JOURNALISM OF COURAGE SINCE 1932

The lockdown to contain the coronavirus outbreak has disrupted supply chains. One crucial chain is delivery of information and insight — news and analysis that is fair and accurate and reliably reported from across a nation in quarantine.

A voice you can trust amid the clanging of alarm bells.

Vajiram & Ravi and The Indian Express are proud to deliver the electronic version of this morning’s edition of The Indian Express to your Inbox. You may follow The Indian Express’s news and analysis through the day on indianexpress.com DAILY FROM: AHMEDABAD, CHANDIGARH, DELHI, JAIPUR, KOLKATA, LUCKNOW, MUMBAI,NAGPUR, PUNE, VADODARA

JOURNALISM OF COURAGE FRIDAY, MAY 8, 2020, NEW DELHI, LATE CITY, 14 PAGES SINCE 1932 `6.00 (`8 PATNA &RAIPUR, `12 SRINAGAR) WWW.INDIANEXPRESS.COM

LG CHEMPLANT WAS READYING TO REOPEN AFTER EASING OF LOCKDOWN TRACKING INDIA’S COVID CURVE LOCKDOWN DAY CASES: RECOVERED:15,266 |DEATHS:1,783 10deadingasleakatVizagLGfactory 44 52,952 TESTS:13,57,413 | DOUBLINGRATE:16.08** Leak notpluggedyet,2,000people in LastMay,company told 5-km radiusaffected,200in hospital state:don’thavegreen nod

SREENIVASJANYALA BUSINESSASUSUAL Impact Assessment Authority HYDERABAD,MAY7 AASHISHARYAN& (SEIAA), the companyadmitted KEYSTATES TOTAL SURGEIN 3-DAYAVG. DOUBLING TOWATCH CASES 24HRS GROWTH* RATE** BY UNNY PRANAVMUKUL that as of May10, 2019,the unit AT LEAST10people were killed NEWDELHI,MAY7 did nothavea“valid environ- ■ Maharashtra 16,758 1,233 4.84% 14.86 and nearly 350hospitalisedaf- mental clearance substantiating ■ Gujarat 6,625 380 4.51% 15.97 tergas leaked from achemical THE VISAKHAPATNAMunit of the producedquantity, issuedby 4.14% factoryonthe outskirts of LG Polymers India, whereagas the competent authority forcon- ■ Delhi 5,532 428 17.39 Visakhapatnam in Andhra leak killedatleast10peopleand tinuing operations”. ■ Tamil Nadu 4,829 771 10.80% 6.67 Pradesh in the weehours of left severalinjured,did nothave It also acknowledgedthat it ■ Rajasthan 3,224 129 2.45% 29.36 Thursday, while it wasbeing pre- an environmentalclearance for had expanded the productionat ■ West Bengal 1,456 112 4.97% 14.50 pared forreopeningafter the itspetrochemical plant forasub- the plant “beyond the limit of easing of the lockdown. stantial period of itsoperations environmental clearance or *Compounded Daily Growth Rate over last 3days**Calculatedover3days’ growth At least2,000 peopleinfive between 1997 and 2019,accord- changed the product mix with- CONCERN CAUTION AGLIMMER villages located in a5-km radius ing to documentsaccessedby out obtaining prior environmen- Gujarat: No.2 in Punjab: Nanded Bihar: Dipin around the factoryowned by the The IndianExpress. talclearance as mandated under cases, very high pilgrims continue growth of cases multinational LG Chem were Achild being rushedtohospital in Visakhapatnam, hours In an affidavit submitted to the EIA notification, 2006”. case-fatality ratio to test positive over last 4days CONTINUEDONPAGE2 afterthe gasleak on Thursday. AP the StateLevel Environment CONTINUEDONPAGE2 Based on data released by Union Ministry of Health and ICMR on May 7 The six states above account foralmost73% ofthe national case load Firstflights land in Kerala with 363 from UAE In Gujarat, over 1,200 cases in three days Passengers arrive Delhi to peak whichaccountsfor 71 per cent in Kochiand in June-July, EXPRESSNEWSSERVICE of all cases in the state. Mumbai Kozhikode, kept AHMEDABAD,RAJKOT, accountsfor 63per cent of all says Covid VADODARA,SURAT,MAY7 cases in Maharashtra. in quarantine The newcases in WITH 383new cases, the num- Ahmedabad included five doc- panel chief berofconfirmed infections of tors on Covid duty and the 26 SHAJUPHILIP novelcoronavirus in Gujarat has employees of Cadilla THIRUVANANTHAPURAM,MAY7 crossedthe 7,000-mark Pharmaceuticals Ltd in Dholka ASTHASAXENA Thursday—morethan 1,200 that had to be closeddown. INDIA ON Thursdaylaunched NEWDELHI,MAY7 cases were addedinthe last Ahmedabad city remains under one of itsbiggestevacuationex- three days.Twenty-nine deaths acompletelockdown tillMay 15, ercises, bringing backthe first THE CAPITAL is likelytosee a were also reportedfromthe with paramilitaryforces de- batchofexpatriatesstranded “peak” in coronavirus cases in state, taking the total toll to 425. ployedincontainment zones. overseas amid the COVID-19 June-July, saidthe doctor head- Gujarathas the second high- Among those who tested shutdown. At 10.20 pm, an Air ing the coronavirusresponse estnumberofcases and deaths positive were twodoctors of India Express flight from Abu committee formedbythe Chief in the country, after Jamnagar who were on deputa- Dhabi landedinKerala’s Kochi MinisteronThursday,asDelhi Maharashtra. And justas tion at theAhmedabad civilhos- international airportwith177 recorded448 fresh cases. This is Mumbaicontributesabulk of pital.“Total18resident doctors passengers and four children. the thirdday in arow that Delhi the cases as well as deaths in and six faculty members of MP Minuteslater,inNorthKerala’s has witnessed400-plus cases. Maharashtra, an overwhelming Shah Government Medical Kozhikodeairport, another flight Of the5,980 cases in the cap- number in Gujarat has been re- Collegeweretestedfor COVID- landedfromDubai with 177pas- ital, 1,431havebeen reported portedfromAhmedabad. 19 in Ahmedabad afterthey sengers andfivechildren. since the beginningofthisweek. On Thursday, 275ofthe 383 completedtheir week-long India had earlier announced Sixty-six people have suc- newcases were in Ahmedabad, CONTINUEDONPAGE2 that as partofPhase 1ofanevac- Passengers arrive from AbuDhabi at the Kochiinternational airport,Thursdaynight. Courtesy:Air India Express RELATEDREPORTS,P7 cumbed to the virussofar. uation plan titled‘Vande Bharat “Thenumberisexpected to Mission’, 64 flightsand three stay between 400-500cases a Navy ships would be operated to dayfor around the next 10 days. Quarantine, tests bring home nearly 15,000Indians This is thenatural course of a strandedoverseas. Orissa HC on returning Karnataka to restart virus. These arethe patientswho On Thursday, passengers were infected 10 days agoand long over, 3,000 who landedinKochi and migrants:Only those who trains for migrants, arenow developingsymptoms Kozhikode came home to an un- of the disease. The number of usual welcome. Instead of cases is also higher as Delhi has Tablighmembers crowds of relativesthrongingthe test negative can return but many start walking immenselyincreasedtesting fa- arrivals gate,theyweregreeted cilities across the state. The peak by officials and health workers by train. struction firm in Hebbal, north season in Delhi is likelytocome who stood in PPE gear in the dis- SAMPADPATNAIK AbenchofJustices SPanda AMRITADUTTA& Bengaluru, had startedwalking. in June-Julywhere we might stillnot released infected terminal. BHUBANESWAR,MAY7 and KRMohapatra,while hear- JOHNSONTA With Rs 300inhis pocketand his CONTINUEDONPAGE2 Thepassengerswere ushered ing apetition on the return of mi- BENGALURU,MAY7 phone at 90 per cent charge, tive andhavenow testednegative, inbatchesintoatriagearea,where THE ORISSAHigh Courton grants, said,“Stategovernment both of whichhehopedwould SOURAVROYBARMAN should be released,” Jain said. theyweremadetoundergo Thursdaysaid onlythose mi- shouldensure thatall the mi- ADAY afterits decisiontostop lasthim on the 2,100-km-long INSIDE NEWDELHI,MAY7 Asked whytheywere mandatoryhealth screening. grantswho test negative for grantswho areinqueue to come train services forstrandedmi- journeyhome. On Thursdayaf- stoppedfromleaving afterthe Thosesymptomatic will be COVID-19should be allowed to Odisha should be tested neg- grant workers came under severe ternoon, Sahani beganwalking OVER 3,000 members of the quarantine period, Jain said:“It shiftedtoCovid hospitals while intothe state, forcing the state ative of COVID-19beforeboard- criticism, the BJP government in on NH-44highway,towards W.H.O.TRIAL:INDIAN Tablighi Jamaat remain confined wasdue to thelockdown. There the asymptomatic will be moved governmenttoimmediately ing the conveyance”. Karnataka on Thursdaydecided Hyderabad, hoping to reach HOSPITALSTOHELP at different quarantine centres in wasabsolutelockdown till May to institutionalquarantinecentres cancel permissiongiven to The order is expected to dis- to resume train services. his home in Siddharth Nagar FINDCURE Delhi despitetesting negative for 3when all kinds of movement for14days intheirhomedistricts. otherstates, including Gujarat, ruptthe return of thousands of By by then,Chandrabhushan district in Uttar Pradesh. PAGE 6 COVID-19and completing the were restricted.Now those CONTINUEDONPAGE2 to transportstrandedlabourers CONTINUEDONPAGE2 Sahani, 24,aworkeratacon- CONTINUEDONPAGE2 mandatoryquarantine period. strandedcan be shifted and this And forreasons notex- is whythesepeople, whoare plained, the Delhi Health also stranded, should be shifted.” THE WORLD Department has written twice to AMarch gathering of the How afalse ceiling nailed MP takes aleap in easing labour laws, the Union MinistryofHome Tablighi Jamaat in Nizamuddin Affairs —onApril 17 and May3— in Delhi has been blamedby most wanted militant allows 72-hour working week, overtime seeking “directions and proto- health authorities forthe spread cols” on their release, saying they of Covid casesacross the country. “have notonlytestednegative FIRs have been registered in BASHAARATMASOOD& Naikoo was MILINDGHATWAI but also completedmorethan Delhiand different parts of the ADILAKHZAR killed in an BHOPAL,MAY7 Moreinvestmentmeans 28 days of stay in hospitals/quar- countryinthis regard.Some SRINAGAR,MAY7 encounter morerevenue antine facilities”. members of the Tablighi Jamaat, in south 25%U.S. WORKERS IN THE MIDSTofits fight against On Thursday, DelhiHealth who travelledtoIndia from dif- ADAY afterRiyaz Ahmad Kashmir Covid-19, Madhya Pradesh on Minister Satyendar Jaintold re- ferent countries, have been Naikoo, one of the mostwanted WITHOUT JOBS, 3.2 Thursdayannouncedaslewofre- porters that the Tablighi Jamaat booked foralleged violationof militantsinthe Valley, waskilled MN MORE FILE FOR forms in labour laws to give em- EXEMPTINGfactories and industrial unitsfromadheringto members could notbereleased visa conditions —authorities say in an encounter,J&K police ledtothe killing of Naikoo, police UNEMPLOYMENT AID ployers morefreedomto operate. multiple labour laws will help Madhya Pradesh attract earlier, despitecompletion of theycame on touristvisas but at- sources said he wasfoundhid- sources said the Hizbul These include changing contract morebusinesses to invest in the state. The proposed relax- theirquarantine period, due to tendedareligious congregation. ing in an attic of ahouse in Mujahideencommander was CHINA DOWNGRADES labourconditions,allowingthird ations will help unitshiremoreworkers, increase work the total lockdown till May3. Jain saidthe Delhi govern- Beighpora, his home villagein hiding in the attic that had been RISK LEVELSACROSS party inspections, allowing work- hours, and simultaneouslykeep inspectors at bay. “If police have to actagainst ment has reachedout to other South Kashmir. coveredwith afalse ceiling. ALLREGIONS ersto work upto 72 hoursaweek Eventually, this will attract moreinvestment, and help anyone, it is free to do so. states with lists of Tablighi Giving details of the joint op- Apolice officer who entered PAGE 12 if theyare willing and arepaid generatenot justjobs, but also moretax revenues. Otherwise,thosewhoareinquar- Jamaat members under eration by security forces that CONTINUEDONPAGE2 CONTINUEDONPAGE2 antine and those who were posi- CONTINUEDONPAGE2

PAGE 1 ANCHOR ‘Would not have accepted (RS seat)...nobodywouldoffer it to me’ January2018press conference wasn’tagoodidea, SC In my view,itdoes. Iwould dissent and have saidthat the system. However, having nothaveacceptedit. Although I thereare no holy cows when said that, Ithinkthat the CJI didn’tcomeout better (in the sexualharassment think nobody would offeritto it comes to dissent. Howdo mustalso be receptive to talking me in the firstplace. yousee theexpression of to all the judges. allegations againstex-CJI), says Justice Deepak Gupta dissentamongst judges in THEEXPRESS JusticeGogoi said he would January12, 2018 press Duringyour tenure,were ence by SC judges “was nota from thegovernment.What act as abridgebetween the conference? there anyformal APURVAVISHWANATH good idea,” cases involving “big areyour views? INTERVIEW executive and judiciaryinhis Iwas notinDelhi and was consultations among judges NEWDELHI,MAY7 moneyand “fancy lawfirms” Iwill notacceptany offers stint as aparliamentarian. travelling abroad when it hap- on these controversial issues seem to getpriorityinlisting. from the government. Thereare WITH Your comment? pened. But when Igot to know concerning the judiciary? JUSTICE NOT THATanybody would offer Supreme CourtjudgeJustice some tribunalsthat arerequired The bridgebetween the ex- about it, Iwas very perturbed. No.NoCJI called forafull- DEEPAK GUPTA him that, but he would nothave Deepak Gupta,who retired by lawtobemannedbyex-SC SUPREME COURT Justice DeepakGupta retired on ecutive and the judiciary exists.It Going to the press wasnot a courtonthese issues.Wehardly acceptedthe Government’sof- Wednesdayafter athree-year judges and somebody has to be JUDGE (RETIRED) Wednesday is the Chief Justice. When Iwas good idea and the institution is had anyfull-court meetings ferofaRajyaSabha seat;the stint, spoketoTheIndian Express. appointed to theseposts but it is the Chief Justice in high courts,I always biggerthan anyindivid- exceptfor fixing calendars and Supreme Courthasn’t “come out notfor me. Youhavetodistin- have dealt with Chief Ministers ual.Mypersonal viewisthat designating senioradvocates. better” afterthe allegations of Beforeretirement, some guish short-term assignments and personal view. as in the case of former CJI on various issues. they(Justices Ranjan Gogoi, J Therewas arequestmade to sexual harassmentagainst for- Supreme Court judges take a forthe SC to head committees Ranjan Gogoi, qualifyasa Chelameswar,Kurian Joseph former CJI Dipak Misraonce mer Chief Justice Ranjan Gogoi; stand on whether theywill etcfromgovernmentappoint- Would nomination to the post-retirement job offered Youhavebeen very vocal on and Madan Lokur) should have but it did nothappen. the January2018press confer- acceptpost-retirement jobs ments. That has been my judicial RajyaSabha by the President, by the government? protectingthe rightto settledwhateverissueswithin CONTINUEDONPAGE2

New Delhi WWW.INDIANEXPRESS.COM 2 THE SECOND PAGE THEINDIANEXPRESS,FRIDAY,MAY8,2020

DOWNLOADAPP WWW.INDIANEXPRESS.COM

■ VISUALSTORIES

■ DAILY BRIEFING

■ PODCASTS BLACKDEATH:THEGREATPLAGUETHATKILLEDMILLIONS—ANDFEUDALISM

■ CUSTOMIZABLE Theblackdeath,causedbyYersiniaPestis,thesamebacteriumthatcausedtheJustinianPlagueinthesixth WhyMSMEs arethe NEWS EXPERIENCE century,playedoutasthebiggesttragedyofmedievalEurope.However,itwasaboonforsome—serfswho

WEB wereboundtoprovidelabourtolandlordsinexchangeforallowingthemtoliveandworkintheirlands. worsthit by the Indian Express EXCLUSIVE ★★★★★■4.6 lockdown VIDEOOFTHEDAY THELOCKDOWN NEWEPISODEEVERYDAY KALLAYI RIVERIN MUMBAI’S LOCAL In today’s episode of the 3Things podcast, KERALA TRAIN PILOTS we look at whythe MSME sector is the The river’s water This is the firsttime worsthit and the measures the SCANTHISQRCODETO quality has seen a that the train pilots are government can take to reviveit DOWNLOADTHEAPP dramatic improvement on suchalong break FROMPAGEONE

Orissa HC Markaz building in Nizamuddin. Airportauthorities said bag- To bringotherchangesintoef- Of those evacuated,536 were gage willbehanded over to pas- fect the statehas already sent, or migrants, some of whom areon shiftedtohospitalsandtherest to sengers onlyafter strict disinfec- is in the process of sending pro- their waytothe state. Five trains quarantine centres. 10 dead as gas leaks from Vizag factory tion procedures -aspray of posals,to theCentrethatrequires that were to leave from Friday The MHA did notrespondto sodiumhypochlorite,followedby itsapproval. withmigrantworkersfromSurat questionsregarding the letters affected,withseveralfallingun- Mohan Reddy,who rushedto am, sounding sirens andasking ceased,besidesacompensation exposuretoultraviolet rays by Registrationandlicenseforin- to Odishahavebeen cancelled. writtenby theDelhigovernment conscious with breathing diffi- Visakhapatnam and metsome peopleto comeout.Officerssaid packagefor those affected and passing the luggagethrough two dustries,shopsandbidimanufac- SuratDistrictCollectorDhaval or on the protocol forrelease. culties. Visakhapatnam Police of those hospitalised, ques- theyhad to break intomany those who have lostlivestock. tunnels. The ultravioletdisinfec- turers amongothers,will nowbe Patelsaid, “Wegot information Commissioner RajivKumar tionedwhy the alarms in the homes as theresidentswereei- The Centrehas decidedto tionsystem,developedbyDRDO, giveninjustone dayagainstthe fromOdishagovernmentofficials Naikoo Meena said at leasttwo people factoryhad notgone offwhen ther fast asleep or mayhave dispatchaCBRN (Chemical, wasrecentlyinstalledatKochiair- existing provisionof30days.The thattheyhavecancelledtheNOC the house spotted anew nail on diedaccidentally, onefallinginto the gasleaked.AnFIR has been fainted due to thegas. Biological,Radiological and port. statehasalreadynotifiedchanges (no-objection certificate). As per the ceilingcover.The officer awell and another offatwo- registeredagainstthe factory Avillager talked about Nuclear) Emergency Team of Afterpassengersgettheirlug- in the Public Services Delivery HighCourtorders,all passengers knockedonitand thatwas when storey building, as they triedto and an inquirystarted. waking up to cries forhelp. theNDRF from Pune,which gage,theywillbegroupedaccord- Guarantee Actthat will entail a should be tested negative and gunshots rang out, sources said. escapethe pungent-smelling Industries MinisterM Visuals of people gasping for specialises in handing chemi- ing to theirhome districts, before fine on the authority responsible then theyshould be sent to Security forces showedupin styrenegas.“Officialsevacuated GouthamReddysaidguidelines breath as theystaggered to cal disasters. beingtakentoquarantinecentres forregistration and licencing Odisha. It is impossiblefor the lo- Beighporaafter aphone call the villages once it wasascer- have been issuedtoall indus- safety, of parentscarrying un- The decision wastaken at a thereinspecialbuses. these services. The applicant will cal administration to carry out Naikoo made to an Over Ground tainedthatthegaswasnon-poi- triesregardingsafereopeningof consciouschildren, and of sev- meetingheldby PrimeMinister receive thefineascompensation. medicaltestofsuchalarge num- Worker (OGW) wastracedtothe sonous.Allthepeopleadmitted factories. “Our initial informa- eral fainting, evoked memo- NarendraModi to take stockof Delhipeak Factorylicense will hence- berofpassengers.” village-he rarelyusedaphone, in hospitals arestable,” he said. tionisthatworkerswere check- ries of the 1984 Bhopal gas the situation. The PM also witnessasurge in cases. The aim forthberequired to be renewed Patelsaid that over 500peo- relying on the VirtualPrivate The LG factory, apolymers ing agas storagetankwhenit tragedyand ledtopanic. tweetedabouttheincident,say- is to keep mortality rate low, onlyonce in tenyears instead of ple aretestedfor coronavirusin Network(VPN) to communicate. manufacturingunit located15 startedleaking.” Police and NDRF teams res- ing he waspraying forevery- whichDelhiismaintainingsofar,” annual renewal. Under the Surateveryday. With799casesas “Over the lastfew days,we km from Visakhapatnam, was The officials struggledto cuedthe factoryworkers. A one’s safety. Dr SKSarin, who heads the Delhi ContractLabourAct,thestatewill on Thursday, Surat is ahotspot had pickedupseveral OGWs for settoreopen on Thursdayand contain the gasleakfor nearly team from the navalbase in NDRF Director General SN government’sCovid response nowgivelicensefortheentire du- andhasthesecondhighestnum- questioning,”aseniorpolice offi- around 20 workers were four hours.Visakhapatnam Visakhapatnam also helped Pradhansaid:“Thesituationhas paneland is also the head of the ration of the contract ratherthan berofcases in Gujarat. cerprivyto theoperationtoldThe preparingfor it when the gas Collector VVinayChand said all with the rescue, bringing 50 been controlledand the silo is InstituteofLiver and Biliary foracalendar year. According to Odisha’s Indian Express.One of theOGWs, startedleaking.PTI reported the five villages had been evac- breathing apparatuses. Apart leaking very little now. We will Sciences. Contractors who employ less Information and Public Relations the officer said, hadresethis sources as saying that themo- uated.“Thesituation wasvery from breathing trouble, people be theretill it is completely Atotal of 77,234peoplehave than20workers arenot required Department,Ganjamdistrictsaw phoneandthatmadepoliceques- ment the gasleaked,the work- serioustill6amasthegasleaked complainedofrashesandburn- stopped.” He added, “Styrene been tested in the city so far. to seekregistration. The statehas aspikeincoronavirus casesafter tion him at length. ersfollowedanestablishedpro- till then. Now, it has easedabit ing eyes. Officials said that due gasisheavier than air and set- Basedonthe committee’s as- proposedto theCentretoincrease 17 people who returnedfrom He eventuallyled police to a tocolandwere notamongthose andwe areabletogointotheaf- to Covid-19preparations, tles with water. So waterisbe- sessment of the capital’s health the number of workers to 50 to Surat tested positive.Odisha’s clusterofhousesbutNaikoocould affected. fected villages.Alarge number dozensof ambulancesandven- ing sprayed.The gasintensity infrastructure, three scenarios give the contractors morefree- coronaviruscountreached219 on notbetraceddespitesearches, The deadincludedtwochil- of animals, including petdogs, tilatorswerereadilyavailable. toohas comedown.” had been envisaged:Stage 1, dom.Also,theregistrationwillbe Thursday evening. sources said. dren. While over 1,000 people livestockand birds, have died.” With the gasstillnot fully AIIMS Director Dr Randeep whenthecapitalwillstartreport- grantedonline.Itissendingapro- Nearly threelakhworkers, OnMay5,thepolicesharedits were brought to various hospi- LG said the leak had been dispersed,theevacueesmaynot Guleria,whowaspresent atthe ing 100cases in aday;Stage 2 posaltothe Centre to makepun- mostlyfromOdisha’sGanjamdis- intelligence with other security tals, only 346 remainedadmit- noticedbycompany staffwho be able to returnhome fortwo NDMApress briefing on with500casesaday;andStage3, ishable offences underthe trict,work indiamondcuttingand forces and ajoint operationwas tedbyevening, of whom 20 re- were inspecting machines to moredays.Adefusing material Thursday, said therewas no an- where1,000casesormorewillbe Contract Labour Actcompound- textile unitsinGujarat’s Surat. launched. Notruling out the pos- quired ventilator support. The restartthe factory, and that is being transportedfrom tidote to styrene, also known as reportedinasingle day. The cap- able. Theystarted coming backto sibility of Naikoo being in an un- gasleak has notbeenfully they had raisedanalarm. It Gujarat. ethenylbenzeneand vinylben- ital appearsset to enter Stage2, Exceptthe clause that deals Odisha afterthe Centreallowed derground hideout, excavators plugged yet. said none of itsemployees The gasleak also impacted zene, and the treatment was especially againstthebackdropof with safetyofworkers,the MP movement of migrant labourers were also broughtin. Originallyestablishedin were among the dead, and the movement of trains from largely supportive. “Itcan cause relaxations in the lockdown. governmenthasgivenrelaxations during the ongoing lockdown. “Wesearchedtwohousesbut 1961 as HindustanPolymersto that it wascooperating with Visakhapatnam, including at harm through inhalation, lead- Asperthepanel’sassessment, inallprovisionsof theFactoryAct ThefirsttrainfromSuratto Odisha could notfind him. We were ex- manufacturepolystyrene, the Indian authoritiestohelp the least nineShramik Special ing to irritation of eyes, throat onceDelhistartsrecording 500 forthe next three months. wasflagged offonMay 2, and 16 pectinganundergroundhideout. factorywastakenoverbySouth residentsand itsemployees. Trains taking migrantstovari- and breathing difficulty.Incase cases aday,the requirement of Chouhansaidthe state has done trains have leftfor Odishafrom We shifted our focustoathird Korea-basedLGChemin1997, “The gasleakageisnow under ousplaces. StaffatSCMN of high inhalation,itcan cause personal protectiveequipment what waspossible within itsam- Surat carrying 19,200people. house whichbelonged to his rel- whichrenameditasLG control. We areinvestigating Station in the city experienced headache, dizzinessand even kitswillshootupto1,500-2,000a bit,but it wantstoextendsimilar (With ENS Gujarat) ative.Wesearched it three times Polymers Limited.The factory the extent of damageand the burninginthe eyes and suffo- coma. In certain cases it can be day. Thereshouldbe50bedswith relaxationsforthenext1,000days but could notfind him. Apolice manufacures general-purpose, exact cause of the leak and cation.Train movementwas fatal,”hesaid, adding that the ventilators, 125ICU facilities and forwhichithassentaproposalto Tabligh officer went in forone lastlook high-impact and expandable deaths,” it said in astatement. stoppedacrossSCMNfrom gaswould notleave anylong- about325bedswithoxygensup- the Centre. quarantine-not onehadbeenre- andspottedaceilingsheet witha polystyrene,aswellasengineer- The people living in nearby 8.35amto12noon. term impact. port, the committeehas noted. ExceptSection 25 of the leaseduntil Thursday. freshnail on it. He knockedonit ing plastics compounds, and areas firstrealisedwhat was TheAndhragovernmenthas (ENS INPUTS FROM DELHI, “As of now, we areprepared Industrial Disputes Act, the state States likeUttar Pradesh and therewas gunfirefromin- employs around 300people. happening when police vans announcedex-gratia of Rs 1 PTIINPUTSFROM forStage 2aswell.Ifthere are500 hasrelaxedallotherprovisionsto startedthe process of returning side,” the officer said. Chief Minister YSJagan wentaroundtheareaatabout3 croreeachforfamiliesof thede- VISAKHAPATNAM) cases reportedinaday,then20% allowindustry owners to select strandedpeopleand migrant Naikooandanassociate,iden- of them,thatis100 people, will workers as per convenience. workers even before theCentre tifiedasAdil Ahmad of Shopian, 12 months ago, company told state: no green clearance needhospitalisation. So, if the Industries employing less than cameoutwithguidelinesontheir were killedinthe gunbattle that trend continues forfiveconsecu- 100workershave beenexempted return. followed. Theywereburied The companyhad then also styrene and expandable poly- outskirts of the city,found itself In 2018,the companyhad tive days,500people will be hos- from the provisions of the MP In itsMay 3lettertothe MHA Wednesdaynight in Sonamarg. undertaken thatitwouldnot styreneusingimportedstyrene. between populace over time as plannedanexpansionof itsunit. pitalisedoveraperiodof time.The Industrial Employment -itwas in continuation of aletter “repeat anysuchviolation in Italsoreprocessedprimaryplas- the city expanded.After taking Theproposedexpansionby240 estimates givenbythe commit- (Permanent Order) Act. on April 17 -the Delhi Health Justice Gupta future”. ticsintoengineering plastics. over the companyfrom TPD wastocostRs168 croreto teetothegovernmentseemto be NowMSMEs will be able to Department also mentioned Furthermore,thecompany’s Questionssent to theLG McDowell &Company,LG createnew production blocks, under control as of now,”saidDr hirelabourersaspertheirrequire- “mounting pressure” on the gov- It has been ayear since an plans to expand the unit last Chemical’sVisakhapatnamunit, Polymers decidedtocontinue utilities and enhanceeffluent Sarin. mentto increaseproductivity.The ernment to release the Tablighi employee of the SC accused yearwasclassifiedasa‘Category itsparentcompany in South making polystyrene and ex- treatmentsystem.Thecompany IndustrialEmploymentActwhich Jamaat members. then CJI Gogoi of sexual A’ project forwhich a“prior en- Korea,aswellasAndhraPradesh pandable polystyrene, albeit had then also said that it pro- Karnataka wasapplicableto establishments “Since amonth has already harassment. An internal vironment clearance” from the Pollution Control Boardelicited from importedstyrene.The posedtoemployworkers who “Wewill reachHyderabad, with morethan 50 workers will passedafter thecompletion of committee found no UnionMinistryofEnvironment no response. companyhad receivedacon- livedinnearbyvillages forcon- and then somehow if theylet us nowbeapplicable if the number Markaz evacuationexercise, the substance in the allegations wasrequired.However, the In astatement issued sentforestablishmentandcon- struction,andthustherewasno cross thestate border,wewill of workers is 100ormore. persons shiftedfromthese and gave aclean chit to Gogoi. companyfiledfor clearance ThursdayinSeoul, LG Chem, sent foroperationofthe unit in needofproviding them with keep going. Ineedtokeep speak- At present,underthe Factory masjids to various hospitals and Howdoyou evaluatethe withthe Andhra Pradesh State the parent companyofLG November2001 andMay 2002, housing unitson-site. ing to my mother and wifeat Act,unitsrunningonpowerneed quarantinefacilitiesarerestlessto court’s responseinhindsight? Environmental Impact Polymers, saidthe gasleakwas respectively. In itsMay 2019 application, home. Iamworried about run- registration if theyemploy10 go back to their respective Iamnot privy to themeritsof AssessmentAuthority,whichin under control and that the According to the thecompanyhadadmittedthat ningoutof charge.SoIamusingit workers.Thestatehassentapro- states/countries. As on today, all the case and what transpired in June 2019,transferredthe pro- companywas cooperating Manufacture, Storageand hazardous chemicals would be sparingly,”hesaid.Withhimwere posalto theCentretoincreasethe the 3,013 persons have notonly thecommitteebutinmy opinion, posal to theCentre. with authorities. “...theleaked ImportofHazardous Chemical usedfor themanufactureof agroup of 23 fellow workers at number of workers to 50. The tested negative but alsocom- thehearingonApril20,2019 ona According to information gascan cause nausea and dizzi- Rules 1989, styreneisclassified polystyrene and expandable the same construction site, all statehas argued thatitwillgive pletedmorethan 28 days of stay Saturdaymorning(In Re Matter sourcedfromthe Union ness, so we areinvestingevery asa“hazardousandtoxicchem- polystyrene, it would nothave from UP’sSiddharthNagar and freedom to suchunitsfromthe inhospitals/quarantinefacilities.” of Great Public Importance EnvironmentMinistry, thecom- effort to ensure proper treat- ical”. Styrene monomer,which “anysignificantimpact”onthe Gorakhpur districts. provisions of the FactoryAct and “Administrationishavingatough TouchingupontheIndependence pany’s proposal wasdelisted ment is providedswiftly,”it wasbeing usedatthemanufac- heathof vulnerablepeoplesuch Theywereamong several theywillbeable to increase pro- timeconvincingthesepersonsfor of the Judiciaryinwhich justice from theenvironmentalclear- said. “Weare investigating the turingplantto produceexpand- asthepatients,childrenandthe groups of migrant labourers in ductionto theirfullcapacity.Also, their extendedstay, moresodur- Gogoi presidedoverthe bench ance portal in November 2019 extent of damageand the ex- able plastics,needs to be stored elderly people. Bengaluru who setoff on foot for industries notrunning on power ingtheholymonthof Ramadan,” but did notsign the order) was sayingthat“itseemsthatthePP act cause of the leak and at atemperaturebelow17de- “All the hazardous materi- their home states,after thestate arerequired to be registeredif Delhi Health SecretaryPadmini uncalledfor.Simplyput,the (company) is notinterestedto deaths.” grees Centigrade. als will be stored in MS (mild governmenthaltedtrainservices theyemploy20workers. The Singla wrotetothe Additional Supreme Courthas notcome out continuethe project”. Earlier,McDowell & Whiletheinvestigationsare steel) drums, in acovered shed formigrantsonWednesday. statehas proposed to the Centre Secretary(UT),MHA. better afterthe incident. LG Polymers, whichhad in Company, which usedtooper- underwayregardingthe acci- andnocontamination of soil is As the government reversed thatthelimitshouldberemoved. “Department is receiving re- 1997 bought the plant from atethe unit between 1982 and dent, apossiblereason couldbe expected.Same philosophy itsdecision,thestate revenuesec- Citing the conditions created quests from various statesfor Therewas criticismthatthe McDowell &Company, applied 1997,had, prior to selling the thatduringtheshutdownof the will be followedfor theafter retary wrotetothe governments by COVID 19 pandemic, thestate theirrelease.We arenot inreceipt committeehad no external foranenvironmentalclearance unit to LG Polymers, decidedto plant due to Covid-19,styrene expansion,” the application of other states, asking them to hasallowedindustriesto increase of anyorderof MHAregardingthe members and only SC judges. forthe plantfromAndhra decommission the production gaswas notbeing stored at the stated.Italso said all the inbuilt prepare forthearrivalofmigrants. workers’ shifts from eight to 12 same in response of our earlier Idon’tagreethatthecommit- PradeshPollutionControlBoard of styreneand alcohol-based appropriate temperature,caus- safetyprecautions would be “Oncethe train schedules are hours. Employees willbeableto letter as mentionedabove.The teemusthaveoutsiders.Youhave in May2019when it wanted to distillery, considering the ingpressure to buildupinthe takenduring the expansion, fixed, then workers willbe work upto 72 hoursaweekif they earlier orders of MHA issuedon to showtrustinthe institution. expand itscapacity from 415 plant’s“proximity to popu- storagechamberandthatledto and that there“will notbeany brought from construction sites arewillingandarepaidadditional the release of quarantinedper- The committee candrawupits tonnesperday(TPD)to 655TPD. lated areas”. the valvetobreak,resulting in damagetoenvironmentorhu- to theplaceof departureoftrains. amountforputtinginmorehours. sonsreturningfromforeignloca- ownproceduresoIwould not The unit manufactures poly- The plant, located on the the gasleakage. man health”. Theywillbetaken to railway sta- Variouslabourlawsrequire tions wasfollowedscrupulously. comment on it. tionsandwillbeputontrainsgo- industriesto maintain61 registers Nowinthe lightofabove-men- ingto theirstates,’’saidKarnataka and file 13 returns. Nowtheywill tionedfacts, youare kindlyre- Therewas also aprobe by needs to be peppedup. The reg- this virtual world? Thereare surelysomelawyers whichisattachedtotheJamnagar Education MinisterSSuresh have to maintainjustoneregister questedtoissue requisitedirec- former SC judgeAKPatnaik istrars come from different high Even without Covid, we who criticise the judges when college. Kumar. and file one return,with self-cer- tions/protocols forthe same intothe “largerconspiracy” in courts withvariedexperiencebut shouldhave usedtechnologybet- favourable orders arenot passed. Theotherpositive casesinthe But Sahani, who worked as a tification being treated as suffi- immediatelyasthere isamount- the sexual harassment donothavemanagerialskills.The terbutwe have not.Thisisagreat Someproclaimtheyhavenofaith stateincludedtwo migrantwork- painter at the Hebbalconstruc- cient. ingpressureonthegovernment,” allegation.Did that report CJIandregistrydecideeverything. opportunityto shifttovideo-con- inthejudiciaryandthenstillcome ersinSurat,whowere arrestedby tioncompany, isn’twaitingforthe Small andcottage industries Singlawrote. have anyimpact? The listing needs to be managed ferencingcertaincases,especially to thecourt. It happens every- policefor theiralleged involve- trains to start. “Thereisnothing employing less than 50 workers It is notclearwhy theDelhi My information is also that a by technology and leave little thoseinpre-trial stages.For ex- where. However, Ibelieve the mentinthe violence at Vareli vil- forushere.We have notbeenget- have been kept free frominspec- HealthDepartmentsoughtaspe- reportwas submitted but Ihave room fordiscretion. ample, remand hearings of un- courtcannotrefuse to hear any- lagetwo days agothat leftthree ting food, nor money,”hesaid. tion.Henceforth,theycouldbein- cificprotocolonthereleaseof the notseen it. Ihavemyself seen that cases dertrials, service of cases can all body simplybecausetheycriti- policemen injured.The district spectedonlywiththepermission Tablighi Jamaat members.Singla involving big moneyand fancy be done virtually. Isee no reason cisedthecourt.Itisafundamental recorded45new cases,takingthe MP labour laws of the labour commissioner and did notrespond to requests for There’s been criticism on the lawfirmsarelistedexactlyinfour whythe SC hearings should not righttobeheardbythe court. tallytoone shortof800,and four overtime, and introducing com- in the event of someone filing a comments. priority or lackthereof given weekswhenwe saylistafterfour be live-streamed.Video-confer- deathsthat took the toll to 37. poundingprovisionsto reducein- complaint. In his interaction withre- to certain cases in the SC. weeksbut those involvingjunior encing hasits benefits even for Gujarat dustrial disputes. Thestatehasissuedanotifica- porters, Jain did notrefer to any Whilesome crucial cases like lawyersare notlistedevenfor six judges.Theunnecessarytheatrics deputation to Ahmedabad civil UAE flight Chief MinisterShivraj Singh tion relaxing provisions of MP absenceofprotocol in releasing the case of the electoral bonds monthsdespiteourorderssaying of lawyers will also reduce. hospital. Out of them, samplesof However, pregnantwomen, Chouhan saidthe reforms would IndustrialRelationsActtillfurther them. arenot listedfor years, many listthe case in four weeks. twoasymptomatic resident doc- theelderly,childrenbelow10and attractnewindustries,createjobs orders.Thiswillallowfactory Of the3,013 atthequarantine others aretaken up andfast- Some judges, including Justice tors- one maleand one female - theindisposedhavebeenallowed foryouths, and the unemployed manager and the trade union to centres,567are foreignnationals trackedwithout explanation. Youare the firstSCjudgeto Gogoi, have referred to this returnedpositive forCOVID-19. to travel to theirhomes, where workers,by creatingapositive at- resolve disputesaccordingto their and 2,446 Indians. Of the Indian Do youacknowledge this is an have had avirtual farewell aspect of lawyers allegedly Three others areequivocaland theywillhavetostayunder strict mosphereforinvestment.Hesaid conveniencewithoutgoingto the nationals,191belongto Delhi.The issue? keepinginwiththe Covid trying to browbeat judges.Is theywill be tested further,” said home quarantine. Therewere MP wasthe firststate to usher in labour court. government had evacuated Ido. TheSCisaveryregistry- times. What arethe lessons that whatyou arereferring to DrNandiniDesai,medicalsuper- around 60 pregnant women in thisrevolutionby amendinglaws FULLREPORTON around 2,346 persons from the drivencourtand so the registry courts must learntoadapt to as theatrics? intendentof GGGeneralHospital the firsttwo flights. that arewithin itsambit. www.indianexpress.com

New Delhi WWW.WWW.IINDIANNDIANEEXXPRESPRESS.S.COMCOM 3 THEINDIANEXPRESS,FRIDAY,MAY8,2020 THE OUTBREAK TheCity Firs‘SCREENEDttBY DOCTORrainS, PROVIDEDwithFOOD’1,078migrantsleavesforMP

ANANDMOHANJ NEWDELHI,MAY7

RAMCHARAN OWNS justtwo clothespackedinaredbag,ahand sanitiser and anew face mask safelytuckedawayinhis pocket —heusedagamcha to coverhis face, saving the mask forthe next fewmonths.Heworkedatatent- making unit near Haryana, mak- ing Rs 400per day. “I have noth- ingleftformy family. Ibeggedthe authorities foradditionalmasks formywifeand children. Bimari tohkahin bhiaasakti hai,”hesaid. Ramcharanwasamong1,078 migrantstoboardthe firsttrain that leftat8pm from NewDelhi Railway Station forMadhya Pradesh's Chhatarpur district on Thursday. The migrantswere brought to the station in buses from acrossthe city and were handedaface mask,one hand GajendraYadav sanitiser,awater bottle and a The train leftfor Madhya Pradesh'sChhatarpurdistrictat8pmfromNew Delhi Railway StationonThursday; (right) migrantswalking home at NH-24 Tashi Tobgyal packetofbiscuits. The next train leavesfor Bihar at 3pmFriday. Officials in the Delhi govern- inside buses.” 3,600for12 daysofworkbeforethe her husband worked at acon- ment said migrantsdid nothave DCP (Southeast) RPMeena lockdown. When his employerfi- struction siteinDelhi and have Meanwhile, others set off on foot to payfor the journey. said eachperson's temperature nallycalledandaskedhimtocome notbeen paidsincethe lockdown. ADM (West) Dharmendra wascheckedbeforetheyboarded towork,Prasadrefused:“Theysaid “Theywillbepleasedthat Ire- said 128persons were sent from the bus. DCP (Central) Sanjay to forget wagesfor some timeand turnedbut eventuallytherewill ever,are leaving despiteregister- and we have onlywrappedit month and had Rs 5,000 left the district.DM(North) Shinde Bhatia said 90 migrant labourers keepworking.Ithoughtiftheycan’t be fights. My husband has some ANANYATIWARI ing online forbuses or trains. with acloth as we have no when the lockdown began—he Deepak Arjun said 81 migrants fromhisdistrictwereescorted,and payme, will theyevenaffordmy land wherewecan at leastget to NEWDELHI,MAY7 At ITOnear the Delhi meanstoget himtreated…We is nowleftwithonlyRs20. from the district were brought to DCP(North)MonikaBhardwaj said lunch? Ihaveworkedonfarmsbe- eat gehu,” shesaid. Her husband Secretariat, some families head- leftbecausethereisno moneyor The familyhas decidedto the station by afternoon: “They alistof96migrantsfromMPhas fore and will gladlyworkthere.” Ravi (37) added,“Imarriedher WITH YOUNGchildren in tow, ing to villages in UP Thursday food, whatever will happen will walk with their six-year-old were screenedbydoctors, pro- been prepared and theywillbe Anil (37),who worked at a againstherfamily’s wishes.They manymigrant labourers in the said theyhavenomoney. happen...,” said Bhuvnesh. daughter and two-year-old son: videdfood and water.” takentothe railway stationFriday. constructionsitefor the past 10 won’t be happytosee us.” citycontinue to leave fortheir With their son (5) and He said theywerehoping the “Wewill justkeep walking, only At least12DTC buses ferried The firstbuses from Central years, said he had been staying in Meanwhile, Saraswati Devi villages or hometowns on foot daughter (2), BinitaDevi(27)and lockdown would end andthey godwill help us now.” 221migrant labourers from Delhi arrivedatthe station aone-roomflat in centralDelhi, (60), adomestic worker from despitethe Centreannouncing her husbandBhuvnesh Kumar could restartwork. Anxiousand longing to see SouthDelhi'sRadha Swamishel- around 4pm. The migrants, who paying rent of Rs 2,000.Hecould Rajasthan, walked over three thatstatescan makearrange- (27) startedfor Gajraula in UP The family wasstoppedat their children, Sakshi (20) and terhometo the station.Likewise, worked as construction workers notpay rent duringthe lockdown hours to the stationtobetold ments, via trains or buses, to from Najafgarh Thursdaymorn- Anand Vihar bus terminal as po- Karan Kumar (24) leftMayapuri at least150labourerswere ferried in Delhi-NCR, were givenachoice and movedtoalocal school with onlytrains to Madhya Pradesh send them home. ing. By mid-afternoon, theyhad licedid notallow them to pass forMeerut on Thursday. Their in 10 buses from nine shelter by their employers to return to his threechildrenagedbetween5 were leavingtoday. Shehad The Delhi government, reachedthe ITObridge. Earning through to Ghaziabad. children, aged 6and 8, areat homes in SoutheastDelhi's Lajpat work but they refusedfearingfur- and 10.“My familydoes notown come to city to meether relatives whichhad issuedastandard op- around Rs 9,000 amonth as a Like Bhuvnesh,Ram Khiladi home with Sakshi’s elder sister. Nagar, Madanpur Khadar,Sarai ther restrictions. anylandbut at leasttheywilltake before the lockdown and was erating procedureonmovement dailywagelabourer,Bhuvnesh Sharma(30), who worksata “What can Isay about what Kale Khan and Jangpura. Among those headinghome is careofme; theyhavesomesav- robbed of Rs 3,000 andtwo of migrant workers and others wasleftwitharound Rs 12,000 jean’s factoryatPanchkula in we aregoing through? We are Security arrangementswere DeviPrasad(37),whocalledhisem- ings. Ihavetofind work now.” phones. Tears trickleddownher this week,isinthe process of when the lockdown beganon Haryana, setoff along with his very defeated andsad. We are made by Delhi Police. DCP (South) ployerfor weeks. He worked at a Rajbala(33)has twobighas of cheeksasshe walked towards preparing a“comprehensive March 24.Now,the moneyhas wifeand twochildren for moving around without food or Atul Kumar Thakur said, “Social constructionsiteinSoutheastDelhi land and sevenbrothers who Mandi House, hoping to find a database” of all such workers driedup. “My son has acut on his Hathras villageinUP’s Badaun. water. We justwant to go home distancing norms were followed and wassupposedtobepaid Rs have staked claim to it. She and shelter home. stuckhere. Manyofthem, how- leg… his wound keeps bleeding He usedtoearnRs9,000 per to our children,” said Sakshi. Delhi govt 2hospital staffers held for ‘molesting’ corona patient Out of job during reverses cused, Luvkushand Praveen, The twoweretaken to the po- wasfiledatKnowledge Parkpo- been turnedintoatemporary EXPRESSNEWSSERVICE worked in Sharda Hospital’s iso- lice station afterthe woman lice station. The accusedhave jail during thepandemic. lockdown, labourer NOIDA,MAY 7 lation ward andallegedlymo- alertedauthorities. been kept in atemporaryjail as According to officials, the order on lesteda20-year-old woman on The companythrough per procedure. Medicalauthor- woman had been admitted to TWOSTAFFERS of aprivate hos- the pretextoftaking her samples. whichthe twowereemployed ities will be carrying out tests the isolationwardafter testing commits suicide testing kits pital in Greater Noida were ar- She had givenbirth on April 20. wassentanotice and the two (for coronavirus),” said Rajesh positive earlier thismonth.She rested on Thursdayfor allegedly Oneofthe accusedworked were terminated,officialssaid. Kumar Singh, DCPZone3.A hadgiven birthlastmonth,and molesting acoronavirus in the sanitation department “The twoaccusedwere magisterial enquiryhas also the baby is withher at the hos- EXPRESSNEWSSERVICE Harikishan’s family for pvt labs patient. and the other in the store, the handedoverbyhospital author- been ordered intothe incident. pital,while her husband is un- NEWDELHI,MAY7 said he wasthe sole According to police, the ac- hospital administration said. ities and acase of molestation AhostelinNoida’s Beta 2has derquarantine elsewhere. A40-YEAR-OLD migrant breadwinner and was EXPRESS NEWSSERVICE labourer from Bihar committed depressedashecould NEW DELHI,MAY 7 suicide by hanging himself from notprovide forthem In each district, teams Ghaziabadadmin clarifies: aceiling fanathis home in THE DELHI government on Dwarka on Tuesday. Thursdayreversedanearlier or- to trackpatients at home The man, Harikishan, lived etables but afew RWAs had re- der issuedbyitwhichsaid pri- Med staff needn’tmoveout with his father,wifeand four stricted entryofvegetableven- vate labs will be reimbursed will be paidRs1,200per day. children in arented accommo- dors.Whenwefound afew ven- onlyiftheyuse COVID-19 test- ASTHASAXENA “Itisimportantto ensurethose “betrayed”bythemove.“We area dation in Dabri. dors violating social distancing ing kitssold by aPune-based NEWDELHI,MAY7 under home isolation aremoni- AMILBHATNAGAR group of 100-150 doctors work- His familysaid Harikishan, norms, we restricted them from biotech company, Mylab toredwell. Patientswill be con- GHAZIABAD,MAY7 ingatDelhigovernmenthospitals. the sole breadwinner,was de- selling vegetables. Vendorswho Discovery Solutions. DAYS AFTER the Delhi govern- tacted by fieldofficers,who will We arestronglyagainstthisor- pressed as he wasunable to continuedselling vegetables The fresh order states that ment issuedguidelines forhome makesurethat none of the steps ADAY afterorders were issued der,” said Dr Seema Prakash, rep- provide forthem due to the were then chargedfor violating the government willreimburse isolation of COVID-19 patients suggestedunder home isolation askingmedical stafftostayin resentative of Indian Medical lockdown. lockdown rules.” private labs irrespective of the with mild symptoms, the health guidelinesare beingmissed,”said Delhi if their work involvestrav- Association,WestGhaziabadand “It’s noteasy feeding abig With all his savings gone into coronavirus testingkitsthey department has laid down SOPs asenior healthofficial. elling there, Ghaziabad adminis- aseniorgynaecologist. family. When thelockdown was buying the cartand no jobin use. regarding mobilisation of health Meanwhile, afterreceiving tration issuedaclarification An RWAinGhaziabad had announced, we were shattered hand, Harikishan’s family said he The order comesinconnec- teams in eachdistrict. The teams, warnings from the Union Thursdaysaying it wasnot Ghaziabad had also sealed also sent acircularstating entry as he losthis job at aconstruc- wasinatoughspot. tion with an April 14 directive comprising twoASHA work- Health Ministryabout poordata compulsory. TheDistrict itsborder with Delhi, citing of para-medical staffand doctors tion site. His employers didn’t His neighbour,Pradhan spelling out different reim- ers/ANMs/ health workers, have collection from those who Magistrateasked the Municipal COVID-19. Praveen Khanna would be stoppedinthe com- even payhim. We thought we Vinod, said, “Wetriedtohelp bursement ratesfor private labs been assigned the task of follow- come to labsfor COVID-19 test- Commissionerto ‘show cause’for plexfromSundayand asked would have to begorgobackto their family... On Tuesdaymorn- testingsamples. ingupwithpatientsonaregular ing, the Delhi health depart- issuing the order without taking them to find temporaryaccom- ourvillage in Bihar but he said he ing, Iheardsomeone shouting The Indian Express had re- basis —frompersonallyvisiting ment has directed all ICMR-ap- doctors,RWAsintoconfidence. NarendraGupta,CMO,Ghaziabad. modation in Delhi. would work.Withinweeks, he next door.Iran to Harikishan’s portedonMay 2that the order them, educating them about proved labstonot send any “Wedidnotintendto hurtany- Theorderhadcomeinthewakeof MeanwhileinNoida,health- bought acartand startedselling house and found his wifecrying issuedbyNursingHomeCell of treatmenttoconnecting them reportwithoutpatientdetails. one’s sentiments; the order was theadministrationattributing71% care staffatFelixHospital held a vegetables. It wasgoing good be- that he had hanged himself with the DirectorateGeneral of with adoctor,ifrequired. The labs stand to be derecog- notmeant to be compulsory. The of cases to outside the district. protestoutside ahousing soci- fore policeintervened. They said achunni.” Health Services (DGHS) of Delhi The team will be incentivised nisedifthe reports don’t have appealwasmadekeepinginmind TheMunicipalCommissioner etyinSector 137. According to my husbandwas violatingsocial Asenior police officer said: government said private labs at Rs 200per patient visited per thedata. the coronavirussituation,and on hadissuedtheorderaskingRWAs protesters, residentsblamed distancing norms and restricted “Therewas no suicide note;the shall be paidfromthe COVID district;eachmember will getRs “Due to missinginformation, suggestionofthe surveillance to convey to those working in stafffor “spreadingdisease” af- him from selling vegetables,” body wassenttothe hospital. funds releasedbyGovernment 100. The department has roped the department is unableto teamto restrictbordermovement. Delhihospitals or receivingtreat- terone of them contracted claimedAhilyaDevi, his wife. We arewaitingfor the post- of India under National Health in five autorickshaws perdistrict trace patientsand their contacts We hope the administrationwill ment to find accommodation COVID-19allegedly from anurse Asenior police officer in mortemreport.” The familyhad Missionatthe following rates: to ferrythe teams to apatient's in atimely manner...,” said asen- provide co-operation in our fight theretoprevent spread of infec- at the hospital. Both patient and Dwarka howeversaid, “Wedid- shiftedtoDelhi from Bihar’s if the sample is takenbythe pri- house. Theautorickshawdriver ior health department official. againstCOVID-19,” said Dr tion.Doctors had saidtheyfelt nurse tested positive. n’t stop anyone from selling veg- Chhapratwo years ago. vate lab andMylab kit is pro- videdbythe private lab, the cost will be Rs 4,500; if the sample is takenbythe government and Mylab kit is providedbyprivate, CM PROMISES RS 1-CR COMPENSATION;GAMBHIR SAYS WILL FUND HIS SON’S EDUCATION the costwillbeRs3,500; and if both sample and Mylab kit are providedbythe government, Day after testing positive, constablecrematedatPunjabi Bagh the costwillbeRs2,200. The corrigendum passed Thursdayhas removedMylab terhis death, hisCOVID-19result afterhis child likemyown. GGF andson have been tested forthe Twoofhis colleagues, who kit and instead replaceditwith SOMYALAKHANI came positive. (Gautam Gambhir Foundation) virus and the result is awaited. were with him till the end, too a“testingkit”. NEWDELHI,MAY7 On Thursdayafternoon, will take careofhis complete ed- “For 24 hours, we didn’t tell recalledKumar’sdependability. Mylabmanaging director Kumar wascremated at Delhi’s ucation.” his wifePooja that he wasno “Anyone could ask him forhelp, Hasmukh Rawalhad earlier told THE LAST timethe three-year-old Punjabi Bagh crematorium as As the ambulance carrying more; we onlytold her late he would neversay no,” said his The Indian Express that the com- Viaan spoketohis father,Delhi per COVID-19protocol.Chief his bodyapproached the crema- Wednesdaynight. It came as a colleague, who is awaiting his panywas unawareofany such PoliceconstableAmitKumar (32), MinisterArvindKejriwal torium, police personnel of shocktoeveryone as he wasin COVID-19result. order and did nothaveany such over the phone wasonMonday tweetedthat his familywillbe Northwestdistrict, DCP Sonepat till Saturdayand was His colleague recalledthat agreement with the Delhi gov- evening. It wasaquickchat as givenRs1crore compensation, (Northwest) VijayantaAryaand absolutelyfine...Wenever imag- “Kumar’s main goal waseducat- ernment. Kumar wasn’t feeling toowell. aday afterCommissioner of Joint CP (Northern Range) inedhewould suddenlydie.He ing his child”. “On Tuesday,he “I don’t think that should be “Papa doesn’t call me, Iamangry PoliceSNShrivastava said he will Manish Aggarwal showered wasonly32,”said Ravi. worriedhis child and wifemight there(naming Mylab in the or- withhim now. Iwon’t speak to “move aproposal to theDelhi petals on the vehicle. Also pres- On Mondayevening, when fall sicktoo. When his wifecalled, der releasedbythe Delhi gov- him,” said the child to his mater- government forcompensation ent outside the crematorium Kumar spoketohis wife,hetold he wasbreathless but said, ‘don’t ernment). It might be the case nal uncle Ravi at their house in of Rs 1crore as per policy”. were Kumar’s father and brother. her that he would return home worry, Iwill be fine’,” he said. the government is procuring Haryana’sSonepat.Littledoesthe EastDelhi MP Gautam “Noone wasallowedinside. The on May17. Kumar is survivedby Hours later,Kumarwas dead. Mylab kits and giving them toddler knowthat aday afterhe Gambhir also tweeted, “The ad- cremation wasdone by health his wife, son, father and brother, On Thursday, Delhi L-GAnil free of cost… Instead of Mylab lastspoketohis father,the con- ministrationfailed him. The sys- department officials,” said Arya. who is afarmer in Sonepat. “He Baijal tweetedthatKumar“was a kit, the order should have stable, postedatBharatNagar po- temfailed him. Delhi failedhim. Police personnel of Northwestdistrict showeredpetalson His brother-in-lawRavi, who wasbrave and funnybut most great warrior who brought glory stated COVID-19kit,” he had lice station, diedwhile on his way We can'tbring Constable Amit the ambulance carryingconstable Amit Kumar’s body is currentlyinSonepat, told The importantly, he wasadepend- to thefrontline police personnel said. to Delhi’s RML hospital. Aday af- back, but Iassurethat Iwill look Indian Express that Kumar’s wife able man. That is rare,” said Ravi. fighting againstpandemic.”

New Delhi WWW.INDIANEXPRESS.COM 4 THECITY THEINDIANEXPRESS,FRIDAY,MAY8,2020 To stopcrowds WILL PROBE FURTHER BEFORE LEGAL ACTION, SAY POLICE Head constable ‘killswife, goes at liquor vends, Delhigovt Gurgaonteensuicide:Parents to Meerut and shoots himself’ issues e-tokens unable to rest. When police told EXPRESSNEWSSERVICE us of her death,Iwas NewDelhi: To avoid long queues NEWDELHI, MAY 7 shocked…” outside liquorstores, the Delhi submitcomplaintagainstgirl Afterher father dieda government has launcheda ADAY afterthe bodyofa decade ago,Malik,anativeof website—www.qtoken.in —for woman constablewas foundin UP's Muzaffarnagar,shiftedto people to applyfor e-tokens to privateGurgaon school, jumped seizedbyGurgaon Police and South Delhi’s Lodhi Colony,po- Delhi to prepare forthe IPS buy liquor at apre-decidedtime. SOMYALAKHANI ‘Everything willbe offthe 11th floorofhis building sent to the forensics depart- lice found that her husband, exam. “Anyone who wantstoavoid GURGAON, MAY7 verified before legal while his parentswereathome. ment. Asenior Gurgaon police also ahead constable, allegedly Her familysaidshe wasthe long queuehas to applythrough Police saidaguardsaw him in a officer said the boy’s parents shothimself in Meerut's firstperson in the family to join theweb link andane-token will THE PARENTSofa17-year-old action istaken. It’s a poolofblood and alertedhis have also handed over “chats Jamalpur Wednesday. The spotinLodhi Colony the police forceand wasthe sole be sent to the registered mobile boy, who committed suicide in sensitive matterand parents. He wasrushedtoa found in hisphone thathehad Renu Malik (32) wasfound whereconstable Renu Malik breadwinner. number.The personcan then go Gurgaon lateMonday night, hospital wherehewas declared with his group of friends hours dead with ahead injuryinside wasfounddead “I met didi before thelock- to thenearbyshop, showthe e- have submitted awritten com- we will approachit dead on arrival. before he committed suicide”. acar,whichpolice later found down… My mother doesn’t tokenand buyliquor. This will plaint to Gurgaon Police against carefullyasitinvolves Beforethe alleged suicide, The officer said that in the belonged to Manoj’scolleague. knowwhat to do now. Due to help reduce overcrowding and aminor girl, who had in apur- aminor,’ said DCP twoscreenshots had emerged chats, whichare several pages Manoj had borrowedthe waslater founddead in the lockdown, we can’t go to ensuresocial distancing,” the ported social media postraised on socialmedia of agirlalleging long and spread across afew carfromhis friend,allegedly Jamalpur village. It is suspected Delhi. We will wait tillthis allis government said in astatement. allegations of being molested (East) Chander Mohan she had been molestedtwo hours, the boywrote he was killedhis wifeand fledto that he killedhimself. over,” said Digvijay. The websitecrashedwithinmin- by him twoyearsago. years agointhe basement of her stressedseveral times,and also Meerut, said police. Whilepolice suspecta The woman had allegedly utes of being launched officially DCP (East) Chander Mohan We areconducting an inquiry building. The postendedwith asked hisfriends to keep talk- Malik waspostedwith the marital discord lead to thein- lefther home in Kotla due to high traffic, officials said. told The IndianExpress,“On and everything willbeverified the girl, whose Instagram ac- ing to him. Apoliceofficersaid COVID cell in OuterNorth dis- cident, Malik’s familysaid they Mubarakpur and wasliving Meanwhile,theexcisedepart- Wednesdayevening, the boy's before anylegal action is taken. count has nowbeen deleted, that no suicide note has been trict, while Manoj worked neverknewofany fights or withher uncle in Burari. mentwrote to DelhiPolice’sCyber parentssubmitted acomplaint It’s asensitive matter and we naming the person. Asenior of- found yet. with Delhi Police's Special discord. Her familysaid Malik had Cell,demanding actionagainst againstthe girl who posted will approachitcarefullyasit ficer said the girland herpar- Gurgaon Policehas also Cell. Herbrother,Digvijaysaid,“I neverspokenabout leaving some who were acceptingorders something regarding apastin- involves aminor.” ents“have notbeenapproached ropedinits Cyber Celland will Policedid notfind Manoj at spoketothemoverthe phone home. forhome delivery of liquoronso- cidentonsocial media. No FIR Around 11.30 pm Monday by thepoliceyet”. be scanning the boy’s other the couple’s home. DCP Atul on Monday. They talked about The couple had been mar- cialmediaanddupingpeople.ENS has been filedinthe matter yet. night, the boy, who studied at a The boy’s phonehas been gadgets. Kumar Thakur (South) said he their work andhow theywere riedfor over eight years.

Paschimanchal Vidyut Vitran Nigam Ltd., Victoria Park, Meerut TENDER DATE EXTENSION NOTICE The Date of opening of tender specification no. PVVNL-MT/COM/20/19-20 for supply of 500 nos. 33 KV TVM Cat-C Meter is hereby extended from 05.05.2020 to 20.05.2020. Time of opening tender and other terms &conditions shall remain unchanged. For detailed information please log on www.pvvnl.org &E-Tendering website www.etender.up.nic.in till the dateofsubmission of bids. Superintending Engineer (Commercial) “Help line Number for Information of TheftofElectricity: “1800-180-3002 (Meerut), &9412207451”. Remark:- www.etender.up.nic.in Sd/- Superintending Engineer (Commercial) For Managing Director “SAVE ELECTRICITY IN THE INTEREST OF THE NATION” RO No. 3834, Dt. 06.05.2020

GUJARATMEDICAL SERVICES CORPORATION LIMITED (A Government of Gujarat Undertaking) Regd. Office :BlockNo. 14/1, Dr.Jivraj Mehta Bhavan, Sector-10, Gandhinagar lnstitute Of Hotel Management, Catering Technology And 079-23250767, 23250766, 23257698 Applied Nutrition TENDERNOTICE:D-01/2020-2021 Sector-34, Uparawara, Atal Nagar,Nava Raipur,Distt. Raipur,Chhattisgarh Tenders are invited onlinefrom reputed Manufactures/formulators Phone No. 0771-2972411, [email protected] /direct importers forPurchase of Tablet &Capsules, Injections e-Procurement Tender Notice and Miscellaneous items on rate contract basis and details of Main Portal :https://eproc.cgstate.gov.in specification, quantity is available on https://gmscl.gujarat.gov.in No. 217/Store/IHM/2020 Atal Nagar,Nava Raipur,Dated 06/05/2020 and www.statetenders.com. All tender documents can be Institute Of Hotel Management, Atal Nagar Nava Raipur Invites downloaded free on the website: https://gmscl.nprocure.com & Proposals From Reputed Organization For Below Mentioned Tender: Tender Notice.Interested biders are requested to submit the Tender NIT No. tender through e-tender process. Notice Inviting Tender for Supply,Installation, 217/Store/IHM/2020 Duration of Downloading of tender document (online) :- Commissioning and Testing Kitchen Equipments and 08/05/2020 to 29/05/2020 up to 15.55 Hrs. Furniture at Institute of Hotel Management, Catering Technology and Applied Nutrition Sector-34, Uparawara, Last date forSubmission (online): 29/05/2020 up to 18-00 HRS. Atal Nagar,Nava Raipur,Distt. Raipur,Chhattisgarh Last date forSubmission of Physical document : 30/05/2020 up to Last Date &Time for bid submission -On 28/05/2020 upto 03:00 p.m. 18-00 HRS Date and time of bid Opening 28/05/2020 at 04:00 p.m. hrs. Opening of Technical Bid Date (online): 01/06/2020 At 15-00 HRS. The all details of applications and terms and conditions are available on INF/74/20-21 MANAGING DIRECTOR the website www.tourism.cg.gov.in Any amendments/modificationinthe tender document ,will be uploaded on the website and shall not be published in any newspaper. Sd/- Principal 220 Institute of Hotel Management, Nava Raipur

ODISHA STATEMEDICAL CORPORATION LTD. (A Govt. of Odisha Undertaking) CAD-02 (Assuring Quality,Saving lives) Phone No. :(0674) 2380608 Website: www.osmcl.nic.in E-mail: [email protected] No.03/OSMC/HR/2020 Date:07.05.2020 Advertisement for recruitment (Revised Dateline) In view of the lockdown due to COVID 19 situation and in pursuance of Odisha State Medical Corporation Ltd. (OSMCL) advertisementno. 02/OSMCL/HR/2020,dated 07.03.2020 published for the postsofSr. Manager-IT,Biomedical Engineer and Logistics Assistant and Office Order No. 4131, dated 06.04.2020, the last date of submission of online application form is further extended to 31.05.2020, 11:59 PM and the last date for receipt of applications and documentsbyspeed post/ registered post is further extended to 12.06.2020, 5:30 PM. Applications received by Speed Post /Registered Postafter 12.06.2020, 5:30 PM for the aforesaid post will be rejected. Sd/- Managing Director INVITATION FOR BIDS (IFB) Odisha State Medical Corporation Ltd. 10112/11/0005/2021 NATIONAL COMPETITIVE BIDDING

O.05 THROUGH E-PROCUREMENT GOVERNMENT OF CHHATTISGARH, IDENTIFICATION NO: RWS&S DIVIN., PURI -01 OF 2020-21 WATER RESOURCES DEPARTMENT
((06752) 251276, Fax :- (06752) 251276 E-mail:[email protected] OFFICE OF THE CHIEF ENGINEER The Executive Engineer,RWS&S Division, Puri on behalf of Governor of Odisha invites Percentage rate price bids through e-procurement in MAHANADI GODAWARI BASIN RAIPUR (C.G.) double cover system according to the norms of e-procurement system. e-PROCUREMENT TENDER NOTICE in on-line mode from eligible contractors. eProcurement Portal: https://eproc.cgstate.gov.in Sl. Nature of work: Rural Piped Water Supply (1st Call ) No. 1 No. of works: 01 (One) CORRIGENDUM No. 03 2 Estimated Cost: Rs 404.79 lakhs (app.) 3 Time for completion: 12 (Twelve) months Following amendments are made in System Tender No. 61519/NIT 4 Cost of bidding document: Rs.10000/- No. 19/SAC/2019-20, Gariaband, Dated 28.02.2020 AND System 5 Class of Contractors A&Special Tender No. 61521/NIT No. 20/SAC/2019-20, Gariaband, Dated eligible: 28.02.2020 Advertisement No. 80152 /Dated 22.04.2020 :- 6 Availability of bids on-line: From 17 hour of 07.05.2020 to 17.00 hours of 30.05.2020 S. PARTICULARS EARLIER AMENDMENT 7 Last dateand time for 17.00 hours of 27.05.2020 No. seeking clarification: 8 Date &time of opening of On dt 01.06.2020 at 11.00 Hours in the 1Bid Download, 28.04.2020, 13.05.2020, technical bids: office of the Executive Engineer, Last Date &Time :17:30 Hours 17:30 Hours RWS&S Division, Puri (All documents should be submitted in online only.No 2Bid Open Start 29.04.2020, 14.05.2020, original documents should be dropped Date &Time :11:31 Hours 11:31 Hours in dropping box before opening of Note :- All other terms and conditions will remain be unchanged. technical bid in Division Office). 9 Date and time of opening To be decided. Sd/- of financial bids: Executive Engineer Further details can be seen from the website Water Resources Division, Gariaband https://www.tendersorissa.gov.in. for,Chief Engineer,Mahanadi Godawari Basin Sd/- Executive Engineer, 80498 Water Resources Department, Raipur (C.G.) 25017/11/0001/2021 RWS&S Division, Puri

New Delhi WWW.INDIANEXPRESS.COM 5 THEINDIANEXPRESS,FRIDAY,MAY8,2020 THE OUTBREAK Nation 2BSFmenfalltoCOVID-19, 111 more corona deaths, 480casesinparamilitary butrecord staysgoodon CORONA fatality, recovery rates WATCH Noida, including 41 from BSF,37 Police forinternalsecurity duty the infections have been re- DEEPTIMANTIWARY from ITBP,one from CRPF and during the pandemic. Of the 41 portedfromacompanyde- NEWDELHI,MAY7 the others from CISF and SSB. newinfections, 12 arefromthe ployedwith Delhi Police in Of the twoBSF personnel companythatwas deployedon Shastri Parkonlaw andorder EXPRESSNEWSSERVICE TWOBSF personnel succumbed who died, officials said, one had lawand orderduty in Jama duty. NEWDELHI,MAY7 to Covid-19 as thetotal number akidneyailment. Sourcessaid Masjid and Chandni Mahal ar- ForCRPF,the force’s Mayur of infections in the border force the patient had been undergo- eas. This companyof94person- Vihar camphas emergedasa REITERATINGTHE country’s reached193, officials said ing treatment at the BSF’s RK nel has73positive cases. hotspotwith137 cases, and one good recordinbothcase fatality Thursday. Puram hospitaland contracted The CISF has recorded13 death. ratesand recovery ratesof The newinfections have the disease during avisit to asu- cases in Delhi, including11per- “Whathas worsenedthe sit- COVID-19, the government on takenthe number of cases in the perspeciality hospital fordialy- sonnel deployedatMetro sta- uation is thatalarge majorityof Thursdaysaid the number of paramilitarytoover480, includ- sis. tions and the rest at IGI airport. cases have been without symp- novelcoronavirus cases had ing 162inCRPF,82inITBP,32in Officials said the other victim The forcealsoreportedthe death toms and soldiers largely live in gone up by 3,561inthe last 24 CISF and 17 in SSB. Most of these was45yearsold, had no co- of ahead constable, who was barrackswhere proximity is nat- hours, with 111 moredying. This Migrantsbuy train cases have been reportedfrom morbidities, and diedMonday, postedatthe Mumbaiinterna- ural,” aparamilitaryofficer said. takesthe total number of cases ticketsatastadiumin Delhi, exceptfor about 30 BSF within twodays of developing tional airport, due to Covid-19. Taking to Twitter,Home to 52,952 and deaths to 1,783. So Ludhiana. GurmeetSingh cases in Tripuraand 19 from CISF symptoms. His test resultscame All the SSB, ITBP and CRPF cases MinisterAmit Shah said he was far, 15,266peoplehaverecov- Women lineuptoreceive Rs 500intheir Jan Dhan accounts in other parts of thecountry. twodaysafter his death. arefromDelhi. “deeplypainedtoknowabout ered. Assam’s Baksa district on Thursday. Dasarath Deka On Thursday, 90 paramilitary BSF spokesperson At the ITBP’s Tigri camp in the loss of our twobrave”BSF Health MinisterDrHarsh JEE Advanced personneltestedpositive at the Shubhendu Bharadwaj said South Delhi, whereone death soldiers. In an official statement, Vardhan said: “India is in abetter Central ArmedPolice Force’s mostofthosewho have got in- has been reported, the case the BSF said that the forcewas condition than manyother whichhavenot had anynew have notreportedasingle case to be held on Referral Hospital in Greater fected were deployed withDelhi count has reached72. The rest of “grief stricken” over the deaths. countries as the fatality rate is case in 14-20 days,and 136dis- till date. August 23 3.3%and recovery rate is 28.83%. trictswith no newcases since “Statesneedtofocus on more Thereare 4.8% patientsinICU, the last21-28 days.Healso re- effectivesurveillance, contact 1.1% on ventilatorsand 3.3%on viewedthe situation in West tracing and early diagnosis to NewDelhi: JEE (Advanced), oxygen support, among the ac- Bengal, Uttar Pradesh and keep the fatalityratelow. the entrancetestfor IITs, will tive cases. The testing capacity Odisha. Surveillance forSevereAcute be held on August23, HRD has increasedand it is 95,000 Besides, 13 states/Union ter- RespiratoryInfections /Influenza MinisterRameshPokhriyal testsper day, with 327govern- ritories, including Andaman and LikeIllnesses shouldbeintensi- said Thursday.The exam, ear- ment laboratories and118 pri- Nicobar Islands, Arunachal fied in unaffected districtsand lier scheduledtobeheld on vate laboratories. Cumulatively, Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Goa, districtswhichhavenot reported May17, wasdeferredbecause 13,57,442tests have been done Jharkhand, Himachal Pradesh, cases forthe last 14 days and of the lockdown. Earlier this so far.” Jammu &Kashmir,Kerala, more, through the IDSPnetwork week,Pokhriyal saidthat JEE He addedthat thereare cur- Ladakh,Manipur,Meghalaya, in collaboration withmedical (Main), the qualifying exam rently180 districtswithnonew Mizoram and Odisha, have not collegehospitals. Suchmeasures forJEE (Advanced), will be cases in the pastweek, 180dis- reportedany case in the past24 will help indicatethe presence of held between July 18 and23. trictswith no newcases in hrs. Daman &Diu, Sikkim, anypossible hidden infectionat Resultsfor JEE (Advanced) are seven-13days,164 districts Nagaland and Lakshadweep an early stage,” Vardhan said. usuallydeclaredwithin withintwo weeksofthe test. IIT-Delhi, this year’s organis- Cadila plant in ing institute, is trying to see if Testing capacity resultscan bedeclaredearlier, Gujaratshutas giventhe loss of time. ENS mostlydependent 26 employees TAMILNADU test positive Retirment age on foreignfirms increased for EXPRESSNEWSSERVICE govt employees ones and twoKorean ones. AHMEDABAD,MAY7 KARISHMAMEHROTRA It is the shortage of essential Chennai: The Tamil Nadu gov- NEWDELHI,MAY7 components that has made THE AHMEDABAD districtau- ernment Thursdayincreased India’s antibody testing capacity thorities on Thursdaydirected the retirement agefor itsem- With no transportavailable, amigrant walking backhomerests on afootpath in PuneonThursday. Ashish Kale INDIA’STESTING capacitycontin- almostentirelyreliant on foreign Cadila Pharmaceuticals at Trasad ployees from 58 to 59 years. uesto bemajorly reliantonglobal companies. India has begun to villageinDholka tehsil in the dis- This has been done to avoid supplychains even as domestic source thesecomponentsfrom trict to shutdownits operations the immediateburden that manufacturing of other COVID- countries like China,where the till further orders after26ofits falls on the government to re- 77 inmates, 19-relatedrequirementshasbeen outbreakbeganearlierandscien- employees tested positive for cruit newemployees and Nashik doctor tests positive, rapidly ramped up. tists have had the opportunity to COVID-19. makeprovident fund,gratu- An examination of procure- synthesise them. While five employees were ity and other payments. The 26 staffers ment and companyapprovals An official of aforeign com- foundpositive on May5,21more order,which wastobeen- advisedhome isolation, but shows that foreignfirms account pany, whichisprovidingRT-PCR tested positive on Wednesday forced withimmediateeffect, test positive forthe largest chunkofcompany extraction kitsfor the Centre and forcingthe authorities to shut said the decision is applicable approvalsfor COVID-19diagnos- severalstates, told The Indian down the unit where1,200-1,600 foremployees from all state neighbours bar his entry at Arthur tic materialsinthe country. Express thatthe obstacle forRT- employees worked in twoshifts. cadres and departments, in- Accordingto theCentralDrugs PCRkitswasmore infrastructural. “Weare shutting down the of- cludingteachersofall gov- tientshaving requisitefacility at tiser.Thereare fewfacilities here StandardControl Organisation “Other countries that have been fice and the packaging unit after ernment and government- ABHAGORADIA his/herresidenceforself-isolation to isolateand take care of oneself. Road jail (CDSCO) listreleasedon doingthisformonthshave aneas- theemployees testedpositive.Of aidedinstitutions. ENS MUMBAI,MAY7 willhave theoptionforhomeiso- At home, Icould have had things Wednesday, 85 of 95 (close to 90 ier time scaling upthanIndia,” he thosetested, 21 were found to be lation”. atmy disposal.Neitherthehospi- per cent) approvedantibody test said. positive.Theywerenot justfrom UTTAR PRADESH JUST ABOUTafortnightago,when But the residentsof‘Rushiraj talauthorities, northe municipal SADAFMODAK kit manufacturers areforeign Among other COVID-19-re- Dholka,but camefrom Dr SanjayGangurde (56), an ENT Hi-rise Society’ reportedlyheld a corporation, nor the police are MUMBAI,MAY7 companies. Similarly,11out of 21 lated requirements, the highest Gandhinagar,Ahmedabad, Murder convict surgeon at the Nashik Civil meeting anddecidedtobar his willing to intervene. My wifeis (morethan50percent)ICMR-ap- importedcategoryisN-95masks, Kheda and other parts.They in Agra jail Hospitalreturnedfromwork, his entry. Dr Gangurde said he got terriblyupset,” Dr Gangurde told ATOTAL of 77 inmates and26 provedRT-PCRmanufacturersare of which40per cent (1 croreof should have takenmorecarees- neighbours hailedhim as a“co- phone calls from the building’s TheIndianExpress.Hesaidhewas staffers at theMumbai Central foreign. Sixty per cent of the ap- 2.49crore units)ispurchased peciallywhen afew people were testspositive rona warrior” and clappedand committeemembers,tellinghim finallygiven asanitiser when he Jail, popularly known as the provedrapidantibodytest manu- from abroad. Second is personal found positive aboutaweekback. whistledforhim.ButonTuesday, nottoreturnhome.Andwhenhe asked forit. Arthur Road jail, have tested facturers areChinese. protective equipment (PPEs), of Theyshould have takenprecau- Lucknow: Panic has gripped afterfindingoutthathehadtested still went on Tuesday,hewas not ButDrSureshJagdale,District positive forCOVID-19, Similarly,India’s recent pro- whichone-third(80 lakh of 2 tions. In continuation of the con- the Agra Central Jail aftera positive,DrGangurde said they allowedtoenter thebuilding. Civil Surgeon, said: “He is notina MaharashtraHome Minister curement of 35 lakh RT-PCR tests crore)hasbeenorderedfromfor- tact tracing, we tested moreand 60-year-old murder convict did notallow him to enter the When contacted,some com- quarantine facility but at aCOVID Anil Deshmukh said on by theDepartment of Health eign companies. then we got these 21 moreem- imprisoned theretestedpos- building. mitteemembersof thesocietyre- carecentre.Hehas been kept in a Thursday, aday afteritemerged Research is 90 per cent imported, “Domesticproduction(of PPE) ployees,”saidArun Babu,District itivefor the coronavirus, days Dr Gangurde, also the acting fusedtocomment, while others specialroom,andIcanassureyou that one prisonerand two according to adetailedpresenta- wasnothingbefore this,and now Development Officer of afterbeing admitted to SN civilsurgeonatthehospital,tested did notrespondtocalls. itisnotastorage room.Iagreethat guards were infected. tion on May1by PDVaghela, 1.87 lakh are beingmade every Ahmedabad who visited Dholka Medical Collegedue to high positiveonTuesday. Amessage Thedoctor saidhehad no op- facilitiesthereare notakinto what Inmates who have tested Secretary, Department of day,”said Vaghelaatthe May1 on Wednesdayevening before blood pressureand abrain wassooncirculatedonWhatsApp tion but to remain at the Nashik youcan expectatone’s home. He positive will be shiftedtoSt PharmaceuticalsandChairmanof pressconference. the decision to shut down the fa- stroke.While the jail author- groups that “a civil hospital doc- Civil Hospital. While the 100-bed hasbeen holding avital position George andGTHospital on the EmpoweredGroup on PPEs, Vaghela emphasisedthe un- cility wastaken. ities were notabletoconfirm torliving in Nashik’s Gangapur hospitalisaCOVID-19treatment in thehospital and we aretaking Fridaymorning. Theywereseg- ventilators, etc. precedented levels of procure- Asenior administrative offi- the source of infection as the Road has been found to be posi- centre, Dr Gangurde said he has adequate careofhim.” regatedwithin the jail premises Even afterthe Indian Council ment by the government, espe- cer from the district said that prisoner wasnot in contact tive”. isolatedhimselfinastorage room, Twootherdoctorsofthe hos- on Thursdayevening. The in- of Medical Research halted the ciallyfor products that India has apart from itsmainoffice, the with anyoutsider forthe last Thedoctorlivesin‘Rushiraj Hi- while his wife, atehsildar,isinan pital have tested positive so far. fected prison staffers will also be useof antibodytest kitsaftertheir been able to sourceentirelydo- pharma firm has apackaging unit twomonths,14other prison- rise Society’ on Gangapur Road. adjoiningroom.Sheiswaitingfor Meanwhile, Dr Gangurde’s shiftedtoaquarantine facility,a faultyresults, the latestapproval mestically. Allofthe 1.3lakhpur- in Dholka. “The packaging unit ers who were in closeprox- Since Dr Gangurde was hertest report.Theirmealsarebe- sons,bothstudyingintheUS,have prison official said. listshows acontinuingrelianceon chasedoxygencylindersarefrom has alsobeen asked to shut. The imity with him in the lastfew asymptomatic, he wasadvised ing arranged by their friends. sought help from the authorities Officials claimedthat mostof Chinese-made products. Indian manufacturers, and an- company’sresearch unitwhichis weekshavebeen kept in a home isolation. The Health “Iusedtodistributemasksand in asocial media post. the 77 inmates were lodged in CDSCO’s antibody testing kit other 5lakh industrial oxygen situated near Gandhinagar has separatequarantinefacilityat Ministry’s guidelinesspecify that sanitisersto alldoctors.Hereatthe -WITHINPUTSFROM the same barrack as the firstin- approval listonApril 5featured cylinderswillbeconverted into been allowedtocontinueits op- the jail itself. ENS “verymild/pre-symptomaticpa- hospital, Ihavenomaskorsani- ZEESHANSHAIKH matewho hadtestedpositiveon no Indian companies, 27 Chinese medical ones. erations,” the officer said. Tuesday. Following this, swabs of 144peopleweresent fortests over the lasttwo days.The bar- After MLA posts video of corpses next to rack has 500inmates in all. Parliament to consider virtual Asked if testsare being con- ducted on theremaining prison- COVID patients, probe at Sion hospital ers in thebarrack,aseniorjail of- meetingsfor House panels ficial said that so far, 270people some cases abedsheetcovered Local corporator AshrafAzmi bers arenot available or don’t an- have been conducted,including general of both Houses to exam- distancing norms,” said the EXPRESSNEWSSERVICE the plastic wrapping.The video said he had receivedseveral swer callsfollowing deathofa prison staff, but“precautionsare LIZMATHEW ine the pros and cons of such a source. MUMBAI,MAY7 is allegedly from ward number complaintsfrompatientsinthe patient. In some cases theyre- being taken”. Thereisalso con- NEWDELHI,MAY7 process. “The report of the two Earlier,Congress leaders 3, an COVID-19isolation ward at hospital about the delayindis- fuse to take charge of the body cern that the 26 prison staffers topofficials of Parliament will Anand Sharma, who heads the AVIDEO by aBJP MLApurport- the Lokmanya Tilak Municipal posal of bodies. “I had inquired fearing infection risk.These lead who have testedpositivemay PRESIDINGOFFICERS of the Lok form the basis foraconsidered Standing Committee on Home edly showing bodies of dead pa- Hospital, commonlyreferredto about thistwo weeksago with to delays in the disposal of bod- have interactedwith many Sabha and RajyaSabha on decision by both the Presiding Affairs, and IT Committee chair- tientsnexttoCOVID patientsat as Sion hospital. Afamilymem- the hospital.Iwastold that there ies in certain cases, he said. “It more, including inmates from Thursdaydecidedtoexplorethe Officers in the matter,” an official man Shashi Tharoor had written Sion hospital has promptedan berofapatient is also seen, even is ashortage of classIVstaffers our responsibility to hand over other barracksand jail officials. possibility of holding parliamen- note releasedafter themeeting to Naidu and Birla, respectively, inquiryintothe incident. though visitors arebarredac- forthis job,” Azmi said. all bodies with dignity at the ear- An official said that 93 tary panel meetings via video- said. seekingpermission to convene The Brihanmumbai cording to rules. He said manpowershortage liest. We do notknowwhether staffers have been on rotational conferencing, even as the “Theyfelt that if thesituation the meetings. MunicipalCorporation(BMC), The Health Ministryguide- remainsamajorhurdle in run- this video wastaken before duty in the jail since the lock- Opposition has been pushing for does notallow regular conven- The parliamentarypanels, whichruns the hospital, on lines mandatethat abody must ning the hospital smoothly. guidelines were issued on May down, including jailors and organisingthese meetings on tional meetings of the whichstudy anddeliberateon Thursdayset up acommittee to be disposedatthe earliesttopre- “Bodiesremain in the ward fora 2orafter that.Wewill take ac- prison guards. virtual platforms. Committees in the near future, Bills and budgetsofall the min- look intowhy the bodieswere vent infection risk.The guide- long time unless awardboy tion accordingly,” Ingale said. Arthur Road jail is one of the Thereare indications that it alternative means of enabling istries, have notbeen function- notremoved.Itasked the hospi- lines saythe body must be movesitout,” he said. He added “Civic hospitals generally mostovercrowdedjails in the could take longertorestorenor- suchmeetingsmay be ex- ing due to thelockdown since taltoconfirm whether the inci- sealedinaplastic bag to avoid that similar issues have arisenin avoid transfer of aCOVID-19 country. It currentlyhouses malcy and lifttravelrestrictions, plored,” it said. March24. Thesecretariatsof denttook placeinits premises, leakageoffluids and disinfected KEM and Nair hospital that are body to mortuarytokeep mor- 2,800inmates againstits capac- and the “next viable option” According to asource, with both Houses were notinfavour and to take action againstthose with sodium hypochloritesolu- running at full capacity but do tuarystaffers safe.Noautopsy is ity of only800.“Following social could be considered“because the number of COVID-cases of holdingvirtualmeetings,cit- responsible forkeeping bodies tion. Maharashtra’s guidelines nothave100per cent staffatten- being performed. Most bodies distancing norms is notpracti- the meetings cannot be put off crossing 52,000,restrictions on ing the confidentiality clause. forhours in wardswherepa- on April 30 mandated that a dance. arehandedovertofamilyfrom callypossibleinjailslikethis... indefinitely”, sources said. travel and gatherings could con- Sources said both the pre- tientsare undergoing treatment. body mustberemovedwithin Sion hospital occasionally the ward directly. If thereisade- So, we aretakingsteps to ensure Afterameeting between tinue forafew moremonths. siding officers were advised The video showspatientsly- 30 minutes from award. In line records half-a-dozen COVID-19 laythe body continues to remain that eachinmateand stafferre- Vice-President MVenkaiah “Without air travel, MPs will not that video-conferencing could ing on their beds, and next to with this, Sionhospital issued deaths in asingle day. According there. Staffers arealso scared in main safebysegregating who- Naidu and Lok Sabha Speaker be able to attend meetings. Once notbepossible as committee them,onfour beds, arebodies fresh guidelines on May2todis- to dean Dr PramodIngale, on handling dead bodies,” aforensic ever needs to be isolated,” an of- Om Birla at theformer’sresi- airtraffic opensup, meetings can meetings arestrictlyin-camera wrappedinblackplastic. In pose bodies. severaloccasions,familymem- doctor from the hospital said. ficial said. dence, theydirected secretaries be held while following social events.

New Delhi WWW.INDIANEXPRESS.COM 6 THEINDIANEXPRESS,FRIDAY,MAY8,2020 THE OUTBREAK Nation

Cancer patient, Navy to charge Indian Assam’s first nationals it evacuates COVIDcase, beats virus the Indian Navy or Air Forcehas liversupplies, medical relief, and SHUBHAJITROY neverchargedIndians forevacu- safepassage,” he said. ABHISHEKSAHA NEWDELHI,MAY7 atingthem. In his paper on “India’s GUWAHATI,MAY7 Constantino Xavier,aFellow ExpatriateEvacuation THE GOVERNMENT will forthe (foreign policy) at the New Operations: Bringing the ASSAM’S FIRSTCOVID-19pa- firsttimecharge Indian nation- Delhi-basedthink tank DiasporaHome”publishedat tient,a52-year-old man suffer- alswho arebeingevacuated by Brookings India, told TheIndian Carnegie India in January2017, ing from cancer and diabetes, has Indian Navy ships. Earlier evac- Express,“Involving the Navy in Xavier—who has done research recoveredfromthe disease after uation operations by theNavy repatriation poses adilemma. It on everyIndian evacuationop- undergoing treatment forovera were notchargedtothe willprobablymakefor badop- eration from 1947 to 2016 — month.His recovery,doctors say, passengers. tics to see Indian citizens paying wrote, “The navy has, in many is remarkable as his ailments The Indian High Commission their wayontoanIndian Navy ways,already takenthe lead, made him morevulnerable. in Male told the strandedIndians ship to ensuresafepassage withits 2007 maritime strategy Aresident of Karimganj dis- on Thursdaythattheywillhave home, whichwould also go listing ‘actions to assist the trict in Barak Valley, the man is a to pay$40 —about Rs 3,028 —as againstthe military’s ethos of Indian diasporaand Indian inter- senior member of the Tablighi “evacuation services charge”for service. On the other hand, if ests abroad’asa‘likelyscenario’ Jamaat. He wasamadrasa repatriation by INS Jalashwa on theyare exemptedfromthe pay- forthe use of militaryforce.” In teacher and ranasmall business. Friday. per-use principle setout by the paper,Xavier quoted the He wasfoundtobesuffering In February-March 2011,dur- MHA/MEA,there will be resent- then Navy chief Admiral NK from blood cancer in February. ing the Arab spring, when an op- ment amongcitizens from other Verma in 2011,who described On March 5, amid his cancer eration to evacuate16,400 countries that will have to buy theseevacuation ops as a“new treatment, he attendedthe Indians wascarriedout from their wayhome on an Air India priority”. Tablighi Jamaat meeting in Delhi, Libya,Indian Navy ships INS plane,” he said, pointing out that Accordingtothe Navy,ithas and upon his return, tested pos- Jalashwa, INS Mysore and INS citizens in Male come home free launchedOperation “Samudra itive forCOVID-19. OnMarch 31, Aditya were pressedintoservice, on INS, but from Dhaka have to Setu” —meaning “Sea Bridge”, as Astudent returns afterpurchasing booksatamarketinChandigarh’s Sector 19 on Thursday. Kamleshwar Singh the man wasdeclared the state’s but no payment wascharged payRs12,000. partofanationalefforttorepa- firstcoronavirus patient and ad- from the evacuees. “In anycase, militaries are triateIndian citizens from over- mitted to the Silchar Medical The decision to charge usuallyinvolvedonlyasanaux- seas. Indian NavalShips Jalashwa Collegeand Hospital (SMCH). Indians this time flows from the iliary forcewhen evacuationop- and Magar will evacuate1,000 “It wasatoughtime forthe Home Ministry’s guidelines, erations areheld in avolatile se- people, keeping in mind COVID- family. Me and my brother took whichsaid, “The costoftravel, as curity context, especiallyin related social distancing norms 4hospitalsclearedtojoin WHO him to theSMCHthatday and we specifiedbyCivil Aviation conflict areas, as in Yemen vis-a-vis the carrying capacity were quarantinedafter he tested MinistryorDepartment of (2015). In the current crisis, with and medical facilities available positive.Fortunately, we tested MilitaryAffairs will be borne by the government focusingona onboard. “The evacuated per- negative,and so didother mem- suchtravellers.” civilian evacuation on commer- sonnelwill be disembarkedat bers of our family,” his sontold While Air India is charging cial basis in peacetime, it may Kochi, Kerala, and entrusted to Solidaritytrial,moretofollow The Indian Express over the forthe evacuation of Indians makemoresense to use the the careofstate authorities,” phone. from different parts of theworld, Indian Navy and Air Forcetode- it said. The patient wasdischarged arealreadyregistered, some are trial aims to rapidlydiscover studiesprovidedsomeindications Wednesday andsentfor obser- KAUNAINSHERIFFM close to registration, and many whether anyofthe drugs slow of the possible benefit of chloro- vation for14daysatahospital NEWDELHI,MAY7 moreare intheprocessof obtain- disease progression or improve quinephosphateagainstpneumo- close to his residence. “Wewere MHA nod for Rath construction, ing approval from their ethics survival. Other drugs can be nia causedbyCOVID-19, butthey told that blood cancer made his FOUR COVID-19treatment cen- committee,” she said. addedbasedonemerging evi- needconfirmation through ran- situation worse. But by God’s tres, in Jodhpur,Ahmedabad, The four whichhavebeen dence,” says theWHO website. domisedtrials,the WHOhas said. grace he made it through. Now says Odisha to decide on yatra Chennai and Bhopal, have re- clearedsofar arefromcitiesthat Dr Godbole confirmedthat Remdesivirisadrug with an- the cancer treatment will con- ceivedregulatoryapprovals for have reportedahighcaseload:AI- India will be testing all the four tiviral properties that wasmanu- tinue,” his son said. “However, decisions regard- said. It saidthe Centre’s lockdown taking partin“Solidarity” —the IMSinJodhpur,ApolloHospitalin treatment options. Remdesivir, facturedbyaUS-based biotech- Dr Babul Bezbaruah, princi- DEEPTIMANTIWARY ing holdingofRathaYatrabe guidelines would be fullyimple- WorldHealth Organisation’s Chennai,BJMedical Collegeand whichisexclusively manufactured nology companyin2014, to treat pal of SMCH, said the man’s NEWDELHI,MAY7 takenbythe stategovernment mented. (WHO) international clinical trial Civil HospitalinAhmedabadand by GileadintheUS,andInterferon Ebolacases;itwasalsotriedinpa- treatment was“very difficult”, keeping in viewthe conditions In response,the MHA wrote to helpfindaneffective treatment ChirayuMedical College and beta-1a, “have been donatedby tientsofMERSand SARS, both withhis condition deteriorating THE CENTRE has leftittothe prevailing at thatpoint of time,” that “...activity of Rath construc- fornovelcoronavirus—andmore HospitalinBhopal.Thecasecount WHO fortrial in India,”she said. causedbycoronaviruses. in mid-April. Dr Bezbaruah said Odisha government to take acall the MHA wrote. tion is allowed...subject to the areset to follow. so faris842 in Jodhpur,2,644 in “Allfourtreatmentswillbetested. On May1,the US Food and ahigh-levelteam wasconsti- on holding itsannual Rath Yatra Odisha had told the ministry conditions... that no religious con- Confirming this, Dr Sheela Chennai, 4,991inAhmedabad, Patientswhoarewillingto partic- DrugAdministration(USFDA)au- tuted to advise on his treatment —anindication that religious that the Jagannath Temple man- gregationtakesplace in the Rath- Godbole, Head, Division of and 605 in Bhopal. ipateand provide their informed thorisedthe emergency use of and monitor the prognosis on a congregationsmay be allowed aging committee had on May4 khala” and “complete segregation Epidemiology, ICMR-National According to the WHO web- consentwillbeallottedrandomly, Remdesivir as an experimental day-to-daybasis. “Itshould be a afterMay 17. decidedtobegin construction in of Ratha-khala is ensured”. AIDS Research Institute, and site, the Solidarity trial “will com- through acomputer programme, drug to treat severe cases of case forresearch.Hewas suffer- The religious procession at- in “Rath khala”, the area for “The newguidelines on lock- National Coordinator of the parefour treatment options to anyone of the four treatment COVID-19who arehospitalised ing from leukemia —agener- tracts close to 10 lakh devotees building the chariots.Ithad ar- down measures issuedbyMHA WHO-India SolidarityTrial,said againstthestandardofcare,to as- options,” Dr Godbole said. and needoxygenorventilators. alised andnot localisedcancer- eachyear andistypicallyheld in guedthat no congregation takes on 1stMay,2020, including the theICMRplans“toinitiatethetrial sess their relative effectiveness Chloroquine and hydroxy- Lopinavir/ Ritonavir is ali- whichmade his condition June-end or early July. place in the Rath khala, as it is a National Directivesfor Covid-19 at20-25clinicaltrialsitesinmany againstCOVID-19”. chloroquine areverycloselyre- censedtreatmentforHIV.Indiafirst complicated.His immunity was In response to aletterfrom workplace, and notapublicspot. Management, should be com- statesacross India”. The treatment optionsthat latedand usedtotreat malaria usedtheLopinavir/Ritonavircom- lowand he wasalready taking the Odishagovernment seeking “However, foreffective pulsorilyadhered to,” it stated. “These sites areinvarious have been selected are: and rheumatology conditions re- binationfortreatmentofanItalian anti-cancer drugs,” Dr permission for rath (chariot) COVlD-19management, com- The yatracoincides with the stagesofbeingapproved.Thesites Remdesivir;Lopinavir/Ritonavir; spectively.The ICMR has autho- couple who tested positivein Bezbaruah said. construction during the lock- plete segregation of the Rath- LordJagannath Rath Yatraheld requireapprovalfromtheirinsti- Lopinavir/ Ritonavir with risedhydroxychloroquineaspro- Rajasthan.However, WHOhassaid As of Thursdayafternoon, a down period, the Ministryof khalafromadjoiningGrandRoad in Gujarat, whichdoesn’t attract tutional ethicscommittees,and Interferon beta-1a; and phylaxis (preventive treatment), that while thereare indications total of 45 patients have reported Home Affairs (MHA) told the and adjoining propertiesby erect- as many devotees. have to be trained and updated Chloroquine or recommending it forhealthcare from laboratory experimentsthat positive forthe coronavirus in statethatconstruction maybe ing acloth partition wall can be Eid is expected to be cele- with the Drug Controller General Hydroxychloroquine. workers and thosetaking careof this combination maybeeffective, Assam. Thirty-four of them have startedbyfollowing adequate done so that public can be effec- brated on May23, days afterthe of India(DCGI) and Clinical Trials “By enrolling patientsinmul- COVID-19patientsathome. “studiesdonesofarinCOVID-19 pa- been discharged, 10 arebeing physical distancing norms. tively prohibited,” The statehad latestphaseof thelockdownends. Registry-India (CTRI). Some sites tiple countries, the Solidarity In China and France, small tientshavebeeninconclusive.” treated,and one has died. Maharashtraconsiders TN struggles to keep migrantworkers in state Cases rise, TN cashtransfers for migrants liquor shops open government, civil society and units, said mostunitshave to long queues worst-hit by COVID-19infec- ARUNJANARDHANAN employers even in absenceof failed to paywages forApril. SANDEEPASHAR tionsinIndia, lakhs of stranded CHENNAI,MAY7 jobs and non-payment of wages. “Theremay be 20 to 40 per cent Chennai: Amid aconstant surge MUMBAI,MAY7 workers aredesperatetoreturn However, formany, it will of migrant workers in our fac- in COVID-19infections and a to theirnativevillagesevenin WHILE THOUSANDS of migrant be difficult to continuelikethis tories... if theygoback, they newclusterofcases linked to the AFTER THE BJP-ruledstatesof the middle of the pandemic. workers in Tamil Nadu remain forlong. “It’s been morethan a maynot returnfor thenexttwo state’s largest vegetable market Haryana and Karnataka, The 11-member expertcom- cluelessabout returning to their month.Thereisnojob,” said or three months. That will af- in Koyambedu, the Tamil Nadu Maharashtratoo is considering mittee,comprisingseniorserving native villages in Odisha, Bihar, Mintoo Kumar,inhis early 30s, fect our operations.... The ma- government Thursdayopened cash transfers to persuade mi- and retired bureaucrats, which Jharkhand, West Bengaland among migrantsstrandedat jority (of units) had no money retail liquor outlets across the grant workers to stay back. wasset up by the state govern- Rajasthan amid confusingsig- Otteri in Chennai. Kumar,along to paywages, as therewas no state, aday afterannouncing a An expertpanel setupbythe mentearly lastmonthforsuggest- nals from the government, in- with other workersfrom production lastmonth,” Mohan 15 per cent increase in excise UddhavThackeray-ledgovern- ingwaystorevivethestate’secon- dustries in the stateare also anx- northern states, has been shel- said, referring to over 10 lakh duty on Indian MadeForeign ment has recommended direct omy, hassaidinits reportthatthe ious of the possibility of ahuge terednear apolice colonywith industries in the state. Liquor (IMFL), in abid to tackle bank transfers forthe next three unorganised sector has been the labour scarcity —aconcern re- food and provisionsand is try- TVenkat,who conducted a the deepening economic crisis. months forthe entire labour worst-hit due to the lockdown. flected in the exit strategies of ing to seek help from the au- random survey among migrant Tamil Nadu reported580 forceengaged in the unorgan- “With theeconomic activity the stategovernment. thorities to catchatrain forhis workers post-lockdown, said his newpositivecases Thursday, isedsector.Astate Cabinetsub- coming to ascreeching halt dur- According to asurveyby home in Bihar.“They promised team wasable to trackabout taking the total to 5,409. committee is expectedtodiscuss ing the lockdown, lakhs of daily Tamil Nadu’s Labour that theywillarrange but no fi- 18,000 workers —halfofthem Liquor outletsofthe Tamil the move on Friday. wage earners have almostgone Department, thereare about 10 nal word yet,” he said. “Food strandedinChennai. “Thereare Nadu StateMarketing The recommendation comes without earning asingle rupee for lakh inter-state migrant work- Afterarumour about trains, agroup of migrant workers tried and shelteralone will notsolve manymoreinSriperumbudur Corporation Limited(Tasmac) at atime when industry captains amonth-and-a-half.The liveli- ers,amajority of whom want to to reachthe Chennai railway station on Monday. Express problems.” industrialarea(some of whom openedtolong queues every- have warnedthat the ongoing hood of mostworkers is at stake. leave fortheir homes if trains are Industries arealso worried. want to stay back).... If transport whereinTamil Nadu, except reverse migrationwill hurtthe Theyneedgovernment’s finan- arranged. Mohan CKof Tamil Nadu Small is arranged,70to75percent of Chennai and containment zones. pace of the industry’s revival cial support,” the panel’s report The stategovernment has ing from 20 per cent to 50 per avoid amassive exodus of mi- and Tiny Industries Association, migrant labourers will return to However, many public health from the damageinflicted by the states. About12crore workers are declared strategies forindustrial cent —for industriesinrural and grantssofar during thelock- aconsortium of 150associa- their states.” experts fear the decision will coronavirus lockdown. engaged in Maharashtra’s uror- clusters inTamil Nadu, setting urban areas to startoperations. down is afairly good environ- tions representing thousands FULLREPORTON trigger afresh wave of cases. With Maharashtrabeing the ganisedsector,asper records. different work strengths —rang- What has helped TamilNadu ment sustainedbythe of small and microindustrial www.indianexpress.com ENS Ready to reimburse migrants’ WAITING FOR LOCKDOWN TO END fare but UP CM mum: Cong Bereaved families keep ashes in crematorium lockers EXPRESSNEWSSERVICE LUCKNOW,MAY7 kaksh’ at the crematorium. “We andmemberofGangaSabhathat ends,” he said. LALMANIVERMA have only18lockers, all of which organisedGangaAartiatHar ki He said nearly 15,000priests, THE UP CongressThursdaysaid DEHRADUN,MAY7 areoccupied. Ashesofothers are Pauri in Haridwar,said, “Haridwar pandas andothers in Haridwar, it wasreadytoreimburse the kept in bags. Relativesare wait- is called mukti ka dwar (gateof who areassociated with per- ticketfares paid by migrant ARESIDENT of Dehradun, SL ing forthe lockdown to end so salvation). People from acrossthe forming rituals at the ghats, are labourers forspecialtrains that UP CM Yogi Adityanath, Gulati (86) diedonApril 27 after that theycan take it to countryandabroadcomehereto nowjobless. brought them backtothe state, PriyankaGandhi aprolonged bout of illness. The Haridwar,” said Suresh Paswan, immerse the ashes of their dear Pandit Lalit Prasad, a panda but alleged the Yogi Adityanath familycustomistoimmersethe crematoriumin-charge. ones and perform rituals as per in Haridwar,said, “Weare notal- government wasnot providing ashes of the deceasedinthe He said some families will Hindu customs. But theycannot lowedtogotothe ghats to per- them the listofmigrants. that we can payfor their tickets”. GangainHaridwar.However, take the ashestoPaonta Sahib in comenow due to the lockdown. form rituals. When people con- UP Congress president Ajay Adityanath, meanwhile, said Gulati’s ashes arewaitingina Himachal Pradesh. Theyare contactingpriests and tact me over phone,Irequest Kumar Lallu and Congress that he has asked other states to lockeratthe cremationground “Thelockersusedtobebooked pandas over phone as theyare them to postponetheir visit if LegislatureParty Leader in the provide adistrict-wise listof in Lakhhibagh here. His son Rajiv by thosewhose familymembers worriedthat rituals cannotbe theyhavetoperform rituals of stateAradhana Mishrasaid they workers from UP in their states booked it by paying Rs 100. were coming from abroad to per- performedonschedule.” happiness like janeu (thread cer- wrotetoYogi Adityanath, seeking so thatimmediatearrangements “When the lockdown ends, I form rituals. Now, all of them are Shukla said he receives emony) and mundan.But if it is the listofworkers who had re- can be made to bring them back. willtake the ashesfromthe locker occupied,” said Chandan, a panda around 40 suchcallsevery day. related to death, Iask them to turned, but he did notrespond. He also assured that work would and immerse it in the Gangaafter who performs cremation.He “I guide them over phone to per- perform basic rituals at home.” PartyGeneral Secretary be giventoevery worker as per the rituals,” Rajivsaid. wears amask and sanitises his form some rituals at home, He said the lockdown had Priyanka Gandhi Vadrasaid she their skills. “For this, our action Ashes of 26 other deceased hands before everycremation. Crematorium in-charge Suresh Paswan in room of asthi. Express and ask them to come to left pandas andpriests without had written to the Amethi and plan is almost ready,” said the peopleare also kept in the ‘asthi Pandit Nitin Shukla, apriest Haridwar afterthe lockdown anysource of earning. RaeBareli DMs forthe list“so CM in an official statement.

New Delhi WWW.INDIANEXPRESS.COM 7 THEINDIANEXPRESS,FRIDAY,MAY8,2020 THE OUTBREAK Nation ‘PeopVISAKHAPATNAMlewalkeGAS LEAKdoutandjustcollapsed DELHI CONFIDENTIAL …womenandchildrenwerecrying’

theycalled in all their doctors and PM NarendraModi SREENIVASJANYALA nursingstaff.“Thankfullywewere HYDERABAD,MAY7 preparedwithoxygenandventila- tors as KGHhad been made a BUDDHA PURNIMA “Severalpeople layonthe road, Covid-19hospital. The ventilators catchingtheir throatsorrubbing helpedsavenumerouslives,espe- Those engaged their eyes. One person fell from ciallythose of children.” the motorcycle he wassitting on. Police said some of the scared in service of My wifeand Igasped, unable to villagers mayhaverun into the breathe.” hills around alocal temple, and humanity are TadhiVenkaiah,60,described theywerescouring the area. BATTLING QUERIES aThursdayearly morningof “hor- Bobby, anautorickshawdriver true followers ror” as police came knocking on who helpedtakethree persons to THE CENTRE’S order allowing liquor shops to open have cre- their doors to tell them gashad King George Hospital,said they of Buddha: PM atedchaos in severalparts of the countryand triggeredmany leaked from anearbyplantand had no clue initiallywhich direc- ameme on social media. But UnionministerRaviShankar theyshould leave.“The sound of tion to headastheydidn’t know Prasad had to face astrange issuedue to the order when he thebangingonthedoorwoke me. wherethe gaswas coming from. EXPRESSNEWSSERVICE wasflooded with calls from people in his constituency – Ithought something had hap- “Wemet an ambulance and the NEWDELHI,MAY7 Bihar’sPatnaSahib –who wanted to knowwhy liquor shops penedtomycow andaneighbour driverdirected us to nearbyhos- were notopen in the locality.Prasad triedtoexplainthat there had come, but someone shouted pitals,” he said. WISHINGTHE countryon is prohibition in Bihar,and thatliquor outlets cannotthusbe ‘police’. Iwas reallyscared. They Severalvillagers and officials Buddha Purnima, Prime Minister openedinthe state, but the callers insistedthat the order came said therewas agas leakand my praisedpoliceforreactingswiftly, NarendraModisaidthat “India is from Prime MinisterNarendraModihimself, and that Chief wifeand Ishould go with them.I Afterthe gasleak at LG Polymers in RRVenkatapuram village of Visakhapatnam Thursday. PTI especiallyDepsutyCommissioner makingeveryefforttosavethelife MinisterNitish Kumar could notignoreit. wasgroggy and Ihad difficulty of Police BUdayBhaskar,after re- of everyIndian, and is following wakingupmy wife,sopolicemen ceivingthe alert around 3am. itsglobal obligationsequallyseri- pickedusupand put us in avehi- village,whichfellinthegasleakra- hospitals before the ambulances timewe reachedhospital.Theyare Autorickshawdrivers likeBobby ously”. He also said that“those HUMOUR ON RUMOUR cle. Theycalmedusdownand dius.Hisfather,AEaswaraRao,said startedarriving,” Raosaid, adding both fine now.” also came in forpraise forrisking who areengagedin the service of broughtustohospital.” Chandramouli struggled to brea- thatchaos prevailedfor hours as Doctors saidthatmanyofthe their livestotakepeople out. humanity at all times, dayand THE SPECULATION that alawyer-leader of the Congress could Of thefive villagesnearVisak- the and diedonway to hospital. families triedtotrack eachother. victims endedupinhalingmore “Withintwo-and-a-half hours, night, arethe true followers of soonjointheBJPturnedmoreinterestingonThursday.Legalea- hapatnam evacuated due to gas KantaRao from Venkatapur- Sagar,alocal registered med- gasastheyran in panic. about 5,000 people were evacua- Buddha”, and that“this spirit gleand senior Congress leaderAbhishekSinghvi putout acou- leakfromtheLGPolymersfactory amvillage,whostudiesatAndhra icalpractitioner,said, “Therewas DrMVijay of GeneralMedicine tedfromfivevillages,thankstopo- keepsilluminatingourlives,keeps ple of tweets in Hindi, mentioning the rumour.“Hamari afvaah onThursday, Venkaiah’sVenkata- University,said the scene waslike afoulsmellinthe houseand I at King George Hospital said peo- lice and fire and emergency serv- it moving”. kedhuyeinwahinseuthtehain,jahanhamarenaamseaaglagjaati puram wasthe worst-affected. out of azombie movie. “People could notunderstand what was ple were broughtin astate of total ices.Theseven-seaterauto drivers In his videoaddress through hain,”hetweeted,andthenfolloweditwithanother:“kaagazke Among the dead were two walkedoutofhomes andjustcol- happening.Ifirstthought gaswas shock. “The inhalationofgas had arethe real heroes,” said Visakha- social media on Thursday, Modi pannonparlikhaaurkuchnahinhai,yehjodikhrahahaiwahinhai children,6and9yearsold,73-year lapsedonthe road.Theygasped leaking from the LPG cylinder in madethemsemi-conscious,delir- patnam MP MVVSatyanarayana. saidthe“lackofphysicalpresence huakuchnahinhain.”Sowasthe rumourabouthim?Well, after oldMekaKrishna,whohadrespi- forair andfrothed at the mouths. our kitchen. ThenIopened the ious. It had affected their central Banquethalls in the area opened is notsofelt”inthe times of social afew minutes, Singhvi tweetedagain: “afvaah thhi ki mainbi- ratory problems, CGRaju (48), A Cows and buffaloes moaned. doorsand therewas this strong, nervoussystem.Theywere unable their doors to accommodatethe distancingasthe mindsconnect. maar hun, logon ne poochpoochkar bimar kar diya.” Narasimha (55), KNaryana (35) Womenandchildrenwere crying. pungent smell. By that time both to walk.The firsthalf-an-hour in evacuees.Officialssaidtheyhadof- “Both our scalesand goalsof and AChandramouli, 19.Afirst- Policemen who came to the res- my childrenhadstartedcryingand thehospitalemergencyroomwas feredtohostthe villagers tillthey success will changeovertime. year MBBS student of Andhra cue also collapsed. Afew persons were struggling to breathe.One chaos as it took us time to under- couldbackhome. Peopleare also However, thething we always LOCKDOWN’S HUNTERS Medical College, Chandramouli who ownedautorickshaws or became unconscious and the stand thescale of what hadhap- beingkeptintheaccommodations have to keep in mind is that our wasathishouseinGopalapatnam fourwheelers rushedpeopleto other wasbarelybreathingbythe pened,” said Dr Vijay, adding that created forCovid-19quarantine. work shouldbedonewithcontin- NAGALAND HAS encountered an unusual problem during the uous service. When thereiscom- lockdown–protecting itswildlife. Last month,thestateWildlife passion forothers, compassion Department arrestedfour people forallegedly hunting, includ- and asenseofservice, thesefeel- ingBuckingDeerandIndianCivet Cat, inareserve forest.Theau- Under the spotlight: Gaps in law KILLERGASLEAK ings makeussostrong that you thoritiescrackeddownafterpostsofa“lockdownfestival’’went can overcome the biggestchal- viral onsocialmedia,withphotographsuploadedofthe hunts. Some of the worstindustrialaccidentsover lenge,” he said. “I am fullyconfid- Having anticipated suchactivities, Nagaland had issuedaban to deal with mishaps like leaks the pastfew years in Indialinked to gasleak entthatwithsuchorganisedeffo- on hunting as soon as the lockdown wasannouncedbythe rts, we will be able to get Centre. While hunting is bannedinNagaland, there is awin- their remedies adjudicated,and victims. humanity out of this difficult dowopen “during season” everyyear atthevillagelevel, where MANOJCG&APURVA we areall conscious of the limi- The Environment Relief challengeandreducethetroubles huntingof certainunprotectedanimalsandbirds arepermitted. VISHWANATH tations of our legal system that it Fund (ERF), acentral fundunder of the people.” NEWDELHI,MAY7 almosttakes decades, notyears, the Public Liability Insurance Speaking about Buddha sym- in order to compensatethe vic- Act, 1991,was setuptoprovide bolising dedication, strong will THE GASleak at the LG tims...” immediaterelief to victimsof andself-sacrifice,Modisaid,“Look JAISHANKAR,DOVAL MEET US AFGHAN PEACEENVOY Polymersplant in “So, Iwould urge the accidentsinchemical industries. at the good fortune of all of us, at Visakhapatnam on Thursday Government while dealingwith In March,astudybyVidhi thistimewe areseeingmanypeo- ‘Deeply concerned at putsunder the spotlight gaps in this expeditious legal remedy Centrefor Legal Policy found ple around us, who serveothers, the legalframework in dealing machineryfor victims of anu- that acorpusofRs810 crore treatapatient,feedapoorperson, with suchaccidents. clear incident to also consider with ERF has remained cleanahospital,maintainlawand violence upsurge, Adecade ago, the issue was that other incidentsofthis kind, unutilisedfor nearly three orderonaroad,theyare allwork- raisedevenduring discussions whichare notcausedonac- decades. Victims of the Visakhapatnam gasleakatahospital. PTI ing roundthe clock. In India, out- on the Civil Nuclear LiabilityAct, countofanuclearleakage, also The other provision forfix- side India, everysuchperson de- back callfor ceasefire’ 2010.The 2010 Actdeals with thereought to be asimilar law ing liabilitycan be found in the serves asalute, atribute.” instituting civil liability fornu- whichwould deal with it.” Environment Protection Act, JUNE 12,2014 MARCH 15,2017 “Whenthereisturmoil in the clear damageand granting While the civil nuclear law 1987,brought in the aftermath Bhilai,Chhattisgarh Kanpur,UttarPradesh world, manytimes thefeeling of statement by the Ministryof prompt compensation to vic- does notdeal with criminal of Bhopal Gas Tragedy. Under Aleak in amethane gas An ammonia gasleak at sadness,despairandfrustrationis SHUBHAJITROY External Affairs said. tims of anuclear incident. remedies, he said criminal rem- this, the Centrehas notified pipeline at the Bhilai plant the Katiyar coldstorage seen very much,” Modi said. NEWDELHI,MAY7 “TheUSside recognized Whileparticipating in ade- edies aregoing to be the same, Manufacture,Storage and of Steel AuthorityofIndia resultsinanexplosion, Buddha’s teaching that “human India'sconstructive contribution bate on theAct on August 30, whetheritisanuclearleak or a ImportofHazardous Chemicals Limited resultsin6deaths killing 5people and several beingsshouldconstantlystrive to INDIA SAID thatitis“deeplycon- ineconomicdevelopment,recon- 2010,thenLeaderofthe gasleakorachemical leak,and Rules, 1989 and the Hazardous and leavesover50injured injuries. overcome difficult situations, get cernedattheupsurgeinviolence” structionandhumanitarianassis- Opposition in RajyaSabha Arun arguedthatthe legalarchitec- Wastes (Management, Handling JUNE 27,2014 OCTOBER 9, 2018 out of them” find resonance. andsupportedthecallfor“imme- tance to Afghanistan. Theylaid Jaitleyhad said, “Wehaveasad tureregarding them needs to be and TransboundaryMovement) Nagaram,AndhraPradesh Bhilai,Chhattisgarh Modi said thatIndia today“is diateceasefire” as US Special importance to India's crucialand and unfortunateexperienceof strengthened. “...whenyou store Rules, 2008 forregulating haz- Agas leak resultsina Ablast nearapipeline near standing firmlyinselflessness, Representative forAfghanistan continuing role in sustainable the Bhopal gasleak.This law or utilise the hazardous mate- ardous substances. massive fire at the Gas the cokeovensection of without anydistinction, with the Reconciliation ZalmayKhalilzad peace, security and stability in dealsonlywith nuclear inci- rial and it is utilisedinamanner, Violation of these regula- Authority of India the BhilaiSteel Plant personindistress, both in the metExternalAffairs MinisterS Afghanistan,” the statement said. dents. Ithink,two lessons still the fact that thereisaleakage it- tions or failuretocomplywith Limited’s plant, killing 29 resultsin11deathsand countryand throughout the Jaishankar and National Security India has over adecade and ahalf remain. If thereare incidents self is aproof that youdid not standardswould constitute an people and injuring 10. leaves 14 peopleinjured. world”. Advisor Ajit DovalonThursday. madeacommitmentof $3billion and accidentswhichare noton handleitproperly,and, there- offence. The Actalso has provi- “Eachand everyword” of TheIndiansideemphasisedto towardsAfghanistan’sreconstruc- account of anuclear incident but fore,you must be takentotask sions againstgovernment offi- Buddha, he said, “reinforces theUSenvoythat“puttinganend tion and development. because of whichalargenum- forthis,” Jaitleysaid. cials found violating the law. The DECEMBER 2-3, 1984 Bhopal,MadhyaPradesh India’s commitmenttoservehu- to terrorist safehavensand sanc- Jaishankar and Doval, in their berofcasualty and damagedoes This principle of strict liabil- accusedare booked under Methyl isocyanategas leaks from Union Carbide manity”.Withthisself-realisation, tuaries is necessaryfor enduring conversation withKhalilzad reit- take place, ourlegal regime even itywas evolvedbythe Supreme Section304Aofthe IPC, pertain- India Limited’s pesticide plant, resultinginmore Indiawillcontinueto work forthe and sustainablepeaceand stabil- erated India's continued support todayisonlythe conventional Courtinthe 1987 Oleum Gas ing to causing death by negli- than 3,000deathsand affecting over 1lakh people. benefit of humanity,and “India’s ity in Afghanistan”. for“strengtheningpeace,security, legal regime that the victims go leak case to fixcivil liability on gence and with aprovision of jail This remains the world’s worstindustrial disaster. progress will always be helpful in Jaishankar and Dovalalso unity,democratic and inclusive to acivil court,and then have companies and compensatethe term of maximum twoyears. the progress of theworld”. mentionedthe needfor “protec- polity and protection of rightsof tion of rightsofall sections of the allsectionsof theAfghansociety”, Afghan society,including Afghan the statementsaid. HARYANA IAS OFFICER RESIGNATION Hindus and Sikhs”. It also said, “India is deeply ‘Naikoo’s killing big success for us... Khattar urges Centre to change This wasKhalilzad’s firstvisit concernedatthe upsurge in vi- to India afterthe US and Taliban olenceand supportsthe call for cadre, doesnot accept resignation signedanagreement in Doha on immediateceasefireand needto militant recruitment will comedown’ February29where theyagreed assistthe people of Afghanistan Chandigarh:TheHaryanagovern- Khattar has declined theresigna- that US and NATOtroops will be in dealing with the coronavirus ment Thursdayrefusedtoaccept tion of Haryana cadreIAS officer withdrawn fromAfghanistanin pandemic.” ADAY afterHizbul Mujahideen and their families will realise that the resignation of a2014-batch Rani Nagar. .. showing generosity, 14 months.The deal,which is It also said that India remains operations chief RiyazNaikoo violence isn’t an appropriatere- Punjab: Two woman IAS officer who resigned he has recommendedtothe cen- fraught withrisksand uncertain- engagedinextendinghumanitar- waskilledinanencounter, sponse to anyissue and militants citing“personalsafetyongovern- tral government to changeher ties,posesmanyquestionsonthe ian food and medical supplies to KASHMIR IGP VIJAY KUMAR have to face suchfateone day... aides of Naikoo ment duty” as the reason. cadretoher home statefrom wayforward. Afghanistantodealwith the situ- speaks to ADILAKHZER about Naikoowasalsoinvolvedinnarco associate held RaniNagar, anofficerof Hary- Haryana,” Gurjar tweeted. Khalilzad,whowasaccompa- ation created by coronavirus. the impact this will have on mil- terrorism in South Kashmir. ana cadre, announcedher resig- Nagar’s resignation had be- niedbythe SeniorDirector in the “Itwas emphasised that put- itant recruitment in the Valley. Narcotics has been amajor chal- Chandigarh:Punjab Police nationonFacebookonMay4and come apoliticalhot potato with USNationalSecurityCouncil,Lisa tinganendto terroristsafehavens lengefor police. We have to save onWednesday arrestedtwo leftChandigarhforherhometown opposition parties questioning if Curtis, and the US Ambassador to and sanctuaries is necessaryfor Howbig asuccess is Naikoo’s our youth from narcotics. aidesofHilalAhmedWagay, Ghaziabad in Uttar Pradesh. she wasbeing victimised. “In the India,KenJuster, providedan“up- enduring and sustainable peace killing forsecurityforces? KASHMIRIGPVIJAYKUMAR aclose associateofHizbul UnionMinisterKrishan Pal waythewomanofficerwascom- date” on the US peace and recon- and stabilityinAfghanistan”, the We neutralisedfour terrorists Internet and phone services Mujahideen commander Gurjar took to Twitter to inform pelledtoresign,itraisesmany ciliation effortsinAfghanistan, a statement said. Wednesdayandoneofthemwas situation in the Valleyafter were suspendedWednesday. RiyazNaikoo,fromAmritsar. thatKhattarhasrefusedtoaccept questions,”formerChief Minister identifiedastheHizb(operations) yesterday’sencounter? Whenwill theyberesumed? Naikoo waskilledinanen- Nagar’s resignation. BhupinderSinghHoodahadsaid. chief. He wasalocal militant and On Wednesday, forthe first Yes, we hadtosnap Internet counterWednesday. Punjab “Iamsharinganews of happi- BSP chief Mayawati had de- Civilian injured in clashes wouldoftenissueaudiomessages time afterAugust5,wesaw such and phoneservices... otherwise Police had arrested Wagay ness...Chief MinisterManoharLal mandedaprobe. ENS and instigateyouths. Ihaveno alaw and order situation. But the it would have ledtorumour- onApril25andsharedinfor- hesitation in saying that he was positive sign wasthat it waslo- mongering. We will reviewit, de- mation receivedfromhim after Pulwama gunfight dies influential. He wasinvolvedin calised. Iconducted arecce of pendingonthe situation. withthe Centreand J&K ad- civilian killings. On March 25, South Kashmir from helicopter ministration. Pulwama said Wani wasbrought whenthelockdownstarted,here- Wednesdayandtherewasnoma- Anew outfit, TheResistance The twoarrestedon EXPRESSNEWSSERVICE to Tahab PHC. “He had bullet in- leasedavideo that J&KPolice and jorproblem.Threeof ourvehicles Front (TRF), has been floated. Wednesdayhavebeeniden- SRINAGAR,MAY7 juriesand wasdeclared brought Armyare moreharmful than were damaged. Some 10-11mis- Can youtell us aboutit? tifiedasBikram Singh and dead,” the official said. COVID-19. Soon, attacks started creantswereinjuredandthreere- Post August5,Pakistanfaced hisbrotherManinderSingh. ACIVILIAN diedofbulletinjuries Asenior policeofficer in Sho- onpolicemenandcivilians.There ceivedbulletinjuries. The condi- alot of international pressure. Police have seized 1kg sustainedduring clashes follow- pian, underwhichthe area falls, wasanattackoncivilians on the tion of those injured is stable. Theycreated this outfit to give an heroin and Rs 32 lakh in ing the killing of Hizbul Mujah- said inquestproceedings have pretextthattheywereinformers. impression that TRF is alocal org- Indian currency from them. ideen operations chief Riyaz beeninitiated.“We areinvestigat- Theyweretotally innocent... His Do youthink recruitmentof anisation and theyhavenothing This waspartofaPakistan- Naikoo in Pulwama district. ing wherehedied,” said the offi- killing is abig success forus. Not militantswill go down now to do withit. But all TRF militants sponsored conspiracy to He wasidentifiedasJehangir cer.Clashes eruptedWednesday onlyforsecurityforces,itwillalso that Naikoo has been killed? killedrecentlywereinLeT categ- smugglenarcoticsand Yusuf Wani, aresident of afterwordspreadthatNaikoohas bringrelief to civilians. Wheneveryou eliminate the oryinourlist.Theyevenincluded weapons intothe state, said Uthmulla in Pulwama. been trappedbysecurity forces. leadership,itwilldefinitelybring some Hizb militants. We can say DGP Dinkar Gupta. ENS Ahealthdepartmentofficialin At least 16 people were injured. What is the lawand order downmilitantrecruitment.Youth TRFisamixof LeTandHizbcadres.

New Delhi WWW.INDIANEXPRESS.COM

THEINDIANEXPRESS,FRIDAY,MAY8,2020 WORDLY WISE AllthatIknowmost surely aboutmorality 8 THE EDITORIAL PAGE and obligations Iowe to football. —ALBERT CAMUS The future of justice

§ FOUNDED BY § RAMNATH GOENKA Social distancingisheretostay, will profoundly BECAUSE THE TRUTH INVOLVES US ALL change theway in whichjustice is delivered

A TURNINGPOINT MadanBLokur Killing of Riyaz Ahmad Naikoo is an important milestone in the THE LOCKDOWN HASgeneratedseveralwe- saryadjustments to the newregime and the abeginninghas to be made now. battle againstmilitancy in Kashmir,and amoment to build on binarsonjustice delivery,technology and the cases areconvenientlyheardand decided in Avirtual courtisauniquecontribution of future.The discussionsfocusonthe wayfor- “paperless courts”. Afew other high courts the eCourtsProject. Apilotvirtual court was FTER ANEARLYthree-year-long manhunt,the Army andJammu &Kashmir ward in tackling the problem of social dis- initiated similar steps, but have yettoinsti- launchedinAugust2018inDelhi fortraffic Police have succeededineliminating arguablythe Valley’s mostimportant tancing with lawyersand litigantscrowding tutionalise “paperless courts”. offences and it has been agreat success. militant, Hizbul Mujahideen’s Kashmir operations chief, Riyaz Ahmad thecourtsevenafter thelockdown is lifted. Online courts have notcaught on in the Virtual courtshavebeensuccessfullytried ANaikoo. Afterthe 2016 killing of Burhan Wani, and the subsequent killings Thereare three kinds of courts in our absence of anycompellingneedtodoso. The outinDelhi, Haryana, Maharashtra andTamil of mostofthe others in that group of anew generation of militants, the mucholder and justice delivery system.First, conventional lockdown has providedthat opportunity, Nadu. Avirtual court is asimple programme courts located in courtcomplexeswhere whichshould beseized. The present ongoing throughwhichapersoncan find out if achal- moreexperiencedmilitant from Awantipora kept the PoK-basedgroup in business in the judges, lawyers and litigantsare physically “experiment”has, however, indicated that lan has been issuedtohim or her through a Valley—bycarrying out attacks on uniformedpersonneland civilians alike, and by ma- present. Second, onlinecourtswherethe the major problem with online courts is un- search facility.Ifachallan has been issued, the nipulating the anger and alienation in asection of Kashmiri youth to recruit newcandi- judgeisphysically present in the courtroom familiarity with themedium of communica- details areavailable online and the person dates intothe group. Naikoo became the face of the indigenous militancy,thoughhekept but the lawyer or litigant is not. Thisisthe tion. Judges aresimplynot usedtocon- mayplead guilty or notguilty.Onaguiltyplea, alowerprofile thanWani. present arrangement, exceptthatnow the sciouslyfacing acameragenerally andin the minimum fine is imposedand on anot- Afterthe August5changes in Kashmir,Naikoo wasresponsible forcivilian killingsin- courtroom is the residential office of the particular while hearing acase. Similarly, guilty plea, the case is electronicallytrans- judge, due to the lockdown. Third, virtual lawyers find it difficult to comfortablyargue ferred to the trafficcourtfor trial.Atthe end cluding that of migrant labour,afruit trader and atruckdriver. Earlier,hehad kidnapped courts where thereisnojudge, lawyer or lit- while seated.Body language, facial expres- of the day, ajudge reviews thecases and dis- severalJ&K policemenafter his father wastaken away by the police, releasing them only igant and acomputer takesadecision based sions, the tone and tenor, bothofthe judge poses of them electronicallydepending on afterthe police lethis father go.For Naikoo, who chose to give up the blackboardfor the on the inputsofthe litigant. and the lawyer,makefor important signals the option exercised. One judgeisall it takes gun, aviolent end wasforetold. Forthe security forces, his killing is an important turning About 15 years ago, Delhi initiated apilot and clues whichcannotbecaptured in VC. to managethe virtualcourt forDelhi or an en- pointinthe continuing battleagainstmilitancyinthe Valley. It shows that despitethe project with Tihar Jail fordealing with routi- However, these and additional skills can be tirestate.With the launchofvirtualcourts, turbulence, the police networkofinformantsinevery village is alive andkicking —itwas ne remand cases of prisoners. The procedure developedand fine-tuned, but notovernight. the dailyfootfalls to the courts have drasti- postulatedprisoners being producedincourt, Onlinecourts introduce aparadigm that the callyreducedand thousands have pleaded on atip-offthat Naikoo wastracedtohis villageBeighporainAwantipora, where he had notphysically but through video conferenc- system is todaynot fullypreparedfor, but can guilty and paid the fine electronically. gone to meethis family. ing (VC),hence anonline court. The pilot proj- certainlyget ready forindue course. The virtual courtsystemhas the potential It would be misplaced,however,tothinkthatmilitancyinthe Valleyhas ended with ect startedtentativelywith some hiccups but Some technical problems in conducting of being upscaledand otherpetty offences hisremoval, or thatthe elimination of dreadedmilitantsalone is the solution to Kashmir’s provedto beasuccess and nowseveral courts online hearings have alsosurfaced.The band- attracting afine such as delayedpaymentsof problems. Onlydays ago, anew militant group that calls itself The Resistance Front wasable have adoptedthe online process with vary- widthisnot adequateorstable enough. The localtaxes or compoundableoffences can ing degrees of commitment. picturesometimes breaksorgets frozen and also be dealt with by virtual courts.This will to inflictaheavy toll whenanoperation in aHandwaravillage went wrongfor thesecu- Online courts have not rity forces. Thereweremorecasualties the next day, this time in the CRPF.Despitetheir hard- Afew intrepiddistrictjudgeshavetaken the voice oftencracks. ease the burden on conventional courtsand astepforward and recordedthe statement of caught on in the absence of Ironically, in the hearing relating to thereforemustbestronglyencouraged. wonsuccesses, even the Armyand police areonlytoo awareofthe vital importance of the parties in cases of divorcebymutual consent. anycompelling need to do restoration of 4G in Jammu and Kashmir,the Post lockdown, justicedelivery will cer- political process in findingthe wayout of this tunnel.What Kashmir needs is an open and As of now, severalsuchcases, including those so. Thelockdownhas link suddenlysnapped. Consultations arealso tainlyundergo atransformation andjudges, participatoryprocess thatcan provideanswers to the political vacuum whichmilitancy involving NRIs, aredealtwiththrough VC in aproblem.Lawyers occasionallyneedtocon- lawyers and litigantswillneedtoadapttothe feedson, andthe newchallenges in the wake of theAugust5decision to changethe sta- online courts.Punjab and Haryana judges provided that opportunity, sult their client or the instructing advocate; newnormal. Socialdistancing is heretostay tus of J&K. By all accounts, thereislesstrustinthe intentions of the CentreinKashmir than have gone even further ahead. The online whichshould be seized. The judges also needtoconsult eachotherdur- and will bring about profound changes in the therewas even in the five tumultuous yearsleading up to August 2019.The Centreneeds courtsrecord theexpert evidenceofdoctors present ongoing ‘experiment’ ing ahearing.Attention needstobepaid to wayjustice is administered anddelivered. from PGIMER through VC.Thishas freedthe these real-time issues otherwise lawyers will Open courts will remain as also open justice, to acknowledge andaddress thetask ahead withhonesty and sincerity. Naikoo’s death is doctors from time consuming trips to the has, however,indicated that harbour misgivings aboutafair hearing. but some definitions will changewith amore amilestone and the challengeistobuild on it —use the space createdtosecurethe peace. courtsand has resulted in savings of several the major problem with The chairman of theBar Council of India aggressive use of technology, notonlyincon- crores forthe exchequer. Similarsuccess sto- online courts is hasvoicedaconcern that90per cent of the ventional but also online and virtualcourts. ries areavailable from other district courts, unfamiliaritywiththe lawyers arenot computer literateortech Severalcountriesand courts have made ad- but adeterminedand concertedeffortisnec- savvy.Law and jurisprudence arenot static justmentsnot onlyfor the period of the pan- essarytopopularise online courtsatthe dis- mediumofcommunication. but mirrorsocietalneeds and oftenshape demic or lockdown, but also forthe future. WORKERS’ CHOICE trictlevel. Judges are simply not them.Therefore, theBar Councils and Bar We should certainlynot be leftbehindbut Some highcourt judges in Delhi and used to consciously Associations muststretch everynervetoed- must also makearoadmaptomeetthe chal- Karnataka’s rollbackontrains formigrantscarries important Punjab and Haryana have completely dis- facing acameragenerally ucatethe district and taluka lawyers on the lenge. As the BoyScoutssay:Beprepared. pensedwith paper—everythingisonasoft advantages of accepting technology.It’s along lesson forplans to resume economic activity copy, throughe-Filing and scanneddocu- and in particular while haul forsureand the task cannotbecom- Thewriter retired as ajustice of theSupreme ments. Lawyers and judgeshavemadeneces- hearing acase. pletedinadayorso—it might take ayear,but CourtofIndiainDecember 2018 HE KARNATAKA GOVERNMENT has donewell to roll backits order of May5,can- celing trains that would have ferriedmigrantsbacktotheir home states. Thousands of migrantsfromBihar,Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, TTripura, Manipur,Jharkhand, Odisha and West Bengal were reportedly left in the lurch by the decision. In aseries of tweets,Karnataka Chief MinisterBSYediyurappa hadcitedeconomicreasonsforwithdrawingthe trains: “Barringthe redzones,business,con- struction work and industrial activities have to be resumed. In thiscontext. unnecessary REDEFINING SECURITY travelof themigrant workers hasto becontrolled”. Thedecisionhad rightlyprovokedwide- spread outrageand the stategovernment wascalledout fordenying the migrants, already Covid constraints on defence expenditurecould help transform military culture driventothe wall, the right to choose. Pandemics arecruel notjustbecause of the toll theytakeonthe health of people but also because of the social and economic disruptions theycause,the anxieties theybreed.The Arjun Subramaniam urgency of the cash-strappedstates—and industry—to getworkers backtofactory floors and construction sites cannotbeoverstated. Yetitisalso evident that the relaxation of the THE FREEZINGOFfresh capital acquisitions kick-startthe transformation. The firstisto tening of the worldfromasecurity perspec- lockdown hasn’t assuaged the fears of workers at mostplaces, including in Karnataka. by thedefence forces, delays in procurement acceleratethe creation of indigenous defence tive.Therewill becommonthreatsthatwould Migrant workers, who live precariouslyeveninthe best of the times, have concerns about and induction of existing orders, and auster- capability. Doing this without brushing away needtobefought jointlybynations.The three getting work on asustainedbasis even aftereconomic activities resume and, with no safety ity measures in the administrative domain, the short and medium-term requirement of pre-requisites in these silos will be an amal- nets in place, manyprefertoreturn home. An empathetic attitude towardssuchanxieties were expected. It is easy to approach thisprob- selective imports will be thekey to acali- gamofservice-centric and joint operations lemtacticallybyissuing directivesandguide- bratedmarch to self-sufficiency.The next crit- expertise, operational acumen in aglobal en- and respect forworkers’ dignity and safetyshould inform all plans to resume industrial ac- linesandthen seeking periodicfeedbackfrom ical component is leadership. India’s military vironment, and broad-basededucation that tivities afterthe lockdown. States —and industry—mightwell take aleaf out of the Punjab themilitaryonthe progressmade, targetsmet, leadership is very hierarchical and sequen- develops intellectual capital. book,wheremanyseatsonthe trains carrying backmigrantsare reportedlyempty,appar- shortfalls and remedial measures instituted. tial in itsapproach.However,this same lead- Training in the Indian militaryistop-notch entlybecause effortstoreachout to migrantsand persuade them by government and fac- This would be amyopic approachand at best ership has superb operationalskills and pos- andneedsalittletweakingtohelpofficersand toryowners have been successful. That severalindustrial unitshaveput in place safeguards result in short-term,tenure-basedoutcomes. sesses aquickunderstanding of technology, men understand therules of engagement in a forthe employees who have reported backtoworkafter therelaxation of the lockdown Instead, this should beseenasanopportunity tactics, techniques and procedures. Volatile, Uncertain, ComplexandAmbiguous to evolve atransformational cultureinthe Consequently, strategic leaders needtobe (VUCA) world. It is diversifiededucation at all mayalso have contributed to this development. Indianmilitary,basedonclear politicalguide- identifiedand their transition towardsbe- levels of leadership that is aweak area. To itscredit, Karnataka has put in place apost-lockdown revivalroadmap. An economic linesdrivenbyexisting andfuturisticcapabil- coming morethan mereexecutorsofopera- Some have suggestedradicalwaysofse- package, announcedonWednesday,recognises theimportance of the MSME sector,agri- ities, expected strategic outcomes and antic- tional plans and campaigns needs to be en- lectingfuture chiefs, suggesting a“deep se- culturists and horticulturists,and informal sector workers. It provides financial assistance ipated strategic challenges. abled. Multi-disciplinarythinking, lateral lection”and afour-yeartenurebasedonsev- to the self-employedsuchasweavers,autorickshawand taxi drivers, and barbers. The Acomparison between the approaches assimilation and aworld-vieware among the eral criteria that have been highlightedin this Karnataka government has also setupaboardtodeal with issues related to wagesand re- takenbyIndia’s principaladversaries is in- specificskill-sets that need to be nurtured. article. Theyhavealsohighlightedthe accom- trenchment of workers, manyofwhom aremigrants. Yetif, despiteall incentives, the mi- structive.Pakistan stagnates in anexistential- Training and educationform the next two panying risksofsuchamove.Keeping that as threat-basedand India-centric approachto silosinthe process of transformation. Letus an aspirational long-term outcome maybea grantsstill want to go backhome, the state, and industry, mustrespect their choice. national security.China’s expansive global take the developedWesternmodelforexam- good idea as the processes neededto incorpo- strategy and unbridledcapability-basedde- ple. Severalmilitaryofficers at the colonel level rate sucharadical changeare either nascent velopmentsurge have overcome the dangers This should be seen as an —fresh out of warcolleges and the university or absent from the current system. of direct competition with the US. It has closed opportunitytoevolve a environment wheretheyspend ayear of ed- Finally, thesilo of jointness andintegra- RETURNTOTHE FIELD thegapthrough an“indirect approachtointer- transformational culture in ucation (nottraining)—arepostedatthe tion without losing identities and compro- national security”, whichlooksatbuilding on the Indian military, based on Pentagon and NATOHQ. Here, theywork mising competencies is an outcome that strengths in areas such as cyberspace,non- alongsidecivilians,politicians,lawmakers, not needs to be chaseddownwith focus and de- Bundesligaseason could pave the wayfor resumption of other contact warfare, economic and diplomatic co- clear political guidelines that forgetting their ownjoint leadership. In such termination.Therewill bepain and turfswill are driven by existing and games. It will be watchedlikenever before ercion. Strategic guidelines forIndia’s security an environment, it is notdifficult to mark,train betrampledon, but with transformedand in- managers mustshiftfromathreat-based futuristic capabilities, and recognise talent in ways that go beyond tellectually empoweredleadership, no bridge methodology to amulti-disciplinarycapabil- the mererank structure. It is high time India will toofar to cross forthe Indian military. HE BUNDESLIGA SEASON has been clearedtorestart in eightdays,bereftof expected strategic outcomes ityandoutcome-basedorientationto fitwith goes down that road because even though spectators but offering hope that football in Germanywill chalk out the blue- thenation’s poweraspirations. and anticipated strategic economic globalisation maybeonholdfor a The writer is aretired Air Vice Marshal and a Tprintfor theresumption of other European football leagues. France and the Thereare five visiblesilosmostcritical to challenges. while postCOVID-19,thereisgoing to beaflat- military historian Netherlands have already scrappedthe season, copping hugefinanciallosses, while others areengulfed in uncertainty and paydisputes. In this backdrop, the resump- tion of Bundesligacomesasawaveofoptimism.Or, as German chancellor Angela Merkel put it:“People getbackashort pieceofnormallife”. The return to thefield wasasmuch as afinancial necessity as an emotional need. Aborting the season would have made the MAY 8, 1980, FORTY YEARS AGO league, financiallythe most robustinEurope, poorer by 800million dollars. But, there’s fear in certain quarters: Will the restartusher in another waveofthe pan- U RANIUM FOR TARAPUR SUGAR IMPORTS policeofficers in Punjab andHaryana, demic? Three Cologne FC players tested positive last week,and SalomonKalou irresponsi- PRESIDENT CARTER HAS setinmotionpro- THE UNION GOVERNMENTisunderstoodto particularly among thosebelongingtothe blyfilmed himself ignoring social distancing measures and got dulysacked. Football is not cedures whichshould lead to the shipment have decidedtoimport sugarsoas to in- IPScadre. Immediatecause of the unrest is of both enricheduranium consignmentsfor crease the availability and checkthe rise in alleged harassment at the hands of the new taking anychances.The pre-matchscreening is detailed, now. Players will be testedtwice Tarapur forwhichthereare pending appli- the prices of free sale sugar.However, no of- politicalbossesand registration of cases aweek,three team buses will be usedfor social distancing, players will enter the field sep- cations, American officials disclosed. Each ficial confirmation wasavailable of the re- againstpolice officers in the twostates. First, aratelyand therewill be no handshakes. Offthe pitch, food will be deliveredtotheir rooms applicationisfor approximately20tonnes portedpurchase of about1,50,000tonnes of aformer deputy director of the CBI, NK and theymustprovidelists of familymembers when theygohome aftermatches. of enriched uraniumwhichwillmeetthe sugar by theState Trading Corporation in the Singh, wasarrestedand humiliated at the From aplayer-club perspective,everymeasureisinplace to preventanother episode. But needs of one year’s fuel forTarapur.While London market. The countryhas notim- initiative of theHaryana government. still, questions remain. And these concern the fans. Spectators can be kept out of the stadi- naturallyhopingthat India will eventually portedsugar forover20years. The govern- RCSharma, former SSP of Karnalis is facing ums, but notout of thegame.MoresoinGermany, whichhas the highestaverage attendance agree to full safeguards, officials also point ment decision follows asteep fall in sugar the same fate.Heiscurrentlyonbailand out thatthereisawaiverprovision in thelaw production in 1979-80 with the total output has notonlybeensupersededbut placed figures in Europe. So even if the games will be played behind closeddoors, chances arethe itself. Under this, even if India continuesto estimated at four million tonnes. on ajunior post. Sharma is considered an fans will throng outsidestadiums, crowdpubs, parksand othercommunityspaces.The un- refuse to acceptthe safeguards, the president upright officer and thereisalotof known, unregulated crowds could undo the hardworkthe country’s health caresystem of the United States canstillsanction ship- POLICE DISCONTENT sympathyfor himamongthe officers and hasput in to curb the pandemic. The worldwill be watching Bundesligalikenever before. mentsevenafter thelaw goes intoeffect. THERE IS GENERAL discontent among the otherranks.

New Delhi WWW.INDIANEXPRESS.COM

THEINDIANEXPRESS,FRIDAY,MAY8,2020

WHATTHE OTHERSSAY “Ministers and officials have failed to addressthe trade-offs between health 9 THE IDEAS PAGE and privacy by being ambiguous about the app’ssafeguards.” — THEGUARDIAN Enemy is coronavirus, not China Acing the tests TestingiscriticalinfightagainstCOVID, Covid-19has triggered anew waveofChina-bashing.The fact is, China sufferedthe firstattackofthe virus, andinansweringquestionof whenitis and is nowareliable partner in fighting the epidemic safetogobacktowork

significantlyrampedupdiagnostic RT-PCR basedtesting, this is still insufficient to un- derstand the potential spread of the infec- tion especiallyinthe asymptomatic popu- lationinhotspots such as the slums in Dharavi. Targeted studies to understand the prevalence of the infection could be carried out forselected hotspots,suchasRed Tang Guocai SwatiPiramal and Zones, whichcan help the authorities to Mahesh Balsekar plan and prepare better.This will also help in the progress of epidemiological research CURRENTLY, THE COVID-19pandemic is on the disease. spreading all over the world. Facing this un- The study could be ledbyanacademic precedented publichealth crisis, all coun- MULTIPLE COUNTRIES HAVE startedcon- institute of repute, as in the SantaClara tries in the worldshould work together. ducting at scale randomisedantibodysero- study in whichStanfordUniversityled the However, some Western politicians aretak- prevalence studies to understand the research supportedbyeither government ing the lead in anew waveofChina-bash- prevalence and trends of COVID-19infec- or private labs approved to undertake ing, spinning conspiracy theories varying tion in specific hotspots,including in COVID testing. The estimated costs are from “Chinese virus” to “Chinese problem”, Munich, SantaClarainthe US and Italy. known forvarious testing methods. Forthe or “Chinese responsibility”, and even Basedoncurrent guidelinesand avail- Stanfordstudy,the cost of the rapid anti- “Chinese threat”. These assertions arevery able research,rapidantibodytests alone body kitswas approximately$7per kit. arrogant and fierce, but if youtakeacloser arenot reliable as adiagnostic tool or for Manycountries (includingIndia) and look,theyall bear the same stereotype of dis- contact tracing.Further,these testshave states have reporteddeficiencies in the out- crimination againstChina in history.Itisa lowerspecificity and sensitivity as com- put of antibody tests. Avariety of antibody 300-year-old culturetrying to tarnish a pared to molecularassaytests —likeRT- testswerevalidatedinastudydonebythe 5,000-year-old civilisation. PCR —leading to ahigher incidenceoffalse University of California, San Francisco and Firsttheycalled COVID-19the “Chinese negatives and positives. Apositive on the the HarvardMedicalSchool. The New York virus”, whichreminds us of the notorious antibodytestmerelymeans thatthe per- Times reportedonthe study’s resultson clichéof“sickman in EastAsia” acentury son has been exposedtoCOVID-19and de- April 26. ago—itispureracial discrimination. We velopedantibodies. The negative test Makers of the antibody testsdefendtheir mustlistentothe WorldHealth Organisation means thatthe personhas notbeenex- research and pointout howantibody tests (WHO) and the scientific communityand posedtoCOVID-19and maybesusceptible have been wronglyused. US-basedSure disregardthe yarns spun by some Western in thefuture. Hence, as perthe recentlyan- Biotech has helpeddevelop morethan 200 politicians. nouncedICMR guidelinesonthe use of rapid testsfor viruses suchasHIV,herpes CRSasikumar Secondly, theycallitthe “Chinese prob- rapid antibody kits, theycan be potentially andhepatitis.The company’santibody tests lem” —that China didn’t handle the crisis usedfor epidemiological andsurveillance have had aspecificity of 100per cent in one well, or Chinese medical productsare prob- normal. Some Western countries could not India could jointly lead the civilisationalap- studies at acommunity level. study.Oncountries reporting ahigh num- lematic. It is fair to saythat, facing an un- acceptthe factsand arefull of anxieties that proach, to curethe global village. These studies can help understand the beroffalsepositives, Sheryl Dunnof Biosure known enemy,what China has accom- Chinawillbethe “winner”after the epi- Both China and India aregreat civilisa- spread of the infection in hotspots,proba- writes “some users don’t understand how plishedwithin amonth, namely, informing demic. So politicians and media arework- tions with along history. Peace and toler- blenatureofspread in terms of asympto- to usetheserology tests. Theyare less fordi- the WHO of the epidemic,sharing the whole ing hardtoshameChina. Those baseless anceare the coreofour philosophy. Chinese matic vs symptomatic carriers, facilitate agnostic and morefor testing forpastinfec- genome sequence of the novelcoronavirus, clichés attacking China aretypicallythe “old philosophyadvocates“the unity of man and policy-making and help in evaluating the tions. If youuse serology testsbetween Day andimplementing an effectivelockdownof wine” of colonial thoughtsina“newbottle”, nature”, while the ancient Indian philoso- impact of different protocols and policies. 1-14, during acurrent infection period, they the mega city,Wuhan,noother country can no different from the notice boards affixed phyand Gandhi’s idea of peaceful coexis- However, thesestudiesmustbedesigned catchonlyaproportion of the true positive do better.Inthe fight againstthe pandemic, in the old days that said, “Chinese and dogs tence withnaturespeak to the same idea. carefullyalong with experiencedmedical cases. Theyare asupplement to PCR tests, about half of theworld’s medical supplies arenot allowedtoenter”. As aChinese saying goes, “Do notimpose on and epidemiology professionals to be able whichtestfor current infections but so far come from China. China’s important role as As amatter of fact, thereisnowinnerin otherswhat youyourselfdonot desire”. to draw meaningful conclusions. Basedon arenot as portable.” the “globalanti-pandemic factory” is well the epidemic. China is also avictim of the epi- Equalityand mutual respect China has nevercolonisedany other coun- learnings from the research team at the The science of testing is evolving. known and reliable. demic. China sufferedthe firstattack, made are the basic norms of try, rather it always workshardfor the ben- StanfordSchool of Medicine,the following Scientists arecooperating with eachother Thirdly, theyrefer to the so-called hugesacrifices to contain the epidemic, and efit of itscitizens and global wellbeing. critical factors mustbeensured while de- faster than the speedofsound. Our ques- “Chinese responsibility” and threaten to wonprecious time forthe global anti-epi- international relations. But China and India arepromoting mutual signing and conducting the study: tions to researchers in the Stanfordstudy bring lawsuitsand huge claims against demic war. It should be treatedfairly rather the colonial hangover is still cooperation in fighting COVID-19. Central Selection,testing methodologyand robust elicited aquickresponse (it helpedthat China. This is typical political blackmail. It than blamed. The bottom line hereisthe en- verymuchactive in many and local governmentsaswell as thebusi- statistical analysis. manyofthe researchers areofIndian ori- mustbepointed outthatattemptstouse le- emyiscoronavirus, notChina, rather China nesscommunitiesinbothcountriesare join- Well-thought-through study partici- gin). Bill Gates said in arecent interview galmeanstoseekpolitical ends lackthe ba- is areliablepartner in fighting the epidemic. people’sminds, and they just ing hands and moving ahead. Mumbai is pant selection methodology should be de- that we “needtoget to the bottom of this” sic common sense of jurisprudence. Franklyspeaking, we live in aworld dom- cannot look at China’srise on playing acrucial role in the bilateral air cor- velopedtoensurerepresentativeness of ac- —referring to understanding howmuch Fourthly, these always leadtothe so- inated by Western business. Accordingtothe an equal footing. China has ridor of medical supplies. The “green chan- tual population demographic and to the virus has spread in communities. called“Chinathreat”, whichclaims that International Monetary Fund, the US dollar noweffectively controlled the nel” of Indian cargo flightsfromChina to minimiseselection bias. Researchers areracingtogivethe answer. China will soon surpass the United States accountsfor around 40 per cent of the inter- India —the firsttime in history—has been Appropriatetesting methodology and It maysoon be possibletoself-test,justby and rule the world, through the pandemic. national reservecurrency,and theEuroac- epidemic,and its economy initiated in Mumbai. Besides being the eco- kitsshould be selected to ensurehigh speci- wiping your nose and providing aswabof Instead of fighting acommonenemy, some counts formorethan 30 per cent. As faras and social life are back to nomic and financial centre of India, Mumbai ficity and sensitivity,and implementation saliva viamail to alab. Academics at IIT Western politicians aretrying to link the the media areconcerned,Westernerscer- normal. Some Western is also abig hub formedia and cultural in- challenges mustbefactoredin—forexam- Delhi aresequencing bitsofthe COVID pandemic with theirelections, or geograph- tainlyhavea“loudspeaker”,while the voices countries could not accept dustry, from whichChina could learn alot. ple, pooledRT-PCRtesting vs rapid anti- genome and making teststhat areafford- ical, political or economic gains. The world of China and India getlostinthis cacophony. NowwithsomeWestern political figures us- body kits, or both. The sample size forsuch able. Testing is critical in the fight against will move on itsown path afterthe pan- Especiallyintoday’s world, the extreme im- the facts and are full of ing COVID-19 to slander China, the Chinese tests shouldbedeterminedbyappropriate COVID and in finding an answer to when it demic.Perhaps, some peopleare even se- pact of newmedia is so intense and ridicu- anxieties that China will be people’s anger is understandablyonthe rise. statistical analysisdrivenbydemograph- is safetogobacktowork. cretly betting on a“China collapse theory”. lous,thatyou cansimplyrun acountry the “winner”after the China and India should further promote me- ics and the accuracy of thetests beingused. But, again, that is wishful thinking; laugh- through tweets.The dangers of fake news epidemic. So politicians and dia cooperation to ensurethatour views get The SantaClaraand Munich-basedstudies The writers arepart of theMahacovid, a able, and sad. and malicious stigmatisation aremuchmore across to different corners of the world. The have usedasample size of approximately voluntary informalgroup including Equality and mutual respect arethe ba- than ever before. media are working hard to renaissance of Asian civilisation represented 3,000 participants. foundations, management consulting sic norms of international relations. But the Facedwith the epidemic, the buzzwords shame China. Those baseless by Chinaand Indiaand the rise of developing Robuststatistical analysis is needed to firms, companies, public officials and colonial hangoverisstill very muchactive in Ihear in India and China arenaturallysimi- clichés attacking China are countries, is unstoppable. No provocation determinethe appropriatesamplesize,ac- experts in public healthand dataanalytics manypeople’sminds,and theyjustcannot lar —“going home” or “returning to native typically the “old wine” of can changethis historical trend. counting formultiple factors suchasthe who areworking on theground in look at China’srise on an equal footing. China place”.Becausedeepdown, we knowthat specificity and sensitivity of the testsused, Mumbai, Maharashtratohelpinfighting has noweffectivelycontrolledthe epidemic, the basic unit of humanity is community and colonial thoughts in a“new The writer is consul-general of thePeople’s as well as to draw conclusions from the theCovid 19 pandemic. This article is based and itseconomy and social life arebackto ashared future. In this regard,China and bottle”. Republic of China in Mumbai study to understand prevalence. on conversations withresearchers While Mumbai and other cities have around theworld

Regroup and reinvent LETTERSTOTHE EDITOR BEYOND THE CALLS Thereisneedfor coordinatedresponse by Centreand states to meetcrisis THIS REFERS EDITORIAL, ‘Other health- IDEAS carefronts’ (IE, May7). In therush to Kalraj Mishra protect the countryagainstCOVID-19, ONLINE those suffering from other ailments mustnot beignored.Currently, the gov- ONLYINTHE EXPRESS GLOBAL ECONOMIC PROSPECTS have been increasinglyexploringthe possibilities of di- mand, salaries and jobs. But with speedy The government shouldwaive-offutil- ernmentismarshalling all the resources severely dentedbythe COVID-19pandemic. versifying their manufacturing and supply action, the governmentcould significantly ity bills forthe urban poor forthree months. at itscommand in containing the virus ● AFLAWED RESPONSE: This medical-cum-economic emergency chains to avoid putting all their eggs in the ease the damage. Similarly,MSMEs should be exempted from and the treatment of allotherdiseases SHARAD YADAV has causedmassive dislocationsinglobal China basket.Weshould leverage this to our Another focus area ispharmaceuticals. electricity duties forthree months. Taxes has been put on thebackburner.Those production, supplychains, trade and advantagesothatChina’s lossisIndia’s gain. Despite the country’s strength in the leviedbylocal/state governmentmay also withseriousand critical illnessescan- ● THE RIGHT CRISIS tourism. COVID-19 has impacted economic MSMEs form the backbone of the econ- genericdrug scene, Indian pharma majors be exempted forthree months forspecific notbecuredtelepathicallybytelemed- POLICY MIX: SIMRIT KAUR activity in India directlydue to national omy. But theyare quitevulnerable and have have been importing rawmaterials from sectors. icine. The government ought to deploy lockdown and via second-round effectsop- minimalreserves to meetdifficulties. The China though some of these areavailable Alongwiththe private sector,the gov- itslimitedresources optimally. AND KAMALDEEP erating through lowerglobal tradeand lockdown has leftthemwithunmetex- locally.India could be the largestexporterof ernment mustcreateanemergency frame- DeepakSinghal, Chennai KAUR SARNA growth. penses, utility bills,rents, salaries. Andpay- medicines. It canalso present itself as a work to manufacturelow-cost sanitisers The government has announced an eco- mentsowedtothese unitsare stuck, creat- credible alternative in the textile and ap- and masks, testingkitsand protective gear FORSEEN PROBLEMS www.indianexpress.com nomic stimulus packageworth Rs 1.7lakh ing adouble squeeze.OnApril 15,the parel segment. Otherpromising areasin- to supporthealthcareprofessionals. crore, designedtohelp millions of low-in- government announcedcertain relaxations clude mineralsand metals, homeware,ce- Additionally, manufacturing low-costven- THIS REFERS TO the article, ‘Weak come households bear the lockdown. This on the lockdown restrictions. According to ramic tiles, engineering goods and tilators, digital thermometers and critical linksintostrengths’(IE, May6). Many packagewas supplemented by various an assessment by the Federation of Indian furniture. vaccines will help mitigatethe lossoflife. of theissues relating to supply chains moneytoindulge in fewmomentsof measures from the RBI,whichincludedre- Export Organisations(FIEO),these relax- Further,with businesses transitioning Organisations should createaCOVID-19 andlogistics of essential goods could pleasure. With 40 days of lockdown, ducingthe repo rate by 75 basis points, pro- ations will help restartabout 80-85 per cent to adigital model, the demand foronline response fund through theircorporateso- have been foreseen in apre-COVID and all other sources of revenue having viding athree-month moratorium on pay- of export-oriented manufacturing units. If tools forcommunication and collaboration cial responsibilityspending. Adisasterman- world. The FCI wouldn’t have had to driedup, the easiestoptionfor the gov- ment of instalmentsofterm loans, and these unitscan operatebyearly May, it will increase. Online methods of skilling, agement framework focusedoncreating a struggle with transporting food-grain ernment is to sell liquor.But the state deferment of interestonworking capital fa- would help them to paywages forMay. upskilling andreskilling will grow,leading robustchannel to provideinformation and had godowns been establishedatthe has asocial obligation to preservethe cilities by three months. Further,restartinglabour-intensive indus- to aspike in demand forgood online educa- createawareness is essential.The govern- district level. This would have reduced mental-physical well being of citizens The sharp reduction in international tries likefood processing and construction in tion content. Light industries in villages, es- ment should alsoensuredisasterresponse transportation costs and delays. as well. The freedom to drink in crude oil prices could improveIndia’s terms rural areas would generateincome formi- peciallyinfood processing, will also geta training programmes. The Rajasthan state The government mustdevelop alogis- moderation mustbebalancedbythis of trade, but the gains arenot expected to grantlabourers. Allowing transport, ware- boost. Startups should be encouraged to de- governmentshould also push the National tics policy in fornational emergencies concern. offset the drag from the shutdown andloss housing and cold storagewould ensure velop cold-chain logistics with aproper AgricultureMarket(eNAM). andkeep in mind that it shouldn’t be- Mohit Swami, Bikaner of external demand. To managethe stress, smoother functioning of the supplychain. ecosystem. Flattening the curveisof utmostimpor- come reliant on the benevolence of in- economic policy has to focus on guarantee- Businesses have startedfacing massive The toppriority todayistoget the econ- tance. India is battling this medical-cum- dividualsand NGOs to fulfil itssover- SAVE MSMES ing the functioning of essential sectors, pro- working capital/cash flowissuesand these omybackontrack whileensuring there is economic emergency through isolation, so- eign duties. viding enough resources forpeoplehit by will continue even postthe lockdown be- no resurgence of the disease. The Rajasthan cial distancing and upscaling diagnostic and Noel Therattil, Delhi THIS REFERS TO the editorial, ‘COVID & the crisis and preventing excessive eco- cause of reduceddemand. MSME and start- state government shouldset asidefunds to testing requirements.But giventhe magni- MSME’(IE,May 6).Ifthe government nomic disruption. The Chinese character of ups arethe worsthit. Though the govern- take careofour firstresponders (across all tude of the crisis, thereisacompelling need WATER IT DOWN wantstoput thissector backonthe thecrisisrepresents both challengeand op- ment has takensteps via SIDBI and other essential services) and patients. It should forcoordinated effortsbyall stake-holders road to recovery,itmustcomeupwith portunity.Hence, we needtofocusonthe schemes to help MSMEs,weneedtodo provide auniversal basic cash payment to -central and stategovernments, doctors, THIS REFERS TO the article, ‘Drink for fiscal and other stimuli immediately. following aspects. more. The government can also procure everyhousehold so that minimal needs can nurses, planners and policy-makersand thought’ (IE May7). Therecentstam- Unfortunately, there is nothing on the In the lastthree decades, China has be- from MSMEs and startups, thus helping be metevenunder alockdown. The govern- even those at the helm of affairs at various pede has shown that peopleacross the horizon. It’s time forthe government to come the global factory. The disruptionin them sustain. Restoring pre-COVID levels ment mustalso ensurethe uninterrupted levels of administration. All of us mustplay length and breadth of the countryare wake up. the supplyoffinished goods and rawmate- of purchase could take six months or more. flowofcritical supplies and services, and ourpartinmeeting thischallenge. willingtospend astronomical sums of SKPrabhakar, Gurugram rials has ledtoanincreasedawareness of the Untilthen, businesses and workers need to invest in the much-neededhealth infra- risksofthisconcentration. Companies are brace themselvesfor drastic cutsinde- structure. Thewriter is governorofRajasthan

New Delhi WWW.INDIANEXPRESS.COM 10 EXPRESS NETWORK THEINDIANEXPRESS,FRIDAY,MAY8,2020 Hrs after being booked ‘IT’S NOT PREVENTIVEDETENTION’ Threeweeks after in 29-year-old case, HCrapspoliceforforcing Palghar lynching, SP Punjab ex-DGP stopped sent on forced leave from entering Himachal Sources said that after CITUleaderintoquarantine MOHAMEDTHAVER speaking to thelocal represen- MUMBAI,MAY7 tatives, including the MLA, the NAVJEEVANGOPAL& MP and the sarpanchofthe vil- JAGDEEPSINGHDEEP in light of anationwide protest anyperson withoutawarrant or April 30, while PublicProsecutor PALGHAR SP Gaurav Singh was lage, Deshmukh came to know CHANDIGARH,MAY7 OMKARGOKHALE calledbyCITUagainstCentre'sal- orderofthe magistrate.Hewas DeepakThakareandadvocateSR on Thursdaysent on forced that the police were awarethat MUMBAI,MAY7 leged apathetic attitude to the told he wasbeing booked under Shinde –appearing forthe police leave by the stategovernment, rumours were doing the HOURS AFTER he wasbooked on plight of farmers and workers, sections188 (disobedienceto or- –claimedBMC had detained three weeksafter twosadhus rounds in the area about Wednesdayevening in acase re- THE MORNINGofApril 21 was Narayananandhistwocolleagues der promulgatedby government Narayanan. The BMC denied any from aMumbai ashramand thievesand child lifters being lated to disappearance of aman just likeany other dayfor K arrivednearAjmeriMasjidcarry- servant) and 269 (negligentact knowledgeofthe incident. their driverwerelynched by vil- on the prowl. “It is believedthat in Mohali, Punjab, afteraterror Narayanan, Mumbai president of ing flags, placards and food items likelytospread infection of dis- "He wasdetained since he lagers in the district. if strict action wastaken to curb attackin1991, former Punjab the CentreofIndian Trade Unions to be distributedtoparticipants ease dangerous to life) of IPC and wasseencomingout ofared Home MinisterAnil the rumour mongering, the DGP Sumedh Singh Saini was (CITU), who had steppedout in thereandinGaodeviDongararea underDisasterManagementAct. zone area in Andheri (West) and DeshmukhonThursdayvisited lynching could have been stoppedfromentering Himachal Former Punjab DGP Andheri West,along with twoof inAndheriWest.“Priornoticehad “The police took away my wasfoundtoberesiding in acon- Gadhchinchle villagewhere the avoided,” an official said. Pradesh by thehill state’s police SumedhSingh Saini. File hiscolleagues, to distributefood beensentto thetahsildarandpo- phone and my requesttoinform tainment zone," the police said. incident took place on April 16. The official addedthat fornot possessing acurfew pass. to stranded migrantlabourers. lice.We were wearingfacemasks CITU members or lawyers was At thefinal hearingonMay5 He wasaccompaniedbythe Deshmukh also receivedappli- Saini, whowas booked along Hourslater,Narayanan found andmaintainingsocialdistancing refused. Iwas then takentoa –heardbyanew judge, Justice stateDGP Subodh Jaiswaland of- cations from the families of with six othersinanFIR filedon time,and an unknown person, himself lockedupbyMumbai protocols,”Narayanantold The quarantine facilityatWest Blue Revati Mohite-Dere–BMC told ficers from the stateCID that is several arrested accused, say- Wednesdayevening, washead- have been booked in the case. Policeinquarantine, in spite of Indian Express. hoteland put in aroom on the the courtNarayanan wassentto nowinvestigating the case. So ing that theywerewrongly ing forhis "property” in Karsog, Sainiwas theChandigarhSSP showingnosymptomsforCOVID- He said that at the distribution seventh floor.” the facility as per police’s direc- far, 110villagers have been ar- pickedup. Deshmukh told in Himachal'sMandi district, when Balwant wasallegedly ab- 19.Hewouldspend thenexttwo site, Deputy Commissioner (Zone When his colleagues ap- tion. However, it said he had rested in the case. them that he will wait forthe when he wasstoppedatthe bor- ducted from his home in Phase weeksatthe facility,tillMay 5, 9) Abhishek Trimukheand sen- proachedpolice, theyweredi- tested negative and his 14-day In avideo afterhis visit, CID to complete itsinquirybe- der at 4amThursday, andasked VII, Mohali,allegedly at the be- while the police withheld from ior Inspector Parmeshwar rected to BMCofficials, but to no quarantineperiodhad ended the Deshmukh said, “I metthe lo- fore taking adecision. to return, according to Bilaspur hestofSaini in connection with himthereportoftheCOVID19 test Gamane of DNNagarpolice avail. Thereafter, CITU members previous day, on May4. cal elected representativesand The lynching incident had SP Devakar Sharma. ablastinAugust1991, which he wasmadetoundergo. asked Narayanan and his col- rushedtothe facility and spoke Narayanan told TheIndian residentstounderstand the takenplace on April16when While Saini could notbecon- killedthree police personnel and Earlier this week,the leagues to come to the police sta- to Narayanan brieflythrough the Express he wasstaying at the reason behind the incident. ChikneKalpvrukshgiri(70), his tacted,hewas reportedlyback leftSaini seriouslyinjured. Bombay High Courtrepri- tion. There, while his colleagues hotelintercom. Told that histest CITU office in Andheri since the Afterlistening to them, the gov- disciple Sushilgiri Maharaj(35) home in Chandigarh. Amid allegations that mandedthe Mumbai Police for were allowedto leave,Narayanan result would notbedeclared for lockdown began. ernment has decided to send and driverNilesh Telgade (30) According to theBilaspur SP, Balwant wasfalselyimplicated putting himinquarantine with- wastaken to aprivate lab. at leasttwo weeks, CITU moved The courtobserved, Palghar SP Gaurav Singh on were headedtoSurat from Saini wastravelling in aToyota and tortured at the behestof out anyreason, saying that “I wastaken to Suburban HC. “Narayanan’s detention “Quarantinecannotbeusedfor forced leave andgivethe addi- Kandivali to attend the funeral of Innova bearing aChandigarh Saini, aPunjab and Haryana High "quarantinecannotbeusedfor Diagnostics in Jogeshwari with- shows abuse of powerexercised preventive detention.ACOVID-19 tional SP of Palghar the charge asenior sadhu. registration number and wasac- CourtbenchheadedbyJustice preventive detention". It ordered outbeingtoldwhy. Atestwascon- as apunitive measuretomake negative personmaycatchcoron- in the interim.” The vehicle managed to companiedbytwo peoplewho Mehtab Singh Gill (nowretired) the police to lethim go,bywhich ducted,aquarantine stampwas an example of him,” the plea avirus in the facility.” The judge Earlier,fivepolicemen from evade police checkpointsset up identifiedthemselvesasan on October 5, 2007,directed CBI time he had already spent 14 put on my hand and Iwas told re- movedbyMahendraSingh, a notedthe policehad failedtoes- the Kasa police station, includ- forthe lockdown, and reached Inspector and an ASI. Sharma to conduct aprobe. days at the facility. sult will be sent on my phone CITU member,said. tablish anydue procedureoflaw ingthe in-charge,weresus- right up to theMaharashtra and said it wasnot clear whetherthe On July2,2008, CBIbooked AccordingtoNarayanan, he within48hours,”saidNarayanan. OnthefirsthearingonApril27, under whichNarayanan’s phone pended. As manyas35police Dadra-Nagar Haveli Taluka. They twoare serving officers. Saini, then Chandigarh DSP and his colleagues had been dis- He claimedhewas sent back Justice CVBhadangordered the and other belongings were con- personnel were transferred were stoppedtherebyforest Saini, who wasremovedas BaldevSinghSaini, then sub-in- tributing food and essentialsup- to the police station and police policetoreturn Narayanan’s fiscated.Shesaidtherewasnolaw from the police station, under guards and it wasontheir way the Punjab police chief in spectorsHarsahai Sharma and plies to migrant workersand the proceededunder Section 41 of phoneandprovidehimwithfresh to keepNarayananincustodyand whose jurisdiction the incident backthat theyweremistakenas October 2015 following inci- Jagir Singh and others under poor.OnApril21, around 10 am, CrPC, whichempowers it to arrest clothes.Atthe next hearing on ordered his immediaterelease. took place. child lifters and lynched. dents of sacrilege andmassive chargesincluding kidnapping backlash againstthe erstwhile with intention to murder. SAD-ledgovernment in thestate In this FIR, the CBI notedthat 7hospitalised in and retiredasDGP and chairman Balwant waspickeduptoknow Bihar govt asks dealers not to Govt extendsnotice of Punjab Police Housing the whereaboutsofDevinderPal Chhattisgarh Corporation in June 2018,was Singh Bhullar,who Saini blamed deny ration citing tech issues bookedonWednesdayincon- forthe August1991blast. after inhaling period for draft EIA nection with the disappearance Balwant's brother Palwinder, of Balwant Singh Multani, who in his latestcomplainttoPunjab ‘Covid relief also to cards notlinkedtoAadhaar’ poisonous gas wasajuniorengineerwith the Police, has alleged that three oth- ChandigarhIndustrial and ers —Bhullar's father-in-law have been conducting raids. So far, we have at paper mill notificationtoJune 30 Tourism Corporation, according Kultar Singh and his relatives SANTOSHSINGH initiated action against694 dealers, regis- to the FIR. Son of then serving IAS Manjit Singh and Jaspreet PATNA,MAY7 teredcases against215 and suspendedPDS officer DSMultani, Balwant con- Inderjit Singh—werealsopicked licenses of 175." PRESSTRUSTOFINDIA ESHAROY The drafthas drawncriticism tinues to be missing and his fam- up and subjected to "torture". AMID COMPLAINTS of PDS dealers deny- Asked what the state governmentisdo- RAIPUR,MAY7 NEWDELHI,MAY7 from environmentalists,who ilysuspectshewas killed. Devinder Bhullar is serving ing ration to cardholders and selling grains ing to ensureration to aged people whose The case wasregistered at lifeterm in the 1993 Delhi blast in the marketbyciting problems with the fingerprintsdonot match, Modi said, "We SEVENWORKERS had to behos- AFTERRECEIVINGnumerousrepresenta- said it is a‘dilution of existing Mohali’sMatour policestation on case afterdeath penalty awarded e-PoS system, the Bihar government has have asked dealers to give them ration by pitalisedafter inhaling poison- tionsforextendingthenoticeperiodof the environmental norms’ the complaint of Balwant's to him waswas commuted. asked the dealers nottodenyration to any- usingdealer authentication. We heard ous gasatapaper mill in draftEnvironmentImpact Assessment brother,PalwinderSingh Multani. Punjab Chief Minister one and to use dealer authentication in complaints about dealersdrawing grains Chhattisgarh’s Raigarhdistrict, notification 2020, the Ministryof Besides Saini, six other police Amarinder Singh said therewas case of anytechnical issue. againstfakecards.Wehaveidentified the police saidThursday. Three Environment, Forest and ClimateChange damentallyfaulty–there is no pro- officers, who served in the ranks no politicalmotivation in thereg- Thereare 1.68 crorehouseholds with about 18 lakh cards that have neither aresaid to bein critical condition. on Thursdayannouncedthat the notice posedaction which actuallyprotects of DSP and Sub-Inspector at the istration of an FIR againstSaini. ration cards in the stateand out of them, Aadhaar number nor bank account de- The victimswerecleaningan period has been extendedtoJune 30. the environment. 1.02 crorecards arelinked to Aadhaar. tails." The government, he said, could soon open tank on Wednesday The deadline forsending in objec- Onthecontrary, we findenvironmen- Rationdealers,whohadthreatenedtogo cancel thesefakecards. evening at ShaktiPaper Mill in tions and suggestions to thedraft notifi- talregulations arebeing further relaxed. onstrikefromMay 1toprotestagainstthee- TheDeputy Chief Ministersaid com- Tetla village, Raigarh cation wastoend on May22. Oneof thefundamentalissuesisthatproj- Classifieds PoSsystem,withdrew thestrikecallafterthe plaintshavealsobeen receivedthat deal- Superintendent of Police The ministryhad publishedthe draft ectswith violations, especiallyconstruc- governmentissuedsternwarnings.Thereare ers were denying ration to those whose Santosh Singh said. However, notificationonMarch 23 and soon after, tion,cannowreceive postfacto clearance,’’ PUBLICNOTICE about 42,000PDS shopsinthe state. familyheads were away."Even if one fam- the factoryowner did notinform thelockdownto curbCOVID-19cameinto saidenvironmentallawyerRwitick Dutta. Deputy Chief MinisterSushil Kumar ilynumberhas Aadhaar authentication, a the administration about the in- force. Representations from environmen- Kanchi Kohli of the Centrefor Policy Moditold The Indian Express, "Weare the dealer cannotdenyration.” cident, whichonlycame to light talandpolicyresearchgroups,civilsociety Research pointed out thatwaterway PUBLIC NOTICE Be it known to general public at large laststate to introduce the e-PoS system. Modi said that although Aadhaar link- afterthe hospital authorities organisationsandmembersof parliament, projectshavealsobeen includedinthe that my Client Mr.Buddh Ram S/o Suva Technology is the onlyway to minimise ing of ration cards wasunderway, the gov- alertedthe police, he said. including former environment minister EIA’s B2 categoryand will “not require Ram &Maya Devi W/o Buddh Ram both R/o- H.No. 10196/39, Gali Phoolwali, corruption in the PDS system. Afterreceiv- ernment would give COVID-19relief of Rs The mill had remainedshut Jairam Ramesh, hadrequestedfor an ex- prior environmental clearance’’.“While Jhandewalan Mandir,Ram Nagar, ing complaintsofdealers resisting the new 1,000 to all cardholders even if the cards ever since the COVID-19lock- tension. Theyhad arguedthat the lock- we arehappy that the Ministry has lis- Pahad Ganj, Delhi-55 has severed her all Relations and disowned her son technology and denying people ration, we arenot linkedtoAadhaar. down wasenforced. Theclean- down restricted the consultation process tenedtothe concernsofthe peopleand Ajeet Kumar Chauhan @Jeetu and ing work wasaprelude to the re- of the publicand stakeholders,manyof extendedthe dateofobjections andsug- his wife Deepa Chauhan from all her movable &immovable properties due sumption of operations, the whom don’t have accesstothe internet. gestions, environmental laws needto be to their misconduct and bad activities. official said. Thedraftisareviewofthe2006EIAno- strengthenedand notrelaxed as is the My client and her other family members shall not be responsible for any wrongful 5-2-68, 3rd Floor,Mahatma Gandhi Markfed The workers were admitted tificationandhasdrawncriticismfromen- draftEIA.For instance, the gasleak that and illegal act in future. Any person(s) Bhavan, Jambagh, Hyderabad -500 095 to alocal hospital, from where vironmentalists,whohave saiditisa“dilu- in Visakhapatnam today; whilethis is an deal with them shall be self responsible. Email: [email protected] S.K. Gupta (Advocate) three were shiftedtoone in the tion of existing environmental norms’’. accident, therewill nowhavetobeanin- Ch. No. D-209, Karkardooma Court, Delhi statecapital of Raipur in viewof “These arenew regulations being vestigation to see whether this wasa PUBLIC NOTICE The tender notice was published on their critical condition, he said. brought in after14yearsand yetitdoes lapse.Toensurethat violations leading 07.05.2020 in the Indian express vide Ateam of forensic experts notaddress the challengesthatweface. to such incidents don’t take place, laws Our client Rajpal Singh, &his wife Ram Rc.No.TSMF/Seeds/853/2020-21, wherein Shree, both R/O H. No.389, Gali No. wasdispatchedtothe spottoin- We areasignatoryofthe Paris have to be more stringent. Such lapses 7/A-A-Block, Lakhpat Colony,Part-2, the e-auctionwas proposed in MeethapurExtension, New Delhi- https://auction.telangana.gov.in and vestigatethe mishap. Agreement and yetthis EIAdraft is fun- adverselyaffect theeconomy,”Kohli said. 110044, severe all relations &Debar WWW.neml.in. their Son Devender Kumar and his wife SaritaKumari and their children Nayra Apartial modification is hereby decided that fromall their movable-immovable the e-auction will be conducted in only properties due to their disobedience. https://auction.telangana.gov.in on Corrigendum My client's and theirother family technical grounds. Distt. Health &Family Welfare Society Kaithal members will not be responsible for any of their actsinfuture. R.O.No.: 594-PP/CL-AGENCY/ADVT/1/2020-21 Walk in Interview Sd/- In the reference to our previous advertisement forvarious posts forcontaining and prevention of COVID- Shailesh Kumar Advocate 19 forDistrict Kaithal, revised/Amended TORare as under: Chamber No.625, Lawyers Block, Saket Court, New Delhi-110017 Sr.NameofPost No. of Qualification SalaryPer month (in Rs) No. Posts 1. Public Health 1 (i) MD in CHA/Hospital management/Community Medicine 80000/- Manager (ii) Master/Diploma/Degree in CHA/Hospital Management/ Community Medicine (iii) MBA in Health Management (iv) Master in Public Health 2. Microbiologist 1 (i) MD in Microbiology (i) 80000/- PM Consolidated (ii) Ph. D(Microbiology) (ii) 80000/- PM Consolidated (iii) MBBS with PG degree/Diploma in Microbiology, (iii) 80000/- PM Consolidated Virology,Pathology and other lab sciences. (iv) 80000/- PM Consolidated (iv) M.sc (Medical Microbiology) (v) 60000/- PM Consolidated (v) M.sc (Microbiology)

Sd/- Civil Surgeon 80800/HRY Kaithal

SHAHEED HASAN KHAN MEWATI GOVT.MEDICAL COLLEGE NALHAR, TENDER NOTICE NUH-122107 (HARYANA) E-mail: [email protected], Phone No. 01267-282007 PUBLIC NOTICE This is forthe information of all the concerned, that 01 Post of Psychiatric Social Worker which waspublished vide Advt.No. SHKM/Rectt/19/05 in the various Newspapers and walk-in-interviewwas conducted on 29.08.2019 is herebywithdrawn with immediate effects due to administrativereasons. Sd/- Director, SHKM Govt. Medical College, 80802/HRY Nalhar,Nuh OFFICEOFTHE ENGINEER-IN-CHIEF, LOST & FOUND RURAL WATER SUPPLY&SANITATION, ODISHA JAL OPARIMAL BHAWANUNIT-V,BHUBANESWAR -751001 O-02 Tel: 0674-2395734 FAX: 0674-2394946 e-mail: [email protected] File No. OWSM-WQ-270/2020 Letter No. 2279 Date: 24.04.2020 CANCELLATION OF BID IDENTIFICATION NO.2236 EIC/RWSS-51/2019-20 DT.13.03.2020 The Tender Call Notice No. 2236, EIC, RWSS-51 /2019-20 dt. 13.03.2020 for the work “Design Development, implementation & maintenanceofERP system for Water Testing Laboratories as a part of Water Quality Monitoring &SurveillanceSystem in the State of Odisha” is hereby cancelled. Sd/- 25040/11/0001/2021 Engineer-in Chief, RWSS 80797/HRY. FOR FURTHER INFORMATION KINDLYVISIT:www.haryanaeprocurement.gov.in or www.etenders.hry.nic.in

New Delhi WWW.INDIANEXPRESS.COM

THEINDIANEXPRESS,FRIDAY,MAY8,2020 @ieExplained #ExpressExplained 11 If thereare questions of current or contemporaryrelevance that youwould like E EXPLAINED explained, please [email protected]

The gas that leaked: SIMPLY PUT QUESTION &ANSWER what styrene is for, India lockdown, other lockdowns AStringency Indexcreated by OxfordUniversity shows howstrictacountry’s measures were,and at what and how it behaves stageofthe spread it enforcedthese. Indiaimposedits strictestmeasuresmuchearlier than others

SREENIVASJANYALA H KARISHMAMEHROTRA DEATH CURVESATVARIOUS LEVELSOFSTRINGENCY HYDERABAD,MAY7 NEWDELHI,MAY7 FRANCE INDIA THE GASthat leaked from achemical fac- C IT HAS been well understood thatamong toryonthe outskirts of Visakhapatnam H H various countries responding to theCovid- 100,000 100 100,000 100 on Thursday, leaving at least10dead and 19 outbreak,India enforcedone of the C 10,000 80 sending hundredstohospital, is called strongestlockdowns at an early phaseofcase ths dex in styrene. Alookatits structure,the kind growth. Now, an indexcreated by the dea 1,000 60 10,000 80 of industriesthatuse it,and thekindof University of Oxfordquantifies that. The ncy H H orted 100 40 healthhazards experts associateitwith: C Stringency Indexhas found thatIndia indeed nge

Rep 10 20 Stri C C had one of the strongestlockdown measures ths 1,000 60 dex in What is styrene? in the world—ata100scoresince March 22. 1 0 dea Styrene is an organic compound with It wasrelaxedslightlyonApril 20 afterthe 1Jan 1Feb 1Mar 1Apr 1May ncy the formula C8H8, itsmolecular structure government easednorms forcertain work- orted 100 40 nge as pictured.Itisaderivative of benzene places in regions outside the redzones. Rep C C ITALY Stri (C6H6). It is stored in factoriesasaliquid, H H butevaporateseasily, andhas to be kept C What is this index? 100,000 100 at temperatures under 20°C. It is amongthe metricsbeing used by the 10 20 10,000 80

OxfordCOVID-19Government Response ths dex in What is styrene usedfor? H Tracker. TheTracker involvesateam of 100 dea 1,000 60 1 0 Styreneisthe main rawmaterial for Oxfordcommunity members who have con- ncy

orted 100 40 synthesis of polystyrene, or (C8H8)n. Molecular structure of styrene tinuouslyupdated adatabase of 17 indica- nge 1Jan 1Feb 1Mar 1Apr 1May Rep 10 20 Polystyrene, in turn, is aversatile plastic (C H ), with bonding in the form tors of government response. These indica- Stri 8 8 DatafromMay3,2020,Forindividualcountries,thedatamaybeseveraldaysolder. that is usedtomakeparts of various ap- C6H5CH=CH2.Usedfor synthesisof tors examine containment policies suchas 1 0 Source:OxforCOVID-19GovernmentResponseTracker.Moreat:bsg.ox.ac.uk/covidtrackeror pliances suchasrefrigerators or micro- plastics, it is stored as aliquid in school and workplace closings, public events, 1Jan 1Feb 1Mar 1Apr 1May github.com/OxCGRT/covid-policy-tracker ovens; automotive parts;and partsof factories but evaporates rapidly. public transport, stay-at-home policies. The electronicssuchascomputers; andalso Stringency Indexisanumber from 0to100 UNITED STATES IRAN SPAIN to manufacturedisposablecupsand in that reflectsthese indicators. Ahigher index food packaging. Styreneisalsousedasan What wasthe factoryfromwhich scoreindicates ahigher levelofstringency. 100,000 100 100,000 100 100,000 100 intermediatetoproduce copolymers — styrene leaked? 10,000 80 10,000 80 10,000 80 x x x whichare polymers derivedfromone or Styrene gasleaked from astoragetank What does the indextell us? ths ths ths inde inde inde morespecies of monomers suchas of LG ChemPolymers.The factorywas es- It provides apictureofthe stageatwhich dea 1,000 60 dea 1,000 60 dea 1,000 60 styrene. tablished in 1961,originallyasHindustan anycountryenforcedits strongestmeasures. ncy ncy ncy

orted 100 40 orted 100 40 orted 100 40

Polymers, to manufacturepolystyrene. It Oxfordprovidesanoverlay of countries’ nge nge nge Rep 10 20 Rep 10 20 Rep 10 20 What happens if someone is exposed wasmergedwith McDowell &Coofthe death curveand their stringency score. Some Stri Stri Stri to styrene gas? UB Group in 1978, then takenoverin countriessaw their deaths justbegintoflat- 1 0 1 0 1 0 Exposuretostyrene gasaffectsthe 1997 by South Korea-basedLGChem, tenastheyreachedtheir higheststringency, 1Jan 1Feb 1Mar 1Apr 1May 1Jan 1Feb 1Mar 1Apr 1May 1Jan 1Feb 1Mar 1Apr 1May central nervous system, said Dr KVijay whichrenameditLGPolymers. The fac- such as Italy, Spain, or France. As China pulled Kumar,Head of the Department of tory manufacures general-purpose poly- stronger measures, itsdeath curveplateaued. RespiratoryMedicine, Andhra Medical styrene and high-impact polystyrene, ex- In countries suchasthe UK, the US, and similar or higher case load, India calledits in thisset,and Iran the second mostliberal. to alevel the healthcaresystemcan manage; College. “Breathlessness, respiratory pandable polystyrene,and engineering India,the Oxford graphsfind that the death strict lockdown at amuchearlier point on its Other countries with a100 scoreare the healthcaresystemcan detect and isolate problems, irritation in eyes,indigestion, plastics compounds. It is located at RRV curvehasnotflattenedafterstrictest measures case and death curves. These 18 other coun- Honduras, Argentina, Jordan, Libya,Sri Lanka, all cases (not justserious ones);manage nausea, transient loss of consciousness, Puram in Gopalapatnam,15kmfrom were enforced.Fromthe highestdeath count tries had morethan 500cases when they Serbia, and Rwanda. India nowhas the high- transfer to and from high-risktransmission unsteady gait, giddinessare causedbyex- Visakhapatnam city. attheirstrongestmeasures,thecountriescom- calledtheir strictestlockdown, while India estnumber of cases in this set. zones; and communityengagement. posuretoit. In this incident, peoplewere Acompanyofficial said 1,800tonnes pared were France, Italy, Iran, Germany, UK, had 320. Again, India had onlyfour deaths India scored 0.7(belowAustralia, exposedtothe gasfor ashortduration, of styrene wasstoredinatank of capac- Netherlands, Sweden,Mexico,Canada, on March 22, whenits scorereached100, What elsedoesthis resource cover? Thailand, Taiwan, and South Korea) because so theremay notbeany long-term ef- ity2,400tonnes. The gasleakedfromthis Belgium,Ireland,US,Turkey,Israel,China,India, while mostcountries had moredeaths at In aresearch note,these researchers ex- it scored 0for controlling itscases. The high- fects,” Dr Kumar said. tank when officials were preparingtore- and Switzerland. that point (exceptSwitzerland;nodeaths). aminedifcountries meetfour of the six estscorers on this index, at 0.9, were Iceland, However, in people suffering from open the factorythatwas shut for44days Spain calledfor itsstrictestmeasures later WorldHealth Organization’s(WHO) recom- Hong Kong, Croatia, and Trinidad &Tobago. respiratoryillness suchasasthma, and due to the lockdown. Abouthalf the gas HowdoesIndia comparewith others? in itscase and death count thanall others. mendations forrelaxing physical distancing Oxfordfound no countries meetthe four thosewho have chronic obstructive pul- leaked before it wascontained. When compared to other countries with Sweden has had the mostliberal measures measures. These are: control transmission measuredrecommendations,but20areclose. monarydiseases, theseconditions may getexaggerated,DrKumarsaid. “Those Were safetyprotocols in place? suffering from diabetes or hypertension As explained, styrene has to be stored mayhaveanxietydisorders.” in gastanksunder 20°C to keep it stable. CORONAVIRUS DASHBOARD It is the mucous membrane thatis The temperaturehas to be continuously mainlyaffected by exposuretostyrene monitored,and anyexposure to light or gas. In Visakhapatnam,the styrenegas heat mayresult in polymerisation. A THE WORLD INDIA COUNT: 52,952 (1,783 DEATHS) leak causedacutebreathlessnessamong team of 15 engineers and officials re- manypeople, afew of whom asphyxiated mainedonduty at the factorythrough- REST OF INDIA 202,359 168,655 214,457 131,744 TOP10STATES AndamanandNicobarIslands33 to death. out the lockdown period to monitor it. If United Kingdom Germany Italy Turkey ArunachalPradesh 1 temperaturerises, inhibitors have to be 1,516 Assam 45 Union Health What arethe long-term effects? addedtokeepthe styrene stable. At LG Bihar542 Punjab Chandigarh 120 Ministryupdate Experts saythat if people areexposed Chem, an inhibitor tank is attachedtothe 5,532 Delhi Chhattisgarh 59 as of 11 pm, to the gasfor along period,thereisa styrene storagetank but it failedtosta- 3,317 DadarNagarHaveli1May7.Some 174,224 Rajasthan 2,998 UP chanceoftheir developing leukaemia and biliseitintime. As asafetymeasure, the France Goa 7 states mayhave headaches. Studies on the effectson styrene tanksare neverfilled to capacity. Haryana 594 HimachalPradesh 45 reportedhigher health due to occupationalexposureto 1,231,992 177,160 JammuandKashmir775 numbers. Only Russia styrene have,however, been inconclusive. Whycould theinhibitornot prevent US 3,138 1,456 Jharkhand 127 MP West Bengal states/UTs with As per the United States what happened? 103,135 6,625 Karnataka693 at leastone case Iran Gujarat Kerala 503 Environmental Protection Agency, tests As the styrene wasstagnant for44 Ladakh 41 listedhere. involvingacute exposure of rats andmice days,officials said, it waspossiblethat 127,389 16,758 1,777 Manipur 2 15,267 have shownstyrene to have lowtomod- some gasaccumulated at the ceiling of Brazil 220,325 Meghalaya12 Spain Maharashtra Andhra Pradesh PATIENTS eratetoxicity by inhalation and oral ex- the storagetankand itstemperaturerose Mizoram 1 Odisha 185 DISCHARGED posure. Animal studies have reportedef- beyond the specified20°C, and the 4,829 Puducherry 9 IN 30 STATES fectsonthe entral nervous system, liver, styrene startedvaporisingand escaped. TOTALCONFIRMED: 3,784,085 DEATHCOUNT:264,679 Tamil Nadu Telengana 1107 ANDUNION kidney, andeye and nasal irritation from This is calledauto-polymerisation. Tripura 43 Source: JohnsHopkins University,updated at 11 pm on May7 TERRITORIES inhalation exposuretostyrene. Liver, However, theexactcause isstill being as- Uttarakhand 61 blood,kidney, and stomacheffectshave certained. The companyhas notex- been observed in animals following plainedhow the storagetank ruptured Have aquestion on the COVID-19outbreak and what youshould/should notdo? [email protected] chronic oral exposure. and the gasescaped. AWhyN EXPERitT EisXPLAINSnecessarytowatchtheemergenceofISISintheregion

sitate closer scrutinyofthe ISKP threat in up to the ISKP attacks could suggestapos- Kashmiri, a kuniya (a kind of name) usedby Pashtun commanders of tribal areas of proof as yet, while afew arestill missing. the region. sibleshiftinpost-Caliphatestrategy. Aijaz Ahangar,and as Huzaifa-al-Bakistani, Pakistanwho,along withMoulviNazeer With the surfacing of Mushin, it appears that The WilayatKhurasan —comprising a kuniya usedbyhis son-in-law, reportedly and Hafiz Gul Bahadur,alignedwith Taliban afew moreIndians mayhavejoinedISKP. ISIS and Taliban parts of Afghanistan, Pakistan, Iran and killedinNangarhar. to fight againstUS-led ISAF,with active sup- In recent times, online entities calledthe Less than amonthafter thefall of the Central Asia —isaconceptborninJanuary In no time, hundreds of local fighters of portofthe PakistanArmyway backin Islamic StateHind Province (ISHP) or Caliphate(March 23, 2019), ISIS mounted 2015,whenISIS designated aformer Tehrik- ISKP displacedthe mightier Taliban from October 2001.Hewas also oneofthe Islamic State-Kashmir (IS-K) have surfaced, spectacular attackson targetsinSri Lanka. In e-TalibanPakistan(TTP) commander from Nangarhar while,across the border the founders of the TTP networkthat turnedthe with focus on propaganda and recruitment March 2020,inKabul, ISIS claimedmortar Orakzai, Hafiz Saeed, as “Wali” and adis- PakistanArmyhad aformidable presence heat on the PakistanArmyfor targeting of Indians,oroffighters from the region, for attacks on ahigh-profile political gathering, gruntledAfghan Taliban commander,Abdul to control cross-border movement forits their fiefdom.However,Aslam Farooqui attackson Indian interests. The activities of Anju Gupta President Ashraf Ghani’s inauguration, and Rauf, as “deputy Wali”. Following the killing ownsecurity.Ithas takenclose to five years wasreported to have made a“deal” with ISHP and IS-K arecloselylinked to ISKP.The on US troops in Bagram base twice. Wasthe of TTP Amir,Hakimullah, in adrone strikein forISKP to be dislodgedfromasmall area. the Pakistan ArmyaroundDecember 2012. arrest of aKashmiricouple by Delhi Police FOLLOWINGAcoordinated suicide attack March 25 attackan“anniversaryattack”? Did November 2013,Hafiz Saeedand TTP Some ISKP nodes did surface in Kunar Likeall suchdeals in Pakistan, this toowas Special Cell in early March,beinglinkedto on agurdwarainKabul on March25, in ISIS intend to target “enemies” using alocal spokesperson Sheikh Maqbool had drifted province, wherePakistanhas foryearsal- denied as soon as it became public. ISHP/IS-K, mayhavebeen an attempt to test whichseveral Sikhs were killed, Daesh (ISIS) radicalisedgroup asit hadsought to do with away from TTP towardsthe ISI. The intra- leged the presence of TTP and Jamaat-ul- the waters with Indians —those drivenby claimed itssecondeverattackonIndianin- the July2016bakeryattackinDhaka or the Mehsudfight withinTTP ledtothe emer- Ahrar bases. The geographical spread of ISKP, In the region, the signs personal grievances, radicalised in the name terestsinAfghanistan. Identifying the lone April 2019 attacks in SriLanka?Inacountry gence of Mullah Fazlullah as the Amir, itsselective and big attacks (promptlyde- It is widelybelievedthat over 100Indians of ISIS —tohit targets in Delhi or elsewhere. attackerasAbu Khalid al Hindi whereISIS presumablyhas ahandful of tar- whichled to an exodus of some command- niedbyTaliban)and its“near peaceful co- had migrated to the Caliphate, while it was Although the source of ISKP/ISHP/IS-K is (Muhammad Muhsin from Kerala, who had gets,itiscurious as to whyitendorsedthe ers who were beingcourted by the ISI to existence” with Taliban cannot be misread. gaining traction among foreignfighters known,thisdoesnotreducethethreatsposed gone to theGulf in 2018), ISIS termedit“re- targeting of aminuscule minority. turn them towardstargeting Afghanistan. Four ISKP Amirs have been killedand a across the world. Subsequently, it became by them.Since ISIS is currentlyclaiming all vengefor Muslims of Kashmir”. Moreover, in recent years, especiallyaf- In October 2014,Hafiz Saeedand Sheikh fifthisnow under arrest.The grouphas known that agroup of Indians from Kerala, “verifiable”attacks,theseentitieshave aready- Subsequently, Afghan security forces terthe US-Taliban agreement, the Taliban Maqbool suddenly pledged allegianceto nevergainedmuchtraction in Afghanistan including women and children, had mi- to-use platform forpropaganda forrecruit- arrested the Amir of Islamic StateKhurasan have repeatedly claimedtohavefinished ISIS. Around that time, the ISIS ideologywas or Pakistan. Except claiming afew big at- gratedto Afghanistanaround 2016-17. Some ment.Moreover, throughtheCovid-19phase, Province (ISKP,the ISIS branch in Af-Pak) — ISKP in Afghanistan. In arecent issueofthe gaining traction in Pakistan; notsomuchin tacksinKabul and Quetta, ISKP has not children were bornthere. Atotal of 60-plus ISIS is becoming quiteactiveincyberspace. aPakistani national, AslamFarooqui weekly al Nabha,criticising the agreement, Afghanistan.The groupdid attract Pakistani shown anykeenness to expand itsareas of Indians were believedtobeliving in terri- WhileISISwouldhappilyownupto manyat- Akhunzada—and others, including ISIS hasexhorted supporters to target“en- and Afghan foot soldiers. The group went influence. Post-Caliphate,nomass move- tory controlledbyISKPinNangarhar. tacksbythe likes of the ISKP network, it may Kashmiri militant Aijaz Ahangar,wanted emies” as their resources aretiedupwith online forpropaganda and recruitmentof ment of regionalforeign fighters backtothe BetweenOctober andDecember 2019,over notmisstheopportunityto ropeinandguide fortwo decades. ISKP postedapictureand Covid-19. Over the lastfew weeks, afew foreign fighters who found it difficult to go fold of ISKP has been reported.Some central 1,400people with ISKP,includingfighters suchnetworkstoattack targets in the region. avideo of an Afghan officer in their custody, lone wolf attackshavebeen reported across to Syria-Iraq, especially from Pakistan, India, Asian fighters of dubiousconnectionshave and their families, surrenderedbefore Thus,apartfromstemming radicalisation, it and pictures of his “beheading” on May4. Europe. Thus, the targeting of agurdwarais Bangladesh andCentralAsia. However, this surfaced, especiallyinthe north and Afghan forces in Nangarhar.These included iscriticalto closelywatchthreatsemergingin The Afghan Taliban calledAslam a“stooge” surprising. Moreover, the claim of using a recruitment wasverysmall, exceptfrom Nangarhar,recruiting Tajiksand Uzbeksfor fighters from Pakistan, Bangladesh and theregion, especiallyfor India and the West. of Afghan forces, but his organic linksinthe single foreign fighter,the modus operandi, Pakistan. Accountsfromthe West described local and overseas operations. However, the India. Some Indian women and children region have been known even before ISIS and weak propaganda doesn’t indicatea the group as ISKP.Online recruiters from local impact of suchgroups is marginal. were in this group. Afew Indian fighters are Anju Gupta is an IPS officer. wasborn. The chain of eventsdoes neces- signatureattackbyISIS. However, owning Kashmir surfacedasAbu Usman Al Aslam Farooqui is one of the first believedtohavebeen killed, with no solid Viewsare personal

New Delhi WWW.INDIANEXPRESS.COM 12 THEINDIANEXPRESS,FRIDAY,MAY8,2020 THE OUTBREAK TheWorld PANDEMIC 3.2 mn more file WATCH WhiteHouserejectskeyguidelines for jobless aid, US astheycould‘slowdown’reopening total over 33 mn

NEWYORKTIMES NEWYORKTIMES NEWYORK,MAY7 NEWYORK,MAY7 In Dhaka. Reuters THE TRUMP administration has Another 3.2 million people filed rejected detailedguidelines forfirst-time unemployment Thelongroad BANGLADESH from health experts to help benefitslastweek, in the latest backto2019 schools, restaurants, churches evidence of the economic dev- Govtliftscurbs and other establishmentssafely TRAVELFROMNEW astation from the pandemic. reopen, saying theyare toopre- The US governmentreportre- WITH THE economic de- onmosque scriptive,according to several YORKSEEDEDWAVE leasedThursdaybringsthe total cline occurring so quickly prayers administration officials. OFOUTBREAKS tallyoverseven weekstomore and comprehensively,ex- The WhiteHouse has asked than 33 million. The weeklynum- perts have said that are- Dhaka: Bangladesh on forrevisions from theCentersfor bers have declinedsince reaching turn to the economic Thursdayallowed Disease Control and Prevention, NEW YORK City’s apeakof 6.9 millionclaims in late stateof2019would likely Muslims to attend prayer whose public health experts outbreak grew so large March.But the dataremains take along time.Thispre- congregations in wrotethe guidance, but some of- by early March that it shocking: Officials in some states diction, whichcontra- mosques as the govern- ficials at the CDC have privately became the primary saymorethanaquarterofthe dictsTrump’s assurances ment continuestoease expressedconcernthat the rec- source of newinfections work forceisjobless. of aquick rebound, lies the lockdown restrictions ommendations will neverbe in the United States, Economists expect the partlyinthe fact that it is amid the coronavirus postedpublicly. newresearch reveals. monthly jobs reportfromthe impossibletoascertain outbreakwhichhas in- In asenior staffmeeting at Labor Department, due Friday, to howquicklyjobs will re- fected 12,425 people in the WhiteHouse lastweek, THIS SHOWS how show that the unemployment turn as curbs arelifted. the countrysofar. MarkMeadows,the chief of staff, Police remove people from the subwaytodisinfectit, in NewYorkCity on Thursday. Reuters decisions including rate in April was15per cent or However, mosque leaders expressedconcern that the waiting to impose higher,aDepression-eralevel. arenot allowedtoorgan- guidelines were “overlypre- distancing measures and The figurewill almost certainly The country has already suf- ise Iftargatherings on the scriptive,” according to aperson faith, employers withvulnerable that effort,according to several keep the virus from spreading to limit international understate the damage. feredits worstdecline in gross mosque premises in line familiar with the discussion. workers, restaurantsand bars, people with knowledge of the once theyreopened.But several flightshelpedshape the The current economic pic- domestic product in adecade with the social distancing Meadows’concern, the official and mass transit administrators. deliberations inside the West federal agencies, including the outbreak’s trajectory tureis, in aword, bleak.But even and the worstretail salesreport rules, the Bdnews24.com said, wasthat the guidelines President Trumphas been Wing. The dissension on the Department of Labor and the in the longer term, manyecono- on record. And it is partofa reported.The mosques were toouniform and regressive desperatetoreopen thecountry guidelines wasfirstreportedby Office of Civil Rightswithin the ALACK of testing mists warn, the outlook is far broader global downturn. and devotees have been forplaces with minimal num- quicklyamidthe worsteco- The Associated Press. Department of Healthand obscured thetrue from promising, and the quick More thanhalf of states have asked to complywitha bers of cases. nomic meltdown since the Great The guidance, whichthe CDC HumanServices, protested, say- extent of the outbreak reboundthatTrumppredicts begun to reopen their setofsafetyprotocols to Acopyofthe guidanceob- Depression. ThedetailedCDC firstsubmitted to the White ing it would be harmful to busi- formonths,and officials maynot materialise. economies or plan to do so soon. hold prayer congrega- tainedbyThe NewYorkTimes guidance wasseenbymembers House in draftform twoweeks nesses and the economyand too acted on incomplete and “Wedon’tknowwhat nor- But mostfailtomeetcriteriarec- tions, the Religious Affairs includes sections dealing with of theWhiteHouse coronavirus ago, wasmeant to help states,lo- prescriptive forhousesofwor- sometimes conflicting mal is going to look like,” said ommended by the Trumpad- Ministrysaid. child careprograms, schools and task forceand other aidesasa calgovernments and businesses ship in particular,afederal offi- information Martha Gimbel, an economist ministration to resumebusiness daycamps, communities of document that could slowdown adoptmeasures that would help cial said. and alabor marketexpert. and social activities.

UNITED KINGDOM Many cases Indian-origin Amidpandemic, lockdown, UKMPsacked among medics ascareworker spark alarm an adoptionand evacuation London: An Indian-origin in Afghanistan Opposition Labour Party MARIAABI-HABIB MP,who had returned NEWYORK,MAY7 part-time to her role of a HAMIDSHALIZI& careworker, says shewas RUPAMJAIN THE LITTLE girl, her black curls sackedfor speaking out KABUL/MUMBAI,MAY7 tumbling over her eyes and her againstthe shortage of slight frame uncomfortably personal protective MORE THAN athird of con- splayedout on the airplane seat, equipment (PPE). firmedcoronavirus cases in the hid crayons in her armpitsthe "Because I'vespokenout Afghan capitalhavebeen among entireflight. She waspuzzled about this [PPE shortages] doctors and other healthcare howthey, likethe newpeople I'vebeen sackedfrommy staff, twosenior health officials calledMom and Dad sitting next employment. But this is- said on Thursday, in asign that to her,now belonged to her. n't justaboutme, it's not the war-torn countryisstrug- Her newparents, Seth and justaboutone individual gling to deal withthe pandemic. Meg Mosier,lookedto eachother. case, or even one em- Theofficials citedalackofpro- Were they doingthings right? It ployer. Careworkers tective equipment formedics as wasnot theirfirstemergency across the countryare be- wellas alackofawareness among evacuation —theyhad escaped Seth and Meg Mosierpose with their daughter Selvi ing easilyexploitedby some medical staffofthe precau- warand violence before—butit their employers, espe- CLIMBING THE DOME tions neededtoavoid infection. wastheir firstonaone-way flight cially if they'reonzero- The high rate of infection from India sponsored by the before theadoption wasap- TheywerestuckinIndia with hours contracts," said 24- Peopleatthe Boudhanath Stupa during the birth anniversaryofBuddha amid the lockdown among healthcareworkers has Church of Jesus ChristofLatter- proved.Theybooked ticketsto fewhotels still open. The Mosiers year-old Labour PartyMP. in Kathmandu, Nepal, on Thursday.The IMF has approved adisbursement of about $214 sparked alarmamong medics daySaints. And certainlytheir Madurai forMarch 12,four days checkedthemselvesintoafancy milliontohelpNepal coverpandemic costs. Reuters and some doctors have closed firstwithalittle girl theyhad just before their meeting with Selvi. hotelnow emptyofguests.They CANADA their clinics. adoptedasadeadly pandemic Just20hoursafter the spent the next nine days playing However, it is notclear swirledaroundthe world. Mosiers arrived, India sealed its hide and go seek withbored bell- Wagesofkey whether the apparentlydispro- In 2008, Seth, an American borders.Now all theyneededto hops and the hotelmanager. workersto portionaterateofinfection diplomat, wasordered to evacu- do wasmeettheir daughter and “So manypeople told us we Pakistan to lift measures from might be at leastinpartbecause atefromthe embassy in Tbilisi, getout in time. The bonding were the bright spotintheir beboosted medicalstaff aremorelikelyto Georgia, when the Russian mili- process wasnever going to be day,”Meg said. be tested forthe illness. Fewpeo- taryinvaded.Megdrove acarfilled easy,but nowtheyhad to speed Finally, theygot an emailsay- Ottawa: Canadaand the May 9despiterising curve ple with the classic COVID-19 with diplomatsacross the border it up. “It wassoscary. Therewas ing the Latter-daySaintshad 10 provinces have agreed symptoms of highfever andres- and intothe safetyofArmenia. In so much weightbehind this, so charteredaflighttoevacuatemis- to increase payfor essen- crease of 1,523cases on Thursday. piratoryproblems arebeing 2011,the Arab Spring protests manymomentsdedicated to sionaries. They offeredunoccu- tial workers suchasthose REUTERS&PTI Debt-ridden Pakistanisalso tested in Afghanistan, because of forced them to leave Egypt. thinking about this moment,” piedseatstothe embassy,which working in seniors’ resi- ISLAMABAD,MAY7 goingaheadwithitsstrategic$60 ashortage of testing kits. Seth, 41,with adirty blond Meg said. offeredthem to the Mosiers. dences, wheremanycases billionChina-PakistanEconomic The total of 925 confirmed crew cut and aperpetually The next day, the Mosiers The Mosiers arenow backin have occurred, Prime PAKISTAN’S CORONAVIRUS Corridorproject,despitethecoun- cases in Kabul has included earnestlook onhisface, and Meg, could finallytakeSelvi home. Bethesda, wherethe governor MinisterJustin Trudeau lockdown will be lifted on try'sfurthereconomicdownturn. some 346medical staff,agov- 42, withfreckles,ashortbrunette Theyflewseveral hours to Delhi has ordered an extendedlock- said Thursday. “Workers Saturday, Prime MinisterImran "Thereisnopoliticalhindrancein ernmenthealth official and an bob and adetermination to al- on March 18.The next day, India down. Theyhaven’t introduced arerisking their health to Khan said,despite the fact that itsway.The project is Pakistan's Afghan doctor who is on the ways stay positive,decidedtoset- announcedall flightsinand out Selvi to friends or familyyet, provide us with essential the number of cases in thecoun- futureaswell as atangiblereality boardofagovernment-ledpan- tle down aftertheyleftCairo. of the countrywouldbecan- whichtheysaid wasablessing careand services, and we tryisstill accelerating. andnocompromisewillbemade demic task forcesaid. Afterweeksof filling out mo- celledinthree days.Theyhad that allowedthem to bond with needtomakesurethat The decision is being taken Villagers harvestcrops amid on it," CPEC Authority Chairman As of Thursday, 3,563 people notonous paperwork,theywere twodays to finalise an interna- their newdaughter. theyare paid properly for because the country’s large lockdown in Peshawar. AP Lt-Gen (retd) Asim Saleem Bajwa have testedpositive and106peo- directed to an orphanagein tional adoption. Meals have been difficult. thework they do,”he said. number of poor people and said Wednesday. ple have diedinAfghanistan, ac- Madurai, acity in southern India. The final paperwork usually Selvi does notlikeAmerican food Ottawawill contribute labourers cannotnot afford to Pakistantakes decisionsin cording to official figures. The The orphanagegavethem a take aweek.But bureaucrats and so Seth has been research- C$3 billion, representing live under lockdown anymore, up.... but it is notedging up as we itsinterestand thereshould be twoofficials, who askednottobe name: alittle girlnamedSelvi. from both countries rushedto ing Indian curry recipes online. 75% percent of total costof he said on Thursday. were expecting.” no doubt that the CPEC project namedastheywerenot autho- LastDecember,when they finish it in twodays.Justhours “I’vespent alot of time perfect- the increasedwages,the “We’redeciding that we are Pakistan, whichhas under- "is in the best interestofthe rised to discuss thematterpub- hadtheirfirstvideochat withher, before the airportclosed,the ing apotatomasala,” Seth said. governmentsaid.Trudeau ending this lockdown now,” gone afive-week lockdown, has country" and "no external pres- licly, saidatleast13doctors had theystruggledtohold her atten- Mosiers checkedin. But theyhad And the crayons? Selvi now earlier said the amount Khan said in atelevisedaddress. reported24,073 coronavirus surewill be accepted", the diedindifferent partsofthe tion. Less than three months later, forgottenone crucial piece of pa- leavesthem lying around the wasC$4 billion. “Weknowthatwe’redoing it at cases with 564deaths, and Express Tribune quoted Bajwaas countrylastmonth and in the thefirstcoronaviruscase in Delhi per:anexit stampallowing Selvi house. “She knows,” Meg said, atimewhen ourcurveisgoing recordedits highestsingle-dayin- saying. firstweekofMay. REUTERS wasannouncedonMarch 2, aday to leave thecountry. “what’s ours is hers.” NYT

OTHER TOP GLOBAL STORIES Israeli High Court lets Netanyahu Former Iraqi intel chief Venezuela: Detained American form govt, despiteindictments approved as new premier claims he plotted Maduro’s capture Legislatorsaccepted15 minis- Thursdayapproved amend- ASSOCIATEDPRESS tersandrejectedfive,amongthem JuanGuaidoto seekMaduro’sre- AGENCIES mentstotwo basic laws by a BAGHDAD,MAY7 theministriesof trade,justice,cul- BRIANELLSWORTH& moval. AGuaido advisor told CNN JERUSALEM,MAY7 hefty majority,pavingthe way ture, agricultureand migration. ANGUSBERWICK on Wednesdayhehad signedan forNetanyahu. IRAQ'S FORMER spychief was Theministriesof oilandforeignaf- CARACAS,MAY7 exploratoryagreement,but it had IN Aruling lateWednesday, The KnessetorParliament sworninasprime ministerby fairs also remainvacant pending neverbeen finalisedand the op- Israel’s SupremeCourt refused voted by 71 votes to 37 to back lawmakers early Thursday after further political negotiations. AFORMER US soldier captured position did notsupportthe at- to barPrime Minister Benjamin the power-sharing deal. weeksoftense political negoti- According to Iraq's constitution, a in Venezuela said on temptedincursion. Netanyahu from forming agov- The bills were necessaryfor ations as the countryfaces ase- government can passifoverhalf Wednesdayhehad been con- US President Donald Trump ernment, clearing the lastmajor Blue and Whitetobeabletorec- vere economiccrisis spurredby of aproposedCabinetisapproved. tracted by aFlorida security has denied involvement. Asen- obstacle to his claiming arecord Benjamin Netanyahu ommendPrime Minister plummeting oil prices and the Al-Kadhimi, who gave up the firm to seize control of Caracas’ ior Trumpadministration official fifthterm as Israel’s leader. Netanyahu to form agovern- coronavirus pandemic. intelligence postwhenhebe- airportand bringinaplane to Nicolas Maduro said Maduro’s accusations of a Thehighcourtunanimously ment by Thursdaynight's dead- The majority of 255legisla- came the prime minister-desig- flyPresident Nicolas Maduroto US role “arenot credible”. rejected petitionsthatsought blockanunusual power-sharing line to prevent afourth election, tors approved the government nate, assumesthe premiership the United States. “I washelping Venezuelans to disqualify Netanyahu be- arrangement that Netanyahu thepaper said. plan and the majorityofCabinet as Iraq faces unprecedented Venezuelan authorities on Washington to ousthim. take back controloftheircoun- cause he faces prosecution on struckwith BennyGantz,the for- Netanyahu, 70,immediately ministers proposedbyMustafa crises amid falling oil revenues Mondayarrestedthe man, Luke During questioningbroadcast try,”Denman,aformer special felonycorruption charges, rul- mer armychiefwho hadfought announcedhewould take the al-Kadhimi, officiallyinaugurat- that will likelypromptunpopu- Denman, along with fellowUS on statetelevision, Denmansaid operations forces member,said ing that it had no legal grounds him to adrawinthree straight oath of office on May13. Gantz, ing him as Iraq's sixth premier lar austerity measures, arising citizen Airan Berry and 11 oth- the firm, Silvercorp USA, had in the video. He did notgivede- to do so. elections. 60,istotakeoffice as deputy or since 2003 and ending five dailytallyofcoronaviruscases, ers, in what Madurohas calleda signedacontract with tails onhowhisgroup plannedto The courtalsodeclinedto Israel's Parliament on alternateprime minister. months of aleadership void. and expected US-Iraq talks. failedplotcoordinatedwith Venezuelan opposition leader getMaduroonaplane.REUTERS

New Delhi WWW.INDIANEXPRESS.COM

THEINDIANEXPRESS,FRIDAY,MAY8,2020 13 ECONOMY GOLD RUPEE OIL SILVER `41,705 `75.72* $26.15 `38,100

Note:Spotgold markets shutdue to lockdown in major states. Indianbasket as on March 19,2020 SENSEX: 31,443.38 ▼ 242.37 NIFTY: 9,199.05 ▼ 71.85 NIKKEI: 19,674.77 ▲ 55.42 HANGSENG: 23,980.63 ▼ 156.85 FTSE: 5,917.10 ▲ 63.34 DAX: 10,726.85 ▲ 120.65

*Forex market closedonThursdayonaccount of Buddha Purnima; Internationalmarket data till 1900IST COVID-19EFFECT FINANCE MINISTER SAYSECONOMY IS POISED TO RECOVER GSK offloads stake in NEW AMENDMENTS ‘PSBloansof`5.66Lcrwaiting Hindustan Unilever Relaxation in labour for over `25,000 cr laws, exemptions to fordisbursalsoonafterlockdown’ panyand GlaxoSmithKline ENSECONOMICBUREAU Consumer HealthcareLtd (GSK &workingcapitalenhancements months at least, according to in- MUMBAI,MAY7 CHIndia). The transaction wasan cos in various states ENSECONOMICBUREAU MORATORIUMTO being prioritisedbyPSBs. More dustrysources. allequitymergerwith4.39shares NEWDELHI,MAY7 than27lakhcustomerscontacted ApartfromMSMEs,NBFCsare GLAXOSMITHKLINEPLC(GSK)on of HUL being allotted forevery OVER3.2CRA/Cs fromMarch20and2.37 lakhcases othercompaniesfacingthestress, Thursday sold its5.7 per cent shareinGSK CH India. This trans- draw trade union ire AMID DELAYSinthe announce- sanctionedloansworthRs.26,500 as their costoffundinghas gone stakeinFMCGmajor Hindustan actionvaluedthetotalbusinessat gressive move to liberatecor- mentof aneconomicpackagebe- ■ In aseries of tweets cr.Aworkinprogress,” up sharplyespeciallyfor lower UnileverLtd (HUL) forRs25,480 Rs 31,700crore. AANCHALMAGAZINE porateemployersfromobliga- ingreadiedbytheCentre,Finance on Thursday, Finance Sitharaman said on her official ratedcompanies.Sitharamansaid crore. The GSK sale, at an average “When GSK originallyanno- NEWDELHI,MAY7 tions underalmostall labour MinisterNirmala Sitharaman MinisterNirmala Twitter handle. that state-ownedbankshave priceofRs1,905 per share,isthe uncedthe divestment of Horlicks laws inUttarPradeshandMa- Thursdaysaid the “economyis Sitharaman said PSBs Arecentreportby Crisilpoints sanctionedfunds to NBFCs. largest secondarymarkettradeon in December 2018,the company AMID THE coronavirus-in- dhya Pradesh,CITUsaid.Most poisedtorecover”aspublicsector have proactively out howSMEs arehit whenthe “Sustainedcredit flow to #NBFCs Indian stockexchanges. expectedgrossproceedsfromthe ducedlockdown, an increas- other stategovernments will banks(PSBs) have steppedup providedthree-month economymoves into alow- &HFCs in #COVID-19. PSBs sanc- “GSKhas, through itssub- overall transaction to be approxi- ing number of states that in- followthe same path while loansanctionsinMarch andApril, loan moratorium growth phase.Itsays that when tionedloansworthRs77,383crore sidiariesGlaxoSmithKlinePteLtd mately3.1 billionpounds and net clude Uttar Pradesh,Madhya competingwithothersin“the andthesefundswillbedisbursed facility to over 3.2 crore theeconomymovesfromnormal betweenMar 1-May4.Inclusive and Horlicks Ltd, todayagreedto proceedsto beapproximately2.4 Pradesh,RajasthanandGujar- nameof developmentandat- soon afterthe lockdown is lifted. accountsafter the to lowgrowth rate,current asset of TLTROfunds, extended totalfi- the sale of 133,772,044 ordinary billionpoundafterhedgingcosts, athave pushedthroughchan- tracting investment in the She said PSBs have proactively scheme was days (howquicklyacompany is nancing of Rs 1.08 lakh crore, en- shares in HUL at avolume- taxesand other expenses had gestotheirlabourlaws by way stateonthedubiouspleaof re- providedthree-month loan announcedbythe RBI able to convert itscurrent assets suring businessstability &conti- weightedaverage priceofapprox- been settled,” GSK said in an ex- of amendments—ordinances vivaloftheireconomy”,itsaid. moratorium facility to over 3.2 intocash) forlarge companies nuity goingforward,” shesaid. imatelyRs1,905pershare,raising changefilinginLondon. or executive orders —some of Alongwithanextensionof croreaccountsafter the scheme ■ PSBs areattending to risesfrom139days to 143days,for The RBI lastmonth an- gross proceedsofapproximately “With the appreciation of whichwouldrequireapproval dailyworking hours to 12, wasannouncedbythe RBI. the funding needs of microand small companies it nouncedtargetedlong term repo Rs 25,480 crore,” GSK said. HUL’s shareprice since then, GSK from the central government Madhya Pradeshhasexempt- Atotal of Rs 5.66lakh croreof MSMEs, she added jumps from 189daysto220 days. operations (TLTRO) scheme Afterthetransaction,GSKwill nowexpectsgrossproceedsfrom to comeinto effect.Reactingto ed employers from some ob- loans were sanctionedduring This affectstheir funding ability, throughwhichbankscanborrow- notholdany HUL shares. The the divestment to be 3.4 billion the move by states, trade ligationsundervariouslabour March-April 2020 to MSMEs, re- pushing them to seekhigher ingfundsfromRBIforonlending. namesof thebuyerswere notim- poundsandnetproceedsfromthe unions have condemnedthe laws,likeMadhya Pradesh tail,corporateandagriculturesec- bursalsoonafter#lockdownlifts. workingcapitalloansfrombanks. Theschememandatesthatwithin mediatelyknown.Glaxoacquired divestment to be 2.9 billion blanket exemptionto employ- Industrial Relations Actand tors, whileanother over Rs 1lakh Economy poisedtorecover,”the Credit information firm thetotalsizeof Rs50,000crore,10 the stakeinHUL afterthe former pound,” it said. This includes the ers from labour laws and ter- IndustrialDisputesAct,aswell croreoffunds have been sanc- FM said in aseries of tweets. TransUnionCIBILsaidloansworth per cent should be allocated to sold itsconsumer nutrition busi- proceeds receivedonclosing of medthe move as regressive. as Contract Labour Actfor tionedtonon-banking financial PSBsareattendingto thefund- Rs2,32,000croreofMSMEsareat MFIs, 15 per cent to NBFCs with ness, including brands like the transaction on April 1, 2020 TheUttarPradeshgovern- 1,000 days,allowing employ- companies (NBFCs) and housing ing needs of micro, small and ahigher risk of becoming non- assetsize of Rs 500crore and be- Horlicks andBoost, to HUL. and the expected proceedsfrom ment had, on Wednesday, ersto hireandfire workers“at finance companies (HFCs). medium enterprises(MSMEs), performing assets.MSMEsoper- low, and25percentto NBFCswith InDecember2018,Hindustan the sale of our Bangladesh busi- clearedanordinanceexempt- their convenience”. The state “During March-April 2020, PSBs she added. The economic shut- ating acrossthe value chain —in- assetsizebetween Rs 500crore Unileverapproved ascheme of ness, whichisexpected to close ing businesses from the has also allowedexempted sanctionedloans worthRs5.66 downhashitMSMEsparticularly cluding cycle parts, auto parts, andRs5,000croreratedininvest- amalgamationbetweenthecom- later this year,GSK added. purviewofmostlabour law firmsflexibilityof extensionof lakhcroreformorethan41.81lakh hardastheydonot have largere- textiles products, toys,hand tools ment grade. NBFCshavealso provisions forthe next three working hours. Further,ithas accounts. These borrowers are serves that bluechip companies —are facing stress due to deplet- soughtamoratoriumonloan re- years. However, labour laws exempted newfactories und- from MSME, Retail, Agriculture& have.“ForMSMEsandothers,pre- ing internal reservesand lowvis- payments, and banksare consid- related to bondedlabour,de- ertheFactoriesAct,1948from Corporatesectors,waitingfordis- approved emergency credit lines ibility of demandfor next six ering this on acase-to-case basis. SBI slashes MCLR by ploymentof womenandchil- inspection from the Labour dren and timelypayment of Departmentand permitted 15 bps across all tenors salarieswillnotberelaxedun- the flexibility to conductthird der the ordinance. partyinspections at will. Whataremicroenterprises?: Liquidityandleveragepositions: “The industrial and eco- Thestatehasalsoissuedan ‘Microenterprisesbest Microenterpriseshavebeen ofactiveMSMEs(micro,small ENSECONOMICBUREAU nomical activities in Uttar ordinance to the Madhya classifiedasthosewith andmediumenterprises)asof MUMBAI,MAY7 Pradeshhave beenseverelyaf- Pradesh Labour WelfareFund placedtohelpeconomy’ borrowingsoflessthan January2020: fected andsloweddowndue Act,1982,exemptingallnewly `1crore STATEBANK of India (SBI), the to theoutbreak of COVID-19. establishedfactoriesfromfil- Microenterprises arebestplaced to help theeconomycome ■ 63%instructurallystrong country’slargest lender,on Businesses andeconomic ac- ingannualreturnsandpaying out of theCOVID-19crisis, Small Industries Development NPAsinvarioussegments,asof risksegmenthavingaCIBIL Thursdayslashedits marginal Depositrates tivitieshave sloweddowndue Rs 80 per labourer per year to Bank of India (Sidbi) and TransUnion CIBIL said in areport December2019: MSMERank(CMR)between1 costoffunds basedlending rate to whichlabour welfarehas the Madhya Pradesh Labour ■ 11.3%:Verysmallsegment and5 (MCLR)by15bps across all cuttokeep alsobeen affected.This is be- WelfareBoardfor next 1,000 (underRs10lakhexposure) tenors. adequate cause businesses and eco- days.Changestothe Madhya ■ 37%inweakerrisksegment The one-year MCLR has come nomicactivitiescameto ahalt Pradesh Industrial Employ- ■ 17.3%:Overallcommercial havingCMRbetween6and10 down to 7.25 per cent from 7.40 liquidity moreorless due to thena- ment (Standing Orders)Act, lendingsegment per cent, with effect from May10. tionallockdown.Tobringeco- 1961 will exempt industries `92,000crore: Totalcredit This is the 12th consecutive re- THE STATE-OWNED nomic activitybackontrack, employing up to 100workers ■ 18.7%:Mediumcorporate supportreceivedbymicro duction in the bank’s MCLR. bank has also cut inter- newinvestment opportuni- from the law’s provisions. segment segmentin2019frombanks Consequently, EMIs on eligible estrates on itsretail ties wouldneedtobecreated Expertshavetermedthe andotherlenders home loan accounts(linked to term deposits by 20 bps alongwithfasteningthebusi- amending of labour laws by ■ 19.1%:Largecorporate MCLR) willget cheaper by for‘up to 3years tenor’. nessesprocessesandproduc- statetobeincontravention to segment Source: Sidbi&TransUnion Cibil/PTI aroundRs255 fora30-yearloan The cut in deposit rates tivity,” astatementissued by the globallyacceptednorms. of Rs 25 lakh. is aimedatmaintaining the stategovernmentsaid. States includingRajasthan, Further,inviewofadequate adequateliquidity in the CPI(M)-linked Centreof Haryana, Himachal Pradesh liquidity in the system as well as largersystemaswell as Indian Trade Unions (CITU) and Punjab have extended with the state-run lender,SBI has the bank. condemnedthe blanket ex- workinghoursinmanufactur- ‘Possible to raise $60 bn by listing govt bonds overseas’ cut itsinterestrates on retail term emption to employers from ing units to 12 hours from 8. cantheoreticallybethrough list- come later half of the year or next global bondindices. The Centre depositsby20basis points(bps) labour laws,termingitasa Reacting to the develop- ENSECONOMICBUREAU ing governmentbonds on the year.But that givesusthe oppor- had budgeted gross market bor- for‘up to 3years’ tenor with ef- senior official,SBI on Thursday “barbarous move to impose ment, CPI(M) leader Sitaram NEWDELHI,MAY7 global bond indices. tunity to structurethe borrowing rowing of Rs 7.8lakh crorefor fect from May12. increasedits home loan ratesthat conditions of slavery on the YechuryonThursdaytweeted, In an interviewtoIndia Today, planintermsof maturityetctobe FY21andhadrecentlyannounced Meanwhile, to safeguardthe arelinkedto repo rate by up to 30 workingpeoplewhoareactu- “Wealth is nothing but the BOEINGWONAneconomicrelief he said: “About $4 trillion of ableto financethedeficitandalso plan to borrow 62.6per cent of it interests of senior citizensinthe bps. The state-ownedlender has allycreating wealthfor the monetisation of value. packagetofighttheCOVID-19 cri- moneytracksthese(global)bond do it in away that the costofbor- in the firsthalfitself.However, its current falling rate regime, the also hikedinterestrates on per- country, simultaneouslysuf- Destroying labour means de- siswillcomeanytimesoon,Chief indices.India is expectedtoget a rowing doesn’t become very plans have gone haywires due to bank has introducedanew prod- sonal loans against property by feringfrombrutalexploitation stroying economic growth. Economic Adviser (CEA) weight of around 1.5-3 per cent. large,” he added. the viruscrisis.The economy uct ‘SBI Wecare Deposit’ forsen- 30 bps,accordingtothe report. and lootbythe capitalists and BJP’s diabolical agendamust KrishnamurthyVSubramanian Even if youtake1.5 per cent,that In March,the RBI announced could grow at 1.5-2 per cent in ior citizensinthe retail term de- The newrates came intoef- big-business”. be resistedand defeated to said on Thursdayand indicated translates into $60 billion.” the opening up of keygovern- FY21, withacontractioninthefirst posit segment. fect from May1,asper informa- The latestisthe moreag- save “India, thatisBharat”.” thatborrowingof around$60bil- “I recognise that this money ment securities to fullforeign in- half. This will be followedbyaV- In another development, ac- tion available on itswebsite, the lionto fundtherisingfiscaldeficit can’tcome immediatelybut may vestmentinabidto findaplacein shapedrecovery,hesaid FE cording to a PTI report quotinga PTI report stated. WITHPTI CII offers suggestions to bring With no relief in sight, auto Sebi refutes Templeton CEO charge, BRIEFLY workers back to industry industry petitions govt asks MF to return investors’ money RatanTata held withemployers on Friday, COVID-19ontheautomobilesec- investsin AANCHALMAGAZINE theConfederationof IndianIndu- ENSECONOMICBUREAU tor, membersofthe Society of lowcredit ratings and seem to tively.These dates were subse- NEWDELHI,MAY7 stry (CII) is also going to propose NEWDELHI,MAY7 Indian Automobile Manufact- ENSECONOMICBUREAU have chosennottorebalancetheir quentlyextendedtoSeptember pharmastartup mapping of migrant workers re- urers(SIAM)Institutesoughtthat MUMBAI,MAY7 portfoliosevenduringthealmost 30, 2020 and December 31,2020, EXPANSION OF coverage of the siding in shelter homes or locally THE AUTO industry, which is al- switchovertocertain safety 12 months available to them so respectively, inviewofCOVID-re- Mumbai: RatanTatahas in- applicability of Pradhan Mantri near industrial beltsfor employ- readyreelingundertheburdenof norms,whichhavekickedinfrom THE SECURITIES and Exchange far,”Sebisaidinastatement. lated disruptions, Sebi clarified. vestedanundisclosedamo- Garib KalyanYojana (PMGKY) to ment in the nearestfactories. lowdemandand high inventory, April,shouldbedeferredbyayear. BoardofIndia (Sebi) on Thursday “Inlight of credit eventssince In an investor conference call, unt in a17-year-oldkid’s moreworkers, addressing the “All thestakeholders, includ- both of whichhavegot accentu- Industrymembersalsourged askedFranklinTempletonMutual September 2018 that led to chal- Johnson had said the high-yield pharma start-up Generic shortage of workers forcom- ingbothcentralandstategovern- atedwiththelockdown,isstaring thatthesectorbegivenmoretime Fund (FT), whichcloseddownsix lengesinthecorporatebondmar- market is still very immaturein Aadhaar,inhis personalca- mencement of businesses, usage mentsand trade unions, needto at another big problem: Howto forregistrationofBS-IV vehicles of itsdebtschemes,to focusonre- ket,aneedwas felt to review the India. “So we’vehad alarge fund pacity.The startup supplies of unclaimedfundsforwagepay- work togethertoget theworkers meetthe regulatorychanges soldtillMarch 31 aslockdownhas turningmoneytoinvestors “as regulatoryframework formutual –it’s actuallysix fundsthatwere quality generic drugs from mentsand increase in working backtoindustry. Stategovern- whichhavecomeintoeffectfrom delayedmatters. PawanGoenka, soon as possible”. funds and takenecessarysteps to invested with alot of this kindof reputed manufacturers at hoursby fourhoursacrosssectors mentsand district administra- April. Notgetting anyrelief from MDandCEO,Mahindra&Mahin- Sebi’s advisorytoFTfollows safeguardtheinterest of investors private debt. And in October of up to 80 per cent lessercost aresome of the keyrecommen- tionsneedtoworkcloselytofacil- the Supreme Court,the industry dra, said that around 20 per cent thecompany’sCEOJenniferJohn- and maintain the orderlinessand 2019,unfortunately,Sebi came andother medicines 20-30 dations to be madebythe indus- itatethe movement of migrants onThursdaysoughttheinterven- of the BS-IV vehicles sold within son’sstatementshiftingtheblame robustness of their investments,” out with newguidelines saying per centcheaper. trytothe government. and ensure accommodation, tion of Road Transportand the March 31 deadline arestill fortherecentwindingdownof six Sebi said. The Indian Express had that anyinvestmentsinunlisted In ameeting withLabour and mealsandotherbasicamenities,” Highways MinisterNitinGadkari. stuckwiththeconcernedregional schemes —with acorpus of Rs earlier reportedthat FT’s credit instruments,youcan’thave more EmploymentMinisterSantosh the listofrecommendations pre- Inavideoconferencewiththe transportauthorities (RTOs) for 28,000crore—on to themarkets risk schemes had investedin sev- than10 percentinafund,andyou Swiggy Kumar Gangwar,which will be pared by CII stated. ministeroverthe impact of various reasons. FE regulator’sOctober2019 decision eral lowlyrated instruments and can’t tradethem.Sothator- co-founder to notlet funds invest morethan lesser known companies. phanedabout one-thirdofour 10 percent in unlistedinstru- In acirculardated October 1, fund there,” the FT CEOsaid. Jaiminiquits ments. “Despitethe regulations 2019,Sebi providedatimeline to However, NSVenkatesh,Chief AmemberofFacebook’skey oversight board, being clear,some mutual fund complywiththe investment lim- Executive,Association of Mutual NewDelhi:SwiggyThursday schemes seem to have chosen to itsforunlistedNCDsas15 percent FundsinIndia,saidthatmeasures said itsco-founderand CTO NLSIU V-C sees anew internet regulation model have high concentrations of high and10 percentof thedebtportfo- takenbythe Sebi over the years, Rahul Jaiminiwill move risk,unlisted, opaque, bespoke, lio of the schemeasonMarch 31, includingoneonOctober19,have away from active role in the fessor.“In (press and broadcast) the boardhavebeen outlined structured debt securities with 2020 and June 30, 2020, respec- deepened the debt markets. companytopursueanother KARISHMAMEHROTRA& mediaregulation,therehavebeen since 2018.Ifauser’spostgets entrepreneurial venture. APURVAVISHWANATH self-regulation options, but none takendownonFacebookorInsta- Jaiminiwill be joining Pesto NEWDELHI,MAY7 hasemergedasstrongly,”hesaid. gram,thisoversightboardwillact ‘UK economy to shrink by most since 1706’ Tech,acareer accelerator Krishnaswamyhas been cho- as an appeals process. The board start-up,astheirco-founder, FACEBOOK’S NEW oversight sen among the former Prime willprimarilyjudgecontentmod- Swiggy said. PTI board—similar to an independ- MinisterofDenmark, aNobel eration cases in consistency with PANPYLAS ent, internal court—has chosen Laureate,non-profitorganisation the company’s policies,aswell as LONDON,MAY7 National LawSchool of India leaders, and journalists from all formulatepolicysuggestions. ‘Reopeningof University (NLSIU) Vice- over the world. “Facebook as a At leastfor the beginning, it THE BANK of England (BoE) redzonesvital ChancellorSudhirKrishnaswamy companyistobebound by the willnotdealwithposts thatusers warnedThursdaythatthe British as one of itsfirst20members. board,”Krishnaswamysaid,when want takendown. economycouldsufferits deepest foreconomy’ Prof Krishnaswamy, founder NLSIU Vice-Chancellor asked about the mostpromising “The Oversight Boardwill annual contraction in morethan of the advocacy organisation Sudhir Krishnaswamy. Express policiesofthe structure. “Butwe have powertooverturndecisions three centuries as aresult of the Mumbai: McKinsey Thurs- Centre forLaw and Policy don’t have adirectrelationship we’vemadeoncontentas long as coronavirus pandemic, before daysaid that findingmeth- Research,told TheIndian Express withFacebook.Wedoourjoband theycomplywithlocallaws,” roaring backnextyear. odsofkeeping redzonedis- that the newmodel couldset an panytouse),orwehaveastateop- theydotheirs.” Facebook CEOMarkZuckerberg ThebanksaidtheBritishecon- tricts, whichaccount for41 exampleforinternetregulationin tion (wherethe stateregulates). Hesaidtheboardwillfocuson wroteinaMay7post. omywillbe30percentsmallerat per cent of national eco- India and around theworld. Neither of these work,” hesaid. “edge” cases that aremost“con- Whiletheprintandbroadcast the end of the firsthalfofthe year nomic activity,operational “For the problem of content Theboardisathirdalternative, sequential”. He said important media have attemptedself-regu- than it wasatthe startofit, with The British central bank said the country’s economy willbe and safewould be critical in moderationontheinternet,either said the former AzimPremji casesof pornographyandabusive lationmodels,Krishnaswamysaid thesecondquarterseeinga25per 30 per cent smaller at the end of the firsthalf of the year keepingtheeconomicactiv- we take themarketoption(where University director and a online behavior would likely this is an entirely different struc- centslumpalonefollowinga3per than it wasatthe startofit AP file ity sustainable. ENS theaudiencedecideswhichcom- ColumbiaUniversityvisitingpro- reachthe board.The policies for tureadaptedtothe Internet age. cent declineinthe first. AP

New Delhi WWW.INDIANEXPRESS.COM

THEINDIANEXPRESS,FRIDAY,MAY8,2020 MAY 16 STARTFOR BUNDESLIGA TheBundesliga season will restart on May16, the German Football League (DFL) said on Thursday. The DFL said the season would restart minus fans, with six games on Saturday, including the high-profile Ruhr valley 14 SPORT derbybetween Borussia Dortmund and Schalke04. If T20 World Cup is off, Cricketinbio-securebubble IPL may find awindow ECB mulls6Testsat2venues, players away from families for9weeks; BCCI to wait forpandemic to recede SHAMIKCHAKRABARTY KOLKATA,MAY7 SHAMIKCHAKRABARTY KOLKATA,MAY7 Daily temperature checks, onsite hotels ABCCI teleconference on Wednesdaydis- AINED cussed the possiblescheduling of IPL and also THE UNITED Kingdomismulling amid-June In sport’sresumption bid to avert afinancial meltdown, bio-securestadiums will be the imminent future. gave athought to India’s domestic and inter-

EXPL E● restartofthe Premier League afterthe sus- Likethe ECB, whichisdeliberating on getting the season underway, with Tests against Windies and Pakistan. national seasons. pension causedbythe coronavirus pandemic It is learnt that the office-bearers also dis- and cricketisalso exploring areturn to ac- SECURE STADIUMS: Asthe word implies, MEASURES IN PLACE: Apart from the cussed the possiblepostponement of the T20 BCCIvsStar:5years tion without fans in attendance. it’s playing in conditions that areentirely standardpractices of social distancing, WorldCup in Australia, scheduledfor The England and Wales CricketBoard is infection-free, whereall those involved, England’s Test cricketers have been told to October-November. or5seasons? considering options to hosthome series from players and supportstaff to officials, expect dailytemperaturechecks,regular While the office-bearers agreedthat againstWestIndies and PakistaninJuly- aretestedfor Covid-19inadvance and swabs, weeklyCOVID-19tests and possi- therewas very little chanceofany cricket tak- In casethe 2020Indian Premier August. According to areport in TheGuardian, then kept in a“bio-secure” environment, blynine weeksawayfromtheir families. ing place in India until later this year,the talk League gets cancelleddue to the England players would be asked to assem- sealedoff from the outside world. Only Afterinitial testing, theywould spend the of the ICC event getting pushedbackatleast COVID-19outbreak,shouldStarget ble at the Ageas Bowl on June 23 and they people who were virus-free or have im- firstweektraining in small groups before gave the BCCI awindowtoslotthe IPL. an additionalyear added to their might have to stay away from their families munityare allowedintothe bubble. Most an inter-squad matchthat serves as a However, withIndia'sCovid-19curvegetting broadcasting contract with BCCI? fornine weeksuntil the end of the thirdTest football leagues in Europe and the ECB warm-up forthe firstTestagainstWest steeper and aheavy cloud of uncertainty Some legal experts have saidthat againstPakistan, scheduledfromAugust 20. have been busy identifying stadiums that Indies.The matches will be played on the hovering over the game's commencement, Star’s 2017-2022 deal shouldget The firstTestagainstWestIndies might com- can be converted intoabio-securebubble, practice wickets of the Bowl or on neigh- the Indian boardmerelysaw this as aglim- extended to 2023 in case of the mence on July8. self-sustainablevenueswithonsite hotel bouring club grounds. Also, the ground mer of hope forthis season’s IPL. eventuality,arguing thatthe con- As per the report, the ECB could hostthe and training facilities in thoseareas that and hotelstaff will operateinsmall groups Meanwhile, inAustralia despite the pan- tractisvalid for‘five seasons’. six Testsattwo venues –Ageas Bowl and Old have arelatively reducedincidence rate. If the ECB plan goes through, players with another setonthe standby. If one of demic’s numbers shrinking, serious question However, BCCIsofar hintsthat Trafford –and during the entireperiod, play- likeEngland captain Joe Root will be the staffgetsinfected, the entire team will marks remainedoverthe countryhosting Star’s right to broadcast IPL endsin ers would be subjected to dailytemperature ECB’SOUTLINE: The ECB believesthat two sealedoff from the outside world, be putunderquarantine while the new the T20 WorldCup as per schedule. 2022 as the deal is for‘five years’. checks,regularCovid swabsand other bio- of theirvenues,Old Trafford and Ageas includingfamilyand fans forweeks. group takesover. Australia has closedits borders forsix Thisconflictinginterpretation of security measures. Also, an expanded squad Bowl could fulfilthe criteria of bio-secure months and even CricketAustralia (CA), the terms of agreementmight re- comprising 30 players could be chosen with venues. The twogrounds have their on- CHALLENGES: Apossible hurdle forECB jointlywiththe ICC,has been exploring al- sultinStarinvoking the “breachof an eyetorotation. sitehotels, the Bowl has awell-being cen- The Bowl's health centrecould be usedto is testing,asthecountryisstruggling to get ternateoptions. contract” clause. Apartfromsix Tests, six ODIs and as many tretoo, spaciousenough to accommodate provide players, backroom staff, adminis- tests forevenfrontlineNHS staff. So to con- It is learnt that the majority of the ICC Meanwhile, adelayed, or even T20 Internationals arealso on the roster.The both teams,their entourageofsupport trators and media with skin pricktests on duct tests on an estimated200-300people members areinagreement that aglobal shortened, IPL might avertthispo- limited-overs itineraryincludes three ODIs staff, matchofficialsand broadcastcrew. their wayintothe ground. everyweekcould be quitedaunting. ENS event likethe T20 WorldCup can’t be staged tential face-off. Star,atpresent, is againstIreland at the end of Julyfollowedby behindcloseddoors. heavilyinvestedincricketasithas three T20Is againstPakistanafter theTestse- “A one or two-match (T20 series) before pledged close to Rs 30,000 crorein ries and then three ODIs and three T20Is by theECB about itsplans on Tuesday. They Loss of revenue is amajor reason why we will exploreall viable options. emptystands mayhappen.But abig event media rights. Besides being the againstAustraliainSeptember. were told to minimise physical contact in- sports authorities arekeen to have arestart Fortunately, we have alittle bit of time to likeWorld Cup, Idon’t think it will happen,” rightsholders forIndian cricket at In India however, theBCCI is willing to cludinghandshakes on and offthe field,also at the earliest. The PremierLeague stares at work through the different scenarios with aBCCI functionarytold TheIndian Express. home and IPL,theyhaveICC’s global wait. Giventhat the domestic season starts in the team bus, when cricket returns. It a£1billion blackhole if the season is voided. the India series. But we arenot rulingout any “If there’s apossibility to organise the IPL broadcasting rights. in August-September,the boardstill has a needs to be seen if, likethe Premier League, Similarly,ECB chief executive TomHarrison possibility forthat at this point in time,” (inautumn), we will go forit, but at the mo- fewmonths to makeadecision. It doesn’t the ECB makesany move tohaveprivate has told MPs that this is the “mostsignificant Robertshad said during an interaction with ment we arenot in aposition to take acall,” want to put itscricketers intoany health risk, companies on boardtoprovide test kits. financial challengewehaveeverfaced”,with the media via video conference lastmonth. he added. ponedand the BCCI gets an opportunity to regardless of bio-securearrangements. Sports bodies in Englandhaveswung potentiallosses of £380 million fora‘zero’ A138-room premium boutiquehotel at One of his colleagues soundedmorecau- organise the IPL in October-November,par- “Wearen’t considering anything (like intoaction afterthe UK government gave cricketseason. Adelaide Oval, whichisscheduledfor a tiousabout the future. ticipationofoverseas players might notbea that), as of now. We will wait forthe govern- their ‘projectrestart’apositive considera- September opening,reportedly couldofferthe “See, at the moment we aren’t sure problem. ment guidelines. We won’t put our players tion. Also, as Foreign SecretaryDominic Raab Australia’s single-venue plan Indian team apotentialquarantine centre. about anything.One thing we areverysure, “Cricket boardsthat areissuing NOCs to in ahealth hazard. We would be very cau- mentioned, return of sportwouldliftthe CricketAustralia(CA), meanwhile, has al- Whether the BCCI would agree to playTest we can’t take anychances (about thesafety their players forthe IPL get10per cent each tious,” BCCI treasurer Arun Dhumal told The morale of abeleaguered nation thathas suf- ready startedplanning about cricket in isola- cricket in such adeadpanatmosphereremains of players, officials and spectators). We will basedonthe total contract value of the play- Indian Express. feredthe highestnumber of coronavirus tion fortheir home Test series againstIndia aquestion. see what they(CA and ICC) decide about ersfromthe respectiveboards. Giventhe cur- There’s an overwhelmingagreement in deaths (over30,000)inEurope. “I think it in December-January. CA chief executive “Tostart with, it depends on our govern- the T20 WorldCup and willact accord- rent (economic) situation,everybody would the BCCI that even with all the precautions would lift spiritsofthe nation and people Kevin Robertshas spoken about the possi- ment’s policies. To travel abroad and coming ingly,” he said, making it amplyclearthat liketomaintainagoodrapport with the and ‘bio-security’, playing cricket, while the would liketosee us getbacktoworkand bility of hosting the series, whichisworth back,youneedthe government’spermission. the BCCI will startthinking aboutits future BCCI,” said asource. Covid-19curveisstill steep, is fraught with children cangotoschool safely butalsopas- $300million, at asingle venue –Adelaide Then, office-bearerswill sit with theteam course of actiononlyafter thegovernment Indiaswapping the T20 WorldCup with risk.Going backtoEngland, TheTimes re- times like sport,” Raab said during agovern- Oval –and behind closeddoors. “Whether managementandplayersto discussthe issue,” green light. Australia and hosting it this year,isruledout, portedthat agroup of players were briefed ment press conference. or notthereare peopleatthe venue or not; aBCCI functionarysaid. If eventuallythe T20World Cup is post- it is learnt.

OVER THE HEDGE by Michael Fry &TLewis CROSSWORD 4112 DAYTODAY BYPETERVIDAL

ARIES (Mar 21 -Apr 20) LIBRA (Sep 24 -Oct 23) If anything, you’ll be The entire situation moreinclinedtotake is lookingdecidedly arisk todaythan complicated, earlier in the week.It probablybecause is impossible to say, though, you’retorn between keeping whetheryour gamble will be yourself to yourself on the one financial or emotional.Ifit’s a hand, and lettingeveryone else child or younger relative whois in on theact on the other. breaking out, they deservetrust You’vejustgot to work out and wordsofwiseadvice, what’s important and ratherthan restraint. what’s not. TAURUS (Apr21-May 21) SCORPIO (Oct24-Nov 23) From apurely Thefact that the personal point of Moon is nowaligned view, your chart with your sign CALVIN &HOBBES by Bill Watterson speaksofthe needto should put youina put creative self-fulfilment first. commanding position. The only However, other indications complicated planetaryaspects suggestthat partners’ demands occur around the early morning or children’s needs will when theremay be afleeting overwhelm you. Perhaps you doubtabout aparticular ACROSS Down needsome help. You’d better plan. That aside, the world 1Father hasahand in getting 1Belong to painter,perhaps ask quickly. is yours. fruit(5) (7) 4Find the solution is to 2Making it maybeforesight GEMINI(May22-June 21) SAGITTARIUS(Nov24-Dec 22) organise intogroups (4,3) or forsight (9) It is sometimes The main variation 8Disturbance cut shortin 3Wesat out in the desert difficult for in your solarchart is Brazilian port(3) (5) astrologers to square providedbythe 9Combination of wind and 4Throw outunevenand your serious attitude movementofthe frostcause apile-up in inferior material (6) to work with your light-hearted Moon’s emotional movements, winter (9) 5New cadetorold soldier reputation. The problem you’ll raising hidden hopes from 10 Arequirement is inside this (7) face todayisthat the pastmust your unconscious. This is flavouring (7) 6Sash that’ssomewhat toobig be addressedbeforethe future all very positive,for if such 11 Musical journal? (5) (3) can be planned, andthat can be worries arebrought intothe 13 Waternymphs in asad 7Incolour it is one of the apainful process. Ihaveevery open youcan do something muddle (6) greats(5) confidence in you, though. aboutthem. 15 Athletic pursuitsturn into 12 Expert on the rocks? (9) MARVIN by Tom Armstrong instrumentsofsharp 14 Crude modus operandi CANCER (June 22 -July23) CAPRICORN (Dec 23 -Jan 20) practice (6) executed with propriety The Moon is cruising Thereare times 18 Thekey note of medicine (5) (7) through aregion of when youcan find 19 Anumber in favour of good 16 Desire in one’s child to your chartruling yourself paying for taste? (7) become adoctor (7) self-indulgence, so friends. Social 21 Keep in mind what the host 17 Business concern (6) youreallyshouldtakealittle extravagance does still seemto will do (9) 18 Hair used to stuffmattresses time offtopamper yourself. be very muchavital factor.In 23 Cooling agent usedinatomic (5) onlyresponsibilities you the final analysis, the endresult energy (3) 20 Cancel an article from ayear can’t dodgeany moremay depends on howhappyyou 24 Poweredgalley vessel? (7) book (5) come in the form of children, aretobesubsidising other 25 Studentsmay decline to 22 Sartorial obligation, perhaps young people and others people, perhaps morethan learnit(5) (3) with vastly lessexperience whetheryou canactually than you. afford to do so. SolutionsCrossword4111:Across:1Distressed,8Astir,9Granite,10Burying,11 Attic,12Semite,14Flagon,17Again,19Vanilla,21Opinion,22Piece,23Ill-feeling. LEO (July24-Aug23) AQUARIUS (Jan21- Feb19) Down:2Interim,3Tarsi,4Engage,5Seawall,6Drift,7Percentage,8Ambassador, Domestic affairs Emotional 13Tenniel,15Galleon,16Avenge,18Alibi,20Nepal. should take priority opposition from today. This is nota other people, mainly forecast, but advice close partners, does which youare free to ignore. still seem to be anuisance,but JUMBLEDWORDS My prediction is, though, that if doesn’thavetobeso. Your best DifficultyLevel4s youtakenonotice of this chance is probablytomakea Instructions warningthenyou could tactical retreat, sureinthe Givenbelowarefourjumbledwords.Solvethejumblestomakeproperwordsandmovethemto TosolveaSudokupuzzle, run intoaspotofneedless knowledge that otherswill

therespectivesquaresbelow.Selectthelettersintheshadedsquaresandjumblethemtoget everydigitfrom1to9 4202 bother tomorrow. soon burn themselvesout, theanswerforthegivenquip. mustappearineachofthe leaving youtoclean up. Youwillnotfind___anywhereunlessyoubringsomeofitwithyou.-JosephJoubert(6) nineverticalcolumns,in VIRGO (Aug 24 -Sep 23) Serious discussions PISCES (Feb 20 -Mar 20) eachoftheninehorizontal

4203 will doubtless Thereare many GPUER AAESWY rowsandineachofthe perform avital role levels of reality,as nineboxes. in helping you youwell know.Ifyou SUDOKU resolve the irritations of the love anarchy, you’ll pastmonth and in enabling you probablybequitehappy, but if FLYOT AACDMP DifficultyLevel to see your wayforward to a you’d ratherhaveanordered

SUDOKU 1s=Veryeasy;2s=Easy; morehassle-free future. The lifeyou mayhaveanuphill 3s=Medium;4s=Hard; trouble is that someone just struggle. Forget ’real-life’and

5s=VeryHard;6s= seemstotreat everythingasa look to those mystical Piscean

ert Joub eph os

-J joking matter. realms forthe answer.

u. yo th wi it of some ring ub yo nless eu er ywh an ry et po ind tf no ll wi ou :Y er sw An Genius

SOLUTION

P CA AD ,M AY AW SE Y, FT LO E, RG N:PU SOLUTIO

VolLXXXVIII No.154 Regd.No. DL-21046/03-05 R.N.I.No.506/57. Printedand PublishedbyR.C.Malhotraonbehalf of The IndianExpress (P) Limited and PrintedatThe Indian Express (P) Limited Press, A-8, Sector-7,Noida-201301 and PublishedatThe Indian Express (P) Limited,Mezzanine Floor,Express Building, 9&10, BahadurShah Zafar Marg, New Delhi-110002. Editorial office: The Indian Express (P) Limited,MezzanineFloor,Express Building, 9&10, BahadurShah Zafar Marg, New Delhi-110002. Phone: 0120-6651500.Advertisingoffice: The Indian Express (P) Limited,B1/B, Sector -10, Noida -201301. Phone: 0120-6651291.Chairman of the Board: Viveck Goenka, Chief Editor:Raj Kamal Jha, Editor:Unni Rajen Shanker,Editor (Delhi): Rakesh Sinha ** **Responsible forselection of Newsunder the PRB Act. Copyright:The Indian Express (P) Limited.All rightsreserved.Reproduction in anymanner,electronic or otherwise, in whole or in part, without prior written permission is prohibited.The Indian Express®

New Delhi Invest in independent journalism. Subscribe to The Indian Express E-paper

Introductory offer

Save 29%

CLICK HERE TO SUBSCRIBE

Available on indianexpress.com | E-mail | WhatsApp | The Indian Express App

* Offer valid till MAY 31, 2020 | **Full refund, if cancelled during the Free Trial period.