First india ahmedabad edition-18 august 2020

AHMEDABAD l TUESDAY, AUGUST 18, 2020 l Pages 12 l 3.00 RNI NO. GUJENG/2019/16208 l Vol 1 l Issue No. 262
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JAIPUR & AHMEDABAD
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Low-profile and clean CS Mukim gets six-month extension
Haresh Jhala
Ahmedabad: Gujarat’s
low-profile mild man-
nered Chief Secretary
Anil Mukim, who was
to retire this month-
end, has been expect-
edly given an extension
of six months. The 1985
batch IAS officer will
now hang his boots in
February.
The Centre has ap-
proved the Gujarat Gov-
ernment’s proposal to
this effect. First India
had reported last month
that he was most likely
to get an extension, giv-
en that the State Gov-
ernment might not
wish to disturb the sta-
tus quo in the top bu-
reaucracy in view of
the COVID-19 crisis.
And Anil Mukim has
a clean track record
without any controver-
sies either in Gujarat or
at the Centre.
With this, the govern-
ment has sought to
avoid any conflicts with
the bureaucracy since
there would be more
than one contender for
the top post.
Bureaucratic sources
said this was why Prime
Minister Narendra
Modi and Union Home
Minister Amit Shah,
Modi’s close confidant
and Chief Principal
Secretary to the CM K
Kailashnathan, and
Chief Minister Vijay
Rupani would have de-
cided to continue
Mukim for six months.
With this, the second
seniormost officer San-
geeta Singh, who had a
chance to be the Chief
Secretary after Mukim,
would no longer be a
contender. Singh, a 1986
batch officer serving as
the Additional Chief
Secretary (Home), re-
tires in October.
Sources claimed that
her chances of being
selected as Chief Secre-
tary were low, not be-
cause of her track re-
cord but for she is not
among the favourites
of either the Prime
Minister or Union
Home Minister. And
then, she had only two
months to retire.Chief Secretary Anil Mukim —FILE PHOTO
The government decided not to
disturb the status quo in view of
the COVID-19 crisis and Anil
Mukim has a good track record
STAYING PUT
Aditi Nagar
New Delhi: China on
Monday said it is ready
to work with India to
enhance political mu-
tual trust, properly
manage their differenc-
es and safeguard the
long-term development
of bilateral ties.
Chinese Foreign Min-
istry spokesman Zhao
Lijian said this at a reg-
ular briefing when a
Western media journal-
ist sought China’s reac-
tion to Prime Minister
Narendra Modi’s re-
marks that the Indian
armed forces have given
a befitting reply to those
challenging the coun-
try’s sovereignty.
Modi, in his 74th Inde-
pendenceDayaddressto
the nation from the ram-
parts of Red Fort, said
the armed forces have
given a befitting reply to
those challenging the
country’s sovereignty
“from LoC to LAC”, in a
veiled reference to Paki-
stan and China.
Responding to the
question, Chinese for-
eign ministry spokes-
man Zhao said that we
have noted Prime Min-
ister Modi’s speech.
We are close neigh-
bours, we are emerging
countries with over
one billion people. So,
the sound development
of bilateral ties not
only serves the interest
of the two peoples but
also stability, peace,
prosperity of the re-
gion and the whole
world, he said.
The right path for
the two sides is to re-
spect and support each
other as this serves our
long-term interests,
Zhao said. Turn to P6
CHINA ON MODI’S I-DAY SPEECH BENGALURU VIOLENCE
PM Narendra Modi with Chinese President Xi Jinping.
Modi had said, armed forces have given a befitting
reply to those challenging country’s sovereignty
Bengaluru: The Kar-
nataka government on
Monday decided to re-
cover the costs of dam-
age from the culprits in
Bengaluruviolence,CM
BS Yediyurappa said.
He said that the gov-
ernment will approach
the high court for ap-
pointment of claim
commissioner as per
Supreme Court order.
“Our government has
decided to assess the
damage caused to pub-
lic and private property
in violent incidents in
KG Halli and DG Halli
and recover the costs
from the culprits. We
will approach Hon’ble
High Court for appoint-
ment of Claim Commis-
sioner as per Hon’ble
Supreme Court order,”
Yediyurappa tweeted.
Yediyurappa said
that a team of three spe-
cial prosecutors will be
appointed for speedy
trial in the cases.
“Stringent action has
been initiated against
the culprits of DJ Halli
and KG Halli violent in-
cidents including in-
voking of the Unlawful
Activities Prevention
Act– UAPA Act,” he
tweeted. Turn to P6
‘SIT formed, will
recover damages
from culprits’
New Delhi: Facebook,
that is at the centre of a
political slugfest over al-
legations of supporting
the ruling dispensation,
on Monday said its so-
cial media platform pro-
hibits hate speech and
content that incites vio-
lence and these policies
are enforced globally
without regard to politi-
cal affiliation. However,
the social media giant
also acknowledged that
“there is more to do”.
“We prohibit hate
speech and content that
incites violence and we
enforce these policies
globally without regard
to anyone’s political po-
sition or party affilia-
tion. Turn to P6
BEIJINGKEENONBUILDING
MUTUALTRUSTWITHDELHI
The right path
for the two
sides is to re-
spect and support each
other as this serves our
long-term interests.
—Zhao Lijian,
Chinese foreign ministry spokesman
SC gives green signal to hold JEE, NEET
New Delhi: The Su-
preme Court on Monday
dismissedapleaseeking
postponement of JEE
(Main) April 2020 and
NEET-Undergraduate
examinations, which
are scheduled to be con-
ducted in September,
amid spurt in number
of COVID-19 cases, say-
ing precious year of stu-
dents “cannot be wast-
ed” and life has to go on.
A three-judge bench
headed by Justice Arun
Mishra said career of
students “cannot be put
underjeopardyforlong”.
“Life has to go on. Life
has to move ahead. Pre-
cious year of students
cannot be wasted,” the
bench, also comprising
Justices B R Gavai and
Krishna Murari, said
during the hearing con-
ducted through video
conferencing while pav-
ing the way for com-
mencement of the ex-
ams as scheduled.
Solicitor General
Tushar Mehta told the
apex court that due pre-
cautions and all safe-
guards would be taken
while conducting these
examinations.
The counsel appear-
ing for the petitioners
told the bench that lakhs
of students are looking
towards the top court for
relief andtheywereonly
seeking postponement
of these exams. Turn to P6
BS Yediyurappa
Legendary music maestro
Pandit Jasraj no more
Music legend and the doyen of Indian classical
vocal music, Pandit Jasraj passed away at the
age of 90 in the US, says his daughter Durga Jasraj.
He was 90 years of age and was living in New Jersey,
US. The cause of death is not known yet. Born in
Haryana, Jasraj was a recipient of various prestig-
ious awards including Padma Shri, Padma Bhushan
and Padma Vibhushan.
His musical career has spanned more than 80 years
and led to numerous major awards. Turn to P6
JANUARY 1930 TO AUGUST 2020
Our platform
prohibits hate
speech: FB
—FILE PHOTO
CORONA
ALERT
WORLD
7,74,926
DEATHS
2,19,22,650
CONFIRMED CASES
51,796
DEATHS
26,93,771
CONFIRMED CASES
INDIA
COVID-19 UPDATE
2,802
DEATHS
79,816
CONFIRMED CASES
GUJARAT
With Coronavirus hitting our lives and no relief in sight, it appears that nature has taken on itself the task of providing a soothing balm. The last flicker of setting sun against
monsoon clouds presents myriad hues on Monday evening at Albert Hall in Jaipur. —PHOTO BY SANTOSH SHARMACOLOUR THERAPY

NEWSAHMEDABAD | TUESDAY, AUGUST 18, 2020
02www.firstindia.co.in I www.firstindia.co.in/epaper/ I twitter.com/thefirstindia I facebook.com/thefirstindia I instagram.com/thefirstindia
DAM CAPACITY AS
ON AUGUST 17, 2020
TOTAL DAMS 206
COMPLETELY FILLED 55
WATER STORAGE 25226.6
CAPACITY MCM
WATER STORED 15242.12
MCM (60%)
WATER CAPACITY 9460.00
MCM
STORED 5113.66
MCM (54%)
First India Bureau
Gandhinagar: The
town of Mundra is set
to be accorded nagar-
palika status by the
state government,
said Chief Minister
Vijay Rupani on Mon-
day. A decision has
been taken to merge
Mundra and the Bar-
oi Gram Panchayat to
provide better basic
amenities to people
living in these towns.
The proposed nagar-
palika will cater to the
population of 60,000
people and have more
powers to undertake
bigger development
projects with the sup-
port of the state govern-
ment.
There are over 170
urban local bodies in
the state, eight munic-
ipal corporations and
162 municipalities,
with the Kutch district
accounting for six mu-
nicipalities. Since the
population of Mundra
is less than one lakh, it
was granted the na-
garpalika status. But
once the population
crosses the one lakh-
mark, it will be called
a municipality.
The chief minister
also approved a cement
concrete road for San-
and town and private
societies falling under
the Sanand nagarpa-
lika. The state has allo-
cated Rs2 crore for the
development pro-
gramme. Under this
programme, the nagar-
palika will bear 80% of
the cost of the cement
concrete road within
private societies and
the remaining 20% will
be borne by the socie-
ties getting new roads.
As a few nagarpa-
likas, municipalities,
municipal corporations
and district panchayats
head to elections the
state government has
focused its attention on
infrastructure develop-
ment in urban areas.
Since the Bharatiya Ja-
nata Party (BJP) re-
ceives more votes from
urban areas than rural,
converting panchayats
into nagarpalikas or
municipalities may
prove to be a long-term
political benefit to the
ruling party.
Mundra to be a nagarpalika,
Sanand gets new concrete roads
 New developmental projects seem to be
on the agenda of the ruling party lately
Gargi Raval
Ahmedabad: Since it
began in June, the
monsoon season has
been bountiful this
year. The state has
already seen 79.44%
of its annual rain-
fall, and the weath-
erman says more
rain is coming. With
another month and a
half of the monsoon
to go, it is almost a
certainty that Guja-
rat will receive con-
siderably more rain
than usual this year.
Yet, ecologists and
environmentalists are
worried that the state
could face a water
shortage well before
the next monsoon ar-
rives. By some esti-
mates, these water
woes will begin as ear-
ly as October or No-
vember.
The idea might
sound odd, at best, giv-
en that Gujarat has re-
ceived 660.17mm of
rain already and is ex-
pected to receive even
more. Further, usually
parched and water-
scarce areas in the
state like Saurashtra
and Kutch have been
inundated for the past
few days. And, the
state government has
been attempting to
deepen lakes, check
dams and canals, and
put in place several
ambitious schemes
like SAUNI (Saurash-
tra Narmada Avtaran
Irrigation)Yojana and
the Sujalam Sufalam
Jal Abhiyan.
However, it is im-
portant to note that,
last year, the state
received 1,192.73mm
of rain, far more
than the annual av-
erage of 816mm. Yet,
athlete Sarita Gay-
akwad--who has won
multiple gold medals
for the country at the
international level-
-was in the news this
past June for having
to walk a kilometre
to fetch water.
So, where is the rain-
water going?
The short answer:
down drains and into
the sea.
Noted Gandhian and
environmental activist
Sudarshan Iyenger
says, “Kaprada in
Dharampur which re-
ceives the highest rain-
fall in the state runs
out of water after Octo-
ber. There is no proper
planning to conserve
and store water. The
traditional wisdom of
water harvesting is no
longer practised.”
He points out that
even Meghalaya’s
Mawsynram, which
gets the highest rain-
fall in the country, does
not have adequate wa-
ter around the year.
“Due to lesser tree
cover and forest, the
water percolation
process has been de-
creased. Even owing
to climate change
there is a vast experi-
ence in rainfall pat-
tern. Flash floods
drain water to rivers
and seas, and we
can’t use it,” he ex-
plained, adding,
“Community-based
water storage is not
reachable to all vil-
lagers. There is a
need to have individ-
ual as well as com-
munity water stor-
age for all.”
Chief Minister Vijay
Rupani recently an-
nounced that all the
villages in the state
would get tap water by
2022, and that Gandhi-
nagar, Mehsana, Por-
bandar, Borad and Va-
dodara districts would
be covered 100% by
October 02 this year.
This follows Prime
Minister Narendra
Modi’s announcement
last year that the gov-
ernment will provide
piped water to every
household by 2024--this
was the 12th time that
India set a deadline to
provide water at the
household-level.
Iyenger is not opti-
mistic. He said, “All
the so-called develop-
ment schemes are
not sustainable and
practical. The gov-
ernment efforts are
for a limited pur-
pose. Some parts of
Dharampur, Dang,
Kaprada, Valsad, Su-
rat, Vadodara,
S u r e n d r a n a g a r,
Kutch, Banaskantha,
Kutch, and many
low-lying areas are
inundated since the
gates of many dams
and reservoirs have
been opened to re-
lease excess water
coming from the up-
per stream. Still,
many villages in the
above-mentioned ar-
eas will start hunt-
ing for water by Oc-
tober.”
Citing “slippage” as
another major prob-
lem, he explained,
“This means that even
those villages that are
covered with drinking
water facilities ‘slip
back’ to ‘not-covered’
status due to various
reasons that include
drying up of the source
or collapse of the fa-
cilities due to non-
maintenance.”
He also highlighted
the fact that even in ar-
eas where the govern-
ment has created res-
ervoirs or other simi-
lar rainwater storage
facilities, these are not
in the vicinity of the
village and are usually
Centrally governed.
“The village com-
munity doesn’t store
water and doesn’t
govern its storage.
Add to this the prob-
lem of limited
ground-water sup-
ply, and you can see
how the monsoon
water cannot sustain
the state for the
whole year,” he stat-
ed.
The state has already received
660mm of rainfall—about
80% of its annual average
WATER GOING
Gargi RavalGargi Raval vember.vember. of rain, far moreof rain, far more water harvesting is nowater harvesting is no there is a vast experi-there is a vast experi- Chief Minister VijayChief Minister Vijay for a limited pur-for a limited pur-
down the drain?
Gargi Raval
Gandhinagar: Since
the first case of COV-
ID-19 was reported in
Gujarat on March 17,
the novel coronavirus
has infected 79,816
people across every
single district in the
state. It has also
caused 2,802 fatalities.
This means, that on
average, the virus has
infected 571 people
and killed 18 every day
for the past five
months.
According to a high-
ly-placed source with-
in the state’s health
department, the “real”
numbers could well be
higher than the offi-
cial figures mentioned
above.
For one, the state
government has not
been counting comor-
bid deaths in its COV-
ID-19 data. In addition,
the official numbers
have remained steady
despite the recent
spike in testing across
the state.
“Although the num-
ber of tests has been
increased, positive
cases are not increas-
ing proportionately.
The government is us-
ing antigen tests,
which are notorious
for giving false posi-
tive and false negative
results,” the health de-
partment official said.
Further, the state
has been conducting
an average of 50,000
tests a day, and claims
to have 61 laboratories
that can perform RT
PCR tests, this person
also said, adding, “Be-
fore the state started
using RAT (Rapid An-
tigen Test) kits, a num-
ber of tests remained
pending for 48 hours
and more. While most
of these came from ru-
ral areas, at times,
even samples from
Ahmedabad Munici-
pal Corporation were
being sent to Rajkot
and other centres.
Now, even with 61 lab-
oratories in place for
the tests, most tests
use RAT kits, which is
alarming.”
On avg, nCov infected 571, killed
18 daily for the past 5 months
AVERAGE RAINFALL v/s
MONSOON 2020
Region Annual Rainfall till
Average August 17
Gujarat State 831mm 641.76mm
Kutch Region 412mm 545mm
North Gujarat Region 719mm 405mm
East-Central Guj Region 819mm 508mm
Saurashtra Region 677mm 762mm
South Gujarat Region 1,447mm 1,003mm
(million cubic metre)
SARDAR SAROVAR DAM
Chief Minister Vijay Rupani
Testing in progress in Ahmedabad.
KARJAN DAM BHADAR DAM
AJWA DAM

GUJARATAHMEDABAD | TUESDAY, AUGUST 18, 2020
Masuma Bharmal Jariwala
Rajkot: The country’s
first Ayurvedic COV-
ID-19 Care Centre has
been established in
Rajkot under the ae-
gis of the non-govern-
ment organization
(NGO) Shri Arvindb-
hai Maniyar Jankaly-
an Trust. The care
centre has also re-
ceived a stamp of ap-
proval from the state
government.
All claims about the
traditional Indian sys-
tem of Ayurveda and
Panchagavya medi-
cines working as immu-
nity boosters amid the
ongoing novel coronavi-
rus pandemic are well-
known but not scientifi-
cally proven. The care
centre will not only
treat mild and moder-
ately symptomatic
COVID-19 patients
through Ayurvedic and
Panchagavya medi-
cines but also conduct
clinical research based
on allopathy guidelines.
The centre was
launched by Chief Min-
ister Vijay Rupani on
Sunday and officially
opened its doors on
Monday.
Speaking on the occa-
sion Rupani said, “With
this ongoing pandemic,
people world over have
accepted the fact that
immunity development
plays an important role
in fighting against such
a virus. We know that
there is no medicine for
COVID-19. All we can do
is bolster our immunity,
which will be further
facilitated by the prohi-
bition of liquor and us-
age of traditional meth-
ods in the state.”
“Today, we have a
lower number of active
cases in the state. Ayur-
vedic ukala and home-
opathy medicines have
benefited the people.
The Dhanvantri Rath
experiment has been
successful and even the
World Health Organiza-
tion (WHO) has ac-
knowledged it. Ayurve-
da has the answer to
COVID-19 but, we have
lagged behind due to
dearth of systematic ef-
forts,” he added.
Dr Vallabh Kathiria,
Chairman of the NGO,
said, “The care centre is
a 90-bed facility where
mild and moderately
symptomatic patients
who need isolation but
do not require hospi-
talization but will be
treated. They will be
administered Ayurve-
dic and Panchagavya
medicines with 24
hours medical care. The
per day tariff is Rs3,500
for twin-sharing pa-
tients and Rs4,500 per
day for single-room oc-
cupancy, including food
and medical facilities.”
India’s first Ayurvedic nCov Care Centre set up in Rajkot
GOING BACK TO ROOTS
DrVallabh Kathiria (centre) at the launch of theAyurvedic COVID-19
Care Centre in Rajkot.
  
Patients with
mild and mod-
erate symp-
toms will be
treated at the
centre, allopa-
thy doctors to
conduct clini-
cal research of
the traditional
remedies
Only 91 out of 2,022 hospitals in A’bad hold fire NOC; most staff not trained to combat fire; court orders top postholders to file response
HCslamsgovtforlackoffire
safetymeasuresinhospitalsFirst India Bureau
Ahmedabad: The
state high court on
Monday pulled up the
state government for
not including munici-
pal corporation areas
under the Gujarat
Fire Prevention and
Life Safety Measures
Act. The court while
orally observing the
recent Shrey Hospital
fire incident as sad,
issued notices to the
State Chief Secretary
Anil Mukim, Secre-
tary Urban Develop-
ment Mukesh Puri,
Ahmedabad Munici-
pal Commissioner
Mukesh Kumar and
Chief Fire Officer
( A h m e d a b a d )
Mehrnosh Dastoor
asking them to file a
response.
The principal bench
comprising Chief Jus-
tice Vikram Nath and
Justice JB Pardiwala
has been hearing a pub-
lic interest litigation
(PIL) filed by advocate
Amit Panchal. The
matter came up for
hearing, and CJ Nath
made stern remarks
over the poor manage-
ment of fire safety
measures at hospitals
across the state. He also
termed keeping munic-
ipal corporation areas
out of the Gujarat Fire
Prevention and Life
Safety Measures Act, ‘a
serious issue’.
Commenting on the
issue, Chief Justice
Nath said that the im-
plementation of the Act
was a fraud with the
people of the state. He
also questioned the fire
safety training of staff-
ers in hospitals across
the state. “If a fire
breaks out and they are
not trained to combat it,
or the fire safety equip-
ment is not functional,
who will be held respon-
sible for that?” ques-
tioned the judge.
Notably, out of a total
of 2,022 hospitals in the
city of Ahmedabad,
only 91 have a proper
fire No Objection Cer-
tificate (NOC). The
court raised concern
about this discrepancy
and questioned the log-
ic behind letting hospi-
tals operate without a
fire NOC. It asked the
local civic body
Ahmedabad Municipal
Corporation (AMC) to
file a detailed report on
the issue.
The court will pass a
detailed order with que-
ries on which the mu-
nicipal corporation as
well as the state will be
required to file answers.
Will step up to help
Surtis fight nCov: State
First India Bureau
Ahmedabad: The
state government
has assured the
state high court
that it would “do
whatever is re-
quired to provide
better medical ser-
vices to the people
of Surat.” It also
said, “If there are
any shortcomings,
we will try to over-
come them.”
The court is hear-
ing a public interest
litigation (PIL) filed
by the Surat Citizens
Council Trust. Ac-
cording to the peti-
tioner, people have
not been receiving
adequate medical ser-
vices even amid the
COVID-19 pandemic.
The petition also
mentioned that peo-
ple have also not been
following social dis-
tancing in Surat.
The state govern-
ment also informed
the court that dia-
mond unit owners in
the city who had reo-
pened their units in
haste had failed to
maintain social dis-
tancing thereby trig-
gering a spike in
COVID-19 cases.
In the last week of
July, the Surat Citi-
zens Council Trust
had filed a PIL com-
plaining about medi-
cal shortcomings and
rigid policy of health
insurance companies
not to provision cash-
less policy for novel
coronavirus patients.
The petition had
also elaborated on the
difficulties people
had to undergo due to
the non-existence of
a cashless policy at
hospitals. The peti-
tioner and Council
Trust president
Sharad Kapadia also
raised the issue of ill-
equipped hospitals
and poor medical fa-
cilities as well as
shortage of adequate
equipment. He also
raised the issue of
discrepancy in death
toll data released by
the state health de-
partment and the on-
ground number of
bodies disposed of
under the COVID-19
protocol.
In its response to
the petition, the state
had last week stated
that local authorities
and its health team
were doing enough to
control the spread of
the virus in the city.
In July, the Surat
Citizens Council
Trust had filed a PIL
complaining about
medical shortfalls
and rigid policies of
insurance firms
BJP leader hosts public event,
gets infected but faces no action
First India Bureau
Gandhinagar: There
have been no legal re-
percussions to the
public Janmashtami
celebrations hosted in
Rajkot district by
BJP’s Porbandar MP
Ramesh Dhaduk and
his family, even after
three members of the
family tested positive
for Sars-CoV-2.
Local leaders say the
family celebrated the
festival in a big way
since it was the first one
for Dhaduk’s grandson.
“They held a small
procession, in which the
grandson was made
Krishna, and an event
was organized in
Gondal,” one person
who witnessed the event
toldFirstIndia.Thisper-
son also alleged that Gu-
jarati folk singers were
alsoinvitedfortheevent,
which was attended by
more than 50 people.
“Yet, district authorities
did not take any action
under the Epidemic Dis-
eases Act or the Disaster
Management Act,” the
person said.
Dhaduk’s son, who is
a doctor, tested positive
on Sunday; the MP and
his daughter-in-law test-
ed positive on Monday.
Overthepast24hours,
thestatehastested45,540
samples, and now has
14,435activecases.Sixty-
nine patients are on ven-
tilator support. Fifteen
patients died: three each
inSuratandAhmedabad,
two each in Morbi, Ra-
jkot, Vadodara and
Bhavnagar, and one in
Gir-Somnath.
Surat’sNewCivilHos-
pital is treating 316 pa-
tients,of whom18areon
ventilators, 51 are on Bi-
PAP machines and 173,
on oxygen. SMIMER is
treating 191 patients, of
whom 16 are on ventila-
tors,37,onBiPAPand89,
on oxygen. Vadodara
tested 1,640 samples, of
which 109 came back
positive. Other cases
have come from
Ahmedabad(158),Rajkot
(92),Jamnagar(44),Gan-
dhinagar (32), Panchma-
hal and Bhavnagar (29
each),Amreli(28),Morbi
(22), and Junagadh and
Patan (21 each).
A medic takes a sample as part of the Ahmedabad Municipal
Corporation’s ramped up testing in residential societies.
3 found dead in Barda
Wildlife Sanctuary
First India Bureau
Porbandar: Porbandar
police found three bod-
ies at the Barda Wild-
life Sanctuary on Mon-
day morning. The po-
lice have identified the
victims as a female
forest beat guard, her
schoolteacher hus-
band and a forest daily
wage worker, who had
all been missing since
Saturday afternoon.
After receiving the
missing persons’ com-
plaint on Saturday, Por-
bandar Police and forest
departmentofficialshad
been searching for Hetal
Rathod, her husband
Kirti Rathod and Na-
garbhai,thedailywager.
According to reports, all
three had been on duty
in the sanctuary on Sat-
urday following which
they disappeared.
On Monday morning,
the car taken by the trio
whileondutywasfound
abandoned near God-
hana Kundaraval. After
conducting a thorough
search of the sanctuary,
police discovered their
dead bodies. They have
been sent to Porbandar
for post mortem and the
police have initiated an
investigation into the
deaths. Hetal’s father
Govindbhai Solanki
had lodged a missing
complaint of his preg-
nant daughter and her
husband.
2 women held for
stealing `9.9 lakh
from BJP MP’s son
First India Bureau
Ahmedabad: City
police arrested two
sisters on Monday
after cracking a
burglary case with-
in hours. The wom-
en are accused of
having burgled
Rs9.90 lakh in cash
and gold jewellery
from real-estate de-
veloper Chirag
Solanki, the son of
BJP MP Kirit
Solanki.
Ranip Police In-
spector JB Khamb-
halia told the media
that Chirag, in his
complaint, had al-
leged that Jaya
Vaghela and Rita
Vaghela who worked
for him as domestic
help were the only
people to have access
to his digital locker,
in addition to him-
self and his wife.
“Some time back,
there was a technical
issue with the digital
locker, so we began to
use keys to manually
open and lock it,
rather than the pass-
code. The two sisters
knew that we had
stored the keys to the
locker in the cup-
board,” the com-
plaint said.
Inspector Khamb-
halia added that—ac-
cording to the com-
plaint—a few days
ago, Chirag’s wife
had brought some or-
naments and cash,
and put these into
the locker. The fami-
ly got the locker re-
paired and Chirag
generated a new
passcode. Yet, on Au-
gust 5, when his wife
opened the locker,
she and her husband
discovered that the
gold ornaments and
cash were missing.
The two sisters
accused of the
burglary work as
domestic help
Forest beat guard Hetal Rathod and her husband Kirti Rathod.
‘SERIOUS ISSUE’
With 1,033 fresh
cases, 15 deaths in
24 hours, the state
has now seen
79,816 cases and
2,802 fatalities.
SURAT STILL LEADS IN NEW CASES
—PHOTO BY HANIF SINDHI

G Vol 1 G Issue No. 262 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 | TUESDAY, AUGUST 18, 2020
n the English textbook, under
the NCERT syllabus, there is
a chapter ‘The last lesson’
written by a noted French
writer Alphonse Daudet. The
lesson opens with a premise
that during World War II,
Nazi Germany had passed an
order to discontinue teaching
French in all schools and had
made the teaching of the Ger-
man language mandatory. A
French boy Franz who, per
se, did not have any distinct
emotions towards his mother
tongue, however, attended his
last French class only to val-
ue his culture. He very well
understood that a country
can be totally annihilated
when its culture is attacked
and demolished, its religious
sites are destroyed, its Gods
are discredited and its lan-
guage is suspended.
Unfortunately for many
years, in India, while we
taught our children the im-
portance of other cultures
and allowed them to read
chapters on different cultures
writtenbyforeignauthors;we
didn’t highlight the attempts
that were being made to de-
molish our own culture. The
biggest attempt was the raz-
ingof theRamTempleinAyo-
dhya. The demolition of Ram
Mandir by the marauding
hoard from Central Asia un-
der Babur was an attempt to
do all of the above, to decapi-
tate the philosophy, legacy,
teachings, rules, and actions
of our ancestors. But despite
all attempts to extinguish the
spark of pride and respect for
our culture, the cultural DNA
of the country has not only
survived but prospered.
The Bhoomi Pujan of Ram
Mandir is the catalyst for the
ignition of cultural revival
in India, the sacrificial fire
where the incantations for
Indian’s cultural re-emer-
gence will be chanted.
To comprehend how Lord
Ram plays a central character
in the cultural DNA of the
country can be understood
with the help of a statement
from Adi Parva 1.1 in Mahab-
harat, “The lamp of history
destroys the darkness of igno-
rance”. Indeed, conquering
armies and sultanates alike
had tried to obfuscate Lord
Ram from people’s memories,
but luminaries like Tulsidas,
Kalidasa, Kabir, and numer-
ous Vaishnavite Goswamis
and devotees kept him alive.
To understand Ram is to un-
derstand the role that a man
has to play for society, to un-
derstandRamistounderstand
the art of running a country,
to understand Ram is to un-
derstandtheroleof dutiesand
rights in our lives. Lord Ram
is a symbol of fortitude, Lord
Rama is a symbol of grace.
Lord Ram is the ultimate Kar-
ma Yogi, this was expounded
centuriesagobyLordKrishna
on the plains of Kurukshetra
during the Mahabharata.
In an age where conversa-
tions around mental health
have gathered momentum
like never before, the example
of Lord Ram is an example of
not letting external factors
disrupt what you can control,
i.e. your reaction to those con-
ditions. When faced with ad-
versity during this Corona
Pandemic, this lesson from
Lord Ram’s life is even more
important, to not let adversity
disrupt our sense of service
and empathy towards the
most impoverished popula-
tion in our country. If we need
to understand why we are the
only Pre-Bronze civilization
to exist today, we have to ac-
knowledgetheroleof temples
in our lives. In Hinduism,
temples were not only centres
of worship,buttheywerealso
the centres of life, they were
centres of learning, the cen-
tres of philosophies from
which vast swathes of areas
and people were governed. Be
it the Sangam literature in
the south or Shaivism in the
Kashmir, every way of life
emerged from temples, thus
thedesecrationof LordRam’s
temple meant the demolition
of culture in the entire Indo-
Gangetic plain but it was be-
cause of greats like Tulsidas,
Kabir and later Mahatma
Gandhi who with their devo-
tion kept him alive.
Lord Ram gave the founda-
tions on which Indian Inde-
pendence struggle was
fought, the chants of “Raghu-
pati Raghav Raja Ram” and
“Vaishanva jana” reverber-
ated in Sabarmati Ashram
and reinvigorated the Indian
spirit. Through his penance
for killing Ravan, Lord Ram
taught us to hate someone’s
quality but never someone, a
tall testimony in times of rac-
ism and casteism. Lord Ram
shows us the way in the most
simple manner to respect
women. In the tradition of
Vaishnavism,thewife’sname
precedes the name of the hus-
band as a reminder of who is
more important, it always
Sita Ram, it is always Radhe
Shyam, the place where Lord
Jaganath resides is called Sri
Mandir or the temple of the
wife. Nothing belongs to God;
everything belongs to the
Goddess. From salutations
“Ram Ram” to death “Ram
Nam Satya hain”, Lord Ram
is an essential part of this
Country’s conscience.
Lord Ram will not only in-
vigorate the spiritual pulse
of the nation but also the
Economic pulse of the coun-
try. According to a study by
the Centre for Development
Studies, nearly 55% of Hin-
dus and 72% of Sikhs went to
a religious place in 2019. With
the construction of the great
Ram Mandir, every Indian
will yearn to visit Ayodhya,
this will change the econom-
ic landscape of the place.
Lord Ram’s capital will be
the epicenter of Indian tour-
ism and economic activity in
the years to come.
The story goes that as Lord
Hanuman was denied per-
mission by Valmiki to listen
to the Ramayan, he instruct-
ed the saint to be born as Tul-
sidas so that Ramayan can be
written in simple and easy to
understand language and no
Ram Bhakt like him will
miss a chance to listen to the
great epic. A similar miracle
is happening once again,
Lord Ram is once again ac-
cessible to everyone. When
the doors to the temple open,
Millions will rush to em-
brace the Lord and the Lord
will grace us with his pres-
ence, this is a dream that
many of our ancestors saw
but couldn’t see it happen in
their lifetime. We indeed are
the more fortunate ones who
have the opportunity to wit-
ness the Lord get reinstated
in his glorious abode.
THE VIEWS EXPRESSED BY
THE AUTHOR ARE PERSONAL
RAM MANDIR: THE TEMPLE OF
INDIAN CULTURAL RE-EMERGENCE
I
Lord Ram will
not only
invigorate the
spiritual pulse
of the nation
but also the
Economic pulse
of the country.
According to a
study by the
Centre for
Development
Studies, nearly
55% of Hindus
and 72% of
Sikhs went to a
religious place
in 2019
Bhoomi Pujan of Ram
Mandir is the catalyst
for the ignition of
cultural revival in India,
the sacrificial fire
where the incantations
for Indian’s cultural
re-emergence will
be chanted
GAJENDRA SINGH
SHEKHAWAT
The writer is Union Jal Shakti
Minister, Government of India
ussia’s an-
n o u n c e m e n t
that a fast-
tracked Cov-
id-19 vaccine is
registered there, with plans
for quick distribution in
the general population this
fall, is being condemned by
scientists worldwide.
Findings from scientific
studies of this vaccine,
named “Sputnik V,” are not
available.
Large safety and efficacy
trials are only now getting
underway. But despite only
two months of preliminary
testing in people, Russian
President Vladimir Putin
called the vaccine “quite ef-
fective” and it has received
regulatory approval.
In other places, notably
the United States, China
and the European Union,
even as researchers rush to
develop vaccines, they con-
tinue to publish studies of
these vaccines at a more
measured pace than is hap-
pening in Russia.
As an epidemiologist
who studies vaccine hesi-
tancy and vaccine-prevent-
able disease, I am con-
cerned about this news
from Russia.
After essential workers
and high-risk groups are
vaccinated, I would want to
beamongthefirstinlinefor
an approved Covid-19 vac-
cine, but the medical re-
search system must make
sure any vaccine is safe and
effectivebeforedistributing
it to the population at large.
CLINICAL TRIALS HAVE
A VALUABLE ROLE
Before any drug, vaccine
or medical device is li-
censed for use in the gen-
eral population, it needs to
go through several rounds
of large-scale testing.
These studies are de-
signed to make sure the
intervention is safe and ef-
fective, and to understand
what the appropriate dos-
age will be.
Under normal condi-
tions, the research re-
quired to bring a vaccine to
market can take decades.
For example, before the
HPV vaccine was licensed
in the US in 2006, a phase III
clinical trial enrolled 18,644
participants in 2004-2005, a
phase II clinical trial had
enrolled 1,113 participants
in 2000, and the laboratory
studies that led to a vaccine
candidate had been pub-
lished in the early 1990s.
In the face of the corona-
virus pandemic, scientists
around the globe are focus-
ing their efforts on develop-
ingaCovid-19vaccine.They
are working at an unprece-
dented pace to move
throughthenecessaryclini-
cal trials to end up with a
safe and effective vaccine.
One of the most time-con-
suming parts of clinical tri-
alsisenrollingparticipants,
andpharmaceuticalcompa-
nies have sped up this pro-
cess by lining up volunteers
early, obtaining important
baseline data from them
evenbeforeavaccinecandi-
date is available.
An untested vaccine
would not just harm the
people vaccinated. If nega-
tive perceptions about the
safety or efficacy of a Cov-
id-19 vaccine spread
throughout the population,
it could limit how many
people are willing to get
the shot and perpetuate
disease transmission.
Hasty rollout of a Cov-
id-19 vaccine could prime
people not only to not trust
the Covid-19 vaccine, but
also to doubt vaccination
and public health systems
as a whole.
FOR FULL REPORT LOG ON TO
WWW.THECONVERSATION.COM
Why scientists are distrustful of Russia’s vaccine
R
Before any
vaccine is
licensed for use in
the general
population, it
needs to go
through several
rounds of large-
scale testing
We’re kept from our goal
not by obstacles, but by a
clear path to a lesser goal.
—Bhagavad Gita
Spiritual
SPEAK
Top
TWEET
Dr. Ramesh Pokhriyal Nishank
@DrRPNishank
#NEP aims to establish National
Research Foundation (#NRF)
to enable a culture of research
to permeate through our
universities. Thank you @pknanda
ji for such an insightful article on
#NEP. #NEPTransformingIndia.
Anand Sharma
@AnandSharmaINC
Sad to learn about the death
of former India opener, former
Parliamentarian and UP Minister
Chetan Chauhan. I would fondly
remember the time we spent
playing cricket against each other
in Lok Sabha Vs Rajya Sabha
matches. My deepest condolences
to the family. Om Shanti.
A 3D image of the proposed Ram Mandir at Ayodhya.

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New Delhi: Former
Congress chief Rahul
Gandhiandpartyleader
Priyanka Gandhi Mon-
day slammed the Yogi
Adityanath government
in Uttar Pradesh, alleg-
ing that incidents of
caste violence and hate
crimes against women
havebecomerampantin
the state.
Referring to the kill-
ing of a Dalit village
head in Azamgarh’s
Basgaon, Rahul Gandhi
alleged that in UP the
“jungle raj” of caste vi-
olence and rape is
“peaking”.
“Now another terri-
ble incident – Sarpanch
Satyamev, being a Dalit,
said ‘no’ due to which he
was killed. Condolences
to the family of Satya-
mev Ji, he tweeted.
The UP police has in-
voked the National Se-
curity Act against four
people in connection
with the village head’s
killing, which triggered
a mob violence. Bas-
gaon village pradhan
Satyamev, who be-
longed to a Scheduled
Caste community, was
shot dead last week. Po-
lice officials said he
was killed by people
who knew him — they
were reportedly talking
to him around 500 me-
tres from his home and
suddenly opened fire.
Priyanka Gandhi also
hit out at the UP govern-
ment over the issue of
women’s security in a
Facebook post in Hindi.
“Bulandshahr,Hapur,
Lakhimpur Kheri and
now Gorakhpur. Such
repeated incidents have
proven that the Uttar
Pradesh government
has completely failed in
providing security to
women,” she said, refer-
ringtoreportsof crimes
against women in the
aforementioned areas.
She further said
there is no fear of law
in the minds of crimi-
nals in the state, adding
that gruesome inci-
dents of crime against
women are taking place
as a result.
Priyanka alleged the
police & administration
are neither able to pro-
vide security nor take
appropriate action.
“The UP government
should review the law-
and-order system &
take every step to enure
safety of women,” she
said. The state dispen-
sation has denied Con-
gress’ allegation that
the law-and-order situa-
tion is deteriorating in
Uttar Pradesh under
the BJP rule. —PTI
Rahul Gandhi should realise
that he wouldn't come to power
by degrading BJP instead he
must try to gain the confidence
of the people in his own party.
—NV Subhash, Telangana BJP leader
INDIAAHMEDABAD | TUESDAY, AUGUST 18, 2020
RAHUL, PRIYANKA SLAM YOGI GOVT
New Delhi: Some 100
Congress leaders have
written to Sonia Gandhi
asking for a change in the
political leadership and
transparent elections in
theparty,suspendedlead-
er Sanjay Jha claimed in
atweetthatwaspromptly
rubbished by the party.
The Congress alleged
that the “non-existent let-
ter” was an attempt to
divert attention from the
Facebook controversy
and was being circulated
by ‘BJP stooges.’
Sanjay Jha was sacked
as spokesperson of the
Congresslastmonthafter
he publicly criticised the
party in the turmoil over
Sachin Pilot's revolt.
“It is estimated that
around 100 Congress
leaders, distressed at the
state of affairs within the
party, have written a let-
ter to Mrs Sonia Gandhi,
Congress President, ask-
ing for change in political
leadership and transpar-
ent elections in CWC.
Watch this space,” he
tweeted.
Congress denied it.
“There is no such letter
written by Congress
members or MPs and the
individual in question is
doing this at the behest
of BJP to deflect issue
from BJP & its linkage
with Facebook,” Con-
gress spokesperson Ran-
deep Surjewala retorted.
Cong ‘dissenters’ write to Sonia
Gandhi? Party slams Jha’s claim
Baramulla: Two troop-
ers of CRPF and a Spe-
cial Police Officer of
J&K Police were killed
in a militant attack in
north Kashmir’s Bara-
mulla district. Later
two militants, who were
involved in terror
strikes, were also killed
in an encounter with
the security forces.
Police said a group of
militants targeted the
security forces’ joint pa-
trol party at Watergam
Kreeri, where three per-
sonnel were wounded
and succumbed to their
injuries at a hospital.
Vijay Kumar, IGP, Kash-
mir, said three mili-
tants, who were hiding
in an apple orchard,
came out & started fir-
ing indiscriminately on
joint patrol party on
Monday morning.
“In the firing, two CRPF
jawans, & an SPO of
J&K Police were killed.
Soon, forces launched
an operation against
militants.” It is believed
that militants were af-
filiated to LeT —ANI
New Delhi: SC Colle-
gium headed by CJ SA
Bobde has approved
proposals to elevate cer-
tain judicial officers &
advocates as Judges of
the High Courts of Al-
lahabad, Kerala & Guja-
rat. Chief Justice Bob-
de, & Justices NV Ra-
mana, Arun Mishra, RF
Nariman & UU Lalit
make up the Collegium.
In a meeting held on
August 14, the Collegi-
um recommended ele-
vation of judicial offic-
ers Subhash Chand,
Sanjay Kumar Pachori,
Subhash Chandra Shar-
ma, & Saroj Yadav as
Judges of Allahabad
HC. Advocates Ziyad
Rahman & Murali Pu-
rushothaman, & judi-
cial officers Dr Kauser
Edappagath & Karuna-
karan Babu as Judges
of Kerala HC.
Advocates Nirzarku-
mar Sushilkumar De-
sai, Vaibhavi Devang
Nanavati, and Nikhil
Shreedharan Kariel
will be promoted as
Judges of Gujarat HC.
J&K: 3 jawans killed
in terror attack
SC recommends to
elevate judges at 3 HCs
New Delhi: Ankhi Das,
public policy director
of Facebook India, has
submitted a written
complaint to the Delhi
Police Cyber Cell, in
which she has alleged
that a number of people
have been issuing “vio-
lent threats against my
life and body through
online posting/publish-
ing of content”. An FIR
is yet to be registered. A
senior Delhi Police of-
ficer said, “The com-
plaint has been received
and the matter is under
inquiry.”
Das has alleged that
the threats are in rela-
tion to The Wall Street
Journal article, titled
“Facebook hate speech
rules collide with Indi-
an politics,” which was
published on August 14.
FB policy head Ankhi Das files
complaint against ‘violent threats’
Case tally rises to over
26.47 lakh in IndiaNew Delhi: With
57,981 new cases, In-
dia's COVID-19 tally
rose to 26,47,663 on
Monday, while the
death toll due to the
disease crossed the
50,000-mark with 941
fresh fatalities, accord-
ing to the Union health
ministry.
The number of peo-
ple who have recovered
from the disease went
up to 19,19,842 in the
country, pushing the re-
covery rate to 72.51 per
cent, according to
health ministry data
updated at 8 am.
The number of tests
for detection of COV-
ID-19 also crossed the
three crore-mark in the
country, according to
the Indian Council of
Medical Research
(ICMR). The death toll
due to COVID-19
climbed to 50,921 with
941 people succumbing
to the disease in a span
of 24 hours. The case
fatality rate has de-
clined to 1.92 per cent.
There are 6,76,900 active
COVID-19 cases in the
country currently.
According to the
ICMR, a total of
3,00,41,400 samples were
tested for COVID-19 in
the country till August
16, including 7,31,697 on
Sunday. —PTI
19,19,842 PEOPLE HAVE RECOVERED
New Delhi: Days ahead
of Ganesh Chaturthi,
Bahrain authorities
have initiated legal ac-
tion against a 54-year-
old woman for breaking
several Lord Ganesha
idols and “defaming a
sect” in a supermarket
in Manama’s Juffair.
In a video that has
gone viral on social me-
dia, the woman is seen
shouting at a salesman
while lifting the idols
from a shelf and slam-
ming them on the floor.
The Ministry of Inte-
rior, Bahrain said that
thewomanwasreferred
to Public Prosecution.
“Capital Police took le-
gal steps against a wom-
an, 54, for damaging a
shop in Juffair and de-
faming a sect and its
rituals, in order to refer
her to the Public Prose-
cution,” it tweeted. The
woman, speaking in
Arabic, is heard pur-
portedly saying “this a
Muslim country”. Roy-
al advisor Ahmed Al
Khalifa condemned it.
Govt takes
action against
woman for
breaking idols
Lucknow: A 17-year-
old Dalit girl was alleg-
edly kidnapped and
gang-raped in eastern
Uttar Pradesh’s Gora-
khpur district on Fri-
day. Her body was
singed with cigarette
butts by the two men
who raped her, said the
girl’s mother.
On Sunday, the police
arrested Arjun Nishad
and his associate Ma-
hesh Yadav alias Chot-
tu, who are now being
sent to jail.
Shyam Deo Bind, Dy
Superintendent of Po-
lice, Gola, said, the po-
lice have registered an
FIR on the charge of
kidnapping, rape
against the duo under
various sections of the
IPC and has also
charged them under
Protection of Children
from Sexual Offences
(POCSO) Act.
Girl, 17, gang-
raped, in
Gorakhpur; 2
arrested
SC gives...
The plea, filed by 11 stu-
dents belonging to 11
states,hadsoughtquash-
ing of the July 3 notices
issued by the National
Testing Agency (NTA),
by which it was decided
to conduct the Joint En-
trance Examination
(Main) April 2020 and
National Eligibili-
ty-cum-Entrance Test
(NEET)-Undergraduate
exams in September.
As per the public no-
tices issued by NTA,
JEE (Main) April 2020 is
scheduled from Septem-
ber 1-6, while NEET UG
2020 exam is scheduled
for September 13.
The plea, filed
through advocate Al-
akh Alok Srivastava,
had referred to
COVID-19 pandemic
and said authorities be
directed to conduct
these exams only after
normalcy is restored.
The plea had also
sought direction to the
authorities to increase
the number of examina-
tion centres. “Conduct-
ing the aforesaid exam-
ination across India at
such perilous time, is
nothing else but putting
lives of lakhs of young
students (including peti-
tioners herein) at ut-
most risk and danger of
disease and death. The
best recourse at this
stage can be to wait for
some more time, let
COVID-19 crisis subside
and then only conduct
these exams, in order to
save lives of the stu-
dents and their par-
ents,” the plea had said.
It had claimed that
NTA, which conducts
entrance exams for ad-
mission in higher edu-
cational institutions in
India, has decided to
conduct JEE (Main)
April-2020 through on-
line mode and NEET
UG-2020 exams through
offline mode at 161 cen-
tres across the country.
Music legend...
His performances of
classical and semi-clas-
sicalvocalshavebecome
albums and film
soundtracks. Jasraj has
taught music in India,
Canada and the US.
Prime Minister Nar-
endra Modi expressed
his condolences on the
demise of the legend-
ary singer and tweeted
saying, “Not only were
his renditions outstand-
ing, he also made a
mark as an exceptional
mentor to several other
vocalists.”
President Ram Nath
Kovind also expressed
his condolences and
posted that the revered
vocalist had “enthralled
people with soulful ren-
ditions.” Last year, a mi-
nor planet, between
Mars and Jupiter, has
been named after Pan-
dit Jasraj.
Our platform...
While we know there is
more to do, we’re mak-
ing progress on enforce-
ment and conduct regu-
lar audits of our pro-
cess to ensure fairness
and accuracy,” a Face-
book spokesperson
said. The comments
came as the ruling BJP
and opposition Con-
gress traded barbs over
Facebook’s alleged bias.
While BJP accused
thesocialmediagiantof
censoring nationalist
voices, opposition Con-
gress seized on a Wall
Street Journal report
that alleged that Face-
book’s content policies
favour the ruling party.
‘SIT formed,...
“A Special Investigation
Team has already been
formed to conduct a de-
tailed investigation in
the matter and a team
of three special prose-
cutors will be appointed
for speedy trial of the
cases. SIT will consider
invoking Goonda Act if
warranted,” he added
in a series of tweets.
Earlier in the day, one
more accused was ar-
rested in connection
with violence, said po-
lice. The accused has
been identified as Sami-
uddin.
“One Samiuddin was
detained in connection
with violence in DJ Hal-
li. It was found that he
was in touch with ac-
cused of RSS activist
Rudresh murder case
and Al-Hind members
for the past few years.
He will be taken into
custody and probe will
be done,” said Sandeep
Patil, Joint CP, Crime,
Bengaluru.
Beijing keen...
So, China stands ready
to work with India to en-
hance our political mu-
tualtrust,properlyman-
age our differences,
step-up practical coop-
eration and safeguard
the long-term develop-
ment of bilateral ties,
the spokesman added.
In his speech, Prime
Minister Modi also said
that “whether it is ter-
rorismorexpansionism,
India is fighting both
with determination.”
Referring to the Gal-
wan Valley clashes in
easternLadakhinJune,
the prime minister said
respect for India’s sov-
ereignty is supreme and
the world has seen in
Ladakh what its brave
jawans can do to main-
tain this resolve.
FROM PG 1
‘JUNGLE RAJ OF CASTE
VIOLENCE PEAKING IN UP’
COURTESY MEET
Comptroller and Auditor General of India Girish Chandra Murmu (L) calls on President Ram
Nath Kovind at Rashtrapati Bhavan in New Delhi. —PHOTO BY PTI
RANDEEP SINGH SURJEWALA
@rssurjewala
TO WHOM IT MAY CONCERN
“Special Misinformation Group on
Media-TV Debate Guidance” in its
what’sapp of today directed to run
the story of a non existant letter of
Congress leaders to divert atten-
tion from Facebook-BJP links. Of
course, BJP stooges have started
acting upon it.
TOLL BREACHES 50K MARK
There is no fear of
law in the minds of
criminals in the state,
adding that gruesome
incidents of crime
against women are
taking place as a result.
—Priyanka Gandhi Vadra
Congress General Secretary
Sanjay Jha
Ankhi Das
RAHUL GANDHI
@RahulGandhi
Now another terrible
incident – Sarpanch
Satyamev, being a
Dalit, said ‘no’ due to
which he was killed.
Condolences to the
family of Satyamev Ji.

TURQUOISE
Turquoise represents the Throat
Chakra. This is associated with
the thyroid and metabolism.
Anybody who has thyroid
their blue frequency is imbal-
anced. Looking from the psy-
chological aspect, most of
these ailing people are fe-
males. As they are suppres-
sive. These days even kids
are falling in this category.
During this Covid-19, the
frequency of colour is
getting disturbed. In-
crease in domestic vio-
lence has increased
the suppression
that lowers the
frequency and
makes the per-
son weak.
ORANGE
Orange is related to joy
and happiness and represents
the Sacral Chakra which is located 2-3
inches below the navel. It is the mind-
body chakra. This colour is associated
with reproduction, body parts like
adrenals and pleasure. If the orange fre-
quency is weak then the frequency of
creativity also goes down. People with
low orange frequency face infertility is-
sues. Their sexual desire may also de-
cline and even their water element is
weak. On the other hand, if the frequen-
cies are high the sexual desire is also
high. If you want to create anything
new either a project or a new life, the
colour orange is very important.
VIOLET
Violet It represents the Crown Chakra which is locat-
ed at the top of the head. It is associated with aware-
ness, higher consciousness and insight. It is the con-
nection between the internal and external world. All
those people who want to do meditation but are not
able to because of lack of connection and distrac-
tion are due to their low frequency of colour
violet. On the health front, these colours are
related to the cerebral and nervous systems.
RED
Red is a passionate and warm colour
which brings vitality and stimulates en-
ergy. It is the base colour representing
the root chakra, located at the base of
the spine. It is the basic frequency con-
nected to the Earth. If the red frequency
is excessively high then that person is
over-confident in every aspect of life. If
the red frequency is low, then that per-
son lives in fear. A suicidal tendency may
also come into the picture if the red fre-
quency is on the lower side.
GREEN
Green represents the
Heart Chakra. It’s associ-
ated with body parts like the
heart and lungs. Since the colour is as-
sociated with the heart so all related is-
sues like peace, harmony, calmness and
the feeling of lack of love can be sorted
with this colour. This colour is known for
its balanced healing properties. People
with low green frequency are very intro-
verted. They don’t want to mix with peo-
ple. If the frequency is in excess then the
person is called an extrovert. Both intro-
verts and extroverts don’t have harmony.
INDIGO
Indigo is all about vision. It represents
The Third Eye Chakra, located between
the eyebrows. This is associated with the
pituitary gland and influences our sleep
cycles, self-esteem, clarity, wisdom, and
intuition. This colour is good especially
for kids, to help increase their focus,
memory and concentration. On the
physical level, problems like headache
and weak eyesight are symptoms.
YELLOW
Yellow represents the Solar Plex-
us Chakra, located between the
navel and sternum. This bright
and cheerful colour can help
stimulate intelligence and
also detoxify the body and
mind and enhance the immu-
nity to heal ailing people.
Yellow colour indicates fire
and symbol of action. If the
yellow frequency is weak
then the ability to activate
our plans go down. If a
person gets easily anx-
ious it is because the
frequency of the
colour yellow is
imbalanced. Such
people also face
d i g e s t i v e
issues.
BESIDES THESE, TWO MORE COLOURS–
BLACK AND WHITE, HAVE AN AFFECT AND
ADD UP TO A TOTAL OF 9 COLOURS:
BLACK
It is the colour of absorption. Wear it
where you want to hide your personality.
WHITE
White is colour of reflection as well as
spirituality. It is also the colour of uni-
verse because white is source of all the
other colours. The universe started with
the white light and ends with black.
olours are
part of the
n a t u r a l
world and
they play a
major role in a way we
feel and react in various
circumstances. Colours
have various frequen-
cies that energise or
soothe us. Colour thera-
py or Chromotherapy is
the practice of getting
colours and their fre-
quencies to heal one
both physically and
emotionally.
The main objective of
colour therapy is to cor-
rect physiological and
psychological imbal-
ances in the human
body. There are nine
frequencies in the uni-
verse which have nine
colours. Each colour
has different physical
or psychological symp-
toms.
Dr Anju Sharma,
Psychic reformer,
Sound and Energy Mas-
ter and Founder of the
Musical Healing Band
“Sound of Infinity
Band”, speaks regard-
ing how an individuals
can reap the benefits of
each colour by applying
them in their life.
We have seven col-
ours and according to
Indian philosophy,
these seven colours rep-
resent the chakras that
are the centres of spir-
itual power and the en-
ergy field within our
bodies. The flow of en-
ergy in the human
body (and even in the
universe) moves up-
ward. Therefore,
when the chakras
move from its place
or become imbal-
anced colour thera-
py helps to bring
them back to its
point.
SOURCE: INTERNET
CONCEPT: DIVYA HEMNANI
DESIGN: CP SHARMA
TALKING POINTAHMEDABAD | TUESDAY, AUGUST 18, 2020
C
S
tart to wear that par-
ticular colour. If you
don’t want to wear a
particular colour then try to
keep that colour around you
so that your body can absorb
its frequencies. A particular
colour has various shades.
Therefore, wear those
shades that you connect
with. The same concept is
applied to gemstones as well.
If we see in psychological
perspective, your emotions
are also weak due to imbal-
anced colour frequency.
Water is considered as the
first medicine. Drinking wa-
ter helps your body. If we
infuse the frequencies of the
colour into water and then
consume, it will work won-
ders. Take fresh drinking
water in a glass bottle, wrap
it with the shade of the col-
our you connect with and
place it in the early morning
sun for around 2 hours. The
sun’s rays will have infused
the water with the colour
frequencies which you can
consume the entire day.
Avoid plastic bottles.
If you feel that all your
colour frequencies are dis-
turbed then start with the
red based frequency. This is
for survival instinct. Follow
it for 20-25 days then move
to the next colour in line –
orange. If people balance
the red frequency, the root
chakra, then 90 percent of
the problem is solved. Wear
those colours that connect
with you.
REMEDIES
TO CORRECT MISBALANCED COLOR
FREQUENCIES TRY THESE REMEDIES
HEALING
THROUGH
COLOURS
THERE ARE NINE FREQUENCIES IN THE UNIVERSE WHICH HAVE NINE COLOURS,
EACH COLOUR HAS DIFFERENT PHYSICAL OR PSYCHOLOGICAL SYMPTOMS

If you do not see the trifling
things through and
perfectly, how will you ever
have the confidence to see the
important things through.
—Jagdeesh Chandra, CEO & Editor, First India
AHMEDABAD | TUESDAY, AUGUST 18, 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: Guja-
rat Bharatiya Janata
Party President CR
Patil begins his
maiden visit to the
Saurashtra region
on Wednesday with a
visit to the Somnath
Temple. This region
promises to be a
challenge for Patil
for he is new there,
while the Congress
had caused major
upsets for the ruling
party here in the
2017 assembly elec-
tions.
Even as the party’s
State unit awaits reor-
ganisation and appoint-
ment of a new team for
long, Patil has decided
to first have personal
interactions with local
leaders and apprise
himself of the gound
situation.
He will start his
tour on an open jeep
from Sasan Gir on
Wednesday morning
and will be wel-
comed by workers at
Keshod, Vanthali
and other places. He
will then reach Som-
nath Temple and af-
ter offering prayers
there, will meet par-
ty leaders of the Gir
Somnath district,
State BJP vice-presi-
dent Gordhan Za-
daphia said. Patil
will then address
leaders of Junagadh
district.
And then on his way
to Rajkot on August 20,
he will visit the
Patidars’ place of wor-
ship, Khodaldham. Af-
ter Rajkot, he will be
traveling to Chotila,
Zanzarka, Dhandhu-
ka, Bagodara and Bav-
la, where he will meet
local leaders to get a
sense of the ground
situation.
The Saurashtra-
Kutch region has
been an invincible
fort of the BJP for
long until the 2017
polls shocker when
the Congress took 30
out of the 54 seats --
12 more than in 2012
-- despite Chief Min-
ister Vijay Rupani
and former BJP
chief Jitu Vaghani
belonging to this re-
gion. To regain this
lost ground will be a
challenge for Patil.
CR Patil to test Saurashtra waters for the first time
 New Gujarat
Bharatiya Jana-
ta Party Presi-
dent to visit the
party’s most
challenging
region ahead of
the reorganisa-
tion of the
State unit
GROUND ZERO
Mandvi in Surat received 249mm of rain in just 12 hours, making it the wettest part of Guj on Monday
Gargi Raval
Ahmedabad: Move-
ment of people and
commodities has
been adversely affect-
ed by the torrential
rain that has been
pelting the state over
the past few days. Ac-
cording to data re-
leased by the State
Emergency Opera-
tion Centre, as many
as 393 roads in 21 dis-
tricts have been hit
by the heavy rainfall.
These include two na-
tional highways--one
each in Anand and
Kutch--and 16 state
highways. The intra-
state road between Ta-
lala and Veraval is also
submerged, severing
the connection between
the two places.
Some parts of the
South Gujarat and
Kutch regions con-
tinue to witness
flooding and flood-
like conditions. Low-
lying areas in Navsa-
ri, Surat and Valsad
are already inundat-
ed with excess water
from the Purna and
Auranga rivers. Even
a police station in Su-
rat’s Kadodara GIDC
is flooded.
Across the state,
Mandvi in Surat re-
ceived the highest
rainfall--249mm in just
12 hours--between 6 am
and 6 pm on Monday. It
is followed by Dolvan
in Tapi, which received
205mm of rainfall dur-
ing the same time. As
on Monday, 177 talukas
had received rainfall
in the state.
The India Meteoro-
logical Department has
forecast heavy to very
heavy rainfall for the
state in the coming
days owing to rain sys-
tems that persist over
many parts.
There is a cyclonic
circulation over the
Gujarat region and
its neighbourhood be-
tween 2.1 km and 3.6
km above mean sea
level tilting south-
wards with height.
There is also another
low-pressure area
over northeast Mad-
hya Pradesh and the
adjoining areas of
North Chhattisgarh
and Southeast Uttar
Pradesh, with the as-
sociated cyclonic cir-
culation extending
up to 5.8 km above
mean sea level tilting
southwards with
height. This is very
likely to move west-
northwestwards and
weaken during the
next 24 hours. An
east-west shear zone
along 20°N latitude
across central India
between 4.5km and
7.6km above mean
sea level tilting south-
wards with height
also persists.
In addition, a fresh
low-pressure area is
likely to form over the
northern Bay of Ben-
gal region around Au-
gust 19. It is very likely
to become more
marked during the
subsequent 24 hours
and move westwards
gradually.
Rainstocontinueevenas400roads
remainclosedacrosstheState
Heavy rains lashed Ahmedabad on Monday night. —PHOTO BY HANIF SINDHI
IN SHORT
Guj cadre’s
Rakesh
Asthana is
new DG of BSF
FOUR ADVOCATES ELEVATED AS GUJ HC JUDGES
First India Bureau
New Delhi: Gujarat
cadre IPS officer
Rakesh Asthana has
been appointed as the
Director-General of
the Border Security
Force (BSF), accord-
ing to a Personnel
Ministry order issued
on Monday.
Asthana is at present
the Director-General of
Bureau of Civil Avia-
tion Security (BCAS) in
New Delhi.
He will continue as
DG BSF until July 31,
2021, the date of his su-
perannuation. A 1984
batch IPS officer, Astha-
na also holds the addi-
tional charge of DG,
Narcotics Control Bu-
reau (NCB). After hold-
ing sensitive posts in
Gujarat, Asthana was
moved to the CBI in
New Delhi. And later
transferred to BCAS.
First India Bureau
New Delhi: The Su-
preme Court Collegium
has approved the pro-
posal for elevation of
judicial officers and ad-
vocates as judges for
Gujarat and Allahabad
High Courts.
The Collegium,
headed by Chief Jus-
tice S A Bobde, recom-
mended elevation of
advocates, Vaibhavi
Devang Nanavati, Nir-
zarkumar Sushilku-
mar Desai and Nikhil
Shreedharan Kariel
as judges of the Guja-
rat High Court.
In a meeting held on
August 14, the Collegi-
um also recommended
four judicial officers --
Sanjay Kumar Pachori,
Subhash Chandra Shar-
ma, Subhash Chand,
and Saroj Yadav -- as
judges of the Allahabad
High Court.
The decision was
uploaded on the web-
site of the apex court.
Apart from CJI Bob-
de, Justices N V Ra-
mana, Arun Mishra,
R F Nariman and U U
Lalit are part of the
5-judge Collegium.
BASKING IN SUN
People enjoying themselves on their terrace as the sun set between a small break in the rains in Ahmedabad.
Five of family killed,
four hurt in mishap
near Nadiad
First India Bureau
Nadiad: Five mem-
bers of a family
were killed and 4
injured in a colli-
sion between a car
and a sports utility
vehicle (SUV) on
national highway
48 near Nadiad
town in Kheda dis-
trict on Sunday
night. The SUV
driver also sus-
tained injuries.
The 9 family mem-
bers, hailing from
Kalupur area of
Ahmedabad, were re-
turning from Anand
town after meeting
their relatives when
the speeding SUV
rammed into their
overburdened car
near Pij village on
the highway, Vaso po-
lice station’s inspec-
tor F A Pargi said.
Five car occu-
pants, including 2
children, died on
the spot while 4
other injured per-
sons were referred
to the civil hospi-
tal. The SUV driver,
Pramukh Patel,
who was the lone
occupant of his ve-
hicle, was also in-
jured and admitted
to a hospital, the
official said. The
deceased have been
identified as Seema
Shaikh (24), her
daughter Tanaaz
(4), parents Yakub
Shaikh (52) and
Kausar Banu (50),
and niece Inaya
Shaikh (9).
Surat reports 77% nCov
recovery rate in 3 days
Ruchi Thakar
Surat: For the third
day in a row, the num-
ber of Covid-19 pa-
tients discharged
from hospitals in Su-
rat city and its rural
areas surpassed the
fresh cases on Mon-
day. The total cases
reported by the city
and the district stood
at 17,730.
Against 340 pa-
tients discharged on
Monday, there were
243 new cases. The to-
tal number of dis-
charged people now
stands at 13,994. The
recovery rate in Surat
jumped to 77% as
against the national
rate of 71.61%.
Similarly, against 459
new cases on Saturday
and Sunday, 707 people
had recovered and gone
home in Surat city and
district. Twenty days
ago, the doubling rate
was 15 days and now it
is 45 days.
In fact, the fatalities
have also reduced to
single digit in Surat city
and rural areas, with 11
people succumbing to
the virus during the
last three days. This is
the lowest death num-
ber so far. On Monday, 2
persons died in the city,
taking the total fatali-
ties to 740.
The daily addition
of cases in Surat city
and rural areas
dropped below 250 for
the last 3 days after
reporting more than
this daily. The fall
started on August 15.
Municipal Commis-
sioner Banchhanidhi
Pani said “We have in-
creased the number of
tests significantly but
the daily additions
seem to have reduced.
The number of recov-
ered patients in the city-
district has increased
significantly and the
recovery rate has
reached 77%”.
Covid-19 recovery rate in Surat has increased to 77% with
improvement during the last three days.
Aggressive testing and Dhanwan-
tri rath have helped control the sit-
uation.
—Banchhanidhi Pani, Surat Municipal Commissioner
—PHOTO BY HANIF SINDHI
Gujarat BJP chief CR Patil

AHMEDABAD, TUESDAY
AUGUST 18, 2020
www.firstindia.co.in I www.firstindia.co.in/epaper/ I twitter.com/thefirstindia
facebook.com/thefirstindia I instagram.com/thefirstindia 09
TO SHOWORNOTTOSHOW?
CITY FIRST DIVES INTO A FEW QUERIES
ASKED BY OUR READERS ON THE CLEAVAGE!
he cleavage is being
flaunted and how!
You may take it as a
fashion choice or a femi-
nist statement, one thing
is clear you have to do it
with style. The cleavage
has been carelessly flaunted by
our rural women and ancestors
alike for centuries and by the elite
on the red carpet for decades but
now the common women have
started dipping the necklines and
undoing the buttons… and why
not?
Though let me tell you with the
cleavage and fashion have never
really gelled as breasts aren’t a
consideration for the high fashion
designers. Model figures are rare-
ly busty and so the silhouettes
presented either disguise, or often
ignore altogether, the bust.
But do keep in mind that there
are a few do’s and don’ts which
should be kept in mind so that the
look remains classy and does not
tip over to trashy.
The first and foremost is com-
fort and confidence, there is no
point in having a plunging neck-
line if you are conscious and keep
on tugging it up.
Youshouldbeclearthatcleavage
is about sex-appeal and are you
clear you want to tap into this pow-
er? Acknowledge the obvious.
Thesecondisthatintheworldof
cleavage- less is more! In a pro-
fessional environment, a dis-
creet cleavage gives the mes-
sage of feminine power where-
as too much show might be
perceived as sexual and un-
professional. Look at your-
self in the mirror and see
what your image communi-
cates. By the way, for a com-
pany party where we might
be dying to ‘show-off’ a sexi-
eravatar,it’sbesttojustundo
one button as it says, after all,
it is an official party.
For a night out in town with
your friends, you can play up
and flaunt your curves. As to
the how, you can go in for a
push-up bra with a plunging
neckline, remember, comfort
is the key.
You can always wear a low
hanging pendant to accentuate or
distract as the case may be.
A proper well-fitting bra is an
absolute necessity if you have any
plans to show off, though that is
necessary even otherwise.
T
ANITA HADA
anita.hada@firstindianews.com

10
ETCAHMEDABAD | TUESDAY, AUGUST 18, 2020www.firstindia.co.in I www.firstindia.co.in/epaper/ I twitter.com/thefirstindia I facebook.com/thefirstindia I instagram.com/thefirstindia
FACEOFTHEDAY
ASHI KHANNA, Content Creator
LEO
JULY 24 - AUGUST 23
You are a philosopher and
lots of your actions are
based on this trait. You will
devote a lot of time in fun
and entertainment. You have managed
to prepare well for your exams and
you will surely get good results.
Disapproval in domestic matters must
not happen rather sit and discuss.
LIBRA
SEPT 24 - OCTOBER 22
You may go for a new diet
which may not taste good
but will be extremely
beneficial for you. You will
be entertained by calls whole day.
Your mother may put you up to some
work. You have an excellent choice in
dressing and you stand out. Refrain
from any unnecessary expenditure.
ARIES
MAR 21 - APR 20
You must make efforts in
maintaining cordial terms
with even those you don’t
like on professional front.
You have the ability to win over any
one’s heart by your inbuilt skills and
make them agree on anything you
say. Right now all your stars is
supporting a big change in your life.
SAGITTARIUS
NOV 23 - DEC 22
Those unwell can expect a
quick recovery. You will
redecorate your house
today. Youngsters will spend
lot of time in studying something. Your
parents may need to see some
sincerity from your side to support
your dream. Professionally you leave
no stone unturned in impressing boss.
GEMINI
MAY 21 - JUNE 21
In life there are always ups
and down in life that
doesn’t mean that we stop
having hope in tough
times. Youngsters will spend a day
full of enthusiasm. You will get all the
love and attention from your lover.
Generating big profits must be your
priority at this moment.
AQUARIUS
JAN 21 - FEB 19
You may start a new
clothing business and your
spouse will be hundred
percent supportive. You are
stubborn when it comes to getting
things done your way. You sometimes
think differently than others and
become the odd one out. Special care
may be needed by house’s old people.
TAURUS
APR 21 - MAY 20
You will get lots of
appreciation from your
senior at work.
Overcoming challenges is
something no one can know better
than you. Make peace with people
who you haven’t talked with in a
while. Anyone undergoing any form
of training will do it successfully.
CAPRICORN
DEC 23 - JAN 20
You have to fight for your
right and don’t give up till
the very end. A friends
support is indicated by
your cards. Real estate business
men/women can sign a profitable
deal today. Control over a certain
segment of business in the market is
what makes you a known personality.
VIRGO
AUG 24 - SEP 23
You are a good parents
and always try an
understand your child’s
emotions. You value
people who cares for you and who
have stood by you when you need
them. Sometimes you have to take a
step back to take a step forward.
Your achievements speaks for you.
CANCER
JUNE 22 - JULY 23
You will realise your goal,
all you have to do is to
figure out how to reach it.
If you want something you
achieve it and nothing can beat that.
You have an awesome romantic life
and your lover always stand by you
no matter what. Unity is must
specially during the current times.
PISCES
FEB20 - MARCH 20
You need to workout
regularly if you
occasionally indulge in
eating junk food. You have
a balanced approach in life and you
can very well manage and priorities
things. You are a lucky person when
it comes to family. You miss the old
life and sometimes way too much.
SCORPIO
OCT 23 - NOVEMBER 22
You have a taste for art.
You are a pure soul. You
love to connect with
nature. Mutual liking
proliferates on romance front. You
will try hobby for a change You are a
fitness freak and in a very good
shape. Professionally you are doing
alright and you have a secure job.
YOUR
DAYHoroscope by
Saurabbh Sachdeva
ies have come to
dominate so
much of every
narrative that
this Devil’s Tro-
jan Horse is be-
ing glorified by
sexier euphemisms like
POST-TRUTH, ALT-
NEWS, OPINIONS,
DATA, etc. So much so
that Oxford Dictionary
named ‘post-truth’ as the
Word of the Year in 2016
when the likes of Trump
got to occupy seats of
power. In earlier times
marauding armies de-
moralised the enemy by
resorting to the most hei-
nous crime of rape. Such
physical plunder of the
soul of women left a per-
manent stain on the psy-
che of the people. Since
there does not exist the
concept of being UN-
RAPED, oceans of repa-
ration could not wash
this blot.
As a prime example,
Christopher Columbus
landed on the shores of
America 528 years back
and had the Native people
massacred and raped.
That sin created a wraith
of wrath that is haunting
the most powerful coun-
try for 5 centuries. This
year it manifested itself
in the ‘beheading’ of Co-
lumbus statues all over
the USA. In the modern
age, it is next to impossi-
ble for conquering ar-
mies to practice such de-
pravity. But as Evil has to
continue to find ways to
defile the Human soul, it
has begun to rape the
minds via another power-
ful weapon: LIES! Just as
a nation can rarely over-
come the shame of mass
rape, similarly nations
get demoralised by the
weapon of LIES!
Lies, spoken under
pelf, pressure or propa-
ganda rape the minds of
a populace and its spirit
is crushed for genera-
tions. There does not ex-
ist a truth detector, but lie
detectors are sold by the
millions. It is because lies
can be detected as they
shake up the inner soft-
ware of a human. Lies
can be detected via bodily
responses such as rising
blood pressure, change in
breathing pattern, faster
heartbeat, increased per-
spiration, nervous stress,
etc. This does not happen
only when wired to a pol-
ygraph. It happens each
time a lie singes the inner
kernel of your soul.
A person with a burnt
soul has no conscience.
Only whispering con-
sciences can prevent evil
acts, thus propelling evo-
lution! The price of living
in LIES is to be ruled by
evil men. And such false
Lords are not only evil in
themselves but infect the
souls of others. TRUTH,
on the other hand, is the
first outreach between
two humans. It creates
faith, then brotherhood,
and ultimately common
energy for growth. Truth
can walk away victorious
if lies are vanquished.
RAINU SINGH
cityfirst@firstindia.co.in
L
LIES - THE NEW RAPE

A
ustralian actor Elizabeth Debicki will
play Diana, Princess of Wales, in seasons
five and six of ‘The Crown,’ the Netflix
series announced on Sunday.
According to reports, the 29-year-old actor
will join a new cast for the series that in-
cludes Imelda Staunton as Queen Elizabeth,
Lesley Manville as Princess Margaret and
Jonathan Pryce as Prince Philip. Staunton
succeeds Olivia Colman and Claire Foy in the
role. Emma Corrin is playing Diana on the
drama’s upcoming fourth season, but
Debicki will take on the part for what’s
sure to be the character’s most dramatic
chapters.
Seasons five and six are ex-
pected to be the show’s final
seasons. However, the pre-
miere date of season four has
not been announced yet.
Debicki said on Twitter.
“Princess Diana’s spirit, her
words and her actions live in the
hearts of so many. It is my true privilege
and honour to be joining this masterful
series, which has had me hooked from
episode one.” The latest report states
that the Debicki is seen as a rising
star after a breakout perfor-
mance in Steve McQueen’s
‘Widows’. —ANI
Traditional
AVATAR
ollywood diva Malaika
Arora on Monday soared
temperatures as she chan-
nelled her traditional ava-
tar in a Manish Mal-
hotra’s designer lehenga
for a photoshoot.
The 46-year-old diva shared her
stunning pictures on Instagram, in
which she flaunted her lean figure
in a grey lehenga choli. In the pic-
ture, Malaika looks gorgeous as she
effortlessly poses in the designer
lehengabycelebrityfashiondesign-
er Manish Malhotra. In the picture,
the fitness enthusiast is seen sport-
ing the grey lehenga choli with de-
signer border and accessorised her
looks with minimal jewellery.
Malaika is seen sporting a mang
teeka with nude makeup and has
added emerald green bangles and
rings, which completed the glamor-
ous traditional look for the diva.
Along with the picture, she tagged
designer,Malhotraasshecaptioned
the picture. Later on, the designer
also shared a video and snap from
the photo-shoot.
With the post hitting the photo-
sharing platform, more than 1 lakh
netizens liked the traditional ava-
tar of the diva.
Malhotra also praised Malaika
in the comments section writing,
“stunning you in #Taban.” (along
with two red heart emojis).
Amrita Arora also chimed into
the comments section and left fire
and red heart emojis.
Of late, the mother of one has
been quite active on social media
and has been updating fans on her
activities by sharing pictures and
videos. Earlier, Malaika Arora
shared a glimpse of her yoga ses-
sion with her pet dog - Casper.
—ANI
B
With the post
hitting the photo-
sharing platform,
more than 1 lakh
netizens liked the
traditional avatar
of the diva.
W
ith the coronavi-
rus pandemic still
ongoing, many ce-
lebrities have
come forward to promote
wearing masks and spread-
ing awareness on why it’s
important to do so. Joining
the long list are Ryan Reyn-
olds and Blake Lively, who
have been doing their part in
aiding those affected by COV-
ID-19. This includes donating
USD one million to Feeding
America and Food Banks
Canada. Moreover, Lively
took to her Instagram Stories
recently to show off her and
Reynolds’ masks, which were
crafted by their three chil-
dren.
James, Inez, and Betty
showed off their designing
skills when they decorated
masks which were modelled
proudly by their parents.
Showing off the masks goof-
ily is everyone’s favourite
couple as Blake’s mask was
filled with yellow stars and a
small girl’s face while Ryan’s
mask com-
prised a
bunch of
different shapes and pat-
terns. What had fans cack-
ling was The Rhythm Section
star’s caption to the wacky
mask selfie which read as,
“We won’t embarrass them at
all in middle school.” We love
how the couple manages to
troll their kids like they do
each other!
—Agency
ETCwww.firstindia.co.in I www.firstindia.co.in/epaper/ I twitter.com/thefirstindia I facebook.com/thefirstindia I instagram.com/thefirstindia AHMEDABAD | TUESDAY, AUGUST 18, 2020
11
T
hanking India’s World Cup-
winning captain MS Dhoni
for all the incredible memo-
ries, actor Preity Zinta on
Monday shared a throwback pic-
ture with the former Indian skip-
per as she said that ‘You are and
always will be the coolest one.’
“The Helicopter has landed
but the ride will be unforgetta-
ble,” wrote the Kal Ho Naa Ho’
actor as she remembered the
Dhoni’s signature Helicopter
shot. The ‘Koi Mil Gaya’ star
put out to Twitter a throwback
picture that captured a light
moment between the two. In
the picture, Zinta is seen hold-
ing hand with the ‘Captain
Cool’ as they both share a
smile, amid the cricket field.
The picture seems to be taken
in between an IPL match as
Preity is seen sporting the
‘Kings XI Punjab’ team T-
shirt while Dhoni is seen
wearing the ‘Chennai Super
Kings’ T-shirt as he holds the
cricket protective helmet.
She continued to write in the
post, “Thank you @msdhoni for
alltheincrediblememories.You
are and always will be the cool-
est one. Wish you all the best in
life #Captaincool #Legend
#India’sfinest #ting.” —ANI
F
ilmmaker Nishikant
Kamant passed away
in Hyderabad on
Monday; he was be-
lieved to be suffering from
chronic liver disease.
Riteish Deshmukh, who
starred in the late filmmak-
er’s ‘Lai Bhaari’ shared on
twitter, “I will miss you my
friend. #NishikantKamat
Rest In Peace.”
Ajay Devgn, who had
starred in ‘Drishyam’
wrote, “My equation with
Nishikant was not just
about Drishyam, a film
which he directed with
Tabu and me. It was an as-
sociation that I cherished. He
was bright; ever-smiling. He has
gone too soon. RIP Nishikant.”
—ANI
NISHIKANT PASSES AWAY AT 50
MASK SELFIE
PZ THANKS
MAHI
PRINCESS
DIANA
Malaika Arora
... her post
Blake Lively and Ryan Reynolds
Elizabeth Debicki
Preity Zinta
... her post
Late Nishikant Kamant

12
CITY BUZZAHMEDABAD | TUESDAY, AUGUST 18, 2020www.firstindia.co.in I www.firstindia.co.in/epaper/ I twitter.com/thefirstindia I facebook.com/thefirstindia I instagram.com/thefirstindia
HAPPENINGS IN GUJARAT!
GUJARAT: People from the Parsi Community in Ahmedabad greeting each other as
they celebrate ‘Navroj’, Parsi new year outside the Parsi Agiyari Temple on Sunday,
as the temple is closed due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
GUJARAT: A
Digambar Jain
family was seen
getting blessings
from Lord Mahavir
Ji, as Paryushan
week started in the
Ahmedabad city
inside the Hutheesing
Jain Temple in
Ahmedabad on
Sunday.
GUJARAT: Food
packets, water,
medicine and other
necessary items
were distributed in
Limbayat Zone, Surat
on Saturday. 4 boats
were also sent by the
SMC Commissioner
for the same.
GUJARAT: Overflow of water occurred due to heavy rainfall in the Limbayat, Udhna
stretch of Surat, due to which the entire Mithikhadi was flooded. On Sunday, the
Unity Charitable Trust distributed water bottles, milk, biscuits here.
GUJARAT: People seen boating inside the Heritage Sarkhej Roja Lake in
Ahmedabad on Monday. The water level of the lake rose due to rainfall in the past
few days. —PHOTO BY HANIF SINDHI
—PHOTOS BY HANIF SINDHI
WHAT’S HAPPENING!
RAJASTHAN: Abhilasha Women’s
Welfare Society celebrated
Independence Day with Naya
Savera at Nirman Nagar. During the
occasion, sweets were distributed to
children.
RAJASTHAN: On the 74th Independence
Day, Shekhawati Horse Riding School, Sirsi
commemorated the day with their students.
National Coach Army 61 retired, Madan Singh
Shekhawat shared that the programme was
organised to motivate people during the
COVID-19 pandemic.
UTTAR PRADESH: On the occasion of 74th Independence Day, National
Secretary, AICC, Vivek Bansal hoisted the flag in the presence of various
Congress officials at Maris Road, Aligarh. Yameen Khan Meo recited poems
of love for the nation and enthused the party workers.
RAJASTHAN: The monthly ration was distributed to 20 families by Castelino Eye
Foundation in presence of Bishop Oswald Louis, who shared that the ration will
be distributed to these families for one year.
RAJASTHAN: The Secretary
of Department of Art & Culture,
Government of Rajasthan and Literary
Secretary, IAS Association, Mugdha
Sinha was seen in conversation with
Vedic Astrologer, Spiritual Counselor
and Theta Healer, Medha on a live
chat on the IAS Literary Society
Facebook page on Monday, where
Medha mentioned,“Astrology is like
your own user manual guide.”
RAJASTHAN:
FICCI Flo is all
set to launch
its ‘Ficci Flo
Mentorship Cell’
today, 18 August.
Flo Jaipur and
Flo Kanpur
have joined
their hands
together and are
stepping towards growth, empowerment. After
the launch, keynote speaker, Gunjan Jain will
be talking about ‘Mentoring: The Key Pillar to
Success’ in a webinar, to enlighten the members
on mentorship.
HAPPY B’DAY!
IAS Sushree Chinmayee
Gopal celebrated her birthday
on 17 August, Monday. We
wish her all the best!
T
he Indian Green Building Council
(IGBC), formed by CII in 2001, with
the support of Government, Archi-
tects, Corporate, Developers, Engi-
neers, Institutes and many other stakehold-
ers, has enabled India to become one of the
top 5 countries in the world in terms of the
built-up area of green developments. There
are 5,975 projects equivalent to 7.55 billion
sq ft which are adopting IGBC green rating
programmes.
PROUD MOMENT
WORLD SITAR
FESTIVALCITY FIRST
S
w a r a n j a l i ,
Pracheen Kala
Kendra and
Gunijankhana
organized the World
Sitar Festival, where
35 sitarists from 12
countries including
India, Sri Lanka, Ger-
many, Bangladesh,
Singapore, Japan,
United States and
Scotland among oth-
ers. The festival began
with the speech of the
chief guest Dinesh K
Patnaik, Director Gen-
eral) ICCR, Sajal Ko-
sar, Secretary,
Pracheen Kala Kend-
ra, Dr Ajit Pradhan, Founder of Navaras
School of Performing Arts, Akhilesh and
Rashmita Jha from Gunijankhana and Con-
venor of the Program. cityfirst@firstindia.co.in
THE UNIQUE GESTURECITY FIRST
S
tate Bank of India
Jaipur Circle cele-
brated the 74th Inde-
pendence Day in a
very unique way. On this oc-
casion, the Chief General
Manager of Jaipur Division
Amitava Chatterjee hoisted
the flag at the head office in
the city. The institution pro-
viding food to the needy
families provided assis-
tance of Rs 5 Lacs to Aksh-
aya Patra.
This month, 4 ventilators
were provided in the gov-
ernment hospitals in
Kota, Bikaner, Jodh-
pur, Udaipur and Al-
war, in Rajasthan, re-
spectively. Drought
relief ration materials
were also provided to 201
needy families by the bank
management.
General manager, Shiva
Om Dixit, Anuj Bhatnagar,
Circle Development
Officer Deshbandhu
Kataria and senior offi-
cials of the bank and their
family members attended
the ceremony, following the
norms of social distancing.
Jaipur traffic police strug-
gling with the COVID-19
pandemic were given sani-
tizer, face shields and face
masks. The bank also plant-
ed saplings for environmen-
tal protection through bank
branches across Rajasthan.
INDEPENDENCEDAYCELEBRATIONCITY FIRST
s India celebrated
its 74th Independ-
enceDay,thecoun-
try must pay its
regards to the
multitude of COV-
ID-19warriorsand
frontlines workers who
have been working tireless-
ly to stop the spread of the
coronavirus pandemic, Un-
ion Minister V Muraleed-
haran said on Sunday.
The Minister of State
for External Affairs and
Parliamentary Af-
fairs was the chief
guest at a ‘Virtual
Kavi Sammelan’ or-
ganized by Jaipur
Foot USA to celebrate
India’s Independence Day
which was presided over
by Chairperson of the Par-
liamentary Standing
Committee on External
Affairs PP Chaud-
hary.
Moderator Deepend-
er Singh welcomed and
felicitated everyone at the
‘Virtual Kavi Sammelan’.
He also threw light on the
importance of 15 August.
Jaipur Foot USA Chair-
man Prem Bhandari said
India’s Independence Day
celebration this year was
“very special” as it came
just days after the 5 Au-
gust ‘Bhoomi Pujan’ cere-
mony of the Ram Temple
in Ayodhya, terming it “a
dream come true” for Hin-
dus around the world.
Republican candidate
for Rhode Island’s 2nd
Congressional District
Robert Lancia, addressing
the event, said the “oldest
democracy in the world,
the United States and the
largest democracy in the
world, India, need to be
working together closer
than ever.”
Poet Madan Mohan Sa-
mar and US-based poet
Abhinav Shukla was the
special attraction of the
Webinar and they both el-
egantly presented their
love for the nation.
Rajendra Bafna gave the
vote of thanks and felici-
tated everyone to spare
some of their precious
time on behalf of Jaipur
Foot USA.
V Muraleedharan
A
Prem Bhandari
during the session

First india ahmedabad edition-18 august 2020

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