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MONEY 8NPAS OF BOB, INDIAN BANK

SURGE MULTI-FOLD

ANALYSIS 7THE DISRUPTION OF

POPULISM DURING A CRISIS

SPORTS 11THOUGHT OF FACING LEETOOK MY SLEEP: ROHIT

VIJAYAWADA, MONDAY MAY 4, 2020; PAGES 12 `3

}DEVERAKONDA-INDRAGANTI TOTEAM UP; RAJUTO PRODUCE

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RNI No. APENG/2018/764698

*Late City Vol. 2 Issue 181*Air Surcharge Extra if Applicable

Established 1864Published From

VIJAYAWADA DELHI LUCKNOW BHOPALRAIPUR CHANDIGARH BHUBANESWAR

RANCHI DEHRADUNHYDERABAD

Current Weather ConditionsUpdated May 03, 2020 5:00 PM

ALMANACTODAY

Month & Paksham:Paush & Shukla PakshaPanchangamTithi : Ekadashi: 06:12 am, Dwadashi:02:53 am (Next Day)Nakshatram: Uttara Phalguni: 07:19 pmTime to Avoid: (Bad time to start

any important work)Rahukalam: 07:27 am – 09:02 amYamagandam: 10:37 am – 12:12 pmVarjyam: 02:47 am – 04:12 amGulika: 01:48 pm - 03:23 pmGood Time: (to start any important work)

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10 most-valueddomestic firmstogether add Rs 3.10 lakh cr

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Centre'sdecision to set upIFSC HQ in Guj‘egregious'

4

Simplicity shouldbe the way of life:Dharmendra onlockdown

Liquor prices raisedby 25 per cent in APPNS n VIJAYAWADA

The Andhra PradeshGovernment on Sundayannounced that prices of liquorwould be increased by 25 percent, and justified its decisionby saying that this was a movetowards implementing totalprohibition in the state.

Chief Minister YSJaganmohan Reddy said dur-ing a review meeting held inhis camp office here that thestate government was takingeffective measures towards theprohibition of liquor across thestate and thus increased pricesby 25 per cent. “In the comingdays, the number of shops willalso be reduced further,” hesaid. The “prohibition tax”

could be up to 25 per cent onthe existing prices, SpecialChief Secretary, Industries andCommerce, Rajat Bhargava,said. The entire liquor businessin AP is currently under thecontrol of the state govern-ment, with the AP StateBeverages Corporation operat-ing the retail outlets.

While liquor sale is beingresumed "for health reasons",the state governments policy isto discourage people fromconsuming liquor, Bhargavasaid. The decision to increaseprices was taken shortly afterthe Indian government statedthat liquor stores can openwith certain restrictions, start-ing on May 4.

CONFUSION REIGNS

PNS n HYDERABAD

Confusion was the order ofthe day on Sunday, as thenation prepared to take thefirst step towards what manysay would be the “new nor-mal” of our everyday lives.

While the Central govern-ment announced that restric-tions on economic activity, inplace for the last 40 days,would be eased, none of thosethat would be directly affect-ed by this easing of restric-tions was clear about whatconstitutes a neighbourhoodand standalone shop, andwhat differentiates them fromthose in marketplace.

As expected, retailers andtrader associations waited forthe government, or the localadministration in some cases,to provide clarity. By Sundayevening, that wait continued.

As per press releases fromthe Central government, allstandalone (single) shops,neighbourhood (colony)shops and shops in residentialcomplexes would be allowedto function in urban areas,without distinction of essen-tial and non-essential. Themost common interpretationof this is that shops in marketplaces as well as malls wouldallowed to reopen. E-com-

merce activities, in the RedZones, are permitted only inrespect of essential goods,the release said.

Similarly, the Ministry ofHome Affairs (MHA) hadissued new guidelines onFriday to ease some of therestrictions on essential andnon-essential services dur-ing the third phase of thelockdown, that starts fromMonday. While the ministryasked Resident WelfareAssociations (RWAs) to takea call regarding allowing themovement of outsiders, sev-eral house helps were eithertold to not come or are notaware about the RWAs' deci-sions.

"No one has asked me tocome back for work. I amwithout any work for over 40days now. I did call them tocheck whether we can resumeour work, while most deniedone family, who are puttingup on rent, said the owners ofthe house are not allowingthem,” Babita Rai, a househelp, told PTI in New Delhi.

With her depleted savingsand an additional loan of Rs20,000 coming to an end,Babita and her husband areuncertain about their future,and the confusion is adding totheir anxiety.

47 more patients recover, 58new cases raise tally to 1,583PNS n VIJAYAWADA

The number of patientsrecovering from Covid-19 isgradually inching upward,with each passing day bring-ing glad tidings. According toa state government healthbulletin, as many as 47patients made a full recoveryand were discharged fromvarious Covid-19 designatedhospitals in the last 24 hours.

However, since 58 newcases were recorded — takingthe total number of cases to1,583 — the gap between theactive cases continues toclimb, albeit gradually. Thenumber of active cases stoodat 1,062, as per the bulletin.So far, 488 patients have madea full recovery.

The total number of Covidtests conducted in the state sofar was 1,13,354 and in the

24-hour period, 6,534 sam-ples were tested with 58returning positive. In all 2,152tests per million tests arebeing conducted in the state,which is the highest in thecountry with 1.38 per centpositivity rate.

During the last 10 days,four deaths to Covid-19 havebeen reported in the state.

Kurnool tops the list ofactive cases with 379, fol-lowed by Krishna with 212,Guntur 196, Anantapur 50,YSR Kadapa 46, SPS Nellore

and Chittoor reported 44each, West Godavari 33, EastGodavari 25, Visakhapatnamnine, and Srikakulam districtwith five active Covid cases.

Vizianagaram districtremains untouched by thevirus. Meanwhile, RSI fromthe 6th Battalion, Mangalagiriwas found positive for Covid-19.

It is learnt that the RSI hadbeen discharging duty inGuntur Red Zones for the lastone week.

After he tested positive,the authorities are makingarrangements to shift his fam-ily to an isolation facility.

Also, the Guntur MedicalCollege Ethics Committeehas given its nod to treatCovid-19 patients with plas-ma therapy.

Indian Navy salutes Corona WarriorsPNS n VISAKHAPATNAM

Cmde Sanjeev Issar, NavalOfficer-in-Charge(AndhraPradesh) felicitated theCorona Warriors atVisakhapatnam on behalf ofEastern Naval Command(ENC) on Sunday.

He presented a bouquet toDr PV Sudhakar, Principal,

Andhra Medical College,Dr KVV Vijaya KumarSuper intendent GovtHospital for Chest andCommunicable Deceases(GHCCD) and Dr SuryaKumari Covid Nodal Officerat GHCCD and Dr ND warakanath, Medica lSuperintendent, GITAMInstitute of Medical Sciences

and Research (GIMSR).Sa lut ing the C oronaWarriors , he expressedwholehearted gratitude to allthe doctors, nurses, otherhealth workers, hygiene andsanitation staff who havebeen risking their lives andrelentlessly fighting theCovid and containing thespread of the pandemic.

Later a Chetak helicopterfrom INS Dega showeredf lower peta ls on both these hospita ls atVisakhapatnam.

In the evening, Navy shipswere illuminated with theiranchorage off RK Beach.

INS Savitri of ENC on amission deployment salut-ing the Corona Warriors.

Only migrantworkers cancross states,says JaganPNS n VIJAYAWADA

Chief Minister YSJaganmohan Reddy on Sundayappealed to the people to stayput at the place they are andavoid rushing to the borders asthe relaxation to travel is onlyfor migrant labour.

During a review meetingwith officials here, the ChiefMinister asked citizens to stayput at the places where they areand not to take any journey asthe spread of the virus mightincrease. He asked the peoplenot to reach the borders of theState and put at risk their ownfamilies and themselves.

Govt braces for return of 6 lakh migrant workersPNS n VIJAYAWADA

The AP Government has for-mulated a clear cut mechanismfor the return of nearly six lakhmigrant workers and studentsstranded in other states due tothe Coronavirus lockdown.

Revealing this at a media con-ference here on Sunday, Medicaland Health Minister Alla KaliKrishna Srinivas said during aspecial review meeting today, adecision was taken to bringback six lakh AP migrants heldup in 13 states as well as ensur-ing the safe passage of 12,794migrants from other states

stranded in AP to their homestates. The Minister said ninespecial trains have beenarranged under the supervi-

sion of special officer KrishnaBabu to bring back AP migrantsstranded in other states.

Efforts are also being made to

provide them food and otherfacilities to them at the placeswhere they are held up in coor-dination with the respectivestate governments. Several pre-cautions are being taken tobring them back such as arrang-ing special quarantine centresfor them. One lakh beds wouldbe arranged at the village secre-tariats in the state which havebeen turned into quarantinecentres for the returnees.

All facilities are being keptready at the quarantine centres,including nutritious food andtoilets under hygienic conditionsfor the returnees. There would

be no compromise on the issue,said the minister.

With reference to the demar-cated red zones in the districts,the Minister said officials havebeen instructed to supply pro-visions through mobile marketsfor which 500 RTC buses havebeen arranged as one memberof each family to move out.Similarly, YSR Telemedicine,which has been gaining popu-larity among the people wouldbe strengthened to cater tomore people during the pan-demic and also provide medi-cines at the doorsteps of thepatients.

Colonel amongfive killed inencounter innorth KashmirPNS n SRINAGAR

An Army Colonel and a Majorwere among five security per-sonnel killed in an encounterwith terrorists at a village innorth Kashmir's Handwaraarea, Director General of PoliceDilbagh Singh said on Sunday.

"Sad to inform that fivebrave personnel includingColonel Ashutosh Sharma,Major Anuj Sood and sub-inspector of JKP Shakeel Qaziwere martyred in the line ofduty," Singh said.

PNS n VIJAYAWADA

The number ofpatients recov-ering fromCovid-19 isgradually inch-ing upward,with each pass-ing day bringingglad tidings.According to a stategovernment health bulletin, asmany as 47 patients made afull recovery and were dis-

charged from variousCovid-19 designat-

ed hospitals inthe last 24 hours.

H o w e v e r ,since 58 newcases wererecorded — tak-

ing the totalnumber of cases

to 1,583 — the gapbetween the active cases

continues to climb, albeit grad-ually.

AP Discoms ask Centre for Rs 2,000 crPNS n VIJAYAWADA

The State government hasasked the Centre to extendRs 2,000 crore in financialaid to the beleaguered APpower sector that is strug-gling due to the severefinancial crisis with a sharpreduction in power con-sumption, revenue collec-

tions and the increasingburden of paying fixedcharges to power genera-tors during the nationwidelockdown.

The Centre has nomi-nated Aniruddha Kumar,joint secretary for UnionMinistry of Power, to coor-dinate the present crisiswith AP during the lock-

down period. Accordingto officials, the novelCoronavirus has badly hitthe State power sector andthe situation is very precar-ious. Power consumptionhas fallen by 20 per centand nearly 80 per cent ofrevenue collections havebeen affected.

States prepare to stepinto the ‘new normal’

Thunderstorms forecastfor Coastal AP, Seema

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42,505CORONAcases in

INDIA 1,391Deaths

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VIJAYAWADA | MONDAY | MAY 4, 2020 vijayawada 02

Yellow metal losessheen, Rupee dipsPNS n HYDERABAD

Even as the contentious tan-gle on spreading coronavirushas created much bad bloodbetween the US and China,two major developments needto be noted. First, China hasdelinked its currency from theUS dollar. The immediateimpact would be on theexchange value of dollar, andin the present situation, when,due to COVID 19 pandemic,the world economy has suf-fered a death blow, generallyon all trading partners withChina. Second, the USPresident has threatened toimpose higher tariffs onChinese goods imported intothe US.

Consequently, due tovolatility in the market, theyellow metal declinedduring the week endedSaturday and closedat US dollars 1,685.10 (per Oz). Silvertoo, movedin tandemand closed atdollars 14.94.

At home, due to the exten-sion of country-wide lock-down up to May 17, there wasno glitter in markets. Somefirms which had offered jew-ellery sale online duringAkshaya Tritiya festival werequite disappointed due tofeeble market response,according to the latest reports.During first quarter, i.e.January-March, gold importsrecorded a decline of 36 percent. Platinum and palladiumwere quoted at dollars 707.52and Rs.1,43,107(per oz)).MCX gold and silver movedin narrow brackets. Whilegold recorded a small declineand closed at Rs. 45,690 (per10 gms), silver gained margin-ally and closed at Rs. 42,322(per kg) respectively.

In the foreign exchange

market, Indian Rupee sufferedfurther erosion in value visavis US dollar with theexchange value of Rs.75.11.Similarly, British Pound andEuro command the exchangevalue of Rs. 94.80 and Rs. 84.13 respectively.

Other foreign exchangerates (in Rs.) are: Australiandollar 48.68, UAE dirham20.65, Kuwaiti dinar 245.13,Saudi riyal 20.17, Omani Riyal196.88, Hongkong dollar 9.77,Canadian dollar 53.16,Singapore dollar 53.58 andSwiss franc 78.87.

Brent and Crude oilremained highly volatilebefore closing at dollars 26.60,and Rs.1,518 (per barrel)

respectively. MCX copperclosed at Rs. 401.25 (per

kg). Sensex, Nifty 50and Ny Mex closed at

33,717.62, 9,859.90and 19.69 points.

COMMODI-TIES

T h eprocure-

ment of food grains hasincreased substantially. Atsome places, due to unseason-al rains and hailstorms, a lotof ready-for-sale agro prod-ucts have been damaged,thereby causing huge loss tofarmers. In a bid to mitigatefarmers' problems, the gov-ernment has permitted insome states the traders to liftthe agro products directlyfrom the fields.

The government hasalready commenced buyingpaddy and permitted exportof rice.

With the mercury touching43 degree Celsius, consump-tion of eggs has declined con-siderably. The NECC whole-sale egg price in Hyderabadrecorded a decline of Rs.20during the week at Rs.330(per100) closing.

WEEKLY MARKET REVIEW

HC UPADHYAY n HYDERABAD

From the recent developments inthe country, which is reelingunder the COVID 19 pandem-ic, all right- thinking people areconstrained to ponder certainvery important facets of publicadministration, including lawenforcement, in order to ensurethe rule of law.

It is true that despite having ahuge population and religious,social, linguistic and economicdisparities, as compared to othercountries, we have fairly a reli-able administrative and judicialstructure. We are also lucky tohave fairly an honest and com-mitted political leadership whichis quite accommodative towardspolitical dissent voiced by theopposition parties. The print andelectronic media, with a fewexceptions of partisan attitude,are also fairly independent. Thesame is also true in the case ofacademic and other segments ofintelligentsia.

With such a praise-worthy set-up, the country has made rapidstrides in recent years. Therefore,some irritants like mob-lynching,senseless opposition by terrorists,extremists and fanatic jihadis, tolawful action in order to containthe coronavirus pandemic andvicious propaganda againstnational interests by fringe ele-ments, can be tackled easily.

However, to do so, the iron polit-ical will is necessary.

Considering the lacklusterapproach of the administrationto heinous crimes, such as mob-lynching, the latest being inPalghar district, Maharashtra,murderous attacks on doctors,nurses, para-medical staff andeven the police, several questionscrop up about the intent andcapacity of the concerned gov-ernments. The systematic assaulton everything that is Indian, infact, began long back when theModi government assumedpower in 2014. Starting from thewell-orchestrated 'Award Wapsi'drama to 'BharatTereTukdeHonge' to Azaditirades and anti-CAA-NCR, thecriminal gangs went amuck.The government of the daytreated these blatant acts of trea-son with kidgloves. This indiffer-ence bolstered these anti-nation-al elements to organise the JamiaMillia and Shaheen Bagh showson a larger scale and intensity.The jihadi outfits and some self-appointed Messaiahs of Muslimsopenly supported the uncondi-tional activities in the name offreedom of expression.

The government remainedalmost dumb. Sadly, the apex

court too, instead of taking suomotu cognizance of the explosivesituation in Shaheen Bagh andputting out the fire, delayed theresponse. Meanwhile, some peo-ple took law in their hands andindulged in violence. Ultimately,riots broke out in Delhi in whichabout 50 persons lost lives.

The COVID-19 outbreakcame as a saviour of the situationfor the government whichimposed nation-wide lock-down and cleared off the pro-testers.

But it would be wrong toconclude that the anti-national elements havegiven up their fight.This has been amplyproved by the opendefiance of lockdownrestrictions by the mem-bers and supporters ofTablighi Jamat. Seriousquestions have beenrightly raised about thepleaded ignorance of Delhipolice about lockdown violationby the controversial Islamicorganization, though its head-quarters are located just at a stonethrow distance from the nearbypolice station. What is more dis-turbing is that the anti-human-ity stand taken by the said organ-

isation. Its members, runninginto several thousands,have spread all over thecountry and many of themare hiding in mosques

and residentialplaces. Whilesome have

been nabbed, manyincluding the Chief

Moulana Saad, are stillat large. They havealready infected manyinnocent people. Theyhave been indulging inanimal-like behaviour

and inciting other Muslims toattack health workers and police.The government, in a desperatebid to control them, has broughtan ordinance providing stringentpunishment.

But the million-dollar ques-tion is: Whether new ordinanceor law would be able to stop or

atleast curb the criminal behav-iour of such elements. From theexperience gained so far, theobvious reply should be a big no.The legislatures, in the past alsohave enacted a number of lawslike NIRBHAYA Act after agruesome incident of rape andmurder, but the net result is zero.The same is the case with thelaws relating to smuggling,money-laundering, benamitransactions and black money.

The intentions in enactinglaws are always laudable.However, their enforcementremains in grey area. It is quiteoften seen that the rich and pow-erful escape the clutches of law,while the poor and unprivi-leged onesare quickly hauled up.The former commits offenceswith impunity, while the latteroften gets badly beaten up ordumped in police lock-up some

time even without registering anFIR. The scenario is, indeed,pathetic. The law should beused for the purpose it is made.Further, by their upright, honestand impartial behaviour, thelaw-enforcing authorities shouldbe able to instill fear in the mindsof offenders. Politicians shouldnever muddle with the enforce-ment of laws. Not long ago, theCentral Bureau of Investigation(CBI) was described as 'a parrotin the cage' by none other thanthe Supreme Court of India.

Last but not the least, judicialreforms should be expedited.Justice delayed is justice denied.Similarly, offenders should not belet off with minor or token pun-ishment. Isn't it true that harsh-er the punishment, better will bethe obedience to law?

Anti-corruption law coversdeemed universities too: SC

In a significant Judgement, theSupreme Court has ruled thatdeemed universities and trusteesof such universities are also cov-ered by the anti-corruption lawand they could be prosecuted aspublic servants if they indulge incorrupt practices.

Terming corruption as themalignant manifestation of a

malady menacing the morality ofmen, a bench of Justice N.VRamana and Justice M.MShantanagoudar set aside theGujarat High Court order dis-charging the trustees ofSumandeep Vidyapeeth run bythe Sumandeep Charitable Truston the ground that a deemeduniversity does not fall under theambit of the Prevention ofCorruption Act.

SC says NEET must for privateminority medical colleges

While dismissing a batch of 76petitions, including those filed bythe Christian Medical College,Vellore and Ludhiana, a bench ofJustice Arun Mishra, JusticeVineet Saran and Justice M.RShah of the apex court held thatthere is no violation of the rightsof unaided/aided minority insti-tutions under Articles 19 (1) (g)and 30 read with Articles 25,26and 29 (1) of the Constitution ofIndia by prescribing the uniformexamination of NEET for admis-sions in the graduate and post-graduate professional coursesof medical as well as dental sci-ences. Coming down heavily onthe money-spinning activities ofsuch minority institutions, thebench observed : "NEET has

been imposed in national inter-est considering the malprac-tices of granting illegal admis-sions by virtually selling theseats in derogation to rights ofmeritorious students ", andadded: " The charitable activityof education became a saleablecommodity and prerogative ofwealthy persons and poor stu-dents were forced to get educa-tion funded from banks."

SC convicts three advocatesof contempt

In a rare act of punishingadvocates for scurrilous allega-tions against two of its judges, theSupreme Court on April 27convicted three lawyers for con-tempt of court. A bench com-prising Justice Deepak Guptaand Justice Aniruddha Bosesaid that the judiciary was notaverse to criticism but it cannotallow the people to lower themajesty of the institution bymaking unfounded and baselessallegations. The contemnors hadnot only forwarded complaintagainst judges to the Presidentand Chief Justice of India but hadalso circulated it on social media.

The bench, however, opinedthat bona fide criticism of anyinstitution, including the judicia-ry, was always welcome. But noone has right to attribute motivesto a judge or to question the bonafides and competence of a judge,it added.

LEGALROUNDUP

More than law, the fear of law is important!In a significant Judgement, theSupreme Court has ruled that deemeduniversities and trustees of suchuniversities are also covered by theanti-corruption law and they could beprosecuted as public servants if theyindulge in corrupt practices

PNS n VISAKHAPATNAM

The lockdown following theoutbreak of the Coronavirus hashit transgenders in some partsof the State. Their source oflivelihood has also stopped.While most of the transgendersbeg on roads, perform in wed-dings and celebrations and a fewtook to other means to feedthemselves.

The number of transgendersin the State is over 60,000 andmost of the third gender hasbeen residing in cities and townsfor their livelihood. Thoughthe government has been pro-viding Rs 3,000 per month toeach transgender above 18 yearsof age towards social securitypension, majority of transgen-ders failed to register theirnames with the government. “Inthe past few weeks, we spentwhatever savings we hadtowards our community peopleand also the needy. We are

requesting the government toextend help to us during thelockdown otherwise we will beon the verge of starvation,” said

transgenders.It may be recalled that the

lockdown has led to postpone-ment of marriages, birthday

celebrations, inaugurations ofshops. It also restricted thecrowd on roads and shutdownof business establishments.

“Nowadays, our source ofincome has dried up and oursavings also come to an end, saidSaloni,” a transgender. “Beforelockdown, I used to earn at leastRs 500 to Rs 1,000 per day beforelockdown, now I remained idleand nothing has been earnedduring the lockdown period,”said Kajal, a transgender.

Rajeshwari, a transgendersaid that majority of the trans-genders reside in groups withtheir guru in parts of the Stateand most of them live in rent-ed accommodations.

Due to lack of income on theaccount of Covid-19 lockdown,out community members havebeen facing troubles and strug-gle to meet their requirementsuch as medicines, food and oth-ers. Some members of our com-munity, who saved some extraamount, are feeding other mem-bers of the community duringthe lockdown,” Rajeshwariadded.

PNS n TIRUPATI

The out-patient (OP) ser-vices will resume in TTD runSri Balaji Institute of Surgery,Research and Rehabilitationfor the Disabled (BIRRD)Ortho Specialty Hospitalfrom May 4 onwards as theCentre has relaxed lockdownrestrictions on OP services.According to the Director ofBIRRD Dr MadanmohanReddy, the services will beresumed following all thenorms prescribed by the gov-ernment while registeringand treating patients.

Briefing on the arrange-ments he said, the OP ticketswill be generated in fivecounters from 8 am to 12 pmfrom Monday onwards. Allthe patients with OP ticketswill be provided medication.

Both the doctors andpatients have to wear masksand strictly observe socialdistancing, maintaining threefeet distance in between.Initially, patients will be test-ed for Coronavirus in theground floor.

After this test, patientswithout positive symptomswill be allowed to enter OPward, along with attendees.At one go only 10 will beallowed and after their treat-ment another 10 will beallowed”, he added.

Going into May, thechallenge at hand is torev-up the Indian

economy. The standard prescriptions

are based on the assumptionthat we require some sort ofa financial stimulus to restartthe economy. Admittedly,money is required for theeconomy to resume, however,this article will explore possi-bilities of restoring the Indianeconomy without inordinate-ly focusing on some sort of afinancial boost.

There are three ways to goabout stimulating the econo-my, the first being to addressthe disruption in supplychains.

There are three types ofsupply (used interchangeablywith value) chains in India -completely formal,formal/informal, and onlyinformal. The completely for-mal value chain was complete-ly GST amenable, while theother two were partly compli-ant. GST exemption up to acertain turnover and pay-

ment of GST at a fixed rate ofturnover (compositionscheme) are two examples ofrecognition of these hybridvalue chains.

The challenge thrown up byCovid-19 lockdown is how torevive these value chains.There is no precedence to fallback on to guide this processand we have to fall back onother metaphors.

Suppose the economy is thehuman body (both are com-plex): Imagine if we weregiven a wish that we can stopall our functions in our bodyand then revive them at will.The coming to life will be onlypossible if all organs start atthe same time. We cannothave the brain starting todayand the liver tomorrow, withthe kidneys coming onlineday-after-tomorrow andblood flow the week after. We

call this notion completeness. Applied to the economy,

this would mean that all com-ponents of the economyshould start at the same time.The unit of completenesscould vary - village/city,region, district, state, etc. Thiscould also be done sector-wiseif all the backward and for-ward linkages are identifiedand available in a given geog-raphy.

The idea of completenessgoes beyond the convention-al approach of economistswhere the focus is on stimu-

lating the supply- or demand-side and the estimate fundsrequired for doing this.

Undoubtedly these tradi-tional methods are valid.However, there is anotherorganic, internal way of reviv-ing supply-chains that isworth exploring.

The levying of GST on fin-ished goods and services only,will induce restoration of mil-lions of supply chains. Simply,we would be exempting GSTon all raw materials and inter-mediates at least for, say, sixmonths by when the economy

will, hopefully, gain near fullsteam. This approach doesinvolve some loss of revenuein the immediate future, butthe assumption is that theincrease in economic activitywill compensate for the loss inthe longer run.

There will also be anotherbenefit. The GST in practicehas unintentionally become asort of consumption tax,

thereby, retarding consump-tion. By limiting GST to fin-ished goods and service, con-sumption will get a fillip.

Furthermore, this has to becomplemented by re-estab-lishing circuits of money flow(includes all forms - physical,digital) in the economy.

Let us assume that timestopped on the day of thelockdown and resumes onlywhen economy activity isrestarted. Thus, all dues (e.g.loan repayments, tax pay-ments) will be computed fromD-Day, the day when econo-my reopens or any futuredate. During this period therewill be a hold on economicregulations/rules (e.g. sus-pension of insolvency code fora year). This will mean atemporary suspension ofexternal supervision byinspectors.

For example, constructionactivity will be revived basedon existing building rules andzoning regulations, withoutrequiring any building per-missions from town planningdepartments. Once construc-tion restarts, there will begeneration of large-scaleemployment in India.

This will also rekindleentrepreneurship in the sever-al ways. For instance, entre-preneurs will be able to devoteall their attention to startingbusiness, establishing supplychains, locating new marketopportunities, and reducingcost of production. During theprocess of rebuilding theirbusiness, they will be able tolook out for the best andmost innovative businesspractices.

The notion of completenesshas lessons for attracting busi-

ness planning to relocate fromChina. In order to do so, weshould carve out enclaves andprovide them the completeenvironment as is prevailingin their present locations inChina.

Such a business environ-ment will include land, phys-ical space, natural resources,labour, money and equip-ment, minimal regulationsand opportunities for innova-tion and entrepreneurship.Preferably, these enclavesshould be established nearports (particularly minorports) as in China.

Outside of a financial stim-ulus that is traditionallysought as a solution to accel-erate an economy, the possi-bilities outlined here can beemployed by policy-makers torev up the economy and drivelong-term benefits.

(Author is a Ph.D. fromUSA and a D.Litt. from

Kanchi University. The arti-cle is based on his researchand practice and views are

personal)

SAMEER SHARMA, IAS

Revving up the economy at little costThe challenge thrown up by Covid-19lockdown is how to revive these valuechains. There is no precedence to fallback on to guide this process and wehave to fall back on other metaphors

n “Before lockdown, I usedto earn at least Rs 500 toRs 1,000 per day beforelockdown, now I remainedidle and nothing has beenearned during thelockdown period,” saidKajal, a transgender

n “In the past few weeks,we spent whatever savingswe had towards ourcommunity people andalso the needy. We arerequesting the governmentto extend help to us duringthe lockdown otherwise wewill be on the verge ofstarvation,” saidtransgenders

n The number of transgenders in the State is over 60,000 andmost of the third gender has been residing in cities and towns for

their livelihood. Though the government has been providing Rs3,000 per month to each transgender above 18 years of age

towards social security pension, majority of transgenders failed toregister their names with the government

OP services to resume at BIRRD from today

PNS n VIJAYAWADA

As per the directive of ChiefMinister YS JaganmohanReddy, Telugu students in theUS and Canada received gro-ceries at home and $100 wascredited in their accounts amidlockdown from YSRCP sup-porters, said Andhra PradeshGovernment SpecialRepresentative for NorthAmerica Pandugayala Ratnakar.

Addressing the media hereon Sunday, he said that YSRCPsupporters delivered groceries atthe doorstep of Telugu stu-dents in two cities in Canada, 45cities in the US drawing inspi-ration from village volunteersystem in the State.

Telugu students abroadthanked the Chief Minister for

helping them in tough times ofCoronavirus outbreak. It may berecalled that many Telugu peo-ple were stranded in the US dueto the lockdown. AndhraPradesh Non-Resident TeluguSociety (APNRTS) has writtena letter to the Chief Minister forthe safe return of Telugu peoplestranded in the US.

In turn, the Chief Ministerhas written a letter to ForeignAffairs Minister for the safereturn of Telugu people and also

suggested on according priori-ty to senior citizens. He has sentletters to the Kuwait govern-ment and the Central govern-ment for the safe return ofTelugu people, who are facingissues with visas and registra-tions. Many Telugu people havebeen to Kuwait for workingthere, said Ratankar.

When the State governmentwas putting relentless efforts tofight against the pandemic, theopposition TDP and a sectionof media have launched a tiradeagainst the government, healleged. Despite giving sugges-tions to tackle the situation,TDP chief N ChandrababuNaidu is conducting video con-ferences and creating a panicamong people with false allega-tions, he lamented.

Amazon India strengthensbond with Indian RailwaysPNS n VIJAYAWADA

Amazon India has announcedthat it has strengthened itspartnership with IndianRailways to transport con-signments via trains acrossthe country. The company isleveraging the Covid-9 parcelspecial trains introduced byIndian Railways to rampingup its operations to 55 lanesduring the lockdown, saidAbhinav Singh,D i r e c t o r – A m a z o nTransportation Services.

He said that this is yetanother step towards a long-term partnership betweenAmazon India and IndianRailways, which is focused ondeveloping the rail network tosupplementing the road andair networks for transporta-tion of customer packages

with improved speed andreliability. Indian Railwayswith the support of Amazonhave created a proactive solu-tion to provide support fortransportation during lock-down. This enhanced net-work will enable sellers inAmazon India’s network totransport their productsacross the country and keeptheir businesses running,thereby, allowing people toaccess a more diverse selec-tion of essential products.

“We understand the impor-tance of ensuring critical sup-plies reach our customersacross the country duringthe lockdown. With the sup-port of Covid-19 parcel spe-cial trains, we are confidentthat we can further fulfil cus-tomer orders with enhancedspeed and capacity,” he said.

Lockdown locks livelihood of transgenders

YSRCP supporters help APorigin students in US, Canada

VIJAYAWADA | MONDAY | MAY 4, 2020 vijayawada 03

A Chetak helicopter from INS Dega showering petals on GITAM Institute of Medical Sciences and Research (GIMSR) inVisakhapatnam on Sunday

FLORAL TTRIBUTES

State to accord priority toreturn of migrant workersPNS n VIJAYAWADA

The government will be accord-ing top priority to bring two lakhmigrant workers belonging toAndhra Pradesh, who are stay-ing in other States, by nine trainsin the first phase, disclosedDeputy Chief Minister andHealth Minister Aalla Nani.

Addressing the media here onSunday, along with State LevelCovid Task Force ChairmanKrishna Babu, he said that stu-dents, pilgrims and touristswould be brought to the State inthe second phase.

While two lakh migrant work-ers of Andhra Pradesh werestranded in 14 other States and12,794 workers belonging toother States are in AndhraPradesh, he informed.

He said that quarantine cen-tres in the State would be read-ied before the migrant workersreach here. In places where theCovid cases are more, essentialcommodities would be sold

through RTC buses.In places where the cases are

more, one pass to each house-hold would be given to maketheir purchases. Krishna Babuhinted at relaxing the Coronaguidelines in future. Migrantworkers should register theirdetails throughspandana.ap.gov.in. Migrantworkers wishing to return to theState can contact the authorities

through the website and e mail.They should clearly indicate

their place of living in other Stateand the targeted destination inAndhra Pradesh, he said.

The Shramik train servicesallow only those names clearedby the respective State govern-ments, he said. Arrangements areunder way to run two Shramiktrain services from Vijayawada toBalarsha in Maharashtra.

n Deputy Chief Ministerand Health Minister AallaNanisaid that strandedstudents, pilgrims andtourists would bebrought to the State inthe second phase

n While two lakh migrantworkers of AndhraPradesh were stranded in14 other States and12,794 workersbelonging to other Statesare in Andhra Pradesh,he informed

n Quarantine centres in theState would be readiedbefore the migrantworkers reach here. Inplaces where the Covidcases are more, essentialcommodities would besold through RTC buses,he said

Covid-19 positive cases tallyreaches 266 in Krishna distPNS n VIJAYAWADA

In all, 266 Covid-19 positivecases were reported in Krishnadistrict on Sunday, accordingto Collector Md Imtiaz.

As on Saturday, 258 caseswere reported in the district.For two consecutive days, 12and eight cases were registeredin the district on Saturdayand Sunday respectively. Inspite of the strict implementa-tion of lockdown rules, Covid-19 cases are reported in the dis-trict particularly fromVijayawada city.

The district administrationso far conducted 12,528 Covid-19 tests and out of it 10,752tested negative with 212 activecases and results of 1,564 casesare awaited, according to theCollector.

The Collector said that atotal of 612 persons are in 34quarantine centres in the dis-trict. It may be noted thatKrishna district is in the thirdplace in the State after Kurnooland Guntur districts in Covid-

19 positive cases, which have466 and 319 respectively.

The fourth phase of door-to-door survey, which is beingconducted in the district, wascompleted, and 12.54 lakhfamilies were covered tillSunday against 13.76 lakh fam-ilies proposed in the fourthphase of the survey, he said.

Meanwhile, the authoritieslisted the following mandals inKrishna district in Green Zone:Ibrahimpatnam, Gudiwada,Vuyyuru, Gampalagudem,Kanchikacherla, Thiruvuru,Mylavaram, Mudinepalle,Agiripalle, Vatsavai, Pedana,

Vissannapet, G Konduru,Musunuru, Pamarru,Unguturu, Pamidimukkala,Challapalle, Chatrai, Movva,Gudlavalleru, Guduru,Veerullapadu, Kruthivennu,Mandavalli, A Konduru,Nagayalanka, Bantumilli,Reddigudem, Koduru,Avanigadda, Ghantasala,Thotlavalluru, Nandivada,Mopidevi, Pedaparupudi andGannavaram.

n As on Saturday, 258cases were reported inthe district. For twoconsecutive days, 12 andeight cases wereregistered in the districton Saturday and Sundayrespectively. In spite ofthe strict implementationof lockdown rules, Covid-19 cases are reported inthe district particularlyfrom Vijayawada city

Media contribution tosociety is immense: NaiduPNS n VIJAYAWADA

TDP chief N ChandrababuNaidu extended his greetings tojournalists on the occasion ofWorld Press Freedom Day onSunday.

Speaking on the occasion,Naidu said that the contributionof the media to society wasimmense as someone who goesto great lengths to reveal thetruth in spite of being harassedby those in power.

He recalled during the longpublic life, he has seen manyjournalists risk their lives touncover scams and truths. As thenation reels under theCoronavirus crisis, many jour-nalists in the frontline are actingas a bridge between people andgovernments. The Telugu Desam Party is always commit-ted to freedom of the press, hesaid.

He further stated that themedia is the fourth pillar ofdemocracy, along with the leg-

islature, executive and judiciary.“We have always stood in thef o r e f r o n tin the fight against aggressors,who pose a threat to free andindependent media,” he said.

He reminded that the TDPfought against the draconian GO938 introduced during the thenYS Rajasekhara Reddy's regime,and continue to fight the tyran-nical GO 2430 issued by ChiefMinister YS Jaganmohan Reddy.“The YSRCP government hasforgotten the art of accepting

constructive criticism in a pos-itive way. False cases are beingfoisted against journalists andsocial media activists in a bid tointimidate them and we arefighting along with them, shoul-der to shoulder,” said Naidu.

n TDP chief NChandrababu Naidurecalled during the longpublic life, he has seenmany journalists risk theirlives to uncover scamsand truths

n As the nation reels underthe Coronavirus crisis,many journalists in thefrontline are acting as abridge between peopleand governments andthe TDP is alwayscommitted to freedom ofthe press, Naidu said

Special focus on drinkingwater during summer: MinisterPNS n VIJAYAWADA

Special focus will be on sup-ply of drinking water duringsummer, said Minister forPanchayat Raj and RuralDevelopment PeddireddyRanchandra Reddy. Priority isbeing accorded to catering todrinking water problem inrural areas, he added.

A plan was chalked out at anestimated cost of Rs 204.75crore for supply of drinkingwater during summer.Similarly, repairing of 2,440bore wells, deepening of 968borewells, desilting of 325tanks have been taken up andby June end drinking waterwill be supplied, he said.

Under YSR Sujala schemedrinking water is being sup-plied across the State at an esti-mated cost of Rs 46.56 crore.Clusters are identified acrossthe State to supply water, inSrikakulam district, five clus-ters are proposed with Rs 31

lakh, in Visakhapatnam dis-trict, seven clusters with Rs 61lakh, in East Godavari district,three clusters with Rs 40 lakh,followed by Krishna district, infour clusters with Rs 25 lakh.

In Guntur, five clusters wereproposed with Rs 2.69 crore,in Prakasam district, 18 clus-ters with Rs 37 lakh, in SPSNellore, 14 clusters with Rs16.68 crore, followed byChittoor district with 12 clus-ters at a cost of Rs 32 lakh,while in YSR Kadapa district,five clusters with Rs 90 lakh,in Anantapur district, 22 clus-ters with Rs 18.87 crore and inKurnool district, eight clustersat an estimated cost of Rs 6.34crore.

8 injured astwo YSRCPgroups clashPNS n KURNOOL

Two groups belonging to theYSRCP clashed at Garladinnevillage in Kurnool districtwith stones and sticks onSunday creating tension inthe village.

Eight persons sustainedinjures in the incident. Theywere rushed to a hospital fortreatment.

It may be recalled thatclashes are occurring betweentwo groups in the village forover several days forsupremacy.

Police registered casesagainst 19 in connection withthe incident.

Elephantstrample twocows to deathPNS n CHITTOOR

Tension prevailed when aherd of elephants trampledtwo cows belonging toBandameeda Jaravaripallein Keelapatla panchayat ofGangavaram mandal inChittoor distr ic t onSaturday night.

The cows belonged totwo farmers Subbanna andSivaiah, who live near their fields away from thevillage.

The raid by elephants ontheir village deprived themof their livelihood andappealed to government tocome to their rescue.

TTD Chairmandeniesviolation oftemple rulesPNS n TIRUMALA

TTD Chairman YV SubbaReddy has denied havingviolated the Tirumala templerules to have darshan, alongwith his family members. Hedescribed the allegations arebaseless.

It is customary for theTTD Chairman to take partin the abhishekam of thedeity for two Friday in amonth. His birthday on May1 coincided with Friday acci-dentally, he pointed out.

Attending to TTD affairs,supervision of temples arepart of his duty. As part ofthe supervision, he said, hevisited the temple. His wifeand mother travelled, alongwith him to Tirumala, andthe rest of them are TTDemployees.

He said that he is sincere-ly working to safeguardSanatana Dharma under theguidance of Chief MinisterYS Jaganmohan Reddy.

Colonel among five killed inencounter in north Kashmir

Continued from Page 1

He said the Colonel and histeam bravely rescued civiliansheld hostage by the terrorists. Thetwo terrorists were killed in theencounter.

Giving details, the Army saidbased on the intelligence inputthat terrorists were taking hostagesome civilians in a house inChangimulla at Handwara ofKupwara district, a joint operationwas launched by the Army andthe Jammu and Kashmir Police.

A team comprising of five

Army and police personnelentered the target area occupiedby the terrorists to evacuate thecivilians and successfully extricat-ed them, it said. However, duringthe process, the team came undera heavy volume of fire by the ter-rorists and in the ensuing firefight,two terrorists were eliminated andthe five Army personnel and apoliceman were killed in the lineof duty, the Army said.

The terrorists are believed tohave come to Handwara toreceive an infiltrating group fromPakistan Occupied Kashmir, offi-

cials said. Besides ColonelAshutosh Sharma and MajorAnuj Sood, the other Army per-sonnel killed in the encounterwere identified as Naik Rajeshand Lance Naik Dinesh. ColSharma was the CommandingOfficer of the 21 Rashtriya Riflesand had been decorated for gal-lantry twice in Kashmir. Awreath-laying ceremony wouldbe held here after which the ColSharma's body would be flown toBulandshahr in Uttar Pradeshand that of Major Sood toChandigarh, the officials said.

Thunderstorms forecast...Continued from Page 1

The number of active casesstood at 1,062, as per the bul-letin.So far, 488 patients havemade a full recovery.

The total number of Covidtests conducted in the state so farwas 1,13,354 and in the 24-hourperiod, 6,534 samples were test-ed with 58 returning positive.

In all 2,152 tests per milliontests are being conducted in thestate, which is the highest in thecountry with 1.38 per cent pos-itivity rate. During the last 10days, four deaths to Covid-19have been reported in the state.

Kurnool tops the list of activecases with 379, followed by

Krishna with 212, Guntur 196,Anantapur 50, YSR Kadapa 46,SPS Nellore and Chittoor report-ed 44 each, West Godavari 33,East Godavari 25,Visakhapatnam nine, andSrikakulam district with fiveactive Covid cases.

Vizianagaram district remainsuntouched by the virus.

Meanwhile, RSI from the 6thBattalion, Mangalagiri wasfound positive for Covid-19.

It is learnt that the RSI hadbeen discharging duty in GunturRed Zones for the last oneweek. After he tested positive,the authorities are makingarrangements to shift his fami-ly to an isolation facility.

AP Discoms askCentre for Rs 2,000 cr

Continued from Page 1

With the lockdown in force,it is estimated that there will bea reduction of 3200 MU in elec-tricity consumption and a loss ofRs 2,500 crore in revenue collec-tions during the first quarter(April to June-2020).

The revenue collections ofpower Discoms dropped by36.73 per cent in March and thetotal sales of power fell to 4,500million units in the same monthfrom the expected range of5,000 MU to 5,500 MU.

Officials informed that thestate government has agreed tocompletely waive power chargesof Micro, Small and MediumEnterprises(MSMEs) for threemonths- (April, May, June)accounts for Rs 188 crore follow-ing requests from various indus-tries associations seeking waiv-er of electricity bills as theindustries have remain closeddue to lockdown.

The issue of paying fixedcharges to power generatorsdespite 70 per cent drop inindustry and commercial elec-

tricity consumption and dramat-ic collapse in revenue collectionsdue to this unprecedented cri-sis needs resolution. Accordingto officials, Discoms have to payRs 7,500 crore per annum togenerating stations and Rs 1,450crore to Power GridCorporation of India Limited(PGCIL) towards fixed costevery year. Discoms receive Rs6,500 crore by way of minimumdemand charges (fixed costs)annually from the consumers.“This has become a major blowto Discoms,” a senior official ofAPTransco said. The State’sEnergy sector has already under-gone many hardships, leavingthe Discoms in a near-bankruptstate and losses accumulated tothe tune of about Rs 29,000 croreby December 31, 2019 due tohigh-cost power purchase agree-ments and unavoidable paymentof fixed-costs to thermal powergenerators to accommodate thehigh-cost renewable power.“The AP power sector has neverseen this kind of deep financialcrisis during the last 50 years,” asenior official said.

States prepareto step into the‘new normal’

Continued from Page 1

Elsewhere, the RetailersAssociation of India (RAI) saidit will have to be seen how itworks out at the ground as thereis confusion, and many states areyet to come up with guidelinesto follow the Centre's decision.The RAI has already statedthat what constitutes marketplaces could be misinterpreted.Similarly, Confederation of AllIndia Traders also claimed theywill be in a "dilemma" as thereis confusion over "what consti-tutes a neighbourhood shop anda standalone shop", while organ-ised retailers such as FutureGroup and V-Mart Retail saidthey are also seeking permis-sions from local authorities. InDelhi, CM Arvind Kejriwalannounced that "self-employed"persons will be allowed to work.“The self-employed people liketechnicians, plumbers, electri-cians, mechanics, sanitationworkers, domestic help, andpeople involved with laundryand ironing are allowed towork," Kejriwal said.

Only migrantworkers...

Continued from Page 1

Currently, the number ofmigrant workers returning tothe state are in large numbersand providing quarantine forthem is the biggest challengebefore the government, Jagansaid. The Chief Minister assert-ed that the state governmentwas taking effective measurestowards the prohibition ofliquor across the State and thusincreased the price of liquor by25 per cent. In the coming days,the number of shops will be fur-ther reduced, he said.

47 more patientsrecover...

Continued from Page 1

With all kinds of doctors andmedical facilities available atGuntur Medical College, theCollege Ethics Committee hasgiven the green signal to treatthe Coronavirus patients.Project Investigator andPathology Medical Departmenthead, Dr Chaganti PadmavatiDevi said the medical college'sethics committee will send areport to the Indian Council forMedical Research and after re-ceiving permission they wouldstart Plasma Therapy treat-ment to Covid positive patients.

Liquor prices hiked by 25 per cent in APContinued from Page 1

The Ministry of HomeAffairs had earlier clarified thatliquor stores will be allowed toopen in both Orange and GreenZones (non-containmentzones) across the country.

The Centre has also permit-ted liquor shops to open innon-containment areas of RedZones as long as they are stand-alone shops and not part of amarket complex or a shoppingmall. States and UnionTerritories can choose to keepthem shut as per their discre-tion.

Following the guidelines of

the Centre, physical distanceshould be maintained at theliquor outlets, when they areallowed to reopen, Jaganinstructed officials.

It may be recalled that the APgovernment had taken steps

towards prohibition. It hadreduced the number of bars by40 per cent as a first steptowards banning the liquor.

It also fixed high and non-refundable registration chargesof Rs 20 lakh and Rs 5 lakhannual the licence fee for areasthat have population up to50,000 to reduce the number ofshops in the state.

The state government haspermitted breweries and distil-leries in Srikakulam,Visakhapatnam, East Godavari,West Godavari, Krishna,Prakasam, SPS Nellore,Chittoor, Kadapa and Kurnooldistricts to resume production.

WORLD PRESS FREEDOM DAY

Ministers hail media work during Covid-19PNS n VIJAYAWADA

Ministers Perni Venkata-ramaiah, M Goutam Reddyand Kurasala Kannababuextended their greetings to themedia fraternity on the occasionof World Press Freedom Dayand hailed journalists for theirrelentless efforts in deliveringnews to public

Speaking to the media hereon Sunday, IT Minister MGoutham Reddy said that theFreedom of Press is valuable toreport people’s problems andappreciated the media workduring the Covid-19.

Agriculture Minister KKannababu said that the YSRCPgovernment has immenserespect towards journalists andmedia ethics. Unlike the oppo-

sition TDP, the party is knownfor its virtuous behaviourtowards the media fraternityand shows the same gratitudeirrespective of whether theparty is in power or opposition.

Briefing the Covid-19 pre-ventive measures being taken,he said the State will ensurehassle-free agriculture and

allied operations. As per ChiefMinister YS Jagan MohanReddy’s order, various cropslike tomato, banana, chilli,orange, carrot, purple yam,wax guard are being purchasedby the government ensuringthe Minimum Support Price(MSP) to farmers. Moreover,100 markets have been decen-

tralised to 1,070 and about 500RTC buses are being used asmobile vans for the delivery ofessential goods including milk,curd, and eggs. Swiggy andZomato services were permit-ted to deliver essentials.

The government is also tak-ing measures to safeguardcoconut and mango farmers.Five purchasing centres have

been set up in East Godavaridistrict for the purchase ofcoconuts. About 5.5 quintals ofpeanut seeds are ready for dis-tribution this year. Brushingaside TDP allegations on YSRRythu Bharosa-PM KISANscheme, the minister said thatthe list is available at VillageSecretariat and eligible farmerscan apply now as well.

Agriculture Minister K Kannababu saidthat the YSRCP government has immenserespect towards journalists and mediaethics. Unlike the opposition TDP, theparty is known for its virtuous behaviourtowards the media fraternity and showsthe same gratitude irrespective of whetherthe party is in power or opposition

PNS n NEW DELHI

India had hoped it might beable to persuade Pakistanthrough "back channel" torelease retired Indian Navyofficer Kulbhushan Jadhav,who was sentenced to deathby a Pakistan military courton charges of "espionage andterrorism" in 2017, senioradvocate Harish Salve hassaid.

Salve was the lead counselfor India in the Jadhav caseat the International Court ofJustice (ICJ) which had lastyear ruled that Pakistan must review the death sen-tence awarded to the retirednaval officer after a closedtrial.

During an online lectureseries organised by the AkhilBharat iya AdhivaktaParishad, affiliated to theR ashtr iya SwayamsevakSangh (RSS) on Saturday,Salve from London said theIndian side has kept on ask-ing how do Pakistan proposeto carry out the ICJ judge-ment and give effectivereview and reconsideration,but no answer has been

forthcoming."We were hoping that

through back channel, wemay be able to persuadePakistan to let him go. If theywant to say on humanitari-an ground or whatever, wewant him back. We said let

him go. Because it hasbecome a big ego problem inPakistan. So, we were hopingthat they will let him go.They haven't," he said, whileanswering a question on thecurrent situation in the mat-ter.

"We have written four-five letters. They just keep ondenying," he said. "I think wehave reached a point wherewe have to now decidewhether we want to go backto ICJ for consequentialdirections because Pakistanhas not moved ahead."

Salve said that followingthe ICJ order, Pakistan hadgranted consular access butit was too late and "we havenow been in a tussle withPakistan to get them to setup machinery."

VIJAYAWADA | MONDAY | MAY 4, 2020 nation 04

SHORT READS

Delhi HC registryofficial tests positiveCoronavirusNEW DELHI: A Delhi HighCourt registry official has testedpositive for coronavirus andhas been admitted to LNJPHospital here, sources in thecourt said on Sunday.According to the sources, theofficial had not attended thecourt after the announcementof the nationwide lockdown onMarch 25. He never came tothe court complex since then,they added. The official, postedin the original side in theregistry, was admitted to LokNayak Jai Prakash Hospital onSaturday and his condition isstated to be stable, the sources said.

7 children injured asunexploded substancegoes off in Handwara

Nityotsava poet NissarAhmed no moreBENGALURU: Noted Kannadapoet and Padma Shri awardee,K S Nissar Ahmed died onSunday at the age of 84.Known as "Nityotsava Kavi"(Nityotsava poet) Ahmed,passed away at his residencein the city, sources said. Hewas battling cancer and washospitalised for some time,they said adding that his sontoo had died of the diseaserecently in the US. Ahmed hadbecome the household namethrough his Nityotsava poem"Jogada siri belakinalli...."which went on to become apopular song. His worksinclude Nityotsava, SanjeAidara Male, NenedavaraManadalli, NaanembaParakeeya, Manasu GandhiBazaru, Kurigalu Saar Kurigaluamong others. Born atDevanahalli in Bengaluru rural,he was a post-graduate inGeology and worked as anGeologist.

SRINAGAR: Seven childrenwere injured when anunexploded substance went offin Kupwara district of Jammuand Kashmir on Sunday, policesaid. "Around 2 pm anunexploded substance(probably a shell) went off atAhgam Zachaldara inHandwara area of the northKashmir district when somechildren were playing there," apolice officer said. The injuredchildren were shifted toZachaldara hospital fortreatment, the officer said.

‘Haryana mulling to imposenew Covid cess on liquor’PNS n CHANDIGARH

The Haryana government isconsidering to impose a variable"COVID cess" on liquor to sup-port the areas or institutionsadversely hit by the pandemic,Deputy Chief MinisterDushyant Chautala said onSunday.

Haryana has been sufferingmonthly revenue losses of Rs6,000 crore due to the coro-noavirus-triggered lockdown.

"The government is consider-ing new COVID cess so thatthose areas or those institutionswhich have been adversely hit bythe pandemic and need supportcan be helped," Chautala said.Asked how much cess the gov-ernment is contemplating toimpose, he said, "Discussions areon. Every product is different,fixed cess is not possible, so itwill depend on product andquantity. The cess will be vari-able".

The deputy chief ministerindicated that the cess could beanywhere between Rs 2-20.

Chautala, who also holds theportfolios of Excise, Industryand Commerce Departments,said no decision has yet beentaken on when to open theliquor vends. He, however, said

suggestions including frommedia have been sought so thatsteps are taken accordingly. Itwill have to be ensured thatthere is no crowding and prop-er social distancing is main-tained at the vends, as andwhen these are opened, he said.

The state government hasalso sought report from deputycommissioners on whethervends should be opened or notas COVID-19 situation variesfrom district to district, he said.

To a question, Chautala saidstock of warehouses involved inliquor distribution was checkedon three different occasions inthe past over a month andirregularities were found in 53

of these and FIRs were regis-tered and fines imposed. Ongiving relaxations to industry inaccordance with the Centre'sguidelines, he said from April 20onwards they have been easingout restrictions, barring thoseunits which are in containmentzones, so that economic activi-ty can be resumed.

"From May 4-10 and fromMay 11-18, we will give morerelaxation to industry, but withmore strictness than even whatMHA guidelines say so thatour industry is revived on onehand, while on the other we areable to check coronavirusinfections too on the other," hesaid.

In the IT sector, workforcewith 33 per cent in red zone, 53pc in orange and 100 pc in greenzone will be permitted while insecond phase (May 11-18) it willbe 50 pc, 75 pc and 100 pc,respectively. In rural area, for thered zone, industry will be givenpermission to open with 33 percent workforce and with 50 percent for in-situ where units canretain workforce at places of wo-rk. Likewise, industry will begiven permission to open with75 per cent and 100 per cent inorange and green zones, respec-tively. For e-commerce, for theperiod between May 11-18,only essential goods will beallowed in red zone, Chautalasaid. Shops in rural areas havebeen opened, he said.

PNS n NEW DELHI

The annual rotation of BSF andITBP soldiers along thePakistan, Bangladesh andChina borders has beenshelved till March next yearbecause of the coronavirusoutbreak, the top commanderof the two forces has said.

Surjeet Singh Deswal, thedirector general of the twoforces, told PTI that only battal-ions deployed in "extremelyhard areas" of these three impor-tant Indian frontiers will berotated after an assessment ofthe outbreak situation post July.

"We have postponed theannual routine rotation of allbattalions in BSF and ITBP tonext year till March 31," he said.

Deswal, a 1984-batch Indian

Police Service officer of theHaryana cadre, heads the BSFin an additional capacity.

Talking about the BorderSecurity Force, he said 12 bat-talions were to be replacedalong the Indian fronts withPakistan and Bangladesh, but

only four units deployed inhigh-altitude and harsh weath-er conditions will be taken outif conditions permit post July.

The BSF guards the 4,096-km-long Indo-Bangla borderand about 2,280 kms of thefront with Pakistan.

Asked about the situationalong the two borders, Deswalsaid the force is ensuring strictsealing of the frontiers.

Along the InternationalBorder with Pakistan, he said,there has been no incident ofinfiltration by terrorists tillnow but "we are very vigilant"and any such attempt will be

dealt “much beyond the IB".“We will ensure that all infil-

tration attempts are foiledalong any part of the India-Pakistan IB,” the DG said.

Asked about the annualchangeover of Indo-TibetanBorder Police battalions alongthe 3,488-km-long Line ofActual Control with China, hesaid the number of soldiers forthis exercise in the mountain-warfare trained force was less.

There are two ITBP battal-ions deployed in “extremelyhard areas” and their replace-ment will be decided post July,Deswal said. As per practice inthe two forces, a border battal-ion (over 1,000 troops) isreplaced every three years whilethose posted in hard areas arechanged after two years.

PNS n CHENNAI

The Armed forces on Sundayflew their helicopters over var-ious COVID-19 designatedhospitals in the southern statesand showered flower petalsacknowledging the role playedby front-line personnel such asdoctors, paramedics and policein the fight against the pan-demic.

Helicopters of the Indian AirForce, the Navy and the CoastGuard took to the skies andcarried out the thanksgivingeffort in cities, includingHyderabad, Chennai,

Thir uvanant hapuram,Kochi, Visakhapatnam, andBengaluru.

In Kochi, the headquartersof the Southern NavalCommand, Naval aircraft car-

ried out a fly-past over theMarine Drive while seven FastInterceptor Crafts undertook asteam-past in the channelalong the city's iconic spot.

The activities were part ofthe nation-wide initiativeannounced by Chief ofDefence Staff Gen Bipin Rawat

who had on Friday said thethree services will carry out aseries of activities to thank the"corona warriors".

The front-line workers wereoverwhelmed by the gesture ofthe armed forces as theyclapped and took photos as thechoppers whizzed past them.

In TN, series of events mark armedforces' thanksgiving to corona warriors

BSF, ITBP shelve annual battalionchangeover along Pak, B'desh, China borders

Centre's decision to set upIFSC HQ in Guj ‘egregious'PNS n MUMBAI

NCP chief Sharad Pawar hassaid the Centre's decision to setup headquarters of theInternational Financial ServicesCentre (IFSC) at Gandhinagarinstead of Mumbai is egregious,erroneous and unwarranted",and urged the Union govern-ment to reconsider it.

This will not only cause finan-cial damage to the country, butalso bring international discred-it to it by undermining theimportance of Mumbai, which isthe countrys financial capitaland the best choice for the IFSCauthority, Pawar said in a letterwritten to the Centre on Saturday.

"Inspite of Maharashtrasimmense contribution to gov-ernment securities, the decisionto establish IFSC (headquar-ters) in Gujarat is egregious, erro-neous and unwarranted," hesaid in the letter.

"I expect the Prime MinistersOffice to take a rational and judi-cious decision, keeping aside thestate politics and consider it as anissue of utmost national impor-tance, the former Union minis-ter said.

Pawar cited a Reserve Bank ofIndia (RBI) report to put forthhis point.

He said according to the RBIdata as on April 23, the Indianbanking sector has deposits tothe tune of Rs 1,45,00,000 crore.

Maharashtra's share in thedeposits is 22.8 per cent, followedby Delhi (10 per cent), UttarPradesh (7.8 per cent), Karnataka(7.2 per cent) and Gujarat (5.4per cent), he said.

As per the reserve require-ments, every bank has to main-tain SLR at 18 per cent of itsdeposits, in the form of govern-ment securities, he said.

"Through this G-sec, the cen-tral government receives funds tothe tune of Rs 26,00,000 crore,and out of it Rs 5,95,000 crore isreceived from Maharashtra asagainst Gujarats contribution ofRs 1,40,000 crore, he said.

"Mumbai has been recog-nised as one of the worlds top 10centers of commerce in terms ofglobal financial flow, generating6.16 per cent of Indias GDP andaccounting for 25 per cent of

industrial output and 70 per centof capital transactions to theIndian economy," Pawar said.

The city houses importantfinancial institutions and corpo-rate headquarters of numerouscompanies, and its businessopportunities attract manymulti-national companies fromall over the world, he noted.

Since the IFSC authority is aunified agency to regulate allinternational financial servicescenters in the country, andMumbai, being country's eco-nomic, financial and commercialcapital, is the best choice andplace to relocate IFSC (head-quarters), Pawar said.

He, therefore, urged theCentre to reconsider the decisionto set up the IFSC authority inGujarat and relocate it inMumbai on the basis of merit.

PNS n JAIPUR

The sale of 'paan', 'gutka' andtobacco products will remainprohibited during the extend-ed lockdown period inRajasthan, while shops sellingliquor will ensure social dis-tancing, according to newguidelines issued by the stategovernment. While the unionhome ministry in its latestguidelines has allowed sale ofpaan and tobacco after ensur-ing minimum six-feet socialdistancing, the Rajasthan gov-ernment in its guidelinesreleased on Saturday night hasdecided to keep the curbs onthese products in place.

“The sale of paan, gutka,tobacco etc. is prohibited acrossthe state. Shops selling liquorwill ensure social distancing andnot more than 5 people shouldbe present at one time in ashop,” the Rajasthan govern-ment said.

I called socialmedia sprintsensations for trialsto appear hands-onPNS n NEW DELHI

Sports Minister Kiren Rijiju onSunday conceded that callingfor urgent trials for socialmedia sprint sensations, seenrunning with buffaloes, weredecisions taken under pressureto appear hands-on in his job.Kambala jockey SrinivasGowda of Karnataka andMadhya Pradesh's RameshwarGurjar hit national headlineslast year for running in slushyand dusty fields respectively.

They were believed to havecompleted 100m sprints in 11seconds, creating a flutter onsocial media platforms, wheresome dubbed them — oneafter another — the next UsainBolt.

Make plan forresumption of industrialactivity, Adityanath PNS n NEW DELHI

Uttar Pradesh Chief MinisterYogi Adityanath on Sundayasked officials to prepare aplan for the resumption ofindustrial activity in the stateduring the third phase ofthe coronavirus lock-down beginningMonday.

Chairing ameeting ofsenior UPGovernmentofficials at hisofficial resi-dence inL u c k n o w ,Adityanath directedto issue an advisory regard-ing it, a UP government state-ment said.

He also asked the infra-structure and industrial devel-opment commissioner to pre-pare a work plan regardinglabour reforms and the trans-fer of allowances into the bankaccounts of beneficiaries of

different government schemes,the statement read. The chiefminister said quarantine cen-tres and community kitchensmust be constantly monitoredand there should be no laxityin this regard.

Referring to the labour-ers returning from

other states,Adityanath said,"They shouldbe properlyscreened at theq u a r a n t i n ecentres. If

found fit, theyshould be given

food kits andallowed to proceed

to their homes.”“If the labourers are found

medically unfit, then propermedical treatment should begiven to them," he added.

He said members of womenself-help groups should beroped in for communitykitchens, which will providethem employment as well.

‘Post ICJ, India tried to persuade Pak throughback channel to release Kulbhushan’

"I think we have reached a pointwhere we have to now decidewhether we want to go back to ICJfor consequential directions becausePakistan has not moved ahead"

Along the InternationalBorder with Pakistan,he said, there has beenno incident of infiltra-tion by terrorists tillnow but "we are veryvigilant" and any suchattempt will be dealt“much beyond the IB"

The state govern-ment has alsosought report fromdeputy commissio-ners on whethervends should beopened or not asCOVID-19 situationvaries from districtto district, he said

In good old days, when thepurely commercial elementwas missing in medical

service, doctors were treated asliving gods across the globe.Even today they do commanda lot of respect as long as theyare known to follow elementalethics.Before the 1990s, themedical profession wasdeemed largely holy and theyused to earn a lot more moneythan people in any other pro-fession.

However, doctors lost theirprofessional sheen with theemergence of software profes-sionals, who started earningfabulous salaries from theworld go in their career. Theneo rich comprised mainlysoftware professionals whodislodged doctors from their

exalted position in society.This trend became moreapparent post 1995. Noticeably,techies spent fewer years oftheir life and lesser money thandoctors to attain their high sta-tus. That apart,the frequentforeign postings of softwareprofessionals gave them anaura. People still pride on theirassociation/relation withtechies based in foreign coun-tries. In the unwritten dowryrate chart in Indian homes,they started commanding ahuge price.

Covid-19 has changed allthat. It has put the medical fra-

ternity back on a pedestal.Doctors and paramedical staffserving coronavirus patientsare getting their due and more.Except for some aberrationsdue to which some of themwere attacked here and theredue to prejudices, most of thedoctors and nurses on theforefront in the battle againstCovid-19 are once again heldin high esteem. The red-car-pet reception they get whenthey go home after 15 or 20days of continuous work has tobe seen to be believed. Thereis an overwhelming sense ofgratitude from all sections of

people. Doctors and nurses,who have been getting heartywelcome with showers ofpetals from people in theirlocalities, got much more onSunday when members of thearmed forces showered petalson them from air for theirincalculable service to Covid-19 patients.

When legwork one matters Nowadays political leaders

and public representatives arebanking on their legwork toattract people's attention. Thenovel coronavirus-inducedcharitable programmes aremaking these leaders go tointerior areas where they areadopting unique measures toregister their presence. Someof them want to outdo whatMulugu legislator of CongressDhanasiri Anasuya aliasSeethakka has been doing.They now aver that legworkwould yield desired results.About 20 legislators, all

younger generation represen-tatives, are beginning theircharitable activities in theearly hours and do not relentthereafter for almost the wholeday even as the mercurytouches forty plus C mark.Minister Hareesh Rao, MLAVinyabhaskar, Kranthi Kiranof Andhole and ministerJagadeeshwar Reddy are rely-ing on legwork. Only this,they believe now, would betaken into consideration bypeople at the hustings to come.

Red surrounded by greenand orange zones

Permutations and combina-tions apart, the relaxationsproposed by the central gov-ernment in lockdown normsis likely to throw into disarraythe precautions taken inalmost all the new Telanganadistricts. Given the redrawngeographical boundaries, cer-tain districts now figuring inthe red zones announced bythe central government aresurrounded by green andorange zones in some pocketsof south Telangana. Forinstance, the Suryapet districtin Nalgonda is a red zone; still,it is surrounded on the one

side by the orange zone ofJangaon and on the other bythe green zone of YadadriBhongir. In such a situation,the permission given for liquorsales in the green zone is like-ly to attract customers of bothorange and red zones. This isbound to pose serious prob-lems as the novel coronavirusdoes not make a distinctionbetween a sober person and atipsy one.

Contributed by DrVenkateshwarlu Kolishetty,P

V Kondal Rao,AvinashDeepak Puli

REPORTERS’

D ARY

Doctors back in reckoning, thanks to Covid-19

Curbs remain inplace on sale oftobacco products

VIJAYAWADA | MONDAY | MAY 4, 2020 nation 05SHORT READS

‘Rise in coronaviruscases expected tostabilise anytime soon’NEW DELHI: The continuousrise in the number of peopletesting positive for coronavirusis expected to stabilise anytimesoon, Niti Aayog member V KPaul said on Sunday. He alsosaid the rationale behind thegovernment's decision toextend the lockdown by twomore weeks after May 3 is toconsolidate the gains of thefirst and second phase ofrestrictions. In an interview toPTI, Paul said sudden spurt innumber of coronavirus cases isstill amenable to containmentstrategy. "The rationale (behindextending lockdown till May17) is that the gains oflockdown need to beconsolidated in the country...Real goals of lockdown was tosuppress the chain oftransmission of the virus. So,we will lose that, if we abruptlyend it," he said. Paul, who isheading an Empowered Groupon medical equipment andmanagement plan to tacklecoronavirus outbreak.

‘Enough medicinestocks available,avoid panic buying’

Virus: Pune hospitalgets ICMR nod forblood plasma therapyPUNE: The state-run SassoonGeneral Hospital inMaharashtra's Pune city hasreceived the Indian Council ofMedical Research's nod toapply plasma therapy on criticalCOVID-19 patients here, asenior health official said onSunday. Technically called"convalescent-plasma therapy",the treatment aims at using theimmune power gained by arecovered person to treat a sickperson. As part of the therapy,antibodies from a recoveredpatient are harvested andingested into a sick person tohelp the latter's immunesystem mount a fight againstthe pathogen. "We havereceived necessary permissionfrom the ICMR for plasmatherapy and in the next two tothree days, we will take furthersteps. A probable list of 35donors has been prepared andthey will be contacted," DrSubhash Salunkhe, chairpersonof Communicable DiseasesPrevention and ControlTechnical Committee said.

THANE: There is sufficientstock of medicines in thecountry and people should notindulge in panic buying amidthe coronavirus outbreak, saidAll India Chemists andDruggists Association presidentJagannath Shinde on Sunday.Talking to reporters in Kalyanhere, Shinde said currentstocks would easily last till Julyand fresh supply frompharmaceutical companies wascoming in regularly. "In all 8.50lakh chemist shops in thecountry, all kinds of medicinesare available. People should notindulge in panic buying orhoard medicines out of fear.Purchase should be made ondoctor's prescription," he said.

PNS n NEW DELHI

Healthcare workers on Sundayhad an "inspiring" start to theday as helicopters hoveredover hospitals in the city andshowered flower petals tothank the "corona warriors".

While the workers were"elated" and "overwhelmed"by the gesture, they also said itwill send out a message tothose who have stigmatisedand humiliated them.

A fleet of military jets car-ried out a spectacular fly-pastover the national capital as partof a nationwide exercise toexpress gratitude to lakhs ofdoctors, paramedics, sanitationstaff and other frontline work-ers engaged in fighting thecoronavirus pandemic.

The military jets, includingSukhoi-30 MKI, MiG-29 andJaguar, flew over Rajpath,Delhi's centrepiece boule-vard, and then orbited overthe city for around 30 min-utes from 11 am.

More than 200 healthcareworkers in the national capi-tal have been affected by thecoronavirus.

Dr Meenakshi Bhardwaj,MS of RML Hospital, said thehealthcare workers felt "elated","overwhelmed" and "hon-oured" by the gesture.

"It is a thoughtful gesture tothank the healthcare workers,who are risking their lives andleaving behind their families toserve people. People have beenaggressive towards doctors insome instances and this is amessage for them. It is a moralebooster," she added.

"The forces have done whatpeople have not done -- giv-ing due recognition andaccording respect to doctors,who are putting their lives on

the line like the Army does forthe nation. The gesture is real-ly heartwarming," said DrNeeraj Gupta, professor in theDepartment of Pulmonary,Critical Care and SleepMedicine at the SafdarjungHospital.

He said even the prime min-ister had appealed to peoplenot to mistreat doctors andhealthcare workers and on theday of the "Janata Curfew",urged them to clap in the

honour of the corona warriors."Despite all these pleas, the

frontline workers have facedthe wrath of those very peo-ple for whom they are work-ing," he said.

Dr Nitesh Gupta, nodal offi-cer of COVID-19 and assistantprofessor in the Department ofPulmonary, Critical Care andSleep Medicine at theSafdarjung Hospital, comparedthe healthcare workers toArmy personnel.

"It is a thoughtfulgesture to thankthe healthcareworkers, who arerisking their livesand leaving behindtheir families toserve people.People have beenaggressive towardsdoctors in someinstances and thisis a message forthem. It is a moralebooster," DrMeenakshiBhardwaj said

Armed forces salute India’scoronavirus warriors

Shramik trains should have90% occupancy: RailwaysPNS n NEW DELHI

Indian Railways has issued aset of guidelines for its zonesfor running the Shramik spe-cial trains to ferry strandedpeople, saying the trainsshould have at least 90 per centoccupancy to operate.

Railways said the local stategovernment authority shallhandover tickets of such trainsto passengers cleared by themand collect the ticket fare andhand over the total amount toRailways.

It also said that the originat-ing state will provide adequatesecurity at the designated sta-tion to ensure that only thosepassengers, who have beencleared by state government totravel and have valid trainticket for journey, should enterstation premises.

"Each Shramik Special trainshall be a non-stop train boundfor a single destination.Normally, the Shramik Specialtrains will be run for distancesmore than 500 kms. Thesetrains will not stop at any inbetween station before thedestination station. The trainwith full length compositionwith social distancing (notcounting the inside middleberths) can carry approxi-mately 1200 passengers each,"it said.

"The originating state shall

plan the group of travellersaccordingly. The occupancy oftrain should not be less than 90per cent," the guidelines stat-ed. Railways shall print traintickets to the specified destina-tion, as per number of passen-gers indicated by originatingstate and hand them over tothe local state governmentauthority, it said.

"The local state governmentauthority shall handover tick-ets to passengers cleared bythem and collect the ticket fareand hand over the totalamount to railways," the guide-lines stated. The state govern-ment shall issue food packetsand drinking water at the orig-inating points, it said.

"It will be mandatory for allpassengers to wear face cover.The state authorities shalladvise the passengers to usemask/ face covers.

800 migrants returnto UP from Maha inspecial trainLUCKNOW: The first special trainfor Uttar Pradesh carrying morethan 800 workers who werestranded in Maharashtra reachedLucknow on Sunday, marking anend to the long wait of themigrants who had beendesperate to return home sincethe nationwide lockdown beganover a month ago.

The railways is runningShramik Special trains to movemigrant workers, pilgrims,tourists, students and otherpersons stranded in variousparts of the country since March25. The first train left forJharkhand from Hyderabad onFriday.

Audit panel in Bengal to deal withonly ‘peculiar' Covid-19 casesPNS n KOLKATA

The audit committee constitut-ed by the West Bengal govern-ment to ascertain if a death wasdue to COVID-19 or a pre-exist-ing ailment will henceforth studyonly select coronavirus casesand submit its report to the gov-ernment, a senior member of thepanel said on Sunday. The com-mittee, after having given its setof recommendations for certify-ing COVID-19-related deathcases, will deal with "peculiar"coronavirus cases, he said.

The panel had recently exam-ined 105 deaths in the state, fol-lowing which it attributed 33 casesto the disease and the rest to co-morbidities. "The experts com-mittee for conducting an auditinto the deaths of COVID-19 willnow on look into peculiar cases

and not into all deaths. We havenot been given any fresh samplefor examination after we filed ourreport on those 105 deaths," thecommittee member said.

According to the panelist, theprincipal objective of the com-mittee is to study the death ofCOVID-19 patients and findout more about the character of

the virus. "There are severalquestions in the mind of thecommon people about the dis-ease. As there is no study or data-base in this regard, the govern-ment wanted set up a treatmentand containment protocol tounderstand the symptoms... andhow that kept changing from thepreliminary to aggravated stage.

PNS n NEW DELHI

A girl being physically abused toget married and a man seekingprotection for her sister beingbeaten at her in-laws home wereamong 315 complaints ofdomestic violence received by theNCW in April, when the coun-try was under a lockdown due tothe coronavirus pandemic.

The 315 complaints werereceived online and onWhatsApp and no complaintwas received by post last month.Despite that, the complaintswere highest since August lastyear, the NCW data showed.During previous months, thecomplaints included thosereceived online and those

received by posts.NCW Chairperson Rekha

Sharma has said the high num-bers can be attributed to thelockdown - imposed sinceMarch 25 - which has locked theabuser and the victim together.The NCW has launched aWhatsApp number —7217735372 — to report cases ofdomestic violence.

PNS n NEW DELHI

Defence Minister RajnathSingh on Sunday described as"deeply disturbing and painful"the killing of five security per-sonnel including a decoratedcolonel and a major in ananti-terror operation inHandwara area of northKashmir.

Chief of Defence Staff GenBipin Rawat, paying rich trib-utes to the deceased personnel,said the operation inHandwara highlighted thedetermination of the securityforces to safeguard the lives ofthe people of Kashmir.

Col Ashutosh Sharma, thecommanding officer of the 21Rashtriya Rifles battalion, wasamong those killed in theencounter which began onSaturday and continued tilllate last night.

Col Sharma, a gallantryawardee, was part of a numberof successful counter-terror

operations in Kashmir.The other personnel killed

in the encounter are MajorAnuj Sood, Naik RakeshKumar, Lance Naik DineshSingh and Sub-Inspector ofJammu and Kashmir PoliceShakeel Qazi, according toofficials.

The operation was launchedfollowing inputs that a numberof civilians were being heldhostage in a house inChangimulla locality of

Handwara. Two terrorists werekilled in the operation, accord-ing to Army officials.

"The loss of our soldiers andsecurity personnel inHandwara (J&K) is deeply dis-turbing and painful. Theyshowed exemplary courage intheir fight against the terroristsand made supreme sacrificewhile serving the country. Wewill never forget their braveryand sacrifice," the defence min-ister tweeted.

"I offer my tributes to thesoldiers and security personnelwho fell in action. My heartgoes out to the families wholost their loved ones today.India stands shoulder to shoul-der with the families of thesebrave martyrs," Singh said.

Hailing Col Sharma, GenRawat said the CommandingOfficer of the unit led from thefront along with other person-nel living up to the motto of"Service Before Self ".

Deeply disturbing and painful: Rajnath onkilling of 5 security personnel in Kashmir

PNS n NEW DELHI

BJP President J P Nadda onSunday condoled the death ofsecurity personnel in anencounter with terrorists inKashmir. An Army Coloneland a Major were among fivesecurity personnel killed in anencounter with terrorists at avillage in north Kashmir'sHandwara area. "Received thesad news of our soldiers mak-ing the supreme sacrifice in anencounter with terrorists inHandwara in Jammu andKashmir. I bow to the martyrsand pray for peace to their souls.May God give their grievingfamilies the strength to bear theloss," Nadda tweeted. Other BJPleaders also paid tributes to thefallen soldiers, with party gen-eral secretary Kailash Vijayvar-giya asserting that governmentwill give a befitting response tothis cowardly incident.

PNS n LUCKNOW

For loco driver Haridas andguard Rajeev Raikwar, the 02121Shramik Special wasn't just ano-ther train. It was something theywill tell their grandchildren aboutwhen they ask what they did dur-ing the lockdown of 2020.

The “workers's special” thetwo rolled into Lucknow Sundaymorning was the first such trainto Uttar Pradesh, bringing home800 migrant labourers strandedfor weeks in Maharashtra.

Haridas who drove the trainfrom Jhansi to Lucknow – a partof its journey from Nashik inMaharashtra – had stayed homeduring the nationwide lock-down against coronavirus. Andhis family in Jhansi was appre-hensive about the job, amid thepandemic.

"Going to a red zone gavethem tense moments. However,I responded to the call of dutyand have no regrets," he told PTI,calling the assignment a “unique

experience”.Haridas said he is happy he

helped in uniting the strandedworkers with their families. "I willalso tell stories of my duty dur-ing the lockdown to my grand-children,” he said.

Rajeev Raikwar, the guardwho got onto the train along withhim, too felt happy for doing hisbit. "Overall, the experience wasgood and I will tell my stories ofthe lockdown and about dis-

charging my duties to my grand-children,” he said.

“The family was telling me tosay no, sensing danger. But dutyis duty,” he said. “The RPF per-sonnel in the train informed thepassengers at regular intervalsthat they should not step downat any station,” he said. Theyworkers were to be allowed tohead for their home districts onlyafter a medical examination inLucknow.

A story to tell grandchildren: traincrew after bringing migrants home

CRPF headquarters inDelhi sealed after 2 staffmembers test positive

Lockdown: NCW receives315 domestic violencecomplaints in April

PNS n NEW DELHI

The headquarters of theCentral Reserve Police Force(CRPF) here has been sealedafter a personal staff of asenior officer and a bus driverof the paramilitary tested pos-itive for coronavirus, officialssaid on Sunday.

The five-storeyed building islocated inside the CentralGovernment Offices (CGO)complex on Lodhi Road. Apersonal secretary of a SpecialDirector General (SDG) rankofficer working in the head-quarters tested positive for thevirus on Saturday, they said.

Also, a bus driver who fer-ried personnel working at the

headquarters, contracted thedisease, they added.

"One driver attached withCRPF headquarters has testedCOVID-19 positive. Theheadquarters is closed forsanitisation till the task iscompleted," a force spokesper-son said. Entry of officials inthe headquarters has beenbarred from Sunday, they said.

Free inter-district bus facility forstranded people to travel within K’takaPNS n BENGALURU

In a bid to help people, includ-ing large number of labourers,from Karnataka stranded with-in the state due to the COVID-19 lockdown, Chief Minister BS Yediyurappa said free bus ser-vices would be operated forthree days from Sunday forthem to reach their native places.

The expenses will be borne bythe government, he said appeal-ing to the people to make use ofthe opportunity that will beavailable till Tuesday and not tocreate rush at bus stands.

"Keeping in mind the situationof poor labourers, for three daysfrom today, free KSRTC(Karnataka State Road Transport

Corporation) bus facilities will bemade available for those travel-ling to their native places inKarnataka from various districtheadquarters and capitalBengaluru city," the ChiefMinister said in a statement.

The move came amid com-

plaints that the fare charged bythe state-run transport corpora-tion was too high. The high fare,fixed since the buses were oper-ated on a contract basis and notas regular services, also drew crit-icism from various quartersincluding opposition parties.

PNS n MUMBAI

Veteran actor Dharmendrabelieves the biggest takeawayfrom the coronavirus pan-demic should be the impor-tance of leading a simple life.

The nationwide lockdownwas announced by PrimeMinister Narendra Modi onMarch 24 to contain the spreadof COVID-19.

Dharmendra, 84, believespeople should take the lock-down “positively”.

“Due to lockdown there isno pollution, there is so muchfresh air, the sky is so clear,everything looks beautiful. Iam so happy to see this time itreminds me of the time that welived back then. We all shouldtake lockdown positively,” theactor told PTI in an interview.

“I am living life like this andI am very happy about it. Icome to the city when there iswork (referring to films) andwhen not I am happy here inmy farmhouse. I am born togive happiness, entertain andinspire everyone,” he added.

The actor believes the pan-

demic is the result of theactions of humans and the onlyway to survive now is to live insync with nature. “It is a verytight slap on our face frommother earth. We need to loveand nurture nature. The virushas come because of us and weare suffering because of ourown actions.

“I hope people understandand cut down on a lot ofunessential things and notbecome greedy and be happy

with what they have. Less isalways good. Simplicity shouldbe the way of life. Everyonemust follow this. This is a les-son for life.”

Away from the fast-pacedlife and brouhaha ofBollywood, Dharmendraspends most of his time at hisfarmhouse in Lonavala. Hewas last seen in a full-fledgedrole in 2018 film "Yamla PaglaDeewana: Phir Se" with sonsSunny and Bobby Deol.

BJP Presidentcondoles deathof securitypersonnel

Simplicity should be the way of life: Dharmendra on lockdown

The other personnelkilled in the encounterare Major Anuj Sood,Naik Rakesh Kumar,Lance Naik DineshSingh and Sub-Inspectorof Jammu and KashmirPolice Shakeel Qazi,according to officials

“I am living life like this and I am veryhappy about it. I come to the city whenthere is work (referring to films) and whennot I am happy here in my farmhouse. Iam born to give happiness, entertain andinspire everyone,” he added

As the “sword arm” of the nation,the armed forces are the ultimatearbiters of national sovereigntyand security. Constitutionalwirings of the country have

mapped out clearly defined roles, restraintsand interplay mechanisms among the vari-ous specialist arms of governance. In pur-suance of the defined realms, recruitment,equipment and training are afforded ontoeach institution to work independently andoccasionally, complement each other, excep-tional exigencies aside. Herein, the principleof requisitioning the armed forces as only the“last resort” is implied when the said exigencyis believed to be beyond the specific capabil-ity or assets of the defined specialist institu-tion and all other alternative civilian and non-military (including those of centrally polic-ing armed forces) assets. Therefore, for allinternal exigencies like riots, mob control andarmed insurgencies among others, variousStates and specialist Central police forces areresponsible.

Similarly, to manage natural disasters likeearthquakes, tsunamis or floods, organisa-tions like the National Disaster ManagementAuthority (NDMA) have a National DisasterResponse Force (NDRF) team of trained13,000 personnel. Even the Government’smedical ecosystem (not private) is said tohave over 35,000 hospitals with well over7,00,000 beds to cumulatively address anymedical exigency, like the ongoing COVID-19 crisis. Yet, it is disconcerting to see the fre-quent invocation and requisitioning of thearmed forces towards all sorts of exigencieswith increasing regularity.

At one level, it speaks volumes about thefaith the citizenry affords on the institutionof the armed forces to conduct the tasks withclinical efficiency. On the other hand, itreflects the abysmal and repeated failure ofother arms of governance to cope with theirrespective callings. While handling internalinsurgencies in Kashmir or the North-east-ern States is now almost assumed to be a mil-itary task (when it ought not to be), thethoughtless beseeching of the military intovirtually any civil predicament is unhealthyfor the institution as also for the nation. Afew months back, the lazy clamour, seekingmilitary intervention on the streets of Delhito restore peace amid communal violence wasautomatically triggered, interestingly byboth sides of the conflict. The disciplined,apolitical and agenda-less moorings of thearmed forces beget the much-needed reas-surances of fair play and non-partisan pro-tection.

Involving the armed forces into internalstrife dilutes the fundamental ethos of the mil-itary, which is to protect the nation fromexternal threats and provide support in nat-ural disaster relief. This calls for anunmatched organisation, the ablest body andthe most disciplined personnel — all ofwhom are driven by a sense of national ser-vice beyond their principal mandate. But they

should never be seen taking ontheir own citizens, however mis-guided they may be, as thatwould willy-nilly dilute the per-ception of political agnosticismof the armed forces. Civil strifesare complex with shades of greythat could entail some genuinegrievances and missteps by theGovernment, too. A couple ofyears ago, a “godman” had heldPanchkula hostage with his fol-lowers and the might of the Statepolice had embarrassingly capit-ulated — it took just six columnsof an Army detachment toimmediately restore order. Suchinstances have led to the conve-nient assumption of “callingout” the Army at the drop of ahat, like now in the ongoingCOVID-19 crisis.

This pandemic has led tomultiple civic and control issuesthat are challenging for thepolice. However, to suggest itsintervention is premature andnot in consonance with theprinciple of “last resort.” Neitherare the police understaffed,underequipped or underexposedto deal with such issues vis-à-visthe armed forces, nor should thenation tap into the “last resort”and reservoir of able-bodiedpersonnel safeguarding the sov-ereignty of the country. Already,the military domain has beenroped in to organise quarantineset-ups. That brings the risk ofinfection within its “barracks” —the haunting spectre of two sud-denly impoverished ships of theUS Navy (aircraft carrier USSTheodore Roosevelt and the

destroyer USS Kidd) ought toposit the real risk of the realmonto conventional weaponryand personnel. Around 122jawans at a Central ReservePolice Force (CRPF) battalion inDelhi have already tested posi-tive for Coronavirus.

As it is, the working condi-tions of the armed forces neces-sitate certain commune-styleliving and operations. To add theadditional burden of COVID-19imperatives means double taxa-tion. The ongoing challenges ofmanaging insurgency inKashmir (additionally bornedue to “supporting” the policingforces) have not diminished.News columns regularly carrythe casualty toll in the ongoinginsurgency.

The potential (willful)decapitation of the militarywherewithal with Corona risks,without maximising the variousgovernmental or even privatealternatives available, is unfair.With its budgetary allocations,the existing medical ecosystemof the armed forces is alreadywell stretched to attend to nor-mal requirements of the servingand veteran fraternity, for whichit is primarily intended.

In a deeply polarised society,unfortunately, even an unprece-dented tragedy like COVID-19has subliminal political and reli-gious undertones that beset anypotential involvement. Thearmed forces cannot saunterinto the societal minefield ofcommunity management as it isinflicted with perception

“divides” of regional, ethnic andworse, religious denominations.The management of the timesrequires “civic engagement”,which is fundamentally differentfrom the blunt kinetic training ofthe Army. The Army should not“untrain” itself to adjust to thepolicing imperatives as thatdilutes the principal task of a mil-itary soldier.

Last, such requisitioningalso militates in the eyes of theservicemen, who could feel thatthe nation has taken them forgranted, to be used as and where,and then forgotten with mean-ingless platitudes. They areremembered the next time whensome other arm of governancefails. Beyond the condescendinginanities, the armed forces havewitnessed an unprecedenteddilution of budgets, precedenceand work conditions.

The same cannot be saidabout various other governmen-tal institutions to which thearmed forces provide regular“support.” Such trying timesoffer an invaluable opportunityto introspect the strategic pre-paredness, planning rigour andinstitutional efficacy of all gov-ernmental arms. To casuallyrequisition the armed forces is awillful and regrettable shortcut.It endangers the fighting abilityof the sword arm and ensuresthat other institutions anddomains remain perenniallysub-optimal.

(The writer, a military veter-an, is a former Lt Governor ofAndaman & Nicobar Islands)

Every crisis brings with it an opportuni-ty and the present pandemic has res-urrected the nearly-dead public service

broadcaster founded by the Government inthe late 50s, Doordarshan (DD). Time waswhen DD, as it was colloquially called, wasthe only channel in the country and peopleused to wait the whole week for their all-timefavourites, Chitrahaar, Krishi Darshan and, ofcourse, the Sunday movie. Then DD beganexpanding its fare with Sunday and prime-time treats like Star Trek, Secrets of the Sea,

Here’s Lucy, Yes, Minister, Different Strokes and so on. But of course, thesewere watched mostly by the urban, English-speaking viewers and not by themasses. Then in the 80s came the era of the mega soaps, like Ramanand Sagar’sRamayan and BR Chopra’s Mahabharat and the whole of India was hookedto DD like never before. No one had ever attempted something on such a hugescale before and, of course, the mythological content was lapped up by every-one in urban and rural India alike, because we in India wear our religion onour sleeves. People actually used to factor in their social commitments aroundRamayan and Mahabharat, such was their hold on the imagination. Then camethe era of Direct to Home channels with slick productions powered by moneyand unfettered use of better technology, something that DD, bogged down byred-tapism and babudom, could not compete with. But in Corona-weary timesand a distraught nation seeking solace and comfort in the simple joys of nos-talgia, Ramayan and other old hits have rescued DD yet again as a leader ofcontent. In fact, March 25 onwards, most TV channels actually had a “cap-tive” audience, viewership rising by 37 per cent.

And as live soaps began drying up due to actors being unable to arrive forshoots due to the nationwide lockdown, DD dug into its archives to pull out itshit shows of the 80s and had the nation hooked again. In the first week of April3, a whopping 545.8 million viewers tuned in to DD National to watch reruns ofRamayan while 145.8 million watched Mahabharat on DD Bharti, says a reportby Broadcast Audience Research Council. Reruns of Shaktimaan on DD Nationalattracted 20.8 million viewers, while Byomkesh Bakshi, Shrimaan Shrimati,Buniyaad, Dekh Bhai Dekh and Circus also witnessed a similar rise in viewer-ship. Shows that when it comes to content, DD did have a spark at one time.Maybe it will reinvent itself, post-lockdown, prizing quality once again.

Certain truths are too glaring to ignore.Like the fact that most metro cities areon a virus spiral and are fully red, which

means they need to be contained if we do notwant an apocalyptic slide into chaos. Unlikemost world cities, Indian ones have a high pop-ulation density. Toying with herd immunity, likethe way Sweden has done, moving a youngerpopulation outside while keeping the vulner-able indoors, is too huge a risk to take andmonitor. But lockdown 3 also means that theeconomic activity, which has been enabled with

easing of restrictions, won’t quite pick up pace because the disease hotspotsalso happen to be the country’s economic hubs. And while the rural economyhas got a push in disease-free zones, MGNREGA work has seen record enroll-ment and returnee migrants are signing up for village schemes and infrastruc-ture, the urban economy is still some time away from whirring back to life. Nowthe ease of doing business is still too sporadic to have any accelerating impacton the economy. Cities can only avail essential goods and services, so the bigpush that consumption was supposed to get isn’t happening because suppli-ers have a limited range to operate within, non-essential goods strictly off thelist for the time being. Non-essential single shops are allowed to be open onlyin safe zones, that too with truncated hours. Certainly not in red clusters. Andalthough the Government has allowed 33 per cent staff of industrial units andfirms to be operational even in red zones, the protocol is yet to be figured out indifferent States, so implementation and synergising a work flow within new rulesand codes are not only time-consuming but slow down movement. This logis-tical mismatch is one of the reasons why even those who can run businessesare feeling hemmed in. Of course, the reverse migration has meant a chronicshortage of labourers and they are not likely to return in the near future. In fact,businesses will now have to offer other incentives and living quarters to holdback labourers. Then there are issues like sourcing of raw material, movementof products, supply chain disruptions due to the forced closure of factories ofsuppliers and ancillaries, all of which are just about lurching forward in fits andstarts. Even while a third economic stimulus is in the works, with Prime MinisterNarendra Modi personally looking to put the economy back on keel, industryand investors are not finding enough confidence yet. Experts are worried thatthe foreign capital outflow taking place from India is bigger than from any otheremerging economy, $15 billion leaking in March alone. With the private sectorchoked, global players are leveraging other economies. The rupee is weaker thanever before and we must seem convincing enough as a future market.

Meanwhile, the Government has a tough task opening up the economy with-out risking a health disaster. Any meaningful stimulus would need a minimum`6 lakh crore as we stare at a prolonged trough till the disease curve flattensout. While dry rations may not be a problem, even usual consumer goods arenow in short supply. While we have been able to rush essentials for a while givenexisting stocks, the cessation of production, the lack of packaging and process-ing and breakage in the logistics chain mean that consumer goods are going tobe available in limited numbers. Nearly 43 per cent of the 157 units owned byFMCG majors are in the Coronavirus red zones in Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu,Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand and West Bengal. Besides, with asymptomaticcarriers going around, distancing, hygiene and other protocols at our factoriesneed to be executed with military precision and precaution. So if green zonesare opened and anything between 25-83 per cent people are asymptomatic car-riers, infections will spike. Monitoring markets and mandis poses a huge chal-lenge, so a rotational format of days when these will be open along with stag-gered times must be worked out before hand. Most importantly, every local admin-istrative authority down to the panchayat level will have to be empowered to runterritories with efficiencies. The first lockdown gave us some time to preparehealthcare facilities for an expected surge. This lockdown should be about cre-ating an enabling atmosphere and inculcating discipline and compliance amongpeople. For without adherence to exit protocols, there would be no economy leftat all. The problem is not of choice but the will to get going.

Lockdown 3

Mired in confusion

Sir — The Government’s decisionto extend the lockdown for twomore weeks with limited relax-ations in red, orange and greenzones so as to exit from the shut-down in a staggered mannerwhile also reopening the econo-my is welcome. The businesscommunity, while welcomingthis decision, pointed out that apartial relaxation of the lockdownwon’t be enough to repair thefractured supply chain.

Most activities that call formass gathering remain suspend-ed. Schools, colleges, malls, cin-ema halls and restaurants willremain closed. This sounds strin-gent but the relaxations allowedin green and orange zones offersome relief to businesses keen toget back to work. TheGovernment’s intent behind thismove, which is to resume theeconomy, cannot be doubted.But a Byzantine set of guidelinesis sure to create confusion amongthe people. Who’s going to definewhat’s allowed and what’s not?Further, the rules themselvesvary from place to place.

Mayank KhatriUjjain

Be patient with Corona

Sir — This refers to the report,“Diluted lockdown till May 17”(May 2). The only ideal way toprevent the spread of Coronavirusnow seems to be physical confine-

ment. This is why the Ministry ofHome Affairs’ decision to extendthe nationwide lockdown for twomore weeks didn’t come as surprise.

It is a fact that despite takingevery possible precautionary

measure, the deadly virus contin-ues to spread among the peoplewith a sheer rapidity. This man-ifests that our battle against thepandemic is going to continue fora longer period of time.

Even now, people are seen

violating the lockdown rules inseveral cities and villages. Onlypatience, unity and belief can actas ammunition in this fierce bat-tle against COVID-19. Losingtemper on “Corona warriors” isnot the solution.

Tushar AnandPatna

New crisis brewing

Sir — With lakhs of migrantworkers wanting to travel backhome, in a post-COVID worldwhen economic activity resumes,many States would be staring ata labour crisis. Already, the shockit has dealt to an already vulner-able economy has been immense.Home to about eight lakhmigrants, excluding the IT sector,Bengaluru is heavily dependenton them to keep its economygoing. Not to forget, the countrywas already suffering from aneconomic crisis. A labour marketcrunch can further aggravateproblems and easily turn into anightmare.

MN Qasmi Kolkata

P A P E R W I T H P A S S I O N

www.dailypioneer.comfacebook.com/dailypioneer | @TheDailyPioneer | instagram.com/dailypioneer/

op nionVIJAYAWADA | MONDAY | MAY 4, 2020

06

Maintain the fine line

BHOPINDER SINGH

The requisitioning of the armed forces in Corona operations is premature and not in consonancewith the principle of last resort. It may endanger the fighting ability of the sword arm

State Governments anddistrict authorities muststep in to make optimumuse of these services byRailways so that farmersdo not incur losses.

Vice President—M Venkaiah Naidu

Truth in my opinion isabsolute. I’m lucky to havelearnt not to sweat the smallstuff, there are bigger issues out there that needactual discussion.

Actor—Sobhita Dhulipala

The world has learned fromChina and we need to continueto learn from Wuhan on howthey are lifting measures, howthey are bringing society backto normal, or a new normal.

WHO official—Maria van Kerkhove

S O U N D B I T E

L E T T E R S T O TT H E E D I T O R

Memories are all that we have

As the wider society was preoccupied fighting theCOVID-19 pandemic, news came from Mumbai oneafter the other that caused grief to film buffs.

Bollywood lost two of its finest actors, Irrfan Khan andRishi Kapoor. The wide variety of roles these versatileactors played in films was a testament to their excep-tional talent. Acting for them was as natural as breath-ing. It was their true passion and they pursued it withcommitment and grace. Both endeared themselves tothose who worked with them. Irrfan Khan made it thehard way via the National School of Drama, TV soapoperas and side roles. His talent made up for the “ordi-nariness of his looks”, normally not associated with aBollywood star. Perhaps the adage, “Beauty is in the eyeof the beholder” was alien to Bollywood. Irrfan was oftenhailed as one of India’s few exports to Hollywood. He wasinternationally known for his roles in Slumdog Millionaire,Life of Pi, The Amazing Spider-Man and Jurassic World.

Popularly known as the “evergreen romantic hero”,Rishi Kapoor was a quintessential Bollywood star. Hestarred in blockbusters with gusto and his performancesin films like Khel Khel Mein, Karz and Chandni won rap-turous applause. Films like Mera Naam Joker, Bobby,Amar Akbar Anthony and Agneepath, too, won him

admirers. Audiences lapped up his dance sequences.Fashion conscious cinema-goers styled themselves onhim. Rishi Kapoor had a great zest for life. He was radi-ant even moments before his passing away and kept themedical staff entertained to the last. If it were not forthe pandemic time, thousands of fans would havethronged to get a last glimpse of their screen idols. Bothfeted actors played their part well in reel and real life andleft a lot of memorable scenes to cherish.

G David MiltonMaruthancode

INVOLVING THEARMED FORCES ININTERNAL STRIFE

DILUTES THEFUNDAMENTALETHOS OF THE

MILITARY, WHICH ISTO PROTECT THE

NATION FROMEXTERNAL THREATS

AND PROVIDESUPPORT IN

NATURAL DISASTERRELIEF. THIS CALLS

FOR AN UNMATCHEDORGANISATION, THE

ABLEST BODY AND THE MOST

DISCIPLINEDPERSONNEL — ALL

OF WHOM AREDRIVEN BY A SENSE

OF NATIONALSERVICE

Send yyour ffeedback tto:letterstopioneer@gmail.com

Good old DDI think the worst is over. But till the time the diseaseis not completely contained,we should continue to follow all precautions and guidelines.

Union Minister—Prakash Javadekar

Curbs have been eased but with existing chains broken, astimulus and a new work code won’t perk up the economy

Ramayan, Mahabharat and old TV hits find takersin this generation seeking the comfort of nostalgia

A scientific responsibility

I WANT THE CENTRE TO RECONSIDER AND PUT THIS(IFSC) DECISION ON HOLD. THIS IS NOT SABKA SAATH,

SABKA VIKAS (DEVELOPMENT FOR ALL). —SHIV SENA MP

ARVIND SAWANT

MUMBAI COULD BECOME AN ADDITIONALFINANCIAL SERVICES CENTRE, IN ADDITION TO THEHEADQUARTERS IN GUJARAT. —FORMER MAHARASHTRA CHIEF MINISTER DEVENDRA FADNAVIS

POINTCOUNTERPOINT

There is a general understanding that pandem-ic preparedness requires not only the involve-ment of the health sector but the whole soci-

ety. However, until there is scientific intrusion in thedecisions at each level, the preparedness andresponses will be partial. This increases the scien-tific responsibility manifold with a commitment tofast track information and solutions that will ulti-mately influence life sustenance. During an outbreak,there is a moral obligation to learn more, as quick-ly as possible, in order to shape the public healthresponse and for proper scientific evaluation of newinterventions being tested. Such an approachimproves preparedness for future outbreaks.

This requires carefully-designed and ethically-conducted scientific research and release of correctscientific information. Evaluation of diagnosticsthrough rapid methods, probable treatmentsthrough suggested drugs and vaccines require clin-ical trials and regulatory control. Research for sug-gesting preventive measures and social behaviourincluding epidemiological, social science and imple-mentation studies can play a critical role in reduc-ing morbidity and mortality.

The world is looking at national and worldhealth systems for an emergency response to thispandemic and at the same time expecting the sci-entific fraternity to come up with a scientific pre-paredness plan in the form of prevention, manage-ment and treatment. There is no paucity of exper-tise and technology available to carry out crisis-relat-ed research. Using the available infrastructure andmanagement framework, the resources can be rapid-ly mobilised to come up with rapid solutions.

Science for response coordination: Preparingfor and deploying emergency responses will requirecoordination not only of scientific research activi-ties but for associated policy and administrative deci-sions, too. A coordinated scientific response is thekey to collaborate and integrate the efforts to ensurethat other than scientific expertise, a complete spec-trum is covered, including epidemiologists, datamanagers, laboratory technicians, emergency man-agement and risk communications specialists, pub-lic health managers and medico-legal personnel.Active participation and cooperation of represen-tatives of different sections of the community willbe an absolute must for tackling the situation. ThePreliminary Stakeholder Engagement Plan (SEP) ofthe India COVID-19 Emergency Response andHealth Systems Preparedness Project has elaborat-ed the requirement for strengthening pandemicresearch and multi-sector, national institutionsand platforms for “one health.” This is in the formof a separate component of the strategic plan whichseeks to develop core capacity to deliver the “onehealth” approach to monitor, detect and manageinfectious disease outbreaks in animals and inhumans. India is uniquely positioned to play a keyrole in research on viruses, other disease pathogensand vaccines for its own emergency response andfor global public good.

This component will support research onCOVID-19 by Indian institutions working in col-laboration with the Indian Council for MedicalResearch (ICMR). It will support biomedicalresearch to generate evidence to inform the short-term and medium-term response to the COVID-19 pandemic. The component will build capacity forresearch at Central and State levels to position Indiato better respond to pandemics.

Scientific information availability for research:Availability of credible information on a global plat-form is crucial for scientists for their research andto avoid duplicity of efforts. It typically takes time

to organise scientific research effortsand/or access the data generated. Toaddress this, the World HealthOrganisation (WHO) has created a plat-form to integrate the global research infor-mation on COVID-19. This platform pro-vides updates on research activities, inter-national clinical trials registry platform forvaccines and therapeutics and solidarityclinical trials.

The platform also provides access tothe WHO’s COVID-19 database thatprovides global literature on the disease.It is a valuable information resource andis of great importance to the global scien-tific fraternity conducting research on thevirus. The National Institute of Health(NIH), Office of Data Science and Strategy,too, is hosting a platform to provide openaccess data and computational resourcesto address the health emergency. It is animportant resource to access informationon genomics, clinical studies, digitalimages, expression counts, bioactivitydata, case studies, visualisation tools, epi-demiology, community participation andparticipant-level clinical data. Severalcountries, including India, are providingsuch platforms to their scientists. Thereis an effort to find cohesive groups inter-nationally so that such collaborativegroups can come up with quick alterna-tives to the global pandemic.

Scientific solutions through samples:The COVID-19 represents a great chal-lenge for our healthcare systems. The sit-uation and the working conditions are dif-ficult in many places and direct patientcare has the highest priority. The next chal-lenge, however, is to support those whoare finding a cure for it. Biobanks are cru-cial in the run towards a vaccine and/ortreatment. Biobanks can provide key ser-vices to researchers, such as efficient andhigh-quality storage of samples in clini-cal and research settings, samples fromhealthy individuals and standards for tar-getted identification, collection and con-servation of important samples.

Biospecimens offer researchers oppor-tunities to understand the pathogen bet-

ter and develop diagnostic, therapeutic,and preventive measures, that may miti-gate the damage by similar outbreaks inthe future. At the same time, long-termstorage of biospecimens involves poten-tial risks to individuals and communities.These risks can be managed throughadherence to guidelines relevant to thelong-term storage of biological specimenscollected during infectious disease out-breaks. Only biobanks and researcherswith the appropriate equipment, trainingand facilities can collect, share and han-dle samples from COVID-19 affectedpatients. India has set up a number ofbiobanks but all positive samples arerequired to be transported to ICMR-NIV,Pune for the purpose of maintaining a bio-repository for health research purposes.

Scientific efforts that will shape thefuture: The WHO has pooled in resourcesand scientists from across the world in itssearch for a potential vaccine and sever-al scientific endeavours all across the globeare shaping social, economic and politi-cal decisions on managing the disease andbehavioural patterns. India is also playinga big role in association with WHO andindependently for tackling the disease bur-den and its spread. In addition, thousandsof researchers around the world are offer-ing their expertise, time and help throughinternational platforms such as CrowdfightCOVID-19 to fight against the contagion.Scientists are connecting through socialmedia apps such as Twitter, Facebook, andLinkedIn to provide their services volun-tarily.

With no vaccine in sight for at leastthe next 12-18 months, it seems the fightfor rescuing humanity from this deadlyvirus has only just begun. With no realglobal consensus on the response mech-anism, each nation is finding its own wayto protect its citizens.

While India’s “containment/lock-down” approach to fighting the pandem-ic is happening on one side, the slowdownin trade between India and the world iscounter-productive. This disruption intrade is hitting the supply chains of many

essential commodities needed for the fight.This includes COVID-19 testing kits,masks, alcohol-based sanitisers, person-al protective equipment (PPEs), dressmaterials for frontline health workers, ven-tilators and so on. All efforts at global andlocal levels are being made to hasten theavailability of the essentials so that human-ity does not suffer.

India has set up a ‘COVID-19 TaskForce’ for mapping virus-related technol-ogy capabilities in start-ups, academia,research and development labs and indus-try. The capacity-mapping group consistsof representatives from the Departmentof Science and Technology (DST),Department of Biotechnology (DBT),ICMR, Ministry of Electronics andInformation Technology (MEIT), Councilfor Scientific and Industrial Research(CSIR), Atal Innovation Mission (AIM),Ministry of Micro, Small and MediumEnterprises (MMSME), Startup Indiaand All India Council for TechnicalEducation (AICTE). This task force hasidentified over 500 entities in the areas ofdiagnostics, drugs, ventilators, protectiongear, disinfecting systems and so on. Thesolutions identified include masks andother protective gear, sanitisers, affordablekits for screening, ventilators and oxygena-tors, data analytics for tracking, monitor-ing and controlling the spread of outbreakthrough Artificial Intelligence and Internetof Things-based solutions, to name a few.

Many research groups are focussingon basic science and other social aspectsof this pandemic like virus morphogen-esis and development, sequencing oflocal strain, virus-host interaction, genet-ic variants linked with virulence, evolu-tion and transmission pattern, pathogen-esis studies and collection of epidemiolog-ical data. These studies are necessary fordevelopment of vaccines and therapeuticdrugs against COVID-19. In the end thescientific community has a responsibili-ty to find a solution to this pandemic soon.

(Bhaskar is Registrar, Regional Centerfor Biotechnology, Faridabad and Suri iswith the IIM, Jammu)

During an outbreak, the scientific community has an obligation to learn more in order toshape the public health response and for proper evaluation of new interventions being tested

analysis 07F I R S T C O L U M N

Take lockdownfatigue well

ANIL GUPTA

Pragmatic thinking should be the orderof the day and we must not

let emotions cloud our minds

DEEPIKABHASKAR

FEROZ KHAN SURI

THE WORLD ISLOOKING AT

NATIONAL ANDWORLD HEALTH

SYSTEMS FOR ANEMERGENCY

RESPONSE TO THISPANDEMIC AND AT

THE SAME TIMEEXPECTING THE

SCIENTIFICFRATERNITY TO

COME UP WITH ASCIENTIFIC

PREPAREDNESSPLAN IN THE FORM

OF PREVENTION,MANAGEMENT ANDTREATMENT. THERE

IS NO PAUCITY OFEXPERTISE AND

TECHNOLOGYAVAILABLE TO

CARRY OUT CRISIS-RELATED

RESEARCH. USINGTHE AVAILABLE

INFRASTRUCTUREAND MANAGEMENTFRAMEWORK, THE

RESOURCES CAN BERAPIDLY MOBILISED

TO COME UP WITHRAPID SOLUTIONS

The nationwide lockdown has been extended again till mid-Mayand there are different opinions emerging across the country,depending upon one’s means of livelihood, place of residence and

political affiliation. But one thing is for sure, people are fed up of theshutdown. The prevailing scenario reminds one of the days spent atthe National Defence Academy (NDA) at Khadakwasla, near Pune, asa young cadet. In those days career options in India were very limit-ed. Doctor, engineer, IAS, IPS, journalist, lawyer or teacher, were thepreferred choices but they involved long years of study after school(class 10), before one could join the chosen profession. On the otherhand, within four or five years of joining the NDA, people barely out oftheir teens became Commissioned Officers of the armed forces, draw-ing a handsome salary package apart from the thrill of wearing starcheduniforms with stars on the shoulders. Most of us, apart from othermotives, preferred to join the forces under a notion that it would meanan end of academic studies and we would be spared the cumbersomeburden of reading books and passing exams. But after joining the respec-tive services all our dreams were shattered when confronted with volu-minous studies during various professional courses of training, for pass-ing compulsory promotion exams, which were mandatory not only forpromotion but also retention in service. Incidentally, these exams provedthe waterloo for many officers who were compulsorily discharged fromservice.

The training in NDA was spread over three years and was divid-ed in six half-yearly terms referred to as “spring” and “winter” terms.The tough academic and training regime included a foreign language,physical fitness, hobbies and outdoor training with emphasis on dis-cipline. The official training regime was laced with the unofficial regimeknown as “ragdha” (punishment) which was the privilege and prerog-ative enjoyed by senior termers and appointment holders. This part ofthe training aimed at making us “men from boys” and was meant formental toughening, building tolerance and developing unflinching cama-raderie. Thus, every cadet wished to finish the rigours of training, passmandatory academic tests, keep a clean disciplinary record for the entireterm and look forward for moving to next term with his batchmates(known as course mates). Any faltering could lead to the dreaded “rel-egation” which implied repeating the term along with the junior batch.At the beginning of each term, one enthusiastic cadet would take itupon himself to maintain a record of “Days Left to Go Home (DLTGH)”which signified the end of term. It began with 180 and everyone eager-ly waited for it to reach zero. They also hoped to qualify for the nextterm, till they reached the sixth term and finally passed out from theNDA. This meant moving on to service specific institutions like the IndianMilitary Academy, Naval Academy, Indian Airforce Academy before real-ising the cherished dream of becoming a Commissioned Officer.

Before the end of each term, many cadets suffered from what wascommonly known as “end of term fatigue.” To overcome this fatigue,the seniors used to increase the frequency and quantum of “ragdha.”This kept most of us motivated to pass out and avoid relegation. Butthere were a few who were overtaken by the “end of term fatigue”,leading to lax performance. This, in turn, meant sure-shot relegation.The after-effect of it was realised only in the next term, which meantjoining a junior batch, making new friends and above all spend addi-tional six months at the NDA.

These days our nation is also going through a similar phase oflockdown fatigue. The voices for lifting the lockdown have increasedeach day and this extension is certainly not helping calm frayed nerves.The economy is definitely on the downtrend and unlikely to pick up inthe near future. The Government is faced with a very tough situation.It has no choice but to keep the lockdown in place to protect the nationfrom the onslaught of the Coronavirus. But the fact remains that wehave still not succeeded in flattening the curve. There is no vaccineagainst COVID-19 as yet. Whatever success we have achieved so faris due to pro-active administration, self-discipline, social distancing andthe lockdown. Can we afford to remove all these restrictions and allowfree mixing of the population once again? Overtaken by fatigue, if weslacken now we may have to repent later and may have to suffer end-less lockdowns. Pragmatic thinking should be the order of the day andwe must not let emotions cloud our minds.

In the Army there is a popular saying, “The more you sweat inpeace, the less you bleed in war”, meaning sacrifices made duringthe time the going is good pay rich dividends in the hour of crisis. Weshould be prepared to follow the same. So, my fellow citizens, let thelockdown fatigue not overtake you. Prepare yourself mentally, physi-cally, emotionally and financially (tough but can be achieved throughbetter self-management) for difficult times ahead. How long these unpre-dictable times would last is very difficult to predict at this stage. Butgo through the history of the world and you would realise that greatnations have emerged stronger at the end of each adversity. Our nationis undoubtedly great and is blessed with great leaders, too. Let us beof good cheer during this lockdown 3.0, in national interest and workwith determination to make up for lost time once the shutdown ends.After all, when the going gets tough, the tough get going.

(The writer is a Jammu-based veteran, political commentator and columnist)

The most repeated cliche inadvertising and marketingcircles is the word “disrup-

tion.” It implies breaking away fromthe norm and using jarring ways toattract the attention of potential con-sumers towards a product or a ser-vice. But as with most post-mod-ernist ideas this, too, became anautomated norm that lost its mean-ing beyond being just an excitingword to throw around. Nevertheless,American author David Von Drehleexplains this idea of disruption asbeing part and parcel of a mindset

that eventually aided the rise of neo-populism.

He sees “disruption” as a glori-fied recklessness which may exciteand even enrich hip, young entre-preneurs, but isolates those whoselivelihoods are still dependent onwhat is wrecked in the name of suchdisruption. Drehle equates this withthe nature of populism ruling var-ious countries, especially the US,India, Brazil, Hungary, Italy, the UK,the Philippines, Venezuela, Pakistan,and do on.

Populism gains currency intimes of major economic and socialchanges. Such changes can triggeran optimistic outlook, as they didwith the rise of science and brandnew economic and political ideas,which aided the growth and influ-ence of the middle classes from the18th century onwards. But thesechanges also leave behind a trail offailures which can dramaticallytransform an optimistic outlook

into a more paranoid one. This is the scenario in which

populism thrives. When thesechanges grow roots, they establishtheir own elite. And it is this elitethat are targetted by populists. In hisbook The Populism Explosion, JohnJudis writes that things remain incheck as long as the elected andunelected political elite work todeliver sustained prosperity to themasses and steadily improve thenation’s living standards. But if thisprocess is dented by an economicdownturn, things can get ugly.

Political analyst Patrick Liddiardwrites that populism emerges whenpolitical and economic elite leave outvast sections of the polity from thedecision-making process. The reac-tion to this gets compounded dur-ing an economic crisis. He adds that,whereas the entry of new players ina democratic process should bodewell for a democracy, it in fact endsup shattering it when this process is

initiated and enforced by populists. According to Drehle, in times of

disruptive changes that have com-plex and overlapping reasons, pop-ulists tend to boil it down to just oneor two explanations. For example,during the early decades of the 20thcentury, when revolutions wereerupting, wars were being wagedamong dying monarchies, newpolitical ideas were being shapedand Western societies were rapidlyshifting from rural to urban, “thetypical populist boiled it down to aproblem of corrupt railroad baronsand Jews.”

Drehle adds that it was thewidespread impact of World War-II which suddenly eroded pop-ulism’s appeal. This, followed bycompetent leadership, broke theback of early 20th-century pop-ulism. Many political analysts arepredicting that the impact of theCOVID-19 pandemic is likely toplay a similar role in eroding the

appeal of neo-populism. DanielLinsker writes, “Populist govern-ments, reliant on their need toconstantly convey positive messag-ing that bolsters their support, havestruggled to take the decisive, for-ward-looking action that theCOVID-19 crisis demands.”

Linsker adds, “More than ever,populist leaders now face a credibil-ity problem. Obsession with thespread of the virus is leading thepublic to seek answers from expertsand specialists, and self-isolationprovides people with more time tolook for information.” This is exact-ly the opposite of what populismseeks from the polity.

The glorified disruption ped-dled as something revolutionary andanti-elite is likely to devour the dis-rupters themselves, as the pandem-ic wrecks economies and lives. Yet,true to form, some populists are try-ing to win back the initiative by cre-ating a scapegoat.

Perpetrators have simplyrevived the tactics of a time whenthe US spent billions of dollars toportray China as an evil entity outto destroy humanity.

Failing to stop the communistsfrom taking over China in 1949 —and after fighting a gruesome warwith the Chinese army in Korea —a book appeared in 1951 by EdwardHunter, Brainwashing in Red China:The Calculated Destruction of Men’sMind. It quickly became a bestseller.So much so that Hunter soon pro-duced a sequel. In the book, Hunterclaimed that the Chinese had invent-ed an elusive brainwashing tech-nique to create a slave race.

Hunter was neither a psychol-ogist nor a psychiatrist. But he stillmanaged to impress the USGovernment. Hunter’s tomesinspired the US Government tospend billions of dollars to under-stand this brainwashing technique.The US Government also brought

in a host of psychologists to studythe files of American POWs inChina. All this amounted to noth-ing in the end.

There is no doubt that the cur-rent authoritarian Chinese set-upbungled the handling of the out-break of COVID-19 in China in itsdelay to report it. If it had warnedthe world and not tried to hide theoutbreak, the world would not havebeen in the mess it is now. But topopulist leaders around the world,this mistake can be transformed intosomething a lot more insidious,especially during times of theirfailing.

For pro-China populist regimes,however, such as the one rulingPakistan, the guns have been turnedtowards a provincial Government(in Sindh) that is not headed by theruling party. Thus far, the SindhGovernment seems to be substitut-ing for China as a scapegoat.

(Courtesy: Dawn)

The disruption of populism during a crisisIn times of disruptive changes that have complex and overlapping reasons, populists tend to boil it down to one or two explanations to suit their ends

NADEEM PARACHA

VIJAYAWADA | MONDAY | MAY 4, 2020

www.dailypioneer.com

VIJAYAWADA | MONDAY | MAY 4, 2020 money 08

CAPSULE

COAI urges DoT toextend timelinesfor minimum roll-out obligation

New Delhi: Ten most-valueddomestic companies togetheradded a whopping Rs3,10,362.26 crore to marketcapitalisation last week, helpedby a sharp rally in thevaluation of TCS and sharprecovery in the broadermarket. During the last weekthat was holiday-shortened,the Sensex rallied 2,390.40points or 7.63 per cent. TataConsultancy Services' (TCS)market valuation zoomed Rs73,753.12 crore to Rs7,56,049.23 crore, becomingthe biggest gainer in the top-10 chart. The market cap ofHDFC jumped Rs 58,499.9crore to reach Rs 3,32,050.84crore and that of HDFC Bankadvanced Rs 35,213.71 croreto Rs 5,49,354.06 crore.Reliance Industries Ltdwitnessed a rise of Rs31,506.3 crore to Rs9,30,006.19 crore in itsvaluation.

10 most-valueddomestic firmstogether add Rs 3.10 lakh cr

PNS n KOTA (RAJASTHAN)

Non-performing assets ofBank of Baroda soared morethan six-fold to Rs 73,140crore while those of IndianBank surged four-times to Rs32,561.26 crore in six years,according to a Right toInformation reply.

The NPA of Bank ofBaroda (BoB) rose from Rs11,876 crore at March-end2014 to Rs 73,140 crore atDecember-end 2019, the RTIreply showed. The number ofNPA accounts rose from2,08,035 as on March 31,2014, to 6,17,306 as ofDecember 2019.

The NPAs of Indian Banksurged from Rs 8,068.05 croreas on March 31, 2014, to Rs32,561.26 crore as on March31, 2020.

The NPA accounts rose to5,64,816 as on March 31,2020, from 2,48,921 as onMarch 31, 2014, according toreply to Right to Information(RTI) queries on number ofNPA accounts and the totalamount filed by Kota-basedactivist Sujeet Swami.

The RTI data also showedthe state-run lenders earned

huge amount from SMS alertservice fees, minimum bal-ance charges, locker charges,debit-credit cards servicecharges, outward, inward,ledger follow charges, amongothers.

According to the reply,Bank of Baroda collected Rs107.7 crore through SMS alertfee during April 1, 2018 toFebruary 29, 2020. Indian

Bank collected around Rs 21crore through SMS service feeduring the same period.

Swami said, "My motive tofile RTI was to unearth NPAamounts of two nationalbanks between 2014 to 2020."He said he has sought sameinformation from State Bankof India and Punjab NationalBank but they are yet to pro-vide the data.

The NPAs of Indian Bank surged fromRs 8,068.05 crore as on March 31, 2014,to Rs 32,561.26 crore as on March 31, 2020

PNS n NEW DELHI

The lockdown has broughteconomic activity to a grind-ing halt, CII said on Sunday,citing findings from its CEOssurvey, which indicated that 65per cent of the firms expectrevenues to fall more than 40per cent in April-June quarter.

The survey results revealthat the country may experi-ence a protracted slowdown ineconomic activity, as 45 percent of the CEOs polled feel itwill take over a year to achieveeconomic normalcy once thelockdown ends.

The snap poll saw the par-ticipation of more than 300CEOs, of which nearly two-thirds belonged to MSMEs.

On the career and liveli-hoods front, more than half ofthe firms foresee job losses intheir respective sectors afterthe lockdown. A significantshare of respondents (45 percent) expect 15 per cent to 30per cent cut in jobs.

However, allaying some con-cerns, nearly two-thirds of therespondents reported that theyhave not experienced a salary/wage cut in their firms so far.

The country-wide lockdownimposed on March 25, whilenecessary, has had deep ram-ifications on economic activi-ty, CII said.

For the full financial year2020-21, the expectations of a

fall in revenue are staggered,with 33 per cent of the firmsanticipating a revenue fall ofmore than 40 per cent, close-ly followed by 32 per cent offirms expecting a revenue con-traction ranging between 20per cent to 40 per cent.

While three out of fourfirms have identified that a'complete shutdown of opera-tions' was a major constraintbeing faced by business, morethan half of them have alsoindicated 'lack of demand forproducts' as a hindrance tobusiness activity.

"While the lockdown wasnecessary to mitigate the

coronavirus impact on thepopulation, it has had direimplications for economicactivity. At this hour, theindustry awaits a stimuluspackage for economic revivaland livelihood sustenancebesides calibrated exit fromlockdown," CII DirectorGeneral Chandrajit Banerjeesaid.

Additionally, it is perti-nent to note that according toa large proportion of thefirms, a recovery in domesticdemand, for their product orservices, may precede therecovery in foreign demandfor the same.

NPAs of BoB, IndianBank surge multi-fold

Tata Motors, Ashok Leyland for scrappage policyPNS n NEW DELHI

Tata Motors and AshokLeyland have said a well-defined and financial incen-tives-based scrappage policycan help create demand in thecommercial vehicles (CV) seg-ment which has come come toa grinding halt.

A vehicle scrappage policy isin the works for some timenow. The policy aims to put acap on the life of vehicles interms of years run.

With sales on a continuousdecline for over a year now, firstdue to transition to BS-VIemission norms and now withthe coronavirus pandemic, theindustry is hopeful that if oldvehicles go out of the system,it will help reduce pollution aswell as help induce demand fornew vehicles.

Tata Motors, which is the

leader in the commercial vehi-cle segment, said the upcom-ing legislation should clearlydefine incentives as well as reg-ulatory norms for disposing theold vehicles.

"A well-defined and effectivescrappage policy is one of thekey imperatives for drivingdemand of cleaner BS-VI vehi-cles and more appropriately so,in the current shrinkingdemand across end-use sec-tors," a Tata Motors spokesper-son told PTI.

Reiterating that replacementdemand will remain the keydriver for the sale of new vehi-cles, the spokesperson con-tended that the policy needs tohave a clear definition of ELVs(end-of-life vehicles) and inclu-sion of financial incentives.

"The government's proposedrenewal of fitness certificatesfor vehicles older than 15 yearsevery six months, instead of thecurrent time frame of one year,is a welcome one," thespokesperson said.

The company, however,added that the upcoming leg-islation needs to define tangi-ble incentives for customers, aswell as regulatory norms forenforcing the disposal.

"In India, scrappage valuechain is in early stages ofdevelopment, and is only ableto process lower double digitpercentage of the total ELVsavailable on the road," thespokesperson noted.

Two reasons for doing thatis clear definition of ELVs andalso absence of any financialincentives/subsidies for cus-tomers to dispose their vehi-

cles. "Additionally, there is a need

to address the criteria to definedismantlers and a mechanismto ensure adherence. Indiawill need multiple environ-mental-friendly scrappage cen-tres across the country to caterto the local needs of eachregion," the spokespersonadded.

Current setups have certainchallenges such as being lim-ited to few clusters, therebycatering to local needs anddevoid of capacity to scrap totalELVs on the road, thespokesperson noted.

A vehicle scrappage policy is in theworks for some time now. The policyaims to put a cap on the life of vehiclesin terms of years run

CII for greater industrial activities indistricts with high economic performancePNS n KOLKATA

At a time when the govern-ment has decided to providesome relaxations in restric-tions during the third phase ofthe nationwide lockdownstarting from May 4, theConfederation of IndianIndustry (CII) on Sundaycalled for a greater industrialactivities in districts with higheconomic performance.

The industry body alsocalled for "economic contribu-tion of districts to be takeninto consideration while clas-sifying lockdown zones".

"Districts with high eco-nomic activity should resumeall industrial and businessoperations, including in con-tainment zones with highestsafety protocols," CII said ina report, 'Strategy Note onResumption of EconomicActivities in Industrial Area'.

The suggestions followedthe notification, issued onMay 1 by the government, ongraded exit from the coron-avirus- related lockdown.

The third phase of lock-down necessitates "a focusedstrategy to minimise econom-ic contraction due to Covid-19", without compromising on

efforts to control the conta-gion, the trade body said in astatement.

"Prioritising districts withheavy presence of economicand industrial activities withcontinued operations, accom-panied by strictest precau-tions, can help enterprises toremain financially sustain-able while averting job losses,"CII Director GeneralChandrajit Banerjee said.

The industry body also saidwhile the protracted lock-down in the country, necessi-tated by the rapid spread ofCovid-19, has also causedenormous stress to the finan-cial sustainability of manybusinesses.

In its strategy note, itrequested that the top districtsshould be identified basedon variables liketheir contribu-tion to coun-try's GDP, orpresence ofi n d u s t r i a lestates andclusters orregistration ofe n t e r -

prises in a district.Instead of the current prac-

tice of categorising the entiredistrict as a 'red zone', the CIIhas suggested the need forclassifying zones as 'contain-men't, 'orange' and 'green'within an industrial district."Economic activities, in vary-ing degrees of relaxation,should be permitted in allareas of this district but healthand safety protocols woulddiffer from zone to zone," itsaid.

The containment zone maybe a street, "mohalla" or fac-tory building where positivecases have been detected, theindustry body said.

The industry bodyalso called for"economiccontribution ofdistricts to betaken intoconsiderationwhile classifying

lockdownzones"

GSTN Helpdeskhandles over56,000 taxpayerissuesPNS n NEW DELHI

GST Network Helpdesk onSunday said it has handledover 56,000 taxpayer issuesin one month since thenationwide lockdown wasimposed on March 25.

According to data fromGSTN, over 19,552 ticketsraised by taxpayers wereresolved between March 25and April 24.

The highest number oftickets handled in a day was2,766 and the highest num-ber of calls handled was1,776.

"However, due to thelockdown, there is a steepdip experienced in the calland ticket volume trend atGST helpdesk.

The total received trans-actions (inflow of calls andGRP tickets) are approxi-mately 20 per cent of theusual volume trend," GSTNsaid.

Before the lockdown, onan average, GST helpdeskwould receive around 8,000to 10,000 calls every day,while around 2,000 ticketswere raised on the GRPportal on a daily basis.

PNS n NEW DELHI

New Delhi, May 3 (PTI) Thesecond phase of the coron-avirus lockdown saw a consid-erable shift in buying patternsof consumers from basicnecessities to high-value itemslike snacks, processed food,packaged meat and frozendesserts, retailers said. Retailerssuch as Future Group, Metroand Lots Wholesale said theywitnessed a spike in demandfor packaged food productslike biscuits and noodles,resulting in an increase in theaverage purchase value percustomer. People also soughtcritical non-food productssuch as kitchen appliances,electrical goods, stationery andstorage containers at Metro.

"Yes, the second phase wit-nessed a growing demand forprocessed food, packaged meatand frozen desserts. People areworking from home. Hence,snack items, biscuits and hotbeverages are also in demandamongst customers," MetroCash & Carry India MD andCEO Arvind Mediratta toldPTI.

Consumers'focus shifts topackaged, high-value food items

Comm Minworking toidentify keysectorsPNS n NEW DELHI

The commerce and indus-try ministry is working toidentify certain key sectors-- like capital goods, leatherand chemicals -- with aview to establish India asmanufacturing hub, accord-ing to sources. Severalmeetings have taken placewith stakeholders, includingindustry chambers, to iden-tify those sectors whichhave the potential tobecome global winners andmake India a strong man-ufacturing hub, the sourcessaid. "There are 12 champi-on sectors which can belooked upon. These includemodular furniture, toys,food processing like ready-to-eat food, agro-chemi-cals, textiles like man-madefibres, air conditioners, cap-ital goods, pharma and autocomponents," one of thesources said.

Groups and sub-groupshave been constituted onthe matter by engaging rep-resentatives from industrychambers like CII andAssocham. The core groupwould identify specificimplementable policy basedon issues like technologicalcapability, employmentpotential, and global as wellas domestic demand, theyadded.

Commerce and IndustryMinister Piyush Goyal hasrecently stated that in thepost-COVID era, there isgoing to a be perceptiblechange in the global supply-chains, and Indian industri-alists and exporters shouldbe looking to capture signif-icant share in the worldtrade. He has said that theministry is working onidentifying the specific sec-tors which can be taken for-ward in the immediatefuture for the exports pur-pose.

PNS n NEW DELHI

As many as 63,000 crew mem-bers and passengers on boardvessels mostly from Chinahave been denied disembarka-tion at Indian ports so far, aspart of efforts to curb thespread of coronavirus, a ship-ping ministry official said.

These crew members andpassengers reached Indianports on board about 1,990vessels between January 27and April 30, the official added.

"A total of 62,948 crew and

passengers reached India'sports on board about 1,990ships, mostly from China.Thermal scanning of all thesecrew and passengers were doneas per the WHO (WorldHealth Organization) guide-lines. Besides adhering to allprecautions and laid-downprotocols to prevent any fur-ther spread of COVID-19, noshore passes or daily passeswere issued to these people,and EXIM cargo was handledwith care," the official told PTI.

Of the total 1,990 ships,

1,621 reached major ports andwere allowed anchoring atdesignated places for loadingand unloading of export-import cargo. Of these 63,000crew and passengers onboardthese ships, 56,000 reached themajor ports, the official said.

India has 12 major ports --Deendayal (erstwhile Kandla),Mumbai, JNPT, Mormugao,New Mangalore, Cochin,Chennai, Kamarajar (earlierEnnore), V. O. Chidambaranar,Visakhapatnam, Paradip andKolkata (including Haldia).

PNS n NEW DELHI

CEO salaries increased at thecountry's top mutual fundhouses during 2019-20 onrobust business growth, withHDFC Mutual Fund's MilindBarve being the highest paidexecutive.

According to an analysis ofthe data made public by mutu-al funds, the CEO salary givenby the top 12 fund houses interms of assets under manage-ment increased in the range of2-132 per cent in 2019-20from the preceding fiscal year.

However, CEO remunera-

tion of Aditya Birla Sunlife MF,Nippon India MF and DSPMF dropped by up to 19 percent during the period underreview.

The salaries for chief invest-ment officers also witnessed arise for most fund houses.

Salary disclosed by the fundhouses for 2019-20 was decid-ed in April-May 2019 on the

basis of 2018-19 profitability,which was at an all-time highfor the industry, according toindustry executives.

Overall, the past fiscal wasa good year for the mutualfund industry barring themonth of March, which sawrecord declines amid the coro-navirus pandemic.

Barve, chief executive of

second-largest fund houseHDFC MF, claimed the topslot with a salary pay-out of Rs7.43 crore for the fiscal. Hispackage climbed by 3 per centfrom Rs 7.23 crore in 2018-19.

In terms of percentagegrowth, SBI MF, which is thelargest fund house in thecountry in terms of AUM,gave its CEO Ashwani Bhatiaa salary jump of 132 per centto Rs 51 lakh in 2019-20. Hehad earned a salary of Rs 22lakh in the preceding fiscal.

Ironically, Bhatia is the low-est paid CEO among the topfund houses.

PNS n NEW DELHI

Industry body Ficci has sug-gested various measures likeinfrastructure status to thesteel industry, zero duty oncritical raw materials, andanother three-month morato-rium to revive the sector,which has been impacted bythe lockdown.

COVID-19 pandemic andsubsequent nationwide lock-down have affected thedemand and production ofsteel, as well as resulted in therise of inventory levels, it said,adding the policy interventionswould help the industry torevive and help generateemployment opportunities.

In its suggestions to thegovernment, Ficci said:

"It...recommends for an exten-sion of additional threemonths moratorium grantedon payment of interest andrepayment of loans withoutany penal interest and interestfree financing/at nominal ratesfor MSMEs in the sector torevive".

Granting infrastructure sta-tus to the steel industry, it said,will give access to finance atcompetitive rates from various

markets and sources. Besides,the entire supply chain of thesector should be incorporatedinto essential services, and beallowed to operate with pre-cautionary measures as per theguidelines of the government.

The industry body also sug-gested zero import duty oncritical raw materials for steelmaking. The move will helpplayers to reduce input costand sustain in the market.

Fast tracking operationalisa-tion of all steel consumingindustries should be accordedthe highest priority, the bodysaid, adding new areas of appli-cations for steel products likein furniture, setting railwayinfrastructure etc must beexplored to further enhancethe demand.

Sanitisers: ITC ltdramps up productionPNS n CHENNAI

Fast moving consumer goodsmajor ITC Ltd has rampedup personal care productionto meet the demand for sani-tisers. The company whichretails Savlon range of sanitis-ers, has stepped up productionat the facility in HimachalPradesh to produce an addi-tional 1.25 lakh litres.

It also has slashed prices ofSavlon sanitisers and workingovernight to make sure thenew stocks reached the mar-ket, ITC Ltd told PTI. Onessential commodities, thecompany said its supply chainright from sourcing to pro-duction were working 'tire-lessly' to ensure that there wasno shortage or unavailability

of goods."ITC has also been working

closely with governmentauthorities and local admin-istration to ensure manufac-turing and distribution ofessential commodities contin-ue uninterrupted..," it said.

ITC said the Agri-Businessdivision was leveraging insti-tutional capabilities and otherstructural advantages toexplore the options of engag-ing farmer network and initi-ating purchase of farm pro-duce with help from govern-ment authorities.

The Agri-Business was alsoleveraging mobile technolo-gies like ITC e-Choupal 4.0and local field staff strength toensure continuity of farmingon best practices.

New Delhi: Industry bodyCOAI has urged the telecomdepartment to considerextending the timelines forminimum roll-out obligationby at least 6 to 9 months,saying it would be difficult tocomplete many of the"complex" activities due to thelockdown triggered by thecoronavirus pandemic. TheCellular Operators' Associationof India (COAI) said it wouldbe unfair if the telecomoperators were to suffer fromany of stipulated penalties "fora situation that can at best bedescribed as Force Majeure"."We request the DoT to kindlyconsider extending thecurrently specified timelinesfor minimum roll-outobligation by a period of atleast 6 to 9 months so thatrelief is afforded to allforthcoming minimum roll-outobligation timelines and notjust to those due for testing atthis present point in time,"COAI said in a recent letter toDepartment ofTelecommunications (DoT).

63k on board ships from China notallowed to disembark till Apr 30 Overall, the past fiscal was a good year

for the mutual fund industry barring themonth of March, which saw recorddeclines amid the corona pandemic

Salaries increase for top mutual fund CEOs

The snap poll saw the participation ofmore than 300 CEOs, of which nearlytwo-thirds belonged to MSMEs

Business activities significantly hit

Ficci seeks infrastructurestatus for steel sector

e have witnessedvarious cyber-crimes like fakejobs, hacking,identity theft,ransomware, and

others. Culprits are nowcoming up with new crimesto deceive people duringthis lockdown. People areusing electronic gadgets forhours every day watchingmovies and playing games.This is helping hackers stealpeople’s information andmoney through variouscybercrimes.

The Pioneer spoketo SandeepMudalkar, CyberCrimeInvestigator,and Trainerto learnmore aboutwhat kindof threatswe couldface duringthis lock-down andhow to avoidor face them.Sandeep, whois also workingwith theHyderabadCybercrimeDepartment, and trains

police personnel of variousstate governments on tack-ling cybercrime says,“During this lockdown, peo-ple are looking for regularupdates about medicines,Coronavirus alerts and pre-cautions to be taken to besafe. Hackers are creatingfake websites and sendingmessages through links topeople’s mobiles. They claimthat these websites will give

you more

details and the latest updatesabout the virus and otheressential things. Once youclick the link, the hackergets to access your data.”

When asked how one cancheck any website to know ifit’s real or fake, Sandeepreplies, “Most of us thinkthat URLs with HTTPS aresafe, but that’s not true.They are making these fakewebsites to trick people.Once you open it, they willcollect all stored cookies inour browsers and steal our

data. Cookies are all aboutour browser informa-

tion that gets storedautomatically, also

called as tempo-rary files. Tocheck any web-site whether it’sfake or real, wecan copy itsURL on a web-site calledVirusTotal. Itgives us exactdetails about

various fakewebsites. You can

also scan docu-ments on this web-

site to check if they’refake or real.”Sandeep adds that many

fake insurance scams are

also on a high, duringthese times. “Weknow that the oldand the vulnera-ble are the worsthit due toCovid-19 andmany aredying. Out offear that theycould beinfected bythe virus, sev-eral elderly aretaking insur-ance. Knowingthis, cybercrimi-nals are targetingthe elderly anddeceiving them withmessages and phone calls.All these numbers can betaken from the details wegive for lucky draws inshopping malls. Some mallowners are more than will-ing to sell customer datafor money,” Sandeepinforms.

He adds, “Have youobserved that when youclick on one link, it auto-matically opens anotherwebpage sometimes? Theseare called hidden URLs thatdon’t appear easily. You canfind any hidden URLs withthe help of the website iplog-ger.org. It shows all the hid-

denURLs on

any website or link.”Sandeep advises that we

need to be careful whileplaying games online.“Parents must be cautiouswhen they let children playgames on their phones.Cybercriminals are usingvarious advertisements andmessages in the middle ofthese games to get ourdetails. Some reports havealso revealed that peopleare watching more pornduring the lockdown. Wehave to turn our camerasoff or stick something on

the cam-era to be safe.Many dating sites arealso deceiving people withfake profiles. We need to becareful while using theinternet for any reason.”

W

ThePioneer's

V SATEESHREDDY reports on

various kinds of cybercrimes happening

during this lockdownand how to be

safe

CYBERCRIMES SHOOT

To check anywebsite whether it’s

fake or real, we can copy itsURL on a website called

VirusTotal. It gives us exactdetails about various fake

websites. You can also scandocuments on this website to

check if they’re fake or realSANDEEP MUDALKAR

UP DURING LOCKDOWN

Hyderabad-based artist Sona

Kapoor'spainting Hope

explains thesacrifice of

frontline workersand advises

people tomaintain social

distance to fightthe Coronavirus,

reportsV SATEESH

REDDY

oronavirus madelife difficult foreveryone, includ-ing artists. Wehave seen severalartists showcasing

their latest artwork onlineduring these times of thepandemic. Many of theseshows have been conductedto raise funds for the ChiefMinister Relief Fund to fightthe Corona crisis in the state.These efforts were lauded byart lovers. Despite limitedresources (due to thelockdown), Hyderabad-based artist SonaKapoor has madepaintings, titledHope, at her home.

Sona’s workexplains how hope iskey during this toughtime. Her work depictshow frontline peoplelike doctors, nurses, andother medical staff havebeen risking their lives tosave people. Sona says,“Coronavirus is contagious

but ignorance makes it a pan-demic. Don’t let Covid-19defeat you. Spread positivity,hope, courage, and apprecia-tion for all those who play adirect and indirect role inmitigating the risks posed bythe virus and saving ourfuture during these hardtimes. A big thank you to alldoctors,

healthcare practitioners,nurses, assistants, policedepartment, people infinance, housekeeping, gro-cery stores, and everybodyworking on the front line forus. These people risking theirlives to save us. My paintingHope is made in honour ofall our heroes, who havebecome our ray of sunshineduring these dark times. Letus play our part by maintain-

ing social distance, takingsanitary precautions, and

following only legiti-mate and trustedsources of informa-tion.”

Sona adds, “Withno proper tools tomake the paintings,I painted on thefloor of my home.

Due to the virus, weare struggling mental-

ly and financially. Wemust have hope to get

things right. Hope is theonly thing that gives us posi-tivity during this pandemic.”

Sona used mixed colorsfor the painting and com-pleted the work in just twodays. “My painting alsobeautifully coversHyderabad’s culture and tra-ditions. I dedicate this paint-ing to all the frontline work-ers. Through this, I alsoappeal to people to stayhome and safe, and maintainsocial distance to get rid ofthe danger that isCoronavirus.”

C

Don’t let Covid-19defeat you. Spreadpositivity, hope, courage,and appreciation for allthose who play a directand indirect role inmitigating the risks posedby the virus and savingour future during thesehard times.

SONA KAPOOR

SONA'S WORKDEPICTS HOWFRONTLINE PEOPLELIKE DOCTORS,NURSES, AND OTHERMEDICAL STAFFHAVE BEEN RISKINGTHEIR LIVES TO SAVEPEOPLE

Song of hopescar and Grammy-win-ning composer ARRahman and celebratedlyricist Prasoon Joshihave united to give amusical tribute to the

nation’s fight against Covid-19,with song Hum Haar NahiMaanenge.

The song has been conceptu-alised to spread hope, positivityand motivation. The emotionaltrack reminds people that we allare in this together, stating that wewill get through it together. Thesong is composed by Rahman,and the lyrics are penned by Joshi.

“This song has brought all of ustogether for a noble cause and wehope it inspires the nation tocome together too,” said Rahman.

Talking about the hope anthem,Joshi said, “Though this is not themost ideal of circumstances forcreativity but as artists we have tobreak through adversity and catchthe finger of hope. My poem iscentred around the thought of theunputdownable spirit of ushumans. We have much to learn,but together we will surmount theodds, we won’t give up.”

The track also brings togetheran ensemble of musicians from allover India. The featured artistesinclude names such as ClintonCerejo, Mohit Chauhan,Harshdeep Kaur, Mika Singh,

Jonita Gandhi, Neeti Mohan,Javed Ali, Sid Sriram, ShrutiHaasan, Shashaa Tirupati, KhatijaRahman and Abhay Jodhpurkar.India’s percussionist Sivamani,sitarist Asad Khan and bass prodi-gy Mohini Dey are also part of theproject. The song has been

released by HDFC Bank. Throughthe track, it shows its solidarity andsupport to the nation by encourag-ing more and more people todonate to PM CARES Fund. It willalso contribute Rs 500 each timethe song is shared on social media.

“Music is universal. It lifts thespirit and soothes the soul.Through this tribute we want totouch the heart of every person inthe country and let them knowthat they are not alone. Together,we will emerge stronger. Rightnow, every contribution, bolstersthe nation’s effort to fight the pan-demic,” said Ravi Santhanam,CMO.

— IANS

OTHE SONG HAS BEENCONCEPTUALISED TOSPREAD HOPE,POSITIVITY ANDMOTIVATION

A salute to the frontline workers

MondayMay 4, 2020

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ILEANAcuts herown hair

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Vijayawada Monday May 4 2020 what’s brewing?ith the lock-down jeopardisinglife, actress IleanaD’Cruz chose to cut herown hair amid the lock-

down. She took to Instagram Story and shared aphotograph of herself where she can be seen

flaunting her newly-cropped tresses.“So I cut my hair,” Ileana wrote.In another picture, the actress can be seen smiling at

the camera.“Not too bad considering the last time I did some-

thing I like this was when I was about 7 and on mydolls. #quarantinelife.”

Recently, Ileana declared that she does not sit likea lady, along with a snapshot where she is seen

sitting in a car. She sits in a relaxed mannerwith her tongue wagging out.

“Them: sit like a lady. Me: (funnyemoji),” Ileana captioned.

Whris Hemsworth starrer Extraction is on

its way to becoming the biggest film pre-miered on Netflix.

The news was revealed by Hemsworthhimself on his Instagram profile. He

shared a picture that informed that over90 million households have viewed the film in justthe first 4 weeks, with a caption that read, “We are

absolutely blown away by the response this film hasbeen getting! If you haven’t seen it yet, get on to

@Netflix and check it out!”The film that also stars Randeep Hooda,

Priyanshu Painyuli and David Harbour, hasHemsworth playing the role of Tyler Rake, a merce-

nary, who is recruited by another mercenary NikKhan (Golshifteh Farahani) to rescue the son

(Rudhraksh Jaiswal) of an imprisoned crime lord(Pankaj Tripathi).

With a screenplay penned by Joe Russo, theaction-thriller is helmed by Sam Hargrave, who is

better known for being a stuntman on RussoBrothers’ films like Captain America: Civil War and

Avengers: Endgame.

Extraction all set tobecome biggest film ever

premiered on Netflix

C

ctress Rakul Preet Singh has relivedher childhood days in a new postshe shared on social media.

Rakul took to Instagram andshared a video where she playsgames like ‘dog and the bone’,

‘Kabbadi’ and chidiya ud with her brotherAman Preet .

“When time takes you back to your child-hood #quarantinediaries,” the actress captionedthe video.

On the acting front, Rakul will soon be seenin Chandrasekhar Yeleti’s Check, an action-thriller and director Shankar’s Indian 2, star-ring Kamal Haasan. She also has a Hindi cross-border romantic-comedy with actor ArjunKapoor. The film is directed by debutantKaashvie Nair and produced by BhushanKumar, Nikkhil Advani and John Abraham.

Meanwhile, her brother Aman Preet Singh isall set to make his Tollywood debut with NinnePelladatha, directed by Vaikuntha Bonu. Thefilm has completed its shooting formalities andis looking for a right date to bow out in cinemahalls. He is also making his Bollywood debutwith the film Ram Rajya.

Rakul sharesvideo full ofchildhoodmemories

A

FUN

Rules

ARCHIE

GARFIELD

SUDOKU

REALITY CHECK SPEED BUMP CROSSWORD

GINGER MEGGS

NANCY

CALVIN AND HOBBES

l Each row and column cancontain each number (1 to 9)exactly once.

l The sum of all numbers inany row or column mustequal 45.

Yesterday’s solution

s Trivikram, who ison a high post themammoth success ofAlaVaikunthapuramlo,contemplating to

make another film before hedirects NTR? Well, that’s whatthe buzz indicates. With NTR-starrer RRR staring at a furtherdelay because of the prevailingconditions, word in film circlesis that Trivikram wants to hon-our his commitment toVenkatesh. Just to remind ourreaders, production houseHaarika & Hassine Creationsannounced a film in the combi-nation of Venky and Trivikram

more than a cou-ple of years ago butit never material-ized. The combina-tion is eagerly awaitedas the wizard of words hadwritten Venky’s successful filmslike Nuvvu Naku Nachav andMalliswari in the past.

It is said that RRR, directedby SS Rajamouli, might takeanother two-three films to bewrapped up once shootingrestrictions are lifted, makingTrivikram to sit idle in themeanwhile. This is not consid-ered a good proposition for adirector who has just delivered amonster hit. It is in this context

thathe wants

to start and wrapup a new film before

he shifts attention to NTR’s film,it is speculated. When wereached out to Trivikram’s PR,he declared, “As of now, MrTrivikram is giving final touchesto the script of his next withNTR garu. Rest all are merespeculations. Plus, as thingsstand now, we need to first getclarity on when shootingsresume after the lockdown islifted. Let’s wait for that.”

11

I

Vijayawada Monday May 4 2020tollywood

hispers aboutVijayDeverakondateaming up withvenerable directorIndraganti

Mohana Krishna have beendoing the rounds for thepast six months and now wecan confirm that the projectis on. Leading producer DilRaju will be steering itunder his Sri VenkasteswaraCreations and it will rollmostly in the second half ofnext year. Interestingly, Rajuwas attached to produceDeverakonda’s next withShiva Nirvana and anannouncement to this endwas also made on the pro-ducer’s birthday lastDecember. But the film has

exchanged hands; it will nowbe produced Naveen Yerneniand Ravi Shankar underMythri Movie Makers.

So what happened? Asource close to the develop-ment tells us, “Deverakondashelved his proposed projectwith Mythri, Hero, a sportsmusical drama, after shoot-ing for it briefly last year. Heowed a film to the produc-tion house and although heplanned to allot dates nextyear, Mythri’s constant pres-sure meant that he had togive in. Later, he rang DilRaju to check if he is okaywith producing Indraganti’sfilm and leaving Nirvana’s toMythri. The producer hadno issues as such. WithMythri promising Nirvana a

paycheck similar to whatRaju quoted, the direc-tor too gave his nod.”

Right now,Deverakonda needs tofinish Puri Jagannadh’suntitled action-entertainer,where he plays a mixed-martial arts artist.Indraganti, on the otherhand, is awaiting the releaseof V, starring Nani, SudheerBabu, Aditi RaoHydari andNivethaThomas.

DEVERAKONDA-INDRAGANTI TO

TEAM UP;

W

A HELPINGHAND

Prominent writer SaiMadhav Burra has

come to the rescueof Telugu theatre artistes, as

he has distributed foodessentials of a month to

300 poor artistes onSunday in his hometown

Tenali. Burra is alsoorganising various shows

and helping the poorartistes with a small set up

called Kalalakaanaachi.The set up is his way ofgiving back to his roots,

which is theatre.

Raju to produce

ith SS Rajamouli refraining to com-ment on the release date of RRR inthe interviews that he gave to Telugumedia houses in the past 20 days,there is considerable buzz that theperiod drama may not make it to the

intended date of Sankranti next year. Shootingpart aside, Rajamouli takes his own sweet timefor the post-production as well. In this context,grapevine suggests that the film’s chances ofcoming during Sankranti and cashing in on thefestive season are less. Sankranti is consideredlucrative for film business and with RRR likelyto move away from that slot, it seems megastarChiranjeevi wants to occupy it with his Acharya.

According to fresh buzz, the makers ofAcharya are looking at the possibility of

arriving during Sankranti if the govern-ment gives consent to resume shoot-ings in the next couple of months.Already 40 per cent of the film hasbeen wrapped up and in another60-70 days, the entire film will bewrapped.

In Koratala Siva-directedAcharya, a socio-political enter-tainer, Chiru plays an ex-naxalite

who fights to protect nature’s natur-al resources. Kajal Aggarwal hasbeen cast opposite him, while Ram

Charan will be playing a significantsupporting role.

W

Acharya forSankranti?

RAM CHARAN TRAINSUNDER NATIONAL-LEVEL

BOXERS FOR RRRy now, it’s estab-lished that RamCharan will beseen as a cop, whois also into box-ing, in SS

Rajamouli’s anticipated peri-od drama RRR. For the box-ing portions involvingCharan, Rajamouli hadsought the help of formernational champion KuldeepSingh to train the actor. Hehad also choreographed theboxing sequences. “Workingwith SS RAJAMOULI was an

honour to me. I have donechoreography of boxing inhis upcoming movie RRRstarring RamCharan,AjayDevgn, Junior NTR and AliaBhatt. It will be a blockbusterlike your BAHUBALI sir(sic),” posted Kuldeep on hisTwitter page over the week-end.

That’s not all, anothernational-level boxer NeerajGoyat, who is the first Indianboxer to have made it toWBC world rankings(ranked 20), is also helping

Charan with boxing. “Had agreat time with@AlwaysRamCharanon setof @RRRMovie (sic),” he hadwrote on his Twitter onSunday. Neeraj has also spenta considerable time trainingVarun Tej for his next withKiran Korrapati in Mumbai.The lanky actor plays apugilist in the untitled film.

In RRR, Charan will beseen as the younger AlluriSeetharama Raju, while JrNTR is playing the youngerKomaram Bheem.

B

TRIVIKRAM giving finaltouches to his next with NTR

sport 12VIJAYAWADA | MONDAY | MAY 4, 2020

PTI n NEW DELHI

Former India openerGautam Gambhir feels thatRohit Sharma has been

able to make more impact inwhite ball cricket compared toVirat Kohli despite Indian skip-per’s staggering statistics inshorter formats.

Gambhir, however, believesthat Kohli will end up scoringmore runs than Rohit.

“... For me white-ball crick-et is all about impact. Kohli willend up getting many more runsthan Rohit, and Kohli is amongthe greatest right now, but Rohithas an edge over Kohli becauseof the impact he has,” Gambhirtold Sports Tak, according toIndia Today website.

“I think he (Rohit) is thebest white-ball cricketer in theworld right now. He is not thegreatest overall but at themoment he is the best. He is theonly player to have hit 3 ODIdouble hundreds, 5 World Cuphundreds (in one edition) andhe is also the only player, whoonce gets past 100-run mark,people say that he missed a dou-ble century.”

Talking further about Kohliand Rohit, the 2011 World Cupwinner said, “It is very difficultto compare both of them. ViratKohli is unbelievable. His statsprove that.

"But when your reputationis such that when you get outafter a hundred, people say hehas missed out on double hun-dred, that speaks volumes aboutyou.”

The 33-year-old Rohit has

scored 9115 runs from 224ODIs at an average of 49.27 at astrike rate of 88.92. He has 29hundreds and 43 fifties to hisname. In T20Is, Rohit has scored2273 runs from 108 matches atan average of 32.62 and a strikerate of 138.78.

The 31-year-old Kohli, onthe other hand, has scored11867 runs from 248 ODIs at anaverage of 59.33 at a strike rateof 93.25. He has scored 43 cen-turies and 58 half centuries.Kohli has also scored 2794 runsfrom 82 T20Is at an average of50.80 and a strike rate of 138.24.

The 38-year-old Gambhir,now a BJP Member ofParliament, gave credit toMahendra Singh Dhoni forRohit’s successful career.

“Where Rohit is today, it isbecause of MS Dhoni. Onegood thing about MS was thathe always kept Rohit in the talks,even if was not part of the team,he was always part of the group.He never let him get sidelined,”Gambhir said.

It’s the backing of captainthat makes or breaks a player,Gambhir said.

“You can talk about theselection committee and teammanagement, but if you do nothave the backing from your cap-tain than it is all useless.Everything is in the hands of thecaptain. How MS Dhoni hadbacked Rohit Sharma over aperiod of time, I do not thinkany player has been given suchsupport.”

PTI n NEW DELHI

The thought of standingup to Brett Lee’s thunder-bolts had taken Rohit

Sharma’s “sleep away” when hefirst started out but among thecurrent lot, Josh Hazlewood isone speedster the India swash-buckler “doesn’t want to face”in Tests.

Rohit said he will have tobe mentally prepared to faceHazlewood when India tourAustralia for a Test series laterthis year, provided the COVID-19 pandemic subsides.

Asked to name the tough-est pacers he has faced so far,Rohit said, “One bowler isBrett Lee because he didn’t letme sleep the previous night onmy first tour to Australia in2007, as I was thinking how toplay this bowler who bowls inexcess of 150 kmph.”

“In 2007, Brett Lee was athis peak. I used to watch himclosely and noticed that he wasconsistently bowling at thespeed of around 150-155kmph. The thought of a young-ster like me facing that kind ofspeed took away my sleep,”Rohit said of the formerAustralian speed merchant onStar Sports’ ‘CricketConnected’.

Since making his debut in2007 as a precocious talent,Rohit has gone on to becomeone of the world’s most prolif-ic batsmen, and his exploits inlimited overs cricket are secondto none.

Rohit has racked up 29ODI hundreds and six cen-turies in Test cricket, besides

four three-figure mark in theT20 Internationals.

“Currently, someone whomI don’t want to face in Test crick-et would be Josh Hazlewoodbecause he’s disciplined anddoes not move away from thatlength. He does not give youloose balls,” he said.

Among the retired lot,Rohit said South African pacegreat Dale Steyn has also givenhim nightmares because of hisability to swing the ball at greatspeed.

“I have two retired favouritebowlers who I never wanted toface, one was Brett Lee and theother was Dale Steyn. I neverwanted to face Steyn becauseplaying pace and swing at thesame time was a nightmare, itwas just unreal.”

Rohit said he continues toface quality bowlers in the pre-sent day with Hazlewood beingamong the best .

“I have watched himenough to understand that. Iknow for a fact that if I have togo to Australia to play a Test,then I have to be mentally pre-pared to be disciplined whilefacing Josh,” said the scorer ofthree double hundreds in ODIs.

PTI n NEW DELHI

Big-hitting West Indies all-rounder Andre Russell says

playing for Kolkata KnightRiders in the IPL is where hegets the “most goosebumps”and wants to remain in thatside till his very last game in theleague.

The 32-year-old was speak-ing to KKR’s official ‘KnightsUnplugged’ online show. TheJamaican is currently at homeas the IPL has been suspendedindefinitely owing to theCOVID-19 pandemic.

“Let me confess something,IPL is where I get the mostgoosebumps. I get that in CPL(Caribbean Premier League) aswell but when it comes toplaying in IPL, especially EdenGardens, there is no compari-son,” Russell said referring tohis team’s home ground inKolkata.

“...The welcome I get, that’slove. It puts pressure on me butit’s good pressure,” he added.

Russell said the Edencrowd has been supportivetowards him even when he has-

n't exactly delivered and that’swhy it’s the one place, he wouldlike to call it quits as and when

he does.“I would love to be at KKR

until that moment when I say

that this will be my last IPL. Ihave been at KKR for six sea-sons and I enjoyed every bit ofit,” he said.

“I know even if I fail twogames straight, when I comeout to bat for the third game,it is the same deafening reac-tion I will get from the crowd.It’s always a welcoming thing,”he said.

Hopeful of playing in theIPL some time this year, Russellalso spoke about dealing withbeing away from his new-borndaughter and wife. Both werein Miami when the coron-avirus-forced travel restric-tions came into force globally.

“She (his daughter) andJassym, they are both in Miami.I stay connected to them andtalk to them. I wish I couldhave them here, but with allthese travel restric”

“It’s not really a situationanyone would want to be in.This is affecting the world, it’saffecting me, preventing mefrom hitting sixes. Hope thisthing calms down in a monthor two and we can go back tonormal life again.”

PTI n NEW DELHI

West Indies fast bowlinggreat Michael Holding

has termed the World TestChampionship’s points sys-tem as “ridiculous”, wheresome of the Tests will be ren-dered inconsequential onceteams realise that they can'tfinish in top two in the pointstable.

As per the current pointssystem, the value for eachTest match win in a two-match series is 60 points a

game. However, if it’s a five-match series, the value of aTest match win is reduced to24. So basically, a team cangain up to 120 points from aseries, regardless of the num-ber of matches. The top twothen qualify for the final.

The Test Championship,which is scheduled to finishwith a final at Lord’s in June2021, was introduced by theICC last year in a bid to revivebilateral Test cricket.

“It doesn’t work,” Holdingtold Wisden Cricket Monthly

during a round table whenasked if the Test championshipwas achieving what it wasdesigned for.

“First of all the points sys-tem is ridiculous. You can’tplay five Test matches and getthe same amount of points ifyou play two Test matches.

“And secondly, at somepoint you’re going to haveteams who know they cannotget to the final and so thoseTest matches aren’t going to beall that entertaining. Peopleknow it’s just another game.”

AFP n BRUSSELS

Manchester City midfielderKevin De Bruyne believes

the Premier League season willbe finished despite the coron-avirus pandemic "because thefinancial aspect is far too impor-tant”.

“My feeling is that we maybe able to train again within twoweeks. The government wants torestart football as soon as pos-sible to give people something.I think this season will be fin-ished,” De Bruyne told Belgiandaily Het Laatste Nieuws.

“The financial aspect is far

too important in the PremierLeague. If the season is not fin-ished, it will cause serious prob-lems,” he added.

Clubs were presented withthe league's “Project Restart”plans at a meeting on Friday andwere told the remaining 92matches of the 2019-2020 sea-

son must be played at neutralvenues. De Bruyne also said hewas optimistic about City's par-ticipation in next season’sChampions League. UEFA hasbanned the club from Europeancompetition for the next twoyears for “serious breaches" offinancial fair-play rules.

AFP n ROME

Italy offered Serie A clubs aglimmer of hope on Sunday

after it said footballers could takepart in individual training ses-sions as the strictest coron-avirus lockdown measures beginto ease.

The interior ministry’s go-ahead for players to attend theirclub’s training facilities offeredfans in the football mad coun-try the first sign that the 2019-20 season might yet be saved.

Some of the bigger clubswith title aspirations from theless affected regions have beentalking about going back totraining for weeks.

But Prime MinisterGiuseppe Conte only allowedteams to resume organised activ-ities on May 18 — a date thatmight push back this season’scompletion into the start of thenext. Several regions that haveavoided the worst of the pan-demic have taken matters intotheir own hands and allowedclubs to open their facilities forplayers to train on their own.

Teams such as Napoli andParma have followed the leadof Lazio — trailing leadersJuventus by just a point — andgave the nod for players toreturn.

They insisted that theywere not breaking the rules

because Conte has allowed allItalians to start exercising inopen public places startingMonday.

The interior ministrybowed to the seeminglyinevitable on Sunday andagreed that teams can opentheir facilities to players fortraining.

“Athletes, professional orotherwise, of non-individualsports are allowed — just asevery citizen — to exercise inpublic or private areas,” theinterior ministry said.

But players must “respectsocial distancing rules of atleast two metres and the banon public gatherings.”

PTI n NEW DELHI

Sports Minister Kiren Rijijuon Sunday said his min-

istry is devising a plan forphase-wise resumption ofnational camps for Olympic-bound athletes by the end ofthis month.

Rijiju said the coron-avirus-forced nationwidelockdown, which has beenextended till May 17, forcedhis ministry to delay theresumption of the trainingcamps at Sports Authority ofIndia (SAI) centres. The lock-down was earlier meant to endon May 3.

“The camps will start in aphase-wise manner. First wewill start training in NISPatiala and SAI, Bengaluruwhere athletes are based cur-rently...By the end of thismonth training is expected tostart in Bengaluru andPatiala,” Rijiju said at FICCI'swebinar titled 'Corona &Sports: The ChampionsSpeak’. “The camps will be forthose sports which have qual-ified for Olympics or thesports whose Olympic quali-fication is in future,” hesaid...We will relax things par-tial ly looking at theOlympics," he added.

The national camps weresuspended in mid-Marchwhen the COVID-19 casesbegan rising in the country.

Rohit has edge over Kohli inwhite-ball format: Gambhir

IPL is where I get most goosebumps: Russell

World Test C'ship pointssystem is ridiculous: Holding

Italy gives Serie A clubshope with training ruling

“IN 2007, BRETT LEE WASAT HIS PEAK. I USED TO

WATCH HIM CLOSELY ANDNOTICED THAT HE WAS

CONSISTENTLY BOWLING ATTHE SPEED OF AROUND

150-155 KMPH. THETHOUGHT OF A YOUNGSTERLIKE ME FACING THAT KIND

OF SPEED TOOK AWAY MY SLEEP,”

Sports Ministryplans phase-wise reopeningof camps: Rijiju

De Bruyne believes PL will play to end

Thought of facing Lee took my sleep: Rohit