First india ahmedabad edition-15 october 2020

State takes a U-turn, allows packaged prasad during Navratri
First India Bureau
Ahmedabad: Four
days ago, the state
government had an-
nounced a Standard
Operating Procedure
(SOP) for the festival
of Navratri, which
not only banned com-
mercial or street gar-
ba but distribution of
prasad (offerings)
too. Now, going back
on its decision, the
state has allowed dis-
pensation of pack-
aged prasad, after the
Vishwa Hindu Pari-
shad (VHP) expressed
discontent with the
government’s prior
resolution.
Before the VHP could
make its case or launch
any protest regarding
the issue, the state re-
versed its decision at a
cabinet meeting on
Wednesday.
Addressing the me-
dia, Minister of State
for Home Pradipsinh
Jadeja said, “Pack-
aged prasad (offer-
ings) can be distrib-
uted among devotees
during Navratri.”
Jadeja also clarified
that the state had not or-
dered the shutdown of
temples but that various
trusts that run temples
have taken the decision
to close their doors for
devotees due to a spike
in COVID-19 cases in
their respective areas.
According to the new
guidelines for prasad
distribution, the pack-
ets must be kept ready
on a table so that hand-
to-hand distribution is
not required. Turn to P6Only packets of prasad will be permitted for distribution after Navratri aarti —FILE PHOTO
The decision comes after
Vishwa Hindu Parishad made
noise about the govt’s ban on it
STATE RELAXES NORMS FOR GROUNDNUT PROCUREMENT
The state government has eased up on guidelines for acquisition of groundnut
from farmers by government agencies. State Civil Supplies Minister Jayesh
Radadiya on Tuesday said that farmers can now pack 25 kg of groundnut in
a 50 kg jute bag. Earlier, farmers were expected to fill each bag with 30 to 35
kg of groundnuts. While the procedure for procurement commenced from
October 01, the acquisition will start from October 21. Over 4.70 lakh farmers
have registered online so far.
AHMEDABAD l THURSDAY, OCTOBER 15, 2020 l Pages 12 l 3.00 RNI NO. GUJENG/2019/16208 l Vol 1 l Issue No. 320
HYDERABAD
MAROONED
Hyderabad: At least 15 persons were reported
dead in Hyderabad, as rains brought normal life
to a grinding halt. Several others were reported
missing in the heavy rain that is expected to last
for two more days. Tens of cars were washed
away in the neck-deep water on the roads.
PM Narendra Modi spoke to Telangana CM
K Chandrashekar Rao and Andhra Pradesh CM
YS Jagan Reddy and assured them of all help.
Bird’s-eye view of Durgam Cheruvu Cable Bridge submerged in floodwater following
heavy rain. (Inset) AIMIM President and Hyderabad MP Asaduddin Owaisi supervises
rescue work in old city. (Below) A man struggles to stay afloat in gushing floodwater.
Rescue operation being carried out for locals to move them to safer places following
heavy rain in Hyderabad on Wednesday. —PHOTOS BY PTI
‘COMMON MAN’S DIWALI
IS NOW IN GOVT’S HANDS’New Delhi: The Su-
premeCourtonWednes-
day refused to allow the
government a month’s
time to implement the
interest waiver on loans
of up to Rs 2 crore, ask-
ing a decision has al-
ready been taken, why
should it take so long to
execute it. The Centre
had argued that it need-
ed the time for certain
formalities, but the
court set a fresh dead-
line of November 2.
“The Common Man’s
Diwali is now in gov-
ernment’s hands,” said
Justice MR Shah, who
was part of the three-
judge bench.
“The common people
are worried. We are
concerned with people
with loan up to 2
crores,” said the bench,
which has been press-
ing the government to
figure out a way to give
relief to the people who
have been unable to re-
pay loans due to the
coronavirus-induced
lockdown. Turn to P6
NewDelhi:A“three-fold
protection mechanism”
has been put in place for
the security of the fami-
ly members of the Dalit
victim who died after be-
ing assaulted and alleg-
edly gangraped by four
upper-castemeninHath-
ras, the Uttar Pradesh
government informed
the Supreme Court on
Wednesday.
Stating that it is com-
mitted to provide com-
plete security to the vic-
tim’sfamilyandwitness-
es to ensure a “free and
fair investigation”, the
state government urged
the apex court to direct
the CBI to submit fort-
nightlystatusreportson
theprobetothestategov-
ernment, which can be
filed by the UP DGP in
the Supreme Court.
“The state govern-
ment therefore seeks
indulgence of this court
to be pleased to keep the
above petition Turn to P6
Chandigarh: Punjab
has decided to reject the
Centre’s contentious
farm laws that have
raised a storm across
the state and neigh-
bouring Haryana.
A special assembly
session will be held for
this on October 19, the
state cabinet resolved
today.
The decision of the
cabinet, chaired by
Chief Minister Ama-
rinder Singh, makes
Punjab the first state to
officially reject the
farm laws. During the
assembly session that
ended on August 28, a
resolution was passed
to this effect.
The cabinet’s move is
expected to have over-
whelming support, with
both the ruling Con-
gress and the opposi-
tion Akali Dal being on
the same side for once.
In the state, CM Ama-
rinder Singh has spo-
ken about “waging a
war till the new laws
are taken back.”
Hathras case:
3-fold protection
for victim’s family,
UP govt tells Court
THE MORATORIUM
ISSUE IN COURT
In March, RBI had
granted a three-
month moratorium
on loans due to the
Covid pandemic. It
was later extended till
August 31. In Sep-
tember, the Supreme
Court, in response to
petitions, asked the
government to chart
out a course to help
borrowers.
RBI has said that it is not possible to extend moratorium
period as it would affect the banking sector and the economy.
Our view is one
month is not required
to implement the
decision. The delay is
not in the interests of
common man. It is a
welcome decision to
give relief for small
people. But concrete
results needed
—The SC bench
comprising justices Ashok
Bhushan, R Subhash Reddy
and MR Shah CENTRE SEEKS MORE TIME
INSTEAD OF GIVING PLAN
 The government was expected to spell out the
way ahead on an extension of moratorium, waiv-
ing of interest, sector-wise relief and its decision
on the recommendations of Mehrishi Committee,
which was asked to gauge the im-
pact of interest waiver during
the Covid-linked moratorium.
 But the government
sought more time,
saying the outer limit
for bringing relief to
borrowers is Novem-
ber 15.
SUPREME COURT NUDGE FOR LOAN RELIEF BY NOV 2
Farmers’ organisations
from Punjab on Wednes-
day boycotted a meeting
called by the Union agri-
culture ministry to resolve
their concerns over new
farm laws, and accused
the government of play-
ing double standards
with no minister present
to hear them out. The
meeting was convened at
the Krishi Bhavan amid
police security to avoid
any protest. After the
meeting, agitated farmers’
representatives were
seen shouting slogans
and tearing copies of new
farm laws outside Krishi
Bhavan.
KEY KASHMIR MEET TODAY
Srinagar: National
Conference president
Farooq Abdullah has
convened a meeting at
his residence on
Thursday for chalking
out the future course
of action on ‘Gupkar
Declaration’ with re-
gard to the special sta-
tus of Jammu and
Kashmir which was
revoked by the Centre
last year.
Former J&K CM and
PDP chief Mehbooba
Mufti, who was re-
leased from detention
after 14 months on
Tuesday, will also at-
tend the meeting.
Gupkar Declaration is
a resolution issued af-
ter an all-party meet-
ing on August 4, 2019 at
the Gupkar residence
of the NC chief.
Punjab first state to plan
bill negating farm laws
FARMERS BOYCOTT MEET, TEAR COPIES

NEWSAHMEDABAD | THURSDAY, OCTOBER 15, 2020
02www.firstindia.co.in I www.firstindia.co.in/epaper/ I twitter.com/thefirstindia I facebook.com/thefirstindia I instagram.com/thefirstindia
First India Bureau
Ahmedabad: With by-
polls for the eight
seats vacant in the
state legislative As-
sembly may be less
than three weeks
away, the Congress
party still hasn’t made
up its mind about
which candidate to
field in Limbdi. Even
worse, insiders say
senior leaders have
approached state unit
chief Amit Chavda
asking for changes to
the nominees in at
least two other con-
stituencies as well.
Last week, the Con-
gress party announced
five candidates—Suresh
Kotadiya (Dhari), Kirit-
sinh Jadeja (Karjan),
Shantilal Sanghani (Ab-
dasa), Mohan Solanki
(Gadhada), and Jayanti
Patel (Morbi)—for the
by-elections, to be held
on November 03. It then
announced Babubhai
Vadtha for the Kaprada
seat and Suryakant
Gamit for Dang late on
Wednesday evening. It is
to be noted that both
these seats are reserved
for Scheduled Tribe can-
didates.
However, senior par-
ty leaders in Abdasa
and Gadhada constitu-
encies have reached out
to Chavda, asking for a
change of nominees.
Similarly, in Karjan,
local leaders want
DharmeshPateltostand
for the election, in the
place of Kiritsinh Jade-
ja. They have objected to
Jadeja on the grounds
that he is an “outsider”
since he is originally
fromKutch,eventhough
he has been living in
Karjan for the past two
decades. They have also
demanded that the can-
didate from Karjan
must be from the Patel
community.
Chavda has asked the
disgruntledleaderstoof-
fer alternatives keeping
in mind the various ap-
plicable caste equations,
which he said would be
passed on to the party’s
high command.
Earlier on Wednes-
day, Congress party
sources told First In-
dia that candidates
for the Dang, Kapra-
da and Limbdi Assem-
bly seats must be lo-
cal leaders with influ-
ence on many castes.
“Dang district has a
mixed population with
tribal communities
making up a majority.
There is also a consider-
able Christian commu-
nity as well. The locals
were unhappy when the
former MLA Mangal
Gavit resigned to help
the BJP. Meanwhile, in
Karjan, locals wanted
veteran leader Sid-
dharth Patel but he is
not willing to contest,”
a source said.
In the same vein, sen-
ior leader and regional
spokesperson Kailash-
dan Gadhvi resigned af-
ter the party gave Shan-
tilal Sanghani a ticket to
contest from Abdasa.
Gadhvi has raised ques-
tions on Sanghani’s loy-
alty to the party, and
said, “The party should
not nominate a person
who in the past was in-
volved in anti-party ac-
tivities.”
First India Bureau
Ahmedabad: The mi-
nority coordination
committee has written
a letter to President
Ramnath Kovind seek-
ing the removal of Ma-
harashtra Governor
Bhagat Solanki Koshi-
yari on the grounds
that the latter has dis-
respected the Consti-
tution.
The letter, written by
Mujahid Nafees, comes
in the wake of the ongo-
ing tension between Ko-
shiyari and Maharash-
tra’s Chief Minister Ud-
dhav Thackeray. On
Tuesday, the Koshiyari
had asked Thackeray if
had “suddenly turned
‘secular’”forcontinuing
to keep temples closed.
Nafees in his letter
has argued that this
shows “massive disre-
spect to the Constitu-
tion. “How can a person
at the state’s highest
post bot follow what is
mentionedintheConsti-
tution?” he asked.
In Koshyari’s letter to
Thackeray, the governor
had stated: “I wonder if
you are receiving any
divine premonition to
keep postponing the reo-
pening of the places of
worship time and again
or have you suddenly
turned ‘secular’ your-
selves, the term you
hated?”
Nafees says that this
is a violation of Article
51-A.
“The word ‘Secular’ is
added in the very Pre-
amble of our Constitu-
tion. That equates and
shields all religions and
hence the Chair of the
Chief Minister must up-
hold such tenets of the
Constitution. Unfortu-
nately Hon. Governor’s
lettertotheChief Minis-
ter of Maharashtra Ud-
dhav Thackeray invokes
the Constitution as if
writtentotheleaderof a
political party,” said Na-
fees.
He added that Gover-
nor Koshiyari must be
removed since he has
shown himself to be
“unwilling to protect
andupholdthevaluesof
the Constitution.”
CONGRESS: A HOUSE DIVIDED
Even as party
names
candidates
for two more
seats, not
everyone is
happy with its
choices
Congress headquarters in
Ahmedabad. —FILE PHOTO
Minority committee asks
Prez to remove Maha Guv
The Chair of the Chief
Minister must uphold such
tenets of the Constitution.
Unfortunately Hon. Gov-
ernor’s letter to the Chief Minister of
Maharashtra Uddhav Thackeray
invokes the Constitution as if writ-
ten to the leader of a political party.
—Mujahid Nafees,
Convenor, Minority Coordination Committee
First India Bureau
Amreli: That there
are no permanent
friends or foes in pol-
itics was made abun-
dantly clear on
Wednesday, when lo-
cal residents wit-
nessed the BJP and
Congress candidates
for the Dhari seat
greeting each other
cordially in the mar-
ket square.
BJP candidate JV
Kakadia and his sup-
porters were cam-
paigning in the main
market area, as was
Congress candidate
Suresh Kotadia. When
the two came into con-
tact accidentally, they
reached out and greet-
ed each other, and even
chatted for a few min-
utes.
This left bystanders
pleasantly surprised.
However, several sup-
porters on both sides
seemed slightly em-
barrassed as the two
leaders took a break
from talking trash
about each other to
play nice. At this stage
of campaigning, it is
more common to have
leaders attack each
other’s political ideol-
ogy and development
works. Sometimes,
these attacks even get
personal.
Commenting about
the development Kaka-
dia said, “It was an ac-
cidental meeting.
Thereisnothingwrong
ingreetingeachother.”
Similarly, Kotadia
also said, “We are con-
testing against each
other. We do not have
any personal quar-
rels.”
Kotadia said he has
been selected by the
Congress party be-
cause of his father’s
long political career
and his own service to
the society. He is confi-
dent of winning a seat.
Kakadia said he be-
lieved his chances
were higher due to the
anti-Congress senti-
ments prevalent in the
area.
Never the twain shall meet?Opponents play nice when they bump into each other on the campaign trail
KIRITSINH
SAYS PEOPLE
WILL PUT FAITH
IN HIM
Kiritsinh Rana, the
Bharatiya Janata
Party’s even-
tual choice of the
candidate from
Limbdi, said he is
confident of a win
since he has al-
ready won the seat
four times. The
four-time MLA has
contested elections
from this seat
seven times since
1998. His father
had also won from
this seat twice.

GUJARATAHMEDABAD | THURSDAY, OCTOBER 15, 2020
Sahil Parmar had old scores to settle with Ajju Kaniya, which is why he attacked him with a steel sheet on Tuesday morning
First India Bureau
Vadodara: A clash be-
tween two history-
sheeters resulted in
the death of one of
them at Vadodara
Central Jail on Tues-
day evening. An in-
ternal inquiry has
been initiated by au-
thorities against Sa-
hil Parmar, the ac-
cused, after a com-
plaint was lodged at
Raopura police sta-
tion.
As per reports, Par-
mar, who is in prison
awaiting trial for a
murder case, had some
issues with another
history-sheeter named
Ajju Kaniya. An extor-
tionist by profession,
Kaniya used to extort
money from traders
and other people in the
Panigate and Char
Darwaza area. He also
owned illegally ac-
quired properties in
the city.
After all inmates
were sent back to
their barracks on
Tuesday morning,
Parmar broke a steel
sheet from the roof
and stabbed Kaniya
with it. Other in-
mates sought help
from prison guards
when they witnessed
the incident, who
rushed to the spot
immediately. Kaniya
was taken to SSG
Hospital for medical
assistance, where
doctors on duty de-
clared him dead on
arrival.
When the police had
arrested Kaniya back
in 2018, they had pa-
raded him around Va-
dodara city to ease the
fear he had instilled
among citizens. There
were over 31 cases reg-
istered against him,
and he was detained
under the Prevention
of Anti- Social Activi-
ties Act (PASA) four
times. He had even es-
caped from police cus-
tody once but was later
arrested by the crime
branch from Mehsana
and sent back to pris-
on.
It must be noted
that this is the sec-
ond prison murder in
the state. Around 15
years ago, an inmate
named Gova Rabari
had stabbed and
killed another pris-
oner named Chetan
Battery in 2005 at the
Sabarmati Jail. Since
then, Rabari has
been sent to Va-
dodara Central Jail.
ExtortionistkilledinVadodaraCentralJail
AHMEDABAD DOCTOR GETS RS10 LAKH
EXTORTION CALL FROM LOCAL GOON
A doctor serving as
a consultant at more
than three private
hospitals received a
ransom call from a
person who identi-
fied himself as Karan
Rabari on Tuesday
morning. After speak-
ing with the caller, Dr
Prakash Patel filed an
official police com-
plaint. It states that
on Wednesday morn-
ing, he received a ran-
som call from Rabari,
who demanded a sum
of Rs10 lakh from
him. He also accused
the doctor of looting
people and asked
him to cough up the
money and make the
payment.
When Dr Patel
threatened him with a
police complaint, Ra-
bari warned him that
failure to pay the ran-
som amount would
lead to ransacking
of the hospital he
worked at. The doctor
has requested the
police’s cybercrime
cell to look into the
matter and nab the
culprit by tracing the
call record. A probe
has been initiated by
Ghatlodia police.
‘FarmerscanmisuseCCE
dataforhigherclaims’
First FIR for violating nCoV SOP in bypoll run-up
Wary of COVID-19, SMC forms zone-wise
teams to monitor societies during Navratri
Man killed by younger brother
in argument over food in Surat
First India Bureau
Surat: With the city
having witnessed as
many as 23,945 cases
of COVID-19 so far,
the Surat Municipal
Corporation (SMC)
is making special ef-
forts to curb the ris-
ing spread. To this
end, it has formed a
special team in each
zone to keep an eye
on residential socie-
ties during Navratri,
to ensure that social
distancing and other
norms are not for-
gotten amid the rev-
elry.
In addition, the civ-
ic body here held
meeting with the pres-
idents and secretaries
of more than 5,500
residential societies
and issued a notice di-
recting them not to
hold any public gath-
ering during Navratri.
The novel coronavi-
rushasalreadycaused
691 deaths in the city,
so local authorities
have appealed to the
public to perform aar-
ti and puja within
theirownhomes,espe-
cially given the threat
posed to children and
the elderly. SMC has
warned that it will
take strict action
against violators.
First India Bureau
Surat: After a heated
argument over food, a
32-year-old man was
killed by his younger
brother at a diamond
factory in Katargam
area, where they were
both employed, on
Tuesday night.
According to Katar-
gam police, both the ac-
cusedJashubhaiThakor
and his elder brother
Babubhai Thakor were
natives of Mehsana who
used to work as artisans.
The duo would sleep on
the factory premises it-
self after finishing their
workday. On Tuesday
night,JashubhaiandBa-
bubhai got into an argu-
ment about the share of
foodservedwhilehaving
dinner. The accused al-
legedly attacked his el-
der brother with a dia-
mondgrindingbowland
another sharp weapon.
The victim was said to
have died on the spot
post the attack.
First India Bureau
Ahmedabad: In its re-
sponse to a Public In-
terest Litigation (PIL)
regarding non-disclo-
sure of Crop Cutting
Estimates (CEE) data
to the public, the state
government has ex-
pressed its fear of in-
formation misuse by
farmers. Putting lit-
tle faith in the agri-
cultural workers of
the state, the govern-
ment came up with an
excuse to back up its
decision to conceal
CEE data for the past
three years.
The High Court is
hearing a petition
which has challenged
the state’s resolution. A
first division bench
comprising Chief Jus-
tice Vikram Nath and
Justice JB Pardiwala is
hearing the petition
filed by the Khedut Ekta
Manch. The petitioner’s
prayer is that the court
must direct the state
government to release
CCE data and revoke
the ban on revelation of
relevant information to
farmers. At the last
hearing, the court had
asked the state to sub-
mit a detailed response
regarding the issue.
The state mentioned
in its reply, “If the re-
sults of CCE are dis-
closed well in advance,
then the claimants
would be able to calcu-
late the threshold yield
even without a formal
declaration. This would
be in violation to clause
23.2 of the Pradhan
Mantri Fasal Bima Yo-
jana (PMFBY) that spe-
cifically prohibits the
declaration of thresh-
old yield before the pay-
ment of claims for that
season are made by the
authorities. Hence,
there is a possibility
that the farmers may
manipulate farming
practices to alter pro-
duction in order to
show high losses.”
It further stated,
“CCEs conducted by
field staff are super-
vised by the officials of
the State Agriculture
Department, District
Panchayat and Revenue
Department as well as
CCE representatives of
insurance companies.
They are required to re-
main present at the
time of harvesting of
CCE and record the
yield of the selected
plot of the crop.”
Insurance claims are
determined on the basis
of the average yield of
a particular insurance
unit; it may be a gram
panchayat or taluka.
First India Bureau
Gandhinagar: Gadha-
da police station on
Wednesday registered
the first FIR for the
violation of Standard
Operating Procedures
(SOP) for COVID-19 in
the run up to the by-
elections on Novem-
ber 03. Gadhada head
constable Mahendras-
inh Dodiya has lodged
a complaint against
BJP’s Gadhada com-
mittee’s general secre-
tary Deepak Soni for
violating public order
and the SOP during a
party meeting held on
October 09. The com-
plaint, registered un-
der IPC Section 188,
said party workers
had violated social
distancing norms.
In the past 24 hours,
the state government
has conducted 50,993
tests, of which 1,175 re-
sultscamebackpositive.
There are now 14,959 ac-
tive cases in the state,
with 79 patients are on
ventilator support. Elev-
en patients died on
Wednesday, of which
four were from
Ahmedabad, three were
from Surat; Gandhina-
gar, Patan, Rajkot, and
Vadodara each account-
ed for one death.
Again, Surat account-
ed for the highest num-
ber of cases, with 252, of
which 174 were from the
city and 78 were from
rural areas. Other cases
emerged in Ahmedabad
district (182), Vadodara
(117), Rajkot (105), Jam-
nagar(85),Gandhinagar
(46), Junagadh (41),
Mehsana (37), Amreli
(28) and Bhavnagar (20).
A farmer in his field. —FILE PHOTO
Gadhada BJP election office.
Govt blames fear of
info exploitation for
its ban on disclosure
of farming statistics
1,175 cases, 11
fatalities take state
tally to 1,55,098
cases, toll to 3,598
LIFE STORY
History-sheeterAjju Kaniya,who was murdered by another inmate.
Sustenance from ashes: How the Dhuldhoyas earn their keep
FIRST INDIA PHOTOJOURNALIST HANIF SINDHI CAPTURED THE STRUGGLES OF A COMMUNITY THROUGH HIS LENS
M embers of the Dhuldhoya community have taken to picking out
gold, silver ornaments, teeth fillings and metal rods from ashes
of dead bodies cremated at crematoriums across Ahmedabad, for their
livelihood. After the Manek Chowk market, known for the sale of gold
and silver jewellery, was shut down
by authorities for fear of COVID-19
transmission, the earnings of this
community was severely affected.
Formerly, they used to strain the dirt
outside such shops and make their
living by selling the traces of gold or
silver they found in there. Now, these
people pull in Rs3,000-Rs5,000 daily
by selling the things they find in the
ash of human remains in the nearby
market. They can be spotted hauling
sacks of ash and washing it in the Sa-
barmati River near the Vasna barrage
in Ahmedabad on a daily basis.
PRISONER CLASH

G Vol 1 G Issue No. 320 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-In-Chief: Jagdeesh Chandra. Editor: Anita Hada Sangwan responsible for selection of news under the PRB Act
PERSPECTIVEAHMEDABAD | THURSDAY, OCTOBER 15, 2020
RECENT AGRICULTURAL REFORMS
PROMISES AND PITFALLS
I
The duplication
of the overall
improvement in
the economic well
being of urban
India has
remained long
overdue for rural
Bharat, which the
economic
liberalisation had
mostly bypassed.
Today, almost 60
percent of our
total workforce is
engaged in
agriculture and
allied activities,
but contribute a
mere 23 percent
to the GDP.
Farmer suicides
caused by
indebtedness and
crop failure are
just the visible tip
of the iceberg.
Acute distress in
rural areas needs
no emphasis.
Green Revolution
ushered in the
mid-1960s did
help the country
to achieve food
security but
has by now run
its course
MAHENDRA
SINGH
THE AUTHOR IS A RETIRED
INDIAN REVENUE SERVICE
OFFICER, AN AVID TRAVELLER,
AND A PHOTOGRAPHER
f a Walmart or a Reliance
Fresh were to formulate the
laws governing the procure-
ment and marketing of agri-
cultural products, they
would have come up with a
commercial environment
quite like the one legislated
by the Government recently.
That, by itself, is not a terri-
ble thing, I must hasten to
add. The IMF, backed by pow-
erful western governments
allegedly dictated the eco-
nomic reforms of 1991. The
result, almost three decades
down the line, has been the
unleashing of the domestic
entrepreneurship coupled
with a substantial inflow of
foreign direct investment
that sent the national GDP,
in terms of purchasing pow-
er parity, soaring from one
trillion dollars in 1991 to 12
trillion today. Those impres-
sive numbers, however, hide
more than they reveal. The
growth was grossly unequal
- the top one percent enjoyed
a larger quantum of income
growth than the bottom 50
percent put together. Fifty-
seven billionaires in India
between themselves con-
trolled more than 70 percent
of the private national
wealth in 2017. The middle-
class numbers doubled over
the last three decades, while
the population struggling be-
low the poverty line was
halved between 1990 and
2019. It was a mixed bag of
outcomes for the ‘1991 mo-
ment’ but mostly positive,
especially for the workers
engaged in the industrial
and service sectors.
The duplication of the
overall improvement in the
economic well being of ur-
ban India has remained long
overdue for rural Bharat,
which the economic liberali-
sation had mostly bypassed.
Today, almost 60 percent of
our total workforce is en-
gaged in agriculture and al-
lied activities, but contrib-
ute a mere 23 percent to the
GDP.Farmersuicidescaused
by indebtedness and crop
failure are just the visible tip
of the iceberg. Acute dis-
tress in rural areas needs no
emphasis. Green Revolution
ushered in the mid-1960s did
help the country to achieve
food security, but has by now
run its course. The incre-
mental improvement in pro-
ductivity is marginal despite
a quantum leap in the use of
fertilisers and pesticides.
Letting the status quo re-
main as it is, was no longer
an option. In that context,
the Government brought in
the three enactments to rein-
vigorate the agricultural
sector of the economy. These
reforms, very briefly, envis-
age the opening of the mar-
ket beyond the existing
APMC mandis that had a
monopoly over transactions
in farm produce across most
of the country. The farmers
can now directly sell their
products to any buyer at a
mutually agreed price with
no fees leviable on transac-
tions outside of the mandis.
The enactments seek to im-
prove ease of doing business
by enabling contract farm-
ing agreements to pre-fix the
procurement price payable
for farm goods at the time of
the harvest. Disputes are to
be resolved at the local level
by a committee headed by
the Sub Divisional Magis-
trate and appeal lies with a
similar committee under the
District Collector. No party
to these disputes is permit-
ted to approach the civil
courts. Finally, limits on
holding stocks of farm pro-
duce imposed by the Essen-
tial Commodities Act stand
removed, except under cer-
tain exceptional circum-
stances specified.
The FCI with other state
agencies runs the food grains
procurementsystemthrough
the APMC mandis wherein
fees are charged by the state
governmentandcommission
by middlemen called arhati-
yas. For instance, Punjab
charges 6 percent fees while
the arhatiya commission is
2.5 percent of the transaction
value. If transactions in
farm products are permitted
outside the mandis and with
no fees, as mandated by the
new statutes, the mandis are
likely to be outcompeted and
wither away. No mandis may
mean no procurement at
MSP. In any case, market-de-
termined free pricing of ag-
ricultural products being at-
tempted by the reforms is, in
principle, incompatible with
the concept of a predeter-
mined MSP. Apprehensions
over the gradual dismantling
of the Minimum Support
Price or MSP on food grains
has formed the core griev-
ance in the protests against
the recent enactments.
Procurement at MSP is
mostly restricted to wheat
and rice, covers only 35 to 40
percent of the total produc-
tion of those crops and the
bulk of it takes place in a few
states like Punjab and Hary-
ana. Punjab Government,
commission agents at the
mandis, and big farmers
who are also the bulk suppli-
ers have the most to lose. No
wonder they are at the fore-
front of the protests against
the reform acts. The Central
Government has given as-
surance that MSP would con-
tinue, and yet has made no
statutory provision for the
same. WTO is against subsi-
dies that distort free trade.
However, if a part of the
globally accepted practice is
to statutorily fix the mini-
mum wages, then why not an
MSP as a welfare measure
for the farmers?
Potentially, these reforms
could open up the market for
agricultural products and
bring in private sector invest-
ment into this cash-starved
segment of the economy, in-
troduce advanced technolo-
gies, and improve rural infra-
structure, including ware-
housing and supply chains to
ensureefficientmovementof
farm goods from the field to
the table. The reforms envis-
age a mechanism for price
discovery through a pan In-
dia e-platform. The support-
ers project enhanced farm
productivity and better price
realisation by the farmers.
Unfortunately, in a charged
atmosphere and a highly po-
larised political discourse, it
becomes difficult to analyse
the potential benefits and pit-
falls of these reforms objec-
tively. Shorn of all the sound
and fury, the experience of
the 1991 economic liberalisa-
tion is that though not per-
fect, free-market remains the
most efficient allocator of
resources. However, the cru-
cialprinciplethatcouldmake
or break the agricultural sec-
tor, consequent to these re-
forms, is that a free market
requires a level playing field
among the participants to
produce a fair outcome.
Eighty-two percent of the
farm holdings in India are
small, with the average land-
holding being less than two
hectares. The typical mar-
ginal farmers are illiterate,
short of funds, and farm
yields just adequate to keep
their body and soul together.
They are in no position to op-
erate on a level playing field
when they deal with a multi-
national or a powerful do-
mestic corporate with deep
pockets. They will invariably
need support to negotiate a
contract that is fair to both
parties. For the possible
shape of such a supportive
ecosystem, an enabling
structure from our experi-
ence over the last few dec-
ades comes to mind. In the
stock market, the small indi-
vidual investor has to often
deal with giant corporates,
both while subscribing to a
fresh issue of equity or trad-
ing in them subsequently.
The level playing field is en-
sured by a robust market
regulator, SEBI, operating
through well-defined rules
and regulations and closely
monitoring the transactions.
The disparity between the
low economic clout of the re-
tail investors and the high
net worth corporates stands
largely neutralised on the
transparent online trading
platform. There are even in-
struments that permit ill-in-
formed and vulnerable indi-
vidual investors to pool their
resources through mutual
funds or portfolio manage-
ment services. Paid special-
ists representing their joint
interests enable the individ-
ual investors to negotiate
from a position of strength
in an otherwise free market.
The cooperative move-
ment in milk procurement
and value addition to it has
given a better collective bar-
gaining power to individual
farmers to get a reasonable
return on their milk supply.
For agriculturists, besides
improvement in the produc-
tivity of their farm, the lot
of the farmers will improve
if they can get a better share
of the consumer price for the
products they supply to the
market. In India, the current
price realisation by the
farmers varies from 10 to 23
percent of the ultimate con-
sumer price depending on
the specific product. The
comparable share of the
farmers in the developed
economies typically fluctu-
ates between 64 to 81 per cent
of the consumer price.
The Green Revolution in
India, in hindsight, is emerg-
ing to be an ecological disas-
ter. Focus on a few high-
yielding varieties of crops
has resulted in the gradual
loss of genetic diversity rep-
resented by the large num-
ber of native variants that
had evolved and were suited
to our local environment.
Multi-cropping and scientifi-
cally desirable crop rotation
have been ignored for a while
now with the market-driven
choice of crops. Farmers
continuously pump up
groundwater using tubewell
in Punjab, Haryana, and
Western UP to cultivate wa-
ter-guzzling paddy and sug-
arcane. That is causing the
groundwater table to recede
by almost a foot per year. We
may have to categorise
groundwater as a non-re-
newable resource soon. Be-
sides air pollution caused by
stubble burning, soil, and
water degradation on ac-
count of accumulated ferti-
liser and pesticide residues
as pollutants are reaching
alarming levels.
Corporates, by definition,
are structured for the sole
purpose of profit. Managers
will not adopt mitigation
measures to ensure environ-
mental health as such meas-
ures add to the cost and de-
press the potential profits for
the shareholders to whom
they report. In the industrial
sector, appropriate environ-
mental controls are exer-
cised by civil society through
the Government. The agri-
cultural fields are no differ-
ent. Rules on cropping pat-
terns based on the soil condi-
tion and water availability
need to be evolved and man-
dated. We need to ensure
that our pursuit of immedi-
ate financial gains does not
irretrievably compromise
the future of our food secu-
rity and the long term viabil-
ity of the rural economy.
Both the generation and cap-
ture of contemporaneous
agricultural data and appro-
priate policy formulation
and implementation will be
necessary as an obligation to
our future generations.
Will the Government rise
to the occasion? The recent
experience is not too promis-
ing. Agricultural reforms of
this magnitude required
careful consideration. Yet,
the Government chose to in-
troduce these reforms in the
middle of a pandemic,
through the ordinance route.
Even when the bills came up
in Parliament, the Govern-
ment ignored the demand
made by the opposition for
deliberations in a select com-
mittee, and the bills passed
through a dubious voice
vote. But, neither has the op-
position come up with any
reasonable alternatives or
safeguards to restructure
this moribund sector. Per-
haps, Plato was right in his
critique of democracy as a
government-run by profes-
sional politicians. They are
primarily interested in their
own electoral success but of-
ten speak of the public good,
because it serves their inter-
ests to do so.
THE VIEWS EXPRESSED BY
THE AUTHOR ARE PERSONAL
The incremental
improvement in
productivity is
marginal despite a
quantum leap in the
use of fertilisers and
pesticides. Letting
the status quo remain
as it is, was no
longer an option. In
that context, the
Government brought
in the three
enactments to
reinvigorate the
agricultural sector of
the economy. These
reforms, very briefly,
envisage the opening
of the market beyond
the existing APMC
mandis that had a
monopoly over
transactions in farm
produce across most
of the country

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INDIAAHMEDABAD | THURSDAY, OCTOBER 15, 2020
New Delhi: The
Bharatiya Janata Party
(BJP) has sought Prime
Minister Narendra
Modi’s time on October
22 to address four ral-
lies in support of Na-
tional Democratic Alli-
ance (NDA) candidates
in poll-bound Bihar.
The rallies proposed to
the Prime Minister are
scheduled to be held in
Buxar, Jehanabad, Roh-
tas and Bhagalpur for
the NDA candidates, ac-
cording to sources in
the party.
Once the clearance
from the PMO comes,
the party would ensure
proper logistics at these
venues along with the
facilities for crowd
management and also
for the other leaders
who are likely to be pre-
sent in these rallies.
PM Modi is the big-
gest star campaigner
for the party, and BJP
hopes to encash his pop-
ularity among the
masses in garnering
votes for the alliance.
Amid COVID-19 pan-
demic phase, the rallies
ahead of the Assembly
elections would be con-
ducted with standard
operating procedure
(SOP) and guidelines
for safety.
It is due to PM Modi’s
popularity that BJP had
to clarify and amplify
Buxar, Jehanabad, Roh-
tas and Bhagalpur that
the LJP, which is still its
ally at the Centre but sev-
ered relation with NDA
in the state because of
JDU, will not be able to
use his photographs in
banners and hoarding.
As LJP Chief Chirag
Paswan continued heap-
ing praises on the PM,
BJP leaders like Bhupen-
dra Yadav reiterated that
theLJPcannotcashinon
Modi’s popularity as it is
not fighting in alliance.
Bihar with 243 Assembly
seats will go to polls in 3
phases: October 28, No-
vember 3 and 7. The
counting of votes will
take place on November
10. —ANI
CHINMAYANAND CASE: LAW
STUDENT TURNS HOSTILE IN COURT
Lucknow/ New Delhi: A
23-year-old law student,
who had last year accused
former BJP MP Chinma-
yanand of rape, turned
hostile at a hearing in a
special court in Lucknow
on Tuesday. Chinma-
yanand, 72, was arrested
last year in the rape case,
and he was granted bail
in February. As she ap-
peared before the judge of
the special court - set up
on the directions of the
Allahabad High Court -
the student refused to ac-
cept any of the allegations
that she had made earlier.
After she turned hostile,
the prosecution made an
appeal to file a case under
Section 340 of CrPc (false
claim and false prosecu-
tion in a case) against the
student.
PM TO RELEASE COMMEMORATIVE
COIN OF `75 ON FAO’S 75TH ANNIV
New Delhi: On the occasion of 75th Anniversary of
Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) on October
16, Prime Minister Narendra Modi will release a com-
memorative coin of Rs 75 denomination to mark the
long-standing relation of India with FAO. The Prime
Minister will also dedicate to the nation 17 recently de-
veloped biofortified varieties of eight crops, the Prime
Minister’s Office said in a press statement. The event
marks the highest priority accorded by the government
to agriculture and nutrition, and is a testament of the
resolve to completely eliminate hunger, undernourish-
ment and malnutrition.
TRP CASE: 2 TOP REPUBLIC TV
EDITORS SUMMONED BY COPS
Mumbai: Two top editors of Republic TV, which
has been accused of rigging viewership ratings,
have been summoned by Mumbai Police as part
of its probe into alleged manipulation of ratings
by three channels. The channel has called latest
summons a “desperate witch-hunt”. Executive
Editor Niranjan Narayanaswamy & Senior Execu-
tive Editor Abhishek Kapoor were summoned
by Mumbai Police. The probe into fake ratings
case is based on a complaint by Hansa, a private
company involved in assessing viewership.
UP GOVT MAKING WOMEN’S
HELPLINE INEFFECTIVE: AKHILESH
Lucknow: Accusing the
Uttar Pradesh Govern-
ment of making the
women’s helpline inef-
fective, former CM and
Samajwadi Party leader
Akhilesh Yadav said that
the BJP is hurting the in-
terests of the people over
political rivalry. Yadav, in
a tweet, said, “The inef-
fective BJP government in
Uttar Pradesh is avoiding
crimes against women
by claiming that they are
incidents between rela-
tives and due to personal
animosity and not done
by criminals. Successful
at the time of SP, the BJP
government is making
the 1090 and UP 100
ineffective and hurting the
interest of the people over
political rivalry,” accused
Akhilesh Yadav.
RAMDEV, MID-YOGA, FALLS OFF
ELEPHANT, IS NOT INJURED
New Delhi: After a video showing Yoga expert
Ramdev falling off an elephant while perform-
ing yoga went viral on social media, his spokes-
person said the yoga guru is fine and there
is nothing to worry about. “I want to inform
crores of followers of Ramdev that Swamiji is
fine. The elephant incident was an amusing one.
Do not worry. He has done four hours of live
yoga yesterday and today,” tweeted Tijarawala
SK, Ramdev’s spokesperson. The yoga guru fell
off the elephant as the animal lost balance.
DEENDAYAL ANTYODAYA YOJANABIHAR POLLS
PM MODI LIKELY TO ADDRESS FIRST
ELECTION RALLY IN BIHAR ON OCT 22
PM is likely to hold rallies in Buxar, Jehanabad, Rohtas, Bhagalpur.
PM is the biggest star campaigner for the party & BJP hopes to encash his popularity among the masses
Cabinet approves
Rs 520 cr package
for J&K, Ladakh
Tejashwi Yadav files papers
from Raghopur constituency
Vaishali: Soon after
filing nomination
from Raghopur con-
stituency to contest
the upcoming Bihar
polls, RJD leader
Tejashwi Yadav said
that he will share the
manifesto in the next
two days.
Tejashwi filed his
nomination for the
Raghopur seat of
Vaishali district,
where he is pitted
against BJP’s Satish
Yadav, who was a for-
mer MLA. “I have
filed the nomination
from Raghopur. The
people have blessed
us. They will elect us.
The people of Bihar
are missing Laluji. I
will share the mani-
festo in next two days.
We will share blue-
print document after
discussing it with the
left parties and Con-
gress,” he said. —ANI
New Delhi: The Union
Cabinet on Wednesday
approved a special
package worth Rs 520
crore for Jammu and
Kashmir and Ladakh
under the Deendayal
Antyodaya Yojana - Na-
tional Rural Liveli-
hoods Mission.
Addressing a press
conference here, Union
Minister Prakash Ja-
vadekar said that Rs
10.58 lakh women will
get benefit from the spe-
cial package Rs 520
crore in the next five
years. “The Deendayal
Antyodaya Yojana - Na-
tional Rural Liveli-
hoods Mission is very
popular throughout the
country. But for techni-
cal reasons in Jammu
and Kashmir and
Ladakh, very few wom-
en were identified and
were eligible,” he said.
“So, now the criteria
has been changed for
Jammu and Kashmir
and Ladakh, and two-
thirds of the rural pop-
ulation has been cov-
ered. Rs 10.58 lakh wom-
en will get benefit from
the special package of
Rs 520 crores in the next
five years,” he added.
Javadekar said that
there are 66 lakh self-
help groups & seven cr
women are their mem-
bers in India. —ANI
2 terrorists
killed in
Shopian
encounter
Shopian: Two uniden-
tified terrorists were
killed in an encounter
with security forces in
Shopian district of
Jammu and Kashmir
on Wednesday, a police
official said.
Security forces
launched a cordon-and-
search operation in the
Chakura area of Shop-
ian district following
information about the
presence of terrorists
there, he said.He said
the search operation
turned into an encoun-
ter after terrorists
opened fire at security
forces’ positions.
He said the two ter-
rorists have been killed
in the operation. The
identity and group af-
filiation of the slain ter-
rorists were being as-
certained. —PTI
BJP’s Rane digs up Raut’s
old‘Hindu Rashtra’ remark
Mumbai: BJP leader
Nitesh Rane asked Ma-
harashtra Chief Minis-
ter Uddhav Thackeray
to “sort out your own
house” amid the latter’s
ongoing tiff with Maha-
rashtra Governor over
reopening of temples in
the State.
Governor Bhagat
Singh Koshyari had ear-
lier written to Thack-
eray expressing con-
cerns over the delay in
reopening of temples.
Koshyari had ques-
tioned whether the Shiv
Senaleaderhad“turned
secular”, a jibe which
had been not well re-
ceived by Thackeray.
Responding to this,
Thackeray had said
that the delay in reopen-
ing of places of worship
is being done due to the
ongoing COVID-19 pan-
demic and had added,
“As imposing lockdown
all of a sudden was not
right, revoking it com-
pletely at once will also
be not a good thing. And
yes, I am someone who
follows Hindutva, my
Hindutva doesn’t need
verification from you.”
Meanwhile, the BJP
leader Nitesh Rane dug
out an old statement
from Sena leader San-
jay Raut, in which he
had demanded India
should be declared a
“Hindu Rashtra”.
“Don’t u want to re-
ply to this too .. Mr CM
? Or it’s just pure poli-
tics as usual ? Sort out
ur own house first be-
fore blaming others!!!”
Rane’s tweet, which had
an image of Raut’s
statement embedded,
read. BJP had carried
out demonstrations
across the state de-
manding reopening of
temples, —ANI
STARS
PROGRAMME
UNDER NEP
New Delhi: Address-
ing a press confer-
ence, I&B Minister
Prakash Javadekar
said; “India has
started implementing
the New Education
Policy. The base is
learning with under-
standing and learning
outcome is impor-
tant. There should be
an improvement in
learning. Therefore,
a new programme
called Strengthening
Teaching Learn-
ing and Results
for States (STARS)
project was cleared
by Cabinet today.”
TEJ PRATAP FILES
NOMINATION FROM
HASANPUR SEAT
‘NCP WILL CONTEST
POLLS ALONE, NOT IN
MAHAGATHBANDHAN’
Samastipur: RJD president Lalu
Prasad’s elder son Tej Pratap Yadav
filed his nomination from the
Hasanpur assembly constituency in
the Samastipur district which goes
to polls in the second phase on
November 3. He was accompanied
by his younger brother and Grand
Alliance chief ministerial candidate
Tejashwi Yadav. The two brothers
reached Samastipur from Patna in
a helicopter to submit Tej Pratap’s
nomination papers. —ANI
Mumbai: NCP senior leader Praful
Patel said that party is not a part of
Bihar Grand Alliance (Mahagath-
bandhan).He said that NCP wanted
to be a part of the alliance but they
were not given space. “NCP isn’t
a part of Bihar Mahagathbandhan.
We wanted to, but we weren’t
given space, so we’ll contest alone.
We’ve not had any discussion with
Shiv Sena. Party workers demand-
ed that we contest on our own, so
we’ll fight the election alone.”—ANI
Nitesh Rane dug out an old remark by Sanjay Raut, wherein he had
said India should be declared a “Hindu Rashtra”.
IN THE COURTYARD
SC notice to Punjab
Govt over bail to Ex-
DGP Sumedh Saini
Coal scam cases:
Sentencing of Dilip
Ray on October 26
New Delhi: SC issued
a notice to Punjab gov-
ernment, seeking its
response on the antici-
patory bail plea of for-
mer DGP Sumedh
Singh Saini in a case
related to the alleged
abduction and murder
of a junior engineer,
Balwant Singh Multa-
ni, in 1991.
Apart from the Pun-
jab government, a
Bench of the apex
court, headed by Jus-
tice Ashok Bhushan,
also sought a response
from Multani’s broth-
er who had lodged a
complaint of custodial
torture against Saini
and six other officers
earlier this year.
Posting the matter
for further hearing af-
ter four weeks, the
Bench asked the Pun-
jab government not to
proceed in the case for
the time being.
Saini has chal-
lenged the Punjab and
Haryana HC’s Septem-
ber 7 order, dismissing
his anticipatory bail
plea in the case. —ANI
New Delhi: Aspecial
CBI court in Delhi re-
served its order on the
sentencing of former
union minister Dilip
Ray and others in a
coal scam case per-
taining to the alleged
irregularities in the
allocation of a
Jharkhand coal block
in 1999.
Special Judge
Bharat Parashar, who
is hearing the coal
scam cases, reserved
his order on the quan-
tum of sentence for
October 26 after con-
cluding the argu-
ments. The lawyers
representing the con-
victs argued for less
punishment and cited
various grounds of
health, age and family
responsibilities. They
also submitted that
convicts have no previ-
ous criminal back-
ground. Whereas,
counsel of CBI submit-
ted that convicts
should beawardedmax-
imum punishments.

INDIAAHMEDABAD | THURSDAY, OCTOBER 15, 2020
‘Common man’s...
The Centre has already
said that it would waive
the compound interest
on loans, which is ex-
pectedtobringrelief not
only to individual bor-
rowers but also banks.
The government’s coun-
sel said it was a “huge
burden” but added that
they are not “mention-
ing the figure”.
In March, the Reserve
Bankof Indiahadgrant-
ed a three-month mora-
torium on loans due to
the Covid pandemic. It
was later extended till
August31.InSeptember,
the Supreme Court, in
response to petitions,
askedthegovernmentto
chart out a course to
help borrowers. A waiv-
er of interest for the six-
month moratorium pe-
riod was also sought by
a bunch of petitions.
The government was
expected to spell out the
way ahead on an exten-
sion of moratorium,
waiving of interest, sec-
tor-wise relief and its
decision on the recom-
mendationsof Mehrishi
Committee, which was
asked to gauge the im-
pact of interest waiver
during the Covid-linked
moratorium.
But the government
sought more time, say-
ing the outer limit for
bringing relief to bor-
rowers is November 15.
“Whenyouhavetaken
a decision why it is de-
layed for one month?”
the court responded.
“Our view is one
month is not required to
implement the deci-
sion… The delay is not
in the interests of com-
mon man… It is a wel-
come decision to give
relief for small people.
But some concrete re-
sults needed,” said the
bench comprising jus-
tices Ashok Bhushan, R
Subhash Reddy and MR
Shah.
The Reserve Bank
hassaidthatitisnotpos-
sible to extend morato-
rium period as it would
affectthebankingsector
and the economy.
The government has
told the court it would
waive the compound in-
terest on loans up to Rs 2
crore under a COVID-19
support plan.
It, however, asked the
court not to permit any
further judicial review
saying it would not be
possible to supplement
the existing relief pack-
ages.
3-fold...
pending allowing the in-
vestigation by the CBI to
be conducted under the
supervision of this
court in a time bound
manner,”theUPgovern-
ment said.
The bench of Chief
Justice of India S A Bob-
de and Justices A S Bo-
panna and V Ramasu-
bramanian, hearing a
writ petition seeking a
CBI probe or a court-ap-
pointed Special Investi-
gation Team, had said it
wanted to hear from the
parties on the scope of
the proceedings in the
matter already before
the Allahabad High
Court and “how we can
make them more rele-
vant”. The matter has
now been transferred to
the CBI, which has al-
ready started its probe.
In a compliance affi-
davit filed in the top
court, the Yogi Adity-
anath-led government
said “in order to ensure
the security of victim’s
family/witnesses,three-
fold protection mecha-
nism has been devised”
— armed constabulary
component, civil police
component comprising
of guard, gunners and
shadows and installa-
tion of CCTV cameras
and lights.
It said up to 15 person-
nel of armed constabu-
lary have been deployed
near and outside the vic-
tim’s house and eight
CCTV cameras have
been installed in the
outer surrounding of
her residence. It further
said adequate forces
have been deployed to
ensure the safety of the
victim’s parents, two
brothers, one sister-in-
law and her grandmoth-
er in Hathras.
State takes...
Also, people responsible
for packaging the Pras-
ad have to ensure that
their hands are sani-
tized. If there is some-
one given charge of
handing out prasad to
devotees, he/she must
do so while wearing
gloves.
Notably,thisnewdeci-
sion comes after VHP
General Secretary
Ashok Raval wrote a let-
tertotheAdditionalSec-
retary (Home) and Sec-
retary (Home) of the
state. Raval’s argument
underlined the fact that
the state had allowed ho-
tels and restaurants to
function, where food is
served and even food
packs/parcels are sent
out. He had then ques-
tioned the logic behind
the ban on prasad distri-
bution.
FROM PG 1
NTPC CMD, GURDEEP SINGH GETS
EXTENSION TILL JULY 2025
The tenure of Gurdeep Singh as Chairman-cum-
Managing Director, NTPC Limited has been extended
from February 4, 2021 to July 31, 2025.
TWO IAS OFFICERS GET NEW
ASSIGNMENTS IN WEST BENGAL
Ajit Ranjan Bardhan has been appointed as Additional
Chief Secretary, Labour Department with additional
charge of Additional Chief Secretary, North Bengal
Development Department and Commissioner Jalpai-
guri Division and Sayeed Ahmed Baba was posted as
Commissioner Malda Division in West Bengal.
KALYAN REVELLA APPOINTED AS
DEPUTY SECRETARY, CGPDTM,
MUMBAI
Kalyan Revella has been appointed as Deputy Sec-
retary in the office of Controller General of Patents,
Designs and Trademarks (CGPDTM), Mumbai. He is
a 2010 batch IRS-C&CE officer.
VICE ADMIRALS A B SINGH & VICE
ADMIRAL SATISH NAMDEV
GHORMADE, AVSM, VM LIKELY TO
GET COMMAND POSTINGS
If sources are to be believed, after the superannuation
of two Vice Admirals chances are that Vice Admiral A
B Singh and Vice Admiral Satish Namdev Ghormade,
AVSM, VM likely to be probable incumbents.
WADEKAR GETS ADDITIONAL
CHARGE OF SPECIAL DIRECTOR ED
KOLKATA
Vivek Wadekar, Special Director (CR) has been given
additional charge of ED in Kolkata. He is an IRS officer.
THREE HCS WITHOUT REGULAR CJS;
TWO MORE CJS TO RETIRE
While three HCs in the country are functioning under
acting CJs, the SC Collegium – which recommends
the names of candidates for appointment as HC
Judges – has its work cut out with two more HC CJs
set to retire this year. The HCs of Gauhati, MP and
Uttarakhand are functioning under officiating CJs NK
Singh, Sanjay Yadav and RV Malimath. Presently,
the Centre is awaiting recommendations from the
Collegium for appointments of chief justices in these
courts. Meanwhile, Jammu and Kashmir and Ladhak
HC CJ Gita Mittal and Madras HC CJ Ameshwar
Pratap Sahi are set to retire in December. Judicial
appointments are considered to be the joint respon-
sibility of the executive and the judiciary requiring
consultation from various constitutional authorities.
PRASANAJIT SINGH TO BE
ADDITIONAL SECRETARY, LOK SABHA?
In all probability, Prasanjit Singh will be promoted
to the rank of Additional Secretary in the Lok Sabha
Secretariat. He is an IRS (IT) officer.
MS. SUNITA SANGHI PROMOTED AS
PRINCIPAL ADVISER, SKILL
DEVELOPMENT
Ms. Sunita Sanghi has been appointed as Principal
Advisor, Ministry of Skill Development & Entrepre-
neurship after promotion to Apex Scale.
VIVEK KUMAR DAKSH RETURNS TO
PARENT CADRE
Vivek Kumar Daksh, Assistant Director General,
Unique Identification Authority of India, has been
given premature repatriation to his parent cadre in
order to avail the benefit of promotion.
LT GEN MENON TAKES CHARGE
Lt Gen P G K Menon has taken over command of
Leh-based Fire and Fury Corps of the Indian Army
on Tuesday. Manoj Kumar Bharti appointed Ambas-
sador to Indonesia.
POWERGallery
By arrangement with: http://
whispersinthecorridors.com
‘Achievements of BJP, hate
filled cultural nationalism’New Delhi: Congress
leader Rahul Gandhi
on Wednesday took a
dig at the government
over IMF growth pro-
jections showing Bang-
ladesh closing in on
India in terms of per
capita GDP this year
and described it as a
‘solid achievement’ of
six years of BJP’s
‘hate-filled cultural na-
tionalism’.
Gandhi also shared a
graph citing its source
as the International
Monetary Fund’s World
Economic Outlook re-
port which showed
Bangladesh closing in
on India and almost
catching up with it in
terms of per capita
GDP this year.
‘Solid achievement
of 6 years of BJP’s hate-
filled cultural national-
ism: Bangladesh set to
overtake India,’ Gandhi
said in a sarcastic tweet
accompanied by clap-
ping emojis.
The IMF said on
Tuesday that the Indian
economy, severely hit
by the coronavirus pan-
demic, is projected to
contract by a massive
10.3 per cent this year.
However, India is
likely to bounce back
with an impressive 8.8
per cent growth rate
in 2021, thus regain-
ing the position of the
fastest growing
emerging economy,
surpassing China’s
projected growth rate
of 8.2 per cent, the
IMF said in its latest
‘World Economic Out-
look’ report. —PTI
RAHUL GANDHI ON IMF PROJECTIONS
New Delhi: Rudram -1
anti-radiation missile
launched from a fighter
aircraft would require a
few more tests to be
completely proven, will
provide IAF with capa-
bility to strike enemy
radars including sur-
veillance, air defence
systems, said DRDO
chairman Dr G
Satheesh Reddy on
Wednesday.
“Rudram-I is anti-
radiation missile
launched from an air-
craft, it will be able to
detect any emitting ele-
ments, you can lock on
to emitting element and
it will be able to go on to
act on them,” said
DRDO chairman. On
Nirbhay Missile, Chief
said that it has complet-
ed all development tri-
al. It is subsonic cruise
missile with ranges of
around 1,000 km. —ANI
Rudram to detect,
attack enemy radar
Fresh PIL in SC
seeking action
against police,
officials, others
New Delhi: The total
number of tests for de-
tection of COVID-19 has
crossed nine-crore in In-
dia, while the cumula-
tivepositivityrateis8.04
percentandisona“con-
tinuous decline”, Union
Health Ministry said on
Wednesday. Very high
countrywide testing on
a sustained basis has
alsoresultedinbringing
down the national Cov-
id-19 positivity rate, the
ministry underlined.
“20 states and UTs
have a positivity rate
less than the national
average. The cumula-
tive positivity rate is
8.04 per cent and is on a
continuous decline,” it
highlighted.
India’s Covid-19 testing
record crosses 9 cr-mark
CBI re-summons father,
brothers of Hathras victim
Maharashtra govt on
Wednesday decided
to allow metro trains
in Mumbai to oper-
ate from today in a
phased manner under
its mission ‘begin
again’. Government
allowed reopening of
libraries too from Oct
15 as per guidelines.
METRO TO RUN,
LIBRARIES OPEN IN
MAHA FROM TODAY
AFTER 7 MTHS, CINEMA HALLS TO REOPEN
WITH 50 PER CENT CAPACITY FROM TODAY
NOT ALL STATES
ARE REOPENING
SCHOOLS TODAY
New Delhi: Delhi,
Chhattisgarh, Maha-
rashtra, Gujarat, AP,
WB, Goa, Karna-
taka, Kerala are some
states that are not
opening schools now.
Punjab has decided
to reopen schools
today in a graded
manner, in Gurgaon
govt schools will
resume for 3 hours.
There is no correla-
tion between reopen-
ing schools & covid.New Delhi: After 7
months of shut down,
cinema halls will reo-
pen on today with 50%
capacity and one-seat
distance between the
viewers, said Information
and Broadcasting Minister
Prakash Javadekar. ”In
single-screen theatres,
ticket counters will be
opened. However, we
encourage online booking
for contact-less transac-
tions. Proper ventilation
has to be ensured, AC
temp should be above 23
degree,” he said. —PTI
New Delhi: The Union
Health Ministry has
initiated the process of
importing liquid oxy-
gen as part of its pre-
paredness to meet any
unforeseen shortage
during the winters
when the country may
witness an increase in
COVID-19 cases leading
to a rise in demand for
oxygen.
HLL Lifecare Limit-
ed, a public sector un-
dertaking, has floated a
global tender on
Wednesday on behalf
of the Health Ministry
for procuring one lakh
metric tonne of liquid
oxygen.
The oxygen is being
procured for various
centralandstategovern-
ment hospitals. The en-
tire exercise of import-
ing and then distribut-
ing the medical oxygen
is estimated to cost Rs
600-700 crore, official
sources said. —PTI
Govt to import 1lakh MT of
medical oxygen for winters
Two lawyers file petition in SC
seeking removal of Andhra CM
Hathras: The CBI,
which is investigating
the Hathras incident
has re-summoned the
father and the two
brothers of the victim
for questioning on
Wednesday.
“The male members
of the victim family
will be questioned to-
day in Hathras, they
will go to a temporary
office set up by the CBI
in Hathras. Female
members will be ques-
tioned at home by CBI
officials. We are ensur-
ing that they will not be
troubled during the pro-
cess,” SDM Anjali
Gangwar said. The fam-
ily members of the vic-
tim demanded that the
accused should be
transferred to another
jail from Aligarh.
“The CBI took away
the slippers, ashes, and
other things of the vic-
tim. We demand that
the accused should be
sent to another jail
from Aligarh. They are
not afraid. They are
living there like they
are staying at their
home,” said sister-in-
law of the victim. “We
are co-operating with
CBI,” the victim’s
brother said. —ANI
New Delhi: A fresh PIL
has been filed in the SC
seeking action against
police officials, hospital
staff, medical officers
and other government
officials for their al-
leged role in destruc-
tion of evidence and
shielding of the ac-
cused in the Hathras
case.
The PIL filed by a so-
cial activist Chetan Ja-
nardhan Kamble said a
case should be regis-
tered for penal offences
as well as offences un-
der the Scheduled Caste
and Scheduled Tribes
Act against the officials
concerned.
Petition also said that
government hospital
where victim was taken
in Aligarh did’nt collect
requisite swabs. —ANI
New Delhi: A PIL was
moved in SC on Wednes-
day seeking removal of
AP CM Jagan Mohan
Reddy for his “scandal-
ising” remarks against
second senior-most
judge of top court.
PIL, filed jointly by 2
advocates, GS Mani &
Pradeep K Yadav; con-
tented that Jagan Mo-
han Reddy is facing
more than 20 criminal
cases including money
laundering and corrup-
tion. He should be re-
moved as the CM as in
public & media, he had
levelled allegations
against Justice NV Ra-
mana, senior judge of
apex court. It also
sought a detailed judi-
cial enquiry, by consti-
tuting CBI, on vague
allegation made.—ANI
CBI again summons father, Hathras gang-rape victim’s brothers.
Indian Air Force (IAF) Sukhoi-30 aircraft armed with the ‘Rudram’
Anti-Radiation Missile. —ANI Photo
—PHOTOBYPTI
PLEA TO STOP
PUJA FESTIVAL
IN WEST BENGAL
Plea filed before
Calcutta High Court
demanding to stop
Durga Puja celebra-
tions, to be taken up
this week.
Plea mentions that
pandemic is same
as earlier. Onam in
Kerala, Ganesh Puja
& Muharram too
were not allowed in
Maharashtra. —ANI
Rahul Gandhi
Mulayam
Singh tests
+ve for Covid
Lucknow: Samajwadi
Party (SP) leader Mu-
layam Singh Yadav has
tested positive for COV-
ID-19.
The 80-year-old leader
does not have any symp-
toms at present, the
party said. “Samajwadi
Party leader Mulayam
Singh Yadav’s COV-
ID-19 test has returned
positive. He is under the
care of doctors. At pre-
sent, he does not have
any symptoms,” Sama-
jwadi Party said in a
tweet. The minister and
his wife has been admit-
ted to Medanta hospital
in Gurgaon. —ANI

TALKING POINTAHMEDABAD | THURSDAY, OCTOBER 15, 2020
DAIRY HAS THE BIGGEST ENVIRONMENTAL FOOTPRINT, BY FAR
AND WE COMPARED DAIRY, NUT, SOY, HEMP AND GRAIN MILKS
M
aking eco-
conscious
choices at
the shops
can be tricky when
we’re presented with
so many options, espe-
cially when it comes to
milk. Should we buy
plant-based milk, or
dairy? We’ve looked at
the evidence to help
you choose.
Any plant-based
milk, be it made from
beans, nuts or seeds,
has a lighter impact
than dairy when it
comes to greenhouse
gas emissions, as well
as the use of water
and land. All available
studies, including sys-
tematic reviews, cate-
gorically point this
out.
A 2018 study esti-
mates dairy to be
around three times
more greenhouse gas
emission-intensive
than plant-based
milks.
In the case of cow’s
milk, its global warm-
ing potential — meas-
ured as kilogram of
carbon dioxide equiv-
alent per litre of milk
— varies between 1.14
in Australia and New
Zealand to 2.50 in Af-
rica. Compare this to
the global warming
potential of plant-
based milks, which, on
average, is just 0.42 for
almond and coconut
milk and 0.75 for soy
milk.
What’s more, dairy
generally requires
nine times more land
than any of the plant-
based alternatives.
Every litre of cow’s
milk uses 8.9 square
metres per year, com-
pared to 0.8 for oat, 0.7
for soy, 0.5 for almond
and 0.3 for rice milk.
Water use is simi-
larly higher for cow’s
milk: 628 litres of wa-
ter for every litre of
dairy, compared to 371
for almond, 270 for
rice, 48 for oat and 28
for soy milk.
Milks from nuts
Milk can be made from
almost any nuts, but
almond, hazelnut and
coconut are proving
popular. Not only do
nut milks generally
require smaller land
areas, the trees they
grow on absorb car-
bon and, at the end of
their life, produce use-
ful woody biomass.
Still, there are vast
differences in the geo-
graphical conditions
where various nut
trees are grown.
Which ‘MILK’
is best for the
ENVIRONMENT?
SOY
Soy milk has a very
good environmen-
tal performance in
terms of water, global
warming potential
and land-use.
The US and Brazil
are the biggest sup-
pliers of soybeans,
and the plant is very
versatile when it
comes to its com-
mercial uses, with
a large share of the
beans used as live-
stock feed.
However, a
major environmental
concern is the need
to clear and convert
large swathes of
native vegetation to
grow soybeans. An
overall reduction in
the demand for meat
and animal-based
foods could poten-
tially decrease the
need to produce large
amounts of soybeans
for animal feed, but
we’re yet to witness
such changes.
Finally, time to diversify
your choices
Organic versions of all
these plant-based milks are
better for the environment
because they use, for exam-
ple, fewer chemical fertilis-
ers, they’re free from pesti-
cides and herbicides, and
they put less pressure on the
soils. Any additives, be it for-
tifiers, such as calcium or
vitamins, flavours or addi-
tional ingredients, such as
sugar, coffee or chocolate,
should be taken into account
separately.
Packaging is also very im-
portant to consider. Packag-
ing contributes 45% of the
global warming potential of
California’s almond milk.
And it’s worth keeping in
mind that wasting milk has a
much bigger environmental
footprint, and questions the
ethics of how humans ex-
ploit the animal world.
If, as a consumer you are
trying to reduce the environ-
mental footprint of the milk
you drink, the first message
is you should avoid dairy and
replace it with plant-based
options.
The second message is it’s
better to diversify the plant-
based milks we use. Shifting
to only one option, even if
it’s the most environmen-
tally friendly one for the
time being, means the mar-
ket demand may potentially
become overexploited.
We can produce plant-based milk from al-
most any grains, but rice and oat are prov-
ing popular. However, they require more land
compared with nut milks.
MILKS FROM GRAINS
Oat milk has been
becoming increas-
ingly popular around
the world because of
its overall environ-
mental benefits.
But similar to soy,
the bulk of oat produc-
tion is used for live-
stock feed and any re-
duction in the demand
for animal-based foods
would decrease the
pressure on this plant.
Currently grown in
Canada and the US,
most oat operations
are large-scale mono-
culture, which means
it’s the only type of
crop grown in a large
area. This practice de-
pletes the soil’s fertil-
ity, limits the diversi-
ty of insects and in-
creases the risk of
diseases and pest in-
fection.
Oats are also typi-
cally grown with
glyphosate-based pes-
ticides, which tarnish-
es its environmental
credentials because it
can cause glyphosate-
resistant plant, ani-
mal and insect patho-
gens to proliferate.
Rice milk has a big
water footprint.
More notably, it’s as-
sociated with higher
greenhouse gas emis-
sions compared to the
other plant-based op-
tions because meth-
ane-producing bacte-
ria develop in the rice
paddies.
In some cases, rice
milk may contain un-
acceptable levels of
arsenic. And applying
fertilisers to boost
yields can pollute
nearby waterways.
H OAT
H RICE
ALMOND
California is the
largest producer
of almond milk in the
world, followed by
Australia.
Compared to other
plant-based milk op-
tions, its water use
is much higher and
largely depends on
freshwater irrigation.
One kernel of California
almond requires 12
litres of water, which
raises questions about
the industrial produc-
tion of these nuts in
water-scarce areas.
However the biggest
environmental concern
with almond produc-
tion in the US is the
high mortality of bees,
used for tree cross-pol-
lination. This might be
because the bees are
exposed to pesticides,
including glyphosate,
and the intensive
industrial agriculture
which drastically trans-
forms nature’s fragile
ecosystems.
In Australia, where
almond orchards are
smaller-scale and less
industrialised, bee-
keepers do not experi-
ence such problems.
Still, millions of bees
are needed, and fires,
drought, floods, smoke
and heat damage can
threaten their health.
COCONUT
Generally, the envi-
ronmental perfor-
mance of coconut milk
is good – coconut trees
use small amounts
of water and absorb
carbon dioxide.
Yet as coconuts are
grown only in tropical
areas, the industrial
production of this milk
can destroy wildlife
habitat. Increasing
global demand for
coconut milk is likely
to put further pressure
on the environment and
wildlife, and deepen
these conflicts.
Hazelnut is a better
option for the en-
vironment as the trees
are cross-pollinated
by wind which carries
airborne dry pollen
between neighbouring
plants, not bees.
Hazelnuts also grow
in areas with higher
rainfall around the
Black Sea, Southern
Europe and in North
America, demanding
much less water than
almond trees.
Hazelnut milk is
already commercially
available and although
its demand and
production are rising,
the cultivation of the
bush trees is not yet
subjected to intensive
large-scale opera-
tions.
HAZELNUT
HEMP
The environmental
benefits of hemp
milk make it a game-
changer.
Its seeds are pro-
cessed for oil and milk,
but the plant itself is
very versatile — all its
parts can be used as
construction material,
textile fibres, pulp and
paper or hemp-based
plastics.
Its roots grow deep,
which improves the soil
structure and reduces
the presence of fungi.
It’s also resistant to dis-
eases, and it produces
a lot of shade, which
supresses the growth
of weeds. This, in turn,
cuts down the need for
herbicides and pesti-
cides.
Hemp requires more
water than soy, but less
than almond and dairy.
Despite being one of
the oldest crops used,
particularly in Europe,
hemp is produced in
very low quantities.
MILKS FROM LEGUMES
Soy milk has been used
for millennia in China and
has already an established
presence in the West, but the
hemp alternative is relatively
new.
All legumes are nitrogen
fixing. This means the bac-
teria in plant tissue produce
nitrogen, which improves soil
fertility and reduces the need
for fertilisers. Legumes are
also water-efficient, particu-
larly when compared with
almonds and dairy.
SOURCE: THE CONVERSATION CONCEPT: MONI SHARMA DESIGN: SHYAM SHONKIYA

Life is an experiment. The more
creatively you experiment the
higher your chances of success.
Chart a new course everyday.
—Jagdeesh Chandra, CEO & Editor, First India
AHMEDABAD | THURSDAY, OCTOBER 15, 2020www.firstindia.co.in I www.firstindia.co.in/epaper/ I twitter.com/thefirstindia I facebook.com/thefirstindia I instagram.com/thefirstindia
08
2NDFRONT
First India Bureau
Porbandar: Ramde and
Bharati Khuti, who cre-
ated the popular You-
Tube vlog ‘Live Village
LifewithOm&Family”,
are perfect paragons of
leading a sustainable,
rural lifestyle. From or-
ganic farming to cook-
ing over an earthen
hearth, the Khuti family
is setting new sustaina-
bility goals.
There may be more
such couples, but Ram-
de and Bharati kicked a
well-settled life in Lon-
don to return to their
native village Beran in
Porbandar district in
2017, with their 5-year-
old son, Om. They say
thenativevillagealways
beckoned them amid all
London comforts.
Bharati Khuti told
Better India, “We moved
to the UK in 2010, 6
months after our mar-
riage, which we spent in
Beran. In London, I pur-
sued a Bachelor’s de-
gree in Travel & Tour-
ism from Sunderland
University while Ramde
made a decent career as
a retail manager.”
“We were staying in
Stratford in East Lon-
don and leading an envi-
able life but this was
never on par with life
back home. We never
thought of becoming
permanent citizens of
the UK.” After their son
Om’s birth in 2014, they
started thinking. Ram-
de’s father was not in
good health and he felt it
necessary to support
them.
“At that time, I was
working as a trainee air
hostess with British
Airways, while Ramde
was a successful mana-
gerial executive. Re-
turning to India would
meangivingupallthat,”
Bharati said. But, they
were firm.
They returned to Be-
ran, a village of 200 fam-
ilies, and adopted organ-
ic farming on 7 acres of
family land and stopped
use of heavy chemicals.
This couple kicked London life to embrace village
TORCHBEARERS!
Ramde and Bharati and their five-year-old son left London to settle down in their native village.
A Tanishq showroom in Kutch pasted apology note, but later removed it after police intervention
First India Bureau
Gandhidham/Surat:
Even as the 152-year-
old tea-to-telecom
Tata Group withdrew
the TV advertisement
of its jewellery firm
Tanishq promoting
communal harmony
after a social media
furore, a showroom
in Gandhidham town
of Kutch district past-
ed a note apologising
for the ad and later
pulled it down on
Wednesday.
While tendering the
apology, the handwrit-
ten note in Gujarati
pasted on the Tanishq
showroom also con-
demned the TV com-
mercial. The note was
put up on Monday after
some people stormed
into the Gandhidham
showroom and asked
the owner the reason
for the advertisement.
He explained to them
he had nothing to do
with the advertisement.
Then he pasted the note,
stating, “We apologise
to the Hindu communi-
ty of Kutch on the
shameful advertise-
ment of Tanishq.”
The note was pulled
down subsequently
while there were ru-
mours that the store
was attacked on
Wednesday, though
the local police de-
nied it. “No such at-
tack has taken place,”
Superintendent of
Police, Kutch-East,
Mayur Patil, told re-
porters, adding that
the apology noted had
been removed. The
showroom manager
also denied any at-
tack.
In Surat, some activ-
ists of Vishwa Hindu
Parishad’s women
wing, Matrushakti Dur-
ga Vahini, staged dem-
onstrations and submit-
ted a memorandum to
the District Collector
demanding legal action
against Tanishq. They
claimed the advertise-
ment misrepresented
the customs of both the
religions and promoted
‘Love Jihad’.
Meanwhile, the Ad-
vertising Standards
Council of India (ASCI)
rejected a complaint
against the Tanishq ad-
vertisement and stated
that there was no viola-
tion of any code in it.
“The complaint was
not upheld, as the ad-
vertisement did not
violate the ASCI
codes of honesty,
truthfulness and de-
cency in advertising,”
ASCI said in a state-
ment. “ASCI has no
objection to the air-
ing of this advertise-
ment, should the ad-
vertiser choose to do
so,” it added.
SCARED: Tanishq store forced to
write apology for ‘Ekatvam’ ad
High Court notices to
Junagadh authorities
over fire safety
Parents ask school fee breakup
from govt before they pay upFirst India Bureau
Ahmedabad: Unable to
trust the State Govern-
ment, the Federation of
Parents’ Association
hasurgedparentsinGu-
jarat not to pay the fees
until the FRC gives the
breakup of the fees it
had permitted the
schools to charge.
It has demanded that
details of the fees and
the notification allow-
ing for only tuition fees
to be charged at 25% dis-
count to be placed on the
website and notice
board of the respective
schools as also on the
site of the Fee Regula-
tion Committee (FRC).
It was after a pro-
longed battle that the
government asked pri-
vate schools to give a
discount of 25% in tui-
tion fees for the entire
year. Also, schools can
charge only the tuition
fees since education is
online.
The association said
the government had is-
sued the order that only
75% of the tuition fees
were to be paid but par-
entswerenotawarehow
much were the tuition
fees.
Education Minister
Bhupendrasinh Chu-
dasama had on Septem-
ber 30 announced a 25%
reduction in school fees
of private schools in Gu-
jarat. He also clarified
that apart from the
school fees no other fees
could be charged by
schools.
He said parents who
had already paid could
adjust it with the subse-
quent quarterly fees.
First India Bureau
Ahmedabad: The Gu-
jarat High Court has
issued notices to the
Junagadh Municipal
Commissioner, the
District Collector and
the State Government
asking them to re-
spond to a petition
about fire safety in
109 buildings in the
city.
Petitioner Tushar So-
jitra has filed a petition
seeking a directive to
the local authorities
that all buildings should
have a proper No Objec-
tion Certificates (NOC)
about fire safety and it
must be regularly re-
newed. He submitted
that despite several re-
minders, the authori-
ties had not acted
against the violators.
He says 26 hospitals,
10 different religious
marriage halls, five res-
idential premises, 11
restaurants, guest hous-
es and hotels, 43 school,
colleges and tuition
classes and 14 units in
the GIDC are running
without proper fire safe-
ty NOCs.
He asserted that the
MunicipalCommission-
er should be asked to
seal all these buildings
and asked the State Gov-
ernment to take action
against officers who al-
lowed these institutes
and hospitals to run
without proper NOCs.
Gujarat High Court.
THE CONTROVERSY
A Tanishq store in Gandhidham in Kutch pasted a note apologising for the firm’s controversial advertisement.
PARKS &
GARDENS TO
REOPEN IN
RAJKOT
First India Bureau
Rajkot: Rajkot Mu-
nicipal Commission-
er Udit Agarwal has
announced that some
of the major parks
and gardens in the
city will be reopened
from Thursday but
with strict rules and
regulations and the
violators would face
strict action and fine.
Social distancing,
wearing masks and self-
sanitization are a must.
The gardens to reopen
include Race Course,
Aji dam, Jubilee and
theme park at Bajrang-
wadi.
He stated that in view
of the current Covid-19
situation, citizens
above the age of 65 and
children would not be
permitted in the gar-
den. The timings will be
from 6 am to 12 noon
and 3 to 7 pm.
The commissioner
has appealed to the
people to refrain from
using benches and
other equipment in-
side the park. Strict
restrictions have been
imposed on gathering
in groups or sitting
and walking in
groups.
Spitting, chewing to-
bacco and paan masala,
smoking, carrying food,
bringing pet animals,
littering and vendors
have been banned.
School parents association have asked parents not to pay fees
without proper details. —FILE PHOTO
SCARY BLAZE!
A major fire broke out at a chemical factory in the Changodar GIDC on the outskirts of
Ahmedabad on Wednesday. —PHOTO BY HANIF SINDHI
In a real-life Swades-like story,
Ramde & Bharati Khuti have
emerged as role models in not only
Beran village but also across India
The Gujarat High
Court will remain shut
from October 16 to
October 19 to enable
the municipal
corporation to carry
out complete
disinfection of the
premises.
COVID-19
UPDATE
GUJARAT
3,598
DEATHS
1,55,098
CONFIRMED CASES
RAJASTHAN
1,694 DEATHS 1,65,240 CASES
DELHI
5,898 DEATHS 3,17,548 CASES
WORLD
10,93,981
DEATHS
3,85,94,617
CONFIRMED CASES
INDIA
73,01,870
CONFIRMED CASES
1,11,272
DEATHS
MAHARASHTRA
40,859 DEATHS 15,54,389 CASES
TAMIL NADU
10,423 DEATHS 6,70,392 CASES
KARNATAKA
10,198 DEATHS 7,35,371 CASES

“Neecheaajabeti”
“UparaajaMoti…”
epliedachirpybeautiful
HemaMaliniperchedatopa
faninSeetaaurGeetato
Manorma,tothemerriment
ofall.InspiredbyRamaur
Shyam,itwasamuchbetter
filmandHemaMaliniwith
herco-starsSanjeev
Kumarand
Dharmendratotallygivesamemo-
rableentertainerinherdualrole.
SeetaaurGeetastretchesthe
truthalittle(itisaBollywood
movieafterall),intheeasyaccept-
anceofthefamilieswhenthe
twinsareswitchedbecausethe
personalitiesofbotharetotally
opposite.Awayfromthedomi-
neeringauntManorama,even
SeetablossomsandGeetaisof
coursehilariousasshestartsput-
tingthewrongstorightinher
twinsister’shome.Thesmall
scenesofhowtheuneducated
streetperformerGeetaunder-
standsvaluesandhasdepthwhen
shegivesthetijori’skeystothe
grandmother,forcesRoopesh
Kumartoapologisefor
abusingtheservantand
refusingtocount
themoney
fromthe
trustylawyerarerevealing.
Thereparteeisexcellentbe-
tweenHemaandbothSanjeevand
Dharmendrathoughthemovieis
aboutHemaMalinithroughand
through.Sheisherbeautiful
gracefulself,asbeautifulasthe
sadbedraggledSeeta,thechirpy
Geetawithheroutrageousdress
senseandthenasshechangesinto
thewellgroomedGeeta.
Well,beratemebutIloved
Manoramatoo.Nexttimeyou
watchthemovie,payattentionto
thegamutofexpressionsandgri-
macessheexcelsat!Atotalwon-
der-sheaddedmuchtothemovie
bybeingeffortlesslywickedtoher
niece,husbandandmom-in-law.
Hervoice,switchingbetweensug-
arysweettobitterpills,manner-
isms,rollingeyes,themake-up–
anabsolutetreatandaperfor-
manceofalifetime!
Sanjeevisthedebonairdoctor
whileDharmendraisthelovable
drunkruffian,thoughtheydon’t
havemuchtodoandamperfectly
finewiththat.Theyprovidegood
backuptooursword-wielding,
justiceseekingDreamGirlwho
avengeshersisterandDadi
ma.It’sHemaalltheway.
SeetaaurGeeta
spawnedawholelot
oftwinslostand
foundmovies
butonlySride-
viwithChaal-
baazcame
closetoSee-
taaur
Geeta.
ANITAHADA
anita.hada@firstindianews.com
ThisThrowback
Thursday,CityFirst
bringsyou-Seeta
aurGeeta,oneof
thebestfilmsofthe
DREAMGIRLHema
Malini,who
celebratesher
birthdaytomorrow,
on16October!
R
SEETA-GEETAAURHEMA
AHMEDABAD, THURSDAY
OCTOBER 15, 2020
www.firstindia.co.in I www.firstindia.co.in/epaper/ I twitter.com/thefirstindia
facebook.com/thefirstindia I instagram.com/thefirstindia 09

10
ETCAHMEDABAD | THURSDAY, OCTOBER 15, 2020www.firstindia.co.in I www.firstindia.co.in/epaper/ I twitter.com/thefirstindia I facebook.com/thefirstindia I instagram.com/thefirstindia
FACEOFTHEDAY
SEJAL KUMAR, Content Creator
YOUR
DAYHoroscope by
Saurabbh Sachdeva
LEO
JULY 24 - AUGUST 23
You will feel motivated
today and ready to face any
challenges. You may feel
like doing donation for an
NGO or you may involve yourself in
some charity work. On work front,
you may spend whole day solving
project related problems. Your family
member may offend you.
LIBRA
SEPT 24 - OCTOBER 22
Your new venture has
started making profits and
there is a constant inflow
of money. You may be
promoted to a higher position today
and with that your responsibilities
will increase too. Your family
supports you but it may get difficult
for them sometimes.
ARIES
MAR 21 - APR 20
There may be temporary
struggles in terms of
paying your loan payments
but that something
temporary. Your days will change
once your loan has been paid.
Prevent yourself from being a part of
any gossip to avoid any kind of
public embarrassment.
SAGITTARIUS
NOV 23 - DEC 22
If you continue to manage
your funds well than you will
sail through tough times at
ease. If you have applied for
a huge amount of loan than sit assured
it will be sanctioned. There may be a
family reunion soon after a long covid
break, keep safety your priority. Stars
seems favourable for you.
GEMINI
MAY 21 - JUNE 21
Your financial condition is
back on tracks and you are
doing fairly well. On
academic front, refrain
from cheating or being a part of
cheating when it comes to submit-
ting projects. Your spouse may take
your out for shopping after a long
break due to covid situation.
AQUARIUS
JAN 21 - FEB 19
You will be very cautious
today before spending even
a single penny. Your
decision making skills will
earn you a great reputation in office.
Your fast moving social life may come
to a halt as you need time to introspect
also it will be better for you health. You
will be able to share your true feeling.
TAURUS
APR 21 - MAY 20
Diet control is a must for
you right now to keep
diseases at a distance. You
will be able to beat your
business rivals in the game but
remember your focus should be to
win and not to see others loosing.
Your partner may propose your for
marriage.
CAPRICORN
DEC 23 - JAN 20
The best advice for you will
be to switch your job with
one that promises a better
salary and perks. Keep
away from any scandalous affair. You
may have to step out more than last
few months for business purpose,
just keep safe. You may find yourself
mentally occupied with stuff.
VIRGO
AUG 24 - SEP 23
If you wish to talk to your
boss regarding your
concern than make sure to
do it when he is in good
mood to avoid any misunderstand-
ing. You may think of writing a book
which can earn you a decent fame.
Some of you may think of opening a
online food business.
CANCER
JUNE 22 - JULY 23
You may do business
related to fitness. If your
boss is mentoring you than
you must put your blind
trust in him/her as they won’t let
your fall even if you will feel that way.
You will be able to open up with your
parents about things that you have
been hiding.
PISCES
FEB20 - MARCH 20
Today is very lucky for
jewellers as you will make
the maximum profit. On
family front, an out of
world opportunity wait in form of a
new house, you life is about to
change. You may buy a new vehicle
for a better mode of conveyance.
Take chances in life.
SCORPIO
OCT 23 - NOVEMBER 22
Today the goddess of
money showers her
blessings upon you and
you are about to become
wealthy. Today is a favourable day for
any kind of monetary transactions.
You will pamper your spouse will all
the expensive goodies as a surprise.
You may come across and old friend.
CITY FIRST
he moment fem-
inist author
Kate Jennings
took to the mi-
crophone at a
moratorium on
the front lawn
of Sydney University in
1970 is presented as a
galvanising catalyst of
Australia’s women’s
liberation movement in
Catherine Dwyer’s doc-
umentary film Brazen
Hussies.
We learn it was the
first time the paragons
of the male left had
deigned to allow a wom-
an to speak.
Her words and her
rage whipped through
the gathered crowd like
wind. The men erupted,
chanting, “You belong
on your back. You, ugly
bitch.”
Brazen Hussies does
an excellent job of con-
densing and capturing
what was a heady and
turbulent period of
consciousness raising
and revolution in Aus-
tralia.
Many of the women
featured in the film de-
scribe the sweep of sec-
ond wave feminism as
an awakening, like
coming out of a fog, a
feeling they’d been
hoodwinked into this
great con of domestici-
ty, child rearing and
menial work. And when
those realisations
kicked in, they kicked
in hard, manifesting in
anger, rage and a deter-
mined will to shake the
cage.
Feminist author Sara
Dowse explains: “For
three months I didn’t
know a single person’s
name. Because people
couldn’t be bothered
with names. We were
just women on fire.”
A DOMINO EFFECT
I was a kid in the seven-
ties. I don’t remember
seeing anything much
about the women’s lib-
eration movement on
TV but the hum of it,
the discord must have
been rippling along be-
cause all us kids felt it.
An already shaky sub-
urban world about to
crack right open, teem-
ing with unhappiness.
The introduction of
the single mother’s pen-
sion in 1973 had a dom-
ino effect. Every other
day some kid would
come to school crying
and we understood. D-
day. Divorce. Feminism
was tearing a hole
through the nuclear
family at that time be-
cause the foundations
many of those marriag-
es were built on were
illusions as Brazen
Hussies highlights. As
soon as women were
granted the means to
get out, many of them
did.
When Zelda D’Aprano
chained herself to Mel-
bourne’s Common-
wealth building in 1971,
demanding equal pay
for equal work, it was a
similar vibe. But in the
end the clothes didn’t
really matter. These
women were warriors.
Later, women started
entering male-only wa-
tering holes and taking
up posts along the bars.
The footage in Brazen
Hussies is shockingly
violent — men pushing
and hitting them and
dragging them out by
their feet or hair. Cops
loading them uncere-
moniously in paddy
wagons as they chant
slogans in defiance and
kick.
TELLING STORIES TO NEW
GENERATIONS
One of the strongest
messages in this film is
the importance of revis-
iting history, of telling
these stories to new
generations not just so
they can understand
who blazed the trails in
this country — who
fought for the equal pay,
subsidised childcare,
legislative policy for
women and abortion
rights — but so they can
continue the fight.
In the last ten min-
utes the old black and
white footage gives way
to coverage of protests
today — LGBTI rain-
bows in full swing, men
marching in solidarity
with women, toddlers
held aloft on their
shoulders — a vision
artist Suzanne Bellamy,
one of the original 70s
campaigners, says she
would never have seen
in her time. A celebra-
tion of how far we’ve
come and a warning of
just how easily every-
thing these women
fought for could be lost.
I’m reminded of the
importance of a film
like Brazen Hussies
walking back to my ho-
tel by the Brisbane riv-
er. A nondescript, mid-
dle-aged dad coming
towards me, two kids
barrelling ahead on
shiny scooters. I move
to the left and when the
kids pass me, he slows
down and I find that
odd. I nod and say “hi”.
He says, “G’day
sweetheart,” glazed
eyes running the full
length of my body —
the sweetheart, drawn
out and slow — with
just the right amount
of threat in it. A threat
that lodges somewhere
deep in my spine. I tell
him to f… off, surely,
he’s not going to retali-
ate with two kids in
tow. I sigh, and I keep
on walking.
Brazen Hussies: Capturing power of Australia’s
women’s liberation movement
T
Source: https://theconversation.
com/brazen-hussies-a-new-film-
captures-the-heady-turbulent-
power-of-australias-womens-lib-
eration-movement-147182

A
ctor-directorFarhanAkhtarshoweredloveoverhiselder
sister and filmmaker Zoya Akhtar as she turned 48 on
Wednesday. Farhan dug out a priceless throwback pic-
ture for wishing his sister on the special occasion and
posted it on Instagram. The childhood picture of the siblings
sees Farhan sleeping in the lower berth of a trolley while Zoya
is seen lying down on the upper birth with her doll.
“Happy birthday to someone who I know is al-
ways watching over me. Love you @zoieakhtar
.. wish you a great year. #siblinglove Ps: please
return the trolley now. Thanks,” the ‘Zindagi Na
Milegi Dobara,’ actor wrote in the caption. —ANI
B
eing a vocal citizen
for environment pro-
tection, actor Bhumi
Pednekar has turned
vegetarian following the
‘Climate Warrior’ initiative
that she had launched to
raise awareness about cli-
mate conservation.
The ‘Bala’ actor has
turned vegetarian and cred-
its her climate-conscious
journey for enabling her to
make this life choice! “For
many years I had the want
to go vegetarian but break-
ing habits are the toughest
thing to do. My journey with
Climate Warrior taught me
a lot of things and I just
didn’t feel like eating meat
anymore,” she said.
The acclaimed star, who
is all set to release her next
‘Durgavati’ on December 11
this year, realised that she
wanted to turn vegetarian
during the lockdown.
—ANI
essica Alba recently opened up
about her thoughts on critics
and that she doesn’t think
she’s ever received a good re-
view from a critic throughout
her career. The 39-year-old ac-
tress and Honest founder was
recently a guest on the YouTube se-
ries Hot Ones and she was asked
where she finds harsher critics, on
movie review sites or health and
beauty blogs.
“Definitely movie reviews. I
feel like a lot of movie review-
ers, maybe I’m speaking out
of turn, especially now, but
even then, they love a good
headline,” Jessica said.
“It’s all about the head-
line, it’s all about a sala-
cious headline. And for
some reason scandal
seems to prevail over you
complimenting someone.
I, for whatever reason,
have been on the other
side of the burn every
time. I don’t actually
think I’ve ever had a good
review in my entire ca-
reer, but I’m cool with
it! I’m here on Hot
Ones,” she said.
—Agency
ETCwww.firstindia.co.in I www.firstindia.co.in/epaper/ I twitter.com/thefirstindia I facebook.com/thefirstindia I instagram.com/thefirstindia AHMEDABAD | THURSDAY, OCTOBER 15, 2020
11
BUZZZ
A
nupam Kher on Wednesday
announced that he has wrapped
up shooting for his upcoming
film ‘The Last Show,’ with filmmaker
and actor Satish Kaushik. Kher posted
a monochrome picture of himself and
Kaushik on Instagram and termed the
shooting experience as “most satisfy-
ing, energising and enriching”. Kau-
shik and Kher can be seen at Bhopal’s
famous historical site Gauhar Mahal
in the picture. “It is a wrap for me and
my friend @satishkaushik2178 for
our movie #TheLastShow. It has been
the most satisfying, energising and
enriching experience to be working in
this film. Especially sharing the screen
space with the great #KaushikSaab,”
he wrote in the caption. —ANI
THE LAST SHOW
I
n 2018, Mirzapur set its foot in the web-series world with Amazon Prime
Video. It soon became the only webseries in India to have such a massive
wave of fans. Not only did the fans
rage over it, they began asking for the
release of Season 2. Tripathi shares
an interesting incident and says,”I
was shooting in Glasgow, UK for 83’
film. During the shoot people gathered
around the location and I used to think
to myself, maybe it is because they
are excited to see an Indian film shoot
happening. That crowd was not just
Indians even foreigners gathered around
and after wrapping up the shoot when I
used to get a chance to meet them, they
would only have one question to ask - Kaleen Bhaiya, when will you be back
on screen?” “I was shocked to see the massive fandom of Mirzapur that
made it’s way to the UK. While I was shooting for other projects too, crew
members and people all around still crazed out about Mirzapur.” —Agency
‘I WAS SHOCKED’
S
enorita singer Shawn Mendes
has an exciting new project!
The Lost in Japan sing-
er-songwriter and longtime manag-
er Andrew Gertler are teaming up
with Netflix for a special documen-
tary called In Wonder, set to launch
globally on the streaming service
on November 23. The debut
feature-length documentary, a TIFF
special event selection, was direct-
ed by acclaimed director Grant
Singer and promises to be
“a portrait of Mendes‘ life,
chronicling the past few
years of his rise and
journey.” —Agency
EXCITING PROJECT!
Thoughts on
CRITICS
J
Movies to
re-release
THE NEW
TATTOO
A
s movie theatres are all set to
throw open their gates for
moviegoers this week after a
seven-month-long hiatus,
some of the previously released films
including superhits like ‘Tanhaji,’
and ‘War,’ have been scheduled to re-
release in cinemas.
Film critic and trade analyst Taran
Adarsh took to Twitter to share a list
of Bollywood films that have been
scheduled for a re-release.
“As cinemas ready to reopen their
doors from this week onwards, the
list of #Hindi films scheduled for re-
release this week is OFFICIALLY an-
nounced... #Tanhaji #ShubhMan-
galZyadaSaavdhan #Malang #Kedar-
nath #Thappad More films will be
scheduled in coming days,” tweeted
Adarsh. —ANI
J
oe Jonas has been flaunting a
couple of new tattoos. Last
week, the Jonas Brothers
crooner was seen showing off
his arm tattoo in a snap shared by So-
phie Turner. Now, the singer has re-
vealed he’s got a new neck tattoo and
fansbelieveitisinspiredbythe‘Game
of Thrones’ alum. The quirky tattoo
comprises of a keyhole with a woman
peeping through the hole. The key-
hole doesn’t give a complete view of
who’s standing on the other side.
The image of Joe’s tattoo was
shared on the Instagram page of tat-
too artist NAL. Fans took to the com-
ments section to announce that it is
Sophie behind the keyhole. —Agency
A
nya Taylor-Joy
will play the
younger Furi-
osa in the
Mad Max world! The
actress is best known
for her role in M Night
Shyamalan’s psycho-
logical thriller The
Split and Glass. Now,
it has been confirmed
that she will be
headlining the
Mad Max spinoff.
Fans of the fran-
chise would be
aware that actress
Charlize Theron
played the OG Fu-
riosa in 2015 film
Fury Road. Dead-
line has confirmed
Anya’s casting in the
spinoff and also re-
vealed that
she’s not the
only new
face in the
Mad Max
world.
It has been
reported that
Thor: Love and
Thunder star Chris Hems-
worth will ride along with
Furiosa in the spinoff. Aqua-
man and Watchmen star Yahya
Abdul-Mateen II has also been
roped in for the spinoff. —Agency
YOUNGER
FURIOSA
BHUMI
TURNS
VEGETARIAN
Jessica Alba
...her post
Sophie Turner & Joe Jonas
Bhumi Pednekar
Anya Taylor-Joy
Satish Kaushik & Anupam Kher
Shawn Mendes
Pankaj Tripathi
PRICELESS WISH
Farhan Akhtar’s post

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