First India-Ahmedabad Edition-31 May 2021

NOT THE RIGHT TIME FOR GMC ELECTIONS: CM
First India Bureau
Gandhinagar: Clear-
ing the air about the
pending Gandhina-
gar Municipal Cor-
poration (GMC) elec-
tions, Chief Minis-
ter Vijay Rupani on
Sunday told media-
persons that “it is
not the right time to
hold Gandhinagar
Municipal Corpora-
tion (GMC) elec-
tions, as the state is
still reporting
around 2,000 COV-
ID-19 cases daily.”
He also assured that
the state election
commission (SEC)
will take a call on
the election in time.
Rupani further add-
ed that the people
must wait for a while
more till the pandemic
situation is complete-
ly under control to
hold GMC polls.
He was attending an
event organized by
Bharatiya Janata Par-
ty (BJP), where he dis-
tributed fruit and ra-
tion kits to the under-
privileged in Vavol
village to mark seven
years of the central
government.
Talking about Prime
Minister Narendra
Modi’s contribution to
the progress of the na-
tion, Rupani said, “He
is working for the de-
velopment of the na-
tion day and night.
Under his leadership,
the nation has
achieved many mile-
stones.”
The GMC elections
were declared by the
SEC in March
through a notifica-
tion. Voting was set
to take place on
April 18 but, due to
a rapid surge in
COVID-19 cases, the
commission had to
postpone polls indef-
initely. After BJP,
Congress and Aam
Aadmi Party (AAP)
made representa-
tions to the SEC, vot-
ing was deferred
eight days prior to
ballot.
Chief Minister Vijay Rupani.
DELAYED
He cited
current
nCoV
situation as
the reason
for the
deferment
of polls
www.firstindia.co.in I www.firstindia.co.in/epaper/ I twitter.com/thefirstindia I facebook.com/thefirstindia I instagram.com/thefirstindia
AHMEDABAD l MONDAY, MAY 31, 2021 l Pages 12 l 3.00 RNI NO. GUJENG/2019/16208 l Vol 2 l Issue No. 184
Miami: Two people were killed and at least 20 injured Sunday when three
shooters fired indiscriminately into a crowd outside a concert in Miami,
Florida, local police said. Gunfire erupted during the early hours outside a
billiards hall. A Nissan SUV approached the scene and three subjects exited
the vehicle and began shooting indiscriminately in the crowd before fleeing.
New Delhi: The onset of the annual monsoon over the Indian subcontinent
has been delayed by two days. It is now expected to hit the Kerala coast
on June 3, the weather department said. “As per the latest indications, the
southwesterly winds could strengthen further gradually from June 1, result-
ing in a likely enhancement in rainfall activity over Kerala,” IMD data stated.
TWO DEAD, 20
HURT IN FLORIDA
MASS SHOOTING
MONSOON 2 DAYS
BEHIND, TO HIT
KERALA ON JUN 3
OUR EDITIONS: JAIPUR, AHMEDABAD LUCKNOW
Nearly 12 crore doses of Covid vaccine
to be available in June: Health Ministry
Pak will hold talks if India restores
Kashmir’s status, says Imran Khan
Islamabad: Pakistan
Prime Minister Imran
Khan said on Sunday
that Pakistan would
hold talks with India if
New Delhi restores the
pre-August 5, 2019 status
of Jammu and Kashmir.
India abrogated the
special status of Jammu
and Kashmir under Ar-
ticle370onAugust5,2019
and bifurcated it into
two Union territories.
“If Pakistan revives
its relations with India
(without the latter re-
storing the status of
Kashmir), it will be
similar to turning our
backontheKashmiris,”
Khan said during a live
questions and answers
session with the people.
Khan said that if In-
dia takes back the steps
it took on August 5,
“then we can definitely
hold talks”. New Delhi
has repeatedly said
Jammu and Kashmir is
an integral part of In-
dia and the country is
capable of solving its
own problems.
India has told Paki-
stan that it desires nor-
mal neighbourly rela-
tions with it in an envi-
ronment free of terror,
hostility and violence.
India has said the onus
is on Pakistan to create
an environment free of
terror and hostility
.
Ties between India
and Pakistan nosedived
after a terror attack on
the Pathankot Air Force
base in 2016 by terror
groups based in the
neighbouring country
.
Turn to P6
New Delhi: Nearly 12
crore doses of coronavi-
rusvaccinewillbeavail-
able in June, the Health
MinistrysaidonSunday
.
In May, 7,94 crore
doses were available for
vaccination.
In a statement, the
ministry said the alloca-
tion of supplies to states
and union territories is
decidedontheconsump-
tion pattern, population
and vaccine wastage.
“Visibility for avail-
ability of vaccines for
the entire month of
June 2021 has been pro-
vided well in advance to
States/UTs...,” it said.
“For the month of
June, 6.09 crore
(6,09,60,000) doses of
COVID vaccines will be
supplied to the States
and UTs for vaccination
of priority group of
Health Care Workers
(HCWs), Front-Line
Workers(FLWs)andper-
son aged 45 years and
above as free supply
from Government of In-
dia,” the ministry said.
“In addition, more
than 5.86 crore
(5,86,10,000)doseswillbe
available for direct pro-
curement Turn to P6
MODI GOVT COMPLETES 7 YEARS
‘ACHIEVEMENTS OF GOVT
ARE ITS INCLUSIVENESS’
WITH ‘SABKA-SAATH,
SABKA-VIKAS, SABKA-
VISHWAS’ INDIA HAS
MOVED AHEAD IN
LAST SEVEN YEARS,
SAYS PM MODI
everal people
from various
places have
been writing
in to thank
the nation for their vil-
lage having finally re-
ceived power and road
connection after 70
years of independence,
Prime Minister Naren-
dra Modi said today.
Highlighting the
achievements of the
seven years since he
took power, he referred
to them as laurels be-
longing to the country
and his countrymen.
“...we are on the right
track,” PM Modi said
on his monthly Mann
Ki Baat radio talk show
marking the seventh
year of his tenure as
Prime Minister.
He pointed out that in
seven decades since in-
dependence, only 3.5
crore rural homes had
water connections; yet,
in the past 21 months of
hisgovernance,4.5crore
more families had been
added to this category
.
“So many people...
thank the nation for
their sons and daugh-
ters being able to sit and
study under electric
lights and fans. So many
people say that ‘our vil-
lage,too,isnowconnect-
ed to the city through a
good road’,” he said.
It was in May 2014
that he became the
country’s Premier, hav-
ing won the election
with a full majority for
any party after almost
three decades.
Turn to P6
Under Modi’s leadership, India will
overcome every challenge: Shah
New Delhi: Unionhome
minister Amit Shah on
Sunday greeted Prime
MinisterNarendraModi
on the completion of
seven years of his gov-
ernment and said the
country made “unprec-
edented achievements”
in fields of security
, pub-
lic welfare and reforms
during this period.
In a series of tweets
in Hindi, Shah credited
Modi for improving the
living standards of the
poor, farmers and de-
prived sections by
bringing them into the
mainstream with his
determined, holistic
and welfare policies
and making India a
powerful nation with
his strong leadership.
“The Modi govern-
ment has presented a
unique example of un-
paralleled coordina-
tion of development,
security, public welfare
and landmark re-
forms,” he said.
‘Meaningless
baat’ won’t
help battle
against covid’
New Delhi: Inaveileddig
at Prime Minister Naren-
dra Modi’s monthly radio
programme “Mann Ki
Baat”, Congress leader
Rahul Gandhi on Sunday
said the country can not
fight the COVID-19 pan-
demic with “meaningless
talks” once a month.
Taking to microblog-
ging site Twitter, the Con-
gress leader said, to fight
against COVID-19, one
needs “right intention,
policy, determination.”
“To fight against Co-
rona, you need the right
intention, policy, deter-
mination. Turn to P6
We feel pride see-
ing that India
now walks its
own path and
not under the
views and pres-
sures of other na-
tions. Our confi-
dence has grown
manifold
—Narendra Modi, PM
VACCINES ARE PATH TO OUR
VICTORY AGAINST COVID: PM
PM MODI LAUDS OXY TANKER
DRIVERS, HEALTH WORKERS
PM MODI PRAISES FARMERS
FOR RECORD AGRI OUTPUT
New Delhi: Reiterating that vaccines are the path
to our victory against covid, PM Narendra Modi
said that India is moving forward with the pledge of
“service and cooperation” while maintining social
distancing and wearing masks. “The pandemic has
plagued the world, people have lost loved ones. Even
big countries were not spared. In the midst of this
pandemic, India is moving forward with the resolve
of service and cooperation,” he said in Mann ki Baat.
New Delhi: Addressing the “Mann Ki Baat” radio
programme, PM Narendra Modi thanked drivers
of cryogenic oxygen tankers, COVID warriors who
helped the country during the second wave of the
pandemic by working on a war footing. During
the programme, PM Modi conversed with a liquid
oxygen tanker driver Dinesh Upadhyay and Shirisha
Gajni, a loco pilot of Oxygen Express, who informed
him about the challenges they face in work.
New Delhi: PM Narendra Modi on Sunday appre-
ciated the farmers across the country and pointed
out that there was a record production of crops
even during the COVID pandemic. He said that
every sector but the agricultural produced record
crops. “Our country faced such a big crisis that
it affected every system. The agricultural sector
protected itself from this attack to a great extent.
Not only did it keep itself safe, but the sector also
progressed, moving forward,” PM added.
CORONA CATASTROPHE
INDIA
GUJARAT
1,65,553
new cases
3,460
new fatalities
1,871
new cases
25
new fatalities
Pakistan PM Imran Khan
TO REASSURE DOCTORS, PATIENTS: Wearing a PPE suit, Tamil
Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin went for a visit to Covid wards and
ICUs in a Coimbatore hospital on Sunday. “I entered the Covid
ward against advise to reassure doctors and workers who risk
their lives besides patients and their families,” said Stalin.
S

NEWS
AHMEDABAD | MONDAY, MAY 31, 2021
02
MoHFW disapproves of drive-through jabs
Issues an advisory on COVID-19 inoculation campaign; private hospitals continue with their paid programmes in A’bad
Gargi Raval
Ahmedabad: After a
privately owned hotel
in the city put out an
advertisement pro-
moting a vaccination
package on their
premises in the city
--replete with vaccine
shot, one-day stay and
meals-- the Ministry
of Health
and Family Welfare
(MoHFW) on
Sunday issued guide-
lines for entities and
locations that can or-
ganize vaccination
drives across the
country
In Ahmedabad par-
ticularly, two centres
have begun drive-
through vaccinations –
one is by Apollo Hospi-
tal at the GMDC Ground
and the other by Shalby
Hospital at Sardar Patel
Stadium in Navrang-
pura – programmes
that were initially sup-
ported by the
Ahmedabad Municipal
Corporation (AMC).
However, after contro-
versy erupted around
it, the civic body with-
drew from the public-
private partnerships.
The drive-through
inoculation has contin-
ued even after state
health minister Nitin
Patel cleared that the
private entity Apollo
Hospital had not been
granted permission for
the drive-through cam-
paign. A letter issued
by the additional secre-
tary of health Mano-
har Agnani stated
“there is no mention of
a drive-through or a
special drive for the
privileged.”
On May 27, the state’s
information depart-
ment had issued a press
release on behalf of
state chief secretary
(health) Jayanti Ravi
that mentioned that the
drive-though pro-
gramme launched by
Apollo Hospital was
chargeable. “The drive
is for those who can af-
ford the vaccination
fees (Rs1,000 per dose).
As per guidelines of the
central government, an
additional service was
created,” Ravi had stat-
ed in the message.
On the other hand,
according to the advi-
sory issued by the cen-
tral health and family
welfare ministry on
May 29, a vaccination
drive can only be held
at four centres; govern-
ment COVID-19 vac-
cine centres, private
COVID-19 care centres
run by a private hospi-
tal, workplace COV-
ID-19 vaccination cen-
tre at government of-
fices (to be run by gov-
ernment hospitals),
and private companies
run by private hospi-
tals. Other places that
are allowed to conduct
inoculation drives in-
clude COVID-19 vacci-
nation centres for the
elderly and differently-
abled people to be or-
ganized at a group
housing society, Resi-
dents’ Welfare Associa-
tion (RWA) offices,
community centres,
panchayat bhavans,
schools/colleges, old
age homes, on a tempo-
rary basis.
“Apart from these,
there are no other ave-
nues to carry out vacci-
nation under the na-
tional COVID-19 vacci-
nation programme,” the
advisory mentioned.
When contacted,
Sandip Joshi, spokes-
person for Apollo
Hospital told First In-
dia that they had been
given permission to
conduct the drive-
through by the state
government. “We will
continue this drive
and are currently
planning to branch
out. The state govern-
ment has given us per-
mission for the same,
and not the Gujarat
health and family
welfare department.”
A man gets the vaccine shot at the GMDC ground drive-through in Ahmedabad on Sunday. —PHOTO BY HANIF SINDHI
We will con-
tinue this
drive and are
currently planning to
branch out. The state
government has given
us permission for the
same, and not the Gu-
jarat health and fami-
ly welfare department.
Sandip Joshi,
spokesperson, Apollo Hospital
First India Bureau
Ahmedabad: After re-
ceiving a rap from the
Gujarat High Court
regarding implemen-
tation of fire safety
norms in the city,
Ahmedabad Munici-
pal Corporation
(AMC) has issued a
notification. Accord-
ing to the new adviso-
ry
, every building with
a height of more than
15 metres will require
a fire safety No Objec-
tion Certificate (NOC)
as per the National
Building Code of In-
dia guidelines.
However, sources
have indicated that
around 1,500
Ahmedabad buildings
do not have valid fire
NOCs, as per the previ-
ous guidelines set for
buildings with more
than 18 metres height.
According to a pri-
mary survey conduct-
ed by the AMC fire de-
partment, there are
around 8,000 buildings
in the city with more
than 15 metres height.
In order to account for
the ones with a NOC, a
new zone-wise survey
will be initiated by the
department to compile
a list of buildings un-
der use. Since, fire
NOCs were granted by
the civic body during
the issuance of build-
ing use permits, it will
give an idea as to how
many buildings do not
possess a valid fire
safety NOC.
Moreover, school
buildings have been
overlooked with re-
gards to fire safety as
well. With no clear
policy in place, even
schools run by AMC do
not have fire NOCs.
Also, there is a need to
check the fire safety
status of thousands of
privately owned
schools.
Under a survey to be
conducted by the state
estate development de-
partment along with
AMC fire department,
the procedure of fire
NOC will be initiated
for new estate develop-
ments post installa-
tion of fire safety
equipment. The pro-
cess may take more
than two years time,
going by the pre-
scribed guidelines.
1.5K high-rise buildings in A’bad do not have fire NOC
BELATED ACTION
Police personnel outside Shrey Hospital in Ahmedabad where a
fire killed eight COVID-19 patients in August last year. The hospital
was ill-equipped for a fire and also did not have a valid NOC. Surat fire department officials sealing a premises on Saturday night.
AMC issues fire safety
advisory for buildings over
15 metres in height, says
NOC mandatory for all

—
FILE
PHOTO
SGCCI SEEKS RELIEF FOR
HOSPITALITY SERVICE SECTOR
First India Bureau
Surat: The South Guja-
rat Chamber of Com-
merce and Industry
(SGCCI) recently con-
vened a meeting to dis-
cuss its plan for re-
questing aid for the
survival of hotels, res-
taurants and the hospi-
tality service sector.
A few demands put
forth by members in-
cluded waiver of Value
Added Tax (VAT) on
Liquefied Petroleum
Gas (LPG) and PNG for
three years, exemption
for hotels and restau-
rants from electricity
duty for three years,
abolishment of profes-
sional tax for hotels and
restaurants as per the
provision of Ease of Do-
ing Business. The cham-
ber also demanded that
dining be allowed in ho-
tels and restaurants at
50% capacity
.
With the hospitality
sector undergoing a re-
cession period for the
past one-and-a-half-
years owing to the
COVID-19 pandemic,
the chamber have
urged state as well as
central government
authorities to make
provisions for the sur-
viving businesses. Ac-
cording to sources,
over 70% restaurants
and 50% guest houses
and hotels across the
South Gujarat region
have closed, while oth-
ers are on the verge of
shutting down.
Additionally, the con-
dition of travel opera-
tors has deteriorated as
well. With no custom-
ers, it has become dif-
ficult for them to pay
GST, electricity bills
and taxes, gas bills,
VAT, property taxes
and other maintenance
expenses.
The chamber also
called for an economic
package by the govern-
ment to provide finan-
cial relief to travel op-
erators as well as
agents, who have been
out of business for the
past one-and-a-half
year. “Being an unor-
ganized sector, travel
agents and tour opera-
tors cannot be granted
loans by banks. There-
fore, they cannot avail
the relief offered by the
Reserve Bank of India
(RBI),” said a source.
SGCCI members at the meeting.
Surat traders get health
cards for nCoV infection curb
First India Bureau
Surat: In order to cur-
tail the spread of COV-
ID-19 infection, the Su-
rat Municipal Corpora-
tion (SMC) has issued
COVID-19 health cards
to traders seeking to
reopen their business-
es in various zones of
the city. While a green
card will indicate that
a trader has been vac-
cinated (for the first as
well as second dose) or
has recovered from the
virus, a white card will
alert authorities that
an individual has not
been vaccinated yet.
The latter will be sub-
jected to Rapid Anti-
gen Test (RAT) every
Monday until they get
their shot.
So far, over 1 lakh
traders in the city have
been issued health
cards while the same
number is yet to re-
ceive their health
cards. The highest
number of health cards
has been acquired by
26,610 traders in the
South East zone, while
the lowest number has
been reported in the
Katargam zone at 4,763
cards.
Moreover, along with
mandatory possession
of a health card to run
a business, the civic
body will impose a pen-
alty on traders who do
not comply with the
new norms. Officials
may also conduct sur-
prise inspections to en-
sure all guidelines are
being followed.
Earlier this month, traders had opposed police commissioner's
decision to disallow resumption of business in the city.
—FILE
PHOTO
A green one will
be issued to
those who are
vaccinated or
have recovered
from the virus;
white one will be
given to those yet
to receive jabs
Surat fire dept seals 18
hosps due to no fire safety
First India Bureau
Surat: With several
fire incidents being
reported at hospitals
across the state, Su-
rat Municipal Corpo-
ration’s (SMC) fire
department has initi-
ated a survey to
check the fire safety
preparedness of hos-
pitals in the city. On
Saturday night, two
complexes were
sealed by officials for
non-compliance with
fire safety norms. For
the past two weeks
department officials
have been conduct-
ing inspections at
hospitals in various
zones of the diamond
city and have so far
sealed 18 premises.
Notices have also
been issued to hospi-
tals by the civic body,
which do not have
fire safety equipment
in place to save the
lives of patients in
case of a fire.
Moreover, around
78 shops in Srinath
Complex in Rander
and 22 shops of Man-
sarovar Complex in
Katargam were also
sealed due to lack of
fire safety
.
Besides the seal-
ing drive, the Surat
fire department has
also organized mock
drills at more than 35
hospitals and trained
hospital staffers in
fire safety
.

GUJARAT
03
First India Bureau
Surat: After undergo-
ing 35 days of treat-
ment, a 25-year-old
COVID-19 patient with
90% lung infection was
discharged from a pri-
vate hospital in the city
.
To add to his good for-
tune, the hospital staff
decided to waive his
Rs3 lakh hospital bill.
Munna Mahato, a
resident of Moragam
in Bihar, was admitted
to the hospital last
month. His oxygen sat-
uration levels had
dropped to 40% during
admission. According
to Dr Bhavik Mehta,
“the patient’s lungs
were infected and we
needed to keep him on
a ventilator on arrival.
Because of the pa-
tient’s financial situa-
tion, the hospital ad-
ministration decided to
waive the hospital
bill.”
While Munna was be-
ing treated in the Inten-
sive Care Unit (ICU),
the hospital arranged
for his tests/scans re-
ports, drug injections
as well as meals free of
charge. According to
sources, the hospital’s
management was also
aware that the patient
would be unable to pay
the bill.
At the time of his ad-
mission, owing to the
pandemic’s second
wave, city hospitals
were running low on
both beds and medical
oxygen. Because of the
patient’s poor condi-
tion, the hospital did
not ask for a deposit, as
per norms.
Man defeats nCoV, hospital waives `3 lakh bill
FIGHT BACK
Patient had 90% lung infection
and needed to be kept on a
ventilator on arrival
Munna Mahato (L) with Dr Bhavik Mehta.
Post-nCoV disease MIS-C
on the rise in Guj infants
First India Bureau
Ahmedabad: As the
state deals with COV-
ID-19 cases as well as a
surge in mucormycosis
or black fungus disease,
a post-nCoV disease
called MIS-C (Multi Sys-
tem Inflammatory Syn-
drome) has emerged in
children. The disease,
which affects one lakh
childrenworldwideeach
year, has hit Gujarat.
The first case in the city
is of a one-and-a-half-
month-old baby under-
going treatment at a pri-
vate hospital in Memna-
gar, Ahmedabad.
The baby contracted
the disease just 12 hours
after birth. Currently on
oxygen support, the in-
fant’s mother had con-
tracted COVID-19
around a month-and-a-
half before pregnancy
.
According to doctors, it
has caused the baby to
develop MIS-C at birth.
Thegrowingnumbersof
children with this dis-
ease is fast becoming a
matter of concern
among doctors and new
parents. More than 100
casesof MIS-Chavebeen
reported in Rajkot re-
cently
.
“MIS-C disease is a
post- nCoV disease that
affects children from
newborns to 15 years of
age. This is called an
auto-antibody reaction
disease. The disease has
also been found to be
prevalent in foetuses
growing inside their
mothers’ wombs. A
woman living near
Vaishnodevi Circle in
Ahmedabad gave birth
to a child and the child
developed a fever within
12 hours of birth. The
infant was brought to
our hospital for treat-
ment,” said a doctor at
the private hospital.
COVID-19 UPDATE
ClassXIIstudentsbeginvirtual
campaign for online exams
Theyhavedemandedthatthestategovtrollbackitsdecisiontohold‘physical’exams
First India Bureau
Ahmedabad: A digital
campaign has been
launched by over 1,600
Class XII students of the
Gujarat State Higher
Secondary Education
Board (GSHSEB) set to
appear for their annual
board examinations in
July
. After the state gov-
ernment decreed that
the examinations would
be held at centres as per
usual guidelines, stu-
dents have urged the au-
thorities to reconsider
their position. They also
demanded that the state
follow the open book for-
mat declared by the
Chhattisgarh govern-
ment.
Over 1,40,000 students
from the science stream
and 5,43,000 students
from the general stream
are slated to appear for
board examinations this
academic year.
“There is no doubt
that COVID-19 cases are
falling on a daily basis,
but it does not mean we
will not get infected dur-
ing exams. When 20 stu-
dents sit in one class
room for 180 minutes,
transmissionmayoccur.
It will be easy to main-
tain social distance in
the exam hall but, what
about the time when stu-
dents greet each other
before and after exams?
It may prove to be a trig-
ger for a chain transmis-
sion,” argued Deep Kha-
ra, a Class XII student.
Hiscontentionalsoin-
cluded the fact that stu-
dents have studied on-
line throughout the aca-
demic year and even ap-
peared for examinations
virtually
. “What is stop-
ping them (the govern-
mentandGSHSEB)from
conducting exams on-
line?Itismuchsaferand
there is little chance of
us getting infected with
COVID-19. Students are
not averse to giving ex-
amsbutnotatthecostof
our lives, as well as our
family members’ lives.
All parents support our
stance on the issue too,”
said Khara.
Kavish Shah, another
student, called out the
governmentforconduct-
ing meetings virtually
themselves but not al-
lowing students to ap-
pear for exams online. “I
fail to understand the
fact that ministers are
holding virtual meet-
ings, inaugurations,
then why are they insist-
ing on ‘physical’ exams
for us?” he questioned.
A student poses with placards showcasing his demands; the digital group formed by Class XII
students to oppose ‘physical’ exams.
First India Bureau
Bhavnagar: Three peo-
ple have been arrested
by Alang Marine Police
for allegedly stealing
items worth Rs46,000
from a ship at the Alang
ship recycling yard.
The three accused com-
mitted the crime earlier
on Wednesday
, the same
day when the ship ar-
rived at the yard for
beaching, said officials.
The DV Dawn vessel
was towed to the Alang
recycling yard for
beaching off the Ma-
huva coast. The three
accused, identified as
Paresh Bariaya,
Bhavesh Vegad and
Shankar Jadav, boarded
two small boats,
climbed onto the dead
vessel, and stole copper
wire, as well as other
cables and switches
worth Rs46,000. The trio
belongs to Sartanpur in
Talaja taluka of
Bhavnagar district.
According to a police
station officer, all three
will be brought before
the court because police
suspect involvement of
other people in the theft
ring. The police will
also look into those who
were involved in the
purchase of the stolen
items, the officer added.
First India Bureau
Gandhinagar: The
Gandhinagar rural
police on Saturday
night arrested a per-
son with Rs30 lakh in
fake currency notes.
Officials also seized a
printer and other
electronic devices
from the accused.
Santosh Rawal,
who already has com-
plaintslodgedagainst
him in cheating cases
at Kalol and Dabhoda
police stations, had
jumped bail. Looking
to make a quick buck,
repay old debts, he
boughtadigitalprint-
er, scanner and copy
machines, and print-
ed over 3,000 notes of
Rs2,000 denomina-
tion, 2,000 notes of
Rs500 denomination,
and 500 notes of
Rs100. On Saturday
night, Santosh
packed the fake cash
in a duffle bag and set
out from his village
Sargasan to deliver it
to a trader in Vijapur.
After being unable to
provide satisfactory
answers when appre-
hended by Mansa po-
lice on the way, offi-
cials were astounded
to discover a bag full
of new currency
notes.
They immediately
sought assistance
from a Forensic Sci-
ence Laboratory
(FSL) team and bank
personnel to deter-
mine whether the
notes were genuine
or counterfeit. The
team confirmed that
they were fake notes.
Gandhinagar police
nab man with fake
notes worth `30L
3 ‘desi pirates’ arrested for
stealing from vessel at Alang yard
TOTAL CASES
8,07,388
CASES IN A DAY
1,871
TOTAL DEATHS
9,815
DEATHSINADAY
25
ACTIVE CASES
35,403
RECOVERED
TOTAL
7,62,270
RECOVERED
IN A DAY
5,146
V’DARA 315
A’BAD 245
SURAT 197
RAJKOT 165
JUNAGADH 108
JAMNAGAR 71
OPEN BOOK
Alang shipbreaking yard.
—FILE PHOTO
Santosh Rawal in Mansa police custody with the fake notes.
With Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation (AMC) setting a target of
two years to clean up the Pirana landfi ll located on the outskirts
of the city, several JCB machines and other equipment have
begun removing the waste from the dumping site.
—PHOTO BY HANIF SINDHI
SWACHH AMDAVAD!
First India Bureau
Rajkot: A city resi-
dent claims that a vac-
cination centre issued
him a COVID-19 vac-
cination certificate in
the name of his father,
who died in 2018. The
vaccination certifi-
cate was issued to
Sandip Karangiya,
who had registered all
his family members
for vaccination, mis-
takenly also pro-
cessed his father Har-
dasbhai Karangiya.
According to Sand-
ip, the vaccination
certificate states that
Hardashbhai Ka-
rangiya, 55, was ad-
ministered the Cov-
ishield vaccine by
Kajalben Sindhav at
the Suraj Vadi Upleta
on May 3. The batch
number of his vacci-
nation was 4121Z063
and he will be re-
quired to take his sec-
ond dose of the vac-
cine on July 26.
Sandip admits that
he made a mistake in
having his father’s
nameregisteredonthe
vaccination certifi-
cate, but he doesn’t un-
derstand how the Min-
istry of Health and
Family Welfare can
issue a vaccination
certificate in the name
of a dead person.
The incident raised
numerous concerns
about the accuracy of
the state’s vaccina-
tion programme.
COVID-19 vaccination certificate
issued to deceased man

l Vol 2 l Issue No. 184 l RNI NO.
GUJENG/2019/16208. Printed and
published by Anita Hada Sangwan
on behalf of First Express Publish-
ers. Printed at Bhaskar Printing
Planet Survey No.148P, Changodar-
Bavla Highway, Tal. Sanand, Dist.
Ahmedabad. Published at D/302 3rd
Floor Plot No. 35 Titanium Square,
Scheme No. 2, Thaltej Taluka, Ghat-
lodiya, Ahmedabad. Editor-In-Chief:
Jagdeesh Chandra. Editor: Anita
Hada Sangwan responsible for
selection of news under the PRB Act
PERSPECTIVE
04
Ravi Shankar Prasad
@rsprasad
MyGov is a vision of PM @
narendramodi to build a citizen
engagement platform so that a
strong bond is built between citizens
Government. MyGov provides
authentic information on govt policies,
schemes to the citizens.
Dharmendra Pradhan
@dpradhanbjp
Visited #CycloneYaas affected areas in
Bhadrak post the aerial survey. Most
of the areas are still water-logged. I
also interacted with the villagers, they
told me that the severe storm has
extensively damaged their crops and
houses. One of their key demands was
a pucca house.
SPIRITUAL SPEAK
The dualities of desire
and aversion arise from
illusion. All living beings
in the material realm are
deluded by this.
—Bhagavad Gita
IN-DEPTH
77TH MANN KI
BAAT ON 7
YEARS IN OFFICE
he Bharatiya Janata
Party celebrated
Prime Minister Nar-
endra Modi’s seventh
year in office amidst
criticism of the government for
shortage of vaccines. The occa-
sion coincided with the prime
minister addressing the nation
through the 77th edition of his
Mann ki Baat. Modi talked of the
severity of “the worst pandemic
in 100 years” and how the coun-
try has been able to increase the
production of Liquid Medical
Oxygen from 900 metric tonnes
to 9,500 metric tonnes daily. He
also lauded frontline corona war-
riors, farmers, lab technicians,
citizens etc. He also highlighted
the strides made by his govern-
ment in these seven years.
The Congress was, however,
not impressed. Spearheading the
attack on the prime minister was
Rahul Gandhi who tweeted that
to fight the pandemic one needed
to have the right intention and
determination. On Modi’s claim
on achievements, the Congress
reminded him of “disasters” like
demonetization and GST.
However, a large section of
the populace may not share Con-
gress leaders’ views.
TOP TWEET
T
veryone acknowl-
edges the havoc
wreaked by the
second wave of
the pandemic in
terms of human lives lost. As
the number of fresh Covid-19
cases decline in the country,
society is trying to come to
grips with an even bigger
tragedy---orphans.Aspergov-
ernment data between April 1
and May 25, an estimated 577
children were orphaned after
boththeirparentssuccumbed
to the virus. In scores of cases
the orphaned children are mi-
nors and have no kin to take
care of them. Yasmin Haque,
the India head of UNICEF,
summed up the situation.
“Such children are not only
living an “emotional trage-
dy”, but they are at high risk
of neglect, abuse and exploi-
tation,” she is reported to
have said.
The fear of abuse and ex-
ploitation is indeed high. So-
cial media platforms were
suddenly flooded with adop-
tion requests for adoption of
suchchildren.Althoughadop-
tion laws in the country are
tough,theirbreachbyunscru-
pulous elements cannot be
ruled out. Women and Child
Development Minister Smriti
Irani warned against people
taking the social media route
for adoption as they could be
“illegal” and “irresponsible”.
A way has to be found that
such children reach safe
homes and loving adopted
parents. Government homes
can keep them in safe custody
until their adoption, but not
allgovernment-runchildren’s
homes are ideal centres.
There have been quite a few
cases of children’s exploita-
tion and abuse by those run-
ning some of the centres.
Prime Minister Narendra
Modi’s promise of “aid” and
“free education” is a humane
gesture, provided it is not
misused.
GIVE COVID ORPHANS
A THOUGHT
Social media platforms
were suddenly flooded
with adoption
requests for adoption
of such children.
Although adoption laws
in the country are tough,
their breach by
unscrupulous elements
cannot be ruled out
E
RAJASTHAN CAN EMERGE AS A
MODEL STATE IN PUBLIC HEALTH
he COVID-19 pandemic has
shown how vital it is to have
a robust healthcare infra-
structure. States have a con-
siderable role in creating and
maintaining the healthcare
system. Over the last few
years, Rajasthan has consist-
ently endeavoured to im-
prove its health services with
public and private invest-
ments. The question is- Can
Rajasthan become a model
state with a strong and resil-
ient healthcare system?
Every year the State budg-
et contains important an-
nouncements on healthcare-
the budget for 2021-22 is no
different; health is the cen-
tral focus of the budget. It an-
nounced the ‘Rajasthan Mod-
el of Public Health’ compris-
ing preventive care, primary
care, and curative care to be
implemented as per WHO’s
norms. Towards this end, a
Universal Health Coverage
scheme for the entire popula-
tion of the State- perhaps the
first for any Indian state- was
announced. The ‘Chiranjeevi
Health Insurance Scheme’
with a cashless facility of Rs
5 lakhs per family was later
rolled out to fulfil the objec-
tive of universal coverage.
Other significant announce-
ments made were 25 Nursing
colleges at the district level,
8 Public Health Colleges at
the divisional level, ‘Hospital
Management Cadre’, ‘Right
to Health’ and a host of other
public health measures. With
several medical colleges
opened in the state, Ra-
jasthan would soon become
the first State in the country
where every district will
boast of a medical college-
this is no mean achievement.
During the second wave of
COVID-19, the Government
took steps towards installing
oxygen plants in hospitals,
free Covid treatment in gov-
ernment hospitals, distribut-
ing essential medicines and
opening several Covid cen-
tres. Before this, Mukhy-
amantri Nishulk Dava Yoja-
na, Mukhyamantri Nishulk
Janch Yojna, Janani Shishu
Suraksha Yojna, subsidized
food through Indira Rasoi Yo-
jana and many more pro-
grammes were launched.
The objective of all these ini-
tiatives is to reach out to the
most vulnerable and under-
privileged persons.
CRISIS HANDLING
Better preparedness and
strengthening of the health
infrastructure are the keys to
meeting any health crisis.
There is no dearth of success-
ful models in the country
.
Kerala has been lauded for its
robust and caring public
health infrastructure, which
helped reduce the State’s mor-
tality rates. Two places in Ma-
harashtra - Nandurbar dis-
trict and Brihanmumbai Mu-
nicipal Corporation (BMC)-
have done commendable
work at the local level during
the second wave of Covid-19.
Thereisalotof learningfrom
these models. Rajasthan has
been able to manage things
relatively better despite its
limited resources.
The State Government
should declare 2021-22 as the
year of health infrastructure
and start working post haste
for strengthening the same in
a time-bound manner.
DISTRICT ACTION PLAN
Each district is unique in
terms of the local resources
and potential for improve-
ment. Immediate mapping of
theexistinghealthinfrastruc-
ture should be carried out.
Based on this, an action plan
for improvement should be
prepared with resources re-
quired - hospital beds, ICU
beds, oxygen plants, ambu-
lances, medicines, human re-
sources- down to the PHC
level. Community participa-
tion can generate additional
resources at the district level,
and the state government can
do gap funding. Work done in
district Nandurbar can be the
guiding template for the dis-
tricts.ADistrict-levelEmpow-
ered Task Force under the
District Collector can be
formed to implement the plan
by 31 December 2021 (first
phase) and the remaining
work by 31 March 2022. A
State-level task force can
guide and oversee the imple-
mentation. A senior officer
should be made a full-time
NodalOfficerforthispurpose.
LONG TERM PLAN
India has one of the lowest
public health expenditures
globally - 1.26% of GDP in
2020-21, while most developed
countriesspend9-10%of GDP
,
the US is 16%, Brazil is 8%. As
pertheNationalHealthPolicy
2017, public spending on
health in India should be in-
creased to 2.5% of its GDP by
2025.Forthistohappen,States
must allocate 8% of their
budget to health (the average
figure for states is 5.4%, Ra-
jasthan appears to be 5.8% for
2021-22). And 70% of the state
health budget should go to-
wards primary healthcare.
Rajasthan can take the lead in
meetingthistwintargetwhich
will have a significant impact
on all the healthcare services.
A comprehensive plan is
needed to improve and sus-
tain the healthcare infra-
structure in the State. NITI
Aayog has started ranking
states in terms of their per-
formance based on 23 health
indicators. As per the second-
ranking of states in 2017-18,
Rajasthan ranks 16 with 43.10
points out of 100 (in 2015-16,
Rajasthan had ranked 20 out
of 21 large states).
The involvement of our
NRIs, particularly in health,
should be institutionalized
in a meaningful manner, now
that remote conferencing
and telemedicine have be-
come the new normal.
With visionary leadership,
constant focus on public
health, all-round efforts and
a participatory approach, Ra-
jasthan can, in the foreseea-
ble future, emerge as a Model
state in healthcare services
in the country
.
THE VIEWS EXPRESSED BY
THE AUTHOR ARE PERSONAL
T
DR GS SANDHU
The author is a
retired IAS, Rajasthan
During the second wave of
COVID-19, the Government
took steps towards
installing oxygen plants in
hospitals, free Covid
treatment in government
hospitals, distributing
essential medicines and
opening several Covid
centres. Before this,
Mukhyamantri Nishulk
Dava Yojana,
Mukhyamantri Nishulk
Janch Yojna, Janani
Shishu Suraksha Yojna,
subsidized food through
Indira Rasoi Yojana and
many more programmes
were launched
The involvement of
our NRIs, particularly in
health, should be
institutionalized in a
meaningful manner,
now that remote
conferencing and
telemedicine have
become the new normal

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INDIA
05
EXPELLED AIADMK LEADER
SASIKALA HINTS AT RETURN
Tamil Nadu: In an audio
conversation with a party
cadre, expelled AIADMK
leader V.K. Sasikala has
hinted about returning to
active politics after the
COVID-19 pandemic is
over. The audio recording
is being circulated on
social media platforms
and it has set the political
circles in Tamil Nadu
abuzz. Before the recently
concluded Assembly
elections in Tamil Nadu,
Sasikala had stepped
out saying that she will
not participate in crown
politics. The AIADMK is
currently going through
a political tussle and the
former CM’S kin is heard
saying that it pains her to
see how the party leaders
are fighting amongst
themselves.
BRO RESTORES ADI KAILASH
YATRA ROAD CONNECTIVITY
Dehradun: Border Roads Organisation (BRO)
on Sunday said that it has re-established the
Gunji-Kutti-Jolingkong axis on the India-China
border which is a critical route to the sacred Adi
Kailash Yatra. The axis is located at an average al-
titude of 14,000-feet and is subjected to massive
landslides. “65 Road Construction Company, part
of 765 Border Road Task Force of Project Hirak
was able to open the axis on 29 May this year as
compared to the axis being opened in Aug 2020
last year,” official statement by the BRO said.
‘94.5% ELECTION MANIFESTO
PROMISES FULFILLED’: AP
Andhra Pradesh: Chief Minister YS Jagan Mo-
han Reddy on Sunday completed two years of
governance in the state after a landslide victory
in 2019 assembly elections. Calling the journey
“satisfactory”, he thanked people for the support
and said the YSRCP-led government has fulfilled
94.5 per cent of the election manifesto promises
in the state.He said two documents will be shared
with every house in Andhra Pradesh through vol-
unteers which will carry all details of the election
manifesto promises fulfilled in the last two years.
TRAPPED BETWEEN ARMED
GUERRILLAS STATE FORCES
New Delhi: Thousands of
tribals have been camping
in Silger area in Chhat-
tisgarh’s South Bastar
for the past 16 days
in protest against the
increasing footprint of the
security forces. Accord-
ing to an estimate, more
than 5,000 tribals are
present at the spot. Till
date, 2,500 to 3,000 trib-
als are living and cooking
in small houses. Tension
is rising between the
security forces and the
local tribal community in
the Naxal-affected Sukma
and Bijapur districts of
Bastar. The tribals are
opposing the opening of
the CRPF camp in Silger.
Three villagers have died
in the shootout there. And
death due to the stam-
pede on May 17.
New Delhi: With the
western and eastern
coasts of the country
facing two major cy-
clonic storms over the
last 10 days, Prime Min-
ister Narendra Modi on
Sunday lauded the peo-
ple of affected states for
showing courage and
fighting the battle with
patience and discipline.
The Prime Minister,
while addressing the
77th episode of his
monthly radio pro-
gramme 'Mann Ki Baat'
today said, We are wit-
nessing how our nation
is fighting the battle
against COVID-19 with
full strength. At the
same time, the nation
has witnessed a few
natural disasters too.
In the last ten days,
the western and eastern
coast faced two major
cyclonic storms. Cy-
clone Tauktae hit the
western coast while Cy-
clone Yaas hit the east-
ern coast. The country-
men and the country
faced the cyclone storm
bravely, PM Modi said.
At the time of the
disaster, people of the
Cyclone-affected states
showed courage and
fought the battle with
patience and discipline.
I humbly acknowledge
their efforts, he added.
I salute the people
who participated in the
relief and rescue opera-
tions during the cyclon-
ic storms, PM Modi
said. I express my
deepest condolences to
those who have lost
their loved ones. We all
stand steadfastly with
those who have suffered
losses, he added.
The radio pro-
gramme comes on the
day when Prime Minis-
ter Narendra Modi-led
BJP government at the
Centre is completing 7
years in power. The
programme is broad-
cast on the entire net-
work of All India Radio
and Doordarshan and
also on the AIR News
website.
Mann ki Baat is the
Prime Minister's
monthly radio address
to the nation, which is
broadcast on the last
Sunday of every
month. —ANI
CYCLONE-AFFECTED STATES SHOWED COURAGE,
FOUGHT BATTLE WITH PATIENCE: PM MODI
Hesaidwhileaddressingthe77thepisodeofhismonthlyradioprogramme‘MannKiBaat’
New Delhi: BJP presi-
dent JP Nadda on Sun-
day said while his par-
ty workers and leaders
have been carrying out
relief work amid the
coronavirus pandem-
ic, the opposition par-
ties have gone into
quarantine.
Addressing party
workers virtually on
the seventh anniversa-
ry of the Narendra
Modi dispensation at
the Centre, the BJP
chief said all party
MPs, ministers and
MLAs will serve people
in at least two villages
following COVID-19
protocols and lockdown
guidelines to mark the
occasion.
BJP workers stand-
ing with the people dur-
ing the pandemic un-
like the Opposition
leaders who are only
visible in virtual press
conferences, he said.
Opposition quarantined
during pandemic: Nadda
NADDA CONGRATULATES PM MODI ON
SEVEN YEARS OF NDA GOVT
New Delhi: On completion of seven years of
BJP-led Central government on Sunday, Party
national President JP Nadda congratulated PM
Modi and said the party will celebrate the day as
“Seva Diwas” today. In a series of tweets he also
extended his wishes to the NDA family”, and said
PM Modi’s leadership and guidance has paved way
for “Atmanirbhar Bharat”. “Hearty congratulations
to Modi Ji on the completion of seven years of
Prime Minister Narendra Modi Ji’s government,
and best wishes to the entire NDA family. Under
Modi Ji’s leadership, we will celebrate today’s day
as Seva Diwas. Today crores of our workers will do
public service in 1 lakh villages,” tweeted Nadda
and hashtagged the tweet as “7YearsOfSeva”.
New Delhi: New cases
against murder accused
Sushil Kumar have
started to pop up ever
since his arrest one
week ago. The 2-time
Olympic medallist's po-
lice custody was extend-
ed by 4 days yesterday.
While the court has
said that no one is above
the law, police believe
that the 37-year-old is
the mastermind of Sa-
gar Rana murder case.
Apart from being a
part of wrestler-crim-
inal nexus, seems like
Sushil Kumar was in-
volved in bullying
and threatening own-
ers of small kirana
stores as well.
Talking about the in-
cident, Satish said that
he had been supplying
rations at the stadium
for 18 years. According
to Satish, a coach
named Birendra or-
dered the rations dur-
ing the Covid-19 lock-
down in 2020. He got
transferred later. Upon
reaching the stadium,
Satish Goyal begged
Sushil for the payment
of his dues and said, I
will die if I don't get the
payment for the rations
provided. Oh! You will
die? Then OK die!! said
Sushil before thrashing
him with his boys.
Satish Goyal some-
how saved his life and
locked himself in his
house for weeks. —ANI
Delhi shopkeeper
alleges Sushil
Kumar beat him
New Delhi: A plea has
been filed in the Delhi
High Court seeking di-
rection to the Central
government to prior-
itize COVID-19 vaccines
for NRIs having valid
visas in the countries
where they live and
work, as well as stu-
dents with legitimate
offers of admission to
colleges overseas.
Pravasi Legal Cell, the
petitioner, has also re-
quested that the re-
spondents provide an
option to include pass-
port numbers in vacci-
nation certificates, as
well as an opportunity
to amend vaccination
certificates that have
already been issued
with passport for per-
sons who plan to travel.
Plea in HC to prioritize vaccination
of NRIs, students going abroad
New Delhi: The Delhi
High Court has directed
the West Bengal govern-
ment to relieve an IAS
officer of the State cad-
re to enable her to join
the cadre of her hus-
band who is an IAS of-
ficer in Himachal
Pradesh. A Bench of
Justice Manmohan and
Justice Navin Chawla
declined to entertain
the plea of the State
government.
Delhi HC directs
WB to relieve
IAS officer
New Delhi:TheDel-
hi High Court will
decide on Monday
whether to allow the
continuation of the
CentralVistaproject
work during the
prevailing Covid
pandemic. A bench
of Chief Justice D N
Patel and Justice Jy-
oti Singh, which had
been hearing a plea
for suspending the
ongoing construc-
tion work during the
Covid pandemic, has
fixed May 31 for de-
livery of its judge-
ment on it, the high
court’s cause list re-
vealed on Saturday
.
The court had re-
served its judgement
on May 17 on the
joint plea by Anya
Malhotra,andSohail
Hashmi.
Delhi HC to
rule on plea to
stop Central
Vista work
New Delhi: A number
of petitions have been
filed before the Su-
preme Court seeking to
initiate contempt of
court proceedings
against Reserve Bank
of India (RBI) Governor
Shaktikanta Das, Indi-
an Banks Association
(IBA) Chief Executive
and others for allegedly
flouting the apex court’s
earlier order, by declar-
ing the account of the
petitioners as Non Per-
forming Assets (NPA)
in connection with the
moratorium matter. Ac-
cording to a report by
news agency ANI, peti-
tioners have filed a plea
through lawyer Vishal
Tiwari. —PTI
ContemptpleasagainstRBI
Governor Shaktikanta Das
IN THE COURTYARD
A file photo of Prime Minister Narendra Modi addresses during Mann Ki Baat in New Delhi on
Sunday. —PHOTO BY ANI
Congress workers in Mumbai protest
against Centre over fuel price hike
Mumbai: As the PM
Narendra Modi-led
government complet-
ed seven years in of-
fice on Sunday, Con-
gress workers in
Mumbai held a pro-
test against the Cen-
tre over its handling
of the COVID-19 pan-
demic and fuel price
hike, among other is-
sues. “In the last sev-
en years, Centre has
ravaged the country
in the name of devel-
opment,” Maharash-
tra Congress Presi-
dent Nana Patole said.
Mumbai: Shiv Sena
parliamentarian
Sanjay Raut on Sun-
day alleged that the
Bharatiya Janata
Party (BJP) govern-
ment led by Prime
Minister Narendra
Modi was seeking to
censure the social
media it had once
used as its ‘toolkit’ to
win two general elec-
tions and to spread
misinfor mation.
Writing in his week-
ly column ‘Rokthok’
inShivSena’smouth-
piece Saamana, Raut
also said Centre’s
stance against social
media companies
came after Congress
effectively launched
its own toolkit to ex-
pose the NDA gov-
ernment’s alleged
mishandling of the
Covid-19 pandemic.
“The social media
is an effective medi-
um to run a cam-
paign or tarnish
someone’s name. The
BJP has been fore-
most in misusing
this medium. They
used it for a smear
campaign against
Manmohan Singh,
Sonia Gandhi and
Rahul Gandhi. The
same toolkit used by
the BJP against their
opponents has back-
fired,” Raut wrote.
Shiv Sena claims
BJP’s social media
‘toolkit’ backfired
JP Nadda
Sanjay Raut
Shaktikanta Das
Oh! You
will die? Then
OK die!
—Sushil Kumar, while
thrashing Satish Goyal

‘Achievements of...
His winning catch-
phrase, “Achhe Din”
(Good days), had sym-
bolised hope for his vot-
ers. The BJP has, how-
ever, decided to tone
down celebrations
marking the seven
years milestone, given
the Covid conditions
prevailing in the coun-
try. “The achievements
of the past seven years
have been those of the
nation’s and its people.
Together, we have expe-
rienced so many mo-
ments of national
pride,” PM Modi said.
“We feel pride seeing
that India now walks its
own path and not under
the views and pressures
of other nations. Our
confidence grows when
India strongly answers
those who try to con-
spire against it,” he
said. He also said that
when India resolves its
own age-old quagmires
like Article 370 and Ayo-
dhya, refuses to com-
promise on its security
interests and when its
forces grow in strength,
the country feels it is on
the right track.
‘Meaningless...
And not meaningless
talks once a month,”
tweeted the Congress
MP in Hindi.
“Mann ki Baat” is the
Prime Minister’s
monthly radio address
to the nation, which is
broadcast on the last
Sunday of every month.
Prime Minister Modi is
scheduled to address
the 77th episode of his
monthly radio pro-
gramme ‘Mann Ki
Baat” at 11 am today
.
On Friday, the Con-
gress leader had taken a
swipe at the Narendra
Modi-led Central gov-
ernment alleging that
the Prime Minister,
with his poor vaccine
strategy, was responsi-
ble for the second wave
of COVID-19 in the
country
.
The former Congress
President had said that
the COVID-19 death rate
put out by the Central
government was inac-
curate and underre-
ported and if the Centre
did not act immediately
it will be left grappling
with several successive
waves of the pandemic,
as the virus goes on mu-
tating. The Wayanad
MP had also claimed
that India has no vacci-
nation strategy
.
Nearly 12 crore...
bythestate/UTsandPri-
vate Hospitals. There-
fore,inJune2021closeto
12 crore (11,95,70,000)
doses will be available
for the national COVID
vaccination pro-
gramme,” it said.
The ministry said the
delivery schedule for
this allocation will be
shared with states in
advance.
“States have been re-
quested to direct the
concerned officials to
ensure rational and ju-
dicious utilization of
allocated doses and
minimize the vaccine
wastage. The basic ob-
jective behind inform-
ing the States/UTs in
advance of the quan-
tum of free vaccine
doses to be made avail-
able from Centre for
15/30 days and the total
vaccine doses which are
available for direct pro-
curement by States/
UTs is to ensure better
planning and delivery
of vaccine by States/
UTs,” it said.
For the month of
May, 4,03,49,830 vaccine
doses have been made
available by the Union
Government to states.
In addition, 3,90,55,370
doses were available for
direct procurement by
the states as well as pri-
vate hospitals in May
.
Pak will...
Subsequent attacks, in-
cluding one on Indian
Army camp in Uri, fur-
ther deteriorated the
relationship.
The relationship
dipped further after In-
dia’s war planes pound-
ed a Jaish-e-Moham-
med terrorist training
camp deep inside Paki-
stan on February 26,
2019 in response to the
Pulwama terror attack
in which 40 CRPF
jawans were killed.
The relations deteri-
orated after India an-
nounced withdrawing
special powers of Jam-
mu and Kashmir and
bifurcation of the state
into two union territo-
ries. However, lately
there has been some
improvement when the
two countries agreed
in February to restore
peace on the Line of
Control. It is said that
the rival officials have
been interacting
through the back chan-
nel diplomacy to ease
tension.
Khan also respond-
ed to several ques-
tions about domestic
issues including infla-
tion and promised
that his government
was working hard to
bring down prices of
commodities. He also
said that Pakistan will
continue to achieve
economic growth in
the days to come as he
termed the process
gradual and one that
would take time.
FROM PG 1
INDIA
06
TAKE VACCINE AT 1ST AVAILABLE
OPPORTUNITY: WHO TO INDIANS
Over 21 Crore doses of Covid vax administered in India so far
New Delhi: The World
Health Organisation’s
(WHO) Regional Direc-
tor for South East Asia
Dr Poonam Khetrapal
Singh issued a word of
caution as India is wit-
nessing a “plateau” in
daily COVID-19 cases,
advising people to get
the shots at the first
available opportunity.
“Lesson learned
from this surge is at no
cost can we let our
guards down. We must
take COVID-19 vaccine
at first available oppor-
tunity,” said Dr Poon-
am Khetrapal Singh.
“This surge has put
an immense burden on
already overwhelmed
health services. We’re
now witnessing a pla-
teau and even a de-
cline in cases in some
parts of India. Situa-
tion continues to be of
concern and chal-
lenge,” she added
while commending the
Indian efforts and ad-
vising the people to
remain vigilant about
the pandemic.
Daily cases continue
to decline further as
1,65,553 fresh infec-
tions were recorded in
the last 24 hours.
People stand in a queue to get vaccination during the lockdown in Pune. —FILE PHOTO
‘NEXT WAVE CAN’T BE PREDICTED
BUT CAN BE PREVENTED IN INDIA’
New Delhi: As the Cov-
id-19 graph of India is
plateauing, this is a
time to be more cau-
tious and get vaccinat-
ed, Dr Poonam Khetra-
pal Singh said. The
next surge — a possible
third wave of the pan-
demic — can not be pre-
dicted but can be pre-
vented and India must
work towards that, Dr
Singh said. The situa-
tion continues to be of
concern and challenge,
she said, though the
number of daily infec-
tions in India is declin-
ing steadily. The week-
ly positivity rate in the
country continues to
decline and stood at
9.36 per cent.
Vaccination in
hotels must be
stopped: Centre
New Delhi: Taking
congnisance of reports
regarding some private
hospitals giving pack-
age for vaccination in
collaboration with luxury
hotels, the Centre di-
rected states to stop the
violation of guidelines
and take action against
such institutions. Union
Health Ministry said,
“vaccination carried out
in star hotels is contrary
to the guidelines and
must be stopped imme-
diately”.
DRUGS FOR BLACK FUNGUS
TREATMENT REACHES INDIA
New Delhi: A con-
signment of 200,000
AmBisome (Ampho-
tericin B injection),
used in black fungus
treatment reached
India on early Sun-
day. “Another con-
signment of AmBi-
some from @Gilead-
Sciences, used in
Black Fungus treat-
ment, reaches India.
Total 200,000 doses
already there so far.
More to follow!”
tweeted Ambassador
of India to United
States, Taranjit Sin-
gh Sandhu. Mucor-
mycosis, commonly
known as black fun-
gus, has wreaked
havoc across India,
especially in Cov-
id-19 patients who
have been adminis-
tered heavy doses of
steroids to treat tis
deadly infection.
NATION RECORDS SINGLE-DAY
SPIKE OF 1.65 LAKH COVID-19
CASES, LOWEST IN 46 DAYS
New Delhi: India
recorded a single-
day rise of 1,65,553
new COVID-19 cas-
es, the lowest in 46
days, taking the
country’s infec-
tion tally to
2,78,94,800, as per
Health Ministry
on Sunday
.
The daily posi-
tivity declined to
8.02 per cent, re-
maining below the
10 per cent-mark
for the sixth con-
secutive day, while
the weekly positiv-
ity rate dropped to
9.36 per cent, it
said.
The death toll
due to the disease
climbed to 3,25,972
with 3,460 fatalities
being recorded in a
span of 24 hours,
the data updated at
8 am showed.
WHO, South-East Asia, Dr
Poonam Khetrapal Singh
Centre announces more benefits via
ESIC, EPFO for bereaved families
New Delhi: In a huge
relief to workers who
lost their earning mem-
ber to the COVID-19
pandemic, the Labour
Ministry on Sunday an-
nounced a slew of ben-
efits through ESIC and
EPFO schemes to ad-
dress the fear and anxi-
ety of such workers
about the well-being of
their family members.
The social security
cover by the Centre is
“sought to be provided
to the workers without
any additional cost to
the employer,” the min-
istry said.
Currently for the In-
sured Persons (IPs) un-
der ESIC, after death or
disablement of the IP
due to employment in-
jury a pension equiva-
lent to 90% of average
daily wage drawn by the
worker is available to
the spouse and widowed
mother for life long and
for children till they at-
tain the age of 25 years.
Family members mourn the death of their Covid victim.
Centre asks TV Channels to
display new helpline numbers
New Delhi: The Union
Ministry of Informa-
tion and Broadcasting
advised private televi-
sion channels to pro-
mote awareness about
the four national-level
helpline numbers set up
to provide assistance to
people. The numbers
are 1075 - national hel-
pline number of Health
Ministry, 1075 for 24x7
call centre for address-
ing queries on COVID,
1098 for child helpline
number of Ministry of
Women Child Devel-
opment, 14567 - senior
citizens helpline of the
Ministry of Social Jus-
tice and Empowerment.
Only 6 states left
with over 100k
active cases: Govt
New Delhi: The Centre
on Sunday pointed to an
improving Covid-19 sit-
uation in the country
, as
the Ministry of Infor-
mation and Broadcast-
ing (IB) shared a list
and a map of the “only
six states” with more
than 100,000 active cases
of the viral disease.
“Only 6 states with
more than one lakh ac-
tive Covid-19 cases (As
on 30th May, 2021 till
8AM),” India Fights Co-
rona, the official IB
ministry handle on Cov-
id-19 updates, tweeted.
Together, the six states
have 1,449,036 or 68.52%
of the total active cases
of the disease across the
country. As of Sunday
morning, India’s tally
of active Covid-19 cases
stood at 2,114,508, as per
health ministry
.
India sent jet, Choksi
deportation docus to
Dominica: Antigua PM
New Delhi: India has
sent the deportation
documents for Mehul
Choksi, the diamond
merchantwantedforthe
PNB loan scam, to Dom-
inica. Mehul Choksi is
currently in Caribbean
island nation, where he
was caught while trying
to flee to Cuba from An-
tigua. The 62-year-old
has been living in Anti-
gua since 2018 after ob-
taining citizenship.
Sources in India’s in-
vestigatingagencies--the
Central Bureau of Inves-
tigation and the Enforce-
ment Directorate -- said
only case files have been
sent Dominica. The for-
eign ministry is coordi-
nating the case of Mehul
Choksi with the govern-
ments of Dominica and
Antigua and the CBI and
theEnforcementDirecto-
rate are assisting with
casedetails,sourcessaid.
Asked about a private
jet that arrived in Domi-
nica on May 28, Antigu-
an PM Gaston Browne
confirmed it to local me-
dia. “My understanding
is that the Indian gov-
ernment has sent some
documentation from the
courts in India to con-
firm that Mr Choksi is
indeed a fugitive and my
understanding is that
the documentation will
be utilised in the court
hearing next Wednes-
day
,” Browne said.
“The Indian govern-
ment seems to be going
all out to ensure that he
is repatriated to India so
that he can stand charg-
es there,” he added.
 Oxygen Express
delivers 2114.21 MT
Oxygen to Kerala,
Tamil Nadu
 Delhi reports under
1,000 cases again,
deaths below 100
 Italy extends travel
ban for India, Ban-
gladesh, Sri Lanka
 Karnataka Lock-
down to continue till
June 7, says Min
 Ratio of registra-
tions on CoWIN
portal to doses im-
proved: Top Official
 50 Black Fungus
deaths, 650 receiv-
ing treatment: Hary-
ana Chief Minister
 Haryana Lockdown
extended, some
restrictions eased
HIGHLIGHTS
Unfair to call Kumbh
Mela Covid super
spreader: Top official
Dehradun: A top
Kumbh Mela official
said it was unfair to call
itaCovid“super-spread-
er” as just 0.2% of total
RT-PCR tests conducted
in Haridwar from Janu-
ary 1 till the conclusion
of the event returned a
positive result, while
0.5% police personnel
contracted the virus.
Mela IG Sanjay Gun-
jyal also said the reli-
gious event formally
began on April 1 when
the second wave of Cov-
id was already raging
in states like Maha-
rashtra and Haryana.
“If we scientifically
analyse the data of
Haridwar district right
from January 1 to the
conclusion of Kumbh
on April 30, attempts to
create a perception that
Kumbh was a super-
spreader of the pan-
demic look unfair,” San-
jay Gunjyal said. He
was in charge of the
entire security arrange-
ments in Haridwar and
adjoining areas during
the Kumbh mela.
Reeling off data to
make his point, the sen-
ior official said 8.91
lakh RT-PCR tests were
conducted in the dis-
trict from January 1 to
April 30 out of which
only 1,954 (0.2 per cent)
were positive.Citing an-
other reason why the
Kumbh Mela cannot be
considered a super-
spreader event, he said
out of over 16,000 police
personnel deployed in
the Kumbh Mela Kshet-
ra only 88 (or just a little
above 0.5 per cent) had
tested positive for Covid
by April 30.
“It is a fact worth tak-
ing note of as the secu-
rity personnel on duty
were directly dealing
with the crowds con-
verging at Har ki Pairi
and other Ganga ghats
for a holy dip in the riv-
er. In spite of that, a
very low percentage of
security personnel test-
ed positive,” Sanjay
Gunjyal said.
Kumbh Mela, which
is attended by people
from different parts of
the country in large
numbers, drew flak
from various quarters
as the number of cases
rose at a rapid pace.
Devotees at Kumbh Mela.
Can’t let guard down, prepare
to face third wave:Thackeray
Mumbai: Cautioning
people against a third
wave of Covid infec-
tions and asking them
not to lower their guard,
Maharashtra CM Ud-
dhav Thackeray an-
nounced that the re-
strictions imposed in
state to curb the spread
of the infection will be
extended till June 15.
He said that the state
government will take
stock of the situation in
each district and may
tighten or relax the
curbs in specific areas.
“I don’t know when and
what date the third
wave will come. So we
should not let our guard
down,” he said. “In the
last three-four days, the
numbers matched the
peak of the last wave.
But one good thing is
the recovery rate which
is now 92 per cent,” Ma-
harashtra CM said.
Mehul Choksi

TALKING POINT
07
Fireflies need dark nights for their summer light shows – here’s how you can help
efore humans in-
vented fire, the only
things that lit up
the night were the
moon, the stars and biolu-
minescent creatures – in-
cluding fireflies. These am-
bassadors of natural won-
der are soft-bodied beetles
that emit “cold light,” us-
ing a biochemical reaction
housed in their abdominal
lanterns.
Fireflies exchange biolu-
minescent courtship sig-
nals as a precursor to mat-
ing. In doing so, they con-
struct spectacular light
shows that inspire joy and
delight in people all around
the world. Unfortunately,
human activities threaten
to extinguish these silent
sparks.
In recent decades, fire-
flies have vanished from
many places where they
were once found. Like oth-
er insects, fireflies are
threatened by habitat loss
and pesticide use. They are
also uniquely vulnerable to
the harmful effects of light
pollution.
As scientists who study
fireflies and how they are
affected by artificial light,
we want to make sure that
future generations can con-
tinue to enjoy one of na-
ture’s greatest wonders.
A LIFE IN THE
DARK
Fireflies evolved some 100
million years ago and have
blossomed into more than
2,200 species that are found
on every continent except
Antarctica. Here in North
America, nearly 150 differ-
ent species of flashing fire-
fly light up our summer
nights.
Most North American
species have a two- to four-
week mating season. Each
evening, males and females
engage in a dash of light
flirtation. The males fly
around, producing a spe-
cies-specific pattern of
flashes. Females, perched
in the undergrowth, dis-
creetly respond when they
are interested with flashes
of their own.
For the vast majority of
evolutionary history
, night-
time light sources were
predictable and short-
lived: The sun set, and the
moon waned. But as ad-
vances in technology made
it cheaper and easier for
humans to light up their
environment, light pollu-
tion has become a constant
presence in urban, subur-
ban and rural habitats.
Human-caused light
sources – house lights, path
lights, streetlights – often
shine all night, year-round.
Humans can use curtains
to block out a neighbor’s
annoying LED floodlight,
but nocturnal animals
aren’t so fortunate. The
more we light up the night,
the less space we leave for
the firefly flash dance.
BLINDED BY
THE LIGHT
We and other firefly re-
searchers have become in-
creasingly worried about
the future of these remark-
able insects. More than a
decade of scientific re-
search offers ample evi-
dence that light pollution is
a threat to firefly reproduc-
tion.
The fundamental prob-
lem is visibility: Fireflies
use their bioluminescence
to flirt in the dark. It
doesn’t work so well with
the lights on.
Scientists have known
for some time that direct
illumination from a nearby
streetlight makes male fire-
flies flash less, but that is
only half the story
. As with
most animals that engage
in complex courtship ritu-
als, female fireflies are the
choosy ones – and they are
watching the show with
the rest of us. When a fe-
male sees a male she likes,
she flashes back. He zips
over, and that’s when the
magic happens.
Our recent lab study
shows that females of a
common New England fire-
fly species are even more
sensitive to direct illumi-
nation than their male
counterparts. Under artifi-
cial light, males flash about
half as often, while females
rarely
, if ever, flash back.
It may be that female
fireflies are quite literally
blinded by the light shin-
ing down into their eyes.
Or even if they do manage
to pick out a male flash pat-
tern here and there, they
might not think it worth a
reply. Previous research
shows that female fireflies
prefer bright flashes over
dim ones, and background
light can turn an otherwise
bright flash into one that is
dull and unimpressive.
The brightness of the ar-
tificial light source makes
a big difference, but its
dominant colour is also a
factor. Fireflies don’t see
blue or red light very well
because they have evolved
to focus in on the particu-
lar yellow-green hue that
they use to communicate.
Amber light, which has a
yellow-orange hue, is most
disruptive to firefly court-
ship – even more so than
white light – because it ap-
proaches the color of fire-
fly bioluminescence.
HELP
FIREFLIES
RECLAIM THE
NIGHT
Current research supports
a few simple firefly-friend-
ly lighting guidelines that
can help protect both fire-
flies and other animals
that need the dark.
First, remove unneces-
sary light. Lights left on in
the middle of the night –
especially in natural habi-
tats like backyards, parks
and reserves – too often go
unused by anyone. Install
motion detectors, timers
and shielding to ensure
that light goes only where
people need it, when they
need it. These devices can
pay for themselves over the
long term.
Second, keep necessary
light as dim as possible.
Modern LEDs tend to be
much brighter than they
need to be for public safety
.
To easily dim an LED, cov-
er it with a few sheets of
paper or layers of paint-
er’s tape. For older light-
ing types, which can over-
heat when covered, use
heat-resistant cellophane
or acrylic gel filters in-
stead.
Finally, remember this:
The redder the better!
When buying new outdoor
lights, go for monochrome
red LEDs. Some lighting
manufacturers have be-
gun to tout amber LEDs as
“insect-friendly,” but they
are not thinking about
fireflies. And while it’s
true that amber light
doesn’t attract as many
flying insects as white
light, red light attracts
even fewer.
As with any harmful en-
vironmental pollutant,
limiting how much artifi-
cial light we create will al-
ways be more effective
than trying to lessen its
impact. Fortunately, light
pollution is instantly and
completely reversible,
which means that we can
change things for the bet-
ter for fireflies with the flip
of a switch.
Fireflies give us so much,
and don’t demand a lot in
return – just a bit of dark
night to call their own.
FIERY LIGHT
UNDER THE COVER OF DARKNESS
AVALON CS OWENS
PhD Candidate in Biology,Tufts
University
SARA LEWIS
Professor of Biology,Tufts
University
SOURCE: THECONVERSATION.COM
Fireflies light up a June night in central Maine. —MIKE LEWINSKI/FLICKR, CC BY
In addition to harming nocturnal wildlife, light pollution wastes energy and money
—INTERNATIONAL DARK SKY ASSOCIATION, CC BY-ND
B
Fireflies mating.
—SARA LEWIS,
CC BY-ND
A female firefly signals —RADIM SCHREIBER/
FIREFLY EXPERIENCE, CC BY-ND

The end of a month is not the end but
actually the beginning of a new
month, so it is with life! Wishing all
our readers a healthy month ahead!.
—Jagdeesh Chandra, CEO Editor-in-Chief, First India
08
2NDFRONT
CONG HIGH COMMAND LOOKING FOR
A FACE TO BE INCHARGE OF GUJARAT
AFTER THE DEATH OF RAJIV SATAV, THE LEADERSHIP IS MULLING VARIOUS OPTIONS
Haresh Jhala
Ahmedabad: The State
is heading for assembly
elections in December
2022 and with hardly 16
to 17 months left to pre-
pare,theCongressparty
has started searching
for the right person to
appoint as Gujarat In-
charge. He will need to
supervise the state or-
ganisation, prepare
elections strategy
, while
working on the ground
with the cadres.
Not only this, Rahul
Gandhi will be focusing
on the Gujarat elections
like he did in 2017.
Sources said he would
spend quality time cam-
paigning in the State.
And he would prefer a
leader who gives him
the right feedback from
ground zero.
After the sudden de-
mise of Gujarat In-
charge Rajiv Satav, the
party high command is
seriously considering a
few names for the post.
Party sources told First
India that earlier the
leadership had decided
on Sachin Pilot or B K
HariprasadbutPilothas
informed the high com-
mand that he would pre-
fer to focus on Ra-
jasthan.
After this, the party is
also considering Mukul
Wasnik and Mohan
Prakash. Before it takes
the final call, Rajasthan
Chief Minister Ashok
Gehlothassuggestedthe
name of Maharashtra
leader Avinash Pandey,
who has been Rajasthan
incharge in the past.
Mukul Wasnik was
Gujarat incharge from
2000 till 2005, B K
Hariprasad from 2006 to
2010andMohanPrakash
was from 2010 to 2012.
Avinash Pandey has
been incharge of NSUI
and Youth Congress. So
allfourhaveconnections
with state leaders, and
will not feel like playing
on an unknown pitch.
Sources said if Avi-
nash Pandey is made in-
charge, he will benefit
enormously from Ge-
hlot’s Gujarat experi-
ence when he was the
In-charge in 2017 elec-
tions and Congress won
77 seats, its highest so
far in the past 32 years
in the state. BJP nose-
dived to 99 then.
Mukul Wasnik has
worked with the state
leaders as Youth Con-
gress leader too and is
well aware about each
state leader’s strengths
and weaknesses. This
canhelphimtomakethe
right decisions while as-
signing work to leaders
and during distribution
of party tickets. Mohan
Prakashhasalabourun-
ion leader spirit and is a
very vocal leader. This
could help boost the mo-
ralesof thepartycadres.
First India Bureau
Junagadh: As many as
12 days after the cyclone
disrupted normal life,
severalvillagesintheGir-
gadhadaandUnatalukas
in Gujarat’s Junagadh
districtintheSaurashtra
region continue to live
without power supply
.
What is more, 10 people
have died during this
timeinSonparavillagein
Gir-gadhada because of
heat and suffocation.
The Sonpara village,
which has a population
of around4,500,islocated
near the border of Gir
forests in the taluka. Ac-
cording to village’s sar-
panch Danabhai Dodiya,
severe heat accompanied
bypoweroutagesiscreat-
ing serious health issues
for the people in their vil-
lage. The situation is
similar in other villages
also who have no power
supply after so many
days.Hesays,“Peopleare
suffering because of the
apathetic attitude of the
administration. Just im-
aginetheplightof thevil-
lagers in this blistering
summer heat.”
Accordingtowomenin
Sonpara village, they
have to complete cooking
food by 5 p.m. and have
their dinner by 6 p.m. be-
cause there is no electric-
ity
. The villagers also
pointed out that since
theirvillageisclosetothe
Gir forests, there is also a
danger of lion and wild-
life attacks in the dark.
Says Dodiya, “Fear of at-
tacks by leopards and li-
ons are also forcing us to
remained locked in our
homes in this suffocating
heat. The administration
must restore our power
supply without any fur-
ther delay
.”
First India Bureau
Surat: The Salabat-
pura police have ar-
rested 4 people in
connection with an
attack on policemen
on May 23. The cops
were attacked when
they reached fol-
lowing a complaint
that members of
two gangs were in-
volved in a scuffle
in Rustampura
area. Earlier, five
people were in the
case.
Police were at-
tacked during a
quarrel between the
notorious Annu and
Karim China gangs.
Meanwhile, five peo-
ple, including Annu,
were arrested in con-
nection with the as-
sault case previous-
ly. In all, 9 people
have been arrested
both the cases.
The quarrel start-
ed when Annu went
to Rustampura with
his companions to
fight with Karim
China. Anu had fled
when a scuffle broke
out between the two
gangs as Karim’s
men gathered there.
While Annu was
fleeing, two police
constables intercept-
ed him near Mandar-
waja. He attacked
the police with a
sword. Constable Vi-
jay sustained seri-
ous injuries to his
waist. Appu alias
Avinash Ravi
Rathore, Komal alias
Ketan Sanjay Rana,
Nitin alias Buju
Mukesh Dantani and
Janish alias Jenu
Mukesh Patel have
been arrested in con-
nection with the at-
tack on police. Police
have arrested Anil
alias Annu Ravi Pa-
tel, Balkishna alias
Jamrukh Vinod
Parde, Rohit alias
Lali Ravi Patel, Yash
alias Kalio Ajay Ra-
jput and Bhavesh
Jaswant Solanki in
connection with the
scuffle.
First India Bureau
Surat: A two-and-a-
half-year-old girl,
who fell into an emp-
ty underground wa-
ter tank from a height
of 6 feet and remained
in the tank for 10
hours in the dark, in
Magadalla area has
been rescued.
Hearing the sounds
of crying in the morn-
ing, locals called police
and fire brigade and
took the girl out. A na-
tive of Bihar, she was
reported missing by
Dumas police two days
ago. Inspector Ankit
Somaiya formed teams
and started searching
from 10 pm. The girl
was found safe in the
empty tank at 5.30 am
and hospitalised for
treatment.
The police searched
around 300 houses in
Magdalla area, while
another team was
checking the CCTV
footage. They found
that the girl crossed
the road and reached
a building but never
returned. Then a
team went there and
started searching the
area.
Finally, the locals
heard her crying and
called the police.
FOUR NABBED FOR
ATTACK ON COPS
DURING GANG WAR
Infant rescued
from a water tank
after 10 hours
12 days after cyclone,villages here have no power
Mukul Wasnik B K Hariprasad Sachin Pilot Avinash Pandey
Bhavesh Barot
Himmatnagar: To
mark the second anni-
versary of the Naren-
dra Modi Government
at the Centre and com-
pletion of seven years
since it came to power,
the party in Sabarkan-
tha district strictly fol-
lowed the directive is-
sued by national
Bharatiya Janata Party
President JP Nadda and
kept the celebration
confined to social and
welfare programmes.
No celebratory
events took place. As
the BJP has launched
“Seva Hi Sangathan”
programme, the party
workers and state
units have been asked
to engage themselves
in undertaking social
and welfare pro-
grammes.
Amidst the raging
second Covid wave,
which inflicted deep
wound on the nation
and Sabarkantha dis-
trict too has suffered
enormously, the dis-
trtict leaders visited the
most vulnerable areas
in district place Him-
matnagar.
They distributed
masks and protective
gears while educating
people living in slums
about importance of hy-
gienic lifestyle which
helps in fighting the
pandemic. They also en-
couraged people who
haven’t yet been vacci-
nated to enroll it. The
visiting party leaders
also carried a list of
such persons. To dispel
myths about vaccines
and hesitation to take it,
senior party leaders ex-
plainedthepeopleabout
the benefit of vaccines,
said Jayesh Patel, gen-
eral secretary of town
party organization.
He further said on
part of Seva Hi Sanga-
than initiative taken up
by the party
, many more
social and welfare activ-
ites would be taken up
shortly
. Under this, peo-
ple admitted in Covid
wards in Himmtnagar
hospitals and paramed-
ics attending them as
frontline warriors
would be provided nu-
trients.
Blood donation
camps would also be or-
ganised to collect blood
for the patients, Jayesh
Patel added.
S’kantha BJP takes up social cause to mark anniversary
GOING BACK TO PEOPLE!
Sabarkantha district BJP leaders take up social work to mark the BJP government’s second anniversary.
In keeping
with BJP
chief JP
Nadda’s
directive
against
celebratory
events, local
leaders do
social service
'DESI JUGAAD'
An oxygen plant worker arranged for a sheet on his chair to beat the scorching heat as he performed duty outside the 1200-
bed Covid-19 Civil Hospital, spraying water on oxygen pipelines in Ahmedabad on Sunday. —PHOTOS BY HANIF SINDHI
The water tank in Surat where the child fell.
People in Sonpara village in Junagadh district are still suffering many days after the cyclone struck.
Salabatpura police station. —FILE PHOTO

AHMEDABAD, MONDAY
MAY 31, 2021
www.firstindia.co.in I www.firstindia.co.in/epaper/ I twitter.com/thefirstindia
facebook.com/thefirstindia I instagram.com/thefirstindia 09
e were confined back
towards a safer
place, and while it
has been another ad-
venture for us to
stay amidst the four
walls, it is slowly
getting back towards the
time we step outside, once
again. We will be seeing
each other in the offices
once again, keeping in mind
all the Covid-19 protocols
and we cannot stop thinking
about our perfect outfit, be-
cause, we enjoy the hustle of
being prepped up for our
tasks. My suggestion, go for
the easy breezy Palazzos.
They are the perfect match
for summer as well as they
can blend in with every type
of clothing, they can make
you look super corporate,
classy, sassy, a professional,
and sometimes a lousy mar-
keteer.
For the professionals, the
Palazzos can ignore the col-
ourful display and follow a
chequered pattern or a mon-
ochrome array, which would
go perfectly with a shirt and
a coat if need be, matching
up with the perfect office
shoes or boots, if you are too
particular about the way
you present yourself.
For the easy-going ladies,
who aren’t afraid of a little
experiment, Palazzos can
match perfectly with a crop
top, a bralette, a tank top or
even an umbrella cut shirt.
You can colour code your
pants with your top if need
be or ditch colour coding
and go for the blend that
matches your hair or nail
paint, or perhaps your foot-
wear.
When we think of palaz-
zos the first picture that
comes to our mind is its ma-
terial, the fabric, while, the
most desired cloth is cotton,
but you may either go for
the denim palazzos and raw
silk or broquede too.
Well, another thing, don’t
forget to pair it all up with
your mask and always re-
member no matter what, do
gaj doori mask hai zaroori.
Let’s head to a safer and
fashionable world.
All
about
PalazzosLadies!
We
are
ready
to
conquer
the
world
as
we
slowly
get
back
to
our
battlefields
once
again,
yes,
right,
the
office,
which
has
been
our
home
for
a
little
while
now,
once
again.
Let’s
get
back
with
Palazzos!
SUSHMITA AIND
cityfirst@firstindia.co.in
W

10
ETC
here has been an un-
precedented emotional
upheaval following the
second wave of the
Covid 19 pandemic.
People are more likely
to experience fear, anx-
iety and even panic. In extreme
cases, it may also lead to a feel-
ing of helplessness and depres-
sion. A deluge of news and in-
formation about the disease
also present a scary picture to
an already woebegone mindset.
In such a situation, it is para-
mount to relinquish fear and
worry to fight the crisis prag-
matically. Adopting Covid ap-
propriate behaviour which
talks about keeping safe dis-
tancing, wearing a mask, avoid
unnecessary outing helps in
the prevention of disease
spread and this is completely in
our command. Observing sev-
eral other important facts do
help in reducing ongoing fear
and worries.
Our profound acquaintance
with the scientifically proven
information than before helps
us mitigating undue stress and
fear. Availability of vaccines
has been a game-changer for us
to forestall the ongoing menace
with much hope and fortitude,
thus reducing our fear.
Our health infrastructure
has now exponentially been im-
proved in terms of health re-
sources specifically to deal
with Covid 19, enhancing our
confidence and allaying our
worries.
A positive change in our at-
titude and behaviour towards
patients and their caregivers
has been instrumental in re-
gaining confidence and emo-
tional strength.
Newer concepts of daycare
and care at home as an alterna-
tive is not only useful in mini-
mising the burden in hospitals
but also allaying patient’ s and
care giver’s worry. Besides
these facts, some important
tips such as refraining from un-
necessary and misleading in-
formation, following the advice
of a concerned specialist, en-
suring adequate sleep and nu-
tritious diet, exploring artist
within, implementing yoga,
meditation and other exercises
at home, keeping in touch and
sharing emotions with friends
and families, avoidance of alco-
hol and other addictive drugs,
reading positive books and sto-
ries can help us reducing un-
due stress and fear and enhance
our immune system.
However, the enormous
health infrastructure may still
not be adequate for serving
such a large population alto-
gether at a given point in time.
Hence, the importunate de-
mand is to own a collective re-
sponsibility to abide by all the
guidelines issued from time to
time and promote the vaccina-
tion to surmount this peril to
mankind at the earliest.
We can win the battle with
collective responsibility
DR AKHILESH JAIN
HOD, Psychiatry, ESI Model Hospital, Jaipur
A
timeless love
story so melodi-
ous that its res-
onance is felt
much after one finishes
reading it,” says Hansal
Mehta, a well known
Film Director.
She was the melody
queen
He ruled the pitch
Would they give up
their passions for the
sake of love?
On the eve of India’s
Independence, Maharaja
Uday Singh, the King of
Ranakpour Rajasthan,
urges his children to find
their place in the new In-
dia as their 600-year rule
on the princely state
comestoanend.Stripped
of his royal status, Uday
Singh’s middle son, Ab-
himanyu, lands in Bom-
bay to follow his passion
– cricket.
While the young
prince tries to adapt to
life in the metropolis as
a commoner, he meets
Meera Apte, a strug-
gling, working-class
singer with an angelic
voice, and they bond
over their common in-
terest: Indian classical
music.
As their friendship
transforms into deep
love, Abhimanyu finds
himself torn between
familial duties and his
growing longing for
Meera. Finally, they
make a choice that will
change their destinies
forever.
Inspired by true
events, The Prince and
the Nightingale is a
tragic tale of star-
crossed love, set against
the nascent years of a
newly independent na-
tion.
Abhishek Bhatt says,
‘Having spent most of
my adult life outside In-
dia, I was drawn to the
rich history and tapes-
try of India and this
book is my way of con-
necting to what was lost.
What better place to
start then than the start
of India as a new nation
itself. Inspired by true
events, the book tells the
tale of ordinary charac-
ters going through an
extraordinary time in
history
. The hope is that
readers identify with
the humanity of the
characters and find
themselves along the
way
.’
Swati Daftuar, the
senior commissioning
editor says, ‘We are so
thrilled to publish Ab-
hishek Bhatt’s moving
and evocative book. It’s
powerful and heart-
breaking with two very
strong and passionate
people at its centre. A
treat for anyone who
loves history, romance
and of course, cricket
and Indian cinema!’
THE PRINCE AND
THE NIGHTINGALE
NEETI GOPENDRA BHATT
Abhishek Bhatt, Author
Abhishek Bhatt works at
CNBC, New York. Before
this, he was at Sony Pic-
tures Entertainment and
OM. Abhishek’s career
has been in the creative
and commercial side of
the film, TV and web se-
ries business. This is his
first novel. He originally
belongs to Dungarpur,
Rajasthan
S
he is a daughter, a sister, a
mother, a daughter-in-law, a
friend but most of all, SHE is a
‘woman’. A woman who has a
dream to make it big but keeps procras-
tinating and is
reluctant to
come out from
the clutches
of her mun-
dane life. A
woman who is
calm as the
sea but has a
storm inside
her that can
jolt you upside
down without
letting you
know. SHE is a
giver who can
share all that
she has, her energies and resources but
little did she know that all her sacri-
fices are in vain and not valued in the
society that SHE lives in. She smiles
and loves with all her heart but deep
inside she is bleeding with deep
wounds that are given to her on a day-
to-day basis by all her dear ones. She is
strong like a mountain, every day she
gets up with a face like nothing has
happened and she is all set to welcome
the challenges that lie ahead, she can
face it all alone, she doesn’t need any-
body but little did anyone realizes that
She too is a human who needs to be
pampered, to be loved genuinely but
alas that’s just a mirage that SHE keeps
chasing throughout her life. But SHE
being SHE, doesn’t let her guard down
and is good to go every day and every
time. You may concede her for all her
endeavours but that doesn’t stop her
from doing her deeds. For ages we’ve
been hearing that it is difficult to un-
derstand a woman, there are volumes
written on and about her but little had
anyone heard that SHE doesn’t want
you to understand her, SHE just wants
you to love her for whatever SHE is and
let her be a free spirit. SHE is a creator,
nurturer, giver, passionate, determined
and confident woman who can give it
all for you but what SHE wants in re-
turn is just a little compassion that will
let her be herself.
‘SHE’– An
Astute Persona
I
t was one of those evenings
when after a long hard day’s
work, all the officers had
gathered together in the fab-
ricated field officers’ mess in a
remote corner of our large coun-
try
.
It was chilly and obviously,
everyone was trying hard to
keep himself warm with his fa-
vourite poison, and by huddling
around the only Bukhari. The
ongoing conversation had vari-
ety - right from the prevailing
national situation to pay and al-
lowances in the armed forces
besides light professional mat-
ters.
Suddenly a well-read young-
ster came out with a statistical
finding – “You know sir,” he said
with a very knowledgeable look
on his face, “The amount of am-
munition that is fired during
any hostilities does not commen-
surate with the kind of casual-
ties caused.” He blurted out fur-
ther, “War statistics say that for
every one lakh rounds fired dur-
ing the second world war, only
one fatal casualty was caused.”
“Oh Yes,” acquiesced the com-
manding officer, also referred to
as the old man, “that’s true. I will
tell you a story
.” The din of mur-
mur, if there was any, died down
instantly and all the eyes focused
on the old man.
“Way back in the sixties,” he
started, “A battalion was de-
ployed on the line of control.
Situation being tense, everyone
was on their tenterhooks”. The
battalion, as well as their friends
across the border, were equally
worried about each trying to
outsmart and subdue the other.”
The old man continued, “One
night the sentry noticed some
whitish structure moving to-
wards their post. As he was try-
ing to decipher what it was,
Boom! A tripwire went off.”
“Umm! sounds interesting,”
someone interjected.
“Bang! A lone gunshot rang
through the silent night,” the old
man continued.
“The sentry did not require
any further decipherment; he
promptly switched the safety
catch of his rifle to “Fire posi-
tion” and Bang! Bang! Bang!”
“Hearing this, everyone else
let loose. Our trigger-happy
friends across the border also
started, and what followed is
mayhem.”
“The firing continued well
into the night and after that, it
stopped as suddenly as it had
started.” The old man looked
around to see all eyes glued upon
him. “Well as the daylight broke,
all eyes scanned the intervening
gap to look for any tell–tale signs
of any infiltration attempt on
the previous eventful night”.
“Well,” he continued, “All they
found in the intervening no
man’s land, was a docile looking
donkey, quietly munching grass,
not knowing what else to do”.
“So, you see”, said the old man
in a sermonizing tone,” What
happens with uncontrolled fire;
absolutely nothing!” “The ass,”
he stressed, “did not even get a
scratch on it.”
The old man looked around to
see the effect of his story on the
others. Pin drop silence. All eyes
were glued upon their father fig-
ure. They all seemed to be re-
flecting on the story
.
Suddenly the silence was bro-
ken, as someone quipped, “You
mean the ass made an ass of all
of them.”
THE ASS
COL SOMBIT GHOSH
KOMAL VYAS
T
FROM OUR READERS...!

ETC
www.firstindia.co.in I www.firstindia.co.in/epaper/ I twitter.com/thefirstindia I facebook.com/thefirstindia I instagram.com/thefirstindia AHMEDABAD | MONDAY, MAY 31, 2021
11
hen an emer-
gency support
package for the
arts was
launched in the
face of COV-
ID-19 last July,
UK prime minister Boris
Johnson trumpeted their
value to industry and the
nation at large. “They
make our country great,”
he said. “They are the
linchpin of our world-
beating and fast-growing
creative industries.”
So the government’s re-
cent proposal to cut fund-
ing for arts higher educa-
tion by 50%, covering mu-
sic, dance, drama and per-
forming arts, art and de-
sign, media studies, and
archaeology, appears
somewhat contradictory
.
The immediate damage
to the sector from such
swingeing cuts in terms of
provision and access to
arts education – especially
for those on lower incomes
who rely on public funding
– is clear. But education
secretary Gavin William-
son’s assertion that arts
courses are not among the
government’s “strategic
priorities” belies the value
of the arts to the UK, eco-
nomically and culturally
.
This is demonstrated by
a range of research, in-
cluding work I have done
on the value of live music
as part of the Arts and
Humanities Research
Council’s Cultural Value
Project.
The UK’s vibrant cul-
tural output is a tool for
soft power and an academ-
ic asset. Siddhant Kumar
on Unsplash, FAL. Brit-
ain’s creative industries
are a significant economic
driver, a source of cultural
value and of diplomatic
soft power. They support
individual wellbeing and
social cohesion, as has
been starkly highlighted
during the pandemic.
The government’s eco-
nomic estimates for 2019
showed that, before the
pandemic, the creative in-
dustries employed 2.1 mil-
lion people. This repre-
sents an increase of 34.5%
from 2011, more than three
times the overall growth
rate of employment in the
UK overall. In 2018, the
sector contributed more
than £111 billion to the
economy.
The music industry
alone, according to trade
body UK Music’s figures,
contributed £5.8 billion to
the economy in 2019, gen-
erating £2.8 billion in ex-
port revenue and sustain-
ing 197,168 full-time equiv-
alent jobs.
HIGH VALUE
Underlying this economic
andsocialvalueisanexten-
sive pipeline of arts educa-
tion. The government-com-
missioned 2019 Augar Re-
view of education implied
that many art courses were
of low value. But to make
such broad generalisations
ignores the scale at which
arts graduates significant-
ly contribute to the sector
and to wider society
.
A report on creative-fo-
cused universities and col-
leges showed their gradu-
ates add £8.4 billion in in-
come to the UK’s economy
each year. And research
fromUniversitiesUKfound
that higher education was
“the primary producer of
the talent and skills that
feed the creative industries
and an important source of
research that informs new
ideas, practices and busi-
ness models”.
These contributions are
also entwined with arts
practice, education and
businessatalocallevel.For
example,theUKLiveMusic
Census report published in
2018 (which I co-authored)
illustrated the extent of the
relationshipsbetweenhigh-
ereducationandthevenues
and businesses which sup-
port both aspiring and es-
tablished musicians – an
important aspect of the tal-
ent pipeline.
Nearly60%of thevenues
that responded to the cen-
sus noted formal or infor-
mal links to educational
communities, universities
and colleges. Local econo-
mies,aswellasthenational
economy as a whole, bene-
fit from these ties.
What’s more, just as dis-
entangling the economic
and cultural contribution
of arts education is not
straightforward, it is a mis-
take to ignore the deeper
relationships at work in
higher education. In terms
of both teaching and re-
search, arts and science
subjects do not, as the Au-
gar review mistakenly sug-
gested, operate indepen-
dently and at the expense
of one another.
On the contrary
, students
and researchers alike ben-
efit from the cross-pollina-
tion of ideas and experi-
ence. Even beyond cross-
subsidy across teaching
and research, and across
arts and sciences, there’s a
degree of mutual benefit.
If the government ac-
knowledges that the arts
are beneficial, it should
also recognise that hitting
arts subjects in HE will de-
grade that capacity to con-
tribute to the broader econ-
omy
. As well as being in-
valuableincommunicating
findings and facilitating
public understanding of
scientific research, inter-
disciplinary collaborations
across humanities and sci-
enceshaveledtonewinitia-
tives in fields as diverse as
climate change and biology
.
The UK’s research cul-
ture, as well as its cultural
output, is stronger and bet-
ter equipped to meet the
digital challenges and op-
portunities of the future as
a result.
This strength didn’t
arise quickly but was the
result of longer-term rela-
tionships. It won’t be easy
to recover quickly
. The arts
have already been battered
by the pandemic. A sup-
portive environment is
needed that looks at their
value strategically, holisti-
cally and over the long
term. The government’s
own stated priorities of lev-
elling up across the coun-
try – along with equipping
the economy as a whole for
a competitive, connected
international arena – de-
pend on it.
W
THE RECENT TIMES
HAVE REVEALED
THAT ART ISN’T
JUST A MEDIUM TO
EXPRESS OUR
CREATIVE SIDES,
BUT, IT ALSO
HELPS US TO
COMMUNICATE TO
UNDERSTAND WHAT
LIES BEHIND OUR
MAGICAL MINDS.
BE IT IN ANY WAY,
POETRY, MUSIC,
PAINTING, AND ALL
THE OTHER FORMS.
ARTS MUST FIND
ITS VALUE IN THE
CURRENT WORLD,
THROUGH
EDUCATION
PERHAPS!
SOUL OF A
SOUL OF A
SOCIETY
SOCIETY
Source:
https://theconversation.com/

First India-Ahmedabad Edition-31 May 2021

First India-Ahmedabad Edition-31 May 2021

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