First india ahmedabad edition-02 june 2020

New Delhi: In a bid to
boost the Micro, Small
and Medium Enterpris-
essectorwhichhasbeen
the worst hit due to the
nationwide coronavirus
lockdown, Union Cabi-
netonMondayapproved
the modalities for imple-
menting Rs 50,000 crore
equity infusion to sup-
portMSMEs, whichwas
announced last month
as part of AtmaNirbhar
Bharat Package last
month. It also approved
Rs 20,000 crore subordi-
nate debt for stressed
MSMEs and a new defi-
nition for MSME under
which enterprises with
investments up to Rs 20
crore and a turnover of
less than Rs 250 crore
will now be defined as
‘medium’ units.
This was the first
meeting of the Cabinet
after the Narendra
Modi-led Turn on P6
First India Bureau
New Delhi: The polls to
18 Rajya Sabha seats, de-
ferred due to the corona-
virus pandemic, will
now be held on June 19,
the Election Commis-
sionannouncedonMon-
day. Out of these 18
seats, four each are from
Andhra Pradesh and
Gujarat, two from
Jharkhand, three each
from Madhya Pradesh
and Rajasthan and one
each from Manipur and
Meghalaya. Turn on P6
Polls to 18 RS seats, including
Gujarat on June 19: EC
DGCA bats
for vacant
middle seat
New Delhi: Aviation
regulator DGCA on
Monday asked airlines
to keep middle seats va-
cant to the extent pos-
sible. However, if a fly-
er has been allotted the
middle seat due to a
high passenger load
“then additional pro-
tective equipment like
wrap-around gown of
Ministry of Textile ap-
proved standards”
must be provided in ad-
dition to a three-lay-
ered face mask and face
shield, said the DGCA
order. P5
`50,000 cr
SUPPORT FOR MSMEs
Cabinet approves road map to implement two packages—Rs 20,000 cr for
distressed MSMEs & Rs 50,000 cr equity infusion through Fund of Funds
Prime Minister Narendra Modi chairing the Cabinet meeting, where Amit Shah, Nirmala Sitharaman,
Rajnath Singh, Nitin Gadkairi among others were present in New Delhi on Monday. —PHOTO BY ANI
CABINET INCREASES MSP FOR KHARIF CROPS
New Delhi: The Union Cabinet on Monday ap-
proved an increase in minimum support price
(MSP) for the Kharif crops. Briefing the media
here on the Cabinet decisions, Agriculture Minis-
ter Narendra Singh Tomar said that the MSP has
been increased for all mandated Kharif crops for
marketing season 2020-21. The Cabinet also ap-
proved the extension of repayment date for short
term loans for agriculture and allied activities by banks which have become
due or shall become due between March 1, 2020, and August 31, 2020. The
decision has been taken in view of the situation created by COVID-19. —ANI
India on alert: China planes hover near Ladakh
New Delhi: India is
keeping a close eye on
the movement of Chi-
nese fighter aircraft sta-
tioned around 100-150
kms at their bases in
Hotan and Gargunsa,
amid the ongoing ten-
sions over People’s Lib-
eration Army build up
along LAC in Ladakh.
“The Chinese have
kept a fleet of around
10-12 fighter aircraft
stationed there at the
moment and they are
also carrying out flying
activity close to the In-
dian territory. We are
keeping a close eye on
the movement of these
J-11 and J-7 fighter air-
craft,” sources said.
India had scrambled
its Su-30 MKI in first
week in May when an
Indian Army chopper
and Chinese chopper
were close to each other
in the air.
Chinese fighter air-
craft have been carry-
ing out sorties from air
bases in Hotan and Gar-
gunsa and fly 30-35 kms
from our territory in
Ladakh region, they
said. Turn on P6
An army convoy moving towards the Zojilla pass, in Drass, Ladakh.
FACTFILE
DATE OF POLL
June 19, 2020
(Friday)
HOURS OF POLL
9 am to 4 pm
COUNTING OF VOTES
June 19, 2020
(Friday) at 5 pm
DATE BEFORE WHICH
ELECTION SHALL
BE COMPLETED
June 22, 2020
(Monday)
CEC Sunil Arora chairs a meeting on Monday, where Election
Commissioners Ashok Lavasa & Sushil Chandra were present.
Unlock 1.0 saw opening of most
shops & markets across the
country, while the milling crowds
on roads, created chaos in many
cities. The photo shows Gurugram
returning to the pre-lockdown
situation, with traffic jams left
and right; people rushing to reach
their offices on time, thus throwing
social distancing norms on the
backburner.
THE UNLOCK
Unlock 1.0 saw opening of mostUnlock 1.0 saw opening of most
CHAOS
—ANIFILEPHOTO
422 fresh cases take shine off highest single-day discharge of 861
First India Bureau
Gandhinagar: In the
highest ever single-
day discharge, as
many as 790 patients
in Ahmedabad went
home on Monday.
Across the state, 861
were discharged in
all. However, the good
news ends there. Sev-
enteen districts have
reported as many as
423 new cases, and
the state has seen 25
deaths, 22 of which
occurred in
Ahmedabad.
The state might be
happy with the dis-
charge rate but the real-
ity is that the COVID-19
outbreak is hardly un-
der control. Monday
brought more cases
from the rural areas,
and yet the share of
three major cities-
-Ahmedabad, Surat and
Vadodara--continues to
lead the state’s tally.
At present, there
are a total of 5,374 ac-
tive cases in the state;
65 of these patients
are on ventilators and
5,309 are stable. In
the past 24 hours, the
state has tested 4,328
samples.
Balram Thawani, the
BJP MLA from Naroda
is being treated at the
COVID-19 hospital after
testing positive. He is
the second MLA from
the party to be infected
with Sars-CoV-2, after
its city unit president
Jagdish Panchal (Vish-
wakarma). Earlier, Con-
gress MLA Imran
Khedawala was hospi-
talized after testing
positive; he has recov-
ered.
Nineteen cases have
emerged in rural
Ahmedabad in a sin-
gle day. Three cases
each were reported
from Sanand, Detroj,
Dholka, Viramgam
and Dhandhuka,
while the rest are from
Daskroi, Bavla, and
Mandal. With this, the
total cases from rural
Ahmedabad have
touched 220.
In Vadodara district,
12 police personnel at
the Karjan police sta-
tion including a sub-in-
spector have been home
quarantined after an
accused suspect tested
positive. Turn on P6Medics take a sample for testing. —FILE PHOTO
 24 HOURS: 423 CASES, 25
DEAD, 861 DISCHARGED
 TOTAL: 17,217 CASES, 1,063
DEAD, 10,780 DISCHARGED
CORONA
ALERT
AHMEDABAD l TUESDAY, JUNE 2, 2020 l Pages 12 l 3.00 RNI NO. GUJENG/2019/16208 l Vol 1 l Issue No. 187
30°C - 42°C
OUR EDITIONS:
JAIPUR & AHMEDABAD
www.firstindia.co.in
www.firstindia.co.in/epaper/ I twitter.com/
thefirstindia I facebook.com/thefirstindia
instagram.com/thefirstindia
COVID-19
UPDATE
GUJARAT
1,063
DEATHS
17,217
CONFIRMED CASES
INDIA
1,98,140
CONFIRMED CASES
5,608
DEATHS
WORLD
3,75,593
DEATHS
63,19,550
CONFIRMED CASES

NEWSAHMEDABAD | TUESDAY, JUNE 2, 2020
02www.firstindia.co.in I www.firstindia.co.in/epaper/ I twitter.com/thefirstindia I facebook.com/thefirstindia I instagram.com/thefirstindia
First India Bureau
Gandhinagar: With a
cyclonic storm devel-
oping off the western
coast, Chief Minister
Vijay Rupani on Mon-
day chaired a high-
level meet in Gandhi-
nagar to assess the
preparedness of the
state machinery to
tackle all eventuali-
ties. He also met with
Union Home Minister
Amit Shah on Monday.
Following the meet-
ings, Rupani said 10
teams of the NDRF
have already taken po-
sitions in five districts
of south Gujarat and
Bhavnagar and Amreli
districts of Saurashtra
to deal with any situa-
tion arising out of the
cyclone. These five dis-
tricts of south Gujarat
are Surat, Bharuch,
Navsari, Valsad and
Dang. Five SDRF teams
have also been de-
ployed.
While Surat, Navsa-
ri, Valsad, Dang, and
Bharuch district have
been put on high alert,
the districts of Bhavna-
gar and Amreli have
been put on alert.
“10 teams of NDRF
and 5 teams of SDRF
have been moved to re-
lated districts, more
teams have been kept
reserved. Those suffer-
ing from illness, old
persons, children
would need care dur-
ing this time. District
collectors have been
instructed to complete
the task of shifting of
those in low lying are-
as to safer places by 12
noon on Tuesday,” the
chief minister said.
Rupani said while all
fishermen of south Gu-
jarat and Saurashtra
have been called back
from the sea, salt-pan
workers of these re-
gions have been shifted
to safer locations.
“The collectors
have been also asked
to make sure elec-
tricity supply to
COVID-19 hospitals
in their respective
areas does not get af-
fected,” he also said.
CMRupani,ShahcometogethertopreparestateforCycloneNisarga
Secretariat reopens, ministers back in office
First India Bureau
Gandhinagar: After al-
most 70 days, the coun-
cil of ministers of the
Gujarat government
and other bureaucrats
resumed their official
duties at the state sec-
retariat on Monday.
Prior to starting their
days, Chief Minister Vi-
jay Rupani along with
other ministers, chief
secretaries and officers
observed a two-minute
silence as a mark of re-
spect to those who have
fallen fighting COVID-19
across the world.
After paying his re-
spects,CMRupanivisited
his office and later took a
reviewmeetingof the‘Ni-
sarg’ cyclone with coastal
belt authorities at Tapi
Hall via video conferenc-
ing. He then sat in on a
meetwithmembersof the
Adhia Committee, which
shared its primary obser-
vations of recommended
actions to revive the
state’s economy. The com-
mittee had been appoint-
ed by Rupani to assess the
fall out of the lockdown
and advise steps to bring
the state’s trade and in-
dustry back on track.
Other ministers who
reported for duty and sat
in on meetings include
Deputy Chief Minister
NitinPatel,RevenueMin-
ister Kaushik Patel, Edu-
cation Minister Bhupen-
drasinh Chudasama, En-
ergy Minister Saurabh
Patel, Agriculture Minis-
ter RC Faldu and others.
According to sources,
the committee has stated
that the state’s manufac-
turing and service sector
have been badly affected
by the lockdown. It has
advised the state that
they can only be revived
by lending financial
help. This has put the
state in a conundrum
since the government it-
self is borrowing money
to run the show.
The committee recom-
mended two options to
bring the state economy
back on track- the first be-
ing pumping money in
development pro-
grammes, which would
increase money circula-
tioninthemarketandgive
amuch-neededpushtothe
economy.Theothercourse
of action would be to roll
out subsidies or tax incen-
tives to trade and indus-
tries sector. But, that
comes at a risk since the
state cannot keep borrow-
ing money for long, as its
liabilitywillincrease.This
would in turn be counter-
productive because in-
stead of allocating more
funds for development
work, the money will go
toward repaying debts.
RS POLL BUGLE BLOWN, RAJNEETI
MOVES BEGIN TO CHECK ‘MATES’First India Bureau
Gandhinagar: Day 1
of Unlock-1 saw the
Election Commission
of India (ECI) an-
nounce the date for
the Rajya Sabha elec-
tions in Gujarat,
which had been post-
poned due to the
COVID-19 outbreak
in the state. The comes
on the same day when
Delhi began talking
about the upcoming
monsoon session of the
Parliament. On June
19, the state’s 175 MLAs
(Members of the Legis-
lative Assembly) will
elect four candidates to
the Rajya Sabha. How-
ever, with five candi-
dates in the fray, the
race is likely to be neck
and neck, with victory
going to the party that
is more successful in
horse trading.
The incumbent
Bharatiya Janata
Party (BJP) has field-
ed Abhay Bhardwaj,
Ramilaben Bara and
Narhari Amin, while
the Congress has
fielded Shaktisinh
Gohil and Bharatsinh
Solanki. It is likely to be
smooth sailing for the
BJP’s first two candi-
dates. This will also be
true in the case of Con-
gress candidate Shak-
tisinh Gohil, as long as
there is no cross-voting
within the party and
fence-sitters don’t re-
sign at the last moment,
reducing party strength
in the house.
BJP spokesman
Bharat Pandya has wel-
comed the ECI decision
to announce the new
dates for the election,
which was originally
meant to have taken
place in March.
Leader of Opposition
Paresh Dhanani said,
“We have been expect-
ing this announcement
for a long time, and are
prepared for it,” adding
that the Congress Leg-
islative Party will meet
within three to four
days meetings to “plan
out our strategy”. Dha-
nani said he is confi-
dent that numbers are
on the side of the Con-
gress and that both its
candidates will come
out on top.
Right now, the Con-
gress has 68 MLAs in
the house, independent
MLA Jignesh Mevani
and two MLAs of the
Bharatiya Tribal Party
(BTP) will support Con-
gress candidates.
On the other hand,
the BJP--which needs
111 votes for its three
candidates--has 103
MLAs and will be look-
ing for eight more
votes. Nationalist Con-
gress Party MLA Kand-
hal Jadeja has said he
would vote for the BJP
candidate.
PUT OFF SINCE MARCH, ELECTIONS AND COUNTING OF VOTES TO TAKE PLACE ON JUNE 19
AMIT SHAH CHAIRS MEETING WITH NDMA OFFICIALS
RAJYA SABHA
ELECTIONS DATE
Shaktisinh Gohil and Bharatsinh Solanki. Abhay Bhardwaj
Ramilaben Bara
Narhari Amin
Voting
June 19, 2020
Voting time
9 am to 4 pm
(Friday)
Counting time
5 pm (Friday)
Electionprocess
tobeconcludedby
June 22
(Monday)
SAMPLE RECEIVED
SAMPLE NEGATIVE
0
UNDER EXAMINATION
2,16,258
1,99,041
IN GUJARAT
DISTRICT TOTAL TOTAL NEW
CASES DEATHS DEATHS
AHMEDABAD 12494 864 22
VADODARA 1074 39 0
SURAT 1659 71 2
RAJKOT 115 3 0
BHAVNAGAR 122 8 0
ANAND 101 10 0
BHARUCH 38 3 0
GANDHINAGAR 285 14 0
PATAN 80 6 0
PANCHMAHAL 89 10 0
BANASKANTHA 114 5 0
NARMADA 18 0 0
CHOTA UDEPUR 33 0 0
KUTCH 80 2 0
MEHSANA 120 5 0
BOTAD 59 1 0
DAHOD 36 0 0
PORBANDAR 12 2 0
JAMNAGAR 54 3 0
MORBI 4 0 0
SABARKANTHA 106 3 0
ARAVALLI 111 5 1
MAHISAGAR 116 2 0
KHEDA 68 4 0
GIR SOMNATH 45 0 0
VALSAD 40 1 0
TAPI 6 0 0
NAVSARI 25 0 0
DANG 2 0 0
SURENDRANAGAR 39 1 0
DWARKA 13 0 0
JUNAGADH 29 0 0
AMRELI 10 1 0
OTHER STATES 16 0 0
TOTAL 17217 1063 25
(L to R) Revenue Minister Kaushik Patel, Education Minister Bhupendrasinh Chudasama, Chief Minister
Vijay Rupani, Deputy Chief Minister Nitin Patel and Chief Minister Anil Mukim pay their respects to
corona victims before resuming their duties at Swarnim Sankul-1, Gandhinagar on Monday.
Chief Minister Vijay Rupani and Revenue Minister Kaushik Patel
reviewing cyclone preparedness in anticipation of ‘Nisarga’.
10 NDRF, 5 SDRF teams moved in;
Surat, Navsari, Valsad, Dang and
Bharuch on high alert
USA 1,844,950 106,431 +236
BRAZIL 514,992 29,341 +27
RUSSIA 414,878 4,855 +162
SPAIN 286,718 27,127 +2
UK 276,332 39,045 +556
ITALY 233,197 33,475 +60
FRANCE 188,882 28,802 +29
GERMANY 183,655 8,611 +6
TURKEY 164,769 4,563 +23
IRAN 154,445 7,878 +81
CHILE 105,159 1,113 +59
CANADA 91,647 7,325 +30
MEXICO 90,664 9,930 +151
S ARABIA 87,142 525 +22
BELGIUM 58,517 9,486 +19
COUNTRY TOTAL TOTAL NEW
CASES DEATHS DEATHS
GLOBAL STATE
OF AFFAIRS
WWW.WORLDOMETERS.INFO
LAST UPDATED: JUNE 1, 2020, 11:30 PM

GUJARATAHMEDABAD | TUESDAY, JUNE 2, 2020
Haresh Jhala
Ahmedabad: Testing
and administering
treatment to patients
who are infected with
Sars-CoV-2 is the mo-
dus operandi which
should be adopted by
the state government,
to tackle the COV-
ID-19 outbreak. But
instead, patients are
being bounced from
one hospital to anoth-
er, without any
thought to their med-
ical condition. First
India uncovered a
case where a patient’s
COVID-19 test was de-
clared positive by a
private laboratory
and thereafter report-
ed negative by two
other hospitals, all in
a span of 72 hours. In
the end, the patient
breathed his last,
leaving the family
without any answers
as to why he died.
Bhailal Panchal,72,
was admitted to Phoe-
nix Emergency and
Critical Care Hospital
on May 26 with severe
breathing problems.
Panchal’s grandson Ne-
hal told First India, “At
the first hospital, we
were told to get a CT
scan, which confirmed
that there was an infec-
tion in my grandfa-
ther’s chest. So, the hos-
pital insisted that he get
tested for novel corona-
virus. They collected
his sample on the next
day (May 27) and on the
morning of May 28 we
were informed that my
grandfather had tested
positive. His sample
was tested at
PanGenomics Interna-
tional Pvt Ltd, which is
a subsidiary of Sterling
Accuris Diagnostics,”
he said, adding, “The
hospital then told us
that they do not treat
COVID-19 patients, and
asked us to shift my
grandfather to another
hospital.”
The Panchal family
then shifted 72-year-old
Bhailal to SMS Hospi-
tal, a dedicated COV-
ID-19 hospital on May
28. “The doctors con-
ducted another corona
test on him and de-
clared that the result
was negative the next
morning. The good
news barely registered
because 24 hours earli-
er, we had been told that
he was COVID-19 posi-
tive,” stated Nehal.
He added, “Since my
grandfather had suf-
fered a mild attack, we
were told to shift him to
UN Mehta Institute of
Cardiology and Re-
search Centre, where
another corona test
came back negative.
But, he breathed his
last on May 31. I cannot
understand which lab
report was correct.”
Pvt vs govt labs: Discrepancies in COVID-19 testing
Shopkeeperswantodd-even
systemforA’badoperations
First India Bureau
Ahmedabad: The first
day of Unlock 1.0 did
not garner an over-
whelming response
from the city, as ex-
pected. The state gov-
ernment had permit-
ted resumption of all
commercial activities
in non-containment
zones. However, people
kept to their homes
due to fear of COV-
ID-19 infection. Mean-
while, shopkeepers in
various areas of the
city demanded an odd-
even system to be put
in place for reopening
operations.
One of the worst-hit
pockets in the city, Ku-
bernagar shopkeepers
expressed interest in an
odd-even system. “The
sweltering heat could be
the reason why people
are not venturing out of
their homes. But, we
have seen very few peo-
ple on the street buying
things. All of us (shop
owners)wishtoopenthe
market on an odd-even
basis. We have imple-
mented this system in
our market. But, people
need to learn to practise
social distancing,” said
PrakashMulchandani,a
grocer in Kubernagar
market, who reopened
his shop last week.
In Bapunagar, most
shops were still shut.
“There are so many
Sars-CoV-2 cases in
nearby areas. People are
not going out because of
fear and police patrol-
ling, which has been
amped up. Shops should
only be allowed to open
on alternate days,” said
Chetan Varia, a gar-
ment shop owner.
Shops in Jamalpur
were shut since morn-
ing. And, with many
river bridges and flyo-
vers barricaded, citi-
zens as well as health
workers transporting
patients in ambulanc-
es had trouble. Later,
all bridges were
opened, allowing ena-
bling a smooth flow
of traffic.
“I received a few com-
plaints that many shops
were still shut. When I
found out that people
were fearful of contract-
ing COVID-19, I suggest-
ed that they take all pre-
cautions and reopen,”
said Jamalpur MLA Im-
ran Khedawala.
Ahmedabad’s Teen Darwaja market reopened on Monday. —PHOTO BY NANDAN DAVE
Surat ‘unlocks’ shops,
businesses on Day One
‘Simple’ Rath Yatra to have just 3 chariots & no tableaux this year
First India Bureau
Ahmedabad: For the
first time in history,
the upcoming 143rd
Rath Yatra of Lord
Jagannath will be a
simpler affair this
year, without any tab-
leau, trucks or crowds
of devotees. The rea-
son why a toned-down
version of the Yatra
will be held this time
is the novel coronavi-
rus pandemic. But,
the trustees of the
Jagannath temple in
the city have left the
final decision about
the Yatra on the state
government.
According to reports,
only three chariots will
participate in the Rath
Yatra this year, and will
be pulled by 30 people.
The procession will be
taken out in the pres-
ence of temple trustees
and priests on June 23.
One of the temple’s
trustees Mahendra Jha
said, “This will be the
first time in 143 years
that only three chariots
will take part in the
Rath Yatra. Owing to
COVID-19 pandemic, no
trucks will be carrying
devotees, no akhadas or
tableaux will be made,
or singing troupes will
participate in the pro-
cession. The Rath Yatra
will be very simply con-
ducted and we want
people to catch it live on
television this time.”
Traditionally, the
chariot-led procession
of Lord Jagannath, his
brother Balbhadra and
their sister Subhadra
starts out early morn-
ing from the 400-year-
old temple and returns
by late evening. The
Rath Yatra route is usu-
ally chock-a-block with
devotees decorated ele-
phants, around 100
trucks with tableau,
singers and akhadas,
among others.
“We will try to re-
turn to the temple as
early as possible. All
guidelines such as so-
cial distancing, wear-
ing masks will be fol-
lowed,” Jha added.
First India Bureau
Surat: On the first day
of Unlock 1.0, the city
of Surat was bustling
with life again with
several industries in-
cluding diamond and
textiles resuming op-
erations in non-con-
tainment zones, on
Monday.
Many businesses,
along with the BRTS
and city bus services,
also recommenced
functioning with people
stepping out of their
homes to shop for essen-
tial as well as non-es-
sential items. In an ef-
fort to prevent spread
of COVID-19 infection,
all industries, shops
and other businesses
have been instructed to
urge customers and em-
ployees to wear masks
at all times and practice
social distancing.
More than 40 milk
parlours in the city re-
mained unaffected by
the announcement of
Unlock 1.0, since they
have remained fully op-
erational even during
the lockdown. But, the
dyeing and processing
mills have been affected
as the labourers and ar-
tisans working there
have all gone back to
their native states.
There are 350 dyeing
and processing mills in
Surat, out of which
only 20 mills have reo-
pened so far.
On the other hand,
real estate projects have
restarted work. “We
haveobtainednecessary
permissions to resume
work on 350 stalled pro-
jects, and construction
has already started at
150 sites,” said Ravji Pa-
tel, President, CREDAI
Surat.
More than 15,000
diamond business of-
fices and more than
6,500 factories, 350
large units at Mahid-
harpura, Katargam
Nandudoshi Wadi
and Varachha Mini
Bazaar reopened on
Monday. And, a total
of 164 markets on
Ring Road and Saroli
resumed operations
as well.
Unlock 1.0 gets moderate response from public amid heat, worry over infection
All safety precautions are being taken.
IMPERFECT START
Reports from two different tests at two government labs said
Bhailal Panchal had tested negative for COVID-19.
Preparations are already underway for the 143rd Rath Yatra in
Ahmedabad. It will take place on June 23. —FILE PHOTO
More than 75,000
traders and 65,000
shops have also
started working
Report comes back positive once
and negative twice in 72 hours;
patient dies, family still confused
A GRAND AFFAIR
Another family
of deceased
patient told of
‘ward transfer’
State hit by moderate to
heavy pre-cyclonic rain
First India Bureau
Ahmedabad: Due to
the deep depression
effect, some parts of
the state received
moderate to heavy
rains on Monday. As
part of pre-cyclonic
activity, places such as
Ahmedabad, Amreli,
Bhavnagar, and Limdi
received rainfall.
In Ahmedabad, a tree
was uprooted in Beh-
rampura area while Ja-
malpur area too report-
ed rain. Further, several
trees were uprooted and
light poles were dam-
aged in Bhavnagar.
Therefore, electrical
supply was disrupted in
the city for a few hours.
According to the
weather forecast, light
to moderate rainfall is
to be expected at several
places across the state
over the next five days.
First India Bureau
Ahmedabad: The Gu-
jarat High Court
while hearing suo
moto on COVID-19
had observed a lack
of inter-departmen-
tal coordination at
the Civil Hospital. In
yet another case of
miscommunication,
the family of a de-
ceased COVID-19 pa-
tient was informed
about a transfer of
the patient to another
ward at the hospital.
A video is doing the
rounds of social media
wherein Sagar Shah
can be seen holding a
picture of his late fa-
ther Kishorebhai and
asking the Civil Hospi-
tal administration to
clarify why they called
him to inform about his
transfer to Gujarat Can-
cer and Research Insti-
tute’s C5 ward.
Notably, Kishorebhai
passed away two weeks
ago on May 16 at Civil
Hospital. The devas-
tated feels the hospital
is mocking them in
their time of grief with
such calls regarding
his ‘transfer’. Sagar
has sought an explana-
tion from hospital su-
perintendent Dr MM
Prabhakar.
The city began to return
to normalcy on Monday.
Road trafﬁc was chaotic
as bridges opened, people
with permits were seen
stocking up on liquor,
and social distancing
was practised on public
transport. Shops and
markets also saw some
customers.
—PHOTO BY HANIF
SINDHI & NANDAN DAVE
Rain in Ahmedabad on Monday.
—PHOTO BY HANIF SINDHI

G Vol 1 G Issue No. 187 G RNI NO. GUJENG/2019/16208. Printed and published by Anita Hada Sangwan on behalf of First Express Publishers. Printed at Bhaskar Printing Planet Survey No.148P, Changodar-Bavla Highway, Tal. Sanand, Dist. Ahmedabad.
Published at D/302 3rd Floor Plot No. 35 Titanium Square, Scheme No. 2, Thaltej Taluka, Ghatlodiya, Ahmedabad. Editor: Jagdeesh Chandra, responsible for selection of news under the PRB Act
PERSPECTIVEAHMEDABAD | TUESDAY, JUNE 2, 2020
FOCUS BACK ON
RAJYA SABHA
ELECTIONS
andemic-hit Rajya Sabha elec-
tions are back on track. The Elec-
tion Commission issued a notifi-
cation on June 1, announcing the
revised schedule for the poll.
The biennial elections for 18 seats from seven
states, which include Andhra Pradesh, Gujarat,
Jharkhand, Madhya Pradesh, Manipur, Megha-
laya, and Rajasthan, were to be held on March
26, 2020, when the entire country was shuttered.
The poll process was to be completed on March
30. Of these, Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, Ra-
jasthan are still battling Covid-19, the reason
why the poll panel deferred these elections.
Of these 18 seats, four each are from Gu-
jarat and Andhra Pradesh, three each from
Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh, two from
Jharkhand and one each from Manipur and
Meghalaya.
The process to fill 55 Rajya Sabha seats of
retiring members from 17 states was set in mo-
tion on February 25 and notified on March 6,
this year. These members were to retire in
April. Thirty-seven candidates from 10 states
were elected unopposed.
Elections to the Council of States, also
called the Upper House, had to be deferred
due to the “prevailing unforeseen situation
of public health emergency due to Cov-
id-19”. Accordingly, the Election Commis-
sion invoked its powers under Article 324
of the Constitution of India read with Sec-
tion 153 of the Representation of People
Act, 1951, which entitles it to “extend the
time for completion of any election by mak-
ing necessary amendments in the notifica-
tion issued by it” for reasons which it con-
siders sufficient, to postpone elections un-
til the announcement of fresh dates.
After reviewing the situation, the poll panel
announced a new schedule. Polling will now be
held from 9 am to 4 pm on June 19. Counting of
votes will be held the same day and the process
will be completed on June 22. The EC has ap-
pointed chief electoral officers of the respec-
tive states as observers for the poll.
Until Monday the poll panel had been
holding virtual meetings with the Chief
Election Commissioner Sunil Arora was
stranded in America where he had gone for
a visit in the first half of March. After his
recent return, he underwent the manda-
tory quarantine and the full panel met on
Monday for the first time in three months.
An important decision taken in one of the
virtual meetings was to allow the election
in Maharashtra for Uddhav Thackeray to
become a member of the legislative coun-
cil. The decision fuelled speculation that
Thackeray, who made a special request to
the prime minister to facilitate the process,
was moving close to the BJP.
All eyes will be on Gujarat where Congress
will try to wrest a seat from the BJP. Last year
Congress cried foul over EC decision to hold
separate polls for two seats.
These elections are to have a bearing on
the dynamics of the House in which the
BJP has 75 MPs and the Congress 39.
IN-DEPTH
P
RAJYA NO. 1
orona pandemic has created
a humongous problem of job-
lessness for the labour and
during such a situation Ra-
jasthan is at the forefront in
providing employment
through MGNREGA in the
rural areas. As of now, there
are 42 lakh persons from far
off areas of the state em-
ployed in MGNREGA. The
sensitive Gehlot government
correctly analysed the need
and use of MGNREGA in the
ongoing corona crisis. When
all other mediums of em-
ployment were under lock-
down, Gehlot govt focused on
the MGNREGA scheme. The
govt machinery went all out
to encourage the rural la-
bour towards MGNREGA
and came out with flying col-
ours. It is of little wonder
then, that CM Gehlot stressed
during his interaction with
over eleven thousand village
level representatives that Co-
rona has proved the employ-
ment scheme’s importance
and demanded that the work-
days be increased to 200 from
the current 100 days.
Considering the outstanding
performance of the state govt,
the central govt might take a
positive view of Gehlot govt’s
demands.
Deputy Chief Minister
Sachin Pilot, who holds the
Panchayati Raj portfolio
stressed on Saturday’s meet-
ing that the number of MGN-
REGA workers which was
staggering at 62000 on April
15 swelled up to 42 lakh and
it continues to increase with
a target to enroll all 70 lakh
workers job cardholders
(Registered Labour). The job
cards for the native migrant
workers are also being made.
It is worth noting that Uttar
Pradesh has 38.75 lakh, Chattis-
garh 25 lakh, Madhya Pradesh
23 lakh and West Bengal has
only 19 lakh workers enrolled
for MGNREGA. This data gives
a perfect idea of the lead Ra-
jasthan has over other states in
employing MGNREGA work-
ers. This is common knowledge
that all the money paid to MGN-
REGA workers is borne by the
central govt. The central govt to
realises that MGNREGA can
prove to be the booster dose for
the employment deprived rural
labour in these unprecedented
times. It is thus, that the central
govt has made provision of Rs
40,000 crore for MGNREGA in
its stimulus package.
The crucial aspect is that
Rajasthan has truly under-
stood the importance of this
scheme. Concurring with the
central government’s wish
and aims, Rajasthan has not
only taken lead but is also
coming forth with initiatives.
Under existing rules, one
member from each family is
given guaranteed 100 days of
work, and the payment for the
same is made fortnightly after
the work is done. Further, it is
only Rajasthan which seems to
be prepared and equipped to
take the benefit of the Rs 40,000
crore in the stimulus package.
MGNREGA pays Rs 235
per day to the skilled and Rs
220 to the unskilled. It sums
up to Rs over 90 crores per
day for the 42 lakh workers
meaning nearly 3000 crores
per month for the state. Since
the central govt is ready to
spend maximum possible un-
der MGNREGA, Rajasthan
could be seen paying as much
Rs 500 crore per month to its
MANREGA workers.
It is heartening to see the Ru-
ral Development (RD) and the
Employment Guarantee
Scheme (EGS) Department are
leaving no stone unturned in
their efforts. ACS (RD) Rajesh-
war Singh and Commissioner
(EGS) Puranchand Kishan are
putting in their best. When the
whole bureaucracy of the na-
tion and state was busy focus-
sing on corona patients, lock-
down, food supply, law & order,
and migrant labour, these two
officers were putting their best
foot forward on an equally im-
portant front of making em-
ployment available to the la-
bour. It is only due to the efforts
by these two officers that the
number of MANREGA work-
ers has gone from 62,000 to 42
lakh in only 45 days and contin-
ues to grow. This achievement
is possible only due to proper
planning, vigilant monitoring,
and effective supervision on
the part of the bureaucrats.
One very important fact
about these two officers is
that both of these are on the
same post for the past two
years. Both Rajeshwar Sin-
gh and PC Kishan were giv-
en present posting in May
2018 and even the Gehlot
government didn’t disturb
them considering their work
and usefulness. The experi-
ence both garnered due to
continuity in easy times is
coming in handy now. An-
other very important aspect
is the understanding, coor-
dination, and cooperation
between Rajeshwar Singh
and PC Kishan.
In the present era when the
news of ego & personality
clashes in the bureaucracy are
surfacing, the camaraderie ex-
hibited by Rajeshwar Singh
and PC Kishan is an example to
go by the rest.
THE VIEWS EXPRESSED BY
THE AUTHOR ARE PERSONAL
From 62k to 42 L in 45 days, how Gehlot
government turned bane into boon
C
The crucial
aspect is that
Rajasthan
has truly
understood the
importance of
this scheme.
Concurring
with the central
government’s
wish and aims,
Rajasthan has
not only taken
lead but is also
coming forth
with initiatives
MGNREGA pays Rs
235 per day to the
skilled and Rs 220 to
the unskilled. It sums
up to Rs over 90 crores
per day for the 42 lakh
workers meaning
nearly 3,000 crores
per month for the state
RAJENDRA
CHHABRA
SENIOR
JOURNALIST
S President
D o n a l d
Trump, who
tweeted more
than 11,000
times in the first two
years of his presidency, is
very upset with Twitter.
Earlier this week Trump
tweeted complaints about
mail-in ballots, alleging
voter fraud – a familiar
Trump falsehood. Twitter
attached a label to two of
his tweets with links to
sources that fact–checked
the tweets, showing
Trump’s claims were un-
substantiated.
Trump retaliated with
the power of the presi-
dency. On May 28 he
made an “Executive Or-
der on Preventing On-
line Censorship”. The
order focuses on an im-
portant piece of legisla-
tion: section 230 of the
Communications Decen-
cy Act 1996.
WHAT IS
SECTION 230?
Section 230 has been de-
scribed as “the bedrock of
the internet”.
It affects companies that
host content on the inter-
net. It provides in part:
(2) Civil liability. No pro-
vider or user of an interac-
tive computer service shall
be held liable on account of
(A) any action voluntari-
ly taken in good faith to re-
strict access to or availabil-
ity of material that the pro-
videroruserconsiderstobe
obscene, lewd, lascivious,
filthy, excessively violent,
harassing, or otherwise ob-
jectionable, whether or not
such material is constitu-
tionally protected; or
(B) any action taken to
enable or make available to
information content pro-
viders or others the techni-
cal means to restrict access
to material described in
paragraph (1).
This means that, general-
ly, the companies behind
Google, Facebook, Twitter
andother“internetinterme-
diaries”arenotliableforthe
content on their platforms.
For example, if some-
thing defamatory is writ-
ten by a Twitter user, the
company Twitter Inc will
enjoy a shield from liabili-
ty in the United States even
if the author does not.
THE REACTION
Trump’s action has some
support. Republican sena-
tor Marco Rubio said if so-
cialmediacompanies“have
now decided to exercise an
editorial role like a publish-
er, then they should no long-
er be shielded from liability
and treated as publishers
under the law”.
Critics argue the order
threatens, rather than pro-
tects, freedom of speech,
thus threatening the inter-
net itself.
The status of this order
within the American legal
system is an issue for Amer-
ican constitutional lawyers.
Experts were quick to sug-
gest the order is unconstitu-
tional; it seems contrary to
the separation of powers
enshrined in the US Consti-
tution(whichpartlyinspired
Australia’s Constitution).
Harvard Law School con-
stitutionallawprofessorLau-
renceTribehasdescribedthe
order as “totally absurd and
legally illiterate”. That may
be so, but the constitutional-
ityof theorderisanissuefor
the US judiciary. Many judg-
es in the United States were
appointed by Trump or his
ideological allies.
Even if the order is legal-
ly illiterate, it should not be
assumed it will lack force.
FOR FULL REPORT LOG ON TO
WWW.THECONVERSATION.COM
Trump’s Twitter tantrum may wreck the internet
U
Earlier this week
Trump tweeted
complaints about
mail-in ballots,
alleging voter
fraud – a familiar
Trump falsehood
The brightness of the sun,
which lights up the world, the
brightness of the moon and of
fire – these are my glory.
—Bhagavad Gita
Spiritual
SPEAK
Top
TWEET
Dharmendra Pradhan
@dpradhanbjp
MSMEs are the backbone of
Indian economy and have a key
role in the making of a self-reliant
India. Widening the deﬁnition of
MSMEs and revising the turnover
limit for medium enterprises to
`250 crore from `100 crore will
further energise the sector and
help them dream big.
Piyush Goyal
@PiyushGoyal
Under PM @NarendraModi ji’s
#ReformAndPerformSarkar,
India has scaled new heights by
increasing Ease of Doing Business
ranking to 63. Transformational
measures have fostered economic
growth, boosted exports &
spurred job creation.

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New Delhi: The hair salons can open again
in Delhi but not spas, declared chief minister
Arvind Kejriwal as the country entered Un-
lock 1 phase. With an “economic focus” in
mind, the Centre on Saturday said it is reopen-
ing the economy but in a phased manner. How-
ever, the lockdown will continue to
be observed strictly in contain-
ment zones till June 30. “Apart
from whatever was allowed till
now, barbershops and salons
will be opened but spas will
remain closed,” said
the chief minister.Detail-
ing the plan, Kejriwal
said from the earlier
odd-even rule, all
shops can open
now. —ANI
Lucknow: Employees
and officers rejoined
work at state Secretari-
at on Monday following
the orders of UP gov-
ernment making at-
tendance mandatory in
all government offices
and secretariats.
All employees were
allowed entry only after
thermal screening. Ac-
cording to the state gov-
ernment guidelines,
authorities are calling
the staff in staggered
timings. —ANI
Unlock 1.0: UP
Secretariat staff
joins work
INDIAAHMEDABAD | TUESDAY, JUNE 2, 2020
New Delhi: India is
working round the
clock to eliminate tu-
berculosis by 2025
ahead of the global tar-
get of 2030, said Prime
Minister Narendra
Modi on Monday.
“India is working
24x7 to eliminate TB
(tuberculosis) by 2025.
This is five years ahead
of the global target of
2030. Mission Indrad-
hanush has increased
our rate of the annual
rise in vaccination
coverage by four
times,” he said at the
25th foundation day of
the Rajiv Gandhi Uni-
versity of Health Sci-
ences, Karnataka via
video conference.
The Prime Minister
said that the Central
government has recent-
ly approved the intro-
duction of a new law for
expanding education of
more than 50 different
and allied healthcare
professionals.
“Thislawoncepassed
will address the short-
age of paramedical per-
sonnel in the country. It
will also help India in
supplying skilled re-
sources to other coun-
tries. There are three
things I will urge maxi-
mum discussion and
participation. One is
advances in telemedi-
cine. Can we think of
new models of telemed-
icine popular on a larg-
er scale?” he said.
“The other is related
to the Make in India in
the health sector. The
initial gains made me
optimistic,” he added.
Modi said that the do-
mestic manufactures
have started production
of personal protective
equipment (PPEs) and
have supplied about one
cr PPEs to COVID war-
riors. “We have sup-
plied 1.2 crores Make in
India N95 masks to all
states. 12 crore health-
conscious people down-
loaded the Aarogya
Setu app. This has been
very helpful in fight
against coronavirus,”
he said. —ANI
Working 24x7 to eliminate TB by 2025: Modi
The PM was addressing the 25th Foundation Day of Rajiv Gandhi Univ of Health Sciences, K’taka, via VC
PM Narendra Modi addressing the 25th Foundation Day of the Rajiv Gandhi University of Health
Sciences at Bengaluru via video conferencing in New Delhi on Monday. —PHOTO BY ANI
New Delhi: India’s
COVID-19 tally on Mon-
day witnessed its high-
est-ever spike of 8,392
cases, while 230 more
deaths related to the in-
fection were also re-
ported in the last 24
hours, according to the
Union Health Ministry.
The total number of
coronavirus cases in
the country now
stands at 1,90,535 in-
cluding 93,322 active
cases, 91,819 cured/
discharged/migrated
and 5,394 deaths.COV-
ID-19 cases in Maha-
rashtra continue to
soar with number
reaching 67,655. while
cases in Delhi the
number has reached
19,844. —ANI
With highest spike of 8,392
cases, India’s tally @ 1,90,535
New Delhi: Aviation
regulator DGCA asked
airlines to keep middle
seats vacant to the ex-
tent possible in the
wake of the coronavi-
rus outbreak.
However, if a flyer
has been allotted the
middle seat due to a
high passenger load,
“then additional pro-
tective equipment like
wrap-around gown of
the Ministry of Textile
approved standards”
must be provided to
him or her in addition
to a three-layered face
mask and face shield.
DGCA in its order said,
“The airlines shall allot
the seats in such a man-
ner that the middle
seat/seat between two
passengers is kept va-
cant if the passenger
load and seat capacity
permits the same.”
“However, members of
the same family may be
allowed to sit together,” it
added. India resumed its
domestic passenger
flightsfromMay25aftera
gap of two months due to
the coronavirus-induced
lockdown. As passenger
load in flights has been
around 50% since May 25,
airlines are unlikely to
face much problem in
complying order. —PTI
Keep middle seats vacant
to extent possible: DGCA
NITI Aayog
official tests
positive
DELHI TO OPEN HAIR SALONS,
ALL SHOP: CM KEJRIWAL
New Delhi: A floor of
NITI Aayog’s office in
Delhi has been sealed
for sanitation after a
staffer tested positive
for Covid-19. The third
floor of the NITI Aayog
office in Delhi has been
sealed and sanitisation
work is underway. Ear-
lier this week, at least
two officials working
with External Affairs
Ministry tested positive
for coronavirus.
One person who test-
ed positive worked as a
consultant in the minis-
try’s Central Europe
division in New Delhi,
while the other worked
as a legal officer in the
law division, a few
sources from the de-
partment informed.
New Delhi: Train ser-
vices partially resumed
on Monday as several
trains left for their des-
tination according to
timetable after an un-
precedented break in
train movement since
March 25. According to
ministry officials,
more than 1.45 lakh
passengers are set to
travel on Monday.
According to the Rail-
way Ministry, the first
train to depart was Ma-
hanagri Express from
the Chatrapati Maharaj
Shivaji Terminus at
12.10 a.m. for Varanasi.
The Railways has an-
nounced to partially re-
sume the services of 200
trains from June 1.
On Monday morning,
Karnawati Express be-
tween Ahmedabad and
Mumbai Central de-
partedfromAhmedabad
at 4.55 a.m.; followed by
Bengaluru-Hubli Jan
Shatabdi Express from
Bengaluru station at 6
a.m. with 82 passengers.
According to railways,
160 passengers have
booked the ticket for the
train, and there will be
further boarding at Yes-
vantpur and Tumukuru
stations.
The official said that
the Bengaluru-Hubli
Jan Shatabdi Express
was flagged off by con-
tract cleaning staff S.
Indra and pointman
Vithal Patil.
Similarly, the Gomti
Express departed from
Lucknow station at
6 a.m. The official also
said that the protocol
of social distancing,
sanitisation of hands,
wearing of face masks,
thermal screening and
other laid down proto-
cols were being en-
sured. —PTI
Rail services resume partially
‘STOP HARASSING US OR WE WON’T
FLY NON-ESSENTIAL FLIGHTS’
Mumbai: Alleging “ha-
rassment” of cockpit crew
by health officials at Delhi
airport, national carrier
Air India’s Airbus fleet
pilots’ body ICPA warned
that its members will not
operate any flight other
than essential services if
such “distasteful” treat-
ment meted out to them
is not stopped. In a letter
to AI Executive Director
R S Sandhu, the Indian
Commercial Pilots Asso-
ciation, has also sought
clarity on the protocol
that is to be followed in
case a pilot operating
Vande Bharat Mission or
domestic flights is tested
positive for COVID-19.
AIhas been operating spe-
cial evacuation flights to
transport stranded Indian
nationals from abroad.
DGCA EXTENDS DEADLINE FOR INDIGO,
GOAIR TO REPLACE PW ENGINES
Mumbai: DGCA has extended the deadline for
IndiGo and GoAir to replace all the 60 unmod-
ified P&W engines on their A320neo planes by
three months. This decision comes as low-cost
carriers could not meet the original deadline of
May 31 after the supply chain was hit because of
the coronavirus pandemic.”We took a call couple
of days back and instructed both airlines. Both
taken together about 60 engines are yet to be re-
placed & obvious reason was Covid-19 impact,”
Arun Kumar, the aviation regulator’s dir gen, said.
OPPN LEADER CHENNITHALA
BOOKED FOR PROTEST EVENT
Alappuzha: A case has been registered against
opposition leader Ramesh Chennithala among 20
other Congress workers for violating lockdown
guidelines to participate in agitation in Thottap-
pally on May 31, according to the Ambalappuzha
police. The Congress activists have been booked
by the police for organizing a protest in Thottap-
pally, in violation of government directives on
COVID-19 induced lockdown, alleging that govet
was carrying out mineral sand mining in disguise
of clearing sand to avoid flooding.
LIQUOR TURNS COSTLIER IN PB
AS GOVT LEVIES ‘COVID CESS’
Chandigarh: Liquor
prices will turn costlier
in Punjab as the state
government has decided
to levy additional excise
duty and an assessed fee
ranging from Rs 2 to Rs
50 in lieu of ‘COVID Cess’
on alcohol with effect
from June 1.The amount
collected will be utilised
for COVID-19 related
expenditure. “We have
decided to levy additional
excise duty and assessed
fee in lieu of ‘COVID Cess’
on liquor with effect from
June 1. These would
range from Rs 2 to Rs 50
depending on the type
and size of the item. The
amount collected will be
utilised for COVID-19
related expenditure,” Pun-
jab Chief Minister Captain
Amarinder Singh said.
‘VIOLENCE AGAINST CORONA
WARRIORS NOT ACCEPTABLE’
‘OUR CORONA WARRIORS
ARE INVINCIBLE’
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on
Monday said that violence, abuse,
and rude behaviour against frontline
workers like doctors, nurses, and
sanitation workers is not acceptable.”
I want to state it clearly -- violence,
abuse and rude behaviour against
frontline workers are not acceptable.
Steps have been taken to protect
you against any form of violence.
We have also provided an insurance
cover of Rs 50 lakh for those on the
frontline,” he added.
“The world seeks both care and cure
from you. In the root of India’s brave
fight against COVID-19 is the hard
work of the medical community and
our corona warriors. In fact, doctors
and medical workers are like soldiers
but without soldiers’ uniform. The
virus may be an invisible enemy but
our corona warriors, medical workers
are invincible. In the battle of invis-
ible against invincible, our medical
workers are sure to win,” the Prime
Minister said.
‘DESERTED’ CELEBRATIONS...
A view of Ganga ghats on the occasion of Ganga Dussehra during ongoing COVID-19 lockdown in Varanasi on Monday.
‘VANDE BHARAT’ SPECIAL FLIGHT
—PHOTO BY ANI
Passengers stand in a queue as sampling and testing are being
done for coronavirus at the Jammu Airport on Monday.

New Delhi: New Delhi
The southwest mon-
soon hit Kerala on Mon-
day on its normal onset
date, marking the com-
mencement of the four-
month-long rainfall sea-
son, the India Meteoro-
logical Department
said on Monday.
North India is likely
to get “above normal”
rainfall, while central
India and the southern
peninsula will receive
“normal” rainfall.
However, east and
northeast India are
likely to receive less
rainfall than other
parts of the country,
according to the IMD.
“The southwest mon-
soon has made an onset
over Kerala,” IMD di-
rector general Mrut-
yunjay Mohapatra de-
clared as widespread
rainfall occurred in the
southern state during
the past two days.
The country receives
75 % of its rainfall
from the southwest
monsoon during June
to September. It is not
only crucial for farm-
ing, but also for replen-
ishing the reservoirs,
and to the economy
which is still largely
dependent on agricul-
ture. —Agencies
INDIAAHMEDABAD | TUESDAY, JUNE 2, 2020
‘MonsoonkeepsitsdatewithKerala’North India is likely to get ‘above normal’ rainfall, according to the India Meteorological Department
The southwest monsoon has made an onset over Kerala,IMD Director General Mrutyunjay Mohapatra declared.
Thiruvananthapuram:
With the Southwest
monsoon setting in
over Kerala on Monday,
several parts of the state
received heavy to very
heavy rains, especially
Vatakara in Kozhikode,
which received 15 cm
of rain, following which
a red alert was sounded
for two days in the
district. The red alert de-
notes likelihood of very
heavy to extremely heavy
rain. The monsoon has
been active over Kerala
with heavy to very heavy
rain occurring at most
places and the Union
Territory of Lakshad-
weep, an India Meteoro-
logicalDepartment (IMD)
bulletin said.
RED ALERT IN
KOZIKHODE
Mumbai: Mumbaikars and people in neighbour-
ing areas woke up to cloudy weather and light rain
on Monday following the formation of a low pres-
sure area in the Arabian Sea. The depression in
the Arabian Sea is likely to intensify into a severe
cyclone and cross the north Maharashtra and
south Gujarat coasts on June 3, the IMD has said.
The light showers/drizzle in parts of Mumbai city,
its suburbs and neighbouring districts of Thane
and Palghar on Monday morning brought some
respite to people from the sweltering heat.
Mumbai: The nine teams of the National Disas-
ter Response Force (NDRF) have been deployed
in Maharashtra on Monday in view of the devel-
oping cyclone situation in the Arabian Sea. As
per the NDRF’s statement, three teams have been
deployed in Mumbai, two in Palghar and one
each in Thane, Raigad, Ratnagiri and Sindhu-
durg. Moreover, the NDRF is in close contact with
the R&R Department of Maharashtra govern-
ment, India Meteorological Department (IMD)
authorities and district administration.
MUMBAI EXPERIENCES
CLOUDY SKY, LIGHT RAIN
CYCLONE SITUATION: 9
NDRF TEAMS IN MUMBAI
New Delhi: An hour
after delisting and stop-
ping the sale of 1,026
“imported products”,
including Bajaj elec-
tronic gadgets, Nestle
food items, Prestige
cookware and Maybel-
line cosmetics, at the
Central Armed Police
Force (CAPF) canteens
across India, the MHA
withdrew the order.
The decision was taken
after many ‘made in In-
dia’ products also made
it to the list and the
same was issued “with-
out any consultation
with seniors.” R.M.
Meena, DIG, headquar-
ters, Kendriya Police
Kalyan Bhandar
(KPKB), who issued the
order, has been asked to
give a written explana-
tion and also removed
from his post, sources
said. “This is clarified
that the list issued by
Kendriya Kalyan Police
Bhandar regarding del-
isting of certain prod-
ucts has been errone-
ously issued at the level
of the CEO (Meena).
The list has been with-
drawn and action has
been initiated for the
lapse,” said Anand
Prakash Maheshwari,
chairman, DG, CRPF.
Confusion over Swadeshi at canteens
New Delhi: The Delhi
High Court on Monday
gave time till Decem-
ber 31 to its judicial in-
quiry commission, set
up to probe the clash
between lawyers and
police on November 2
at Tis Hazari court
complex here, to com-
plete investigation.
The order by a Bench
of Chief Justice D.N.
Patel and Justice Pra-
teek Jalan came after
perusing a report sent
by the commission,
headed by Justice (re-
tired) S.P. Garg, seeking
more time as it was un-
able to examine all the
witnesses due to the
coronavirus lockdown,
central government
standing counsel Anil
Soni said.The order by
a Bench of Chief Jus-
tice D.N. Patel and Jus-
tice Prateek Jalan came
after perusing a report
sent by the commission,
headed by Justice (re-
tired) S.P. Garg, seeking
more time as it was un-
able to examine all the
witnesses due to the
coronavirus lockdown,
central government
standing counsel Anil
Soni said.
On November 2 last
year, a parking dispute
between an on-duty po-
liceman and a lawyer
triggered the clash be-
tween the two sides at
the court complex, leav-
ing over 20 police per-
sonnel and several ad-
vocates injured.
Tis Hazari case: HC
grants time till Dec
31 to complete probe
Vaishali
New Delhi: Dharmen-
dra Pradhan, Minister,
Petroleum & Natural
Gas & Steel, said that
Indian economy is on
the path of revival &
women will play a lead-
ing role in post COV-
ID-19 economy. “Wom-
en’s economic contribu-
tion will be included
going forward, which
has been close to negli-
gible till now,” he said
adding that women en-
trepreneurs can be-
come business aggrega-
tors in the country.
Hefurthersaid,“With
COVID-19, technology
has brought equaliza-
tion in society. There
will be an exponential
growth in use of tech-
nology for conducting
business. Under leader-
ship of PM Modi & with
stimulus packages be-
ing announced, Central
State governments are
working towards secur-
ing both lives and liveli-
hoods of people.
Technology has brought equalization
in society with C’OVID-19: Pradhan
New Delhi: Boxing
Federation of India
nominated world silver-
medallist Amit Panghal
and Vikas Krishan for
the Rajiv Gandhi Khel
Ratna award, picking
only Olympic-bound
names as its nominees
for the annual honours.
“The nominations of
athletes & coaches have
been on the basis of
their performance dur-
ing the last four years.”
Boxers Panghal,
Krishnan picked
for Khel Ratna
TENURE OF INDIAN AMBASSADOR
TO WTO, JS DEEPAK, ENDS
Now speculations are over. Tenure of Indian Am-
bassador to the WTO at Geneva JS Deepak has
come to an end on May 31. He is former 1982
batch IAS officer of UP cadre.
AKSHAYA KUMAR MISHRA EMPANELLED
FOR DG EQUIVALENT POSTS IN GOI
Akshyaya Kumar Mishra has been empanelled for
Director General equivalent posts in Government of
India. He is a 1987 IPS officer of Rajasthan cadre.
JAGDISH SHARMA IS NEW PRINCIPAL
SECRETARY TO HP CM
Jagdish Sharma, Principal Secretary Transport,
has succeeded Sanjay Kundu as Principal Secre-
tary to the Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister.
SUDHIR KUMAR SAXENA
EMPANELLED AS DG IN GOI
Sudhir Kumar Saxena has been empanelled for
holding Director General and Director General
equivalent posts in Government of India. He is a
1987 IPS officer of Madhya Pradesh cadre.
TAJ HASSAN MOHD EMPANELLED
AS DG IN GOI
Taj Hassan Mohd has been empanelled for
holding Director General and Director General
equivalent posts in Government of India. He is a
1987 IPS officer of UT cadre.
ANIL KUMAR RATURI EMPANELLED
FOR DG EQUIVALENT POSTS IN GOI
Anil Kumar Raturi has been empanelled for Director
General equivalent posts in Government of India.
He is a 1987 IPS officer of Uttarakhand cadre.
RAJESH VERMA JOINS AS SECRETARY,
CORPORATE AFFAIRS
Rajesh Verma took over the charge as Secretary,
Ministry of Corporate Affairs on June 1, 2020. He is
a 1987 batch IAS officer of Odisha cadre.
RAJESH CHATURVEDI TAKES
OVER AS SECRETARY, CHEMICALS
& PETROCHEMICALS TODAY
Rajaesh Kumar Chaturvedi is taking over the
charge as Secretary, Department of Chemicals
and Petrochemicals on June 1, 2020. He is a
1987 batch IAS officer of MP cadre.
DR RAJESH KUMAR RAJORA
PROMOTED TO CHIEF SECRETARY
GRADE IN MP
Dr Rajesh Kumar Rajora has been promoted to
the grade of Chief Secretary in Madhya Pradesh.
He is a 1990 batch IAS officer of MP cadre.
RK CHATURVEDI JOINS SECRETARY,
CHEMICALS AND PETROCHEMICALS
RK Chaturvedi has assumed the charge as Secre-
tary in the Department of Chemicals and Petro-
chemicals, Ministry of Chemicals and Fertilizers.
He is a 1987 batch IAS officer of MP cadre.
PRADIP KUMAR TRIPATHI TAKES
OVER AS SECRETARY, STEEL
Pradip Kumar Tripathi has taken over the charge
as Secretary, Ministry of Steel. He is a 1987
batch IAS officer of J&K cadre.
2018 BATCH IES PROBATIONERS
GET POSTINGS
Ten Probationers of IES have been posted as Asst
Director in different Ministries & Depts after com-
pletion of training. Jatin Kishore has been posted
to Ministry of Rural Development while Isha
Barak was appointed to Ministry of Housing &
Urban Affairs & Arun Arora to Deptt of Expendi-
ture. Similarly, Deeksha Supayal Bisht & Saurabh
Bhargava, Kumar Shubham & Abhishek Palasia
have been posted to DoEA; Sushma Yadav to
Dept of Agriculture & Farmers’ Welfare; Zenden
Lingzerpa to Ministry of Labour & Employment
Munesh Sood , DoEA.
POWERGallery
422 fresh...
Meanwhile, Janglesh-
war area, which ac-
counted for the maxi-
mum cases in Rajkot
city is now no longer
a containment zone.
Only one society,
Ankur Society, will be
under the micro-con-
tainment. On Mon-
day, two more cases
were reported from
rural Rajkot, where a
husband and wife
have tested positive in
Jasdan’s Virnagar.
In Surat, an assistant
sub-inspector (ASI) of
the Mahidharpura po-
lice station has tested
positive in the line of
duty. He has been admit-
ted to the civil hospital,
and 15 of his colleagues
have been quarantined.
India on...
Sources said they are
more than the 10-kilo-
metre distance from the
Indian areas as per the
international norms.
The Hotan base has
been under the surveil-
lance of the Indian
agencies for quite some
time now as the Paki-
stanis have been hold-
ing aerial exercise with
the PLA Air Force there.
On the Indian side
also,theunmannedaeri-
al vehicles of the Lada-
kh-based Surveillance
and Target Acquisition
batteriesof defenceforc-
es and intelligence agen-
cies are using their Un-
manned Aerial Vehicles
to carry out extensive
reconnaissance of both
sides of the LAC and
Chinese positions along
the Galwan Nala, the
sources said. —ANI
Polls to...
The counting of votes
will be held on the eve-
ning of June 19 itself,
the Commission said in
a statement. In Rajas-
than, elections will be
held for three seats for
while four nominations
were filed. Congress
filed KC Venugopal and
Neeraj Dangi whereas
Rajendra Gehlot and
Omkar Singh Lakhawat
are nominations from
the BJP.
Meanwhile, Chief
Election Commissioner
(CEC) Sunil Arora
chaired the first physi-
cal meeting of the Elec-
tion Commission of In-
dia (ECI) in nearly three
months at the Nir-
vachan Sadan in New
Delhi on Monday.
The meeting was attend-
ed by Election Commis-
sioners Ashok Lavasa
and Sushil Chandra.
Senior officers of the
Commission also at-
tended the meeting.
CEC Arora was
stranded in the USA due
to the coronavirus-in-
duced lockdown. He had
gone there on leave in
the first half of March.
He returned to India
recently and joined of-
fice on Monday after
undergoing the manda-
tory quarantine.
`50,000 cr...
NDA government com-
pleted its first year of
the second term at the
Centre and the begin-
ning of ‘Unlock 1.0’ or
‘Lockdown 5.0’.
Briefing the media
about the decisions, In-
formation and Broad-
casting Minister
Prakash Javadekar said
that provisions have
been made for equity
infusion of Rs 50,000
crore to support MS-
MEs for the first time. It
will be done through a
Fund of Funds.
“This will help set-up
a roadmap for MSMEs
in debt-equity ratio
management and capac-
ity building,” he said.
The minister said
that MSMEs have also
been given the opportu-
nity to be enrolled in
the stock exchange.
“Various key steps
have been taken by the
governmenttoboostMS-
MEs,attractinvestment,
and create jobs in the
country. The cabinet has
approved a provision to
provide Rs 20,000 crore
in subordinate debts to
helpdistressedMSMEs,”
Javadekar said.
Subordinate debt is a
debt owed to an unse-
cured creditor that in
the event of liquidation
can only be paid after
the claims of secured
creditors have been
met. Javadekar said
that this will help over
two lakh stressed MS-
MEs across the country.
“Today was the first
cabinet meeting of the
second year of Prime
Minister Narendra
Modi-led government.
Historic decisions,
which will have posi-
tive impacts on the
lives of farmers, MS-
MEs, street vendors
were taken in the meet-
ing,” he said.
Javadekar said that
the Central government
has recognized the im-
portance of MSMEs
and the sector has been
made an important part
of the announcements
made under the Aat-
manirbhar Bharat.
He said that the gov-
ernment has further
revised the definition
of MSMEs, under
which businesses that
have investments up to
Rs 1 crore and turnover
of less than Rs 5 crore
will be classified as ‘mi-
cro’ units. —ANI
FROM PG 1
RAIN BETWEEN
JUNE-SEPTEMBER
SHAH TO ADDRESS VIRTUAL RALLY

TALKING POINTAHMEDABAD | TUESDAY, JUNE 2, 2020
THE US, UK AND EU ARE WORRIED ABOUT ‘OVER-RELIANCE’ ON THE TWO ASIAN GIANTS
COVID SOLUTION WILL COME FROM
INDIA, CHINA PHARMA INDUSTRY
The pharmaceutical
manufac-
turing supply
chain involves
two main stages.
The first is the
production of active
pharmaceutical
ingredients or APIs.
These are the key
parts of a drug which
produce an effect. Such
production is chemical-
intensive, involving
reactors for drug
substance manufacture.
The second stage is a
physical process known
as formulations produc-
tion. Substances known
as excipients are com-
bined with APIs to turn a
drug into a consumable
form, such as a tablet,
liquid, capsule, cream,
ointment or injectable
product.
For more than a dec-
ade now, China has been
the largest producer of
APIs in the world. The
US, Europe and Japan
produced 90% of the
world’s APIs until the
mid-1990s. But now it is
estimated that Chinese
manufacturers make
around 40% of all APIs
used worldwide and that
China and India are the
source of 75% to 80%
of the APIs imported to
the US. Janet Woodcock,
the director of the Centre
for Drug Evaluation and
Research at the US Food
and Drug Administration
or FDA, told Congress in
2019:
“The number of Chi-
nese facilities producing
APIs for the US market
has increased over the
past decade, as part
of a massive move-
ment of pharmaceutical
production offshore.
This movement is being
driven by the pharma-
ceutical industry’s desire
for cost savings and less
stringent environmental
regulations.”
THE SUPPLY CHAIN
India plays a prominent role in
the formulations segment of
the industry. India is the third
largest producer of pharmaceu-
ticals in the world by volume.
The country’s Department of
Pharmaceuticals reported that it
supplies 20% of global exports
of “generic” drugs. These are
drugs that are no longer under
patent and are open to any com-
pany to produce and sell, and are
thus usually priced at a relatively
low level. India has the largest
number of FDA-approved plants
outside the US and it is estimat-
ed to supply 40% of the generic
formulations in America.
It was the absence of product
patents in pharmaceuticals from
1972 to 2005, combined with
foreign investment restrictions
in the 1970s and 1980s that led
to the development of a rare
and successful manufacturing
industry in India – a country
more known for its services role
in the global economy. This led
the humanitarian organisation
Médecins Sans Frontières to
dub the country the “pharmacy
to the developing world”.
Indian companies, led by
the likes of Cipla, Aurobindo,
Emcure, Hetero, Macleods,
Matrix, Ranbaxy and Strides
have played an enormous role
in supplying anti-retroviral and
anti-malarial medicines to the
Global Fund to Fight AIDS, TB
and malaria.
India is also a major vaccine
producer. While the largest vac-
cine manufacturers in the world
are GSK, Sanofi, Merck and
Pfizer, India’s Serum Institute
is the world’s largest vaccine
producer by volume.
This globalisation of the
pharmaceutical industry has
led to fears of over-reliance on
particular sources of supply,
especially China, for APIs. Such
concern has been particularly
prominent in the US. Last year
a representative of the Defence
Health Agency argued that
“the national security risks of
increased Chinese dominance of
the global API market cannot be
overstated”.
The state of America’s reli-
ance on China for pharmaceuti-
cals was documented in a book
by health researchers Rosemary
Gibson and Janardan Prasad
Singh which highlighted that
the last manufacturing plant for
aspirin in the US closed in 2002,
while the last acetaminophen
manufacturing plant in Europe
closed in 2008.
India also gets most of its
APIs from China – an issue of
concern for its government,
which has had a task force
investigating this issue. The
country once had considerable
self-reliance in production of
APIs, dating back to the estab-
lishment of two state-owned
pharmaceutical companies in
the 1950s and 1960s. But in
recent decades there are stricter
environmental controls, which
many believe has limited this
aspect of the industry in India.
China also has cheaper land,
electricity and higher volumes
of production. So now India
relies on China for about 70%
of its supply of APIs. And for
some well known drugs, such
as paracetamol, amoxicillin and
ibuprofen, India is almost 100%
dependent on China.
T
he biggest
p h a r m a -
c e u t i c a l
companies in the
world, known as
“big pharma”, are
American and Eu-
ropean. The top
five are Pfizer,
Roche, Novartis,
Merck and Glaxo-
SmithKline. Yet
these companies –
and the pharma-
ceutical industry
as a whole – rely
on global supply
chains. And China
and India play key
roles in the supply
of both ingredi-
ents and finished
drugs.
Hopes for a vac-
cine or a medicine
that will treat Cov-
id-19 rest on this
crucial sector. Yet,
the globalisation
of pharmaceuti-
cals and what
some see as an
over-reliance on
products from
China and India
has been criticised
in the United
States, the United
Kingdom and the
European Union.
Whether it be
hydroxychloro-
quine, the “mira-
cle” drug Donald
Trump has admit-
ted to taking, rem-
desivir, an antivi-
ral drug used as an
emergency treat-
ment for the most
acute cases of
Covid-19, or a fu-
ture vaccine, the
physical as well as
social and eco-
nomic health of
the world depends
on pharmaceuti-
cals. Production
from China and
India will be cru-
cial if the pandem-
ic is to be brought
under control.
INDIA AND THE GLOBAL SUPPLY FEAR OF DEPENDENCE ON CHINA
Although China did
not initiate an export
ban on pharmaceuticals,
tensions escalated in
early March when India’s
Ministry of Commerce
and Industry announced
restrictions on the export
of 13 APIs including par-
acetamol, tinidazole, vi-
tamin B1, B6 and B12, as
well as any formulations
made from those APIs.
Reports emerged about
concerns over drug
shortages elsewhere in
the world as a result,
with European industry
said to be “panicking”.
The Indian govern-
ment also moved to
address its own reliance
on supply of APIs from
China. On March 21, they
announced a US$140m
scheme, involving
support for three bulk
drugs parks as well as
the manufacturing of 53
priority APIs, to “re-
duce … dependency on
other countries for bulk
drugs”.
Tensions escalated as
hydroxychloroquine, and
a similar drug chloro-
quine, emerged as a
potential treatment for
Covid-19. Long estab-
lished as an anti-malarial,
but also used for treating
rheumatoid arthritis and
lupus, research from the
Méditerranée Infection
University Hospital Insti-
tute in Marseille found a
significant reduction of
the viral carriage in 20
Covid-19 cases treated
with the drug.
On March 14, the UK
announced an export ban
on hydroxychloroquine.
Then, Donald Trump
began touting it as a
“game-changer”. The
space and electric car
entrepreneur Elon Musk
also joined the hype.
Although US-based
Mylan announced it
would restart production
of hydroxychloroquine
in West Virginia, it was
clear America and much
of the world would
require supply from India
if this drug was to be
effective in treating the
disease.
India is estimated
to produce 70% of the
world’s hydroxychloro-
quine, with Ipca Labs
and Zydus Cadila the
two largest producers of
the drug in the country.
Ipca Labs accounts
for more than 80% of
India’s hydroxychloro-
quine supply, yet there
was a problem for the
US here.
The FDA had restrict-
ed Ipca’s exports from
some of its facilities to
the US, arising from
problems found in qual-
ity control checks from
2014 onwards. But with
hydroxychloroquine
attracting such attention,
the US lifted its ban on
supply on March 23.
The Indian govern-
ment, however, wanted
to ensure it had suf-
ficient supply for its
own domestic needs.
On the same day India’s
National Task Force for
Covid-19 recommended
hydroxychloroquine for
treating high-risk cases.
Two days later, India’s
Ministry of Commerce
and Industry prohibited
the export of the drug
and formulations made
from it, with exceptions
such as where pre-
existing commitments
had been made, as well
as on humanitarian
grounds.
MIRACLE DRUGS & GEOPOLITICS
While the effective-
ness of hydroxy-
chloroquine is still
hotly contested, the
tribulations over the
drug are an insight into
some of the challenges
to be overcome in
fighting the virus.
Efforts to develop a
vaccine are well under
way yet projected to
take considerable time,
so the search contin-
ues for repurposed
drugs to treat and
reduce deaths from the
disease. Having China
and India involved as
manufacturing part-
ners for any treatment
or vaccine will be vital
given their unparalleled
ability to produce in
high volumes and cost
effective economies of
scale.
Manufacturing capa-
bilities are also present
in China and India for
two other potential
treatments. Favipiravir,
normally used to treat
influenza, was ap-
proved in China and
Italy for experimental
use against Covid-19
in March 2020. By late
April, it was reported
that Mumbai-based
Glenmark had devel-
oped the API in-house
and was applying for
regulatory approval
for its use against
Covid-19. And another
Indian firm, Strides,
also announced it
had commercialised
and begun exporting
favipiravir to a number
of countries in the Mid-
dle East.
Meanwhile remdesi-
vir, owned by US firm
Gilead Sciences, has
been authorised by the
FDA to treat Covid-19
in emergency cases.
As early as mid-Feb-
ruary, Gilead partnered
with the China-Japan
Friendship Hospi-
tal and the Chinese
Academy of Sciences
for human trials of
remdesivir in Wuhan.
A Chinese company
quickly manufactured
the API for remdesi-
vir and by the end of
March a total of five
Chinese companies
and the Taiwanese
National Health Insti-
tute announced they
had the capacity to
produce the drug.
A COVID-19 VACCINE
Remdesivir is
distinct from the
other drugs which
have attracted at-
tention as Covid-19
treatments so far
in that Gilead has a
patent for it, raising
serious concerns of
intellectual property
issues restricting
access to medicines
or vaccines. Since
mid-April, various
Indian pharmaceuti-
cal companies had
already begun de-
veloping remdesevir,
as has Bangladeshi
company, Beximco.
Global trade rules
permit governments
to issue a compul-
sory license. Such
a provision allows
a manufacturer to
produce a medicine
without the permis-
sion of the patent
holder, who is paid
a royalty fee instead.
A variety of coun-
tries including Chile,
Ecuador, Israel,
Canada and Germa-
ny have all moved
to make it easier to
issue a compulsory
license, if needed,
for Covid-19.
Perhaps anticipat-
ing such a move,
Gilead announced
on May 12 that it
had issued vol-
untary licensing
agreements for
remdesevir to one
company in Paki-
stan – Ferozsons
Laboratories – and
four in India – Cipla,
Hetero Labs, Jubi-
lant Life Sciences
and Mylan. The
deal would involve
transfer of technol-
ogy and allow the
five companies to
make remdesevir
for subsequent
distribution in 127
countries, primarily
in the global south.
Gilead has agreed
a deal with these
five generic compa-
nies to manufacture
and supply this
drug on which so
much hope has
been placed. Gilead
has also entered
discussions with the
Medicines Patent
Pool – a UN backed
agency which tries
to increase access
to treatments for
HIV/AIDS, hepatitis
C, and tuberculosis.
It has now expanded
its remit to include
“any health tech-
nology that could
contribute to the
global response to
Covid-19”.
PATENT BARRIERS?
SOURCE: THE CONVERSATION CONCEPT: DIVYA HEMNANI DESIGN: ABHISHEK GUPTA

Accomplishments are the steps
towards completion of ambition.
Celebrate each one but keep your
vision focused on the next one!
—Jagdeesh Chandra, CEO & Editor, First India
AHMEDABAD | TUESDAY, JUNE 2, 2020www.firstindia.co.in I www.firstindia.co.in/epaper/ I twitter.com/thefirstindia I facebook.com/thefirstindia I instagram.com/thefirstindia
08
2NDFRONT
First India Bureau
Surat: The Surat po-
lice on Monday dis-
persed diamond mer-
chants doing business
as usual on the streets
in Varachha and Ma-
hidharpura by the
hundreds. No gainsay-
ing that hand sanitiza-
tion and social distanc-
ing were given a go-by
in these markets.
The merchants
could not be entirely
blamed because when
the State Government
relaxed the lockdown,
it simply missed issu-
ing guidelines for the
diamond and similar
trades.
Diamond trading
can’t be done on the so-
cial media, for the sim-
ple reason that the pre-
cious stones could not
be evaluated without
physical examination.
As of now, the dia-
mond industry associ-
ations like the Surat
Diamond Association
(SDA) and the Gem and
Jewellery Export Pro-
motion Council
(GJEPC) have had no
option but to appeal to
their members to stay
away from the Varach-
ha and Mahidharpura
diamond markets and
cooperate with the au-
thorities.
This, especially for
certain parts of Var-
achha are still under
Covid containment
zones. The industry
leaders have requested
diamond merchants to
make maximum use of
the social media plat-
forms to connect with
each other in the inter-
ests of their own safety.
Around 5,000 dia-
mond merchants oper-
ate from the diamond
markets of Varachha
and Mahidharpura,
and majority of them
from the streets. The
daily diamond trade
here is estimated at Rs
500 crore and from
here the jewels are
sent to Mumbai, to be
exported to various
countries.
SDA president Babu
Kathiriya said, “For
the last two days, dia-
mond merchants are
gathering at the Var-
achha diamond market
and the social distanc-
ing norms have gone
for a toss.
However, Manhar
Sutaria 0f the Surat
Diamond Merchants
Association, said, “Fol-
lowing social distanc-
ing is a big problem.
We can’t sell diamonds
without physical
touch. We are awaiting
revised guidelines.”
Sans social distancing, Surat diamond traders have Hobson’s choice
UNIQUE PROBLEM

Diamond
trading is not
possible on
social media,
without
physical
evaluation of
the gems
@ahmedpatel
Unfortunately, all hopes of farmers expect-
ing much needed respite dashed today by the
Government
Farmers are facing unprecedented crises of
Lockdown, Locust Attack, Cyclone etc.
Forget about Profit, this
so-called raise in Kharif
MSP won’t even cover
their losses & debts
If this is going to the govern-
ment’s attitude towards farmers ,
their promise to double farm
income by 2022 will end up
becoming another jumla
LOCKDOWN: Guj job rate better?A nationwide CMIE survey says while unemployment increased to 23.48% in May, in Gujarat it fell to 13.6%
First India Bureau
Mumbai/Ahmedabad:
India’s unemployment
rate has clearly in-
creased owing to the ex-
tended lockdown, but if
a survey by the reputed
Centre for Monitoring
IndianEconomy(CMIE)
claims that Gujarat’s
rate decreased 5.1 per-
centage points, falling
to 13.6% in May 2020.6.1
However,italsostates
that over a longer time
period, unemployment
has moved from 5.9% in
November 2019 to its
current rate.
According to the
CMIE, unemployment
in Gujarat during this
period was less than
the national rate of
23.48%. This national
average is marginally
lower than 23.52% in
April. In May, nation-
wide, unemployment
was highest in
Jharkhand with 59.2%,
followed by Bihar 46.2%
and Delhi 44.9%. It was
lowest in Uttarakhand,
Assam, and Odisha at
8.0%, 9.6%, and 9.6%
respectively.
Since there are few
frequently updated gov-
ernment metrics for
tracking jobs in India,
particularly in the infor-
mal sector, high fre-
quency indicators like
the CMIE Unemploy-
ment Survey are often
used as a proxy for eval-
uating the health of the
labour market. The
CMIE survey had a sam-
ple size of 43,600 house-
holdspermonththatare
well distributed geo-
graphically, and across
urban and rural areas.
The Mumbai-based
think-tank’ssurveydata
shows that the unem-
ployment rate for the
whole month of May in
urban India was at 25.79
per cent and at 22.48 per
cent in rural areas.
The joblessness rate
continues to remain in
double digits for the sec-
ond straight month as
the nationwide lock-
down, to curb the spread
of COVID-19, dimin-
ished work opportuni-
tiesaseconomicactivity
declined sharply.
The rate of 23.52 per
cent in April was the
highest since the survey
began in 2016, with 24.95
per cent of the labour
force without work in
urban India and 22.89
per cent in rural India.
In comparison, the un-
employment rate in
March stood at 8.74 per
cent: 9.35 per cent in ur-
ban India and 8.45 per-
cent in rural India.
The CMIE Unemploy-
ment Survey has be-
come the proxy for eval-
uating the state of the
labour market. The la-
bour force consists of
employed persons and
persons who are unem-
ployed but actively look-
ing for jobs.
Google search exposes
fake Facebook post
HC BAR FAVOURS RESUMING
PHYSICAL FUNCTIONINGFirst India Bureau
Ahmedabad: The Gu-
jarat High Court Advo-
cates Association (GH-
CAA) has requested
Chief Justice Vikram
Nath to resume physi-
cal functioning of the
Court, in keeping with
the opinion of the ma-
jority on the Bar.
In a letter to the
Chief Justice, Associa-
tion president Yatin
Oza stated that the is-
sue was put to vote and
the majority of the
members were for
physical rather than
virtual functioning of
the court.
“Almost 64% of the
members of the Bar ex-
pressed their desire
that the court should
function physically,
while 36% voted for
virtual functioning.
Around 800 members
of the Bar participated
in the said referen-
dum,” the Association
said.
The GHCAA claimed
that out of 2,400 law-
yers practicing in the
High Court, around
1,800 members wished
that the Court should
function physically
with all the necessary
precautions which the
Court may prescribe.
Moreover, since the
State Government has
permitted almost all
commercial activities,
including opening of
malls and the hospital-
ity sector, the courts
could also resume
physical functioning.
10th
, 12th
General
Stream results
this week
First India Bureau
Gandhinagar: The Gu-
jarat Secondary and
Higher Secondary Edu-
cation Board (GSEB)
will announce the result
of Secondary School
Certificate (SSC), class
10 examination, Arts
and Commerce of High-
erSecondaryCertificate
(HSC) examinations
this week.
Chairman AJ Shah
told reporters that the
board will release the an-
swer key within a day or
two, following which the
results will be an-
nounced. “The evalua-
tion process of the SSC
andHSCpaperswascom-
pleted in May. The exam
wasdeferredinmid-April
due to the lockdown. The
post-evaluation process
will be completed soon,
following which the re-
sults of SSC, HSC (gen-
eral stream) exams will
be released this week,”
the chairman said.
The board will an-
nounce the dates of re-
sults declaration, once it
completed the post-eval-
uation process. Over 11
lakh students appeared
for the SSC exam that
wasconcludedonMarch
17. Once released, the
results will be available
at gseb.org.in.
First India Bureau
Surat: A Facebook
post has been circu-
lating on the social
media with a claim
that bundles of Rs
2,000 fake currency
notes have been
seized by the police
in Surat and that
Gujarat is a major
producer of such
currency. The post
has now been found
to be fake.
The post reads: “Real
notes of Rs 2,000 are
missing from the mar-
ket and the fake notes
are being caught in
Modi’s Gujarat. After
seeing the fake notes
on the table, Surat and
the media were
shocked that so much
consignment was
caught. Fake notes are
not printed in Pakistan
but in Gujarat. In Surat
of Gujarat, huge bun-
dles of fake notes were
caught. All these sin-
ners, goons, bank rob-
bers, thieves etc are
filled in Gujarat.”
The post, uploaded by
Facebook user
“Satyawadi R.K”, has
been going viral with
more than 1,000 shares
till now. It says the Surat
police have seized huge
bundles of Rs 2,000 fake
currency notes leaving
everyone, including the
media, in a shock.
AfterBJP,RJP,Cong,NCP,whatnextforVaghela?
First India Bureau
Gandhinagar: True to
his penchant for con-
troversy, veteran Guja-
rat politician and for-
mer Chief Minister
Shankersinh Vaghela
is in the news again
sparking off specula-
tions that he has quit
his latest destination
Nationalist Congress
Party (NCP).
NCP supremo
Sharad Pawar ap-
pointing Jayant Pa-
tel ‘Boski’ as Gujarat
party chief and ab-
sence of Vaghela’s
NCP identity on his
Twitter bio have led
to these specula-
tions, a month ahead
of elections to four
Rajya Sabha seats in
Gujarat.
Vaghela had last
quit the Congress
ahead of the 2019 Lok
Sabha elections to join
the NCP as its National
General Secretary and
Gujarat Pradesh Presi-
dent.
When contacted,
NCP’s State general
secretary Reshma
Patel confirmed that
Jayant Boski is the
new Gujarat chief,
but maintained,
while speaking to
First India that,
“Bapu (Vaghela) con-
tinues as the Nation-
al General Secretary,
while Pawar-sir has
appointed Jayantib-
hai as the new Guja-
rat president.” She
claimed she was not
aware of Vaghela’s
Twitter bio.
Once considered a
prime mover and shak-
er of Gujarat BJP,
along with Prime Min-
ister Narendra Modi,
Vaghela had staged a
major coup in 1995 to
quit the BJP to form
his own Rashtriya Ja-
nata Party, and later a
government in Guja-
rat with Congress sup-
port. Later, his RJP
merged with the Con-
gress.
PUNISHMENT FOR PROTEST
Gujarat Radhanpur MLA Raghubhai Desai was detained on Monday after he led a farmers’ protest in Patan against reduction
of government procurement of chana dal.
Joblessness declined in Gujarat in May, according to a survey.
CAUSE FOR CONCERN
Veteran Gujarat politician Shankersinh Vaghela is learnt to have
quit NCP.
Facebook post of bundles
of Rs 2,000 currency notes
caught from Surat has been
found to be fake.
A diamond cutting and polishing unit in Surat.

ith the Corona proto-
cols in place, I doubt
many of us will be able
to dive into a pool this
summer but that does
not stop us from re-
membering the days of
swimming lengths or just
splashing around in the pool.
The memories got me thinking
about swimwear and I thought
that if anybody gave us the ini-
tial formal swimwear today we
would think it laughable and
not worth wearing even in the
confines of our home.
Though the very first swim-
wear was none at all! Swimming
in the nude or a mere loincloth
would suffice but as morality
changed the swimsuit was in-
vented in the 18th century
whereabouts to fulfil the no-
tions of decency.
From bloomers, stockings,
drawers accompanied by full-
sleeved tees to the throng biki-
nis of today, swimwear has defi-
nition come a long way shed-
ding much of its baggage in
more ways than one. With the
years the sleeves fell away, the
necklines lowered and bloomers
shaped up and sharpened.
Swimwear is dictated even to-
day not by the style of the sea-
son but the culture and the com-
fort of the wearer.
In India, the one-piece swim-
suit remains the biggest favour-
ite for one and all regardless of
age; though I am restrained to
admit that as the sizes get larg-
er, a frill is added here and there
for the comfort of the lady in
question if she so desires.
Of course, we have all drooled
over Baywatch and the ‘Bikini
bods’ and it is a definite motiva-
tion to keep a strict eye on our
diet and work out regularly, so
why not?
Nowadays, swimwear is a
huge industry with the global
swimwear market size valued
at USD 18.9 billion in 2018. The
trend has shifted to luxury
swimwear that offers value-
added features such as con-
venient cuts and trendy
prints and enhances the
slimming effect is gaining
popularity among women
of different regions.
AHMEDABAD, TUESDAY
JUNE 2, 2020
www.firstindia.co.in I www.firstindia.co.in/epaper/ I twitter.com/thefirstindia
facebook.com/thefirstindia I instagram.com/thefirstindia 09
ANITA HADA
anita.hada@firstindianews.com
MORETHANSWIMWEARSwimwear is a major industry today, however fashion
and culture equally dictate the swimwear. City first
takes a quick dip into the journey of swimwear!
W

10
ETCAHMEDABAD | TUESDAY, JUNE 2, 2020www.firstindia.co.in I www.firstindia.co.in/epaper/ I twitter.com/thefirstindia I facebook.com/thefirstindia I instagram.com/thefirstindia
FACEOFTHEDAY
PAYAL TOSYAN, Influencer
YOUR
DAYHoroscope by
Saurabbh Sachdeva
LEO
JULY 24 - AUGUST 23
You must remain active
whole day and that will
happen only if you continue
to eat healthy and right
food. Your anticipations abut returns
from an investment will not
disappoint you. Professionals will get
a chance to show case your talents.
You will complete the pending work.
LIBRA
SEPT 24 - OCTOBER 22
You will make workout a
permanent part of your
fitness regime. You will
indulge yourself in other
small businesses that will help you
with the side income. On
professional front, you will spend a
very hectic day but you will learn a
lot today.
ARIES
MAR 21 - APR 20
You have a happy go lucky
nature and to think positive
is your new mantra that
will keep you shining. You
will have monetary gains from your
new business venture. You may
discuss about your career or your
new professional plans with your
parents.
SAGITTARIUS
NOV 23 - DEC 22
Health will be your priority
for the day over anything
else. You will take all the
necessary measure to
investment the money that will give
you good returns. You may require the
help from your colleague to complete
an official task. You must not take your
partner for granted.
GEMINI
MAY 21 - JUNE 21
You are conscious about
health and that itself keeps
you in good shape. You
will attract new clients
today on work front and will get good
business from the. Your family will
support your new ideas. On
academic front, you will at ease
balance your work with fun.
AQUARIUS
JAN 21 - FEB 19
Today is your lucky day and
you will get positive
responses from all the
directions. You must keep
some secret from outsiders when it
comes to finances. You must be
discreet in discussing your
professional grievances with you
colleagues.
TAURUS
APR 21 - MAY 20
If you wish to spend on
something that you have
been desiring for a long
time then now is the time.
You will efficiently manage all the
work load in office today. You may
find yourself bending towards
spiritual stuff. You may go to meet
your friends who needs your help.
CAPRICORN
DEC 23 - JAN 20
You must spend a lot of
time with your elders in
family. You must keep your
expenses within limit to be
able to use the same money for your
future desires to get fulfilled. On
professional front, you may crack a
big deal and you shall get rewarded
for the same.
VIRGO
AUG 24 - SEP 23
Smile as a good heath is
assured today. You will try
very hard in climbing up
on the financial ladder and
you will certainty succeed. Your
seniors will admire your efforts at
work. You may start a new business
today. Someone young will keep you
house environment quite cheerful.
CANCER
JUNE 22 - JULY 23
You will feel very happy,
motivated and you will
cheer those around you.
You will help someone
close in desperate need of money.
Professionals will feel hopeful about
their coming success. You elders will
help from getting over a bad memory
and their advice will prove valuable.
PISCES
FEB20 - MARCH 20
You must indulge yourself
in activities today that will
help you with de stressing
and attaining mental
equanimity. On professional front,
you may have need to take strict
measures to get the job done from
your juniors. On academic front, you
are forging ahead successfully.
SCORPIO
OCT 23 - NOVEMBER 22
You will have gains from
stocks and other
investments. You can
expect some receivables
today and you can use the same
money for some necessarily. On
work front, things will go as you have
planned and great opportunities are
on their way.
Dr JYOTSNA
he corona out-
break has cast an
evil spell on us,
and brought our
lives to a stand-
still. Suddenly, the
routine hustle-
bustle has vanished and it
feels as if there is nothing
one can do. The virus has
hit every section of the so-
ciety, not sparing even the
most influential people
across the globe.
Having taken lessons
from China, US, Europe
and south-east Asian coun-
tries, India has been quite
proactive in dealing with
the challenge. Enforce-
ment of lockdown was a
landmark decision, which
has contributed largely to
disease containment. This
gave the general public
and health care workers
an insight into the gravity
of the situation and cop-
ing up with it. Also, health-
care could buy sometime
in building up the requi-
site infrastructure.
Despite compliance to
the lockdown, the number
of patients are steadily in-
creasing, indicating that
our goal is still too far. A
major challenge before us
is to maintain these norms
post-lockdown. When a
large population step out
of their homes, it would
result in rapid spread of
the disease. Therefore, a
drastic change in lifestyle
and work culture on the
part of general public and
healthcare organizations,
is the pressing need of the
hour.
General public need to
be very cautious and fol-
low standard social dis-
tancing and hand hygiene.
It needs to be impressed
upon that corona is not yet
over and any complacence
on their part could have
serious consequences.
Another important
learning from this pan-
demic is that resource con-
sumption must be in ac-
cordance with necessity
and undue wastage best
avoided. This would keep
us in good stead during
these uncertain times.
Healthcare workers
have a dual responsibility
of not only treating pa-
tients but also keeping
themselves safe during
discharge of their duty.
They are most susceptible,
especially those on the
frontline, and in critical
care.
Early screening of pa-
tients on hospital arrival,
would segregate the symp-
tomatic patients, who
could then be kept in the
isolation facility, an area
farther away from the rest
of the in hospital patients.
It is essential to curb
crowding of patients in
hospitals by allowing their
entry in a phased manner
and minimizing visiting
hours.
We need to redefine and
strengthen hygienic meas-
ures in view of the ongo-
ing pandemic. In this re-
gard, it is important to
train doctors, technical
and paramedical staff in
the use of protective gear,
as they are directly in-
volved in patient care de-
livery.
There is growing need
of greater reliance on
technology to aid in social
distancing such as in pa-
tient screening, digital
scanning of documents,
and enhanced use of tele-
medicine. Greater alloca-
tion of budget into health-
care is much needed to
develop operating rooms
and critical care units ded-
icated to sick covid pa-
tients.
As a fallout of the imple-
mentation of these addi-
tional precautionary
measures, another major
challenge confronting the
healthcare industry would
be the rising cost of medi-
cal treatment. This could
be partly resolved by judi-
cious use of consumables
including protective
equipment, investigations
and medications. It also
calls for strengthening of
government health facili-
ties as well as expansion
of social health insurance
to reach out to the masses.
Recent reports of vio-
lence against the corona
warriors are extremely
disheartening. These war-
riors are working relent-
lessly, under extremely
suffocating conditions to
ensure well-being of ailing
patients, putting them-
selves at risk. Safety of
corona warriors at work-
place must be prioritized,
to maintain the integrity
of our healthcare system.
The pandemic has crip-
pled the global economy,
destroying livelihoods of
millions of citizens. Irre-
spective of the surging
numbers, lockdown will
have to be gradually lifted.
We have to learn to adapt
to the “new normal,” as it
is likely that corona would
stay indefinitely. The viral
spread can be largely con-
tained when every indi-
vidual in the community
is considered corona posi-
tive.
This can be achieved
when the triad of hand hy-
giene, wearing mask and
social distancing is ad-
hered to. Being healthcare
professionals, we must
continue to deliver essen-
tial services to the society.
By exercising due caution,
setting up protocols and
incorporating newer inno-
vations, we would certain-
ly sail through these try-
ing times.
cityfirst@firstindia.co.in
Post lockdown strategies for general
PUBLIC AND HEALTHCARE
T

THERIGHTPARTNER!ndian skipper Virat
Kohli has been shower-
ing praises on wife
Anushka Sharma on
social media off late.
After speaking about
their relationship in an
Instagram Live session with Indi-
an football captain Sunil Chettri, Vi-
rat Kohli spoke of Anushka’s bril-
liance in a chat with cricketer Ravi-
chandran Ashwin. The Indian
team captain opened up on
Anushka’s fearless approach to
work and how they share the
same wavelength.
“The best thing is that when
you have the right partner who
is also working at a level of ex-
cellence, as you mentioned, in
her own field, she can totally
understand my mindset and I
can understand her mindset. It
becomes so easy to have conver-
sation about what you’re going
through. What is it that is mak-
ing you feel good or bad? What
happened during the day that
mentally put you down or boost-
ed your confidence? Small con-
versations like that,” Kohli told
Ashwin. He further added that
Anushka can preempt what he
is thinking just by knowing his
body language. “I think when
two people are on the same
wavelength those conversa-
tions are very very easy and as
you rightly pointed out Anush-
ka is brilliant at what she
does. At her craft, she is out-
standing and for us having
conversations at that level is
that much easier because she
understands what I’m exact-
ly saying without me even
talking, with my body lan-
guage.” —IANS
ETCwww.firstindia.co.in I www.firstindia.co.in/epaper/ I twitter.com/thefirstindia I facebook.com/thefirstindia I instagram.com/thefirstindia AHMEDABAD | TUESDAY, JUNE 2, 2020
11
LEAVING BEHIND AVOID...
T
his year has not
proved to be a good
one and the COVID-19
crisis is here which is
for real. In the midst of all
this, our country has lost
some real gems which in-
clude Bollywood stars Ir-
rfan Khan and Rishi Kapoor
and noted sports personali-
ties Chuni Goswami and
Balbir Singh Sr. Now, in a
shocking state of events,
music composer Wajid
Khan of Sajid-Wajid fame
has passed away. He had
been admitted to a hospital
in Mumbai due to complica-
tions with his health and
later passed away. The news
about his demise has been
confirmed by Sonu Nigam.
Wajid had not been keeping
well for quite some time and
had frequent health issues.
Varun Dhawan, Arbaaz
Khan, Preity Zinta, Bipasha
Basu, Vishal Dadlani, Salim
Merchant, and others have
taken to social media to bid
their last goodbyes to the
departed soul. —IANS
LIKE FUFFY
SINGH...
T
he indefinite
lockdown in In-
dia continues
amidst the COV-
ID-19 crisis that is still
affecting many lives
daily. People them-
selves have been trying
to curb the situation by
adopting precautionary
measures that include
social distancing and
remaining confined to
homes. In the midst of
all this, many have
resorted to virtual
communication to
stay in contact
with each other.
Our beloved cel-
ebs from the
film industry
have also been
doing the
same to
keep in
constant
touch with
their fans.
Sara Ali
Khan is among the
many celebs who have
been updating fans
with whatever is hap-
pening in their daily
lives through social me-
dia. Recently, the ac-
tress has given a
glimpse of the delicious
meal she had while en-
joying her lazy day.
I
Bailouts
W
ith many
people in
the US
u n i t i n g
together to protest
against police bru-
tality and George
Floyd’s death,
Chrissy Teigen is
trying to help peo-
ple. The star took to
Twitter to share
that she would be
donating $200,000 to
help pay for protes-
tors’ bailouts. She
first offered to do-
nate $100,000 before
she decided to dou-
ble the amount. “In
celebration of what-
ever the f**k maga
night is, I am com-
mitted to donating
$100,000 to the bail-
outs of protestors
across the country,”
Teigen tweeted, ref-
erencing the viral
# M A G A N i g h t
hashtag. Chrissy
Teigen helps to bail
funds for Black
Lives Matter pro-
tester
Soon, Teigen then
donated an addi-
tional $100,000 after
someone replied
that the people were
“rioters and crimi-
nals”. Ooo they
might need more
money then. Make it
$200,000,” she re-
plied. —IANS
The New Era of Love
I
n a recent interview, Gal Gadot and Wiig opened up about their upcom-
ing movie, and their thoughts on fan theories about the relationship
between their characters. Asked whether Diana Prince (Wonder Wom-
an) and Barbara Ann Minerva (Cheetah) were on a date during a scene
that appeared in the trailer, Wiig questioned: “Oh, for a lesbian thing?”
Gadot then teased: “The sexual tension is always there, I can tell you that!”
The Cheetah is one of Wonder Woman’s most iconic enemies in the DC
comics, but the pair have not embarked on a romance in the original work.
A new battle, a new armour, new villains, edgier action and a reunion
with her long-last love, Gadot has teased the beginning of a “new era of
wonder” with the much-awaited Wonder Woman 1984. —IANS
THE VAULT-HUNTERS
T
he well-known video game Bor-
derlands is all set to be adapted
into a film, and the Ocean 8 ac-
tress Cate Blanchett will be es-
saying the role of Lilith in the film. The
Borderlands film adaption will be
helmed by director Eli Roth. The film
will see Cate Blanchett playing the lead
role. As per media reports, the video
game which is now being made into a
film will have four members of a group
on a search of some unique never seen
before technology. On the work front,
Cate will also feature in the Hollywood
drama called ‘Don’t Look Up’.
This film has ‘Hunger Games’ actress
Jennifer Lawrence in the lead. —IANS
Late Wajid Khan
Chrissy TeigenVirat Kohli and Anushka Sharma
Sara Ali Khan
Gal Gadot Cate Blanchett
... her post
—IANS

First india ahmedabad edition-02 june 2020

First india ahmedabad edition-02 june 2020

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First india ahmedabad edition-02 june 2020