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India has virtually rejectedPakistan’s offer to re-open

Kartarpur corridor for pil-grims from June 29, terming itas an effort to “create a mirageof goodwill,” and told the west-ern neighbour that as per pactat least seven days notice wasrequired prior to the travel.

“Cross-border travel hasbeen temporarily suspended aspart of measures to prevent andcontain the spread of coron-avirus. Further view would betaken in consultation withhealth authorities and otherstakeholders concerned,”sources said here reacting to thePakistani proposal.

Pakistan has conveyed itsreadiness to India to reopen theKartarpur Corridor on

Monday on the occasion of thedeath anniversary of MaharajaRanjeet Singh, the ForeignOffice said on Saturday, overthree months after it was tem-porarily closed due to theCovid-19 pandemic.

India temporarily sus-pended the pilgrimage andregistration for the KartarpurSahib Gurdwara in Pakistan onMarch 16 in view of the coro-navirus outbreak.

“As the religious places aregradually opening up aroundthe world, Pakistan has alsomade necessary arrangementsto reopen Kartarpur SahibCorridor for Sikh pilgrims,”Pakistan’s Foreign office said.To ensure adherence to thehealth guidelines, Pakistan hasinvited India to work out nec-essary SOPs (Standard

Operating Procedures) for thereopening of the corridor.

They said Pakistan wastrying to “create a mirage ofgoodwill” by proposing toresume the Kartarpur pilgrim-age from June 29 with a short

notice of two days.But the bilateral agreement

provides for travel informationto be shared by India withPakistan at least seven daysbefore the date of travel, theysaid. The normal way is to open

the registration process well inadvance.

Moreover, Pakistan is yet toconstruct a critical bridge ontheir side across the floodplainsof Ravi river despite havingcommitted to it in the bilater-al agreement, sources said.

It would also need to beseen whether pilgrim move-ment is possible and safethrough the corridor duringmonsoon, sources said. In2013, when the area was flood-ed, it had caused great damageto people in Punjab’sGurdaspur.

The 4.5 km-long corridorconnects Dera Baba Nanakshrine in Punjab’s Gurdaspurwith Darbar Sahib inKartarpur, a small town about4 km from the InternationalBorder, located at Narowal dis-

trict of Pakistan’s Punjabprovince. It is the place wherethe founder of Sikhism GuruNanak is believed to have spentthe last 18 years of his life.

Pakistan in July last yearagreed in-principle to build abridge on the zero line of theKartarpur corridor to provideall-weather connectivity. Indiahad started work on a bridge onthe zero line. Pakistan, howev-er, had insisted on constructinga causeway, which Indiabelieves would act as a barrier,directing more floodwatertowards India.

Prime Minister NarendraModi inaugurated theKartarpur corridor onNovember 9 last year when onthe same day the first batch ofSikh pilgrims left for the shrineof Guru Nanak in Pakistan.

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After the skies over manyparts of Gurugram turned

dark as swarms of locustsdescended on the city aroundnoon with some residents evensharing videos on the socialmedia, the Delhi Governmenton Saturday put all districts onhigh alert and asked the districtmagistrates to coordinate withthe fire department for sprayingof pesticides and insecticides toprevent a possible attack ofcrop-destroying locusts.

An advisory issued by theDelhi DevelopmentCommissioner said residentscan distract the locusts bymaking high-decibel soundthrough beating of drums,utensils, playing high-volumemusic, bursting crackers, andburning neem leaves. The advi-sory asked the people to keepdoors and windows closed andcover outdoor plants with plas-tic sheets.

The district magistrateshave also been advised todeploy adequate staff to make

villagers and residents aware ofthese measures.

“Swarms of locusts usual-ly fly in daytime and rest dur-ing night. Therefore, theyshould not be allowed to restduring night time,” it read.“Night spray of malathion orchlorpyrifos is useful. PPE kitsmay be used while spraying forsafety, the advisory said.

Earlier, Delhi EnvironmentMinister Gopal Rai chaired anemergency meeting of seniorofficials where he was informed

that swarms have also reachedthe Asola Bhatti area in SouthDelhi.

He asked district authori-ties to remain on high alert.The forest department wasdirected to take various steps torepel the swarms of locusts, theofficial said.

He also asked officials ofthe agriculture department tomake field visits to areas closeto Gurugram.

The development secre-tary, divisional commissioner;

director, agriculture depart-ment and district magistrates ofSouth Delhi and West Delhiattended the meeting, the offi-cial said.

However, the migratorypests are likely to spare Delhifor now, officials said.

The swarms of locusts,spread across two kilometres,entered Gurgaon around 11.30am, KL Gurjar of the LocustWarning Organisation,Ministry of Agriculture, said.The pests, he said, were head-ed towards Faridabad andPalwal in Haryana. Accordingto the Union Ministry ofAgriculture, a locust swarmmoved towards Dwarka inDelhi, from there toDaulatabad, Gurgaon,Faridabad and this swarm hasentered Uttar Pradesh.

In May, India battled adevastating desert locust out-break. The crop-destroyingswarms first attacked Rajasthanand then spread to Punjab,Gujarat, Maharashtra andMadhya Pradesh.

According to experts,broadly four species of locustsare found in India - desertlocust, migratory locust,Bombay locust and tree locust.The desert locust is consideredthe most destructive.

It multiplies very rapidlyand is capable of covering 150kilometers in a day.

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Turning the heat on theCongress on the Chinese

funding of the Rajiv GandhiFoundation in the past, the rul-ing BJP on Saturday ques-tioned the Opposition party onthe alleged donations itreceived from the Chineseembassy between 2005 and2009 as well as from the “taxhaven” of Luxemburg between2006 and 2009. It also asked theCongress to explain the moneyit received from NGOs withcommercial interests.

BJP president JP Nadda,who has been targeting theCongress for last many days,asked searching questions,including about alleged linksbetween the Rajiv GandhiFoundation (RGF) and China.

“Under the garb of Chinaand Covid-19 crisis, one shouldnot shy away from questionsthe nation wants to know,”Nadda told newspersons whilelaunching an attack onCongress president SoniaGandhi.

On the Congress’ querieson the status on the LAC, heaffirmed India under Prime

Minister Narendra Modi issafe and secure, and its bravearmed forces are fully capableof protecting the country.

“RGF took hefty donationsfrom all major Indian corpo-rates while they indulged inpro-poor rhetoric. In term cor-porates rewarded hefty con-tracts. Smt Sonia Gandhishould answer why there wereso many deals given as quid proquo”, BJP chief alleged anddemanded an answer from her.

National interest was “sac-rificed” and donations into thefamily-run foundation wasaccepted, Nadda said.

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The EnforcementDirectorate (ED) on

Saturday questioned seniorCongress leader Ahmed Patelat his residence in Delhi in con-nection with the Sandesarabrothers money launderingcase, officials said.

A three-member ED teamreached Patel’s home at 23,Mother Teresa Crescent in theLutyens Bungalow Zone herearound 11.30 am. The teammembers were seen wearingmasks and gloves as a precau-tionary measures againstCovid-19 pandemic.

“Modi Ji aur Amit Shah jike mehmaan aaye the... Theycame, asked me questions, Ireplied and they left, “AhmedPatel said.

The agency recorded Patel’sstatement under the Preventionof Money Laundering Act(PMLA) and his purportedlinks with `14,500 crore bankloan fraud by the Vadodara-based pharma firm SterlingBiotech and its main promot-ers Sandesara brothers.

The ED had summonedPatel, 70, twice for questioningin the case but the CongressRajya Sabha member fromGujarat cited his inability toappear due to the Covid-19guidelines that advises seniorcitizens to stay indoors.

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While Rajiv GandhiFoundation (RGF) is in

the eye of storm for receivingfunds from the Chinese estab-lishment in 2005-06, it hasnow emerged that the foreignpolicy think tank ObserverResearch Foundation (ORF)too got funding from theChinese consulate in Kolkata.

The ORF received �1.76crore- �1.26 crore in 2016 and�50 lakh in 2017.

The donors’ list andamounts received as grantsfrom various institutionsworldwide is available on theORF website.

The ORF received threegrants worth nearly �1.26crore from the Chinese con-sulate in Kolkata in 2016 inthree tranches — �7.7 lakh onApril 29, 2016; �11.55 lakh onNovember 4, 2016; and�1,06,83,761 on December31, 2016. A grant of �50 lakhwas received by the ORF onDecember 1, 2017.

The ORF website claims itprovides independent analy-sis on security, strategy, econ-omy, development, energyand resources. The organisa-tion also claims to bringtogether leading and youngexperts from the Government,academia, business and civilsociety circles across the worldwho provide quality research,recommendations and analy-sis on a wide range of policymatters.

Turn to Page 4

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He is as spiritual in reallife as his character ofMadhavanand Vyaasji

in Zee Tv’S Qurbaan Hua. Theshow is an intense dramaabout two passionate youngindividuals — Neel andChahat, who are on a missionof their own, driven by thelove and pride of their family.

Meet Aayam Mehta, whoplays Neel’s father, a man ofvalues and discipline.

“One thing that attractedme to play Vyaasji is that heis a dharmik person, he triesto follow religion to a T.Sometimes he does become alittle stubborn, but otherwisehe is a nice man. Just like me,he is open-minded andrespects and believes in allreligions and faiths,” Mehtatells you and adds that the firstthing he does in the morningis to thank God.

“There are millions ofpeople in the world who areunable to see the day’s light.Therefore, every morningwhen I open my eyes, I smileand thank God that he hasgiven me another day to live.It’s nothing short of ablessing,” he says.

Mehta who has been partof shows like Na Aana Iss DeshLado, Rehnaa Hai Teri PalkonKi Chaaon Mein and KaalBhairav Rahasya, says thatacting is all about imitating.

“Since our childhood, weall have imitated someone orthe other. Acting means 100per cent imitation of acharacter. When we imitatesomeone partially, we laugh itoff but if we do it exactly toperfection, then you take itseriously. That’s how actorswork. For me, acting is anunnatural thing. Take anexample, you have to shoot adeath sequence. You go onsets, act like your mother haspassed away but the directortells you that it is not lookingreal. That is when you have tostep into the shoes of thecharacter, imagine that thetragedy has happened withyou and then come trueemotions. This is nothing butan unnatural task for our

brain,” he explains.Acting was never on cards

for Mehta. It was destiny thatbrought him into the field.“Like every other child, I wasalso confused. There weretimes when I wanted to be acricketer l ike SachinTendulkar. It was only after Iturned 16, that I realised mypassion for acting. Back then,I didn’t know that theatre wasa thing. The mere knowledgethat I had about stage playswas because of Ram Leela.Then I came across a play andgot influenced by it. I enrolledmyself in theatre. After sixyears, I shifted to Mumbai,” hetells you.

Shifting to the City ofDreams was easy for Mehta,but the real challenges cameafter that.

“One of my theatre co-actor, who was extremely badat acting, shifted to Mumbaibefore me and within twoweeks he was there on TV.Watching him onDoordarshan, I thought thatMumbai mein lagta hai actorska akaal hai. Sabko kaam miljata hai. Isko agar mil gaya tomain to kitna acha hun.However, reality hit me hardwhen I went to the city. Forabout two years, no one evenentertained me. And my co-actor too ran out of work. Hisfirst project became the lastand he disappeared,” Mehtarecalls.

Mehta’s first project was aone-day shoot where he waspaid �600. “Initially, I ignoredsmall roles because I wasbeing told that I might gettypecast. Then I startedwaiting for the right project tocome. But gradually thingsturned for the better. Also TVwas not my calling. I didn’twant to be a part of shows thatwere never ending. My longestrunning show where I had afive-month stint was Lado.Then I did films like AWednesday, Zokkomon andPadmavat,” he tells you.

The reason why Mehtachose to not dig deep into TVwas because he feels that TVis losing its essence. “Thegolden period of TV was the80s. The kind of shows thatwere made back then, wecan’t even make 10 per cent ofit now. Today, the serials onlydiffer in names, the story isthe same. We have run out offresh ideas. There is no shelflife of serials. The daily soapsare running on tracks insteadof a story. That was the reasonI did limited shows, the oneswhich I think has substance inthem. Like Qurbaan Hua,there’s a story in it,” he tellsyou.

With shoots resuminggradually, Mehta is all excitedto go back to work. “Wehaven’t had any confirmationfrom the team yet, but I amexcited to go to the sets andmeet the lovely cast again,” hesays.

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� What is your role in Your Honour?I play Kashi Samthar, a CRPF officer.

He has known Judge Bishan’s family foryears. He sees Bishan as an elder brother.The problem arises when Bishan’s son,Abeer, gets involved in a hit-and-run case.Bishan then pleads with him to sort outthe matter, which leaves Kashi in adilemma of either doing justice to his jobor staying loyal to Judge Bishan.� What made you say yes?

If you get a chance to do a web serieswith a good script you just can’t let itgo. This was the biggest reason. Thecharacter was good too. Also, in webseries, you can work easily andswiftly, unlike TV where you haveto work at a very fast pace. � How was the experienceworking with the cast?

The experience was good.I shared a good rapport withthe whole team. I have knownJimmy (Sheirgill) for a long timeso it was like an add-on. Also, forthis series I lost around 12 kg, I can’tforget this. The shoots were all funand happy, we were in Punjab,which is again such a happy place tobe in. I could not have asked for more.� You have played a father a coupleof times. How do you differentiatebetween these roles?

All the characters are different. As forRaghav Shrivastav from Mere AngneMein, he was more concerned aboutsociety, had the responsibility of thefamily so he was tired in his life. ForAmbar Sharma, he lives in a metropolitancity, he has no one but his daughter in life.The difference in these characters is themindset. Both the characters look at theworld with a different mindset and that’swhat makes them different from eachother.� Do you think OTT platforms will bethe new normal, even once things getback to normal?

I think so and makers should now gearup for the change because their directcompetition is with OTT platforms, whichis rich in content. They should try andcome up with new concepts and storiesthat the audiences have never seen before.We all can see the pattern in the comingweeks and will get to know whetherpeople will be willing to switch from OTTto TV again or not. It is the best time towork on the content and everyoneirrespective of the medium should try andmake as rich content as possible. � What was the most challenging role?

Each and every role requires the same

amount of hard work and effort. We giveour all in whatever character we areplaying. But to name one I think its AmbarSharma. It takes a lot of effort, bothmentally and physically, to deal with themood swings that he has. Having said that,if your work doesn’t throw any challenges,there’s no enjoyment.� In all these years, what has been yourtake away from the industry?

One, see your work as work, don’tmake it your life. Second, do your workand come back to your people. I don’t havea lot of friends in the industry, once I amdone with my work, I retire to my den.This is what I love and have learnt to do.In this industry, you have to be mentallystrong. Be happy in your life and love yourwork, it is the key.

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This one comes withadequate corn and colamoments with Swara

Bhaskar, as usual, living in thedual skin of Rasbhari. A comingof age story of a small town boy,his English teacher, his do-anything-for-you friends andhis school sweetheart, this eight-episode series is complete initself and yet leaves a convenientwindow for Season 2 andbeyond.

Swara, as the Englishteacher, and also as the libidohigh Rasbhari, is a treat towatch though Ayushmaan as theboy in the bonnet is alsooutstanding. The sights andsounds of Meerut, a small cityalways in the 40 kmph gear anda satellite town to Delhi havebeen well captured by thedirector. The kitty party women,the dirty talk, the abuses and thestray cords of men are so

naturally part of the firmamentthat you start enjoying andexpecting them as routine.

Indian content on OTTplatforms, without any censors,has come of age, much likeAyushmaan who has wetdreams about his Englishteacher and spends most of histime talking and trying to losehis virginity. This, by the way,takes him to hilarious situationswhich punctuate this series.Losing virginity, talking sex andgetting cheap thrills fromvoyeurism seem to be the solepurpose of his life — and of allhis classmates — as he veersaround to taking tuitions fromSwara to learn more about lifeand respect.

Without being preachy orlofty, this simple, funny and wellmeaning series engages yougently, converting yourreservations about abuses intosometimes shocked laughterand sometimes a surprisingwait for the next one.

The series is souffle light,has its funny moments andkeeps you engaged for most ofthe episodes.

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Detective-helmed murder mysteries havetheir own natural pace and edgychutzpah. The Hunt for the Bone

Collector, A Season 1 Original on SonyLiv, is nodifferent, only the chief detective is paralysedand confined to a wheelchair but with a mindmoving like the cheetah.

The bone collector, who placed him in the chairthree years ago, is back and so is detective Rhyme,played to perfection by Russell Hornsby. The returnbrings him back to the helm from his ultra techenabled living room, from where he tells his newlypicked partner Amelia Sachs “You are here so thatI can be there”, there being the crime scene. “Youwill be my eyes and ears”, he tell her even as sheretorts with “I may be your eyes and ears, but I havea mind all my own and so am more than just anequipment.” Amid the banter, and the respectRhyme commands from his entire team, Ameliaincluding, there are a series of murder stories woveninextricably into the the main hunt, that of the bonecollector who has returned to New York with hissignature three bodies and three clues.

The series, a resurrection of the DenzilWashington-Angelina Jolie film of 1985. Must saythe film was more taut and happening than thisseries. That is not to say that Hornsby leaves anytwitch of the face, any speaking eyes, any mindboggling brain storms to keep you less interested.The problem, however, lies in the interweaving oftoo many murder trails that have nothing to do withthe bone collector.

The game between the two, Rhyme and theBone Collector, is riveting whenever the focusreturns to it. One wishes that the creator MarkBiancuilli had remained linear and fixated the showjust on the cat and mouse ploys between Rhymeand his team pitted against the Bone Collector. Theother murder cases fall by the wayside most of thetime as they fail to match the intensity of the stringsaround the Bone Collector. Watchable, interestingand good for a slow burn.

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If one wanted to see anactor do two contrastingroles, then the latest movie

to release on the OTTplatform— Bhonsle starringManoj Bajpai — would be theperfect film to watch thisweekend. It would make youwonder how an actor who canbe part of such an intense filmlike this go and do a role of apsychopath doctor in Mrs.Serial Killer. But the truth isthat the transformation thatone sees of this versatile actor

is a treat.Directed by Devashish

Makhija and co-produced byManoj Bajpai, the story revolvesaround insider versus outsider— Maratha Manus versus thosewho are from North India.While the subject has been aburning issue in Maharashtra,what really stands out here is theabsolutely awesomeperformance by Bajpai.

Despite the fact that themovie is dead slow — nothingmuch moves forward but thewhole idea to keep the NorthIndians away, there are very littledialogues. One can actuallycount the number of wordsthat he has said in the entirefilm. It is his sheer stance,

presence, expressions and theway he moves, an old retiredMumbai cop, will keep onecaptivated till the very end.

The last time we saw suchbrilliance from the actor wasAligarh.

The movie goes on to showthat one doesn’t need to give anactor heavy dialogues that heneeds to shout for him to leavean impact in a film.

Those looking for masalahere, there is none. So this is notyour typical commercial filmthat is set to entertain but itmakes one internalise as doesthe movie through its charactersas it unfolds. A film that onemust watch for Bajpai’sbrilliance. 5-�����-�$����

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There is a reason why child marriageis an offence and why the practicewas done away with it. Bulbbul set

in backdrop of 1881, takes one on ajourney of a girl child married off to amuch older man and the aftermath ofwhat happens when she grows upalongside her dewar who is her age.

Director Anushka Sharma has chosenan interesting storyline to tell her story fromthe perspective of her lead protagonist TriptiDimri— a chudail with ulte pair who is onthe prowl and kills.

The locale has also been chosen well.A haveli with its deep dark secrets of theThakur khandaan that need to be keptunder wraps at whatever the cost — afterall one will get to wear good clothes and goldjewellery to adorn your body.

While the setting is perfect for a horrormovie, unfortunately, Bulbbul is just anengrossing film about whodunnit. Butthat also somewhat disappears as the storyprogresses and all is revealed at the climaxwith flashback. There is great performanceby Tripti Dimri, a woman who is strong inthe face of adversary and stands with herhead held high despite all odds. A womanwho in a patriarchal society makes a placefor herself— a Goddess of strength whofights for the rights of women.

One just wished that the all theinteresting things that went bump weren’ttinted red or covered in a haze of mist. Theidea of chudail killings and red is a bit toocliched. But still it doesn’t put a dent in thisdrama-murder mystery. Makes for aninteresting watch.

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It’s 1950s Brooklyn, there is jazz in the air andan amateur detective (Edward Norton) has justlost his mentor boss to some shadowy men who

abduct and shoot him in an alleyway just when hearrives there to rescue him.

That’s the premise of the film which then delvesinto this amateur’s quest into who the killers of hisboss could have been. That he suffers from theTourette Syndrome only heightens his histrionicskills which give colour to this largely black andwhite vintage Brooklyn film panning over boxedtaxis, steaming pit holes and, of course, thosedelectable hats. Norton, who plays the centralcharacter of Lionel Essrog, is as good in front ofthe camera as he is behind it and also with the pen.As writer-director, he does well to channelise thisbrainy intrigue that coasts from the underbelly ofBrooklyn to its highest corridors of power,detecting deceit, drama and diehard criminals alongthe way, will go down well with cinema lovers ofthe intensely knowledgeable kinds.

After he loses his mentor (Frank Minna, playedby the ever laconic Bruce Wills) to a dubious casegone wrong, he and his friends known as Minna’smen as they were rescued by him from anorphanage and trained to become detectives, goon the trail with Norton’s sharp mind skillsemanating from his awkward ailment which giveshim both twitches and the ability to retain aphotographic memory and unfurl puzzles at thedrop of a hat.

The film, adapted from Jonathan Lethem’snovel of the same name, is brilliant, nuanced,thrilling in its own special way and a treat to watchif lunatic pace of the modern kind is not really yourkind of thing.

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In order to ensure seismic sta-bility for the buildings, South

Delhi Municipal Corporation(SDMC) has started identifyingthe high rise building and issu-ing notice to them to submit astructural audit report.

A senior SDMC officialsaid that an inspection was car-ried out by the engineers of thebuilding department in SunnyValley Housing society, Sector12 and Delhi State HousingSociety, sector 19 of Dwarkaarea to check the retrofittingwork.

“During the inspection, itis found that the work of retro-fitting is in progress and isexpected to be completed ineight months as there is pauci-ty of funds,” he said.

Earlier, a structural con-sultant was appointed in orderto strengthen the building andto make it safe from seismicpoint of view after the civicbody consulted for ensuring thestructural safety of these build-ings. “The consultant suggest-ed retrofitting of the buildingsby guiniting, re-barring and

jacketing of columns andstrengthening of beam,” hesaid.

The Sun Valley society wasconstructed in the year 2003 onthe land allotted by ‘DelhiDevelopment Authority’. Withthe passage of time it wasnoticed that cracks developedin columns and beams andreinforcement was exposed,he said.

The South Corporationhad issued 77 notices to theschools and residential grouphousing societies andInstitutions to submit a struc-ture audit report. “The own-ers have been directed to sub-mit a structural audit report ofthe building and the existingbuilding plan will have to besubmitted within 30 days fromthe date of notice in the SouthCorporation office..Action willbe taken against those who donot comply with the norms,” headded.

The move came after theDelhi High Court had direct-ed the government and themunicipal corporations to filea status report on structures intheir jurisdiction in terms ofseismic stability.

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Three suspected sympathis-ers of the Khalistan

Movement who were plan-ning to execute targetedkillings in various northernStates, have been arrested bythe Special Cell of Delhi Police.Police said that three phoneswith many "incriminating"videos and photographs relat-ed to the Khalistan Movementwere also recovered from thepossession of the accused.

The accused have beenidentified as Mohinder PalSingh (29), a resident of Delhi;Gurtej Singh (41), a resident ofPunjab; and Lovepreet (21), aresident of Haryana. Policesaid that three pistols andseven live cartridges wererecovered from the posses-sion of the accused.

According to SanjeevKumar Yadav, the DeputyCommissioner of Police(DCP), Special Cell, police gota tip-off regarding the activi-ties of Mohinder, a sympa-thiser of Khalistan LiberationForce.

"He was planning to com-mit a terrorist activity in thenational capital. Thereafter, atrap was laid near Hastsal onJune 15 and Mohinder wasarrested," said the DCP.

"Following his interroga-tion, Lovepreet was arrestedfrom Kaithal district inHaryana. Later, the duo led thepolice to Mansa in Punjabwhere Gurtez was arrested,"said the DCP.

"The arrested persons havedisclosed their links with theKhalistan Liberation Forceleaders settled abroad andrevealed their plans to committargeted killings on instruc-tions from Khalistani militantsponsored by Pakistan's Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI),"said the DCP.

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Power discom BSES has laid22 Kms of underground

cables and installed 24 trans-formers to power the world’slargest 10,000 bed Covid hos-pital set up for Covid patientsin south Delhi’s Chattarpur,would be able to accommodateover 10,200 patients.

A senior BSES official saidthat this is one of the largestprojects, whose power infra-structure set-up in a recordtime. “This massive facilityrequired an equally massivepower infrastructure. For this,BSES Rajdhani Power Limited(BRPL) was tasked with ready-

ing the power infrastructure ina record time of 15-days – byJuly 5, 2020. The first phase of

the work is completed and theremaining work is still underprocess and will be completed

before the deadline,” he said.Originally, BRPL had been

entrusted to provide an electric

load of 18,000 KW (18 MW).But, looking at the require-ments, the power-load require-ment has now been increasedto 23,000 KW (23 MW).

The official further saidthat for catering to this massiveload requirement, over 100discom officials and workersare working round-the-clockunder the direct supervision ofthe company’ senior leadershipteam and in close coordinationwith the government and otherdepartments.

“Moreover, for ensuringsafety of the premises, most ofthe transformers being set-upare dry-type, which do not haverequirement of oil and are

maintenance free,” he added.According to a BSES offi-

cial, “BSES is always geared-upto ensure quality and reliablepower supply to its consumers,under-all circumstances. Weare closely watching the evolv-ing Corona Virus situation inthe national Capital and takingall appropriate measures toensure reliable power supply toall residential, commercial andindustrial consumers withoutcompromising the safety ofour employees. We are workingclosely with the authorities inthis regard. For this projectalso, BSES officials are adher-ing to all the laid-down safetyguidelines”

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In a haste to convert fifteen-hundred-bedded Guru Tegh

Bahadur hospital as Covid-19health centre for admittingconfirmed or suspected cases ofthe disease, the State andCentral Governments seem tohave forgotten to post sufficientnumber of doctors to ensure

adequate care of the infectedpatients.

No efforts have been takento recruit the doctors. Samplethis: The number of posts lyingvacant for Senior Residents atthe attached medical college,University College of MedicalSciences (UCMS) — the med-ical college under DelhiUniversity of GTB Hospital-- in

2017 was 59 which increased to97 and 98 respectively in 2018and 2019. But vacancies arelying unfilled neither promo-tion of the existing faculty hasbeen undertaken in the lastthree years.

In fact, some doctors arewaiting for promotion for thelast several years, as long as tenyears.

The hospital seems to benobody’s baby even as patientssuffer in want of sufficientnumber of doctors to take careof the patients grappling withthe virulent virus which hasgripped the world in its tenta-cles.

“Problem is of duality issue.UCMS is under Central gov-ernment while the GTBHospital is under Delhi gov-ernment as a result centre andthe state are passing buck ateach other,” said Dr SatendraSingh, Vice President UCMSTeachers Association.

How will UCMS-GTBHcomplex which is now a Covid-19 only hospital, battle this cri-sis as neither the DelhiUniversity Vice Chancellor northe Governing body Chairman(Dr Balram Bhargava, ICMRChief) are acting to take con-crete steps despite repeatedreminders? asked Dr Singh.

He pointed out that firstand second year post graduates

(PGs) from pre and para clin-ical departments are beingasked to do duties of senior res-idents in Covid hospital. Also,as no senior residents havebeen recruited by UCMS, 1styear PGs from anatomy andphysiology departments havebeen deputed at Covid carecenter at Mandoli jail.

For the last five years, nofaculty has been recruited whileexisting faulty has left to joinAIIMS Bhopal and Rishikesh,he said.

Covid-19 is a pandemicand we need senior residentand faculty to ensure bettertreatment of the patients infect-ed with the highly virulentvirus, Dr Singh said matter-of-factly.

Incidentally, the questionof shortage of staff and delayedrecruitment process as well asof promotion was raised inParliament too three years agobut nothing has happened till date.

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The Confederation of AllIndia Traders (CAIT) came

down heavily on India head ofthe Chinese Smartphonemaker Xiaomi, Manu KumarJain for saying that the “BoycottChinese” sentiment exists onlyon social media.

The CAIT termed thestatement most “insensitive”and “disrespectful” that hashurt sentiments of millions ofIndians. “At a time when theentire country is deeply sad-dened and upset with theChinese brutality againstIndian soldiers, Jain is trying toplease his Chinese masters bydownplaying the mood of thenation,” the CAIT said in astatement.

The traders’ body hasstrongly condemned the state-ment of XIAOMI chief sayingthat it is much against thecurrent spirit of the Countryand as an Indian it was betteron his part to keep a silencerather than poking his nose.

On the other hand, theCAIT Secretary GeneralPraveen Khandelwal thankedBollywood Actress KanganaRanaut and Raveena Tondon

for her unequivocal supportand appealing to the people ofIndia to use Indian products inplace of Chinese goods. “Weare awaiting other celebrities tofollow this line,” he said.

CAIT national president BC Bhartia said that such state-ments by him are highly irre-sponsible and most regrettable.“At the time when people ofIndia have started to alignwith the boycott China senti-ment on the ground and vari-ous celebrities too have joinedthe movement, Jain’s statementshows that he is completelyoblivious to ground reality andsitting in the air conditionedcomfort of his home and officepassing such remarks only forbusiness gains, putting aside and completely dishon-oring the sacrifice and mar-tyrdom of brave Indian sol-diers,” he said.

“The CAIT had earlieraccepted the challenge ofChinese mouthpiece ‘TheGlobal Times’ and now willensure that Jain feels the heatof the movement when he willface a strong backlash from thepeople of India who are infu-riated with his remarks,” hesaid.

The traders’ body hadalready called for a boycott ofChinese goods, listing 450imported items, condemningChina's military aggressionalong the Line of ActualControl in Eastern Ladakh.

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Three months after it closedamid the Covid-19 lock-

down, Sir Ganga Ram Hospital(SGRH) will resume OPD(Outpatient Department) ser-vices from July 1 while takingprecautions.

Dr D S Rana, Chairman(BoM) of Sir Ganga RamHospital (SGRH) said that OPDservices will function from 8 amto 8 pm as they were function-ing during pre-lockdown times.

“Although our OPD ser-vices will be normal but still wehave undertaken sufficient pre-cautions to safeguard the healthof patients. All our OPD cham-bers are located in the Green

Covid Safe Zone,” he said.Dr Rana said that the hos-

pital will undertake all standardsafety protocol measures whichwill be strictly followed keep-ing in mind the safety of our

esteemed patients and theirattendants. "Our hospital willensure best Infection controlmeasures and SafeEnvironment to protect thehealth of our patients in Covidera,” he said.

SGRH is a leading privatefacility in the national capitalwith 675 beds. On June 4, theDelhi government had declaredit a COVID-19 facility andasked it to reserve 80 per centof the beds for coronaviruspatients.

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The Indian Railways hascompleted more than 200

long pending works due to sus-pension of passenger servicesdue to pandemic of Covid-19.

Projects that were pendingfor several years including yardremodeling, repair and re-gird-ering of old bridges, doublingand electrification of rail linesand renewal of scissorcrossovers which were bottle-necks were executed, a seniorIndian Railway official said.

backend warriors ofIndian Railways have fullyavailed the opportunity pro-vided by suspension of pas-senger services due to pan-demic of COVID 19 to suc-cessfully executed more than200 long pending maintenanceworks including yard remod-eling, repair and re-girdering ofold bridges, doubling and

electrification of rail lines andrenewal of scissor crossovers.Pending for several years, theseunfinished projects often con-fronted Indian Railways asbottlenecks,” he said.

Apart from ensuring sup-ply chains of all essential com-modities running through par-cel trains and freight trains,Indian Railways executed theselong pending maintenanceworks during this lockdownperiod when passenger serviceswere suspended, he added.

During this period IndianRailways focused on severallong pending overdue mainte-nance works which requiredtraffic block of long durations,he said, adding that these workswere planned during lockdownperiod considering it ‘Once ina lifetime opportunity’ to wipeout these maintenance arrearsand take up the execution ofwork without affecting the

train service.These works taken up for

removal of bottlenecks andenhance safety include 82rebuilding or rehabilitation ofbridge, 48 limited height sub-way/road under bridge in lieuof level crossing gate, 16 con-struction/strengthening of footover bridge, 14 dismantling ofold foot over bridge, sevenlaunching of road over bridge,5 yard remodeling, 1 commis-sioning of doubling & electri-fication and 26 other projects.

Some of these key projectswhich were completed are yardmodification work in Jolarpetti(Chennai Division, SouthernRailway) was completed on21st May. It resulted in easingout of curve and enhancing thespeed up to 60Kmph onBengaluru end and facilitatedSimultaneous reception anddispatch.

Likewise dismantling of

old abandoned unsafe FootOver Bridge (FOB) atLudhinana (Firozepur divi-sion, Northern Railway) wascompleted on 5th May 2020.Dismantling of this 135 meter

long old abandoned FOB struc-ture over 19 tracks and 7 pas-senger platforms was overduesince 2014 after new FOB wascommissioned.

The official further

informed that work of re-gird-ering of bridge on Tunga River(Mysuru Division, SouthWestern Railway) was com-pleted on 3rd May 2020.Dismantling of the unsafe deckof Kopar Road ROB nearDombivali (Mumbai Division,Central Railway) was com-pleted on 30rd April and itresulted in enhanced safety.This deck was declared unsafefor road users in 2019 and cov-ered six railway tracks below.

“Two projects of doublingwith electrification in Varanasidivision, North EasternRailway were completed on13th June. One of these projectsis Kachhwa Road toMadhosingh section and thesecond is 16 km of Manduadihto Prayagraj Section. Thisresulted in decongestion ofeast - west routes and facilita-tion of freight movement,” headded.

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The Delhi Government alongwith the Centre has started

the serological testing to traceand contain the novel coron-avirus as on Saturday ChiefMinister Arvind Kejriwal in adigital briefing said that around20,000 testing is being done perday, and Government has planfor 13,590 hospitals beds forthose infected by the viruswhile outlining a five-prongedresponse to the rising tide ofcases in the city.

According to the KejriwalGovernment, the five-keyweapons against corona battleare —increasing beds in hospi-tals, testing and isolation,oximeters and oxygen concen-tration, plasma therapy treat-ment to save lives and serolog-ical survey.

Kejriwal said, "Delhi isfighting a tough battle againstCorona. Our fight started in themonth of March. In March,

when the pandemic had spreadacross the globe in variousnations, Indians living abroadexpressed their desire to returnto their homes in India. TheCentral Government took theright decision by arranging forflights for people in other coun-tries to come back to India."

In the month of March, asmany as 35,000 Indians came toDelhi, especially from nationsthat had been badly hit byCoronavirus. CM Kejriwal said,"These people were screened atthe airports for fever. Somewere sent to RML andSafdurjung, but many weresent to their respective homes.Some people were quarantined,but more or less 35000 peoplewere sent back to their homes.

There was very little infor-mation, facts, and guidelinesavailable on Corona. Whenthese people went back to theirhomes, naturally, the Coronagot transmitted to their con-tacts. In those days, there were

no testing kits or testing labsavailable, testing was not doneat the scale it is done today,"

"Then, the lockdown hap-pened. Because people were attheir homes all the time,Corona did not spread rapidlyand the transmission rate waslow. When the lockdown start-ed lifting in the last week ofMay, we had anticipated aspike in the number of Coronacases. This spike in Delhi canbe noticed around May 15. Aswe entered the month of June,the cases had increased morethan expected, and we startednoticing the lack of beds andtesting in Delhi. Because of alack of beds, people were notable to get the treatment andthere was also a sudden spikein the death rate in Delhi. Wehad two options, first wasreimposing the lockdown andthe second was fightingCorona. On asking the peopleof Delhi, we came across theview that the lockdown has to

be lifted someday or the other.Till when is Delhi going toremain in lockdown? The peo-ple said the lockdown can notcontinue indefinitely," addedthe CM.

Elaborating in five keyweapons, Kejriwal said, "It wasdecided that we will collective-ly fight a battle against Corona.Five weapons were prepared tofight a hard-hitting battleagainst Corona.”

Kejriwal said, "Our firststep was increasing hospitalbeds. Our first decision wasreserving 40 percent of bedcapacity for the treatment ofCorona patients in all the bighospitals in Delhi.” “Seconddecision was declaring some ofthe hospitals in Delhi as fullydedicated COVID hospitals.Our third decision was attach-ing hotels to the hospitals. If ahospital has 100 beds, thehotel attached to it will have200 beds, and the total bedstrength of the hospital will

increase to 300 beds. In thisway, we have increased thecapacity of the hospitals. Somehotels were against it, and theywent to the court to overturnour decision. We won thecourt case, and now 3500 bedshave been installed in thehotels. Around 2000 beds havebeen prepared at the RadhaSoami Satsang Beas Centre,and 10000 beds will soon beprepared for the treatment ofCorona patients at the carecentre. At the newly con-structed Burari Hospital, 450beds have been prepared forCorona treatment temporari-ly. In the first week of June,there were no beds available inDelhi. However, in the lastweek of June, there are 13500beds in Delhi, out of which6000 beds are occupied and7500 remain vacant. There isno dearth in the number ofbeds in the government andprivate hospitals in the city.The Delhi government will be

arranging for more beds in thecoming days."

On his second weaponwhich is testing and isolation,he said,”In the first week ofJune, we observed that peoplewere not able to get tested accu-rately. Some labs were alsoshowing inaccuracy in theresults, they showed negativeresults positive and positiveresults negative. In the firstweek of June, we were con-ducting 5000 tests daily, nowwe are conducting 20000 testsdaily. Now, we are not receiv-ing any complaints regardingtesting. We are conductingtests in every street and iden-tifying Corona patients and iso-lating them. I want to thank thecentral government for pro-viding antigen kits for con-ducting rapid testing in Delhi.We have also procured 6 lakhkits to conduct these tests, butthe initial kits were given by thecentral government. They havesupported us,"

"Our third weapon isoximeters and oxygen concen-trators. The biggest issue inCorona is that a person may diedue to constantly lowering oxy-gen levels. People who arerecovering at home have beenprovided oximeters by theDelhi government, that detectsyour oxygen level accurately.We have advised the patients tocheck their oxygen level afterevery two hours. These oxime-ters are working as a SurakshaKawach for Corona patients. Ifa person comes to a hospital, heshould not suffer because of alack of oxygen cylinders. Wehave procured around 4000oxygen concentrators, and allbeds in the Delhi governmenthospitals have attained supplyof oxygen for the patients,"Kejriwal said, adding fourthweapon which is plasma ther-apy treatment, he said,” The firstplasma therapy trial was givento 29 patients in Delhi. Thesefirst trials were highly success-

ful, and the results were sharedwith the Drug Controller ofIndia (DCI), which then per-mitted the trials for Delhi govtand private hospitals in Delhi.Plasma therapy has not provento effective in the treatment ofpatients with extreme co-mor-bidities or serious patients, butit has proved to be effective onmoderate patients and it pre-vents the deteriorating condi-tion."

Adding further more on hiscorona battle, he said that ourfifth weapon is survey andscreening. The serological sur-vey in Delhi is starting fromSaturday. “Through this survey,we will be able to detect in whatplaces is the Corona spreadingrapidly. Many such surveys andscreening are conducted inDelhi,"

“Our victory is definite,we will certainly defeat Corona,and these five weapons willprove to be very effective in ourbattle," he added.

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Following an argument oversome issue, a Delhi Police

constable fired a bullet atanother constable insideSeemapuri police station inNational Capital.

According to police, onFriday night, constable AmodBhadana came to Seemapuripolice station after completinghis beat duty and was havingdinner on the first floor.

“Around 10.30 pm, anoth-er constable Ravindar Nagarcame in the room. They bothhad argument on some issue,following which, Nagar tookout his service pistol and firedat Bhadana,” said Amit Sharma,the Deputy Commissioner ofPolice (DCP), Shahdara dis-trict.

"The bullet hit in his chestand he fell down. He wasrushed to SDN Hospital fromwhere he was transferred toAIIMS Trauma Centre.Bhadana is undergoing treat-ment in AIIMS TraumaCentre," said the DCP.

"A case was registeredunder section 307 (attempt tomurder) and Nagar has beenarrested. Further investigationis underway," said the DCP.

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Amaravati: With every pass-ing day, Covid-19 cases con-tinue to pummel AndhraPradesh. On Saturday, for thesecond time in as many days,the state reported its highestever single-day tally of 796cases in the last 24 hours.

The update which includesreturnees from other statesand overseas, takes the overalltally of Covid-19 cases inAndhra Pradesh to 12,285.

The state nodal officerreported that 24,458 sampleswere tested for the virus dur-ing the 24-hour period, ending9 a.m. on Saturday.

Till date, the state has con-ducted tests on 8,16,082 sam-ples. On Saturday, 263 personswere cured and dischargedfrom hospitals in the state.The tally of cured persons nowstands at 5,480 while 6,648 per-sons are currently undergoing

treatment for the infection.With 11 persons reported

dead from different districts,the death toll in AndhraPradesh climbed to 157. Foureach were reported fromKurnool and Krishna districts,while 1 death each was report-ed from East Godavari, WestGodavari and Vizianagaramdistricts.

Of the 13 districts in thestate, 12 districts reported freshcases during the preceding 24hours. Anantapur districtreported the highest tally of 161cases. East Godavari with 109,and Chittoor with 84 cases fol-lowed in the tally list. Otherdistricts include Guntur with71 cases and Kurnool with 69cases Saturday saw a substan-tial increase in the number ofCovid cases among peoplereturning from other states.Compared to 34 cases on

Friday, as many as 51 new caseswere detected in this categoryon Saturday. The majority ofcases belonged to Tamil Nadureturnees with 22 positivecases, while 13 of the Covidpositive samples belonged toreturnees from Telangana and7 cases from Maharashtra. Inaddition, 3 cases fromKarnataka, 2 cases from Delhiand 1 case each from Gujarat,Bihar, Madhya Pradesh andHaryana were also detected inthe last 24 hours.

As of Saturday, the overalltally of Covid positive personswho returned from other statesstands at 1,815. Of this, theactive cases tally is 704, while1,111 persons have recoveredtill date. Saturday saw 4 casesfrom Kuwait returnees and 1case from the Philippines. (onlyone case detected from foreignreturnees to the State. IANS

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Mumbai terrorist attackconvict David Headley

cannot be extradited to India,but Pakistani-origin Canadianbusinessman co-conspiratorTahawwur Rana faces extradi-tion, a US attorney has told afederal court while opposing hisbail plea.

Rana, 59, a childhoodfriend of David ColemanHeadley, was recently rearrest-ed on June 10 in Los Angeles onan extradition request by Indiafor his involvement in the 2008Mumbai terror attack in which166 people, including sixAmericans, were killed. He is adeclared fugitive in India.

According to the federalprosecutors, between 2006 andNovember 2008, Rana con-spired with Headley, also knownas “Daood Gilani”, and others inPakistan to assist Lashkar-e-

Taiba (LeT) and Harakat ul-Jihad-e-Islami, both US-desig-nated terrorist organisations,to plan and carry out theMumbai terrorist attacks.

Pakistani-American LeTterrorist Headley was involvedin plotting the 2008 Mumbaiterror attack. He was made anapprover in the case, and is cur-rently serving a 35-year prisonterm in the US for his role in theattack.

The US is yet to file India’srequest for Rana’s extradition,but is expected to do it soon. Itis evident that the offences forwhich Rana was tried in theIllinois court will differ from theIndian offences mentioned inthe complaint.

Rana in his defence hasargued that US’ decision not toextradite his co-conspirator,Headley, to India is inconsistentand bars his extradition.

However, Assistant US

Attorney John J Lulejian told afederal court in Los Angeles onFriday that unlike Rana,Headley immediately acceptedresponsibility for his conductand pleaded guilty to all of thecharges in the SupersedingIndictment.

“Because Headley fulfilledthe required terms, the pleaagreement established thatHeadley would not be extradit-ed to India. Rana’s situation isdifferent because he neitherpleaded guilty nor cooperatedwith the United States.

“As a result, he is unable toavail himself of the benefitsafforded to Headley through hisnegotiated plea. Thus, he can-not complain that he facesextradition, while his co-defen-dant does not,” the US attorneysaid. Rana’s bail application isdue for hearing next week.Early this week, his attorney toldthe court that the 26/11 convictis not a flight risk and has pro-posed a USD 1.5 million bondfor his release.

“Rana should be releasedon a robust bond: secured byapproximately USD 1.5 millionin property pledged by familyand friends and under thesupervision of his daughter,Lemaan Rana, a matriculatingmedical student and Ph.D.candidate,” Amy Karlin, theInterim Federal PublicDefender, said in the court sub-mission on behalf of Rana.

India seeks his arrest on anumber of offences, includingthe conspiracy to commit mur-der, conspiracy to commitforgery for the purpose ofcheating, and murder underrelevant sections of the IndianPenal Code (IPC). He is soughtfor his role in 2008 terroristattacks in Mumbai.

The US attorney urged thecourt to continue his detentionpending the extradition pro-ceedings to India. DescribingRana as a flight risk, the attor-ney said that no matter whatbond package he offers, Ranaposes an unacceptable flight

risk.If the US extradites Rana to

India and he is convicted of thecharges, he may be eligible forthe death penalty. Given whatis at stake, Rana has an extremeincentive to flee and avoid fac-ing these extradition proceed-ings, Lulejian said.

“He could accomplish thisby going into hiding within theUS, but he has a particularincentive to go to anothercountry that may not extraditehim without assurances fromIndia that it will not seek,impose or carry out the deathpenalty,” the attorney argued.

If Rana were to flee toCanada, his extradition fromCanada to the US would takeyears and would require sub-stantial resources by the gov-ernments of both Canada andthe United States, and there isno guarantee that Canadawould ultimately grant thatextradition request, he said.

However, even if Canadagranted the request from the

US, the terms of the US-Canada extradition treatywould prohibit the US fromextraditing Rana to a thirdcountry, such as India, unlessCanada granted its consent todo so, Lulejian said.

Not only does Rana havean incentive to flee, but he hasnumerous international con-nections who can help facilitatehis flight, he told the court.

Rana ran an internationalimmigration business for manyyears in Chicago, whichallowed him to develop pro-fessional and personal rela-tionships around the world.

“Moreover, he was con-victed of plotting an attack withand providing material supportto an international terroristorganisation based in Pakistan.These international connec-tions enhance Rana’s flight riskbecause they can provide themeans to flee this jurisdictionand potentially avoid extradi-tion to India,” Lulejian added.

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For the second consecutiveday, the Union Territory of

Jammu & Kashmir on Saturdayreported more than 200 posi-tive cases of coronavirus in onesingle day, taking the total tallyto 6,966 cases.

According to the mediabulletin, “204 new patients ofcoronavirus were detected inJammu & Kashmir on Saturdaywhile two more patients died inSrinagar taking the tally ofdeaths due to Covid-19 to 93”.On the recovery front, a totalnumber of 145 patients weredischarged from different hos-pitals after they tested negative.

Out of 204 new positivecases, 13 were reported fromJammu and 191 from Kashmirdivision.

The highest number of 52patients tested positive inBaramulla followed by 49patients in Srinagar.

Situation remained grim intwo districts of Srinagar andBaramulla as a maximumnumber of 844 and 800 positivecases have been detected there.

Shopian, Kulgam andAnantnag have reported 730,759 and 633 cases respective-ly. Jammu district reported amaximum number of 325 caseswith 59 active positive under-going treatment followed byUdhampur with 259 cases (98active), Ramban 215 cases ( 61active) and Kathua with 211cases (59 active).

According to the mediabulletin, out of 6966 total cases,2648 are active positive inJammu and Kashmir. 448 areactive in Jammu division and2200 in Kashmir. More than4200 patients have recovered,1050 in Jammu and 3175 inKashmir division.

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Maharashtra witnessed a biggestspike in the Covid-19 cases for

the second consecutive day, as thepositive cases jumped from Friday’shighest tally of 5,024 to 5,318 onSaturday, while 167 new deaths werereported during the day.

With fresh 5,318 positive casesand 167 new deaths, the total num-ber of infected cases in the statemounted to 1,59,133, while the totalnumber of deaths rose to 7,273.

Of the 167 deaths reported, 86deaths occurred in the last 48 hourswhile the rest 81 deaths were fromthe previous period.

Of the total 167 deaths report-ed, Mumbai alone accounted for 105deaths, taking the total number ofdeaths in the metropolis from 4,179to 4,284 now, while the number ofinfected cases went up by 1,402 casesto touch 74,252.

Apart from Mumbai’s 105deaths, there were 19 deaths inPune, 10 in Jalgaon, 7 in Dhule, 6in Solapur, 3 each in Thane, Nashikand Ahmednagar, 2 each in Palghar,Latur and one death each in Raigad,

Satara, Sangli, Kolhapur,Aurangabad, Osmanabad and Jalna.

With 84245 patients having beendischarged from various hospitalsince ever since the outbreak of pan-demic in the State, the recovery ratestood at 52.94 per cent. The mortalityrate in the state is 4.57 per cent. Thestate health authorities pegged thenumber of “active cases” in the stateat 67,600.

With 32,735 cases and 819

deaths, Thane has emerged as thesecond worst-hit district afterMumbai in the state. Pune districthas come third with 19,761 patientsand 694 deaths till now.

Out of 8,96,874 samples sent tolaboratories, 1,59,133 have beentested positive (17.74%) for COVID-19 until Saturday.

Currently, 5,65,161 people are inhome quarantine while 36,925 peo-ple are in institutional quarantine.

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Kerala has registered over one lakh peoplebecoming literate in the last three years, the

Kerala State Literacy Mission claimed on Saturday. The new literates from various sec-tions of society include tribals, fisherfolk,SC/ST and also the migrant population.

Mission director P.S. Sreekala said that from2017 to 2020, a total of 1,05,565 new literateshave emerged in the state.

“The hard work put in by our team amongthe weaker and downtrodden sections of thesociety has now yielded results,” said Sreekala.

They include 10,972 tribals from Wayanadand Palakkad, besides over 30,000 living in over2,000 colonies while close to 4,000 migrantlabourers also successfully passed the exami-nations and over 8,000 from various fishing vil-lages in the state.

Another highlight of this programme waswhen Bhageerathi Amma and KarthiyayiniAmma were given the Nari Shakti Puraskarawards in March this year as the former is 105and also became the oldest student in the coun-try, while the latter is 98.

Agra: One more fatality took Agra'sCovid-19 death toll to 85, with a totalof 1,184 corona cases in the Taj city,while 991 patients have so far beendischarged upon recovery, health offi-cials said on Saturday.

The number of active cases nowis 109, according to the district mag-istrate P.N. Singh.

The total number of samples col-lected so far is 20,610. Health depart-ment officials said efforts were beingmade to increase the daily size ofsamples, particularly in the 64hotspots.

The administration is tryinghard to involve the private nursinghomes and clinics in its strategy tocombat Covid-19. A local private lab-oratory has been permitted to testsamples at the government rates.With the railways announcing post-ponement of regular train services, alarge number of people have lost theirlivelihood. The state roadways busstands also look largely deserted.

However, the pressure on borderswith Rajasthan and MP has increasedas a large number of vehicles from

Delhi are heading home. The policedeployment on inter state borders hasbeen increased as each passenger inbuses or other vehicles has to gothrough the screening process. TheUP border at Fatehpur Sikri saw along queue of vehicles waiting to crossthe checkpost to enter Bharatpur dis-trict to head for different locations inRajasthan.

Meanwhile, the divisional com-missioner Anil Kumar has directedthe district administration to up thetesting facilities and streamline treat-ment procedures to help people inneed.

An official said the focus nowwas on how to contain the spread ofthe virus in the hot zones where peo-ple were being screened and provid-ed medical assistance.

On Friday, health camps wereheld at 21 spots to provide treatmentto people. The technological upgra-dation and improved managementhas helped a large number of peopleafter Dr Sanjay Kala took over as theprincipal of the SN Medical College,a few weeks ago. IANS

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Bengaluru: KarnatakaGovernment is working towardsarranging 10,000 beds forCovid-19 patients in the statecapital by Monday evening,said a minister on Saturday.

“The process of identifyingboth government and privatefacilities necessary for the treat-ment of Covid-19 patients isbeing undertaken. The officialsare personally visiting all suit-able places and gathering infor-mation,” said Medical EducationMinister K. Sudhakar.

After a video conferencewith senior officials, he said thegovernment is identifying pri-vate hospitals, housing com-plexes built by the BengaluruDevelopment Authority (BDA),housing department, privateconstruction companies, gov-ernment and private sportscomplexes to create facilities forthe patients infected with thedeadly virus.

Other facilities being

explored included stadiums,hostels and large commercialcomplexes. Based on their suit-ability, they will be convertedinto either Covid Care Centres(CCC) or hospitals.

Besides, facilities whereventilators, high flow oxygenlines and other requirements areavailable will be converted intohospitals.

Since a week, 30-35 per centinfected cases are exhibitingsymptoms and experts havebeen directed to identify asymp-tomatic cases as mild, moderateand severe to prepare treatmentprotocols

“Since CCCs do not requiremany facilities, the multi-storeyed residential apartmentcomplexes built by BDA andhousing department will beutilized. BDA has around 1,700flats. BDA commissionerMahadev will inform the exactnumber of flats available for useon Monday,” he said. IANS

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Bhubaneswar: For smoothconduct of the Bahuda Yatra ofLord Jagannath and his siblingswithout participation of devo-tees, the Odisha governmenthas decided to impose curfewin the Puri district from 10 p.m.on June 30 to 10 p.m. on July2, according to an official, hereon Saturday.

The Bahuda Yatra (returnchariot festival) of the deitieswill be held on July 1. LordJagannath and his siblings willreturn from Gundicha Templeon three wooden chariots dur-ing the Yatra.

The curfew would beimposed to prevent devoteesfrom taking part in the Yatra,said Puri Collector BalwantSingh. No visitors would beallowed to the pilgrim townbetween July 1 and July 4, headded. Hotels have been askednot to allow any tourist duringthe period. After the SupremeCourt allowed holding of RathYatra, the nine-day annualsojourn of the deities began onJune 23. IANS

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From Page 1A day before the BJP pres-

ident and party spokespersonSambit Patra had quizzed theCongress on the alleged diver-sion of funds from PM ReliefFund during the Congress-ledUPA to RGF.

In its riposte, the Congresshad called the BJP charges as“diabolical game of deception”by the ruling party to divertattention from the allegedChinese occupation of Indianterritory in eastern Ladakh.

Nadda asked the Congressto come clean on its “links”with China, and the details ofits MoU with the CommunistParty of China.

He said India’s trade deficitwith China soared to USD36.2 billion in 2013-14 fromUSD 1.1 billion in 2004 andasked if it was “quid pro quo”from the Congress.

The trade-deficit has con-tinued to increase during theModi-Government post-2014without seeing any reduction infavour of India.

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From Page 1Dhruva Jaishankar, son of the External Affairs Minister S

Jaishankar, is Director of the US Initiative at ORF.Besides China, the list of foreign donors to the ORF include

Delegation of the European Union to India, Australian HighCommission, British High Commission, Ministry of ForeignAffairs, Denmark, Consulate General of Japan and United NationsDevelopment Programme. Technology giants like Microsoft,Netflix, Twitter and Facebook besides Mastercard are among otherforeign donors of ORF.

The scrutiny of Chinese funding and their association withIndian institutions has come amid the ongoing stand-offbetween the countries in eastern Ladakh.

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From Page 1The money laundering

case under probe relates to thealleged �14,500 crore bankloan fraud by the Vadodara-based pharma firm SterlingBiotech and its main promot-ers — Nitin Sandesara, ChetanSandesara and DeeptiSandesara. They are part of afamily and absconding till date.

The Sandesaras are alsofacing separate probes by theCBI and the Income Tax

Department for their allegednexus with some high-profilepoliticians and charges of cor-ruption and tax evasion,respectively.

The ED registered a crim-inal case to probe the moneylaundering angle in the case.

Last year, the agency hadquestioned Patel’s son Faisaland son-in-law Irfan Siddiquiin this case and recorded theirstatements.

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Bengaluru: In the second Karnataka SecondarySchool Leaving Certificate (SSLC) board exam, 98 percent of the 8.5 lakh students appeared for Mathematicsacross the southern state, said Education Minister S.Suresh Kumar on Saturday.

“The heavy turnout for the maths paper shows theconfidence of students and their parents on preparationsby the state government in conducting the board examssafely,” Kumar told reporters.

The first board exam in English as a second languagewas held on June 25 in which 98 per cent of the wardswrote across the state, as per the guidelines.

“My appeal to students and parents is not to con-gregate near the exam centres before and after the examand comply with the social distancing norm besideswearing mask and sanitizing their hands. The safety ofthe students is as much of parents as the government,”asserted Kumar.

A student in an exam centre at Arakalgud in Hassandistrict, about 200 km northwest of Bengaluru, how-ever, tested positive for the virus, an official said.

“The student took treatment for dengue before theexams began on June 25 and gave his sample for Covid-19 test, which turned positive. The report came whilehe was writing the maths exam at the Arakalgud cen-tre,” SSLC board director V. Sumangala told IANS.

The board has arranged separate seating at all examcentres for students who tested positive, had cold, coughand other symptoms and those from containment zones.

“The health officials are taking steps to trace the stu-dent's contacts and quarantine them. All exam centresare sanitized and fumigated,” she said. IANS

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The CBI has taken over theinvestigation in the

alleged suicide of InspectorVishnudutt Vishnoi, in-charge of Rajgarh police sta-tion in Rajasthan's Churudistrict, officials said onSaturday.

The agency has re-regis-tered the case of abetment tosuicide earlier probed byRajasthan's state cr imebranch, they said.

The case was referred tothe CBI by the Rajasthan

overnment af ter allegations of pressuring theofficer were levelled by theBJP and the BSP againstCongress MLA KrishnaPunia, who had denied theallegations.

Vishnoi, a popular officerin his department, had lefttwo suicide notes, oneaddressed to his parents andthe other to the district'ssuperintendent of police.

In the suicide note to theSP, Vishnoi had said he wasnot able to bear the pressureput on him.

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As crop-threaten-ing locust swarm

enters the outskirts ofDelhi, the UnionAgriculture Ministryon Saturday said moreteams from Rajasthanhave been deputed tohelp in the controloperations being undertakenin Haryana and Uttar Pradesh.

The locusts keep flyingduring day time and settledown only after dark in theevening. Ground control teamsare constantly tracking themand will undertake major con-trol operations once they set-tle down, it said, adding thecontrol teams in Uttar Pradeshhave been alerted in this

regard.The control operations are

underway in Rajasthan,Haryana and Uttar Pradesh, itadded.

“More control teams fromRajasthan have been moved toHaryana and UP to help in thelocust control operations beingcarried out in these two States,”the ministry said in a state-ment.

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An Ahmedabad residenthas filed a civil applica-

tion in Gujarat High Courtchallenging the local civiccorporation's decision todeclare his housing complexa micro containment zone inview of the coronavirus out-break.

Vishwas Bhamburkar haschal lenged AhmedabadMunicipal Corporation's June20 decision to declare SatelliteCentre Cooperative HousingSociety, where he stays, as amicro containment zone.

Bhamburkar also chal-lenged the constitutionalvalidity of the coronavirus-induced lockdown by claim-ing it forced people under“house arrest” without anybacking of law, and left thevulnerable section strugglingfor sur vival with no safeguards provided to thembefore its

implementation.In his plea, which will be

presented for urgent hearingon Monday, Bhamburkar said12 people from his housing society had testedpositive for novel coronavirustill June 13.

Of the 12 who tested pos-itive, nine have recovered,while an elderly woman died,he said.

There has been no newcase in the complex in thepast 15 days, and therefore the AMC has nogrounds to declare it as a micro-containment zone, hecontended.

“While demarcating themicro containment zone is atthe discret ion of the municipal commissioner, this discretion cannot be used

indiscriminately,arbitrarily, unilat-erally, illogically,and without hav-ing any basis infacts,” he said.

He has soughtfrom the court todirect the AMCand StateGovernment toreconsider thedecision todeclare SatelliteC e n t r eC o o p e r a t i v eHousing Society

as a micro containment zone.

He has sought that thecivil application be heardunder the suo motu PIL thatis being heard by the division bench of ChiefJustice Vikram Nath andJustice JM Pardiwala relatedto the state's response to thecoronavirus pandemic andlockdown.

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The Congress on Saturdayasked Prime Minister

Narendra Modi to publiclycondemn China for its“brazen incursions” intoIndian territory and urged theGovernment to take “strongand quick action” to resolvethe Line of Actual Control(LAC) issue.

The grand old partyalleged that the last six yearshave seen the biggest diplo-matic failure under the ModiGovernment.

Former Union MinisterKapil Sibal said that the PrimeMinister should address thenation and promise that anyone capturing Indian territory would be pushedback.

Addressing an onlinePress conference, Sibal saidthe entire nation and theentire Opposition wouldstand behind him and hispromise.

“Some quick action isrequired,” he said, seekingearly resolution of the borderdispute with China, while

noting that diplomacy andeconomic blockade withChina would not work.

“Yes, the action should bestrong (against China). Thequality, nature and the timingof that action has to be decided by the Government,”said the Rajya Sabha member.He further said it was for the

Government to decide andnot the Opposition.

The Congress alleged thatChina has erected tents andstructures near PP-14 inGalwan Valley, the placewhere 20 Indian soldiers sac-rificed their lives.

He added that satellite

imagery also reflects con-struction of new black toproads by Chinese forces onthe Galwan riverbed, erectionof large numbers of militarytents and presence of bull-dozers and other heavy equip-ment.

“What is our Government

doing about it? The PM mustclear the air and condemnthese brazen Chinese incur-sions,” he said.

Asking why the PrimeMinister does not openly andpublicly condemn the “brazenacts of inf i ltrations, incursions and occupation” of

Indian territory by China, hesaid, “I want the PM to pub-licly condemn China. We willsupport the Prime Minister.”

Sibal said the situation issuch that the PM's statementthat nobody intruded intoIndia is being used by theChinese globally.

“We want the PrimeMinister to address the nationand promise that if anyonehas captured Indian territory,we will push them back. Ifyou say so, the public and theentire Opposition will standbehind you and yourpromise,” he said.

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As COVID-19 cases crossedthe 5 lakh mark in India,

former Congress presidentRahul Gandhi on Saturdaycharged Prime Minister

Narendra Modi of “surrender-ing and refusing to fight thepandemic”.

“Covid-19 is spreadingrapidly into new parts of thecountry. The Government OfIndia has no plan to defeat it,”

Rahul Gandhi tweeted. Targeting Prime Minister

Modi, he said, “PM is silent. Hehas surrendered and is refusingto fight the pandemic”.

The Congress leader alsotagged a news report that

claimed the Union Governmenthad “retreated” as no meeting ofthe Indian Council of MedicalResearch (ICMR) or the Groupof Ministers had taken place andneither had the Health Ministryheld its briefings on the pan-

demic.Rahul Gandhi’s allegations

of “surrender to pandemic”comes after he had attacked thePrime Minister over theChinese incursion and calledhim “Surender Modi”.

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The Union Health Ministryon Saturday included an

inexpensive, widely usedsteroid dexamethasone in thetreatment protocols for Covid-19 patients in moderate tosevere stages of illness amongother therapeutic measures.The drug is also a part of theNational List of EssentialMedicines (NLEM) and iswidely available.

The updated protocolincludes the advice to use dex-amethasone as an alternativechoice to methylprednisolonefor managing moderate tosevere cases of Covid-19. Thechange has been made afterconsidering the latest avail-able evidence and expert con-sultation, the ministry said.

According to the revised‘Clinical ManagementProtocols for Covid-19’, dex-amethasone which is alreadyused in treating lung infectionsbesides in a wide range ofconditions for its anti-inflam-matory and immunosuppres-sant effects can be used as an

alternative to methylpred-nisolone which already existedin the treatment guidelines.The health ministry on June 13had also allowed the use ofantiviral drug remdesivir forrestricted emergency use andoff-label application oftocilizumab, a drug that mod-ifies the immune system or itsfunctioning, and convalescentplasma for treating Covid-19patients in moderate stage ofthe illness as an “investigationaltherapy”.

It also recommendedhydroxychloroquine in patientsduring the early course of thedisease and not on critically illpatients. The use of these drugscontinues to be included in therevised treatment protocolsunder the ‘investigational ther-apy’.

The revised treatment pro-tocols for moderate casesadvised considering methyl-prednisolone 0.5 to 1 mg/kg ordexamethasone 0.1 to 0.2mg/kg for three days, preferablywithin 48 hours of admissionor if oxygen requirement isincreasing and if inflammato-

ry markers are increased. Theduration of administrationshould be reviewed as per clin-ical response.

For patients having respi-ratory distress requiringmechanical ventilation, bothnon- invasive and invasive, theministry said methylpred-nisolone 1 – 2mg/kg/day ordexamethasone 0.2 to 0.4mg/kg per day should be con-sidered for 5-7 days in twodivided doses, if not givenalready.

“Note that a larger dose ofglucocorticoid will delay theremoval of coronavirus due toimmunosuppressive effects,”the treatment protocols stated.

The revised treatment pro-tocols were issued as India’sCovid-19 tally raced past thefive-lakh mark on Saturdaywith the biggest single-daysurge of 18,552 cases while thedeath toll climbed to 15,685with 384 fatalities, the updat-ed figure at 8 am showed.

According to World HealthOrganisation (WHO), the cor-ticosteroid dexamethasone wastested in hospitalised patientswith Covid-19 in the UnitedKingdom’s national clinicaltrial ‘RECOVERY’ and wasfound to have benefits for crit-ically ill patients. According topreliminary findings sharedwith WHO, for patients onventilators, the treatment wasshown to reduce mortality byabout one-third, and forpatients requiring only oxygen,mortality was cut by about one-fifth.

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Majority of children withCovid-19 in 26 countries

fared well clinically comparedto adults during the first fourmonths of the pandemic,according to a study.

Published in EClinicalMedicine, a journal ofThe Lancet, the study is thelargest systematic review todate of children and youngadults with Covid-19.

Researchers from the LongSchool of Medicine at TheUniversity of Texas HealthScience Center at San Antoniofound that while 19 per cent ofthe pediatric population infect-ed with the virus had no symp-toms, 21 per cent exhibitedpatchy lesions on lung X-rays.Similarly, 5.6 per cent sufferedfrom co-infections, such asflu, at least 3.3 per cent wereadmitted to intensive care units.Seven deaths were reported.

“Our data is compiledfrom 131 studies and encom-passes 7,780 patients whospan the pediatric age spec-trum,” said study seniorauthor Alvaro Moreira, assis-tant professor of pediatrics atUT Health San Antonio anda fellowship-trained neona-tologist.

“In the study we reportthe most common symptoms,quantify laboratory findingsand describe imaging char-acteristics of children withCovid-19,” he said.

The most frequent symp-

toms, similar to the adultpopulation, were fever andcough. Those were found in59% and 56% of the pediatricpopulation.

In 233 individuals, a pastmedical history was noted,and among this group, 152were children with compro-mised immune systems orwho had underlying respira-tory or cardiac disease.

The number of childrenwith excellent outcomes sur-prised the research team.“Although we are hearingabout severe forms of thedisease in children, this isoccurring in very rare cir-cumstances,” Dr. Moreira said.

Thankfully, he said, onlya small number of patientsmet inclusion for multisysteminflammatory syndrome inchildren. Their disease paral-leled the extreme forms ofCovid-19 seen in adults.

Kidney failure was seen innine pediatric patients, liverfailure also in nine and shock in 19. Mechanical ven-tilation was required by 42patients.

The study does not takeinto consideration a newsurge of patients in New York,England and Italy where specialists are now starting tosee children with multisysteminflammatory syndrome, Dr.Moreira said.

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In a good news to the scien-tists engaged in developing

vaccines, a study has found thatpatients suffering from severerespiratory symptoms due tothe novel coronavirus infectioncan rapidly generate animmune response in the formof virus-attacking T cells.

The study, published inthe journal ScienceImmunology, assessed T cellsfrom 10 Covid-19 patientsunder intensive care treatment.

According to theresearchers, including thosefrom the University ofCalifornia in the US, two out of10 healthy individuals withoutprior exposure to the virus alsoharbored SARS-CoV-2-reac-tive T cells.

Based on this observation,they said these T cells may becross-reacting to the novelcoronavirus, due to past infec-tion with related coronavirus-es that cause common coldsymptoms.

The findings, according tothe researchers, address thepoorly understood question ofwhether the virus specific T cellresponses vary in patients overtime depending on diseaseseverity. They said the studymay help understand whetherpatients with more severesymptoms can generate pro-tective virus-specific T cells atall, and offer clues regarding thecells responsible for excessiveimmune responses which hasled to the deaths of manyCovid-19 patients.

In the research, scientists,including Daniela Weiskopffrom the La Jolla Institute forImmunology in the US,

extracted blood cells from 10patients at weekly intervalsstarting soon after they wereadmitted to the ICU forCovid-19. They exposed thesecells to “megapools” of knownSARS-CoV-2 protein compo-nents in a technique meant tocapture a large fraction oftotal viral-reactive T cells.

The researchers foundthat SARS-CoV-2-specificCD4+ helper T cells wereactive in all 10 patients, andCD8+ “killer” T cells werepresent in 8 out of 10 patients.They also characterised thecells' production of specificinflammation-triggering cell-cell signalling molecules calledcytokines.

According to the scien-tists, the strongest responseswere directed to the virus'spike (S) surface protein, sup-porting prior work that haspointed to this protein as apromising target to inducevirus-specific T cells. Onscreening all patients at 0, 7,and 14 days after inclusion inthe study revealed that SARS-CoV-2-specific T cells werepresent relatively early duringthe course of infection, andincreased in these patientsover time.

Using the same T cellstimulation technique in age-matched healthy controls, theresearchers found SARS-CoV-2-reactive T cells in 2 out ofthe 10 individuals. Theybelieve a future study of howpreexisting SARS-CoV-2-spe-cific T cells in healthy controlscorrelate to protection againstCovid-19 can help shed morelight on the disease and “andalso inform vaccine designand evaluation.”

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Putting the 107-year-old colo-nial era Delhi Gymkhana

Club under the Governmentscanner, the National CompanyLaw Tribunal (NCLT) onSaturday directed the Centre toconstitute a five-member specialcommittee to enquire into theaffairs of the Club. The com-mittee will look into issues relat-ed to the utility of the land leasedout by the Government, con-structions in progress withoutpermission and membershipissues, including waitlist andaccelerated membership.

It has directed theGovernment to appoint twomembers on its GeneralCommittee (GC), managing its

affairs. However, it has permit-ted the general committee tocarry day to day functions of theclub by using its funds otherthan the fee collected fromapplicants for new member-ship. The tribunal has directedto list the matter on September7, 2020, before it for hearing.

In an 81-page interim orderthe acting president NCLTPrincipal Bench B.S.V. PrakashKumar said: “I have found primafacie case demonstrating that theaffairs of the Club are being con-ducted in a manner prejudicialto the public interest, therefore,I hereby direct Union of India toappoint two of its nominees ofits choice as Members in theGeneral Committee to monitorthe affairs of the Club along with

other GC Members and givesuggestions to the GC”. Theorder said that it will also file areport of recommendations,suggesting for better use of theclub premises for the largergood in a transparent manneron equity basis within twomonths. The judgment said theclub, which is in the midst of atakeover battle by the Centre,would be allowed to make no“new policy decisions, appointnew members and/or beginnew constructions”.

The Ministry of CorporateAffairs (MCA) had moved theNCLT asking for replacement ofthe directors of the Club withgovernment nominees to runthe affairs of the company, andin the interim relief, asked for

suspension of GC and forappointment of an administra-tor until final order is granted.

The NCLT said it foundprima facie case demonstratingthat the affairs of the Club arebeing conducted in a mannerprejudicial to the public interest.

According to the NCLT,the five-member committee willenquire into the issues related tothe utility of the land leased outby the Government to the club,with regard to constructions inprogress without requisiteapprovals or with approvals,suggestions for changes inArticles and Memorandum ofAssociation, membership issuesincluding waitlist and aboutaccelerated membership, adher-ence of the Club to the Rules

governed by the CompaniesAct 2013.

The club, which shares awall with the Prime Minister’sresidence at 7 Lok Kalyan Marg,has been under investigation foraround three years. TheGovernment has cited “parivar-waad” (nepotism), financialirregularities, misuse of allocat-ed land and issues related tomembership as the primaryreasons behind its move toacquire the club.

The tribunal has also putseveral restrictions on the gen-eral committee, directing it notto take any policy decision ormake any changes to theMemorandum of Association orArticles of Association till its fur-ther order.

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Memories of SHFJManekshaw, the country’s

first Field Marshal, came aliveat least for a few hours onSaturday as the nation paidhomages to him at his final rest-ing place at Parsi ZoroastrianCemetery in The Nilgiris onSaturday. Sam Bahadur, as hewas addressed in reverencehad breathed his last on June 27,2008, at Nilgiris where he hadsettled down after retirement asthe Chief of Army Staff inearly 1973.

The Field Marshal’s love forthe mountains in the Nilgirisbegan when he served as thecommandant of the DefenceServices Staff College,Wellington, one of the sensitivepositions he held during his

illustrious career in the Armyspanning almost four decades.

Manekshaw shot into glob-al fame when he led the coun-try’s forces in decimatingPakistan in the 1971 War, whichresulted in the creation ofBangladesh from the then EastPakistan. The 1971 War hasgone into the annals of historyas Sam Bahadur’s War becauseof the kind of leadership and

motivation provid-ed by Manekshaw,the then chief of army staff.India showed its affection andadoration for Sam Manekshawby honouring him with PadmaVibhushan and then elevatinghim as the first ever FieldMarshal of the country.

On behalf of the tri-servicesfraternity, Lt Gen YVK Mohan,Commandant, Defence

Services Staff College,Wellington laid a wreath at thefinal resting place of the reveredsoldier amidst presence of localParsi community.

Born on 3rd April 1914 atAmritsar, Manekshaw sawaction in the Second World Warin the Burmese theatre. Hewas awarded Military Cross for

the conspicuous gallantry dis-played in the face of the enemy.

Persons who had interact-ed with the Field Marshal evenfor a few minutes have a lot tospeak about him. Even in his90s, heads used to turn whenSam Manekshaw drove aroundNilgiris in his favouriteSunbeam Rapier.

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Athird generation refugee fromWest Pakistan, Vivek Sharma,

Saturday tasted freedom for the firsttime after receiving 'Domicile' cer-tificate from divisional commis-sioner Jammu, Sanjeev Verma at aspecial camp.

Along with Vivek, 49 otherbonafide residents belonging to dif-ferent deprived groups, not enti-tled for Permanent ResidentCertificate (PRC) in the erstwhileState of Jammu & Kashmir, werehanded over these Domicile cer-tificates.

“I am feeling independent aftergetting this domicile certificate”,Vivek Sharma, resident of Bisnahtehsil told media persons. He said,“my grandparents had migratedfrom West Pakistan and since thenour family was suffering in theabsence of a permanent residentcertificate”.

He said, we are thankful to thegovernment for giving us our cit-izenship rights and treating us atpar with others. Vivek hoped manyother youngsters like him can nowapply for different job opportuni-ties and compete with other chil-dren to earn his livelihood.

Members of Balmiki samaj,

Gorkha community and WestPakistani Refugees were shortlist-ed by the government in the firstgroup who were handed over theseDomicile certificates.

Addressing the small gathering,Divisional Commissioner Jammu,Sanjeev Verma said, “it is a historicday today. The recipients of theDomicile Certificates includedthose sections of the society whowere residing in J&K for the lastmore than 70 years but weredeprived of their legitimate citi-zenship rights”.

He said, they included WestPakistani refugees, people belong-ing to the downtrodden sectionssuch as the Balmiki Samaj, Gorkhasand others. He said by handingthem their domicile certificates wehave fulfilled their long pending

demand. He said these people wereliving in Jammu and Kashmir formany years but were deprived ofcitizenship rights. By getting theseDomicile certificates they too willhave equal rights as other citizensof Jammu & Kashmir.

Mayor JMC, Chander MohanGupta, said, “large number of peo-ple from Balmiki samaj were stay-ing in Jammu for several decades.Parents and their children had noother option other than

working as sweepers and safaikaramcharis”.

He said, now their next gener-ation can lead a normal life andcompete with others. They havebeen empowered in a real sense.“Their dignity has been restored bythe BJP led Union Government atthe centre”, he added.

Jaipur: In another jolt to yoga guruRamdev, an FIR has been lodgedhere against him, Patanjali AyurvedCEO Acharya Balkrishna and threeothers for allegedly making mis-leading claims that the herbal med-icine company has found a cure forCovid-19 called Coronil.

The complaint was filed at JyotiNagar police station in Jaipur onFriday.

Avnish Parashar, AdditionalDeputy Commissioner of Police(DCP), south, Jaipur, said: “Ramdev,Acharya Balkrishna, Balbir SinghTomar, Anurag Tomar and AnuragVarshney, were booked underSection 420 (cheating) of the IndianPenal Code and relevant sections ofthe Drugs and Magic Remedies(Objectionable Advertisements) Act,1954, as per the FIR lodged by anadvocate Balbir Jakhar.”

Two of the accused includingBalbir Singh Tomar and AnuragTomar, are the chairman and thedirector of the Jaipur-based NIMSUniversity. The fifth accused,Varshney, is a scientist at PatanjaliAyurved. Jakhar said the accusedhave endangered the common peo-ple's lives by making false claims offinding a Covid-19 vaccine as theyneither informed the Rajasthan gov-ernment nor the Centre about the

clinical trials of Coronil.Patanjali Ayurved, on Tuesday

launched Coronil tablet and Swasarivati medicine claiming that they cancure Covid-19 within seven days.

However, the AYUSH ministryexpressed unawareness about thedevelopment and Patanjali wasstopped from advertising the med-icine within a few hours after itslaunch.

Patanjali earlier also claimedthat the two Ayurveda-based med-icines have shown 100 per centfavourable results during clinicaltrials on Covid-19 patients exceptthose on a life support system.

The clinical trials were report-edly held in NIMS Jaipur.

While Ramdev claimed makinga thorough clinical case study onpatients admitted at NIMS, itsChairman, B.S. Tomar on the otherhand said, “No clinical trial in ourhospital was made for the drug asthere was no serious case of patientsadmitted. Only 100 asymptomaticpatients in our hospital were givena few ayurvedic medicines under thePatanjali banner. We did not ask formedicine to cure coronavirus buthad only these ayurvedic immunityboosters who helped recovery ofasymptomatic cases faster by 35 percent.” IANS

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The death of P Jeyaraaj (63) and hisson J Fenix allegedly due to police

brutality in Tamil Nadu’s Thoothukudidistrict last Friday night has emergedas a controversy by Saturday with evennational celebrities and human rightsactivists joining the chorus demand-ing justice for the father-son duo.

Jeyaraaj and his son Fenix (31)were arrested on June 19 and lodgedin Kovilpatti sub-jail for keeping theirmobile phone shop in theSathankulam main bazaar area openbeyond the permitted hours becauseof the coronavirus lockdown.

Jeyaraaj and Fenix were thenadmitted to the Kovilpatti governmenthospital on June 22. While the son diedon the same night, the father breathedhis last on June 23 morning.

Relations and friends of the father-son duo allege that they died becauseof assaults by the cops on the hapless

persons. There was a big furor all overTamil Nadu by Tuesday itself. Leaderof the Opposition M K Stalin demand-ed the immediate suspension of thepolicemen responsible for the “coldblooded murder” of Jeyaraaj andFenix by the policemen. “Only aninvestigation by a central agencywould bring to light what exactly hap-pened to Jeyaraaj and Fenix. We do nothave any trust in the probe by TamilNadu Police,” said the DMK leader onSaturday. The DMK declared asolatium of �25 lakh to the bereavedfamily which was handed over to therelatives of the deceased by M KKanimozhi, MP representingThoothukudi Lok Sabha Constituency.

Not to be left behind, the rulingAIADMK too announced a cash reliefof �25 lakh from the party coffers tothe bereaved family. The EdappadiPalaniswami Government tooannounced an amount of �20 lakh tothe family.

But Stalin in a statement releasedon Friday demanded a Governmentalassistance of Rs One crore to the fam-ily and a job to one of the family mem-bers. On Saturday Tamil NaduInformation Minister C Raju called onthe distressed family and handed overthe solatium of � 20 lakh announcedby the Chief Minister.

The Madras High Court hearinga suo motu petition passed stricturesin the State Police. A Division Benchof the MHC ruled that police brutal-ity has become endemic and said thatthe police were overreacting to situa-tions because of the stress caused bythe Covid-19 crisis.

It is reported that Fenix went to thepolice station to find out from the copswhy his father was taken into custodyat late hours and a wordy duel brokeout between him and the policemenon duty. The police remanded bothunder sections 188, 269, 294(b), 353and 506(2) of IPC.

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After declaring Tral, the 'hotbed' ofterrorists in South Kashmir's

Pulwama district free of HizbulMujahideen terrorists, the securityforces have decided to focus theirattention on eliminating a largenumber of foreign terrorists hidingin the upper reaches of the region.

Since June 1, 46 terrorists havebeen eliminated by the joint teams ofsecurity forces. According to thepolice records, the majority of themwere eliminated in South Kashmirdistricts.

One of the poster boys of HizbulMujahideen, Burhan Wani, gunneddown in the fierce gunfight on July8, 2016 in Kokernag was a native ofTral.The HM commander had shotto fame after he started using socialmedia platforms to motivate localyouth to join the ranks of terror out-fits.

Interacting with the media per-sons after paying rich tributes to aCRPF jawan, Shyamal k Dey, mar-tyred in a terrorist strike in Bijbeharaon Friday, Inspector General ofPolice, Kashmir range, Vijay Kumar,Saturday told media persons,” since1989 Tral was considered an epicen-tre of terrorist related activity. He saidHizbul Mujahideen, which is one ofthe oldest terror outfits in the region,was sheltering the cadre of other ter-ror outfits. By eliminating the max-

imum number of Hizbul Mujahideenwe have now cleared the area of thepresence of HM terrorists in Tral”.He,however, added, HizbulMujahideen terrorists are still activein other parts of South Kashmir.

He said, “it is a big success for thejoint teams of security forces. Soonwe will neutralise more terroristsactive in other pockets of SouthKashmir”.

Referring to the presence of for-eign terrorists in the upper reachesof South Kashmir, Vijay Kumar said,“at present around 29 foriegn ter-rorists are active in the area. Now wewill be focusing on eliminating them.Soon after these terrorists will stepout of their hideouts our sources willshare inputs and we will launch antiterror operations to eliminate them”.

He said, foreign terrorists are bet-ter trained as compared to local ter-rorists. Sharing his assessment, IGKashmir said, as compared to NorthKashmir, the total number of activeterrorists are more in South Kashmirdistricts. He said, the security forcesare also launching operations inNorth Kashmir districts to trackdown the hiding terrorists in the area.He said, “our jawans are wellequipped and trained to handle thesituation on ground zero. He said,“we launch these anti terror opera-tions after collaborating the techni-cal intelligence inputs and humanintelligence inputs”.

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68 persons succumbed tocovid-19 on Saturday in

Tamil Nadu, the highest num-ber to die on a single day sincethe coronavirus hit the State inJanuary 2020. A Governmentmedical bulletin said the daysaw 3, 713 persons testing pos-itive for Covid-19, yet anotherhighest number diagnosed withthe pandemic.

As on Saturday, Tamil Naduhas 33,213 Covid-19 patientsundergoing treatment in varioushospitals in the State. Till date,78, 335 persons have been test-ed positive for the pandemic,said the release.

But the aggressive testinglaunched by the Tamil NaduGovernment reached newheights by Saturday. Till date

10.25 lakh persons have beentested across the State while theday saw 32, 068 persons gettingtested in 89 laboratories work-ing round-the-clock in the State.

The number of patientscoming out of hospitals cured ofthe disease reached 44.094 bySaturday. While 60 of the 68persons died with comorbidi-ties, eight died only due to thecoronavirus.

Out of the 3, 713 personsdiagnosed with Covid-19 onSaturday, 1,939 were fromChennai, 248 from Chengalpet,98 from Kancheepuram, 217from Madurai and 146 fromThiruvallur. These are districtswhere lock down have beenordered till June 30 because ofunprecedented increase in thenumber of covid-19 cases.

But districts likeThiruvannamalai (110) and

Vellore (118) are emerging asnew concerns for the adminis-tration even as there are rumorsabout a possible extension oflock down.

Meanwhile, neighboringKerala too recorded the high-est number of covid-19 caseson a single day. Saturday saw195 persons getting diagnosedwith Covid-19 in Kerala. Outof this, 118 persons were expa-triates who returned to theState and 62 were those fromother States.

15 persons got infectedthrough community transmis-sion. 281 persons were admit-ted to hospitals across the Stateon Saturday. But Kerala is farbehind Tamil Nadu in numberof tests being held to find outthe coronavirus cases. TillSaturday, Kerala has tested 2.15lakh samples.

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Nationalist Congress Party (NCP)chief Sharad Pawar on Saturday

rubbished senior BJP leader DevendraFadnavis’ claim that the NCP hadmade an offer to his party two years agoto team with it to form a Governmentin the State, by saying the former ChiefMinister was trying hog publicity bymaking all sorts of claims.

Talking to media persons at Satarain western Maharashtra, Pawar took adig at Fadnavis –who is currently theleader of the Opposition –for the lat-ter’s claim about the NCP having madean offer to the BJP to form a govern-ment with it after ditching its then rul-ing alliance partner Shiv Sena.

“Devendra Fadnavis is trying tohog publicity by making all sorts ofclaims. He has a lot of time on handnow to do so,” Pawar said.

Earlier this week, Fadnavis had cre-ated a stir in the state political circlesby claiming that the NCP had madeovertures to the BJP to join it to forma government in the state. “At that evendiscussions had taken place between thetwo parties. However, the BJP’s topleadership had advised us against join-ing hands with the NCP, after snapping

ties with our long-time ally Shiv Sena.But, we had told them that with ouralliance with the Shiv Sena intact, wewould not be averse to taking as a thirdpartner in the then ruling alliance.Though the talks between the NCP andBJP proceeded further, nothing hap-pened later,” Fadnavis had claimed ata news conference in Pune.

In a subsequent public interaction,Fadnavis had also claimed: “Our leader

Amit Shah was the architect behind mybeing sworn in as the chief ministeralong with NCP leader Ajit Pawar.Prime Minister Narendra Modi is ourleader. But, I can call Amit Shah evenat midnight. But, we cannot take every-thing to Modi. I enjoy proximity withboth the Prime Minister and Shah.They stood solidly by me during myfive years as the chief minister. Eventoday, they stand by me”.

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As many as 22,251 Indians have sofar returned to Mumbai from var-

ious parts of the world by 145 “VandeBharat Abhiyan” special flights organ-ised by the Union Government.

Of the 22,251 Indians who arrivedin the metropolis from various coun-tries till Saturday, 8,070 people are fromMumbai, while 7,686 are from differ-ent parts of Maharashtra and theremaining 6,495 are from other statesof the country.

More number of Indians areexpected to arrive in Mumbai byanother 26 special flights till July 1.

The Indians have so far arrived byVande Bharat Abhiyan” special flightsin Mumbai from countries like GreatBritain, Singapore, Philippines, UnitedStates, Bangladesh, Kuwait, Ethiopia,Afghanistan, Oman, South Africa,Indonesia, Netherland, Japan,

Germany, Ukraine, Australia, NewZealand, Sri Lanka, Myanmar,Tanzania, Spain, Ireland , Qutar, HongKong, Kazakhstan, Nairobi, Mauritius,Brazil, Thailand, Kenya, Miami,Vietnam, Italy, Sweden and Ethiopia.

Of the returnees, those fromMumbai are being kept in various insti-tutional quarantine for a period of 14days in hotels across Mumbai, while thereturnees from other parts ofMaharashtra and other states are beingsent to their respective district head-quarters through the authorities con-cerned or the state governments, so thatthey could head to their homes wherethey quarantine themselves.

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Mumbai: BJP MLA Shivendra RajeBhosale, direct descendent ofMaratha warrior chhtrapati Shivaji,met NCP chief Sharad Pawar andDeputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar atSatara, sparking all kinds ofspeculations in the state politicalcircles.

After the meeting, Bhosalescotched the speculations and said:“My meeting with Pawar sahib andAjitdada had nothing to do with pol-itics. I met about them about pendingdevelopment work in my constituen-cy”. At the meeting, Bhosale spoke to

Pawars about 40 acres of land belong-ing to Industrialist Bajaj group lyingvacant at the Maharashtra IndustrialDevelopment Corporation (MIDC).He wanted Sr Pawar’s intervention onwhat to do with the vacant land –whether the Bajaj group should startits factory or give it to someone else.Sr Pawar promised to organise ameeting with Bajajs in near future.

A three-time NCP MLA from2004 to 2014, Bhosale had switchedover to the BJP in the run-up to theOctober 2019 State Assemblypolls. PNS

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Washington: China's recentaggression in eastern Ladakh ispart of its large-scale militaryprovocations against its neigh-bours and the US will not standfor unprovoked, premeditatedmilitary action for intimidatingpeaceful nations into submis-sion, an influential Americanlawmaker has said.

Congressman Ted Yohosaid that now is the time for theworld to come together and tellChina that enough is enough.

“China's actions towardsIndia fall in line with a largertrend of the Communist Partyof China using the confusion ofthe COVID-19 pandemic as acover to launch large scalemilitary provocations againstits neighbours in the region,including Hong Kong, Taiwan,and Vietnam,” Yoho said onFriday.

In a tweet, the Republicanlawmaker said that the US willnot stand for unprovoked, pre-meditated military action for thepurpose of antagonising andintimidating peaceful nationsinto submission.

“Now is the time for theworld to come together and tellChina that enough is enough,”Yoho said.

Earlier in the day,Congressman Dr Ami Bera,the longest serving Indian-American lawmaker in theHouse of Representatives,expressed concern over theChinese aggression along itsIndia border.

“I encourage China to useits longstanding diplomaticmechanisms with India todeescalate the situation ratherthan force to settle boundary

issues,” Dr Bera said in a tweet.As the Chair of the House

Foreign Subcommittee on Asia,Bera said that he is “concernedby the continued Chineseaggression along its border”with India.

“While this is a matterbetween China and India, it ismy view that increasing militaryforces on either side of theLine of Actual Control will becounterproductive and unhelp-ful,” he said.

In early June, HouseForeign Affairs CommitteeChairman Representative EliotEngel expressed being “extreme-ly concerned by the ongoingChinese aggression” along theLine of Actual Control.

The Indian and Chinesemilitaries are engaged in a bor-der standoff in Pangong Tso,Galwan Valley, Demchok andDaulat Beg Oldie in easternLadakh.

The two sides are engagedin diplomatic and military talksamidst escalating tension fol-lowing the violent clashes inGalwan Valley on June 15.Twenty Indian Army personnelwere killed in the clash. PTI

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Washington: As many as 20 USsenators have urged the Trumpadministration to grant emer-gency refugee protection to Sikhand Hindu communities inAfghanistan facing persecutionas religious minorities.

In a bipartisan letteraddressed to Secretary of StateMike Pompeo, the senatorscalled on the State Departmentto prioritise resettlement oppor-tunities under the US RefugeeAdmissions Program allocationceilings for Afghan Sikh andHindu communities.

The population of Hindusand Sikhs in Afghanistan haveplummeted markedly due toyears of persecution by theTaliban and more recent terror-ist actions perpetrated by ISISKhorasan (ISIS-K), they said.

“This Administration hasrepeatedly highlighted protect-ing religious freedom as a topforeign policy priority,” the sen-ators wrote.

“Sikh and Hindu commu-nities in Afghanistan face anexistential threat from ISIS-Kbecause of their religion. To pro-tect religious freedom, weurgently ask that you take theseessential steps to defend thesethreatened religious minorities,”they said in the letter.

The letter also calls onPompeo to offer additional sup-port to members of the Sikh andHindu communities that chooseto remain in Afghanistan, and toensure that Afghan religiousminorities benefit from the USD20.6 million in American aidalready provided to addressCOVID-19.

“Ensuring that religiousminorities receive US COVID-19 assistance should be a prior-ity in all countries where pro-tection of religious minorities isa challenge,” the senators added.

The letter was written bysenator Robert Menendez,Ranking Member of the SenateForeign Relations Committee,Senate Democratic LeaderChuck Schumer, and senatorsThom Tillis, Dick Durbin,Patrick Leahy, Dianne Feinstein,Kirsten Gillibrand, Tim Kaine,Kamala Harris, Bob Casey, ChrisVan Hollen, Bernie Sanders,Patty Murray, Chris Coons, EdMarkey, Tammy Duckworth,Jack Reed, Mark Warner, BenCardin, and James Lankford.

“ISIS-K targets religiousminorities in Afghanistan andposes an existential threat toAfghanistan's Sikh and Hinducommunities in particular,” theletter said. PTI

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Donald Trump has signed anexecutive order to prosecutethose who damage nationalmonuments, making it a pun-ishable offence with up to 10years in jail.

The order comes in thewake of rioters defacing anddestroying historical sites,monuments and statues in thecountry as violence erupted fol-lowing the brutal custodialdeath of African-AmericanGeorge Floyd on May 25. Thepresident has accused radicalleft for the violence.

Trump, in a strongly word-ed executive order on Friday,said: “My administration willnot allow violent mobs incitedby a radical fringe to becomethe arbiters of the aspects of ourhistory that can be celebratedin public spaces”.

Over the last five weeks,there has been a sustainedassault on the life and proper-ty of civilians, law enforcementofficers, government propertyand revered American monu-ments such as the LincolnMemorial, Trump said.

“Many of the rioters, arson-ists and left-wing extremistswho have carried out and sup-ported these acts have explic-itly identified themselves withideologies — such as Marxism

— that call for the destructionof the United States system ofgovernment,” he said.

Under the order, the fed-eral government is directed toprosecute any person or enti-ty that damages or defacesreligious property and withholdcertain federal support fromstate and local governmentsthat fail to protect public mon-uments, memorials and statuesfrom destruction or vandalism.

Anarchists and left-wingextremists have sought toadvance a fringe ideology thatpaints the United States ofAmerica as fundamentallyunjust and have sought toimpose that ideology onAmericans through violenceand mob intimidation, Trumpsaid.

They have led riots in thestreets, burned police vehicles,killed and assaulted govern-ment officers as well as business

owners defending their prop-erty, and even seized an areawithin one city where law andorder gave way to anarchy.During the unrest, innocentcitizens also have been harmedand killed, the president rued.

“These criminal acts arefrequently planned and sup-ported by agitators who havetraveled across state lines topromote their own violentagenda. These radicals shame-lessly attack the legitimacy ofour institutions and the veryrule of law itself.

“Individuals and organisa-tions have the right to peace-fully advocate for either theremoval or the construction ofany monument. But no indi-vidual or group has the right todamage, deface, or remove anymonument by use of force,”Trump said.

The law authorises apenalty of up to 10 yearsimprisonment for the willfulinjury of a federal property.The executive order alsodirects that those who inciteviolence and illegal activity areprosecuted to the fullest extentunder the law. State and locallaw enforcement agencies thatfail to protect monuments,memorials and statues will besubject to the withholding offederal support. PTI

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San Francisco: A federalappeals court on Friday ruledagainst the Trump adminis-tration in its transfer of $2.5billion from military con-struction projects to buildsections of the US border wallwith Mexico, ruling it illegal-ly sidestepped Congress,which gets to decide how touse the funds.

In two opinions, the 9thUS Circuit Court of Appealsagreed with a coalition of bor-der states and environmentalgroups that contended themoney transfer was unlawfuland that building the wallwould pose environmentalthreats.

The rulings were the latesttwist in the legal battle that haslargely gone Trump's way. LastJuly, the Supreme Courtallowed the $2.5 billion to bespent while the litigation con-tinued, blunting the impact ofthe latest appeals court action.

The administration hasalready awarded much of themoney, including a $1.3-bil-lion job in Arizona that wasannounced last month. Trumpvisited Yuma, Arizona, onTuesday to mark completionof the 200th mile of borderwall during his administration,much of it with the transferredmilitary funds that the 9thCircuit panel found illegal.

After the $2.5 billiontransfer of military funds, thePentagon diverted another$3.6 billion that an appealscourt in New Orleans ruled inJanuary could be spent.

Still, critics of Trump's wallpraised the rulings on Fridayfor upholding the Constitution,which grants Congress thepower of the purse.

“The funds that he is pil-fering, which were appropri-ated by Congress, are vital tosupport the safety and well-being of the brave men and

women in uniform, as well astheir families,” said HouseSpeaker Nancy Pelosi, aCalifornia Democrat.

The 9th Circuit ruled thatthe Trump administration notonly lacked the authority toauthorize the transfer of funds,“but also violated an expressconstitutional prohibitiondesigned to protect individualliberties.” The vote on bothrulings was 2-1 with judgesappointed by former PresidentBill Clinton in the majorityand a Trump nominee dis-senting.

The panel said the gov-ernment was proceeding withborder wall construction with-out ensuring compliance withany environmental regula-tions, thereby harming theinterests of Sierra Club mem-bers who visit the borderregion for hiking, bird watch-ing and other recreationalactivities.

The panel also held thatthe government failed to showthat construction would haltthe flow of illegal drugs.

It said the administrationhad cited drug statistics butdidn't address how the wallwould have an impact on theproblem.

“The executive branch'sfailure to show, in concreteterms, that the public's inter-est favors a border wall is par-ticularly significant given thatCongress determined fencingto be a lower budgetary pri-ority and the Department ofJustice's data points to a con-trary conclusion,” the majori-ty wrote.

After the Supreme Courtgave the green light last year tobegin work on the wall usingDefense Department money,the Justice Department vowedto continue to defend theadministration's efforts to pro-tect the southern border. AP

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Dhaka (Bangladesh): Four sus-pected members of a Rohingyagroup allegedly involved inkidnapping for ransom werekilled in a gunfight withBangladeshi police near thesprawling refugee camps whererefugees from Myanmar live,officials said.

The gunfight took placeFriday when a team of securi-ty officials was searching for thegang leader in a forest near theRohingya camps at Cox's Bazar,said police Inspector PradeepKumar Das.

Another inspector, MorzinaAkhter, said the suspects openedfire at police, sparking the gun-fight that led to their deaths.Police also recovered about40,000 drug pills and locally

made guns, he said.According to authorities

and local media reports, thegang led by Abdul Hakim haskidnapped many locals for ran-som and killed those whosefamilies failed to pay.

It had allegedly abducted atleast seven Bangladeshis overthe last two months and killedthree hostages. Hakim remainsat large. While human rightsgroups acknowledge there arecriminal elements among someof the Rohingya refugees, theyhave urged authorities to thor-oughly investigate such cases.

In March, police fatallyshot seven suspected membersof a Rohingya gang allegedlyinvolved in drug dealing andhuman trafficking. AP

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Washington: US PresidentDonald Trump is “Incrediblygrateful” for the "widespreadsupport" he has received fromthe people of India and Indian-Americans, the White Househas said in response to a sur-vey suggesting that over 50 percent of the community mem-bers in some key battlegroundAmerican states are switchingover to him in the presidentialelection in November.

White House Deputy PressSecretary Sarah Matthewsmade the comments whileresponding to a question on arecent survey results thatIndian-Americans, who tradi-tionally vote for theDemocratic Party, are switch-ing towards Trump, aRepublican, in the November3 election.

Trump is seeking re-elec-tion to the White House in theNovember 3 presidential elec-tions.

“President Trump isincredibly grateful for thewidespread support he hasreceived from the people ofIndia and from millions ofIndian-Americans across theUnited States,” Matthews toldPTI.

According to the surveyresults conducted by AlMason, co-chair of the TrumpVictory Indian-AmericanFinance Committee, more than50 per cent of Indian-Americans in the battle groundstates of Michigan, Florida,Texas, Pennsylvania andVirginia are crossing over tosupport Trump.

During his more than threeand half years of his presiden-cy, Trump has made an extraeffort to reach out to theIndian-American community.

His close relationship withPrime Minister NarendraModi – reflected in the twoleaders jointly addressing mas-sive public rallies in Houstonand Ahmedabad – has helpedhim make deep inroads amongthe Indian-Americans. PTI

Washington: Democrats areintensifying their attacks onPresident Donald Trump andhis Republican allies over healthcare, hoping that an issue thathelped lift the party during the2018 midterms will prove evenmore resonant as the WhiteHouse seeks to repeal theAffordable Care Act during apublic health crisis.

Joe Biden, the presumptiveDemocratic presidential nom-inee, told an audience in theswing state of Pennsylvania thisweek that efforts to underminethe Obama-era health care lawwere “cruel” and “callous.”

House Speaker NancyPelosi called Trump “beyondstupid” for trying to roll backthe law and introduced legisla-tion that would expand thescope of the overhaul, essen-tially daring Republicans tovote against it.

The health care law hasbeen a flashpoint in Americanpolitics since its enactment a

decade ago. Once a cudgel Republicans

used against Democrats, thetables have turned as the law —and its protection for preexist-ing conditions — has becomemore popular.

Democrats believe thattheir advantage on the issue willonly grow as the Trump admin-istration renews its push to nul-lify the law even as coronavirusinfections surge.

“Trying to take away healthcare in the middle of a pan-demic is like throwing out thesandbags during a hurricane,”said Jesse Ferguson, a longtimeDemocratic strategist.

“The pandemic has madeclear for people how importantit is to them that their neigh-bors have health care. It's nolonger a nicety that othershave health care; it's now anecessity.” Still, the Trumpadministration filed a briefThursday urging the SupremeCourt to strike down the

health care law in its entirety,in support of a lawsuit broughtby Texas and other conserva-tive states against it. The briefcame on a day that the U.S. Sawa record number of new coro-navirus cases, with 37,077reported Thursday.

If the lawsuit is successful,some 20 million Americanscould lose their health coverage,and protections for people withpreexisting health conditionsalso would be put at risk.

Trump has long expresseda desire to protect those withpreexisting conditions but hasnot said what he would doinstead. Even some Republicanssay the party should avoid relit-igating the issue.

Doug Heye, a longtimeRepublican strategist, said theDemocratic attack ads essen-tially write themselves.

“For me, it's really easy tosee how Democrats will be ableto out-message Republicans onthis," he said. AP

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Washington: President DonaldTrump is entering the finalfour-month stretch beforeElection Day presiding over acountry that faces a publichealth crisis, mass unemploy-ment and a reckoning overracism.

His Democratic challenger,Joe Biden, is raking in cash.And a series of national andbattleground polls suggestsgrowing obstacles to Trump'sreelection. But the election isfar from locked in. Biden andhis leading supporters are step-ping up warnings to Democratsto avoid becoming compla-cent. Former President Barack

Obama and Michigan GovGretchen Whitmer insist thatplenty could change betweennow and November 3 and thatthe party must be vigilantagainst Trump, who knowsfew boundaries when it comesto his political foes.

“We understand that whathappens five months before theelection and what happens atthe election can be very differ-ent things,” Whitmer said.Michigan was one of theMidwestern states that Trumpcarried by a razor-thin marginin 2016, helping him win theElectoral College even as he lostthe popular vote. AP

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Berlin: German ChancellorAngela Merkel cautionedSaturday that the coronaviruspandemic is far from over, asregional outbreaks gave rise tofears of a second wave.

Two of the largest US statesreversed course and reinstatedsome coronavirus restrictionsamid a surge in new infections.

India reported more than18,000 new cases, pushing itscumulative total over the half-million mark, the fourth high-est globally behind the US,Brazil and Russia.

Elsewhere, Egypt andBritain said they would easevirus controls, while Chinaand South Korea battled small-er outbreaks in their capitals.

Merkel said in her weeklyvideo podcast that gettingEurope's economy back ontrack is her primary goal as

Germany takes over the rotat-ing European Union presiden-cy next week, but stressed thateveryone shared a “jointresponsibility” in followingsocial distancing, mask andhygiene rules as lockdownrules are relaxed.

German authoritiesrenewed a lockdown in a west-ern region of about 500,000 peo-ple last week after about 1,300slaughterhouse workers testedpositive for COVID-19, in anattempt to prevent the outbreakfrom spreading across the area.Germany has recorded nearly195,000 coronavirus infectionsand only around 9,000 deaths,with more than 177,000 recov-eries, according to a JohnsHopkins University tally.

“The risk posed by thevirus is still serious,” Merkel said.

“It's easy to forget because

Germany has gotten throughthe crisis well so far, but thatdoesn't mean we are protected,that the risk has been averted;that is not the case, as isdemonstrated by these region-al outbreaks.”

Fans of Germany's Schalkesoccer club planned to demon-strate later in the day at the sta-dium against chairman ClemensToennies, one of whose compa-nies owns the slaughterhousewhere the outbreak began.

Workplace and living con-ditions for migrant workersemployed at the facility havecome into focus after the out-break. In the US, the dailynumber of confirmed infec-tions surged to an all-timehigh of 45,300 on Friday, eclips-ing the previous high of 40,000set the previous day, accordingto Johns Hopkins. AP

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London: Charles Webb, a life-long non-conformist whosedebut novel “The Graduate”was a deadpan satire of his col-lege education and wealthybackground adapted into theclassic film of the same name,has died. He was 81.

Webb died June 16 inEastbourne, England, of a bloodcondition, said his friend JackMalvern, a Times of Londonjournalist to whom Webb's finalbook was dedicated. Webb wasonly 24 when his most famousbook was published, in 1963.

The sparely written narra-tive was based closely on hisyears growing up comfortably inSouthern California, his studiesin history and literature atWilliams College inMassachusetts and his disori-enting return home. AP

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Nepal has decided to reopenits second border point

with China after five monthsfor the supply of goods likeconstruction material andequipment necessary forhydropower and airport pro-jects, according to a mediareport.

Nepal on January 29 closedits two border points withChina -- Tatopani andRasuwagadhi -- to prevent thespread of the coronavirus.

The Tatopani border pointwas opened on April 8 to bringmedicines and health equip-ment from China.

The two countries havenow agreed to resume one-waytraffic to Nepal through theRasuwagadhi border, theKathmandu Post reported.

The exact date to reopenthe border has not beenfinalised, it said.

Hari Prasad Pant, chiefdistrict officer of Rasuwa, saidthat reopening the border pointhad been discussed betweenauthorities from the two coun-tries at the Nepal-ChinaFriendship Bridge (MiteriBridge) on Wednesday.

As per the agreement,Chinese cargo drivers will dropthe goods at Nepal borderpoint. Once the Chinese load-ers and drivers return, Nepalidrivers and loaders will receivethe shipment and take them tothe respective places.

Initially, four trucks will beallowed daily. The number willbe increased gradually.

“We have accorded prior-ity to import essential goods,mainly construction equip-

ment, in the first phase,” saidPunya Bikram Khadka, chiefcustoms officer at RasuwaCustoms Office.

As the financial closure ofmost of the projects likehydropower and airport needto be completed by mid-July,the priority will be given toimport their equipment, hesaid.

A large number of equip-ment of Bhairahawa andPokhara international airportshas been stranded in the bor-der point after the lockdownwas imposed in January.

Khadka said that people'smovement would not beallowed on either side of theborder except the workers andthe drivers.

Nepal has so far reported12,309 coronavirus cases with28 deaths.

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New Delhi: M Nagaraj, CMD,HUDCO, shared the highlightsof HUDCO’s robust perfor-mance in 2019-2020, whereinthe company has recorded out-standing financial results in itsGolden Jubilee Year witnessinga 45% growth in Net Profit thathas touched an all-time high of�1708.42crore in 2019-2020,from �1180.15 crore in 2018-2019. HUDCO has seen a 13%growth in its net worth that hasreached�12343.49 crore in2019-20, from �10955.77 crorein 2018-2019. The net total income also wit-nessed a quantum jump of35% to �7571.64 crore in 2019-2020, from �5591.22 crore in2018-2019.

Further, D Guhan, Director(Finance), has shared thatHUDCO Board has alsoapproved an all-time high div-idend of �3.10 per share sub-ject to approval by the share-holders.

The above includes inter-im dividend of �0.75 per sharepaid in March, 2020. The totaldividend recommended by theCompany is �620.59 croreagainst �165.16 crore in theprevious year.

Further, HUDCO’s NetNPA is 0.19%, which is amongthe lowest in the sector. Duringthe year 2019-2020, HUDCO’semphasis was on sanction ofprojects pertaining to Housing-PMAY(U), Expressways andWater Supply projects.

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MSME Minister NitinGadkari on Saturday said

he has requested theCommerce Ministry to allowexport of Personal ProtectiveEquipment kits, as the countryis producing it in large quan-tities. Addressing a webinar onthe occasion of InternationalMSME Day, Gadkari, who alsoholds the portfolio of RoadTransport and Highways, saidabout two months ago thatIndia imported PPE kits fromChina via a special aircraft butnow the country’s industryand MSMEs were manufac-turing lakhs of PPE kits perday.”Now, already I haverequested the commerce min-istry” to allow export of PPEKits from India, the minister

said, adding that it was beingconsidered. Stressing that PPEhas export potential, he saidthat people are getting ordersfor PPE kits from Dubai,Canada, the US and Europeancountries.Recently, Indianapparel export industry bodyAEPC had also urged the gov-ernment to lift the ban onexports of PPE kits as its pro-duction has reached 8 lakhunits per day.

Gadkari also launchedreport of GAME National TaskForce for MSMEs, entailingindustry wide recommenda-tions to boost the units andentrepreneurial dynamism inIndia. Meghalaya CMConrad Kongkal Sangma;Uttarakhand CM TrivendraSingh Rawat, Karnataka CMBS Yediyurappa and Punjab

Minister of Education andPublic Works Vijay InderSingla also spoke on the stepstheir States were taking toboost the MSME Sector, whichcontribute about 48% of India’sexports and provide employ-ment to 11 crore people. Therecommendations from thereport “Improving EconomicDynamism and AcceleratingMSME Growth” are likely tohelp MSMEs ‘Survive, Revive,Thrive and Sustain’.The taskforce chaired by K P Krishnan,IAS (Retd), Former Secretary,Ministry of Skill Developmentand Entrepreneurship, and co-chaired by Ravi Venkatesan,Founder GAME and FormerChairman of Microsoft Indiaand Bank of Baroda presentedthe highlights of the recom-mendations.

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State-owned Oil India Ltd(OIL) has reported a net

profit of �925.64 crore for theMarch quarter as opposed to aloss last year as lower corporatetax offset a dip in oil and gasprices.

Net profit in January-March at �925.64 crore com-pares with a loss of �208.54crore in the same period a yearback, the company said in astatement. The company said itopted for the new concession-al tax regime, paying an effec-tive tax rate of 25.17 per centin lieu of giving up exemptions.Current corporate tax rate is 35per cent. “This has resulted inreversal of deferred tax liabili-ty of �821.01 crore during2019-20,” the statement said.

The lower tax rate offsetdrop in revenue from slump inoil and gas rates.

“Crude oil price realisationduring Q4 (January-March) ofFY20 and FY 2019-20 gotadversely affected due to fall ininternational crude oil pricesbecause of Covid-19 and col-lapse in understanding betweenOPEC and Russia on continuedproduction cuts,” it said.

Average crude oil pricerealisation during January-March (Q4 FY 2019-20) wasUSD 52.18 per barrel, whichwas lower by 15.51 per cent ascompared to a price realisationof USD 61.76 a barrel duringQ4 FY2018-19.

Total revenue was up mar-ginally to �3,583.72 crore in Q4from �3,583.72 crore a yearback. For the full 2019-20 fis-cal, the company’s net profitwas almost unchanged at�2,584.06 crore on a revenue of�13,648.71 crore.

Average crude oil pricerealisation was lower by 11.31per cent to $ 60.75 per barrelin 2019-20, as compared to $68.50 during 2018-19.

Average natural gas pricerealisation during 2019-20improved to

$ 3.46 per million Britishthermal unit as compared to$3.21 during the preceding fis-cal.

OIL said crude oil pro-duction dipped 5.7 per cent to3.134 million tonnes in FY20.However, production for Q4was 1.48 per cent higher at0.758 million tonnes as com-pared to 0.747 million tonnesin Q3 2019-20.

Natural gas productionduring FY 2019-20 was mar-ginally lower at 2,801 millionstandard cubic meters as com-pared to 2,865 mmscm during2018-19.

The board of OIL hasdeclared a final dividend of 16per cent (�1.60 per share) for2019-20.

“OIL has availedthe option of (tax dispute res-olution scheme) Direct TaxVivad se Vishwas Scheme, 2020for settlement of its pendingIncome Tax disputes which ispending for approval of desig-nated authority,” the statementsaid, without giving details.

On the blowout at a gasproducing well in Baghjan fieldin Assam, OIL said efforts tocontrol it are going on.

“Teams of OIL, ONGCand international expert areworking to control the well atthe earliest,” it said.

“Due to blow out, there isproduction loss of about 80,000standard cubic meters per dayof natural gas which is onlyabout 1 per cent of OIL’s dailynatural gas production.”

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The EnforcementDirectorate (ED) Has

objected to the Mumbai Policefiling a closure report in acheating case registered earli-er against now-defunct JetAirways, its promoter NareshGoyal, and his wife.

Stating that the police did-n’t consider crucial facts of the case, the ED has filed anintervention application beforea court.

Jet Airways, Goyal and hiswife Anita were booked oncharges of cheating and a crim-inal beach of trust in Februarythis year by MRA Marg policeon a complaint filed by city-based Akbar Travels IndiaPrivate Limited alleging thatthey were cheated of �46 croreby the Goyals.

In its closure report filedbefore a court a month later, thepolice stated that there was noevidence to probe the case fur-ther.

In its application, the EDstated that the police had failedto consider the facts that werecrucial in establishing the caseagainst the Goyals.

Meanwhile, the AkbarTravels has decided to chal-

lenge the closure report incourt. “The report by thecity police seemed to havebeen filed without any properinvestigation. No investigationhas been done on our allega-tions of personal assurances bythe director (of Jet Airways)and also on foreign accountdetails provided by the com-plainant,” Akbar Travel’s coun-sel Dharmesh Joshi said onSaturday, adding that they willfile a petition on July 6.

As per the complaint filedwith the police earlier, JetAirways had done businessworth �900 crore with AkbarTravels between 2018-19.

It alleged that the airlineand its promoter have failed topay �46,05,68,036 to the trav-el company.

Despite knowing the finan-cial crisis at Jet Airways, whichwas in position of no return,Naresh Goyal made falsepromises.He willfuly inducedthe travel company to takebooking on behalfof the airline,thecomplaint stated.

The ED is conducting aprobe against the Goyals andthe defunct airline under thePrevention of MoneyLaundering Act and ForeignExchange Management Act.

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State Bank of India (SBI) has sanc-tioned loans to over 4 lakh accounts

under the �3-lakh crore EmergencyCredit Line Guarantee Scheme (ECLGS)for MSME sector, hit hard by the coro-navirus-induced lockdown.

On the occasion of InternationalMSME Day, SBI managing director CSShetty on Friday addressed MSME cus-tomers and employees across the nationvideo conference.

SME products were highlighted tothe customers to increase awareness andenable them to choose the right prod-uct for their business, SBI said in a state-ment.

At the national level, the bank hassanctioned loans to over 4 lakh cus-tomers under guaranteed emergencycredit line (GECL) facility so far, a seniorbank official said. About �20,000crore has been sanctioned to eligibleMSME customers under the scheme

which was launched on June 1.The scheme will be applicable to all

loans sanctioned under GECL facilityduring the period from the date ofannouncement of the plan to October 31or till an amount of �3 lakh crore is sanc-tioned under the scheme, whichever isearlier.

The main objective of the scheme isto provide an incentive to memberlending institutions to increase accessand enable availability of additionalfunding facility to MSME borrowers, inview of the economic distress caused bythe COVID-19 crisis, by giving them 100per cent guarantee for any losses sufferedby them due to non-repayment of theGECL funding by borrowers.

The statement further said ChiefGeneral Manager, Delhi Circle, VijuyRonjan committed unhindered sup-port to MSMEs by SBI in times to come.SBI deputy managing director and ChiefOperating Officer Saloni Narayan alsoparticipated in the video conference.

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Ajoint move by SEBI and RBI forLiquidity window to the mutual

funds has helped induce confidence inthe system, though not much demandfor the scheme was seen, the capitalmarket regulator said on Saturday.

In view of the possible redemptionpressure that the mutual fund industrymay face after the abrupt winding upof six debt schemes of FranklinTempleton Mutual Fund, the centralbank announced a special liquidity win-dow of �50,000 crore for mutual fundsin April end.

“The move by SEBI & RBI jointlyto extend a liquidity window to mutu-al funds helped build confidence in thesystem, though not much use was madeof the window,” an Indian Chamber ofCommerce statement quoted SEBIwhole-time director G Mahalingam assaying.

No further details on this wasshared.Mutual Funds need to be torch-

bearers of faith for the retail investor,he said.

Under the special liquidity scheme,the RBI will conduct repo (repurchaseagreement) operations of 90-day tenorat a fixed repo rate of 4.40 per cent forbanks.According to the RBI, banks canavail funds under this facility exclu-sively for meeting the liquidity require-ments of “mutual fund” houses byextending loans and undertaking out-right purchase of and/or repos againstthe collateral of investment grade cor-porate bonds, commercial papers(CPs), debentures and certificates ofdeposit (CDs) held by the fund hous-es.

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President Ram Nath Kovindhas promulgated the

Banking Regulation(Amendment) Ordinance,2020 to bring all urban coop-erative banks and multi-statecooperative banks under thesupervision of the RBI in order to protect the interest ofdepositors.

The Ordinance amendsthe Banking Regulation Act,1949 as applicable to coopera-tive banks, an official statementsaid on Saturday.

“The Ordinance seeks toprotect the interests of depos-itors and strengthen coopera-tive banks by improving gov-

ernance and oversight byextending powers already avail-able with RBI in respect ofother banks to Co-operativeBanks as well for sound bank-ing regulation, and by ensuringprofessionalism and enablingtheir access to capital,” it said.

The amendments do notaffect existing powers of theState Registrars of Co-operativeSocieties under state co-oper-ative laws, it added.

The amendments also donot apply to PrimaryAgricultural Credit Societies(PACS) or co-operative soci-eties whose primary objectand principal business is long-term finance for agriculturaldevelopment, and which do not

use the words “bank”, “banker”or “banking” and do not act asdrawees of cheques, it said.

“The Ordinance alsoamends Section 45 of theBanking Regulation Act, toenable making of a scheme ofreconstruction or amalgama-tion of a banking company forprotecting the interest of thepublic, depositors and thebanking system and for secur-ing its proper management,even without making an orderof moratorium, so as to avoiddisruption of the financial sys-tem,” it said.

There are 1,482 urbancooperative banks and 58multi-state cooperative bankshaving about 8.6 crore depos-

itors with total savings depositof about Rs 4.85 lakh crore.

The decisionassumes significance in thewake of scams in cooperativebanks, including the Punjaband Maharashtra Cooperative(PMC) Bank, affecting lakhs ofcustomers who are facing dif-ficulty in withdrawing theirmoney due to restrictionsimposed by the Reserve Bankof India (RBI).

The RBI had placed regu-latory curbs on PMC Bank onSeptember 23, 2019, after find-ing out certain financial irreg-ularities and misreporting ofloans given to real estate devel-oper HDIL.

Earlier this month, the RBI

had put restrictions on with-drawals from People’s Co-oper-ative Bank, Kanpur, UttarPradesh. Finance MinisterNirmala Sitharaman had intro-duced ‘The Banking Regulation(Amendment) Bill, 2020’ in theLok Sabha on March 3, 2020,which is pending approval.The proposed law sought toenforce banking regulationguidelines of the RBI on coop-erative banks.

In her February 1 Budgetspeech, Sitharaman had pro-posed amendments to theBanking Regulation Act withan aim to increasing profes-sionalism and improving gov-ernance among the cooperativebanks.

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Amid the ongoing eco-nomic woes created by

the coronavirus pandemic,the Reserve Bank has decid-ed to extend the enhancedborrowing facility providedto the banks to meet their liq-uidity shortages tillSeptember 30.

The RBI, as a tempo-rary measure, had increasedthe borrowing limit of sched-uled banks under the mar-ginal standing facility (MSF)scheme from 2 per cent to 3per cent of their Net Demandand Time Liabilities (NDTL)with effect from March 27,2020.

Under the MSF, bankscan borrow overnight fundsat their discretion by dippinginto the Statutory LiquidityRatio (SLR).

This relaxation, whichwas granted till June 30,2020, has now been extend-ed till September 30.

“On a review, it has nowbeen decided to extend thisenhanced limit till September30, 2020,” the Reserve Bankof India (RBI) said in a cir-cular.

Banks may continue toaccess overnight funds underthe MSF against their excessSLR holding, it added.

The marginal standingfacility rate currently standsat 4.25 per cent.

The RBI has also extend-ed the relaxation on the min-imum daily maintenance ofthe Cash Reserve Ratio(CRR) at 80 per cent for afurther period of threemonths till September 25,2020.

On March 27, the min-imum daily maintenance ofthe CRR was reduced from90 per cent of the prescribedCRR to 80 per cent till June26, 2020.

This was done in viewof the continuing of hard-ships faced by banks interms of social distancingof staff and consequentstrains on repor t ingrequirements.

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Petrol price on Saturday washiked by 25 paise per litre

and diesel by 21 paise, takingthe cumulative increase in ratesin three weeks to �9.12 and �11.01 respectively.

Petrol price in Delhi washiked to �80.38 per litre from�80.13, while diesel rates wereincreased to �80.40 a litre from�80.19, according to a price

notification of state oil mar-keting companies.

Rates have been increasedacross the country but thefinal retail selling price differsfrom state to state dependingon the incidence of local salestax or VAT.

In Mumbai, petrol pricewent up from �86.91 per litreto �87.14, while diesel ratewas hiked to �78.71 from�78.51.

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On one of the lazy Sundays thisMarch, I was watching a dystopianfilm Contagion by one of myfavourite directors StevenSoderbergh. In a particular scene

Matt Damon, the protagonist is told by the police,“The border is sealed. The governor has declaredquarantine.” It was unforeseeable at the time thata few days later we will meet the same fate asDamon with the demon named COVID-19.

Last three months were like those Hollywoodfilms where the world is coming to an end andthen saved by Super heroes during climax. Wellthanks to our Medical staff and front liners thatthe world is slowly opening and trying to walkback on it’s feet but it’s going to be a long jour-ney before it starts running once again like ForrestGump.

But before peeping into future let’s look backat the history some 100 years back when Spanishflu affected the cinema industry worldwide in1918. Americans had to close their theatres formore than four months resulting into multi mil-lion dollars loss forcing producers to stop the pro-duction of movies. Indian film industry which wasin nascent and silent stage was only five years oldat that time. But an interesting thing happenedsoon after, American film industry saw signifi-cant investment from Europe in 1920s. Some ofthe Hollywood analysts observed a tectonicshift of power from actors and stars to directorsand filmmakers.

Is history going to repeat itself again. Are storytellers going to lead the front ? we don’t know yet.We have been screaming that ‘content is king’from our rooftop for more than a decade but inreality the king still lives in Galaxy and not in awriter’s laptop. Is this once in a century pandem-ic going to change all the equations that we justpretended to fix all these years. Well the coin isstill in the air and we don’t know whether it’s goingto be heads or a tail.

The industry has been coiled in a dialectical

shift this pandemic, trying to embrace changes,to adapt, innovate and evolve. Let’s first talk aboutthe scuffle between Producers and Multiplexchains. The latter is threatening with grim con-sequences in future if they keep on releasing theirbig budget films on OTT platforms. On the otherside Producers Guild immediately issued an offi-cial statement that their first priority is to surviveduring this pandemic and recover the cost so thatthey can further pay the outstanding amount totheir crew members and people involved with theproject.

After all, if the makers don’t survive how arethey going to produce films in the coming years,even for a theatrical release? The coming yearsfor entertainment should not only be for surviv-ing but proliferating creatively even in adverse cir-cumstances.

As far as I know, theatre is going to stay for-ever. This is irrespective of the current damagesthe pandemic has entailed on the cinema indus-try worldwide. A similar kind of threat aroundthe possible relevance and business of theatre wasfelt around the arrival of cable television in the1990s. The risk was felt once more with the adventof Reliance’s Bigflix in 2008 and then again in 2016when Netflix and Amazon Prime launched theirservices.

In another event of conflict noted internation-ally, Netflix locked horns with Cannes film fes-tival and French theatre distributors over a Koreanmovie named Okja directed by Parasite’s DirectorBong Joon Ho. Netflix wanted to side-step theFrench law and waiting period of 36 monthsbetween the theatrical and the online release andstream the film immediately on its platform postfestival run.

Even after these doubts and clashes what hap-pened? Did people stop going to theatres in Indiaor worldwide? No! In fact, in 2019 the Indian filmindustry grew by 15.3 per cent generating closeto three billion dollars. Interestingly, movie the-atres had contributed more than half of it. Not

to forget the innumerable Hollywood moviesthose are dubbed in multiple Indian languagesringing continuous bells at the cash counter.

Undoubtedly, the stocks of PVR and INOXhave plunged to less than half but in reality, it’sthe single-screen owners who are bearing themaximum brunt of the crisis. Out of the 9500screens across India, the single screens which areclose to 6000, are struggling to keep afloat sincetheir monthly income keeps the engine running.We need prayers for likes of Maratha Mandir orhow else are we going to watch DDLJ on a bigscreen?

Now let’s talk about the other side of thisongoing global crisis. Everyone including thefilmmakers, writers and content creators seemto be on a zoom call these days with the OTTcreative teams. Streaming platforms are runningout of content as the audiences locked insidetheir four walls are consuming content like ahungry panda devouring watermelons. Now thequestion is who is going to produce more andmore watermelons when the field is rough!

Honestly, I as a writer-director would pre-fer opting for a streaming platform than for atraditional producer. The current crisis hasstripped us of the luxury of a plan and pre-dictability. The producers are therefore not ina position to sign new projects due to limitedclarity over the previously signed projects. Onthe other hand, the traditional film studios arenow demanding ‘corona friendly-scripts’ thatsimply means fewer locations and lesser crew.

Even the Hollywood franchises like JurassicWorld, Matrix, Mission Impossible and TheBatman backed by giant studios are hanging inone of the several stages of production. Thenthere is a major doubt about the revenues gen-erated in theatres when these films are released.Imagine yourself with masks and face shields sit-ting on a recliner keeping an eye on who coughsor sneeze as if theatre is a war zone. How manyof us are going to risk our lives at the cost of

entertainment? Films with larger than life sets,war and super hero films with 500 backgroundartists have to wait a little more before social dis-tancing norms fades away in coming years.

This crisis also seems to be paving way forgood storytellers, the ones who don’t depend onstars or big budget sets. A new young filmmak-er can easily adapt to new changes and can layout his way in limited resources with even a crewof fifty people which, by the way, is also as perthe guideline as directed by the Government. Imade Kanpuriye (which is now streaming onDisney Hotstar) in a very tight budget with lim-ited resources collaborating with some of the besttalents only because they loved the script.

Now since the world has turned upside downthe writers are working on scripts around thepandemic. It will be interesting to see the talesthey are going to narrate about the vacant, silenthighways cutting across cities and about the hun-dreds of masked travellers in a local train. Nowbhai doesn’t need a gun to kill fifty men in athriller, he can simply cough and sneeze andwalk out in slow motion. Till now the films onparadigm-changing subjects like World Wars,9/11 attack were shot with a full-fledged crew,with a thousand people on set without the stressof maintaining six feet distance. You work whilemaking sure that you don’t get sick by the fluwhile working passionately on something youlove. This time the equations are completely newand the challenges are bigger.

After all, is there anybody conceiving a ploton musical comedy with a few hundred back-ground dancers? I doubt! On the other hand,if you want to make another Bahubali, you canstart writing now because, maybe, in the nexttwo to three years our environment will be moreconducive for such humongous productions.Maybe!

Till then get used to directors calling theshots with a new command, ‘Lights, Camera,Sanitiser and Action’.

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&(*��@*��$�,:�;�$('��$)::,$�Despite over 1.5 lakh

confirmed cases ofCOVID-19 in

Maharashtra, the State is all setto resume shoots after a gap offour months. The ProducersGuild of India have come upwith a set of guidelines thatneed to be strictly adhered to.�Hand washing and sanitisingis mandatory for everyone onentry, exit and during theshoot.�Each crew member will beprovided with a triple layermedical mask and gloveswhich will be mandatory towear during the entire shoot.�Avoid handshakes, hugs andkisses and other physical greet-ings.�Designated people will onlybe allowed to open doors ifany.�Sharing of cigarettes shouldbe stopped on sets/offices/stu-

dios�Edible items used in scenesin which the actor has to con-sume either a beverage or foodmust be handled in a hygien-ic manner.Three types of sanitisers mustbe available: Hand, surfaceand space sanitisers.�Social distancing measures tobe implemented — minimumtwo metres distance betweencolleagues to be maintained. �Dedicated personnelassigned to check the temper-ature of the cast and crew.�Ambulance, doctors, andnurses should compulsorilybe present on the sets whileshooting.�Pregnant crew or crew mem-ber whose spouse is expectingcan't be allowed on the set forthe shoot. �Actors above age65 should not be part of thecast.

�No audience to be part of anyshoot.�Producers to avoid open callsand assign specific call timingsfor cast and crew members.�Casting directors have beenasked to conduct digital audi-tions.�All trials and fittings ofclothes should happen at theactor’s residence and look testshould take place via video call.�To commence shooting pro-ducers and production hous-es will have to apply for per-missions to the StateGovernment.�The State Government willallow shoots only in the non-containment zone of the State. �Proper training about pre-cautions to be taken during theshoot to be given to allinvolved in the shoot. �Carryout a drill every day withentire staff regarding precau-

tions so that it becomes ahabit. �Crew, artists and partici-pants will be called at-least 45minutes prior to shoot to

ensure thorough implementa-tion of safety precautions.�All operational managersmust familiarise themselveswith the operational and con-

tingency plans and explainthe same to all staff workingwith them.�All unit members wanting towork in the shooting should

submit negative COVID-19reports �It is recommendatory thathotel accommodation be pro-vided to all unit members andnot mandatory.�Displaying posters to devel-op consciousness about pre-ventive steps and promotinghygiene, along with emergencyhelpline number, at easilynoticeable/strategic places onshooting sets/dining place/editrooms.�Complete studio will be sani-tised daily before the shoot;sanitisation will be undertak-en by a Government autho-rised agency.�Keep the restrooms cleanand sanitised at all times.�Make sure there are enoughsanitisers and hand wash at alltimes.�It’s important to ensure aconsistent and a secure lock-up

to prevent any unauthorisedpersonnel from entering. �Adequate hand sanitiser dis-pensers to be kept at all entryand exit points along with thecafeteria, vanity vans to beused throughout the shoot byall crew members.�Advisable to give portablechairs over standard benches.

Meanwhile, some of theguidelines that were recom-mended have been amended.

It is not compulsory to castreal family members as fami-ly members in shows/filmsbecause every person is not anactor as it is a specialised pro-fession.

The entire custody andpossession of the set has beenleft in the hands of the produc-er without any external inter-ference or inspector to ensuresafety and security of all theunit members.

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India’s Test batting mainstayCheteshwar Pujara cannotdescribe in words the influence

that Rahul Dravid has had on his lifebut says he will always remain grate-ful to him for teaching the impor-tance of switching off from cricket.

Often compared to Dravid, whowas considered the ‘wall’ of Indiancricket, Pujara said he is thankful toDravid for teaching him how to keeppersonal and professional lives sep-arate.

“He helped me understand theimportance of switching off fromcricket. I had the same thought, moreor less, but when I spoke to him, itgave me a lot of clarity about it andI was sure of what I needed to do,” hetold ESPNcricinfo.

“I also saw in county cricket howthey keep personal and professionallives separate. I value that advice a lot.Many people consider me to befocused. Yes, I am focused, But I alsoknow when to switch off. There is lifebeyond cricket.”

In his illustrious internationalcareer, Dravid amassed 13288 runs in164 Tests and 10889 runs in 344ODIs. He also captained India in 79ODIs, winning 42 of them, whichincludes the world record of 14 suc-cessive wins while chasing.

“I cannot say in one line whatRahul bhai means to me. He hasalways been an inspiration, and willremain one,” Pujara said.

His mental fortitude and battingtechnique is often compared toDravid but Pujara said “despite myenchantment with him” he nevertried to “copy him.”

“There is a similarity in ourgames, but that’s not because of myfascination with him. That camemainly through my experiences with

Saurashtra, where I learned thatscoring a hundred alone isn’t enough,you have to carry your team,” he said.

“That is how I learned responsi-bility - it is about helping my team toraise a big total, and for that I oughtto attach importance to my wicket. Ilearned that from my junior cricketdays with Saurashtra, which was aweaker team in domestic cricket.”

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West Indies speedster OshaneThomas is “overweight” and

needs to work harder on his fitness tomaintain pace and prolong his inter-national career, feels former pacerFranklyn Rose.

Rose, who took 53 wickets in 19Tests and 29 scalps in 27 ODIs between1997 and 2000, said he is concernedabout the fitness of Thomas, who iscurrently in England for next month'sthree-Test series.

“I am a bit concerned because helooks overweight to me. I never met theguy, but I know he has a lot of talent,and that’s why the Windies has takenhim to England on tour. But he needsto keep working hard and be hungri-er for success,” Rose was quoted as say-ing by 'Jamaica gleaner’.

The 23-year-old Thomas is yet toplay a Test but he has captured 27 wick-ets in 20 ODIs and 15 wickets in 12T20Is.

He took just two wickets in twoinnings in the West Indies inter-squadpractice match at Old Trafford.

Thomas’ ability to bowl over 90miles per hour catapulted him to theWest Indies set-up but Rose doubtedif he will be able to maintain his pace.

“If I come on the scene bowling 90miles per hour, I would want to main-tain that for another five years. Thequestion is, can he maintain that speed

at the highest level if he is not at peakfitness?

“I can see that he has a lot of tal-ent, and let me be clear, this is not aboutbashing Oshane Thomas. It is abouthelping him to achieve his optimum incricket.”

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West Indies pace leg-end Andy Roberts

has slammed batsmanShimron Hetmyer foropting out of the Englandtour because of healthconcerns amid theCOVID-19 pandemic.

Along with senior proDarren Bravo, Hetmyerpulled out of the tour ofUK and forced the RogerHarper-led selection com-mittee to make some last-minute changes.

“They would haveplayed an integral part of the batting. As muchas we don’t like the way Hetmyer has been play-ing, he is one of the batsmen for the future. Butsomebody has to get into his head and let himrealise that you can't score runs sitting in thepavilion,” Roberts said in an episode onMichael Holding’s YouTube channel.

According to Roberts, the challenge formost West Indies batsmen was they “don’t real-ly train and practise enough to work the ballinto gaps. We believe in boundaries.”

“I am glad to see there is a sort of a resur-gence in the last couple of months, not years,just the last couple of months - there are someyoungsters are coming through and I hope thatwe don’t try and expect too much off them toosoon,” Roberts said.

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England skipper Joe Rootsaid West Indies boosts

of a “formidable” bowlingattack and his team willhave to be well-prepared toface it during next month’sthree-Test series beginningon July 8.

England had suffered a1-2 loss against the WestIndies in their away serieslast year and the visitors willbe rely on their potent paceunit to retain the WisdenTrophy when the openingTest gets underway atAgeas Bowl, Southampton.

“We are very aware ofthe skill West Indies haveand what they will bring tothis series,” Root told BBCSport.

“One thing that stoodout was how formidabletheir bowling attack can be.It is really important weprepare well and we areready for all of that.”

Talking about his rival

skipper Jason Holder, whohad hit a double hundred inthe second Test to emergeas the leading run-scorer in2019, Root said: “Jase is oneof the most well-respectedguys in international crick-et.

“He took the job at ayoung age and we are start-ing to see him at the peakof his career. He comesacross as a very good bloke.

I am looking forward tochatting to him from asocial distance.”

Root might miss theopening Test against WestIndies if it coincides withthe impending birth of hissecond child.

The three-Test serieswill mark the return ofinternational cricket fol-lowing a coronavirus hia-tus.

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Yesteryear stylish batsman GundappaViswanath on Saturday revealed that he

was “very, very hurt” after his distin-guished career came to an abrupt end fol-lowing a poor Test series against Pakistanin 1982-83.

Along with Sunil Gavaskar, he was oneof the minstays of the Indian battling line-up through the 1970s, playing some fineknocks against the best pace attacks of thatera.

However, a poor outing in a six-Testseries against Pakistan cut short his careeras he was dropped for the tour of the WestIndies and subsequently could not make itto the 1983 World Cup squad.

“I was very, very hurt when I wasdropped. At that time, in all the three times(innings) I took wrong decisions. It is partof the game. But in that (situation) in twoinnings, if I had scored well, they would nothave removed me,” Viswanath said on StarSports 1 Kannada show DiggajaraDanthakathe.

“Kapil’s captaincy was not announcedbut it was almost known to everyone.”

Known for his legendary square cutsand flicks, Viswanath, the first superstarbatsman from Karnataka to play for India,played a pivotal role in the state’s RanjiTrophy triumphs.

He quickly rose from domestic tointernational cricket because of his battingprowess. He came to the limelight under thecaptaincy of Erapalli Prasanna for Karnatakaand under Mansoor Ali Khan Pataudi forIndia.

“Thanks to Prasanna who pushed forme initially. It helped me play for the state.Pataudi was playing for Hyderabad in theRanji Trophy. As a part of Karnataka team,we had to play against him. He (Pataudi) sawme closely there.

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He might not have experience on hisside but young off-spinner Amar

Virdi remains confident of cuttingthrough the competition and earning aplace in England team for the three-Testseries against the West Indies beginningon July 8.

The 21-year-old has featured in only23 first-class games in his career and willhave to beat more experienced spinnerslike Jack Leach, Dom Bess, MattParkinson and Moeen Ali to get into theTest squad.

“Obviously I'm here so I want to beplaying Test cricket whenever that comes,so I'm going to keep on trying my hard-est to make sure that I'm playing," theSurrey spinner, who was included inEngland's 30-man squad earlier thismonth, said on Friday.

“I don’t really try to impress as such

- I want to do my own thing and be whoI am. That’s what I want to show peopleand show people what I'm capable ofdoing, rather than doing other things ortry to forcefully show my skills.”

Virdi said he is focussed on workinghard to get into the squad for the open-ing Test.

“I definitely do want to be playing inthe first Test match, or at least be in thesquad. If I didn’t want to do that I prob-ably shouldn't be here. I’m very proud ofmyself that I've got to this stage. The nextstage is about pushing for a Test place, sowhenever that does happen I’m going tokeep working hard.”

Virdi, who has taken 69 wickets in his23 first class matches at an average of28.78, says his strength lies in his aggres-sion as he is always looking for wickets.

“I think you've got to be aggressiveand you've got to be looking to take wick-ets. Maybe the pitches aren't alwaysgoing to be suited to you but as a spin-ner even if you are looking to keep it tight,my eyes are always on taking wicketsregardless.

"Obviously being young, I’m stilllearning my skills and getting better at myskills, so you will bowl the odd loose ballor you might not get six balls in the per-fect space. But I think you’ll bowl a lotmore wicket-taking deliveries and that’swhat makes you dangerous: when a bats-man knows that you can get them out onany wicket.”

If he makes it to the squad, Virdi willbecome only the third Sikh to representEngland after Monty Panesar and RaviBopara.

He says Panesar has been a role modelas he is also state-educated and spent hisformative years at the Guru Nanak SikhAcademy in Hayes.

“Growing up I watched GraemeSwann and Monty and that was veryinspirational to me. Obviously withMonty as well because he looks very sim-ilar to me, especially being from the com-munity that I am,” he said.

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Pakistan will leave for their tourof England on Sunday with 20

players and 11 support staff, thePCB said on Saturday, even asseven out of the 10 coronavirus-infected cricketers returned neg-ative when they were tested thesecond time.

The Pakistan Cricket Boardsaid the team will be departing forManchester.

PCB chief executive WasimKhan told reporters that fastbowler Musa Khan and wicket-keeper-batsman Rohail Nazirwho were among the reserveplayers had also tested negative

and would be leaving with theteam.

Khan made it clear that the 10players who had earlier testedpositive would be sent to Englandonly after two of their successivetests return negative.

Out of the 10 players and oneofficial, who had earlier testedpositive during the PCB testingprogramme, Fakhar Zaman,Mohammad Hasnain,Mohammad Hafeez, MohammadRizwan, Shadab Khan and WahabRiaz have teste

Khan reiterated that the sixplayers who have now testednegative will undergo a thirdround of testing at some stagenext week and if they return neg-ative, then the PCB will makearrangements to send them toEngland.

“I am aware MohammadHafeez and Wahab Riaz took per-sonal tests outside of our processprior to the second PCB testing.While their results came negative,as per the PCB testing pro-gramme, they are deemed to

have one negative test followinga positive test.

“Therefore, once they areretested and receive a second neg-ative result under the PCB test-ing programme, they will beavailable to join the squad inEngland,” Khan said.

The chief executive said uponarrival in Manchester, the squadwill be transported toWorcestershire where they willundergo the England and WalesCricket Board (ECB) testingbefore embarking on a 14-day

isolation, during which they willbe allowed to train.

The players leaving onSunday are Azhar Ali (captain),Babar Azam (vice-captain), AbidAli, Asad Shafiq, Faheem Ashraf,Fawad Alam, Iftikhar Ahmad,Imad Wasim, Imam-ul-Haq,Khushdil Shah, MohammadAbbas, Musa Khan, NaseemShah, Rohail Nazir, SarfarazAhmed, Shaheen Shah Afridi,Shan Masood, Sohail Khan,Usman Shinwari, and Yasir Shah.

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Former Pakistan openerAamer Sohail said that

Younis Khan's appointment asthe team’s batting coach showsthat the Pakistan Cricket Boardcould not trust head coach andchief selector Misbah-ul-Haqwith the role. Misbah was alsothe batting coach of the teamwhile holding the other twopositions and Sohail said thatbatsmen may not feel comfort-able talking about their problemsto someone who is also a headcoach and chief selector andhence the appointment ofYounis was necessary.

“The fact is that Misbah-ul-Haq for reasons best known tothe PCB, was given the roles ofhead coach and chief selector,

and he was also looking after theposition of batting coach,” Sohailwrote on PakPassion.net.

“Many of us commentedthen that this was not a goodidea as batsmen who are strug-gling in some aspect of their bat-ting are unlikely to share their

problems with the batting coachwho happens to be the chiefselector and the head coach aswell.”

“In that context, YounisKhan’s appointment, whilstrecognising his experience, isproof 0-2 that the PCB areaccepting the fact that theymade the wrong decision byentrusting Misbah with so manyroles. What the PCB are imply-ing is that Misbah is not a goodenough batting coach which iswhy they had to bring in some-one like Younis Khan into thepicture as a batting consultant.”

Misbah’s history of beingtoo defensive as a captain maymake him a bad mentor forBabar, who is currently leadingPak in limited-overs cricket.

“If Babar has been identified

as Pakistan’s captain in at leasttwo formats of the game, then it’sincumbent upon the PCB tohelp him become the best cap-tain he can be. This can beachieved by identifying anyweaknesses in his leadershipqualities and by good mentor-ing. But if Misbah is to beBabar’s mentor, then we have aproblem because he was himselfcriticised for being a defensivecaptain,” he said.

“The onus is on Misbah tobe honest about his own defi-ciencies as a captain and to makesure that Babar does not makethe same mistakes he made,especially when it comes tomaking sure that the youngerplayers are given good chancesto ensure a brighter future forPakistan cricket."

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Former India all-rounder IrfanPathan on Sunday said that

national team vice-captain RohitSharma did not lack in hardwork in his early years eventhough his body language sug-gested a “relaxed” attitude to hisbatting.

“A lot of people are mistak-en when they see a guy who hasa lot of time and he is slightlymore relaxed than compared toRohit. Then you say he needs towork hard,” Pathan was quotedas saying by Star Sports show‘Cricket Connected’.

He said the same thingswere said about another formerIndia opener, Wasim Jaffer.

“... When he used to run heused to run very relaxed, whenhe used to bat he had lot of timeand we used to think - why isn't

he working hard - but actually,he was working really hard.

“Similarly with Rohit, fromoutside we used to think hemight need to work harder, hemight need to put more applica-tion,” said the 35-year-old Pathanwho played 29 Tests between2003 and 2008.

Pathan said Rohit "alwaystalk about sensible things” andthat is why he is successful as abatsman as well as captain of IPLside Mumbai Indians.

“He used to always talkabout working hard and he usedto always talk about the teamfirst as well, that is why you seesome of the results he got at thecaptain of the Mumbai Indiansteam.

“He got the beating of notplaying the World Cup and thencame back really hard because ofa strong mind set after 2012.”

Rohit’s relaxed batting doesn’tmean lack of hard work

‘We need to prepare well to take on WI’

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Cristiano Ronaldo is back in form. Heset up two goals and converted a

penalty to help Juventus beat 10-manLecce 4-0 on Friday and boost its chancesof claiming a record-extending ninth suc-cessive Serie A title.

Ronaldo had struggled since soccerresumed in Italy, but his return to formpushed Juventus seven points clear of sec-ond-placed Lazio, which hosts Fiorentinaon Saturday.

“What’s important is that we contin-ue to get results," Juventus coachMaurizio Sarri said when asked abouttheir increasing advantage at the top ofthe table.

“We struggled at the beginning andthen we managed to get going at the endof the first half. But I saw a good men-tality because even when the match wasover, we still continued to attack.” Lecceremained in the relegation zone but islevel on points with Genoa, which occu-pies the last position of safety.

Lecce started brightly but its chancesof getting anything from the matchdiminished when defender Fabio Lucioniwas shown a straight red card for a last-

man challenge on Rodrigo Bentancur,leaving the visiting side in 10 men fornearly an hour.

“Until the sending off the match wasbalanced,” said Lecce coach FabioLiverani, who also bemoaned the num-ber of players he is missing throughinjury.

“Maybe if we had had every playeravailable I could have made differentmoves. At the moment I have a maxi-

mum of 14 players available. But I amsure that with a bit of fortune, gettingsome players back, we can have our sayin matches against direct rivals.” Juventusscored all of its goals after the red cardand in the second half, but struggled to

break down the visi-tors.

Ronaldo had sev-eral chances but sentan overhead kick pastthe left post and some-how headed over anempty goal from twoyards out.

However, the Portugal internation-al set up Juve’s opener eight minutes afterthe break as he cut the ball back to PauloDybala who curled into the roof of thenet from the edge of the area. Ronaldothen got on the scoresheet himself withhis second penalty in as many matchesafter he was tripped by Luca Rossettini.

Ronaldo also set up Juve’s third in the83rd minute, back-heeling the ball forGonzalo Higuaín to score shortly aftercoming off the bench. Matthijs de Ligtheaded in a Douglas Costa cross twominutes later to cap a great night forJuventus.

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Sevilla drew with Valladolid1-1 on Friday for its fourth

straight setback in theSpanish league, missing achance to retake third placefrom Atlético Madrid.

Lucas Ocampos converted an 83rd-minutepenalty kick to salvage the tie, the fourth con-secutive for Sevilla since it returned from thecoronavirus break with a win in the Seville derby.

Kiko Olivas opened the scoring forValladolid in the first half at Ramón Sánchez-Pizjuán Stadium.

The result kept Sevilla in fourth place, onepoint behind Atlético Madrid, which onSaturday hosts Alavés. Atlético has won threestraight and is unbeaten after the pandemicbreak.

“We really needed this win,” Sevilla forwardSuso said. “We dominated and had our chances,but the ball didn't go in. It’s tough when the otherteam stays in the back like that.”

Sevilla had resumed with a 2-0 win againstrival Real Betis in the city derby, but it drew threestraight since then - against Levante, Barcelonaand Villarreal.

Valladolid also won in its first match afterthe break and was winless since, with two drawsand a loss at Atlético Madrid. It moved to 14thplace with Friday’s draw.

Olivas got on the board with a header aftera long cross from a set-piece in the 25th minute.Ocampos equalized from the penalty spot aftera handball by a defender inside the area.

Valladolid nearly retook the lead when an87th-minute close-range shot by Rubén Alcarazprompted a tough reflex save by Sevilla goal-keeper Tomas Vaclik.

Sevilla's Munir El Haddadi had a 55th-minute goal disallowed by video review for off-side. It took nearly three minutes for the VARto make the call.

One of Sevilla's best chances in the first halfwas a shot by Ocampos that struck the wood-work when the game was scoreless.

League leader Real Madrid visits last-placeEspanyol on Sunday, while second-placeBarcelona on Saturday visits a red-hot CeltaVigo, which is near the relegation zone.

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Nuno Espirito Santobacked Wolves to step

up their bid to qualify forthe Champions Leagueafter Leander Dendonckersealed a 1-0 win at AstonVilla that lifted them intofifth place in the PremierLeague on Saturday.

Nuno’s side made itthree successive victoriessince the Premier Leaguerestart thanks toDendoncker’s clinical fin-ish in the second half.

Wolves have yet toconcede a goal followingthe coronavirus hiatus andare now just two pointsbehind fourth-placedChelsea and three ahead ofsixth-placed ManchesterUnited.

Both Chelsea andUnited have a game inhand on Wolves due totheir FA Cup involvementthis weekend.

But with fifth placepotentially offeringChampions League quali-fication if second-placedManchester City’sEuropean ban is upheld,Nuno’s men are firmly incontention to play in thecontinent’s elite club com-petition for the first time in60 years.

“What’s in front of uswill be very tough but it’s awelcome week to recover.We will prepare ourselvesto compete and see whathappens,” Nuno said.

“I’m very happy forLeander Dendoncker, hegives so much to us and hetruly deserves thismoment.”

Wolves are unbeaten ineight league games andhave won three successivetop-flight away matchesfor the first time since1980.

In contrast, their strug-gling midlands rivalsVilla are without awin in eight leaguegames and remainrooted in the relega-tion zone on goal dif-ference.

Second-bottomVilla have now playeda game more than theteams around them andhave just six matches left.

With fixtures againstLiverpool and ManchesterUnited up next, DeanSmith’s team are in seriousdanger of an immediatereturn to theChampionship.

“We more than

matched a top-six teamtoday but they managed toget a goal from the edge ofthe box out of nothingand we didn’t convert thechances we had,” Smithsaid.

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Smith had complainedabout the fixture schedule

that saw his teamplaying for thefourth time in 11days.

His fears wereconfirmed whendefender MattTargett limped offwith a leg injury

after 10 minutes.Wolves were on top

and Joao Moutinho’s free-kick was flicked goalwardsby Raul Jimenez, but OrjanNyland was well placed tosave.

Matt Doherty ledanother threatening Wolvesraid, the wing-back burstinginto the Villa area to shoot

into the side-netting.Villa captain Jack

Grealish was beingdeployed in a central mid-field role rather than hisusual wider position and hetested Rui Patricio with alow strike from the edge ofthe area.

Nyland had got awaywith a horrendous mistakein Villa’s first game of thePremier League restartwhen he carried the ballinto his own net againstSheffield United, only forHawk-Eye to fail to awardthe goal.

Luck was on Nyland’sside again when he threwthe ball straight to DiogoJota late in the first half, butthe Wolves forward shothurriedly over the bar withjust the blundering keeperto beat.

Douglas Luiz was nar-rowly off target from longrange as Villa tried tochange the momentum inthe second half.

But Nuno sent onAdama Traore after thebreak and the electricwinger immediately madean impact.

Dancing through theVilla midfield, Traore foundJimenez and his raking passreached Jonny, who teed upDendoncker on the edge ofthe area.

Unleashing a perfectly-placed low drive, theBelgian midfielder beatNyland in style for his fifthgoal of the season.

����� ������ ��

Young Indian women’s hock-ey team striker Lalremsiami

says skipper Rani and herdeputy Savita played a big rolein keeping the players motivat-ed during their over two-and-a-half month’s confinement atthe SAI South Centre inBengaluru due to the coron-avirus-forced lockdown.

Lalremsiami, one ofyoungest members of theIndian women’s hockey team,said senior players like Rani andSavita kept the morale of theplayers high during the lock-down.

“Had it not been for seniorsin the team like Rani andSavita, who played a huge rolein keeping us youngsters moti-vated, it would have been dif-ficult for us to spend so manydays in our hostel rooms withbarely any activity apart fromsome fitness workouts in ourrooms,” said Lalremsiami, whohails from Mizoram.

Lalremsiami, Salima Tete,Rajwinder Kaur and Sharmilaare some of the new entrants tothe Indian women’s hockeyteam set up and have climbedup the ranks swiftly with com-mendable performances at theinternational stage.

“At first, when SAI wentinto a lockdown in mid March,we (youngsters) never under-stood the gravity of the situationbut followed the rules of notgoing outside the campus. It

was only when we attended abrief talk/presentation by ateam of doctors who explainedabout the pandemic that werealised it was a serious issueand we need to be vigilant allthe time,” the Mizo player said.

“The seniors also spoke tous about the situation andencouraged us to speak out ifwe had any issues,” she added.

She said chief coach SjoerdMarijne and scientific advisorWayne Lombard constantlychecked on the players andensured that they were doingwell.

“But senior players wentout of their way to help us andensure we don’t feel home sick.They would keep us busy withtheir stories in the Indian teamand experiences from RioOlympics. These storiesinspired me to play for India atthe Olympics.”

Lalremsiami is currently

in institutional quarantine ather home town Kolasib inMizoram following the one-month break given by HockeyIndia earlier this month.

“Initially, I had decidednot to go home because of the21-day institutional quaran-tine which is compulsory as perstate rules. But it has beenmore than four months since Imet my mother and the rest offamily. I was really drawntowards seeing them becauseonce we return to SAI CentreBanglaore on 19 July, my focuswill only be on hockey,” shesaid.

“The DC (DistrictCollector) has ensured I have acomfortable stay during thequarantine and they check onme everyday. I am very thank-ful to the state government forshowing so much care andconcern. It feels good to be backin my home state.”

�� ������� Former Netherlands internation-al Arjen Robben is coming out of retirement torejoin FC Groningen, the club where he made hisprofessional debut at the age of 16.

He hopes to get fit enough to play again nextseason. “We’re coming home, back to Groningen,”Robben said in a video posted on the club web-site on Saturday.

The 36-year-old Robben also sounded a noteof caution.

“At this time, I'm not sure it will happen,” hesaid.

“What I am sure of is that my drive and moti-vation will be 100%. It will be a tough physicalchallenge, but I’m going for it.”

Robben played two years at Groningen beforemoving to PSV Eindhoven and then to Chelsea,Real Madrid and Bayern Munich. He won leaguetitles at the latter four clubs.

He played 96 times for the Netherlands,including in the 2010 World Cup final where theDutch lost to Spain 1-0 in extra time. He retiredfrom playing football a year ago. AP

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The German footbal lleague’s restart is com-p l e t e .

Borussiönchengladbach quali-fied for the Champions Leagueand Fortuna Düsseldorf was rel-egated by a single point on thelast day of the Bundesliga onSaturday.

Germany becomes the firstmajor European men’s soccerleague to complete a full seasonafter restarting during the coro-navirus pandemic in empty sta-diums.

The Bundesliga pioneeredthe widespread virus testing ofplayers and socially distancedtraining sessions which havesince been copied by other com-petitions across the continent.

Bayern Munich secured itseighth straight title two gamesearlier and finished with a 13-point advantage over BorussiaDortmund in second. Bayernwas presented with the trophyon Saturday, its chant of “cham-pions” echoing aroundWolfsburg's empty stadium.

Gladbach secured its returnto the Champions League for thefirst time since 2016-17 by beat-ing Hertha Berlin 2-1 to finishfourth ahead of BayerLeverkusen.

Breel Embolo held off two

defenders to set up JonasHofmann to score Gladbach’sopening goal. In the second halfthe roles were reversed asHofmann played in Embolo totap in at the far post off a wellworked short cornerroutine.

A second-minutegoal from KevinVolland was enough forLeverkusen to beatMainz 1-0. Leverkusencould still qualify fornext season'sChampions League bywinning the Europa League,which will be finished as a mini-tournament in Germany inAugust.

Few gave Werder Bremenmuch hope of avoiding automat-ic demotion on the last day. Ithad beaten only last-placedPaderborn in its previous five

games and lost the other four.Bremen was left counting on

a favor from Union Berlin tobeat Düsseldorf, and claim a sur-prise 6-1 win of its own againstCologne in order to climb out of

the automatic relega-tion spot.

“We were neverdead and there wasalways a chance,”Bremen midfielderDavy Klaassen toldSky.

Werder fans soonbegan gathering out-

side the stadium to celebrateavoiding relegation. The clubpleaded with them to “avoid biggatherings of people” because ofthe coronavirus.

Bremen hoped pride wouldprompt Union's players - whowere already assured of sur-vival - to give their all against

Düsseldorf. Bremen's stadiumDJ even played Union’ anthembefore kickoff against visitingCologne.

Japan striker Yuya Osakoopened the scoring in the 22nd,before news came through thatformer Bremen striker AnthonyUjah had given Union the leadagainst Düsseldorf. MilotRashica and Niklas Füllkrugbolstered Bremen's lead whileDüsseldorf increased its pressurebut couldn't force an equalizerbefore the break.

Ujah set up ChristanGentner for Union's second inthe 54th as Bremen scored threemore with only a consolationgoal for Cologne's DominickDrexler.

Union finished with a 3-0win over Düsseldorf, which wasleft ruing a run of games it drewafter having led.

“I’m sorry for our fans. Wefought and fought and fought,"Düsseldorf coach Uwe Röslertold Sky. The players “gave meeverything and it wasn’t enough.”

Union goalkeeper RafaGikiewicz had a muted goodbyein his last game before a transfer.

“It’s really hard with thecoronavirus restrictions, buthopefully next season I canreturn to say goodbye to the fansproperly,” he said.

Bremen will next face a two-leg playoff against the team thatfinishes third in the second divi-sion, most likely Heidenheim orHamburger SV, to see whichplays in the Bundesliga next sea-son.

The first leg is on July 2 withthe second leg four days later.

Bayern beat Wolfsburg 4-0 tofinish on 100 goals for the sea-son, one short of the record.Robert Lewandowski scored apenalty for his 34th Bundesligagoal of the season as the Polishforward finished as the leaguetop scorer for the third season ina row.

Bayern had 16 league winsfrom 17 games in 2020, blem-ished by only a goalless drawagainst Leipzig. Bayern can wina domestic double againstLeverkusen in the cup final onJuly 4.

Dortmund slumped to anunexpected 4-0 defeat toHoffenheim in an echo of thedefensive problems which oftenplagued its bid for the title.Andrej Kramaric scored all fourgoals for Hoffenheim.

Timo Werner scored twicefor third-placed Leipzig in hislast game for the club before atransfer to Chelsea in a 2-1 winover Augsburg. Werner matcheda 46-year-old league record byscoring his 17th goal of the sea-son away from home.

Freiburg dismantled Schalke4-0 to extend Schalke's recordwinless run to 16 games.Eintracht Frankfurt beat alreadyrelegated Paderborn 3-2.

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The monsoon is a trickytime for pets, as rainshowers and high levels

of moisture in the atmospherecan lead to many infections orother problems. Keeping ourpets dry is the key objective forthe season and here are somethings you should know:

Washed up: So it’s a niceand sunny day and your petgoes out for a walk. Suddenlyit starts pouring and now yourpet reaches home completelywet. What is key to know hereis to clean your pet a littlebefore drying them off thor-oughly. The most advisableaction is to give your pet a plainwater bath. Lukewarm waterworks better, as it helps toreduce the drop in body tem-perature due to the weather.After this, you give them a

good rub down with a towel.Please note, hairdryers come invery handy this season, espe-cially if your pooch has longfur. For breeds with long fur,dirt clots can increase the riskof allergies, and so should bemore thoroughly groomed.Extra care must always betaken to dry paws as they con-tain sweat glands throughwhich the passage of the infec-tion will be quicker.

Keep it dry: Play closeattention to keeping your petscoat and paws dry in suchweather. Being exposed to veryhigh levels of moisture can eas-ily lead to skin infections, badodour and inflammation ofthe paws.

Watch out for ticks andlizards: This is a big one! Yes,with all this moisture in the air

and stagnant water that collectson the streets, conditions areperfect for breeding season.You have to take extra care toensure your pets don’t get ticks,and if they do, take appropri-ate measures to get rid ofthem. Tick collars and sham-poos are advisable, but dospeak to your vet to know whatproducts are best for yourbreed. You even have to becareful of frogs and lizardsthat tend to come out more inthis type of weather. Your petmay run to one of these ani-mals while playing in the parkand may get bit as a result.These bites can be poisonous,and so it is imperative to con-sult a vet as soon as possible.

A tight leash: It’s always agood idea to keep your pets ona shorter leash during these

months. It helps to keep themfrom running into big puddlesof water, or even drinkingfrom these puddles. This watercan be contaminated, as oursewage systems tend to over-flow due to excessive rain.Consult a vet if your pup startsshowing signs of poisoning.Also, with sudden or loudthunder and lightning, ani-mals can get frightened anddash off in fear. Keep themclose, or better yet don’t takethem out in bad weather.

Have fun: Many dogs loveto get wet or swim. For thesewater lovers, you should letthem loose in the rain as oftenas you like. What is advisableis to do it on a day you plan tobathe them. �����������%�������-��� 3� ����

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Since the lockdown wasannounced on March 24, 2020,all entertainment has shifted toonline platforms — be it releas-

ing movies or holding dance workshopsor even organising concerts. On WordMusic Day, HCL Concerts launchedSoundscapes, bringing to fore the richand inclusive music from across thecountry’s landscape. The program,that will bring virtual performancesevery fortnight will feature a selectionof popular artists from a variety of inde-pendent genres like Sufi, tribal, region-al and folk styles with rare instruments,melodies and words to wow the audi-ences all over the globe.

With this initiative, HCL Concerts,which had been focused on promotingclassical performing arts, has expand-ed its efforts to also include other gen-res of music and offer listeners a com-plete bouquet of music.

Rohit Kaul, Head, HCL Concertstells you that while they had started tobring to people classical music, over thelast few years, they had been expand-ing their genres. “We have organisedfolk songs, invited Devu Khan and evenKavita Seth. We have been conscious-ly expanding but with Soundscapes weare pushing our boundaries and includ-ing artists who can be part of our con-certs,” Kaul says.

There were three reasons for thisexpansion. First, the platform hasalways seen itself which connects artistsand the audience and bring themtogether on a common platform.Second, over the years they have been

getting a number of requests, from theartists and the audience to expand andinclude other genres to serve inde-pendent artists who do a lot of live per-formances. Third, since the platformhas gone digital and physical concertsare not going to take place in the nearfuture, Soundscapes gives an opportu-nity to serve a much larger set of artistsand digital concerts are easy to do.

The name stems from the plat-form’s idea to expand. Just like they haveBaithak where artists talk about theirart and themselves, Soundscapes rep-resents expansion of genres acrossIndia. This way, the audience can getattached to a certain initiative.

“After much deliberation, we feltthat an expansion was in order.Eventually, good music is good music.We want to provide a certain kind ofexperience to our audience by bring-ing to them quality music. The goodpart was that the expansion has not

been tough at all. Artists have beenforthcoming and we had artists likePalash Sen, Mame Khan and KavitaSeth on our debut. Since we are look-ing at folk, regional and contem-porary genres, we wanted veter-ans in this field who can stokea feeling of nostalgia and givea contemporary feel. Thesethree artists fulfill all ourrequirements – diversity andversatility,” Kaul tells you.

Palash Sen says his rea-son for saying yeswas simple. “WhenEuphoria firststarted back inOctober 1998,HCL was oneof the firstcompanies toinvite us toplay for theiremployees in

December. Our relationship goes backalmost 32 years. The platform has pri-marily been promoting classical sowhen they came up with this new idea,

I was excited to get an opportu-nity to play for them. The experi-

ence of being part of a concertfrom the comfort of one’s homewhile the artist performed fromhis was interesting.

Communicating through the dig-ital medium was a great experienceeven though the whole idea of

being in one place asopposed to being on stagewith the energy flowingwas a tad difficult toadjust to. But we are liv-

ing in difficult timesand we have to getused to the new nor-mal and do every-thing ourselves

including looking after

our health. For a performing artist, thisis time that will prove if he can survive,only those who rely on purely theircraft, and not the usual props of instru-ments, will be able to do so,” Sen says.

He had to adjust to the concept ofsinging into the phone sitting at home.“It is good that I have a great smart-phone. One doesn’t have an amplifieron the phone and one can only usethose sounds that will add to your voiceand make the song sound nice on asmartphone. This experience was sodifferent from anything that had beendone in the past – on stage, the artistis larger than life. But here, the artistbecomes a part of your home and thatis the biggest joy,” Sen says.

He tells you that creatively, he did-n’t have to make any changes. “Peopleknow what Euphoria is about and whatto expect from us. This is an HCLConcerts for Euphoria — this is who Iam and this is what my band is about.The only difference was that instead of12 of us performing, there were four ofus. If you talk about Euphoria, we arethe taste of India now and are deeplyrooted in our culture albeit western-ised,” Sen says whose passion lies in thefact that he is singing for himself andGod.

Kavita Seth, known for her ghaz-al and sufi songs, says that she had a bitof preparation to do since there wereno musicians but then she found a wayto work around it. “I had assumed thatpeople would like these songs and wentwith that even though there were noaccompanying instruments. I had tochange the song list. Music has suchhealing properties and has helped mein these testing times. I chose songs thathad positivity and sent a message ofhope and charge and those that I couldsing with just a tanpura in my hand,”Seth says.

She opines that for an artist, thewhole idea is for him to perform, it isgood that such platforms have steppedup and given an opportunity to sharethe art with the audience. “Anothergood is that one can reach out to peo-ple across the globe. When performinglive, there is limited reach but onlinegives you the ability to reach out to mil-lions,” Seth says.

Mame Khan says that such digitalplatforms are a great way to connectwith the audience especially in thesetimes of COVID-19. “For music lovers,this platform is great for artists. To per-form on World Music Day was such anhonour for me. I know what kind ofsongs my audience likes. I have beendoing shows for the last 30 years. Onthe basis of the experience garnered, Ichose my songs for this concert for theprep centred around how to get thetechnical issues – how to use technol-ogy and then perform accordingly.However, the excitement to performremains the same,” Khan says.

�Your fondest memory from the sets ofThappad.

My fondest memory is being sur-rounded by women. Not only the cast buteven the crew was largely women. Now,we try and hire as many women as pos-sible. I was surrounded by women and wasbeing looked after. Yeh khaalo, baal mein

ye laga lo, workout karo, alag alagumar ke log mujhey aakar boltey

they. I was the most pamperedperson on the sets.�Did you have any appre-hensions while working

on the film consideringthe society that we live in?

Yes. There were twothings. One, while writing,

Mrunmayee (the co-writer) and I were notready to over-dramatise the narrative, wewere trying to keep it as life-like as pos-sible. Which was rather a daring thing todo because the film was about just one slapactually. The plot of the film was very thin.If you are making a film with such a thinplotline, you might resort to doing some-thing melodramatic and we were notdoing that, so, there was a constant fearthat it should not become a bland and bor-ing film. The second fear was that if themen of our country would come andwatch the film. We were apprehensiveabout that and were trying the best wecould do without compromising on theintegrity of the film. We did that. To oursurprise, we were wrong on both accounts.They all loved the film and the biggest suc-cess as a director was that men loved thefilm as much as the women did. I have hadmen calling me and breaking down while

talking about the film.�What was your reflex when you

completed the film, amid all thesefears of balancing everything out?

This is the most tragic journeythat a director goes through.Because he is the part of the wholeprocess and it becomes impossibleto remain objective so the best thing

to do is to safeguard what you are upto. Suppose, I had shot a film in one

way and edited in the same manner butsuddenly the background score had

become very dramatic then it will just popout the whole narrative. It will scream out

the attention for no reason. So, you haveto be loyal to what you have in the start-ing and hope that the end product will

remain the same. Of course, with biggerexperience of making films, you have a fairjudgement but you never get the real expe-rience of the film as a new film.�Your films are all about diversity. Notwo films are the same. How do you jug-gle all these variations?

I have no clue, I do not have a defi-nite answer to this. I think of a story, I endup writing that along with my writers withall my heart and passion. Maybe I have ataste for different genres. More than that,and I discover this while I speak to you isthat I am not out to make a brand formyself. That Anubhav will make this kindof movie, I am not consciously out to dothat, so, maybe that helps me. I am alwaysin a new zone, working very hard, I amnot known for a specific genre or space,so I don’t actually have an answer to this.�What kind of films do you watch?

I don’t watch super hero and fantasyfilms. I can’t relate to the Game of Thrones.I’ve just finished watching a film called Da5 Bloods by Spike Lee, on Netflix. ThenI’ve watched The Wasp Network. Most ofthat stuff is either political or very personal.I loved Jojo Rabbit too.�Lately, you’ve made Article 15 and thenThappad. You are exploring these socialissues, what made you explore this?

Why to use brackets? They are so dif-ferent from each other. These are films thatI got inspired by at different stages in mylife, and I made them. When I look back,you don’t know the stuff that I’m work-ing on right now, there is a Force feature

that I’m working on. Socio-political, per-sonal, those kinds of films and that’s whatis happening to me right now, I’m gettingattracted to those things and it maychange, it may not, I don’t know. I wasmaking Dus, I was making Cash, Ra.Oneand then Mulk. I don’t know if there’s anymore chapters to be opened or maybe I’mdone with all the sad stuff.�One thing that makes you uncom-fortable when you are on sets.

There are a few things. I don’t like toomany people, I don’t like the murmur. Alot of times you’ll find me screaming forsilence and I get very disturbed whensomebody doesn’t know what is happen-ing. If an actor doesn’t know his or her linesor hasn’t read the scenes before we start-ed setting it up. I get disturbed because Idon’t understand why people do it if theydon’t love it. So that is very unnerving forme. But most of the times it doesn’t hap-pen to me because we work with the sameteam mostly and the actors are myfavourite people on the sets.�Now that the film is premiering on ZeeCinema today at 9 pm, a message thatyou would like to give to the viewers?

I feel that the people who watch TVare not the ones who are active on socialmedia. They are mostly on OTT platformsor theatre. Not a message, but I’m hopingto hear from them. I don’t know how willthey do it, I could be terribly wrong, maybethey are on social media as well. Maybesome journalist should help me know that,I’ll be very grateful.

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�How did you come on board the project Wajah?Last year, around May-June, Just Music approached us with

this amazing song. We heard the song and decided that we (Smritiand I) had to do it. They liked our chemistry in our couple videosand the fun we portrayed. They wanted to recreate that in the video.We had wanted to shoot the video back then but we couldn’t dueto the rain. Then they decided to shoot in Armenia in November.�What were the challenges that came – grueling shoots and trav-el?

Shoots are always a challenge because we want to make it some-thing great, new and challenging. We want people to enjoy watch-ing us. As TV actors, it is very important for us to stand out. Thereare so many songs that come out. Yes, we went to a challengingplace to shoot it and it was done in a day. But it didn’t make a lotof difference to us as TV actors. We shot from 4 am till 12 at night.It was freezing cold in Armenia in November. The situationrequired us to be in freezing cold waters at times or run acrossthe city without all bundled up in warm clothes. My co-star in thesong Smriti (my wife) was pregnant. We had to make sure she wascomfortable at all times.�What made you say yes to the project?

When the makers approached us, we saw no reason to turnit down. The music is amazing, lyrics are great and it has been shotwell. We are happy that we are part of this song.�Was acting always on the cards?

No, acting was not always on the cards. When I finished col-lege, I was introduced to acting by a friend of mine. I started doinga couple of workshops on the side with work and realised that Ihad interest in it and acting became a part of my life.�Congratulations on being parents. How’s your daughter doing?

She is doing great. Being parents is such a great feeling. It isso much fun to watch her do all the antics. It is also great that weare getting to spend so much time with her. Otherwise as TV actors,it is not possible to be there all the time. We are making most ofthe time that we have been given.�What made you start creating prank couple videos?

The idea is to help couples rekindle the love and romancein their life that they have lost because they have got caught upwith their job and forgot how to connect with their spouse.Through our videos, we just let people know that one doesn’thave to do big things, small things matter too. The pranks thatSmriti and I play on each other are fun and it gives the otherperson time to come up with a better option and keeps thingsalive.�What has been the funniest and craziest video the two ofyou have created?

Smriti and I keep playing pranks on each other all the time.We of course choose the perfect time and setting. He placed ahand mirror in front of Smriti’s face who was sleeping and wokeher up. When she got up and saw herself, she let out a scream.To get back at me, she came up with a plan. She told me that Ihad to follow everything that she did and if I won, I could getwhatever I wanted. She drank some water and I did the same.She danced. I did the same and then she spat out the water inthe glass. I had drunk mine. I lost.�What next?

When it comes to acting, we are creating more couple com-edy shows. The show is based around all the comments that wehave received from our fans who want to add that zing and funto their romantic life. We are trying to create a comedy showaround such people.

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TalktimeANUBHAV SINHA

The man behind films like Dus, Article 15,Mulk and Thappad, Sinha is known for his

versatility. He tells Musba Hashmi his fondestmemory from the sets of Thappad, one thing

that makes him uncomfortable and whyhe chose to explore different genres

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COVID-19 has not just brought with ita health and social emergency, butalso a massive economic crisis to theworld. With thousands of people los-ing their jobs during the two-month-

long complete lockdown, India is likely seeingthe biggest recession since 1979. Rampant joblosses have gripped the economy, and the IT sec-tor has seen an immediate impact. Startups andmid-sized companies now have to make a toughchoice between business sustenance and theirworkforce. So, recruiters have held back onrolling out offers, and laid-off employees.

In this unprecedented scenario, job seekersare understandably devastated about their nextstep in an unstable market. Overall, this is agloomy time for job seekers and companies alike.Yet, great companies were born in times of reces-sions and slowdowns. So, there is certainly a rea-son to be optimistic! Certain sectors like health-care, ed-tech, and media and entertainment ser-vices have remained strong.

As we transition to a post-COVID era, we areseeing that large enterprises and MNCs arealready picking up on their recruitment effortsand are transitioning to remote hiring and videointerviews. The belief is that since business isslowing down globally, there is an opportunity toutilise their Global Capability Centers (GCCs) inIndia to be more efficient in the long-term.

���������������� With the supply of applicants higher than the

demand, job seekers must focus their efforts onstanding out from the pack. What this means forthem is that they need to invest more time onthemselves and hone their people and communi-cation skills in order to put their best foot for-ward in the interviews.

In our recent survey, we found that nearly67% of applicants want to be helped with mockinterviews, and a whopping 73% would like tofocus on the softer aspects like resume writing tomarket themselves and their capabilities better.While most schools and courses trainengineers to code and help them uptheir technical know-how, there seemsto a big gap in coaching them on howto present themselves in a way thathelps them get noticed in the firstplace and open doors to great oppor-tunities. Simple things like beingprompt and curious, how to dress for aninterview, how to engage with the recruiter,etc., have a great deal of impact on hiring deci-sions.

Companies that are ramping up their hiringefforts are migrating to virtual platforms toremotely interview, onboard, and engage withemployees. This online ecosystem not only elimi-

nates location restraints but provides the benefitsof speed and scale too. Since the pandemic, allpublic events like job fairs, conferences, and net-working events have been canceled. Someemployers are now relying on online events likehackathons to source the best candidates.

In the case of first-level filtering, bot-basedscreening is gaining popularity. Employers canfilter out candidates with a set of pre-definedquestions. This significantly reduces the time andeffort taken to manually check the basic require-ments. An uptick in the usage of online skill-based assessments and virtual whiteboard inter-views for technical roles also seen. Therefore, thefocus remains on educating enterprises regardingthe best practices for video interviewing andemphasising on seamlessly replicating their cur-rent processes while working remotely to ensurea better candidate and recruiting experience.

One thing that job-seekers must be mindfulof is that businesses have suffered too in thesetrying times, with some looking at a setback ofanywhere between 3-12 months. In this environ-ment, companies are slashing pays for seniormanagement while protecting their junioremployees. However, we do expect an overallmarket salary drop of 8-12%. This could possiblybe the normalisation of inflated salaries that wehave seen as a result of the startup bubble overrecent years.

������� ��� ��With the physical distancing norms, the

future of work will be a combination of WorkingFrom Home (WFH), in-office facilities at limitedcapacity, gig-workers, and Talent as a Service(TaaS) model.

Many IT companies in urban locations havetransitioned to a WFH model rather seamlesslyfocusing on business continuity without affect-ing their productivity and output. With a suc-cessful trial period, many industry leaders haverecognised that home is a viable option and pro-

vides some productivity benefits. We thinkcompanies will post-evaluate the cost-

efficiency, productivity, and practicalityof office versus WFH and implement

new structures accordingly. A hybridmodel is what seems to be the mostexpected.

Certain sectors, like manufactur-ing, F&B, hospitality, and retail, require

physical presences and there is not muchroom for adjustment. Whereas in tech, the

question looms now more than ever onwhether an office is required at all. Nothing can

replicate physical collaboration especially wheninnovating but the show must go on and we mustadapt. In such cases, companies are also testing a33% model, where only one-third of the work-

force will be expected to work physically fromthe office.

Companies are also likely to leverage the gigeconomy in the coming months due to anincreased acceptance of working with peersremotely. Companies can now bring inresources who are experts in their tasks on pro-ject-basis. This will allow them to get work donefaster, better, and cheaper than hiring a full-timeresource. We found that, given the right oppor-tunity, nearly 55% of software engineers in Indiawould consider becoming a freelance developeror consultant.

Another emerging trend among businessesthat are stretched for resources isTaaS. After Software as a Serviceand Platform as a service, TaaS isthe latest disruption in the recruit-ment world. Just like cloud-basedsolutions changed the way enterprisesused software, the ‘talent cloud’ infra-structure looks at transforming the waytop enterprises think about scaling their teams.TaaS is a highly cost-effective and resource-richsubstitute for internal recruitment efforts. Themodel offers a higher velocity of work with tal-ent-on-demand — available anytime with multi-ple engagement models including full-time,remote, and project-based. TaaS isn’t a new phe-nomenon per se, as many seasonal businesseshave been functioning using this model foryears. However, sustaining and growing a full-time business in an uncertain economy in thepost COVID19 era is adding a lot of pressure onmid-large sized companies, who are nowembracing the contingent workforce strategy.

These new working models not only provideflexibility and a larger pool of opportunities forjob-seekers and gig-workers; it is also a big leaptowards a more accessible and inclusive work-place. Remote working is no longer a lifestylechoice. It is opening doors for candidates to anarray of jobs that weren’t available to them beforedue to geographical limitations and even makejobs accessible to candidates with special needsor chronic illnesses.

� �������������� ���������������But even as we usher in a new era for

work, we must be cognizant of the opposingeffect of a perpetual WFH mode — blurring ofwork time and space. The reduced physicalboundaries between the two otherwise sepa-rate settings could make it difficult for someto unplug, thereby impacting ‘life-work’ bal-ance and family dynamics. It can also bedemanding for high-pressure roles, sometimespressuring people to be ‘on’ for longer hours,thereby leading to higher levels of stress andeventual burnout.

It could potentially also take away the focusyou are expected to give to work. There are cer-tainly a lot of distractions at the office, but itcould be a lot worse when working from home.Especially when you are not a self-starter. Stayingmotivated and focused on work while catering tothe demands of the family calls for extra effort.

Women are especially concerned with work-ing from home set-up because of the extension ofgender norms, attributing care roles to them inthe domestic spheres. Women are often responsi-ble for housework and childcare and are morelikely than men to spend time on chores. Amidstthe lockdown, many women have quit jobs or

have taken sabbaticals in order to meet thedemands of their families and home-school-ing requirements for their children. Parentsare now managing round-the-clock childcarewhile trying to meet work-related deadlines.

It is an unfair truth that event today, womenwith caregiving roles are viewed as less commit-

ted to work. It is up to employers to pay extramind to the motherhood responsibilities at play.

Long-term flexible working hours can relievework-to-family conflict, giving women morecontrol over their schedules. This trend has beenpicking up in Nordic countries in the past fewyears with 90% of employees benefiting fromflexible work schedules. Employees can tap intotheir most productive and creative hours whilealso ensuring they can step away from work toprioritise persona tasks.

Today, focusing on increasing the number ofwomen-hires has been a priority for many com-panies who have started to think about diversityas a big part of their talent strategy. Increasedflexibility in WFH roles is giving them an oppor-tunity to encourage more women-candidates toapply for these roles. Owing to this, we have seena 40% increase in female applicants.

Other challenges like lack of real-time collab-oration, lower levels of motivation and produc-tivity among teams, personal distractions, depar-ture of social elements we associate with corpo-rate lives, and even finding a reliable wifi needsome serious consideration. But challenges donehave to be a ‘bad’ thing. It’s only a matter of timebefore we think up solutions. After all, necessityis the mother of inventions!

There’s no doubt that remote work is on therise. And these emerging working models arenot just helpful for the employees, but also ben-efit employers who are looking to hire andretain the best talent. So, essentially what startedoff as a stop-gap solution to a crisis, is now asine qua non.

The writer is the co-founder of Talent500 byANSR, a talent acquisition enterprise for Fortune

500 companies and founder of Byond Travel

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So how are you holding up duringthe pandemic? A tough questionto treat, these really are tryingtimes for people trying to staysane and functional during this

period. As a book lover, I spent this peri-od catching up on my reading. Sharingmy impressions of the top four from myreading list:

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An inherently sad book whichdespite its grim undertone is acci-dentally inspiring. It’s an emotion-

al investment worth making. At the age of thirty six, Paul

Kalanithi, a doctor nearing the comple-tion of his training as a neurosurgeon isdiagnosed with stage four lung cancer.He goes from being a healthy individualwith limitless potential ahead of him to avery sick man with an uncertain future.After the grim diagnosis, Paul strugglesto answer the philosophical questionsthat plague him.

“The tricky part of illness is that, asyou go through it, your values are con-stantly changing. You decide you want tospend your time working as a neurosur-geon, but two months later you may feeldifferently. Death may be a one time

event, but living with a terminal illness isa process.” Paul never claims to have theanswers, but he perseveres and fights tolive.

The book will give you tremendousinsights about how to live a rewardinglife in the looming presence of death.When breath becomes air is his memoirfor his daughter who was eight monthsold when he passed away.

One of my favourite moments in thebook is when Paul is lying on a bed inthe same hospital room where his wife isgiving birth to their daughter, Cady.Cradling his child for the first time, hewrites, “The possibilities of life emanatedbefore us.”

The book opens with a heartfelt reve-lation and it promises to be nothing lessthan an absolute page turner.

“I flipped through the CT scanimages, the diagnosis obvious: the lungswere matted with innumerable tumors,the spine deformed, a full lobe of the liverobliterated. Cancer, widely disseminated.I was a neurosurgical resident enteringmy final year of training. Over the lastsix years, I’d examined scores of suchscans, on the off chance that some proce-dure might benefit the patient. But thisscan was different: it was my own.” —Paul Kalanithi

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Fredrik Backman is a Swedish writerwho, after dropping out of college,worked as a freelancer until only a

few years ago. His co-worker told him astory about an old man whose impoliteoutburst was calmed by his wife.Backman’s own wife told him he was likethat: often difficult in social situations.Backman saw the potential for a storyabout a similar old man. A man hedecides to call Ove.

Ove is a fifty nine year old recentwidower who lashes out at his neigh-bours (and anybody else) when they vio-late his very uncompromising perceptionof how things ought to be. A few monthsafter his wife passes away, he decides tokill himself, making careful preparations.But his neighbours, who vary from

eccentric to entertainingly bothersome,continue to interrupt his efforts. He ulti-mately strikes up an unlikely andunwanted friendship with an Iranianfamily living next door, and slowlybegins to change his mind about a num-ber of things.

Backman shows how easy it is tobecome isolated and bitter in this mod-ern world, but also how easily we can beled back to a brighter, more connectedworld through simple human contactand affection.

The book has already been adaptedinto a film in Sweden, which was alsonominated for an Oscar. Definitely readthe book before Hollywood decides tomake a film out of this which I’m verysure they will.

This heart warming book is aboutthe transformations we go through in lifeand how different events within our lifeaffect, shape and make us who we aretoday. This book is all heart, go read it,you won’t regret it.

“Loving someone is like moving into ahouse,’ Sonja used to say. ‘At first you fallin love with all the new things, amazedevery morning that all this belongs to you,as if fearing that someone would suddenlycome rushing in through the door toexplain that a terrible mistake had beenmade, you weren’t actually supposed to

live in a wonderful place like this. Thenover the years the walls become weathered,the wood splinters here and there, and youstart to love that house not so muchbecause of all its perfection, but rather forits imperfections. You get to know all thenooks and crannies. How to avoid gettingthe key caught in the lock when it’s coldoutside. Which of the floorboards flexslightly when one steps on them or exactlyhow to open the wardrobe doors withoutthem creaking. These are the little secretsthat make it your home.” — FredrikBackman

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Atruly timely and important bookthat everyone living on this ner-vous planet should read. Haig’s

honest and personal experiences shinethrough on every page and his writing islike a cup of tea and a warm blanketmaking you feel that no matter howcrazy the world can get everything isgoing to be ok.

This book also addresses depression,panic attacks and how to deal with them.Or at least get better at it.

“Its all right that the world is crazy, aslong as I make my little corner of the

world sane.” Diane Lockhart from TheGood Fight.

The above quote perfectly summaris-es this book. This is the sort of book thatyou can finish in one sitting or slowlydevour it and learn a life lesson fromevery chapter.

There is no better time to dive intothis book than right now.

The author shares his observationsabout today’s “nervous planet” we liveon, overloaded with technology andsocial media connecting people all overthe world, yet leaving them feeling alone.This book is even more relevant todaybecause of everything that the world isgoing through.

The first half of the book is light,witty with loads of insight into tech, con-sumerism and media. But it’s the secondhalf where things picked up for me. Hegets down to issues and talks about waysof dealing with all the chaos that sur-rounds us. How distracting and numbingourselves is the real enemy and how justbeing more aware can make the worldand us just a tad less nervous.

“One frustration with anxiety is thatit is often hard to find a reason behind it.There may be no visible threat and yet youcan feel utterly terrorized.” — Matt Haig.You can also follow the author onInstagram for some daily affirmations.

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This is a love story rooted more inthe pulp-romance genre than rock-and-roll. Given the music indus-

try’s notorious sexism, Taylor Reiddeserves credit for creating female char-acters who are more self-aware anddetermined than the foolish men aroundthem. It’s an incredible story of a bandthat wanted to change the world, so theydid. It’s one of those books where youcheck if the band was real, if the peoplewhich are in the book truly existed. It’sall very real. It’s hard to believe it’s not abiography.

One of the things I enjoyed the mostabout the book is the format in which ithas been presented to us.

The book is a series of interview

extracts and because of that we have veryintriguing multiple point of views. A lotis left to the reader to decipher the situa-tion being presented.

Set in one of the greatest eras of rock& roll, this story had everything youwould want: drugs, sex, ambition, egoand talent. Although the story itself isgreat, the way the author chose to tell thestory — as an oral history — is how thisnovel had me hooked. By letting thecharacters tell the story themselves, Reidbuilt incredible depth to these characters.

The book has many fantastic songs,which we can only read as poetry. Butthe good news is that Reese Witherspoonhas bought the rights to the book and isturning it into a mini series, whichmeans the songs will come to life. Here’shoping that Lady Gaga sings them.

My favourite quote from the book:“I had absolutely no interest in being

somebody else’s muse.I am not a muse.I am the somebody.End of fucking story.” — Taylor Jenkins Reid

The writer is a bibliophile and com-munications professional based in

Singapore

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Heard this story from Santokh Kanwar.Parental home Borunda. Caste Charan.She heard this story in her marital home,Devariya, from a barber’s wife. Twentyfour years old. — Bijji

At the hour of death, the par-ents impressed upon theirseven sons many a time tokeep their only sister well, totake good care of her and not

to let her suffer in any way. To find her agood match. Give her a good dowry. Ifshe suffered after they went, even afterdying they would not attain moksa.However, the son’s wives were absolutelyhorrid. If they had their way, the sisterwould suffer for sure.

The brothers reluctantly agreed totheir parents’ wishes, but the old couplecould not trust them much. Their livesleft their bodies with great difficulty.

And with the death of the parents,the wives lost whatever shame they hadleft. They would make their nanad toil allday. They would curse and abuse her.The nanad would go behind the houseand sob to lighten her heart. Every day,the wives would mutter and curse thatthe man who married the girl wouldsurely have rotten karma; so useless shewas! However, the nanad was actuallyquite deft and thoughtful. Beautiful too.If her sisters-in-law didn’t see this, whatwas she to do! It was the colourful festi-val of the Teej of Saavan, to welcome themonsoon. On every tree, swings werehung. In every lane, groups of girls,decked out in their finery and singaar,appeared. But that poor girl, the sister toseven brothers, stood crying behind herhouse in filthy clothes. With whom couldshe share her pain!

When the youngest brother saw hissister sobbing, his heart melted. In all theother homes, today was the day whensisters would deck out in their best. Thebrother slowly approached his sister andasked her the reason of her misery.However, she kept silent.

Though the youngest brother wasscared of his wife, he still had somerespect and love for his sister. With sometrouble, he had found a prospect for hissister and had fixed up the engagement.

She was to be married on the fifth day ofSaavan — just two days hence! The sisterwould go away to her husband’s home.Ram knows when she would return!

When the brother kept asking ques-tions, the sister finally revealed to herbrother her pain: she too wanted to weara beautiful new ghaghra and chunari andgo play and celebrate on the swings. Thebrother went to all his sisters-in-law toask them to lend their fine clothes, butnone of them agreed. He finally went tohis own wife. She agreed but on one con-dition: if her silken chunari or ghaghrawere spoiled, she would dye them againin his sister’s blood! The brother thoughtwhat damage could come in just one day.Even then he asked his sister to beextremely careful and handed her thenew clothes. And got bound by thepromise he made to his wife.

The sister’s luck was so bad that asshe swung on the swings, it suddenlybegan to pour so heavily that despite herbeing most careful, the silken clothes gotdrenched. Fully soaked! The colour ofthe chunari began to run. In great fearshe went home. As soon as her brother’swife saw the state of the clothes, sheflared up and hissed like a black snake!Went and lay down. The husband tried

to calm her, but she just would not listen.‘Being a man, you go back on yourwords,’ she taunted. ‘Either spit 7 timesand lick it up or fulfil your promise.’

One can live without a sister, buthow can one live without a wife! Till hissister was killed and the chunari was notdyed in her blood, the brother’s wifevowed that she would partake neithergrain nor water. Fast unto death! Thebrother said that the day after tomorrowthe groom would arrive with the wed-ding procession. Who all would he giveanswers to? To which the wife replied, ‘Ifa witch runs away before her wedding,what can her brothers possibly do? Not asoul would get to know what happened.’

Helpless, the brother had to agree. Atmidnight, as the girl lay sleeping, the twocut her head off. After dyeing the chunariin her blood, the wife broke her fast andgorged on choorma to her heart’s con-tent! The brother took his sister’s bodytwo miles away, dug a deep pit andburied it. With an hour of the night left,he came back and quietly went to sleep.

Where the sister was buried, therebegan to grow a tall and slender kelu tree,which swayed gently in the breeze. Asfate would have it, the girl’s jaan proces-sion came down that same road.

Suddenly, the groom’s father saw the tall,slender tree swaying in the breeze. Hethought how great it would be to tie thetoran at the bride’s home! He asked thebarber in the procession to go and cutthe tree and get it. But what a matter ofsurprise it was that when the barber bentdown to cut the tree and a voice from theground was heard: ‘Barberji, O Barberji,don’t cut this kelu tree. Sinner is the broth-er, sinner his wife. Dyed the chunari withthe sister’s life!’

The barber fled in fright. Panting, hereturned and narrated the tale. Thegroom’s father said that surely he musthave imagined it. He then ordered thedholi to cut the tree. The dholi hurriedand bent to cut the tree, when, just asbefore, he heard: ‘Dholiji, O Dholiji, don’tcut this kelu tree. Sinner is the brother, sin-ner his wife. Dyed the chunari with thesister’s life!’

The dholi also fled in fright. Thenthe groom’s younger brother gatheredcourage and came. He too was just aboutto cut the tree, when he heard a voice:‘Devarji, O Devarji, don’t cut this kelutree. Sinner is the brother, sinner his wife.Dyed the chunari with the sister’s life!’

And the younger brother fled infright. The groom’s elder brother mocked

all of them and said, ‘Go and die in apuddle of water. A five-year-old kid isn’tas scared as you all are.’ Muttering, heheaded to the tree. He was just about tocut the tree, when he heard: ‘Jethji, OJethji, don’t cut this kelu tree. Sinner is thebrother, sinner his wife. Dyed the chunariwith the sister’s life!’

The older brother also took to hisheels. Told his father everything. Thefather got quite annoyed. He said, ‘Youall are just wasting time. Can’t cut a littletree, how will you even sire children?’

He walked towards the tree. He heldit with his right hand and was just aboutto cut it with his axe, when he heard avoice from the roots: ‘Susraji,1 O Susraji,don’t cut this kelu tree. Sinner is the broth-er, sinner his wife. Dyed the chunari withthe sister’s life!’ The father of the groomwas scared. But he thought maybe hewas imagining things, so he once againgot ready to use his axe. Again the samevoice called out to him, and this timeeven he fled! ‘Brothers, it was true! Neverseen such a thing, never heard such athing!’ he huffed.

This time, the groom went himself.As soon as he held the tree, he heard:‘Husbandji, O Husbandji, you may cutthis kelu tree. Sinner is the brother, sinnerhis wife. Dyed the chunari with the sister’slife!’ The soft stem got hacked in oneblow of the axe. But yet another won-drous thing happened — as soon as thetree was chopped off, the earth miracu-lously parted and from it emerged abeautiful woman, her face veiled!

Then she kept no secrets from herhusband. Told him all that had befallenher. Hearing everything, the weddingprocession did not even go to the village.They took their wedding feras aroundthe stump of the kelu tree instead of theholy fire! And the jaan took the beendniand returned from there itself...!

The sister of seven brothers had awonderful life in her marital home.Bathed in milk and gave birth to healthychildren! And as for those seven brothersand their wives, they got struck by theplague. Such a death!

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China is on the full course ofaggression. It is an old

habit for the Middle Kingdom.However, it does it in the guiseof “Peaceful rise”, and “ChinaDream”.

The latest episode ofChinese brutality across theLine of Actual Control (LAC)in Eastern Ladakh simplydemonstrates the fact that theXi Jinping regime has becomedesperate to grab more andmore territories. Xi is a mega-lomaniac. He wants to bee v e r y t h i n g — P r e s i d e n t ,Chairman of the CentralMilitary Commission and thehead of the ChineseCommunist Party (CPC).Unfortunately, the Chineseparliament i.e. National People’sCongress (NPC) passed muchtalked about legislations toremove the two terms limitimposed on Presidents sincethe 1990s.

Therefore, this allows Xi toremain in power for ever andhe does not need to retire in2023. Thus his power grab hasbeen so complete that the CPCvoted to enshrine his name andpolitical ideology in theConstitution of the country.This truly elevates his status towhat had been enjoyed byChairman Mao Zedong from1949 to his death till 1976.

These all instances are verycritical for the internationalcommunity as they altogetherhave granted Xi freedom forunilateral actions with impuni-ty. This is a unique diversion inChinese political order fromwhat had been known as the“collective style of leadership”that existed till 2012. The lat-est example is the currentCovid-19 pandemic that hasengulfed the world sinceDecember. In fact, China hastaken full advantage of thecrisis to extend its control overmore Indian territories on thisfront of the LAC. Despite hav-ing all the existing diplomaticand military understanding sofar, the People’s LiberationArmy (PLA) has come acrossthe LAC in Eastern Ladakh.

However, Delhi may repeatthe same mistakes Nehru didif it trusts the Chinese. Startingfrom 1947, both the politiciansand policy makers sitting inDelhi had the impression thatthe top national security threatwill always come fromPakistan. Hence the forceswere always geared to prepareand take on challenges emerg-

ing from the Indo-Pak border.It is to be noted that even ourfirst Prime Minister JawaharlalNehru and Defence MinisterVK Krishna Menon thoughtthat China could never pose athreat to India. Thus Menonwanted our full defence forcesto be always alert on the Indo-Pak border front only, not onthe border with China, or inany point on the McMahonLine. Further, Nehru empha-sised on his friendly relation-ship with Chinese PremierZhou En-lai just before theIndo-China War in 1962. Thusthe misjudgement and com-placency that the early leader-ship developed towards Chinahad cost us dearly in 1962.After the war in 1962, Nehruhimself acknowledged inParliament that our defencepreparations on the easternfront were much weaker thanwhat we had in the westernborder. Looking at the currentLAC stand-off, it seems Indiahas not learnt lessons from itspast mistakes and misjudge-ments of weak presence on the

eastern border.Chief of the Army Staff

General Manoj MukundNaravane recently expressedhis concern in Delhi overIndia’s readiness to counterchallenges emerging from twofronts — China and Pakistan.It is absolutely true that Indiahas to deal with two prominentgeopolitical rivals for now,apart from other small irritants,like Nepal, now raising theirugly heads. So, why to wait andwatch? It’s an urgent momentfor the nation to see things andreassess its strategic visiontowards the threat comingfrom Beijing.

The very nebulous natureof the border between Indiaand China should have cau-tioned us much before. It ismore than 4,000 km borderthat we share with China start-ing from Ladakh to ArunachalPradesh. And since 1962,incursions have been takingplace all along this border irre-spective of whichever party wasin power. In 1975, during thetime of Indira Gandhi, there

had been an apprehension thatChina might come up to aidPakistan to settle the distur-bances in East Pakistan.Fearing that Indira had imme-diately signed the Treaty ofPeace, Friendship andCooperation with the USSR toassure help from Moscow. Inreality China did not move inthat direction. In 1988, formerPrime Minister Rajiv Gandhilanded in Beijing for a muchbetter understanding and thento settle the border disputes,but hardly that could bear anysignificant fruit.

Of course, we have mutu-al understanding and a relativecalm along the border for sometime, but the Chinese has start-ed developing massive infra-structure facilities all alongthe border with India.Miserably, India could notmatch the pace and be ready tofight infrastructure facilitiesin comparison to its counter-part. However, since 1962, andparticularly after the 1990s,successive Governments havespent large amounts in enhanc-

ing our defence portfoliobacked by superior informationand technology. It must besaid here that with the openingof our economy, what has fol-lowed is our desire to be therein the club of elite powers in theworld. And this has definitelymoved us on a fast-trackgrowth, making us being heardacross the world. After the fallof the USSR in the 1990s andthe end of the Cold War, theglobal power calculus haschanged.

And India had to come outof the closet of the Non-Aligned Movement (NAM)and had to look for a possiblerapprochement with the US.However, it took time for Delhito come out of the Nehruviandogma for quite A long time.During all these years, Beijinggrew bigger and has made itspresence felt all across theworld. The West has failed toread the Communists in Chinabecause the successive leadersin Beijing in the post-liberali-sation phase have been able toadjust the market economy to

that of their socialist ethos. Sothe western assessment offalling of the Communists andChina opening up to the demo-cratic front had all fallen flat.

In fact, the US and the restof its Western allies have indi-rectly helped China to becomea global power. And alongwith these powers, today Indiais paying the price of having anever emerging power on itseastern front. So we have todeal with Beijing and particu-larly the Xi’s imperial designs.

After 1962, Chinese incur-sions have taken place in 1967,2013, 2014, 2017 and in thisyear itself. And every time, thePLA has been successful inforcing into our sovereign ter-ritories all along. The reasonbehind for such regular incur-sions is that this entire set offrontier is not settled in mostof the places. After 2013 and2014 incursions, the status quoante was restored with muchdifficulty, both through diplo-matic and military parleys.

For now, what the PLA hasdone in Eastern Ladakh, par-

ticularly in Galwan Valley isunimaginable. Such actions onthe part of the ChineseGovernments violate thesigned agreements of 1993,1996, 2005, etc, for maintain-ing peace and tranquility on theLAC and on the McMahonLine. Further these violentovertures put our 45 years ofbilateral understanding to ahalt. The current land grabspree by the Xi regime has con-tradicted the agreementsreached between both thecountries in Wuhan andChennai summits in 2018 andin 2019 respectively.

Certainly, today’s Indiaunder the Narendra ModiGovernment is not that weakIndia of 1962. Our forces arewell equipped. We are global-ly better placed. With ouradvancement in science andtechnology, especially in thefield of information, commu-nication and space research, weare a power of global reckon-ing. Our statecraft and diplo-macy can easily mould globalpublic opinion and make usheard around the globe. Muchmore than what draws homeour strength is we have a largemass fully aware about China’snasty game plans.

Can we trust China any-more? What to do next? Howcan India make sure that thePLA does not grab our landanymore? Surely we can’t trustXi and his team. For now, weneed to look for peaceful solu-tions. When both the sides arenegotiating for disengagementat the current situation, evensatellite imagery shows that thePLA is once again building upstructures on the point whereour 20 soldiers and an officerwere martyred. So, we need tomake our preparations for anyeventuality and which we cando much better now thanbefore. We cannot be compla-cent anymore and retain ourpositions all along the LAC. Itis not a time for blaming theGovernment. It is time forshowing our total strength.We should not waste our timefor political blame game. Letour forces stand up to any mis-adventure that comes from theother side of the LAC.Meanwhile, our diplomaticefforts and military prepared-ness must go on an equal foot-ing.

(The writer is an expert oninternational affairs)

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Current education system inIndia is neither creating

enough 21st Century globalskills in students to meet theindustry requirement nortraining them in life skills.Employers have to reskill andupskill even the best degreeholders to make them relevantfor today’s job requirement.This implies that we need to re-invent ourselves to make ourstudents capable of handlinguncertain future in store forthem.

Alongside employment,the purpose of education,according to SwamiVivekananda, is man-making,life-giving, character-building,and assimilation of noble ideas.Dr APJ Abdul Kalam opinedthat the main aims of educationare to build character and tocultivate human values in stu-dents, to develop a scientificattitude with a spiritual foun-dation, to build confidence toface uncertain future, and todevelop a sense of dignity,self-respect, and self-reliance.How do we, the teachers, learnto teach in this scenario?

The Gurukul systemprevalent in ancient India canhelp us in fulfilling the dualobjectives of education.Gurukul was the residentialcentre of learning originated5000 BC in the Indian sub-continent. Gurukul was sup-ported by public donations;therefore, it had the freedom todecide the subjects to be taught,

design its own curricula, ped-agogy, and methods of evalu-ation. Bloom’s Taxonomy(remembering, understanding,applying, analysing, evaluatingand creating) has similaritywith the six levels of learningprevalent in Gurukul —abhyas, practice or the recita-tion of the text taught, under-standing of the meaning, phala,comprehension of results; ari-havada, the study of explana-tory texts and upapatti, attain-ment of conclusions.

Gurukul believed in a par-adigm that nothing can betaught. Gurus were facilitatorsand guides and did not actual-ly train the shishya’s mind, butonly showed them how to per-fect their instruments of learn-ing. Thus, Gurukul was suc-cessful in developing self-con-fidence, discipline, and control;character formation; socialawareness; personality, intel-lectual, spiritual and emotion-al development; critical think-ing and preservation of knowl-edge and culture. So, how canwe integrate this Bhartiyavision and system of teachingand teachers in our present sys-tem to make it relevant in the21st century? Gurukul systemmay become robust if we re-align it with the present-dayneeds using ICT tools.

SO WHAT SHOULD WE DOCovid-19 has forced us to

embrace online pedagogy.Since we are not prepared to

completely embrace it all of asudden for the want of skillsand resources, blended peda-gogy can yield intended results.Teachers need to optimallyuse ICT tools in imparting edu-cation. Why students todaylearn more from the internetthan the classrooms is that theformer is more engaging andprovides unlimited time andspace for learning. Today’s stu-dents have an addiction toscreen learning in audio-visu-al mode. How can we replicatethis in the classroom environ-ment? We need to encourage

them to join global communi-ties on social media and otherengaging platforms.

The current buzzword is“experiential learning”. Weshould have blended curricu-la encompassing theory, tuto-rials, practical, disserta-tions/projects, excursions, fieldstudy, internships, etc, andmake students to experiencethese to enrich their learningdomains. We should cite exam-ples from national, regional,and local perspectives; narratesuccess stories of our nationalheroes; and also from nature,

to explain the concepts to cap-ture the imagination andthought process of the learners.

Young brains need stimu-lating experiences to retainconcepts for long memory. A21st-century teacher shouldgo even beyond this to makesure that students, alongsidelearning, are also analysing,applying, and finally inter-preting it to create a newknowledge base for the good ofthe nation. Learning outcome-based Curriculum Frameworkof UGC becomes relevant inthis context.

Students should beexposed to the trans-discipli-nary discourse of learning tofind solutions to the issues ofnational significance. As such,21st-century teachers need tobe life-long learners (yavad-jeevait adhiyate viprah = TheWise Pursue LearningThroughout Life) by becomingco-learners to students. It ispossible that what we learntoday may become irrelevanttomorrow. Therefore, weshould believe in the paradigmof learning, unlearning, andrelearning. This enables us tobe relevant as teachers forever.The 21st-century teachershould be able to create oppor-tunities for students to takepride in their learning. Sincepeer learning and sharingexperiences are the norms ofthe day, students should beencouraged to share their workwith their peers and take pride.We ought to provide a co-oper-ative learning environment forstudents. We can teach them tocreate blogs, post opinions,and make audio-visuals on avariety of topics. We shouldalso encourage them to earnthrough skill developmentactivities alongside learningi.e. earn while you learn. Reallearning takes place only whenthe focus is on practical andapplied knowledge and in cre-ating awareness in social, emo-tional, moral, ethical, spiritual,and creative aspects of life.There lies the importance of a

real teacher able to createcuriosity in learners and maketheir life purposeful. Four pil-lars of education, namely,learning to know, learning todo, learning to be, and learn-ing to live together shouldalways remain engraved in thethought process of teachersand taught.

To conclude, a 21st centu-ry teacher should become anawakened global leader toencourage and inspire studentsto become inquisitive. In thefuture, success will not dependon a degree, but on the abilityto learn, interpret, apply, andinnovate. A real 21st-centuryteacher is the one who can trainstudents to use and interpretinformation effectively toderive benefit for the societyand the nation. Teachersshould update themselvesannually to present to the stu-dents their new versions. In thisway, we can help Bharat tobecome atma nirbhar. Weshould believe in our ancientdoctrine of learning i.e. “Mayauspicious thoughts come to usfrom all over the world” tomake our ancient wisdom “OmSarve Bhavantu Sukhinah,Sarve Santu Niraamayaah” tobecome true.

(The writer is ViceChancellor, Doctor Hari SinghGour Vishwavidyalaya, aCentral University, Sagar. Viewsexpressed here are his own, notof the university)

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On the day of eclipse, last sunday,from early morning, I was flood-ed with calls from all those seek-

ing to learn how to mitigate its curse.They wanted to know: Is it necessary toobserve fast during the eclipse time?Why no cooked food should be kept inhouse during eclipse? A detailed list offood grains identified with each zodiacsign (Moon sign of an individual) thatshould be offered to pundits to ward offevil influence of eclipse is in wide circu-lation on social media platform. What isits relevance? Is eclipse necessarily acurse? Why are doors of temple closedduring eclipse? The eclipse is over butfor future reference, the readers need tobe made aware of truth.

First, let me reiterate that eclipses areusual astronomical phenomenon thattake place at periodic intervals. Theseare a part of nature’s process of periodi-cal realignment of the energy orchestraof the cosmos, vital to run the life cycle.It would, therefore, be unfair to termthis usual cosmic phenomenon as acurse that would call for its mitigation.To understand what an eclipse means inreal terms, it is desirable to first under-stand what Rahu and Ketu mean in real

terms. Two imaginary points where theelliptical paths respectively traversed bythe Sun and Moon, cross each other, aremarked as Rahu and Ketu, also knownas nodal points. Whenever a New Moonhappens close to the nodal point, Moonintercepts Solar radiation from reachingthe earth. This phenomenon is termedas Solar eclipses.

For a moment, let us assume thatsolar eclipse could bring about someunseemly effect in nation’s and individ-ual run of life in the emerging times.The question now is: Is it possible toreach out the two imaginary celestialpoints to appease them? Second, canthese imaginary points selectivelyrespond to offerings of different coloursof food grains identified with specificzodiac signs made to pundits, andrelieve us of our suffering? It is simplydifficult to digest, no matter how muchassumed Puranic stories try to justify.

Now, let us understand, what hap-pens during Solar Eclipse. BecauseMoon stands in way of solar radiationreaching out the earth during eclipse,the amount of infrared ordinarily avail-able gets significantly reduced. Here, it ispertinent to note that it is the infrared

available with solar radiation whichkeeps bacterial growth in check. Andcooked food or cut fruits remain vulner-able to quick bacterial growth. In oldendays proper facility for preservation offood was not available. Nor was suchheating mechanism in place that couldbe effortlessly ignited to warm up thefood just before you eat. Accordingly, inorder to ensure intake of healthy food,the elders improvised a method to avoidsuch food as would be susceptible tobacterial invasion. In today’s time, weare equipped with proper preservationfacility. Also, we have user friendly heat-ing devices that could be effortlesslyused to warm up our food as and whenwe need. So, the age old practices of fast-ing and not to have in store cooked foodor cut fruits during eclipse are no longerrelevant as of now.

Now coming down to the closure oftemple doors during eclipse time, itagain appears to be an unmindful exer-cise by the self-acclaimed custodians ofour belief system. Temples are supposedto be the place of abode of deities, sym-bolising divine bodies, supposedlyengaged in discharging different heaven-ly duties vital to our existence. Is ithumanly possible to ever put the system

driving the universe individually andcollectively to a state of rest? Don’t youthink that if it were possible, the systemas such will collapse? How long shall weallow the ignorant to drive us crazy withsuch ill-conceived blind beliefs?

It is high time that we show doors tothe charlatans known to instil a sense ofunnecessary assumed fear in gulliblepeople’s minds to serve their vestedinterest. In so far as the possible good orbad implication of eclipse is concerned,it has already been detailed in the previ-ous issue.

But having said that, let me make itclear that if we are aware, we can prepareourselves to intelligently negotiate withthe challenges coming our way. We can’tstop cyclones, pandemics, earthquakesand societal churning from coming. But,through human efforts, we can certainlyminimise the damage, as we have beensuccessfully doing during such eventual-ities. The so called belief driven remedialmeasures would do no good.

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