First India-Ahmedabad Edition-14 May 2021

www.firstindia.co.in I www.firstindia.co.in/epaper/ I twitter.com/thefirstindia I facebook.com/thefirstindia I instagram.com/thefirstindia
AHMEDABAD l FRIDAY, MAY 14, 2021 l Pages 12 l 3.00 RNI NO. GUJENG/2019/16208 l Vol 2 l Issue No. 167
OUR EDITIONS: JAIPUR, AHMEDABAD LUCKNOW
IF COVISHIELD, THEN ATLEAST
3-MTH GAP BETWEEN DOSES
l SARS-CoV-2 illness should defer Covid
vaccination for 6 months after recovery
l Pregnant women can choose vaccine,
lactating women eligible after delivery
New Delhi: The Union
Health Ministry on
Thursday accepted the
recommendation of the
expert panel to extend
the gap between the
first and second dose of
the Covishield vaccine
to 12-16 weeks. The cur-
rent gap between two
doses of the vaccine is
6-8 weeks.
Earlier in the day, the
National Technical Ad-
visory Group on Immu-
nization had recom-
mended the same to the
Centre. No changes,
however, have been
made to the interval of
Covaxin.
“This is beneficial
both from the efficacy
and the immunogenic-
ity standpoint. This is
a very good move be-
cause this is based on
data that the govern-
ment received on the
basis of which they
made a good scientific
decision to increase
the gap,” Adar Poona-
walla was quoted as
saying.
The panel also said
that pregnant women
can choose their vac-
cine and lactating wom-
en will be eligible after
delivery
. Currently nei-
ther is eligible to get the
shots. Turn to P6
CORONA
CATASTROPHE
INDIA
3,62,727
New cases
4,129
New fatalities
GUJARAT
10,742
New cases
109
New fatalities
‘Sputnik V will be in
India from next week’
New Delhi: Amid re-
ports of the shortage of
Covid-19 vaccine in var-
ious states, Sputnik vac-
cine has arrived in In-
dia, and “hopefully” it
will be available in the
market from next week,
said Dr VK Paul, mem-
ber (health) of the NITI
Aayog, on Thursday
.
“Sputnik vaccine has
arrived in India. I’m
happy to say that we’re
hopeful that it’ll be
available in the market
next week. We’re hope-
ful that the sale of the
limited supply that has
come from there (Rus-
sia) will begin next
week,saidDrPaulwhile
addressing media.
He said the produc-
tion of Sputnik is
scheduled to begin in
India by July. “Further
supply will also follow.
Its production will be-
gin in July and it is esti-
mated that 15.6 crore
doses will be manufac-
tured in that period,”
Dr Paul said. Turn to P6
Attempt to reopen Assam’s NRC,
appeal in SC for reverification Israel strikes: 600; Hamas: 1,600
rockets; Deaths: 83 (17 children)
Four killed in boiler
blast in Tamil Nadu
Guwahati: “Major ir-
regularities” have been
detected in the lists of
the National Registry of
Citizens in Assam and a
comprehensive re-veri-
fication should be con-
ducted, the state’s NRC
coordinator Hitesh Dev
Sarma has sought in a
petition filed in the Su-
preme Court.
The irregularities, he
said, have been detected
in the final draft as well
as the supplementary
list. While ineligible
names were included,
many eligible names
have also been excluded,
he said in his petition.
Turn to P6
Gaza: The death toll
from more than two
days of Israeli strikes
on Gaza has risen to 83,
the health ministry con-
trolled by the territory’s
Islamist rulers Hamas
said Thursday
.
The dead included 17
children, while 487 peo-
ple have been wounded,
the ministry said.
The Israeli military
said it had struck Gaza
more than 600 times
since Monday evening
while Hamas has fired
more than 1,600 rockets
towards Israel. The ex-
change of airstrikes in-
tensified after clashes
outsideAl-Aqsamosque
in Old Jeruselum.
Cuddalore: Four per-
sons, including a wom-
an, were killed in a boil-
er blast at a pesticide
manufacturing indus-
try at SIPCOT Industri-
al estate in Kudikadu
village near Cuddalore.
Fifteenpeoplesustained
injuries in the blast.
Theincidentoccurred
at 07:45 am at Crimsun
Organics chemical com-
pany
. The plant was un-
der operation with 19
regular company staff
and 18 contractual la-
bourers. “The boiler
mixer machine burst, in
which chemical gas
emerged from the fur-
nace of the boiler and
spreadnearbyfirewhich
resulted in a fire acci-
dent around the plant,”
the police said.
CJI CONSIDERS
LIVE TELECAST OF
SUPREME COURT
New Delhi: Chief Justice
of India NV Ramana on
Thursday said he was
actively considering the
proposal to live telecast
the proceedings of the
Supreme Court. The CJI,
however, said before
initiating concrete steps in
this regard, he would seek
general consensus among
his colleagues in the Su-
preme Court.
PM to interact with DMs of 100
districts having high covid load
New Delhi: Prime Min-
ister Narendra Modi
will interact with dis-
trict magistrates of 100
districts with high case-
loads of COVID-19 in-
fections in two meet-
ings on May 18 and 20,
government sources
said on Thursday
.
While DMs of 46 dis-
tricts from nine states
will be part of the first
meeting, those from 54
districts from 10 states
will attend the second
meeting, they said, add-
ing that respective chief
ministerswillbepresent
in these interactions.
This will be the first
such interaction that
the prime minister will
have with top district-
level administrative of-
ficers on the COVID-19
situation.
So far, he has held a
number of meetings
with chief ministers
from across the country
and also, in some cases,
from high caseload
states on the pandemic
situation since its first
outbreak in 2020.
Turn to P6
Vaccination on
India dominant
variants remains
uncertain: WHO
New Delhi:New strains
wof the Covid variant
found in India are dead-
lier and more infec-
tious, the World Health
Organisation has said
on the country’s corona-
virus situation in a
weekly update. It also
says the potential im-
pact of these mutations
on the effectiveness of
vaccines is uncertain.
The B.1.617 variant
first detected in India in
October and now found
in 44 countries, has a
higher rate of transmis-
sion and reduced sus-
ceptibility to neutrali-
sation antibodies.
Around0.1percentof
the Covid-positive sam-
ples in India have been
genome sequenced.
According to WHO,
the B.1.17 variant found
in UK Turn to P6
LOCKDOWN EXTENDED
IN BIHAR TILL MAY 25
NHRC NOTICES TO
CENTRE, UP BIHAR
OVER BODIES FOUND
FLOATING IN GANGA
32 MINOR GIRLS OF A
LUCKNOW SHELTER
HOME TEST POSITIVE
OF CORONAVIRUS
Patna: Bihar Chief Minister
Nitish Kumar on Thursday
announced the extension of
the lockdown in the state
till May 25. CM Kumar
made the announcement
after chairing a high-
level meeting, convened
to take a decision on the
lockdown, which was in
place from May 5 to 15.
“Reviewed the lockdown
in Bihar with colleagues
in the council of ministers
and officials. The positive
outcome of the lockdown
is evident,” CM tweeted.
New Delhi: The National
Human Rights Commis-
sion (NHRC) has issued
notices to the Union Jal
Shakti Ministry, Uttar
Pradesh and Bihar, after
receiving complaints
about several bodies
found floating in the
Ganga river in the two
states. In its statement,
the NHRC said that it
seems the public authori-
ties have failed to take
concentric efforts.
Lucknow: Around 32
girls of Rajkiya Children
Shelter home (Girls) have
tested positive for covid.
Out of those infected, two
are pregnant while one is
specially abled. Although
the report was received
three days ago, but no
action was taken. Now,
while the pregnant and
specially abled girls will
be isolated in shelter
home, 29 others will be
shifted to isolation centre.
KEY HIGHLIGHTS
PM Narendra Modi
CJI NV Ramana
Palestinians walk next to the remains of a destroyed 15 story
building after being hit by Israeli airstrikes on Gaza on Thursday.
216 crore vaccine doses to be available in 5 months between
Aug-Dec, enough to cover all, central govt said on Thursday.
GAZA GOES DOWN
Kathmandu: With opposition parties fail-
ing to stake their claim to form govern-
ment by the deadline set by President
Bidhya Devi Bhandari, Prime Minister
KP Oli is all set to be re-appointed as
Prime Minister barely three days after
he lost the vote of confidence in Parlia-
ment. The Chief of the Nepali Congress,
Sher Bahadur Deuba, informed his party
colleagues and other allies shortly ahead
of the deadline that he could not manage
a majority to stake the claim for the post
as such has decided to withdraw from
the race. While formal withdrawal by the
leader of the main opposition left Presi-
dent Bhandari with no option other than to
invite Oli again. PM Oli had lost the
vote of confidence vote on Monday after
28 members of his party abstained,
reducing him to a minority.
OLI SET TO BE NEPAL
PM AGAIN AS OPPN
FAILS TO STAKE CLAIM
GUJARAT DECIDES TO PROMOTE REGULAR CLASS X STUDENTS
First India Bureau
Gandhinagar: In the
larger interest of Class
X students, the Gujarat
government on Thurs-
day decided to promote
them in the current aca-
demic year.
Around 9.5 lakh stu-
dentsfrom10,977schools
had filed their applica-
tion forms with the Gu-
jarat State Education
Board (GSEB) to appear
for the exams. The state
has decided to promote
only those students who
applied to appear for the
exam. Students who are
reappearing for the
examwillnotbecovered
under the purview of
this decision. The gov-
ernment will decide
their fate after the COV-
ID-19 case surge sub-
sides and the pandemic
situation stabilizes. The
state has already pro-
moted all students from
Class I to IX and XI.
Meanwhile, Class XII
board exams remain
postponed till the situa-
tionnormalizes;thegov-
ernment will review the
situation and then fix
theexaminationdates.It
will also add a 15-day
preparatory period for
the students before they
appear for the exams.
Narmada for
irrigation
The government has de-
cided to release Narma-
da water for irrigation.
Deputy Chief Minister
Nitin Patel told media-
persons that besides the
Narmada canals, water
wouldbealsobereleased
in Fatehwadi canal, Su-
jalam Sufalam canals,
Suani projects and
Kharikutcanals.,Atpre-
sent, the water level at
Sardar Sarovar Dam is
123.38 metres.
Vaccination halted
for 3 days
The state government
has also decided to halt
vaccination for three
days for adults above 45
years. The vaccination
centres will not inocu-
late citizens who fall un-
der the 45+ age group
from May 14 till May 16
(Friday, Saturday and
Sunday). However,
adults above the age of
18 years till 45 years will
continue to receive vac-
cination across 36 cen-
tres in Ahmedabad city
.
Govt financial aid
for COVID-19
orphans
TheRupanigovernment
has declared `4000 per
month as financial aid
for children Turn to P6
Class XII board exams remain postponed
till pandemic situation normalizes
GOOD NEWS
—FILE PHOTO

NEWS
AHMEDABAD | FRIDAY, MAY 14, 2021
02
First India Bureau
Ahmedabad: Congress
leader Arjun Modhwa-
dia has accused the Gu-
jarat government of
failing to contain the
second wave of the
COVID-19 pandemic. As
the state continues to
battle with the viral in-
fection crisis, Modhwa-
dia on Thursday de-
manded relief of
Rs5,000 for families who
lost their jobs amid the
pandemic and Rs4 lakh
to those who lost a
member to the virus.
The leader supported
his demand with the al-
legation that the gov-
ernment did not con-
duct inoculation drives
for the citizens after the
pandemic’s first wave.
He believed that wide-
spread vaccination
would have assisted in
curbing the second
wave.
Citing the Tamil
Nadu government’s an-
nouncement of Rs4,000
financial assistance
package for families af-
fected by the pandemic,
Modhwadia requested
the Gujarat govern-
ment to follow suit.
“The state government
is requested to provide
an assistance of Rs5,000
to all families affected
by COVID-19 pandemic.
Additionally, families
which have lost loved
ones to the virus must
be granted assistance
of Rs4 lakh,” he opined.
The Congress leader
called out the central
government for focus-
ing more on “disman-
tling state govern-
ments, buying legisla-
tors, and winning elec-
tions despite warnings
from experts around
the world about a dan-
gerous second wave.”
Modhwadia fumed that
the number of deaths
that had occurred in the
pandemic were more
than the casualties of
three major and two mi-
nor wars fought by the
nation. “80% of all
COVID-19 deaths had
occurred due to oxygen
shortage and people be-
ing unable to secure
beds in hospitals,” he
said.
First India Bureau
Ahmedabad: As gov-
ernment-run vaccina-
tion centres run out of
COVID-19 vaccines,
vaccination centres
running on a public-
private partnership
(PPP) are getting a bet-
ter supply, according to
data from the CoWIN
application. Further-
more, there is a greater
supply of vaccines in
urban areas of the state
than in rural areas.
The online portal
stated that as of 5 pm
on Thursday, 194 cen-
tres in the Ahmedabad
Municipal Corporation
area were conducting
vaccination drives,
with 27,784 people be-
ing immunized. How-
ever, more than 8,000
people received doses
out of the total in the
drive-through cam-
paign, which was man-
aged through a public-
private partnership.
According to sourc-
es, the majority of gov-
ernment-run clinics
only gave out a few
doses of the vaccine.
Fewer than 100 people
were immunized at
vaccination clinics in
Gomtipur, Shahpur,
and Sarkhej. The staff
at one of the centres
said that they only re-
ceive 25 vials of the
vaccine per day.
As of 5 pm on
Wednesday, the Dang
district had only inocu-
lated 46 people across
36 sites.
In the Narmada dis-
trict, 291 people were
vaccinated in 105 vac-
cination centres. Only
16 of them had a supply
of vaccines.
Hitesh Barot, chair-
man of AMC’s stand-
ing committee, was un-
able to comment on the
matter, as he was un-
reachable when First
India contacted him.
Hardik Patel, working
president of the Guja-
rat Pradesh Congress
Committee (GPCC),
urged the state govern-
ment to prioritize pro-
viding vaccines to the
state’s rural areas.
“I am urging the gov-
ernment to give sar-
panchs more authority
so that they can com-
municate directly with
the district collector. I
have also prioritized
the vaccination drive
along with awareness
on its importance in
the second COVID-19
wave,” Patel explained.
First India Bureau
Ahmedabad: The Guja-
rat Medical Teachers
Association (GMTA)
continued its agitation
for salary hike, 7th Pay
Commission pay grade,
allowances, job confir-
mation, among other
demands on Thursday.
Despite appeals from
Chief Minister Vijay
Rupani and Deputy
Chief Minister Nitin
Patel to withdraw the
strike, the GMTA has
asked for action from
the government. The as-
sociation also threat-
ened to boycott COV-
ID-19 ward duties on
Friday, if a General
Resolution (GR) is not
passed.
Members of the
GTMA held protests
across the state and
urged the state govern-
ment to make good on
its promise to meet
their demands. It reiter-
ated that the agitation
will only be withdrawn
if that happens.
GTMA president Dr
Rajnish Patel told me-
diapersons on Thurs-
day that the association
had decided to continue
protests. “The associa-
tion respects the prom-
ises made by the CM
and DyCM but, the agi-
tation will be only with-
drawn after the state
government issues a
General Resolution
(GR) stating the de-
mands that have been
accepted and how it
plans to implement
them.”
He also reiterated
that these demands
have been long due and
since no action has been
taken yet, members of
the association have in-
sisted on written assur-
ance or a GR from the
government.
In Bhavnagar, medi-
cal teachers fasted on
Thursday, for their de-
mands. Bhavnagar
Medical Teachers Asso-
ciation president Dr
Kaushal Bhalani told
media persons, “If the
government does not
take a call by Thursday
evening, medical teach-
ers will be compelled to
boycott COVID-19 duty
from Friday
.”
Meanwhile, in Surat
too medical academic
personnel at the Surat
Civil Hospital and Med-
ical College went on
strike for regularization
of pay. While most of
the protestors were not
on COVID-19 duty, the
ones deployed in nCoV
wards may join the
strike, if their demands
are not met.
On Wednesday even-
ing, Minister of State
for Home Pradipsinh
Jadeja had informed the
media that three princi-
pal secretary-level offic-
ers were studying the
demands presented by
medical teachers, and
that the CM has agreed
to several of them.
GMTA MEMBERS TO BOYCOTT COVID-19 DUTIES TODAY
ENOUGH WAITING
Medical teachers in hospitals
across the state have asked for
written assurance or GR for their
demands from government
(L) Doctors of Surat Civil Hospital and Medical College cycling to the dean’s office, (R) Members of Gujarat Medical Teachers Association on agitating at BJ Medical
College on Civil Hospital campus in Ahmedabad on Thursday. —PHOTO BY HANIF SINDHI
First India Bureau
Surat: Shopkeepers
and local businessmen
from across the dia-
mond city staged pro-
tests against the state
government’s lockdown
restrictions on Thurs-
day. Around 80 traders
from the Varachha area
held placards to protest
the closure of their
shops and businesses
due to the COVID-19 cri-
sis. Some protesters de-
manded that the gov-
ernment either lift the
lockdown or impose a
total lockdown.
Bharat Chowtiya, a
shop owner in the city,
said that the closure of
his shop has cut off his
source of income. “How
do we pay for all of our
expenses when we do
not have a source of in-
come? We are unable to
support our families in
such circumstances, so
we demand that the gov-
ernment abandon its
double standard and al-
low the poor and small
traders to live,” he said.
According to one
trader, the city’s traders
are suffering signifi-
cant losses as a result of
the lockdown. Another
shop owner stated that
social distance is main-
tained at their estab-
lishments because large
crowds do not congre-
gate there.
Meanwhile, the Gu-
jarat Traders Federa-
tion president Jayen-
dra Tanna in a letter to
Chief Minister Vijay
Rupani has demanded
professional tax ex-
emption for nine
months. He also asked
for a compensation
package of Rs6,000
each to traders’ em-
ployees who were not
paid full salaries due to
the lockdown.
Tanna requested the
CM to conduct virtual
meetings with trade
and industry represent-
atives before May 18,
when the partial lock-
down will end and prior
to taking a decision on
whether it will be ex-
tended or not.
The Cong leader
requested
assistance for
people who lost
jobs/businesses
due to the
pandemic and
Rs4L each for
families of
deceased
MODHWADIA DEMANDS `5K AID
FOR NCOV-AFFECTED FAMILIES
Arjun Modhwadia interacting with a COVID-19 patient and his family members.
SUMMER BLAZE
A fire broke out at a Ahmedabad Municipal Transport Service (AMTS) office in Khanpur area
of the city on Thursday evening. As firefighters were rushed to the spot, no casualties were
reported in the incident. —PHOTOS BY HANIF SINDHI
GOVT-RUN VACCINATION CENTRES
FACE SHORTAGE OF DOSES
Ahmedabad mayor Kirit Parmar after receiving the second vaccine dose at Nagri Hospital in the city
on Thursday. —PHOTO BY HANIF SINDHI
Screenshot of vaccine doses
administered by centres in
Ahmedabad.
Small business owners hold placards opposing lockdown in Surat on Thursday.
Surat traders protest
lockdown restrictions

GUJARAT
03
First India Bureau
Ahmedabad: An alert
has been sounded in
the coastal regions of
Saurashtra and
Kutch regarding the
possibility of Cyclone
Tauktae landing
there on May 17-18.
The India Meteoro-
logical Department
(IMD) on Thursday
issued a warning re-
garding the cyclone.
According to infor-
mation received from
state disaster manage-
ment and the IMD, Cy-
clone Tauktae is likely
to hit the coastal areas
of Gujarat, Maharash-
tra, and Goa in the next
three to four days. The
Indian Coast Guard
alerted fishermen
through ships and heli-
copters and asked them
not to venture out to sea
for the duration.
According to the
meteorological de-
partment, the cyclone
is likely to come from
the west coast. It will
hit Karachi in Paki-
stan, but may also
wreak havoc on the
sea coast of Gujarat.
If the Saurashtra-
Kutch region is greet-
ed with rainfall, it
will create a low pres-
sure system in the
Arabian Sea on May
14 which will turn
into a depression on
May 15. The weather-
man further in-
formed that around
May 14, ‘Tauktae’
may move north and
northwestwards to-
wards the Lakshad-
weep region.
Other states such as
Kerala, Karnataka and
union territory of Lak-
shadweep have also
been issued an impact
warning. According to
meteorological depart-
ment officials, the cy-
clone may speed up in
the east-central Arabi-
an Sea around May 16.
This may lead to heavy
rainfall in the southern
states.
Tauktae, the first cy-
clone of the year 2021,
has been named by In-
dia’s neighbouring na-
tion Myanmar.
‘TAUKTAE’ MAY STORM THE GUJARAT COAST ON MAY 17-18
BRACE FOR IMPACT
IMD has issued a warning to
fishermen about not venturing out
to sea; heavy rainfall likely in
Kerala, Karnataka Lakshadweep
Village sarpanch goes on hunger
STRIKE FOR VACCINE SUPPLY
Masuma Bharmal Jariwala
Rajkot: Withruralareas
not receiving adequate
vaccinedosesforitsresi-
dents, sarpanchs in
these parts have begun
raising their voice
against insufficient sup-
ply of vaccine by the
stategovernment.Samat
KhengarBhambava,sar-
panch of Anida village
in Gondal taluka of Ra-
jkot district went on a
hunger strike on Thurs-
day
, after his village
faced continuous short-
age of vaccine stock.
“Our village has a
population of 4,000, but
we receive only around
30 doses of vaccine daily
.
We created mass aware-
ness about the impor-
tanceof vaccination,but
when people have come
forward to receive the
shots,thevaccineisuna-
vailable,” said Bhamba-
va. He added, “Around
200-300 people stand in a
queue for their vaccine
doses from 7 am every
day
. While vaccination
for those above 18 years
of age has not begun yet,
those awaiting their sec-
onddosehavealsostrug-
gled to receive their
booster jabs.”
Top government offi-
cials in Rajkot district
have confirmed that
there is a “shortage of
vaccine due to rising de-
mand and timing with
the second dose sched-
ule.” This situation has
arisen because of im-
proper planning. More
importantly
,vaccination
forpeople18yearsof age
and above has not com-
menced yet in rural are-
as, said a source.
On Thursday
, Rajkot
district received only
2,000 vials. The depleted
vaccine stock is akin to
an oxygen shortage-like
situation now, said an of-
ficial. Meanwhile, Ra-
jkot district health offic-
er Mitesh Kumar Ban-
deri told First India,
“Currently
, we are prior-
itizing vaccination of
those who need to get
their second dose.”
After news of Bhamb-
hava’s hunger strike
spread, a health team
cameintothevillageand
supplied 120 vials to An-
ida village.
First India Bureau
Gandhinagar: With
10,742 fresh COVID-19
cases recorded on the
day
, the declining trend
of thestatecontinuedon
Thursday
. According to
the state health depart-
ment, 109 deaths were
reported and 15,269 pa-
tients were discharged
from hospitals post re-
covery in the past 24
hours. The total tally of
recoveries in Gujarat
touched5,93,666patients.
Highest number of
new cases emerged in
Ahmedabad (2,942), fol-
lowed by Vadodara
(1,111) and Surat (1,003).
A total of 109 patients
succumbed to the virus
in Ahmedabad (16), Su-
rat (14), Vadodara (10),
Junagadh (12), Rajkot
(9), Jamnagar (9),
Bhavnagar (5), Mehsana
(4),Amreli(3),Panchma-
hal (3), Kutch (3),
Bharuch (3), Gandhina-
gar (3), Patan (2), Sabar-
kantha (2), Mahisagar
(2), Aravalli (2), Anand
(1),Kheda(1),Devbhumi
Dwarka (1), Dahod(1),
Navsari (1), Chhota
Udepur (1) and Tapi (1) .
The pandemic death toll
in the state currently
stands at 8,840.
Gujarat now has 1,22,
847 active cases, of
which, 796 patients are
on ventilator support.
Meanwhile, a total of
1.47 crore people have
been administered their
vaccine doses.
Samat Khengar Bhambava (front centre) ofAnida village in Gondal taluka of Rajkot district on hunger strike.
WORRISOME
A’bad DCB nabs man with
4 country-made bombs
First India Bureau
Ahmedabad: The
Ahmedabad Detection
of Crime Branch (DCB)
arrested a man on
Thursday for carrying
four country-made
bombs, said officials.
The accused has been
taken into custody and
is being questioned by
police in order to deter-
mine his motivation. A
police team responded
to a tip-off that a man
named Javed Baloch
was planning to deliver
country-made bombs to
a client.
Police officials say
that the accused is a
Danilimda area resi-
dent of the city. They
apprehended the ac-
cused while he was
driving through the Sa-
barmati Riverfront
area, and seized the
bombs and a knife. Ac-
cording to crime branch
officials, a bomb dispos-
al squad was also pre-
sent at the scene.
During primary in-
terrogation,theaccused
told police that he had
borrowed money from a
lender who had been
pressuring him to repay
the loan. He claimed
that he was allegedly
planning to injure the
lender with the bombs.
The police, on the other
hand, are not convinced
by his statement and are
continuing to investi-
gate the case.
Incidentally, Baloch
was also apprehended
by Dariyapur police in
connection with anoth-
er incident about eight
years ago.
Javed Baloch, the accused, in custody of Ahmedabad Crime
Branch officials.
Officials confirm shortage, admit no inoculation yet for citizens aged 18 yrs + in rural areas
COVID-19 UPDATE
TOTAL CASES
RECOVERED
ACTIVE CASES
TOTAL DEATHS
7,25,353
5,93,666
1,22,847
8,840
+10,742
+109
A’BAD 2,942
SURAT 1,003
V’DARA 1,111
RAJKOT 691
JAMNAGAR 474
MEHSANA 399
B’NAGAR 330
G’NAGAR 232
The cyclone is likely to hit the coasts of Gujarat, Maharashtra and Goa in the next 3-4 days.
STATE RECORDS 10.7K NEW
CASES, 109 DEATHS IN 24 HRS
Patients who beat COVID-19 and successfully recovered from the virus being wheeled out of Civil Hospital (Asarwa) by staffers on Thursday.
Unidentified person
harasses over 40
women counsellors
PIL seeking facilities in
rural areas moved in HC
First India Bureau
Surendranagar: More
than 40 female counsel-
lors at the city’s A-Divi-
sion police station have
allegedly received a
slew of lewd messages
and calls from one per-
son using multiple SIM
cards, according to po-
lice. As per the police
complaint, a counsellor
at the police station
stated that the accused
person demanded sexu-
al favours in addition to
sending obscene mes-
sages and videos.
She claimed that the
person harassed more
than 40 other counsel-
lors at the police sta-
tion’s women’s help
centre. The accused
identified himself as
Sagar, and first texted
her on the social net-
working platform
WhatsApp on April 21,
said the complainant.
Despite blocking his
phone number, she
claimed that he contin-
ued to call her and her
female colleagues from
other phone numbers.
The complainant,
who has worked with
the police station since
2014, went on to say
that the accused even
started a WhatsApp
group in which he add-
ed over 40 other women
counsellors. He also
sent obscene messages
and videos to the wom-
en in the group, she
said.
The Surendranagar
A-Division police sta-
tion has initiated an
investigation and is
looking for the suspect.
Police inspector VV
Trivedi will be probing
the case.
First India Bureau
Ahmedabad: Two peti-
tions were moved in the
Gujarat High Court on
Thursday with a prayer
for functional health in-
frastructure in rural ar-
eas, and for an addition-
al number of isolation
coaches on trains. Advo-
cate Nimish Kapadia
alsopleadedforarrange-
ment of a video confer-
ence facility for COV-
ID-19 patients at hospi-
tals to connect with fam-
ily members and rela-
tives.
Samaritan Lalit Shah
has moved a petition to
draw the court’s atten-
tion to poor health infra-
structure in rural areas
of the state. His submis-
sion highlighted media
reports that claim poor
or almost non-existent
health infrastructure in
rural areas. “Whatever
tall claims are being
made by the state gov-
ernment regarding fa-
cilities in rural areas
and medical staff is an
attempt to mislead the
court,” mentioned the
petition.
Shah also asked that
the state requisite more
isolation coaches on
trains to reduce the bur-
den on the existing
healthcare infrastruc-
ture in the state. “These
isolationcoachesshould
beparkedincitieswhere
cases are surging and
people are struggling to
secure beds in COVID-19
hospitals,” he stated.
Meanwhile, advocate
Kapadia pleaded before
the court that it should
ask the state govern-
ment to follow the model
of Bengaluru hospitals.
“COVID-19 patients are
kept in touch with fami-
ly members and rela-
tives through CCTV
cameras. It will assist in
patients’ recovery,” he
opined.
Gujarat High Court. —FILE PHOTO
WOMAN PI BOOKED FOR HONEYTRAP
—PHOTO BY HANIF SINDHI

l Vol 2 l Issue No. 167 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
he Pakistani establishment, a
common euphuism used about
thearmyanditsproxieslikethe
Inter-ServicesIntelligence(ISI),
appears to have made up its
mind to get rid of the present
incumbent, Prime Minister Im-
ran Khan, and perhaps, for this
Shahbaz Sharif, the leader of
the country’s main opposition,
Pakistan Muslim League-Noon
(PML-N) was released for initi-
ating a meaningful dialogue
with his brother Nawaz Sharif,
a former three-time prime min-
ister, in London.
The establishment’s effort to
end the current political stale-
mate received a setback, when
Shahbaz was prevented from
boardingaLondon-boundflight.
The senior Pakistani jour-
nalists and commentators like
Nazam Sethi are convinced
that Khan has finally‘burnt his
boat with the armed forces. It
is quite well-known that Imran
Khan and his party, Pakistan
Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) came to
power with the help of the es-
tablishment, but due to the PTI
government’s poor govern-
ance, the establishment is to-
tally ‘disillusioned’ with the
Khan and his party
. It is widely
believed that Shahbaz was fly-
ing to London with a few pos-
sible solutions to end the cur-
rent political stalemate be-
tween the opposition parties
and the establishment.
The establishment is report-
edly angered by not allowing
Shahbaz to visit his brother in
London, though he had the
High Court’s permission to fly
to London. Earlier, Shabaz, a
former Punjab chief minister
and the leader of the Pakistan
Muslim League-Noon (PML-N)
was released on bail, much
against the wishes of the Khan
government.
Maryam Aurangzeb, the par-
tyspokeswoman,andthedaugh-
terof NawazSharif,hasaccused
the government that Shabaz
was deliberately stopped by the
immigration officials at the air-
portwhenhewasgoingtoboard
a London-bound Qatar Airways
flight. The Lahore High Court
had permitted Shahbaz to leave
Pakistan and stay abroad for
treatment till early July this
year, but the government law-
yers did not oppose the judicial
order in the court, but decided
to prevent him from flying. The
court had acted on a petition
from Shahbaz that as a cancer
survivor he now needed treat-
ment outside of Pakistan. The
immigration officials deployed
at the airport have claimed that
Shahbaz, who faces corruption
charges in three separate court
cases, is still on the black list,
but it is being asked that how
could the officials ignore the
court’s directive.
During the past six months,
the huge rallies of the Pakistani
Democratic Movement (PDM)
held in Pakistan’s major cities
from Karachi to Peshawar and
especially in the major cities of
Punjab, Lahore and Multan,
have unnerved the establish-
ment. The 11-party coalition of
the PDM is headed by Jamait
Ulema-e-Islam chief, Maulana
Fazal-ur-Rehman and the other
major parties are PML-N and
Pakistan Peoples’ Party (PPP).
Maulana Fazal-ur-Rehman had
played a key-role in supporting
the Taliban, but in recent
months, his relationship with
thearmyhassuffered.Underhis
leadership,thePDMhasalsode-
cided to resign en-masse from
thePakistanNationalAssembly
to force fresh polls; however, the
reluctance of the PPP has de-
layed the resignation pro-
gramme, because the PPP lead-
ership felt that they might face
the dismissal of the PPP-ruled
Sindh government, and there
wouldbenosubstantialpolitical
gainsforthem,whilethePML-N
might sweep the new elections.
The weakening of the PDM
mighthavepleasedtheestablish-
ment,butthechargesagainstthe
army for supporting Khan and
his party
, PTI, has given it a bad
name, especially in Punjab,
whichhasthelargestnumberof
soldiers and officers in the coun-
try’s defence forces. The army
does not want to lose its popular
baseinPunjab.Itisalsointerest-
ingtonotethatKhan,acricketer-
turned politician, is aware of
thesenewpoliticalmoves.Apart
from implicating the opposition
leaders in various cases, he is
also trying to win back his old
friend Jehangir Tareem, a sugar
businessman;butTareem’sclose
nexus with the establishment
needs to be watched. Khan can-
not be sure of Tarem’s support,
but he is trying to win back all
possible supporters.
There are many permuta-
tions and combinations in the
new political adjustments,
such as PML-N may be given
Punjab, and a new coalition
government under the leader-
ship of the PPP might be
formed at the federal level with
a section of the PTI members
in the National Assembly. It is
estimated that with the shift-
ing of only seven members
from the treasury benches to
the opposition, the Khan gov-
ernment would collapse.
However, the establishment is
keen that before the end of the
Khan government these new
possible political proposals
should be approved by Nawaz
Sharif. For this Shahbaz was ex-
pected to travel to London under
thepretextof medicaltreatment.
He could have done the crucial
politicaldiscussions,whileseek-
ing medical treatment in Lon-
don. The issue of his proposed
trip to London may again be
taken up before the High Court.
It is, however, certain that it
would be difficult for Khan to
prevent Shahbaz’s journey to
London, because the establish-
ment is for reconciliation.
THE VIEWS EXPRESSED BY
THE AUTHOR ARE PERSONAL
IMRAN KHAN PREVENTS
SHAHBAZ FIGHT TO LONDON
The Pak army is keen for a political reconciliation, but crucial talks with Nawaz Sharif delayed
T
The senior
Pakistani
journalists and
commentators like
Nazam Sethi are
convinced that
Khan has
finally‘burnt his
boat with the
armed forces. It is
quite well-known
that Imran Khan
and his party,
Pakistan Tehreek-
e-Insaf (PTI)
came to power
with the help of
the establishment,
but due to the PTI
government’s poor
governance, the
establishment is
totally
‘disillusioned’
with the Khan
and his party
THERE ARE MANY
PERMUTATIONS AND
COMBINATIONS IN THE
NEW POLITICAL
ADJUSTMENTS, SUCH AS
PML-N MAY BE GIVEN
PUNJAB, AND A NEW
COALITION GOVERNMENT
UNDER THE LEADERSHIP
OF THE PPP MIGHT BE
FORMED AT THE FEDERAL
LEVEL WITH A SECTION
OF THE PTI MEMBERS IN
THE NATIONAL ASSEMBLY
GOPAL
MISRA
The writer is accredited as a Journalist
of klong and distinguished service with
the Press Information Bureau of the
Information and Broadcasting Ministry
he recent vio-
lence at the al-
Aqsa mosque/
Temple Mount
area and in the
Old City of Jerusalem has
spiralled into something
bigger and more danger-
ous. Clashes between Is-
raeli security forces and
Palestinian protesters at
the weekend have left hun-
dreds injured. Tensions
rose further on Monday
and Tuesday after Israeli
airstrikes launched in re-
taliation for Hamas rocket
attacks killed 35 people, in-
cluding 12 children, in
Gaza City
.
This latest episode can-
not be attributed to a single
cause. It should rather be
connected to a broader
landscape of destabilising
factors whose cumulative
weight led to the current
crisis after months of incu-
bation.
A chain reaction was
nevertheless triggered by
ongoing attempts to evict
Palestinian families living
for generations in the east
Jerusalem neighbourhood
of Sheikh Jarrah. A legal
battle is being waged be-
tween the Palestinian resi-
dents and Nahalat Shimon
– a settler organisation tied
to the Zionist movement in
Israel which is trying to
alter east Jerusalem’s de-
mographics in favour of a
Jewish population.
Support towards the
Sheikh Jarrah families in-
stantly came from several
Palestinian constituencies,
including an unprecedent-
ed number of Arab citizens
of Israel from Umm al-
Fahm and Jaffa. At the
same time, thousands start-
eddemonstratingatDamas-
cus Gate which in recent
weeks has become east Je-
rusalem’s “Tahrir Square”
– the centre of Egypt’s 2011
“Arab Spring” revolution.
Manyof theprotesterswere
Muslim worshippers who
came together at the gate
after having attended
prayers at al-Aqsa Mosque.
It is worth noting that
the crisis unfolded during
the final days in the holy
month of Ramadan: the cli-
max of the Islamic calen-
dar but also the most vola-
tile time of the year in Je-
rusalem. On Friday May 7
alone, some 200 Palestini-
ans were seriously injured
and many more were ar-
rested following fierce con-
frontations with the Israeli
police.
Israelipolicewereaggres-
sive in their attempts to
curbdemonstrations,which
soon backfired with an with
anexpansionof Palestinian
protests across Jerusalem,
the West Bank and many
Arab villages in central and
northern Israel.
TURMOIL ON
BOTH SIDES
Inability to contain vio-
lence in Jerusalem and
other occupied territories
is partly a result of inter-
nal issues with both the
Palestinian leadership and
the Israeli government. On
the Palestinian side, there
is a power struggle taking
place between Hamas and
the president of the Pales-
tinianAuthority
,Mahmoud
Abbas. Hamas deliberately
heightened tension with
Israel by firing rockets
from Gaza as a propaganda
strategy to build political
capital at Abbas’ expense.
He, in turn, has postponed
elections to the Palestinian
Legislative Council for fear
of losing ground against
his Islamist rivals.
Israeli politics, mean-
while, has reached a debili-
tating impasse after four
general elections failed to
establish a workable gov-
ernment. This has had se-
vere ramifications for the
handling of the crisis.
SOURCE: THE CONVERSATION
Politics behind the latest explosion of violence in the Holy City
T
When a person dwells
longingly on sense objects, an
inclination towards them is
generated. This inclination
develops into desire and
desire gives rise to anger.
—Bhagavad Gita
Spiritual
SPEAK
Top
TWEET
Smriti Z Irani @smritiirani
With a view to strengthen and
bring transparency in nutrition
delivery services, @MinistryWCD
launched ‘POSHAN Tracker’ App
in March 2021. App developed as
a governance tool for real-time
monitoring of nutritional outcomes
will be vital in improving maternal
and child health.
Dr Harsh Vardhan @drharshvardhan
Shining example of Digital health
benefitting citizens. Over 50L
patients served through eSanjeevani
Telemedicine Platform during the
#pandemic. Few States working
towards special Home Isolation
OPDs for remote screening of
patients for #COVID19 by final yr
MBBS students
IN-DEPTH
OPPN COMES TOGETHER
TO TAKE ON MODI
n a significant show of unity, 12 Opposi-
tion parties and four chief ministers
came together to demand free vaccina-
tion against Covid-19 and suspension of
work on the Central Vista and use its
funds “for procuring oxygen and vaccines, in-
stead”. Central Vista is Prime Minister Narendra
Modi’s ambitious project. BJP president JP Nadda
had attacked the Congress for targeting Central
Vista while its own party’s government in Chhat-
tisgarh was busy constructing a “new Raipur”
with new Assembly building, new residences for
the governor and chief minister and several other
structures. Soon after Nadda’s jibe, Chief Minister
Bhupesh Baghel ordered a halt to the entire pro-
ject. The move will put further pressure on the BJP
against Central Vista.
The joint Opposition demanded in a letter to the
PM that vaccines should be centrally procured
from global and local sources by the Central gov-
ernment which should then distribute them for
“free and universal vaccination”. The leaders
urged the prime minister “to invoke compulsory
licensing to expand domestic vaccine production.
Spend budgetary allocation of Rs 35,000 crore for
the vaccines”. The signatories to the letter includ-
ed Congress president Sonia Gandhi, D. Raja (CPI),
Sitaram Yechury (CPM), Sharad Pawar (NCP), for-
mer Prime Minister HD Deve Gowda (JDS), Ud-
dhav Thackeray (Shiv Sena), Mamata Banerjee
(TMC), MK Stalin (DMK), Hemant Soren (JMM),
the last four are all chief ministers. The letter was
sent a day after Nadda accused Sonia of spreading
panic and misleading people on the pandemic.
I
TOUGH TIMES AHEAD
FOR W BENGAL CM
amata Banerjee’s stupendous victory in
the Assembly elections notwithstand-
ing, the recent post-poll violence in West
Bengal has given ammunition to the
BJP. The Union Home Ministry has a
valid reason now to keep breathing down her neck
through the state governor Jagdeep Dhankhar.
The Home Ministry has drawn a line of distinction
between the BJP and the Trinamool Congress with
the 77 newly-elected BJP legislators being given X
category security cover by the Central Industrial
Security Force. Suvendu Adhikari, the Leader of
Opposition in the West Bengal Assembly, enjoys Z
category with a posse of Central Reserve Police
Force men deployed to protect him. Adhikari de-
feated Mamata from Nandigram constituency
. It is
rare to see central para forces protecting opposi-
tion party MLAs but West Bengal politics are dif-
ferent and with BJP in power at the Centre it was
easy
. The decision to provide the BJP MLAs with
a special security ring was taken after intelligence
inputs and post-poll violence in the Cooch-Behar
district in which 16 people belonging to both the
parties were killed. That there’s no love lost be-
tween Dhankhar and Mamata is an old story. Al-
though a governor’s powers are limited, Dhankhar
continues to exercise them as much as he can. Last
September Mamata wrote a letter to Dhankhar
urging him to “refrain from surpassing” the CM
and her council of ministers.” But Dhankhar is
carrying on regardless as he planned visit to
Cooch-Behar, prompting CM to request him not to
“violate long-standing protocols.”
M

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INDIA
05
BIHAR: WARD BOY ARRESTED OVER
ALLEGED SEXUAL HARASSMENT
Bhagalpur (Bihar): A
ward boy of a private
hospital in Bihar’s Bhagal-
pur was arrested after a
woman alleged that he
had sexually harassed
her while she was taking
care of her Covid-positive
husband and mother.
As per a release, an FIR
was filed on Tuesday at
the Patrakar Nagar Police
Station after the incident
was also brought to light
on social media. The
arrested hospital staff,
Jyoti Kumar, was arrested
later in the day after the
FIR was filed. In a similar
incident earlier last week,
the Indore police on
Friday arrested two ward
boys of the Maharaja
Yeshwantrao Hospital
for allegedly molesting a
patient. —ANI
GROUP OF AUTO DRIVERS
STARTS ‘JUGAAD AMBULANCE’
Pune (Maharashtra): A group of auto drivers in
Pune on Thursday started ‘Jugaad Ambulance’ --
an initiative to ferry COVID-19 patients in the city.
According to ‘Jugaad Ambulance’ initiative leader
Keshav Kshirsagar they have installed oxygen
support in three of their autos to help people who
are facing difficulties in finding beds in hospitals.
“These oxygen cylinders can last up to 6-7 hours.
We have a helpline number for patients to contact
us. We have trained our drivers on how to give
oxygen to patients with full precautions.”
FOUR DIE IN ROAD ACCIDENT
IN ANDHRA PRADESH
East Godavari (Andhra Pradesh): Four people
died while five others sustained injuries in an
accident on Thursday at Peddapuram Town of
Andhra Pradesh’s East Godavari district.
According to Peddapuram Sub Inspector Balaji,
four people including, a five-month-old baby,
one woman, and two men died in the accident.
“The car was crossing the industrial area of Ped-
dapuram at around 4.30 am, when hit by a lorry.
Four people including, a five-month baby, one
woman, and two men died,” said Sub Inspector.
2 NAXALS KILLED IN ENCOUNTER
WITH MAHARASHTRA POLICE
Gadchiroli (Maharashtra):
Two Naxalites were killed
on Thursday in Maha-
rashtra’s Gadchiroli after
an encounter with the
C-60 unit of the State
Police. According to
Superintendent of Police,
Gadchiroli, the encounter
took place in a forest of
Dhanora Tehsil. “Two
Naxalites have been killed
in an encounter with
C-60 unit of Maharashtra
Police in a forest of Dha-
nora Tehsil in Gadchiroli
district,” Goyal informed.
A similar incident took
place on April 28 where
two more Naxals were
killed in an encounter
with the police. “Incrimi-
nating materials have
been seized from the
spot,” informed Ankit
Goyal. —ANI
PM MISSING WITH VACCINES,
OXYGEN, MEDICINES: RAHUL
New Delhi: Congress
leader Rahul Gandhi at-
tacked Prime Minister
Narendra Modi alleg-
ing that he is ‘missing’
just like COVID-19 vac-
cines, oxygen and medi-
cines and claimed that
all that remained is the
Central Vista Project
and PM’s photos.
In another tweet, he
accused the govern-
ment of “abdicating”
its duty towards the
citizens as the pandem-
ic rages on and insisted
that people must come
together for others in
need.
“The prime minister
is also missing, along
with vaccines, oxygen
and medicines. All that
remain are the Central
Vista Project, GST
(goods and services tax)
on medicines and the
prime minister’s photos
here and there,” Rahul
Gandhi said in a tweet
in Hindi.
The former Congress
president has been ex-
tremely critical of PM
Mod-led government’s
handling of the corona-
virus crisis and de-
manded answers as the
nation suffered from
the lack of oxygen,
medicines and vaccines
as cases surged in the
second wave of COV-
ID-19. Meanwhile on
Wednesday, leaders of
12 opposition parties
wrote a letter to PM
Modi, seeking a free
mass vaccination. —PTI
Companies will benefit if
States compete for
vaccination: Congress
New Delhi: As sev-
eral State govern-
ments are contem-
plating to float global
tender to procure
Covid vaccines, the
Congress has raised
an alarm that ulti-
mately it will benefit
the companies if
state governments
compete with each
other.
Congress leader
Manish Tewari said,
“It does not require
rocket science to fig-
ure out that if differ-
ent Indian States
compete for vaccines
in international mar-
ket manufacturers/
suppliers will go
laughing to the
bank.” “Until Until
this architecture has
been put in place in
cahoots with the
manufacturers,” he
added. Manish
Tewari’s remarks
came after BMC is-
sued a global tender.
Bengal facing twin challenges
of pandemic poll violence
Cooch Behar (WB):
Claiming that people,
who cast their votes as
per their choice, are be-
ing subjected to attacks
in WB, Governor
Jagdeep Dhankhar on
Thursday said while
the country is facing
the COVID crisis, the
state is grappling with
the twin challenges of
the pandemic and the
post-poll violence.
The governor said he
was shocked by inci-
dents of attack follow-
ing the assembly elec-
tions, and decided to
visit various places af-
fected by violence.
‘The country is fac-
ing the COVID crisis,
and West Bengal is fac-
ing twin challenges of
the pandemic and un-
precedented post-poll
violence only on the
ground that some peo-
ple decided to vote as
per their own choice,’
he said while embark-
ing on a visit to various
places in Cooch Behar
district. He said that
everyone who took the
law into their hands
must be brought to
justice. —ANI
Guv shown
black flags
at Sitalkuchi
Cooch Behar: West
Bengal Governor
Jagdeep Dhankhar
was on Thursday
shown black flags at
Sitalkuchi, where
five persons died on
election day, when
he went there to
visit people affected
in POSTviolence.
Kolkata: West Bengal’s
ruling Trinamool Con-
gress alleged that gov-
ernor Jagdeep
Dhankhar, who visited
post-poll violence af-
fected areas of Cooch
BehardistrictonThurs-
day ignoring the advice
of the state govern-
ment, violated constitu-
tional provisions.
The governor, in his
reply, said that he was
discharging duties
mandated by the Con-
stitution and his visit to
Cooch Behar was to
share the pain and ago-
ny of the people suffer-
ing from post-poll
violence. —PTI
Gov’s visit unconstitutional:TMC
Jagdeep Dhankhar
IN THE COURTYARD
PNB scam: Mumbai court issues
show cause notice to Nirav Modi
Mumbai: A special
court here has issued a
Public notice to fugi-
tive diamond mer-
chant Nirav Modi,
wanted in India for al-
leged fraud and money
laundering in the PNB
scam case, asking why
his properties should
not be confiscated un-
der the Fugitive Eco-
nomicOffenders(FEO)
Act. Special Judge V C
Barde has also asked
Modi to appear before
the court on June 11.
The court said if the
accused failed to ap-
pear, it will proceed
with action against
him under the FEO
Act.
The special court
had in December 2019
declared Nirav Modi a
fugitive economic
offender, on a plea of
the Enforcement Di-
rectorate (ED), which
is conducting a probe
into the case.
“I, V C Barde, Spe-
cial Judge, PMLA, 2002
and Fugitive Econom-
ic Offenders Act, 2018,
issue NOTICE to you
to show cause as to
why the properties
mentioned in the
application (ED’s
plea), in which you
have pecuniary
interest and/or other-
wise, should not be
confiscated under the
said Act,”the recent
notice said. —ANI
Nirav Modi
SC asks govt to
consider realities
of migrants
New Delhi: The Su-
preme Court on Thurs-
day told Centre that it
has to consider harsh
realities in connection
with migrant workers
during the lockdown
announced by various
state governments.
A bench comprising
Justices Ashok Bhush-
an and M.R. Shah said
it is inclined to pass di-
rections to NCR states
to have community
kitchens and to facili-
tate transportation of
migrant workers who
are willing to return.
Opposition-ruled states misleading
people on vaccines, says BJP
New Delhi: As several
states complained
about shortage of vac-
cine, the BJP blamed
opposition-ruled states
for allegedly mislead-
ing people. The party
said that first the oppo-
sition demanded a lib-
eralised vaccine policy
and when states were
empowered to procure
directly and the vacci-
nation group was ex-
panded, they are again
complaining. The BJP
on Thursday released a
video of statements of
Congress leaders and
Health Ministers of
o p p o s i t i o n - r u l e d
states. In a video, the
health ministers of
Jharkhand and Chhat-
tisgarh, and Congress
leaders were seen ques-
tioning the efficacy of
the vaccine. Shared a
three-minute video on
Twitter, National in-
charge of BJP’s Infor-
mation and Technology
department, Amit
Malviya. —ANI
A patient taking a dose of Covaxin.
Amid flak, Maha
DyCM cancels
appointment of PR
Mumbai: The opposi-
tion BJP on Thursday
hit out at the Maharash-
tra government for its
decision to allocate
nearly Rs six crore for
appointing a private
agency to handle the so-
cial media accounts of
Ajit Pawar amid the
raging COVID-19 crisis.
Under fire over the
decision, Ajit Pawar
said there was no need
to appoint any agency
.
Modi to release 8th instalment of
financial benefit under PM-KISAN
New Delhi: Prime Min-
ister Narendra Modi
will release the 8th in-
stalment of financial
benefit under the Prad-
han Mantri Kisan Sam-
man Nidhi (PM-KISAN)
scheme on Friday,
May 14.
“Tomorrow is a very
important day for the
crores of farmers in the
country. I will get the
privilege of releasing
the 8th instalment of
Prime Minister Kisan
Samman Nidhi through
video conferencing at
11 am. On this occasion,
I will also communicate
with my farmer broth-
ers and sisters,” Prime
Minister informed in a
tweet.
According to PM’s Of-
fice, “This will enable
the transfer of more
than Rs. 19,000 crores to
more than 9.5 crores
beneficiary farmer fam-
ilies. PM will also inter-
act with beneficiaries
during the event. Union
Agriculture Minister
will also be present on
the occasion.
Notably, under the
PM-KISAN scheme,
with a benefit of Rs 6000
per year.” —ANI
PM Narendra Modi
Maj Gen SK
Singh to head
Base Hospital
New Delhi: Senior
plastic sur-
gery spe-
cialist Ma-
jor General
SK Singh
was ap-
pointed as
the new head of the In-
dian Army’s Base Hos-
pital in Delhi Canton-
ment on Thursday. Till
now, Major General SK
Singh was posted at
Military Hospital in
Lucknow where he was
looking after COVID-19
treatment of military
personnel and ex-ser-
vicemen along with the
running of medical fa-
cilities for civilians.
Rahul Gandhi
@RahulGandhi
The prime minister
is also missing,
along with vaccines,
oxygen and medi-
cines. All that remain
are the Central Vista
Project, GST (goods
and services tax) on
medicines and the
prime minister’s pho-
tos here and there.
Rahul Gandhi
President extends Eid greetings, urges
everyone to follow Covid-19 guidelines
New Delhi: President
Ram Nath Kovind on
Thursday greeted citi-
zens on the eve of Eid-
ul-Fitr and urged all to
follow rules and guide-
lines to defeat the coro-
navirus pandemic, and
work for the well-being
of society and the
country.
In his message, the
president said, “The
auspicious festival of
Eid-ul-Fitr, which
marks the end of Rama-
dan, is celebrated as an
occasion to strengthen
the spirit of fraternity
and harmony.” Eid-ul-
Fitr is also an occasion
to rededicate oneself to
the service of humani-
ty and to improve the
lives of the people in
need, the president
said.
“Let us all resolve to
deal with this pandemic
of Covid-19 by following
all the rules and guide-
lines and work for the
well-being of society
and the country,” Ko-
vind said. —ANI
People offering Namaz on the occasion of Eid-ul-Fitr. —FILE PHOTO
Armies of India,
Pakistan exchange
sweets at LoC
SRINAGAR/JAMMU:
The armies of India
and Pakistan on Thurs-
day exchanged sweets
at LoC in Jammu and
Kashmir on the occa-
sion of Eid-ul-Fitr, de-
fence officials said.
“On major festivals
like Eid, Holi, Diwali
and respective Nation-
al days we exchange
sweets and pleasant-
ries,” a spokesperson
said in Srinagar.

INDIA
06
Attempt to...
The draft citizen’s list
of August 2019 had left
out 19 lakh people.
Most are those who did
not provide adequate
documents to prove
their citizenship
claims, officials had
said.
State leaders of the
BJP have been demand-
ing re-verification
since the lists were
published. Himanta
Biswa Sarma, who took
the oath as the state’s
Chief Minister this
week, had tweeted,
“The Names of many
Indian citizens who mi-
grated from Bangla-
desh as refugees prior
to 1971 have not been
included in the NRC
because authorities re-
fused to accept refugee
certificates”.
‘Sputnik V...
Notably, Sputnik V is
the third vaccine In-
dia has given go-ahead
to after Covishield, de-
veloped by Oxford
University and Astra-
Zeneca and Covaxin,
the indigenous vac-
cine manufactured by
Bharat Biotech. Cov-
ishield is manufac-
tured by the Serum
Institute of India.
Meanwhile, Russian
scientists claimed the
Phase 3 trial of Sputnik
V Covid-19 vaccine is
clear, transparent and
fully complies with the
regulatory standards
that exist for provision
of clinical trial data,
said a report in IANS.
PM to...
According to the latest
data from the Union
Health Ministry, just
ten states account for
over 72 per cent of new
COVID-19 cases report-
ed in a span of 24 hours
and these include Ma-
harashtra, Delhi, Hary-
ana, Uttar Pradesh,
Kerala, Karnataka, Ta-
mil Nadu, Andhra
Pradesh, West Bengal
and Rajasthan.
Also, just ten states
account for 74.30 per
cent of the new deaths.
India added 3,62,727
new coronavirus infec-
tions in a day taking
the COVID-19 tally of
cases to 2,37,03,665,
while the death toll
rose to 2,58,317 with
4,120 daily fatalities,
according to the Union
Health Ministry data
updated on Thursday.
Vaccination on...
and the India-dominant
B.1.617 have “begin to
wane in recent weeks”,
but worryingly, there
are more dangerous
mutations of the
B.1.617 now - the
B.1.617.1 and B.1.617.2.
“Preliminary analy-
ses shows B.1.617.1 and
B1.617.2 have substan-
tially higher growth
rate suggesting poten-
tially higher transmis-
sibility,” says the WHO
update.
“B.1.617 sub-line-
ages appear to have
higher rates of trans-
mission, including ob-
served rapid increases
in prevalence in multi-
ple countries (moder-
ate evidence available
for B.1.617.1 and
B.1.617.2).”
12 To...
The panel also stated
that those having labo-
ratory test proven
SARS-CoV-2 illness
should defer Covid-19
vaccination for six
months after recovery.
According to the Un-
ion Health Ministry’s
current protocol, vac-
cine is to be taken four
to eight weeks after re-
covery from Covid-19
infection and pregnant
and lactating women
are not to be adminis-
tered the shots.
Gujarat decides...
who lost their parents to
COVID-19 and are cur-
rently living with their
foster parents. The chil-
dren will receive the aid
till they turn 18.
FROM PG 1
Plateauingindailycases,
decline in +ve too: Govt
187 dists see continuous dip in cases in last 2 weeks: Health ministr
New Delhi: Plateauing
in daily new COVID-19
cases and positivity
rate has been recorded
in the country over the
past three days, the gov-
ernment said on Thurs-
day, but added 10 states
still have a positivity
rate of 2% or more.
According to the gov-
ernment, the number
of districts with week-
on week rise in COV-
ID-19 tests, yet decline
in positivity rate has
increased from 125 in
April 22-28 to 338 be-
tween May 6 and 12.
Addressing a press
conference, a senior of-
ficial, also said as
many as 12 states have
more than 1 lakh active
COVID-19 cases, while
24 states have more
than 15 per cent case
positivity rate.
Delhi, Haryana and
Uttar Pradesh are
among 10 states that ac-
count for 72.42 per cent
of the 3,62,727 new cas-
es in the country in a
span of 24 hours, the
Union health ministry
said on Thursday.
Kerala, Karnataka,
Tamil Nadu, Andhra
Pradesh, West Bengal
and Rajasthan are the
other states in the list
of 10.
Maharashtra report-
ed the highest daily
new cases at 46,781. It is
followed by Kerala
with 43,529 while Kar-
nataka reported 39,998
new cases.
India’s total active
caseload has increased
to 37,10,525 and now
comprises 15.65 per cent
of the country’s total
infections. A net in-
crease of 6,426 cases has
been recorded in the ac-
tive caseload in a day
.
—PTI
COVID patient gets an oxygen facility in a BMTC bus parked in
front of Town Hall, in Bengaluru on Thursday. —PHOTO BY ANI
Peak will come,
virus can again
emerge: Govt
A youngster getting vaccinated in Delhi.
Covaxin phase 2, 3 clinical trial for 2-18 yrs cleared
New Delhi: Covaxin
trials on children from
two to 18 years were
cleared by the Drugs
Controller General of
India (DCGI) on Thurs-
day. This is the first
time in India that a Cov-
id vaccine will be tested
on children.
Covaxin maker
Bharat Biotech said its
phase 2 and 3 trials
would be carried out on
“525 healthy volun-
teers”.
According to a gov-
ernment statement, the
drug regulator accepted
the recommendation of
an expert committee on
vaccines after careful
thought.
The trial involves two
vaccine doses injected
at day 0 and day 28.
The trials are to take
place at various sites,
including AIIMS, Delhi,
AIIMS, Patna and Med-
itrina Institute of Medi-
cal Sciences, Nagpur.
On Tuesday, the Sub-
ject Expert Committee
(SEC) on COVID-19 dis-
cussed Bharat Biotech’s
application requesting
permission to conduct
phase two and three tri-
als “to evaluate the safe-
ty, reactogenicity and
immunogenicity of Co-
vaxin jabs in children
aged 2 to 18 years”. —PTI
Puri,Tharoor
spar over
vaccine policy

z Health Ministry denies
media reports claiming
‘non-functional’ ventila-
tors at Faridkot hospital

z Serum Institute CEO
promised to deliver 1.5
cr Covishield doses to
Maharashtra after May
20, says Rajesh Tope

z Reduce GST on vac-
cine, COVID drugs to 0%,
release rice subsidy: MK
Stalin to PM Modi

z Madhya Pradesh CM
Shivraj Singh Chouhan
announces free education
for kids orphaned due to
COVID-19

z EC defers legislative
council polls in 9 seats in
AP, Telangana

z Health Ministry’s
eSanjeevani telemedicine
service records over 50
lakh consultations

z State-wide restric-
tions that were put in
place by the Maharashtra
government to curb the
spread of the COVID-19
infection will continue till
June 1.

z Employees at cre-
matoriums, cemeteries
demand priority in vac-
cinations

z India welcomes ship-
ment of 10,000 rapid
testing kits from Korea

z Bihar Chief Minister
Nitish Kumar extends
lockdown till May 25
New Delhi: Union Min-
ister Hardeep Singh
Puri and Congress MP
Shashi Tharoor sparred
on Twitter, with the
BJP leader accusing
Congress leaders of
fuelling vaccine hesi-
tancy and Tharoor hit-
ting back, saying when
will the Centre take re-
sponsibility for its
“manifest failures” of
policy rather than
pointing fingers at the
Opposition.
—PTI
‘Should we hang
ourselves over non-
availability of vax?’
New Delhi: Union Min-
ister for Chemicals and
Fertilisers DV Sadan-
anda Gowda on Thurs-
day remarked that
should the people in the
government hand them-
selves over it.
“The court has with
good intention said
everyone in the coun-
try should get vacci-
nated. I want to ask
you, if the court says
tomorrow that you
have to give this much
(of vaccine), if it has
not been produced yet,
should we hang our-
selves?” PTI quoted
Gowda as saying. —PTI
Delhi has surplus oxy, will give
to states that need: Dy CM
New Delhi: After near-
ly two weeks of fighting
it out in the Delhi High
Court and hitting out at
the Centre for not giv-
ing enough oxygen re-
quired to treat COV-
ID-19 patients, Delhi
Manish Sisodia on
Thursday informed
that the national capital
now has a surplus of
oxygen.
While addressing a
press conference, Siso-
dia said that after as-
sessing the COVID-19
situation, Delhi now
requires about 582 met-
ric tonnes of oxygen a
day and the surplus will
be given to other states
that need it.
“Today, after an as-
sessment of the COV-
ID-19 situation, Delhi’s
oxygen need is 582 MT
per day. As a responsi-
ble government, we will
give the surplus oxygen
to the States who need
it,” he said. He added
city’s positivity rate is
down to 14 per cent with
10,400 cases recorded in
a 24-hour period. —ANI
Manish Sisodia
New Delhi: As the
country battles the
second wave of COV-
ID-19, the govern-
ment Thursday said
thevirusmayemerge
again and so prepa-
rations have to be
made at the national
level in collaboration
with states, infra-
structure needs to be
ramped up while
curbs and appropri-
ate behaviour must
be followed.
Dismissing allega-
tions that the govern-
ment was unaware
of the intensity of
the second wave,
NITI Aayog member
(health) Dr V K Paul
said, “We kept warn-
ing again and again
from this platform
that the second wave
of COVID-19 will
come. “It was said
that the sero-positiv-
ity is 20 per cent, 80
per cent of the popu-
lation is still vulner-
able and that virus
has not gone any-
where and other
countries were also
witnessing a re-
surge.”
At a press confer-
ence, Paul said, “The
prime minister had
conveyed the country
about the emerging
second wave on
March 17 without
creating panic and
had said that we have
to fight it.” “Was
such a peak expect-
ed,” he said, “well, no
modelling can pre-
dict the size of a peak
as the unexpected
behaviour virus is
well known.” —PTI
Several Delhi
vaccination
centres shut
New Delhi:
Several vaccina-
tion centres where
Covaxin is being
administered in
national capital
on Thursday
remained closed
for the age group
of 18-44 years
due to its non-
availability. —ANI
COVID HIGHLIGHTS
Bharat Biotech said trial will be carried on 525 healthy volunteers.
Centre should float
global vax tenders:
Delhi Health Min
Actively considering
live telecast of SC
proceedings: CJI
New Delhi: Delhi
Health Minister Saty-
endar Jain on Thurs-
day said that he has
suggested to the Un-
ion Health Ministry
that the Central gov-
ernment should float
a single global tender
instead of various
states to purchase
COVID-19 vaccines.
Addressing a press
conference, the
health minister said,
“I suggested the
Health Ministry if
the vaccine has to be
purchased from for-
eign countries, then
instead of different
states floating differ-
ent global tenders,
the Centre should
purchase these vac-
cines on behalf of the
states,” he said.
“If in the interna-
tional market, Delhi
UP
, Karnataka, Kera-
la go separately to
purchase COVID vac-
cines, then it will be
an insult for the
country
,” he added.
Jain said 2 vaccine
manufacturers in In-
dia, Bharat Biotech
and Serum Institue
of India should share
their formula with
other firms to in-
crease vax produc-
tion. —ANI
New Delhi: Chief
Justice of India NV
Ramana on Thurs-
day said that he is
actively considering
the proposal to tele-
cast live proceedings
of Supreme Court.
“I am also actively
considering the pro-
posal to live telecast
the proceedings of
the Supreme Court.
However, before initi-
ating concrete steps
in this regard, I plan
to seek general con-
sensus among my
colleagues in the
Court,” the Chief
Justice said. In 2018,
the apex court or-
dered live-streaming
of Supreme Court
proceedings saying it
will increase the
transparency of judi-
cial proceedings,
however, the neces-
sary amendments to
the Supreme Court
rules have not yet
been made to frame
the modalities of the
process.
CJ Ramana was
speaking at launch of
the mobile applica-
tion which will ena-
ble journalists to re-
port virtual proceed-
ings without having
to visit court during
pandemic. —ANI
UPSC Civil Services pre
postponed to Oct 10
New Delhi: The
Union Public Ser-
vice Commission
(UPSC) on Thurs-
day postponed the
civil services pre-
liminary exami-
nation, scheduled
to be held in June,
to October 10 in
view of alarming
COVID situation.
The commis-
sion conducts civil
services examina-
tion annually in
three stages -- pre-
liminary, main
and interview -- to
select officers of
Indian Adminis-
trative Service
(IAS), Indian For-
eign Service (IFS)
and Indian Police
Service (IPS)
among others.
“Due to the pre-
vailing conditions
caused by the nov-
el coronavirus Un-
ion Public Service
Commission has
deferred the civil
services (prelimi-
nary) examina-
tion, 2021, which
was scheduled to
be held on 27th
June, 2021. Now,
this examination
will be held on
10th October,
2021,” a statement
issued by the com-
mission said. —PTI
CM YOGI SHARES PAIN
OF GRIEVING ALIGARH
MUSLIM UNIVERSITY
First India Bureau
Aligrah/Lucknow:
Chief Minister Yogi
Adityanath visited
AMU on Thursday to
take stock of the coro-
navirus situation at the
university, where at
least 35 serving and re-
tired faculty members
have died due to Covid
or COVID-like symp-
toms in the recent
weeks.
Expressing grief
over the deaths at Ali-
garh Muslim Univer-
sity’s Jawaharlal
Nehru Medical Col-
lege, he said he hoped
that the vaccination
drive on the campus
would pick up soon and
help in improving the
situation.
On his first visit to
AMU since he assumed
office in 2017, the chief
minister also said that
the supply of oxygen to
the university’s medi-
cal college is being
augmented. The uni-
versity hospital, how-
ever, hasn’t reported
any deaths due to the
shortage of oxygen.

T
he COVID-19 pandemic
has revealed uncom-
fortable and distressing
truths about American socie-
ty: namely, the struggle many
Americans face just getting by
.
Yet, while the pervasive
food insecurity that has al-
ways existed in the US became
more visible, how the problem
disproportionately affects
people with disabilities has
received less attention.
As an ethnographer of food,
poverty and welfare, I study
how people respond to eco-
nomic scarcity through car-
egiving networks. Although
caregiving networks like
neighborhood mutual aid
groups and pop-up food banks
quickly emerged to support
vulnerable groups during the
pandemic, people with disabil-
ities have continued to face
additional challenges.
HIGH RISK OF
FOOD INSECURITY
An estimated 25% of US
adults have some form of
physical or intellectual disa-
bility. Functional disabilities
– such as the inability to walk
more than a quarter of a mile,
climb stairs or lift objects
weighing over 10 pounds – are
among the most common.
People with disabilities are
more likely to experience oth-
er chronic health conditions
such as anxiety and depres-
sion, arthritis and cardiovas-
cular problems. They also
have higher rates of unem-
ployment and economic insta-
bility
. In 2019, the poverty rate
for Americans with disabili-
ties was almost 27% – more
than double the rate of those
without disabilities.
Collectively
,thesefactorsput
them at greater risk for food
insecurity
, which the USDA de-
fines as limited or uncertain
access to adequate food.
Yet people with disabilities
are underrepresented in ac-
counts of pandemic-related
poverty and food insecurity
.
Given their reduced access to
food shopping, they are less
likely to be included in re-
search on disruptions to the
food system. This is prompting
demandsfromhealthresearch-
ers and disability activists for
greaterattentionandsolutions.
SHOPPING WITH
A DISABILITY
Even before the pandemic,
limited physical access to food
shopping and preparation for
persons with disabilities led to
greater reliance on precooked
and heavily processed foods.
In the early stages of the
pandemic, many Americans
endured long lines and stocked
up on groceries to avoid repeat
trips to the stores. But these
inconveniences – as well as go-
ing from store to store in
search of scarce goods – can be
physically and emotionally
grueling for people with limit-
ed mobility or stability
, or who
are easily exhausted. And al-
though many supermarkets
createdspecialshoppinghours
for elderly and disabled cus-
tomers, getting there at spe-
cific times required people to
either be able to drive or navi-
gate the scheduling uncertain-
ties of public transportation.
Once inside stores, disa-
bled persons are further dis-
enfranchised by the physical
limitations of shopping.
Shopping for one to two weeks
– as public health officials
had recommended – is espe-
cially difficult while using a
wheelchair or motorized
scooter that holds only a
small basket of goods. The
same is true for pushing a
cart or carrying a basket
while using a walker or cane.
Customers who are able to
drive themselves to shop may
also find themselves unable to
get their items from the store
into their vehicles. Stores that
once offered assistance
stopped these services in or-
der to protect their employees.
Food donation and delivery
programs attempted to meet
some of these needs by provid-
ing meals and groceries for
several days or even weeks at
time. Despite these efforts, de-
mand outstripped the availa-
bility of both food supplies
and volunteers.
For some individuals with
disabilities, going to a food
bank or community service
center was also an important
social encounter – an opportu-
nity to visit friends, access
news and interact with social
workers. Once those programs
were shuttered or made con-
tactless, many people were
further isolated in their
homes. Studies have shown
that social isolation among
people with disabilities reduc-
es not only access to food but
also the motivation to prepare
and eat food.
While new digital technolo-
gies have allowed customers
to outsource their food shop-
ping to gig workers, they re-
quire basic infrastructure,
equipment and knowledge
that may be unaffordable to
low-income people with disa-
bilities. Moreover, reliance on
others to choose one’s food can
cause people to feel a loss of
control and autonomy over
their food choices.
In many ways, the stories
that have been most visible
around food insecurity have
been those of the people who
were in fact able to stand in
lines, stock up on groceries
and even barter with neigh-
bors for supplies. During a
pandemic that has made life
much more difficult for bil-
lions of people around the
world, I believe the experienc-
es of disabled persons have
become further marginalized
and less visible.
MELISSA L CALDWELL
Professor of Anthropology, University
of California, Santa Cruz
Despite support from caregiving networks, people with
disabilities have still struggled amid the pandemic.
—ALEXANDER RATHS/STOCK.ADOBE.COM
Stocking up on food can be tough when using a
wheelchair, motorized scooter, walker or cane.
—PAUL HENNESSY/NURPHOTO VIA GETTY IMAGES
Standing in long queues to shop for
essentials meant physically exhausting trips
to stores for those with physical disabilities.
—DAVID ROGERS/GETTY IMAGES
SOURCE:
THECONVERSATION.COM
TALKING POINT
07
WHY PEOPLE WITH
DISABILITIES ARE AT GREATER
RISK OF GOING HUNGRY –
ESPECIALLY DURING
A PANDEMIC

08
2NDFRONT
First India Bureau
Ahmedabad: A wom-
an police inspector
of a Mahila Police
Station has been ar-
rested in connection
with a honey trap
case. The woman
cop’s arrest comes
after 4 people were
nabbed in a case in
which businessmen
were targeted for ex-
tortion through hon-
eytrap.
It is suspected that
the extorted money
may have also made its
way to higher officials
in the police depart-
ment. The Crime
Branch nabbed Geeta
Pathan and is investi-
gating how many
people were victims of
the extortion and hon-
ey trap.
Earlier Jitendra
Modi, Bipin Parmar
and Unnati Rajput
were held for targeting
businessmen through
honeytraps. The trio
would target business-
men through friend-
ship and then file
a false application
with the Mahila police
station against them
under POCSO and
for rape.
They would then ne-
gotiate with the busi-
nessmen to withdraw
the case. The men
would Unnati and one
another woman Jinal
to befriend the busi-
nessmen. They would
call them to meet at a
hotel or some isolated
place. The next day
they would file a com-
plaint against the busi-
nessmen with the Ma-
hila police station.
They would then be
called to the police sta-
tion where they would
be encouraged to reach
a compromise which
often involved paying
off the complainant.
It later emerged
that the police in-
spector of Mahila po-
lice station Geeta Pa-
than was also in-
volved in the scam
and that she was in-
strumental in negoti-
ating the deals.
It is suspected that
other cops may also
have been involved in
similar cases. It is sus-
pected that many
gangs operating in
Sardarnagar use simi-
lar tactics with the
help of cops from vari-
ous police stations.
Mahilapoliceinspectorheldforextortionthroughhoneytraps
Cops believe the extorted money
may have been passed on to higher
officials in the police department
Mahila Police Station inspector Geeta Pathan, who was arrested.
First India Bureau
Rajkot: After remain-
ing suspended for a
month, trading of agri-
cultural commodities
partially resumed on
the yard of Agricultur-
al Produce Market
Committee (APMC) in
Rajkot but without
auction with traders
saying the decision
was to help farmers.
“We were receiving
requests from farmers
to help them sell their
harvest, some of them
needed money in the
time of Covid pandem-
ic while others had to
settle their accounts
with share-croppers.
Some said their pro-
duce were kept in the
open on their farms,”
Atul Kamani, presi-
dent of Rajkot APMC
Commission Agents
Association, said.
“We requested the
APMC chairman to al-
low partial resump-
tion of operations
since there is no cer-
tainty from the gov-
ernment on reopening
of APMCs. After the
APMC administration
agreed, trading re-
sumed on Wednesday,”
he added.
Trade resumes
partially at
Rajkot APMC
without auction
EID
MUBARAK!
Amidst all the
gloom in the time
of Covid-19 crisis,
the moonrise on
Thursday evening
heralded Eid-ul-Fitr
as Muslims gathered
at the the Jama
Masjid in Ahmedabad
to watch it.
—PHOTO BY
HANIF SINDHI
TEENDIESTRYINGAROPE
STUNTAROUNDNECK
Vadodara cops nab a person
for selling O2 on black market
First India Bureau
Surat: A 13-year-old
boy was strangled to
death after a rope got
entangled around his
neck when he was alleg-
edly performing a stunt
at his home in Surat,
police said on Thursday
.
According to the
boy’s parents, the Class
8 student was fond of
making videos of stunts
and uploading them on
social media and video
sharing platforms such
as TikTok.
It was on Wednesday
evening when the boy
was found hanging
from a rope attached to
a large nail on the wall
of the verandah of his
house in Sarthana area
of the city, inspector M
K Gurjar of Sarthana
police station said.
“We assume that the
incident took place
around 5 pm when oth-
ers in the family were
not at home. When the
boy was found hanging
from a rope around 6.30
pm, he was rushed to a
nearby hospital, where
hewasdeclaredbrought
dead,” the official said.
First India Bureau
Vadodara: The Va-
dodara Crime Branch
has arrested an
Ahmedabad resident
with three oxygen cyl-
inders on the charges of
black marketeering ox-
ygen cylinders.
Crime Branch Police
Inspector A B Jadeja
and his team had re-
ceived information that
a person residing in
Amraiwadi of
Ahmedabad is reaching
Vadodara and carrying
oxygen’s three cylin-
ders and they are ex-
pected to sell it at a pre-
mium in Vadodara.
The team had kept a
watch on Express High-
way and Vadodara ap-
proach road and inter-
cepted the vehicle. They
found three cylinders
from the vehicle’s boot.
The cylinders with ca-
pacity of 47 litre each
have a market value of
Rs 1,07,970 and the four-
wheeler’s value is Rs 4
lakh that too is seized.
Jadeja told mediaper-
sons that the police were
now looking into his lo-
calconnections,through
whom he was selling
cylinders, whether this
was his maiden trip and
first trade or in the past
he had sold cylinders at
premium charges. Po-
lice have apprehension
that this could lead to a
major racket of black
marketeering of oxygen
cylinders.
Meanwhile, a pizza
centre owner was ar-
rested for violation of
night curfew beyond 8
p.m. A Samaritan citi-
zen alerted the Va-
dodara city police con-
trol room and cops ar-
rested the owner
Vishal Liladhar.
The youth (right) who died.
The arrested person being taken by cops.
13 blue bulls fall in Narmada canal, five killed
First India Bureau
Ahmedabad: In a trag-
ic incident, five blue
bulls from a herd of 13
of them were killed
when they all fell into
the Morbi Branch Ca-
nal of the Narmada pro-
ject near Rajsitapur vil-
lage in Dhrangadhra
taluka of Surendrana-
gar, forest officers said
Wednesday
.
The herd fell in the ir-
rigation canal of the
Narmada project at
10.30 am Tuesday, SS
Asoda, the deputy con-
servator of forests
(DCF) of Wild Ass Sanc-
tuary in Dhrangadhra
said.
“Our team rushed to
the spot and launched a
rescue operation. How-
ever, a few of the blue
bulls could not be
saved,” the DCF said.
“We managed to res-
cue eight blue bulls and
pull them out of the ca-
nal. However, other five
died. We fished out car-
casses of two in the
morning. Three carcass-
es were trapped in a sy-
phon. We recovered two
Tuesday evening. But
one is still trapped in the
structure and efforts are
on to recover it,” Karim
Multani,therangeforest
officer of Dhrangadhra
wildlife range, said.
Forest officers said
the herd of the herbi-
vores could have fell in
the canal accidentally
or may have been driv-
en into it. “They could
have slipped in the ca-
nal while trying to
drink water or could
have been chased and
driven into the canal by
those whom they could
be bothering. We are in-
vestigating the matter,”
Multani said.
NARMADA CANAL. —FILE PHOTO
LOCAL ‘RESIDENTS’
CAREFREEYOUNGSTERSARECOVID
SUPERSPREADERS,SAYSSURVEY
First India Bureau
Rajkot: Carefree youth
sauntering around in
the belief that they
have strong immunity
are the biggest contrib-
utors to the menacing
surge of Covid-19 in-
fections in and around
Rajkot.
This has been re-
vealed in an empirical
survey carried out by
researchers of Rajkot-
based Saurashtra Uni-
versity who tried to find
who the virus super-
spreaders were.
Dimpal Ramani and
Hasmukh Chavda, both
assistant professors,
surveyed 1,080 people
who were found roam-
ing outside without
any genuine reason
and found that 71% of
them were in the age
group of 15-40 years.
“We saw that vegeta-
ble vendors or grocery
shop owners were often
dubbed as superspread-
ers. But we have found
that these youngsters
are actually responsible
for the spread as they
not only move around
without reason but also
give two hoots to Covid
rules like masks and so-
cial distancing,” said
Ramani. They decided
to carry out the survey
as the number of daily
cases in Rajkot contin-
ue to remain high de-
spite night curfew and a
near lockdown of com-
mercial activities.
Rajkot city has re-
corded nearly 40,000
Covid-19 cases since the
outbreak of pandemic
last year.
Researchers said
these youngsters were
unable to confine
themselves to the four
walls of their house
and would venture out
by giving various ex-
cuses to their family
members.
In the survey, 17%
people found moving
outside without reason
were in the age group of
40-55 while 12% were
above the age of 56.
Ramani said, “We
found that teenagers
and youngsters are the
actual superspreaders
because they venture
out by giving various
excuses or convincing
their parents with emo-
tional blackmail.”
Yogesh Jogsan, head
of the SU’s psychology
department said,
“These youngsters are
unmarried and they
don’t have family re-
sponsibility. They be-
lieve their immunity is
strong but the senior
citizens of their fami-
lies and children get
infected as these youths
are virus carriers.”
—FILE PHOTO
Dimpal Ramani and
Hasmukh Chavda, both
assistant professors,
surveyed 1,080 people
who were found
roaming outside without
any genuine reason
and found that 71% of
them were in the age
group of 15-40 years
ANTI-WOMAN MAHILA COP!!
Eid Mubarak, may it bring
peace, harmony and good health
to each one of us!
—Jagdeesh Chandra, CEO Editor-in-Chief, First India

AHMEDABAD, FRIDAY
MAY 14, 2021
www.firstindia.co.in I www.firstindia.co.in/epaper/ I twitter.com/thefirstindia
facebook.com/thefirstindia I instagram.com/thefirstindia 09
Eid ul-Fitr brings a message of hope as always and as the nation
grapples with one of the worst crisis ever, we all wish ki ‘dua kabool ho’!
A prayer and a goodwill message reach out to each and everyone
fighting a battle for self and others. It’s time for the message of love and
brotherhood of Eid to imbue the surroundings and for us to pledge
support and love for each other, to stand by our people! Ameen!
—PHOTO BY SUMIT KUMAR

10
ETC
F
A
C
E
O
F
T
H
E
D
A
Y
MOONIE, Model
LEO
JULY 24 - AUGUST 23
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.
LIBRA
SEPT 24 - OCTOBER 22
A profitable day is also
indicated for professionals.
There is much that needs
to be done, so tighten your
belt. Good health is likely to provide
you with oodles of energy and enable
you to finish your work in a jiffy.
Budgetary planning will be required
for those going in for a renovation.
ARIES
MAR 21 - APR 20
At work, you are likely to
remain in control and see a
project to completion.
Financially, you remain in a
comfortable situation. Travelling long
distance is not recommended today.
Shifting into a new house is possible
for some. Someones encouragement
will keep you going.
SAGITTARIUS
NOV 23 - DEC 22
A child or younger sibling
can make you proud by his
or her achievements. Good
health keeps you energetic
all throughout. A get together can
prove expensive and pinch your
pocket. Booking a new property is
indicated. Students are likely to fare
well and achieve their goals.
GEMINI
MAY 21 - JUNE 21
Your professional rivals are
likely to punch holes in
your cost-cutting ideas for
a project. Disagreements
with a family member is possible.
Those proceeding out of town are
likely to make good speed and reach
their destination without any
problems.
AQUARIUS
JAN 21 - FEB 19
An argument with senior can
make you feel insecure. You
may find the atmosphere on
the home front serene and
most welcoming. An alternative to your
staple diet may prove immensely
enjoyable. Excellent showing on the
academic front is likely to add a feather
to your cap.
TAURUS
APR 21 - MAY 20
Some of you may get tied
up in office and reach
home late today. It may
become difficult to find
time for family today, but you will be
able to make up for it later. Giving
out property on rent at favourable
terms and conditions is indicated for
some property owners.
CAPRICORN
DEC 23 - JAN 20
Parents or elders may nag
you into doing something
you don’t want to, but you
will manage to wriggle out
of it! Accompanying a family
member overseas or out of town
cannot be ruled out for some.
Chances of getting hoodwinked in a
property deal look real.
VIRGO
AUG 24 - SEP 23
A profitable venture is
likely to fill up the coffers
of some businesspersons.
You may be held responsi-
ble for a deed that you have not
committed at work. Fitness classes
will prove immensely beneficial,
especially for those in the middle age
group.
CANCER
JUNE 22 - JULY 23
On the financial front, a
new source of income is
likely to be tapped soon
that may get your coffers
brimming! Health counselling will do
wonders for those longing to come
back in shape. You are likely to win
much appreciation by completing a
task in record time.
PISCES
FEB20 - MARCH 20
This is a very positive day,
in which you get to achieve
much. It is important to get
back into the thick of
things on the work front. Family
grapevine can be abuzz with the
latest gossip about you. Renovation
work of a property owned by you is
likely to enhance.
SCORPIO
OCT 23 - NOVEMBER 22
A practical solution may be
found for a complex
problem on the profes-
sional front. Support of
family members is assured. Some
builders may start thinking in terms
of a township soon. Someone with
questionable manners can irritate
you a lot.
YOUR
DAY
Horoscope by
Saurabbh Sachdeva
he story goes that these
were invented by a chef to
a Nawab (nobleman) who
had lost all his teeth due to
his general overindul-
gence. To keep enjoying
his chef’s food, the Nawab
asked the chef to create something
that meant he could eat meat with-
outhavingtochew.Thisgaveriseto
the shami kebab.
Shami kababs are boiled or sau-
teed minced goat meat and chick-
peas (chana daal) with whole hot
spices(garammasala,blackpepper,
cinnamon, cloves, bay leaves),
wholeginger,wholegarlicandsome
salttotasteuntilcompletelytender.
Onions, turmeric, chilli powder,
egg, chopped green coriander,
choppedgreenchilliesandchopped
mintleavesmaybeaddedinprepar-
ing kebab. Garam masala powder
(ground spices) may be used in
place of whole hot spices.
The cooked meat is then ground
in such a way that it is fibrous and
does not become a paste. It is then
shaped into diamond or round pat-
ties and is shallow fried. With a rise
in vegetarianism and veganism,
various new methods and recipes
of making Shami kabab have
emerged in the subcontinent.
MANOJ EDWIN
Nibolson’s Kitchen
T
R
ogan josh was brought
to Kashmir by the
Mughals, whose cui-
sine was in turn influ-
enced by Persian cuisine, and
is one of the main dishes of the
wazwan. Rogan means clari-
fied butter (ghee) or fat in Per-
sian while josh is heat or pas-
sion. Another interpretation
of the name Rogan josh is de-
rived from the word Rogan
meaning red colour (the same
Indo-European root that is the
source of the French rouge and
the Spanish Rojo and josh
meaning passion or heat.
Whatever the origins of the
name, this is one delicious
dish.
I adapted the recipe from
’Cooking Delights of the Maha-
rajas’ by Digvijaya Singh.
 1 kilo Mutton (1000 grams)
 300 grams ghee
 4 teaspoons grated ginger
 300 grams curd
 Salt to taste
 Hing – a pinch dis-
solved in water
 Saffron – a pinch
dissolved in water
 10 dried red chil-
lies (optional)
 2 teaspoon Kash-
miri Mirch powder – for
colour
MAKE POWDER
 4 large black carda-
moms
 20 green cardamoms
 8’’ cinnamon
 30 black peppercorns
 10 dried red chillies – remove
seeds if you wish to make it less
spicy
 2 tablespoons whole coriander
seeds
METHOD
 Heat ghee, add meat and hing
water, stir on high heat to seal
meat, cook covered on medium
heat for 10 minutes till water
dries out.
 Add dried red chillies if using,
whipped curd along with ginger,
bhuna well and cook covered.
 When meat is 90% done add all
other spices, mix well… and on
a low heat cook covered for 30
minutes allowing the masalas
and meat to cook under dum
till the meat almost falls off the
bone and only the ghee remains.
Here hing, ghee and lots of
tenders and
slow cooking under dum play an
important role. Hope you enjoy
the beauty of the dish just as
much as I did.
KASHMIRI ROGAN JOSH RECIPE
Shami Kebab Recipe
Minced lean mutton from leg 1
kilo. 200 grams split grams (Chana).
Salt to taste. Red Chillies whole 10
nos. Sliced onion 1 large. Ginger
scraped 20 gms. Garlic chopped 20
gms. Garam Masala powder 15 gms.
Curd 100 gms. Onions chopped 100
gms. Green chillies finely chopped 10
gms.
Wash and boil the minced meat
with all the mentioned ingredients
above with 12 cups of water for one
hour. When the meat is tender, dry
the liquids completely. Grind the
meat very finely
. Divide into 20 equal
parts. For stuffing, mix chopped on-
ions, green chillies. Flatten each
part of the meat, put in its centre one
part of the stuffing and shape into a
ball, wetting hands with a little wa-
ter to give kebabs a smooth and even
shape. Heat the ghee in a frying pan
and shallow fry the kebabs on me-
dium heat till golden brown.
DELICACIES
Eid-ul-Fitr
Eid-ul-Fitr

ETC
11
he time of the year when the
air gets filled with rejoicing
and colours. As Ramadan
draws to a close, Muslims all
over the world will be celebrat-
ing Eid ul-Fitr on Friday
, May
14. However, this year too, the
celebrations will look quite differ-
ent but that does not mean you
can’t be all dressed up and cele-
brate at home, does it? When it
comes to Eid, we all want the spe-
cial kind of outlook to garner all
the praises of the day. With that
thought, City First brings you a
few of the best exuberant styles
to help you rock your Eid look.
THE HIJAB LOOK
Hijab is a crown for so many
hijab loving girls. There
isn’t one dress that can’t
look good with hijab.
And experimenting
with the different ways
in which one can wear
this crown is always
fun.
THE SAREE LOOK
You can’t go wrong
with an absolute
timeless classic- Sa-
ree, paired up with
accessories. You
could also opt
for some col-
o u r f u l
chunky afghan jewellery to give it
an uber-chic look.
THE LEHNGA-CHUNNI LOOK
If you love to wear Lehnga-chun-
ni, make sure to pair it with some
heavy jewellery and a nice hair-
style to complete the look. It’s
probably one of the best looks to
obtain your traditional gaze.
ANGHARKAS
This traditional frock style dress
has made a comeback for the fes-
tive season, the longer the Ang-
harka, the better. It can be worn in
an array of different designs and
materials like floral prints or
printed chiffon. You could opt for
an embellished design as well if
you want to go for a more
decked up to look.
CHAAND RAAT
CHAAND RAAT
MUBARAK
MUBARAK
KARISHMA GWALANI
Karishma.gwalani@firstindia.co.in
T
The renowned model/ac-
tor Shabnamistan Jabeen
believes, “Eid is one of the
perfect festivals where we
scream our fashion skills
while holding our modesty.
But this time as the covid
crisis, we can’t step out to
shop for what we exactly
want. So for me, an ideal
look would be sober and
elegant. I would love to
pair my new mulmul white
kurta with net borders and
soothing semi palazzo pant
decking up with a beautiful
red dupatta. For the festive
feel, I would love to add
some oxidized jewellery
and bangles to it.”
Shabnamistan Jabeen
CITY FIRST BRINGS YOU A FEW OF THE BEST EXUBERANT STYLES
TO HELP YOU ROCK YOUR EID LOOK AND WITH
THAT THOUGHT, WE WISH EID UL-FITR MUBARAK TO EVERYONE!

CITY FIRST
U
nder the ‘Together against co-
rona’ mission, Unique Build-
ers, the state’s leading real es-
tate company has taken the
initiative to provide free oxygen con-
centrators to the general public in
Jaipur. Managing Director of the
group, Vibhishek Pal Singh said that
in this crisis of the Corona epidemic,
Unique Builders are there for the
needy. They are trying their best for
patients to not lose their lives due to
lack of oxygen. They also released a
helpline number- 9509430000 for the
same. Patients who are in need can
avail of the services by calling the
number provided. This pandemic re-
quires us all to stick around and
Unique Builders are on their way to
set an example. cityfirst@firstindia.co.in
12
CITY BUZZ
GET VACCINATED
STAY MASKED
EID-UL-FITR MUBARAK
City First got candid with a few people about their plans to celebrate Eid amid prevailing
Covid-19 and an unprecedented lockdown!
he holy month
of Ramadan
has come to an
end and unlike
all the endings,
thiscomeswith
a beautiful fes-
tival of practising love,
care and kindness: Eid.
Eid-ul-Fitr in its true
essence is the celebra-
tion of the blessings
and sharing a part of
them with others. How-
ever, due to the lethal
second wave of corona-
virus, people ought to
celebrate Eid festivities
at the comfort of their
homes with homemade
Kimami Sewai, Biry-
ani, kebabs and Sheer
Khurma. City First got
candid with a few peo-
ple about their plans to
celebrate Eid amid pre-
vailing Covid-19 and an
unprecedented lock-
down.
India Naqvi, a fash-
ion influencer, said,
“This is the 2nd year we
are celebrating Eid
amid lockdown and like
last year we will cele-
brate Eid virtually via
zoom. Ramadan and
Eid are about charity,
and while we may feel
sad about not having
new clothes or not be-
ing able to meet friends,
we must not forget
about the people in
need. We have decided
to help them out with
rations, clothes etc.
and make their Eid
blissful as well.”
Mahak Khan
shared, “This is the 2nd
year we are celebrating
Eid amid lockdown and
like last year we will cel-
ebrate Eid virtually via
zoom. Ramadan and Eid
are about charity, and
while we may feel sad
about not having new
clothes or not being
able to meet friends, we
must not forget about
the people in need.
We have decided to
help them out with
rations, clothes etc.
and make their Eid
blissful as well.”
While it is all about
counting blessings for
Dr Kashish Ruhani
Samuel, an occupation-
al therapist, she said, “I
never really thought
that we would be cele-
brating our second Eid
amidst the pandemic as
well. But, I’m blessed to
spend my Eid with my
family. I will get up in
the morning, freshen
up and change into
something nice, offer
Namaz, have a good
hearty meal with the
family and spend a re-
laxed day, that is the
perfect way to spend
Eid for me.”
While Zahid Akhtar,
a moto vlogger, shared
hisplans,hesaid,“We’ll
stay and home and
abide by Covid guide-
lines by offering Namaz
at home followed by
helping my mother in
the kitchen since pre-
paring a feast with biry-
ani, sewai and kebabs
isn’t easy. I’m looking
forward to being with
just family and vlog this
experience to share
with my audience.”
MONICA
PRABHAKAR
cityfirst@firstindia.co.in
T
HAPPY BIRTHDAY!
Revenue Minister Harish Chaudhary celebrated his birthday
on Thursday, May 13. We wish him all the best!
Jinendra Singh Shekhawat, Editor (News), First India News
channel celebrated his birthday on May 13, Thursday. We wish
him all the best!
CITY FIRST, GUJARAT
G
CS Hospital’s
Nurses celebrat-
ed this Interna-
tional Nurses
Day on Wednesday
, with
the COVID patients.
Antakshari, Garba,
Pranayama, and
Yoga were organ-
ized in the COVID
wards to encourage the
Nurses as well as to help
the COVID patients stay
stress-free. Patients
were overjoyed by tak-
ing part in these and
watching the enthusi-
asm of the nursing
team. This special effort
was made by the Nurses
to make the patients for-
get their pain during
this tough time. Nurses
are a very important
link between the patient
and the doctor, who
are at the service of
the patients round-
the-clock. More
than 285 nurses at
GCS Hospital,
Ahmedabad have per-
formed their duties in
COVID Wards, where
more than 7000 COVID
patients were treated
successfully
.
HAPPY ANNIVERSARY!
Senior journalist Rajendra Chhabra with wife Chitra Chhabra celebrated their 50th year golden
jubilee marriage anniversary with family at home on Thursday, May 13. We wish them all the
best! Seen here with them are Avika, Chavi, Yash, Aarav, Swati and Pulkit
A moment of joy
COVID CARE CENTER
WORTH CRORES
LUNARAM DARJI, JALORE
I
n the midst of the
corona outbreak,
Babulal Bhansali,
managing director
of Bhansali Engineer-
ing Polymers Ltd. took
the commendable ini-
tiative to open a Covid
Center in Sanchore at a
cost of crores, com-
plete with ventilators,
X-ray machines, and
other facilities. The
center is equipped
with 50 beds in-
cluding 10 ICU
beds, 5 semi-ICU
beds, and 35 normal
beds with oxygen fa-
cilities. The number of
beds will be expanded
to meet the needs of the
patients. Patients and
their families will re-
ceive free care as well
as free food.
Bhansali gave Rs 2.15
to the Chief Minister’s
Relief Fund for con-
structing six oxygen
plants in Jalore and
Sirohi.
He is currently run-
ning a center at the
Global Trauma Center
in Sirohi along with
two covid care centers
in Mumbai in which
patients are not only
treated for free but also
food and medicines for
them are being ar-
ranged. Bhansali is
seen constantly serv-
ing humanity in the
corona epidemic.
CITY FIRST
R
ambagh Palace, the
5-Star luxurious and
heritage hotel in Jaipur
has secured 2nd
Rank in India and 11th
rank in Asia in TripAdvi-
sor Travellers Choice
Awards for 2021. This award
category includes family re-
sorts to boutique charmers: the
highest-rated stays around the
world. The results are drawn
from the experiences of the
best experts possible, the real
travellers who’ve been there be-
fore. Rambagh Palace has been
positioned as the most exclu-
sive Luxury Palace residence
which has been converted
into a hotel and is part of
the Grand Palaces of Taj.
Over the years Rambagh has
played gracious host to several
illustrious guests, royalty and
celebrities. It is a matter of
pride for not only Rajasthan but
for the whole of India to have
such a heritage hotel.
PROUD MOMENT
CoviservforCovid-19
CITY FIRST
P
randharinTrust,
a leading organi-
sation in Jaipur
engaged in so-
cial concerns, has
started Coviserv for
the families of peo-
plewhodieddueto
thevirus.Training
for Skill-based em-
ployment will be pro-
vided across India. Re-
sponsibility of educa-
tion for children below
18 years will also be
taken. The founder of
the trust, Dr Sanjeev
Das said that the appli-
cation can be submit-
ted online from the
Pran app or in hard
copy
. Special letters
have been sent to the
Central Secretaries
of Social Justice
and Women and
ChildDevelopment
andthePrincipalSec-
retaries of all states, to
help affected families
become self-reliant.
FREE OXYGEN
CONCENTRATOR
SERVICE
Rambagh Palace, Jaipur
Insia Naqvi Kashish Ruhani Samuel Zahid Akhtar Mahak Khan
Doctors with the patient
During the live session

First India-Ahmedabad Edition-14 May 2021

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