First india ahmedabad edition-17 august 2020

Monsoon Session of Parl: Houses to
function in morning & evening shifts
New Delhi: Hectic
preparations are under-
way for the Monsoon
Session of Parliament
with several first-time
measures in view of the
COVID-19 pandemic
such as staggered sit-
ting of Lok Sabha and
Rajya Sabha and use of
both chambers and gal-
leries to accommodate
members while follow-
ing physical distancing
norms, officials said.
The Monsoon Ses-
sion is likely to begin in
the last week of August
or early September.
While both Houses
usually function simul-
taneously, this time due
to extraordinary cir-
cumstances, one House
will sit during morning
hours and the other in
evening, sources say.
Rajya Sabha will
have additional instal-
lations – large display
screens, audio consoles
in the galleries, ultra-
violet germicidal irra-
diation, special cables
connecting the two
Houses for transmis-
sion of audio-visual sig-
nal – inside the cham-
ber and in the galleries
According to the Ra-
jya Sabha Secretariat,
members of the Upper
House Turn to P6
Rains hit Gujarat with a vengeance, NDRF teams on stand-by
Gargi Raval
Ahmedabad: People,
cattle, crops, vehicles,
stray animals -- al-
most everything fell
victim to the continu-
ing fury of rains in
Gujarat on Sunday.
As many as 18 peo-
ple drowned at differ-
ent places in the State
with one of them re-
ported death and two
others missing. At
least 20 villages were
marooned while 12 vil-
lages in the forest dis-
trict of Dangs have lost
all communication to
the outside world.
Five people were
drowned in Dhrab of
Kutch, where 4 were
rescued while 1 person
was missing. In Gande-
vi in Navsari district, a
boat carrying 5 people
turned turtle and 3 of
them were rescued. One
body was found later on
while another person
was still missing.
In Kaprada, 5 people
were swept away when
they were out with their
cattle, while three oth-
ers were reported miss-
ing in Mundra.
Farmers reported ex-
tensive damage to the
cash crops of ground-
nut and cotton.
There is a flood-like
situation in Kutch,
Surendranagar, South
Gujarat, including Su-
rat, Vadodara, and some
parts of Saurashtra.
Many crocodiles were
found in low-lying areas
near Vadodara and
Vishwamitri river.
According to the In-
dia Meteorological
Department, there is
a favourable monsoon
condition in Gujarat.
“The state is very like-
ly to experience an ac-
tive wet spell from
August 16 to August
21. A red warning has
been issued for Anand
district,” the IMD bul-
letin stated.
It stated that there
was major damage to
kutcha roads due to in-
undation, severe traffic
disruptions and water-
logging in underpass
areas of some cities.
The bulletin also in-
formed about road ac-
cidents because of low
visibility following
heavy downpour.
Mandvi and Mundra
in Kutch district re-
ceived the highest rain-
fall of 133 mm and 132
mm respectively in the
last 12 hours. In all, 158
talukasreceivedrainfall.
According to the
State Emergency Op-
eration Centre, Guja-
rat has received 641.76
mm rainfall, which is
77.23% of its annual
average till August 16.
IMD EXPECTS HEAVY RAINS FOR
5 MORE DAYS TILL AUGUST 21
An autorickshaw powering through a waterlogged road in Ahmedabad on Sunday.
CORONA
ALERT
AHMEDABAD l MONDAY, AUGUST 17, 2020 l Pages 12 l 3.00 RNI NO. GUJENG/2019/16208 l Vol 1 l Issue No. 261
26°C - 32°C
OUR EDITIONS:
JAIPUR & AHMEDABAD
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COVID-19
UPDATE
GUJARAT
2,787
DEATHS
78,783
CONFIRMED CASES
KARNATAKA
3,956 DEATHS 2,26,966 CASES
RAJASTHAN
876 DEATHS 61,296 CASES
INDIA
26,46,583
CONFIRMED CASES
51,025
DEATHS
MAHARASHTRA
20,037 DEATHS 5,95,865 CASES
TAMIL NADU
DELHI
WORLD
7,71,005
DEATHS
2,17,24,732
CONFIRMED CASES
—PHOTO BY HANIF SINDHI
WELCOME AJAY MAKEN!Aditi Nagar
New Delhi: Nearly a
week since the Con-
gress high command
brought rebel leader
Sachin Pilot back in
Congress’s fold, the
high command appoint-
ed Ajay Maken as the
new incharge for Ra-
jasthan in place of Avi-
nash Pande. Welcom-
ing the move, Pilot
tweeted on Sunday
evening, “Congratula-
tions to Ajay maken ji
for being appointed Ra-
jasthan incharge. Your
appointment will cer-
tainly boost the morale
of Rajasthan Congress
party workers. With
hopes of a bright fu-
ture, I welcome Ajay
Maken ji to the land of
valour - Rajasthan.”
Who is Ajay Maken?
The new general secre-
tary incharge Maken
has also been an old
Gandhi family trusted
person, who was given
key responsibilities dur-
ing his 35-year-long po-
litical career in national
capital. Presently, Mak-
en is considered as one
of the key figure in Ra-
hul Gandi team. TurntoP6
Ajay Maken
NARENDRA MODI
@NARENDRAMODI
Tributes to beloved Atal Ji on
his Punya Tithi. India will always
remember his outstanding service and
efforts towards our nation’s progress.
AMIT SHAH @AMITSHAH
Bharat Ratna Shri Atal Bihari Vajpayee ji was the voice
of patriotism and Indian culture. He was a dedicated
politician as well as a skilled organiser who played an
important role in the foundation and growth of the BJP
and inspired millions of workers to serve the country.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi pays tribute to former PM Atal
Bihari Vajpayee on his second death anniversary, at Sadaiv Atal
in New Delhi on Sunday. —PHOTO BY PTI MORE ON P5
India
remembers
ATAL
MSD
HANGS
BOOTSConsider me retired, says
Dhoni while calls it quits
New Delhi: Two-time
World Cup-winning
former India captain
Mahendra Singh Dho-
niretiredfrominterna-
tional cricket on Satur-
day, ending over one
year of suspense and
also an era during
which his often unor-
thodox leadership and
finishing skills became
the stuff of legends.
The 39-year-old will,
however, compete in
this year’s IPL, which
gets underway in the
UAE from September
19 after being moved
out of India due to the
COVID-19 pandemic.
“Thanks a lot for ur
love and support
throughout. from
1929hrs consider me as
retired,” Dhoni posted
on his instagram han-
dle.Theannouncement
came a day after he
joined his Chennai Su-
perKingsteammatesat
the side’s Turn to P6
Chetan Chauhan
succumbs to COVID
New Delhi: Former India open-
er and UP minister Chetan
Chauhan died on Sunday due to
COVID-19 related complications
after being put on life support
for nearly 36 hours, his brother
Pushpendra Chauhan said.
Chauhan, who played 40
Tests for India, was 73 and is
survived by his wife and son
Vinayak.
PM Narendra
Modi while expressing grief
over the demise of Chauhan
tweeted, “Shri Chetan Chau-
han Ji distinguished himself as
a wonderful cricketer and later
as a diligent political leader. He
made effective contributions to
public service and strengthen-
ing the BJP in UP. Anguished by
his passing away. Condolences
to his family and supporters.
Om Shanti. Turn to P6JULY 1947 TO AUGUST 2020

NEWSAHMEDABAD | MONDAY, AUGUST 17, 2020
02www.firstindia.co.in I www.firstindia.co.in/epaper/ I twitter.com/thefirstindia I facebook.com/thefirstindia I instagram.com/thefirstindia
The 74th Independence Day celebrations in the state this year were low-key affairs with flag hoisting ceremonies organized at the Swarnim Park in Gandhinagar, the Governor’s House, Mehsana Police Ground, Gujarat Pradesh Congress Committee office in Ahmedabad,
AMC’s Riverfront office and the SGVP Gurukul on Saturday. Chief Minister Vijay Rupani felicitated corona warriors at the event in the capital city accompanied by State Chief Secretary Anil Mukim and DGP Ashish Bhatia. Deputy Chief Minister Nitin Patel unfurled the flag in
Mehsana, Governor Devvrat Acharya at Raj Bhavan and Ahmedabad mayor Bijal Patel heralded the service at AMC. Priests of the SGVP Gurukul also conducted a small ceremony to mark the nation’s independence. —PHOTOS BY HANIF SINDHI
Marking India’s 74th
INDEPENDENCE DAY
State will lead
nation in National
Digital Health
Mission: Rupani
STATE CLAIMS OVER 11L CONTACT
TRACED FOR nCOV SINCE MARCH
First India Bureau
Gandhinagar: On the
occasion of the 74th
Independence Day,
Chief Minister Vijay
Rupani addressed the
state after a flag hoist-
ing ceremony in Gan-
dhinagar on Saturday.
He said, “The state is
far ahead than other
states when it comes
to using the digital
world to its advan-
tage. The field of tel-
emedicine (caring for
patients remotely
without being physi-
cally present) and on-
line teaching are bril-
liant examples of the
same. The state will
also lead the nation in
the implementation
of the National Digi-
tal Health Mission
and achieve good re-
sults.”
Rupani was accompa-
nied by State Chief Sec-
retary Anil Mukim, Di-
rector General of Police
(DGP) Ashish Bhatia
and Additional Chief
Secretary (Home) Sang-
eeta Singh. Meanwhile,
K Kailashnathan, Chief
Principal Secretary to
the Chief Minister
hoisted the flag at the
Civil Hospital premises
in Ahmedabad.
The chief minister
also acknowledged oth-
er benchmarks such as
Foreign Direct Invest-
ment (FDI), which has
increasedby240%inthe
state, increment in in-
vestment for manufac-
turing and service sec-
tors, more job opportu-
nities, 3.4% unemploy-
ment rate in the state.
CM Rupani facili-
tated corona warriors
for their work on the
frontlines including
Dr Pankaj Shah, Dr
Tejas Patel, Dr RK Pa-
tel, Dr Dilip Mav-
lankar, Dr VN Shah,
Dr Atul Patel, Dr Ami
Parikh, Dr Mahershi
Desai and Dr Tushar
Patel. Other people
who were also hon-
oured were Dr Kar-
tikey Parmar, Bar-
doli’s Community
Health Officer Pinky
Christi, Surendrana-
gar-based nurse Joyos
Christian and
Ahmedabad’s Sani-
tary Inspector Jaimin
Barot.
First India Bureau
Ahmedabad: In re-
sponse to the queries
posed by the state
high court regarding
the suo motu of nov-
el coronavirus, the
state government
claimed to have
stringently followed
the contact testing
protocol over the
past five months.
The government
stated that the proto-
col included identifi-
cation and testing of
people who had come
in contact with COV-
ID-19 positive pa-
tients. It claimed to
have implemented
the contact testing
protocol on over
11,14,743 people
since March till Au-
gust 12. Of these,
around 2,62,384 were
recognized as high-
risk contacts and
were tested for the
virus.
A principal bench
comprising Chief Jus-
tice Vikram Nath and
Justice JB Pardiwala,
which has been hear-
ing the suo motu and
all nCov-related public
interest litigations
(PILs), had raised que-
ries regarding the nov-
el coronavirus situa-
tion in the state on July
24. The bench had
asked the state to sub-
mit a response about
the COVID-19 situation
in Surat and also a lack
of testing laboratories
in 11 districts.
In its reply, the
government stated,
“It may be noted that
as far as the RT-PCR
tests are concerned,
currently either RT-
PCR or CBNAAT/
TrueNAt (equivalent
to RT-PCR) testing
laboratories have
been made available
for every district.”
It added, “In the
month of February, the
state had two COVID-19
testing laboratories,
with one each at Jam-
nagar and Ahmedabad.
Today, there are 59 labs
across the state, of
which 36 are govern-
ment laboratories and
23 are private.”
The government
also submitted that
over 5,393 health
teams across the
state have been
screening nearly 5.6
lakh people every
day. Around 5,000 lo-
cal volunteers have
also been pressed
into service in urban
areas to help facili-
tate COVID-19 relief
efforts.
As part of preven-
tive measures for novel
coronavirus, the state
government also de-
ployed 1,604 Dhan-
vantri Raths across the
state that benefited
over 55,46,952 people.
Over 11,625 people had
been referred to hospi-
tals for further medical
care by the Raths till
August 12.
In reference to the
worsening nCov situ-
ation in Surat, the
state claimed that all
medical facilities
and equipment had
been deployed to the
district whenever re-
quired. As per data,
adequate supply of
medicines and injec-
tions was provided to
the New Civil Hospi-
tal Surat (NCHS) in-
cluding 553 amps of
400 mg Tocilizumab,
85 amps of 80 mg To-
cilizumab, 1,660
amps of Ramdesivir
injections and
1,90,400 Faviparivar
tablets. The state
claimed that the re-
covery rate of nCov
patients in Surat was
77.6% and till Au-
gust 12, NCHS had
transferred 2,917 pa-
tients and sent 200
people to stay at
home under isola-
tion.
People await their turn to undergo COVID-19 testing at a camp set up near Vataman Crossroad in Ahmedabad. According to the
government, over 5,393 health teams across the state have been screening nearly 5.6 lakh people every day.
In reply to HC, govt says that Surat provided with all medical facilities to combat the virus
BED CAPACITY
AVAILABILITY OF VENTILATORS
DAILY USAGE
BEDS WITH OXYGEN FACILITY
MANPOWER AT CIVIL HOSPITAL
New Civil Hospital Surat (NCHS) 1,150 beds
Dedicated for novel coronavirus 500 beds
Reserved for health workers 16 rooms
For non-nCov admissions 450 beds
For COVID-19, 52 were dedicated out of 72
State added 420 ventilators
New Civil Hospital 492 ventilators
SMIMER 113 ventilators
Private hospitals 135 ventilators
PPE kits
2,100
N-95 masks
2,345
Surgical gloves
4,500
NCHS - 258 beds
NCHS (New building) -
525 beds with upgrad-
ed oxygen points
13 kilolitre oxygen tank
in old building premises
Super Specialty Hospi-
tal under Pradhan Man-
tri Swasthya Suraksha
Yojana (PMSSY) - 800
beds
First phase
80
beds
Second phase
120
beds added
Third phase
296
beds added
 One ward boy for five
beds in the ICU
 One nurse per two
beds in the ICU
 12 ECG technicians
 137 interns
 Resident doctors
(376) + 45 (on depu-
tation)
 Faculty members - 270
MEDICAL FACILITIES FOR COVID-19 IN SURAT
CM Rupani being received by State Chief Secy Anil Mukim and
DGP Ashish Bhatia at the flag hoisting venue.
NUMBER OF ICU BEDS
The chief minister was
speaking at the 74th
Independence Day flag
hoisting ceremony on
Saturday
GUIDING THE WAY

GUJARATAHMEDABAD | MONDAY, AUGUST 17, 2020
First India Bureau
Ahmedabad: In a
breakthrough towards
understanding novel
coronavirus, research-
ers claim to have found
the first evidence of
non-infectious COV-
ID-19 genes in wastewa-
ter. The academicians
emphasized on the need
to introduce wastewa-
ter-based surveillance
across the country to
detect, monitor and con-
trol the spread of COV-
ID-19 as well as identify-
ing potential hotspots
prior to clinical diagno-
sis.
Researchers from the
Indian Institute of Tech-
nology (IIT), Gandhina-
gar, the Gujarat Pollu-
tion Control Board
(GPCB), and the Gujarat
BiotechnologyResearch
Centre have found evi-
dence of COVID-19
genes in sewage, after
conducting a study of
samples collected on
May 8 and May 27 from
the Old Pirana Waste
Water Treatment Plant
(WWTP)inAhmedabad.
The plant receives efflu-
ent from the Civil Hospi-
tal which has been treat-
ing COVID-19 patients.
“All three including
the ORF1ab, N and S
genes of Sars-CoV-2,
were found in the influ-
ent with no genes de-
tected in the effluent col-
lected May 8 and 27. An
increase in Sars-CoV-2
genetic loading in the
wastewater samples col-
lected between that du-
ration concurred with a
corresponding increase
in the number of active
COVID-19 patients in
the city,” stated the
study, which was pub-
lished in an Internation-
al Journal for Scientific
Research into the Envi-
ronment and its Rela-
tionship with Human-
kind.
“However, temporal
changes in Sars-CoV-2
RNA concentrations
need to be substantiated
further from the per-
spectives of daily and
short-term changes of
Sars-CoV-2 in wastewa-
ter through long-term
monitoring,” added the
study.
The results of the
study may potentially
assist concerned au-
thorities and policy-
makers to formulate
and/or upgrade COV-
ID-19 surveillance and
have a more explicit pic-
ture of the pandemic
curve. While the infec-
tivity of Sars-CoV-2
through the excreted
viral genetic material in
the aquatic environ-
ment is still being de-
bated, the presence and
detection of genes in
wastewater systems
make a strong case for
the environmental sur-
veillance of the COV-
ID-19 pandemic.
“Our results demon-
strated that a conven-
tional treatment plant is
capable of removing
genetic materials of
Sars-CoV-2, however,
there may not be the
complete elimination,”
the study stated.
3 non-infectious genes of Sars-CoV-2 found in wastewater
GROUNDBREAKING DISCOVERY
 Researchers believe the study could aid
with prediction of the pandemic curve
Samples were collected from the Old PiranaWastewaterTreatment
Plant in Ahmedabad between May 8 and 27.
In the past 24 hours, the state tested 50,560 samples, of which 1,120 were infected with the virus
First India Bureau
Gandhinagar: The
number of novel coro-
navirus cases in the
Suarashtra region has
seen a surge lately
with more cases being
reported in Rajkot,
Bhavnagar and Jam-
nagar. But, the most
worrying development
has emerged in the Ra-
jkot Central Jail,
where 23 inmates have
tested positive for the
virus. “Rapid antigen
tests were conducted
on 94 inmates and 23
of them, including un-
dertrials and convicts,
tested positive on Sat-
urday night,” said
Banno Joshi, jail su-
perintendent.
“The infected in-
mates are asymptomat-
ic and have been isolat-
ed. We are in the process
of getting them hospi-
talized,” said Joshi.
There are a total of 1,386
inmates in the Rajkot
Central Jail as on date.
Earlier, 11 inmates
had tested positive for
coronavirus on various
occasions. With this, the
total number of COV-
ID-19 cases in the jail
has gone up to 34, an of-
ficial said. The jail au-
thorities with the assis-
tance of the local health
team have started test-
ing other inmates in the
prison.
BJP MLA Nimaben
Acharya from Anjar
town in Kutch district
tested positive for novel
coronavirus through a
rapid antigen test.
In the past 24 hours,
the state has tested
50,560samples,of which
1,120 have tested posi-
tive. As on Sunday, there
are 14,500 active cases in
the state, of which 82
are ventilator support
and 14,418 patients are
in stable condition.
The highest number
of cases was reported in
Surat (228), of which,
159 were from the city
and 69 from rural areas.
Meanwhile, Vadodara
tested 1,119 samples and
108 people tested posi-
tive for the virus. Other
cases reported in the
state were from
Ahmedabad (164), Ra-
jkot (99), Jamnagar (58),
Panchmahal (45),
Bhavnagar (380), Juna-
gadh (34), Kutch (31),
Bharuch (30), Dahod
(26) and Amreli (25).
23 inmates test positve for
nCov in Rajkot Central Jail
A health worker collects a swab sample from a man at a COVID-19 testing centre in Ahmedabad.
—PHOTO BY HANIF SINDHI
DEATH REVIEW
Higher demand boosts
import of edible oilFirst India Bureau
Ahmedabad: After
registering a lull in
demand for almost
four months, the edi-
ble oil sector saw an
upward trend in the
domestic market last
month. As a result,
there has been an in-
crease in the import
of edible oil in the
country as well as
stock in the oil pipe-
line.
The Solvent Extrac-
tors’ Association of In-
dia in a press statement
stated, “During the pe-
riod of April and May,
2020, the demand in ed-
ible oil had depleted
and so the imports were
down, that seems to be
past and now demands
are slowly improving
which is the reason im-
ports are seeing
growth.”
In July, the nation
imported over
15,17,350 tonne of ed-
ible oil, which is 13%
higher than the im-
port of 13,47,882
tonne in July 2019.
The imports recorded
in July this year have
been the highest in
the last 11 months.
The breakdown of
the total import quan-
tity includes the palm
oil variant- which ac-
counts for almost 60%
of the total share-
crude palm oil and
crude palm kernel
oil. The total import
quantity of the palm
oil variant in the
month of July was
8,24,078 tonne, which
is 50% higher than
the import of July
2019.
Also, the soybean im-
ports have seen a 52%
increment as compared
to July last year, with
4,84,535 tonne of import
quantity last month.
The sunflower oil vari-
ant saw a marginal
growth of just two per-
cent, accounting for
2,08,747 tonne in July
2020.
The sea ports too re-
ported a good stock of
edible oil, and as on Au-
gust 01, the total edible
oil stock at various sea
ports in the country
was recorded to be
7,65,000 tonne. Crude
palm oil, bleached, deo-
dorized and refined
palm oil account for 4.15
lakh tonne, with the
rest of the stock divided
between soybean and
sunflower oils.
India imported over 15 lakh tonne of edible oil last month.
People must act to sustain liberal democratic
values of India, says retired judge AP Shah
Group of 16 ‘heroic’ swimmers help trapped Surtis
Gargi Raval
Ahmedabad: The in-
augural session of
the virtual ‘Janta
Parliament’ saw
more than 2,000 par-
ticipants joining it
on an online plat-
form. The forum was
addressed by Justice
AP Shah (retired
from Delhi High
Court), who ex-
pressed a strong de-
sire that people in
the country must
raise voice to sustain
the idea of liberal
democratic values of
India. “We are sys-
temically moving to-
wards elected autoc-
racy, in lieu of run-
ning of the houses,”
he said.
Shah compared In-
dia to other countries
where the parliaments
were functioning vir-
tually or with fewer
people in attendance.
He termed the Indian
parliament as a ‘ghost
town’. In support of his
query at the lack of
parliamentary ses-
sions being conducted,
Shah stated that the
Parliament had re-
mained in session even
during wars and terror
attacks.
“It is not that the
Parliament cannot
function. If the joint
parliamentary com-
mittee can meet and
decide to reduce the
salary of MPs by
30%, then the Parlia-
ment must meet to
perform its duty and
provide a platform to
the elected represent-
atives of the coun-
try,” he remarked.
Shah further said
that the various arms
of the state had differ-
ent kinds of roles to
play. “The constituent
assembly with their ex-
perience of colonial
India had a deep mis-
trust of the executive’s
autocracy. They be-
lieved more on the
sanctity of the legisla-
tor as a protector of
people’s rights. The ac-
tions are subject to
scrutiny on a daily and
periodic basis in Par-
liament,” he asserted.
It is to be noted
that the Budget Ses-
sion of the Parlia-
ment began on Janu-
ary 31, 2020 - a day
after the World
Health Organization
(WHO) declared COV-
ID-19 pandemic as a
health emergency of
international con-
cern. But, the Parlia-
ment has remained
sine die since March
24, due to the COV-
ID-19 pandemic.
First India Bureau
Surat: Displaying an
arsenal of selfless
service, courage and
compassion, a group
of 16 swimmers from
Surat has been help-
ing the local fire de-
partment of the Surat
Municipal Corpora-
tion (SMC) to rescue
people trapped in
flood water.
Heavy rainfall lashed
the city in the last five
days due to which many
areas were flooded, dis-
rupting the lives of peo-
ple living in low-lying
areas. With rescue op-
erations very challeng-
ing in such conditions,
the group has been as-
sisting the fire brigade
for the past two decades.
An all-men group, it is
comprised of local resi-
dents aged 36 years to 65
years.
The swimmers, who
practice their swim-
ming skills in the Tapi
River, cover a distance
of 10 km daily. The
group has also partici-
pated in several swim-
ming competitions
across the country.
Talking to First In-
dia, one of the group
members Chetan Bo-
rad said, “We are
swimmers who be-
long to different pro-
fessional back-
grounds and have
been active in the city
for a long time. All we
seek is to help the lo-
cal administration
and people stuck in
emergency situa-
tions. As many areas
of the city have been
flooded, we have made
ourselves available to
rescue people and
take them to a safer
place.”
Apart from rescue
missions, the members
of the group also pro-
vide assistance to save
people who jump in the
Tapi River.
HEAVY RAINFALL DROWNS STATE
Keeping with the weather
forecast, the state
received heavy showers
over the past couple of
days, which left several
regions inundated.
A GSRTC bus stuck
in deepwater on the
underbridge connecting
Gondal and Umrala was
pulled out by people using
a rope. In Fadsar village of
Morbi district, a National
Disaster Response Force
(NDRF) team rescued
villagers which turned
into an island of sorts
owing to heavy rainfall.
The Surat Fire Department
team evacuated people
from low-lying areas in
the diamond city which
witnessed waterlogging
on Saturday. In
Ahmedabad, people were
seen going about their
day despite continual
showers.
—PHOTOS BY HANIF SINDHI
The former Delhi HC
justice spoke at the
maiden session of the
virtual ‘Janta
Parliament’
They have been
helping the local fire
dept with rescue
operations

G Vol 1 G Issue No. 261 G RNI NO. GUJENG/2019/16208. Printed and published by Anita Hada Sangwan on behalf of First Express Publishers. Printed at Bhaskar Printing Planet Survey No.148P, Changodar-Bavla Highway, Tal. Sanand, Dist. Ahmedabad.
Published at D/302 3rd Floor Plot No. 35 Titanium Square, Scheme No. 2, Thaltej Taluka, Ghatlodiya, Ahmedabad. Editor: Jagdeesh Chandra, responsible for selection of news under the PRB Act
PERSPECTIVEAHMEDABAD | MONDAY, AUGUST 17, 2020
CAPTAIN COOL WALKS
INTO THE SUNSET
A YEAR WORSE THAN
2020? LET’S HOPE NOT
ahendra Singh Dhoni, or Mahi as
we all know him, set the cricket-
ing world abuzz with an Insta-
gram post announcing his retire-
ment from “1929 hours” on Satur-
day. His fans were disappointed. They wanted
to see him lead Chennai Super Kings for his
last hurrah in the UAE edition of the Indian
Premier League. Till now he kept everyone
guessing about his future plans. Early this
year, Ravi Shastri, the head coach, had said
that Dhoni could end his career in one-day
internationals but could be a contender for a
place in the T-20 squad provided he does well
in the IPL. But Dhoni kept his plans under
the wraps.
Then in January the Board of Control for
Cricket in India dropped MSD from its an-
nual contract list. The reason given was that
Captain Cool had not played any competitive
game after India’s loss to New Zealand in the
World Cup semi-final in 2019. He was not part
of the team’s series against West Indies,
South Africa, Bangladesh and Australia.
Clearly, the writing was on the wall.
From a ticket collector in Ranchi to being
among India’s best captains, it’s been an in-
spiring journey. Dhoni was an antithesis of
Saurav Ganguly, who brought a lot of ma-
chismo on the field. Calm personified, Mahi
brought excitement with his helicopter shots
to win matches on the last ball of the game.
He is ranked among the best wicket-keepers
and one of the fastest runners between the
wickets. Not that one can go on playing in-
definitely, but so far the team has not found
his replacement.
o say that the prevailing pandemic
has derailed normal life is stating
the obvious. It has proved to be the
biggest disrupter of this century.
Social life, education, sporting ac-
tivities, and festivals, all have taken a hit. On
one hand, Delhi is claiming 90 per cent recover-
iesandontheotherIndiaissaidtohavebecome
the global epicentre of the pandemic beating
Brazil and the US with consistently. India’s
seven-dayaverageof dailycaseshasbeenhigh-
erthanthetwoabove-mentionedcountries.Ac-
cordingtoJohnsHopkinsUniversityCentrefor
Systems Science and Engineering, on August
11, the weekly average of new Covid-19 cases
was 60,000 daily, well ahead of US and Brazil.
Evenwhencountrywasnotanepicentre,the
pandemic had snatched away precious lives.
Holi was played under the shadow of it. Then
world’s toughest lockdown happened. The
three-month long phase took a toll on Eid,
Bakrid,JanmashtamiandRakshabandhanfes-
tivities in the north and Hornbill festival in the
north-east. Independence Day also could not be
celebrated with its usual gusto. If trend contin-
ues, then Ganesh Chaturthi, Muharram and
Durga Puja celebrations will also be subdued.
Bythetimepandemicends,childrenmayforget
the joys of festivals and outdoors.Indeed, can
there be a year worse than this? Let’s hope not.
IN-DEPTH
M
T
he Rajapaksa family dominates
the thirty eight member Sri
Lankan cabinet. Of the three
Rajapaksa brothers, Gotabaya
Rajapaksa is President and at
the same time Minister of De-
fence. Mahinda Rajapaksa is
Prime Minister. Their elder
brother, Chamal Rajapaksa is
Minister for Irrigation. The
Prime Minister’s son, Namal
Rajapaksa is minister for
sports. His cousin Shasheendra
son of the Irrigation minister is
a junior minister for High Tech-
nical Agriculture. This is un-
precedented in any democratic
country. The Rajapaksas have
out done the Nehru-Gandhis.
Prime Minister Mahinda
Rajapaksa is a close friend
of Subramanian Swami. In
his earlier term the Sri Lan-
kan Prime Minister had tilt-
ed towards The People Re-
public of China. Let us see
what he does this time. He
will, without doubt, go down
in history for totally finish-
ing of the LTTE.
One thing is clear, the Anil
Wickremsinghes and the
Bandaranaikes are now, it
seems, history.
If I am not mistaken, Prime
Minister Modi is yet to visit Sri
Lanka. If I am wrong I shall
correct myself. Of all our
neighbours, the strategic im-
portance of Sri Lanka cannot
be exaggerated.
The political farce in Ra-
jasthan seems to be over.
Ashok Gehlot is an old and
astute political war horse,
with his feet firmly on the
ground. He has asked his
MLAs to forget and forgive.
His manner of receiving
Sachin Pilot and being pho-
tographed with him displays
high class public relations
expertise.
The loser is the likeable
Sachin Pilot. He showed poor
judgement, over confidence
and lack of patience. Why was
he in such a hurry. He has time
on his side. He should have
learnt from his father how to
play the political game and
when to strike. Had he lived,
he would have given the Gandhi
trio a run for their money.
Sachin Pilot, if I may say
so should now lie low, stop
giving interviews. A period
of silence on his part would
do him no harm.
Senator Kamala Harris is an
Afro-American and not an Indo-
American. I am quoting her. Of
course she has India blood
from her mother. Her father
was Jamaican. Hence the In-
dianness is diluted. All this
however is neither here or
there. She is the running mate
of DemocraticPresidentialcan-
didate Joe Biden. If he is elected
she will be Vice-President.
Her electoral record is
more than impressive. She
was a reformist, forceful At-
torney General of Califor-
nia-2011-2017. Her attempt
to run for President in 2016
failed. She ran out of funds.
The Indian media has gone
overboard. She is not an Indo-
phile. That is clear from her ob-
servation on our Kashmir poli-
cy. She has been critical of the
Modi government’s decision to
do away with article 370 of the
Constitution. She is fifty five
years of age and photogenic.
President Trump unwise-
ly called her “nasty” and
other unflattering names.
The very next day Kamala
Harris responded, calling
Trump incompetent and a
divisive man, unfit to occupy
the White House.
Pranab Mukerjee is fighting
for his life. He is among our
most respected politicians,
with vast experience. He is the
only member of Parliament
who has been Finance Minister
(aged 42), Defence Minister and
External Affairs minister. The
last time I saw him, he said to
me, “Natwar Singhji, the great-
est mistake of my life has been
to become President. I am a
public man, used to meeting
hundreds of people every day.
The Rashtrapati Bhawan im-
prisoned me. I missed meeting
Congress workers, Parliament
and much else.”
Also, I was deeply distressed
to learn of Sanju Dutt’s serious
illness. I have known him since
he was a teenager. His parents-
Sunil Dutt and Nargis Dutt
were among my closest friends.
I wish Sanju all the best of
luck and a rapid recovery.
THE VIEWS EXPRESSED BY
THE AUTHOR ARE PERSONAL
AS I PLEASE
T
If I am not
mistaken,
Prime Minister
Modi is yet to
visit Sri Lanka.
If I am wrong I
shall correct
myself. Of all
our neighbours,
the strategic
importance of
Sri Lanka
cannot be
exaggerated
I read Sonia Gandhi’s
article in The Hindu of
Thursday 13th. The
subject she chose is
intricate. Did she
really pen it herself or
did the highly learned
Jairam Ramesh held
her hand. Let me, out
of a sense of loyalty
of days gone by give
the benefit of doubt to
Sonia.
rench philoso-
pher Voltaire
f a m o u s l y
quipped: “If
God did not ex-
ist, it would be necessary
to invent him.” Something
similar can be said of
modern monetary theory,
also known as MMT, be-
cause it may be the econo-
my’s only hope to get
through the pandemic.
Coined by Australian
economist Bill Mitchell
and popularized recently
by Democrats like Rep. Al-
exandria Ocasio-Cortez to
fund programs such as the
Green New Deal, MMT
holds that a country with
its own currency can
spend almost unlimited
sums of money. While gov-
ernment spending is nor-
mally financed by either
taxes or borrowing, MMT
suggests that governments
can also do this by simply
creating money.
I’m currently working
on a book chapter that ex-
amines various economic
theories about govern-
ment debt, including
MMT. I believe this theory
is now being put to the test
as the U.S. and other coun-
tries spend unprecedented
amounts of money to aid
companies, workers and
their citizens during the
coronavirus pandemic.
UNPRECEDENTED
SPENDING
There is little doubt that
the world faces enormous
economic problems.
The situation in the U.S.
is already worse than at
any time since the Great
Depression, with millions
unemployed and tens of
thousands of businesses
filing for bankruptcy.
The U.S. government
has already spent about
US$3 trillion seeking to
mitigate the damage. As a
result, the federal govern-
ment deficit for this fiscal
year will be far greater
than any since World War
II. And the government is
expected to add $1 trillion
to $3.5 trillion more red
ink, assuming lawmakers
agree to another relief bill.
All this spending helps
prop up industries such as
beleaguered airlines,
keeps small businesses
afloat and supports Amer-
icans who have lost jobs or
incomes. The U.S. is hard-
ly the only country throw-
ing money at the coronavi-
rus recession. Most devel-
oped nations are increas-
ing government spending
and debt levels to prop up
their economies.
MMT TO THE RESCUE
A big concern, however, is
whether countries can af-
ford all this spending.
Traditionally, econo-
mists have argued that
higher spending today
means taxes will have to
go up to pay for it. This
outcome can be put off, for
a time, by borrowing mon-
ey from investors.
Both options have risks.
Higher taxes hurt consum-
er and business spending.
And increased borrowing
can lead to rising interest
rates, which raises costs
for consumers and busi-
nesses. Both end up hurt-
ing economic growth,
which is why some are ar-
guing the U.S. can’t afford
to spend more money
fighting the coronavirus
recession.
MMT dismisses this rea-
soning and argues curren-
cy-issuing countries like
the U.S. have a third op-
tion: Make money out of
thin air.
In a bare-bones version
of MMT, the Treasury De-
partment borrows from
investors to finance spend-
ing, as it usually does, but
then the Federal Reserve
buys a significant share of
that debt, depositing funds
in the government’s check-
ing account and creating
money in the process.
FOR FULL REPORT LOG ON TO
WWW.THECONVERSATION.COM
Corona spending testing economic theory
F
Traditionally,
economists have
argued that higher
spending today
means taxes will
have to go up to
pay for it
Put away from you
crooked speech, and put
devious talk far from you.
—Proverbs 4:24
Spiritual
SPEAK
Top
TWEET
Dharmendra Pradhan
@dpradhanbjp
Breaking social taboos to raise issues
of health and hygiene for a healthier
and empowered India is a topic close
to PM Shri @narendramodi ji’s heart.
From Sauchalaya in 2015 to Sanitary
Pads in 2020, PM Modi is paving
a path to a salubrious future for a
#NewIndia.
Piyush Goyal @PiyushGoyal
Keeping Wheels of Trade Rolling:
Railways makes strides towards
fast & economical freight transport.
Speed of freight trains doubled,
whereas Loading increased by
8% in month of August, with a
phenomenal growth of 10% on
15th August, as compared to same
period last year.
K NATWAR
SINGH
The author is Former Minister
of External Affairs of India
Mahinda Rajapaksa with Gotabaya Rajapaksa

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INDIAAHMEDABAD | MONDAY, AUGUST 17, 2020
New Delhi: Home Min-
ister Amit Shah paid
tribute to former Prime
Minister Atal Bihari
Vajpayee on his second
death anniversary on
Sunday.
Shah posted the trib-
ute on Twitter in Hindi
which roughly trans-
lates to, “Bharat Ratna
Shri Atal Bihari Vaj-
payee ji was the voice
of patriotism and In-
dian culture. He was a
dedicated politician as
well as a skilled organ-
iser who played an im-
portant role in the
foundation and growth
of the BJP and inspired
millions of workers to
serve the country.”
Born on December 25,
1924 in Madhya
Pradesh’s Gwalior, Va-
jpayee was the first-
ever person from the
BJP to become the
Prime Minister. He
served as Prime Minis-
ter thrice -- briefly in
1996, from 1998 to 1999
and then for a full five-
year term between 1999
and 2004.
Apart from politics,
Vajpayee was a promi-
nent writer and penned
a number of poems. Af-
ter 2004, the BJP stal-
wart retired from active
politics owing to his
feeble health.
The veteran BJP
leader passed away on
August 16, 2018, at the
AIIMS in Delhi after a
prolonged illness. —ANI
New Delhi: President
Ram Nath Kovind on
Sunday unveiled a por-
trait of former Prime
Minister Atal Bihari
Vajpayee at the Indian
Council for Cultural
Relations (ICCR) head-
quarters at Azad
Bhavan, ITO in New
Delhi on his second
death anniversary. At-
tending the event
through video confer-
encing, the President
called Vajypayee a
great hero who added
many glorious chap-
ters in the politics of
India.
“On behalf of the
grateful nation, I pay
him a humble tribute
and unveiling the por-
trait of Atalji. Fortu-
nately, in February last
year, I also got a historic
opportunity to unveil
Atalji’s portrait in the
Central Hall of Parlia-
ment House. Today,
through this ceremony,
we are all remembering
a brilliant nationalist, a
great hero who added
many glorious chapters
in the politics of India,”
he said.
“Atalji will always be
remembered for liberal
thinking and democrat-
ic ideals. Atal Bihari Va-
jpayee’s behaviour and
popularity was beyond
political boundaries. Po-
litical opponents also
had affection and re-
spect for him,” he said.
Kovind said that Vaj-
payee always gave para-
mount importance to
the national interest.
“In 1977, as a Foreign
Minister, he gave a
speech in the United
Nations in Hindi. Atal ji
worked for a govern-
ance system based on
ethics, sensitivity, and
transparency. There-
fore, from 2014 on 30 De-
cember, his birth anni-
versary is celebrated as
Governance Day across
the country,” he said.
Union Minister of
State for External Af-
fairs V Muraleedharan
and ICCR President and
MP Dr Vinay Sahas-
rabuddhe were also pre-
sent on this occasion.
The Rajya Sabha MP,
Sahasrabuddhe said
that Vajpayee and the
culture of India have a
unique relationship
and called him as the
“cultural ambassador”
of the country. —ANI
Ataljirememberedforliberalthinking:PrezPresident RamNath Kovind called former PM Atal Bihari Vajypayee a great hero who added many glorious chapters in the politics of India
Ram Nath Kovind unveils a portrait of former PM Atal Bihari Vajpayee on his second death
anniversary at ICCR HQ via video conferencing from Rashtrapati Bhawan in New Delhi.
Vajpayee’s daughter Namita Kaul Bhattacharya & granddaughter
Niharika pay tribute to former PM at Sadaiv Atal in New Delhi.
Bhopal: The Gwalior-
Chambal Expressway
will be named Shri Atal
Bihari Vajpayee Cham-
bal Progressway, Mad-
hya Pradesh CM
Shivraj Singh Chouhan
said on Sunday.
While paying tribute
to former prime minis-
ter Atal Bihari Vajpay-
ee on his second death
anniversary, Chouhan
said, “Vajpayee contin-
ues to inspire us to
work for the public”
and also recalled few
emotional moments
with him.
“The Gwalior-Cham-
bal Expressway will be
named Shri Atal Bihari
Vajpayee Chambal Pro-
gressway. He continues
to inspire us to work for
the public, Chouhan
said while addressing a
public gathering.—ANI
Chambal
Expressway to
be named after
Vajpayee
He played an important
role in BJP’s growth: Shah
New Delhi: Prime Min-
ister Narendra Modi on
Sunday greeted people
on Parsi New Year, Nav-
roz. In a tweet, the PM
prayed that the coming
year is filled with hap-
piness & prosperity.
“Navroz Mubarak!
Greetings on Parsi New
Year. India cherishes
the outstanding contri-
bution of the Parsi com-
munity,whichhasmade
a mark in a wide range
of fields. May the com-
ing year bring peace
and prosperity in every-
one’s lives,” he tweeted.
PM Modi greets
people on Parsi
New Year, Navroz
New Delhi: Union Min-
ister Nitin Gadkari ex-
pressed confidence that
the government will
increase Micro, Small &
Medium Enterprises
(MSMEs) exports to
60% from 48 % in the
next 5 years and will
create 5 crore jobs in
the next 5 years. “Our
MSME sector has a
huge contribution to
the development of our
country. Currently, 30%
income of GDP growth
rate comes from MSME.
48% of our exports are
from MSME and till
date, we have created 11
crore jobs,” Gadkari
said while speaking at
SWAVALAMBAN e-
Summit 2020 organised
by ‘Lets Endorse Devel-
opment’ NGO.
“I believe and think
that in the coming 5
years, we should in-
crease it to at least 30
per cent to 50 %,48 % to
60% of exports and cre-
ate 5 crore new jobs,”
he said.
The Minister added,
“Unregistered enter-
prises need to register
themselves under the
Micro industry to get
the benefit of MSMEs.
We are also in the pro-
cess to cover small trad-
ers. We need help from
NGOs to encourage
such people to register,”
he said. —ANI
Govt will create 5
crore jobs in next
5 years: Gadkari
Kolkata: In one of his
most serious allega-
tions against the ruling
TMC government, West
Bengal Governor
Jagdeep Dhankhar said
that Raj Bhawan in Kol-
kata was under surveil-
lance and information
was being leaked out.
Alleging that the list
of guests who attended
the Independence Day
programme at Gover-
nor’s residence was
leaked out ‘electronical-
ly’ on August 14,
Dhankhar said, “Raj
Bhawanisundersurveil-
lance. This should not
happen. How can an of-
fice of the Constitution
be under surveillance? I
will take legal steps once
our inquiry is over.”
“Public servants do
not get into political
mode. Nobody is above
law,” he said, duringhis
media address at a func-
tion organised at Raj
Bhawan to mark the sec-
ond death anniversary
of former PM Atal Be-
hari Vajpayee. He also
criticised CM Mamata
Banerjee for not attend-
ing the At Home func-
tion at Raj Bhawan on
Independence Day.
“There is lawlessness in
the state. There was a
killing in Hooghly dis-
trict. The dangerous
head of Maoism is get-
ting visible with sup-
port of state actors.”
The TMC reacted
sharply, saying the alle-
gations were unfound-
ed. —Agencies
MaoismreturningtoBengal:GuvDhankhar
Jagdeep Dhankar and his wife Sudesh during a prayer meeting to pay tributes to former PM Atal Bihari
Vajpayee on his second death anniversary at Governor House in Kolkata, on Sunday. —PHOTO BY PTI
Nitin Gadkari
BAGHEL INVITES SONIA TO NEW
ASSEMBLY FOUNDATION EVENT
Chhattisgarh: Chhattis-
garh Chief Minister Bhu-
pesh Baghel has invited
Congress interim pres-
ident Sonia Gandhi and
Congress leader Rahul
Gandhi for the foundation
stone laying ceremony of
the new building of state
assembly in Nava Raipur.
The foundation stone
laying ceremony is sched-
uled to be held at 12 pm
on August 28. Baghel has
written a letter requesting
Sonia Gandhi to grace
the occasion as the chief
guest and Rahul Gandhi
to be the special guest of
the event through video
conferencing. Baghel said
that since the formation
of the state there was
a need for a new state-
of-the-art Chhattisgarh
assembly building.
AUTHORITIES RE-OPEN
RELIGIOUS PLACES IN J-K
Katra: Khushvinder Singh is part of a 12-mem-
ber group from Jammu who reached Katra
before dawn to pay obeisance at the famous
Mata Vaishno Devi Shrine atop Trikuta hills in
Reasi district of J&K. The shrine along with
other religious places across the Union Territory
reopened for devotees on Sunday morning after
remaining closed for almost ﬁve months due to
the COVID-19 outbreak. The shrine reopened for
the devotees around 6 am and CEO Shrine Board
Ramesh Kumar reviewed the arrangements.
RAJNATH SINGH APPROVES
PROPOSAL TO EXPAND NCC
New Delhi: Defence Minister Rajnath Singh has
approved the proposal to expand the National
Cadet Corps (NCC) in 173 border and coastal dis-
tricts from where 100,000 new cadets will be in-
ducted, an ofﬁcial statement said.The expansion
of NCC was announced by PM Narendra Modi in
his Independence Day speech. He said NCC will
be expanded in border & coastal districts so that
these areas “get trained manpower for disaster
management & youth will also get skill training
for making their career in armed forces”.
RLYS TO RUN GANPATI SPECIAL
TRAINS BETWEEN GUJ, MAHA
Mumbai: The Indian
Railways will run addi-
tional Ganpati Special
trains in co-ordination
with Western Railway and
Central Railway between
Ahmedabad/Vadodara and
Ratnagiri/Kudal/Sawant-
wadi Road stations
to clear extra rush of
passengers. Train number
09416 Ahmedabad
Junction - Kudal Weekly
Special on Special Fare
will leave from Ahmed-
abad Junction at 09:30
hours on August 18 & 25.
The train will reach Kudal
at 04:30 hours on next
day, the Indian Railways
said. Train number 09415
Kudal - Ahmedabad
Junction Weekly Special
on Special Fare will leave
from Kudal at 05:30 hrs
on August 19 & 26.
Greater Noida: The
Bulandshahr police
have arrested two peo-
ple in connection with
the death of US schol-
ar Sudeeksha Bhati,
19, who died in a road
accident on August 10.
The suspects were
identified as Deepak
Solanki, a resident of
Gulaothi, and his ac-
complice Raju, a resi-
dent of Bulandshahr
dehat. The police have
recovered the Royal
Enfield motorcycle
used in the accident.
The police said its
investigation revealed
this was a case of road
accident and not of
harassment.
Santosh Kumar
Singh, senior superin-
tendent of police, Bu-
landshahr, said on
Sunday the police
scanned over 350
bikes from nearby ar-
eas and questioned
over 1000 persons be-
fore zeroing in on
them.”The police
scanned 12 CCTV
cameras and found
Sudeeksha and her
cousin going on a bike
at 8.25 am. The same
camera captured an
Enfield rider Solanki
at 8.17 am on the same
route. Solanki admit-
ted that he was riding
the motorcycle when
the accident took
place. We have seized
Royal Enfield motor-
cycle. The suspect had
also modified the mo-
torcycle’s number
plate, silencer, indica-
tor, etc,” said police.
Lucknow: A 13-year-old
girlwasrapedandkilled
in UP’s Lakhimpur
Kheri district and her
body found in a sugar-
cane field, the police
said on Saturday, in yet
another horrific case
that has emerged from
the state in recent days.
Two men from her vil-
lage have been arrested.
She had been stran-
gled, her eyes were
gouged out and her
tongue cut, the girl’s fa-
ther said. The incident
took place on Friday,
around 130 km from
Lucknow, in a village
close to the Nepal bor-
der. Her body was found
in the fields of one of
the accused.
The UP Police said
the post-mortem report
that came out on Sun-
day night does not show
her eyes were gouged
out or tongue cut. The
police said the autopsy
mentioned rape and
strangulation.
“Her eyes were not
gouged and tongue was
not cut. The claim is not
true,” SP of Kheri
Satendra Kumar said.
“The girl’s post mor-
tem has confirmed rape.
The two accused had
been arrested already.
We will file charges for
rape, murder and also
under the National Se-
curity Act,”he added.
The girl had gone
missing on Friday af-
ternoon. “We went look-
ing for her everywhere.
Found her in the sugar-
cane field. Her eyes had
been gouged out. Her
tongue was cut and
strangled with a dupat-
ta,” the father of the
girl said. —Agencies
2 arrested in Bulandshahr
topper’s death case in UP
13-year-old raped, brutally
murderedinLakhimpurKheri
MINISTER SPEAK

INDIAAHMEDABAD | MONDAY, AUGUST 17, 2020
New Delhi: Congress
leader Rahul Gandhi
took another swipe at
Prime Minister on Sun-
day, saying the the
Prime Minister does
not believe in the capa-
bility and valour of the
Indian Army.
Taking to Twitter,
Gandhi wrote, “Every-
body believes in the ca-
pability and valour of
the Indian army. Except
the PM: Whose coward-
ice allowed China to
take our land. Whose
lies will ensure they
keep it.”
Rahul Gandhi said
that the Prime Minis-
ter’s ‘cowardice’ has
allowed China to ‘take
our land’. The Congress
leader further added
saying that the PM’s
‘lies will ensure’ that
China keeps the land.
Rahul Gandhi has
repeatedly questioned
the Prime Minister
over the border stand-
off with China, alleg-
ing that the PM has not
revealed the truth
about it.
Earlier this month,
Rahul Gandhi said that
PM Modi spoke lie on
Chinese incursion, in-
sulted soldiers.
Last month, the Con-
gress leader and the
Gandhi scion, released
a video on Twitter, at-
tacking the Modi gov-
ernment over its han-
dling of the China issue.
In the video, Rahul-
Gandhi had said that
China’s actions have
been prompted by In-
dia’s disruption over
six years. —ANI
PM Modi’s cowardice allowed
China to take our land: RaGaThe Cong leader further said that the PM’s ‘lies will ensure’ that China keeps the land
RAHUL GANDHI @RahulGandhi
Everybody believes in the capability and valour of
the Indian army. Except the PM:
Whose cowardice allowed
China to take our land.
Whose lies will ensure
they keep it.
BJP & RSS control
Facebook & Whatsapp
in India. They spread fake
news and hatred through
it and use it to inﬂuence
the electorate. Finally,
the American media
has come out with the
truth about Facebook.
PRIYANKA GANDHI VADRA
@priyankagandhi
Happy Navroze to all,
especially to our darling
Parsi aunties, uncles,
cousins, nieces, and
nephews in
Delhi and
Mumbai.
New Delhi: The Con-
gress was caught red-
handed colluding with
Cambridge Analytica
and Facebook for using
data before elections
and is now falsely ac-
cusing the BJP of doing
the same, said Union
Minister Ravi Shankar
Prasad slamming Way-
anad MP Rahul Gandhi.
Prasad’s statement
came after Gandhi had
accused BJP & RSS of
controlling Facebook
& Whatsapp in India &
using it to ‘spread fake
news & hatred through
it & use it to influence
the electorate.’ Gandhi
had also shared a re-
port, published in an
American daily, in his
tweet in support of his
claims. Reacting to
this, Prasad said, “Los-
ers who cannot influ-
ence people even in
their own party keep
cribbing that the en-
tire world is controlled
by the BJP and RSS.
You were caught red-
handed in alliance
with Cambridge Ana-
lytica and Facebook to
weaponise data before
the elections and now
have the gall to ques-
tion us?” —ANI
‘Cong allied with FB
to weaponise data’
Monsoon Session...
will be seated in both
chambers and galleries
during session.
This is the first time
in the history of Indian
Parliament since 1952
that such an arrange-
ment will be in place,
where 60 members will
be seated in the cham-
ber and 51 in the galler-
ies of Rajya Sabha and
the remaining 132 in the
chamber of Lok Sabha.
Similar seating ar-
rangements are being
worked out by the Lok
Sabha Secretariat as
well. For the first time,
large display screens
and consoles for partic-
ipation from galleries,
ultraviolet germicidal
irradiation, special ca-
bles between the two
Houses and polycar-
bonate separators will
be in place.
Rajya Sabha Chair-
man M Venkaiah Naidu
and Lok Sabha Speaker
Om Birla at a meeting
on July 17, after de-
tailed examination of
various options for
holding the session, de-
cided on using the
chambers and galleries
of both the Houses.
Work is in progress at
fast pace for ensuring
several additional in-
stallations in the pre-
scribed time which in-
clude installation of
four large display
screens in the House
chamber, six small
screens in the four gal-
leries, audio consoles in
galleries, ultraviolet
germicidal irradiation,
special cables connect-
ing the two Houses for
transmission of au-
dio-visual signals and
polycarbonate sheet
separating the officers
gallery from the cham-
ber, Rajya Sabha Secre-
tariat officials said.
They said the ar-
rangements mark the
first-of-its-kind session
to be held in compli-
ance with social dis-
tancing norm to check
the spread of COVID-19.
Welcome Ajay...
Recently, Sonia-Rahul
had assigned Maken a
key responsibility of
taking care of 102 Ge-
hlotsupportingcongress
mlas ‘badabandi’ at Jai-
pur and Jaisalmer,
where Gehlot had regis-
teredarecordwinby123
votes in his trust vote in
assembly on 14th Au-
gust. Maken’s new as-
signment may be con-
sidered as a reward for
his performance in Ra-
jasthan during this peri-
od, which was some sort
of a training or proba-
tion period for his up-
coming Rajasthan job.
While expressing his
gratitude to Sonia and
Rahul, a low profile, me-
dia shy and a grateful
Maken tweeted, “Ex-
tremely grateful to the
Hon’ble Congress Pres-
ident Smt. Sonia Gand-
hi and Shri RahulGand-
hi for reposing faith in
me. Will leave no stone
unturned to further
strengthen the Con-
gress Party in Rajas-
than. Also thank my
colleague Avinash Pan-
de ji for his services &
contribution.”
Chetan Chauhan...
Chetan Chauhan was a
vital cog in the Indian
lineup during the 1970s
and he used to open the
batting along with
Sunil Gavaskar. He had
made his Test debut
against New Zealand in
1969. The right-handed
batsman went on to
play 40 Tests, managing
to score 2,084 runs at an
average of 31.57.
The right-handed
batsman also played 7
ODIs in his career, in
which he scored 153
runs with the highest
score being 46 against
New Zealand in Sydney.
Chauhan was the first
player in international
cricket to finish his ca-
reer with over 2000 runs
but without a century.
Chauhan was admit-
ted to Sanjay Gandhi
PGI in Lucknow on July
12 after being found
COVID-19 positive. Due
to kidney related ail-
ments, his health dete-
riorated and he was
shifted to Medanta hos-
pital in Gurugram.
Chauhan was UP
Minister for Sainik Wel-
fare, Home Guards, Civ-
il Security and Prantiya
Rakshak Dal (PRD).
Uttar Pradesh Chief
Minister Yogi Aditya-
nath has condoled the
demise of Chauhan.
MSD hangs...
home base for a short
training camp ahead of
theplayers’departureto
the UAE next week.
The BCCI sent out a
statement, detailing
each one of his historic
achievements and laud-
ing “a legacy that will
be difficult to repli-
cate.” Board president
Sourav Ganguly and
secretary Jay Shah paid
rich tributes.
“It is the end of an
era. What a player he
has been for the coun-
try and world cricket...
He will finish with no
regrets on the field,”
said Ganguly.
Players and fans have
urged India’s cricket
board to retire Mahen-
dra Singh Dhoni’s No. 7
jersey in a tribute to the
two-time Cricket World
Cup winning captain.
FROM PG 1
New Delhi: India regis-
tered 63,489 new corona-
virus cases and 944
deaths in the last 24
hours, according to the
UnionMinistryof Health
and Family Welfare.
With 944 new deaths,
the cumulative death
toll in the country is
nearing 50,000-mark.
The country’s coronavi-
rus count touched
25,89,682 including
6,77,444 active cases,
18,62,258 discharged and
49,980 deaths on Sunday.
According to the In-
dian Council of Medi-
cal Research (ICMR),
7,46,608 samples were
tested on August 15 and
nearly 3 crore samples
have been tested so far.
2,93,09,703 samples
have been tested up to
August 15. Taking to
Twitter on Sunday, the
Union Health Ministry
informed that India has
one of the lowest COV-
ID-19 mortality globally
as the case fatality rate
(CFR) in the country is
below 2 per cent.
The Ministry said ag-
gressive testing and
early detection coupled
with quick isolation
and effective treatment
protocol is the reason
behind low mortality
rates are low in India.
“With sharply falling
Case Fatality Rate be-
low 2%, India has one
of the lowest #COVID19
mortality globally,”
MOHFW tweeted.
“USA crossed 50,000
deaths in 23 days, Brazil
in 95 days and Mexico in
141 days. India took 156
days,” the ministry
tweeted. “Mortality
rates are low in India be-
cause of aggressive test-
ing and early detection
coupled with quick iso-
lationandeffectivetreat-
mentprotocol,”itsaidin
another tweet. —ANI
63,489 more COVID-19 cases in
India, toll nears 50,000 mark
New Delhi: Former In-
dian President Pranab
Mukherjee continued
to remain on ventilato-
ry support on Sunday,
Army Research and Re-
ferral Hospital said,
adding that his vitals
are stable and being
monitored by a team of
specialists.
“There is no change
in condition of Pranab
Mukherjee. His vital
and clinical parameters
are stable and he con-
tinues to be on ventila-
tor support. He also has
multiple old co-morbid-
ities & his condition is
being closely monitored
by a team of special-
ists,” the hospital said.
‘Mukherjee
stable, under
observation’
I-DAY CELEBRATIONS!
Prime Minister Narendra Modi addressing the Nation from the ramparts of the Red Fort on
the occasion of 74th Independence Day in New Delhi. —PHOTO BY ANI
Migrant workers who are coming back from their native place, going through mandatory COVID-19
test, at a testing camp organised by Delhi Government, at Anand Vihar bus terminal in New Delhi.
An illuminated view of Burj Khalifa in the
colours of Indian National Flag Tricolour.
The Niagara Falls, Canada, considered
one of the natural wonders of the world,
was illuminated in the Indian tricolour of
saffron, white and green to mark India’s 74th
Independence Day. PM Justin Trudeau also
wished India on the special occasion.
Home Minister Amit Shah hoists the Indian
Tricolour at his residence on the occasion
of the 74th Independence Day. He took to
twitter to wish the people of the country a
very Happy Independence Day!
ITBP personnel celebrate the 74th Independence Day in Ladakh.
The Empire State Building in the US lit up on
the occasion of Independence Day.
SCATHING ATTACK

TALKING POINTAHMEDABAD | MONDAY, AUGUST 17, 2020
HE WAS A BIT OF EVERYTHING AND STILL A BIT MORE BUT NO ONE COULD ACTUALLY
COMPREHEND WHAT. EVERYONE THOUGHT THEY KNEW DHONI, BUT NO ONE KNEW HIM
MS DHONI: A LOT OF IT WILL
ALWAYS REMAIN UNTOLDWhat do they
know of Dhoni
who only Dhoni
knows.
There seems
nothing wrong in customis-
ing the most epic CLR James
line from his seminal work
'Beyond a Boundary'. It fits
Mahendra Singh Dhoni to
the 'T'.
Hecouldforceonetothrow
the MCC cricket manual in
the trash bin with his dare-
devilryinunorthodoxstroke-
play.
He could be a role model
for all shy and reticent people
on how to become an asser-
tive leader. Two world titles
meant he didn't do too badly.
And then one fine after-
noon, he could stun the world
by relinquishing Test cap-
taincy with 10 short of land-
mark 100 games, a record In-
dians are so fond of.
And after another five
years and seven months, he
literally punches one in the
gut on a balmy August 15
evening to say, "from 1929 hrs,
consider me retired".
Just like that. Just like
that Lieutenant Colonel
Dhoni says over and out,
adding to the sense of loss
and chaos that 2020 has come
to symbolise.
A legend in art of chasing,
who became a megastar in
finite cricket bringing in
SachinTendulkar'spoiseand
Virat Kohli's aggression in
optimum proportions, one
canneverpinpointwhatDho-
ni actually was.
He was a bit of everything
and still a bit more but no
one could actually compre-
hend what. Everyone
thought they knew Dhoni,
but no one knew him. There's
a compartment that possibly
remains shut. It's for none to
see, it's where he probably
computes, processes his raw
thoughts and emotions while
taking a decision.
Retirement may be one
such decision, it was his own
but he needed to come to
terms that the change room
is no longer the place where
he belongs and it took more
than a year since that heart-
breaking run out in a lost
World Cup semifinal.
Dhoni, despite being a
cricket star like no other, was
never entirely a cricket story.
He was, still is and will al-
ways remain a social story.
A reflection of times when
India's hinterland started
shedding its fears and its in-
feriority complex while
knocking on the doors of an
aspirational India.
He wasn't a social reform-
er by any stretch of imagina-
tion but most certainly, hin-
terland's biggest icon after
economic liberalisation.
Yet he was probably more
'khadoos' than any of his con-
temporaries from Mumbai.
Remember his 70 odd at
Lord's in the first Test of a
2007 series. He showed dog-
gedness and guts with limit-
ed technique on his first Eng-
land tour.
With S Sreesanth at the
other end, rain came to In-
dia's rescue. But then fortune
favours the brave.
JustliketheWorldT20final
in Johannesburg, where lack
of bowling options turned
into a great punt as Haryana
Police's Joginder Sharma
earned his wikipedia page
withanovernoonecanforget.
Dhoni came from the indus-
trial town of Ranchi where a
rank in IIT JEE or AIEEE or
UPSC, more often than not,
defined a young mind.
But this man, who arrived
with a flowing mane, insane-
ly powerful wrists and a
smile that was endearing but
gave away nothing, redefined
the dynamics.
He didn't display in-your-
face aggression but those
who have dealt with him
knew he would stick to his
conviction -- right or wrong,
the jury is still out.
Backing Virat Kohli, the
TestbatsmanandRohitShar-
ma, the opener destined to
become a white ball legend,
were fabulous foresights.
Indian cricket will remain
indebted.
He shared a love-hate rela-
tionship with the media. He
became inaccessible save for
routine press conferences
where he could rephrase his
answer thousand times but
still not give away anything,
Dhoni became the least un-
derstood.
The conjectures, at times,
were unfair and perhaps bor-
dering on demeaning. It
made him more defiant with
a bit of irreverence for the
fourth estate.
After the 2015 World Cup
semi-final defeat, his press
conference gave a hint of
what he thought.
"I always tell Dr Baba (then
media manager) that if they
(media) are happy with you
then you are not doing a good
job," he said and all present
laughed.
Loyalty though was his
forte. He has unflinching loy-
alty towards controversial
BCCI President N Srini-
vasan, who gave him a free
hand in decisions related to
cricket.
Over the years, it became
more of a father-son relation-
ship that withstood the
storms and the tests of time.
The pre-departure press
conference at Mumbai before
the 2013 Champions Trophy
was a stormy one.
He was hounded with
questions on Gurunath Mei-
yappan, Srinivasam's son-in-
law and a top official in Dho-
ni's IPL franchise Chennai
Super Kings, which was
tainted by the spot-fixing
scandal.
He smiled stoically. And
then the leap after winning
the final at Edgbaston was
more of relief than joy.
But the spot-fixing scandal
and how his name was
dragged in the mud made
him believe the outside world
even lesser.
He did have his loyal back-
ers in Kohli and Rohit, who
came to his defence at even
the slightest hint of a criti-
cism.As his reflexes became
sharper behind the stumps,
he became more and more
circumspectinfrontof them.
But the brilliant mind was
required as he was the ice to
Kohli's fire.
But father time is cruel. So
as he bids adieu to the game
he gave so much, one can't
help but relate to one of his
favourite Bollywood songs
from 'Kabhie Kabhie'.
"Main pal do pal ka
shayaar hoon.
Pal do pal meri kahaani
hain".
Dhoni was, however, much
more than just fleeting mo-
ments.
W The many highlights of
MSD’s glittering career
As Mahendra Singh Dhoni bids adieu to
international cricket, here is a look at the
career highlights of India’s most successful
captain, who led the country to two World
Cup trophies.
December 2004: Dhoni makes his interna-
tional debut against Bangladesh in an ODI at
Chittagong.
October 2005: Promoted up the order to ac-
celerate scoring, Dhoni smashes an unbeaten
183 off 145 balls, the then record of the
highest individual score in ODI cricket in the
second innings. Dhoni also wins Man of the
Series award after India’s 3-0 triumph in the
five-match rubber.
December 2005: Dhoni makes his Test debut
against Sri Lanka in Chennai.
September 2007: Dhoni takes over the reins
of ODI captaincy from Rahul Dravid.
September 2007: Dhoni equals Adam
Gilchrist’s international record for most
dismissals (6) in an innings in ODIs. Dhoni
also becomes captain of the Indian squad for
the inaugural ICC World Twenty20 in South
Africa. He leads a young Indian side to victory
against Pakistan in the final. He takes the risk
of picking an inexperienced pacer Joginder
Sharma instead of Harbhajan Singh to bowl
the last over that eventually pays off.
August 2008: Dhoni leads India to its first-
ever bilateral ODI series victory in Sri Lanka.
August 2008: Dhoni wins the Rajiv Gandhi
Khel Ratna award.
November 2008: Dhoni makes his debut
as full-time Test captain of India during the
fourth and final Test against Australia at Nag-
pur, replaces Anil Kumble who was injured in
the third Test.
December 2008: Dhoni wins the ICC ODI
Player of the Year honour.
March 2009: Dhoni leads India to its first
bilateral ODI series victory in New Zealand.
April 2009: Dhoni honoured with the Padma
Shri, India’s fourth highest civilian honour.
December 2009: Under Dhoni’s captaincy,
India tops the ICC Test cricket rankings for
the first time.
December 2009: Dhoni retains his ICC ODI
Player of the year award, becomes the first
player to win it twice.
May 2010: Dhoni leads Chennai Super
Kings to their maiden Indian Premier
League title. CSK beat Mumbai Indians by
22 runs in Mumbai.
April 2011: Dhoni plays his most memorable
match-winning unbeaten knock -- 91 off 79 --
balls against Sri Lanka in the World Cup final
to help India lift the trophy after 28 years. He
finishes the match with a huge six over long-
on off Nuwan Kulasekara and wins the Man of
the Match award.
May 2011: With Dhoni as captain, Chen-
nai Super Kings retain the IPL, beat Royal
Challengers Banglore by 58 runs in the final
in Bengaluru.
November 2011: The Indian Territorial Army
confers the honorary rank of Lieutenant
Colonel on Dhoni.
March 2013: Dhoni becomes the most
successful Indian Test captain, eclipses
Sourav Ganguly’s record of 21 victories
from 49 Tests.
June 2013: India wins the ICC Champions
Trophy under Dhoni’s captaincy, beats Eng-
land by five runs in the final. Dhoni becomes
the first captain to win all three ICC trophies.
February 2013: Dhoni powers his way to
his first double hundred in Tests. He scores
224 off 365 balls, most runs by an Indian
wicketkeeper in an innings surpassing
Budhi Kunderan’s 192.
March 2013: Under Dhoni’s captaincy, India
beats Australia 4-0 at home for the first time
in a Test series.
April 2018: Dhoni receives the Padma
Bhushan, India’s third highest civillian honour.
May 2018: Under Dhoni’s captaincy, Chennai
Super Kings win their third IPL title by defeat-
ing Sunrisers Hyderabad by eight wickets.
Raina: Eternal supporting actor bids adieu to Int’l cricket
SOURCE: PTI
CONCEPT: DIVYA HEMNANI
DESIGN: CP SHARMA
ichael Jordan
needed a Scottie
Pippen, so did
Lionel Messi
with an Andres
Iniesta by his side and
Suresh Raina is that glue
that admirably stuck around
with Mahendra Singh Dhoni
in highs, lows, and from Sat-
urday, in retirement.
On Saturday, following in
the footsteps of his favourite
captain and mentor, Raina
announced his retirement
from international cricket.
The 33-year-old is among
the few who made centuries
across formats, having
played 18 Tests, 226 ODIs and
78 T20 Internationals while
scoring 768, 5615 and 1605
runs respectively.
He also has 36 ODI wickets
to his name and 13 each in
Tests and T20Is.
One will remember that 34
not out against Australia at
Ahmedabad during the 2011
World Cup, an innings that
was bridesmaid to Yuvraj
Singh’s all-round heroics.
In the semi-final of the
same tournament, the un-
beaten 36 was pure gold dust
but Sachin Tendulkar’s
scratchy 85 still remains in
our collective conscience.
Some things in life are just
meant to be and Raina, the
quintessential supporting ac-
tor,wasprobablyoneof them.
The 33-year-old left-hander
from Ghaziabad, a mean
white-ball master in his own
rights, probably knows that
the train called ‘Team India’
has left the station and he
will not be able to add on to
his 18 Tests, 226 ODIs and 78
T20 Internationals.
But he did hold his own in
a significant number of
matches as his seven hun-
dreds across three formats
(only one among three with
KL Rahul and Rohit Sharma
being the other two) and
nearly 8000 (7988 to be pre-
cise) international runs
would suggest.
Add to it 167 catches and a
rough estimate of 1000 runs
saved on the field in the point
and cover region, Raina did
well while having serious
technical limitations, which
prevented him from playing
more than 18 Test matches.
But again, if Greg Chap-
pell saw a raw talent in the
boy from Lucknow Sports
College, Dhoni knew how to
use him.
Playing for Chennai Super
Kings and becoming proba-
bly the most consistent IPL
players since inception made
him a better India player.
The skipper knew that if
India played mostly in the
sub-continent, an aggressive
player like Raina would be
an asset with his running be-
tween the wickets and ability
to hit the spinners with ease.
There were two signature
shots of Raina which fetched
him plenty of runs. A whip
or lofted on drive in the arc
between long-on and deep
mid-wicket and the inside
out lofted shot over extra
cover that will either be a six
or a one bounce four.
Oneof thebetterplayersof
spin bowling, on his day, he
could murder the slow bowl-
ers with precision footwork.
It helped that he batted
number three at CSK for
most of his career while in
the Indian team, it would of-
ten be number five, where
either he came in when the
top-order collapsed or for a
tricky final few overs.
The understanding with
Dhoni grew while batting in
those tough overs and for a
better part with five fielders
outside the 30 yard circle in
one-dayers.
But the post 2010 era was
Virat Kohli’s where he did all
the heavy lifting and Raina,
most of the times, was left
with precious little to do.
He did, at times, come out
of Kohli’s shadow, once
against Sri Lanka in an abso-
lute rubbish pitch in Dhaka
and against Zimbabwe in a
2015 World Cup game in
Auckland.
A game where, for a
change, he played the short
ball well, something that
hurt his career dearly and
probably led to his interna-
tional retirement at a fairly
young age of 33.
The international bowlers
found out that Raina is sus-
ceptible when bowled short
in the rib cage area, which he
would fend awkwardly, and
the gully or short leg will be
in business. It ended his Test
career prematurely and cer-
tainly cut short his white-
ball run for India.
He knew the problem but
for the longest time, didn’t
have the solution as he start-
ed losing form after the 2015
World Cup. A failed YoYo test
in 2017 added to his miseries,
although he did feature in
the 2018 limited overs series
inEnglandwitha46atLord’s
in his second last match.
The irony is that his 46 off
63 balls was a decent effort
but Mahendra Singh Dhoni’s
37 off 59 balls became the
talking point and he lost out
even there. He remains a
Dhoni loyalist as Chinna
Thala, for the umpteenth
time, decided to follow in his
Thala’s footsteps.
It was a good career but it’s
Indian cricket’s misfortune
that Raina’s full potential
couldn’t be realised.
M

A Big Step in the future will not
define your success, a small step
today will.
—Jagdeesh Chandra, CEO & Editor, First India
AHMEDABAD | MONDAY, AUGUST 17, 2020www.firstindia.co.in I www.firstindia.co.in/epaper/ I twitter.com/thefirstindia I facebook.com/thefirstindia I instagram.com/thefirstindia
08
2NDFRONT
Gujarat High Court says factory managers ‘were sleeping’ when a chemical blast killed 10 workers, hurt 77; denies anticipatory bail to them
Darshan Desai
Ahmedabad: “It
shakes the human
conscience since the
after-shocks could be
seen even today, if
one visits Bhopal”,
the Gujarat High
Court thus referred
to the 1984 Bhopal
Gas Tragedy, to de-
liver a stinging order
against anticipatory
bail to the managers
of a Bharuch-based
chemical unit where
a blast left 10 workers
dead and 77 others in-
jured on June 3.
Not only the Bho-
pal tragedy, the court
also recalled the ac-
cident at the L.G. Pol-
ymers chemical plant
at Visakhapatnam in
May. The court re-
counted how “the gas
speedily spread in the
places surrounding
the chemical plant”
and how the “footage
of people on the
streets, collapsing on
account of being un-
able to bear the gas
and its pungent smell,
is known to all.”
The Gujarat High
Court denied antici-
patory bail to the ac-
cused employees, in-
cluding the Produc-
tion Incharge, Unit
Head, Head of Plant
and Liquid Storage,
Head of Fire and
Safety, of Yashasvi
Rasayan Ltd in Vagra
taluka of Bharuch
district. The court
held them prima fa-
cie guilty of the of-
fence of criminal
negligence leading to
culpable homicide.
Justice Gita Gopi ob-
served that instead of
initiating immediate
action, the company’s
officials allowed the ac-
cident to happen and
were caught napping.
The accident oc-
curred on account of a
wrongful transfer of
two different chemicals
contained in tankers to
the wrong storage
chambers. The court
noted that the appli-
cants were well-versed
with the chemical char-
acter of the liquids in-
volved and of the conse-
quences of a chemical
reaction arising out of
a mixing of the two
chemicals.
If they had taken
necessary corrective
measures immediately
when the wrongful
transfer of chemicals
came to their knowl-
edge, the tragedy could
have been averted and
10 lives could have been
saved, the court ob-
served.
Going into elaborate
details, Justice Gopi
called it the “most glar-
ing aspect of the case”,
when on “02.06.2020, at
around 1200 hrs., two
tankers had arrived at
the factory premises of
the company. One tank-
er was containing NA
and another was con-
taining DMS. Around
18 tonnes of NA and 25
tonnes of DMS were
under the process of
unloading and by mis-
take, the in-let pipes of
the tanks were inter-
changed and were con-
nected to the wrong
storage chambers.
Thereafter, the chemi-
cals got transferred to
the wrong storage
chambers through the
hose-pipes.”
Expressing her
shock, she asserted,
“This factum came to
the notice of the ap-
plicants, original ac-
cused, at around 1430
hrs. on 02.06.2020. At
that very moment, in-
stead of taking neces-
sary corrective meas-
ures for neutralizing
the chemical reac-
tion, it appears that
the applicants did
nothing and simply
slept over the entire
event, as if the appli-
cants were waiting
for the tragedy to
happen”.
‘REMEMBER BHOPAL? NO BAIL FOR NEGLIGENCE’
Now, e-filing of
cases at Guj HC
Spl trains to
run between
Guj, Maha
First India Bureau
Ahmedabad: The
Gujarat High
Court has launched
e-filing of cases
and an online facil-
ity to check the sta-
tus of cases.
Chief Justice of
the High Court Jus-
tice Vikram Nath
launched the two
new services on the
occasion of 74th In-
dependence Day on
Saturday. He also di-
rected five exclusive
counters for physi-
cal case filing amid
the Covid-19 pan-
demic.
The e-filing soft-
ware has been devel-
oped by the eCom-
mittee of the Su-
preme Court. This
service will be avail-
able on the portal
h t t p : / / e f i l i n g .
ecourts.gov.in/.
Initially, the ser-
vice will be available
for Criminal Miscel-
laneous Applica-
tions and Special
Criminal Applica-
tion for criminal
cases and PILs, ad-
miralty suits, first
appeals, letters pat-
ent appeals and tax
appeals for civil cas-
es.
Advocates regis-
tered with the IT
cell of the High
Court will need to
enroll themselves
on the e-filing por-
tal. The court also
launched the
‘EmailMyCaseSta-
tus’ service, which
is activated after
online registra-
tion. After this,
anyone will be able
to get automatic
updates about his
or her cases direct-
ly on email.
Cops rescue 26 workers from
being trafficked to Gujarat
First India Bureau
Ganjam/Surat: The
Odisha Police on Sun-
day rescued as many
as 26 labourers alleg-
edly being trafficked
from Ganjam district
to Gujarat and de-
tained 3 middlemen
for this.
They were rescued
following simultaneous
raids conducted by the
Balipadar police and
Buguda block adminis-
tration. Acting on a tip-
off, the police intercept-
ed a bus carrying the
labourers during the
wee hours.
It was found that
most of the labourers
were from Polsara and
Buguda block in the
Ganjam district.
When questioned, the
labourers said the gov-
ernment had promised
to provide jobs after
their return from their
workplaces outside Odi-
sha amid the Covid-19
outbreak. However, the
government had failed
to fulfil its promise and
this forced them to look
for opportunities else-
where.
“With no source of
income here, we are
struggling to make ends
meet and are forced to
move to other states in
search of work,” said a
migrant labour.
With the resump-
tion of industrial op-
erations in Gujarat’s
Surat, industries are
in need of cheap man-
ual labour. Taking ad-
vantage of the lar-
gescale unemploy-
ment in Odisha, the
middlemen have
again started labour
trafficking from mi-
grant-prone Ganjam
district.
First India Bureau
Ahmedabad: To clear
the extra rush of pas-
sengers, the Indian
Railways will run ad-
ditional Ganpati Spe-
cial trains in coordi-
nation with Western
Railway and Central
Railway between
A h m e d a b a d / Va -
dodara and Ratnagiri,
Kudal and Sawantwa-
di Road stations.
Train number 09416
Ahmedabad Junction -
Kudal Weekly Special
on Special Fare will
leave from Ahmedabad
Junction at 09:30 hours
on August 18 and 25. The
train will reach Kudal at
04:30 hours on the next
day (2 Trips), the Indian
Railways said in a re-
lease. Train number
09415 Kudal -
Ahmedabad Junction
Weekly Special on Spe-
cial Fare will leave from
Kudal at 05:30 hrs on
August 19 and 26. The
train will reach
Ahmedabad Junction at
00:15 hours on the next
day (2 Trips), it added.
HC’S FAR-REACHING ORDER
As I recall the immense contribution of
freedom-fighters and martyrs on this Inde-
pendence Day and tall leaders like Mahatma
Gandhi, Jawaharlal Nehru, Babasaheb Ambed-
kar, Sardar Patel and Lal Bahadur Shastri as
well as Indira-ji, Rajiv-ji for building a modern
India, I thank the social media team of INC for
the video series, Dharohar, about the history of
the Congress party. This will give the young
generation an insight into its contribu-
tions —from freedom struggle to
India’s emergence as a superpower.
@ahmedpatel
Gujarat High Court
Aditi Nagar
New Delhi: Amit
Shah was discharged
from the hospital after
testing negative for
Corona. Upon his
homecoming, many
leaders including PM
Narendra Modi and
the entire cabinet
wished him. While
there is all round hap-
piness among Shah’s
family, friends and
party workers, doctors
who looked after and
treated Shah were
elated and shared this
elation on social me-
dia with the remark
that Shah was the
hope of 138 crore Indi-
ans. Shah could recov-
er fast under the sur-
veillance of the hospi-
tal staff, especially Dr
Sushila Kataria who
considered “It a huge
responsibility for the
hospital team to treat
him safely.” Notably,
even when he was in
the hospital, he was
working remotely
from there. Now, the
union Home Minister
has been asked to stay
in home isolation for a
few days.
A GRATEFUL SHAH PRAISES
DOCTORS AFTER RECOVERY!
Congress forms 3-member panel to oversee Rajasthan issues
Aditi Nagar
New Delhi: Congress
interim president So-
nia Gandhi on Sunday
constituted a three-
member committee of
Ahmed Patel, KC
Venugopal (AICC Gen-
eral Secretary, In-
charge Organisantion)
and Ajay Maken (AICC
General Secretary, In-
charge, Rajasthan) to
oversee and ensure the
smooth resolution of
recent issues in Ra-
jasthan.
According to sources,
the stage is set for the
new committee to look
into Sachin Pilot’s is-
sues and concerns.
Apart from Venugopal,
Sonia Gandhi’s trusted
aide Ahmed Patel, who
enjoys an excellent rap-
port with Chief Minis-
ter Ashok Gehlot, will
playakeyroleinsorting
outtheissueinconsulta-
tion with Gehlot and the
new AICC General Sec-
retary Ajay Maken.
“I thank Congress
leadership for appoint-
ing Ahmed Patel, KC
Venugopal and Ajay
Maken in the three
member committee. I
have complete faith that
under the committee’s
guidance, the organiza-
tion in Rajasthan will
receive a new direc-
tion,” a jubilant Pilot
tweeted.
With over three years
left and a number of
promises to be fulfilled,
the party realises a
coursecorrectioniscrit-
ical and needs to get its
house in order, sources
in the Congress say. The
threat of poaching by
the BJP also remains
very real, they add.
The new decisions
taken after the truce are
expected to find a face
saver for Sachin Pilot
and a lasting solution to
ensure the stability of
the Rajasthan govern-
ment.However,Achange
in the state’s leadership
has been completely
ruled out and Gehlot is
all set to complete the re-
maining period of his
five year tenure.
Interestingly, till now
there is no clear indica-
tion what will be Pilot’s
exact role now? Accord-
ing to sources, he is
likely to be given some
important responsibili-
ty in AICC but will have
nothing to do with Ra-
jasthan. Still it will be
interesting to watch
that how a few Pilot
camp MLAs, who are
likely to be inducted in
the Gehlot cabinet, will
maintain their ‘contact’
with their leader Pilot.
Ontheotherhand,there
is a growing pressure
from the Pilot camp in
New Delhi to get final-
ised the recommenda-
tions of the committee
as early as possible.
Ahmed Patel KC Venugopal Ajay Maken

ost of us have encountered
crochet in some or the other
way, whether as apparel or as
accessories like scarfs, hats,
flowers, table mat and sweater,
among others. The fine loop-
like construction and the vi-
brant colours of the thread is
an interesting way to break
the monotony of items used
for everyday fashion and liv-
ing. Not only the fabric
name, but the process of cre-
ating it by interlocking loops
of yarn and threads using a
hook is also very interesting
and creative.
In the early 1800s, some Eu-
ropean communities used cro-
chet products to identify their
social status which only indi-
cated that they can afford cro-
chet products and other lace
made items. The skill is known
as haken in Holland, haekling
in Denmark, hekling in Nor-
way and virkning in Sweden.
Crochet has ample of bene-
fits which you could not even
think about; yarn heals.
Whether you prefer needles or
hooks or a combination of
both, crafting can
soothe your body and
mend your mind.
Here are some of the
benefits:
1HELPS WITH INSOMNIA: When
you focus on something easy,
repetitive and soothing, the body and
mind calm down enough to let you
fall asleep.
2REDUCES STRESS AND
ANXIETY: When you’re feeling
stressed or anxious, take some time
for yourself and allow yourself to
be creative. This way you’re taking
your mind off to whatever has been
bothering you.
3EASES OR RELIEVES DEPRES-
SION: When we do something
which we like, the brain releases
dopamine, a natural anti-depressant;
knitting helps in stimulating dopa-
mine to make us feel happier.
4REDUCES THE RISK OF ALZHEI-
MER’S: By engaging in cogni-
tive exercises and stimulating your
mind, one can slow down or prevent
memory loss.
5HELPS WITH GRIEF PROCESS-
ING: Crocheting can be one of the
most comforting things during the
phase where one is trying to cope up
with things.
6REDUCES IRRITABILITY AND
RESTLESSNESS: It can help you
through the times you feel grumpy,
restless, frustrated or bored. This
positive outlet preserves your
relationships and keeps your mood
balanced.
7WAY OF CHARITY: Many people
crafted crochet clothing and
garments to donate them to soldiers
during the war. The practice contin-
ues even today while it is popularis-
ing to make hats and donate them to
cancer treatment centres, for those
undergoing chemotherapy.
Life isn’t easy, but knitting is!
AHMEDABAD, MONDAY
AUGUST 17, 2020
www.firstindia.co.in I www.firstindia.co.in/epaper/ I twitter.com/thefirstindia
facebook.com/thefirstindia I instagram.com/thefirstindia 09
BUST YOUR STRESS WITH
CROCHETCrochet not only has a place in our wardrobe but also helps
us to improve our mental health. City First brings to you the
health benefits of knitting- the most effective way to heal!
M
POORVIKA AGRAWAL
cityfirst@firstindia.co.in

—By Henry Scott Holland
Death is nothing at all.
It does not count.
I have only slipped away
into the next room.
Nothing has happened.
Everything remains ex-
actly as it was.
I am I, and you are you,
and the old life that we
lived so fondly together is
untouched, unchanged.
Whatever we were to each
other, that we are still.
Call me by the old familiar
name.
Speak of me in the easy
way which you always
used.
Put no difference into your
tone.
Wear no forced air of so-
lemnity or sorrow.
Laugh as we always
laughed at the little
jokes that we enjoyed
together.
Play, smile, think of
me, pray for me.
Let my name be ever
the household word
that it always was.
Let it be spoken with-
out an effort, without
the ghost of a shadow
upon it.
Life means all that it ever
meant.
It is the same as it ever
was.
There is absolute and un-
broken continuity.
What is this death but a
negligible accident?
Why should I be out of
mind because I am out of
sight?
I am but waiting for you,
for an interval,
somewhere very near,
just round the corner.
All is well.
Nothing is hurt; nothing is
lost.
One brief moment and all
will be as it was before.
How we shall laugh at the
trouble of parting when
we meet again!
Source: https://www.familyfriendpo-
ems.com/poem/death-is-nothing-at-
all-by-henry-scott-holland
e should stop
thinking that
someone’s
death is an
unfortunate
event. Yes,
the living
will miss them and
feel a void in life.
However, we should
stop treating it like
a sad affair.
Most of us believe
that we have a soul.
While some may have
differing opinions, I
strongly feel that
every soul has a
purpose. This is
also because I be-
lieve in the con-
cept of reincar-
nation and soul-
mates (souls
that stay to-
gether through
multiple life-
times).
I feel every
soul has a pur-
pose in every
lifetime. The
end purpose is
to learn a little
more about
goodness and de-
sirable virtues.
This is why, may-
be, the good ones
die so soon and the
spiteful ones live the
longest. The spiteful
ones simply need
more time to learn.
When someone dies,
I feel it’s because the
soul has completely
fulfilled the purpose
of this lifetime. Now,
it is possible that the
person may have
pending wishes/de-
sires, but that should
not be confused with
the soul’s purpose.
Maybe those desires
will be purposes of other
lifetimes.
This may help you accept
the death of a near and
dear one. Or, this may help
you get over the fear of
death. That’s up to you.
But this is what I feel that
we should not call any-
one’s departure tragic or
unfortunate. That’s what
their fortune demanded
and it is for an ultimate
good that we do not know
yet. Whatever happens,
happens for good. Maybe
we just don’t know it right
now. (For us and for the de-
parted soul).
10
ETCAHMEDABAD | MONDAY, AUGUST 17, 2020www.firstindia.co.in I www.firstindia.co.in/epaper/ I twitter.com/thefirstindia I facebook.com/thefirstindia I instagram.com/thefirstindia
FACEOFTHEDAY
PRAJAKTA KOLI, Content Creator
LEO
JULY 24 - AUGUST 23
Your life is beautiful not
because you have
everything but because of
the way you live it. You are
a good son/daughter to your parents
and you earn many blessings every
now and then because of your deeds.
You are very professional in your
work and take your job seriously.
LIBRA
SEPT 24 - OCTOBER 22
Its easy to drift apart in
relationships and difficult
to maintain, keep that in
mind. You will get a good
value for something that is of no use
to you anymore. Today is a lucky day
for the ones seeking an admission in
some college or school. Sparkling
personality is loved by everyone.
ARIES
MAR 21 - APR 20
You are in search of your
path and the only way you
can find is by truly self
introspecting. You love to
give guidances to other but its ok to
not to sometimes, remember share
your wisdom with people who value
your opinions. You need to keep a
check on your health.
SAGITTARIUS
NOV 23 - DEC 22
You love to study and
reading all the time is like
your hobby. You are willing
to go somewhere for a
change but situations won’t allow. You
have very good friends who never let
you fall. You may face challenged from
in laws but with persistent efforts you
will change whats bad into good.
GEMINI
MAY 21 - JUNE 21
Though you are a sincere
child and love your parents
but you don’t agree with all
their ideologies. You are
perplexed with someone’s behaviour
towards you, the right thing to do is
to not care about it. Once you decide
to do something you just do it. Hard
work will take you far.
AQUARIUS
JAN 21 - FEB 19
You will be whole day
entertained with some or the
other thing at home. Your
lover is also your best
friends who understands you before
you say anything. You love to indulge
in some or the other form of exercises.
You get bored with one thing easily
therefore you like changes.
TAURUS
APR 21 - MAY 20
Someone of you get
enthusiastic about things
at first and loose it later
therefore work on being a
bit consistent with the feeling.
Whatever you do just give your best
and forget the rest. Support and
make someone feel strong today,
they will be thankful to you.
CAPRICORN
DEC 23 - JAN 20
Your spouse will give you
some kind of surprise and
it will make your day. You
will be involved in charity
work today and you will encourage
everyone around you to do the same.
You want something big from life but
yet to discover what it is. False
practices shall be avoided on work.
VIRGO
AUG 24 - SEP 23
All travelling plans are
cancelled so work things
around as per current
situation. Property
possession is possible today. You
boss will encourage you more than
ever. You will devote much time to
sports. You have many admirers
around you. Respect your lover.
CANCER
JUNE 22 - JULY 23
You love your family and
can do anything for them.
You are on person who is
always ready to help
anyone. You are very excited about
your kid’s future and are willing to do
anything for him/her. You are a very
optimistic person. Stretching any
matter should be avoided.
PISCES
FEB20 - MARCH 20
Have faith in something or
someone, its very
important. Don’t test your
parent’s patience. Your
children may feel bored and expect
you to do something about it. Life is
beautiful if you see it that way. Your
lover is miles away and you miss his/
her physical presence.
SCORPIO
OCT 23 - NOVEMBER 22
Take correct decisions on
career front as your every
move will impact your
future. Luck favours you
on academic front and you will clear
your exams weather competitive of
institution one. Your elder sibling will
give you good advice so hesitate
from opening up with him/her.
YOUR
DAYHoroscope by
Saurabbh Sachdeva
T
HEDEPARTED SO
UL
KRITIKA KANODIA
cityfirst@firstindia.co.in
W
DEATH IS
NOTHING AT ALL

A
day after Ameri-
canmodelChris-
sy Teigen and
singer husband
JohnLegendannounced
they were expecting a
third child, Teigen re-
vealed in a series of
tweets how she found
out about the sur-
prise pregnancy.
According to
reports, when Twitter
followers asked if she
knew she was pregnant
during her breast im-
plantremovalsurgeryin
June, the 34-year-old
model tweeted that "It's
quite a story." The 'Crav-
ings' author wrote, "I did
the routine pregnancy
test you do before sur-
gery. It said negative. It
was not negative," add-
ing she took another test
after the June 19 surgery.
The tweets came a day
after Teigen and Legend
announced the pregnan-
cy in his new music vid-
eo, 'Wild.' The video in-
cludes a close-up shot on
her growing baby bump,
reported sources. The
supermodelsaidshewas
surprised and "didn't
think" she could get
pregnantnaturally,with-
out the aid of fertility
treatments. The couple's
other children -- 4-year-
old Luna and 2-year-old
Miles - were conceived
after undergoing IVF
treatments. —ANI
‘T
he Henna Art-
ist’, Alka
Joshi's bestsell-
ing debut nov-
el, is based on 17-year old
Lakshmi, who escapes
from an abusive mar-
riage and makes her way
alone to the 1950s pink
city of Jaipur. There, she
becomes the most highly
requested henna artist
and confidante to the
wealthy women of the
upper class. But trusted
with the secrets of the
wealthy, she never can
reveal her own.
'The Henna Artist'
has tremendous po-
tential to become
that binge-able,
high-quality, multi-
layered television
show that hon-
ours the glory and beau-
ty of India, its culture
and its people, said Pin-
to. Reading the book,
Pinto was drawn to Lak-
shmi, the kind of char-
acter I'd been dying to
sink my teeth into.
As an actress, I can-
not wait to dive back into
the stories of my mother-
land and make my wom-
en (and my men) of all
backgrounds, with all
their good and their com-
plexities, feel seen and
heard, said the actress,
who was born
and raised
in India.
—Agency
I
n an attempt to breathe
new life into their mar-
riage, American rapper
Kanye West and reality TV
star Kim Kardashian-West
have rented out an entire 500-
acre resort deep in the San
Juan Mountains.
The Wests left Colorado's
Dunton River Camp earlier
this week for the former cattle
ranch along the Delores River,
renting out the entire proper-
ty for a whopping USD 43K per
night, as per reports. The re-
sort gave the family exclusive
access to the resort's camp-
fires, cabins, hot springs, hik-
ing trails and everything else
needed for a getaway.
This latest family vaca-
tion follows a weeklong trip
to the Dominican Republic
where West was reunited
with his four kids, seven-
year-old North, four-year-old
Saint, two-year-old Chicago,
and 15-month-old Psalm, af-
ter being holed up for weeks
at his 14 million USD Wyo-
ming ranch, as per me-
dia reports
The source also re-
ports that the
3 9 - y e a r - o l d
SKIMS founder is
exhausted.
Between the
kids, work, and
dealing with
Kanye's bipo-
lar episodes,
it's been hard
for her to
think clearly,
the source
said of Kar-
dashian. —ANI
ETCwww.firstindia.co.in I www.firstindia.co.in/epaper/ I twitter.com/thefirstindia I facebook.com/thefirstindia I instagram.com/thefirstindia AHMEDABAD | MONDAY, AUGUST 17, 2020
11
he melodious
Singer of Bol-
lywood Shilpa
Rao is back
with the latest
song ‘Aadhe
Aadhe Se’ with
a Netflix movie ‘Raat
Akeli Hai’, starring
Nawazuddin Siddiqui
and Radhika Apte. In an
exclusive interview
with City First, Shilpa
talked about her latest
song that is making the
buzz on playlists.
“I and the composer
Sneha never got along
well. Eventually,
around a year ago, Anu-
rag Kashyap made us
sit together and insist-
ed we work together on
the song. That’s how we
met and decided to
work on this song. I re-
ally enjoyed working
with her, not just work-
ing with her but the
whole persona of her
and hope it was like-
wise for her,” she said
on her recent collabora-
tion.
While talking about
her recent song, she
said, “Sneha has com-
posed the song. Honest-
ly, it was a great experi-
ence working on this
song as it is a very com-
plex song and to sing
those words perfectly
requires hard work. Ra-
jshekhar has beautiful-
ly written the lyrics. To
say, I’ve sung so many
words in this song
which I have actually
never sung in any song.
This song is about
growth and how we all
are ‘work in progress’
as a human being, as a
lover, as a musician, as
an artist and that I
think was something
me and Sneha resonat-
ed well with working on
this song. This song, to
me, symbolises the
word ‘Acceptance’ and
accepting each other as
people.”
Today, Rao has hits
like Javeda Zindagi
from Anwar, Khuda
Jaane from Bachna Ae
Haseeno, Yaariyaan
from Cocktail, Ghun-
groo from War and the
title track of Kalank, to
name a few, under her
belt.
On her upcoming
projects, the Songstress
stated, “I have a few
projects in the pipeline.
We are working on a
video release for a col-
laboration I did with
Anoushka Shankar.”
KARISHMA
GWALANI
Karishma.gwalani
@firstindia.co.in
THE POWER OF ACCEPTANCE
T
Shilpa Rao
Freida Pinto
Kanye West and Kim Kardashian
WORKING ON
MARRIAGE
FREIDA PINTO TO CASTFREIDA PINTO TO CAST
IN ‘THE HENNA ARTIST’IN ‘THE HENNA ARTIST’
S
aif Ali Khan celebrated
his milestone 50th birth-
day this weekend and the
family is leaving no stone
unturned to make it memorable.
As the celebrations unfold,
Kareena Kapoor Khan took
to Instagram and shared a
video from the party to wish
the actor on social media.
The actress posted a boomer-
ang video and a sweet video
of the two posing with the
birthday cake to wish the
sparkle of her life on his
50th birthday. While the fun
video oozes love, the boomer-
ang video also gave us a
glimpse of Bebo's baby bump.
The Laal Singh Chadda
star captioned the video,
Happy birthday to the spar-
kle of my life adding a red
heart to it. The video comes
days after Kareena and Saif
confirmed that they were
preparing to welcome their sec-
ond child. Following Kareena's
birthday wishes, her sister Ka-
risma Kapoor also took to Insta-
gram and wish Saif. —Agency
K
aran Singh Grover, who is
known to have a knack at
painting, shared snap-
shots of his latest artwork
on Instagram.
Describing the painting,
Karan shared: “This art piece
symbolises independence and
also transformation. It describes
how a caterpillar transforms into
a butterfly. That’s where we are,
trying to understand our parts
and roles in developing wings
and colours of the butterfly we
all must become.”
Karan’s wife, actress Bipa-
sha Basu, commented on the
post: “New piece on Independ-
ence Day is soulful and beau-
tiful.”
“First we achieved unity,
then we achieved independ-
ence. First, we must unite,
then we shall transform.
From 1947 to 2020, our first
step remains the same.
We are all one. All cells
in the divine body, who herself is
a cell in the body of this infinitely
vast, canvas of divine conscious-
ness. Unite with the
Self and we shall
unite with the
all. Let’s lead
the way. Happy
Independence
Day,” Karan
said. —Agency
SAIF TURNS 50 SOULFUL MEANING!
Karan Singh Grover and his post
Chrissy Teigen
SURPRISEPREGNANCY
Kareena Kapoor and Saif Ali Khan

First india ahmedabad edition-17 august 2020

First india ahmedabad edition-17 august 2020

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