First India-Lucknow Edition-14 May 2021

The office and press of
First India will remain
closed on May 14 on
account of Eid al-Fitr.
There will be no edition
on May 15. We wish
all our readers a very
Happy Eid.
Mask-up and stay safe!
HOLIDAY NOTICE
CM Yogi shares pain of grieving Aligarh Muslim University
First India Bureau
Aligrah/Lucknow:
Chief MinisterYogiAdi-
tyanath visited AMU on
Thursday to take stock
of the coronavirus situ-
ation at the university,
where at least 35 serving
andretiredfacultymem-
bers have died due to
Covid or COVID-like
symptoms in the recent
weeks.
Expressing grief
over the deaths at Ali-
garh Muslim Universi-
ty’s Jawaharlal Nehru
Medical College, he said
he hoped that the vac-
cination drive on the
campus would pick up
soon and help in im-
proving the situation.
On his first visit to
AMU since he assumed
office in 2017, the chief
minister also said that
the supply of oxygen to
the university’s medi-
cal college is being aug-
mented. The university
hospital, however,
hasn’t reported any
deaths due to the short-
age of oxygen.
Several senior facul-
ty members, retired
professors and non-
teaching staff have suc-
cumbed to COVID-19 or
COVID-like symptoms
over the past three
weeks. Alarmed by the
deaths, AMU Vice
Chancellor Tariq Man-
soor had written to the
Indian Council of Medi-
cal Research on May 9,
urging it to study if a
particular coronavirus
variant is circulating
around the university
campus.
The university’s med-
ical college had also
sent some samples for
genome sequencing to
the Institute of Genom-
ics and Integrated Biol-
ogy Laboratory, Delhi.
The CM reached Ali-
garh shortly before
noon in a helicopter
that landed at the AMU
Cricket Ground. TurntoP6
HEALING TOUCH
CM GREETS ON EID
CM Yogi Adityanath has
sent out Eid greetings
to one and all across
the state. Eid-ul-Fitr will
be celebrated in Uttar
Pradesh on Friday as the
crescent moon for the
Islamic month of Shaw-
wal was not sighted on
Wednesday.
Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath talks to a COVID-19 patient at a district hospital in
Mathura during his visit on Thursday.
34 senior faculty members, retired
professors & non-teaching staff of
AMU have succumbed to
COVID-19 of late
www.firstindia.co.in I www.firstindia.co.in/epaper/ I twitter.com/thefirstindia I facebook.com/thefirstindia I instagram.com/thefirstindia
LUCKNOW l FRIDAY, MAY 14, 2021 l Pages 12 l 3.00 RNI NO. UPENG/2020/04393 l Vol 1 l Issue No. 153
OUR EDITIONS: JAIPUR, AHMEDABAD & LUCKNOW
IF COVISHIELD, THEN ATLEAST
3-MTH GAP BETWEEN DOSES
 SARS-CoV-2 illness should defer Covid
vaccination for 6 months after recovery
 Pregnant women can choose vaccine,
lactating women eligible after delivery
New Delhi: The Union
Health Ministry on
Thursday accepted the
recommendation of the
expert panel to extend
the gap between the
first and second dose of
the Covishield vaccine
to 12-16 weeks. The cur-
rent gap between two
doses of the vaccine is
6-8 weeks.
Earlier in the day, the
National Technical Ad-
visory Group on Immu-
nization had recom-
mended the same to the
Centre. No changes,
however, have been
made to the interval of
Covaxin.
“This is beneficial
both from the efficacy
and the immunogenic-
ity standpoint. This is
a very good move be-
cause this is based on
data that the govern-
ment received on the
basis of which they
made a good scientific
decision to increase
the gap,” Adar Poona-
walla was quoted as
saying.
The panel also said
that pregnant women
can choose their vac-
cine and lactating wom-
en will be eligible after
delivery
. Currently nei-
ther is eligible to get the
shots. Turn to P6
CORONA
CATASTROPHE
INDIA
3,62,727
New cases
4,129
New fatalities
‘Sputnik V will be in
India from next week’
New Delhi: Amid re-
ports of the shortage of
Covid-19 vaccine in var-
ious states, Sputnik vac-
cine has arrived in In-
dia, and “hopefully” it
will be available in the
market from next week,
said Dr VK Paul, mem-
ber (health) of the NITI
Aayog, on Thursday
.
“Sputnik vaccine has
arrived in India. I’m
happy to say that we’re
hopeful that it’ll be
available in the market
next week. We’re hope-
ful that the sale of the
limited supply that has
come from there (Rus-
sia) will begin next
week,saidDrPaulwhile
addressing media.
He said the produc-
tion of Sputnik is
scheduled to begin in
India by July. “Further
supply will also follow.
Its production will be-
gin in July and it is esti-
mated that 15.6 crore
doses will be manufac-
tured in that period,”
Dr Paul said. Turn to P6
Attempt to reopen Assam’s NRC,
appeal in SC for reverification Israel strikes: 600; Hamas: 1,600
rockets; Deaths: 83 (17 children)
Four killed in boiler
blast in Tamil Nadu
Guwahati: “Major ir-
regularities” have been
detected in the lists of
the National Registry of
Citizens in Assam and a
comprehensive re-veri-
fication should be con-
ducted, the state’s NRC
coordinator Hitesh Dev
Sarma has sought in a
petition filed in the Su-
preme Court.
The irregularities, he
said, have been detected
in the final draft as well
as the supplementary
list. While ineligible
names were included,
many eligible names
have also been excluded,
he said in his petition.
Turn to P6
Gaza: The death toll
from more than two
days of Israeli strikes
on Gaza has risen to 83,
the health ministry con-
trolled by the territory’s
Islamist rulers Hamas
said Thursday
.
The dead included 17
children, while 487 peo-
ple have been wounded,
the ministry said.
The Israeli military
said it had struck Gaza
more than 600 times
since Monday evening
while Hamas has fired
more than 1,600 rockets
towards Israel. The ex-
change of airstrikes in-
tensified after clashes
outsideAl-Aqsamosque
in Old Jeruselum.
Cuddalore: Four per-
sons, including a wom-
an, were killed in a boil-
er blast at a pesticide
manufacturing indus-
try at SIPCOT Industri-
al estate in Kudikadu
village near Cuddalore.
Fifteenpeoplesustained
injuries in the blast.
Theincidentoccurred
at 07:45 am at Crimsun
Organics chemical com-
pany
. The plant was un-
der operation with 19
regular company staff
and 18 contractual la-
bourers. “The boiler
mixer machine burst, in
which chemical gas
emerged from the fur-
nace of the boiler and
spreadnearbyfirewhich
resulted in a fire acci-
dent around the plant,”
the police said.
CJI CONSIDERS
LIVE TELECAST OF
SUPREME COURT
New Delhi: Chief Justice
of India NV Ramana on
Thursday said he was
actively considering the
proposal to live telecast
the proceedings of the
Supreme Court. The CJI,
however, said before
initiating concrete steps in
this regard, he would seek
general consensus among
his colleagues in the Su-
preme Court.
PM to interact with DMs of 100
districts having high covid load
New Delhi: Prime Min-
ister Narendra Modi
will interact with dis-
trict magistrates of 100
districts with high case-
loads of COVID-19 in-
fections in two meet-
ings on May 18 and 20,
government sources
said on Thursday
.
While DMs of 46 dis-
tricts from nine states
will be part of the first
meeting, those from 54
districts from 10 states
will attend the second
meeting, they said, add-
ing that respective chief
ministerswillbepresent
in these interactions.
This will be the first
such interaction that
the prime minister will
have with top district-
level administrative of-
ficers on the COVID-19
situation.
So far, he has held a
number of meetings
with chief ministers
from across the country
and also, in some cases,
from high caseload
states on the pandemic
situation since its first
outbreak in 2020.
Turn to P6
Vaccination on
India dominant
variants remains
uncertain: WHO
New Delhi:New strains
wof the Covid variant
found in India are dead-
lier and more infec-
tious, the World Health
Organisation has said
on the country’s corona-
virus situation in a
weekly update. It also
says the potential im-
pact of these mutations
on the effectiveness of
vaccines is uncertain.
The B.1.617 variant
first detected in India in
October and now found
in 44 countries, has a
higher rate of transmis-
sion and reduced sus-
ceptibility to neutrali-
sation antibodies.
Around0.1percentof
the Covid-positive sam-
ples in India have been
genome sequenced.
According to WHO,
the B.1.17 variant found
in UK Turn to P6
LOCKDOWN EXTENDED
IN BIHAR TILL MAY 25
NHRC NOTICES TO
CENTRE, UP & BIHAR
OVER BODIES FOUND
FLOATING IN GANGA
32 MINOR GIRLS OF A
LUCKNOW SHELTER
HOME TEST POSITIVE
OF CORONAVIRUS
Patna: Bihar Chief Minister
Nitish Kumar on Thursday
announced the extension of
the lockdown in the state
till May 25. CM Kumar
made the announcement
after chairing a high-
level meeting, convened
to take a decision on the
lockdown, which was in
place from May 5 to 15.
“Reviewed the lockdown
in Bihar with colleagues
in the council of ministers
and officials. The positive
outcome of the lockdown
is evident,” CM tweeted.
New Delhi: The National
Human Rights Commis-
sion (NHRC) has issued
notices to the Union Jal
Shakti Ministry, Uttar
Pradesh and Bihar, after
receiving complaints
about several bodies
found floating in the
Ganga river in the two
states. In its statement,
the NHRC said that it
seems the public authori-
ties have failed to take
concentric efforts.
Lucknow: Around 32 girls
of Rajkiya Children Shelter
home (Girls) have tested
positive for covid. Out of
those infected, two are
pregnant while one is spe-
cially abled. Although the
report was received three
days ago, but no action
was taken. Now, while the
pregnant and specially
abled girls will be isolated
in shelter home, 29 others
will be shifted to isolation
centre. More on P3
KEY HIGHLIGHTS
PM Narendra Modi
CJI NV Ramana
Palestinians walk next to the remains of a destroyed 15 story
building after being hit by Israeli airstrikes on Gaza on Thursday.
216 crore vaccine doses to be available in 5 months between
Aug-Dec, enough to cover all, central govt said on Thursday.
GAZA GOES DOWN
Kathmandu: With opposition parties fail-
ing to stake their claim to form govern-
ment by the deadline set by President
Bidhya Devi Bhandari, Prime Minister
KP Oli is all set to be re-appointed as
Prime Minister barely three days after
he lost the vote of confidence in Parlia-
ment. The Chief of the Nepali Congress,
Sher Bahadur Deuba, informed his party
colleagues and other allies shortly ahead
of the deadline that he could not manage
a majority to stake the claim for the post
as such has decided to withdraw from
the race. While formal withdrawal by the
leader of the main opposition left Presi-
dent Bhandari with no option other than to
invite Oli again. PM Oli had lost the
vote of confidence vote on Monday after
28 members of his party abstained,
reducing him to a minority.
OLI SET TO BE NEPAL
PM AGAIN AS OPPN
FAILS TO STAKE CLAIM
UTTAR PRADESH
17,775
New cases
281
New fatalities

UTTAR PRADESH
LUCKNOW | FRIDAY, MAY 14, 2021
02
First India Bureau
Lucknow: The daily
Covid positivity rate —
the number of positive
cases against the total
tests done — continued
to remain below 10% in
UP for the fourth con-
secutive day since the
middle of last month,
according to official
data.
This rate was at its
highest at 16.84% on
April 24 during the sec-
ond wave of the pan-
demic. It has now come
down to nearly 7 %. De-
spite being the most
populous state, Uttar
Pradesh under the
leadership of Chief
Minister Yogi Adity-
anath has been healing
effectively as recover-
ies surpassed fresh
Covid cases for twelfth
day in a row. With daily
recoveries consistently
improving, more than
13,40,251 people have so
far won their battle
against the deadly vi-
rus. With the state
managing to flatten the
curve and limiting the
transmission of the
deadly virus, the cov-
id-19 situation in Uttar
Pradesh has witnessed
significant improve-
ment as the number of
active cases have dras-
tically been reduced by
nearly 1.06 lakh in the
last twelve days with
swift recovery of covid
patients even in home
isolation.
The number of ac-
tive Covid cases in the
state has now dropped
to nearly 2.04 lakh.
The State Government
with its multi-pronged
strategy to contain the
virus has been able to
restrict the number of
cases much below the
predicted figures by the
experts while cases
have started dropping
since the beginning of
May itself.
With the aggressive
approach against Cov-
id, Uttar Pradesh as per
the target of ‘Test,
Trace and Treat’ has
conducted more than 43
million COVID tests,
the most in the country
thereby setting an ex-
ample of successfully
managing the coronavi-
rus pandemic.
C-positivity rate continues to remain below 10%
COVID REPORT
CM Yogi visits Aligarh’s Covid Command and Control Centre.

A total of 17,775
new cases were
recorded in the
last 24 hours,
whereas, the
number of
recoveries was
19,425, which
has added to the
positive recovery
graph of Uttar
Pradesh
CM praises Prime Minister Narendra Modi, lauds Indian Railways, Indian Airforce for promptly supplying Oxygen to Uttar Pradesh
‘NO DEARTH OF O2’
First India Bureau
Lucknow/Agra: Chief
Minister Yogi Adity-
anath said that the sec-
ond wave had started to
abate in Uttar Pradesh
and situation would
soon be under control
as there was no dearth
of Oxygen or beds in
hospitals now.
On a visit to Agra, the
CM, who arrived here
after inspecting Covid
facilities and arrange-
ments in Mathura, said
the demand for Oxygen
had pleatued and the
crisis would soon be
over as the state was in
the process of setting
up 377 oxygen plants to
meet future needs.
“Around 161 oxygen
plants are being setup
in state with support of
PM CARE fund and rest
would be built by state
government.” he said.
We are thankful to
the Prime Minister un-
der whose guidance the
Indian Railways and
Air Force cooperated
and today are able to
supply 1030 MT of oxy-
gen daily, he said.
Yogi said that the num-
ber of beds in hospitals
too had been increased.
“There are 1,60,000 beds
of level-1, 80,000 beds of
level-2 and level-3 are
present in the state. Ef-
forts are being made to
provide medical facili-
ties to every Covid posi-
tive patient,” he said.
More than 1.45 crore
people in the age group
of 45+ have been vacci-
nated via free vaccines
provided by Govt of In-
dia.
“Even the state gov-
ernment is committed
to provide free vac-
cines to everyone in
the age group of 18 to
44 years, free of cost”,
he said.
Later, he held a
meeting with officers
at the STDC Center at
SN Medical College.
The Chief Minister
said that people in the
high risk category, ie,
those above 60 years of
age should not leave
the house, stay in the
house. For about an
hour and a half, the CM
held a meeting with the
police administration
and public representa-
tives. He also inspected
the works of the moni-
toring committees in
Pathauli village.
Yogi Speaks
Yogi Speaks
CM Yogi has
expressed deep
condolences on the
loss of life in Hardoi,
Bahraich, Deoria,
Etah, Kasganj,
Shahjahanpur and
Siddharthnagar due
to storm and heavy
rains. The DMs have
been directed to
provide immediate
relief and help to the
affected families.
UP CM has greeted
people on the oc-
casion of Parashuram
Jayanti and urged
them to adhere to
Covid protocol while
observing the event.
CM Yogi has
mourned the
deaths of journalist
Akhliesh Krishna
Mohan and Rajendra
Singh, Resident
Editor, Amar Ujala.
(Meerut)
BEFORE CM VISIT, DM VISITS PATHAULI
Niti Aayog lauds govt’s O2 transport ,Covid testings
First India Bureau
Lucknow: After mak-
ing grim pedictions
about Covid conditions
in the State, the NITI
Aayog on Thursday did
an about turn and
praised Yogi govern-
ment’s efforts to con-
tain the spread of coro-
navirus in rural pock-
ets of the most popu-
lous state with special
reference to the ongo-
ing Mass Testing drive
in UP villages.
The think-tank
body said, “House to
house visits under-
taken in a mammoth
drive in over 90,000
villages of UP to iden-
tify an isolate
COVID+ve citizens
and trace contacts
should serve as a
model for other states
to replicate. Such pro-
active test-trace-treat
model is a highly ef-
fective way of tack-
ling the surge!”
In a tweet from its of-
ficial handle, the Aayog
has also lauded UP
Govt’s innovative mod-
el for smooth, prompt
and transparent supply
of medical oxygen
UP Government’s inno-
vative model of devel-
oping an ‘OxyTracker’
on instructions of CM
Yogi Adityanath to en-
sure smooth, timely
and transparent supply
of medical oxygen in
times of crisis to the
covid critical patients
in government and pri-
vate hospitals with 24x7
live monitoring of the
life-saving fluid also has
gathered huge praise by
the NITI Aayog.
Praising the innovative
measure NITI Aayog
wrote, “A laudable mod-
el for oxygen transport
& tracking! UPGovt has
established oxygen
hubs & developed a
dashboard -OxyTrack-
er, through which tank-
ers can be tracked in
real-time.
CM Yogi Adityanath.
Eid-ul-Fitr: Guv,
CM greet people
First India Bureau
Lucknow: Eid-ul-Fitr
will be celebrated in Ut-
tar Pradesh on Friday
as the crescent moon
for the Islamic month
of Shawwal was not
sighted on Wednesday
.
Governor of Uttar
Pradesh Anandiben Pa-
tel, Chief Minister Yogi
Adityanath, Samajwadi
Party President Akh-
ilesh Yaday and other
political leaders have
wished Muslim breth-
ren on the eve of the
festival, which marks
the end of month-long
fasting by the commu-
nity
.
Renowned Sunni
cleric Maulana Khalid
Rasheed Farangi Ma-
hali on this occasion
said,”We urge people to
celebrate the festival
with simplicity and to
follow the Covid guide-
lines issued by the gov-
ernment.”
Mahali said that the
festival of Eid-ul-Fitr
should be celebrated
with simplicity
.
“People should stay
inside their homes and
follow all Covid-19 pro-
tocols which have been
imposed for our own
safety”, said Mahali,
who also asked people
to offer Eid pravers at
home and pray for eve-
ryone’s well-being.
CSR: Samsung
contributes 60
O2 concentrators
First India Bureau
Lucknow: Gautam
Budh Nagar: Samsung
Electronics provided
60 oxygen concentra-
tors to Uttar Pradesh
and half of them to
Gautam Buddh Nagar
district on Thursday,
as the South Korean
company joined efforts
to tackle the COVID-19
pandemic in the state,
officials said.
The help comes as
part of corporate so-
cial responsibility
(CSR) of Samsung,
which has its biggest
mobile phone-manu-
facturing factory at
Gautam Buddh Nagar,
Noida, and is one of the
leading investors in UP,
the officials said.
Gautam Buddh Nagar
District Magistrate Su-
has L Y appreciated and
thanked Samsung for
the effort. Coronavirus
patients in Gautam
Buddh Nagar have been
claiming shortage of
medical oxygen with
their families running
pillar to post for procur-
ing oxygen cylinders
and concentrators .
Govt staff procuring
wheat may soon be
frontline workers
First India Bureau
Lucknow: With the
pandemic surging in
rural areas, the Yogi
Adityanath govern-
ment has been consid-
ering a proposal to an-
nounce the government
employees deployed at
wheat procurement
centres at the “frontline
workers”.
For the procurement
of wheat at minimum
support price (MSP) the
state government has
deployed the employees
of cooperatives, agri-
culture and food and
civil supplies depart-
ments.
The Cooperative de-
partment has mooted
the proposal to protect
these employees from
pandemic.
The state govern-
ment has set up around
6000 purchase centres
in rural areas, includ-
ing 4203 by the coopera-
tive department.
The proposal further
has added that all the
employees-permanent,
contractual and part
time, who are working
at these procurement-
centres should be in-
cluded under the spe-
cial vaccination plan.
EID OF HOPE
The Moon for the Islamic month of Shawwal was sighted on Thursday which is indicative
that Eid would be celebrated today. In the picture, a father & his sons offer prayers after
sighting of the Moon in Varanasi as people celebrate in different ways.
—FILE PHOTO
Governor Anandiben Patel
Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath inspects the Integrated Command Centre in Mathura. CM reviews documents shown by Mathura DM Navneet Chahal.
CM Yogi Adityanath.
COMMUNICATIONS

UTTAR PRADESH
03
GIVE TIMELY
TREATMENT TO
ALL PREGNANT
LADIES: BATHAM
Vimla Batham,
President of Uttar
Pradesh State Commis-
sion for Women has
asked the District Mag-
istrates to ensure that
pregnant women who
show Covid-19 symp-
toms, or have tested
positive for the virus
or even those who are
already admitted in hos-
pitals should be given
timely treatment. She
also requested the DMs
to enroll Asha Bahu and
Anganwadi workers in
the rural places to help
the pregnant women in
rural areas.
COVID-19 UPDATE
TOTAL CASES
15,80,980
TOTAL DEATHS
16,646
NEW CASES
17,775
NEW DEATHS
281
LUCKNOW 856
VARANASI 772
GKP 775
MEERUT 1,070
PRAYAGRAJ 240
KANPUR 288
GBN 747
G’BAD 374
RECOVERED 13,59,676
ACTIVE CASES 2,04,658
The GBN
admin has directed
all hospitals, including
private facilities, to set up
helpdesks that will update
families of COVID-19
patients about their
health.
The
old city markets
in Lucknow remained
open ahead of Eid despite
strict curfew as people
thronged in large num-
bers sending alarm
bells ringing.
KEY
Highlights
Vishal Srivastav
Lucknow: Uttar
Pradesh continued to
witness progress in
terms of reduction in
Covid-19 positive cases
fourth day on the trot.
What added to this
slight relief is the fact
that the state registered
lesser number of
deaths as compared to
the last four days where
the figures remained
higher than 300.
The state on Thurs-
day recorded 17,775
fresh COVID-19 cases
that pushed the infec-
tion count to 15,80,980,
while 281 new fatali-
ties took the death toll
to 16,646 in the state,
officials said. Howev-
er, rural areas where
there are no hard and
fast mechanisms to
test the positivity rate
of virus-struck people,
have started to bear
the brunt.
Thousands of people
in rural stretches of
the state have started
complaining of vari-
ous health complica-
tions. However, there
are still no confirmed
numbers with regards
to how many people
are infected in rural
areas but sources have
revealed from various
regions that the num-
bers are quite high and
growing too.
The number of ac-
tive cases in the state
has come down by over
1.06 lakh in the past 12
days, Additional Chief
Secretary, Health, Amit
Mohan Prasad said.
The COVID-19 recovery
rate now stands at 86
per cent in Uttar
Pradesh, he said.
First India Bureau
Lucknow: Abhishek
Prakash, District
Magistrate, Luc-
know chaired a meet-
ing to review ar-
rangement for main-
tenance of peace and
Covid protocols dur-
ing Eid-ul-Fitr.
Important decisions
taken in the meeting
included banning of
procession/grouping
of 5 or more people
without prior permis-
sion of DM or Regional
Executive Magistrate,
loudspeakers not al-
lowed to be operated
from 10 PM to 6 AM in
compliance with the
order of Supreme
Court & in the daytime
too, loudspeakers if
used should not be too
loud.
Public is not al-
lowed to carry any-
thing that can be
used as weapons (ex-
cluding sticks used
by visually impaired
and ‘Kirpan’) in ru-
ral areas. Banners,
posters, etc. which
may hurt other’s re-
ligious sentiments
should be taken
down and program
by any community is
not allowed to be or-
ganized within the
limits of rural area
of Lucknow.
Any kind of inflam-
mable material or
those which can be
used to disturb peace
should not be stored
by any person. Print-
ing or publication of
materials which can
cause communal ten-
sion is not allowed,
strict action will be
taken against people
who disrespect or in-
dulge in indecent acts
with various state
government person-
nel deployed in the ru-
ral areas.
No burning of effi-
gies in any public
place within the limits
of the rural area of
Lucknow is allowed
and hospitality-based
business in the rural
areas should not ac-
commodate anyone
without verifying
their identity proof.
First India Bureau
Gorakhpur: A private
hospital in Uttar
Pradesh’s Gorakhpur
was sealed by the dis-
trict administration af-
ter it was found to be
charging hefty fees to a
COVID patient, an offi-
cial said on Thursday
.
District Magistrate
Vijyendra Pandiyan
on Wednesday or-
dered the sealing of
Badrika Hospital and
Research Center at
Gorakhpur Medical
College road after the
patient’s family mem-
ber filed a complaint
at the commissioner
zone office against
the hospital for over-
charging. A case was
also registered
against the hospital’s
manager Saurabh Ku-
mar and staff mem-
ber Rajesh Jaiswal
under relevant sec-
tions of the IPC and
the Epidemic Act.
As per report, Udai
Pratap Singh had filed
a complaint stating that
his sister-in-law, who
was infected with COV-
ID-19, was admitted to
the hospital on April 30
for four hours and was
charged Rs 51,000.
First India Bureau
Lucknow: Due to ef-
forts of Uttar Pradesh
Chief Minister Yogi
Adityanath, a record
1031.43 MT of oxygen
was supplied to medical
colleges, medical insti-
tutes, private hospitals
and refillers in state in
last 24 hours.
Under self-produc-
tion, 81.87 metric tons of
oxygen has also been
supplied through air
separators units besides
3471 patients in Home
Isolation were provided
26.44 metric tons of Oxy-
gen through supply cyl-
inders in last 24 hours.
Additional Chief Sec-
retary (Home) Awanish
Kumar Awasthi in-
formed that 623.11 MT
of oxygen was supplied
to Refillers by Depart-
ment of Food Safety
and Drug Administra-
tion. In addition, 313.02
metric tons of oxygen
was supplied to medical
colleges and medical in-
stitutions in state be-
sides 95.29 MT oxygen
was supplied directly to
private hospitals by ox-
ygen suppliers. Awasthi
informed in last 24
hours 85.08 MT was pro-
vided in major districts
like Kanpur, 57.15 MT in
Varanasi, 56.99 MT in
Prayagraj, 261.41 MT in
Meerut, 53.12 MT in Mo-
radabad, 73.47 MT in
Agra, 53.21 MT in Gora-
khpur and 155.26 metric
tons of oxygen had ar-
rived in Lucknow in
last 24 hours.
First India Bureau
Lucknow: Power em-
ployees have demand-
ed Rs 50 lakh compen-
sation to family of de-
ceased during Corona
period, vaccination of
employees on priority
after announcing pow-
er employees front line
workers.
The worker’s com-
mittee have threatened
to go on a strike if no
actions taken on their
demands in one weak.
In letters to power
minister Srikant
Sharma and chief
minister Yogi Adity-
anath, the employees’
committee had men-
tioned that power em-
ployees were working
in such adverse condi-
tions and several em-
ployees were exposed
to deadly virus during
their duty.
It was mentioned in
the letter that about
140 power employees
were died due to Coro-
navirus infection and
their families should
get Rs 50 lakh compen-
sation and along with
the vaccination of em-
ployees, their family
members should be on
priority as many fami-
lies have been affected
in this crisis.
COVID-19: As urban caseload eases,
focus now shifts to rural stretches
District Magistrate
holds review
meeting of Covid
protocols for Eid
Private hospital in Gorakhpur sealed
for overcharging COVID-19 patient
Record 1031.43 MT of O2 supplied in the state
Power sector
employees
threaten to go
on strike
Janardan Misra
Lucknow: Atleast 32
girls at Rajkiya Chil-
dren Shelter home
(Girls), Moti Nagar
Lucknow have tested
positive for COVID-19,
with 2 of them found to
be pregnant while one
other found to be spe-
cially-abled, an admin-
istration official said.
It was informed that
reports of girls were
received three days
back but no actions
were taken due to the
negligence and unnec-
essary official hin-
drances. The pregnant
and specially-abled
girls will be isolated in
shelter home while 29
others will be shifted
to Nirala Nagar isola-
tion centre.
While speaking with
First India, Preeti Ver-
ma, a member of Child
Commission said
“Treatment of all 32
infected girls has been
started. They were
separated from other
girls after their report
came positive. Most of
them were asympto-
matic and their regu-
lar check-ups were
conducted”.
Ms Verma said that
precautions were tak-
en in shelter home but
it happened as most of
the working staff
comes from outside
that is why girls were
infected with virus.
She said that regular
check-ups of all girls
were being conducted
and they were isolated
just after their reports
came positive.
She also said that
some girls had mild fe-
ver but not a single of
them was in serious
condition. Apart from
medications, all other
protocols are being fol-
lowed and proper care
is given to all the in-
fected girls along with
providng good and
healthy food.
Speaking about se-
curity issues, Ms Ver-
ma said that a few girls
had escaped from the
roof in the past but af-
ter it was barricaded
no such incidents were
reported. She said
Child Commission
members and officials
visit regular at these
centres.
After 32 girls were
tested positive for Co-
rona virus infection,
there is a possible
threat to remaining 97
girls living in the shel-
ter home. There are 28
shelter homes in state
capital including the
private ones. Also, in
girls shelter homes,
number of girls are ex-
ceeding than the mini-
mum capacity.
32girlsofLucknowshelterhometestpositiveforC-19
—FILE PHOTO
Abhishek Prakash, District Magistrate, Lucknow during a
meeting to review COVID-19 Protocol.
ISOLATED
Out of 32 girls, there
are 2 pregnant and a
specially-abled who
have been isolated in
shelter home while
29 others were sent
to Nirala Nagar
isolation centre
Awareness drive held at liquor shops
Lucknow: After liquor shops were opened in Luc-
know on Thursday, Liquor association members
launched awareness drive about the Covid-19
protocols at liquor shops. Kanhaiya Lal Maurya,
General secretary of association, initiated aware-
ness drive at liquor shops at Hazaratganj, Ashi-
yana and Gomti Nagar area. Posters were pasted
at shops that no liquor will be sold to persons
who are not wearing masks. Also, social distanc-
ing at the shops was emphasised to secure health
of workers at shop and buyers. Citing the loss of
Rs 100 crores per day, liquor associations had
demanded opening of shops across the state.
Samsung Elec-
tronics provided 60
oxygen concentrators
to Uttar Pradesh and
half of them to Gautam
Buddh Nagar district
on Thursday.
Congress leader
Priyanka Gandhi
Vadra on Thursday
demanded a judicial probe
headed by a high court
judge into bodies float-
ing in the Ganga
in UP
The Central
govt said that
over 50 lakh patients
served by eSanjee-
vani during COVID-19
pandemic of which
842643 were
served in UP
LUNCH TIME
Social workers preparing lunch packets for the Covid-19 patients in Lucknow on Thursday.
FOR OWN
SAFETY
Ban on festival
related activities in
the Containment
Zones, and cases
under various
IPC sections will
be filed against
anyone involved in
such activities.
ACS Home Awanish Awasthi

l Vol 1 l Issue No. 153 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
he Pakistani establishment, a
common euphuism used about
thearmyanditsproxieslikethe
Inter-ServicesIntelligence(ISI),
appears to have made up its
mind to get rid of the present
incumbent, Prime Minister Im-
ran Khan, and perhaps, for this
Shahbaz Sharif, the leader of
the country’s main opposition,
Pakistan Muslim League-Noon
(PML-N) was released for initi-
ating a meaningful dialogue
with his brother Nawaz Sharif,
a former three-time prime min-
ister, in London.
The establishment’s effort to
end the current political stale-
mate received a setback, when
Shahbaz was prevented from
boardingaLondon-boundflight.
The senior Pakistani jour-
nalists and commentators like
Nazam Sethi are convinced
that Khan has finally‘burnt his
boat with the armed forces. It
is quite well-known that Imran
Khan and his party, Pakistan
Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) came to
power with the help of the es-
tablishment, but due to the PTI
government’s poor govern-
ance, the establishment is to-
tally ‘disillusioned’ with the
Khan and his party
. It is widely
believed that Shahbaz was fly-
ing to London with a few pos-
sible solutions to end the cur-
rent political stalemate be-
tween the opposition parties
and the establishment.
The establishment is report-
edly angered by not allowing
Shahbaz to visit his brother in
London, though he had the
High Court’s permission to fly
to London. Earlier, Shabaz, a
former Punjab chief minister
and the leader of the Pakistan
Muslim League-Noon (PML-N)
was released on bail, much
against the wishes of the Khan
government.
Maryam Aurangzeb, the par-
tyspokeswoman,andthedaugh-
terof NawazSharif,hasaccused
the government that Shabaz
was deliberately stopped by the
immigration officials at the air-
portwhenhewasgoingtoboard
a London-bound Qatar Airways
flight. The Lahore High Court
had permitted Shahbaz to leave
Pakistan and stay abroad for
treatment till early July this
year, but the government law-
yers did not oppose the judicial
order in the court, but decided
to prevent him from flying. The
court had acted on a petition
from Shahbaz that as a cancer
survivor he now needed treat-
ment outside of Pakistan. The
immigration officials deployed
at the airport have claimed that
Shahbaz, who faces corruption
charges in three separate court
cases, is still on the black list,
but it is being asked that how
could the officials ignore the
court’s directive.
During the past six months,
the huge rallies of the Pakistani
Democratic Movement (PDM)
held in Pakistan’s major cities
from Karachi to Peshawar and
especially in the major cities of
Punjab, Lahore and Multan,
have unnerved the establish-
ment. The 11-party coalition of
the PDM is headed by Jamait
Ulema-e-Islam chief, Maulana
Fazal-ur-Rehman and the other
major parties are PML-N and
Pakistan Peoples’ Party (PPP).
Maulana Fazal-ur-Rehman had
played a key-role in supporting
the Taliban, but in recent
months, his relationship with
thearmyhassuffered.Underhis
leadership,thePDMhasalsode-
cided to resign en-masse from
thePakistanNationalAssembly
to force fresh polls; however, the
reluctance of the PPP has de-
layed the resignation pro-
gramme, because the PPP lead-
ership felt that they might face
the dismissal of the PPP-ruled
Sindh government, and there
wouldbenosubstantialpolitical
gainsforthem,whilethePML-N
might sweep the new elections.
The weakening of the PDM
mighthavepleasedtheestablish-
ment,butthechargesagainstthe
army for supporting Khan and
his party
, PTI, has given it a bad
name, especially in Punjab,
whichhasthelargestnumberof
soldiers and officers in the coun-
try’s defence forces. The army
does not want to lose its popular
baseinPunjab.Itisalsointerest-
ingtonotethatKhan,acricketer-
turned politician, is aware of
thesenewpoliticalmoves.Apart
from implicating the opposition
leaders in various cases, he is
also trying to win back his old
friend Jehangir Tareem, a sugar
businessman;butTareem’sclose
nexus with the establishment
needs to be watched. Khan can-
not be sure of Tarem’s support,
but he is trying to win back all
possible supporters.
There are many permuta-
tions and combinations in the
new political adjustments,
such as PML-N may be given
Punjab, and a new coalition
government under the leader-
ship of the PPP might be
formed at the federal level with
a section of the PTI members
in the National Assembly. It is
estimated that with the shift-
ing of only seven members
from the treasury benches to
the opposition, the Khan gov-
ernment would collapse.
However, the establishment is
keen that before the end of the
Khan government these new
possible political proposals
should be approved by Nawaz
Sharif. For this Shahbaz was ex-
pected to travel to London under
thepretextof medicaltreatment.
He could have done the crucial
politicaldiscussions,whileseek-
ing medical treatment in Lon-
don. The issue of his proposed
trip to London may again be
taken up before the High Court.
It is, however, certain that it
would be difficult for Khan to
prevent Shahbaz’s journey to
London, because the establish-
ment is for reconciliation.
THE VIEWS EXPRESSED BY
THE AUTHOR ARE PERSONAL
IMRAN KHAN PREVENTS
SHAHBAZ FIGHT TO LONDON
The Pak army is keen for a political reconciliation, but crucial talks with Nawaz Sharif delayed
T
The senior
Pakistani
journalists and
commentators like
Nazam Sethi are
convinced that
Khan has
finally‘burnt his
boat with the
armed forces. It is
quite well-known
that Imran Khan
and his party,
Pakistan Tehreek-
e-Insaf (PTI)
came to power
with the help of
the establishment,
but due to the PTI
government’s poor
governance, the
establishment is
totally
‘disillusioned’
with the Khan
and his party
THERE ARE MANY
PERMUTATIONS AND
COMBINATIONS IN THE
NEW POLITICAL
ADJUSTMENTS, SUCH AS
PML-N MAY BE GIVEN
PUNJAB, AND A NEW
COALITION GOVERNMENT
UNDER THE LEADERSHIP
OF THE PPP MIGHT BE
FORMED AT THE FEDERAL
LEVEL WITH A SECTION
OF THE PTI MEMBERS IN
THE NATIONAL ASSEMBLY
GOPAL
MISRA
The writer is accredited as a Journalist
of klong and distinguished service with
the Press Information Bureau of the
Information and Broadcasting Ministry
he recent vio-
lence at the al-
Aqsa mosque/
Temple Mount
area and in the
Old City of Jerusalem has
spiralled into something
bigger and more danger-
ous. Clashes between Is-
raeli security forces and
Palestinian protesters at
the weekend have left hun-
dreds injured. Tensions
rose further on Monday
and Tuesday after Israeli
airstrikes launched in re-
taliation for Hamas rocket
attacks killed 35 people, in-
cluding 12 children, in
Gaza City
.
This latest episode can-
not be attributed to a single
cause. It should rather be
connected to a broader
landscape of destabilising
factors whose cumulative
weight led to the current
crisis after months of incu-
bation.
A chain reaction was
nevertheless triggered by
ongoing attempts to evict
Palestinian families living
for generations in the east
Jerusalem neighbourhood
of Sheikh Jarrah. A legal
battle is being waged be-
tween the Palestinian resi-
dents and Nahalat Shimon
– a settler organisation tied
to the Zionist movement in
Israel which is trying to
alter east Jerusalem’s de-
mographics in favour of a
Jewish population.
Support towards the
Sheikh Jarrah families in-
stantly came from several
Palestinian constituencies,
including an unprecedent-
ed number of Arab citizens
of Israel from Umm al-
Fahm and Jaffa. At the
same time, thousands start-
eddemonstratingatDamas-
cus Gate which in recent
weeks has become east Je-
rusalem’s “Tahrir Square”
– the centre of Egypt’s 2011
“Arab Spring” revolution.
Manyof theprotesterswere
Muslim worshippers who
came together at the gate
after having attended
prayers at al-Aqsa Mosque.
It is worth noting that
the crisis unfolded during
the final days in the holy
month of Ramadan: the cli-
max of the Islamic calen-
dar but also the most vola-
tile time of the year in Je-
rusalem. On Friday May 7
alone, some 200 Palestini-
ans were seriously injured
and many more were ar-
rested following fierce con-
frontations with the Israeli
police.
Israelipolicewereaggres-
sive in their attempts to
curbdemonstrations,which
soon backfired with an with
anexpansionof Palestinian
protests across Jerusalem,
the West Bank and many
Arab villages in central and
northern Israel.
TURMOIL ON
BOTH SIDES
Inability to contain vio-
lence in Jerusalem and
other occupied territories
is partly a result of inter-
nal issues with both the
Palestinian leadership and
the Israeli government. On
the Palestinian side, there
is a power struggle taking
place between Hamas and
the president of the Pales-
tinianAuthority
,Mahmoud
Abbas. Hamas deliberately
heightened tension with
Israel by firing rockets
from Gaza as a propaganda
strategy to build political
capital at Abbas’ expense.
He, in turn, has postponed
elections to the Palestinian
Legislative Council for fear
of losing ground against
his Islamist rivals.
Israeli politics, mean-
while, has reached a debili-
tating impasse after four
general elections failed to
establish a workable gov-
ernment. This has had se-
vere ramifications for the
handling of the crisis.
SOURCE: THE CONVERSATION
Politics behind the latest explosion of violence in the Holy City
T
When a person dwells
longingly on sense objects, an
inclination towards them is
generated. This inclination
develops into desire and
desire gives rise to anger.
—Bhagavad Gita
Spiritual
SPEAK
Top
TWEET
Smriti Z Irani @smritiirani
With a view to strengthen and
bring transparency in nutrition
delivery services, @MinistryWCD
launched ‘POSHAN Tracker’ App
in March 2021. App developed as
a governance tool for real-time
monitoring of nutritional outcomes
will be vital in improving maternal
and child health.
Dr Harsh Vardhan @drharshvardhan
Shining example of Digital health
benefitting citizens. Over 50L
patients served through eSanjeevani
Telemedicine Platform during the
#pandemic. Few States working
towards special Home Isolation
OPDs for remote screening of
patients for #COVID19 by final yr
MBBS students
IN-DEPTH
OPPN COMES TOGETHER
TO TAKE ON MODI
n a significant show of unity, 12 Opposi-
tion parties and four chief ministers
came together to demand free vaccina-
tion against Covid-19 and suspension of
work on the Central Vista and use its
funds “for procuring oxygen and vaccines, in-
stead”. Central Vista is Prime Minister Narendra
Modi’s ambitious project. BJP president JP Nadda
had attacked the Congress for targeting Central
Vista while its own party’s government in Chhat-
tisgarh was busy constructing a “new Raipur”
with new Assembly building, new residences for
the governor and chief minister and several other
structures. Soon after Nadda’s jibe, Chief Minister
Bhupesh Baghel ordered a halt to the entire pro-
ject. The move will put further pressure on the BJP
against Central Vista.
The joint Opposition demanded in a letter to the
PM that vaccines should be centrally procured
from global and local sources by the Central gov-
ernment which should then distribute them for
“free and universal vaccination”. The leaders
urged the prime minister “to invoke compulsory
licensing to expand domestic vaccine production.
Spend budgetary allocation of Rs 35,000 crore for
the vaccines”. The signatories to the letter includ-
ed Congress president Sonia Gandhi, D. Raja (CPI),
Sitaram Yechury (CPM), Sharad Pawar (NCP), for-
mer Prime Minister HD Deve Gowda (JDS), Ud-
dhav Thackeray (Shiv Sena), Mamata Banerjee
(TMC), MK Stalin (DMK), Hemant Soren (JMM),
the last four are all chief ministers. The letter was
sent a day after Nadda accused Sonia of spreading
panic and misleading people on the pandemic.
I
TOUGH TIMES AHEAD
FOR W BENGAL CM
amata Banerjee’s stupendous victory in
the Assembly elections notwithstand-
ing, the recent post-poll violence in West
Bengal has given ammunition to the
BJP. The Union Home Ministry has a
valid reason now to keep breathing down her neck
through the state governor Jagdeep Dhankhar.
The Home Ministry has drawn a line of distinction
between the BJP and the Trinamool Congress with
the 77 newly-elected BJP legislators being given X
category security cover by the Central Industrial
Security Force. Suvendu Adhikari, the Leader of
Opposition in the West Bengal Assembly, enjoys Z
category with a posse of Central Reserve Police
Force men deployed to protect him. Adhikari de-
feated Mamata from Nandigram constituency
. It is
rare to see central para forces protecting opposi-
tion party MLAs but West Bengal politics are dif-
ferent and with BJP in power at the Centre it was
easy
. The decision to provide the BJP MLAs with
a special security ring was taken after intelligence
inputs and post-poll violence in the Cooch-Behar
district in which 16 people belonging to both the
parties were killed. That there’s no love lost be-
tween Dhankhar and Mamata is an old story. Al-
though a governor’s powers are limited, Dhankhar
continues to exercise them as much as he can. Last
September Mamata wrote a letter to Dhankhar
urging him to “refrain from surpassing” the CM
and her council of ministers.” But Dhankhar is
carrying on regardless as he planned visit to
Cooch-Behar, prompting CM to request him not to
“violate long-standing protocols.”
M

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

INDIA
06
CM Yogi shares...
He held a meeting with
senior officials of AMU
andthedistrictadminis-
tration at the medical
college’s auditorium.
Speaking to reporters
after the meeting, the
chief minister said he
hoped that the situation
in the university would
improve once the vacci-
nation drive on campus
picks up.
He said the supply of
oxygen to the Jawahar-
lal Nehru Medical Col-
lege is being increased.
The supply began on
Wednesday and this will
resolve any shortage of
oxygen.
Officials at the Jawa-
harlal Nehru Medical
College have been seek-
ing urgent supplies of
oxygen cylinders for the
past two weeks. Accord-
ing to hospital authori-
ties, the medical college
hadn’t received a single
oxygen cylinder in a
fortnight till Wednesday
and was solely depend-
ent on its three liquid
oxygen plants.
Though the hospital
authorities have not re-
ported any deaths due to
oxygen scarcity, there
have been unofficial re-
ports pointing to acute
patient distress caused
by the non-availability
of oxygen cylinders and
“low-pressure levels” in
pipe supply
.
The UP CM also held
a meeting to review the
COVID-19 situation in
Aligarh with district of-
ficials at the integrated
Covid control centre. He
said there has been a
“decline in active COV-
ID-19 cases” in the Ali-
garh division “in the
past week as compared
to the previous week.”
He claimed that there
has been a marked de-
cline in the number of
active cases across the
state over the past few
days and added that
steps are being taken to
augment oxygen sup-
plies.
The CM said the
shortfall of oxygen was
the result of a sudden
rise in the daily demand
for the life-saving gas
last month from 300 met-
rictonnesto1,000metric
tonnes.
The CM said the state
government has also
started preparing for a
possible third wave of
the COVID-19 pandemic.
12 To...
The panel also stated
thatthosehavinglabora-
tory test proven SARS-
CoV-2 illness should de-
fer Covid-19 vaccination
for six months after re-
covery
.
According to the Union
Health Ministry’s cur-
rent protocol, vaccine is
to be taken four to eight
weeks after recovery
from Covid-19 infection
and pregnant and lactat-
ing women are not to be
administered the shots.
PM to...
According to the latest
data from the Union
Health Ministry
, just ten
states account for over
72 per cent of new COV-
ID-19 cases reported in a
span of 24 hours and
theseincludeMaharash-
tra, Delhi, Haryana, Ut-
tar Pradesh, Kerala,
Karnataka,TamilNadu,
Andhra Pradesh, West
Bengal and Rajasthan.
Also, just ten states ac-
count for 74.30 per cent
of the new deaths.
Vaccination on...
and the India-dominant
B.1.617 have “begin to
wane in recent weeks”,
but worryingly, there
are more dangerous mu-
tations of the B.1.617
now - the B.1.617.1 and
B.1.617.2. “Preliminary
analyses shows B.1.617.1
and B1.617.2 have sub-
stantiallyhighergrowth
rate suggesting poten-
tially higher transmis-
sibility,” says the WHO
update.
‘Sputnik V...
Notably
,SputnikVisthe
third vaccine India has
given go-ahead to after
Covishield,developedby
Oxford University and
AstraZeneca and Cov-
axin, the indigenous
vaccine manufactured
by Bharat Biotech. Cov-
ishield is manufactured
by the Serum Institute
of India.Meanwhile,
Russian scientists
claimed the Phase 3 trial
of Sputnik V Covid-19
vaccine is clear, trans-
parent and fully com-
plieswiththeregulatory
standards that exist for
provision of clinical tri-
al data, said a report in
IANS
Attempt to...
The draft citizen’s list of
August 2019 had left out
19 lakh people. Most are
those who did not pro-
vide adequate docu-
ments to prove their citi-
zenship claims, officials
had said. State leaders
of the BJP have been de-
manding re-verification
since the lists were pub-
lished. Himanta Biswa
Sarma, who took the
oath as the state’s Chief
Minister this week, had
tweeted, “The Names of
many Indian citizens
who migrated from
Bangladesh as refugees
prior to 1971 have not
been included in the
NRC because authori-
ties refused to accept
refugee certificates”.
FROM PG 1
Plateauingindailycases,
decline in +ve too: Govt
187 dists see continuous dip in cases in last 2 weeks: Health ministr
New Delhi: Plateauing
in daily new COVID-19
cases and positivity
rate has been recorded
in the country over the
past three days, the gov-
ernment said on Thurs-
day, but added 10 states
still have a positivity
rate of 2% or more.
According to the gov-
ernment, the number
of districts with week-
on week rise in COV-
ID-19 tests, yet decline
in positivity rate has
increased from 125 in
April 22-28 to 338 be-
tween May 6 and 12.
Addressing a press
conference, a senior of-
ficial, also said as
many as 12 states have
more than 1 lakh active
COVID-19 cases, while
24 states have more
than 15 per cent case
positivity rate.
Delhi, Haryana and
Uttar Pradesh are
among 10 states that ac-
count for 72.42 per cent
of the 3,62,727 new cas-
es in the country in a
span of 24 hours, the
Union health ministry
said on Thursday.
Kerala, Karnataka,
Tamil Nadu, Andhra
Pradesh, West Bengal
and Rajasthan are the
other states in the list
of 10.
Maharashtra report-
ed the highest daily
new cases at 46,781. It is
followed by Kerala
with 43,529 while Kar-
nataka reported 39,998
new cases.
India’s total active
caseload has increased
to 37,10,525 and now
comprises 15.65 per cent
of the country’s total
infections. A net in-
crease of 6,426 cases has
been recorded in the ac-
tive caseload in a day
.
—PTI
COVID patient gets an oxygen facility in a BMTC bus parked in
front of Town Hall, in Bengaluru on Thursday. —PHOTO BY ANI
Peak will come,
virus can again
emerge: Govt
A youngster getting vaccinated in Delhi.
Covaxin phase 2, 3 clinical trial for 2-18 yrs cleared
New Delhi: Covaxin
trials on children from
two to 18 years were
cleared by the Drugs
Controller General of
India (DCGI) on Thurs-
day. This is the first
time in India that a Cov-
id vaccine will be tested
on children.
Covaxin maker
Bharat Biotech said its
phase 2 and 3 trials
would be carried out on
“525 healthy volun-
teers”.
According to a gov-
ernment statement, the
drug regulator accepted
the recommendation of
an expert committee on
vaccines after careful
thought.
The trial involves two
vaccine doses injected
at day 0 and day 28.
The trials are to take
place at various sites,
including AIIMS, Delhi,
AIIMS, Patna and Med-
itrina Institute of Medi-
cal Sciences, Nagpur.
On Tuesday, the Sub-
ject Expert Committee
(SEC) on COVID-19 dis-
cussed Bharat Biotech’s
application requesting
permission to conduct
phase two and three tri-
als “to evaluate the safe-
ty, reactogenicity and
immunogenicity of Co-
vaxin jabs in children
aged 2 to 18 years”. —PTI
Puri,Tharoor
spar over
vaccine policy

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

NEWS
07
Lucknow: Police ar-
rested 16 persons from
Hookka bar in Hazarat-
ganj area for violating
norms of lockdown.
Sources said that all of
them were without
face-mask and social
distancing was not fol-
lowed.
Shyam Babu Shukla,
Inspector Hazaratganj
here said that acting on
tip-off police team
raided at Emperor
Caffe. Police have ar-
rested 16 persons from
there while the owner
of Cafe Mohammad
Faizi Siddiqui man-
aged to escape.
The arrested accused
were identified as
Faizan, Shadab, Sal-
man, Mohsin Kamal,
Momad Vaqar, Chand
Ali, Azaz Rasool, Us-
man, Varun Awasthi,
Mohammad Wasid, Mo-
hammad Inam, Swait
Qureshi, Mohammad
Salman, Suraj and Sal-
man Mohammad.
Police have seized
four vehicles and re-
covered 19 mobiles
from them.
Section 144 was im-
posed due to increasing
Corona infection in the
city. Also, lockdown
was imposed till May 17
but ignoring all the
norms these people
gathered in hookah bar
for the party.
Earlier, 12 persons
including manager of
illegal hookah bar were
arrested in Thakurganj
area two months back.
Police had not found
any legal papers to run
the bar and objection-
able material was serv-
ing inside the premis-
es.
Though industrial
activities, medical and
essential services ac-
tivities, e-commercee
commerce operations,
postal service and me-
dia persons were ex-
empted in lockdown
but Covid 19 protocols
have to be strictly fol-
lowed.
In restaurants, bars
and liquor stores it was
difficult to follow the
guidelines and police
have restricted such
services in lockdown
period but at some plac-
es such illegal activi-
ties were being operat-
ed behind closed doors.
First India Bureau
Lucknow/Gorakh-
pur: In order to save
liquor traders from the
daily loss of Rs 100
crore, the state govern-
ment has given permis-
sion to open liquor
shops. The shutters of
liquor shops have also
been opened in capital
Lucknow and Gorakh-
pur since Thursday.
The government, sur-
rounded by all-round
criticism over opening
of liquor shops amid
Corona epidemic, has
made masks and social
distancing mandatory
for buying liquor.
It has also made it
clear that duty of po-
licemen had been en-
sured outside liquor
shops for implement-
ing of Corona Protocol
but the reality is that
there was no police out-
side shops nor cus-
tormers maintained
social distancing.
Shutters of closed
liquor shops opened af-
ter12 days of lock-down
due to Corona infec-
tion. According to Dis-
trict Excise Officer, liq-
uor would not be given
to customer without a
mask.
Circles have been
made outside shops for
social distancing. Ex-
cise teams are taking
stock of the shops. Po-
lice personnel have
also been deployed for
the arrangements.
Circle Officer of Ex-
cise Department of
Gorakhpur district, BP
Singh said liquor shops
have been allowed to
open between 10am and
5pm. Alcohol will be
obtained only after fol-
lowing social distanc-
ing. There will be no
arrangement for drink-
ing alcohol. If the
guideline is not fol-
lowed, strict action will
be taken against them.
According to the as-
sociation, hundreds of
people were left unem-
ployed due to closure of
liquor shops besides a
loss of Rs 100 crores
was being suffered eve-
ry day. Association’s
general secretary Kan-
haiya Lal Maurya said
liquor shops were
closed due to curfew de-
clared before the pan-
chayat elections in
state.
He said no mention
was made in govern-
ment order to close liq-
uor shops nor any or-
der was given to license
holders to close shops
Excise Department of-
ficials.
Hence demand was
made to state govern-
ment for opening of
liquor shops. He said
there were also con-
cerns about the fixed
monthly quota and li-
cense fees.
16heldinhookahbar
for violating norms
Social distancing
mandatory outside
liquor shops: Govt
First India Bureau
Aligarh: The Yogi gov-
ernment is fighting
against the Coronavi-
rus on two fronts, one
directly by treating all
the people who have
contracted the virus
and another by feeding
the poor in the state
who are suffering due
to the lockdown that
has been imposed in
the state.
The state govern-
ment has been success-
ful in distributing food
to more than a lakh
poor people in the state.
The state govern-
ment has established
263 community kitch-
ens in 67 districts of
the state to cater to the
poor. These community
kitchens provide food
packets for free to those
who need. The initia-
tive of the government
has also inspired pri-
vate organizations in
the state who too have
opened close to 60 com-
munity kitchens in dif-
ferent districts of the
state.
The state govern-
ment had to impose
partial corona curfew
in the state in order to
break the chain of Co-
rona infections in the
state. Chief Minister
Yogi Adityanath who
along with this had
also instructed the of-
ficials to ensure that no
one in the state feels
the shortage of food.
On the instructions of
the CM, community
kitchen scheme in 67
districts including Luc-
know, Prayagraj and
Kanpur were started.
According to data re-
leased by the govern-
ment on May 11, 1,01,176
food packets have been
distributed to various
people through the 263
community kitchens of
the government and
more than 60 commu-
nity kitchens of pri-
vate organizations. The
Chief Minister has also
instructed officials of 8
districts where these
community kitchens
have not been opened
to open them immedi-
ately. The CM has en-
trusted the responsibil-
ity of making sure food
reaches poor, laborers
and street vendors to
the Commissioner of
Agricultural Produc-
tion.These community
kitchens have also been
opened in Covid hospi-
tals that have been set
up in various districts
of the state for treat-
ment of patients who
need hospitalization.
The state government
has upped its efforts to
provide timely treat-
ment to sick patients
as well as healthy food
to help them recover
from the virus. Several
arrangements for food,
drinking water, sanita-
tion and security have
also been made in
quarantine centers set
up in rural areas of the
state.
YOGI GOVT’S 263 COMMUNITY KITCHENS IN 67
DISTRICTSCONTINUETOFEEDPOORINCOVIDTIMES
PARENTS SELL
SON TO BIZMAN
TO BUY A CAR
The bond between a mother and
a child is said to be a special
one as it is the mother who
carries the child in her womb for
9 months and then lifelong in her
heart. But the news of a mother
from a village in the district of
Kannauj, selling her newborn son
to buy herself a car has shocked
the villagers. The woman and
her husband were living in the
village of Satoura and the two
had a son 3 months ago. The
woman’s mother had couple of
days ago called her daughter to
check on her grandson but upon
not getting a proper response
felt something amiss. She then
travelled to Satoura to check on
her grandson personally only
to find that her grandson has
been sold to a businessman of
Gursahaiganj for Rs 1,50,000.
When the grandmother of the
child asked the parents why
they sold their son, the daughter
told her that she sold the child
because she wanted to buy a
car. The mother of the lady was
shocked and found that her
daughter and son-in-law had
even bought a car with the money
10 days ago. The mother of the
lady then pressured her daughter
and son-in-law to bring back
her grandson or otherwise she
would complained to the police.
The son-in-law at this threatened
to kill the lady and her husband.
The mother of the woman then
reached the rural police station to
file a case and the police said that
they will be looking into the case.
—Amit Baliyan
DISSENT
OR DECEIT?
Covid has shaken them out of
their comfort zone - the ruling
dispensation is facing flak not
only from the Opposition but also
from within the party ranks. Not
a day passes when some BJP
legislator, minister or MP fires
a salvo at the party regime over
the pathetic state-of-affairs and
utter Covid mismanagement in
the State. There are, of course,
conspiracy theories doing the
rounds in power corridors.
Those who are trying to read
the writing on the wall are
perhaps reading too much that
ex-bureaucrat AK Sharma, a
close aide of PM Modi who took
voluntary retirement to become a
legislator in UP, has taken charge
of Covid management in the
PM’s parliamentary constituency,
Varanasi. He has been camping
in Varanasi and holding
daily meetings with district
administration officials to manage
the affairs. Sharma’s deployment
in the PM’s constituency is
certainly not a vote of no-
confidence against the Covid
management of top leadership,
but then politicians are known to
make conclusions based on their
own predilections and prejudices.
—M Tariq Khan
People stand in a queue as they wait to receive a dose of the COVID-19 vaccine at Tej Bahadur Sapru Hospital in Prayagraj
on Thursday. —PHOTO BY PTI
Army jawan shoots self with service
rifle at RVC centre in Meerut,dies
First India Bureau
Meerut: Panic was
triggered in the area
after, an army jawan
shot self in RVC centre
in Meerut with his ser-
vice rifle. He was se-
verely injured in his
suicide attempt and
rushed to the Military
hospital where he suc-
cumbed to his injuries.
Police have initiated
the investigation and
reasons behind his ex-
treme step was not as-
certained yet.
Brijesh Kumar, La-
lkurti police station in-
charge here said that
Army Jawan Raju Ya-
dav informed police
that Devendra Singh
Bisht resident of Ka-
shipur district Uttara-
khand and posted at
RVC centre shot self
with his service rifle.
Police have sent the
body for post-mortem,
Kumar said adding that
investigations were un-
derway and post-mor-
tem report can reveal
the reason behind the
crime.
During interroga-
tion it was revealed
that deceased had no
feud with anyone and
was not facing any
such trouble. He was
posted at the centre for
long time. Police have
interrogated some
army jawans about the
death of the Bisht but
reason was yet to ascer-
tain.
Senior army officials
have also inquired
about the incident
though any official
statement was not is-
sued yet.
TO GET A JAB
Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath Community kitchen feeds the hungry.

08
2NDFRONT
Eid Mubarak, may it bring
peace, harmony and good health
to each one of us!
—Jagdeesh Chandra, CEO Editor-in-Chief, First India
First India Bureau
Lucknow: The ongo-
ing second wave of
Corona which has
bought many of the
departments to stand-
still has meant delay
in the disposal of
public complaints.
On Wednesday, a
50-year-old wife of an
HIV+ patient reached
the Collectorate office
in Agra to file a petition
to get money from
the Chief Minis-
ter’s fund for the
treatment of
her husband
whose both kid-
neys have failed.
She upon reach-
ing the collectorate
office found it to be
closed and hence had to
return without any
help.
This is not the only
case as due to the sec-
ond wave, 485 public
grievances filed from
March 27 in Samad-
han Divas, Thana Di-
vas, IGRS Portal
and District
M a g i s -
trate’s Of-
fice are
yet to be
disposed
of. The
lady has
been travel-
ling to CMO, Collec-
torate and Hospitals
in order to get any
help from the govern-
ment so that she could
get her husband
treated.
Rohit, a resident of
Baipur, was seen round-
ing the Sadar Tehsil in
Agra and was asked
told that he had applied
for ration card two
months ago but is yet to
receive the card. He
added that without ra-
tion card, shopkeepers
are not giving him any
ration.
Agra has ranked a
sorrow 75th when it
came to solving public
grievances and as the
public grievances not
been disposed of since
March, it could lead to
further trouble for the
administration. The
suspension of hearing
of public grievances
due to Corona cases has
meant that complaints
of electricity, water,
sanitation and ration-
ing are bundling up to
alarming levels.
NO MORE FETTERS
Etah: A jail official was suspended on Thursday for chaining a 92-year-old prisoner to
his hospital bed during treatment in Etah district, the authorities said. After a picture,
posted on social media, showed the old man sitting on a hospital bed, wearing an
oxygen mask with his feet chained to its footboard, UP Additional Director General (Jail),
Anand Kumar ordered warder Ashok Yadav’s suspension and sought clarification from
his supervisory officer.
First India Bureau
NEW DELHI: The Su-
preme Court on Thurs-
day said it is inclined to
pass directions to the
national capital region
(NCR) states to have
community kitchens
and to facilitate trans-
portation of migrant
workers who are willing
to return home amid the
current wave of COV-
ID-19 pandemic.
The apex court ob-
served that authorities
must ensure that mi-
grantworkersreturning
home are not charged
exorbitant fare by pri-
vate bus operators and
the Centre may consider
involving the Railways
to facilitate their trans-
portation. A bench of
Justices Ashok Bhush-
an and M R Shah ob-
served this while hear-
ing a plea filed by three
activists who have
sought directions to the
Centre and states to en-
sure food security, cash
transfers, transport fa-
cilities and other wel-
fare measures for mi-
grant workers who are
facingdistressduetothe
curbs clamped in sever-
al parts of the country
amid the pandemic.
“For the time being,
we are inclined to pass
directions on communi-
tykitchensothatnobody
starves and also on fa-
cilitating transport of
those who are willing to
go,” the bench said.
The bench said that
for NCR states Delhi, UP
and Haryana, it would
issue certain directions
while for other states, it
may ask them to file
theirresponsesontheis-
sues raised in the plea.
Ensure migrant workers not charged high fare: SC
—FILE PHOTO
The wife of an HIV +
has been travelling to
CMO, Collectorate and
Hospitals to get help
from the govt so that
she could get her
husband treated.
485 plaints pending for hearing
due to second wave of corona
First India Bureau
Lucknow: Dealing
with a Public Interest
Litigation Petition
seeking free-of-cost
treatment to the law-
yers and their wards
suffering from Covid-19
or reimbursement of
the amount incurred on
treatment of Covid-19,
the Allahabad High
Court on Wednesday
(May 12) directed the
State and Central Gov-
ernment to seek in-
structions in the matter.
A Division Bench of
JusticeRituRajAwasthi
and Justice Manish Ma-
thur was hearing a PIL
filed by one Hari Pasad
Gupta (through Advo-
cates Dr. V
.K. Singh,
Hari Ram Gupta).
Free of cost treatment: HC
seeks govt response on PIL
Janardan Misra
Bijnor: Dr Ganesh Ku-
mar Gupta, a DSP-rank
officer, serving train-
ing period in Bijnor
city as circle officer
(CO trainee) is devot-
ing 4 to 5 hours for
treatment of Corona
patients along with his
police duty.
An MBBS degree
holder, Ganesh had
cleared the Provincial
Police Service (PPS)
exam in 2016. After
death of a policeman in
Moradabad district due
to Corona, Ganesh de-
cided to take care of
policemen himself
amidst shortage of
medical facility in the
district.
Police sources said
that at least 164 police-
men have tested posi-
tive for Covid-19 after
returning from pan-
chayat election duty in
Bijnor district alone.
And most of them have
mild to moderate symp-
toms. “In such circum-
stances, Dr Ganesh has
taken initiative of tak-
ing care of patients and
most of them were re-
covering rapidly. He is
looking after all the
policemen at the isola-
tion centres and also
doing telemedicine
consultation with prop-
er monitoring of symp-
toms and counselling
of the patients.” said
Dr. Dharamveer Singh,
superintendent of po-
lice, Bijnor.
Dr Akriti Gupta,
wife of DSP Dr Ganesh
Gupta was also provid-
ing medical consulta-
tion to patients. Along
with her husband she
was providing consul-
tation to policemen,
their relatives and
friends without any
charge and with full
dedication.
When cop turns corona warrior to save fraternity
Dr Ganesh Kumar with wife Dr Akriti Gupta
Workers collecting bodies from the banks of Ganga river. Dozens of decomposing bodies washed up at the bank of the holy river amid
the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, at Chausa in Buxar. (2) Officers at the site where bodies were found floating (3) A macabre sight of
bodies buried in the sand on the banks of the Ganga near Unnao. Due to lack of space in crematoriums or by force of certain religious
beliefs, the bodies are buried shallow and dogs often pick on them.
Shishir Awasthi
Lucknow: Loads of
deadbodies,presumably
of people who have died
to Corona is being fished
out of rivers like Yamu-
na, Gomti and others.
This caused even more
uproar with every politi-
cal parties also jumping
the gun and blaming the
incumbent Yogi govern-
ment of mismanage-
ment during the second
wave.
The cause of all the
panic in the state is due
to the family of dead Co-
rona positive patients
who are either dumping
the bodies into river or
leaving half burnt bod-
ies on the banks of riv-
ers which ultimately
gets washed away into
the rivers. Since the last
week, loads and loads of
bodies are being fished
out of Yamuna and
Ganges and cases of
people throwing dead
bodies in canals has also
arose.
The question being
raised is whether the
peoplewhoarethrowing
the bodies under the
graveness of the deed or
not.InVaranasiandBal-
lia, people are still fol-
lowing the tradition of
dumping bodies in Gan-
ges. DM of Ghazipur,
upon finding large num-
ber of dead bodies has
said that strict action
will be taken against
those who dumped dead
bodiesintotherivers.He
added that financial as-
sistance is being provid-
ed to the residents of the
bank who are cremating
the dead bodies.
Crematoriums
overloaded
In Kanpur and Unnao,
family members unable
to get places to burn the
bodies and are forced to
leave the bodies on the
ghat and strong wind
pushes these bodies into
the river. The people are
seeing overloaded crea-
toriums either burying
thebodiesorevenworse,
just disposing them into
the river
FISHING TROUBLE: COVID WARY GOVT BATTLES OPPN
‘BODY BLOW’ AS POLITICS OVER CORPSES INTENSIFIES
Bodies are floating
in the ganga in Ballia
and Ghazipur. Reports
are coming in of mass
burials on the banks
of the river in Unnao.
Official numbers from
cities like Lucknow,
Gorakhpur appear to be
grossly under-reported.
—PRIYANKA GANDHI VADRA
@priyankagandhi
Bodies found floating
are not a statistic,
they’re someone’s
father, mother,
brother and sister.
What has transpired
shakes you to your
core. There has to be
accountability from
the very government
that has failed its
people so badly
—AKHILESH YADAV
@yadavakhilesh
On one side, hun-
dreds of dead bodies
are found in Ballia,
Ghazipur Hamirpur,
Unnao on the ghats
of the river. Corpse,
crows, dogs are
scratching the bod-
ies. You have tears
of helplessness in
your eyes but watch
shamelessly
—SANJAY SINGH AAP
@SanjayAzadSln
NHRC NOTICE
1
2 3

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

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

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

First India-Lucknow Edition-14 May 2021

First India-Lucknow Edition-14 May 2021

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First India-Lucknow Edition-14 May 2021