First India-Lucknow Edition-10 May 2021

MEGA VAX DRIVE
IN UP FROM
TODAY
Lucknow: CM Yogi will be
launching an aggressive
COVID-19 vaccination
in 11 more districts. The
vaccine for the 18+ age
group will now be admin-
istered from Monday. The
drive will be held in 17 Na-
gar Nigams and Gautam
Budh Nagar & districts
include Lucknow, Kanpur,
Prayagraj, Varanasi, Gora-
khpur, Meerut, Bareilly,
Aligarh, Agra, Ghaziabad,
Jhansi, Moradabad,
Saharanpur, Firozabad,
Mathura, Ayodhya,
Shahjahapur and Gautam
Budh Nagar. More on P2
As Coronavirus cases recede, Covid curfew extended in UP
First India Bureau
Lucknow: Chief Min-
ister Yogi Adityanath-
led Uttar Pradesh gov-
ernment on Sunday ex-
tended the statewide
Covid curfew ending on
Monday by a week.
The “corona curfew”
was earlier scheduled to
end at 7 am on May 10.
In a statement issued
here, Additional Chief
Secretary (Informa-
tion), Navneet Sehgal
said the “corona cur-
few” imposed in the
state has been extended
till May 17 morning.
“The corona curfew
imposed in the state is
giving positive results,
and it is helping in
breaking the chain of
COVID infection. The
number of active COV-
ID-19 cases is register-
ing a decline. In this
scenario, it has been
decided to extend the
corona curfew till 7 am
on May 17,” Additional
Chief Secretary
(Information) Navneet
Sehgal said.
Essential work such
as vaccination, indus-
trial activity and medi-
cal-related work are al-
lowed. Turn to P6
BREAKING THE CHAIN
The corona curfew im-
posed in the state is giv-
ing positive results, and
it is helping in breaking
the chain of COVID
infection. The number of
active COVID-19 cases
is registering a decline.
In this scenario, it has
been decided to extend
the corona curfew till
7 am on May 17-Ad-
ditional Chief Secretary
(Information) Navneet
Sehgal said.
CM Yogi Adityanath inaugurated a mega Covid-19 hospital in Varanasi on Sunday
During this period, all essential
services will be allowed and
vaccination drive will continue
LUCKNOW l MONDAY, MAY 10, 2021 l Pages 12 l 3.00 RNI NO. UPENG/2020/04393 l Vol 1 l Issue No. 149
OUR EDITIONS: JAIPUR, AHMEDABAD LUCKNOW
NEPAL’S
NEPAL’S
Nearly half of the Nepalese
testpositiveinfewweeksas
covid cases rise by 1200%
Nepalese army personnel in PPE suits salute to pay tributes to the COVID-19 victims before
cremating their bodies near Pashupatinath temple in Kathmandu. —PHOTO BY PTI
Kathmandu: Health
workers and authori-
ties in Nepal are strug-
gling to contain a mas-
sive surge of Covid-19
cases as infections
spill over from neigh-
bouring India’s deadly
second wave.
In the last three
weeks, Nepal’s daily
case trajectory has
shot up with two out
of five people tested
now returning posi-
tive. On Thursday
, Ne-
pal reported 9,023 cas-
es, the highest single
day increase.
More than 3,500 peo-
ple have died since the
pandemic began, 400
of them in the last two
weeks alone, accord-
ing to official figures.
“Health facilities
have been flooded with
symptomatic cases …
Thesituationcouldbe-
come worse in the
coming days,” said He-
manta Chandra Ojha
at Nepal’s Epidemiol-
ogy and Disease Con-
trol Division.
“We can manage
the oxygen supplies
but ventilators and
ICU facilities required
for the treatment of
severe cases are in
short supply
.”
Thecountry’shealth
system has been over-
whelmed by the sud-
den spike, with hospi-
tals filling fast. Rela-
tives of patients are
scrambling for medi-
cineandintensivecare
beds. Turn to P6
Guwahati: Himanta
Biswa Sarma will suc-
ceedSarbanandaSonow-
al as the 15th Chief Min-
isterof Assam--hiselec-
tion at the Legislature
Partymeetingtodayend-
ingweeksof speculation
on the subject. At the
meeting held in Guwa-
hationSunday
,Sonowal
hadproposedhisname
after Prime Minister
Narendra Modi gave
his approval for Sar-
ma’s elevation. It was
seconded by the MLAs.
Sarma,52,latermetGov-
ernor Jagdish Mukhi to
stake claim to form gov-
ernment. The oath cere-
mony will be held on
Monday
.
Sonowal had submit-
ted his resignation to
the Governor earlier
this afternoon.
The BJP won a sec-
ond straight term in the
recently concluded as-
sembly polls in the
state. The party won 60
seats in the 126-member
Turn to P6
Himanta clinches Assam,
to take oath as CM today
Sarma has been
BJP’s key man and
troubleshooter in
Northeast region
PASSING THE BATON: Assam’s CM designate Himanta Biswa
with BJP leader Sarbananda Sonowal in Guwahati on Sunday.
CORONA
CATASTROPHE
INDIA
4,03,738
4,092
new cases
new fatalities
DEPRESSING NUMBERS

z Last month, the
little Himalayan nation
that has around 31
million people was
reporting just about
100 cases a day.
Now, that figure is
slowly nearing the
10,000-mark

z Nepal is reporting
about 20 cases
per 100,000 people
a day

z There are hospital
bed shortages in 22
of the country’s 77
districts

z Health workers
on long-term leave
are being called back
to help manage the
crisis, while the Nepal
Army directed retired
medical staff to stand
ready to be recalled
to combat the crisis
How enor-
mously bless-
ed I feel by
PM Narendra Modi’s
faith in me. I assure
you we shall leave no
stone unturned to
carry forward your
vision of taking
Assam, Northeast
to greater heights
Himanta Biswa Sarma,
Assam’s next Chief Minister
DARK
ABYSS
ABYSS
Did Chinese
scientists plan
weaponising
corona in 2015?
Report says so
Beijing: A document
written by Chinese sci-
entists and health offi-
cials before the pan-
demic in 2015 states that
SARS coronaviruses
were a “new era of ge-
netic weapons” that
could be “artificially
manipulated into an
emerging human dis-
ease virus, then weap-
onised and unleashed,
reported Weekend Aus-
tralian.
The paper titled The
Unnatural Origin of
SARS and New Species
of Man-Made Viruses
as Genetic Bioweapons
suggested that World
War Three would be
fought with biological
weapons. The docu-
ment revealed that Chi-
nese military scientists
were discussing the
weaponisation of SARS
coronaviruses five
years before the COV-
ID-19 pandemic. The
report by Weekend Aus-
tralian was published
in news.com.au.
Turn to P6
Covid virus airborne, can spread
beyond6ft:TopUSmedicalbody
New Delhi: The prin-
cipal mode by which
people are infected with
SARS-CoV-2, the virus
that causes COVID-19,
is through very fine
aerosolised particles re-
leased during respira-
tion, the US Centers for
Disease Control and
Prevention said in new
guidelines, almost a
month after the Lancet
found the virus is trans-
mitted through the air.
The top US medical
body said the risk of
transmission is great-
est within three to six
feet of an infectious
source where the con-
centration of these very
fine droplets and parti-
cles is greatest.
Modes of SARS-
CoV-2 transmission are
now categorized as in-
halation of virus, depo-
sition of virus on ex-
posed mucous mem-
branes, and touching
mucous membranes
with soiled hands con-
taminated with virus.
“People release res-
piratory fluids during
exhalation (quiet
breathing, speaking,
singing,exercise,cough-
ing, sneezing) in the
form of droplets across
a spectrum of sizes.1-9
These droplets carry vi-
rus and transmit infec-
tion,” said the top US
medical body
. Turn to P6
PM MODI CONTINUES HIS DIALOGUE WITH CHIEF
MINISTERS ON SUNDAY TOO ON COVID SITUATION
New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sun-
day called up with the chief ministers of Punjab, Kar-
nataka, Bihar and Uttarakhand to discuss the covid
situation. In the last few days, PM Modi interacted
with chief ministers of several states and lieutenant
governors of union territories on the pandemic situ-
ation there and assured Centre’s assistance in their
fight against the disease. CMs also apprised him
about the measures being taken by them to tackle
the raging second wave of the pandemic. PM had on
Saturday also held talks with CMs of Maharashtra,
Tamil Nadu, Madhya Pradesh and Himachal Pradesh.
SEVERAL STATES EXTEND LOCKDOWNS, CURFEWS
New Delhi: Citing the capital’s high positivity rate,
Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Sunday
extended Delhi’s lockdown for another week. The
lockdown will now be in place till 5 am on May 17.
During this period, metro services will also remain
suspended. Haryana and UP too extended state-
wide lockdown till May 17. In JK, the already-
imposed corona curfew was extended by a week.
www.firstindia.co.in I www.firstindia.co.in/epaper/ I twitter.com/thefirstindia I facebook.com/thefirstindia I instagram.com/thefirstindia
NEPAL
India
China
Sikh community
offering
prayer during
inauguration
of Free Oxygen
Langar Sewa for
covid patients
at a gurdwara
in Kolkata on
Sunday.
New Delhi: Finance Minister Nirmala
Sitharaman on Sunday said that a 5 per
cent tax on vaccines and 12 per cent on
medicines and oxygen concentrators was
necessary to keep costs low, after a new
appeal by West Bengal Chief Minister
Mamata Banerjee to waive these fees
given India’s coronavirus crisis. “If full
exemption from GST were given, the do-
mestic producers of these items would be
unable to offset taxes paid on their inputs
and input services and would pass these
on to the end consumers by increasing
their price,” she explained in a string of
16 tweets. Input tax credit refers to the re-
fund that manufacturers can claim on tax
paid on raw materials and services used
to make products, thus making it cheaper.
Things with zero tax are not allowed to
use this relief, as per current rules.
WHY TAX VACCINES,
SITHARAMAN EXPLAINS
AFTER MAMATA’S NOTE
UTTAR PRADESH
23,333
296
new cases
new fatalities

UTTAR PRADESH
LUCKNOW | MONDAY, MAY 10, 2021
02
DESOLATE GHATS OF
VARANASI!
Ghats in Varanasi wear a
deserted look after the district
administration imposed
restrictions on entry with
exceptions to priests (minimum
numbers), Ganga arti organisers,
members of families living in
houses along the ghats, boatmen
and tourists taking a boat ride.
—PHOTO BY PTI
First India Bureau
Lucknow: CM Yogi
Adityanath has taken
strong measures to curb
the spread of second
wave of Covid-19 in Ut-
tar Pradesh (UP).
UP also is the first to-
float a global tender to
procure 4 crore Covid-19
vaccines to boost the in-
oculation drive.
The state govern-
ment has also ordered 50
lakhs doses of Cov-
ishield and Covaxin
each, after which, it re-
ceived the first consign-
mentof 3.5lakhdosesof
Covishield on Saturday
and 1.5 lakh doses of Co-
vax on Sunday
.
CM Yogi has empha-
sised on the vaccination
drive saying that, “vac-
cination is the best way
to defeat the infection”.
UP, is also the first
state to administer a to-
talof 1,37,22,160dosesof
vaccines to its people.
Till now, a total of
1,17,327 doses have been
administered to people
above 18 years.
Phase-III of Covid-19
vaccination had initial-
ly come into force from
May 1 in 7 districts of
UP for above 18 citizens
in districts that had
more than 9000 active
cases. On Thursday
, the
drive was expanded by
the CM in 17 Nagar Nig-
ams and Gautam Budh
Nagar districts of UP.
The districts now in-
clude Lucknow, Kanpur,
Prayagraj, Varanasi,
Gorakhpur, Meerut, Ba-
reilly, Aligarh, Agra,
Ghaziabad, Jhansi, Mo-
radabad, Saharanpur,
Firozabad, Mathura,
Ayodhya, Shahjahapur
and Gautam Budh Na-
gar.
Free vaccine cover is
being extended to all
citizens of UP
.
The CM has instruct-
edthatvaccinationcent-
ers should adhere by
COVID protocols.To en-
sure negligible vaccine
wastage, CM Yogi in-
structed the officials,
“on-the-spot registra-
tioncanleadtoclutter.It
is advisable to keep the
online registration sys-
tem in force to avoid the
unnecessary crowd.
Contacting people
whose turn is about to
come, by phone one or
two days in advance will
lead to a better vaccine
administration to the
public at large”.
CM Yogi furthers steps to combat Covid-19 in UP
BATTLING THE VIRUS
Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath. —FILE PHOTO
DISTRICTADMIN PROPOSESTO CONVERT MARRIAGE HALLS,CLUB HOUSES IN GORAKHPURTO COVID HOSPITALS
YOGI WANTS FACELIFT FOR C-HOSPS
First India Bureau
Gorakhpur: Chief
Minister Yogi Adity-
anath on Sunday said
that the state govern-
ment is determined to
provide proper medical
facilities to the Corona
all infected patients of
Uttar Pradesh. CM Yogi
also instructed the con-
cerned officials to final-
ize the locations for
buildingCovidhospitals
in Gorakhpur.
He instructed the of-
ficials to expedite the
process and finalise the
preparations to come up
with250-bedhospitalsin
places that needed im-
mediate medical facili-
ties.
He, upon reaching
Gorakhpur from Vara-
nasi, inspected the Inte-
grated Covid Command
and Control Center at
the Collectorate and re-
viewed the 100-bed Cov-
id Hospital being built
at the Veer Bahadur
Singh Sports College.
The CM subsequently
directed the officials to
ensure that adequate
treatment is given to
each and every patient
and safety of every citi-
zen is the top priority of
the government. The
Chief Minister further
warned them that any
negligence or laxity in
this regard will not be
entertained.
Reviewing the Covid
Hospital at sports col-
lege, CM Yogi directed
officials to make this
hospital functional as
soon as possible and up-
grade it to a 250-bed fa-
cility with all medical
facilities.
During the inspec-
tion,CommissionerJay-
ant Narlikar and DM K.
Vijayendra Pandian ap-
prised the Chief Minis-
ter of preparations be-
ing undertaken to con-
vert a SC/ST Coaching
Center into a Covid hos-
pital.
The officials also put
forth a proposal in front
of the Chief Minister to
convert the mega halls
in club houses, resorts
into Covid-19 hospitals
that would include all
facilities.
First India Bureau
Lucknow: Governor
Anandiben Patel has
said that private insti-
tutions should use
their CSR funds for
education, health and
making women of ru-
ral areas self-reliant.
These views were ex-
pressed by the Gover-
nor in a virtual event
organizedbyVodafone
Idea Foundation.
The Foundation has
provided five manual
sanitarynapkinwend-
ing machines and five
sanitary napkin dis-
posing machines for
use in women jails of
five districts of Ba-
naras, Gorakhpur,
Lucknow, Moradabad
and Unnao.
GUV TALKS ON CSR USE
DM K Vijayendra Pandian briefing the CM about the steps taken
to confront the pandemic during his visit to Gorakhpur on Sunday.
First India Bureau
Lucknow:The state
government has
come up with plans
to avail medical hu-
man resources in
view of future chal-
lenge. It has been
suggested that the
help of medical /
paramedical final
year, interns, youth
who have completed
training, retired vet-
eran be taken to
strengthen the man-
power in the state.
It has been decid-
ed that the process
of selection and ap-
pointment should be
completed in a week
and review of the
process should be
done by Minister of
Medical Education.
The availability of
all medicines includ-
ing Remdesivir to be
ensured in the state.
The Government of
India has allocated
4.96 lakh doses of the
drug to the state till
May 16th. These
drugs are free of cost
in the government
hospitals and the
DM / CMO have
been instructed to
allocate the drug to
private hospitals as
per the requirement
in the facilities.
Yogi Speaks
Yogi Speaks
Chief Min-
ister Yogi
Adityanath on
Sunday stated
that the number
of active cases
in Uttar pradesh
have come down
by 77000, when
compared with the
figures on April
30.
CM Yogi has
emphasised
that door to door
screening of resi-
dents be done in
rural areas of the
state to limit the
pandemic spread
Yogi has
expressed
grief on the
death of people
due to lighten-
ing in Chandauli,
Mirzapur districts
of the state.
Vacancies soon
to boost medical
infra in the state
ONE FOR THE MOTHER
A son takes care of his COVID-19 positive mother who takes breathe with the support of an
oxygen cylinder provided for free by Indirapuram Gurudwara amid a shortage of Oxygen gas,in
Ghaziabad on Sunday.
947.27 MT of O2 supply across UP
in last 24 hours: Awanish Awasthi
First O2 Express delivers
80 MT of LMO in Kanpur
First India Bureau
Kanpur: The Ministry
of Railways informed
that Kanpur received its
first Oxygen Express on
Sunday as part of its ef-
forts to deliver liquid
medical oxygen (LMO)
in the “shortest time
possible” to states who
are requesting for the
Railways’ help.
“The medical oxygen
is now being delivered
by the Indian Railways
to new cities like Kan-
pur, which received 80
MT of Liquid Medical
Oxygen on Sunday
,” the
ministry said.
The Railways has so far
delivered nearly 4,200
metric tonnes (MT) of
liquid medical oxygen
in 268 tankers across the
country
.
First India Bureau
Lucknow: Constant ef-
forts are being made to
ensure maximum sup-
ply of oxygen in the
state on the instructions
of CM Yogi.
Additional Chief Sec-
retary, Home, Awanish
Kumar Awasthi said
that in the last 24 hours,
947.27 MT of oxygen has
been supplied to the
state.
He added that 61.53
MT of oxygen were pro-
duced by the air separa-
tors units in the state.
Awasthi said that 571.61
MT of oxygen was sup-
plied to the refilling
units by the Depart-
ment of Food Safety and
Drug Administration
and 310.19 MT of oxygen
was supplied to medical
colleges and medical in-
stitutions. He informed
that around 65 MT of
oxygen was supplied di-
rectly to private hospi-
tals of the state by oxy-
gen suppliers.
Awasthi further
breifed that Kanpur and
Varanasi on Sunday re-
ceived 80 MT and 40 MT
of O2, respectively. He
said that a total of 120
MT of oxygen has been
sent from Jamnagar to
Noida, Ghaziabad, Agra
and Saharanpur
through rail network.
Two oxygen tankers
have also been sent by
train to Bareilly and
Moradabad.
Governor Anandiben Patel interacts with Director of
Vodafone Idea Foundation P Balaji on a virtual mode.
ACS Home Awanish Awasthi
Oxygen Express carrying 80
MT of lifesaver gas reached
Kanpur on Sunday.

UTTAR PRADESH
03
AZAM KHAN SHIFTED TO MEDANTA HOSPITAL
LUCKNOW AFTER HIS CONDITION DETERIORATES
Sitapur: Samajwadi Party (SP) senior leader and
MP Azam Khan was shifted to Lucknow Me-
danta hospital along with his son Abdulla Azam
after their health condition deteriorated. Doc-
tors team suggested to shift Khan to Lucknow
hospital immediately after his condition deterio-
rated as his oxygen level was dipping below 90.
Sources said that doctors suggested SP MP to
shift in SGPGI hospital but he denied and asked
to shift in Medanta hospital. District magistrate
Vishal Bharadwaj allowed to shift Azam and his
son to Medanta hospital and both of them left
the district jail on late Sunday evening. SP MP
and his son were jailed in Sitapur district jail on
February 27, 2020. He was attending court’s
hearing through video conferencing and his
regular medical check-ups were conducted.
DOCTOR CAUGHT
FOR SELLING
REMDESIVIR
INJECTION
RETAILERS URGE CM TO BAN
DELIVERY OF NON-ESSENTIALS
CONSULT MEDICAL EXPERTS
THROUGH AYUSH KAVACH APP
Lucknow: Regular
Yoga sessions at 8
am every morning
and Ayush Samvad
every evening at
5 pm are soon
going to begin on
the Ayush Kavach
App developed by
the AYUSH Department of Government of Uttar
Pradesh. People will be made aware and will
be educated on ways in which they can prevent
from being infected by the virus and will also be
taught about effective home-remedies.
Lucknow: A doctor at the
district hospital here was
removed after he was
caught on tape selling
Remdesivir injection to
attendants of coronavirus
patients, officials said
on Sunday. According to
sources, Dr R P Giri was
given the charge of the
hospital superintendent in
place of Dr A K Ajiji, who
had contracted corona-
virus. Dr Giri was taking
Rs 5,000 from relatives
of serious patient for the
injection, they said. Chief
Medical Officer Dr Ashu-
tosh Dubey said Dr R P
Giri was removed from
the post Additional
CMO Dr Rampyare and Dr
Navin Kumar Mishra have
been asked to probe the
incident. Meanwhile, Dr
Giri claimed that he is in-
nocent and being framed
under a conspiracy.
Lucknow: A virtual meeting of the All-India Retail Mobile
Association (AIMRA), UP was held in which it was
decided that all the retail traders will be extending their
full support to the lockdown imposed by the government.
It was also decided that while the traders will close their
shops the rents, electricity bills, salary and all taxes will
be paid by the traders. The association has also demand-
ed CM Yogi to ban the delivery of non-essential items by
e-commerce companies like Flipkart and Amazon.
First India Bureau
Lucknow: Continuing
the downward trend in
the state, the fresh Cov-
id-19 cases were report-
ed below 24000 for the
first time in the last
three weeks in Uttar
Pradesh. The total
number of COVID-19
cases in Uttar Pradesh
surged to 15,03,490 on
Sunday as 23,333 more
people tested positive
for the disease while 296
more fatalities pushed
the death toll to 15,464.
This is the second
consecutive day when
daily deaths have re-
mained below the 300-
mark. On Saturday, the
state had recorded 298
COVID-19 deaths. Luc-
know reported the high-
est number of fresh
cases at 1,436, followed
by 1,425 in Meerut and
1,042 in Saharanpur, the
Uttar Pradesh govern-
ment said in a state-
ment. Of the 296 deaths,
26 each were reported
from Lucknow and
Kanpur, 15 from Jhansi,
13 from Bahraich, 11
from Ghazipur and 10
from Gautam Buddh
Nagar, it said.
As many as 34,636
COVID-19 patients
were discharged
in a day after
they recovered
from the dis-
ease, taking the
total number of
recoveries to
12,54,045, the statement
said. The number of ac-
tive COVID-19 cases in
the state stands at
2,33,981, it stated. More
than 2.29 lakh samples
were tested in the state
the previous day. With
this, over 4.29 crore
samples have been test-
ed so far, it said.
COVID-19 UPDATE
TOTAL CASES
TOTAL DEATHS
15,464
NEW CASES
23,333
NEW DEATHS
296
LUCKNOW 1,436 C
JHANSI 15D
KANPUR 26D
MEERUT 1,425
BAHRAICH 13D
GHAZIPUR 11D
GAUTAM BUDDH
NAGAR 10D
RECOVERED 12,54,045
ACTIVE CASES 2,33,981
15,03,490
First India Bureau
Aligarh: More than 25
professors died due to
Corona in past 20-25
days in Aligarh Mus-
lim University. Student
union president Faizul
Hasan had demanded
CBI inquiry into the
matter. He said that
large number of deaths
in JN Medical college
of the university re-
flects negligence of the
college.
In second wave, Coro-
navirus claims lives of
20 current professors
while more than 25 for-
mer professors and in-
tellectuals. University
PRO Umar Salim Peer-
zada said that Law fac-
ulty dean professor
Shakeel Ahmad Sam-
dani died on Saturday
while Sanskrit depart-
ment former chairman
professor Khalid Bin
Yusuf, law faculty for-
mer dean professor
Shabber died on Friday
.
Peerzada said that
veteran scientist and
former head of zoology
department Saiyad Ir-
fan Ahmad died few
days back. Though ex-
perts said that situation
is worse in other places
also. AMU has advanced
medical facilities and
doctors were dedicated
to serve the patients.
Sources said that uni-
versity administration
has issued strict in-
structions to follow the
guidelines of the Coro-
na inside the premises
and it was observed that
protocols were ignored
until the situation
turned alarming and
lethal. Medical college
in university has all ad-
vance equipment and
facilities.
17 AMU professors die in
20 days due to Covid-19
Aligarh Muslim University —FILE PHOTO
UNBOXING LIFE ...
A worker unwraps Bharat Biotech vaccine boxes at State vaccination centre at Jagat
Narayan road in Lucknow on Sunday.
VIOLATING COVID PROTOCOL
According to the sources, the university admin-
istration has issued strict instructions to follow
the guidelines of the Covid-19 inside the prem-
ises. However, it was observed that protocols
were being ignored until the situation turned
alarming and lethal. Also, thers is a shortage of
medical oxygen but it has not received a single
oxygen cylinder despite continuous efforts.
Hunger forces Kanpur man to drink
milk spilt on road during curfew
First India Bureau
Kanpur: On Sunday, a
video and a picture put
a question mark on the
sensitivity of Kanpur
administration
showed a desperation of
the country’s poorest
and most vulnerable
during the ongoing cur-
fewtocurbthespreadof
the novel coronavirus.
A man was seen
drinking spilled milk
on the ground in the
Sutrakhan area as the
hunger of a poor made
him so compelled he
rushed to drink the
milk flowing from the
packet on the ground.
The view was cap-
tured on mobile and
was later gone viral on
social media.
The video exposed
the claims of adminis-
trative as well as the
state CM who had said
that no poor should
sleep hungry.
A man is seen drinking milk which was spilled on the road.
First India Bureau
Lucknow: The Officer-
in-charge Covid 19 Dr
Roshan Jacob, chaired a
meeting at Integrated
Covid Control and Com-
mand Center to review
Covid management,
hospital allocation, bed
position on public view
portal, emergency calls,
home isolation etc.
The officer-in-charge
was apprised that doc-
tors and administrative
officers had been work-
ing in three shifts with
the aim of getting Covid
patients admitted to the
hospital immediately in
the command center. It
was informed that CHC
wise teachers’ and doc-
tors’ wings had been
formed for follow-up,
drug delivery
, and medi-
cal consultation of
home isolation patients.
The officer-in-charge
has instructed that fol-
low-up is required on
cases coming from CHC
and hospitals should en-
sure the same day and
no pendency would be
maintained. She in-
structed that doctors of
the Command Center
should talk to everyone
and ensure that patients
are admitted as soon as
possible. The officer-in-
charge informed that in
the last 3 three days on
May 6, 7, and 8 in assis-
tance with the District
Administration Com-
mand Center, a total of
147,163,136amounting
to 446 patients had been
admitted to the hospital.
She further said that
there was no shortage
of beds for patients and
appealed to residents to
not panic. Patients are
being admitted by the
Command Center on a
continuous basis ad-
equate oxygen and beds
are available.
Jacob directs officials to offer all possible assistance
Officer-in-charge Covid 19 Dr Roshan Jacob
First India Bureau
Lucknow: Secretary
Department of Mining
andInchargeof Covid19
in Lucknow Dr Roshan
Jacob has asked the
Chief Medical Officer,
Lucknow to ensure a
check on Oxygen waste
in Covid Hospitals.
She stated that the
CMO through a letter
should apprise all Medi-
cal Colleges and Covid
hospitals in the district
about the guidelines is-
sued by Ministry of
Health and Family Wel-
fare for checking wast-
age of Oxygen and its
proper use. As per the
guidelines,ineverymed-
ical college Covid Hos-
pital an Oxygen Moni-
toringTeamandanOxy-
gen Audit Committee
should be constituted.
A nurse and an OT
Technician will be
checkingleakageinOxy-
gen pipeline. The Oxy-
gen Audit Committee
would review consump-
tion of Oxygen twice a
weekimplementmeas-
ures to check wastage of
Oxygen. District Magis-
trate and CMO will also
jointly conduct review
of oxygen consumption
in district once a week.
Audit Committee set up to tackle
Covid with proper use of oxygen
A worker with an oxygen
cylinder.
REVIEWING COVID SITUATION
An elderly COVID-19 patient
breathes with the support of an
oxygen cylinder provided for free by
Indirapuram Gurudwara amid a
shortage of Oxygen gases, in
Ghaziabad on Sunday. —PHOTO BY ANI
The state recorded 23,333 new Covid-19 cases with 296 fatalities
SIGH OF RELIEF
AS FRESH CASES DIP

l Vol 1 l Issue No. 149 l RNI NO. UPENG/2020/04393. Printed and published by Anita Hada Sangwan on behalf of First Express Publishers. Printed at Amar Ujala Ltd. B-5 Amausi Industrial Area Kanpur Road Lucknow.
Published at 98, Friend’’s Colony, Raheem Nagar, Dudouli Road, Madiyaon, Lucknow (UP). Editor-In-Chief: Jagdeesh Chandra. Editor: Anita Hada Sangwan responsible for selection of news under the PRB Act
PERSPECTIVE
04
FOCUS ON VACCINES,
AND BRINGING THE
COVID CURVE DOWN
nce again the new Covid cases
in the country crossed the four
lakh mark while deaths also
crossed the 4000 mark for the
second consecutive day. Uttar
Pradesh, where the number of new cases
and fatalities were going haywire until re-
cently, seems to have taken control of the
situation. In UP villages, where the story
was said to be different, hopefully an im-
provement is expected soon with the eas-
ing of oxygen supply, availability of beds
and ramping up of tests. Once in a while
news of Covid’s deadly blow jolts one out
of reverie, like 17 professors of Aligarh
Muslim University (AMU) passing away in
18 days. While other universities of the
state also lost their academics to the virus,
AMU’s toll of one professor a day has been
the highest. There is obviously a pall of
gloom as the peers have been unable to bid
a final goodbye to their departed col-
leagues. This obviously compels one to in-
fer that arrangements in Aligarh must be
poor.
In the midst of the pandemic if the un-
scrupulous elements sell or hoard oxygen
cylinders concentrators, oximeters, life
saving drugs and private hospitals fleece
hapless patients, people robbing Covid vic-
tims of their shrouds goes to show how low
one can stoop to make profit out of human
misery. Such rogues ought to be firmly
dealt with. In order to avoid profiteering
in a catastrophe the best way is to prevent
a calamity from happening. As the prestig-
ious journal The Lancet said that “in early
March…The impression from the govern-
ment was that India had beaten Covid-19
after several months of low case counts…
and was in the “endgame of the epidemic”.
This, the journal said, “was despite warn-
ings of the dangers of a second wave and
the emergence of new strains”. What is
done is done. Religious congregations like
Kumbh and elections aren’t due soon. The
need of the hour is to ensure that fresh
cases and daily toll must come down fast
in the worst-affected states. The Lancet
has suggested, “India must now pursue a
two-pronged strategy. First, the botched
vaccination campaign must be rational-
ized and implemented with all due speed.
There are two immediate bottlenecks to
overcome: increasing vaccine supply
(some of which should come from abroad)
and setting up a distribution campaign
that can cover not just urban but also rural
and poorer citizens, who constitute more
than 65 % of the population…
“Second, India must reduce SARS-Cov-2
transmission as much as possible while
the vaccine is rolled out…”
The Lancet’s roadmap emphasizes uni-
versal vaccination, especially covering
rural areas and the poor. Foreign countries
like the US and Europe sitting over piles
of vaccines lying with them must take note
of the journal’s suggestion. India helped
them in their crisis. Now it’s their turn.
IN-DEPTH
O
he dictionary defines responsi-
bilityasa“stateof beingrespon-
sible: a trust or charge for which
one is responsible.” It’s much
more than that. It’s about choos-
ing. It’s a corollary of freedom:
of freedom that succeeds as a
socialprinciple.Theinferenceis
obvious. It’s only when govern-
ments and citizens, from every
walk of life, accept responsibil-
ity for the consequences of their
action, can freedom realise its
purpose — not otherwise. Else,
freedom would be reduced to a
licence — of freedom where self-
interest ‘rules.’
Mahatma Gandhi recognised
the chaos that follows when we
deny our responsibility and pro-
ceed in pursuit of other ‘goals.’
The flouting of rules that has
now led to a monstrous surge, a
tsunami — of COVID-19 infec-
tions, also deaths, in the country
— being a classical case in point.
The Mahatma summarised
our responsibility for each other
in his ‘Seven Social Sins,’ a key-
note on how depravity can run
asunder, viz., 1. politics without
principle; 2. wealth without
work; 3. commerce without mo-
rality; 4. pleasure without con-
science; 5. education without
character; 6. science without
humanity; and, 7. worship with-
out sacrifice. We’d imperatively
connect the blatant attitude and
recklessness of the powers-that-
be, religious leaders and sundry
,
not to speak of millions of our
fellow citizens, more so ‘partici-
pants’ in Kumbh Mela, among
others,fortheCOVID-19volcano
that has erupted and brought us
to our knees.
Gandhi’s credo is nothing
short of a classical paradigm: a
paradigm of values and cour-
age, one that reads like a mod-
ern roster, or aphorism. It re-
flectshisintellectandvision—a
powerful reminder of the times
we now live in today and also
tomorrow. Responsibility, for
Gandhi, meant disciplining one-
self — to live responsibly ac-
cording to a clear, ‘accountable’
code and setting a good example
for others in doing so. On a
broad preamble, one could think
of Gandhian responsibility as a
three-legged stool — responsi-
bility for self, including self-dis-
cipline; for others, including
kindness for all living beings on
this planet, aside from leader-
ship. The inference is obvious.
Responsibility ‘propels’ us to
move towards industrious inde-
pendence and towards each
other — to a perception that we
are all together in an interde-
pendent world, and worthy no
matter what we own, or who we
are by way of colour, religion,
race, career, status etc.,
It isn’t an easy equation, all
right, for all of us to feel com-
fortable. But, for a responsible
individual the whole thing is
celestial drama, or the will of
the Supreme Entity
. Call it god,
or what you may
. It also relates
to adopting an altruistic and tol-
erant attitude and acting unself-
ishly and sympathetically to-
wards others, while taking re-
sponsibility for one’s impres-
sion of them. It broadens the
spaces we share; it makes us
more comfortable to be with oth-
ers just as well and vice versa.
The onus, therefore, is on us
and us alone, no matter our di-
vergent perceptions. We have to
foster the notion of thought at
theheartof ourresponsibilityto
each other. It is something that
begins early in life and becomes
eroded, at times, when we grow
up — like how it has now
emerged in the current COV-
ID-19 ‘horribilis’ scenario. Re-
sponsibility is also something
that we learned from our par-
ents, teachers, and others — par-
ents who may never have resort-
ed to intimidation. It relates to
taking responsibility for our
own welfare while keeping in
touch with the four — fire, air,
earth, and water — elements of
lifetoo.AsDavidAbramputitso
perceptivelyinhisbook,Spellof
the Sensuous: “To listen to the
forest(or,nature)isalso,primor-
dially
, to feel oneself listened to
bytheforest,justastogazeatthe
surrounding forest is to feel one-
self exposed and visible, to feel
oneself watched by the forest.”
In other words, it’s all of us,
and also parts of us. Of how we
face our own preferences and
make our own choices. This will
determine our position and our
future, long after COVID-19 gets
undercontrolwithscience,med-
icine and other paraphernalia
— with or without popular man-
date. Well, it’s not just ‘politics’
thathasletusdown,butitisalso
we, the common citizens of this
country, that ought to take the
blameequallyforhavingthrown
caution to the winds, simply be-
cause a ‘motley’ of god men and
their ilk pontificated that noth-
ing would affect us, provided we
placed our faith in ‘their’ belief,
not science. The woeful part is
how well we all know, as wiser
counsel prevails, that we were
chasing a mirage.
THE VIEWS EXPRESSED BY
THE AUTHOR ARE PERSONAL
A CASE OF BOTCHED
RESPONSIBILITY
T
In other words, it’s all
of us, and also parts
of us. Of how we face
our own preferences
and make our own
choices. This will
determine our
position and our
future, long after
COVID-19 gets under
control with science,
medicine and other
paraphernalia — with
or without popular
mandate
RAJGOPAL
NIDAMBOOR
WELLNESS PHYSICIAN,
INDEPENDENT RESEARCHER
AND AUTHOR
he Biden ad-
ministration’s
decision to stop
opposing a pro-
posed COVID-19
waiver of certain intellec-
tual-property rights under
World Trade Organization
rules is a welcome move.
The US Trade Representa-
tive acknowledges that
“the extraordinary cir-
cumstances of the COV-
ID-19 pandemic call for ex-
traordinary measures.”
While affirming that it “be-
lieves strongly in intellec-
tual property protections,”
the Biden administration,
“in service of ending this
pandemic, supports the
waiver of those protec-
tions for COVID-19 vac-
cines.” Already, the US de-
cision may be persuading
other rich-country hold-
outs in Europe and else-
where to follow suit.
While the rapid develop-
ment of COVID-19 vaccines
was a truly impressive
achievement, it has been
tarnished by constraints
on global vaccine supply
and the related inequities
in distribution. As of May
4, less than 8% of the
world’s population had re-
ceived even one dose of
any COVID-19 vaccine,
while just ten rich coun-
tries accounted for 80% of
all vaccinations. The rea-
son is not just that rich
countries have been buy-
ing up all available doses;
it is also that there simply
have not been enough dos-
es to go around.
But this scarcity itself is
largely artificial. Vaccine
production has been limit-
ed by pharmaceutical com-
panies’ refusal to share
knowledge and technology
.
Though the companies pro-
ducing the approved vac-
cines have benefited from
public subsidies and pub-
licly funded research, they
nonetheless have taken ad-
vantage of patent protec-
tions to maintain a monop-
oly, limiting production to
their own factories and a
select few other companies
to whom they have granted
licenses.
These patents are en-
shrined and enforced in-
ternationally through the
WTO’s Agreement on
Trade-Related Aspects of
Intellectual Property
Rights (TRIPS), which al-
lows for action to be taken
against countries that pro-
vide compulsory licenses
allowing “someone else to
produce a patented prod-
uct or process without the
consent of the patent own-
er.” It is this threat of legal
action that led a majority
of WTO members to pro-
pose a temporary waiver
for COVID-19 drugs, vac-
cines, diagnostics, and
other technologies needed
to fight the pandemic. And
yet, even this minor step
has been blocked in the
WTO TRIPS Council, be-
cause (mostly) rich coun-
tries have been prioritizing
big pharmaceutical com-
panies’ interests over glob-
al health.
A waiver has become all
the more urgent with the
coronavirus on the ram-
page across South America
and India, where a near-
complete breakdown of
overstretched health ser-
vices is resulting in a cata-
strophic loss of life. Worse,
the rapid spread of the vi-
rus has already given rise
to dangerous new variants.
We absolutely must vacci-
nate as many people as pos-
sible before vaccine-resist-
ant variants emerge.
Temporarily waiving IP
rights is essential, but it is
only the first step. A waiver
agreement would address
the previously insur-
mountable legal side of the
problem. But much more
will need to be done to
make a “People’s Vaccine”
universally available as
soon as possible.
The next step is to push
for concrete measures to
facilitate the transfer of
knowledge and technology
.
From Canada to Bangla-
desh, many potential vac-
cine producers with the
required facilities have so
far been denied the licens-
es and technical know-how
to proceed. Not a single
pharmaceutical company
has joined the World
Health Organization’s vol-
untary facility for sharing
technology, the COVID-19
Technology Access Pool (C-
TAP).
SOURCE: PROJECT SYNDICATE
NEXT STEPS FOR A PEOPLE’S VACCINE
T
Follow the way of love and
eagerly desire spiritual
gifts, especially the gift of
prophecy.
—Corinthians 14:1
Spiritual
SPEAK
Top
TWEET
Dharmendra Pradhan
@dpradhanbjp
MOIL will also provide a total
of 350 oxygen concentrators at
these centres for the treatment of
#Covid19 patients. The oil and steel
fraternity is committed to save lives
and help the country, including
Madhya Pradesh fight back better
and stronger. #IndiaFightsCorona.
Dr. Ramesh Pokhriyal Nishank
@DrRPNishank
#DIKSHA (Digital Infrastructure
for Knowledge Sharing) is an
#NCERT initiative that offers
a national platform for school
education. Students can access
#CBSE course books for all
classes on this platform.
Gandhi’s credo is nothing short of a
classical paradigm: a paradigm of
values and courage, one that reads like
a modern roster, or aphorism. It
reflects his intellect and vision — a powerful
reminder of the times we now live in today and
also tomorrow. Responsibility, for Gandhi,
meant disciplining oneself — to live responsibly
according to a clear, ‘accountable’ code and
setting a good example for others in doing so

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INDIA
05
New Delhi: Prime
Minister Narendra
Modi has expressed
grief over the demise
of Indian National
Army (INA) veteran
Lalti Ram and said his
courage and contribu-
tion to India’s freedom
struggle will never be
forgotten.
“Saddened by the de-
mise of INA veteran
Lalti Ram Ji. His cour-
age and contributions
to India’s freedom
struggle will never be
forgotten. I recall my
interactions with him.
Greats like him have
left an indelible mark
on India’s history,” PM
Modi said in a tweet.
Union Home Minis-
ter Amit Shah also
condoled his demise
and tweeted: “Lalati
Ram ji will always be
remembered for his
service and dedica-
tion. He fought for In-
dia’s independence as
a strong pillar of the
INA along with Netaji
Subhash Chandra
Bose,” Shah tweeted.
“His life struggle
will always inspire us.
May God grant salva-
tion to the departed
soul. Om Shanti Shan-
ti!,” he added.
The Late INA veter-
an, who passed away at
the age of 98 on Sunday
morning. —ANI
Modi condoles demise of INA veteran Lalti Ram
The Late INA veteran, who passed away at the age of 98 on Sunday morning, was part of the artillery of the INA and had worked with Netaji
This is a photo for representation of Prime Minister Narendra Modi while holding virtually meeting
with experts in New Delhi. —PHOTO BY ANI
New Delhi: The Trina-
mool Congress has
written to Rajya Sabha
Chairman M Venkaiah
Naidu and Lok Sabha
Speaker Om Birla, urg-
ing them to let parlia-
mentary committee
meetings be held virtu-
ally to enable them to
address issues of public
interest amidst the on-
going coronavirus pan-
demic.
This is the TMC's
third letter on the issue,
the party said, adding
that the first letter was
written in July
, 2020 and
the second letter in Au-
gust, 2020. India has
reported more than 3
lakh new cases per day
for the past two weeks.
In light of the prevail-
ing circumstances, I
urge your good offices
to reconsider our re-
quest for conducting
virtual meetings of par-
liamentary committees,
including departmen-
tally related standing
committees, consulta-
tive committees and se-
lect committees, the
letter from Derek
O'Brien said.
New Delhi: Prime Min-
ister Narendra Modi on
Sunday paid tributes to
Nobel laureate Ra-
bindranath Tagore on
his 160th birth anniver-
sary. Tagore was born
on May 7 but his birth-
day is celebrated in
West Bengal, where he
was born and is re-
vered, according to the
traditional Bengali cal-
endar, and this year, it
falls on Sunday. On
Tagore Jayanti, I bow to
the great Gurudev
Tagore. May his exem-
plary ideals keep giving
us strength and inspira-
tion to build the India
he dreamt of, he said,
paying tributes to the
man of many talents.
Tagore was a play-
wright, philosopher,
composer and poet. He
had won the Nobel prize
for literature. The
prime minister also
paid tributes to freedom
fighter Gopal Krishna
Gokhale and celebrated
warrior king Maharana
Pratap, both of whom
were born on this day
.
TMC requests
virtual parl panel
meetings amid covid
PM Modi pays tributes to Tagore,
Gokhale, and Maharana Pratap
New Delhi: The Su-
preme Court will on
Monday will hear the
Public Interest Litiga-
tion filed by Noida-
based Advocate-on-Re-
cord (AOR), Sanjai Ku-
mar Pathak, seeking
directions for strict en-
forcement of COVID-19
pandemic guidelines
and for action against
all those who had alleg-
edly violated protocols
during Assembly elec-
tions in several states
and the Kumbh Mela.
A three-judge bench
of the top court, headed
by Justice Dr Dhanan-
jaya Y Chandrachud,
and also comprising
Justices Nageshwar
Rao and Ravindra
Bhat will hear the peti-
tion filed by the
advocate Pathak who
filed the plea on
April 16. —ANI
Supreme Court To Hear Plea
For COVID Norms Violation
Sadhus and devotees take a holy dip in river Ganga at Har Ki
Pauri in Haridwar.
New Delhi: Fugitive
diamond merchant
Nirav Modi, whose ex-
tradition to India was
ordered last month by
UK Home Secretary
Priti Patel in the esti-
mated USD 2-billion
Punjab National Bank
(PNB) scam case, has
filed an application for
permission to appeal
against the order in the
High Court in London.
The Crown Prosecu-
tion Service (CPS) con-
firmed an appeal
has been lodged but a
High Court judge who
will make a decision on
the matter is yet to be
assigned. —Agencies
Nirav Modi’s
appeal against
extradition awaits
UK High Court
judge decision
Mumbai: The Maha
govt has delegated pow-
ers of a civil courtto
Justice Chandiwal com-
mittee, set up to con-
duct a probe into the
corruption allegations
levelled by former
Mumbai commissioner
Param Bir Singh
against ex-state home
minister Anil Desh-
mukh. The one-member
committee comprising
high court’s retired
judge Kailash Uttam-
chand Chandiwal was
set up on March 30 to
conduct a judicial in-
quiry into Singh’s alle-
gations made in a letter
to CM Uddhav Thack-
eray on March 20.
Singh wrote the letter
after he was shunted
from the post of the
Mumbai police commis-
sioner and appointed as
the DG, state Home
Guards. In a notifica-
tion issued on May 3,
the state government
delegated powers of a
civil court to the probe
committee. Singh al-
leged that Deshmukh
had given a target to
some police officers.
Chandiwalpanelgetscivilcourtpowers
PROBE AGAINST DESHMUKH
NIA takes over probe into seizure of
natural uranium worth `21 crore
New Delhi: The Na-
tional Investigation
Agency (NIA) has
taken over the probe
into the recovery of
natural uranium in
Mumbai. A fresh case
was registered in this
regard by the anti-
terror agency in pur-
suance of an order
from the Ministry of
Home Affairs (MHA).
According to the NIA’s
spokesperson, the
case has been regis-
tered under Section
24(1)(a) of the Atomic
Energy Act, 1962. Ma-
harashtra ATS arrest-
ed two men on May 5
in possession of the
radioactive metal. A
total of 7.1 kg of natu-
ral uranium worth Rs
21.3 crore was seized
from the duo identi-
fied as Jigar Jayesh
Pandya (27) and Abu
Tahir Afzal.
2 FOREST OFFICIALS HELD BY ACB
IN ANDHRA FOR ACCEPTING BRIBE
Chittoor (Andhra
Pradesh): Andhra
Pradesh Anti-Corruption
Bureau (ACB) on Saturday
arrested two officers at
the state Forest Develop-
ment Corporation while
allegedly taking bribes of
Rs 1.5 lakhs at their office
in Satyavedu town of Chit-
toor district. According to
ACB DSP Janardan Naidu
and Allabaksh, in order
to issue a no-objection
certificate to a contractor
Mastanaiah, the officials
demanded Rs 5 lakh bribe
which was later adjusted
to 4.5 lakh, and 1.5 lakh
was being paid as the first
installment of the bribe.
Andhra Pradesh Forest
Development Corpora-
tion (APFDC) divisional
manager and plantation
manager were held.
EARTHQUAKE OF MAGNITUDE
3.7 HITS MIZORAM’S THENZAWL
Thenzawl (Mizoram): An earthquake of mag-
nitude 3.7 on the Richter scale hit Mizoram’s
Thenzawl on Sunday morning, as per the National
Centre for Seismology (NCS). The quake was felt
in Thenzawl town of Mizoram’s Serchhip district,
according to NCS. The quake was felt in Thenza-
wl town of Mizoram’s Serchhip district, according
to NCS. The earthquake struck at around 9.03
am. Mizoram is going for a seven-day-long total
Lockdown from May 10. The lockdown is going
to be clamped from 4 O’clock in the morning.
ODISHA GOVT ALLOCATES RS 60
LAKH TO FEED STRAY ANIMALS
Bhubaneshwar: Odisha Chief Minister Naveen
Patnaik on Sunday sanctioned Rs 60 lakh from
Chief Minister Relief Fund (CMRF) to feed stray
animals during the ongoing COVID-19 lockdown
in five municipal corporations, 48 municipalities
and 61 Notified Area Councils (NACs). Earlier in
the day, the Odisha government decided to prior-
itise the vaccination of 18 to 44 age group people
in the five municipal corporations of the state
where the positivity rate of COVID-19 infection is
relatively high.
PUNJAB CM ANNOUNCES AID FOR
10-YEAR-OLD SEEN SELLING SOCKS
Ludhiana: After a video
went viral featuring a
10-year-old boy selling
socks on roads in Ludhi-
ana to support his family,
Punjab Chief Minister
Captain Amarinder Singh
on Saturday made a video
call to the child and also
announced assistance of
Rs 2 lakh for his family.
The CM has also directed
the Deputy Commissioner
of Ludhiana district to
ensure Vansh, a drop-out,
rejoins school. “Spoke
on phone to young Vansh
Singh, aged 10, a Class
II drop out whose video
I saw selling socks at a
traffic crossing in Ludhi-
ana. Have asked the DC
to ensure he rejoins his
school. Also announced
financial assistance of Rs
2 lakh,” Singh.
New Delhi: Debris
from a large Chinese
rocket landed in the
Indian Ocean near the
Maldives early Sunday,
China’s space admin-
istration announced.
It said most of the de-
bris had burned up on
re-entry. It was not im-
mediately clear wheth-
er any of what re-
mained had had land-
ed on any of the Mal-
dives’ 1,192 islands.
The rocket, a Long
March 5B, launched
the main module
of China’s next space
station, Tiangong,
on April 29. Usually,
the large booster stag-
es of rockets immedi-
ately drop back to
Earth after they are
jettisoned, but the
23-ton core stage of
the Long March 5B
accompanied the
space station segment
to orbit. —Agencies
Chinese Rocket
Disintegrates
Over Indian
Ocean: State TV
IN THE COURTYARD
FLAMES OF SMOKE
Flames of smoke after a major fire broke out at Tezpur Chowk Bazaar, at Tezpur, Assam on Sunday. —PHOTO BY ANI
Thane: Maratha
quota activists on
Sunday staged a
protest at Diva in
Thane district of
M a h a r a s h t r a
against the Su-
preme Court's deci-
sion to strike down
the law granting
them reservation in
admissions and
jobs.
At least a dozen
office-bearers and
activists of the
Bharatiya Maratha
Sangh (BMS) ton-
sured their heads
and displayed ban-
ners opposing the
SC verdict.
Speaking on the
occasion, BMS lead-
ers lashed out at po-
litical leaders be-
longing to the Maha
Vikas Aghadi
(MVA) government.
Maratha
activists hold
protest against
SC’s verdict
Nirav Modi
Mamta Banerjee
Anil Deshmukh

INDIA
06
As Coronavirus...
Instructions have also
been issued to declare
holidays in all govern-
ment and private educa-
tional institutes and
coaching institutes in
the state till May 20. On-
line classes will also re-
main suspended during
this period.
Uttar Pradesh on Sat-
urday registered 298
deaths due to COVID-19
while 26,847 more peo-
ple tested positive for
the infection, pushing
the state’s virus tally to
14,80,315. So far, the in-
fection has claimed
15,170 lives in the state.
During this period,
all essential services
will be allowed and vac-
cination drive will con-
tinue, stated Sehgal. It
was also decided to in-
tensify the sanitisation
drive in all the 75 dis-
tricts, he added.
Uttar Pradesh report-
ed26,847freshCOVID-19
cases and 298 deaths on
saturday
, as per the state
health bulletin. With
this, the state’s infec-
tion count has gone up
to 14,80,315. The death
toll in the state stands at
15,170. New Delhi, May
9 (PTI) The ashes of for-
mer Union minister and
farmer leader Ajit Sin-
gh, who passed away on
May 6, were immersed
in the Ganga river by
his family on Sunday
.
The Chief Minister
has also informed that
the state government is
providing vaccine cover
to all the citizens free of
cost. The chief minister
asked the team mem-
bers to ensure that the
vaccination centers are
strictly adhered to by
the COVID protocol.To
ensure negligible vac-
cine wastage, CM Yogi
instructed the officials,
“on-the-spot registra-
tion can lead to clutter.
It is advisable to keep
the online registration
system in force to avoid
the unnecessary crowd.
Contacting people
whose turn is about to
come, by phone one or
two days in advance will
lead to a better vaccine
administration to the
public at large”.
NEPAL’S DARK
Nepal shut down almost
all flights this week and
has imposed lockdowns
or partial lockdowns in
80 per cent of its dis-
tricts to curb infections.
Budhi Setiawan, head
of health at Unicef Ne-
pal said that the impact
has been “devastating”.
“The sheer number
of cases striking the
health system [is] mak-
ing it more vulnerable
for people now if they
are infected with Cov-
id-19, there have been
limitations with getting
the appropriate care,”
he said.
Hemanta clinches...
Assam assembly while
its alliance partners
AGP got nine seats and
UPPL six seats.
In the 2016 Assembly
polls, the BJP had pro-
jected Sonowal as its
chief ministerial candi-
date and won, forming
its first government in
the northeast. This
time, the party had
maintained that it
woulddecidewhowould
be the next chief minis-
ter after the elections.
Later, Sarma tweeted:
“How enormously
blessed I feel Hon PM
Sri @narendramodi for
your faith in me. This is
the biggest day in my
life, and I so fondly cher-
ish your generous affec-
tion. I assure you we
shall leave no stone un-
turned to carry forward
your vision of taking
Assam, NE to greater
heights.”
Did Chinese...
Peter Jennings, the ex-
ecutive director of the
Australian Strategic
Policy Institute (ASPI),
told news.com.au that
the document is as close
to a “smoking gun” as
we’ve got.
“I think this is sig-
nificant because it
clearly shows that Chi-
nese scientists were
thinking about military
application for different
strains of the coronavi-
rus and thinking about
how it could be de-
ployed,” Jennings said.
“It begins to firm up
the possibility that what
we have here is the ac-
cidental release of a
pathogen for military
use,” Jennings added.
He also said that the
document may explain
why China has been so
reluctant for outside in-
vestigations into the
origins of COVID-19.
Covid virus...
The smallest very fine
droplets, and aerosol
particles formed when
these fine droplets rap-
idly dry, are small
enough that they can
remain suspended in
the air for minutes to
hours, it said.“The risk
for infection decreases
with increasing dis-
tance from the source
and increasing time af-
ter exhalation,” it said.
Although infections
through inhalation at
distances greater than
six feet from an infec-
tious source are less
likely than at closer dis-
tances, the health body
added.
FROM PG 1
4.03 lakh fresh cases, 4,092 deaths in 24 hr
New Delhi: India re-
corded 4,03,738 fresh
COVID-19 cases in a day
,
which pushed the tally
to 2,22,96,414, according
to the Union health
ministry data updated
on Sunday. The death
toll climbed to 2,42,362
with 4,092 daily deaths,
the data updated at 8 am
showed.
Registering a steady
increase, the active cas-
es have increased to
37,36,648, comprising
16.76 per cent of the to-
tal infections, while the
national COVID-19 re-
covery rate was record-
ed at 82.15 per cent. The
number of people who
have recuperated from
the disease surged to
1,83,17,404 with 3,86,444
patients recovering in
a day, while the case fa-
tality rate was record-
ed at 1.09 per cent, the
data stated.
India’s COVID-19 tal-
ly had crossed the 20-
lakh mark on August 7,
40 lakh on Sep 5 and 50
lakh on September 16.
It went past 60 lakh
on September 28, and
surpassed the 1-crore
mark on December 19.
India crossed the grim
milestone of 2 cr on
May 4. —ANI
New Delhi: The Centre
continues to provide
less supply of oxygen to
the national capital de-
spite warnings from the
Supreme Court. AAP
MLA Raghav Chadha
said on Saturday even-
ing that the city re-
ceived 29 per cent lesser
than its quota on May 8.
“Delhi received 499 Met-
ric Tonnes (MT) of med-
ical oxygen on Friday
against the Supreme
Court-mandated supply
700 MT per day,” he in-
formed. Meanwhile,
four hospitals and med-
ical facilities in Delhi –
with 1,271 beds between
them – sent out oxygen
red flag on Saturday;
the state government
supplied them with 15.5
MT, he added. The data
shared by the Delhi gov-
ernment showed that
the weekly average of
the oxygen supply by
the centre to Delhi has
been 24 per cent less
than the SC’s direction.
Delhi received 499
MT oxygen instead
of 700 from Centre
New Delhi: As the second wave of the COVID-19
pandemic is now spreading fast in rural areas, Rahul
Gandhi said that not only cities, villages too are also
left at the mercy of God. Taking to Twitter, the Congress
leader also cited a media report about the rapid surge
in COVID-19 cases in Indian villages. After cities, vil-
lages are also dependent on God now, tweeted Gandhi.
He has repeatedly criticised the centre and PM Modi
for the handling of the COVID-19 pandemic.
AFTER CITIES,NOW VILLAGES TOO
AT THE MERCY OF GOD: RAHUL
New Delhi: As many as
6,738 oxygen concentra-
tors, 3,856 oxygen cylin-
ders, 16 oxygen genera-
tion Plants, 4,668 venti-
lators/Bi-PAP and
about 3 lakh Remdesiv-
ir vials have been deliv-
ered/ dispatched as in-
ternational donations
and aid since April 27 to
May 8, the Union Health
Ministry informed. Ac-
cording to a statement
issued by the Ministry
of Health and Family
Welfare, the Govt of In-
dia has been receiving
international dona-
tions and aid of COV-
ID-19 relief medical
supplies and equipment
since April 27 from dif-
ferent countries and
organisations. Cumu-
latively, 6738 Oxygen
Concentrators, 3856
Oxygen Cylinders, 16
Oxygen Generation
Plants, 4668 ventila-
tors/Bi-PAP and about
3L Remdesivir vials
have been delivered/
dispatched, from April
27 to May 8, the minis-
try said.
As on May 8, major
items received from
Canada, Thailand,
Netherland, Austria,
Czech Republic, Israel,
USA, Japan, Malaysia.
INTERNATIONAL AID: 6,738 O2
CONCENTRATORS,16PLANTS
Shimla: Himachal
Pradesh Chief Minister
Jai Ram Thakur on
Sunday virtually inau-
gurated two Pressure
Swing Adsorption
(PSA) oxygen plants at
Dr Radhakrishanan
Government Medical
College, Hamirpur and
Pt. Jawahar Lal Nehru
Government Medical
College, Chamba.
The plant at Hamir-
pur has a capacity of
300 PLM while Chamba
plant has a capacity of
400 PLM.
The Chief Minister
said, Both these oxy-
gen plants would en-
sure uninterrupted oxy-
gen supply to the pa-
tients admitted in both
these medical colleges.
He also said that the
state government has
taken up the matter of
increasing the oxygen
quota for the state.
HP CM
inaugurates
two oxygen
plants
Johannesburg: South
African Health Minis-
ter Zweli Mkhize has
said that four cases of
the Indian variant of
coronavirus have been
detected in the country,
but there was no cause
for panic as all such
cases were quaran-
tined. “The four cases
of B.1.617.2 (Indian var-
iant of coronavirus)
have been detected in
Gauteng (2) and KwaZu-
lu-Natal (2) and all have
a history of a recent ar-
rival from India. All
cases have been isolated
and managed according
to guidelines.
SA detects four
cases of the
Indian variant
New Delhi: Maharash-
tra, Karnataka and Del-
hi are among 10 states
that account for 71.75
per cent of the 4,03,738
new COVID-19 cases
registered in a day, the
Union Health Ministry
said on Sunday
.
Theotherstatesinthe
list of 10 are Kerala, Ta-
milNadu,UttarPradesh,
Andhra Pradesh, West
Bengal, Rajasthan, and
Haryana.
Maharashtra has re-
ported the highest dai-
ly new cases at 56,578.
It is followed by Karna-
taka with 47,563 while
Kerala reported 41,971
new cases. A total of
more than 30.22 crore
tests have been conduct-
ed so far across the
country while the daily
COVID-19 positivity
rate stands at 21.64 per
cent, the ministry said.
India's total active
caseload has reached
37,36,648 and now com-
prises 16.76 per cent of
the country's total in-
fections. —ANI
10 STATES ACCOUNT FOR OVER
71% OF NEW COVID-19 CASES
New Delhi: Delhi Dep-
utyChief MinisterMan-
ish Sisodia Sunday at-
tacked the Centre over
the export of coronavi-
rus vaccines,
saying a large number
of lives could have been
saved in India if the
doses were given to peo-
ple in the country first.
“It’s a heinous crime
committed by the Cen-
tral government to sell
vaccines to other
countries only
for its image
management
at a time when
people were dy-
ing in our own
country,” he told
an online brief-
ing.
Citing a
newspaper
report, Sisodia said the
Centre sold coronavi-
rus vaccines to 93
countries of
which 60 percent
had COVID-19
under control,
a n d
also where there was no
threat of loss of life due
to the virus. A large
number of youths in the
country perished to the
coronavirus in the sec-
ond wave of the pan-
demic, he said, adding
their lives could have
been saved if the vac-
cinesweregiventothem
instead of exporting the
doses. —PTI
Sisodia on Center exporting vaccines
Health worker in PPE kit treats covid-19 patients at Shehnai banquet hall which converted into COVID care center, in New Delhi on Sunday. —PHOTO BY ANI
International collaboration continues! Consignment of 100 oxygen concentrators arrives.
COVID-19 POSITIVITY RATE DOWN TO 21.67 PC
New Delhi: As the city
remained under lock-
down for nearly three
straight weeks, Delhi
witnessed a slight dip
in COVID-19 cases and
positivity rate with only
13,336 fresh infections
were recorded in the
last 24 hours, according
to the health bulletin by
the Delhi government
released on Sunday.
However, the decrease
in fresh coronavirus
cases can be attributed
to low testing during
the period. Only 61,552
tests including 49,787
RT-PCR, CBNAAT, True
Nat tests and 11,765
Rapid Antigen tests
were conducted in Del-
hi in the last 24 hours.
The COVID-19 positivity
rate also dropped to
21.67 per cent.
OXYGEN EXPRESS
FIRST BATCH OF MEDICAL ASSISTANCE

NEWS
07
First India Bureau
Lucknow: The short-
age of vaccine in UP,
which announced the
introduction of free
vaccine to all classes
of people, including 18
to 44 years, is clearly
visible.
Till now, only those
returning empty-hand-
ed at the counter were
coming forward, but
now closure of vaccine
centers has also come to
light. In UP, more than
50 percent of vaccina-
tion centers have been
closed within last four
days.
This has been re-
vealed in the data of the
website released by
Central Government
for information on Cov-
id and the actual situa-
tion in all the states.
According to the in-
formation, till four days
ago there were 5842
centers in the entire
state. It had 5642 gov-
ernment and 200 pri-
vate labs where Covid
Vaccination was being
done.
In the May 9 report,
the count of these cent-
ers had declined to 2870
including 2758 govern-
ment and 112 private
centers where vaccina-
tion was being carried
out.
Data revealed that a
total of 2942 centers had
been closed down in-
cluding 2884 govern-
ment and 120 private
centers.
On Saturday, there
were many cases in cap-
ital Lucknow, in which
despite non availability
of vaccines people had
received message of be-
ing vaccinated on their
mobile.
Even when some peo-
ple reached the center,
it was found locked. In
such a situation, the
fact revealed by govern-
ment data about de-
creasing number of
vaccination centers
was more disturbing.
When asked about
this, Director General
(Family Welfare) Rake-
sh Dubey said that this
was not possible and
informed that many
centers were closed on
Sundays. Monday’s up-
date will be at 2pm.
However, at 2pm the
same count of centers
was displayed on the
website.
First India Bureau
Lucknow: The Uttar
Pradesh Police has di-
rected all commission-
ers, DIGs and superin-
tendents of police to ini-
tiateactionagainstthose
spreading rumours that
covid infection spreads
through 5G trials.
In a letter to all the
commissioners of po-
lice, DIGs and superin-
tendents of police, Addi-
tional Director General
of Police (Law and Or-
der) Prashant Kumar
said that rumours are
being spread on social
media that radiation
during 5G testing is the
reason behind the sud-
den surge in COVID in-
fection and deaths.
Apart from this, an au-
dio went viral in which a
youthcanbeheardspeak-
ing to a person in Bihar
claiming that the 5G test-
ing is the reason behind
thesuddensurgeinCOV-
ID cases and
a man can be heard say-
ingthatbecauseof the5G
testing people are dying.
Some posts were also
uploaded on social me-
dia that 5G towers were
closed and uprooted in
villagesinFatehpur,Sid-
dharthnagar, Gorakh-
pur and Sultanpur.
Issuing instructions
that these rumours be
contained, ADG (Law
andOrder)PrashantKu-
mar said that intelli-
gence mechanism be
activated on this front,
andimmediateactionbe
initiated on even the
smallest piece of infor-
mation.
“The rumours must
be immediately refuted,
and necessary action be
initiated,” he said.
An audio message
claiming that the 5G tri-
als were the reason be-
hindthesuddensurgein
COVID cases in India
has been doing the
rounds. In the message,
a man can be heard say-
ing that because of 5G
testing people are dying
in states like UP
, Maha-
rashtra and Bihar.
Shortage to vaccine
forcescentrestoclose
‘5G-covid’ gossip
mongers to face
music: UP Police
First India Bureau
Lucknow: During the
Corona period, efforts
have begun to increase
income of traditional
artisans living in ur-
ban and rural areas,
such as carpenters and
potters and those en-
gaged in beekeeping,
by giving them the ben-
efit of self-reliant India
scheme. Youth will be
linked with self-em-
ployment by providing
benefits of govern-
ment schemes to other
workers.
For taking art of tra-
ditional workers to new
heights, the work of
traditional artisans of
19 districts of the state,
including Lucknow,
will be given a place un-
der the Self-Reliant In-
dia Scheme. The potter
working in traditional
mode will be given a
power-driven potter
wheel for elevating his
skills while the arti-
sans of wood art will be
trained in new tech-
niques and their art
would be spread in
country as well as
abroad. The responsi-
bility of this task has
been given to Khadi
and Village Industries
Commission.
On the initiative of
the Department of Mi-
cro, Small and Medium
Enterprises of Khadi
and Village Industries
Commission, Govern-
ment of India, the
scheme will be imple-
mented in 19 districts
in the first phase in
state. Pottery art, hon-
ey production, leather
craft and wood art are
included in this phase.
Their artisans will
be given online train-
ing due to Coronavirus.
In the first phase,
the scheme will start
in Lucknow, Ayod-
hya, Hardoi, Jalaun,
Amethi, Sitapur,
Lakhimpur Kheri,
Raebareli, Sultanpur,
Unnao, Fatehpur,
Banda, Jaunpur, Mir-
zapur, Sonbhadra
Ambedkar Nagar,
Prayagraj, Ballia,
Kaushambi and
Pratapgarh. Assistant
Director, Khadi and
Village Industries
Commission AK
Mishra said that on the
initiative of the direc-
tor, the scheme will be
launched in 19 districts
selected by the Central
government. Migrant
workers will also be
added.
According to state di-
rector of the Khadi and
Village Industries
Commission DS Bhati,
the Central govern-
ment’s plan is being
materialised. For giv-
ing technical training
during Corona period,
discussions were being
held. The self-reliant
India is trying to link
workers with small
scale industries and
their economic pro-
gress. Technical train-
ing will be imparted to
200 workers each in se-
lected districts in all
four categories. Prepa-
rations for training are
underway in several
stages.
GOVT’S SELF-RELIANT SCHEMES
TO GIVE RAY OF HOPE TO ARTISANS
OFFICERS IN
A FIX OVER
NEW ORDER
The state government’s
decision to provide a
register for the entry of all
the letters the offices are
receiving from the elected
representatives has landed
babus in a piquant situation.
They would no longer be able
to push the letters under the
carpet. The register in each
office would have details of
action taken on the letter of
the particular representative.
The government has taken
the decision following
large number of complaints
from people about the
disappearance of their letters
from the offices. The principal
secretary parliamentary
affairs JP Singh II has written
a letter to all the officers in
state secretariate to make
arrangement in their respective
office. Similar arrangements
would also be made at
the offices of divisional
commissioners and DMs.
—M Tariq Khan
JALALABAD
NAGAR
PANCHAYAT,
THE SAVIOUR
Corona warriors of Jalalabad
Nagar Panchayat in the
district of Shamli performed
the last rights of Dr. Prabhat
Bengali’s sister Bala Mati (50).
Dr. Prabhat Bengali and his
family live in Mohammediganj
under Jalalabad Nagar
Panchayat and on Sunday
morning, Dr. Prabhat’s sister
Bala Mati passed away after
losing her battle to Corona
virus. The doctor’s family then
pleaded with the locals to help
cremate the body of Bala Mati
but knowing that the lady was
infected with Corona, no one
came forward to help. That
is when Dr. Prabhat Bengali
reached out to Nagar Panchayat
Chairman Abdul Gaffar and
Executive Officer Vijay Anand for
help and the Executive Officer
sent the official car of the Nagar
Panchayat to the residence of
the doctor to pick up the body.
The body of the lady was then
taken to Holy Kallar crematorium
where Bala Mati was laid to rest.
The employees of the Nagar
Panchayat were lauded for the
help extended to Dr. Prabhat
Bengali. —Ravi Jaglan
AS EID APPROACHES
A labourer dries vermicelli at a factory ahead of Eid in Prayagraj. —PHOTO BY PTI
Case of revenge: Schoolteacher,nephew
shot dead in broad daylight in Bijnor village
First India Bureau
Bijnor: In an incident
of revenge crime, a dis-
trict schoolteacher and
his nephew have been
shot dead in Dhokalpur
village of the Bijnor
district.
The incident oc-
curred on Sunday
, when
Dhir Singh and Ankur
were travelling back to
their village on a trac-
tor after procuring
straw from the forest
nearby. The criminals
who were in the car,
waylaid the duo and
opened fire at them. An-
kur was shot dead im-
mediately while his un-
cle, Dhir Singh tried to
escape from the crimi-
nals by running away
but was chased and
shot dead. The crimi-
nals after shooting both
uncle and nephew es-
caped while brandish-
ing their weapons.Vil-
lager rushed to the spot
after hearing gun shots
but were unable to help
as the uncle and neph-
ew duo had passed
away after being shot
multiple times.
The SP along with a
large police force
reached the spot to in-
vestigate.The double
murder is being linked
to a revenge case as on
August 15, 2015, a vil-
lage named Aman Sin-
gh was shot and killed
in the school and Dhir
Singh, Ankur and his
father Jagveer were
named in the FIR.
While Dheer Singh and
Ankur were granted
bail, Jagveer is still
lodged in jail. SP Dr.
Dharamveer Singh said
that investigations are
on and 4 teams are on
the lookout for the
criminals involved.
Cabinet Minister Gangwar
pens letter to CM Adityanath
...complaining
of lapses in the
health system
of the state
First India Bureau
Lucknow: Even as cas-
es are on the decline
with each and everyone
keeping their fingers
crossed in Uttar
Pradesh, Union Cabi-
net Minister Santosh
Gangwar wrote to the
Chief Minister Yogi
Adityanath complain-
ing of lapses in the
health system of the
state.
Union Cabinet Min-
ister Santosh Gangwar
in his letter said that
officers are not pick-
ing up calls, traders
are selling equipment
at exorbitant prices
and patients are being
sent to different hospi-
tals on the excuse of
referral but are not ad-
mitted.
The Union Minister
in his letter has high-
lighted six points to the
state government. He
suggested that private
and government hospi-
tals in Bareilly be given
50% discount to set up
oxygen plants under
the MSME so that oxy-
gen shortage in the dis-
trict could be eliminat-
ed. He also highlighted
that Merchant organi-
zations are selling med-
ical equipment needed
for Covid treatment at
exorbitant price and
hence the government
should cap the prices
of these equipment.
The Union Minister
stated that there is a
huge shortage of emp-
ty oxygen cylinders in
Bareilly and the main
reason behind this is
that people in the city
are storing oxygen cyl-
inders as precaution.
He demanded actions
to be taken against
such households. The
Minister also com-
plained that the city
health officers have not
been discharging their
duties properly and
there are lapses in the
admittance of Covid
patients in all private
hospitals in the city.
The Union Minister
has also suggested that
all hospitals which are
administering vaccine
under the Ayushman
Bharat scheme, they
should also provide
help for registration
for vaccination too.
Santosh Gangwar
The responsibility of this task has been given to Khadi and
Village Industries Commission.

08
2NDFRONT
SAVING
LIVES
Padma Shri
Malini Awasthi is
distributing food to a
migrant at Charbagh
Shelter Home in
Lucknow on Sunday.
NGO Ummeed has
started a Free Cook
Food Langer Sewa
for the homeless,
migrants and
destitute people in
lockdown period.
First India Bureau
Kanpur: Amid re-
ports of misdeeds by
corrupt officers dur-
ing Covid-19 pan-
demic, this story of
IPS-IAS brother-sis-
ter duo is inspiring
many.
IPS Anil Kumar is
deployed as ADCP
(traffic) in Kanpur. He
has started a Covid
Hospital in Kanpur as
soon as the second
wave arrived. Looking
at Anil’s experience,
Police Commissioner
Aseem Arun has also
put him in charge of
the Corona cell.
Anil’s sister Dr
Manju is an IAS of-
ficer and currently
posted as District De-
velopment Officer in
Udaipur, Rajasthan.
She is also treating
Corona patients. Both
siblings had studied
MBBS before joining
the Civil Services.
Anil Kumar after do-
ing MBBS at SN Med-
ical College, Jodhpur
practiced at Guru
Tegh Bahadur Hospi-
tal in Delhi for a few
days. He hails from
Alsisar in Jhunjhunu
district in Rajasthan.
Anil started a 16-bed
L-1 class hospital in
Kanpur police line as
soon as the second
wave arrived.
He is sitting daily in
OPD and when wife of
ADJ did not get treat-
ment anywhere, she
was cured in the Covid
hospital run by Dr Ku-
mar. So far, 18 patients
have been cured. In
OPD, more than 385 in-
fected people have been
treated.
Anil said in the UPSC
civil services examina-
tion interview, the first
question was that why
do you want to go to
civil services despite
being a doctor? Per-
haps the exact answer
is now found. People
taunted that a degree
and time were wasted,
but education never
goes in vain, he said. Dr
Manju is in charge of
the Oxygen Audit Team
in Udaipur.
First India Bureau
Baghpat: The police
have busted a gang,
who used to steal
shroud from places
like cemeteries and
crematoriums, wash
them and press them
and put them on brand-
ed stickers and sell
them again in the mar-
ket. The Baraut police
have arrested 7 people
in this connection.
Police sources here
said that accused used
to sell it again which
cause fear of spread-
ing virus at several
stages. Deputy super-
intendent of police
Alok Singh said acting
on a tip-off police team
nabbed Praveen Ku-
mar Jain, his son Ash-
ish Jain, nephew
Rishabh Jain, Shravan
Kumar Sharma, Raju
Sharma, Bablu and
Sharukh Khan and re-
covered as many as 520
shrouds, 127 kurtas,
140 kameez, 34 dhotis,
12 hot shawls, 52 saris,
three ribbon packet
and 1 tape cutter.
The accused were
being interrogated
about the shops they
were selling those sto-
len items. During in-
terrogation it was re-
vealed that Praveen
Kumar had shop in
market and all others
were working for him.
They were stealing
articles from cremato-
riums and make it us-
able after washing and
ironing it. They used
to put stickers of
known companies to
sell the stuff in higher
prices.
First India Bureau
Noida: With the ar-
rest of seven persons,
the Noida police
claim to have busted
a gang that sold vials
of injections used in
pneumonia treat-
ment packaged as
remdesivir. Remdesi-
vir is an antiviral
drug that is being
used for the treat-
ment of COVID-19
patients. Due to its
high demand, it is not
easily available in the
market. The accused
have been identified
as Musir, Salman
Khan, Shahrukh Ali,
Azharuddin, Abdul
Rahman, Deepanshu
alias Dharamvir
Vishwakarma and
Bunty Singh, all resi-
dents of UP
.
While some work
as nursing staff with
hospitals in Delhi-
NCR,othersaremedi-
cal representatives of
pharmaceutical com-
panies. The accused
usedtheircredentials
to target gullible peo-
ple who needed rem-
desivir injections in
hospitals and at phar-
macies, they said.
The accused sold a
vialbetweenRs40,000
and Rs 45,000 when it
normally does not
cost more than Rs
3,500 depending on
the manufacturer, the
police said.
Additional Deputy
Commissioner of
Police (Noida) Ran-
vijay Singh said po-
lice have been alert
and are tracking
such elements en-
gaged in hoarding
and black marketing
of resources.
First India Bureau
Lucknow: Home-
grown mobile company
Lava International has
written to chief minis-
ter Yogi Adityanath to
seek an enquiry into
the sourcing of smart-
phones by the state’s
women and child devel-
opment department.
In a letter to the chief
minister dated April
24, Lava International
has alleged that it has
been disqualified from
the procurement pro-
cess on “unjustified
reason” and “the rea-
son given by the depart-
ment is irrelevant to
the performance of the
device”.
According to the an-
nexure submitted by
Lava, the company has
been disqualified from
projects on ground re-
lated to ‘origin coun-
try’ of the firm, service
app not being relevant
and past performance
criteria.
It is sad to see that
Uttar Pradesh being
such a big democratic
state and whose people
are already suffering
from the attack of Chi-
nese virus is getting
another big scam by
some overseas compa-
ny with the help of the
Department whose re-
sponsibility is to re-
duce the burden on
common people,” Lava
claimed in the letter-
Queries sent to the
state government elic-
ited no response.
Its manufacturing
unit is in UP “We sin-
cerely request ... to con-
sider our request and
initiate an immediate
enquiry on the cartel
company and the offi-
cials who are involved
in this practice by dis-
qualifying an Indian
brand on the basis of
Land Border when eve-
ryone knows that Lava
is an Indian Brand,”
Lava said.
For app, the company
has said that app con-
tains toll free number
for service phone num-
ber as per the sourcing
norm.
First India Bureau
Lucknow: The political
recognition of women
is quite evident in the
UP Panchayat Election
results. Inspired by
Chief Minister Yogi
Adityanath’s women
empowerment pro-
grammes and Mission
Shakti, Women self-help
groups (SHGs) are writ-
ing a new story of suc-
cess in Uttar Pradesh.
In the recent Pan-
chayat elections, 1534
women associated with
SHGs have been elected
as Gram Pradhan. This
is the first time in the
state that such a large
number of women have
contested in Panchayat
elections and won. As a
result of CM Yogi’s ef-
forts, these women are
becoming self-reliant
and now will be playing
an important role in the
village panchayats.
CM Yogi has been mo-
tivating women of self-
help groups on various
occasions. Many impor-
tant steps have been
taken by the UP govern-
ment for the empower-
ment of women in the
state. In the UP pan-
chayat elections 2021, a
total of 3521 women of
the self-help group con-
tested for various posts,
of which 1534 won the
election.
Director of UP State
Livelihood Mission, Su-
jit Kumar says, “CM
Yogi has linked the
women of self-help
groups with the opera-
tion of government ra-
tion shop, the responsi-
bility of electricity bill
connection and stitch-
ing of school dress,
among many other pro-
grams. Many types of
training have also been
given to women by the
department”.
The programs that
have been started for
women in the last three
to four years has gradu-
ally raised the confi-
dence of women. The
most nine women elect-
ed as member of Zila
Panchayat in Bahraich
Members of the Women
Self-help group have
won in 11 districts for
the post of member of
Zila Panchayat.
Of which,2inAmbed-
karanagar, one in Ame-
thi, one in Ayodhya, one
in Baghpat, 9 in Bahra-
ich, 2 in Barabanki, one
in Basti, one in Kanpur
Nagar, one in Prayagraj,
2inUnnaoandonewom-
an was elected in Vara-
nasi. 815 women stood
second for various other
posts. 662 out of 1791
women won the post of
Gram Pradhan. While
474 women finished sec-
ond. Similarly
, 415 out of
522 women have won the
post of Gram Panchayat
member and 42 came in
second place.
Janardan Misra
Lucknow: Demanding
CBI investigation in
matter of death of girl
from Thailand, Sama-
jwadi Party (SP)
spokesperson IP Singh
alleged that Bharatiya
Janata Party (BJP)
MP Sanjay Seth used
his power to supress
the matter of death of
Thailand girl who was
called by his son.
In his tweet, SP lead-
er alleged that Uttar
Pradesh police was try-
ing to supress the mat-
ter. He alleged that me-
dia was reluctant to
raise the issue. He
asked about the official
statement of the police
and questioned the pro-
ceeding after the death
of the girl.
Singh demanded CBI
inquiry in the matter
and alleged that police
was trying to save the
culprit under political
pressure. In his official
statement released on
social media platforms
he asked questions
about the girl, her
agents and post-mor-
tem report of the girl.
Earlier, Sanjay Seth
Rajya Sabha MP wrote
letter to Lucknow po-
lice commissioner
Dhruv Kant Thakur
and requested him to
investigate the matter
thoroughly. He asked to
investigate the details
about stay of the girl in
hotels, persons who
booked the hotels,
CCTv footage of the
visitors to the girl and
his contacts in the city.
Seth requested to inves-
tigate and release the
facts about back-
ground, passport num-
ber, mobile number,
call details, stay details
in Lucknow and other
places and her contacts
in city and other plac-
es. Commissioner of
police Thakur said that
investigations were un-
derway. He said actions
would be taken on facts
and police was investi-
gating the details about
every fact associated
with the issue.
Bureaucrat sibling doing wonders in Corona kaal
FOR A CAUSE
IPS Anil Kumar and
sister Dr Manju
Seven accused arrested for stealing shroud of dead bodies.
7 held for stealing shroud
of corona-infected bodies
Pneumonia
injectionsoldas
remdesivir:7held
Lava seeks CM intervention in
alleged sourcing anomalies of phones
Thai girl death: SP leader cries role of BJP leader’s son
—FILE PHOTO
CBI INQUIRY
DEMANDED
Singh demanded CBI
inquiry in the matter
and alleged that police
was trying to save the
culprit under political
pressure. He asked
questions about the
girl, agents and PM
report of the girl.
Lava has contested all
the claims saying that it
is an Indian company
and submitted all
relevant documents
652 WOMEN ELECTED GRAM PRADHANS, 466 BDC MEMBERS 22 ZILA P’YAT MEMBERS
Inspired by Yogi, nari shakti
evolves in UP Panchayat polls
DIST-WISE WOMEN REPRESENTATIVES
As per the records, 2 women in Agra, 22 in
Ambedkaranagar, 17 in Amethi, 2 in Amroha, 17 in
Ayodhya, 7 in Azamgarh, 11 in Baghpat, 19 in Bahraich, 3
in Ballia, 6 in Balrampur, 3 in Banda, 21 in Barabanki, 13 in
Bareilly, 12 in Bijnor, 4 in Badaun, 8 in Bulandshahr, 5 in
Chitrakoot, 5 in Etah, 4 in Etawah,5 in Farrukhabad, 9 in
Firozabad, 1 in Ghaziabad, 13 in Gorakhpur, one in Hapur,
7 in Hardoi, 2 in Hathras, 11 in Jhansi, 3 in Kanpur Dehat,
5 in Kanpur Nagar, 9 in Lucknow, 4 in Mainpuri, one in
Mathura, 2 in Meerut, 10 in Mirzapur, 5 in Moradabad, 5
in Muzaffarnagar, 32 in Prayagraj, 20 in Raebareli, 11 in
Shamli, 6 in Sultanpur, 21 in Unnao and 14 women of
SHG in Varanasi have been elected as the Gram Pradhan.
lll
IPS Anil
Kumar started
a 16-bed L-1
class hospital
in Kanpur
police line as
soon as the
second wave
arrived
Nothing energises a person more
than a new passion, a novelty in
thought or action; so strive to
add new dimensions to life regularly!
—Jagdeesh Chandra, CEO Editor-in-Chief, First India

K
angana Ranaut who was
recently suspended from
Twitter, took to Instagram
to wish her mum on the
occasion of Mother’s Day. Writ-
ing a love letter of sorts, Kan-
gana recalled how her mum’s
question, when she was away
from home, used to often leave
her in tears. Kangana began her
post by saying, “Dear Mother
When I left home did not expect
the world to go dark suddenly
, oc-
casionally called home papa
asked so many questions sib-
lings had their own doubts but
whenever you spoke, you anx-
iously asked only one thing,”
What did you eat beta? Who is
cooking for you? Where you get
your food from?” —Agency
K
atrina Kaif marked Mother’s
Day a little differently this year.
Instead of sharing the annual
photo with her mother on so-
cial media and wishing her, Katrina
highlighted stories of mum’s who
are working selflessly during
the pandemic. Taking to social
media, Katrina shared the
stories of five such women,
from different professions,
who are risking their lives
to help and protect Indians
amidst this deadly Covid 19
second wave. The series
featured a doctor, pilot,
police, homechef
and mental health
doctor. The ac-
tress’ series was a
heartfeltoneasitshone
the light on mothers who
have stepped up and are
doing their best as In-
dia continues to bat-
tle. —Agency
LUCKNOW, MONDAY
MAY 10, 2021
www.firstindia.co.in I www.firstindia.co.in/epaper/ I twitter.com/thefirstindia
facebook.com/thefirstindia I instagram.com/thefirstindia 09
THE
NEW
onakshi Sinha on Saturday added a dash of wit on Instagram saying she
has reached the point when staying home has become a hobby. She urged
all to get vaccinated and drive Covid away
. “Reached that point where stay-
ing home has become a hobby
. #coronabhagao #getvaccinated,” she wrote.
Sonakshi recently announced her upcoming project ‘Bulbul Tarang’, which
will have an OTT release. She will also be seen in ‘Bhuj: The Pride Of India’,
co-starring Ajay Devgn, Sanjay Dutt and Nora Fatehi, and is gearing up for
her web series debut in ‘Fallen’, which casts her as a cop. —Agency
S
FIRST PHOTO
REVEALED
K
areena Kapoor Khan dropped the
first photo of her younger son on the
occasion of Mother’s Day
. The ac-
tress who welcomed her second son
with husband Saif Ali Khan weeks ago,
shared his first photo on Sunday
. The photo
not just featured their little bundle of joy
but also their older son Taimur Ali Khan
adorably holding him. Wishing other moth-
ers on this special day
, Kareena remarked
how her sons give her hope in these bleak
times. Kareena wrote, “
Aaj umeed pe puri
duniya kayam hai..And these two give me
hope... for a better tomorrow..Happy Moth-
er’s Day to all you beautiful, strong moth-
ers out there... Keep the faith..” —Agency
B
ollywood celebri-
ties are taking up
their social media
handles and shar-
ing some old memories
with their mothers. Janh-
vi and Khushi Kapoor,
daughters of late actress
Sridevi shared throwback
pictures on their social
handles as a wish to their
mother. The Roohi actress
shares a series of pictures
and captioned it as ‘My
mumma’. In the pictures,
she is seen very little with
her mother and father
Boney Kapoor. In the other
picture, she is seen sitting
with her mother. Sridevi is
looking very beautiful in
all the pictures. On the
other hand, Khushi also
shared two pictures of her
childhood. Both were very
close to their mother and
often share her pictures.
The late actress passed
away in 2018. She died in
UAE. —Agency
Emotional Moment
True warriors
BABYBEAR,
MUMMABEAR
I
t’s a special day for all the moth-
ers today
. A day May 9 is marked
for them especially
. On this day
peopletrytomaketheirmothers
feel good by treating them. Celebri-
ties are sharing pictures and vide-
os of their mothers. Sara Ali Khan,
who shares a strong bond with her
mother and veteran actress Amrita
Singh, also shared a picture of
them on her Instagram handle and
captioned it as ‘Baby Bear, Mumma
Bear.. We together are the perfect
pair…My love for her will never
compare…To any love or any care..
And therefore today this hug I
share. #happymothersday
.” Her
feed is already filled with mother-
daughter moments and we have
often heard her saying how much
she loved her mother. —Agency
STRENGTH
TO FIGHT
Sonakshi Sinha
Janhvi Kapoor
Katrina Kaif
Kangana Ranaut
Kareena Kapoor Khan
Sara Ali Khan
...her post

10
ETC
F
A
C
E
O
F
T
H
E
D
A
Y
DAISY, Photographer
LEO
JULY 24 - AUGUST 23
Regular exercise and
moderation in diet will help
in improving fitness and
health. Long-pending
arrears and dues are likely to be
recovered. Senior management will
be appreciative of your creative inputs
on professional front. A youngster
may not fit well in your expectation.
LIBRA
SEPT 24 - OCTOBER 22
Dedication to stick to
regular exercise and
healthy diet will enable you
to attain your desired
physique. You will be greatly
benefited by investing in companies
of repute. Develop a good
adaptability to handle pressurized
situation on professional front.
ARIES
MAR 21 - APR 20
Health tips from an expert
will enable you to get
closer to your fitness
goals. Past investment
may start yielding handsome returns
from today. Chances of being misled
by competitors in business are high,
so remain alert. Enjoy some lovely
moments with family.
SAGITTARIUS
NOV 23 - DEC 22
Those pursing extreme
fitness may get an
opportunity to compete
professionally. Don’t give a
firm commitment in financial matters
before considering the viability of the
project. You succeed in completing an
important project well before deadline.
Disagreements are foreseen.
GEMINI
MAY 21 - JUNE 21
Those suffering from
chronic ailments may find
remarkable improvement
in their health with home
remedies. It’s a very good day to take
calculated risks in financial matters.
Today you will enjoy the trust of
senior management. Minor domestic
disputes may upset you.
AQUARIUS
JAN 21 - FEB 19
A sound financial health of
businessmen would enable
to give monetary benefits to
employees. Problems on
professional front could force to
compromise on your principles.
Roadblock in the matrimonial alliance
of kin gets cleared bringing happiness
for entire family.
TAURUS
APR 21 - MAY 20
Seek help of health experts
before undertaking a new
fitness regimen.
Investment and jewellery
would bring handsome financial
gains. On professional front,
recognition for good work would
motivate to work harder. Relatives
may drop in for a surprise visit.
CAPRICORN
DEC 23 - JAN 20
Yoga would help in raising
energy levels and improve
your metabolism. Past
investments in conserva-
tive schemes are likely to fill your
coffers to the brim. Unilateral
decisions on professional front
would invite the ire of colleagues.
Place emphasis on domestic affairs.
VIRGO
AUG 24 - SEP 23
Seek opinion of expert
before opting for a health
supplement. Your gullible
nature would allow people
to take advantage of you, so remain
alert. The day is not likely to pose
any major problems at workplace.
You will succeed in resolving
misunderstanding with family.
CANCER
JUNE 22 - JULY 23
Avoid ignoring minor
ailments as they may
compound later on. Better
to consult an expert in
financial matters before making an
investment. Your hard work and
dedication are likely to be noticed by
seniors, paving way for promotion or
increment.
PISCES
FEB20 - MARCH 20
A sound monetary position
would enable you to keep
pace with changing times.
Successful implementation
of new ideas and projects would add
to your prestige on the professional
front. Avoid raising controversial
issues at home to maintain harmony.
Be cautious with your health.
SCORPIO
OCT 23 - NOVEMBER 22
There is an urgent need to
remain on guard against
seasonal aliments. Avoid
being indulgent in your
spending to balance budget.
Continue to put in efforts at work and
you will see promising opportunities
coming your way. You will get a good
price for your property.
YOUR
DAY
Horoscope by
Saurabbh Sachdeva
1
What is your gener-
al advice in these
times for heart pa-
tients?
In any case, do not leave
your existing medica-
tions. Keep in touch
with your doctor with a
physical or teleconsul-
tation. Despite lock-
down continue your
physical activity in any
form. Avoid going to
the hospital for non-
emergency but don’t be
afraid to show up in
case of chest pain or
breathing difficulty.
Fear of catching a Co-
rona at the hospital can
kill a patient at home
with a heart attack.
2
Is a heart patient
at more risk of get-
ting COVID-19
than somebody who
doesn’t have a heart
condition?
Of course. Heart patients
have less immunity
and less heart and
lung reserve to fight
any illness. These pa-
tients also have diabe-
tes and high BP more
frequently than the
normal population.
The heart is the next
favourite organ for
Coronavirus after the
lungs. During Corona,
infection patient can
present with a heart at-
tack or heart failure.
3
What special care
should a heart pa-
tient take in these
times?
Regular medication,
taking extra care of dia-
betes and hypertension
and reporting any abnor-
mal symptoms to your
physician as soon as pos-
sible. Keep the regular
physical activities on.
4
If a heart patient
is infected with Co-
rona, should he
take the medicines as
prescribed by the gen-
eral physician or seek
advice from a Cardiolo-
gist?
Treatment for covid in-
fection shall be done by
a physician or a chest
spe-
cialist
only but
this combina-
tion of heart pa-
tient with covid being
so common a combined
treatment strategy
should be coined by a
physician and a cardi-
ologist. Special atten-
tion should be given
that with the treatment
of covid the existing
cardiac treatment
should not be ignored.
5
Is the vaccine safe
for a person who
has cardiac is-
sues?
Yes absolutely. Most of
the cardiac patients
are candidates for vac-
cination except those
who are recovering
from acute cardiac ill-
ness like a heart attack
or a recent deteriora-
tion of heart failure or
recovering after a pro-
cedure like that of bye-
pass surgery or angio-
plasty. In these cases,
vaccination can be
done after 4 weeks of
stabilization with the
advice of the treating
doctor.
6
Can a person who
has had a by-pass
be vaccinated?
Yes, can be vaccinated but
not immediately after
it. Should be done at
least 4 weeks after it.
8
Can a person who
has had a valve re-
placement be vac-
cinated?
Yes, they can and they
should be vaccinated.
Most of such patients
are on blood thinners
named action or warfa-
rin. This patient should
get a routine test for
blood thinning ( pro-
thrombin time or PT )
and get advice from a
doctor. The vaccine can
be given if blood is not
too thin.
8
As far as vaccines
are concerned
which is safest for
heart patients- Cov-
ishield, Covaxin or
Sputnik?
Now the data of safety for
heart patients is avail-
able for all these vac-
cines. No head to head
comparison can be
done. There are a few
reports of clotting is-
sues from all over the
world but the inci-
dence of the side ef-
fects are very low. In
present scenario, the
benefit of vaccination
is any day more than
hazard so everyone
must be vaccinated
when possible.
and less heart and
lung reserve to fight
any illness. These pa-
tients also have diabe-
tes and high BP more
frequently than the
normal population.
The heart is the next
favourite organ for
Coronavirus after the
lungs. During Corona,
infection patient can
present with a heart at-
spe-
cialist
only but
this combina-
tion of heart pa-
tient with covid being
so common a combined
plasty. In these cases,
vaccination can be
done after 4 weeks of
stabilization with the
advice of the treating
doctor.
6
Yes, can be vaccinated but
not immediately after
it. Should be done at
least 4 weeks after it.
Anita Hada in conversation
with Dr Jitendra Singh Makkar,
Senior interventionist and
electrophysiologist. Director of
Cardiology, Eternal Hospital
touches upon the care that patients
with heart problems need to take
during these times of Corona!
DIL
DIL HI
HI
TO HAI
TO HAI
ANITA HADA
anita.hada@firstindianews.com
Dr Jitendra Singh Makkar

First India-Lucknow Edition-10 May 2021

First India-Lucknow Edition-10 May 2021

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