First india jaipur edition-12 may 2020

JAIPUR l TUESDAY, MAY 12, 2020 l Pages 12 l 3.00 RNI NO. RAJENG/2019/77764 l Vol 1 l Issue No. 335
Emergence
of a new
CONSENSUS
MANADITI NAGAR
hey say statesmanship is a dying art in politics.
But a few stalwarts like Ashok Gehlot has kept
this tradition alive. On Sunday, Gehlot emerged
as a great statesman engaging 115 legislators
and parliamentarians for 12 gruelling hours in
a quest to drive Covid-19 out of Rajasthan. In
a rare instance of “participative politics” in
this of late highly vindictive political environment, Gehlot
roped in the rich experience of Opposition leaders like
Vasundhara Raje, Gulab Chand Kataria and Rajendra
Rathore for finding a solution to the pandemic which as
thrown life out of gear in every sphere.
Gehlot’s noble demeanour once again established him as
the Chief Minister of Rajasthan, rather than just being the
elected leader of Congress party which is in power.
By bringing in the expertise of Opposition leaders and for-
mer Chief Minister Vasundhara Raje, Gehlot ensures that
BJP also becomes accountable to people they represent. Af-
ter all, BJP represents more than 35% in states assembly
and 100% showdown in Parliament.
Political analysts believe that Gehlot’s master stroke of
engaging Opposition will not only enhance his image as a
‘Statesman’ but will also help in silencing opposition voice.
This involvement of BJP in strategising fight against Cov-
id-19 will pave a new system of governance in the country.
In the times of crisis, government should open all the win-
dows, and let wisdom pour in, cutting across the party lines.
Gehlot in this time of crisis has an able aid in health min-
ister Dr Raghu Sharma, who can claim a 58% record Corona
recovery and the lowest death rate in Rajasthan with a mea-
gre 2.83%. With a little over three years left in the Assembly
elections, the third time Chief Minister has initiated a new
brand of politics in Rajasthan, one that was needed from a
long time… one that will remain for a long time to come.
At this moment, a Gandhi family loyalist and Rajasthan
General Secretary Incharge Avinash Pande must be having
a smile on his face with the resounding success of his close
friend for almost three decades and senior colleague Gehlot!
T

NEWSJAIPUR | TUESDAY, MAY 12, 2020
02www.firstindia.co.in I www.firstindia.co.in/epaper/ I twitter.com/thefirstindia I facebook.com/thefirstindia I instagram.com/thefirstindia
First India News
Jaipur: The entire
world is fighting the
coronavirus pandemic
and till date there is no
specific treatment prov-
en to be effective for
coronavirus disease
2019 (COVID-19).
The Sawai Man Sin-
gh (SMS) Medical Col-
lege, Jaipur started
Convalescent Plasma
Therapy to treat seri-
ous coronavirus in-
fected patient and it
has given a ‘Ray of
Hope’. So far, three
successful convales-
cent plasma therapies
have been conducted
and all the three pa-
tients showed im-
provement.
The SMS team for suc-
cessful COVID-19 Plasma
transfusion is headed by
Dr Sudhir Bhandari,
Senior Professor of Med-
icine and Principal and
Controller, SMS Medical
College, Jaipur with oth-
er members Dr Raman
Sharma, Dr Sunita Bun-
das and Dr Ajeet Singh
Shaktawat.
The outbreak of se-
vere acute respiratory
syndrome corona virus
2 (SARS-CoV-2), which
originated in Wuhan,
China, has become a
major concern all over
the world. The infection
induced by the SARS-
CoV-2 is named corona
virus disease 2019
(COVID-19).
SMS Medical Col-
lege Principal Dr Su-
dhir Bhandari said
that till date, no spe-
cific treatment has
been proven to be ef-
fective for SARS-CoV-2
infection. World over
Scientists are engaged
in research to find out
specific treatment for
this disease and as of
now only supportive
care such as oxygen
supply in mild cases
to invasive mechani-
cal ventilation or ex-
tracorporeal mem-
brane oxygenation
(ECMO) is provided
for the critically ill
patients.
He said convalescent
plasma or immune
globulins have been
used as an adjunct ther-
apy to improve the sur-
vival rate of patients
with SARS whose con-
dition continue to dete-
riorate despite treat-
ment with so far known
modalities.
Convalescent Plasma
therapy is to transfuse
plasma (component of
blood) containing anti-
bodies donated by the
recovered COVID-19 pa-
tient to the serious coro-
navirus patient.
Moreover, several
studies showed a short-
er hospital stay and
lower mortality in pa-
tients who were treated
with convalescent plas-
ma than those who were
not treated with conva-
lescent plasma.
One possible explana-
tion for the efficacy of
convalescent plasma
therapy is that the anti-
bodies from convalescent
plasma might suppress
viremia (the presence of
viruses in the blood) by
mopping up the inciting
viral antigens.
Dr Bhandari said, “In
endeavour to manage
COVID 19 patient stand-
ard treatment protocols
are being followed in
addition to standard
medical supportive
treatment. We used Hy-
dro-chloroquine and
antiviral Lopinavir 400
mg and Ritonavir 100
mg for the first time in
Covid positive patient
which ignited thought
process and many re-
search trials for treat-
ment of Covid 19 cases.”
Elaborating further
about plasma therapy,
he said it was started
at SMS hospital as per
ICMR protocol for pa-
tients who qualify for
the treatment. The
donors of plasma are
the Covid 19 patients
who have recovered
after 21 to 28 days of
their illness, repeat
RT PCR was done on
them and found to be
negative. Antibody
detection Rapid test is
done that shows a pos-
itive titer meaning
that protective anti-
bodies have formed in
the recovered patient,
then their plasma is
obtained for donation
which is then infused
into blood group
matched recipient,
who is suffering from
active corona infec-
tion. The Plasma is
obtained through an
online separation
technique in which
RBCs are transfused
back to the donor, he
informed.
Dr Bhandari said,
“So far, we have con-
ducted 3 successful Cov-
id Plasma therapies and
all the 3 patients are
showing improvement
in their clinical state,
oxygen saturation and
d-dimer levels. We have
included these patients
with progressive dis-
ease as shown by clini-
cal findings and HRCT
chest scoring system.
All this is being done as
per protocol of ICMR
and with the permis-
sion of DCGI. The dose
required was 200 ml of
plasma on two consecu-
tive days.”
Convalescent plas-
ma has previously
been used against vi-
ral illnesses such as
rabies, hepatitis B,
polio, measles, influ-
enza and Ebola. It was
also used in recent
outbreaks of MERS
and SARS-1, where
faster viral clearance
following convales-
cent plasma therapy
was observed.
As a consequence,
convalescent plasma
could provide immuni-
ty against disease by
providing antibodies
that neutralise the vi-
rus and prevent further
damage. This is a form
of passive immunisa-
tion, unlike a vaccine,
which produced active
immunity.
Abhishek Srivastava
Jaipur: UDH Minister
Shanti Dhariwal has re-
laxed the rules better-
ment levy for the real
estate sector and ful-
filled their long stand-
ing demand. Relief pro-
vided by Minister Dha-
riwal is being consid-
ered as balm on the
aching real estate in-
dustry with twin blows
of slow economy and
corona crisis.
Dhariwal has given
his consent on the note
sheet soon the UDH will
release the orders. As
per existing rules the
builders had to pay a
betterment levy if he
went for additional con-
struction apart from ap-
proved as per Buid Area
Ratio (BAR). Builders
had give 25% as ad-
vance installment at the
time of NOC of site
maps and balance ib
three installments of
25% each. Builders
were required to depos-
it PDCs for the same.
The new rules will al-
low the builder to de-
posit first 25% install-
ment 1 year after the
site maps are approved.
This will let builder
analyse the maker de-
mand & decide accord-
ingly whether he wants
to stick to BAR or ex-
tend his construction.
New rules will also
help the builder recov-
er some money from
the booking. The UDH
in turn will be saved of
the unnecessary litiga-
tion happening due to
cheque bouncing on
part of the builders. So
the new rules will
permit the builders to
pay the amount in 3
rather than existing 2
years and the amount
will be payable in 5 re-
duced EMIs of 20%
each rather than exist-
ing 4 installments of
25% each.
Convalescent Plasma Therapy – A ray of hope for serious patients
UDHmin’sreliefforrealestateThe new rules will permit the builders to pay the amount in 3 rather than existing 2 years
PEACOCKS TAKE OVER JAIGARH ROAD
A flock of Peacock and peahen capture a deserted road near Jaigarh Fort in Jaipur at 4.15 PM on Monday. Some areas of Jaipur witnessed scattered rainfall on Monday. Due to changing weather conditions, the dates of arrival and departure of monsoon have
changed. The MeT revealed that monsoon will arrive in Rajasthan on June 25 instead of June 15. At the same time, instead of September 20, the monsoon will make a retreat on September 27. While, Jaipur’s date with Monsoon will be July 1, instead of June 25
said MeT sources. —PHOTO BY SUNIL SHARMA
‘Employment provided
to 24L people in 20 days’
First India News
Jaipur: Rajasthan has
given record employ-
ment under MNREGA.
The state has topped the
country in adding num-
ber of new labourers
and providing them em-
ployment.
Deputy Chief Minis-
ter Sachin Pilot said
that 24 lakh people have
been provided employed
under MNREGA in just
20 days. The Gehlot gov-
ernment has been em-
phasizing on linking as
many people as possible
with MNREGA to create
livelihood opportunities
for people in rural areas
considering that many
have been redundant
jobless due to lockdown.
While only 62000 peo-
ple had received employ-
ment till April 17, the
numberhasnowcrossed
24 lakh on Monday.
First India News
Jaisalmer: Nonde-
script village of the dis-
trict Khetolai made it to
international headlines
22 years ago when in the
words of former PM AB
Vajpayee “Buddha
smiled”.
It was the land of de-
sert village Khetolai in
the Pokharan subdivi-
sion that witnessed not
one or two but five nu-
clear explosions the
diplomatic tremors of
which were felt across
continents for years to
come. It was 11 May
when the first test was
conducted and the resi-
dents of Khetolai
rushed out of their
houses fearing some
natural calamity.
Now the word was let
out and on 13 May more
explosions were felt and
before the planned sixth
explosion could happen
PM Vajpayee was con-
veyed the success of the
tests by the scientists
and he stopped the sixth
explosion.
No one to listen to residents’
problems at Khetolai dist
BJP’s drive to
serve workers
First India News
Jaipur: In accordance
with the instructions
given by BJP national
presidentJPNaddainVC
held, BJP state chief Sat-
ish Poonia has an-
nounced to take Nadda’s
instructions in form of a
drive. Poonia informed
that BJP workers will
start a drive to serve mi-
grant workers who are on
way to their states on
foot.BJPworkerswillnot
only provide them with
slippers but also make ar-
rangements for their halt
& refreshment at various
places en route.
More areas
come under
curfew in city
First India News
Jaipur: The coronavi-
rus induced curfew has
been imposed at 10 plac-
es in 8 police station ar-
eas of Jaipur Commis-
sionerate on Monday
due to finding positive
patients from these plac-
es. On the other hand,
the curfew was lifted in 3
police station areas after
people have recovered
from COVID-19. Curfew
is imposed in 36 police
stations of Jaipur.
COMBATTING COVID-19
Dr Raman Sharma Dr Sudhir Bhandari
UDH Minister Shanti Dhariwal
Sachin Pilot
First India News
Jaipur: The Supreme
Court has given a partial
relief to state govt by
permitting it to use
Sisodiya Rani Ka Bagh
for various activities
from 8 am to 8 pm. But
Justice Arun Mishra and
Justice Ravindra Bhatt
have banned use of laser
lights, high decibel mu-
sic and fireworks keep-
ing the surrounding eco-
system in mind.
The court also direct-
ed state govt to appoint a
beautification expert for
the heritage garden. The
court said the expert will
monitor the development
of memorial. The double
bench also ordered to
submit a report on such
plans within a month.
SC relief: Raj can use Sisodiya
Rani Ka Bagh for activities
Contempt petition against
ACS Singh,Dr Bhandari of SMS
First India News
Jaipur: A Contempt Pe-
tition has
been filed
by Ramvir
against Ro-
hit Kumar
Singh IAS
& Principal
Secretary
Medical & Health And
Dr Sudhir Bhandari
Principal, SMS Medical
College Jaipur in High
Court. This Contempt
Petition is filed for not
obeying the orders for
HC which was asked
with to provide N-95
Masks and safety gadg-
ets as prescribed by
WHO and due to this
many health workers
are suffering from Co-
rona and have become
its carrier.
The matter will be
listed before a division
bench comprising Jus-
tice Indrajeet Mahanty
and Justice Satish Ku-
mar Sharma. The matter
will be argued through
VC today by advocate SK
Singh.
A view of Sisodiya Rani Ka Bagh in Jaipur.
SK Singh

BADRINATH TEMPLE TO
REOPEN ON MAY 15,
DEVOTEES NOT ALLOWED
MODI TERMS POKHRAN-II
‘LANDMARK MOMENT IN
INDIA’S HISTORY’
Chamoli: Only 27 people, including the
head priest, will be allowed when the
portals of the Badrinath Temple reopen
on May 15, officials said on Monday.
“Devotees will not be allowed entry into
the temple during that time. The decision
has been taken in view of the guidelines
issued by the Centre amid Covid-19 pan-
demic,” Anil Chanyal, SDM, Joshimath,
said. The ritual of extracting sesame oil
for ‘Gaadu Ghada’ tradition was per-
formed last week.
New Delhi: PM Narendra Modi on Monday
remembered the nuclear tests held in 1998
at Pokhran, Rajasthan, terming it an “ex-
ceptional achievement” and a “landmark
moment in India’s history” and applauded
all those using technology to enhance the
quality of life. “On National Technology
Day, our nation salutes all those who are
leveraging technology to bring a posi-
tive difference in the lives of others,” PM
tweeted. He also saluted those involved in
research to defeat Corona.
New Delhi: The Rail-
ways has issued new
guidelines for travel on
15 special trains from
May 12, asking passen-
gers to carry their own
food and linen and arrive
at stations at least 90 min-
utes before departure for
health screening. It also
said all passengers must
wear face masks during
the journey. For now,
Railways has issued time
table for trains between
May 12 and May 20. They
will run as daily, weekly
or bi-weekly trains, as
per the time table issued
by the Railways. There
are no trains on May 16
and May 19.
The 15 trains to run
from Tuesday will be air-
conditioned and will run
on full-capacity Turn on P7
New Delhi: ‘Jan Se Jag
Tak’(FromPeopleToThe
World), was the motto
given by Prime Minister
Narendra Modi on Mon-
day at the end of his mar-
athonmeetingwithChief
Ministers of states, high-
lighting the Centre’s
mood to motivate the peo-
ple to adopt a new life-
style to evade Corona and
also keep the economy up
and running. Noting that
the fight against COV-
ID-19 has to be more fo-
cused now, PM Modi said
economic activities have
begun to pick up momen-
tum in several parts of
the country and the pro-
cess will further gain
steaminthecomingdays.
In the fifth video con-
ference meeting with the
Chief Ministers on Mon-
day, the Prime Minister
said that the country has
a reasonably clear indica-
tion of the geographical
spread including the
worst affected areas. In-
terestingly, several Chief
Ministers like West Ben-
galCMMamataBanerjee,
Telangana CM K Chan-
drashekar Rao and Tamil
Nadu CM K Palaniswami
requested PM not to start
passenger trains.
“We must realize that
the fight against COV-
ID-19 has to be more fo-
cused now,” he said.
Modi said that the road
ahead should be focused
on reducing the spread
of coronavirus and en-
suring that precautions
are taken.
“Going forward, the
road ahead should be fo-
cused on reducing the
spread and ensuring that
all precautions are taken
by people including so-
cial distancing norms by
observing ‘Do Gaj Doori’.
Follow-up is of para-
mount importance and
we must do so to the
hilt,” he said. Meanwhile
sources Turn on P7
Carry your own food,
linen, arrive 90 min
early for train travel!
‘Ensure rural India remains free from Corona’
 PM: Economic activities will gain momentum in coming days  Maha, Telangana, Bihar, West Bengal
seek lockdown extension  During the VC, Telangana CM asks PM not to operate passenger trains
FROM ZOJI LA
TO KARGIL
The Indo-Tibetan Border Police has ensured the safe passage of over 900 trucks carrying essential
supplies from the icy heights of Zoji La in Ladakh to the frozen slopes of Kargil in the past 21 days
amid the ongoing lockdown. The land route through Zoji La pass serves as a lifeline for the nearly 1.5
lakh residents of Kargil. Due to efforts of ITBP, trucks carrying food and other items are reaching Kargil
covering a distance of 100 km in about eight hours of time. —PHOTO BY ANI
Bookings for 15 special
trains began on Monday
evening on IRCTC website
two hours behind the sched-
uled time. However, despite
delay, all AC-1 and AC-3
tickets for the Howrah-New
Delhi and Bhubaneswar-
New Delhi special trains
were sold within the first 10
minutes. Earlier, the IRCTC
website went unresponsive
as bookings began at 4 pm.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi interacts with Chief Ministers of states on COVID-19 situation through
video conferencing, in New Delhi on Monday. —ANI PHOTO
Domestic
flights may
resume by
May 18
New Delhi: The gov-
ernment is likely to al-
low airline companies
resume operation of lo-
cal passenger flights by
18 May, said sources. On
Monday, a joint team of
Directorate General of
Civil Aviation (DGCA),
Bureau of Civil Avia-
tion Security Office,
Airports Authority of
India, Delhi Interna-
tional Airport Limited
and CISF under the
Ministry of Civil Avia-
tion visited Delhi air-
port before the resump-
tion of flights and took
a detailed note of pre-
paredness.
The airlines are like-
ly to begins operations
from major routes like
Delhi, Mumbai and
Bengaluru, Turn on P7
TICKETS SOLD: TRAINS
CHUG FROM TODAY
‘NO PLAN TO DEDUCT
SALARY OF EMPLOYEES’
‘ENSURE MIGRANTS
DON’T WALK HOME’
New Delhi: Union Minister Jitendra
Singh on Monday clarified that there
is no proposal by the government
to carry out deduction in the salary
of its employees. “Please ignore
the fake news being circulated in
a section of media. There is no
proposal by the government to
carry out deduction in the salary of
its employees,” Singh tweeted. P7
New Delhi: Centre has asked states to
ensure migrant labourers do not walk
on the road or railway tracks to reach
home. It asked them to counsel such
labourers and put them in shelters.
Development comes in the backdrop
of 16 labourers being crushed to
death by a train near Aurangabad last
week, and many also meeting fatal
accidents routinely on roads while at-
tempting to walk back to their homes.
CORONA
ALERT
JAIPUR l TUESDAY, MAY 12, 2020 l Pages 12 l 3.00 RNI NO. RAJENG/2019/77764 l Vol 1 l Issue No. 335
25°C - 43°C
OUR EDITIONS:
JAIPUR & AHMEDABAD
www.firstindia.co.in
www.firstindia.co.in/epaper/ I twitter.com/
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COVID-19
UPDATE
RAJASTHAN
113
DEATHS
3,988
CONFIRMED CASES
USA 1,375,129 81,099 +312
SPAIN 268,143 26,744 +123
UK 223,060 32,065 +210
RUSSIA 221,344 2,009 +94
ITALY 219,814 30,739 +179
GERMANY 171,999 7,569 +13
BRAZIL 163,510 11,207 +84
IRAN 109,286 6,685 +45
CHINA 82,918 4,633 +2
CANADA 69,157 4,907 +37
COUNTRY TOTAL TOTAL NEW
CASES DEATHS DEATHS
GLOBAL STATE
OF AFFAIRS
WWW.WORLDOMETERS.INFO
LAST UPDATED: MAY 11, 2020, 11:00 PM
SAMPLE RECEIVED
SAMPLE NEGATIVE
3,596
UNDER EXAMINATION
1,76,130
1,68,546
IN RAJASTHAN
DISTRICT TOTAL NEW TOTAL
CASES CASES DEATH
AJMER 232 +12 5
ALWAR 31 +11 1
BANSWARA 66 — 1
BARAN 3 — —
BARMER 7 +3 —
BHARATPUR 119 +3 2
BHILWARA 43 — 2
BIKANER 39 — 1
CHITTORGARH 141 +5 2
CHURU 18 +1 1
DAUSA 24 +2 —
DHOLPUR 21 — —
DUNGARPUR 11 +1 —
HANUMANGARH 11 — —
JAIPUR 1247 +28 59
JAISALMER 37 +2 —
JALORE 14 +6 —
JHALAWAR 47 — —
JHUNJHUNU 42 — —
JODHPUR 886 +13 17
KARAULI 7 +2 1
KOTA 259 +9 10
NAGAUR 131 +9 2
PALI 67 +5 2
PRATAPGARH 4 — 1
RAJSAMAND 20 +4 —
SWAI MADHOPUR 10 — 1
SIKAR 9 — 2
SIROHI 11 +7 —
TONK 142 +2 1
UDAIPUR 182 +49 —
OTHER DIST. 2 — 2(UP)
TOTAL 3883 +174 113
OTHER (Italy) 2 — —
EVACUEES 61 — —
BSF 42 — —
GRAND TOTAL 3988 +174 113
Gehlot suggests Modi to fight Corona, blossom economy; together!
Naresh Sharma
Jaipur: His effective handling
of Corona crisis in state has
been appreciated by Prime
Minister Narendra Modi and
the work done by Rajasthan
Government has been lauded
by the Union Government. It
wasthusbefittingthatanexpe-
rienced administrator and
politician like Ashok Gehlot
provide suggestions on how to
bring back states and nation
out of the economic crisis and
handle the corona infection
too. And Gehlot provided the
simplest answer of all : Fight-
ing Together!
When on Monday, PM Modi
held a marathon VC with
Chief Ministers of states Ge-
hlotassertedthatstatescannot
do anything in one vacuum
whiletheCentralGovernment
would do something at its own
level. Instead the three time
Rajasthan Chief Minister said
that States and Centre ‘will
have to fight together to bring
the economy back on track’.
Gehlot has urged PM Modi
to start employment guaran-
tee scheme for urban areas on
the lines of MNREGA itself.
Turn on P7
CM Ashok Gehlot during a video conference with PM Narendra Modi on Monday, where Health Minister Dr Raghu Sharma,
Kuldeep Ranka, Rohit K Singh, Bhupendra Singh and Amit Dhaka were present.
 Can’t buy foodgrains for poor
anymore, CM informs PM as
he urges for Centre’s support
 Bring MNREGA like
employment scheme for the
urban poor: Gehlot
 Demands permission for
states to fix zones and
implement restrictions on
their own will
INDIA
70,766
CONFIRMED CASES
2,294
DEATHS
WORLD
2,85,363
DEATHS
42,28,896
CONFIRMED CASES
AAO SAATH CHALEIN

RAJASTHANJAIPUR | TUESDAY, MAY 12, 2020
Green flag for trains come with strict regulations, Raj gets 3 halts
Kashiram Chaudhary
Jaipur: Railway will
begin operating 30
trains from Tuesday un-
der modified rules. Ra-
jasthan has three halts
for trains as per the lat-
est schedule.
Railway has advised
commuters to only
reach the station only if
they have a confirmed
ticket and compulsorily
wear a face mask dur-
ing entire journey fol-
lowing social distanc-
ing. People without con-
firmed tickets will not
be allowed inside the
stations.
All trains starting
from Tuesday are A/C
trains with no non A/C
bogies. Commuters
have been asked to book
their tickets only
through IRCTC website
as agents are not au-
thorised to issue any
tickets until further or-
ders. No advance book-
ing for more than 7 days
will be possible in the
new schedule.
There will be no wait-
ing list or RAC tickets
issued. As per new
guidelines there will be
no TTEs on the trains
and the tickets will be
checked before com-
muters board the train.
In order to discour-
age non serious book-
ing the railways will
levy heavy cancellation
charges. Any ticket will
only be cancelled up to
24 hours prior to jour-
ney and the cancella-
tion charges will be 50%
of the total charges.
There will be no food
booking for any jour-
ney and only packed
water & snacks will be
available on the train
during journey.
The facility of pro-
viding bed sheets and
blankets too has been
stopped.
Experts feel that
train operations with-
out TTEs and waiting
lists are a step towards
the privatisation of
railways and in future
trains might be operat-
ed on similar pattern.
State will have
Ahmedabad - New Del-
hi train no. 02957 &
02958 stopping at Abu
Road and Jaipur while
Mumbai Central – New
Delhi train no 02951 &
02952 will stop at Kota
in the state.
ANOTHER STEP TO PRIVATISATION?
BRIEF
in
 Jaipur: A captive in the
central prison at Ghatgate
was found corona positive
on Monday and has been
sent to quarantine. Jail
Superintendent Rakesh
Mohan Sharma said that
two people had come to the
Bajaj Nagar police station
in connection with a theft,
out of which Jaisinghpura
Khor resident Shahzad
alias Munnu Khan has been
reported positive. The head
constable of the police sta-
tion has also been tested.
 Jaipur: Despite 448
blockades in the day and
118 during the night, four
cases of bike thefts were
reported from Mansarovar,
Bajaj Nagar and Shiv-
daspura police station
areas on Monday.
 Sawai Madhopur: MP Dr
Kirodi Lal Meena met Dis-
trict Collector Nannu Mal
Paharia and complained
about the fraud in the
distribution of ration during
the lockdown. Collector as-
sured investigation. District
SP Sudhir Chaudhary was
also present.
 Jaipur: MP Rajyavard-
han Singh Rathore said,
“On this day in 1998,
our scientists exploited
technology and demon-
strated their achievement
in Pokhran. Our scientists
have always been at the
forefront of technology in
various fields. This year,
let’s focus on using science
and technology to reorgan-
ise our economy.”
 Jaipur: High Court heard
the matter of releasing 2.65
lakh metric ton pulses kept
on the ports of the country.
Petitioners pleaded that
pulses worth crores of
rupees are getting spoiled.
On the other hand, on be-
half of DGFT, ASG RD Ras-
togi said that petitions of
pulses importers are filed
in various high courts of
the country and DGFT has
filed 102 transfer petitions
against them in SC. Chief
Justice Indrajit Mahanty
has ordered to list the case
after two weeks.
 Ajmer: Water Supply
Department AEN Brijendra
Singh Meena, who was
posted in Ajmer City Block
3, has been suspended for
negligence during duty
amidst the corona crisis.
 Baran: A child died
due to falling of a wall in
Kachara village of Atru in
Baran. Also, a labourer
couple got seriously
injured and was taken to
the district hospital for
treatment. The incident
occurred while digging the
foundation of a house.
 Jaipur: In the new excise
policy, issuing a bill of
liquor sale has been made
mandatory by the orders
of the Excise Commis-
sioner, but liquor mafias
are not bothered about the
directives issued by the
government. The sale and
recovered amount can be
matched if only all the bills
are issued. As per informa-
tion, more than Rs. 1 crore
overrate is being recov-
ered in Jaipur alone. It is
possible due to the tie-up
between the excise inspec-
tors and liquor sellers.
Central team
satisfied by
situation in
walled city
First India News
Jaipur: A health team
from central govern-
ment inspected the
walled city area in
Jaipur on Monday, in its
drive to keep vigil on
various hotspots in the
country.
Team consisting of
Dr Bannerji, Dr Das, Dr
Naveen, Dr Jaideep,
DPM Akhilesh Sharma
along with several oth-
er other government of-
ficialsvisitedthewalled
city area, which is by
far the most active hot-
spot in the state capital.
They specifically visit-
ed the containment
zones of epicenter Ram-
ganj , Subhash Chowk
and the adjoining area.
CMHO (I) Narottam
Sharma briefed the
team regarding activi-
ties like survey, screen-
ing, sampling and cur-
few apart from efforts
made by the health de-
partment so far. Accord-
ing to CMHO the cen-
tral team expressed
satisfaction on the situ-
ation.
‘Govt’s orders
on epidemic
out of HC’s
jurisdiction’
First India News
Jaipur: State govt told
HC that administrative
orders given by it under
Epidemic Act 1957 were
out of its jurisdiction
during the hearing of a
petition by Yogesh Modi
regarding quarantine
centers in Jaipur city.
Appearing for state
AG MS Singhvi request-
ed HC to quash the peti-
tion with heavy fine as it
has been filed without
facts and preparation.
AG also presented list of
all quarantine centers
readied for patients and
separate residential ac-
commodation for doc-
tors, selection of which
was administrative step
taken as per guidelines
issuedbyCentre&WHO
and beyond the scope of
questioning by the peti-
tioner, he said. ASG RD
Rastogi appearing for
the Centre said that
guidelines by centre
don’t permit a quaran-
tine centre in a residen-
tial area. Justice Indra-
jit Mohanty listed the
case again 18 May.
Corona suspect hangs
self, tests negative
First India News
Ajmer: A corona sus-
pect committed suicide
on Monday. He was ad-
mitted in hospital on
Sunday. His sample was
collected in the even-
ing, which turned out to
be negative.
According to Dr San-
jeev Maheshwari of
Jawahar Lal Nehru hos-
pital, Pankaj Yadav
hanged himself around
5 in the morning in
bathroom, using a bed
sheet to create a noose.
He was allegedly
mentally disturbed. Dy
SP (Ajmer North) Pri-
yanka Raghuvanshi
said that a suicide note
has beenfound.
Meanwhile, the 17
year old girl who died
on May 17 turned out to
be positive. She had
been living with her fa-
ther in Dargah area
since April. Many of
them tested positive
making it a potential
hot spot.
Rules for lockdown
travel passes revised
First India News
Jaipur: Home Depart-
ment issued the revised
standard operating
procedure movement
and pass during the
lockdown. CM had
tried to simplify the
movement pass process
in the modified lock-
down. As per the new
guidelines, the pass is
not required for travel-
ling from one district to
another in approved
activities of emergency
situations. However,
the concerned person
must carry the compa-
ny and personal IDs.
At the same time, Col-
lector or SP will issue
passes in containment
zones and curfew areas.
If someone wants to
go out of state from a
private vehicle, regis-
tration has to be done
on e-Mitra for an online
pass issued by the dis-
trict administration or
one can contact the hel-
pline of state war room
at 181. In addition, of-
fline passes can also be
applied to various of-
fices and district level
officers.
In the case of travel
through bus or train
with an emergency
pass, it would be issued
only for the medical
emergency and demise
of a family member.
Addl municipal
corp will strain
economy, says PIL
First India News
Jaipur: Creation of two
municipal corporations
in place of existing one
in Jaipur, Jodhpur and
Kota has been chal-
lenged in HC. The PIL
cited weak financial
condition of the state
because of corona for
cancellation of twin
municipal corporations
in these cities.
Priya Yadav stated in
her PIL that because of
corona, financial condi-
tion of state has weak-
ened. It cannot afford
the financial burden of
additional municipal
corporations.
Bifurcation of Jaipur
Municipal Corporation
alone will create bur-
den of Rs 518 crore on
the exchequer. There-
fore, she sought defer-
ment of creation of an
extra municipal corpo-
ration for the time be-
ing. Her lawyer Mahi
Yadav said that govern-
ment divided Jaipur,
Jodhpur and Kota mu-
nicipal corporations
into two, by two orders,
on October 18 and No-
vember 5. The com-
bined annual budget of
two Municipal Corpora-
tions in Jaipur would
be Rs 2046.49 crore in-
stead of Rs 1528.48 crore
for one municipal cor-
poration, which means
an extra financial bur-
den of Rs 518 crore.
“When the state gov-
ernment has deducted
salaries of its employ-
ees because of COVID
19, then this additional
burden on state excheq-
uer is unwarranted,”
the petitioner.
‘REPLY BY MAY 20’
SAFETY
FIRST
A statue of Former
Prime Minister Indira
Gandhi was seen
adorned by a face
mask on Monday.
Labourers gather on streets,
forced back inside by cops
First India News
Jaipur:Duringthelock-
down, thousands of peo-
plelivinginrentedhous-
es in Painter Colony of
Nahari Ka Naka area
Shastri Nagar got to the
streets on Monday after-
noon, demanding to go
back to their villages.
Due to a curfew im-
posed in the area, the
police had sent people
back to their homes us-
ing force. After getting
the information about
the situation, authori-
tiesreachedthespotand
foundoutthattheywant
to get their ration in-
creased and want more
rice instead of flour.
DCP Rajiv Pachar
said that all these peo-
ple are from West Ben-
gal. Their demand has
been told to the District
Collector. Also, extra
police force has been
deployed in the area to
maintain law and order.
Police ensuring peace after labourers in Nahari ka Naka area were
sent back to their homes. —PHOTO BY NAIM KHAN
FIVE DEATHS, 174 NEW
CASES REPORTED IN STATE2324 cases so far came negative after treatment, 2059 have been discharged
First India News
Jaipur: 5 corona deaths
were reported in last 24
hours taking the total to
113. Jaipur & Pali re-
ported two deaths each
while Ajmer reported
one corona death. Mon-
day reported 174 new
corona positive cases.
49 new cases were re-
ported from latest hot-
spot Udaipur followed
by Jaipur with 28 posi-
tives, 13 from Jodhpur,
12 from Ajmer, 11 from
Alwar, 9 cases each
from Kota & Nagaur, 7
from Sirohi, 6 from Ja-
lore, 5 each from Chit-
torgarh & Pali, 4 from
Rajsamand, 3 each
from Barmer & Bharat-
pur, 2 each from Dausa,
Karauli, jaisalmer &
Tonk, one from Churu.
The state total for co-
rona positives stands at
3988. State has tested
176130 samples so far
out of which 168546
have reported negative
while reports for 3596
samples is awaited.
Jaipur leads the most
positive cases tally with
1247 cases followed by
Jodhpur 886, Kota 259,
Ajmer 232, Udaipur 182,
Tonk 142, Chittorgarh
141, Nagaur 131, Bharat-
pur 119, Pali 67, Ban-
swara 66, Jhalawar 47,
Bhilwara 43, Jhunj-
hunu 42, Bikaner 39,
Jaisalmer 37, Alwar 31,
Dausa 24, Dholpur 21,
Rajsamand 20, Churu
18, Jalore 14, Hanuman-
garh, Dungarpur &
Sirohi 11 each, Sawai
Madhopur 10, Sikar 9,
Jalore 8, Karauli & Bar-
mer 7 each, Pratapgarh
4 and Baran 3. Apart
fromthis42BSFjawans,
2 Italians, two from oth-
er states, 61 Indians
evacuated from Iran. 31
districts out of 33 are of-
ficially corona infected
as of now.
Good news is that so
far 2324 cases have
turned negative from
positive. 2059 have been
discharged from the
hospital after treatment
while rest will also be
discharged after their
mandatory quarantine
period.
28 new cases reported
in Jaipur were distrib-
uted across the district.
Area in Malviya Nagar Sector 1 being sanitised after a corona case was reported from here.
—PHOTOBYMUKESHKIRADOO

INDIAJAIPUR | TUESDAY, MAY 12, 2020
New Delhi: No death
due to COVID-19 was re-
ported in the last 24
hours, read the Delhi
government health bul-
letin on Monday.
“No death due to
COVID-19 reported in
Delhi in the last 24
hours. The death toll
currently stands at 73,”
read the bulletin. “310
persons tested positive
in the national capital
today; taking the total
number of positive cas-
es to 7233,” it read.
With 60 patients re-
covered in the last 24
hours, the cumulative
recovered patients
stand at 2,129 and the
total number of active
coronavirus cases in
the national capital is
5,031 cases.
India’s COVID-19
count reached 67,152 on
Monday, according to
MoHFW. —ANI
‘No death in Delhi in 24 hrs’
A doctor wears protective shield as he checks patients at the OPD of Ganga Ram Hospital in New Delhi.
COVID-19 UPDATE With 60 patients recovered in last 24 hrs, the cumulative recovered patients stand at 2,129 & 5,031 active cases reported
New Delhi: The Minis-
try of Home Affairs di-
rected the states & UTs
to facilitate unhindered
movement
of all
h e a l t h
w o r k e r s
and sanita-
tion per-
s o n n e l
amid the nationwide
lockdown to control the
coronavirus pandemic.
In a letter to the chief
secretaries of states,
Union Home Secretary
Ajay Bhalla said that
restrictions on move-
ment of healthcare
workers at some places
had been flagged during
a vc chaired by Cabinet
Secretary Rajeev
Gauba.” The services
of medical and para-
medical staff are ur-
gently required to meet
the challenge of Cov-
id-19 pandemic,” he
wrote. “Furthermore,
the existing staff, apart
from this duty, also has
to render normal re-
sponsibilities, such as
conducting immunisa-
tion programmes, han-
dling the onset of vec-
tor and other seasonal
diseases, & meeting
emergencies.” Bhalla
said restrictions on the
movement of health
workers could severely
affect emergency medi-
cal services. —ANI
Ensure smooth movement of
health workers, says MHA
New Delhi: The gov-
ernment’s Aarogya
Setu mobile applica-
tion is based on “priva-
cy-first by design”
principle keeping in
mind the safety and
privacy of users’ data,
said Amitabh Kant,
CEO of Niti Aayog.
He further added
that the user data from
the app would only be
provided to those gov-
ernment officials who
were directly in charge
of containing the
spread of the coronavi-
rus in India.” —ANI
Aarogya Setu
‘privacy-first’
by design: Kant
New Delhi: World
Health Organisation’s
Chief Scientist Soumya
Swaminathan on Mon-
day, commended India
for keeping the corona-
virus cases and deaths
very low compared to
other countries and
said it will play an im-
portant role in the de-
velopment of a vaccine
for COVID-19. She said
the whole world has to
be prepared for the on-
going transmission of
infection for “many
many months and for
perhaps years to come”.
Swaminathan said it
is not just enough to de-
velop and test the vac-
cine, but it is also cru-
cial to manufacturing
it, scale-up procure-
ment, and get health
systems to vaccinate
populations. Speaking
on the National Tech-
nology Day, Swamina-
than said, “I would like
to commend and con-
gratulate the minister
and colleagues for hav-
ing contained so far the
COVID pandemic
in India and having
kept both the number
of cases and the num-
ber of deaths very low
compared to other
countries.”
All participants, in-
cluding Science and
Technology Minister
Harsh Vardhan, ad-
dressed the conference
online. —PTI
WHO lauds India’s
Corona fight
New Delhi: Former
JNU student Sharjeel
Imam moved Delhi HC,
challenging the order
of a trial court that gave
3 months additional
time to the Delhi Police
to file chargesheet
against him in the case
related to alleged in-
flammatory speeches
during the protests
against CAA and NRC.
The plea was men-
tioned before the court
and is likely to be listed
on May 14.
Sharjeel has chal-
lenged Delhi’s Patiala
House Court’s April 25
order by which the Del-
hi Police was granted
further time, beyond
the statutory 90 days, to
conclude its investiga-
tion filed against him
under the stringent Un-
lawful Activities Act.
He has also sought de-
fault bail in the matter
which was dismissed by
Additional Session
Judge Dharmender
Rana. He was arrested
on Jan 28 in case related
to violent protests
against CAA near the
Jamia University in De-
cember last year. —ANI
Sharjeel Imam
moves HC
against trial
court’s order
New Delhi:The Su-
preme Court on Mon-
day extended till fur-
ther hearing the inter-
im protection granted
to Republic TV editor
Arnab Goswami in
connection with sev-
eral FIRs registered
against him for alleg-
edly defaming Con-
gress interim presi-
dent Sonia Gandhi. A
bench headed by Jus-
tice Dr DY Chandra-
chud and also compris-
ing Justice MR Shah
reserved its order on a
plea seeking investiga-
tion in the matter by a
probe agency other
than Mumbai Police.
The apex court, had
on April 24, said that
no coercive action
should be taken
against Goswami for
three weeks during
which he can seek an-
ticipatory bail and
other reliefs.
During the hearing
held on Monday, advo-
cate Harish Salve ap-
pearing for Goswami
told the top court that
the investigation in
connection with the
FIRs against his client
was not being conduct-
ed in a proper manner.
—Agencies
SCextendsprotectiontoArnab
New Delhi: SC de-
clined to restore 4G
Internet services
in Jammu & Kash-
mir for now, em-
phasizing the ne-
cessity to strike a
balance between
national security
and public need.
A bench com-
prising Justices NV
Ramana, R Sub-
hash Reddy and BR
Gavai said it is ap-
propriate to consti-
tute a special com-
mittee comprising
secretaries at na-
tional and state lev-
el -- to look into the
entire matter. —ANI
SC SAYS NO TO
4G IN JAMMU-
KASHMIR
FOR NOW New Delhi: Come
May 13, the SC will
have a single judge
bench to hear special
leave petitions arising
out of bail order and
all kinds of transfer
cases.
In the backdrop of
growing pendency of
cases, the decision of
the apex court as-
sumes significance, as
for the first time since
its inception a single
judge bench will hear
transfer petitions and
special leave petitions
arising out of bail or-
ders with respect to of-
fences punishable up
to seven years impris-
onment. Till now, the
Supreme Court had a
minimum of two judg-
es hearing any case.
Court number 1,
which is presided over
by CJI, also sits in the
combination of three
judges. A notice from
the apex court said
that the competent au-
thority in exercise of
the powers conferred
by Article 145 of the
Constitution. —PTI
SC single judge bench
to hear transfer cases New Delhi: Former PM
and senior Congress
leader Manmohan Sin-
gh, who was admitted to
the AIIMS in Delhi on
Sunday evening, is sta-
ble and currently under
observation with spe-
cialists examining him,
news agency ANI re-
ported on Monday
morning quoting sourc-
es. The Congress leader
was rushed to hospital
after he complained of
chest pain. He was ad-
mitted to a ward at the
cardio-neurosciences
tower at about 8.45 pm
under Dr Nitish Naik, a
professor of cardiology
at the AIIMS. Singh, 87,
is still under observa-
tion at the cardio ward
of the hospital. —ANI
Ex- PM Dr
Manmohan
Singh stable
at AIIMS
‘COVID-19
cases likely to
peak in May’
Mumbai: Maharashtra
CM Uddhav Thackeray
said that the COVID-19
cases are expected to
peak in May and sug-
gested that any action
on lockdown must be
taken cautiously.
“Cases are expected to
peak in May, it may
peak in June or July
also. I have read Wuhan
is witnessing a second
wave of cases, even
WHO has warned about
this. So, I suggest that
any action on lockdown
must be taken cautious-
ly,” Thackeray said dur-
ing PM Modi’s fifth vc
meeting with Chief
Ministers. “I request
that if the need arises
the state should be giv-
en central forces as po-
lice are under heavy
pressure and their per-
sonnel are also getting
infected,” he said. —ANI
ONLY 27 PEOPLE ALLOWED FOR
BADRINATH TEMPLE REOPENING
Chamoli: Only 27 people,
including the head priest,
will be allowed when the
portals of the Badrinath
Temple reopen on May
15. “Devotees will not
be allowed entry into the
temple during that time.
The decision has been
taken in view of the guide-
lines issued by the Centre
amid Covid-19 pandem-
ic,” Anil Chanyal, SDM,
Joshimath, said. On April
29, the portals of Kedar-
nath Temple were thrown
open after a six-month-
long winter break. There
also pilgrims were prohib-
ited from visiting the shrine
because of coronavirus
lockdown. U’khand CM
Trivendra Singh Rawat
had said that Badrinath
shrine will be opened on
May 15 at 4:30 am.
VANDE BHARAT EVACUATION
FLIGHT FROM US ARRIVES
Hyderabad: The GMR Hyderabad International
Airport on Monday handled the arrival of the
second evacuation flight under Vande Bharat Mis-
sion from the United States of America on May
11. The national carrier - Air India flight - AI 1617
- from San Francisco (USA) arrived via Mumbai
at the Hyderabad International Airport today at
09.22 am with 118 Indian citizens stranded in the
USA.Later in the day, GMR Hyderabad Interna-
tional Airport is all set to receive another batch of
Indian citizens from Abu Dhabi (UAE).
ICICI BANK SHARES SLUMP 5%
DESPITE Q4 PROFIT RISE
Mumbai: Share price of ICICI Bank plunged over
5%, despite an improved quarterly result. The
analysts attributed the slump to lower-than-ex-
pected rise in profits. At 2.26 p.m, the bank’s
share was trading on BSE at Rs 321.70, lower by
Rs 16.05 or 4.75% from the previous close.On
Saturday, the bank reported a 26% year-on-year
rise in standalone net profit for fourth quarter
of 2019-20 at Rs 1,221 crore. The bank made
provisions, excluding those linked to Covid-19
and tax, worth Rs 3,242 crore in Q4.
SHRAM SHAKTI BHAWAN SEALED
AFTER EMPLOYEE TESTS POSITIVE
New Delhi: Delhi’s Shram
Shakti Bhawan was
sealed on Sunday after an
employee working in the
Ministry of Power tested
positive for COVID-19.
The Ministry of Power
has an office in the Shram
Shakti Bhawan building
that has now been sealed
as per protocols.The
entire office premises are
being sanitized thorough-
ly. All the employees have
been advised to work
from home till further or-
ders.Moreover, the people
who had come in contact
with the employee, who
had been tested positive
for coronavirus, had been
asked to quarantine them-
selves at home.Some of
the government offices
had to be sealed after
staff tested positive.
India’s hidden ability has been highlighted as we are developing
ventilators, PPEs, masks, sanitizers via new technol-
ogies. The theme of Technology Day this time is to
re-boost our economy using Science and Technolo-
gy. Today it has become very important to work on science
that can find solutions to people’s problems, we call it ‘pur-
pose science’ or ‘purpose economy.
—Dr Harsh Vardhan, Union Health Minister
PREZ KOVIND
HAILS SCIENTISTS
“We recognise sci-
ence and technology
as the key instru-
ments for inclusive
progress. Our
scientists and tech-
nologists are also on
the frontlines of the
global battle against
COVID-19, making
the nation proud.”
IN THE COURTYARD
There are already a slew of FIRs
against the petitioner for his
show. The nature of the investi-
gation in the matter has clearly shown
that this is a tactic against the petition-
er,” advocate Harish Salve told the apex
court adding that the police is interrogat-
ing Goswami for over 12 hours.
‘END HOME ISOLATION AFTER 17 DAYS’
Mumbai: Maharashtra
CM Uddhav Thackeray,
accompanied by wife
Rashmi and sons Aadi-
tya and Tejas, filed his
nomination papers for
the Maharashtra Legis-
lative Council election
on Monday. He becomes
the second member
from the Thackeray
family to contest an
election after his son
and minister Aaditya,
who contested assembly
polls in October 2019.
With Congress decid-
ing to withdraw one of
its candidates from the
upcoming Legislative
Council polls on Sunday
evening, the elections to
the nine seats will be un-
opposed. Thackeray will
be elected to the Upper
House of the state legis-
lature without an elec-
tion being held.
Senior leaders from
the Shiv Sena, Sanjay
Raut, Subhash Desai,
Eknath Shinde, among
others, were also pre-
sent with the CM at the
Vidhan Bhawan. Depu-
ty CM Ajit Pawar, NCP’s
Jayant Patil. Cong lead-
ers Ashok Chavan &
Balasaheb Thorat were
also present. —ANI
Uddhav files papers for MLC polls
Uddhav Thackeray files nomination for MLC polls in Mumbai.

PERSPECTIVEJAIPUR | TUESDAY, MAY 12, 2020
G Vol 1 G Issue No. 335 G RNI NO. RAJENG/2019/77764. Printed and published by Anita Hada Sangwan on behalf of First Express Publishers. Printed at Bhaskar Printing Press, D.B. Corp Limited, Shivdaspura, Tonk Road, Jaipur.
Published at 304, 3rd Floor, City Mall, Bhagwan Das Road, C-Scheme, Jaipur-302001, Rajasthan. Phone 0141-4920504. Editor: Jagdeesh Chandra, responsible for selection of news under the PRB Act
he economic
consequencesof
the COVID-19
crisis occupy al-
most everyone’s
thoughtsandconversations.
Andforgoodreason:theEu-
ropean Union, for one, is
headed toward the worst
recessioninitshistory,with
the economy expected to
shrink by 7-12% this year.
But far less is being said
about the danger the pan-
demic poses to democracy,
even though the signals are
similarly ominous.
The EU acted fast to mit-
igate the economic impact
of the pandemic. The Euro-
pean Central Bank
launched exceptional mon-
etary measures, and the EU
introduced a recovery and
reconstruction package
amounting to 1-1.5 trillion
($1.1-1.6 trillion). Differ-
ences over how to finance
an EU rescue package re-
main, but the primary ob-
jective is straightforward:
to achieve a rapid V-shaped
recovery, though a slower
U-shaped recovery remains
a distinct possibility.
Beyond a straightfor-
ward economic recovery,
however, is the widely
shared ambition of build-
ing a greener, more digi-
tized European economy.
Virtually everyone agrees
that the COVID-19 crisis
representsanimportantop-
portunitytoacceleratesuch
a transformation, though
the jury is still out on
whethertheEUwillseizeit.
The outcome will de-
pend partly on the pandem-
ic’s impact on Europe’s
political institutions. And,
so far, there are serious
reasons to worry.
From an institutional
perspective, the biggest
threat comes from Germa-
ny’s Federal Constitution-
al Court, which recently
ruled that the German gov-
ernment had violated the
country’s Basic Law by
failing to monitor ade-
quately the ECB’s public-
sector asset purchases.
This ruling is not only re-
markably detached from
reality – saving the Euro-
pean economy must be the
top priority today – but
also reflects open contempt
for the EU Treaties.
Juridical responsibility
for the ECB – including
oversight over whether it
is overstepping its man-
date – belongs to the Court
of Justice of the EU, which
deemed the ECB’s asset
purchases legal in 2018. Yet
the German court, using
utterly torturous logic,
claims that it is not bound
by that ruling – all in an ef-
fort to impose German eco-
nomic prejudices on the
rest of the EU.
Far more worrying, how-
ever, are populist efforts to
use the crisis to undermine
democracy. Hungarian
Prime Minister Viktor Or-
bán is a case in point. Hav-
ing spent the last decade at-
tackingthefreepress,NGOs,
and political opponents, Or-
bán has used the COVID-19
crisis as pretext to push
throughlegislationthatena-
bles him to rule by decree
indefinitely.ThisisEurope’s
first such dictatorial dé-
marche since Adolf Hitler’s
Enabling Act of 1933.
In Russia, the assaults on
democratic institutions are
even cruder. Three doctors
treating COVID-19 patients
have mysteriously fallen
out of windows in recent
weeks, after questioning or
criticizing the country’s
handling of the crisis. One
cannot help but recall the
fate of Jan Masaryk, the
Czechoslovak foreign min-
ister who was found dead
below his apartment win-
dow in March 1948, two
weeks after the Communist
takeover.
This trend is hardly
limited to Europe. The
world’s largest democra-
cies – the United States,
Brazil, and India – are also
in growing peril.
FOR FULL REPORT LOG ON TO
WWW.PROJECTSYNDICATE.COM
Is coronavirus pandemic killing democracy?
T
The global media
are so consumed by
the public-health
and economic
consequences of
COVID-19 that they
apparently have little
space for the
political implications
In separateness lies the
world’s greatest misery; in
compassion lies the world’s
true strength. —Buddha
Spiritual
SPEAK
Top
TWEET
Dharmendra Pradhan
@dpradhanbjp
On #NationalTechnologyDay, I salute
the hard work of our scientists,
which has ensured a stronger and
safer India. Their achievements have
brought immense glory to the nation.
May we continue leveraging the
power of technology for the progress
and prosperity of our country.
Piyush Goyal
@PiyushGoyal
Thanks to the determination &
perseverance of our scientists under
Minister @DrHarshVardhan ji’s
leadership, India has developed 1st
indigenous anti-SARS-CoV-2 human
IgG ELISA test kit for COVID-19.
PM @NarendraModi ji’s resolve to
enhance detection of COVID-19 is
bearing results
hat the current generation
is living through is unprec-
edented in world history. A
major part of the population
around the world is under
lockdown, courtesy the pan-
demic set in motion by the
coronavirus (COVID-19). Ir-
respective of whether an in-
dividual is infected or not,
most of us have been forced
to stay and work from home,
unable to step out even for
our daily supplies. It isn’t
surprising that a number of
individuals are feeling low
and wondering if they are
headed toward depression.
Does being healthy in the
body ensure a healthy mind
and a happy spirit? Not neces-
sarily. The World Health Or-
ganisation (WHO) defines
health as ‘A state of complete
physical, mental and social
well-being and not merely an
absence of disease or infirmi-
ty.’ Herein lies, the role of un-
derstanding the mind and us-
ing its positive attributes to
achieve happiness.
Human health has always
been the epicentre of debate,
not only for medical scien-
tists but also for philoso-
phers and religious leaders.
The scientific and esoteric
or spiritual traditions have
remained clearly at odds
with one another since the
time of Galileo. The rift
peaked in the late 19th cen-
tury when mankind was
asked to choose between sci-
ence and the supernatural.
Ever since newer discoveries
began in the 20th century,
the divide between science
and philosophy has gradu-
ally been getting blurred.
For once, each is coming
closer to the other and the
fact has been aptly summed
up in the WHO definition.
The human mind is a prod-
uct of billions of years of cos-
mic and biological evolution.
Followers of the Philosophical
Science of Mind (PSM) believe
it includes the best in science,
religion, and philosophy. Ac-
cording to PSM, every individ-
ual owes the course of his or
her life, success or failure,
health or sickness, happiness
or disappointment to a mental
process. The mental process, it
believes, functions according
to a universal law based on
spirituality.
This lays down the
grounds for the recommen-
dation of spiritual healing
for the mind through affirm-
ative prayer and meditation.
PSM believes that through
prayers and meditation, an
individual becomes more at-
tuned to God’s nature. The
proponents of PSM do not
accept the affiliation with
Scientology but often talk of
Spirituality.
When we talk of Science of
Mind in neurological terms, the
role of electrical and chemical
events can be proven scientifi-
cally.Theneuralnetworkbrings
about changes in the thought
process, consciousness, and
pleasure system. Chemical sub-
stances like serotonin, dopa-
mine, acetylcholine, and endor-
phins produce a sense of well-
being, pleasurable experiences,
and effective memory and pain-
free positive emotions.
The Philosophical Science
of Mind also believes that
healing of the ailing can oc-
cur through the religious
power of the mind. A scien-
tist talking about the mind
feels it contributes to heal-
ing by activation of the neu-
ral network, while a cure is
likely to occur after correct
diagnosis and wholesome
treatment that helps a per-
son find his peace along with
his health.
Thus the best for mankind
would be a holistic approach
merging science with philoso-
phy by learning newer develop-
ments in science and under-
standing spirituality.
However, a word of cau-
tion: Spirituality could help
prevent lifestyle disease and
may facilitate recovery but
only scientific treatments,
that too after proper diagno-
ses, can control or cure dis-
eases.
If the raging pandemic has
taught us anything, it is the im-
portance of mental well-being
and finding that which brings
us peace as the crux of overall
well-being. Not all of us have a
bee or will be infected by the
virus. But hiding in our houses
trying to dodge an invisible en-
emy is nibbling away at our
sanity and hope. We might not
be diseased, but we could be far
frombeinghappy.Thisiswhere
science and philosophy can
heal us and make us whole.
THE VIEWS EXPRESSED BY
THE AUTHOR ARE PERSONAL
DISEASE-FREE ISN’T
THE SAME AS HAPPY
W
The World Health
Organisation
(WHO) defines
health as ‘A state
of complete
physical, mental
and social well-
being and not
merely an absence
of disease or
infirmity.’ Herein
lies, the role of
understanding
the mind and
using its positive
attributes to
achieve happiness
ACCORDING TO PSM, EVERY INDIVIDUAL OWES THE
COURSE OF HIS OR HER LIFE, SUCCESS OR FAILURE,
HEALTH OR SICKNESS, HAPPINESS OR
DISAPPOINTMENT TO A MENTAL PROCESS. THE MENTAL
PROCESS, IT BELIEVES, FUNCTIONS ACCORDING TO A
UNIVERSAL LAW BASED ON SPIRITUALITY
DR ASHOK
PANAGARIYA
The writer is a Padamshri awardee,
a former vice-chancellor and
Director SMS university hospital
PICKING UP THE
THREADS SLOWLY
BUT SURELY
ith the 54-day nationwide lock-
down ending on May 17, PM
Narendra Modi held a video
conference with chief minis-
ters to get their views on the
way forward. “We will be able to deter-
mine the direction our country is headed
based on suggestions you provide today,”
the PM told the chief ministers.
Should the lockdown be lifted completely or
gradually? Or, should it be extended until the
COVID19casesinthecountryreachaplateau?
Opinions differ. What binds all the stakehold-
ers is the concern for the economy which is
tottering and a future which is bleak. The PM
gave a broad hint of how the future might un-
fold after May 17. “Slowly, economic activities
have started to pick up in the country. In the
comingdays,thisprocesswillfurtherincrease.
WemustrealisethatfightagainstCovid-19has
tobemorefocused now,”thePM was quotedas
saying. What it may mean is that life versus
livelihooddilemmacouldendsoonaswelearn
to co-exist with the novel coronavirus.
In this context, the Chhattisgarh CM
Bhupesh Baghel sought the Centre’s per-
mission for states to define red, orange,
and green zones. His Gujarat counterpart
was for lockdown only in containment
zones as “economic activities can’t be sus-
pended for long”.
The centre is aware of the consequences of
an airtight shutdown and seems to have come
to terms with the novel coronavirus. Train
services have therefore been resumed in a
limited way. Importantly, asymptomatic per-
sons will be allowed to travel on these trains.
It involves a risk which the government feels
is worth taking to restore some sanity and
normality. Air travel with all the necessary
restrictions could well be the next to be al-
lowed, although Tamil Nadu chief minister
N. Palaniswami urged the prime minister not
to allow air travel till May 31. In view of the
growing number of Covid-19 cases in the
state, he was against the resumption of train
services too. Fearing the spread of the virus,
Telangana CM K. Chandrashekhar Rao also
opposed the movement of trains. Their views
were shared by chief ministers of Chhattis-
garh and Andhra Pradesh.
Rajasthan CM Ashok Gehlot requested
the Centre for an economic package and
increasing the number of trains for mi-
grants. He also sought curbs on move-
ment from Red Zone to Green Zone. Chief
ministers of Punjab, Gujarat, and Telan-
gana rooted for extension of lockdown.
Once again it was Mamata Banerjee who
used the opportunity to attack the PM for
“playing politics” over the pandemic and dis-
criminating between the states. “Don’t bull-
doze the federal structure when we are doing
our best,” she was quoted as saying.
On his part, the PM said, “There is glob-
al recognition of India’s success in han-
dling the Covid-19 pandemic and govt of
India appreciates the efforts made by all
state governments in this regard.”
IN-DEPTH
W

INDIAJAIPUR | TUESDAY, MAY 12, 2020
WILL AJOY MEHTA BE SPECIAL
ADVISOR IN MAHARASHTRA?
Maharashtra CS Ajoy Mehta who is all set to
retire on June 30, in view of the Carona crisis,
may be made Special Advisor. He is 1984 batch
IAS officer.
DEPUTATION OF THREE IPS
OFFICERS EXTENDED
The ACC has approved the proposal to extend the
tenure of three IPS officers, who are presently
working in different CAPFs/CPOs upto June 30
this year. They are Alok Kumar Mittal, Haryana
cadre, IG, NIA, Raju Bhatnagar, IG, CRPF and Ritu
Arora, Odisha cadre, IG, CISF. Their deputation
tenure was already over between March 25 to
May 3, 2020.
IPS OFFICER IN UTTARAKHAND
SEEKS VOLUNTARY RETIREMENT
IPS officer from Uttarakhand, Dr Asim Srivastava
is reported to have applied for Voluntary Retire-
ment. He is presently ADC to the Governor.
UBI NON EXEC CHAIRMAN KEWAL
HANDA MAY GET EXTENSION
There are fresh whispers that Union Bank of India
‘s Part-time Non Executive Chairman Kewal Han-
da may be granted an extension. The Govt may
also go for a consultation with the Bank’s Board
early next month to decide on the issue.
SBI SHAREHOLDER DIRECTORS’
ELECTION ON JUNE 17
SBI shareholders are reportedly out to elect four
shareholder Directors of the Bank on June 17, 2020
in a general meeting to be organised in Mumbai.
TRIBUNAL APPOINTMENTS
STUCK IN PMO ?
Tribunal appointments are reported to have been stuck
in PMO. Rules for Tribunal appointments have been
revised recently, but the whole process has been com-
pleted with old rules & there are very few candidates,
who fulfill the condition of 25 years’ of practice.
VR HEGDE TO RETURN TO PARENT
CADRE AFTER SEVEN-YEARS
A seven-year deputation of VR Hegde, is coming
to an end in the first week of July this year. He is
a 2000 batch ISS officer.
ARVIND KUMAR IS BACK
TO MADHYA PRADESH
After completion of central deputation period,
Arvind Kumar is back to the parent Madhya
Pradesh cadre. He is a 1988 batch IPS officer.
RITU DHILLON RETURNS
TO PARENT CADRE
Ritu Dhillon, Member Secretary, National Phar-
maceutical Pricing Authority (NPPA), has been
repatriated on the grounds of availing promotion
in the cadre. She is a 1996 batch IA&AS officer.
GOI YET TO FILL POST
OF CHAIRMAN, CBSE
The Government is yet to fill the post of Chair-
man, Central Board of Secondary Education
(CBSE). A vacancy of this post has arisen after
incumbent Anita Karwal’s appointment as Secretary,
School Education.
PANKAJ KUMAR GOSWAMI TO JOIN AS
DIRECTOR (OPE), OIL INDIA ON JUNE 1
Pankaj Kumar Goswami, CGM, OIL, will be
taking over the charge as Director (Operations),
Oil India Limited (OIL) on June 1, 2020. He will
succeed PK Sharma retiring this month.
33 BIHAR CADRE IAS OFFICERS
ON CENTRAL DEPUTATION
According to latest information, 33 IAS officers of
Bihar cadre are presently on central deputation.
Among them, five are Secretaries of different
ministry/department in GoI.
POWERGallery
Gehlot suggests...
“The livelihood of poor,
laborers and needy peo-
ple living on daily wag-
es has been badly affect-
ed due to the lockdown.
For them to continue to
get employment, it is
necessary that the Cen-
ter should consider
bringing such a scheme
for urban areas also like
MNREGA,” he suggest-
ed. He also urged to pro-
vide minimum 200 days
employment to the la-
borers under MNREGA
in rural areas.
CM said that from
now the Central and
State Governments
will have to fight on a
double front. “On one
hand, the there is the
ongoing battle to save
lives from Corona and
on the other hand there
is the fight to save live-
lihood and bring econ-
omy back on track.
Lockdown has adverse-
ly affected the revenue
collection of the Center
and the states. Without
the help of the Center
it is impossible that the
states can cope with
this crisis. For this, it is
necessary that the Cen-
ter should provide a
comprehensive eco-
nomic stimulus pack-
age at the earliest. All
sectors including
MSME, manufactur-
ing, service, tourism,
real estate need sup-
port. For economic re-
vival, it is necessary
that there are measures
that increase the pur-
chasing power of the
people, provide them
employment and pro-
vide relief to the indus-
tries as well,” he said.
He also said that the
biggest priority for the
Central and State Gov-
ernments at this time is
to help the needy. “The
unemployment rate has
gone up to 37.8 percent,
which is the highest.
Lockdown announced
by the Center has been
followed by the State
Governments and the
public displaying
strong will and deter-
mination. In the next
phase, states should be
empowered to fix vari-
ous zones and imple-
ment restrictions. In
line with the central
government’s standard
guidelines, states
should be empowered
so that they can decide
at the local level which
activities they are to be
exempted and which
are to be banned,” the
Chief Minister suggest-
ed to PM and other CMs.
Giving his sugges-
tions on how to support
farmers, Gehlot said
that it should be the pri-
ority that the farmers
get right price for their
produce. “Thus, it is
necessary that the limit
of purchase of wheat,
gram and mustard at
the minimum support
price should be in-
creased from 25 percent
to 50 percent of agricul-
tural production.,” he
said while also seeking
assistance from Centre
to control the locust
menace in 12 districts
of Rajasthan.
Gehlot also reiterated
his demand of a special
stimulus package for
industries and busi-
nesses saying that epi-
demic has had an ad-
verse effect on the in-
dustry and business
world. “In such a situa-
tion, the Center should
provide a comprehen-
sive economic stimulus
package to rescue them,
as provided in 2008 by
former PM Dr. Manmo-
han Singh,” he said.
Gehlot also asked the
Prime Minister to in-
crease the net loan limit
to the states from 3 per-
cent of GDP to 5 percent
without any conditions.
He suggested increas-
ing the fiscal deficit lim-
it from 3 percent of
GDP to 5 percent for 6
months under the
FRBM Act. Moreover,
the Chief Minister said
that due to the local con-
ditions and economic
condition of every state
due to Corona, the peri-
od of compensation giv-
en to the states under
GST by 2022 should be
increased by 5 years.
Gehlot said GoI
should release the first
installment of the
amount of the Central-
ly Sponsored Schemes
without any condition
at the earliest. “The
process of releasing
the amount has been
made difficult, which is
unfair. The new policy
of need-based alloca-
tion in states on cen-
trally sponsored
schemes is not appro-
priate. Central govern-
ment should encourage
fiscal expenditure to
revive the economy in
this challenging time,”
he said.
CM also asked the
PM to increase the
number of beneficia-
ries under the National
Food Security Scheme.
He told the Prime Min-
ister that the state gov-
ernment would not be
able to provide food
grains every month,
since it had already
purchased six crore ki-
lograms of food grains
at market rate to be dis-
tributed, in view of the
adverse financial situa-
tion due to the lock-
down. He requested the
Central Government to
help these underprivi-
leged people get the
benefit of food security.
Carry your...
on the Rajdhani routes,
from Delhi to all major
cities of the country.
Since the trains will
be operated amidst the
ongoing nationwide
lockdown, only passen-
gers with confirmed
e-ticketsshallbeallowed
to enter the station. The
movement of passen-
gersaswellasthatof the
driver of the vehicle
transporting them to
andfromtherailwaysta-
tion shall be allowed on
the basis of the con-
firmed e-ticket, it said.
Domestic flights...
which are commercial-
ly more viable as com-
pared to only shorter
distance flights that
would be restricted to
green zones, which are
mostly tier II and tier III
cities. The DGCA, on
May 2, had issued a cir-
cular to extend the sus-
pension of domestic
and international com-
mercial flight opera-
tions till May 17.
‘Ensure rural...
maintain that the deci-
sion to remove lock-
down will be left on the
state governments, but
at a later stage.
Home Minister Amit
Shah, Defence Minister
Rajnath Singh and Fi-
nance Minister Nirmala
Sitharaman were also
present in the meeting.
The Prime Minister
said, “we have to ensure
that rural India remains
free from this crisis”.
Modi said that there is
“global recognition for
India’s success in han-
dling the COVID-19 pan-
demic.” He stated that
theGovernmentof India
appreciates the efforts
madebyallstategovern-
ments in this regard.
“Letusstaythecourseas
wemoveforwardtogeth-
er,” the Prime Minister
said.“Moreover,overthe
past few weeks, officials
have understood operat-
ing procedures in a time
such as this, right up to
the district level. Yester-
day again, Cabinet Sec-
retary briefed the Chief
Secretaries and Health
Secretaries on the cur-
rent situation and the
steps being taken by us,”
he added.
Before taking a con-
sidered view, Prime
Minister Modi said
“this time we decided to
invite all Chief Minis-
ters to speak.”
Maharashtra, Telan-
gana and West Bengal
governments also
sought an extension of
the coronavirus lock-
down.Punjabchief min-
ister Amarinder Singh
suggested that the coro-
navirus lockdown be ex-
tended, “but with a care-
fully crafted strategy,
backed by fiscal and eco-
nomic empowerment of
the states, to save lives
and secure livehood.”
Tamil Nadu CM K
Palaniswami asked PM
not to resume passen-
ger train services in the
state till May 31. He also
urged him not to allow
regular air services.
Chhattisgarh CM Bhu-
pesh Baghel, said state
governments should get
the right to take deci-
sions on handling of
economic activities.
While Telangana CM K
Chandrashekar Rao too
urged PM not to resume
the passenger train ser-
vices. West Bengal
Chief Minister Mamata
Banerjee lashed out at
the Centre for “playing
politics” over the issue
and opposed the re-
sumption of passenger
train services.
FROM PG 1
New Delhi: After many
states amended labour
laws to restart econom-
ic activity in view of the
COVID-19 lockdown, the
Congress lashed out at
the state governments
and said that labourers
could not be subjected
to exploitation.
Congress former
President Rahul Gan-
dhi tweeted on Monday,
“Many states are
amending their labour
laws to help businesses
restart. While we are all
working together to bat-
tle the Coronavirus,
this battle can’t be an
excuse to trample on
human rights, allow un-
safe work spaces, ex-
ploit workers & silence
their voice. There can
be no compromise on
these fundamental
principles.”
The issue could lead
to another face-off be-
tween the government
and the opposition after
the migrant labourers
issue. The Uttar
Pradesh government on
May 8 had finalised an
ordinance suspending a
majority of the labour
laws in the state for
three years.
The state cabinet had
clearedtheUttarPradesh
Temporary Exemption
from Labour Laws Ordi-
nance, thereby suspend-
ing more than 30 labour
laws in the state.
CM Yogi Adityanath
had said recently that
Uttar Pradesh would
amend the labour laws
to attract new invest-
ments, especially from
China. According to
sources, there are more
than 40 kinds of labour
laws in the labour de-
partment, some of
which are now redun-
dant. About eight of
them are being retained
under the ordinance.
MP CM Shivraj Singh
Chouhan had an-
nounced wide-ranging
changes in labour laws
to stimulate economic
activity in the state. —ANI
‘Labourerscan’tbeexploited’The issue could lead to another face-off between the government and the opposition
New Delhi: Congress
welcomes Centre’s deci-
sion to restart opera-
tions of inter-state pas-
senger trains, same
“modest opening”
should be started with
road transport and air
transport, said Con-
gress leader and former
Union Finance Minis-
ter P Chidambaram.
Taking to Twitter, PC
wrote, “We welcome the
decision of the govern-
ment to cautiously start
operations of inter-
state passenger trains.
The same modest open-
ing should be started
with road transport and
air transport.” —ANI
‘Centre should
start road, air
transport too’
New Delhi: After la-
bour Laws were sus-
pended by the BJP Gov-
ernments in Uttar
Pradesh, Madhya
Pradesh and Gujarat,
the Congress said it is
shocking and heart-
breaking that at a time
when the entire nation
is dealing with an un-
precedented pandemic
which has dispropor-
tionately ravaged and
devastated the lives of
the poor, the Modi Gov-
ernment has taken this
as an opportunity to de-
prive the labourers of
their rights.
The Congress spokes-
person Shakti Singh Go-
hil alleged, “These laws
are in the Concurrent
List, no such suspen-
sion can take place
without the explicit ap-
proval of the Central
Government.”
The party has de-
manded that the Modi
Government should
deny any permissions
that strip workers of
their basic rights and
have the potential of
diminishing their live-
lihoods. The Congress
asked that the trade un-
ions be consulted be-
fore such an adverse
step is taken.
The labourers are al-
ready getting inhuman
treatment in the wake
of the hastily an-
nounced lockdown
which gave a barely
four-hour notice to mi-
grants. “This is shame-
ful & highlights the true
nature of this ‘’Suit-
Boot ki Sarkar.’’ Facto-
ries will end up becom-
ing ‘’sweat shops’’ and
forced labour camps,”
Gohil added. —ANI
Labour law amendment not
without Centre’s approval: Cong New Delhi: Union Min-
ister Jitendra Singh
clarified that there is no
proposal
by the
gover n-
ment to
carry out
d e d u c -
tion in
the sala-
ry of its employees.
“Please ignore the fake
news being circulated in
a section of media.
There is no proposal by
the government to carry
out deduction in the sal-
ary of its employees,”
Singh tweeted.
Earlier, the Ministry
of Finance announced
to freeze the hike in DA
for the central govern-
ment employees. —ANI
‘No pay cuts
for Central
govt staff’
Many states are amending
their labour laws to help
businesses restart.While we
are all working together to battle the
Coronavirus, this battle can’t be an
excuse to trample on human rights,
allow unsafe work places and silence
their voice.
—Rahul Gandhi, Congress Leader
DIFFERENCES OVER TRAIN SERVICES
New Delhi:
MoHFW decided to
conduct a popula-
tion-based sero-
survey in select
districts across the
country, saying
there is a need to
establish system-
atic surveillance
for SARS-CoV-2 in-
fections across the
country. The Minis-
try said this sur-
veillance will be in
addition to routine
testing “Besides
facility-based sur-
veillance, ICMR/
NCDC is initiating
a population-based
sero-survey in se-
lected districts,” it
added. —ANI
Sero-survey
to be held in
select dists
New Delhi: As India’s
COVID-19 count surges
to 67,152, Union Health
MinistryonMondayis-
sued a revised dis-
charge policy for
COIVD-19 patients un-
derwhichapersonhav-
ing mild infection can
be discharged after 10
days of symptom onset
and if there is no fever
for three days. “As per
therevisedpolicy,mild,
very mild, pre-sympto-
maticcasesadmittedto
COVIDcarefacilitycan
be discharged after 10
days of symptom onset
and if there is no fever
for three days,” said
LavAgarwal,JointSec-
retary, Ministry of
Health and Family
Welfare,duringapress
briefing here on Mon-
day. “Discharge policy
has been changed be-
cause several coun-
tries have changed
their policy from test-
based strategy to
symptom and time-
based strategy.
We have also
changed it based on
this,” said Agarwal. It
wasnotmeantforhome
or facility quarantine
patients, he said.—ANI
Newdischargepolicyforpatients

Today, on International Nurses
Day, let us take a moment to thank
each of these wonderful healthcare
workers who have nursed us back to health
earlier and now stand guard against Corona.
—Jagdeesh Chandra, CEO & Editor, First India
JAIPUR | TUESDAY, MAY 12, 2020www.firstindia.co.in I www.firstindia.co.in/epaper/ I twitter.com/thefirstindia I facebook.com/thefirstindia I instagram.com/thefirstindia
08
2NDFRONTPOSTAL REG NO. JPC/010/2019-21
Rajendra Chhabra
Jaipur: Food and Civil
Supplies and Disaster
Management Secre-
tary Siddharth Ma-
hajan is playing a very
important role in the
fight against corona,
silently. To ensure that
food supplies reach
every nook and corner
of the state is his de-
partment’s responsi-
bility. He also holds ad-
ditional charge of the
Disaster Management
department. So, this
young 2003 batch IAS is
shoulderingresponsibil-
ity of two important de-
partments during press-
ing corona times. His
long field experience is
cominghandytohim.He
has been Collector of
Sirohi, Baran, Sawai
Madhopur and Jodhpur
apartfromcapitalJaipur
thus has served in the
field in 5 districts for 8
years. He also has been
Special Secretary in the
Finance department for
two years.
Mahajan took over
responsibilities of the
current two depart-
ments in June 2019. He
was in the process of
understanding nitty-
gritty of the two that
suddenly statewide
lockdown was an-
nounced. Food produc-
ing industrial units
seized production and
the ration and provi-
sion stores across the
state had their shut-
ters down. Managing
supplies of ration and
essentials during a lock-
down situation was eve-
rything but an easy task.
It is here that the 8-year
field grilling came to the
foreinhandlingthechal-
lenges. He activated his
team, took the coopera-
tion of the police and es-
tablished a supply chain
right up to every town-
shipandvillage.Forthis,
he got 13,000 retailers,
1,500wholesalerstoopen
their shops and 500 mills
to resume production.
In the course of two
months, there have
beenmammoth3crore
30 lakh dry ration and
cooked food packets
distributed in the
state. 7.6 lakh metric
ton wheat was lifted
and 4.6 lakh metric
tons distributed. Since
the distribution at the
PDS shops was done
without using POS ma-
chines, Mahajan had to
burnthemidnightoilfor
being extra cautious in
supervision and moni-
toring. This resulted in
100 FIRs against back
marketers, 360 challans
intwomonthsandrecov-
ery of fines of over Rs 15
lakh. In the 10 days of
May alone, 4 lakh 60
thousand tons of wheat
has been distributed un-
der NFSA with 10 Kg
wheat to each person. 1
Kgpulsesforeachfamily
are on the way to be dis-
tributed. Mahajan hap-
pens to be a key player
in Gehlot’s team to im-
plement his basic man-
date ‘Koi Bhukha Na
Soye’ during ongoing
Corona crisis.
In order to keep the
humongous operations
smooth, Mahajan has
headquarters at Jaipur
assisted by district-level
control rooms. Call cen-
tres help people reach
out to the department in
case of need or com-
plaint. Siddharth Ma-
hajan is working over-
time as he has to be in
regular touch with
each district collector.
Ration and food packet
distribution in Jaipur
has required extra at-
tention which entailed
travelling to CMR.
Disastermanagement
is a different ball game
altogetherwithdifferent
responsibilities and to-
tally different set of
skills. Here Mahajan
working in close coordi-
nation with the Home
department had to joint-
ly or separately issue
many emergency orders
andadvisoriesfromtime
to time. His department
has released many or-
derstoaidthelabourers,
tenants and common
men.Mostissuesregard-
ing migrant workers are
beinghandledbythedis-
aster management de-
partment so appoint-
ment orders of commit-
tee members and nodal
officers are also handled
by Mahajan. Depart-
ment has its own State
Disaster Relief Manage-
ment Fund which has
givenRs282croretomed
department, Rs 83 crore
to district collectors and
Rs3croretootherssofar.
Siddharth Mahajan
has an open invitation
from the Lok Sabha
speaker to join as his
OSD. Mahajan’s parents
resideinDelhisoevenhe
was all set to move. He
wasawaitingpermission
from the state govern-
ment but instead came
the news of the scary
pandemicsowehaveSid-
dharth Mahajan dutiful-
ly discharging his re-
sponsibilities in the war
against COVID-19.
CORONA WARRIOR
GEHLOT-RAJE ‘MERGING’
TO BEAT CORONAVIRUS!Aishwary Pradhan
Jaipur: Chief Minis-
ter Ashok Gehlot has
developed himself
into a leader who has
acceptability past
party lines. With his
third term ongoing as
the CM of the desert
state, Gehlot has
shown another facet
to his political image,
ie that of a leader who
believes in taking the
opposition along. As a
result the Congress stal-
wart does not shy away
from complimenting or
lauding those who have
taken a positive step for
the state.
As a result of his
‘new approach’, Gehlot
held a video conference
with MLAs and MPs
from all parties of the
state. An interesting
discussion occurred
between the now
three time Chief Min-
ister Gehlot and two
time Chief Minister
and BJP leader
Vasundhara Raje.
During the VC, while
Raje stayed connected
for a whopping twelve
hours, she also point-
ed out that Gehlot
had been doing a good
work putting the fa-
cilities developed in
BJP rule, ‘to good
work’. Gehlot smiled,
and in return thanked
Raje while also appre-
ciating her being con-
nected for the mara-
thon meeting.
The two leaders, who
have been at opposite
ends of the political
spectrum in their ca-
reers, have come togeth-
er to provide relief to
the people whom, be-
tween themselves, they
served for over two dec-
ades as CMs!
Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot with former CM Vasundhara Raje. —FILE PHOTO
Vikas Sharma
Jaipur: Health Minis-
ter Dr Raghu Sharma
is upbeat on the suc-
cess of vision of CM
AshokGehlotexecuted
near to perfection by
his team in the health
department. Releas-
ing the latest health
data, Dr Sharma said
that Rajasthan has
better health param-
eters compared to
any other state in the
country as far as war
against coronavirus
is concerned. The
rate of doubling of the
positive patients is 18
days which is far more
than national average
of 12 days. Dr Sharma
said that the corona
death rate in the state
is 2.83 per cent which
again is lower than na-
tional corona death
rate of 3.3 per cent. He
said this death rate
willfurtherbereduced
with the use of plasma
therapy in Jaipur and
Jodhpur.
Health Minister’s
visible happiness was
justified by the recov-
ery rate by the corona
patients. State boasts
that 58 per cent of its
patients have turned
negative after treat-
ment which is way
ahead than the na-
tional average of
29.9 per cent. Adding
icing to the cake was
the fact that the rate of
infection in the state is
also low compared to
other states. The rate
of getting corona posi-
tiveinRajasthanis2.35
per cent against na-
tional average of 3.92
per cent. He gave the
credit of the success to
thestronghealthinfra-
structure, dedicated
and efficient health
professionals and the
will of the patients.
Health Minster clar-
ified that anybody
coming in from other
state will have to com-
pulsorily remain in
quarantinefor14days.
He also inform that in
the areas where cur-
few is imposed, people
will have to take travel
permission from the
collector.
In case of distress,
if officers are inac-
cessible, people can
register complaints
on 181. He expressed
satisfaction over in-
crease in the stoppage
of trains. Dr Sharma
also congratulated
SMS hospital staff for
successfully treating a
woman’s broken claw.
‘Death rate in Raj lower
than national average’
Health Minister Dr Raghu Sharma
FOR THE PEOPLE
Shivendra Parmar
Jaipur: At a time
when the economy
has been badly hit
and people have been
losing jobs, the Ra-
jasthan Housing
Board (RHB) has pro-
vided a huge relief to
its customers. The
board has announced
major concessions in
interest up to one hun-
dred percent on the re-
maining instalments of
purchased homes.
RHB commissioner
Pawan Arora in-
formed on Monday
that keeping in line
with Chief Minister
Ashok Gehlot’s
budget announce-
ment, 50 to 100 per-
cent penalty on due
interest amount will
be waived off for all
categories of houses.
He said that UDH has
issued orders to this
effect.
According to Arora, a
hundred percent rebate
will be given on the in-
terest penalty, on the
total payment of all due
instalments. This will
be applicable to EWS,
LIG and MIG-A houses
allotted from January 1,
2001.
Similarly, fifty per-
cent concession will
be given for aggre-
gate payment of all
due instalments on
MIG-B and HIG hous-
es. The rebate will be
given until June 30,
2020.
First India News
Jaipur: Since lock-
down came into force,
the police have issued
challans for 2.84 lakh
vehicles and seized 1.28
lakh of them under the
motor vehicle act. The
police have also earned
Rs five crore from fine.
ADG (Crime) BL
Soni informed that
14,400 people have
been arrested for dis-
turbing peace under
the CrPC. He said that
2700 cases of lockdown
violations were regis-
tered and action taken
against more than 5600
persons has been taken.
409 people were ar-
rested for attack on
corona warriors. 199
cases have been regis-
tered for spreading ru-
mours and fake news
on social media, he
added. The police have
been keeping hawk’s eye
on black marketers. 121
cases have been regis-
tered against shopkeep-
ers found indulging in
black marketing.
Jaipur: The traders’
strike in 247 mandis
acrossRajasthanagainst
the 2 per cent Krishak
Kalyan charge levied by
the state government on
the purchase and sale of
agricultural goods will
continue till May 15, a
traders’ body said on
Monday.
On May 5, state gov-
ernment had imposed
Krishak Kalyan charge
of 2% on all agricultural
purchase and sale in
mandis for financing the
Rs 1,000 crore Farmers’
Welfare Fund. President
of RajasthanFoodTrade
Association Babu Lal
Guptasaidthestrikehas
beenextendedtillMay15
as government did not
take any positive step.
Principal Secretary
(Agriculture)NareshPal
Gangwar said farmers
and traders will not bear
burden of farmers’ wel-
fare fees imposed on the
purchaseandsaleof pro-
duce in the agricultural
produce market. —PTI
First India News
Jaipur: Over 39,500
migrant workers and
students who were
stranded in Rajasthan
due to the COVID-
19-induced lockdown
have been sent to their
home states on special
trains, an official said.
Also,4,600peoplehave
reached Rajasthan from
other states by these
trains. More than 39,500
migrant workers and
students have been sent
from Rajasthan to their
home states by 33 Shra-
mikSpecialtrains,arail-
ways spokesperson said.
19 Shramik Special
trains were run by
NWR while 14 were
run by the West Cen-
tral Railway, he said.
Over 22,500 migrants
and were transported to
their destinations by
special trains run by the
North Western Railway
whereasover16,500were
sent to their home state
by 14 special trains run
by the West Central Rail-
way, a railways spokes-
person said. —PTI
Udaipur: A non-gov-
ernmental organisa-
tion in Udaipur city of
Rajasthan has started
an online medical-
consultancy session
for the differently-
abled people to ad-
dress their health con-
cerns amid the coro-
navirus lockdown.
During the five-day
live sessions of ‘Para-
mash’ campaign, a team
of senior doctors will
provide health consul-
tancy on the Facebook
and YouTube platforms
of the Narayan Seva
Sansthan (NSS) for an
hour from 10 am till
Thursday. Non-COV-
ID-19 patients will be
provided free medical
and necessary counsel-
ling regarding common
ailments, doctor Manas
Ranjan Sahu of the
Narayana Seva San-
sthan Hospital said.
Dose of relief: RHB waives
off penalty on due interest
Med-consultancy for differently-abled
Rajasthan satark hai!: No mercy
for offenders during lockdown
Agri mandi strike
extended till May 15
Raj: Over 39k
migrants,
students sent
home by trains
AVINASH PANDE
@avinashpandeinc
On this day in 1998, Under the able
leadership of former PM #AtalBi-
hariVajpayee ji, India conducted
successful nuclear tests in Pokhran.
On #NationalTechnologyDay let’s
pay respect to our eminent scien-
tists and leaders for showcasing
India’s might of technology.
Siddharth Mahajan
BL Soni
‘Maha’ work for Janta’s relief!

JAIPUR, TUESDAY
MAY 12, 2020
www.firstindia.co.in I www.firstindia.co.in/epaper/ I twitter.com/thefirstindia
facebook.com/thefirstindia I instagram.com/thefirstindia 09
DURING LOCKDOWN A LOT OF US HAVE GONE DOWN
THE MEMORY LANE VIA MOVIES AND REVISITED THE
OLD AND GOLDEN ERA OF FILMSTARS. CITY FIRST
EXPLORES TWO OF THE MOST BEAUTIFUL WOMEN
OF HOLLYWOOD AND BOLLYWOOD!
THE MYSTERIOUS
M FACTOR!
adhubala and
Marilyn Monore
had more in com-
mon than just
their breath-tak-
ing ethereal beau-
ty, they both had
the same charm which
reached out and left a sigh
in the heart along with a
twinkle in the eye, of the
viewer. Look at their
smiles, the head thrown
back, the sheer abandon-
ment and the glow, you
will see an uncanny simi-
larity.
Both the actresses are
remembered for their
beauty more than their
acting, they wanted to be
taken as serious actresses
but it was always their
face which was in demand.
Madhubala did prove her
versatility as an actress
but Monroe’s desire for
meaningful films re-
mained unfulfilled as her
films mostly established
her as a nothing more
than a ‘beautiful blonde’.
They both were in the
news because of the men
in their lives and in fact,
these affairs later inspired
filmmakers to make mov-
ies on these themes and My
Week With Marilyn and
Khoya Khoya Chand, based
on Marilyn and Madhuba-
la’s life hit the screens.
Marilyn and Madhubala
both extensively made
news because of their al-
leged affairs. In fact, these
affairs later inspired film-
makers to make movies on
these themes and films
like- My Week With Mari-
lyn and Khoya Khoya
Chand.
But the fact remains
that both of them had
such lives that they were
far more dramatic than
any film they had worked
in. The tragic love affairs,
the aura of unhappiness
that surrounded them, ill
health, poverty, the rise to
stardom- their lives were a
script for any superhit.
Both of them came from
poor family backgrounds
and became extremely suc-
cessful film stars and sup-
ported their families. They
both had short careers and
a search for the perfect
love dogged their life. They
died young, bearing names
they made so famous that
no one remembers their
real names any longer.
Their popularity crossed
the borders of their nation
and both have postage
stamps featuring them.
Marilyn and Madhuba-
la, both died at 36 years, at
the peak of their beauty
forever frozen in the
dreams of lakhs, yester-
day, today and tomorrow.
Today, regardless of gen-
eration they remain as
poster girls, on trivia and
many a pillow.
Goddesses of beauty,
that’s what they were!
RUCHIKA SODHI
cityfirst@firstindia.co.in
M
THE MYSTERIOUS
M FACTOR!
THE MYSTERIOUS
M FACTOR!

10
ETCJAIPUR | TUESDAY, MAY 12, 2020www.firstindia.co.in I www.firstindia.co.in/epaper/ I twitter.com/thefirstindia I facebook.com/thefirstindia I instagram.com/thefirstindia
FACEOFTHEDAY
BARKHA SINGH, Actress
YOUR
DAYHoroscope by
Saurabbh Sachdeva
LEO
JULY 24 - AUGUST 23
You may be travelling a lot
in coming time. You will get
a lump sum amount of
money which was due for
long time. You will do what best for
your children even if that involves a
bit of strictness. On romantic front,
your heart may be saying one thing
and mind something else.
LIBRA
SEPT 24 - OCTOBER 22
You are full of hight spirit
and ready to conquer the
world but you must be able
to feel the same way for
long time, this shouldn’t be a mere
temporary excitement. You will
undertake the toughest job at work
which other refuse to take in order to
get your superiors on your side.
ARIES
MAR 21 - APR 20
Your company will give
reward and this will boost
your morale to work even
harder. On work front, sky
is the limit for you. You may travel
abroad for an official trip. If people
are misbehaving or doing wrong to
you then its their karma, you must
not dare and cause any bad karma.
SAGITTARIUS
NOV 23 - DEC 22
You are wealthy but the real
wealth is how much love
and affection you have for
others to offer. Take care of
yourself and prepare in advance if you
are going on a long journey. Be true to
yourself and to others as relationships
are very fragile, once broken can never
be the same again.
GEMINI
MAY 21 - JUNE 21
You will soon find a
business partner who will
change your life for the
good. Except your spouse
you must not reply on anyone for
money. Your kid will make you
proud. Do things to bring excitement
and fun in your life. You may have to
adjust for sometime in current job.
AQUARIUS
JAN 21 - FEB 19
Keep both your ears and
eyes open before investing
your money in some
scheme. Your business
needs some creativity or some other
kind of change. You will shine bright in
office today. Your spouse will express
sincere gratitude to you in a special
way today. Don’t spoil your health.
TAURUS
APR 21 - MAY 20
You will implement your
ideas when it comes to
decoration on home front.
Be wise with money,
spending on things that are not
important is a sheer waste. Plan your
date keeping little little things in mind
to make your partner happy and
show them your love for them.
CAPRICORN
DEC 23 - JAN 20
Dont trust anyone blindly
when it comes to taking
business decisions as you
and only you knows what
best for you. Your family is panning a
surprise for you. Your mother does
for you things which no one can and
you two share a very special bond.
Don’t get pushed to do things.
VIRGO
AUG 24 - SEP 23
Your colleagues will help
you ease down your
burden at work. Overkilling
on financial front can burn
your fingers so you must knows
about the limits. When it comes to
your studies you must invest your
majority of time in revising. You may
need someone today emotionally.
CANCER
JUNE 22 - JULY 23
Do not take too much
tension for things that are
beyond your control. On
family front, you will do
everything in your capacity to make
things right no matter how tough it
is. Be careful of what you speak and
in front of whom you speak. Take
your spouse for a romantic evening.
PISCES
FEB20 - MARCH 20
You are regular with your
fitness plans and you are
desperate to have a good
body. A huge monetary
benefit will come to you when you
are not expecting anything at all.
Keep making good deeds and a lot of
goodness will come back to you.
Your spouse may be a little upset.
SCORPIO
OCT 23 - NOVEMBER 22
Keep control on your
emotions and take a stand
against wrong even if it is
someone elder. You have
lot of money to fulfil your desires. Its
alright to accept your mistake if you
decide to learn from them. You are
dying to spend time with your lover
as you have been a bit away.
JOGARAM HONOURS
THE CM’S WORDS!
‘NOBODY WILL SLEEP HUNGRY’
istrict adminis-
tration of
Jaipur complet-
ed its 50 days of
ensuring two
square of meals
to the poor, needy, destitute
and the migrant workers un-
der the able guidance of Col-
lector Jogaram.
It all started with 1000-
1200 food packets on 23
March which continues
with numbers swelling to
lakhs. District administra-
tion with cooperation from
other govt department em-
ployees and various organi-
zations is working tirelessly
to make CM Ashok Gehlot’s
vision of ‘Nobody will sleep
hungry’ true on the ground.
Collector Jogaram says that
the challenges due to Cov-
id-19 were new to the admin-
istration but the biggest
challenge was to ensure
food delivery to the needy
keeping the medical aspect
at the fore. There was one
front where dry ration &
PDS material was distrib-
uted but on the other hand,
the administration was to
quickly & accurately ana-
lyse & deliver cooked food as
per demand on the ground.
The task of preparing food
in such large quantities,
transport it and deliver it
was both labour & time in-
tensive. Initially, the food
was prepared at 13 Rein Ba-
sera and 20 Akshay Patra
locations but soon the de-
mand grew.
It was here that a team un-
der JMC commissioner VP
Singh was constituted in
which the Jaipur Smart City
Project CEO Lokbandhu and
his team pulled their socks
for the herculean task. They
not only ensured timely food
preparation & distribution
while following social dis-
tancing but also found rem-
edies to bottlenecks in the
system immediately main-
tain the quality of the food.
Additional collector (II)
Purushottam Sharma de-
signed the structure of food
preparation & distribution,
DSO Kanisk Saini brought
in cooperation of various or-
ganizations and the District
Collectorate Employees Un-
ion President Amit Jaiman
& Gen. Secretary Pradeep
Rathore ensured that the
whole system worked non-
stop. Civil Defence team un-
der deputy controller Jag-
dish Rawat ensured their
role was perfect.
Collector Dr Jogaram ac-
cepts without hesitation
that the whole system would
have collapsed without the
active support of dedicated
officers and personnel. Tah-
sildar Narendra Jain & Bal-
beer Singh, XEN Smart City
Ajay Kumar Sindhu became
an important part of the
food distribution system. Dr
Jogaram can’t stop praising
his dedicated team of 600
which includes teachers,
BLO, Civil Defence Volun-
teers apart from administra-
tion and Smart City person-
nel who have been tirelessly
working since 23 March
every day from 7 am to 11 pm
without any leave. The team
has lived the CM Gehlot’s
motto in spite of curfew in
the walled city area follow-
ing all guidelines of the
health department.
Smart City CEO Lok-
bandhu informed that the
information regarding the
needy persons is collected
through the control room
at the collectorate, war
room, BLO surveys, mobile
phones of district officers.
Calls from other states and
distress calls. As soon as
the information id received
the nearest of the 53 distri-
bution center is informed
which ensures quick deliv-
ery. An attempt is also
made to give compliance to
the informant. Lokbandhu
said that since it was food-
related issue so every effort
to maintain the quality of
the food prepared is made.
All food ingredients like
flour, oil and spices used
are Agmarked and the food
is very often checked by the
officials themselves. Regu-
lar inspections and sam-
pling is a routine to ensure
quality.
Apart from serving the
needy in Jaipur officers
have also ensured that the
thousands of migrant work-
ers arriving & leaving via
trains too are served. All de-
partingworkersfromJaipur
are given packed food for the
way. Whenever there was
any requirement from any
hospital, field office or la-
bour camps the food deliv-
ery was ensured.
When CM Ashok Gehlot
made an appeal for help,
many NGOs and private or-
ganizations started the food
service but there was du-
plicity of efforts so the dis-
trict administration got all
under one umbrella and 150
organizations like Jain
Terapanthi, Kuhad Trust,
Radhaswami Satsang, Jain
Rasoi, Akshay Patra, Heer-
awla Industrial association,
Sitapura industrial associa-
tion, etc joined hands. Dis-
trict administration en-
sured legalities like permis-
sions, passes, conveyance,
etc didn’t act as a barrier for
them. The District adminis-
tration team used an App to
monitor and fulfill the food
demand which arose sud-
denly. The team has pledged
to continue until the crisis
is over.
D

First india jaipur edition-12 may 2020

First india jaipur edition-12 may 2020

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