First india ahmedabad edition-13 june 2020

CORONA
ALERT
AHMEDABAD l SATURDAY, JUNE 13, 2020 l Pages 12 l 3.00 RNI NO. GUJENG/2019/16208 l Vol 1 l Issue No. 198
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OUR EDITIONS:
JAIPUR & AHMEDABAD
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COVID-19
UPDATE
GUJARAT
1,416
DEATHS
22,562
CONFIRMED CASES
RAJASTHAN
272 DEATHS 12,068 CASES
Self-regulatory system will drive the economy: Adhia Committee
First India Bureau
Gandhinagar: The
Adhia Committee has
recommended that the
government trust en-
trepreneurs, remove
all control systems
and introduce a self-
regulatory system if it
wants to revive the
economy. The commit-
tee says such meas-
ures will not only feed
entrepreneur confi-
dence but will also en-
courage them to invest
more, which in turn
will generate employ-
ment and revive the
economy faster.
Chief Minister Vijay
Rupani had constituted
an expert committee to
suggest short- and long-
term measures to revive
the state economy, espe-
cially in the wake of the
lockdown put in place to
control the Sars-CoV-2
outbreak. The Commit-
tee was headed by for-
mer Union Finance Sec-
retary Turn on P6
EXPERT COMMITTEE HAS 231
SHORT- AND LONG-TERM
RECOMMENDATIONS TO
REVIVE THE STATE ECONOMY
Chief Minister Vijay Rupani with the Adhia Committee’s final report. He is flanked on the left by Hasmukh
Adhia, Mukesh Patel, Kirit Shelat and Ravindra Dholakia, and on the right by Deputy Chief Minister Nitin
Patel, Education Minister Bhupendrasinh Chudasama and Revenue Minister Kaushik Patel.
HIGHLIGHTS
New Delhi: Union
Home Secretary Ajay
Bhalla on Friday wrote
to states and union ter-
ritories advising them
not to hinder the
smooth passage of bus-
es and trucks plying on
highways between 9 pm
and 5 am and noting
that the restrictions
only aim at preventing
congregation of per-
sons and ensuring so-
cial distancing.
He said that Ùnlock
1’ guidelines state that
movement of individu-
als shall remain strictly
prohibited between 9
pm and 5 am through-
out the country except
for essential activities.
Bhalla said it has come
to notice that some
states and UTs are also
restricting the move-
ment of persons and
vehicles plying on high-
ways between 9 pm and
5 am which is hindering
their smooth passage.
“The purpose of re-
stricting the movement
of individuals, except
for essential activities,
between 9 pm and 5 am
is primarily intended to
prevent congregation
of persons and to en-
sure social distancing,”
the letter said.
It said that the re-
striction doesn’t apply
to loading/unloading of
goods (as part of supply
chains and logistics),
buses carrying persons
and trucks and goods
carriers plying on state
and national highways
or persons travelling to
their destinations after
disembarking from bus-
es, trains and flights.
—ANI
‘ALLOWBUS,TRUCKSTOPLY
ALLNIGHTONHIGHWAYS’
AWAITING
NEW DAWN...
Individuals’ movement to remain strictly prohibited between 9 pm & 5 am
INDIA’S CASES
CROSS 3-L MARK
New Delhi: India
crossed 3 lakh
coronavirus cases
Friday after at least
2,900 cases were
reported from across
the country. Cases
rose by over 10,950
on Friday, the steepest
increase so far, with
the total number of
reported cases cross-
ing 3,09,389. The
death toll due to the
disease increased to
8,890 with 396 deaths
reported in the last
24 hours. According
to Health Ministry,
10,956 more cases
were reported in the
last 24 hours and the
total count of cases
was 3,09,389.
A fisherman rows his boat across Dal Lake during
sunset, in Srinagar on Friday. —PHOTO BY PTI
1 killed, 2 hurt in firing by
Nepal cops along IB in Bihar
Patna/Kathmandu:
The Nepalese border
guardingforceonFriday
opened fire on a crowd
killing a 22-year-old In-
dian man and injuring
two others following an
altercation, sparking
tension on the Indo-Ne-
pal Border along Bihar’s
Sitamarhi district.
The border guarding
force - Nepalese Armed
Police Force - has also
detainedapersonidenti-
fied as 45-year-old Lagan
Yadav after the incident,
Indian officials said.
Turn on P6
New Delhi: The Goods
and Services Tax (GST)
Council on Friday de-
cided to waive off fees
for late filing returns be-
tween July 2017 to Janu-
ary this year in a bid to
minimise the impact of
COVID-19 crisis on mi-
cro, small and medium
enterprises (MSMEs).
Due to the country-
wide lockdown stem-
ming from the coronavi-
rus pandemic, a lot of
return filing has been
pending and revenue
collections have been
depressed. “For all
those who have no tax
liabilities but who have
not filed their returns
between July 2017 to
January 2020 there will
be zero late fees,” said
Union Finance Minister
Nirmala Sitharaman
after the 40th GST Coun-
cilmeetingheldthrough
video conference.
Turn on P6
Corona relief:
GST rate cut
for small
taxpayers
An injured villager is shifted to a hospital after indiscriminate
firing by the Nepal police at the Lalbandi-Janki Nagar border,
near Saitmarhi district of Bihar on Friday. —PHOTO BY PTI
SC calls situation in Delhi horrific
New Delhi: The Su-
premeCourtonThurs-
day took cognizance
on its own of reports
of improper handling
of COVID-19 patients
and undignified dis-
posal of the victims’
bodies in the country.
Coronavirus pa-
tientsarebeingtreated
“worse than animals”,
the Supreme Court
said on Friday as it
pulled up the Delhi
government over the
“horrendous, horrific
andpathetic”situation
in the national capital
amid a spurt in cases.
The situation is also
“grim” in Maharash-
tra, Tamil Nadu
Turn on P6
Over two-and-a-half months after the
Coronavirus-induced lockdown, markets,
including non-essential business
establishments, will finally open in Srinagar
on Saturday. The number of Covid-19 cases
in J&K has crossed 4,500 mark with 497 of
them in Srinagar.
INDIA
3,09,389
CONFIRMED CASES
8,890
DEATHS
MAHARASHTRA
3,717 DEATHS 1,01,141 CASES
TAMIL NADU
UTTAR PRADESH
DELHI
1,214 DEATHS 36,824 CASES
WORLD
4,25,917
DEATHS
76,70,288
CONFIRMED CASES

NEWSAHMEDABAD | SATURDAY, JUNE 13, 2020
02
First India Bureau
Gandhinagar: A vir-
tual meeting was
held between Sau-
rashtra and Central
Zone under the Jan
Samvad programme,
Union Minister for
Forest, Environment
and Climate Change
Prakash Javadekar
and State Unit Presi-
dent of the Bharati-
ya Janata Party
(BJP) Jitu Vaghani
on Friday.
Interestingly, the
concept behind the
virtual Jan Samvad
programme is to edu-
cate party workers
and leaders about the
programmes under-
taken by the state
and central govern-
ment.
The idea is to pro-
vide them with infor-
mation about all de-
velopmental work
thereby ensuring
that it reaches the
public in different
corners of the state.
The use of word-of-
mouth as an effective
communication tool
is an ingenious way
of reaching to the
voters and fetching
adequate votes for
the party.
With seven munici-
pal corporations and
more than 20 district
panchayats due for
elections, the party
leaders have been
kept ready to go for
polls.
Addressing them
via video conferenc-
ing, Javadekar told
state leaders about
the developmental
programmes not
only approved but
successfully commis-
sioned by Prime Min-
ister Narendra Modi.
He also praised the
prime minister’s de-
cision to announce
the Rs20 lakh crore
worth economic re-
vival package as part
of relief efforts amid
the COVID-19 out-
break and to get the
economy back on
track.
Meanwhile, Vaghani
asked party leaders
and local workers to go
into the field and help
people get back on
their feet, especially
those affected by novel
coronavirus.
BJP’S VIRTUAL MODE TO BAG VOTES
SAMPLE RECEIVED
SAMPLE NEGATIVE
0
UNDER EXAMINATION
2,78,137
2,55,575
CORONA
INGUJARAT
DISTRICT TOTAL TOTAL NEW
CASES DEATHS DEATHS
AHMEDABAD 15962 1139 22
VADODARA 1471 43 0
SURAT 2444 99 3
RAJKOT 145 5 0
BHAVNAGAR 159 12 0
ANAND 124 12 0
BHARUCH 69 5 1
GANDHINAGAR 450 21 2
PATAN 109 9 1
PANCHMANHAL 115 13 0
BANASKANTHA 148 8 0
NARMADA 25 0 0
CHOTA UDEPUR 39 0 0
KUTCH 99 5 0
MAHESANA 177 8 0
BOTAD 64 2 0
DAHOD 48 0 0
PORBANDAR 14 2 0
JAMNAGAR 73 3 0
MORBI 6 1 0
SABARKANTHA 135 5 0
ARAVALLI 133 12 1
MAHISAGAR 116 2 0
KHEDA 102 5 0
GIR SOMNATH 49 0 0
VALSAD 57 3 0
TAPI 6 0 0
NAVSARI 39 1 0
DANG 4 0 0
SURENDRANAGAR 65 3 0
DWARKA 15 0 0
JUNAGADH 42 2 0
AMRELI 21 2 0
OTHER STATES 31 1 1
TOTAL 22562 1416 31
BJP state unit president Jitu Vaghani addressing party leaders at Kamalam.
AlpeshThakorfacesirefor
meet,saysallnormsobeyed
First India Bureau
Ahmedabad: In a fresh
controversy, BJP lead-
er Alpesh Thakor has
been accused of alleg-
edly calling a public
meeting and violating
social distancing pro-
tocol. Thakor can be
seen on a stage with-
out a mask in violation
of health guidelines in
a video that was popu-
larly shared on social
media on Friday.
Ironically, the meet-
ing, which was organ-
ized by the Thakor com-
munity, was aimed at
creating social aware-
ness. It was held at
Bhatamal village in Ba-
naskantha district.
Even after Unlock
1.0, public meetings are
still prohibited due to
the COVID-19 pandem-
ic. The essential health
guidelines were alleg-
edly ignored by the sen-
ior leader of BJP with
the call for gathering.
Condemning the
violation, Congress
president Amit Chav-
da asserted that rules
never seem to be ap-
plicable to BJP lead-
ers. “If people ven-
ture outside their
homes without
masks, they would be
fined for it. But, when
it comes to BJP lead-
ers, they seem to be
immune from all reg-
ulations. The party
had also held a gath-
ering in Halvad, but
no action was taken.
They preach rules to
the public, but never
follow them,” opined
Chavda.
Defending his ac-
tions, Thakor said, “I
had invited only a se-
lect few people. Others
joined the gathering
when they came to
know about it. We
maintained all social
protocols, that is why I
was seated at a dis-
tance.”
AAP UNPLUGGED:
Will contest all civic polls
Masuma Bharmal Jariwala
Rajkot: The Aam Aad-
mi Party (AAP) on Fri-
day announced that it
will contest all forth-
coming municipal and
taluka-level elections
in the state of Gujarat.
The party also re-
vealed the names of the
Rajkot city sangathan,
whose command has
been handed over to Ra-
jbha Zala, a former close
associate of Chief Minis-
ter Vijay Rupani. Zala
was also the standing
committee chairman at
the Rajkot Municipal
Corporation (RMC)
when he was affiliated
with the Bharatiya Ja-
nata Party (BJP).
Shivlal Barasiya,
former president of
Rajkot Chamber of
Commerce & Industry
has been appointed as
the vice president and
Ajit Lokat is the city
in-charge while Julie
Soni will head the
women’s wing. The
party has also appoint-
ed a ward in-charge for
all the 18 wards of the
city.
Addressing the media,
Gujarat Pradesh Presi-
dent Kishore Desai said,
“The main agenda is to
have a corruption-free
government. We might
not have money and mus-
cle power but, we do have
a team of youths who are
educated and have a
clean reputation. Delhi
is an example of our mo-
dus operandi and we aim
to set the same example
across the state by fight-
ing in local elections.”
Zala, who was also in
the good books of
Prime Minister Naren-
dra Modi, claims to
have left the BJP after
uncovering massive
corruption during his
tenure as the RMC
standing committee
chairman.
“Corruption is what
has happened in the 25
years of BJP rule at
RMC. Even the opposi-
tion is a part of it. We
will not speak about it
but prove everything in
black and white,” Zala
promised.
BJP leader Alpesh Thakor
AAP Gujarat President Kishore Desai addressing a press conference.
First India Bureau
Ahmedabad: In
a startling de-
ve l o p m e n t ,
Gujarat Con-
gress presi-
dent Amit
Chavda on
Friday ac-
cused the po-
lice of fabri-
cating a case
against sen-
ior MLA
Punja Vansh
just to pre-
vent him from voting
in the Rajya Sabha
polls scheduled for
June 19. Chavda al-
leged that the police
are acting on direc-
tion from the Bharati-
ya Janata Party.
He also said that a
party delegation will
make a representation
to Chief Electoral Of-
ficer for Gujarat, S Mu-
rali Krishna, highlight-
ing the issue of “horse-
trading and intimida-
tion” on Saturday and
added that, if needed,
the party will go
to the judici-
ary and to people for
justice.
According to Chavda,
local police are “hell-
bent” on framing
Vansh, a six-time MLA
from Una and current
chairman of the Public
Accounts Committee of
the Assembly.
“An FIR was regis-
tered in Una last
month in connection
with a clash between
two rival groups.
Vansh was not men-
tioned in the FIR as
he had nothing to do
with it. Yet, Una po-
lice summoned Vansh
twice this month to
record his statement.
Though Vansh hon-
oured both summons-
es, the police called
him once again on
June 11,” Chavda told
reporters.
“When Vansh re-
quested the police to
give him time till the
Rajya Sabha elections
get over, the police did
not listen and insisted
that he appear before
them on the given date.
We fear that the police
plan to arrest our MLA
to prevent him from
voting. The BJP and its
government are apply-
ing every trick to win
the elections,” said the
GPCC president.
Rubbishing Chavda’s
allegations, Minister of
State for Home Prad-
ipsinh Jadeja said that
the police are acting on
the technical aspects of
the case. “The police
are doing their work. In
this situation, one has
to support the investi-
gation if called by the
cops,” Jadeja said, add-
ing, “I want to tell
Chavda that all three
candidates of BJP will
win.”
Amit Chavda
COP CONSPIRACY
AGAINSTCONGRESSACCUSESCHAVDA
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We fear that the police plan
to arrest our MLA to pre-
vent him from voting. The
BJP and its government are apply-
ing every trick to win the elections.
—Amit Chavda, GPCC president
The police are acting on the technical as-
pects of the case. They are doing their
work. In this situation, one has to sup-
port the investigation. I want to tell Chavda that
all three candidates of BJP will win.
—Pradipsinh Jadeja, Minister of State for Home
Acheating case has been filed against former
state cabinet minister Jasabhai Barad and
his son Dilip Barad, chairman of Sutrapada
marketing yard. A local of Bhatali village has
filed a complaint with the Prabhas Patan police
for illegally acquiring land spanning more than a
hundred acres in the village and mining lime-
stone worth Rs30 crore. The complainant also
mentioned that the duo had illegally grabbed
gauchar land and sold limestone worth crores
mined from it. According to him, the father-
son duo forged documents claiming to provide
employment opportunities to locals. Meanwhile,
Dilip Barad has filed a complaint against the
complainant for defaming his family and de-
manding Rs30 crore bribe.
— FILE PHOTO
CHEATING CASE AGAINST
JASABHAI BARAD AND SON
Says police are ‘hell-bent’ on
framing six-time Una MLA
Punja Vansh to keep him
from voting in RS polls

First India Bureau
Surat: After entering
the local transmis-
sion stage of the COV-
ID-19 outbreak, there
has been a surge in
the number of cases
reported in Varachha
and Katargam areas
of Surat in a span of
10 days. The local civ-
ic body Surat Munici-
pal Corporation
(SMC) had adopted an
island strategy for
the Katargam zone to
contain the number
of Sars-CoV-2 cases.
According to records,
as of June 1, there were
a total of 501 cases re-
ported in Varachha and
Katargam in the first 60
days of the lockdown.
By June 11, that number
rose to 774. In a short
period of 10 days, there
has been an increase of
273 cases in these areas.
Post Unlock 1.0, peo-
ple have ceased adher-
ing to practicing social
distancing or even wear-
ing masks in public. The
reopening of street food
joints, vegetable ven-
dors, diamond units,
malls and food joints
mayhaveactedasacata-
lyst to the sudden rapid
transition of the virus.
Municipal Commis-
sioner Banchhanidhi
Pani said, “The govern-
ment expected people to
follow social protocols
such as maintaining so-
cial distance, wearing
masks and avoid gather-
ing in groups. People
based in the Katargam-
Varachha zone need to
be more careful. All ef-
forts put in by the gov-
ernment and health
workers will be ruined,
if people do not follow
guidelines and stay self-
aware.”
GUJARATAHMEDABAD | SATURDAY, JUNE 13, 2020
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26.6% of state’s total deaths
reported in 12 days of June
First India Bureau
Gandhinagar: The
state appears confi-
dent that people will
learn to live with
COVID-19. If the num-
bers are any indica-
tion, we might not
have a choice. What
should give the gov-
ernment pause, how-
ever, is the fact that
378 of the state’s 1,416
novel coronavirus-re-
lated deaths have oc-
curred in the past 12
days. This means that
June accounts for
26.6% of COVID-19
deaths since the first
case was reported in
Gujarat at the end of
March.
Economic hub
Ahmedabad has had
1,139 deaths in the past
87 days, 297 of which
occurred this month,
meaning June accounts
for 26% of the city’s
death toll as well.
There are now con-
cerns that Unlock 1.0
may prove costly be-
cause it has given
way to a new class of
super spreaders: mo-
bile shop owners,
grocery shop own-
ers, computer re-
pairs and LIC agents.
According to the
Ahmedabad Municipal
Corporation, the city
has 3,159 active cases
as on Friday morning.
Of these, the North
zone accounts for 787,
the West zone for 570,
the East zone for 374
and the Central zone
for 366, with the rest
coming in from other
zones. Twenty-three
new deaths were re-
ported in the city over-
night.
Surat—the second
worst-hit district af-
ter Ahmedabad—is
not in great shape ei-
ther, with an increas-
ing number of front-
line warriors against
COVID-19 testing
positive for the dis-
ease. On Friday, a
private practitioner
doctor and civil hos-
pital nurse tested
positive.
The disease is also
tightening its grip on
Vadodara’s rural are-
as, which are showing
a rapid rise in the
number of cases. Con-
trary to general theory
that the virus spreads
slowly in rural areas,
the cases here are
higher than in the
much denser urban
pockets. The area,
which had 38 cases un-
til March 21, now has
as many as 90 cases af-
ter a whopping 52 cas-
es were reported in the
first 11 days of June.
People wait in line to get their phones fixed in Ahmedabad. There are now concerns that Unlock 1.0
has given rise to a new breed of super spreaders, including mobile shop owners. —FILE PHOTO
AMC still undecided
on VS Hospital status
First India Bureau
Ahmedabad: The
standing committee
chairman of
Ahmedabad Munici-
pal Corporation
(AMC) Amul Bhatt on
Thursday said that no
decision has been tak-
en yet to commit VS
Hospital as a designat-
ed COVID-19 hospital.
Bhatt clarified that
there had been a misun-
derstanding regarding
the reopening of VS
Hospital. He stated that
the hospital had never
been closed down in the
first place. Supporting
Bhatt’s statement
Ahmedabad mayor Bi-
jal Patel took to her
Twitter handle and
posted a tweet with data
that showed a decrease
in patient inflow in
OPDs over the past few
months.
“VS Hospital was
never closed. The
OPD (out-patient de-
partment) has been
functional the entire
time so, there is no
question of reopen-
ing the hospital. How-
ever, no decision has
been made regarding
VS Hospital’s status
as a dedicated COV-
ID-19 hospital. Such
decisions come
through from the
state government,” he
stated.
On the mandatory re-
quirement of the Aad-
har card for COVID-19
testing, Bhatt added, “It
came up in discussion
during meeting. But,
the Centre’s application
has it as a requirement
for COVID-19 testing.
Therefore, AMC will be
unable to allow any oth-
er alternatives.”
He added that the
AMC is in talks with the
Ahmedabad Medical
Association and
Ahmedabad Hospitals
& Nursing Homes Asso-
ciation for an online
system for monitoring
availability of beds.
This month accounts for 378 of the 1,416 deaths since COVID-19 hit Guj in March
Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation office. —FILE PHOTO
A’BAD STATS
EFFECTIVE SYSTEMS
Haresh Jhala
Ahmedabad: As of
Friday, the city has
about 3,500 beds avail-
able for COVID-19 pa-
tients. Yet, patients
and their relatives are
being forced to run
around seeking ad-
mission in hospitals.
Moreover, private
hospitals have been
told to disclose the
number of available
beds, even as hospitals
run by the state and the
Ahmedabad Municipal
Corporation (AMC) re-
fuse to do so.
According to a state
government press re-
lease on May 21, Medic-
ity—as the campus of
the Civil Hospital in
Asarwa is formally
known—has 1,901 dedi-
cated beds. Similarly,
GCS Hospital has about
250 dedicated beds, Sola
Civil has 250, and the
Sardar Vallabhbhai Pa-
tel Hospital has 1,000.
This means that be-
tween the state and the
AMC, authorities have
at least 3,400 beds set
aside for COVID-19 pa-
tients in the city.
Now, the AMC web-
site says the city has
3,159 active cases. Not
all of these are in hospi-
tal. Some are in COVID-
care centres and some,
with mild or no symp-
toms, have been home-
quarantined.
In addition, accord-
ing to a website
launched on Friday
by the Ahmedabad
Hospitals & Nursing
Homes Association,
the 38 private hospi-
tals that have signed
MoUs with the AMC
have a capacity of
2,952 beds for COV-
ID-19 patients. With
522 patients admitted
in these facilities,
2,450 beds are vacant.
According to the
MoUs, these hospitals
will treat patients at
rates fixed by the AMC.
However, the catch is
that the patient needs
to have a letter of rec-
ommendation from the
civic body. If not, stand-
ard market rates apply.
This is forcing patients
and their relatives to
call in favours and use
any and all political,
bureaucratic connec-
tions to get an afforda-
ble hospital bed.
It is difficult to
understand why—in
today’s digital era—
there isn’t a single-
point online registra-
tion system, from
where patients could
be directed to hospi-
tals and even be allo-
cated beds.
Empty beds galore, but patients run pillar to post for hosp admission
MISMANAGEMENT?

Private
hospitals have
been told to
disclose
availability of
beds, even as
state- and city-
run facilities
hold cards close
to the chest COVID-19 facility at Ahmedabad’s Medicity. —FILE PHOTO
Railway stn gets thermal cameras
First India Bureau
Surat: A new screen-
ing system has been
installed at the Surat
railway station to
screen the tempera-
ture of passengers
through thermal cam-
eras. The authorities
have done away with
the manual thermal
screening and intro-
duced the new tech-
nology at the station.
The new screens at
the railway station will
be able to read the body
temperature of the
passenger passing
through the camera. A
total of 15 people can
be monitored on a
screen at a time.
One of the main
functions of this sys-
tem is that when the
thermal screening of a
passenger’s body hap-
pens, the temperature
statistics are displayed
on the screen. If a pas-
senger’s body tempera-
ture is found to be
above 98.6 degrees, a
buzzer goes off imme-
diately. This allows
railway authorities to
receive instructions to
separate the passenger
from others and send
him/her for a medical
examination. Around
600 passengers have
been screened so far.
According to Surat
railway station director
CR Garuda, the new
system has been opera-
tional since Thursday
and has been working
smoothly until now.
‘Delay in treatment’
costs woman her life
First India Bureau
Himmatnagar: A
30-year-old woman
died just two hours af-
ter her COVID-19 test
was confirmed posi-
tive at the Himmatna-
gar Civil Hospital on
Tuesday. According to
the family members
and relatives of the
deceased, she died be-
cause of medical neg-
ligence and delay in
treatment.
Poonam Rathod of
Khedbrahma developed
symptoms similar to
Sars-CoV-2 and consult-
ed a private doctor.
Rathod was referred to
undergo treatment at
the government hospi-
tal by the doctor. She
was then told to ap-
proach the Himmatna-
gar Civil Hospital by
the government hospi-
tal authorities.
Rathod’s sample was
collected for COVID-19
testing on Monday at the
Civil Hospital and her
report came back posi-
tive the next day. Her
condition worsened and
shewasputonventilator
support. However, two
hours later she suc-
cumbed to the virus.
Rathod’s family mem-
bers have stated that
could have survived had
shebeenputonaventila-
tor without waiting for
the test report.
In April, the state gov-
ernment had designated
31 private hospitals as
dedicatedCOVID-19hos-
pitals but complaints
about poor infrastruc-
ture and dismal medical
services in rural areas
have steadily poured in
from across the state.
RAPID RISE
FINAL CHECK
A GSRTC staffer checks the temperature of a bus driver at the Nehrunagar bus stand in Ahmedabad before the latter departs
for Dwarka on Friday. —PHOTO BY NANDAN DAVE
10-day spike in
cases in Varachha-
Katargam zone
Poonam Rathod

G Vol 1 G Issue No. 198 G RNI NO. GUJENG/2019/16208. Printed and published by Anita Hada Sangwan on behalf of First Express Publishers. Printed at Bhaskar Printing Planet Survey No.148P, Changodar-Bavla Highway, Tal. Sanand, Dist. Ahmedabad.
Published at D/302 3rd Floor Plot No. 35 Titanium Square, Scheme No. 2, Thaltej Taluka, Ghatlodiya, Ahmedabad. Editor: Jagdeesh Chandra, responsible for selection of news under the PRB Act
PERSPECTIVEAHMEDABAD | SATURDAY, JUNE 13, 2020
WITH BJP ON
THE PROWL, CONG
GUARDS FLOCK
s Rajya Sabha elections draw
near, Congress party has be-
come wary of poachers. In the
present scenario, it is the
Bharatiya Janata Party which
is on the prowl. Three Congress legisla-
tors resigned ahead of June 19 elections
giving a jolt to the party. A senior Con-
gress leader is reported to have said, “It
was expected. It is Gujarat. If they (BJP)
can do this sort of thing in other states…
Gujarat is their home ground.”
The resignation by Karjan MLA Akshay Pa-
tel, Kaprada MLA Jitu Chaudhary, and Brajesh
Meja spoiled their party’s chances of winning
two Rajya Sabha seats as the party’s tally has
come down to 65. The party’s strength had come
down to 68 when five of its legislators resigned
in March. With 103 members BJP was certain
of winning two seats and by causing defections
it is now hoping to win the third seat. The third
BJP candidate in fray is Congress turncoat
Narhari Amin. The party is resorting to these
tactics probably to get even with Congress over
Ahmed Patel’s victory in 2017.
The total strength of the House is 182 but
the actual strength is 180 as two seats are
caught in litigation. After resignation by
eight Congress MLAs the effective strength
of the assembly now is 172. A party will
need 35 first preference votes to win a seat.
A cautious Congress has shifted its flock to
three resorts at Ambaji, Rajkot, and Va-
dodara after dividing the MLAs into three
groups to prevent further poaching.
The fear of losing legislators to the saffron
party is not confined to Gujarat alone. On Fri-
day Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot
tore into the BJP top leadership accusing Prime
Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister
Amit Shah of trying to destroy democracy
when the country is battling the pandemic. The
chief minister alleged that instead of focusing
on fighting the coronavirus they are trying to
topple the Rajasthan government.
“The Rajya Sabha elections could have
been held two months back but were post-
poned for no reason because BJP’s horse-
trading was not complete,” charged Gehlot.
With poaching in mind, the Congress MLAs
have been moved to a safe location.
Earlier this week, Congress chief whip in
the assembly Mahesh Joshi wrote to the di-
rector-general of state’s anti-corruption bu-
reau, Alok Tripathi, alleging the “dirty at-
tempts were being made to lure our MLAs
and Independent MLAs supporting us along
the lines of Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh and
Gujarat to destabilize a democratically-elect-
ed government”.
That the BJP, which has 72 MLAs and
support of six independents in the state as-
sembly, is calculating on causing an upset
is apparent from the fact that it has fielded
two candidates - Rajendra Gehlot and
Onkar Singh - for the Rajya Sabha. As each
candidate requires 51 first preference votes
to win, the BJP is assured of only one seat.
That explains its game-plan.
IN-DEPTH
A
here’s a long-
running adage
about working
for free in the
p e r f o r m i n g
arts. “The problem with
working for exposure,” it
goes, “is you can die from
exposure”.
Only partly a joke, the
saying is also a sober
warning to performers.
Work in the cultural in-
dustries is precarious, and
performers rely on a com-
bination of short-term
gigs, casual contracts, and
“day jobs” to make ends
meet. Unpaid work is a
common feature of the
market, and performers
often find themselves
working without remuner-
ation in order to make con-
nections or add a line to
their resume.
COVID-19 has exposed
the true insecurity of the
cultural workforce, and
now we’re seeing the dou-
ble-edged sword of “expo-
sure” also extending to
arts organisations.
ALL THE
WEB’S A STAGE
Since March 2020, there
has been a worldwide in-
flux of digital arts con-
tent. Forced to shutter live
seasons, performing arts
organisations collectively
jumped on the digital
bandwagon. From live-
streaming events to archi-
val production footage,
audiences are inundated
with virtual performance
events. In most cases, this
content has been offered
for free.
At the beginning of the
shutdown, digital plat-
forms were a critical tool
for audience engagement.
Arts organisations could
communicate the impor-
tanceof theartsasasource
of comfort and inspiration
during a time of crisis,
while simultaneously
reaching a far wider audi-
ence than their physical
spaces could ever hold.
But it’s increasingly
clear the return to live per-
formance may be a matter
of months or even years.
For starters, safety is a
major concern. A number
of genres, including opera
and musical theatre, pose
particular risks to both
performers and audience
members due to singers’
potential role as super-
spreaders. The risks posed
by, and to, dancers, instru-
mentalists, and spoken
theatre artists remains un-
certain.
From a business per-
spective, financial viabili-
ty is also of grave concern.
Under social distancing
guidelines, performing
arts venues will be limited
to a fraction of their stand-
ard audience capacity. In a
sector reliant on box office
sales to maintain the bot-
tom line, theatres may find
it cheaper to simply stay
closed.
To survive, arts organi-
sations must establish a
monetised business strat-
egy for online performanc-
es and presentations. But
this shift must be navigat-
ed carefully, particularly
by companies that began
with an open-access model
and now risk alienating au-
dience members.
BOTTOM LINE
While involvement in pro-
motional activities is
standard practice for con-
tracted artists, it’s impos-
sible to ignore the prob-
lematic power dynamic
now at play. Companies are
asking unemployed artists
to provide free labour to
support organisations that
may or may not employ
them in the future. And be-
cause performers love
what they do and want to
support the struggling sec-
tor, they agree.
While there are reports
the government is working
on an arts rescue package,
the message being sent is
one the sector has heard
time and again. The arts
are important, and artists
should be compensated …
but only when it’s finan-
cially convenient.
Arts organisations can-
not survive from digital
exposure and goodwill
alone. They must develop
new business models for
online platforms. But com-
panies must also tread
carefully to ensure they
don’t ultimately under-
mine the value of the arts
– or their artists.
FOR FULL REPORT LOG ON TO
WWW.THECONVERSATION.COM
How COVID-19 exposes insecurity of the cultural workforce
T
It is a man’s own
mind, not his enemy
or foe, that lures him to
evil ways. —Buddha
Spiritual
SPEAK
Top
TWEET
Ahmed Patel
@ahmedpatel
Two pertinent points that Gujarat
govt must consider: 1) If 60% of
Gir lions are outside protected
area,it is a cause for grave concern?
2) A scientiﬁc method for lion
census similar to that for tigers, so
we can know the accurate numbers
Dharmendra Pradhan
@dpradhanbjp
Under PM Shri @narendramodi
ji’s leadership, the govt. has
worked to build a more inclusive
and developed India. Efforts have
been put in place to bridge the
gap and ensure wider protection
of civil and human rights of
workers, women, children and
transgenders.#SamajikSamarasta
he coronavirus pandemic
has given a wake-up call to
all governments in India and
elsewhere. They were caught
off guard resulting in the
collapse of various facets of
urban life - be it hospitals,
businesses, transport, ser-
vices, markets et all.
INDIAN SCENARIO
In India, as elsewhere, the worst
affected have been the large
densely populated cities like
Mumbai, Delhi, Kolkata, Chen-
nai, Hyderabad, Ahmedabad,
Bangalore, Pune, Indore, and
Surat. As per the 2011 census,
the urban share of the popula-
tion in India rose from 23 to 32
percent. However, the Agglom-
erationIndexof theWorldBank
—a globally comparable meas-
ure of urbanization, shows In-
dia to be 52 percent urbanized.
Since Covid19 has hit mainly
the urban areas hard it can be
considered primarily an urban
health crisis rather than a na-
tional health crisis. The urban
slum population which got dev-
astated constitutes 5.4% of the
country’s total population and
17.4% of the urban population
(2011 census)
Along with the health crisis,
the urban economy has been
shattered with tremendous job
losses. As the lockdown gets
withdrawn the priority is to
bring normalcy by restoring
services, businesses, and public
spacesandmaintaininglawand
order. Safeguarding our cities
against such future shocks and
ensuring early economic recov-
ery becomes the top priority.
The condition of housing,
drinking water, sanitation,
drains, sewerage, and toilets in
most cities and particularly in
the slums and informal housing
isfarfromsatisfactory.Thehigh
densityof thepopulationaddsto
theproblem.Thedensityof pop-
ulationpersqkminmajorcities
like Mumbai, Kolkata, Chennai,
and Delhi is 32,874; 24,165; 26,553
and 19,909 respectively.
Mumbai’sbiggestslum,Dhar-
avi has a population of 8.5 lakhs
in an area of 2.50 sq km- it gives
adensityof 3.50lakhspersqkm.
A large number of migrant
workers live and work here in
cramped areas with 7-8 persons
sharing one room and using
community toilets. Such places
are now Covid19 hotspots.
Under such unhygienic and
crowded conditions, it becomes
extremely difficult to enforce
the norms of social distancing
and personal hygiene.
Healthier Cities -More
open and green spaces
There is a need to give a relook
to our city planning, zoning,
and building regulations to pre-
pare them better to face such
crises in the future. First and
foremost is to focus on redevel-
opment/relocation of slums by
providing adequate space to
slum-dwellers both for work
and living on moderate rental
charges along with public
amenities. A dedicated body
like the Slum Redevelopment
Board should be given this re-
sponsibility. It can best be
achieved with private sector
participation using land as the
resource. Secondly, our health
infrastructure needs a major
revamp to deal with such con-
tingencies. Thirdly, urban plan-
ning should allow more breath-
ing spaces in the form of open
areas, parks, and urban forests.
The USA incentivizes greening
of cities by declaring them as
‘Tree city’-over 3000 declared so
far.Chinatooencouragesurban
forestry as ‘National Garden
Cities’- over 100 declared so far.
Breathing area is also required
indoorsintheformof balconies
for which FSI norms need to be
amended. Fourthly congested
areas like old Abadi areas with
narrow lanes need a serious re-
look- they need revitalization
and should be decongested by
shifting wholesale markets and
industry to outside areas.
Rezoning and ‘15
minute cities’
Long commutes in cities have
aggravatedthecrisis.Following
the WHO advisory, some cities
like Melbourne, Ottawa, De-
troit, and Paris are adopting an
urban planning concept called
“15-minute city.” The idea is to
move in shorter commutes with
the residents meeting all their
needs within 15-20 minutes of
their home. This reduces the
carbon footprint and proves
useful in checking the spread of
the virus. New areas can be de-
veloped using this concept.
Smart Cities and Greater
Use of Digital Technology
Covid19 has thrown open vast
possibilities for creating smart
cities and using technology in
the delivery of services. This
needs to be institutionalized in
the local bodies as it will help
in providing public conveni-
ence and prevent overcrowding
in offices.
Replanning cities is a huge
challenge for a populous and
resource-starved country like
India. It needs imaginative
planning to create more green
areas and to improve living
conditions in congested areas
and slums. This will make cit-
ies pandemic resilient in the
future. We have had some suc-
cesses in the 1960s and 1970s by
creating cities like Chandigarh
and Gandhinagar with large
open green areas. We can repli-
cate such models.
While there is a strong case
for smartly planned urbanisa-
tion, there is no case for un-
plannedurbansprawls.Covid-19
has provided the challenge and
the opportunity. Governments
and citizens need to act now.
THE VIEWS EXPRESSED BY
THE AUTHOR ARE PERSONAL
REVISITING URBAN
AREA PLANNING
T
As per the 2011
census, the
urban share of
the population
in India rose
from 23 to 32
percent.
However, the
Agglomeration
Index of the
World Bank
—a globally
comparable
measure of
urbanization,
shows India to
be 52 percent
urbanised
THERE IS A NEED TO
GIVE A RELOOK TO
OUR CITY PLANNING,
ZONING, AND BUILDING
REGULATIONS TO
PREPARE THEM
BETTER TO FACE SUCH
CRISES IN THE FUTURE
DR GS
SANDHU
The author is a retired
IAS, Rajasthan
COVID-19 PANDEMIC

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New Delhi: Congress
leader Rahul Gandhi, in
an interaction with US
diplomat Nicholas
Burns, said he was sad-
dened to see India’s tol-
erance to be open and
accept new ideas ‘disap-
pearing.’ Gandhi added
that the ‘division of
people was weakening
the structure of the
country.’
“We are a very toler-
ant nation. Our DNA is
supposed to be tolerant.
We’re supposed to ac-
cept new ideas. We’re
supposed to be open,
but the surprising thing
is that that DNA, that
open DNA, is sort of
disappearing. I say this
with sadness that I
don’t see that level of
tolerance that I used to
see. I don’t see it in the
United States and I
don’t see it in India,”
Gandhi said.
“When you divide Af-
rican Americans, Mexi-
cans and other people
in the US, so you divide
Hindus and Muslims
and Sikhs in India,
you’re weakening the
structure of the coun-
try. But, the same peo-
ple who weaken the
structure of the coun-
try say they are nation-
alists,” Gandhi added.
During the conversa-
tion, Burns, Professor of
Diplomacy and Interna-
tional Relations at Har-
vard, said the US and
India had the advantage
to correct themselves
unlike “an authoritarian
country” like China.
“In many ways, In-
dia and the US share
many traits. We were
both subjects of the
British empire, we
both liberated our-
selves from that em-
pire in different centu-
ries… Countries some-
times have to go
through a discussion
and a political debate
about who are we at
the core? What kind of
nation are we? We are
an immigrant nation,
a tolerant nation,”
Burns said.
Of the US’s ‘deep po-
litical & existential cri-
sis,’ he added, “I do see
strengths that democra-
cies go through trials.
We play out our differ-
ences, in political cam-
paigns or in street pro-
tests, but at least we can
do that. You can author-
itarianism coming back
in China and Russia. We
democracies, we some-
times go through pain-
ful episodes because of
our freedoms, but we’re
so much stronger be-
cause of them.”
Burns described
Trump as having an
“authoritarian person-
ality”. “He (Trump)
wraps himself in a flag.
He declares that he
alone can fix the prob-
lems. I must say, I think
President Trump is in
many ways an authori-
tarian personality. But
in our country, you’re
seeing the institutions
remain strong,” he said.
On the pandemic,
Burns expressed disap-
pointment at lack of
coordination between
countries. “This crisis
was made for the G20. It
was made for PM Nar-
endra Modi & President
Xi Jinping & Donald
Trump to work together
for the common global
good,” he said.
Gandhi noted that peo-
ple were becoming ‘insu-
lar,’ a behaviour that was
accelerated by Covid cri-
sis. “I do see new ideas
emerging after Covid. I
can already see people co-
operating much more
than they were before.
Now, they realise that
there are advantages to
being unified.” —Agencies
INDIAAHMEDABAD | SATURDAY, JUNE 13, 2020
‘DNA of tolerance disappearing from India’Duringtheconversation, theUSdiplomatsaidtheUS&Indiahadtheadvantagetocorrectthemselvesunlike‘anauthoritariancountry’likeChina
New Delhi: ‘In war, you
do not make soldiers
unhappy. Travel extra
mile and channel some
extra money to address
their grievances.’ This
is what SC said. Court
took serious note of
non-payment of sala-
ries and lack of accom-
modation to doctors
fighting against COV-
ID-19.Thecourtsshould
not be involved in the
issue of non-payment
of salary to healthcare
workers. The govern-
ment should settle the
issue, it said.
The top court was
hearing a plea by a doc-
tor. He alleged that front
line healthcare workers
engaged in fight against
COVID-19 are not being
paid salaries. At times
salaries are also being
cut or delayed. ‘In war,
you do not make soldiers
unhappy. Travel extra
mile and channel some
extra money to address
grievances.Countrycan-
not afford to have dissat-
isfiedsoldiersinthiswar
which is being fought
againstCorona.Themat-
ter has to be looked into,’
said a bench of Justices
Ashok Bhushan, SK
Kaul and MR Shah. —ANI
‘In war, you don’t make soldiers unhappy’
SC ON NON-PAYMENT OF DOCTORS’ SALARIES
New Delhi: The Su-
preme Court on Friday
allowed the Tamil Nadu
government to find out
ways and means to sell
liquor, whether online
or at physical outlets in
the state.
A bench of the apex
court, headed by Justice
Ashok Bhushan, said it
is not for a court to lay
down how liquor can be
sold. “These are for the
Stategovernmentstode-
cide what to do,” the
bench said. The court
was hearing a petition
seekingdirectionstonot
open Tamil Nadu State
Marketing Corporation
(TASMAC) shops in the
state. The top court had
last month stayed a Ma-
dras High Court order,
which had directed the
closure of all state-run
liquor shops and al-
lowed only the online
saleof liquorinthestate
during the coronavirus-
induced nationwide
lockdown. Tamil Nadu
government had filed a
petition before the Apex
Court challenging the
Madras High Court or-
der on the matter. —ANI
Chart out methods to sell
liquor: SC to TN govt
New Delhi: The SC on
Friday asked the offi-
cials of the Finance
Ministry and the Re-
serve Bank of India
(RBI) to convene a
joint meeting within
three days to decide
whether interest on
EMIs during the six
month moratorium pe-
riod can be charged by
banks or not.
A bench headed by
Justice Ashok Bhushan
saidthatthequeryposed
by the apex court is lim-
itedandslatedthematter
for further hearing on
Wednesday. “The thing
we are concerned about
in these proceedings is
onlywhethertheinterest
that has been deferred
for three months will be
added to charges paya-
ble later and whether
there will be interest on
the interest,” the court
said. Solicitor General
Tushar Mehta said that
he has sought a meeting
with the RBI. Court said
that the question is lim-
ited to interest on inter-
est.TheRBIhadrecently
filed an affidavit regard-
ing the same. —ANI
Decide ondeferred loan
payments: SC to RBI
New Delhi: Delhi HC
imposed an interim
stay on an order issued
by Indian Olympic As-
sociation (IOA) Presi-
dent Narender Dhruv
Batra, which removed
its V- P Sudhanshu Mit-
tal and others from the
post of Ethics Officers.
Batra had, through
an order dated May 19,
dissolved the Ethics
Commission formed in
2017 and removed all
the members. —ANI
New Delhi: SC asked
the Ministry of Civil
Aviation and airlines to
work on modalities for
ways to refund the mon-
ey of passengers for
cancellation of their
tickets during the COV-
ID-19 lockdown.
AbenchheadedbyJus-
tice Ashok Bhushan told
the Centre to take a stand
& asked the ministry, air-
lines to discuss the mo-
dalities & apprise court
in three weeks. —ANI
HC’s interim
stay on IOA
Prez’s order
‘Work out
ways to
refund tickets’
GOVT EXTENDS DELIVERY PERIOD FOR
DEFENCE ACQUISITIONS BY 4 MONTHS
New Delhi: The Defence
Ministry has extended
the delivery period for
existing capital acquisi-
tion contracts with Indian
vendors by four months
due to supply chain
disruptions arising out
of COVID-19 preventive
measures. An order to
this effect was issued
today by the acquisition
wing of the ministry,
approved by Defence
Minister Rajnath Singh.
It states that the “Force
Majeure shall be appli-
cable for a period of four
months - March 25 to
July 24”. The Ministry
of Defence has extended
delivery period for all
existing capital acquisi-
tion contracts with Indian
vendors by four months,”
a spokesperson said.
THE CURIOUS CASE OF ‘MISSING’
SCINDIA IN BJP’S POSTER IN MP
New Delhi: Posters often play a key role in
signalling which way is the political wind
blowing. Now, as 24 Assembly seats in
Madhya Pradesh goes to bypoll, Jyoiraditya
Scindia’s ardent follower who switched side
to BJP - Tulsi Silawat, has put up BJP posters
sans Scindia’s face, sparking off speculations
about “the Maharaja’s role”, if any, in this
election that the Congress so desperately
wanted to make it look like ‘‘Scindia Vs Kamal
Nath’’ battle.
MHA TWEAKS NORMS FOR OCI
CARD HOLDERS TO ENTER INDIA
New Delhi: Ministry of Home Affairs tweaked
the guidelines for Overseas Citizen of India (OCI)
cardholders & permitted certain categories of for-
eigners to enter India. According to new norms,
minors who hold OCI cards and whose parents
are Indian nationals, OCI cardholders who wish
to come to India on account of family medical
emergencies/death will be allowed to enter the
country. The MHA has also permitted married
couples where one spouse is OCI cardholder and
other is Indian national to come to India.
NHAI IS FIRST CONSTRUCTION
SECTOR TO GO FULLY DIGITAL
New Delhi: The National
Highway Authority of
India (NHAI) has become
the first of its kind in con-
struction sector to go ful-
ly digital.With the launch
of cloud-based and
artificial intelligence-pow-
ered big data analytics
platform Data Lake and
Project Management Soft-
ware, the entire project
management workflow of
NHAI has been trans-
formed from manual to
online portal based.”The
complete project ex-
ecution ops including
‘workflow with timelines’
& ‘alert mechanism’
have been configured. All
project documentation,
contractual decisions and
approvals are now being
done through portal only,”
an source from NHAI said.
PRIYANKA GANDHI’S SECRETARY
SEEKS ANTICIPATORY BAIL
Lucknow: Congress General Secretary Priyanka
Gandhi Vadra’s personal secretary, Sandeep Singh,
approached the Lucknow bench of the Allahabad
High Court on Friday, seeking anticipatory bail in a
case filed against him by
the Uttar Pradesh gov-
ernment. State Congress
chief Ajay Kumar Lallu,
who is a co-accused in
the same case for alleged
cheating and forgery in a
list of 1,000 buses sent
to the state government
to ferry migrant workers
home, is already in jail.
Singh, Lallu and “others’’ were booked by the Haz-
ratganj Police on May 19 for cheating and forging
documents, after the Uttar Pradesh government
said about 100 vehicles on the Congress list were
not buses and majority of them lacked either a
fitness certificate or valid insurance papers. The
Congress rejected the claim. On Friday, Justice
Rajesh Singh Chauhan of the Lucknow bench
asked the police to submit the case diary and fixed
the next date of hearing for June 17.
We are a very tolerant nation. Our
DNA is supposed to be tolerant.
We’re supposed to accept new ideas.
We’re supposed to be open, but the surpris-
ing thing is that that DNA, that open DNA,
is sort of disappearing. I say this with sad-
ness that I don’t see that level of tolerance
that I used to see. I don’t see it in the United
States and I don’t see it in India.
—Rahul Gandhi, Congress Leader
Mumbai: Follow-
ing an overwhelm-
ing response for the
mega rights issue
of Mukesh Ambani-
owned Reliance In-
dustries, the partly
paid-up rights
shares are set to de-
but on stock ex-
changes on June 15.
The biggest ever
Rs 53,124 crore
rights issue was
subscribed 1.59
times and received
bids worth Rs 84,000
crore on June 3. Re-
liance said the
rights issue saw a
huge investor inter-
est, including from
lakhs of small in-
vestors and thou-
sands of institu-
tional investors,
both Indian and
foreign.
“With a strong
visibility to these
equity infusions,
Reliance is set to
achieve net zero
debt status ahead of
its own aggressive
timeline. We believe
rights issue was a
part of the compa-
ny’s strategy of de-
leveraging its bal-
ance sheet,” said
Ambani. —ANI
RIL’s rights
issue to
debut on
BSE, NSE
IN THE COURTYARD
New Delhi: Delhi HC
issued an interim or-
der directing the re-
lease of pending sala-
ries of the doctors at
Municipal Corpora-
tion of Delhi (MCD)
hospitals.
A division bench of
CJ DN Patel & Justice
Prateek Jalan also is-
sued notices to Centre,
Delhi government on a
suo motu plea over re-
ports related to non-
payment of salaries to
MCD doctors for last
three months. The HC
asked the Centre,
Delhi government
and its health depart-
ment, North MCD, Kas-
turba Gandhi hospital,
and others to file a re-
ply on matter and list-
ed it for further hear-
ing in July.
According to media
reports, North MCD
hospital doctors had
threatened mass resig-
nation or to observe a
“pen-down” strike if
their salaries for the
past three months
were not paid. —ANI
HC directs release of
pending salaries of docs
New Delhi: The UP
government submit-
ted before the SC that
it will have to contin-
ue travel restrictions
at Delhi border as
there are 40 times
more COVID-19 cases
in the national capital
as compared to Noida
and Ghaziabad.
Travel will be al-
lowed through passes
only for essential ser-
vices including, doc-
tors, media, and advo-
cates, the counsel ap-
pearing for Uttar
Pradesh submitted
before the apex court.
A bench headed by
Justice Ashok Bhush-
an sought the min-
utes of the meeting
between Home Secre-
tary, chief secretar-
ies of the states in
the National Capital
Region to be filed be-
fore the court by to-
day evening.
The apex court ob-
served that there are
some issues with reo-
pening the Noida/
Ghaziabad border
with Delhi and slated
the matter for further
hearing on June 17.
The travel restric-
tions from Noida
and Ghaziabad to Del-
hi will have to
continue since coro-
navirus cases in Del-
hi are 40 times that of
Noida and Ghazi-
abad, UP said.
Meanwhile, Hary-
ana said that it will
allow travel for all to
and from Delhi with-
out restrictions.
The top court was
hearing a petition
filed by one Rohit
Bhalla seeking ap-
propriate orders on
lifting border restric-
tions. —ANI
‘COVID-19 cases in Delhi 40
times more than that of Noida’
Rahul Gandhi Nicholas Burns
Sandeep Singh

INDIAAHMEDABAD | SATURDAY, JUNE 13, 2020
VISHWAS KUMAR POSTED AS ADRM, HUBLI
Vishwas Kumar, presently posted with South
Western Railways, has been transferred and
posted as ADRM, Hubli.He is an IRSE officer.
S BALAJI ARUN KUMAR GETS
PREMATURE REPATRIATION FROM
KOLKATA PORT TRUST
S Balaji Arun Kumar on his premature repatri-
ation from Kolkata Port Trust, has been posted
in Southern Railway in the cadre. He is an IRTS
officer.
DRV SUBBARAYUDU GETS CLINICAL
POST AS SR CONSULTANT
On attaining the age of 62 years and exercising
option for clinical post, Dr V Subbarayudu has
been given a clinical post as a Senior Consultant
in South Central Railways. He is an IRHS officer.
TWO IAS OFFICERS GET NEW
ASSIGNMENTS IN KARNATAKA
Dr Ravi Kumar Surpur has been appointed as
Commissioner for Social Welfare with additional
charge of Social Commissioner Projects, Bruhat
Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike and Peddappaiah
is posted as Director, Atal Janasnehi Kendra,
Bengaluru in Karnataka.
11 IRS-CUSTOMS OFFICERS
GET POSTINGS
As many as 11 IRS-Customs officers, who have
been repatriated from deputation, were given
postings. Accordingly, Sanjay Lawania has been
posted as ADC CC (AR), CESTAT, Delhi while Rohti
Singla was made JC, DC Audit Mumbai ZU and S
A Uma Shankar Gaud is ADC, Hyderabad CGST &
CX zone. Similarly, Md shahreyar Iqbal Faisal has
been appointed as ADC, Ranchi, CGST & CX zone;
Meenal Bhosale as ADC DG ARM, Delhi; Shailen-
dra Kumar Deshmukh as JC, Chennai CUS zone;
Vishal M Sanap as Mumbai zone-III Cus; Ashish
Mishra as Ranchi CGST & CX zone; Sachin Bala-
sahab Sawant as JC Visakhapatnam CGST & CX
zone; Md Salik Paraiz as JC Delhi and V Ramanad-
ha Reddy was made JC Mumbai Zone-I, Cus.
VV SATYA SREENIVAS IS
ALSO CVO, RINL
VV Satya Sreenivas, CVO, NMDC, has been as-
signed an additional charge of CVO, Rashtriya Ispat
Nigam Limited (RINL), Visakhapatnam for a period
of three months. He is a 1995 batch IRSME officer.
DR J RADHAKRISHNAN IS NEW HEALTH
SECRETARY IN TAMIL NADU
Dr J Radhakrishnan has been appointed as Health
Secretary in Tamil Nadu. He is a 1992 batch IAS
officer of Tamil Nadu cadre.
RESHUFFLE OF IAS OFFICERS IN MP
Around one dozen IAS officers have been given
new assignments in Madhya Pradesh, informed
a few reliable departmental sources from the
region. Accordingly, Dr Shrikant Pandey has
been appointed as Additional Secretary, Revenue,
while Shrikant Banoth has been appointed as
the Managing Director, Agricultural Industrial
Development Corporation and Jagdish Chandra
Jatia is Deputy Secretary, Women and Child
Development. Similarly, Bhaskar Lakshkar has
been appointed as MD, Small Scale Industries
and MSME; Chhote Singh as Deputy Secretary,
Labour; Deepak Kumar Saxena as MD, Solar
Development Corporation; Basant Kurre as Direc-
tor, Bhopal Gas Tragedy Relief and Rehabilitation
and Deputy Secretary, Public Health and Family
Welfare; Chandra Shekhar Walimbe as Additional
Commissioner, Higher Education; B Vijay Datta as
Deputy Secretary, Industrial Police and Invest-
ment Promotion and Girish Sharma was made
Director, Atal Bihari Vajpayee Institute of Good
Governance and Policy Analysis, Bhopal and
Virendra Kumar has been appointed as Secretary,
Revenue Board, Gwalior.
POWERGallery
New Delhi/ Mumbai:
Even as India sees a
steep rise in the corona-
virus cases with conse-
quent jump in the num-
ber of deaths, Maha-
rashtra and Delhi, two
of the worst-hit states,
have rejected the possi-
bilities of extending the
lockdown.
Quelling rumours
about a probable rein-
troduction of a total
shutdown in Maharash-
tra, where the total
number of positive cas-
es is nearing 1 lakh, CM
Uddhav Thackeray’s of-
fice tweeted on Friday:
“The lockdown has not
been reimposed. CM
Uddhav Balasaheb
Thackeray has ap-
pealed to the people to
refrain from crowding.
He has earnestly re-
quested them to follow
the Govt’s instructions
and take necessary pre-
cautions to stay safe
and take care.”
In spite of SC term-
ing the situation “hor-
rific”, the Delhi govern-
ment too made it clear
that the lockdown, im-
posed as a measure to
arrest the spread of the
virus, would not be ex-
tended in the state.
No, the lockdown
will not be extended,”
Delhi Health Minister
Satyendar Jain said on
the possibility of the
capital returning to a
state of total lockdown
to check the spiraling
COVID-19 cases. —ANI
Won’t extend lockdown: Maha, Delhi
A commuter tries to cross the barricades placed at a containment zone after the detection of positive cases in Noida, Sector 8.
Artists paint a wall to honour Corona Warriors at Mahim in Mumbai.
A fisherman throws a net in river Hooghly to catch fish at Santipur.
COVID-19 UPDATE
Kolkata: West Bengal
Governor Jagdeep
Dhankhar said that he
has sought an urgent
briefing from KMC
Chairperson and Mu-
nicipal Commissioner
over a viral video
showing decomposed
bodies being dragged
into a vehicle and
urged Chief Minister
Mamata Banerjee to be
“responsive in hu-
mane manner”.
“Anguished! Share
public outrage and deep
concern at most uncon-
scionable heart render-
ing callous dragging of
dead bodies reflected in
videos. Shocked at state
of affairs Mamata Ba-
nerjee. Have sought ur-
gent briefing today
from KMC Chairperson
and Municipal Com-
missioner,” Dhankhar
tweeted.
“Given sensitivities
of people and wider
ramifications it may
have, urge Mamata Ba-
nerjee to be responsive
in humane manner. A
police action to re-
press would be hurt-
ful. In our culture dead
bodies have to be ac-
corded highest re-
spect. Scars of Dhapa
and now this SHAME,”
he added. —ANI
‘Urge CM Mamata
to be responsive in
humane manner’
New Delhi: The IMD-
predicted heavy to very
heavy rainfall in Kon-
kan, Goa and Telanga-
na in the next 24 hours.
Madhya Maharash-
tra, Marathawada,
coastal Andhra and
Yanam, north interior
Karnataka, Chhattis-
garh, Telangana, Vid-
arbha, Assam and
Meghalaya are likely to
get “isolated heavy to
very heavy rainfall”.
“Under the influence
of low pressure, scat-
tered heavy to very
heavy with isolated ex-
tremely heavy rainfall
likely over Konkan and
Goa. Isolated heavy to
very heavy rainfall
over madhya Maha-
rashtra, Marathawada,
coastal Andhra and
Yanam, north interior
Karnataka, Chhattis-
garh, Telangana, Vid-
arbha, Assam and
Meghalaya in next 24
hours,” the IMD said.
The weather agency
further informed that
conditions are becom-
ing favourable for fur-
ther advance of south-
west monsoon into
some more parts of
Central Arabian Sea,
remaining parts of
Maharashtra, includ-
ing Mumbai, Odisha
and WB, some parts of
Chhattisgarh and
south Gujarat, south
MP, Jharkhand and
Bihar during the next
48 hours. An orange
alert is issued for
heavy to very heavy
rainfall. —ANI
Heavy rains in Konkan, Goa,
Telangana in 24 hrs: IMD
New Delhi: Seven state
governments have list-
ed their demand for a
total of 63 Shramik Spe-
cial trains from the rail-
ways, days after the
Railway Board chair-
man wrote to the chief
secretaries to give their
“residual demand” for
such trains to ferry mi-
grant workers back
home. Of the total, a
maximum of 32 trains
will depart from Kerala
while the destinations
of most trains will be
West Bengal (23), the
railways said.
The UP government
is yet to give its require-
ment of trains, the rail-
ways said. —PTI
7 states
demand 63
Shramik
Special trains
Gowda, Kharge,
2 BJP men
elected to RS
unopposed
Bengaluru: Janata
Dal-Secular (JD-S) su-
premo HD Deve Gow-
da, senior Congress
leader Mallikarjun
Kharge and ruling
BJP’s grassroot cadres
Ashok Gasti and Iran-
na Kadadi have been
declared elected to Ra-
jya Sabha unopposed,
a poll official said on
Friday.
Though the biennial
elections were sched-
uled on June 19 in the
event of a contest, the
returning officer de-
clared the results after
the end of the last date
of withdrawal of nomi-
nation, which was Fri-
day, as there were no
other candidates.
Former Prime Min-
ister Deve Gowda, 87,
got elected to the Up-
per House with the
support of the opposi-
tion Congress as his
regional party has
only 34 legislators, 10
short of the required
44 votes. —Agencies
Self-regulatory...
and Chairman of Bank
of Baroda Hasmukh
Adhia and included tax
consultant Mukesh Pa-
tel, former IAS officer
Kirit Shelat, economist
Ravindra Dholakia, and
M Thennarsan, Vice
Chairman and Manag-
ing Director of GIDC.
The commit-
tee--which conducted
37 meetings--has made
231 suggestions in its
final report submitted
on Friday. Committee
member Mukesh Patel
told First India that
the committee has
aimed for inclusive
growth and so has in-
cluded a variety of
subjects from ur-
ban-ports infrastruc-
ture to agricultural
land reforms. It has
also made recommen-
dations for smart vil-
lages and has suggest-
ed tax reforms and
lower utility charges.
“This is possible only
if there is qualitative,
qualified and skilled
manpower for which
we have suggested re-
forms in education
and how to make a
more effective sin-
gle-window system for
industries,” Patel said.
He added that the
committee has recom-
mended that the govern-
ment nurture invest-
ment and revive passen-
ger transportation, and
has suggested ways to
attract FDI for existing
and new projects.
SC calls...
and West Bengal, the
top court said, seeking
response from the four
states and the central
government as it took
note of reports of im-
proper handling of
COVID-19 patients and
disposal of bodies in
the country.
“COVID-19 patients
are treated worse than
animals. In one case, a
body was found in the
garbage. Patients are
dying and nobody is
there to even attend to
them,” the Supreme
Court said. It also asked
the Arvind Kejriwal
government to explain
the fall in coronavirus
testing in the city.
An apex court official
said Chief Justice of
India (CJI) SA Bobde
took note of the situa-
tion relating to the han-
dling of COVID-19 pa-
tients and bodies of the
victims and assigned
the case to a bench
headed by Justice
Ashok Bhushan. —ANI
Corona relief:...
If there is a tax liability,
the maximum late fee
will be capped at Rs 500
per return. The reduced
rate of late fee will ap-
ply for all the GSTR-3B
returns furnished be-
tween July 1 to Septem-
ber 30 this year.
Sitharaman said that
for small taxpayers
whose turnover is up to
Rs 5 crore, for the sup-
plies effected in the
month of February,
March and April 2020,
the rate of interest for
late furnishing of re-
turn for the said months
beyond specified dates
(staggered upto July 6)
is reduced from 18 per
cent to 9 per cent per an-
num till September 30.
In other words, for
these months, small
taxpayers will not be
charged any interest
till the notified dates
for relief (staggered
upto July 6) and there-
after 9 per cent interest
will be charged till Sep-
tember 30.
To facilitate taxpay-
ers who could not get
their cancelled GST
registrations restored
in time, an opportunity
is being provided for fil-
ing of an application for
revocation of cancella-
tion of registration up
to September 30 in all
cases where registra-
tions have been can-
celled till June 12.
According to an offi-
cial statement, certain
clauses of the Finance
Act 2020 amending
CGST Act 2017 and
IGST Act 2017 will be
brought into force from
June 30. —ANI
1 killed, 2 hurt...
The incident comes in
the midst of a raging
boundary row between
the two countries with
India sternly asking
Nepal not to resort to
any “artificial enlarge-
ment” of territorial
claims after Kathman-
du released a new polit-
ical map laying claim
over Lipulekh, Kalapa-
ni and Limpiyadhura.
New Delhi maintains
that these were part of
Uttarakhand while
Kathmandu, in its re-
cent map, had shown
them as part of West-
ern Nepal.
Giving details about
the incident at Sitamar-
hi district, 134 kms from
Patna, Kumar Rajesh
Chandra, Director Gen-
eral of Sashastra See-
ma Bal, a force looking
after the 1,751 km In-
dia-Nepal frontier, said
the incident took place
around 8:40 AM “deep
inside Nepalese territo-
ry”. The situation is
normal now and local
commanders of both
sides got in touch im-
mediately, Chandra told
PTI in New Delhi. —PTI
FROM PG 1
Jagdeep Dhankhar
@jdhankhar1
Had sought urgent
briefing from KMC
Chairperson and
Municipal Commis-
sioner. kMC Commis-
sioner has intimated
that he’ll brief today
at 11 am. Communi-
cated that Chairman
Board be also there.
The monsoon has reached Solapur on
Thursday via Goa. An orange alert has
been issued in the Konkan district.
Whereas Goa and Madhya Maharashtra are
expected to get widespread rain and heavy to
very heavy rainfall for the next 2-3 days.
— Anupam Kashyapi, Head, Weather Department, IMD Pune

TALKING POINTAHMEDABAD | SATURDAY, JUNE 13, 2020
THE DAYS WHEN
CYBERSPACE COULD BE
REGARDED AS A LAWLESS
WILD WEST ARE LONG
OVER. THE INTERNET HAS
BECOME A CRITICAL PART
OF OUR GLOBAL
INFRASTRUCTURE, AND
ATTACKS AGAINST ITS
CORE FUNCTIONS,
ESPECIALLY IN THE
CONTEXT OF THE COVID-19
CRISIS, SHOULD BE
TREATED AS THE
EXISTENTIAL THREATS
THAT THEY ARE
CYBER PANDEMIC
FACING THE
T
he COVID-19
pandemic has
shown that the
Internet is a
critical – and uniquely
global – part of our in-
frastructure. As chal-
lenging as the public-
health lockdowns have
been, their social and
economic costs would be
far greater in the ab-
sence of smoothly func-
tioningdigitalnetworks.
Moreover, containing
the pandemic itself will
likely require better and
more innovative uses of
our collective data, all of
which is generated on-
line. Home offices, home
schooling, and home life
increasingly depend on
our ability to use the In-
ternet. Protecting cyber-
space is therefore an in-
creasingly urgent task,
not least because it is
facing a “pandemic” of
its own.
Since early March,
there has been an un-
precedented global in-
crease in malicious cy-
ber activity. Phishing
attacks seeking to steal
money or secrets from
home-office workers
have more than doubled
compared to last year,
and in some places they
are up sixfold. There
have also been a number
of attempted cyberat-
tacks on critical infra-
structure, including air-
ports, power grids,
ports, and water and
sewage facilities. Even
hospitals treating COV-
ID-19 patients have been
targeted, and the World
Health Organization it-
self has reported a five-
fold increase in attacks
on its networks.
In a recent communi-
qué to a United Nations
working group on cyber
issues, the Dutch gov-
ernment spoke for many
when it said it was “ap-
palled” by this belliger-
ent behavior, much of
which is directed, sup-
ported, or at least toler-
ated by only a few gov-
ernments, with Russia
and China being the
most reported examples.
Likewise, Josep Borrell,
the EU’s High Repre-
sentative for Foreign Af-
fairs and Security Poli-
cy, has condemned these
attacks as “unaccepta-
ble.” Issuing a thinly
veiled threat of sanc-
tions, he has called on all
governments to abide by
international law and
existing political agree-
ments governing cyber-
space, the most perti-
nent of which involve
so-called “norms of re-
sponsible state behav-
ior.”
Despite all the cur-
rent mayhem, cyber-
space is not a lawless
domain. Like the seas,
outer space, and other
shared domains, it is
subject to international
law. The question is how
exactly international
law should apply. Coun-
tries like Russia and
China have long advo-
cated a new treaty-based
approach, whereas lib-
eral democracies have,
for the most part, insist-
ed that the entire body
of existing internation-
al law should be the
point of departure.
Since 2010, the com-
promise between these
two camps has been to
establish certain norms
of behavior and rules of
the road on how states
should conduct them-
selves in cyberspace.
These norms – which
include an injunction
against interfering with
critical infrastructure
in peacetime – have of-
ten been violated soon
after having been
agreed. Yet they repre-
sent the only interna-
tional consensus on
what constitutes respon-
sible behavior in cyber-
space, which means
they are the only stand-
ard by which the global
community can call out
malicious state activity.
In these uncertain
times, we clearly need
more standards of this
kind. Academic re-
search has shown that
while it can take years
for agreed norms to be
routinely upheld, new
norms can help rein-
force existing ones.
Fortunately, there are
already two negotiation
tracks within the UN
dedicated to debating
and finalizing new
norms for cyberspace.
Both the Open-Ended
Working Group and the
Group of Governmental
Experts are now consid-
ering several pro-
posed norms that
originated from
the Global Com-
mission on the
Stability of Cy-
b e r s p a c e ,
which we
lead. One of
the most
prominent
is also the
most ur-
gent: a pro-
hibition on
attacking
the basic
“ p u b l i c
core” infra-
structure of
cyberspace,
including the
equipment, or-
ganizations, and
processes that pro-
vide for a globally
accessible, properly
functioning Internet.
As the international
community struggles to
come together to fight
COVID-19, political lead-
ers and publics must
recognize that the Inter-
net has become the man-
ifestation of our con-
nectedness. It is what
unites us as a global
community, and it is the
medium on which our
economic, civic, and
family lives all now de-
pend.
We therefore call on
all governments to
adopt the norm against
attacking “public core
infrastructure,” not
only to protect this es-
sential global domain,
but also to signal a clear
commitment to our
shared human future.
As our dependence on
digital technologies
deepens, success or fail-
ure in protecting the In-
ternet – a true global
public good – will deter-
mine not only how fast
and effectively we can
contain the pandemic,
but also what kind of
world we will live in af-
terwards.
COVID-19 is forcing business leaders
to adapt operating models faster
than ever before to ensure existential
survival. The large-scale adoption of
work-from-home technologies, expo-
nentially greater use of cloud services
and explosion of connectivity allow
companies to continue operations
even with social distancing and “stay
at home” orders.
However, the paradigm shift is
putting immense pressure on cyber-
security operations. As organizations
are making extraordinary efforts to
protect their workers and serve their
customers during the pandemic,
exposure to cyberthreats is increasing
significantly.
5 PRINCIPLES FOR EFFECTIVE CYBERSECURITY
LEADERSHIP IN A POST-COVID WORLD
 Working from home has
opened multiple vectors
for cyberattacks through
the heightened depend-
ency on personal devices
and home networks.
 Social engineering tactics
are even more effec-
tive on a distracted and
vulnerable workforce.
 Security Operations
Centers (SOCs) have
been designed to look for
anomalous behaviors; to-
day, SOCs are operating
with impaired visibility
because everything looks
anomalous.
 Critical business assets
and functions are signifi-
cantly more exposed to
opportunistic and targeted
cyberattacks by criminal
organizations and nation
states seeking to exploit
vulnerabilities and plant
seeds for future attacks.
 Public-sector services
such as hospitals and
healthcare services are
under acute pressure and
have been hit particularly
hard by new types of
ransomware aimed at
disrupting connectivity
and denial-of-service
attacks.
The security and pri-
vacy flaws discovered on
the popular Zoom video
conferencing application are
a reminder that innovative
entrepreneurs and busi-
nesses both have a role to
play in reducing exposure to
cyberattacks.
Security bugs and
privacy-abusing practices
are not new, but have been
exacerbated by the growing
demand for cost-effective
and just-in-time solutions,
along with the pressure
to digitize and innovate
quickly to keep ahead
of competition, increase
operational efficiencies,
improve customer experi-
ence and improve business
decisions with enhanced
analytics.
In the COVID-19 context,
cybersecurity leaders must
strike a critical balance be-
tween security and privacy,
time to operations and
market, cost and conveni-
ence.
Within organizations, cy-
bersecurity leaders need to
take a stronger and more
strategic leadership role.
They need to move beyond
being compliance moni-
tors and enforcers to better
integrate with the business,
manage information risks
more strategically and
work toward a culture of
shared cyber-risk owner-
ship across the enterprise.
CYBERSECURITY OPERATIONS ARE FACING TREMENDOUS CHALLENGES
SOURCE: PROJECT SYNDICATE CONCEPT: DIVYA HEMNANI DESIGN: ABHISHEK GUPTA

Do not differentiate on the basis of
efforts to be made for minor or major
work to be accomplished. Efforts for
each work should be 100%. Do the minor things
well, the major will take care of themselves.
—Jagdeesh Chandra, CEO & Editor, First India
AHMEDABAD | SATURDAY, JUNE 13, 2020www.firstindia.co.in I www.firstindia.co.in/epaper/ I twitter.com/thefirstindia I facebook.com/thefirstindia I instagram.com/thefirstindia
08
2NDFRONT
First India Bureau
Gandhinagar: The
Southwest Monsoon
is about to reach
South Gujarat and
cover many parts of
Saurashtra and cen-
tral regions by 15th
June. Heavy rains on
areas of South Guja-
rat will arrive with a
peak on nearby 13th
June. Also, the south-
ern half of Saurash-
tra and Central Guja-
rat will be poised for
a spell of heavy rains
between 13th and
15th June.
Saurashtra has sig-
nificant rain excess by
308% and Gujarat by
40% from 01st to 10th
June. Stations like
Ahmedabad and Bhuj
have far exceeded their
monthly normal by re-
cording 115mm and
42mm against the nor-
mal of 80mm and 35mm
respectively. A lesser-
known weather system
‘Mid Tropospheric Cy-
clone’ (MTC), a cyclonic
circulation in the me-
dium levels of the at-
mosphere is marked
over Gujarat and South
Saurashtra. This cy-
clonic circulation is
likely to shift over
South Gujarat and to
adjoin the Northeast
Arabian Sea. Accord-
ingly, a strong surge is
expected to set in over
Konkan and South Gu-
jarat, resulting in
heavy rainfall for the
next few days.
GUJARAT WAITS TO WELCOME THE
MONSOON: HEAVY RAINS EXPECTED
Two cyclists enjoying the weather on Friday as dark clouds hover
over Ahmedabad sky.
HEALTH IS WEALTH
A private firm installed a vending machine at the Kalupur station in Ahmedabad on Friday,
to dispense masks and sanitizers to passengers. The masks cost between Rs10 and Rs100,
while the sanitizers have been priced at Rs50-Rs150. — PHOTO BY NANDAN DAVE
Dr. Anita
Ahmedabad: Congress
party’s national treas-
urer and veteran lead-
er Ahmed Patel wrote
a letter to Gujarat
Chief Minister Vijay
Rupani on Friday ask-
ing him to protect the
farmers in the ongo-
ing farmer’s land ac-
quisition issue.
In the letter, Patel
mentions the 35 farm-
ers who were detained
by the police on Thurs-
day, during a peace-
ful protest in An-
kleshwar’s Old
Diva village.
“The farmers
were exercis-
ing their demo-
cratic right to
peacefully pro-
test against the
acquisition of
their land
without ade-
quate com-
pensation.
Following
their detention, staff of-
ficials took possession
of the disputed land,
causing insignificant
damage to their stand-
ing crops. This has com-
pounded their econom-
ic hardship caused due
to the COVID-19 pan-
demic, and has placed
the farmers in a par-
ticularly tough situa-
tion,” the letter says.
It goes on to say, “The
farmers of Old Diva vil-
lage have consented to
give their land for the
Vadodara-Mumbai
Express High-
way project. Their only
demand is that they be
given adequate and
market-value compen-
sation, as is their legal
right. In this regard, it
must be noted that
farmers from Surat dis-
trict, whose lands have
also been acquired of
the same project, have
been paid their dues.”
Patel alleged that
the farmers from
Bharuch district are
being unfairly denied
their rights. “In the ab-
sence of adequate com-
pensation, the acquisi-
tion of their land
amounts to daylight
robbery and is a gross
injustice to the hard-
working farmers of the
state.”He further al-
leged that, rather than
providing support to the
farmers, the state govt
is providing police pro-
tection to the private
contractorsseekingpos-
session of the land.
“The use of such tactics
of the police high hand-
edness, intimidation,
and violence to subju-
gate and silence
farmer is
the hall-
mark of a
dictatori-
al society
and a blot
on ‘Guja-
rati Asmi-
ta’,” the let-
ter states.
Ahmed Bhai writes to CM
asking to protect farmersPatel asks Rupani to intervene for detained farmers who were protesting in Ankleshwar’s old Diva village
First India Bureau
Bhavnagar: In a rigor-
ousoperationof 45-min-
utes, a team of doctors
from Sir T. Hospital
pulled out the pressure
cooker stuck on the
head of the one-year-old
daughter of Dharmik
Vala resides at Pirchal-
la street of Bhavnagar.
The little girl Pri-
yanshi was playing
with the pressure
cooker on her head
and stuck her head in
the cooker. The fami-
ly then rushed to the
emergency depart-
ment of the hospital,
where the team of
doctors and the nurs-
ing staff managed to
remove the cooker
from the Priyanshi’s
head without any in-
jury. After the opera-
tion, the pulse and
oxygen level of the
girl was monitored by
the team, and with
the special care of the
doctors, the girl is
now in a healthy con-
dition.
First India Bureau
Gandhinagar: The
Gujarat Food and
Drug Control Admin-
istration (FDCA) has
collected a total of
362 samples from hos-
pitals, pharmacy
stores and manufac-
turers’ sites and sent
them to its laboratory
for a quality check.
To ensure the quality
of manufactured and
marketed hand sani-
tizers in the State,
FDCA will likely an-
nounce the outcome
of these analysed
samples by the end of
the month.
Dr Hemant Koshia,
Commissioner, Gujarat
FDCA, said, “By look-
ing at the increasing
demand for hand sani-
tisers, we want to be ex-
tra ensured about the
quality of these first-
line defences. At the
Gujarat FDCA, we are
checking the quality,
particularly in the
AYUSH category. We
have analysed around
60-70 samples, and so
far, 14 samples have
failed to meet the neces-
sary quality require-
ments.
We are updating the
quality results of the
collected samples on
the XLN India plat-
form, which also helps
the masses to have an
update about the
failed analysed sam-
ples. Reportedly, since
March 2020, the Guja-
rat FDCA has issued a
total of 2600 product
licenses, and around
75 new firms have
started manufactur-
ing hand sanitizers.
Docs pull out stuck
cooker from 1-year-
old child’s head
FDCA collects 362 hand sanitizer
samples for quality check
First India Bureau
Rajkot: The resi-
dents of Monvel Vil-
lage of Dhari Taluka
were astounded
when they came
across the activity of
lion pride in their
area.
In broad daylight
at around 11 am,
some lions somehow
climbed the roof of
the cattle shed in a
farm, broke the tin
shed, jumped inside
and preyed on the
tied ox.
The lions then
feasted on the prey
while others kept
sauntering outside
the house. The inci-
dent that happened
on the farm of Kanu
Kotadiya was video-
graphed by the vil-
lagers, who were
scared too. The vil-
lage Monvel is on the
border of Gir east
and Gir west division
of the forest depart-
ment near Visavadar.
The pride of seven
lions have their terri-
tory in both the divi-
sions of the woods.
LIONS ON THE PROWL IN BROAD DAYLIGHT
Lion roaming in Monvel village.
On #WorldDayAgain-
stChildLabour I urge
the Central Govt to an-
nounce a comprehen-
sive scheme to protect
children of displaced
migrant families.
This ill planned lock-
down has disrupted
the lives of lakhs of
poor children who
now risk being pushed
back into abject
poverty.
@ahmedpatel
Closure notice
issued to
Hemani
Industries
First India Bureau
Gandhinagar: After
the incident of fire
broke out in a plant
where one worker was
killed and five got in-
jured. The Directorate
of Industrial Safety and
Health (DISH) issued a
closure notice to Hema-
ni Industries in Ankle-
shwar, Bharuch. Plant
number 4 of the agro-
chemical, pesticides,
and herbicides manu-
facture followed a blast
in a reactor owing to an
exothermic, the reac-
tion during the process-
ing of raw material,
preliminary investiga-
tion by DISH showed.
ACS (Labour and Em-
ployment), Vipul Mittal
informed that “A clo-
sure notice to the plant
has been issued, and it
will remain closed till
we are satisfied with the
safetyof workers,tillthe
time appropriate com-
pensation will be paid to
the affected workers.
First India Bureau
Ahmedabad: In
Ahmedabad, An am-
bulance service pro-
vider charges dis-
pleasing rates from
COVID patient for
transferring.
After a patient was
referred to another
hospital from Saras-
wati Hospital, the pa-
tient family inquired
for an ambulance, and
the hospital authori-
ties gave a contact of
OneGemsambulance.
The ambulance re-
ported after two hours
of waiting, and after
transferring the pa-
tient from 25 km away,
they produced a bill
of 20,000rs from the
family members.
Shocked at the in-
voice provided, the
family complained to
Saraswati Hospital re-
garding the charges.
On which the hospital
authorities refused
any implication in the
matter. On contacting
Kaplesh Goklani, the
owner of Gems Am-
bulance seemed to be
absconding as there
was no response, and
all their numbers
were disconnected.
The family has com-
plained with the Mu-
nicipal Corporation
awaiting their action.
Since the family did
not have money, they
collected Rs 20,000
from relative and paid
the amount.
Shailesh of
Khokhra has made a
video of himself giv-
ing his life due to the
hospital money laun-
dering case, and it
has been circulating
on social media for
public information.
Ambulance charges
`20K to move a patient
Ahmed Patel Vijay Rupani
Copy of the ambulance bill.

AHMEDABAD, SATURDAY
JUNE 13, 2020
www.firstindia.co.in I www.firstindia.co.in/epaper/ I twitter.com/thefirstindia
facebook.com/thefirstindia I instagram.com/thefirstindia 09
DOTTEDLY
YOURS!
aving a polka-dot item in
your closet is an absolute
must, as it not just adds
charm to the overall at-
tire, but is also an all-time
throwback essential.
This pattern has a totally
different vibe altogether and is
considered to be a very happy-
pattern. But its history was abso-
lutely different- it wasn’t consid-
ered fun at all.
In Medieval Europe, polka dots
were considered to be really un-
pleasant, and represented impu-
rity and disease, while in the Non-
Western cultures, these dots were
viewed as a symbol of magic.
Talking about polka dots in to-
day’s time, the pattern is seen lit-
erally everywhere- co-ord sets,
skirts, shirts, shoes, eye-wear, nail
art, bikini, and looking at the pre-
sent scenario of the global pan-
demic, even the face masks.
Disney’s Minnie Mouse was the
first famous protagonist of polka
dots back in 1928, and that’s where
the trend really picked up. Later,
the Hollywood royalties fell for the
print, with the likes of Marilyn
Monroe, Elizabeth Taylor and Lu-
cille Ball forming an amazing fan-
base.
If you notice closely, the
polka dot pattern is not
seen on formal clothing,
ever. The reason can be
because it probably is
inclined more towards
the ‘playful’ side.
The polka dot has
made a comeback
with designers
catching on to this
growing trend
while produc-
ing their
Spring 2020
collections.
During New
York Fashion Week, a num-
ber of spotty creations
were spotted on the run-
way. So, if you like to
experiment with your
clothing you can go the
polka dot way- teeming
up big and small dots in
various patterns and lay-
ers. Some daring ones have
been known to carry off Stripes
and Polkas too, but that re-
quires a level of panache
that is missing in the ma-
jority.
Men, however, have
limited space in the polka
scenarios being limited
to minute dots in shirt
patterns or boxers!
Keep your polka dots
ready, they are a fash-
ion boomerang that
always come back!
H
Bringing in a ‘retro feel’, polka dots never get old to
bring an extra spark in your fashion quotient!
NEHAL NAYAR
nehal.nayar@firstindia.co.in

here’s no deny-
ing that we’ve
been experi-
encing an era
of peak TV for
a few years
now, but I be-
lieve there’s one show
that stands above the
rest when it comes to of-
fering viewers every-
thing they could want.
And that show, my
friends, is the Starz
epic, Outlander. The
time-traveling drama,
which will enter into
its fourth season
this fall, hasn’t
really made a mis-
step yet.
While some of that
success is certainly
due to the jam-packed
and endlessly intrigu-
ing source material,
which is Di-
ana Ga-
baldon’s
n o v e l
series
of the
same
name, it’s also true that
the show has been able
to modify the events of
those books in ways
that manage to satisfy
book fans and newcom-
ers to the story alike,
something that’s in-
credibly hard to do. So,
here for you, are the five
reasons why Outlander
is the best damn show
on television right now.
OUTLANDER HAS
INTRIGUING
CHARACTERS ON
EVERY LEVEL
You see that little
lady in the above
photo who’s giving
someone a whole
lotta hell as Claire
looks on, shocked?
That, my friends,
is Jamie’s spitfire
sister Jenny
(Laura Don-
nelly), who
just might be
my favorite
secondary
character
on Out-
lander. And, lucky for
us, she’s an excellent ex-
ample of the how this
showpopulatesitsworld
with characters on eve-
ry level who feel like
they have real lives, per-
sonalities, hopes and
troubles. In Outlander’s
three seasons so far, we
haven’t seen a ton of
Jenny, but she’s a stand-
out every time she’s on
screen. I mean, she
laughed in the face of a
dude who was about to
rape her when he pulled
his cock out, guys. You
just don’t get more
baller and badass than
that.
OUTLANDER IS 100%
BINGEABLE
Alright, I know that, es-
pecially in this day and
age where streaming
is (basically) king, a lot
of TV shows are binge-
able. But, I have never
seen a show take two
things into account
quite as well as Out-
lander does. First of
all, every episode is
absolutely packed to
the rafters with im-
portant events. And
this is true even if
the episode is a bit qui-
eter and doesn’t even
feature any fight
scenes. Sometimes it’s
just about the charac-
ters traveling
great distances
and finding out
major informa-
tion that they
need now or
that will be
necessary
for them
l a t e r.
Frequently, one single
episode will see so
much big stuff happen
that, upon re-watching
it, you will have forgot-
ten how much actually
went on during the
hour. One early episode
of Season 3 features a
whopping 12 major and
semi-major reveals/
events. You cannot pay
attention to other
things when Outlander
is on, people!
10
ETCAHMEDABAD | SATURDAY, JUNE 13, 2020www.firstindia.co.in I www.firstindia.co.in/epaper/ I twitter.com/thefirstindia I facebook.com/thefirstindia I instagram.com/thefirstindia
FACEOFTHEDAY
RISHINA TALREJA, Influencer
YOUR
DAYHoroscope by
Saurabbh Sachdeva
LEO
JULY 24 - AUGUST 23
It is very important that you
start understanding and
respecting all the
individuals, remember you
can never control others. You are a
confident persona and you don’t fail
to impress your boss on professional
front with your work. Your spouse
loves you with whole heart.
LIBRA
SEPT 24 - OCTOBER 22
YYou are mentally very
clear about your plans to
settle abroad also about
the country where you
want to settle. You are financially
secure but you still want more,
always remember there is no end to
wealth so start feeling content no
matter what and keep forging ahead.
ARIES
MAR 21 - APR 20
On professional front, you
will find yourself busy
helping others today. Your
monetary conditions have
improved for good. Your sibling may
do something incredible and will
become famous. Don’t be reluctant
when it comes to career choices
rather think with calm mind.
SAGITTARIUS
NOV 23 - DEC 22
You must try and spend
more time with people who
are positive and motivating
as the wrong guidance from
the friends can effect your life so make
wise choices. You will remain in good
health as you follow discipline in life.
You will give some quality time to your
friends after long time.
GEMINI
MAY 21 - JUNE 21
Improved earnings will
help you buy things that
you wanted for a long time.
You will spend quality time
with your parents today after a long
time. Don’t get involved in others’s
affairs. Be wise with your responsi-
bilities. A new vehicle is on the cards.
Life will take a beautiful turn.
AQUARIUS
JAN 21 - FEB 19
You may land up helping
someone in need of
monetary help without
thinking twice. You are a
healer and people get healed by merely
talking with you.You will help your two
mutual friends resolve their personal
issues. There will be a temporary
change of place.
TAURUS
APR 21 - MAY 20
It takes time for a business
to start giving profits so
kindly remain patient. You
have become serious in life
and you take your responsibilities
seriously. Your actions will decide
what will happen tomorrow therefore
make sure that you make right
causes. You will find your life partner.
CAPRICORN
DEC 23 - JAN 20
On social front, you will
find yourself very busy
catering to the needs of
others. You may start a
new business and an angel investor
will approach you soon. Today you
will enjoy a lot with your family as
you all may go out together for some
family bonding time.
VIRGO
AUG 24 - SEP 23
You just try to maintain
healthy relationships with
people on social front. You
have to make efforts to get
what you really desire. Your lover will
do something special for you that will
make you very emotional. Your boss
will really treat you special today
because of your working abilities.
CANCER
JUNE 22 - JULY 23
You will get a lot of
encouragement from
family. You are in right
frame of mind today to
take any financial decisions today.
You have a nature to appreciate
people for all the goodness that lies
in them. You are people’s person.
You will soon acquire a property.
PISCES
FEB20 - MARCH 20
You will earn money from
many sources along with
being in a full time job.
When it comes to money
put your fears to rest. On
professional front, you will be
assigned with many responsibilities.
You must be very tactful while
dealing with a family youngster.
SCORPIO
OCT 23 - NOVEMBER 22
You are very close to your
pets and you adore them
like your own child. You
will be there for your
spouse no matter what. Scorpio
women are fearless and you will
stand for your respect at all costs if
someone tries to harm it. You have
learned in life.
WHY OUTLANDER IS THE BEST
T
Source: https://www.cinemablend.com/television/2437490/5-reasons-why-outlander-is-the-best-show-on-tv

Y
ou go out with a bunch
of friends for a night
out. Everybody places
their order, mostly al-
coholic drinks. Turns out, you’re
the only one in the group who’s
probably not in the mood for it
or doesn’t drink alcohol at all.
What do you do? Spend the night
with just French fries? Luckily,
we’ve some suggestions to make
your night equally fun (in con-
tinuation of the article last
week), and magical!
And nope, soft drinks
and usual fruit juices
don’t even count
here.
When it comes to
n o n - a l c o h o l i c
drinks, the choic-
es can be limit-
ed. So, here’s a
quick list of in-
teresting mock-
tails, punches,
l e m o n a d e s ,
and other sum-
mer-favourite
beverages that
are 100% alco-
hol-free a.k.a
virgin.
A
bhishek Bach-
chan’s debut web
series ‘Breathe
Into The Shadows’
will release online on Am-
azon Prime Video on
July 10. He shared the
information on Twit-
ter, revealing an in-
triguing poster of his
upcoming series. “She
lies into the shadows,
waiting to be found.
Here is the First Look
of #BreatheInto-
TheShadows. New
Series, July 10 on
@primevide-
oin,” he wrote.
—ANI
A
ctor Sonam Ka-
poor has always
mentioned her
love for reading
books. On Friday she
shared a childhood pic-
ture which shows that
she was a ‘bookworm’
even then.
The ‘Delhi 6’ actor
shared a post on Insta-
gram,reminiscingabout
the old days and her love
for books. In the picture,
a young Sonam is seen
lying on the bed, holding
abookinherhand,flash-
ing a smile for the cam-
era. In the captions, she
wrote: “Nothing has
changed since then once
a bookworm, always a
bookworm.”
Within minutes, sis-
ter Rhea Kapoor com-
mented: “I remember
this duvet.”
Sonam is currently
spending time with her
fashion designer hus-
band Anand Ahuja in
their South-Delhi based
house. —ANI
ETCwww.firstindia.co.in I www.firstindia.co.in/epaper/ I twitter.com/thefirstindia I facebook.com/thefirstindia I instagram.com/thefirstindia AHMEDABAD | SATURDAY, JUNE 13, 2020
11
Somethingisbetterthannothing
ulabo Sitabo is the
firstmainstreamBol-
lywood movie to be
released exclusively
on a digital platform.
The film has a terrif-
ic combo of two pow-
erhouse actors like Amitabh
Bachchan and Ayushmann
Khurrana in the film which
has been directed by a criti-
cally acclaimed director
Shoojit Sircar. The film re-
volves around two quirky,
warring men. While the sen-
ior Bachchan plays a landlord
(Mirza),Ayushmannplaysthe
role of his tenant (Baankey).
The film portrays human
inclining towards extreme
greed and losing out on every-
thing, the climax stands out
andthehumourinfusedinthe
filmisdarkandwacky,thefilm
could have been a bit shorter
as the current runtime is a bit
overstretched and feels boring
andoff-trackattimes.Theper-
formances are top-notch by
both our talented actors and
their jodi is truly priceless.
Themoviehasagreatmessage
put up by its end.
Altogether the film is slow-
paced and doesn’t live up to
its expectation. You can
watch it for its amazing cli-
max and performances by
the lead pairs.
KAVITA CHAUHAN
cityfirst@firstindia.co.in
G
DIRECTOR
Shoojit Sircar
CAST & CREW
Amitabh Bachchan,
Ayushmann Khurrana, Vijay
Raaz, Brijendra Kala, Shrishti
Shrivastava, Farrukh Jafar
GULABO SITABO
RATING:
PC’S VERSION OF
A
c t o r
Pa r i n e e t i
Chopra on
T h u r s d ay
treated her fans
with a stunning
picture from one of
her photoshoots
where the ‘Ishaq-
zaade’ actor is seen
slaying in an all-
black ensemble.
She posted the
picture of the look
that she termed as
her version of
‘Band Baaja
Baraat’ on Insta-
gram. In the pic-
ture, the 32-year-
old actor is seen
wearing a camisole
styled sheer top
which had intri-
cate lacework
on it.
Exuding el-
egance, the
‘Ishaqzaade’
actor tucked the
top in matching
skin-fit jeggings
and paired it
with a black
c o l o u r e d
knoted belt,
accentuating
her waist.
To p p i n g
off the
‘ B a n d
B a a j a
Baraat’
look, Chopra wore
a black studded hat
and is seen partial-
ly wearing a match-
ing leather jacket.
“Band Baaja
Baraat (my ver-
sion),” she wrote in
the caption.
The post soon the
post was flooded
with scores of com-
ments from the ac-
tor’s fans.
Chopra will next
be seen opposite
Arjun Kapoor in
Dibakar Banerjee’s
‘Sandeep Aur
Pinky Faraar.’
—ANI
‘BAND BAAJA
BARAAT’
Always a ‘Bookworm’
WEB-SERIES DEBUT
ABOUT CAULDRON SISTERS
Ratika & Richa Khetan, two
Sisters, started Cauldron Sisters in
2015. It started as an exotic food
gift hamper business, but their
love for food encouraged them to
start culinary workshops, food
deliveries, and slowly and
gradually it turned huge as
restaurants and cafes started
approaching them for consultancy.
WATERMELON BELLINI:
I Swap champagne for sparkling cider
I 1 cup watermelon, cubed
I Champagne or sparkling cider
I Put watermelon in a blender and
make a puree.
I Now put this puree in your serving
glasses and start pouring
sparkling cider in them.
I Add ice if you like it cold and
enjoy the drink.
CUCUMBER SMOOTHIE:
I 2 cups plain yogurt
I 2 1/2 cups chopped cucumbers
I 2 1/2 tbsp chopped Dill herb (optional)
I 2 1/2 tbsp chopped basil
I 2 1/2 tbsp chopped mint leaves
I 2 1/2 tbsp lemon juice
I 3/4 tbsp salt
I 1/2 cups cold club soda or sparkling
water
I Take a blender and mix yogurt,
chopped cucumbers, dill, mint leaves,
basil, and lemon juice.
I Add salt and mix well again. the
cucumber purée is ready.
I Now, pour this into the serving glasses
and start pouring club soda in it.
I Mix well and serve!
ENJOY YOUR WEEKEND
Amitabh Bachchan and Ayushmann Khurrana in ‘Gulabo Sitabo’
Parineeti Chopra’s Look
Sonam Kapoor Ahuja
...her post

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