B U Sushil Kumar held for wrestler’s murder Vardhan rap,

BUSINESS AS USUAL

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DA ILY FROM: AHMEDABAD , CHAND IGARH , DELH I , JA IPUR , KOLKATA , LUCKNOW, MUMBAI , NAGPUR , PUNE , VADODARA

MONDAY, MAY 24, 2021, NEW DELHI, LATE CITY, 14 PAGES `6.00 (`8 BIHAR & RAIPUR, `12 SRINAGAR) WWW.INDIANEXPRESS.COMJOURNALISM OF COURAGE

SINCE 1932

Kamal Nath’s‘Indian variant’remark spreadfear, defamednation: FIR

IRAMSIDDIQUEBHOPAL,MAY23

POLICE INMadhya Pradesh onSundayregisteredanFIRagainstformer Chief Minister andLeader of the Opposition in theAssembly Kamal Nath for al-legedlyspreadingpanicbyrefer-ring to Covid-19 as the “Indianvariantof Corona”.TheCrimeBranchhasbooked

Nath under IPC section 188(Disobedience to order dulypromulgated by public servant)on the ground that his state-ments—madeatapressconfer-ence— spreadmisinformationandfearamongthemasses, andwastherebyinviolationoforderspromulgated by the collector

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KANCHANVASDEVCHANDIGARH,MAY23

PUNJAB’S EFFORTS to procureCovid-19 vaccines from globalmanufacturers suffered a set-back on Sunday afterModernaturned down the government'srequest, saying it does not sup-plydirectly to states.“Theyhavewrittentousthat

as a part of their policy, they donot deal directly with states orprivate parties. They only dealwith the Government of India,”thePunjabgovernment’sNodalOfficer for Vaccination Vikas

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DEEPMUKHERJEESIKAR,TONK, JAIPUR,MAY23

IN JAJOD village in Rajasthan’sSikar district, local people onSaturday forced the ongoingCovid-19vaccination for18-44-year-olds to stop after discover-ing that most of the recipientswere“outsiders”.As tempers flared between

the residents from Jajod andthosewho had come from far-away places after booking slotsat the government senior sec-ondary school vaccination cen-tre, thepolicewerecalled in.

“Around 80 people aged 18-44were supposed to be vacci-nated on Saturday. But afterreaching the centre, we found

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KAUNAINSHERIFFMNEWDELHI,MAY23

IN A strongly worded letter,UnionHealthMinisterDrHarshVardhan Sunday asked BabaRamdev,thefounderofPatanjaliAyurved, to “completely with-draw”his“objectionableandun-fortunatestatement”againstal-lopathy in relation to Covidtreatment as it can “break themorale of doctors andweakenourfightagainstthepandemic”.The UnionMinister posted

the letter on Twitter, taggingRamdev. Late Sunday, Ramdev

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CBSEBOARDEXAMS

Class 12 exam:Most states forshorter versionOption:2windows,19majorsubjects,90minseach,short-answertests

RITIKACHOPRANEWDELHI,MAY23

MOST OF the states have sup-ported the CBSE’s proposal toconduct the Class 12 Board ex-aminationforonly19majorsub-jects in a shortened format inJuly-August, The Indian Expresshas learned.However,severalstatessuch

as Kerala, Assam, Delhi,Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh,Haryana andMeghalaya haveurged the Central Governmentto vaccinate teachers and stu-dentsonpriority toensuretheirsafety during their time at thetest centre.Except for a few states, in-

cludingDelhi andMaharashtra,theothersfavouredgoingaheadwith the examinations, said anofficer who attended Sunday’smeeting of state EducationMinisters and EducationSecretaries thatwas chaired byDefenceMinisterRajnathSingh.“The priority of the

Governmentistoconductalltheexaminations in a safe and se-cure environment,” Singh saidafterthemeeting.Allstateshavebeenaskedtosubmittheirfeed-back inwritingbyMay25.Thisvirtuallyrulesoutanan-

nouncement,atthemoment,onscrapping this year’s CBSEClass12 examination. The Class 10Board examination has already

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EXPRESSNEWSSERVICENEWDELHI,MAY23

THEDELHIgovernmentisnotinfavour of Board examinationsbeing conducted in any form,Education Minister ManishSisodiasaidfollowingameetingon exams chaired by DefenceMinister Rajnath Singh onSunday. Sisodia also said 1.5crore Class 12 students across

the countrymustbevaccinatedonprioritybasisbeforetheyap-pear foranycompetitiveexam.TheCBSEhadproposed two

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‘Talk toPfizeronvaccinatingClass12students’

MAHENDERSINGHMANRAL&MIHIRVASAVDANEWDELHI,MAY23

HEISusedtoflashingsmilesandflaunting medals for the cam-eras.ButonSunday,India'smostdecorated Olympian, SushilKumar, hid his face behind atowel as a Delhi Police SpecialCell team paraded him in frontof the flashbulbs following hisarrest over themurder of a 23-year-oldformerjuniorwrestlingchampion.“We have arrested Sushil

Kumar,whocarried a rewardofRs 1 lakh, and Ajay Sherawat,whohadarewardofRs50,000,”Delhi Police spokesperson,ChinmoyBiswal, said.KumarandSherawatwere

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Sisodia: Scrap Boards, jabstudents before any exam

WHILEMANYstateshavesaid theywouldfloatglobal tenders forvaccines, almostallmanufacturersareal-readycommitted, andprobablyhavenosparecapacity to supply in theimmediate future.

Globalsuppliershavenocapacity

SushilKumarandhisassociateAjaySherawataftertheirarrestinDelhionSunday.GajendraYadav

Villagersstandingguardagainstoutsiders. Express

Moderna refuses Punjabvaccine request, says itdeals with Centre alone

ANOTHERWEEKOFLOCKDOWNINDELHIPAGE3

In Rajasthan villages,outsider-insidertensions over vaccines

On the run for nearly 3 weeks, OlympianSushil Kumar held for wrestler’s murder

Atthe launchofPatanjali’sCoronil inFebruary. File

‘Post-Covid, everyonewill be diminished.We have to handle

our problems... not doimagemanagement’SHIVSHANKARMENON

FORMERNSA

PAGE10

THECITY

After HarshVardhan rap,Ramdev takesback allopathystatement

New Delhi

THESECONDPAGE2 WWW.INDIANEXPRESS.COMTHEINDIANEXPRESS,MONDAY, MAY 24, 2021

WWW.INDIANEXPRESS.COM

Thewideningvaccinedisparity inruralandurbanMaharashtraNEWEPISODEEVERYDAY

In the latestepisodeof3Things,wetalkaboutvaccinediscrepancy inMaharashtraandBJP's responsetothesecondwave.Wealsobringyouthe latestCovidupdates.

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SisodiaoptionstotheEducationMinistryforevaluationofClass12students—conductingexamsintheexist-ingformatonlyforaround20ma-jor subjects or conducting one-and-half hour objective typeexamsofmajor subjects for stu-dentsintheirownschools.Theproposalswerediscussed

inthemeetingofstateEducationMinisters and state EducationSecretaries on Sunday. After themeeting,Sisodiasaidhissubmis-sionwas that both options putstudentsindangerandthatClass12 students shouldbeevaluatedin themanner thathasbeenap-pliedtoClass10students.SisodiahadonSaturdayheld

consultationswith governmentandprivate school teachers andprincipals, andhadalso taken tosocialmedia to seek suggestionsfromstudents, teachersandpar-ents.Hesaidthattheoverwhelm-ing responsehadbeen to canceltheBoardexaminations.“It is theopinionof theDelhi

government that the interest inconductingexamsshouldnotbepursued by jeopardising thehealth and security of children...Thepractice andunderstandingofeducationwehavedictatesthatwe first have to teach children,then conduct exams, and thenpassor fail them.But that’s all inanidealscenario.Intherealworld,2.5lakhpeopleinIndiaarebeinginfectedbythecoronaviruseveryday and it is being said that thethirdwave could affect childrenmore…wecan’tsacrificeourchil-dren for traditions of the educa-tionset-up,”hesaidinapresscon-ferencefollowingthemeeting.Hestatedthathehassubmit-

ted and also will be writing tothe Central government thatstudentsbeevaluatedalongthelines of Class 10 on the basis ofassessments during the courseof the year, also suggesting theuseof a “historical reference”ofindividual students’ perform-ance over the past three years.Hesaidhissubmissionincludedallowing studentswhowish toimprove their result to appearfor examinations once the situ-ationpermits.Fortheconductofvariousen-

trance examinations, includingNEET and JEE, Sisodia said “theonly one solution is to vaccinateourchildren”—thattheapproxi-mately1.5crorestudentsinClass12beinoculatedonprioritybasiseither by arranging for Pfizer’svaccine, approved byUShealthregulators for use on childrenaged 12-15, or by consultinghealth experts onwhether thevaccinescurrentlybeingadminis-tered for thosewhoare18yearsandabovecanbeusedforthem.“If we look at Delhi, 20-25%

students inClass 12arenow18and around 70% students arebetween 17-and-half and 18.Weshouldtalktohealthexpertsaboutwhetherwecangetthesechildren vaccinated with thevaccines developed in India. Ifthis is possible, then stop allother vaccinationprogrammesand give vaccines to them onpriority…Ihaverequestedthatexams only be conducted oncechildren are given the securityof vaccines,” he said.

ModernaGargtoldTheIndianExpress.Garg had written to the

Cambridge,Massachusetts-basedpharma and biotech companytwodaysago,seekingsuppliesofitsmRNAvaccineforthestate.Several other states and the

Mumbai civic body have alsofloated global tenders to over-comethecripplingshortagesthathaveslowedthepaceofvaccina-tionamidthesecondwaveoftheepidemicinIndia.“Wecannotcallitadiscourag-

ing response,”Garg said. “Oneofthecompanieshasrefused.Letussee what others do. There is ashortage of vaccines theworldover.Weareleavingnostoneun-

turned to ensure that our entirepopulation gets vaccinated assoonaspossible.”After Chief Minister Capt

AmarinderSinghdirectedofficialsonMay20tofloatglobaltenders,the government hadwritten tothemanufacturers of the Pfizer,Moderna,SputnikV,andJohnson&Johnsonvaccines.“We have received a reply

fromonlyModernayet.Responsefrom other companies isawaited,”Gargsaid.Garg also said that Punjab

had received a “positive” re-sponse from COVAX, but de-clined to provide details. ThePunjab government had an-nounced onMay 14 that it had“decided to join” theWHO-ledinitiativetoensureequitabledis-tribution of vaccines, especiallyto theworld'spoorercountries.“All Icansayisthatit isapos-

itiveresponse.They(COVAX)havereplied to our communicationandtheyaresayingthattheywilltakethediscussionforward.Theyareourhope,”Gargsaid.Chief Secretary Vini

Mahajansaidthatthestategov-ernment had expectedModerna's response. “We havealready requested theGovernmentof Indiatoprocurethe vaccine for the states. TheChiefMinisterhaswrittenalet-ter to the PrimeMinister abouttheissue.Weobviouslywantedto make efforts. Hence, wewrote to companies andmadeanoutreach.Wedidnotwanttoassume that they would notsupplydirectlytous.WearealsotoldthatPfizerwants tosignanindemnitybondwhichonlytheGOI canprovide,” she said.Health SecretaryHussan Lal

said that Punjabwas primarilylookingatsourcingsuppliesfromCOVAX. “They are providing tothedevelopingandunderdevel-oped nations. If we can sourcesupplies fromthem, itwouldbeideal as wewill get vaccine atcheaperprices.Fornow,onlyonemanufacturerhasrefused.Letusseewhatotherssay.”The Indian Express had re-

portedlastmonththatPfizerhaddecidedtosupplyitsvaccineonlythrough“governmentchannels”in India. It had not clarifiedwhether itmeant the central orstategovernments.Askedwhether the Centre's

decisiontoallowthesaleof50percent supply of any company’sCovid-19 vaccine “in the openmarket” impactedPfizer's plansfor India, a company spokesper-sonhadsaiditwouldsupply“onlythrough government contractsbased on agreementswith re-spectivegovernmentauthoritiesand following regulatory autho-risationorapproval”.PunjabhassetasideRs1,000

crore forpurchaseof vaccines, tobegivenfreetothe18-44group.Ithas, however, been able to buyonly4.2lakhdosessofar, includ-ing 66,000 doses thatwere re-ceivedonSaturday.Atotalof3.65lakh doses have been adminis-tered, leaving the governmentwith a stockof only64,000asofnow,Gargsaid.Over thepast threedays, the

statehasbeenforcedtostopvac-cinationsforhealthcareandfront-lineworkers,andrecipientsinthe45-plus groupaswell. Garg saidthe shortage of vaccineswas “acute”, andthat thestatehadre-ceived fewer than44 lakhdosesfromtheCentresofar.

Kamal Nathunder section 144 CrPC. Nathhas also been booked undersection 54 (Punishment forfalse warning) of the DisasterManagementAct.The former Chief Minister

described the FIR as “an act ofdesperation”. Thegovernmentdoes not have answers, Nathsaid, and therefore, “Anyperson who is askingquestions is termed asdeshdrohi”.The FIR was registered on

the basis of a complaint filedby BJP Bhopal districtpresident Sumit Pachori,whichwas also signedby stateministerVishwas Sarang,MLARameshwarSharma, andotherstate BJP leaders.In his complaint, Pachori

said that Nath, whileaddressing a virtual pressmeet, had referred to Covid asthe Indian variant Corona,whichhad sullied the imageofIndia and spread fear amongthe masses. According to thecomplaint, Nath had also saidthat the disease that has nowspread across the word hascome to be known as “IndianCorona”, and that severalPrime Ministers andPresidents around the worldwere referring to it as the“Indian variant”.The complaint alleged that

Nathhadsaid this “withaviewto spread misinformation,anarchy anddisrupt thepeacein the country anddefame thenation globally” at a time“when in reality, to battle thispandemic and ensure healthfacilities to all, under the ableleadership of Prime MinisterNarendra Modi, doctors,policemen, paramedics andallsocial organisations arecoming together to strengthenthe government set-up...”The complaint also said

that Nath had disregardedWorld Heath Organisationguidelines on Covid, and thathis action amounted tosedition as per the IPC.

According to the complaint, inhis press conference,Nathhadalleged that the governmentwas hiding figures of Coviddeaths, which was highlyobjectionable and spread fear.Addressing the press

conference, Nath had said, “Yebahut dukh ki baat hai kiBharat kis tarah poore vishwamein badnaamho raha hai. YeCheen ka virus tha, Cheen kaCorona tha, aaj pure vishwamein sabne naam likh diyahai Indian variant corona. Kairashtrapati aur pradhanmantri is naamsepukaar rahehain — Indian Variant.Hamare jo students hain, jobaahar naukri kar rahe the,wo baahar nahi ja pa rahehain, kyu ki aap Indian hain.”(“It is very sad, the way

India has got a bad namearound the world. This was avirus from China, now it isbeing called the Indianvariantof Corona. Several PresidentsandPrimeMinisters are callingit the 'Indian variant'. Indianswho work and study abroadcan't go, because they areIndian.”)Asked for a reaction on

Sunday,KamalNath said, “I aminsinuating, but I aminsinuating thegovernment toact andwork for thewelfare ofpeople. When I said that 1.27lakh people were cremated ofwhich 80 per cent are Coviddeaths and the governmentdoes not agree with it, whydon't theycomeupwithactualfigures? In Ujjain, I had said

that Mera Bharat Mahan kijagah Mera Bharat Badnaamho gaya hai as many PrimeMinisters and Presidents arecalling it the IndianCovid. TheFIR is an act of desperation.Any person who is askingquestions is termed asdeshdrohi as they don't haveanswers.”Rajya Sabha MP Vivek

Tankha said on Twitter thatthe FIR was an attempt by theBJP to hide its incompetence.

Ramdevresponded to the tweetwith aletter of his own in which hewrote that he “withdraws” hisstatement.“Wehavealso,byus-ing ayurveda and yoga, savedmanylivesduringthepandemic;this also should be respected,”Ramdevwrote.The exchange -- both the

letterswere inHindi -- comesa day after the IndianMedicalAssociation (IMA) soughtaction against Ramdev underthe Epidemic Diseases Act forwhat it described as a“vitriolic accusation” againstmodernmedicine.Incidentally, in February,

the IMA had raised objectionsto Harsh Vardhan sharing thestagewithRamdevduring thelaunch of Patanjali productCoronil. On February 19,Patanjali Ayurved said thetablet had receivedcertification from the AyushMinistry as a medicinesupportingCovid treatment asper the WHO's certification

scheme. It later clarified thatthe certification was grantedby the Centre andWHO does"not approve or disapproveanydrugs".OnSunday, referring to the

purported comments from arecentRamdevvideoon socialmedia, Harsh Vardhan wrotethat “calling the allopathytreatment for Corona astamasha (farce), bekaar(worthless), and diwaliya(lameduck) is unfortunate”.Stating that “citizens are

extremely upset about yourcomments on allopathy anddoctors”, he wrote that “it isextremely unfortunate thatyou said that lakhs of coronadeaths have occurred due toallopathymedicine”.On Saturday, following the

IMA's criticism, PatanjaliYogpeeth general secretaryAcharyaBalkrishnahad said ina statement that Ramdev has“no ill-will against modernscience andgoodpractitionersof modern medicine” and“what is attributed againsthim is false”. “It is necessary tomention that the event was aprivate event andSwamijiwasreading out a forwardedWhatsApp message receivedby him and various othermembers who wereparticipating in the event,”Balkrishna said.In his response Sunday,

Ramdevwrote thathe respectsthe fact that allopathy doctorshave put “their lives at risk” tosave others.

He reiterated that he wasreading out a forwardedWhatsApp message receivedby him and various othermembers who wereparticipating in the event. Healso said that “some allopathydoctors” should not“disrespect” ayurveda andyoga, by calling itpseudoscience. In the 2-minutevideopostedearlier onsocial media, Ramdev is alsopurportedly heard allegingthat allopathic drugs havefailed in Covid treatment.Inhis letter,HarshVardhan

suggested that Balkrishna'sclarification on Saturday was“inadequate”. “I hope, bygiving a serious thought overthis issue, and by respectingthe emotions of coronawarriors worldwide, youwould completely withdrawyour objectionable andunfortunate statement,” hewrote in the letter to Ramdev.“During the pandemic,

allopathy and the doctorsassociated with it, have givena new life to crores ofpeople...In this fight, the waythe doctors, nurses, and otherhealthcare workers, have puttheir lives at risk to save thelives of others, and thecommitment towards theirduty and human service isunprecedented andincomparable,” his letter said.“In these circumstances,

you calling the allopathytreatment for Corona astamasha (farce), bekaar(worthless), and diwaliya(lame duck) is unfortunate.Today lakhs of people arerecovering and going home.The country’s fatality rate isonly 1.13 percent andrecovery rate is 88 per cent;behind this is the importantcontribution of allopathy anddoctors,” it said.“You should know that

diagnosis for smallpox, polio,ebola, SARS, and tuberculosishas been offered by onlyallopathy. Today, vaccineshavebecomean importantweaponagainst fighting thepandemic;this is also due to allopathy. Inyour clarification, you haveonly said that your intentionwas not against modernmedicine and good doctors. Ifind your clarificationinadequate...Your statementsare not only disrespectful forthe Corona warriors butdeeply hurt people’semotions,” it said.“In these times, calling the

current treatmentprotocols asfarce, not only raisesquestionson allopathy but also on theability, competence, intentionsof the doctors; this isdisrespectful. Your statementscan prove to break themoraleof doctors and weaken ourfight against the pandemic,”theUnionMinisterwrote.However, the IMA, the

country’s largest doctors'association, demanded actionagainst Ramdev. “Theypretend to throw mud onModern AllopathicMedicine,but time and again benefittedthrough the back door inmodern medicine hospitalswhen they get the disease.Taking people for ransom,selling them weird ideology,and winning business bydefaming scientificmedicineare unpardonable offences,”the IMA said.

Rajasthanthat themajority of thosewhohadgot theslotswereoutsiders,and not fromour village. Somehad even come fromother dis-trictssuchasChuru,Bikaner,andNagaur,”MahavirRanwa,whosewifeSumanDeviisthesarpanchof Jajod,said.“We protested and stopped

the vaccination because it is notfairthattheinoculationwilltakeplaceinourvillage,andwewon’t

getachancewhileoutsiderswillget vaccinated. TheCommunityHealth Centre in Jajod is a CovidCareCentre,andvillagersshouldbevaccinated first,” saidRanwa,who described himself as amemberof theCongressparty.Travellingthroughvillagesin

Tonk and Sikar districts, TheIndianExpress found thatwhilethereisanincreasingrushforjabsamong 18-44-year-olds as thediseasespreadsinruralareas,theshortage of vaccines has forcedpeople to seek out slots even infarawayplaces,resultingattimesinsituationsliketheoneinJajod.Atthegovernmentupperpri-

maryschool inAkhtarivillageofTonkdistrict, 50-year-oldBannaRam Jat claimed that his wifeSugan Devi was older than 45,even though her Aadhaar saysshe was born in 1978, whichmadeheronly43yearsold.“Does she look like a child to

you?We are old people, isn’t itobvious?”BannaRamargued.As ASHA worker Geeta

Choudhary remained firm thatvaccines were being adminis-teredonlytothoseaged45yearsandabove,BannaRamandSuganleft thecentregrumbling, insist-ing that the information on theAadhaarcardwasincorrect.Dr Ashok Yadav, Chief

Medical and Health Officer(CMHO), Tonk, told The IndianExpress thatwhile vaccinationforpeopleaged45andolderwasbeingdoneafteron-the-spotreg-istrationandverificationofiden-titycards,thosebetweenages18and44must registerandbookasloton theCoWINportal,whichmanyinthevillageswerefindingdifficult.“Themainchallengeweare facing is thatpeople living inremote villages often don’t un-derstand theprocessof bookinga slot.Manypeoplewhoarenotresidents of that area are alsobooking slots there, given thehugerush...Thisisincreasingthepossibilityofconflictbetweenlo-cal people and those who arecoming fromoutside,”Dr Yadavsaid. A study carried out by theCMHO's office has shown thatthe highest number of cases ofcoronavirusinfectioninTonkdis-trict in the current surge havebeendetectedamongthoseaged31-40,followedbythe41-50and21-30groups.Dr Yadav said Tonk needs

around6lakhdosesofvaccineforits 18-44 population, but onlyaround 20,000 people in thisgrouphadbeenvaccinatedsofar.In Sikar’s Jajod, the adminis-

tration held talkswith villagerswhohadforcedthecancellationof themorning session of vacci-nation,andafterpacifyingthem,scheduled a fresh session in theafternoon. But the outsiderscould not be kept away, Ranwasaid.“Therewasatimewhenwehad to persuade people to getvaccinated. Now the situation issuchthatifavaccinationcampisheld in one village, villagers arenotallowingeventhosefromanadjacent village.We can’t stoppeoplefromotherplacesbecauserules of the central governmentallow anyone to book a slot,”Laxmangarh Sub-DivisionalOfficer(SDO)KulrajMeenasaid.He added that the district

administration had apprisedthe state government that thiswas leading toconflictsamongpeople.In Jaipur, Project Director

(Immunisation) Raghuraj Singhsaid slots in the18-44grouparetakenin“minutes”.“If say, 200 slots open,more

than 2,000-2,500 people try toregister.All theslotsare taken inminutes,dependingonthefingerspeedof people,”Singhsaid.According to Rajasthan

Health Department data, untilMay22,around12.59 lakhpeo-ple in the18-44grouphavegota firstdoseof thevaccine. Intheagegroupof45-59, some50.61lakh have received the firstdose and 7.48 lakh have re-ceived the seconddose.

Class 12 exam: Most states for shorter version

Olympian Sushil Kumar held in death of 23-yr-old

been cancelled due to the sec-ondwaveof thepandemic.According to sources,

Uttarakhand, Andhra Pradesh,Arunachal Pradesh, Sikkim,Gujarat, Uttar Pradesh, JammuandKashmir,HimachalPradesh,Chandigarh, Assamand TamilNaduwere among the statesthat supported holding theBoard examinations in theshortened format. Punjab em-phasisedonconductingtheex-ams inperson, even if it is for afew subjects. Karnataka andPuducherry agreed to goalongwith whatever the CentralGovernmentdecides.In the proposed curtailed

format, the examinationwillonly be held for 19major sub-jects out of the 174 offered byCBSEtoClass12studentsand,inall likelihood, be scheduled intwophases -- from July 15-30andAugust1-14.Eachexaminationwouldbe

ofone-and-a-halfhoursinsteadof threehoursandthequestionpaperswouldhaveonly objec-tiveandshort-answerquestions.ACBSEstudenttakesamin-

imumoffiveandamaximumofsix subjects of which four areusually the major subjects,which include Physics,Chemistry, Mathematics,Biology, History, PoliticalScience, Business Studies,Accountancy, Geography,EconomicsandEnglish.As first reported by The

Indian Express Saturday, theCentralGovernmenthadcalledameeting of all state govern-mentstoseektheirfeedbackontwo options proposed by theCBSEforconductingtheexami-nations.Under the first option, the

national board has suggestedthat examinations for19majorsubjectsbeheldinthe"existingformat" and at designated ex-

aminationcentres--andmarksforminorsubjectsbecalculatedon performance in themajorsubjects.This optionwould require

onemonthof pre-examactivi-ties and twomonths for con-ductingtheexamsanddeclara-tion of results and another 45days for compartment exams.Thefirstoptioncanonlybeexe-cutediftheBoardhasawindowofthreemonthsandisproposedtobeheldinAugust-SeptemberwithresultsinOctober.Under the second format,

whichwill takeonly45days towindup,theCBSEhasproposedthatClass12studentssitforthemajor subject exams in theirownschools(readself-centres),instead of designated centres.Apartfromtheshorteneddura-tionof theexamination,aClass12 studentwill appear for onelanguage and three elective(readmajor)subjectsonly.

Themarks for the fifth andsixth subjectswill be decidedbasedontheperformanceintheelective subjects. Any studentwho is not able to sit for anex-aminationduetoCovidwillgetanother opportunity to appearforit.Apart from Delhi and

Maharashtra,whichurged theCentretoexploreanon-exami-nation route to assess Class 12students, Haryana andAndamanandNicobar are un-derstoodtohaveexpresseddif-ficulty inholdingBoardexami-nationsbeforevaccinationofallteachersandstudents.West Bengal, Odisha and

Rajasthanhadsoughtmoretimetogetbackwiththeirfinalviewonthesubject.Sunday'smeetingwas also

attendedbyEducationMinisterRameshPokhriyal,I&BMinisterPrakashJavadekarandWomenandChildMinisterSmriti Irani.

produced in the Rohini courtandsenttosixdaysinpolicecus-tody. The case has been trans-ferredtotheCrimeBranch.For close to three weeks,

Kumar, the38-year-olddoubleOlympicmedallist,hadbeenontherun,sneakingpastatleastsixstatebordersandevadingapo-licedragnet,aseniorofficertoldTheIndianExpress.ArrestedinthecapitalSunday

morning,he is facingchargesofmurder,abductionandcriminalconspiracy related to a violentclash onMay 4 between twogroups at Delhi's Chhatrasalwrestling academy. WrestlerSagarDhankhar,whowas in-volved in theclash, succumbedtohisinjuriesinhospital.Sherawat, Kumar's friend

and fellow wrestler fromChhatrasal academywho hadalsogonemissing, is thesonofCongress Councillor fromVikaspuri Suresh KumarSherawat. “SushilandAjayhadtravelled between Delhi,Uttarakhand, Uttar Pradesh,Haryana, Chandigarh andPunjabwhile on the run,” the

seniorofficersaid.“A team led by ACP Attar

SinghandInspectorShivKumarmade the arrest fromoutsideMundkametro station. Sushilwasdrivingatwo-wheelerwithAjay riding pillion. They hadcometocollectmoneyfromoneoftheirassociatesbutpolicelaida trap and arrested them,” theofficersaid.The two-wheeler is regis-

tered in the name of a Delhi-based national-level handballplayer who has been part ofIndia's AsianGameswomen'steam,sourcessaid.According to police,

Dhankharandhisfriendswerestaying in a house linked toKumarnearthestadiumintheModel Town area and hadbeenasked to vacate recently,which led to the clash on thenightofMay4.According to the police,

Kumarlefthomeadayaftertheincident. “OnMay5, he left hishouseataround9.30amafterhecame to know that Sagar hadsuccumbedtohisinjurieswhileundergoingtreatment.Hecame

toShalimarBaghwherehemethis old associate. Later, the twotook a car and travelled toUttarakhand. From there, theymoved toMuzaffarnagar, andlatertheyreturnedtoDelhi.Thepolice,duringtheirinvestigation,have obtained CCTV footagefromtheMeerut toll point thatshowsSushil enteringDelhi onMay6,”theseniorofficersaid.Sunday's image of Kumar

sandwichedbetweenpolicemenis a blow to the legacy of theworldchampionwrestlerandhisalmamater--Chhatrasalakhada,the famous assembly line ofIndian wrestling. SuccessiveOlympicmedals for a countrywithanabysmalsportingrecord-- Indiahad just two individualmedalsinthelastcentury--hadturned him into an instantcelebrity,anovernightyouthiconandan influential figurewooedbypoliticalheavyweights.Called “pehelwanji” on the

wrestling circuit, his aurawassuch that the sightof his oppo-nentgettingonthemat, touch-ing his feet and signalling awalkoverbeforetheboutbegan

wascommonatdomesticcom-petitions.Internationally,too,the2010

worldchampionwashighlyre-spectedforhisincredibleagility,all-outaggressionand“winatallcost” strategy thatmadehimabig-drawwrestler.Hisbouts,beatwrestling halls around theworldormud-pitdangalsinru-ral India, guaranteed packedstandsbut alsopindrop silencewithfansfocusedoneachmove.Intheonlystatementthathe

hasmadeabouttheincident,be-fore he went underground,Kumartriedtodistancehimselffromtheincident.“Theyweren’tourwrestlers, it happened latelastnight.Wehaveinformedpo-liceofficialsthatsomeunknownpeople jumped intoourprem-isesandfought.Thereisnocon-nectionofourstadiumwiththisincident,”hehadtoldANI.However, thepublic prose-

cutor,while opposing Sushil'sbail application, had informedcourt about the presence of“electronic evidence” that al-legedly confirms thewrestler'sinvolvementinthecrime.

FROMPAGEONE

New Delhi

3THEINDIANEXPRESS,MONDAY,MAY24,2021

THECITYWWW.INDIANEXPRESS.COM

1,649CASES,POSITIVITYRATEAT2.4%ONSUNDAY


THE LOCKDOWN in Delhi hasbeenextendedforanotherweekandwillnowbeinforcetill5amonMay31,ChiefMinisterArvindKejriwal said Sunday. The lock-downwasfirstannouncedinthecity for a week on April 19 andhasbeenextendedweeklysince.The CM said if daily Covid

cases keep falling as they arenow, a slow unlock will startfromnextweek. “EverySunday,

wesitdownanddecidewhetherthe lockdown should be ex-tended.TheApril-Maywavewasvery dangerous and Delhi wasthe first to imposea lockdown...We have been asking peopleaboutthisandmostfeelthelock-down should be extended foranotherweek so thatwedonotlosethegains.Dailycasesarestillabove 1,000. Sowe are extend-ing it till May 31, 5 am. If caseskeep decreasing like they areright now, we will start theprocessofunlockingnextweek.Wewill not open everything all

at once.Unlockingwill be grad-ual,”hesaid.In thepast 24hours, the city

saw1,649casesandthepositiv-ity rate fell to around 2.42%. OnSaturday, 2,260 cases were re-ported and the positivity ratewas3.58%.Sunday also marked the

lowest dip in daily cases in al-most two months. While thenumberof daily cases is lowestsinceMarch31when992caseswerereported inaday, thepos-itivity rate is lowest sinceMarch 28.

Dip in positivityrate a reliefOver the past week, cases

havecomedownrapidlyasDelhientereditsfifthweekinthelock-down.Thedip incaseshasbeengradual,butconsistent.Thepos-itivity rate declined steadily af-terMay7,which iswhenhospi-tals and doctors started tobreatheeasier.“Forus,thebiggestreliefsofar

hasbeenthedipinpositivityrate.Absolute numbers vary on thebasisofpeopletestedinadayand

on a fewoccasions this numberwas lowbecauseof festivalsandotherholidays.Therealtestisthepositivity rate, which tells youhowfastthediseaseisspreading.Experts say this number shouldbebelow5%forthediseasetobeconsideredundercontrolbutourtarget is toget it below2% in thenext few days,” said a seniorDelhi government official onconditionof anonymity.At the peak of the ongoing

Covid wave, the capital saw apositivityrateof36.24%onApril22anddailycasesatover28,000

onasingledayonApril 20.Meanwhile, Kejriwal also

laudedhealthcareworkers,whohave worked tirelessly duringthepandemic.“Doctors and nurses didn’t

sleepfordays,theyhaveworkedday in and day out to serve pa-tients.ManyhavesuccumbedtoCovid themselves. We are in-debted to them and cannot re-pay them. The Delhi govern-ment gives Rs 1 crore to theirfamilies. I have been meetingfamilies that have lost frontlineworkers,” he said.

ANANYATIWARINEWDELHI,MAY23

THE 10 office complexes com-prising the Central SecretariatwillbeconnectedtotheexistingDelhiMetro network after theyarebuilt, inthefinalphaseof theCentral Vista revamp project.Thefirm(s)thatwillwintheten-der for the development willonly construct an undergroundtunnel for this purpose, an offi-cial of the Central PublicWorksDepartment (CPWD) told TheIndianExpress.As per thedesign createdby

HCP Design, Planning andManagementPvt Ltd, thearchi-tecturalconsultantoftheCentralVista project, the10office com-plexesof theCentral Secretariatwill emerge on the two parallelhorizontal axesof theRajpath.Designed along the lines of

transit-oriented development(TOD), each complexwill be in-terconnectedthroughaloopandtotheexistingDelhiMetro lines(yellowandviolet) thattraverseunderneath.Dr Bimal Patel, head of the

firm,lastyearmentionedduringa presentation, “At the under-groundlevel,apeoplemoverandan underground loopwill con-necttotheMetrostation.Yougetoff theMetro and get inside thepeople-mover. Itwill go aroundin circles of the Secretariat andwill be connected to theMetro.Suchpeople-movers are seen invarious internationalairports.”TheCPWDfloatedadetailed

tender for the first three secre-tariat office complexes—whichwill emerge in front of theNational Archives, where theIndiraGandhiNationalCentrefortheArtsissituated—inAprilandpre-bidmeetings with variousfirmswerealsoheldonApril30.The firms which showed

their presence at the pre-bid

meetings for clarification of thevarious terms, conditions andbuild requirements wereShapoorji Pallonji & CompanyPrivate Limited, MEP, L&T, JMCProjects (India) Ltd,Girdhari LalConstructions Pvt Ltd,MontecarloLtd,andPSPProjects.The final date for submission ofexpressionof interestsisJune15,2021.Technicalbidsubmissionsshall openonMay25.The finalised plans for the

three complexes show theywouldhavetwobasementpark-ing levels.An official from the CPWD

said,“TheconstructionoftheTODwilltaketimeastheundergroundMetronetworkcanbeconnectedonlywhen all Secretariat build-ings are completed. Thiswill betaken up in the last phase.Meanwhile, part of the under-ground tunnel for the Metrofallingwithin the plot for build-ings1,2&3willbecompletedtoavoiddisruptionatalaterstageasthesewillbeinusebythen.”

NounauthorisedphotographyAspersecurityrequirements

that contractors will have tomaintain, the construction sitemustbemonitoredbyCCTVsandsecurityguards.PersonalIDcardsmust be allotted to personnelworkingonsite. Theperipherieswill alsobebarricadedby10-m-highspecialacousticbarricadingorasdirectedbytheNGT.“Photography/videography

at the site shouldbe carriedoutbyauthorisedpersonnel identi-fied by the engineer in-charge.Contractorshallmakenecessaryarrangements to keep awayunauthorised persons to takephotographs/videos,”saidasen-iorCPWDofficial.Theofficialadded,“Thereisno

clause forprohibitionofphotog-raphy/videographybythegeneralpublic.Theconstructionsiteisse-curedforsafetypurposesanden-tryofpublic isallowedonlyafterpermission andwith Personal

ProtectiveEquipmentlikehelmetandshoesundertheguidanceofa supervisor. These are requiredforsafetypurposes.Forthesafetyof visitorsandthepublic,ween-close the site with barricadingboards as work is carried outthrough heavymachinery. Anypublic entry without safetyequipmentmaycause accidentsand fatalities. It is amandatorypracticefollowedateverysitebyCPWD,PWD,DMRC.”

Basement parkingThe two basement floor un-

dergroundparkingwillalsohave2X2multi-level puzzle (stack-able) parking, alongwith singleparking spaces. As per this plan,carswillbestackedontwolevels.Thetotalparkingcapacityofoneofficecomplexwillbe1,861cars.White and red stones will

be used for cladding, teakwoodforcarvingand jali-work,and white and green marble,lakha red and black granitestones for the flooring.

Forsecurityandsafetyreasons,photographyat thesite isprohibited.AmitMehra

Central Vista: Office complexes tobe connected to Metro in last phase

Man arrested for firingoutside pharmacy


THENATIONAL Green Tribunal(NGT)hasaskedtheUnionenvi-ronmentministrytore-examineenvironmental clearance (EC)given to the Delhi AgriculturalMarketingBoardfordevelopinga ‘Modern Poultry and EggMarket’ atGhazipur.The principal bench of the

Tribunal issuedthedirectiononWednesdaywhilehearingapleafiled by animal rights activist

GauriMaulekhi.The main objection in the

plea was that slaughtering ofanimalsandprocessingofmeatcannot be done at thesame place where its market-ing is done.“It is pointed out that the

project has been consideredsimply as a ‘construction proj-ect’ eventhoughthe impugnedEC itself mentions that therewill be slaughtering... Last sub-mission is that there isnoenvi-ronment impact assessmentoftheslaughteringactivity, as the

evaluation is only of construc-tion activity. The suitability ofthe site inquestion, adjacent toGhazipurdumpsite,andimpacton hygiene and public healthhasalsonotbeenassessed,” theorder read.The plea also mentioned

that slaughteringand sellingofmeatat thesameplaceviolatesprovisions of PreventionofCruelty toAnimalsAct,1960,Food Safety and StandardAct, 2006, and Regulationsof Municipal CorporationAct, 1957.

Re-examine clearance for poultrymarket at Ghazipur: NGT to ministry

AdesertedSadarBazaronSunday.Kejriwal saidunlockingprocesswillbegradual,dependingondailycases.GajendraYadav


A20-YEAR-OLDmanwasbeatento death, allegedly on suspicionof theft, bymen inOuterDelhi’sSwaroop Vihar on Saturdaynight. Police said two of the ac-cusedwere arrested on Sundayafternoon, while raids are on tonab twomoremen.According to police, the vic-

tim, Sarfaraz, was allegedlyfoundwalking in a neighbour-hood at night in Swaroop Viharbyafewresidents.Policesaidthemen took him to a factory andtied him to a heavy machineused in construction beforethrashinghimwithsticks.Around 5 am on Sunday,

Sarfaraz was found dead. Hisfamily, who live nearby, weretoldabouthisdeathandtheyin-formedpolicearound6am.A senior police officer from

theOuterdistrictsaid,“Sarfaraz’sbrothertoldushewasbeatentodeath over suspicion of theft.Locals in the area claim hewasfound in the area late at night.

Three-fourmen picked him upandthrashedhim.”A case of murder has been

registeredatSwaroopNagarpo-licestation.ThearrestedaccusedhavebeenidentifiedasAmitandVidesh.Police said Sarfarazwas un-

employedwhilehisbrotherisane-rickshawdriverandhis fatheris a labourer.According to police,

Sarfaraz’s brother said hewentout for a walk near their housewhen the accused picked himup. The family came to knowabout the incident from theirneighbours. Police said he doesnothaveacriminal record.

40000

35000

30000

25000

20000

15000

10000

5000

0

40%

35%

30%

25%

20%

15%

10%

5%

0%

28,395

27,047

1,649

32.92%

36.24%

24.92%

2.42%

■Cases ■Positivityrate(%)

TRACKING THEDIP

Apr20

Apr23

Apr26

Apr29

May2

May5

May8

May11

May14

May17

May20

May23

Delhi under lockdown for anotherweek,daily Covid cases lowest in 54 days


A 22-YEAR-OLDman allegedlyfired outside a pharmacy inSoutheastDelhi’sJamiaNagaraf-tertheownerstoppedhimfromentering the storeashewasnotwearinga facemask.Police said the accused, Firoz

Hasan,andhisfriendswenttothestoreonSaturdaynight.Thestoreowner,AadarSiddiqui,askedthemennottoenterwithoutamask.“Though the complainant wasonly trying tomakethemfollowrules, themen got angry. Theyhurled abuses at Siddiqui andthreatenedhim. Firoz then took

out a pistol fromhis pocket andfiredabulletintheair,afterwhichthe accused fled from the spot,”saidaseniorpoliceofficer.A casewas registered on the

complaint of Siddiqui under IPCsections336(actendangeringhu-man life) and 506 (criminal in-timidation) and sections of theArmsAct. Police scannedCCTVsintheareaandfollowinglocalin-quiries, one of the accusedwasidentified.Firozwasthenarrestedfrom his house in Zakir Nagar.Policealsorecoveredthepistolheusedatthetimeof theoffence.DCP (Southeast) RPMeena

said Firoz confessed and said hewas offended after he and hisfriendswerestopped.

36newblackfunguscasesinLokNayak,GTBhospitalsNewDelhi:TheDelhigov-ernment-run Lok Nayakand GTB hospitals re-ported 36more cases ofblackfungusinaday,sen-ior officials said Sunday.While GTB hospital re-ported 21 fresh cases,LokNayakadded15morecases to its tally.Dedicated centres havebeen set up for the treat-ment of the fungal infec-tion at these hospitals aswell as Rajiv GandhiSuperSpecialityHospital.“Of the 36 cases at pres-ent, 30 people are Covidpositive,” said LokNayakmedical directorDrSureshKumar.PTI

SDMClaunchesapptopaypropertytaxesNew Delhi: The SouthDelhi MunicipalCorporation (SDMC) haslaunchedamobileappli-cationtofacilitatepayingpropertytaxesduringthepandemic. This applica-tionwillbenefitpropertytaxpayersofallthreemu-nicipal corporations —South, North and East.The application aims toprovideahassle-freeandcontact-less platform fortaxpayers,aseniorofficialsaid. “The SDMC, thenodalagencyforall threecorporations (South,North & East) has devel-opedtheapplicationwiththe help of NationalInformatics Centre,” headded.ENS

BRIEFLY

Thevictim,Sarfaraz

TWOARRESTED

20-year-old manbeaten to death onsuspicion of theft

Total VacantHOSPITAL BEDS 28,683 18,949ICU BEDS 6,945 2,291

Dailycases Recoveries Deaths TestsMay22 2,260 6,453 182 63,155May23 1,649 5,158 189 68,043Total 27,610* 13,66,056 23,202 1,87,27,191

CORONAVIRUSIN THECAPITAL *T

otalactivecases

TOTAL CASES

14,16,868VACCINATIONSIN LAST24HRS

64,319

Cop held forrobbery bidNewDelhi:ADelhiPoliceconsta-ble and three otherswere heldforallegedlytryingtorobabusi-nessman in North Delhi’sWazirabad.PolicesaidconstableJatin and his associates stoppedacarinWazirabadonMay12andtried to rob theman, whowascarrying Rs 2 lakh cash in a bag.Theirplan,however,failedasan-other policeman spotted themnear the car andwent to check,followingwhichtheyfled.ENS

New Delhi

POLICE HEADQUARTERS, CHHATTISGARH,POLICE HEADQUARTERS, ATAL NAGAR, NAVA RAIPUR

No. PHQ/Sec.-10/Prove-1/1962/2021 Nava Raipur, Dated: 19/05/2021Sealed tenders are being invited by the Director General of Police, Chhattisgarh on behalf of Governor of Chhattisgarhfrom original equipment manufacturers (OEM) Or authorized by manufacturer for the following items.Sl. No. Name of Items Qty.(Nos.) EMD in Rs.1 Long Range Reflex Sight 135 2,59,000 /-2 UAVs with IR detection capability (DRONE) 14 10,50,000/-Note- Quantity will be variable.

The tender offer in the prescribed tender form along with all the relevant documents sealed and completed in all therespect, must be submitted as per the schedule below -

SCHEDULE FOR TENDERa) Address for submission AIG of Police(P&P), Block no 03, Room No. 309

of Tender Document:- Police Headquarters, Chhattisgarh, Sector 19, Nava Raipur.

b) Last Date and Time of 21/06/2021 till 03.00 pmSubmission on Bids Block no 03, Room No.309 Police Headquarters, Chhattisgarh, Sector 19, Nava Raipur.

c) Place, Time and Date of Block no 03, Room No.309 Police Headquarters, Chhattisgarh, Sector 19, Nava Raipur.opening Technical Bid :- 21/06/2021 at 4:00 pm

d) Place, Time and Date of Shall be intimated later.opening Financial Bid :-

e) Date till which the Bid 120 days from the scheduled date of submission of the Bid.to remain valid-

Note:- 1. In case of tender opening date being declared as holiday, tenders will be opened on next working day.2. Tender documents can be downloaded from our website www.cgpolice.gov.in and at the time of submission of

document tender fee (for each item) of Rs. 3000/- will be paid in the form of DD of State Bank of India/Scheduled Bank (other than Cooperative Bank) payable at Raipur in favour of Assistant Inspector General of Police(Accounts), Police Headquarters, Chhattisgarh, Atal Nagar Raipur Or State Govt. Challan of Rs.3000/- to bedeposited in the Head of A/c- 0055-Police-800-other receipt. Tender fee is non refundable and can't be exemptedin any condition.

3. Modification/Amendments/Corrigendum, if any shall not be advertised on the news paper but shall be publishedin the aforesaid web site only.

4. If any bidder sends tender documents through Courier/Speed post, the tender documents will be accepted till 03.00pm on 21/06/2021 at Block no.3, Room No.309 Police Headquarters, Chhattisgarh, Sector 19, Nava Raipur only.Received tender documents in any other address at PHQ on stipulated date and time, will not be accepted.

Sd/-A.I.G. of Police (P&P)

60711 For-Director General of Police

Notice Inviting Re-Tender

DELHI JAL BOARD: GOVT. OF NCT OF DELHI,OFFICE OF THE EXECUTIVE ENGINEER (CCR)

VARUNALAYA PH-II: KAROL BAGH, NEW DELHI-110005

Short Press N.I.T. No. 01 (2021-22)S.

No.Name of Work Estimate

CostTender Fee

(in Rs.)Earnest Money

(in Rs.)Date of release ofTender/Tender ID

Last date/time ofreceipt of Tender

1. Establishment and operation ofDelhi Jal Board Call Centre(1916) including CRM

ItemRate

1,500.00 1,60.000.00 Dt. 22.05,20212021_DJB_203501 _1

07.06.2021upto 03:00 PM

Further details in this regard may be seen at https://govtprocurement.delhi.gov.inSd/-

(B.L.KURU)Advt. No/ JSV/ 61/2021-22 Executive Engineer (CCR)

"STOP CORONA; Wear Mask, Physical Distancing, Hand Hygiene"

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´FdSX½FWX³F IYF¹FÊ WZX°Fb A»´FIYFdÕXIY d³Fd½FQFII,, SSAANNDDEEEEPPKUMARS/o-Shri.RATTANCHANDDHIMANR/oV.P.O.-Upper LambaGaon,Tehsil-Jaisinghpur, Distt.-Kangra, H.P.-176096,havechangedmyName fromSANDEEPKUMAR toSANDEEPKUMARDHIMANvideAffidavit.No.51AA723071dated22/05/2021, atGurugram.

0040571612-1

ClassifiedsPPEERRSSOONNAALL

''IMPORTANT''Whilst care is taken prior toacceptance of advertisingcopy, it isnotpossible toverifyits contents. The IndianExpress (P) Limited cannot beheld responsible for suchcontents, nor for any loss ordamage incurredasaresultoftransactions with companies,associations or individualsadvertising in its newspapersor Publications. We thereforerecommend that readersmake necessary inquiriesbefore sending any monies orentering into any agreementswith advertisers or otherwiseacting on an advertisement inany manner whatsoever.

SURECENTREWILLHELP,PERSONALLYSPEAKINGTOVACCINEMAKERS:KEJRIWAL


THEVACCINEshortageinthecitycontinues,withAAPMLAAtishisayingCovaxindoseswill not beavailableforthosein45+categoryafterMonday if the Centre doesnotreplenishthestocks.Thismeansthatthosewhogot

the first shot of Covaxin fourweeksorearlierwillnotbeabletogettheseconddoseafterMonday.Covishield shots areavailable

for sevendays in the capital. TillSundaymorning, Delhiwas leftwith25,120dosesofCovaxinand1.9lakhdosesofCovishieldforthe45+agegroup.Thosewhohavegotoneshot

ofCovaxincangetthesecondshotafter4to6weeks.“Itaseriousmatterofconcern

that afterMonday, Covaxinwillnot be available for the secondvaccine dose of those in the 45+category.Weappealtothecentralgovernment to make Covaxinavailable inDelhi for thosewhoneed to take the second dose,”

saidAtishi.Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal,

whohasstressedonquickvacci-nationforeveryonetoavoidahighcase load in the thirdwave, saidSunday thathewas sure the citywouldgethelpfromtheCentreto

combat the shortage, as it hadwhentherewasadireshortageofbedsincityhospitals.“Ourtoppriorityistoseehow

we can vaccinate people asquickly aspossible, but there is ashortageacrossthecountry.There

isanapprehensionaboutthethirdwave. If we vaccinate everyone,wemightbeabletoavoid it. I ampersonally speaking to vaccinemanufacturers about availabilityandwearereadytobuyvaccinesfromanyauthorisedcompany,ir-

respective of the costs involved.We arewilling to pay and evenspendasmuchofDelhi’s budgetas theneedmay tobeget every-oneinthecityvaccinated,”hesaid.According to the vaccination

bulletin, therewereonly around

10,000vaccinesforthe18-44agegroup left on Sundaymorning.Covaxindoses for this group fin-ishedinthecapitalaweekago.Sofar,50.85lakhpeoplehave

received at least one shot of thevaccine.Delhi’stotalpopulationisaround2 crore, ofwhich around50 lakh are under the age of 18years and are not eligible to getvaccinated.“OnMay22, 64,214vaccines

were administered. Out of this,nearly44,676peoplegottheirfirstdose,and19,538wereinoculatedwith their seconddose. The totaldoses administered have in-creased tomore than50.85 lakhdoses. Out of these, nearly 11.51lakh people have received boththeir shots and are fully vacci-nated.Thisisahugenumber,andprovesthatalargedegreeofpop-ulation inDelhi has been inocu-lated because of its high speedvaccination programme.However, despite this, wewillhavetoshutdownthevaccinationfor18-44completelyfromtomor-rowbecause of the shortage ofvaccines,”Atishisaid.

ABHINAVRAJPUTNEWDELHI,MAY23

THE EDUCATION of over 7 lakhchildren in the capital whostudy inschools runbythemu-nicipalcorporationshastakenahitsincetheCovid-19pandemicbrokeout.In the 2020-21 academic

session, when classes hadmovedonline, thedigitaldividein these schools proved to be astumbling block—half the stu-dents did not have access to asmartphone or a proper inter-net connection.Nowwithschoolsshutamid

the second wave, and onlineclasses suspended as teachersareonCovidduty,studentscan-not study on their own eithersincetheydon'thavetextbooks.Last year too, distribution ofbooks was delayed by over sixmonthsinseveralMCDschools.Thereareover1,600schools

run by corporations acrossDelhi, from nursery to Class V.TheEDMChas365schoolswitharound 1.75 lakh children, theSouth body has 580 schoolswith around 2.5 lakh children,while the NorthMCD has over700 schools with 3.5 lakh stu-dents.Director of the Education

Department, South MCD,Mukesh Suryan, said the newacademic session in MCDschools began in April andclasseswereon for some time.With the advancement of

summer vacation amid a spikein cases in the capital, however,schools had closed on April 20

andare set to reopenon June9,amonthbeforetheusualcalen-darof summervacations.Accordingtoanofficialof the

North MCD, distribution ofbooks and copies was delayedlast year as well but parentswere later called to schools tocollect textbooks and copies."This year there has been nosupply," he said.North MCD Mayor Jai

Prakashsaidtheadministrationhas been caught up in contain-ing the Covid crisis but addedthat this issue would be takenup inameetingonMonday.EastMCDMayorNirmal Jain

said Rs 3.5 crore has been ap-provedfordistributionofbooksandwouldbegiven to studentssoon: "We are chalking out aplan for the same."An official from the South

MCDsaidlastyearofficialswerestruggling to bridge the digitalgapasmanyparentsdonotown

phones with internet connec-tion. Somedonot knowhowtouseWhatsApp,othershavejobsthat don't let themwork fromhome."Ifwecouldhavegivenbooks

on time this year, then studentscouldhavedoneself-study. Lastyear, the South body hadman-agedtodistributebooksbyAprilandthebeginningofMay,whiletheNorthbodysawasix-monthdelay. This session, it appearsthere would be delays by usagain,"hesaid.MCD school teachers, too,

arebackonCovidduty,engagedin enforcement of challans andworking at vaccination andhealth centres. Ram NiwasSolanki, general secretary,Municipal CorporationTeachers' Association and ateacher in a NorthMCD schoolin Krishna Vihar, said someschools have also been turnedintovaccinationcentres.

No online classes, books: 7LMCD school kids in lurch

Nomore Covaxin for 45+ in capital

PeoplestandoutsideaCGHSWellnessCentreas thesecurityguardannouncesshortageof vaccines. PTI

Lastyear too,distributionofbookswasdelayedbyoversixmonths inseveralMCDschools.Archive


THENATIONALGreen Tribunal(NGT) has asked theDelhi chiefsecretary to plan remedial stepsfor improving the condition ofBhalswalakeinNorthDelhi.The principal bench of the

Tribunal issued the order onFriday after hearing aplea alleg-ingfailureofpublicauthoritiestoprotect the lake frompollutionandencroachment.“Casesetoutintheapplication

is that pollution is being dis-chargedinthelakeintheformofsolidwasteaswellassewage.Theboundarywall around the lakehasbeendemolished.Thishasre-sulted in deterioration and con-taminationofwater. Ownershipof thewaterbodyisvestedintheDDA.ItistobemaintainedbytheDelhi Tourism and TransportDevelopmentCorporation.NorthMCD is to prevent dumping ofwaste.TheDPCCandCPCBaretoenforce the environmentalnorms,”theorderread.TheTribunaldirectedthechief

secretary to call ameetingwiththeDDA,DJB,Delhi TourismandtheNorthMCD.

Plan remedialsteps forBhalswa lake,orders NGT


THECITYWWW.INDIANEXPRESS.COM

0-50 Good

ANANDVIHARPoor

0 500

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SIRIFORTPoor

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0 500 500

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DWARKA- SECTOR8Poor

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FORECAST:May24Mainlyclear sky. Strongsurfacewinds

S K Y WA T C H

MAX:363.9°Cbelownormal

MIN:215.6°Cbelownormal


NOIDAPOLICEhas arrested twopersonsinconnectionwithblackmarketing of Amphotericin B, adrugusedtotreatblack fungus.According to police, the ac-

cused,AnuragandAnkit,wouldcoordinatewith pharmacies toobtaintheanti-fungalinjectionsat low rates and sell them at ahigherprice in theNCR.Thearrestscomeinthewake

of theUPgovernmentdeclaringmucormycosisorblackfungusanotified disease, with demandforanti-fungalmedicinesslowlyrising.More than 15 patients inGautam Budh Nagar districthavebeenprescribedmedicinesfor the infection. Over 40 pa-tientsarereceivingtreatmentinGhaziabadhospitalswithsymp-tomssimilar toblack fungus.“We received information

from locals that two personshad been selling medicines atnearly six times the originalprice.Sincethesemedicinesarecrucial for treatment, familiesof patientsenduppayingmoremoney.Wetracedatransaction

and arrested Anurag, whoworks in a pharmacy. Alongwiththeotheraccused,Anuragobtained and sold these injec-tions. Further investigation ispending,” said an official fromSector 58police station.According to police, Anurag

worked in a Noida-based phar-macy as a supervisor. Themainaccusedwasintouchwithothermedicine suppliers and hadidentified ways to obtainAmphotericinvialscheaperthanthemarket rate,police said.Once themedicinewas ob-

tained, accused Ankit would goaroundhospitalsandmeetfam-iliesofpatientstoofferthemtheinjection,policesaid.Duetofearof scarcity, families would enduppayinganexorbitantamountof up toRs20,000 foronevial.While police recovered two

injectionsfromthepossessionoftheaccused,theyareinvestigat-ing the total numberof such in-jectionssold.An FIR has been filed for

fraud and under relevant sec-tionsof theEpidemicAct.Meanwhile, the Ghaziabad

administration reviewed pre-paredness for black fungus in ameeting with hospital repre-sentatives. To prevent blackmarketing, officials have beenaskedtokeepaseparaterecordofhowmanymedicinesandin-jections have been procuredanddistributedforblackfungustreatment.Asmore informationabout

thediseaseisgathered,doctorshavebeen asked toprepare anofficial advisoryon the same.

2 held in Noida forblack marketinglife-saving drug

Man ‘dupes’ familyover black fungusmeds, arrestedEXPRESSNEWSSERVICENEWDELHI,MAY23

A 28-YEAR-OLD man was ar-rested by Delhi Police for al-legedly cheating the family of apatient suffering from mu-cormycosis by promising to de-liver an anti-fungal drug re-quired for treatment.Police said this is one of the

firstarrestsincyberfraudrelatedto black fungus medicines inthecapital.Theaccused,PrasantKumar

Sharma,allegedlytookRs3,000bypromisingtodeliverampho-tericin B to the victim butnever provided themwith themedicine.AmannamedVinit Jain ap-

proached police in Shahdara,complaining that the accusedcheated him of Rs 3,000. Jainwas looking foramphotericinBforhisbrother-in-lawadmittedat Sri GangaRamHospital.On Friday, doctors pre-

scribed thepatient vials of am-photericin B but the familycouldn’t find the drug at phar-macies or hospitals.Deputy Commissioner

of Police (Shahdara) RSathiyasundaram said, “Thefamily started looking onlinefor a vendor and foundSharma’s number on a

WhatsApp group on Saturday.They contacted him, and hetold them he will deliver thevials at their home and soughtRs 3,000 as advance. After thecomplainant made the onlinepayment, the accused stoppedtaking his calls.”A casewas registered under

sections of cheating after policegot the phone number andtransactiondetails fromVinit.Police on Sunday traced

Sharma’s location and arrestedhim from his home inGhaziabad. Sharma told policeheworkedasadriverbeforethelockdownbutlosthisjobduringthepandemic.He then allegedly started

cheatingpeopleonsocialmedia.“We found that he has cheatedmultiplepeopleduringthelock-down. He had recently postedhis phonenumberonFacebookfor plasma donation. HemightalsobecheatingfamiliesofCovidpatients and those in need ofplasma,” said thepolice.

Policesaidthis isoneof thefirstarrests incyber fraudrelatedtoblackfungusmedicinesinthecapital


TO CURB mask violations andmake people aware about thepandemic,theDelhiPolicedidnotissue any challans on Sunday.Instead of fining violators Rs2,000, policeoffered thema facemask and told them about therisksofcontractingtheinfection.At least 2,000 people are

caughteverydayfornotwearingamask in public. According toDelhi PoliceAdditional PROAnilMittal, 6.53 lakh challans havebeen issued formask violationssince the lockdown last year. OnSaturday,over2,500peoplewerefined.PolicesaidtheycollectedRs11croreinfineslastmonthforvi-olationsincludingspittingandnotmaintainingsocialdistance.ADelhi Police spokesperson

said they distributed over 1,500masks on Sunday.Maskswerealso distributed in villages andhomelessshelters.InSouthwestDelhi,thedistrict

police teampatrolled thestreets.“We started this as therewerecomplaintsthatpolicewerebeingharsh on violators. So violatorswerestoppedtodaybutnotfined.Wegavethemmasksandroses,”

saidaseniorpoliceofficer.InShahdara, thedistrict team

made announcements aboutmask violations andCovid. DCP(Shahdara) R Sathiyasundaramsaid, “As Covid cases have comedown, the governmentmay liftthe lockdown soon. Peoplewillstartmoving out, and there is apossibilityof a thirdwave. Sowewantedtocreateawareness.”Rajiv Ranjan, DCP (Outer

Northdistrict), saidhis teamsetup a photo booth for those notfollowing lockdown guidelines.Violatorswereaskedtotakepho-tosat theselfiepointandspreadawareness. “This was done tosensitise people rather than pe-nalise them,”saidanofficer.

Insteadof issuingaRs2,000fine,policeofferedviolatorsfacemasksandroses

Police go easy onchallans for a day,give away face masks

New Delhi

THEINDIANEXPRESS,MONDAY,MAY24,2021

THESECONDSURGEWWW.INDIANEXPRESS.COM

5COST,PRODUCTIONISSUES

Demandshootsup, black fungusdrugnewhurdle

TAKING CAREAhealthworkeratanewly inauguratedCovid-19facility inKolkata.Thefacility,organisedbytheBeliaghata33PallibasiBrindaclub, is freeof cost forpeoplebelowthepoverty line.Othershavetopaynominalcharges. ParthaPaul

FormerBengalMLASamsdiesKolkata:FormerTrinamoolMLAMoinuddinSamsdiedof Covid-19 onMonday at a private hos-pital inKolkata.The58-year-oldwasadmittedtoaprivatehospi-tal inMominpur after he testedpositivefortheinfectiononMay3.OnMay19,hetestednegativebuthisphysicalconditiondeteri-ratedafterthat.OnSundaynight,he was shifted another privatehospital. Sams, who had repre-sentedtheNalhaticonstituencyearlier,contestedindependentlyin the recently-concludedAssemblypolls and lost. ENS

Haryana,RajasthanextendlockdownJaipur, Chandigarh:Haryana onSunday extended the statewideCovid-19lockdowntillMay31,butannounced that therewouldbepartial relaxations fromMonday.Standaloneshopswillbeallowedtooperateduring theday time inthestate, andother shopswill beallowedtoopen7amto12noononanodd-evenbasis. Rajasthanalso announced a lockdownex-tention in the state, whichwillnowbeunder restrictions untilJune 8. The fine for notwearingmasks in public has been in-creasedfromRs.500toRs.1,000,saidagovernmentrelease. ENS

Goa:ClassXstateboardscancelledPanaji: Goa Chief MinisterPramod Sawant on Sunday an-nounced that the state govern-ment had decided to cancel thestate board examinations forClass X students in view of theCovid-19 situation in the state.Hesaidthatthegovernmentwilltake a decision about Class XIIstudents by May 26. Sawant,who also holds the educationportfolio,said,"Wehavecometothisdecision thatClassXexam-inations will be cancelled.Studentswillbepromotedbasedontheassessmentof theirinter-nal marks. If based on internalmarks, one subject gets left out,thestudentwillbeallowedATKT(allowedtokeep term)." ENS

FamiliesgetRs2lakhcompensationChandigarh:TheHaryanagovernment onMondaystarted providing com-pensation of Rs 2 lakh tothe familiesof thosewhodiedofCovid-19betweenMay 1 andMay 31. ChiefMinister Manohar LalKhattar had announcedthecompensationearlier."Though, around 2,593such BPL patients whowere undergoing treat-mentduringthistimepe-riodhavebeen identifiedbytheHealthdepartmentand it was found that 24peoplehavelosttheirlivesdue to COVID. However,theverificationoftherestof the beneficiaries is go-ing on and the financialrelief tothependingfam-ilieswould soonbegivenonce their verification isdone", a governmentspokespersonsaid. ENS

SHORTSTORIES

RALPHALEXARAKALBENGALURU,MAY23

DAYSAFTERshelosthermothertoCovid-19, anine-year-old girlfromKodagu, Karnataka, wrotean open letter stating that hermother’s phone, which con-tained“severalmemories”ofthefamilywithhermother,wasnotamongherbelongingsreturnedtothefamily.Inanappeal,shere-quested anyonewho has foundthat phone from the hospital toreturn it.OnSunday,KarnatakaPolice

confirmed that theyare search-ingforthemobilephone,whichthe girl—Hrithiksha, a residentof Kushalnagar in Karnataka —has said went missing from aCovid-19 hospital where hermotherdiedonMay16.

As thechild’spleawentviralon socialmedia,manyusers re-quested the police to take swiftaction.Toatweet,KarnatakaDGand IGP Praveen Sood replied,“Our team is on the job. But toomanypeople claimingorwork-ingonitdoesnothelpthecause.Wewilldoourbest to trace.”In a letter addressed to the

Deputy Commissioner ofKodagu, the localMLA, and thestaffof thedistrictCovid-19hos-pital, Hrithikshawrote: “My fa-ther,mymotherandItestedpos-itive for Covid-19. As the healthcondition of mymother deteri-orated, shewas admitted to theMadikeri Covid hospital.My fa-ther and I were under homequarantine and could not stepoutside then.”She wrote, “My father is a

dailywageworkerandwewere

able to survive these dayswiththe help of neighbours. MymotherpassedawayonMay16.Someonehastakenmymother’s

mobile phonewhichwaswithher. I have severalmemories ofmymother on that phone. I re-quest whoever has taken thephone,or finds it, to return it.”Hrithiksha’s father Naveen

Kumar told The Indian Express,“My wife T K Prabha (36) suc-cumbed toCovid-19onMay16.However, as her other belong-ings were handed over to uspromptly,hermobilephonehasbeenmissing.We tried callingthat number several times butthephone is switchedoff.”Kumarsaidthathisdaughter

hasbeencryingsince then, ask-ing for thephone.“Hrithikshahassavedalotof

fondmemories of our family inthat phone — photos, videos,andotherfiles.Sheattendedon-line classes using hermother’sphone. I feel helpless now, as

neither finding the phone norbuying her a new phone lookspossible.”Kodagu police have con-

firmed that they are coordinat-ingwiththehospitalauthoritiesto find the phone. “We are alsousing all facilities to trace thephone as soon as possible andhavealertedotherstationsinthedistrict aswell. A case has beenfiled here based on their com-plaint,” an officer fromKushalnagarpolice stationsaid.Meanwhile,ateamofvolun-

teersfromthelocalIndianYouthCongress (IYC) office met thefamilytohandoveranewphonetoHrithiksha.“SinceFIRisalsoregisteredin

this case, we’ve also requestedpolice authorities to catch thethievesasap,” IYCnationalpres-identSrinivasBVtweeted.

Hrithiksha’spleawaswidelysharedonsocialmedia

Days after mother’s death, 9-yr-old appeals for returnof missing phone with memories; cops say search on

PRESSTRUSTOFINDIANEWDELHI,MAY23

PUNE-BASEDSERUMInstituteofIndia(SII)hasdisassociateditselffrom its executive director’sstatement that the governmentbegan theCovid-19 vaccinationof multiple age groupswithouttaking into consideration theavailable stock, stating that thisis“nottheviewofthecompany”.InalettertotheUnionHealth

Ministry on May 22, PrakashKumar Singh, SII’s director ofgovernment and regulatory af-fairs,clarifiedthatthestatementby its executive director SureshJadhavatarecenteventisnottheview of the company, sourcessaid.“OnbehalfofourCEOAdarC

Poonawalla,Iwanttoinformyou

that this statement isnot issuedon behalf of SIIPL (SerumInstituteof IndiaPrivateLimited)and the Company completelydissociatesitself fromthisstate-ment. It is reiterated that, this isnot the view of the company atall. SIIPL is committed tomax-imise its Covishield productionand it stands shoulder to shoul-der to strengthen the govern-ment’s fight against Covid-19,”Singhsaid in thecommunique.SII also clarified that

Poonawalla is the only officialspokespersonof thecompany.Amid an acute shortage of

Covid-19 vaccines in the coun-try,JadhavonFridayallegedthatthegovernmentbeganinoculat-ing people frommultiple agegroupswithout taking into ac-count theavailable stockof vac-cinesandtheWHOguidelines.

SII disassociates itselffrom executive’s remarkson vaccination drive

TABASSUMBARNAGARWALAMUMBAI,MAY23

EACHDAYDwarkadasWadhwa(64) spends at Mumbai’s PDHinduja Hospital fighting offmucormycosis, thefungalinfec-tion brings forth a new set ofchallenges forhis family.“Whatever injections we

could getwill be used today, fortomorrowwehavenothing,"saidhis daughter Kusum Sachdeva.Her father's infectionhasslowlycrept up his nose and is spread-ing towards his eyes in spite oftwosurgeries tocut itout.Wadhwa is one of 1,500 pa-

tientssufferingfromCovid-asso-ciatedmucormycosisorblackfun-gus, inMaharashtra.While 90have died so far, the extremelycostly and rare antifungalmedi-cine,liposomalamphotericinBin-jection,hasemergedasalifesaver.The procurement of the drug,however,hasbeenamassivechal-lengeformanylikeWadhwa,whorequireanythingbetween90and120 vials that cost anything be-tweenRs6,000andRs8,000each.Maharashtra's monthly re-

quirement for the drug hasgrown 100 times, from 3,000during pre-pandemic days tothree lakh injections, as of now.Pharmaceutical companiesseem to be incapable of servic-ing this increaseddemand.While theWadhwa family

canafford the injection, theyareunable to source it. Several, like29-year-old SamiyaMushtaq'sfamily, have runoutof their sav-ingstobuythisdrug.“Afterbeinginfectedwith Covid, shewas di-agnosedwithmucormycosis.WespentRs4 lakhon the injectionsto treat the infection at a privatehospital, but have run out ofmoneynow,”saidmotherSabiha.Likeremdesivir,thestategov-

ernmenthasaskedall collectorsto control the supply of ampho-tericin B to hospitals to preventblackmarketingandhoarding.DR Gahane, joint commissioner

(drug) in Food and DrugAdministration,saidthestatere-quired3lakhinjectionsamonth,butcouldprocureonly8,500lastweekwhile the BMC procuredanother 1,000. The Centre allot-ted only 16,500 injections asMaharashtra’squota,hesaid.StateHealthMinister Rajesh

Topehasurged theCentre to in-crease the allocation and allowmanufacturers to sell directly tothestate,whichhasplacedanor-derfor1.90lakhamphotericinin-jectionsbutisyettogetthesupply.Bharat Serum, BDR

Pharmaceuticals, Cipla andMylan aremajormanufacturersof amphotericin B injection. Butits production is hampered byshortage in active pharmaceuti-cal ingredients(API).Manufacturers are scouting

for more options to buy API.SomehavereachedouttoNorthChina Pharmaceutical Group(NCPC) in China. “They assuredus 40-50 kg by the end of June.We have also approachedDCGI(Drugs Controller General ofIndia) to approve anotherChinesecompanytosupplyam-photericin. It has US FDA, but isyettogetapprovedinIndia,”saidBDR Pharmaceuticals chairper-sonandMDDharmeshShah.

JOHNSONTABENGALURU,MAY23

ON MAY 17, Covid patientSarasamma died while beingtransported to a governmenthospital in eastBengaluru, afterwaitingthreedaysforallocationof a bed. On Thursday, one ofthosehuntingforabedwasSunilKumar, who himself works inthezonalwarroomoftheBBMP(BruhatBengaluruMahanagaraPalike), which ismeant to allotbeds forCovid-19.Overafortnightafterthegov-

ernmentannouncedmeasurestostreamlinethebedallotmentsys-tem in Bengaluru for Covid-19,prompted by BJP MP TejasviSurya'sallegationsofwidespreadcorruptionandmismanagement,

newproblemshavesurfaced.Kumar said he had helped

hundredsgetbedssincethefirstwave, but for his friend hewastoldtotryBowring,VictoriaandGhousia government hospitals.“Theyareinsistingtheywilltakeinapatientonlyifabedhasbeenbooked through the BBMPwarroom. I work in the war roomand I know it takes some timebeforewecan findabed.”Under the new system, dis-

cretionarypowersofhospitalstoadmit walk-in patients havebeen reduced,while there is anaudit of response time by thewar rooms, and the number ofcalls before a bed is booked.Patientshaveonly fourhours togetadmittedinahospitalafterabedhasbeenallotted, insteadofthe earlier 10 hours; war room

officialshaveindividualloginIDstoimproveaccountability;andamanual bed unblocking featurehasbeendisabled.Kumar acknowledged that

theprocesswasbetterinprinci-ple. However, he pointed out,“Doctorshavetoapprovethere-quest for a bed and it has to beclearedbyanIASofficial. Ittakesmoretime.”Thewaitcandragonforover24hourstofindICUandICUventilatorbeds.MLakshman, aworkerwith

Labournet, anNGOdeployed athospitals and helping patients,said, “It takes 6-7 hours to get abed. For one patient onMay 19it took 10 hours.” He said thewalk-insystemworkedbetterinensuring immediate help forcriticalpatients.A nurse employed at a large

Covidgovernmenthospitalsaid,“Anybodywho admits walk-inpatients has to face an inquiry.Wewould earlier treat patientsinemergencysituations,butwearenowdoingwhatthegovern-menthas instructed.”Thenewsystemthatrequires

a positive test report also keepsout suspectedCovidcases, evenif theyhavebreathingproblems.On Thursday, the BBMPun-

veiled a new real-time dash-board,withzone-wiseaswellasadmissionanddischargedata,onbed availability in Bengaluru.Suryawelcomed the same, say-ingonsocialmedia,“Thiswillen-ableanefficientandtransparentprocesswhereeverycitizenirre-spective of his financial or socialstatuswill be treated fairly andequallybythesystem.”

Bengaluru bed system delaying admissions

SEVERAL STATES have floatedglobal tenders to procure Covidvaccines, against risingdemandamongthe18-44agegroupandshortage of doses. The IndianExpress takesa lookat some:

MAHARASHTRA:The last datefor submissions for a global ten-der for 5 crore doses isMay 26.“Wewrote amail to Sputnik butwe have not received any re-sponse,” saidNRamaswamy, di-rector of the National HealthMission inMaharashtra. Anoffi-cial said they are also trying toreachout toModerna,PfizerandJohnson&Johnson.Maharashtrarequires12crorevaccinedosestoimmunise5.7crorepeoplein18-44 age group.Meanwhile, theBMChasreceivedthreeresponsesforitsglobaltenderbuttheseap-plicationslackdocumentation.

UTTARPRADESH:TheUPStateMedical Supplies CorporationLtd had floated a global tenderfor4croredosesonMay7.Asin-terestedvaccinemanufacturersexpressedtheirinabilitytomeetsome of the storage and supplyrequirements, the state govern-ment later relaxed thenorms --allowingmanufacturers of vac-cines that have tobe stored andtransported at a temperatureless than minus 20 degree

Celsius. Italsoreducedthesecu-rity amount fromRs 16 crore toRs 8 crore. However, the sellershave to “facilitate” transporta-tion and safe storageof the vac-

cine -- requiring temperaturesbelow -20 degree Celsius -- tilldispatched to the vaccinationcentre. The last date of openingof technical bids has been ex-tendedtoMay31.

TAMILNADU: The Tamil NaduMedical Services Corporationfloated a tender to procure 3.5crore vaccines onMay 15. Thelast date for submission is June5. An official said, “We need towaittill theoutcomeof thebid.”

KERALA: The Kerala MedicalServices Corporation Limitedfloated tenders for three croredoses on May 22. A pre-bidmeetingwillbeheldonMay25.

KARNATAKA:Thestategovern-ment’stenderfortwocrorevac-cines has been split into fourtenders for supply of 50 lakhdoses each at a total cost of Rs843 crore. The last date is May24. Health department officialssaid the conditions, if any, forsupplyofvaccineswillbeknownonce the tendersareopened.

WEST BENGAL: The adminis-trationisevaluatingthepossibil-ity of a global tender but ChiefMinisterMamataBanerjeeisnotready to give a nod, health de-partmentsources said. ENS

EXPRESSNEWSSERVICEBENGALURU,MAY23

THE KARNATAKA governmenthas decided that the seconddoses of Covaxin will be pro-videdonly to thosewhoreceiveSMSmessages informing themof thecompletionof a4-6weekperiod for theboosterdose.Themove by the state gov-

ernment comes in thewake ofthe acute shortage of Covaxinand directions of the KarnatakaHighCourttocomeupwithara-tionalisedsystemofadminister-ing the Covid-19 vaccines thatare inshort supply.Accordingtoanoteissuedby

the director of the NationalHealthMissioninKarnataka,DrArundhathi Chandrashekhar,the Covaxin recipients will besent an SMS regarding the sec-onddose.“AnSMSwill be sent toben-

eficiaries due for a seconddose.Beneficiaries should visit thedesignated vaccination centresmentionedintheSMS,”saysthenote fromtheNHMdirector.Inthecaseofseconddosesof

Covishield, beneficiaries can re-ceive their second doses on awalk-inbasis at anyvaccinationcentre, the Karnataka govern-menthas said.However, the state govern-

mentinitsnewdirectiveforvac-cinationshasnotreferredtotheissue of the private sector ad-ministering first doses of vac-cines across all eligible agegroupswhile there isashortageofsuppliesforseconddoses--onwhichtheHCsoughtaresponselastweek.TheKarnatakahighcourtdi-

rected the state government onMay 20 to rationalise the deliv-eryofvaccinesonaccountof theshortages insupplies.

STATUSREPORT:GOINGGLOBALFORTHEJABS

Tenders out, responses not in

OTHERSSET TO JOINPuneMunicipalCorporationandPimpri-ChinchwadMunicipalCorporationhavedecidedto jointly floatglobaltenders forpurchasingvaccinesdirectly fromthemanufacturer.Goawill floataglobaltender forprocurementofvaccines toexpedite thewalk-invaccinationfor the18-44agegroup.

448DAYSSINCEPANDEMICBEGAN

TRACKING THE SECOND SURGE

NEWCASES: 2,09,659ACTIVE CASES:27,08,319VACCINATIONS: 19,50,04,184

DAILY DEATHS4,484

TOTALDEATHS3,03,750

WEEKLY CFR1.07%

OVERALL CFR1.34%

TESTS TODAY: 23,56,870 | TOTAL TESTS: 33,09,64,807

WEEKLY POSITIVITY: 12.20% | OVERALL POSITIVITY: 8.08%

STATESREPORTINGMOSTCASES

STATE NEW ACTIVE WEEKLY TOTALCASES CASES POSITIVITY VACCINATION

■TamilNadu 35,483 2,94,143 20.61% 73,71,998

■Maharashtra 26,672 3,48,395 10.55% 2,07,10,911

■Karnataka 25,979 4,73,005 26.76% 1,20,14,015

■Kerala 25,820 2,77,926 23.10% 86,41,908

■Andhra 18,767 2,09,237 22.64% 79,05,740

STATESREPORTINGMOSTDEATHS

STATE TODAY’S TOTAL WEEKLY OVERALLDEATHS DEATHS CFR CFR

■Maharashtra 1,347 91,230 1.91% 1.79%

■Karnataka 626 25,284 1.04% 1.31%

■TamilNadu 422 20,468 1.62% 1.48%

■UttarPradesh 231 19,209 0.87% 1.28%

■Punjab 192 13,281 2.44% 3.00%

Note:DataasonMay23;VaccinationnumbersasonMay22.Deaths includethosefrompreviousdays.

Lucknow:Casesofmucormy-cosis (black fungus) are ris-ing inUttar Pradeshwith 11newpatientsbeingadmittedtoLucknow’sKGMUaloneina24-hourperiod.As of now the university,

which is reportedly thebiggesttreatmentfacilityforthe infection in UttarPradesh, has admitted atleast 135 patients of blackfungus.Surgeryofat least19patientswasconductedwithonemoredeathlinkedtothefungal infection over a24-hourperiod. ENS

Black fungus caseson the rise in UP

Manufacturers reachout togroups inChina

ANURADHAMASCARENHASPUNE,MAY23

THE INDIAN Academy ofPediatrics (IAP)Covid task forcehasreleasedanadvisory,statingthatalmost90percentof Covidinfections in children aremild/asymptomatic. “The inci-dence of severe disease is nothighinchildren,”theadvisoryis-suedonSaturdaysaid.Childrenareassusceptibleas

adults to develop infection butnotseveredisease.Itishighlyun-likelythatthethirdwavewillpre-dominantlyaffectchildren.Inthecurrent (second) wave, a largenumber of younger age group(30-45 years) individuals havedeveloped severe disease, eventhosewithoutcomorbidities.

The latest serosurvey(December 2020, January 2021)showedthatthepercentageofin-fectedchildrenintheagegroupof10-17 yearswas around 25, thesameasadults.Thisindicatesthatwhilechildrenarebeinginfectedlikeadults,theyarenotgettingtheseveredisease,theadvisorysaid.DrUmeshVaidy,in-chargeof

theneonatal intensive careunitofKEMHospitalandmemberofPune’s paediatric Covid taskforce, urged parents “not to becareless anddisproportionatelyscared”.Childrenhavebeenrelatively

lessaffectedsofarduetoseveralfactors.Themostimportantrea-son is the lesser expression ofspecific receptors towhich thisvirusbindstoenterthehostandalso their immunesystem.Expertssuggest thatparents

should watch out for mentalhealthissuesinchildrenandpre-vent child abuse and violence.Also, it is worth preparing chil-dren for safe school reopening,said the IAPguidelines.Theadvisorysaidasevereill-

ness related to Covid-19 isknowntooccurinchildren.ThisincludespneumoniaandMIS-C.However, Covid pneumonia inchildren is uncommon as com-pared toadults.In some cases, after two-six

weeks of asymptomatic orsymptomaticCovid-19infection,multi-system inflammatorysyndrome (MIS-C), could beseendueto immunedysregula-tion. It’s a treatable conditionwith a good outcome, if diag-nosed early. Most children suf-feringfromMIS-Ccannottrans-mit the infection toothers.

IAP advisory: Covid in childrenis mild, there is no need to panic

Karnataka toadministerCovaxin 2nd doseonly on basis ofSMS intimations

In line for jabs

New Delhi


EXPRESSNETWORKWWW.INDIANEXPRESS.COM

DELHICONFIDENTIAL

SUPPORTERS’ CHOICETHESELECTIONofVDSatheesanastheLeaderofOppositioninKerala Assembly, rejecting open support extended by seniorleaders, includingOommenChandyandAKAntony,hasbeenwelcomedbyCongress supporters in the state. But a disputeoverwhoplayed thekey role andwhogained fromthemovecontinuesintheparty’sfaction-hitKeralaunit.Asectionoflead-ers,includingsomefromthenationallevel,claimthatthemovehasreinforcedgeneralsecretary(organisation)KCVenugopal,whoapparentlyplayedakeyroleinSatheesan’sappointment,asapowercentre inthestate.ManyothersarguethatChandyhasbenefitedthemostfromthedevelopments,asithasweak-ened the ‘I-group’ led by Ramesh Chennithala. The formerLeaderofOppositioncouldnotevenmanagethesupportofallMLAsandMPsinhisgroupforhisclaimforachancetoholdonto the post. Congress insiders in the national capital say theKeralaunit is tobewatched forhowthe“groupism”playsoutinoneof thestrongestunitsof thepartyincomingdays.

VACCINE DEMANDWITHCLOSEto150of theircolleaguessuccumbingtoCovid-19 and stationmasters now asking for vaccination for all intheir cadre, the pressure is building on the Railways slowly.An“SMSagitation”willnowtakeplaceonthe lastdayof thismonth wherein every stationmaster — there are around30,000 of them— is set to send textmessages to ChairmanRailway Board, GeneralManager of zones, aswell as the 68Divisionheads,stating:“Vaccinatetokeepusaliveorkeepusaway fromduty. Forwe(want) to live fromJuly1”.

APPRAISAL ON WAIT LISTTHEGOVERNMENThasdecidedthattheperformanceappraisalreportsofofficerscannotbefilledintimethisyeargiventhecur-rentcircumstances.ThePersonnelministryhascommunicatedtostatesandUTsthatsincealmostallofficersarebusyonCovid-19duty,andmostdepartmentsareanywayasgoodasclosedforthetimebeing, reporting, reviewingandacceptingofperform-anceappraisal reportsof officers for2020-21will have towait.ThestartingdatehasnowbeenextendedtoJune1,whilethedatetofinishthewholeprocesshasbeenkeptatDecember31.

EXPRESSNEWSSERVICESUKMA,MAY23

SIX DAYS after threemen fromtribal communities were killedin firing following a clashwithsecurity personnel inChhattisgarh'sSilger, thecollec-tor of Sukmadistrict on Sundayordered a magisterial inquiryinto the incident.The police had earlier de-

clared the deceased to be affili-atedwithMaoists,achargetheirfamiliesdenied.The order for the magiste-

rial probe was passed whenrepresentatives of the protest-ingpeople fromtribal commu-nities met the InspectorGeneral of Police and the col-lectors of Sukma and Bijapurdistricts on Sunday.Morethan5,000peoplefrom

over 30 villages have beenprotesting for the last 10 daysagainst the decision to set up asecurity camp at Silger, Sukma.OnMay17, threepeople died infiring when a crowd of over3,000suddenlyapproachedthecamp after the local protestershad left, destroying the camp'sfencesandattackingpoliceper-sonnel, according to a policestatement issued earlierthisweek."Amidst the crowdof tribals

wereMaoists,whostartedfiringindiscriminately,which led to astampede-like situation. TheMaoistsdidn'theedtowarningsofofficials,andthus,ourperson-nel had to fireback...” thepolicehadstated.Thepolicealsoidentifiedthe

three deceased asMaoist oper-atives, while families and localresidentscalled theminnocent.OnSunday,peopleprotesting

nearSilgercamptraveled17km

to Hirapur village, nearBasaguda, tomeet the officialsanddiscussplausible solutions.They returned Rs 10,000

provided to the family of de-ceased trio, and demanded anindependent inquiry into thematter. Sukma collector VinitNandanwar announced themagisterialprobeandrequestedthe protesting people to gohome until the probe report issubmitted."The probe has been set up

under the executivemagistrateand the report is expected tobesubmitted within a month,"Nandanwarsaid.People from villages in the

area, along with members ofSarva Adiwasi Samaj, attendedthemeetingandrecountedinci-dentsofwhattheycalled“policebrutality” over the years."Securitypersonnelpickedupaneighbour at 3 am and hewasbeaten badly. The security per-sonnel do not do anything aslongas senior officers are there,but once they leaveweare sub-jected tobeatings," onevillager,Hunga,32, alleged.The district officials assured

them that their complaintswould be sent to higher-ups atthe Central and state govern-ment levels and urged them tostop theprotest.

EXPRESSNEWSSERVICERAIPUR,MAY23

BJP SPOKESPERSON SambitPatradidnotattendascheduledmeeting with police inChhattisgarh onSunday in con-nectionwiththeallegedforgeryof a Congress party letterheadand its subsequentmisuse.Patra has requested a fresh

date for themeetingnextweek,police inRaipur saidonSunday.Former Chhattisgarh ChiefMinisterRamanSingh,who toohas been served a notice by po-liceinthesamematter, issched-uled to appear before them onMonday.The FIR against Patra and

Singhwas filed at Raipur's CivilLines police station lastWednesday on a complaint bythepresidentoftheChhattisgarhunit of the National Students'Union of India (NSUI), AkashSharma, and Congress youthleader Koko Padhi, police said.TheNSUI is the studentwing oftheCongress.“TheFIRhasbeen registered

against the BJP leaders undersections 504 (Intentional insultwithintenttoprovokebreachofthe peace), 505(1)(b, c)(Statements conducing to pub-lic mischief), 469 (Forgery forpurposeofharmingreputation)and 198 (Using as true a certifi-cate known to be false) of theIndian Penal Code. The com-plaint was filed for allegedlyforging the letterhead of theAICCResearchDepartment andprintingfalseandfabricatedcon-tent,”aseniorpoliceofficersaid.Patra had been asked to ap-

peareitherinpersonorthroughvideoconferenceonSundayat4pm.“Patradidnotappearforhisappointmentwithus,insteadhesent us an email asking for aweek's time to come back toRaipur Police,” police sourcessaid.On Thursday, police had

servedanoticeonRamanSingh,seeking access to his socialme-dia account aspart of the inves-tigationagainsthim.Singh has been protesting

against the Congress govern-mentofChiefMinisterBhupeshBaghelovertheallegedCongress“toolkit” to defame the centralgovernmentandPrimeMinisterNarendraModi.TheBJPreleasedthe so-called toolkit — a docu-mentpurportedlyonaCongressletterhead, layingoutplansforacampaignagainstModi and theCentre over the handling of theCovid-19 pandemic — onTuesday.“TheCongressgovernmentis

trying to cover up its failures inthe state by attacking us. If theCongress wants to file com-plaints against us, what's stop-ping them from putting us be-hindbars,” Singhsaid.“The (Baghel) government

has failed on all fronts, and hasbeenonlyfightingwiththecen-tral government over uselessthings,”hesaid.TheCongresshasalso fileda

complaint with Delhi PoliceseekingtheregistrationofanFIRagainst BJP president J PNadda,UnionMinisterSmriti Irani, andBJPnational general secretaryBLSanthosh,besidesPatra.On Sunday, the BJP decided

tolauncha'jailbharo'campaign,inwhichleadersacrossthestatewillprotest infrontof thepolicestation, offering to be arrested.“Why only Raman Singh ji, weshould all be booked for speak-ing the truth,” a seniorChhattisgarhBJP leader said.

Kolkata: A day after formerTrinamoolMLASonaliGuhaex-pressedherwishtoreturntotheparty, labelling hermove to theBJPasawrongdecision,anotherformer rebel from the rulingparty,SaralaMurmu,hasvoicedasimilardesire.Unlike Guha, who switched

to the BJP after being denied aticket to contest the Assemblypolls,Murmudefectedtothesaf-froncampdespitebeing fieldedasanomineeby theTrinamool.“Imadeamistake.Iapologise

toMamataBanerjee. I hope shepardonsme. If she accepts meback, I will stay with her andworkforherpartywithfullhon-esty,”Murmu told reporters onSunday. ENS

EXPRESSNEWSSERVICEKOLKATA,MAY23

GOVERNOR JAGDEEPDhankharon Sunday said he was left“stunned” after TMCMPKalyanBanerjeetoldreportersthathehadurgedpartyworkers to filepolicecomplaints against theGovernorsothatactioncanbetakenagainsthimafterheleavesoffice.BanerjeeallegedDhankhar’s

role in the arrest of three TMCleaders in the Narada allegedbriberycase. “Hewillnotbe theGovernorfortherestofhislife...I

toldthegrassrootsactiviststofilecomplaintsagainsthimatpolicestationswherevertheGovernoris found provoking crimes, vio-lenceandreligiousdivide.Actionwill be taken against himwhenhe isnot theGovernor.”


PRIME MINISTER NarendraModiSundaymetwithseniorof-ficials to review the prepared-ness for Cyclone Yaas that isbuildingontheeastcoast.PrimeMinister Modi directed seniorofficerstoworkincloseco-ordi-nationwithstatestoensuresafeevacuationofpeoplefromhigh-riskareas,andinstructeddepart-ments to evacuate those in-volved inoffshoreactivities.IMDofficials at themeeting

said the cyclone is set to crossWest Bengal and north Odishacoasts by the evening of 26Maywith wind speed of 155-185kmph. The Prime Minister’smeeting comes a day afterCabinet Secretary RajeevGaubaheld ameeting of the NationalCrisisManagement CommitteeonMay22,withChiefSecretariesof all coastal states and themin-istriesconcerned.“PMalsoaskedofficialstoen-

sure proper co-ordination andplanningwithstategovernmentstoensurenodisruptionsinCovid

treatment and vaccination inhospitals. He also spoke aboutthe need to involve district ad-ministrations in the process ofplanning and preparedness forbetter learning from best prac-ticesandseamlessco-ordination.PMdirected officials that advi-sories and instructions on do’sanddon’tsduringthecyclonebemadeavailableineasytounder-stand and local language to citi-zens of the affected districts,” agovernmentpressreleasesaid.

FULLREPORTONwww.indianexpress.com

EXPRESSNEWSSERVICEPUNE,MAY23

DISTRICTS ALONG northernOdishaandadjoiningWestBengalare bracing for a stormearly thisweek.Thiswillbethesecondcy-clonetohittheIndiancoastwithin10 days after Cyclone TauktaecrossedGujaratonMay17.Currently,asystemisdevelop-

ing in the east-central Bay ofBengal. On Sundaymorning, itturned into a depression (windspeed45 to 55km/hour gustingto 65km/hour) andwas located560kmnorth-northwest of PortBlair, 590 kmeast-southeast ofParadipand690kmsouth-south-eastofBalasoreinOdisha.The India Meteorological

Department (IMD) has said thesystemwill intensify into a cy-clonicstormbyMondaymorning.

Once realised, it will be calledCyclone Yaas, named byOmanand signifying a treebearing fra-grantflowers.Further,thecyclonewillmove

north-northwestwards as itstrengthenstoforma‘verysevere’cyclone before hitting along thenorthOdisha-WestBengal coast,somewhere close toParadip andSagarislandsaroundtheeveninghoursofMay26.NorthOdishadistricts,includ-

ingBalasore,Bhadrak,Kendraparaand Mayurbhanj, will receivemoderate to heavy rainfall onTuesdaywiththerainfallintensityincreasingtoveryheavycategoryonWednesday.Mednipur, North and South

24 Parganas, Howrah andHooghlydistrictsofWestBengalhave beenwarned of heavy toveryheavy rainonTuesdayandWednesday.

ASTHEcountrybattlesCovid-19,Jharkhand Chief Minister HE-MANT SOREN speaks to AB-HISHEKANGAD about the rela-tionshipbetweentheCentreandstatesduringthepandemic.

WhatareyourexpectationsfromtheCentre?Weneed4crorevaccines,but

havereceivedonly40lakh....Toalloxygenplants,theCentredeputedofficerswhodecidewherethingsshouldgo...Buttellmesomething:is thevirusanationalproblemoraproblem for aparticular state?Whyisn’t thegovernmentactingproperly?

AreyousayingthattheCentrehasleftittothestatestohandleitthemselves?Na chhoda hai, na rakha hai

(Neither has it left us, nor has itsupportedus).Whenwewanttoimportmedicines, theydon’t al-locate it. They allocate it whentheyfeellikeit.

YourecentlytweetedtoclaimthatPrimeMinisterNarendraModidoesnotlistentostates.Whatpromptedyoutodoso?Withinafewminutesofavir-

tualmeetingwith PMModi onMay7,televisionsnewschannelsstartedshowingthesame.Butthetruth is, I never got a chance tospeak. Thus, itwasverypolitical,almostlikedoingaformality.(But)

I amnothere topick a fight. Thecountry is like a ship stuck in anocean and if one does not thinkaboutthecountry,thenmanywilllosetheirlives...Wecanhaveide-ological differences, but our shipis stranded in the ocean— firstbringitashoreandthenfight..

CanyoumentionspecificissueswhereyoufeeltheCentreismakingitpolitical?Manypeopledonated toPM-

Cares,butisthereanytransparencyon theexpenditure?But forvac-cines,theyhaveleftitopentostates.Astatelikeourswillgobankrupt...

FULLINTERVIEWONwww.indianexpress.com

Kolkata:TheWestBengalgovern-ment on Sunday said disastermanagement teams and reliefmaterialshadbeensenttocoastalareas in preparation for CycloneYaas,whichisexpectedtohitthestate on the evening ofMay 26.The railways cancelled scores oftrainsevenasaMetdepartmentofficial forecastwind speed be-tween155 and165kmphwhenthe storm makes landfall be-tween Paradip in Odisha andSagar IslandinWestBengal.Inanotification, thestatead-

ministration relaxed lockdownnorms and allowed rural devel-opmentwork, including emer-gencyfloodcontrolandpre-mon-soon essential projects. Thegovernment also allowed all ac-tivitiesrelatedtoagriculture,hor-ticultureandfloriculture. ENS


LEADERSOF12majoroppositionpartiesonSundayextendedtheirsupport to the call for a country-wideprotestonMay26givenbythe Samyukta Kisan Morcha(SKM) -- the umbrella body offarmerunionsprotestingagainstthe Centre’s three agriculturallaws.May26marks sixmonths of

theprotest by farmers’ groups atDelhi'sborders.Ina jointstatement, the lead-

ers referred to a letter they hadwritten to Prime MinisterNarendraModi onMay 12, de-manding the repeal of the threefarmlaws“toprotectlakhsofourannadatas becoming victims ofthe pandemic so that they cancontinue toproduce food to feedtheIndianpeople”.The signatories to the state-

mentareSoniaGandhi(Congress),formerPrimeMinisterHDDeveGowda (JD-S),WestBengalChiefMinisterMamataBanerjee(TMC),Maharashtra CM UddhavThackeray(ShivSena),TamilNaduCMMKStalin (DMK), JharkhandCMHemantSoren(JMM),SharadPawar (NCP), Farooq Abdullah(JKPA), Akhilesh Yadav (SP),TejaswiYadav (RJD),DRaja (CPI)andSitaramYechury(CPM).“Wedemand the immediate

repealofthefarmlawsandthele-gal entitlement to theMinimumSupportPrice(MSP)ofC2+50percent as recommended by theSwaminathanCommission. TheCentral Governmentmust stopbeingobdurateandimmediatelyresume talkswith the SKMontheselines,”theysaid.The last round of talks be-

tweenthegovernmentandfarmleaderswas held on January 22,thoughthePrimeMinisterhadin-vited farmer groups for resump-tionof talksinFebruary.AddressingParliamentwhile

replying to themotionof thankson the President’s Address inFebruary,Modiarguedthathere-spectedthefarmersvoicingtheir

views on the farm laws but de-fended the need for reformandchange.Addressing Rajya Sabha on

February 8, he had urged thefarmerstocallofftheagitationandcome to thediscussion table, as-suring themthat if there are anyshortcomings and loose ends inthelaws,thesecanbeaddressed.In their letter to the Prime

MinisteronFriday,theSKMlead-ershadmadeitclearthattheyre-mainfirmontheircoredemands

–“repealofthethreeanti-peopleFarmActsandlegalguaranteeforevery farmer securing MSP(@C2+50%, besides protectingfarmersfromtheadverseimpactof theproposedElectricityBill”.RemindingthePrimeMinister

that theonusof resuminga seri-ousandsinceredialoguewiththefarmers lieswith him, the SKMleadershad threatened to inten-sify their stir if theydidnot get a“positive response” for resump-tionof talksbyMay25.

Ensure timely evacuation: PMreviews cyclone preparations

Headed to north Odisha,Bengal, Yaas to developby Monday morning

THE EXPRESS

INTERVIEWWITH

HEMANT SORENJHARKHANDCM

PMModiaddressesavirtualmeettoreviewpreparednesstotacklecyclone,inDelhi.PIB/PTI

PREPARATIONSFORTHECYCLONE: IndianCoastGuardmobilises itsassetsacross theBayofBengal, inviewofCycloneYaas.Thetri-servicesandthe IndianCoastGuardhavetakenseveral steps tomitigate the impactof thecyclonethat isexpectedtohit theeasterncoastonMonday, thedefenceministrysaid. PTI

File complaints against Dhankhar, hewon’t be Governor forever: TMC MP

Chandigarh:Categoricallyre-jectingtheallegationthatthestate government had failedtoeffectivelytackletheCovidpandemic, Punjab ChiefMinisterAmarinderSinghonSunday urged the BhartiyaKisan Union (Ekta Ugrahan)not to go ahead with theirproposed dharna, which hesaid could turn into a Covidsuper-spreaderevent.The CM said his govern-

menthad foughthard topre-vent Punjab fromgoing theway other states had gone,suchasDelhi,MaharashtraandevenUttarPradesh.Anyevent,such as the proposed three-

daydharnainPatiala, hadthepotentialtonegate thegains madeby the gov-ernment intacklingCovid in thestate,hesaid.His gov-

ernmentwas the first topassamendment laws in theAssembly to contravene thefarmlaws,hesaid.“Itistimeforthefarmersnowtoreciprocatebysupportingthestategovern-ment in the fight against thepandemic,”hesaid. ENS

‘If one doesn’t thinkabout country, manywill lose their lives’

12 Oppn parties back SKMprotest call on May 26

Protesting farmersontheirwaytoSinghuborder, inKarnalSunday.ManojDhaka

Cyclone Yaas:Bengal deploysrelief teams

AmarinderSingh

Punjab CM urges BKU notto proceed with protest

SambitPatra,BhupeshBaghel

‘Forgery’ FIR: BJP’sPatra does not appearbefore Raipur police

COPSCALLEDTRIOMAOISTS

In Chhattisgarh,magisterialinquiry orderedinto firing deaths

Thethreechildren(fromleft)of oneof thosekilled.Archive

SaralaMurmu

Another TMCrebel requestsreturn to party

StunnedbyKalyanBanerjee’sremarks:Dhankhar

New Delhi



EXPRESSNETWORK

JAYPRAKASHSNAIDU&YOGESHNAIKMUMBAI,MAY23

THE BODIES of the captain andanothercrewmemberofthetugboatVaraprada,whichsankdur-ing Cyclone Tauktae lastMonday, were identified fromamongseveralbodiesthatcameashore on theMaharashtra andGujaratcoastovertheweekend,policeofficials saidSunday.Sofar15bodieshavebeenre-

covered from the shore— eightinRaigaddistrictofMaharashtraandseven inValsad inGujarat.Bodies of 62-year-old

Nagendra Kumar, captain ofVaraprada,andUmeedSingh,itssecond engineer, were amongthose that washed ashore atValsad inGujarat.Theywereidentifiedbychief

engineerFrancisKSimon,oneofonly twoof theboat’s survivors.TheVarapradasankwith11of its13crew."Nagendra Kumar is ex-

IndianNavy.Hehadsentthedis-tresscall toMaritimeRescueCo-ordinationCentre.Thepolicetookmy help to identify them. Theysentme photos and I identifiedthem," Simon told The IndianExpress fromKochi. The secondsurvivor fromthe tugboat is23-year-oldsailorSahebBhunia.Theywere picked up by INS

Kolkata that spotted them in alife raft within hours ofVarapradasinking.Meanwhile, on Sunday, the

IndianNavyrecoveredfourmorebodiesduringsearchoperationsin the sea. Theyare searching inan area measuring approxi-mately 10,000 square milesaroundthespotwhereP305,anaccommodation barge, sanksome 50 km from theMumbaishore lastMonday.Atotalof 261peoplewereon

board P 305, of which 186wererescued. Search boats havenowrecoveredatotalof70bodiesfrom

thesea.TheNavybelievesthefourbodiesareofpersonsinP305.Atotalof14peopleareyetto

be accounted for, five from thebargeandninefromVaraprada.But with the bodies recoveredfrom both the sea on Sundayand those found on the shore,the IndianNavyonSundaysaidthatall thosewhowentmissingfrom P 305 and Varaprada arenow accounted for, but searchoperations would continuepending final confirmationthroughidentificationof there-coveredbodies.Police said eight bodies that

came ashore at Raigad werebrought back to Mumbai onSunday. A police team has alsobeen sent to Gujarat to try andidentify the remaining six bod-ies foundontheValsadcoast."We will use DNA tests to

identify highly decomposedbodies. They could be eitherfromVarapradaorbargeP305,"said thepoliceofficial.Inarelateddevelopment,the

IndianNavysaidthatINSMakarcrewanddiversdidnot findanybodiesinthewreckofP-305andithasmovedtolocateandcheckthewreck of Varaprada to findout if anybodiesarestuck in it.Atthemortuaryof JJhospital

where thesebodiesarekept, tillSundayevening,45wereidenti-fiedandhandedoverand23re-mainunidentified.DNAtestwillbedone to identify them.

TORAAGARWALAGUWAHATI,MAY23

LIKE THE countless night shiftshe hadworked since he joinedthe Oil and Natural GasCorporation Limited (ONGC) asaproductionengineer,thenightof April 20 startedoutnodiffer-ent.Butbytheendof it,38-year-oldRetulSaikiawasledoutofhisworkplaceof fiveyears inhand-cuffs, shoved into a vehicle anddriven off into the night byarmedmilitants of the bannedUnitedLiberationFrontofAsom(Independent) (ULFA-I).A month later, on Saturday

morning,Saikiawasreleasedbythe militants at Longwa, inNagaland’s Mon district, nearIndia-Myanmar border, andhandedovertoateamofAssamPolice, Nagaland Police and theAssamRifles.“Icanonlybegrateful,”Saikia

told The Indian Express fromhishomeinBorholla,Jorhat,adding:“I never thought I would see

thembut I am finally backwithmy family…myoldparents,mylittle son.”Saikia said that April 20 had

startedoutasaregularnightattherig, located in the Lakwa field ofSivasagardistrict. “Mymindwasonother…happierthings;mysonwas born fourmonths ago,mywife and Iwereplanninghis an-naprasana. Plus, I hadworked somanynightshiftsbefore.Nothing

hadgonewrongthen.”Saikia recalled that towards

theendoftheshift,maskedmenappeared and handcuffed him.“Therewereotheremployeestooandwewere all made to kneeldown. The older workers whowereclosetoretirementwereletgo. But they picked three of us,seeingwewereyoungerandrel-ativelyhealthier,”hesaid.“Itwasterrifying.Wehadno

ideawhatwas happening,whotheywere,but later seeing theirfatigues, we realised it could betheULFA-I,”hesaid.Alongwith Saikia, twoother

employees,MohiniMohanGogoiandAlakesh Saikia—also in theproduction department—weredriven off in a company-ownedambulance, which was laterfound abandoned near theNimonagarhjungles,closetotheAssam-Nagalandborder.OnApril23,threedaysintotheabduction,an encounter between the statesecurity forces and themilitantsensued, followingwhichMohiniandAlakeshwererescued.Saikia, however, remained

captive. “Therewere bullets fly-ing everywhere during the en-counterandsuddenlyIfeltsome-onepullmeaway. Ihadnoidea Iwas theonlyone in captivity forso long,” said Saikia. “In the jun-gles, I could not tell night fromday. I would spend agonisinghours thinking aboutmy son’slaugh,orworryingaboutmypar-ents. Iwascompletelycutoff.”

He said that they keptmov-ing around in “thick forests”stayingintemporarytinshelters.Hiscaptorsdidnotspeaktohimmuchbut“treatedhimwell,giv-ing him food andmedicines.”“One time, the chief PareshBaruacalledandhetoldmethathehadnothingpersonalagainstme, but only the company Iworked for. He said that oncethey(ONGC) fulfilled thecondi-tions, Iwouldbe freed.”Ever since its inception, the

ULFAhashadahistoryofextort-ingmoneyfromextractivecom-panies in Assam. In December2020,theULFA-IandMyanmar-faction of NSCN (K) had ab-ducted two employees of theQuippo Oil and GasInfrastructure Limited fromKumchaikha hydrocarbondrilling site near Innao inChanglangdistrict of ArunachalPradesh. Theywere releasedaf-ter threemonths incaptivity.Earlierthismonth,theULFA-

Ihad issueda setof demands tothreepublicsectoroilfirms(OIL,

ONGCand IOCL) asking for a 95percentquotainjobsforindige-nous Assamese, and appoint-ment of a qualified indigenousperson to the post of managingdirector, amongothers things.However, itwas afterAssam

chief minister Himanta BiswaSarma’s formal appeal to theULFA-I chief that Saikiawas re-leased. CMSarmahasalsobeenappealing to theoutfit to returnto themainstream.In2011,theULFA(whichwas

formed in 1979) split into twofactions — pro-talks and anti-talks. The latter, Barua’s faction,renamed itself ULFA (I) in 2013andcurrentlyoperatesoutofthejungles inMyanmar.Saikiaspent15yearsasame-

chanical engineer in a firm inPunebeforehegottheONGCjobin 2016. “I have been away fromAssam for very long. Of course,whenwewereyounger,theULFAwas active, but in recent years,such incidents are rare…I neverthoughtsomethinglikethiscouldhavehappenedtome,”hesaid.

ONGCSTAFFERRELEASEDBYULFA

AFTER THE STORMFishermenatVersovabeachrepair theirboats intheaftermathofCycloneTauktae inMumbaionSunday. PradipDas

ABHISHEKSAHAGUWAHATI,MAY23

SEVENMILITANTSbelonging tothe Dimasa National LiberationArmy (DNLA)were killed in anencounter with security forcesin the Dhansiri area of Assam’sKarbi Anglong district onSunday, authorities said.A large cache of arms have

also been recovered during theencounter.“Almost the entire DNLA

group has been eliminated to-day.Atleastsevenmilitantshavebeen killed and two have beeninjured,”ChiefMinisterHimantaBiswaSarmatold themedia.Earlier, AssamDGP Bhaskar

JyotiMahantatweeted,“6 listedtop cadres of DNLA in KarbiAnglong District were neu-tralisedwhentheyfiredatajointteam of @assampolice and#AssamRiflesduringananti-ter-roroperation.DNLAhasbeenin-volvedinkidnapping,extortion,killing etc. which are not toler-ated inAssam.”TheDNLAseekstofight fora

"sovereign and independent”land for theDimasa tribe.

ASADREHMANLUCKNOW,MAY23

ONEOFthe threepolicemenac-cused of killing an 18-year-oldvegetable vendor in UnnaowasarrestedSunday.ThevendorwaspickedupforviolatingCovidcur-fewFriday and allegedly beatentodeathbythepersonnel.FaisalHussain,thevegetable

seller,wasfounddeadshortlyaf-terhewaspickedupfromashopinBangarmauareaonthechargeof floutingCovidnorms.The post-mortem report

Saturdayput the causeof deathto a head injury. Amurder casewas registered against consta-blesVijayChoudhary,Seemavatand home guard Satya PrakashFriday after locals, along withfamily members of the deadvendor, blocked the Unnao-Bangarmau-Hardoi Road, seek-ingactionagainstthepolicemen.Police had initially claimed

theteendiedafteraheartattack.Unnao SP Anand Kulkarni

confirmed Sunday that homeguard Satya Prakash was ar-rested in connection with thecase. “Preliminary investigationsuggests that Vijay Choudhary

andSatyaPrakashwereinvolvedin the incident. We have notfound any evidence againstSeemavatasyet,”Kulkarni said.He added constable

Choudharywasabsconding.“Heis on the run but wewill catchhimsoon,” theSPsaid.Kulkarni also issued a state-

ment inthecasesaying,“Searchoperationsarebeingconductedby our teams at several places.Thecaseisbeinginvestigatedbythe Crime Branch, which is col-lectingevidenceandactionwillbe takenasper theevidence.”In their complaint, the vic-

tim’s family had alleged that hewassubjectedtoabrutalassaultat thepolice station in thepres-enceof thestationhouseofficer.The family claimed that

while Choudhary and SatyaPrakash picked up the 18-year-old, Constable Seemavat tookhim to the CHC after his condi-tiondeteriorated.

JOHNSONTABENGALURU,MAY23

GERMAN TELECOM companyDeutsche Telekom, an investorinIndianfirmDevasMultimediaPvt Ltd, has filed a petition in aUScourtagainst the Indiangov-ernment seeking confirmationofa$135-millioncompensationpayment to it.Thecompensation,whichin-

cludesinterest,wasawardedbyaPermanentCourtofArbitrationinGenevalastyearoverthe2011an-nulment of a satellite deal be-tweenDevasandtheIndianSpace

ResearchOrganization'scommer-cialarm,AntrixCorporation.Deutsche Telekom, which

pickedupa19.62percent stakein Devas Multimedia filed thepetition for confirmation ofdamages inaUSfederalcourt inthedistrictof Columbia.The US court issued sum-

monstotheRepublicof IndiaonApril 20 based on the petitionfiled by Deutsche Telekom forconfirmationof thePCAGenevacourtorderofMay27,2020.“India has refused topay the

amounts due under the finalawardandinteresthascontinuedto accrue on the amounts

awardedtopetitioner... suchthatthetotalamountowedbyIndiaasof thedateof thefilingof thispe-tition is USD 135,829,857, onwhichinterestcontinuestoaccrue‘until paid in full’ as required bythe final award,'' DeutscheTelekomhasstatedinthepetition,availableinthepublicdomainandseenbyTheIndianExpress.DeutscheTelekompickedup

thestakeinDevasMultimediaPvtLtd,floatedbyex-ISROandsatel-literadioexecutivesfromtheUS,with a total investment of $99.2millionbetween2008and2009after Devas Multimedia waspromisedcommunicationsatel-

lites by ISRO's commercial armAntrixCorptoprovidebroadbandandmultimediaservices.The 2005 agreement be-

tween Devas and Antrix wascancelled by the UPA govern-mentInFebruary2011,over“se-curity reasons”—amid the rag-ing2Gscandal.After the cancellation of the

deal, Deutsche Telekom, threeMauritius-based foreign in-vestors in Devas Multimedia,andDevasMultimediaitself ap-proached various internationalarbitration tribunals seekingdamages for the faileddeal.While Deutsche Telekom

was awarded compensation of$101millionplusinterestbythePermanent Court of Arbitrationin Geneva onMay 27, 2020, theMauritius investors wereawarded $111million compen-sation by the United NationsCommission on InternationalTrade Law tribunal on October13,2020.DevasMultimediawasawarded compensation of $1.3billion by an InternationalChamberofCommercetribunalonSeptember14,2017.The $1.3-billion compensa-

tion toDevaswas confirmedbytheUSfederalcourtforthewest-ern district of Washington on

October 27, 2020. AntrixCorporation has gone in appealto a US court against this orderand the SupremeCourt of IndiaaskedfortheICCtribunalawardto be kept in abeyance throughaNovember4,2020order.Antrix Corporation has

meanwhile initiated proceed-ingsonthedirectionsof thegov-ernment of India to liquidateDevasMultimedia alleging thatthe firmwasa shamentity. Thematter is currently in theKarnataka High Court on ac-count of an investor in Devasquestioning themove to liqui-dateDevasMultimedia.

7 ‘top’ DNLAmilitants killedin Assam’sKarbi Anglong

PRESSTRUSTOFINDIARAIPUR,MAY23

THE COLLECTOR ofChhattisgarh’s Surajpurdistrict,Ranbir Sharma, was removedfromhispostSundayafteraviralvideo showed him slapping aman and throwing his mobilephone for allegedly violatingCovid-19restrictions.Chief Minister Bhupesh

Baghel issued instructions forthe removal of the 2012-batchIASofficer fromthepost.In the video, theman canbe

seenshowingapieceofpaperandsomething onhismobile phonetothecollector,whotakesthede-viceandthrowsitontheground.Sharmaisthenseenslapping

theman and encouraging twopolicemen, who move in andstarthittingthemanwithsticks.ThestatetransferredSharma

totheMantralaya(secretariat)inNava Raipur as joint secretary(waiting). In 2015, Sharmawascaught allegedly taking a bribewhen he was SDM inBhanupratappurtownofKanker.

RetulSaikia,backhomewithhiswifeandson. Express

‘Couldn’t tell night from day... spent agonisinghours thinking about my son’s laugh, parents’

ABHISHEKANGADJAMSHEDPUR,MAY23

GURCHARAN HEMBROM, 42,whowasbroughttoBaharagoraCommunity Health Centre(CHC) for treatment onMay 21as he was gasping for oxygen,died on Saturday at MGMHospital in Jamshedpur — 100kilometres away,where hewasreferred for further treatment.MGMHospital’s certificate

statedthecauseofdeathas‘car-diorespiratory failure’.The Sunday Express had re-

ported on the poor handling ofGurcharan’s case in EastSinghbhumdistrict’sBaharagoraCHC. Despite two ambulancespresentinthehospitalvicinity,ittookmore than 40mins for anambulance to be provided tohim.Hewasalsowithoutoxygenformorethanfiveminuteswhenthepowersupplywentoff.Gurcharan’soxygenlevelwas

around76%whileonconcentra-tor support andhewas referredto the MGM for further treat-mentas it ‘requiredventilator’.Sources in the Health

Department said that a showcause notice was issued to theCHC Baharagora after it wasfoundthatdespite theavailabil-ity of generators it was non-functional for uninterruptedpower supply for running theoxygenconcentrators.Sources said due to 108 ‘for-

malities’, theambulanceservicecouldnotbeprovidedearlier.

42-year-old dies,showcause toJharkhand CHCfor inadequacies

The incidentonSaturday

EXPRESSNEWSSERVICELUCKNOW,MAY23

AMINOR scuffle was reportedbetweenpoliceofficialsandjun-ior doctors of Maharani LaxmiBai Medical College in Jhansiwhen Uttar Pradesh ChiefMinister Yogi Adityanath wasvisiting thereonSunday.Whileavideoof theincident

was circulatedwidely on socialmedia, with some Congressleaders alleging that residentdoctorswerearrested,theJhansidistrict administration deniedthe charge. The junior doctorswereonly stoppedand the “en-tire episode was caused by aslightmiscommunication”, theDMsaid.InavideopostedbyCongress

leader Pankhuri Pathak, policeofficials were seen purportedlypushing the doctors and takingthemaway fromthespot.Jhansi District Magistrate

AndraVamsi said: “Therewas aslight miscommunication andthedoctorsweretryingtogiveapiece of paper regarding some

very minor issues like play-ground and gymnasium in themedical college hostel. It hap-pened at a point in timewhenthe CMwas about to board thecar. Later, I met the doctors andassured them of doing every-thing to meet their demands.Theinformationaboutthearrestiswrong,”.Ameetingwasheldbetween

the protesting resident doctorsandtheDM,where localBJPMPAnurag Sharma and the princi-

pal of themedical collegewerepresent. At themeeting, it wasdecidedthatexistingfacilitiesinthe hostels will be improvedwith additional new facilities,theDMsaid.Meanwhile,Adityanath,dur-

ing thevisit, stated that the firsttwo waves of the pandemicwere “markedly different”, andhisgovernmentismakingallef-forts to face the thirdone.Adityanath said that 15new

oxygenplantswerebeingsetupinBundelkhandregion,ofwhichsixwill be in Jhansi.“The first and the second

waveof Covid-19arealtogetherdifferent from each other. Thestate did not face any oxygenshortage in the first wave. Butsincethedisastroussecondwavehitthestate,thedemandforoxy-gen supply increased and wehadacrisis,”hesaid,He claimed that his govern-

menthadpulledout all stops toavoidanoxygenshortage in thestate.Adityanathmetlocalpub-lic representatives, doctors andofficersandheldaCovidreviewmeetingwith them.

ChiefMinisterAdityanathatJhansiCovidCommandCentreonSunday.Express

1 cop held for ‘beatingUP vendor to death’

Chhattisgarh: Collectorseen hitting man sacked

TAUKTAETRAGEDY

Searchtogoonuntil each identified

85bodies found,Navysaysallaccounted for

ThesearchteamonboardINSMakar. File

Faisalwasfounddeadshortlyaftercops tookhimaway.

EXPRESSNEWSSERVICEMUMBAI,MAY23

POLICE ON Sunday arrested a30-year-old man for allegedlykilling a 54-year-old taxi driver.The incident took place early inthemorningatDadarmarketaf-ter theaccused,whowasunderthe influence of alcohol,smashed the driver's face usingthree paver blocks, police said.They added that the driver re-fused to give the accused a rideclaimingthathishomewasonlyashortdistanceaway.Policeidentifiedtheaccused

as Basavaraj Melinamani, whooriginally hails fromVijaynagarinKarnatakaandwasresidinginAmbedkar Nagar on SenapatiBapatMarg inDadar.Anofficer said, "Melinamani

claimsthatheconsumedalcoholsomewhere in themarket, afterwhichhewent to the taxidriveraskinghimtodrophimhome."As it was a short distance

away, the taxi driver, identifiedas Chhabiraj Jaiswar, refused to

givehimaride,theofficeradded.According to police, follow-

ing this, the accused and thedriver got into a heated argu-ment. The accused told policethatthedriverevenabusedhim."During the fight, the taxi

driverfellonthefootpath;theac-cused picked up three paverblocksandsmashedthemagainsthis face,"saidaninvestigator.PolicesaidMelinamani then

fledfromthespot.Ataround6.15am,oneof thelocalresidentsin-formedthepolicecontrolroom,whichthenforwardedtheinfor-mation toDadarpolice station.A police team went to the

spot and rushed the taxi driverto Sion hospital, where hewasdeclareddeadbeforeadmission.The police registered a case

ofmurderandarrestedthemanat around 3.30 pm. “We arecheckinghishistory,whetherhehascasesregisteredagainsthim.But, so far, we have learnt thattheaccusedisalabourerandhasworked for different vendors atmarkets in Dadar andWorli,”saidanofficer.

ANTRIX-DEVASDEAL

German telco moves US court against govt, flags unpaid damages

Refused ride, ‘drunk’ mansmashes Mumbai cabbie’sface with paver blocks

‘Scuffle’ between cops, docs postUP CM visit; DM says no arrest

Kolkata:West Bengal reported156more Covid-19 fatalities onSunday, pushing the toll to14,364,whilethetallymountedto 12,67,090with 18,422 freshcases, the health departmentsaid inabulletin.Thestatenowhas1,30,525ac-

tive cases and 11,22,201 peoplehaverecoveredfromthedisease,including19,429sinceSaturday.Kolkata and North 24

Parganasdistrictsaccountedfor46 fresh fatalities, while 10deaths were registered inMurshidabad, among otherplaces. PTI

Bengal: 156 moreCovid deaths,18,422 fresh cases

2ndaccusedpolicemanontherun:SP

New Delhi

8WWW.INDIANEXPRESS.COM

WITHOUT HYPHENSJaishankarsignals thatDelhiwon’tabandondifficultdialoguewithChina,nor is itpanicking intomilitaryalliancewithUS

INHISREMARKSataneventhostedbyTheFinancialTimesandTheIndianExpresslate lastweek, theexternal affairsminister, SubrahmanyamJaishankar, laidoutIndia’sgeopoliticalcalculusinaworldthatisbeingshapedbythetwodominantpowers—ChinaandtheUnitedStates. JaishankarwasfrankindiscussingDelhi’sproblems and opportunities in relations with Beijing and Washington.

IndependentIndia’sforeignpolicytraditionsoughttounderplaytheproblemswithChinaandhighlightDelhi’spoliticaldistance fromWashington.Thedefaultmodehasevolvedrapidlysincelastspring,whenBeijingsurprisedDelhibytransgressingtheLineofActualControl ineasternLadakh.SincethenDelhihasmaintainedasustainedmilitarypoliticaldialoguewithBeijingcallingforarestorationoftheterritorialstatusquoantewhilecoun-tering Chinesemilitary deployments on the ground. Delhi has also sought to raise theeconomic costs for China’s aggression by limiting economic and commercial coopera-tionwithBeijing.Mostrecently, ithasexcludedChinesecompaniesfromtheIndianplansto roll out theFifthGeneration (5G) telecommunicationnetworks.On itspart, Chinawants to separate theborder crisis fromthebroaderbilateral rela-

tionship.JaishankarinsiststhatthereisnoquestionofDelhireturningtobusinessasusualinthebilateralrelationshipwithoutBeijingtakingspecificstepsonthebordertorebuildIndia’s trust inChina. If Chinaseemstodisregard India’s sentiments,Delhi isdefiantandrefusestobebulliedbyBeijing.AsIndia’srelationswithChinaenteraprolongedstalemate,therehasbeena rapid advance in India’s relationswith theUnitedStates. Last year sawthe intensification of the India-US bilateral defence ties aswell as greater openness inDelhi towards engagingwith America’s Quadrilateral Security Framework involvingAustralia and Japan. If the last year of theTrumppresidency sawtheaccelerationof thestrategicpartnership, President JoeBiden isgiving it anadditionalmomentum.Officials inDelhi andWashingtonunderline that theexpansionof their relationship

isnota functionof the troubles in India-Chinarelations.The trend lineshaverun inpar-allel in recent years and have come into sharp focus in recentmonths. The essence ofJaishankar’smessage has to dowithwhat he projects as India’s new self-assurance inhandlingChinaandtheUS.Untilrecently, inthenameofnon-alignmentandstrategicau-tonomy,Delhi tended tobe toodeferential toBeijing and rather defensive about theUSpartnership. Jaishankar is signalling that India is strong enough to set its own terms forthe engagementwith the two superpowers. India is not going to abandon the currentdifficultdialoguewithChinanoris itpanickingintoamilitaryalliancewiththeUS.Delhiis no longerwilling to cede a veto toChina over India’s tieswithAmerica. Indiawants agoodneighbourlyrelationshipwithChinawhilealsorealisingthefullpotentialof itspart-nershipwith theUS, andmorebroadly,with theWest.

THE DOUBLE CRISISPoliticaluncertaintycouldnothavereturnedinNepalataworsetime—mid-termpollshavebeencalledasCovidcasesrise

INTHEMIDSTofrisingCovid-19infections,Nepalhasslippedagainintopoliticalturmoil. On Saturday, President Bidya Devi Bhandari rejected Nepali CongresspresidentSherBahadurDeuba’sclaimto formthegovernmentandannouncedelections inNovember,asper therecommendationof thecurrentprimeminis-ter, K P SharmaOli. Opposition parties have describedBhandari’s action as un-

constitutional and aremoving the Supreme Court. The political uncertainty could im-peril thebattleagainst thepandemic.Thequestion is if thePresident shouldhave followed the advice of PMOli, especially

sincehehadlostmajorityinParliamentandcontinuedtobeacontenderforoffice.BhandaricouldarguablyhaveexhaustedtheconstitutionaloptionofallowingDeubatotesthisma-jorityonthefloorof theHousebeforedeclaringmid-termpolls.Earlier inDecember, shehad followedOli’s adviceanddissolved theHouseonly for theSupremeCourt todeclarethe step unconstitutional and reinstate Parliament in February. Not surprisingly, theOppositionhasquestionedtheneutralityofthePresident’sofficenow.Nepalhadvotedde-cisivelyinthe2017generalelectioninfavouroftheCommunistallianceconstitutedmainlyoftheCPN-UMLandCPN-MaoistCentre.Thetwoparties,bitterrivalsfordecades,mergedthereafteronthecondition thatpowerwouldbesharedbetweenthe twofactions. Inof-fice, PrimeMinister Oli, leader of the dominant faction, CPN-UML, preferred to consoli-datehispositioninthepartyandgovernmentratherthanaccommodatetheothergroup’sdemands.ThemergerunravelledlastyearwiththeCPN-MCfactioncallingforOli’sresig-nationandthe latter retaliatingbyrecommendingdissolutionofParliament.Political uncertainty has been a feature of Nepal’s politics ever since the democracy

movementreplacedmonarchy.Theclearmandatein2017,underanewConstitution,provi-dedanopportunitytoconsolidatethegainsofdemocracyandbuildinstitutions.Oli,how-ever,soughttocentralisepowerinthePrimeMinister’sofficeandfillconstitutionaloffices,including the office of President, Election Commission, Commission for Investigation ofAbuse of Authority (CIAA)mandated toprobe corruption, judiciary etc,with party aides.Theabsenceof checksandbalancesonabuseofpowerandthefailureof theprimeminis-ter to negotiate and accommodate competing interests have led to the current impasse.Thewinnersof the2017electionhavefritteredawaytheirmandate.Newpoliticalrealign-mentsare takingplacewith the intent to stay inorgainoffice.All this ishappeningwhenthepandemicisraging—Nepal iscurrentlyreportingat least8,000newinfectionsdaily.

Satendra Singh

AS THE WEATHER turned windy oneevening, I stoodonthebalconywithmylit-tle daughter. She exulted, “I can count thethunderclaps...one...two.” Little did I knowthenthat thesamenight,another lightningwould hit my hospital, extinguishing twolives: Amiddle-aged emergencymedicineofficerandayoungjuniorresident,bothlostto Covid-19.Ontheir firstdayatmedical school, Iof-

tenaskmymedical students, “Whydoyouwant to be a doctor?”Many offer answersalong the lines of serving humanity, a fewclaim to fulfil their parental desires, andsome others remain silent as they try toblendintotheauraof apremiermedical in-stitution in the capital of India. AnasMujahid belonged to the last category. Hewasoftenquiet,butwhenever I sawhiminthecollegefoyer,healwaysgreetedmewitha wide smile. In January, the 26-year-oldcompletedhis internshipandbeganwork-ing as a junior resident at GTBH (Guru TegBahadur Hospital), our teaching hospital.Returning from iftar to the hospital, hetested positive at 8 pm andwas gone by 3am. Towards the fag end, we struggled tofind a ventilator in the very hospital inwhose corridors he dreamt of becoming acompassionatedoctor.Twoweeks ago, I textedmypostgradu-

ate student to see how his batchmate andbest friend’sparent,whohadCovid-19andwas admitted to our ownhospital,was do-ing. He toldme haswas at the cremation. Iwas speechless. About the same time, I gota panic-stricken callwith labouredbreath-ingfrommyfriend,awomanwithdisability,“NooneispickingupthephoneattheDelhigovernmenthelplines. I don’twant todie.”Duringthesameperiod,mywifeandson

tested positive for Covid. I quickly isolatedall family members in different rooms.Sleeping alone in the living room, I wouldoften be disturbed by passing ambulancevans— someonewas fighting for their life,

whether it’s for a ventilator or oxygen. As adisableddoctor, Iamawarethatpeoplewithdisabilitiesaremorevulnerable inthispan-demic-turned-into-a-man-madedisaster.AccordingtoanewNewEnglandJournal

ofMedicine report,peoplewith intellectualdisabilities are 5.9 times more likely thanthe non-disabled population to die fromCovid-19 in the US. And we’re in Delhi,where amedicine required for care is hardtocomebyinhospitalsbutcanbeobtainedquickly fromaMember of Parliament’s of-fice.Whatif Idon’tgetabedinmyownhos-pital? Iwasconcerned. Idon’thavemedicalinsuranceeither,asdisabledpeople inIndiastill don’t have it in the 21st century.I dread lookingatmyphone. It couldbe

another frantic call from someone lookingfor a place to sleep. My medical collegeclassmate from Haryana called at 2 am aweek ago, asking if we had a ventilator atGTBH.Therewasnone inDelhi, andtheex-army officer who had served the country,andforwhomhehadrequestedaventilator,died onhisway from theArmyHospital toChandigarh in search of one. The dailystruggletogetenoughoxygenbreedsakindof moral cynicism born of powerlessness.We’ve been taught to save lives, not to re-suscitate a failed infrastructure.Another of my students, now a doctor,

hadtomakethetoughdecisiononwhowillreceive a life-saving ventilator in a privatehospital in Delhi. It would be difficult tomakeandexecutesuchtriagedecisions,butlivingwiththemcanbeevenmoredifficult.Hissenior, analumnus frommyinstitutionwhoisnowworking intheUS,experiencedthemoraldistress first-handduring theUShealthcarecrisis lastyear,whenhehonestlysaid, “I am a soldier in this battle, and I amscared”.Heisnowpullingresourcestohelpour hospital’s existing student-ledmentalhealth support network.Policymakersandpoliticians inthecap-

ital appear to have become immune to the

crisis. I got anumberof requests frompeo-pleoutsideof India.Onemedicaluniversitywaseager totakeontheworkloadof anen-tire tertiary carehospital inDelhi, but sub-sequenttalksrevealedtheirconcernsaboutthe“corruption” intheIndiansystem:Theywerewaryof themoneynotgoingwhere itwas most needed. No wonder, we spendjust1.29percentofGDPonhealth,evenlessthanBangladeshandNepal, bothofwhomarenot superpowers.Themost vulnerable in this pandemic

are thedisabledpeople.Door-to-doorvac-cinationanddrive-incampaignsat specialhomes, old-age homes, and halfwayhomes are still not implemented for dis-abled in theDelhi thoughsuchendeavoursare being considered in other states andbeing done in other countries. The Centredeclined the Karnataka government’s re-quest to have a vaccination centre at old-age homes.As we continue to rebuild an inclusive

and resilient post-Covid world, it’s criticaltogivehealthcareworkerstheirdueinbothletter and spirit. We had to write to theDelhi government to request that health-care workers at the University College ofMedical Sciences andGTBHcomplex,whohad given their lives in the service of thecountry, be granted solatium andmartyrstatus.Health isastatesubject.Odishawasthe first state to accord martyr status tohealth workers dying on Covid duty. TheDelhigovernmentwassilentonmartyrsta-tus,butannouncedex-gratiapayment.Thiswas done in an insensitive way. The ordermentioned the sacrifice as “tragic, but in-evitable”. As many health professionalsfightsurvivorguilt, fracturedinfrastructure,we cannot afford to drop guard. With andwithout support,wemarchon!

Thewriter teaches atUniversity College ofMedical Sciences&GTBHospital, and is a

disability justice activist. Views are personal

Policymakers and politiciansin the capital appear to havebecome immune to thecrisis. I got a number ofrequests from people outsideof India. One medicaluniversity was eager to takeon the workload of an entiretertiary care hospital inDelhi, but subsequent talksrevealed their concernsabout the ‘corruption’ in theIndian system: They werewary of the money not goingwhere it was most needed.No wonder, we spend just1.29 per cent of GDP onhealth, even less thanBangladesh and Nepal,both of whom arenot superpowers.

FOUNDED BY

RAMNATH GOENKA

B E C A U S E T H E T R U T H I N V O L V E S U S A L L

§ §

THEINDIANEXPRESS,MONDAY,MAY24,2021WORDLYWISE

Speak softlyandcarryabig stick;youwillgo far.— THEODORE ROOSEVELTTHEEDITORIALPAGE

Freeze Frame E P Unny

AshwathnarayanCN

INOCULATE AGAINST POLITICSNooneshouldpoliticisevaccinepolicy. Together,wecandefeatpandemic

IT IS NOT easy to develop a vaccine. It is acomplex process that often takes a decadeormore.Onmostoccasions, it requires theparticipationof publicandprivateentities.A vaccine takes time because of themulti-ple stages it goes through — from the ex-ploratory stage to the pre-clinical stage toseveral phases of trials that take severalyears—before it is certified safe. Also, vac-cines, in general, are more thoroughlytested thannon-vaccinedrugs.The coronavirus brought vaccine

discovery and launch to the centrestage in2020.Historyisrepletewithseveralvaccinelaunches that helped deal with diseasesfrom polio to tetanus to measles andchickenpox.The Covid-19 vaccine will go down as

one of the fastest vaccine discoveries andlaunches in human history. To make thispossible, scientists haveworked round theclock. Regulators have fast-tracked ap-provals and cleared all time lags at everystage of development. This does notmeanthat protocols were compromised. It alsodoesnotmeanthattheefficacy isquestion-able. Letusnot forgetweeradicatedsmall-pox with the strategy of ring vaccinationwhereinanyoneexposedtoasmallpoxpa-tientwastracedandvaccinatedquickly,ef-fectivelypreventing itsspread.Everyscien-tific discovery at the time of its launchseems unbelievable. Sceptics doubt its ve-racity. Timehasproved themwrong.No one can deny vaccination protects

people and those around themfromapar-

ticulardisease.Foroptimumefficacy, somevaccines require multiple doses, givenweeks ormonths apart. This is needed fordeveloping andmaturing antibodies.Arecentreport inTheLancetpointedout

that a longer gapbetween the first and thesecond dose of Covishield vaccines helpsincrease itsefficacyratetoashighas90percent.Earlier, therecommendedintervalwas4-6weeks,whereas the Lancet report sug-gested a 6-12 week gap for the vaccine tobemore effective.As per the basic principles of vaccina-

tion, there is nomaximum interval set fortakingmultipledoses.However,manyrec-ommend a minimum three-week periodfor inducingthe immuneresponse. It takesas longaseightweeks for theantibodies tobecome fully functional.We tend to forget that vaccines protect

us, and thegreater thegapbetweendoses,greater is thebenefitandprotection.Criticsandscepticsattributedifferentreasonsandmotives to widening the dosage intervalsof the Covishield vaccine. Yes, the govern-ment has revised the gap twice in the lastthree months. It was first enhanced from28days to six to eightweeks inMarch andquiterecently to12-16weeks.This revisionwas done as per the suggestion by theNational Technical Advisory Group onImmunisation (NTAGI).There is evidence to substantiate this

suggestion and the decision. The UK andCanada, twocountries thatareadminister-ingCovishield,havewidenedthegaptofour

months. In fact, Canada has widened thegaptofourmonthsforall thevaccines.Evenin the UK, citizens are being administeredthe second dose of the vaccine only now.Butwehavealreadystartedseeingadeclineindeaths inthatcountryafter thefirstdose.TheWHO too recommends widening thegap. It is unfortunate thatwhen suchdeci-sions are taken in India, theyare termedaspolitical gimmickry.I would like to reiterate while vaccina-

tion is one of the many steps that we allneed to take to protect ourselves and thepeoplearoundus, it isnota licence forustodiscard masks, social distancing or main-tain hand hygiene. We should continue tofollow these protocols until the virus iseradicated.Thegovernmentisdoingeverythingpos-

sibletostopthepandemic.Thevaccineplaysasignificantroleinourendeavour.Evidenceshows there is only a 5 per cent chance forsomeonetestingpositiveforCovid-19post-vaccination. The government understandsmaking decisions about their own healthandvaccinationisadifficulttaskforcitizens.I urge you to trust the scientists and yourgovernment. IwouldliketorecallwhatLouisPasteuroncesaid, “it iswithin thepowerofman to eradicate the infection from theearth”. Let us all focus our efforts towardseradicatingCovid-19. Together,wecan.

Thewriter is theDeputyChiefMinister ofKarnataka.He is analumnus of Kasturba

Medical College,Manipal

Yes, the government hasrevised the gap twice in thelast three months. It wasfirst enhanced from 28 daysto six to eight weeks inMarch and quite recently to12-16 weeks. This revisionwas done as per thesuggestion by the NationalTechnical Advisory Groupon Immunisation (NTAGI).

ASSAM AGITATIONASSAMAGITATIONLEADERSurgedthegov-ernment to submit concrete proposals inwritingonthefutureof the1961-71entrantsand its response to their proposals. TheAASUandAAGSPleadersalsotoldreportersafter ameeting of thenegotiating commit-tee that they would like to have the finalmeetingonMay24.Afterthat, theentire is-sueshouldberevertedtotheHomeMinistryfor discussions with the two delegations.The two outfits have been trying to ascer-tain the government stand formore than aweek. The twooutfits differ in their assess-ment of the government attitude, withAASUbeingoptimistic.

NEW MOORE CONFLICTBANGLADESHPRESIDENTZIA-UR-RAHMANin his first public statement on the crisis intheNewMooreIslandsaidappropriatestepshavetobetakentoresolveit.Addressinghisparty’s executive committee, Rahman saidthat somecountriesdonotwantour stabil-ity “or some countries do not wantBangladesh togrow”. Thecommitteeaskedthe government to take all steps “to ensurewithdrawal of Indian troops fromBangladeshi soil”.

TEMPLE TRADE UNIONTHE GODSHAVE fallen victim to the tradeunion movement. The demand for mini-

mumwages has infiltrated the sacrosanctcorridorsof theLakshmiNarayanTempleinDelhi with a large section of its employeesondharnasinceMay17.Thepujaris, at leastfour of the 11 employed by the temple, areupinarmsagainstthetemplemanagement.Theyhavejoinedhandswiththechowkidarsandcleaningstaff.

FRANCOISTS STRIKEA BAND OF 20 heavily armed rightistsstormedaBarcelonaBankandthreatenedtostart killingmore than 200 hostages unlesstheSpanishgovernment released four lead-ersof Spain’s attemptedcoup.TheFrancoistgunmenalsothreatenedtoblowupthebank.

MAY 24, 1980, FORTYYEARSAGO

Dr PowerlessWearetrainedtosave lives,not toresuscitatea

crumbling infrastructure

New Delhi


WHATTHEOTHERSSAY“It may be better for the OIC and the Arab League to learn lessons from theirfailure in this crisis and amend their policy of silence in the face of Israelibrutality.” —DAWNTHE IDEASPAGE


How long will it take tovaccinate at least 100 croreIndians to develop herdimmunity? We don’t haveclear cut answers, but V KPaul of NITI Aayog tells usthat between August andDecember 2021, more than200 crore doses of vaccineswill be available for Indians.The government is makingall out efforts to ramp upvaccine production, largelythrough the private sector.This implies that we have alot to do between now andDecember end, perhaps evenbeyond that. We cannot keepthe country under alockdown for long as thathits livelihoods, especiallythat of the poorer sections.

THEUS-LEDglobal counter-terrorism (CT)campaign, amulti-theatre “war on terror”launched in response to 9/11, becameun-popular due to the invasions of Iraq andAfghanistan.TheUS-ledairstrikesremovedthe Taliban regime inAfghanistan in 2001and the Saddam regime in Iraq in 2003. Inboth countries, theUShelped create, train,equip and assist local security forces. Bothcountrieswrote newdemocratic constitu-tionsandinvitedUNmissions.TheIraqwarendedinDecember2011,but

astheIslamicStateinIraqandSyria(ISIS)es-tablishedacaliphatein2014,US“re-engage-ment”inIraqbeganwithIraq’sconsent.TheIraq2.0campaignwasdesignedasaUS-ledglobalcoalition,relyingonairstrikesandsup-porttolocalallies—IraqiandKurdishforcesinIraqandKurd-Araballiance(SDF)inSyria.TheUShas announced that theAfghan

WarwillendbySeptember11,havingseizedthe Doha agreement as an opportunity.While itswithdrawalwill exacerbatechaosandviolenceinAfghanistanandimpactthewiderregion,thereareenoughindicatorsofa “re-engagement” by theUS andNATO inthecountry(Afghanistan2.0),implyingthatashadowpresencewill remain.UnliketheIraqiforces,theearnestbuild-

upoftheAfghanforcesstartedaround2009,when the Taliban posed a serious threatacrossAfghanistan. Inthesameyear,theUSdeclared a surge of troops and promisedwithdrawalby2014.ByJanuary2015,allse-curity responsibilitieswerehandedover toAfghan forces and US troops reduced to10,000, but the war did not end. Afghanforceswerestillill-experiencedandISISwasexpanding its footprint across the globe. ANATO-ledTrain-Advise-AssistMissioncom-menced for Afghan forces,while theUSCTmissionalsocontinuedinpartnershipwithAfghanForces.The US signed the Doha agreement in

February 2020, dangling a “carrot” of fullwithdrawal,hopingtheTalibanwouldagreeto be part of an interim government. Theflawedpeaceprocess,whichofferedaclear,earlyedgetotheTaliban,causedadeadlockin theDohaprocess. Unlike Iraq, therewasclearpoliticalsupportfortheUSforcestore-main in Afghanistan. But the US chose toshed the “occupier” tag and distance itselffrom grievances against governance andharmtociviliansoverthepast20years.TheUShascorrectlyassessedthatAQin

Afghanistan stands degraded and ISIS andAQnetworksarescatteredacrosstheglobe.For instance, theAQ-affiliate inSyria,HayatTahriralSham,hashundredsof fighters ledbyKhatibaImamalBukhariandTawhidwalJihad, active under the umbrella of theTaliban.Similarly,CentralAsianISISfightersinSyria/IraqandEuropemaintainactivelinkswithinAfghanistan.However, the threat ofthecaliphate isoverandthe threatof “gen-uine”ISIStakingrootinAfghanistanhasbeen

warded off by theUS-Afghan partnership.Overthelastsevenyears,Afghanforceshaveevolvedandareconductingmostoperationsontheirown.TheUSinterventioninAfghanistanafter

9/11wasdespite its reluctance to “occupy”a strategically unimportant country.However,currentgeopoliticalcompulsions,including the US-China competition, theChina-Pakistan embrace, theChina-Russiastrategic partnership, and the China-Irandeal, havemadeAfghanistan strategicallyimportant.Thus,despitethewithdrawal,thelooming shadowof US-NATOwill remainwithafocusonpreventingAfghanistanfrombecomingasafehaven.US-NATOhavecho-senAfghanforces,underademocraticgov-ernment, as their local allies and have as-suredfundingupto2024.TheAfghanistan2.0 engagement is un-

likely to emergewith a “bang”. But a fewpoints are clear—Afghanistan ispart of theUS-ledCoalitionagainstISIS(theonlycoun-try fromSouth or Central Asia) and hencecommittedas anation; theAfghangovern-mentcantakeasovereigndecisiontoaskfortrainingor operational support; theUShassufficientresourcesintheCentralCommandtheatreonland,sea,andairtoprovideimme-diatesupportonrequest;ithastheoptionofdronestrikesinAfghanistanandbeyond;theCentralCommandisalreadyconsideringac-tiveairsurveillancemissions;high-endtech-nologicaland“signaturereduction"optionsexistforremotely-controlledoperations;andtheUSretainsitssoftpoweroverAfghanin-stitutionsandpersonalities.AfghanistanandtheUShavebeenmak-

ingeffortsforpeacesince2010,culminatingin theDoha talks.With newer players on-board,includingRussia,China,Iran,Pakistan,andQatar, theUSmade the smartmove toapproachtheUNtobrokerpeace.However,it appears unlikely that China, Russia,Pakistan, and Iranwill send troops to fighttheTalibanunderapeacekeepingmission.DuetotheeasingofUNrestrictionsfora

fewleadersandthefreedomtooperatefromitsDoha office, the Taliban continues to at-tendhigh-profilemeetingsinswankyhotelsin Doha, while deadly attacks ravageAfghanistan.Viciousattacksoncivilians,suchas thekillingof schoolgirls inKabulonMay8,areconvenientlyblamedonIslamicStateKhurasanProvince(ISKP)bytheTaliban.Itiswidelybelieved that thePakistanarmyhasinfiltrated and is running the ISKP to “mar-ket” theTalibanasa “nationalist insurgent”groupwillingtofight“extremist” ISKP.TheUN-ledpeaceprocessisexpectedto

beslow.WhileUS-NATOmayfocusontheirspecificobjectivesinAfghanistan2.0,itiscer-tainthattheTaliban-ISKP-Pakistancombinewill unleashmuchmore violence. Groupslike ISKP and al-Qaeda in IndianSubcontinent (AQIS) and their variantswillbe used for high-profile attacks inAfghanistan and in the region, includingagainstWesterntargets, todeterdeeperre-engagement in Afghanistan. The chaoswould create more ungoverned spacesstrengthening the terror infrastructure.Hence,thedevelopmentsinAfghanistanwillcontinue to raise security concerns, far be-yondSouthAsia.

Thewriter isanIPSofficer

PHOTOGRAPHSOFDEADbodies floating inthe Ganga have been amongst the mostpainful anddistressing images of the secondwaveof thepandemic.Thewavetookalmosteveryonebysurprise.Thegovernmenthadal-most declared victory over Covid in lateFebruary/earlyMarchandpeoplehadloweredtheirguard.Noonecouldguessthattheviruswas lurking round the corner,waiting to hitback hard. The contagion started surgingaround lateMarch inMumbai; it spread likewildfirefirstinMaharashtra,andtheninDelhi,Karnataka,andmanyotherstatesinApril.Ourpolitical leaderswerebusywithstateassem-blyelections.Therewasunprecedentedpanic,with people dying in hospitals and othersgasping for breath due to oxygen shortage.Blackmarketingofoxygencylinders,concen-tratorsandessentialdrugsmadethingsworse.Thegovernment seemed tohave lost controlandmanydeclaredIndiaafailedstate.But,aboutthreeweekslater, thingsseem

to bemore under control.Mostmedical ex-pertstodaybelievethatthepeakisbehindus.ButwemustrememberthatthewavedidnothappenautomaticallyandthatIndiawokeupalittlelate.TheCentreandstategovernments,alongwithcorporateleaders,NGOs,socialandreligiousorganisations,swungintoactionar-ranging oxygen and othermedical suppliesandsettinguptemporaryhospitals; interna-tionalaidalsostartedflyingin.Wearestillnotout of thewoods, but the situation has defi-nitely improved.Itisnowtimetothinkandtakequickaction

to contain the spread of the virus in villages.The PMhaswarned about such a surge. ThemedianeedstobeasvocalaboutitasitwasinthecaseofMumbai,DelhiandBengaluru.Else,Indiawillhavetopayaheavyprice.Whenonetalksofruralareas,farmersim-

mediatelycometomind.Farmershavemadeus food-secure by adoptingmodern tech-nologies, incentivisedbythegovernmentsofthe day. Punjab’s agriculturists stand tallamongstthefarmingcommunity.ButdoweknowthatPunjabtopsthelistofCovid-19re-lated deaths in relation to the cumulativeCovid caseload? It is followed byUttarakhand,Goa,Delhi andMaharashtra.Can you guess the reasons behind this?

Whatweknowaboutthevirusforsureisthatit lovescrowds.Whether it is farmers’ agita-tions, religious congregations or New Yearrevellers, it spares none. It does not distin-guishbetweenrichandpoor,religiousgroupsand castes.Whenpeople remain in a denialmode, the pathogen is likely to strike evenharder. There are also reports of agitatingfarmers alleging that Covid is a conspiracyagainst them. That’s what worries me themostasthevirushasenteredvillages.Denial,whether due to deficit of trust in govern-ments(Centralandstate)orsheerignorance,willmakeithardertocontrolthevirus.Weakhealth infrastructure in rural areas can spelldisaster. I won’t be surprised if the virus re-turnsforathirdorevenfourthwavebecause

of thismentality. Remember, no one is safeunless all of us are safe. The only solutionseemstobevaccination.Howlongwill it taketovaccinateat least

100croreIndianstodevelopherdimmunity?Wedon’thaveclearcutanswers,butVKPaulof NITI Aayog tells us that between Augustand December 2021, more than 200 croredosesofvaccineswillbeavailableforIndians.The government ismaking all out efforts torampupvaccineproduction, largelythroughtheprivatesector. This implies thatwehavea lot todobetweennowandDecemberend,perhaps even beyond that.We cannot keepthecountryunderalockdownforlongasthathits livelihoods,especially thatof thepoorersections.Ourresponsehas tobeacalibratedone,balancing livesand livelihoods.What steps should thegovernment take

now? Rajiv Kumar, Niti Aayog’s vice-chair-man, called a meeting on this issue withmany think-tanks lastweek. ICRIER’s seniorteam submitted a note suggesting the cre-ation of awar room at the Centrewith rep-resentativesfromrelevantstates,medicalex-perts,armylogistics,corporatesectorandcivilsociety. Amitabh Kant of NITI Aayog told usthathisorganisationalreadyhassucharoom.If so, itwouldbegoodif theleaderof thewarroom addresses the nation at least twice aweekand informspeopleabout thegovern-ment’s preparedness. Kant also told us thathisteamisworkingwithmorethanonelakh

NGOs,corporatebodies,andcoordinatingin-ternationalaidforsmoothandtimelyflowofmedical supplies. That’s a huge and com-mendableeffort.Butitmightstill fallshortofaddressingpeoples’needs,especiallyofthoseliving in rural areas.We need to first convince rural people

about vaccination, and simultaneously up-gradethehealthinfrastructure,especiallypri-mary health centres (PHCs). Panchayats,NGOs, and corporate leaders can be ropedintothistask.Stockingvaccinesinruralareaswill require controlled temperatures, andpower supplies in PHCs remains an issue.ArunabhaGhoshofCEEWsuggestedthatallPHCsneedtobeputonsolarpoweronawarfooting. He also talked of creating new jobsandgivingafilliptohealthinfrastructurewithgreen footprint. Yamini Aiyar of CPR sug-gested vaccination camps at the panchayatlevel.MGNREGAworkersarelikelytobevul-nerable due to group activity. Theymay beincentivised for vaccination, say with freefood for threemonths and/or cash reward.Butif thatdoesnotwork,mandatoryvaccina-tion for groupworkers in villages and facto-riesmaybeneededtosave lives.Abigpushwithregardsto infrastructure

andsupportingMSMEinruralareascangoalongway insaving livesand livelihoods.

Gulati is InfosysChairProfessor forAgricultureat ICRIER

CULT OF PINARAYITHIS REFERS TO the article, ‘ExcludingteacherAmma’(IE,May20).ForapartythatexcludedJyotiBasufromtheprimeministership of India, excluding KKShailaja from a secondministerial in-ningswas really a small thing. The cultofpersonalityaroundwhichtheKeralacampaignwas constructed, where thepartyhad toplay second fiddle, shouldalsosurprisenobody.Communistshavealways shown suchmental flexibilityandstill claimedmoral superiorityandideological purity by doing clever per-ceptionmanagement. Successful han-dling of the corona pandemic by thestatewasalsoonesuchexercise.Theac-tual number of infections otherwisetells another story.

HNBhagwat,Chiplun

THIS REFERS TO the article, ‘ExcludingteacherAmma’(IE,May20).Theshame-ful exclusion of K K Shailaja from thenewKerala cabinet is proof that nepo-tism, cult of personality and insecurityof leaderstowardscapablesubordinatesisauniversalphenomenon,andtheso-called progressive parties and ideolo-gies are as prone to thesemaladies asanyoneelse.

UdayMahajan,Pune

SEDITION OPPRESSIONTHISREFERSTOtheeditorial, ‘Absurd,arbitrary’ (IE, May 21). This is a bald-facedmisuse of an archaic law,meantto drown out the voice of dissent. It isappallinghowthepowers-that-beof-ten resort to shooting themessenger,rather than addressing an issue head-

on. Free speech must thrive in ademocracy.

VarunDas,Zirakpur

STIFLED IN UPTHIS REFERS TO the article ‘The UPproblem’ (IE,May21).YogiAdityanathseems to be in a hurry to emulate thetough image of Modi at the Centre.Worse,hethinksthat theoverwhelm-ing mandate given to the BJP in thestate election is exactly for this pur-pose.ArmedwiththeHinducard(syn-onymouswiththeBJP),anyvoicetothecontrary is instantly stifled. No won-der, vigilantism is theorderof theday.The party’s think-tank is of the viewthat Hindu majoritarianism, with agrandRamTempleaddednow,willbeenough to let themsail through in thenext elections.

KamnaChhabra,Gurgaon

LETTERS TO THEEDITOR

WHILEINDIAISstrugglingtofightthesecondwaveofCovid-19,talkingofaremedialstrat-egytofirmlydealwithanotherwaveofinfec-tionsmaybethemostappropriateexercisetoundertake now. The ongoing secondwavewill, unfortunately, leave deep scars. Peoplewerelefttofendforthemselves—somethingthat theynever knewhowtodo, and some-thingthatwasnevertheirbusiness.Thispan-demicoffersusarareopportunity toputourlargelymedievalpublichealthcareapparatusingoodshape.A thirdwave, if it happens, is likely to be

worse. Someof theworrieswould be aboutfastascendinginfectionsinruralareasdomi-nated by poormedical infrastructure, theshortage of vaccines and the expected year-long timeframe to vaccinate all eligible indi-viduals, vaccine hesitancy, constraints onsourcingof ingredientsneededtomakevac-cines,deadliervariantsof thevirus, theomi-nous possibility of the virus impacting chil-dren,theinadequatehealthcareinfrastructurefordealingwithsuchasituation,andsoon.As per the latest HumanDevelopment

Report2020,Indiahaseighthospitalbedsfor10,000people;incomparison,Chinahasmorethanfourfor just1,000.TheIndiangovernmentisalreadymobil-

isingtoaddressthesechallenges,andsomeofthestategovernmentshaveadoptedinnova-tiveideas.Anationaltaskforce(NTF)hasbeenconstituted by the Supreme Court. It willhopefully offer useful recommendations onshoring up the health infrastructure to deal

withthepandemic.It is, however, equally important that a

matching,proactiveexecutingmechanismissimultaneously thought about, and eventaken into account by theNTF. It is a truismthatwithoutproperimplementationapolicyismerelyagood-intentionedstatement. It ishere that India’s bureaucracy can help plugthegapsandswiftly createhealthcare struc-tures, accessible in any grave eventuality aswellasnormaltimes.Attentionneedstobepaidtostrengthen-

ing, and refurbishing the local public healthcentres(PHCs),andcreatingmanymoretem-porary Covid/intensive care units. Theseshouldbeequippedandmannedtodealwithallemergencymedicalcare,exceptforrareoc-currences.Theobjectiveshouldbethatnopa-tient has to travel beyond10 to 15 km inur-banareas,and20to25kminruralregionsforhealthcare. This arrangement alone can re-duce the likely number of fatalities.Developing the existing PHCs,which gener-allyhaveplentyofopenspaceandramshacklestructures, through public-private partner-shipscanbeawin-winsituation.The epicentre of this decentralised pro-

gramme should be at the district headquar-ters,whichwill coordinate, facilitate, andor-ganiseallactivities.Amanaginggroupcanbecreated,comprisingrepresentativesfromvar-ious related departments and organisationsatthedistrictlevel.Itcanbringintoitsfoldex-perts andvital stakeholders like communitymembers, social activists, and NGOs. The

managinggroupshouldbeheadedbythedis-trictmagistrate or his senior nominee. Thisgroupcanworkoutanactionplan, andenu-merate the responsibilities for differentgroundlevelofficersanddepartments.The districtmanaging group can be for-

mallynotified,andbestowedwithspecialad-ministrative and financial powers to deliverpromptanduninterruptedservicesasmaybedefinedby the state government. The groupwillhavetheauthoritytoruntheshow.Someof the powers andmandate arementionedbelowforillustrationpurposes.First,tonotifyand commandeer all or listedmedical carecentreswithinthedistrict territory,publicorprivate, to provide notifiedmedical servicesduringthepublichealthemergency.Second,tomakealllogisticsarrangementswellinad-vancebyengagingpublic andprivate assets.Third,developmedicalcentreswithrequiredspecialisationservicesandthecapacityinan-ticipationofthedemand.Fourth,tomaintainandupgrade existing (PHCs), ensuring, par-ticularlyinruralareas,replacementsformiss-ingmedicalofficers,engagingadditionalmed-ical and technical staff through innovativesources. Simultaneously, upgrading andus-ing the healthcare apparatus of institutionslikemunicipal bodies, and panchayats, anddrawingonthesupportof anganwadiwork-ers,andspeciallyhiredvolunteers.Fifth,tode-clare containment zones, and to also ensurethat citizensmeticulously abide by the pre-cautionaryadvisoriesandinstructions.Sixth,totacklecasesof leakage,black-marketingof

essentialmedicalsupplies.Seventh,tofixpri-orities andplace special focus on rural areasintermsof speedytesting, tracingandvacci-nating. Eighth, to keep the general populaceinformeddailyofthemedicalandotherfacil-ities available. And tomeet daily to ensureclearingofbottlenecksandtocourse-correctifneeded.At themacro level, each state/UT should

develop an action plan, in view of its chal-lenges, and in consonancewith the publichealth programme laid downby theCentre.The state/ UT should constitute an exclusivepublichealthemergencycell,comprisingsen-ior officials fromall related departments, tobe the focal point of decisionmaking. Stategovernments should also share informationandprogress throughdashboards andothertechnologytools,andinvitesuggestions.Itneedstobeunderlinedthatdealingwith

a public health emergency requires nothingshortofa“perfectadministration”.Eachstateshouldseethatsuchacapableimplementingmachine is driven bypassionate team lead-ers.Nobureaucratic rules shouldbeallowedtoobstructthemissionaryspiritrequiredhere.It ishopedthattheNTFwillalsoexaminetheexistingadministrativeconstraints.Abottom-upapproachwillnotonlyhelp

bluntanypossiblesurgeintheCovidwavebutwillalsobuildthemuch-neededhealthinfra-structure.Indiashouldnotmissthisopportu-nitytostrengthenitshealthcaresystem.

Thewriter isanIASofficer

ToaddressCovidsurge,district-leveltaskforcesmustbeempowered

The bottom-up fightback IDEASONLINE

ONLY IN THE EXPRESS

●● THENATIONALARCHIVESMUSTBEPROTECTED:SWAPNAKONANAYUDU

●●COVIDANDMIDDLE-CLASSAPATHY:JYOTIDALAL

www.indianexpress.com

Halting it in its rural tracks Afghanistan 2.0AsUSwithdrawstroopsfromAfghanistan,developmentsinthecountrywillraisesecurity

concernsbeyondSouthAsia

AnjuGupta

Durga Shakti Nagpal

Asthevirusspreadstovillages, thestatecannotaffordtobecaughtunawares.Asoundvaccinationstrategyandacalibratedresponsethatbalances livesandlivelihoods isurgent

Graphic:RiteshKumar, Illustration:CRSasikumar

FROM PLATE TO PLOUGH

ByAshokGulati

3.02.52.01.51.00.50

DEATHRATE (Cumulative Covid deaths to cumulative Covid cases)

2.39

1.67

1.55

1.54

1.52

1.45

1.42

1.29

1.29

1.21

1.17

1.11

1.10

1.08

0.99

0.96

0.96

0.79

0.66

0.65

0.59

0.38

0.30

Punjab

Uttarakhand Goa

Delhi

Maharashtra

Himachal

Pradesh

Jharkhand

Jammu&

Kashmir

Chhattisgarh

Gujarat

WestBengal

TamilNadu

India

Uttar

Pradesh

Karnataka

Haryana

Madhya

Pradesh

Rajasthan

Assam

Andhra

Pradesh

Bihar

Odisha

Kerala

Source:MinistryofHealthandFamilyWelfare (dataasperMay17, 2021)

New Delhi

SHUBHAJITROY:Whatmadeyouwrite IndiaandAsianGeopolitics:ThePast,Present?I am convinced that India does best

whenshe ismostengagedandconnectedwiththeoutsideworld.Unfortunately,whatIseehappeninginthelastfewyearsisthatweareturninginwards—asortofclosingofthe Indianmind, cuttingoff fromtheout-sideworld.Weareveryconvincedthatweareunique,weare exceptional,whichwemight be, but that doesn’tmean thatwedon’tneedtheworld.So(thebook)isreallyaplea forengagementwith the restof theworld,particularlywithourhome,Asia.

SHUBHAJITROY:DoyouthinktherealitiesofIndiaiscommensuratewiththe‘vishwaguru’ imagethatthegovernmentistryingtoproject?Idon’tthinkwearerightyettoclaimto

bevishwaguru.Wearenotagreatgenera-tor of knowledgeor great innovators.Weare actually an importer of knowledge, oftechnology, of ideas. Of course, this canchange but not today. Secondly, beingvishwagurudoesn’tnecessarilymeanthatIndiansleadbetter,moreprosperous,safer,securelives,whichisourfundamentaljob,andnot to change theworld, get revenge,gainstatusortogetotherpeopletosayhowgreatweare.What’s happened in the lastfewyearsisthatforeignpolicyisbeingusedfordomesticpoliticalpurposes…Itispartofdomestic imageprojectionand isused forthosepurposes... AllthisprojectionofIndiabeingagreat risingpower, a global powerand so on is essentially us. Theworld ismuchmore realistic. Theworldmeasuresyourmaterial power, hard power, youreconomy,yourmilitarystrength,andyourability to run your ownaffairswell. Thentheylookatthesofterdimensions…Today,I’mafraid thatwhat’s happened recentlyhashitoursoftpoweraswell…

SHUBHAJITROY:So,whatkindofpowerisIndiarightnow?IthinkIndiaisadifferentkindofpower.

What Indiahas alwaysunderstood is thatwe are still a developing country andwehavealongwaytogo.But,wehaveweight,wehaveinfluenceandwehadthebrainstouseotherpeople’spoliticalweight—aformofpoliticaljujutsu.In2008,whenwedidn’tget clearance from the NSG (NuclearSuppliers Group),wewere able toworkwithenoughfriendsandwith thesole su-perpowerof theday to get that. Similarly,whenBangladesh(wascarvedout)in1971,andthepoliticalgeographyof thesubcon-tinent changed, itwas against theopposi-tionofourlargestneighbour…Westillusedthe ColdWar…The support thatwe gotfrom the Soviet Union to create enoughspacetogetourway...Thatwasanachieve-ment…So there is a large elementof skillherewhichinvolvesunderstandingthesit-uation,usingittoachieveIndianinterests...

SHUBHAJITROY:From2014tonow,whathaschangedaboutChina?It’sclearthatChinesebehaviourhasbe-

comemoreassertive.Iwouldn’tdateitonlytoXiJinpingand2012,Iwouldactuallytakeitbackto2008,whenaftertheglobalfinan-cial crisis Chinaprobably felt hermomenthad come…I seemuchmoreChinese as-sertivebehaviouracrosstheboardfor tworeasons.One is they see anopportunity…But,theymightalsobeseeingaclosingwin-dow, that this is a temporarymoment ofstrategicopportunity…Onereportlastyearfor the first time said thatChina’s popula-tionhasactuallydiminished.By2040,mostprojectionssaythatChinawillhavetheagestructure that Japanhas today. Secondly,theireconomyisrevertingtomean.Likeallthe other miracleAsian economies,there is noway thatyou can sustain 10%growthbeyond30-35years.Forthelastfewyears,theyhavebeenshowing6%(growth),while some outsideobserversthinkitisaslowas2%...

SHUBHAJITROY:HowdoyouseeourresponsetoChina?You see it depends onwhat your aim

is… In2017, inDoklam,wehada face-offfor72daysoveraterritory,whichwethinkisBhutaneseand theChinese say is theirs.After72days,wenegotiatedawithdrawal.Theyvacatedthespotandsodidwe.Butwethen declared victory.We saidwe facedthemdown…Then,whatdid theChinesedo?Theycamebackandoccupiedtherestoftheplateau…Onceyouaretrappedintothis narrativeof Iwon, then they canplaythattocreateoutcomes.Thatistheriskthatweface.Today, for instance,wehaveaproblem

astheChinesechangethestatusquoalongthe LAC in thewestern sector at severalspots.Wearetalkingofdisengagement,notofrestoringthestatusquo.Butatthesametime, the initial tendencywas tosaynoth-

inghashappened.Ifnothinghashappened,whatareyoudiscussing?AndtheChinesethenwouldbe justified insayingwhatareyouaskingustowithdrawfrom?...Myad-vicewould be, it’s best to behonestwithyour own people right from the start.Otherwise,yougetintoaverycomplicatedwebof tryingtoexplain…Unfortunately, Idon’texpecttransparencyfromtheChinese.Theyhaveneverdisplayeditinthepastandthat iswhyChinese versions are very sel-dombelievedaroundtheworld.Infact,lessand less so todaywith thewolf-warriordiplomacy. Butwe have also been quitesparingwith the truth, since spring2020.For me, that’s a problem because youshouldn’t be defending a narrative, youshouldbedefending your actual positionontheground.

KRISHNKAUSHIK:Inresolvingthecurrentstandoff,wasIndiarightingivingupitsleverageinKailashRangefor limiteddisengagement?

We don’t knowwhatisactuallysaidinthe negotiation,what’s been offered,what’s not. There’s alot of speculation.There are inspiredleaks,whichmakemeverynervous…Whatwedid onAugust 29onwards was right,occupyingtheheights,and it paid its divi-dends in the sense

that at least the situationaroundPangongTsoisrelativelybacktowhatitwasbefore.

KRISHNKAUSHIK:Thegovernmenthasbeeninsistingthatsince2013wehavenotbeenabletoapproachourpatrollinglimits...The IndianArmyknowswhat theyare

doing on the border… SSN (Sub-sectorNorth),Depsanghavebeensensitiveareasforalongtime.Wehaveknownaboutit,weknowtheproblem.The last timewewentto our patrol pointswas in January 2020.Nowboth sides are preventing the otherfromdoingwhat theyused todo. Soper-haps the status quohasbeen changed forboth of us and that iswhyyouhave to beclearaboutwhathappensontheground…Don’tmakeexcusessayingwehaven’tbeen(toourpatrollingpoints)since2013,which

isnottrue.Don’tfoundyourstanceonalie.Saythere’sanewstatusquothat’sbeencre-ated and it’s acceptable tous and thatwedon’t think it hurts our interest. Accept itandmoveon.Buttodothis(tosaythatwehavenotbeentoourpatrollingpointssince2013) isa formof appeasement.Onceyouappease,youonlywhettheirappetite.Theythen feel that they can try and do this inotherplaces.Our jobnow is to restorede-terrence on that linewhich has brokendown, because if it hadn’t been brokendown,they(China)wouldnothavetriedtochange the statusquo in somany spots atthesametimeandonsuchascale.

ANANTGOENKA:GivenJackMa’srun-inwithChineseregulators,shouldIndianentrepreneursbecautiousabouttakingfundingfromChinaorfromChinesecompanies?Moneyisfungible.Ifyoutakethemoney

andgive thempoweronyourboardman-agementetc, thenthat isawholedifferentcalculus. But if it’s just investment for thesakeofinvestment,taketheirmoney,buildyour industriesandmake ityourown…Itdependsonhowyoustructure thedeals. Ithink the figures that theChinese just putout for the firstquarterof thisyearshowarecord increase of 42% in Indian-Chinatrade,overthesameperiodlastyear…Thiscan’t justbepushfromtheChineseside, itisalsopullonourside…Ithinkwehavetoaccept that someof this is in our interestalso.Afterall,cheapChinesegoodsaregoodfor the Indian consumer aswell.Weneedtolookathowwecanbuildthisintoarela-tionshipwherethedependenciesaremin-imisedandthebenefitismaximised.That’spossiblebutitwilltakeafairamountoffine-tuningwork.

ANANTGOENKA:SupposethereisChineseinvestmentinOla,whichhasaveryambitiousplanofdominatingtheelectricvehiclesector.NowifaChinesecompanygotevena25%stakeinit,afairamountofcontrolcomesin.Isitthenrealistictoexpectthatitisjustmoneygivenforreturnofinvestment?Therefore,Ithinkwhatyouwoulddois

youwould laydown limits onhowmuchcontrollinginteresttheyget.Chinesemoneyisall across theworld. It’smoreaquestionof howdo you structure these things tomakesurethatyouretaincontrol,thatyouarenot creatingdependencieswhich can

later hurt you. Frankly, you can’t label anyinvestmentasanationalityanymore.

ANANTGOENKA:WhatdoyouthinkofPakistan’soffer toexportoxygentoIndia?Thebestway toplay these things is in

anabsolutelystraightway.Actasifit’sagen-uine offer, say thank you and take it. Butdon’tsuddenlysayeverythinghaschanged,ourrelationshipiswonderful,allofusstartspeakingPunjabi…No,no.

PVAIDYANATHANIYER:TradedeficitswithChinahaveincreasedoveraperiodoftime.IstradeanareawherewearelookingatcreatinginterdependencieswithChina?Also,howrealistheparanoiaaboutChi-neseinvestment?Weused to runa surplus (trade)with

China…Itwasonlyaround2004-2005,thatthedeficitreallystartedgrowing,andafterthat itballooned…Whathashappenedinthe last few years isthatwehavefolloweda sort of passive-ag-gressive foreign eco-nomic policy… Wewalked out of RCEP(RegionalComprehensiveEconomicPartnership) aftereight years of negoti-ation.Wearenowtheonlymajor economywhich is not part ofanyregionaltradingarrangement.Wehavebeenraisingtariffsforthelastfouryears.Soweareactuallyturninginwards.Yet,40%ofourGDP comes from the external sector.Canwedowithouttheworld?Canweonlyrelyonatmanirbharta?Wecan’t.Nearly80%ofourimportsaremaintenanceimports—fertilizer, energy.Wearenot going to sur-vivewithout theworld. Andhoware yougoing topay for this if youarenot export-ing?Theworldeconomyismuchslower,itis fragmented, but it is still globalised. It isfragmented into very large trading blocs.Asia isone,whereweareoutsideboththeCPTPP (Comprehensive and ProgressiveAgreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership)andRCEP…Ifyouchoosetocutyourselfofffromtherest,formeitrepresentsarealriskof amuchmore impoverished future forIndia,andthatistheargumentImakeinthe

book.Youhavetogetoutthereandgeten-gaged.Yes,it’satougherworld.Butbecauseit’s a tougherworld, youhave todomore.Youshoulddomuchmoreinthesubconti-nent,muchmore in the IndianOcean re-gion. You canmake yourself a source ofprosperity for your smaller neighbours…Youaccountforabout8%oftheworld’sGDP,youdohave certainweightandinfluence.Youarenot leveragingthat toactually fur-theryoureconomicinfluencewhereastheChinese are actuallyinstitutionalisingtheirinfluencethroughAIIB(Asian InfrastructureInvestmentBank)etc.That is thedifference.There are a thousandways of doing it, butfor me the biggestworry is thatwe areactuallyheadingintheoppositedirection.…Partoftheprob-

lem between IndiaandChina is thatwe each project on theother, andexpect theother one tobehaveaswewould in those circumstances. Andwedon’t.Wedon’tunderstandeachother,wedon’tevenstudyeachotherproperly…

In1988,whenwedidmodusvivendi andbasically agreed tonot bother eachother,botheconomieswereroughlythesamesizeandatasimilarleveltechnologically.Infact,weweremore integrated into theworldeconomythantheywere.Butnow,theyaremore than four times bigger than us intermsofeconomyandyoucanseethelev-elsofintegrationandtheinfluencethattheyexercise in theworld. The result is really atremendoussenseofenvyinIndia.Alotofthereactions,likethrowingChineseTVsoutof thewindow, how andwhomdoes ithelp?You just lost a TV, that’s all. There isnorationaldiscussionofthesethingsanditisnotevenpossible...Thatformeistragic.

SHUBHAJITROY:WaswalkingoutofRCEPamistake?Yes,Ithinkso.Youhadeightyearstone-

gotiatewhatyouwanted.Thenyouhavea20-yearadjustmentperiodinRCEPforittoactuallybeginfully.Sowhatareyousayingwhenyouwalkaway?YouaresayingIam

notcompetitivetodayandIdon'tthinkIwillbe competitive in 20years.That’swhatyouare saying to the restoftheworld.Youhaveopted out. I'm sureyoumadeyouradver-sarieshappy.

NIRUPAMASUBRAMANIAN:DoesIndia’sclosenesswiththe

USortheQuad(QuadrilateralDialogue)partnershipsquarewithourdesireforstrategicautonomy?Idon’tthinkstrategicautonomymeans

Iwon’tworkwith other people… I thinkstrategic autonomymeans that youmakeupyourownmind.Secondly,youareonlyuseful tootherpeople, if youarewilling toactuallyworkwith them. You need theworldtohelpyouwithissuessuchasmar-itime security... 93%of your trade goes bysea,and38%of itthroughSouthChinaSea.Areyougoingtodefenditeverywhere?Yourelyoninternationalnorms,otherpartners.

NIRUPAMASUBRAMANIAN:Incaseofanall-outhostilitywithChina,whatcanweexpectfromtheQuad?Nobodyelseisgoingtofightforyou.And

youdon’twantanybodyelsetofightforyou

either.Evenin1962,nobodydid…Secondly,intelligence is something where yourfriendscanhelpyou.Asyourinterestsgrow,as youbecomemore entangledwith theworld, youare alsomoredependenton it.China isasdependentontheworldasyouare;lawsofpoliticsapplytothemtoo.

AAKASHJOSHI:TowhatextentdoyouthinkdomesticpoliticaldecisionsaffectIndia’ssoftpowerabroad?

Today, India as amodelinthesubcon-tinentisprobablylesssothanbeforefortwoorthreereasons.Oneis that the subconti-nent is composed ofold nations but newstates. They are allbuildingup their na-tionalism and so onand in the last 30 or40yearstheyfeellessthreatened.Butwhen

Sri Lanka was trying to negotiate withTamils in Jaffna,wheredid the Sri Lankangovernmentlookforexample?Indianfed-eralism.WhyistheNepaliCongresscalledtheCongress?Wheredotheycomewhentheyhavetorunawayfromthemonarchy?Thosepolitical linksatahumanlevelhaveatrophied,partlyonoursideaswebecomemore insular,butalso in theircase,as theyhavedevelopedintheirownway.Soit’snotonlywhatwe have done in the last fewyearsinternally,butalsoaboutthesharpernationalistrhetoricthatwearenowusinginprojectingourselves.Butthebiggestshiftthathascomeisthat

(thesubcontinent)wasbasicallyasideshowduringtheColdWar...Buttodayallthepres-sureandflashpointsareintheAsiaPacific…Today, youhave a level of outside interestin the subcontinentwhichdidn’t existbe-fore.Andtheywillusetheleveragethisgivesthem, justasyou(India)usedthe leveragetheColdWargaveyoubetweentheUSandtheSoviets.TheywilluseyourtensionswithChina.Soit’samuchmorecomplicatedsit-uationtodaythanbefore.

LIZMATHEW:WhatwouldbeIndia’spositioninanewpost-Covidworld?…Thewaywehandlethesecondwave

is going to affect our image. But basically,ifyoulookatthegeopoliticsofit,Covidhasaccelerated existing trends rather thanshift them...We are still in themiddle ofthis crisis, and I am very reluctant to saythatat theendof this crisis, India isgoingto come out better or worse than otherpeople.Wewillcomeoutdiminished.Andunfortunately,everybodyisgoingtocomeout diminished. And in amuch slowerworld economy,where everybody is do-ingmuchworse, it’s going to be amuchharderworldbecause therewillbeanat-uraltendencyto…bemuchmoreprotec-tionist. You are entering aworldwhich ismuchmore Hobbesian as it were…Thebestway is tohandleourproblemscom-petently,thatwillbethebeginning(of re-covery). But if you are going to do imagemanagement, I’msorry.

RAVISHTIWARI:DoestheinternationalcommunityunderstandtheworldorderthatChinaistryingtofashion?…MyownsenseisthatChinaknowsit

isthegreatestbeneficiaryofthepresentor-der…WhattheyaresayingisthatChinaisready to take centre stage. She (China) isnot saying let’s build adifferent order butshedefinestheexistingorderdifferently…Sheistalkingaboutadivisionoftheworldbetweenthegreatpowers.Andshekeepssayinganythingoutsidethatisdangerous.Now,whatdoes that imply?Tome, it im-plies that she isopentoanegotiation.Shewants to improve the present order butshe’sabeneficiaryofit.Soshedoesn’twantto destroy it…China has never taken theresponsibilitiesthattheUSdidafterWorldWar-II...While she’s an economic super-power, she’s not yet a political ormilitarysuperpower.

SHUBHAJITROY:Doyouthinkback-channeltalksbetweenIndiaandPakistanwillwork?Back channels are useful and have

worked… But they have failed too…because domestic politics in bothnations does not support it. Today, weare in a different situation where itseems that those who have power inboth countries have an interest in acontrolled level of hostility. They don’twant it to go out of hand as neither canriskadefeat... It seemstoservedomesticpolitical purposesonboth sides tohavesomehostility.

SHUBHAJITROY:Yourprognosis inthebookdoesn’tpaintaveryhappypictureaboutwhere India isheaded.I’moptimisticaboutIndia. Indiaisbig-

ger than any politician, government orbureaucrat. I seehard timesaheadandalot depends onwhatwe think andwhatwedo.

‘

Post-Covid, everyonewill be diminished.We have to handleour problems competently... not do imagemanagement

SHIVSHANKARMENON, FORMERNATIONALSECURITYADVISER

‘

‘

‘Can we only rely onatmanirbharta? We can’t

survive without the world.If you cut off, there’s risk ofan impoverished future for

India; have to engage


IDEAEXCHANGE Newsmakers in theNewsroom


‘

‘India is less a model insubcontinent now. Politicallinks at a human level haveatrophied (partly due to)

sharper nationalist rhetoricthat we are projecting... ‘

‘I don’t expect transparencyfrom Chinese, less now

with wolf-warriordiplomacy. But we have also

been sparing with truthsince 2020. It’s a problem

WHYSHIVSHANKARMENON

As the centre-stage ofgeopolitics shifts toAsia, with a more

assertive China, Menon’s newbook, India and AsianGeopolitics, is a “plea” for Indiato engage with the world,particularly Asia. The formerambassador to China and ex-foreign secretary, also analysesIndia’s growing position as acounter to China in the region

Illustration: SuvajitDey

Menonsays Indiacan’t layclaimto“vishwaguru”statusyet;explains thatvis-à-visChina, thegovtshouldn’tbe“defendinganarrative”,but “actualpositionontheground”;andbelieves that thecountrycannot relyonlyonatmanirbharta. ThesessionwasmoderatedbyDyChief of BureauShubhajitRoy

New Delhi

AstraZeneca & variants in IndiaNewdatafromtheUKdemonstratetheeffectivenessofAstraZeneca’svaccineagainsttheB.1.617.2variantfirstdetectedinIndia.Howshouldweinterpretthefindings,andcantheyimpactIndia’svaccinationpolicy?

TWODAYS ago, an analysis of real-worlddata from the UKwas published as a pre-print (not yet peer-reviewed) detailing theeffectivenessof PfizerandAstraZenecavac-cinesagainst twovariantsof theSARS-CoV-2coronavirus: one,denotedasB.1.1.7,withitsoriginsinKent,UK,andthesecond,denotedasB.1.617.2, thatwas firstdetected in India.Indianpublicpolicyhasmassiveinterest

inthis informationsincethebroaderB.1.617variant is expected to, if it has not already,become the dominant strain of the diseasewithin thepopulation in India.Priortothis,themaindatainformingde-

cisionswere fromAstraZeneca’s clinical tri-als to establish the safety and efficacy of itsvaccine. The results were published onMarch6,2021.Thesenewresultsvalidatethetwo-dose efficacy against the B.1.167.2, butindicate a lower efficacy for the one-doseregimen.

Vaccine policy, underlying dataIndianguidelinesforCovishieldvaccina-

tion have evolved from a recommendationof a gap of 4-6 weeks in February, to 6-8weeks inMarch, and finally to 12-16weeksinMay. Thesewere based on the data fromclinical trials conducted to prove the vac-cine’s safety and efficacy, and are sum-marisedbelow.Thetwo-doseefficacy(morethan14days

aftertheseconddose)was66.7%. Therewerenohospitalisations22dayspostthefirstdosecompared to the non-vaccinated groupwhichhad15.Thesingle-doseefficacy(fromday-22today-90post-vaccination)was76%.Therewerenohospitalisationsintheperiodof22daysfromfirstdoseupto14daysfromseconddose. Efficacydata for interdosedu-

ration for someof thegroups is:

2-doseefficacywith<6weeksgap:55.1%2-doseefficacywith>12weeksgap:80%

In addition to proving safety, the trial’spurposewas to establish the efficacy of thetwo-dose regimen.The trial found that a single-dose had a

similar efficacy for up to90 days to that of thetwo-dose regimen.Notethat theaverageefficacyreported for single-dose(76%) is actually higherthan that for the two-dose regimen. Thisseems odd, but a closerlook at the confidenceintervals shows thatthese intervals overlapand in such a situation,no definite conclusioncan be drawn about thedifference in these twonumbers.The second analysis

showed that having alonger interval in be-tween the doses did notnegatively impacttheul-timate efficacy. Hereagain, it appears thatthereissubstantialdiffer-ence between the effi-cacy of a regimen with>12weeks and thatwith<6 weeks. Any specificconclusion cannot bedrawnbecauseofoverlappingconfidencein-tervalsaswellasnon-uniformityinthecom-positionof thesesub-groups.Forexample,thegroupthathadaninter-

val of <6weeks had a higher proportion ofolder individuals.In summary, the study clearly demon-

stratedtheefficacyofthetwo-doseregimen.Itsuggestedthatincreasingthegapbetweentwodosescould increaseefficacy,andasin-gledoseshowedsimilarefficacyastwodosesupto90dayspost-dose.

Goals and challengesThe goal of a vaccination program is to

provide the strongest immunity that laststhelongest,anddosointheshortestamountof time (minimum doses, or, minimumspacing between multiple doses). Thesegoals canbeatodds, especiallywhenacer-tain time duration is necessary to developstrongimmunity,or if a longergapbetween

dosesprovidesimprovedefficacy. Another chal-lengewithalongerwait-ing period betweendoses is that individualscouldbevulnerabledur-ingthewaitingtimewiththe protection of onlyonedose.In India, the urgent

needistoreducecasesofsevere disease, and de-creaseburdenonmedicalinfrastructure. Datashowed vaccinations arean effective tool toachievethis.Evenasingledose showed some effi-cacy towards reducingseveredisease.Therefore, the ap-

proach to prioritise sin-gle-dosevaccinationandprovide someprotectionfrom severe disease to awiderpopulationhasthemostpotentialtocurbtheburdenonhealthcare in-frastructure.

Implications of newdataThenewdataarefromareal-worldstudy.

Incontrasttoaclinicaltrialthatcollectsdatain the “future” by creating two groups — avaccinated and an un-vaccinated — andtracks thesetoanalyse thedifferences in in-fections between them, a real-world studycollects “past” information. It analyses dataforCovid-positiveand-negativeindividuals.Marrying the vaccination details with thetesting data enables comparison of vaccineeffectiveness.

Inthenewstudy,1,054individualsweretestedfortheB.1.617.2variantwith244hav-ing received the AstraZeneca vaccine. Theeffectiveness of the AZ vaccine (two-doseregimen) versus this variantwas 59.8%. Incomparison, the effectiveness against theB.1.1.7was66.1%.Overlap inconfidence in-tervals indicatenot a significantdifferencebetween the two numbers. The effective-ness of a single dose was calculated as32.9%. Thedurationoverwhichthissingle-dose effectiveness is calculated is not de-tailed in the study.Thegoodnews is that the two-dose reg-

imeniseffectiveagainstthenewvariant. Thenumber cannot be directly comparedwiththeefficacy reported in theclinical trial, butthe additional information that it is similarto the B.1.1.7 variant indicates that the vac-cine iseffectiveversusmultiplevariants.Theefficacyof a singledose isan impor-

tantparameter. Aspresentedearlier, ahighefficacyovera long timeframewill enableavaccinationprogrammeto increase thegapbetween two doses and provide some pro-tection to a broader population. The 32.9%effectivenessfromthisanalysisappearslowwhencomparedto76%reportedintheclin-ical trial.The crucial parameter for public policy,

however, is the effectiveness against severedisease since this number will dictate theburden on the hospitals andmedical infra-structure. This number has not been deter-minedyetandwillplayanimportantroleinfuturepolicydetermination.One action that can impact public pol-

icy is to not wait for others to furnish thisdata but harness our data to evaluate vac-cine effectiveness in our own population.There is data for 180million-plus alreadyadministered vaccine doses. The Aadhaarunique ID links the vaccine data, the PCRtest data (and potentially further genomicdata). Marrying the three data sets shouldprovide the required information aboutvaccine effectiveness. Additional insightssuch as identification of “hot areas” couldbeusedtotailorthevaccinedeploymentlo-cally instead of through an overarchingfixed inter-dose interval.

SerumInstitute’sCovishield isIndia’sversionofAZvaccine.

THE EXPERTDRTUSHARGORE’s focusarea ispharmaceuticals.Hestudiedat IIT-BombayandtheUniversityofMinnesota,andhasworkedatMcKinseyandNovoNordisk.He is theformerMD/CEOofResonanceLaboratories,anichepharmaceuticalsmanufacturer.

EXPLAINED THEPANDEMICCORONAVIRUSDASHBOARD

Structural details of howcoronavirus variantsescape immune responseFAST-SPREADING variants of theSARS-CoV-2coronavirus carrymuta-tions that enable the virus to escapesomeoftheimmuneresponsecreatednaturally or by vaccination. A newstudy from scientists at ScrippsResearch, alongwith collaborators inGermany and the Netherlands, hasfoundkeydetailsofhowtheseescapemutationswork.Thescientists,whosestudyappears

inScience,usedstructuralbiologytech-niques tomapathigh resolutionhowimportantclassesofneutralisinganti-bodies bind to the original pandemicstrain of SARS-CoV-2—and how theprocess is disrupted by mutationsfoundinnewvariantsfirstdetectedinBrazil (P.1), the UnitedKingdom (B.1.1.7), SouthAfrica (B.135.1) and India(B.1.617).Areleasepublishedon

theScrippsResearchweb-sitesaystheresearchhigh-lightsthatseveralof thesemutationsareclusteredinonesite,knownasthe“re-ceptorbindingsite”,onthespike protein of the virus.Othersitesonthereceptorbindingdomainareunaffected.Becauseof thenewervariants’po-

tential to spread and cause disease—perhaps in somecases, despitevacci-nation—scientists consider it urgentto discover how the variantsmanageto escapemuch of the prior immuneresponseinthebody,includingthean-tibodyresponse.In the study, the researchers fo-

cusedmainlyonthreemutationsintheSARS-CoV-2 spike protein: K417N,E484KandN501Y.Aloneor incombi-nation, thesemutations are found inmostmajor SARS-CoV-2 variants. AllofthemutationsarefoundintheSARS-CoV-2receptorbindingsite,whichthewherethevirusattachestohostcells.Theresearcherstestedrepresenta-

tiveantibodiesfromthemajorclassesthat target the general area in andaroundthereceptorbindingsite.Theyfound thatmany of these antibodieslosetheirabilitytoeffectivelybindandneutralise the viruswhen themuta-tionsarepresent.Using structural imaging tech-

niques,theteamthenmappedtherel-evant portion of the virus at atomic-scale resolution to examine how themutationsaffectsiteswhereantibod-ies otherwise would bind and neu-tralise thevirus.Thefindingssuggestthatwhilean-

tibody responses to the SARS-CoV-2receptor binding site can be very po-tent in neutralizing the original

Wuhan strain, certainvariants are able to es-cape—perhapseventuallynecessitating updatedvaccines.At the same time, the

study underlines the factthatthethreekeyviralmu-tations,whichSARS-CoV-2seems inherentlypronetodevelop,donotalterothervulnerable sites on thevirus outside the receptor

bindingsite.Theresearchersspecificallyshowedthatvirus-neutralisingantibod-iestargetingtwootherareasoutsidethereceptorbindingsitewerelargelyunaf-fectedbythesethreemutations.This suggests that future vaccines

andantibody-based treatments couldprovide broader protection againstSARS-CoV-2anditsvariantsbyelicitingor utilising antibodies against parts ofthe virus that lie outside the receptorbinding site. The researchersnote thatbroadprotectionagainst variantsmaybenecessaryif,asseemslikely,thevirusbecomesendemicinthepopulation.

Source: ScrippsResearchPAPER:science.sciencemag.org/content/early/2021/05/19/science.abh1139

PAPERCLIP

NEWRESEARCH

INDIAACTIVECASES 2,805,399

May13 May22LAST 10 DAYS

4,000,000

3,000,000

2,000,000

INDIATOTALCASES26,530,132

Source:Ministry of Health & FamilyWelfare, updated at 11 pmonMay23

WORLDTOTALCASES166,795,083

Source: JohnsHopkinsUniversity,updated at 11 pmonMay23

3,704,893

Note: TheMay22 figure in this graph isbasedon thegovernmentupdateonMay23

11WWW.INDIANEXPRESS.COM

PRANAVMUKULNEWDELHI,MAY23

APROTRACTEDshortageofinputs,especiallysemiconductorchips,hasmadeIndia-basedcarmanufacturesandpremiumbikemakerscurtail production across categories.Whilecarmakers in India appear to bewaiting torideoutthechipfaminebyconstrainingpro-duction, their global counterparts have gotmorecreativeinaddressingtheshortage.

Whydidthechipfamineoccur?The trigger pointwas the beginning of

theCovid-19pandemicandthesubsequentlockdownsacrosstheworldthatforcedshutcrucial chip-making facilities in countriesincludingJapan,SouthKorea,ChinaandtheUS.Akeyfeatureinachipshortageisthatitalmost always causes cascading effects,

giventhat thefirstonecreatespent-upde-mand that becomes the cause for the fol-low-up famine.

What is the impactof thechipfamine?Consumers of semiconductor chips,

which aremainly carmanufacturers andconsumer electronicsmanufactures, havenotbeenreceivingenoughofthiscrucialin-puttocontinueproduction. Chipshortageismeasuredinchipleadtime,whichisthegapbetweenwhenachip isorderedandwhenitisdelivered.AccordingtoaBloombergre-port, which quoted research bySusquehannaFinancialGroup,thechipleadtime increased to 17weeks in April, fromaround12weeks in thebeginningof 2020.Also,with just-in-time deliveries, carmak-ers typically kept low inventory holdingsandreliedonanelectronicsindustrysupplychain to feed production lines as per de-

mand. Therewere two reasons for this: asteadydeclineininputpricesandimprove-ments intheprocessingpowerof chips.ThenumberoftransistorsmountedinIC

circuit chips has doubled every two years.Notably, the increase in chip consumptionoverthelastdecadeisalsopartlyattributabletotherisingcontributionofelectroniccom-ponentsinacar’sbillofmaterials.Electronicpartsandcomponentstodayaccountfor40%ofthecostofanewinternalcombustionen-ginecar,upfromlessthan20%twodecadesago.Chipsaccountforabulkofthisincrease.

HowhaveIndianvehiclemakersresponded?Mahindra&Mahindrahas said it is fac-

toringinsomedelaysinthelaunchofitsflag-shipMahindraXUV500anditsnewScorpio,with the company flagging concerns overseamlessavailabilityofrawmaterials,espe-

cially semiconductors. “Anything aroundsemiconductorsistheprimarysupplychainconstraintatthemoment,”RajeshJejurikar,Executive Director, Auto & Farm Sectors,M&Msaidduringavirtualmediameetear-lier this year. Supply constraints are learntto have caused some output issues at TataMotorsCommercialVehicles.AtBajajAuto,production of premiummotorcycles hasbeenhit,withseniorexecutivespointingtoproduction losses in itsKTMrangeof bikesbecauseofshortageofsemiconductorsandABS parts from Bosch. Ford Motor, theAmerican carmaker, in a statement earlierthis year, said that both of its plants inChennai and Gujarat are facing supply is-sues, and theyexpect shortage to continuethroughat least the firsthalf of 2021.

Whatareglobalcarmakersdoing?Inadditiontodelayingvehicledeliveries,

some companies have reportedly starteddiscardingfeaturesandhigh-endelectroniccapabilities on a temporary basis to dealwiththechipshortage. JapanesecarmakerNissan is said tobe leavingnavigation sys-tems out of thousands of vehicles, whileFrenchcompanyRenaulthasstoppedoffer-inga largerdigital screenbehindthesteer-ingwheel on its Arkana SUV. Amsterdam-headquartered Stellantis hasmodified itsRam1500pickupvehiclesothatthedigitalrear-viewmirror that usually comes stan-dardisnowavailableonlyasanupgradeop-tion,Bloombergreported.

What’snext?Answering a question on semiconduc-

tor import constraints impacting produc-tion,M&M’s Jejurikar said, “Whilewewillcontinue tohaveuncertaintieswithBoschover thenext fewmonths,wewouldbuild

abufferandnotletitaffectourproduction.”Amongglobalcarmakers,FordMotorCo

said in a conference call to announce first-quarterearningsonApril28that it is likelyto lose about half its second-quarter pro-duction to the chip shortage. “Estimatesproject the full recovery of the auto chipsupplywill stretch into the fourth quarterof this year and possibly even into 2022,making industry volume recovery in thesecondhalfofthisyearevenmorechalleng-ing,”JimFarley,FordpresidentandCEOwasquotedbyReutersas saying.IHSMarkit estimates that the demand

for semiconductors in the final quarter of2020increasedatastronger-than-expectedrate. There are also indications that semi-conductor suppliers should be able to ab-sorbthedemandbasedonthelightvehicleproductionforecastoverthecourseof2021,especially thesecondhalf.

The semiconductor chips shortage, and how carmakers are coping

@ieExplained#ExpressExplainedIf there are questions of current or contemporary relevance that youwould likeexplained, pleasewrite to [email protected] EXPLAINED

THEINDIANEXPRESS,MONDAY,MAY24,2021

2,805,399

VISHWASWAGHMODEMUMBAI,MAY21

THEMAHARASHTRAgovernmenthassubmit-tedatentative“serial”nominationseekingtheWorldHeritageSitetagfor14fortsfromtheeraof17thcenturyMarathakingChhatrapatiShivajiMaharaj on the themeofMarathaMilitaryArchitecture inMaharashtra.Theserialnomi-nationwas forwardedby theArchaeologicalSurveyofIndiatoUNESCOthroughtheMinistryofCulture.UNESCOhasacceptedthenomina-tioninTentativeListsofitsWorldHeritageSite.According to the World Heritage

Convention’s operational guidelines, a tenta-tivelistisan “inventory”ofpropertiesacoun-try believes deserves to be aWorldHeritageSite.AfterUNESCOincludesaproperty in theTentative List,thatcountryhastobeprepareanominationdocumentthatwillbeconsideredbytheUNESCOWorldHeritageCommittee.AWorldHeritageSite isa locationwithan

“outstandinguniversal value”. This signifies“cultural and/ornatural significancewhich issoexceptionalastotranscendnationalbound-ariesandtobeofcommonimportanceforpres-entandfuturegenerationsofallhumanity”.

Maharashtra lists14forts in tentative ‘serial’nomination.What thatmeans, andwhatnext.

EXPERTEXPLAINSDrTusharGoreFromThe IndianExpresspanelof specialists, exclusive insight

T H E 1 4 F O R T S I N M A H A R A S H T R A ’ S P R O P O S A L

RAIGADFORTOriginallycalledRairi, it isbuiltonalargewedgeofahill intheSahyadris,separatedfromthemainrangebyaravine.Thecapitalfortof theMarathaEmpire, itwasrebuilt forthecoronationofChhatrapatiShivajiMaharaj.

RAJGADFORTHill fort inPunedistrict, capitalof theMarathaEmpireunderChhatrapatiShivaji foralmost26years,before thecapitalmovedtotheRaigadFort.

SHIVNERIFORTNearJunnarinPunedistrict.Shivaji’sbirthplace,itconsistsof7gates.ItisanexampleofBahamani/Nizamshahiarchitectureprovidingabackdroptonarrativeofguerrillawarfare.

TORNAFORTFortinPunedistrict,capturedbyShivajiin1646,whenhewas16,andmarkedthebeginningoftheMarathaempire.

LOHAGADClosetoLonavala, itoverlooksoneofthemostpicturesquevalleysandisbelievedtohavebeenbuilt in the14thcentury. It isanexampleofMarathahillfortarchitectureuntilPeshwaperiod.

SALHERFORTOneof thehighestfortsintheSahyadris,locatedinDolharirangeofNashik.Thefortwitnessedakeybattlein1672betweenMarathasandMughals.

MULHERFORTInNashik;oneof threefortssituatedonahill, flankedbyMoratotheeastandHatgadtothewest.ThesurrenderofMulherendedthethirdMarathaWar.

RANGANAFORTInKolhapur,borderingSindhudurg.Aurangzebtriedtoconquer italongwithBhudargadandSamangadinhisDeccancampaign,didnotsucceed.

ANKAITANKAIFORTSInNashildistrict,AnkaiandTankaiareseparate fortsonadjacenthills,withacommonfortificationwall.

KASAFORTPopularlyknownasPadmadurg,builtonarocky islandoff coastofMurud,andprovidedabase fornavalmilitaryoperations.

SINDHUDURGFORTBuiltbyChhatrapatiShivajiMaharaj in1668,Thissea fort isconsideredamasterpiece inmilitarydefence..

ALIBAGFORTPopularlyknownasKulabaFort, itwaschosenasoneof thefortstobemodelledasanavalbasebyChhatrapatiShivaji.

SUVARNADURGBuiltonanisland,itwasrepairedandstrengthenedbyShivajiMaharajin1660.

KHANDERIFORTKhanderi,officiallynamedasKanhojiAngre Islandin1998, is20kmsouthofMumbai.Built in1679,KhanderiFortwasthesiteofmanybattlesbetweenShivajiMaharaj’s forcesandthenavyoftheSiddhis.

RaigadFort.Wikipedia

HowUNESCO grantsWorld Heritage Site tag

New Delhi


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VIRGINGALACTICROCKET SHIPTAKES FLIGHTVirginGalacticonSaturdaymadeitsfirstrocket-poweredflightfromNewMexicotothefringeofspaceinamannedshuttle,asthecompanyforgestowardofferingtouristflightstotheedgeoftheEarth’satmosphere.VirginGalacticsaiditsVSSUnityshuttleacceleratedtothreetimesthespeedofsoundandreachedanaltitudeof justover89kmabovesealevel.

ITALY

Cablecarplungestoground,12killedACABLEcar takingvisitorsto amountaintop viewofsome of northern Italy’smost picturesque lakesplunged to the groundSunday, killing 12 peopleand injuring twochildren,authorities said. The inci-dent took place near thesummit of theMottaronepeak overlooking LakeMaggiore. Thecausehasn’tbeendetermined. AP

TOPOFTHEWORLD

CHINA

Cardrivenintocrowd,5killedACARdroveintoacrowdofpedestrians in the north-easternChineseport cityofDalian,killingfive,stateme-dia reported on Sunday. Ablack sedan drove into acrowdof people crossingastreet at 11.47 am, Xinhuaagencyreported.Thedriverwasdetained. REUTERS

CONGO

HousesdamagedinvolcaniceruptionATRAIL of lava fromavol-caniceruptioncoveredhun-dreds of houses in Congo,leavingresidentstopickgin-gerlythroughthewreckage,thoughthe flowhalted justshort of themajor city ofGoma. Gomawas throwninto panic when MountNyiragongo erupted, andthousandsfled. REUTERS

Thewreckageof thecablecar.AP

REUTERS&APJERUSALEM,GAZA,MAY23

THE ISRAEL-HAMAS ceasefireheld into a third day on SundayasIsraelipoliceadmittedJewishvisitorstoacontestedJerusalemholy site where earlier con-frontationswithPalestinianpro-testershelpedtoignitethecross-borderGaza fighting.Police reported no unusual

incidentsattheal-Aqsamosquecompound—oneof Islam’sholi-estsites—asIsraelisocialmediaaccounts showed a few dozenJews in religious garb strollingaroundthesiteunderguard.A police spokesman de-

scribeditasaregularscheduledvisit after a break that beganonMay 3 for the Muslim holymonthof Ramzan.The Islamic authority over-

seeingthesitesaidpoliceclearedyoung Palestinians out of thecompound and barred entry toMuslims under the age of 45.Muslimswho enteredwere re-quiredtoleavetheirIDswithpo-liceat theentrance. It said threeMuslimswerearrested.The site is also revered by

Jews and is situated in EastJerusalem,whichIsraelcapturedina1967war. IsraeldeemsallofJerusalemitscapital,astatusnotrecognisedabroad.Policeraidsinandaroundal-

Aqsa during Ramzan, aswell asplannedevictionsofPalestiniansfromhomes claimed by Jewishsettlers in East Jerusalem, drewlong-range rocket attacks byIslamistHamasonMay10.Thatledtothefiercestfighting

between Israel andHamas sincea2014Gazawar,whichconcluded

with a truce before dawn onFriday,brokeredbyEgypt.Neither side reported viola-

tionsonSunday.

REUTERSMAY23

MORE THAN 125,000 schoolteachers inMyanmarhavebeensuspendedbythemilitaryauthor-ities for joining a civil disobedi-encemovement to oppose themilitarycoupinFebruary,anoffi-cial of theMyanmar Teachers'Federationsaid.The suspensions have come

days before the start of a newschoolyear,whichsometeachersandparentsareboycottingaspartofthecampaignthathasparalysedthe country since the coup cutshort adecadeof democratic re-forms. A total of 125,900 schoolteachershadbeensuspendedasof Saturday, said the official of

theteachers'federation,whode-clined to give his name for fearof reprisals.He is alreadyon thejunta'swantedlistonchargesofincitingdisaffection.Myanmarhad430,000school

teachersaccordingtothemostre-centdata, fromtwoyearsago.Reuterswasunabletoreacha

juntaspokesmanortheeducationministry forcomment.Thestate-runGlobalNewLight ofMyanmarnewspapercalledonteachersandstudents to return to schools torestarttheeducationsystem.The disruption at schools

echoes that in the health sectorandacross government andpri-vatebusinesssincetheSoutheastAsian countrywasplunged intochaosbythecoupandthearrestofelectedleaderAungSanSuuKyi.

ASSOCIATEDPRESSBEIJING,MAY23

TWENTY-ONE PEOPLE runningamountainultramarathonhavediedinnorthwesternChinaafterhail, freezingrainandgale-forcewindshit thehigh-altituderace,statemediareportedSunday.Afteranall-nightrescueoper-

ationinfreezingtemperaturesin-volvingmorethan700personnel,rescuerswereabletoconfirmthat151peopleweresafe,outof a to-tal of 172 participants. Twenty-onehaddied,accordingtotheof-ficialXinhuaNewsAgency,whichsaid the runners suffered fromphysicaldiscomfortandthesud-dendropintemperature.The runnerswere racing on

anextremelynarrowmountainpath at an altitude reaching2,000-3,000metres. The 100-kilometre race was heldSaturday in the Yellow RiverStoneForesttouristsiteinBaiyincity inGansuprovince.Participantswerenotrookies.

Oneof thedeceasedwas awell-known runner Liang Jing, whohadwona100-kmraceinNingbo,accordingtoanewspaperreport.Awomanwhoworkedforthe

race organiser, GansuShengjingSportsCultureDevelopmentCo,said therewerenopredictionsofextremeweatherforthedayoftherace,accordingtoBeijingNews.

ANISURRAHMANDHAKA,MAY23

A BANGLADESHI investigativejournalistwasreleasedfromjailonSundayafteracourtinDhakagranted interim bail to her, aweek after shewas arrested oncharges of “stealing importantgovernmentdocuments”underan official secrecy law that trig-gered protests at home andabroad, includingby theUN.RozinaIslam,aseniorreporter

of thedailyProthomAlo,wasar-rested onMonday after she al-legedlyusedhercellphonewith-out permission to photographdocumentsrelatedtogovernmentnegotiationstobuyCovidvaccines,whileshewaitedintheroomofanofficialinvolvedintheprocess.“I will most certainly con-

tinue working as a journalist,”Islamtoldjournalistsaftercom-ingoutof the jail. PTI

Gaza truce holdsas Israel admitsJewish visitorsto flashpoint siteIsrael-Hamasceasefireenters3rdday

Neartherubbleof abuildinginGazaonSunday.Reuters

BANGLADESHSCRAPSISRAEL CLAUSEFROMPASSPORTSDhaka:Bangladeshipassports,which earlier had a clausewritten on them that said“This passport is valid for allcountriesof theworldexceptIsrael”,willnolongercarrythisclause, the government saidon Saturday. BangladeshHomeMinisterAsaduzzamanKhanKamal said the changewas to ensure that thepass-ports meet “internationalstandards”,andsaidthemove“doesnotmeanthattherehasbeenachangeinBangladesh’sposition" regarding Israel.Bangladeshdoes not recog-nise Israel, and it imposes atravel ban on the country.Israelwelcomedthemovetoremove the clause fromBangladesh’s passport,withtheDeputyDirectorGeneralat Israel’sMinistryof ForeignAffairstweeting:“Greatnews!#Bangladesh has removedthetravelbantoIsrael.” PTI

Rozina Islamescortedbypolice toacourt inDhakalastweek.AP

Dhaka court grantsbail to journalistarrested underofficial secrecy law

NOMAANMERCHANT,ROBERTBURNS&ERICTUCKERWASHINGTON,MAY23

THEBIDENadministrationisfac-ingnewpressuretoresolveamys-tery that has vexed its predeces-sors: Is an adversary using amicrowaveorradiowaveweaponto attack the brains of US diplo-matsandmilitarypersonnel?The number of reported

casesofpossibleattackissharply

growing and lawmakers frombothparties,aswellasthosebe-lieved to be affected, are de-mandinganswers.Butscientistsand government officials aren’tyet certain about who mighthavebeenbehindanyattacks, ifthe symptoms could have beencausedinadvertentlybysurveil-lance equipment— or if the in-cidentswereactuallyattacks.Whatever an official review

concludescouldhaveenormousconsequences. Confirmationthat a US adversary has been

conducting damaging attacksagainstUSpersonnelwouldun-leashcallsforaforcefulresponse

by theUnitedStates.For now, the administration

is providing assurances that ittakes thematter seriously.Theproblemhasbeenlabelled

the“HavanaSyndrome”,becausethe first casesaffectedpersonnelin2016attheUSEmbassyinCuba.At least130casesacross thegov-ernment arenowunder investi-gation,upfromseveraldozenlastyear,accordingtoaUSdefenceof-ficialwhowasnot authorised todiscuss details publicly. TheNationalSecurityCouncil is lead-

ingtheinvestigation.Peoplewho are believed to

havebeenaffectedhavereportedheadaches, dizziness and symp-tomsconsistentwithconcussions,with some requiringmonths ofmedicaltreatment.Somehavere-portedhearingaloudnoisebeforethesuddenonsetofsymptoms.Particularly alarming were

revelationsofatleasttwopossi-ble incidents intheWashingtonarea, includingonecaseneartheWhiteHouseinNovinwhichanofficial reporteddizziness. AP

Growing mystery of ‘energy attacks’ draws US concern

Firstcasesof thesuspectedattackswerereportedfromtheUSembassyinHavana.AP

Belarus forces plane carrying dissidentto land, arrests him; Oppn slams ‘hijack’Kyiv: A prominent opponent ofBelarus’authoritarianPresidentwas arrested Sunday after theairliner inwhich hewas travel-lingwasdivertedtothecountryafter abombthreat, inwhat theopposition is calling a hijackingoperationby thegovernment.Thepresidentialpress service

said President AlexanderLukashenkopersonally orderedthat aMiG-29 fighter jet accom-

panytheRyanairplane—carryingopposition figure RamanPratasevich and travelling fromAthens, Greece, to Vilnius,Lithuania—totheairportinMinsk.Deputyairforcecommander

Andrei Gurtsevich said theplane’s crewmade the decisiontolandinMinsk,butRyanairsaidinastatementthatBelarusianairtraffic control instructed theplane todivert to thecapital.

The Belarusian InteriorMinistrysaidPratasevichwasar-rested at the airport. Officialslater said no explosives werefoundonboard.“It is absolutelyobvious that

this is an operation by the spe-cial services tohijack anaircraftin order to detain activist andblogger Raman Pratasevich,”said exiled opposition leaderSviatlanaTsikhanouskaya. AP

21 participantsdie in extremeweather in Chinaultramarathon

CROSSWORD4437

ACROSS1 Substitute forPeterMcLean(11)

9 Agameanditsobjective(7)

10 Onemaybedresseduptothem-bynumbers? (5)

11 Whathappenedduringatransport strike inAlgeria(4)

12 Possibly faceuptoahotdrink(3,2,3)

14 Timesof enchantment(6)

16 Artlessmember trapped inwebof lies (6)

18 Unionwithoutasinglemember (8)

19 Bill abouta landmeasure(4)

22 Thedarkknighthasbeenguillotined(5)

23 It’s clear I’dbe involved inwhateveroccurred(7)

24Will theoratorbespeechless ifhe lost it? (7,4)

DOWN2 Notastarbutmore(5)3 Metal for thevan(4)

4 Slightlyexaggerateanaccountandblush(6)

5 UnusualgloominaremotepartofAsia (8)

6 Withoutanybreaks?That’snoFrenchwaytowork(7)

7 Clause in insurancepolicygetsapproval (11)

8 Managetoavoidthe finalconclusion (6,5)

13 Strangerelics tobe found inthecathedral (8)

15 Badlyangeredandremainingfurious (7)

17 Consentsbutwillbea longtimecomingroundagain(6)

20 Belief insacredoffice(5)

21 There’s something inclimbing;it sortof growsonone (4)

ARIES(Mar21-Apr20)Therecouldbeanairofexpectation,largelyduetoyourlunaralignments.Thisgeneratesasensethat

whilelifeisgood,youneverknowwhatisaroundthenextcorner.Andthat'swhyyoumustbeonyourguard.You'realsoinquiteaninventiveframeofmind,bytheway,solookforimaginativesolutionstooldproblems.

TAURUS(Apr21-May21)TheMoon'spositionhastobewatchedformostdailyupsanddowns,andtoday's

patternsarecuriousones.It'sasifthemoodofthetimessuitsyoubutthecircumstancesmightnot.So,ifyoufeelslightlyshort-changed,itcouldbebecauseyou'renotmakingthemostofamixedday.Youcanalwaysjustpauseforbreathandwaittillyoucatchupwithyourself.

GEMINI(May22-June21)There'sanincreasingsenseoftension,perhapspassion.Butareyoucomfortable

withthis?Isuspectnot.Notthatis,unlessyoudevoteyourselftoworthycausesandselflessduties.Thedownsideisthatyoucouldexposeyourselftoexploitationso,ratherthanbecomeadoormat,whynotpickandchoosethepeopleyou'repreparedtohelp?

CANCER(June22-July23)You'resuchasensitivesoulthatit'salwayspleasantwhenyouthinkthatyou're

gettingthesupportyoufeelyouneed.Whichmeansthatpeopleyouloveareonyoursideforachange,whichisnotalwaysthewaythatitseems!You'restillkeepingsomeofyourplanstoyourself,andwhynot?

LEO(July24-Aug23)Youmaybeinastrangestate,quitehappytosaywhatyouthinkontheone

hand,butnottorevealyourtruefeelingsontheother.Perhapsyou'renotconfidentenoughinyouremotionstobeabletotalkaboutthemyet.Allyoucandoiswaituntilthetimeandplaceandthepeopleareright.

VIRGO(Aug24-Sept23)There isagreatdealtobesaid forstandingyourground.But, I'mnotsure if it'senough.

There'sanoldeasternproverbthat thebranchwhichbends inthewindstaysonthetree.That'sawayof sayingthat, inaweekofchange, complete flexibility isprobablyyourbestoption.

LIBRA(Sept24-Oct23)Thesurfacemaybecalm,butintheastrologicaluniversethere'sagreatdeal

bubblingunderneathandit'sallabouttoburstthrough.Instraight,practicalterms,yourenergyissoontoincrease,butyou'llalsobegrowingmoreimpatientandeagertopushyourplansintoeffect,atanycost.

SCORPIO(Oct24-Nov22)Ifwelookoverthenextweek,thenitseemsthatthechangesyou

experiencewillbeindirect,bywhichImeanthattheycouldcomeviaotherpeople,orinwaysyoudidn'texpect. Ineithercase,thenextmonthcouldbeatimeofmystery.Thetruthcouldlieinyourintuitionandimaginationtemperedwithrealfacts,ofcourse.

SAGITTARIUS(Nov23-Dec22)There'satimetomoveandatimetostandstill.Andthis, I'dsay,isatimetostand

still.Asistomorrowandthedayafter.Yetbytheendoftheweekyou'llbemovingfast.Thatistheplanetaryprognosis.Nowallyouhavetodoisarrangeyourdailydiarytofitinwiththecelestialformations.

CAPRICORN(Dec23-Jan20)Partnersareinasupportiveframeofmind.Butthenthat'sonlyasmuchasyou'd

expect.Butitisasituationyoucanencouragebypraising, flatteringandhelpingthem.Inotherwords,don'twaitforthemtocometoyou;it'syouwhohastomakethefirstmove.Lookingahead,yourprofessionalstarsareabouttoexposenew,untestedambitions.

AQUARIUS(Jan21-Feb19)Youcouldbetakingonfreshresponsibilities,mainlyemotional

ones.Evenatworkanewtaskcouldhaveasenseofpersonal,almostparental,commitmentaboutit.There'salsoavaguespotof financialconfusionaround,butyou'llbetemptedtogivemoneytoworthwhilecausesandthatcanonlydoyougood.

PISCES(Feb.20-Mar20)Theheavensareinacreativestate.WhatIreallymeanbythisisthatyouareina

positiontodevelopandexpressyouruniquegifts.Muchofyourenergywillbedirectedtowardspersonalengagements,romanticconnectionsandrelationshipswithyoungerpeopleandyouthfulfamilymembers.

SUDOKU4481

DifficultyLevel5sInstructionsTosolveaSudokupuzzle,everydigitfrom1to9mustappear ineachofthenineverticalcolumns, ineachoftheninehorizontalrowsandineachofthenineboxes.

DifficultyLevel1s=Veryeasy;2s=Easy;3s=Medium;4s=Hard;5s=VeryHard;6s=Genius S

OLU

TIONSUDOKU4480

Givenbelowarefour jumbledwords.Solvethejumblestomakeproperwordsandmovethemtotherespectivesquaresbelow.Selecttheletters intheshadedsquaresandjumblethemtogettheanswerforthegivenquip.It isnot______thatengenderswisdom.-Menander(5,4)

SOLUTION:HAREM,TIBIA,MIGHTY,WHIMSYAnswer:Itisnotwhitehairthatengenderswisdom.-Menander

HMAER GIMYHT

ABTII IMSYHW

SolutionsCrossword4436:Across:1Swells,4Mentally,9Afield,10Fetching,12Knot,13Testy,14Gear,17Neutralpower,20Wilfulmurder,23Oars,24Unite,25Sign,28Implicit,29Forged,30Cloister,31Tempts.Down:1Slacking,2Epilogue,3Lily,5Electroplate,6Tack,7Loiter,8Yogurt,11Hellofanoise,15Grail,16Remus,18Addingup,19Grenades,21Zodiac,22Troppo,26Pits,27Hone.

JUMBLEDWORDS

OVERTHEHEDGE byMichael Fry&TLewis

CALVIN&HOBBES byBillWatterson

MARVIN byTomArmstrong

DAYTODAY BYPETERVIDAL

MYANMAR’SEDUCATIONsystemwasoneof thepoor-est in the regionevenunderthedemocraticgovern-ment. Public spendingoneducationhasbeenbelow2%ofGDP,which isoneofthe lowest in rates in theworld.Under thesecircum-stances, if thesuspensionof125,000school teacherswere tobemadeperma-nent, educators in thecoun-try say thewholeeduca-tionssystemcouldcollapse.

AilingeducationsystemE●EX

PLAINED

Over 125,000 Myanmar teacherssuspended for opposing coup

New Delhi


ECONOMYWWW.INDIANEXPRESS.COM

Market WatchFPISNET SELLERS INMAYSOFARNew Delhi: Overseas investors withdrew Rs 4,444 crore fromdomestic markets in May so far. As per depositories data, foreignportfolio investors (FPIs) took out Rs 6,370 crore from equities butpumped in Rs 1,926 crore in the debt segment between May 1-21.Ÿ

INTERVIEWWITHCEO,PGIM INDIAMUTUALFUND

EVENASthepandemiccontinuesto hurt lives and economy, thestock markets are rising.AJIT MENON, CEO, PGIMIndia Mutual Fund toldSANDEEPSINGHthatmarketsarerisingonavarietyoffactorsinclud-ingstrongearnings,ongoingvac-cinations, fresh approvals andgrowthinglobaleconomy.Statingthat thepandemichashadadis-proportionateimpactonlowerin-comepeopleandpushedpeopleback into poverty, he said wewouldhave to take coordinatedstepstoensurethatoureconomyhas the foundational strength tomoveforward.Editedexcerpts:

Howdoyouseetheimpactofthepandemic?Iammoreconcernedaboutthe

fact thatwearealmost forgettingaboutalargepartofvulnerablesec-tionsofsocietywhodon’thavethemeans andhavebeen impactedbadly.Wealthhasgotconcentratedand lower incomepeople havebeenimpactedmuchmore.Historytellsthatglobalisation

over the last couple of decadesbrought more people out ofpoverty.However, thispandemichashadadisproportionateimpacton lower incomepeopleandhaspushedpeoplebackintopoverty.Decades ofworkhavebeenun-doneinasingleyear.So,someco-ordinated stepswill have to betakentoensurethatoureconomyhas the foundational strength tomoveforward.

Whatdoyouthinkshouldbedone?Oneistoprotecttheincomeof

mostvulnerablesectionsoftheso-cietyandIpersonallyhopethatthegovernmentdoesnot reduce therates on small savings. Of Rs150trillioninbankdeposits,smallsav-ingisonlyaroundRs10trillionandseniorcitizenswouldbejustRs1trillionandIhopewetakeoneim-portantsteptosubsidisethatsmallsectionofsociety.Wehavetobringpeopleback,

give them jobsby taking advan-tageof theshiftingsupplychains.

Thegovernmentistakingstepsinthatregardandgivingincentivetosectors,whichwillhave tobeac-celerated,sothatwedon’tletpeo-ple fall in thegaps. Thirdaspect Iwouldsayischildren.Manyintherural areaswouldhave fallenofftheeducationalgridaseverythingmovedonlineandwehavetoseehowtoprotectthat.The fourth area is women

whoseparticipationinworkforcecreatesmultiplier effect in theeconomy.InIndiawedidnothaveagreatratiotostartwithandinthepandemicitwouldhavesuffered.

Doyouthinkthemarketisdelinkedfromrealitiesoftheeconomy.Whatisdrivingit?Themarketsarealwaysaslave

toearningsandgrowthvisibility.Historically, Sensexhasgivenan-nualisedreturnof16percentoverthelast40yearsandthenominalGDPgrowthhasbeen14percent.SensexandnominalGDPhavehadsimilargrowthratesoverpast20and10 year periods. But, if youlookatlastthreemonths,themar-ketisdownby3percentandthatis not enough forwhatwehaveseenasanimpactofsecondwave.Market is clearly having the

visibilitythatvaccinesareavailableandgovernmentisgivingapprovaltomorevaccines.Whilevaccina-tiondrivehasbeenslow,thereisasensethatmoreapprovalswillac-celerateit.While80percentcom-panies byweightage of Nifty 50have reported theirQ4earnings,theiry-o-yprofitgrowthhasbeen

54percentandpeoplearereactingto that. Youalso can’tdivorce therealityofwhatliquidityavailabilitydoes tomarkets andglobally, theliquidityhasbeenverystrong.Whilewecouldnotanticipate

thesecondwaveproperlybutwiththelearnings,weareprobablybet-ter prepared for the thirdwave.Theglobalmarketsaredoingbet-terthanIndiaandhavenavigatedthesecondwaveandmarketslikeUSandEuropeareopenanddo-ingbusiness.While in the shorttermyou can see a disconnect,market isnotdisconnected fromeconomyinthelongterm.Everyone knows that this

quarterresultswouldbebadandrating agencies have already re-duced theirGDPgrowthprojec-tionbyaround2percentagepointsto9-10percent.Earningsgrowthprojection forNiftymayalsogetrevised fromaround35per centto 25-30 per cent. However, anominalGDPgrowthof 9-10percent andearnings growthof 25-30per cent is still excellent andmarketsarereactingtothataspect.

DoyouthinkbiglistedcompanieshavebeengrowingatthecostofsmallerMSMEs,whicharebigemployers?Howdoyouseeitsimpactontheeconomy?Yes,thebiggerinstitutionsand

corporateshavebenefitteddispro-portionately. However, that hasbeenatrendpre-Covidandhasgotacceleratedduringpandemic aslarger entities aremuchmore incontrol of their capital and re-sources to accelerate their busi-ness. Thiswill havean impactona country like India,whichhas alargeworkingpopulationthathastobegainfullyemployedforade-mandledgrowthintheeconomy.Historyshowsthatwhenthesebigeconomicshockshappenaroundtheworld, in thenext5-10years,thereisalotofinnovationtobusi-nessmodel andprocesses. Newsectors, new industries andnewjobsgetcreated.

Full interviewonwww.indianexpress.com

AASHISHARYANNEWDELHI,MAY23

SIXMONTHSafter it transferredallthecasesrelatedtopersonalin-solvency to itself, the SupremeCourthasruledthatcreditorscanproceedagainstpromotersofde-faultingcompaniestorecoverdebtifsuchpromotershavegivenper-sonalguarantees tosecure funds.The top court has also said thatlenders canalsoproceedagainstthepromotersofadefaultingcom-panyevenwhenthecorporatein-solvencyresolutionprocessofthefirmitselfhasnotbeencompleted.

WhatdidtheSupremeCourtsayaboutpersonalinsolvencyunderIBC?One of themost important

thingsthattheSChassaidis thatmere approval of a resolutionplan for a debt-laden companydoesnotautomaticallydischargeapromoter fromtheir liability inlieu of the personal guaranteetheyhadgiventosecurethefund-ingforthecompany.Since personal guarantees

frompromoters are akindof as-surancetolendersthatthemoniesbeingborrowedwillbereturned,theapexcourthassaidthatunder

thecontractof guarantee, the lia-bilityofthepromoterwillbeoverandabovetheliabilitiesofthecompany.

Whatisapersonalguaranteeandhowdopromotersusethisroutetogetfunds?Apersonal guarantee ismost

likely to be furnished by a pro-moter or promoter entitywhenthebanksdemand for collateralwhichequalstherisktheyaretak-ingby lending to the firm,whichmaynotbedoingsowell.It is different fromthe collat-

eral that firms give to banks to

take loans, as Indian corporatelawssay that individuals suchaspromoters are different frombusinesses and the twoare veryseparateentities.

Whydoesthegovernmentwantpromoterstobemoreliableforthefundstheyborrow?Bad loans have been amajor

problem for banks and financialcreditors over the past decade.Addtothat,promotershadbeenable to secure funds frombankswithouttheduediligenceinmostcasesbecauseoftheirpasttrans-actionhistory.Toputastoptothis,the government had in

December 2019 intro-duced the provisionwhich gave banks thepowertomoveapplica-tion for initiation of in-solvency against per-sonal guarantors tocorporatedebtors.

WhichpromotersdoestheSupremeCourtrulingimpactinthenearfuture?InDecember2019,whenthe

government came outwith thenotification on personal insol-vency, theprovisionswerechal-lenged initiallybyasmanyas19

promoters before different highcourtswho claimed that it wasalways a management boardthatranthecompanyandthere-forethepromotersaloneshouldnot beheld liable for thedefaultondebt repayment. By the timethe Supreme Court transferredallthecasestoitself inDecember2020, asmany as 75 promotersand guarantors had challengedtheprovisions.Amongthebiggernamesthat

are likely to be impactedby thejudgmentareformerpromotersofBhushanSteel andPowerSanjaySinghalandhiswifeAartiSinghalhadfurnishedpersonalguaranteesworthuptoRs24,550croretotakeloans fromaconsortiumof bankledbySBI.Similarly,banksarenowlikelytomoveaheadwithpersonalinsolvencypleaagainstVenugopalDhoot and other members ofDhoot familywhowere in pro-moter capacity of Videoconandhadfurnishedpersonalguaranteestosecurefunds.The former promoter of

Reliance Communications, AnilAmbani, is alsooneof thebiggernames againstwhombanks arelikelytoproceedquicklytorecoverasmuchduesaspossible.

Full report onwww.indianexpress.com

GEORGEMATHEWMUMBAI,MAY23

PRESSURE IS mounting on theReserveBankof India (RBI) frombanksandnon-banking financialcompanies(NBFCs)torelaxthere-centtighteningoftheguidelinesonappointmentofauditors.Industrybodiesareup inarmsagainst theRBI requirementonrotation, lim-itingandcoolingoffperiodforau-ditorsofbanksandNBFCs.TheRBIcircular,issuedonApril

27,totightentheauditingprocessis facing resistance fromNBFCswhich had a free run till now.While the central bankmove isaimedatpreventing frauds, hid-denbad loans, cosy relationshipsbetweencompaniesandauditorsandcleaninguptheauditingsys-tem after the fiasco involvingIL&FS,YesBankandDHFL,NBFCsarenowlobbyingthroughindus-trybodiesforaroll-back.IndustrybodyFinance IndustryDevelop-mentCouncil (FIDC)has alreadywrittentotheRBI,sayingthatthecurrent formof the circular re-

quiresmid-year change in audi-tors for FY22,which isdisruptiveformost of the NBFCs andwillcauseavoidablehardshipstobothNBFCsandauditfirms.TheRBI has specified that an

auditfirmwouldnotbeeligibleforreappointmentinthesameentityfor six years (two tenures) aftercompletionof full or part of onetermof theaudit tenureof threeyears. ThismeansNBFCswill ro-tate auditors every three years.NBFCs with assets of overRs15,000crorewillhavetogoforjointaudits.IndustrychamberCIIsuggests

that the requirements related toreductioninthetenureofauditen-gagement, caponnumberof au-ditsandextendedcoolingofperi-ods,maynot specifically addressanyperceived concernsonauditquality. These are inconsistentwith the provisions in theCompaniesAct,2013,andarenotcomparablewith internationalpractices and regulationswhicharewidelyacceptedandadoptedglobally.“Implementingthesere-quirements is likely to create

avoidable complicationswithoutanyappreciableenhancement toaudit quality and governance.Further,lackofharmonyamongstvariousregulationsonthissubjectis likely toadd tocomplexityandconfusioninthesectorandimpacteaseofdoingbusiness,”itsaid.According to theRBI, guide-

lines regarding appointment ofSCAs/SAsshouldbeimplementedfor thefirst timeforurbanco-op-erative banks and NBFCs fromFY22, they shouldhave the flexi-bility to adopt these guidelines

fromH2(secondhalf) of FY22 toensurethereisnodisruption.“ThecircularhasalsobeenextendedtotheNBFCsforthefirsttime,equat-ing themwith the commercialbanks.Itmaybeworthevaluatingwhether such restrictive normsneedtobeappliedtotheNBFCs,inadditiontoalltheprinciplesappli-cable as per theCompaniesAct,2013, including rotationandcooloff periods,” said CII,which hasmanyNBFCsasmembers.Thereductioninthetenureof

audit,caponnumberofauditsbyanaudit firmandextending theapplicability of theprovisions toNBFCswillmakeitmandatoryfora large number of banks andNBFCs to immediately changetheir auditors, including require-ments of joint audits in certaincases,basedonmonetarythresh-olds.Acool-offperiodofoneyearbeforeappointment for theaudi-tors’independenceisnotpractica-ble to implement. It is an estab-lished protocol to provide atransitional time to implementsuch provisions, NBFCs say.“Auditors couldhaveprevented

frauds in IL&FS, Yes Bank andDHFL,buttheydidn’tdoaproperjob. TheRBImove is in the rightspirit.Itwillendthecosyrelation-shipbetweenauditorsandNBFCsandbanks.Thequalityofauditingwillimprovenow,”saidabankingsource. Theyalsowant theRBI tore-considersevererestrictionsoncapacity and eligibility require-ments (including coverage ofNBFCs,limitonnumberofaudits,maximumengagementperiodof3yearsand6yearscooloffperiodafterrotation.Thenewauditors’ normsand

guidelinescouldposereasonablechallengesforthebanks.“Auditingis a process that is performedphysicallyatbanks’premises.Andduring this pandemic situation,thisprocessmaybeimprobable,”said Jaya Vaidhyanathan, CEO,BCTDigital.Anotherargumentagainstthe

newnorms is that the selectionprocessofnewaudit firmscouldbe time-consuming, involvingtendering and auction, whichmaynotbepossible in this lock-downperiod.

ROTATION, LIMITINGANDCOOLINGOFFPERIODFORAUDITORS

GEORGEMATHEWMUMBAI,MAY23

EVEN AS Life InsuranceCorporation(LIC)isgearingupforamegaIPOduringthecur-rentfiscal,thegovernmenthasextended the retirement agefor the post from60 to 62 aspartofamajoroverhaulintheselection criteria for the toppostofthelargestfinancialin-stitutioninthecountry.MRKumar,Chairman,LIC,

isnoweligibletogetanexten-sionofoneortwoyearsfollow-ing the change in the rules.Kumar, who was a ZonalManagerbeforebeingelevatedtothepostof theChairmanoftheLIConMarch14,2019,wasslatedtoretireinthisJuneendafterreaching60.Thenewrules,whichwere

earlier proposed by theMinistry of Finance and ap-provedby theAppointmentsCommitteeofCabinet,headedby PrimeMinisterNarendraModi, on April 22, say, “TheChairman, LIC, may be ap-pointed for a period of threeyears,whichwas earlier fiveyears,ortillhe/she attainstheage of 62 yearswhichever isearlier.”ItisnotveryclearnowhowmanyyearsKumarwillbegrantedextensiontillaspecificletter to this effect from theMoFreachesthecorporation.Anotherimportantchange

inthenewrulesspecifiesthatonlyManagingDirectors ofcorporationareeligiblefortheselectionofChairmanwhereasundertheearliernorms,MDs,executivedirectors(EDs) andzonal managers (SelectionGrade)were all eligible tobepartofselectionprocessfor thepostLICchairmanship.Further,thenewruleclari-

fiesthatallMDsinpositionon

thedateof vacancy irrespec-tiveof experience asMDcancompeteforthechairmanship.Also,norequirementofresid-ual service of such candidateonthedateofvacancyofchair-manisrequired.The earlier rulewas that

seniorofficialswithminimumoneyearserviceasMDortwoyears’ service as ED or ZM(SelectionGrade) canonlybeconsideredfortheselectionofchairmanshipof thecorpora-tion.Theyalsoneeded tohaveminimumtwoyearsof resid-ual service on thedate of va-cancy. Analysts believe thatapart fromthemuch-neededcontinuitythatiscurrentlyre-quired at the top level of LIC,whichis,atpresent,preparingitself foranIPO—intherangeofRs50,000croretoRs1lakhcrore—thegovernmentislay-ingdowntherulesfortheap-pointment of LIC chairman-ship in linewithwhat it hasalready implemented in thecaseofchairmanshipofSBI.After Arundhati Bhatta-

charya,made chairpersonofthebank in2013, all officialswhohave beenmade chair-manhavebeengiven tenuresbeyond 60 years. DineshKumar Khara, 59, currentchairman,hasgotathree-yeartenuresinceOctober2020.HispredecessorRajnishKumar,atthe ageof 59,was appointedchairmanfor3years.

SECTORWATCHINSURANCE

LIC Chairman selectionrevamp: Retirementage raised to 62, onlyMDs eligible for post

CAIRNARBITRATIONAWARD

ENSECONOMICBUREAUNEWDELHI,MAY23

DENYINGTHATthegovernmentof India has purportedly askedstate-ownedbanks towithdrawfunds from foreign currency ac-countsabroadinanticipationofthepotentialseizureofsuchaccountswith regard to the legal disputewithCairnEnergyPlc,theFinanceMinistryonSundaysaidIndiaisde-fending its case “vigorously” andthatithadneveragreedtoarbitratea“nationaltaxdispute”.TheFinanceMinistryalsosaid

thatitisopenforanamicablesolu-tion to the dispute within thecountry’slegalframework.“TheGovernment of India is

vigorously defending its case inthislegaldispute.ItisafactthattheGovernmenthasfiledanapplica-tiononMarch22,2021tosetasidethehighlyflawedDecember2020internationalarbitralawardinTheHagueCourtofAppeal,”itsaid.It added thatCairn’sCEOand

its representatives have ap-proachedthegovernmentfordis-

cussionstoresolvethematter.“Constructivediscussionshave

beenheldandtheGovernmentre-mainsopenforanamicablesolu-tion to the dispute within thecountry’s legal framework,” thestatementadded.While thegov-ernmentappointedajudgeonthethree-memberarbitrationpaneland fullyparticipated in thepro-ceedingsagainst IndiaseekingRs10,247 crore in back taxes fromCairn, theMinistrysaidthetribu-nal“improperlyexercisedjurisdic-tion over a national tax disputethattheRepublicofIndianeverof-feredand/oragreedtoarbitrate.”In a statement, the Finance

Ministrycalledthe2006reorgan-isationofCairn’sIndiabusinessforlistingonthelocalboursesas“abu-sivetaxavoidancescheme.”

OPERATIONS DURING COVID SURGE

REUTERSNEWDELHI,MAY23

RENAULT-NISSANHAStoldacourtitneedstocontinueproductionatitscarplanttomeetorders,reject-ing claims from an employeeunion thatCovid safetyprotocolswerebeingignoredatthefactory,legalfilingsshow.Renault-Nissan India and

workersatitsplantinTamilNaduhavebeen locked ina legal tussleafterworkerspetitionedacourtto

haltoperationsbecausesocialdis-tancingnormswerebeingflouted

and company-provided healthbenefitswereoutweighedbytherisktotheirlives.Renault-Nissanhasargued in

acourt filing,which isnotpublic,therewasa“compellingneed”tocontinueoperations to fulfil do-mesticandexportorders.ItsaidallCovidnormswerebeingfollowed.Thecasewillnextbeheardon

MondayattheMadrasHighCourtwhen the state government,which is alsoparty to the case, isexpectedtofileitsresponse.AtopTamilNadustateofficial

toldReutersonSundayautomo-bilecompanieswillbeallowedtocontinue operations, but actionwillbetakenagainstviolationsofsocialdistancingprotocols.“It is a questionof life versus

livelihood,”saidMMoorthy,gen-eral secretary of RenaultNissanIndiaworkersunion.Renault-Nissan’sMay16court

filingshowsithaspendingexportordersofabout35,000vehiclesfortheMay-Octoberperiod,whichifnotfulfilledcouldleadtopenaltiesandlossofbusiness.

‘Covid has had disproportionateimpact on lower income people,pushed some back into poverty’

AjitMenon

BRIEFLYTRIPSCouncilNewDelhi:TheTRIPSCounciloftheWTOwilldiscussare-visedproposalsubmittedby62 co-sponsors, includingIndia,seekingpatentwaiverstomanufacture Covid-re-latedmedicalproducts,anof-ficialsaid.PTI

COP28NewDelhi:TheUnitedArabEmiratesannouncedanoffertohostthe28thsessionoftheConference of the Parties(COP28) to theUNFCCC inAbuDhabiin2023.ENS

TheSupremeCourt.File

What is SC ruling on creditorsinvoking personal guarantees?

Citingdisruption,NBFCsputpressureonRBI fordilutionofauditornorms

TheRBI’smove isaimedatpreventingfrauds,hiddenbadloans,amongothers. File

TheFinanceMinistrysaiditisopenforanamicablesolutionwithinthecountry’slegalframework

Discoms’ outstanding duesto gencos fall 3% inMarchTotal dues owed by electricity distribution companies topower producers fell 3.4% to `78,379 crore inMarch 2021,compared to the year-ago period

Outstandingdues of discomstowards electricity producershave been increasing year-on-year aswell asmonth-on-month for years showingperennial stress in the powersector till February this year.

Dues inMarch also declinedfrom `98,673cr in Februaryand `99,023cr in Januarythis year

Total overdueamount,unMarch2021,whichwas notcleared even after 45days ofgrace period offeredby generators, stood atRs67,417 crore as againstRs68,587 crore in thesamemonth a year ago

`81,116crore owedby distribution companies(discoms) to power generation firms inMarch2020,according to portal PRAAPTI (PaymentRatificationAndAnalysis in Power procurement for bringingTransparency in Invoicing of generators)

Source:PTI

BARGEP305

ENSECONOMICBUREAUNEWDELHI,MAY23

ONGC HAS announced that itwill make arrangements totransportthemortal remainsofpersonnel who died due to thesinkingofbargeP305incycloneTauktae and provide all neces-sary logistical support to thefamilies of the affected crewmembers.Sixty six of the 261 persons

whowere on board P305 havebeen confirmed dead and 186

personshavebeenrescued.TheIndianNavyandCoastGuardarecontinuingtheirsearchforthosethat are stillmissing.“The company is providing

allnecessary logisticalhelpandsupport forthedependentfam-ily members to travel toMumbaiandback.ONGCisalsomakingarrangementsfor fami-lies to take back themortal re-mains of the deceased personstotheirhometowns,”ONGCsaidina a release.

ONGC to provide logisticalsupport to families of deceased

PeoplerescuedbytheIndianNavy. File

■Renault-Nissanhasarguedinacourtfilingthattherewasa“compellingneed”tocontinueoperationstofulfildomesticandexportorders

‘COMPELLINGNEED’TOCONTINUEOPS:CO

Renault-Nissan fights legal battle with workers

ThenewruleclarifiesthatallMDsinpositiononthedateofvacancy,irrespectiveofexperienceasMD,cancompeteforthechairmanship

FinMin: Defendingcase ‘vigorously’, neveragreed to arbitrate‘national tax dispute’

New Delhi

SHIVANINAIKMUMBAI,MAY23

NAVDEEPBHATIA -Nav to theworld - oncetoldShaquilleO’Nealthatthebigmanhadnojuiceleftinhislegsandtheywerequakinginfearwhiletakingafreethrow.Chirpingcourt-sideatoneofTorontoRaptors’gamesagainstMilwaukee Bucks, Bhatia drove GiannisAntetokounmpo to tweet aboutmissing sixfree-throws.ChrisWebber toldhiswife thatBhatiaoftenpickedonhimandaslightlyun-nerved Kevin Garnett would request theRaptors to throw out the “drunk”, thoughBhatia hasn’t touched a drop of tipple hiswhole life.Thislastweek,someofNationalBasketball

Association’s (NBA’s) biggest names chimedintheircongratulationstoRaptors’NavBhatia,whobecamethefirst‘Superfan’tobeinductedintotheHallofFame.Thisincludedfamiliesofthe ones heheckled, aswell as ownerMarkCubanwhowhenhisDallasMavericks trav-elled to Toronto, would often ask for Nav’siconictwirlingtoweltobetakenaway.“Thesearethegreatestnamesinthesport.Butmyjobas a fanwas tomesswith their free throws,”says the69-year-oldwhohasattendedevery

gametheRaptorsplayedatToronto,andwashonouredbytheNBAforhisunrelentingloy-altytohisteam.“We Indiansare the first ones toenter the

HallofFameasfans,andit’sstillnotsunkin.It’snot what happens to fans in their wildestdreams. Kids dream about winningChampionshipsasplayersandforafantheho-nourishugewhichIhumblyaccept,”saystheman,wholeftDelhiduringthe1984anti-Sikhriots, and spenthis time inTorontoensuringchildrenfromminoritycommunitiesdidn’tfeelleftoutfromthegreatestbasketballgigintown.“I’veboughtthousandsof ticketssothatkids-Hindus,Muslims, Sikhs, Jews, the Chinese,Jamaicans, Brazilians, Italians - canbecomeapartofthisteam,”saysthebusinessman.

ImagemakeoverIt startedwhen awhiteman in the late

1990smistookBhatiaforataxidriver.“Iwaswearing a suit and approached him,whenhe looked back and told his wife ‘Honey, Ineedtogo.Mycab’shere.’BecauseSikhsareavisibleminorityandwereonlyseenascab-bies, I knew after overcoming the initialshock that Ineededtochangeperceptions,”he says. Fromthere, beganhis ritual trips toeveryball gameat theSkyDome.

When Toronto Raptors won theChampionship in 2019, Bhatia led a paradeof 80,000asGrandMarshal.Bhatiasaysheweatheredthefranchise’s

dark days too, even as regulars got accus-tomedtoseeinghiswhiteturbanbobaround

the arena, nettling some serious giants.“Thoseearlydays,theteamwouldloseby30pointsinthelastquarter,winonly16-17of82games andonly 4,000peoplewould be leftby the 40thminute. But I never left,” he re-calls. Team chairman Isaiah Thomaswouldpullhimin frontandanointhimSuperfan.AcclimatisinginCanadahadtakensome

yearsthough,asBhatiadidodd-jobstostartlife afresh. Amechanical engineer back inDelhi, hemowed lawns and cleanedwash-rooms. “Nobody could pick a fault in mycleaning. My washrooms would be the

cleanestintownandmylandscapingwouldbeperfect if Iworkeda lawn,”he recalls.Hewouldwalkintoacardealershiptostart

his sales job andbemocked as ‘diaperhead’and‘towelhead’,butkeepsilentandgoabouthiswork. “Therewere speedbumps - I don’tcall it discrimination. People are inherentlygood, but the perception needed to change.When theywent low, Iwent high. I sold 127cars in threemonths, and the same peoplestartedtreatingmedifferently,”hesays.Bhatiawouldgoontobuythesamedealership–andsomemore-andworkhiswayuptheladder.Theracisttauntswouldtesthisresolveto

keeptheturban. “Itwasapromise Imadetomymotherat16.Thatwas53yearsago.Shewasastrict ladyandshesummonedmeoneday and toldme I was never to give up theturbanordrinkalcohol. Soafter the ribbon-cutting at theHall of Fame ceremony, Iwasovercomewithtearstoseemyturbanbeingshowcased there,”headds.“IwasinNorthAmerica.AndI fell in love

with this fast sport. For threehours, youarein a different zone. You forget your sorrowsand fears,” he says, adding that after histotem-father,passedawayin1997,thegameheldhim together. “I remember I’d takemycar out of parkingwith a lot of energy after

watchingMichael Jordanplay.”Hewouldwatch Vince Carter and Chris

Boshbecomesuperstars,andCarter’smotherwouldbethefirsttocongratulatehimontheHallofFamehonour,whichsawhimpicktheprecious jewel-encrustedring.But it is in efforts to bring children from

different communities to the game thatBhatia would find his life’s purpose.“Diversity is a strength. I have nohatred forthosewhodidn’ttreatmewithrespectbackthen. Therewas a timewhen Iusedbasket-ball as entertainment. Now Iwant to use ittobringdiversegroups together,”hesays.Named after “newhope for a young na-

tion” in1952(hisolderbrotherbornin1947wascalledNavraj),NavdeepBhatiabelievedswearingloyaltytoanNBAteamwashisbestway to integrate into his adopted country.WhilehehelpsfundbuildingwashroomsatgirlschoolsinFaridkotandAlwar,heisproudof theOxygenlangarstheSikhsstarteddur-ingDelhi’s tragedywith thevirus.While he supported the rise of Canadian

player SimBhullar, hewaits for the day anIndianwillplayintheNBA.“Theyneedtoworkhardandshowthattheybelongandmakemydreamcometrue.Butyoucan’tgohomeandeatparothaandsamosas!”hewarns.

THEINDIANEXPRESS,MONDAYMAY24,2021


SPORT14

VolLXXXIXNo.166Regd.No.DL-21046/03-05R.N.I.No.506/57. PrintedandPublishedbyR.C.Malhotraonbehalf of The IndianExpress (P) LimitedandPrintedatThe IndianExpress (P) LimitedPress,A-8, Sector-7,Noida -201301andDBCorpLtd,DainikBhaskarVillageUnanTola,NearDanapurCantt, ShivylyaRoad,Post

Khagaul, Shahpur, Patna (Bihar) andPublishedatThe IndianExpress (P) Limited,MezzanineFloor, ExpressBuilding,9&10,BahadurShahZafarMarg,NewDelhi110002.Editorial office:The IndianExpress (P) Limited,MezzanineFloor, ExpressBuilding,9&10,BahadurShahZafarMarg,NewDelhi-110002.Phone:0120-6651500.Advertisingoffice:The IndianExpress (P) Limited,B1/B, Sector-10,Noida-201301.Phone:01206651291.Chairmanof theBoard:ViveckGoenka,Chief Editor:RajKamal Jha,Editor:UnniRajenShanker, Editor (Delhi):RakeshSinha**

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TURBAN LEGEND

NavdeepBhatiawas inducted intoNBA’sHallof Famelastweek.

CHELSEA, LIVERPOOLQUALIFY FORCLChelsea qualified for the Champions League despite losing 2-1 atAston Villa in the Premier League on Sunday as they pipped LeicesterCity to a top-four spot by one point. Liverpool, too, made the cut afterfinishing third with a 2-0 win over Crystal Palace. REUTERS

Sushil sent tosix-day policecustody

ANANDMOHANJNEWDELHI,MAY23

A DELHI court on Sunday sent doubleOlympicmedallist SushilKumarandco-ac-cused Ajay Kumar, a physical educationteacher, to sixdays inpolicecustody incon-nectionwiththemurderofa23-yearoldfor-mer juniornationalwrestlingchampion.Statingthatthevictimswere“beatenlike

wildanimals”tocreateterror,DelhiPolicehadpleadedfora12-daypoliceremandofthetwoaccused. Additional Public Prosecutor (APP)AtulSrivastavatoldthecourtthatthoughtheaccused and the victimwerewrestlerswhowonmedalsforthecountry,“wehaveruleoflaw,everyoneisequalbeforeit.”Srivastava told the court that “the CCTV

footagewas dismantled. This has to be re-covered. Themotive behind commission ofthis offence also has to be seen. They hadbeaten them likewild animals. The clotheswhichhewaswearingalsohadtoberecov-ered,”adding,“objectivewastocreateterrorin theentireareaalso.”In its order, the court said: “No one is

above law and law treats everyone equally.OurConstitutionguarantees theright to lifeand liberty to all persons subject to just ex-pectations.The importanceof initialdaysofinvestigation for unearthing the truth neednot be over- emphasised. A fair and properinvestigation is sine qua non for arriving attruthandmeeting theendsof justice.”Thecourtaddedthatit is“duty-boundto

strike a balance between the fairness of in-vestigation as well as the rights of the ac-cused.” “While the liberty of the accused isnottobecurtailedunnecessarily,atthesametime it is also to be seen that the investiga-tion is not hampered and that crucial evi-dence isnot lost,” thecourt said.Thepolicetoldthecourtthattheyneeded

custodyoftheaccusedto“unearththewholeconspiracy.”TheAPParguedthattheaccusedtookthehelpofacriminalgang,andarounda dozen persons on the run have previouscriminal records like murder, attempt tomurderetc.Thecourtwastoldthatof thefivevictims

inthiscase, threewerebrought fromModelTownandother two fromShalimarBagh toChhatrasalStadiumand“theywerebeaten.”“There is aone-minutevideoclipwhere

one accused Sushil and co-accused werebeatingotherpersons.Thefivepersonswerebrought by the accused fromModel Townand Shalimar Bagh… in different cars. Hewas originally given the job by GOI consid-eringhisability inwrestling.Hewasofficer-in-charge in Chhatrasal Stadium,” the APPtoldthecourt. “Wehavetounearththespe-cific roleof dozensofpersons.Hehadtakenthehelpof onegangwhoincludedamanofcriminal antecedents. He (Sushil) had hid-den somewhere in Punjab or Haryana.Wehave to takehimthere.”

Sushil’s arrestandthemurderatChhatrasalStadiumexposewrestling’suglyunderbellyandmalignthecountry’s fabledakhara

MIHIRVASAVDA&MAHENDERSINGHMANRALNEWDELHI,MAY23

ITSTARTEDwithafightoverproperty.Itendedwithaformerjuniornationalchampion,SagarDhankhar,gettingbeatentodeath.Andanex-worldchampion,atwo-timeOlympicmedal-list,SushilKumar,gettingarrestedafterbeingontherunforclosetothreeweeks.On Sunday, Sushil, who put India on

worldwrestling’smap,hidhis facebehindayellow-white towelasDelhiPolice’sSpecialCellpersonnelparadedhiminfrontof cam-eras. His friend and fellowwrestler AjaySherawat,wearingablackt-shirtwith‘Mercyforanimals’ inscribedonit,wasnexttohim.The two had been criss-crossing state

borders evading cops sinceMay 5, the dayaftertheincident.BotharementionedintheFIRandhavebeenaccusedofmurder,abduc-tionandcriminal conspiracy.It'sadramaticfallfromgraceofanathlete

whomedalledatconsecutiveOlympics–anunprecedented feat in a country that had agrand total of two individualmedals in thelastcentury.Asfatewouldhaveit,theallegedvenueforthedeadlyclashthattriggeredthissequence of eventswas Sushil's permanentbase for more than two decades and thecountry'smost prolific wrestling assemblyline-NewDelhi'sChhatrasalStadium.Until the night of the incident, May 4,

Sushil was said to be preparing hard at hisfamous almamater for that final push tomakethecutfortheTokyoOlympics.Thoughhewas ignored for the qualifiers, he didn'tgive up. “I still have a lot of wrestling left inme. It (career) won’t end like this,” he hadsaid, dismissively.Nowonewonders, is thishowhis illustriouscareerends?

■ ■ ■

SourcesinDelhiPolicesaySagarwascon-fined and assaulted in the Chhatrasal base-ment. Hidden from the outsideworld, it’s asprawling but dimly-lit space that’s bigenough to house around 50 cars. But it hasneverbeenusedasaparkingfacility.Instead,wrestlingmatswere laid in thiswide corri-dorwithbrightpinkwalls. Ithasamakeshiftgym, a tiny office and a praying area. It’s anuninvitingplaceguardedbyburlymenwithpryingeyes,whostandnexttothegiantmetaldoors,ensuringtheentryofonlyaselectfew.Sushilhadbeentraininghereforyearsbut

since2019,exceptforafewweeksduringlastyear’s lockdown. He practically lived in hisdingy hall, surrounded only by his mosttrusted lieutenants, one of thembeingAjay,the friendwhowasontherunwithhim.Hiskneesstrappedandwriststaped,Sushil–whowillturn38thisWednesday–wasputtinghisbody through immense pain in a final, des-perateattempttomaketheOlympicsteam.He’d even flowndowna coach six years

younger to him fromDagestan, the SouthRussianregionthathasembracedwrestlingtokeepboysaway fromviolence.

Escape from crimeIncidentally, hundreds of teenagerswho

walk past the iron gates of theNorth-WestDelhi stadiumalso tookupwrestling for thisreason. “Growing up in these parts, you arenever far from violence,” said Pradeep, awrestlerwhoreferstohimselfonlybyhisfirstname.“Myparents fearedI’dbecomeathug.So,theysentmetoChhatrasaltobecomelikeSushilpehelwan.”Intheseparts,almostevery-onewhowrestledwantedtobelikeSushil.Hewas14whenhejoinedtheChhatrasal

Stadium’sakhara,whichwasstartedin1988

by his former coach, now father-in-law,Satpal Singh. The two Olympic medals,bronze at Beijing 2008 and silver at theLondonGames, and aworld championshiptitlein2010catapultedSushiltoastatusthatvery fewIndiansportspersonsenjoy.Aroundhere,hewasdeified.Adjacentto

a Hanuman statue at the entrance of thewrestlinghallaretwogiantpicturesofSushil.The young pehelwans followed a daily rit-ual: first seeking the Lord’s blessings andthen, touching their idol’s feet.Inhisprime,Sushilwouldputonashow

every day for the 200-oddwrestlers, whowould come from the remotest villagesacrossHaryana,Maharashtra,UttarPradesh,and,insomecases,evenJammu.Heclimbedropes, grappled inmud, trainedon themat,and showed the amount of effort that goesintobecominganOlympicmedallist.Itwasinthisspartansettingwithaguru-

shishya tradition that youngwrestlers as-pired to add to Chhatrashal's legacy. But af-ter May 23, the day Sushil hid behind theyellow-whitetowel,willthecountry'smost-fabledwrestlingschoolbemalignedforever?

■ ■ ■

Thesetough,battle-hardenedmen,whoare taught topractisecelibacyandself-con-

trol, have often flirtedwith the law. In thedecadeshehasspentpolicingtheregion,re-tired cop Ashok Chand says he has comeacrossmultiple instanceswherewrestlers‘becauseof theirphysicalprowess, areusedbyvarious segmentsof thesociety’.“There are many active and former

wrestlerswho are recruited asmusclemenbypoliticians,recoveryagentsbybanksandmoneylenders,bouncersatclubsandpubs.Therearesomewhojoincriminalgangsandgangsters and indulge in extortion andbul-lying businesses to pay protectionmoney.Theyarealsoemployedbytollplazaownerstomanboothsonborders tobrowbeatmo-torists,”Chandsays.Thisisn’tplaingeneralisation.Therearefar

toomanyinstancesthatattestChand’sclaim:■A few years ago, a village sarpanch in

Haryanawas shot dead because of a tussleover land.

■NaveenDalal,themanaccusedoffiringtwoshotsatactivistUmarKhalidoutsidetheConstitution Club inNewDelhi, is a formerwrestlerfromMandothi,avillageinHaryana.

■RakeshMalik, another wrestler fromHaryana, served a jail term formurder, andwas involved in another assassination at-temptafterhewas freed.

■Earlierthisyear,awrestlingcoachkilledfive sportspersons in coldbloodafter hewas

accusedofmisbehaviourbyawomanwrestler.

Double-edged swordWrestlingFederationofIndia(WFI)assis-

tant secretary Vinod Tomar said Sushil’s ac-tions had brought disrepute to the sport,whichgainedinpopularityafterthecountrywonmedals in itat the last threeOlympics.But the WFI itself is headed by Brij

Bhushan Sharan Singh, a BJP Member ofParliament fromKaiserganj, Uttar Pradesh.Asperhis2014electionaffidavit,hehasbeenchargedinnumerouscriminalcases, includ-ing attempt tomurder and dacoity. Calls toSinghseekingcommentwentunanswered.Parents of young wrestlers realise the

sport is a double-edged sword: there is thelurethatthesportcouldbringthemfortuneandfamebutthereareunderlyingfears,too,that their childcouldveryeasilygoastray.For this reason, the father of Tokyo

Olympics-bound wrestler Deepak Puniatravelled 50km one-way, from his villageChhara to Chhatrasal, every day. SubhashPunia undertook these long trips to deliverhomemade food tohis son.Hedid it also tomakesurehedidnotgooff-track.Punia Sr. hadearlier told this newspaper:

“IquiteverythingIwasdoingandconcentratedongivinghimthebestqualityfoodandwhat-everelseheneeded.Ithelpedhiswrestling,ofcourse,butthatwasalsoonewaytoensurehedidnotgooff therails.ThetechnicalbitsweretakencareofbyVirendercoach(inChhara)andMahabaliSatpal(atChhatrasal).”

■ ■ ■

IfSushilwasthefaceofChhatrasal,Satpal

was the brain behind it. The former AsianGames gold medallist wrestler and aDronacharyaAwardeehassetupawell-oiledscouting systemover the years,which nowrunsonautopilot.Hehas informally tiedupwith hundreds of akharas across Haryana,whichactasfeederclubstoChhatrasal.Oncethere, the trainees live in rooms next to thewrestlinghallandunderthestadium’sstand,andall theirbasicneedsare takencareof.The armyof coaches thatworkedunder

SatpalturnedChhatrasalintoaconveyorbeltof talent, which produced national and in-ternational champions. London Olympicsbronze medallist Yogeshwar Dutt, TokyoOlympics hopefuls Bajrang Punia, RaviDahiyaandDeepakareallChhatrasalalumni.Sushil, thebiggestnameofthemall, took

up an administrative role at the stadium inhis twilight years but did not stop training.“There is a lot of discipline and hardwork.Butmost of all, there is fairness. This iswhyChhatrasal is one of the best academies inIndia. Somewrestlersmayfeel insecureatanational camp but they feel safe atChhatrasal,” says a wrestling coach fromMaharashtra.

Reputation tarnishedTheremayhavebeen theoddcaseof in-

discipline but nothing as severe as the inci-dent thismonth,whichhaspromptedvari-ousquestionsandtheoriesaboutwhatgoeson inside thestadium.“It isn’t only a wrestling hub,” says vet-

eran crime reporter Inder Vashisth. “In themid-90s,DelhiPolicewasonthelookoutforamafia in extortion cases. It turned out hewas handing over prizes at ChhatrasalStadiumalongwithSatpal.Alotofcriminalsfrom the outer Delhi region have soughtrefugeinsidethestadium.SatpalandSushil,apart from being sportspersons, are alsogovernment officials. So, their role shouldbe investigated.”Ravinder,aChhatrasaltraineewhoclaims

hewaswith Sagar on the fateful night, sayshewill discontinue training there. “I won’tbe trainingatChhatrasalanymore. Iwill cutall linkswith Chhatrasal. An akhara is like aspiritual place for a wrestler. With Sagar’sdeath, Chhatrasal is not the samehallowedplace forme.Thereareotherwrestlerswhowill leave too,”Ravinder says.SaysanotherChhatrasalwrestlerwho is

disillusionedbytherecentevents:“Wehavetomake somany sacrifices to become thebestwrestleratChhatrasal.Thecompetitionisfierce.Therigouroftraining,thediscipline,the dedication needed is unimaginable forsomeonewho is not part of the akhara. Butyou always thought that it was somethingpureandessentialtokeepthewrestlingcul-ture alive. But after this incident, onewon-derswhatkindofcultureisbeingpromotedat theakhara.”Chand, the retiredpoliceofficer, refrains

from singling out Chhatrasal. But he con-cedesthatakharasare ‘responsibleforturn-ingpehelwans intocriminals.’ “This ismoreor less true of thewhole of Northern India.Pehelwans who control akharas becomepowerful as they are courted by politiciansandcriminalandunscrupulouselementsofsociety as they have, under their tutelage,youngwrestlerswhocanbeusedforachiev-ing their objectives,” Chand says. “But Iwouldn’t like to specifically say anythingaboutChhatrasalorSushil.”ButaftertheclipreleasedbyDelhiPolice

- showing Sushil hiding behind a towel -wentviral,wrestling’ssofarunseenuglyun-derbellygotexposedandthewhispersabouttheakhada’s shadyculturegotamplified.

WITHINPUTSFROMNIHALKOSHIE

The Mighty fall

SushilKumarbeingtakenintopolicecustody inNewDelhionSunday.PTI

Itwas apromise Imade tomymother at 16. Thatwas53yearsago. Shewasa strict lady and shesummonedmeoneday and toldme Iwasnever to give up theturbanor drink alcohol. So afterthe ribbon-cutting at theHall ofFameceremony, Iwas overcomewith tears to seemy turbanbeingshowcased there.”

NAVDEEPBHATIAONHISRESOLVETOKEEPTHETURBAN

Iwon’t be training atChhatrasalanymore. Iwill cut all linkswithChhatrasal. An akhara is like aspiritual place for awrestler.WithSagar’s death,Chhatrasal is notthe samehallowedplace forme.There are otherwrestlerswhowillleave too.”

RAVINDERTRAINEE,CHHATRASALSTADIUMAKHARA

How Superfan Nav distracted Shaq on his way to NBA’s Hall of Fame

SushilKumar(R)andhisassociateAjaySherawatareaccusedofmurder,abductionandcriminalconspiracy.PTI

New Delhi: According to Delhi Policesources, Sushil Kumar moved acrossstates while on the run for the last 18days, occasionally receiving help fromfriends and associates. He also avoidedusing local SIM cards, preferring VoIPcalls. It is also learnt that when DelhiPolice Special Cell officers arrested thedoubleOlympicmedallist, hewasusingatwo-wheeler registered inthenameofa Delhi-based national-level handballplayerwhohasbeenpartof India’sAsianGameswomen’s team.Following are fewdetails of Sushil’s

whereaboutswhile hewas evading ar-rest, as shared by the investigators ofthe case:

■ Initially, Sushil moved fromDelhito Haridwar, where after a spending anight,hemovedtoRishikesh.

■WhilereturningfromUttarakhand,he stayed for a few hours in Muza-ffarnagar.

■ From Uttar Pradesh, he reachedBahadurgarhandthenJindbyroad.Withthe help of friends, he reachedChandigarh.

■HestayedinChandigarhforaroundtwo days and later moved to BhatindaandsubsequentlyMohali.

■ A day before his arrest, SushilheadedtoGurugramandlatermovedtoDelhi.

MAHENDERSINGHMANRAL

EVADINGARREST,WITHHELPOF FRIENDS

New Delhi

B U Sushil Kumar held for wrestler’s murder Vardhan rap,

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