First india ahmedabad edition-06 july 2020

Per positive case sample testing
rate decreases in 1 month in Guj
Haresh Jhala
Gandhinagar: The
government is ada-
mant in its decision to
refrain from impos-
ing lockdown again
but the focus on the
economy is likely to
come at a great cost to
the state’s health.
On Saturday, Chief
Minister Vijay Rupani
told the media in Surat
that there was no ques-
tion of imposing the
lockdown again. That
same evening, the state
announced that it had
witnessed 712 positive
cases--its highest yet--in
the preceding 24 hours.
To deflect from these
unfortunate numbers,
the government also
shared data from other
states, a ploy it has used
in the past to hide its
own faults.
However, a deep dive
into data available on
the government web-
site throws up a tale of
its own. Gujarat’s four
major districts-
-Ahmedabad, Rajkot,
Vadodara and Surat-
-account for 77.8% of all
active cases in the state.
What is more worrying
is that districts, where
the outbreak was well
under control a month
ago, have now begun to
record alarming num-
bers.
COVID-19 had not
spread much in rural
areas and at least
three districts in Sau-
rashtra, namely,
Devbhumi Dwarka,
Junagadh and Amreli
had zero cases till the
middle of May. These
districts, like many oth-
ers, have witnessed a
manifold increase in the
number of cases in the
past month. Turn on P6
Was 12.56 on June
1, down to 11.42 on
July 4; Dang is
only district in
green zone
CORONA
ALERT
AHMEDABAD l MONDAY, JULY 6, 2020 l Pages 12 l 3.00 RNI NO. GUJENG/2019/16208 l Vol 1 l Issue No. 221
27°C - 36°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
1,944
DEATHS
36,123
CONFIRMED CASES
UTTAR PRADESH
785 DEATHS 27,707 CASES
RAJASTHAN
456 DEATHS 20,164 CASES
WORLD
5,35,139
DEATHS
1,14,75,480
CONFIRMED CASES
INDIA
6,97,069
CONFIRMED CASES
19,699
DEATHS
MAHARASHTRA
8,822 DEATHS 2,06,619 CASES
TAMIL NADU
1,510 DEATHS 1,11,151 CASES
DELHI
3,067 DEATHS 99,444 CASES
New Delhi: India on
Sunday surpassed Rus-
sia to become the third
worst-hit nation, with
the number of cases
standing at 6,97,069, ac-
cording to to covid19in-
dia.org. Russia has re-
ported 6,80,283 cases, as
per the Johns Hopkins
University (JHU) track-
er. India is now preceded
only by Brazil and the
US, who have recorded
2,841,124 and 1,577,004
cases respectively. The
Ministry of Health and
Family Welfare, howev-
er,said21statesandUTs,
including Delhi, Gujarat
and Uttar Pradesh, have
a Covid-19 recovery rate
higher than the national
average of 60.77%.
Meanwhile, in a bid
to cut the chain of trans-
mission of the novel
coronavirus and to min-
imise the potential of
its spread, Kerala on
Sunday amended the
state Epidemic Disease
Ordinance, Turn on P6
8 killed in fire
at candle
factory in UP
Ghaziabad: Eight peo-
ple, including six wom-
en, were killed Sunday
when a fire ripped
through a candle-manu-
facturing factory in
Ghaziabad where they
worked, officials said.
One of the dead worker
was a 16-year-old boy.
At least three other
workers were injured in
the blaze at the Modi
Nagar unit which
stocked highly inflam-
mable material. They
have been hospitalised.
The police said more
than a dozen workers
wereinsidethefactoryin
Ghaziabad in National
Capital Region when an
explosion brought down
the roof and gutted the
building. Turn on P6
Amit Shah @AmitShah
@narendramodi ji is fully
committed to helping the
people of Delhi in these
challenging times and this
Covid hospital, yet again,
highlights the resolve.
I thank DRDO, Tatas
and our Armed Forces
Medical personnel who
have risen to the occasion
and helped tackle the
emergency.
New Delhi: Prime Min-
ister Narendra Modi on
Sunday called on Presi-
dent Ram Nath Kovind
at Rashtrapati Bhavan
and briefed him on the
issues of national and
international impor-
tance.
“Prime Minister Nar-
endra Modi called on
President Ram Nath Ko-
vind and briefed him on
the issues of national
and international im-
portance at Rashtrapati
Bhavan today,” read a
post on the official Twit-
ter handle of President
of India. The Prime
Minister on Friday
made a surprise visit to
Ladakh and was briefed
by senior officers at
Nimmoo amid ongoing
border tension with
China. He was accom-
panied by Chief of De-
fence Staff (CDS) Gen-
eral Bipin Rawat and
Army Chief General
Manoj Mukund Nara-
vane. —ANI
6,97,069 CASES
Corona blast: India overtakes Russia; now preceded only by Brazil & the US
Delhigetsworld’slargestCOVID-19carefacility
New Delhi: World’s
largest, 10,000-bed Sard-
ar Patel COVID Care
Centre and Hospital
(SPCCCH) at Radha
Soami Satsang Beas in
Chhatarpur area of the
national capital has
made operational on
Sunday.
Inaugurated by Lieu-
tenant Governor of
Delhi, Anil Baijal, the
facility has been creat-
ed on an emergency ba-
sis by the South Delhi
District Administra-
tion with support of the
Ministry of Home Af-
fairs in a record time of
10 days. Notably, this
coronavirus treatment
centre which is set up in
Chhatarpur area of the
national capital is said
to be the “largest” of its
kind in the world.
Most of the basic in-
frastructure such as
beds, mattresses and
linen has been donated
by various civil society
organisations and non-
governmental organisa-
tions. A recreational
centre has been made
available to the patients
along with a library,
board games and skip-
ping ropes. People ad-
mittedtothefacilitywill
be provided five healthy
meals a day, the state-
ment added. —ANI
Union Home Minister Amit Shah and Defence Minister Rajnath Singh visits DRDO-built 1000 bedded
Sardar Vallabh Bhai Patel COVID-19 Hospital at Delhi Cantonment on Sunday.
J&K LG PERFORMS AARTI;
AMARNATH YATRA LIKELY TO
BEGIN ON JULY 23
Jammu: Jammu and Kashmir
LG Girish Chandra Murmu at-
tended the first ‘Aarti’ at the Am-
arnath Cave temple on Sunday.
The Amarnath Shrine Board on
Sunday made special arrange-
ments, and for the first time live
telecasted the aarti and darshan of
Lord Amarnath. Locals and devo-
tees, who were unable to go to Am-
arnath cave in light of the COV-
ID-19 pandemic, were glued to tel-
evisions in order to get darshans.
Turn on P6
PM Modi meets Prez Kovind, talk
issues of nat’l & int’l importance
Washington DC: Rap-
per Kanye West, in an
Independence Day
tweet, announced that
he is running for the
president of the United
States. The 43-year-old
musician said used the
hashtag “2020 vision,”
appearing to indicate he
plans to toss his hat in
the ring for this fall’s
election, The Hill re-
ported. “We must now
realise the promise of
America by trusting
God, unifying our vision
and building our future.
I am running for presi-
dent of the United
States!” West wrote.
West, who has repeat-
edly floated running for
president in the past,
had recently posted a
photo of himself with
Musk with the caption:
“When you go to your
boys’ house and you are
both wearing orange.”
The rapper has fre-
quently supported Pres-
ident Donald Trump
and said in April that he
was going to vote for
him this fall.
“I am not going to be
told by the people
around me and the peo-
ple that have their agen-
da that my career is go-
ing to be over. Because
guess what: I am still
here!” he said.
West famously visited
the Oval Office in Octo-
ber 2018, sporting a red
“Make America Great
Again” hat and saying,
“I love this guy right
here,” while posing with
Trump. His wife and re-
ality TV star Kim Kar-
dashian also visited the
White House as an activ-
ist pushing for criminal
justice reform.
If West is to launch a
bid, it would come late
in the game, as the Re-
publican and Democrat-
ic National Conven-
tions, where each party
will formally announce
its respective candi-
dates, are set for next
month. It is unclear if
West seriously plans to
run this year and wheth-
er any official paper-
work for an election bid
has been filed. —ANI
Running for US President tweets Rapper Kanye West!
#BLACKLIVESMATTER
Kanye West with President Donald Trump at the Oval Office in 2018. —FILE PIC
Elon Musk @elonmusk
@kanyewest
You have my full support!
ye @kanyewest
We must now realize the
promise of America by
trusting God, unifying our
vision and building our
future. I am running for
president of the United
States Flag of United
States! #2020VISION
—PHOTOBYANI
INDIA 3RD WORST-HIT NATION

New Delhi: Prime Min-
ister Narendra Modi ex-
tended greetings on
“Guru Purnima” on
Sunday, saying it is the
day to honour the “gu-
rus” who make our lives
meaningful. “Many
wishes on Guru Purni-
ma. Today is a special
day to honour the gurus
who make life meaning-
ful,” the prime minister
said in a tweet.
He paid his respect to
all the gurus on the occa-
sion. Home Minister Amit
Shah also extended his
greetings to the nation on
the occasion of Guru
Purnima.
“Guru’s place in Indian
culture is very revered.
Guru is a bridge that com-
bines knowledge and dis-
ciple. A Guru, with his
nectar of knowledge, pro-
vides the right direction
and meaning to the life of
a disciple by nurturing
valuable qualities like re-
ligion and character.”
UnionMinisterPrakash
Javadekar and Senior BJP
leader Uma Bharti also
conveyed their wishes on
Twitter on this occasion.
Guru Purnima in In-
dia has always been
very special for the gu-
ru-shishya parampara
or the unique relation-
ship between teachers
and their students.
Guru Purnima this year
is on July 5. It is also
known as Vyasa Purni-
ma after Veda Vyasa,
who wrote the epic Ma-
habharata. On Guru
Purnima, students pay
respect and remember
their teachers.
It is a full moon
day in the month
of Ashadh, the
third month in
the Hindu calen-
dar. Guru Purni-
ma also marks
the beginning of
Chaturmas or the
four auspicious
months dotted
with festivals
across the
country.
Today is a special day to honour the
gurus who make life meaningful: PM
New Delhi: Prime
Minister Narendra
Modi’s visit to
Ladakh has boost-
ed the morale of all
forces at the border
and the troops are
ready to sacrifice
their lives for the
nation like in the
past, said SS Desw-
al, DG, Indo-Tibet-
an Border Police
(ITBP) on Sunday.
During the inau-
guration of DRDO-
built Sardar Vallab-
hbhai Patel COV-
ID-19 Hospital in
Delhi Cantonment
here on Sunday,
Deswal said, “Prime
Minister’s visit to
Ladakh and his ad-
dress to troops in
Nimu have boosted
the morale of all
forces at the border.
Our jawans are dedi-
cated to the nation.
The morale of our
Army, Air Force and
ITBP is very high.
We are ready to dedi-
cate our lives to the
nation.” Deswal said
that Sardar Vallab-
hbhai Patel COV-
ID-19 Hospital has
been developed to
help out citizens of
Delhi and NCR who
are affected by the
coronavirus.
“Our team of
doctors and medi-
cal staff will take
care of this facility.
Our medical teams
were earlier de-
ployed to treat the
Indian citizens
evacuated from
Wuhan in China in
our COVID-19 facil-
ity in Chhawla
camp. We are run-
ning 200 bedded
COVID hospital in
Noida for all the po-
lice forces in Delhi
and NCR,” he said.
“This hospital has
10 per cent of beds
with oxygen facility.
We have counsellors
for mentally trau-
matic patients. We
have a team of good
psychiatrists and
specialists in medi-
cine.” he added.
The DRDO-built
Sardar Vallabhbhai
Patel COVID-19 Hos-
pital in Delhi Can-
tonment, the tempo-
rary hospital struc-
ture that has been
erected in 11 days
and has 1,000 beds in-
cluding 250 ICU beds,
informed DRDO offi-
cials.
Delhi has a total of
97,200 COVID-19 cas-
es, including 68,256
recoveries and 25,940
active cases, as per
the last bulletin of
the Delhi Health De-
partment. —ANI
‘PM’s visit to
Ladakh boosted
morale of
security forces’
Haresh Jhala
Gandhinagar: In a de-
mocracy, political par-
ties usually lay claim
to certain key issues
and ideologies to fight
elections. But, an un-
derlying criteria tak-
en into consideration
while choosing candi-
dates for any election,
is the caste of the con-
tender as well as the
bank of constituents
where polls are to be
conducted.
This holds especial-
ly true for the state
due to its vast voter
bank comprising a
myriad of castes and
communities.
With the Rajya Sabha
polls in the rearview
mirror, the political
machinery in the state
has now been gearing
up for the impending
State Legislative As-
sembly by-elections,
wherein candidates
will contest for eight
seats in the Assembly.
Despite receiving no of-
ficial word on the dates
of the by-elections, the
political parties in the
state seem to be in no
mood to leave any stone
unturned to ensure
their representative
gets elected in the
House this year. All
preparations have al-
ready been commenced
by parties under the
watchful eye of their
leaders and on- ground
work of party workers.
But, the caste criterion
has not lost its sheen
and is being considered
as one of the top requi-
sites in the choosing of
a candidate to run for
any given constituency.
For instance, in a par-
ty such as the Bharatiya
Janata Party (BJP)
where the Kshatriyas
and the Patel enjoy
equal domination, it has
appointed observers of
each community for all
constituencies in the
fray. For Abdasa, where
the Patel and Rajput
communities share
equal numbers of vot-
ers, the BJP has ap-
pointed one Kshatriya
(Bhupendrasinh Chu-
dasama) and a Patel (KC
Patel) as in-charges. For
the Morbi constituency,
the party has appointed
a Kshatriya (IK Jadeja)
and a Patel (Saurabh Pa-
tel).
Tharad was consid-
ered to be the weakest
seat for the ruling
party, and that was
the reason why the
charge of the constit-
uency was handed
over to Minister of
State for Home Prad-
ipsinh Jadeja in 2019.
Unfortunately, Jadeja
could not bring luck
to defector Dhavals-
inh Jadeja, and he
lost the election.
For polls this year, the
party has given Jadeja
the charge of the Kar-
jan seat, which has good
numbers of Kshatriya
voters in the constitu-
ency, but is dominated
by the Patel community.
But, the worrying fac-
tor for the ruling party
in the by-elections is the
dissent of former MLA
and cooperative leader
Satish Patel and his sup-
porters. As per reports,
Patel is staunchly
against the idea of giv-
ing a ticket to turncoat
Akshay Patel, who re-
cently resigned from
Congress. The voice of
dissent may have
stemmed from the fact
that Akshay had levied
corruption allegations
against Satish Patel in
the sugar cooperative.
With the former
MLA already conduct-
ing meetings to ascer-
tain how many sup-
porters were with
him and ready to
work against the par-
ty mandate, it re-
mains to be seen who
gets the ticket eventu-
ally.
Congress, on the oth-
er hand, has appointed
senior leaders as in-
charges of each of the
constituencies up for
election. The task that
lies with them is the in-
duction of their party
candidates into the As-
sembly, which will be a
value addition to their
profile in the party. But,
if they fail, these lead-
ers stand to lose ground
within the party.
(L-R) Former Congress MLAs Pradhyumansinh Jadeja, JV Kakadiya, Brijesh Merja, State BJP Chief Jitu Vaghani, former Congress MLAs Akshay Patel and Jitu Chaudhary.
IS STATE POLITICS DRIVEN
BY THE CASTE FACTOR?
Gargi Raval
Ahmedabad: After
blundering in the Ra-
jya Sabha elections
consecutively in 2017
and the polls held
last month, the Con-
gress party has slow-
ly started gearing up
for the upcoming by-
elections. After the
state unit of the par-
ty performed its best
in over two decades
in the 2017 Assembly
election, under the
leadership of incum-
bent Rajasthan Chief
Minister Ashok Ge-
hlot, the upcoming
by-election is likely
to be contested under
a new state in-charge.
After Rajya Sabha
Member of Parliament
(MP) Rajiv Satav was
handed over the charge
of the state for the RS
polls, the party has lost
14 MLAs, most of who
defected to the Bharati-
ya Janta Party (BJP).
Now, the Congress
state unit is seeking to
avoid any further em-
barrassment to the
party’s reputation and
has already com-
menced preparations
for the upcoming by-
polls.
Eight leaders have
been appointed as in-
charges for the same
number of constitu-
encies in the fray for
the by-elections.
“The party is con-
ducting a thorough
survey of the seats
on the line and their
local leaders. By the
time the election is
announced, it is like-
ly that the state unit
will have a new in-
charge. The perfor-
mance in the Rajya
Sabha polls under
the leadership of Ra-
jiv Satav was miser-
able. Despite repeat-
ed warnings from
many leaders, Satav
failed to keep the
flock together,” said
a senior leader from
the party.
He added that even
the State Unit Presi-
dent Amit Chavda and
Leader of Opposition
Paresh Dhanani had
failed to prevent the de-
bacle.
“Our leaders had
time and they were
aware of the weak
links in the party.
There were even media
reports, which were ig-
nored by them. Why
didn’t they act when it
was needed the most?”
he questioned. The un-
named leader also indi-
cated that there may be
a change of guard soon
in the party state unit
soon.
Congress to contest by-polls under new state in-charge
Paresh Dhanani Rajiv Satav Amit Chavda
lll
Thepartyseeks
torepeatits
performancein
the2017As-
semblyelection,
afterSatavfails
tokeepthe
flocktogether
forRSpolls
NEWSAHMEDABAD | MONDAY, JULY 6, 2020
02www.firstindia.co.in I www.firstindia.co.in/epaper/ I twitter.com/thefirstindia I facebook.com/thefirstindia I instagram.com/thefirstindia
GURU PURNIMA
Modi’s surprise
visit to the
Himalayan
region comes in
the wake of
ongoing tensions
with China
Modi paid his respect
to all the gurus and
Home Minister Amit
Shah also extended
his greetings to the
nation on the occasion
of Guru Purnima
With Assembly
by-elections
looming, the
BJP looks to
choosing the
‘right’ candidates
with voter
credibility
—FILE PHOTO

GUJARATAHMEDABAD | MONDAY, JULY 6, 2020
AMC mystery: Cases fall but
micro-containment zones riseCity has been declaring its lowest numbers since the nCov outbreak began, but has 110 ‘hot’ pockets
Gargi Raval
Ahmedabad: It’s not
called “data manage-
ment” for nothing. The
city has been report-
ing its lowest number
of new cases over the
past few days. Yet, in-
explicably, the local
civic body has also
been increasing the
number of micro-con-
tainment zones here.
With another 11 added
onSunday,Ahmedabad
now has 110 of these
hotspots. Neverthe-
less, the Ahmedabad
Municipal Corpora-
tion (AMC) continues
to remain pleased with
itself.
“In the last two
months,thecityhasseen
a drastic improvement
in the COVID-19 situa-
tion. The number of fa-
talities has gone down,
ashasthemortalityrate.
However, there is no
herd immunity. The
number of the cases are
havebeenbroughtunder
control due to the multi-
prongedstrategiesputin
place by the AMC. We’re
doing better than Mum-
baiandDelhi.Theinten-
sityof thecaseshavenot
gone even down in coun-
triesliketheUSandBra-
zil,” said Dr Bhavin
Solanki, in-charge medi-
cal officer, AMC.
What the health offic-
er did not say, was that
Mumbai and Delhi both
are testing much more
aggressively than
Ahmedabad. Home Min-
isterAmitShahrecently
announced that Delhi
would conduct 20,000
tests every day. Gujarat
tested 7,770 on Sunday.
Not everyone is con-
vinced. “Things are far
from normal. We are re-
ceivingcasesfromdiffer-
ent areas daily. Despite
the decrease in the fresh
cases for the last few
days, the city still has
about 3,200 active cases,
which is nearly 40% of
the state’s total number
of active cases,” one
AMC health official told
First India, asking not to
be named for fear of pro-
fessional blowback.
JamalpurMLAImran
Khedawala said that the
virus has affected daily
life in the city. “There is
a fear among the people,
hence they are not going
out. Yet, infection is ris-
ing. Earlier the cases
were concentrated only
in the central zone but
now each zone and ward
have been affected. Why
is the AMC saying it has
any control over the vi-
rus spread?” the law-
maker asked.
Kalupur was one of the first containment zones in Ahmedabad. —FILE PHOTO
Surat inches close
to 6K-mark with
254 fresh cases
First India Bureau
Gandhinagar: It’s
a gloomy situation
in Surat district,
with 218 new cases
emerging in the
city and 36 emerg-
ing in rural areas.
And while the ris-
ing tally—which
now stands at
5,968—might indi-
cate that social dis-
tancing is not be-
ing practised in
densely populated
areas and work-
places, local au-
thorities and trade
bodies have left it
to Chief Minister
Vijay Rupani to
take a call on how
to handle the situ-
ation. He will now
decide on operat-
ing norms for the
diamond and tex-
tile industries.
The Surat Munici-
pal Commissioner on
Sunday increased
the fine amount to
Rs5,000 for shopkeep-
ers found without a
mask. They will also
be fined if they en-
tertain customers
without masks.
After Surat, there
isalsoaspikeincases
in Vadodara, with the
city reporting 56 new
cases and rural areas
reporting eight cases
bringingthedistrict’s
tally to 2,568. Rajkot
rural reported 32 new
cases and the city re-
ported 10.
Ahmedabad is of-
fering the state a
sliver of relief with
its falling numbers.
Still, the city saw
162 fresh cases and
rural areas saw 15.
In the past 24
hours, the state
tested 7,770 sam-
ples. There are
8,278 active cas-
es—the highest in
a month—with 72
patients on venti-
lators.
Although the state
and the district ad-
ministrations are not
taking calls on a lock-
down, traders con-
tinue to take calls to
down shutters where
and when needed.
For instance, the
Nadiad Wholesale
Vegetable Market As-
sociation has decided
to keep the market
closed for a week
since the spread of
COVID-19 has in-
creased in the town
and the district.
Daily case num-
bers have touched
the double digits in
districts like Patan,
Valsad, Bharuch,
Kheda, Junagadh
and Jamnagar.
First India Bureau
Himmatnagar: Dairy
farmers in Talod
chose to dump their
product on the road,
rather than take low-
er payments from the
Shree Sabarkantha
District Coopera-
tive Milk Producer
Union (SSDCMPU).
SSDCMPU’s Sabar
brand chairman Sha-
malbhai Patel told First
India that the milk con-
tributors were angry
that the Union had de-
creased milk procure-
ment prices Rs730 to
Rs710 per kilo fat (low-
est), and had staged
their protest as a result,
on Saturday.
The dairy’s Manag-
ing Director BM Patel
said that the demand
for products such as
butter, cheese, paneer,
ghee and ice cream had
fallen 30% in the two
and a half months of
lockdown. As a result,
the dairy was forced to
make more milk pow-
der, especially since the
demand for milk had
also fallen. The dairy
has an additional inven-
tory of 25%, he said.
“Even the reduced
rates are still higher
than some other dair-
ies but dairy farmers
are unhappy” Sha-
malbhai said, adding,
“We understand their
sentiments but this is
a temporary action.
Once the market
bounces back,
and the demand for
milk products in-
crease, the earning
of the dairy will in-
crease and we will
revive the prices.”
He also said the dairy
is trying to adjust the
loss of milk contribu-
tors by planning to re-
duce cattle feed rates.
Displeased with price cut, dairy farmers dump milk on road
PANDEMIC WOES
 Sabar Dairy reduced procurement
prices, from `730 to `710 per kilo fat
Sabar Dairy. —FILE PHOTO
Ahmedabad is returning to normal with Sunday Market
witnessing large crowds again.—PHOTO BY NANDAN DAVE
‘Virtual HC’ gives 320
judgements, 13K orders
First India Bureau
Ahmedabad: The state
high court has been
functioning virtually
a nationwide lock-
down was announced
by Prime Minister
Modi on March 24.
Most the hearings
have been conducted
through video confer-
ences, with urgent
matters being heard
on priority even on
holidays and late into
the night. In the last
three months, the
state high court has
passed 320 judgments
and 13,339 orders
through video confer-
encing.
Chief Justice Vikram
Nath had ordered that
hearings would be held
via video conferencing
from March 24, in wake
of the lockdown. The
court also heard regu-
lar criminal applica-
tions, petitions, Public
Interest Litigation(s)
(PILs) over the summer.
According to a state-
ment by the court,
around 8,138 matters
were filed before it from
March 24 to June 30. Of
these, 5,966 were impor-
tant matters and 2,172
were interim applica-
tions. During this peri-
od, a total of 15,943 mat-
ters were listed for
hearing.
People are
scared and
are hence not
going out of their
homes much. Yet, in-
fection is rising. Earli-
er the cases were con-
centrated only in the
Central zone but now
each zone and ward
have been affected.
Why is the AMC say-
ing it has any control
over the virus spread?
—Imran Khedawala,
Jamalpur MLA
TTT
ECONOMIC PRESSURES
BACK ON TRACK
While the Gandhi Ashram in Ahmedabad is still closed to visitors, regular maintenance
work has resumed on the premises. —PHOTO BY NANDAN DAVE
Protest plan rumours bring cops out in droves
First India Bureau
Gandhinagar: About
three-fourths of the
Gandhinagar Range
police force was de-
ployed in and round
the state capital on
Sunday after authori-
ties received intelli-
gence that a large
number of youth
were set to descend
on the city on Monday
to protest against the
rate of unemploy-
ment. The police have
already started de-
taining anyone who
led any agitation in
the recent past.
The development
comes at a time when
authorities are watch-
ing keenly for virtual
protests, many of which
have taken place in the
state since Unlock 1.0
was implemented.
Last week, selected
Lok Rakshak Dal (LRD)
candidates had lodged
virtual protests de-
manding their appoint-
ment orders. Yuvrajs-
inh Jadeja, a leader of
the LRD aspirant move-
ment, was detained by
Gandhinagar police on
Sunday.
On Saturday, primary
school teachers ap-
pointed in 2010 protest-
ed the government’s
call to cut their salaries
from Rs4,200 to Rs2,800.
On Sunday, social me-
dia was rife with mes-
sages that unemployed
youth would march to-
wardstheSecretariaton
Monday. Gandhinagar
Range Inspector Gener-
al Mayanksinh Chavda
confirmed that the po-
lice had been deployed
based on intelligence
received about the pro-
test planned for Monday.
A large number of police personnel were deployed in Gandhinagar.
Police say they
received info about
impending agitation
by unemployed youth
Moderate to heavy rainfall likely
across wide swathes of Guj today
First India Bureau
Gandhinagar: The
torrential rain wit-
nessed across the state
in the past few days is
likely to continue with
Indian Meteorology
Department (IMD)
predicting that some
pockets of the state
are likely to receive
moderate to heavy
rainfall on Monday.
On Sunday evening,
IMD issued a warning
for the night saying
light thunderstorms ac-
companied with light-
ning, moderate rain
and maximum surface
winds of speeds less
than 40 kmph (in gusts)
were very likely to oc-
cur at isolated places in
the districts of Sabar-
kantha, Aravalli, Ma-
hisagar, Dwarka, Jam-
nagar, and Kutch.
The State Emergency
Operation Centre has
issued some guidelines
as well. The concerned
authorities have been
asked to control the
traffic, especially on the
small river bridges.
“The concerned de-
partments have been
asked to maintain con-
tinuous electricity sup-
ply to ensure timely
water supply to citi-
zens. Road and building
department has been
asked to repair the
roads as soon as they
get damaged,” stated an
official release.
Fishermen have been
advised not out to sea in
the July 5-9 period.
Rainfall across Gujarat on Sunday
No Data
Deficient [-59% to 20%]
Large Excess [60% or more]
No Rain [100%]
Normal [-19% to 19%]
Unlisted
Large Deficient [-99% to -60%]
Excess [20 to 59%]

G Vol 1 G Issue No. 221 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 | MONDAY, JULY 6, 2020
here is no deny-
ing that single-
use plastic has
been a lifesaver
in the fight
against COVID-19, especial-
ly for frontline health work-
ers. It has also facilitated
adherence to social-dis-
tancing rules, by enabling
home delivery of basic
goods, especially food. And
it may have helped to curb
transmission, by replacing
reusable coffee cups and
shopping bags in many cit-
ies over fears that the virus
could stick to them.
But widely circulated
images of plastic sacks of
medical waste piling up
outside hospitals, and
used personal protective
equipment floating in
coastal waters and wash-
ing up on the world’s
beaches, illustrate yet
again the dark side of sin-
gle-use plastics. If we are
not careful, short-term
thinking during the pan-
demic could lead to an
even larger environmental
and public-health calami-
ty in the future.
Of course, the prolifera-
tion of plastic waste – and
its pollution of the world’s
waterways – already was a
major concern for a grow-
ing share of the world
population before the
COVID-19 pandemic, with
policymakers, companies,
and international organi-
zations like the United Na-
tions urged to take action.
Some national and local
governments implement-
ed taxes and bans on sin-
gle-use plastics (though
not all have followed
through on their pledges).
Major companies invested
in more environmentally
friendly packaging.
Now, however, the COV-
ID-19 crisis threatens
to stall and even reverse
progress.
Though it will take time
to learn precisely how
much additional plastic
waste has been generated
during the crisis, prelimi-
nary data are staggering.
In China, the Ministry of
Ecology and Environment
estimates that hospitals in
Wuhan produced more
than 240 tons of waste dai-
ly at the height of the out-
break, compared with 40
tons during normal times.
Based on these data, the
consulting firm Frost &
Sullivan predicts that the
United States could gener-
ate an entire year’s worth
of medical waste in just
two months because of
COVID-19.
A similar uptick in
waste can be seen among
ordinary citizens. In Chi-
na, daily production of
face masks soared to 116
million in February, 12
times higher than the pre-
vious month. Hundreds of
tons of discarded masks
were being collected daily
from public bins alone
during the outbreak’s
peak; there is no telling
how many more were be-
ing discarded in house-
hold waste systems. Ac-
cording to the Thailand
Environment Institute,
plastic waste has in-
creased from 1,500 tons to
6,300 tons per day, owing to
soaring home deliveries
of food.
Compounding the prob-
lem, many waste-manage-
ment services have not
been operating at full ca-
pacity, owing to social-dis-
tancing rules and stay-at-
home orders. In the US,
curbside recycling pickup
has been suspended in
many places, including
parts of Miami-Dade and
Los Angeles counties.
During the COVID-19
crisis, it is essential to pro-
tect the vulnerable, ensure
that health workers have
the tools and support they
need to do their jobs safely,
prevent health-care sys-
tems from becoming over-
whelmed, and avoid addi-
tional waves of infection.
But, in meeting these im-
peratives, we cannot lose
sight of the other – per-
haps greater – long-term
challenges facing human-
ity, including the environ-
mental and public-health
risks generated by exces-
sive plastic waste.
For starters, companies
all along the plastic value
chain, from manufactur-
ers to retailers, should
show their commitment to
public health and welfare
by expanding and acceler-
ating their efforts to end
plastic waste.
FOR FULL REPORT LOG ON TO
WWW.PROJECTSYNDICATE.COM
COVID-19 pandemic creates tidal wave of plastic waste
T
The only real failure in
life is not to be true to the
best one knows.
—Buddha
Spiritual
SPEAK
Top
TWEET
Rajnath Singh @rajnathsingh
Visited newly created, Sardar
Vallabhbhai Patel COVID Hospital
in New Delhi today along with HM
Shri @AmitShah, Delhi CM Shri @
ArvindKejriwal & Health Minister @
drharshvardhan. This facility has
been created by @DRDO_India
in collaboration with MHA & Tata
Sons in a record time.
Mukul Wasnik @MukulWasnik
Why are the airlines allowed to
carry passengers at full capacity
when the government wants
social distancing to control
further spread of the coronavirus
pandemic? Will someone bother
to address this issue? #civil
aviation #PMOIndia
he story of the University of
Allahabad shows both the
early promise of what Indian
universities could have been
and its tragic decline.
In the decades after Inde-
pendence, the Allahabad Uni-
versity boasted of luminar-
ies like Meghnad Saha and
K.S. Krishnan in the Depart-
ment of Physics, Firaq Gora-
khpuri and Harivansh Rai
Bachchan in the Department
of English Literature and
B.N. Prasad and Gorakh
Prasad in the Department of
Mathematics. And not one of
them had obtained their doc-
toral or advanced academic
degrees at the Allahabad Uni-
versity.
But today, the Allahabad
University is an example of
what a university should not
be known for — the malaise
of severe academic inbreed-
ing. And it is not just the Uni-
versity of Allahabad, most
older Indian universities —
such as the Aligarh Muslim
University, M.S. University
of Baroda, Panjab University
and Rajasthan University —
suffer from it.
The scourge of academic
inbreeding strikes when the
faculty of a university most-
ly have degrees from that
very university. It is, perhaps,
not a coincidence that the de-
cline of the Allahabad Uni-
versity through the 1960s and
beyond also saw a marked
change in the academic pro-
files of its faculty. Most of
them had obtained their doc-
toral degrees from the same
university and had no aca-
demic experience outside of
it.
This academic inbreeding
affects ranking, quality of
research, variety in faculty,
and stagnates ideas while
creating a nepotistic ‘in-
group’. It’s one of the reasons
why Indian universities nev-
er make it to the top in global
rankings.
THE GLORIOUS ’60S
The tale of the decline of In-
dia’s universities is as tragic
as it is alarming, and the rea-
sons behind it almost always
include the story of them
succumbing to the lure of
academic inbreeding.
In the decades of the
1940s and the 1960s, there
were several universities
in India that had begun to
display great promise.
From the Aligarh Muslim
University to the Ra-
jasthan University. How-
ever and eventually almost
all have fallen by the way-
side. The Aligarh Muslim
University (AMU), during
the time that Dr Zakir Hu-
sain was its Vice-Chancel-
lor in the 1950s, saw a
great flowering. It had, on
its rolls, three of India’s
most promising young
mathematicians who were
products of the Sorbonne
and London University.
The Department of Histo-
ry was also distinguished
by similar characteristics.
The M.S. University of
Baroda (MSU) had been giv-
en a great head start by Han-
sa Jivraj Mehta who, in the
1950s, recruited outstanding
faculty from all corners of
India and even abroad. The
Mathematics Department of
the MSU was headed in the
1960s by a distinguished
young mathematician who
had obtained his doctoral de-
gree at Sorbonne, Professor
U.N. Singh. He managed to
attract young scholars from
outside the university and
the department’s research
was noted internationally.
Nobel laureate Venkatraman
Ramakrishnan, who ob-
tained his undergraduate
degree from MSU, has ac-
knowledged the role his
mathematical training at
Baroda played in his life. Sev-
eral other disciplines at the
MSU stood out for their high
standards and achievements
such as the Faculty of Fine
Arts, the Faculty of Music
and the Faculty of Home Sci-
ence. A large number of the
academic staff at MSU had
studied at institutions out-
side the MSU.
In the 1960s, the Mathemat-
ics Department of the Panjab
University at Chandigarh
was easily one of the finest
centres of research in India
and comparable to very good
institutions abroad. It was, at
that point of time, being
helmed by Professor R. P.
Bambah was a distinguished
mathematician who had
studied at the University of
Cambridge. A large part of
its faculty had studied out-
side India. The Panjab Uni-
versity had similar stories in
other disciplines as well.
The same story repeats it-
self in the 1960s in Rajasthan
University in Jaipur. The De-
partment of History had out-
standing scholars, as did sev-
eral other departments. The
university had attracted a
bright young faculty in sev-
eral disciplines.
It can be easily inferred
that the 1960s held potential
and good cheer for our insti-
tutions of higher education.
A SLOW POISON
India’s universities have,
however, failed to live up to
the promise they offered so
long ago. Their journey is
marred by an all-round de-
cline. One measure of this
decline is the low rankings
that our universities obtain
consistently in almost all
global lists. And one of the
chief reasons for such low
rankings is the rather indif-
ferent quality of research
output and teaching stand-
ards. The correlation be-
tween academic inbreeding
and these poor standards is
overwhelming. That inbreed-
ing happens at brazen levels
can be easily gauged by sim-
ply visiting the websites of
these institutions to examine
the academic lineages of the
faculty. The websites tell a
very disappointing story. A
huge number of academic
staff has been consistently
recruited from within the
rolls of these universities.
But academic activity is all
about new ideas and fresh
insights. If an institution re-
cruits largely its own stu-
dents who have been indoc-
trinated with the same ideas
as all others, then fresh view-
points are lost. The other
problem is that junior faculty
are generally overawed by
their mentors, more so in In-
dia, and they do not display
the boldness that is so vital to
break out of older academic
moulds. Also, during the
time of recruitment, an insti-
tution, as has been consist-
ently observed, tends to fa-
vour its own alumni regard-
less of merit for so many ob-
vious reasons. This is slow
poison and the sooner India
wakes up to the issue at hand
the better. I advocate no laws
and regulations.
None of the leading insti-
tutions of the world indulge
in such a practice. When I
was a graduate student at the
Imperial College of Science,
Technology and Medicine, it
was an unwritten rule under-
stood by all that every suc-
cessful doctoral student shall
have to seek jobs far and away
from his or her alma mater.
No one even remotely ex-
plored or discussed the pos-
sibility of seeking a job at the
home university. I have a sim-
ple prescription for the well
being of India’s universities.
Identify and put in place good
academic leaders of a calibre
identical to that of Dr Zakir
Husain or Hansa Jivraj Me-
hta and give them a little free-
dom and some time to set ex-
amples and minimise such
academic inbreeding.
VIEWS ARE PERSONAL
One look at Allahabad University will tell you
how inbreeding is ruining India’s academics
T
In the decades of
the 1940s and
the 1960s, there
were several
universities in
India that had
begun to display
great promise.
From the Aligarh
Muslim
University to the
Rajasthan
University.
However and
eventually
almost all have
fallen by the
wayside. The
Aligarh Muslim
University
(AMU), during
the time that Dr
Zakir Husain
was its Vice-
Chancellor in the
1950s, saw a
great flowering
THE SCOURGE OF ACADEMIC INBREEDING
STRIKES WHEN THE FACULTY OF A UNIVERSITY
MOSTLY HAVE DEGREES FROM THAT VERY
UNIVERSITY. IT IS, PERHAPS, NOT A
COINCIDENCE THAT THE DECLINE OF THE
ALLAHABAD UNIVERSITY THROUGH THE 1960S
AND BEYOND ALSO SAW A MARKED CHANGE IN
THE ACADEMIC PROFILES OF ITS FACULTY
l l l
THE SAME STORY REPEATS ITSELF IN THE
1960S IN RAJASTHAN UNIVERSITY IN JAIPUR
DINESH
SINGH
Former Vice Chancellor,
University of Delhi
PANJAB UNIVERSITY, MS UNIVERSITY OF BARODA, ALIGARH MUSLIM UNIVERSITY ALL SHOWED
GREAT POTENTIAL IN THE 1960s. THEN THEY STARTED RECRUITING MORE OF THEIR OWN

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INDIAAHMEDABAD | MONDAY, JULY 6, 2020
With 24,850
new cases,
India’s tally
at 6,73,165
New Delhi: India has
reported its highest-ev-
er single-day spike of
24,850 COVID-19 cases
in 24 hours, informed
the Union Ministry of
Health and Family Wel-
fare on Sunday.
With these new cases,
India’s coronavirus
count now stands at
6,73,165 cases of which
2,44,814 patients are ac-
tive cases. India’s
cured/discharged pa-
tients crossed the 4 lakh
mark with 4,09,082 pa-
tients cured/dis-
charged and while one
patient has migrated.
613 deaths due to coro-
navirus were reported
in the country in the
last 24 hours taking the
death toll in the country
to 19,268.
As per the Health
Ministry, coronavirus
cases in Maharashtra --
the worst affected state
from the infection -- has
breached the 2 lakh
mark with 2,00,064 cas-
es including 8,671
deaths. Meanwhile, Ta-
mil Nadu has a total of
1,07,001 cases and 1,450
fatalities.
Delhi’s coronavirus
tally nears the 1L mark
with 97,200 cases and
number of people suc-
cumbing to the virus
stands at 3,004 in the
national capital. —ANI
New Delhi: Chief Min-
ister Arvind Kejriwal
on Sunday, said that as
of now there is no scar-
city of hospital beds in
the national capital,
over 15,000 beds are
available of which
5,300 are occupied.
However, there is a
shortage of ICU beds
here, he added.
“For now, there is no
scarcity of hospital
beds, we have over
15,000 beds out of
which 5,300 are occu-
pied. There is a paucity
of ICU beds. If there is
any spike in COVID
cases, these ICU beds
are very critical for
us,” the Chief Minister
said at DRDO-built
Sardar Vallabhbhai Pa-
tel COVID-19 Hospital.
Speaking about the
hospital he said, “This
1,000-bed facility was
very much needed at
this time. So many peo-
ple are being treated
under home isolation
in Delhi currently, a
person if goes in a seri-
ous condition starts
searching for a hospi-
tal so the hospital beds
are needed at this
time...this 1,000-bed
hospital will be helpful
in such a situation.”
He further said that
there was a spike in
cases in the national
capital when the lock-
down was lifted around
one month ago but
gradually the situation
was controlled. “It was
projected that Delhi
would have around
65,000 COVID-19 active
cases so we together
controlled this situa-
tion and today there are
only 25,000 active cases
here,” he added.
Home Minister Amit
Shah & Defence Minis-
ter Rajnath Singh also
visited DRDO-built
Sardar Vallabh Bhai Pa-
tel COVID-19 Hospital
in Delhi Cantonment.
Health Minister Dr
Harsh Vardhan was
also present. —ANI
No scarcity of hospital beds in
national capital, says Kejriwal
15,000 BEDS ARE AVAILABLE OF WHICH 5,300 ARE OCCUPIED, THE CM INFORMED
Beds at DRDO-built Sardar Vallabh Bhai Patel COVID19 Hospital in New Delhi. —PHOTO BY ANI
Nagpur: Union Minis-
ter Nitin Gadkari at the
Atmanirbhar Bharat
web dialogue on Satur-
day said that India’s
government is pro-de-
velopment and pro-in-
dustry and wants to
create more employ-
ment potential and
eradicate poverty.
“India has got a huge
market, skilled man-
power, availability of
raw materials and the
government too is pro-
development and pro-
industry because we
want to create more
employment potential
and eradicate poverty,”
said Gadkari. “Four
days ago, Phillip Capi-
tal organised a pro-
gramme for investors
in the US. About 10,000
investors were with me
in that webinar. They
want to invest in India
as returns are good &
it’s now a safe destina-
tion for investment,”
he added. The Minister
said that foreign direct
investments in micro,
small and medium en-
terprises is being en-
couraged as well. “We
are trying to take in
more investment for
MSMEs and we are
also trying to change
the definition of MS-
MEs as well. The man-
ufacturing sector &
service sector were
classified separately
but now they have been
merged and we name it
‘Manufacturing and
Services’ sector,” he
said.
For micro-industry,
limit of investment in
plant, machinery &
equipment was of Rs
25L, now has been
amped up to Rs 1 crore.
“The turnover was pre-
viously 10 lakh, now we
have taken it to Rs 5
crore,” he said. —ANI
Centre is pro-industry,
pro-development: Gadkari
New Delhi: Delhi HC
has issued notice to SC
Bar Association on
plea filed by its sus-
pended Secretary
Ashok Arora, challeng-
ing his suspension.
Justice Mukta Gupta
asked SCBA & Bar
Council of India to file
reply on Arora’s plea
and listed the matter
for August 6. The court
was hearing a plea filed
by Arora challenging
resolution dated May 8
passed by the Execu-
tive Committee of SC
Bar Association sus-
pending Arora.
Arora has urged the
court to quash the reso-
lution. He has also
sought permanent in-
junction in favour of
plaintiff & to restrain-
ing the SCBA, its office
bearers and employees
from interfering in the
functioning of plaintiff
to perform his duties as
duly elected Secretary
of Supreme Court Bar
Association for the re-
maining term for which
he was elected. —ANI
HC notice to SC Bar
Association over
suspended Secy’s plea
Kanpur: An aide of Vi-
kas Dubey has told the
Uttar Pradesh police
that the gangster be-
hind the killings of
eight policemen in Kan-
pur district was in-
formed about the raid at
his house by a police-
man, a senior official
said on Sunday.
Daya Shankar Agni-
hotri, one of the ac-
cused in the killings,
was arrested earlier on
Sunday after a gun-
fight in Kalyanpur
area near Kanpur. Ag-
nihotri told the police
Vikas Dubey got a call
from the Chaubeypur
police station, inform-
ing him that a team
from three police sta-
tions led by Devendra
Mishra, the circle of-
ficer of Bilhaur, would
come to his village past
midnight.—Agencies
Dubey was tipped off
about police raid, says
the gangster’s aide
MP BYPOLLS: CONG STATE IN
CHARGE WASNIK MEETS NATH
Bhopal: Congress general
secretary in- charge of
MP Mukul Wasnik arrived
in state on a two-day visit
to chalk out a strategy for
bypolls to 24 Assembly
seats and help choose an-
LoP. Twenty-two seats are
lying vacant as Congress
MLAs resigned from the
230-member House and
joined the BJP, and two
due to deaths of legisla-
tors. No date has been
announced as yet for the
bypolls. The Congress
government under Kamal
Nath fell in March, paving
way for Shivraj Singh
Chouhan to become chief
minister again. After
arriving here, Wasnik held
meetings with MP Con-
gress chief Kamal Nath,
veteran leader Digvijaya
Singh and others.
CAB CLOSES FOR 7 DAYS AS
EDEN STAFF TESTS POSITIVE
Kolkata: The Cricket Association of Bengal
(CAB) HQs was shut down for seven days after
a non-permanent staff of iconic Eden Gardens
ground tested positive for COVID-19. “Chandan
Das, who works in civil engineering department
on a temporary basis, has tested positive for
COVID-19 on Saturday, CAB president Avishek
Dalmiya said in a statement. “He is at present ad-
mitted at Charnock Hospital. Even though he had
not come to CAB for a week, we have asked all to
refrain from visiting the office for next 7 days.”
4 MAOISTS KILLED IN AN
ENCOUNTER AT ODISHA
Bhubaneswar: At least four Maoists were
gunned down during an exchange of fire with
security forces in a dense forest in Odisha’s
Kandhamal district. Some rebels have also
suffered injuries in the operation, DGP Abhay
said. Acting on a tip-off, a team of SOG person-
nel & DVF officers had launched a raid in forest
in Tumudibandha area of Kandhamal district,
he said. As the security personnel approached
their hideout, Maoists opened fire & a gun battle
ensued, leading to death of four rebels.
IED BLAST IN J&K’S PULWAMA
LEAVES CRPF PERSONNEL INJURED
Srinagar: A CRPF personnel was injured in a low-in-
tensity IED blast in Pulwama district, police said. The
CRPF personnel suffered injuries in his hands due to
the blast, but his condition is stated to be stable. The
security forces fired few shots in the air after the blast.
New Delhi: The call for
a self-reliant India is
not aimed at encourag-
ing ‘protectionism or
isolationism,’ but for
adopting a pragmatic
development strategy
to enable the country
recognise and capital-
ise on its inherent
strengths, Vice- Presi-
dent M Venkaiah Naidu
said on Sunday.
Speaking at virtual
launch of ‘Elyments’
mobile app, Naidu said
the “atmanirbhar
Bharat” campaign was
aimed at giving a new
boost to economic po-
tential of the country
by strengthening infra-
structure, using mod-
ern technologies, en-
riching human re-
source, & creating ro-
bust supply chains.
“It is not a call for pro-
tectionism or isolation-
ism, but for adopting a
pragmatic development
strategy that would en-
able the country to rec-
ognise and capitalise on
its inherent strengths,”
Naidu observed.
India has come to be
known as one of the IT
superpowers of the
world because of its tal-
ented scientists and
technology experts who
are occupying leader-
ship positions across
the globe, he said.
Naidu said it was
quite appropriate that
Prime Minister Naren-
draModiannouncedthe
‘Atmanirbhar Bharat
App Innovation Chal-
lenge’ on Saturday as it
would encourage Indian
IT specialists to prepare
apps for various uses to
enhance quality of life.
The vice president
noted that more than a
thousand IT profes-
sionals, who are also
volunteers of the Art
of Living, have togeth-
er created the ‘Ely-
ments’ app.
Art of Living founder
Sri Sri Ravi Shankar
was also part of the vir-
tual launch.
On the YouTube link
of the launch event, the
developers said on Ely-
ments, ‘People will be
able to connect globally
and shop locally.’—PTI
Atmanirbhar Bharat call to help country
capitalise on its inherent strengths: Naidu
V-P Venkaiah Naidu virtually releases the ‘Elyments’ mobile app.
VIEWPOINT
Jammu: The Cen-
tral Government
has approved an
annual plan worth
Rs 574.16 crore for
national highway
works in Jammu
and Kashmir for
2020-21, an official
spokesperson said.
The major works
incorporated in the
approved annual
plan included con-
struction of 3.23
km three fly-overs
in Srinagar on NH-
44 (Jammu-Srina-
gar highway) at
Bemina, Sanatna-
gar and Nowgam
with Rs 220.68
crore, the spokes-
man said.
Quoting a com-
munication from
the centre, he said
the Union Minis-
try of Road Trans-
port and High-
ways has asked for
preparation of es-
timates for the
proposed works in
the approved an-
nual plan, incor-
porating the tech-
nical parameters
and designs as per
IRC codal provi-
sions or latest cir-
culars of the min-
istry, and submis-
sion to it for con-
sideration.
other works in-
corporated in the
approved plan in-
cluded expressway,
four laning, con-
struction of 6 km
3rd bypass on NH-
444 Shopian bypass
with Rs 120 crore.
`574Cr nod
for J&K NH
annual plan
Four days ago, Phil-
lip Capital organ-
ised aprogramme
for investors in the
US. About 10,000
investors jwere with
me in thate webinar.
They want to invest
in India as returns
are good.
—Nitin Gadkari,
Union Minister
Lucknow: Uttar
Pradesh Chief Minis-
ter Yogi Adityanath
on Sunday, said big
events can be held
while adhering to the
protocol pertaining to
COVID-19 and the
‘Van Mahotsav’ will
be a witness to this.
“Pre-COVID, dur-
ing COVID and post-
COVID are three cat-
egories, which the
world will be able to
clearly see. These
will say what was the
situation of the world
before the COVID-19
outbreak, what was
the condition during
the outbreak and
what will be the
changes in the world
after COVID,” he said
at the commence-
ment of the ‘Van Ma-
hotsav’ here on Sun-
day. UP government
has set a target of
planting 25 crore sap-
lings during the ‘Van
Mahotsav.’ “At the
same time, we have to
fight the global pan-
demic as well. During
this plantation pro-
gramme, adherence to
social distancing can
be clearly seen. This
is a good effort & all of
us can organise big
events while adhering
to social distancing,
the CM said. —ANI
‘Big events can be held while
adhering to COVID-19 protocol’
Daya Shankar Agnihotri

INDIAAHMEDABAD | MONDAY, JULY 6, 2020
6,97,069 cases..
putting the Covid-con-
trol regulations in the
state in place for the
next one year.
With coronavirus
cases gradually increas-
ing in Kerala, the state
government has issued
new guidelines to act as
preventive measures
against the pandemic.
The new regulations
known as ‘Kerala Epi-
demic Disease Corona
VirusDisease(Covid-19)
Additional Regulations,
2020’, will be in force for
a year i.e till July 2021,
or till further govern-
ment direction.
This means, people
will have to wear
masks, maintain social
distancing and avoid
large gatherings till
July 2021.
The District Collec-
tors have been instruct-
ed to ensure due compli-
ance of the regulations.
The regulations that
will remain in place till
July 2021.
Meanwhile with all
protective measures in
place, Delhi monu-
ments are all set to wel-
come the visitors from
tomorrow amid relax-
ations in the COVID-19
lockdown.
The monuments
closed their gates in
March due to the out-
break of coronavirus
infection. ANI visited
historical sites like
Qutub Minar, Safdar-
jung Tomb, Hauz Khas
complex, Humayun’s
Tomb, Old Fort to un-
derstand how the visit
would be amid pan-
demic and a much-re-
laxed scenario under
unlock phase 2.
The timing of the
monuments till now has
been kept the same
starting from around 7
am till sunset. Few pri-
mary safety measures
such as social distanc-
ing circles, thermal
scanning of visitors
and setting up of sani-
tiser dispensers are to
be followed. —ANI
J&K LG...
Even though an official
date of the Amarnath
yatra has not been an-
nounced yet, the state
government is trying
to organise the yatra
this year for which spe-
cial arrangements are
being made.
“Given the con-
straints, a maximum
of 500 yatris only could
be allowed per day by
road from Jammu. It
was informed that
Baba Amarnath Aarti
this year will be telecast
live on Doordarshan,”
Jammu and Kashmir
Chief Secretary B V R
Subrahmanyam said
earlier. —ANI
Per positive...
For example, in Amreli
cases have increased 9.7
times, Bharuch, 7.3
times, Junagadh, 5, Val-
sad 4.95, Jamnagar, 4.88,
and Surendranagar cas-
es have increased by 4.7
times. Case numbers
have doubled in Kutch
as well.
Looking at testing,
we find that, as of June
1, the state had tested
2,16,258 samples, when
there were just 17,217
positive cases. On July
04, the state had tested
4,04,354 samples, of
which 35,398 were posi-
tive cases. On June 01,
the per positive case
sample testing rate was
12.56. This has de-
creased to 11.42 as of
July 04, when numbers
and spread have in-
creased in the state.
8 killed...
The police did not rule
out the possibility of
some people still being
trapped under the de-
bris. The death toll now
stands at eight, a senior
police officer said.
Officials said the ex-
act counts of the in-
jured and the dead
would be known after
the removal of debris.
Two fire tenders and
policemen rushed to
Bakhrwa village in
Modi Nagar when the
fire was reported
around 4 pm.
UP CM Yogi Aditya-
nath has expressed con-
dolences on the deaths
and sought a report
from Ghaziabad Dis-
trict Magistrate Ajay
Shankar Pandey and
Senior Superintendent
of Police (SSP) Kala-
nidhi Naithani, who
reached the spot after
the fire was reported.
The factory was be-
ing run in a rented
house. The SSP said the
factory was operating
illegally. “Candles gen-
erally used in birthday
cakes were being man-
ufactured at the facto-
ry. These candles gen-
erally have very small
amount of explosives
in them since they are
to be used at homes and
functions,” he added.
The in-charge of po-
lice post in the area was
suspended for alleged
dereliction of duty.
An FIR has been reg-
istered against the own-
er of the building and a
magisterial inquiry or-
dered, officials said.
The factory owner is on
the run and efforts are
being made to nab him,
they added. The admin-
istration has an-
nounced a compensa-
tion of Rs 4 lakh each
for the families of the
dead. —ANI
FROM PG 1
New Delhi: The India
Meteorological Depart-
ment (IMD) said that
rainfall and thunder-
shower activity is ex-
pected over east and
adjoining parts of cen-
tral India during the
next 4-5 days.
“It is most likely to
cause fairly widespread
to widespread rainfall/
thundershower activity
along with isolated
heavy to very heavy
falls over east and ad-
joining parts of central
India during the next
4-5 days,” said IMD.
“A cyclonic circula-
tion lies over Westcen-
tral and adjoining the
northwest Bay of Ben-
gal off north Coastal
Andhra Pradesh and
south Odisha coast and
extends up to 7.6 km
above mean sea level,”
the weather agency
added.
Meanwhile, severe
waterlogging was wit-
nessed in several parts
of Maharashtra’s
Mumbai, following
heavy rainfall in the
city. Sion Flyover wit-
nessed traffic jam fol-
lowed by heavy rainfall
in the city.
Moreover, a red alert
was again issued for
heavy rains in Mumbai
in the next 24 hours.
Also, high tide is ex-
pected at 12.23 pm of
4.63 meters, it said. The
IMD has also issued a
warning of isolated ex-
tremely heavy falls over
Konkan during the next
24 hours. —Agencies
Vehicles ply on a waterlogged street during monsoon rain at Chembur in Mumbai on Sunday. Moreover, a red alert was again issued for heavy rains in Mumbai in next 24 hours. —PHOTO BY PTI
Kathmandu: Facing
growing demand for his
resignation, Nepal’s
embattled PM KP Shar-
ma Oli has said that the
ruling communist par-
ty is facing a grave cri-
sis, indicating that it
may split soon.
Oli, at an emergency
meeting of the Cabinet
at his official resi-
dence, told the Cabinet
ministers that some of
our party members are
also trying to remove
President Bidya Devi
Bhandari from the
power, My Republica
newspaper quoted a
senior leader as saying.
“Now, conspiracies
are being hatched to
remove me from the
post of PM and party
chairman, the PM said
on Saturday, adding
that he will not let it
happen. The ruling
party is facing a grave
crisis, Oli said.
After Oli’s remarks
about the conspiracy to
impeach the president,
three former PMs,
Pushpa Kamal Dahal
Prachanda’, Madhav
Nepal and Jhanalanth
Khanal -- met Bhandari
and clarified that the
rumour about the Ne-
pal Communist Party
(NCP) leaders trying to
remove her from office
were untrue, The Kath-
mandu Post reported.
On Saturday, a cru-
cial meeting of the
NCP’s 45-member pow-
erful Standing Com-
mittee to decide the
political future of Oli
was postponed until
Monday to allow more
time for the top leader-
ship to iron out their
differences over his
style of functioning
and anti-India state-
ments.
During the Cabinet
meeting, a defiant Oli
said that he will not be
forced to accept the par-
ty’s Standing Commit-
tee decision.
He also urged the
ministers to make
their position clear
whether they support
him or not.
“I had to make a
quick decision to pro-
rogue the budget ses-
sion of Parliament last
week after coming to
know that some of our
party members were
hatching conspiracy to
register an impeach-
ment motion against
the President at Parlia-
ment,” Oli told the
ministers.
Oli’sstatementcomes
at a time when the in-
tra-party rift in the NCP
is at its peak after ma-
jority of the party’s
Standing Committee
members and Central
Secretariat members
demanded his immedi-
ate resignation from the
post of Prime Minister
and party chairman, ac-
cusing the government
of failing to live up to
the people’s expecta-
tions. —Agencies
Nepal’srulingpartyingravecrisis:Oli
East, Centre to receive thundershowerA red alert was again issued for heavy rains in Mumbai in the next 24 hours. Also, high tide is expected at 12.23 pm of 4.63 meters, IMD said
New Delhi: A fresh
bout of rain and high-
velocity winds lashed
the national capital on
Sunday night, bring-
ing the mercury down
by several notches.
The Met depart-
ment has predicted
more rain, thunder-
storm and strong sur-
face winds during the
day. The Safdarjung
Observatory, which
provides representa-
tive figures for Delhi,
recorded 33.6 mm
rainfall till 8:30 am.
The Palam station
gauged 48.6 mm pre-
cipitation, the weath-
erman said. The
weather stations at
Lodhi Road, Ayanagar
and Ridge got 38.2 mm,
35.2 mm and 46.6 mm
rainfall respectively.
Morerainisexpected
over the next three to
fourdays,KuldeepSriv-
astava, the head of
IMD’sregionalforecast-
ing centre, said. —PTI
Rains drench Delhi, more expected
STORY SO FAR
10.75L AFFECTED
BY ASSAM FLOOD
LIGHTNING CLAIMS
23 LIVES IN UP
Guwahati: Two more
persons lost their lives
in the ﬂood which has
affected 10.75 lakh
people in 18 districts
of Assam, a govern-
ment report said. One
person died in Moriga-
on and another in Tin-
sukia district, taking
the number of deaths
to 61 across the state,
of which 37 people
were killed in the ﬂood
and 24 died due to
landslides triggered by
incessant rainfall, the
Assam State Disaster
Management Authority
(ASDMA) said in its
daily report.
Lucknow/Bhadohi: At
least 23 people were
killed and 29 others
injured after being
struck by lightning
in various districts
ofUP. Eight people
died in Allahabad, six
in Mirzapur, two in
Kaushambi and one in
Jaunpur. 9 others in
Prayagraj, 10 in Mir-
zapur suffered serious
burns. CM Yogi Adi-
tyanath has expressed
deep anguish over
the loss of lives and
directed respective
district magistrates to
extend compensation
of Rs 4 lakh to the
family of those killed.
New Delhi: Union
Minister for Home af-
fairs Nityanand Rai,
while addressing a vir-
tual rally in Purnea,
Bihar, hit out at Con-
gress & RJD for spread-
ing rumours that all is
not well within the
NDA and stated that
the ruling alliance was
in order and “will fight
the forthcoming As-
sembly elections in Bi-
har together”.
Rai’s reaction came
after Congress Rajya
Sabha MP Akhilesh
Prasad Singh, during a
VC meeting with party
leader Rahul Gandhi,
stated that Ram Vilas
Paswan was in touch
with him and the high
command was not giv-
ing time to meet and
discuss the possible al-
liance. After this claim,
the political atmos-
phere in Bihar heated
up and it was rumoured
that LJP may quit NDA
before the Assembly
poll in Bihar.
Union Minister Rai
said, “I want to tell lead-
ers of RJD & Congress
that they should not
spread rumours &
should worry about
their grand alliance.
There is no split in
NDA, we are one and we
will jointly contest elec-
tions and repeat the
performance of 2010 As-
sembly election again
in 2020.” “We will not
only perform well in up-
coming Assembly elec-
tions but also, we will
win more than 220 seats
& once again, the NDA
govt will be formed in
Bihar under the leader-
ship of Nitish Kumar,”
Rai added. —ANI
‘No rift in NDA, will fight
Bihar Assembly polls together’
Bihar Assembly
polls are likely to be
held in November

TALKING POINTAHMEDABAD | MONDAY, JULY 6, 2020
DESIGN: SITARAM SHARMA
idyavachaspati
Gulab Kothari,
editor-in-chief of
Rajasthan Patrika
is renowned
across for his con-
tributions to Vedic Studies. He
was conferred with the Moor-
tidevi Award in 2011, for his
book Mein Hi Radha, Mein Hi
Krishna.
Another feather in his cap is
the latest publication,’ Sam-
vaad Upanishad’ which has
been dedicated to his father
Kapoor Chandra Kulish who,
as Gulab Kothari says, “taught
him to write, who motivated
him to write, who wrote him-
self and one who lives on in
me’ my ‘pitra praan’ who is
like the Almighty to me.”
He earned his Ph.D. Degree
from the Intercultural Open
University, the Netherlands in
1995. His thesis entitled ‘News-
paper Management’ has al-
ready been published and is
being used as a reference work
by the students of journalism
in various universities of In-
dia. He was awarded D.Litt. in
Philosophy by the same Uni-
versity in 2002 and his thesis
has already been published
with the title : ‘Body Mind In-
tellect’.
In his regular editorial Gu-
lab Kothari promotes an
awareness of secular-
ism,infacthisworks
are focused on the
regeneration of
moral, social, cul-
tural and spiritual
values and are an
excellent example
of positive outlook
and holistic think-
ing. They reflect
agony of change
and transfor-
mation and provide new in-
sights for a balanced life.
Widely known for his classic
MANAS, an analytical study
of human mind from a Vedic
perspective, he is a sensitive
writer and profound scholar
of Ved Vigyan. He has au-
thored more than a dozen
books in Hindi and English on
various aspects of human life
which reveal their subtleties.
One signifi-
cant aspect of
the special
e d i t o r i a l s
that he con-
tributes to his
paper from
time to time
is that they
inspire indi-
viduals and
communities
to change
their outlook
on life and
create com-
munal har-
mony.
Taking this
entire aspect further he
has written the “Samvaad
Upanishad” in May 2020,
which focuses on ‘communica-
tion’ which forms the core of
life. Kothari brings forth the
many types of communica-
tion which we deal with in our
lives, the role of communica-
tion with ourselves, the world
and also with the universe and
Almightly, drawing upon his
vast knowledge of the histori-
caltextsandreligiousgranths.
Gulab Kothari
quotes exten-
sively from the Bhagwad Gita,
the most important communi-
cation for humanity till date.
The Samvaad Upanishad
comprising of 30 chapters with
750 pages is a long read but
every word is a learning and it
is a life changing book. Kotha-
ri reminds us that life is a cycle
of birth, karma, death and re-
birth and the humans’ close
relation to nature and trees
as part of life.
The commu-
nication of
the mother
with her un-
born child is
critical to the
development
of the child,
much as the
potter moulds
the clay into a
pot and hands
it over to the
c u s t o m e r,
which cannot
be changed;
in the same
way the moth-
er moulds the
child and hands him to the
society. It is this said and un-
said communication from a
mother that moulds the child.
Kothari gives another example
communication within the
natural environment by giving
examples of ants and their ex-
cellent communication and
discipline.
Kothari touches upon the
principles of communication
as puts forth that each commu-
nication has only one goal to
convince the listener , so that
he may accept the com-
munication in exact-
ly the same mean-
ing that it has been
transmitted. He
says that emotion-
al touch is critical
to effective com-
munication and
cites that the
strongest wordless
communication
is between a mother-child and
a guru-disciple.
Gulab Kothari says he
brought these very principles
to his journalism and his
newspaper also and he always
tries that his words should
touch the reader’s heart and
stay with him for times to
come. He says, “ Pathakon ko
bhagwaan kehte hain, meri
Jeevan mein ek hi chinta rehti
haikimerabhagwan(paathak)
mujhse rooth nahin jaaye,
varna main mit jaunga. Jo
l i k h u n , wahi paathak ki
pooja ka phool
bane, shabdon
par sawaar ho
kar in phoolon ke
saath main subah
subah uske
dwar pahonchun, vah mujhe
dekh kar prasann ho uthe …..
purn aastha ke saath ekakaar
ho jaayen hum dono, jo vah
hain wahi main hun” … this
quote gives a deep insight into
the ethics of journalism by
Kothari.
The mammoth work deals
with all aspects of communi-
cation and is a virtual Bible on
the subject. The chapters deal
with inter and intra communi-
cation of the individual touch-
ing upon the seen and unseen
aspects of this medium. He
has discussed mass communi-
cation, both written and ver-
bal in great details. With his
vast experience he touches
upon the various differences
in communication between
man and women, husband and
wife, man and nature and
within family.
Spirituality is communica-
tion with the self and Al-
mighty and works on four plat-
forms- body, mind, intelligence
and soul. The connection be-
tween knowledge and action is
also explored as is ‘teacher
and disciple’ learning ethos.
Kothari puts forth the essence
of the vices in a human be-
ing’s life and has devoted one
complete chapter to Ego, Fear,
Anger and Violence. Sacrifice
and Sensitivity with their im-
portance in our lives even as
we are drawn into the modern
day ethos is one of the best
chapters. In the last chapter
titled Agni, Yam, Som evam
Pitr, Kothari has held forth his
opinion on the ethos of the
world today and after death
and our relation to it.
For me, one of the most crit-
ical thought espoused by Gu-
lab Kothari is on page 699
wherein he says that, “ A per-
son’s thought process dictates
his aura and his aura changes
as per his thoughts”, (Manush-
ya ka jaisa bhaavmandal hota
hai waisa hi uska aabha man-
dal hota hai. Bhaavmandal ke
anusar uska aabhamandal
parivartiti hota rehta hai).
Our Aura is affected with pos-
itivity when we are in the com-
pany of ‘Saints and Good peo-
ple’ so Aura is also a means of
communication affected by
others.
V
ANITA HADA
anita.hada@firstindianews.com
A treasure trove of ancient history and culture
T
he Vedas and the
Puranas are the
most precious
and ancient
treasure of the cultural
heritage of India. They
not only discuss the origin
of theuniverse,itscosmol-
ogy, its creator and the
creation but they also deal
at length with the philo-
sophical questions relat-
ing to life and death that
baffle human beings. The
Vedic wisdom shows us
the way to steer clear of
the difficult situations in
lifeandliveabalancedlife.
The Vedas are generally
considered to have two
portions viz., Karma-Kan-
da (portion dealing with
action or rituals) and
Jnana-Kanda (portion
dealing with knowledge).
TheSamhitaandtheBrah-
manas represent mainly
theKarma-Kanda or the
ritual portion, while the
Upanishads chiefly repre-
sent the Jnana-Kanda or
the knowledge portion.
The Upanishads, however,
are included in the Shruti.
They are at present, the
most popular and exten-
sively read Vedic texts.
The Upanishads are of-
ten called ‘Vedanta‘. Liter-
ally, Vedanta means the
end of Veda, Vedasya an-
tah, the conclusion (Anta)
aswellasthegoal(Anta)of
theVedas.Chronologically
they came at the end of the
Vedic period. As Upani-
shads contain difficult dis-
cussions of ultimate philo-
sophical problems, they
weretaughttothepupilsat
about the end of their
course. The chief reason
why the Upanishads are
called the ‘end of the Veda’
is that they represent the
central aim of the Veda
and contain the highest
and ultimate goal of the
Veda as they deal with
Moksha or Supreme Bliss.
MEANING OF THE
WORD ‘UPANISHAD’
The word ‘Upanishad’ has
been derived from the root
Sad (to sit), to which are
added two prefixes: Upa
and Ni. The prefix Upa de-
notes nearness and Ni to-
tality. Thus, this word
means ‘sitting near by de-
votedly’. This no doubt
refers to the pupil’s sitting
down near his teacher at
the time of instruction.
The word in course of
time gathered round it the
senseof secretteachingor
secret doctrine (Rahasya)
which was imparted at
such sittings. Upanishads
are frequently spoken of
as Rahasya (secret) or
Guhya (mystery) also. We
find in Upanishads, that
due to secrecy and mys-
tery of the teachings, a
teacher refuses to impart
instruction to a pupil who
has not proved his worthi-
nesstoreceivetheinstruc-
tion. Through another
definition, the word pri-
marily signifies knowl-
edge, yet by implication it
also refers to the book that
contains that knowledge.
NUMBER OF THE
UPANISHADS
There is a good deal of
speculation concerning
the number of Upani-
shads. Traditionally, the
old Upanishads had their
place in the Brahmanas
and Aranyakas. There is
only one instance of a
SamhitacontainingUpan-
ishad – the Vajasaneyi
Samhita comprises the
Ishavasya Upanishad
forming the 40th Book.
In later times, the
Upanishads obtained a
more independent posi-
tion but still they pro-
fessed to belong more par-
ticularly to one or the
other of the four Vedas.
It is difficult to ascer-
tain the exact number
that should be regarded as
authentic Upanishads. A
religious system is con-
sidered valid in India only
when it is supported by
Shruti, hence the found-
ers of religious sects have
sometimes written books
and called them Upani-
shads in order to give
their views scriptural au-
thority. The AllahUpani-
shad, for instance was
composed in the sixteenth
century, at the time of em-
peror Akbar.
Different estimates of
their number have been
given by scholars and they
have been put by some
scholars at as many as 200.
One hundred and eight
Upanishads are enumerat-
ed in the Muktikopanishad
and a popular edition con-
tainsthem.However,among
these Upanishads, ten
Upanishads, the names of
whichhavebeenmentioned
in the Muktikopanishad,
areconsideredthemostim-
portant Upanishads from
the point of view of Vedan-
tic Philosophy.
Ten Principal Upani-
shads known as ‘Dashop-
anishad’ are :Isha, Kena,
Katha , Prashna , Munda,
Mandukya, Taittiriya, Ai-
tareya, Chandogya and
Brihadaranyaka.
Besides, Shvetashvata-
ra, Kaushitaki and
Maitrayaniya Upanishads
are often listed in old
Upanishads.
VEDAS & PURANAS
ONE SIGNIFICANT
ASPECT OF THE
SPECIAL EDITORIALS
THAT HE
CONTRIBUTES TO HIS
PAPER FROM TIME
TO TIME IS THAT
THEY INSPIRE
INDIVIDUALS AND
COMMUNITIES TO
CHANGE THEIR
OUTLOOK ON LIFE
AND CREATE
COMMUNAL
HARMONY

It’s good to love the spring or
autumn season but it’s far better
to be keenly interested in all
changing seasons.
—Jagdeesh Chandra, CEO & Editor, First India
AHMEDABAD | MONDAY, JULY 6, 2020www.firstindia.co.in I www.firstindia.co.in/epaper/ I twitter.com/thefirstindia I facebook.com/thefirstindia I instagram.com/thefirstindia
08
2NDFRONT
Diamond artisans packing bags again!Caught between several ifs and buts, hundreds of diamond workers in Surat have returned to their native villages
Shishir Awasthi
Surat: Chief Minister
Vijay Rupani and his
deputy Nitin Patel
visited Gujarat’s new
corona hotspot, Su-
rat, on Saturday,
blamed the key dia-
mond and textile in-
dustries for the surge
in cases in the city
and left, promising
special hospitals
worth Rs 100 crore.
Around the very
same time, hundreds of
diamond artisans were
once again packing
their bags for their na-
tive villages in Saurash-
tra and North Gujarat
-- most of them were
expecting some assis-
tance package from the
Chief Minister when he
came calling.
The workers, who
left for their native
places during the ex-
tended lockdown had
recently returned to
Surat as factories
started whirring, are
going back yet again
with the scores of dia-
mond units closed for
a week since last
Tuesday. They also
carry the stamp of su-
per-spreaders, given
that in their despera-
tion to re-start work,
most gave social dis-
tancing and other pre-
cautionary protocols a
go-by once the lock-
down was lifted.
On an average, 20
diamond workers
have been testing pos-
itive for the virus for
the past several days.
As a result, units in
Varachha, Katargam,
Mahidharpura were
ordered shut. Though
this closure was sup-
posed to be for a week,
there is no certainty
till when it might be
extended. The Chief
Minister categorical-
ly stated that this
would be decided only
on Monday.
Jaisukh Gajera, pres-
ident of Surat Ratna-
kalakar Sangh, said,
“So far, more than 200
families have returned
to their homelands. At
least, 800 to 1,000 dia-
mond workers have
gone back to Saurash-
tra and Central Guja-
rat.”
Demanding that
“Chief Minister Vijay
Rupani should an-
nounce an economic
package for us,”
Bhavesh Tank, vice-
president of the Dia-
mond Workers’ Union,
said with the closure of
diamond units and the
market the “artisans
are in a crisis again.”
He added, “They are
unable to meet the basic
expenses since they live
in rented houses. In
such circumstances,
the government must
help the artisans.”
Hundreds of diamond workers have left Surat again as their units are closed.
First India Bureau
Ahmedabad: The
governments of West
Bengal, Odisha and
Chhattisgarh have
taken fright at the in-
creasing number of
Covid-19 cases in Gu-
jarat and have dashed
off representations to
the railways to either
stop or drastically re-
duce the train fre-
quency from
AhmedabadandSurat
to their states.
Ahmedabad has re-
ported nearly 22,000
and Surat 6,000 corona
positive cases.
After a letter from
the West Bengal
Government, the
railways have
changed the
Ahmedabad-How-
rah Express sched-
ule to just a day a
week instead of dai-
ly. This is the only
train that reached
Chhattisgarh, Odis-
ha and West Bengal.
Since June 1, 230
regular trains
across the country
have been converted
as special trains.
The Mamata Baner-
jee Government wrote
to the Railway Board
and Western Rail-
ways, pointing at an
increasing number of
cases in Gujarat and
Maharashtra. The
Mumbai to Howrah
train runs via
AhmedabadandSurat
and a large number of
people travelled to
West Bengal in it. The
government fears the
infection will spread
in their state too.
There are similar
requests from the
Chhattisgarh and Odi-
sha Governments too.
The Howrah Express
between Mumbai and
Howrah also covers
Raipur and Bilaspur
in Chhattisgarh, Ro-
urkela and Jharsugu-
da in Odisha. With
these requests, How-
rah Express will run
only once a week.
Acceding to the re-
quests by the three
states, the Railways
have now decided that
the train will depart
from Howrah every
Friday and every
Monday from
Ahmedabad. The au-
thorities have fixed
the day, but the date is
yet to be finalised.
Don’t send trains from
Gujarat: WB, Odisha, CG
Darshan Desai
Ahmedabad: The Tab-
lighi Jamaat congrega-
tion in New Delhi’s Ni-
zamuddin indeed be-
came a major vector of
coronavirus and Guja-
rat Chief Minister Vijay
Rupani often blames
people who attended it
for the spread of the dis-
ease in the State. Such
irresponsible actions by
a handful people and
subsequent statements
by politicians have often
come to demonise an en-
tire community for sev-
eral ills.
But seemingly obliv-
ious to the allegations,
there are umpteen in-
stances of several
Muslims in Gujarat --
both leaders and ordi-
nary people—going
out of their way to
helppeopleallthrough
the Covid crisis.
Take the example of
autorickshaw drivers,
Mazhar Rangwala and
his friend Mustafa, who
volunteered to ferry
Hindu and Muslim Cov-
id-19 patients free be-
tween their homes and
hospitals even as
Ahmedabad sizzled at 44
degrees Celsius.
In the process, they
themselves contract-
ed the dreaded virus
but it was their luck
that they recovered af-
ter 10 days — and re-
turned to render the
same service again.
They even devoted sev-
eral hours to help an
NGO, Janvikas, in pack-
ing, carrying and dis-
tributing ration kits to
the needy during the
lockdown -- all gratis.
They are not the only
ones. In Dahod, when all
doctors kept their clin-
ics shut for fear of the
virus, Dr Mohammed
Dohadwala, a diabetolo-
gist, was continuously
available. He and his
67-year-old father Dr
Kaizar, a senior consult-
ant physician, never
stopped their services
while putting in place a
strategy for the safety of
staff and patients. They
even devised a video
consultationplatformin
their well-equipped cen-
tre for their outstation
patients.
The Dohadwalas
also took the help of a
local NGO to distrib-
ute special kits of dai-
ly essentials among
migrating labourers,
penniless workers
and other needy fami-
lies in the city.
Scorned Gujarat Muslims are also corona warriors
GOOD SAMARITANS
Autorickshaw driver Mazhar Rangwala ferried Covid patients to
hospitals free of cost.
lll
Ignoring allega-
tions on them,
Muslims in Gu-
jarat —doctors,
businessmen,
executives and
even rickshaw-
drivers turned
good samaritans
in Covid crisis
‘Make digital games
meaningful for kids’
Fake cop held
for extorting
money
Earthquake of 4.2
intensity strikes
Kutch dist again
First India Bureau
Ahmedabad: Gujarat
Education Minister
Bhupendrasinh Chu-
dasama on Sunday
said the cartoons and
games children watch
and play for hours on
mobile phones and oth-
er gadgets must be
made “meaningful” to
impart lessons in “cul-
ture, discipline and re-
ligion.”
He was responding
to a query on online
teaching for children
of primary schools
in view of the ex-
tended lockdown.
Chudasama, along
with Minister of
State for Primary
and Higher Educa-
tion Vibhavari Dave,
and education de-
partment officials
had on Saturday held
a “digital conversa-
tion” with pediatri-
cians, psychologists
and educators to get
views on online edu-
cation for primary
schoolchildren.
“Participating in the
discussion, I said it is
a matter of concern at
home that a child
watches cartoons and
plays games for hours
on a phone, tablet or
laptop from morning
till evening, which
does not impart les-
sons in culture, disci-
pline or religion,” the
education minister
said, when asked about
his digital conference
with pediatricians,
psychologists and edu-
cators.
First India Bureau
Ahmedabad: Ramol
Police on Saturday de-
tained one Ayubsa Di-
wan, 26, of Bapunagar
for posing as a police-
man and extorting
money from people.
Inspector KS Dave
said Diwan confessed
before them that he
and his two other ac-
complices, Yasin
Qureshi and Salim
Rajput, both from Ra-
khial, used to be with
him while extorting
money.
He said Diwan had
been sent for Covid-19
test. “We are hunting
for his two accomplice
and very soon will get
them too”, Dave added.
Police said a
35-year-old youth had
lodged a complaint
that he was last week
intercepted by two
motorcycle-bor ne
persons when he was
returning after meet-
ing his girlfriend
near CTM Cross
Road.
First India Bureau
Gandhinagar: An
earthquake measuring
4.2 on the Richter scale
was recorded in Kutch
district, with its epicen-
tre around 14 km from
Bhachau, on Sunday
evening.Itwaspreceded
by four minor quakes of
1.8, 1.6, 1.7 and 2.1 mag-
nitudes between 1.50 am
and 4.32 pm, an official
said. “A 4.2 magnitude
earthquake was felt in
Kutch district with its
epicentre 14 km north-
north-east of Bhachau
at 5.11 pm on Sunday,”
the official of the Gan-
dhinagar-based Insti-
tute of Seismological
Research (ISR) said.
The same region had
on June 14 recorded an
earthquake of 5.3 mag-
nitude that was felt
across several parts of
Saurashtra region and
evenAhmedabad.Kutch
district is located in a
“very high risk” seismic
zone and low-intensity
earthquakes regularly
occur there. The 2001
earthquake, also known
as the Bhuj earthquake,
was the third largest
and second most de-
structive in India over
the last two centuries.
‘Shoe-hurling activist’
is AAP Guj vice-prez
First India Bureau
Ahmedabad: A for-
mer government
employee, Gopal
Italia, 31, who had
once hurled a shoe
at a state minister
Pradipsinh Jadeja
on charges of cor-
ruption, and a vocal
social media critic
of the BJP, has been
appointed vice-pres-
ident of Aam Aad-
mi Party’s Gujarat
unit.
Italia, who was ear-
lier associated with
HardikPatel’sPatidar
Anamat Andolan
Samiti (PAAS), joined
the AAP in the virtual
presence of senior
leader and minister
in the Delhi govern-
ment, Gopal Rai.
“I joined the AAP
because it is a party
of educated leaders.
Only an educated
leadership can give
a new direction to
the political system.
I want the AAP’s vi-
sion of governance
that has been imple-
mented in Delhi, to
be implemented in
Gujarat. It is a vi-
sion where quality
education and
health amenities
are available to peo-
ple free of cost. I
also have a vision of
a corruption-free
system. I want peo-
ple to elect a gov-
ernment on the ba-
sis of such basic is-
sues. And to achieve
those goals, I have
joined the AAP,”
said Italia.
A native of Bhavna-
gar district, Italia
came to limelight in
2017 when as a gov-
ernment employee,
he had called up Dep-
uty Chief Minister
Nitin Patel, complain-
ing about the ineffec-
tive prohibition law.
He was then a clerk in
the revenue depart-
ment, posted in
Dhandhuka.
Former govt employee Gopal Italia has been made Aam
Aadmi Party’s Gujarat Vice-President
Bhupendrasinh Chudasama
A man measuring intensity of earthquake on Richter scale.
More than 200 fami-
lies have returned to
their homelands. At
least, 800 to 1,000 diamond
workers have gone back to Sau-
rashtra and Central Gujarat.
—Jaisukh Gajera, President,
Surat Ratnakalakar Sangh
CM Vijay Rupani should
announce an economic
package for us. We are
unable to meet our expenses since
we live in rented houses. The gov-
ernment must help us.
—Bhavesh Tank, Vice-President,
Diamond Workers’ Union, Surat

t’s monsoon time
and of course, it’s
also time to upgrade
your wardrobe for
this season. While
the muddy streets
can make dressing
up tricky during the mon-
soon months, City First’s tips
will help you keep your looks
up-to-date.
This is the messiest season
of the year and everyone
finds it difficult to commute.
That’s exactly why you
should avoid wearing jeans,
trousers, palazzos, or maxi
dresses; instead, you should
go for short dresses and knee-
length dresses so that they
are not drenched in running
or muddy water. If you want
to experiment with your
style, then wear a solid jump-
suit, which is currently in
fashion.
Always wear light coloured
clothes which are breathable,
like cotton. Synthetic clothes
should be avoided. A stylish
raincoat is a must to turn
heads this season. Try print-
ed clothes this weather, which
will also add more dazzle to
your wardrobe on rainy days.
You can add a variety of col-
ourful gumboots to look styl-
ish and upgrade your ward-
robe. Wear comfortable flip
flops and jelly flats to get vi-
brant feet.
If you feel like wearing
closed footwear, make sure to
wear waterproof socks
which will keep your feet dry
and safe from bacterial infec-
tion. The good thing is that
these waterproof socks come
with moisture-wicking, as
well as anti-microbial prop-
erties.
Last but not the least, a
nice and vibrant collection
of umbrellas is a must in
monsoon. Gone are the days
when umbrellas were only
used to protect against rains.
A fun, bright-coloured um-
brella can make your out-
fit look cool. Carrying a
different coloured um-
brella in the sea of
black umbrellas will
surely turn some
heads. You can
further experi-
ment by picking
an umbrella
with quirky
prints that
brings out
the kid in
you. How-
ever, if
you want
to settle on
something
more so-
phisticated,
you can go for
umbrellas in pastel col-
ours or try the classic
combination of black-
and-white.
So to look different
this monsoon, you
have to adopt a dif-
ferent lifestyle and
upgrade your ward-
robe. Ensure to take
raincoat and um-
brella along with
you. Stop wearing
long clothes this
monsoon to stop
ruining your cloth.
www.firstindia.co.in I www.firstindia.co.in/epaper/ I twitter.com/thefirstindia
facebook.com/thefirstindia I instagram.com/thefirstindia 09
AHMEDABAD, MONDAY
JULY 6, 2020
BARSE RE SAAWAN
POORVIKA AGRAWAL
cityfirst@firstindia.co.in
I
It’s the beginning of monsoon and here is a chance
to upgrade your wardrobe with City First!

10
WATCH LISTAHMEDABAD | MONDAY, JULY 6, 2020www.firstindia.co.in I www.firstindia.co.in/epaper/ I twitter.com/thefirstindia I facebook.com/thefirstindia I instagram.com/thefirstindia
FACEOFTHEDAY
NICOLE CONCESSAO, Dancer
LEO
JULY 24 - AUGUST 23
TGeriatric care may be
needed by house’s old
people. A new and more
paying job is indicated.
Only spend money on important
things. You will spend your day in
repairing some thing Marketing
personnel may be pressurised for
selling their products.
LIBRA
SEPT 24 - OCTOBER 22
Lamenting over what has
been lost is not a trait of
warriors, always look
forward and march ahead.
Right now all your stars is
supporting a big change in life for
good. You kid have big dreams and
you will play a very important role in
making them come true.
ARIES
MAR 21 - APR 20
Windfall can be expected
that will change your
financial position forever
for good. You will be in
limelight after you get the
professional opportunity which is not
easy. You may go for a new diet
which may not taste good but will be
extremely beneficial for you.
SAGITTARIUS
NOV 23 - DEC 22
Yielding big profits must be
your priority at this moment.
Business will thrive,just
needs a little push. Don’t
give up so easily you never know your
little more efforts may change
someone’s life. There are always ups
and down in life doesn’t mean we stop
having hope in tough times.
GEMINI
MAY 21 - JUNE 21
Brevity of human life is
well known therefore one
should make the most of it.
Monetary benefits are on
the cards and the same money can
be used for your business expansion.
Professionally you leave no chance
to impress tour boss. Those unwell
can expect a quick recovery.
AQUARIUS
JAN 21 - FEB 19
Reproaching in domestic
matters must not happen
rather sit and discuss
whatever it may be. Your
family is your strength and don’t let
anything shake it. You are blessed to
have a great mother from whom you
have inculcated all the best values and
virtues.
TAURUS
APR 21 - MAY 20
TAcquisition of some firm
or some kind of small
business is on the cards
for some. You have a
strong desire for fame and power
and you can get it with patience and
diligence. Professionally you are
doing alright for now and definitely
you have a secure job.
CAPRICORN
DEC 23 - JAN 20
Solidarity is must seeing
the current times, do not
forget that. You will save
money today by using your
bargaining skills. Those not feeling
well will have instant recovery.
Cooperate with your wife at home
and give them the opportunity to
rest.
VIRGO
AUG 24 - SEP 23
Postulating the right ideas
to run the business is
whats need right now also
focus on being selective
with your staff. For startups you need
a good publicity program to see
profits coming your way. You need to
workout regularly if you occasionally
indulge in eating junk food.
CANCER
JUNE 22 - JULY 23
Dominion over a certain
segment of business in the
market is what makes you
a known personality. You
may require some serious persuasive
skills to make your spouse agree for
something. You have a great bond
with your kids and you are both their
mentor and a friend.
PISCES
FEB20 - MARCH 20
Tramify your business and
you shall see how
successful you will
become. Sometimes you
have to take a step back to take a
step forward. Your achievements
speaks for you. You are a good
parents and always try to understand
your child’s emotions.
SCORPIO
OCT 23 - NOVEMBER 22
Surmount challenges is
something no one can
know better than you.
Make peace with whom
you haven’t talked with in a while.
Anyone undergoing any training will
do it successfully. You must sort
your matter on home at priority so
that things are under control.
YOUR
DAYHoroscope by
Saurabbh Sachdeva
harlie Brooker’s dys-
topian series returns
more confident than
ever, offering up an
ambitious tale of
sexual and gender
fluidity and a barn-
storming performance
from Miley Cyrus.
The Bandersnatch boy is
back. After the innovative-
if-not-wholly-unprecedent-
ed interactive standalone
episode under the Black
Mirror umbrella, Charlie
Brooker’s anthology series
(created with co-producer
Annabel Jones) has re-
turned for a proper run.
Season five comprises
three episodes – each a dis-
crete story set five minutes
from now – that continue in
Black Mirror’s lightly ter-
rifying dystopian tradition
of asking not what is the
worst thing that could hap-
pen but what is the worst
of the most likely possibili-
ties. Like a sweetly sadistic
scientist, it delights in
shaving off slices of our
collective psyche and slid-
ing them under an unfor-
giving microscope to exam-
ine our most current con-
cerns.
The first episode, Strik-
ing Vipers, is – lightly,
obliquely – a meditation on
sexual and gender fluidity,
via the story of old college
friends Danny and Karl.
The pair meet up together
again a decade on and find
out that, as online avatars
in a wholly immersive vid-
eo game (discs are stuck to
temples and the players
zombie out on their respec-
tive sofas, their minds liter-
ally in the alternative
world), they have – despite
Danny’s happy marriage to
a woman and Karl’s string
of young girlfriends – an
overwhelming attraction
to each other. Mind-blow-
ing online sex between
them , ensues and suddenly
every boundary is porous:
real and online life; fidelity
and infidelity; heterosexu-
ality and homosexuality;
and lust, love and friend-
ship.
It’s one of the most ten-
der episodes of Black Mir-
ror, whose reputation for
bleak nihilism is overstat-
ed but not entirely unde-
served given how often it
prefers the pursuit of a
good idea to its extreme
end rather than following
up on its emotional impact.
The second episode,
Smithereens, is the slight-
est and perhaps least suc-
cessful of the trio. The sto-
ry questions our power-
lessness in the face of tech
developed to keep us ad-
dicted, but doesn’t twist
and turn as much as the
best of them. It is largely
held together by Andrew
Scott’s uniquely potent and
peculiar energy (whether
he’s hot priesting or Mori-
artying it), perfectly chan-
nelled into the role of a
grief-stricken, increasing-
ly desperate taxi driver
who kidnaps an employee
of an Apple-esque compa-
ny in order to force its CEO
to speak to him. Things,
inevitably, spiral out of
control.
Rachel, Jack and Ashley
Too is the barnstorming
finale – fast and perfectly-
paced, a mass of ideas en-
twining with masses of
action, and still with
enough heart to keep you
watching in more than
awe. It is the one that has
grabbed most of the ad-
vance headlines because it
stars Miley Cyrus, the
singer and former child
star who became famous
playing the character Mi-
ley Stewart, ordinary
schoolgirl by day and re-
cording sensation Hannah
Montana by night in the
Disney show Hannah Mon-
tana. What attracted her to
the part of Ashley O – a
denatured recording sen-
sation controlled in every
aspect by her manager-
aunt, and whose real per-
sonality is eventually un-
veiled to one of her ador-
ing fans via a malfunction-
ing robot intended as an
anodyne piece of merch –
we may never know.
It’s a grand caper, involv-
ing a daring break-in to a
celebrity mansion, anaes-
thetising syringes stabbed
in necks, a mouse-brain
laboratory in a basement
and a disastrous talent con-
test, but it also provides
plenty of mental meat to
chew on. It ruminates on
the power of celebrity and
AI to fill in the cracks of
lonely lives, seeming to
mend them but ultimately
only alienating us further
from each other. But it’s
also about the endless dif-
ferences between the sani-
tised images we see every-
where and the brutal reali-
ties behind them, and the
drive towards homogenei-
ty in all things – from inse-
cure adolescent teenagers
seeking safety in the crowd
until they figure them-
selves out, to the people
who just want to make the
biggest buck from the wid-
est possible demographic.
Miley Cyrus gives a
great performance as a star
hovering on the border be-
tween depression and re-
bellion. But a shout-out too
for the quieter but equally
sterling work from Angou-
rie Rice – absolutely con-
vincing as a shy, awkward
teen for whom no Holly-
wood transformation beck-
ons. The three instalments
vary in mood, genre and
just about everything else
(as anthologies are de-
signed to do) but they
share a new air of calm
authority.
BLACK MIRROR
Sweet, sadistic and
hugely impressive
thetising syringes stabbed authority.
hugely impressivehugely impressive
C
Source: https://www.theguardian.com

S
ara Ali Khan spent Sat-
urday with her mother
and senior actor Am-
rita Singh and docu-
mented the day out on Insta-
gram with a picture.
In the pictures posted
by the ‘Kedarnath’ actor,
the mother-daughter
duo are twinning in
multi-coloured Anarkali
suits. In one of the pictures,
thetwoareseensittingonacouch
posing while the other one is a
selfie featuring the two wearing
attractive designer masks.
“Mommy’sDayOut#twinning
#winning,”Khanwroteinthe
caption. The ‘Love Aaj Kal’
actor is quite close to her
mother and brother Ibra-
him Khan. She keeps post-
ingpicturesfromthefam-
ily outings to keep
her fans enter-
tained. —ANI
T
he Hollywood actor Chris
Hemsworth revealed some
interesting details about
his character in the upcom-
ing Todd Phillips directorial. The
film was announced last year is
reportedly stated to be a biopic
on the WWE icon, Hulk Hogan.
The actor firstly says that the
role of Hulk Hogan will re-
quire him to train very hard
to build a strong physique.
The ‘Avengers: Endgame’
actor further adds that he
will need to build a strong-
er body than what he had
to do for his role of ‘Thor’ in the
Marvel Cinematic Universe films.
Chris Hemsworth also reportedly
stated that he preparation for the
film in more for the physical aspect
in order to match up to the physical-
ity of the WWE icon. Chris does not
fail to mention that the film is going
to be a fun venture and he is looking
forward to work alongside the Joker
director. During an interview, the
Hollywood actor also revealed that
he has to work on the character’s ac-
cent along with the physical attrib-
utes and attitude of the character, of
the WWE legend, Hulk Hogan. The
actor goes on to mention that he
wants to get into the skin of the char-
acter, by diving deep into the world
of wresting. —Agency
New Family
MEMBER
lia Bhatt intro-
duced her fans
to a new family
member in the
house, her pet
cat Juniper.
The ‘Highway’
actor put out a post
on Instagram in
which she is seen pos-
ing with Juniper. In
the picture, Alia is
seen flaunting a no
make-up look with
her hair tied in a neat
bun. Also, the snap
captures Alia’s sister
Shaheen Bhatt pos-
ing into camera in a
blurred background.
“This girl duo just be-
came a girl trio. Meet
our new baby Juni-
per. Her skills include
biting, selfie-taking
and being generally
adorable,” Alia wrote
in the caption.
While Dia Mirza
put out three heart
emojis in comments,
mom Soni Razdan
wrote, “Totally one of
the family I can see !”
(with a lovestruck
and two heart emo-
jis). Lately, Alia has
been keeping her fans
updated on her activi-
ties by posting pic-
tures and videos on
social media.
—ANI
A
ETCwww.firstindia.co.in I www.firstindia.co.in/epaper/ I twitter.com/thefirstindia I facebook.com/thefirstindia I instagram.com/thefirstindia AHMEDABAD | MONDAY, JULY 6, 2020
11
O
scar winner
Brie Larson
recently made
her debut on
YouTube and posted
her first video. The
video captioned:
“So, I made a deci-
sion...” featured
fellow YouTube
stars and content
creators, as well
as her mom and
grandma, who
give her advice on
starting her chan-
nel. The actor
opened the video
with, “Hi, I’m
Brie Larson, I’m
an actor, you
might know me
from Captain
Marvel, or
maybe you me
from nothing.
Maybe you just
randomly, from the
algorithm clicked on
this. But regardless,
hello! I’m starting a
YouTube channel.”
Explaining why she de-
cided to start her channel,
Larson shared, “This is like
the place to talk about things
that are important and that
matter. It doesn’t mean that
there isn’t also silly content,
that there’s ways for me to ex-
press myself personally,” Lar-
son, 30, continued. “But, there
will also be deep conversa-
tions, anti-racist rhetoric, in-
clusive content.”
In the video, Larson also
opened up about social anxiety
and being introverted. “For me,
my baseline has been, I’m an in-
trovert with asthma. Like, that’s
been my story for myself...I’m
introverted. I’m scared. I have so-
cial anxiety,” Larson professed in
the video. “And though, in particu-
lar, playing Captain Marvel, that
kind of wiped clean those titles I
had for myself and made me go,
‘Woah, I’m not really that any-
more.’ And so, from there I found
that speaking out, telling my story,
talking about things that I’m scared
of, has just helped me so much,” she
added. —Agency
Tough
CALL
HULK HOGAN BIOPIC
DILBECHARA
TRAILER
TO BE OUT
L
ateactorSushant
Singh Rajput’s
last film opposite
Sanjana Sanghi,
Dil Bechara, was set for
a digital release. The
announcement was
made by the makers’
film last month, a few
days after his demise.
After releasing a new
poster, the makers have
now announced that
Dil Bechara’s trailer
will be out on Monday,
6 July. Sharing a happy
poster of Sushant and
Sanjana, the caption
read, ‘Every love story
is beautiful, but this
one is our favourite The
trailer of #DilBechara
will be out tomorrow.
Stay tuned!’
Fans who rallied for
the actor’s last film to
be released in theatres,
were disappointed with
the news that film was
going to release on a
web streaming plat-
form. Dil Bechara will
be releasing on Disney
Plus Hotstar. The film
marks Sanjana Sang-
hi’s debut as a female
lead.
Just a few days ago,
Sanjana shared a fun
and heartwarming pho-
to with Sushant from
the sets of their film.
She wrote, ‘Oye? I need
to laugh till my stom-
ach hurts at all your
bad jokes. I need to
compete with you on
who can eat more ham
& cheese omelettes and
drink more chai. Fight
with you over who’s
script looks more tat-
tered and worn out be-
cause we worked on it
endlessly.’ —Agency
TWINNING TALES
Alia Bhatt
Late Sushant Singh Rajput
and Sanjana Sanghi
...her post
Brie Larson
Chris Hemsworth
Sara Ali Khan; (inset) Her post
...her post

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