First India-Ahmedabad Edition-11 May 2021

First India Bureau
Gandhinagar: Withthe
state gearing up to meet
the onslaught of the
third wave of the pan-
demic, Chief Minister
Vijay Rupani led a meet-
ing of the core commit-
tee and COVID-19 on
Monday
. Following the
meeting, members of
the task force reiterated
the importance of the
vaccine in the fight
against the novel coro-
navirus and also point-
ed that excessive use of
steroids could further
worsen the situation by
causing a greater num-
ber of mucormycosis-
like diseases.
CM Rupani an-
nounced that the state is
currently preparing a
detailed plan to combat
the third wave of COV-
ID-19 with help of ex-
pert doctors. He also
said that the state has
been witnessing a de-
cline in positive cases
over the past few days,
indicating that the sec-
ond wave is stabilizing
in the state.
Later in the day, CM
Rupani flagged off 101
BS-VI compliant state
transport buses, offi-
cials said, as part of the
state’s plan to add 1,000
such vehicles to its pub-
lic transport fleet.
The 101 buses will en-
hance service across 16
state transport (ST) divi-
sions, Rupani said,
through video confer-
encing from Gandhina-
gar.
Rupani said his gov-
ernment would not al-
low the COVID-19 pan-
demic to affect public
transport services,
which are meant to pro-
vide comfort to people
and are not seen as a
source of profit.
Pulmonologist Dr
Atul Patel, who is a
member of the state’s
task force, attributed
the increase in mucor-
mycosis cases to the in-
discriminate use of
steroids on COVID-19
patients. He also be-
lieves that remdesivir
injections have not
saved anyone’s life.
Meanwhile, Dr Tejas
Desai reiterated very
firmly that only vacci-
nations can protect peo-
ple from COVID-19, and
Dr Mahershi Desai sug-
gested that patients take
CT scans only after sev-
en days of testing posi-
tive.
GujpreparingfornCoV3rdwavewithhelpfromexperts:CMRupani
CM Rupani chaired a task force meeting on Monday. On his left is Chief Secretary Anil Mukim, on his
right, Education Minister Bhupendrasinh Chudasama, Energy Minister Saurabh Patel, Minister of State
for Home Pradipsinh Jadeja and other members of the Task Force.
Docs reiterate importance of
vaccine, say CT scan most effective
if taken 7 days after testing +ve
GIRDING UP
New Delhi: Interim
Congress chief Sonia
Gandhi on Monday de-
manded that the party
“take note of our seri-
ous setbacks (and) put
our house in order”, af-
ter yet more disappoint-
ing performances in
elections.
She said senior lead-
ers from Assam, Kerala,
Tamil Nadu, Puduch-
erry and Bengal - the
states that went to the
polls in April-May -
would be required to
“brief us, very frankly,
on our performance...”
“We want them to tell
us why we performed
well below expectation.
These results tell us
clearly that we need to
put our house in order,”
Gandhi said, as she de-
livered the opening re-
marks at a meeting of
the CWC Turn to P6
www.firstindia.co.in I www.firstindia.co.in/epaper/ I twitter.com/thefirstindia I facebook.com/thefirstindia I instagram.com/thefirstindia
AHMEDABAD l TUESDAY, MAY 11, 2021 l Pages 12 l 3.00 RNI NO. GUJENG/2019/16208 l Vol 2 l Issue No. 164
OUR EDITIONS: JAIPUR, AHMEDABAD LUCKNOW
Convene special Parl session
on Covid: Cong to Prez Kovind
New Delhi: Congress
MP Adhir Ranjan
Chowdhury on Mon-
day asked President
Ram Nath Kovind to
convene a special ses-
sion of Parliament to
discuss the Covid pan-
demic and come up
with steps to ease the
suffering of people.
The senior Baharam-
pur Lok Sabha mem-
ber’s letter to President
Kovind comes at a time
the second wave of cor-
onavirus disease con-
tinues to rage across
the country
. On Sunday,
the country had report-
ed over 3,66,000 fresh
cases, pushing the num-
ber of active Turn to P6
Covid panic in Bihar as over 40
bodies wash up on Ganga shores
Buxar: Several bodies,
decomposed, bloated
and suspected to be of
people who succumbed
to COVID 19, were on
Monday found floating
in the river Ganga in a
Bihar district.
Officials in Chausa
block of Buxar, which
borders Uttar Pradesh,
rushed to the spot of the
unseemly sight upon
hearing the news.
“We were alerted by
the local chowkidar
that many bodies have
been spotted floating
from upstream. We
have so far recovered 15
of these. None of the
deceased happens to be
a resident of the dis-
trict,” Chausa BDO
Ashok Kumar told PTI
over phone.
Turn to P6
CENTRE TO SC ON
VACCINE POLICY:
NO JUDICIAL
INTERFERENCE
Sarma takes oath as Assam
CM, invites ULFA(I) for talks
Guwahati: Hours after
taking charge as Assam
Chief Minister, Him-
anta Biswa Sarma on
Monday appealed to the
United Liberation
Front of Asom - Inde-
pendent (ULFA-I) chief
Paresh Barua to give up
violence and come to
the negotiation table in
the interest of restor-
ing permanent peace in
the state.
The first time Chief
Minister extended the
appeal to other active in-
surgent groups in the
state, urging them to
comeforwardforapeace
dialogue with both the
state and the centre end-
ing armed conflict.
“Violence, kidnap-
ping, extortion can nev-
er solve problems, it
only makes things com-
plicated,” Sarma said at
a press conference.
“Therefore, our gov-
ernment appeals to all
militant groups to come
to the negotiation table
and play a role in restor-
ing peace in the state,”
he added.
In the last week of
April, top leader of UL-
FA-I, Dwipen Saud, was
gunned down after a
fierce gun battle with
the security forces in
western Assam’s Bon-
gaigaondistrict.Dwipen
Saud was the banned
outfit’s Turn to P6
Need to put house in order: Sonia
to Congress on election results
50 Palestinians
hospitalised
after clashes with
Israeli police
Jerusalem: At least 50
Palestinians were hos-
pitalised after being in-
jured in clashes with
Israeli police on Mon-
day at a flashpoint Jeru-
salem holy site, Pales-
tinian medics said.
Police fired tear gas
and stun grenade canis-
ters some of them land-
ing in the Al-Aqsa
Mosque, Islam’s third
holiestsite.Israelipolice
said Palestinians hurled
stones, chairs and other
objects at officers.
Amateur video foot-
age posted on social me-
dia showed police stun
grenades and tear gas
inside Turn to P6
Tikri border‘gangrape’:
FIR names six accused,
Haryana police forms SIT
Gurgaon: An FIR has
been registered
against six people for
the alleged rape of a
25-year-old woman
from West Bengal
who had joined the
farmers’ protest at
Tikri border last
month and died due to
Coronavirus on April
30. The accused, po-
lice said, had accom-
panied her on her
journey to the border.
According to po-
lice, they received a
complaint regarding
the matter on Satur-
day night from the
woman’s father, who
alleged that she was
travelling with the ac-
cused, who were asso-
ciated with the Kisan
Social Army, and the
group had left West
Bengal on April 10.
Turn to P6
CORONA
CATASTROPHE
INDIA
3,66,494
New cases
3,754
New fatalities
GUJARAT
11,592
New cases
117
New fatalities
PEOPLE ARE SUFFERING: Congress leader Adhir Ranjan’s letter
to President Ram Nath Kovind sought special session of Parliament
Bihar admin
believes bodies
belong to UP
Assam will set ‘benchmark
of peace’ under Himanta
Biswa Sarma: Amit Shah
New Delhi: Union
Home Minister Amit
Shah congratulated
Himanta Biswa Sar-
ma soon after he was
sworn in as the Chief
Minister of Assam
and said that the state
will set a benchmark
of peace, progress
and prosperity under
him.
The Home Minister
expressed confidence
in him saying that the
state will set up a new
benchmark of peace,
progress and prosper-
ity under PM Naren-
dra Modi’s guidance
and his leadership.
OPPN DOING
POLITICS ON
COVID: SHAH
WHO classifies India
covid variant as being
of global concern
While addressing a
digital rally in Bihar,
Home Minister Amit
Shah launched an at-
tack at the opposition
asking what they had
done for the country
except criticize the
government’s work
during the pandemic.
The World Health Organ-
ziation said on Monday
that the B.1.617 variant
first identified in India last
year was being classi-
fied as a variant of global
concern. “We classify it
as a variant of concern at
a global level,” Maria Van
Kerkhove, WHO technical
lead on COVID-19, said.
Congress MP Adhir Ranjan.
DCP to head SIT formed.
BJP’s Himanta Biswa Sarma with party chief JP Nadda and
former CM Sarbananda Sonowal before taking oath as the next
Chief Minister of Assam in Guwahati on Monday.
PARTY PREZ POLLS POSTPONED DUE
TO COVID AFTER GEHLOT SUGGESTS
New Delhi/Jaipur: The Congress Working Committee
unanimously decided on Monday to postpone the
election to the post of party president until the
COVID-19 situation in the country improves, sources
said. Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot proposed that there
should be no election to the post of
Congress president currently in view of
the COVID-19 situation and senior party
leader Ghulam Nabi Azad seconded
him. Earlier, AICC general secretary KC
Venugopal proposed for the election.
The Congress had earlier decided to
have a new Congress president in place before June
2021 and the party’s central election authority had
proposed holding the election on June 23. However,
Gehlot was of the view that holding the election right
now would not be proper as the coronavirus situation
in the country was very grim. Turn to P6
Kathmandu: Nepal President Bidhya Devi
Bhandari Monday prorogued the country’s
Parliament after the government headed
by Prime Minister K P Oli lost a vote of
confidence following several months of
bickering among factions within the ruling
party. The vote of confidence placed by Oli
before the 271-member House of Repre-
sentatives secured 93 votes in favour and
124 against. At least 28 dissidents from
the ruling Nepal Communist Party – Uni-
fied Marxist Leninist (NCP-UML), includ-
ing former prime ministers Jhalanath Kha-
nal and Madhav Kumar Nepal, abstained
from voting, and are likely to lose their
House seats for defying the party whip.
Late Monday, the House Speaker sent
a letter to the President, informing that
Oli has lost the House majority. Oli
also met the President separately.
OLI GOVT LOSES TRUST
VOTE, NEPAL FACES
FRESH TURBULENCE
Congress chief Sonia Gandhi
New Delhi: Supreme
Court has adjourned till
Thursday a hearing into
the centre’s vaccination
policy, which has been
criticised for differential
pricing, shortage of
doses, and a slow roll-
out. The centre filed an
affidavit that defended
its policy, urging against
“judicial interference”
and saying “overzealous,
though well-meaning,
intervention may lead
to unforeseen and unin-
tended consequences”.
Delhi HC to hear
plea seeking
stay on Central
Vista project
New Delhi: The Delhi
High Court on Monday
agreed to hear tomor-
row a petition seeking
an interim stay on the
construction of Central
Vista during the peak
phase of the pandemic.
The court had earlier
listed the case for hear-
ing on May 17. Last
week, the Supreme
Court had Turn to P6

NEWS
AHMEDABAD | TUESDAY, MAY 11, 2021
02
First India Bureau
Ahmedabad: The Con-
gress party has alleged
that more than two lakh
people have been died in
thestateduetoCOVID-19.
Addressing the media
on Monday
, the party on
Mondayalsodemandeda
compensation of Rs 4
lakh each for the kin of
all those who have died
due to COVID-19 in the
last13monthsinthestate
under provisions of the
Disaster Management
Act.
Asperthegovernment
data, COVID-19 has
claimed 8,394 lives as of
May 09 in Gujarat.
Citing the example of
Surendranagar district,
Dasada MLA Naushad
Solanki said,
“Since COVID-19 first
brokeoutinSurendrana-
gar district, the govern-
ment has shown a death
toll of 125. However, in-
vestigating the death toll
in 2020 and the death toll
in 2021 has come up with
a scary picture.”
Solanki claimed that
in Surendranagar dis-
trictalone,wherecorona-
virusinfectionisnotthat
severe, as many as 3,580
people have died in the
last 65 days due to COV-
ID-19 and other reasons.
This is an indication
that the government is
suppressing data regard-
ing (COVID-19) fatalities.
The government claims
only 8,394 people have
died so far in the state
duetotheviralinfection.
However, looking at
the data of Surendrana-
gar, the actual figure of
the entire state would be
25 times more, which
comes to around 1.5 lakh
to 2 lakh deaths so far,
Solanki claimed.
GujaratCongresspres-
identAmitChavdaChav-
da sought the disburse-
ment of the compensa-
tion under section 12 of
the Disaster Manage-
mentActwhichprovides
for “ex gratia assistance
on account of loss of
life”.
He said: “The Disaster
ManagementActhastwo
components. One is
about punishment for
violation and another is
regarding the welfare of
the victims. But the gov-
ernment has completely
ignored this second part.
There were instances in
the past when govern-
ments had paid compen-
sationincasesof calami-
ties and accidents.”
Stressing the need for
suchfinancialassistance,
the Congress leader said
mostof theCOVID-19vic-
tims belonged to the low-
ermiddleclassormiddle-
class stratum and many
families have lost their
sole earning member in
this pandemic.
“We want the govern-
ment to pay a compensa-
tionof Rs4lakhtothekin
of each of these 8,000-
plus ‘official’ victims as
per the provisions of the
Disaster Management
Act. The Congress will
collect data about these
victims and hand it over
to the government to
speed up the disburse-
ment process,” said
Chavda.
First India Bureau
Ahmedabad: The Gu-
jarat High Court Advo-
cates’ Association (GH-
CAA) in an affidavit
has suggested that the
state directly import
remdesivir-like injec-
tions and also install
the Cobas 8,000 RT-PCR
testing machine, which
has the capacity to test
3,600 samples in a day
.
GHCAA, represent-
ed by advocate Rashesh
Parikh and senior
counsel Percy Kavina,
has brought it to the
notice of the court that
political meetings and
gatherings are still go-
ing on, despite the state
having requested trade
and industry bodies to
shut down voluntarily.
“This puts the govern-
ment’s credibility at
state,” the affidavit
said.
“There are com-
plaints that there is a
shortage of medical
and paramedical staff
in hospitals in rural ar-
eas—which need to be
addressed urgently,” it
added.
The association has
also said that the gov-
ernment should be
called upon to disclose
the total number of
COVID-19 deaths, in-
cluding those caused
by comorbid diseases,
to bring out the real
situation in public.
Dr Mukesh Mahesh-
wari has suggested
that the government
should be directed to
disclose total deaths
for the last 24 months,
beginning from March
2019.
“The disclosure of
correct data can be
used by different stake-
holders, such as the
pharmaceutical indus-
try, statisticians for
study and future pro-
jections, etc. This fig-
ure should also be bi-
furcated into deaths
because of comorbidi-
ty and COVID-19 to
bring out the real situ-
ation in public,” it said.
GHCAA has also
pleaded that the court
direct the state to bifur-
cate test results into
categories such as gov-
ernment hospitals or
private hospitals, and
RAT or RT-PCR tests.
“This segregation is
important and will en-
sure that figures are
more accurate,” it said.
GHCAA and doctors
have expressed con-
cern that testing has
been “deliberately de-
creased”.
“This is causing a
domino effect since
lower numbers mean
lower allocations of
oxygen and drugs like
remdesivir, which will
ultimately cause a loss
to the people of the
state,” the affidavit
said, adding “These in-
tense shortages are felt
acutely at the ground
level, and the problem
is compounded every
day. Thus it becomes
imperative to reveal
the true figures so that
proper planning can be
done.”
Further, Dr Vasant
Patel said that reports
from non-COVID-19
hospitals show an
alarming increase in
post-nCoV complica-
tions over the past 15
days. “Such patients
require even more oxy-
gen since their lungs
show post-covid fibro-
sis, resulting in a man-
ifold increase in the
oxygen requirement at
non-COVID-19 hospi-
tals,” he said.
nCoV has killed more than 2L in Guj: Cong
Gujarat Pradesh Congress Committee chief Amit Chavda and Dasada MLA Naushad Solanki addressed the press on Monday. —PHOTO BY HANIF SINDHI
GCHAA asks HC to direct state
to disclose total nCoV deaths,
including comorbid ones
First India Bureau
Ahmedabad: The state
government in its affi-
davit before the High
Court has stated that it
has received 21.48 lakh
doses of AstraZeneca’s
Covishield and 2.49
lakh doses of Bharat
Biotech’s Covaxin, to-
talling 23.97 lakh doses
of the COVID-9 vaccine
since the beginning of
May
.
The first division
bench of Chief Justice
Vikram Nath and Jus-
tice Bhargav Karia is a
hearing suo motu peti-
tion on the COVID-19
situation in the state.
As of May 08, Gujarat
now has 1,07,702 beds
for COVID-19 patients
across 2,547 hospitals
and COVID-care cen-
tres, the state said, add-
ing that of these, 60.176
are equipped with oxy-
gen, while 13, 875 are
ICU beds and 6,562 with
ventilator support. It
also said that 79% of
beds in dedicated COV-
ID-19 hospital are occu-
pied, as are 63% of beds
in dedicated COVID-19
health centres and 21%
in COVID-care centres.
The state in an affida-
vit also submitted that
8,773 patients are admit-
ted in isolation facili-
ties created in villages
under the Maru Gam
Corona Mukt pro-
gramme. Rt-PCR test-
ing facilities are opera-
tional in smaller town
like Morbi, Navsari,
Rajpipla, Vyara,
Godhra, Chhota Udep-
ur, Bharuch, Porbandar,
Botad, Dang, Lunavada,
Bhiloda and Gandhid-
ham.
It is also submitted
that the state has pro-
cured 5,24,056 remdesi-
vir injections vials on
its own, in addition to
the 2,46,872 vials allot-
ted by the Central gov-
ernment. Between
April 01 and May 05, 33
districts had requested
10,31,358 vials, against
which the state has sup-
plied 7,76,768 —77%—of
demand.
The state’s oxygen de-
mand on April 23 was
1,178 MT, up from 1,123
MT on April 07. De-
mand peaked at 1,270
MT on April 06. Of the
total supply, 35% re-
quirement was directly
supplied to major hospi-
tals and 65% was sup-
plied to the hospitals
through bottlers.
The state increased
its daily oxygen de-
mand projection to 1,400
MT on May 06, and now
estimates that demand
will touch 16,100 MT per
day by May 15. Hence, it
has requested the Cen-
tre to increase allot-
ment to the state. How-
ever, given that the in-
fection rate and the
number of new cases
have been falling since
the last few days—and
bed occupancy is also
declining—there is a
possibility that state de-
mand will remain
around 1,250 MT, it told
the court.
The matter will next
be heard on Tuesday
.
COVID-19 testing in Ahmedabad; GHCAA has also asked the court to direct the state to split test results into categories such as
government hospitals or private hospitals, and RAT or RT-PCR tests. —FILE PHOTO
Gujarat received 24L vaccine
doses in 9 days of May: State
People queue up for vaccines in Ahmedabad. Gujarat has received 21.48 lakh doses of AstraZeneca’s Covishield and 2.49 lakh doses
of Bharat Biotech’s Covaxin this month. —FILE PHOTO
Advocate body submitted
an affidavit in the High
Court of Guj on Monday
State now has 1,07,702
beds for COVID-19
patients across 2,547
facilities, it told the HC
Party seeks `4 L
compensation for
kin of deceased

GUJARAT
03
LOCAL ADMINS STAVE OFF ‘VACCINE TOURISTS’
As more Amdavadis head to nearby towns for jabs, Bavla has started to send them back
Gargi Raval
Ahmedabad: While
the local civic au-
thority claims that
everyone in the city
are getting vaccina-
tion, Amdavadis are
heading out of
Ahmedabad Munici-
pal Corporation ju-
risdiction areas to
get their jabs. For
instance, Bharat
Jhala, who lives
within the AMC lim-
it, ended up getting
his vaccine at a vil-
lage in Gandhinagar
district after strug-
gling to take a vac-
cine within
Ahmedabad.
“I had registered un-
der the AMC for my
vaccine but couldn’t
get a slot. The adminis-
tration has started
drive-through vaccina-
tion camps in the city
but for that one has to
be in queue for two
hours in the sizzling
heat. Moreover, I did
not want to risk pick-
ing up some other ill-
ness. I visited a village
in Gandhinagar and
get vaccinated my fam-
ily without much wait
time,” he said.
Ambaliyara village
near Dholka town has
also witnessed a surge
in vaccinations among
Amdavadis.
“Many people from
Ahmedabad have been
coming here. In the
last week alone, we
have given the jab to
around 50 people who
were not from the vil-
lage,” said a staff
member of the health
centre who asked not
to be named, adding,
“There are no guide-
lines that only villag-
ers will get the vaccine
here.”
On the other hand,
with more visitors
arriving in Bavla
town just to take the
vaccine, the medical
officer there has de-
cided not to give the
jab to “outsiders”.
“I had registered
myself on the COWIN
app for Ahmedabad,
but could not get a slot.
So I changed the loca-
tion of my preferred
vaccine centre to Bavla
since it had both slots
and vaccine doses.
However, when I came
here, I was not given
the vaccine. I was told
that only residents of
Bavla would be inocu-
lated, on the orders of
the medical officer,”
said Vimal Joshi, a
resident of
Ahmedabad.
People wait in line to receive tokens for their jab at the vaccination centre in Ahmedabad’s Vastral area on Monday. —PHOTO BY HANIF SINDHI
First India Bureau
Ahmedabad: Police
have arrested three
persons after busting
a fake call centre in
Ahmedabad’s Jagat-
pur area, officials
said on Monday. The
scamsters had been
targeting US citizens
on the pretext of giv-
ing them quick loans,
they added.
Acting on a tip-off, a
team from the cyber-
crime branch raided
the call centre on Sun-
day, and arrested
Bharatsinh Mandola
(35), Akhilesh Nair
(23) and Ajay Sona-
vane (28), all residents
of Ahmedabad.
According to a state-
ment issued by the cy-
bercrime branch, the
accused would call un-
suspecting Ameri-
cans, identify them-
selves as representa-
tives of the “USA
Speedy Cash Loan
Centre” and offer
them “quick loans”.
Once the victims
expressed willing-
ness to take a loan,
the accused would
tell them that the
loan could not be dis-
bursed because of a
low credit score.
Then, they would
tell the victims to
first deposit a trans-
action fee to increase
their credit score
and thus avail the
loan, the release
said.
For the payment of
transaction fees, the
accused asked the vic-
tims to share the 16
digit number of gift
cards of various e-
commerce companies
and then encash those
gift cards from India,
it said.
The police came to
know that Mandola
had roped in the other
two accused and start-
ed the illegal call cen-
tre at his residence in
Jagatpur area of the
city.
The three accused
were booked on charg-
es of cheating, crimi-
nal conspiracy and
relevant provisions of
the Information Tech-
nology Act, the police
said in their state-
ment.
To win their vic-
tims’ trust and pro-
ject their firm as
genuine, the accused
even put in software
that masked their
phone number. That
way, their victims
saw a US telecom
number on their
phone screen rather
than an Indian num-
ber, the statement
added.
3 men arrested as cops bust fake call centre targeting US citizens
'EASY MONEY'

Victims
were told
to deposit
‘transaction
fees’ to
increase
their credit
score, avail
quick
loan —FILE PHOTO
‘Dummy patient’
exposes reality at
nCoV-care centre
Guj sees 11,592 fresh nCoV cases,
117 deaths as decline continues
A’bad man held for
raping wife’s minor
student in 2019
First India Bureau
Vadodara: A video
clip featuring a ‘dum-
my patient’ that did
the rounds on social
media on Monday has
raised several ques-
tions on the function-
ing of the COVID-Care
Centres being set up
under Chief Minister
Vijay Rupani’s Maru
Gam Corona Mukt
programme.
The clip shows Minis-
ter of State for Panchay-
ats Jaydrathsinh Par-
mar visiting an in-pa-
tient at the Saliya care
centre in Morva Hadaf.
However, after the min-
isterexitsthecentre,the
“patient” reveals that
medicalstaff forcedhim
to get admitted despite
testing negative for
COVID-19.
Once the minister
left, not only was the
man allowed to leave,
the staff also locked up
the building and left for
the day
.
The minister’s Saliya
visit was one of seven
such visits—to review
preparations and pa-
tient treatment at these
centres—announced on
Sunday by the state gov-
ernment.
In a separate inci-
dent, Minister of State
for Narmada Yogesh
Patel pulled up medical
officers of the commu-
nity and primary health
centres in Padra taluka
for stocking outdated
drugs, absent staff and
garbage thrown right
outside the centre. Patel
and other BJP leaders
had made a surprise
visit to the taluka after
CM Rupani instructed
them to ensure that vil-
lagers were getting
proper treatment.
First India Bureau
Gandhinagar: The
slight relief in the
number of new COV-
ID-19 cases continued
on Monday
, when the
state saw 11,592 cases
in the 24 hours ended
5 pm, Gujarat’s health
and family welfare de-
partment said in a re-
lease. The day also
brought 117 deaths at-
tributed to the virus.
With this, Gujarat’s
total COVID-19 case-
load stands at 6,92,604
and its death toll, at
8,511 since last March.
The day’s deaths oc-
curred in Ahmedabad
(20), Jamnagar (14), Va-
dodara (12), Rajkot (11),
Surat (11), Junagadh
(8), Bhavnagar (4),
Kutch (4) Mehsana (4),
Sabarkantha (3), Banas-
kantha (2), Kheda (2),
Patan (2), Bharuch (2),
Surendranagar (2),
Devbhumi Dwarka (2),
Chhota Udepur (2), Da-
hod (1), Gandhinagar
(1), Panchmahal (1), Ma-
hisagar (1), Narmada
(1),Botad(1),Porbandar
(1), and Tapi (1).
Despite the decline in
thedailysurge,notasin-
gle district reported
fresh cases in the single
digits.Dangreportedthe
lowest, with 11 new cas-
es. Meanwhile
Ahmedabad, Surat, and
Vadodararecordedcases
in the quadruple digits,
with 3,263, 1,092, and
1,302 cases, respectively
.
The state now has
1,36,158 active cases,
with 792 patients on ven-
tilator support.
The state said it has
administered the
1,37,49,335 vaccine doses
so far, including 2,07,700
on Monday
, of which
29,817 were in the 18-44
age group. It said
33,55,185 people have
been given the second
dose of the COVID-19
vaccine as well.
In Dadra and Nagar
Haveli, Daman and Diu,
63 COVID-19 cases and
193 recoveries were re-
ported on Monday, tak-
ing its tally to 9,075, in-
cluding four deaths,
and the recovery count
to 7,702. The UT has an
active caseload of 1,369.
First India Bureau
Ahmedabad: Nikol po-
lice on Monday arrest-
ed a man for raping a
minor in 2019, after
his victim finally told
her parents about her
ordeal, on Sunday
. The
child’s parents imme-
diately filed a criminal
complaint.
According to the com-
plaint filed at the Nikol
police station, the inci-
dentoccurredinOctober
2019, when the minor
was a Class X student.
The alleged rapist, iden-
tified as Jagdish Ghela-
ni, is the husband of the
girl’s then tuition teach-
er. The girl had attended
the tuition class along
with many other stu-
dents. One Sunday in
October 2019, the child
and the other students
were at the home of Jag-
dish Ghelani and his
wife, since the latter had
setatestforthestudents.
However, after the
test, Ghelani—whose
wife was out at the
time—asked the victim
to stay back after the
test. He then overpow-
ered the minor and
raped her, the complaint
says.Heeventhreatened
her with dire conse-
quences if she told any-
one about the incident.
As a result, the girl held
hertongueformorethan
a year, finally telling her
mother about the inci-
dent on Monday
.
Thepolicesentthegirl
for a medical test and ar-
rested Ghelani—who
runsasnacksbusiness—
for illegal confinement
and rape, as well as vari-
ous sections of the POC-
SO Act. They are also
investigatingif thereare
any other victims who
were raped or exploited.
A still from the clip that was circulated on social media on Monday. Police are investigating if Ghelani assaulted any more girls.
COVID-19 UPDATE
TOTAL CASES
RECOVERED
ACTIVE CASES
TOTAL DEATHS
6,92,604
5,47,935
1,36,158
8,511
+11,592
+117
A’BAD 3,263
SURAT 1,092
V’DARA 1,302
RAJKOT 572
JAMNAGAR 565
MEHSANA 507
B’NAGAR 338
G’NAGAR 269
Staff replenish stock of medical oxygen at Ahmedabad’s Civil Hospital on Monday.
Civil looked deserted as Amdavadis lined up at the drive-through centre at Drive-In for vaccines.
—PHOTOS
BY
HANIF
SINDHI

l Vol 2 l Issue No. 164 l 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
PERSPECTIVE
04
here have been
many predic-
tions about how
many people
have had COV-
ID-19 and whether or not
this or that country has
reached herd immunity
. We
have seen this before in
Manaus, Brazil, and in In-
dia. The optimism is alas
always misplaced and occa-
sionally used irresponsibly
.
We have seen approaches
to naturally acquired herd
immunity proposed as
high-profile ideas for pub-
lic policy in the UK and in-
ternationally, such as the
Great Barrington declara-
tion. These proposals have
been widely decried by
health experts, including
in the John Snow memo-
randum. The World Health
Organization described the
idea as “scientifically prob-
lematic and unethical”.
There is no doubt that a
humanitarian emergency
is unfolding in India right
now. India is a catastrophic
example of a population
that has certainly not
reached herd immunity
against COVID-19. The sto-
ries of a collapsing health
system are numerous, with
reports of a lack of oxygen
for hospitalised patients
and bodies burning on
pyres in the streets.
India has locally made
vaccines, which are being
rolled out, including the
AstraZeneca vaccine. But
the proportion of the popu-
lation that is immunised is
still very low, and alas,
therearemorethanenough
susceptible people for the
virus to keep spreading.
The numbers are stark
too. The Financial Times
put together a sobering re-
view of the data, with un-
wanted new world records
being set for new con-
firmed cases in one day.
One of the most worrying
aspects is the level of un-
der-counting that will be
happening.
The test positivity rate
(the proportion of people
tested for COVID that re-
turn a positive test) in In-
dia is high – around 18%.
This is well above the
WHO threshold of 10%,
suggesting that a lot of
positive cases are being
missed because of a lack
of testing capacity and
timely reporting.
Indeed, one of the key
concerns is the lack of
high-quality real-time data
to give an informed picture
of the scenarios that are
unfolding in India. The
numbers of deaths are
starting to rise on a steep
trajectory, and that graph
will surely soar further
over the next few weeks.
When there was specula-
tion around a possible
reaching of herd immuni-
ty, India was relatively be-
calmed with much lower
levels of COVID-19, vac-
cines becoming available
and a pandemic that ap-
peared to be under control
in South East Asia.
So what changed all
that? There has been a lot
of focus on the B1617 vari-
ant, which was first detect-
ed in India. There is still a
lot to learn about this vari-
ant, such as whether it is
more transmissible and
thus contributing to an in-
creased community trans-
mission. It is a plausible
theory
, but as yet unknown.
But it is the mixing of
susceptible populations
that ultimately drives the
transmissionof respiratory
infectious diseases. There
werebolddeclarationsfrom
senior political figures,
withHealthMinister,Harsh
Vardhan, saying in early
March that India was in
“the pandemic end game”.
SOURCE: THE CONVERSATION
COVID-19 in India: an unfolding humanitarian crisis
T
Looking deeply at life as it is
in this very moment, the
meditator dwells in stability
and freedom. —Buddha
Spiritual
SPEAK
Top
TWEET
Smriti Z Irani @smritiirani
With a view to provide expert care
to children residing at Govt. Child
Care Institutions (CCI) across
the country, @MinistryWCD is
engaging with Indian Academy of
Pediatrics. This will be in addition
to medical care provided to
children under scheme for Child
Protection Services.
Ravi Shankar Prasad @rsprasad
Attended the meeting of @
BJP4Bengal Legislature Party
as Central Observer where @
SuvenduWB - MLA from
#Nandigram was unanimously
elected as the leader of BJP
Legislature Party and also Leader of
Opposition. Exhorted MLAs to work
hard for development and peace.
t is important to acknowledge
thatweallexperiencesuffering,
discontent, or dissatisfaction.
Accepting this predicament is
the first step towards under-
standing the painful experience
which is more relevant than
ever before in current excruci-
atingtimesof pandemicthatwe
all are experiencing. With eve-
rything that is currently going
on in the world, our stress levels
may likely be heightened. For
some people, the uncertainty of
this time causes a lot of anxiety
.
It’s important to give oneself a
rest and practice healthy ways
of de-stressing as we learn how
to deal with new normal every
day
. While the world is gasping
in bewilderment to save itself
from the agonizing waves of
Covid -19 which seem rhapsodi-
cal, looking back may hand us
an enshrined solution in the
form of yoga which may equip
us to fight this battle.
Yoga fosters sensitivity and
larger understanding, and it is
worth observing that sympathy
and receptivity lie at the very
root of yoga’s first principle-
helping others by helping one-
self. The yoga principles es-
pouse that profound changes
happenwithinwhenwedevelop
connectivitytothesufferingsof
others, realizing that fragility is
inherent to all of us. Yoga prac-
tice can help us develop a non-
impulsive reaction to events.
What makes yoga exclusive
is, it being inclusive. People of
allagegroups,nationalitiesand
socialbackgroundscanpractice
it because yoga is accessible to
all. There are so many different
kinds of yoga practices, so it’s
possibleforanyonetostart.Size
and fitness levels don’t matter
— there are modifications for
every yoga pose.Apart from the
real physical effect of the coro-
navirus on our populations, the
mental health implications of
the pandemic can be felt just as
strongly
. For those already suf-
fering from mental health con-
ditions or anxiety, the added
stress of a global pandemic can
feel overwhelming and unman-
ageable. Anxiety thrives on un-
certainty and being in a con-
stant state of waiting for some-
thing to happen will only in-
crease this. Anxiety and the
mannerinwhichwebreatheare
co-joint. The principles of yoga
offer a wonderful, logical expla-
nation to regulate breathing.
Do not take your breathing
for granted. Taking the time to
breathe mindfully and deeply
for a few minutes or so can al-
ready help you to see an im-
provement without even mov-
ing a muscle. The power of be-
ing still is just as important as
the power of movement. Ac-
cording to the American Osteo-
pathic Association, the purpose
of yoga is to build strength,
awareness, and harmony in the
mind and body
. Yoga allows the
body to stretch and utilize mus-
cles that would not typically get
used in standard popular prac-
ticesof workoutoraclassicrun.
But, aside from the physical
benefits, yoga also gives the op-
portunity to focus on your
breathing and allows you to
manage your stress levels.
The short-term effects of
yoga are usually felt through
breathing techniques. By learn-
ing to breathe deeply, you not
only physically allow your mus-
cles to relax, but you are also
much better equipped to con-
nect with other relaxation tech-
niques, such as meditation. In
the long term, practicing yoga
helps to build a mind-body con-
nection that reinforces much
control we actually have over
both. Anxiety disorders, and by
extension, coronavirus anxiety
,
thrives on feeling out of control
and being helpless. Over time,
yoga can help you to regain that
sense of control and allow your
mind and your body to sharpen
each other, which in turn gives
you the tools to better manage
those moments when you feel
anxious over a situation, you
can’t control. Sometimes our
biggest enemy is our own mind,
so give yourself some time to
relax your mind and focus on
yourself. It is doing more good
for your body than you know.
Breathing and yoga are often-
timesassociatedunderthesame
tumbrel. While both activities
encourage mindfulness, health,
and relaxation. Yoga can get in-
tense and serve as a workout
depending on the level. Breath-
ing, however, is effortless and
can be practiced everywhere
with being a little mindful.
Often,whenweareinastress-
fulsituation,wegetanxiousand
do not give our minds a chance
to think logically
. Breathing
rightfully supports our emo-
tional well-being by stamping
out the information overload
that we all experience daily
. It
allows us a clean space in our
mind which in turn can cast us
towards positivity
. We not only
feel revamped but we also be-
come mindful of people and
situations which lead us to a
deepconsciousnessof life-force.
THE VIEWS EXPRESSED BY
THE AUTHOR ARE PERSONAL
THE YOGIC
WARRIOR AND
POWER OF
BEING CALM
I
Yoga fosters
sensitivity and
larger
understanding,
and it is worth
observing that
sympathy and
receptivity lie at
the very root of
yoga’s first
principle- helping
others by helping
oneself. The yoga
principles espouse
that profound
changes happen
within when we
develop
connectivity to the
sufferings of others,
realizing that
fragility is
inherent to all of us
DO NOT TAKE YOUR
BREATHING FOR
GRANTED. TAKING THE
TIME TO BREATHE
MINDFULLY AND DEEPLY
FOR A FEW MINUTES OR
SO CAN ALREADY HELP
YOU TO SEE AN
IMPROVEMENT WITHOUT
EVEN MOVING A MUSCLE
DR JYOTI
JOSHI
The author is a soft skill trainer,
business coach and English language
instructor in Germany, Europe
IN-DEPTH
HUMANITY IS ALIVE
AND FLOURISHING
umans die, but humanity doesn’t. With
hospitalsoverflowingandpeoplerunning
around to find beds for their kin gurdu-
waras, temples, Haj houses have all
stepped forward to accommodate Cov-
id-19 patients providing for basic medical facilities
needed for treating them. Delhi, which was finding
it difficult to manage the crisis, found the Radha
Soami Satsang Beas offering its huge premises in
Chattarpurfora500-bedCovidhospitalwhichisrun
by the medical wing of the Indo-Tibetan Border Po-
lice. At that time the Delhi government was facing
an acute shortage of hospital beds. Likewise, the
Green Park mosque in south Delhi set up a 10-bed
quarantine centre and was taking in patients on the
basis of doctor’s prescription. In Kerala, the Catho-
licChurchofferedover1,940intensivecareunitbeds
in 200 of its hospitals to be converted into isolation
wards for treating Covid-19 patients. A Covid facil-
ity at Lucknow’s Haj House is to soon become op-
erational as a 250-bed L3 Covid-19 hospital.
It is one community which has stood out for yeo-
man’s service in the country’s hour of need. The
300-bed Guru Tegh Bahadur Covid Care Centre at
Gurudwara Rakab Ganj in central Delhi became
operational on Monday
. All beds have oxygen sup-
ply and the Centre has all the necessary drugs
needed in the treatment of Covid-19. Fifty doctors
from the Lok Nayak Jai Prakash Narayan hospital
of the Delhi government will manage the Centre.
Gurudwaras have organized ‘oxygen langar’ in
Noida, Kolkata and elsewhere. Gurudwaras are
known for their open and free kitchens but the ges-
ture during pandemic deserves special praise.
H
JOURNEY OF TWO MEN
TO THE POST OF CM
wo first time chief ministers took oath af-
ter the recent assembly elections. A politi-
cally sagacious Himanta Biswa Sarma, a
former Congressman and MK Stalin who
had to wait for ten years became chief
ministers of Assam and Tamil Nadu respectively
.
Himanta Biswa Sarma, a protégé of former
Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi who quit the Con-
gress to join the BJP in 2014, has fully assimilated
into the BJP and for that reason he stands out. He
is also the first BJP chief minister who does not
have an RSS background. That apart, Sarma has
emerged as a force in north-east politics. It was his
organizational skills and strategizing which
helped the Bharatiya Janata Party form its first
government in Assam. He demonstrated his elec-
toral skills again in 2019 when he helped the BJP
win despite the anti-CAA protests which rocked
the state. His shrewd political management has
been proven not just in Assam but the entire north-
east in recognition of which the BJP appointed
him convener of North East Democratic Alliance.
Stalin had to wait 50 years and his father M.
Karunanidhi’s passing away to be elected the pres-
ident of the DMK. His assuming charge of the
party’s leadership happened only after a bitter suc-
cession war between him and his elder brother MK
Azhagiri. Stalin’s journey as party chief and as
chief minister will be difficult as Azhagiri, who
was sidelined by his father, has Azhagiri warned
the DMK would have to face consequences if he
was not taken back into the party
. How Stalin takes
on his brother will decide his future.
T

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PM MODI EXPRESSES CONFIDENCE IN HIMANTA BISWA SARMA
‘TEAM WILL GUIDE ASSAM
TOWARDS DEVELOPMENT’
New Delhi: Prime Min-
ister Narendra Modi
greeted the Bharatiya
Janata Party (BJP) lead-
er Himanta Biswa Sar-
ma soon after he took
oath as Chief Minister
of Assam on Monday
.
The Prime Minister
also expressed confi-
dence in the state cabi-
net and said that it will
add momentum to the
development journey of
the state and fulfil the
aspirations of the peo-
ple. “Congratulations to
Himanata Biswa Sarma
and the other Ministers
who took oath today
. I
am confident this team
will add momentum to
the development jour-
ney of Assam and fulfil
aspirations of the peo-
ple,” he tweeted.
PM Modi also praised
the former Chief Minis-
ter of the state Sarba-
nanda Sonowal by say-
ingthathiscontribution
towards Assam’s pro-
gress and strengthening
the party is immense.
“My valued col-
league Sarbananda So-
nowal was at the helm
of a pro-people and pro-
development adminis-
tration over the last
five years. His contri-
bution towards As-
sam’s progress and
strengthening the party
in the state is im-
mense,” PM’s another
tweet said. Sarma was
sworn in as the 15th
Chief Minister of As-
sam at 12 noon today,
replacing former Chief
Minister Sarbananda
Sonowal. He is consid-
ered to be the chariot-
eer of BJP’s growth in
the Northeast. —ANI
Rahul slams Centre over foreign aid for Corona
New Delhi: Hitting
out at the Centre, Con-
gress leader Rahul
Gandhi on Monday
said the government’s
“repeated chest-
thumping” at receiv-
ing foreign aid to tack-
le the COVID-19 crisis
in the country is pa-
thetic, and had it done
its job, it would not
have come to this.
The Congress had
last week demanded
transparency and
urged Prime Minister
Narendra Modi to
make public the details
of all the relief mate-
rial received by India
from different coun-
tries.
“GOI’s repeated
chest-thumping at re-
ceiving foreign aid is
pathetic. Had GOI done
its job, it wouldn’t have
come to this,” Con-
gress Leader Rahul
Gandhi said in a tweet.
As India reels under
a calamitous second
wave of the coronavi-
rus infection, it has
received large amounts
of medical supplies
from a significant
number of countries,
including the US, Rus-
sia, France, Germany,
the UK, Ireland, Bel-
gium, Romania, Singa-
pore, Sweden and Ku-
wait. —ANI
Nifty ends over
14K, Sensex
rises 296 pts
Mumbai: Equity gaug-
es Sensex and Nifty ral-
lied for the fourth
straight session on
Monday on hectic buy-
ing in mainly pharma,
power and banking
shares as investors
brushed aside concerns
over rising coronavirus
cases amid positive
global cues.
At the closing bell,
the 30-share BSE index
quoted 295.94 points or
0.60 per cent higher at
49,502.41. Over the last
four sessions, the
Sensex has gained
1,248.90 points or 2.58
per cent.
Similarly
, the broader
NSE Nifty jumped
119.20 points or 0.80 per
cent to 14,942.35 taking
its total gains over the
four days to 445.85
points or 3.07 per cent.
LT was the top gainer
in the Sensex pack. —ANI
IN THE COURTYARD
Youth Bar Assn moves SC
for door-to-door vax policy
New Delhi: Youth Bar
Association of India
(YBAI) has moved the
Supreme Court seek-
ing directions for ap-
propriate measures to
be taken for the provi-
sion of door-to-door
vaccination of all the
citizens residing in the
country, particularly
the elderly, differently-
abled, less privileged,
weaker sections, and
those who are unable to
register online for
their vaccination.
“Direct respondent
to consider necessity
for providing door-to-
door COVID-19 vacci-
nation of all citizens
residing in India, par-
ticularly those who are
elderly, differently-
abled, less privileged,
weaker sections and
those who are not capa-
ble to do their online
registration for ap-
proaching vaccination
centre,” PILsaid.
Pinjra Tod activist
gets interim bail
after dad’s death
New Delhi: Delhi HC
on Monday granted 3
weeks interim bail to
Pinjra Tod activist
Natasha Narwal, who
is facing charges in a
UAPA case in connec-
tion with Northeast
Delhi riots of 2020. Her
father Mahavir Narwal
passed away on Sunday
due to COVID-19. Court
said her release is im-
perative in this hour of
grief and personal loss.
Oxy concentrators case: Court
refuses interim relief to Kalra
Lookout notice against absconding
wrestler Olympian Sushil Kumar
New Delhi: The Delhi
Police on Monday is-
sued a Look-out-Circu-
lar(LoC)against2-time
Olympic medalist Su-
shil Kumar, who is
absconding after being
named in murder of a
23-yr-old former junior
national champion in
Chhatrasal Stadium.
Sagar Dhankad, was
beaten to death during
a brawl at the Stadi-
um’s parking area. An
FIR of murder, abduc-
tion and criminal con-
spiracy was registered
against Kumar. The
victims have alleged
that Sushil Kumar was
present at the spot
when the incident took
place. —ANI
New Delhi: A Delhi
Court on Monday re-
fused to grant any in-
terim relief to Navneet
Kalra in connection
with a case relating to
the hoarding of oxy-
gen concentrators in a
restaurant in South
Delhi. Kalra appealed
for interim relief from
the police’s coercive
action in connection
with the seizure of ox-
ygen concentrators
from his restaurants.
Special Judge Sumit
Dass adjourned the
matter for tomorrow
asking Delhi Police to
file a reply on the Kalra
anticipatory bail plea.
Court is to hear
Kalra’s anticipatory
bail plea today, in con-
nection with case..
Didi keeps Home Health,
Amit Mitra retains Finance
Kolkata: West Bengal
chief minister Mamata
Banerjee retained six
portfolios while induct-
ing 20 new faces in her
43-member new Cabi-
net. Meanwhile, the
BJP elected Suvendu
Adhikari as Leader of
the Opposition. While
MamatawillkeepHome
and Hill Affairs, Per-
sonnel and Administra-
tion, Health and Family
Welfare, Land and Land
Reforms and Refugee
and Rehabilitation, In-
formation and Cultural
Affairs and North Ben-
gal Development.
After as many as 43
TMC leaders were
sworn in as ministers
in Mamata’s Cabinet on
Monday at Raj Bhavan,
Governor Jagdeep
Dhankhar issued a list
of portfolios allotted to
them.
There are 24 minis-
ters of Cabinet rank, 10
ministers of state with
independent charge,
and nine other minis-
ters of state. Among the
new ministers is former
finance minister Amit
Mitra. Even though he
didn’t contest polls be-
cause of his poor
health. The list of vet-
eran leaders, part of the
cabinet, includes Sub-
rata Mukherjee, Partha
Chatterjee, Firhad
Hakim, Jyoti Priya Mal-
lick, Moloy Ghatak,
Aroop Biswas, Dr
Shashi Panja and Javed
Ahmed Khan. 3 TMC
leaders Amit Mitra,
Bratya Basu and Rathin
Ghosh were sworn-in
virtually. Mitra is un-
well and Basu Ghosh
are recuperating .
West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee exchanges greetings with Governor Jagdeep Dhankar during
swearing-in ceremony of new minister of the State, at Raj Bhavan in Kolkata on Monday.
SOUL-SEARCHING NEEDED,’
SAYS GUV AFTER MAMATA
‘PEACEFUL’ WB CLAIMS
SURE TO GET CLEAN CHIT
IN NARADA SCAM PROBE,
SAYS FIRHAD
Kolkata: Bengal governor Jagdeep
Dhankhar on Monday came down
heavily on Mamata-led govern-
ment, moments after he admin-
istered oath to TMC ministers.
Speaking to reporters, Dhankhar
said, “Retributive violence, acts of
arson, loot now have graduated to
intimidation and extortion. This is
worrisome.” If your vote becomes
a cause of your death or property
destruction, if it leads to arson,
then that signals the end of de-
mocracy.” He said, “I expect state
govt to engage in soul searching
and book the culprits.” —Agencies
Kolkata: West Bengal Minister
Firhad Hakim on Monday said that
he was sure that “we will get a
clean chit” in the Narada scam be-
ing investigated by the CBI against
him and other TMC leaders. “I be-
lieve in the judiciary and I am sure
we will get a clean chit. It is good
that it is going to the court now
and I will say my words and the
judiciary will do justice,” he said
on being asked about Governor
sanctioning prosecution against
him in the Narada case. He alleged
Centre and PM have failed to tackle
COVID-19 situation. —ANI
‘Total lockdown will hamper livelihood’
Kolkata: West Ben-
gal CM Mamata Ba-
nerjee on Monday
held her first Cabi-
net meeting and
said strict measures
have been taken to
control spread of
COVID in state,
while also maintain-
ing that a total lock-
down, if imposed,
will hamper liveli-
hood of people.
Contending that
peace prevails in the
state, she said her
government will act
against ones circu-
lating fake videos
over post-poll vio-
lence. Urging the
Centre to facilitate
free-of-cost vaccines
for all in the coun-
try, she said that her
government won’t
be charging any-
thing for innoculat-
ing its people. —PTI
NADDA ATTENDS
Prime Minister Narendra Modi
CHHATRASAL STADIUM MURDER
Rahul Gandhi
—PHOTO
BY
PTI

INDIA
06
THREE IAS OFFICERS SHIFTED IN W
BENGAL
Mrs. Antara Acharya has been appointed as CEO,
Kolkata Metropolitan Development Authority
(KMDA), while Anurag Shrivastava is posted as
Managing Director, West Bengal Mineral Develop-
ment Trading Corporation Ltd. with additional
charge of Additional Secretary, IC E Department
and S Ponnambalam was made District Magis-
trate, Darjeeling.
DEPUTATION OF RAVINDRA NATH RAI
EXTENDED IN BIHAR
The deputation of Ravindra Nath Rai, Special Sec-
retary, Agriculture Department, Patna, which was
due to end on June 15, 2021, has been extended
by one year till June 15, 2022. He is a 1995 batch
officer of Indian Railway Service of Engineers
(IRSE).
ANOOP KUMAR MENDIRATTA IS ALSO
SECRETARY, LEGISLATIVE
Anoop Kumar Mendiratta, Secretary Legal Affairs,
has been assigned an additional charge of Secre-
tary, Legislative Department until further orders.
OVER 100 PIB OFFICIALS
INOCULATED
More than 100 officials and media persons have
been inoculated as a part of workplace vaccination
drive organized by Press Information Bureau (PIB)
at the National Media Centre, Delhi.
ARUN KUMAR SINGH SELECTED AS
CMD, BPCL
Arun Kumar Singh, Director (Marketing),
BPCL, has been selected for the post of Chair-
man-cum-Managing Director, Bharat Petroleum
Corporation Limited (BPCL) at a Public Enterprises
Selection Board (PESB) meeting held on May 10,
2021. As many as six candidates were interviewed
for the same.
DEPUTATION OF RAVI SHANKAR
SRIVASTAVA EXTENDED IN BIHAR
The deputation of Ravi Shankar Srivastava, In-
vestment Commissioner, Mumbai, with additional
charge of CEO, Bihar Foundation, Patna, which
was due to end on May 7, 2021, has been extend-
ed by one year till May 6, 2022. He is a 1995 batch
officer of Indian Revenue Service (IRS).
COL V RAMULU APPOINTED AS
COMMISSIONER, AYUSH IN AP
Col V Ramulu has been appointed as Commis-
sioner, AYUSH. He is a 1992 batch officer of Indian
Postal Service and on deputation to AP Govt.
TENURE OF ASHISH KUMAR BHUTANI
AS CEO, PMFBY EXTENDED
The central deputation tenure of Ashish Kumar
Bhutani as Chief Executive Officer, Pradhan Mantri
Fasal Bima Yojna (PMFBY), Department of Agri-
culture, Cooperation Farmers Welfare, has been
extended for a period of three months beyond
May 9, 2021. He is a 1992 batch IAS officer of
Assam-Meghalaya cadre.
E V BHASKAR APPOINTED AS JCIT IN
PRCCIT DELHI REGION
E V Bhaskar has been appointed as JCIT (OSD) in
the office of Principal CCIT, Delhi Region. He is an
IRS-IT officer.
TWO IRS-IT OFFICERS GET
PROFORMA PROMOTION
Chetan P S Rao and Ms Inoshi Sharma have been
given proforma promotion to the grade of CIT.
Both are IRS-IT officers.
RESHUFFLE OF IPS OFFICERS IN
TAMIL NADU
As many as nine IPS officers have been trans-
ferred and posted to different places in Tamil
Nadu. Accordingly, Md Shakeel Akhter has been
appointed as DG, Crime Branch CID, Chennai,
while P Kandaswamy was made DG, Vigilance and
Anti-Corruption, Chennai and Dr M Ravi is ADG,
Administration, Chennai.
POWERGallery
By arrangement with: http://
whispersinthecorridors.com
Convene special...
Covid cases to 3.7 mil-
lion and severely strain-
ing the health sector.
The infection, accord-
ing to official records,
has led to over 2,46,116
deaths but most experts
agree that a large num-
ber of deaths have gone
unreported.
“Corona pandemic in
the country is in a grave
situation and you must
be well informed about
the exact scenario. In
this critical situation I
would urge your kind
conscience to convene a
special(Covidcrisis)ses-
sion of Parliament,” the
lawmaker said in his let-
ter to President Kovind.
Covid panic...
He said “many Uttar
Pradesh districts are
situated right across the
riverandthebodiesmay
havebeendumpedinthe
Ganges for reasons not
known to us. We cannot
confirm whether the de-
ceased were indeed
COVID 19 positive. The
bodies have started de-
composing. But we are
taking all precautions
while ensuring that
these are disposed of in
a decent manner”.
Sarma takes...
newly appointed west-
ern command chief. He
was appointed after for-
merdeputycommander-
in-chief Drishti Rajk-
howa surrendered in
November.
Tikri border...
“In his complaint to us,
the victim’s father has
saidthatthewomanwas
sexuallyharassedonthe
train while travelling
and on reaching the bor-
dertoo,shewasrapedby
the accused,” said In-
spector Vijay Kumar,
Station House Officer
(SHO) of the Bahadur-
garh City police station,
where an FIR has been
registered under vari-
ous sections of the IPC,
including Section 376-D
(gangrape).
50 Palestinians...
theAl-AqsaMosquedur-
ing skirmishes between
officers and Palestinian
rioters.
Israeli police clashed
withPalestinianprotest-
ers at a flashpoint Jeru-
salem holy site, the lat-
est in a series of con-
frontations that is push-
ing the contested city to
the brink of eruption.
Delhi HC...
declined to entertain
the plea against the
High Court’s adjourn-
ment of the petition
and told the petitioners
to request the High
Court for an urgent
hearing.
Senior Advocate Sid-
dharth Luthra this
morning apprised the
division bench of Chief
Justice D. N. Patel and
Justice Jasmeet Singh
about the Supreme
Court order.
The petition filed by
Anya Malhotra, a trans-
lator, and Sohail Hash-
mi, a historian and doc-
umentary filmmaker,
states they are con-
cerned by the “super
spreading potential and
threat”posedbythecon-
tinuing construction at
theprojectandtheplight
of the workers who are
being exposed to the in-
fection on a daily basis.
Luthra, appearing for
the petitioners, last
week submitted before
the division bench that
they are in no manner
seeking to overreach the
Supreme Court’s earlier
judgment on the project
and the prayer is limited
to seeking an interim
stay on the construction
duringthepeakphaseof
pandemic.
Need to...
(Congress Working
Committee) - the party’s
highest decision-mak-
ing body
.
“We have to take note
of our serious setbacks.
To say we are deeply dis-
appointed is to make an
understatement. I in-
tend to set up a small
group to look at every
aspect that caused such
reversesandreportback
veryquickly
,”sheadded.
June 23 was proposed
for the election but the
date met with resistance
from some leaders.
Eventually the party de-
cided to delay the elec-
tions in view of the pan-
demic.
Over the past year
senior leaders like Ghu-
lam Nabi Azad, Anand
Sharma, Shashi Tha-
roor and Kapil Sibal
have called for “full-
time” and “effective
leadership” that will be
“visible” and “active” in
the field.
party prez...
He said that instead of
going for the elections,
the party should focus
on relief works. Con-
gress leader Rahul Gan-
dhi was not present in
the CWC meeting. “Our
priority should not be
election at a time when
the entire country is fac-
ing the horrific covid
situation,” he said. Ge-
hlot said that rising
above party lines is the
need of the hour to fight
against the pandemic.
Shortly after the start
of the meeting, Con-
gress president Sonia
Gandhi has asked Ge-
hlot to speak following
which he put his points.
FROM PG 1
Slight retreat: India posts 3.66 lakh
new Covid cases and 3,754 deaths
INDIA’S TOTAL CASELOAD NOW STANDS AT 22.66 MILLION, WITH 246,116 DEATHS
Family members mourn the death of a COVID-19 victim at Patna Medical College and Hospital
(PMCH), amid a surge in coronavirus cases in record numbers across the country, in Patna on
Monday. —PHOTO BY ANI
New Delhi: India’s dai-
ly rise in Covid-19 cases
retreated from the 4
lakh mark on Monday,
while its daily rise in
deaths also fell after two
straight days of more
than 4,000 fatalities due
to the virus, according
to the Union health
ministry data.
India’s Covid-19 case-
load reached 2,26,62,575
on Monday as the coun-
try added 366,161 new
Covid-19 infections over
the past 24 hours. A to-
tal of 3,754 people suc-
cumbed to the virus in
one day, taking the
death toll due to the in-
fection in India to just
over 2.46 lakh.
India’s total caseload
now stands at 22.66 mil-
lion, with 246,116
deaths. A total of
3,53,818 Covid-19 pa-
tients were discharged
in the past 24 hours, as
per the Union health
ministry. So far,
1,86,71,222 people have
recovered from the dis-
ease, while 17,01,76,603
persons have been vac-
cinated in the country
against the Covid-19 in-
fection.
India has 37,45,237 ac-
tive cases of Covid-19.
The top five states that
have registered the
maximum number of
Covid-19 cases in the
past 24 hours are Maha-
rashtra with 48,401 cas-
es, and Karnataka with
47,930 cases. —PTI
New Delhi: Delhi reported
319 more COVID-19
fatalities and 12,651 new
infections, the lowest in
four weeks, on Monday,
with a positivity rate of
19.10 per cent. The low
number of new cases
of the infection can be
attributed to fewer tests
conducted on Sunday
(66,234). At 19.10 per
cent, the city’s COVID-19
positivity rate is at its
lowest since April 16,
according to a health bul-
letin issued by the Delhi
govt. The positivity rate in
Delhi has remained above
the 20 per cent mark.
?????: As the country
reels under the rise of
Covid-19 cases and an in-
creased need for medical
oxygen, the Indian Navy is
rendering its services and
helping the civil adminis-
tration.
As part of Operation
Samudra Setu II, Indian
Naval Ship Trikand was
deployed to augment
the shipment of Liquid
Medical Oxygen (LMO)
cryogenic containers
from Hamad Port, Qatar
to Mumbai. Indian Navy
in a statement said, “INS
Trikand entered Qatar on
May 5 in Mumbai.”
Patna: After being re-
leased from prison, Rash-
triya Janata Dal (RJD)
chief Lalu Prasad Yadav
on Monday attacked PM
Narendra Modi for alleged
poor implementation of
the Corona vaccination
programme.
“We did a world record
with the pulse polio vacci-
nation programme during
the Janata Dal govern-
ment in 1996-97. I was
the national president of
Janata Dal. We did 11.74
crore vaccinations of
pulse polio till December
7, 1996 and 12.73 crore
by January 18, 1997
despite lack of aware-
ness and misconceptions
among common people of
the country at that time,”
Lalu said in a tweet.
“At present, awareness
among common people is
higher compared to that
time,” Lalu said.
POSITIVITY RATE
DIPS BELOW 20 PER
CENT IN DELHI
INS TRIKAND
ARRIVES WITH 40
MT O2 FROM QATAR
Lalu attacks PM on Covid
vaccination programme
New Delhi: Minister of State for
Finance Anurag Singh Thakur said
the govt has provided 175.6 million
Covid vaccine doses so far to states
and union territories for inoculation
of people of all age groups and 4.6
million doses will be supplied to
them in 3 days. Thakur’s remarks
came in response to senior Cong
leader Mallikarjun Kharge’s letter to
PM Narendra Modi urging him to
use Rs 350,000 million allocated.
Goa: Government here on Monday
cleared a new Covid-19 treatment
protocol which recommends all
residents above the age of 18 to
take five tablets of the Ivermectin
drug. Health Minister Vishwajit
Rane said that the ivermectin
drug would be made available at
all health centres in the state and
should be taken by all residents,
irrespective of whether they have
Covid-19 symptoms or otherwise.
175.6M FREE DOSES
PROVIDED TO STATES
GOA RECOMMENDS
IVERMECTIN TO 18+
New Delhi: A new re-
port from the charity
Christian Aid on Mon-
day showed that India
along with other tea
producing nations, are
facing a host of climate
related impacts such as
rising temperatures, er-
ratic rainfall, and new
insect infestations.The
fate of the Indian tea
sector has a major ef-
fect on tea drinkers
around the world. The
report shows that As-
sam, the largest single
tea growing region in
the world, is particu-
larly vulnerable with
growers there already
suffering from the im-
pact of the climate cri-
sis.
In a survey of pro-
ducers in Assam, 97 per
cent of smallholders
stated that the challeng-
ing climate conditions
were a threat. —ANI
New Delhi: The SC
Monday said it will go
through the compliance
affidavit filed by the
Centre on its vaccina-
tion and hospitalisation
policies. The top court,
which is hearing a suo
motu case on the man-
agement of Covid-19
pandemic, will take up
the matter next on May
13. The Centre filed the
affidavit after the top
court had asked the gov-
ernment to rethink its
vaccine and healthcare
policy during the Cov-
id-19 pandemic. The top
court had also directed
the Centre to formulate
within two weeks a na-
tional policy on admis-
sions to hospitals in the
wake of the second
Covid wave.
In its affidavit, the
central government has
said that given the lim-
ited availability of vac-
cines, inoculating the
entire population was
not possible in one go
due to the suddenness
of the pandemic but it
will ensure its “equita-
ble distribution”.
The policy was “just,
equitable, non-discrim-
inatory and based upon
an intelligible differen-
tiating factor”, it said.
Toronto: A Cana-
dian health expert
on the federal gov-
ernment’s COV-
ID-19 Task Force
says that Canada
and the rest of the
world will most
likely see the novel
coronavirus be-
come a part of the
viral ecosystem --
akin to the seasonal
endemic flu -- due to
the spread of sev-
eral variants of
concern. Dr. Alan
Bernstein said one
way to deal with
such spread would
be for vaccine mak-
ers to adapt and
modify their shots
over the coming
years. —ANI
New Delhi: Among
the second wave of
the coronavirus, re-
ports of a rare fun-
gal infection among
the COVID-19 pa-
tients in India have
come to the fore
now. This rare fun-
gal infection is be-
ing referred to as
‘Black fungus’ or
‘mucormycosis’ in
medical parlance. It
is caused by a fun-
gus named mucor,
which is found on
wet surfaces. Cases
of mucormycosis
are rapidly rising
among COVID-19
survivors, causing
blindness or seri-
ous illness and even
death. —ANI
Tea producing nations
face climate impacts
SC to take up
Centre’s affidavit on
Covid management
COVID-19 will
be like
endemic flu
Deadly fungal
infection found
in patients
New Delhi: 2-deoxy-D-glucose (2-DG), the anti-COVID-19 drug that
has been developed by Defence Research and Development Organisa-
tion (DRDO) and been given an emergency use nod by Drugs Controller
General of India’s (DCGI), was first studied by Patanjali researchers,
claimed Acharya Balkrishna. A day after the DCGI granted permission for
the Emergency Use of this drug as an adjunct therapy.
‘DRUG MADE BY DRDO FIRST STUDIED BY PATANJALI’

TALKING POINT
07
SIRI TERJESEN
Phil Smith Professor of Entrepreneurship
Associate Dean, Research External
Relations, Florida Atlantic University
WHAT IS THE
FACEBOOK
OVERSIGHT
BOARD?
The Oversight Board was set
up to give users an independ-
ent third party to whom they
can appeal Facebook modera-
tion decisions, as well as to
help set the policies that gov-
ern these decisions. The idea
was first proposed by Zucker-
berg in 2018 after a discussion
with Harvard Law Professor
Noah Feldman, and the board
began work in October 2020,
funded by a US$130 million
trust provided by Facebook to
cover the initial six years of
operating expenses.
According to the board, it
“was created to help Facebook
answer some of the most diffi-
cult questions around freedom
of expression online: what to
take down, what to leave up,
andwhy
.”TheOversightBoard
has final decision-making au-
thority, even above the board
of directors, and its decisions
are binding on Facebook.
The Oversight Board has 20
members from around the
world and a diverse variety of
disciplines and backgrounds,
such as journalism, human
rights and law, as well as differ-
ent political perspectives. It
even includes a former prime
minister. The goal is to eventu-
ally expand the board to 40
members in total.
WHAT OTHER
DECISIONS HAS
IT MADE?
So far, the board has
reviewed 10 Facebook deci-
sions, including the one involv-
ing Trump. The decisions in-
volved a variety of types of
content, such as posts that
were removed because they
were deemed racist, indecent
or intended to incite violence.
It overturned Facebook’s rul-
ing in six of the cases and up-
held it in three of them. In the
10th case, the user deleted the
post that Facebook had re-
moved, which ended the
board’s review.
In cases where the board
overruled Facebook, the posts
that had been removed were
reinstated. And the board
sometimes urged the company
to clarify or revise its guide-
lines.
Given that Facebook is ex-
pected to take 20 to 30 billion
enforcement actions in 2021
alone, it’s unlikely the Over-
sight Board will be able to han-
dle more than a handful of the
most high-profile cases, like
that of Trump. It’s one of the
reasons the Oversight Board is
dubbed “Facebook’s Supreme
Court.”
IS IT A MODEL
OTHER SOCIAL
MEDIA COMPANIES
ARE LIKELY TO
FOLLOW?
As a platform company, Face-
book is unique.
It’s a social media giant that
must monitor a global opera-
tion that generates over $86 bil-
lion in revenue, employs 58,600
people and serves more than
2.8 billion active monthly us-
ers—more than a third of the
world’s population—as well as
millions of advertisers. Very
few companies operate in a
space that involves user con-
tent moderation, and none at
this scale. Other platform com-
panies have considerably less
content, and usually only in
one language, whereas Face-
book is available in 100 lan-
guages.
GivenFacebook’ssharehold-
er-elected corporate board of
directors includes just 10 peo-
ple, each of whom has their
own demanding day job, it is
not surprising to me that Zuck-
erberg decided to set up an out-
side panel to develop decisions
about speech and online safety
.
It’s unlikely, however, that
other companies will ever have
a similar type of board. The
Oversight Board has been ex-
tremely resource-intensive. It
tookovertwoyearstoestablish
through a series of 22 roundta-
ble meetings with participants
in 88 countries, six in-depth
workshops, 250 one-on-one dis-
cussions and 1,200 submis-
sions—not to mention its high
cost of $130 million, which is
meant to last six years.
WAS IT A GOOD
IDEA, FROM A
CORPORATE
GOVERNANCE
STANDPOINT?
A growing body of research
questions whether directors
on corporate boards can fulfil
theiroversightresponsibilities
on their own, due to the sheer
amount of information that
must be obtained, processed
and shared.
While I think we will see
more corporate boards out-
source some decisions and pro-
cesses to external panels—as a
smallboardcannotbeexpected
to have the requisite knowl-
edge and skills on all topics—
few corporations are likely to
follow Facebook’s lead and
grant an outside body the pow-
ertomakeunilateraldecisions.
Since only the board of di-
rectors is beholden to a com-
pany’s shareholders, board di-
rectors ultimately need to take
the final responsibility for cor-
porate decisions.
DOES THE
OVERSIGHT
BOARD SHIELD
FACEBOOK FROM
POLITICAL OR
LEGAL FALLOUT?
While it’s likely that some at
Facebook hoped shifting its
thorniestdecisionswouldinsu-
late the company, executives
and corporate board members
from political or legal prob-
lems, as the Trump decision
shows,itwon’tactuallydothat.
Certainly
, the decision to uti-
lize an outside oversight body
might be interpreted as politi-
cal, as all 10 Facebook board
directors live and work pre-
dominantly in the United
States and might be hesitant to
vote to make decisions like re-
stricting the freedom of ex-
pression of a former president
who still commands support
among many Americans—and
won 47% of the popular vote in
the last election.
But whether Facebook
makes the decision itself or
outsources to an independent
board, Facebook will still face
the consequences if the deci-
sion to uphold the Trump ban
alienates Americans or people
around the world who feel it is
an attack on their freedom of
expression.
People may leave Facebook
for other platforms such as
Parler, Gab and Signal, as
many have already done since
the initial Trump ban in Janu-
ary—and knowing an outside
body made the decision won’t
stop them.
And a poor “political” deci-
sion could drive away some
advertisers and make it harder
to hire and retain employees,
regardless of who made it.
HOW ARE OTHER
SOCIAL MEDIA
COMPANIES
HANDLING THESE
ISSUES
DIFFERENTLY?
Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey
made an internal decision to
permanently suspended
Trump from his company’s
platform on Jan. 8, 2021. While
Dorsey acknowledged that the
decision set a “dangerous prec-
edent,” Twitter, like other so-
cial media companies, doesn’t
have an appeals process for
that kind of decision.
Some newer companies,
such as MeWe and Rumble,
offer more lax content mod-
eration in order to allow
greater freedom of expres-
sion for users.
Gab describes itself as “A
social network that champions
free speech, individual liberty
and the free flow of informa-
tion online. All are welcome.”
Parler’s content guidelines are
even more basic and keep con-
tent moderation to an “abso-
lute minimum. We prefer to
leave decisions about what is
seen and who is heard to each
individual.”
Gab and Parler are presently
banned from the app stores of
both Apple and Google due to a
lack of content moderation.
Facebook’s quasi-independent Oversight Board on May 5, 20 21, upheld the company’s suspension of former President Donald Trump from the platform and
Instagram. The decision came four months after Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg banned Trump “indefinitely” for his role in inciting the Jan. 6 riot at the
U.S. Capitol. The board chastised Facebook for failing to either set an end date for the suspension or permanently ban Trump and gave the social media
company six months to resolve the matter. What is this Oversight Board that made one of the most politically perilous decisions Facebook has ever faced?
Why did the company create it, and is it a good idea? We asked Siri Terjesen, an expert on corporate governance, to answer these and several other questions.
Why Facebook created its own
Why Facebook created its own
‘supreme court’ for judging content
‘supreme court’ for judging content
1
2
3
4
5
6
SOURCE : THECONVERSATION.COM
Facebook’s
new
Oversight
Board
affi
rmed
the
social
media
network’s
ban
on
Donald
Trump.
—AP
PHOTO/JEFF
CHIU
In
a
statement,
Trump
called
the
Oversight
Board
decision
a
‘total
disgrace.’
—AP
PHOTO/
JACQUELYN
MARTIN
Zuckerberg
may
still
face
political
blowback
because
of
the
Oversight
Board’s
decision.
—AP
PHOTO/ANDREW
HARNIK
Globally, the social
media giant serves
more than 2.8 billion
active monthly users.

08
2NDFRONT
Now, Guj’s highest 250 beds for
mucormycosis patients at Rajkot
The largest number of beds for mucormycosis in the State has been made in Rajkot
Masuma Bharmal Jariwala
Rajkot: Even as Guja-
rat is grappling with
the unprecedented Cov-
id-19 crisis, it is facing
a surge in mucormyco-
sis cases especially in
the Saurashtra region
and its epicentre Rajkot
has now been allocated
250 beds for such pa-
tients at Rajkot PDU
Civil Hospital.
The largest number
of beds for mucormyco-
sis in the State has been
made in Rajkot. The
Civil Hospital here has
on Monday recorded 140
such cases.
“Due to rise in cases,
we have made arrange-
ments for Covid and
non-Covid mucormyco-
sis patients at four plac-
es. Positive patients are
kept at Covid building.
A separate OPD has
been created for muco
patients. Antigen test is
being done and if they
test positive, are sent to
Covid ward. Those re-
quiring immediate sur-
gery are kept at the post
surgery ward, patients
operated in ENT OPD
will be kept on the 3rd
floor in the OPD build-
ing and the entire trau-
ma building will be con-
verted to Mucor build-
ing. Rajkot so far has
seen the highest num-
ber of cases in Gujarat”
Medical Superinten-
dent at PDU Civil Hos-
pital Dr RS Trivedi told
First India.
According to Trivedi,
the cost of treating one
such patient is as high
as Rs 7 lakh and includ-
ing surgery can go over
Rs 10 lakh.
“We cannot say we
have enough medical
stock for mucormycosis
but we are getting daily
stock or two day stock
and distributing,” Dr
Trivedi informed.
Dr Trivedi, along
with three other doc-
tors from the medical
team of Rajkot, is
among 17 experts who
have created guidelines
for the Indian Council
of Medical Research
(ICMR) for mucormyco-
sis.
The other three in-
clude Dr Pankaj Buch,
professor of depart-
ment of paediatry, Dr
Sejal Mistry, associate
professor Department
of ENT and Dr Deep-
mala Bhudhrani, assis-
tant professor, depart-
ment of Internal Medi-
cine.
Doctors and nurses treating patients at Rajkot Civil Hospital.
NEW SCOURGE?
90%CovidvictimsaskingO2
havepsychosomaticissues
Masuma Bharmal Jariwala
Rajkot: If mind ex-
perts are to be be-
lieved, around 90% of
Covid-19 cases de-
manding oxygen are
cases of psychoso-
matic disorder.
Based on a survey in
a telephonic counsel-
ling of over 1,000 peo-
ple and medical offic-
ers, the psychology de-
partment head of Sau-
rashtra University Dr
Yogesh Jogsan has re-
vealed that “Only
5-10% cases of Covid
positive patients genu-
inely require oxygen,
rest cases which de-
mand for oxygen are
result of psychosomat-
ic disorder.
He said, “When a
person starts thinking
about something con-
tinuously, he also
starts developing its
symptoms. The con-
stant fear keeps the
person alert, leading
him into negativity re-
sulting into psychoso-
matic disorder. The
surge in demand for
oxygen in Corona pa-
tients is the result of
this disorder.”
“Even various medi-
cal teams are surprised
that when there is no
major infection but peo-
ple sought oxygen. It is
not the physical body
that is demanding, but
because of psychoso-
matic reasons the need
for oxygen arises.” Jog-
san said.
Hina Doshi, 64, a pa-
tient of blood pressure
and diabetes was se-
verely infected with
coronavirus in April
with oxygen level
around 68-70. “The doc-
tors told us there are
only 20% chances of re-
covery. She was on a
ventilator. But we com-
municated with her
that she had recovered
80%. She also saw
deaths in her ICU ward.
But we kept telling her
that she has to come
back. She was back in
13 days from the hospi-
tal,” said Dr. Dhara
Doshi, daughter of
Hina, who is a psycholo-
gist.
“Mental health is now
a priority
. Fear has
gripped the people’s
mind,”Dr.Jogsanadded.
64-year-old
Hina Doshi,
who recovered
despite severe
complications
because of
positive vibes rom
her family.
GOOD SAMARITANS!
Rafik Shaikh and
his son started
their new business
on a not-for-profit
basis to help those
conduct the last rites
of their near and
dear ones without
charge or at very
nominal rate in
Ahmedabad.
—PHOTO BY HANIF
SINDHI
First India Bureau
Vadodara: In July 2019,
life in Vadodara came to
a screeching halt when
thecityrecorded242mm
of rainfall within six
hours.
DistrictCollectorSha-
lini Agarwal plunged
intoittomitigatethecri-
sis. Eventually
, as the
cityslowlyclimbedback,
she learnt that many
schoolswereleftwithout
sufficient water to meet
their drinking and do-
mestic needs.
She decided to change
it. “The irony of letting
crores of litres of water
drain away
, while suffer-
ing from a water crisis,
troubled me. I realised
the need to fill the gaps.
Hence, discussions with
officials revealed that
rainwater harvesting
could be the solution,”
she says.
Shalini says that hun-
dreds of government
schools and infrastruc-
ture presented an open
opportunity to install
rainwater harvesting
systems. “About 8% of
rainwater is harvested.
It is a poor number and
has the potential to in-
crease. The school infra-
structure could arrest
the water and recharge
groundwater levels.
They could then use it
for the remaining year,”
she explains.
The district adminis-
tration identified 1,071
schools, of which 37
schools had already in-
stalled the water re-
charging infrastructure.
Shalini wanted all
schoolstofollowsuitand
drew up a plan to install
a rainwater harvesting
system within a year.
Thus, initiating project
Varsha Kal Nidhi in
2020, the administration
has covered 963 schools
for water conservation,
that will benefit 1.8 lakh
students by saving 10
crore litres of water. All
the schools have set up
the required infrastruc-
ture in a record nine
months.
Achieving this task,
however, demanded im-
mense financial support
and a robust workforce.
Shalini started pulling
in resources from the
state government, Zilla
Parishad,CSRandother
sources.Theadministra-
tion raised a total of Rs
5.84crore.“Eachrainwa-
ter harvesting system
cost around Rs 3-5 lakh.
It was not feasible to
spend such amounts on
each project. Hence, a
cost-effective,innovative
solutioncouldonlybring
the expenses down,” she
explains.
IAS officer harvests rainwater in 900 government schools
OFFICER’S HARVEST!
Vadodara Collector continues her water harvesting project.
Vadodara District Collector Shalini
Agarwal says hundreds of govt schools
presented an open opportunity to
install rainwater harvesting systems
First India Bureau
Surat: A quarrel be-
tween two friends re-
sulted in the death of
another on late Sun-
day night in Surat.
Both were watchmen
at Navamangal com-
plex of City Light
area.
On Sunday, while
having their dinner
they indulged in verbal
spat. The verbal spat
turned in to physical
assault. Both of them
attacked each other.
The severely injured
died amid treatment at
the nearest hospital.
The deceased was
identified as Anil Ya-
dav, 22, a native of UP,
a resident of Navman-
gal complex on City-
light Road. On the
date of incident, de-
ceased Anil, accused
Birju Thakur and Ma-
hesh went to have din-
ner in the parking of-
fice of Maharaja
Agrasen arcade.
While at the time of
having dinner Anil
made a joke of Birju
Thakur on which he
asked Anil to stop but
he did not. Birju then
removed him from his
office but Anil started
abusing him from
parking.
Watchman
kills his
friend in
Surat
—FILE PHOTO
Corporates, NGOs join in Surat Covid fight
First India Bureau
Surat: Apart from the
government and local
governing body,
stakeholders, com-
munity volunteers
and several philan-
thropists came for-
ward to help people.
More than 33 isola-
tion centers were
started in the last one
month by private in-
stitutes and welfare
societies.
Out of which 26 isola-
tion centers are func-
tioning in different
zones at present. About
5500 patients have been
treated in this isolation
center so far. Behind
which more than 70 pri-
vate organizations and
communities have
spent more than Rs 40
crore.
So far, more than 4800
patients have recovered
and have headed home.
While 527 patients are
under treatment. Su-
rat’s Seva Sanstha is
running 14 isolation
centers in the city with
the help of 52 organiza-
tions having a total of
700 beds. Out of which
more than 4000 patients
have been treated so far.
As many as 300 patients
are undergoing treat-
ment.
Vipul Buha of Seva
Sansthan said, “It costs
Rs 4,000 to Rs 5,000 per
day per patient in an
isolation center. The or-
ganization has been
running the center for
more than a month now.
COVID-19 LOAD DECLINES
IN SURAT, BUT DEATH
NUMBER IS CONSTANT
First India Bureau
Surat: Surat has
seen a decline in
number of Covid-19
but the number of
deaths does not seem
to have fallen pro-
portionately.
In the last 9 days, 122
people have died due to
coronavirus. In April,
49,000 cases and 585
deaths were recorded
in Surat city and dis-
trict. And, 49,898 cases
were reported in a
month.
With this 585 corona
patients met death.
While only 21,231 pa-
tients recovered. The
death rate was 1.17%
and recovery rate was
42.54% in April.
Although the cases
apparently fell in May
, it
is being claimed that
the number of cases has
decreased due to the in-
crease in testing by the
Surat Municipality
. The
municipal commission-
er also said covid had
come under control. In
the 9 days of May, the
number of cases has
come down drastically.
However, the death toll
is worrying. The mu-
nicipality has officially
announced 122 deaths
in the last 9 days. An av-
erage of 13 people have
died this day
.
SMC commissioner
Banchhanidhi Pani
said, “ we are taking
precautions to pre-
vent a third wave. The
health team has been
addressed about the
situation. The num-
bers are decreasing
but we don’t want to
take any chance.
—FILE PHOTO
A Saurashtra
Univ study
stays majority
of those
asking oxygen
are not always
serious cases
Art and Beauty bring a
semblance of joy to a human in
the turbulent times, to gaze upon
a serene painting or a captivating face
amid chaos, brings solace.
—Jagdeesh Chandra, CEO Editor-in-Chief, First India

21-year-old girl from
Jharkhand, Soni Kumari
is an independent, pas-
sionate and successful
model. She completed
her schooling from her
home town Bokaro Steel
City and then came to
Jaipur to pursue her
higher studies i.e.
engineering. When
asked about her
journey in model-
ling, she shared that
while participating in
various fashion shows
in college, her interest
grew in this field. She used to
get many compli-
ments for her walk and then one
day she realised that modelling is
her actual passion, not engineer-
ing. After realising her interest
area, she registered herself for the
auditions of Elite Miss Rajasthan
and after clearing all the rounds,
she made it to the top finalists.
She said, “Gaurav Sir, Director
of Elite Miss Rajasthan and
Akanksha Ma’am were always
there to support me. I had no idea
about this field and everything
was new for me, but because of
theirguidance,todayIhaveproved
myself.”
“I belong to a very stereotyped
family where modelling was not
considered a good field, that is
why I gave auditions in Elite Miss
Rajasthan without informing my
parents, but when I got selected
and I told them about this, my fa-
ther was the happiest person and
he convinced the whole family to
support me”, Soni said.
Her role model is Gigi Hadid
who started her modelling career
fromscratchsameasSonidid.She
wants to become a supermodel in
future and for that, she is working
continuously to groom herself.
In a very short period, she has
achieved a lot. She walked in
Jodhpur Couture Show and many
other fashion events. Along with
this, she has also done various
shoots for famous designers.
We asked her that what message
she wants to give to the young girls
who want to pursue their career in
modelling, to which, this gorgeous
and talented girl replied, “In the
beginning, everything seems to be
verydifficult,everyonearoundyou
will try to stop you from chasing
your passion. But you are the only
one who can take a stand and fulfil
all your dreams. Once you are suc-
cessful,everyonewillstartsupport-
ingyou,sojustdon’tstopandfollow
your passion.”
AHMEDABAD, TUESDAY
MAY 11, 2021
www.firstindia.co.in I www.firstindia.co.in/epaper/ I twitter.com/thefirstindia
facebook.com/thefirstindia I instagram.com/thefirstindia 09
In an exclusive interview with City First, the young
and talented model Soni Kumari from Jharkhand,
shared her journey and dreams by which many of
us can get inspired!
MANSI BACHANI
cityfirst@firstindia.co.in
A

10
ETC
F
A
C
E
O
F
T
H
E
D
A
Y
ISHETA SARCKAR, Blogger
LEO
JULY 24 - AUGUST 23
It is best to make some
lifestyle changes to save
money rather than become
monetarily tight. You will
manage to pick up the threads from
where you left on the professional
front. Much happiness is foreseen on
the home front. This is a good time to
finalise property.
LIBRA
SEPT 24 - OCTOBER 22
It is best to take the
opinion of others before
you put in your money. A
household remedy may
come in handy for those suffering
from body aches and pains.
Something that you wanted to get
done on the home front is likely to be
initiated now.
ARIES
MAR 21 - APR 20
Something included in
your diet is likely to have a
positive effect on your
overall health. A glib talker
may try to confuse you so be aware.
Disturbances at home will need to be
curtailed to retain a peaceful
environment. You will get the
motivation to push yourself.
SAGITTARIUS
NOV 23 - DEC 22
Keeping a close tab on
spending will leave you with
much to splurge later. You
may take some time in
bouncing back on the work front. No
problems are foreseen on health and
financial fronts. You manage to play
your cards well and avoid getting
involved in a contentious issue.
GEMINI
MAY 21 - JUNE 21
Window shopping is all
that you can do in order to
conserve money. You are
likely to swim with the tide
on the professional or academic
front. Indulging in excesses may
prove bad for health. Issue regarding
an ancestral property is likely to be
settled amicably.
AQUARIUS
JAN 21 - FEB 19
You may spend on
something not previously
catered for. You can struggle
to keep pace on the work
front. Condition of those ailing is set to
improve by leaps and bounds and get
them firmly on the road to good health.
Those starting on a romantic journey
will find the going smooth and joyful.
TAURUS
APR 21 - MAY 20
Money loaned may take
some more time to be
returned. You will need to
keep your priorities right
on the professional front. Joining
health conscious people in daily
workouts is likely to keep you fit and
energetic. Someone on the home
front can irritate you.
CAPRICORN
DEC 23 - JAN 20
You can become con-
cerned about a recent
heavy expenditure incurred
on something that you just
couldn’t help. Something important
may be entrusted to you at work
today. You may take up some activity
or sport just to keep trim and slim.
Good news may greet you.
VIRGO
AUG 24 - SEP 23
Money is hard to come by
for everyone, so contribute
your share if someone is
spending on you. A lot of
activity is foreseen on the work front
and you will be right in the midst of
it. Some issues that seem unlikely to
get resolved on the family front will
begin to move towards a solution.
CANCER
JUNE 22 - JULY 23
Repayment of a loan may
force you to make
adjustments. Changes
happening on the
professional front can have you
worried, but will turn out favourable.
More interest is required on the
health front. Family life will cruise
along smoothly.
PISCES
FEB20 - MARCH 20
Financially you may need
to be more secure than you
are now. There is a need to
come up with something
original, if you are in a creative field.
You will be motivated to get back into
shape and may even join a gym.
Those thinking of selling a property
will be able to get buyers.
SCORPIO
OCT 23 - NOVEMBER 22
You may go for a cheat
meal all as a reward for
maintaining good health. If
you have been struggling
with money then that’s a thing of a
past now as money will flow in from
all the directions. In office, you will
support your colleague by sharing
his/her work pressure.
YOUR
DAY
Horoscope by
Saurabbh Sachdeva
aipur on the basic
precautions to
take during the
pandemic and
how lack of
awareness could
be fatal!
1
For the people who
have to go out to
work what are the
basic precautions
they should take for the
following:
A. WEARING A MASK :
Masks are very impor-
tant and we must keep
the nose and mouth
fully and securely cov-
ered at all times. N95
are recommended for
health workers and in
high-risk areas. Surgi-
cal masks and Double
masks should be used
in combination. One
should note that fancy
cloth or other synthetic
masks are not enough.
Reusable masks should
be washed regularly. Al-
ways remove masks
correctly and wash
your hands after han-
dling or touching a
used mask. Include
your mask with your
regular laundry and
use regular laundry de-
tergent to wash it, dry
in the sun.
B. EATING AND DRINK-
ING OUTSIDE : Eating
and drinking outside
can be dangerous as
masks are removed and
normally people sit to-
gether closely for this.
Sanitisation and clean-
liness are very impor-
tant as the virus are
susceptible to alcohol-
based disinfectants and
soaps and detergents.
Wash your hands prop-
erly before eating, do
not eat in a group, do
not share food with col-
leagues and avoid food
from outside.
C. SOCIAL DISTANCE :
Social distancing is a
must as the virus
spreads via droplets
and sneezing cough-
ing. It can be spread by
the breath of an infect-
ed person so a distance
of six feet can reduce
the chances of a person
to person transmission.
2
If one has to go out
to work what pre-
cautions should be
taken on return-
ing home daily?
 take off the footwear
outside.
 Go directly to the
cleaning/ washing
area and disin-
fect your wal-
let/bag/ keys
and phone.
 Wash your
hands with
soap and water
for at least 20 sec-
onds.
 Take off your clothes
and immediately soak
them in warm water.
Wash with regular de-
tergent and dry in the
sun.
 In case they need to be
dry cleaned- then put
them in a plastic bag,
seal it and put it away
for a minimum of 72
hours before handling
them again.
3
In case one
comes in con-
tact with a ‘pos-
itive person’
what precautions should
be taken?
In that case, one must do
gargles immediately
and can take steam in-
halation. One must iso-
late himself and take
the test for covid after 5
days. Keep a close
watch for the develop-
ment of symptoms and
may also take
some immuni-
ty-boosting vi-
tamin.
4
The symptoms in
the second strain
of COVID are
varying from per-
son to person – what are
the main symptoms to
watch out for?
 There have been chang-
es in the pattern of
symptoms. For the sec-
ond strain watch out
for:
 B a s i c
cough and cold
accompanied
with or with-
out fatigue and
body ache.
 Unusual
Cough: Cough has
been the main symptom
of COVID-19 but a persis-
tent cough with a sound
different from the usual
cough is one of the symp-
toms. One should not con-
fuse it with a smoker’s
cough.
 Pink eye: Pink eye or
conjunctivitis can be a
sign of COVID-19 infec-
tion.
 Breathlessness: Diffi-
culty in breathing with
uneasiness in the chest,
and heart palpitations
are some of the symp-
toms.
 Stomach Trouble:
The COVID-19 infection
impacts the upper res-
piratory system, al-
though, a new study
says that diarrhoea,
vomiting, abdominal
cramps, nausea, and
pain are signs of coro-
navirus. If you are fac-
ing any digestive dis-
comfort, you must get
yourself tested.
 Loss of Taste and
Smell: COVID-19 has
various symptoms and
one of the most annoy-
ing of them is the loss
of smell and taste. Los-
ing the functions of
your olfactory senses
can be frustrating and
hard to cope up with.
5
After recovering,
how long is one
protected from
the virus?
There is an immune re-
sponse to infection
with activation of in-
herent immunity
which is said to give
protection for approxi-
mately 3 months but
this can vary depend-
ing on the individual’s
response to previous
covid infection. So,
please continue to take
precautions after test-
ing negative.
Health is the
Health is the
TRUE WEALTH
DR. ANITA HADA
anita.hada@firstindianews.com
J
take off the footwear
Go directly to the
cleaning/ washing
area and disin-
fect your wal-
hands with
soap and water
for at least 20 sec-
Take off your clothes
and immediately soak
them in warm water.
Wash with regular de-
tergent and dry in the
In case they need to be
dry cleaned- then put
them in a plastic bag,
seal it and put it away
for a minimum of 72
hours before handling
them again.
3
In case one
comes in con-
tact with a ‘pos-
itive person’
what precautions should
be taken?
In that case, one must do
gargles immediately
and can take steam in-
ment of symptoms and
may also take
some immuni-
ty-boosting vi-
tamin.
son to person – what are
the main symptoms to
watch out for?
 There have been chang-
es in the pattern of
symptoms. For the sec-
ond strain watch out
for:

out fatigue and
body ache.

Cough:
been the main symptom
of COVID-19 but a persis-
tent cough with a sound
different from the usual
cough is one of the symp-
toms. One should not con-
fuse it with a smoker’s
cough.
 Pink eye:
conjunctivitis can be a
sign of COVID-19 infec-
tion.
 Breathlessness:
culty in breathing with
uneasiness in the chest,
and heart palpitations
are some of the symp-
toms.
 Stomach Trouble:
The COVID-19 infection
Anita Hada in conversation with Dr Puneet Saxena, senior professor and
unit head, Department of Medicine, SMS Medical College and Hospital!
Dr Puneet Saxena

First India-Ahmedabad Edition-11 May 2021

First India-Ahmedabad Edition-11 May 2021

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First India-Ahmedabad Edition-11 May 2021