First India-Lucknow Edition-28 April 2021

LUCKNOW l WEDNESDAY, APRIL 28, 2021 l Pages 12 l 3.00 RNI NO. UPENG/2020/04393 l Vol 1 l Issue No. 137
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OUR EDITIONS:
JAIPUR, AHMEDABAD
& LUCKNOW
CM Yogi launches ‘sector’ system to better manage Covid hospitals
PULLING UP SOCKS
First India Bureau
Lucknow: In an at-
tempt to ensure regu-
lar monitoring of Cov-
id hospitals and ensure
prompt and better
treatment facilities for
patients in them, Uttar
Pradesh Chief Minis-
ter Yogi Adityanath on
Tuesday launched the
‘sector system’ in dis-
tricts. He directed dis-
trict magistrates to ap-
point a magistrate in-
charge for each sector
in their respective dis-
tricts, who will visit
Covid hospitals in his
sector and the sur-
rounding area and en-
sure prompt admission
and treatment of the
Covid patients from
those areas in those
hospitals. The CM also
said that district mag-
istrates and the chief
medical officers would
be held accountable for
problems faced by
Covid patients in their
areas.
While reviewing the
status of Covid with
Team-11, the Chief Min-
ister also directed the
district magistrates
and chief medical offic-
ers to immediately im-
plement the discharge
policy of the govern-
ment in order to ensure
beds for all needy Covid
patients at hospitals.
Furthermore, Yogi
Adityanath instructed
authorities to facilitate
regular counselling by
doctors through tele-
consultancy to the Cov-
id patients that are dis-
charged for home isola-
tion. Integrated Com-
mand and Control
Center should be used
meaningfully for this
purpose. The CM has
also directed authori-
ties to regularly com-
municate with the pa-
tients in home isolation
and provide them with
a medical kit consisting
of all prescribed medi-
cines for a minimum of
07 days.
24 × 7 helpline
The UP CM said that
the Integrated Com-
mand and Control Cen-
tre plays an important
role in controlling co-
rona infection and pro-
viding better treatment
facilities for Covid pa-
tients. It is the respon-
sibility of the district
magistrate and the
chief medical officer to
ensure that the centre
in each district meets
the expectations of peo-
ple, he added. The CM
recommended that
there should at least
two helpline numbers
for the centre in each
and every district of
the state which should
be be active 24x7.
Turn to P6
CM Yogi Adityanath

Says DMs,
CMO to
be held
accountable
for complaints
of patients,
will face
music if not
addressed
BEACON OF HOPE
REPAIRING HUMANS: As Lucknow continues to suffer, a much-needed medical facility, being readied by the DRDO at
Awadh Shilp Gram in the city, is being equipped with multiple ventilators and oxygen units. The facility which is expected to
be ready in a couple of days, brings with it a ray of hope that indicates, all is not lost. —PHOTO BY SUMIT KUMAR
SC to Centre: Explain the logic
behind Covid-19 vaccine pricing
New Delhi: The Su-
preme Court on Tues-
day asked the Union of
India (UOI) to explain
the basis and rationale
adopted with respect to
the pricing of Covid-19
vaccines and other nec-
essary items.
Justice DY Chandra-
chud also said that the
UOI shall also clarify in
its affidavit the basis
and rationale adopted
in regard to the pricing
of vaccines.
“During the national
crisis, Supreme Court
cannot be a mute spec-
tator. The role of the
Supreme Court is com-
plementary in nature,”
the SC said.
Each of the state gov-
ernments has to file
their respective replies
by Thursday 6 pm in
connection with their
respective states with
regard to their health
infrastructure (short-
age of oxygen and oth-
ers), the Apex Court
said and fixed the mat-
ter for further hearing
to Friday noon.
“The High Courts
shall not be restrained
in passing any direc-
tions,” as they are hear-
ing the cases in their re-
spective states and they
know the ground situa-
tion better, the Apex
Court said.The Bharat
Biotech has fixed the
price of its Covid-19 vac-
cine, Covaxin, at `600
per dose for state gov-
ernments and at `1,200
per dose for private hos-
pitals. —PTI
New Delhi: Chief of
Defence Staff General
Bipin Rawat on Tues-
day said that it is time
for the Armed Forces
to help the civil admin-
istration in creating
COVID-19 mitigation
facilities in a time-
bound manner as the
country is battling the
second wave of corona-
virus.
“This is the time for
the Armed Forces to
rise to the occasion and
support the civil admin-
istration in creating
COVID mitigation fa-
cilities in a time-bound
manner. Timely sup-
port at this juncture is
important,” said Rawat.
“Our men and women
in uniform have the will
and dedication to break
barriers and walk the
extra mile, always and
every time. We can and
we will. Well done and
carry on, we still have
long distances to trav-
el,” he added. Earlier on
Monday, PM Modi had
met Rawat.
‘Time for Forces to help civil admn
create facilities to fight corona’
Can ask Centre to
take over: Delhi HC
New Delhi: The Delhi
High Court on Tuesday
rebukedtheAamAadmi
Party government on
the distribution of med-
ical oxygen supply and
handling of the corona-
virus pandemic in the
national Capital. The
court said if the Delhi
government was unable
to handle the situation,
it will ask the central
government to send its
officers and take over.
The bench of justices
Vipin Sanghi and Rekha
Palli was hearing a plea
by hospitals regarding
the shortage of oxygen
and drugs like remdesi-
vir. “Set your house in
order,” the court said.
“Enough is enough.”
The court pulled up
the Delhi government
and said it was not able
to deal with the rising
cases. “Your system has
failed,” it said. “Black-
marketing of oxygen
still continues. How are
people procuring oxy-
gen? Large-scale hoard-
ing is going and you are
not taking action. Take
action against them.”
The High Court asked
the Delhi government to
take over an oxygen re-
filling plant with imme-
diate effect and served
contempt notices to five
other refillers. “We will
ask you to take action
against the refillers and
issue a contempt notice
because they did not ap-
pear even after they
were called,” the court
said. “This cylinder
business is a mess. You
have to look into it and
put your house in order.
If they are belligerent,
then they will see our
belligerence. Keep them
in custody if they are
playing with people’s
life like this.”
AT 265 DEATHS IN 24 HOURS,UP
RECORDS HIGHEST EVER DEATH-COUNT
Lucknow: Uttar Pradesh Tuesday recorded its
highest COVID-19 death toll so far as 265 people
succumbed to the disease, while the state added
nearly 33,000 fresh cases, taking the overall tally to
11,53,097, according to official data. The total
death toll in the state reached 11,678, the data
showed. Of the 265 fresh COVID-19 deaths, state
capital Lucknow recorded 39, followed by 15 each
in Kanpur and Ghaziabad, while Allahabad and
Varanasi recorded 13 deaths each.
Sensex rallies
558 pts; Nifty
ends 14,650
Mumbai: Equity
benchmark Sensex ral-
lied 558 points on Tues-
day, driven by gains in
index heavyweights Re-
liance Industries,
HDFC Bank and L&T.
The 30-share BSE in-
dex ended 557.63 points
or 1.15 per cent higher
at 48,944.14.
Similarly, the broad-
er NSE Nifty surged
168.05 points or 1.16 per
cent to 14,653.05.
L&T was the top gain-
er in the Sensex pack,
rising over 3 per cent,
followed by Bajaj Fi-
nance, Turn to P6
EC bans all victory
processions on May 2
New Delhi: The Elec-
tion Commission of In-
dia banned on Tuesday
all victory processions
on May 2, both during
and after the counting
of votes. Poll results of
five states will be de-
clared on Sunday — at a
time when the country
has been hit hard by the
Covid-19 pandemic.
“No victory proces-
sion after the counting
on 2.5.2021 shall be per-
missible. Not more than
two persons shall be al-
lowed to accompany the
winning candidate or
his/her authorized rep-
resentative receive the
certificate of election
from Turn to P6
Tells AAP govt: ‘Put your house in order’
More on page 3

UTTAR PRADESH
LUCKNOW | WEDNESDAY, APRIL 28, 2021
02
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First India Bureau
Lucknow: Chief Min-
ister Yogi Adityanath
has issued instruc-
tions to officials to
step up work con-
struction of Sewage
Treatment Plants
(STPs) to clean all 31
major rivers across
Uttar Pradesh and re-
lease water from May
1 to ensure there is no
scarcity of water in
these rivers during
the summer season.
The Chief Minister
was informed by Jal
Nigam officials that
construction of the Rs
336 crore 120 MLD
Ghaziuddin Haider
(GH) canal STP was in
full-swing in Lucknow
and it will becomme op-
erational by September
2022.
The Chief Minister
has asked them to com-
plete de-silting and oth-
er works on all 31 rivers
including Ganga, Ya-
muna, and Saryu of the
state by June 15.
Spreadoversix-acres,
the STP on GH canal
will stop the sewage
from falling into the
Gomti River and lessen
pollution levels by im-
prove its water quality
and make it easier for
aquatic animals to sur-
vive.
GH Canal, popularly
known as the Haider
Canal drain, passes
through the State capi-
tal along the lines of the
Sisamau drain in Kan-
pur and is said to be a
major drainage source
of waste water in the
state capital.
It is to be noted that
the foundation stone of
the GH Canal STP pro-
ject was laid in June
2018 by Yogi Adity-
anath, who has been
taking steps to lessen
pollution levels in UP.
Besides, Gomti, he
had also made a budget-
ary provision of Rs
44.77 lakh to develop the
Brahmachari Ghat in
Pilibhit.
The origin of the
Gomti River, consid-
ered to be the heritage
of Lucknow, is also be-
ing developed as a tour-
ist destination.
Besides, the Jal Nig-
am has also been asked
to prepare a DPR (De-
tail Project Report) for
the construction of a
STP on Sultanpur Road
and for arranging
drainage on Barabirwa
Kanpur Road.
ProactiveCMorderstoexpediteSTPworkstocleanmajorrivers,releasewaters
READY FOR SUMMERS
Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath.
UP GOVT SENDS ORDERS TO SET UP 39 OXYGEN PLANTS USING PM CARES FUND
CM YOGI FAST TRACKS SETTING
UP OF O2 PLANTS BY PVT COs
First India Bureau
Lucknow: To boost the
availability of oxygen
in Uttar Pradesh as
many as 54 proposals
have been received from
the private sectors for
setting up oxygen
plants in the state.
Issuing instructions
to officials to fast track
formalities and neces-
sary clearances, Chief
Minister Yogi Adity-
anath has directed offi-
cials to provide all nec-
essary support to the
private players.
“Action should be
taken to establish a liq-
uid oxygen plant and an
air separator plant in
every medical college,”
said Chief Minister
Yogi adding that the
proposals by private en-
tities for public welfare
are welcomed and ap-
preciated.
Addressing a high-
level meeting of Team
11 on Tuesday, he said,
“As many as 61 propos-
als have been forwarded
by our government re-
garding the establish-
ment of oxygen plants
by the Government of
India under the PM
Cares Fund, out of
which orders for setting
up 39 oxygen plants
have been sent today
.”
These plants will gen-
erate oxygen from the
air using new technol-
ogy
. As many as 32 oxy-
gen plants have already
been established in
various medical institu-
tions and 39 more plants
are being set up in 39
hospitals across UP.
The CM said, “Small
oxygen generation
plants will be set up at
CHCs (Community
Health Centres). In ad-
dition, the oxygen
plants to be set up un-
der Department of
Medical Education
should be made func-
tional at a rapid pace.”,
he added.
11 PROPOSALS FOR
O2 PLANTS IN KNP
Proposals have been re-
ceived from the private
sector to set up a maxi-
mum of 1x`1 oxygen
plants in Kanpur city.
Proposals have been re-
ceived to set up plants
in other citiesof the
state including Vara-
nasi and Prayagraj.
UP CM has welcomed
the ban imposed
on the victory proces-
sions by the Election
Commission after the
counting of votes on
May 2.
CM Yogi said that the
Centre has exempted
Custom Duty on import
of Oxygen related equip-
ment and Covid Vaccine
for three months. To get
the immediate benefit of
this decision, the panel
headed by UP Finance
Minister should commu-
nicate with manufactur-
ers to procure vaccines.
UP CM Yogi
Adityanath held
a virtual meeting
with Indian Med-
ical Association
and Nursing Home
Association and has
sought their exper-
tise and cooperation
in the fight against
Covid-19.
Chief Minister of
Uttar Pradesh
Yogi Adityanath has
condoled the death
of Mrs Sneh Prabha,
mother of Senior
journalist and resi-
dent editor of Times
of India, Lucknow,
Pravin Kumar.
WAITING FOR HIS TURN : A man sits on oxygen cylinders
lined-up for filling at an oxygen plant in Lucknow.
P CM has welcomed
UP CM Yogi
Yogi Speaks
Yogi Speaks
UP first in India to
conduct 4cr C-tests
First India Bureau
Lucknow:UttarPradesh
has now become the
first state in the coun-
try to conduct more
than 4 crore tests.
In the last 24 hours,
around 1,84000 tests
have been conducted in
UP, out of which more
than 94000 are RTPCRs.
Not only this, the gov-
ernment has ordered 40
new RTPCR machines
to intensify testing.
CM Yogi intends that
maximum testing
should be done through
RTPCR in the state.
Last year, when the
first wave of Covid-19
hit the state, surveil-
lance teams were
formed to conduct the
door-to-door survey in
every area.
By Monday, the
health department
teams reached more
than 16.19 crore people
across Uttar Pradesh.
Those found affected
are being treated.
The Department of
Health has supervised
around 3,35,50,687 hous-
es in 2,35, 227 areas in
5,73,620 team days, so
far.
UP government has
also intensified the vac-
cination drive in the
state in reduce Covid
infections. So far, a total
of 1,19,47,728 vaccine
doses have been admin-
istered in the state. This
includes the first dose
of 98,83,945 vaccines
and 20,63,783 second
doses.
The vaccine will be
now administered to
those above 18 years of
age from May 1. To en-
sure availability of dos-
es, the government has
ordered to procure 50
lakhs doses of Cov-
ishield and Covaxine
each.
A health worker collecting samples at a hospital in
Lucknow. —FILE PHOTO
LMC sanitises more than 100 hospitals,
to break coronavirus chain in the city
First India Bureau
Lucknow: More than
100 hospitals in Luc-
know were sanitised on
Tuesday as part of the
state-wide campaign to
break the coronavirus
chain.
To be carried out in
all five municipal zones
in Lucknow, the special
campaign on war-foot-
ing was conducted
through tractors
mounted with sprayers,
smog guns and hand-
held machines.
More than 3 thousand
employees were pressed
into action to sanitize
the city. Municipal
Commissioner Ajay Ku-
mar Dwivedi said the
drive will continue over
the next two days to
cover all hospitals in
the remaining three
zones.
Sanitisation of con-
tainment zones
In order to break the
chain of corona infec-
tion, a sanitation cam-
paign will be conducted
across containment
zones in the state in
mornings and in eve-
nings.
The CM has asked to
ensure proper masks,
gloves and PPE kits for
all front line workers
and timely payment of
their salaries and dues.
Expressing satisfaction
with the recoveries
rate, the UP CM said,
“Amidst the COVID-19
pandemic, the rise in
numbers of recoveries
come as a matter of
happiness. I also re-
quest the people to han-
dle this situation very
patiently as together we
can overcome this pan-
demic soon.”
An ambulance being sanitised near GPO park of the city.
HOMECOMING...
Migrants packed in a truck coming from New Delhi take the road to their native villages
via Polytechnic crossing of Lucknow. —PHOTO BY SUMIT KUMAR
More oxygen plants to be
built in KNP hospitals
First India Bureau
Kanpur: Several im-
portant decision with
regards to Covid man-
agement were taken in
a meeting between
Commissioner of Po-
lice, senior officials of
Kanpur Municipal Cor-
poration and District
Magistrate on Tuesday
.
It was decided to build a
1.75 tonne per day oxy-
gen plant at GSVM
Medical College, a 5
tonne per day oxygen
plant at Narayana Hos-
pital and a 500 liter per
minute oxygen plant at
UHM District Hospital.
Concerned officials
were also reprimanded
by the higher ups for
not making sure that
medical kits reached
the patients in home
isolation.
‘Shooter Dadi’ infected by
Coronavirus, hospitalised
First India Bureau
Baghpat: Octogenari-
an shooter Chandro
Tomar, nicknamed
‘Shooter Dadi’, has test-
ed positive for COV-
ID-19 and admitted to a
hospital due to difficul-
ty in breathing.
The Twitter page of
the 89-year-old legend-
ary shooter, hailing
from the Baghpat vil-
lage in Uttar Pradesh,
postedthedevelopment.
“Dadi Chandro
Tomar has tested posi-
tive for coronavirus and
has been admitted to a
hospital due to breath-
ing problem. God pro-
tect all - Family
,” a tweet
on her page read.
Chandro was 60-plus
when she picked up a
gun for the first time
but went on to win
many national competi-
tions, even inspiring a
Bollywood movie on
her.
She is believed to be
the oldest woman
sharp shooter in the
world.
She took part in sev-
eral competitions along
withhersisterPrakashi
Tomar, also one of the
oldest female sharp
shooters in the world.
Prakashi also featured
in the movie inspired
by their lives, during
which they broke all
kinds of stereotypes,
including battling pa-
triarchy
.
Shooter Dadi won
many awards in senior
citizen category includ-
ing Stri Shakti Sanman
presented by the Presi-
dent of India himself.
She had picked up a
rifle by chance, after a
younger member in the
family expressed her
interest in enrolling
herself at a newly-built
shooting range in their
village.
Accompanying their
daughter to the range,
one day they picked up
the gun, pulled the trig-
ger, took a shot and im-
pressed the coach in
range.
The shooters also
welcomed the actresses
in the biopic portraying
in their village, where
they had stayed for
some time and learned
their mannerisms.
Pray for speedy recovery: Chandro Tomar, aka Shooter Dadi.
HELP FROM HOME
Four IPS sent on
Central deputation
First India Bureau
Lucknow: In a major
development in state
bureaucracy, four Indi-
an Police Service (IPS)
Officers from UP have
been empanelled for
Central deputation.
The four officers ready
to pack bags to serve at
national level, are from
the 2006 batch and
would now be given a
DIG rank at the centre.
IPS Officers Dharmen-
dra Singh, Mohit Gup-
ta, Dr Manoj Kumar &
Happy Guptan have
been given the nod for
Central deputation by
the state government.
NO. OF PROPOSALS RECD FOR CITIES

UTTAR PRADESH
03
First India Bureau
Lucknow: With the
Yogi Adityanath Gov-
ernment allowing the
MLAs to utilise their lo-
cal area development
(LAD) fund for making
medical arrangements
in their respective dis-
trict to fight the menace
of Covid-19, the govern-
ment expect substantial
funds under the health
and medical head to
meet the immediate re-
quirements.
The order has been
issued by the Principal
Secretary rural devel-
opment K Ravidra Naik
for procurement of
medical equipment and
other facilities. Amend-
ing the guidelines, the
government has given
permission for the pur-
chase of ICU ventilator,
establishment of oxy-
gen plants in govern-
ment hospitals and
medical colleges, oxy-
gen concentrator and
machines for conduct-
ing RTPCR tests, ar-
rangements of bed and
other related medical
facilities to meet the
present emergency
.
The government’s
permission has gener-
ated hope at the district
level about the availa-
bility of funds from
MLALAD for enhanc-
ing the medical facili-
ties. According to infor-
mation the first instal-
ment of Rs 1.5 crore of
MLALAD fund has al-
ready been transferred
to the CDO account in
each district from
where the funds are to
be utilised. The govern-
ment has transferred
Rs 603 crore to the ac-
count of 404 MLAs and
147 crore to 98 MLCs ac-
count. If all MLAs
agree to transfer the
fund for medical facili-
ties in their respective
district the government
would have a total of Rs
750 crore to make fur-
ther arrangements for
medical facilities at the
district level. It may be
recalled that last fiscal
year (2020-21) the gov-
ernment had suspended
the MLA fund to fight
the outbreak of pan-
demic. However, in cur-
rent fiscal funds have
been released to the
MLAs. Each MLA get
Rs 3 crore annually un-
der LAD fund in two
equal instalments. The
government had re-
leased the first instal-
ment on April 12, 2021
amounting to Rs 750
crore. Even as the Yogi
government has al-
ready made arrange-
ment of substantial
funds for medical facili-
ties in current budget
the possible availability
of funds in each district
from MLALAD would
further improve the
situation.
Now, MLALAD fund to help boost medical services in Uttar Pradesh
CRISIS MANAGEMENT
lll
The order has
been issued by
the Principal
Secretary Rural
Development K
Ravidra Naik for
procurement of
medical
equipment and
other facilities to
contain the
situation
LIKE THE MISSILES READY TO FIRE: Hundreds of Oxygen cylinders waiting to be refilled as owners
take a break from the hiatus daylong queuing. With the utilisation of MLA funds in UP, people may
get the much needed respite in this Covid-19 heat. —PHOTO BY SUMIT KUMAR
UNSPARINGDEADLYVIRUS
CONTINUES THE RAMPAGE
Vishal Srivastav
Lucknow: The unsparing del-
uge of Coronavirus has left Ut-
tar Pradesh limping as scenes
witnessed across the state con-
tinue to bring horrifying stories
of atrocities inflicted on the
common man here.
As state’s official records
indicate a meagre 265
deaths, the actual fig-
ures weigh in high
three figure-mark
with cremation-
time in state capital
Lucknow going up
by as long as 16
hours.
Such is the devasta-
tion across the state that
people in cities are having to go
to other districts to cremate
their dead relatives or friends.
However, there is a slight respite
in terms of fresh cases, a figure
that stands at 32993 mark for the
second day in a row. Experts
weigh it on the long 60-hour lock-
down that was implemented this
weekend. The overall tally has
now reached 11,53,097 here.
Adding Tuesday’s fatalities,
the total death toll in the state
reached 11,678, the data showed.
Of the 265 fresh COVID-19
deaths, state capital Lucknow
recorded 39, followed by 15 each
in Kanpur and Ghaziabad, while
Allahabad and Varanasi record-
ed 13 deaths each.
Gautam Buddh Nagar, adjoin-
ing the national capital, record-
ed 12 deaths, the Uttar Pradesh
government said in a statement
issued here on Tuesday
.
Records say a meagre
265 deaths, while
actual figures are high
People in cities going
to other districts to
cremate dead bodies
Adding Tuesday’s
fatalities, toll in the
state touched 11,678
SWEAR
TO WEAR
8000 D-type jumbo oxygen
cylinders to be purchased
UP gets oxy concentrator
from Centre and Amazon
Sikh community members set
up oxygen camp in Kanpur
As many as 8000 D-type jumbo cylinders,
worth more than Rs 8 crores, are being
purchased for refilling oxygen in medical
colleges, institutes, and medical colleges in
the state. Out of these, today, an order for
the purchase of 3,000 cylinders has been
issued by the Medical Education Depart-
ment. Each jumbo cylinder contains around
46.7 litres of oxygen and therefore, with the
help of 5000 jumbo cylinders the demand
of 2,33,500 litres of oxygen can be fulfilled.
Principal Secretary Alok Kumar said that all
the oxygen cylinders will be stored at Cancer
Institute Lucknow and from here jumbo cyl-
inders will be sent to the districts as per the
requirement. The supply of these cylinders is
expected to start in two days.
On the instructions
of CM, the supply
of oxygen in the state
is continuously in-
creasing to make sure
there is no shortage
of this life-saving gas.
Earlier, there were 64
oxygen tankers, which
has now been increased to 84. Five more
tankers are being received today by the Yogi
Government which will further increase
the capacity to transport 85 metric tons of
oxygen. Apart from this, the Central Govern-
ment and Amazon have sent 1500 oxygen
concentrators and 500 oxygen concentrators
respectively to Uttar Pradesh.
Whenever testing times have befallen Kanpur,
the people of Kanpur have always come
together to help each other. The second wave of
Corona in the country has caused catastrophe in
the country due
to which people
are forced to
stay away from
their loved one,
but it has not
stopped good
Samaritans from
helping everyone
with open arms.
Ravidar Singh
and people from
Sikh community
had on Tuesday
set up an oxygen
camp outside
the Gumti Gurudwara in which patients were being
administered free oxygen.
ICCC
Operations
in-charge
(8am-8pm)
Ritu Suhas:
8707453233
Tehsildar
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Mobile:
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KEEP THE
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NUMBERS
HANDY
PYRE FIRE: As Covid-19 continues to take people’s lives, the dead continue to reach Bhaisakund and Gulala Ghat in heaps. This photo of the
Bhaisakund cremation ground relays the actual story that the responsible may not be able to hear otherwise. —PHOTO BY SUMIT KUMAR
After defeating Covid, DM Abhishek Prakash
rejoins duty, takes stock of arrangements in Lko
Dy CM Dinesh Sharma
admitted to SGPGI after
his condition worsens
First India Bureau
Lucknow: District
Magistrate Abhishek
Prakash who immedi-
ately after winning the
battle against Corona
rejoined his duty and
reached the Integrated
Covid Control and Com-
mand Centre to take
stock of arrangements
in place to control the
spread of virus.
The District Magis-
trate convened a high-
level meeting with Dis-
trict level officers and
gave important direc-
tions to improve the
situation of the state.
The directions given
include:
Patients to be admit-
ted in all hospitals with
or without CMO refer-
ral and people who are
not admitted directly to
hospital can call the In-
tegrated Control Center
at 0522-4523000 to get as-
sistance from the Con-
trol Command Center.
To raise complaint/
demand regarding sani-
tization, people can con-
tact the Municipal Cor-
poration on these
6389300137/138/139 ded-
icated numbers.
Patients who are
home quarantined due
to Covid-like symptoms
can call 0522-4523000 to
get their health as-
sessed.
Corona positive pa-
tients who are under
home isolation can call
on 0522-45323000 if any
medical supplies are
needed.
Complaints related to
lack of treatment in
hospital and other simi-
lar complaints can be
sent to this email id:
dmoffice.hospitalcom-
plain@gmail.com or
through Whatsapp mes-
sage to 9454416482 with
all the details.
First India Bureau
Lucknow: The unfor-
giving surge of the Cov-
id-19 has left the state of
Uttar Pradesh not spar-
ing even the top brass
from its clutches.
In the recent develop-
ment on the same lines,
Uttar Pradesh Deputy
Chief Minister Dinesh
Sharma was admitted
to a hospital on Tues-
day, nearly a week after
he tested positive for
the Coronavirus. Shar-
ma informed about his
hospitalisation in a
tweet.
“A few days ago, I
tested positive for COV-
ID-19. After consulta-
tion with doctors, I was
in home isolation. For
better treatment, I have
been hospitalised,” he
tweeted in Hindi.
The Deputy Chief
Minister was admitted
to the Sanjay Gandhi
Postgraduate Institute
(SGPGI) of Medical Sci-
ences here.
The 57-year-old BJP
leader and his wife test-
ed positive for the Coro-
navirus on April 21.
Sharma said, “I am
confident that with
your good wishes, and
under the leadership of
Chief Minister Yogi
Adityanath, the war
against corona will be
won. By the grace of
God, I will regain health
and serve the people of
the state with double
energy
.”
Not just Dr Dinesh
Sharma, even Uttar
Pradesh Chief Minister
Yogi Adityanath has
been infected by the
deadly virus and is bat-
tling his way out in the
isolation.
BACK IN ACTION: District Magistrate Abhishek Prakash at
Integrated Covid Control and Command Centre on Tuesday.
Uttar Pradesh Deputy Chief
Minister Dinesh Sharma
Not just Sharma even
UP Chief Minister
Yogi Adityanath has
been infected
Oxygen camp outside Gumti
Gurudwara in Kanpur.

l Vol 1 l Issue No. 137 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
Promoted by First India
News International Pvt. Ltd.
t the beginning
of the COVID-19
pandemic, we
were concerned
infection con-
trol measures such as extra
hand washing and social
distancing might com-
pound the distress of peo-
ple living with obsessive-
compulsivedisorder(OCD).
Early anecdotal evidence
and case studies reported
an apparent increase in
OCD relapse rates and
symptom severity
.
But a year on, we’re
learning this is not neces-
sarily the case, and re-
search is giving us a more
nuanced understanding of
what it’s like to have OCD
during a pandemic.
NO, PEOPLE WITH
OCD AREN’T ‘QUIRKY’
There are several prevailing
stereotypes about what it
meanstolivewithOCD,such
as a belief people with the
disorderarejustabitquirky
,
overly particular, “neat
freaks” or “germ-phobic”.
Suchideasarefrequently
promulgated in popular
culture. For example, in
2018 Khloe Kardashian pro-
moted her “KHLO-C-D”
branding for an online min-
iseries in which she gave
tips on home organisation
and cleanliness. The cam-
paignwaswidelycriticised.
While contamination
fears and an affinity for
symmetry are better recog-
nised in the community
(perhaps owing to portray-
als in TV and film), the “ta-
boo” and “overresponsibil-
ity” dimensions of OCD
are far less understood and
are therefore subject to
higher levels of stigma.
ARE WE ALL
OCD NOW?
The global response to
COVID-19 has blurred the
line between pathological
behaviours and adaptive
healthandsafetymeasures.
Behaviours that were
previously linked to psy-
chiatric illnesses, such as
repetitive washing and
sanitising rituals, are now
encouraged (at least to
some extent) by health au-
thorities.
While infection control
directives such as social
distancing and hand hy-
giene play an essential role
in our fight against the vi-
rus, they take a psychologi-
cal toll too.
The pandemic has had a
profound effect on mental
health due to increased
stress and lifestyle chang-
es. Indeed, scientists have
recently proposed a condi-
tion called “COVID-19
stress syndrome”. Some of
the symptoms significant-
ly overlap with anxiety dis-
orders and OCD.
While we don’t all have
OCD now, it’s unquestion-
able our collective behav-
iour has changed in ways
that make the distinction
between “normal” and
“pathological” much more
complex.
In this light, the Interna-
tional College of Obses-
sive–CompulsiveSpectrum
Disorders has highlighted
the unique challenges the
pandemic poses for accu-
rately diagnosing OCD.
LIVING WITH
OCD IN A PANDEMIC
Having a pre-existing men-
talhealthconditionappears
tobethesinglemostinfluen-
tial predictor of high stress
levels during COVID-19.
However, recent evi-
dence from well-controlled
studies doesn’t find com-
pelling evidence that peo-
ple with OCD have been
affected by COVID-19 to a
greater extent than those
with other psychological
conditions (such as depres-
sion or general anxiety).
One study published in
January compared OCD
severity in a large group
before and during the pan-
demic. It found the stress
induced by COVID-19 in-
creased measures of men-
tal distress across all OCD
symptom dimensions (not
only those directly related
to a public health crisis).
The authors suggested
the increase in OCD symp-
tom severity was likely a
“non-specific stress-related
response”. In other words,
it’s the general stress of the
pandemic that has wors-
ened OCD in some cases;
not the increased focus on
infection control.
OCD in a pandemic doesn’t necessarily get worse
A
If we claim to be without sin,
we deceive ourselves and the
truth is not in us. —John 1:8
Spiritual
SPEAK
Top
TWEET
Jagat Prakash Nadda
@JPNadda
I welcome the decision of the
ECI banning celebrations and
processions of electoral victories.
I have directed all state units
of BJP to strictly adhere to this
decision. All karykartas of BJP are
using their energies to help the
ones in need in this hour of crisis.
Piyush Goyal
@PiyushGoyal
#OxygenExpress is ensuring
smooth, quick uninterrupted
movement of Liquid Medical
Oxygen across the nation for
COVID-19 patients. Indian
Railways is on a mission to fulfil
India’s Oxygen requirements
win our collective battle against
the pandemic.
on’ble Apex Court has come
to be seized of the issue of
lifting of the fifty percent cap
it has put on reservations in
the case of MR Balaji versus
State of Mysore [(1963) Supp.
1 SCR 39]. It is hearing argu-
ments in a case where the
State of Maharashtra has
made reservations beyond
the 50% limit by creating a
special quota for the Maratha
community. Ten states have
either passed or have pro-
posed such legislation to pre-
scribe quotas for local resi-
dents/natives. The latest is
Haryana having passed the
new Haryana State Employ-
ment of Local Residents Act,
2020 (with a miragelike sun-
set clause which means it
will cease 10 years after its
enactment). Alarmingly,
even the Central Govern-
ment is supporting these
quotas for locals. The 50%
cap was broken earlier also
when 10% reservation was
made for economically back-
ward sections. The same is
pending adjudication before
Apex Court. Any curbs on
employers, who scout talent
nationally, for limiting their
choice to a particular state’s
boundaries is bound to raise
deep concerns, along with
challenges to these laws, as
this might not only adversely
impact their businesses and
but also infringe fundamen-
tal rights of citizens.
The extent of reservation,
which can be made in public
employment, has been con-
sidered by the Apex Court in
a catena of judgments. In or-
der to examine the need for
uncapping reservations, it is
essential to look into the phi-
losophy which led to reserva-
tion provisions in the Consti-
tution of India. The gist of
our Constitution is com-
pressed in the Preamble of
the Constitution which plac-
es enormous emphasis on
justice, liberty, and equality;
all of which are words of pas-
sion and resonate positively
with a regime that empha-
sizes the well-being of the
disadvantaged groups. The
following remarks of Dr. BR
Ambedkar, on how the Pre-
amble is to be interpreted,
are revealing:
“It means a way of life that
recognizes Liberty, Equality,
and Fraternity which are not
treated as separate items in a
trinity
. They form a union of
trinity in the sense that to
divorce one from the other is
to defeat the very purpose of
Democracy. Liberty cannot
be divorced from Equality
and Equality cannot be di-
vorced from Liberty, nor can
Liberty and Equality be di-
vorced from Fraternity.”
(Italics supplied)
The Constituent Assembly
considered ideals of the free-
dom movement to be convert-
ed into constitutional provi-
sions. One of them was the
protection of socially back-
ward communities. The call
for establishing an egalitari-
an society found its vocifer-
ous supporter in Jawaharlal
Nehru. At that time the issue
of reservation was pleaded,
explained, accommodated,
and accepted with the nation-
al spirit to assimilate sec-
tions of society
, including the
intended beneficiaries of the
reservation policy into the
national mainstream. The
discussion on reservation re-
volved around the Report on
Minority Rights which was
presented by Sardar Vallab-
hbhai Patel. Speaking on the
Report, P.S. Deshmukh said
that the report was highly
satisfactory; but at the same
time, he voiced the fear that
the so-called majority might
be marginalized. (Italics sup-
plied) On the other hand,
members from the depressed
classes, like S. Nagappa and
Jaipal Singh demanded rep-
resentation in proportion to
their population. The affirm-
ative action in favour of the
scheduled castes, scheduled
tribes, and other backward
classes, put in place in 1950,
has since been bolstered and
amplified in a manner that
even Dr. BR Ambedkar could
not have foreseen.
The equality code is en-
shrined in Articles 14-18. Ar-
ticle 14 confers a right by en-
acting a prohibition directed
against the State by provid-
ing that the State shall not
deny to any person equality
before the laws or the equal
protection of the laws within
India. However, this right,
which is absolute in form, is
subject to any law based on a
classification founded on an
intelligible differentia hav-
ing a rational relation to the
object sought to be achieved
by such law. Article 15 pro-
hibitsdiscriminationagainst
any citizen on grounds only
of religion, race, caste, sex
and place of birth or any of
them, subject to specified ex-
ceptions in Article 15 (3), (4)
and (5). Article 16 (2) includes
“residence” among the
grounds on which discrimi-
nation cannot be made along
with religion, race, caste, sex,
descent and place of birth.
However, Article 16 (3) is an
exception to Article 16 (2) as
it enables the Parliament to
make a law about require-
ment of residence within a
State or UT prior to such em-
ployment or appointment.
These above provisions
clearly indicate that the State
Governments have no power
to make laws prescribing re-
quirement as to residence
within the State prior to em-
ployment or appointment.
However, protagonists of en-
actment of such laws by the
State Governments take ref-
uge under Article 41, read
with Article 37, provides that
the State shall make effective
provision for securing the
right to work. These Articles
find a place in Chapter IV of
the Constitution containing
Directive Principles of State
Policy – which are, avowedly,
fundamental in the govern-
ance of the country but are
not enforceable by any court.
Besides, Hon’ble Supreme
Court has mulled over the
role of directive principles in
the Constitution of India in a
number cases and has held
that the directive principles
of State policy have to con-
form to and run subsidiary to
fundamental rights.
Reservations have been en-
larged gradually from less
than 28% to 49% (12% for ST,
16% for SC and 21% for
OBCs) over seven decades.
More and more communities
are clamouring for reserva-
tions. The unfortunate fall-
out of all this is not only
flouting of individual merit
but also causing reverse dis-
crimination against general
categories. In a Times of In-
dia survey held in the cur-
rent month, 86% of the read-
ers opined that reservations
should be capped at 50% and
about 90% of the readers did
not find job quotas for locals
workable. Reservation policy
,
as is extant today, is com-
pletely out of sync with the
spirit of the fundamental
righttoequalityasenshrined
in the Constitution of India.
It is feared that crossing the
current 50% ceiling might
eventually lead to 100% quo-
tas with zero latitudes for
merit. In addition, local quo-
tas may be bad for the nation
as all citizens have the free-
dom to move freely and to
reside and settle in any part
of the country [Article 19 (1)
(d) and (e)]. When residents
of different states come to-
gether, the country’s frater-
nity, unity, and integrity get
enhanced.
Abraham Lincoln said in
his Gettysburg Address said
that “our fathers brought
forth……. a new nation con-
ceived in liberty and dedicat-
ed to the proposition that all
men are created equal.” In
view of the foregoing discus-
sion,theemphasisof theGov-
ernmentsoughttobeskilling,
reskilling, and upskilling
their residents to augment
their employability rather
than taking a regressive step
of reservation so as to sound
the death knell of merit. It is
hopedHon’bleSupremeCourt
will withstand this ‘populist
push’ and uphold constitu-
tional spirit and values.
THE VIEWS EXPRESSED BY
THE AUTHOR ARE PERSONAL
H
The extent of
reservation,
which can be
made in public
employment, has
been considered
by the Apex
Court in a catena
of judgments. In
order to examine
the need for
uncapping
reservations, it is
essential to look
into the
philosophy
which led to
reservation
provisions in the
Constitution of
India. The gist of
our Constitution
is compressed in
the Preamble of
the Constitution
which places
enormous
emphasis on
justice, liberty,
and equality; all
of which are
words of passion
and resonate
positively with a
regime that
emphasizes the
well-being of the
disadvantaged
groups
Reservations have been enlarged gradually from
less than 28% to 49% (12% for ST, 16% for SC, and
21% for OBCs) over seven decades. More and more
communities are clamouring for reservations. The
unfortunate fallout of all this is not only flouting of
individual merit but also causing reverse
discrimination against general categories. In a
Times of India survey held in the current month,
86% of the readers opined that reservations should
be capped at 50% and about 90% of the readers did
not find job quotas for locals workable
SHRAWAN
SAWHNEY
THE WRITER IS IAS (RETD.)
SOLICITOR LEGAL CONSULTANT UNCAPPPING
RESERVATIONS –
A CONUNDRUM

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INDIA
05
TWITTER INDIA SUSPENDS FAKE
ACCOUNT OF CJI NV RAMANA
New Delhi: Twitter India
on Monday suspend-
ed the microblogging
account of a user
allegedly impersonating
the 48th Chief Justice of
India (CJI) NV Ramana,
sources in the Supreme
Court registry told ANI.
Notably, the Supreme
Court Registry lodged a
police complaint after a
Twitter account on CJI’s
name (@NVRamanma)
surfaced. “The Supreme
Court Registry immedi-
ately complained to the
Delhi Police and asked
it to take action against
the alleged user, who
opened an account with
the name of @NVRa-
manma and also with the
designation of the CJI in
the same user profile.”
—ANI
THREE HELD FOR BLACK
MARKETING MEDICAL SUPPLIES
Petrapole (West Bengal): Since the announce-
ment of COVID-19 induced lockdown in Bangla-
desh, passengers’ movement was restricted at
the India-Bangladesh border at Petrapole. How-
ever, travel on medical visas was allowed. But
on Monday, close to 1,000 Bangladesh nationals
protested at Petrapole as they were restricted to
travel between the two countries despite having
medical visas. “This has been suddenly an-
nounced. We should have been given at least 24
hours to return to our country,” said a protestor.
PREGNANT WOMAN SHOT DEAD
BY HUSBAND IN DELHI
New Delhi: A pregnant woman was shot dead by
her husband over an argument in Delhi’s Ni-
zamuddin area on Tuesday morning, police said.
The accused, Waseem fired at his wife Saina,
who was 8-month pregnant, and their servant
Shahdat. A call was received at the Police Control
Room around 10.42 am about the same. While
Saina succumbed to the bullet injuries, Shahdat
was admitted to the Safdarjung hospital, police
said. Earlier, Saina was charged under a Narcotic
Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS).
ANOTHER HIDEOUT BUSTED, HUGE
CONSIGNMENT RECOVERED
Anantnag: After busting
an underground hideout
about a fortnight ago in
village Tulkhan Bijbe-
hara, Anantnag police
have again recovered a
huge consignment of
drugs from an under-
ground hideout in the
same village. Acting on
specific information the
police apprehended one
person at a checkpoint
in the village.”Based on
specific information,
police established a Naka
at Tulkhan crossing and
apprehended one Farooq
Ahmad Bhat and recov-
ered 10 bottles of Codeine
from his possession,” a
police statement read.
“On further questioning,
the accused revealed the
name of one dealer Mohd
Ashraf Khan,” it added.
INDIA REPORTS
INDIA REPORTS
3,23,144
3,23,144
NEW COVID-19
NEW COVID-19
CASES IN LAST
CASES IN LAST
24 HOURS
24 HOURS
New Delhi: With
3,23,144 people testing
positive for coronavirus
infection in a day In-
dia’s total tally of COV-
ID-19 cases has climbed
to 1,76,36,307, while the
national recovery rate
has further dropped to
82.54 per cent, accord-
ing to the Union Health
Ministry data updated
on Tuesday
.
The death toll in-
creased to 1,97,894 with
2,771 daily new fatali-
ties, the data updated at
8 am showed. Register-
ing a steady increase,
the active cases have
increased to 28,82,204
comprising 16.34 per
cent of the total infec-
tions, while the nation-
al COVID-19 recovery
rate has further
dropped to 82.54 per
cent. People who have
recuperated from the
disease surged to
1,45,56,209. —PTI
22 COVID-19 patient bodies stuffed in
one ambulance triggers public outrage
New Delhi: In an in-
cident that triggered
outrage in public,
bodies of 22 COVID-19
patients were stuffed
in one ambulance
while they were being
transported to a cre-
matorium in Maha’s
Beed district. The dis-
trict administration
cited lack of medical
vehicles, reason for it.
The incident led to
an outrage among the
public forcing the
Beed district adminis-
tration to rush to the
spot. —ANI
A patient wearing an oxygen mask
Delhi sees
record 380
Covid deaths
New Delhi: With
its hospitals, cre-
matoriums and
graveyards over-
whelmed by ex-
ploding Covid
cases and deaths,
Delhi today re-
corded 20, 201 cor-
onavirus cases
and 380 deaths —
its highest-ever
single-day Covid
fatalities count —
while the positivi-
ty rate rose to a
staggering 35.02
per cent. The fresh
cases were detect-
ed out of 57,690
tests, according to
the Delhi govern-
ment’s latest
health bulletin.
MP Karuna Shukla
dies of COVID-19
MP Farmer Donates
Rs 2 Lakh To Buy O2
Raipur: Former MP and senior Con-
gress leader Karuna Shukla died
of COVID-19 in Ramkrishna CARE
Hospitals, Raipur during the wee hours
of Tuesday. Shukla, the niece of former
Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee,
was undergoing treatment for COV-
ID-19 after she had tested positive.
Neemuch: Moved by the plight of
COVID-19 patients and the growing
scramble for medical oxygen, a farmer
from Neemuch district in Madhya
Pradesh has donated Rs 2 lakh he
had set aside for his daughter’s lavish
marriage to the local administration for
buying the life-saving gas.
Coronavirus medical
aid arrives from UK
New Delhi: The first
life-saving assistance
package from Britain to
help India meet the ur-
gent need for ventilators
and oxygen concentra-
tors arrived early morn-
ing on Tuesday
. Foreign
ministry spokesman
Arindam Bagchi tweet-
ed photos of the equip-
ment being unloaded
in Delhi.”International
cooperation at work!
Appreciate the ship-
ment of vital medical
supplies from Britain
including 100 ventila-
tors 95 O2 concentra-
tors that arrived early
this morning,” Arin-
dam Bagchi tweeted.
India is reeling under
the impact of the sec-
ond wave of coronavi-
rus. Further shipments,
are being organised
over the course of this
week and will include
nine airline container
loads of supplies, in-
cluding 495 oxygen con-
centrators, 120 non-in-
vasive ventilators and
20 non-invasive ventila-
tors and 20 manual ven-
tilators, will be sent this
week, according to the
British High Commis-
sion in New Delhi. —ANI
PM Modi discusses Covid situation
with US president Joe Biden
New Delhi: Prime Min-
ister Narendra Modi
spoke to US president
Joe Biden on Monday
and discussed the im-
portance of smooth
and efficient supply
chains of vaccine raw
materials in a tele-
phone conversation.
The phone call came
after the US president
expressed his solidari-
ty with India as the na-
tion faces a second
wave of coronavirus
disease in the country.
We remember
India’s generosity’:
to‘divert’ vaccine
Ireland to send
700 oxygen
concentrators
New Delhi: The United
States on Tuesday
said that it remembers
“India’s generosity”
in the early days of
the pandemic and will
hence be delivering raw
materials to the Serum
Institute of India (SII)
for the production of
the Oxford-AstraZeneca
Covishield vaccine, with
an aim to help India tide
over the current wave of
the coronavirus disease,
said a White House
press briefing earlier.
Ireland: On Tuesday
Ireland it is sending 700
oxygen concentrators
from its stockpile to
back India’s Covid-19
response, joining the
growing list of coun-
tries that are rushing
aid to help health
facilities tackle a severe
shortage of oxygen. The
concentrators, devices
that draw oxygen from
the air and deliver it to
patients, are expected
to reach India early on
Wednesday.
We’ll Ensure You Reach Home
Seamlessly: BCCI Assures
New Delhi: The BCCI
on Tuesday said it
would do everything to
ensure that foreign
players competing in
the IPL reach their re-
spective countries
seamlessly once the
tournament ends, a day
after three Australians
quit the event amid an
upsurge of COVID-19
cases in India. Andrew
Tye (Rajasthan Royals)
and the duo of Kane
Richardson and Adam
Zampa (both Royal
Challengers Banga-
lore) withdrew as ap-
prehension set in after
a couple of weeks went
by smoothly for the
league held in front of
empty stands across six
venues.
“We understand that
many of you are appre-
hensive about how you
will get back home once
the tournament con-
cludes... We want to ap-
prise you that you have
nothing to worry
about,” BCCI COO He-
mang Amin said in a
letter addressed to the
players.
“The BCCI will do
everything to ensure
that you reach your re-
spective destinations
seamlessly
. The BCCI is
monitoring the situa-
tion very closely and is
working with the govt
authorities to make ar-
rangements to get you
home once the tourna-
ment concludes. —PTI
IN THE COURTYARD
Calcutta High Court
gets new Chief Justice
Vedanta to
produce O2 at
Tuticorin plant
Plea in Delhi HC to home
quarantine campaigners
New Delhi: A plea was
moved in the Delhi HC
on Tuesday seeking di-
rections to the EC to
take action like impos-
ing penalty and lodg-
ing FIRs against “star
campaigners” and
leaders of all political
parties for allegedly
violating COVID-19
norms during the as-
sembly polls in WB.
The application by
Vikram Singh, the for-
mer DGP of Uttar
Pradesh and also the
chairman of think
tank Centre for Ac-
countability and Sys-
temic Change (CASC),
has also sought direc-
tions to the Centre and
the Election Commis-
sion to “ensure com-
pulsory home quaran-
tine of campaigned in
WB”. —PTI
New Delhi: The SC on
Tuesday allowed the Ve-
danta Sterlite Copper
Plant in TN’s
Thoothukudi to reopen
its O2 production unit
on a stand-alone basis
observing that it is the
need of the hour. While
hearing the case, Jus-
tice DY Chandrachud
directed, “The plant
shall produce oxygen
for no other purpose”.
New Delhi: Presi-
dent Ram Nath Kovind
on Tuesday appointed
Justice Rajesh Bindal,
senior-most Judge of
Calcutta High Court, to
perform the duties of
the office of the Chief
Justice of the court fol-
lowing the retirement
of Justice Thottathil
Bhaskaran Nair Rad-
hakrishnan, Chief Jus-
tice, Calcutta High
Court. “The President
of India in exercise of
the powers conferred by
Article 223 of the Con-
stitution of India, ap-
pointed Justice Rajesh
Bindal, senior-most
Judge of Calcutta High
Court, to perform the
duties of the office of
the Chief Justice of the
court with effect from
April 29, 2021 following
the retirement of Jus-
tice Thottathil
Bhaskaran Nair Rad-
hakrishnan, Chief Jus-
tice, Calcutta High
Court,” said a notifica-
tion issued by the De-
partment of Justice,
Ministry of Law and
Justice today
.
Justice Rajesh
Bindal, B.Com., LL.B,
enrolled as an Advocate
on Sep 14, 1985. —PTI
Tarun Tejpal case: court defers verdict
Goa: A sessions court
in Goa on Tuesday de-
ferred its judgment in
the rape trial of Tarun
Tejpal till May 12. Tej-
pal, the former Tehelka
editor-in-chief, is ac-
cused of sexually as-
saulting a woman in
2013. The court, which
had listed the case for
judgment on Tuesday,
said it would not pro-
nounce its verdict to-
day. The decision was
made by Additional
Judge Kshama Josh.
Speaking to media per-
sons, Special Public
Prosecutor Francisco
Tavora informed that if
the accused is convicted
then there might be a
sentence of 10 years.”
Assistance package from Britain
Steven Smith

INDIA
06
CM Yogi...
These helpline num-
bers should be promi-
nently displayed and
should be widely dis-
seminated through
the media. The offi-
cials were told to
make sure that every
call made to the hel-
pline number was at-
tended and prompt
action was taken by
deploying staff for
the purpose. There
should be a reception
area near the en-
trance of the Inte-
grated Command and
Control Center to in-
form the public on the
spot and note down
their problems.
Sensex rallies...
Reliance Industries, In-
dusInd Bank, SBI and
HDFC Bank. On the oth-
er hand, Maruti, NTPC,
KotakBank,NestleIndia
and Dr Reddy’s were
among the laggards.Per-
sistent strength in US
markets has rubbed off
on Indian stocks, with
yesterday’s dip in treas-
ury yields ahead of
FOMC decision also
helping the overall risk
appetite, said Anand
James, Chief Market
Strategist at Geojit Fi-
nancial Services.
EC bans...
the Returning Officer
concerned,” the EC or-
der said. It has faced
flak from several quar-
ters over holding of a
month-long polling ex-
ercise in the middle of
the pandemic. On Mon-
day, Madras HC had hit
out at EC for being “sin-
gularly responsible” for
2nd Covid wave.
FROM PG 1
BATTLE AGAINST COVID, NOT CONG: RaGa
Congress has alleged that the government has mishandled the whole issue and the patients are being denied treatment
New Delhi: Stepping
up the attack on the
government on the is-
sue of coronavirus
management, Con-
gress leader Rahul
Gandhi on Tuesday,
said that the fight is
against Covid, not
Congress.
Rahul Gandhi tweet-
ed, “The Modi govern-
ment must realise that
the battle is against
Covid, it is not against
the Congress or other
political opponents.”
Congress has al-
leged that the govern-
ment has mishandled
the whole issue and
the patients are being
denied treatment and
there is a shortage of
oxygen beds and es-
sential medicine.
The party said it has
set up a control room
to coordinate with
PCC control rooms
and provide assistance
and relief to the peo-
ple infected with the
coronavirus. Congress
president Sonia Gan-
dhi has appointed four
persons to man the
control room. They
are Manish Chatrath,
Ajoy Kumar, Pawan
Khera and Gurdeep
Singh Sappal.
The Congress state-
ment said, this group
of four persons will
coordinate the relief
activities of various
state control rooms.
—Agencies
A COVID-19 patient gets primary treatment in an ambulance at a hospital, in Prayagraj on Tuesday.
TMC leader summoned
in cattle smuggling case
Army chief in Siachen
to review ops readiness
Allahabad HC questions UP poll body over
death of govt employees due to COVID
Allahabad: Taking
note of reports about
death of government
employees due to COV-
ID during Panchayat
poll duty in Uttar
Pradesh, the Allahabad
High Court on Tuesday
asked the state election
commission why action
maynotbetakenagainst
it and its officials for the
same.
A two-judge bench
comprising Justice Sid-
dhartha Varma and Jus-
tice Ajit Kumar passed
the order on a suo moto
Public Interest Litiga-
tion on the spread of
coronavirus and the
condition of quarantine
centresinthestate.“Itis
reported that people
havelevelledallegations
that during the recent
phases of the Panchayat
elections, none of the
COVID guidelines have
been followed. It ap-
pears that neither the
police, nor the Election
Commission did any-
thing to save the people
on election duty from
getting infected by this
deadly virus,” the court
observed. For easing the
situation, the court pro-
posed some immediate
steps to be taken by the
government in the cities
of Lucknow, Allahabad,
Varanasi, Agra, Kanpur
Nagar, Gorakhpur and
Jhansi.
“Major government
hospitals of the above
cities should have a
health bulletin system
twice a day apprising
peopleof healthupdates
of patients to help at-
tendants avoid visiting
hospitals. The hospitals
may use large screens to
give details of patients
and their saturation lev-
els,” it directed. “The
government is also di-
rected to declare on the
district portal of the
above cities the position
of occupied and vacant
beds in COVID wards
and ICUs of all govern-
ment hospitals and
COVID assigned private
hospitals,” the court
said. The government is
also directed to spread
awareness about its dis-
trict COVID portals and
sites in newspapers and
also through public an-
nouncement systems, it
said. The court said that
a negative antigen re-
port should not be a
ground to throw a pa-
tient out of the hospital
as such patients can still
infect others. They need
to be shifted to non-
COVIDwardsforatleast
a week and for this the
government needs to
gear up to set up make-
shift wards on hospital
campuses.
Kolkata: The anti-cor-
ruption branch of the
CBI on Monday sum-
moned TMC leader An-
ubrata Mandal for ques-
tioning in connection
with its probe into
cross-border cattle
smuggling.
Sources said Mandal,
the Birbhum district
president of the TMC,
has been asked to ap-
pear before officials of
the central agency on
Tuesday at its Nizam
Palace office here.
The Central Bureau
of Investigation (CBI),
which has been probing
cases of illegal cattle
trade for quite some
time, has said that ani-
mals sourced from dif-
ferent places are regu-
larly smuggled out via
the India-Bangladesh
border.
The CBI, in its first
chargesheet, has named
at least seven accused,
including BSF com-
mandant Satish Kumar
and businessman Ena-
mul Haq.
Both Haq and Kumar
have been arrested for
their alleged involve-
ment in the case.
The agency has also
raided properties of
TMC leader Vinay
Mishra, who is consid-
ered to be a close aide of
Chief Minister Mamata
Banerjee’s nephew Ab-
hishek Banerjee. —PTI
New Delhi: Chief of
Army Staff General
Manoj Mukund Nara-
vane visited Siachen
and Eastern Ladakh
and reviewed the opera-
tional situation in the
sectors. Along with him
were Army Command-
er Northern Command
Lt Gen YK Joshi and
General Officer Com-
manding Fire and Fury
Corps Lt Gen PGK
Menon. According to an
official release, General
Naravane interacted
with troops and compli-
mented them for their
steadfastness and high
morale, while being de-
ployed in some of the
harshest terrain. Lt
Gen PGK Menon later
briefed General Nara-
vane about the prevail-
ing security situation
and operational prepar-
edness in the Corps
Zone. The Army Chief
is scheduled to return
on April 28. —ANI
Army Chief General MM Naravane visits Siachen and Eastern Ladakh
to review operational preparedness on Tuesday. —ANI PHOTO
SNOW-CAPPED
A view of Sissu lake after the snowfall in Lahaul-Spiti. —PHOTO BY PTI
RAJNATH’s NOD TO HIRE TEMPORARY STAFF
NEW DELHI: Defence
Minister Rajnath Singh
on Tuesday approved
hiring of additional
contractual staff in 51
medical facilities being
run under the ex-ser-
vicemen contributory
health scheme (ECHS)
across the country
.
The approval was
given as part of a poli-
cy decision to augment
military health infra-
structure in view of
the coronavirus crisis
in the country. The de-
fence minister’s office
said the temporary hir-
ing of additional con-
tractual staff over and
above the authorised
strength in 51 clinics
will ensure availability
of adequate medical
staff during night
hours. “Defence Minis-
ter Rajnath Singh has
approved temporary
hiring of additional
contractual staff over
and above the authori-
sation in 51 identified
high pressure ECHS
polyclinics across the
country to tide over the
current COVID-19 cri-
sis,” the Defence Minis-
try said. Singh had said
that the the defence
ministry will leave no
stone unturned in pro-
viding assistance to the
civil administrations
in dealing with pan-
demic. —PTI
‘Ban on victory
processions is a
welcome move’
Fresh COVID
norms for
Ayurveda docs
HC questions Delhi
govt’s order on
treating patients
EU member
countries rush med
supplies to India
New Delhi: BJP
national president
JP Nadda tweeted, I
welcome decision of
ECI banning celebra-
tions processions
of electoral victories.
I have directed all
state units of BJP to
strictly adhere to this
decision. All karykar-
tas of BJP are using
their energies to help
the ones in need in
this hour of crisis.”
New Delhi: Ministry
of Ayush has released
revised guidelines
for Ayurveda and
Unani practitioners
for Covid-19 patients.
“These guidelines for
COVID-19 patients in
home isolation and
preventive measures
for self-care are based
on leads from classical
Ayurveda and Unani
texts, the outcome of
research studies, re-
ports and recommenda-
tions of interdisciplinary
committee and which
will further strengthen
our fight in combating
COVID-19 in the emerg-
ing situation. —ANI
New Delhi: Delhi HC
questioned the Delhi
government on its order
that hospitals have to
attend to all emergency
patients within 10-15
minutes give them
oxygen medicines.
The bench of Justices
Vipin Sanghi, Rekha
Palli said that it is noth-
ing more than a paper
exercise for satisfying
their own conscience. It
further added that Delhi
government thinks that
it has discharged its
duty with this. Delhi
government is pass-
ing order but does not
know the ground reality,
the HC said. —ANI
New Delhi: Several
member nations of the
European Union are rush-
ing in medical supplies
like oxygen concentrators
and ventilators to India
in line with an announce-
ment made by the bloc to
support the country in its
fight against a devastating
second wave of coronavi-
rus infection. EU member
countries France, Ireland,
Belgium, Romania,
Luxembourg, Portugal
and Sweden are sending
medical supplies to India
through the bloc's Civil
Protection Mechanism,
responding to tackle the
alarming epidemiological
situation in India. —ANI
CENTRE IMPORTS 20 CRYOGENIC
TANKERSAMIDOXYGENSHORTAGE
44 OXYGEN PLANTS TO BE SET UP
IN DELHI WITHIN A MONTH: KEJRI
New Delhi: To ad-
dress the shortage of
oxygen tankers in the
country, the Centre has
imported 20 cryogenic
tankers of 10 MT and
20 MT capacity to
augment the trans-
portation of oxygen.
As mapping of liquid
medical oxygen (LMO)
from the manufactur-
ing plant to different
states being a dynamic
process transporta-
tion of medical oxygen
through cryogenic
tankers becoming a
bottleneck in making
available LMO from
eastern part to other
parts.—ANI
New Delhi: Delhi
Chief Minister Arvind
Kejriwal addressed a
press conference on
the COVID-19 situation
in the national capital.
He talked about the
oxygen tankers being
imported from Bang-
kok and increasing the
ICU beds in the na-
tional capital. He said
that the Oxygen crisis
witnessed in Delhi
last week has been
controlled to an extent,
situation has improved
significantly.
Delhi govt decided
to import 18 tank-
ers (Oxygen) from
Bangkok, they'll start
arriving from tomor-
row. We've requested
Centre to allow use of
Air Force planes for
this. Talks are on, I'm
very hopeful that talks
will be successful. This
will resolve the issue of
transport, said Delhi
CM Kejriwal.—ANI
Family members of COVID-19 patients wait outside an
oxygen-filling centre to refill their empty cylinders, as
demand for the gas rises due to spike in coronavirus
cases, at Naraina, in New Delhi, Tuesday. —PHOTO BY PTI
Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal
speaks to media on COVID19
situation, in New Delhi on
Tuesday. —ANI PHOTO
—PHOTO
BY
PTI

NEWS
07
CONSCIENCE
CALL?
Contrary to the government’s
claim, there’s no breathing
space left with the scarcity of
life-saving oxygen in the city
worst hit by Covid catastrophe.
Those at the helm say there’s
conspiracy afoot to malign
the government. The reality is
people are waking up to “what
could have been, and what
should have been.” Even ruling
party leaders and ministers,
originally silent spectators, are
now also gathering courage.
After UP Law Minister Brijesh
Pathak highlighted the pathetic
state of affairs prevailing in
government hospitals and
medical colleges in Lucknow,
two other party functionaries
have written a letter to the
‘powers that be’ describing
the situation as ‘living hell.’
Spine? No, personal losses
was what made them shed
their self-induced inertia on
the burgeoning crisis. So while
party MP from Mohanlalganj
Kaushal Kishore demanded
action against two government
medical colleges in Lucknow
after his elder brother
succumbed to the virus, another
Meerut BJP state-minister rank
leader Sunil Bharala sent an
SOS to save his city from the
scourge. But instead of rising to
the occasion, the vicious coterie
around the decision-makers
seems more bothered about
barbs from Opposition parties
and foreign media reports than
about the sorry plight of affairs
in India. Pity that at a time when
only science and data should
have driven all decisions, they
are allowing themselves to be
driven by politics and religion
and short-term economic
concerns.
—M Tariq Khan
VETERAN
BREATHES LAST
IN BATTLE WITH
CORONA
Ramashankar Bajpai,
79-year-old, retired wing
commander who had served
the country for 30 long years
and even took part in the 1971
war passed away after being
failed by the system of the
country, he had safeguarded
in the past. He is survived by
his wife Pratibha, son Shalabh
Anand, daughter-in-law Sonia,
grandson Armaan and two
married daughters. Shalabh
Anand recounting the story
said that the veteran’s heath
was poor since 15th April after
which he got tested for Corona
on 18th April. When the report
came as positive, he scrambled
to get his father admitted
to government and private
hospitals of the city, including
the Seven Air Force Hospital
but was sent back from every
hospital. He was forced to treat
his father at home and once
his condition improved, he
took the veteran to Seven Air
Force Hospital but the doctor
in duty refused to admit him.
Shalabh said that his father
returned to home dejected and
posted a hear wrenching post
on Facebook before passing
away. The post in Facebook
clearly states how the veteran
of 30 years felt dejected from
the system for which he had
served. The post also puts light
on how other veterans and
colleagues were being treated
at the ECHS facility in Kanpur
which was set up to treat
retired soldiers. —Amit Baliyan
First India Bureau
Lucknow: The rapid
increase in the Corona
cases in the city has
posed oxygen crisis in
the state for patients.
In such a situation, the
oxygen plants in the
city have been working
24 hours a day to pro-
duce enough oxygen to
provide to patients.
The industrial use of
oxygen has been tem-
porarily stopped with
all the oxygen being
redirected to medical
use.
The oxygen plants
in the city are seeing
long queues of people
who were waiting to
procure oxygen for
their family members
who have been infect-
ed with Corona.
While the relatives
and neighbors of a per-
son infected with Co-
rona have begun dis-
tancing themselves
physically due to the
medical implications
but the oxygen plant
operators and employ-
ees have been working
day and night while
interacting with rela-
tives of people infected
with Corona so that
people don’t suffer
more due to oxygen
shortage.
In normal times,
most of the industrial
oxygen cylinders were
used for refilling while
a few went to the nurs-
ing homes, but the sit-
uation of today has
changed completely
with all the oxygen be-
ing supplied for me-
dicinal needs so that
maximum cylinders is
made available to hos-
pitals and nursing
homes. Ajay Mishra,
owner of Murari Oxy-
gen Plan said that
while there is fear
among employees as
well as himself that
they could get infected
with the Coronavirus,
the employees have
been working hard to
make sure other peo-
ple don’t die due to ox-
ygen shortage. He add-
ed that he and his sons
live in the plant for 24
hours to ensure that
the plant is run con-
tinuously. He further
added that one of his
sons got injured after a
cylinder fell on his foot
but he has not been
able to get his x-ray
done due to the over-
loaded medical system
of the state.
Assistant Commander of PRV (Police Response Vehicle) 0321
Yashpal Yadav says he meets close to 30 to 40 people in a day
but never been infected with the coronavirus.
Fighters: Corona
can’t breach these
Gorakhpur cops
Balrampur Ex-MP, 11 others
held post panchayat poll blaze
Noida metro to remain offtrack
on weekends, courtesy curfew
Banda jail turns covid hotspot with 39 cases
First India Bureau
Gorakhpur: The po-
lice personnel of Gora-
khpur district have
safeguarded them-
selves from the Corona
virus even after meet-
ing several people by
following protocols and
leading a disciplined
lifestyle. Out of the
5,200-odd policemen in
the Gorakhpur district,
4897 (93%) have never
been infected with the
Corona virus.
The police personnel
say that they are safe-
guarded from the virus
as they follow a disci-
plined lifestyle where
they do yoga in the
morning and physical
training in the morn-
ing as well in the even-
ing. They also stressed
that they would main-
tain social distancing,
wear masks at all time
and consume luke-
warm water.
Yashpal Yadav, Assis-
tant Commander of
PRV (Police Response
Vehicle) 0321 said that
he meets close to 30 to 40
people in a day but has
never been infected
with the virus.
He reasoned that it is
due to the routing that
he follows which in-
volves exercising in the
morning and evening,
bathing in lukewarm
water twice a day and
drinking lukewarm wa-
ter the whole day
.
He further added
that he would wear
masks the whole day
and adopts social dis-
tancing of 2 feet from
people.
Head constable Vi-
nod Kumar, who works
in the traffic police
who also follows the
same routine as Yash-
pal said that staying fit
by training and a sense
of responsibility to oth-
ers is the reason why
he has been able to help
people in need while
not contracting the vi-
rus himself.
Another head consta-
ble Anil Tripathi, said
that while it is neces-
sary for people to do
their duties, it would be
better if people fol-
lowed Covid appropri-
ate behavior.
First India Bureau
Balrampur: Soon after
voting ended in the Be-
likhurd village under
the Tulsipur police sta-
tion, a fight broke be-
tween the supporters of
Congress leader Di-
pankar Singh and for-
mer MP Rizwan Zaheer.
The brawl escalated
and two luxury vehicles
of Congress-backed
candidate Arunima
Singh of the Nawana-
gar were torched along
and two other vehicles
were damaged in the
ruckus. During the cha-
os, supporters of for-
mer MP Rizwan Zaheer
also misbehaved with
the police personnel de-
ployed in the village af-
ter which Inspector
General of Police, Dr.
Rakesh Singh came to
take stock of the situa-
tion and filed cases
against both the parties
involved.
The whole scene un-
folded when late in the
evening during the 3rd
phase of Panchayat
elections in Belikhurd
village,RameezAhmed,
son-in-law of the for-
mer MP Rizwan Zaheer
picked up a fight with
Dipankar Singh and his
supporters. The argu-
ment escalated into
brawl which resulted in
injury to six people in-
cluding Rameez
Ahmed. Dipankar Sin-
gh and his supporters
when they saw that they
were getting outnum-
bered escaped in vehi-
cles. Two luxury vehi-
cles which were left be-
hind by the Dipankar
Singh was torched and
two other vehicles were
damaged.
The police formed
teams late in the night
and arrested Rizwan
Zaheer, Dipankar
Singh and 11 other sup-
porters.
First India Bureau
Noida: The Noida Met-
ro Rail Corporation
(NMRC) will suspend
its services on Satur-
days and Sundays in
view of the weekend
curfew imposed in Ut-
tar Pradesh to check the
spread of COVID-19, of-
ficials said.
In an order issued on
Monday
, the NMRC said
the decision is aimed at
discouraging the out-
door movement of peo-
ple amid the pandemic.
“Keeping in view the
ongoing large scale
spread of COVID-19
pandemic and accord-
ingly to discourage the
passengers from mov-
ing out on curfew days,
the NMRC has decided
not to run any service
on the curfew days de-
clared by the govern-
ment,” NMRC manag-
ing director Ritu Ma-
heshwari said.
“Presently, the cur-
few is declared on Sat-
urday and Sunday,
therefore the NMRC
metro services will not
be available on these
days,” she added.
First India Bureau
Banda: Banda District
Prison has become a
hotspot of Corona virus
after reports of 23 peo-
ple including detainees,
prison pharmacist, etc.
came out positive.
Among the 23 people’s
report was Mukhtar
Ansari’s RT-PCR test
which also returned
positive for the virus.
The total of people in-
fected in Banda district
jail is currently at 39
and has set the authori-
ties scrambling to take
corrective measures.
The 39 patients are be-
ing isolated either in
barracks or hospital.
The authorities fol-
lowing this have sani-
tized the entire jail and
have kept the inmates
who have tested posi-
tive in isolation inside
barracks. They have
also ordered the in-
mates and security per-
sonnel to not enter bar-
racks where Corona in-
fected inmates are
lodged as well as main-
tain social distancing.
Jailor in-charge PK
Tripathi said that all
detainees and security
personnel are being
asked to follow the rules
so to prevent spreading
of infection and make
sure that the infection
chain is broken.
Mukhtar Ansari who
was recently shifted
from Rupnagar Jail in
Punjab has a history of
ailments including
back pain, infections
related to surgery. Fol-
lowing the positive Co-
rona test, the adminis-
tration has called the
panel of doctors previ-
ously constituted for
the treatment of
Mukhtar. The panel of
doctors includes bone,
surgical specialist and
nodal officer. The ad-
ministration has also in
view of the increasing
case have ordered test-
ing of other detainees
and security personnel.
MORE BEDS TO COMBAT CRISIS
Workers construct a COVID-19 hospital at the BHU ground, in Varanasi on Tuesday.
The torched vehicle.
OXYGEN WARRIORS
OXYGEN WARRIORS
The O2 plant employees working day and night while interacting with relatives
The O2 plant employees working day and night while interacting with relatives
of corona patients so that people don’t suffer more due to inadequate supply
of corona patients so that people don’t suffer more due to inadequate supply
HOW DAY IN THE LIFE OF AN OPERATOR UNFOLDS
 Phone keeps ringing
24 hours and while
operator is talking to a
person around 10 calls
come during that time
 Every call must be
attended to as they
understand that the
caller would be some-
one in dire need
 Staff working day
and night to ensure
that oxygen will be
provided to people
in need

08
2NDFRONT
When troubles gather and things seem
to unravel, then one can only do two
things- take constructive steps and
pray for best results! Both are equally important.
—Jagdeesh Chandra, CEO Editor-in-Chief, First India
A
fter discus-
sion with the
Scientific Ad-
visory Board of the
Central Council for
Research in Homeop-
athy (CCRH) for pre-
vention of the novel
Coronavirus infec-
tion through Home-
opathy, the ministry
had issued a health
advisory and recom-
mended that Homeo-
pathic and Unani
medicines could be
effective in the pre-
vention of the virus.
Ayush ministry
had recommended
that homeopathic
medicine Arsenicum
Album 30 could be
taken empty stomach
daily for three days
as a prophylactic
medicine against the
infection.
It was also sug-
gested that some
Ayurvedic medicines
specially Karha,
Unani decoctions,
and home remedies
could be useful in
the symptomatic
management of Co-
rona virus infec-
tions. Dr J. P. Singh,
former Assistant Di-
rector, Central Coun-
cil for Research in Ho-
meopathy, Ministry of
Ayush explained the
science, working, and
dosage of the homeo-
pathic medicine
which could be effec-
tive in such adverse
time. Speaking
with Janardan Mis-
ra from First India,
Dr Singh said along
with medicines, gen-
eral hygienic meas-
ures for prevention of
virus infections such
as maintaining per-
sonal hygiene, wash-
ing hands often with
soap and water for at
least 20 seconds, avoid
touching eyes, nose,
and mouth with un-
washed hands and
avoiding close contact
with sick people
should be followed.
He said that homeopa-
thy, as a healing meth-
od, is based on the
Hippocratic “Similia
Similibus Curentur”
therapeutic law. The
physician relies on
the wholeness of
symptoms revealed
during the entire evo-
lution of the infection
and prescribes an ul-
tra-high diluted suc-
cussed solution prod-
uct that has been
proven to heal similar
conditions.
Established medi-
cine has to wait until
the cause for the pa-
thology is found,
whereas in homeopa-
thy we take into con-
sideration the re-
sponse of the organ-
ism to the causative
factor (the totality of
the symptoms) in or-
der to start the treat-
ment. Therefore, the
intervention can be
immediate and very
helpful for the pa-
tient, he pointed out.
About the posology,
Dr Singh said “Ho-
moeopathy treats the
patient but not the
disease” thus the
medicine selected for
each patient is tai-
lored to person-specif-
ic, taking into consid-
eration, his/her
mental make-up,
physical symptoms,
and characteristic
particulars, etc.
In case of long-term
illness, besides the
above-mentioned fac-
tors, age, occupation,
previous illnesses,
and life circumstance
unique to that indi-
vidual irrespective of
the disease which he/
she is suffering from,
are also taken into
consideration. Dr Sin-
gh who was awarded
WHO fellowship in the
United States of
America and United
Kingdom in 1996, said
that after the appro-
priate medicine is se-
lected, it is essential
to decide the requisite
potency, dose and rep-
etition which is im-
perative for optimum
response and faster
recovery in each case.
‘Medicinegoodhygienepracticesreducespreadofinfections’
INTERVIEW
After the appropriate
medicine is selected,
it is essential to de-
cide the requisite potency,
dose repetition which is
imperative for
optimum response and
faster recovery in each case.
—Dr J. P. Singh,
Former Assistant Director, CCRH
SC asks for jailed journalist
Kappan’s medical records
First India Bureau
Lucknow: The Su-
preme Court Tuesday
askedtheUttarPradesh
government to submit
medical records of
journalist Siddique
Kappan who was ar-
rested last year on way
to Hathras where a
young Dalit woman had
died after being alleg-
edly gang-raped. Kera-
la Union of Working
Journalists (KUWJ) al-
leged that Kappan has
been chained to a cot in
the hospital he was ad-
mitted to after falling
in the bathroom and
later testing positive
for COVID-19.
The UP government
refuted the allegations
that Kappan has been
chained to a cot at the
hospital and said it
would file a short reply
on his medical records
by tomorrow. A bench
of Chief Justice N V Ra-
mana and Justices
Surya Kant and A S Bo-
panna asked Solicitor
General Tushar Mehta,
appearing for the state
government, to file the
medical records by
Wednesday. At the out-
set, Mehta said he had
preliminary objection
to the habeas corpus pe-
tition filed by KUWJ as
Kappan has been in ju-
dicial custody under the
judicial order. He said
the habeas corpus peti-
tion was not maintain-
able in the case where
an accused is under ju-
dicial custody
. Advocate
Wills Mathew, appear-
ing for KUWJ, said that
on April 20 he fell in the
bathroom and on April
21 he was tested positive
for COVID-19. He added
that besides the reliefs
being sought, Kappan
should also be allowed
to talk to his mother via
video conference. The
bench, which was fac-
ing difficulty in hearing
the arguments due to
connectivity issue, ad-
journed the matter for
Wednesday
.
When we are ad-
journing the matter for
detailed hearing for to-
morrow, why are you
making arguments
now, the bench told
Mathew. It asked Mehta
to file medical records
of Kappan by Wednes-
day to which the solici-
tor general agreed.
Kappan’s wife recently
wrote to CJI Ramana
seeking his immediate
release from the hospi-
tal, alleging he is
“chained like an ani-
mal in a cot” there.
Raihanth Kappan
claimed in the letter
written to the CJI that
Kappan received inju-
ries on April 20 after
falling in the jail bath-
room and was reported
COVID-19 positive a
day later.
Kappan was arrested on way to Hathras, which has been in the news following the death of a 19-year-
old Dalit woman who was allegedly gang-raped on September 14, 2020, in a village in the district.
Govt has failed us; be each
other’s support: Priyanka
First India Bureau
Lucknow: Alleging an
abdication of leader-
ship and governance by
the Centre in the face of
the COVID-19 second
wave, Congress leader
Priyanka Gandhi Vadra
on Tuesday urged peo-
ple to show compassion
be each other’s strong-
est support to tide over
the Covid crisis.
In a Facebook post ti-
tled ‘We Shall Over-
come’, Priyanka said
that “by gathering up
our strength amidst de-
spair, by doing whatever
we can to provide com-
fort to others, by refus-
ingtotireandpersisting
with the will to carry on
againstallodds,weshall
overcome”. Reaching
out to people in an emo-
tionalpost,theCongress
general secretary said,
“My heart is heavy as I
write to you today
. I
know that many of you
havelostyourlovedones
in the last few weeks,
many have family mem-
bers who are struggling
for life, and many are
grappling with the dis-
ease at home, anxious
and afraid of what is to
come.”Notingthatthere
is no one who has not
been affected by this
“scourge”, she said that
people across the coun-
try are “gasping for air,
struggling to access
medical care or simply
to get the next dose of
life saving medicine”.
“The government has
failed us all. Even those
of us who oppose and
fight them could not
haveforeseenacomplete
abdicationof leadership
and governance at a
time as devastating as
this. In our hearts, we
too are still hoping that
they will rise up and
take steps that are im-
perative to save lives,”
Priyanka Gandhi said.
But even though
those given the sacred
task of governing this
nation have “let the
country down” at this
time of great crisis, peo-
ple must not lose hope,
she said. Underlining
that humanity has risen
up to the challenge of
adversity time again,
Priyanka said India has
seen great pain suffer-
ing in the past as well, it
has weathered cyclones
and droughts, massive
earthquakes, famines
and devastating floods,
and yet people’s spirit
has not been broken.
Priyanka Gandhi Vadra
COVID DISASTER
As the dead continue to pile at cremation grounds in Lucknow, the administration is arranging
wood from various districts everyday.An eye opener indeed of how damaging Covid-19 is.
First India Bureau
Lucknow: With the
number of coronavirus
cases increasing in the
state following the in-
struction of CM Yogi
Adityanath, the district
administrations have
become very serious
taking stern action
against officials who are
neglecting their duties.
The district adminis-
tration of Kanpur has
taken stringent action
againstPataraCHCHos-
pital’s in-charge Dr.
Neeraj Sachan by filing
a case against him un-
der the Pandemic Act
after he was accused of
lapsesinhisresponsibil-
ity as Corona Rapid Re-
sponse Team in charge.
District Magistrate of
Kanpur, Alok Tiwari ar-
rested the doctor late on
Monday evening during
a meeting which was
held to review the Coro-
na situation in the dis-
trict. Following the ar-
rest of Dr. Neeraj, sev-
eral of the government
doctors protested the
arrest, and Dr.Neeraj
was released after a
huge uproar by the gov-
ernment doctors. Dr.
Neeraj who is in-charge
of the CHC in Patara
was recently named as
the in-charge of Corona
Rapid Response Team.
The DM evening called a
meeting to review meas-
ures taken to control the
spreading of Corona in-
fections and after being
unsatisfied with an-
swersgivenbyDr.Neeraj
later instructed Swa-
roop Nagar police to ar-
rest the doctor.
Dr. Neeraj clarified
after being released and
said that he had tried
explaining to the DM
that it has been only
two days since he was
made in-charge of Co-
rona Rapid Response
Team and he would get
everything in place in a
couple of days but DM
wouldn’t listen to his
explanation.
Administration wakes up after CM intervenes to warn officials
NEGLIGENCE DURING CRISIS
Kanpur DM Alok Tiwari
After South Africa,
Gupta brother’s
banned in Britain
Two miscreants arrested for
black marketing Remdesivir
First India Bureau
Saharanpur: Gupta
brothers Ajay, Atul and
Rajesh Gupta were
banned for entry and
banking transaction in
Britain after South Af-
rica had imposed such
restriction on them due
to severe corruption
charges on them.
It was reported that
such restriction was
imposed on 22 persons
including Gupta broth-
ers. Gupta brothers
belongs to Saharanpur
district and their fa-
ther was ration shop
owner in district.
Gupta brothers
reached South Africa 25
years back for business
and they became fifth
richest persons in Afri-
ca after short while.
They were closed to
then African president
Jacob Zuma and had
good reputation in that
country. But after few
years corruption
charges were levied on
them and South Africa
imposed several re-
striction on Gupta
brothers. It was re-
ported that Britain has
taken actions against
Gupta brothers and
other such culprits to
counter global corrup-
tion. After South Afri-
ca, Britain now Saudi
Arabia will impose
such restrictions on
culprits.
First India Bureau
Lucknow: Police have
arrested two miscre-
ants involved in black-
marketing of Remdesi-
vir drug in the Krishna
Nagar area on Tuesday
.
Police sources said that
after orders of strict
vigilance on black-mar-
keting of life-saving
drugs police teams
were active to nab such
miscreants. Acting on
tip-off police team ar-
rested Vikas Singh alias
Lucky and Altaf Alam
from the Krishna Nagar
area and recovered two
Remdesivir injections.
It was reported that per-
petrators were selling
the drug at a much
higher price and they
had taken the amount
from the victims.
Also, in Meerut, two
paramedical staff mem-
bers were arrested with
Remdesivir drugs while
one accomplice man-
aged to escape. Police
surveillance team raid-
ed at Humaun Nagar of
Lisadi gate area and ar-
rested one lab techni-
cian and his accomplice
with the drug. It was
reported that one other
accomplice managed to
flee and police had
launched a manhunt to
nab him.
Gupta brothers who belong to Saharanpur district.

O
ver the past few weeks, India has
witnessed a deadly second wave
of COVID 19 and every day, the
cases are increasing. Amid this,
Ayushmann Khurrana and Tahira
Kashyap have gone ahead to offer sup-
port to all by contributing to the Maha-
rashtra CM Relief Fund amid the hour
of need as the COVID 19 cases are on the
rise in the state and nation. In a state-
ment, Ayushmann and Tahira wrote,
“We have been in the eye of the storm
since last year. This pandemic has
broken our hearts, made us endure
pain and suffering like never before,
showed us how solidarity with one
another can make us handle this
humanitarian crisis. Today, again,
this pandemic asks us to show for-
titude, resilience and mutual sup-
port. People, across India, have
stepped forward to do as much as
possible for each other and Ta-
hira and I thank each and every
individual who has inspired us
to do more. —Agency
ctor Bhumi Pednekar
has urged fans to stay
at home and show
their true patriotism.
She shared a video on
Instagram to talk
about the importance
of following the Covid-19 proto-
col and guidelines. She also
urged everyone to avoid step-
ping out unless necessary
.
Sharing the video, Bhumi
wrote, “Stay Home Asli Desh
prem dikhane ka time ye hai
(This is the time to show your
true patriotism).”
She said, “Namaskar! I am
Covid warrior Bhumi Ped-
nekar and I have a short mes-
sage for you all. My message is
that if you are on social media
and you watch TV
, you must be
aware that the country is fight-
ing a pandemic and this is a
huge war against coronavirus.
So, as citizens of the country,
how can we help? It is very sim-
ple, just stay at home.”—Agency
A
AsliDeshPrem
K
atrina Kaif
and Vijay
Sethupathi
are collabo-
rating on the direc-
tor, Sriram Ra-
ghavan’s next film,
titled ‘Merry Christ-
mas’. While the film
could not take off in
April since Katrina
Kaif was down with
Covid for the most part of
the month, we hear the
film is now all set to go on
the floors by Mid-May.
Most of the film will be
shot in Mumbai, followed
by brief schedules in Pune
and Goa. The film will be
shot over a period of
the next four months,
and the leading lady,
Katrina Kaif will be
juggling between the
shoot of Merry Christ-
mas and the action
franchise, Tiger 3 with
Salman Khan.
—Agency
M
adhuri Dixit is
very active on
her Instagram
handle, espe-
cially during the lock-
down. The actress has
been keeping her
mind and body
healthy with yoga.
Now, the star is
back to share that
she got her second
dose of the Corona-
virus vaccine.
Taking to the
photo-sharing
platform, Mad-
huri posted a
photo of her-
self along
with a brief
yet informa-
tive mes-
sage. She
urged fans to
get their jab
of vaccine as
soon as pos-
sible. —Agency
Dignified
A
mong the star couples who have been
making it to the headlines, Arjun
Kapoor and Malaika Arora always
manage to light up the internet with
their photos, every once in a while. Arjun shared
that he loves how ‘dignified’ Malaika is. Explain-
ing this further, Arjun said that he has never
seen her complain about things or change
the ‘narrative’ around her. The 2 States actor
said that she lets her work do the talking
instead of her and that he gets to learn from
his ladylove every day. —Agency
LUCKNOW, WEDNESDAY
APRIL 28, 2021
www.firstindia.co.in I www.firstindia.co.in/epaper/ I twitter.com/thefirstindia
facebook.com/thefirstindia I instagram.com/thefirstindia 09
Mithunclearsair
T
here have been re-
ports that the veter-
an actor, Mithun
Chakraborty had
tested positive for Corona-
virus and has gone into
home quarantine while fol-
lowing all the necessary
precautions. However, con-
trary to the reports, the ac-
tor rubbished the news of
his diagnosis and stated
that he is hail and hearty.
Mithun, who had joined
politics early this year and
is a member of the Bharti-
ya Janta Party, stated that
he is enjoying his holidays
post campaigning for the
upcoming elections in West
Bengal. He said, “After ex-
tensive campaigning for
more than a month, I am
enjoying my holiday with
my favourite food Beuli Dal
and Aloo Posto.” —Agency
Merry Christmas
from mid-may
BIGCONTRIBUTION
The second
jab taken
...her post
Madhuri Dixit Nene
Mithun Chakraborty
Ayushmann Khurana and Tahira Kashyap
Katrina Kaif
Bhumi Pednekar
Malaika Arora

F
A
C
E
O
F
T
H
E
D
A
Y
ARUNDHATI AGARWAL, Model
LEO
JULY 24 - AUGUST 23
Those looking for buying a
house can get a good
bargain. Appreciation is in
store for some
homemakers. A professional victory
is yours if you play your cards well
today. Those in business will be able
to maintain good earning. You are
likely to enjoy good health.
LIBRA
SEPT 24 - OCTOBER 22
You may wait for
someone’s invitation for a
trip. Your professionalism
in handling problem areas
will be appreciated. Tenant troubles
are foreseen for some house owners.
You will find family life more than
fulfilling. A senior is likely to put in a
good word for you to the higher ups.
ARIES
MAR 21 - APR 20
This is the time when you
enjoy yourself with a new
group of friends or
colleagues. A change of job
is likely to give you better salary and
perks. Those in business will soon
get a chance to make profits. A new
deal is likely to come through and
give you a taste of success.
SAGITTARIUS
NOV 23 - DEC 22
You are likely to take up
someone’s cause and earn
appreciation from all
quarters on the social front.
Remaining on the good side of those
who matter on the academic front will
help you achieve much. Good tidings
of your well wishers will keep you
going on the professional front.
GEMINI
MAY 21 - JUNE 21
Excellent opportunities
may knock at your door.
Professionals will be able
to give their best in a new
situation. Financially, this day may
prove lucky for you, so go ask for the
raise that is keeping you on
tenterhooks. Don’t take any chances
with your health today.
AQUARIUS
JAN 21 - FEB 19
You will have to be more
focussed on the academic
front. You may get busy
organising something on the
social front. You may need to put your
ideas into action, if you want to prove
yourself. A party may be thrown in
your honour at work. Your good
performance is likely to be noticed.
TAURUS
APR 21 - MAY 20
A family youngster is likely
to do you proud. Your
strategy to promote
yourself on the
professional front will bear fruits.
You may need to speed up things on
the academic front to remain ahead.
On the social front, the day finds you
in your element.
CAPRICORN
DEC 23 - JAN 20
Success is foretold on the
academic front. Your
reputation is likely to boost
your image on the social
front. On the work front, you will
manage to keep your superiors in
good humour. This is an excellent
day to spend time with family. Good
planning will complete tasks.
VIRGO
AUG 24 - SEP 23
Getting into a favourable
situation on the academic
front is possible. Good luck
promises to brighten your
day. Some positive changes can be
expected on the home front. This
seems a good day for job seekers.
New avenues for earning open up as
you get more determined.
CANCER
JUNE 22 - JULY 23
Your performance at work
will be commendable. Your
own happiness is in your
hands today. Spouse may
need her space, respect that. This is
a favourable day for completing
pending jobs. Financially, no
problems are foreseen. It is best to
avoid outside food.
PISCES
FEB20 - MARCH 20
You will manage to achieve
what you had aimed for on
the academic front. A
celebration can find you in
your element today. Praise and
honour are likely to greet you in
something that you have managed to
achieve. You will be a pillar of
strength to a friend or associate.
SCORPIO
OCT 23 - NOVEMBER 22
Good performance on the
academic front will help
enhance your reputation at
work. Some favourable
developments on the social front are
foreseen. Buying new furniture or a
major appliance is possible. With
good networking, a prized posting
can be yours.
YOUR
DAY
Horoscope by
Saurabbh Sachdeva
10
ETC
hat is your top-of-the-
mind visual when I
say Dilwale Dulhani-
ya Le Jayenge?. It is
Raj and Simran run-
ning towards each
other in the mustard
fields of Punjab, right? What is
the first thing that comes to
your mind when I say Dijon? Oh
yes, it is Dijon mustard. These
ordinary- looking, black-yellow-
red and brown seeds are seri-
ously potent in the emotions
they manage to arouse both in
the Indian and French people.
Punjabiyat is quintessentially
reflected as much by bhangra as
Sarson ka Saag. And America’s
burger, sandwich, pizza and hot
dogs would be vapid without
France’s contribution of mus-
tard sauce.
In India mustard seems to
have pre-dated Buddha. Accord-
ing to a Buddhist parable, a
mother who lost her child
reached out to Buddha to bring
her child back to life. Buddha
told her, get me a few grains of
mustard from a house which
has had no death and I will. As
she went from house to house,
the mother realized there was
no household untouched by
death.
In France, it made its first ap-
pearance around the 13th cen-
tury when Pope John XXII ap-
pointed a mustard-maker to
stone-grind mustard only for
himself. This also gave rise to a
typical French expression, “se
croire le premier moutardier du
pape” (he thinks he’s the Pope’s
mustard-maker) to refer to peo-
ple who thought too highly of
themselves!
The word mustard comes
from the old French mostarde
(modern name is moutarde);
‘must’ means unfermented
grape juice called verjuice. The
mustard seeds were ground to a
paste on a stone mill, mixed
with verjuice and burnt, hence
the ‘ard’, meaning, to heat. If
Dijon mustard is recognized
worldwide today, it is because
Dijon is in Burgundy, a region in
France known for its excellent
grape. Dominique tells me that
tarragon mustard from Dijon is
his absolute favourite.
Sarson or mustard leaf is a
winter crop in India and is usu-
ally prepared with bathua (pig-
weed) or methi (fenugreek)
leaves. Traditionally it is eaten
with flour made from fresh
corn. And the most ideal way of
eating it is with white butter
and a cupful of fresh jaggery.
Because it is a winter crop, it
is grown and consumed largely
in north India. But I love stuff-
ing Sarson ka Saag in my Masa-
la Dosa instead of the usual po-
tato bhaji! Pity is it is not as
ubiquitous in the south as
Masala Dosa is, in the north.
Mustard is used today not just
as a sauce with fish, French
fries and vegetables. It is also
used to make mousse or spice up
desserts. Interestingly, India
which is the second-largest pro-
ducer of this spice has found
various uses for all parts of
mustard. Without mustard tad-
ka, no Indian dish is worth it’s
salt. The seeds are also used to
extract oil and in eastern parts
of India, mustard oil is the most
popular cooking medium. The
leaves are used to make exqui-
site dish such as Sarson ka saag.
But we don’t make the sauce.
In France however, mustard
is used only to make the sauce.
No oil. No dish with leaves. No
tadka.
Nandini Vaidyanathan is
a corporate professional,
entrepreneur, author, and
mountain climber. She
also thinks she’s a
gourmet cook. So she
right-swiped Michelin
Star, French Chef,
Dominique Fieux, on a
dating app.
Mustard – the spice of life!
W
Michelin Star Chef
Dominique Fieux’s
Recipe:
MUSTARD SORBET
 Heat ½ litre of water and
200 grams of sugar in a
saucepan. Once the sugar
has melted, switch off the
stove. Add 25 grams of Di-
jon mustard and 15 grams
of mustard with seeds
 Pour into a large bowl
and put in the freezer for
3 hours.
 Once the sorbet is set,
scrape it with a fork then
add 20 grams of Dijon
mustard, 30 grams of
mustard with seeds and
¼ litre of ice water.
 Stir well and return to the
freezer for 2 hours.

First India-Lucknow Edition-28 April 2021

First India-Lucknow Edition-28 April 2021

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