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ACommanding Officer
(CO) of the Indian Army's
elite Counter-insurgency force,
21 Rashtriya Rifles (RR), was
martyred in action, along with
four other security personnel,
including a Major and Sub
Inspector of Jammu Kashmir
Police, in Handwara town of
North Kashmir’s Kupwara dis-
trict late on Saturday night.
They came under heavy
fire while attempting to evac-
uate civilians amid fierce gun-
fight with a group of Pakistani
terrorists. In the night-long
operation, two terrorists,
including a Lashkar-e- Tayyeba
(LeT) commander Haider from
Pakistan, were killed while try-
ing to escape the tight cordon
near the encounter site.
At least, two to three ter-
rorists are believed to have
escaped taking advantage of the
adverse weather conditions
prevailing in the area. On
ground zero, the security forces
were still carrying out search-
es in the area to track down the
footprints of terrorists.
The commanding officer,
who attained martyrdom in the
line of duty, was identified as
Colonel Ashutosh Sharma
from Uttar Pradesh.
He had been decorated
twice for bravery and had been
part of several successful
counter-terrorism operations in
the past.
In a span of less than one
month, the Indian Army has
suffered huge losses while con-
ducting counter terrorist oper-
ations in Kupwara district alone.
On April 5, the Indian
Army had lost five soldiers,
including three elite para com-
mandos in a hand-to-hand
combat with infiltrating ter-
rorists in Keran sector of
Kupwara. Remembering her
husband, Pallavi Ashutosh told
a TV news channel, “I am
proud of his supreme sacrifice
in the line of duty.
The loss is unbearable and
irreparable but I’m proud of
what he did for his nation, for
his unit, for his men and for the
safety of civilians. I have no
regrets.”
He had told me he will
come home the next day after
eliminating the terrorists. “He
will be home tomorrow with us,
wrapped in a tricolour,” she said.
Another Army officer, who
attained martyrdom, was iden-
tified as Major Anuj Sood
from Himanchal Pradesh. His
father, Retd Brig Chandrakant
Sood while paying tributes to
his son said, “He has made a
supreme sacrifice. It was part of
his duty and what he was
trained for.
I feel sad for his wife as
they just got married 3-4
months back. He was meant to
save lives.”
According to ground
reports, the joint teams of the
security forces were chasing a
group of 4-5 terrorists in
Rajwara forest area since May
1. On May 2 when security
forces received credible inputs
about the presence of terrorists
in Chanjmulla area of
Handwara, they launched an
operation to free civilians from
the custody of holed up ter-
rorists.
A0:4B7:B8=67Q =4F34;78
Hit hard by coronavirus,
the CRPF shut its head-
quarters here after an Assistant
Commandant attached with a
senior officer as private secre-
tary tested positive even as 26
BSF men were also found
infected on Sunday.
The entire building at the
CGO Complex here will be dis-
infected and offices will remain
closed till Tuesday morning.
The infected officer’s fam-
ily is being tested. Forty men
traced to be in his contact have
been quarantined.
“As one corona positive
case has been detected in the
Directorate, the entire building
of the Directorate General will
be subjected to disinfection by
the Government notified
agency, keeping in view with
protocols and directions of
MOHFW. Accordingly, the
Directorate General, CRPF
office will remain closed till
Tuesday morning (May 5,
2020).
Hence all officers and
men working in Directorate
General, CRPF are requested
not to come to office and work
from home till then. They
should remain available to
their seniors on phone to
respond to necessary emer-
gencies,” said an order of the
CRPF headquarters on Sunday.
?=BQ =4F34;78
With several States like
Punjab, Bihar, Haryana,
Jammu Kashmir, which were
relatively safe, reporting high
number, and Maharashtra,
Gujarat, Tamil Nadu, Delhi
and Uttar Pradesh showing no
sign of slowing down in terms
of positive cases, India on
Sunday saw another 2,000 plus
day cases taking its overall
count to 42,000.
This a huge increase from
the time the country went into
the first lockdown on March 24
when the total stood at just 500
positive cases.
Delhi recorded highest sin-
gle-day spike with 427 new
coronavirus cases, tally now
4,549, said the Delhi
Government.
For instance, Haryana saw
biggest single day gain of 66,
while Bihar crossed 500 mark
by adding 22 new cases and
Laddakh’s count doubled in
last two days from 23 to 42.
Meanwhile, the Union
Ministry has deployed 20 pub-
lic health teams in 20 highest
Covid burden districts which
are reporting the maximum
number of cases in the coun-
try to oversee the containment
measures in the affected areas.
These districts are:
Mumbai, Thane and Pune in
Maharashtra; Ahmadabad,
Surat and Vadodra in Gujarat;
South East and Central Delhi;
Indore and Bhopal in
Madhya Pradesh; Jaipur and
Jodhpur in Rajasthan;
Chennai, Tamil Nadu;
Hyderabad, Telangana; Agra
and Lucknow in Uttar
Pradesh; Kolkata, West
Bengal; Kurnool, Guntur,
Krishna in Andhra Pradesh.
Punjab on Sunday record-
ed 331 new coronavirus cases,
with the total climbing to 1,102.
Of the 331 cases, 326 were
returnees from the famous
Sikh shrine in Maharashtra’s
Nanded, who came back last
week after remaining stuck
there for nearly a month. In the
past five days, Punjab record-
ed 728 cases — a majority of
them Nanded returnees.
Tamil Nadu reported one
Covid-19 death, 266 fresh
infections, pushing total num-
ber of coronavirus cases to
3,023 while Haryana reported
421 cases. Ladkah added 19
cases on Sunday taking the
total to 92 cases.
Gujarat on Sunday regis-
tered 374 new Covid-19 cases
and 28 deaths, which is the
highest single-day increase in
deaths so far. With this, the
overall number of the coron-
avirus positive cases mounted
to 5,428 and the death toll rose
to 290.
B0?=0B8=67Q =4F34;78
The Delhi Government on
Sunday announced that
officials engaged in essential
services will function with full
strength, but private offices
will resume operation with 33
per cent workforce from
Monday.
“We have requested the
Centre to lift lockdown and
declare non-containment zone
as Green zone so that com-
mercial activities may start.
Every year, in April, Delhi col-
lects 3,500 crore revenue but
this year only 350 crore revenue
has been generated,” said Chief
Minister Arvind Kejriwal.
The Chief Minister said the
City Government will imple-
ment all lockdown regulations
prescribed by the MHA.
The Delhi Government’s
order came in the wake of spike
in corona positive cases amid
97 areas of the national Capital
being declared as containment
zone while all 11 districts have
been declared as ‘Red zone.’
“If the whole of Delhi is in
the Red Zone, it will create
problems for everyone,”
Kejriwal said.
Outlining the list of activ-
ities that will be allowed dur-
ing third phase of the lock-
down, Kejriwal said that call
centres and IT services, print
and electronic media will
remain open and weddings
will be allowed at designated
public places with 50 guests.
But air, rail, metro, road
transports will remain shut.
Delivery of essential goods
through e-commerce portals
will continue while malls, cin-
emas, salons, market complex-
es, will remain shut.
Self-employed such as
aelectrician and plumbers are
allowed to join work. Similarly
agriculture work, warehouses,
goods and services trans-
portation are allowed.
?C8Q =4F34;78
Commercial passenger
flights at Delhi airport will
initially operate from Terminal
3 after the lockdown ends,
said a senior official of its
operator DIAL on Sunday,
adding that entry gates, self
check-in machines and check-
in bays will be allocated to air-
lines to avoid overcrowding.
The airport will use “ultra-
violet disinfection tunnels” for
all incoming baggage.
?=BQ =4F34;78
India has completed 10 lakh
real-time polymerase chain
reaction (RT-PCR) tests to
identify people infected with
coronavirus. According to offi-
cials, this is a major milestone
in India’s fight against coron-
avirus. But at 758 per 10 lakh
tests, India’s testing ratio
has been one of the lowest in
the world. India has decided to
ramp up its testing number to
one lakh per day soon.
The milestone comes amid
the Indian Council of Medical
Research (ICMR)’s attempts
to increase the number of test-
ing. The biomedical research
agency has ramped up tests to
more than 70,000-75,000 sam-
ples per day. According to the
officials, testing for Covid-19
has been scaled up signifi-
cantly over the last two months.
They said, till 31st March,
47,852 samples were tested,
which increased to a total of
9,02,654 samples as on April 30.
From May 1 till May 2 evening,
1,37,346 tests were done.
A RT-PCR test is a labora-
tory technique combining
reverse transcription of RNA
into DNA that detects the virus
while the antibody tests,
which use blood, detect the
body’s response to the virus,
experts said.
Starting with one single
laboratory, the National
Institute of Virology (NIV) in
Pune and having 100 labora-
tories in the beginning of the
lockdown, the RT-PCR test
facility is now available in 292
Government and 97 private
facilities across the country,
officials said.
Considered to be the most-
effective diagnosis, RT-PCR is
a throat and nasal swab test. It
detects the virus early on, which
is helpful in identifying and iso-
lating an infected person.
Meanwhile, domestic man-
ufacturers of RT-PCR kits have
been asked to ramp up pro-
duction. Against a demand of
35 lakh RT-PCR kits, orders
have been placed for 21.35
lakh kits, out of that orders for
2 lakh kits have been awarded
to the domestic manufacturers.
In Government labs, the
tests are free but at private lab-
oratories, it costs C4,500.
?=BQ D108
Amid the extended lock-
down, alcohol consumers
living in the red zones of
Mumbai Metropolitan Region
and the areas under the Pune,
Pimpri-Chinchwad and
Malegaon Municipal
Corporations had something to
cheer on Sunday, as the
Maharashtra Govt ordered the
re-opening of liquor shops in
all areas except in containment
zones from Mon onwards, with
“certain conditions”.“There is
no restriction on the number
essential shops. In the case of
non-essential shops, only five
can remain open in one lane.
Among the five non-essential
shops, there can be one liquor
shop. Malls, market complex-
es and markets shall remain
closed in urban areas,” a senior
official said.
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The State Government has
roped in the village
Panchayats for necessary quar-
antine and monitoring of the
migrants who are returning
from other parts of the coun-
try to their respective villages.
Thousands of natives of the
states are returning from dif-
ferent States, many of whom
have been hit hard by the con-
tagion of COVID-19 back to
their villages. In such a situa-
tion, the Panchayati Raj depart-
ment has taken an active role.
The department has decid-
ed that the migrants would be
kept in the Panchayat Bhawan
or the school buildings so that
their condition can be moni-
tored along with the ensuring
strict adherence to the quar-
antine norms.
In an order directed to the
entire district Panchayati Raj
officers, the additional secre-
tary and director Panchayati
Raj, H C Semwal said that vil-
lage Pradhans should be
requested to make arrange-
ments for stay of the people
coming to their villages in the
Panchayat or school buildings
during the period of their
quarantine.
He said that the arrange-
ment for food for these people
should be made from their
homes and in cases where it is
not possible it should be done
at their levels and the issue
should be brought to the notice
of local administration.
The director has also
directed all village Panchayat
development officers should
compulsorily remain in the
villages till the situation nor-
malises. He said all documents
and photographs related to the
expense incurred in activities
like sanitisation, wall graffiti
and others should be main-
tained on a day to day basis.
The district Panchayati Raj
officers would take daily
reports and feedbacks and send
them to the directorate daily.
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Chief Minister Hemant
Soren on Sunday cleared
the air over speculations relat-
ed to relaxation from the lock-
down and said that the relief
offered by the Centre will not
be applicable in Jharkhand.
The announcement, which
Soren made on microblogging
website Twitter, may bring dis-
appointment to tipplers who
were expecting the liquor shops
to open after the Centre
allowed opening of standalone
liquor shops with adherence to
social distancing – a move
aimed at preventing further
revenue loss to the Excise
Department.
“The relaxations offered
by the Centre will not be
applicable in Jharkhand.
The lockdown here will be
maintained strictly over the
next two weeks as a preventive
measure,” Soren wrote in his
tweet. “Our migrant workers
and students are returning
home, and it won’t be wise to
provide relaxation at this point
in time,” he added.
Locals in Jharkhand were
expecting liquor shops to open
here after Uttar Pradesh – a
State that has higher number of
COVID-19 cases than
Jharkhand – decided to open
its standalone liquor stores.
The guidelines issued by the
Ministry of Home Affairs
(MHA) for lockdown 3.0 clear-
ly said that standalone liquor
shops will be allowed to func-
tion in red, orange and green
zones, but the shops in malls
and shopping complexes will
have to remain closed.
Ranchi is the only
COVID-19 red zone in
Jharkhand. Besides, there are
nine orange zones, while the
remaining 14 districts are
green zones here. Speculations
were rife that at least the green
zones in State will get from
relief from the lockdown after
May 3. However, the Chief
Minister’s statement has made
it clear that there will be no
relaxation in any of the 24 dis-
tricts here, including the ones
that fall in green and orange
zones, Government officials
said.
The number of COVID-19
cases in Jharkhand has been on
the rise. The virus entered
Jharkhand as late as March 31,
and more than 100 cases have
surfaced since then.
“Following complete lock-
down in the next two weeks is
crucial for us. The restrictions
will be followed as the wellbe-
ing of our people is para-
mount,” Soren said on Sunday.
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?=BQ 347A03D=
Chief minister Trivendra
Singh Rawat paid floral
tributes to martyr Kesri Chand
at the CM residence on Sunday.
On the occasion of the anniver-
sary of his martyrdom, Rawat
recalled that when Subhas
Chandra Bose formed the Azad
Hind Fauj, many braves from
Uttarakhand had enlisted in
this army to fight for the
nation. Kesri Chand had made
the supreme sacrifice for the
motherland, he said. MLA
Munna Singh Chauhan and
Dehradun district Panchayat
president Madhu Chauhan
were also present on the occa-
sion.
The Jaunsar Mahasabha
also paid tributes to the mar-
tyr at his statue in Gandhi Park.
The Jaunsar Mahasabha head
Munna Rana, Archana Rana
and Veer Kesri Chand Samiti
patron KS Chauhan among
others garlanded the martyr’s
statue and paid their tributes.
Chauhan said that Chand was
born on November 1, 1920 in
Kyava village of Jaunsar Bawar
region. After initial education
in Vikasnagar, he later studied
in DAV College in Dehradun.
After displaying courage in
various efforts as part of the
British Indian army, he was
captured by the Japanese army
in February 1942 and later
while fighting as part of the
Azad Hind Fauj at Imphal
front, he was captured by the
British. He was sentenced to
death after a court martial and
hanged at the age of 24 years on
May 3, 1945.
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Three kittens of a jungle cat
(felis chaus) were rescued
after being found in a village
under Dauli range on Sunday.
On being informed, the forest
department team from Lalkuan
reached the site to find kittens
among the bushes. The site was
cordoned off and staff was
deployed to prevent distur-
bance by human activity. This
was done to enable the moth-
er of the kittens to take its
babies back from the inhabit-
ed area to the reserved forest
area. After the personnel
guarded the site for about six
hours, the jungle cat took its
kittens away from this site to
the reserved forest. The Dauli
range officer Anil Joshi said
that the kittens found near an
inhabited area were about 10
days young. Western circle
conservator of forests, Parag
Madhukar Dhakate said that
during the harvesting of wheat,
the jungle cat often gives birth
to its litter near human inhab-
itations. A similar case had also
been seen last year when a jun-
gle cat had given birth to three
kittens at farm in Jaspur.
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Two people committed sui-
cide in separate cases in
Haridwar on Sunday. While a
youth committed suicide by
hanging himself in a room, a
migrant worker jumped from
a hotel building to end his life.
In both the cases, the exact
cause of suicide has not been
ascertained. Inspector Pravin
Koshyari informed that a
young man hung himself at
home in the industrial area
while a paint worker jumped
off a hotel building in
Shravannath Nagar.
According to the informa-
tion received, on Sunday morn-
ing, Uttar Pradesh native 25-
year old Deepak currently
residing in the industrial area
here committed suicide by
hanging himself in a room. It
is being stated that he had mar-
ried about a year ago and was
working in a factory. His wife
said that he had gone out to
take a ration kit and after
returning, went to his room
and committed suicide while
she was washing clothes out-
side.
In the second case, 56 year
old Ranjit from Patiala in
Punjab committed suicide by
jumping from a hotel building
in Shravannath Nagar. On
being informed about the sui-
cide, the police took possession
of the body and sent it to the
district hospital for post-
mortem. It is being said that he
had been mentally disturbed
for some time.
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The number of coronavirus
cases in the State surged to
162 as five more people were
found positive on Sunday.
While two cases were reported
from Ganjam district for the
first time, one case each was
detected in Keonjhar, Baleswar
and Jharsuguda districts.
The two cases in Ganjam
district were identified as a 22
-year-old youth and a 17-year-
old boy. Both are Surat
returnees and asymptomatic.
Keonjhar reported its sec-
ond positive case. The person
was identified as a 30-year-old
man of Hatadihi. He is a
Kolkata returnee and was
under quarantine.
Earlier in the day, a 34-
year-old man of Baleswar dis-
trict had tested positive. He has
a travel history to West Bengal.
A new case was also
reported from Jharsuguda dis-
trict. The person is a 40-year-
old woman. She had come in
contact with the previous pos-
itive case of the district. With
this, the number of case rose to
two in the district.However,
four more patients recovered in
the State on the day, taking the
total tally of recoveries to 60,
said the Health Department. As
per the department, three
patients from Bhadrak district
and one from Baleswar tested
negative for the virus.
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The State Government on
Sunday allowed industrial
activities and construction
activities in red Covid-19 zones
with certain conditions.
The Government said
manufacturing units of essen-
tial goods, including drugs,
pharmaceuticals, medical
devices, their raw material and
intermediates are allowed to
function in the red zones
except the containment zones.
Production units which
require continuous process and
their supply chain, manufac-
turing of IT hardware and
manufacturing of packaging
material are also permitted.
All industrial activities are
permitted in rural areas. Only
in-situ construction where
workers are available on site
and no workers are required to
be brought in from outside the
urban limits and constructions
of renewable energy projects
are permitted, the Government
order said.
All construction activities
are permitted in rural areas.
Shops selling essential
goods in markets and market
complexes are permitted.
Similarly, all standalone shops,
neighbourhood shops and
shops in residential complexes
are permitted to remain open
in urban areas without any dis-
tinction of essential and non-
essential items.
The order further said
cycle rickshaws and auto rick-
shaws are not permitted in the
red zones. Taxis and cab aggre-
gators are also prohibited in the
area. This apart, inter-district
and intra-district plying of
buses are restricted.
In the red zones, four-
wheeler vehicles will have max-
imum two passengers besides
the vehicle driver. For two-
wheelers, pillion rider is not
allowed.
Transport aggregators like
OLA, UBER are permitted for
transportation of medical per-
sonnel/ patients to and from
hospitals. Inter-district and
intra-district plying of buses are
prohibited in orange zones
outside containment zones.
But taxis and cab aggrega-
tors with one driver and two
passengers are permitted in the
orange zones.
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S_^cdbeSdY_^Y^bUTj_^Uc
?=BQ 270=3860A7
66 new Coronavirus cases
were reported in Haryana
on Sunday, taking the state’s
COVID-19 tally to 442.
The state also reported a
death due to Coronavirus tak-
ing the toll to five in the state.
“A 45-year-old man hailing
from Gurugram died in the
daycare Center of Pt BD
Sharma Post Graduate Institute
of Medical Sciences (PGIMS),
Rohtak on Saturday night. He
was COVID-19 positive and
admitted to the PGIMS on
April 30. The doctors gave
him best possible treatment as
per protocols but he died on
Saturday night,” said a
spokesman of the PGIMS.
Out of 66 fresh cases, 18
were reported from Sonepat, 12
from Faridabad, 11 from
Panipat, 9 from Gurugram, 6
from Jind, four from Fatehabad
and two each from
Yamunangar, Jhajjar and
Palwal, according to the state
Health Department’s evening
bulletin. The total active
COVID-19 patients in the state
are 192 while 245 patients have
been cured and discharged
from hospitals, as per the state’s
health bulletin.
The state has so far record-
ed five Coronavirus related
deaths.
The worst-affected districts
of the state with the maximum
number of positive cases are
Faridabad with 73 cases,
Gurugram with 72 cases and
Nuh with 58. As many as
35278 samples have been test-
ed so far, of which 32583 have
tested negative. However, the
report of 2,253 samples is
awaited, the bulletin stated.
The COVID-19 positive
rate stood at 1.34 percent,
recovery rate at 55.43 percent
and doubling rate of
Coronavirus cases at 16 days on
Sunday in Haryana.
A spokesman said that
samples through pooling had
been started which will
enhance capacities of existing
labs substantially in the state.
Also, special campaign had
been launched in Haryana for
random COVID sampling of
vegetable vendors, health work-
ers, police personnel, media
personnel, pharmacists, depot
holders and sanitation workers,
he added.
^UgSQcUcdQ[U3?F94!)Y^8QbiQ^Q
2D=CC
##!340C7
C;;=F$
?=BQ 270=3860A7
The increasing trend in
Punjab’s COVID-19 posi-
tive cases is far from over with
the state witnessing another
steepest rise of 331 cases in a
day, taking the state’s tally to
1102 on Sunday. In past five
days, the number of positive
novel corona virus cases in the
state has seen an increase by
almost three times.
From 375 on April 29, the
state has recorded more than
100 cases every day — 105 on
April 30, 105 on May 1, 187 on
May 2, and 331 on May 3.
The 331 fresh cases were
reported from 16 of the state’s
22 districts. Other than Patiala
and Jalandhar, which where the
new cases were reported from
the contacts of those already
tested positive, all districts
reported cases that were in con-
nection with the returnees,
with majority being amongst
the pilgrims returning from
Gurudwara Hazur Sahib at
Nanded in Maharashtra — the
most corona-affected state in
India.
Among the districts,
Amritsar registered the highest
number of COVID-19 cases for
the second consecutive day
with 75 persons testing positive
taking the districts tally to 218
— highest in the state.
Attribute it to the
returnees, the Amritsar district
has recorded 208 new cases in
less than a week’s time.
At least 609 of the 4,000
pilgrims who have returned
from Hazur Sahib gurdwara in
Maharashtra's Nanded in
recent days have tested positive
for coronavirus, a health offi-
cial said. The pilgrims account
for 55 per cent of the total coro-
navirus cases in the state, he
said.
The second highest num-
ber of cases was reported from
SBS Nagar (Nawanshahr) with
62 — a district which had
made it to the green zone from
being the state’s first “hotspot”
after not reporting any positive
cases for 29 days in a row. The
district now has 85 cases, of
which 66 are active while 18
have recovered besides one
death.
Hoshiarpur too recorded a
whopping 46 cases — with total
88 in the district, followed by
33 in Muktsar with total 50 in
district, 33 in Bathinda with
total 35 in district, 24 in
Gurdaspur with total 30 in dis-
trict, 16 in Ludhiana with total
111 in district, nine in Ropar
with total 14 in district, four in
Fatehgarh Sahib with total 16
in district, four in Sangrur
with total 11 in district, four in
Jalandhar with total 124 in dis-
trict, two in Ferozepur with
total 29 in district, three in
Mansa with total 16 in district,
two in Barnala with total 4 in
district, two in SAS Nagar with
total 95 in district, and one in
Patiala with total 86 in district.
Notably, the number of
cases has recorded a steep rise
over the past week with 65 per
cent of Punjab's 1,102 cases
have been recorded in the past
five days alone.
Amritsar now has the most
number of cases at 218, fol-
lowed by Jalandhar (124),
Ludhiana (111), SAS Nagar
(95), Hoshiarpur (88), Patiala
(86), SBS Nagar (85), and
Muktsar (50).
The state also recorded
another death on Sunday from
Ferozepur, taking the state’s
tally to 21. With this, Ferozepur
recorded its first death. The
deceased has been identified as
a resident of Ali ke village. As
per the bulletin, he was tested
positive after the death.
However, another two have
also died at Ludhiana hospital
who have been tested positive
on Saturday. But the official fig-
ures are yet to reflect the same,
which would take the state;s
death toll to 23.
Among the two, one was
an elderly man from Phagwara
in Kapurthala. Both patients
were admitted to Ludhiana's
DMCH Hospital and tested
positive for the infection on
Saturday.
As per the bulletin, two
patients are critical and on
ventilator support. Till date, a
total of 26,439 samples have
been taken in the state, of
which 20,197 are negative and
reports of 5,140 awaited.
?d]YPQ2^eXS (cP[[hRa^bbTb PaZ RPbTbX]PSPh
AB70=:D0AQ A0=278
No new cases of COVID-19
infection were reported in
Jharkhand on Sunday – a relief
for the Government after an
unprecedented increase in the
figures during the past couple
of weeks, health officials said.
On Saturday, two cases were
reported and both were from
Deoghar.
On Sunday, 364 cases were
tested at four Covid 19 testing
labs—RIMS Ranchi, MGM
Jamshedpur, PMCH Dhanbad
and Itki Arogyashala, Itki,
Ranchi, but no samples were
tested positive.
State, especially Ranchi,
declared as red zone witnessing
no positive cases in past two
days has come as great relief for
denizens. Chief Minister
Hemant Soren too on earlier
occasion has expressed relief
after there was drop in coron-
avirus cases. Earlier, the cases
have scared State Capital. Till
April 24 to 28, forty cases were
reported in State Capital, how-
ever, from April 28 to May 1
only eight cases were reported.
On May 1, only two cases
were reported. However, on
next day (May 2) no cases were
reported.
RIMSdirectorDrDKSingh
said, “On Sunday no positive
cases were reported.” Singh said,
“Themicro-biologydepartment
of Rajendra Institute of Medical
Sciences(RIMS)hasbeenclosed
for three days after a lab tech-
nician tested positive for Covid
19 for cleaning and sanitization
of the ward.”
Also, Capital having no
positive case is great relief for
Ranchi as the Hindpiri locali-
ty in Ranchi is worst affected by
virus. This hotspot area is
being manned by the CRPF
personnel. Capital Ranchi
which accounts for 83 out of a
total of 115 Covid cases in
Jharkhand is the only district to
fall under red zone in the state.
Ranchi has been designated as
Red Zone while nine other
districts of Jharkhand are in the
Orange Zone of novel coro-
navirus.
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Pioneer dehradun 04 may 2020
- 1. 5A4B730C4B=0H$ 5A944=44C)7A38= =Tf3T[WX)8]PaT[XTUU^a T]VX]TTaX]VP]STSXRP[ Pb_XaP]cbcWT7dP]ATb^daRT 3TeT[^_T]cX]Xbcah^] Bd]SPhbPXSUaTbWSPcTbU^a R^_TcXcXeTTgPb¯944P]S =44C¯fX[[QTP]]^d]RTS^] Ph$CWTTgPX]PcX^]bfTaT _^bc_^]TSSdTc^cWT]PcX^]fXST [^RZS^f]SdTc^cWT2^eXS BDC7:A40):8383 =C70E4BDA64AH BT^d[) =^acW:^aTP][TPSTa:X 9^]VD]SXS]^cd]STaV^bdaVTah ^aP]h^cWTaTSXRP[_a^RTSdaT PB^dcW:^aTP]^UUXRXP[bPXS PXSb_TRd[PcX^]PQ^dcWXb WTP[cWcWPcR^]cX]dTbc^[X]VTa TeT]PUcTaWTaTP__TPaTS_dQ[XR[h X]aTRT]cSPhb 20?BD;4 78C:0=370A8Q 90D ACommanding Officer (CO) of the Indian Army's elite Counter-insurgency force, 21 Rashtriya Rifles (RR), was martyred in action, along with four other security personnel, including a Major and Sub Inspector of Jammu Kashmir Police, in Handwara town of North Kashmir’s Kupwara dis- trict late on Saturday night. They came under heavy fire while attempting to evac- uate civilians amid fierce gun- fight with a group of Pakistani terrorists. In the night-long operation, two terrorists, including a Lashkar-e- Tayyeba (LeT) commander Haider from Pakistan, were killed while try- ing to escape the tight cordon near the encounter site. At least, two to three ter- rorists are believed to have escaped taking advantage of the adverse weather conditions prevailing in the area. On ground zero, the security forces were still carrying out search- es in the area to track down the footprints of terrorists. The commanding officer, who attained martyrdom in the line of duty, was identified as Colonel Ashutosh Sharma from Uttar Pradesh. He had been decorated twice for bravery and had been part of several successful counter-terrorism operations in the past. In a span of less than one month, the Indian Army has suffered huge losses while con- ducting counter terrorist oper- ations in Kupwara district alone. On April 5, the Indian Army had lost five soldiers, including three elite para com- mandos in a hand-to-hand combat with infiltrating ter- rorists in Keran sector of Kupwara. Remembering her husband, Pallavi Ashutosh told a TV news channel, “I am proud of his supreme sacrifice in the line of duty. The loss is unbearable and irreparable but I’m proud of what he did for his nation, for his unit, for his men and for the safety of civilians. I have no regrets.” He had told me he will come home the next day after eliminating the terrorists. “He will be home tomorrow with us, wrapped in a tricolour,” she said. Another Army officer, who attained martyrdom, was iden- tified as Major Anuj Sood from Himanchal Pradesh. His father, Retd Brig Chandrakant Sood while paying tributes to his son said, “He has made a supreme sacrifice. It was part of his duty and what he was trained for. I feel sad for his wife as they just got married 3-4 months back. He was meant to save lives.” According to ground reports, the joint teams of the security forces were chasing a group of 4-5 terrorists in Rajwara forest area since May 1. On May 2 when security forces received credible inputs about the presence of terrorists in Chanjmulla area of Handwara, they launched an operation to free civilians from the custody of holed up ter- rorists. A0:4B7:B8=67Q =4F34;78 Hit hard by coronavirus, the CRPF shut its head- quarters here after an Assistant Commandant attached with a senior officer as private secre- tary tested positive even as 26 BSF men were also found infected on Sunday. The entire building at the CGO Complex here will be dis- infected and offices will remain closed till Tuesday morning. The infected officer’s fam- ily is being tested. Forty men traced to be in his contact have been quarantined. “As one corona positive case has been detected in the Directorate, the entire building of the Directorate General will be subjected to disinfection by the Government notified agency, keeping in view with protocols and directions of MOHFW. Accordingly, the Directorate General, CRPF office will remain closed till Tuesday morning (May 5, 2020). Hence all officers and men working in Directorate General, CRPF are requested not to come to office and work from home till then. They should remain available to their seniors on phone to respond to necessary emer- gencies,” said an order of the CRPF headquarters on Sunday. ?=BQ =4F34;78 With several States like Punjab, Bihar, Haryana, Jammu Kashmir, which were relatively safe, reporting high number, and Maharashtra, Gujarat, Tamil Nadu, Delhi and Uttar Pradesh showing no sign of slowing down in terms of positive cases, India on Sunday saw another 2,000 plus day cases taking its overall count to 42,000. This a huge increase from the time the country went into the first lockdown on March 24 when the total stood at just 500 positive cases. Delhi recorded highest sin- gle-day spike with 427 new coronavirus cases, tally now 4,549, said the Delhi Government. For instance, Haryana saw biggest single day gain of 66, while Bihar crossed 500 mark by adding 22 new cases and Laddakh’s count doubled in last two days from 23 to 42. Meanwhile, the Union Ministry has deployed 20 pub- lic health teams in 20 highest Covid burden districts which are reporting the maximum number of cases in the coun- try to oversee the containment measures in the affected areas. These districts are: Mumbai, Thane and Pune in Maharashtra; Ahmadabad, Surat and Vadodra in Gujarat; South East and Central Delhi; Indore and Bhopal in Madhya Pradesh; Jaipur and Jodhpur in Rajasthan; Chennai, Tamil Nadu; Hyderabad, Telangana; Agra and Lucknow in Uttar Pradesh; Kolkata, West Bengal; Kurnool, Guntur, Krishna in Andhra Pradesh. Punjab on Sunday record- ed 331 new coronavirus cases, with the total climbing to 1,102. Of the 331 cases, 326 were returnees from the famous Sikh shrine in Maharashtra’s Nanded, who came back last week after remaining stuck there for nearly a month. In the past five days, Punjab record- ed 728 cases — a majority of them Nanded returnees. Tamil Nadu reported one Covid-19 death, 266 fresh infections, pushing total num- ber of coronavirus cases to 3,023 while Haryana reported 421 cases. Ladkah added 19 cases on Sunday taking the total to 92 cases. Gujarat on Sunday regis- tered 374 new Covid-19 cases and 28 deaths, which is the highest single-day increase in deaths so far. With this, the overall number of the coron- avirus positive cases mounted to 5,428 and the death toll rose to 290. B0?=0B8=67Q =4F34;78 The Delhi Government on Sunday announced that officials engaged in essential services will function with full strength, but private offices will resume operation with 33 per cent workforce from Monday. “We have requested the Centre to lift lockdown and declare non-containment zone as Green zone so that com- mercial activities may start. Every year, in April, Delhi col- lects 3,500 crore revenue but this year only 350 crore revenue has been generated,” said Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal. The Chief Minister said the City Government will imple- ment all lockdown regulations prescribed by the MHA. The Delhi Government’s order came in the wake of spike in corona positive cases amid 97 areas of the national Capital being declared as containment zone while all 11 districts have been declared as ‘Red zone.’ “If the whole of Delhi is in the Red Zone, it will create problems for everyone,” Kejriwal said. Outlining the list of activ- ities that will be allowed dur- ing third phase of the lock- down, Kejriwal said that call centres and IT services, print and electronic media will remain open and weddings will be allowed at designated public places with 50 guests. But air, rail, metro, road transports will remain shut. Delivery of essential goods through e-commerce portals will continue while malls, cin- emas, salons, market complex- es, will remain shut. Self-employed such as aelectrician and plumbers are allowed to join work. Similarly agriculture work, warehouses, goods and services trans- portation are allowed. ?C8Q =4F34;78 Commercial passenger flights at Delhi airport will initially operate from Terminal 3 after the lockdown ends, said a senior official of its operator DIAL on Sunday, adding that entry gates, self check-in machines and check- in bays will be allocated to air- lines to avoid overcrowding. The airport will use “ultra- violet disinfection tunnels” for all incoming baggage. ?=BQ =4F34;78 India has completed 10 lakh real-time polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) tests to identify people infected with coronavirus. According to offi- cials, this is a major milestone in India’s fight against coron- avirus. But at 758 per 10 lakh tests, India’s testing ratio has been one of the lowest in the world. India has decided to ramp up its testing number to one lakh per day soon. The milestone comes amid the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR)’s attempts to increase the number of test- ing. The biomedical research agency has ramped up tests to more than 70,000-75,000 sam- ples per day. According to the officials, testing for Covid-19 has been scaled up signifi- cantly over the last two months. They said, till 31st March, 47,852 samples were tested, which increased to a total of 9,02,654 samples as on April 30. From May 1 till May 2 evening, 1,37,346 tests were done. A RT-PCR test is a labora- tory technique combining reverse transcription of RNA into DNA that detects the virus while the antibody tests, which use blood, detect the body’s response to the virus, experts said. Starting with one single laboratory, the National Institute of Virology (NIV) in Pune and having 100 labora- tories in the beginning of the lockdown, the RT-PCR test facility is now available in 292 Government and 97 private facilities across the country, officials said. Considered to be the most- effective diagnosis, RT-PCR is a throat and nasal swab test. It detects the virus early on, which is helpful in identifying and iso- lating an infected person. Meanwhile, domestic man- ufacturers of RT-PCR kits have been asked to ramp up pro- duction. Against a demand of 35 lakh RT-PCR kits, orders have been placed for 21.35 lakh kits, out of that orders for 2 lakh kits have been awarded to the domestic manufacturers. In Government labs, the tests are free but at private lab- oratories, it costs C4,500. ?=BQ D108 Amid the extended lock- down, alcohol consumers living in the red zones of Mumbai Metropolitan Region and the areas under the Pune, Pimpri-Chinchwad and Malegaon Municipal Corporations had something to cheer on Sunday, as the Maharashtra Govt ordered the re-opening of liquor shops in all areas except in containment zones from Mon onwards, with “certain conditions”.“There is no restriction on the number essential shops. In the case of non-essential shops, only five can remain open in one lane. Among the five non-essential shops, there can be one liquor shop. Malls, market complex- es and markets shall remain closed in urban areas,” a senior official said. ^RcejcVUecjZ_Xe`dRgVTZgZ]ZR_d RORQHO 0DMRU - . 3ROLFH 6, ORVH OLYHV 3DN WHUURULVWV VODLQ HVFDSH LQ .XSZDUD 53) +4V LQ 'HOKL VHDOHG DV RIILFHU WHVWV YH :ehZ]]SVT]`dVU eZ]]EfV^`c_Z_X W`cUZdZ_WVTeZ`_ =`TU`h_$SVXZ_dhZeY# TRdVdd`RcZ_Xe`eR]e`%# 'HOKL UHFRUGV KLJKHVW GD VSLNH RI WRWDO (!!!eVdedURZ]j SfecReZ`deZ]]Rd ]`hRd() ^Z]]Z`_ 'HOKL¶V $SULO UHYHQXH GRZQ E SULYDWH RIILFHV WR RSHQ WRGD ZLWK ZRUNIRUFH V[cZhR]8`gea]R_de`cVdf^V SfdZ_VddZ__`_Y`eda`ek`_Vd RYR8`gecRZdVd S``kVcd¶daZcZed `aV_dfadY`ad Z_CVUk`_Vd 3T[WXc^aTbdT U[XVWcbUa^C DEcd]]T[bc^ SXbX]UTRcQPVb Cf^²BWaPXZ 4g_aTbb³caPX]bQaX]V !XVaP]c f^aZTabUa^:TaP[P 6dYPaPcc^SXbWP 0PaZTcX]V_a^UTbbX^]P[P]SPS^Rc^aV^cPaaXTS X]?d]TPXScWT[^RZS^f]SdTc^cWTR^a^]PeXadb ^dcQaTPZX]cWT_aTbT]RT^U_^[XRT_Tab^]]T[ FWT]^bcaT[XVX^db_[PRTbPaTR[^bTSc^_T^_[T SdTc^[^RZS^f]bTeTaP[cT_[Tb^U;^aSBWXePX] 7PS^cX^UAPYPbcWP]PaTfPXcX]VU^acWT°XbbX]V± XS^[b^UWXbR^]b^ac6^SSTbb?PaePcX°8cbW^d[S WPeTQTT]aTcda]TS 0UcTaPeXST^^UPh^dcWSP]RX]Vc^cWTb^]V ^U_^_d[Pa7PahP]eXbX]VTaBP_]P2WPdSWPah Pc=PhPbWPWPa_^[XRT^dc_^bcWTaTfT]ceXaP[ P]^UUXRXP[^UcWT^dc_^bcfPbaT^eTSU^a °P[XV]X]VcWTXPVT^UcWTU^aRT± B834;867CB BTRdaXchU^aRTbYPfP]bSdaX]VP]T]R^d]cTafXcWcTaa^aXbcbX]2WP]Yd[[PWPaTP^U7P]SfPaPX]:d_fPaP^U]^acW:PbWXa^] Bd]SPh ?C8 0TSXRbRaTT]bP[PQ^daTaPc0?2UadXcPaZTcSdaX]VcWT^]V^X]V2^eXS ( [^RZS^f]X]=PeXdQPX^]Bd]SPh ?C8 Cf^_^[XRTT][dVcWTQPVb^U^]T^UcWTbcdST]cbfW^fTaTbcaP]STSX]:^cPSdTc^cWT]PcX^]fXST[^RZS^f]d_^]cWTXa PaaXeP[Qh3C2QdbTbPc:PbWTaT6PcT8B1CX]=Tf3T[WX^]Bd]SPh AP]YP]3XaXk?X^]TTa RYLG PLOHVWRQH ODNK 5735 WHVWV FRQGXFWHG /CWT3PX[h?X^]TTa UPRTQ^^ZR^SPX[h_X^]TTa7`]]`hfd`_+ fffSPX[h_X^]TTaR^ H@C=5) ADBB80A4?ACB %=4F 20B4B78674BC8=030H X]bcPVaPR^SPX[h_X^]TTa ;PcT2Xch E^[ #8bbdT !! 0XaBdaRWPaVT4gcaPXU0__[XRPQ[T ?dQ[XbWTS5a^ 34;78;D2:=F 17?0;17D10=4BF0A A0=278A08?DA 270=3860A7 347A03D= 7H34A0103E890HF030 4bcPQ[XbWTS '%# 51, 1R 5HJQ 877(1* 5(*' 1R 8$'2''1 347A03D==30H0H#!!*?064B !C! m @A:?:@?' 08=C08= C7458=4;8=4 DA@CE# C7D67C55028=6;44 C:HB;44?)A78C 38B9C5F1C :?9C 9CD17B1= ! 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- 2. dccPaPZWP]S!347A03D=k=30H k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·V ZLOO QRW EH KHOG UHVSRQVLEOH IRU DQ NLQG RI FODLP PDGH E WKH DGYHUWLVHUV RI WKH SURGXFWV VHUYLFHV DQG VKDOO QRW EH PDGH UHVSRQVLEOH IRU DQ NLQG RI ORVV FRQVHTXHQFHV DQG IXUWKHU SURGXFWUHODWHG GDPDJHV RQ VXFK DGYHUWLVHPHQWV ?=BQ 347A03D= The State Government has roped in the village Panchayats for necessary quar- antine and monitoring of the migrants who are returning from other parts of the coun- try to their respective villages. Thousands of natives of the states are returning from dif- ferent States, many of whom have been hit hard by the con- tagion of COVID-19 back to their villages. In such a situa- tion, the Panchayati Raj depart- ment has taken an active role. The department has decid- ed that the migrants would be kept in the Panchayat Bhawan or the school buildings so that their condition can be moni- tored along with the ensuring strict adherence to the quar- antine norms. In an order directed to the entire district Panchayati Raj officers, the additional secre- tary and director Panchayati Raj, H C Semwal said that vil- lage Pradhans should be requested to make arrange- ments for stay of the people coming to their villages in the Panchayat or school buildings during the period of their quarantine. He said that the arrange- ment for food for these people should be made from their homes and in cases where it is not possible it should be done at their levels and the issue should be brought to the notice of local administration. The director has also directed all village Panchayat development officers should compulsorily remain in the villages till the situation nor- malises. He said all documents and photographs related to the expense incurred in activities like sanitisation, wall graffiti and others should be main- tained on a day to day basis. The district Panchayati Raj officers would take daily reports and feedbacks and send them to the directorate daily. AR_TYRjRede`a]Rj RTeZgVc`]V ?A0370=BC74;? 8=:44?8=6C7B4 28=6102:CC74 E8;;064BD=34A @D0A0=C8=4 A4CDA=5=0C8E4B ?=BQ A0=278 Chief Minister Hemant Soren on Sunday cleared the air over speculations relat- ed to relaxation from the lock- down and said that the relief offered by the Centre will not be applicable in Jharkhand. The announcement, which Soren made on microblogging website Twitter, may bring dis- appointment to tipplers who were expecting the liquor shops to open after the Centre allowed opening of standalone liquor shops with adherence to social distancing – a move aimed at preventing further revenue loss to the Excise Department. “The relaxations offered by the Centre will not be applicable in Jharkhand. The lockdown here will be maintained strictly over the next two weeks as a preventive measure,” Soren wrote in his tweet. “Our migrant workers and students are returning home, and it won’t be wise to provide relaxation at this point in time,” he added. Locals in Jharkhand were expecting liquor shops to open here after Uttar Pradesh – a State that has higher number of COVID-19 cases than Jharkhand – decided to open its standalone liquor stores. The guidelines issued by the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) for lockdown 3.0 clear- ly said that standalone liquor shops will be allowed to func- tion in red, orange and green zones, but the shops in malls and shopping complexes will have to remain closed. Ranchi is the only COVID-19 red zone in Jharkhand. Besides, there are nine orange zones, while the remaining 14 districts are green zones here. Speculations were rife that at least the green zones in State will get from relief from the lockdown after May 3. However, the Chief Minister’s statement has made it clear that there will be no relaxation in any of the 24 dis- tricts here, including the ones that fall in green and orange zones, Government officials said. The number of COVID-19 cases in Jharkhand has been on the rise. The virus entered Jharkhand as late as March 31, and more than 100 cases have surfaced since then. “Following complete lock- down in the next two weeks is crucial for us. The restrictions will be followed as the wellbe- ing of our people is para- mount,” Soren said on Sunday. 1R UHVSLWH WR -KDUNKDQG LQ ORFNGRZQ ?=BQ 347A03D= Chief minister Trivendra Singh Rawat paid floral tributes to martyr Kesri Chand at the CM residence on Sunday. On the occasion of the anniver- sary of his martyrdom, Rawat recalled that when Subhas Chandra Bose formed the Azad Hind Fauj, many braves from Uttarakhand had enlisted in this army to fight for the nation. Kesri Chand had made the supreme sacrifice for the motherland, he said. MLA Munna Singh Chauhan and Dehradun district Panchayat president Madhu Chauhan were also present on the occa- sion. The Jaunsar Mahasabha also paid tributes to the mar- tyr at his statue in Gandhi Park. The Jaunsar Mahasabha head Munna Rana, Archana Rana and Veer Kesri Chand Samiti patron KS Chauhan among others garlanded the martyr’s statue and paid their tributes. Chauhan said that Chand was born on November 1, 1920 in Kyava village of Jaunsar Bawar region. After initial education in Vikasnagar, he later studied in DAV College in Dehradun. After displaying courage in various efforts as part of the British Indian army, he was captured by the Japanese army in February 1942 and later while fighting as part of the Azad Hind Fauj at Imphal front, he was captured by the British. He was sentenced to death after a court martial and hanged at the age of 24 years on May 3, 1945. 7ULEXWHV SDLG WR PDUWU 9HHU .HVUL KDQG ?=BQ 70;3F0=8 Three kittens of a jungle cat (felis chaus) were rescued after being found in a village under Dauli range on Sunday. On being informed, the forest department team from Lalkuan reached the site to find kittens among the bushes. The site was cordoned off and staff was deployed to prevent distur- bance by human activity. This was done to enable the moth- er of the kittens to take its babies back from the inhabit- ed area to the reserved forest area. After the personnel guarded the site for about six hours, the jungle cat took its kittens away from this site to the reserved forest. The Dauli range officer Anil Joshi said that the kittens found near an inhabited area were about 10 days young. Western circle conservator of forests, Parag Madhukar Dhakate said that during the harvesting of wheat, the jungle cat often gives birth to its litter near human inhab- itations. A similar case had also been seen last year when a jun- gle cat had given birth to three kittens at farm in Jaspur. 9d]V[TRPcfXcWXcbcWaTTZXccT]b aTcda]bc^f^^SbUa^eX[[PVT ?=BQ 70A83F0A Two people committed sui- cide in separate cases in Haridwar on Sunday. While a youth committed suicide by hanging himself in a room, a migrant worker jumped from a hotel building to end his life. In both the cases, the exact cause of suicide has not been ascertained. Inspector Pravin Koshyari informed that a young man hung himself at home in the industrial area while a paint worker jumped off a hotel building in Shravannath Nagar. According to the informa- tion received, on Sunday morn- ing, Uttar Pradesh native 25- year old Deepak currently residing in the industrial area here committed suicide by hanging himself in a room. It is being stated that he had mar- ried about a year ago and was working in a factory. His wife said that he had gone out to take a ration kit and after returning, went to his room and committed suicide while she was washing clothes out- side. In the second case, 56 year old Ranjit from Patiala in Punjab committed suicide by jumping from a hotel building in Shravannath Nagar. On being informed about the sui- cide, the police took possession of the body and sent it to the district hospital for post- mortem. It is being said that he had been mentally disturbed for some time. H^dcWXVaP]c[PQ^daTa R^XcbdXRXSTX]7PaXSfPa ?=BQ 17D10=4BF0A The number of coronavirus cases in the State surged to 162 as five more people were found positive on Sunday. While two cases were reported from Ganjam district for the first time, one case each was detected in Keonjhar, Baleswar and Jharsuguda districts. The two cases in Ganjam district were identified as a 22 -year-old youth and a 17-year- old boy. Both are Surat returnees and asymptomatic. Keonjhar reported its sec- ond positive case. The person was identified as a 30-year-old man of Hatadihi. He is a Kolkata returnee and was under quarantine. Earlier in the day, a 34- year-old man of Baleswar dis- trict had tested positive. He has a travel history to West Bengal. A new case was also reported from Jharsuguda dis- trict. The person is a 40-year- old woman. She had come in contact with the previous pos- itive case of the district. With this, the number of case rose to two in the district.However, four more patients recovered in the State on the day, taking the total tally of recoveries to 60, said the Health Department. As per the department, three patients from Bhadrak district and one from Baleswar tested negative for the virus. $^aTcTbcR^a^]PeT*c^cP[ %!X]SXbWP Y !RPbTb aT_^acTS Ua^6P]YP U^aUXabccXT Y #^aT aTR^eTa* c^cP[ aTR^eTaXTb % ?=BQ 17D10=4BF0A The State Government on Sunday allowed industrial activities and construction activities in red Covid-19 zones with certain conditions. The Government said manufacturing units of essen- tial goods, including drugs, pharmaceuticals, medical devices, their raw material and intermediates are allowed to function in the red zones except the containment zones. Production units which require continuous process and their supply chain, manufac- turing of IT hardware and manufacturing of packaging material are also permitted. All industrial activities are permitted in rural areas. Only in-situ construction where workers are available on site and no workers are required to be brought in from outside the urban limits and constructions of renewable energy projects are permitted, the Government order said. All construction activities are permitted in rural areas. Shops selling essential goods in markets and market complexes are permitted. Similarly, all standalone shops, neighbourhood shops and shops in residential complexes are permitted to remain open in urban areas without any dis- tinction of essential and non- essential items. The order further said cycle rickshaws and auto rick- shaws are not permitted in the red zones. Taxis and cab aggre- gators are also prohibited in the area. This apart, inter-district and intra-district plying of buses are restricted. In the red zones, four- wheeler vehicles will have max- imum two passengers besides the vehicle driver. For two- wheelers, pillion rider is not allowed. Transport aggregators like OLA, UBER are permitted for transportation of medical per- sonnel/ patients to and from hospitals. Inter-district and intra-district plying of buses are prohibited in orange zones outside containment zones. But taxis and cab aggrega- tors with one driver and two passengers are permitted in the orange zones. ?TYcXQQ_gcY^Tecdbi S_^cdbeSdY_^Y^bUTj_^Uc ?=BQ 270=3860A7 66 new Coronavirus cases were reported in Haryana on Sunday, taking the state’s COVID-19 tally to 442. The state also reported a death due to Coronavirus tak- ing the toll to five in the state. “A 45-year-old man hailing from Gurugram died in the daycare Center of Pt BD Sharma Post Graduate Institute of Medical Sciences (PGIMS), Rohtak on Saturday night. He was COVID-19 positive and admitted to the PGIMS on April 30. The doctors gave him best possible treatment as per protocols but he died on Saturday night,” said a spokesman of the PGIMS. Out of 66 fresh cases, 18 were reported from Sonepat, 12 from Faridabad, 11 from Panipat, 9 from Gurugram, 6 from Jind, four from Fatehabad and two each from Yamunangar, Jhajjar and Palwal, according to the state Health Department’s evening bulletin. The total active COVID-19 patients in the state are 192 while 245 patients have been cured and discharged from hospitals, as per the state’s health bulletin. The state has so far record- ed five Coronavirus related deaths. The worst-affected districts of the state with the maximum number of positive cases are Faridabad with 73 cases, Gurugram with 72 cases and Nuh with 58. As many as 35278 samples have been test- ed so far, of which 32583 have tested negative. However, the report of 2,253 samples is awaited, the bulletin stated. The COVID-19 positive rate stood at 1.34 percent, recovery rate at 55.43 percent and doubling rate of Coronavirus cases at 16 days on Sunday in Haryana. A spokesman said that samples through pooling had been started which will enhance capacities of existing labs substantially in the state. Also, special campaign had been launched in Haryana for random COVID sampling of vegetable vendors, health work- ers, police personnel, media personnel, pharmacists, depot holders and sanitation workers, he added. ^UgSQcUcdQ[U3?F94!)Y^8QbiQ^Q 2D=CC ##!340C7 C;;=F$ ?=BQ 270=3860A7 The increasing trend in Punjab’s COVID-19 posi- tive cases is far from over with the state witnessing another steepest rise of 331 cases in a day, taking the state’s tally to 1102 on Sunday. In past five days, the number of positive novel corona virus cases in the state has seen an increase by almost three times. From 375 on April 29, the state has recorded more than 100 cases every day — 105 on April 30, 105 on May 1, 187 on May 2, and 331 on May 3. The 331 fresh cases were reported from 16 of the state’s 22 districts. Other than Patiala and Jalandhar, which where the new cases were reported from the contacts of those already tested positive, all districts reported cases that were in con- nection with the returnees, with majority being amongst the pilgrims returning from Gurudwara Hazur Sahib at Nanded in Maharashtra — the most corona-affected state in India. Among the districts, Amritsar registered the highest number of COVID-19 cases for the second consecutive day with 75 persons testing positive taking the districts tally to 218 — highest in the state. Attribute it to the returnees, the Amritsar district has recorded 208 new cases in less than a week’s time. At least 609 of the 4,000 pilgrims who have returned from Hazur Sahib gurdwara in Maharashtra's Nanded in recent days have tested positive for coronavirus, a health offi- cial said. The pilgrims account for 55 per cent of the total coro- navirus cases in the state, he said. The second highest num- ber of cases was reported from SBS Nagar (Nawanshahr) with 62 — a district which had made it to the green zone from being the state’s first “hotspot” after not reporting any positive cases for 29 days in a row. The district now has 85 cases, of which 66 are active while 18 have recovered besides one death. Hoshiarpur too recorded a whopping 46 cases — with total 88 in the district, followed by 33 in Muktsar with total 50 in district, 33 in Bathinda with total 35 in district, 24 in Gurdaspur with total 30 in dis- trict, 16 in Ludhiana with total 111 in district, nine in Ropar with total 14 in district, four in Fatehgarh Sahib with total 16 in district, four in Sangrur with total 11 in district, four in Jalandhar with total 124 in dis- trict, two in Ferozepur with total 29 in district, three in Mansa with total 16 in district, two in Barnala with total 4 in district, two in SAS Nagar with total 95 in district, and one in Patiala with total 86 in district. Notably, the number of cases has recorded a steep rise over the past week with 65 per cent of Punjab's 1,102 cases have been recorded in the past five days alone. Amritsar now has the most number of cases at 218, fol- lowed by Jalandhar (124), Ludhiana (111), SAS Nagar (95), Hoshiarpur (88), Patiala (86), SBS Nagar (85), and Muktsar (50). The state also recorded another death on Sunday from Ferozepur, taking the state’s tally to 21. With this, Ferozepur recorded its first death. The deceased has been identified as a resident of Ali ke village. As per the bulletin, he was tested positive after the death. However, another two have also died at Ludhiana hospital who have been tested positive on Saturday. But the official fig- ures are yet to reflect the same, which would take the state;s death toll to 23. Among the two, one was an elderly man from Phagwara in Kapurthala. Both patients were admitted to Ludhiana's DMCH Hospital and tested positive for the infection on Saturday. As per the bulletin, two patients are critical and on ventilator support. Till date, a total of 26,439 samples have been taken in the state, of which 20,197 are negative and reports of 5,140 awaited. ?d]YPQ2^eXS (cP[[hRa^bbTb PaZ RPbTbX]PSPh AB70=:D0AQ A0=278 No new cases of COVID-19 infection were reported in Jharkhand on Sunday – a relief for the Government after an unprecedented increase in the figures during the past couple of weeks, health officials said. On Saturday, two cases were reported and both were from Deoghar. On Sunday, 364 cases were tested at four Covid 19 testing labs—RIMS Ranchi, MGM Jamshedpur, PMCH Dhanbad and Itki Arogyashala, Itki, Ranchi, but no samples were tested positive. State, especially Ranchi, declared as red zone witnessing no positive cases in past two days has come as great relief for denizens. Chief Minister Hemant Soren too on earlier occasion has expressed relief after there was drop in coron- avirus cases. Earlier, the cases have scared State Capital. Till April 24 to 28, forty cases were reported in State Capital, how- ever, from April 28 to May 1 only eight cases were reported. On May 1, only two cases were reported. However, on next day (May 2) no cases were reported. RIMSdirectorDrDKSingh said, “On Sunday no positive cases were reported.” Singh said, “Themicro-biologydepartment of Rajendra Institute of Medical Sciences(RIMS)hasbeenclosed for three days after a lab tech- nician tested positive for Covid 19 for cleaning and sanitization of the ward.” Also, Capital having no positive case is great relief for Ranchi as the Hindpiri locali- ty in Ranchi is worst affected by virus. This hotspot area is being manned by the CRPF personnel. Capital Ranchi which accounts for 83 out of a total of 115 Covid cases in Jharkhand is the only district to fall under red zone in the state. Ranchi has been designated as Red Zone while nine other districts of Jharkhand are in the Orange Zone of novel coro- navirus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
- 3. dccPaPZWP]S347A03D=k=30H k0H #!! Like the facilitator, the online student possesses distinctive qualities. The traditional school will never go away, but the vir- tual classroom is a momentous player in today’s educational community. Just as many excellent instructors may not be effective online facilitators, not all students possess the nec- essary qualities to perform well online. In general, online student should possess some particular qualities. One must be open-mind- ed about sharing life, work and educational experiences as part of the learning process. Remember that on this forum you do not have to hes- itate in expressing yourself as you may do in a classroom. One must also be able to com- municate through writing. In the virtual classroom, nearly all communication is written, so it is critical that students feel comfortable in expressing themselves in writing. A stu- dent must also be self-moti- vated and self-disciplined. With the freedom and flexibility of the online environment comes the responsibility of doing it by yourself and self discipline. Here no one is guiding you to remain in the class during period, it is only your self con- trol and determination that guides you to take maximum advantage. A student should be will- ing to speak up if problems arise. If you are experiencing difficulty on any level -either with the technology or with the course content- you must com- municate this immediately. Otherwise the teacher will never know what is missing at your end. Be willing and able to com- mit three to five hours every day. Online is not easier than the traditional educational process. In fact, many stu- dents will say it requires much more time and commitment. So be prepared for it. Accept critical thinking and decision making as part of the learning process. Assimilating information and being able to think ideas through before responding while attending online quizzes and practicing assignments requires critical thoughts and determination. It is also impor- tant to have practically unlim- ited access to a computer and internet service. One must also feel that high-quality learning can take place without going to a traditional classroom. While the level of social interaction is not high in the virtual classroom given that many barriers come down in the online format, it is not the same as living in a classroom full of friends. By following the above- mentioned practices, it is expected that both the facilita- tors and the learners will take this golden opportunity posi- tively to learn and grow using online teaching platforms and the classroom teaching at the time available will become much more innovative, inter- active and quality oriented. (The author is principal of DPS Ranipur in Haridwar) +DQG WLSV IRU EHFRPLQJ D VXFFHVVIXO RQOLQH VWXGHQW ?=BQ 347A03D= The contagion of COVID-19 is spreading fast in the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), Rishikesh. On Sunday, one more nursing officer was found positive for the disease which increased the number of COVID-19 affected patients in the State to 60. Additionally, one cancer patient, a resident of Chaman Vihar area of Dehradun is at present admitted in AIIMS, Rishikesh but the authorities are not counting him as a patient of Uttarakhand as his sample was tested and found positive for COVID-19 in Delhi. The authorities have again shifted Dehradun in red zone for COVID-19 from orange zone. Among the staff of the AIIMS, Rishikesh which is a premier tertiary care centre of state, three members of nurs- ing staff and one medial officer (intern) have so far been infect- ed with the disease. One patient and an attendant of a patient have also been found suffering from the disease. A total of nine patients of the disease are at present admitted in the hospi- tal and the authorities have so far sent 59 health workers of the institute into quarantine. The additional secretary, state health department, Yugal Kishore Pant said 201 samples were tested on Sunday out of which one was found positive for the disease. He said that reports of 266 samples are still awaited by the department. The authorities have so far taken swab samples of 7578 suspected patients for COVID- 19 test. On Sunday, samples of 138 suspected patients were taken and sent to the lab for test. The authorities have so far provided psychiatric coun- selling to 23,776 migrants labourers kept in different relief camps of the State. The state now has 20 active cases of COVID-19 which are in Dehradun (12), Udham Singh Nagar (4), Haridwar (2) and Nainital (2) districts. ?=BQ 347A03D= After death of two soldiers a day earlier, another son of Uttarakhand sacrificed his life at Jammu Kashmir on Sunday. In an operation against militants in Handwara area of Kupwara district of North Kashmir, Dinesh Singh, a native of Mirgaon village of Dholadevi block of Almora district lost his life. In the operation which is said to have lasted for 18 hours, four other security personnel including a Colonel, a Major and Sub Inspector of special operation group (SOG) of Jammu Kashmir police also attained martyrdom with Dinesh Singh. The news of death of the brave- heart brought gloom to the native village of Dinesh Singh. Incidentally three army per- sonnel belonging to Uttarakhand have lost their lives in Jammu and Kashmir within two days. On Friday, two army men from Pithoragarh district had sacri- ficed their lives in Uri sector of Jammu and Kashmir. The 25 year old Dinesh Singh joined Indian Army in the year 2015. His father Godhan Singh Geda too had served in the Indian Army. Governor Baby Rani Maurya expressed grief at the martyrdom and wished strength to the family to bear the loss. The chief minister Trivendra Singh Rawat also expressed deep anguish on the death of Dinesh Singh. In a message CM said that Dinesh Singh and other security per- sonnel have made the supreme sacrifice. The Vidhan Sabha speak- er Pre Chand Aggarwal, deputy speaker Ragunath Singh Chauhan, deputy leader of opposition in state assembly Karan Mahra, former speaker Govind Singh Kunjwal and many others have expressed their condolence to the griev- ing family. 2E83 ( ^`cV_fcdVRe2::DCZdYZVdYZ_WVTeVU =D14A5=E4; 2A=0E8ADB 05542C43 ?0C84=CB8= DCC0A0:70=3 A8B4BC% ?=BQ 347A03D= The warriors of Indian armed forces showered flower petals on the COVID- 19 warriors at Government Doon Medical College (GDMC) hospital and All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), Rishikesh on Sunday. In a gesture of showing solidarity with the COVID-19 warriors and salut- ing their untiring service to the nation during this time of crisis, the Army helicopters flew sorties over these insti- tutes. At the GDMC hospital, the doctors, nurses, other medical staff and sanitation workers waved to the heli- copter of Army when it appeared above them at 10.32 am on the day. The helicopter circled the hospital for about ten minutes. The principal of the GDMC, Dr Ashutosh Sayana said that the gesture of the army filled the hearts of the staff members with pride. The medical superintendent (MS) Dr K K Tamta, Deputy MS, Dr N S Khatri and large number of doctors and other staff were present on the occa- sion. However a big crowd gathered outside the hospital to witness the ceremony and the norms of social distancing were torn to shreds. 1b]iSX_``Ub cX_gUbc`UdQc_fUb 3?F94gQbbY_bc 7TP[cWbP]XcPcX^] f^aZTab^U632 088BAXbWXZTbW UT[XRXcPcTSX]P d]X`dTfPh - . RSHUDWLRQ 2QH VROGLHU IURP 8WWDUDNKDQG PDUWUHG 3X]TbWBX]VW^U 0[^aPSXbcaXRc [^bcWXb[XUTX] 7P]SfPaPPaTP^U =:PbWXa ?=BQ 347A03D= While some parents are worried due to the unavailability of textbooks for their children in the market, some of them alleged that schools are asking them to buy some additional books of specific pub- lishers. According to Dimpi Sharma, I was able to buy only six textbooks for my son. The bookseller told me that the complete set of the books will not be available for at least next six days. The education of children is already suffering due to the lockdown, therefore, I bought whatever books were available from the last year's stock. Another parent Vishal Singh said, I have bought all the NCERT textbooks for my children but did not buy the reference books yet. The reference books are quite expen- sive therefore I am considering buying them next month. Also, till the last year, the booksellers used to give discount on the MRP of the textbooks but they refused to provide any kind of discount this year.” Many parents said that they have been asked by the school administration to buy some additional books of specific pub- lishers. On being asked about why they did not complain about the issue, some said that the school administration will some- how make their children suffer after the lockdown while some said they have complained to the district administration and are waiting for action. Talking about the availability of text- books, a Raipur Road bookseller Brijesh Shrivastava said, Several books are not available currently due to the lockdown. Many parents have also asked us to get ref- erence books besides some additional books like computer books or general knowledge books which we will get by the end of this week. Meanwhile, the Uttarakhand Abhibhavak Sangh (UAS) said that schools are still forcing parents to buy additional books from outside the syllabus which are not necessary for the course even after the orders of the government. Therefore they will meet the district magistrate and other officials concerned on Monday about the harassment of par- ents by the administration of some schools, stated the members of UAS. ?=BQ 347A03D= The State admin has amend- ed its earlier orders and prohibited public transport in the plains of all districts in the state. The commissioners of Garhwal and Kumaon will issue necessary orders for this purpose. In the directions issued by chief secretary Utpal Kumar Singh on Sunday, it has been stated that in the Green zone districts (barring Udham Singh Nagar) as per the min- istry of health and family wel- fare letter dated April 30, inter district public transport will operate as per the guidelines regarding public transport in the ministry of home affairs order dated May 1. In the plains of all districts of the state (except districts classified as Red zones by Central Government) only 50% of non- essential goods shops will remain open in areas under urban local bodies. The district magistrates concerned will finalise the roster for this pur- pose while essential goods shops will be opened as earlier. ?=BQ 347A03D= Carrying forward Uttarakhand's tradition of serving in the Armed Forces of the country, Smita Devrani has become the first woman in the state to reach to the coveted position of Major General in Indian Army. She was serving as a Brigadier in the Indian Army. Incidentally her sister is also a Brigadier in the Army. Born in Dundekh village of Yamkeshwar of Pauri district, Devrani has risen within the ranks of the Army to become Major General. Expressing happiness, the Chief Minister Trivendra Singh Rawat has congratulat- ed Smita Devrani for being promoted on the rank of Major General. In his message, CM has said that her unique feat is a proud achievement for Uttarakhand and she has added to the honour of women of the State. BXcP3TeaP]XQTR^TbUXabc [PShPY6T]Ua^D´ZWP]S @eRYSdbQ^c`_bd`b_XYRYdUT Y^`QY^c_VQTYcdbYSdc ?=BQ 347A03D= Expressing apprehension over the decision of Uttarakhand Govt to open liquor shops in all parts of the State even as lockdown III continues, the Cong MLA from Kedarnath Manoj Rawat has asked the State Govt to either revoke its decision or impose restriction on its sale. In a let- ter to the CM Trivendra Singh Rawat, the MLA has said that by allowing easy availability of liquor is actually a cut in ration and other necessary things for poor during this period of cri- sis precipitated by the spread of COVID-19 infection. He argued that people would get enticed to buy liquor at the expense of other essen- tial items. “it is like a double whammy on the poor already affected by loss of employment and earning,’’ he said. Rawat further added that if the gov- ernment is not able to take back its decision of opening of liquor shops then it should reduce the permissible per person carry- ing limit of liquor to two bot- tles. He said that after April 2018, the State Government has increased the per person car- rying capacity to 12 bottle of liquor and 12 bottles of beer. Rawat claimed that this relax- ation has resulted in opening of many illegal sale points of liquor in villages. He also demanded that the govern- ment should also strike down the regulation of issuing permit for parties. Rawat said that this regulation has been misused by the officials and has spawned corruption in the department. ATe^ZTSTRXbX^]c^^_T][X`d^abW^_b)2^]V;0 0DQRM 5DZDW VDLG WKDW DOORZLQJ HDV DYDLODELOLW R OL R LV D W DOO D W LQ DWLRQ DQG RWKH QH HVVD WKLQJV R RR G LQJ WKLV H LRG R LVLV 0=D?090660 ?PaT]cbP[[TVTbRW^^[bU^aRX]V cWTc^QdhPSSXcX^]P[Q^^Zb
- 4. ]PcX^]#347A03D=k=30H k0H #!! De`_VaV]eVcddYZV]UeVcc`cZdedUfcZ_XV_T`f_eVc A07D;30CC0Q =4F34;78 The incident of stone-pelters resurfacing in Pulwama and attacking forces engaged in an encounter with terrorists has alarmed the security establish- ment. It has come about after a long gap and that too, amid a stringent Covid-19 lockdown in the Valley and the continued presence of security forces in full strength since the abroga- tion of Article 370 giving spe- cial status to Jammu and Kashmir last year. Faced with this re-emerg- ing threat after it nearly died down in 2019, the security forces are now redrawing their tactics to control crowds at encounter sites. Officials have maintained that there has been “no major incident of stone pelting at encounter sites” in 2020. Hence, the Pulwama incident has understandably alerted the security establish- ment. The stone-pelting incident has also coincided with the surge in militant activities lead- ing to increased anti-militancy operations. At least, 62 mili- tants have been neutralized since January one this year with 30 of the total ultras killed in the month of April alone, offi- cials said. However, at least 15 secu- rity men have also died in the last four months including the latest casualties of a Colonel and a Major on Friday. In fact, terrorists barged into the homes of some security men in Kashmir valley and shot them dead before decamping with their automatic weapons. The sequence of events in Dangerpora, Pulwama, saw heavy stone pelting commenc- ing as the security forces were approaching the houses where the militants were hiding. This was to delay the cordon and search net to get in place and give ample warning to the ultras to escape. Reports said while two militants were killed in the ensuing firefight, the other two managed to escape in the confusion due to stone throwing. Radicalised elements, espe- cially in four districts of South Kashmir, used to resort to stone throwing whenever the security forces were closing in on hiding militants in vari- ous hamlets, sources said here on Sunday. The phenomenon peaked into a major disruptive activi- ty during the encounter with the Hizbul Mujahideen com- mander Burhan Wani in 2016 and it continued for the next couple of months. After giving a tough time to the law enforcement agen- cies, stone pelting instances nearly came to an end in late 2019 after the Centre’s Article 370 move. Prior to that, the erstwhile State witnessed 1,999 incidents in the same year. This figure had crossed 2,650 in 2016 following Wani’s killing. More than 1,450 inci- dents were reported in 2018 while 1,410 incidents occurred in 2017. With almost negligent inci- dents in the last many months, security forces are taking the Pulwama incident seriously as it took place despite lock down restrictions and general improvement in law and order, sources said. The tightening up of the anti-terror grid will now see generating more real-time intelligence to go after the mil- itants so as to avoid giving any whiff to the misguided locals to gather and throw stones as an obstruction, they said. Moreover, the focus will be on launching operations in small teams in minimum pos- sible time to avoid leakage of information and getting out of the encounter site as fast as pos- sible. This will make sure that the radicalized elements do not have time and space to marshal their resources, sources said adding any chance of collateral damage will also be reduced to a large extent. On the sudden spurt in the number of fire-fights, officials said Pakistan-backed militants are now trying desperately to infiltrate from the mountain passes in North Kashmir. While many attempts were foiled, some militants managed to sneak in and the encounter in Keran some weeks back and the latest engagement in Handwara are clear indicators, they said. Both these places are in North Kashmir. Five para-commandos were killed in Keran in early April while five security per- sonnel including two officers fell on Friday. With snow melting in the higher reaches of North Kashmir, the anti-infiltration grid is now fully geared to thwart determined attempts by Pakistan to push in militants into the Kashmir valley. According to an estimate, nearly 300 well trained ultras are lodged in more than 25 launch pads across the Line of Control(LOC)and sources did not rule out the number of encounters on the LOC and in the hinterland going up in the coming days. Army Chief General M M Naravane, who visited Srinagar in late April after the five com- mandos were killed, had said focus on anti-infiltration mea- sures on the LOC will contin- ue. “As far as fighting terrorism in the hinterland is concerned, we will approach it through the joint mechanism instituted for the purpose. We have a high level of synergy between all the forces operating in the Valley,” he had said. The Army Chief had also said the security forces will give proportionate response to Pakistan to all acts of infringe- ment of ceasefire and his sup- port to terrorism. The onus remains with Pakistan to bring peace in the region. “Unless Pakistan gives up its policy of state sponsored terrorism, we will continue to respond with impunity and precision,” Naravane said. 5PRTSfXcWcWXbaTTTaVX]VcWaTPcbTRdaXchU^aRTbPaT]^faTSaPfX]VcWTXacPRcXRbc^R^]ca^[Ra^fSbPcT]R^d]cTabXcTb ?=BQ =4F34;78 Cancer has emerged as one of the major risk factors responsible for increased mor- tality due to Covid-19, accord- ing to a study published in lat- est journal of Cancer Discovery. It is the largest study so far to assess outcomes for patients with cancer who have also been infected with the deadly contagion. As a group, said the study, Covid-19 patients with blood cancers, such as leukemia and lymphoma, has the high- est mortality rate. Our findings emphasise the need to prevent cancer patients from contracting Covid-19 and-if they do-to identify and closely monitor these individuals for danger- ous symptoms, said co-lead author of the study, Dr Vikas Mehta, a surgical oncologist at Montefiore and associate pro- fessor of otorhinolaryngolo- gy--head and neck surgery at Einstein. Dr Mehta added, “we hope that our findings can inform states and communi- ties that have not yet been so severely struck by this pan- demic about the unique vul- nerability cancer patients face. The study involved 218 cancer patients who tested positive for Covid-19 from March 18 to April 8, 2020 at Montefiore Medical Center in the Bronx, New York City, one of the regions in the United States hit hardest by the pan- demic. A total of 61 cancer patients died from Covid-19, a dramatically high case-fatal- ity rate of 28 per cent. A key element is that mortality appears to be more closely related to frailty, age, and co-morbidities than to active therapy for cancer, said co-senior author Balazs Halmos, director of the Multidisciplinary Thoracic Oncology Program at Montefiore and professor of medicine at Einstein. Our data suggest that we should not stop lifesaving cancer therapies, but rather develop strategies to min- imise potential Covid-19 exposures and re-evaluate therapies for our most vul- nerable cancer populations, explained co-senior author Amit Verma, director of the division of hemato-oncology at Montefiore and professor of medicine and of develop- mental and molecular biolo- gy at Einstein. The time period during which these patients were treated was earlier in the epi- demic when testing was almost exclusively done in sicker, symptomatic patients who required hospitalisation. This may partially explain the high fatality rate within the study's cancer popula- tion. However, even when compared to mortality rates in non-cancer patients at Montefiore and across New York City during the same time period, cancer patients demonstrated a sig- nificantly higher risk of dying from Covid-19, said the study. As a group, Covid-19 patients with hematologic (blood) cancers, such as leukemia and lymphoma, had the highest mortality rate: 37 per cent (20 of 54 patients). For patients with solid malig- nancies, the mortality rate was 25% (41 of 164). Striking differences were observed among specific solid cancers: the mortality rate for patients with lung cancer was 55 per cent and colorectal cancer was 38 per cent, com- pared with mortality rates of 14 per cent for breast cancer and 20 per cent for prostate cancer. Certain underlying conditions-older age, hyper- tension, heart disease, and chronic lung disease--were significantly associated with increased mortality among cancer patients with Covid- 19. ?=BQ =4F34;78 Disability rights organisa- tions are up in arms against the recent order of the Director of the All India Institute of Medical Sciences, Rishikesh, threatening its employees including faculty, with compulsory retirement if they are unable to perform duties, due to physical or men- tal disability, which interferes with efficient discharge of duties. The organisations have now sought intervention of Dr Harsh Vadhan, Union Health Minister and Thawar Chand Gehlot, Union Minister of Social Justice and Empowerment to intervene in the matter, seeking with- drawal of the “blatantly dis- criminatory order.” ‘Any employee (includ- ing faculty), if unable to per- form duties, due to Physical or mental disability, which inter- feres with efficient discharge of duties, will be compulsory retired, as per CCS rules,’ says the official order dated 9 April 2020 signed by Dr Ravi Kant, Director, AIIMS, Rishikesh. The National Platform for the Rights of the Disabled (NPRD) slammed the move, saying that “the memo does not specifically state which section of the CCS rules makes a provision for such “compulsory” retirement. “On the contrary, the Central Services (Pension) Amendment Rules, 2018, states, “The case of a govern- ment servant acquiring a dis- ability, where the provisions of Section 20 of the Rights of Persons with Disabilities Act, 2016 (49 of 2016) are applic- able, shall be governed by the provisions of the said section,” said Muralidharan Vishwanath, Secretary, NPRD. He also cited various pro- visions of the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (RPWD) Act 2016 which pro- tects the righst of the PwDs while in duty. “Despite progressive leg- islation to empower people with disabilities, the AIIMS, Rishikesh is passing an office order which is not only unfair, discriminatory but also unlawful”, said disability rights activist and founder of Doctors with Disabilities, Dr Satendra Singh. Dr Singh also said that the order will have adverse impact on the morale of disabled staff at AIIMS, Rishikesh dur- ing Covid-19 pandemic times when all efforts are being taken to boost the morale of the employees. 3XaTRc^a088BAXbWXZTbWWPScWaTPcT]TSXcbT_[^hTTb X]R[dSX]VUPRd[chfXcWR^_d[b^ahaTcXaTT]cXUcWThPaT d]PQ[Tc^_TaU^aSdcXTbSdTc^_WhbXRP[^aT]cP[SXbPQX[Xch 3XbPQX[XchaXVWcb^aVP]XbPcX^]b _a^cTbc088BSXaTRc^a´b^aSTa ?=BQ =4F34;78 Days after Prime Minister Narendra Modi expressed his vision for self-reliant and sustainable villages, the Common Service Centres (CSC), the digital arm of the Government, on Sunday announced to fulfil the nation's needs for assimilating the spir- it of self-reliance at rural level. From the new age e-com- merce to realising direct ben- efit transfers (DBT) to provid- ing loans and imparting online education to villagers, the CSC has all in its basket to play a significant role in nation’s goal of achieving Gram Swaraj, CSC CEO Dr Dinesh Kumar Tyagi said. The Prime Minister had on Panchayati Raj Day on April 24 emphasised the need for assim- ilating the spirit of self-reliance and advocated that panchyats and villages can play a signif- icant role in nation’s goal of achieving Gram Swaraj. The PM highlighted the role of the digital economy (CSC) and internet connectiv- ity( Bharat Net ) in facilitating self-reliance and meeting these emerging challenges encoun- tered by the country in today’s context like the corona pan- demic scare. The CSCs, under the Ministry of Electronics IT of Government of India, is a sig- nificant pillar of the Digital India Programme. This pan- India network is operated and managed by the Village Level Entrepreneurs and is closely aligned to the spirit and vision of Gram Swaraj. Currently, over 3 lakh VLEs are manag- ing the CSCs in rural and semi urban areas of the coun- try. The core components of Gram Swaraj centered on self- reliance and socio-economic dignity, especially for the mar- ginalized communities, are being addressed and delivered by the CSCs. Through tech- nology, enabling policy and digital infrastructure, CSCs are contributing to Gram Swaraj through digital literacy, awareness about Government and other schemes contribut- ing to social empowerment; digital entrepreneurial oppor- tunities and infrastructure con- tributing to economic empow- erment and citizenship services that contribute to inclusion and political empowerment by pro- viding easy access to services and schemes, said Tyagi. Tyagi said the fact that Sarpanchs(Panchayat repre- sentative) of different Gram Panchayats from across the country sitting in villages con- nected with the Prime Minister digitally through video con- ference itself establish the power of digital infrastruc- ture and support the vision of decentralized democracy and citizens’ active participation in nation building. Other significant tenets of the Gram Swaraj concept is the focus and ability for meeting community needs utilising locally available resources. During the COVID 19 pan- demic the innovative CSC Grameen e store are not only meeting the requirement of the citizen but also supporting the farmers to sell its produce or an artisan to market its products. This localised e-com- merce CSC Store is trans- forming the rural economy and making them self reliant beside general economic devel- opment of the village, Tyagi said. CSC has also started in a limited way the Rural BPO, which has a huge potential for employment generation and can reverse/contain the Rural migration, he pointed out. 2B2P]]^d]RTbc^PRcdP[XbT^SX³b²6aPBfPaPY³ ?=BQ =4F34;78 The Department of Biotechnology (DBT) under the Union Science and Technology Ministry has announced the launch of 1,000 Genome sequencing of SARS-Cov 2 virus to under- stand viral and host genomics of COVID-19 outbreak. The deadly contagion has swept across the nations killing over 2 lakhs worldwide. In India, the virus has claimed over 1,320 lives. Under the study, the sci- entists will sequence 1,000 SARS Cov-2 genomes from the clinical samples to under- stand the evolving molecular phylogeny of the virus and the emerging mutations in the viral RNA as well as identify the host genetic variations which correlate with trans- mission, susceptibility and disease severity. The samples will be col- lected from across India to study the emerging mutations in the virus and how they change the symptoms of the infections disease that has killed at least 235,000 people across the world, as per a statement here. This study is being coor- dinated by National Institute of Biomedical Genomics (NIBMG) in Kalyani, West Bengal. The institute has already sequenced about five Sars-CoV-2 genomes. Other partners include Centre for DNA Fingerprinting And Diagnostics – Hyderabad, Institute of Life Sciences – Bhubaneswar, National Centre for Cell Science – Pune, Institute For Stem Cell Science and Regenerative Medicine – Bengaluru. Other DBT labo- ratories will also contribute in sample collection and sequencing from across the country. The Indian Institute of Sciences is also likely to join the project. The analysis of the data will also help the researchers understand how genetic vari- ations in the human host relate to the severity and transmissibility of the infec- tion and the susceptibility to it. The findings of this study will also assist development of efficient diagnostic assays, vaccine and drug candidates and help formulate policies for containment of the outbreak. :VT]^TbT`dT]RX]V^UB0AB2^e !eXadb[Pd]RWTSc^STR^ST2^eXS ( ?=BQ =4F34;78 Amid rising number of coro- navirus cases in the Central Armed Police Forces and concerns over several policemen contracting COVID-19, the Centre has advised the States for preparing an effective second line of defence to contain the spread of the pandemic. In a separate letter to all the Chief Secretaries of States/UTs and DGs Prisons, the Ministry advised them to strictly follow guidelines and protocols for managing Covid-19 in prisons. In its communication to all the States and Union Territories, the Union Home Ministry said the police chiefs may consider the option of 'work from home' for person- nel not deployed on frontline in hotspots and containment znones, and wherever feasible. To meet the challenge of COVID-19, and to ensure sus- tainment of control strategy for COVID- 19, police forces need to prepare an effective second line of defence to make up for the police personnel who may be rendered ineffec- tive due to COVID infection during the pandemic, the home min- istry said. The Ministry has also reit- erated guidelines and proto- cols for security personnel engaged in managing public during the continuing lock- down. As for writing about the guidelines for prisons, the Home Ministry said the novel coronavirus is a global health crisis and has affected a huge population the world over. The virus which causes the disease is highly infectious and even pre-symptomatic people can infect others and any person who is in close contact with someone who has suspected or confirmed COVID-19 is at risk of con- tracting the disease, it said. People in prisons and other places of detention, liv- ing in closed and crowded environment, are likely to be more vulnerable to the coro- navirus disease, the Home Ministry said. Moreover, it said, experi- ence shows that prisons, jails and similar settings where people gather in close prox- imity may act as a source of infection, amplification and spread of infectious diseases within and beyond prisons. Prison health is, there- fore, widely considered as public health. Any control strategy for COVID-19 in the community which does not encompass the prison context will not be sustainable, the ministry said. It is, therefore, considered essential that health-care teams of States and UTs should work with the custodial and detention staff in prisons and other places of detention, fol- lowing the national guide- lines and protocols on the subject issued by the govern- ment of India from time to time, it said. The home ministry said certain inmates in a prison were tested COVID-19 posi- tive. In view of this, it is con- sidered expedient to issue these guidelines to reiterate the precautions and measures to be taken, the ministry said. In a separate development, the ministry has sought a report from the CRPF on why there has been an upward spi- ral in the number of Covid-19 cases. The BSF has also reported 42 Covid positive cases till so far. In 31 Battalion located at a camp here, as many as 140 persons have been tested pos- itive for the disease even as test reports of others are awaited. Another company was quarantined on Saturday fol- lowing detection of a corona virus positive case. On Sunday, the CRPF headquarters was sealed after detection of a Covid-19 positive case and all 40 personnel traced to have been in contact with the infected official have been quarantined. BcPcTbDCbc^[Sc^_aT_PaTbTR^]S[X]T^USTUT]RT F0A0608=BC3403;H2A=0 ?T^_[TX]_aXb^]bP]S^cWTa_[PRTb^U STcT]cX^][XeX]VX]R[^bTSP]SRa^fSTS T]eXa^]T]cPaT[XZT[hc^QT^aT ed[]TaPQ[Tc^cWTR^a^]PeXadbSXbTPbT ?C8Q =4F34;78 Chief Justice of India S A Bobde has directed that Supreme Court officers in the ranks of deputy registrar and above or their equivalent in the registry shall attend office from May 4. The apex court has restricted its functioning since March 23, days before the nationwide lockdown started from March 25, and is presently hearing urgent mat- ters through video-confer- encing. An office order, issued on Sunday by the top court's secretary general Sanjeev S Kalgaonkar, said that remain- ing staff members shall con- tinue to work from home as per terms and conditions as notified earlier. In partial modification of orders referred above, the Chief Justice of India has been pleased to direct that all the officers in the ranks of deputy registrar and above, or their equivalent, in the registry shall attend office with effect from Monday, May 4, 2020, it said. The remaining staff shall continue to work from home on such terms and conditions as notified earlier, by the orders under reference, how- ever, concerned registrar(s) may direct any other subor- dinate officer/staff to attend office to meet any urgent requirement(s) and, on such direction, such officer and/or staff shall report for duty at office on the date and time so directed, it said. The office order said all officers and staff, while com- muting to and from office and also while at work, shall strict- ly follow all precautions as per advisory and guidelines issued by the Government and the apex court registry from time to time towards preventing the spread of COVID-19, like practising social distancing and wearing face masks. 298SXaTRcb^UUXRTabX]aP]Zb ^UShaTVXbcaPaP]SPQ^eTc^ PccT]S^UUXRTUa^Ph# 2E83 (DC1A40: +LJK PRUWDOLW DQFHU SDWLHQWV VRIW RYLG WDUJHW
- 5. ]PcX^]$347A03D=k=30H k0H #!! 2E83 (DC1A40: :D0A274;;0??0= Q :278 While the Centre and State Governments in the country are burning mid-night oil devising a strategy to deal with the post-coro- navirus phase, a senior CPI(M) leader in Kerala has been caught up in a Catch -22 situation at the resi- dence of his secret lover at Kollam. The district administration has put the prince of romance under quar- antine in a Government hospital. It turned out to be a May Day with a difference for G Muraleedharan, a criminal lawyer by profession who is also the secretary of the Trivandrum Bar Association. He had an illicit affair with a mar- ried woman in Kollam, the adjoining district. When her husband left for Alappuzha to attend the last rites of a close relation, the lady invited the lawyer lover for a rendezvous at her own residence. The CPI(M) leader told his wife at Thiruvananthapuram that he has to meet a client at Kollam to be briefed about an upcoming hearing and would be back only the next day. His escapades to the neighbour- ing district continued for a couple of days and this was observed by the local residents. Unknown to the lawyer was that fact that Chathannoor, the area where his lover had her residence, has been declared as a containment zone and strict lock- down rules were in force. The local population who took note of the arrival and departure of the stranger struck on May Day by informing the Kollam district col- lector about the goings on. The Collector in turn alerted the coron- avirus monitoring team about the inter-district visitor who was flouting the laws openly. On the occasion of his fourth visit, the lawyer was taken into custody by a team of officials drawn out from the departments of police, revenue , health and local administration. The arguments by the lawyer that he had come as part of his profession fell flat as the relations of the woman certified that there were no legal issues associated with the family. The district administration was not willing to take any chances and the modern day Perry Mason was quarantined for 14 days in the Kollam District Hospital where he is busy preparing a brief to present before the “Court of Justice” where he has to appear first after releasing from the confinement, his own house. One is reminded of the catch- word that coronavirus is not just a dry and humid season but has lighter moments too. May be a movie by name Pathi,Pathni and Pandemic could be made featuring the escapades of the modern day Casanova. ?=BQ 90D With 35 fresh cases of coronavirus, the Union Territory of Jammu Kashmir Sunday crossed the 700 bar- rier. On the other hand, the Government on Sunday listed all 10 dis- tricts of Kashmir valley as red districts along with three districts of Jammu, Samba and Kathua from Jammu divi- sion. Four districts of Reasi, Udhampur, Ramban and Rajouri were categorised as Orange districts and only three dis- tricts of Doda, Kishtwar and Poonch were categorised as Green districts. Meanwhile, the testing capacity in Jammu and Kashmir has been further increased up to 2500 tests per day. According to the media bulletin, 35 new positive cases of novel Coronavirus (Covid-19), 01 from Jammu division and 34 from Kashmir division, have been reported on sunday thus taking the total number of positive cases in Jammu Kashmir to 701. According to the bulletin, out of 701 positive cases, 406 are Active Positive, 287 have recovered and 08 have died. Moreover, 33 more Covid-19 patients have recovered and discharged from various hospitals- 02 from Jammu Division and 31 from Kashmir Division. Earlier, in the day Indian Armed Forces organised multiple events to show solidarity and gratitude to these Corona Warriors across JK. Indian Army organised events in Kashmir valley, in Rajouri, Akhnoor, Jammu, Samba, Kathua and felicitated all agencies involved in the fight against Covid-19 by organizing Military Pipe Band Displays as a token of apprecia- tion and goodwill gesture at many places. In Jammu Tiger Division organised events at: Govt Medical College Jammu, JK Police lines Gandhi Nagar, Govt Hospital Gandhi Nagar, Police Station, Bari Brahmana, Employees State Insurance Corporation Hospital, Bari Brahmana. Banners with encouraging slogans were displayed and senior army officials greeted and inter- acted with counterparts from other agencies. Miran Sahib Brigade also pre- sented Hand sanitizers manufactured by Brigade EME workshop and Greeting cards from children to the Corona Warriors in Govt Medical College Jammu. In Rajouri, Corona Warriors were honoured by Ace of Spades Division at District Police Lines, Civil Hospital, Government College and Army Hospital. :D0A274;;0??0= Q :278 It turned out to be a Black Sunday for Chennai as the number of persons tested pos- itive for coronavirus in the metropolis increased by 203 in a single day, according to the medical bulletin released by the Government of Tamil Nadu. The total number of per- sons tested positive for the pandemic in the State crossed the 3,000 mark by Sunday evening and reached 3,023 by 7.15 pm. The day saw 266 per- sons testing positive for coron- avirus all over the State. This is the highest number of persons testing positive in the State in a single day which prompted medical expert like Dr Ranjith Vijayahari to desig- nate Chennai as a “very very hotspot” and termed the situa- tion highly critical. With 203 persons testing positive on a single day, Chennai city alone has 1,458 active covid-19 patients. One more person suc- cumbed to the pandemic on Sunday making the total num- ber of deaths to 30. What is causing concern is Chennai emerging as Tamil Nadu’s epicenter of coronavirus even as the State Government has decided to relax the regu- lations and make things easy for industries and business estab- lishments to function from May 4. “The only option before the Tamil Nadu administration is to identify, isolate and quar- antine the persons testing pos- itive. The State has to ramp up the testing. The contacts of all the 203 persons tested positive have to be identified and test- ed and if need arises, they have to be isolated,” said Dr Vijayahari who prefers a total close down of the hotspots with stringent regulations. Earlier in the day, the Greater Corporation of Chennai passed a legislation taking over all marriage halls and halls in the city to accom- modate the coronavirus patients whose numbers are rising by the day. The perception of the general public towards the norms declared by the Government need to be changed, according to Dr Rajesh Kesavan, a medical doc- tor. “The fact that we have seized more than 3 lakh vehi- cles for violation of the pro- hibitory orders and collected more than C3.5 crore as fine shows that there is no let up in the attitude of the city residents. Now we have to see what impact the new order enacted by the Tamil Nadu Government to arrest and imprison persons loitering around would make,” said a police officer in Chennai. The lack of coordination between the State and Central Governments with regard to the availability of quarantine facil- ities came out on Sunday. The Southern Division of the Railways had worked overtime and converted 575 rail bogies into temporary hospital facili- ties. “Each compartment/bogie could accommodate eight per- sons and if the need shoots up, we can put 16 persons in a sin- gle coach. But the request has to come from the State Government. We are ready with a buffer arrangement,” a senior Railway Official told The Pioneer. 04A80;B0;DC4C2A=0F0AA8AB :D0A274;;0??0=Q :278274=08 For the entire medical fra- ternity in Tamil Nadu and Kerala, Sunday, May 3, 2020 would remain as a day to be remembered throughout their life. The helicopters of Indian Air Force showered petals on Covid warriors, the doctors, nurses, para medical staff and all healthcare workers engaged in fighting the spread of the pandemic. In Chennai IAF heli- copters flew over the Rajiv Gandhi Government General Hospital and the Tamil Nadu Government Multi Super Specialty Hospital and show- ered flowers over the hospital staff waiting outside. Many of the doctors and nurses could be seen showing the victory sign with their fingers as a mark of apprecia- tion to the country’s Forces and the respect they showed on the hospital staff. At Thiruvananthapuram, Brigadier Seshadri, head of the Army Unit accompanied by officers and soldiers drove down to the Police Head Quarters and expressed their gratitude to the members of the Kerala Police who have been working round-the-clock as the frontline guards to fight coronavirus. The Government General Hospital at Ernakulam wit- nessed some emotional scenes as the doctors and nursing staff from Sanjeevani, the Navy’s hospital at the Head Quarters of the Southern Navy Command called on their counterparts to hand over a ‘big thank you’ message. These doctors, nurses and para medical staff deserve all our respects and love because of the kind of job which they are doing since the outbreak of this pandemic. This is an extra ordinary situation and that’s why we are here to give them all moral support,” said the commanding officer of Sanjeevani, the naval hospital. The doctors and nurses looked excited and happy as their cavalcade of the Indian Navy came calling. “I have been working as a nurse for 29 years and this is the first of its kind recognition and acknowl- edgement I am getting. This will rekindle and rejuvenate our energy,” said a nurse in the Government general Hospital. But there were dissident voices too. Dr Rajesh Kesavan, adjunct professor, SRM Institute of Technology and Science said there was no need of such a grand show just to express gratitude. “The medical fraternity needs dignity and freedom to work. The smile of the patients who get discharged from the hospital after they are cured are our trophies,” said Dr Kesavan. Some of the medical staff who stood outside the hospi- tal building in the scorching sun of May were heard com- plaining that not even a single petal fell on them. @UdQccX_gUbUTY^DQ]YQTe;UbQQ B0D60AB4=6D?C0Q :;:0C0 In what was dismissed as an orchestrated show of soli- darity for the same police force which the locals attacked a few days ago for imple- menting lockdown at Tikiapara in Howrah, hun- dreds of locals on Sunday took out a long procession exhibiting contrition for many of them did last Tuesday when men in uniform tried to make them follow the lock- down rules. A large number of civil society members and Opposition leaders immedi- ately dismissed the “suicidal” rally as a Trinamool Congress’ damage-control exercise and questioned the organizers’ level of awareness in taking out the Sunday’s “apology- cum-solidarity” march. “It is like adding salt to the wound. Tuesday’s incident was a spontaneous local out- burst by a particular section of electorate that usually serves as the vote bank of the TMC… but what happened today was irresponsible and suicidal,” BJP’s Sayantan Basu said asking why the local administration gave the per- mission to the organisers to arrange such a huge gather- ing. “The rally itself shows how irresponsible the politi- cal leaders who organized it are. It was no method of showing solidarity. I will not only hold the police admin- istration responsible but also the police ministry which works under Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee for this reckless act. And if someone says that the Government had no information of this rally I will not subscribe that,” CPI(M)’s Sujan Chakrabarty said. Half-a-dozen men in khaki were injured and at least two police vehicle were van- dalized when locals attacked a police party that tried to push the people indoors while they were breaking lockdown norms and crowding a small lane at Tikiapara which has been identified as a contain- ment zone. Incidentally, the attack on police men contin- ued even on Saturday evening when several men in uniform were beaten up and their vehicles were damaged at Siuri in Birbhum district, sources said. Meanwhile, amid the ongoing ‘ration unrest’ under- scoring an inefficient public distribution system that has allegedly deprived hundreds of villagers of their weekly allotment of free rice the State administration has can- celled the licenses of 42 ration dealers, Bengal Government sources said adding another 32 erring dealers have beenar- rested too. Earlier, State Food Minister claimed that about 7 crore people of the State had been provided with free ration in the month of April blam- ing the Centre however that for supplying lesser amount of pulses. He said while the State required more than 43,000 metric tons of pulses the Centre had sent only lit- tle more than 4,000 MTs. There was more violence in Bengal with agitated vil- lagers attacking and vandal- izing ration shops this time at Nandigram following com- plaints that the dealers were not supplying adequate amount of ration to them. Hundreds of villagers raided the house of the dealer at Nandigram and burnt his vehicle, sources said. Similar unrests were earlier witnessed at North 24 Parganas, Salar in Murshidabad district where the locals torched a ration shop. Violence was also wit- nesses at Bhangar in South 24 Parganas where hundreds of ration cards were recovered from the house of an alleged TMC leader. The ruling party howev- er has dismissed any connec- tion with the said person. ?=B Q :;:0C0 Aday after Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee wrote a 13-page letter to Governor Jagdeep Dhankhar faulting him once again for humiliating her office it was the turn Trinamool Congress MP and the Chief Minister’s nephew Abhishek Banerjee to fire salvos at the Central Government for wasting public money to beautify Luttyen’s Delhi. Junior Banerjee said that the Centre was spending C20,000 crore to beautify Parliament and the surrounding areas adding the amount could be spent to provide two meals to 1.85 crore people for six months during the hard coro- na times. Writing a lengthy letter to the Governor the Chief Minister had on Saturday asked him to either stop attacking her or step down from his office and assume charges as the Chief Minister of the State. Referring to supremacy of the legislature she wrote that “the paramountcy of the State Legislature (as, indeed, of Parliament) is subject only to the Constitution, judicial review and the basic structure doctrine and certainly not even remotely to the office of Governor….” Quoting from the Sarkaria Commission reports and a Supreme Court judgment she wrote, “In a nutshell, Respected Governor, the crux of the matter, which is being missed by you, is that if you a) do not agree with me or my Government, b) find that the state is not being run as you like it, c)find wrong decisions, wrong appointments, wrong policies, wrong everything; You may (politely) bring your grievance to my attention (not write to Ministers, departments, officers or go to Press or public) and, if it is still not resolved to your satisfaction, there is, unfor- tunately no other power in you, so long as my government com- mands the confidence of the leg- islature.” Senior TMC leader Partha Chatterjee also said that Dhankhar had disrespected his constitutional post as the Governor of West Bengal. “He is opposing the State government's moves like a political figure using the media. He is giving out all his letters sent to the chief minister's office in the public domain. This is unwarranted and unfortunate,” the senior Minister said. Soon after receiving the letter the Governor hit back saying: “At the outset in this critical time I urge her to focus on grim situa- tion and work in togetherness towards alleviating untold public miseries. While I find no sub- stance in her version, both in fact and law, I appreciate her stance for full cooperation with state Government.” /RFDOV KROG VXLFLGDO µUHJUHW UDOO¶ DIWHU WKUDVKLQJ +RZUDK FRSV C=A067D=0C70Q D108 Amid the extended lock- down, alcohol consumers living in the red zones of Mumbai Metropolitan Region (MMR) and the areas under the Pune, Pimpri-Chinchwad and Malegaon Municipal Corporations had something to cheer on Sunday, as the Maharashtra Government ordered the re-opening of liquor shops in all areas except- ing in containment zones from Monday onwards, with certain conditions. A day after it notified the extended lockdown guidelines, the State Government announced certain relaxations, under which it allowed re- opening of any number of stand-alone shops vending essential commodities and five non-essential shops, including one liquor shop, on a particu- lar road/lane, from Monday onwards. “There is no restriction on the number essential shops. In the case of non-essential shops, only five can remain open in one lane. Among the five non- essential shops, there can be one liquor shop,” a senior gov- ernment official said. In its notification amend- ing its earlier notification, the State Government said: “A;; malls, market complexes and markets shall remain closed in urban areas. However, shops selling essential goods in mar- kets and market complexes are permitted” “All stand-alone (single) shops, neighbourhood (colony) shops and shops in residential complexes, without any dis- tinction of essential and non- essential, are permitted to remain open in urban areas excluding containment zones. However, in areas under the Mumbai Metropolitan Region (MMR), Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC), Pimpri- Chinchwad Municipal Corporation (PCMC) and Malegaon Municipal Corporation (MMC), if there are more than five shops in a lane/road then besides all shops selling essential goods, up to a maximum of 5 shops selling non-essential goods in that lane/road will be permitted to remain open,” the amended notification read. “All shops in rural areas, except in malls, are permitted to remain open, without any distinction of essential and non-essentials. Social distanc- ing will be maintained in all cases,” the notification added. The MMR, where relax- ations have been announced, comprises Mumbai, satellite towns like Thane, Kalyan- Dombivli, Navi Mumbai, Panvel, Vasai-Virar, Mira- Bhayandar and Ulhasnagar. The State Government has permitted supply of goods, all essential supplies shops and movement for medical emer- gencies have been permitted in all – Red, Orange, Green Zones, besides containment areas and also within civic bodies. The Government has also permitted opening of medical clinics, out-patient-depart- ments, posts and couriers, banking and finance, agricul- tural activities, e-commerce essential goods, urban indus- tries, industries with access controls. The State Government has permitted cars on a driver-plus two passengers basis in all three zones, including red Zones, while it has allowed ply- ing of two-wheelers without a pillion rider Taxis and aggre- gators have been barred. In Red Zones, only Government offices shall con- tinue to work with 5 percent staff as in the past two lock- down periods even in lock- down 3.0. However, relief has been granted for government and private offices in Green and Orange Zones which can start work with 33 percent staff. Industrial activities con- tinue to be banned in the Red Zones comprising MMR, PMR and MMC, though private con- struction sites having in-situ labour can resume activities in this zone. RYR]Zbf`cdY`ad e``aV_hZeYcZUVc DSSWPe6^ec P]]^d]RTb aT[PgPcX^]bX] ATSaP]VT 6aTT]i^]Tb C=A067D=0C70Q D108 Dubbing the Centre’s deci- sion to establish the International Financial Services Centre (IFSC) Authority in Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s home State of Gujarat instead of Mumbai as “egre- gious, erroneous and unwar- ranted”, NCP President Sharad Pawar said that the move would not only cause financial dam- age to the country but will also bring “international discredit” to it by undermining the importance of Mumbai. Indirectly accusing Modi who hails from Gujarat of indulging in “State politics”, Pawar said in his letter: “Dear Prime Minister you have made your mark on the world forum with your vision, wisdom, clair- voyance and political acumen. I expect you to take a rational, judicious decision keeping aside the state politics and consider it as an issue of utmost nation- al importance... I hope my let- ter will be taken in a right spir- it. And a true statesmanship is exhibited, considering to estab- lish IFSC in a Financial Capital of India i.e. Mumbai. Pawar’s letter to the Prime Minister came on the heels of the leaders of the Shiv Sena- NCP-Congress Maha Vikas Aghadi in Maharashtra slam- ming the Narendra Modi gov- ernment’s notification on April 27 declaring Gandhinagar in Gujarat as the headquarters of the IFSC Authority, at the Gujarat International Financial- Tech (GIFT) City. The MVA leaders disapproved the move, by saying that the Prime Minister should not only think of his home state, but nation as a whole. In a letter written to the Prime Minister on Satuday – copy of which was released Sunday, Pawar said: “Since IFSC is a unified agency to reg- ulate all financial service cen- tres in the country and Mumbai being the country’s economic, financial and commercial cap- ital is the best choice and place to relocate IFSC. I therefore urge you to reconsider the decision to shift the FISC in Gujarat and shift it in Mumbai on merit basis”. Citing the data published by the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) on April 23, 2020 to con- firm the Government’s earlier decision to set up the IFSC in Mumbai, Pawar stated: “The Indian banking sector has deposits to the tune of 145,00,000 crore. The share of Maharashtra alone in the deposits is 22.8 percent, fol- lowed by Delhi (10 percent), Uttar Pradesh (7.8 percent), Karnataka (7.2 percent) and Gujarat (5.4 percent)” “As per the reserve require- ment, every bank has to main- tain SLR at the rate of 18 per- cent of its deposits in the form of government-securities (G- Sec). Though this G-Sec, the Central Government receives funds to the tune of Rs.26,00,000 crore. Out of such funds, Rs 5,95,000 crore is received from the state of Maharashtra alone as against Gujarat’s contribution of Rs 1,40,000 crore,” the NCP chief said. “In spite of Maharashtra’s immense contribution to G- Sec, the decision of establishing the IFSC (Authority) in Gujarat is egregious, erroneous and unwarranted. It will be per- ceived as a move to shift finan- cial institutions and business houses away from Maharashtra and will create unnecessary political disturbances. It will not only cause financial damage to the country but also bring international discredit to it by undermining the importance of Mumbai,” the NCP chief wrote. “Mumbai is already recog- nized as the world’s Top 10 cen- tres of commerce in terms of global financial flow generating 6.16 percent of India’s GDP and accounting for 25 percent of industrial output and 70 per- cent of capital transactions to Indian economy. The city alreadyhousesimportantfinan- cial institutions and corporate headquarters of numerous companies and its business opportunities attract many MNCs from all over the world,” Pawar said. DYZWeZ_X:7D4 S`UjWc`^f^SRZe`8f[RcRe hZ]]ScZ_XX]`SR]UZdTcVUZee`:_UZR+ARhRc 3XSX´b]T_WTfb[Pb2T]caT U^afPbcX]V_dQ[XR^]Th /DZHU V WUVW ZLWK ORYHU ODQGV KLP LQ TXDUDQWLQH C=A067D=0C70Q D108 Spotlight once again turned onto Mumbai’s Dharavi slum on Sunday, as two more persons succumbed to Covid- 19 and Asia’s largest slum recorded highest-ever day’s tally of 94 infected cases, taking the total number of positive cases to 590. With two fresh deaths, the total num- ber of deaths in this densely populated slum has risen to 20. A day after it had witnessed 89 – which thereto the biggest-ever surge in Coronavirus infections in a single day, Dharavi witnessed an alarming 94 new infected cases on Sunday. That the pandemic has spread all over Dharavi could be evidenced from the fact fresh cases are being reported from majority of the areas of this slum. On Sunday, as many as 11 new cases were reported from Matunga Labour colony, while there were 10 new cases in Valmiki Nagar. The following are other areas where a big surge in infections was witnessed: Indira Nagar (7 cases), Cross Road (seven cases) 60 feet Road ( six cases) and Mukund Nagar (four cases). There were three children – aged three, nine and ten years -- among the newly infected persons. Eighty three old woman from Ajmera chawl is the old- est woman is among the persons who tested positive for Coronavirus on Sunday. Sunday was the fourth occasion when there have been substantial num- ber of cases. Earlier on April 23, one death and 25 cases had been reported from Dharavi in a single day. Later on May 1, there were 38 new cases. Spread over 240 hectare area, Dharavi is one of the Covid-19 hotspots in Mumbai. Ever since first few cases of Coronavirus were reported in the early first week of April, the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) is close- ly monitoring the situation in Dharavi where the health authorities have clamped a total lockdown. Located between Western Railway’s Bandra-Matunga and Central Railway’s Sion-Matunga stations in north-central Mumbai, Dharavi is home to more than 4 lakh people. 7ZR PRUH GHDWKV LQ 'KDUDYL WRWDO FDVHV !]TfRPbTX]C= c^cP[^d]cbc^! QHZ FDVHV VXUIDFH LQ - . WRWDO RYHU
- 6. A s the “sword arm” of the nation, thearmedforcesaretheultimate arbiters of national sovereignty and security. Constitutional wirings of the country have mapped out clearly defined roles, restraints and interplay mechanisms among the vari- ous specialist arms of governance. In pur- suance of the defined realms, recruitment, equipment and training are afforded onto each institution to work independently and occasionally,complementeachother,excep- tional exigencies aside. Herein, the principle ofrequisitioningthearmedforcesasonlythe “lastresort”isimpliedwhenthesaidexigency is believed to be beyond the specific capabil- ity or assets of the defined specialist institu- tionandallotheralternativecivilianandnon- military (including those of centrally polic- ing armed forces) assets. Therefore, for all internalexigencieslikeriots,mobcontroland armed insurgencies among others, various StatesandspecialistCentralpoliceforcesare responsible. Similarly,tomanagenaturaldisasterslike earthquakes, tsunamis or floods, organisa- tionsliketheNationalDisasterManagement Authority(NDMA)haveaNationalDisaster Response Force (NDRF) team of trained 13,000 personnel. Even the Government’s medical ecosystem (not private) is said to have over 35,000 hospitals with well over 7,00,000 beds to cumulatively address any medical exigency, like the ongoing COVID- 19crisis.Yet,itisdisconcertingtoseethefre- quent invocation and requisitioning of the armed forces towards all sorts of exigencies with increasing regularity. Atonelevel,itspeaksvolumesaboutthe faith the citizenry affords on the institution ofthearmedforcestoconductthetaskswith clinical efficiency. On the other hand, it reflects the abysmal and repeated failure of other arms of governance to cope with their respective callings. While handling internal insurgencies in Kashmir or the North-east- ernStatesisnowalmostassumedtobeamil- itary task (when it ought not to be), the thoughtless beseeching of the military into virtually any civil predicament is unhealthy for the institution as also for the nation. A few months back, the lazy clamour, seeking military intervention on the streets of Delhi torestorepeaceamidcommunalviolencewas automatically triggered, interestingly by both sides of the conflict. The disciplined, apolitical and agenda-less moorings of the armed forces beget the much-needed reas- surances of fair play and non-partisan pro- tection. Involving the armed forces into internal strifedilutesthefundamentalethosofthemil- itary, which is to protect the nation from external threats and provide support in nat- ural disaster relief. This calls for an unmatchedorganisation,theablestbodyand the most disciplined personnel — all of whom are driven by a sense of national ser- vicebeyondtheirprincipalmandate.Butthey should never be seen taking on theirowncitizens,howevermis- guided they may be, as that would willy-nilly dilute the per- ception of political agnosticism of the armed forces. Civil strifes are complex with shades of grey that could entail some genuine grievances and missteps by the Government, too. A couple of years ago, a “godman” had held Panchkula hostage with his fol- lowersandthemightoftheState policehadembarrassinglycapit- ulated—ittookjustsixcolumns of an Army detachment to immediately restore order. Such instances have led to the conve- nient assumption of “calling out” the Army at the drop of a hat, like now in the ongoing COVID-19 crisis. This pandemic has led to multiple civic and control issues that are challenging for the police. However, to suggest its intervention is premature and not in consonance with the principleof“lastresort.”Neither are the police understaffed, underequippedorunderexposed todeal with suchissuesvis-à-vis thearmedforces,norshouldthe nation tap into the “last resort” and reservoir of able-bodied personnel safeguarding the sov- ereignty ofthe country.Already, the military domain has been roped in to organise quarantine set-ups. That brings the risk of infectionwithinits“barracks”— thehauntingspectreoftwosud- denly impoverished ships of the US Navy (aircraft carrier USS Theodore Roosevelt and the destroyer USS Kidd) ought to posit the real risk of the realm onto conventional weaponry and personnel. Around 122 jawans at a Central Reserve PoliceForce(CRPF)battalionin Delhi have already tested posi- tive for Coronavirus. As it is, the working condi- tions of the armed forces neces- sitate certain commune-style livingandoperations.Toaddthe additionalburdenofCOVID-19 imperatives means double taxa- tion. The ongoing challenges of managing insurgency in Kashmir (additionally borne dueto“supporting”thepolicing forces) have not diminished. News columns regularly carry the casualty toll in the ongoing insurgency. The potential (willful) decapitation of the military wherewithal with Corona risks, without maximising the various governmental or even private alternatives available, is unfair. With its budgetary allocations, the existing medical ecosystem of the armed forces is already well stretched to attend to nor- mal requirements of the serving andveteranfraternity,forwhich it is primarily intended. Inadeeplypolarisedsociety, unfortunately, even an unprece- dented tragedy like COVID-19 hassubliminalpoliticalandreli- gious undertones that beset any potential involvement. The armed forces cannot saunter into the societal minefield of communitymanagementasit is inflicted with perception “divides” of regional, ethnic and worse, religiousdenominations. The management of the times requires “civic engagement”, whichisfundamentallydifferent fromthebluntkinetictrainingof theArmy.TheArmyshouldnot “untrain” itself to adjust to the policing imperatives as that dilutestheprincipaltaskofamil- itary soldier. Last, such requisitioning also militates in the eyes of the servicemen, who could feel that the nation has taken them for granted,tobeusedasandwhere, and then forgotten with mean- ingless platitudes. They are rememberedthenexttimewhen some other arm of governance fails.Beyondthecondescending inanities, the armed forces have witnessed an unprecedented dilution of budgets, precedence and work conditions. The same cannot be said aboutvariousothergovernmen- tal institutions to which the armed forces provide regular “support.” Such trying times offer an invaluable opportunity to introspect the strategic pre- paredness, planning rigour and institutional efficacy of all gov- ernmental arms. To casually requisition the armed forces is a willful and regrettable shortcut. It endangers the fighting ability of the sword arm and ensures that other institutions and domains remain perennially sub-optimal. (The writer, a military veter- an, is a former Lt Governor of Andaman Nicobar Islands) ( YHU FULVLV EULQJV ZLWK LW DQ RSSRUWXQL W DQG WKH SUHVHQW SDQGHPLF KDV UHV XUUHFWHG WKH QHDUOGHDG SXEOLF VHUYLFH EURDGFDVWHU IRXQGHG E WKH *RYHUQPHQW LQ WKH ODWH V 'RRUGDUVKDQ ''