First india ahmedabad edition-24 april 2020

CORONA IN GUJARAT
In some long-overdue good news, 79
recovered COVID-19 patients across the state
were discharged on Thursday. However, Gujarat
is still not out of trouble, with 217 fresh cases
and nine deaths being reported in the past 24
hours. With this, the state has 2,624 cases and
a death toll of 112. For more, see P3
USA 866,105 48,809 +1150
SPAIN 213,024 22,157 +440
ITALY 189,973 25,549 +464
GERMANY 151,285 5,367 +52
UK 138,078 18,738 +638
TURKEY 101,790 2,491 +115
IRAN 87,026 5,481 +90
CHINA 82,798 4,632 +5
RUSSIA 62,773 555 +42
BRAZIL 46,701 2,940 +34
BELGIUM 42,797 6,490 +228
COUNTRY TOTAL TOTAL NEW
CASES DEATHS DEATHS
GLOBAL STATE
OF AFFAIRS
WWW.WORLDOMETERS.INFO
LAST UPDATED: APRIL 23, 2020, 11:00 PM
Forty-five recovered COVID-19 patients go home in Vadodara
First India News
Vadodara: Sixty-year-
old Sirinbanu Arab and
19-year-oldMehrinShai-
kh were among 45 for-
mer COVID-19 patients
to heave a collective sigh
of relief as they headed
home on Thursday after
being discharged from
the ITI Brahim Bawani
Institute and Hostel in
Vadodara’s Gotri area.
This is the largest
grouptobedischarged
after recovering from
the disease at one
time.
As the group pre-
pared to leave the Covid
Care Centre (CCC) after
almost 14 days there,
the group offered
thanks to God, but also
to the Vadodara city
and district authorities
and Dr Mohammad
Hussain, president of
Muslim Doctors’ Asso-
ciation (MDA), the med-
ical fraternity and trus-
tees of the Institute.
“As more and more
patients were con-
firmed with infection,
they were brought to
Gotri GMERS hospital.
However, there was a
staff shortage. So, Of-
ficer on Special Duty of
the Vadodara district
administration Vinod
Rao talked with the
MDA and trustees of
the ITI Brahim Bawani
Institute, and granted
permission to start a
CCC at the institute,”
Turn on P6
Doctors and medical staff waving goodbye to recovered patients as they left for home in Vadodara
on Thursday.
CORONA
ALERT
AHMEDABAD l FRIDAY, APRIL 24, 2020 l Pages 12 l 3.00 RNI NO. GUJENG/2019/16208 l Vol 1 l Issue No. 148
27°C - 41°C
OUR EDITIONS:
JAIPUR & AHMEDABAD
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COVID-19
UPDATE
WORLD
1,88,088
DEATHS
26,92,674
CONFIRMED CASES
INDIA
721
DEATHS
23,031
CONFIRMED CASES
GUJARAT
112
DEATHS
2,624
CONFIRMED CASES
Patan: In the first such case in the state,
and possibly the nation, two recovered
COVID-19 patients were readmitted to
the Patan Civil Hospital in Dharpur on
Thursday morning after testing positive
for the Sars-Cov-2 virus on Wednesday.
Confirming the news to First India,
Patan’s District Development Officer DK
Parekh said the patients are a 60-year-
old man and a 55-year-old woman, both
natives of Sidhpur. “As per the protocol,
they were being kept at the quarantine
care centre after being discharged from
hospital following a complete recovery.
One of their regular tests came back
positive for the virus again, and hence
they have been readmitted for further
treatment,” he said. According to the
state government data, Patan district has
15 confirmed cases as of April 23. Of
these, one person has succumbed to the
disease, while were 11 were discharged.
From these 11, two patients samples
have come back positive again.
2 RECOVERED PATIENTS TEST +VE AGAIN
42,384
SAMPLES TESTED
39,760
NEGATIVE CASES
0
UNDER EXAMINATION
IN GUJARAT
DISTRICT TOTAL TOTAL NEW
CASES DEATH DEATH
AHMEDABAD 1652 69 7
VADODARA 218 11 1
SURAT 456 13 1
BHAVNAGAR 33 5 0
RAJKOT 41 0 0
GANDHINAGAR 18 2 0
PATAN 15 1 0
BHARUCH 29 2 0
ANAND 33 2 0
PANCHMANHAL 12 2 0
CHOTA UDAIPUR 11 0 0
KUTCH 6 1 0
MAHESANA 7 0 0
PORBANDAR 3 0 0
GIR SOMNATH 3 0 0
DAHOD 4 0 0
BANASKANTHA 16 0 0
JAMNAGAR 1 1 0
MORBI 1 0 0
SABARKANTHA 3 0 0
BOTAD 11 1 0
KHEDA 5 0 0
ARAVALLI 18 1 0
NARMADA 12 0 0
MAHISAGAR 9 0 0
TAPI 1 0 0
VALSAD 4 1 0
NAVSARI 1 0 0
DANG 1 0 0
TOTAL 2624 112 09
New Delhi: After witnessing rise in
popularity of PM Narendra Modi
from foreign countries and receiving
appreciation from the likes of Bill
Gates for his leadership, it is the turn
of Indian citizens who expressed
their trust and belief on PM Modi
and his administration. In a survey
conducted by IANS –C Voter, over 93
percent of peo-
ple opined that
Modi is han-
dling the Co-
rona crisis ef-
fectively.
Interesting-
ly, the survey
found out that
the percentage
of people be-
lieving in
Modi’s leader-
ship shot up
compared to
the announcement of the first day of
the lockdown. We are on the thirty
second day of the nationwide lock-
down due to the Coronavirus out-
break and have nine more days to go
to complete the lockdown.
While 76.8 percent people had then
believed in Modi, the second survey
conducted during Turn on P6
New Delhi: CongresspresidentSonia
Gandhi on Thursday accused the BJP
of spreading the virus of communal
prejudice and hatred in the country,
asserting that “grave damage” is be-
ing done to social harmony Address-
ingameetingof theCongressWorking
Committee, Gandhi said it should wor-
ryeveryIndianandherpartywillhave
to work hard to
repair this
damage.
“Let me also
share with you
something that
should worry
each and every
one of us as In-
dians. When
we should be
tackling the
coronavirus
unitedly, the
BJP continues
tospreadthevirusof communalpreju-
dice and hatred,” she said.
“Grave damage is being done to
our social harmony. Our party, we
will have to work hard to repair that
damage,” the Congress president
added.
Former prime minister Manmo-
han Singh, Turn on P6
New Delhi: The Minis-
try of Finance on
Thursday announced to
freeze the hike in dear-
ness allowance (DA) for
the Central government
employees and dear-
ness relief (DR) for the
central government
pensioners till July
next year.
According to Thurs-
day’s order, no arrears
will be paid for the pe-
riod from January 1,
2020, to June 30, 2021.
“In view of the crisis
arising out of COV-
ID-19, it has been decid-
ed that the additional
instalment of dearness
allowance payable to
Central Government
employees and dear-
ness relief to Central
Government pension-
ers, due from January 1,
2020, shall not be paid,”
the order said.
Turn on P6
New Delhi: Nearly 20
per cent COVID-19 pa-
tients have recovered so
far in the country, said
Lav Agarwal, Jt Secy,
Union Health Ministry
on Thursday, while total
cases of coronavirus
have soared to 23,031.
Addressing a press
conference here, Agar-
wal said, “With 1,409
new cases, there are
23,031 positive cases in
India now. So far, 4,257
people have recovered
including 388 people
who recovered yester-
day. This takes our re-
covery percentage to
19.89 per cent.” Agarwal
said as on today, India
has 12 districts that did
not report a fresh case
in last 28 days or more.
“78 districts in 23
States/UTs, which have
not reported any fresh
cases during the last 14
days,” he added. —ANI
GovtfreezesDAhiketill
July2021,savesmoney
‘Nearly 20 pc patients
have recovered so far’
CORONA WAR: MODI
IMAGE GETS A BOOST
‘TACKLECOVID,DON’T
MAKEHATREDVIRAL’
93% OF INDIANS UNANIMOUSLY BELIEVE PM IS EFFECTIVELY HANDLING OUTBREAK: SURVEY
GRAVE DAMAGE BEING DONE TO SOCIAL HARMONY, CONG WILL HAVE TO WORK HARD: SONIA
Most Indians are
increasingly non
complacent when
it comes to seri-
ousness of corona-
virus threat and
how seriously it
should be taken
IANS-CVoter
The compassion,
large-heartedness
and alacrity that
should be forth-
coming from the
Centre is conspicu-
ous by its absence.
Sonia Gandhi,
Congress President
‘STIGMA CAUSING
RISE IN MORTALITY’
New Delhi: AIIMS director Dr
Randeep Guleria, told media that the
stigma attached with coronavirus is
causing an increase in mortality and
morbidity rates. “People are coming
to us only when symptoms worsen.
It is important to reach out to
patients who are missing out of
treatment because of the stigma
and panic,” he said.
6-YR-OLD RAPED, EYES
DAMAGED BY ACCUSED
Bhopal: A six-year-old girl was
allegedly raped in Madhya Pradesh
by an unidentified person, who also
damaged her eyes, a police official
said on Thursday. The incident took
place on Wednesday evening when
the minor was playing outside her
house with other kids, police said.
CM Shivraj Singh Chauhan has
ordered immediate arrest of culprits.
THE NEW
SUPERHEROES
A creative illustration
has gone viral on
various social media
platforms, showing
Superheroes saluting
nursing staff who are
going beyond their
call of duty amid
Corona crisis.
Corona effect on defence,
deal of three forces on hold
New Delhi: The
impact of corona
pandemic and lock-
down is now visi-
ble on defense
deals as well. On
behalf of the Min-
istry of Defence,
three forces have
been asked to stop
the defence deals
being done for their modernisation. The ministry
says that we have taken this decision in view of the
budget cuts due to Corona. Full report on P6

‘Exporters to work from Sat, free wheat & rice for NFSA card holders’
First India News
Gandhinagar: Chief
Minister Vijay Rupa-
ni on Thursday decid-
ed to allow exporters
to resume operations
beginning April 25, in
what seems to be an-
other step geared to-
wards preparing the
state for lockdown to
be lifted on May 3.
While medium, small
and micro enterprises
(MSMEs) have been al-
lowed to operate out-
side city limits, export-
ers are being to resume
business within the
city, but outside cluster
containment areas.
Announcing the de-
cision, Information
and Broadcasting Sec-
retary and Secretary
to the Chief Minister
Ashwani Kumar said
exporters too will
have to seek permis-
sion from their respec-
tive district collectors
and abide by norms
laid down for MSMEs.
Kumar advised ex-
porters to start sub-
mitting applications
for the requisite per-
mission soon.
In another key deci-
sion, the Rupani gov-
ernment will now give
3.5 kg wheat and 1.5 kg
rice free to cardholders
under the National
Food Security Act
(NFSA). The distribu-
tion to the 66 lakh card-
holders will start from
April 25 and conclude
on April 29. If anyone is
left out during this pe-
riod, they can approach
their fair price shop
(FPS) on April 30 for
their free rations.
However, only those
cardholders who reg-
ularly buy from FPS
and who had availed
benefits of the free
ration programme
run April 1-3 will get
benefits under the
new programme.
State has also relaxed
the lockdown norms for
plumbers, electricians,
carpenters, and person-
nel doing AC repairs
and computer repairs.
The state govern-
ment on Thursday
transferred Rs1,000 to
NFSA cardholders in
eight municipal corpo-
ration limit areas. By
evening, Rs113 crore
was transferred to
11.35 lakh beneficiar-
ies. Over the past four
days, Rs340 crore has
been transferred to 34
lakh beneficiaries.Chief Minister Vijay Rupani during a video conference. —FILE PHOTO
Collectors will give necessary
permissions to exporters, who
may operate within city limits
THE COMMON GOOD
The state has also announced that any donations
by companies to the Gujarat State Disaster Manage-
ment Authority to fight COVID-19 will be considered
a CSR (Corporate Social Responsibility) contribution.
MSMES ON TRACK
Kumar said that the decision to relax lockdown norms
for MSMEs is showing results, with 35,000 units
operational in the state and 3.25 lakh workers back at
work, as of Thursday. Industrial water consumption is
at 50% of the normal rate at GIDC estates, indicating
that many industries have resumed operations.
NEWSAHMEDABAD | FRIDAY, APRIL 24, 2020
02www.firstindia.co.in I www.firstindia.co.in/epaper/ I twitter.com/thefirstindia I facebook.com/thefirstindia I instagram.com/thefirstindia
Prime Minister Narendra Modi
rime Minis-
ter Narendra
Modi on
We d n e s d ay
discussed the
coronavirus pandem-
ic with his Irish coun-
terpart Leo Varadkar,
during which the lat-
ter praised the role of
Indian-origin doctors
and nurses in fighting
the virus in Ireland.
During the discus-
sion, the two leaders
agreed that India and
Ireland can leverage
their strengths in the
pharmaceutical and
medical fields to con-
tribute to combating
COVID-19. “Prime Min-
ister Varadkar appreci-
ated the role being
played by Indian-origin
doctors and nurses in
fighting the infection in
Ireland. The Prime Min-
ister thanked Prime
Minister Varadkar for
the care and support be-
ing extended to the In-
dian citizens present in
Ireland and promised to
similarly facilitate Irish
citizens in India,” an of-
ficial statement said.
“The two leaders
agreed that India and
Ireland can leverage
their strengths in the
pharmaceutical and
medical fields to con-
tribute to the global
fight against the pan-
demic. They also de-
liberated on the po-
tential for strength-
ening India’s cooper-
ation with Ireland, as
well as with the EU, in
the post-COVID con-
text,” it added.
Earlier, Modi said
that both India and Ire-
land will strengthen its
partnership in health,
science and technology,
to address challenges in
the aftermath of coro-
navirus.
“Discussed COV-
ID-19 pandemic with
Ireland’s PM, Leo
Varadkar. India and
Ireland share similar
approaches to many
global issues. We will
work together to fur-
ther strengthen our
partnership in health,
science and technolo-
gy, to jointly address
challenges of the
post-COVID world,”
the Prime Minister
tweeted.
With 1,486 new cases
and 49 deaths in the last
24 hours, India’s total
number of coronavirus
positive cases rose to
20,471, with 652 deaths,
the Ministry of Health
and Family Welfare
said on Wednesday.
Meanwhile, Ireland
has registered over
16,000 positive cases of
the virus, with more
than 700 deaths, as per
US-based Johns Hop-
kins University. —ANI
P New Delhi: The Un-
ion Ministry of
Home Affairs (MHA)
spokesperson Punya
Salila Srivastava on
Thursday clarified
that in-house car-
egivers of senior
citizens and prepaid
mobile recharge
utilities are exempt-
ed from lockdown
restrictions.
She also informed
that the food process-
ing units in urban ar-
eas have also been ex-
empted from the re-
strictions and the Min-
istry has also allowed
activities related to
import and export of
horticulture produce.
“To ensure the availa-
bility of essentials,
food processing units
in urban areas such as
milk processing units,
bread factories and
flour mills have also
been exempted,” said
Srivastava during a
press conference.
The country is un-
der a lockdown
which was initially
meant for 21 days
but was later extend-
ed till May 3 to con-
tain coronavirus.
Srivastava said that
the Home Ministry
has also allowed shops
selling electric fans to
operate and the shops
that sell educational
books for students
have also been allowed
to operate.
“Considering that
Indian seafarers are
stranded and/or are
not able to join duty
and that seafarers
from other countries
may take place of In-
dian seafarers, MHA
has issued Standard
Operating Proce-
dures (SOPs) on
sign-on/sign-off for
Indian seafarers at
Indian ports and
their movement,”
she said.
She also added that
the states are facilitat-
ing commercial activi-
ties as per MHA guide-
lines, in areas which
are not hotspots or
containment zones.
Home Ministry
has written to states
to ensure the secu-
rity of medical pro-
fessionals, asking
them to work with
the Indian Medical
Association (IMA)
local chapter and
take requisite steps
for the security of
healthcare workers.
Meanwhile, India’s
count of COVID-19 has
climbed to 21,393 after
1,409 new cases were
reported in the last 24
hours, said the Minis-
try of Health and Fam-
ily Welfare today. —ANI
FOOD PROCESSING UNITS IN URBAN AREAS, PREPAID MOBILE RECHARGE
UTILITIES EXEMPTED FROM LOCKDOWN RESTRICTIONS: MHA
APPRECIATE INDIAN-ORIGIN DOCS
AND NURSES: IRISH PM TO MODI
Home Minister Amit Shah
Irish Prime Minister Leo Varadkar

GUJARATAHMEDABAD | FRIDAY, APRIL 24, 2020
First India News
Ahmedabad: The state
administration has its
hand full with the battle
against the deadly novel
coronavirus. As if that
wasn’t enough, social
media grievances sur-
facing online every day
haveaddedtoitsalready
full plate. With people
using social media as a
platform to share their
complaints, its rampant
usage has emerged as a
new headache for the
state machinery.
For instance, a video
clip of Class–II medical
officer with the
Ahmedabad Municipal
Corporation (AMC) is
doing rounds on social
media. In the video, the
officer shares that she
received ill-treatment
upon admission at Sard-
ar Vallabhbhai Patel
(SVP) Hospital. She goes
on to lament that no sen-
ior officer of the local
civic body has contacted
her to ask about her
health nor are they tak-
ing her calls. She also
complained that after
serving in quarantined
areas such as Jamalpur
and Vastral, her leave
request was not ap-
proved by her seniors.
When the issue was
taken up with the Prin-
cipal Secretary (Health)
Jayanti Ravi, she ac-
knowledged the video
clip and assured that the
officer in question will
be provided with the
treatment she requires.
In another video, a
woman introducing
herself as Dipa Santva-
ni wanted to know why
state government offi-
cials and bureaucrats
were not visiting Civil
Hospital. Citing media
reports of eight deaths
at the hospital due to
COVID-19, she alleged
that ministers and offic-
ers were scared of get-
ting infected with Sars-
CoV-2 and therefore,
were avoiding visits to
the hospital.
BOON OR BANE
First India News
Ahmedabad: The state
government claims to
have distributed free ra-
tions to 3.6 crore card-
holders of various cat-
egories, but new data
from a city-based non-
governmentalorganiza-
tion (NGO) says that
only 24% of the people
surveyedinAhmedabad
have benefited from the
free-ration programme.
Nagrik Sashaktikar-
na Manch says data col-
lated from its own sur-
vey and those of other
NGOs shows that only
60,000 families of the
total 2.5 lakh families
surveyed had received
the promised rations.
The Gujarat govern-
ment had announced
that it would release ra-
tions for April free of
cost to BPL (below pov-
erty line) and APL
(above poverty line)–1
ration cardholders. It
also assured the Guja-
rat High Court that it
would provide free ra-
tions to citizens and
families who are poor
or from other states but
working here as mi-
grant labourers with no
ration cards, under
Anna Brahma Yojna.
“A quick survey was
carried out taking the
help of schoolteachers
to enroll names of such
families. This survey
had 2.5 lakh families en-
rolled, but only 60,000
have been given rations.
Many of the names
have been dropped
(from the list),” said
Jatin Seth of Nagrik
Sashaktikarna Manch.
Headded,“Thesefam-
ilies(whodidnotreceive
rations) are literally
starving and in misery.
They have to depend on
the generosity of neigh-
bours, who are only a lit-
tlebetteroff themselves,
to even survive.”
Seth wrote to the
prime minister, chief
ministers and a dozen
senior bureaucrats re-
garding the issue on
April 21 and has been
asked to submit the
names of the families
who have not received
rations. “I have sent a
list of 10,000 family
names, and am still add-
ing more names to my
list,” he said.
The problem is not
limited to Ahmedabad.
In Surat, only 50,000 of
the 2.5 lakh BPL card-
holders identified will
receive the Rs1,000
promised to them under
the National Food Secu-
rity Act since the others
do not have the proper
documentation.
“We are trying to get
all the bank details, but
about half of all the ra-
tion cardholders either
do not have a bank ac-
count linked with their
ration card or have not
updated their Aadhaar
card in the system. The
administration has
tasked the Mamlatdar
and civil supply officers
gather all the data
again,” said a senior of-
ficerintheSuratdistrict
administration, who did
not wish to be named.
Rations have reached just
24% of people: NGO survey
Data says 60,000 families of the 2.5 lakh families surveyed have received govt benefits
NID-G student’s
doormat app
merges safety,
technology
‘Don’t create hype
over viral videos’
79 discharged but 217 new cases and 9 dead
First India News
Gandhinagar: A stu-
dent of National Insti-
tute of Design (NID),
Gandhinagar, Saksham
Panda has developed
an application named
‘Untapped’ and submit-
ted it for the Global
Grad Show initiative
addressing the collat-
eral issues of the COV-
ID-19 pandemic.
An initiative by the
Art Dubai Group, the
GGG launched an open
call for university pro-
fessors and students
around the world. The
application phase ran
between March 16 and
April 2, receiving 390
entries by undergradu-
ates, graduates, and
professors from 125
universities in 40 coun-
tries around the world.
Panda’s application
creates a mat to unlock
the door with your feet
thereby reducing the
risk of infection
through contact of sur-
faces. The doormat is
connected to an elec-
tronic circuit and
works based on sen-
sors. Similar to enter-
ing passwords with
buttons, users can tap a
certain pattern with
their foot to complete
the lock functions.
All applications were
evaluated by a jury
comprising of experts
in innovation, technol-
ogy, and new ventures,
who will determine the
next assessment phase.
In the coming month,
Global Grad Show will
undertake a detailed
analysis of the require-
ments of the recom-
mended proposals,
with a view to identify-
ing which can be sup-
ported towards imple-
mentation.
First India News
Ahmedabad: Munici-
pal Commissioner Vi-
jay Nehra on Thursday
appealed to citizens not
to highlight system fail-
ures through videos on
social media. At a brief-
ing on Thursday, Nehra
said that sharing such
videos will be a disser-
vice to the people work-
ing to combat the COV-
ID-19 pandemic.
The announcement
comes after videos by
COVID-19 positive pa-
tients went viral on so-
cial media lamenting
about the lack of facili-
ties at COVID-19 dedi-
cated hospitals. He also
appealed to the media
not to unnecessarily
create hype around
such viral videos.
In another video that
went viral, patients are
seen playing cricket in
an open ground at Sam-
ras Hostel. Nehra indi-
cated that it was a good
sign that patients were
physicallyfitbutwarned
themnottobreaknorms.
First India News
Gandhinagar: In some
long-overdue good
news, 79 recovered
COVID-19 patients
across the state were
discharged on Thurs-
day. However, Gujarat is
still not out of trouble,
with 217 fresh cases and
nine deaths being re-
ported in the past 24
hours. With this, the
state has 2,624 cases and
a death toll of 112.
Meanwhile, Princi-
pal Secretary (Health)
Jayanti Ravi asserted
that the state is not ma-
nipulating figures but
is, on the contrary, be-
ing very forthcoming
with facts and figures.
She said, “Sample test-
ing has not been re-
duced, nor will it be
cut,” adding that the
state is not comparing
its data with any other
state and hence has no
reason to hide any in-
formation.
Of the 217 new cases,
151 were reported from
Ahmedabad, 41 from
Surat, seven from Va-
dodara, five from
Bharuch, and Dang dis-
trict reported its first
case. Ahmedabad ac-
counted for seven of the
nine deaths, while Va-
dodara and Surat re-
ported one each.
In a related develop-
ment, Surat’s Kiran
Hospital has been
sealed after 12 of its
staff members were
confirmed as being in-
fected with Sars-Cov-2.
FINALLY HOME
Students from Gujarat who had been stranded in Rajasthan’s Kota since the beginning of the
lockdown arrived in Ahmedabad on Thursday. —PHOTO BY NANDAN DAVE
Assaultcoronawarriors,
facePASAaction:DGP
First India News
Gandhinagar: Direc-
tor-General of Police
Shivanand Jha on
Thursday warned cit-
izens that state police
will not show any le-
niency towards peo-
ple who assault or at-
tack doctors, health
team, police and gov-
ernment employees
on corona duty. He
also added that the po-
lice had arrested 438
persons for defying
curfew up till now.
The DGP stated that
police will not tolerate
misconduct, assault or
attack on corona war-
riors and strict action
will be taken against
such people. He added
that the Prevention of
Anti-Social Activities
Act (PASA) has been
invoked against 22 peo-
ple under three differ-
entcases.InJetpur,one
person has been arrest-
ed for attacking police,
inSabarkanthadistrict
three people were ar-
restedforattackingdoc-
tors and 11 people have
been arrested in Ara-
valli district for attack-
ing police personnel.
The curfew which
had been imposed in
some parts of
Ahmedabad, Surat,
and Rajkot, will end
today at 6 am since no
extension has been
announced.
Four more com-
plaints were lodged
against attendees of
the Jamaat, who were
found roaming in an
ambulance.Policehave
lodged complaints
against those four and
twoothersforassisting
them. Another com-
plaint was lodged
against four people in
Bharuch as they had
travelled to Jhabua in
Madhya Pradesh. One
more complaint has
been lodged against a
Sura Jamaat attendee
who returned to Gan-
dhinagar. A total of 19
cases have been lodged
against filed against
Jamaatis.
Meanwhile, police
commissioner Ashish
Bhatia said that seven
of the35policeperson-
nel infected with Sars-
Cov-2, have recovered.
Director-General of Police Shivanand Jha. —FILE PHOTO
Social media: grievance platform or headache for govt?
Quarantine over for 7
Walled City clusters
First India News
Ahmedabad: In a brief-
ing on Thursday,
Ahmedabad Municipal
Corporation(AMC)com-
missioner Vijay Nehra
declared that seven out
of a total of nine cluster
areas under quarantine
were no longer quaran-
tined clusters. These in-
clude two clusters in Ja-
malpur, one in Khadia
and four in Dariyapur.
“Nine areas of the
centralzoneunderAMC
had been put under clus-
ter quarantine. After
full cooperation extend-
ed by the locals, seven of
nine areas will not be
under cluster quaran-
tine anymore. The
blockadesoutsideonthe
streets will be removed
and women will be able
to venture out during
curfew-free hours to
purchase the essential
items,” he said.
Meanwhile, in a
shocking incident, two
health department of-
ficers were informed
that they had contract-
ed COVID-19, after a gap
of nine days after test-
ing. Also, another IAS
officer Dilip Kumar
Rana, Commissioner of
Tribal Development,
Gandhinagar has been
transferred to AMC as
Deputy Municipal Com-
missioner. He had been
earlier assigned to su-
pervise the COVID-19
Care Centre at Samaras
hostel on April 20.
People line up outside a fair price shop in Ahmedabad’s Behrampura to collect rations.
PROMISES
CM OPENS SUB-REGISTRAR OFFICES
A family peers out of a window in Ahmedabad’s Jamalpur area.
A medical team enters a sealed area in Ahmedabad on Thursday.
—PHOTOBYHANIFSINDHI
—PHOTOBYNANDANDAVE
—PHOTO BY HANIF SINDHI

G Vol 1 G Issue No. 148 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 | FRIDAY, APRIL 24, 2020
NO TIME FOR FEUD
BETWEEN CENTRE
AND STATES
ithnopoliticalactivity,noparliament
session, judiciary just able to take up
importantcases,industriesshut,peo-
ple locked up in their houses, and vir-
tualworlddominatingourlivesthese
are indeed unprecedented times. Whatever uni-
lateral steps the Centre takes to save Jaan and
Jahaanthestatesaresupposedtofollowgiventhe
severity of the pandemic. But states could have
been taken on board before the imposition of the
lockdown.ChhattisgarhChief MinisterBhupesh
BaghelaccusedtheCentreof triggeringchaosby
not consulting the state governments before the
lockdown. The Centre claimed that the decision
was taken as states like Assam, Tamil Nadu, and
Keraladelayedlockdowns.Thiswasthefirstsign
of Centre-state relations coming under strain.
The second factor for potential contention is
Central assistance to states during COVID
times. Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot
has written to Prime Minister Narendra Modi
asking for an increase in the state’s quota of
wheat under the Food Security Act. He has
rightfully demanded 30,000 tonnes of extra
wheat, on the basis of the current population.
He also asked the Centre for a stimulus package
for Rajasthan. He’s not the only one as other
Congress-ruled states, including Punjab, have
sought financial assistance arguing that with-
out a big package, normalcy may be difficult to
restore after the lockdown.
During their virtual meeting with the prime
minister, chief ministers of Kerala, West Ben-
gal and Telangana had also demanded a stimu-
lus package.
Among other issues, financial assistance was
among the points of discussion at the Congress
Working Committee meeting held by Sonia
Gandhi on a virtual platform. Puducherry
chief minister V. Narayanasamy accused the
Union government of not giving any financial
assistance to the states.
The next flashpoint was between West Bengal
and the Centre when the latter decided to send
an Inter-Ministerial Central Team to inspect al-
leged violation of lockdown rules in some of the
areas declared hotspots. Mamata Banerjee de-
scribed the Centre’s decision to send the team
as “unilateral, unjustified” and based on “fig-
ment of imagination”. The state government
even restricted the team’s movement, following
which the Centre wrote to the state accusing it
of non-co-operation and warned of consequenc-
es for obstructing orders issued under the Dis-
aster Management Act made further binding by
the Supreme Court. A day later West Bengal fell
in line. Denying non-co-operation, Mamata Ba-
nerjee said her government will follow all lock-
down instructions from the Centre.
COVID-19 crisis is not the time for feuding.
Both Centre and states should look beyond po-
liticalone-upmanshiptoworkforthepeoplewho
have been badly hit by the pandemic. If the Cen-
tral government feels that meeting the states’
demand for financial assistance is necessary,
thenitshouldfavourablybeconsidered.Withthe
FRBM Act in place to check fiscal deficit, states
must be finding it difficult to meet the financial
exigency.CantheActberelaxedtobailthemout?
IN-DEPTH
W
ife, as we knew it, has virtually
come to a standstill due to COV-
ID-19. The world is undergoing
one of the most disruptive
phases in the history of man-
kind. Modern life has been dis-
rupted at a scale that the finest
of human minds could not
have fathomed. Several tech-
nocrats and epidemiologists
have predicted that it would
not be wise to expect a re-
turn to normalcy as we
know it and that we would
have to discover a ‘new nor-
mal’ once the dust settles. If
this doomsday prediction
comes true, we would have
to bid adieu to movie halls,
sporting arenas, and a whole
host of avenues of enter-
tainment and recreation.
In such a backdrop, sev-
eral challenging issues have
cropped up for our legal sys-
tem as well. One of the most
important issues facing the
judiciary - and the legal fra-
ternity at large - is, what
should be the ambit and con-
tours of judicial activism on
the menace of COVID-19.
While there has always been a
vibrant debate on judicial ac-
tivism, it assumes particular
significance in light of this un-
precedented crisis. The fact of
the matter is that governments
- across party lines - have done
a fairly decent job of dealing
with this crisis, given the re-
sources at their disposal.
Therefore, ordinarily, con-
stitutional courts should be
hesitant to enter PIL peti-
tions, especially from “five-
star activists.”
However, this does not mean
that judicial activism, in the
context of COVID-19, is wholly
undesirable. One positive in-
stance of judicial activism is
the timely intervention by
the Hon’ble Rajasthan High
Court, wherein the High
Court took cognizance of
the issue – upon a letter sent
by an Advocate - and regis-
tered a PIL petition, entitled
Suo Motu v/s State of Ra-
jasthan. The said petition was
taken up by the High Court on
March 24, 2020, and as many as
seven directions were issued.
In this piece, I will throw light
on the most important direc-
tion no. 5, which reads: “No
person shall be allowed to come
out without covering his face
with masks even for the pur-
chase of essential households
or medicines or for any other
emergent purpose.” Two as-
pects are noteworthy in this
direction.
First, the vast sweep of it,
which mandated that masks
had to be worn by every person,
even if he/she steps out to pro-
cure essential items or for any
emergent purpose. Second, this
direction of mandatory use of
masks was issued at a time
when authorities in India, and
across the world, had not is-
sued any such direction. As a
matter of fact, until recently,
WHO itself had been peddling
the theory that masks do not
have to be used by a person if
he/she did not have symptoms
of COVID-19. This position of
WHO attracted significant op-
probrium from infectious dis-
ease experts, who opined that
this would lead to asymptomat-
ic carriers (of the virus)
spreading the disease. These
experts also pointed out that
the relatively better track re-
cord of countries like Japan
and South Korea – in compari-
son to countries like Italy and
France – could be explained by
the widespread use of masks in
these countries. Nonetheless,
the WHO stubbornly refused
to budge from its position.
However, with the passage
of time, it has become indu-
bitable that widespread use
of masks is an integral ele-
ment in the overall strategy
to contain the virus. This
position is vindicated by an
order dated April 8, 2020,
passed by Municipal Corpo-
ration of Greater Mumbai,
by way of which, compulso-
ry use of masks was man-
dated. The said order states, in
no uncertain terms, that wear-
ing face masks can reduce the
spread of coronavirus. To miti-
gate the difficulties of those
who may be unable to obtain a
mask, it has been clarified that
even cloth masks can be used.
This is an effective arrange-
ment, which also ensures that
healthcare professionals do not
face any shortage of masks.
Even the Delhi government has
made the wearing of masks
mandatory. It also bears noting
that several other states are
also contemplating adopting
the same course of action.
Therefore, it becomes abun-
dantly clear that the direction
issued by Rajasthan High
Court mandating compulsory
use of masks was desirable,
as it correctly identified
masks as a significant deter-
rent to the quick spread of the
disease. It was issued after as-
certainingthetruenatureof the
crisis and demonstrates that
even in such extraordinary
times, judicial activism cannot
be completely written off.
FOR FULL REPORT LOG ON TO
WWW.THECONVERSATION.COM
COVID-19 AND
JUDICIAL ACTIVISM
L
The fact of the
matter is that
governments -
across party
lines - have
done a fairly
decent job of
dealing with
this crisis, given
the resources at
their disposal.
Therefore,
ordinarily,
constitutional
courts should be
hesitant to enter
PIL petitions,
especially from
“five star
activists”
One of the most
important issues
facing the judiciary -
and the legal fraternity
at large - is, what
should be the ambit
and contours of
judicial activism on the
menace of COVID-19
AVIN
CHHANGANI
The writer is an
Advocate, practising at
Rajasthan High Court
he coronavi-
rus pandemic
has produced
a surge in
philanthropic
giving from some of the
world’s wealthiest peo-
ple. Bill and Melinda
Gates, longstanding
champions of global
health, have committed
funds to research the
disease and manufac-
ture a vaccine when one
becomes available.
Jack Dorsey, co-founder
of Twitter, has pledged $1
billion for “global Covid-19
relief”. Then there are Jack
Ma, Li Ka-Shing, George
Soros, Giorgio Armani and
Jeff Bezos – other examples
of billionaires giving stag-
gering amounts of money
to help alleviate the suffer-
ing caused by this global
crisis.
Indeed, it is well de-
served. But the situation
alsoillustratesaprofound
imbalance in society.
MASTER AND
SERVANT
Consider for a moment
whether you would
agree to be a slave. Let’s
say a kindly benefactor
offered you a better
standard of living than
that which you current-
ly enjoy, or can realisti-
cally aspire to, and cred-
ibly promises to treat
you very well. The only
condition is that they
would own you.
Would you accept the of-
fer? My suspicion is that
most people would not.
Slavery is incontrovert-
ibly wrong, though it is
important to understand
why. The depictions we
see in popular culture of-
ten emphasise the cruelty
and exploitation. These
are terrible, but they are
not at the core of what’s
wrong with owning an-
other person.
If they were, then we
would not have a problem
with the idea of a kindly
benefactor. The real prob-
lem with slavery lies in its
structure as a social rela-
tionship, specifically with
the distribution of power.
Philosophers like Philip
Pettit have spent the past
few decades putting for-
ward a conception of lib-
erty that uses slavery as
the archetype of “unfree-
dom”. Unlike Thomas
Hobbes or Isaiah Berlin,
he doesn’t think of free-
dom as the absence of in-
terference,buttheabsence
of arbitrary interference.
Pettit argues that the
problem with slavery is not
that the slave is interfered
with in a cruel or exploita-
tive way, but simply that
theirownerhasthecapacity
to interfere in their choices
at will. Well treated slaves
maybeinanenviablecondi-
tion compared with abused
slaves, but they still have no
controloveranowner’spow-
er to interfere. This is what
it means to be dominated.
Even in circumstances
where an owner is be-
nevolent, the slave will
be aware that their
choices are based on the
master’s tacit permis-
sion. And if we are wor-
ried about domination,
we must worry about bil-
lionaire philanthropy.
This becomes acute in
times of crisis, because it
leaves matters of life and
death in the hands of a few
powerful individuals who
lack any constraints on
their power other than
their own conscience. Free-
dom is at risk when the im-
balance of wealth and pow-
er is so stark. How healthy
can it be that so many peo-
ple in the world are utterly
dependent on the generos-
ity of billionaires?
Theprovisionof health-
care for millions of peo-
ple rests on their goodwill
and nothing else. They
choose what to give, how
to give it and who to give
it to. They establish large
organisations that have a
profound influence on
public bodies.
The Gates Foundation,
for example, is the larg-
est funder of the World
Health Organization af-
ter the United States. The
foundation’s influence
shapes the global health
agenda in a way that has
been already been de-
scribed as a “cartel”. Now
that Donald Trump ap-
pears set to stop Ameri-
can funding for the WHO,
the foundation will be
even more important. In-
deed, it has already com-
mitted an additional
US$150 million.”
FOR FULL REPORT LOG ON TO
WWW.THECONVERSATION.COM
Why we must be wary of philanthropic contributions
T
The real problem
with slavery lies in
its structure as a
social relationship,
specifically with the
distribution of power
No one who does good work
will ever come to a bad end,
either here or in the world
to come. —Bhagavad Gita
Spiritual
SPEAK
Top
TWEET
Dharmendra Pradhan
@dpradhanbjp
The story of Hamid from Munshi
Premchand’s Eidgaah served as an
inspiration for PM @narendramodi
to launch the @PMUjjwalaYojana.
The success of #PMUY is proof
that books can have a life-
changing impact, not just on an
individual’s life, but also for the
masses. #WorldBookDay
Piyush Goyal
@PiyushGoyal
Continuing with diligent efforts
for timely transportation of farm
products, Railways did record
foodgrain loading of 112 rakes,
equal to 3.13 lakh tonnes, on 22nd
April’20. From 1st to 22nd April,
Railways transported 45.8 lakh
tonnes of foodgrains.

INDIAAHMEDABAD | FRIDAY, APRIL 24, 2020
New Delhi: Congress
lawmaker Rahul Gan-
dhi and her sister and
party’s General Sect-
eray Priyanka Gandhi
Vadra on Thursday
raised the issue of mi-
grant workers who are
stranded due to corona-
virus induced lock-
down at the Congress
Working Committee
(CWC) meeting.
The former Congress
chief stressed that the
government should
think about imposing
lockdown in COVID-19
hotspots and consider
about lifting restric-
tions in green zones.
“Issue of migrant
workers needs to be ad-
dressed as a first prior-
ity. Lockdown is a mere
pause button. As a Na-
tion, we need to think
of a transition from a
lockdown to lockdown
only in disease hot-
zones and commence-
ment of activities in
greenzones,” Rahul
said, as per a tweet by
Congress leader Ran-
deep Singh Surjewala.
Congress leader Pri-
yanka said that the
government should al-
low stranded migrant
workers to return
home after testing and
precautions.
“Compassion is the
key to fight COVID-19
and not hostility to-
wards the victim of Co-
rona. As times pass, we
need to permit migrant
workers to return home
after due testing and
precautions,” she said.
MHA said that there
shall be no movement
of labour outside State
or UT where they are
currently located. How-
ever, stranded labour-
ers will be allowed to go
to places of work within
the State. —ANI
‘Issue of migrant workers be addressed first’Govt should think about imposing lockdown in COVID-19 hotspots & lifting restrictions in green zones, Rahul Gandhi said in CWC meet
New Delhi: Senior
Congress leader P Chid-
ambaram underlined
that finances of states
across the country are
in “dire straits” amid
the coronavirus lock-
down, and said that
they need urgent assis-
tance. Chidambaram
was speaking at the
Congress Working
Committee meeting
held on Thursday.
“There are three ma-
jor issues - 1. Finances
of the States are in dire
straits and they need
urgent assistance. 2.
The state of health in-
frastructure needs to be
addressed. 3. A humane
policy for the return of
migrant workers needs
to be put in place,” Chi-
dambaram said. Con-
gress leader AK Antony
said, “It is our responsi-
bility to act as watch-
dogs and ensure course
correction. A large
number of NRIs abroad
must be permitted to
return home after due
testing and in consulta-
tion with state govern-
ments by arranging
special aircraft. Why
isn’t India doing so?” he
asked. —ANI
Statefinancesindirestraits:PC
Mumbai: Republic TV
editor-in-chief Arnab
Goswami was allegedly
attacked by two bike-
borne persons late on
Wednesday. The editor
was returning home
along with his wife
when the attack took
place. The attackers
were caught by his se-
curity personnel and
were handed over to
the police. Both Arnab
and his wife Samia
Goswami were unhurt
in the attack.
Goswami in his com-
plaint to police said,
“Around 12.15 am when
we reached Ganpatrao
Kadam Marg, two men
followed our car and
tried to overtake.”
These two attackers
initially tried to iden-
tify the driver follow-
ing which they
stretched their arm
pointing at him and
then blocked his path.
“The pillion rider hit
the right side driver
window several times
and then, these attack-
ers realised that the car
window was up and
they couldn’t break
through and immedi-
ately, the pillion rider
removed the liquid bot-
tle from his pocket and
threw liquid all over
the car on the driver’s
side where I was sit-
ting,” said Goswami in
his statement to police.
He further added that
while the two were
shouting and abusing
him in Hindi, The po-
lice then recorded the
statement of Goswami
following which a case
was registered under
sections 341 (wrongful
restraint), 504 (inten-
tional insult with in-
tent to provoke breach
of the peace) and 34
(common intention) of
the Indian Penal Code.
The two accused
identified as Arun Bo-
rade and Prateek
Mishra were arrested.
The incident hap-
pened a day after an FIR
was registered against
Goswami for allegedly
making derogatory re-
marksagainstCongress
president Sonia Gandhi
during his TV show.
Arnab Goswami’s car attacked; two held
Arnab Goswami The pillion rider threw liquid all over the car on driver’s side.
Mumbai: Maharashtra
Navnirman Sena Presi-
dent Raj Thackeray on
Thursday demanded
that the state govern-
ment should drop “mor-
al issues” and permit
liquor shops and res-
taurants to resume
forthwith to enable it
earn badly-needed rev-
enues for its near-emp-
ty coffers.
In a letter to his cousin
and CM Uddhav Thacker-
ay, the MNS chief said
that since March 18, the
state is in lockdown, first
till March 31, then till
April14andnowextended
to May 3, with no certain-
ty when it will be lifted.
Raj Thackeray said
that in such times, there
is no harm in keeping
this option (wine shops)
open since it’’s not in-
tended to cater to the
needs of the alcohol
consumers but to start
generating income for
the government. “The
excise duty generated
for the state via liquor
amounts to Rs 41.66
crore daily, he said.
Allow liquor to flow
freely in Maharashtra:
Raj Thackeray to CM
New Delhi: The Vish-
wa Hindu Parishad
termed the Palghar
lynching in Maharash-
tra a premeditated con-
spiracy, demanding a
thorough investigation
in the case. It has al-
leged that the top 5 ac-
cused are activists of
left political parties ac-
tive in that region.
“Despite a COVID-19
lockdown, who, since
April 14, spread the ru-
mour of child kidnap-
ping gangs in the vil-
lage? Three-four days
ago, in the surround-
ing area, there was an
attack on a doctor and
a police officer who
came to distribute re-
lief material. Despite
this, why was not
enough police force
sent?” asked Milind
Parande, VHP Secre-
tary General.
The VHP has alleged
that the Maharashtra
Chief Minister “wants
to lessen the gravity of
the case by calling it a
‘’galatfahmi’’ (misun-
derstanding)”. —Agencies
Palghar lynching premeditated,
top 5 accused left activists: VHP
Mumbai: Equity
benchmark Sensex
surged over 483 points
on Thursday, tracking
gains in IT and banking
stocks as expectations
of another stimulus
package from the gov-
ernment enthused in-
vestor sentiment.
The 30-share index
ended 483.53 points or
1.54 per cent higher at
31,863.08. The broader
NSE Nifty advanced
126.60 points, or 1.38 per
cent, to settle at 9,313.90.
Kotak Bank was the
top gainer in the Sensex
pack, rallying over 8 per
cent, followed by TCS,
Infosys, ICICI Bank,
HCL Tech and ONGC.
Titan, HUL, Power-
Grid, NTPC and Nestle
India were among the
laggards.Indian mar-
kets opened on a posi-
tive note tracking most-
ly positive global mar-
kets as oil prices were
seen rebounding after
catastrophic falls a few
days back amid some
decline in volatility,
said experts. —PTI
Sensex jumps 483 points to end
at 31,863, Nifty rises 126 points
New Delhi: India’s
largest carrier IndiGo
has decided to pay full
salary for the month of
April to the majority of
its employees.
In an e-mail to its em-
ployees on Thursday,
IndiGo CEO Ronojoy
Dutta said: “In defer-
ence to our govern-
ment’s wishes of not
reducing pay during the
lockdown, we have de-
cided not to implement
the previously an-
nounced pay cuts dur-
ing the month of April.”
“However, your Excom
members and SVPs
have volunteered to
take pay cuts this
month. For everyone
else, you can expect
your April salaries to be
paid without the pay
cuts,” said Dutta. A
week earlier, IndiGo
had asked the employ-
ees to take 10 to 20 per
cent salary cuts.
IndiGo to pay full salary to
its employees for April
DELHI CONG STARTS KITCHEN IN
OFFICE FOR MIGRANT WORKERS
New Delhi: The Delhi
unit of Congress opened
“Congress ki Rasoi” on
Thursday at party office
to serve cooked food to
migrant labours who are
stranded in Delhi amid
COVID-19 lockdown. PCC
president Anil Chaudhry
said: “This is the 95th
kitchen opened today at
Party office. Besides this,
on the directions of party
president Sonia Gandhi &
Rahul Gandhi, 94 kitchens
are already operating
from day one of the lock-
down.” “Earlier, we were
giving dry ration to the
needy people and now we
are serving cooked food
to 50 thousand people on
a daily basis across Delhi
through our kitchen, and
we will continue to serve
food till the lockdown.”
CPRF PASSING OUT PARADE
FOR NEW OFFICERS VIA VC
New Delhi: For the first time, the Central Reserve
Police Force (CRPF) is going to organise the
passing out parade of its newly inducted 51st
batch of gazetted officers through video con-
ferencing amid lockdown restrictions. Junior
Home Minister G Kishan Reddy & DG CRPF
AP Maheshwari will address the new batch of
officers sitting in an auditorium through video
conferencing. The CRPF decided to do e-passing
out parade after induction of the latest batch of
officers got delayed due to lockdown.
ICMR APPROVES RAPID TEST
KITS FOR ANDHRA PRADESH
Amaravati: The Indian Council of Medical
Research (ICMR) has approved rapid testing kits
from South Korea and the tests will be contin-
ued using these kits as per the protocol, said a
government official. As many as 14,423 tests
were conducted out of which 11,543 tests were
conducted in red zone areas in Andhra Pradesh
using rapid testing kits. “More than 30 cases
have been tested positive in these tests and are
being sent to PCR testing for confirmation,” said
an official in a statement on Thursday.
‘PURSUE MATTER OF 3-PRONGED
STRATEGY WITH PM MODI’
Chandigarh: Following
up on his letter to PM
Narendra Modi, suggest-
ing a 3-pronged strategy
to bail out states from the
COVID-19 crisis, Punjab
Chief Minister Captain
Amarinder Singh has now
urged his counterparts
in all the states to pursue
the matter with the Cen-
tre. Singh has written to
CMs to also write to PM,
urging him to consider
the suggestions he had
made to combat the
crisis. Pointing out that it
was a matter of concern,
Singh in his letter to all
CMs, highlighted that all
states are reeling under
the impact of shrinking
revenues and heightened
requirements of welfare
and healthcare due to the
COVID-19 pandemic.
New Delhi: Congress
General Secretary
Priyanka Gandhi Vadra
has urged the Uttar
Pradesh government
to announce a relief
package for Lucknow’s
‘chikankari’ industry. In
a tweet shared today,
Priyanka said that the
industry has been
badly hit by lockdown
necessitated due to the
coronavirus lockdown.
Priyanka said that the
small and medium
industry had earlier
suffered due to demon-
etisation and GST and
now the lockdown has
hit them hard. “Luc-
know’s chikan industry
has brought laurels to
UP in India and abroad.
This industry which is
already reeling due to
demonetisation and
GST has suffered badly
due to the lockdown,”
she said.
“Uttar Pradesh govern-
ment should im-
mediately declare a
relief package for the
chikan industry and all
other such small and
medium industries
and announce help to
the labour working in
them,” Priyanka said
& attached a report
highlighting the adverse
impact of the lockdown
on the ‘chikankari’
industry. The chikankari
industry is a traditional
craft of Lucknow. Ac-
cording to reports, the
industry has suffered a
loss of Rs 2,000 crore
due to the lockdown.
She has written several
letters to UP CM, sug-
gesting ways to provide
relief to poor due to the
lockdown. —ANI
PRIYANKA GANDHI SEEKS RELIEF
PACKAGE FOR CHIKANKARI INDUSTRY
New Delhi: Former
Prime Minister Dr
Manmohan Singh on
Thursday, said that
success of lockdown
will be judged finally
on the country’s abil-
itytotackleCOVID-19.
He also asserted that
cooperation between
the Centre and States
is the key to success in
the fight against the
deadly virus. Former
Prime Minister Singh
made the remark dur-
ing the Congress
Working Committee
(CWC) meeting,
chaired by party’s in-
terim President So-
nia Gandhi. —ANI
‘COOPERATION AMONG CENTRE &
STATES, KEY TO FIGHT CORONA’
“We condemn #Arn-
abGoswamiAttacked
request authori-
ties strong action
against the Gundas
of Congress & pro-
tection to Arnab. I
have requested Hon
Governor Maha-
rashtra & Mumbai
Police Commis-
sioner in this regard
@BJP4India @
BJP4Maharashtra,”
the BJP leader said
in a tweet.
—Kirit Somaiya
Maharashtra BJP leader
“We condemn the attempt
to attack renowned journal-
ist Arnab Goswami. Es-
sentially, we condemn any
attack on any journalist;
this is against democracy
and it is really ironical that
those who preach tolerance
have become so intolerant,
therefore we condemn this
attempt and we appeal to
the collective wisdom that
this is undemocratic; and
as per present law definite-
ly Police should take action
if there is a complaint.”
—Prakash Javadekar
I&B Minister
POLITICIANS CONDEMN ATTACK
SCATHING ATTACK
FFF
‘GROWTH SLIPPING TO 0.8% IN FY21’

INDIAAHMEDABAD | FRIDAY, APRIL 24, 2020
WILL DEEPAK GET SHORT
EXTENSION?
Tenure of JS Deepak (IAS:1982:UP) as Ambas-
sador/Permanent Representative of India to
World Trade Organisation, Geneva is likely to be
extended for a short period beginning June 1.
Whispers are in that the next appointment for the
post could be from Indian Foreign Service (IFS)
-possibly with IIM background again.
WILL SYED AKBARUDDIN GET
SPECIAL SERVICE EXTENSION?
There are innumerable speculations being made
in the Indian diplomatic circles in the United
States that India’s permanent representative to
UN, Syed Akbaruddin, who is retiring this month
(April) could get extension as a special case in
the current COVID19 situation. He is an Indian
Foreign Service officer of 1985 batch.
IRS OFFICER SHEETAL JOINS
CG GOVT ON DEPUTATION
Sheetal Shashwat Verma has been appointed as
Special Secretary, Finance in Government of Chhat-
tisgarh on deputation. She is an IRS-IT officer.
IRS OFFICER TO JOIN MINISTRY
OF MINORITY AFFAIRS
Charan Preet Singh Bakshi will join the Ministry
of Minority Affairs as JS under Central Staffing
Scheme on deputation for five years. He is a
1992 batch IRS(C&CE) officer.
MANISH GUPTA APPOINTED
DIRECTOR, CBDT
Manish Gupta has been appointed Director, Inv-
III Division, CBDT. He is an IRS-IT officer.
RASHMITA JHA PROMOTED AS CIT
Rashmita Jha has been promoted to the grade of
Commissioner of Income Tax (CIT).
J KRISHNA KISHORE APPOINTED
PCIT IN PRCCIT, NEW DELHI
J Krishna Kishore has been appointed as PCIT
(OSD) in the office of Principal CCIT, New Delhi.
He is an IRS-IT officer.
THREE IAS OFFICERS OF UP CADRE
EMPANELLED AS SECRETARY IN GOI
Three 1988 batch IAS officers of UP cadre have
been empanelled as Secretary in Government of
India. They are; Alok Kumar-I, Arvind Kumar and
Ms S Radha Chauhan. Top Prev Next Click here
for Your
SANJAY KUMAR JHA TO TAKE OVER
AS CMD, MIDHANI ON MAY 1
Sanjay Kumar Jha, Director, MIDHANI, whose ap-
pointment as Chairman-cum-Managing Director
(CMD), Mishra Dhatu Nigam Limited (MIDHANI),
has been approved by the Appointments Com-
mittee of Cabinet (ACC), will be taking over the
charge on May 1, 2020 as tenure of incumbent
Dr D K Likhi is ending on April 30, 2020.
SANDIP DAS TO JOIN AS DIRECTOR
(FIN), BALMER LAWRIE ON MAY 1
Sandip Das, GM, BLC, will be succeeding present
incumbent S S Khuntia as Director (Finance),
Balmer Lawrie & Co. Limited on May 1, 2020.
The tenure of Khuntia is ending in April this year.
DR G C DAS POSTED IN SER
Dr Gopal Chandra Das presently posted with East
Coast Railway has been transferred and posted
with South Eastern Railway. He is an IRMS officer.
VIJAY SHARMA BEING POSTED IN NFR
Vijay Sharma on his return from deputation to
Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas will be
posted in Northeast Frontier Railway.He is an
IRAS officer.
S N GUPTA APPOINTED CFO OF
JAMMU & KASHMIR BANK
Jammu & Kashmir Bank has appointed
Satya Narayan Gupta as Chief Financial Officer
of the Bank.
POWERGallery
Forty five...
said community leader
Zuber Goplani, adding,
“Thereafter, all the pa-
tients that had been ad-
mitted to the Gotri hos-
pital were shifted to the
CCC. Thus, their jour-
ney from government
care to community care
began.” He asserts
that while MDA mem-
bers lent their sup-
port, government
doctors took care of
the medical treat-
ment. Similarly, the
government provided
the food, while the
community provided
supplements such as
fruit and counselling.
“Some 79 patients
were being treated at
the Institute, 45 of
them have been dis-
charged after getting
a second successive
negative report for
the virus,” Vadodara
Municipal Corpora-
tion Medical Officer
Dr Devesh Patel said.
The recovered pa-
tients are relieved and
keen to do their bit for
those still afflicted by
Sars-Cov-2.
“As a return gift to
the society and medical
fraternity, I plan to do-
nate plasma that can be
helpful to other patients
to recover,” Zakir Hus-
sain Saudagar said.
MDA’s Dr Hussain
says patients still
have a long way to go.
“Before they were dis-
charged, I spent an
hour counselling the
recovered patients,
where I gave them a
list of do’s and don’ts,
and strictly advised
them to self isolate,
even at home.”
Govt freezes...
It said that the addition-
al instalments of dear-
ness allowance and
dearness relief due
from July 1, 2020, and
January 1, 2021, shall
also not be paid. It, how-
ever, said DA and DR at
current rates will con-
tinue to be paid. —ANI
Corona war...
the Lockdown 2.0 as of
April 21st revealed sur-
prising figure as 93.5
percent trust Modi is
handling the crisis well.
Theonlinesurveyhas
put forth the statement
–“IthinktheIndiangov-
ernment is handling the
coronavirus (outbreak)
well” – was put forth be-
fore people between
March 16 and April 21,
theanswersweresought
from the people.
Until March 31, the
percentageinsupportof
Modi was 79.4, whereas
thepercentageshotupto
89.9 on April 1. By April
21, the total percentage
in favour of Modi is at
93.5. The survey results
may not go down well
with Congress leaders
as Modi’s popularity
continue to rise. Fur-
thermore, according to
the survey, the Index of
Preparedness has gone
up sharply in the past
one month while the In-
dex of Complacency
has gone down.
‘Tackle Covid...
former Congress presi-
dent Rahul Gandhi and
top Congress leaders
attended the meeting
through video confer-
ence
This is the second
time the CWC, the Con-
gress’ top deci-
sion-making body, is
meeting through vid-
eo-conferencing in the
past three weeks ever
since the lockdown was
enforced to contain the
coronavirus threat.
The Congress presi-
dent said the coronavi-
rus pandemic has in-
creased disturbingly in
the past three weeks
and called upon the
government to increase
testing for it. Gandhi
said she has written
several times to the PM
since the lockdown was
enforced and suggested
several measures and
constructive coopera-
tion. Former prime
minister Manmohan
said the success of the
lockdown will be
judged finally on In-
dia’s ability to tackle
COVID-19.
Rajasthan CM Ashok
Gehlot, Chhattisgarh
CM Bhupesh Baghel,
Puducherry CM V
Narayanasamy also ex-
pressed their views.
Bhupesh Baghel said
unless the Centre rises
to the occasion and pro-
vides financial assis-
tance to states, how
will the fight against
COVID-19 be won.
Puducherry chief
minister V Narayana-
samy said the Union
government has not
given any assistance to
the states. “How will
states survive in times
of crisis. We are not en-
emies but have to act
and work together,”
Narayanasamy said at
the CWC meet.
FROM PG 1
LENDING A HELPING HAND
The First Lady of India, Savita Kovind stitching face masks at Shakti Haat in the
President’s Estate in New Delhi on Wednesday. —PHOTO BY ANI
New Delhi: Defence
Minister Rajnath Sin-
gh reviewed the func-
tioning of Armed Forc-
es Medical Services
(AFMS) and their as-
sistance to civilian au-
thorities to contain the
spread of COVID-19 at
a meeting here on
Thursday.
Defence Secretary Dr
Ajay Kumar, Director
General AFMS Lt Gen
Anup Banerji, Director
General AFMS Lt Gen
AK Hooda, Director
General Medical Ser-
vices Surgeon Vice Ad-
miral MV Singh & Di-
rector General Medical
Services Air Marshal
M S Butola attended the
meeting. They briefed
the Defence Minister
about various actions
taken in terms of issu-
ingadvisoriestoArmed
Forces personnel, pro-
viding assistance to ci-
vilian authorities in
respect of quarantine
facilities, provisioning
of hospitals and health-
care in the prevailing
situation.
“On a request re-
ceived from the Minis-
try of Health, quaran-
tine facilities for civil-
ians were created and
are currently function-
al at six stations for ci-
vilian evacuees from
Italy, Iran, China, Ma-
laysia and Japan,” said
a Defence Ministry re-
lease. “Standby quaran-
tine facilities have also
been created at other
stations. Starting 1st
Feb 2020 these facilities
have housed 1,738 indi-
viduals.” —ANI
Defence Min reviews work of AFMS
New Delhi: Informa-
tion and Broadcasting
Minister Prakash Ja-
vadekar on Thursday
presented the letter of
appreciation to front-
line COVID-19 warri-
ors, which include
healthcare workers, po-
lice personnel, bank
staff, Postal Depart-
ment employees, sanita-
tion workers, and oth-
ers. Minister Javadekar
said: “We are felicitat-
ing doctors, nurses,
sanitation workers, po-
lice, bank and govern-
ment employees for
their hard work during
COVID-19. Attack on
them will not be toler-
ated. That is why we
have brought an ordi-
nance against such
acts.”
“We are giving them
an appreciation letter
with 40 people's signa-
tures on it. We want to
tell them we all appreci-
ate their work.” —ANI
Javadekar felicitates COVID-19 warriors
Prakash Javadekar gives appreciation letter to frontline warriors.
New Delhi: AIIMS Director Randeep Guleria
informed that the use of convalescent plasma
therapy to treat COVID-19 patient has started at
various centres in the country.” At various cen-
tres, we have now started using convalescent
plasma that is the blood of C patients who have
recovered. A large number of patients who have
become alright, have come forward and have vol-
unteered to donate their blood,”he said. —ANI
CONVALESCENT PLASMA THERAPY USED
AT VARIOUS CENTRES: AIIMS DIRECTOR
New Delhi: A plea has
been moved in the Su-
preme Court challeng-
ing the constitutional
validity of the orders
issued by the MHA and
the Maharashtra gov-
ernment ordering pay-
ment of salaries to the
workers during the na-
tionwide lockdown to
contain the coronavirus
outbreak.
The MHA on March
29 issued an order man-
dating payment of sala-
ries to industry work-
ers with deduction, for
the lockdown period.
On March 31, the Maha-
rashtra government is-
sued various directions
to all private establish-
ments not to terminate
any workman, includ-
ing temporary/contract
workmen and pay wag-
es for the period of lock-
down even if any work-
manhasnotperformed/
attended work.
“The losses of the pe-
titioner will be multi-
plied and if the peti-
tioner has to observe
the said orders, March
29 and March 31, in its
entirety, then the busi-
ness itself’ will become
unsustainable and will
have more far reaching
consequences, affecting
the livelihood of more
people”, said Mumbai-
based textile company
Nagreeka Exports Lim-
ited, which moved the
apex court challenging
the constitutionality of
these order. —Agencies
Plea in SC challenges
full payment to
workers in lockdown
New Delhi: President
Ram Nath Kovind has
approved to promulgate
The Epidemic Diseases
(Amendment) Ordi-
nance, 2020 which pro-
vides stricter punish-
mentsforattacksagainst
health workers even as
the country battles the
coronavirus outbreak.
The Union Cabinet in
its meeting held on
Wednesday has ap-
proved the promulga-
tion of the Ordinance to
amend the Epidemic
Diseases Act, 1897 to
“protect healthcare ser-
vicepersonnelandprop-
erty including their liv-
ing/working premises
against violence during
epidemics.”
“The amendment
makes acts of violence
cognizable and non-
bailable offences. Com-
mission or abetment of
such acts of violence
shall be punished with
imprisonment for a
term of three months to
five years, and with fine
of Rs. 50,000/- to Rs.
2,00,000/-,” the Ministry
said in a release on
Wednesday. Offences
shall be investigated by
an officer of rank of In-
spector. —ANI
PREZ ’S NOD FOR LAWTO PUNISH
THOSEWHOATTACK HEALTHWORKERS
New Delhi: In order to
engage students during
their stay at home dur-
ing the lockdown, Un-
ion Human Resource
Development Minister
Ramesh Pokhriyal Nis-
hank on Thursday re-
leased an Alternative
Academic Calendar for
upper primary classes
(Classes VI to VIII).
“This Calendar pro-
vides guidelines to
teachers on the use of
various technological
tools and social media
tools available for im-
parting education in
fun-filled, interesting
ways, which can be
used by learners, par-
ents and teachers even
while at home,” Pokhri-
yal said. —ANI
Alternative
Academic
Calendar out
New Delhi : Centre has
designated Delhi's IGI
Airport as a major hub
for “Import and Distri-
bution” of COVID-19
related medical essen-
tials. According to Del-
hi International Air-
port Limited (DIAL),
which operates and
manages the airport:
“Ever since the pan-
demic started gripping
India, Delhi Airport is
providing all the logis-
tics support to handle,
process and facilitate
distribution of such
consignments arriving
at the airport to various
parts of the country.”
“A 3,800 sq mt dedicated
distribution facility has
been made operational
at the place. —ANI
Delhi airport,
major hub for
med essentials
COVID-19 UPDATE Six viral testing labs set up with help of ICMR, are functional at various AFMS hosps
Defence Minister Rajnath Singh inaugurated a mobile lab named Mobile Virology Research &
Diagnostics Laboratory developed by DRDO for conducting COVID19 screening in New Delhi.
‘PUT ON HOLD
ACQUISITION
PROCESSES’
New Delhi: ICMR said that the growth curve of
COVID-19 has been flattened but it is difficult to
tell when it will reach its peak. “It is very difficult
to tell that peak in corona cases will arrive by
May 3 or when it will come. But it is very stable.
The positivity rate has been 4.5% throughout, one
can say we have been able to flatten the curve.
However, difficult to predict it (peak),” Dr Balram
Bhargava, Director General, ICMR said. —ANI
COVID-19 GROWTH CURVE HAS BEEN
FLATTENED, SAYS DIRECTOR ICMR

rying to
find ways
to make the
most of time
in lockdown
has motivated many
people to learn new
skills, polish up old
ones, and tackle old to-
do lists. Social me-
dia and the news
present an abun-
dance of stories
about the amazing
things people are
accomplishing dur-
ing lockdown.
There are tips on
how to be the per-
fect parent, have the
perfect at-home
workout routine,
and even bake the
perfect loaf of bread.
It’s easy to think that
this would help people’s
mental health by giving
them a sense of purpose
and distraction. But for
those prone to perfec-
tionism, this informa-
tion can fuel feelings of
insecurity and self-
doubt. Striving to meas-
ure up to the examples
on social media can take
a further toll on mental
health when projects
fail because you don’t
havetheresourcesneed-
ed. Perfectionism can
make you more vulner-
able to poor wellbeing
during lockdown.
rying to
find ways
to make the
most of time
in lockdown
has motivated many
people to learn new
skills, polish up old
do lists. Social me-
dia and the news
present an abun-
dance of stories
about the amazing
fect parent, have the
perfect at-home
workout routine,
and even bake the
during lockdown.
TALKING POINTAHMEDABAD | FRIDAY, APRIL 24, 2020
T
PERILSPERFECTIONISM
DURING
OF
HOW TO AVOID
CABIN FEVER
People who suspect they may
have come into contact with
the coronavirus are being advised
to self-isolate (stay at home) for
14 days. For some people, the
idea of self-isolation may seem
like a dream come true. For
others, the idea of being cut off
from the outside world, alone
or with only a few close family
members, will fill them with dread
– ask any parent who has had to
entertain two small children at
home on a wet afternoon.
When people are stuck
indoors for long periods of time,
they can report getting “cabin
fever” or feel like they are going
“stir crazy”. However, there are
some simple measures that you
can take to help you adapt.
BOOST YOUR
IMMUNE SYSTEM
Research on the effects of
loneliness suggest that when
people lack social connections
they are more likely to suffer
from physical health problems.
For example, older adults who
can’t leave their homes due
to impaired mobility are more
susceptible to illness, such as
heart disease. And studies have
found that polar research crews
can suffer from reductions in
their immune system.
The good news is that the
period of self-isolation needed
for coronavirus should not result
in any marked changes in how
your immune system works. But
during self-isolation it may be a
good idea to try to improve your
immune response. Exercise and
getting enough vitamins can help
here (although contrary to some
internet sources, they’re not a
cure). Psychologists also believe
that listening to upbeat music or
watching a movie can also boost
your immune function.
STRUCTURE
YOUR DAY
For some people, self-isolation
might still lead to some mild
mental health issues. We know
from people who have spent
a winter in a polar research
station that longer-term isolation
and confinement is linked to
psychological problems. One
study found that in crews over-
wintering, over 60% reported
feeling depressed or anxious;
and nearly 50% felt more irritable
and had problems with memory,
sleeping and concentrating.
Obviously, coronavirus self-
isolation won’t be as extreme
or as long as for those exposed
to an Arctic winter and so the
impact on mental wellbeing is
likely to be much less extreme.
But some people who are self-
isolating may have difficulties
with sleep (insomnia), feelings
of restlessness or sadness, or
start to feel demotivated.
To combat these problems,
it is important to maintain a
structure to your day. Having
a set schedule for meal times
and a set bedtime can help you
to stay on track. Planning out
activities and setting goals can
also help keep you motivated
and stop you feeling down.
MAINTAIN SOCIAL
CONTACT
An obvious reason why
isolated people may feel
low or anxious is that they
can’t draw on the support of
friends and families to help them
deal with the difficult situation
and share their worries and
concerns. Studies also suggest
that without such social support,
people may turn to less positive
coping strategies, such as
[drinking more alcohol].
So during self-isolation
you should stay in contact
with your social network.
This can be as simple as
phoning a friend for a
chat, sending someone
an email or joining in with
a discussion via social
media. Reaching out to a
friend has been shown to
be better for your mental
health than having a glass
or two of wine in a bid to
block out your worries.
UNREALISTIC STANDARDS
AND SELF-CRITICISM
Perfectionism isn’t simply about striving to
do your best. Instead it involves a tendency
to have frequent thoughts about achiev-
ing ideal standards coupled with relentless
striving to reach goals that are unrealistic.
Personality science has revealed that per-
fectionism comes in two main forms. One
is characterised by overly critical and nega-
tive views of your own behaviour, and an
excessive preoccupation with other people’s
expectations of your performance. These
self-critical perfectionists get little satisfac-
tion even when they do bake a lovely loaf of
sourdough bread. To them, it will never be
as good as the loaf their friend baked.
The other form of perfectionism is more
similar to the common idea of a perfection-
ist – someone who strives to meet very
high standards. But there’s a catch.
SOCIAL COMPARISONS
It’s natural for people to compare themselves to others to get direction when
they experience uncertainty. These social comparisons help us evaluate our
performance and motivate self-improvement.
But for self-critical perfectionists, checking social media and the news for
how others are dealing with lockdown can be a reminder that they are not
accomplishing enough, not being the best parent, and falling short of what is
expected. This can lead to worry and repetitive negative thoughts about not
being perfect, which can increase risk for depression and distress.
EMBRACE IMPERFECTIONS
So how can perfectionists manage their
wellbeing during lockdown? Learning to
accept personal limitations and imper-
fections is crucial, but may be easier
said than done. Once a perfectionist
is reminded that they are not perfect,
it is difficult for them to respond with
acceptance and compassion towards
their shortcomings – self-criticism is
the default response. This is why it’s im-
portant to limit exposure to social media
that promotes perfectionism.
Keeping things in perspective can
also help. For example, is it really the
end of the world if your sourdough
starter failed?
More importantly, reminding our-
selves that we are all imperfect and
that we all struggle with failures and
shortcomings is essential for practicing
self-compassion. Showing ourselves
the same kindness and acceptance
that we would for a close friend who is
struggling during lockdown is one way
to cultivate this self-compassion.
In a recent tweet, J. K. Rowling
blasted social media users who were
“implying people are losers if they aren’t
learning a new skill” during lockdown.
As she aptly noted, learning to accept
our feelings and distress is “a better
route back to good mental health than
beating ourselves up for not being
superhuman”.
HEALTH
With regular exercise
routines disrupted, people
are turning to online fitness
classes and videos to stay
fit during lockdown. You
might expect that per-
fectionism would give an
advantage when it comes
to staying healthy. But
exposure to the “perfect”
exercise routine promoted
by ultra-fit exercise gurus
can trigger feelings of
inadequacy.
Self-critical perfection-
ists may respond by simply
abandoning any attempt to
stay fit. My research has
shown that this form of
perfectionism is linked to
procrastination
and poorer health.
Striving perfection-
ists, on the other
hand, can go into
exercise overdrive
to try to become
as ultra-fit as the
online instructors,
pushing themselves
too much and
increasing risk for
exhaustion and inju-
ry. Neither extreme
is healthy.
coping strategies, such as
[drinking more alcohol].
you should stay in contact
with your social network.
This can be as simple as
phoning a friend for a
chat, sending someone
an email or joining in with
a discussion via social
media. Reaching out to a
friend has been shown to
block out your worries.
perfectionism is linked to
SOURCE: THE CONVERSATION DESIGN: CP SHARMA
L
O
C
K
D
O
W
N

Before you lose your patience
totally at a given situation, think
- Problem or Inconvenience?
Take the test of Reality!
—Jagdeesh Chandra, CEO & Editor, First India
AHMEDABAD | FRIDAY, APRIL 24, 2020www.firstindia.co.in I www.firstindia.co.in/epaper/ I twitter.com/thefirstindia I facebook.com/thefirstindia I instagram.com/thefirstindia
08
2NDFRONT
Lockdown defers the Asiatic
Lion census in Gir SanctuaryA fresh call on the census will be taken only after corona situation gets better
First India News
Junagadh: The ongo-
ing lockdown may
have disturbed or
postponed all the
things for human be-
ings but even the ani-
mals in the forest are
bearing the brunt of
coronavirus without
getting infected with
it. The state forest de-
partment has post-
poned the Asiatic
Lion census for an in-
definite period.
The much awaited
and crucial census
takes place once every
five years and the fig-
ures are awaited not
only in India but even
the wild life lovers
abroad.
Initially the census
was to take place in the
month of May but it
was postponed to June
and now it again has
been postponed with no
future date. The census
of Asiatic lions in Guja-
rat’s Gir Wildlife Sanc-
tuary has been deferred
due to the lockdown im-
posed to curb the spread
of coronavirus, a senior
forest official said on
Thursday. Gujarat has
so far reported 2,407
coronavirus cases and
103 deaths due to the
disease.”In view of the
lockdown, the lion cen-
sus will not take place
in May.
A decision on the
census will be taken
only after things be-
come clear on the cor-
onavirus situation
and the lockdown
said DT Vasavada,
Chief Conservator of
Forests (CCF) of Jun-
agadh division.
The state has suc-
ceeded in conserving
lions in the Gir forest,
where their numbers
dwindled to just over a
dozen in the early 20th
century.
The erstwhile Nawab
of Junagadh, Mahabat
Khan, had then banned
shooting of lions.
Due to conservation
efforts of the state au-
thorities after Inde-
pendence, the number
of wild cats has stead-
ily gone up in Gir.
At present, lions are
found in seven districts
Junagadh, Amreli,
Bhavnagar, Gir Som-
nath, Botad, Porbandar
and Rajkot - surround-
ing the Gir forest area.
At times, they stray into
farms in these districts
and sometimes enter
cities and towns located
on the periphery of the
sanctuary.
In 2018, lions in Gir
faced a threat of in-
fectious diseases.The
state government in
February last year
said as many as 34
lions died in 2018 due
to various diseases,
including the canine
distemper virus. The
Gir Wildlife Sanctu-
ary, which is the only
abode of Asiatic li-
ons, remains closed
during the monsoon
season, which is also
the mating period of
the big cats, another
official said, adding
that the census is
most unlikely at that
time. During the last
census conducted in
May 2015, 523 lions
were found in the Gir
forest.
Rly nurse makes ‘face
shields’ for corona warriors
Battling lockdown:Three
month extension for DGP
Stranded AP
fisherman dies
in Gujarat
First India News
Rajkot: Magupilli
Koi Raju (28), a AP
fisherman from Etch-
erla mandal in Sri-
kakulam district,
who got stranded at
Veraval port in Guja-
rat due to the lock-
down, died under
suspicious circum-
stances on Wednes-
day morning.
His body was cremat-
ed in Veraval the same
day. Raju had gone to
Veraval port, around
190 km from Rajkot,
from his native Match-
yalesam village in Sri-
kakulam in May 2019.
On Wednesday, his
co-workers found
him dead inside the
cabin of the boat they
have been confined to
since the lockdown
began.
Maskless man
booked for assault
Gujarat witnesses
rise in forest fires
First India News
Rajkot: Adverse times
throw in real heroes
in true sense. While
most of the middle
and upper class are
waiting patiently for
the lockdown to get
over, there are unlike-
ly heroes or rather
Corona Warriors
emerging from with-
in our society. They
are not only perform-
ing heir routine du-
ties flawlessly but
also travelling that
extra mile to make
sure that that they
contribute to these
adverse times as posi-
tively as they can.
A nurse of Rajkot
railway hospital is mak-
ing face shields after
fully completing her
duty hours. She pro-
vides the face shields to
the people who are
working as corona war-
riors outside the hospi-
tal. This face shield cov-
ers the whole face.
The compassionate
nurse Jyotsna Mak-
wana said “People
working in this cru-
cial time like doctors,
nurses, ward boys,
sweeper and police
are wearing masks
but the masks availa-
ble in the market
don’t cover the whole
face. The part of the
eyes remains open
and they may get in-
fected because of half
covered face.”
The medical superin-
tendent of the hospital
RVSharmasaid,“These
shields are made by us-
ing the good quality of
plastic films. She has
made so far 25 such face
shields after duty hours
and we have distributed
them in hospital staff”.
Currently Makwana
is making these shields
everyday after her duty
hours and very soon
these face shields will
be made available to all
the railway hospitals of
Rajkot railway division,
informed a senior rail-
way official from Rajkot
division.
Spending her own
precious time to serve
others has surprised
many who work with
Makwana and don’t
hesitate to say that
she has motivated
them as well. All nurs-
es are given the exam-
ple of Florence the
Nightingale but most
forget in the heat of
their daily routine.
First India News
Ahmedabad: The Gu-
jarat state govt on
Thursday released
the extension orders
for the state police
chief Shivanand Jha.
Senior IPS officer Shi-
vanand Jha was on
Thursday given a
three-month exten-
sion in service, till
July-end, as Director
General of Gujarat
Police, according to a
Personnel Ministry
order.
Jha, a 1983-batch of-
ficer of the Indian Po-
lice Service, was due to
superannuate at the
end of this month. The
Appointments Commit-
tee of the Cabinet head-
ed by Prime Minister
Narendra Modi has ap-
proved extension in
Jha’s service for a peri-
od of three months be-
yond his superannua-
tion, i.e. 30 April 2020 in
public interest, it said.
It was already being as-
sumed that Jha would
get the extension due to
more than one reason.
Jha had been discharg-
ing his duties during
lockdown to the satis-
faction of present dis-
pensation and it would
have been fool hardy to
change the head of the
force in the middle of
this unprecedented cri-
sis here a short staffed
department was man-
aging the successfully
executing the lockdown
guidelines.
It is expected that by
July end the corona
threat would be much
less threatening, mak-
ing it the right time for
a new man to take over
the reins of the de-
partment.
First India News
Kheda: The police on
Thursday arrested a
man for allegedly as-
saulting a home
guard on duty who
stopped him for not
wearing a face mask
while travelling on
his bike amid the
lockdown imposed in
the wake of COVID-19
pandemic.
According to the
complaint filed by Kirit
Kumar Chavda, the ac-
cused, Abdul Razzak
Khan Malek, was on
his bike and entering
Angadi village when
Chavda stopped him to
enquire as to why he
was not wearing a face
mask an d why he was
outside despite the pro-
hibitory orders during
the lockdown.
This enraged Malek
and he started abusing
Chavda and even hit
him.
Malek has been
booked and arrested
under IPC sections
332 (voluntarily caus-
ing hurt to deter pub-
lic servant from do-
ing his duty), 188
(disobedience to or-
der duly promulgated
by public servant)
and 186 and under
sections of the Disas-
ter Management Act.
First India News
Surat: Most of the na-
ture lovers are happy
with the good happen-
ing to the flora, fauna
and environment in
general due to the on-
going lockdown but
an increased number
of forest fires during
lockdown are a cause
of concern.
According to the For-
est Survey of India
(FSI), between March 25
and April 22 this year,
(the lockdown period),
altogether 1,360 forest
fire alerts have been is-
sued across the state.
This is quite an in-
crease compared to
1087 fire alerts dur-
ing the corresponding
period last year in the
state, indicates FSI
Forest Fire Alerts
System 3.0. Forest of-
ficials say that most
of these fires are
man-made and done
intentionally to prove
a point against a
strictly law enforcing
forest department.
Experts opine that
the forest fire is one of
the main reasons of for-
est degradation in the
country and it isn’t a
practice limited to Gu-
jarat alone but is done
in most parts of the
country.
The nurse said that the masks available in the market don’t cover
the whole face. The part of the eyes remains open and they may
get infected because of half covered face.
Shivanand Jha State police chief.
The census of Asiatic lions in Gujarat’s Gir Wildlife Sanctu-
ary has been deferred due to the lockdown imposed to curb the
spread of coronavirus. In view of the lockdown and rising
number of corona cases in the state, the lion census will not take place
in May. A decision on the census will be taken only after things be-
come clear on the coronavirus situation and the lockdown.
—DT Vasavada, Chief Conservator of Forests (CCF), Junagadh division
People working in this crucial time
like doctors, nurses, ward boys,
sweeper and police are wearing
masks but the masks available in the mar-
ket don’t cover the whole face. The part of the
eyes remains open and they may get infected
because of half covered face.
—Jyotsana Makwana, Railway Nurse (Rajkot)
First India News
Jaipur/Ahmedabad:
The objectionable
and below dignity
comments by well
known TV journalist
Arnab Goswami on
Congress interim
President Sonia Gan-
dhi has attracted
wide spread criticism
from Kashmir to Kan-
ya Kumari. There
have been many FIRs
registered against
Goswami across the
nation. Even the CWC
meeting chaired by
Sonia Gandhi on
Thursday took up the
matter. The legal cell
of PCC has registered
an FIR in all districts
of the state including
Jaipur demanding
immediate arrest of
the controversial
journalist. Congress
has cornered BJP by
calling it a mute spec-
tator to the insult of
a woman since many
Congressmen consid-
er a tacit BJP support
to Goswami.
Rajasthan Congress
Chief Whip Dr Mahesh
Joshi has called Arnab a
BJP political stooge.
Archana Sharma too ex-
pressed her disgust at
the barb. Congress legal
cellchief SushilSharma
filed an FIR at the
Vaishali Nagar police
station in Jaipur and
said that had the lock-
down guidelines not
been a restriction the
Congressmen would
have taken the fight to
every street of the coun-
try. Another FIR was
filed senior party leader
from Pali, Shishupal
Singh,formervicechair-
man, Child and Labor
Board, Government of
India. Moreover, in Gu-
jarat around 35 police
complaints were filed
against Republic TV
head and news anchor
Arnab Goswami across
the state on Thursday.
Gujarat Pradesh Con-
gressCommittee(GPCC)
chief Amit Chavda and
leader of opposition
Paresh Dhanani have
both filed a complaint
against Goswami for al-
legedly inciting commu-
nal hatred and defaming
Congressin-chargepres-
ident Sonia Gandhi.
Political pundits also
say that it is due to the
lockdown that Congress
party has resorted to
country wide FIR drive
againstArnabGoswami.
Meanwhile, Guja-
rat Chief Minister Vi-
jay Rupani also con-
demned the physical
attack on Republic
Media Network’s Edi-
tor-in-Chief Arnab
Goswami and his wife
and Republic TV Edi-
tor Samyabrata Ray
Goswami on Wednes-
day night while they
were on their way
home from Republic’s
studios in Mumbai at
about 12.15 am.
Slamming the Con-
gress,Rupanicalleditan
act of cowardice. Rupa-
ni’s support to Arnab
comes a day after Ra-
jasthan Chief Minister
Ashok Gehlot and Depu-
ty CM Sachin Pilot con-
demned the senior jour-
nalist’s remarks and Ge-
hlot demanded action
against him by the Edi-
tor’s Guild. The journal-
ist after his barb on So-
nia Gandhi also alleged
an attack on him by IYC
workers late last night.
Arnab Goswami
isn’t alone as he imme-
diately got support
from 300 member
strongNationalBroad-
casters Federation
(NBF) which issued a
letter condemning the
attack on its president
Arnab Goswami.
The letter states that
the NBF is shocked at
the recent attempt to at-
tack Goswami and his
wife, by a section a par-
ticular political party,
adding that it is deplor-
able that the political
party, which allegedly
claims to stand for Free-
dom of Expression, has
resorted to personal at-
tacks, including filing
FIRs in various states,
against Arnab Goswa-
mi, for performing his
professional duty as a
journalist.
Now, Guj CM Rupani jumps into Arnab-Sonia controversy!
Arnab Goswami CM Vijay Rupani

A
laya F made an
everlasting mark
in the heart of
the audiences
with her debut in
Jawaani Jaaneman. The
audiences and critics
alike loved how she aced
her character. Alaya is
making the most of her
time watching films to
grasp more knowledge.
Alaya is a lover of old
school classics and is
watching films that have
where she can learn a lot
in terms of acting, feel,
speech delivery, body lan-
guage and much more.
This will certainly help
the actress in refining
her skills. Clearly, the girl
of the moment is enrich-
ing herself. —Agency
DON’T CAST AWAY!
A
ctress and an ardent animal lover Richa Chadha finds it ‘idiotic’
that people are abandoning pets due to the COVID-19 scare. She
says just like there are stringent measures for adopting a child,
the same should be done with pets. Richa, who has al-
ways campaigned for ‘adopt and not shop’ for pets and
has cats at home, said: “It’s really idiotic. If some-
body in your family gets COVID-19 will you
throw them out? I think there should
be a basic assessment of people’s
mental state before they go and
(get animals home). Just like
when you want to adopt a child,
you have a lot of stringent
measures to follow, similarly
with an animal it should be
the same, I think.” —IANS
T
aapsee Pannu has opened
up about the incident the
made her accept her
flaws, and helped her ac-
quire an identity.
In her latest post on Insta-
gram, the actress talks
about an incident that
changed the way she per-
ceives herself.
“ThisislikeaBTSfrom
ashootIdidforGaurang.
I remember how I was
concerned that my
short hair won’t suit
the sarees he makes
Coz they r so tradi-
tional but he was so
nonchalantaboutitn
said we will use your
original hair length,
colour,texture,every-
thing natural, every-
thing YOU. That really
made me think sometimes you
justhavetoembracehowyoulook
only then the world will em-
brace it. Shying away from
how you look is never going
to help you grow in life. The
dayIacceptedmyflawswas
the day I came into my
true self n my flaws
helped me get a
unique identity”
she wrote.
—IANS
AHMEDABAD, FRIDAY
APRIL 24, 2020
www.firstindia.co.in I www.firstindia.co.in/epaper/ I twitter.com/thefirstindia
facebook.com/thefirstindia I instagram.com/thefirstindia
09
TIME
TO LEARN!
TIME
TO LEARN!
TIME
TO LEARN!
amannaah Bha-
tia says “today
we are like
caged animals,”
and says that
the universe has
given us a time
to reflect on the fact.
“Lockdownisaneedof
the hour at this point of
time and cases will mul-
tiply if we don’t adhere
to social distancing rules
and limit outdoor activi-
ties until an effective
medical solution is de-
rived,” Tamannaah said.
“This unprecedented
crisis has taken so many
innocent lives and the
economy is majorly hit
especially the small
businesses. Maybe the
universe is teaching us a
lesson for all the harm
we have caused nature
and animals,” she add-
ed. Tamannaah along
with Letsallhelp.Org has
extended help to mi-
grant workers in Mum-
bai. They have been suc-
cessful in mobilising
over 50 tonnes of food
products and have ca-
tered to the needs of
over 10,000 people across
the slums, shelters and
old age homes across
Mumbai.
The actress feels “to-
day we are like caged
animals and the uni-
verse has given us a time
to reflect on this.”
“The team at Letsall-
help.org and I have tak-
en a pledge that no one
goes to sleep without
food during the lock-
down and we are utilis-
ing this time to help the
migrant workers with
basic utilities. Please
start the practice of do-
nation in any form,” she
added. —IANS
T
LOVE
YOURSELF!
FAILS TO GUESS!
A
nushka Shar-
ma gave Insta-
gram’s viral
‘Guess The
Gibberish’ filter a shot,
but she failed to come
up with the right word.
Guess The Gibber-
ish filter works by
showing you seeming-
ly meaningless words
until you can crack it
and arrive at the cor-
rect phrase. A user
gets 10 seconds to fig-
ureouttherightwords.
The filer was created
by a user named @gu_
christopher, and has
caught on.
Anushka posted a
video on Instagram
story, where she is seen
participating in the
guessing game.
Her Gibberish filter
read: “Stir Range
Earth Inks.” In the
video, she is seen re-
peating the sentence
and finally decides the
correct answer to be
‘Strange Things’, but
the reply is actually
‘Stranger Things’.
Seeing her guess is
wrong, Anushka calls
herself “Bewakoof
ladki.”
On the work front,
Anushka is all set to
come up with a new
web series as a produc-
er on Amazon Prime
Video web series,
bankrolled by her pro-
duction house Clean
Slate Company. —IANS
Making the most!
Tamannaah Bhatia
... her Instagram post
Alaya F
Taapsee PannuRicha Chadha
Anushka Sharma

heCoenbrothers’“Burn
After Reading” is a
screwball comedy that
occasionally becomes
something more. The
characters are zany, the
plot coils upon itself
with dizzy zeal, and the roles
seem like a perfect fit for the ac-
tors -- yes, even Brad Pitt, as
Chad, a gum-chewing, fuzzy-
headed physical fitness instruc-
tor. I’ve always thought of him as
a fine actor, but here he reveals a
dimension that, shall I say, we
haven’t seen before.
What do I mean about “some-
thing more”? There is a poign-
ance in the roles played by Franc-
es McDormand and George
Clooney, both looking for love in
all the wrong places. She plays
Linda Litzke, one of Chad’s fel-
low instructors, and is looking
for her perfect match on the Web.
This despite her conviction that
she’s far from perfect. In a scene
of astonishing frankness (using
a body double, I think), she sub-
mits to a merciless going over by
a plastic surgeon and decides to
have some work done on her
thighs, abdomen, breasts, under-
arms and eyes. “I’ve gotten about
as far as this body can take me,”
she decides.
Clooney is a happily married
man named Harry Pfarrer. (It’s one of those Jack Lemmony kind
of names that sounds like a
cough, but I don’t remember any-
one saying it in the movie, just as
nobody said “Chigurh” in “No
Country for Old Men.” Those
boys, what kidders.) Harry also
looks for dates on the Web, and,
in general terms, will happily
date anyone. He and Linda meet,
and seem to like each other, and
then Linda and Chad find a com-
puter disc at the gym. They read
it and find it belongs to a CIA
man named Osborne Cox (John
Malkovich), who has just been
fired for alcoholism. Cox is mar-
ried to Katie (Tilda Swinton),
who is also having an affair with
Harry. You see how it goes.
No need to describe the plot. It
goes around and around and
comes out here, there, every-
where. All nicely put together, of
course, but as an exercise, not an
imperative. The movie’s success
depends on the characters and
the dialogue. Linda and Chad,
who remind me a little of Rupert
and Masha in “King of Comedy,”
try to peddle their disc to the Rus-
sian Embassy. Anything to raise
money for that plastic surgery.
The CIA, baffled, gets involved. A
gung-ho officer (David Rasche),
confused but determined, re-
ports to his CIA boss (J.K. Sim-
mons, the dad in “Juno”). The
boss doesn’t have much dialogue,
but every line is a punch line.
The Malkovich character is a
right proper SOB, one of those
drunks who thinks he’s not an
alcoholic because he prudently
watches the second hand on the
clock until it’s precisely 5 o’clock.
He’s a snarky, shaved-head, bow-
tie-wearing misanthrope who
would be utterly amazed if he
knew how his files got into the
hands of two peons at a gym. As
for Clooney, in one movie he’s the
improbably handsome, super-
intelligent hero, and in the next,
he’s the forlorn doofus. You
wouldn’t believe what he’s con-
structing in his basement. The
Coens say that this film com-
pletes their “idiot trilogy” with
Clooney, after “O Brother, Where
Art Thou?” (2000) and “Intolera-
ble Cruelty” (2003). Clooney as an
idiot? As to the manner born.
Frances McDormand is won-
derful. Here she channels a little
of the go-getter determination of
her state trooper in “Fargo.”
She’s innocent of deep thoughts,
but nothing can stop her. From
the first time I noticed her, in a
great scene with Gene Hackman
in “Mississippi Burning,” she
has had that rare ability to seem
correctly cast in every role.
This is not a great Coen broth-
ers’ film. Nor is it one of their
bewildering excursions off the
deep end. It’s funny, sometimes
delightful, sometimes a little sad,
with dialogue that sounds per-
fectly logical until you listen a
little more carefully and realize
all of these people are mad. The
movie is only 96 minutes long.
That’s long enough for a movie,
but this time, I thought the end
felt like it arrived a little arbi-
trarily.
Source: https://www.rogerebert.com/re-
views/burn-after-reading-2008
10
WATCH LISTAHMEDABAD | FRIDAY, APRIL 24, 2020www.firstindia.co.in I www.firstindia.co.in/epaper/ I twitter.com/thefirstindia I facebook.com/thefirstindia I instagram.com/thefirstindia
FACEOFTHEDAY
KRITIKA AVASTHI, Actress
YOUR
DAYHoroscope by
Saurabbh Sachdeva
LEO
JULY 24 - AUGUST 23
You are great when it come
to money management and
you have a big heart for
others. You will
successfully complete the project,
which kept you occupying for long.
Today is a very auspicious day for any
kind of inauguration. You will be
involved in lot of charity.
LIBRA
SEPT 24 - OCTOBER 22
You may feel financially
secure but your ambitions
have take away your sleep
of the night, try and relax
and sometime take it easy. You will
soon meet a friend who can
understand you and whose company
will make you happy. Remember
somethings take time
ARIES
MAR 21 - APR 20
You may find yourself in a
very perplexed position
when it comes to money,
unable to decide whether
to spend money on fun to have an
image in your circle or to be an odd
one out. On academic front, your
teachers will be extremely impressed
with you.
SAGITTARIUS
NOV 23 - DEC 22
Money is flowing into your
life from all directions and
your spouse is your lucky
charm. You must not be a
part of any controversies and you know
someone close to you involved then
guide them and show them a way out.
A new vehicles is on cards, may also
come as a gift from parents.
GEMINI
MAY 21 - JUNE 21
You will feel very refresh
and energetic today. You
worry without any reason
so relax and enjoy what
you have. You may get an unexpect-
ed career call that will change your
life forever. Your spouse will pamper
you in many ways today. You are
very satisfied with how things are.
AQUARIUS
JAN 21 - FEB 19
Your new business is doing
good but you need to have
some patience when it
comes to profit. Your child
may need your serious counselling so
show them you are there. You make
take your family along on a work trip.
Its time to take your love life to next
level and be very open about it.
TAURUS
APR 21 - MAY 20
You are on with your
fitness regime and you will
surely get the results you
desperately desire. Going
abroad for settlement is on cards and
you must start with your
preparations. On domestic front, you
will be quite in demand and lots of
things will keep you busy.
CAPRICORN
DEC 23 - JAN 20
You may feel challenged on
work front but its an
healthy competition which
will help you realise your
true potential. On domestic front, do
not indulge in any kind of argument
with your parents just for the sake of
it, sometime you need to understand
their concern.
VIRGO
AUG 24 - SEP 23
You are an outstanding
home maker and you take
care of your kids like no
one can. You are very close
to your parents and may visit them
frequently going forward. On
professional front, you will get the
break that you have been expecting.
You may attend a social gathering.
CANCER
JUNE 22 - JULY 23
Those involved in export
and import business will
see a hike. You will
complete all your pending
task today . You will managed to
sustain a peaceful environment at
home. You will be very busy today on
social front, as you can expect some
calls from friends today.
PISCES
FEB20 - MARCH 20
You have already proved
your metal and your career
is going great. Your friends
may be helping but can
also manipulate you sometimes so
be careful. Those who matters will
always understand you and those
you don’t, you should not care about
them. Understand your lover.
SCORPIO
OCT 23 - NOVEMBER 22
You are very jovial and
kind hearted person. You
are a very nice parent and
always understand your
kids but you must know when to
stop pampering. You may bring a pet
to your house and it will be the best
decision in the recent times. You may
feel a lot of pressure from family.
T

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