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H aryana registered the highest number of Covid- 19 positive cases in a single day on Thursday with 1881 persons being found positive for the infection. A total of 19 patients suc- cumbed to the virus on the same day. Earlier, the highest single day tally was 1792 and 1694 cases on September 2 and September 1 respectively. With the 1881 cases report- ed on Thursday, the total num- ber of Covid-19 cases in the State has climbed to 70,099 of which 55, 889 have recovered. The total number of active cases in the State is currently 13, 470 while the total number of deaths has risen to 740. According to the informa- tion provided by the Health department, 1,014 Covid-19 patients were cured on Thursday while the doubling rate in the State stands at 33 days. Though the number of positive is climbing persistent- ly, the percentage recovery for Covid-19 patients in the State decreased to 79.73 per cent while 5.78 per cent of the total samples tested have come out positive in the State. On Thursday, 19 fatalities were reported which include three each from Karnal and Kurukshetra while two each from Hisar, Jind, Yamunanagar, Ambala, Gurugram and one each in Faridabad, Panchkula and Sirsa. The districts from where the maximum cases were reported are Gurugram (224), Sonepat (190), Faridabad (150), Panchkula (128), Panipat (128),Sirsa (115), Karnal (112), Hisar (111), Yamunanagar (92), Kurukshetra (100), Rewari (94), Ambala (92) and others. As of Wednesday, the fatality rate hovered around 1.06 per cent, according to the bulletin. S eventy-three more Covid-19 patients succumbed to the deadly contagion in Punjab on Thursday, pushed the state’s death toll to 1,690. Only a day before, the State had witnessed the highest single day casualties with 106 deaths. Besides, the State recorded 1,527 fresh cases of the novel coronavirus taking Punjab’s infection tally to 58,515, of which 15,554 are active cases — accounting for 26.58 percent. Maximum 18 fatalities were reported from Ludhiana, fol- lowed by 10 from Kapurthala, seven from Jalandhar and five each from Patiala, Ferozepur and Moga; four from Amritsar; three in Rupnagar; two each in Fatehgarh Sahib, Faridkot, Gurdaspur, Hoshiarpur and Sangrur; and one each in Bathinda, Fazilka, Mohali, Muktsar, SBS Nagar and Tarn Taran. Among the places which reported fresh cases are Jalandhar with highest 227 infections, Amritsar with 168 cases, Ludhiana (152), Patiala (138), Mohali (134), Gurdaspur (71), Hoshiarpur (60), Kapurthala (58), Faridkot (56), Sangrur (55), Fazilka (53), Ferozepur (51), Mansa (50), Pathankot (46), Muktsar (45), Bathinda (38), Tarn Taran (34), Ropar (23), SBS Nagar (20), Fatehgarh Sahib (17), Barnala (16), and Moga (15). As many 14 police per- sonnel — including four from Ferozepur, three each from Amritsar and SAS Nagar (Mohali), two from Sangrur, and one each from Nawanshahr and Muktsar — have been tested positive for the virus; besides five prisoners — including four from Muktsar and one from Sangrur; and two Border Security Force (BSF) troopers from Fazilka. In addition, six healthcare workers — four from SAS Nagar (Mohali) and two from Amritsar; along with 11 front- line workers — including four from Kapurthala, three from Bathinda, two from Faridkot, and one each from Gurdaspur and Ferozepur, were also afflict- ed by the deadly contagion. As per the health bulletin, another batch of 1,529 patients — including 244 from Jalandhar, 142 from Moga, 141 from Ludhiana, 93 from Kapurthala, 90 from Patiala, 84 from Mohali, among others — were dis- charged after they recovered from infection, taking the total number of recoveries to 41,271 (70.53 percent) in the State. Of the total 15,554 active cases, 470 patients are on oxy- gen support, while 68 patients are critical and on ventilator support. A midst alarming rise in the Covid-19 casualties, Punjab Government has decid- ed to allow free walk-in testing in Government Hospitals and mobile vans, besides similar testing at a nominal manpow- er cost not exceeding 250 by private doctors and hospitals, to encourage increased Covid- 19 testing to check the surge in cases in the State. People who want their result immediately can opt for Rapid Antigen Testing (RAT) while RT-PCR testing will also be similarly available. The state will also explore similar arrangements for Rapid Antigen testing by pharmacists or chemists, on the lines of pri- vate hospitals and doctors. The decision was taken on Thursday by the state Chief Secretary Vini Mahajan, who said that the Government will provide training and kits to pri- vate hospitals and doctors for the tests, which will be allowed on the basis of Aadhar card and mobile numbers, without any questions asked or need for ‘parchis’. With test results available for RAT in 30 minutes, this will lead to substantial increase in testing and early diagnosis and treatment, she said. Those who test positive through RAT or are sympto- matic but negative can be test- ed again through RT-PCR test for confirmation, said the Chief Secretary, while reviewing the Covid-19 situation with the Deputy Commissioner and Civil Surgeons of the worst- affected districts of Patiala, Bathinda, Amritsar, Ludhiana, Jalandhar and Mohali. The Chief Secretary also asked the DCs to explore RAT testing at private hospitals and pharmacies or chemist shops, at a nominal manpower cost not exceeding 250 per test, with proper training and kits to be provided by the Government. The test results and data so collected by private hospitals and chemists etc can be uploaded on the government portal for fur- ther action, she added. In another directive amid the surge in cases and deaths in Punjab, the Chief Secretary has also instructed that the 104 Helpline number should pro- vide real-time information on bed availability district-wise. She directed the DCs and Civil Surgeons to ensure adequate supply of Oxygen cylinders in their respective districts. Mahajan further asked the DCs to review city-wise or area-wise positivity rates to identify the hotspots better, with daily monitoring of the rates and week-to-week mon- itoring of trends. All the districts should have reasonable projections at hand for the month, she said, directing them to also collate urban-rural data to enable bet- ter formulation of the action plan to tackle the problem. She urged the district authorities to work with private hospitals to make them partners in testing, and asked the DCs to set up meetings with these institutions through the IMA. Taking note of the wide- spread rumour mongering and fake news being spread on Covid-19, Mahajan called for elected representatives to step in and reach out directly to the people to clear their miscon- ceptions on the issue. She also underlined the need to involve NGOs, reli- gious organizations etc to spread awareness through expansion of the outreach. BDOs should be properly briefed and asked to reach out to the Sarpanches in villages to counter the false propaganda, which was endangering lives of people, she added. Health Secretary Hussan Lal underlined the need for extensive sampling and testing in the five worst-affected districts of Ludhiana, Jalandhar, Patiala, Mohali and Amritsar, with focus on the 40-plus age group. Ludhiana Deputy Commissioner Varinder Kumar said that the district was focusing on sampling in urban areas, since 85 percent of the cases had been reported from these areas, especially among the middle class. The stigma attached to testing was high even though positivity rate in the district was less than 10 percent, with the Ludhiana city reporting five percent and industrial units around one to two percent pos- itivity, he said, adding that psychological counseling for those in home isolation was also being provided. Jalandhar Deputy Commissioner Ghanshyam Thori said that urban-rural positivity was in the ratio of 10.30 to 4.04 percent. In some areas, however, the rate was as high as 30-40 percent. In Jalandhar too, the positivity rate was higher among the middle class, who were more aware and more likely to opt for testing. Industrialists in the dis- trict were being asked to get their workers tested, he added. Mohali Deputy Commissioner Girish Dayalan said that the staff of certain pri- vate hospitals was refusing COVID-19 duty. The Chief Secretary directed the Medical Education Department to issue necessary instructions to initi- ate action against such medical professionals. Dayalan also warned of possible shortage of doctors and nurses in private health care facilities as the state pre- pares for second surge and stressed the need to prepare accordingly. On the issue of testing, the Mohali DC said that delay or failure by private labs to upload data was causing serious anx- iety and these labs were being directed to ensure timely release of the results on the online testing portals. CHEMIST SHOPS TO OPEN 24X7 Punjab Government on Thursday issued a clarification saying that the chemist shops will not be affected by restric- tions imposed under Unlock 4 and they will be allowed to open 24x7. As per the orders issued by the state Special chief secretary (Home), the restrictions , including those on opening of shops etc imposed for the peri- od September 1, 2020 to September 30, 2020, “will not apply to healthcare institutions viz. hospitals, labs, diagnostic centres and chemist shops”. They are allowed to oper- ate on all seven days of the week throughout the day, that is will remain open 24X7 hours, it added. The orders will remain in force till September 30, 2020. A s situation remains tense after repeated intrusion attempts by China at the Line of Actual Control in Eastern Ladakh, New Delhi on Thursday blamed Beijing for violation of bilateral agree- ments and called for speedy disengagement from the flash- points at the LAC. Given the surcharged atmosphere, Army and IAF chiefs on Thursday visited border areas of Ladakh to review operational readiness. Making India’s stand clear, External Affairs Ministry Spokesperson Anurag Srivastava said, “It is clear that the situation we witness over the past four months is a direct result of the actions taken by the Chinese side that sought to effect unilateral change of sta- tus quo. These actions result- ed in violation of the bilateral agreements and protocol which ensured peace and tranquility in the border areas for close to three decades.” The fourth round of Brigadier-level talks between the two countries remained inconclusive. They will meet again on Friday to resolve the latest issue. Reacting to the develop- ments in the last four days when the Chinese troops tried to provoke India, Chief of Defence Staff (CDS) General Bipin Rawat said, “Of late we have been seeing some aggres- sive actions by China but we are capable of handling these. Our tri-services are capable of dealing with threats along our frontiers.” He, however, underlined that India wants peace and tranquility across our borders. His comments come days after the CDS said military option could be exercised if talks at all levels fail to resolve the more than four-month long stand-offs at the LAC in eastern Ladakh. Army chief General MM Naravane’s two-day visit begin- ning Thursday comes four days after the Indian Army foiled a major bid by 300 Chinese troops to intrude into the southern bank of the Pangong Tso (lake). The Indian action on the intervening night of August 29 and 30 resulted after timely intelligence tip-off about the movement of the Chinese troops and tanks at night. In a swift move, the Indian troops, including commandos of the covert Special Frontier Force (SFF), thwarted the attempt and occupied strategic heights like the “Black Top” and “Helmet Top”. Naravane visited some key sensitive positions in forward areas of Ladakh to gain first- hand knowledge of the ground situation. He was also briefed about all the aspects of the cur- rent issues by local comman- ders, sources said. Further review meetings are scheduled for Friday regarding status of operational readiness. Since the Indian armed forces are alert on the entire 4,000 km LAC from Ladakh in the west to Arunachal Pradesh in the east, IAF chief RKS Bhadauria discussed the entire gamut of preparations during his one-day visit to the Eastern Command in Shillong. He also visited some forward airbases where the frontline fighter jets are now deployed for the last three months since the stand- offs started. In June, Bhadauria made a quiet visit to Ladakh and Srinagar airbases to review the IAF’s overall preparedness. Meanwhile, highlighting that New Delhi wants to resolve the issue through dialogue, the MEA Spokesperson said, “The ground commanders are still holding discussions to resolve the situation. We reit- erate the consensus reached between the two Foreign Ministers and Special Representatives that the situa- tion in the border should be handled in a responsible man- ner and either side should not take any provocative action or escalate matters.” As regards the develop- ments post the attempt by the Chinese troops to unilaterally change the status quo in the South Bank of Pangong Lake on the night of August 29 and early morning on August 30, Srivastava said the Government’s stand was clear- ly articulated in the statement made on September 1. “I am not going to go over the Chinese actions that caused the recent escalation,” he added. On Tuesday, the Spokesperson had said the Chinese side engaged in “provocative” military maneu- vers in the late night of August 29 and 30 in an attempt to change the status quo in the South Bank area of Pangong Lake. The Indian side respond- ed to these provocative actions and took appropriate defensive steps along the LAC in order to safeguard our interests and defend the territorial integrity. On Thursday, he said now the way ahead is negotiations, both through the diplomatic and military channels. The Indian side is firmly commit- ted to resolving all outstanding issues through peaceful talks. “We, therefore, strongly urge the Chinese side to sin- cerely engage the Indian side with the objective of expedi- tiously restoring the peace and tranquility in the border areas through complete disengage- ment and de-escalation in accordance with the bilateral agreements and protocols,” he said. These assertions came as China has in the last four days blamed the Indian forces for breaching the LAC and occu- pying several hill tops. India has maintained the actions on August 29-30 were carried out to defend its interests within its own side of the LAC. T witter confirmed on Thursday that an account of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s personal website was hacked with a series of tweets asking its followers to donate to a relief fund through cryp- tocurrency. The group known as John Wick has claimed the respon- sibility for the hacking the website. Twitter said it was aware of the activity with Modi’s website account and has taken steps to secure it. The tweets, which have since been taken down, asked the followers to donate to the PM National Relief Fund through cryptocurrency. “We’re aware of this activ- ity and have taken steps to secure the compromised account. We are actively inves- tigating the situation. At this time, we are not aware of additional accounts being impacted. Advice on keeping your account secure can be found,” according to a Twitter official. In series of tweets after the takeover of the verified handle, the hacker put out messages seeking donations to the Prime Minister’s relief fund for Covid- 19 using bitcoins. A fter severe criticism from Opposition parties, includ- ing the Congress for its alleged bias to ruling BJP’s content, Facebook on Thursday banned Telangana MLA T Raja Singh from its platform and Instagram for violating its policy on con- tent promoting violence and hate. “We have banned Raja Singh from Facebook for vio- lating our policy,” a Facebook spokesperson said in an emailed statement. The BJP leader, however, claimed he has no FB account for over a year. The social media giant also responded to the Congress say- ing the organisation has taken seriously the concerns and rec- ommendations raised by the grand old party and that it takes allegations of bias seriously and said it always denounces hate and bigotry in all forms. The action came against the backdrop of both the Congress and Union IT Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad writing to Facebook chief Mark Zuckerberg, accusing the social media platform’s employees of “political bias.” The process for evaluating potential violators is extensive and it is what led us to remove his account, the statement added. In a video message, Raja Singh claimed he did not have a Facebook account since April 2019 and that the pages the social networking site now banned might have been creat- ed by his followers. In a letter addressed to Congress general secretary (organisation) KC Venugopal, Facebook’s director of Public Policy Neil Potts, said, “At the outset, we thank you for your let- ter dated August 18, 2020. We take seriously the concerns and recommendations you raised on behalf of the Indian National Congress.” Venugopal, in separate let- ter, had alleged a “quid-pro-quo relationship” between Facebook India and the ruling BJP. Before him the Congress had also lev- elled similar charges against Facebook in a letter written after the US-based publication came out with certain facts as how the social media giants through its platform including WhatsApp had facilitated the BJP in elections after elections in recent times. “First and foremost, we want to take this opportunity to state that we are non-partisan and strive to ensure that our platforms remain a space where people can express themselves freely. We take allegations of bias seriously and want to make clear that we denounce hate and bigotry in all forms,” Potts’ let- ter said. Potts’ mentioned that as a Public Policy Director at Facebook, he looks after Facebook’s Trust and Safety Policy Team - a team of subject matter experts that provides advice and counsel to the com- pany on various issues, includ- ing Counterterrorism, Cybersecurity, Civic Integrity, Safety, and Human Rights. T he Bombay High Court on Thursday advised the media in clear-cut terms to exercise “restraint” while reporting on the Sushant Singh Rajput death case and not to file stories in manner that will hamper the probe in the case. The CBI questioned Rhea’s father Indajit Chakraborty for the third consecutive day on Thursday for five hours. During the questioning, the CBI once against asked Indrajit about his daughter’s relations with Rajput and the actor’s family, the rea- son for Rhea leaving Rajput’s home and blocking the latter’s mobile number and Rhea’s role in managing the late actor’s financial matters. Hearing a public interest litigation filed by eight retired police officers who held top positions in the Maharashtra police to stop a section of the electronic media from “influ- encing the course of investiga- tions” in Sushant’s death case through “biased and false” reporting, the high court took serious cognisance of the ques- tionable “media coverage” of the actor’s death case and asked the media “not to hamper the investigations” in any manner. “We urge and expect the media to exercise restraint in reporting of the investigation with respect to the (Rajput) death, which should not hamper the investigation in any manner,” the Bombay High Court said. A HC division bench comprising Justice AA Sayed and Justice SP Tavade — which is also hearing another similar petition filed by three activists — stated that it would hear the matter further after hearing as to what the Union Government and the CBI, which is probing the case, have to say in response to the pleas. HC bench posted two peti- tions for further hearing on September 10.

Transcript of ˇ ˆ˙˝˛˚ ˜ ! ˜! #˜$%&’ 0$˙# ˘ ˛ ˝ : (: : -; (: (9 (:0 7 0 ... · Ambala, Gurugram and...

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Haryana registered thehighest number of Covid-

19 positive cases in a single dayon Thursday with 1881 personsbeing found positive for theinfection.

A total of 19 patients suc-cumbed to the virus on thesame day. Earlier, the highestsingle day tally was 1792 and1694 cases on September 2 andSeptember 1 respectively.

With the 1881 cases report-ed on Thursday, the total num-ber of Covid-19 cases in theState has climbed to 70,099 ofwhich 55, 889 have recovered.

The total number of activecases in the State is currently13, 470 while the total numberof deaths has risen to 740.

According to the informa-tion provided by the Healthdepartment, 1,014 Covid-19patients were cured onThursday while the doublingrate in the State stands at 33 days.

Though the number of

positive is climbing persistent-ly, the percentage recovery forCovid-19 patients in the Statedecreased to 79.73 per centwhile 5.78 per cent of the totalsamples tested have come outpositive in the State.

On Thursday, 19 fatalitieswere reported which includethree each from Karnal andKurukshetra while two eachfrom Hisar, Jind, Yamunanagar,Ambala, Gurugram and oneeach in Faridabad, Panchkula

and Sirsa.The districts from where

the maximum cases werereported are Gurugram (224),Sonepat (190), Faridabad (150),Panchkula (128), Panipat(128),Sirsa (115), Karnal (112),Hisar (111), Yamunanagar (92),Kurukshetra (100), Rewari(94), Ambala (92) and others. As of Wednesday,the fatality rate hovered around1.06 per cent, according to thebulletin.

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Seventy-three more Covid-19patients succumbed to the

deadly contagion in Punjab onThursday, pushed the state’sdeath toll to 1,690. Only a daybefore, the State had witnessedthe highest single day casualtieswith 106 deaths. Besides, theState recorded 1,527 fresh casesof the novel coronavirus takingPunjab’s infection tally to 58,515,of which 15,554 are active cases— accounting for 26.58 percent.

Maximum 18 fatalities werereported from Ludhiana, fol-lowed by 10 from Kapurthala,seven from Jalandhar and five

each from Patiala, Ferozepurand Moga; four from Amritsar;three in Rupnagar; two each in Fatehgarh Sahib,Faridkot, Gurdaspur,Hoshiarpur and Sangrur; andone each in Bathinda, Fazilka,Mohali, Muktsar, SBS Nagarand Tarn Taran.

Among the places whichreported fresh cases areJalandhar with highest 227infections, Amritsar with 168cases, Ludhiana (152), Patiala(138), Mohali (134), Gurdaspur(71), Hoshiarpur (60),Kapurthala (58), Faridkot (56),Sangrur (55), Fazilka (53),Ferozepur (51), Mansa (50),

Pathankot (46), Muktsar (45),Bathinda (38), Tarn Taran (34),Ropar (23), SBS Nagar (20),Fatehgarh Sahib (17), Barnala(16), and Moga (15).

As many 14 police per-sonnel — including four fromFerozepur, three each fromAmritsar and SAS Nagar(Mohali), two from Sangrur,and one each fromNawanshahr and Muktsar —have been tested positive for thevirus; besides five prisoners —including four from Muktsarand one from Sangrur; and twoBorder Security Force (BSF)troopers from Fazilka.

In addition, six healthcareworkers — four from SASNagar (Mohali) and two fromAmritsar; along with 11 front-line workers — including fourfrom Kapurthala, three fromBathinda, two from Faridkot,and one each from Gurdaspurand Ferozepur, were also afflict-ed by the deadly contagion.

As per the health bulletin,another batch of 1,529 patients— including 244 from Jalandhar,142 from Moga, 141 fromLudhiana, 93 from Kapurthala,90 from Patiala, 84 from Mohali,among others — were dis-charged after they recoveredfrom infection, taking the totalnumber of recoveries to 41,271(70.53 percent) in the State.

Of the total 15,554 activecases, 470 patients are on oxy-gen support, while 68 patientsare critical and on ventilatorsupport.

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Amidst alarming rise in theCovid-19 casualties,

Punjab Government has decid-ed to allow free walk-in testingin Government Hospitals andmobile vans, besides similartesting at a nominal manpow-er cost not exceeding �250 byprivate doctors and hospitals,to encourage increased Covid-19 testing to check the surge incases in the State.

People who want theirresult immediately can opt forRapid Antigen Testing (RAT)while RT-PCR testing will alsobe similarly available. The statewill also explore similararrangements for RapidAntigen testing by pharmacistsor chemists, on the lines of pri-vate hospitals and doctors.

The decision was takenon Thursday by the state ChiefSecretary Vini Mahajan, whosaid that the Government willprovide training and kits to pri-vate hospitals and doctors forthe tests, which will be allowedon the basis of Aadhar card andmobile numbers, without anyquestions asked or need for‘parchis’.

With test results available

for RAT in 30 minutes, this willlead to substantial increase intesting and early diagnosis andtreatment, she said.

Those who test positivethrough RAT or are sympto-matic but negative can be test-ed again through RT-PCR testfor confirmation, said the ChiefSecretary, while reviewing theCovid-19 situation with theDeputy Commissioner andCivil Surgeons of the worst-affected districts of Patiala,Bathinda, Amritsar, Ludhiana,Jalandhar and Mohali.

The Chief Secretary alsoasked the DCs to explore RATtesting at private hospitals andpharmacies or chemist shops, ata nominal manpower cost notexceeding �250 per test, withproper training and kits to beprovided by the Government.

The test results and data socollected by private hospitals andchemists etc can be uploaded onthe government portal for fur-ther action, she added.

In another directive amidthe surge in cases and deaths inPunjab, the Chief Secretary hasalso instructed that the 104Helpline number should pro-vide real-time information onbed availability district-wise.

She directed the DCs and CivilSurgeons to ensure adequatesupply of Oxygen cylinders intheir respective districts.

Mahajan further asked theDCs to review city-wise orarea-wise positivity rates toidentify the hotspots better,with daily monitoring of therates and week-to-week mon-itoring of trends.

All the districts shouldhave reasonable projections athand for the month, she said,

directing them to also collateurban-rural data to enable bet-ter formulation of the actionplan to tackle the problem.

She urged the districtauthorities to work with privatehospitals to make them partnersin testing, and asked the DCs toset up meetings with theseinstitutions through the IMA.

Taking note of the wide-spread rumour mongering andfake news being spread onCovid-19, Mahajan called for

elected representatives to stepin and reach out directly to thepeople to clear their miscon-ceptions on the issue.

She also underlined theneed to involve NGOs, reli-gious organizations etc tospread awareness throughexpansion of the outreach.BDOs should be properlybriefed and asked to reach outto the Sarpanches in villages tocounter the false propaganda,which was endangering lives ofpeople, she added.

Health Secretary HussanLal underlined the need forextensive sampling and testing inthe five worst-affected districtsof Ludhiana, Jalandhar, Patiala,Mohali and Amritsar, with focuson the 40-plus age group.

Ludhiana DeputyCommissioner VarinderKumar said that the district wasfocusing on sampling in urbanareas, since 85 percent of thecases had been reported fromthese areas, especially amongthe middle class.

The stigma attached totesting was high even thoughpositivity rate in the districtwas less than 10 percent, withthe Ludhiana city reporting fivepercent and industrial units

around one to two percent pos-itivity, he said, adding thatpsychological counseling forthose in home isolation wasalso being provided.

Jalandhar DeputyCommissioner GhanshyamThori said that urban-ruralpositivity was in the ratio of10.30 to 4.04 percent. In someareas, however, the rate was ashigh as 30-40 percent. InJalandhar too, the positivityrate was higher among themiddle class, who were moreaware and more likely to opt fortesting. Industrialists in the dis-trict were being asked to gettheir workers tested, he added.

Mohali DeputyCommissioner Girish Dayalansaid that the staff of certain pri-vate hospitals was refusingCOVID-19 duty. The ChiefSecretary directed the MedicalEducation Department to issuenecessary instructions to initi-ate action against such medicalprofessionals.

Dayalan also warned ofpossible shortage of doctorsand nurses in private healthcare facilities as the state pre-pares for second surge andstressed the need to prepareaccordingly.

On the issue of testing, theMohali DC said that delay orfailure by private labs to uploaddata was causing serious anx-iety and these labs were beingdirected to ensure timelyrelease of the results on theonline testing portals.

CHEMIST SHOPS TO OPEN 24X7

Punjab Government onThursday issued a clarificationsaying that the chemist shopswill not be affected by restric-tions imposed under Unlock 4and they will be allowed toopen 24x7.

As per the orders issued bythe state Special chief secretary(Home), the restrictions ,including those on opening ofshops etc imposed for the peri-od September 1, 2020 toSeptember 30, 2020, “will notapply to healthcare institutionsviz. hospitals, labs, diagnosticcentres and chemist shops”.

They are allowed to oper-ate on all seven days of theweek throughout the day, thatis will remain open 24X7hours, it added.

The orders will remain inforce till September 30, 2020.

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As situation remains tenseafter repeated intrusion

attempts by China at the Lineof Actual Control in EasternLadakh, New Delhi onThursday blamed Beijing forviolation of bilateral agree-ments and called for speedydisengagement from the flash-points at the LAC. Given thesurcharged atmosphere, Armyand IAF chiefs on Thursdayvisited border areas of Ladakhto review operational readiness.

Making India’s stand clear,External Affairs MinistrySpokesperson AnuragSrivastava said, “It is clear thatthe situation we witness overthe past four months is a directresult of the actions taken bythe Chinese side that sought toeffect unilateral change of sta-tus quo. These actions result-ed in violation of the bilateralagreements and protocol whichensured peace and tranquilityin the border areas for close tothree decades.”

The fourth round ofBrigadier-level talks betweenthe two countries remainedinconclusive. They will meetagain on Friday to resolve thelatest issue.

Reacting to the develop-ments in the last four dayswhen the Chinese troops triedto provoke India, Chief ofDefence Staff (CDS) GeneralBipin Rawat said, “Of late wehave been seeing some aggres-sive actions by China but weare capable of handling these.Our tri-services are capable ofdealing with threats along ourfrontiers.”

He, however, underlinedthat India wants peace andtranquility across our borders.

His comments come daysafter the CDS said militaryoption could be exercised if

talks at all levels fail to resolvethe more than four-monthlong stand-offs at the LAC ineastern Ladakh.

Army chief General MMNaravane’s two-day visit begin-ning Thursday comes four daysafter the Indian Army foiled amajor bid by 300 Chinesetroops to intrude into thesouthern bank of the PangongTso (lake). The Indian actionon the intervening night ofAugust 29 and 30 resulted aftertimely intelligence tip-off aboutthe movement of the Chinesetroops and tanks at night.

In a swift move, the Indiantroops, including commandosof the covert Special FrontierForce (SFF), thwarted theattempt and occupied strategicheights like the “Black Top” and“Helmet Top”.

Naravane visited some keysensitive positions in forwardareas of Ladakh to gain first-hand knowledge of the groundsituation. He was also briefedabout all the aspects of the cur-rent issues by local comman-ders, sources said. Further

review meetings are scheduledfor Friday regarding status ofoperational readiness.

Since the Indian armedforces are alert on the entire4,000 km LAC from Ladakh inthe west to Arunachal Pradeshin the east, IAF chief RKSBhadauria discussed the entiregamut of preparations duringhis one-day visit to the EasternCommand in Shillong. He alsovisited some forward airbaseswhere the frontline fighter jetsare now deployed for the lastthree months since the stand-offs started. In June, Bhadauriamade a quiet visit to Ladakh

and Srinagar airbases to reviewthe IAF’s overall preparedness.

Meanwhile, highlightingthat New Delhi wants to resolvethe issue through dialogue,the MEA Spokesperson said,“The ground commanders arestill holding discussions toresolve the situation. We reit-erate the consensus reachedbetween the two ForeignMinisters and SpecialRepresentatives that the situa-tion in the border should behandled in a responsible man-ner and either side should nottake any provocative action orescalate matters.”

As regards the develop-ments post the attempt by theChinese troops to unilaterallychange the status quo in theSouth Bank of Pangong Lakeon the night of August 29 andearly morning on August 30,Srivastava said theGovernment’s stand was clear-ly articulated in the statementmade on September 1.

“I am not going to go overthe Chinese actions that causedthe recent escalation,” he added.

On Tuesday, theSpokesperson had said theChinese side engaged in“provocative” military maneu-vers in the late night of August29 and 30 in an attempt tochange the status quo in theSouth Bank area of PangongLake. The Indian side respond-ed to these provocative actionsand took appropriate defensivesteps along the LAC in order tosafeguard our interests anddefend the territorial integrity.

On Thursday, he said nowthe way ahead is negotiations,both through the diplomaticand military channels. TheIndian side is firmly commit-ted to resolving all outstandingissues through peaceful talks.

“We, therefore, stronglyurge the Chinese side to sin-cerely engage the Indian sidewith the objective of expedi-tiously restoring the peace andtranquility in the border areasthrough complete disengage-ment and de-escalation inaccordance with the bilateralagreements and protocols,” hesaid.

These assertions came asChina has in the last four daysblamed the Indian forces forbreaching the LAC and occu-pying several hill tops. Indiahas maintained the actions onAugust 29-30 were carried outto defend its interests within itsown side of the LAC.

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Twitter confirmed onThursday that an account

of Prime Minister NarendraModi’s personal website washacked with a series of tweetsasking its followers to donate toa relief fund through cryp-tocurrency.

The group known as JohnWick has claimed the respon-sibility for the hacking thewebsite. Twitter said it wasaware of the activity withModi’s website account and hastaken steps to secure it.

The tweets, which havesince been taken down, askedthe followers to donate to thePM National Relief Fundthrough cryptocurrency.

“We’re aware of this activ-ity and have taken steps tosecure the compromisedaccount. We are actively inves-tigating the situation. At this time, we are not awareof additional accounts beingimpacted. Advice on keepingyour account secure can befound,” according to a Twitterofficial.

In series of tweets after thetakeover of the verified handle,the hacker put out messagesseeking donations to the PrimeMinister’s relief fund for Covid-19 using bitcoins.

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After severe criticism fromOpposition parties, includ-

ing the Congress for its allegedbias to ruling BJP’s content,Facebook on Thursday bannedTelangana MLA T Raja Singhfrom its platform and Instagramfor violating its policy on con-tent promoting violence andhate.

“We have banned RajaSingh from Facebook for vio-lating our policy,” a Facebookspokesperson said in an emailedstatement.

The BJP leader, however,claimed he has no FB accountfor over a year.

The social media giant alsoresponded to the Congress say-ing the organisation has takenseriously the concerns and rec-

ommendations raised by thegrand old party and that it takesallegations of bias seriously andsaid it always denounces hateand bigotry in all forms.

The action came againstthe backdrop of both theCongress and Union IT MinisterRavi Shankar Prasad writing toFacebook chief MarkZuckerberg, accusing the socialmedia platform’s employees of“political bias.”

The process for evaluatingpotential violators is extensiveand it is what led us to removehis account, the statementadded.

In a video message, RajaSingh claimed he did not havea Facebook account since April2019 and that the pages thesocial networking site nowbanned might have been creat-

ed by his followers.In a letter addressed to

Congress general secretary(organisation) KC Venugopal,Facebook’s director of PublicPolicy Neil Potts, said, “At theoutset, we thank you for your let-ter dated August 18, 2020. Wetake seriously the concerns andrecommendations you raisedon behalf of the Indian NationalCongress.”

Venugopal, in separate let-ter, had alleged a “quid-pro-quorelationship” between FacebookIndia and the ruling BJP. Beforehim the Congress had also lev-elled similar charges againstFacebook in a letter writtenafter the US-based publicationcame out with certain facts ashow the social media giantsthrough its platform includingWhatsApp had facilitated the

BJP in elections after elections inrecent times.

“First and foremost, wewant to take this opportunity tostate that we are non-partisanand strive to ensure that ourplatforms remain a space wherepeople can express themselvesfreely. We take allegations of biasseriously and want to makeclear that we denounce hate andbigotry in all forms,” Potts’ let-ter said.

Potts’ mentioned that as aPublic Policy Director atFacebook, he looks afterFacebook’s Trust and SafetyPolicy Team - a team of subjectmatter experts that providesadvice and counsel to the com-pany on various issues, includ-ing Counterterrorism,Cybersecurity, Civic Integrity,Safety, and Human Rights.

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The Bombay High Court onThursday advised the

media in clear-cut terms toexercise “restraint” whilereporting on the Sushant SinghRajput death case and not tofile stories in manner that willhamper the probe in the case.

The CBI questioned Rhea’sfather Indajit Chakraborty forthe third consecutive day onThursday for five hours. Duringthe questioning, the CBI onceagainst asked Indrajit about his

daughter’s relations with Rajputand the actor’s family, the rea-son for Rhea leaving Rajput’shome and blocking the latter’smobile number and Rhea’s rolein managing the late actor’sfinancial matters.

Hearing a public interestlitigation filed by eight retiredpolice officers who held toppositions in the Maharashtrapolice to stop a section of theelectronic media from “influ-encing the course of investiga-tions” in Sushant’s death casethrough “biased and false”reporting, the high court tookserious cognisance of the ques-tionable “media coverage” ofthe actor’s death case and askedthe media “not to hamper the

investigations” in any manner.“We urge and expect the

media to exercise restraint inreporting of the investigationwith respect to the (Rajput)death, which should not hamperthe investigation in any manner,”the Bombay High Court said. AHC division bench comprisingJustice AA Sayed and Justice SPTavade — which is also hearinganother similar petition filed bythree activists — stated that itwould hear the matter furtherafter hearing as to what theUnion Government and theCBI, which is probing the case,have to say in response to thepleas. HC bench posted two peti-tions for further hearing onSeptember 10.

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Each and every worker of theparty must act as a brand

ambassador of the BJP to carryforward various policies andprogrammes of the Centre andState Governments, Himachal

Chief Minister Jai Ram Thakursaid here on Thursday.

Addressing the BJP work-ers of BJP Organisational

District Mandi, the ChiefMinister said that role of eachand every party worker wasvital in bringing the party backto power in 2022 elections. Hesaid that for this in the Coronapandemic times the workershave to work with greater ded-ication and commitment toensure success of ‘MissionRepeat’. He said that workersshould fearlessly give their sug-gestions for improvement infunctioning of the organisationas well as government.

Thakur said the partyworkers were fortunate thatthey were part of the largestpolitical party of the world,adding that behaviour of theparty functionaries with thepublic was also vital. He saidthat State Government haslaunched several schemes forthe welfare of the State and itspeople which was bound totransform the lives of every sec-tion of the society.

State BJP President SureshKashyap said that main objec-tive of organising this meetingwas to maintain better coordi-nation between theGovernment and organization,besides taking feedback fromthe office bearers regardingprogrammes of the StateGovernment. He said thatevents like ‘Panna PramukhSemmelans’ and ‘TridevSemmalens’ etc. have helpedthe party in strengthening itsbase in the State and also facil-

itated in ensuring landslidevictory of BJP candidates inLok Sabha as well as VidhanSabha bye-elections.

Member of ParliamentMandi parliamentary segmentRam Swaroop Sharma detailedvarious welfare schemeslaunched by the CentralGovernment. He said that StateGovernment has also initiatedseveral welfare and develop-ment oriented schemes forwelfare of the poor.

Addressing the BJP work-ers of BJP OrganisationalDistrict Sundernagar earlier,the chief minister said that thepresent State Government hascompleted over two and a halfyears of its present tenure andthis tenure have witnessed sev-eral historic decisions and newinitiatives both at the Centre aswell as state level.

Chief Minister said thatduring this tenure that StateGovernment has ensured thatevery decision of theGovernment was to bring seachange in the lives of the poorand weaker sections of thesociety through welfareschemes. He said that now itbecomes the duty of each andevery party worker to fan outthese initiatives and welfareschemes amongst the people.He said that proper coordina-tion between the Governmentand organisation was vital tostrengthen the party as well asthe Government.

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In Unlock-4, HaryanaGovernment on Thursday

issued standard operating pro-cedures (SOPs) and guidelinesfor resuming film shootings inthe state that include mea-sures such as social distancingand mandatory use of facecovers or masks for cast andcrew, except for actors in frontof the camera.

As per the guidelines, theduration of the shooting shouldbe restricted to the minimumpossible time and not morethan 50 people should beallowed to be present at a spot.

The guidelines were issuedafter the Centre last month announced SOPs forresuming shooting of filmsand TV programmes.

A government spokesman

said that in view of the Covid-19 pandemic, all applicationsseeking permission for shoot-ing of films would be submit-ted on an online portal and ini-tial approval will be granted bythe Director General,Information, Public Relationsand Languages Department(DGIPR).

“The application will thenbe forwarded to deputy com-missioners of the districts con-cerned in which the proposedlocations for shooting will bementioned,” he added.

He said that as per guide-lines, all applications willinclude full details of loca-tions, the number of days andthe timing for which permis-sion is required.

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Punjab’s gross GST (Goodsand Services Tax) revenue

collection during August 2020stands at �987.20 crore against�1,014.03 crore for the corre-sponding period of the previ-ous year thereby registering adecline of 2.64 per cent.

Notably, the taxpayers hadbeen provided relief in thefurnishing of returns for theprevious months due to Covid-19. Further, taxpayers withturnover less than �5 crore inthe previous year continue toenjoy relaxation in furnishingof returns till September 2020.

The gross GST revenue col-lection for Punjab for the peri-

od April to August 2020 standsat �3,630.48 crore in comparisonto �5,266.06 crore for the simi-lar period of last year therebydenoting a fall of 31.05 per cent,said a spokesperson of PunjabTaxation Commissioner’s Office.

Spokesperson said that theprotected revenue for themonth of August 2020 is �2,403crore against which the Statehas collected and received�987.20 crore that correspondsto approximately 41.08 percent of the protected revenue.

Thus, for the month ofAugust 2020, the amount ofcompensation due is �1,415.8crore which is awaited, addedthe aspokesperson adding thatthe amount of compensation

due for the period April to July2020 is �6,965 crore which isalso awaited.

The National Gross GST

revenue collection during themonth of August 2020 is�86,449 crore of which CGSTis �15,906 crore, SGST is

�21,064 crore, IGST is Rs�42,264 crore (including�19,179 crore collected onimport of goods) and Cess is

�7,215 crore (including �673crore collected on import ofgoods) whereas the NationalGross GST revenue collectionduring the month of August2019 stood at �98,202 crore ofwhich CGST was �17,733 crore,SGST was �24,239 crore, IGSTwas �48,958 crore (including�24,818 crore collected onimports) and Cess was �7,273crore (including �841 crorecollected on imports).

The National Gross GSTrevenue collection during themonth of August 2020 is 88 percent of that collected in thesame month last year. Further,the National Gross GST rev-enue collection from import ofgoods as well as from domes-

tic transactions (includingimport of services) stands at 77per cent and 92 perc ent,respectively, of the figures forthe same month last year.

Spokesperson said theNational Gross GST revenuecollection for the period April toAugust 2020 is �3,59,111 crorein comparison to �5,14,377crore for the similar period lastyear thereby denoting a declineof 30 per cent. In addition toGST, the state of Punjab also col-lects tax revenue from VAT andCST regime. Major contributorsto VAT and CST collection arealcohol for human consumptionand five petroleum productswhich are outside the ambit ofGST. For the month of August

2020, the total VAT and CST col-lection stands at �539.44 crorewhereas it was �394.14 crore forthe month of August 2019thereby indicating an increase of26.78 per cent.

The VAT and CST revenuecollection for Punjab for theperiod April to August 2020 is�2032.75 Crore in comparisonto �2397.15 crore for the sim-ilar period last year therebyshowing a decline of 15.20 percent, added the TaxationCommissioner.

However GST, VAT, andCST put together, the tax col-lection during August 2020(�1,526.54 crore) over August2019 (�1,408.17 crore) is up by�118.47 crore.

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Aday after Aam Aadmi Party(AAP) convener and Delhi

Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwalasked the party workers inPunjab to check oxygen levelsof people in State’s villages andhelp in identifying the poten-tial Covid-19 patients, PunjabChief Minister Capt AmarinderSingh on Thursday warnedhim to stay out of his state andfocus on managing the situa-tion in the national Capital.

“We don’t need youroximeters. We just need you torein in your workers in Punjab,where they are trying to incitemy people into not going tohospitals to get themselvestested and treated for Covid-19,” said Capt Amarinder.

“Stay out of Punjab andfocus on managing Covid-19 inyour own State, where the sit-uation is worsening by the daywith more than 2,500 newcases being reported yesterdayand hospitals reportedly run-ning out of ICU beds again,” he said.

Punjab Chief Minister cau-tioned his Delhi counterpartagainst trying to exploit theCovid-19 crisis to instigatepeople in State’s villages, whichhave witnessed a spurt of fakenews and provocative videos, atleast one of which was found tohave emanated from abroad,most likely Pakistan, and prop-agated here by an active work-er of Kejriwal’s AAP.

“AAP’s Amrinder Singhhas been arrested and is beingquestioned to ascertain whomotivated him to circulate theoutrageous post of a dead bodyto mislead the people of Punjabinto believing that organs ofdead Corona patients werebeing removed by the PunjabHealth Department,” said theChief Minister.

He added the video or postpropagated by AAP worker wasseen to be exhorting and pro-voking people not to cooperatewith health authorities, thusendangering the health andsafety of the citizens of the State.

“Such rumours are pro-

voking a section of the com-munity to resist proper medicalcare which needs to be pro-vided to all Covid affected cit-izens, which is a clear case of adeadly criminal conspiracyagainst the people of the Statewho are already suffering dueto the pandemic,” said CaptAmarinder.

There were enough indi-cations of a massive plot by ele-ments inimical to the interestsof Punjab, he said, disclosingthat the police had onThursday morning registeredanother case at Patiala CivilLines police station on a com-plaint by a local medical jour-nalist, who was offered 100 dol-lars for making and circulatinga false video on Covid scare.

“Kejriwal’s announcementin the midst of the shocking viralcampaign, asking AAP workersto go around villages and streetsof Punjab with oximeters tocheck people’s oxygen levels,raised serious questions on therole of his party in the conspir-acy to undermine PunjabGovernment’s efforts to keep thepandemic under check and savethe lives of the people of theState,” added the Chief Minister.

Saying that Delhi Chief

Minister’s decision could havegrave repercussions for Punjab’ssecurity and integrity, CaptAmarinder warned Kejriwalagainst playing into the handsof anti-India forces from acrossthe border, who are trying to usethe Covid pandemic to fomentfresh trouble for the State.

DGP ASKED TO PROBEIN AAP WORKER’s ROLE

Chief Minister has askedthe state Director General

of Police (DGP) Dinkar Guptato trace links of AAP workerarrested for fake Covid-19video. Notably, the police hasarrested AAP worker,Amrinder Singh of Mishriwalavillage in Ferozepur district, ina case under section 66 of theIT Act, 54 of DisasterManagement Act (DMA) and153 of the Indian Penal Codefor circulation of false andmisleading posts on socialmedia platforms.

Photographs and videosclaiming that doctors wereremoving vital organs of Covidpatients had been traced to 31-year-old Amrinder, who wasactively operating from Moga.The posts or videos wereexhorting and provoking peo-ple not to cooperate with healthauthorities and spreading falserumours about removal ofbody organs of dead coronapatients by the HealthDepartment, thus endangeringthe health and safety of the cit-izens of the State.

It is learnt that AmrinderSingh is an active worker ofAAP and was an aspirant forthe MLA ticket from Ferozepurassembly segment from AAPparty. He has been activelyinvolved in political activitieson behalf of AAP and partici-pates in protests and agitationson behalf of the party.

Meanwhile, the ChiefMinister has also asked the DGPto thoroughly investigate thecomplaint of a journalist TaruniGandhi about being offeredmoney to spread fake videos onCovid crisis. The Chief Ministerhas asked the DGP to ensurestrict action against all thoseendangering the lives of Punjab’speople by launching such anatrocious campaign.

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In a novel initiative to furtherstrengthen its drive to pre-

serve and maintain environ-ment in the State, PunjabGovernment has decided toinduct common people as‘Greenery Saviours’.

For the same, the stateForest Department has comeup with a dedicated mobileapplication ‘I Rakhwali’, andanyone can become a part ofthe Mission to save environ-ment from degradation by justdownloading it.

“The application has beendeveloped to ensure greeneryand to protect environment,

and its main aim is to inspirepeople to plant more trees,” saidthe state Forest Minister SadhuSingh Dharamsot on Thursday.

“As of now, people are notaware about various nurseriesof the state Forest Departmentand the procedure how toobtain plant saplings fromthere. Now, with the launch ofthis app, people would knowabout geographical location ofthese nurseries and have easyaccess to free plants andsaplings,” he added.

The Minister said that ‘iRakhwali’ app is beinglaunched under which theDepartment would motivatepeople to save environment

and seek their cooperation.The aim of this initiative is

to safeguard state forest area bymaking people a stakeholder inthis process, he said adding thatanyone can report illegal fellingof tress, any damage to forests, ascommon man have first handinformation of these incidents.

“In such cases, any citizencan download the ‘I Rakhwali’app and bring the matter to thenotice of the concerned ForestDivisional Officer and con-tribute to protect the greeneryof Punjab.

Maintaining that app wasvery easy to operate, he said

that it can be downloadedfrom Google App Store or AppStore, and mobile number canbe used to log in. “There is a listof damages one wish to reportand after logging in, the usercan select accordingly, besidesphotos can also be uploadedabout the damages to bereported,” he said.

A video up-to 20 secondscan also be uploaded. Users canuse speaking mode to recordtheir messages as well. Thisinformation will reach con-cerned DFO or District Officialand Department would act onit immediately. Complainant isregularly updated about actionon his or her complaint.

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Ahead of the paddy har-vesting season, Haryana

Chief Secretary Keshni AnandArora on Thursday directed theofficers concerned to focus onensuring zero-stubble burn-ing in the State.

In a meeting held in com-pliance with the orders of theApex Court, with Stakeholdersregarding Crop ResidueManagement in which DeputyCommissioners of all districts,Vice-Chancellor of HaryanaAgricultural University, MemberSecretary of Haryana PollutionControl Board, Director ofHARSAC, Executive Director ofIOCL, Representatives ofNABARD, MD of AAFC India,All India AgriculturalImplements ManufacturersAssociation, LudhianaRepresentative, HaryanaAgricultural ImplementsManufacturers Association,Hisar were present throughvideo conferencing, the ChiefSecretary discussed the problemsbeing faced by the Stakeholdersin Crop Residue Managementand sought suggestions for it.

Arora was apprised in themeeting that according toHARSAC’s satellite pictures

and reports, there was a declineof 68 per cent in fire incidenceof crop residues last year incomparison to previous years.

She instructed all districtofficers to draw a comprehen-sive plan to work towards zero-stubble burning in the stateeffectively. Other than this, sheasked the officers concerned toidentify the villages falling underred and yellow zones, which donot have Customer HiringCentres (CHCs) and are yet toapply for them.

She further instructed theofficers of the AgricultureDepartment to focus on thoseRed Zone areas in the districtwhich have regular incidents ofstubble burning.

The chief secretary said thatin view of the spread of coron-avirus it is imperative to ensurezero-stubble burning in the statebecause many types of respira-

tory diseases are likely to spreaddue to increase in pollution inthe environment, which canfurther increase the chances ofspreading coronavirus.

It was apprised in the meet-ing that large-scale awarenesscampaigns have been con-ducted by using IEC (infor-mation, education and com-munication) activities such asvillage and block-level campsand celebrations, social mediaawareness and demonstrationvans. Farmers have beentrained to operate and maintainin-situ crop residue manage-ment machinery and a demon-stration of in-situ managementtechniques has been given intheir fields. Hoardings andbanners have also beeninstalled at key places by theAgriculture Department tospread awareness about in-situcrop residue management.

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The Chandigarh unit of theCongress on Thursday

launched a social media cam-paign questioning the allegedabsence of BJP MP Kirron Kherfrom the constituency duringthe Covid-19 pandemic.

“The cases are surging inChandigarh everyday but theMP is seen nowhere. Sheshould be touring the city totake stock of the situation andlisten to public grievances butthe second-time MP is miss-ing,” said ChandigarhTerritorial Congress

Committee president PradeepChhabra on Thursday.

The campaign is launchedon social media platforms likeFacebook and Twitter.

“Sansad Kirron Kher ji ek kaam karo, kursi chodo aaram karo!!Ghumshuda_Sansad_KirronKher,” read the posts ofCongress, while claiming thatthe MP is missing from the city.

The Congress also askedthe citizens to share the post sothat the voice of the people ofChandigarh reaches all andpossibly, even the missing MP.

Earlier also, a similar cam-

paign was launched by theCongress on social media wherephotos of the posters announc-ing a reward of Rs 1,100 for any-body who gives informationabout Kher was shared.

Kher had on August 18attended a video-conferenc-ing held by Punjab Governorand UT Administrator VPSingh Bandore to seek sugges-tions from MP and councillorsto deal with the current crisis.

The Covid-19 cases crossed5000-mark on Thursday reach-ing 5,065 in Chandigarh. 63 res-idents have died due to Covid-19 in the city.

Chhabra said, “The MP hasnot been seen in the public forthe last few months. Thoughshe attended a meeting with theAdministration virtually a fort-

night ago, she is not listeningto people’s grievances.”

“The positive cases aresurging at a fast pace and thereis resentment among the pub-lic about the absence of localMP, he added.

A close aide of Kherinformed that the MP is cur-rently in the city and in regu-lar contact with the offices ofUT Administration to dealwith the crisis.

Earlier, Kher had respond-ed to similar allegations leveledby the Congress. In a viralvideo released in April, Kherhad said she was being con-

stantly targeted by certain peo-ple, who write against her onsocial media.

Countering Congress alle-gations about her going miss-ing, the MP had said she does-not like to get photographedwhile distributing food andadded that her first priority isto ensure that poor people getfood and ration in the wake ofCovid-19 pandemic.

“I have been here inChandigarh from day one andeverybody should have knownthat. Everybody knows in the(city) administration,” Kherhad said.

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Apprehending arrest in aboutthree decades old Multani

murder case, Punjab’s formerpolice chief Sumedh Singh Sainiis “absconding” leaving behindhis Z-plus security. Even asSaiani’s wife has shot off a letterto Punjab Director General ofPolice (DGP) Dinkar Gupta onThursday complaining that thefamily’s security has been with-drawn, the Government cate-gorically denied the same main-taining that not a single guardfrom Punjab or ChandigarhPolice or the para-military forcehas been withdrawn.

Granted Z-plus security, noless than 60 security personnelfrom the Central Reserve PoliceForce (CRPF), Punjab Police,and also the Chandigarh Policehave been deployed for hissecurity, stationed at Saini’sSector 20 residence atChandigarh along with a bul-letproof car, a jeep equippedwith jammers and an escort car.

The Punjab Police, in anofficial statement, asserted thatSaini had absconded, leaving hissecurity detail behind, a daybefore the Punjab and HaryanaHigh Court was due to hear hisanticipatory bail application inthe murder case of formerCITCO employee BalwantSingh Multani.

A spokesperson of the SIT,probing the extra-judicial killingcase which was on Wednesdayconverted into a case of murder,denied the allegation of Saini’swife that the ex-DGP’s securi-ty had been withdrawn, endan-gering his life.

Contrary to what had beenclaimed by Saini’s wife in a let-ter to DGP Dinkar Gupta, therehad been no change whatsoev-er in the security detail and theparaphernalia, including thesecurity box and Jammer vehi-cle, provided to the formerpolice chief, who is a ‘Z+’ cate-gory protectee of the StateGovernment, said thespokesperson.

“The fact of the matter isthat Saini seemed to have left hisChandigarh residence withoutPunjab Police security person-nel and security vehicles, includ-ing Jammer vehicle, on his own,thus jeopardising his own secu-rity,” said the spokesperson.

“What is more, the securi-ty vehicle, including Jammervehicle, can still be seen stand-ing outside his Chandigarh res-idence, where the security per-sonnel are idling away their timewaiting for his return,” addedthe spokesperson.

The spokesperson said thatthe letter, written to the DGP bySaini’s wife, who also seemed tohave disappeared from theChandigarh residence, appearsto be an attempt to strengthenhis claim for grant of anticipa-tory bail in the murder case.

The State government wasfully alive to the security con-cerns involving Saini, as per thepresent threat assessment, andwill not do anything to endan-ger his security or that of hisfamily members, added thespokesperson.

It has been learnt that thePunjab Police, the IntelligenceBureau and the ChandigarhPolice had recently reviewedSaini’s security at the highestlevel and no decision to pruneit was taken.

The whereabouts of Sainiand his family were not knownas they have reportedly gone“underground” after a Mohalicourt rejected his plea for antic-ipatory bail in the Multani mur-der case.

Also clarifying confusionover withdrawal of Saini’s secu-rity, CM’s Media AdvisorRaveen Thukral tweeted,“Totally incorrect that securityof ex-DGP Sumedh Saini andfamily has been withdrawn.Fact is they have all gone under-ground after he was chargedwith murder in extra-judicialkilling case, leaving behind thesecurity personnel. His securi-ty cops still present at his resi-dence.”

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The Covid-19 cases in the unionterritory of Chandigarh crossed

5000-mark as a record single-dayjump of 276 fresh infections werereported on Thursday.

Four more residents succumbedto Covid-19 taking the total toll to 63.

With the positive cases surgingat a fast pace, it was Chandigarh’sfastest 1000 cases this time. The cityhad crossed 4,000-mark on August30 and the total tally stood at 5,065in just four days.

Earlier, it took six days for the

city to move to 4,000 cases from3,000. The positive cases had crossed3000-mark on August 24, 2000-mark on August 15, 1,000-mark onJuly 30 and 100-mark on May 4. Aday before, 239 positive cases werereported while the city had clockedits previous highest single-day spikewith 261 cases on August 29.

There were 2116 active cases onThursday, a day after the city hadbreached 2,000-mark of active cases.“The total positive cases were 5,065which included 2,116 active cases and2,883 recovered cases. 63 Covid-19fatalities have been reported in the

city so far,” stated Chandigarh HealthDepartment’s evening bulletin.

The fresh positive cases werereported from Sectors 1, 2, 4, 5, 7, 8,10, 11, 15, 17, 18, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24,25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 32, 33, 34, 35,

36, 37, 38, 38, 40, 41, 42, 43, 44, 45,46, 47, 48, 49, 50, 52, 56, 63, 38 west,Behlana, Burail, Dadumajra, Dhanas,Hallomajra, Industrial Area phase I,Kishangarh, Maloya, Manimajra,Mauli Jagran, PGIMER campus,Raipur Kalan, Raipur Khurd, RamDarbar, Khuda Alisher, Kajheri andFaidan, the bulletin stated.

Among those tested positive forCovid-19 in the past 24 hoursincluded a one year old female childfrom Sector 10, two years old malechild from Mauli Jagran and threeyears old female child from Behlana,as per the health bulletin. In the past

24 hours, a total of 213 patients weredischarged including persons fromhome isolation who have complet-ed ten days and are asymptomaticas per the Centre’s guidelines, thebulletin added.

PLASMA BANK SET UP AT PGIMER

The Post Graduate Institute ofMedical Education and

Research has set up a plasma bankto facilitate the treatment of Covid-19 patients in the city. “The plasmabank will cater to the needs ofpatients admitted in PGIMER as

well as other government and pri-vate hospitals of the city on a firstcome first serve basis. The PGIMERhas asked other city’s hospitals toshare a list of Covid-19 recoveredpatients and motivate them forplasma donation at the institute,”said an official spokesperson ofPGIMER.

In the convalescent plasma ther-apy (CPT), plasma from a Covid-19recovered patient (which is rich inantibodies to fight the virus) istransfused into another Covid-19patient to help boost the recipient’simmune response to the SARS-

CoV-2 infection.Earlier, seven Covid-19 recov-

ered patients had donated theirplasma at the PGIMER during theclinical trials held in June-July.Currently, the PGIMER does nothave a single plasma unit. Therecovered patients from Covid-19,who are willing to donate conva-lescent plasma (CP) can contact andfix their appointment for screeningand testing with Dr Suchet Sachdevand Dr Divjot Singh Lamba on con-tact numbers 7087009487 and7087003371 respectively, thespokesperson said.

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Health workers engaged infighting Covid-19 in the

country are continuously get-ting infected with the deadlyvirus.

The Union HealthMinistry on Thursday sharedthe alarming situation ofhealthcare in a few States blam-ing lax infection control in hos-pitals. “There is a need forstringent containment mea-

sures in areas where health pro-fessionals reside to safeguardthem,” said Union HealthSecretary Rajesh Bhushan hereon Thursday.

He said that in Telangana,the healthcare workers’ posi-tivity is 18 per cent, 16 per centin Maharashtra, 14 per cent inDelhi, 13 per cent inKarnataka, 12 per cent inPuducherry and 11 per cent inPunjab.

These are the States where

the positivity rate amonghealthcare workers are on ahigher side, Bhushan toldreporters at a press briefingwhen asked on the health sta-tus of the doctors amid Covid-19 pandemic.

However, the Governmentmaintained silence on the

health situation of the doctorsin States like Uttar Pradesh andGujarat which are reporting aspike in cases.

According to the dataavailable from the Ministry,while Maharashtra reported292 deaths among healthcareworkers, Karnataka and Tamil

Nadu had 46 and 49 deaths,respectively.

Concerned at the plight ofthe health workers, the IndianMedical Association (IMA)too wrote to Prime MinisterNarendra Modi recently draw-ing his attention to over 87,000healthcare workers who have

got infected with Covid-19and another 573 who have losttheir lives and called for morecare for their welfare.

“Healthcare manpower isprecious. Uniform practiceshave to be put in placethroughout the country.Substantial differences are

noticed from district to districtin how doctors and healthcareworkers are deployed. Theirservice situations differ andmostly reflect the logistics ofthe district,” the IMA letter tothe PM said.

The IMA further said,“Districts are not sensitive to

the safety and the concerns ofstress and fatigue of medicalmanpower. Deploying doctors24x7 without intermittentquarantine periods or longworking hours in PPE forCovid care is not the same as24x7 Covid control from safeoffices.”

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On a day Covid-19 casesare set to cross way

beyond the 4-lakh mark, thatcould make India the world’ssecond worst-hit nationreplacing Brazi l , theGovernment on Thursdaysought to project the positiveside by stating that the permillion Covid-19 cases in thecountry is much lesser whencompared to other countriesin the world.

It also cited that deathsper million (population) in

India is among the lowest inthe world — 49 deaths permillion population.

Talking to reporters here,Union Health Secretar yRajesh Bhsuhan said that fiveStates —Tamil Nadu, UttarPradesh, Karnataka, AndhraPradesh and Maharashtra —account for 62 per cent of thetotal active coronavirus casesin the country while AndhraPradesh, Delhi, Karnataka,Tamil Nadu and Maharashtraaccount for 70 per cent of thetotal coronavirus deaths inIndia.

“There has been 13.7 per-cent weekly decrease in thenumber of active cases inAndhra Pradesh, 16.1 percentdecrease in Karnataka, 6.8percent decrease inMaharashtra and 23.9 percentdecrease in Tamil Nadu, 17.1percent decrease in UttarPradesh,” he said.

Bhsuhan also appealedto the people to adopt Covid-19 appropriate behaviour asUnlock 4.0 is already afootand more people are out onthe streets. “The Governmenthas adopted a graded

approach to unlock the coun-try and open up various eco-nomic activities as while livesare important, so is liveli-hood.”

During a press briefinghere on Thursday, the min-istry observed that people aresidelining the use of masksand following of social dis-tancing protocols.

It urged people to followthe mandatory practice ofadopting Covid-19 appro-priate behaviour in view ofthe upcoming festival seasonand the ongoing examina-

tions being conducted acrossthe country.

“In a few days, we will beinto the festival season andcurrently various examina-tions in colleges and univer-sities are being held coun-trywide. In such times, Covidappropriate behaviour shouldbe followed at the commu-nity and social levels,” saidBhushan.

He also said that until avaccine for Covid-19 arrives,social distancing is the onlyvaccine. “Social distancing isthe social vaccine till any vac-

cine for coronavirus arrives,”he said.

“Use alcohol-based sani-tisers, wear reusable face cov-ers or masks at all times inpublic places, wash yourhands frequently and thor-oughly with soap and water,avoid touching eyes, noseand mouth and cover themwith tissue/handkerchiefwhile sneezing or coughing.This way, we can preventthe spread of the infectionand safeguard ourselves fromits contraction,” Bhushansaid.

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Prime Minister NarendraModi’s donations to a num-

ber of public causes coupledwith the proceeds of auctionsof the gifts he received so far,including that during his tenureas the Chief Minister ofGujarat, total more than �103crore,

One of Modi’s latest dona-tions was the initial corpus ofRs 2.25 lakh to the PM CARESFund, which was set up in thewake of the COVID-19 out-break to support relief of anykind relating to a public healthemergency or any other kind ofemergency, calamity or distress,sources said.

The Fund, set up inMarch, received �3,076.62crore in just five days of its for-mation, as per an accountstatement made public onWednesday

Highlighting Modi’s dona-

tions to public causes, rang-ing from girl child educationto the cleaning of Ganga,sources noted that he gave �21lakh in 2019 from his person-al savings to the corpus fundset up for the welfare of sani-tation workers of Kumbh Mela

After receiving the SeoulPeace Prize in South Korea in2019, the Prime Minister hadannounced that the entireprize money of �1.30 crorewould be given to the Namami

Gange project, aimed at clean-ing Ganga river, they added.

During a recent auction ofmementoes received by Modias the PM, �3.40 crore was col-lected and donated to thecause of Namami Gange.

Modi had donated �21lakh from his personal savingstowards the education ofGujarat Government staff ’sdaughter after he quit as theState Chief Minister in 2014 totake over as the country’sPrime Minister.

He had also raised � 89.96crore by auctioning all gifts hereceived as Chief Ministerand donated this to the KanyaKelavani Fund, a scheme foreducation of the girl child.

The PM had also initiatedthe auctioning of gifts hereceived till then in 2015, and�8.35 crore were raised, withthe amount channelled to theNamami Gange Mission,sources said.

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What is common in Kargilin Ladakh, Gautam Budh

Nagar in Uttar Pradesh, Chandelin Manipur and Central Delhi inNew Delhi? All the four districtsare among the most rain-defi-cient districts in the country.

According to the IndiaMeteorological Department(IMD), Kargil recorded a raindeficiency of 92 percent, fol-lowed by Chandel with 91 per-cent, Gautam Budh Nagar with85 percent and Central Delhiwith 62 percent.

Overall, interestingly,

though India has 9 percent sur-plus rainfall this year,150 dis-tricts in the country have record-ed less rainfall this season evenas the monsoon season hasentered in its last month. Indiahas recorded 795 mm rainfallagainst the normal of 730.8percent.

As per the IMD, Kargil dis-trict has recorded only 2.5 mmrainfall as against the normal of28.9 mm — a shortfall of 92 per-cent. Chandel is the second inthe most rain deficient districtwhich recorded 148.8 mm rain-fall as against the normal of1681.6 mm – a shortfall of 91

percent. Gautam Budh Nagar,which is the third most rain defi-cient district has recorded only66.3 mm rainfall against the nor-mal of 452 mm – a shortfall of85 percent. It is the secondmost rain deficient district in thecountry after Chandel.

Central Delhi district hasrecorded 62 percent less rainfallthis monsoon season so farand is the second-most raindeficient district in northwestIndia. The district has gauged222.9 mm rainfall against thenormal of 582.3 mm since June1, when the monsoon seasonstarted. Northeast and

Northwest Delhi have alsorecorded 33 percent less pre-cipitation so far. WhileNortheast Delhi has gauged401.5 mm rain against the nor-mal of 582.3 mm, NorthwestDelhi reported 276.5 mmagainst 399.7 mm recordedusually.

Two districts of Assam-Darrang and Morigaon haverecorded 65 percent less pre-cipitation so far. Districts whichhave recorded over 50 percentrainfall deficiency includePanchkula (-61 percent),Mathura (-60 percent),Ghaziabad (-60 percent),

Kausambi (-57 percent),Bulandshahr (-60 percent),Kanpur Dehat ( -60 percent),Rohtak ( - 57 percent), Rampur(-55 percent), Hoshiarpur (-53percent), Rohtak (-52 percent), Deoghar ( -51 percent), Lehand Ladakh ( - 51 percent),Hardoi ( - 50 percent), Gumla( - 50 percent), Mansa (-50 per-cent), Bhiwani (-48 percent),Pauri Garhwal (-46 percent),Champawat (-48 percent),Uttarkashi (-43 percent),Mahoba (-48 percent), Yavatmaland Akola (-30 percent each)Trishur , Dahod, Dangs, andSurguja (-27 percent each).

According to the IMD,India received 27 per cent morerainfall than normal in August,the fourth highest amount in thelast 120 years. This is due to for-mation of five low pressureareas in Bay of Bengal in Augustwhich led to heavy to moderaterainfall across India. The Augustof 1926 saw 33 per cent morerainfall than normal, the high-est precipitation recorded so farin the month; 1976 recorded28.4 per cent more rainfall thannormal, while the August of1973 recorded 27.8 per centthan normal. This year saw 27per cent rainfall.

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Aiming to plug leakage ofclassified information and

personnel falling prey to coun-terintelligence operations ofhostile countries and non-stateinimical groups, the CRPF hasbarred its personnel, civilianemployees, contractors andvisitors from using smart-phones in office spaces han-dling classified informationlike Operations Room andConference Halls.

The 14-page document forsmartphone usage on Fridayalso provided guidelines forusing social media in order tosecure classified data and infor-mation.

The high sensitivity officesencapsulate places designatedor accredited for the process-ing, handling or discussion ofclassified information in realtime like conference hall andOperations rooms and smart-phones that store and recorddata are now prohibited forsmartphone usage. If broughtto the office, such devicesshould be kept at specified

counters.Likewise, medium sensi-

tivity offices include opera-tional active duty and specificareas of facility having directhandling of confidential docu-ments like specific branches ofadministrative block, field duty,operations and hospitals. Insuch offices, smartphones willbe allowed subject to approvalof the Head of Office butmobile camera or recorder willbe strictly prohibited.

Low sensitivity offices thatdo not engage in active duty orhandle classified documentslike Lines will be open tosmartphones usage withoutany restriction.

“The fundamental princi-ples of information security areconfidentiality, integrity, andavailability. Every element of aninformation security program

and every security control putin place by an entity should bedesigned to achieve one ormore of these principles.Therefore, it is important toconsider the acceptable and notacceptable use of smartphonesin an organisation,” reads thecopy of the order issued by theAdministrative Directorate ofthe Central Reserve PoliceForce.

Excessive unrestrictedusage can lead to breach ofsecurity and can compromisenational security, it said.

The order clearly definedthe smartphone as devices thatperform many of the functionsof a computer, typically havinga touch screen, interface, cam-era, Internet access and anoperating system capable ofrunning downloaded applica-tions.

“This policy prescribes the

guidance and procedures forsmartphone restriction withinCRPF,” the order said, addingsignage depicting the categoryof office will be put up.

Likewise, the guidelinesfor social media usage seeks tosensitise the personnel againstunintentionally putting classi-fied information in the publicdomain.

“Government officialsusing various social platformsare also vulnerable to beingcounterintelligence (CI) targetsof State agencies as well as rad-ical non-state inimical groups.Social media platforms arebeing used to ferret informa-tion from unsuspecting usersand recruit gullible officials tolater exploit them for subver-sion,” it added in justificationfor social media guidelines.

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The Congress on Thursdayaccused the Modi

Government of pushing thecountry towards an economiccollapse and a financial emer-gency, saying the note ban, GSTand lockdown were “disasterstrokes” not “master strokes”.

AICC chief spokespersonRandeep Singh Surjewala saidthe GDP slump in the first quar-ter will have an adverse impacton the average income of everyIndian, which is likely to declineby almost �15,000 per person ifthe GDP fell by 11 per cent inthe full year.

He said the Governmentand Finance Minister NirmalaSitharaman should not stay inoffice for any longer as theyhave “inflicted a big blow anddamage” to the country’’s econ-omy, seen never before in thecountry’’s history since inde-pendence.

“There are dark clouds ofeconomic decay all around us.Lives, livelihoods and jobs havebeen ravaged. Businesses andsmall and medium industries liedilapidated. The economystands destroyed as GDP hasbeen razed. India is beingpushed towards an economiccollapse and a financial emer-gency,” Surjewala said a virtu-al press conference.

The Congress leaderalleged that demonetisation,GST and lockdown were not“master strokes” but “disasterstrokes”.

Surjewala alleged the Modigovernment has “plundered”the economy in the last six yearsand is now “describing its ownineptitude and incompetence asan act of God”.

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To provide access to millionsof persons with disability

(PwD) in rural areas seekingassistive devices and appliances,the Common Services Centers(CSC) has partnered with theArtificial Limbs ManufacturingCorporation of India (ALIM-CO) to register Persons withDisability and senior citizens inremote and inaccessible areas.

ALIMCO, a PSU under theMinistry of Social Justice &Empowerment, and CSC SPV,a Special Purpose Vehicle underthe Ministry of Electronics & IT,signed a MOU to utilize around4 lakh CSCs across the countryto register Divyangs and SeniorCitizens for distribution of freeof cost assistive aids and appli-ances under various schemes ofGovernment of India such asADIP , RVY and CSR schemes.

CSC will also help createawareness about ALIMCO andits initiatives and further mobi-lize and support divyangs andsenior citizens to avail assistiveaids and appliances under theschemes.

Under the partnership,Divyangjans and SeniorCitizens can visit their nearestCSC to get registered for freeAssistive Aids and Appliancesfrom ALIMCO.

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The Supreme CourtThursday issued a notice

on Andhra PradeshGovernment’s plea seeking tomake English the medium ofeducation from class one tosix in its schools.

A bench comprisingJustices D Y Chandrachud,Indu Malhotra and K MJoseph sought response ofSrinivas Guntipalli on whoseplea the Andhra Pradesh

High Court had stopped the implementationof the plan in Government-run Telugu medium schools.

In April this year, thehigh court had set aside theorder for government schoolsto convert the medium ofinstruction from Telugu toEnglish.

Senior advocate K VVishwanathan, appearing forthe State Government,assailed the order during thehearing conducted via videoconference.

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Jaipur: A Khap panchayat, an unelect-ed council of village elders, recentlypenalised a man and woman from theSansi Community in Rajasthan's Sikardistrict by making them bathe publiclyto wash their alleged 'sins'.

The nephew and aunt who wereallgedly involved in an 'illicit' relationship,were asked to deposit �31,000 and�22,000 respectively by the Khap pan-chayat as penalty before they wereallowed to return to the social fold. OnTuesday, Sansi Samaj members submit-ted a memorandum to theSuperintendent of Police, demandingstringent action against the khap pan-chayat.

They said that the guilty should beput behind bars, the amount collected bythe woman given back to her and thosewho gathered at the site booked for flout-ing social distancing norms.

Sikar SP Gagandeep Singla, mean-while, said that a probe is underway andthe team is recording villagers' statements. “Also, we are trying to getvideos or pictures of the incident,” headded. IANS

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Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan said on Thursday thatthe BJP was yet to learn the trick of the trade as far

as administration and governance were considered. Hewas replying to an allegation raised by the BJP spokesmanSandeep Warrier that a Government order issued in hisname on September 9, 2018 had the fake signature of theChief Minister.

Warrier had made the allegation in a specially con-vened press meet at Thiruvananthapuramon Thursday. ‘A Government order issued on September9, 2018 in the name of the Chief Minister had

been signed by an impostor and this is a gravesituation.

The Chief Minister was on a US tour from September1 to 23 and chances are that the government order couldhave been signed by another person. Vijayan’s signaturehas been faked by somebody in the Chief Minister’sOffice,” alleged Warrier.

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Though there has been asmall fall in the number of

new persons diagnosed withCovid-19 on Thursday, ChiefMinister Pinarayi Vijayanwarned the people of Keralathat the State would see a majorhike in the number of personsby the month of October.

Briefing the media aboutCovid-19 update in the State,Chief Minister said that onThursday 1,553 persons testedpositive for the pandemic. “Outof this, 1,391 persons contract-ed the disease through socialcontacts. There were 156patients on Thursday whocould not pinpoint how andwhere they contracted the dis-ease. The day also saw 1,950patients getting cured of thepandemic,” said Vijayan.

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Most elderly people in the countrylive with their children. Their risk

of contracting the infection from fam-ily members remains high, said Prof SyedZiaur Rahman, Department ofPharmacology, J N Medical College(JNMC), Aligarh Muslim University(AMU).

He was delivering the keynoteaddress in an International online webi-nar on 'Protecting Elderly from thePandemic' organised by the Center forExcellence in Science and Technology forHigher Education on Drugs andCosmetics from the Moist TropicalForest and Its Environment,Mulawarman University, Samarinda,Indonesia. ���>�(!�����$������������$��$�

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Dr. Kafeel, who was releasedfrom jail in Aligarh for his

address against the CitizenshipAmendment Act in December2019, said that he has sufferednot only mental but also phys-ical harassment in the jail. Dr.Kafeel was acted upon by theAligarh administration underthe National Security Actwhich the High Court declaredillegal and ordered his imme-diate release.

Dr. Kafeel told media thatthe barrack had a capacity of 40prisoners but 150 prisonerswere kept. At the time of thepandemic, where the PrimeMinister of the country talksabout social distancing, theserules are being broken insidethe jail. In such a situation, thehealth of the detainees in jail isin serious danger.

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The ruling CPI(M) in Kerala, already reeling underthe gold smuggling scam, has been further embar-

rassed by the disclosures made by Mohammed Anoop,an accused held by the Narcotics Control Bureau inBangalore, that he was having business dealings withBineesh Kodiyeri, son of Kodiyeri Balakrishnan, theparty Secretary.

The link between Bineesh and Anoop could opennew chapters in the gold smuggling scam as it has cometo light that the former had called the latter many timeson the day Swapna Suresh and Sandeep Nair, the kingpins in the case were held by NationalInvestigation Agency at Bangalore in the month of July.

P K Firoz, general secretary, Youth League (theyouth wing of Muslim League) told reporters atKozhikode that Anoop, who is a Bangalore based drugdealer had told investigating agencies about his ties withBineesh. Balakrishnan’s son also had friemndship withRijesh Raveendran who was nabbed along withAnoop and serial artist Anikha for possessing high-end drugs MDMA and LSD.

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The sleuths of the NationalInvestigation Agency (NIA)

probing the gold smugglingscam inspected the KeralaGovernment Secretariat onThursday and examined theClosed Circuit TV camera visu-als available with the GeneralAdministration Department.

The NIA is probing the roleof the Chief Minister’s Office inthe gold smuggling scam andwanted to examine the linksbetween Swapna Suresh, Sarithand Sandeep Nair, the kingpins, have with M Sivsankar, thesuspended principal secretaryto Chief Minister PinarayiVijayan and any other officials.

Sivsankar had been ques-tioned by the NIA, Customsand Enforecement Directorateover the last two months.Meanwhile, the SecretariatOfficials had informed the NIA

that visuals of certain dayscould not be recorded as theCCTV system went bustbecause of lightning.

Sources in the Secretariatsaid the NIA asked for visualsof last one year from 70 cam-eras installed in the complex. KSurendran, president of theKerala BJP demanded theimmediate resignation of ChiefMinister Vijayan as the NIAentering the SecretariatComplex was rarest of rareincident. “This is the ideal timefor Vijayan to quit on his own.Kerala has never seen any cen-tral agencies entering theSecretariat till date to probe acriminal case,” Surendran toldreporters at Kozhikode.

There are reports that theSecretariat officials handed overto the NIA recordings of visu-als of last three months.

But R Ramachandran Nair,former chief secretary of Kerala

who is also the longest servingbureaucrat in the State, saidthere was nothing unusual inthe NIA team’s inspection of theSecretariat. “They had takenprior permission from theSecretariat. We also saw reportsabout a fire that broke out in thesecretariat destroying certainfiles. The NIA is probing therole of certain persons in thegold smuggling scam. Hencethere is nothing unusual in thewhole episode,” said Nair.

P Rajan, former editor ofMathrubhumi, said it was goodthat the NIA had discussionswith the secretariat officialswith respect to the controver-sial visuals.

“The gold smuggling scamhas taken much sheen off thePinarayi Vijayan government.But as on today, it is too earlyto write off the prospects of theCPI(M) losing the 2021 elec-tion,” said Rajan.

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Several mainstream politiciansholding their party flags are

roaming freely and organisingmeetings in different parts ofJammu & Kashmir.

Ironically, on Thursdayleaders belonging to the PeoplesDemocratic Party (PDP) wereprevented by the policemenfrom stepping out of their hous-es to reach party headquarters toattend a maiden meeting afterthe abrogation of Article 370 and35-A.

PDP leaders claimed, “whenwe were ready to step out of ourhouses we were prevented by thepolicemen stationed there fromstepping out”. “None of the lead-ers, including former Cabinetministers were handed over anyofficial order or were verballyinformed by any senior officerwhy they were being preventedfrom stepping out of their homesto attend a meeting convened atthe party headquarters by PDPgeneral secretary Ghulam NabiLone Hanjura”, a junior PDPleader told local reporters at theparty office in Srinagar.

To expose the local author-ities, several PDP leaders post-ed images/ videos showing howpolicemen disallowed themfrom stepping out on differentsocial media platforms. “Despitebeing free on paper and in gov-ernment submissions in theHigh Court and Supreme Court,PDP leadership continues to beunder illegal detention, withoutany official orders. Video fromtoday - I wasn't allowed toattend the PDP meeting norwere any of my colleagues”,tweeted former minister NaeemAkhtar along with a video clip.

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Even as the BJP attacked theMamata Banerjee

Government for failing to walkits talk the State Governmenthas announced a two-dayAssembly session that will be held on September 9and 10.

Sources in the Governmentsaid the State Assembly wouldopen and function for only twodays in strict compliance withthe social distancing norms.

“It is just a formality andwe are opening it just becausewe had to open it,” a seniorState minister said adding theGovernment is only following the norm fixed by theCentre.

He referred to the rulesaccording to which theAssembly must be convenedonce in every six months.

The Assembly wasadjourned on March 17 fol-lowing the advent of coronapandemic.

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With a large number can-didates having failed to

appear for the JEE-Main exam-inations on September 1, theBengal Government hasrequested the Kolkata MetroRailways ensure that the trainsservices remained functionalon September 13 when the cen-trally held entrance examswould take place.

“As there is little chance ofthe Metro services gettingresumed before that date con-sidering the fact that they willhave to put in place all the corona protocols,” the StateGovernment has requested toat least run the trains on theexam dates,” a senior Government officialsaid.

A meeting involving theState Government officials andt heir Metro Railways coun-terparts was held on Thursdayat the State secretariatNabanna.

Jammu: The Union territory ofJammu & Kashmir onThursday recorded the highestever jump by detecting 1,079fresh cases of coronavirus while11 Covid-19 patients died tak-ing the death toll to 743 and thetotal active positive cases to8441.

For the first time, Jammuregion recorded 622 cases inone single day while Kashmirdivision recorded 457 cases.On the other hand, 680 patientswere discharged from varioushospitals taking the total tallyof recovered patients to over30,000.

According to the mediabulletin, “the total coronaviruscases in Jammu and Kashmirstood at 39943 while 743deaths have been reported inthe region”. Out of these 39943cases the total active positivecases stood at 8441 in J&K.

Compared to Srinagar,Jammu district has more num-ber of active positive cases.

According to the mediabulletin, Jammu districtThursday recorded 484 freshcases alone while Srinagarrecorded 139 cases. PNS

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The neo-Keynesian pressure on theUnion Government to spend moreand more and generate purchasing

power among the largest segment of theIndian populace has been counteracted bya strong monetarist lending policy. Theeconomic gap between the people whoneed cash and wage support and those whotake loan to run their businesses is so wideacross India that a monetarist policy canhardly overturn the situation of fallingdemand.

A perceptual illusion about a rise indemand for small cars, pharmaceuticaldrugs and online sale of several consumerproducts no doubt raised consumptionindices with the unlock phases of the econ-omy but it could not offset the fall ofdemand in food, milk and cereal markets.The rise in consumption spurred by lend-ing activity is limited to specific sectors,while larger demand still remains depen-dent on a rise in income and employment.

This brings us to two parallel streamsof lending activity by banks and otherfinancial institutions and generation ofincome and wages by larger sectors of pro-duction and distribution. The seeming dis-junction between the two reflects a certainkind of weakness in the overall framing ofeconomic stimulus package and otherpolicies to revive the economy. Market-directed moves of expanding the creditmarket by the RBI and the Government,irrespective of the fiscal deficit of allkinds like revenue deficit, GST shortfall,non-availability of revised estimate offunds for critical healthcare and education,are a kind of provisioning that RBI earnsthrough various financial instruments.

The expenditure policy is gettingdetermined by instant availability of funds,for which the RBI is taken to be the mostresourceful institution, re-fuelling theGovernment over the last few years. Thispresents a paradoxical situation of fundcrunch, austerity and internal borrowingson the one hand and credit and lendingactivity to generate a large part of fiscalexpenses on the other. The tax exemptionsgranted to the rich and the corporates bythe Modi government capture the grossreduction in tax revenue, which lead tohigher public debt in relation to the grossdomestic product (GDP). In effect, creditexpansion in the financial sector is riskedagainst shortfall in revenue generation,which as a policy measure, further con-tracts targetted Government expendituresupposed to counter the falling demand.

This perpetual imbalance betweenmonetary and the fiscal sides leaves theGovernment with very little policy optionsexcept the so-called God’s hand. IfAtmanirbhar Bharat is taken into account,the Government’s spending as assistancetowards MSME and agriculture cannotgenerate sustainable trade and employmentas the most important product market

remains sluggish. The localchain of markets for agri andMSME products is still todevelop into a continuous sup-ply chain, for which the localgovernments need to have size-able interventions. This bringsone to the role of StateGovernments in generatingdemand activity, which again isdependent on MNREGA,developmental work and build-ing up a vibrant human capi-tal. Homeward migration dur-ing COVID lockdown placedan added responsibility of find-ing productive work for atleast four crore returnees, whoare still struggling.

The bleak picture does notdeter economists from produc-ing their own variety of greenshoots of economic theory. Ina recent piece, Kaushik Basuargued for revival of the Indianeconomy through IT, outsourc-ing of digital economy, highereducation, all of which ironical-ly lack any labour-linking tech-nological innovation.Seemingly the demand side istaken to be a suo moto avail-able thing by Basu. In contrast,economists Anu Abraham andMohd Imran Khan in theirpaper—Covid-19: How longcan consumption be sustained inlockdown?—had shown thatnearly 33 crore poor peoplecannot sustain consumption-to-income ratio at a satisfacto-ry level and can at most sustain

themselves for six to sevenweeks. Combining Basu andAbraham and Khan, one gets arather contrarian picture ofgrowth in the service industryversus a total deceleration inbasic income-generating sec-tors, which monetarist inter-ventions cannot alter. Thisdoes not address the disequilib-rium between cash flow, capi-tal formation and demand gen-eration at the levels of macro-economics or meta theory.One interesting way of lookingat this knowledge gap is whatEconomics Nobel prize winnerRobert J. Schiller considered ascreation of a mainframe narra-tive to drive growth in aneconomy. In the case of theAmerican economy, borrowingfrom medical sciences, Schillerconsidered a trending curve asan “art of narrative” by whichan economy develops certaindemands and succeeds in gen-erating money. He furthershowed the role of a variety ofnarratives in sustaining macro-economy and most notably anepidemiological narrative thatgoes viral, in which income isthe most contagious elementthat resembles the hump-shaped epidemiological mod-els. For example, the distresssale of foreign securities in theIndian stock market due to thepandemic, resulting in out-flow of capital, when com-bined with fiscal deficit due to

the stimulus package, looksjust like a COVID-synchro-nised model of economic loss-es that Schiller had predicted asan “epidemic of fear.”

India’s highly priced UStreasury holdings of $ 162.7 bil-lion at two per cent with equal-ly huge foreign currency-basedloans worth $105 billion fromthe World Bank at 9.5 per centresult in a massive loss of�50,000 crore per annum fromIndia’s coffers. Combined withshort selling of bonds andsecurities, India’s attempt tohold foreign government secu-rities has resulted in a costworth a million crore in thecapital account, leading to achallenging trend of capitalaccount deficits and currentaccount surpluses. Capitalaccount deficits worth �139crore in 2020 show a trend ofexcessive financial outflowwhile current account surplusto the tune of 0.1 per cent of theGDP shows sharp fall in importas well as export due to reces-sionary conditions. The mon-etary management by adjust-ment of rates and control onmoney market by the RBI is notable to bring sustainability inthe balance of payment. This ishow India’s balance of paymentlooks more like a rising epi-demiological curve that showsno sign of receding.

The demand managementthrough Atmanirbhar Bharat

or the “Made in India” narra-tive cannot match the pandem-ic-induced fall in demand.

The other narrative of self-reliance in key sectors likespace and defence productionhas nothing much to do withcapital outflow or demand con-traction. A futurist narrative ofcompanies off-shoring them toIndia in digital technologieswith a positive impact on jobcreation gets blunted by privati-sation of the ordnance indus-try involving substantial joblosses. One-time revenue gen-eration through selling publicsector giants in contrast withpast nationalisation of keyindustries is an impact of thepandemic hump. The risingdeath rates in India combinedwith restrictive lockdownsspawn new gaps between over-burdened health infrastruc-ture and overall fund crunch.

In the absence of a plausi-ble narrative, one could look atsustainability economics.Advocated by environmentaleconomists like Giorgos Kallisand institutional economistslike Kate Raworth, this showshow economies can sustainthemselves through an equi-table contraction of demand. Ina Corona-hit economy, such acontraction certainly reducespressure on natural and mate-rial resources. At the sametime, it does not create a steadystate economy of equilibriumbetween income and employ-ment; rather it increases thebullish behaviour in stocksand securities.

Sustaining degrowth bydecoupling employment andgrowth could be a fiscal alter-native in which a contractionin demand could release anextra or reserve fund for givingcash to poor and middle class-es as a “political right.” On theother side, a contraction ofdemand has resulted in unem-ployment and job loss to thetune of five million salariedemployees in July alone.Altogether 1.8 crore salariedpeople have lost jobs sinceApril, as stated by CMIE data.

This certainly requireswhat degrowth theorists pro-posed, a universal basic incomeand job guarantee decoupledfrom economic growth. Thepolicy framework of govern-ment spending right nowfocusses more on increasingconsumption and demandinstead of reducing the impactof a fall in demand. This can bemade possible by way of distri-bution of resources in a social-ly co-operative manner. This ishow we can grow the greenshoots.

(The author is a politicaleconomy analyst based inShillong)

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���������� ����Sir — In an unprecedented move,the Prime Minister NarendraModi-led NDA Government hasopted to do away with QuestionHour using the curtailed mon-soon session of Parliament as anexcuse. If the Opposition jointlyfails to thwart this unparliamen-tary move, it can be used as aprecedent by the present dispen-sation, which goes all out todestroy all institutions that safe-guard democracy and the rightsof the people.

The Question Hour is meantfor the members of both rulingand Opposition party leaders toraise issues affecting the peoplewho have sent them to Parliamentto represent them. Participating ina TV debate over this move, theBJP’s national spokesperson andRajya Sabha MP GVL NarasimhaRao went on to claim that theWest Bengal Assembly will con-vene for just three days as com-pared to the 17 days of theParliament without caring torealise that as the Parliament rep-resents the Union of India, con-sisting of 28 States and eightUnion Territories, it requiresmore than 30 days, if not more, tofunction properly.

In view of the current pan-demic, a short session may be theright decision but it should havebeen planned better. TheGovernment should have accom-

modated the Question Hour afterclearing important financial Billsand so on, instead of just avoid-ing grilling by the Opposition oncontentious issues like the pan-

demic management and the econ-omy. A Parliament session with-out debate is “life without oxygen.”

N NagarajanSecunderabad

������� ���Sir — This is with reference to the“Global Innovation Index.” Goneare the days when India used tobe known as a nation of snakecharmers. We have been progress-ing in all spheres and disciplinespost-Independence. Under theable leadership of various PrimeMinisters over the decades, wehave come a long way from beinga nation that once was consideredpoor and under-developed.

Today we are reaching for themoon and India is making rapidinroads in several significantdomains and meeting worldbenchmarks. Our improved posi-tion in the top 50 nations of theGlobal Innovation Index bearstestimony to the fact that we aremaking progress in this direction.India ranked first among centraland south-east Asian countriesand as compared to 2019, weclimbed four spots to reach the48th position, up from 52. As perthe index, India is now the third-most innovative lower middle-income economy in the world.

Rahul ChouhanUjjain

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Can this really be happening? The Britishare famously — and proudly — the mostdifficult people in the world to terrorise

or bully. The population that stood with tire-less phlegm and humour against relentless bom-bardment, that made its historical mark with anunflinching rationality which never permits hys-teria to sweep the public discourse — must nowbe chivied into leaving the confines of their ownhomes or the safe harbours of their immediateneighbourhoods.

And the most perplexing thing of all is thatthis is the response of most of the Westernworld. They, who have always stood up for theirpersonal liberties, are now willingly covering athome at the thought of an invisible virus get-ting them. It is like the Bogeyman of the MiddleAges has been let loose upon the planet and ifwe don’t hide from it, that will be the end of us.If we look back at history, it seems that overtime, society goes from “terror to terror.”Whether the “Red Scare” of communism in the50s, or the Al Qaeda, immigration, and the Bearmarket, the Swine Flu and now the Coronavirus.

Where did this come from? Well, on the onehand, it is perfectly clear: With an officialGovernment campaign deliberately designednot only to inculcate fear but to suggest that pro-tection against the great threat of the contagionwas simple and clear-cut. And furthermore,obeying the “stay safe, stay home” edict wouldnot just protect you and your immediate fam-ily but the rest of society as well. So lockingyourself away was a moral obligation as well asan insurance against the personal danger ofcatching the dreaded Coronavirus. The combi-nation of anxiety and appeal to the conscienceof the common man was unbeatable — evenwhen it involved deprivations of liberty whichwould once have been unconscionable.

So where are we now? Trapped in a state ofwhat appears to be a spiral of fear so profoundthat it has become a permanent condition. Ofcourse, as everybody has said, the Government’sincoherent messages have something to do withthis: One day there is solemn talk of aninevitable “second wave” of the Coronavirus andthe next day... well you know the rest.

But the big question on everybody’s mindsis how much of this epidemic of national trep-idation is pretext? We gather that a great manyprofessionals — particularly those in the ser-vice industries on whom the British economydepends — are really quite smugly pleased withtheir new home-based work arrangements.

They are so relaxed, it seems, that whenGovernment Ministers try to tell them that,actually, they might be putting their jobs at riskby becoming permanent ghost-like unpersonsin the workplace, they rise up indignantly — asif refusing to venture into the office was now aright.

In fact, of course, the new Governmentadvice is simply common sense. If an employ-ee can do his job from home indefinitely, socould a floating free-lancer who will be owed

no security, no sick leave, no healthinsurance, pension benefits or parentalleave.

All the protections and rightswhich employees have fought hard towin over the generations will count fornothing once managements discoverthat most of the functions now carriedout by those in formal employmentcan be done anywhere by people pre-pared to carry out the same functionson their own premises (and providingthe necessary equipment at their ownexpense).

But surely those clever profession-als in their home offices could havecome to this conclusion themselves.Anybody who has ever worked in anorganisation knows that there is moreto a successful career than simplydoing the tasks that are required. Sowhy has such a large cohort of the edu-cated population suddenly become soperversely obtuse about what wasonce a commonplace of adult life?

There has to be something biggerinvolved in this startling social devel-opment which nobody, so far as Irecall, foresaw. Nursing my own per-sonal grief over the loss of the cultur-al landmarks of the year — the con-certs and the theatre, the opera and theart exhibitions — it suddenly struckme that virtually all of these events hadbeen hit recently by their own traumat-ic identity crises.

I found myself thinking aloud:“Western culture has been consider-ing a means of suicide for a while.

Maybe it’s finally found it.” In momentsof despair it had occurred to me thatthere was something of a medievalDark Age about the current mood:Extinction Rebellion with its childsaints and the self-flagellating Wokeculture.

Being given an apparently soundreason to disable the most notablemanifestations of that historical tradi-tion which we are now being encour-aged to denounce: What could be bet-ter suited to the weird, vaguely hyster-ical, fashion of the times? Fear may bethe most dangerous contagion but I amcoming around to the view that this isnot simple fear. It is a mass neurosisof which irrational and prolonged anx-iety is a symptom. A corrosive loss ofconfidence and understanding of one’srole and identity which will, if it pre-vails, ultimately undermine the qual-ity of modern life more irrevocablythan any virus.

It is not only our official culturalinstitutions that are at risk here. Oneof the most fundamental principles ofpost-war liberal democracy is on trialor, at least, coming up for examination.

The pandemic has been a moralpredicament at least as much as ahealth crisis. When this whole bizarrechapter is finally over, the questionsthat needed to be put, but for whichthere was no time, will be luminous-ly clear. How much should we haveasked the general populace to sacrificein order to protect what we knew,almost from the start, would be a quite

small, vulnerable minority? Is personal liberty — normally of

unquestionable value in a democracyduring peacetime — expendable whenhealthcare systems are under sufficientstrain? Where exactly do we draw theline on the right of governments to dic-tate the terms of personal relations?

Perhaps we have learned morethan we wished to know about theassumptions that underpin theGovernment in the modern era. If, forexample, we accept that the Stateshould provide healthcare in somemore or less comprehensive form, doesthat mean that it has the right (or eventhe duty) to ensure that its medicalinfrastructure is not threatened?

And does that provision oblige theState to put the protection of everyindividual life above, say, the qualityof life of the unaffected majority? Isthat the essence of the modern polit-ical conscience, and if it is, hadn’t webetter discuss it openly? After all, theseare our personal liberties at stake.

So there was an odd mix here: Onthe one hand, the very modern ideathat it is the duty of governments toprevent a single life being lost — anotion which the medieval mind withits fatalistic acceptance of mortalitywould have found absurd — combinedwith a darkly superstitious dread ofsome unfathomable threat. Everybodyis saying that we have lived through astrange time. It may have been strangerthan we knew.

(Courtesy: The Daily Telegraph)

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At times, I lecture at mass commu-nication institutes and a few univer-sities. Often, I am struck by the near

sartorial uniformity among the students— the ubiquitous denim jeans. My esti-mate is that 80 per cent of college girls inDelhi wear trousers or a variant of it, 18per cent an assortment of garments andthe remaining two per cent salwar suits.Of the 80 per cent who wear trousers, Ireckon, 85 per cent would swear by jeans.Garima, like many of her tribe, finds themto be comfortable and requiring “littlemaintenance.” On the other hand,Anusuya, a second year student in a promi-nent women’s college, feels that the jeans-tee ensemble brings out her best features.

Starting from the 70s, more andmore women in India have been riding onthis craze whereas the adoption of this“male” garment in the West had its moor-ings in the exigencies of the period and inideology. According to FashionEncyclopedia, the term “jeans” has exist-ed since the 1600s, where it was a compre-

hensive term to describe the “roughclothing worn by working men.” Since thefabric for making this apparel often camefrom Genoa in Italy, it was labelled as“jean”. With weavers in the Nimes, Francereplicating this fabric, it acquired a newname: Denim, a corruption of the words“de Nimes.” The indigo dye used tocolour the fabric blue came from India.Hence, denim meant blue jeans.

During World War I (WW-I), women,having joined the workforce, started wear-ing uniforms that were akin to men’s in fab-ric and style. This meant the transforma-tion in the appearance of women from thefeminine to masculine. Hence, taking totrousers was the next logical sartorial step.But then these tacky tracks didn’t go toofar. The end of the war brought fundamen-tal changes in British society as womenoutnumbered men. They felt compelled toappear more attractive. Hollywood hero-ines inspired them to wear make-up. Thenew German cult of sun-bathing becamepopular and sun-tanned bodies a statussymbol of rich and fashionable women.With significant changes in sexual moral-ity, availability of contraception and thefounding of the abortion clinic of MarieStopes, women were spurred to revealmore of their bodies: legs, arms, chest,back. But the great depression of the 30s,coupled with the Wall Street crash, highunemployment and higher taxation in theUS led to a social churning. Marriedwomen were compelled to give up theirjobs and return to “sweet domesticity.” Yet,

in 1934, Levi Strauss & Co. took a risk, for-ever altering the course of women’s fash-ion. It introduced the world’s first jeansmade exclusively for women: Lady Levi’sjeans for women working on farms andranches. However, Europe was slow inwarming up to this concept. Thus, for adecade or so, almost all sartorial symbolsof masculinity remained mothballed.

WW-II put women back into theworkforce and pants this time on bothsides of the Atlantic. Popular posters ofwomen workers encouraged others to wearpractical overalls, dungarees and jeans. Butpost-war, women again succumbed to thenatural instincts of femininity, prodded bymyriad fashion pundits. Christian Diorlaunched the “New Look” in Paris, return-ing women to an overtly feminine silhou-ette which gave them an hour-glass figureand an extravagance so long denied tothem. Some other Parisian fashion hous-es like Givenchy, Yves Saint Laurent andPierre Cardin, too, captivated the imagi-nation of the fashion conscious, stimulat-ed, as they were, by Hollywood divas likeMarilyn Monroe, Audrey Hepburn andElizabeth Taylor.

But it was the rapid economic inde-pendence of women and their growinginterest in sports and leisure activities, therelaxing of parental control over teenagersand the latter’s craving to dress like theiranti-establishment idols Elvis Presley,James Dean and Beatles that led to a revivalof interest in trousers. Another set ofcounter-culturists were the beatniks who

rejected notions of glamour. The hippy rev-olution of the 70s, which held sway overthe imagination of people globally, broughta new dimension. For the first time,women wore everything from “bedazzledand studded to bootcut jeans in public.”

Almost concurrently, and as a reactionto the entire package of fashion that sculpt-ed the female body into a sexual object, theWomen’s Liberation Movement began inthe late 1960s. Femininity, the feministsargued, was a male ploy for manipulationand control over women. The crusadersadvocated wearing dungarees and jeansand no adornment. In the gambit ofachieving gender equality through sarto-rial parity, some women found trousers socomfortable that they abandoned wearingdresses and coined a new word, “powerdressing.” In India, too, there is no short-age of power dressers. Thus, shorn of anyexistential exigencies, Indians have suc-cumbed to be swaddled in trousers andblue jeans to conform to the global pull.While for the upper classes, foreign labelsare a way of identification with theirWestern peers, for the not so privilegedwearing jeans is a practical way of life anda means to be at par with their aspirationalmodels. Notwithstanding the advent ofnew fabrics and silhouettes, trousers andjean have maintained a firm footing. It hasbecome a universal cultural languagethat inscribes the body.

(The writer is former ADG,Doordarshan and founder ExecutiveDirector, Lok Sabha TV)

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New Delhi: Facebook founderMark Zuckerberg on Thursdaysaid the social network wouldstop accepting new political adsin the week before the US pres-idential election in Novemberamid concerns that its looserules could once again beexploited to interfere with thevote like in 2016. The announce-ment comes amid heightenedscrutiny of Facebook’s influ-ence on politics including incountries like India where thesocial media giant has beenaccused of ignoring hate speechby BJP leaders to placate the rul-ing party.

In a Facebook postannouncing the changes, MrZuckerberg, chief executive ofthe world’s biggest social net-work, wrote that he was con-cerned about the unique chal-lenges voters would face due tothe coronavirus pandemic,which has prompted a surge invoting by mail. “I’m also worriedthat with our nation so dividedand election results potentiallytaking days or even weeks to befinalized, there could be anincreased risk of civil unrestacross the country,” he said. MrZuckerberg has previouslydefended his decision to allowfor a freewheeling political con-versation on Facebook. AFP

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APakistani court onThursday directed the

Ministry of Foreign Affairs toexecute a non-bailable arrestwarrant against former primeminister Nawaz Sharif in a 34-year land allotment case,according to media reports.

During the plot allotmenthearing, Model Town PoliceInspector Bashir Ahmed toldLahore Accountability Court’sJudge Asad Ali that Sharif wasnot at his residence.

Last month, the account-ability court had issued a bail-able arrest warrant and servedsummons at all known address-es of the three-time prime min-ister, who is currency in Londonfor medical treatment.

London: A prominent Britishhuman rights lawyer is conven-ing an independent tribunal inLondon to investigate whetherthe Chinese government’salleged rights abuses againstUighur Muslims in the far west-ern Xinjiang region constitutegenocide or crimes againsthumanity.

The tribunal is expected toreveal new evidence and testi-mony over several days’ hearingsnext year. While the tribunaldoes not have government back-ing, it is the latest attempt to hold

China accountable for its treat-ment of the Uighurs and ethnicTurkic minorities, who havebeen subject to an unprece-dented crackdown since 2017.

Barrister Geoffrey Nice,who previously led the prose-cution of ex-Serbian President?Slobodan Milosevic over theBalkans war and worked withthe International CriminalCourt, was asked by the WorldUighur Congress to investigate“ongoing atrocities and possiblegenocide” against the Uighurpeople. AP

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For the first time, Hinduwidows in Bangladesh will

have the rights to both agri-cultural and non-agriculturallands of their deceased hus-bands after a top court ruled intheir favour, according to amedia report.

The Bangladesh HighCourt on Wednesday ruledthat no separation has been made between the agri-cultural and non-agriculturallands. So Hindu widows havethe rights to the lands of theirhusbands, The Daily Starreported.

Under the current norm,Hindu widows in the countryare only entitled to their spouses' homesteads and not

any other assets like agricul-tural land.

"Hindu widows will havethe rights to both agricultur-al and non-agricultural landsthat belonged to their hus-bands. They will also get theright to sell the lands for legalnecessities during their life-time," the report said, citingthe court order.

The verdict by the HighCourt came following a civilrevision petition filed by civil-ian Jyotindranath Mondal fromKhulna district challenging alower court verdict.

On March 7, 2004,Khulna's joint district judgedelivered judgement in a casefiled by Jyotindranath, sayingthat Gouri Dasi, widow ofJyotindranath's elder brotherAvimannu Mondal, will getright to the agricultural land ofher late husband.

The land had been record-ed in the name of Gouri afterAvimannu died in 1996.

Jyotindranath had filed thecase with the court of an assis-tant judge in Khulna challeng-ing the record of the land in thename of Gouri Dasi in 1996.

Berlin: German ChancellorAngela Merkel faced growingpressure on Thursday to recon-sider the Nord Stream 2 pipeline,which will take gas from Russiato Germany, after she saidKremlin critic Alexei Navalnywas poisoned with a Soviet-stylenerve agent.

Merkel said on Wednesdaythat Navalny, who is being treat-ed in a Berlin hospital, was thevictim of a murder attemptusing the nerve agent Novichok,and demanded an explanationby Russia.

Moscow has denied involve-ment in the incident and theRussian foreign ministry saidGermany’s assertion was notbacked by evidence.

Western countries have con-demned the attack on Navalnyand many German politicianswant a tough response.

“We must pursue hard pol-itics, we must respond with theonly language (RussianPresident Vladimir) Putinunderstands - that is gas sales,”Norbert Roettgen, head ofGermany’s parliamentary for-eign affairs committee, toldGerman radio. “If the Nord

Stream 2 pipeline is completednow, it would be the maximumconfirmation and encourage-ment for Putin to continue thiskind of politics,” Roettgen, amember of conservatives, toldGerman television earlier.

Nord Stream 2 is set to dou-ble the capacity of the existingNord Stream 1 pipeline in car-rying gas directly from Russia toGermany. Led by Russian com-

pany Gazprom with Westernpartners, the project is morethan 90% finished and due tooperate from early 2021. Thismay complicate efforts to stop it.

The project has divided theEuropean Union, with somecountries warning it willundermine the traditional gastransit state, Ukraine, andincrease the bloc’s reliance onRussia for energy supplies. AFP

Taipei: China’s “vulgar threats”over a visit by the CzechRepublic’s senate speaker toTaiwan are like a cold, unwel-come winter wind and contrastwith the courteous words thespeaker offered while inTaiwan, a senior Taiwanesepolitician said on Thursday.

China, which claimsTaiwan as its sovereign terri-tory, has condemned CzechSenate speaker Milos Vystrcilfor going. The Chinese gov-ernment’s top diplomat WangYi said this week he would pay

a “heavy price” for visiting thedemocratic island.

Vystrcil declared himself tobe Taiwanese in a speech atTaiwan’s parliament onTuesday, channelling the lateU.S. President John F.Kennedy’s defiance of com-munism in Berlin in 1963,further angering Beijing butwinning plaudits in Taipei.

Speaking with Vystrcil byhis side Taipei, Taiwan parlia-ment Speaker You Si-kunpraised his “stirring” speech atthe legislature. AP

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Moscow: Russian PresidentVladimir Putin’s spokesmanbrushed off allegationsThursday that the Kremlin wasinvolved in poisoning Putin’smost determined critic, accus-ing Germany of not providingMoscow with any evidenceabout the condition of Russiandissident Alexei Navalny.

Navalny, a politician andcorruption investigator, fell illon a flight to Moscow on Aug.20 and was taken to a hospitalin the Siberian city of Omsk. Hehas been in an induced coma

for more than a week in a Berlinhospital after being flown fromSiberia to Germany for treat-ment more than a week ago.

German authorities saidWednesday that tests showed“proof without doubt” that hehad been poisoned with achemical nerve agent from theNovichok group. But Kremlinspokesman Dmitry Peskovinsisted Thursday that Russianauthorities still had notreceived any evidence fromGermany to back up their alle-gation. AP

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Wilmington (US): Joe Biden iscalling the struggle to reopenUS schools amid the coron-avirus a “national emergency”and accusing President DonaldTrump of turning his back tostoke passions instead aboutunrest in America’s cities.

The Democratic presiden-tial nominee’s broadsides camea day ahead of his own trip toKenosha, Wisconsin, whereBiden said he wants to help“heal” a city reeling fromanother police shooting of aBlack man.

The wounding of JacobBlake and subsequent demon-strations have made the polit-ical battleground state a focalpoint for debate over police andprotest violence, as well as theactions of vigilante militias.

Biden assailed Trump forhis vilifying of protesters as wellas his handling of the pandemicthat has killed nearly 190,000Americans and crippled thenational economy, leaving mil-lions out of work, schoolsstraining to deal with studentsin classrooms or at home andparents struggling to keep up.

An American president,Trump’s challenger declared,should be able to lead through

multiple crises at the sametime.

“Where is the president?Why isn’t he working on this?,”Biden asked.

“We need emergency sup-port funding for our schools —and we need it now. Mr.President, that is your job.That’s what you should befocused on — getting our kidsback to school. Not whippingup fear and division — notinciting violence in our streets.”

Trump answered almostimmediately with his ownevent in North Carolina, wherehe continued casting theprotests generally as “violentmobs here at home” that mustbe met with a strong show offorce.

“These people know onething: strength,” he said.

If local leaders would askfor federal muscle, Trump said,“We’ll have it done in onehour.”

Trump later tweeted, “MyAdministration will do every-thing in its power to preventweak mayors and lawless citiesfrom taking Federal dollarswhile they let anarchists harmpeople, burn buildings, andruin lives and businesses.” AP

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Six young Portuguese activistslaunched on Thursday a

European human rights caseagainst 33 countries in the lat-est legal effort to force govern-ments to step up their fightagainst climate change.

The six filed a claimThursday asking the EuropeanCourt of Human Rights tohold the countries accountablefor their allegedly inadequateefforts to cut greenhouse gasemissions.

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New Delhi: Team NTPC over-came a stiff challenge to emergeas winner at the recently con-cluded All India ManagementAssociation (AIMA) -Chanakya (Business SimulationGame) National ManagementGames (NMG) 2020. The vic-tory was also significant sinceNTPC won the prestigiousNational Management Gamesfor the first time in five years.The team from NTPC Vallur,Tamil Nadu achieved the feat ofbeing crowned the national

champion after competingagainst teams from 112 organ-isations from different parts ofthe country.

The team comprised ShriChinnathambi G, Manager,C&I Maintenance; ShriSenkguttuvan P J, Manager,Operations (Main Plant); ShriYoginderkumar J, Manager,Operation from NTPC Vallur.Team NTPC Vallur qualifiedfor the regional rounds, whichwas held online and subse-quently qualified for the Finals.

New Delhi: Strongly welcoming thereview of ASEAN-India FTA agreedupon by ASEAN countries on India’srequest, Indian Paper ManufacturersAssociation (IPMA) has requested theUnion Ministry of Commerce &Industry to put paper & paperboardin the negative list so as to provide alevel-playing field for Indian papermanufacturers who have been bearingthe brunt of indiscriminate import ofcheap paper, especially writing, print-

ing paper, from ASEAN countries.“Domestic paper mills have been

severely impacted due to importsflooding into the country from ASEANcountries at nil basic customs duty.Several smaller paper mills, and evena few large ones, have been forced toshutdown their operations due tocommercial unviability. There is ade-quate production capacity in the coun-try which is currently under-utilised,”said IPMA president AS Mehta.

Greater Noida: Greater NoidaCity is developing very fast asa modern city. Over here alltypes of modern facilities,international level basic facili-ties, broad-gauge roads, allmodern facilities like multiplex,golf, greenery, parks and recre-ation facilities. Due to coron-avirus epidemic, swimmingpool gym clubs etc. are closedin the State. Also, people arenot able to take advantage ofthese facilities due to the said

epidemic and social distancing.The Greater Noida

Authority is considering to pre-pare an alternative system keep-ing in view the current eventsand circumstances. So that thecommon people/residents herestart their morning in a healthyand natural environment of theabove activities by going out ofthe buildings / houses to starttheir morning in a better way,such as morning walk, yoga,exercise and recreation etc.

New Delhi: Airports Authorityof India, in collaboration withthe Defense Research andDevelopment Organisation(DRDO) and StateGovernment is developing theDeoghar Airport in Jharkhand.The development of airportwith project cost of �401.34Croreis underway and will becompleted very soon

The airport will spreadacross 653.75 acres of land andits Terminal Building is beingbuilt in an area of 4000sqmeter. With a 2,500-meter-long runway, the airport will besuitable for operation of Air Bus320 type of aircraft.The termi-nal building will have six check-in counters and two arrival beltswith peak hour handling capac-ity of 200 passengers.

With environment-friendlyarchitectural design and state-of-the-art passenger facilities, theterminal building will be a com-posite structure inspired by the

Shikharsof the BaidyanathTemple. The interiors will depictlocal tribal arts, handicrafts,and pictures of local touristdestinations highlighting theculture of the region.

Deoghar Airport, the sec-ond airport in Jharkhand afterRanchi, a six-hour drive away,is situated on the North Easternside of the state and will have awide catchment area includingNorthern West Bengal andSouth-Eastern Bihar.Development of this airportwillgive an impetus to local tourismand will generate employmentas large part of the local popu-lation depends on tourism forits livelihood.

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Diesel price on Thursdaywas cut for the first time in

close to six months after state-owned fuel retailers reducedretail selling rate by 16 paise perlitre. Diesel now costs �73.40per litre in the national Capital,as against �73.56 a litre previously, according to a pricenotification of state-owned fuel retailers.

Petrol, which witnessedthe second rally in rates begin-ning mid-August, wasunchanged at �82.08 a litre.

This is the first reductionin diesel price since mid-Marchwhen Indian Oil Corp (IOC),Bharat Petroleum Corp Ltd(BPCL) and HindustanPetroleum Corp Ltd (HPCL)froze rates for 82 days to adjusta record hike in excise duty onauto fuels against falling bench-mark cost.

Diesel rates had gone up by�12.55 a litre between June 7,when oil firms resumed revis-ing prices in line with cost, andJuly 25. Diesel price has

remained unchanged in thecountry since July 25, except inDelhi where a reduction inVAT lowered the rate by �8.38 per litre.

Petrol price went up by�9.17 per litre between June 7and June 29 before hitting a pause.

The revision cycle againstarted on August 16 and rateshave gone up by �1.51 sincethen. In all, the petrol price hasrisen by �10.68 since June 7.

In Mumbai, petrol comesfor �88.73 per litre while dieselis priced at �79.94, as against�80.11 previously, according tothe price notification.

In Kolkata, petrol is pricedat �83.57, while diesel nowcosts �76.90 a litre, down from�77.06 previously.

In Chennai, petrol comesfor �85.04 a litre and diesel for �78.71, as against �78.86previously.

State-owned fuel retailersrevise rates of petrol and dieseldaily based on average price ofbenchmark fuel in the preced-ing 15 days.

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Benchmark equity indicesclosed lower in a volatile

trade on Thursday, dragged bylosses mainly in banking coun-ters as overall weak macroeco-nomic scenario weighed oninvestor sentiment.

The BSE Sensex ended95.09 points or 0.24 per centlower at 38,990.94; and the NSE Nifty closed 7.55 points or 0.07 per cent down at 11,527.45.

On the Sensex chart, ICICIBank was the top loser, shed-ding around 2 per cent, fol-lowed by Bharti Airtel, AxisBank, Kotak Bank andPowerGrid.

On the other hand, Titan,Tech Mahindra, Nestle, Maruti,Sun Pharma and Asian Paintswere among the gainers.

Sectorally, BSE bankex,finance, metal, energy, realtyand utilities indices fell up to1.51 per cent.

While consumer durables,IT, teck, capital goods, indus-

trials and auto indices rose upto 3.37 per cent.

Broader midcap and small-cap indices outperformed theBSE benchmark, ending up to0.74 per cent higher.

“Markets exhibited volatil-ity and ended flat for the day,switching between gains andlosses. However, global mar-kets, especially Europe, weregenerally positive for the day,anticipating better economicdata,” Vinod Nair, Head ofResearch at Geojit FinancialServices, said.

Domestically, dataemerged that the services sec-tor had contracted for the 6thconsecutive month, in spite ofphased reopening of the economy in the last twomonths, he said, adding thatthis has led to worries that thecomeback, foreseen for theeconomy, could be long drawn out.

The market turned nega-tive after the latest IHS Markit Services PurchasingManagers’ Index (PMI) con-

tracted for the sixth successivemonth in August.

The seasonally adjustedIndia Services Business ActivityIndex rose sharply from 34.2 inJuly to 41.8 in August, the high-est since March, before theescalation of the pandemic.

The downturn in India’sservices sector activity eased inAugust but remained in thecontraction zone as Covid-19pandemic-induced restrictionscontinued to adversely impactclient demand and businessoperations.

Bourses in Shanghai andHong Kong ended in the red,while Tokyo and Seoul closedwith gains.

Stock exchanges on inEurope were trading on a pos-itive note in early deals.

Global oil benchmarkBrent crude was trading 1.40per cent lower at USD 43.81 perbarrel.

In the forex market, therupee depreciated 44 paise and closed at 73.47 against theUS dollar.

Chennai: Auto component manufacturers are expected tosuffer about 15-18 per cent decline in their revenues inFY21 and an average of 100 basis points (bps) in their EBIT-DA due to sharp contraction in demand over what theindustry experienced during FY20, said Brickwork Ratingsin a report released on Thursday.

According to Brickwork Ratings, during FY20, the rev-enues of auto ancillaries declined about 8-10 per cent aftera year-on-year (yoy) increase until FY19. The reductionin revenue is owing to the shrinking order book fromOriginal Equipment Manufacturers (OEMs) due to lowerautomobile sales in the country last fiscal, it said.

According to the rating agency, the auto componentmakers’ revenue is expected to slip by about 15-18 per centin FY21 on account of lower income levels and continued

weak sentiments.“BWR (Brickwork Ratings) expects export revenues

to decline as well in FY21 as more than 50 per cent of ourexports are to markets in Europe, the UK and the US, anddemand from these markets is expected to decline amidthe Covid-19 outbreak and postponement of model launch-es or deferment/cancellation of orders,” the report said.

According to the report, auto components players willbe affected adversely in the first quarter of the current fis-cal and, to some extent, during the second quarter as well.

The rating agency expects a gradual recovery in vehi-cle sales from the second half of the current fiscal owingto pent-up demand, an improvement in OEMs produc-tion activities and the easy availability of credit fromfinanciers. IANS

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The NHAI has debarred theconcessionaire of the under

construction elevated corridoron 6-laning of NH-248-A fromRajiv chowk to Sohna fromparticipating in any NHAI bids(directly or in association/ JV)involving major structuralworks after its explanation for the collapse of a span of the stretch was found unsatisfactory.

Following the collapse lastmonth, the concessionaire, M/sRajiv Chowk-Sohna HighwayPvt. Ltd. and its promoters i.e.M/s Oriental StructuralEngineers Pvt. Ltd, was issueda show cause notice to explainthe violation of the obliga-tions under the ConcessionAgreement.

The explanation furnishedby the concessionaire wasfound to be unsatisfactory,NHAI officials said, addingmoreover, lapses were alsofound in implementation of thesafety measures/workman-ship/adherence to construc-tion methodologies/ proce-dures, which were highlightedtime and again to the contrac-tor before the incident.

Therefore, it was establishedthat the concessionaire failed todischarge its obligation to con-struct a safe structure and toensure safety of the user and pedestrians on the previ-ous occasions and during theaccident as well, the officialsmaintained.

Accordingly, with imme-diate effect, the concessionairehas been debarred from par-ticipating in any NHAI bids(directly or in association/ JV)involving major structuralworks until they demonstratereliable construction method-ologies/ designs and adequatesafety measures at sight; anddemonstrate that such type ofaccident does not occur inother part of their works.

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Finance Minister NirmalaSitharaman on Thursday

directed banks to roll out res-olution schemes for Covid-related stress by September 15.

During her interactionwith the heads of scheduledcommercial banks and NBFCsthrough a video conference,Sitharaman focused on lendersimmediately putting in placeboard-approved policy for res-olution, identifying eligibleborrowers and reaching out tothem, said an official statement.

She also called for quickimplementation of a sustainedresolution plan by lenders forrevival of every viable business.

Sitharaman told the lendersthat as and when moratoriumon loan repayments is lifted,borrowers must be given sup-port and Covid-19 related dis-

tress must not impact thelenders’ assessment of theircredit-worthiness.

Further, she also called for asustained media campaign tocreate awareness among the bor-rowers for the resolution scheme.She advised lenders to ensurethat regularly updated FAQs onthe resolution framework areuploaded on their websites inHindi, English and regional lan-guages, and also circulated totheir offices and branches.

“The lenders assured thatthey are ready with their reso-lution policies, and have start-ed the process of identifyingand reaching out to eligibleborrowers, and that they willcomply with the timelines stip-ulated by the Reserve Bank ofIndia (RBI),” said the FinanceMinistry statement. The min-istry said that it has also beenengaging with the RBI to

ensure that the lenders areassisted by the central bank inthe resolution process.

As the pandemic has led tosevere economic stress acrosssectors, the RBI in Augustannounced to provide a reso-lution framework to enablethe lenders to implement a res-olution plan, in respect of eli-gible corporate borrowers with-out change in ownership whilecontinuing the account statusas standard, subject to specifiedconditions.

During the virtual meet onThursday, the Finance Ministeralso reviewed the progress madeby various lenders under ECLGS,PCGS 2.0 and subordinate debtschemes announced as part ofthe ‘Aatmanirbhar BharatAbhiyaan’, and advised lenders totry and extend the maximumpossible relief to borrowersbefore the festive season.

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Everyone loves to go out and eatbut amid the COVID-19 pan-

demic and health and governmentofficials urging people to stayhome as much as possible, we havebeen forced to eat home-cookedfood every day. And during thistime, while many waited impa-tiently for the unlock, many choseto bring out their inner chef andtaste the joy of home-cooking.Social media videos and YouTubechannels became the learning tool,teaching people how to prepare allkinds of quick and easy restaurant-styled recipes in their own kitchen.Well, social media is a testament toall those delicacies.

However, how many tried toadopt or cook meals the tradition-al way? For instance, a thali mealsystem is something that we shouldintroduce into our daily lives. Thistime is also a good opportunity. Athali (plate) is a big round base thatholds small bowls (also calleddunas), carrying specified quanti-ties of various food items. The firstmention of dunas can traced backin the texts from the Vedic period,but the portions we see in today’sthalis have changed drastically.Well, most of it would find its rootsin the establishment of new socialstructures and modern lifestyles.

The significance of this thali isthat it offers the right amount ofnutrients required to maintain ahealthy body and lifestyle. It helpsus ensure that we are consumingbalanced meals. This situation ofstaying home has presented us withan opportunity to prepare and con-sume these balanced meals. Ahealthy diet can protect the humanbody against several diseases, espe-cially non-communicable onessuch as obesity, diabetes, cardiovas-cular diseases, some types of can-cer and skeletal conditions. It alsohelps us maintain a healthyimmune system, important to

fight the fast-spreading viruses likeCOVID-19.

For decades, it has been ourculture to eat together as a family.This was another advantage of thelockdown with all family membersstaying at home. Indian cultureencourages consumption of whole-some meals and have also passedon several combo recipes to us. Itlays great emphasis on portioncontrol to avoid problems like obe-sity, experiencing the variety offlavour and textures and sharing offood with everyone. Indian thalishave hence been a rich diet mealthat does not only take care of the

tastebuds but also provides all thenecessary nutrients. We shouldcontinue to carry our tasty andhealthy food culture with us anduse it in our daily lives.

Here are some of the tips toprepare a healthy and balancedIndian thali at home:

- Striking a balance in the pro-portions of carbohydrates, fats,proteins, vitamins, minerals, andwater they consume, is important. � Including these items in yourdaily meals is crucial to follow abalanced diet — fruits, vegetables,grains, proteins, dairy and oils.Fruits and vegetables are rich in

several nutrients, especially vita-mins and minerals. Dark, leafygreens such as spinach, cabbage,broccoli, and green beans are alsohighly-nutritious ingredients thatshould not be skipped.� Consuming whole grainsinstead of refined grains since thelatter lack the hull containingmost of the grain’s nutrition.Adding proteins to your meals inthe form of meats and beans willaid in muscle and brain growth.� The breakfast should contain acombination of complex carbs,proteins, and fibre. Experimentwith different kinds of omelettes,

vegetable rich poha, upma orsandwich, stuffed parathas,idli/dosa/uttapam with chutney orsambar.� For lunch, remember to fillyour plate half with vegetables andfruits, one fourth with proteinsand the remaining one-fourthwith carbs. Simple meals can betasty too, if cooked the right way.Mix vegetable khichdi or pulao orRajma rice with buttermilk orcurd, paneer wrap with boiledchana and lassi or pasta withpaneer salad and curd are allgreat meals for a soul-fillinghealthy lunch. Non-vegetarians

can opt for items like fish currywith rice and curd.� The dinner should always bethe lightest meal. Bisibele ricewith curd, dal rice and vegetableor soup with pulao are the bestchoices to end your day with.

- Between these meals, onecan have another round of fruits,a chana chaat or sprouts as asnack instead of caffeine-filledtea/coffee.� Adding nutrient-rich ingredi-ents like pepper, ginger, garlic,cumin, cloves, fenugreek seeds,turmeric to your everyday foodregulates the healthy factor in thebody. These spices carry chemi-cal compounds which have anti-bacterial, anti-fungal, anti-micro-bial and anti-viral propertieswhich help fight several kinds ofinfections.� Hydrating beverages shouldnot be missed out. Apart fromdrinking at least two litres ofwater every day, one can alsoconsume healthy and tasty drinkslike fruit juices, milk shakes,buttermilk, coconut water tobeat dehydration.� Other items which can beincluded are roasted chana,peanuts, makhana, chikkis,puffed rice, bajra, jowar, maize,ragi flour, wholegrain breads,wheat pizza bases and wheat pas-tas, tender coconut, green tea,olive oil, groundnut, soyabeanand mustard oil in your kitchenpantry. These are some of thehealthiest ingredients available inthe local Indian markets.

Following a healthy Indianthali system can play an instru-mental role in not only enhanc-ing the quality of your health butcan also uplift your mental well-being.

(The writer is the goodwillambassador of MyThali pro-gramme.)

Afew years ago,Maruti had

invited automotivejournalists to theUmaid BhawanPalace in Jodhpurto experience something com-pletely new in the small carspace. Well, ostensibly, the carwas the new Maruti-SuzukiCelerio. The new was the factthat the car featured an‘Automated ManualTransmission’ or AMT gear-box. While AMT was not a newtechnology, by bringing it intocompact hatchbacks, Marutihad once again transformed themarket and made automatics, ina manner of speaking, afford-able. AMTs are not really ‘auto-matic’ gearboxes. After its clutchpedal has been removed, theheadache of always moving yourleft foot in urban traffic condi-tions still remains.

As a few years went by,AMTs really began to feel a bitsluggish, particularly as enginepower outputs went up. Moreoften than not, you found your-self in a power band that felttotally inappropriate for theconditions on some cars. Not all,to be fair, but the fact was thatsomewhere down there as anautomotive writer, you knewthat AMT gearboxes were acost compromise. They certain-ly didn’t allow for any enthusi-astic driving. Although theycould be deadly efficient onceyou mastered the throttle pedal.This was an old technology andwhile it had its purpose in pop-ularising automatic gearboxesamong Indians, carmakers coulddo a bit better. Truth be told, sev-eral of them have done a lot bet-ter. There have been consider-able efforts in making CVTgearboxes and regular torqueconverter gearboxes much moreaffordable. Lately, dual-clutchgearboxes are also coming downthe value chain with Hyundai-Kia making it an option on theirtop-end Venue and on the forth-coming Sonet.

However, both these carswill have something totally fas-cinating as an option, the‘Intelligent ManualTransmission’ — a gearbox thatthe manufacturers claim will

give you the thrill of changinggears while removing the clutch.Hyundai was first off the markand celebrated the first anniver-sary of last year’s ICOTY win-ning Venue by launching theIMT version of that car.

There are a lot of sensorsconnected to a lot of softwarecode that allow the driver to dothis, but my first impressions ofthe car were very weird. Asaccustomed as I have become todriving automatic cars over thepast few years, this felt likesomething had gone wrong tomy poor brain. No clutch, sodon’t change gears it went andthen you hear an alarm goingoff instructing you to changegears, wait, what? As the sayinggoes, you can’t teach an old dognew tricks. Well, this was a newtrick on the car, and it took mesome time to get adjusted. I’msaying this after years of quiteeasily jumping from one car tothe next without any prob-lems, going from a 50 horse-power hatchback to a 500+horsepower supercar, from alimousine longer than someboats to the Tata Nano. Beenthere, done that, but neverdone this.

It took me a bit of time, butpossibly this dog isn’t ready forthe pasture yet. Once I got thehang of it, the IMT was actual-ly quite a bit of fun. Sure, it isn’tquite as exhilarating as a man-ual is on the Venue turbo-petrol. The gear changes do feela bit notchy at times, but onlya couple of hours with the carand one can get used to thisnew feeling. If you do buy thiscar, I’m pretty sure you will alsogo through a learning curvethat will require a few days.That said, what did concern mewas — once used to such a car,how would a driver get back toa regular manual? I don’t havean answer! But the way themarket is evolving, manuals areincreasingly a thing of the past.This is just a step to makingthem extinct.

Were you confusedabout the kind oftattoo you wanted

some time back? Did youscroll through hundreds ofpictures to decide what tofinally get inked and where?Well, you perhaps got a lit-tle late in deciding things asthe pandemic has turnedeverything upside down.

The nature of this pro-fession is highly personal asgetting inked cannot be acontactless activity.Considering safety andsocial distancing as theneed of the hour, most ofthe people are now hesitat-ing to get tattooed. Also,now that people only stepout for the essentials, theybelieve tattooing can waitfor a while! However, thishas landed the industry insome major troubles.

The impact has beensuch that it seems to havepierced a hole in the indus-try. Several tattoo artistsand studios are strugglingto meet even their basicexpenses. Unlike other pro-fessions, these artistes can-not join another companyafter a job loss as their jobis not based on qualifica-tion but skills. And workfrom home definitely can’tbe an option here.

Veteran and celebrity

tattoo artist Vikas Malani,founder, BodyCanvasTattoos, says, “We areartists and need clients torun our businesses andshowcase our skills. Sincetattooing is a person-to-person job, the loss is highin this industry. Earlier,around 20 customers usedto visit our studio every dayon an average but now thefootfalls have reduced totwo or three. Even theones who visit are our reg-ular customers, there areno new ones. With suchless clients, the inflow ofmoney seems to be scary.”

He further adds thatthey require at least one ortwo hours to ink, unlikeother places where people

go into a store, purchaseand leave within a fewminutes. So the chances ofcontracting the virus ishigh as people are in con-stant contact with the stu-dio artists who meet a lotof other customersthroughout the day.

Now, after a series oflockdowns and relaxations,the industry is slowlyrestarting and people havebeen constantly thinkingabout newer and safe waysto run their tattoo studios.They are following fre-quent sanitisation, use faceshields, gloves and masks.It is also advised to providea safety kit to the artists andpeople visiting the studio.

“Even before this pan-

demic, we used to wearsafety gloves and masks.However, now it hasbecome more significant asit can be one of the mostcommon or easy ways forthe transmission of virus,”says Vikas.

Though it becomeschallenging to run the busi-ness with limited resources,necessary precautions areessential for safety. Vikaslists some of the safetymeasures to considerbefore getting a tattoo.

Safety measures for studiocrew�Sanitise your hands andwear a fresh pair of protec-tive gloves for each client.�Check the body temper-ature of all the staff mem-bers, including the artists,every day before they enterthe studio.�It is advisable to allowonly one client at a timeinside the studio.�Ensure that the studio,including furniture andworkstation, is properlysterilised.�Sterilise non-disposableequipment, instrumentsand supplies.�Don’t miss sanitising fre-quently used areas such asdrawers, handles, sinks andtables.

Safety measures for clients�Make sure that youapproach a standard andreputed tattoo parlour thatoperates with experiencedprofessionals and followsthe correct safety guide-lines.�Do all the consultationthrough phone calls andbook an appointmentbefore entering the studio.�Discuss the details,design and positioningover a call to reduce phys-ical contact. Ask your artistif they can digitally repre-sent the tattoo design to geta clear idea.�Try to visit the studiodirectly from your home toavoid transmission from athird party.�Only the person to beinked should enter the stu-dio to maintain social dis-tancing.�Be cautious about thecommon spots like door-knobs, chairs, tabletopsthat are touched frequent-ly by several people. Washyour hands after touchingany common area and usehand sanitiser.�Avoid carrying severalthings inside the studio.Some studios also providelockers for clients to keeptheir belongings to avoidpossible risks.

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The season is changing rapidly. Though as much as

this weather comes as a relieffrom the scorching heat, itadditionally brings infectionstoo. One’s immune system alsogets affected and extra care isrequired with mindful eating,physical exercise and constanthydration.

As we go further into theunlock phase, building yourbody’s natural defense system iscrucial at this time and premi-um health drinks and beveragescan play a key role in maintain-ing immune health. Immunityboosting is the top-most prior-ity now and staying hydrated isthe easiest way to boost theimmune system.

Premium immunity drinksare there to do the trick for you.Electrolyte and nutrient watersare also bigtime immunityboosters trusted by variouscelebrit ies. These drinksinclude vitamins and mineralsalong with ingredients likeherbs, vitamins, minerals,nootropics, amino acids, oradditional raw fruit or vegeta-bles.

Here are some drinks tohelp you boost your immunehealth.

��*����&'Enriched with 70+ miner-

als, this is the new-age blackalkaline water by AV Organics.Its description reads as 100 percent natural. It helps with sus-tained hydration, better detox-ification, reduced acidity,improved metabolism, height-ened alertness, and balancedpH levels in the body. It getssourced from the earth’s richcrust and derives its bold blackcolour from the goodness ofnature’s rare minerals. Evocusis also soon going to belaunched in Goa at variousHORECA outlets.

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Ginger tends to boost yourmetabolism and mood. It is bestwhen you meet it with itsentourage. We are talking aboutthe tangy tangerine and thecharming carrot, the threetogether conquer the healthquotient of your body and keepthe unwanted colds at bay. Thisblend shields your body with itsVitamin E goodness. The cold-pressed juice acts as the perfectstress-busting and anti-agingbodyguard we all need. It’s lowin calories and high in fiber. TheVitamin C filled health juicehelps fight allergies and thecommon cold.

������%* #� �"����The drink is pressed with

the integrity of AyurvedicSuperherbs. It constructsresilience and strengthensimmunity. It permits certainty,power, and enthusiasm. Thebrand also has a wide range ofblends for specific functions.

Rich in ingredients likeHaldi, moringa, amla, ashwa-gandha, this product is onestop for your wellness. These are100 per cent natural drinkswith the goodness of Ayurvedato look after your mind, body,skin, hair, and weight.

���#�� ���)�Shunya is a herbal-infused

drink with zero calories, zerosugar, zero preservatives. It isenriched with 50 per cent rec-ommended daily allowance ofvitamins like vitamin B3, vita-min B5, vitamin B6, vitamin B7,vitamin B12, and vitamin C.The drink rejuvenates mentalperformance with Brahmi,reduces tiredness with khusand monitors weight withkokum. With a variety of flavorslike orange, apple, and mixedfruit its a healthy treat for yourtaste buds.

The food consumed impactsthe human body’s ability tofight diseases and recover from

infections. Eating a healthy, nutritiousand balanced diet is important amidglobal pandemic, nutritionists said onthe occasion of national nutritionweek, being celebrated fromSeptember 1 to 7. Though no foodwill cure COVID-19 infections, ahealthy diet along with good physi-cal activity will help build a strongerimmune system to tackle the adverseimpact of the deadly Coronavirus,they said.

Doctors say that it is importantto know that good nutrition helpsreduce the risks of ailments like dia-betes, hypertension, obesity, heartdiseases, which are common reasonsfor falling prey to Coronavirus. Manytypes of cancers too can be prevent-ed by consuming healthy and nutri-tious food.

According to common under-standing, a healthy diet for a newbornbaby means exclusive breastfeedingin the first six months, with the intro-duction of nutritious and safe foods

to complement breast milk from sixmonths to two years and beyond. Foryoung children, a healthy and bal-anced diet is essential for growth anddevelopment, while for aged, it canhelp to ensure healthier and moreactive life.

“Food makes a world of differ-ence to our system which is linked tothe solar clock. Eating at regularhours means the energy levels remainsteady and do not sway from highsto lows. This will help body rhythmsettle down and it will balance out thehormones to keep the body ener-gized. Any food that is closest to itsnatural form, least processed and sea-sonal is the best for health,” saidSrilatha, Chief Clinical Nutritionist,Medicover Hospitals.

“Nutrient-rich food adds health,while processed and refined foodsadd empty calories, leaving youwithout energy and feeling low andcan lead to many diseases. Fermentedfoods add good bacteria that keep thegut healthy and the absorption ofnutrients efficient,” she said.

One must include adequate

amounts of whole grains, pulses, sea-sonal vegetables, green leafy vegeta-bles, whole fruits, milk and milkproducts, and to add moderateamounts of non-veg foods focusingon fish and skinless chicken. Wholegrains and pulses provide macronutrients like carbohydrate and pro-teins. Fruits and vegetables are excel-lent sources of vitamins, minerals,fibre and antioxidants.

Adding nuts to daily food is agreat habit, and it helps strengthenimmunity. Nuts and oil seeds addhealthy fats, dietary fibre, protein andmost importantly, antioxidants,which are known to clean up the freeradicals from the system. It is most

important to take adequate fluids likewater, lemon water, coconut water,buttermilk, homemade soups, pudi-na pani, zeera pani, and any othernon-sugary liquids to stay hydrated.Even a mild dehydration leaves thehuman body exhausted.

“Like any army fighting anenemy, the immune system needsgood, regular nourishment. It isobserved that people who do not eathealthy and do not care for immu-nity are more vulnerable to infec-tious diseases like COVID-19. Eatright to stay tight, must be the phi-losophy when it comes to consum-ing sufficient vitamins, minerals,and other nutrients,” said Zeenat

Fatima, Nutritionist, ContinentalHospitals.

Good nutrition and exercise iscrucial for health, particularly intimes when the immune systemmight need to fight back. Limitedaccess to fresh foods may compro-mise opportunities to continue eat-ing a healthy and varied diet. It canalso potentially lead to an increasedconsumption of highly processedfoods, which tend to be high inunhealthy trans fats, cholesterol,sugars, and salt. Nonetheless, evenwith a few and limited ingredients,one can continue eating a diet thatsupports good health.

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Under normal circumstances,Karolina Pliskova wouldnot have been seeded No 1

at the US Open and so, while a sec-ond-round loss certainly wouldhave been disappointing to her, andnoticed by others, it wouldn’t havebeen as newsworthy.

But what’s normal in 2020?With the women who are 1-2 inthe rankings choosing to skip thetrip to Flushing Meadows becauseof the pandemic, No 3 Pliskovaascended to the top spot in thedraw — and by Day 3, she wasgone.

Pliskova, the 2016 runner-up at the US Open, made hermood clear during a 6-1, 7-6 (2) loss to 50th-rankedCaroline Garcia onWednesday by throwinga racket, then againafterward with a seriesof clipped responses ather news conference.

Pliskova fidgetedwith the microphone.Sighed. Shruggedher shoulders.Rolled her eyes.

When areporter offeredpossible explana-tions for the defeat —a new, faster surface onthe courts, a lack of atmos-phere because there are no spec-tators, the pressure of her highseeding — Pliskova replied:“Nothing from what you said.”

Her reasoning for the result?“I didn’t play good,” Pliksova said,“so that’s it.”

When another member ofthe media said this back-and-forth must be boring toPliskova, she said, “Yeah, a lit-tle bit. Did you see the matchor no?” and soon afterremarked, “I don’t know if youunderstand tennis well enough.”

After a first round thatwent more to form than ever —29 of 32 seeded women wontheir opening matches, a USOpen record since the num-ber of seeds was doubled from16 in 2001 — the surprisesstarted in the second round.

Three Americans turned inupsets of seeded women. ShelbyRogers, ranked 93rd, beat 11th-seeded Elena Rybakina 7-5, 6-1;

Ann Li, who is ranked 128th,topped 13th-seeded Alison Riske 6-0, 6-3 in a matchup between twoplayers from Pennsylvania; andMadison Brengle, ranked 84th,took out 19th-seeded DayanaYastremska 6-2, 6-3.

Other seeded women whowere eliminated: No 12 MarketaVondrousova, No 30 KristinaMladenovic, No 31 AnastasijaSevastova.

Mladenovic’s loss was thewildest of them all. She led 6-1, 5-1, then later held four matchpoints, but never was able to fin-ish things off and ended up on thewrong end of a 1-6, 7-6 (2), 6-0result against 102nd-rankedVarvara Gracheva.

Two seeded men exited, too:No 13 Cristian Garin and No 24Hubert Hurkacz.

Unlike Pliskova, the No 1-seeded man, Novak Djokovic, onlyhad a brief blip on his way to thethird round and a 25-0 record in2020. Going back to late last sea-son, his winning streak is 28matches overall.

“I’m actually glad I did drop aset and got tested the way I didtoday against Kyle. I expected itto be a tough, tough task,” saidDjokovic, who has won five ofthe past seven Grand Slamtournaments to raise hismajor trophy total to 17, threebehind Roger Federer andtwo behind Rafael Nadal.“I’m really glad having anearly kind of tough match inthe tournament,” Djokovicsaid, because it kind of serves

me better, I think, for the rest of thetournament.”

Next up for him is No 28 Jan-Lennard Struff, someone Djokovicdismissed 6-3, 6-1 last week at theWestern & Southern Open.

Other winners on Wednesdayincluded No 4 Stefanos Tsitsipas,No 5 Alexander Zverev and No 7Davis Goffin.

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Jorge Messi, father and agent of Lionel Messi,appeared to concede his son could remain at

Barcelona this season, according to footagebroadcast by Spanish media on Thursday.

Messi senior seemingly replied “yes” whenasked by a reporter if they had considered thepossibility of staying at the club for another sea-son and then leaving for free next year, in a videorecorded by Spanish TV station Cuatro.

The images were captured as Jorge Messipulled into a parking garage reportedly foranother day of meetings with the family’slawyers.

He had arrived in Barcelona on Wednesday,landing at the private terminal in El Prat air-port on a flight from the Argentine city ofRosario.

Six-time Ballon d’Or winner Messi boy-cotted Barcelona’s first pre-season trainingsession on Monday, as he tries to force his wayout of the club he joined as a 13-year-old.

He also failed to attend a coronavirus testat Barcelona’s training ground on Sunday.

Messi’s father was followed throughout thecity by reporters and TV crews on Wednesday,and told reporters it would be “difficult” for hisson to stay at Barcelona.

According to local reports, club directorsmet with Messi and his advisers for more thantwo hours on Wednesday, but neither party waswilling to alter their stance.

Further negotiations are expected to be heldin due course between Barcelona and Messi’sentourage, which also includes his brotherRodrigo.

Barcelona insist their cap-tain remains under contractuntil June 2021 and will onlydepart if his �700 million releaseclause is activated, a stance thathas been backed by LaLiga, which says thatrelease clause stillapplies.

But Messi andhis lawyers arguehe should beallowed to go forfree this summeraccording to anotherclause in his contract,which they claim was trig-gered on Aug 25 when aburofax stating Messi’sintention to leave arrivedat Camp Nou.

BUNDESLIGA TO KEEP 5 SUBSTITUTIONSFrankfurt: (��� %$ ���#�&�� � �� )1� %$ ���#�&�� !�##�� �� $�� ��� �##�!� ����� �$�����$��� �� "��� ������ "��������� �),),2)41��#$���������� �����$����������$#�������� �������#��� �(�$�����1�(������ &�������������$��� !��� � ����$���� #���� ����� � ��� ���� #��&$����$� ��� ����� ���� ������ � ������� ��� ���� ���� ����$�"� �����1����������!�##��� �� $���������##�!���$"��������� ���""�&��� M�8�#$�� &� ��#�'����N� ��� ����� �����$���"��������1

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Sergio Ramos onWednesdaysaid that Lionel Messi

should be allowed to decideon his future as the Argentinesuperstar attempts to force hisway out of Barcelona after twodecades at the club.

“He has earned the rightto decide his future. I don’tknow if he is doing it in thebest way,” Ramos said ahead ofSpain’s opening UEFA NationsLeague clash with Germany inStuttgart.

“For Spanish football, forBarca and for us who like tobeat the best, we would likehim to stay.”

Ramos has been one ofMessi’s fiercest rivals as Barcahave battled it out for domes-tic and European dominancewith the Spain captain’s clubside Real Madrid.

The 34-year-old centre-back said that the departure ofone of the greatest ever play-ers would be a big blow forSpanish football.

“Leo makes the SpanishLeague and his team better, hemakes the Clasicos more

beautiful because you like towin while being against thebest and he is one of the bestin the world.

“He has earned the rightto decide for himself.”

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Australia’s Marnus Labuschagne may have towait to make his T20I debut despite a dazzling

start to the tour of England, according to captainAaron Finch.

Labuschagne, a breakout star of last year’sdrawn Ashes campaign in England, scored 100 off51 balls when opening in a T20 practice game onTuesday.

But with Finch and David Warner establishedas an opening pair and star batsman Steve Smitha powerful presence in the top order, the 26-year-old may be unable to force his way intoAustralia’s side to play England.

The first game in a three-match T20 seriesbetween the two top-ranked teams in the for-mat takes place in Southampton on Friday.

“We’re pretty settled with how we struc-ture our T20 side at the moment,” Finch tolda conference call on Thursday. “He(Labuschagne) played nicely the other day,but I think he might have to wait a little bitlonger in T20 cricket.”

Wicketkeeper Alex Carey struck 107 inthe same innings as Labuschagne, while all-

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Gareth Bale will consider areturn to the Premier

League if his current club RealMadrid allow him to end hisstint in Spain, the Wales inter-national has said.

The 31-year-old was on theverge of leaving for Chinese clubJiangsu Suning last year beforethe deal fell through, and hebarely featured for Real in theirrun to the La Liga title when thecampaign resumed after theCovid-19 stoppage.

Despite winning fourChampions League titles withReal, Bale has divided opinionin Spain because of a perceivedlack of commitment and poorinjury record.

“If those options (interestfrom Premier League clubs)arise, it’s something I’d look at forsure,” Bale, who made 146Premier League appearancesfor Tottenham Hotspur between2007 and 2014 before moving toMadrid, told Sky Sports.

“We’ll see what hap-pens. We have plenty oftime in this transfer win-dow and a couple of othersas well. Time will tellbut mainly I think thereason is that the deci-sion is in Real Madrid’shands.”

Bale, who hasjoined up with theWales squad aheadof their upcomingNations League

games against Finland andBulgaria, said he was happy tobe back in an environmentwhere he felt “a little bit moreappreciated”.

“I tried to leave last year, but(Real) blocked everything atthe last second,” he added.

“There have been otherinstances where we have triedto go but the club won’t allowit or they’ve done something.

It’s down to the club.“I am only 31 still,

but I feel I am in greatshape still and feel likeI have a lot to give. Wewill see what hap-pens. It’s in the club’shands, but they make

things very difficult tobe honest.”

rounder Glenn Maxwell hit108 in a 50-over warm-upmatch.

Top-ranked T20 sideAustralia also face England,the world champions in 50-overcricket, in three one-day inter-nationals later this month.

“It’s been a really good hitout the last few days,” saidFinch. “Obviously with Maxwellgetting a hundred, Marnus,

Alex Carey all getting hundredsin two different formats is real-ly pleasing.”

DESPERATE TO BEATEngland pacer Mark Wood

has said the team is desperateto beat their Ashes rivals in theupcoming limited overs series.

“It’s always good when youplay for England — don’t get mewrong — but there’s an extraincentive when you playAustralia — your biggest rivals,”Sky Sports quoted Wood astelling reporters.

“They’re desperate to beatyou; you’re desperate to beatthem. It doesn’t matter if it’sAshes, white-ball, T20; we’ll bedesperate to beat them.”

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Three senior malewrestlers, including

world championship Silver-medallist Deepak Punia,have tested positive forCovid-19, the SportsAuthority of India (SAI)said on Thursday.

Besides the Olympic-bound Punia (86kg), theother two wrestlers whohave tested positive for thevirus are Navin (65kg) andKrishan (125kg). All threeare part of a national campat the SAI Centre in Sonipatahead of which the wrestlersare in quarantine.

“Three senior men’swrestlers, who had report-ed to the NationalWrestling Camp at SAICentre in Sonepat, havetested positive for Covid-19 virus,” the nodalsports body said ina statement.

They havebeen moved to aSAI empanelledhospital as a pre-cautionary mea-sure for furthermonitoring.

Punia saidhe is asympto-matic.

“I don’t have

any symptoms and I don’tfeel anything unusual inmy body. I am perfect-ly alright, I don’t knowhow I tested positive. Iam just now waiting

for another testafter two days. Iam not wor-ried,” Puniasaid.

A l lwrest lerswere tested,u p o narrival, asper the SAISOP forresumptionof sports

activities.When contacted, WFI

Assistant Secretary VinodTomar said the camp will goahead as planned.

“They (the three) will betested again after two daysand if they return negativetests, they will be broughtback,” he said

“There is no threat tothe national camp. It willcontinue. The wrestlers willbegin training only afterthey complete their quaran-tine period of 14 days,”Tomar added.

All the wrestlers assem-bled for the camp onSeptember 1.

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India’s Divij Sharan and hisSerbian partner Nikola Cacic

fought hard before going down inthree sets to eighth seeds NikolaMektic and Wesley Koolhof in thefirst round of the US Open men’sdoubles event.

Sharan and Cacic lost 4-6, 6-3, 3-6 against Croatia’s Mektic andKoolhof of the Netherlands in atough contest that lasted onehour and 46 minutes onWednesday.

Inconsistency in servesplayed a big role in Sharan and

Cacic not being able to cash in ontheir comeback in the second seton Wednesday. The pair made apoor start to the match but madeup for it by forcing the game intoa decider with a dominant 6-3win in the second set.

The winners will next playItaly’s Simone Bolelli and MaximoGonzalez of Argentina.

The other Indian in the men’sdoubles draw — Rohan Bopanna— and his Canadian partnerDenis Shapovalov will take onErnesto Escobedo and NoahRubin of the United States in thefirst round.

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