· reducing the number of expats from 70 per cent to 30 per cent ... on Monday overtook Turkey...

12
S ome 8 lakh Indians could be forced to leave Kuwait after a parliamentary committee approved a draft expat quota bill seeking to gradually slash the number of foreign workers in the Gulf country, according to media reports. The National Assembly’s legal and legislative committee has determined that the expat quota bill is constitutional. According to the bill, Indians should not exceed 15 per cent of Kuwait’s population. This could result in 8 lakh Indians leaving Kuwait, as Indian constitute the largest expat community in the coun- try, totalling 1.45 million, Gulf News reported, citing a leading Kuwaiti newspaper. The current population of Kuwait is 4.3 million, with Kuwaitis making up 1.3 million of the population, and expats accounting for 3 million. Amid a slump in oil prices and the coronavirus pandem- ic, there has been a spike in anti-expat rhetoric as lawmak- ers and government officials call for reducing the number of foreigners in Kuwait. Last month, Kuwait’s Prime Minister Sheikh Sabah Al Khalid Al Sabah proposed reducing the number of expats from 70 per cent to 30 per cent of the population. An official in the Indian embassy in Kuwait told PTI that the Kuwait Government is yet to inform the embassy about the measure being taken to drastically reduce the num- ber of Indians in the country. Continued on Page 2 T he Centre on Monday directed the HRD Ministry to allow universities and equiv- alent educational institutions to conduct the “final term” exam- inations which is pending since March/April due to the coun- trywide lockdown. The Ministry of Home Affairs, in a letter to Higher Education Secretary Amit Khare, said the final term examinations are to be com- pulsorily conducted as per the UGC Guidelines on Examinations and Academic Calendar for the Universities by September 2020 end. The MHA, however, remained silent on other semester examinations (for instance mid course like 1st year, 2nd year, etc) rescheduled this month amid the growing concern within the States, stu- dents and other academic stakeholders. Several universi- ties cancelled semesters exam- inations due to inordinate delay in the issuance of fresh UGC guidelines. The MHA conveyed to the HRD Ministry to conduct the examinations as per the Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) approved by the Ministry of Health & Family Welfare. “We have just received the directives and its details will be looked into,” a senior HRD Ministry officer said. The Ministry has convened a meeting of HRD, UGC and other stakeholders in higher education on Tuesday. Around 10 State Governments have announced complete cancellation of all university and college-level exams so far. Prominent insti- tutions like the Calcutta University has also resorted to similar measures while institu- tions such as the Delhi University, CCSU, AKTU, GNDU, CSJM, DTU & MGSU are waiting for UGC guidelines in order to take a final decision on the pending semester exams. Continued on Page 2 T he eight-week-old stand-off at the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in Ladakh has defused to some extent with the Chinese troops showing the first sign of disengagement. The important break- through came on Monday after National Security Adviser (NSA) Ajit Doval and his Chinese counterpart Wang Yi talked to each other on Sunday stressing the need for early dis- engagement. While the de-escalation has started from all the four face-off sites in Eastern Ladakh, including the Galwan Valley which saw bloody clashes on June 15 killing 20 Indian Army personnel, the Armed forces are keeping a close watch. The Indian troops have also moved back at least one kilometre after the Chinese did so, but the local comman- ders do not want to take any chances, sources said here. The other locations include Hot Spring, Gogra and Pangong Tso (lake). The face- off started from this lake on May 5 when the Chinese stopped an Indian patrol lead- ing to fisticuffs between the two sides. Responding to the pull- back, China said front-line troops are taking “effective measures” and making “progress” to disengage and ease the tensions in the Galwan Valley. “China and India have made progress coming up with effective measures for frontline troops to disengage and de- escalate the border situation at the third commander-level talks between the two militaries on June 30,” China’s Global Times quoted Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Zhao Lijian as saying. Giving the reason for this “cautious wait and watch” pol- icy, Indian sources said the Chinese had started pulling back in early June too from the Galwan Valley. However, the situation turned for the worst after the Chinese went back on the agreement to retreat and returned on June 15 leading to the brawl. As of now, the Chinese have retreated more than a kilometre on their side of the LAC. The agreement between the Corps Commanders of the two Armies in June stipulated that both the armies will go back more than three kilome- tres to ensure peaceful disen- gagement and de-escalation of tension on the border. The two commanders held three rounds of parleys on June 6, 22 and 30. The important develop- ment on Monday came after Doval and Wang Yi, who is State Councillor and Foreign Minister, had a telephone con- versation on Sunday. The two Special Representatives had a frank and in-depth exchange of views on the recent develop- ments in the Western Sector (Ladakh) of the India-China border areas. On consensus for the diplomatic and military offi- cials of the two sides should continue talks, the two Special Representatives agreed that both sides should take guid- ance from the consensus of the leaders that maintenance of peace and tranquility in the India-China border areas were essential for the further devel- opment of our bilateral rela- tions, and that two sides should not allow differences to become disputes, the official statement issued on Monday said. Therefore, they agreed that it was necessary to ensure at the earliest complete disengage- ment of the troops along the LAC and de-escalation from India-China border areas for full restoration of peace and tranquility. In this regard, they further agreed that both sides should complete the ongoing disen- gagement process along the LAC expeditiously. They re-affirmed that both sides should strictly respect and observe the line of actual con- trol and should not take any unilateral action to alter the sta- tus quo and work together to avoid any incident in the future that could disturb peace and tranquility in border areas. Continued on Page 2 T he Congress on Monday asked Prime Minister Narendra Modi to apologise to the country for his earlier statement that neither has anyone intruded into the Indian territory nor has any- one captured any military posts. The party stand came fol- lowing reports that the Indian and Chinese troops have start- ed moving back in first signs of disengagement between the two sides. The Congress also said either the Prime Minister or the Defence Minister Rajnath Singh should brief the nation about the ground situation in Ladakh now. Continued on Page 2 I ndia’s Covid-19 tally crossed 7 lakh mark and death toll breached 20,000 counts on Monday, a day after it replaced Russia to occupy the third place among the list of worst- affected nations. While the three worst- affected States— Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu and Delhi — saw a considerable drop in the number of fresh cases on Monday, the national Capital crossed 1-lakh mark with 1,379 fresh cases and 48 deaths reported in the last 24 hours. India added 22,500 cases to take its overall tally of positive cases to 7,20,346. The day saw 473 fatalities, which took its death count to 20,174. The total number of cases in Delhi now stands at 1,00,823 including 72,088 recoveries. The death toll in the city is now at 3,115, according to the later health bulletin by the State Government. Southern India continued to see a massive surge with Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh and Telangana joining Tamil Nadu among States severely hit by the virus. While Telangana reported 1,831 cases and 11 deaths, Karnataka reported 1,841 fresh cases and 30 deaths. Telangana now has 25,733 cases and 306 death while Karnataka has 25,317 cases and 406 deaths. Andhra Pradesh recorded 1,322 fresh cases and seven deaths, taking its overall count to 20,019 cases and 219 deaths. Meanwhile, after touching an all-time record of 7,074 Covid-19 positive cases on Saturday, the number of infect- ed cases came down further in Maharashtra to 5,368 on Monday, even as 204 more people died of coronavirus in various parts of the State. After the number of infec- tions had virtually peaked to touch 7,074 on Friday, the State witnessed a steady decline in the number of positive cases. The number of cases slid to 6,555 on Sunday and dropped further to 5,368 on Monday. As the infections touched 2,11,987 cases, Maharashtra on Monday overtook Turkey which ranks 14 on the Worldometer (205,758 cases). Earlier on Sunday, Maharashtra had surpassed Germany (197,651 cases). Similarly, with 151 new deaths and infections, the total number of deaths crossed 9,000 mark to touch 9,026. Of the total 204 fatalities declared today, Thane account- ed for 57 deaths, while Mumbai witnessed 39 deaths. Continued on P2 C oronavirus is airborne and even smaller particles can infect people, this has been the findings of more than one sci- entific studies, but the World Health Organization (WHO) has so far not acknowledged this as a possible mode of the spread of the contagion. The WHO has so far maintained that Covid-19 spreads primar- ily through coughs and sneezes. Any admission that the virus can spread through air is bound to create an upheaval and panic across the globe. It will also raise fresh doubt about the WHO’s whole approach towards tackling the pandemic. A report in the New York Times says that clusters of infections are rising globally as people go back to bars, restau- rants, offices, markets and casi- nos, a trend that increasingly confirms that the virus lingers in the air indoors, infecting those nearby. “…in an open letter to the WHO, 239 scientists in 32 countries have outlined the evidence showing that smaller particles can infect people and are calling for the agency to revise its recommendations,” the report said, adding that the researchers plan to publish their letter in a scientific jour- nal next week. The WHO has long held that the coronavirus is spread primarily by large respiratory droplets when an infected per- son coughs or sneezes. In its latest update dated June 29 on the coronavirus, the WHO said airborne transmis- sion of the virus was possible only after medical procedures that produce aerosols, or droplets smaller than 5 microns. The guidance that the health agency has given to deal with the virus, such as wearing masks, maintaining social distance and frequent handwashing, since the pan- demic first broke is based on its claim that the virus spreads through large droplets when an infected person coughs and sneezes. “If the airborne transmis- sion is a significant factor in the pandemic, especially in crowd- ed spaces with poor ventilation, the consequences for contain- ment will be significant. Masks may be needed indoors, even in socially-distant settings. Healthcare workers may need N95 masks that filter out even the smallest respiratory droplets as they care for coro- navirus patients,” the NYT report said. Continued on Page 2 A private hospital in Meerut was issuing fake Covid “negative” report for a price. The Uttar Pradesh health department has sealed the hos- pital and suspended its licence after a video showing its staff member providing fake Covid- 19 report had gone viral. “A video had gone viral in Meerut. We have registered a case in this regard. We have suspended the licence of the nursing home. The authorities have sealed it,” said Anil Dhingra, Meerut DM. In the video, the person can be heard saying that they provide Covid-19 negative report for 2,500. Meerut CMO Rajkumar said, “In the video, a man from the hospital can be heard say- ing that he can arrange Covid- 19 negative report and the person can get operation or other things done.” Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav had assailed the Government for corruption. New Delhi: A 37-year-old journalist undergoing treat- ment for Covid-19 at the AIIMS Trauma Centre died after allegedly jumping off the fourth floor of the hospital building on Monday after- noon, police said. The journalist worked with a Hindi daily and was a resi- dent of Northeast Delhi’s Bhajanpura. Incident took place around 2 pm. He was rushed to the hospital’s ICU where doctors tried to revive him abortively. PTI New Delhi: Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Monday said authorised helpline numbers of all Covid hospitals in the city are being reflected in the “Delhi Corona” mobile applica- tion. The development comes after the Delhi Government received many complaints from citizens that helpline numbers of these hospitals remained unreachable most of the time. Taking cognisance of the matter, Kejriwal and his deputy Manish Sisodia, who is also handling the health portfolio, directed all Covid hos- pitals of the city to make authorised helpline numbers. I n yet another case of insen- sitivity during the present Covid-19 pandemic, a girl was pushed from a bus on suspicion of being coronavirus positive, leading to her death. The inhuman act was reported from Mathura but the local police denied the allegations of the girl’s parent and said that she was not pushed forcibly from the bus but collapsed after she was asked to leave the bus on sus- picion of being infected with coronavirus. Detailed report on P2

Transcript of  · reducing the number of expats from 70 per cent to 30 per cent ... on Monday overtook Turkey...

Page 1:  · reducing the number of expats from 70 per cent to 30 per cent ... on Monday overtook Turkey which ranks 14 on the Worldometer (205,758 cases). ... The guidance that the health

����������� ������������������������������������������������ � �������� ��������������������������� ������������������������������������������������������������������������ ������� ������������ ����������������������������� ���� ��� ����������� ������ ����!

�� ��!��"����#�����"������������$%��� ��&'(�)*"�#���$�� �% ��������������������� �����������&��������������'��������( )���*���������+!����)�!�*�����&��� �������� ��������� �����) �� ����'�� ������� ����������� �����������, ���� ������� ����'������� �� ���!

+��!�,����������$-... "��/.�+�,�����!�#���0*�!01����-��� � ������ �������.� ������� ���������������&������.��� ��� ���/�������������������������� ����������'���+�000����10��������* &�� !�

�������

��� *23%�

Some 8 lakh Indians could beforced to leave Kuwait after

a parliamentary committeeapproved a draft expat quotabill seeking to gradually slashthe number of foreign workersin the Gulf country, accordingto media reports.

The National Assembly’slegal and legislative committeehas determined that the expatquota bill is constitutional.

According to the bill,Indians should not exceed 15per cent of Kuwait’s population.This could result in 8 lakhIndians leaving Kuwait, asIndian constitute the largestexpat community in the coun-try, totalling 1.45 million, GulfNews reported, citing a leadingKuwaiti newspaper.

The current population of

Kuwait is 4.3 million, withKuwaitis making up 1.3 millionof the population, and expatsaccounting for 3 million.

Amid a slump in oil pricesand the coronavirus pandem-ic, there has been a spike inanti-expat rhetoric as lawmak-ers and government officialscall for reducing the number offoreigners in Kuwait.

Last month, Kuwait’s PrimeMinister Sheikh Sabah AlKhalid Al Sabah proposedreducing the number of expatsfrom 70 per cent to 30 per centof the population.

An official in the Indianembassy in Kuwait told PTIthat the Kuwait Government isyet to inform the embassyabout the measure being takento drastically reduce the num-ber of Indians in the country.

Continued on Page 2

!"" � �,���� �456�*5�7�

The Centre on Mondaydirected the HRD Ministry

to allow universities and equiv-alent educational institutions toconduct the “final term” exam-inations which is pending sinceMarch/April due to the coun-trywide lockdown.

The Ministry of HomeAffairs, in a letter to HigherEducation Secretary AmitKhare, said the final termexaminations are to be com-pulsorily conducted as per theUGC Guidelines onExaminations and Academic

Calendar for the Universities bySeptember 2020 end.

The MHA, however,remained silent on othersemester examinations (forinstance mid course like 1styear, 2nd year, etc) rescheduledthis month amid the growingconcern within the States, stu-dents and other academicstakeholders. Several universi-ties cancelled semesters exam-inations due to inordinate delayin the issuance of fresh UGCguidelines.

The MHA conveyed to theHRD Ministry to conduct theexaminations as per the

Standard Operating Procedure(SOP) approved by theMinistry of Health & FamilyWelfare.

“We have just received thedirectives and its details will belooked into,” a senior HRDMinistry officer said.

The Ministry has conveneda meeting of HRD, UGC andother stakeholders in highereducation on Tuesday.

Around 10 StateGovernments have announcedcomplete cancellation of alluniversity and college-levelexams so far. Prominent insti-tutions like the CalcuttaUniversity has also resorted tosimilar measures while institu-tions such as the DelhiUniversity, CCSU, AKTU,GNDU, CSJM, DTU & MGSUare waiting for UGC guidelinesin order to take a final decisionon the pending semester exams.

Continued on Page 2������������� ������������� �������� ������������ ��� ��� ���

���� 456�*5�7�

The eight-week-old stand-offat the Line of Actual

Control (LAC) in Ladakh hasdefused to some extent with theChinese troops showing thefirst sign of disengagement.

The important break-through came on Monday afterNational Security Adviser(NSA) Ajit Doval and hisChinese counterpart Wang Yitalked to each other on Sundaystressing the need for early dis-engagement.

While the de-escalationhas started from all the fourface-off sites in Eastern Ladakh,including the Galwan Valleywhich saw bloody clashes onJune 15 killing 20 Indian Armypersonnel, the Armed forcesare keeping a close watch.

The Indian troops havealso moved back at least onekilometre after the Chinesedid so, but the local comman-ders do not want to take anychances, sources said here.

The other locations includeHot Spring, Gogra andPangong Tso (lake). The face-off started from this lake onMay 5 when the Chinesestopped an Indian patrol lead-ing to fisticuffs between the twosides.

Responding to the pull-back, China said front-linetroops are taking “effectivemeasures” and making“progress” to disengage andease the tensions in the GalwanValley.

“China and India havemade progress coming up witheffective measures for frontline

troops to disengage and de-escalate the border situation atthe third commander-leveltalks between the two militarieson June 30,” China’s GlobalTimes quoted Chinese ForeignMinistry spokesperson ZhaoLijian as saying.

Giving the reason for this“cautious wait and watch” pol-icy, Indian sources said theChinese had started pullingback in early June too from theGalwan Valley. However, thesituation turned for the worstafter the Chinese went back on

the agreement to retreat andreturned on June 15 leading tothe brawl.

As of now, the Chinese

have retreated more than akilometre on their side of theLAC. The agreement betweenthe Corps Commanders of thetwo Armies in June stipulatedthat both the armies will goback more than three kilome-tres to ensure peaceful disen-gagement and de-escalation oftension on the border.

The two commanders heldthree rounds of parleys onJune 6, 22 and 30.

The important develop-ment on Monday came afterDoval and Wang Yi, who isState Councillor and ForeignMinister, had a telephone con-versation on Sunday. The twoSpecial Representatives had afrank and in-depth exchange ofviews on the recent develop-ments in the Western Sector(Ladakh) of the India-Chinaborder areas.

On consensus for thediplomatic and military offi-cials of the two sides shouldcontinue talks, the two SpecialRepresentatives agreed thatboth sides should take guid-ance from the consensus of the

leaders that maintenance ofpeace and tranquility in theIndia-China border areas wereessential for the further devel-opment of our bilateral rela-tions, and that two sides shouldnot allow differences to becomedisputes, the official statementissued on Monday said.

Therefore, they agreed thatit was necessary to ensure at theearliest complete disengage-ment of the troops along theLAC and de-escalation fromIndia-China border areas forfull restoration of peace andtranquility.

In this regard, they furtheragreed that both sides shouldcomplete the ongoing disen-gagement process along theLAC expeditiously.

They re-affirmed that bothsides should strictly respect andobserve the line of actual con-trol and should not take anyunilateral action to alter the sta-tus quo and work together toavoid any incident in the futurethat could disturb peace andtranquility in border areas.

Continued on Page 2

������������������� ������������������� � ����������������������

����������� ������������������������������

���� 456�*5�7�

The Congress on Mondayasked Prime Minister

Narendra Modi to apologise tothe country for his earlierstatement that neither hasanyone intruded into theIndian territory nor has any-one captured any militaryposts.

The party stand came fol-lowing reports that the Indianand Chinese troops have start-ed moving back in first signsof disengagement between thetwo sides.

The Congress also saideither the Prime Minister orthe Defence Minister RajnathSingh should brief the nationabout the ground situation inLadakh now.

Continued on Page 2

�������������������������������������������������������

���� 456�*5�7�

India’s Covid-19 tally crossed7 lakh mark and death toll

breached 20,000 counts onMonday, a day after it replacedRussia to occupy the thirdplace among the list of worst-affected nations.

While the three worst-affected States— Maharashtra,Tamil Nadu and Delhi — sawa considerable drop in thenumber of fresh cases onMonday, the national Capitalcrossed 1-lakh mark with 1,379fresh cases and 48 deathsreported in the last 24 hours.

India added 22,500 cases totake its overall tally of positivecases to 7,20,346. The day saw473 fatalities, which took itsdeath count to 20,174.

The total number of casesin Delhi now stands at 1,00,823including 72,088 recoveries.The death toll in the city is nowat 3,115, according to the laterhealth bulletin by the State

Government.Southern India continued

to see a massive surge withKarnataka, Andhra Pradeshand Telangana joining TamilNadu among States severely hitby the virus. While Telanganareported 1,831 cases and 11deaths, Karnataka reported1,841 fresh cases and 30 deaths.

Telangana now has 25,733

cases and 306 death whileKarnataka has 25,317 casesand 406 deaths.

Andhra Pradesh recorded1,322 fresh cases and sevendeaths, taking its overall countto 20,019 cases and 219 deaths.

Meanwhile, after touchingan all-time record of 7,074Covid-19 positive cases onSaturday, the number of infect-

ed cases came down further inMaharashtra to 5,368 onMonday, even as 204 morepeople died of coronavirus invarious parts of the State.

After the number of infec-tions had virtually peaked totouch 7,074 on Friday, theState witnessed a steady declinein the number of positive cases.The number of cases slid to6,555 on Sunday and droppedfurther to 5,368 on Monday.

As the infections touched2,11,987 cases, Maharashtraon Monday overtook Turkeywhich ranks 14 on theWorldometer (205,758 cases).Earlier on Sunday, Maharashtrahad surpassed Germany(197,651 cases). Similarly, with151 new deaths and infections,the total number of deathscrossed 9,000 mark to touch9,026. Of the total 204 fatalitiesdeclared today, Thane account-ed for 57 deaths, while Mumbaiwitnessed 39 deaths.

Continued on P2

���� 456�*5�7�

Coronavirus is airborne andeven smaller particles can

infect people, this has been thefindings of more than one sci-entific studies, but the WorldHealth Organization (WHO)has so far not acknowledgedthis as a possible mode of thespread of the contagion. TheWHO has so far maintainedthat Covid-19 spreads primar-ily through coughs and sneezes.

Any admission that thevirus can spread through air isbound to create an upheavaland panic across the globe. Itwill also raise fresh doubtabout the WHO’s wholeapproach towards tackling thepandemic.

A report in the New YorkTimes says that clusters ofinfections are rising globally aspeople go back to bars, restau-rants, offices, markets and casi-nos, a trend that increasinglyconfirms that the virus lingers

in the air indoors, infectingthose nearby.

“…in an open letter to theWHO, 239 scientists in 32countries have outlined theevidence showing that smallerparticles can infect people andare calling for the agency torevise its recommendations,”the report said, adding that theresearchers plan to publishtheir letter in a scientific jour-nal next week.

The WHO has long heldthat the coronavirus is spreadprimarily by large respiratorydroplets when an infected per-son coughs or sneezes.

In its latest update datedJune 29 on the coronavirus, theWHO said airborne transmis-sion of the virus was possibleonly after medical proceduresthat produce aerosols, ordroplets smaller than 5microns.

The guidance that thehealth agency has given todeal with the virus, such aswearing masks, maintainingsocial distance and frequenthandwashing, since the pan-demic first broke is based on its

claim that the virus spreadsthrough large droplets when aninfected person coughs andsneezes.

“If the airborne transmis-sion is a significant factor in thepandemic, especially in crowd-ed spaces with poor ventilation,the consequences for contain-ment will be significant. Masksmay be needed indoors, even insocially-distant settings.Healthcare workers may needN95 masks that filter out eventhe smallest respiratorydroplets as they care for coro-navirus patients,” the NYTreport said.

Continued on Page 2 ���� �2-�4�6

Aprivate hospital in Meerutwas issuing fake Covid

“negative” report for a price.The Uttar Pradesh healthdepartment has sealed the hos-pital and suspended its licenceafter a video showing its staffmember providing fake Covid-19 report had gone viral.

“A video had gone viral inMeerut. We have registered acase in this regard. We havesuspended the licence of thenursing home. The authorities

have sealed it,” said AnilDhingra, Meerut DM.

In the video, the personcan be heard saying that theyprovide Covid-19 negativereport for �2,500.

Meerut CMO Rajkumarsaid, “In the video, a man fromthe hospital can be heard say-ing that he can arrange Covid-19 negative report and theperson can get operation orother things done.”

Samajwadi Party chiefAkhilesh Yadav had assailed theGovernment for corruption.

����� ���������������� ����������������� ����������������������������������� ������!������

������� ���������������������"#�����������������

!� �������� ������ ������ �������������������� "#�����������������

New Delhi: A 37-year-oldjournalist undergoing treat-ment for Covid-19 at theAIIMS Trauma Centre diedafter allegedly jumping off thefourth floor of the hospitalbuilding on Monday after-noon, police said.

The journalist worked witha Hindi daily and was a resi-dent of Northeast Delhi’sBhajanpura. Incident tookplace around 2 pm. He wasrushed to the hospital’s ICUwhere doctors tried to revivehim abortively. PTI

�)2���320�4)&���1�564&785�6)��0�6��9�)7��,����&7���0�6�0

New Delhi: Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Monday said authorised helpline numbers of all Covid hospitals in the city are being reflected in the “Delhi Corona” mobile applica-tion. The development comes after the Delhi Governmentreceived many complaints from citizens that helpline numbersof these hospitals remained unreachable most of the time. Takingcognisance of the matter, Kejriwal and his deputy Manish Sisodia,who is also handling the health portfolio, directed all Covid hos-pitals of the city to make authorised helpline numbers.

������������ !���� ��� ��!� �����!�� � ��"�� �� ����������� ���!!#�$������

$%�&����� #������������������������ ���������'����()�����#

*�������������#�"��� ����������� �'����+���������,���-���

%�&��������'�����!����� � ���(�������!��������� !����� ������

� ��� ���������& ���!���������� �)���&������� �� �'����"����� �� ��� �� ���� � ������! �� ��� ��� �)���&�*������ ���')������������ �$������ ��� ���� ���

���� �2-�4�6

In yet another case of insen-sitivity during the present

Covid-19 pandemic, a girl waspushed from a bus on suspicionof being coronavirus positive,leading to her death.

The inhuman act wasreported from Mathura butthe local police denied theallegations of the girl’s parentand said that she was notpushed forcibly from the busbut collapsed after she wasasked to leave the bus on sus-picion of being infected withcoronavirus.

Detailed report on P2

)� ���������� ��"�����������������"������������������������

�"� �����"��������!"�������������"���"�"!����������� +�11�89����� 8�0+: 1�1��+:+#�� ��4�� 1�1;�8�9 1���1 ::���1*��� � 1�00�9+< :-//� �+�099������� <:�9�9 1�8:1�������������+:�<+<2����=���� +9�:<: 908����������������18�108#�������� +���<< <0:����������������1;��91������)� +��<1� ;0+����������������10��+86����3����� ++�89� ��8����������������1��+<�>�������� +0�:99 ;:1����������������1:�+�9%����=���� +0�018 +<8�����������������9�8+07����� 1���0; +�:�����������������1<�<<�������=���� 1��+9;������� :1������������������11���8%���� 1+��+< 1;���������������������99<3 ���� 1+�1;0 8��������������������8�01;� ��� 8��+: ;9�������������������:�;9:?�����@������ 9�:�� 1<9�������������������<19

��"���-$.-:;<!"����$.-/�;�"���"�"!�;-;.-/�.���"��$-�=-=$<

�������$ %� %� &

��

A#��*� ��= ���� '������)!���B� ��� ����'��(�����)

������������� ���

�������!���B� ��� ����B

C�����- �� �)1%�<0��55&0 19�C% � �������5/��� '�%��� �����

=��� ����,����*5�7����2-�4�6 37�=%���3723%45 6%>

>%4-7��>%�=2> -7%4*��%>7�*57>%*24 7$*5>%3%*�(�?%$6%*%

"56�>1�5�0��/?<;������������ ��������������� ���������� ���������������� ����!"���#$%���

�"#�!"���-��"�!��������-�$.$.@� +"��/$��:

��* % �%�+7��%�%$%4�3�24*5>

"�,-��.�-7�4%�%--2 5 �2���,�D�>� �4#5>,5>54-5.��4�7�4����4�

������������� ��������������� �

!*�,/��0�5 ��6����,�4� 7�-%>55>

%#�3%>-%"�3%>#��52

-�����������������������������1���)�����������#,� ��������

Page 2:  · reducing the number of expats from 70 per cent to 30 per cent ... on Monday overtook Turkey which ranks 14 on the Worldometer (205,758 cases). ... The guidance that the health

������������������� ������ � �!"!" �� ���

����������� ������ ����������������� ������������������������������������� �� �� �����!��"����#��� $����%&&'''(� ����������)#����*�������$(&'�(&&!�����%�+�����,-���.�/�����0����������123!-3�413�/����(�''/��0������������0���5���0��6 �71�6�� �!����0��#����7�������������0��8�����$���� 9���������0/�1�:%;'<=;&''�(+<==(<&%<;�>?<&(+;(<&����*�� @�����0;��A�����!��!������#�������A�B �3������*�� %((�'&��9���������0'=((%(+;�;;+�(+;�;;;�(+;�;;=�

���������� �������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������� ������������������������������������� ��������������������������������������� ��������������� �� ���������������������������������������������������������� ������������ ����� ��������������� ��������������������������������������������������� ����������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������� �������� �!����������������"���������� ���������������������������� �������������������� ���� ��������������������������������� �����������������������������#��������������������������� ���� ����$����%����&�������������������������� ��������������� �����������������������'����������������������������������� ���������������"��������������������(�����������������������������

����������� 456�*5�7�

In a significant development,a study commissioned by the

Union Rural DevelopmentMinistry has sought the revi-sion of the Socio EconomicCaste Census (SECC)-2011 listwhich was prepared followinga mammoth exercise during theUPA regime almost eight yearsago.

The recommendation torevise the list came after numer-ous variations were pointedout by the study in the centralrural scheme Pradhan MantiAwas Yojana-Grameen (PMAY-G) list prepared on the basis of

the SECC data.The study conducted as

part of the Fifth CommonReview Mission (CRM) for“independent assessment” ofthe progress of various pro-grammes and schemes of theRural Development Ministry,noted that “there have beenserious errors of exclusion andinclusion and as such it may berisk to base selection of bene-ficiaries for any schemes onlyon basis of these lists.”

It was prepared by a 31-member CRM team led byRajeev Kapoor, retired IAS andState InformationCommissioner, Uttar Pradesh.

The team, with retiredbureaucrats, academics andresearch organisations as mem-bers, had visited 120 various vil-lages in more than 21 districtsacross eight states —Chhattisgarh, Kerala, MadhyaPradesh, Manipur, Meghalaya,Odisha, Rajasthan, and UttarPradesh — during November4-14, 2019.

Under the Pradhan MantiAwas Yojana-Grameen, theGovernment has plans to con-struct 1 crore houses under firstphase from 2016-19 againstwhich 97.9 lakhs have beensanctioned but only 84.80 lakhshave been completed so far.

2�����,���������������������������������03��� ����� ����

��+���"�+� �� ����%#%

BJP president JP Nadda onMonday slammed the

Trinamool CongressGovernment for unleashing areign of terror and corruptionto remain in power.

Launching a no-holds-barred attack on the Bengal rul-ing outfit Nadda told a virtualrally how “Criminalisation ofpolitics had become the hallmark of Bengal governmentand now cut money hasbecome a new addition tothis… wherever you go inBengal you only listen to cutmoney, cut money and cutmoney … so a time has comewhen these leaders who wantcut money have to be cut tosize.”

Alleging that the TrinamoolCongress leaders would doanything to retain power he said“from corruption to criminal-ization they are ready to com-promise on all fronts to remainin power… hence a time hascome when Bengal has to berestored to its former glory byremoving this government lock,stock and barrel.”

Lauding freedom fighterand Jana Sangha founder DrShyama Prasad Mukherjee forlaying down his life for a unit-ed India Nadda said while onone hand Bengal producedleaders like Mukherjee whofought for a united country onthe other hand there was a partylike the TMC which had noother goal but to remain inpower.

Attacking the MamataBanerjee government for mis-handling the corona pandem-ic he said she “doesn’t believe incooperative federalism… anddoes not share the data on coro-na related issues with theCentre.”

����� ���� ���� ��������� �� !����#������

���� �2-�4�6

In yet another case of insensitivi-ty during the present Covid-19

pandemic, a girl was pushed from abus on suspicion of being coron-avirus positive, leading to her death.

The inhuman act was reportedfrom Mathura but the local policedenied the allegations of the girl’sparent and said that she was notpushed forcibly from the bus but col-lapsed after she was asked to leavethe bus on suspicion of being infect-ed with coronavirus.

The parents of the victim livingin New Delhi claimed that theirdaughter had pain in stomach andalso sometimes complaint of dizzi-ness so they contacted a doctor who

got her tested for coronavirus. Afterher report came negative, they tookthe girl for ultrasound which con-firmed that she had stone in the kid-ney. The doctor gave her medicines.

The parents said that after thedoctor prescribed medicines, theysent their daughter to their native vil-lage by a Roadways bus on Sunday.However, near the Mathura tollplaza, their daughter again com-plained about dizziness on which theconductor thought that she was acoronavirus positive and forciblypushed her out of the bus causinghead injuries and she died on way tohospital.

Mathura said the girl was treat-ed like ordinary passengers and aprobe was ordered.

4����������������������� ������������ ��������������5�����

��� 456�*5�7�

India is engaging with China through diplomatic andmilitary channels, Foreign Secretary Harsh Vardhan

Shringla said on Monday, asserting that if there is nocommunication with that country, then the Sino-Indiaborder situation would be much worse.

He made the remarks while talking about diplo-macy in times of the Covid-19 pandemic at a webi-nar organised by the Institute of CharteredAccountants of India.

Shringla said that diplomacy is looking at a verychanged scenario in terms of how statecraft and rela-tions between countries work in the wake of the pan-demic.

“Countries do need to communicate. You cannotstop communications because otherwise the otheralternative is greater frictions, tensions and problems,and probably conflict also,” he said.

“For example the increased tension on our bor-der with China. I mean, if there is no communica-tion with that country then we would have a muchworse situation, but yesterday our National SecurityAdviser (Ajit Doval) spoke to his counterpart.

�� ������� ���& ���-� ��������� ������ ��� � ������������"�,

,���� �!��� � ?%��2

Despite recording a suddenspike in the total number

of coronavirus cases the Jammuand Kashmir government is allset to welcome tourists soon.

Large number of local res-idents are already flocking pub-lic places in Kashmir valley andtourist hotspots in and aroundJammu with theirfamilies,ignoring SOP's relat-ed to social distancing andwearing masks in public places.

Spokesman of the Jammuand Kashmir government RohitKansal late Monday eveningposted a tweet saying, "J&K toreopen for tourism soon. Govtto issue detailed guidelines andSoP shortly : LG issued direc-tions in a high level meeting inSrinagar today".

Each day around 20 flightsare landing in Jammu andSrinagar on a daily basis.Around 2000-2400 passengersare reaching here via air route.

According to highly placedsources in the government, "movement of tourists fromgreen zones across the countrycan be permitted with necessaryprecautions in the comingdays".

To begin with, the govern-ment is also toying with the ideaof allowing a restricted numberof pilgrims/tourists via char-tered flights to land inSrinagar".

"The pilgrims, keen on per-forming pilgrimage will bebooked only through approvedtour operators who will ferrythem to the cave shrine viachoppers from Srinagar", offi-cial sources revealed.

Chief Secretary BVRSubrahmanyam in his recentmeeting had already made itclear that pilgrims will be per-mitted to perform thepilgrimage after undergoingCovid testing and completingmandatory quarantine periodon arrival in Jammu & Kashmir.

?@����������'���� ��������

*�������������#"���� �����������...

From page 1“Our brave Army has been

trying to push the Chinese PLAback and we are very happy tosee these reports that we havesucceeded. We are proud of ourArmy. We never had any doubtabout the ability of our Army todo that. They have done that inthe past… whether it wasPakistan or China. Our Armydoes not need anybody’s cer-tificate,” Congress spokespersonPawan Khera said at AICCPress briefing.

He then referred to thePrime Minister’s statement afterthe all-party meeting last monthand said the “statement, unfor-tunately, within a matter of twohours, was used by the ChineseGovernment as a clean chit bythe Indian Prime Minister”. “Inthe same breath, the statementby the Chinese Governmentalso said the Galwan Valley wastheirs. It belonged to them.That is unfortunate that some-body as tall in stature as thePrime Minister uttered those

words which immediately gotlapped up by China and used asa clean chit. The entire worldwas watching.”

“The Prime Minister shouldtoday use this opportunity… tocome out and address thenation, take the country intoconfidence, apologise to thecountry… say, yes, I wentwrong. I misled you or maybehe wants to use some otherwords that I was incorrect in myassessment…” he said.

Khera said the PrimeMinister should tell the nationthat “the Chinese have with-drawn by ‘X’ kilometres” andclarify “how much of our terri-tory is still under their occupa-tion”. “All the six, seven pointsthat we have been readingabout… he (the Prime Minister)should come and take the coun-try into confidence and clarifynot just his past statementwhich was unfortunate, butalso how much of our territoryis still under their occupation,how far had they come in andnow how much have they with-drawn.

From page 1“There is a lot of talk in the

media but we haven’t officiallyreceived anything,” he said oncondition of anonymity.

The official said the move iseasier said than done as a largeproportion of Indians livingand working in the country canbe categorised as essential ser-vices personnel.

“Imagine the large numberof drivers, maids, nurses, anddoctors that are here. They areneeded and cannot just beremoved without an alternative.It is just not practical,” he said,adding that most of the job loss-es are happening in the govern-ment sector.

Assembly Speaker MarzouqAl-Ghanem told Kuwait TVthat he and a group of lawmak-ers will submit to the Assemblya comprehensive draft law call-ing for a gradual reduction ofexpats in Kuwait.

Kuwait has a real problem inits population structure, inwhich 70 per cent are expats, theSpeaker said, adding that whatis more serious is that 1.3 mil-lion of the 3.35 million expats“are either illiterate or can mere-ly read and write”, the peopleKuwait does not really need, theKuwait Times reported.

“I understand that werecruit doctors and skilled man-power and not unskilled labour-ers. This is an indication thatthere is a distortion. Visa tradershave contributed in increasingthis figure,” Ghanem said.

The Speaker said the draftlaw they intend to file will pro-pose to impose a cap on thenumber of expats, whose num-bers must decrease gradually bystating that this year expats willbe 70 per cent, next year 65 percent and so on, the report said.

The expat quota bill willnow be referred to the con-cerned committee for consider-ation. It states that the Indianexpatriate community shouldnot exceed 15 per cent of thenational population, whichmeans around 800,000 of themmight be required to leaveKuwait, the Arab News report-ed.

According to Indian nation-al Nita Bhatkar, the proposedlaw is quite drastic and it’s quitenatural for people to panic.

“Their livelihoods are atstake; their futures are at stake.We can just hope that the cutsare not as huge as they are pre-dicted to be,” she told PTI.

Bhatkar, who was born inKuwait, said she expected this tohappen at some point. The deci-sion won’t just affect individu-als, but will have a long-termimpact on both the countries aswell as their economies, she said.

Anwar Hussain (namechanged on request), who isworking as a marketing profes-sional in Kuwait for severalyears, said Indians will eventu-ally be affected if the law isimplemented.

“We are told thousands ofKuwaitis have returned backhome following the pandemicand the government has to safe-guard their interests too. Also alot of Egyptian teachers have losttheir jobs too, so its not aboutIndians but about the labour’sdemand and supply dynamic,”he said.

According to the Indianembassy in Kuwait, there areabout 28,000 Indians workingfor the Kuwaiti government invarious jobs like nurses, engi-neers in national oil companiesand a few as scientists.

The majority of Indians(5.23 Lakh) are deployed inprivate sectors.

In addition, there are about1.16 lakh dependents. Out ofthese, there are about 60,000Indian students studying in 23Indian schools in the country.

The bill will now be trans-ferred to the respective com-mittee so that a comprehensiveplan is created. It proposes sim-ilar quotas for other nationalities.

Kuwait is a top source ofremittances for India. In 2018,India received nearly USD 4.8billion from Kuwait as remit-tances.

Foreigners have accountedfor the majority of Kuwait’sCOVID-19 cases as the diseasespread among migrant workersliving in overcrowded housing.

According to latest datafrom Johns Hopkins University,more than 49,000 cases of coro-navirus have been reported inKuwait. Globally, more than 5lakh people have died and over11 million have been infected byCOVID-19. PTI

From page 1The HRD Ministry said UGC is like-

ly to announce revised guidelines for thepending exams soon. The delay has beendue to the second thought on evaluationof candidates who would have taken theirfirst semester in a new class/session.

Rajasthan, Punjab, Maharashtra,Madhya Pradesh, Odisha, West Bengal,Haryana, Rajasthan are some of theStates which have cancelled universityexams so far. With the KeralaGovernment imposing a triple lock-down, the Mahatma Gandhi University,Kerala has also decided to postpone thesemester or college and university exams.

Sources said the HRD Ministryand UGC officials are now contemplat-ing a unified approach to deal with thesituation and may go for the promotionof all college and university studentsacross the country without examinations.

Universities and students have urgedthe UGC to clarify at earliest its guide-lines on pending exams. Institutions andstakeholders have sought clarity on theevaluation formula to be followed forpromoting students to the next gradewithout remaining examinations beingconducted.

Sources said several universitiesand higher education institutions havewritten to the HRD Ministry with theirown proposed remedial measures withregards to the semester exams.

For Instance, Calcutta University hascommunicated that it would not be hold-ing semester exams but instead wouldhold internal assessment on the basis ofprevious semester marks to promote stu-dents to the next grade without holdingexams.

Both Punjab and Rajasthan ChiefMinisters, Capt Amarinder Singh andAshok Gehlot, respectively, haveannounced that their Governmentshave decided to cancel all the pendinguniversity and college level exams forundergraduate and postgraduate levelstudents in the State. They took the deci-sion after looking at all the options,including logistical feasibility of holdingthe exams and the risk it poses to the stu-dents. However, the State Governmenthas allowed universities to hold onlineexams, which are currently underwaywithout any interruption.

While Rajya Sabha member andAAP leader Sanjay Singh on Mondaywrote HRD Minister Ramesh Pokhriyal‘Nishank’ for cancellation of DU OBTExam or Open Book Test, Tamil Naduhas formed a panel for feasibile study forSemester Exam 2020 to look into thematter of holding the pending semesterand final year exams for the universityand college students.

As per the latest announcement byDelhi University, the semester exami-nations are to be held from July 10 forboth undergraduate and postgraduateprogrammes.

������From page 1

It said that ventilation systems in schools, nursinghomes, residences, and businesses may need to minimiserecirculating air and add powerful new filters.

“Ultraviolet lights may be needed to kill viral parti-cles floating in tiny droplets indoors,” it said.

WHO’s technical lead on infection control DrBenedetta Allegranzi, however, said in the report that theevidence for the virus spreading by air was unconvinc-ing.

“Especially in the last couple of months, we have beenstating several times that we consider airborne trans-mission as possible but certainly not supported by solidor even clear evidence. There is a strong debate on this.”New agency PTI has quoted her to the effect.

Interviews with nearly 20 scientists, including a dozenWHO consultants and several members of the commit-tee that crafted the guidance, and internal emails “painta picture of an organisation that, despite good intentions,is out of step with science,” the report said.

“Whether carried aloft by large droplets that zoomthrough the air after a sneeze, or by much smaller exhaleddroplets that may glide the length of a room, these expertssaid, the coronavirus is borne through air and can infectpeople when inhaled,” it said.

Experts pointed out that WHO’s infection preventionand control committee is “bound by a rigid and overlymedicalised view of scientific evidence, is slow and risk-averse in updating its guidance and allows a few conser-vative voices to shout down dissent”.

“They’ll die defending their view,” one longstandingWHO consultant was quoted as saying in the report.

The WHO was relying on a dated definition of air-borne transmission. The agency believes an airbornepathogen, like the measles virus, has to be highly infec-tious and to travel long distances, said Linsey Marr, anexpert in airborne transmission of viruses at Virginia Tech.

WHO’s chief scientist Dr Soumya Swaminathan saidin the report that agency staff members were trying toevaluate new scientific evidence as fast as possible, butwithout sacrificing the quality of their review. She saidthe UN health agency will try to broaden the commit-tees’ expertise and communications to make sure every-one is heard. “We take it seriously when journalists or sci-entists or anyone challenges us and say we can do betterthan this. We definitely want to do better,” she said.

As the pandemic spread across the world, a lag by theglobal health agency in issuing critical guidelines was seenas hampering efforts to control the outbreak.

It lagged behind most of its member nations in endors-ing face coverings for the public. While many organisa-tions, including The Centers for Disease Control andPrevention have long since acknowledged the importanceof transmission by people without symptoms, the WHOstill maintains that asymptomatic transmission is rare.

The NYT report says that many experts said the WHOshould embrace what some called a “precautionary prin-ciple” and others called “needs and values” - the idea thateven without definitive evidence, the agency shouldassume the worst of the virus, apply common sense andrecommend the best protection possible.

“There is no incontrovertible proof that SARS-CoV-2 travels or is transmitted significantly by aerosols, butthere is absolutely no evidence that it’s not,” said Dr TrishGreenhalgh, a primary care doctor at the University ofOxford in Britain.

“So at the moment we have to make a decision in theface of uncertainty, and my goodness, it’s going to be adisastrous decision if we get it wrong. So why not just maskup for a few weeks, just in case?” she said.

�� ������� ��...

From page 1As part of the easing of

lockdown norms, theMaharashtra Government onMonday decided to allowhotels, lodges, and guest hous-es outside the containmentzones to operate from July 8, at33 per cent capacity.

Through an order, the StateGovernment announced the“Mission Begin Again Phase-V” to implement new normswith effect from July 8, outsidespecified Covid-19 contain-ment zones all over the State,including all municipal juris-diction of MumbaiMetropolitan Region (MMR),Pune Metropolitan Region(PMR), and Solapur,Aurangabad, Nashik,Malegaon, Dhule, Jalgaon,Akola, Amravati, and Nagpur.

Incidentally, a majority ofthe cities like Mumbai, Thane,Pune, Aurangabad, Nashik,Jalgaon, Akola have witnessedthe highest number of Covid-19 infected cases and deaths.

While it has permittedhotels, lodges and guest hous-es to operate outside the con-tainment from July 8, the StateGovernment has not allowed

shopping malls to restart dur-ing the “Mission Begin AgainPhase-V”.

Though there was aminuscule decrease in thenumber of persons diagnosedwith Covid-19 in Tamil Naduon Monday, death rate contin-ued to rule the roost as 61 per-sons lost the battle against thepandemic across the State.

While 3,827 persons testedpositive for coronavirus (onSunday the figure was4,150),3,793 were dischargedfrom various hospitals fullycured on a single day.

Out of the total number ofcases diagnosed with Covid onMonday, Chennai accountedfor 1,747 persons, said themedical bulletin released by theGovernment of Tamil Nadu.As on Monday, the State had46,833 Covid patients while thetotal number of persons testedpositive for Covid till datestood at 1.14 lakh.

Rajasthan reported 524new Covid-19 cases and fivedeaths in the last 24 hours, tak-ing the total number of cases to20,688 and death toll to 461.The number of active casesstands at 3,949.

����� ������������...

From page 1The two Special

Representatives agreed that thediplomatic and military offi-cials of the two sides shouldcontinue their discussions,including under the frame-work of the WorkingMechanism for Consultationand Coordination on India-China border affairs (WMCC),and implement the under-standings reached in a timelymanner to achieve the aboveoutcomes.

It was also agreed that thetwo Special Representativeswill continue their conversa-tions to ensure full and endur-ing restoration of peace andtranquility in the India-Chinaborder areas in accordancewith the bilateral agreementsand protocols.

In the early 2000s, the twocountries agreed that theSpecial Representatives of Indiaand China will talk regularly toresolve the long-pendingboundary dispute.

The two SpecialRepresentatives have so farheld 23 rounds of discussionsover the years. India andChina have a more than 4,000km disputed border known asLine of Actual Control (LAC).

On the ongoing disen-gagement, officials said Indiansoldiers have also pulled back

and a buffer zone has been cre-ated between the troops ofboth sides. It is only the firststep of disengagement, theysaid, adding India will need towait to see if this is a lasting,genuine disengagement.

With Chinese removingtheir temporary structuresincluding tents and makeshiftbunkers and Indians recipro-cating the gesture, sources saidboth the Armies have alsostarted pulling back their heavyguns.

The June 6 pact betweenthe Corps Commanders saidboth the Armies will also pullout additional troops andweapons from the operationalareas and go back to theirrespective peacetime locationson either side of the LAC.

The two sides had bol-stered their troop strength onthe four face-off sites and oper-ational areas in the last twomonths.

Incidentally, the pullbackstarted three days after PrimeMinister Narendra Modi madea surprise visit to Ladakh toboost the morale of the troopsand take stock of the situationon the ground with the localcommanders.

He also interacted withsome of the soldiers now recu-perating at the hospital aftersuffering injuries during theJune 15 skirmish.

����������� ����������������������������

����������666

Page 3:  · reducing the number of expats from 70 per cent to 30 per cent ... on Monday overtook Turkey which ranks 14 on the Worldometer (205,758 cases). ... The guidance that the health

��������������������������� ������ � �!"!"

� ���+����������������

�����" ��"��� 456�*5�7�

Deputy Commissioner of Police (New Delhi)Eish Singhal who had tested positive for

Covid-19 last month joined office on Mondayafter recovering from the infection.

He was given a warm welcome by the offi-cers and staff. The DCP was in home quaran-tine after he was tested positive for Covid-19.

Earlier, DCP (North) Monika Bhardwaj,

Additional DCP (Shahdara) Rohit Rajbir Singhand Additional DCP (Central) Sikander Singhalso joined duties after fighting and defeatingthe virus.

According to a senior police official, at least10 Delhi police personnel have died due toCovid-19. “Among the 2,000 police personnelwho have been infected with the coronavirus,approximately 1,300 of them have successfullyrecovered,” said the official.

�����" ��"��� 456�*5�7�

Indian Railways has takensteps to transform itself as a

‘Net Zero’ carbon emission masstransportation network by 2030by installing solar power plantson its vacant unused lands on amega scale.

“The use of solar power willaccelerate the Minister ofRailways, Piyush Goyal’s missionto achieve conversion of IndianRailways to ‘Net Zero’ carbonemission railway. IndianRailways present demand wouldbe fulfilled by the solar projectsbeing deployed, making it thefirst transport organisation to beenergy self-sufficient. Thiswould help in making IndianRailways green as well as ‘AtmaNirbhar’,” the ministry said in astatement.

A new dawn ushers onIndian Railways as it endeavorsto be self-reliant for its energyneeds as directed by the PrimeMinister and solarise railway sta-tions by utilizing its vacantlands for Renewable Energy(RE) projects, it said, adding thatrailway is committed to utilizesolar energy for meeting itstraction power requirementsand become a complete ‘Greenmode of transportation’.

Indian Railways has acted asa pioneer in green energy pro-curement. It has started energyprocurement from various solarprojects like 3 MWp solar plantset up at MCF Raebareilly (UP).About 100 MWp rooftop solarsystems have already been com-missioned on various stationsand buildings of IndianRailways.

Besides, one project of 1.7MWp at Bina (Madhya Pradesh)which shall be connected direct-ly to the Overhead TractionSystem has already beeninstalled and is presently underextensive testing. It is likely to becommissioned within 15 days.

“This is the first of its kindproject in the world commis-sioned by Indian Railways incollaboration with Bharat HeavyElectricals Limited (BHEL). Itinvolves adoption of innovativetechnology for converting DirectCurrent (DC) to single phaseAlternating Current (AC) forfeeding directly to Railway’soverhead traction system,” itsaid.

The ministry further saidthat the solar power plant hasbeen established near the BinaTraction Sub Station (TSS). It

can produce approximately 25lakh units of energy annuallyand will save around INR 1.37Crore for Railway every year.

“Indian Railways and BHELofficials have worked tirelessly tosuccessfully implement thisinnovative project. The projectwas undertaken by BHEL underits Corporate SocialResponsibility (CSR) scheme.Despite the COVID-19 lock-down and consequent difficul-ties faced in the availability ofmaterial and manpower, IR andBHEL worked together as ateam to accomplish this missionin just eight months from thedate of signing of the agreementon 9th October, 2019,” it said.

Talking about the key chal-lenge in this project, the ministrysaid that the conversion of DCpower generated from solar

panels to the single phase 25 KVAC power which is used by theRailways traction system. “Thisrequired the development ofhigh capacity inverters with sin-gle phase output which were notreadily available in the market.The solar panels generate DCenergy which will be convertedinto AC energy through theseunique inverters and stepped upto 25 kV AC -1 ? through thetransformer to directly feedpower to the BINA TSS whichwill be used for running of elec-tric trains,” it said.

In addition to this, twopilot projects for the scheme ofland based solar plants for meet-ing electric traction energyrequirements of Indian Railwaysare under implementation. “Oneof them is a 50 MWp solarpower plant on vacant unused

land at Bhilai (Chhattisgarh)which shall be connected withCentral Transmission Utility(CTU) and is targeted to becommissioned before 31stMarch, 2021. The 2 MWp solarplants at Diwana (Haryana)which shall be connected to StateTransmission utility (STU) isexpected to be commissionedbefore 31st August, 2020,” itadded.

A senior railways officialsaid that the Railway EnergyManagement Company Ltd.(REMCL) is working relent-lessly to further proliferate theuse of solar energy on megascale. It has already floated ten-ders for two GW of solar pro-jects for Indian Railways to beinstalled on unutilised railwaylands. Indian Railways is alsoadopting an innovative concept

of installation of solar projectsalong operational railway lines.

“This will help in prevent-ing encroachment, enhancingthe speed and safety of trainsand reduction of infrastruc-ture costs due to direct injectionof solar power into the tractionnetwork. Another tender forinstallation of 1 GW solar plantsalong Railway tracks is alsoplanned to be released soon byREMCL,” he said.

With these mega initia-tives, Indian Railways is leadingIndia’s fight against climatechallenge and is taking signif-icant steps towards meeting itsambitious goal of being a netzero carbon emissions organi-sation and meeting India’sIntended NationallyDetermined Contributions(INDC) targets.

�����" ��"��� 456�*5�7�

In a view of timely healthtreatment amidst spike in

Corona infected patients overone lakh, Delhi Chief MinisterArvind Kejriwal directed all thehospitals to make authorisedhelpline numbers to deal withCovid related queries. With thisdirection from Delhi govern-ment, Delhi Corona App willnow show authorised helplinenumbers for each hospital.

The Delhi administration’sdirection came after receivinga lot of complaints from the cit-izens that the phone numbersof these hospitals stay unreach-able most of the time.

Taking cognisance of thesecomplaints Delhi Kejriwal andDeputy Chief Minister ManishSisodia who is also handlingthe additional portfolio of thehealth minister directed all theCOVID hospitals of Delhi tomake authorised helpline num-bers to deal with COVID relat-ed queries.

Now all these hospitalshave come out with 24*7 avail-able authorised helpline num-bers; all these numbers areavailable at the Delhi Coronaapp which was developed andlaunched by the Delhi govern-ment to provide COVID-19pandemic related queries inDelhi.

“Any person who wants toreach out to these hospitals

with the COVID-19 relatedinformation can now dial thesenumbers directly from theapp,” Government said in itsorder.

In his virtual conference,Kejriwal said, “Now

when a patient clicks onthe name of the hospital wherebeds are available, its phonenumber, along with its locationon a map, will pop up.

The Government hadlaunched the ‘Delhi Corona’app in June this year to providereal-time information on theavailability of beds for thetreatment of Covid-19 in hos-pitals across the city. Daysafter launching the app, thegovernment had also orderedthe hospitals to ensure real-time updating on the app. It isuseful for getting information

regarding the availability ofhospital beds and ventilatorsfor treating Coronaviruspatients. It also helps people inDelhi to locate a nearby health-care facility to diagnose andtreat a COVID-19 infectionnear them. The Delhi Coronaapplication is also free for allAndroid and IOS users and isavailable both on the GooglePlay Store and Appstore.

The hospitals have alsobeen colour-coded red, yellowand green depending on theavailability of beds, with reddenoting hospitals with veryfew beds available and greendenoting hospitals with anadequate number of beds.

Till today Delhi has around14986 beds, out of which 5169beds are occupied and 9817beds are vacant.

��"������,���2>2�>%�

In a new initiative, a counsellingsession has been started by the

Health Department Gurugramunder the supervision of psy-chiatrists for corona patientsundergoing home isolation in thecity. So far the Gurugram districthas 706 home isolation patientsand they have all been counselledby the team of doctors.

During the counselling ses-sion the psychiatrists gave themtips to deal with depression andcleared their doubts about thecoronavirus disease and pre-

cautions about home isolation.These patients are divided

into different groups accordingto age. Their counselling is beingdone according to the prescribedtime. “A panel of doctors hasbeen prepared for Corona infect-ed patients in the district. Duringthe session, the doctors are moti-vating patients to remain stressfree along with the prevention ofdoubts living in home isolation,”said Dr. Virender Yadav CivilSurgeon, Gurugram.

He explained that throughthe Zoom app, patients are shar-ing their views via video and atthat time doctors suggest them

about do and don’t so about thedisease so that other familymembers are not infected.

The health officials furthersaid experts are in touch with thehome isolation patients andasked about their health prob-lems so that they can be resolvedin time. “At present 706 patientsare living in home isolation in thedistrict, which have been fixedfor their counselling by dividingthem into different groups. Inaddition, a group of Corona-infected patients has been cre-ated on WhatsApp to addresscommon doubts,” Yadav said.

According to the health

department a number 925asymptomatic corona-infectedpatients have been identified bycontact tracing in the district tillJune 30. These 925 patients aredivided into 19 groups of 50–50.The last 19 groups have 25members. They all have separateWhatsApp groups.

“All these are being givenonline counselling by psycholo-gists through a zoom meeting.We have appointed Dr. Vinayand Dr. Sachin for online coun-selling session. Along with get-ting updates about the routine ofpatients by these experts, they arealso given necessary instruc-

tions to patients to take care ofthemselves,” Yadav asserted.

Yadav further said that wehave made 4 slots for the doctorfor online sessions for thepatients. The first slot is 11 amto 12 am, second slot is 12 am to1 pm, third slot is 4 am to 5 pmand the last slot is 5 am to 6 pm,in which counselling is beinggiven to all the patients living inhome isolation.

“It is important for the coro-na patients to be mentally fitbecause in such a situation themorale of the person makeshim strong to fight the disease.We will reach all the corona

patients and strengthen themmentally and provide them withthe possible help so that they canget well soon,” Yadav asserted.

Meanwhile, the death tolldue to Covid in Gurugram hasreached 101 with one moredeath, health officials said onMonday. The city has also detect-ed 109 fresh cases and 182recovered on Monday. The dis-trict has 6,058 patients and 5,010of them have recovered anddischarged from the hospitals.

Gurugram now has 947active cases and 706 of them arein home isolation, officialsadded.

�����" ��"��� 456�*5�7�

Students of the DelhiGovernment run schools,

from Kinder Garten ( KG ) tograde Eighth received their firstworksheet on Monday. As perthe Directorate of Education (DoE ), students will receive thisworksheet every day.

Deputy Chief MinisterManish Sisodia had announcedthe launch of DelhiGovernment’s remote teachinglearning approach for themonth of July owing to the clo-sure of schools.

According to Delhi gov-ernment official, students fromKG to Grade 8 received theirfirst worksheet which they willnow receive everyday containsengaging, syllabus agnosticactivities to promote reading,

writing, basic numeracy andhappiness among children.“Similarly, students in Grade 9and 10 received worksheets forHindi, Science and Maths today.Henceforth, they will receive 2-3 worksheets everyday. “

All the worksheets wereshared with the students by theclass teachers throughWhatsapp group created at theclass level. Around 4.15 lakhstudents have accessed theworksheets on first day.

The students will be work-ing on the worksheets and willshare it with their teachers onthe respective Whatsappgroups. For those students whodon’t have access to Whatsapp,teachers will get the printoutsof these worksheets and willhand them to their parents ona weekly basis.

�����" ��"��� 456�*5�7�

Intensifying its demand for anearly roll out of e-commerce

policy in India, theConfederation of All IndiaTraders (CAIT) UnionCommerce Minister PiyushGoyal in a letter sent to him toensure the formation of a reg-ulatory authority and putting anend to the long ongoing mal-practices of deep discountingand predatory pricing, control-ling inventory and making itmandatory to mention Countryof Origin and contents of valueaddition on each product to besold on e-commerce platforms.

CAIT secretary generalPraveen Khandelwal said thatthese e-commerce portals havebecome a dumping ground forcheap Chinese imports withoutany substantive value addition.“Mandatory mentioning ofCountry of Origin & contentsof value addition will informthe consumers about the fun-damental details of each prod-uct as also the consumer willhave a choice to select prod-ucts,” he said.

“The current COVID pan-demic has comprehensivelyincreased usage of digital plat-forms. It is expected that duringforthcoming festive season fromNavratri to Diwali, the usage ofe-commerce will touch a newheight as people gripped withfear of Corona will surely movedto digital portals and as such, ithas become more important tomake e-commerce policy acomprehensive guideline doc-ument which should encouragea fair competition in the mar-ket to enable the consumers toget their goods at theirdoorstep,” he added.

�����" ��"��� 456�*5�7�

Delhi Chief Minister ArvindKejriwal and his Deputy

Manish Sisodia on Mondayvisited the Rajiv Gandhi SuperSpecialty Hospital to review thepreparedness of the hospital totreat the Covid patients .

Notably, Delhi witnessed asteady increase in the numberof Corona cases, the Delhigovt has ramped up the instal-lation of ICU beds in RGSShospital from 45 to 200, and inLNJP hospital from 60 to 180,which are both COVID dedi-cated hospitals in Delhi. CMArvind Kejriwal said that moreICU beds will ensure highertreatment of critical patientsand fewer deaths in the city.

Kejriwal said, "RajivGandhi Super SpecialtyHospital is playing an impor-tant role in our fight againstCorona. The LNJP Hospital ofthe Delhi govt was the first hos-pital in the city which wasdeclared a COVID Hospital,and then RGSS Hospital wasdeclared a COVID hospital.Since then, the paramedic staff,doctors, and nurses are servingthe people of Delhi day andnight. Nobody showed anyhesitation. Everyone is scaredand cautious of Coronavirus.But the paramedic staff, doc-tors, and nurses at RGSS hos-pital have done a selfless job bytreating Corona patients tire-lessly."

Sharing corona history inDelhi, Kejriwal said that untilnow, 1000 patients have recov-ered and returned to theirhomes from this hospital. "We

are very happy with how RGSSis working for the patients. Tilla few days back, there were 45ICU beds in this hospital. Weare treating Corona patientswith mild symptoms or asymp-tomatic patients at their homesonly through home isolation.We have sent oximeters attheir homes, and doctors are inregular conversation with themand these patients are satisfied.Just in case a patient gets seri-ous, he/she can get admitted tothe hospital. We might needmore ICU beds."

There are 5100 patientscurrently admitted to the hos-pitals, and around 10000 bedsremain vacant. "But we mightneed ICU beds in the comingdays. We currently have 1900ICU beds out of which 750beds are vacant, but we areincreasing the current capaci-ty of the ICU beds so that ifthere is a sudden spike in thenumber of cases, we are pre-pared with enough beds. If thenumber of ICU beds is insuf-ficient, it may lead to a higherdeath rate," he added.

"I am happy that the RGSShospital accepted the chal-lenge and till a few days back,there were 45 ICU beds here,which have now beenincreased to 200. These ICUbeds were increased in a lim-ited time frame and limitedcapacity. We have also told thedoctors to increase the num-ber of beds to 500, and theywill receive full support fromthe government in this initia-tive," he added.

He also said that similarly,there were only 60 ICU beds in

the LNJP hospital, which havebeen increased to 180 bedsuntil yesterday. In the comingdays, the number of beds willbe increased in all Delhi govthospitals for the better treat-ment of the people.

"Corona patients admit-ted to their hospitals cannotmeet their relatives. We havearranged for tablets here,through which the familymembers of the patients canmeet them and talk to themthrough video-conferencing.When the family members ofthe patients talk to them, theyfeel satisfied. Another facility isthe installation of a bell at thenursing station so that when apatient rings the bell, he/shecan talk to the nurses also whenthey need something. Manysuch facilities have beenarranged here. I want to con-gratulate the doctors, nurses,and authorities, for servingthe people in this pandemic,”Kejriwal said.

�����" ��"��� 456�*5�7�

From a Rat snake showing upin a police station to an

Indian rock python seekingrespite from the heat in a bath-room, over twelve reptiles havebeen rescued in past week.

Sharing details about res-cue operation, Wildlife SOSshared that in one particularincident, the rising heat in thecity drove a six-foot-long RatSnake straight to the refuge ofa police station in Bhajanpura.“As police officers noticed thesnake’s tail emerging betweenthe hinges of a door, theyimmediately contacted theNGO’s rescue team on theirhelpline number (+91-9871963535) and requested forassistance,” a member of res-cue team said.

Donning protective gear,

the rescuers quickly and effi-ciently extracted the large snakeand had it safely nestled in atransport carrier, earning thepraise of the police officers! Inanother close call, the WildlifeSOS team rushed to the rescueof a five-feet-long Indian RockPython that was found in thebathroom of a house in SainikFarms.

Kartick Satyanarayan, CEOCo-founder of Wildlife SOS,said, “We would like to thankthe Delhi Police officers forreaching out to us immediate-ly. The rise in temperature isdriving reptiles to seek respitefrom the heat in cooler spaces.The last few weeks have shownus people’s compassion towardsurban wildlife and we are trulygrateful for the chance to beable to make a difference!”

In the past week, a Monitor

Lizard was also rescued from aschool in Shakarpur, Delhi andanother monitor lizard wasfound in a home in Ghaziabad.The rescued reptiles were latersafely released into their naturalhabitats.

Wasim Akram, DeputyDirector - Special Projects,Wildlife SOS, said, “In the pastweek alone, we have rescuedmore than 12 reptiles and thenumber is still on a rise.Rescues range from that ofextremely venomous snakeslike the cobra and commonkrait, to relatively harmlessand non-venomous ones likethe sand boa, wolf snake andrat snake.”

As the lockdown is beinglifted across the country andpeople are emerging on thestreets, it is extremely impera-tive to keep in mind that the

wild animals getting used toempty spaces in urban habitatsare going to continue exploringthem. Wildlife SOS is consis-tently working towards chang-

ing people’s attitude and sensi-tizing the public to the presenceof urban wildlife and how wecan help keep the conflict at aminimum.

#�������������������������������������� ���������)���+�������! ��!�� �������� ������,�"�� �� ��� !���� ��� &���� �� ������ ������ ���� � ����>�� ������ � ���� ��� �����7��� ���

�����" ��"��� 456�*5�7�

A37-year-old journalist withHindi daily undergoing

treatment for Covid-19 at theAll India Institue of MedicalSciences (AIIMS) TraumaCentre died after allegedlyjumping off the fourth floor ofthe hospital building onMonday afternoon.

Following the incident, theUnion Health Minister DrHarshvardhan formed a com-mittee to enquire about thedeath of Sisodia."The inquirycommittee consists of Chief ofNeuroscience Centre,ProfPadma,Head of PsychiatryDept Prof RK Chaddha,DyDir(Admn) Sh Panda & Head,Physical Medicine & Rehab DrU Singh.My deep condolencesto media community that isshaken by the tragic loss of anesteemed colleague," DrHarshvardhan tweeted.

The journalist, TarunSisodia was a resident of north-east Delhi's Bhajanpura.

Police said that the incidenttook place at around 2 pm andthe man was rushed to the hos-pital's ICU where doctors triedto revive him, a doctor said oncondition of anonymity.

According to DevenderArya, Deputy Commissioner ofPolice (southwest), the jour-nalist was admitted to theCOVID-19 ward at the Trauma

Centre on June 24 after testingpositive for the virus.

Meanwhile, AIIMSspokesperson in a statementstated that Sisodiya was admit-ted in hospital on Jun 24 andhe was making significantrecovery from his Covid symp-toms.

"He was stable on room airtoday and was planned forshifting to general ward fromthe ICU. He earlier had asurgery for frontal lobe menin-gioma (a type of brain tumor)at city's G B Pant Hospital inMarch 2020," he said.

"While he was in hospitalfor treatment of COVID-19, hewas having bouts of disorien-tation for which he was seen byNeurologist and Psychiatristand put on medication. Thefamily members were regular-ly counselled regarding hiscondition," he said.

"At around 1.55 PM today,Sisodia ran out of the wardwhere he was admitted.Hospital attendants ran afterhim and tried to stop him.Sisodia ran to fourth floorwhere he broke a window paneand jumped out. He was imme-diately moved to the ICU inTrauma Centre in an ambu-lance. He was intubated andresuscitation was tried butunfortunately he succumbed tohis injuries at 3.35 PM," thespokesperson further stated.

������7���� ���������������8���������& �!�������

������ ��� �������������������

������������������� �!�"�#������$�����%&��'$������

%��'#����"�����/����0� �1� "��������� �"#���2�

������������������������������������ ��������'���������������� ���' ���&�)�����

�& /������������������� ��������������������������������

Page 4:  · reducing the number of expats from 70 per cent to 30 per cent ... on Monday overtook Turkey which ranks 14 on the Worldometer (205,758 cases). ... The guidance that the health

�� ���������������������� ������ � �!"!"

����!A/=����������"

3?=�������>�����'����������� ������� ����'�=��� ��� ���-��� ���������'���� ���� 456�*5�7�

Amidst the continuingIndia-China stand-off at

the Line of Actual Control(LAC) in Eastern Ladakh,the BJP on Monday made asarcasm-mixed polit icalattack on former Congresspresident Rahul Gandhi for“not attending a single of the11 meetings” of theParliamentary defence com-mittee and accused that the“dynasty is only interested indefence commissions & notdefence forces”.

Led by BJP national pres-ident J P Nadda, the partyasked Rahul to explain hisconduct of not attending thekey standing committee meet-ings on defence and evengiving a go by to an importantfield visit to the border atTawang in ArunachalPradesh.

Nadda pointed out thatthe former Congress presi-dent had not attended a sin-

gle meeting of the StandingCommittee on Defence dur-ing the 17th Lok Sabha. Thecommittee, which has met 11times since 2019, comprises21 members from the LokSabha and 10 members fromthe Rajya Sabha.

They have to examinebi l ls pertaining to theMinistry of Defence and otherdefence-related issues.

“Rahul Gandhi does notattend a single meeting ofStanding Committee onDefence. But sadly, he continues to demoralise thenation, question the valour ofour armed forces and doever ything that a responsible opposition leadershould not do”, tweetedNadda.

The BJP president, in histweets, lamented that theCongress leader , on the otherhand, continued to demor-alise armed Forces during theLAC faceoff with China andrepeatedly criticised the Modi

Government’s handling of thesituation along the LAC, mak-ing “unverified claims” suchas Indian soldiers being sentto fight without weapons andthe Chinese troops occupyingIndian territory.

Accusing him of notbehaving as a responsibleopposition leader, Naddasought to say that hebelonged to a tradition where“commissions” matter morethan committees.

Furthermore, he contendedthat the Gandhi dynastywould not provide to deserving Congress mem-bers who he said were keen tobe in the parliamentary committee.

Soon after Nadda hit out atRahul, BJP spokesperson GVLNarismha Rao demanded that Rahul as anopposition leader and Lok SabhaMP explain his absence in suchan important

parliamentary committee andgiving a miss to the visit by MPsto Tawang in Arunachal Pradesh.

“The family has interestonly in commission be it Boforsgun, HDW submarine,AgustaWestland helicopter or

other defence deals. Dynastytakes interest in commissionnot in armed forces,” Rao saidand further accused theCongress leaders of bringingdown the morale of the coun-try’s armed forces.

4����������������������������������� �� ����������)�9:*

!"" � �� �"��� 456*5�7�

Led by Prime MinisterNarendra Modi and BJP

President J P Nadda, the partyon Monday paid tributes to thefounder of the Bharatiya JanSangh (BJP), a precursor to theBJP, Dr Syama PrasadMookerjee on his 119th birthanniversary as they cited his“exemplary contributions” tocountry’s unity and the recentscrapping of Article 370 which,the party said, was inspired byhis sacrifice.

“I bow to Dr Syama PrasadMookerjee on his Jayanti. A

devout patriot, he made exem-plary contributions towardsIndia’s development. He madecourageous efforts to furtherIndia’s unity. His thoughts andideals give strength to millionsacross the nation,” Modi tweet-ed while remembering the BJSleader who passed away inKashmir while demanding its“complete integration” in thecountry.

The BJP President said it isthe act of sacrifice ofMookerjee that article 370 thatuntil recently provided specialstatus to J&K was scarped

under the leadership of PrimeMinister Narendra Modi andthe strategy of Union HomeMinister Amit Shah.

“Apna desh apni maati, ekdesh, ek Pradhan, ek vidhan, ekNishan ka sapna pura karrahen hain”, he said recollect-ing Mookerjee’s assertion thatone nation can not have twoConstitution, two PMs andtwo flags.

Nadda who paid tribute tothe late leader at BJP head-quarters here said Mookerjee’sideals were a “unique blend ofregional aspirations and

national unity”. BJP Chief saidBJS founder sowed the seed ofJammu and Kashmir’s devel-opment through his slogan,“Ek desh mein do vidhaan, donishaan, do pradhaan nahinchalega (One country can’thave two constitutions, twoleaders and two nationalemblems).

While praising the visionof Mookherjee, he said thefirst Prime Minister of IndiaJawaharlal Nehru had adopt-ed a flawed policy of “appease-ment”.

Mookerjee was part of

Nehru’s Cabinet and resignedfollowing differences withthe latter over Liaquat pact.With the help of the RSS, hefounded the BJS in 1951.Mookerjee was also the pres-ident of Akhil BharatiyaHindu Mahasabha from 1943to 1946.

Home Minister in his trib-ute to Mookerjee said, he will“always be remembered for hisefforts in making Kashmir anintegral part of India. He willcontinue to inspire people forhis sacrifice for upholdingIndia’s unity and integrity.”

��*�������!������"����������-�������� ������&������ ��� �"������ ��

���� 456�*5�7�

In its effort to improve thequality of roads after block-

ing Chinese infrastructurefirms, the National HighwaysAuthority of India (NHAI),under the Ministry of RoadTransport and Highways, hasdecided to undertake perfor-mance assessment and rankingof the highways in the country.The assessment audit and rank-ing of the NH is aimed to takecorrective recourse, whereverneeded, to improve the quali-ty and provide higher level ofservice to highway commuters.

A senior Road TransportMinistry official said the moveis also aimed to encouragecompetition amongst theIndian road and infrastructurefirms to provide world classfacilities after the Governmentannounced not to allowChinese firms in the projects.He also mentioned that RoadTransport Minister NitinGadkari has already stated thatwhen small projects can beundertaken by Indian firmsthen they should be givenopportunities for large scalehighways projects subject theymeet quality and standards.

“The assessment parame-ters are based on differentinternational practices andstudies for benchmarking high-

way performances in Indiancontext. The criteria for theassessment have been broadlycategorised in three main heads:Highway Efficiency (45%),Highway Safety (35%) and UserServices (20%),” said a RoadMinistry official. On the basisof outcome of the assessment,the authority will undertake acomprehensive analysis anddecide on the level of inter-vention required to enhance theoverall service quality.

Additionally, importantparameters like operatingspeed, access control, timetaken at toll plaza, road sig-nages, road markings, accidentrate, incident response time,crash barriers, illumination,availability of AdvancedTraffic Management System(ATMS), functionality ofstructures, provision for gradeseparated intersections, clean-liness, plantation, waysideamenities and customer satis-faction will also be consideredwhile conducting the assess-

ment.The score obtained by

each Corridor in each of theparameter will provide a feed-back and corrective recoursefor higher standards of oper-ation, better safety and userexperience to improve existinghighways.

This will also help in iden-tifying and filling gaps ofdesign, standards, practices,guidelines and contractagreements for other NHAIprojects.

The ranking of the corri-dors will be dynamic and theconcessionaire/ contractor/operator will get the opportu-nity to improve upon theirranking by improving the ser-vices on that corridor.

Apart from overall rank-ing of all the corridors, sepa-rate ranking for BOT, HAMand EPC projects will also bedone. This process of rankingwill bring out operational effi-ciency and ensure high qual-ity maintenance of roads.

���� 456�*5�7�

Continuing with his attackagainst the Modi dispen-

sation, Congress leader RahulGandhi on Monday lashedout at the Government overthe rising coronavirus casessaying future Har vardBusiness School case studieson failure would include theGovernment’s handling ofCovid-19.

Taking a dig at PrimeMinister Narendra Modi, theformer Congress chief alsotweeted a clip which includ-ed portions from the PM’saddresses to the nation on theCOVID-19 crisis, includinghis remarks that theMahabharata war was won in18 days and the war againstcoronavirus will take 21 days.

The clip also showed agraph of rising coronaviruscases, making India the thirdworst-hit nation in terms ofinfection count.

“Future HBS case studieson failure: 1. Covid19. 2.Demonetisation.3. GST

implementation,” Gandhitweeted along with the clip.

Rahul’s attack on theGovernment came a day afterIndia went past Russia to

become the third worst-hitnation by the COVID-19 pan-demic. Only the US andBrazil are ahead of India interms of total coronavirus

infections.Rahul has been unrelent-

ing in its attack against theGovernment over its han-dling of the Covid-19 situa-

tion. He has also kept the

Government in the line of fireover the face-off with Chinaon the LAC.

���� 456�*5�7�

As India on Mondaybreached the 7-lakh cases

mark, the Union HealthMinister on Monday said thenational positivity rate ofCovid-19 infected patients is6.73 per cent with Punjabreporting the lowest at 1.92per cent among eight Statesand Union Territories (UTs)showing improvement.

The positivity rate is basedon the tests per million peo-ple.

India tested 10 millionsamples for the infection inthe past f ive-and-a-halfmonths in the 1,100 laborato-ries that were identified,upgraded or established acrossthe country for testing.

The Government attrib-uted it to a joint effort of thecentral as well as the State andUT Governments to effec-tively manage the Covid-19pandemic in the country.

As part of the coordinat-ed efforts, the ministry said

the Union Governmentemphasised on increasing test-ing, prompt contact tracingand timely clinical manage-ment of the cases.

It has also helped theStates to significantly ramp uptesting capacities, it said.

“This has resulted inreduced positivity in the coun-try. Currently the nationalpositivity rate stands at 6.73per cent.”

As per the data collated tillJuly 5, 2020, Puducherry,Chandigarh, Assam, Tripura,Karnataka, Rajasthan, Goaand Punjab with their posi-tivity rates are lesser than thenational average and tests per10 lakh population is higherthan the national average.

Among these eight Statesand UTs, Puducherry is on topwith 5.55 per cent positivityrate followed by Chandigargh(4.36 per cent), Assam (2.84per cent), Tripura (2.27 percent), Karnataka (2.64 percent), Rajasthan (2.51 percent), Goa (2.5 per cent) andPunjab (1.92 per cent).

Tests were ramped upthrough increased RT-PCRtesting along with the newRapid Antigen Point-of-Care(POC) tests which givesresults in only about 30 min-utes.

As per the data, the aver-age number of samples beingtested per day has increased anaverage of 18,766 samples perday between July 1 to 5 whileit was just 5,481 between June1 and 5.

In Delhi, despite signifi-cantly increased testing, thepositivity rate has seen a sub-stantial decrease from about30 per cent to 10 per cent in

the last three weeks.As per the data, maximum

of 44,129 tests per millionpeople have been done so farin Goa followed byPuducherry (12,592 tests),Tripura (10,941), Rajasthan(10,445), Punjab (10,225),Assam (9,987), Chandigarh(9,090) and Karnataka (9,803).

Amitabh Kant, CEO ofNiti Aayog, emphasising theneed for aggressive testing, tweeted,“We can succeed against#Covid-19 only with 3T strat-egy of testing, tracing andtreating. This is the momentto act, and to act fast.”

���� 456�*5�7�

Against the backdrop of theCovid-19 pandemic affect-

ing the entire education system,particularly primary schools,the Centre on Mondaylaunched Information andCommunications Technology(ICT)-enabled primary schools-”Bal Vidyalaya”- for ruralIndia .

The Common ServiceCentre, a unit of digital Indiaarm under Ministry ofElectronics and IT, launched thespecially-designed BalVidyalaya for students of 10states namely Chhattisgarh,Haryana, Uttar Pradesh,Gujarat, Jharkhand, Rajasthan,Himachal Pradesh, Punjab,Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu.

Launching the 21 CSC BalVidyalaya pre-schools in 10states, CSC CEO Dr. DineshKumar Tyagi said: “DigitalIndia is for the poor and under-privileged. We started the con-cept of Bal Vidyalaya to bridgethe digital divide in rural areas.CSC’s foundation is education,so we wanted to help cognitivedevelopment of children at thenascent stage.”

The CSC Bal Vidyalya willuse technology and enable achild to learn rather than focuson teaching. The key to improv-ing a child’s motivation andability to become an indepen-dent learner is to employ effec-tive cognitive strategies. Withthe use of technology, a child

can learn fast. In villages, qual-ity education will be ensuredthrough CSC Bal Vidyalaya.

To bridge limitations ofaccess to technology tools andgood teachers, CSC BalVidyalaya proposes to addressthese aspects.

Dr Tyagi said CSC aims toopen 700 Bal Vidyalayas, one inevery district across the coun-try, by the end of current fiscaland then expand it to everyBlock by the end of 2021.

Rishikesh Patankar, COO-CSC, said, “CSC Bal Vidyalayais ICT-enabled education forschool children. With this ini-tiative, CSC Academy is start-ing a new journey. Here, we willfocus on learning by doing. Wewill encourage activity-basedlearning.”

Common Service Centres(CSC) scheme is one of the mis-sion mode projects under theDigital India Programme.There are over 3.6 lakh CSCsacross India.

����� ��������'./�!� ����������� �� � ����0123�4������ ��� ������+����������� � ����� ��� �

(�&���$���"��)*$����+,$�$,$- �!�!�!$����+�$�

#75�- -�3%�(�*$%�$%�6���

2 5�#5-74����$%4*�54%3�5�%-7��*�#���5%>4>%#75>�#7%4,�-2 ��4#5%-7�4�

��"��� �,��� 456�*5�7�

Madhya Pradesh ChiefMinister Shivraj Singh

Chouhan on Monday metUnion Agriculture andFarmers’ Welfare MinisterNarendra Singh Tomar andrequested him for providingthe Geographical Indication(GI) tag for Basmati rice pro-duced in Madhya Pradesh.Chouhan claimed the basmatirice grown in the State was onpar with that from Punjab andHaryana and five other north-ern States.

“We export high-qualityBasmati rice to America andCanada. In the meeting withthe Union AgricultureMinister, I requested him toprovide our Basmati rice, aGeographical Indication tag,as we have been demanding itfor a long time,” Chouhansaid after the meeting withTomar.

A GI tag is an indicationused on products that have aspecific geographical originand possess qualities or areputation that are due to theorigin. Such a tag conveys anassurance of quality and dis-tinctiveness, which is attrib-uted to its origin.

The GI tag was for PUSA-1 and PUSA-1121 basmatirice varieties cultivated inMadhya Pradesh.

MP has been trying to getthe GI tag for its basmati ricefor quite some time. The state

government had earl iermoved the Supreme Courtagainst the Madras HighCourt judgement rejectingthe pleas of basmati growersand State Government chal-lenging the exclusion of 13districts of the state from amap submitted by theAgriculture and ProcessedFood Products ExportDevelopment Authority(APEDA) for GI tags.

The matter dates back to2008 when the Agricultureand Processed Food ProductsExport DevelopmentAuthority (APEDA) APEDAfiled an application beforethe Chennai-based assistant registrar of GI seeking GI-Tagfor the basmati rice.

In 2010, the StateGovernment had opposedAPEDA’s application on theground that it had excluded13 basmati-producing dis-tricts, following which theauthority directed APEDA toagain file its application alongwith a map clearly showingareas where the rice is actu-ally cultivated.

However, the APEDAmoved to Intel lectualProperty Appellate Board(IPAB) against the authorityand since then the litigationin the matter is on.

Chouhan also met UnionFertilisers Minister SadanandGowda requesting adequatesupply of Urea as per thedemand during the kharifseason in the State.

������ ��& �+���������"� �����

���� 456�*5�7�

At a time when over 200 per-sons have already died due

to lightning strikes, the IndiaMeteorological Department(IMD) on Monday warned ofmore thunderstorms with light-ning along with moderate toheavy rain over east UttarPradesh, Jharkhand, southBihar, Chhattisgarh, eastMadhya Pradesh, interiorOdisha and Gangetic WestBengal during the next 48hours.

There’s no relief for Gujarattoo battered with heavy rain.The IMD predicted heavy rain-fall in Gujarat in the next 48hours due to well-marked lowpressure area over Saurashtraand neighbourhood.Porbandar and Dwarkareceived 12 inches and 10inches rainfall in the last 24hours.

The weatherman predict-ed moderate rains, moderate tointense thunderstorm andmore lightning strikes over

east Uttar Pradesh, Jharkhand,south Bihar, Chhattisgarh, eastMadhya Pradesh, interiorOdisha and Gangetic WestBengal during the next 48hours. At least 200-250 peoplehave died since March due tolightning in Bihar and UttarPradesh with many of the vic-tims being farmers who werein their fields for plantationsduring monsoon rains.

The IMD also predictedheavy rains over ArunachalPradesh, Assam, Manipur,Mizoram, Tripura, Meghalayaand Sub-Himalayan WestBengal & Sikkim during July9th to 12.

The IMD said lightningand thunder are caused bylarge-scale instability in theatmosphere, fuelled by tem-perature rises and excessivemoisture. Lightning strikesduring the annual monsoonthat runs from June toSeptember are fairly commonin India.

As per reports, at least 25people were fatally struck onSaturday (July 4) in Bihar. On

Friday (July 3), 19 people diedin the state due to lightning.There were 26 deaths onThursday (July 2) while 125people died on July 1 in Biharand Uttar Pradesh.

As per the National CrimeRecords Bureau data, everyyear at least 2000 to 3000deaths in India occur due tolightning strikes and torrentialrains in India. Odisha topswith 9 lakh lightning strikeswhich is15% of total strikes.Maharashtra, Karnataka, WestBengal, Madhya Pradesh,Jharkhand, Uttar Pradesh andAndhra Pradesh togetheraccount for more than50%lightning strikes of India.The number of lightning daysacross India has shown a sig-nificant increase, every monthprogressively.

July witnessed the highestlightning days, especially in thelater half due to turbulentonset of monsoon.

There has been constantlightning almost every day inone or the other parts of coun-try. Odisha and Andhra

Pradesh have so far been themost lightning active states.Eight states of North Eastcomprising Assam, ArunachalPradesh, Meghalaya, Manipur,Mizoram, Nagaland, Tripuraand Sikkim –the 2.4% of geo-graphical area of India with3.86% of national populationfalls in the most hot lightningrod zone.

India has received 244.9mm rainfall as against thenormal of 216.7 mm, anincrease of 12 percent so far. Asmany as 30 states and unionterritories have received eithernormal or excess rainfallbetween June 1 and July 6.

After witnessing a spell ofheavy rainfall over the pastthree days, Mumbai and neigh-bouring Thane received mod-erate rains on Monday. TheSantacruz weather bureau (insuburbs) recorded 5.2 mmrainfall, while the Colabaweather station, representa-tive of the island city, report-ed 1.2 mm rainfall between8:30 amand 5:30 pm onMonday.

��� *���� ��� ���� �� ��� ��� �� ���*�!����� ����

� "��� ����+��� 456�*5�7�

Ahacker group, styled as“Indian Cyber Troops” has

hacked the websites of PakistanOccupied Kashmir (PoK)Government and public infor-mation department warning thePak establishment against tryingto hack Indian websites.

A message posted on thescreen page of the so called AzadJammu and Kashmir“pidajk.gok.pk claiming Message

from Directorate General ofPublic Relations said, “Awaam(general public) of Azad Jammuand Kashmir seek independencefrom Pakistan. Pakistan Armyand police are involved in massscale human rights violations,atrocities on innocent civiliansand spreading terrorim. Westrongly condemnPakistanirulers for the discrim-inatory policies and misrule inAzad Jammu and Kashmir forthe past 70 years.”

Under the title “We Want

Azaadi”, another message onthe same page read, “PakAirforce F-16 shot by IAF(Indian Air Force) last Februaryis a dark secret Government ofPakistan has been keeping fromits people. We pay respect to thefamily of the killed pilot (of F-16of Pakistan Air Force) and soonthe truth shall come out.”

The screenshot of thehacked website also hosted aphotograph showing a largemob burning the Pakistani flag.

“Don’t try to hack Indian

sites, otherwise result will beunimaginable, stay away fromIndian cyber space. PakistanMurdabad,” warned anothermessage pasted on the officialwebsite of Pakistan OccupiedKashmir. The official website ofPOK, ajk.gov.pk read, “Websiteis undergoing maintenance.”

The Pakistani websiteajk.gov.pk was hacked onSaturday and till the filing of thisreport the authorities there havenot been able to fully restore thesite.

.�/������� �0���(�&��"$�1�+

���*��5������� �����&��!������� �� � �� �*��� &� ������������ �

Page 5:  · reducing the number of expats from 70 per cent to 30 per cent ... on Monday overtook Turkey which ranks 14 on the Worldometer (205,758 cases). ... The guidance that the health

�� ���������������������� ������ � �!"!" ����!A/=����������"

���+������ �2�3%�

As part of easing of lock-down norms, the

Maharashtra government onMonday decided to allowhotels, lodges and guest hous-es outside the containmentzones to operate from July 8, at33 per cent capacity.

Through an order, the stategovernment announced the“Mission Begin Again Phase-V”to implement new norms witheffect from July 8, outside spec-ified Covid-19 containmentzones all over the state, includ-ing all municipal jurisdiction ofMumbai Metropolitan Region(MMR), Pune MetropolitanRegion (PMR), and Solapur,Aurangabad, Nashik,Malegaon, Dhule, Jalgaon,Akola, Amravati and Nagpur.

Incidentally, a majority ofthe cities like Mumbai, Thane,Pune, Aurangabad, Nashik,Jalgaon, Akola have witnessedhighest number of Covid-19infected cases and deaths.

While it has permittedhotels, lodges and guest hous-es to operate outside the con-tainment from July 8, the stategovernment has not allowedshopping malls to restart dur-ing the “Mission Begin AgainPhase-V”.

“These entities if beingused for quarantine facilitieswill continue to be used so

unless decided otherwise by thedistrict/municipal administra-tion. Similarly, some part orwhole of the balance unusedcapacity (67 per cent) can alsobe used as the quarantine facil-ity by the municipal / districtadministration,”

The guidelines that havebeen laid down for the re-startof restaurants include: re-con-figuration of sitting arrange-ments to ensure social distanc-ing, provision of e-menus anddisposable paper napkins,encouragement of room servicetake-aways and restrictingrestaurants for resident guests.

As part of the new norms,hotels will now be required tomaintain physical distancingamong staff/guests with mark-ings for queues and suitablyconfigure seating arrangements,restrict the number of people inelevators with compulsory ther-mal screening at entrances torestrict the entry of any symp-tomatic persons.

Reception space must havea glass shield, sanitisers to bemade freely available all overthe hotel, the managementmust implement ‘contact-less’procedures like QR codes,online forms, digital payments,etc for check-in/check-out,placing orders, etc.

Air Conditioning will haveto be maintained at 24-30degrees with 40-70 percent

humidity range with adequatecross-ventilation and maxi-mum fresh air intake.

While only asymptomaticguests will be permitted, theywill be allowed entry wearing offace mask, they will have towear face masks at all timesinside the hotel, install theArogya Setu app, provide fulldetails of their travel history,medical condition, and mini-mize use of housekeeping ser-vices.

While swimming pools,gyms, gaming arcades, chil-dren’s areas will remain closed,the state government hasallowed meeting halls to remainopen with 33 percent capacityor maximum 15 persons shallbe allowed.

Among other things, thestate government has mandat-ed sanitisation of rooms andother service areas. “After theclient’s stay, the room should beleft unoccupied for at least 24hours and all linen towelsshould be changed after guestsvacate the room,” one of theguidelines said.

The state government hasalso mandated other strict mea-sures for cleaning, sanitisingand disinfecting the hotelpremises and rooms, and theprotocols to be followed incase a guest falls ill or any sus-pect/confirmed Covid-19 caseis located on the premises.

���+�������2�3%�

After touching an all-timerecord of 7074 Covid-19

positive cases on Saturday, thenumber of infected cases camedown further in Maharashtra to5,368 on Monday, even as 204more people died of Coronavirusin various parts of the state.

After the number of infec-tions had virtually peaked totouch 7074 forty eight hours,the state has witnessed a steadydecline in the number of posi-tive cases. While the numberof cases had slid to 6555 and thefigure dropped further to 5368.

With the 5368 fresh infec-tions, the total number ofinfected cases jumped to2,11,987.

As the infections touched2,11,987 cases. Maharashtra onMonday overtook Turkey whichranks 14 on the Worldometer(205,758 cases). Earlier onSunday, Maharashtra had sur-passed Germany (197,651 cases).

Similarly, with 151 newdeaths and infections, the totalnumber of deaths crossed 9000mark to touch 9026.

Of the total 204 fatalitiesdeclared today, Thane account-ed for 57 deaths, while Mumbaiwitnessed 39 deaths.

There has been a steadydecline in the number of deathsin Mumbai. The number has

come down two digits during thelast few days. With the fresh 39deaths, the total number ofdeaths in Mumbai mounted to4,938 on Monday, while thenumber of infected cases hasrisen by 1,200 cases to touch85,724.

Apart from 57 deathsrecorded in Thane and 39 inMumbai, there were 17 deathseach in Pune and Nashik, 16deaths in Jalgaon, 14 in Palghar,seven each in Solapur andAurangabad, five each in Dhuleand Jalna, four each in Satara andRaigad, three in Akola, two inLatur, one each in Ratnagiri,Kolhapur, Ahmednagar, Nagpur,Amravati, Nanded, andOsmanabad.

With 49,485 positive casesand 1,327 deaths, Thane hasemerged as the second worst-hitdistrict after Mumbai in thestate.

With 28,966 patients and889 deaths, Pune district standsthird in terms of infections andfatalities.

Meanwhile, the total num-ber of patients dischargedfrom various hospitals after fullrecovery since the second weekof March this year touched 1,15,262. The recovery rate inthe state stood at 54.37 per cent.The mortality rate in the stateis 4.26 per cent. The statehealth authorities pegged the

number of “active cases” in thestate at 87,681.

Out of 11,35,447 samplessent to laboratories, 2,11,987have tested positive (18.57%)for COVID-19 until Monday.Currently, 6,15,265 people arein home quarantine while46355 people are in institu-tional quarantine.

��+���"�+� �� ����%#%

Bengal Chief MinisterMamata Banerjee on

Monday announced a string ofmeasures “in order to createjobs and revolutionise theState’s socio-economic profile.”

Launching a mega ruraldrinking water project, shesaid “our Government isundertaking a drinking waterproject worth Rs 58,000 crorefor the rural areas that will ben-efit 2 crore people.” Apart fromthe existing “Jal Dharo, JalBharo” scheme that entails dig-ging and maintenance of waterbodies hundreds of miles ofdrinking water pipeline will befixed in the rural areas underthe new project she said iter-ating “apart from reachingfresh drinking water to therural people it will also providejobs to thousands of youth.”Shesaid “the new project is revo-lutionary in the sense that itwill save the rural women thetime and labour involved inbringing drinking water fromfar off areas apart from pre-serving ground water.” Thenew project is likely to changethe lives of lakhs of people liv-ing in the arid western districts

of the States including Purulia,Bankura, Asansol region.

“The scheme will take fiveyear to complete and revolu-tionise the socio-economiccondition of the State,” shesaid adding the new schemewill be christened Jal Swapna.

Apart from the waterpipeline scheme the ChiefMinister also announced thelaunching of a fully govern-ment created “self scanner”mobile App for the netizens.

Reminding what GopalKrishna Gokhale said aboutwhat “Bengal thinkstoday restof India thinks tomorrow”Banerjee said “this is the per-haps the first self scannermobile App or SS App whichwill help the mobile users toscan their documents, and editthem for free and without anyfear of one’s information beingstolen as the doc will not belinked to any server.”

In an apparent reference tothe BJP’s “Swadeshi slogan,” theChief Minister said the Apphad been created by the State’sInformation TechnologyDepartment. “This App is thereal example of Swadeshi anddoes not rely or is connected toany outside thing.”

���� ����%#%

The TMC has written a letterto Chief Election

Commissioner Sunil Arora say-ing that the postal ballot votingas decided for the voters beyond65-year-age was a violation of theright to secrecy to vote and rightto free and fair elections.

In an apparent reference tothe recent amendment allowingpeople above 65 years of age andthe corona patients to vote fromhome TMC general secretarySubrata Bakshi wrote “We con-sider this move of wanting thoseabove 65 years of age to votethrough postal ballots as arbi-trary, unconstitutional, and ex-facie a violation of the right tosecrecy of the vote, right to freeand fair elections, and right tohealth of the citizens of India.”

Calling the decision arbi-trary as no party was consultedregarding the decision Bakshisaid that the amendment wouldin effect disenfranchise seniorcitizens above the age of 65 bydenying them a “fair, equal, andreasonable chance to participatein elections.”

�,����"�� ��� ��-7�

Anew modus operandi tosmuggle in gold to India

has been busted atThiruvananthapuram airporton Sunday with the CustomsDepartment seizing 30 Kg ofthe yellow metal valued at Rs15 crore in the local market.

The gold, concealed in theform of pipes, rods and faucetswas seized from a diplomaticconsignment addressed to theConsular General of the UnitedArab Emirates in the city. ByMonday, the incident snow-balled into a major scam withthe name of a senior IAS offi-cial attached to Chief Minister’sOffice finding mention inreports associated with thesmuggling.

The Customs Departmenttook into custody Sarith, aformer staff of the UAEConsulate Office and he wastaken to Kochi for interroga-tion. It is reported that one ofthe principal secretaries work-ing in the CMO rang up theCustoms officials to make themhush up the case.

Sarith, who was dismissedfrom service by the Consulatelong back was questioned byofficials of Intelligence Bureauand Research and AnalysisWing (RAW) at the Kochioffice of the CustomsDepartment. Name of a formerlady staff who worked with theconsulate is also being men-tioned as a possible associate inthis smuggling operation.

The consignment whicharrived atT h i r u v a n a n t h a p u r a mInternational Airport some-time last week was kept pend-ing customs clearance. Usually,diplomatic consignments arenot subjected to Customsscrutiny as the invoices andother documents furnished bythe office of the ConsulateGeneral is taken at face valueand the material cleared with-out any hassle. But this time,the Customs officials got a tip

off and thus the baggage wasstored in the air cargo complexfor clearance.

The consignment wasopened on Sunday in the pres-ence of the Consular staff butthe latter feigned ignoranceabout the contents in the pack-age. Customs officials are of theview that this type of smugglingmaking use of the diplomaticgoodwill would not have takenplace without the knowledge ofthe higher-ups and the consularstaff.

“This kind of consign-ments used to come quite reg-ularly to the airport. There weremuch bigger consignments tooin the recent past,” said a seniorairport official who is privy tothe happenings in airport cargocomplex.

Gulf News, a popular daily,has quoted UAE Ambassadorto India, Dr. Ahmad AbdulRahman Al Banna as saying:“We don’t know anything aboutit. Anyone sending anything tothe consulate doesn’t meanthat it is ours. It is nonsense [tothink like that].”

By Monday evening the

Government of Kerala dis-missed the service of SwapnaSuresh from its IT Department. She has been working as a liai-son officer in one of the unitsunder the IT Department.Swapna is reportedly the king-pin of the entire operation. Shewas earlier working as an exec-utive assistant in the ConsulateOffice from where she wassacked for improper conduct,according to persons who areclose to her.

K surendran, the youngpresident of Kerala BJP, allegedthat Chief Minister PinarayiVijayan and IT secretary MSivsankar were trying to saveSwapna Suresh from the case.“She is an accused in manycriminal cases and was fired bythe UAE Consulate General formisconduct. How come such aperson was appointed in theChief Minister’s Office despitethe Special Branch Police alert-ing the Chief Minister about herantecedents. Let PinarayiVijayan explain this to the peo-ple of Kerala because everythingassociated with Swapna Sureshis illegal,” said Surendran.

Srinagar: The NationalInvestigation Agency (NIA) onMonday filed a chargesheetagainst six persons, includingsuspended Jammu andKashmir Deputy SP DevinderSingh, in a special NIA court inJammu.

Others named are NaveedMushtaq alias Naveed Babu,Irfan Shafi Mir, Rafi Rather,Tanveer Ahmad Wani, andSyed Irfan.

Devinder Singh is held inKathua jail at Heeranagar inJammu division. He was arrest-ed by the police on January 11on the Jammu-SrinagarNational Highway when hewas transporting two HizbulMujahideen terrorists -- NaveedBabu and Rafi Ahmad Rather-- and a law school dropout

Irfan Shafi Mir to Jammu.Naveed's brother Irfan was

arrested on January 23 for hisalleged role in the conspiracywhile Wani came under thescanner for allegedly givingmoney to Naveed, a formerSpecial Police Officer of J&Kwho had joined the terrorranks.

After the arrest of Singh,initial investigations were doneby the J&K police before thecase was handed to the NIA.

Police had said that the twoterrorists and the lawyer hadplanned to travel to Pakistan.

Singh was earlier shiftedfrom Srinagar to Jammu on atransit remand where an NIAteam questioned him. Afterhis arrest by the J&K police,multiple raids were conducted

at his residence in Srinagar.An NIA press statement

said that its investigationrevealed that the accused werepart of a deep-rooted conspir-acy hatched by the Pakistan-based terrorist organizationHizbul Mujahideen andPakistani state ato commit vio-lent acts and to wage waragainst India.

"The investigation hasrevealed that Pakistan-basedleadership of HizbulMujahideen, namely SayeedSalahudeen, Amir Khan, HMdeputy chief, Khursheed Alam,operational head of Hizbul,Nazar Mehmood, financialhead of Hizbul, and othersalong with Pakistani establish-ment is extending support tothe cadres and commanders of

Hizbul Mujahideen based inJammu and Kashmir.

"The investigation alsorevealed that accused IrfanShafi Mir @ Advocate not onlymet Hizbul leadership inPakistan but also met UmarCheema, Ahshan Chaudhary,Sohail Abbas and others of ISIof Pakistan and he was taskedto identify and activate thenew hawala channels for trans-fer of money for sustaining ter-rorist activities in the KashmirValley," the statement said.

The statement said thatinvestigation also revealed thatcertain officials of PakistanHigh Commission in NewDelhi were in constant touchwith Mir alias Advocate, whowas provided funds to organizeseminars in J&K to mobilize the

masses against the governmentof India.

Mir also used to receiveinstructions and money fromPakistan High Commissionand also facilitated the visaapplications for number ofKashmiris for their visit toPakistan.

"Accused Davinder Singhwas also in touch with certainofficials of Pakistan HighCommission in New Delhithrough secure social mediaplatforms. Investigationrevealed that he was beinggroomed by Pakistani officialsfor obtaining sensitive infor-mation. Investigation hasrevealed that ex-ConstableNaveed Babu had desertedpolice along with certainweapons and was responsible

for various killings, includingincidents of terror in whichlabourers and truck driverswere killed after the abrogationof Article 370 from J&K.

"Naveed Babu had madeefforts to recruit gullibleMuslims youths to join cadre ofHizbul Mujahideen. He wasalso receiving funds from LoCtraders. Tanveer Ahmad Wani,who was an ex-President ofLoC Traders Association, wasproviding him funds with thehelp of other traders based inPoK.

"Investigation has alsorevealed that the accused wereobtaining weapons and ammu-nitions from across the borderwith the help of arms smugglersand accused Davinder Singh.These weapons were later used

for terrorist activities," the state-ment added.

It said investigation hasfurther revealed that inFebruary 2019, in order toshield HM commander SyedNaveed Mushtaq from theheightened surveillance of secu-rity agencies, accused DavinderSingh, a serving DySP of J&KPolice, along with Irfan ShafiMir alias Advocate and SyedIrfan Ahmad, arranged safeshelter for him and his associ-ate in Jammu. AccusedDavinder Singh used his ownvehicle for the movement ofHM terrorists and also assuredthem help in procuringweapons.

"Investigation has furtherbrought on record that thePakistani establishment has

been devising all possible waysand means to fund, arm andsustain the terrorist activities ofthe banned Hizbul Mujahideen.Further investigation in thecase is continuing againstarrested accused Tariq AhmadMir and others in the case," thestatement said.

Singh was posted with theanti-hijacking wing of Jammu& Kashmir Police in Srinagar,and was part of the security staffthat had received a group of for-eign diplomats who visitedKashmir.

On June 19, a Delhi courthad granted bail to DavinderSingh in a terror case after theDelhi Police failed to file acharge sheet against him andco-accused within the stipulat-ed time IANS

% &������ ������������������������������!*���������5�;�������

&�����������'�����223��������� ������� �'�

Lucknow: The Yogi Adityanathgovernment has increased thereward on the head of gangsterVikas Dubey to Rs 2.5 lakh.

Dubey, who is the mainaccused in the killing of eightpolice personnel in Kanpuron Friday, is absconding afterthe incident.

The Government had ear-lier announced a reward of Rs50,000 for anyone who gave

information about Dubey'swhereabouts. The amount waslater increased to Rs one lakh.

Uttar Pradesh DirectorGeneral of Police H.C. Awasthisaid on Monday that thereward money was being raisedto Rs 2.5 lakh as police teams continued to search forthe gangster and his accomplices.

IANS

!������"�#���' ����"����#������.4�

�$"$�+$��,�'�����&���$���+!�'����234563�+�$�"��789��

�,����"�� ��� -7544%�

Though there was a minisculedecrease in the number of

persons diagnosed with Covid-19 in Tamil Nadu on Monday,death rate continued to rule theroost as 61 persons lost the bat-tle against the pandemic.

While 3,827 persons testedpositive for coronavirus (onSunday the figure was4,150),3,793 were dischargedfrom various hospitals fullycured on a single day.

Out of the total number ofcases diagnosed with covid onMonday, Chennai accounted for1,747 persons, said the medicalbulletin released by theGovernment of TN. As on

Monday, the State had 46,833patients while the total numberof persons tested positive forCovid till date stood at 1.14 lakh.

There are 95 laboratoriesfunctioning round the clock inTamil Nadu. While on Monday,these laboratories tested 34, 782persons, the number of personstested till date reached 1.31 mil-lion. Tamil Nadu continued tomaintain its supremacy in test-ing the maximum number ofpersons viz-a-viz its neighbours.

53 of the deceased personshad pre-existing morbidity orchronic diseases. Chengalpet(213), Kancheepuram (182) andThiruvallur (175) did not showany let up in the number ofpatients.

�,����"�� ��� ��-7�

Hopes of any abatement inthe number of coron-

avirus cases tested in Keralawere dashed on Monday asChief Minister PinarayiVijayan disclosed that 193persons were diagnosed withthe pandemic. He said twopersons died because of thepandemic.

Briefing reporters, thechief minister said 167 personswere cured of the pandemic onMonday and were back home.“Out of the 193 persons test-ed positive on the day, 92 wereexpatriates and 65 were thosewho returned to the Statefrom other parts of the coun-try,” said Vijayan.

The chief minister saidthat 384 persons diagnosed

with coronavirus were hospi-talised on Monday. “Till date5, 622 persons have been test-ed positive for covid in theState. There are 2,252 personsundergoing treatment in var-ious hospitals across the State,”he said.

There are 1.83 lakh per-sons under observation allover the State. “The majorcause of concern is the increasein the number of personsinfected through social trans-mission. On Monday therewere 35 covid afflicted personswho could not identify or dis-close how and from wherethey got infected and this is aserious issue,” said Vijayan.

Yet another cause of con-cern , according to the chiefminister, was the news that 104members of para military

forces were infected withCovid. He said there are 157hotspots in the State. “The sit-uation inThiruvananthapuram is quiteserious and that is the reasonwhy we declared triple lock-down in the capital city,” hesaid and added that relax-ations had been made in cer-tain lockdown conditions tolessen the hardship faced bythe population.

The Chief Minister saidthat number of covid cases incapital city was high because ofits nearness to Tamil Naduborder.

Kerala has till date sent2.75 lakh samples for testing.Elsewhere in Kerala, situationhas become grave in manyplaces like Ernakulam,Thrissur and Kozhikode.

<�������������� ������������� ���� ������$=������7������������

:1� �� ��#4����<�9<�������E�� � ���&1�������������������������� ����� ��

�������� �� � ����!!*��!� ������!������������67*888��� #�-�& ������

5-��F���� ������ ��� � G���.��&���� �������

Page 6:  · reducing the number of expats from 70 per cent to 30 per cent ... on Monday overtook Turkey which ranks 14 on the Worldometer (205,758 cases). ... The guidance that the health

In May 2020, Beijing intruded intoIndian territory at some places acrossthe long border and Kathmanduclaimed areas of Uttarakhand whereIndia is building a road to Lipulekh

Pass on the Tibetan border to smoothen thejourney for pilgrims to the KailashMansarovar. Amid rising tensions, Nepalesepolice firing killed an Indian citizen andinjured two others at the border inSitamarhi, Bihar, on June 12. On the nightof June 15, Chinese forces brutally assault-ed our troops at the Galwan Valley inLadakh, killing an officer and 19 soldiers.

Nepal Prime Minister KP Sharma Olifuelled nationalist hysteria and compelledall political parties in Parliament to pass anew political map showing Kalapani,Limpiyadhura and Lipulekh as Nepaleselands. Kathmandu claimed that in 1816, theEast India Company fixed Kali River as itswestern boundary with India; hence landeast of the river belongs to Nepal. The factis that four kings — Tribhuvan, Mahendra,Birendra and Gyanendra — never madeclaims to these areas.

The developments stunned New Delhiand embarrassed Prime MinisterNarendra Modi, who has invested muchenergy in putting ties with Kathmandu ona more even footing. Despite bitternessover the border blockade caused by theMadhesi unrest in 2015, Modi ensured thatthe oil pipeline to Nepal is finished 15months ahead of the schedule and madeoperational in September 2019.

Oli’s actions stem from the need todeflect pressure from his own party, withPushp Kamal Dahal (Prachanda) and oth-ers demanding his resignation. The meet-ing of the 45-member standing committeeof the Nepal Communist Party (NCP),where Oli reportedly enjoys support of only15-members, was deferred to July 6. He maysplit the party and declare an emergency.

Oli and Prachanda failed to settle theirdisputes on July 3. In May 2018, whilelaunching the NCP, the duo had agreed toshare the prime ministership for 30-monthtenures each but in November 2019, theyagreed that Oli could continue for full-term.Prachanda now insists that Oli has violat-ed the spirit of the November accord andshould, therefore, uphold the originalagreement and step down in his favour. Oliaccused India of plotting his exit, a chargeresented by leaders of his own party.Indeed, discord heightened after Oli per-suaded President Bidhya Devi Bhandari toprorogue the Budget session of Parliamentwithout taking the party into confidence.

Nepali communists have always beenclose to the Communist Party of India andCommunist Party of India-Marxist. In2005, the Congress-led United ProgressiveAlliance (UPA) Government brokered a 12-point pact in Delhi to oust the Hindumonarchy and bring the communists topower. This forced the Nepali Congress to

abandon its support for consti-tutional monarchy as a “symbolof unity.” Under the monarchy,Maoists were confined to thejungle and leaders of theCommunist Party of Nepal(Unified Marxist–Leninist) werein prison. Beijing persuaded theMaoists and CPN(UML) to forma united NCP. Nepal scholarslament that despite the massacreof the royal family, jihadi infiltra-tion and Christian evangelism inthe Himalayan nation, theBharatiya Janata Party(BJP)-ledGovernment has failed to recti-fy the UPA’s missteps. Nepal wasmade a secular republic withouta referendum; it is strategicallyvital to India but Indian foreignpolicy seems oblivious of itsvalue.

Interestingly, when the OliGovernment was facing a col-lapse in May 2020, the ChineseAmbassador, Hou Yanqi, man-aged a truce, revealing Beijing’spower over Nepal’s ruling party.The Chinese Communist Partyreportedly holds training pro-grammes in Kathmandu for theNCP’s young cadres. Hundredsof NCP mayors, deputy mayorsand province chiefs and Leftistjournalists regularly visit Chinawhere they are trained to fomentanti-India sentiments amongthe public. Currently, thePresident, Vice President,Speaker and Prime Minister areall communists and Left influ-ence has permeated the policeand judiciary. New Delhi musttake cognisance of this situation.

It is pertinent that in

November 2019, Nepal’s SurveyDepartment revealed that Beijinghad changed the course of 11rivers and grabbed nearly 36hectares of territory inS a n k h u w a s a b h a ,Sindhupalchowk, Rasuwa andHumla districts. As protestorsburnt effigies of ChinesePresident Xi Jinping, Oli down-played China’s encroachmentand incited anger against India.

When India’s Army Chief,Gen MM Naravane, saidKathmandu was acting at thebehest of a third force (readChina), some diplomats felt thestatement was undiplomatic.The fact, however, is that Nepalipoliticians and members of civilsociety have long complainedabout the attitude of Indiandiplomats in their country.Many appreciated GenNaravane for highlightingChina’s excessive influence inKathmandu. Indeed, theGeneral was soon vindicatedwhen the Bill to change Nepal’smap was passed and quicklynotified. Previously, India failedto act when Madhesi and othergroups objected to the newConstitution in 2015; politicianswho visited New Delhi couldnot get access to importantpersonages in South Block. Aslong as this Constitution pre-vails, India will face problemsfrom Nepal.

Nepal’s national emblem hasalso been changed to includeKalapani, Limpiyadhura andLipulekh. Official letterheads,passports, et al are being updat-

ed to show these Uttarakhandareas as Nepali land. India mustact tough and reject all corre-spondence bearing the newemblem. Foreign Secretary-leveltalks are meaningless as officialshave no authority to negotiatewhat has been inserted into theConstitution.

Unless a comprehensiveNepal policy is enunciated andstrong measures are taken,Pakistan and China will contin-ue jihadi strikes and salami slic-ing against India. Bangladeshcould follow. Prime MinisterSheikh Hasina Wajed is possiblythe sole leader with a soft cornerfor India, a legacy of 1971 andformer Prime Minister IndiraGandhi’s exertions to ensurethat Sheikh Mujibur Rehmanwas returned to Dhaka alive afterthe war. But Sheikh Hasina is alonely figure, unable to protecteven Muslim youth who opposethe rabid Islam preached byclerics from being hacked todeath by fundamentalists. Shehas declared this is her last termin office. Yet, in all these years,the Foreign Ministry has failedto cultivate a second generationleadership in Bangladesh. A newKhaleda Zia could be loomingon the horizon. Nepal has sus-tained our ancient civilisationalties through people-to-peoplecontacts; we must help salvage itssoul. The gains made by PrimeMinister Modi during his earlyyears in office are being whittledaway. It is time to take stock.

(The author is a senior jour-nalist. Views are personal)

#����������������)�� ���*+���(������������� �������������������������������������������$�������

,�������-�� .�������������� ������������������������������������� ��(����������-��-�����������������������������/���*+&��������������� �����������������(������� �����������������������0��������������#���������!����������������� 1�� $������ )���� ,��� ��� �����������2��#����&��������������������������� ��3456����� ����������(

�����)�� �����������������������������+�������7�����8����������*+�7� ���������������������������������������-�� ����������������������������������������������������������,�������������� �������������������������������������������� �����������7� �-�� �������������������������������������������������������

/��������������-�� ����������������������0��������������������������9 ��:�������������� ;������������������������������������ ����+����� ��������&�<4+�������������������������������������������������������������������������������������(���������������������������������������������������=�������(�� �������������������������� �:�������������� ;������ �����(�������������� �������������.����������������������������*+0������������ ������������������������������������������������������/����������#�����������34560������������������-�� ����������������-���������������/���������>�������-�� ������������������������������������������������#������������������������������� ���������������������/���������������� ����������.��.����

#�������������� ����������������(����������������������������(����� ���� ��������� �� �� ����� #�

8����������������������������%�����1��� ����������������������������������0 �������+����� ������? +�@������������8����&�=�����7������.���A�0���������������������������"������B����������8������?B�8@������������������������� �������������������&����(����� � 2�� �� �� ����� ���������� �������,�����������������������������������

�������� �����8����������������������������������� �����������(����������������������/�����8���������������������(���� ������(���+���������������/�������8������������������������������(����������������,��������������+��������������B������������(�������������������������������������� ������?5<�444��5C�444��@����������������������������������������������������(������(�� �,����������&����8�������&����������������(� ������������(���������������,������#�������������������������������������(���:��������������������������������;���� �����������������(����������������������������������(������������������/�����������(� ���������������� ���������������������������������������.������������������� ����8����$������D�)���������$���7������ ������7�������������� ������������������������������ ������������ ��������������������������������������������E����������������������������7����������� (������"���������8����&�������������9�����������������F����� ���������������� ��������������������������������������������,������ �����������(������������������������������������������������������8��������������������������������������������� �����������������������.����������8����������������������������������� ���������������������� ��������������������������(��������������B�8������������������������ ���������������(��������������,�����������������������������������������������������(�������������������� �������� �������$��������������������(����������������34���������%����������������������������������� ������$���&�B������������� ?$B�@��������������� ������������������������������������������������������������������7���������&������������������������ �������&���������������������������������������������� ���������������� ��������������(������������������������� ��*+��������������������/���������������(����������8����������������������, �������������������������������� �����8��������������������������������:���(�������������;�����=��8����$������D�)������������������ �������������������������������������������������������������������������/��������������������(��������#��������$������������F���-������������������������������������8������������, ����������������������D���������������������������������?34�������8�������������������� @����������������������������������������,���������������������������������������������/����������������������(������������������������������������ ��/������������ ���������������������������������F����������� ��������������������(���������������������������� �,��������������������������/�������������������������������������������8�������������������������������D���������������� ��������������������������������������������7�������������������

7�����������������������������������������������#�8����������������������������������������������������������������������������������������D������������������ ��������� ����������������������+� ����%�������������������������� ��8�������&������������������������������������������� �������������������� �/�������&������� ����������������(���������������������8����#������������������������������*����������������B������(���(����������������+����������������������������-��������F�������$����������.���������� ��������������$B�����������������(��������������������������������������������345G�������������� �������������D���������� �������������������8���������������������� ��������������� ��������B�8���������������/����&������(����������������������������������� ������������������������(��������������F����� ���������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������� �,������������������B�8���������������8����&��������

/� ��������(

���������������

Sir — This refers to the editori-al, “The vaccine race” (July 6).Like many, one hopes India willbe the first to introduce a vaccinefor COVID-19, which will be ahealth milestone but in a propermanner. Therefore, many areunable to understand why thereis such a tearing hurry in Indiato make a medical miracle hap-pen so quickly at the expense ofscientific rigour. Covaxin wasapproved for human trials onlyrecently. When global scientificinstitutions are still facing anuphill task in zeroing in on a suit-able vaccine, is the ICMR’s“shrunk fit” vaccine timeline ofalmost 41 days realistic?

The suspicion is that theICMR appears to be wanting togive those who matter in India’spolitical set-up a major talking-point in the Independence Dayspeech on August 15.Overlooking crucial scientificsteps should not result in a prod-uct deadlier than the disease. Itdoes not matter who is first.Observance of protocol is theneed of the hour.

Bidyut Kumar ChatterjeeFaridabad

�����������

Sir — The dastardly attack on ateam of Uttar Pradesh police inKanpur by the history-sheeterVikas Dubey and his assailantshas once again brought to fore the

failure of the police and thepolitical establishment in main-taining law and order situation inthe State.

As per reports by the NationalCrime Records Bureau (NCRB),in Uttar Pradesh, as many as 555personnel were killed and 2,048

cops got injured during policeoperations in 2018, which was thehighest in the entire country.This shows how increasingly dan-gerous the State has become. Aspolice raids are always highly con-fidential, it wasn’t surprising toknow that Vikas Dubey and his

assailants were tipped off by otherpolicemen. The Uttar Pradeshpolice must make amends for theloss of its personnel by bringingthe Dubey gang to justice. Itmust also crack down on thegreater threat to law and orderposed by the illegal guns trade.

Tushar AnandPatna

����������������

Sir — A big void has formed withthe “Queen of Choreography” —Saroj Khan — passing on. Adance maestro, a choreographywizard and a versatile virtuoso ofthe art of film dancing — Khanhad created a niche of her ownwith her splendid choreographythat will remain forever in thehearts of film buffs and dancelovers across the world. The dancemaster has given us unforgettabledance numbers like Ek do teen,Hawa hawai, Do La Re, Do La Reand Maar dala among others.Nobody will ever forget her con-tribution to the dance world.

M PradyuKannur

* & * > , � " / # � * & ! ! � %

:::�+$��,'�����!���#'������)!���B� ��� ������H A#��*� ��= ������H �������!���B� ��� ����B

���� ������������������� ������ � �!"!"

$���#��"����� �

�; <�� !�"#

2����������������� ���4�������� ��� ������� ��������������������������)����=�) �������-� ���& ������� ����� �� ��� )����������� I�� � ������ ������ �!�3��������������'����&

7��J>��������� K� ����&��������� � ��!�#����J-������K'� ������������������ ���� ������ ������' ����'��� ���I������������'��&����L� ����������� ����!

���)��,���560�M��)����%�����4�F�

6����������������� � ��'���#(����' �������)��&��&������������'� �������'��������������������)�������� ����&������ �������/�����!

'6)�M( )����������

%��������� � ��������� ���������� ���������������.�������������� � ������ ��#� &����� �!����������!�6���������������.������ ��& ������� ���� �!�

�8���6&�1�10��0�M*��� �����

� � � # $ % " & �

� � & & � ' � & � � && ( � � � $ " & � '

������������� ��������� ���� ����

��� ��&�� ������������ ����������7������� � ���.�������� �������� �����+;�9�0������� ����������+;�����!�#� �� ������� ������� ��� ��������������

������ ��������� �������'�����+0�000��������� ������!�6 ����� ����� �����������������&��.���� � ���������&���� �����������2 ����3�G ��&� ������I��) ��� >��� �!� �� �.�� �'��� ��� ������ ���� �����:��<�1:�!���.�����������'�� ��������&��& ���������������� �� �����)!��'��������& ������� � ��� ������ �������������������������� ����������'��!�3���������������������������������� ���10�� �� ���������������������������������������'������������������ ����������������!�#����-�>��������� �����������������������I ��� ����������������'���� �.��' ������� ����-�(�*I18!�#�������� �������������� ������������& ������� �I ���!�$��������'������ ����'����� �'��� ���������&������ ����������������������&� � ���'������� ���������������!#���� ��������� ������'����������� �������� ������������������'�:0����������������������������������� ���������� ����������������������������������� �'��������!�

%�������������������)������� �.������ ������������I���.�� �)������� ������!��'����� ��&���������������

� ���)�!�#��������� ���� ���� ���������� �����������I� �����������/�� ������������� ������.�����������I ���& ���� ���!�#�������� � ���& �������� �������������������� ��� ����� �� ��� �������!�7��� �� ��������� �� ����� ��!�6������ �� ��������&�� ������)����� ������ I� �������� ��� � ������� ���� ����� ��� ������ ������������� �����&�� ����������������������'���� ����������!�#� ��& ���������� �� ���������!

���2��5����������

45=%�� -7��%> �%�54#�#7%#*5 =�#5�#75

�% %->5��,�#75>�$%��,%���$�

�� �4,��#>%#��4%4*�-7>� #�%4

5(%4�5�� ���4�#757��%�%$%4�4%#��4�

#75�3?=I�5*��(5>4�54#�7% ,%��5*�#��>5-#�,$

#75�2=%. �� #5= !�45=%�

6% ��%*5�% 5-2�%>�>5=23��-

6�#7�2#�%>5,5>54*2�N��#��

#>%#5��-%��$(�#%��#���4*�%�32#

�4*�%4�,�>5��4=���-$� 55�

�3��(��2 ��,��# (%�25

-� �������������"�&����#10660�56)8�)�00�B�7��1%')7�

,���������(��.�������������� ����'��*��� ������ �)��&������.������������� )��� ����.�������������� ������������������' � ���������� ������!�( ������� ��������������������� ������!

�)�70��"��1����'�86���M4�����7���� �

�����'���� '��� ���)�'��"���'�������� ���������������������������5���������� ���������'��1�������������� "�

�#������6���������� ����� �� ����������������"�������"���� ��� ���������������������������(�6������ ����������

Page 7:  · reducing the number of expats from 70 per cent to 30 per cent ... on Monday overtook Turkey which ranks 14 on the Worldometer (205,758 cases). ... The guidance that the health

(76������������)����

#"C�"�����"!��",�D��!�E����%����"��"�"�#"C�"�""���",����,�������"����"!���� �������

���+��"�"����"���"�,��%F���,"�� ����� ��

����!����!��

��,"�����"��"��,��!������"�#���!���"���!���"�"��������"������� "���"�����"�"���������"�����,������" ����%F���,"����!����,� ������ ��

0��;����#&�'0��;��

Priyanka has stolen the thunder from AkhileshYadav and Mayawati,” a Samajwadi Party (SP)lawmaker said on telephone. “Everyone is now

talking about the Congress Party and Priyanka.Today, the Muslims are more inclined towards theCongress than the Samajwadi Party,” he said.

The lawmaker, who was a Minister during theAkhilesh Yadav regime, was reacting to the polit-ical developments in Uttar Pradesh (UP), includ-ing the proactive stand taken by Congress leaderPriyanka Gandhi Vadra in politics. There wereunofficial reports doing the rounds that Priyankamight shift her base to Lucknow from Delhi andpeople were raving about how she had picked upthe gauntlet thrown by Chief Minister (CM) YogiAdityanath on the law and order issue in the State.

Recent developments have changed the polit-ical spectrum of UP. Particularly after a highly polit-ically-connected ganglord killed eight policemenin a village in Kanpur. The incident raised a bigquestion mark on Adityanath’s much-publicisedencounters to eliminate local mafia and ganglords.He had even claimed that criminals would be sentto jail or to the house of Yamraj (the Hindu deityof death and justice) if they raise their heads. Despitesuch major claims by the CM, Vikas Dubey not onlysurvived but also flourished.

Congress leaders were the first to question theUP Government on the issue of law and order.Numerically, the Congress is as small a party as theSuheldev Bharatiya Samaj Party in the UP StateAssembly, with just five lawmakers. But, led byPriyanka, the Congress put big parties like the SPand Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) to shame when itquestioned Yogi Adityanath time and again aboutthe crumbling law and order situation in the Stateand the plight of migrant labourers, who are beingdenied work under different Government schemes.

The three parties — the Congress, SP and BSP— enjoy a strange relationship. In the past, they hadentered into alliances with one another on manyoccasions. During the last Assembly election in 2017the Congress and the SP contested together withthe tagline “Do ladke (two boys)” while the SPforged an alliance with the BSP in the 2019 LokSabha election. Despite having a working relation-ship with each other, the three parties have failedto come together post-COVID-19. Last monthwhen Congress national president Sonia Gandhicalled an all-party meeting to chalk out a strategyagainst the Narendra Modi Government, bothAkhilesh and Mayawati preferred to give it a skip.

No explanation was given about missing themeeting and it raised many eyebrows. The ques-tion asked was whether it was a political compul-sion or a backdoor manoeuvre by the BJP whichkept the SP and the BSP away from the meeting?One SP legislator was quoted as saying,“The SPwould not go with Sonia because the Congress putup missing Member of Parliament (MP) posters inAzamgarh”, Akhilesh Yadav’s parliamentary con-stituency.

The developments show that there’s more tothis than meets the eye. Sample this: BSP supremoMayawati was caustic against the Congress whenPriyanka offered 1,000 buses to the UP Governmentto ferry migrant workers to their native places. Herstatements reflected the words of BJP leaders. Sheattacked the Congress for not taking care of migrantworkers in its own States — a replication of state-ments by BJP spokespersons. Priyanka retorted thatsome political parties were acting as spokespersonsof the BJP — an obvious reference to Mayawati.

With the rise in Priyanka’s stature,Mayawati feels insecure. She had been theonly major woman leader in UP for aquarter of a century. But now she is beingchallenged by Priyanka. Second, the BSPand the Congress’ vote banks overlap.Dalits and Muslims helped the BSPscore 10 seats in the 2019 Lok Sabha polls,up from zero in 2014. The Congress hopesto dent these votebanks, which earlier sup-ported it.

Ditto is the case with Akhilesh Yadav.There is a fear in his mind that theCongress’ rise and the popularity ofPriyanka among the masses may lead tothe downfall of the SP. Of late, he has start-ed virtual meetings with party workers inan attempt to set his house in order. TheSP also hit the streets last week on theissue of rise in prices of petrol and diesel,just to keep his party workers involved.

There is a belief in political circles thatthe BJP wants the emergence of theCongress in the State so that there is tri-furcation in the Opposition. This willcome in handy during the electionsbecause the BJP is comfortable when itis pitted against a divided house.

An advocate in the Supreme CourtVishwanath Chaturvedi says the ModiGovernment is using the Central Bureauof Investigation (CBI) to put a leash onthe SP and Mayawati. “Do not forget, bothMayawati and Mulayam Singh Yadav andhis family are facing CBI enquiries. TheCBI is sitting tight on the probes and onesignal from Amit Shah could provedetrimental for both these leaders,” hesays. SP patriarch Mulayam and hisfamily are facing a DisproportionateAssets (DA) case. The Supreme Court(SC) had ordered a CBI inquiry on March1, 2007 into the alleged accumulation ofDAs by the Yadav family, on a PublicInterest Litigation (PIL) filed byVishwanath Chaturvedi. The agencyfiled a status report in 2007 alleging that

the Yadavs had �2.63 crore worth of assetswhich were disproportionate to theirdeclared sources of income, between 1993and 2005. Of this nearly �1.4 crore is inthe name of Akhilesh Yadav’s wifeDimple.

Chaturvedi claims that the CBI hadfiled a false report in the SC, that it hadsubmitted a final report to the CentralVigilance Commission (CVC). But whena Right to Information (RTI) applicationwas filed, the CVC said that no final reportwas submitted to it. As per Chaturvedi,the case against Mulayam and his fami-ly is still alive and the CBI is delaying thelegal process for obvious reasons.

Same is the case with Mayawati. TheCBI had launched a probe into allegedirregularities in the sale of 21 State-ownedsugar mills under the Mayawati-led BSPGovernment in 2010-11. According to areport released by the Comptroller andAuditor General (CAG), the exercisecaused a loss of �1,179 crore to the State.On April 27, 2019, the CBI filed a caseagainst Mayawati. Yogi Adityanath had onApril 12 recommended a CBI probe fol-lowing the CAG’s disclosure.

Political observers say that it seemslike the SP and the BSP are dancing to thetune of the BJP. Till now, the CBI has notmoved an inch in Mayawati’s case whilein Mulayam’s case, too, the federalIntelligence agency is yet to submit anapplication in the apex court. If bothMulayam and Mayawati refuse to danceto the BJP’s tune, the Prime Minister willunleash the CBI against them. In the lastone year, Priyanka has tried to make thefight one-on-one in UP, which has madeYogi Adityanath nervous.

In July 2019, she staged a protest atChunar Fort when she went to meet thevictims of the July 17 massacre in which10 tribals were shot dead by the GramPradhan (village head) and his cohorts ina village in Sonbhadra over a land deal.

Priyanka stayed put in Chunar Fort, forc-ing the administration to bring the fam-ily members of the victims there and letthem meet her.

The attack on the BJP was so fiercethat the Yogi Government pulled out allrecords to show that the land deal was car-ried out during the Congress’ rule.However, the BJP could not shirk respon-sibility for the murders of the 10 tribals.Extensive damage was done to the imageof the UP Government by this incident.

Priyanka again visited UP — this timein February when the anti-CitizenshipAmendment Act (CAA) agitation was atits peak. She met the anti-CAA protest-ers in Bijnor and Azamgarh — the par-liamentary constituency of Akhilesh —and also visited the residence of formerIPS officer SR Darapuri, who was arrest-ed during an anti-CAA protest inLucknow.

In Bijnor she thundered, “Kisi koBhartiyata ka pramaan maangne ki ijazatnahi hai (no one has the right to ask forproof of Indianness).” While in Azamgarh,she held a roadshow, driving home thepoint that people living in India areIndians and they do not need to prove thatby showing documents.

Bijnor is considered the citadel of theBSP. Mayawati had won the Lok Sabhaelection for the first time in 1989 fromBijnor, while in seven Assembly seats theBSP had always maintained an upperhand. In 2019, the BSP won the Lok Sabhaseat in Bijnor, too. So, it was a master-stroke by Priyanka to hold rallies andmeetings in Bijnor and Azamgarh, both,challenging the SP and BSP leaders ontheir turf. Thus, the rise of Priyanka haspushed both the SP and the BSP towardsthe BJP. They would prefer to dance toModi’s tune rather than strengtheningOpposition unity.

(The writer is Executive Editor, News,The Pioneer, Lucknow)

����"#�7 �#��������(7����� �������������7����+�7���������'�������-����������5���#����"�������� ��"������'����� �� ������������������������������������������ ����"�� � ��

�)��� �*+ " ' � & � � � � , #

(.�;;��$-�'

=���#�-%��3 5>(5> � %$

#7%#��#� 55� ����5#75� =�%4*�#75

3 =�%>5�*%4-�4�#��#75�#245��,�#753?=!�#����4�6��#75

-3��7% �4�#���(5*%4��4-7��4

�%$%6%#�L �-% 567��5��4

�2�%$%�L �-% 5�#����#75�,5*5>%�

�4#5����54-5%�54-$�� �$5#�#�

23��#�%4%==��-%#��4��4�#75

%=5O�-�2>#!��,3�#7��2�%$%�%4*��%$%6%#�

>5,2 5�#��*%4-5#��#75�3?=L �#245�

#75�=>��5��4� #5>�6���

24�5% 7�#75�-3�%�%�4 #�#75�!��4

#75��% #��45�$5%>�=>�$%4�%�7%

#>�5*�#���%�5�#75,��7#��45I�4I�45�4�2=��67�-7�7%

�%*5�$���%*�#$%4%#7

45>(�2

.���������, >���� ���&����������������?����*����-������@������������������������ �;,������=�����+����� �������!���������*-$����������

)�� 5�:������� ������ �������������� �����������(�������������������������������������������� �������������� �������9������;#����������������������������������������������������������������F���-���0���������� �� ���������� �� �� ��� 0 ��� ��� ,������ �������>�����?, >@������� ���������������������������������,����������� ����������������$���&�!��������8������5HHC�#� ���&������������������, >����(����?��G�44�444�������@�������������������"����� I:�����������, >��������������������������������� ���(������������������ ��������F���-����#�F��>���������������������������������������������������#���������"�������������;

#������������������������������&������������"�������,���������������� ����� �����G4�444*��������������5HC3�������������/������������������������(�� ����������������������� �,���&���������������������� ���������������� ������F���-����/������������������������,��������������������������8��������F���-���������������������������������������$������<4 ������������������5HHC�8����������������:�������� ����� ����;�������F���-����������� ���������� (��������8������������������������������

/�&���������������:������ ;����������������� ���������� ������&������(����� �������$���&�8��������,������ �������������������������������������������:������������������������;���������������(���������������8����������������������������������$���&�!�������#�������������������:�����;���� ������������#������������������ 8����&�:������ ;?������������@�����������������������F���-����#��������� ������� �������F���-���&������������������:��(����������������;��:����������������;����������������(�������������������������� ����������&����������������������������������HH������/�������������&�����#��������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������� ����(���������������������������������� ���������(�� ������������������ /�&���� ���� ����� ����&�������8���������=������$�����F���-���&�����,������%���������������� I:/�8��������� �������������F���-������������������� &��������������������������������������������(�������������������������(���������������������������������8�����;

#��������������������F���-���&�����������������������������I#���������������������(�����������������7�� ������������������������ ��J=����G�44�4448�����������9����F���-������5�44�444��������������9�����5�44�444,����������9�������K<�444�����������&��� �7����������8��������F���-������������������� �����������������8���������������������������������� �������� ���������������������(�� �����"�����������9������

7����������������������������������� �����(��,������� ����������F���-��������������������� ������������� �7�� ������������������8���������� ������������������������?������&�����(�����������9�����@�>������������������ ������������������������������������ ����� �������������������������=�����������������������, >���������&�������������#� ������������� �������������������������������������������,�������,���� &������������� &����(�������������������� �����/����������(������������������������������������&��������,�����������)����������������I#������������������, >���(����������������5HHC�������������"����� �����(����0��5K��3G( ��(����0������������ ���������, >�������#������������������ ���� �������������������� �� �� ������� ��� ��� ���� �� ���� ,�� �� ,������%��������� �����������������������

����������������/�����������������������������(������(�����,������%����������������,�������������������������(�����������������F��>���������������������� ����(������:���������������;���������������������� �������������/������������*-���������������������9�(����������������F���-���������, >����������������������"��������������

?����������������� ������� ���������������������� ���� ���������� ��@

Almost all aspects of world eco-nomics and finance today areaffected by the ongoing pan-

demic. Economic growth is faltering,businesses are struggling to stay afloat,what with supply chains disrupted anddemand nosediving, stock markets areerratic and capital is drying up. Foreigninvestors are also sitting on the fencewatching how things unfold beforemoving. The health crisis has translat-ed into an economic one, of dimen-sions being compared to the GreatDepression of 1929 and the sub-prime crisis of 2008. While the glob-al financial systems are said to be bet-

ter-equipped to handle economicdestruction of such magnitude as the2008 crisis, the challenge today is theuncertainty of the virus’ containmentand its ramifications.

There is strong empirical evidencethat Foreign Direct Investment (FDI)flows are less volatile than other formsof capital flows. However, at presentthey are also showing pessimism. Itwould be instructive to juxtapose theCOVID-19 pandemic with the finan-cial crisis of 2008 in terms of FDImovements to draw similarities anddifferences.

To begin with, the factors due towhich the two crises emanated are dif-ferent. Also at variance is the fact thatthe global financial malaise had spreadfrom the developed to developingeconomies, while the spread of the pre-sent health crisis has not hinged uponthe level of development of economies.What is common is that the entireworld has been engulfed by the twocrises. With the collapse of Lehman

Brothers on September 15, 2008, theglobal banking crisis that had growninto a worldwide financial crisis even-tually turned into a world economiccrisis and its repercussions were feltglobally within a few months.Especially in those economies whichhad a high degree of integration withthe global one.

The United Nations Conferenceon Trade and Development’s (UNC-TAD) World Investment Report, 2009pointed out that due to the world eco-nomic crisis, after five years of contin-ued growth, global FDI flows had fall-en from a historical high of around $2trillion in 2007 — which was the peakof a four-year upward trend in FDIflows — by around 29 per cent to $1.2trillion in 2008-09, primarily becauseof a fall in cross-border mergers andacquisitions. This decline was furtherattributed to liquidity constraints fortransnational corporations (TNCs),declining economic growth in major-ity of countries and risk aversion by

TNCs. The decline was recorded in allthree components of FDI, viz. equity,other capital and reinvested earnings.The dip in the flows was evident indeveloped countries first, followed bya decline in developing nations, too.Business-cycle-sensitive sectors suchas metal and manufacturing wereaffected the worst. There was a degreeof protectionism in the FDI policies ofsome countries, in the form of require-ments of higher domestic content inGovernment procurement, discourag-ing banks from lending for foreignoperations and so on.

Looking at the present times,even before the global spread of thepandemic, UNCTAD’s InvestmentTrends Monitor had predicted inJanuary 2020 that FDI flows, whichstood at $1.3 trillion in 2019, wouldrise marginally in 2020. According toestimates by the Organisation forEconomic Co-operation andDevelopment (OCED), as a conse-quence of the global economic slow-

down, FDI flows are expected todecline sharply by around 30 per cent,in the most optimistic scenario ofeconomies recovering in the secondhalf of 2020. UNCTAD’s estimationsuggests that global FDIs would declinebetween 30 per cent and 40 per centduring 2020-21, with developing coun-tries and emerging economies facingmost of this fall. This slump is almostof the same levels as one year after the2008 crisis. The hardest to be hit by thelikely downturn will be the energy andbasic industries, airlines and the auto-motive industry.

FDI inflows started recovering in2010 but remained below the pre-cri-sis level. It was only by 2015 that glob-al FDI flows reached somewherearound the high level attained in2007. Looking at trends in India, wesee that after 2008, FDI inflows into thecountry declined from $41.87 billionin 2008-09 to $34.85 billion in 2010-11. Fluctuations continued till 2012-13, after which there has been an

increasing trend. The inflows in 2019-20 at $73.45 were more than doublethat of 2010-11. During this recoveryperiod, the three policies which werefollowed globally, including in India,were those of investment liberalisation,facilitation and promotion, whichwere required for economic growth.

However, it will be different thistime, given that several jurisdictionsare adopting a somewhat cautiousapproach to FDI inflows to prevent“opportunistic investment behaviour”triggered by declines in valuations ofdomestic businesses and by investmentof State-owned enterprises. There areconcerns that bids to take control ofbusinesses of strategic importanceduring these times (such as healthcare,essential goods, and services) may bemotivated by non-commercial prior-ities harming economic and/or nation-al security interests. The list of coun-tries includes US, Canada, Spain,Australia, Italy and the EU. India, too,is in a watchful mode to prevent its

businesses from unfriendly takeovers.It tweaked its FDI policy in April byspecifying certain conditions requiredto be met by entities of countries shar-ing land borders with it. How the FDIpolicies of various jurisdictions willpan out in the near future remains tobe seen.

We are far from seeing an end tothe present health crisis, which hassnowballed into an economic predica-ment. Riddled with a number ofunknown variables, such as the trajec-tory of the virus, the effectiveness ofmitigating measures and develop-ment of a potent cure, at this point intime, it is all the more difficult to chalkout a medium to long-term course ofaction. Striking the right balancebetween liberalisation and exercisingcaution, while addressing the twinissues of economic and health criseswill be challenging.

(The authors belong to the IndianEconomic Service. Views expressed arepersonal.)

8������������������������"���'���#"�&%'%()��$��&%)$��* # (+��*��,��(�#%*�& #%� �%�(� (���-�&+%�%()�+ .�%�(��,$%#�� ��&���%()��$���,%(��+�(�/%+� (��$� #�$�+&%�����,%##�*��+$ ##�()%()

�<���&'"��&(-

�;��� <��.�'�

������������������� ������ � �!"!"

:::�+$��,'�����!���#

*�.������%�#�'!��

�$��*!��$��1��'�����:�!+=���&�������� ��� '�����2�������� ���� � G���� ���������� �� ���7�����������& ���34��������!�3��� �

&������������F� ������ � ��

Page 8:  · reducing the number of expats from 70 per cent to 30 per cent ... on Monday overtook Turkey which ranks 14 on the Worldometer (205,758 cases). ... The guidance that the health

� �����/������������������� ������ � �!"!"

�51�7�>��� =�) ����.��������� � ����*�P�'��� G���� �����������������&����������� � ���'������������������ �������� ����������������� �� � ���� �������������������� �������������� ��!#�5����6)�� #���6� ���7����� ���� ������� ���������'������� �������)I&�� ���������!�6� ��7������� �'��'����''���)����&������� �����������������Q,�/����, ���R��������� ��������������� ������������ ����������Q�����I��I�����R�����!,01>)&��0� ���������������������� ������ � ����������'-�(�*I18� �'��� �����%����� �.���I� ��������( ��� ���������������������������� �������& �������������.������I��������������4�&� �����6�����'�����' ���� ��� ��100�����!���6)�!)7���)� %���� �������&������������������������'' ������&���������� ������'����*�� � ����>����� ������� ������������������������ �����1:I������� ����&������������I��'�����!�0�4�����-� ���������� � �������������� �������&���'����&������� ������������ � � � ��=�� ����O �? �� ���������������� �������� ��������� ���� ���'��� ��Q����� �����R������ �����' �����'��������!

5 ��������5 ��������

)��"�)��"�

Jerusalem: Israel announced the successful launchof a new spy satellite Monday that will help it mon-itor Iran’s nuclear activities as the Israeli foreign min-ister hinted that his country may have beenbehind a fire that damaged an Iranian nuclear sitelast week. The “Ofek 16” satellite gives Israel whatofficials described as an additional tool in keepingtabs on many threats from across the region, join-ing a fleet of Israeli spy satellites that have beenlaunched over the past two decades. While officialsdid not identify specific threats, arch-enemy Iran,which Israel accuses of trying to develop nucleararms, is first among them. “The success of the Ofek16 satellite very much increases our ability to actagainst Israel’s enemies, near and far alike. It great-ly expands our ability to act on land, at sea, in theair and also in space,” Israeli Prime MinisterBenjamin Netanyahu said after the launch. AP

Washington: Forty lobby-ists with ties to PresidentDonald Trump helpedclients secure more than$10 billion in federal coro-navirus aid, among themfive former administrationofficials whose work poten-tially violates Trump’s ownethics policy, according toa report.

The lobbyists identifiedMonday by the watchdoggroup Public Citizen eitherworked in the Trump exec-utive branch, served on hiscampaign, were part of thecommittee that raised

money for inaugural fes-tivities or were part of hispresidential transition.Many are donors toTrump’s campaigns, andsome are prolific fundrais-ers for his reelection.

They include BrianBallard, who served on thetransition, is the financechair for the RepublicanNational Committee andhas bundled more than $1million for Trump’sfundraising committees.

He was hired in Marchby Laundrylux, a supplierof commercial laundry

machines, after theDepartment of HomelandSecurity issued guidancethat didn’t include laun-dromats as essential busi-nesses that could stay openduring the lockdown. Aweek later, the administra-tion issued new guidanceadding laundromats to thelist.

Dave Urban, a Trumpadviser and confidant, hascollected more than $2.3million in lobbying feesthis year. The firm he leads,American

Continental Group,

represents 15 companies,including Walgreens andthe parent company of theUltimate FightingChampionship, on coron-avirus issues.

Trump pledged toclamp down onWashington’s influencepeddling with a “drain theswamp” campaign mantra.But during his adminis-tration, the lobbyingindustry has flourished, atrend that intensified onceCongress passed morethan $3.6 trillion in coro-navirus stimulus. AP

Washington: President DonaldTrump is understating the dan-ger of the coronavirus to peoplewho get it, as more and morebecome infected in the US.

In his latest of many state-ments playing down the sever-ity of the pandemic, Trumpdeclared that 99 per cent of casesof COVID-19 are harmless.That flies in the face of scienceand of the reality captured by theUS death toll of about 130,000.Trump also sounded a dismis-sive note about the need forbreathing machines.

Throughout the pandemic,Trump has declared it undercontrol in the U.S. When it has-n’t been. His remarks on thatsubject and more from the pastweek: VIRUS THREAT

TRUMP: “Now we havetested over 40 million people.But by so doing, we show cases,99 per cent of which are totallyharmless.” — Fourth of Julyremarks Saturday.

THE FACTS: This state-ment does not reflect the suf-fering of millions of COVID-19patients.

The World HealthOrganization, for one, has saidabout 20 per cent of those diag-

nosed with COVID-19 progressto severe disease, includingpneumonia and respiratory fail-ure. Whatever the numbers turnout to be, it’s clear that the threatis not limited to the merest sliv-er of those who get the disease.

Aside from that, those withmild or no symptoms also canspread the virus to others whoare more vulnerable.

Asked Sunday to defendTrump’s claim, Food and DrugAdministration commissionerDr. Stephen Hahn declined to doso. He instead urged Americansnot to back off the federal gov-ernment’s public health mea-sures urging social distancingand wearing a mask.

“What I’ll say is that wehave data in the White Housetask force,” Hahn told CNN’s“State of the Union.” “Thosedata show us that this is a seri-ous problem. People need totake it seriously.” AP

Beijing: China on Monday accused theUS of flexing its military muscles in theSouth China Sea by conducting jointexercises with two U.S. Aircraft carriergroups in the strategic waterway.

Foreign ministry spokespersonZhao Lijian said the exercises were per-formed “totally out of ulterior motives”and undermined stability in the area.

“Against such a backdrop, the USdeliberately dispatched massive forces toconduct large-scale military exercises inthe relevant waters of the South ChinaSea to flex its military muscle,” Zhao saidat a daily briefing.

The US Navy said over the weekendthat the USS Nimitz and the USSRonald Reagan along with their accom-panying vessels and aircraft conductedexercises “designed to maximize airdefense capabilities, and extend the

reach of long-range precision maritimestrikes from carrier-based aircraft in arapidly evolving area of operations.”

China claims almost all of theSouth China Sea and routinely objectsto any action by the U.S. Military in theregion. Five other governments claim allor part of the sea, through whichapproximately $5 trillion in goods areshipped every year.

China has sought to shore up itsclaim to the sea by building militarybases on coral atolls, leading the U.S. Tosail warships through the region in whatit calls freedom of operation missions.Washington does not officially take astand on the rival territorial claims inthe region, but is closely allied with sev-eral of the claimants and insists that thewaters and the airspace above be free toall countries. AP

London: Beijing’s ambassadorto London on Monday accusedBritain of “gross interference”in China’s internal affairs” over its response to a contro-versial national security law inHong Kong.

The UK government hassaid it will offer Hong Kongresidents a broader path to cit-izenship in response to thesweeping new security law forthe former British territory.

The move could pave theway for more than three mil-lion Hong Kongers to move toBritain. But Chinese ambas-sador Liu Xiaoming saidBeijing has expressed its “graveconcern and strong opposition”to the proposals, arguing thatLondon has “no sovereignty,jurisdiction or rights of super-vision over Hong Kong”.

“These moves constitute agross interference in China’sinternal affairs and openlytrample on the basic normsgoverning international rela-tions,” he told reporters.

China last week enactedthe sweeping security law forthe restless city of around 7.5million people, banning acts ofsubversion, secession, terror-ism and collusion with foreignforces.

The legislation, which hassent a wave of fear through theterritory, has criminalised dis-senting opinions such as callsfor independence or autonomy.

Britain is among theWestern nations moving tooffer millions of Hong Kongersrefuge in response.

London has said it has aduty of care to residents of acolony it handed back to Chinain 1997, under an agreementdesigned to preserve its auton-omy and freedoms for 50 years.

Prime Minister BorisJohnson told parliament lastweek he will allow anyone withBritish National (Overseas)(BNO) status — and theirdependents — to come toBritain and eventually receivecitizenship.

About 300,000 HongKongers have BNO passportsand another 2.6 million are eli-gible to apply.

However, Foreign SecretaryDominic Raab conceded lastweek that Britain may be pow-erless if China moves to preventa mass exodus.

Johnson’s spokesman reit-erated Monday that the law was“a clear and serious breach” ofthe 1984 Sino-British joint dec-laration governing HongKong’s return to Chinese rule.

“We said we would makechanges to the immigrationrights of BNOs if China imple-mented this legislation and wehave delivered on thatpromise,” he added.

Liu said Beijing wasmulling what reciprocal actionsto take.

“We have to wait and see.We have to decide our counter-measures in accordance whatthe actual actions [are] to betaken by the British side,” headded. AFP

Hong Kong: Facebook and its mes-saging service WhatsApp said Mondaythey are suspending requests from theHong Kong government and lawenforcement authorities for informationon users.

The pause will take place “pendingfurther assessment” of a new nationalsecurity law imposed on Hong Kong byChina, and would include “formalhuman rights due diligence and con-sultations with human rights experts”,a Facebook company spokesman saidin a statement.

“We believe freedom of expressionis a fundamental human right and sup-port the right of people to expressthemselves without fear for their safe-ty or other repercussions,” thespokesman said.

China last week enacted the sweep-ing security law for the restive city ofaround 7.5 million people, banning actsof subversion, secession, terrorism andcollusion with foreign forces.

The legislation, which has sent awave of fear through the territory, hascriminalised dissenting opinions suchas calls for independence or autonomy.

Digital rights group ProPrivacycalled Facebook’s move “a win forboth digital privacy and human rightsin the region.”

“With the stakes so high, and thepunishments so severe, it is great newsto see big tech companies like

WhatsApp pushing back in favor ofdemocracy and freedom of expression,”the group said.

However it noted the move couldlead to WhatsApp being blocked inHong Kong as it has been in mainlandChina. AFP

Hong Kong: A Hong Kongcourt denied bail on Monday tothe first person charged withinciting separatism and ter-rorism under the city’s newnational security law after hecarried a sign saying “LiberateHong Kong” and drove hismotorbike into police.

Tong Ying-kit, 23, wasarrested after a video postedonline showed him knockingover several officers at ademonstration last Wednesday,less than 24 hours after Beijingimposed sweeping nationalsecurity legislation on its freestcity.

The city’s government hassaid the protest slogan “LiberateHong Kong, revolution of ourtimes”, connotes separatism orsubversion under the new law,stoking concern over freedomof expression in the former

British colony.Tong, who was unable to

appear in court on Friday as hewas being treated in hospital for

injuries sustained in the inci-dent, appeared in court in awheelchair.

In rejecting bail, Chief

Magistrate So Wai-tak referredto Article 42 of the new law,which states that bail will notbe granted if the judge has suf-ficient grounds to believe thedefendant will continue toendanger national security.

The case was adjourneduntil Oct. 6 and Tong wasremanded in custody.

Critics say the law - whichpunishes crimes of secession,subversion, terrorism and col-lusion with foreign forces withup to life in prison - is aimedat crushing dissent and a long-running campaign for greaterdemocracy.

Authorities in Beijing andHong Kong have repeatedlysaid it is aimed at a few “trou-blemakers” and will not affectthe rights and freedoms thatunderpin the city’s role as afinancial hub.

Also on Monday, prominentdemocracy activist Joshua Wongpleaded not guilty to incitingothers to participate in anunlawful assembly during anti-government protests last year.

Fellow activist Agnes Chowpleaded guilty to a similarcharge. Their case has beenadjourned to Aug. 5.

Wong and Chow, who wereboth granted bail last year, leda pro-democracy group calledDemosisto that they dissolvedhours after Beijing passed thenational security law.

The United States, Britainand others have denounced thenew legislation, which criticssay is the biggest step Chinahas taken to tighten its gripover the city, despite a “onecountry, two systems” formu-la meant to preserve its free-doms. AGENCY

Taipei: Taiwan has scored a rarediplomatic victory in establish-ing relations with the indepen-dent region of Somaliland.

Intense pressure from Chinahas reduced self-governing,democratic Taiwan to havingjust 15 diplomatic allies andbeing excluded from the UnitedNations and most other inter-national organizations whereBeijing has leverage.

China claims Taiwan as itsown territory to be broughtunder its control by militaryforce if it deems necessary. Inelections and public opinion sur-veys, Taiwanese have over-whelmingly rejected politicalunion with China.

Somaliland broke awayfrom Somalia in 1991 as thecountry collapsed into warlord-led conflict and has seen little ofthe violence and extremistattacks that plague its neighborto the south. Despite lackinginternational recognition, theregion has maintained its ownindependent Government, cur-rency and security system.

In a statement posted July 1on the Taiwanese foreign min-istry’s website, Minister JosephWu said the Governments hadagreed to establish ties based on“friendship and a shared com-mitment to common values offreedom, democracy, justice andthe rule of law.” AP

������� ����2<����?���������������� ������#����<���%�� ��!�� � ��������� ���� �������� ����"���

��93'����'������ *��� ��:� �'&��*������� ������������ ���!������� �� �5� ��$� ��� ���� ��

8�"���������5������������� �������� �-������� ���$

�0�4�����-� ��� �������������&�� ���'�-������������������� �� ���������� ������������ �����'������������&�.����������������������� ����� ��������� �����&� ��7��������!-����������&��)��������� ����/�� � ��������& ���7�������������������/������'���� � ���� � ���������������' ���� ���������6��������� ������ ���������������������� ���� ��.�� �������������� ��.������ �� ����!�Q-� ��������������������� ��������������� ���������)��'������������!%��������F�������� � �������'���& �������������-�����R�'�� ���� � ������)������P����� � ����� ������������ �' ��!�#���-� ������������� ������&����������� ���������������&�� ������ �� ���� � G���������� ������ �������������'Q'�F������ ��������� ���������&��'������������� ��� ��-������&� �������� ������������������ ���!R� ���

�����������������(����������������������#����<��������

������ ���� �����2!�8����� ��������������!����������!��

+������������ ���� ���9�'��������������"���������

��80���#� &���&����&��������� � ������/ ���# �������� �������������*��� ������� ���'�� ��� � ������ �������������� ������&���� �'� ����3� � ���&� ��� �&��� �������������������� ��!�#���*��� �������������� � �������-� ����I��� ��������� �� �������������� � ���� ����'�=�� ����#�� ���I&����&���' ������)��'' ��� �+01:!�7������������ ��+008!������ �������������� ��� ���� �)������������ ��#� &����� ����������*��� �������� ���&����� )������ � ����� �!� ���

�#������!����,#"���,"�������-���� ��#���!�������"�����

9 ���������#��#��::3����� �������"�����

���+��&��(��0����!'� �������""�� � ����!��� ������� ����� �"���

Kathmandu: The political future of Nepal’sembattled Prime Minister KP Sharma Oil will nowbe decided on Wednesday after the ruling com-munist party postponed for a third time a cru-cial meeting, a day after the Chinese ambassadormet a senior leader amidst the growing demandfor his resignation over his style of functioningand anti-India statements.

The meeting of the Nepal Communist Party’s45-member powerful Standing Committee wasscheduled to be held on Monday. But it was post-poned at the last minute. Prime Minister’s pressadvisor Surya Thapa said the meeting was post-poned until Wednesday. The reason for the defer-ment for a third time was not revealed. PTI

���������� ���������������������������

� ������ �� � � �� ������ ����� ��� !�� ��������

)(G)� #�������������'������������'�������� �����'��� ��� ���������?������������;0���������� ���� ���1;�&���&�������� ��� ����� �������������������������'��10� �� �������������� ����������& ��������'������� �� ������'���������'' � ������ !%�����������������������&�)����� �&����������������� ������������'���������> ����&�������������������� � ����&���������������������� ���'�!�� ��

@3���������:���������5�����������(�������������������

Page 9:  · reducing the number of expats from 70 per cent to 30 per cent ... on Monday overtook Turkey which ranks 14 on the Worldometer (205,758 cases). ... The guidance that the health

1 �)��2������������������� ������ � �!"!"

��� �2�3%�

Market benchmarks Sensexand Nifty hit their four-

month highs on Monday,tracking upbeat global bours-es and signs of easing tensionsbetween India and China.

The BSE gauge Sensexclosed 465.86 points, or 1.29per cent, higher at 36,487.28;while the NSE barometer Niftysettled 156.30 points, or 1.47per cent, up at 10,763.65.

Both Sensex and Niftylogged their fourth consecutivegains, helped mainly by indexheavyweights RelianceIndustries (RIL) and HDFCBank.

RIL shares zoomed 3.57per cent to close at an all-timehigh of �1,851.40 per unit –helping the company’s marketvaluation surge to �11.73 lakhcrore.

In terms of percentagegains on the Sensex, Mahindraand Mahindra topped the chartwith over 7 per cent rise, fol-lowed by Bajaj Finance, RIL,Maruti, TCS, HDFC Bank andTata Steel.

On the other hand, BajajAuto, HDFC, Bharti Airtel,HUL and HCL Tech were thefive scrips ended with losses.

Sectorally, BSE energy,realty, auto, metal, industrials,basic materials and capitalgoods indices rallied up to

2.97 per cent; while FMCG,healthcare and telecom endedin the red.

Broader midcap and small-cap indices surged up to 1.30per cent.

Market analysts said thatapart from firm global cues,positive sentiment led by signsof easing border tensionbetween India and Chinahelped boost investor senti-ment, though growing Covid-19 cases remained a concerngoing forward for the partici-pants.

In appositive development,both Indian and Chinese sideshave agreed that maintenance

of peace and tranquillity wereessential for development ofbilateral ties between NewDelhi and Beijing.

The Indian government ina statement said that NationalSecurity Advisor Ajit Doval andChinese Foreign MinisterWang Yi held a telephonicconversation on Sunday duringwhich they agreed on disen-gagement of troops along theLine of Actual Control (LAC)at the earliest.

“Disengagement in theGalwan Valley fired up thebulls today as Reliance, Marutiand Bajaj Finance notched upsmart gains. The key highlight

of the day was the participationseen in the broader market inselect PSU stocks,” SRanganathan, Head ofResearch at LKP securities,said.

Globally, massive buyingmomentum in equities onhopes of a Covid-19 vaccineand improving global macro-economic conditions tooboosted sentiment, traders said.

In Asian, Shanghai ralliedaround 6 per cent, Hong Kong4 per cent, Tokyo and Seoul upto 2 per cent on hopes of moregovernment stimulus to sup-port economic recovery.

Stock exchanges in Europetoo jumped up to 2 per cent inearly deals.

Meanwhile, internationaloil benchmark Brent crudefutures rose 1.43 per cent toUSD 43.42 per barrel.

On the currency front, therupee pared initial gains andsettled 2 paise down at 74.68against the US dollar.

Meanwhile, India went pastRussia to become the thirdworst-hit nation by the Covid-19 pandemic. Only the USand Brazil are ahead of Indiain terms of total coronavirusinfections.

According to the Mondaymorning update of the UnionHealth Ministry, a single-dayjump of 24,248 Covid-19 casespushed India’s tally to 6,97,413.

New Delhi: The downturn inthe oil market is beginning toimpact those who had a fairshare in keeping it oversuppliedand prices suppressed. The USshale oil producers are begin-ning to feel the pain of lower oilprices with large-scale increasein bankruptcies.

A few shale companies inthe US had already gone bank-rupt, with the possibility of afew more on the way.

According to a report byMotilal Oswal InstitutionalEquities, the total number ofE&P (exploration and produc-tion) bankruptcies has risen to20 so far, with the latest victimbeing Chesapeake Energy, oneof the pioneers of the US shaleindustry, with a total debt of $9billion.

It expected that the lowerprevailing oil prices wouldresult in write-down of $300billion of global E&P assets.

This is significant consid-ering that exploration had juststarted to pick up a couple ofyears back and was expected topeak anytime now. But Covid-19 induced lockdown and pre-

vailing economic slowdownhave turned the tables on thesector.

The US rig count has fall-en to a record low of 278 unitsin the week ended June 26,2020 (decline of 65% sinceMar 2020 and 72% YoY), evenas oil prices rebounded fromhistoric lows in April, as someproducers restarted produc-tion. As per Baker Hughesdata, the worldwide rig counthas declined 52% YoY to 1,073units (v/s 2,221 units in Jun’19).

According to a PlattsAnalytics Spotlight report, rigsare expected to stay relativelyflat until early-2021 as opera-tors are expected to wait severalmonths for higher oil pricesbefore starting to graduallyincrease rig count.

On the oil price front, themarket is expected to remainflat, giving no immediatelyrelief to oil producers from fac-ing bankruptcies. According tothe brokerage estimates, Brentwould stabilize betweenUSD40-50/bbl and settle atUSD50-60/bbl in the longerrun. IANS

��� �2�3%�

The rupee pared initial gainsto settle down by 2 paise at

74.68 against the US dollar onMonday due to firming crudeoil prices and dollar buying byimporters.

Gains in domestic equities,foreign fund inflows and aweak US currency helpedrestrict rupee losses, forex deal-ers said.

In a highly volatile session,the rupee opened at 74.53against the US dollar, andtouched an intra-day high of74.52 and a low of 74.82.

The domestic unit finallyclosed at 74.68 against the USdollar, down 2 paise over itsprevious close of 74.66 onFriday.

“Despite lower safe-havencurrencies, the rupee wasunable to add gains today amidhigher crude oil prices and bar-gain buying of dollars by theimporters. The Indian rupeegained 1.32 per cent or onerupee a dollar in the previousweek,” Devarsh Vakil, DeputyHead of Retail Research, HDFCSecurities said.

Vakil further said that thetrend for the Indian rupeeremains on bullish side fol-lowing weaker dollar index

and foreign fund inflows.“Spot USDINR is having

support at 74.30 and resis-tance at 75 for next couple ofdays,” he said.

Meanwhile, the dollarindex, which gauges the green-back’s strength against a basketof six currencies, fell 0.24 percent to 96.94.

On the domestic equitymarket front, the 30-share BSEbenchmark Sensex settled465.86 points, or 1.29 per cent,higher at 36,487.28; while theNSE Nifty soared 156.30points, or 1.47 per cent, to10,763.65.

Foreign institutionalinvestors were net buyers in thecapital market as they pur-chased shares worth �857.29crore on Friday, according toprovisional exchange data.

Brent crude futures, theglobal oil benchmark, rose 1.66per cent to USD 43.51 per bar-rel.

Meanwhile, the number ofcases around the world linkedto Covid-19 has crossed 1.14crore and the death toll hastopped 5.34 lakh.

In India, the death toll dueto the disease rose to 19,693and the number of infectionsspiked to 6,97,413, according tothe Health Ministry.

��� 456�*5�7�

The country’s coal importsregistered a drop of 29.7 per

cent to 48.84 million tonnes(MT) in the April-June periodof the ongoing financial year,according to industry data.

India had imported 69.54MT of coal in the April-Juneperiod of 2019-20, according toprovisional compilation bymjunction.

Mjunction, a joint venturebetween Tata Steel and SAIL, isa B2B e-commerce companythat also publishes researchreports on coal and steel verti-cals.

The drop in imports

assumes significance in thewake of Government mandat-ing state-owned Coal IndiaLtd (CIL) to replace at least 100million tonne (MT) of importswith domestically-producedcoal in 2020-21.

The country’s coal importsalso dropped 22.5 per cent to15.22 MT last month, against19.64 MT of coal imported inJune last fiscal, it said.

“The weak trend inimports is in line with marketexpectation, given the contin-ued high stockpile of coal in thesystem. The plunge in thermalpower sector’s PLF (plant loadfactor) in the past couple ofmonths and the sharp decline

in cement output do not augurwell for import demand incoming month,” mjunctionMD and CEO Vinaya Varmasaid.

India’s coal import duringlast month through major andnon-major ports is estimated tohave decreased by 8.01 per centover May 2020, mjunction said.

Last month, the importstood at 15.22 MT (provision-al), compared to 16.54 MT(revised) imported in May2020.

Coal import in June lastyear stood at 19.64 MT, accord-ing to a compilation by mjunc-tion’s India Coal Market Watch(ICMW).

New Delhi: Kirana stores are emerging as thehub that helps maintain regular supply ofessentials as cities struggle to get back to theirnormal rhythm and many such neighbourhoodstores are considering greater technology adop-tion, according to a report.

The report is based on a survey by con-sultancy firm EY that gathered insights through27 qualitative interviews across 12 cities in India,5 metros and 7 non-metros with participantswho represent small and big kirana across adiverse socio-economic background.

Stating that there is a renewed trust in hyper-local communities, EY’s latest report ‘Sentimentsof India – Pulse of the country, Kiranas’ said 40per cent of respondents (kirana store owners)want to partner with online delivery and sup-

ply platforms as they feel it can help them growand tide over in these testing times.

Commenting on the findings, EY IndiaPartner - Customer Experience and DesignThinking, Shashank Shwet said, “amidst theCovid-19 pandemic, the kirana stores haveemerged as local unsung heroes servicing thecommunity at large. The kirana store ownershave taken a lot of effort to keep up with thechanging demands of the crisis and managingtheir day-to-day supplies.”

Moreover, he said, “the way that these kiranastore owners have adopted to innovation anddigital technologies, such as digital payments,changing operating models and reduced frictiontowards technology, to cope up with the pan-demic is highly commendable. “PTI

New Delhi: Hyundai MotorIndia Ltd (HMIL) on Mondaysaid its online car buying plat-form has recorded over 15lakh visitors and over 20,000registrations since its launch inMarch this year.

With the ‘Click To Buy’online sales platform, that inte-grates over 600 dealerships, theauto major is offering a com-plete end-to-end online carbuying solution that enablescustomers to purchase carsfrom the convenience and safe-ty of their homes, HMIL saidin a statement.

The company said it hasalso partnered with the leadingbanks HDFC and ICICI, inorder to facilitate application ofloans online without the needto visit any bank branch forapproval.

“The platform has seenoutstanding traction, recording over 20,000 regis-trations and over 1,900 bookings is a testament of customer trust inbrand Hyundai,” HMIL MDand CEO SS Kim said.

With digital buyingbecoming a new normal dur-ing the Covid-19 pandemic,thecompany will continue to pro-vide smart mobility solutionsensuring a seamless online carpurchase experience for ourcustomers, it added. PTI

New Delhi: Reliance IndustriesLimited on Monday addedanother feather to its cap as itsmarket valuation crossed �11.5lakh crore mark, the first by anydomestic company.

The market heavyweightstock jumped 3.57 per cent toclose at �1,851.40 on the BSE.During the day, it rose by 3.94per cent to a record high of � 1,858.

On the NSE, it gained 3.75per cent to settle at �1,855.

The company’s market val-uation rose by �40,508.8 croreto �11,73,677.35 crore at closeof trade on the BSE.

In terms of volume, 9.49lakh shares of the companywere traded on the BSE andover 2 crore on the NSE.

Gains in RelianceIndustries’ shares were alsoinstrumental in taking the BSE30-share index higher by465.86 points, or 1.29 per cent,to close at 36,487.28.

Reliance Industries, thecountry’s most valued firm, lastmonth became the first Indiancompany to cross the �11 lakhcrore market valuationmark.

Shares of RelianceIndustries on Friday rose bynearly 2 per cent afterannouncement that IntelCapital will buy 0.39 per centstake in Jio Platforms. PTI

��� 456�*5�7�

TheGovernment is not con-sidering any proposal to

merge the Central Board ofDirect Taxes (CBDT) and theCentral Board of Indirect Taxesand Customs (CBIC), theFinance Ministry said onMonday.

The said merger was one ofthe recommendations of theTax Administration ReformsCommission (TARC), headedby Parthasarathi Shome, whichsubmitted its report in 2016.

Reacting to a media reportwhich suggested that a merg-er of policy making bodies ofdirect and indirect taxes —CBDT and CBIC— is on cards,the Ministry in a statementsaid, “The Government hasno proposal to merge the twoBoards created under theCentral Boards of RevenueAct, 1963.”

The Ministry said that thereport of TARC was examinedin detail by the Governmentand this recommendation ofTARC was not accepted by thegovernment.

“As a part on an assurancemade by the Government inParliament in response to aParliament question, the

Government has also placedthis fact in 2018 before theCommittee on GovernmentAssurances.

The action taken report onthe recommendations of theTARC is placed even on thewebsite of Department ofRevenue, which clearly showsthat this recommendation wasnot accepted,” it added.

The Tax AdministrationReforms Commission (TARC)was constituted with a view toreview the application of taxPolicies and Laws in context of global best practicesand recommend measure forreforms required in TaxAdministration to enhance its effectiveness andefficiency.

TARC had made 385 rec-ommendations out of which291 recommendations arerelating to CBDT and 253 toCBIC.

The Ministry further saidit is in the process of imple-mentation of a number of tax-payers’ friendly reforms liketransition from manual assess-ment based on territorialjurisdiction to a completely

randomized electronic face-less assessment, electronic ver-ification or transactions andfaceless appeals.

New Delhi: Toyota KirloskarMotor (TKM) on Monday saidit has suspended operations atits manufacturing plant inBidadi for a day following thedeath of an employee due toCovid-19.

The company deeplyregrets to inform the sad newsof an untimely demise of oneof its employees and expressesits sincere condolences to thefamily, friends and colleaguesof the deceased employee,TKM said in a statement.

The cause of death hasbeen identified as Covid-19, itadded.

The employee had lastattended work at the factory onJune 23 and hence as of nowthere has been no clear evi-dence of internal transmissionwithin the company from thiscase or the previously report-ed eight Covid-19 positivecases at the plant, TKM said.

In line with theGovernment guidelines, thecompany has quarantined theemployees suspected of havingprimary or secondary contactwith the deceased until June 23,it added.

��� �2�3%�

Suspension of the H1-B visasby the US will cost domes-

tic IT firms �1,200 crore andhave a marginal 0.25-0.30 percent impact on their prof-itability, a domestic ratingagency said on Monday.

An increase in local hiringover the last few years since theUS – the largest market forIndian IT firms - started curb-ing the visa issuances will helplimit the impact on the IndianIT companies now, CrisilRatings said.

It can be noted that lastmonth, the visas used by Indiantech professionals to work out of the US were sus-pended by the Donald Trumpadministration as it looked toarrest the rising unemploy-ment.

Crisil, however, said thatthe marginal impact will beover and above the up to 2.50per cent decline in IT firms’profits because of the Covid-19pandemic and added that oper-

ating profitability is seen at 23per cent in FY21 as per ananalysis of 15 top firms’ per-formance.

The US move on the H1-B and L1 visas will have limit-ed impact because of the lowerreliance on the entry system byhiring locally, it said, addingthat renewals of the visas willbe unaffected.

Zooming of the denialrates to 39 per cent in FY20, upfrom 6 per cent in FY16, hadled to lower reliance on thevisas by the local IT companies,it said.

“New H1-B visa issuancescontribute less than 5 per centof the US onshore workforce ofthe top 5 listed Indian IT firms,which account for 60 per centof the industry revenue.

On the other hand, theshare of local hires in their USonshore employee mix hassteadily increased from 30-35per cent in fiscal 2017 to about55-60 per cent in fiscal 2020,”its senior director Anuj Sethisaid.

����� 456�*5�7�

The price of gold in the spotand futures markets

remained soft for the fourthconsecutive day on Monday,but during the corona periodthe fundamentals of the pre-cious metal are strong due towhich it may touch a newhigh later this year.

The demand for the yellowmetal may not be much in theupcoming festive season due tothe uncertainty caused by thecorona crisis, but considering the investors inter-est in gold, its price is expect-ed to cross the psychologicallevel of �52,000 per 10 gramsby Diwali.

On July 1 last week, goldhad risen to �48,982 per 10grams on the domestic futuresmarket — Multi CommodityExchange (MCX), which is therecord level so far, while the price of gold in the domestic spot market hasbreached the � 50,000 per 10gram mark.

��� 456�*5�7�

The opening up of India’seconomy post lockdown

and implementation of theeconomic package unveiled bythe government have startedshowing results on the groundwith initial signs of improve-ment in the performance ofbusinesses now visible, says asurvey.

The Ficci-Dhruva Advisorsindustry survey was conduct-ed in June 2020 and saw par-ticipation of over 100 top cor-porate executives (CxOs) fromacross sectors.”While the greenshoots of recovery are beingseen, it is important to empha-sise that sustaining thisimprovement in the opera-tional parameters of business-es will require continuous sup-port from the government.

“The support is particu-larly needed in the realm ofstrengthening market demandin the absence of which this ini-tial recovery may fizzle out,”Ficci emphasised.

The results of the surveyshow that presently close to 30per cent of the firms are oper-ating at 70 per cent plus capac-ity utilisation, while nearly 45per cent expect capacity utili-sation to be above 70 per centin the near term.

In terms of the challengesthat firms foresee they will con-tinue to face even during theunlocking phase, managingcosts, weak demand and finan-cial liquidity remain the topthree items with 60 per cent, 59per cent and 57 per cent report-ing the same.

“Some of the surveyrespondents have also alludedto the second wave of Covid-19 as a challenge they foreseethat could affect businessesgoing ahead. A sudden stop onthe imports from China, giventhe most recent developments,also figured in the feedbackreceived as part of the surveyon challenges that could impactbusinesses,” said Ficci on thesurvey.

On the jobs front, nearly 32

per cent of the firms havereported that they see a job lossof over 10 per cent from theircompany’s perspective. In Apriledition of this survey, this fig-ure was close to 40 per cent.

Unlocking of the economyis starting to have a positiveimpact on exports, cash flows,order books and supply chains,it observed.

It revealed that 22 per centof the respondents have saidthat exports have improved inrecent times. 25 per cent havereported a positive impact ofunlocking of the economy onorder books and 21 per centhave confirmed improvementin cash flows.

Nearly 30 per cent of thefirms are seeing their supplychains getting back on track.

Notably, in the April edi-tion of the survey only 5 percent of the companies wereexpecting an increase inexports, 7 per cent had report-ed increase in order booksand 10 per cent expected animprovement in cash flows.

�������������@�����������;�����"�� ��#������������<�������������

;��!�&���*��!� � ���!������ ����!� ���&��� ������"��� � ���� ���� ��� #�-�����

$#����� �� ����� �=4�������� ��������������� ���������� �

'�����) 4������� ���������������������9�/5��9 �

��)�"���� ���� ����� ������������ ��..16���&����'�!����&

� ����)����&�����������������2 �������������

��������������+�000����10��������* &��

$=<+�����������������������=����< ���������������9��� ��>�� ����

������� � !� � ���&����<������!�� �������������������&������ ��������

>������� ������+��� ������������;!:9��������' �����

����6��������� ��� ����2�3���?*.*?�&9����5� ��<@���

-�� I18��������) ����������������� ������ ���� � ������������� ��"�>����

Page 10:  · reducing the number of expats from 70 per cent to 30 per cent ... on Monday overtook Turkey which ranks 14 on the Worldometer (205,758 cases). ... The guidance that the health

$����#�*>� ��6%4�4��

������������ �������������������� ��� � ��

��!� ���� �������� ��

��$!�����"���:���/$���

Sugar added to food has little nutritional value, does not makepeople feel full and is dangerous beyond merely the number

of calories it contains. Sugar consumption has led to a 25 percent increase in the Type II Diabetes among the obese and nor-mal population. While the obese cultivate Diabetes due to seden-tary lifestyle issues, normal person get affected due to geneticsand the increased sugar intake.

Dependency on processed foods which have hidden sugarcontent is also to be blamed. Changing food habits due tounhealthy lifestyle has made processed foods and carbonateddrinks as a part of the daily menu. Most people do not have theidea about the amount of sugar being consumed by them in aady.Due to this, the triple combination of ailments which are — obe-sity, Diabetes and heart disease occurs at a younger age amongthe population in the country.

How sugar reacts with the brain?Sugar leads to dopamine release in the nucleus accumbens

— an area associated with motivation, novelty, and reward. Hence,intermittent sugar consumption affects the brain much like cer-tain drugs.

Harmful effects: Glucose, the carbohydrate molecule of sugar,can be positively put to use by every single organ in the body.Furthermore, if your body doesn’t produce enough of it, it'll start

producingit’s own.On the other hand, fruc-

tose is the fatty molecule ofsugar and can only beprocessed in the liver. If theliver receives too much fruc-tose, it becomes overloaded.When it can’t take any more,the fructose (metabolised as fat)leaks into the body and the fol-lowing complications can arise:

�Fatty liver�Insulin resistance�Hypertension�Weight gainIf the condition deterio-

rates, the end result can include:�Heart Disease�Cancer�Dementia�Diabetes�ObesityWays how sugar can affect

your body:�Weight gain: Sugar can lead to weight gain because our

cells do not require large amounts at one time, and the extra sugaris stored as fat. Sugar also slows down our metabolism.

�Nutritional deficiency: Refined sugar lacks vitamins, min-erals and fiber, therefore, making our bodies work even harderto digest it. In order to absorb sugar completely, the body haveto deplete minerals and enzymes from its own store house.

�Fatigue: Because sugar takes our blood sugar on a rollercoaster ride, first being pushed up high and then brought backdown really low, we experience what we all know as a ‘sugar crash’.

�Weakened immune system: Consuming foods and bev-erages high in sugar or refined carbohydrates may be reducingyour body’s ability to ward off disease. When the immune sys-tem is compromised, one are more likely to get sick.

�Aging and wrinkles: Sugar can lead to premature agingby damaging collagen and elastin.

�Headaches & migraines: Sugar consumption can play arole in headaches and migraines.

�Depression: Excessive sugar can lead to depression.Additionally, we may feel comforted right before and right aftereating a cupcake, and we may anticipate it lifting our moods, how-ever, this typically will be very temporary. Eating this sweet treatreally didn't get to the root of our stress or depression, so thenwe are back to square one.

� ��1�3�4 ����5����3��6�36�����3�� �

��4�����5 6)�����

1)��������) ��5 �)7��5����)��

���� 44��������896���6���11��

�)���1���� 1�� 1����:� ����1 ��������)�� �

3�������

������� ����$�%���#�������������������� ������ � �!"!";�

&�'(����� )����*+���,+����)-��.+)��+����) �*+)��)�)-����/�����)�(

��0-���� 1',��2��'��)�' � �'�� �-� '-�/��'-�����-�'�����(�����. �+*��'-�����)-���+ ����(�$-�'��.� �'+..�')'������

) ��)���)�� ��-�( ���0-���� 1'���'��'�)-�)��+���)� .�)�)-��.+)�*�( ��'��)�'

(��.��)�/����(���)'���� �����)���)'

.��>������

�,"+��" �Pomegranate isamong one ofthe healthiestfruits presenton earth. Thefruit is rich infiber, protein,Vitamin C,Vitamin K, folateand potassium.

The punicalagins inpomegranate juice have beenshown to reduce inflamma-tion, one of the leading driversof many serious diseases,including cancer andDiabetes.

Regular intake of pome-granate juice has been shownto lower blood pressure levelsin as little as two weeks.

Not only this, the fruit also

has antibacterial and antiviralproperties which may be use-ful against common gum dis-eases and yeast infections.

Several studies haveshown that it may also helpprevent Alzheimer’s diseasein older adults.

Having a glass or two ofpomegranate juice daily willkeep you health and fit.

Seldom would mankind imaginethat in this fast paced, techno-logically advanced world, a

minute invisible thing like a viruscould absolutely stop life to a PointBlank. Similar is the comparisonwith our focus on physical healthbeing massive which has to be com-plemented with our mental healthwhich is so fragile.

However, slowly things are get-ting back to a new normal state, butafter such a stringent lockdownmany of us are dealing with a lot ofemotional setbacks as the suddenand drastic alteration in the dailyroutine has affected everyone’s men-tal health irrespective of their age,profession or gender.

Mental health issues have alwaysbeen stigmatised in our society.With the Government takingunprecedented measures to focus onpreventing the spread of this dead-ly virus, the situation has just ampli-fied. Anxiety, depressive symptoms,symptoms of Internet addiction,pornography addiction, experiencesof hostility, overthinking, changes infood and sleep habits, social empa-thy and relationship quality aremost of the cases these days.

Some of us during this lock-down are wrestling with familialconflict while others are stressingover how coronavirus disruptionshave affected their careers, business-es, academic performance, or dailywages.

Various studies being conduct-ed are indicating that this suddenloss of employment, along withfinancial stress or even distress,could enhance the psychologicalimpact on the working communi-ty, shown by symptoms of increasedaggressiveness and post-traumatic

stress. This situation could alsorevive memories of old traumas insome people.

Here are a few tips to help allof us dealing with mental healthissues during these testing times:

Mental health awareness atschools & offices

Schools and offices are placeswhere one visits almost every dayand spends a great time of the daythere, Thus it becomes an importantpoint where mental health talks canbe initiated and sensitisation spread.The main goal should be to providea safe environment so that eventu-ally students/employees feel lesspressure and more confident.

Staying connectedIndians, by virtue of our social

structure, have a variety of person-al and social resources that helpcope with such crises. Family is onesuch vital resource, and being inclose touch with relatives, in real lifeor virtually via social media or theInternet, alleviates stress consider-ably.

ResilienceResilience refers to an individ-

ual’s positive adaptation to theexperiences of adversity. Healthycoping strategies help even high-riskindividuals to stay positive. Simplyview the lockdown as a good timeto ruminate on your individualand social identity, and take steps toimprove your relationships withyour own self and people aroundyou.

Offline time is as importantas online time

Turning to social media handlessuch as Twitter, Instagram, andFacebook can make you get lost ina world of make-belief and lead tounhealthy comparisons. It’s impor-

tant to engage yourself in offlineactivities like gardening, writing,cooking and painting. anythingthat takes you some time off andmakes you embrace the life you haveand the person you are.

Physical exercise and dietGetting enough exercise, stay-

ing hydrated, and eating wholegrains, protein-packed fibre andgreen leafy vegetables are the needof the hour to maintain a goodimmunity system.

Avoid ordering home deliveryor emotional binge eating when youfeel down as that can lead toincreased load on the systems of thebody. Physical exercises is a must asit will keep your endorphins incheck which helps you stay in theright frame of mind, and helpimprove overall health.

MeditateMeditation helps you stay calm

and grounded. It helps you connectwith your higher self, and balanceyour emotional health. Spendingsome time visualising/imagining abetter tomorrow, and the future willhelp you to positively reinforceyourself and get through thesetroubled times.

Reach out to a professionalIt’s very important to end the

stigma and reach out to a therapist.They are trained to help youthrough trying times and difficultsituations in life. During these lock-down situations, online therapy hasalso become a viable option.

In the end, we all need to learnto take care of your mental healthas it’s our mind that controls ourbody and everything associatedwith it.

������������ ����� ������������� ������

The monsoons are here, and it’s a wel-come relief from the scorching summer

heat. But, the rains also bring along a slewof seasonal diseases. We need to adjust tothe nip in the weather and keep ourselveshealthy.

When you sit by the window and watchthe rain dance and listen to the pitter-pat-ter of the raindrops, one gets tempted tohave chai, pakoras or even samosas.

Health experts and nutritionists sug-gest that our immunity comes down dur-ing this season, making us prone to viralinfection, seasonal flu, and stomach disor-ders. They suggest that you should increasethe intake of immunity-boosting foodduring this season, like broccoli, almonds,turmeric and spinach. But you can alsohave calorie-free immunity-boosting teas.

The goodness of tea increases whenyou add herbs and spices to it. Tea blendersand tea tasters over the decades have madeblends using traditional Indian spices andherbs, the perfect combination results in anexceptional cup of tea. Here is a list of teasthat have an outstanding flavour and tastewhich can boost your immunity.

Masala chai: The monsoons are theperfect time to enjoy India’s favouritemasala chai or spiced tea. Made with goodAssam CTC tea, traditional masala tea hasingredients like cardamom, star anise,pepper, cloves, cinnamon and ginger. Eachherb/spice has its individual health prop-erties, which will boost your overall health.Black tea is loaded with antioxidants andprotects you from cardiovascular disease,lowers cholesterol and improves dentalhealth.

Ginger green tea: A classic blend ofyoung fresh ginger and green tea, it is excel-lent for a sore throat and cold. The idealway to have it is to add a dash of honey; itsoothes the throat and protects you froma sore throat and flu.

Kashmiri kahwa: Is tea from theKashmir valley. There are various recipesthe oldest traditional one uses green tea,cinnamon, cloves, green cardamom,almonds and saffron. The combination ofthese spices with green tea has kept the peo-ple of Kashmir warm and healthy in allweather conditions. The worlds mostexpensive spice, saffron is known to boostyour immunity.

Peppermint green tea: A refreshingblend of peppermint and green tea keepsthe stomach healthy. When you binge ongreasy foods, like samosas, pakoras in themonsoon, you are likely to feel heavy andfull. Peppermint is known to have a sooth-ing effect on the stomach and reduces bloat-ing.

Chamomile tea: It is a popular bever-age. Chamomile tea is a herbal infusionmade using dried flowers. This tradition-al herbal infusion calms your body, reducesstress builds immunity and cleanses yoursystem.

Enjoy the raindrops, read your favouritebook and enjoy a sip of healthy tea.

������������ ���'��� �����������! ����*���!����������"�� ��� ������"����=���

A�� ���������������������� �������#������'�

�� �����������������

���� ����������� ���������.9������'��� ����������B�"���#���$� $5�7(%�

BOOST YOUR�&&(A�9C5

Before salons came up, Iremember my motherwould make us girls

spend at least 20 minutes in aday to clean our face by usingsimple ingredients from herkitchen as a scrub andthen make a maskwhich we had toput and leave iton for 10-15minutes andwash off forthat glowingpink andsmooth skin.

COVID-19 has defi-nitely put us onthe backfoot butthat doesn’t meanone can’t make use ofthe tricks that our grandpar-ents used. Here are some ofthem.

The most common scrubcan be made by taking four

tablespoons of besan andadding oil to it. One can usepure virgin cold pressed oliveoil or coconut oil. Make asmooth paste. Apply on theface and massage gently in a

circular motion for fiveminutes. Ensure

that you don’trub harshly

under the eyearea. Washoff. Pat dry.Now for themask.

T a k efour table-

spoons ofmaida and two

tablespoons ofdahi . Make a

smooth paste andapply this on the face, leave iton for 10-15 minutes or till itsomewhat dries. Wash off andpat dry. You can do this everynight before going to bed.

Even with Unlock 2.0, people areapprehensive about visiting a salonfor that much-needed face spa due

to the fear of catching infection.ROSHANI DEVI tells you how

some easily available ingredients athome can help you get that glow

����������

The fear of COVID -19 lurkseverywhere. While chil-

dren and adults are able tocope with the situation, it is theelderly who suffer the most.They are overcome with anx-iety, fear and a sense of lone-liness. Not only that, they arealso worried about their healthbecause of their weak immu-nity which makes them morevulnerable to the infection.

Intestinal health — linkedto immunity

However, ageing is a nat-ural process and immunitycan be improved and main-tained by eating a well-bal-anced diet and leading ahealthy lifestyle. This is also asimple and practical way ofreducing the risk of infectionsand need for antibiotics andmedication.

More recently scientistshave shown that it is also pos-sible to build your immunityby improving intestinal health.This is because more thanhalf the body’s immune systemis located in the intestine and

therefore besides digestion,the intestine, which is also thelargest immune organ of thebody, plays an important rolein protecting us from diseasesand infection.

Intestinal bacteria —important for intestinal health

The intestine however can-not function without bacteriaand contains 100 trillion bac-teria that weigh almost 1.5 kg.These bacteria are essential fordigestion of food, absorption ofnutrients and for training anddeveloping the immune sys-tem. The kind of bacteriadetermines the strength of theimmune system and thereforeit is important to have morenumbers of the beneficial onesalso called probiotics for awell- balanced and strongimmunity.

However, as we age, ourintestines age too and there isa slow but steady decline of theprobiotic bacteria. This cou-pled with muscle weaknessresults inpoor digestion andweak immunity. Therefore, it

is important to replenish thesebacteria by increasing the con-sumption of scientifically test-ed probiotic products tostrengthen the immune sys-tem.

Probiotics are closely asso-ciated with the immune systemright from the moment we areborn until we grow old. Theyare the first line of defence andshield us from invading bacte-ria and viruses.

Most often elderly sufferfrom constipation, diarrhoeaand other digestive problems.One of the best benefits of aprobiotic for the elderly is that

they improve digestive func-tion and help to improve theirimmunity.

Ageing also affects theimmune system which increas-es the risk of catching cold, fluand pneumonia. A study pub-lished in the European Journalof Nutrition showed that reg-ular consumption of a probi-otic drink reduced the inci-dence of viral infections in agroup of healthy elderly pop-ulation.

There is some evidencethat probiotics can improvebrain function especially moodand depression which is com-mon as we age. Probioticstherefore help you stay well bygiving your immune systemthe boost that it needs and gaingreater level of wellness.

With the close connectionbetween the intestine, probi-otics and immunity, it makessense to improve intestinalhealth for better immunity.

������������ �-�������*�+������"������ �����"�����-�� �

%�� ����� �>� ���?

0!�/��������$��"��'5������" �����'������� �������������#�������� ���������.��%�ACC%@5�$5@C�5������#�����'�� �"������������������� ������������������������ �"���� ��������#

/��������������(����������������������������������� ��������������������������������������#� 5%;(+5� 5+�%

,������ 6�����) �

��)���1��3� ����8�"�6�����) �

� �������6) ���6�36�����4��

5����) ���1 �� �6���68�����3� 1����1���������3�5������ 1 �� ������6���

) ���6� �36�� �5�����1��

� � � � � � � � � � � �

Page 11:  · reducing the number of expats from 70 per cent to 30 per cent ... on Monday overtook Turkey which ranks 14 on the Worldometer (205,758 cases). ... The guidance that the health

������������������� ������ � �!"!"

%� ��������I�� ���������!"" ���! �����)������� ��������I��� �����(������3����!

������ ���� ���>�������������'�&�� ������ ��&� ���������������������� ������������!7������������������'����&������������������� ��������I�����&� �������� ������!�7��&���������&�� ������)����������!�4���������� ������������������������������ �� ��'������!

����������>������& ������������������ ��������������& ��� ����������� ��������

=����������������������������������������&���� ����������������������) ���������!

Q> �����L��� ���������� �������� ��' � ����!� ��&����������)������ �I� ����& ������������ ������� �������&�) ������ �������������� �����,����-����� �������!7��� ��� ����������������&����&����������������'������������������ )��&� ������ ��L�����!6��������������� ����'�������� ����������������������R��� ���������!

6 �������� �������,���������> ������������������'�I������'������S:0�00�00�000!

<"�5��������6�5�33������� ����� ��������6��=�� ����)�1� ����� 4������� �������4 �

�6��� 1�3�4�����:������� 1��6�3������6��������6��� �6���3�8�"��� �3�������6��������� �4������������ 4�������� �4 �� ����������4 ���6�� ������ ��8���������� 5��3���4��� �� �1)������8>�?@��0� �

'�6�4 ������ �5���)����

������)�;;

'A��11�����������1�:������� �%������ �,,���� ����������������� ������ ��� '��������������������I��������.����� �I� ���!

>��)�������)������������&����������������' ��������� �)���������������!����������)���'��������' ����&� ���� � ��������������!

Q��������������������������������������������������������������������������������������R�������I� ���!�

7 ��� �' ��������=�����)�������������������������� ���������������������� ��!

In three words I can sum up everythingI have learned about life — it goes on.”Robert Frost, the great American

poet, who lived through turbulent times,has given us a peek into the future. Withthe world facing one of its worst crisisever, these words help to balm the excru-ciating pain being experienced byhumanity. The truth behind this balm isfirmly nestled in fact and experience,buried in the annals of history. All weneed is to look back, understand, learnand appreciate the resilience of mankindto come back each time and make ourworld a better place. It has happenedbefore. It is happening now. And it shallhappen in the future. The crazy choreog-raphy between short intense periods ofsuffering followed by healing, rejuvena-tion and progress.

History is witness to the first WorldWar that began in 1914. For the next fouryears, over a hundred nations wereinvolved in the conflict. Eightmillion soldiers were mar-tyred, twenty one millioninjured and hundreds of mil-lions lost their livelihoods.During those dark times, itwould have been very difficultto imagine a better future. ButEarle and Josephine Dickson,the couple invented the Band-Aid in 1920. The war did notkill their dreams of a betterfuture.

The end of World War I plungedhumanity into the cauldron of theSpanish Flu. It raged from 1918 to 1920,and wiped out 3 per cent of the world’spopulation. But life went on. Hope andresilience helped humanity overcome.Humanity did not give up. Sir FredrickGrant Banting was one of them. He wasbusy finding insulin and finally heinvented in 1922 because he believed ina better future. Imagine if he gave up.

The American stock market crash inOctober 1929 heralded the start of TheGreat Depression. It lasted until the springof 1933. Global GDP declined by 27 per

cent, one out of every four persons wasunemployed. Poverty, hunger anddespondency were all encompassing.Life, in general, was too bleak. ButCharles Darrow was busy inventing theboard game Monopoly because he wasconvinced that better times await and thatthe world would need leisurely boardgame nights. Monopoly has been sellingsince 1934.

The deadly affliction of The GreatDepression and the ensuing period of amassive recession culminated into thestart of the second World War in 1939.Sixty Four million lives were lost in com-bat. Millions others suffered. The miserythat lasted over six years would have nor-mally broken the dreams of most butWillem Kolff was adamant. He gave theworld its first kidney dialysis machine in1944 and made the world a better place.

These dark periods of history, start-ing from 1914 to 1945 were probably themost poignant portraits of threats tohuman survival in the last hundredyears. Would those suffering during thisperiod have imagined a world so beau-

tiful or advanced, as it was in the winterof 2019, just before COVID-19 struck?Probably not. If asked at that moment ofsuffering to paint their view of 2019, mostwould have splattered it with black ink.However, we have the benefit of readingand perusing through history. We know,that while dreams were being shattered,lives being lost and human spirit beingtested, there were millions who lived inhope. There were millions who wereresilient enough to dare dream again.There were millions who kept working onideas to give us inventions that made ourlives better in 2020. Sir Banting, JosephineDickson, Charles Darrow and WillemKolff were among those who painted theircanvases with a flourish of vibrantcolours. It is this hope and resilience thatdefines humanity.

As we deal with the repercussions ofCOVID-19, we see immense challengesall around. Someone has lost a loved one,a loss that is irreplaceable. Another isstruggling to pay bills because the pinkslip landed on the desk. Yes, it is tough.Yet another is grieving over the loss of abusiness that could not be saved, a caseof shattered dreams. Many are hyperven-tilating over what the future holds. Yes,it is understandable. But take a momentand rewind back to 1916, 1918 or 1930or for that matter 1940. The currenttheme was being played in almost sim-ilar fashion, causing as much anguish ifnot more. The striking similarity doesnot end with the pain. The similarity por-tends a future worth being dreamt of.Our fore-fathers went through all of itand emerged to give us what we call “ourworld” today. As, shall we.

Someone rightly said that historyrepeats itself. The present is simplymimicking periods of history whenhumanity suffered. And this presentwould soon be history morphing into thefuture — one which mimics the progresshumanity made after each such crisis.

The temples are closed. Schools areshuttered. Facial expressions are hidingbehind masks. But the canvas is beggingus to paint. The art that we paint todayshall be discussed and analysed sometime in the future. The year 2020 wouldbe assigned to history, sooner than later.Pick up that brush, load the palette withcolours and paint it in vibrant hues sothat when historians look back at 2020,they see not a speck of black but a smor-gasbord of undying human spirit. Simply,imagine what the world should be in2050 and make it happen.

Yes, life goes on. To learn from thepast, to build a resilient today and todream a far better tomorrow.

Lockdown revelationsbrought one face to face

with the abstract world ofSabir Sardar. Upon question-ing, he said his forefathersbelonged to West Bengaland his parents settled inBengalipura, a small pocketof a colony in Mumbai,which lies at the intersectionof a railway crossing. So heuses this crossover icon ofculture to give full play to hisinspirations, both from hisorigins and his adoptedhome.

,���,���,�����+�

Sabir’s studio is situatedunder the railway crossing.When asked how the tracksaffect his creative surge, hesaid, “It shakes me, feelslike a drop of water falling ona reservoir of stable water.But the railway bridgeinspires me to paint. It keepsoffering me fresh perspec-tives.”

Sabir’s abstract land-scapes move in the hinges ofminimalist moorings. In thesensory works of Sabir, wefind more than a thousandjourneys. There is a succinct

calculation and spontaneityin his work.

Irrespective of thecolours he has used in hisYaatra, there is a mad free-dom that operates beyondthe restraints of his own con-trol. “I create works as I lookat the walls in the placewhere I live,” said Sabir whohumbly stated that his inspi-ration stems from the lessertemporary structures ofMumbai’s slums.

������#" "�"!����

Sabir’s work remindedme of the great poet NaomiShihab Nye, who in herpoem Kindness, wrote:

“Before you know whatkindness really is, you mustlose things,

Feel the future dissolve ina moment like salt in a weak-ened broth.

What you held in yourhand, what you counted andcarefully saved,

All this must go so youknow

How desolate the land-scape can be between theregions of kindness.”

The description of salt in

a weakened broth brings usto Sabir’s many meditationsthat flow free and sometimesget entangled, too. Fromthis poem of kindness andthe many metaphors thepoet gives us, we come toSabir’s compositions wherehe plays with contrastingcolours and brushstrokes.Minimal strokes lace hiswork, which break downinto fractional elements, thusunveiling a light backdropgradually taking over. Brightturquoise layers strategical-ly make an appearance incompositions along withbuttercup yellows and mus-tard mango hues, whichbrilliantly balance out thecompositions, drawing theeye while providing adynamic character to thepaintings. Melancholy andsolitude are Sabir’s compan-ions. The appearance of aheavy dark corner of a rec-tangle with contrasted rela-tively light central brushstrokes in the compositionsbecome a liberation of sorts.

������"�������� "�

Sabir quoted poet

Robert Herrick and said hethinks of the “fragrance notthe flower.” Then painting isboth a physical and cerebralactivity, a conduit for intel-lectual and philosophicalenquiry. Whether employingstrong linear elements, byturns painterly or rich burstsof colour, his work corralsdiverse influences within asignature abstract language,often collapsing traditionaldistinctions.

His central and periph-eral brushstrokes lend tonal-ity. Each inclination of thebrush produces shifts intechnique and colouration,all of which encourage thecomposition to smoothen,expand and condense, turndense and light at the sametime.

The works lay bare theprinciples of light, colourand movement. We canunderstand why SayedHaider Raza bought one ofSabir’s works from a show inLondon. Their abstract ele-ment lets the viewer sub-merge himself in sheer soli-tude.

�����#�-�"���-������-�����*���"��

The pandemic has impact-ed almost all of us in

innumerable ways. Each oneof us now have a story toshare, especially the oneswho are the forefront, fight-ing the deadly virus. Shotduring the period of lock-down, a documentary,COVID-19: India’s WarAgainst The Virus, traversesacross the nation mappingthe pandemic and telling thestory through interviews withsubject matter experts, frontline workers, patients,migrant workers, and othersworking tirelessly behind thescenes to arrest the spread ofthis deadly disease.

It provides a glimpse intoall the key steps being takenacross the country to battlethe Coronavirus pandemic.The documentary followsboth, the global and theIndian timeline, of how thevirus spread and the keydevelopments that have takenplace ever since India’s firstCoronavirus victim wasdetected in Kerala.

The film will also shedlight on the innovations andthe way technology is beingused to combat the virus. TheHindi voiceover for whichwill be provided byBollywood actor ManojBajpayee and the Tamilvoiceover by writer, director,actor Gautham VasudevMenon.

It features scientists, doc-tors, ministers and govern-ment officials on the forefrontof the Coronavirus battleincluding: Dr Harsh Vardhan,Union Minister for Healthand Family Welfare, Scienceand Technology, EarthSciences, Government ofIndia, K VijayRaghavan,Principal Scientific Adviser tothe Government of India,Bill Gates, Co-Chair andTrustee, Bill and MelindaGates Foundation, DrPoonam Khetrapal Singh,Regional Director, WorldHealth Organisation, South-East Asia Region, SatyendraJain, Health Minister,Government of Delhi, K KShailaja, Health Minister,

Government of Kerala,Rajesh Tope, Health Minister,Government of Maharashtra,Economist Arun Kumar, DrRajesh Malhotra, Chief,AIIMS Trauma Centre, Delhi,Dr Atanu Basu, DeputyDirector, National Institute ofVirology, Dr Shiv KumarSarin, Chairperson, DelhiCOVID-19 Task Force,Journalist Sanket Upadhyay,along with Sonu Sood, theBollywood actor who hasextensively worked onground to help the migrantworkers during the pandem-ic.

“Meaningful cinema andprojects have always endearedme, and I believe specials likeCOVID-19 India’s WarAgainst The Virus, are rele-vant not just for today but willcontinue to engage our futuregenerations as well,” saidBajpayee. “This is an impor-tant story and needs to be toldin an impactful manner. I tar-get to bring all my experienceinto play for the narration inHindi.”

“The fact that we all havebeen directly impacted by thepandemic makes this projectdifferent from others. Youalmost relive part of your lifeas the reels go by but at thesame time the documentaryshines light on so much thatyou weren’t aware of. That is

why documentaries, as anentertainment tool, in myview, will always have a spe-cial pride of place,” said,Wr i te r- D i re c tor- Ac torGautham Vasudev Menon. “Itis a valiant effort. I could nothave asked for a better debutas a narrator, especially in mymother tongue Tamil, andcoincidentally this marks myfirst documentary ever.”

“The documentary willhelp Indian audience under-stand deeper perspectives. Itcaptures key moments, devel-opments that shaped India’sfight against COVID overthe past few months,” said,Megha Tata, ManagingDirector – South Asia,Discovery. “There’s more atwork than what meets the eyeas new challenges unfoldevery day with pandemicraging fire; our attempt is tobring it all together with aline-up of prominent expertsand officials to provide acomprehensive view.”

The other three docu-mentaries which explore thisdeadly disease includeInvisible Killer, PandemicCovid-19 and The Zoo:Covid-19 and Animals.

(The documentary, avail-able in 7 languages, premiereson July 20 at 8 pm onDiscovery Channel andDiscovery Channel HD.)

5���������B�� ��#������ I������� ��� %3�>� %>*%>.�����������/���� ����'�� '�� ���������� ������'I�������������2�% 4%�>

�����#'���� �"�'� ����� ����������)�&������������������� � !"�����#�$����%������&������������������)�������������������������������������� �.��' ������� ������������� �

9��� ������'����������#������"����������������#������������������������� �.���������������" �������������������'�������� ������������������" ���������������'��������� ���������"�������������#�����������������"���"������� ��"� ��������#������������ �����#��5�$��$ 5$(@5

LIFEGOES ON

Page 12:  · reducing the number of expats from 70 per cent to 30 per cent ... on Monday overtook Turkey which ranks 14 on the Worldometer (205,758 cases). ... The guidance that the health

�� ���;�������������������� ������ � �!"!"

�"#�!"���� New Zealand is thelatest country after UAE and SriLanka which has offered tohost the IPL in case the billiondollar league can’t be held inIndia due to rising cases ofcoronavirus.

The postponementannouncement of the T20World Cup, to be held inOctober-November in Australia,is imminent, creating a windowfor the IPL.

The BCCI has alreadyzeroed in on the end Sept-earlyNovember window for the IPL.

The board’s first choice isstaging the tournament at homebut that is looking increasinglyunlikely with India having thethird largest case load of coro-navirus cases.

“Staging the event in Indiahas to be the first choice but incase it is not safe to have it, thenwe will look at the overseasoptions. After UAE and SriLanka, New Zealand has alsooffered to host the IPL,” a seniorBCCI official said.

“We will sit down with allstakeholders (broadcaster, teams,etc) and take a call. The safetyof the players is paramount.

There will be no compromise onthat,” the official said.

The IPL has been held over-seas in the past. The entire2009 edition was staged in SouthAfrica due to the general elec-tion back home and partially inthe UAE in 2014 due to the samereason.

However in 2019, despiteelections, the BCCI managed toschedule the IPL in India avoid-ing clashing with poll dates invarious states.

The UAE again is the front-runner to host the tournamentif it happens overseas. Sri Lankais a cost-effective option whileNew Zealand, which has beenlargely free from Covid-19, facesfeasibility issues.

With New Zealand, Indiahas a seven and half hour timedifference and even if the gamestarts at 12:30 pm in the after-noon, maximum office-goers(even those who work fromhome) will miss the action.

Apart from Hamilton andAuckland, which can be cov-ered by road, places likeWellington, Christchurch,Napier or Dunedin willrequire air travel. PTI

� �� (���%>>5%�

Antoine Griezmann answeredhis critics in style on Sundayby scoring with a sensation-

al chip as Barcelona thrashedVillarreal 4-1 to keep their faint LaLiga title hopes alive.

After the humiliation of beingbrought on in the 90th minuteagainst his former club AtleticoMadrid, Griezmann was back inthe starting line-up at La Ceramicaand repaid the faith with a stunning

goal, teed up by Lionel Messi.“It was the kind of goal only

great players can score,” saidBarcelona coach Quique Setien.“He played a spectacular match.”

Messi also laid on a curl-ing Luis Suarez shot into thetop corner after GerardMoreno cancelled out a PauTorres own-goal that had putBarca in front. Ansu Fati thenadded a fourth late on.

An impressive victory forSetien’s side reduces the gap back

to four points behind Real Madrid,who earlier ground out another 1-0 win over Athletic Bilbao.

Griezmann had experiencedhis lowest moment since joining

Barcelona on Tuesday in thedraw against Atletico but thiswas the perfect response. Hecelebrated his goal by sharinga warm embrace with Messi.

Villarreal looked a difficultopponent after winning five gamesout of six since the restart, a runthat has put them in in touching

distance of the top four. This defeatleaves them three points behindSevilla, who play Eibar on Monday.

The first half was perhaps themost entertaining in La Liga sincethe restart, with four goals andchances for two or three more.

Barca were ahead within threeminutes, Torres diverting JordiAlba’s cross into his own net underpressure from Griezmann at thenear post.

But Villarreal were level 11minutes later as a superb passfrom Samuel Chukwueze sent PacoAlcacer scampering in down theright and he did brilliantly toswitch to Santi Cazorla on theopposite side.

Cazorla’s drive was parried butonly to Moreno, who finished.Messi laid on two sumptuousassists before half-time but the fin-

ishes were even better.After chesting the ball down in

the centre circle, Messi touched andturned, leaving his marker fordead. He drove through twoVillarreal defenders before pushingthe ball left to Suarez, who arrivedfrom the angle on the edge of thebox and curled first time into thefar corner.

If that was power, Griezmann’swas finesse, Messi and Suarez com-bining before Messi dragged backto the Frenchman, who caressed adelightful chip over Sergio Asenjoand in.

Messi thought he had his goalin the second half but Arturo Vidalwas offside. Suarez was taken off,presumably rested, and Fati addeda fourth off the bench. The teenag-er cut in from the left and pulled hisshot back inside the near post.

� �� �2#7%�=#�4

Manchester City manager PepGuardiola admitted his side cannot

lose games in the manner they did ingoing down 1-0 at Southampton onSunday if they are to take the PremierLeague title back from Liverpool nextseason.

City lost for the ninth time in theleague this season as Che Adams’s spec-tacular first Southampton goal con-demned Guardiola’s men to defeatdespite enjoying 74% possession and 26shots at goal.

“We played really well, but it was alittle bit the résumé of this season. Wemake one mistake, they punish us,” saidGuardiola. “We lost a lot of games andlosing a lot of games you cannot com-pete to win Premier Leagues. We needto improve because it happened manytimes this season.”

Just four days ago City showed whatthey are capable of when at their best bythrashing newly-crowned championsLiverpool 4-0. But defeat on thesouth coast sees the Reds regaintheir 23-point lead at the top of thetable.

Guardiola, though, insistedhis plan to get back on top does notinvolve a summer spending spreeon new players.

“No, I don’t think so,” addedthe Catalan when asked if new signingswere the key to a change in fortunes.

“I think we played good. The desire,the character to play until the end was

there, we put Southampton with 10 play-ers in the penalty spot, so we didreally well. When you review thegames and the chances we creat-ed you cannot do more. I like theway we played but it is notenough.”

Adams has endured a night-mare run in front of goal since a$18.7 million move from

Birmingham a year ago. But on his 30thappearance for Southampton, he caughtCity goalkeeper Ederson stranded welloutside his area from fully 40 yards out.

��� ?�7%445 32>�

South Africa’s limited overskipper Quinton de Kock

didn’t want Test captaincy as“extra pressure” of leading theteam in traditional formatwould have been “too muchstress”.

The 27-year-old hadreplaced Faf du Plessis as ODIskipper in January this yearwith South Africa’s director ofcricket Graeme Smithannouncing in April that DeKock would not be elevated toTest captaincy.

De Kock said he had a dis-cussion regarding this withcoach Mark Boucher.

“Me and Bouch had a veryinformal chat and I told him,look, I don’t know how I feelabout being Test captain also.The reality is that’s just toomuch for me to handle. I knowthat and I realise that. I don’tneed all that stress on myself,”he was quoted as saying byESPNcricinfo.

“I could see from a mileaway that I didn’t need that ontop of my shoulders. I’m want-ing to come up the order in Testcricket and so I don’t need allthat extra pressure.”

� � �5-�5 #5>

Brendan Rodgers says JamieVardy’s decision to stay at

Leicester has cemented hislegacy at the King PowerStadium after the striker joinedthe Premier League’s “100 club”.

The striker turned downthe chance to join Arsenal in2016, just weeks after spear-heading the Foxes’ PremierLeague title success.

Other members of thatLeicester team includingN’Golo Kante, Riyad Mahrezand Danny Drinkwater madebig-money moves.

On Saturday Vardy, 33,scored his 100th PremierLeague goal, 206 games afterbecoming the first £1 million($1.25 million) signing from anon-league club (FleetwoodTown) when he joined Leicesterin 2012.

Of the 29 players to havebecome Premier League centu-rions, only Ian Wright (28 years286 days) made his debut in the

competition at an older agethan Vardy (27 years 232 days).

Leicester manager Rodgerssaid: “I think as things stand he’sa legend here now for the restof his time at the club — it’s justwhat he adds to that status overthe rest of his career.

“It’s hard to knock playersif they do want to move onbecause their careers are soshort but he’s obviously felt real-ly comfortable.

“He’s found a real homehere. He is adored by the sup-porters and they absolutelylove him.”

MADDISON, BEN DOUBTFULLeicester City playmaker

James Maddison and full backBen Chilwell are injury doubtsfor Tuesday’s Premier Leagueclash at Arsenal, managerBrendan Rodgers said.

The pair are among the topchance creators in Rodgers’side this season as the Foxeslook to retain their top four spotand qualify for the ChampionsLeague for the first time since2016.

“We’ve got doubts overJames Maddison and BenChilwell. They could be the twowho could struggle,” Rodgerstold reporters in a virtual newsconference.

“We just have to wait andsee. Ben’s (injury) is at the bot-tom of his foot, it’s giving himpain. We’ll see what the special-ist says, sometimes you can playthrough it.”

��� �2#7%�=#�4�

Senior England pacer StuartBroad might be dropped

from the playing XI for the firstTest against West Indies startingon Wednesday with Jofra Archerand Mark Wood being tipped topartner James Anderson.

According to a report in TheGuardian, “Broad faces theprospect of missing a first homeTest match in eight years asEngland give serious consider-ation to unleashing the dual paceof Jofra Archer and Mark Woodat the earliest opportunity.”

Both Wood and Archerhave had their injury issues butare now match fit.

With only one spinner inoffie Dom Bess, Broad’s place inthe playing XI has come underdoubt.

“With no spare batsman inthis final group for Wednesdayand one spinner, Dom Bess, itleaves the make-up of the seamattack as the only issue still to be

debated by Chris Silverwood,the head coach, and Ben Stokes,his stand-in captain,” the paperreported.

Even Chris Woakes despite

his good show in the intra-squad warm-up game is likelyto miss out in the Ageas Bowlgame.

Broad last missed a homeTest when he was rested againstWest Indies in 2012 and with485 Test scalps is only second toAnderson in terms of highestwicket-takers for England.

England head coachSilverwood and stand-in captainStokes, however, might go forWood, who is known to bowl at90 miles per hour.

However with six back-to-back Tests against the Windiesand Pakistan, the rotation pol-icy could be used to keep thepaces fresh.

“Three back-to-back Testsagainst West Indies, followed bythree more in quick successionversus Pakistan in August, makerotation inevitable this summerand mean the seamers who missout first up may not be on thesidelines for long,” the paperreported.

��� 456�*5�7�

The Indian Super League onMonday approved 3+1 for-

eign player regulation formatches of the franchise-basedevent, bringing it down from theexisting five to boost “increasedparticipation” of local players.

The regulation will becomepart of the competition guide-lines from the eighth season in2021-22.

The decision was takenduring a Football SportsDevelopment Ltd (FSDL) meet-ing attended by its chairpersonNita Ambani and is being com-municated with the stakehold-ers including clubs and the All

India Football Federation(AIFF).

As per the new regulation,an ISL club could sign maxi-mum of six foreigners in thesquad including a compulsoryAsian origin player, with fourforeigners on the field.

The 3+1 foreign player rulesare governed by the AsianFootball Confederation compe-tition regulation.

The move is expected toboost increased participation ofIndian players in the top-flightcompetition. Currently an ISLclub is allowed to sign up toseven International players andplay a maximum of five on thefield.

��� �%>%-7��

The Pakistan Cricket Board(PCB) is feeling the finan-

cial impact of the Covid-19pandemic as it has failed to finda main sponsor for the nation-al team which is presently inEngland.

A well-placed source in thePCB said that negotiationswere continuing with the onemulti-national beverage com-pany, which had shown inter-est in signing a new team logosponsorship deal but hadoffered an amount far belowthe expectations of the board’smarketing pundits.

He said the company hadoffered only 35 to 40 percent ofthe amount it had earlier paidto the board in their last con-tract.

“It is a problem but nego-

tiations are still on but it isbecoming clear that the coro-navirus outbreak has even hitthe multinational companiesbadly,” he said.

The PCB’s marketingdepartment has also failed tofind sponsors for its reviseddomestic structure and for thesecond season running it has

been forced to bear all expens-es of the 12 provincial teams inthe division one and two com-petitions.

It is also facing problemsfinding a new broadcaster tobuy the rights of Pakistan’sInternational home series afterits four-year deal with Tensports expired recently.

��� �%>%-7��

Former Pakistan captain Inzamam-ul-Haq has said that questions will be

raised if Indian Premier League is slot-ted in the window allotted to ICC T20World Cup in Australia, which in all like-lihood will be cancelled in the wake ofCovid-19 pandemic.

The ICC is yet to decide the fate ofthe T20 World Cup in Australia whichis scheduled to take place from October18 to November 15.

“There are rumors that the WorldCup was clashing with the IndianPremier League (IPL) and the Australia-India series, therefore, it (T20 WorldCup) won’t take place,” Inzamam said inhis YouTube channel.

“The Indian board is strong andhas control in the International Cricket

Council (ICC). If Australia says thatwe cannot hold the World Cupbecause of the Covid-19 pandemic,then their stance will be easily accept-

ed, but if any such kind event happensduring the same time, then questionswill be raised,” he said.

The 50-year-old former batsman,who has scored 8830 runs in 120 Testsand 11739 runs in 378 ODIs for Pakistan,further said: “People will think, if a coun-try could host 12 to 14 teams (16 teams),then why the ICC could not look afterthe teams, after all Australia is such anadvanced country.

“Another thing is the ICC should notbe allowed to give priority to privateleagues (IPL) on Int’l cricket. This willlead to young players forcing on privateleagues other than Int’l matches.”

The former coach, however, agreedthat it is not easy to host 16 nations dur-ing the T20 World Cup.

“Australia can say that it was difficultfor it to manage 18 teams (16) for the

mega event as it is not easy. Likewise, thePakistan team was in England in a hoteland all the facilities were being provid-ed there, therefore, it has not been easyto manage 18 teams (16),” he said.

The fate of Asia Cup which PCB willbe hosting in a neutral country for secu-rity reason is also an issue as no oneknows the fate of the tournament origi-nally scheduled in September.

Inzamam said: “I have also heard thatobjections are also raised on the dates ofthe Asia Cup as it is clashing with someother event.

“The ICC, the Asian CricketCouncil (ACC) and all cricket boardsshould sit together and give a strongmessage that any such kind of impres-sion (giving priority to private leaguesinstead of international cricket), won’ttake place,” he said.

� �� =%>�

Roger Federer on Mondaysaid he is “missing”

Wimbledon after the grass-court Grand Slam was can-celled, but hopes to play thetournament in 2021.

The 38-year-old, who hasundergone two knee surgeriesthis year, had alreadyannounced he will not playagain until next year.

This week was scheduledto be the second week ofWimbledon, where Federerhas won a record eight men’ssingles titles, but the tourna-ment was cancelled for the firsttime since World War II due tothe coronavirus pandemic.

“Personally, it has beenvery pleasant to stay in thesame place for a long time, Ihadn’t experienced that formore than 25 years,” Federersaid at the launch of the RogerCenter Court running shoescreated by Swiss brand On.

“But of course I miss

Wimbledon, of course I wouldlike to be there currently play-ing on Centre Court for aplace in the second week.

“Clearly, one of my biggoals, and that’s why I dorecovery work every day andwork so hard, and why I’mpreparing for a 20-week phys-ical preparation block this year,is because I hope to play atWimbledon next year.”

Federer also said the coro-navirus lockdown gave him thechance to recuperate followingsurgery, but said he will have tobe “patient” as he waits toreturn to the court.

��� �5�3�2>45�

The Australian cricket team,which started outdoor

training, has been told to getready for a white-ball seriesagainst England in Septemberas the ICC T20 World Cup isexpected to be postponed thisweek, according to a mediareport here.

“Cricket’s World Cup is setto be officially postponed thisweek as Australia’s players aretold to start preparing for come-back battle against England,”Australian newspaper The DailyTelegraph reported.

The report also stated thatif Cricket Australia decides onallowing its players to play inthe IPL, “..The ideal scenariowould be they could go straightfrom the England limited oversseries to wherever the T20league is held in Middle East orAsia.”

The Australian team is,therefore, now preparing forODIs and T20Is againstEngland in an away series.

+ ���#���������� � ��;����;�����

-������!�� @ ��� ��������!��5� � ���������"���� �������� �!�����@ �$����A��&��'����� *����*�� ����� �<����� �*��������������� � ��

���� �& ���' � �����������3���" 3������������"���Barcelonapresident Josep MariaBartomeu has said thatLionel Messi will endhis career at theCatalan club, dismiss-ing a report saying theArgentine no longerwishes to renew hiscurrent contract whenit expires next year.

“Messi has said hewill end his workingand footballing life at

Barca,” Bartomeu toldSpanish networkMovistar after his sidebeat Villarreal.

“I’m not going toexplain the detailsbecause we are focusedon the competitionand we are negotiatingwith many players butMessi has explainedto us that he wants tostay and so we’re goingto enjoy him for much

longer.”The 33-year-old

Messi, who signed hislast contract in 2017,has become moreoutspoken against theclub’s hierarchy in thelast year and radiostation Cadena Sersaid last Thursday heis unhappy with howBarca is being runand wants to leave in2021. Agencies

����������� )��)�<��1���@��)���3�)>:��)��' �3���

�-)��!!���� �B������� �!����� ���������� �����989.'99� �� � ���������"������"��������������� �New Delhi: The seventh IndianSuper League is set to be heldbehind closed doors fromNovember to March and it islikely to be restricted to twostates in view of the Covid-19pandemic with Goa and Keralaemerging as frontrunners.

“The league will be heldbehind closed doors for sure andthe dates are from November toMarch. Kerala, Goa, WestBengal and Northeast were dis-cussed as the likely states butGoa and Kerala can be said asthe frontrunners at this point oftime,” a source said. “The planis to host in one or two statesacross multiple venues.”

Both Goa and Kerala arebetter placed than many otherstates at the moment as far as theCovid-19 situation is concerned,and that makes it “favourable”for the organisers to host theleague there.

In the northeastern region,Aizawl, Imphal, Shillong,Guwahati and Gangtok werediscussed as probable venueswhile Kolkata was also part ofthe discussion. PTI

;�:�?�$�$�+�� �!�����"�����0$ ��!�����$�+�!��$�1$�

>�+�!�!�"�'������'�$,.�#/��+�����@��,�$!

�� �� ����������������������; �� ����

*�9�������������������������������

�=��������.������������ ���#+0�6-�& ��&��'�������G����

+ �������������=���9��� ��-�����+�������$'�$���,'!����!��$��#�#���A� �����1

<����� �@ �)�� ����� �����"���� ��� ������"���������� �� ���������� ��)��)������������� ��C����������� �-� ���� ��