The insurgents were brought in a special plane that had a stopover in Imphal. Continued on Page 2 Aizawl: The Mizoram Government on Friday extend- ed lockdown till May 31 to check the spread of coron- avirus infection, an official said. The decision was taken after various political parties and several organisations, including those of NGOs, churches and doctors, favoured extension of the lockdown. T he UK’s biggest Covid-19 vaccine project, currently being tested by the University of Oxford, has shown some promising results in a small study with monkeys. Researchers involved with the trials said the vaccine had shown signs of priming the rhesus macaque monkeys’ immune systems to fend off the deadly virus and showed no indications of adverse effects. According to the study, which is yet to be peer- reviewed, a single vaccination dose was effective in prevent- ing damage to the lungs, which is primary target of the virus. “We observed a signifi- cantly reduced viral load in bronchoalveolar lavage fluid and respiratory tract tissue of vaccinated animals challenged with SARS-CoV-2 (Covid-19) compared with control ani- mals, and no pneumonia was observed in vaccinated rhesus macaques,” they said. Continued on Page 2 T he Supreme Court on Friday said it is impossible for courts to monitor or stop the movement of migrant workers across the country and it is for the Government to take necessary action in this regard. The Centre told the top court that migrant workers across the country were being provided transportation by the Government to their destina- tions but they have to wait for their turn rather than starting walking on foot amid the coro- navirus pandemic. A Bench headed by Justice L Nageswara Rao refused to entertain an application seek- ing a direction to the Centre to ask all District Magistrates to identify stranded migrant workers and provide shelter, food to them before ensuring their free transportation to native places in view of the recent incident at Aurangabad in which 16 workers were mowed down by a goods train recently. Continued on Page 2

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Page 1: English News Paper | Breaking News | Latest Today News in ... · ˇ ˆ ˇ ˙ ˙ ˝˛ ˆ ˇ ˚ ˆ˝ ˜ ˙ ! " #˜ !$% ˘ ˇˆ ˙˙ ˆ& ’ ˇˇ ()˙

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�������

���� 23&�,3 -�

With a Covid-19 tally ofnearly 86,000 cases, India

on Friday surpassed neigh-bouring China where the coro-navirus first originated. Chinahad 81,440 cases on March 25when India with merely 500cases had announced first lock-down. Now, in 52 days of lock-down and 106 days afterreporting the first case, Indiatally is more than China’s.

Over 30,000 people haverecovered and 2,753 peoplehave died from the coron-avirus disease in India, com-pared to China’s death count of4,633. The US, Spain andRussia are the worst affectedcountries in terms of +ve cases.

Seven States in India whichincludes — Maharashtra,Delhi, Tamil Nadu, Gujarat,Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan,and Uttar Pradesh — havereported the maximum num-ber of cases.

Maharashtra, which is theworst-hit State in the country,reported 1,576 cases in the last24 hours, pushing the totalcount to 29,100 whereas TamilNadu reported 434 with total10,108 cases and Delhi regis-tered 425 cases taking the totalto 8,895.

Gujarat too registered spikein cases at 340 pushing the tallyto 9,932. Madhya Pradesh,Rajasthan and Uttar Pradeshtoo continued their marchreporting 4,595 cases, 4,747cases and 4,057 cases respec-tively. West Bengal reported 84new cases which led to increase

in total number to 2,461 cases.In Bihar and Karnataka,

the tally crossed 1,000 mark.The total number in Biharinched to 1,005 with 6 newcases reported on Fridaywhereas Karnataka tally rose to1,032 after 45 new cases werereported in the State.

Of 97 total deaths regis-tered in India on Friday,Maharashtra at 49 fatalities,Gujarat (20), Delhi (9), andWest Bengal (8) recorded thehighest number of deaths dueto coronavirus in India in thepast 24 hours.

Goa which was one of thefirst States to become corona-free in India also reported 7new cases on Friday whichagain brings back the State tothe red zone from green zone.The total number of cases inGoa now inched to 14.Similarly, in Manipur a freshcase emerged after 26 days, tak-ing the total tally in this North-East State to three so far.

The country’s doubling rateof coronavirus infection cases

has slowed down to 13.9 days,said Union Health MinisterHarsh Vardhan, referring to thetime it takes for the number ofcases to double.

An ICMR official said thenumber of RT-PCR tests fordetection of Covid-19 crossedthe two million-mark in Indiaon Friday. “A total of 20,39,952

samples were tested in thecountry as on Friday 9 am, with92,911 tests being conductedsince Thursday 9 am, DrRajnikant Srivastava, the headof the Department of ResearchManagement, Policy Planningand Communication at theICMR here said.

Continued on Page 2

���� 23&�,3 -��

In a move to ease agriculturesectors and support farmers,

who were hit during thenationwide coronavirus lock-down, the Modi Governmenthas announced the thirdtranche of economic stimuluspackage of �1.63 lakh crore foragriculture and allied sectorsaimed at strengthening infra-structure, logistics and capac-ity building at farm gate.

To bring reforms in agri-culture sector and to help farm-ers earn better prices, theGovernment has also rolled outsweeping reforms to amend theEssential Commodities Act1955, removing cereals, edibleoils, pulses, onions and pota-toes out of its purview and anew Central Act on AgricultureProduces MarketingCommittee to allow farmers tosell their product freely.Besides, schemes for microfood enterprises, cattle vacci-nation, dairy sector, herbalplantation, beekeeping, andfruits and vegetables were alsoannounced.

Announcing the thirdtranche of economic stimuluspackage, Union FinanceMinister Nirmala Sitharamanon Friday said a package of �1lakh crore for strengtheningAgri infrastructure fund forfarm-gate infrastructure forfarmers; �10,000 crore scheme

for the formalisation of MicroFood Enterprises (MFE);�20,000 crore Pradhan MantriMatsya Sampada Yojana fordevelopment of marine andinland fisheries; �15,000 crorefor Animal HusbandryInfrastructure Developmentfund and �4,000 crore allocat-ed for promotion of herbal cul-tivation.

The Minister said in thelast two months of lockdown,

several measures have beentaken to support farmers thatincluding minimum supportprice purchases of �74,300crore, �18,700 crore trans-ferred to PM-KISAN and�6,400 crore on payment ofclaims under PMFBY duringthe lockdown.

The Government will pro-vide �1 lakh crore for aggrega-tors, farmers producers organ-isations (FPOs), primary agricooperative societies, agrientrepreneurs and startupsunder the agri infrastructurefund. The fund will be used forsetting up cold chains andpost-harvest managementinfrastructure. TheGovernment will also launch�20,000 crore Pradhan MantriMatsya Sampada Yojana for thedevelopment of marine and

inland fisheries.The Minister also

announced �10,000 crorescheme for formalisation ofmicro food enterprises, (MFEs)to implement Modi’s vision of‘Vocal for Local with Globaloutreach’.

Continued on Page 2

���� 23&�,3 -�

Depending on their share ofcoronavirus and the rate of

its growth, States want to adoptdifferent strategies in the lock-down-4 post-May 17 withfocus on the revival of econo-my in “green zones” and re-starting mass transport, includ-ing the metro services.

The containment “redzones” will have complete cur-few-like enforcement of lock-down and stress would be tohelp convert them in the “greenunits” before the end of thenext-phase of the lockdown.

Adopting contrastingstrategies Bihar, Jharkhand,Assam and Odisha have soughtstrict continuation of lock-down in all zones with some

relaxations for economic activ-ities, but States like Gujarat donot favour the extension of thelockdown despite high spurt ofcases in the State.

Congress governedRajasthan wants economicactivity to begin in the “greenzone”. Chief Minister AshokGehlot has demanded from thePM that the zone determina-tion for the lockdown be at theState level so that economicactivities can be started.

Continued on Page 2

���� 23&�,3 -�

Against the backdrop ofNepal objecting to the

newly constructed road inUttarakhand to shorten thetravel time for Indian pilgrimsgoing to Kailash-Mansarovaryatra, Army Chief GeneralMM Naravane, said here onFriday the Himalayan neigh-bour was raising the issue “atthe behest of someone else.”

His observation, which isseen as an apparent referenceto China, came against thebackdrop of recent face-offsbetween Indian and ChineseArmies in Ladakh and Sikkimwith troops from both sidesindulging in fisticuffs.

Rejecting Kathmandu’sreservations on the 80-km roadinaugurated last week byDefence Minister RajnathSingh, Naravane said there isno “contradiction at all” in thenew road constructed viaLipulekh pass. He said Nepalmay have raised the issue “atthe behest of someone else,”without naming any country.

Continued on Page 2

���� 23&�,3 -��

The Supreme Court onFriday stayed the Gujarat

High Court order nullifyingState Minister and BJP leaderBhupendrasinh Chudasama’s2017 election on the ground ofmalpractice and manipulation.

A Bench of Justices MShantanagoudar and R SubhasReddy, conducting the hearingthrough video conferencing,issued notice on Chudasama’splea and sought response fromhis rival Congress candidateAshwin Rathod, among others.

In the HC, Rathod hadchallenged his BJP rival’s vic-tory from Dholka by a marginof mere 327 votes in the 2017Gujarat Assembly polls.

During the hearing, senioradvocate Neeraj Kishan Kaul,appearing for Chudasama, saidthat election of his client wasset aside by the high court onground of corrupt practice as429 postal votes was not count-ed and which were more thanthe victory margin.

Continued on Page 2

���� 23&�,3 -�

The India MeteorologicalDepartment (IMD) on

Friday said the onset of thesouthwest monsoon overKerala is likely to be delayed byfour days this year, adding thatthe expected date now is June5 as against the normal date ofJune 1.

On the other hand, privateforecaster Skymet has assessedthat monsoon may arrive overKerala around May 28 (with amargin of error of +/- twodays). Skymet has said theonset date has no bearing on itsfurther advancement to otherparts of the country.

According to the IMD, theonset of southwest monsoonover Kerala is likely to beslightly delayed as compared tonormal date of onset.

Continued on Page 2

���������������� 23&�,3 -��

Hours after BJP MP ParveshVerma tweeted a video of

a group of men offering namazon the roadside, with a messagethat the congregation tookplace during the Covid lock-down, the Delhi Police onFriday called him out openlyfor indulging in a false rumour-mongering.

The East Delhi DCP said,“This is totally false. An oldvideo is being used with a mali-cious intent to spread therumour.”

The Delhi Police also sug-gested the MP be cautious infuture and verify the contentbefore posting it publicly onsocial media in order to curbthe spread of rumours.

Soon after the policeresponse, the MP deleted thetweet without any further clar-ification.

������������� 23&�,3 -�

Former judge of the MumbaiHigh Court Abhay Thipsay

has defended his role in givinga legal opinion in the NiravModi case as a witness beforea UK court and feels that LawMinister Ravishankar Prasadhas targeted him apparentlybecause he refused to “com-promise” despite pressure andpersuasions from differentquarters in some sensitivecases.

Speaking to The Pioneer onphone, Justice (retd) Thipsayexplained that the entire con-troversy has two parts. First, todo with his legal opinion in theextant case; the other one withhis past judgments.

“Let me first deal with thefirst part,” he said. “I simplygave a legal opinion as a wit-ness. I was not defending NiravModi or anyone. Some peopleare trying to project this as acase of my collusion with ananti-national. This is not done.”

Justice (retd) Thipsay, who

is elder brother of formernational chess champion andGrandmaster Pravin Thipsay,said that in his legal opinion asa witness he merely explainedthat under the Indian law nooffence has been defined as a“financial fraud” and as suchthe Nirav Modi case is beingtreated as a case of cheating. “Iexplained that since the bankofficials were themselves

involved in issuing the Letter ofUndertakings, how the bankcan pretend to be a victim?”

“Under the Indian law, forcheating there has to be a con-spirator and a victim — adeceiver and a deceived. Theperson who has been deceivedcan initiate legal action againstthe deceiver. But the bank is notan individual with its ownmind. It’s represented by cer-

tain officials and there actionalone can come under legalscrutiny. The bank as an enti-ty cannot pretend to be a vic-tim under the definition of law.”

“But were not shareholdersand depositors ended upbecoming victims of the finan-cial fraud?”

“As I said before in theIndia law, there is nothingdefined as financial fraud. Sowe’ve to see this under the lawof cheating. If the depositorsand shareholders had filedcomplaints and the case wasbased on it, it would have beena different situation. That wasnot the case before me. HerePNB has been presented as avictim.”

“The Law Minister hasaccused that you were acting atthe behest of the Congressparty, which you joined in2018, as part of a bigger gameplan to bail out Nirav Modi.”

“Well, let me make it veryclear that my opinions havenothing to do with theCongress. Don’t people in my

position in other parties dis-charge their professional dutyindependent of the party’sviews or position? My opinionis not a secret document. I gaveit to the Government of Indialong back, and they replied tothat also. I don’t know, whythey are suddenly upset,” hesaid.

Thipsay went on to remindRavishankar Prasad that beforeNirav Modi fled India, andeven after the IT conductedraid on him, former LawMinister Arun Jailey’s daugh-ter was his advocate.

“I’ve nothing against her orJaitely. She was doing a profes-sional job. Just like I’m doingmy job. I can name dozens ofadvocates with political asso-ciations who appeared in sev-eral sensitive cases and defend-ed highly controversial accusedpersons. It’s the job of an advo-cate to do this. I’ve merelyappeared as witness to expoundon a law point. Why make sucha hue and cry over it?”

Continued on Page 2

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������ ������ � �!!��������� ������"������� 23&�,3 -�

The Myanmar Governmenton Friday handed over 22

wanted insurgents fromManipur and Assam to Indiaon latter’s request. These insur-gents were hiding and clan-destinely operating from thatcountry against Indian inter-ests.

The move has come as amajor boost to counter-insur-gency operations in theNortheast, source in the secu-rity agencies said.

Out of the 22 insurgents, 12are from Manipur and repre-sent banned groups like UnitedNational Liberation Front(UNLF), People’sRevolutionary Party ofKangleipak (PREPAK), People’sLiberation Army (PLA) andKanglei Yawol Kanna Lup(KYKL).

The remaining 10 are func-tionaries of the NationalDemocratic Front of Bodoland(NDFB-S) and KamatapurLiberation Organisation(KLO). The insurgents werebrought in a special plane thathad a stopover in Imphal.

Continued on Page 2

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Aizawl: The MizoramGovernment on Friday extend-ed lockdown till May 31 tocheck the spread of coron-avirus infection, an officialsaid. The decision was takenafter various political partiesand several organisations,including those of NGOs,churches and doctors, favouredextension of the lockdown.

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The UK’s biggest Covid-19vaccine project, currently

being tested by the Universityof Oxford, has shown somepromising results in a smallstudy with monkeys.Researchers involved with thetrials said the vaccine hadshown signs of priming therhesus macaque monkeys’immune systems to fend off thedeadly virus and showed noindications of adverse effects.

According to the study,which is yet to be peer-reviewed, a single vaccinationdose was effective in prevent-ing damage to the lungs, whichis primary target of the virus.

“We observed a signifi-cantly reduced viral load inbronchoalveolar lavage fluidand respiratory tract tissue ofvaccinated animals challengedwith SARS-CoV-2 (Covid-19)compared with control ani-mals, and no pneumonia wasobserved in vaccinated rhesusmacaques,” they said.

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The Supreme Court onFriday said it is impossible

for courts to monitor or stopthe movement of migrantworkers across the countryand it is for the Government totake necessary action in thisregard.

The Centre told the topcourt that migrant workersacross the country were beingprovided transportation by theGovernment to their destina-tions but they have to wait fortheir turn rather than startingwalking on foot amid the coro-navirus pandemic.

A Bench headed by JusticeL Nageswara Rao refused toentertain an application seek-ing a direction to the Centre toask all District Magistrates toidentify stranded migrantworkers and provide shelter,food to them before ensuringtheir free transportation tonative places in view of therecent incident at Aurangabadin which 16 workers weremowed down by a goods trainrecently.

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New Delhi: Ten central tradeunions on Friday gave a call fora nationwide strike on May 22to protest against the suspen-sion of labour laws by somestates during the lockdownperiod, and also decided to takethe matter to InternationalLabour Organization (ILO).

"The joint platform ofCentral Trade Unions (CTUs)in their meeting held on May 14, 2020 took note of the criticalsituation for the working peo-ple in the country during thelockdown period and decidedto enhance united actions tomeet the challenge," a jointstatement by 10 CTUs said.

"The joint platform...Hasdecided to observe nationwideprotest day against the anti-worker and anti-peopleonslaughts of the governmenton May 22, 2020," it added.

While Uttar Pradesh hassuspended major labour laws,Madhya Pradesh has tweaked

some rules amid the lockdownto spur economic activities.As per media reports, Gujarat,Tripura and many other statesare following suit.

The CTUs have also decid-ed to send joint representationto ILO in this regard. They saidthat suspension of labour lawsviolates international commit-ments on labour standards andhuman rights.

"Uttar Pradesh governmenthas brought a draconian ordi-nance titled “Uttar PradeshTemporary Exemption for cer-tain labour laws ordinance 2020”under the guise of facilitatingeconomic activities," it said.

With one stroke, 38 lawswere made defunct in UP for1,000 days, and only section 5of Payment of Wages Act 1934,Construction Workers Act1996, Compensation Act 1993and Bonded Labour Act 1976remain functional, it added.

The laws that have been

suspended include Trade UnionAct, Industrial Disputes Act, Acton Occupational Safety andHealth, Contract Labour Act,Interstate Migrant Labour Act,Equal Remuneration Act,Maternity Benefit Act etc, it said.

According to the state-ment, Madhya Pradesh gov-ernment has tweaked labourlaws while Gujarat governmenthas decided to increase work-ing hours to 12 from 8 hours.

Assam, Tripura and sever-al other states have beenactively preparing to take thesame route, they added.

The move came after 8states — Gujarat, HimachalPradesh, Haryana, Odisha,Maharashtra, Rajasthan, Biharand Punjab — increased thedaily working hours to 12from 8 earlier through exec-utive order in violation of theFactories Act, taking advan-tage of the lockdown situation,they said. PTI

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From Page 1On asked why such hostile

reaction from the Law Minister,Justice Thipsay said, “All I cansay that some people nurturegrudge against me since I wasall along an uncompromisingjudge. I know some of myjudgment, especially in theinfamous Best Bakery case,made some people very unhap-py. But I’ve always been true tomy conscience.”

“Was there any pressure onyou in the Best Bakery case toacquit the accused persons?”

“See this was a very con-troversial case. It was trans-ferred out of Gujarat by theSupreme Court. The nation’seyes were on this case and theGujarat Government was obvi-ously extremely concernedabout its outcome. I was hon-oured to be nominated as judgeto deal with the case. Therewere both pressure and per-suasions from different quar-ters - including floods of threat-ening letter and pleas that as aHindu I should side with the

accused persons --- but I didwhat a judge should have done.Of course, my judgment hadupset some people and theyfound difficult to forget it.That’s why they treat me as anenemy.” Justice Thipsay point-ed out that during thirty yearsof his judicial career mostly theCongress was in power both atthe Centre and in the State, somajority of his judgments wentagainst the executive decisionof the Government.

“In fact, I was accused to bepro-BJP for several of my judg-ments including quashing adefamation case against NitinGadkari when he was Leader ofthe Opposition in MaharashtraAssembly and giving bails totwo accused of the Malegaonblast case. “My judgments werebased on principled enshrinedin the Constitution. But today,everything is being viewedfrom the prison of communal-ism, and social media trolls arelet loose against judges who dif-fer with the Government. Thisis a very sad situation -- and itposes serious danger to ourdemocracy,” he said.

From Page 1A fund of �10,000 crore has

been set aside for Micro FoodEnterprises, with a cluster-based approach of promotingState-wise produce for instance,makhana from Bihar, Kesar inJammu & Kashmir, mango inUttar Pradesh, bamboo shootsin North-East, chilli in AndhraPradesh, tapioca in Tamil Naduand turmeric from Andhra

Pradesh.The Government also allo-

cated �13,343 for foot andmouth disease and �15,000crore animal husbandry fundin dairy processing.

The Government haslaunched �4,000 crore fund topromote herbal cultivation inabout 10 lakh hectare, she said,adding that the scheme willhelp generate Rs 5,000 croreincome for farmers. Along thebank of Ganga, a corridor ofmedicinal plants will be devel-

oped over 800 hectare. AnotherRs 500 crore has been ear-marked for beekeeping initia-tives, helping 2 lakh beekeep-ers. The Government extend-ed Operation Greens fromtomato, onion and potato to allfruits and vegetables by pro-viding an additional fund of�500 crore.

This money would go intoproviding subsidy on trans-portation from surplus to defi-cient markets as well as on stor-ages including cold storages.

From Page 1“The monsoon onset over Kerala this year is

likely to be on June 5 with a model error of fourdays. But the monsoon is likely to arrive over theAndaman and Nicobar Islands four days inadvance, in the next 48 hours”, IMD said.

Normally, the southwest monsoon sets overKerala on June 1 with a standard deviation of aboutseven days. Last year, the monsoon onset overKerala was delayed by seven days. In the last 10years, the earliest arrival was on May 23 in 2009and the most delayed on June 8, 2016.

IMD officials attributed to several factors fordelay in arrival of monsoon over Kerala that canmake the advancement of rains slightly sluggish,including an abnormally high number of westerndisturbances affecting the western Himalayanregion.

In its initial predictions, the IMD on April 15had said the country is likely to receive “normalmonsoon” this year with an error of five per cent.It has predicted “below normal” rainfall during June,long dry spells in July and “excess rainfall” duringAugust and September - almost similar to last year’spattern. The IMD will, however, come out withmonth-wise and spatial forecasts of monsoon rain-fall in last week of this month or in the first weekof June.

On the status of the 2020 southwest monsoonand its advance over the Andaman sea, the IMDsaid a well-marked low-pressure area currently liesover southeast Bay of Bengal and its neighbour-hood. It is likely to concentrate into a depressionover the same region during next the 12 hours andfurther intensify into cyclonic storm Amphan overcentral parts of south Bay of Bengal by May 16.

From Page 1After handing over the 12

rebels from the state to thepolice in Imphal, the aircraftwent to Guwahati.

According to reports,Assam Director General ofPolice Bhaskar Jyoti Mahantaconfirmed that the specialplane reached Guwahati wherethe 10 rebels wanted in Assamwere handed over to the Statepolice.

The ultras brought backfrom Myanmar include NDFB(S) self-styled home secretaryRajen Daimary, SanatombaNingthoujam of UNLF, andPashuram Laishram ofPREPAK.

The handing of the insur-gents by Myanmar to Indiacould be the result of the tiesbetween the two countrieswherein New Delhi has stead-fastly backed Naypyitaw onthe Rohingya issue, sources inthe security establishment said.

From Page 1According to officials, test-

ing for Covid-19 has beenscaled up significantly overthe last two months and thecapacity has increased toaround one lakh tests per day.“To promote Make in India andfacilitate domestic manufac-turers to get their Covid-19diagnostics kits validated, thenumber of ICMR-approvedvalidation centres and labora-tories has been increased from

five to 14,” Srivastava said.Experts have said no vac-

cine is expected to be ready foruse until at least 2021, as theymust be widely tested inhumans before being adminis-tered to hundreds of millions,if not billions, of people to pre-vent infection.

Globally, 4,527,811 peoplehave been infected by coron-avirus so far, and the total num-ber of deaths from the diseasenow stands at 303,418.

From Page 1The researchers found that after being

exposed to high levels of the novel coron-avirus, none of the six monkeys that weregiven the vaccine developed viral pneumo-nia. Also, there was no sign that the vaccinehad made the animals more vulnerable.

The development has been welcomed asencouraging signs for a vaccine currentlyundergoing human trials but experts warnthat it remains to be seen if it is as effectivein humans.

“These results support the ongoingclinical trial of the vaccine in humans, theresults of which are eagerly awaited,” said DrPenny Ward, visiting professor in pharma-ceutical medicine at King’s College London.

Sarah Gilbert, professor of vaccinologyat the University of Oxford’s Jenner Institutewho is leading the research, has previouslysaid she has a “high degree of confidence”in the vaccine. “Of course, we have to testit and get data from humans. We have todemonstrate it actually works and stops peo-ple getting infected with coronavirus beforeusing the vaccine in the wider population,”she said. British drugs giant AstraZeneca hasstruck up a “landmark partnership” with theOxford University team and said that 100million doses could be made by the end ofthe year if the trials prove successful.

“We’re now starting to wait for an advo-cacy signal to see whether people who’vebeen vaccinated don’t get the disease, sothat’s the next step,” said John Bell, profes-sor of medicine at the University of Oxford.

From Page 1The bench, which also

comprised Justices SK Kauland BR Gavai, asked SolicitorGeneral Tushar Mehta whetherthere was any way to stopthese migrants workers fromwalking on the roads. Mehtasaid states are providing inter-state transport to the migrantworkers but if the people startwalking on foot instead ofwaiting for transportation, thennothing can be done.

He said authorities canonly request these people not

to start walking on foot as usingany force to stop them wouldbe counter-productive.

The bench, which said itwas not inclined to hear theplea, observed that it is impos-sible for the court to monitorwho is walking and who is notwalking. Srivastava had filedthe plea soon after theAurangabad incident in which16 migrant workers, who werereturning to Madhya Pradeshand had slept on railwaytracks, were mowed down bya goods train.

From Page 1He said the returning offi-

cer rejected the postal votes.Senior advocate Harish

Salve, also appearing forChudasama, joined the argu-ments after his video link wasestablished and said that one ofthe fundamental principles is tofind out which way were thevotes going.

He said the election peti-tion was filed by his rival can-didate on presumptions andassumptions as the returningofficer did not counted 429votes. He contended that thehigh court should have calledfor the 429 votes and seen ifthey were rightly rejected underthe law as one has to see, ifresults were materially affect-ed due to this move. Salve saidthere was no link between theminister and the returningofficer nor any link or collusionto establish material benefit.

Senior advocate KapilSibal, appearing for Rathod,

said that complete facts werenot presented and there are ille-galities and manipulation ascounting of votes started withElectronic Voting Machines(EVMs) and postal ballots werenot even brought till the finalround of counting.

He said there is a form 20A signed by returning officer,which says 429 postal ballotrejected but returning officertells poll observer that no bal-lot was rejected. Sibal pointedout that Election Commissionof India directions are thatpostal ballots are to be count-ed if victory margin is less andin this case it was just 327 voteswhile postal ballots were 429.

He said that there wascollusion between the return-ing officer and the winningcandidate as postal ballotswere not counted even thoughthe victory margin was less.The bench said that saysreturning officer has givenreasons for rejecting the postalballots.

Sibal said that the ElectionCommission of India’s instruc-tions are that you have torecount the votes, if postalballots are rejected.

From Page 1Soon after the opening of

the Lipulekh-Dharchula road ata height of more than 15,000feet, Nepal protested and urgedIndia to "refrain from carryingout any activity inside the ter-ritory of Nepal."

There were street protestsalso against the new road inNepal. On Saturday last week,Nepal also said the "unilateralact" was against the under-standing reached between the

two countries on resolvingborder issues. It also served adiplomatic note to the Indianenvoy in Kathmandu.

Surprised at the neigh-bouring country's reaction,Naravane said the area East ofthe Kali river belongs to Nepal."There is no dispute in thatwhatsoever. The road which wemade is in fact to the West ofthe river. So, I don't know whatthey are agitating about," hesaid in a seminar. Stating therehave never been any problemson this in the past, he said,"There is reason to believe thatthey might have raised theissue at the behest of someoneelse and that is very much apossibility."

The road built by the

Border Roads Organisation(BRO)in Pithoragarh is fromGhatiabgarh to Lipulekh justfive kms short of the Line ofActual Control (LAC)facingChina. This road will reducethe Kailash Mansarovar yatraby 10 to 12 days.

Elaborating upon the issue,Naravane said "There are littleissues as we go ahead as toexactly where the tri-junction(India-China-Nepal) should be."He also stressed that these inci-dents and the face-offs thatoccurred last week in EasternLadakh and North Sikkim werenot related. He also said, "We aredealing with them on a case-by-case basis. I have not seen anyconcerted design into the face-offs." On Thursday, he had alsosaid the two countries resolvesuch issues through mutuallyagreed redressal mechanismand strategic guidelines givenby Prime Minister NarendraModi and President Xi Jinpingin two informal summits.

On Friday, he brushedaside any larger Chinese ployand said such face-offs are verycommon and it is "business asusual".

From PAge 1The Prime Minster has

hinted that the lockdown-4could be of “complete newcolour” for the purpose of re-activisation of economy. Stateswere asked to submit theirrespective unit maps depictingred, orange and green areaswith Prime Minister’s office byFriday. The current lockdown- the third since it was enforcedon March 25 - is scheduled toend on Sunday.

As the Centre prepares todraw a blueprint for the grad-ual exit from the nationallockdown, a number of Statesare wanting that public trans-portation, including metroservices and f lights andrestarting of reasonable eco-nomic activity in non-con-tainment zones be allowed tobring back the sliding econo-my back on the rails.

In line with the PM’s advicethat nation will have to “learnto live with the coronavirus,” afew States, despite the scare ofcoronavirus, are for immediatelifting of restrictions on eco-nomic activities.

Andhra, for example, hasproposed resuming all eco-nomic and public activities innon-containment areas. Thesouthern state has 2,137COVID-19 cases according toHome Ministry data and11,422 people in quarantine.

Delhi Chief MinisterArvind Kejriwal, said afterreceiving feedback from resi-

dents, he thought some eco-nomic activities should beallowed in Delhi except incontainment zones. He calledfor the lifting of more curbs inDelhi - all of which has beendesignated a “red zone” to sug-gest a high-concentration ofcases. He also reportedly wantsresumption of taxi, auto andmetro services.

Kerala, a State that reliesheavily on tourism for revenue,wants metro services, localtrains, domestic flights, restau-rants and hotels to be re-opened.

Karnataka, which has alsodone well to contain the viraloutbreak, has asked the Centrefor permission to re-openrestaurants, hotels and gym-nasiums - public spaces closedweeks ago to encourage socialdistancing and check the virus’spread.

Tamil Nadu has also askedfor economic activity to be re-started except in containmentzones. The request is likely tobe viewed with caution, giventhe State has registered a mas-sive surge in Covid-19 casesover the past few days.

Gujarat, which has 9,591cases and has reported 586deaths, wants to resume all eco-nomic activity in all majorurban centres.

Maharashtra - the Statemost badly affected - is reluc-tant to open up too much of theeconomy or too many offices

Bihar, Jharkhand andOdisha have gone the otherway, with all three States ask-ing for the strict lockdown to

continue. Covid-19 case num-bers in these States are climb-ing, and are set to climb evenfurther, with the return ofmigrants stranded across thecountry.

Bihar Chief Minister NitishKumar has made it clear thelockdown in his State will beextended to May 31. He alsosaid relaxation of guidelinesshould be left to district admin-istrations.

Uttar Pradesh is also likelyto present a big challenge for theCentre, with the populous statereporting 3,902 positive casesand 88 deaths, so far. PunjabChief Minister AmarinderSingh is among those whoasked for an extension of thelockdown, stating during themeeting with the PM that “wemust have strong lockdown. Iwill ensure a curfew”.

Assam has also called foran extension of the lockdown.

Haryana may continuelockdown with modificationsare likely to continue with itsborders are to remain restrict-ed with conditional access.State transport will begin in 10districts. The State is also plan-ning to resume bus services toonly Delhi railway station start-ing May 18. Industrial andcommercial activity willincrease in the fourth phase ofthe lockdown.

In Himachal Pradesh mod-ified curfew with increasedcommercial activity will be themajor focus. State borders willremain closed with restrictedentry. Industrial and commer-cial activity will slowly pick up.

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The Delhi Government onFriday launched a web-

site— edistrict.delhigovt.nic.in/— for the new registration andrenewal of registration of theconstruction workers in Delhi.

The Delhi Government thisMonday also decided to providefinancial assistance of �5,000again to the construction work-ers in the wake of the extend-ed coronavirus lockdown.

The decision was taken at ameeting of the ConstructionWorkers' Welfare Board, chairedby Labour Minister Mr GopalRai. There are around 40,000construction workers registeredwith the board. DevelopmentMinister of Delhi Mr Gopal Railaunched this website today.

"There are many unregis-tered construction labourers

in Delhi along with construc-tion labourers whose renewal ofregistration is pending. In a bidto solve this registration andrenewal related issues, today wehave launched a websitehttp://www.edistr ict .del-higovt.nic.in/. From tomorrowhere the construction labourerscan register for a new applica-tion or renewal," said Rai.

He added, "In this regis-tration process first, the personneeds to register by filing alogin form online. The websitewill have several options but forthe new registration or renew-al, the person will be needed toselect either option no 62(renewal) or option no 63 (fornew registration).”

“In this process the follow-ing information will be required:Name, address, contact details,date of birth, self-declaration,

address proof, bank accountproof, proof of birth and cer-tificate of 90 days of work fromemployer or union. Followingthe submission of these details,an OTP will be sent to the per-son's mobile no. The person willalso get a date on which he orshe will be needed to physical-ly visit a designated centre tosubmit original documents.Thereafter the person will getthe labour card and can avail allthe facilities,” Rai added.

"There are some doubtsregarding who all can registerthemselves as constructionworkers. According to laws, car-penters, worker grinders, con-struction site guards, the peoplewho work in concrete mixers,crane operator, electrician, compoperator, Mason (Raj Mistry),tiles stone fitters, welders, cooliesand others can apply," said Rai.

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Anumber of dying lakes in thenational Capital will come to life

soon as Delhi Jal Board (DJB) hastaken up the initiative to rejuvenateexisting 155 water bodies with thetotal cost of �376 crore.

The civic body has already issuedtenders for 59 water bodies in whichworks awarded to rejuvenate 22 lakesand work is presently in progress ateight sites which are likely to be com-pleted in six months in a phased man-ner, a senior DJB official said.

The official said that the DJB isalso creating new lakes at Dwarka,Timarpur oxidation pond, Rohini,Nilothi, Pappan Kalan and Satpula.

“The lakes at Dwarka, Rohini,Nilothi and Pappan Kalan are beingdeveloped by using the treated efflu-ent which was further polished to thestandards as mentioned by ‘NationalGreen Tribunal’ (NGT) for waterquality in lakes,” he said.

The lakes at Timarpur andSatpula are being created by using rawsewage which will be treated to thestandards as mentioned by NGT forwater quality in lakes, he said, addingthat the rejuvenation of water bodies

and creation of lakes will help inenhancement of ground waterrecharge and will contribute to fightscarcity of water.

Vice Chairman of DJB RaghavChadha said ,“Rejuvenation of waterbodies is pivotal as only through cre-ation of lakes, ground water rechargewill enhance which will contributetowards eradicating scarcity of water.”

The plan prepared on the premiseof bringing incredible innovations inwater technology, which will help inconserving water, Chadha said.

“Our commitment is to ensureaccess to potable clean drinking waterand sanitation for all, both as ahuman right and as a critical element

to protect human health during healthcrisis. The summer action plan pre-pared this year with an aim to meetsummer water demand,” he added.

“DJB will work towards maintain-ing the water treatment plants, increas-ing the water supply in water-deficientareas, improving efficiency and fasterdisposal of complaints.” he said.

It may be noted that Delhi Parkand Garden Society earmarked 1061water bodies that existed in Delhi.Some of these water bodies dried updue to non-availability of watersource and due to change in runoffof catchment and some got contam-inated due to inflow of sewage inthese water bodies.

���������������� 23&�,3 -��

The Delhi Police Commissioner SNShrivastava has urged its department to

adopt newer technology and register dailydiaries (DDs) online.

According to the order, since the dailydiaries are being received online, except for spe-cial reason, hard copies may not be got print-ed. "All may view the daily diaries online andtake necessary action. We may adopt to newertechnology and save the paper. All concernedneed to be briefed accordingly," the order reads.

The order was signed on Thursday andmarked to all Special Commissioners of Policeand Joint Commissioners of Police. A dailydiary entry is made when any kind of complaintis lodged and when police believe that thereis some prima facie evidence of a cognisableoffense being committed, it is registered as anFIR. Making daily dairy paperless is an anoth-er move towards digitisation, police said.

Meanwhile on Friday, the Northern Rangeof Delhi Police conducted briefing sessions fortheir police staff in all the police stations.

According to Manish Kumar Agrawal, theJoint Commissioner of Police, Northern range,the sessions were conducted by the prominentdoctors of their areas, to educate about the safe-ty precautions and to instill a sense of confi-dence among the police personnel.

���������������� 23&�,3 -�

Indian Railways is all set torun 300 “Shramik Special”

trains to transport more thanfour lakh stranded people perday in a mission mode. Morethan 12 lakh passengers havebeen ferried by these specialtrains back to their home statestill now.

Starting from just fourtrains on May 1, IndianRailways managed to opera-tionalise more than 1,000 suchShram Shakti trains in last 15days. In a remarkable achieve-ment, a total 145 “ShramikSpecial” trains were opera-tionalised from various Statescarrying more than 2.10 lakhpassengers back to their homestates on 14th May.

“This is for the first timethat on a single day, passengercount on Shramik trains

crossed the two lakh mark.These trains began operationswith just around 5,000 passen-gers on 1st May,” the Ministrysaid in a statement.

These trains were termi-nated in various States likeAndhra Pradesh, Assam, Bihar,Chattisgarh, HimachalPradesh, Jammu & Kashmir,Jharkhand, Karnataka, Kerala,Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra,Manipur, Odisha, Rajasthan,Tamilnadu, Telangana, Tripura,

Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand,and West Bengal.

The Ministry further saidthat these trains are being runby Railways only after con-currence is given both by theState which is sending thepassengers and the state whichis receiving them. “Properscreening of passengers isensured before boarding thetrain. During the journey, pas-sengers are given free mealsand water,” it said.

���������������� 23&�,3 -��

Amidst Covid-19 spread inthe national Capital claim-

ing more than 100 lives, DelhiHealth Minister Satyender Jainon Friday said that there shouldbe a balance between the fightagainst Covid and economicactivities.

As per health bulletin,corona patients’ number islikely to cross 9,000 by Saturdaywhile corona cases are increas-ing where as the containmentzones are decreasing with lat-est number 78.

Briefing media, Jain said, “Iwant to repeat that in the lasttwo months we have learnedvarious lessons from the Covid-19. If we wear mask, maintainsocial distancing and washhands regularly then people

will be 90-95 per cent safer.”“There was a time when we

all thought that this pandem-ic will be over by May 1 due tosummer. But now we haveseen that in the Latin Americancountries also the pandemic isincreasing. The temperatureof these countries is very high.This shows that we have tolearn to live with Covid-19,”Jain added.

Citing Covid -19 healthreport, Jain said that onThursday, in India, the growthrate of Covid was 5 per centand earlier there was a timewhen the growth rate was 20per cent. I believe that the num-bers should be seen in terms ofthe percentage increase.

“We are fighting against theCovid-19 with full effort butnow we have to start the eco-

nomic activities, therefore, themeasures should be followed,”“When the lockdown wasimposed at that time we werenot prepared to fight this pan-demic but now we have pre-pared ourself to fight this pan-demic,” Jain added.

On migrants’ issue, Jainsaid,”I will say that there aretwo kinds of situation. One isthe migrant labourers of Delhiand second is the migrantlabourer of other states who arepassing through Delhi. For themigrants, the Government hasarranged stay and food acrossDelhi.”

“Any such person you meetcan be sent to the nearby shel-ter of the Delhi Government.We are providing lunch anddinner to nearly 10 lakh poorpeople every day,” he added.

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����������������23&�,3 -�

The Delhi Government hassent suggestions to the

Central Government regardingthe relaxation of the lockdown.

According to DelhiGovernment, the key sugges-tions from the people are thatevery person should wearmask at the public places andsocial distancing should bemaintained all the time. Peoplehave also suggested that pub-lic transportation should startfor example buses and metroswith limited capacity.

“Regarding malls, peoplehave suggested that in the lim-ited capacity of either 25 percent or 50 per cent the mallsof the city should be opened.They have also suggested thatthe markets should be openedfollowing either odd-evenrules or only three days aweek,” the Health MinisterSatyender Jain said.

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The Congress on Fridaylashed out at the Centre's

announcement of the thirdtranche of the economic pack-age.

Congress spokespersonRandeep Surjewala alleged thatthe package worth Rs.20 lakhcrore had proved to be anexample of 'voodoo econom-ics'.

He claimed that the Uniongovernment had disappointedthe entire country by failing totranslate their promises intoreality. Maintaining that farm-ers and labourers were facing alot of difficulties, Surjewalaaccused the Centre of pushingthem into a debt trap.

Moreover, he complainedthat the farmers had not beenprovided with any financialhelp.

Senior Congress leaderJairam Ramesh said thatFriday's announcements werealready present in the UnionBudget even as he requestedUnion Finance MinisterNirmala Sitharaman to revealthe revised expenditure figurefor the fiscal year 2020-21.

The Congress accused thegovernment of being "insen-sitive" towards farmers anddemanded that the primeminister and the finance min-ister apologise for neglectingthem in the COVID-19 eco-nomic package.

Surjewala said the gov-ernment has not put a singlepenny in the pocket of farm-ers or farm labourers throughthe package and claimed thatfarmers have lost over Rs50,000 crore this Rabi season.

"One thing is absolutelyclear that the so-called Rs20-lakh crore economic pack-age has proved to be a jumlapackage. It ref lects the'voodoo' economics being fol-lowed by the prime ministerand the finance minister,"Surjewala said at a press con-ference through video-con-

ferencing. Surjewala said the farmers

have lost �21,000 crore by dis-tress sale of wheat far belowthe minimum support price(MSP) and an equal amountthrough other crops likechana, sarson and masoor,while anoher �10,000 crorewas lost through distress saleof vegetables and fruits.

He claimed that since themarkets were shut and farm-ers have to sell at distressprices as the government wasbuying only 26.5 per cent ofthe Rabi crop at MSP.

���� 23&�,3 -�

In a precautionary measure, aportion of the Army

Headquarters or Sena Bhawanhere, is closed for sanitationand disinfection after a soldierposted there was tested positivefor Covid-19. Following thelaid down process, the armyauthorities are following themedical protocol like contact-tracing of the affected soldier,quarantine and related drill.There is another suspect caseof the pandemic there.

Giving this informationhere on Friday, sources said afloor of the Sena Bhawan wasshutdown for fumigation andsanitization drive. With thiscase, the total number of personnel in the Army testing positive has crossed the 40 mark. They include 25 patients

undergoing treatment in thecancer department of theArmy’s Research andReferral(RR)Hospital and 14others in different parts of thecountry.

The 24 patients includingser ving and ret ired personnel were shifted toanother army hospital near-by on May 4. However, nostaff was affected by the coro-navirus, they clarified.

Similarly, 38 personnelof the Navy tested positive in Mumbai lastmonth and 12 of them werelater discharged after duetreatment and isolation process while theremaining 26 are still under-going treatment, sources said.

�� ����9����� 23&�,3 -�

Amid all the negativity aboutcoronavirus pandemic that

has created havoc across Indiaas well as the world, there’sgood news from some Stateshere where the number ofrecovered Covid-19 patientshas surpassed the number ofactive cases.

Active Covid-19 cases arethe number of total coronaviruscases after deducting the num-ber of recovered/dischargedpatients and fatalities count.Nationally too, the recoveryrate is increasing steadily.About 32.63 per cent patientshave recovered so far fromcoronavirus.

According to the HealthMinistry's website, more than70 per cent of the deaths aredue to comorbidities.

The Southern State ofKerala has shown the best per-formance in managing the

virus since day one. As onFriday, there are 64 activecases, while 493 people havebeen sent home after gettingtreated for the viral infection.It was Kerala where the firstCovid-19 case in India wasreported on January 30.

Haryana has registered 368cases against 439 recoveredcases while in Telangana 428positive cases have been report-ed and 952 people have recov-ered.

Ditto in Chhattisgarh,Uttarakhand, Meghalaya,Madhya Pradesh and AndhraPradesh and a few other Statesand Union Territories.

In fact, in the last fewdays, India has seen morecoronavirus recoveries thanthe rise in active covid cases.On Thursday, 1,849 patientswere cured of Covid-19 whileactive cases went up by 1,739.The death toll from coron-avirus complications rose by

134 to 2,549.Overall, the total number

of coronavirus cases in Indiaclimbed to 78,003, after regis-tering new 3,722 cases in last 24hours.

In Jammu Kashmir, 589people were discharged and469 are still under treatmentwhile in Andhra Pradesh 1,252have been recovered . Atleast1,007 are still infected with theviral. 48 people have died so farin the State.

Similarly, Madhya Pradeshhas reported 2,073 active casesagainst 2,283 treated cases. InRajasthan, there are 1,886active cases while 2,677 havegone home, according the data.

In a pandemic with a lowmortality rate like COVID-19,the number of recovered casesmust steadily exceed the num-ber of active cases at somestage, provided the exponentialgrowth of new cases is stopped,as per health experts.

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���� 23&�,3 -�

Former Congress presidentRahul Gandhi on Friday

took a swipe at Niti Aayog, theGovernment’s think tank, forpredicting that there would beno Covid-19 cases after May16. The think tank had said thegovernment’s lockdown strat-egy to control the virus will

enable that. “The geniuses atNiti Aayog have done it again.I’d like to remind you of theirgraph predicting the Govt’snational lockdown strategywould ensure no fresh Covidcases from tomorrow, May the16th,” Rahul tweeted. Thegraph, as seen in the pictureshared by him, shows the curvepredicting new cases peakingaround last week of April andthen sloping downwards tozero on May 16.

However, there has beenno let up in the cases even asthe third phase of nationwidelockdown ends this Sunday.

���� 23&�,3 -�

Terming the Government’spackages to migrant

labourers, farmers and poor a“cruel hoax”, the CPI (M)Politburo on Friday said thatthe one nation-one rationcard will be active only inmid-2021 and pointed outthat the NDA regime hadcanceled many ration cards inthe name of corruption,which ultimately made thepoor suffer.

In a detailed statement,the polit bureau pointed outthat on Thursday FinanceMinister Nirmala Sitharaman assessed onlyeight crore as migrant work-ers, whi le earl ier inParliament she had said thatthere are more than 10 croremigrant workers in manycit ies across the

country. “Not a single paisa isbeing transferred from theGovernment to any of theworst-affected sections of ourpeople, specif ical ly migrant workers, street ven-dors, domestic workers, fishing workers etc. Thispackage is mainly provision ofloans.

“The only direct benefit is

a package of �3,500 crores forextension of the provision offree foodgrains. Having cancelled crores of rationcards in the name of corrup-tion making the poor suffer,the FM now makes a grandgesture that all families with-out ration cards will also get5kg foodgrains and 1kg puls-es free. Repackaging schemeslike one nation-one rationcard that will see the light ofthe day only by mid-2021, isof little consequence to thesufferings that crores of peo-ple face today,” the CPI(M)said.

The Left party accusedthe Finance Minister of mis-leading the countr y by claiming that there was a 40to 50 per cent increase inMNREGA workdays generat-ed.

The CPI (M) also saidthat the Central Governmenthas no right to give anyinstructions regarding the useof CAMPA funds.

It is for StateGovernments in coordina-t ion with local communities, mainly tribal,who are affected by projects todecide how the funds are tobe spent.

���� 23&�,3 -�

In a move to help farmersearn better prices for their

products in times of Covid-19crisis, the Modi Governmenthas rolled out sweepingreforms for the farm sectorincluding a central law(Agricultural ProduceMarketing Committee–APMC Act) to allow farmersto sell their produce freelyand amendment to the six-a n d - a - h a l f - d e c a d e - o l dEssential Commodities Act(ECA) 1955 moving cereals,edible oils, pulses, onions andpotatoes out of its purview.

BJP-ruled MadhyaPradesh, Uttar Pradesh,Karnataka and Gujarat havealready made amendments tothe APMC Act to removesrestrictions on where thefarmer would be able to sell hisproduce and get better pricesby eliminating the middle-men.

Union Finance MinisterNirmala Sitharamanannounced the reforms whiledetailing the third tranche offinancial package. The ECAamendment, besides deregu-lating production and sale offood products, will provide forno stock limit to be imposedon any produce. A stock limitwill be imposed only undervery exceptional circumstanceslike national calamities, faminewith a surge in prices. Also, nostock limit shall apply toprocessors or value chain par-ticipants.

The EC Act is considereda major impediment in thegrowth of agriculture sector astraders are scared to buy moreon the fear of imposition ofstock holding limits anytime.

According to EC Act, if thecentral government is of opin-ion that it is necessary formaintaining or increasing sup-plies of any essential com-modity, securing their equi-table distribution and avail-ability at fair prices or secur-ing any essential commodityfor the defence of India, it mayprovide for regulating or pro-hibiting the production, supplyand distribution and trade andcommerce therein.

Sitharaman alsoannounced that a central lawwill be formulated to provideadequate choices to the farm-ers to sell produce at an attrac-tive price, barrier-free inter-state trade and framework fore-trading of agricultural pro-duce. Farmers are currentlybound to sell their produceonly to licensees in the APMC,said the minister. This restric-tion does not exist for anyother industrial produce.

This, she said, resulted installing the free flow of agri-cultural produce and frag-mentation of markets and sup-ply chain. Also it entailed lessprice to the farmers. TheCentre has also been urgingthe states to encourage theadoption of NationalAgriculture Market or e-NAM,an electronic platform thatlinks all mandis to create a uni-fied nationwide market to helpfarmers secure better prices fortheir produce.

According to agricultureministry, the e-NAM platformnow has a total number of 1000mandis across.

This apart, OperationGreens will be extended fromtomato, onion and potato to allfruits and vegetables by pro-viding 50 per cent subsidy ontransportation and storage ofthese commodities, she said.

���� 23&�,3 -�

As Covid-19 is likely tobecome a part of life, focus

is now on daily cleaning and dis-infecting frequently-touchedsurfaces such as tables, door-knobs, light switches and han-dles among others. In this direc-tion, scientists at CSIR-CMERI,Durgapur, have developed twomobile indoor disinfection sprayer units to beused for effectively cleaning anddisinfecting pathogenic micro-organism present on doors,knobs, hospital wards, hospitalbeds, surfaces, rooms, halls,building corridors among oth-ers.

The aim is to minimise therisk of transmittingCoroanvirus to people whoinadvertently come in contactwith these surfaces.

"The mobile sprayers areBPDS (Battery-PoweredDisinfectant Sprayer) andPOMID ( PneumaticallyOperated Mobile IndoorDisinfection). Both the sprayersystems are designed with twostage spraying units and sepa-rate storage tanks to clean anddisinfect the indoor areas bythe numbers of fixed and flex-ible nozzles set in the lower &the upper tiers. There is also anindustrial variant of the disin-fectant sprayer which has util-ity for heavy usage and largerspan of coverage," said Prof.Harish Hirani, Director, CSIR-CMERI, Durgapur.

He explained that most ofthe disinfectant sprayers inthe market are based either oncleaning or disinfecting usinga single chamber storage forthe liquid and are pump-based.The droplets produced by a

pump sprayer are much larg-er in size and effective cover-age of surface is lesser.

“However, indoor sprayersystems developed by our labconsist of dual chamber stor-age for disinfectants and clean-ing and have better nozzle

design, better arrangement ofnozzles and lesser droplet sizesand therefore sprayed disin-fectant covers greater surfacearea for the specified volumeof liquid,” he said.

The sprayers are alsoequipped with mopping fea-

tures and extendable arms toreach hidden area and cleancomprehensively. The tech-nology for BPDS has alreadyfound a taker with PowerTech Mining Pvt. Ltd. (WestBengal) seeking its commer-cialisation, Prof Hirani said.

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Offering hope fortreatment of the

coronavirus infectionthat has caused havocacross the world, ateam of Germanresearchers has iden-tified potential cellulartargets for treating thevirus that causesCovid-19.

A team of bio-chemists and virolo-gists at GoetheUniversity and theFrankfurt UniversityHospital in Germanytested a series of com-pounds in laboratorymodels and foundsome which sloweddown or stopped virusreproduction.

According to theresearchers, theseresults now enable thesearch for an activesubstance to be nar-rowed down to a smallnumber of alreadyapproved drugs.

Researchers from

both institutions weretogether able to showhow a SARS-CoV-2infection changes thehuman host cells.They used a particularform of mass spec-trometry called themePROD method,which they had devel-oped only a fewmonths previously.This method makes itpossible to determinethe amount and syn-thesis rate of thou-sands of proteins with-in a cell, according tothe findings publishedin the journal Nature.

"Thanks to themePROD-technologywe developed, we werefor the first time ableto trace the cellularchanges upon infec-tion over time andwith high detail in ourlaboratory. We wereobviously aware of thepotential scope of ourfindings," said studylead author ChristianMunch from Goethe

University.

"However, theyare based on a cellculture system andrequire further test-ing," Munch added.

The findings showa picture of the pro-gression of a SARS-CoV-2 infection:whilst many virusesshut down the host'sprotein production tothe benefit of viralproteins, SARS-CoV-2only slightly influencesthe protein produc-tion of the host cell,with the viral proteinsappearing to be produced in competi-tion to host cell pro-teins.

Instead, a SARS-CoV-2 infection leadsto an increased pro-tein synthesismachinery in the cell.

The researcherssuspected this was aweak spot of the virusand were indeed ableto signif icant ly

reduce virus repro-duction using some-thing known astranslation inhibitors,which shut downprotein production.

T w e n t y - f o u rhours after infection,the virus causes dis-tinct changes to thecomposition of thehost proteome: whilecholesterol metabo-lism is reduced, activ-ities in carbohydratemetabolism and inthe modification ofRNA as protein pre-cursors increase.

In line with this,the scientists weresuccessful in stop-ping virus reproduc-tion in cultivatedcel ls by applyinginhibitors of theseprocesses.

Similar successwas achieved byusing a substancethat inhibits the pro-duction of buildingblocks for the viralgenome.

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���� 23&�,3 -�

The Supreme Court, whichhas been hearing urgent

matters through video-confer-encing from March 25 due toCOVID-19 pandemic, onFriday decided to postpone itssummer vacation by five weeksand declared that it wouldremain functional from May 18to June 19.

As per the October 14 noti-fication, the summer vacationwould have started from May 18and concluded on July 5 (bothdays inclusive) in the apexcourt.

“In partial modification ofNotification of even numberdated October 14, 2019 notify-ing the list of Supreme Courtholidays, 2020 and the summervacation of the court, it is here-by notified that the five-weekperiod from May 18, 2020 toJune 19 (both days inclusive) ofthe summer vacation of the SCcalendar 2020 has been rescheduled and declared asperiod of functioning of thecourt,” the apex court notifica-tion said.

It said that the earlier noti-fication on the list of holidayswould remain unchanged.

The decision has been takenby the judges of the apex courtin its virtual full court meetingand it has also been resolvedthat Chief Justice of India (CJI)S A Bobde will keep an eye ondeveloping situation.

The decision to shortenthe summer vacation has beenhailed by SCBA (SupremeCourt Bar Association)President Dushant Dave whoalso said that the apex courtshould take all steps to help poorcitizens in the present crisis.

The apex court, sinceMarch 25, has been holdingcourts through video confer-encing due to the nation-widelockdown to contain the spreadof coronavirus (COVID-19)and had suspended the entry of advocates and otherstaff into the high security zoneon the basis of their proximitycards, till further orders.

The SCBA, on April 11, hadappealed to the CJI and hiscompanion judges to declarecancellation of summer vacationand treat it as

working period of apexcourt in the larger interest of thelitigants and interest of justice inview of ongoing nationwidelockdown.

���� 23&�,3 -�

The Supreme Court Fridayasked the Centre to apprise

it about steps taken for quar-antining doctors and medicalstaff engaged in fight againstcoronavirus in accommoda-tions near the hospitals itself.

A bench of Justices LNageswara Rao, Sanjay KishanKaul and B R Gavai, whichtook up the matter throughvideo conferencing asked

Solicitor General TusharMehta, appearing for theCentre, to take instructionsand apprise it by next week.

During the hearing, senioradvocate Mukul Rohatgi,appearing for doctor-petition-er Arushi Jain, said that resi-dent doctors in Governmenthospitals, after completing 7/14days on duty, are supposed to

be quarantined.He said these doctors are

quarantined in places wherethey have to share rooms, bath-rooms but it should be done inplaces, where social distancingcan be maintained.

Rohatgi said this type ofarrangements would defeat thepurpose of quarantining andcorona warriors will fall down.

He said the Governmentshould requisition such hotelsand guest houses where prop-er facilities are available andsocial distancing could bemaintained.

He said he was not seekingany adversarial order but isonly asking for suitable accom-modation with necessary facil-ities near the hospital for thedoctors and medical staffs,who are in forefront of dealingwith Covid-19 pandemic.

���� 23&�,3 -�

The Supreme Court Fridaystayed the Madras High

Court order which had asked theTamil Nadu government to closestate-run liquor vends on theground that there was violationof guidelines meant to containthe COVID-19 pandemic.

Following the stay on thehigh court order by the apexcourt the state-owned liquorshops may reopen in the state.

A bench comprising Justices

L Nageswara Rao, S K Kaul andB R Gavai stayed the May 8 orderof the High Court after takingnote of the appeal ofGovernment firm Tamil NaduState Marketing Corporation(TASMAC) which sells alcoholic beverages in the State.Lawyer Yogesh Kanna, appearing for the StateGovernment, said the top courtissued notices to those who hadfiled the pleas in the high courtseeking closure of the liquor out-lets in the State.

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The death of Divya P John,a final year novitiate trainee

at Baselian Convent atThiruvalla in Kerala on May 7has become a controversy witha global collective of Keralaitesdemanding a CBI probe intothe incident.

Divya (21) was found deadunder mysterious conditions inthe well of the convent on May7 around 11 am and the offi-cials of the Church term it as acase of suicide. But members ofJSL, (Justice for Sister Lucy) aglobal organisation fightingagainst the Church officialswho excommunicated SisterLucy Kalapurackal from thereligious congregation for heruncompromising stance againstexploitation of nuns by some ofthe vicars and bishops of theChurch, expressed their reser-vation over the attitude of theChurch superiors who theyallege jumped into the conclu-sion that Divya had committedsuicide.

“Divya is the 22nd nun

trainee who was found deadunder mysterious conditions.During the last 28 years, wehave seen 22 nuns losing theirlives under mysterious condi-tions.

The dead include SisterAbhaya of Pius X Convent,Kottayam. She was found deadunder similar conditions inthe well of the convent onMarch 27, 1992 and the Churchauthorities claimed that it toowas a case of suicide,” saidLuckose Chullikkara, a devoteCatholioc from Kasaragod whois an office bearer of the JSL.

The JSL in a representationto Chief Minister PinatrayiVijayan, a copy of which is withThe Pioneer has demandedthat the probe into the ‘allegedsuicide’ by Sr Divya should behanded over to the CBI for animpartial and judicious inves-tigation.

The sped with which theChurch officials and the man-agement of the Convent ruledthat Divya committed suicideitself evokes suspicion.

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In a major initiative to help crisis riddenmaize farmers, BS Yediyurappa led BJP

Government in Karnataka has announceda third economic package worth �512crore rupees. In a press conference onFriday, Chief Minister Yediyurappaannounced �512 crore third economicpackage giving relief to maize farmers andincentivising ASHA workers, at the fore-front in the fight against Covid-19.

Yediyurappa said While around 10lakh maize farmers will get �5,000 each,the Accredited Social Health Activists(ASHA) workers would get an incentiveof �3,000 each through cooperative insti-tutions.

“About 10 lakh maize farmers are suf-fering as they are not getting proper price,that is why I have decided to give �5,000relief to each farmer, it is about �500 crorecommitment,” he told reporters.

He said there were about 40,250ASHA workers in the State and eachwould get �3,000 each, which will add upto about �12.50 crore.

“Despite the State financial conditionbeing not good we have alreadyannounced financial packages for those indistress. First one was �1,610 crore, sec-ond was �162 core, this is the third one,”he added.

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Pinarayi Vijayan, ChiefMinister of Kerala, lam-

basted the Narendra ModiGovernment for its indifferenceto the woes faced by the Statefollowing the coronavirus pan-demic.

Addressing his daily durbarconvened to brief about thenumber of new pandemic casesin the State on Friday, Vijayansaid whatever financial assis-tance the Centre claims tohave given as part of the Covid-19 package was what the Statewould have received even ifthere was no pandemic.

“The State has received aportion of financial assistancedue to us from the NationalDisaster Relief Fund whichKerala would have got even ofthere was no coronavirus pan-demic. The claim being madeby the Centre is this regard is

wrong,” Vijayan announcedduring the press meet. He saidthe Centre’s attitude towardsthe States have to change.

He said 16 new Covid-19cases were confirmed in Keralaon Friday. “Out of the 16 cases,seven persons were those whoreached the State from abroadwhile four were from Chennaiand two from Mumbai,” saidthe Chief Minister.

As on Friday, there were576 coronavirus positive casesin Kerala. 80 persons areundergoing treatment in vari-ous hospitals. On Friday, 122persons have been admitted tovarious hospitals in the State,”said Vijayan.

Out of the 576 persons test-ed positive for coronavirus,311 were those who reachedthe State from foreign countriesand 70 from other States in thecountry.

The Chief Minister said

187 persons were infectedthrough contacts .

“We are worried about theincrease in the number ofcoronavirus cases in the State.The possibilities for commu-nity transmission have becomestrong in Kerala. As part ofstrengthening the preventivemeasures , we will deployMotor Cycle Brigade to scanthe entire areas in districtswhere the coronavirus positivecases have been notified,” saidthe Chief Minister.

He said police officials willundertake rounds in theseareas to check whether thoseordered to undergo quarantinerestrict themselves to theirhomes. Vijayan disclosed that3,732 expatriates have returnedto the State by 17 aircraft andthree Indian Navy ships.Migrant workers numbering33,000 have left Kerala by 29trains.

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Rehana Fathima of Kerala,who created a furore all

over the country in 2018 forher attempt to enter theSabarimala Temple followingthe Supreme Court verdict hasbeen terminated from serviceby her employer BSNL.

The activist, a regular fea-ture in all anti-establishmentagitations in the State and pop-ularly known as TelephoneFathima, courted controversythrough her postings in thesocial media which the believ-ers allege hurt the public sen-timents. Her semi-nude pic-tures had created a sensation inthe Kerala society.

The 35 year old technicianworking in one of the telephoneexchanges in Ernakulam cityhas been asked to go on com-pulsory retirement by heremployers. Fathima was arrest-ed by the Kerala Police in May2018 on charges of fomentingcommunal hatred in the Statethrough her words and actionsand she has been suspended bythe BSNL since then.

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Congress and the TrinamoolCongress have questioned

the potency of Union FinanceMinister’s Friday declarationscomparing it with a budgetaryspeech that will not only fail toprovide immediate relief tothe vast cross-section of thepoor and migrant workers butalso fall short of boosting con-sumers’ purchasing capacity.

“The Government hasbeen talking of huge packagesbut it failed to appreciate thefact that the so-called packageshould have found its way intothe pockets of the crores ofmigrant workers. Where is thatrelief? The biggest packageshould have first taken care oftheir hunger and plight thatforce them to walk hundreds ofmiles back home. Where is thatrelief?” Congress leader of Lok

Sabha Adhir Chowdhury saidadding the Finance Minister’sdeclaration resembled a bud-getary speech.

“Whatever reforms shespoke about was already in thepipeline and was being dis-cussed for the past severalyears. We all know that there isan issue with food processingand only small percentage ofour products go into food pro-cessing. Discussions werealready on to give a fillip to theindustry which will in ultimaterun help the farmers... There isnothing new about thesereforms ... but they will yieldresult 2-3 years from now...

“In the present context willthese reforms provide cash tothe poor and the marginalpeople? What will happen tothe migrant workers who arewalking back home hundredsof miles? What will happen to

the people who are starving?“The Government should

have transferred some moneyfrom its so-called into thepockets of the marginal people.That will be the biggest pack-age. The Government seems tobe boosting the supply line butis not taking measures tostrengthen the demand line. Ifdemands do not increase, thenthe whole measure will fall flat.”

Congress MP PradipChatterjee said “we are not onlydisgusted but also angry withFM’s nonsensical act. The BJPleaders are trying to befoolpeople with their mathematical

jugglery that will make peopledream of �20 lakh crore. Butthe question is will it help thecrisis to blow over now? AmitShah said that the steps willbear results in 5 years when wewill become self sufficient. Butwhat will happen till then?

How will we handle the cri-sis and starvation now? TheGovernment is silent.”

TMC MP Saugato Roysaid, “the first need of thehour was to provide cash topeople to increase their pur-chasing their purchasingpower. That the Governmentwould not do despite repeatedrequests. Whatever the FMhas said will continue to hoveras a budget assurances muchlike it has been happening foryears.”

Pro-Trinamool Congresseconomist Aviroop Sarkar tooquestioned the efficacy of the

package saying it had the trap-pings of a budget speech. “Thereforms notwithstanding, therewas a need to provide imme-diate relief to the people pro-visions of which do not seemto contain in the FinanceMinister’s announcement. Itdoes not seem to carry anyimmediate relief to ward off thecrisis.”

He said “the Governmentshould have taken steps tostrengthen the purchasingpower of the common peopleto sustain the reforms that it isinitiating now. It should haveprovided cash to the people toincrease demand in the market.Without increasing demandboosting production and sup-ply line will perhaps not yieldthe desired result.

It will not pull the peopleout of the crisis they are in dueto the corona pandemic.”

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What could cause a grave health crisis duringpandemic situation the Manipur Government

has reportedly taken back at least 185 trained nurs-es working in various private hospitals in Kolkataand other cities, sources said.

These nurses were working in big medical facil-ities like RN Tagore Hospital, Appollo GleneaglesHospital. AMRI Hospital, EEDF Hospital and FortisHospital sources said adding “most of the nurseshave either resigned their posts and left or simplyleft after they were taken back by the ManipurGovernment.

Sources at AMRI Hospital said nurses fromOdisha and Tripura were also likely to be taken awayby the respective Governments. A large number ofnurses from Kerala, Bihar, Jharkhand, Nagaland,Mizoram, Manipur and other places come toBengal.

Meanwhile, Bengal on Friday recorded 10 newdeaths taking the total number of deaths to 225. Thisapart the State saw 84 new cases taking the total num-ber of infections to 2461. Out of these 1460 are activecases. About 829 people have recovered from infec-tion, Health Department sources said adding the con-tainment zones in Kolkata was slightly reduced from339 early this week to 286 on Friday.

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There are 10,108 persons all overTamil Nadu who had tested

positive for coronavirus as onFriday. The release issued by theDirectorate of Public Health andPreventive Medicine on Fridayevening stated that 434 testedpositive for coronavirus all overthe State taking the total numberof Covid-19 cases to 10,108.

Five persons succumbed to thepandemic on Friday taking thetotal fatalities in Tamil Nadu to 71.There is some news which offerssuccor to the people and that is thenumber of persons dischargedfrom hospitals on a single day. Arecord number of 359 patientswho were cured of the pandemicleft hospitals on Friday and this isthe highest number to be dis-charged on a single day in theState, said the release.

Chennai continued to be theepicentre of covid pandemic in the

State. The Greater ChennaiMunicipal Corporation registered309 coronavirus positive casesout of the 434 cases tested positiveall over the State. The capital cityhas 5,946 coronavirus patients ason Friday.

An important point to benoted is that the number of coro-navirus patients got doubled in asingle week. On May 8, TamilNadu had 5,409 covid patientswhich breached the 10,000 markby May 15. The number of per-sons tested positive for coronavirushas come down (though negligi-bly) in the last three days. WhileMay 11 saw 798 persons testingpositive on a single day, the num-ber came down to 716 on May 12.The next day saw a furtherdecrease as the numbers stood at509 on May 13.

May 14, the number of covidcases were 447 while May 15(Friday)saw the numbers comingfurther down to 434.

Bengaluru: A 52-year-old man succumbed tonovel coronavirus inKarnataka even as thehighest single-day rise of69 new positive caseswas reported, raising thestate's tally to 1,056, anofficial said on Friday.

The deceased malewas resident ofChitaguppa town inBidar had died onTuesday but his testreport on his positivestatus came on Friday.The deceased had a trav-el history to Hyderabadand also suffered fromSevere Acute RespiratoryInfection (SARI).

Chitaguppa is 709km north of Bengaluru.

The new cases werereported from 5 pm onThursday to 5 pm onFriday,” the health officialsaid.

Out of the 1,056cases, 539 are still active,480 patients have beendischarged, and 36 others

have died.In the past 24 hours,

Covid cases spiked inDakshina Kannda,Bengaluru Urban,Mandya, Hassan, andUdupi.

Of the new cases,Dakshina Kannadareported 15 cases, fol-lowed by BengaluruUrban and Mandya 13each, Hassan and Bidar 7each, Udupi five,Kalaburagi 3,Chitradurga two andKolar, Bagalkote, UttaraKannada andShivamogga one each.

Kolar, Chitradurga,Hassan, Mandya andShivamogga cases had atravel history to TamilNadu and Maharashtra. IANS

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Jammu: The Union Territory of Jammu &Kashmir Friday joined the club of States withmore than 1,000 cases of coronavirus.With 30fresh cases, the final tally touched 1,013 cases.

According to the daily Media Bulletin onnovel Coronavirus (Covid-19), out of 1013 pos-itive cases, 489 are Active Positive, 513 haverecovered and 11 have died. Out of 489 activecases, 438 are from Kashmir and 51 fromJammu division.

According to official sources, “21 freshcases were detected across Kashmir divisionwhile 9 cases were reported positive fromJammu division”. In addition, 28 patientsrecovered fully and were discharged from dif-ferent hospitals on Friday.

Meanwhile, aggressive testing of allincoming stranded passengers was going on atthe gateway of Jammu & Kashmir inLakhanpur and at Jammu railway station. Aftermandatory screening these stranded passen-gers are being accommodated in administra-tive quarantine centres till receipt of their con-firmatory test reports.

Moreover, 28 more Covid-19 patientshave recovered and discharged from varioushospitals of Kashmir Division. The Bulletin fur-ther said that out of 70,306 test results avail-able, 69,293 samples have tested as negative tillMay 15, 2020.

Out of 21 fresh cases, Srinagar districtreported 11 cases from Kashmir division.

Bandipora, which was earlier labelled as hotspot has shown impressive improvement as atotal number of 122 cases have recovered sofar and only 12 active cases are under obser-vation in hospitals. PNS

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The police have arrested 129 peo-ple in connection to the commu-

nal flare-up leading to clashes andlarge-scale arson in the Telinipararegion of Hooghly district,Chandannagore Commissioner ofPolice Humayun Kabir said on Friday.

“The police taking strong action.We have reports of people goingaround inciting communal violence.We are trying to zero in on them andhave arrested 129 people. We will soonarrest the masterminds,” Kabir saiddrawing strong criticism from localBJP MP Locket Chatterjee who con-demned the Police Commissionerfor “playing a partisan game.”

She alleged, “the BJP MPs are try-ing to meet the CP for the past fewdays but he is not meeting us where-as he is meeting the TrinamoolCongress MLAs. The Government isgiving free hand to the communalforces to destroy, loot and burn thehouses of the local people here.”

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New Delhi: The NIA on Friday arrested thekey conspirator Mohammed Haroon HaziAbdul Rehman Lakdawaa in Visakhapatnamespionage case from Mumbai.

The case relates to a Pakistan-based inter-national espionage racket which recruitmentpeople in India to collect information on navalmovements and submarines besides otherdefence establishment.

Lakdawala, 49, is a resident of Mumbai andone of the key conspirators in the case origi-nally registered at CI Cell, Vijayawada policestation, Andhra Pradesh various sections of theIndian Penal Code, Unlawful Activities(Prevention) Act and Official Secrets Act.

The case involved individuals based inPakistan and at different locations in India.Pakistan-based spies recruited agents in Indiafor collecting sensitive and classified informa-tion regarding locations/movements of IndianNaval Ships and Submarines, and other defenceestablishments, the NIA said in a statement.

“Investigation revealed that few navy per-sonnel came in contact with Pakistani nation-als through various social media platforms suchas Facebook, Whatsapp etc, and were involvedin sharing classified information in lieu of mon-etary gains. The money was deposited into thebank accounts of the navy personnel throughIndian associates having business interests inPakistan,” the NIA said.

During the course of probe so far, 14accused persons have been arrested including11 Navy personnel and one Pakistani bornIndian national Shaista Qaiser. PNS

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Ruling out the possibility ofreopening of intra-district

borders in the State after May17, Maharashtra Chief MinisterUddhav Thackeray said here onFriday that since the coron-avirus crisis was far over in theestate, the State Governmentwould take all precautionswhile preparing road map forthe Lockdown-4 beginningfrom May 18.

After reviewing the coron-avirus situation in the statewith the ruling Maha VikasAghadi (MVA) colleagues in thestate, the Chief Minister said:“Without reopening the intra-district borders, we will have totake all precautions whilepreparing road map for thelockdown-4 beginning on May18. The Coronavirus crisis isnot over yet in the state. We willhave to seek the help of doctorsand members of Task Force indealing with the situation in the

Post-May 18 period”.At the meeting attended

among others by NCP chiefSharad Pawar, State Cabinetministers and senior bureau-crats, the chief ministerreviewed the situation that pre-vailed during the last 55 days oflockdown enforced in threephases.

During the meeting, theissues like the current health sit-uation in the state, the mannerin which the health authoritieswere combating it, law andorder, arrangements made bythe State Government in send-ing back the migrant workers totheir respective states and thedifficulties faced by the stateauthorities in handing the trans-portation of migrant workers.

Briefing those present atthe meeting, the Chief Ministersaid that industrial activity hadbegun in the state after the gov-ernment relaxed the lockdownnorms in green and orangezones on April 20.

“After the relaxation ofnorms in green and orangenorms, we had permitted 65000 industrial units to resumeproduction. Of them, 35000units had resumed operationand nearly 9 lakh workers hadreported to duty. In effect, wehave resumed 50 per centindustrial activity in the state.After the return of migrantworkers to their respectivestates, we have set up anemployment bureau to trainand provide skilled and non-skilled labourers to the indus-tries,” the Chief Minister said.

While reviewing the healthsituation in the state, those pre-sent at the meeting discussedthe issues like the need for pur-chase of medical equipment,filling up of vacant posts inGovernment hospitals and howto relax the norms in the redand containment zones duringthe lockdown-4 period evenwhile adhering to the pre-scribed norms.

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The fear of contracting COVID-19 is understandable. There is asyet no cure, no vaccine. Anobsessive fear of getting it, how-ever, will worsen matters.

Making the urge to escape the virus’clutches, the driving concern will conduceto a negative approach, impairing thedrawing up of a comprehensive and evolvedstrategy to cope with the pandemic spread-ing across India while saving lives, keepingthe economy growing and imposing min-imum possible hardships on people.

The current strategy considers socialdistancing to be the most effective way ofhobbling the progress of the virus and thelockdown the best way of making social dis-tancing effective. Lauding the lockdown, thefourth stage of which begins on May 18,experts have argued that the number ofCOVID-19 cases and deaths therefromwould have been much, much higherwithout it. I will not cross swords with themas I am not an expert in the matter. I canonly say that they have gone by model-based projections, which are sometimesright and sometimes wrong.

Besides, there are serious limitations tothe extent to which the lockdown can ensuresocial distancing. Sixty-five million peopleor 22 per cent of India’s population live inslums where gross over-crowding (often sixto 10 people in small rooms), acute pover-ty and shockingly unhealthy conditions pre-vail. It is impossible to practise social distanc-ing — to say nothing of working from home— in such places or in highly-overcrowdedareas which are not slums. Social distancingis only possible among inhabitants ofcolonies of at least the comparatively privi-leged and between dwellers of the latter onthe one hand and those living in slums andhighly overcrowded areas on the other. Thoseliving in the latter are not only more vulner-able to the infection of COVID-19 but to theadverse economic impact of the lockdown.

The majority of the families living inslums and highly overcrowded areas are ofmigrant workers who are not highly-skilledand are employed on low daily wages. Manyof them did not find work everyday evenbefore the lockdown came into force. Thehalting of economic activity following thelockdown has left them without work andincome. Hence the tragedy of long home-ward marches by thousands of families, withwomen often carrying children in their arms.

Against these projections, the harsh factis that the lockdown has hobbled the econ-omy and imposed untold hardship on sec-tions that are the least able to bear it. Thevictims are not only the urban poor,including migrant workers, but rural poorwho provide urban areas with suppliesand/or depend on money sent by their kinworking as migrant labourers in cities.Prime Minister Narendra Modi has doubt-less announced a �20 lakh crore package tokickstart the economy and Finance Minister

Nirmala Sitharaman has filledin with some details, whosemain effect will be enhancingcash-flow in the short run.

Much of how things panout on the ground will dependon the delivery systems com-prising Central and Statebureaucracies. Neither of thetwo is celebrated for its efficien-cy. A great deal will also dependon the manner in which thelockdown is lifted. Of criticalimportance in this context willbe the relaxations permittedduring its fourth phase andtheir implementation. Theseshould be preparatory to aresumption of economic andsocial life at the pre-lockdownlevel except in regions andspheres of activity where restric-tions are absolutely essential.

There will be pressures tothe contrary both from Statesand sections of the public fed ona diet of apocalyptic predictionsabout what will follow and theair may well be rent by warn-ings of a quantum jump in thenumber COVID-19 cases anddeaths therefrom. India, and,for that matter, the world, hasnever lacked in doomsayers.The country must ignore themand march on while takingevery possible step to halt thedisease’s spread and minimisethe number of deaths.

It is imperative to adopt ahistorical perspective. Theworld has survived pandemics.A massive outbreak of bubon-ic plague devastated Europe and

parts of Asia and North Africaduring the 14th century.Perhaps the worst phase wasbetween 1347 and 1351 when,according to varying estimates,it killed one-third to as much as50 to 60 per cent of Europe’spopulation. The numbers citedrange from 50 million to 200million deaths. The same dis-ease claimed an estimated100,000 lives in London, aquarter of the city’s population,during 1665-66. Earlier, thePlague of Justinian (namedafter an emperor of Byzantiumor Eastern Roman Empire)that afflicted his domain in 541-542, killed an estimated 10,000people a day in its capital,Constantinople (now Istanbul).

In fact, it is plague that ledto the institution of quarantine,which began in 1377 when theRector of the seaport of Ragusa,which then belonged to theVenetian Republic, prescribed a30-day, later extended to 40days, isolation for arriving ships.Anyway, plague provides justone example. Small pox, whichhas haunted the world for12,000 years, caused 300 milliondeaths in the 20th century, InIndia, it killed 15,000 people,mainly in Bihar, Odisha andWest Bengal. And this despitethe availability of preventive vac-cination and treatment withanti-biotics. Despite the avail-ability of both, 838,315 cases ofcholera were notified to theWorld Health Organisation(WHO) during the period

between 2004 and 2008. Theestimated actual burden ofcholera is much higher and inthe vicinity of three to five mil-lion cases and 100,000 to130,000 deaths per year.

The world has survivedthe pandemics mentionedabove and other instances ofmass deaths caused by dis-eases. It will survive COVID-19but may have to live with it evenafter a vaccine and curativemedicine are available.Preventive vaccination andeffective treatment have noteradicated plague. From 1985 to2003, 25 countries reportedover 43,000 cases to the WHO.The disease continues to occur.

The focus should be on astrategy for the lifting of thelockdown as early as possibleand on a blueprint for lifethereafter. It will not be an easyjob because it will require actionat three levels — international(relations with other coun-tries), national and local.Pressure, born of obsessive fearof the disease, has to be resist-ed. Simultaneously, the effortsafoot in India to find a vaccineand a cure must continue. Hereone must not only look at allo-pathic but homeopathic,ayurvedic and Unani cures aswell. The case of Ozone thera-py, which is also said to haveshown promising indications,needs to be explored, too.

(The writer is ConsultantEditor, The Pioneer, and anauthor)

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Sir — It’s been a month and a halfsince the lockdown was imposedand we are still seeing migrantswalking home. Why have prop-er arrangements still not beenmade to ensure that they returnto their home States? If they arebeing prevented from leavingbecause of the fear that the viruswill spread, what about the factthat many of them are dying with-out food and water? Are theirlives not important? How can weallow some people to die in aneffort to save others?

Ibne Giasuddin KurlaMumbai

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Sir — This refers to the editori-al, “Swadeshi vs Make in India”(May 15). It is heartening thatPrime Minister Narendra Modimade an appeal to make thecountry self-reliant and asked touse products “made in India.”

It is welcome that our leadershave finally realised the impor-tance of indigenisation of prod-ucts and are advocating for it.Every industry must now take up

this challenge and start manufac-turing products. But it must beborne in mind that India cannotcompete with other countries inevery area. Therefore, we have toget some clear cut ideas in thisregard.

Though our country has

made great strides in scientifictechnology, it has not been ableto make any strong inroads intothe smartphone/laptop business.In these areas, China has outdonemost countries across the world.

Chinese electronic goodshave undoubtedly swamped the

world. Further, Chinese smart-phones have literally conqueredglobal markets. Sadly, Indiansmartphones are nowhere to beseen. It’s better to set achievabletargets, like in agriculture.

TK NandananKochi

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Sir — With the Governmentplanning to further ease lock-down norms from next week,what is sure is that cases arebound to spike. We should be pre-pared for this as slowly but sure-ly, the virus will spread to hith-erto unaffected districts.Undoubtedly, safety protocolslike wearing masks and usingsanitisers will become the newnormal.

A gradual easing down of thelockdown will bring another setof challenges for the Union as wellas State Governments. It will notbe easy for them to enforce socialdistancing norms in publicspaces. Second, not all migrantworkers may feel safe to comeback to work as the pandemic hasleft them in a state of panic.Central and State Governmentswill have their work cut out formonths not just handling a post-lockdown scenario but also instriking a balance between ourhealth and economic priorities.

Yash NaryaniUjjain

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Everyone around the world, including pol-icy-makers, governments and even theWorld Health Organisation (WHO), has

come to realise that the Coronavirus is a pan-demic that isn’t going to die out soon. Even aftera lockdown of seven weeks, the number of infec-tions and deaths in India is surging and it’s aninevitable moment we’ve arrived at. Inevitable notonly from an economic but also medical (care)perspective.

As India comes out of the lockdown in phas-es, hospitals in the country, both government andprivate, will have to deal with a huge backlog oflife-saving surgeries and procedures. The coun-try’s fragile health system will now have to con-tend with crushing demands for specialist surg-eries, ICU beds, life-saving medicines and anacute shortage of healthcare workers to handlethe potential flurry of non-Covid patientsaround OPDs and wards.

It is probably time that the patients of thepandemic are managed like sufferers of a chron-ic disease and not as the only disease affectingthe masses, to ease off the strain on the rest ofthe population needing treatment. However chal-lenging the treatment, isolation and healthcareworker-protection protocols for COVID-19 are,it should now join the other illness curves of thecountry’s healthcare system. We have to find waysto resume life and return to a somewhat “newerversion” of the old times, but this time with theCoronavirus living among us.

We are aware that we are now entering a newworld, a new era. We all have no other way butto live with this invisible enemy and thrive forthe sake of our financial and social well-being.

The argument to justify the lockdown — themoral and ethical perspective — that it saves lives,is now getting shifted and is under intense scruti-ny because of the immense strain it puts oneconomies and lives. Lockdowns in various Stateshave shut down the vaccination programmes forinfants and children in a country which has adense population and a plethora of infectious dis-eases. A whopping 4.4 lakh people died of infec-tious diseases last year and this lockdown willraise the incidence of childhood deaths and dis-figurement from polio, tetanus, diphtheria ormeasles. In fact, the repercussions of these alteredvaccination programmes in our country will befelt for many years to come. It is a heavy priceto pay. We are basically exchanging one diseaseburden for another.

Many Indians have already been sufferingfrom the trajectory of the Coronavirus as it isdelaying life-saving cancer surgeries, cardiac pro-cedures and other treatment protocols. It is timewe decide how much more can these be delayed.

Governments in States with low incidence ofthe Coronavirus — and there are many — shouldfill this decision void by allowing hospitals to pro-ceed with surgeries and life-saving treatmentmanoeuvres as soon as possible. Hospitals mayneed special Covid wards and other temporaryfacilities until there are effective therapies and avaccine available in the market at the fag end ofthis year or early next year. We now have to tryand return to a world reimagined for the age ofthe Coronavirus, where social distancing, appro-priate hygiene standards and Government-

imposed restrictions for better publichealth management are infused intonearly every activity of ours — a wayof life that is likely to persist until a vac-cine or treatment is found and is readyfor use in the market.

We have to start living everyday lifeas is being done in South Korea. TheGovernment authorities should releasea well-researched guide containingadvice on situations like going to themovies (refrain from crowding the ele-vators or entry gate to the screens orshouting) and attending social occa-sions (greet people with folded handsor wave at someone instead of shakinghands, hugging or even tapping onshoulders).

The new social customs and man-dates in Beijing, Hong Kong and Seoul,as well as Sydney, Australia, and Taiwan— countries that have successfullycontrolled the pandemic — offer a real-life preview for us of what might soonbe common to people all over the globe.In these countries, people are going out— but physical distancing, masks,gloves, alcohol sprays and a few pub-lic restrictions have become the newnormal. Governments are trying tokeep the virus at bay while creatingenough space for economic and socialactivity. Officials are testing new san-itation and social-distancing guidelines,like introduction of masks on trains andbuses and mandatory temperaturechecks outside restaurants and malls.

In Hong Kong, tables at restaurantsare mandated to be spaced at least fivefeet apart and customers are handedbags to store their masks while dining.

In South Korea, baseball games aredevoid of fans and players can’t spit onthe field. The spectator galleries arefilled with colourful banners and man-

nequins to give the players a feel of afull stadium.

Beauty salons in Sydney are backin business with abundant supplies ofmasks, gloves and hand sanitisers. Atsome salons, magazines are no longerhanded out to customers and beveragesare no longer being offered.

A few governments are imposingguidelines on how many people cangather. In Sydney, residents are allowedto host only two guests at a time in theirhomes, while officials in Hong Konghave prohibited more than four peoplegathering in public places. In Taiwan,this number goes up to 500 people ata time for outdoor gatherings.

Advisories recommend avoiding airtravel and instead opting for roadtrips, as one knows who all have beeninside his/her car and their health sta-tus, the places where the vehicle hasbeen and what all the surfaces inside theautomobile have been exposed to,unlike an aircraft which is used by thepublic. A road trip may lengthen yourjourney but that’s a need of the currenttimes.

Out of all the challenges of resum-ing life after a lockdown, reopeningschools and educational institutes is thebiggest. As it is classrooms are hotbedsof germs and close contact, both phys-ical and social. But we know, as a soci-ety we won’t be able to truly functionuntil we can send our children to schoolfor regular hours. In Sydney phase-wisereopening of schools is being done.They are holding classes one day a weekfor a quarter of the students from eachclass, and are slowly expanding the classsize. They will continue to do so untilthe end of June. In the Chinese city ofHangzhou, an elementary school hasasked children to make their own hats

with three-feet- long cardboard wingsto learn about social distancing. As theyattended school with their hats on, theyanswered questions from teachersabout the incubation period of theCoronavirus and its symptoms and pre-cautions to be taken. In Taiwan, schoolshave cancelled the morning assembliesand mandated students to wear masksand wash their hands frequently. Theyhave been asked to refrain from hug-ging, laughing close to one another orspeaking while they eat. Contact sportsare being discouraged.

Technology is lending a big help-ing hand to governments and business-es that now have to adjust and adapt tothe demands of social distancing. InSeoul, in some movie theatres, robotsare set to offer customers informationlike details of movie schedules, and thelocation of restrooms or elevators.Snacks are distributed through zerohand touch automated kiosks.

Apps are being used to track thehealth and travel history of residents,and they are mandated to show theirdata through QR codes to gain entryinto restaurants, office buildings andapartment complexes.

Old standards are suddenly notgood enough anymore. Physical dis-tancing is one thing that is definitelyhere to stay. Many people in the coun-tries that have come out of lockdownsafter weeks and months say they are leftwith no choice but to embrace thechanges the virus has brought to theirlives. We have to learn to live with thevirus as economic suicide will help noone. We all have to try and come toterms with the restricted ways andspontaneity of life.

(The writer is an author and a doc-tor by profession)

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Lockdown, social distancing,restricted train services, noflights, taxis, job losses, salary cuts

and no business! Could we, the so-called superior species, inhabiting“Mother Earth”, empowered withknowledge, research and innovations,ever have imagined in our wildestdreams such a scenario of hardships,horrors, threats and uncertainties at thebeginning of a new decade? Whetherthe global crisis brought on byCOVID-19 is rooted in the disruptionof ecosystems, illegal wildlife trade andso on, or embedded in the race forworld economic supremacy through

some sort of biological warfare, is hardto tell. Debates will continue withoutconclusive evidence. However, whilerebuilding the ruptured economy andredefining the pathways for futuredevelopment, we need to rememberthat an invisible virus has the powerto stop us in our tracks. It has crippledthe economies of the world, curbedlifestyles, disrupted supply chains,threatened our very survival by bring-ing large sections of populations in allgeographies under the threat ofextreme poverty and hunger. It haswidened social inequalities, triggeredreverse migration and emerging socialunrests of different dimensions.

However, due to the pandemic ourrivers are cleaner. We are breathingclean air. The sky is a clear blue in citiesthat have not seen it like this in manyyears. We can actually see the stars nowand snow-clad mountains are visiblefrom distant cities after decades.

All of a sudden we have peacocksdancing in the streets, an increasingnumber of birds chirping in the trees

and surprise visits from preciouswildlife in cities and towns all over theworld.

As we wait for a breakthrough bythe scientific community workinghard to come out with a vaccine ordrug to combat the virus, we haveample time to think about life. Whatfuture do we want? What are thelessons learnt from this outbreak? Arewe willing to take responsibility for ouraction in bringing this virus upon theworld?

Recent pandemics are a directconsequence of human activity, par-ticularly our global financial and eco-nomic systems that value economicgrowth at any cost. The Secretary,Ministry of Environment, Forests andClimate Change, CK Mishra, has shotoff a letter to the Ministry of CorporateAffairs, emphasising that, “There is aconsensus among scientists that a risein zoonotic diseases like Nipah, AvianInfluenza, Zika and Coronavirus islinked to the loss of biodiversity andforests. Hence we are urging corporates

to invest in biodiversity conservation.” The vast illegal wildlife trade,

humanity’s excessive intrusion intonature, unsustainable extraction of nat-ural resources and extreme anthro-pogenic pollution sources are to beblamed for the disconnect.

So what seeds are to be sown nowfor a sustainable era? Certainly, wewant a cleaner, greener future and amore equitable world for everyone. Weneed to halt further destruction ofnature. Future financial and econom-ic systems should value fixing of bro-ken relationships with nature to min-imise potential risks of such pandemicsin times to come. COVID-19 alsoforces us to look into the way we devel-op our cities; the way we grow ourfood; the way we develop businesses;the way we respect and value nature;the way we conserve species; the waywe degrade natural resources; theway we consume; the way we recyclewaste and the way we inhabit and carefor planet Earth. We need to fix ourbroken relationship with nature.

During and post the global pan-demic, businesses in all geographieswill be striving to ensure their shortand long-term viability. While theirimmediate efforts will focus on revival,renewal and reconstruction, compa-nies must also continue to think andact for the long-term. Recovery andreconstruction packages and newbusiness models involving multi-tril-lion dollars will be rolled out. New nor-mals in terms of business opportuni-ties and practices will emerge. In anyversion of a sustainable future, therewill be a fundamental need for com-panies to integrate circular economyprinciples. Respective industries haveto introspect and redefine their role invaluing, restoring and protecting thenatural world on which we all depend.Sectors involving agriculture, airlines,transport, fossil fuel-dependent ener-gy sectors, mining and so on, need toadopt ecological ethics and morality inbusiness practices.

Self-compliant and redefined busi-ness practices should pledge for zero

pollution of water resources, ambientair, efficient waste recycling, landdegradation neutrality and adhering tothe strictest environmental standards.Citizens also need to be responsible byadopting sustainable consumptionlifestyles that include transport, food,mobility, housing aimed at minimis-ing our carbon footprints.

A global “one health” approachneeds to be broadened on the princi-ple of “human health can be ensuredonly through care of nature, MotherEarth and the surrounding ecosystems’health.” The health of people is inti-mately connected to the health ofwildlife, the health of livestock and thehealth of the environment. It would begreat if we could at least preserve whatis left of nature.

Headlines like, “Planet Earth isunder repair”, “Mother Earth is undershutdown” also remind us of ourresponsibility to ensure a safer, clean-er and habitable planet for our survival,otherwise nature has its own ways toaddress and punish defaulters. While

nature has tremendous destructivepowers, it has immense healing pow-ers, too. Protecting nature is an invest-ment in our future.

“I am not polluting.” “I will notdegrade nature.” “I will love wildlife.”“I will not allow others to harmnature.” These should be the guidingprinciples of ecological ethics foreveryone. Humanity has to coexistwith nature.

Whatever new narrative andnorms will emerge post-Coronavirus,the above basic principles of ecologi-cal ethics and care for nature need tobe integrated into everything that wedo. This means all stakeholders,including policymakers, governanceframeworks, businesses, communitiesin all geographies, need to pledge fora sustainable future and a betterreconstructed world to avoid probablerisks of re-emergence of such pan-demics.

(The writer is an IFS officer andCountry Representative, InternationalUnion for Conservation of Nature)

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Tear gas is among the newflavors at a Hong Kong ice

cream shop. The main ingredient is

black peppercorns, a reminderof the pungent, peppery roundsfired by police on the streets ofthe semi-autonomous Chinesecity during months of demon-strations last year.

“It tastes like tear gas. Itfeels difficult to breathe at first,and it’s really pungent and irri-tating. It makes me want todrink a lot of water immedi-ately,” said customer AnitaWong, who experienced teargas at a protest. “I think it’s aflashback that reminds me ofhow painful I felt in the movement, and that I should-

n’t forget.”The flavor is a sign of sup-

port for the pro-democracymovement, which is seeking toregain its momentum duringthe coronavirus pandemic, theshop’s owner said.

He spoke on condition ofanonymity to avoid repercus-sions from the pro-Beijing gov-ernment.

“We would like to make aflavor that reminds people thatthey still have to persist in theprotest movement and don’tlose their passion,” he said.

He tried different ingredi-ents, including wasabi andmustard, in an effort to repli-cate the taste of tear gas. Blackpepper, he said, came closest totear gas with its throat-irritat-ing effects.

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Amajor city in northeastChina has quarantined

over 7,500 people after it dis-covered three new coronaviruscases in the past five days as theregion sees a surge in infec-tions.

China has largely broughtthe virus under control aftermonths of lockdowns andcurbs on travel, but fears of asecond wave have risen as clus-ters have emerged in northeastprovinces and in the centralcity of Wuhan.

Shenyang, a city of around7.5 million, reported its firstnew local case in 89 days on Monday, and a fur-ther two new local cases onThursday.

Its Government confirmedThursday that the new caseswere linked to a cluster in thecity of Shulan, nearly 500 kilo-metres away in neighbouringJilin province.

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Ireland’s Prime Minister, LeoVaradkar, has confirmed that

the lockdown restrictions in hiscountry will start to be easedfrom Monday.

Varadkar said in a tweetthat it is “safe to proceed” withthe first stage in theGovernment’s plan to ease therestrictions.

Earlier this month, theIrish Government set out aroad map of how to reopensociety. Each one of the fivestages will be staggered threeweeks apart.

From Monday, groups ofup to four people, who can befamily or friends, may meetoutdoors within 5 kilometers(3.1 miles) of home. And someworkers, such as those in con-struction, can return to theirjobs, while the rules on exercisehave been relaxed. And gardencenters, as well as other pri-marily outdoor retail busi-nesses, will be able to reopen.Social distancing rules have tobe observed in all cases.

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Teenagers left their homesfor the first time in 42

days, taking their turn for a fewhours of respite from Turkey’scoronavirus lockdowns.

People over 65 andyounger than 20 have beenunder curfew for the past sev-eral weeks. This week, the gov-ernment began allowing themto go outdoors for a few hoursas part of a program of reducedcontrols.

Youth filled parks andmain streets and outside mallsFriday as the curfew was liftedbetween 11 am and 3 p.m.Some played basketball or soc-cer or flew kites in parks,HaberTurk television reported.

Senior citizens were per-mitted out Sunday and youngchildren 14 and below lefthomes Wednesday.

The Government hasannounced a “normalisationplan” as the number of coron-avirus cases dropped last week.However, it also warned oftougher measures if infectionsincrease.

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Atop US senator has unveiledan 18-point plan, including

enhancing military ties withIndia, to hold the ChineseGovernment accountable forits “lies, deception, and cover-ups” that ultimately led to theglobal Covid-19 pandemic.

The prominent suggestionsare moving manufacturingchain from China and deep-ening military-strategic tiesIndia, Vietnam and Taiwan.“The Chinese Governmentmaliciously covered up andenabled a global pandemic thathas caused misery for so manyAmericans. This is the sameregime that locks up its owncitizens in labour camps, stealsAmerica’s technology and jobs,and threatens the sovereignty ofour allies,” said Senator ThomTillis, presenting his detailed,18-point plan on Thursday.

“This is a major wake-upcall to the United States and therest of the free world. My planof action will hold the Chinese

Government accountable forlying about Covid-19; sanc-tioning the ChineseGovernment while protectingAmerica’s economy, publichealth, and national security,”he said.

The plan seeking to createa Pacific Deterrence Initiativeand immediately approve themilitary’s request for USD 20billion in funding. It also callsfor deepening military tieswith regional allies and expandequipment sales to India,Taiwan and Vietnam.

Encourage Japan to rebuildits military and offer Japan andSouth Korea sales of offensivemilitary equipment, it said.

“Move manufacturing backto the US from China andgradually eliminate our supplychain dependency on China.Stop China from stealing ourtechnology and provide incen-tives to American companies toregain our technological advan-tage. Strengthen cybersecurityagainst Chinese hacks and sab-otage,” the plan stated.

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Democratic candidate JoeBiden said that if he wins

the presidency he would notuse his power to pardonDonald Trump or stop anyinvestigations of Trump and hisassociates.

“It is not something thepresident is entitled to do, todirect a prosecution or decideto drop a case,” Biden saidThursday on MSNBC. “It’s adereliction of duty.”

The former vice presidentmade his statement in responseto a voter who asked him onLawrence O’Donnell’s show,“The Last Word,” whether hewould “commit to not pullinga Gerald Ford in giving Donald

Trump a pardon under the pre-tense of healing the nation.”

Biden responded, “I com-mit,” before offering a morelengthy explanation of his viewthat the president must allowthe Justice Department to oper-ate without interference.

Ford became president in1974 when Richard Nixonresigned under the threat ofimpeachment.

Ford later pardoned hispredecessor before any crimi-nal charges related to theWatergate burglary could befiled. Ford went on to lose the 1976 presidentialelection.

The House impeachedTrump in December oncharges related to his effort to

withhold congressionallyappropriated funds fromUkraine in exchange for offi-cials there assisting Trump insullying Biden. The Senateacquitted him in February ona nearly party line vote.

Biden also said onO’Donnell’s show that voterswho believe the former Senatestaffer who has accused him ofsexually assaulting her in theearly 1990s probably shouldn’tcast their ballots for him inNovember.

“I think they should votetheir heart, and if they believeTara Reade they probablyshouldn’t vote for me,” Bidentold O’Donnell. “I wouldn’tvote for me if I believed TaraReade.”

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China on Friday reactedguardedly to US President

Donald Trump’s threat to “cutoff ” the bilateral relationshipbetween the world’s top twoeconomies and asked Americato meet it halfway in the fightagainst the coronavirus.

Relations between the twocountries nosedived after thecoronavirus outbreak, whichoriginated from the centralChinese city of Wuhan, andspread to other parts of theworld.

The pandemic has claimedover 85,000 lives in the US, thehighest in the world.

Trump, who has beenpressing China to agree for aninquiry into the origin of thevirus, including the allegationthat it emerged from a bio-lab in Wuhan, furtherhardened his rhetoric onThursday by threatening tocut off US ties with Beijing.

Reacting to Trump’s threat,Chinese Foreign Ministryspokesman Zhao Lijian react-ed guardedly, saying that therelationship is in the funda-mental interest of the twocountries. “To maintain thesteady development of China-US relations is in the funda-mental interests of the people

in both countries, and is con-ducive to world peace and sta-bility,” Zhao said.

“At present, China and theUS should continue tostrengthen cooperation againstthe epidemic, defeat the epi-demic as soon as possible, treatpatients, and restore economyand production. But it requiresthe US to meet halfway withChina,” Zhao said.

There has been increasingpressure on Trump fromAmerican lawmakers to takeaction against China.

“There are many thingswe could do ... We could cut offthe whole relationship,” Trumpsaid on Thursday in an inter-view with Fox Business News.“You’d save USD 500 billion ifyou cut off the whole relation-ship.” Trump said that his rela-tionship with Chinese PresidentXi Jinping is “very good” butadded: “right now I just don’twant to speak to him”. Trump’sthreat followed after China onTuesday released a new list ofUS products which will beexempted from the secondround of additional tariffs onAmerican products.

Trump launched a tradewar with China in 2018,demanding Beijing to reduce amassive trade deficit of overUSD 539 billion.

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Several European countrieswhere coronavirus infec-

tions have slowed moved aheadFriday with relaxing borderrestrictions, while the USreported a record drop in retailsales that threatened storesand weighed down the sinkingeconomy. Infection flare-upsin Mexico and elsewhereserved as a reminder the pan-demic is far from over.

Slovenia, which has beengradually easing strict lock-down measures, declared thatthe spread of the virus is nowunder control and thatEuropean Union residentscould now enter from Austria,Italy and Hungary.

Germany prepared to openits border with Luxembourg atmidnight and to increase thenumber of crossings open fromFrance, Switzerland and Austria.Travelers will still need todemonstrate a “valid reason” toenter Germany, and there willbe spot checks, but the goal isto restore free travel by June 15.

In the US, retail sales tum-bled by a record 16.4% fromMarch to April as business shut-downs caused by the coron-avirus kept shoppers away fromstores. The CommerceDepartment’s report Friday onretail purchases showed a sectorthat has collapsed so quickly thatsales over the past 12 months aredown a crippling 21.6%.

The sharpest drops fromMarch to April were at cloth-iers, electronics stores, furniturestores and restaurants. A long-standing migration of con-sumers toward online pur-chases is accelerating.

Elsewhere in the U.S., theGrand Canyon National Parkwas scheduled to reopen Fridayto allow visitors in for day tripsbut not overnight. Someregions in New York were alsoexpected to reopen.

Back in Germany, statesagreed to drop a mandatory 14-day quarantine for travelersentering from the EU and sev-eral other European countries,including Britain, said ArminLaschet, the governor of thewestern state of North Rhine-Westphalia.

In northern Europe,Estonia, Latvia and Lithuaniaremoved travel restrictionsbetween the Baltic nations,which Estonian Prime MinisterJuri Ratas called “another steptoward normal life.”

Austria and Switzerlandalso moved ahead with easingsome border restrictions, andAustria reopened all cafes andrestaurants.

Restaurants were reopeningin more German states as well,and the country was to resumeprofessional soccer on Saturdayafter a two-month hiatus.

In Australia, many Sydneycafes and restaurants openedagain as New South Wales, thecountry’s most populous state,granted permission for them, aswell as places of worship, toreopen with up to 10 people solong as distancing rules are inplace.

Many Catholic churchesacross the state opened forprivate prayer, confession andsmall-scale Masses.

In Japan, some schools,restaurants and other busi-nesses started to reopen afterthe country lifted its nationalcoronavirus emergency, whilekeeping in place restrictions inlimited urban areas like Tokyowhere risks remain.

The head of the WorldHealth Organization’s Europeoffice, Dr Hans Kluge, warned

that distancing guidance andother protective measures weremore important than ever.

“It’s very important toremind everyone that as long asthere is no vaccine and effec-tive treatment, there is noreturn to normal,” he said onFrench radio Europe-1.

“This virus won’t simplydisappear, so the personalbehavior of each of us willdetermine the behavior of thevirus. Governments have donea lot, and now the responsibil-ity is on the people.”

Worldwide, there havebeen more than 4.4 millioncoronavirus infections report-ed and more than 3,00,000deaths, while nearly 1.6 millionpeople have recovered.

Ahead of Mexico’s plan topartially reopen key industriessuch as mining, constructionand auto plants on May 18,authorities sounded a note ofconcern as the country report-ed its largest one-day rise in

coronavirus case numbers.There were 2,409 new

Covid-19 test confirmationsThursday, the first time thatnumber has exceeded 2,000 inone day. Deaths have neared4,500, and there were signs thathospital capacity was nearing itslimit in Mexico City, the hard-est-hit area. The HealthDepartment reported that 73%percent of the city’s general-carehospital beds were full. The per-centage was lower for intensive-care beds, but that was partlybecause of the expansion ofimprovised ICU units at hospi-tals and other venues.

In Brazil, news websiteG1 reported that 900 people inRio de Janeiro were waiting foran intensive-care bed in one ofthe state’s overwhelmed units.President Jair Bolsonarowarned of looming “chaos” ashe once again lambasted gov-ernors and mayors who intro-duced lockdowns in cities tolimit spread of the new virus.

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Since Venezuela went into itscoronavirus lockdown,

dozens of needy people havebeen lining up at a slaughter-house in the western town ofSan Cristobal to pick up theonly protein they can find forfree: cattle blood.

Mechanic Aleyair Romero,20, goes twice a week. He losthis job at a local garage and saysboxes of subsidised food from the Government ofPresident Nicolas Maduro

arrive too slowly.“I have to find food how-

ever I can,” said Romero, hold-ing a coffee thermos drippingwith blood the slaughterhousegives away.

Though cow’s blood is atraditional ingredient for“pichon” soup in theVenezuelan Andes and neigh-boring Colombia, more peoplehave been seeking it out sincethe Covid-19 crisis.

In a proudly carnivorousnation, few are happy abouteating more blood instead ofmeat - a kilo of which costs

about two times the monthlyminimum wage.

Increased consumption ofcattle blood is, like strippedmango trees, a striking symbolof hunger as Venezuela’s econ-omy, already suffering six yearsof hyperinflationary implo-sion, has been nearly shutteredin response to the pandemic.

Though numbers ofreported deaths and cases fromthe virus appear modest,Venezuelans are suffering fromthe economic shutdown anddelays in the state food distribution program known as

CLAP, for years the mostimportant source of food for many.

The situation is hitting theprovinces hardest because dis-tribution is tilted toward majorcities including Caracas,according to nutrition-focusedcharity Citizenry in Action.

The government has foryears given the capital priorityaccess to services includingwater and power.

In Caracas, 26.5% of fam-ilies receive CLAP boxes, com-pared with only 4% of familiesin areas such as “Los Llanos”

(The Plains) region, Citizenryin Action says.

“It’s not the virus that’sgoing to kill them, it’s hunger,”said Edison Arciniegas, direc-tor of the group.

Even before COVID-19,the United Nations calledVenezuela one of the world’s 10worst humanitarian crises in2019, noting that 9.3 million ofthe 30 million population consume insufficient quantitiesof food.

Some 5 million peoplehave migrated as a result, it said.

Washington: The US is consid-ering returning Cuba to its list ofstate sponsors of terrorism, asenior Trump administrationofficial told Reuters on Thursday,a move that would mark anoth-er major blow to increasinglytense relations betweenWashington and Havana.

There is a “convincingcase” that Cuba should beplaced back on the US black-list, in part because of its con-tinued backing for socialistVenezuelan President NicolasMaduro and the refuge it givesto leaders of Colombia’s ELNrebel group, the official said.

Speaking on the conditionof anonymity, the official didnot rule out that a decision onCuba’s re-listing could come bythe end of the year. Agency

Washington: The United Statesis on track to meet its commit-ment to the Taliban to withdrawseveral thousand troops fromAfghanistan by summer, even asviolence flares, the peace processis stalled, and Kabul struggles inpolitical deadlock.

US officials said they willreduce to 8,600 troops by July15 and abandon five bases.And by next spring all foreignforces are suppose to withdraw,ending America’s longest war.Yet the outlook for peace iscloudy at best. In the absence ofAfghan peace talks, the Trumpadministration may face theprospect of fully withdrawingeven as the Taliban remains atwar with the government.

That has concerned somelawmakers, including Rep. LizCheney, a Wyoming Republicanand member of the House

Armed Services Committee.She says the United States needsto keep a military and intelli-gence presence in Afghanistanto prevent extremist groupslike al-Qaida and the IslamicState’s Afghan affiliate fromforming havens from which toattack the U.S.

“Withdrawing U.S. troopsfrom Afghanistan won’t end thewar — it will just let the terror-ists win,” she told TheAssociated Press.

Some question whetherthe US-Taliban agreementsigned in Doha, Qatar, on Feb.29, which the Trump admin-istration billed as “a decisivestep to achieve a negotiatedpeace,” was instead mainly awithdrawal agreement.President Donald Trump hadcampaigned on bringing troopshome from foreign wars. AP

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With the objective of givinga boost to the domestic

defence and aerospace manu-facturing capabilities, DefenceMinister Rajnath Singh onFriday approved the launch ofDefence Testing InfrastructureScheme (DTIS) with an outlayof Rs 400 crore. This allocationwill enable creating state of theart testing infrastructure forthis sector.

Giving details of the pro-ject, officials said here theScheme would run for theduration of five years andenvisages to set up six to eightnew test facilities in partnershipwith private industry. This willfacilitate indigenous defenceproduction, consequentlyreduce imports of militaryequipment and help make thecountry self-reliant.

The projects under theScheme will be provided withup to 75 per cent governmentfunding in the form of ‘Grant-in-Aid’. The remaining 25 percent of the project cost will haveto be borne by the SpecialPurpose Vehicle (SPV) whoseconstituents will be Indian pri-vate entities and StateGovernments.

The SPVs under theScheme will be registeredunder Companies Act 2013and shall also operate andmaintain all assets under theScheme, in a self-sustainablemanner by collecting usercharges. The equipment/sys-tems tested will be certified asper appropriate accreditation.While majority of test facilitiesare expected to come up in thetwo Defence IndustrialCorridors (DICs), the Scheme

is not limited to setting up TestFacilities in the DICs only,they said.

�� � 23&�,3 -�

The Ministry of RoadTransport and Highways

has invited suggestions andcomments from all stakehold-ers, including general public onthe proposed amendment inthe Motor Vehicle Rules,regarding compliance toEmission and Noise Standards.

A notification to this effecthas been issued. The draftnotification is regarding revi-sion of form 22, Road worthi-ness Certificate for compli-ance to Emission and NoiseStandards, issued by the man-ufacturer or importer or regis-tered E-rickshaw or E-cartassociation in case of E-rick-shaw or E- cart.

“This form has amalga-mated the existing two tables toa single table for the sake ofsimplicity and added somepollutant parameters in linewith next stage emissionnorms,” said the official.

Earlier too, the Centre hadinvited suggestions and com-ments for the proposed amend-ment of Rule 115 to mandateBS VI level emission norms forQuadricycle with effect fromApril 1, 2020.

The proposed emissionnorms (Tail pipe emission,OBD) are in line withEuropean norms. Existing BSIV mass emission limits are inline with Euro 4 mass missionlimits for L7e-C category vehi-cles (equivalent toQuadricycle).

The proposed emission lim-its as BS VI are in line with Euro5 mass emission limits whichwill be applicable from 01-01-2020 in Europe. Threshold lim-its for emission pollutants, con-formity of production (CoP)frequency and sampling planhave been proposed.

���� 23&�,3 -�

Top 10 States, includingMaharashtra and Uttar

Pradesh account for 80 per centof the under-constructionnational highway projects hitdue to the Covid-19 outbreak,Crisil Research said on Friday.

Construction of nationalhighways came to a grindinghalt with the nationwide lock-down imposed on March 25 tofight the Covid-19 pandemic.However, to the relief of devel-opers, the Government allowedresumption of constructionfrom April 20, subject to clear-ances from district adminis-trations, it said.

But activity remains stalleddue to severe shortage of labourand raw material, and difficul-ty in securing requisite clear-ances, it said in a statement.

“What’s more, the Centrehas divided districts into red,orange and green zones basedon the extent of contagion.Only insitu construction isallowed in red zones until thenext announcement. CRISILResearch’s analysis of over 270under-construction nationalhighways indicates the Top 10states account for 80 per centof the projects,” it said.

Projects are most at risk infour of these states —Maharashtra, Uttar Pradesh,Tamil Nadu and AndhraPradesh — that account for overa third of the projects, it said.

���� 23&�,3 -�

Union Minister NitinGadkari on Friday

expressed displeasure overinordinate delays in accordingenvironmental clearances toprojects, saying it causes hin-drances in execution of works.

Observing that files seek-ing environment and forestclearances are sometimes stuckfor as long as two years,Gadkari said “by then the bank(sanctioning the loan) runsaway and the account turnsNPA (non-performing asset)”.

The union MSME ministersaid there was “no time clause”for according time-boundclearances, causing delays ingiving no-objection certificateto projects.

Addressing a webinar onhigher education organised byindustry body Ficci, Gadkari —who also holds road transportand highways portfolio —exhorted Indian educationalinstitutions to forge industrialtie-ups and collaborate withforeign universities to attractoverseas students for increasingtheir economic viability andmitigate the impact of theCovid-19 pandemic on them.

Gadkari also highlightedgovernment plans to form joint ventures in micro,small and medium enterprise(MSME) sector, upgrade tech-nologically and attract foreigninvestment.

Stating that there are 1.5lakh deaths in 5 lakh road acci-dents in the country everyyear, the minister also proposedthat students from IITs andother engineering institutescould be engaged in carryingout road audits to identify“black spots” through assessingvarious defects in road design-ing including curves and traf-fic density.

���� 23&�,3 -�

The World Bank on Fridayapproved a USD 1 billion

loan to support India’s effortsfor providing social assistanceto the poor and vulnerablehouseholds, severely impactedby the COVID-19 pandemic.

The “Accelerating India’sCovid-19 Social ProtectionResponse Program” will sup-port the government’s effortstowards a more consolidateddelivery platform - accessible toboth rural and urban popula-tions across state boundaries.

This takes the total com-mitment from the World Bank towards emergencyCovid-19 response in India toUSD 2 billion.

A USD 1 billion supportwas announced last monthtowards immediate support to

India’s health sector.The multilateral lending

agency is also in discussionswith the government to provideassistance to India’s micro, smalland medium enterprises, saidWorld Bank Country Directorin India Junaid Ahmad in awebinar with media.

The response to the Covid-19 pandemic around the worldhas required governments tointroduce social distancing andlockdowns in unprecedentedways, he said.

These measures, intendedto slowdown the spread of thevirus have, however, impactedeconomies and jobs - especial-ly in the informal sector. Indiawith the world’s largest lock-down has not been an excep-tion to this trend.

Of the USD 1 billion com-mitment, USD 550 million will

be financed by a credit from theInternational DevelopmentAssociation (IDA) — the WorldBank’s concessionary lendingarm and USD 200 million willbe a loan from the InternationalBank for Reconstruction and Development (IBRD), witha final maturity of 18.5 years including a grace periodof five years.

The remaining USD 250million will be made availableafter June 30, 2020.

The programme will beimplemented by the UnionMinistry of Finance.

In a release, the WorldBank said the new support willbe funded in two phases - animmediate allocation of USD750 million for fiscal year 2020(fiscal year starting July 1,2020) and a USD 250 millionsecond tranche that will be

made available for fiscal year2021.

Ahmad addecd the Covid-19 pandemic has also put thespotlight on some of the gaps in the existing social pro-tection systems.

This platform draws on thecountry’s existing architectureof safety nets - the PDS, the dig-ital and banking infrastructure,and Aadhaar — while posi-tioning the overall social pro-tection system for the needs ofa 21st century India.

“What Covid-19 had doneis that it has actually gotten thegovernment to create linkagesbetween the system and beginto move the social protectionsystem of India, what I thinkwill be the 21st century system.

“It is in this context wehave put in USD 1 billion fol-lowing USD 1 billion in health

and in anticipation of a thridprogramme which will bearound the small and smallenterprises...,” he said.

Ahmad added the WorldBank was in the process of dis-cussing a MSMEs programmewith the Government.

He said liquidity has comeinto the market through themonetary and fiscal policiesand “the challenge now is totake that liquidity and bring itinto the hands of the MSMEs...We will be coming in to sup-port that. Where exactly andhow much is something that weare in discussion with theGovernment”.

Replying to a query on theRs 20-lakh-crore packageannounced by the government,Ahmad said it is a “very impor-tant statment by theGovernment”.

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Equity benchmark BSESensex ended marginally

lower after a choppy session onFriday as investors weighed thefiscal impact of the govern-ment’s economic stimulus.

According to marketexperts, participants fear thatthe Rs 20 lakh crore packagemay not result in direct andimmediate boost to demand,raising doubts over the coun-try’s economic revival in thenear term.

After slumping over 350points during the day, the 30-share index pared most lossesto settle 25.16 points or 0.08 percent lower at 31,097.73.

Similarly, NSE Niftyslipped 5.90 points, or 0.06 percent, to close at 9,136.85.

M&M was the top laggardin the Sensex pack, cracking4.70 per cent, followed by AxisBank, IndusInd Bank, HeroMotoCorp, Sun Pharma andICICI Bank. On the otherhand, Bharti Airtel, AsianPaints, Tata Steel, NTPC, HULand Reliance spurted up to 2.68per cent.

During the week, the

Sensex declined 544.97 pointsor 1.72 per cent, while broad-er Nifty fell 114.65 points or1.23 per cent. Besides uncer-tainty over the effectiveness ofthe fiscal stimulus package, thespike in Covid-19 cases in thecountry is weighing on investorsentiment, experts noted.

“Markets settled almostunchanged after hovering in arange, taking a pause after therecent dip. It opened margin-ally higher but the gains fizzled

out in no time and it inchedfurther lower. The FM hasbeen announcing the stimulusdetails for the last two days andhopefully, all the details will beout by Sunday...It seems likemarkets are awaiting furtherdetails before making any reac-tion,” said Ajit Mishra, VP -Research, Religare Broking Ltd.

Finance Minister NirmalaSitharaman on Thursdayannounced a Rs 3.16 lakh crorepackage comprising free food-

grains for migrant workers, Rs2 lakh crore concessional cred-it to farmers and working cap-ital for street vendors in a bidto help those hit hard by thenationwide lockdown.

Announcing the thirdtranche of the stimulus packagepost market hours on Friday,she said the measures will focuson giving relief to agricultureand allied industries.

Sectorally, BSE realty,bankex, auto, finance, IT,healthcare and capital goodsindices fell up to 1.42 per cent,while telecom, metal, energy,power, oil and gas, basic mate-rials and FMCG rose up to 1.81per cent. Broader midcap andsmallcap indices fell up to 0.31per cent. World equities tickedhigher as investors focused ongraded resumption of eco-nomic activities.

Bourses in Tokyo andSeoul closed with gains, whileShanghai and Hong Kong set-tled in the red. Stock exchangesin Europe were trading on apositive note in early deals.

On the currency front, therupee provisionally settled 2paise lower at 75.58 against theUS dollar.

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Defence Minister RajnathSingh on Friday com-

missioned through video con-ference here a ship and twoInterceptor Boats (IB) into the Indian Coast Guard inGoa. With the latest induc-tions, the Coast Guard nowhas 150 ships and boats and 62aircraft.

The ships, on joining thefleet, will be deployed exten-sively for Exclusive EconomicZone (EEZ) surveillance,coastal security and otherduties as enshrined in theCoast Guard charter of duties,to safeguard the maritimeinterests of the nation, theCoast Guard said here.

The ship ‘Sachet’ is thefirst in the series of five off-shore patrol vessels (OPVs)being built by Goa ShipyardLimited (GSL).

The IBs C-450 and C-451are indigenously designed andbuilt by Larsen & ToubroShipyard Hazira.

The two 30 metre longboats are capable of achievingspeeds in excess of 45 knotsand designed for high speedinterception, close coast patroland low intensity maritimeoperations.

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You enter the mall parking areaand are waived away by theattendant that there is no

space. Deciding to subvert the incon-venience, you park in the nearby areaand walk towards the mall, whereyou are halted at the entrance andasked to wait as the number of peo-ple inside is already one customer per75 sqft Gross Leasable Area (GLA).After more than 45 minutes, youenter the mall but not before thermalchecks and passing through a sani-tisation tunnel. Once inside, distancemarkers indicate where to stand.Deciding to pick up clothes? You cantake assistance of the virtual mirror,which will show you how a garmentlooks on you without trying it on. Ifyou want to grab a quick bite, be pre-pared for plexi sheets in front of theQuick Service Restaurants in thefood court. And yes, if you want tohead to the washroom, you mighthave to wait there, too, as only thealternate urinals are in use. Welcometo the new normal.

Earlier, a plan to pick up shoes,clothes and grocery would inevitablymean a trip to any of the malls thatdot the city’s landscape. Whether wepicked up the things that we had setout to or not was always debatablebut what we did end up doing wasventuring out, socialising and eating— rituals that we took for granted.It was a part of the normal, as weknew it, before a microscopic virusturned the idea on its head.

Amid the life of absolute uncer-tainty, fear and concern, theCoronavirus pandemic has left noth-ing untouched and thus, severelyimpacted every business. It is not easyto imagine the post-pandemic sce-nario, however, experts say that it willtake a long time for retail to returnto normal.

The Shopping CentresAssociation of India (SCAI) recent-ly hosted the third of SCAI Mondays,a series aimed at redressing theunprecedented challenges posed tothe Indian shopping centre develop-ment ecosystem by the pandemic.Many retail leaders feel that the ideaof opening shopping malls can actu-ally help accelerate the economy, ofcourse, keeping a stringent andcomprehensive set of measures toensure a safe and hygienic environ-ment.

The virtual roundtable, titledRetail and Shopping Centres: 2020-21and Beyond, was moderated by SRaghunandhan, president-commer-cial, Bhartiya City Developers. Thepanelists included — Pushpa Bector,executive director of DLF ShoppingMalls, Rajneesh Mahajan, CEO ofInorbit Malls, Rashmi Sen, GroupCOO-Malls of The Phoenix Mills Ltdand Pankaj Renjhen, COO ofVirtuous Retail.

Going by the news that the sit-uation will take some time to returnto normal, it will be quite interestingto see how shopping malls wouldwelcome consumers post-lockdown.On the other side of the spectrum,as per the surveys and researchconducted by DLF Shopping Malls,it was found out that there will be twocategories of consumers post-lock-down — first being those who des-perately want to get back to pre-pan-

demic life and the second categorywould be of those who will be morecautious of visiting malls.

Pushpa Bector, executive direc-tor of DLF Shopping Malls, sharedthat it appears that people’s anxietieswon’t settle anytime soon. But thatdoes not mean that the consumerwill not return to malls. In fact,according to a recent survey done byNFX for SCAI, approximately 70 percent of consumers are willing toreturn to malls within a fortnight oftheir opening up. Shopping prioritiesmight change and preference may begiven to essentials, but the activitywill definitely take place. “We also seeinterest in segments like electronicsand beauty, which could attract alarge part of the consumers visitingmalls after these open up. The factremains that there is pent updemand, consumers are looking atways to release their energy and whatbetter place than malls?,” said she.

One change that Pushpa predictsin consumer behaviour is a rise innationalism where ‘Made in India’brands would be preferred more inthe first three months.

In the larger context, one mustalso understand that people visitedmalls not only for shopping. “It wasa place for socialising, getting togeth-er and spending time with family.Malls are a social infrastructure. Wemust give people some time beforethey return. We are ready and plansare in place to make sure that theconsumers get a safe and hygienicexperience when they return,” sheadded.

As far as the retailers are con-cerned, Pushpa told us that they arevery eager to open their stores.Some are little skeptical and worried,while others are confident of com-ing out stronger once the lockdownends. She said, “Currently, they arealso concerned about their invento-ry. Despite having so much stuff,their spring and the summer collec-tions are lying in stores, untouchedand unsold. We need to sort this outtogether by helping them ease it out.Marketing in the coming days willbecome one-to-one in nature, withlots of data exchange. A lot of digi-tal marketing along with hyperlocalmarketing will come into action.”

Now, the question arises if thelockdown phase would affect theIndian retail consumption growthrate? Rashmi Sen, Group COO —Malls of The Phoenix Mills Ltd,believes that India is the most attrac-tive retail market of the world todayand its consumption story is verystrong. “I don’t think two months oflockdown can dent the consumptiongrowth rate of India. We have seenthat during demonetisation too, thesales rate picked up by the end of theyear,” said she.

“If you look at the Indian econ-omy, agriculture and IntegratedTaxonomic Information System(ITIS) are large components of the

GDP. If these two sectors continue torun strong, I think the recovery willbe fast,” added Rajneesh Mahajan,CEO of Inorbit Malls.

Rashmi feels that the challengeis similar worldwide. It is not onlyIndia. Be it forthcoming malls orestablished ones, this phase of slowor almost zero growth will be short-lived. “For us, the safety and the con-fidence of consumers are prioritiesas we will be initiating strong proto-col measures for our retailers andconsumers. I would not be worriedabout whether the consumers will becoming or not but our main concern,in the initial period, would berestricting footfalls actually. Theshopping behaviour in the short-runwill be very subjective and necessi-ty-led rather than leisure-led,” shesaid. Moreover, there would be peo-ple concerned about venturing outinto crowded places initially. Inorder to overcome this, Rashmiexplained, “The focus would be oninculcating confidence in consumersthat malls are a safe place for shop-ping.”

Phoenix’s marketing budget ear-lier was huge with many activitiesand events — which would not takeplace now. For the next three months,they won’t organise any outdooractivity. The focus will be on the loy-alty programmes to stay connectedwith the consumers so that they canget real-time information.

Similarly, communication wouldbe Virtuous Retail’s first strategy.“The first bit of marketing will be giv-ing out a message emphasising ondeveloping comfort and confidenceof the customers to visit the shoppingmall. We will also be highlighting thesteps and measures that we would betaking to ensure their safety andmaking the consumers aware of

them. Moving forward, we know wecannot go with the traditional mar-keting strategy which we had in thepast. I think this is going to be amuch more focused approach,”shared Pankaj Renjhen, COO,Virtuous Retail.

Asked about the steps malldevelopers are planning to adopt forensuring the safety and sanitisationof the place and people, AmitabhTaneja, chairman of SCAI, sharedthat the organisation has developeda stringent and comprehensive set ofSOPs. These guidelines have beendeveloped after several consulta-tions with captains of the industryand taking references from globalbest practices implemented by coun-tries like Singapore, Germany andChina, where the malls have startedopening slowly. For instance, hepointed out, “Thermal screening ofevery customer will be done befores/he enters the malls. There will becontrolled entry and exit. Malls willbe operational from 12 pm to 9 pmon all days initially. At any givenpoint, we would have only one cus-tomer per 75 sqft Gross LeasableArea (GLA), which is the amount offloor space available to be rented ina commercial property.”

However, the checks would notend here. Anyone entering the mallincluding staff, visitors, contractorswould have to undergo mandatedtemperature screening and checks.Distance markers will be installed atthe entry points, cash counters andhelp desk. There would also be cat-egory-wise opening in various phas-es in accordance with governmentdirectives. The first phase will be ded-icated to essential services and prod-ucts in super market, infant cloth-ing’s, eyewear, WFH electronics,apparel, personal care, salon and spa

with 50 per cent of capacity and priorappointments only. The secondphase will be dedicated to foodcourt and F&B outlets. The last toopen would be multiplex and enter-tainment centres. In case of dine-inoutlets, the seating arrangementswould be reduced to 50 per cent,where contact less menus and digi-tal invoices will be encouraged.There would be repeated sanitisationand cleaning of all the common areasof the mall premises including toi-lets, lifts and entrance areas every 30to 60 minutes. To restrict the entry,only 50 per cent of total parkingcapacity would be operational. Thenumber of customers allowed in thewashrooms would be restrictedaccording to the size and only alter-nate urinals would be allowed to beused. Quick Service Restaurants(QSR) would have plexi sheets(transparent sheets) at front areaswith separate cash and serving win-dows to minimise physical contact.“These are some of the recommen-dations and top-line measures Ihave highlighted. A detailed 48-pageSOP is in place and circulated acrossthe industry for implementation,” hesaid.

Major portion of any mall isdedicated personal shopping —clothes, shoes or accessories. Andtrying before buying has alwaysbeen the norm when readymadegarments are being purchased. Herecomes in the aspect of touch and feel.So in a situation, where maintainingdistance is the only solution, howwill customers ensure that the out-fit or the accessories they are tryingout is safe? Mukesh Kumar, CEO ofInfiniti Malls, has a solution for this,too. He said, “We don’t really see abig challenge for top wear, which canbe purchased without even trying.

That completely depends on the cus-tomers. However, for bottom wear,one usually prefers the concept of ‘tryand buy’. To tackle this issue, retail-ers are working on a model wherecustomers can take two to three gar-ments home and return those whichdon’t fit. Then those tried pieces willhave to be sent back to the manu-facturing unit to be sanitised.Meanwhile, the fresh stock can beused for trials. This is pertaining tothe size. Disinfecting of all suchgoods will become a normal androutine procedure for each andevery other shop, be it footwear,apparel or jewellery. Here, trust onthe brand you are purchasing fromwill become very important.”

“Also, there are technology avail-able where buyer can just place thegarment on them and see in the mir-ror how it looks. It’s know as virtu-al fitting rooms,” added he.

COVID-19 has changed every-thing, right from the way we travelto how we shop. So will there be arise in online shopping as well? Andcan virtual reality, a welcome escapefrom the pandemic, ever be a sub-stitute for the real thing? Well, thereis no denying that online shoppinghas seen quite a surge. But that is alsoowing to limited options in the brickand mortar space when the lock-down was first announced, feelsAmitabh. He said, “We must under-stand that online is yet another chan-nel for retailing and it will always co-exist with the traditional ones. Somecategories could work better online,while some would be preferred in thebrick and mortar format. We are stilla country that believes in touch andfeel. This is a phase that will passwith time. More and more peoplewill perhaps start looking at onlinefor shopping for essentials, medi-cines, home furnishing products,women’s accessories and more.”

Malls have experiential offeringslike cafes, theatres, entertainmentzones and a few other things.However, these would not attract vis-itors now as these were the first casu-alties of social distancing and pub-lic health protocols. It is likely thatthese would be the last to emergefrom the lockdown as well, feelsMukesh. “But if we will go by theguidelines that the governmentfinally sets out for the opening ofmalls, it could be the other wayround. As part of the exhaustiveSOPs we created, abundant precau-tion has been taken to ensure safe-ty, social distancing guidelines areadhered too and reopening willneed to be done in a calibrated man-ner,” said he.

From a consumer’s perspective,it seems like the next six to sevenmonths are all about surviving andreviving. Rajneesh concluded thewebinar saying, “I think we wouldbe able to see the consumption levelgoing higher from what we had inFY2019. On the shopping centresupply side, I see a slowdown andmost of the malls which were readyto open now may have to delay a lit-tle. Their progress will be deraileddue to this lockdown.”

Normal, the word, is all set to beredefined when it comes to all ourexperiences.

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Jasmine Jordan is getting anintimate look into the psyche of

her heralded father, Michael, justlike the rest of the world. The 27-year-old wasn’t born when herdad won the first two of his sixchampionships with the ChicagoBulls, so like many watching TheLast Dance, there are some thingsshe’s learning for the first time.

“I’m definitely texting himnonstop. I think there hasn’t beenan episode, a Sunday where Ihaven’t been like, ‘This happened— let me know your thoughts,’”says the youngest and onlydaughter of his three adultchildren with Juanita Vanoy.(Jordan has 6-year-old twin girlswith current wife Yvette PrietoJordan.) “I was super young, soI’m really taking this in as a fan.”

The 10-part docuseries,airing on ESPN in the UnitedStates and on Netflix elsewhere,details the 1998 Bulls’ season,Jordan’s final year with the teamand the organisation’s lastchampionship. While it focuseson the challenges and triumphs ofJordan’s illustrious basketballcareer, it also delves into personaltragedies, such as the murder ofhis father, and scandal, such as hispublic gambling habits.

Jasmine Jordan shared aboutgrowing up as his child, his legacy,and what can turn one of themost intimidating players in thehistory of basketball turn intosilly putty.

�Everybody’s been going crazyover The Last Dance. What’sbeen your perspective?

It’s been incredible to watch.

You know, I didn’t get anypreviews or anything like that, soI’m watching it real time witheveryone else and really justtaking it in as a fan, essentially. Soit’s been really eye opening. I thinkif you remove the basketballaspect and all the accolades heachieved for obvious reasons, Ithink I’m definitely learning thatmy dad was really trying to take inthe pressures and the expectationsand not allowing it to weigh onhim and really manifesting it tohis own. ...I’ve definitely beenseeing him really take on that roleand embracing that role and not

running from it and reallybecoming the greatest player toever play the game. That’s becausehe always wanted to do that.

�When you see some of thoselike emotional moments, do yourecognise that person as yourdad?

Some of them, yes. Some ofthem I do. I know when it comesto the game, his passion isunmatched. His energy’sunmatched. So when he’s going atSteve Kerr or checking Scottie andtrying to get that fire and tenacityout of them, I’m like, ‘Oh, yeah,

that’s Dad.’ I mean, he’ll do that tome just so I can get an A out of atest or two. (laughs) And I’m justtrying to pass school, I’m not evenwinning championships. So that isdefinitely totally him.

�What type of father was he toyou?

I was definitely a daddy’s girlgrowing up. And, you know, hestill calls me ‘Princess’ to this dayand I’m almost 30. ...He definitelywanted to coddle and protect andnurture and baby me as much ashe can. But you also knew theharsh reality of the burden that Iwas going to have to endure theolder I got. So he wanted to makesure I had tough skin. And Iunderstood that, hey, there’s goingto be a target on my back.

�How did your relationship, ordid it, change after your dadretired?

When he was playing, he didhis best to be as involved as hecould be while I was growing up.He made sure to take me to schoolwhen he could or go to my recitalsand dance and things like that thatI was a part of. So once he retired,it definitely was a change in gears,and it was something that he and Ireally had a conversation about.It’s like, “Okay, you’re done. Sohow do we work on therelationship? How do we evenmake it stronger than what it waslike?” So we definitely reallyworked hard and put forth thateffort because obviously once youtake something you love awayfrom somebody, it’s that hole —it’s a void. So do you fill it or do

you just adjust? He definitelyadjusted versus trying to findsomething else to fill it, and that’ssomething I appreciated. … That’show we’re so close today.

�What type of grandfather hashe been to your son?

He’s silly putty. My son hashim wrapped around his fingersalready. He’s been very hands onand very involved in my son, evenduring these crazy times. HeFaceTimes everyday or Zoom orsomething just so that way, thatrelationship can continue tocultivate and bond and grow. Butno, my dad would probably let myson get away with murder at thispoint. …It’s an incrediblerelationship to see them develop.

�I’m surprised your dad hasbeen this open, just being a fan.So are you surprised at hiscandor and his openness?

Absolutely. It’s definitelysurprising because my father isvery private. He doesn’t like tocomment on social matters or hedoesn’t like to respond to thingswhen people want him to. Hedefinitely likes to movemethodically on his terms and onhis time. And then with sayingthat, seeing the documentaryunfold and he’s getting emotionaland he’s sharing his insight andperspective, it’s been incredible toreally see. And I love it because itgives him that human nature thatI think people forget. You know,he is this incredible phenom, andhe’s the G.O.A.T., and everythingalong those lines. But he’s alsohuman. D)�

The pandemic hasforced many producersto release their films on

OTT platforms. However,the mutiplexes hadanticipated the release of allthese films throughout theyear. They believe it woulddilute the essence of theatresand affect their profits too.

Kamal Gianchandani,CEO, PVR Pictures said: “AsPVR we believe that thetheatrical release is the bestway for audience to

experience the labour andcreative genius of ourfilmmakers. This has been sofor decades and not just inIndia but globally. Theongoing COVID-19 crisishas caused an unfortunateshutdown of cinemas. We areconfident, once we get to theother side of this crisis, therewould be enough and morepent up demand from cine-goers who have been coopedup at homes for the last manyweeks. We are likely to see

demand by force on asustained basis, once wereopen. Needless to say, weare disappointed with someof our producers deciding togo straight to the streamingplatform/s. We were hopingthat they would accede to ourrequest to hold back theirfilm’s release till cinemasreopen. That said, this is notthe first time films are beingpremiered on a streamingplatform/s. Cinemaexhibition has regularly

faced competition from newemerging distributionplatforms over the last manyyears, and it has continued toenjoy cine-goers patronageand affinity. I would also liketo use this opportunity toexpress our appreciation forall the producers who havepublicly voiced their supportfor the theatrical platformand have decided toreschedule their releases toaccommodate the reopeningof cinemas.”

The Producers Guild ofIndia defended theirdecision through a letter

which said; Weare in unprecedented times,facing one of the greatest publichealth and economicemergencies of our lifetimes.This is a time for the entire filmindustry to come together withempathy and support for thedifficult predicament that eachof our constituents findsthemselves in — fromproducers, distributors,exhibitors, daily wage earnersand technicians, to thethousands of people whose livesand livelihoods are in some waydependent on our industry.

Hence at a time like this, itis disappointing to see abrasiveand unconstructive messagingfrom some of our colleagues inthe exhibition sector.Statements that call for“retributive measures” againstproducers who decide to taketheir films direct to OTTplatforms — especially at a timewhen cinemas areunfortunately closed for theforeseeable future - do not lendthemselves to a constructive orcollaborative dialogue on theway forward for the industry.

The production sector (justlike the exhibition sector) issuffering hundreds of crores oflosses on a daily basis-�Elaborate and expensive setserected for under-productionfilms have had to be takendown due to no date in sight forshoots to resume, with the sunkcost of the set and studio rentalsto be borne completely byproducers — as insurers refuseto cover the cost. Shootschedules have had to beabruptly cancelled due to thelockdown, with hugecancellation charges beingborne completely by theproducer — again with nosupport from insurers.�Interest costs are mountingon amounts raised to fundfilms, with producers having tobear this additional burdenwith no date in sight for

cinemas to re-open; in fact withthe knowledge that cinemasmay be one of the last sectors ofthe service sector likely to begiven permission to re-open.�Re-opening of cinemas isbound to be staggered acrossthe country, with each stategovernment rightly making itsown decision on theappropriate time to re-opencinemas in their state,depending on the intensity ofthe outbreak there. Producersof Hindi film will have to waitfor cinemas across the entirecountry to re-open, as theeconomics of the businessrequire an All India release. Forcinemas to be open across theentire country, it is clear we aresometime away.�Even when cinemas re-openacross India, there is noguarantee that the Overseastheatrical market (which is akey component of theeconomics of Hindi films) willhave resumed. Even if it has insome countries, it might nothave in others, hence leading toadditional loss of revenue for aproducer.

�When cinemas re-open, weshould be prepared for loweroccupancies. One, because ofthe social distancing norms thatwill be both mandated andnecessary for public safety.Secondly, because of theinevitable concern thatcinema-goers will have aboutventuring back into publicspaces.�In addition to this, there willbe a huge backlog of releases,and the smaller and mediumscale films especially will sufferfrom sub-optimal showcasingin addition to all the concernsabove. Given this combinationof factors, it is only natural thatproducers who have alreadyinvested heavily in their filmswith theatrical revenueassumptions that are no longerfeasible, will seek out allavenues available to recovertheir investment and to stay inbusiness. At a time like this, it isimportant that eachstakeholder understands andempathises with thepredicament of the other,rather than adopting anadversarial stance which is

counter-productive for theentire value chain.

The Producers Guildwould like to emphasise that weare unequivocally andpassionately supportive of thetheatrical release of films, and atheatrical release will always bethe preference for movies thatwere conceptualised ascinematic experiences. Butthese are unprecedented timesfor all the reasons mentionedabove, and it is imperative tosee things in that context. Forproducers to continue to keep“producing” the films that lightup our cinema screens, theyneed to continue to be inbusiness in the first place.

The production fraternitywould like to workcollaboratively with theexhibition sector to ensure thatonce cinemas do re-open acrossthe country, we do all we can tobring audience back in largenumbers to experience ourfilms in the way they werealways meant to be enjoyed atthe theatres.

(Statement from ProducersGuild of India.)

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Lionel Messi says he iscomfortable with foot-

ballers returning to playagain as La Liga preparesto restart the season inSpain next month.

La Liga presidentJavier Tebas has circledJune 12 as the ideal datefor matches to resume.

Barcelona sit top ofthe table, two pointsahead of Real Madrid.

Players in Spain havestarted working individually at traininggrounds as part of a strict and staggeredprogramme, with five players already putinto quarantine after testing positive forcoronavirus. “The risk of contagion iseverywhere,” Messi said in an interviewwith Mundo Deportivo, published onFriday.

“When you leave the house the risk is already there,so I think you can’t think about it too much because oth-erwise you’ll not want to go out anywhere.

“But we also understand it is essential to complywith protocols and take all the possible measures ofprevention. Going back to training is a first step butwe shouldn’t get complacent and we must continue tak-ing all the necessary precautions and assume we haveto start playing games but behind closed doors.”

Messi also spoke about Inter Milan striker LautaroMartinez, whom Barcelona are reportedly keen to signthis summer. Martinez is viewed as a long-termreplacement for the 33-year-old Luis Suarez.

“If I’m honest I’m not sure if there were or are nego-tiations right now for him, I have no idea,” Messi said.

“Lautaro is an impressive striker, especiallybecause I think he is very complete — he is strong,he dribbles well, he has an eye for goal, he knows howto protect the ball.”

���� 23&�,3 -�

The option of shifting theupcoming T20 WorldCup to 2022 is expected to

be put on the table when theICC Board meets on May 28, amember of world governingbody’s influential Board said onFriday.

A cloud of uncertaintyhangs over the T20 World Cupin the wake of coronavirus pan-demic and shifting it may findfavours with Cricket Australia,feels the Board member.

The ICC flagship event isscheduled in Australia fromOctober 18 to November 15.

The ICC Board Meeting willbe preceded by the CricketCommittee meeting to discussplaying conditions includingapplying sweat and saliva on theball.

It is expected that ICC’sEvents Committee headed byChris Tetley will present multi-ple options.

“We are expecting threeoptions from the ICCEvents Committee. Firstoption is having World T20as per schedule with 14-dayquarantine with crowd beingallowed. The back-up for thisoption could be tournamentin-front of empty stadium. Thethird option could be shifting thetournament to 2022,” a Board

member privy to develop-ment said.

The Board meetingwill also discuss two-month extension forChairman ShashankManohar but primarilythe focus will be on decid-ing the fate of T20 World Cup.

Of late, Cricket Australiaand their top players includingpresent and former, have beenaggressively campaigning forthe Test Series against Indiato go as scheduled inNovember-December.

The series is crucialto Cricket Australia’sfinancial health.

“CA wouldn’tbe too unhappy ifthe World T20 isshifted to2022. At theend oft h eday,

ICC is made up ofmembers. If membersdecide that bilateralseries are more impor-tant, you can’t discountthat.

“Also ICC mightfind its cash flow being

hampered but it’s ashort-term prob-lem. If the tourna-

ment happens in

2022, the parent bodydoesn’t lose anythingbecause it’s defermentnot postponement,”the board member

said.The deferment will

also mean that the cash-rich Indian Premier League,

which is a parallel industry initself, will get the much-neededwindow if the Covid-19 pan-demic is under control by then.The Indian team can travel toAustralia after the IPL.

The Board member alsocited a few problems which

may lead to deferment of T20World Cup.

“The costs of quarantinearrangements for 16 teams withsupport staff plus TV crew willbe huge. Add to that if in someof the countries, normalcy does-n’t return, whether travelling willbe safe by then,” he added.

“So it can’t be postponed bya few months, say February-March, 2021. It’s not a great ideaas we have Women’s ODI WorldCup and the two ICC eventsshould not clash. The Women’sWorld Cup is a much safer bet,there will only be eight teams.”

���������Swashbuckling Indiaopener Smriti Mandhana feels afull-fledged women’s IndianPremier League can make a dif-ference in tapping the talentwhich would help the nationalteam do well at the global level.

The 23-year-old opener alsoacknowledged the efforts BCCIis putting in to make it a reality.

“The BCCI has put in a lotof effort, first we had an exhibi-tion match kind of women’s IPLtwo years ago then there was avery successful IPL with threeteams. And this year it was sup-posed to be four teams,”Mandhana said on the BBCpodcast The Doosra.

“I’m sure a lot of IPL stylematches will take place for a yearor two. A five or six-team IPLfor women will be great forIndian women’s cricket special-ly for the World Cups,” sheadded.

The southpaw hopes the gapbetween the domestic and inter-national cricket that exists inwomen’s cricket in the countryright now will be bridged soon.

“Women’s cricket in Indianis growing massively, speciallythe domestic circuit. But there’sstill a lot of gap between com-petition between internationaland domestic circuit which Ithink will be bridged in 2-3years.”

The Indian women’s teamhas taken huge strides sinceentering final of a World Cup in2017 and coach WV Ramanfeels the side has the potential tobecome the best in three years.

Asked if she feels the sameMandhana said “We’ve grown alot as a team specially after the2017 WC. T20 format is not oneof our strengths before but wehave done reasonably well in thelast two World Cups.”

“Not just this one inAustralia, but the one we playedin West Indies was a very goodWorld Cup unfortunately we lostto England. What Raman sirsaid will happen. But I can’t sayin how many years maybe nextyear or in 3-4 years or 5 years butI’m certain it will happen,” sheadded. PTI

���� .! !�'!�

With uncertainty hoveringover India’s limited over

tour of Sri Lanka due to theCovid-19 pandemic, the coun-try’s cricket board (SLC) hasrequested BCCI to seriouslyconsider touring the islandnation for their scheduled seriesin July.

India is scheduled to visitSri Lanka for three one-dayersand as many T20Is in June-July,which is currently under threatdue to the global health crisis.

According to a report pub-lished in The Island, SLC hasindicated its willingness to playthe limited over series in lateJuly in an e-mail and are await-ing a reply from BCCI.

“Sri Lanka Cricket has sentan e-mail to their counterpartsat Board of Control for Cricketin India requesting the possibil-ity of resuming bilateral crick-et later in July,” the report said.

According to the report, anofficial said that “they wouldhave to follow strict quarantinerules and the series might takeplace behind closed doors con-sidering the safety of fans.”

However the BCCI brass isclear that unless there are cleardirectives from theGovernment and proper trav-el advisories in place, theywon’t be able to commit any-thing at the moment.

���� 23&�,3 -�

Shreyas Iyer’s last three ODIknocks before the coron-

avirus outbreak brought theworld to a standstill read 103, 52and 62. Interestingly, all theknocks not just came on NewZealand soil, but also at themuch-talked about No 4 posi-tion in the Indian batting line-up. But the Mumbaikar doesn’twish to sit on past laurels and isalready thinking of the route hewill take to continue from wherehe left when live action resumes.

While Shreyas says he can-not wait for cricket to start, healso accepts that the road backto the international stage willnot be easy and it will require a

few sessions at the nets to notjust bring back muscle memo-ry, but also to get into the zone.

“Yes, we will need a few netsessions for sure to get the tim-ing back (as a batsman) and alsoto get the muscle memoryworking. Will be holding the batafter a while also to have play-ers standing around as you facebowlers bowling at 140kph, itwill not be easy to come backinto that zone and it will needa few training sessions as alsothe mental memory to settledown completely.

“It is not going to be easy,but at the same time we are pro-fessionals and we have playedfor so many years to reach thisstage, so it will not take us verylong. It will be a good challengefor us to overcome and get start-ed with cricket,” he explains.

Shreyas also feels that Livecricket will also help the Indianpublic look forward to life in apositive way as cricket is a reli-gion in the country.

“I would be very keen to goout and play because that iswhat I am waiting for. You dorealise that cricket is a religionin this country and if we go outand play and it is there for peo-ple to view on television, it willbe a huge positive as things willstart moving towards normaland people will also be enter-tained,” he pointed.

���� ��� �� Pace sensationKyle Jamieson’s “outstanding”performance against India inhis debut Test series early thisyear on Friday earned him acentral contract from NewZealand Cricket for the 2020-21 season.

The 25-year-old Jamiesonearned the Man of the Matchaward in his ODI debut againstIndia, before grabbing thePlayer of the Match award fortaking a five wicket haul in thesecond Test at Hagley Oval.Overall, Jamieson grabbed ninewickets and averaged 46 withthe bat in the two Tests againstVirat Kohli’s men.

“Kyle’s performancesagainst the might of India werenothing short of outstandingand at 25 years of age he’s cer-tainly got a big future,” selectionmanager Gavin Larsen said.

Left-arm spinner Ajaz Pateland South African-born bats-man Devon Conway were alsooffered contracts for the firsttime for the next one year.

The contracts will official-ly commence from August 1and players have until May 22to accept or decline the offer.

“It’s really exciting to offercontracts to Kyle, Ajaz andDevon who have all impressedover the past 12 months,”

Conway, who had migrat-ed from South Africa in 2017,will become eligible for nation-al selection in August this year.The 28-year-old had a toppedthe domestic batting charts inthe last two seasons.

Patel, who also has a solidfirst-class record, has been inthe mix in Tests for the past oneand a half years.

Among the players to missout were batting duo of ColinMunro and Jeet Raval andspinner Todd Astle, who retiredfrom red-ball cricket in January.

Jimmy Neesham, WillYoung and Tom Blundell haveall retained their contracts afterbeing added to the list last sea-son. PTI

5�������� A cash-strappedCricket Australia must not sac-rifice the number of matches forwomen to cut costs when itrestructures the domestic sched-ule, feels star wicketkeeper-bat-ter Alyssa Healy.

A shortened season is beingspeculated with CA struggling tostay afloat in the wake of thecoronavirus break.

The women match-es in the domesticwomen competitionMarsh SheffieldShield and theWomen Big BashLeague are notlucrative com-pared to the men’scricket but host-ing them stillburns a hole inCricket Australiapocket. However,

Healy says cutting the games forwomen would not be prudent.

“(Playing less games) obvi-ously doesn’t sit great. We don’twant to lose any cricket. It’d bea real shame,” Healy, who is aboard director of the AustralianCricketers Association (ACA),told The Unplayable Podcast.

“Especially the WBBL, it’ssuch a great tournament for us

and it’s the bulk of thecricket we get to play.We don’t get to playmuch 50-over cricket

in our domesticcompetition andthat’s somethingthat us as aplaying grouphave beenreally pushingfor in the last

few years, thatthe WNCL

competition is looked after.”Healy also said that with

women 50-over World Cupscheduled in February, losinggames could affect players’ per-formance.

“We don’t want to lose anycricket. I don’t feel our domes-tic players get to play enough asit is.

“We’ll have to wait and seewhat sort of decisions are made.

Healy said investment inwomen cricket must not bestopped.

“It’s such a shame that this(pandemic) has happened andwe’ve potentially lost a bit ofmomentum, but I think we canpick that up pretty quickly oncewe get back rolling and (by)making sure we invest proper-ly in the women’s game andmake sure it thrives in thefuture. PTI

����� !�+213 3�

The UnitedS t a t e s

T e n n i sAssociation is pressing ahead withpreparations to stage the US Openin New York this year but is“aggressively” drafting alternativeplans for the tournament, aspokesman said.

With New York the epicentreof the coronavirus pandemic in theUnited States, the US Open’s appar-ently precarious place on the sport-ing calendar has faced increasingspeculation in recent weeks.

Multiple reports have suggest-ed that USTA officials are mullinga possible switch of the August 31-September 13 tournament to eitherIndian Wells or Orlando in aneffort to evade the clutches ofCovid-19.

However, USTA spokesmanChris Widmaier said in an e-mailon Thursday that the organisation’ssights remained firmly set on stag-ing the Open at its regular venueand date.

“The USTA’s goal is to hold the2020 US Open in New York on itscurrently scheduled dates,”Widmaier said, describing plan-ning for the tournament as “ongo-ing.”

“We understand that there is agreat deal of speculation regardingthe USTA’s planning for the 2020US Open,” he added.

“We would like to clarify thatwhile we are exploring every pos-sibility around the US Open, thepotential to shift the event locationor date is not at the forefront at thispoint in time.”

Widmaier added, however,that because of the “uncertain andrapidly-changing environment”caused by Covid-19, the USTA hadbeen “aggressively modeling manyother contingencies, including sce-narios with no fans.”

A final decision on plans forthe US Open would be taken nextmonth, in “mid-to-late June”,Widmaier said.

����� Britain’s Silverstoneracetrack will stage two grandsprix during the Formula Oneseason, subject to UKGovernment approval, circuitchiefs said on Friday.

Silverstone managingdirector Stuart Pringle toldthe BBC that an agreement inprinciple had been reachedwith Formula One to hold theraces at the central Englandcircuit, immediately after the

season begins in Austria.“I am delighted to confirm

that Silverstone and FormulaOne have reached an agree-ment in principle to host tworaces behind closed doors thissummer,” he said.

“However these races willbe subject to Governmentapproval, as our priority is thesafety of all involved and strictcompliance with Covid-19 reg-ulations. AFP

����� Bayern Munich boss HansiFlick admitted on Friday that he isunsure whether his players arematch fit ahead of the Bundesligarestart this weekend.

Defending champions Bayernhold a four-point lead ahead ofSunday’s game at Union Berlin.

Bayern, like Germany’s otherclubs, only received the go-ahead to resume full teamtraining last week. “We don’tknow if the team can hold outover 90 minutes,” said Flick.“We have trained well andplayed three matches of 20 minuteseach last Sunday.

“They were played at a very highintensity, but we don’t know clearlywhere we stand.

“We have to just deal with thesituation.”

Flick welcomed the decision bythe German league to approve plansto allow five substitutions instead ofthe usual three, but hopes teams donot abuse the temporary rule change.

“I have two more options, so I’mvery happy, especially in this situa-tion,” Flick said. “I only hope it is notused to waste time.

“We will use it to replace a tiredplayer. In the weeks with a lot ofgames it’s great.”

Bayern chairman Karl-HeinzRummenigge claims the Bundesligawill have a global audience of “bil-lions around the world” this week-end, with the English, Spanish andItalian leagues still suspended.

“More than 200 countrieswill be watching,” Flick said.“So we have an enormouslylarge audience and we want todeliver a top performance.

“The whole world will belooking at Germany, to see how weget it done.

“If we manage to ensure that theseason continues, it will send a sig-nal to all leagues.”

Flick also said that his playershave the chance to sit out games, butonly the injured trio of PhilippeCoutinho, Corentin Tolisso andNiklas Suele are unavailable forSunday.

“If a player had doubts, hecould have decided not to play —without consequences. But they areall in, except for those who areinjured.” AFP

���� 23&�,3 -��

Athletics Federation of IndiaPresident Adille Sumariwalla

on Friday ruled out any track andfield athlete taking part in anyinternational event this year inview of the Covid-19 pandemic astheir safety is paramount.

It is therefore implied that noIndian will take part in the pres-tigious Diamond League meets,starting from August 14. Thelikes of Tokyo Olympics-boundjavelin throwers Neeraj Chopraand Shivpal Singh will miss them.

“We are not interested insending our athletes abroad before2021 till we have a far better idea.The safety of our athletes is para-mount. So, no Diamond Leaguefor our athletes. The athletes whoare now in national camps willalso preferably be there for thenext three months,” Sumariwallasaid at an online interaction in thepresence of World Athletics chiefSebastian Coe.

“The plan is the athletes willcompete in five events in Indiancircuit starting on September 12and they will have some sort ofoff-season after October. Nextyear, we plan to have training(programmes) in Europe if the sit-uation allows and then they canreach peak form during the TokyoOlympics,” he added.

�����England captain HarryKane says players are waitingfor safety guidance from thePremier League after theGovernment said it was“opening the door” for thereturn of football nextmonth.

The Premier Leaguehopes for a return to actionon June 12, with matchesbehind closed doors.Tottenham striker Kane is will-ing to take the next step, mov-ing from individual training tosmall group sessions, but sug-gested more information wasneeded.

“I don’t think anyoneknows the right answer at themoment,” he told ITV’s GoodMorning Britain programme.

“I think the majority ofplayers are looking forward toplaying again as soon as possi-ble but we know we want it tobe as safe as possible too.

“From what I have heard —obviously I haven’t seen toomuch of my team-mates — atthe moment everyone is OK.We want to see how the PremierLeague gives us a plan and whatthat looks like.”

Kane confirmed that he,along with the rest of the Spurssquad, had taken initial tests forcoronavirus, with no positiveresults following their return totraining. AFP

����� England’s cricketerswill be handed a box of ballseach only for their individualuse and they can’t apply sali-va on them when they resumetraining next week ahead ofthe scheduled Test seriesagainst Windies and Pakistan.

The England and WalesCricket Board announcedthat a pool of 30 cricketers willbe prepared for the plannedstart of international cricketthis summer. Training will beheld as per the Government-approved guidelines.

A “one skin per ball” pol-icy will be implemented for thesessions at 11 county groundswhere players will train at dif-ferent times to ensure social

distancing.“We need to mitigate as

many of the risks as we possi-bly can. At one venue guysmay train individually butwith the same coach — a sin-gle coach for four or fivebowlers. But with social dis-tancing they shouldn’t be closeenough to pass anything on. It’sessential we stick to theseguidelines,” said Giles.

The Guardian reportedthat the players have to useonly the individual box ofballs assigned to them and theballs must remain in their kitbags when not in use.

Bowlers will be havingone-on-one sessions withcoaches from Wednesday andthe batsmen will enter the netstwo week later.

“Players have been told totravel by car, bring their ownclearly marked water bottles,regularly sanitise hands andmake a swift departure after-wards before showering athome,” the newspaper stated.

A two-metre distance hasto be maintained with thecoach and the physio will bethe only one wearing a PPE kit.

When the batsmenresume net sessions, they mustnot pick the ball up and passit back to the coach, insteadthey will kick it or use the batto hit it back. PTI

,8A6� ���������8A88:���� �����&$� ��(�$! �"!��&')����$�(),���� 23&�,3 -�

Board of Control for Cricketin India (BCCI) President

Sourav Ganguly feels the five-Test series, proposed byCricket Australia against thetraditional four-match rub-ber, will not be feasible laterthis year.

Cricket Australia CEOKevin Roberts had earlierexpressed the board’s desire tohost a five-Test series against

India but citing quarantine

guidelines amid the coron-avirus pandemic, Ganguly hasstated it seems a difficult taskto squeeze in an additionalmatch considering time con-straints.

“I don’t think it will bepossible for India to participatein five Tests. There will be lim-ited-overs games and plus wehave to consider the 14-dayquarantine guidelines. All thiswill extend the tour,” Gangulywas quoted as saying by Mid-day.

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