First india ahmedabad edition-25 september 2020

13 out of 16 abortion petitions in Guj HC filed by minors
Gargi Raval
Ahmedabad: The Gu-
jarat High Court re-
ceived 16 applications
for termination of
pregnancy between
May 2019 and August
2020. Of these, 13 ap-
plications were sub-
mitted by minors and
three by adults. All
the cases filed in the
high court were filed
due to sexual abuse.
The recently released
legal report by Prati-
gya Campaign titled,
‘Assessing the Judici-
ary’s Role in Access to
Safe Abortion- II’ un-
derlined cases seeking
permission for termi-
nation of pregnancy
from high courts in
India. A total number
of 243 cases were filed
in 14 high courts with
one appeal presented
before the Supreme
Court. The courts
granted permission to
84% of total appli-
cants who applied to
terminate their preg-
nancies.
Out of 16 applica-
tions heard by the high
court, 15 were granted
permission for termi-
nation of pregnancy
while one was with-
drawn by the applicant.
“Over 10 cases were
filed before the 20-week
cut-off for termination
and eight were granted
approval for termina-
tion before they crossed
the 20-week limit. While
six applicants moved to
the next gestational pe-
riod of the foetus from
the time of filing of the
judgment. Of these, five
applications were filed
before the 20-week mark
and one after. But, three
cases received the
court’s judgment post
the 20-week mark,” stat-
ed the report.
The petitioners were
examined by medical
boards which com-
prised six to eight doc-
tors. The court also
asked the medical
boards to provide their
opinions on the mental
and psychological pre-
paredness of the preg-
nant person for going
through with termina-
tion of pregnancy. In
some cases, the peti-
tions were filed through
the local chapter of the
National Legal Services
Authority and even
then, the necessity of
seeking permission
was not questioned.
Over 243 cases were filed in 14 high courts of the country, for
termination of pregnancies. —FILE PHOTO
The court granted permission to 15
applicants while one withdrew the
petition prior judgment
27°C - 34°C www.firstindia.co.in | www.firstindia.co.in/epaper/ I twitter.com/thefirstindia I facebook.com/thefirstindia | instagram.com/thefirstindia
AHMEDABAD l FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 25, 2020 l Pages 12 l 3.00 RNI NO. GUJENG/2019/16208 l Vol 1 l Issue No. 300
MOST HOLISTIC NEP 2020
CORRESPONDS TO NEEDS OF
CHANGING INDIA: RAJNATH SINGH P6
DEEPIKA PADUKONE LEAVES FOR
MUMBAI, TO BE INTERROGATED BY
NARCOTICS CONTROL BUREAU
OUR EDITIONS: JAIPUR & AHMEDABAD
P5
Investors lose
`3.95 lakh cr
MARKET ROUT EXTENDS TO 6TH DAY
AS SENSEX CRASHES 1,115 POINTSMumbai: The Sensex
plunged 1,115 points
while the Nifty
crashed below the
10,850-mark on Thurs-
day as investors
dumped equities amid
a sharp global selloff
and concerns over eco-
nomic recovery.
World markets were
bathed in a sea of red
as fears about a second
wave of COVID-19 in-
fections in major econ-
omies and lack of fresh
stimulus from central
banks clobbered senti-
ment.
Back home, a sharp
depreciation in the ru-
pee and volatility on
F&O expiry day fur-
ther weighed on the
bourses, traders said.
Sliding for the sixth
straight session, the
30-share BSE Sensex
plummeted 1,114.82
points or 2.96 per cent
to finish at 36,553.60.
The benchmark post-
ed its biggest single-
day fall since May 4
this year, when it had
plunged over 2,000
points.
Similarly, the NSE
Nifty tanked 326.30
points or 2.93 per cent
to close at 10,805.55.
The Sensex has now
lost 2,749.25 points in
six days, while the Nif-
ty has declined by 799
points.
The market capitali-
sation of all BSE-listed
companies stood at Rs
1,48,76,217.22 crore,
down by Rs 3.95 lakh
crore compared to the
previous session.
Barring Hindustan
Unilever, which inched
up 0.36 per cent, all
Sensex components
ended in the red on
Thursday.
IndusInd Bank was
the top laggard, tum-
bling 7.10 per cent, fol-
lowedbyBajajFinance,
M&M, Tech Mahindra,
TCS, Tata Steel, ICICI
Bank and Infosys.
“Weak global cues
coupled with worrying
data points from the US
led to a gap down start
today even as the re-
emergence of the virus
rattled the Euro zone.
Indices here saw deep
cuts led by TCS and In-
fosys as both along
with RIL were the ones
which led the recovery
in the last five months.
“The broader mar-
kets were pounded to-
day much beyond the
3 per cent cut wit-
nessed in the Indices,”
said S Ranganathan,
Head of Research at
LKP Securities.
All sectoral indices
closed with losses, with
BSE IT index dropping
4.45 per cent, followed
by teck, auto, metal, re-
alty, basic materials,
bankex and finance.
The BSE mid-cap
and small-cap gauges
lost as much as 2.28 per
cent. In the forex mar-
ket, the rupee depreci-
ated 32 paise to finish
at 73.89 against the US
dollar. —PTI
New Delhi: With an-
other round of talks on
theborderstandoff with
China likely soon, India
on Thursday said it is
necessary to ensure sta-
bility on the ground
while the two sides work
towards ensuring com-
plete disengagement of
troops in all friction ar-
eas in eastern Ladakh.
At a virtual media
briefing, MEA spokes-
person Anurag Srivas-
tavasaiddisengagement
is a complex process
which would require
mutually agreed “recip-
rocal actions” and the
way ahead will be to re-
frain from making any
attempts to unilaterally
change the status quo.
Srivastava also said
the next meeting under
the framework of the
Working Mechanism
for Consultation and
Coordination (WMCC)
on India-China border
affairs is likely to take
place “soon”.
It is learnt that the
WMCC talks will take
place ahead of the next
round of the Corp-com-
mander-level discus-
sions.
“Even as two sides
work towards complete
disengagement in all
friction areas, it is at
the same time also nec-
essary to ensure stabil-
ity on the ground.
Turn to P6
‘Needtoensurestability
ongroundbeforefresh
roundoftalkswithChina’
SAARC meet: Cross-border
terrorism among 3 challenges
DB Gupta
all set to
be CIC
New Delhi: India took up the issue of cross-border
terrorism in the informal meeting of SAARC
Foreign Ministers which happened virtually on the
sidelines of UNGA this year. After the meeting,
the Indian Foreign Minister S Jaishankar tweeted,
“Cross-border terrorism, blocking connectivity
and obstructing trade are three key challenges that
SAARC must overcome. Only then will we see en-
during peace, prosperity and security in our South
Asia region”. External Affairs Ministry spokesper-
son Anurag Srivastava said Jaishankar stated at
the meeting that over the last 35 years, Turn to P6
Dr Rituraj Sharma
Jaipur: The former
Chief Secretary and
presently advisor to
Chief Minister Ashok
Gehlot, DB Gupta is all
set to take over as the
new Chief Information
Commissioner of the
state.
According to reliable
sources Chief Minister
Ashok Gehlot, in a
move to reward his old
‘gentleman’ loyalist,
has reportedly given a
go ahead to Gupta’s ap-
pointment on this sensi-
tive assignment.
Accordingly the state
government has noti-
fied the post asking for
the applications till Oc-
tober 7. DB Gupta is oth-
erwise due to retire on
September 30.
Kangana‘wells up’ as HC raps
BMC over her damaged house
Fit India Dialogue: PM Modi launches
age-appropriate fitness protocols
New Delhi: Prime Min-
ister Narendra Modi on
Thursday launched the
‘Fit India Age Appropri-
ate Fitness Protocols’
during an online Fit In-
dia Dialogue, to cele-
brate the first anniver-
sary of the Fit India
Movement.
The fitness protocols
have been prepared
with the help of fitness
enthusiasts for three
age categories, from
5-18 years, 18-65 years,
and 65 plus age category
Union Minister Kiren
Rijiju, Indian cricket
team captain Virat Koh-
li, Paralympics gold me-
dalist javelin thrower,
Devendra Jhajharia,
woman footballer from
Jammu and Kashmir,
Afshan Ashiq, actor
and fitness promoter
Milind Soman, nutri-
tion and exercise sci-
ence expert, Rujuta Di-
wekar, Yoga guru Swa-
mi Shivadhayanam
Saraswati, and Nation-
al Organising Secre-
tary, Turn to P6
Mumbai: Former Aus-
tralian batsman Dean
Jones has passed away
due to a cardiac arrest
on Thursday in Mum-
bai. He was 59.
Dean Jones was in In-
dia to fulfil his commit-
ments for the host
broadcasters, Star In-
dia, of the Indian Pre-
mier League. He suf-
fered a massive heart
attack at a hotel in
Mumbai after 12 pm on
Thursday.
Shocked” India cap-
tain Virat Kohli prayed
“for strength and cour-
age to his family and
friends”. Popularly
known as “Professor
Deano”, the Victorian
was famous for his at-
tacking batting style as
a top-order batsman in
one-day internationals.
ICC along with scores
of fans and cricketers
took to Twitter to con-
dole the legend’s un-
timely demise. —Agencies
Australian
cricket
legend Dean
Jones dies
Mumbai: The Bombay
High Court pulled up
BMC during the hear-
ing of a petition filed by
actor Kangana Ranaut
over the demolition of
her office and said one
cannot keep dragging
their feet.
The court’s rap came
after the BMC advocate
sought two days’ time to
reply to the petition
filed by Kangana
Ranaut against the re-
cent demolition of her
property. Justice SJ
Kathawala burst out
saying, “Someone’s
house has been demol-
ished. We cannot let a
structure remain like
that in this monsoon.
Otherwise you are very
fast but when there are
allegations against you,
then you are dragging
your feet.” Court has
now postponed the mat-
ter for further hearing
on Friday at 3 pm.
Meanwhile, Kangana
thanked HC after the
court pulled up the
BMC during the hear-
ing. “Honourable Jus-
tice HC, Turn to P6
PM Narendra Modi interacting with various fitness enthusiasts during the Fit India Dialogue
event on Thursday. —PHOTO BY ANI
EAM Dr S Jaishankar addresses the SAARC Foreign Minister’s Informal meeting via video
conferencing in New Delhi on Thursday. —PHOTO BY ANI
DB Gupta

NEWSAHMEDABAD | FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 25, 2020
02www.firstindia.co.in I www.firstindia.co.in/epaper/ I twitter.com/thefirstindia I facebook.com/thefirstindia I instagram.com/thefirstindia
First India Bureau
Gandhinagar: Guja-
rat’s Legislative As-
sembly has chosen
the Congress party’s
MLA Mohansinh
Rathwa as the best
member of the House
for 2019, and the
BJP’s senior MLA
and education Minis-
ter Bhupendrasinh
Chudasama for 2020.
Announcing the
awards, Speaker Ra-
jendra Trivedi said, “It
not necessary that
someone will be select-
ed for the award every
year because not only
are we selecting the
best members, but we
are also looking for
members that add to
the dignity of the
award.”
He added: “When I
decided to launch the
award, I modelled it on
the Best Parliamentar-
ian Award in the hope
that members of the
state Assembly would
be of as high calibre as
very knowledgeable
parliamentarians like
the late Somnath Chat-
terjee, LK Advani,
Manmohan Singh,
Murli Manohar Joshi,
Arun Jaitely, Karan
Singh and Sushma
Swaraj.”
This is the tenth
term for Rathwa,
who was first elected
in 1972. The oldest
member of the
House, he has been a
minister in three
governments.
Chudasama was
first elected to the state
Assembly in
1990 from Dholka con-
stituency. His 2017 elec-
tion was set aside by
the high court, but the
Supreme Court stayed
the move before the
Speaker took call on
the high court order.
First India Bureau
Gandhinagar: The
Congress party
staged a walkout af-
ter the state failed to
respond to a ques-
tion on the issue of a
waiver for school
fees in the Assembly
on Thursday.
In a short notice
question asked by
MLA Imran Khedawa-
la, the Congress party
had demanded that the
state government an-
nounce a school fees
waiver. When the state
kept mum on the sub-
ject, all the Congress
MLAs walked out of
the House.
It is to be remem-
bered that schools
have shut since
March due to the
COVID-19 pandemic
and there is no clar-
ity on when they
might reopen. Yet,
schools have been de-
manding fees regu-
lar fees from the par-
ents despite only pro-
viding tuition. Par-
ents have been de-
manding relief in
the fees package, and
the state’s interven-
tion for the same.
However, the state
government has not
taken any decision
on the issue.
Insiders say that the
BJP’s silence on
Thursday was inten-
tional, since the rul-
ing party would be
held accountable for
any statement made in
the House. Plus, had
the government taken
any decision after be-
ing pushed into a cor-
ner by the Opposition,
it would have counted
as a win for the Con-
gress—especially in
the eyes of parents
who have been run-
ning from pillar to
post over the issue.
Cong walkout after govt
undecided on school fees
The MLAs left the House in protest.
SeniorMLAsRathwa,Chudasamanamed
bestmembersoftheAssemblyfor2019,2020
(From left) MoS (Home) Pradipsinh Jadeja, CM Vijay Rupani, Education Minister Bhupendrasinh Chudasama, Speaker Rajendra Trivedi,
MLA Mohansinh Rathwa, Deputy CM Nitin Patel and LOP Paresh Dhanani at the award ceremony.
Junior doctors in govt-run hosps to receive bond term relaxations
First India Bureau
Gandhinagar: In a
major decision, the
state government
has decided to relax
the bond terms of
junior doctors by
stipulating that if
they serve in a COV-
ID-19 ward, they will
not be required to
serve part of their
term in rural areas.
The state govern-
ment had conducted
campus interviews
of postgraduate doc-
tors and over 362
doctors had been
placed in their re-
spective districts.
In a press statement,
the state health depart-
ment said that it ac-
knowledged the ser-
vices rendered by jun-
ior doctors in state,
civic body-run and des-
ignated nCoV hospi-
tals. Therefore, the
government sought to
grant them conces-
sions in their bond
terms.
As per the terms of
an MBBS bond, any
student who signs it
has to serve a mini-
mum of three years
in rural areas or his
bond amount may be
liable to confiscation.
But, the government
has decided to take
into consideration
the duties performed
by junior doctors
amid the COVID-19
pandemic and pro-
vided them with pro-
vision. If any doctor
working at a govern-
ment-run hospital
leaves in the middle
of his/her bond term
to serve in a COV-
ID-19 ward, then the
government will con-
sider their services
as a continuance.
Further, if a doctor
has signed a three-year
bond, then he/she can
get their bond term
changed to one year,
provided they have
rendered six months’
service during the
nCoV health crisis.
 For service in COVID-19 ward,
doctors will not be required to serve
part of their term in rural areas
REWARDING EXPERIENCE
First India Bureau
Ahmedabad: With
the agricultural re-
form Bills recently
passed by Parliament
being termed “anti-
farmer Bills”, the
Gujarat Congress
has announced that
it will hold a protest
on October 02, to
show solidarity with
the farmers. Before
that, however, the
party will also march
to the Governor’s
residence on Mon-
day, September 28.
The three Bills—The
Farmers’ Produce
Trade and Commerce
(Promotion and Facili-
tation) Bill, 2020; The
Farmers’ (Empower-
ment and Protection)
Agreement of Price As-
surance and Farm Ser-
vices Bill, 2020 and The
Essential Commodities
(Amendment) Bill,
2020—were introduced
to replace Ordinances
promulgated by the
Centre earlier and have
seen protests in other
states such as Punjab
and Haryana as well. It
was passed in the Rajya
Sabha after eight MPs
were suspended.
Rajiv Satav, AICC
(All-India Congress
Committee) in-
charge for Gujarat,
was among the sus-
pended Rajya Sabha
MPs. Currently on a
visit to Gujarat, Sat-
av addressed the
press in Ahmedabad
on Thursday. “Only
three countries in the
worlds—India, Paki-
stan, and Bangla-
desh—bring an Ordi-
nance to the House.
Ordinances are
meant to bypass Par-
liament and the dem-
ocratic system. The
BJP government has
passed 45 Ordinances
in 2019 and this year
27 so far,” he said.
“The Farmer Bills
have been introduced
withoutconsultationof
stakeholders and the
states and not even
RSS-affiliatedorganiza-
tions. This is why one
of their alliance part-
ners left the post of
minister in protest. The
states were not consult-
ed despite agriculture
being a concurrent list
subject,” Satav said.
He said that the
Congress party is op-
posing the Bills for
various reasons.
“One of the striking
things is that there is
no mention of Mini-
mum Support Price
for farmers. The BJP
argues that farmers
can now sell their
products anywhere
in the country. But
they could already do
that!” he pointed out.
President of the Gu-
jarat Pradesh Congress
Committee, Amit Chav-
dasaid,“MahatmaGan-
dhi kicked out the East
India Company that
was exploiting Indians
but the BJP seems like
the modern version of
the colonial British.
The BJP wants Compa-
ny Raj to return to In-
dia. Their intentions
are clear with these
Bills. The BJP wants to
destroy cooperative
committees which are
heart and soul of the
agriculture sector, thus
leaving the very exist-
ence of farmers hang-
ing in the balance.”
Former president
of the Congress party
in Gujarat Siddharth
Patel said, “Any Bill
presented by the BJP
government is contro-
versial by default.
There is an agitation
across the nation
against the Farmers
Bills. The BJP govern-
ment is presenting
myth as reality. The
fight is for the market
and traditional mar-
kets around which the
agricultural sector is
involved,” he said.
Meanwhile, Con-
gress leader Indranil
Rajyaguru rejoined the
party in the presence
of RajivSatavatParesh
Dhanani’s residence on
Thursday evening.
Will also hold
protest march
to Governor’s
residence
against
agriculture
Bills on Sept 28
(L to R) Hardik Patel, Arjun Modhwadia, Rajiv Satav, Amit Chavda and Siddharth Patel addressed a press conference in Ahmedabad on Thursday.
IRKED WITH FARM BILL,
CONG PLANS OCT 2 STIR
UNANIMOUS HOUSE VOTE FOR GUJARAT
LAND GRABBING PROHIBITION BILL
—PHOTOBYHANIFSINDHI

GUJARATAHMEDABAD | FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 25, 2020
45- year-old died after sparks from the blast burnt down his shanty outside the plant
First India Bureau
Surat: A man died af-
ter a huge fire broke
out at the Oil and Nat-
ural Gas Corporation
(ONGC) plant in Haz-
ira in the wee hours
on Thursday. The fire,
which was preceded
by three blasts, was
brought under con-
trol after seven hours.
The 45-year-old man
was later learnt to
have died after sparks
from the blaze set fire
to the shanty in which
he had been sleeping
outside the plant.
The massive blaze
could be seen from a
distance of up to 10km,
eyewitnesses said.
Some also posted pho-
tos and videos of the
explosions and the fire
on social media.
“The fire broke out in
the inlet gas terminal
after three massive
blasts at 3.05 am. The
compressed gas was de-
pressurised to bring the
fire under control,” Su-
rat District Collector
Dhaval Patel said.
Fire vehicles of the
ONGC, Surat Munici-
pal Corporation and lo-
cal industrial units
rushed to the spot and
brought the blaze under
control, he said.
Theinletgasterminal
where the fire broke out
wascordonedoff andthe
plant secured, he said,
adding the cause of the
fire will be ascertained
after cooling operations
are completed.
Shortly after the fire
was put out, the ONGC
tweeted: “A fire was ob-
served in the Hazira Gas
processing plant in the
morning today. Fire has
been brought under con-
trol.Thereisnocasualty
or injury to any person.”
However, Deputy
Commissioner of Police
Panna Momaya said po-
lice were informed
shortlyafternoon,about
a charred body being
found outside the plant,
hoursaftertheblazewas
put out.
She said a team of Fo-
rensic Science Labora-
tory (FSL) was called to
ascertain the cause of
his death.
Another police offi-
cial said the distance
between the spot of the
fire and the place where
the body was found, is
around 250 metres.
Major fire at ONGC’s Hazira
unit leaves one person dead
FATAL ACCIDENT
The blaze could be seen from a distance of 10km, witnesses said. — PHOTO ANI
First India Bureau
Surat: Praful Toga-
dia, the Leader of
Opposition in the
Surat Municipal
Corporation, has
written to Munici-
pal Commissioner
B a n c h h a n i d h i
Pani asking for an
inquiry into the
misuse of funds al-
lotted to Muktid-
ham Hindu
S m a s h a n d h a m
Trust, in the city’s
Limbayat area.
First India had re-
ported about the ir-
regularities by the
Muktidham trust
on September 20.
In a letter to Com-
missioner Pani on
September 22, Toga-
dia says he visited
the site allotted to the
trust for the cremato-
rium and found just a
few pillars. Given
that the SMC has re-
leased Rs4.04 crore to
the trust for the pro-
ject, this is a blatant
misuse of public
funds, the letter adds.
It also points out
that if the SMC re-
leases funds, the re-
spective zone’s ex-
ecutive engineer is
to carry out spot in-
spection and file up-
dates about the sta-
tus—neither of
which has been done
in this case.
First India Bureau
Ahmedabad: The
COVID-19 pandem-
ic has left much to
be desired from lo-
cal authorities, ac-
cording to Amda-
vadis. With civic
body elections
round the corner,
there are many
who wish to contest
polls but technical
difficulties in the
nomination pro-
cess have hindered
their progress.
Lending their help,
a group of social
activists working
under the banner
of Alpsankhyak
Adhikar Manch
has called for en-
tries of individuals
who wish to run for
civic body, taluka
panchayat, district
panchayat elec-
tions.
Manch member,
Sharif Malek said,
“The technical guid-
ance includes pitch-
ing to a political par-
ty and enlisting as a
candidate for them.
If someone wants to
contest polls, be it as
a political party rep-
resentative or as an
independent, we will
provide them with
support.”
LOP seeks inquiry
into public funds
for crematorium
Activist group to
help citizens in
contesting polls
Now, ID mandatory
for nCoV test: SMC
First India Bureau
Gandhinagar: The
Surat Municipal
Corporation has
now made it manda-
tory for those get-
ting tested for COV-
ID-19 to submit
proof of identity.
The decision came
after the civic body
found that many
people were giving
incorrect informa-
tion, making it dif-
ficult to trace them
if they tested posi-
tive for the Sars-
CoV-2 virus.
Meanwhile, with
rumours of another
week-long lockdown
spreading on social
media, Deputy Chief
Minister Nitin Patel
had to issue a clarifi-
cation on the issue in
order to bring panic
buying of groceries
and other essential
items under control.
In the past 24 hours,
the state has conduct-
ed has 61,904 tests, and
detected 1,408 new
cases. With this, there
are now 16,354 active
cases in the state, with
89 patients on ventila-
tors.Fourteenpatients
died in the state in the
past 24 hours.
The highest num-
ber of cases (278)
came from Surat. Of
these, 176 were from
the city and 102 were
from rural areas. The
district has 2,512 ac-
tive cases. Vadodara
city conducted 4,443
tests, resulting in 127
positive cases. There
are 1,541 active cases
in the city.
Cases also emerged
in Ahmedabad (183),
Rajkot(147),Vadodara
(133), Jamnagar (98),
Gandhinagar (50),
Mehsana (49), Banas-
kantha (44), Bhavna-
gar (38), Junagadh
(36), Kutch (33), Am-
reli (28) and Panchma-
hal (28).
In Jamnagar, Sub-
hash Vegetable mar-
ket resumed its opera-
tion after being shut
for six months.
COVID-19 testing in Ahmedabad. —FILE PHOTO
Ahmedabad: The high
court on Thursday
asked the state govern-
ment to file a response
regardingitsCropCut-
ting Experiment. The
court is hearing a peti-
tion filed by the Khed-
ut Ekta Manch, where-
in it has challenged the
state government’s de-
cision to conceal three
years’ data of the Crop
Cutting Experiment
(CCE). The petitioner’s
argument is that the
central government
guidelines do not men-
tion stalling CCE data,
or directing the state
not to release it for
three years.
The CCE underlines
datacollectedbythestate
government of natural
calamities such as
droughts or floods and
decidesonthecompensa-
tion. The petitioner has
prayed to the high court
that it constitute an in-
dependent inquiry
committee headed by a
retired high court judge
to investigate the CCE
data. It also wishes to
ascertain the reason for
non-release of CCE
data for the past three
years.
According to the peti-
tion, “The CCE data is
important for claims
made under the Prad-
han Mantri Fasal Bima
Yojana. It will expose
how private companies
have failed to pay claims
for the year 2018-19,
when major parts of the
state had faced drought
and farmers had in-
curred huge losses.”
HC asks state to file response on Crop Cutting Experiment data
 A petition by Khedut Ekta
Manch has sought explanation
about govt’s concealment of info
ACCOUNTABILITY
High Court of Gujarat. —FILE PHOTO
The site of the crematorium still only has a few pillars.
OUT-OF-OFFICE
SESSION
Mayor Bijal Patel and
other councillors of the
Ahmedabad Municipal
Corporation were
tested for COVID-19 on
Thursday, ahead of the
civic body’s first general
board meeting on Friday.
This will be the first
time the councillors are
meeting in person since
the pandemic started.
Those who test positive
for COVID-19 will be
expected to be present
virtually.This is also the
first time the board is
meeting somewhere
beside the traditional
Mahatma Gandhi Hall.
Tagore Hall, where
the meeting is being
held, was sanitized on
Thursday in anticipation
of Friday’s meeting.
—PHOTOS BY
HANIF SINDHI
We will
provide
techni-
cal assistance to
people who need
it for the nomi-
nation proce-
dure. We are
ready to help
any person who
wants to contest
corporation,
municipality,
taluka pancha-
yat, or district
panchayat elec-
tions.
—Shamshad Pathan,
Member, Alpsankhyak
Adhikar Manch
CHUNI GAJERA GETS RELIEF FROM HC
1,408 fresh cases, 14
deaths bring tally up
to 1,28,949, and
death toll to 3,384

G Vol 1 G Issue No. 300 G RNI NO. GUJENG/2019/16208. Printed and published by Anita Hada Sangwan on behalf of First Express Publishers. Printed at Bhaskar Printing Planet Survey No.148P, Changodar-Bavla Highway, Tal. Sanand, Dist. Ahmedabad.
Published at D/302 3rd Floor Plot No. 35 Titanium Square, Scheme No. 2, Thaltej Taluka, Ghatlodiya, Ahmedabad. Editor-In-Chief: Jagdeesh Chandra. Editor: Anita Hada Sangwan responsible for selection of news under the PRB Act
PERSPECTIVEAHMEDABAD | FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 25, 2020
When you attain victory over
yourself, not even the gods can
turn it into defeat. —Buddha
Spiritual
SPEAK
ow will COV-
ID-19 affect de-
veloping coun-
tries’ growth
prospects? The
answer will depend largely
on how globalization – and
intellectual support for it
– evolves in the pandemic’s
aftermath. The prospects
are not encouraging.
Even before the pandem-
ic struck, the global mer-
chandise export-to-GDP
ratio had been declining
for the first time since
World War II, falling by
about five percentage
points since 2008 to about
20% this year.
This is not the first time
that the world has de-glo-
balized.BetweenWorldWar
I and the eve of World War
II, world trade collapsed,
and the export-to-GDP ratio
fell from a peak of 16% in
1913tojustover6%.InJohn
MaynardKeynes’smemora-
ble words, this contraction
was the result of “the pro-
jects and politics of milita-
rism and imperialism, of
racial and cultural rival-
ries, of monopolies, restric-
tions, and exclusion.”
Today’s deglobalization
was brought on by other
factors. For starters, new
protectionist barriers have
been erected, though not at
a 1930s scale. The trade re-
strictions imposed by US
President Donald Trump’s
administration since 2017
have been relatively limit-
ed overall, and targeted
mainly at China. At the
global level, they have been
partly offset by ongoing
new free-trade agreements,
such as the Economic Part-
nership Agreement that
the European Union and
Japan concluded in 2018.
Another, more important
factor behind today’s deglo-
balization is the fraying of
global value chains, which
itself is the result of Chi-
na’s transformation from a
small export-driven econo-
myintoamuchlargerecon-
omymorereliantondomes-
tic demand. As such, the
past decade can partly be
seen as a period of normal-
ization after years of Chi-
nese exceptionalism. But it
was also clearly more than
that. If normalization were
the only factor, the global
export-to-GDP ratio would
have merely flattened, with
the share of exports ceded
by China being taken over
by other developing coun-
tries. Instead, we have wit-
nessed a dramatic decline
in the ratio, implying se-
vere consequences for
manydevelopingcountries.
Since the early 1990s un-
til recently, the world had
been witnessing an eco-
nomic “convergence,”
whereby poor countries fi-
nally (after 200 years) were
beginning to catch up with
rich ones. Although some
countries, especially in
East Asia, had already
been converging for a long
time, only in the past three
decades did this become a
truly global phenomenon.
Expanded opportunities
for trade were an important
factor driving convergence.
The 1990s and 2000s were an
era of what Martin Kessler
and one of us have called
hyper-globalization, when
technological advances, the
container revolution, the
fallininformationandcom-
munication costs, and the
dismantling of trade barri-
ers sustained widespread
economic exuberance.
Among other things, hy-
per-globalization drove the
global export-to-GDP ratio
from 15% to 25% over the
two decades leading up to
the 2008 global financial
crisis, and this export
boom fueled rapid growth
in developing countries.
SOURCE: PROJECT SYNDICATE
Are intellectuals killing convergence?
H
Top
TWEET
Dharmendra Pradhan
@dpradhanbjp
Had a discussion through VC
with HE Kenneth Juster, the U.S.
Ambassador to India on India-
U.S. energy relationship,especially
the Strategic Energy Partnership.
@USAmbIndia recognised that the
energy component is emerging as
a key constituent of the India-US
strategic partnership.
Mukul Wasnik @MukulWasnik
Salman Khurshid named in
latest chargesheet ﬁled by the
Delhi Police in riots case. Nation
watched people giving slogans
“Goli maro saalo ko”. Some made
more provocative speeches. They
have not been named. People
in power should remember that
ultimately “Truth shall prevail”.
he 14-hour marathon military
commanders’ level meeting,
first after the 5-point consen-
sus at Moscow has once again
ended with all indicators
pointing towards a stalemate.
India on its part is buoyed
with the brilliant pre-emptive
tactical actions on 29-30 Au-
gust leading to gaining con-
trol of dominating tactical
features on our side of Line
of Actual Control (LAC) on
the southern bank of Pan-
gong Tso. This was followed
by readjustments of defences
on the northern bank gaining
domination over the Fingers
area where the Chinese have
transgressed and are unwill-
ing to restore the status quo
antebellum. The brilliant ma-
neuvers of the Indian Army
have empowered the Indian
negotiators to negotiate from
a position of strength, though
China through its mouth-
piece Global Times and other
state-owned/controlled me-
dia remains in constant de-
nial mode and blaming India
instead for the current mili-
tary stand-off. Despite the
Chinese claim, Xi Jinping,
the Chinese strongman, is ac-
knowledged globally as the
aggressor in pursuance of his
cherisheddreamof becoming
the strongest and most power-
ful world leader.
Indian stand so far has
been determined, consistent,
and firm. India has outright-
ly rejected the Chinese sug-
gestion of “meeting half-
way.” India rightly insists on
its demand of “first-in, first-
out,” considering the fact
that it was the PLA troops
who have violated the estab-
lished agreements and proto-
cols and made multi-pronged
transgression in our territo-
ry in Eastern Ladakh in ear-
ly May. PLA is also guilty of
not adhering to the decisions
arrived at first Corps Com-
mander meeting on 5 June
for de-escalation and dis-en-
gagement leading to the ugly
clashes at Galwan. The Gal-
wan clashes resulting in fa-
talities on both sides raised
hackles to realise that it was
a well-planned cartographic
aggression by the Chinese
with express consent of the
Central Military Commis-
sion (CMC) led by Xi Jinping.
The obstinate attitude dis-
played by the Chinese there-
after proves beyond doubt
that the final decision will
also be taken by none other
than Xi Jinping whose “Chi-
na Dream” and personal am-
bition is at stake.
Xi Jinping is a career poli-
tician privileged to have been
born with a “Red Spoon” in
his mouth. His father, Xi
Zhongxun, was ‘Red royalty’-
a hero of the Communist
revolution who later fell out
with Mao Zedong, according
to Ananth Krishnan-an ac-
knowledged China-watcher.
After purging of his father,
he was shifted to rural China
from the privileged living in
Central Beijing, the area ear-
marked for the then Chinese
elite. His struggle thereafter
to enter the youth wing of the
Communist party and the fi-
nal acceptance into the Party
is well documented and an
example of focussed determi-
nation, perseverance, and
hardship. Despite being born
with a Red Spoon, was not
parachuted to the top and
had to struggle his way
through at every stage. His
initial background and sub-
sequent struggle for rising to
power has made him ambi-
tious and adamant.
Xi took over the reins of
the party when it was in dis-
array. He , therefore, began to
consolidate his power and
gradually became all-power-
ful through the complete cen-
tralisation of authority. He
brought to end the “collective
leadership” system in the
Communist Party of China
(CPC). He not only managed
to gain hold of all the top
three posts in China but also
had a resolution passed for
abolishing the president’s
term limit, enabling him to
rule indefinitely. This act of
his has not gone down well
with the young and aspiring
leaders within CPC who see
a dark future for them with
bleak chances of rising to the
top. Like all authoritarian
leaders, Xi also has a fair
number of dissidents and do-
mestic opponents.
Duringhisconsolidationof
power amongst other things
he has relied a lot upon an em-
phasis on ideology and na-
tionalism. To fulfill his ambi-
tion and imbibe nationalism
he has announced his road-
map in what is referred to as
the “China Dream.” “Presi-
dent Xi’s dream is of a strong-
er nation with a strong mili-
tary,” according to Liu Ming-
fu, a retired Chinese colonel
and author. The underlying
idea behind China The dream
is to restore the ex- Middle
Kingdom’s glory and regain
the Chinese supremacy
through expansionism. It is
also aimed at minimising in-
ternal dissension through na-
tional unity. Xi’s ambition is
to make China not only
stronger but assertive as well.
2020 is a very critical year
for Xi Jinping. In his road-
map for realising the China
Dream by 2049, the centenary
year of the People’s Republic
of China, there are two inter-
mediary goalposts in 2021
and 2025. 2020 is the launch-
pad for 2021, the 100th anni-
versary of the CPC. Xi had
promised the nation that by
2020 he would ensure poverty
relief through bringing all
Chinese above the poverty
line and strengthen national
defence and Chinese armed
forces. The Chinese economy
had begun to show a down-
ward trend in 2019 itself
when China’s growth
dropped to its slowest pace in
nearly three decades. With
the outbreak of the Covid
pandemic Xi was certain that
he would not be able to meet
his promised economic tar-
gets in 2020. Despite the bold-
face being put by China, it is
certain that the Chinese
economy is undergoing a cri-
sis. The banking system is
the worst affected by growing
unemployment and disrupt-
ed global supply chains add-
ing to the pressure.
The centralisation works
well as long as the going is
good. But in times of crisis,
many dissenting voices rise
to the fore. Xi Jinping is now
facing a similar situation at
home. As is evident nothing
moves in China without his
approval or consent. He has
obviously failed to meet his
promised economic targets
to remove poverty and is fac-
ing a huge challenge to his
authority. Any pullback at
this time by the PLA troops
will be viewed as a defeat for
China thus negating his sec-
ond goalpost as well of a
stronger military. Can Xi Jin-
ping at this juncture afford to
take this risk and relent?
That is why the Chinese me-
dia is talking of a ‘long haul’
through the winters.
Despite the propaganda un-
leashed by the state-con-
trolled media of the invinci-
bility of the PLA forces, Xi is
uncertain of an assured vic-
tory. Even a stalemate would
be viewed as a Chinese fail-
ure. There is no dearth of dis-
senters at home waiting for
Xi’sfailureandensurethathe
doesn’t get a second chance.
Xi is faced with a dilemma of
relent or retreat? Knowing
the ambitious persona of Xi,
he is unlikely to yield ground
to his dissenters so easily.
Rather than being forced to
resign, he would prefer to re-
lent at an opportune time and
order PLA to vacate. How and
when is a matter of negotia-
tions and timing? Meanwhile,
India should not dither under
any circumstances.
Xi Jinping is not likely to
accept defeat easily because
it would hurt his image and
ambition to join the all-time
greats like Mao and Deng. Xi
may relent in the instant case
but he would most likely re-
bound at a suitable time. In-
dia can ill afford to slacken
and compromise on building
capabilities. It has to prepare
for an inevitable war with
China, maybe closer to 2024-
25, unless it is able to create a
credible deterrence by then.
THE VIEWS EXPRESSED BY
THE AUTHOR ARE PERSONAL
WILL XI JINPING RELENTIndia rightly insists on its demand of “first-in, first-out,” considering the fact that it were the PLA troops who have violated the
established agreements and protocols and made multi-pronged transgression in our territory in Eastern Ladakh in early May
T
Despite the
propaganda
unleashed by the
state-controlled
media of the
invincibility of
the PLA forces,
Xi is uncertain
of an assured
victory. Even a
stalemate would
be viewed as a
Chinese failure.
There is no
dearth of
dissenters at
home waiting for
Xi’s failure and
ensure that he
doesn’t get a
second chance.
Xi is faced with a
dilemma of
relent or retreat?
XI JINPING IS NOT LIKELY TO ACCEPT DEFEAT
EASILY BECAUSE IT WOULD HURT HIS IMAGE
AND AMBITION TO JOIN THE ALL-TIME GREATS
LIKE MAO AND DENG. XI MAY RELENT IN THE
INSTANT CASE BUT HE WOULD MOST LIKELY
REBOUND AT A SUITABLE TIME
BRIG VETERAN
ANIL GUPTA
The author is a Jammu
based veteran, political
commentator, columnist, security
and strategic analyst

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INDIAAHMEDABAD | FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 25, 2020
KERALA: BJP SC MORCHA DEMANDS
RESIGNATION OF KT JALEEL
Thiruvananthapuram:
The Bharatiya Janata
Party’s Scheduled Caste
(SC) Morcha on Thurs-
day organised a march
demanding the resigna-
tion of Higher Education
Minister KT Jaleel over
the gold smuggling case.
The police used water
cannons to disperse the
protestors. Visuals from
the protest site showed
protestors attempting to
push the police barricade
while shouting slogans
against Jaleel. KT Jaleel
was questioned by the
National Investigation
Agency and the Enforce-
ment Directorate (ED) in
connection with the Ker-
ala gold smuggling case
on September 17. Several
protests have been held
across the state.
UMAR KHALID SENT IN JUDICIAL
CUSTODY TILL OCTOBER 22
New Delhi: A Delhi court Thursday sent former JNU
student Umar Khalid, arrested under UAPA charges
in a case related to northeast Delhi riots in February
this year, in judicial custody till October 22. Khalid was
produced before Additional Sessions Judge Amitabh
Rawat through video conferencing after his 10 day
police custody expired.
CHARGESHEET IN RIOTS CASE IS A
CHEATSHEET: BRINDA KARAT
New Delhi: CPI(M) politburo member Brinda Karat on
Thursday said that Delhi police has named her in the
case in the chargesheet, which according to her is a
“cheatsheet”. “I say this is not a chargesheet, this is
a cheatsheet and the government of India through the
Delhi police directly under instruction of home Ministry
is cheating the people of India,” Brinda Karat said.
AAP WORKERS PROTEST AGAINST
SHIROMANI AKALI DAL IN PUNJAB
Bhatinda: Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) workers in
Punjab held a protest in Bathinda on Thursday
against Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) President
Sukhbir Singh Badal and party leader Harsim-
rat Kaur Badal over the Farm Bills, which were
passed in parliament recently. According to
Baljinder Kaur, AAP MLA from Bhatinda “SAD
is the reason farmers in the state are unable to
sleep at night. They have misled the people of the
state over and over again. The people of the state
are against the anti-farmer laws.”
PLAINT AGAINST BJP CANDIDATE FOR
USING LORD RAM’S NAME FOR VOTES
New Delhi: Madhya
Pradesh Congress Com-
mittee wrote a letter to
the Election Commission
of India (ECI) demand-
ing action against BJP
candidate and state
Transport Minister Gobind
Singh Rajput from Surkhi
assembly constituency for
seeking votes in the name
of Lord Rama. The com-
plaint was made on Sep-
tember 21. MP Congress
Committee in its letter
alleged that Gobind Singh
Rajput is misusing the
government’s machinery
and demanded that Rajput
be removed from the post
of minister at the earli-
est. The complaint was
made after Singh took out
‘ramleela rathyatra’ from
September 2 to Septem-
ber 13.
CBSE: WILL DECLARE CLASS 12
COMPARTMENT RESULTS BY OCT10
New Delhi: CBSE on Thursday informed SC that
the results of compartmental exams for class 12
will be declared by October 10. The UGC said that
its admission process will close by October 31,
which shall give enough time for students to apply
for admission in varsities. After the assurance, the
apex court closed the case expressing gratitude
to both CBSE and UGC. Earlier, a bench headed
by Justice AM Khanwilkar had asked the CBSE to
declare the results of the compartment exams as
soon as possible.
DEEPIKA PADUKONE LEAVES FOR MUMBAI, TO BE
INTERROGATED BY NARCOTICS CONTROL BUREAU
Panaji: Actor Deepika
Padukone on Thursday
left for Mumbai from
Goa Airport as the Nar-
cotics Control Bureau
(NCB) has summoned
her in connection with
a drug case related to
the death of actor Sush-
ant Singh Rajput.
The NCB on Wednes-
day summoned actors
Deepika Padukone,
Sara Ali Khan, Shradha
Kapoor, Rakulpreet Sin-
gh, Simone Khambatta
and celebrity manager
Shruti Modi in connec-
tion with the drugs
case.
Karishma Prakash,
who works at KWAN
talent agency, was also
summoned this week.
Moreover, KWAN CEO
Dhruv Chitgopekar and
film producer Madhu
Mantena appeared be-
fore the NCB for ques-
tioning in the matter.
Shruti Modi, the for-
mer business manager
of actor Sushant Singh
Rajput, was questioned
by the NCB in the case
in the past as well.
Meanwhile, the Bom-
bay High Court is slated
to hear on Thursday the
bail plea of actor Rhea
Chakraborty, her broth-
er Showik and others in
the drugs case.
Bombay court allowed NCB to record statements of Showik Chakraborty and Deepesh Sawant inside jail
BOLLYWOOD DRUG PROBE
New Delhi: From poli-
ticians to lawyers and
activists, names of vari-
ous prominent person-
alities have come up in
the charge sheet filed by
the Delhi Police in the
Delhi riots case. This
includes the name of
Congress leader Salman
Khurshid and advocate
Prashant Bhushan.
Their names have
come up in the disclo-
sure statement of the
former Congress coun-
cillor Ishrat Jahan and
one accused Khalid
Saifi. Such statements
are inadmissible under
Section 25 of the Indian
Evidence Act. Ishrat Ja-
han said that various
personalities such as
former External Affairs
Minister Salman Khur-
shid, advocate Prashant
Bhushan, activist Harsh
Mander and activist-
turned-politician Yo-
gendra Yadav took part
in the protests. —ANI
IN THE COURTYARD
New Delhi: The Su-
preme Court on Thurs-
daydismissedwithcost
a PIL on prevention of
suicides in the various
IIT across the country.
A Bench headed by
Justice Rohinton F
Nariman dismissed
the plea terming it
“utterly frivolous”
and imposed a cost of
Rs 10,000. “The PIL is
utterly frivolous and
dismissed with cost of
Rs 10,000,” it ordered.
The PIL filed by ad-
vocate Gaurav Kumar
Bansal had sought the
implementation of
Section 29 of the Men-
tal Healthcare Act.
As per Section 29,
Section 30 and Section
115 of Mental Health-
care Act, 2017, it is the
fundamental duty of
government and IITs
to probe the cause of
the rise of suicides in
IITs campus and to
plan, formulate and
implement student
health wellness pro-
grams. —ANI
SC dismisses PIL, with cost, on
prevention of suicides in IITs
Madras HC grants 30 day parole to
Rajiv Gandhi’s assassin Perarivalan
Chennai: Madras HC
on Thursday granted
30-day parole to Per-
arivalan, an assassin
of former Prime Min-
ister Rajiv Gandhi.
The parole was
granted on a petition
filed by Perarivalan’s
mother Arputhammal
citing his health con-
dition and also at a
time when inmates at
Puzhal jail have been
testing positive for the
coronavirus.
Seven people were
convicted in the kill-
ing of Rajiv Gandhi --
AG Perarivalan, V Sri-
haran alias Murugan,
T. Suthendraraja alias
Santhan, Jayakumar,
Robert Payas, Ravi-
chandran and Nalini
Sriharan, wife of V
Sriharan. —Agencies
COURT ALLOWS NCB TO QUESTION
SHOWIK CHAKRABORTY IN JAIL
Mumbai: A court here on Thursday al-
lowed NCB to record statements of Showik
Chakraborty and Deepesh Sawant inside jail in
the drugs case related to actor Sushant Singh
Rajput’s death. The two, alongwith prime ac-
cused Rhea Chakraborty and others, are in ju-
dicial custody. Showik, who is Rhea’’s brother,
and Sawant who worked as a cook at Rajput’s
house, are lodged in Taloja prison. The NCB,
in its plea before the special court for Narcotic
Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS)
Act, said mobile phone data showed Showik’s
deep involvement in the case.
FASHION DESIGNER SIMONE
KHAMBATTA AT NCB OFFICE
Mumbai: Fashion Designer Simone Khambatta
on Thursday visited Narcotics Control Bureau
(NCB) office in Mumbai for interrogation in
connection with a drug case. The NCB yester-
day summoned actors Deepika Padukone, Sara
Ali Khan, Shradha Kapoor, Rakulpreet Singh,
Simone Khambatta and celebrity manager Shruti
Modi in connection with a drugs case related
to the death of actor Sushant Singh Rajput.
Karishma Prakash, who works at KWAN talent
agency, has also been summoned this week.
TV ACTORS SANAM JOHAR,
ABIGAIL PANDEY SUMMONED
Mumbai: Television actors Sanam Johar and
Abigail Pande on Thursday again visited Narcot-
ics Control Bureau (NCB) office in Mumbai for
interrogation in
connection with
a drug case. On
Wednesday also,
these two television
actors were inter-
rogated by the NCB
for five long hours.
Earlier in the morn-
ing today, Fashion
Designer Simone
Khambatta was
grilled by the NCB
for the same case. The NCB yesterday sum-
moned actors Deepika Padukone, Sara Ali Khan,
Shradha Kapoor, Rakulpreet Singh, Simone
Khambatta and celebrity manager Shruti Modi
in connection with a drugs case related to the
death of actor Sushant Singh Rajput.
NCB SUMMONS KSHITIJ OF
DHARMA PRODUCTIONS
Mumbai: NCB on Thursday summoned Kshitij
Raviprasad of Dharma Productions in the
death case linked with Bollywood actor Sush-
ant Singh Rajput’s
death. Kshitij has
been summoned
for tomorrow. NCB
sources confirmed
that Kshitij is an
important connec-
tion with other big
peddlers in this case
arrested earlier. On
Wednesday, NCB
had summoned
actors Deepika
Padukone, Sara Ali Khan, Shraddha Kapoor,
Rakulpreet Singh, Simone Khambatta, and ce-
lebrity manager Shruti Modi in connection with
a drugs case related to Rajput’s death. Karishma
Prakash, who works at KWAN talent agency, has
also been summoned this week.
DELHI RIOTS
Salman Khurshid, Prashant
Bhushan named in charge sheet
Oppn shouldn’t have
boycotted Parliament
session: Javadekar
New Delhi: The Oppo-
sition’s politics has be-
come directionless,
when they had the
chance to express their
opinions on farm bills
and other issues in the
Parliament they walked
out, said Union Minis-
ter Prakash Javadekar
on Thursday.
Javadekar furthur
added that the Opposi-
tion had 300 days to
meet the President or
protest elsewhere over
the issues but they
should not have boy-
cotted the Parliament
session.
“The politics of Op-
position parties is di-
rectionless when they
had the right to raise
their voices and express
their opinion in the Par-
liament they walked
out and are now protest-
ing outside. They are
meeting the President,
there are 300 more days
for this. The Parliament
session runs for 70-80
days, and we didn’t stop
anyone from speaking,”
Javadekar said. —ANI

INDIAAHMEDABAD | FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 25, 2020
1991 BATCH IPS OFFICER GETS
PROMOTION BUT NOT OF 1989
BATCH IN GOI
There is a talk in IPS circle that 1991 batch IPS
officer of Rajasthan cadre D C Jain has been
promoted to the rank of ADG in the CBI while two
1989 batch IPS officers Pramod Phalnikar of the
MP cadre and B Radhika of the Odisha cadre are
still waiting for promotion in the GoI.
THREE IRS-IT OFFICERS GET NEW
ASSIGNMENTS
Deepak Kapoor has been appointed as DCIT
(OSD) in the office of Pr. CCIT, Delhi Region and
Ms. Ridhima Vasisht was posted as JCIT (OSD),
Inv. VI, CBDT. Besides, Abhinav Agarwal has been
assigned an additional charge of DCIT (OSD), Inv.
VI, CBDT.
ASHOK KUMAR APPOINTED AS
DIRECTOR, POWER
Ashok Kumar has been appointed as Director in
the Ministry of Power. He is a 1995 batch IDSE
officer.
MS. URMILA APPOINTED AS DEPUTY
SECRETARY, NITI AAYOG
Ms. Urmila has been appointed as Deputy Sec-
retary in the NITI Aayog. She is a 2007 batch IES
officer.
MRS. JUHI VERMA TO TAKE OVER
AS DEPUTY SECRETARY, MHA ON
SEPT 25
Mrs. Juhi Verma will be taking over the charge as
Deputy Secretary in the Ministry of Home Affairs
(MHA) on September 25, 2020. She is a 2010
batch IDAS officer.
MINISTRY OF JAL SHAKTI IN
SEARCH OF OFFICER FOR
CHAIRMAN, CWMA
The Ministry of Jal Shakti, Department of Wa-
ter Resources, is seeking officer for the post of
Chairman, Cauvery Water Management Authority
(CWMA), on deputation basis.
CBI ARRESTS A JUNIOR ENGINEER
OF MILITARY ENGINEER SERVICES
IN BRIBE CASE
The Central Bureau of Investigation has arrested
Rajiv Ranjan Reddy, a Junior Engineer of Military
Engineer Services (MES), Paradeep (Odisha),
while demanding and accepting a bribe from the
complainant.
KM PANDURANG GETS NEW
ASSIGNMENT IN HARYANA
Khetmalis Makarand Pandurang has been posted
as Director, Town and Country Planning, Haryana,
Special Secretary to Government of Haryana,
Town and Country Planning Department and Di-
rector, Urban Estates, Haryana. He is a 2007 batch
IAS officer of Haryana cadre.
CALCUTTA HC GETS FOUR JUDGES
Five additional judges were on Thursday promot-
ed as judges in the Calcutta High Court. Justices
Md Nizamuddin, Tirthankar Ghosh, Hiranmay
Bhattacharyya, Saugata Bhattacharyya and
Manojit Mandal – who were additional Judges
of the Calcutta High Court – were appointed as
judges there.
ALLAHABAD HC HAS ONE NEW JUDGE
Justice Virendra Kumar – who was serving as an
additional judge in the Allahabad High Court –
was on Thursday promoted as a judge there.
SC COLLEGIUM RECOMMENDS
ELEVATION OF 10 JUDICIAL
OFFICERS AS MADRAS HC JUDGES
The Supreme Court Collegium on Wednesday
recommended elevating 10 judicial officers as
Judges of Madras High Court. The Collegium
has approved the names of Kannammal Shan-
muga Sundaram, Sathikumar Sukumara Kurup,
Murali Shankar Kuppuraju, Manjula Ramaraju
Nalliah, and Thamilselvi T Valayapalayam for
elevation as Judges.Similarly, the names of G
Chandrasekharan, A A Nakkiran, Sivagnanam
Veerasamy, Ilangovan Ganesan, and Ananthi
Subramanian have also got approval from the
Collegium.
POWERGallery
By arrangement with: http://
whispersinthecorridors.com
‘Need to...
The latest senior com-
mandersmeetingshould
be seen in this overall
context,” he said. India
and China held the sixth
round of Corps com-
mander-level talks on
Mondayfollowingwhich
both sides announced a
series of decisions in-
cluding to stop sending
more troops to the front-
line, refrain from unilat-
erally changing the situ-
ation on the ground and
avoid taking any actions
thatmayfurthercompli-
cate matters.
Meanwhile, in anoth-
er development, the gov-
ernment is working on
an “ambitious” plan to
gradually withdraw bor-
der guarding forces like
the BSF, the ITBP and
the SSB from internal
security duties in order
to strengthen protection
at various frontiers of
the country, official
sources said on Thurs-
day. They said the pro-
posal was first discussed
during a meeting of
these forces chaired by
Union Home Minister
Amit Shah last year. Ac-
cording to the proposal,
MHA is working on a
new “model” where the
burden of internal secu-
rity duties, including
conductof elections,will
be largely borne by the
country’s largest para-
military force, the CRPF.
—PTI
SAARC meet...
SAARC has made sig-
nificant progress but ef-
forts toward collective
collaboration and pros-
perity have been ham-
pered by acts of terror-
ism. EAM said it was
crucial to take a collec-
tive resolve to defeat the
scourge of terrorism,
including the forces that
nurture, support and en-
courage it.
“At the SAARC Coun-
cil of Ministers meeting
today,EAMSJaishankar
said- Over the last 35
years, SAARC has made
significantprogress.But
oureffortstowardcollec-
tive collaboration and
prosperity have been
hampered by acts of ter-
rorism and threats to
national security,” Sriv-
astava said in a tweet.—
ANI
Fit India...
Bharatiya Shikshan
Mandal, Mukul Kanit-
kar also participated in
the event being held
through video confer-
encing. “We have forgot-
ten what is normal in
exercise. We are capable
of taking regular and
strenuous exercise,” So-
man told the Prime Min-
ister, who said that he
was a big fan of the ac-
tor’s mother’s fitness at
the advanced age.
The Prime Minister
inquired about their fit-
ness routines, nutrition,
challenges, and also the
need for keeping fit in
today’s day and age. The
attendees shared their
experience with fitness,
the need to stay fit, and
how different approach-
es and slight changes in
the routine can change
anyone’s life for the bet-
ter. The Fit India Dia-
logue is yet another ef-
forttoinvolvecitizensof
the country to draw out
aplantomakeIndiaaFit
Nation..—ANI
Kangana wells...
this brought tears to my
eyes,inthelashingrains
of Mumbai my house is
indeed falling apart, you
thought about my bro-
ken house with so much
compassionandconcern
means a lot to me, my
heart is healed thank
you for giving me back
all that I had lost,” Kan-
gana Ranaut tweeted on
Thursday.HCalsodirect-
ed Shiv Sena chief
spokesperson Sanjay
Raut to file his reply to
Kangana’s petition
against the demolition
of a part of her bunga-
low in Mumbai by the
BMC. The bench said it
will begin final hearing
in the case on Friday. —
Agencies
FROM PG 1
The total coronavirus recoveries now stands at 46,74,987, the data shows
INDIA’S TOTAL TALLY CROSSES 57LNew Delhi: With a
spike of 86,508 new cas-
es and 1,129 deaths in
the last 24 hours, India’s
COVID-19 count
reached 57,32,519 on
Thursday.
According to the Un-
ion Health and Family
Welfare Ministry, this
includes 9,66,382 active
cases, and 46,74,988
cured, discharged or
migrated patients. The
death toll in the country
due to the infection has
reached 91,149.
Maharashtra contin-
ues to be the worst-af-
fected State in the coun-
try with 2,73,883 active
cases and 9,56,030 cured
and discharged pa-
tients. The toll due to
the disease stands at
33,886.
Karnataka is the sec-
ond-most affected by
the disease currently
with 94,671 active cases
in the State. The num-
ber of cured and dis-
charged patients stands
at 4,37,910. The death
toll due to COVID-19
stands at 8,266.
Meanwhile, the Indi-
an Council of Medical
Research (ICMR) on
Wednesday said that
the number of total
samples tested in the
country up to Septem-
ber 23rd is 6,74,36,031
including 11,56,569 sam-
ples tested yesterday.
Delhi’s second
Covid wave at its
peak, says Kejriwal
New Delhi: Delhi CM
Arvind Kejriwal on
Thursday said that the
experts believe the sec-
ond wave of coronavi-
rus is at its the peak in
the national capital and
its intensity will be less
in the coming days.
“From July 1 to Au-
gust 17, cases were in
control. We noticed that
cases increased and it
reached 4,500 new COV-
ID-19 cases on Septem-
ber 17 and now coming
down. So experts are
believing that the sec-
ond wave of coronavi-
rus which had hit the
Delhi is now on peak
and its intensity will be
less in the coming
days,” Kejriwal said
while speaking to
media. He said that
the high-level
virtual re-
v i e w
meeting with PM Modi
to review COVID-19 re-
sponse and manage-
ment was fruitful.
“When new COV-
ID-19 cases were report-
ed in the large number,
we had controlled the
coronavirus cases with
the help of the central
government, NGO and
Delhites. I want to
thank everyone for
their efforts. As a re-
sponsible government,
we had increased test-
ing from 20,000 to 60,000
daily,” he said.
As per the Union
Health Ministry, there
are 30,836 active COV-
ID-19 cases in Delhi.
The number of recov-
ered/cured patients
stand at 2,20,866 and
5,087 have suc-
cumbed to
COVID-19.
A medical worker takes care of a patient at the ICU of the Yatharth Hospital in Noida.
Mamata announces guidelines for
Durga Puja celebrations in Bengal
‘eSanjeevani’
records 3 lakh
consultationsKolkata: West Bengal
CM Mamata Banerjee
on Thursday an-
nounced guidelines
for the upcoming Dur-
ga Puja festival amid
the Covid-19 spread in
the country. Accord-
ing to the guidelines,
the pandal needs to be
open from all four
sides for proper venti-
lation. Hand sanitis-
ers will have to be
mandatorily placed at
entry points of pan-
dals, and wearing of
face masks will be
binding. “Durga Puja
Carnival will not be
organised this year,”
the CM announced.
“Physical distancing
needs to be main-
tained,” said Banerjee.
Cultural programs
inside the pandals are
also not allowed in this
year’s celebration.
New Delhi: Union
Minister Harsh Var-
dhan on Thursday
said that more than 3
lakh tele-consulta-
tions have been com-
pleted on ‘eSanjee-
vani’ platform. The
‘e-Sanjeevani’ plat-
form provides utility
and easy access for
the caregivers and
the medical commu-
nity and those seek-
ing health care ser-
vices in the times of
coronavirus.
‘NEP corresponds
to needs of
changing India’
Agriculture Bills are in
interests of farmers: Nitish
New Delhi: The Na-
tional Education Policy
(NEP) 2020 corresponds
to the needs of chang-
ing 21st century India
and it is the most holis-
tic one, said Defence
Minister Rajnath Singh
on Thursday.
“NEP 2020 corre-
sponds to the needs of
the changing India of
the 21st century. It has
been prepared as per
the aspirations of new
India. It is the most ho-
listic education policy. I
urge you to read the
policy. It is up to the
teachers to build the fu-
ture of students there-
by making a better fu-
ture for the country,”
said Rajnath Singh
while interacting with
teachers of Bihar, via
video conferencing.
“NEP will improve
the holistic and compre-
hensive development of
a student’s personality.
I am happy that teach-
ers are helping students
in learning about our
culture and traditions,”
he added.
Patna: Bihar Chief
Minister Nitish Kumar
on Thursday backed the
Agriculture sector re-
form Bills passed by the
Parliament. Kumar said
that misinformation is
being spread about
these bills. They are in
the interests of farmers.
“Wehadstartedthisear-
lier. There was no pro-
curement in Bihar, we
started it and the work
we have done earlier
and somebody else is
taking it forward in the
country, I don’t think
misinformation should
be spread,” he said.
New Delhi: The Farm
Bills will bring revolu-
tionary changes in the
lives of farmers as they
can sell their produce to
any buyer, get a guaran-
tee of price of their
crops, go for crop diver-
sification, use new tech-
nology and reduce their
input costs, said Agri-
culture Minister Naren-
dra Singh Tomar.
Mr Tomar said the
PM Narendra Modi-led
government has pro-
vided freedom to farm-
ers through the Bills.
He said the Bills will
free farmers from
chains of the Agricul-
tural Produce Market
Committee (APMC).
“Small farmers can
now get a guarantee of
their produce during
the sowing of the crop.
They can now go for ex-
pensive crops, use new
technology, new seeds,
good pesticides and re-
duce the input cost.
These Bills are crucial
and will bring revolu-
tionary changes in the
lives of farmers. I want
totellfarmersthatwhen
provisions of these Bills
will be implemented,
there will change in
their lives,” he said.
The minister rejected
opposition criticism
over the Bills and as-
serted that MSP and
APMC will continue as
in the past.
‘Farm Bills will bring
revolutionary changes’
NARENDRA TOMAR SLAMS CONGRESS
Narendra Singh Tomar
New Delhi: The inau-
guration of 43 strategi-
cally important bridges
built by the Border
Road Organisation
(BRO) in border areas,
including seven in
Ladakh has been post-
poned owing to state
mourning, informed
the Ministry of Defence
on Thursday.
Defence Minister Ra-
jnath Singh was sched-
uled to inaugurate the
43 BRO bridges across
seven states and Union
Territories on Thurs-
day, but the Defence
Ministry postponed the
event in view of the
death of Suresh Anga-
di, the Minister of State
(MoS), Railways. The
bridges have been built
in Ladakh, Arunachal
Pradesh, Sikkim,
Himachal Pradesh, Ut-
tarakhand, Punjab and
Jammu and Kashmir.
Inauguration of
43 BRO bridges
by Rajnath
Singh postponed
BETTER INDIA

WHAT IS THE STATUS OF COVID-19
VACCINES IN HUMAN CLINICAL TRIALS?
Phase 3 studies are underway for the Moderna
and BioNTech/Pfizer vaccines and the Oxford/
AstraZeneca viral vector vaccine. Each of these
vaccines uses the SARS-CoV-2 spike glycoprotein,
which the virus uses to infect cells, to trigger the
immune system to generate protective antibodies
andacellularimmuneresponsetothevirus.Protec-
tive antibodies act by preventing the spike glycopro-
tein from attaching the virus to human cells, there-
by neutralizing the SARS-CoV-2 virus that causes
COVID-19. In the case of Moderna’s nucleic acid
vaccine, the messenger RNA encoding the spike
glycoprotein is encased in a fat droplet – called a
liposome – to protect the mRNA from degradation
and enable it to enter cells. Once these instructions
are inside the cells, the mRNA is read by the human
cell machinery and made into many spike proteins
so that the immune system can respond and begin
producing antibodies against this coronavirus.
The Oxford/AstraZeneca uses a different strate-
gy to activate an immune response. Here an adeno-
virus found in chimpanzees shuttles the instruc-
tions for manufacturing the spike glycoprotein into
cells. Phase 1 and 2 studies by pharmaceutical com-
panies Janssen and Merck also use viral vectors
similar to the Oxford/AstraZeneca vaccine, while
vaccines by Novavax and GSK-Sanofi use the ac-
tual spike protein itself.
SOURCE: THE CONVERSATION CONCEPT: DIVYA HEMNANI DESIGN: CP SHARMA
BasedonthestatusofthePhase3
trialscurrentlyunderway,itis
unlikelythattheresultsofthese
trialswillbeavailablebefore
November.Butitislikelythat
notjustonebutseveralof
thecompetingCOVID-19
vaccineswillbeshownto
besafeandeffectivebythe
endof2020
W
ith COVID-19 vaccines cur-
rently in the final phase of
study, you’ve probably
been wondering how the
FDA will decide if a vaccine is safe and
effective. Based on the status of the
Phase 3 trials currently underway, it is
unlikely that the results of these trials
will be available before November. But it
is likely that not just one but several of the
competing COVID-19 vaccines will be shown
to be safe and effective by the end of 2020. I am
a scientist and infectious diseases specialist at the
University of Virginia, where I care for patients with
COVID-19 and conduct research on the pandemic. I am
also a member of the World Health Organization Expert
Group on COVID-19 Vaccine Prioritization.
TALKING POINTAHMEDABAD | FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 25, 2020
WHEN WILL WE KNOW
THAT A COVID-19 VACCINE
IS SAFE AND EFFECTIVE?
WHAT SIDE EFFECTS HAVE BEEN OBSERVED?
Physicians have recorded mild to
moderate reactions when the sub-
jects were observed up to 28 days after
vaccination. These side effects includ-
ed mild pain, warmth and tenderness
at the site of injection, and fever, fa-
tigue, joint and muscle pain. But Phase
1 and 2 studies are by small by design,
with just hundreds of participants. So
these trials will not be large enough to
detect uncommon or rare side effects.
The emphasis on safety as the pri-
mary goal was recently demonstrated
in the Phase 3 Oxford/AstraZeneca
vaccine trial where one vaccinated
individual developed inflammation of
the spinal cord. It isn’t clear whether
the vaccine caused this reaction – it
might be a new case of multiple scle-
rosis unrelated to the vaccine – but the
Phase 3 trial was halted in the U.S.
until more is known.
HOW IS THE FDA ENSURING THAT A
VACCINE WILL BE SAFE YET QUICKLY
PRODUCED?
TheFDAhasissued guidancefor industry
on the steps required for developing and
ultimately licensing vaccines to prevent
COVID-19 – these are the same rigorous safe-
ty standards required for all vaccines. There
are, however, ways to speed the process of
approvalthatarecenteredon“platformtech-
nology.” What this means is that if a vaccine
is using an approach such as an adenovirus
that has previously been shown to be safe, it
may be possible for a company to use previ-
ously collected data on toxicity and pharma-
cokinetics to fast-track clinical trial approv-
al. While speed and safety may appear con-
flicting goals, it is also encouraging to note
that the rival vaccine manufacturers have
jointly pledged not to bow to any political
pressures to rush vaccine approval, but to
maintainthemostrigoroussafetystandards.
HOW PROTECTIVE DOES A VACCINE NEED
BE TO RECEIVE FDA APPROVAL?
The FDA has set the bar for the primary endpoint
of a Phase 3 trial of 50% protection for approval
of a COVID-19 vaccine. Protection is defined as pro-
tection from symptomatic COVID-19 infection, de-
fined as laboratory-confirmed SARS-CoV-2 infection
plus symptoms such as fever or chills, cough, short-
ness of breath, fatigue, muscle aches, loss of taste or
smell, congestion or runny nose, diarrhea, nausea
or vomiting. This means that an effective vaccine is
considered one that will reduce the number of infec-
tions in vaccine recipients by half. This is the mini-
mal protection that is anticipated to be clinically
useful. That is, in part, because lower levels of effi-
cacy could paradoxically increase COVID-19 infec-
tions if it leads vaccinated people to decrease mask
wearing or social distancing because they think they
are completely protected. Since a vaccine might be
more effective at preventing severe COVID-19, the
FDA instructs that protection from severe COVID-19
should be a secondary endpoint.
HOW MANY PEOPLE HAVE TO
BE VACCINATED TO KNOW IF A
VACCINE WORKS IN PHASE 3?
The current Phase 3 trials are en-
rolling 30,000-40,000 subjects.
Most of these participants will re-
ceive the vaccine and some a place-
bo. When, exactly, the results of
Phase 3 studies will be released de-
pends in large part on the rate of
infection in the placebo recipients.
The way that these vaccine studies
work is that they test if naturally
acquired new coronavirus infec-
tions are lower in the group that
receivedthevaccinecomparedwith
the group receiving the placebo. So
while it is good news that COVID-19
infections have dropped recently in
the U.S. from 70,000 to 40,000 cases
per day, this drop in new infections
may slow the vaccine studies.
WILL EMERGENCY USE
AUTHORIZATION FAST-
TRACK VACCINE?
In an emergency such as we
are faced with the COV-
ID-19 pandemic, with approx-
imately 700 new deaths and
40,000 new cases per day right
now, the FDA is authorized to
allow the use of unapproved
products for the diagnosis,
treatment and prevention of
disease. That includes a vac-
cine. The standard approval
process for vaccines can re-
quire more than one year of
observation after vaccina-
tion. If the short-term safety
is good and the vaccine works
to prevent COVID-19, then the
vaccine should be approved
for use under an Emergency
Use Authorization while it is
still being studied.
Under Emergency Use Au-
thorization, the FDA will
continue to collect informa-
tion from the companies pro-
ducing the vaccines for ben-
efit and harm, including sur-
veillance for vaccine-associ-
ated enhanced respiratory
disease or other potentially
rare complications that
might be observed in only
one in a million.
WHAT SHOULD WE
EXPECT IN TERMS
OF APPROVALS?
Iexpect that the FDA
will approve several
vaccines by the end of
2020 under its Emer-
gency Use Authoriza-
tion authority so that
vaccination can begin
immediately, starting
with high-risk groups
including first re-
sponders, health care
personnel, and the el-
derly and those with
preexisting medical
conditions.Thiswillbe
followed rapidly with
roll-out of vaccination
to the population at
large, while all of the
time the FDA and vac-
cine manufacturers
will continue to moni-
tor for side effects and
work to improve upon
these first vaccines.
This process is expect-
ed to take months. It
may not be life back to
normal next year, but
all signs point to a
healthier 2021.
WHAT HAVE THE EARLY PHASE 1 AND 2
STUDIES IN HUMANS SHOWN?
Overall, vaccination has triggered a more
potent neutralizing antibody response than
even that seen in patients recovering from
COVID-19. This has also been the case for
Moderna’s vaccine currently in Phase 3
trials and for vaccines from CanSino
Biologics and Oxford/ AstraZeneca.
ANIMAL TESTS SHOW THE VACCINES PROVIDE
PROTECTION FROM CORONAVIRUS INFECTION
Studies in animal models of
COVID-19 provide con-
vincing evidence that vacci-
nation with the spike glyco-
protein will protect from
COVID-19. Experiments have
show that when the immune
system is shown the spike pro-
tein – which alone cannot trig-
ger disease – the immune sys-
tem will generate an antibody
response that protects from
infection with SARS-CoV-2.
In studies in hamsters an
adenovirus viral vector – the
approach used by Oxford/As-
traZeneca, for example – was
used to immunize with the
Spike glycoprotein. When the
hamsters were infected with
SARS-CoV-2 they were pro-
tected from pneumonia,
weight loss and death.
In nonhuman primates,
DNA vaccines – which deliver
the gene for the spike glyco-
protein – reduced the amount
of virus in the lungs. Animals
that produced antibody that
prevented virus attachment to
human cells were most likely
to be protected.

Count your days by experiences
of the senses , all five senses not
by the mere days of the calendar.
Do not short charge your life! w
—Jagdeesh Chandra, CEO & Editor, First India
AHMEDABAD | FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 25, 2020www.firstindia.co.in I www.firstindia.co.in/epaper/ I twitter.com/thefirstindia I facebook.com/thefirstindia I instagram.com/thefirstindia
08
2NDFRONT
MINISTER DARES CONG STATES TO MATCH GUJARAT COVID PACKAGE
Shishir Awasthi
Gandhinagar: Guja-
rat Energy Minister
Saurabh Patel, who
has been keeping a
low media profile, on
Thursday dared the
collective might of
the Congress-ruled
States to come up
with a relief package
that matched the Vi-
jay Rupani Govern-
ment’s ‘Atma Nirbhar
Gujarat’ programme.
Speaking on the side-
lines of the ongoing
State Assembly ses-
sion, Patel asserted, “It
is my challenge to them
to announce such a
package from the Con-
gress governments in
other States. Even col-
lectively they wouldn’t
be able to compare with
the Rs 14,022 crore
package announced by
the Gujarat govern-
ment for the people dur-
ing the Covid-19 crisis.”
Chief Minister Vijay
Rupani had announced
this relief package
soon after the ‘At-
manirbhar Bharat’ an-
nouncement by the cen-
tral government, to
provide relief to the
people. Under the pack-
age, underprivileged
people were provided
essential commodities
worth Rs 392 crore.
Similarly, 64 lakh
Above Poverty Line
(APL) families were
provided rations
worth Rs 590 crore,
while 6 lakh others
without ration cards
were covered under
the ‘Anna Brahm’
scheme.
Patel went on, “We
have also given relief
of nearly Rs 2,300 crore
by waiving off and re-
ducing property tax,
commercial tax, elec-
tricity bill and vehicle
tax under the package.
We waived off charges
up to 100 units for
households using less
than 200 units of elec-
tricity. Besides this, we
gave relief of Rs 600
crore to 1.44 crore elec-
tricity consumers and
1.16 crore of them had
already availed the ben-
efits,” said Saurabh Pa-
tel.
“We also waived off
Rs 144 crore in property
tax to 72 lakh house-
holds by giving them
10% relief in taxes. We
have also helped the
farmers,” added Patel.
“The opposition Con-
gress only criticizes the
BJP government
through negative poli-
tics. If they have any
positive suggestions,
we would surely accept
them,” the minister
said. —With IANS inputs
‘Get your collective might to
match Atma Nirbhar Gujarat’
Surat businessman loses
`1.95 lakh to KYC fraud
Nov civic poll rumours amid
Covid-19 scare in Gujarat First India Bureau
Surat: A cybercrook
posing as a bank execu-
tive siphoned off Rs 1.95
lakh from an embroi-
dery manufacturer’s
bank account on the
pretext of updating his
KYC details, police said
on Thursday.
Kalpesh Sutaria, who
lodged a complaint with
the Amroli Police about
this on Wednesday, is a
resident of Varachha
and owns Sutaria Em-
broidery Factory. He
has an account in Kotak
Mahindra Bank.
According to the
complaint, he received
a call from a man pos-
ing as an executive of
the private bank in
which Sutaria had an
account. The caller
urged him to update his
KYC to avoid closure of
the account.
The caller then of-
fered to help him with
the process. He sent a
link to Sutaria asking
him to fill his debit card
details in it. Soon after
he entered his card de-
tails, Rs 1.95 lakh was
polished off from his
account. The Amroli
police are investigating
further.
First India Bureau
Gandhinagar: Even as
Gujarat is inching to-
wards the 1.5-lakh mark
in Covid-19 cases with
the virus having spread
to all 33 districts, there
are speculations that
elections to 6 out of 8
municipal corporations
will be held as sched-
uled in November-end
when their term ends.
Unconfirmed sources
have told a section of
the media that the elec-
tions are likely to be
held between Novem-
ber 22 and November
30. The 6 municipal cor-
porations include
Ahmedabad, Vadodara,
Rajkot, Surat, Jamna-
gar and Bhavnagar.
Sources have also
claimed that the elec-
tions to 31 district pan-
chayats out of 33, as
also 231 taluka pan-
chayats and 55 nagarpa-
likas will also be con-
ducted around the same
time.
Though there is no
official confirmation
so far, it is rumoured
that the State Election
Commission will an-
nounce the dates for
the polls betweenOcto-
ber 20 and October 30.
Sources claim that the
State polls body has al-
ready started prepara-
tions for the same.
Gujarat Energy Minister Saurabh Patel (right) has challenged the Congress governments to match theAtma
Nirbhar Package announced by CMVijay Rupani (left) and DyCM Nitin Patel.
First India Bureau
Ahmedabad: Smoking
in his car during online
court proceedings cost
Gujarat High Court ad-
vocate JV Ajmera heav-
ily, both in terms of
reputation and money.
He has been ordered to
fork out Rs 10,000 as fine
to be deposited in the
Registry within a week.
Ajmera was found
smoking while sitting
in his car during a court
proceeding being held
through video confer-
encing.
Reprimanding him, a
Single Bench of Justice
AS Supehia observed,
“This Court seriously
deprecates such con-
duct of the advocate Mr.
J.V. Ajmera. It was not
expected from an advo-
cate to be smoking in
the car during the Court
proceedings. Such be-
haviour of the advocate
is required to be strictly
condemned.”
Justice Supehia as-
serted, “The advocates
appearing through vid-
eo conference are re-
quired to maintain
minimum dignified de-
corum so that the maj-
esty and dignity of the
proceedings as well as
the Institution are
maintained.”
The Registrar Judi-
cial has also been di-
rected to initiate appro-
priate proceedings
against Ajmera and
submit a report within
a period of 10 days to
the High Court. The re-
port is to be sent to the
Bar Council of Gujarat
as well.
The order further
reads, “The Bar Council
of Gujarat and the Bar
Association of High
Court shall inform the
advocates to maintain a
dignified decorum
while conducting the
matters through video
conferencing.”
Not only this, the Bar
Council and Bar Asso-
ciation have been asked
to instruct advocates
that the proceedings
conducted through vid-
eo conferencing shall be
attended either from
their respective resi-
dences or any office
space, and not from any
vehicle or open ground.
Moreover, while at-
tending the proceedings
from their respective
residences or offices,
the advocates shall
maintain appropriate
sitting posture while
addressing the Court,
the order stated.
For advocate status, cash goes up ‘in smoke’
 Guj HC reprimands advocate, fines
him Rs 10,000 for smoking in car dur-
ing court hearing via video conference
OPEN CHALLENGE!
TN CM asks Rupani to
re-open Tamil school
First India Bureau
Chennai: A day after
PMK Founder S Ram-
adoss urged Prime
Minister Narendra
Modi to get re-opened
a Tamil school in
Maninagar in
Ahmedabad, Tamil
Nadu Chief Minister
Edappadi K
Palaniswami on
Thursday wrote to his
Gujarat counterpart,
Vijay Rupani, express-
ing concern over the
school’s closure.
Stating that his gov-
ernment was willing
to sponsor the full ex-
pense, Palaniswami
said, “I am distressed
to know that the
school, which had
been imparting educa-
tion in Tamil medium
to mainly migrant la-
borers, at Ahmedabad
in Gujarat has been
closed suddenly, citing
low attendance.”
“Tamil children are
now left without any
choice to continue
their education. Tamil
is an ancient language
with a rich history
and culture.”
Palaniswami add-
ed, “Tamils have con-
tributed and are con-
tributing towards the
development of Guja-
rat. The future of Ta-
mil linguistic minori-
ty in Gujarat needs to
be protected.”
He has called upon
Rupani to “Pass suit-
able orders for the
continuance of the Ta-
mil medium school.
Tamil Nadu Govern-
ment is willing to un-
dertake the entire ex-
penditure for the con-
tinuance of this Tamil
medium school at
Ahmedabad.”
“I hope the govern-
ment of Gujarat will
protect the rights to
education of Tamil
linguistic minorities.
I would appreciate
early action in this re-
gard,” he said.
Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Edappadi K. Palaniswami
My government is willing to un-
dertake the entire expenditure
for the continuance of this Tamil
medium school at Ahmedabad.
—Edappadi K Palaniswami, Tamil Nadu Chief Minister
First India Bureau
Vadodara: The Va-
dodara Police have
arrested a small films
producer for alleged-
ly raping a former
employee after call-
ing her to collect her
dues at a hotel where
he was putting up.
The film production
outfit is located on Raj-
mahal Road in the city.
According to the
complaint lodged by the
woman employee, Deep
Patel, the film producer
reportedly making a
web series on the night-
life of Vadodara, alleg-
edly called her to a hotel
to pay her salary. He
then raped his former
employee.
The woman, a resi-
dent of Manjalpur
area, had joined the
firm as an assistant
on August 4 at a sala-
ry of Rs 13,000 but
quit the job on August
28. She was seeking
her salary of 24 days.
Patel called her to
Aditi Hotel at 10 p.m.
on September 2, claim-
ing that he was busy
till then. When she
reached his room, he
closed the room and
allegedly raped her.
Police said Patel was
a farmer’s son and was
living in Kalali area
with his father. He also
produced small Guja-
rati films.
Film producer rapes
ex-employee at hotel
It is shameful that the BJP government is false-
ly harassing senior political leaders like Salman
Khurshid,Sitaram Yechuri & others. These lead-
ers have an impeccable record of fostering com-
munal harmony, the Delhi police’s charges are
not only wrong but also laughable.
@ahmedpatel
COVID-19
UPDATE
GUJARAT
3,384
DEATHS
1,28,949
CONFIRMED CASES
RAJASTHAN
1,397 DEATHS 1,22,720 CASES
DELHI
WORLD
9,84,444
DEATHS
3,22,61,270
CONFIRMED CASES
INDIA
58,13,677
CONFIRMED CASES
92,289
DEATHS
MAHARASHTRA
34,345 DEATHS 12,82,963 CASES
TAMIL NADU
KARNATAKA

AHMEDABAD, FRIDAY
SEPTEMBER 25, 2020
www.firstindia.co.in I www.firstindia.co.in/epaper/ I twitter.com/thefirstindia
facebook.com/thefirstindia I instagram.com/thefirstindia 09
Gothic is a term which is applicable
to various fields – architecture, genre
of literature, look as in clothing,
make-up, hair and music. City First
invites you to ‘Go Gothic’ – think of it
as practice round for Halloween is
just a few weeks away!
hen people say
‘Gothic’, the
first few things
that comes into
anyone’s mind
are haunted
houses, dark ar-
eas, the colour black, and
also extremely dark
makeup. But this is all
imagination of people, as
this is how the meaning
of gothic has been por-
trayed in movies and
books. But looking at it
quite literally, the gothic
style initially came into
existence to bring ‘sun-
light’ into people’s lives,
especially into the
churches- in order to
bring positivity.
Talking about the goth-
icarchitecture,it’saEuro-
pean style of architecture
that values height and ex-
hibits an intricate and
delicateaesthetic.Though
its roots are French, the
Gothic approach can be
found in churches, cathe-
drals and other similar
buildings in Europe and
beyond. These can be
characterised with five
main elements: large
stained glass windows,
pointed arches, ribbed
vaults, flying buttresses
and ornate decoration.
Gothic literature var-
ies in so many ways from
normal literature. It in-
cludes elements of fear,
horror, death and gloom
(no wonder people have a
negative imagination
when they hear the term
‘gothic’), but it also in-
cludes romantic ele-
ments like nature,
individuality and very
high emotions; these
emotions can include
suspense and fear.
When we talk about
gothic fashion, the first
thing that pops up in the
mind is the colour black;
doesn’t it? Well, gothic
styling is marked by dark
and mysterious features.
The overall gothic styl-
ing includes black hair,
dark lipstick and
dark clothing as a whole.
Gothic makeup is
something that is consid-
ered too harsh or loud,
considering modern
standards. But for some,
they think it brings
out their personality,
and end up carrying
it better than anyone
else.
The gothic Victorian
fashion puts a dark twist
on the Victorian-era
styles. It is inspired by
the era’s mourning
clothes. The clothing,
hair and makeup are dra-
matic. Since many prefer
to be period-accurate,
this style is considered a
modern take on late-Vic-
torian excess.
W
NEHAL NAYAR
nehal.nayar@firstindia.co.in

10
ETCAHMEDABAD | FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 25, 2020www.firstindia.co.in I www.firstindia.co.in/epaper/ I twitter.com/thefirstindia I facebook.com/thefirstindia I instagram.com/thefirstindia
FACEOFTHEDAY
UROOJ ASHFAQ, Comedian
YOUR
DAYHoroscope by
Saurabbh Sachdeva
LEO
JULY 24 - AUGUST 23
Actuality is what you must
not avoid, day dreaming is
good but only to an extent.
You have a perfect attitude
in office and you very well balance all
your professional relationships. You
will start doing or taking therapies for
relaxation and that will be a very good
idea. Your partner may propose you.
LIBRA
SEPT 24 - OCTOBER 22
Effusive welcome is what
you must plan for your
parents arrival. Preserve
your earnings to invest in
some money fetch business
Positivity effect your mind on
scientific level so change your
outlook. You will feel aroused for
your partner today.
ARIES
MAR 21 - APR 20
Quaint places or corners
fascinate you in an unusual
way. You are a rich person
and you also have big heart
don’t let that change about you. You
need some mental peace and you
shall have it if you say it loud to the
people around you. Spend time with
your lover and hear them out.
SAGITTARIUS
NOV 23 - DEC 22
Indubitably you are an extra
ordinary one and people are
often surprised by your
quick wit. Do not hesitate
going for a side income. Those waiting
for some kind of nomination will hear a
good news today. You will flourish by
the blessings of your parents. End the
confusion by discussing your options.
GEMINI
MAY 21 - JUNE 21
Wayward and high spirits
is how people define you.
You have monetary
stability but you have a
tendency to spend money on things
that you don’t require. If you are
apprehensive about a business plan
then you can wait for sometime and
then give your shot later.
AQUARIUS
JAN 21 - FEB 19
Courtesy is important to win
people’s heart and you excel
in that. Business rivals will
taste the defeat and you
shall thrive. An interesting time of your
life will start today. You will get lots of
reason to celebrate. You have to be
very careful with your kids upbringing
and be careful of what you teach them.
TAURUS
APR 21 - MAY 20
Capricious company must
be at all cost avoided, such
people sometime not only
cause trouble for self but
also for the others. You have good
health as you have left all bad eating
habits. You will manage keep peace
at home and things will be just fine.
Someone will try to provoke you.
CAPRICORN
DEC 23 - JAN 20
Exorbitant demands are
never full filled so make to
ask for what is necessary
on professional front. Your
career prospects will get enhanced.
You may open a business related to
fitness products. On home front,
there will be some good changed
initiated today for you.
VIRGO
AUG 24 - SEP 23
Solicitous behaviour even
towards people who are
not your friends and family
is what makes you an
angel. You are going to do incurable
on professional front. Your marriage
life is going great and you can soon
expect a baby. You are both mentally
and physically strong.
CANCER
JUNE 22 - JULY 23
Unfeigned faith in your
dreams is your need of the
hour. You will definitely
shine bright and people
will know you for your worth but this
all will follow only when you are
persistent with your efforts. You will
spend money in buying some
electronic product.
PISCES
FEB20 - MARCH 20
Vehement opposition for
career that you don’t want
is justified. You are more
than capable to deal with
your business matter without
anyone’s intervention. You are in
great shape and people get attracted
to your personality. You may get
married and start a beautiful journey.
SCORPIO
OCT 23 - NOVEMBER 22
Extravagant parties are a
thing of the past because
of the current situations
therefore spend minimum
while planning for a function. On
financial front, prospects will
improve. Remain active whole day
long don’t fall into trap of laziness.
Your friend will surprise you.
MARIAM ABUHAIDERI
am working in Jaipur with
Help in Suffering and am
also an independent ani-
mal activist. Following the
death of four elephants
(numbers 24, 64, 99, and
132) I decided to visit Hathi
Gaon and see for myself what the
conditions are, and to offer solu-
tions so we can avoid such unfortu-
nate instances in the future.
I visited the Elephant Village on
September 12th. I was appalled to
see that many of the elephants
were in very poor health. I inter-
acted with the mahouts who were
clearly lying about the health of
the elephants. They completely ig-
nored my question about TB. The
elephants were kept tied with a
short rope and many of them had
foot injuries and eye infections.
Some were even standing crooked
and a few on three legs. They are
not getting the exercise that an el-
ephant ideally should. They are
confined to small concrete stations.
The elephants seemed trauma-
tized. An animal meant to be living
free in the wild is being confined
for life. This without a doubt has
and will continue to affect the ele-
phants.
The lockdown of only a few
months has taken a toll on us. Can
you imagine what a lifetime of
lockdown would do to us? If we
have not learned a lesson yet then
we deserve every bit of what we are
going through.
At Hathi Gaon, there was no pro-
vision for drinking water for the
elephants. Neither was food avail-
able and it was only after I pointed
it out that the mahouts brought in
some fodder. They even informed
me that the government has
stopped providing subsidies.
As far as I know, the elephants
are under the prerogative of the
Forest Department and our Consti-
tution clearly has reserved the
highest protection to a Schedule I
animal. Yet, their condition is far
from ideal, and the Forest Depart-
ment remains silent on the matter.
This is alarming! We are aware that
when one stays silent during a
crime being committed it makes us
a party to the crime.
The reason given for the ele-
phants’ death is the lockdown. I
am not sure how the lockdown
could be life-threatening for ele-
phants if they are being properly
taken care of and if it is the Forest
Department should be seeking out
alternative safety provisions for
them. The owners are from
wealthy backgrounds. They
should be providing for the upkeep
of the elephants. And if they can-
not, why are they still being al-
lowed to “own” the elephants?
As such I urge the Forest Depart-
ment and the Rajasthan Govern-
ment to immediately ensure provi-
sions for food, water, exercise and
veterinary care for the hathis. Best
would be for them to seek active
collaboration with NGOs to ensure
proper management and upkeep of
elephants in Hathi Gaon.
STEPPING UP FOR THE
HATHI GAON CASE
I

A
fter hanging off helicop-
ters and jumping off
from one roof to another,
Tom Cruise has booked a
seat to space. It was previously
revealed that the international
actor and Edge of Tomorrow
filmmaker Doug Liman are
working on a grand scale movie
that could head to space. The
actor-director met NASA and
Elon Musk to make the $200
million space film into a real-
ity. And now, it has been re-
vealed that the actor-director
will venture into outer space
in October 2021.
Numerous international
publications, including Dead-
line, have reported that Space
Shuttle Almanac unveiled
their future plans in a series
of tweets. One of the tweets
revealed SpaceX Crew
Dragon’s plans and it men-
tioned a couple of familiar
names. —Agency
G
igi Hadid and Zayn
Malik have wel-
comed their first
child together and
are officially parents now.
Thecouplewelcomedalittle
baby girl as Zayn took to so-
cial media to confirm the
news on 24 September, early
Thursday morning. While
confirmingthenews,thesing-
er also shared the cutest photo.
Zayn wrote, “Our baby girl is
here, healthy & beautiful to try
put into words how i am feeling
right now would be an impos-
sible task. The love i feel for
this tiny human is beyond my
understanding. Grateful to
know her, proud to call her mine,
& thankful for the life we will
have together x.” —Agency
J
anhvi Kapoor recently
showcased ace designer
Manish Malhotra’s fresh
new bridal collection, Ru-
haaniyat, at the first-ever digital
India Couture Week. Sharing a
few pictures in her bridal avatar,
Janhvi sure looked like the per-
fect, radiant bride!
Sharing the photos on Insta-
gram, the Dhadak actress wrote,
“Can you hear the shehnai playing
or is it just me. So happy I got to be
a part of Manish Malhotra’s ex-
quisite new collection”
Janhvi Kapoor looks glorious in
the heavily embellished lehenga
and the statement jewelry. —Agency
ETCwww.firstindia.co.in I www.firstindia.co.in/epaper/ I twitter.com/thefirstindia I facebook.com/thefirstindia I instagram.com/thefirstindia AHMEDABAD | FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 25, 2020
11
An Exquisite
Ensembleegum Kareena Ka-
poor Khan with
sister Karisma Ka-
poor at the grand
wedding of Akash
Ambani and Shlo-
ka Mehta head-
lined the fashion squad for
the event. The Kapoor sis-
ters dazzled in their gor-
geous traditional attire as
they graced the event. The
sisters had something for
the event. Well! it’s their
choker-neckpiece. Kareena
donned a custom sky blue
light embroidered lehenga
by Manish Malhotra. On
the other hand, Karishma
looked stunning in a gold
embroidered saree by Good
Earth couture. —Agency
B No-Makeup!
S
hraddha has a huge fan-
base. She is also very ac-
tive on social media. Be-
ing an active social media
user, Shraddha keeps sharing
her beautiful pictures, vacay
photos, family moments, and
more. The Saaho actress of-
ten shares her no makeup
pictures. Fans and follow-
ers of the actress shower
her with compliments for
confidently flaunting her
natural skin. One of the
main reasons behind her
flawless skin is drinking
lots of water. In an inter-
view with Vogue,
Shraddha revealed
that every day she
washes her face
twice and mois-
turizes it as per
the weather
c o n d i t i o n s .
Having said
that, take a
look at the ac-
tress’ beauti-
ful no-make-
up photos.
—Agency
AMillionBucksLook!
Hate, Trolls
Mental Health
S
onam Ka-
poor Ahuja
has been
subjected to
a lot of online troll-
ing and hates for
being a star kid.
The actress is opin-
ionated and does
not believe in hold-
ing herself back
when it comes to
speaking her mind.
Recently, she
slammed an
American in-
fluencer for
calling vile
names to her
h u s b a n d
and in her
recent inter-
view with a
news portal,
she spoke
up about how
stressful these past
months have been
for her. She also
has turned off her
comments section
on social media
along with her par-
ents because they
don’t deserve to see
this hate and go
through this.
—Agency
BABY ZIGI ‘MEANING OF
MARIAH’
P
op icon Mariah Carey is
opening up to talk show
host Oprah Winfrey. On
Wednesday, Apple TV+
announced that the 50-year-old
singer will be the next guest on
Winfrey’s show, The Oprah
Conversation, and gave fans a
peek at the episode with a short
trailer. In the clip, Carey and
Winfrey discuss topics ranging
from the time the singer was
held in the backseat of a police
car something that Carey says
she’s “never spoken about” to a
moment in her life when she
didn’t feel “worthy of exist-
ing.” “I wouldn’t have gone
here if I hadn’t been treated as
an ATM with a wig on,” Carey
tells in the clip. —Agency
Space Tourist
Shraddha Kapoor
Tom Cruise
Janhvi Kapoor; (inset) her post
Sonam Kapoor Ahuja
Zayn Malik and Gigi Hadid
...her post
Kareena Kapoor Khan and Karisma Kapoor
...his post
Mariah Carey

First india ahmedabad edition-25 september 2020

First india ahmedabad edition-25 september 2020

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