Follow us on: @TheDailyPioneer facebook.com/dailypioneer RNI No. APENG/2018/764698 Established 1864 Published From ANALYSIS 7 MONEY 8 SPORTS 11 VIJAYAWADA DELHI LUCKNOW BHOPAL CONTINUOUS CORONA IMPACT MAY RENDER 3.8 IOA CONFIDENT OF RAIPUR CHANDIGARH BHUBANESWAR R&D MUST RANCHI DEHRADUN CR JOBLESS IN TOURISM SECTOR ON-TIME TOKYO OLYMPICS HYDERABAD

` *Late City Vol. 2 Issue 138 VIJAYAWADA, FRIDAY MARCH 20, 2020; PAGES 12 3 *Air Surcharge Extra if Applicable

CHIRU'S NOD TO MYTHRI MOVIE MAKERS? { Page 12 } www.dailypioneer.com

„ THREAT TO HUMANITY SAYS PM NARENDRA MODI „ MODI CALLS FOR ‘JANATA CURFEW’ ON MARCH 22, PEOPLE ASKED TO REMAIN INDOORS „ KCR CANCELS ALL RELIGIOUS CELEBRATIONS, EXTENDS SHUTDOWN TO MAR 31

Given the gravity of the situation due to the accelerating spread of Covid-19, the days of mere social distancing seem to be over. People now need to brace up for, as Prime Minister Narendra Modi put it, 'Janata curfew' across the nation on Sunday from 7-00 am to 9-00 pm. On this front, India is one among more than a hundred countries CM tells officials not to dispel fear that have declared nationwide lockdowns. Even during World War 1 and World War 11 so many countries n were not affected, the Prime Minister pointed out. So, 130 crore Indians cannot afford to be complacent, PNS NEW DELHI distance of at least two metres, with them the plan to be fol- he said. Nearer home, Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao has extended Telangana shutdown till he suggested. He wanted peo- lowed to rein in the virus. To March 31, covering all cinema halls, amusement parks, swimming pools, bars, pubs, The government has ple to put the attendance at a question on measures initiat- indoor/outdoor stadiums, gymnasiums, zoo parks, museums, marriage halls and function halls. ordered closure of the- events like marriages at the bare ed so far, officials told the The saving grace is that SSC examinations will be held as scheduled, with all examination atres, malls, gymna- minimum and them to cancel Chief Minister, the impact of centres being properly sanitized. All shrines have been told not to allow devotees. Even sia, swimming the events if possible. the virus in the State. official celebrations of Ugadi and Sri Rama Navami have been cancelled. pools, indoor Advising people against con- He asked officials whether a amusement gregating at public places, he door-to-door survey has been parks to called for maintaining sanita- ordered by utilising the services PNS n NEW DELHI for 'Janta cur- War I and II did prevent tion in vehicles of public trans- of Village and Ward volunteers. few' on March not affect as many people port. He asked the RTC and Officials replied in the positive. Prime Minister Narendra 22 from 7 am- countries as coron- assembling other buses not to overcrowd He suggested them to conduct Modi on Thursday made 9 pm, saying avirus has done," Modi these places to corona, Chief Minister YS them and should not allow mapping using services of a fervent appeal to all no citizen, said in a national broad- combat the spread Jaganmohan Reddy here on travel by standing. People hav- ASHA workers and ANMs. Indians to stay indoors as barring those cast. of the coronavirus. Thursday asked people not to ing symptoms of cold and The health assistants, ANMs, much as possible to avoid in essential 4 Orders will remain visit even small temples, cough have been asked to put ASHA workers and volunteers, getting infected by coron- services, should in force till March mosques, churches and advised off journeys. woman police, other employees avirus, saying the world has get out of house. No foreign flights and 31. against holding festivals and He suggested constitution of of gram and ward secretariats never seen a danger as "Even Announcing the fairs. an Expert Committee of med- should have access to the coro- spl trains, work from 4 grave as this. World home for govt staff measures at a high- People visiting hotels and ical officers. Reviewing the offi- na app, he said. He called level meeting on restaurants should maintain a cial measures, he discussed 4 Xenophobia Tirupati Balaji temple to KCR extends TS spreads as corona be shut for devotees shutdown till March 31

PNS n VIJAYAWADA L VENKAT RAM REDDY n HYDERABAD cases increase The famous hill shrine of Lord PNS n HYDERABAD Venkateswara in Tirumala and Chief Minister K all other major temples will be Chandrasekhar Rao on In view of the mounting cases out of bounds for devotees Thursday announced the of Covid-19, xenophobia and while malls and cinema halls extension of shutdown of all a strong sense of religious would be closed down in cinema halls, amusement identify have come into sharp Andhra Pradesh till March 31 parks, swimming pools, bars, relief, though places of wor- to check the spread of coron- pubs, indoor/outdoor stadi- ship per se like temples, avirus, the state government ums, gymnasiums, zoo parks, mosques and churches have announced on Thursday. museums, marriage halls and Telangana State Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao addresses an emergency modified rituals in an effort to positive cases. The restrictions would come function halls till March 31. meeting on Thursday with Collectors and Superintendents of Police of all the contain the virus. Netizens have since raised into force from Friday, Deputy On March 14, KCR had districts at Pragathi Bhavan in Hyderabad The Indonesians who test- questions about their trips, Chief Minister for Medical declared shutdown of the fore- continue to be in force till senior officials of all depart- ed positive are the latest targets with some alleging that the and Health A K K Srinivas going places and facilities till March 31. ments attended the meeting. of xenophobia and religious actual purpose could have (Nani) said briefing reporters March 21. All educational KCR held an emergency At a presser after the meet- persecution. This is evident been "conversion" or "preach- here after a high-level meeting institutions in the state will meeting on Thursday with ing, the Chief Minister said from the kind of negativity ing" or "religion of peace virus" on COVID-19, chaired by Besides the cash-rich Lord Shiva), Annavaram remain closed till March 31 as Collectors and that the government had these Indonesians are facing or "soul harvesting mission". Chief Minister Y S Jagan Venkateswara temple near (Satyanarayana Swamy) and announced earlier. The ban on Superintendents of Police of all decided to cancel the upcom- from the citizens of the coun- Some netizens even suggested Mohan Reddy. Tirupati thronged by devotees Kanipakam (Vinayaka). rallies, public meetings, sum- the districts at Pragathi Bhavan ing Sri Rama Navami and try hosting them. banning these people. Due to The daily rituals in all these from across the country, oth- Similarly, major places of mer camps and events at which to take stock of the coro- Ugadi celebrations in the state In all, 11 Indonesians were protocol, the identities of the temples will, however, be per- ers that would be barred for worship of other religions large gatherings are expected novirus situation in the state in to prevent mass gathering of on a religious trip and they Indonesians have not been formed by the priests. Only the pilgrims' entry include the would also be closed, the like conferences, workshops, the wake of detection of eight devotees and to prevent the had stayed in a mosque before revealed. devotees will not be allowed, Kanaka Durga shrine in Deputy Chief Minister said. trade fairs, cultural events, positive cases on a single day- spread of coronavirus. being identified as corona 2 he said. Vijayawada, Srisailam (Lord 3 sports events and jatharas will Wednesday. Ministers and 3 First Covid-19 case in Vizag Babies wait for their Ugadi fete sans devotees One more tested positive for coronavirus in Ongole stranded mother in Malaysia at Durga temple PNS n VISAKHAPATNAM Mecca recently. Andhra London, has tested positive for PNS n VIJAYAWADA Medical College principal con- COVID-19 in the State, taking PNS n VISAKHAPATNAM Visakhapatnam was married to As she was stranded there, Vizag reported the first con- firmed the development. Till the number of positive cases in Vijay Chandra, who works in her children desperately need To control the spread of firmed coronavirus case on Wednesday, the city had seen to two, health officials said on NRIs from Andhra Pradesh, IT sector in Malaysia. Last year, their mother since they are Covid-19, Sri Durga Thursday with this the total only suspected cases. They Thursday. who were stranded overseas, she returned to her parents infants. Efforts to fetch her Malleswara Swamy Varla cases rose to four, including were released after quarantine The man returned from are encountering problems on house in Visakhapatnam for back using services of Indian Devestanam authorities have one suspected case in process. The city may report London on March 15, and foreign shores because of can- delivery. Seven months ago, embassy proved futile causing taken a decision to stop pujas Vizianagaram. The patient is a more cases as denizens, who was admitted to a govern- cellation of flight services due she delivered twins. immense worry to her family till March 31. Devotees are resident of Alipuram in the were abroad for jobs and study ment-run hospital in Ongole to the threat of Covid-19. Meanwhile, her visa tenure is members. not permitted for city. He is undergoing treat- are returning home now. town with suspected symp- Sindhusha of Visakhapatnam on the verge of expiry. They urged the Panchagaswaravanam and ment at the isolation ward of Meanwhile, a person, who toms of novel coronavirus. is no exception. Therefore, she left for Malaysia Government of AP and the special Ammavari Sevas on TB Hospital. He had visited recently returned from While the mother is facing two weeks ago to get it Centre to use their good Ugadi. 3 problems in Malaysia, where renewed. offices with Malaysian author- In this regard, Durga tem- she had gone to renew her visa, Upon the renewal, she tried ities to fetch her back to nurse ple Chairman P Sominaidu on her twin babies are waiting for to return to Visakhapatnam her babies. Sindhusha's par- Thursday convened a meeting TODAY their mother to return. Her but flight services have been ents shared their problem with the temple authorities Nirbhaya convicts family members are concerned cancelled due to coronavirus with the media and eagerly and said that all services, be stopped in the wake of ALMANAC over Sindhusha's safety. posing problems for her to looking forward to her return including Antaralaya dar- coronavirus till March 31. Month & Paksham: Sindhusha of Sivajipalem in return to the city. to the city. shanam and Arjia Sevas, will 3 Phalguna & Krishna Paksha set to hang today Panchangam Tithi : Dwadashi: Full Night PNS n NEW DELHI Home cooking the in thing due to coronavirus scare Nakshatram: Shravana: 05:05 pm Time to Avoid: (Bad time to start All legal routes to escape the noose closed on Thursday for PNS n NEW DELHI "While another transmission of COVID-19, any important work) the four men convicted in the there is a need to adhere to the Rahukalam: 10:53 am - 12:23 pm Nirbhaya gangrape case who As a preventive measure major reason is the food safety and hand hygiene Yamagandam: 03:23 pm – 04:53 pm are now hours away from against novel coronavirus social distancing, measures and that's a is the big Varjyam: 09:31 pm - 11:17 pm being hanged, seven years- (COVID-19), which has which people are question mark if we are order- Gulika: three months after brutalising infected more than 160 people ing the food from outside," 07:53 am - 09:23 am a young woman in a Delhi bus and killed four individuals in most considerate said Seema Singh, Chief Good Time: (to start any important work) with a barbarity that shook the India, health experts on about. It is advised Clinical Nutritionist, Fortis Amritakalam: NIL nation. Thursday said that to avoid any that people should Hospital in Vasant Kunj. Abhijit Muhurtham: 11:59 am - 12:47 pm Mukesh Singh (32), Pawan risk of infection, people have "Even if the food is cooked Gupta (25), Vinay Sharma opted out from eating outside avoid raw meat," following the food safety and VIJAYAWADA (26) and Akshay Kumar Singh food and preparing food at Saini said hand hygiene then the delivery (31), held guilty for gangrap- home. person should not have WEATHER ing a 23-year-old physiother- According to Narendra said that hand hygiene is the touched the food directly with Forecast: Partly Cloudy apy intern in Delhi on the been deferred by a court thrice Saini, Chairman Scientific only major concern in order- infected hand or sneezed or Temp: 37/24 night of December 16, 2012 so on the grounds that they had Committee at Delhi Medical ing food or eating outside. But coughed over the food and at Humidity: 39% savagely that she died of her not exhausted all their legal Council, considering food health. people should avoid raw meat," the restriction on food items the end customer should have Sunrise: 06.20 injuries a fortnight later, will remedies and that the mercy hygiene and diet, people espe- "While another major rea- Saini said. has not yet been regulated. received the food with clean Sunset: 06.27 be executed in Tihar Jail at petition of one or the other cially in the metro cities are son is the social distancing, Nidhi Dhawan, HOD-- "Though there is no evi- hands and ate in clean uten- Current Weather Conditions 5.30 am on Friday. was before the president. preparing food at home, which which people are most consid- Dietetics, Saroj Super dence of food or food packag- sils," Singh said. Updated March 19, 2020 5:00 PM Their death warrants have 3 is a good step for their overall erate about. It is advised that Speciality Hospital in Delhi ing being associated with the 2 VIJAYAWADA | FRIDAY | MARCH 20, 2020 vijayawada 02 SSC exams Navy sets up quarantine Fake message on corona on schedule PNS n VIJAYAWADA facility in Visakhapatnam All the educational institu- tions, including schools, col- PNS n VISAKHAPATNAM triggers panic in Vizag leges and coaching centres, will remain closed until March In an effort to augment PNS n VISAKHAPATNAM 31 as a precautionary measure nation's fight against the l Anxious residents started to prevent and manage the spread of CoViD-19, the Social media has become a spread of coronavirus, while the Eastern Naval Command boon and bane too, as mischief enquiring with GVMC officials. Intermediate and SSC exams (ENC) has set up a quarantine mongers are circulating fake However, officials clarified that the will be held as per schedule. camp at INS Vishwakarma for news to create panic among message was a hoax and advised Speaking to the media here Indian nationals being evacu- people, who already fear a residents to ignore such WhatsApp on Thursday, Minister for ated from CoViD 19 affected threat from coronavirus, which messages Education Audimulapu Suresh countries. is claiming many lives across said except residential schools As a precautionary mea- the world. Some people always l The VMRDA Commissioner having examinations, all other sure, the evacuated persons are wait for an opportunity to confirmed that the message was institutions, including private to be kept under quarantine for spread wrong messages and fake and said he would bring it to the universities, state universities, a period of 14 days. The ENC enjoy when people get panic. A affiliated colleges, and schools is proactively coordinating similar incident was creating a notice of the Commissioner of Police will remain shut down till with the health department panic among denizens of and urge him to take action against March 31. However, officials from the State and dis- The Eastern Naval Command has Visakhapatnam. those who created the hoax l Many assumed that the message Intermediate and SSC exams trict administration to ensure A fake message doing rounds message. will be held as per the sched- adequate preventive care is set up a quarantine camp at INS on WhatsApp stating that could have been tweeted by the ule and all precautions will be provided to all evacuated per- GVMC Commissioner P l Of late, the GVMC Commissioner Commissioner. However, there was no taken to maintain the statuto- sonnel and prevent the spread Vishwakarma for Indian nationals Koteswara Rao has urged has been responding to complaints such tweet found on the official handle ry distance and other measures, of the virus. being evacuated from CoViD 19 denizens to stay indoor from 10 of denizens on Twitter too of the GVMC he said. "In order to prevent the The quarantine camp is fully pm to 5 am has triggered fear spread of Covid-19, under the equipped to accommodate affected countries among all. The message reads guidance of the health depart- nearly 200 personnel with all civic body would be spraying messages. The VMRDA websites regarding could have been tweeted by the ment, a few changes in seating facilities and other arrange- department of health and fam- to face the challenge and threat some medicine in the air to Commissioner confirmed that coronavirus, people are not Commissioner. However, there arrangements for Intermediate ments. The evacuated person- ily welfare by a team of naval posed by the growing pandem- eliminate the COVID-19 virus. the message was fake and said refraining from it. Moreover, was no such tweet found on the and SSC examinations are in nel in the camp will be close- personnel and medical profes- ic of COVID 19 - the coron- In a bid to pass this message to he would bring it to the notice even the educated are also official handle of the GVMC. place. Any candidate with com- ly monitored to ensure social sionals of ENC. avirus. With the active support friends, many started sharing of the Commissioner of Police forwarding the message with- So far, Vizag has not report- mon fever or cold or with any distancing and under medical The Government of India is of the people, the spread of the on WhatsApp. Anxious resi- and urge him to take action out verifying it. ed any positive coronavirus other symptoms will be made supervision in accordance with taking necessary steps to virus we has been contained in dents started enquiring with against those who created the Of late, the GVMC case. As a result, people are seen to sit in a separate room dur- the protocols laid down by the ensure that it is prepared well the country. GVMC officials. However, offi- hoax message. Commissioner has been roaming around the city not ing the examinations. Even cials clarified that the message Even as cops are arresting responding to complaints of adhering to the decision to iso- the paper valuations will was a hoax and advised resi- people circulating fake mes- denizens on Twitter too. Many late themselves to break the be done with precautionary dents to ignore such WhatsApp sages on social networking assumed that the message chain of the coronavirus. measures." YVU Fine Arts Dept CAPSULE COVID-19 SCARE inks MoU Railway concession for elderly withdrawn with CCVA PNS n VIJAYAWADA PNS n VIJAYAWADA l Indian Railways The Memorandum of In order to contain the spread Understadning was signed of COVID-19 virus and min- has done this by between the Cultural Centre Koil Alwar Tirumanjanam being imise the travel-related risks to withdrawing Additional executive officer AV Dharma Reddy holding a review meeting in of Vijayawada & Amaravati performed at Govindaraja elderly citizens, Indian concessional booking of Tirumala on Thursday (CCVA) and Department of Swamy temple on Thursday Railways has taken steps to dis- tickets to senior citizens Fine Arts, Yogi Vemana courage senior citizens from for unreserved and University (DFAYVU) here Tirumanjanam undertaking non-essential Review on holding transit on Thursday. journeys by removing special reserved segment form It was exchanged by E at Govindraja incentives, which presently March 20 till further Siva Nagi Reddy, CEO, Swamy temple exist for their travel, according advisory accommodation held CCVA, and K Mrutunjaya TIRUPATI: Ahead of Ugadi to a press release. l Rao, HoD, DFAYVU, in the Indian Railways has done This step has been n The additional executive presence of Prof M Asthanam on March 25 at Sri taken to discourage PNS TIRUMALA Govindaraja Swamy temple, the this by withdrawing conces- officer directed the estate offi- Suryakalavathi, Vice- TTD has conducted the temple sional booking of tickets to them from making non- With an aim to facilitating cer of Tirumala to take back Chancellor, Yogi Vemana cleansing fete Koil Alwar senior citizens for unreserved essential journeys, said more accommodation to pil- the accommodation, which is University, Prof K Hema Tirumanjanam on Thursday. and reserved segment form WHO Joint Mission on coro- the country, it has become railway authorities. grims in Tirumala, addition- provided in excess to various Chandra Reddy, Chairman, This fete began at 6 am and March 20 till further advisory. navirus disease indicates, imperative to curtail its spread al executive officer AV outside wings and instructed Andhra Pradesh Higher lasted for about three hours. This step has been taken to dis- "Individuals at highest risk for and protect the most vulnera- Dharma Reddy on Thursday the reception wing deputy Education Council, Sandeep Devotees were allowed for courage them from making severe disease and death ble group of population i.e; Divyangjan category for both reviewed transit accommo- executive officers to allot them Mandava, CEO, Malaxmi darshan after 9:30 am. Special non-essential journeys, said include people aged over 60 people with chronic illness unreserved and reserved seg- dation that is being provided to pilgrims. Properties, here on Thursday. grade deputy executive officer railway authorities. years". It further says, and especially senior citizens. ments," they said. to various outside depart- Additional CVSO E Sivanagi Reddy CEO, Varalakshmi, AEO Ravi Kumar It has been seen that the risk "Mortality increases with age, Withdrawal of such conces- It may be noted that a large ments. Sivakumar Reddy, VGOs CCVA, said that the MoU Reddy and other temple staff of spread and mortality rate with the highest mortality sions is also a part of a wider number of requests are already Officials from railways, Manohar, Prabhakar, estate aimed at mutual cooperation participated. due to COVID-19 virus is among people over 80 years of plan to discourage unnecessary being received by Indian APSRTC, AP Tourism, police officer Vijaya Saradhi, deputy between the organisation in highest among senior citizens age (CFR 21.9 per cent)." travel by all concerned. Hence, Railways for cancellation of and TTD Vigilance took part executive officers Balaji, conducting short term as susceptibility increases with "Amidst the worldwide out- concessional booking of all tickets booked by senior citi- in the review meeting, which Damodaram and officers from research programmes, art age, according to railway offi- break of COVID-19 virus and tickets have been withdrawn zens and provide a waiver of was held at Gokulam confer- various outside departments camps, teaching art history, cials. As the report of the increasing number of cases in except patients, students and cancellation fee. ence hall. participated. documentation of rock art, art heritage, architecture and guiding on the research pro- gramme and undertaking ‘Officials geared up to tackle spread of Covid-19’ research projects, and organ- Visakhapatnam-based devotees AP Tourism department ising art shows. N Kalidas and Dr Bhanumati Vice-Chancellor Prof n donate golden ornament to the PNS VIJAYAWADA control and need not panic. Suryakalavathi assured nec- Lord in Tirupati on Thursday launches anti-corona drive VMC Commissioner V Prasanna According to the GO 202, all essary support from the uni- District Collector Md Imtiaz on Venkatesh said that pamphlets are educational institutions shall versity and said that the PNS n VIJAYAWADA to follow the strict instruc- Thursday informed that the remain closed till March 31. MoU shall add value to both Golden ornament tions to combat Covid-19. district administration is fully being distributed across the district One can call the Control Room the organisations in under- donated Kalyana All the Andhra Pradesh Pravin Kumar said the prepared to tackle the spread of to create awareness on the virus and on 9491058200 if necessary, taking quality programmes Tourism buses, boats, hotels objective was to provide novel coronavirus. Addressing said the Collector. that nurture ethos and values Venkateswara Swamy (including the cafeteria, guest responsible tourism through the media here on Thursday, precautions to be taken to prevent from VMC Commissioner V among art students and TIRUPATI: Visakhapatnam-based rooms, toilets) and resorts educating locals as well as Imtiaz said that till date 656 getting affected Prasanna Venkatesh said that resources and expertise of devotees N Kalidas and Dr should be properly sanitised, guiding tourists, travellers people are under home isola- pamphlets are being distributed CCVA would be utilised to Bhanumati, the Executive Director handouts should be given to or visitors on Covid-19, who tion in Krishna district, who sations to permit employees to Polymerase Chain Reaction across the district to create the full extent. and Managing Director of the Eco tourists visiting Harita Hotels are visiting Harita Hotels had come from various Covid work from home. (RT-PCR) machinery. Till date awareness on the virus and pre- Carbon Private Limited Company, and Resorts on precautions and Resorts across the State. 19 infected countries. Two He said that 656 were iden- no Covid 19 positive case was cautions to be taken to prevent donated a golden ornament to Sri to be taken to keep Covid-19 "Though the flow of visitors Control Rooms were set up and tified through a door-to-door confirmed in the district, he from getting affected. People Kalyana Venkateswara Swamy at at bay, said Pravin Kumar, has been reduced due to 15 Rapid Response teams have survey that had come from for- said. should feel the responsibility Srinivasa Mangapuram on CEO APTA and MD corona, this is our responsi- been kept ready to tackle the eign countries and 131 people He informed that thermal and cooperate with the govern- Thursday. The golden waist worth APTDC. bility to protect each and situation. were identified and were kept screening is being implement- ment to tackle the epidemic. Rs 45 lakhs weighs around one At a review meeting, he every individual," he said. He said 81 beds in about 17 under home isolation. ed at courts, jails, Rythu Bazaars Joint collector K kilo. Deputy executive officer of advised all the District The outbreak of corona hospitals are made available Imtiaz said that the novel and other places and people Madhavilatha, sub-collector the temple Yellappa, chief priest Tourism Officers, Regional affected million of lives resid- with quarantine facility across coronavirus confirmation lab need not wear masks. He HM Dhyanchand, DM&HO Balaji Rangacharyulu, Directors, Divisional ing across the globe and the district. He said that orders was set up in Vijayawada with appealed to people in the dis- TSR Murthy and others were superintendent Ramanaiah and Managers and Unit Managers confirmed, he said. were served to private organi- Reverse Transcriptase trict that the situation is under present. others were also present.

VIJAYAWADA BULLION RATES CRPF reaches out to tribals in Maoist-hit region Vehiclen donated to TTD GOLD PNS TIRUMALA spraying of disinfectants while n cleaning. Additional execu- ` 40,2800 (10 gm) PNS VISAKHAPATNAM l Sewing machines, l A medical camp was Rs.2.60 lakh worth multi tive officer AV Dharma Reddy ` 370 The CRPF (234 battalion) bicycles and various sports organised to provide dimensional vehicle mounted performed puja to the vehicle reached out to tribals and sprayer has been donated to in front of Vahana SILVER items such as volleyball relief to tribals and those ` 34,400(1kg) bring them into mainstream as the TTD by a devotee Abdul Mandapam. Health Officer ` 600 part of its Civic Action with net, badminton racket who lost hope living in Ghani. The vehicle will be Dr RR Reddy was also Programme at Rallagedda in with shuttle cock, cricket the absence of treatment extensively used in mass present. Visakha Agency area on bat with tennis ball were in that area. On the CHICKEN Thursday. Sewing machines, distributed to the interior occasion, medicines `/KG bicycles and various sports RATES items such as volleyball with villages in GK Veedhi area were also distributed Dressed/With Skin `65 net, badminton racket with during the Civic Action free of cost to the needy Without Skin `75 shuttle cock, cricket bat with programme villagers Broiler at Farm `45 tennis ball were distributed to the interior villages in GK Veedhi area during the Civic the civic population of Visakha Commandant 234 BN CRPF, Action programme. needy villagers. This unit also BN CRPF, said "These tribals of Agency area in future. SR Meena, Deputy EGG A medical camp was organ- imparted one month training the far flung area of Visakha The Force has been carrying Commandant CRPF, Dr M Sai RATES `/100 ised to provide relief to tribals to tribal women on sewing and Agency area are like family out various Civic Action pro- Sindhu, MO of 234 BN CRPF, HYDERABAD 210 and those who lost hope living distributed them sewing members of the CRPF." gramme in the country to sup- Inspector Shiv Prakash VIJAYAWADA 225 in the absence of treatment in machines, which will help to He appealed to youth to port the civic populace. The Chaubey OC C/234 BN CRPF, that area got a bigger chance of earn additional income. In all, join the mainstream and to aim behind these programmes SHO, GK Veedhi, SI P Anish VISAKHAPATNAM 300 living a long life. On the occa- 470 were provided the help. contribute their mite in nation is to build better police and and a huge gathering of trib- RETAIL PRICE `2.25 sion, medicines were also dis- Speaking on the occasion RS building. He assured them to public relations. als were present. Additional executive officer AV Dharma Reddy performs puja to the vehicle in (IN VIJAYAWADA) tributed free of cost to the Balapurkar, Commandant 234 continue similar assistance to RS Balapurkar, front of Vahana Mandapam at Tirumala on Thursday

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Printed and published by B Krishna Prasad for and on behalf of CMYK Printech Ltd., Printed at Sree Seshasai Enterprises, D.No. New 3-88, Old 3-22, Chandra Theatre, Gosala, Penamaluru Mandal, Vijayawada, Andhra Pradesh - 521 151, Resident Editor: B Krishna Prasad, AIR SURCHARGE of Rs 2.00. VIJAYAWADA | FRIDAY | MARCH 20, 2020 vijayawada 03 CAPSULE Vizag on high alert for CM Jagan for development Security cover of nine harbours in State enhanced for SEC n PNS VIJAYAWADA l VIJAYAWADA: The security In the first phase corona: Tourism Minister Chief Minister YS Jaganmohan cover for State Election harbours would be built Commissioner N Ramesh Reddy on Thursday asked offi- l cials to provide basic amenities at Uppada in Krishna Kumar has been enhanced Screening machinery at all tourist resorts district, Machilipatnam from Thursday from 1+1 to 4+4 for fishermen to enable them of CRPF from the 39th PNS n VISAKHAPATNAM to pursue fishing. He suggest- in Krishna district, Battalion Gannavaram. The minister said quarantine wards ed introducing most modern Nizampatnam phase-2 Similarly, tight security was The district administration methods for them. harbour and Juvvala has been alerted and precau- have been set up at Visakha Institute In a meeting held to review provided to the SEC office with Dinne in Nellore district 10 police personnel, which tionary measures are being of Medical Sciences and more would on creation of basic amenities include one sub-inspector, one taken against the deadly coro- and attracting investments at a cost of Rs 1,304 head constable, eight novirus, Minister for Tourism be set up at ENT, Govt Hospital for with officials at the Secretariat crore constables from the 39th and Culture Muttamsetti Mental Care and Government here on Thursday, the govern- l Battalion. Srinivasa Rao said. ment expressed the desire to In the second phase, Addressing a press confer- Infectious and Chest Hospital soon improve living standards of phase, harbours would be built harbours would be built ence after convening a review fishermen. at Vadrevu and Kottapatnam at Vadrevu and meeting with top officials here Wednesday,'' Srinivasa Rao wards immediately. Laying emphasis on comple- in Prakasam district, Kottapatnam in on Thursday, the minister said said. The minister said proposals tion of fishing harbour pro- Budagatlapalem and people need not panic, as the He said quarantine wards have been sent to the govern- jects, the Chief Minister said Yedduvanipalem in Prakasam district, administration has been taking have been set up at Visakha ment for supply of more that fishing harbours are pro- Srikakulam district and mod- Budagatlapalem and preventive measures to combat tem was being made at railway Institute of Medical Sciences screening machines and it was posed to be built at nine places ernisation of Visakhapatnam Yedduvanipalem in the virus and no positive case station and bus complexes. and more would be set up at made mandatory for all private at a cost of Rs 2901.61 crore. fishing harbour. Srikakulam district and has been reported so far. Isolation wards are also being ENT, Government Hospital hospitals to have them installed Harbours would be completed The Chief Minister asked modernisation of Medical teams have been set up in Anakapalle and for Mental Care and at the earliest. in two phases. In the first officials to take steps to provide deployed at the Visakhapatnam Paderu in the Agency area. Government Infectious and Regarding home isolation phase harbours would be built deep-sea fishing. He also hint- Visakhapatnam fishing International Airport with "We have asked officials to Chest Hospital soon, he added. for students, who arrived from at Uppada in Krishna district, ed at setting up of an airport harbour Two kids drown screening machinery and sus- set up screening machinery at Private medical colleges Malaysia on Wednesday, Machilipatnam in Krishna dis- in Prakasam district and want- pected cases were being all the tourist spots and resorts, GITAM Institute of Medical Collector V Vinay Chand said trict, Nizampatnam phase-2 ed officials to make efforts in in agency canal referred to the hospitals con- as many people are expected to Sciences and Research and all of them were sent home as harbour and Juvvala Dinne in this regard. Furthermore, he the Bhogapuram airport. The VISAKHAPATNAM: Two minor cerned. Similarly, announce- visit them during the short hol- Gayatri Medical College were per the guidelines of the health Nellore district at a cost of Rs asked officials to complete the Chief Minister told officials to girls drowned in a farm canal in ment over public address sys- iday declared from also asked to set up quarantine ministry. 1,304 crore. In the second remaining land acquisition for focus on eco-friendly projects. Enugurai village under Munchingput mandal in the district on Thursday. They were identified as Kimudu Aruna Covid-19 Union Minister (10) and Koda Appalamma (9). YSRCP demands probe ‘SEC denigrated image Munchingput police said these positive patient urged to rescue girls and Appalamma's younger brother Harikrishna (8) went to tries to run from of constitutional post’ stranded an agriculture canal in the into origin of SEC's letter village in the afternoon for isolation ward PNS n VIJAYAWADA Telugu students swimming. While Hariskrishna PNS n VIJAYAWADA was sitting on the bank, these PNS n ONGOLE Minister for Endowments PNS n VIJAYAWADA two girls plunged into the canal YSRCP MLAs delegation met Vellampalli Srinivas on for bathing and drowned. Director-General of Police A patient, who tested posi- Thursday accused State TDP chief N Chandrababu Harikrishna ran to the village Gautam Sawang and submit- tive for coronavirus tried to Election Commissioner Naidu on Thursday wrote a and informed his parents. They ted a memorandum seeking escape from the isolation (SEC) N Ramesh Kumar of letter to External Affairs along with some villagers came the origin of the letter pur- ward of RIMs on Thursday. acting as a stooge of former Minister S Jaishankar to running to the canal but by the portedly written by State However, he was traced Chief minister N bring back 146 Indians time they reached, the bodies Election Commissioner N soon by the ward staff. Chandrababu Naidu and stranded at Manila airport were floating in the canal water. Ramesh Kumar seeking Following the incident, alleged that the SEC is deni- in the Philippines. Naidu The police shifted the bodies to Central forces for his protec- security has been stepped grating the image of the con- told the minister that 41 out the government hospital for tion. up at the ward. stitutional post by seeking to of 146 stranded Indians are autopsy and registered a case. Speaking to the media at the A youth, who returned protect interests of from Andhra Pradesh, while party central office here on here from London on individuals. He appealed to the EC to 30 to 40 of them hail from Thursday, YSRCP leaders said March 15, tested positive for Addressing the media here remove Ramesh Kumar as the Telangana State. Many of Facilities to that they told the DGP that the YSRCP MLAs sumbit a memorandum to DGP Gautam Sawang in Vijayawada on the virus. He was kept in the on Thursday, the contents of SEC since he is functioning these Indians went to study test samples for letter that has been doing the Thursday isolation ward and being the letter released in the akin to a political party leader MBBS in the hPhilippines. rounds was released as a part treated there. As he has had name of Nimmagadda are in spite of holding the consti- He said that these Indians corona in State of a conspiracy to create l MLAs Ambati Rambabu, Kolusu Parthasarathi, no contacts with outside denigrating the image of the tutional office. He exhorted reached the Manila airport VIJAYAWADA: Additional uncertainty in the govern- Srikanth Reddy, Jogi Ramesh, Malladi Vishnu, TJR world for the past three government. The letter has the Centre to take action in on March 17 itself to leave secretary in the CMO PV ment and to defame Chief Sudhakar Babu and K Anil Kumar urged DGP days, the youth became agi- been showed time and again the incident. He advised the for India on March 18. But, Ramesh on Thursday said that Minister YS Jaganmohan Gautam Sawang to conduct an in-depth inquiry and tated and tried to escape in the yellow media. He SEC against blaming the State all of a sudden, the flight arrangements have been made Reddy and YSRCP. from the RIMS. Security sought to know what is on the government without any evi- operators stopped opera- in the State to diagnose the They urged the DGP to punish the responsible persons according to the has been tightened and no mind of the SEC by not con- dence. He suggested to him tions. Hence, they are not blood samples of coronavirus conduct an in-depth inquiry law and also to look into the wide circulation given one is allowed to go near the demning it. Silence of the to make an introspection. able to catch any flight to affected. Hence, they are not and punish the responsible to the letter by a section of the media ward. SEC is giving raise to many He commented that people reach India. required to be sent to Indian persons according to the law In all, two persons were doubts. He alleged that the would teach a befitting lesson Naidu said that there are Institute of Virology, Pune, for and also to look into the wide tested positive for corona. letter has been reportedly to Naidu using their discre- reports of Ninoy Aquino confirming the test results. He circulation given to the letter DGP include MLAs Ambati Jogi Ramesh, Malladi Vishnu, One case was reported from prepared in the office of TDP tionary power for his fault of International Airport being said that people do not require by a section of the media. Rambabu, Kolusu TJR Sudhakar Babu and K Nellore, while the other one supremo N Chandrababu misinterpreting the discre- closed on Thursday night. wearing masks and what is The delegation that met the Parthasarathi, Srikanth Reddy, Anil Kumar. from Prakasam district. Naidu. tionary powers of the SEC. This has raised concerns required is to keep hands neat and tensions among the and tidy. He suggested people parents. Hence, he request- to take necessary precautions. ed Jaishankar to extend Furthermore, he suggested to First corona immediate help to bring people with coronavirus like Home cooking back Xenophobia spreads as back Telugu students. Naidu symptoms to take paracetamol case in Vizag further requested for a spe- for every six hours. In case of cial flight to bring the stu- high fever and cough, patients dents to Delhi and should pay visit to hospitals. in life due to... Corona cases increase Hyderabad. Continued from Page 1 at home can be planned in a Continued from Page 1 way that you use combina- Continued from Page 1 IAPL decries BJP She also added: "People are tions or options of ingredients Officials said his samples Since the outbreak of coronavirus, which preferring home-cooked to make it a balanced meal were sent to a virology lab in Had their identities been was first officially reported to the World Tirupati Balaji govt's decision to offer meals because then they are and help you build immuni- Tirupati. They tested posi- revealed, they would have been sure that they have followed ty from outbreaks like coron- tive for COVID-19. at the receiving end of extreme Health Organization by Chinese authorities RS seat to Gogoi cleanliness to cook their nutri- avirus," Pasi said. Officials of medical hate. in Wuhan on Dec. 31, several accounts of temple to be VIJAYAWADA: Indian tious food. And as an added Sharing tips on healthy department in Ongole hos- Since the outbreak of coro- racism and xenophobia across the world Association of People's precaution, if you have sus- foods to boost immunity, pital were directed to take navirus, which was first official- have been reported. This canker has now shut for... Lawyers (IAPL) joint secretary pected symptoms of respira- Dhawan said: "The must precautionary measures. The ly reported to the World Health spread to India as well D Suresh Kumar demanded tory illness you should avoid include food in the daily diet first positive case was Organization by Chinese Continued from Page 1 that the Supreme Court review preparing food for other peo- are - clove, cinnamon, bell reported from Nellore dis- authorities in Wuhan on Dec. the verdicts of former Chief ple and seek medical atten- peppers, yogurt or curd (at trict last week. A youth, 31, several accounts of racism panicking over the windows of sage is being received in all the Andhra Pradesh is the lat- Justice Ranjan Gogoi on tion." room temperature), along who had returned from Italy and xenophobia across the the patient's house being groups and so I shared it as est to join a number of states, various important subjects. He According to Meghana Pasi, with Broccoli, ginger, onion, tested positive then. He is world have been reported. opened?" Meanwhile, several well. Most of these are the including Kerala, Karnataka condemned the decision taken Nutrition Consultant with turmeric. "Regular consump- still undergoing treatment in This canker has now spread to forwards are being sent por- habits that we are taught since and Tamil Nadu, that have by the BJP government to Arogya World, a health non- tion of hot water and green tea a hospital there. India as well. traying how the habits of wash- our childhood. The world is announced a virutal lock- offer the Rajya Sabha seat to profit organisation, ordering is also healthy. Include Nuts Three persons with sus- The panic was evident when ing hands and legs, Namaste adopting these now to tackle down and the announce- the retired Chief Justice food from outside can not like Almonds, walnuts and pected symptoms were the first case of corona virus are part of Hinduism and is a virus. Another message I got ment came on the day when Ranjan Gogoi barely less than only have hygiene issues but seeds like flax, pumpkin. It is admitted to hospitals on was reported in Telangana way of life. A message shared was that lakhs of people attend it reported its second positive four months after of his also that they might not be advised to strictly stay away Wednesday. The Health itself. People wanted the win- by 18-year-old degree college Kumbh Mela, but no epidem- case of coronavirus. retirement. AAddressing a balanced meals. from ice-creams," Dhawan Department said so far 109 dows of the home of the first student to this correspondent ic spreads because of these Srinivas said the govern- media conference here on "Whereas anything cooked added. people have been tested for Covid-19 positive patient to be reads, " When Hindus were events or in our country". ment took this decision to Thursday, Suresh Kumar, said COVID-19. While 94 were shut and children were alleged- wishing each other with There are umpteen instances check the spread of the many former Supreme Court found negative, two were ly asked not to roam near that Namaste - they laughed, when of people calling it "Chinese dreaded virus though rela- judges and top advocates in found positive. The house. Even the Chinese are Hindus were washing hands virus" a la US President Donald tively the incidence of the country are raising reports of remaining 13 were facing clear backlash. and legs before entering home Trump. These terms trigger COVID-19 was low in objections and criticising the awaited. Governments and politicians - they laughed, when Hindus xenophobia and only make the Andhra Pradesh. decision of the BJP The State government has have denounced such inci- were worshipping animals - eradication of virus difficult. It Malls and cinema halls government. He questioned ordered closure of all educa- dents related to the outbreak. they laughed…. Well guess may be mentioned here that last would be closed down while how the former Chief Justice tional institutions in the People have been asked to what?? Nobody is laughing week, an Indian-origin Jew bars and restaurants were can accept the Rajya Sabha State from Thursday as a empathise with people. now. So it's rightly said, was badly beaten by two per- being asked to maintain seat from the same precautionary measure to Minister Etela Rajender ear- "Hinduism is not a religion, it's sons who called him a social distancing, he said. government, which he contain the spread of the dis- lier questioned: Are we living a way of life". "Chinese" and yelled 'Corona! The government suggested criticised couple of years ago. ease. in 21st century that people are The student said, "This mes- Corona" in Israel's Tiberias city. that IT professionals could work from home. The Deputy CM asked the people to cooperate with the Ugadi fete sans devotees government in COVID-19 Nirbhaya convicts set to hang today mitigation measures. Srinivas suggested that Continued from Page 1 Asha Devi said. At the other mother fearfully — and angri- at Durga temple people put off marriages and The apex court also dismissed end of the emotional spectrum, ly — counted the hours. other functions to avoid large On Thursday, however, all Akshay Kumar's wife Puneeta "What will you write now? Continued from Page 1 MV Suresh Babu said that gatherings. the legal routes seemed to have Akshay Kumar's plea challenging the Devi fainted outside the Patiala Has anything happened till devotees, who had already Otherwise, ensure that the closed for the four men. rejection of his second mercy petition House court and said she and now with your writing? If god The bus service, lift service booked tickets for special ser- gathering is not large, he The Supreme Court refused her minor son should be wants he will be saved," she and tonsuring centre at the vices on Ugadi, will be per- added. to entertain Mukesh Singh's last by President Ram Nath Kovind, hanged along with him. lashed out at a journalist. temple would be closed. formed without their presence ditch plea that he was not in the saying no ground was made out "I want justice too. Kill me "It is all god's wish. Look at Devotees, who visit the tem- or the amount will be refund- city when the crime took place. too. I do not want to live. My the coronavirus. It is god who ple, are told to clean their ed. Furthermore, for every A bench of Justices of R for a judicial review of the decisio husband is innocent," Puneeta decides everything -- who lives hands with sanitisers provid- two hours the temple sur- Bhanumati, Ashok Bhushan said beating herself with san- and who dies. It is beyond the ed by the temple authorities. roundings are being cleaned to and A S Bopanna said he had President Ram Nath Kovind, stays on their execution. dals. control of any human," she said. Thermal screening was being maintain hygiene. exhausted all his remedies and saying no ground was made With just hours to go for the She recently filed a divorce The slum colony, which rep- conducted to devotees coming Devotees are allowed to no fresh evidence can be enter- out for a judicial review of the execution and no legal hurdle petition before a Bihar family resents the capital's seamy for darshan to the temple. He visit the temple only through tained. decision. left, Nirbhaya's mother Asha court, saying she did not wish underbelly, just next to the said that for the good health of stares and ghat road and The apex court also dis- On a parallel track, a Delhi Devi said her daughter's soul to live with the label of "a upscale government colony of the people in the country spe- appealed that it would be bet- missed Akshay Kumar's plea court dismissed the pleas of will now rest in peace. rapist's widow". R K Puram, was home to four cial homam was being per- ter senior citizens, children challenging the rejection of Akshay Kumar, Pawan Gupta "Finally the convicts will be In south Delhi's slum colony of the six men convicted of the formed in the temple. and pregnant women avoid his second mercy petition by and Vinay Sharma seeking hanged. Now I will get peace," Ravidas Camp, Vinay Sharma's crime. Temple Executive Officer coming to the temple. VIJAYAWADA | FRIDAY | MARCH 20, 2020 nation 04

JAMIA VIOLENCE SHORT READS ‘Premature to pinpoint ‘International community those responsible for ’ PNS n NEW DELHI briefed on J-K, CAA’ It is premature to say who is l AC local train responsible for the recent vio- Countries have shown understanding of Inida’s position services to be lence in Jamia Millia Islamia in suspended in Mumbai the national capital, HRD PNS n NEW DELHI Minister Ramesh Pokhriyal These countries know that Indian democratic MUMBAI: Both the Central Nishank said in Rajya Sabha on The government has briefed the practices and institutions are equipped to deal with Railway and Western Railway Thursday. international community on issues that may arise in implementation of the have decided to suspend the The government cannot the abrogation of Article 370 decisions taken by the Indian Parliament services of air-conditioned local trains in Mumbai from Friday in divulge much information provisions in Jammu and — V MURALEEDHARAN , Minister of State for External Affairs about this incident in the Kashmir and the amended cit- view of the coronavirus Upper House as the matter is izenship law, and these coun- outbreak. A WR spokesperson subjudice, he said during the tries have shown understand- the vulnerable sections living in rights body had voiced concern said that AC locals would be Question Hour. ing of India's position, Rajya India, he said. over India's new citizenship law, canceled till further notice. He was asked if the govern- Sabha was informed on They also understand that it terming it "fundamentally dis- Ordinary train services would ment will set up an enquiry to Thursday. In a written reply to does not impact in any manner criminatory" in nature. replace them, he said. A CR investigate role of the Delhi a question, Minister of State for the status of any citizen of India "Government immediately spokesperson said AC local Police and recover damage External Affairs V or deprive any Indian of any registered its protest with the services on Thane- from them. When such incidents pensate for damages incurred by Muraleedharan said as a result faith of her or his citizenship, office of the High Vashi-Panvel trans-Harbour corridor will be suspended till "When such incidents hap- happen, there are the university, the minister said, of government's efforts, coun- actively reached out and briefed Muraleedharan said. Commissioner for Human pen, there are many facts and "All central universities are fully tries have shown a better the members of the interna- "These countries know that Rights and clearly conveyed March-end. The WR operates evidences. It is premature to say many facts and funded by the central govern- understanding that matters tional community on the facts Indian democratic practices that the legislation is a human- 12 AC services between who is responsible. The Home evidences. It is premature to ment through UGC. If funds are related to Jammu & Kashmir relating to Jammu and Kashmir and institutions are equipped to itarian measure and is in line Churchgate and Virar, which are Minister has said the culprit say who is responsible. The required, the university can are internal to India and that and also shared perspectives deal with issues that may arise with India's international often crowded during peak will not be spared," Nishank reach out to the UGC." Pakistan-sponsored cross-bor- and objectives of the in implementation of the deci- human rights obligations," hours. The CR operates 16 Home Minister has said the services of AC local on trans- said in the Upper House. culprit will not be spared Jamia Millia Islamia has der terrorism has been posing Citizenship Amendment Act sions taken by the Indian Muraleedharan said. He said Responding to another query informed of damage to proper- a grave threat and affecting the 2019," Muraleedharan said. Parliament," he said. the government completely Harbour corridor every day. if the government will take — RAMESH POKHRIYAL NISHANK ties during violence in the cam- lives of Indians. Interlocutors also under- Muraleedhran also hit out at and unequivocally rejected any videos as evidence to prove HRD Minister pus on December 15, 2019. Some countries have also stand the Indian position that the spokesperson for the UN efforts to internationalise the Delhi Police's alleged hand in However, the central library of called on Pakistan not to allow the Citizenship Amendment High Commissioner for issues which are internal to vandalism, the minister said: "I tions and doubts are raised on the University has been opened its territories to be used for ter- Act 2019 is an affirmative Human Rights for his remarks India, in particular on laws have already said the matter is videos circulated." to students on March 11 after rorism in any manner, he said. action meant to address the in December on the CAA. passed by Parliament of a sov- subjudice. However, many ques- Asked if the Centre will com- renovation, he said. "The government has pro- long-standing predicament of The United Nations' human ereign nation. Coronavirus: Puri temple closed till March 31 ‘Only critical cases Hotels in 30 outstation trains PNS n PURI cancelled till April 1 Darshan by should visit JIPMER Nainital to The Shree Jagannath Temple MUMBAI: The Central Railway here will be closed for visitors till devotees inside the has cancelled 30 more remain closed March 31 with effect from temple will remain outstation trains till April 1, n in view of COVID-19' citing low occupancy due to the PNS NAINITAL Friday, in view of the coron- suspended from n coronavirus outbreak, an avirus scare, a top official of the tomorrow till March PNS PUDUCHERRY Hotels in Nainital will remain 12th century shrine said. official said on Thursday. These closed till March 31 as a pre- Servitors, however, will be 31. However, the In the wake of the spread of trains are cancelled mainly due cautionary measure to con- allowed to perform rituals inside rituals inside the coronavirus, the Centrally to low occupancy, as people tain the spread of coron- the shrine, its chief administra- sponsored JIPMER in have been advised to avoid temple will non-essential travel during the avirus. tor Krishan Kumar said. continue. Only the Puducherry on Thursday The decision for shutting "Darshan by devotees inside asked only patients with criti- pandemic, a Central Railway down the hotels was taken by the temple will remain sus- servitors can enter cal ailments and requiring ter- spokesperson said. the Nainital Hotel and pended from tomorrow till the temple tiary care should visit the hos- The decision was taken based on the Railway Board's Restaurant Association in March 31. However, the rituals premises to perform pital. Making this appeal view of the coronavirus inside the temple will continue. through a circular, JIPMER persons with such chronic ail- directive, he added. threat, NHRA president Only the servitors can enter the the rituals (Jawaharlal Institute of ments like diabetes, hyper- Several trains starting from Dinesh Sah said. T h e temple premises to perform Postgraduate Medical tension, cancer and heart dis- Mumbai and other cities in the hotels will be closed from the rituals," he explained. Education and Research) said eases who are on regular and state have been cancelled, but March 20. Ramachandra this was part of the precaution- continued medication should none of them are popular Being a popular tourist Dasmohapatra, a member of the Odisha churches suspend Sunday mass ary steps to save patients from avoid coming to the hospital and were operated only twice spot, Nainital receives lakhs Shree Jagannath Temple the spread of the novel simply for receiving drugs. or thrice a week, he said. Earlier this week, the Central of tourists every year and its Managing Committee, said a BHUBANESWAR: Churches in Odisha have decided to COVID-19. They are advised to get the suspend Sunday mass till March 31 as a precautionary Railway had cancelled 32 hotels and restaurants are meeting will be held to work out The hospital said around medications from a nearby trains, which included some the most crowded places. the modalities for performing measure to prevent the spread of novel coronavirus 10,000 patients visit the hospi- government hospital or from outbreak. The Odia Baptist Church in Cuttack, one of the popular ones and those that are The decision comes as a rituals and ceremonial functions tal every day for treatment. So, Jan Aushadi pharmacies at operated weekly. relief to locals as the inflow of at the shrine. largest in the state, and the Church of Christ in it is likely that the patients subsidised rate using a previ- tourists, although minimal in Describing the move to shut Bhubaneswar on Wednesday decided to put all activities on include those having symp- ous prescription from the hos- recent days was a cause of down the temple as "unprece- hold in view of the coronavirus outbreak. The Odia Baptist toms of the virus. pital. Further, all patients who worry to them. Sah appealed dented", Dasmohapatra said Church (CNI) in Berhampur and Baptist churches in Khurda "There is, therefore, a real need only an elective non- to all hotels to help imple- this was perhaps the first time and Jatni also took similar decisions. Major churches in the risk of those visiting urgent surgical procedure are ment the decision. in a very long time that entry of state generally witness an average turnout of around 500 JIPMERcatching the infec- advised to delay the visit till the visitors to the shrine has been people during Sunday mass, sources said. Lal Mohan Roul, tion," the circular said. Central government lifts completely prohibited. president of Odia Baptist Church in Cuttack said, "We can It said patients with minor restrictions. As part of the precautionary understand the seriousness of the situation and extend our full cooperation to the administration." Church ailments seeking medical Only patients with critical measures, the district adminis- of Christ secretary Paresh Das said social distancing is the key to prevent the spread of coronavirus. advice are discouraged from ailments needing tertiary care tration has also advised tourists "During church worship, hundreds of people assemble to pray. In such a situation, it is difficult to ensure visiting the hospital in view of facilities should come as to vacate hotels in the seaside social distancing. "The Church Board, in consultation with other stakeholders, decided to suspend all disproportionately high risk of patients should understand activities till March 31 after which the decision will be reviewed," he said. There are 8.97 lakh Christians in town within two days Odisha, comprising around 2.44 per cent of the state's population as per the 2011 Census. So far, one exposure to infection, includ- the risk of exposure to a large and refrain from visiting Puri for positive case of COVID-19 has been reported in the state. ing CVID-19, in the crowded hospital like JIPMER, the cir- Rlys suspends now. hospital. Specifically, elderly cular said. concessional tickets except for patients CM tells officials NEW DELHI: The Indian India’s not staring at Railways decided on Thursday GREAT SHUTDOWN not to cause... to suspend all concessional tickets except for patients, Continued from Page 1 Continued from Page 1 students and those in the community spread, Divyangjan category from the Asking people to sacrifice The village and ward secre- midnight of March 20 till "some weeks of yours, some KCR extends TS shutdown... tariat system is very handy at further notice to discourage says ICMR time of yours", Modi said given Continued from Page 1 tries that had adopted strin- sures to contain the spread of this hour, he said. So far, only unnecessary travel in view of that coronavirus has no cure yet, gent measures, like Vietnam, virus in Telangana," KCR two persons tested positive for the coronavirus outbreak. The n PNS NEW DELHI media here. Dr Lokesh, who is the only way to stay safe is to stay He stated that all religious could successfully contain remarked. the virus. national transporter said the Public Relations Officer at indoors. places in the state such as the virus despite being locat- The Chief Minister made Blood samples of over 185 move was to prevent the Amid the coronavirus scare in the Centre's apex medical "I request all people in coun- temples, masjids, churches, ed close to China, while it clear that there will be no students who returned to the vulnerable category of senior the country, the Indian research body said. "The sam- try to get out of house only when gurudwaras etc will also countries like Italy and Iran, closure of shopping malls State here from Philippines citizens from undertaking Council of Medical Research ples of patients admitted in it is extremely necessary, try and remain closed for devotees. which had been relatively and super markets to ensure were tested. unnecessary travels. (ICMR) on Thursday asserted hospitals are collected ran- do all work from home," he said. The heads of all religious liberal in imposing restric- adequate supplies and avail- Officials have been asked to "Concessional booking of all that there is "no proof" what- domly by our officials. Here PM said keeping in mind the institutions had assured the tions, remained the worst ability of essential commodi- infuse confidence and not fear. tickets except for patients, soever of its possible spread random suggests individuals challenges posed by the out- government that they would affected. "Taking this expe- ties to people and to check The conduct of officials while students and the Divyangjan across communities in India. admitted in hospitals with break, the Govt has set up not allow devotees till the sit- rience into consideration, 'black marketing' by vested implementing remedial mea- category for the unreserved "Till date, 826 samples of other diseases, but showing COVID-19 Economic Risk Task uation improves, he added we have decided to adopt interests under the guise of sures should not cause fear psy- and reserved segments is being people suffering from severe some symptoms of respirato- Force & The task force will KCR observed that coun- tough and preventive mea- shutdown. chosis among patients, he said. suspended form 00:00 hrs of acute respiratory infections ry problems. There is a desig- remain in regular touch with all Deputy CM and medical and 20th March till further and influenza-like illnesses nated criteria under which stakeholders, take their feedback health minister Alla Naani, chief advisory," an order from the have been tested at the sites. the samples are collected. Such and make decisions according- He asked people to postpone PM said that in the time of hospitals is also increasing con- secretary Neelam Sahney, spe- railways said. Of the 53 No sample was found posi- samples were collected for ly. PM appealed businesses & elective surgeries by a month, crisis, everu\yone have to keep tinuously. He urged to avoid cial chief secretary Jawahar categories of concessions, only tive," ICMR Director General over a week and tested high income sections to be sen- avoid routine check-ups to ease in mind that on our essential going to the hospital for routine Reddy and others attended the 15 could be availed now, it Dr Balram Bhargava told negative." sitive to those affected. pressure on health services.. services, the pressure on our check-ups. review meeting. added. no foreign flights and spl trains, Work from home for govt staff

PNS n NEW DELHI Chhattisgarh and Chandigarh riage palaces, hotels, people are not allowed private sector employees, it added. "States are being reporting their first COVID-19 restaurants, banquets across the national capi- except for those working in requested to enforce work for CHINA REPORTS ZERO NEW India reported its fourth coro- patients on early Thursday. and dining places, tal to contain the spread emergency and essential ser- home for private sector navirus death on Thursday as As the virus continued to except home deliv- of the novel coronavirus vices. "State governments shall employees except those work- CASES FOR FIRST TIME the total number of cases of spread its tentacles across India, ery services and disease, he said. issue appropriate directions so ing in emergency/essential ser- COVID-19 rose to 173 while several parts, including takeaways in the As part of its that all citizens above 65 (other vices," the statement added. PNS n BEIJING having died abroad than in most of the states and UT's Kashmir valley headed towards entire efforts to detect than for medical assistance) While the Indian Railways China. There were no new imposed restrictions, inching a virtual lockdown with the state. and prevent the except for public representa- decided to suspend all conces- China on Thursday marked a cases in Wuhan -- the central towards partial shutdown and administration restricting The spread of coron- tives or government servants or sional tickets except for major milestone in its battle city where the virus first India banning landing of all movement of people in sever- Kejriwal avirus, which has medical professionals are patients, students and those in against the coronavirus pan- emerged in December -- for international commercial pas- al parts and banning all public govern- claimed over 9,000 advised to remain at home," the the Divyangjan category from demic as it recorded zero the first time since authorities senger flights from March 22 transport in Srinagar city. ment in lives globally and infect- government statement noted. the midnight of March 20 till domestic infections for the started publishing figures in for a week. Punjab and the national cap- Delhi also ed more than two lakh, "No scheduled international further notice to discourage first time since the outbreak January, according to the The Union health ministry ital also inched towards virtu- announced the government banned commercial passenger aircraft unnecessary travel, IndiGo emerged, but a spike in import- National Health Commission. said the fourth person to die in al shutdown. While the Punjab shutting down all international commer- shall be allowed to land in India announced pay cuts for senior ed cases threatened its Wuhan and its 11 million Punjab after getting coron- government announced sus- of restaurants but cial passenger aircraft from from March 22, 2020 for one employees, including of its progress. people were placed under strict avirus was an elderly and had pension of public transport said that takeaway landing in the country from week," the government state- CEO who would take the high- The stark reversal comes as quarantine on January 23, with co-morbid conditions like dia- services from Friday midnight and home delivery ser- March 22 to March 29. ment said. est cut of 25 per cent amid the nations across the world have more than 40 million other betes, cardiac ailments. and restricting public gather- vices will continue. Moreover, the Central govern- "Similarly, all children below novel coronavirus pandemic shut down in a desperate effort people in the rest of Hubei There were more than 20 ings to less than 20 besides Social, cultural and political ment has requested states to 10 should be advised to stay at that has hit the aviation indus- to contain the pandemic, with province entering lockdown fresh cases in last 24 hours with deciding to close down mar- gatherings with more than 20 enforce work for home for home and not to venture out," try hard. more people now infected and in the following days. VIJAYAWADA | FRIDAY | MARCH 20, 2020 nation 05

SHORT READS TN CM christens Coronavirus puts Mumbai's sanitary staff as ‘cleanliness workers' resilience to test PNS n CHENNAI PNS n MUMBAI Tamil Nadu Chief Minister K Palaniswami on Thursday With 15 persons in the city announced in the Assembly testing positive for coron- that 64,583 sanitary person- Bombay HC to avirus and one dead in the nel employed by urban and function on only two pandemic, Mumbai's resilient rural civic bodies in the State spirit is again being tested by will from now on be called days next week the viraloutbreak that has 'cleanliness workers' to hon- Mumbai: The Bombay High killed thousands across the our their work.Making a Security beefed up Court will function on only two world. statement, Palaniswami days next week and hear only A city that never sleeps or hailed the role played by urgent matters in view of the gets bogged down by calami- them in maintaining public at Cong, BJP coronavirus epidemic, it said ties, Mumbai has braved ser- health and said the govern- on Thursday. The high court's ial bomb blasts, terror attacks ment has already been principal bench in Mumbai and and torrential rains. implementing several wel- headquarters in MP regional benches at But Mumbaikars have time fare measures like building Aurangabad, Nagpur and Goa and again dusted themselves residential tenements for PNS n BHOPAL shall take up urgent matters for off and gotten back on their their benefit. Following the hearing on March 23 and 26 feet to face any challenge. Periodic health check-ups, Security was beefed up at the protest, the BJP (Monday and Thursday). A However, coronavirus, special employment camps state headquarters of the BJP claimed that circular issued by Registrar which has brought the world and skill develop- and Congress on Thursday General S B Agarwal further to a partial lockdown, has put ment for the amid ongoing political tension Congress workers said that the registry the city's famed spirit to test children of in Madhya Pradesh. had vandalised its department of the court shall again. health On Wednesday Congress call only minimal staff for work office and The city's public transport An almost empty Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus station. workers workers staged a protest out- during the next week. The court system, which is its lifeline, were also side the BJP headquarters at attacked some has been working for only two wears a near deserted look reduce further. being car- Deendayal Parisar after their members with hours daily this week and today. Spread over 390 km, The pandemic has also ried out, he senior leader Digvijaya Singh lathis, while the hearing only urgent matters. the suburban railway operates The Mumbai Suburban Railway is one forced the places of worship said. was barred from meeting his 2,342 train services and fer- of the busiest commuter rail systems in the city to shut their doors. "To honour the work of party's rebel MLAs, who are ruling party refuted ries over 80 lakh commuters in the world and the BrihanMumbai Siddhivinayak Temple has these personnel and in defer- staying at a resort in the charge every day. closed, while Mahim Church ence to their long-time Bengaluru. The Mumbai Suburban Electric Supply Transport (BEST), with has suspended mass gather- demand, all sanitary workers "We have increased the Railway is one of the busiest over 3,500 fleet of buses, keeps the ings and has taken its week- will from now be called as police deployment outside trict president Vikas Virani, a commuter rail systems in the ly novena prayers online. cleanliness workers (Thooimai offices of the BJP and police officer said. world and the BrihanMumbai city on its toes Although the masjids paniyalargal in Tamil)," the Congress. An additional force The accused were charged Electric Supply Transport haven't stopped their manda- chief minister said. of 200 police personnel each for rioting and other relevant (BEST), with over 3,500 fleet The viral outbreak has hit Mumbai's Tata Memorial tory five-time namaz, the As many as 64,583 sanitary has been deployed outside sections of the Indian Penal of buses, keeps the city on its the average Mumbaikar who Hospital for treatment and number of people attending workers are employed with both the offices," Bhopal's Code, he added. 16 Indians who tested toes. relies on the public transport this will also affect them, he the prayers has reduced, with 15 corporations, 121 munic- deputy inspector general of High drama unfolded on When there were reports system to reach his work- said. many opting to pray at home. ipalities, 528 town panchay- police Irshad Bali told PTI. Wednesday morning when Covid-19 positive on that the public transport may place. "Daily wagers use pub- Chief Minister Uddhav "People have been asked to ats and 12,525 village pan- Following the protest, the Digvijaya Singh staged a protest ship return home be brought to a halt, many lic transport and even food is Thackeray's appeal to avoid wash their hands and feet chayats, he said. BJP claimed that Congress near the resort in Bengaluru Mumbaikars panicked. supplied via suburban trains. non-essential travel has from home instead of doing The Chief Minister, while workers had vandalised its where rebel Congress MLAs New Delhi: Sixteen Indian "Coronavirus is not the If the public transport is worked, with suburban rail- it at masjids, where even making announcements on office and attacked some are staying, accusing the police nationals, who were among those only emergency, and it is stopped, what happens to way seeing a drastic reduction hand sanitisers are made the energy department, said members with lathis, while the of not allowing him to meet the who tested positive for certainly not the only illness patients who have to travel for in the number of passengers available, said Ezaz Ahmed. a scheme to install smart ruling party refuted the charge. legislators. The senior coronavirus on board a cruise people can suffer from. A medical treatments," said Vijay, since March 18. The biggest gathering dur- meters for 42 lakh electrici- The police on Wednesday Congress leader, who was ship docked off Japan, were common man has to face so who works for a logistics firm With government offices ing Friday prayers is seen at ty consumers here to com- registered a case against eight detained by the police, accused discharged after receiving many other problems every in suburban Vile Parle. planning to work with 50 per Minara Masjid at Bhendi pute their power consump- identified and 50 unidentified the BJP of holding the MLAs treatment at onshore medical day," said Sanjana, who works Cancer patients from cent staff, authorities feel that Bazaar and Jama Masjid at tion will be implemented at Congress workers based on a "captive" and threatened to go facilities in that country and as a domestic help. across the country travel to the suburban traffic will Crawford Market, he added. an outlay of Rs 4,300 crore. complaint lodged by BJP dis- on a "hunger strike". subsequently returned to India, the government informed the Rajya Sabha on Thursday. In a written reply to a question in the Rajya Sabha, Minister of State for SpiceJet to suspend External Affairs V Muraleedharan said a total of 138 Indians, including 132 crew members, Tihar gets ready to execute Nirbhaya case convicts n were on-board the Diamond most international flights PNS NEW DELHI A senior prison official said Pawan Jallad, Princess Cruise ship. Of these, n 119 Indian nationals were PNS NEW DELHI Seven years after the execution a hangman from Meerut, reported to the brought back to India on a special The spokesperson, of Afzal Guru, Tihar Jail on Tihar Jail administration on Tuesday Air India flight on February 27, SpiceJet has announced that it however, said the Thursday prepared the ground evening to prepare for the exercise 2020. Upon their return, they was "forced" to suspend major- airline's Kolkata- to hang the four men convict- were quarantined at an Indian ity of its international flight ed in the Nirbhaya gangrape- Army facility at Manesar, operations from Saturday till Dhaka flight would murder case after several given to the prisoner who is to lows-enclosure, a cotton cap Haryana, he said. "16 Indian the end of the next month due continue to dummy runs and officials be executed. with flap will be put on the nationals had tested positive for to the "unprecedented situa- brushing up on details speci- Two spare ropes for each prisoner's face so he can't see the novel coronavirus. They were tion" arising over the novel operate as per fied in the jail manual. prisoner sentenced to death are the gallows, according to jail treated in on shore medical coronavirus pandemic. schedule Mukesh Singh (32), Pawan kept in reserve. After testing, rules. facilities in Japan. All of them Major airlines across the Gupta (25), Vinay Sharma (26) the rope and other equipment The wardens will hold the have been discharged after world have been curtailing and Akshay Kumar Singh (31) will be locked and sealed in a prisoners and withdraw follow- completion of their treatment and their flight operations drasti- till 30th April, 2020," a SpiceJet are scheduled to be hanged on steel box and kept in charge of ing a signal from the superin- as per available information have cally as the aviation industry spokesperson stated on Friday at 5.30 am for the sav- deputy superintendent, it tendent. After that, the hang- returned to India," he said. has been hit hard after many Thursday. "We will resume the age gangrape and murder of a and also inspect the gallows a A guard of not less than 10 states. man draws the bolt, the man- countries, including India, suspended flights as soon as 23-year-old physiotherapy day before the execution. constables, warders and two If the prisoner wants, a priest ual states. have partially sealed their bor- the situation normalises." intern on the night of This will be followed by a head constables, head warders of his faith may be allowed. The body of the executed No search committee ders amid the outbreak of the The spokesperson, howev- December 16, 2012. dummy execution -- a dummy or an equal number from the On the morning of the exe- prisoner is disposed of accord- deadly COVID-19 (coron- er, said the This is the first time that four or a bag of sand weighing 1.5 prison armed guard, will also cution, the prisoner will be ing to the requirements of the member appointed as avirus disease 2019). airline's men will be hanged together in times the weight of the prison- be present, it states. visited by senior officials, religion to which the executed CVC: Govt "In view of the unprece- Kolkata- Tihar Jail, South Asia's largest er will be hanged and dropped The families of the prison- including the superintendent, prisoner belonged. It will be dented situation aris- Dhaka flight prison complex that houses between 1.830 and 2.440 er will not be allowed to wit- the district magistrate/addi- handed over the family follow- New Delhi: No member of would contin- more than 16,000 inmates. metres to test the rope. ness the executions. All other tional district magistrate and ing a post-mortem. the search committee ue to operate as per A senior prison official said The execution, specifies the prisoners will be kept locked the medical officer, in his An ambulance shall be used constituted by the schedule. Pawan Jallad, a hangman from Delhi Prison Rules 2018, will till the exercise is over and the cell. for the transportation of the government has been "Our Chennai-Colombo Meerut, reported to the Tihar take place in the presence of bodies removed from the Any documents, including body to the cremation or bur- appointed as the Central flight will restart from the Jail administration on Tuesday the superintendent, deputy prison. the will of the prisoner can be ial ground. Vigilance ing due to 25th March, 2020, while our evening to prepare for the superintendent, medical offi- The manual specifies that a signed and attested in the pres- On March 5, a trial court Commissioner (CVC), COVID-19, SpiceJet is Delhi-Dubai and Mumbai- exercise. cer in charge, resident medical medical officer prepares a ence of the superintendent here issued fresh warrants for the Rajya Sabha was informed on Thursday. "No," said Minister forced to temporarily suspend Dubai flights will resume According to the jail manu- officer and the district magis- report four days ahead of the and the district magistrate or March 20 at 5.30 am. of State for Personnel Jitendra majority of its international from 16th April, 2020," the al, the jail superintendent will trate or additional district date of execution, mentioning additional district magistrate. Their executions were Singh, in a written reply when operations from 21st March official added. oversee the testing of the ropes magistrate. the length of the drop to be Just before entering the gal- deferred thrice earlier. asked if an officer from the search committee, constituted for the appointment procedure of the CVC, itself has been 3 Maha labs testing samples from other states too Police to take action appointed against the said post. The applications for the post of n Central Vigilance PNS MUMBAI/PUNE referral labo- reports are considered valid carry out tests as per the Commissioner are invited ratory, even in other countries," he requirement, and samples can against quarantine violation openly, the minister said. Three laboratories in which gets said. come from any corner of the n "However, in case where a Maharashtra, which are cur- samples Apart from the NIV, one country," he said. PNS MUMBAI member of the Search rently burdened with the task even from lab is currently being operat- "Several samples of Indians Committee had applied for the of testing samples of suspect- SAARC ed at the Indira Gandhi stranded in Iran were flown Maharashtra Home Minister post of Central Vigilance ed novel coronavirus patients, countries for Government Medical College back to India and taken to the Anil Deshmukh said on Commissioner, the Search are analysing samples not only confirmation and Hospital (IGGMCH) in NIV for confirmation. Once Thursday that police have been Committee had been from the state, but also from of various types of Nagpur and the other one at the reports were out, medica- asked to take action against reconstituted, by including the neighbouring regions. infections, including coron- Kasturba Hospital in Mumbai. tion was administered to those who violate the manda- another member in lieu, with Of these three facilities, the avirus, a senior official said on "All these labs are meant not them," he said, adding that Suresh (Bhaiyyaji) Joshi tory quarantine amid the coro- due approval of the competent Pune-based National Institute Thursday. only to cater to particular geo- samples from Maldives were navirus outbreak in the state. authority," said Singh. of Virology (NIV) is a global "Global referral means its graphies. They are supposed to also tested. Instances of persons, many RSS performs of them with recent travel- history to a foreign country, puja for ignoring the advice of home isolation have come to light Farooq seeks restoration of 4G internet services in J-K mankind's in the last few days. "There have been complaints of peo- PNS n SRINAGAR The people are being advised to work/study from coronavirus in the valley. health ple who are under mandato- ous threat to the health of home, but this is impossible with 2G internet speed Internet services were sus- ry quarantine period violat- other people," he added. National Conference (NC) pended in Jammu and PNS n BENGALURU ing the norms and going out Earlier, Chief Minister president and Member of and limited fixed line internet penetration. I would, Kashmir on August 5 last in public. I have asked the Uddhav Thackeray and Health Parliament from Srinagar therefore, request you to restore 4G internet services in Jammu year, hours before the Centre RSS Sarakaryavah (General police to initiate action Minister Rajesh Tope had stat- Farooq Abdullah wrote to and Kashmir at the earliest to ease the suffering of the people announced the abrogation of Secretary) Suresh against them under the ed that the government does Prime Minister Narendra — FAROOQ ABDULLAH, Member of Parliament Article 370. (Bhaiyyaji) Joshi on Epidemic Diseases Act, not wish to initiate punitive Modi on Thursday seeking While the 2G services on Thursday attended a special 1897," the minister said. action against anyone, but trav- immediate restoration of postpaid mobile phones and 'puja' praying for health and "There have been instances elers returning from abroad high-speed 4G internet ser- Broadband and lease-line prosperity of the mankind of people running away from should abide by quarantine vices in Jammu and Kashmir. the shutdown after August 5, 4G internet services in services were restored in the wake of the coron- the quarantine facility or not norms on their own. Most of "As you are aware, the first 2019 and are again suffering Jammu and Kashmir at the months later, the 4G services avirus outbreak. staying at home even after the confirmed Covid-19 case of coronavirus was because of these restric- earliest to ease the suffering continued to remain sus- "He attended 'Gharma being asked by the health patients in Maharashtra have detected in Kashmir yesterday tions. of the people," he said in the pended. Prayaschitta Homa' and department officials," he returned from a foreign coun- which has resulted in author- "The people are being letter. The government in a recent 'Dhanwantari Homa' pray- said. try. ities locking down large parts advised to work/study from The chorus for restoration order said the low speed ing for health and prosper- "The people returning from Those who have traveled of the valley," Abdullah, who home, but this is impossible of high-speed 4G internet internet will continue in the ity of global mankind in the foreign tours are put under abroad recently should stay in was last week released from a with 2G internet speed and services on mobile phones in Union Territory till March 26 context of COVID-2019, at mandatory quarantine as a home isolation for at least 14 seven-month-long detention, The NC president said limited fixed line internet Jammu and Kashmir has "in the interests of sover- 'Veda Vijnan Gurukula', precaution. But there have days even if they do not have said in a letter to the prime businesses and students have penetration. I would, there- grown in the wake of the eignty and integrity" of the Channenahalli here," an RSS been reports of people flouting any symptoms of the disease, minister. already been hit hard by fore, request you to restore detection of the first case of country. functionary said. quarantine which poses a seri- the government has said. VIJAYAWADA | FRIDAY | MARCH 20, 2020

www.dailypioneer.com 06 facebook.com/dailypioneer | @TheDailyPioneer | instagram.com/dailypioneer/ op nion PAPER WITH PASSION PM’s feasible protocol Microdots of codified lockdowns would work well in both confining and choking the virus rather than a national emergency Scourge of Indian politics rime Minister Narendra Modi’s call for a self- imposed janta or people’s curfew, rather a Pself-willed resolve to confine themselves to With State after State facing rebellion with elected representatives switching loyalties, it’s their houses between 7 am and 9 pm this Sunday, is perhaps a test run for stricter lockdowns in a time we amend the archaic anti-defection law and strengthen the role of the Governor rapidly changing Coronavirus scenario. Calling out to people to discipline themselves in a war-like sit- uation and not get into panic mode, the PM’s nation- al address was not just reassuring but preparato- ry to the way India would evolve its own battle against the virus threat. He geared us up for it. And at a time when global corporations are arresting slipping bottomlines with salary and job cuts, the PM’s call to set up an economic task force to alleviate woes was a much-needed balm against anxieties of our throb- VK BAHUGUNA bing workforce. While the speech may have sounded altruistic, the fact is the Modi olitics is the art of governance Government has a response plan in place and is priming and scaling us up to it should where the responsibility to improve the need arise. For the outbreak in India is likely to mutate into an India-specific vari- Pthe living conditions of the people ant, one which frankly we have to combat given our resources and contexts. Ever rests with the ruling party. But in reali- ty, Indian politics has to do more with the since COVID-19 cases have started going up in India, there is a possibility of a real accumulation of power at institutions to explosion of the infection given our porosity at many levels. The low ratio of testing govern them. Here, both the ruling as well means low data that is still not representative enough until we have more testing kits as Opposition parties jostle to derive authority that comes along with power- and centres that are broad-based. There are potential hotspots where a focussed ful positions. Of late, politics in the coun- vigilance, containment and lockdown protocol is needed. Our population density and try is completely centred around politi- cheek-by-jowl neighbourhoods mean cluster spores could multiply almost overnight cians and their cronies enjoying the fruits of powers by hook or crook. and there is a real possibility of the infection just lying beneath the surface and eat- In State after State, our legislators, ing into communities. Then there is the very Indian tendency to hide the truth of afflic- faced with a quirky situation, have tion to escape quarantine and stigma, like 100 suspected carriers fleeing a facility in become a laughing stock as they contin- ue switching party loyalty for money and Ludhiana. Although the Government says we have not entered Stage III, the fact is higher positions, including the most we have tested the lowest samples globally, about 6,000 to 7,000. Compare this sought-after job of a Minister. Political with South Korea, which has a lesser population than Tamil Nadu but has tested 250,000. defections in our country have reached alarming proportions, making a mock- Now the Government has rationalised its existing testing infrastructure to broaden ery of democracy itself. Our leaders have the ambit of samples to all kinds of pneumonic diseases. Some experts say that we thrown all sense of “decency” and may be dealing with a hydra-headed monster and there may come a time when sourc- “Constitutional values” into the dustbin. Governors, continue to exploit moniously, independently and The anti-defection law should be All they are concerned about is self-inter- every loophole in it. with a deep commitment to scrapped in its present form or ing its kill point would become a massive challenge. They maintain that some over- est. The rule book of our Constitution is, As of now, the anti-defec- upholding the larger public should be amended and made reaction is good in terms of ensuring preventing protocols and that along with improved perhaps, the worst victim amid the tion vests more powers with the interest. The ruling Government straight. The cardinal principle testing infrastructure, which would still take about a week to operationalise, we should ongoing political chicanery. Speaker. It is he who takes the must initiate debate and discus- of majority support should be consider territorial and localised lockdowns. Which means that barring essential ser- Things were set right with the final call on the resignations of sion on how to promote value- the only criterion to determine Bommai case, where the Supreme Court the dissident MLAs. His decision based politics in the country. support. vices of food, rations and hospitals and limited mobility permits for emergencies, put an end to the arbitrary dismissal of is subject to judicial review but People are now fed up with divi- Only the Governor should citizens are to be house-bound. Various models have worked in their given contexts State Governments by a hostile Central judicial reviews of the enforce- sive politics based on caste, be given the power to compul- and we need to develop one that works for us. For example, there is the aggressive Government. But power games between ment of the anti-defection law creed and religion. By now it is sorily order floor test in the the BJP and the Congress continued. are a developing arena. clear that the anti-defection law Assembly, that, too, within a spe- Wuhan model of forced isolation, there is London’s self-imposed exile, Taiwan and More recently, Uttarakhand, Arunachal According to the law, the lacks the strength to tackle cor- cific time. Third, the divisive pol- Singapore’s method of aggressive testing, contact tracing and social distancing. While Pradesh, Karnataka and now Madhya Speaker has to act on merit and ruption. This is why we need to itics played by regional satraps India has several templates to adapt from, it has to adopt a reasonable and executable Pradesh have exposed the erring knots be impartial. But there have been review the functioning of our is a threat to political stability. of our polity. The Kamal Nath many examples where it has THE Constitutional objectives. As a Regional parties must lose their plan. But it has to be by order to impress upon the citizenry the seriousness of com- Government is now facing a survival cri- been seen that presiding officers ANTI-DEFECTION first step, the Constitution must recognition for violating certain pliance and the importance of a drill. Which is why the PM’s call against hoarding sis as some of its MLAs, those belonging have not acted as impartial be amended. The scope to define identified norms of governance. of essentials and desisting from crowding hospitals unnecessarily made sense. We to the Congress and others from alliance umpires. It is also expected of the LAW SHOULD BE corruption (beyond monetary Fourth, a check on arbitrariness partners, have rebelled against the State Governor to play a non-partisan aspect) must be widened. is a must while doling out post- have shut all international flights for a week. Already worst-hit local administrations leadership. The Congress has accused the role but here, too, s/he has been SCRAPPED IN ITS Misuse of Government funds retirement jobs to the bureaucra- have been proactive to self-censor and contain the spread. Apart from the usual clo- BJP of trying to bribe its MLAs to switch found to be sympathetic to the PRESENT FORM must be strictly prohibited and cy. There’s also the need to sure of public spaces, malls and institutions and social distancing protocols by most- sides. Our courts, the Supreme Court as ruling party. included as an offence. Second, enlarge the kitty of choosing well as various High Courts, and some- It’s quite clear that the Kamal OR SHOULD BE no one should be allowed to experts beyond a coterie as ly urban communities, each city is evolving a response plan particular to its context. times even the Speaker and Governors Nath Government in Madhya AMENDED. THE make his/her own interpreta- there are several qualified peo- Noida, one of the techie hotspots, is under Section 144 till March 31. Pune is initi- gleefully enjoy watching political parties Pradesh has been reduced to a tions on Constitutional provi- ple available in all fields. ating a rotational protocol of varied office times to avoid congestion and limiting office squabbling with each other. If such inci- minority after 22 of its MLAs CARDINAL sions and rules. Bureaucrats are The Modi Government, too, dents become routine, the apex court will resigned from the Assembly. It’s PRINCIPLE OF past masters in this and, thus, is faltering in bringing swift numbers to host not more than five employees at a time. Mumbai has already rolled have to spend a chunk of its time in set- true that horse-trading has misguide the politicians in reforms. It is following the pol- out a graded traffic plan, closing some roads on alternate days to control crowds. tling such mundane matters. It may get become an intricate part of pol- MAJORITY power. This is why we need to icy of nepotism and crony cap- Perhaps, these microdots of lockdowns would work well in both confining and distracted from performing its funda- itics because of a downward slide SUPPORT SHOULD take a re-look at the anti-defec- italism, which led to the previ- mental duty to dispense justice to the peo- in ethics. The hallmark of Indian tion law. ous UPA Government facing choking the virus rather than a national lockdown. The latter is a double-edged sword ple. democracy is such that it calls BE THE ONLY There have been many com- embarrassment from their for a nation where there is a lot of indiscipline and fear about acceptance of the real- But the question is, why do our leg- the party/leader, who secures a CRITERION TO missions and panels, including appointees quite often. ity of the disease as a tameable crisis rather than a Doomsday nightmare. It could islators switch loyalties? Even after three majority, to form the the Dinesh Goswami Networking around the powers decades and more, politicians have time Government. But once the sup- DETERMINE Committee on Electoral that be and hitting a connection lead to a panic economy. Yet without a national directive, there’s no sense of crisis and again violated the spirit of the 1985 port diminishes, the best course Reforms and the Constitution in the Delhi coterie are the only but a misplaced bravado. The PM’s national address was, therefore, much-needed. anti-defection law. This law, referring to for the falling Government is to SUPPORT Review Commission, which criteria today. The fact remains A virus-hit economy is already flying off the rails, the worst-hit being the unorgan- the Aaya Ram, Gaya Ram culture, was tender resignation in a dignified have stressed the need to do that unless our national charac- ised sector and daily wage earners, who may have to disproportionately bear loss- introduced as a bold move to deter the manner and allow the democra- away with the Tenth Schedule ter improves, no reforms will defection of lawmakers, who are lured by tic process to take over. But this provision regarding exemption help. However, eternal hope is es. The cascading impact is beyond guessable. India is caught between the devil the promise of office, cash or other con- rarely happens as our politicians from disqualification in case of the cause of sustaining the and the deep sea — a virus on one side and extreme poverty on the other. siderations. Since then, the law has been are hell-bent on the democracy a split. Some have even recom- Indian civilisation as we have the amended several times to suit the poli- turning into a mobocracy. mended that the President and wherewithal to overcome such tics of the day, yet horse-trading remains Democracy can survive the Governor should decide on hiccups in nation-building. the norm. Our leaders as also other office only when the executive, legis- disqualification in coordination (The writer is a retired civil Metal bird flu bearers, like the Speaker and the lature and judiciary work har- with the Election Commission. servant) The aviation industry will take years to recover from the Chinese contagion S O U N D BITE he news has been coming thick and fast and My presence in Parliament I have no shame in saying The US cannot proceed from After WHO Director General's one should have expected it. After civilian air will be an opportunity to that after Kai Po Che I did not ideological prejudice, use its own statement yesterday, there project the views of the get chances. Some people standards and likes and dislikes to should be no hesitation in Ttraffic in China collapsed by 80 per cent when judiciary before the legislature didn’t understand what to give judge the media of other nations, ordering an immediate the country went into lockdown, it was inevitable and vice versa. They (Opposition) me, others went out of the let alone suppress the Chinese lockdown of all our towns that air travel across the world would suffer as well. will welcome me very soon. way to not give me work. media unreasonably. and cities for 2-4 weeks. With nations imposing lockdowns and travel restric- Former CJI Actor Chinese official Congress leader tions for foreigners, international air travel has effec- —Ranjan Gogoi —Amit Sadh —Geng Shuang —P Chidambaram tively been cancelled. Other than a few flights here and there, mainly evacuation ones for citizens of various nations and planes carrying cargo, every- L E T T E R S T O TH E EDITOR thing else has come to a standstill. Every major Fight the rumour mill including the pangolins, acknowledging them to have Indian airline has suspended international travel, Can tourism industry get a breather? biological, scientific and social other than very limited ones to neighbouring capitals like Dhaka and Kathmandu. Oddly Sir — In times when the very hile the tourism industry appreciates the steps values. In 2007, the sale of pan- enough, the US, one of the few countries from where unrestricted flights are still oper- existence of humanity is under taken by the Government, including the suspen- golin products outside certified ating even as New York City has become a major outbreak hotspot, is still operating threat due to the spread of sion of visas and imposing travel restrictions for hospitals and clinics was out- Coronavirus, rumour-monger- foreignW tourists, to control the spread of Coronavirus, lawed but none of these helped. 28 non-stop flights every week into Delhi and Mumbai. ing seems to be a bigger problem the fact remains that the entire sector is reeling from As of January 2019, nine tonnes That said, the devastation among airlines has been massive and the fear of the than the virus itself. Various the impacts of the spread of this pandemic. With trav- of pangolins were seized in a sin- virus catching at crowded airports has seen passenger confidence collapsing. Airlines conspiracy theories are doing the el likely to slump by a quarter this year, the epidemic gle shipment in Hong Kong. across the world are not just cancelling flights but also grounding aircraft. Delta Airlines, rounds. This has made it difficult has already put millions of jobs at risk. The Indian The next 33 tonnes of pangolin for people to separate facts from Association of Tour Operators (IATO), an apex tourism meat were seized in Malaysia and one of America’s “Big 3” global airlines, has said that it will be grounding 600 air- fiction. Even those users, who do industry association, has estimated that the losses Singapore in April 2019. craft. Ryanair, Europe’s largest low-cost airline, has said that from March 28, almost not have any intention to spread amount to `15,000 crore in foreign exchange and many It is a matter of grave concern all of its 232 aircraft will be grounded. It was only inevitable that the contagion would false information, are unknow- job losses because of a slump in tourist arrivals in March that China has wildlife trading ingly pushing vital information and April. With declining revenues, almost all tourism bans on the books for three spread into India as well, one of lower air traffic. Passenger demand has collapsed that is frequently untrue. Several businesses are running out of working capital. It’s high services till the time recovery happens. Further, funds decades now but even these have with 20 per cent fewer bookings on India’s largest airline, IndiGo. That is not count- racist and insensitive jokes, too, time that the Government intervenes to mitigate the from the MGNREGA scheme must be provided to sup- not prevented pangolins from ing the countless no-shows as people would rather their tickets go to waste. Even are being circulated. financial impact of the epidemic. These are times when port the salaries of employees in the industry. A mora- becoming the most trafficked though the Government has “suggested” that airlines have a generous cancellation Such unverified information we are faced with an unprecedented emergency and the torium for six to nine months must be given on all prin- mammal in the world. Besides, the not only leads to creating fear psy- Government must work out a relief plan on taxes, cipal and interest payments on loans and overdrafts. regulatory framework in China policy, it appears they will try and delay it. If the fear of the virus continues till mid- chosis among the public but mis- charges and slot allocation. Fees for any upcoming licences permit renewal must does not specify what wildlife April, several Indian carriers will be looking at bankruptcy. Even the airline that has leads patients about possible cures Among a slew of measures, the Government must be done away with. Excise must be exempted for liquor entails. Further, enforcement has the healthiest balance sheet in India, IndiGo, has announced large-scale pay cuts across to the disease. While social media exempt Goods and Service Tax (GST) on foreign and interest must be reduced or subverted on term loans been lax and there are exceptions does expose us to new ideas, it has exchange billing by tour operators for inbound tours. and working capital loans. anyway for licensed retailers for the the board. Other airlines have sent back all the expatriate pilots on their rolls and are also made us vulnerable to Further, GST benefits must be extended to the tourism Federation of Associations in Indian Tourism & sale of pangolins. The latest ban, conserving cash assets. In addition, airlines are asking the Government for all sorts manipulation. These are times Ministry at par with the IT Ministry under the export of Hospitality too, has loopholes, which will of assistance, from actual cash funds to more mundane things like removing manda- when we should exercise self- allow the trade of wildlife for med- tory flights and the slot allocation rules for the time being. Passenger confidence will restraint. Before forwarding any icines or research to flourish. In a message, we must take out time Pangolin mystery the South China Agricultural had found a Coronavirus in review of this epidemic, there has rebound, a healthy air travel sector is a strategic necessity for a country as large as to first verify it. Remember to be University in Guangzhou have smuggled pangolins, which was to be a holistic view of all factors. India and indeed for any large global economy. It is, therefore, imperative that the sceptical about every bit of infor- suggested pangolins (long-snout- a 99 per cent genetic match to the Tushar Anand Government steps in to alleviate the crisis in the sector. This is an unprecedented mation we get and make that Sir — Even as scientists are rac- ed, scaly, ant-eating mammals) as virus circulating in the people. Patna scepticism a habit. ing to identify the source of the the animal source for the spread In 2000, China had issued time for global aviation and even its Indian equivalent. Where we will head from here Yashasvi Singh Coronavirus that is causing havoc of COVID-19. detailed regulations for more Send your feedback to: depends on what the sector and the Government will do in the coming week. Lucknow around the world, researchers at The researchers said they than 1,700 protected species, [email protected] VIJAYAWADA | FRIDAY | MARCH 20, 2020

www.dailypioneer.com 07 FIRSTCOLUMN analysis We need quick POINTCOUNTERPOINT I CANNOT RESPOND TO YOU (ON CURTAILING HOUSE THE GOVERNMENT IS PREACHING SOCIAL action, not panic SESSION) ON MY BEHALF. IT IS THE DECISION OF THE DISTANCING (TO THE MASSES) BUT IT IS NOT GOVERNMENT AND THEN OF THE HOUSE. FOLLOWING IT IN PARLIAMENT. A Coronavirus vaccine has entered the stage of —RAJYA SABHA CHAIRMAN —CONGRESS MP human-volunteer trials in Seattle, US and in the UK it will happen somewhere in June VENKAIAH NAIDU ANAND SHARMA Continuous R&D must ROHIT BHAYANA The last decades have seen myriad vaccines in progress trailing off after outbreaks of OVID-19 has been clouding most minds on this planet for months now. If you still don’t know about COVID-19, you’ve probably diseases which were Coronavirus cousins, like the SARS and the MERS, fizzled out Cjust landed from Mars. The most difficult and harmful thing at a time like this is misinformation and scant information, coupled with the lack of tools to handle the disaster. I’m not talking about the con- tagion but about the level of scaremongering that is not far from the horrifying 2011 sci-fi of the same name. More than 150 countries are battling with Coronavirus today and thousands of lives have been lost. A vaccine has entered the stage of human-volunteer trials in Seattle, US and in the UK it will happen somewhere in June. No conclusive medication has so far been approved by any global authority for treat- ment, though there have been sporadic reports, including from Jaipur and Delhi, of a “cure”. The World Health Organisation (WHO) has pre- dicted a winter peak later this year with potential cases rising over the SURAVI SHARMA 500 million mark and casualties touching over 10 million by end-2020 or early 2021. So where does that bring us? We need to act now. The hen the new Coronavirus genome sequence was posted on an online data- world woke up to the Coronavirus slower than it should have. The bank in January, scientists in several Chinese, Korean, Italian and Spanish lockdowns, the German border W biotechnology laboratories around the globe saw closure, French and other European responses and those of the UK, its close similarity to the SARS (Severe Acute US, Canada and Australia, have all been delayed and partial. Respiratory Syndrome) virus and thereby sev- The Indian Government, too, has been, in all honesty, a bit slow eral teams started work on vaccine development. in reacting. We have adopted a “brake-and-go” approach. The recent Internationally, experts are of the opinion that step of involving South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation the world will “need the vaccines” to contain the (SAARC) nations to jointly handle the problem, in view of porous land- current pandemic as it is very possible that this borders like Europe, is a commendable step in the right direction. But outbreak will not just fizzle out (considering its more is needed. If the outbreak goes out of control, we could see an epidemiology and pattern) like the outbreaks of the last few decades but could return. In fact, it acute shortage of beds in Intensive Care Units (ICUs) and High could come back with a vengeance (with muta- Dependency Units (HDUs). tions and antigenic shifts and drifts). One option could be the Government temporarily bringing all ICU Large pharmaceutical companies such as HISTORICALLY, THE beds under federal control, or at least monitoring their preparedness Merck, Johnson & Johnson and Sanofi, as well PROMISE OF federally. State Governments have not been proactive on lockdowns. as comparatively lesser-known biotechnology BREAKTHROUGH We still have allowance for gatherings in many States, whether for mar- firms like Gilead, Regeneron, Inovio and Moderna, are pursuing vaccines and chemicals MEDICINES AND riage ceremonies or in some places, even otherwise. All gatherings TREATMENTS of more than five people should be banned, unless all of them live togeth- to fight the Coronavirus and the estimate is that at least 40 other biotechnology companies, small APPEARS TO REST er in the same household. Still all the States have not closed cinemas, WITH PRIVATE gyms or clamped down on public gatherings. This needs to be done and big, are on one or the other research and development (R&D) mission for a vaccine or a COMPANIES, AND fast. Restaurants need to follow the European lead of ensuring mini- drug to save the world at this time of a crisis. NOT THE mum one metre distance (preferably three metres) between customers, During the SARS pandemic, a research team at FEDERALLY- else they should be closed temporarily. Boston was able to secure investments and there- SPONSORED Work from home is still sporadically implemented and needs by work progressed to clinical trials. The team, MANUFACTURING addressing. The Government also needs to ring-fence an emergency in all likelihood, could have accomplished all the SITES. DRUG ogy and is made to a very high stan- summer. This laboratory has earlier used a sim- budget like the UK and the US to handle the crises. Both employees phase trials for vaccine development. And had COMPANIES ARE dard. The company claims it can’t cause For any vaccine to be deployed ilar approach to make over a million and employers need to be supported with additional and emergency that been done during the 2002-2003 epidem- the disease as genetic code copied from after development takes at least a year doses of a vaccine for the Ebola virus ic, we could have potentially been equipped with OFTEN SEEN TO BE the virus that causes the disease is used because of the time needed to run clin- that has yet to be licenced. The work provisions of sick pay so they can self-isolate quickly. Public infor- RELUCTANT TO mation should be more widely disseminated. Handwashing and cor- a vaccine to use in China in the initial days of and not a “real virus” extract. It is ical trials and attain regulatory permis- done against Coronavirus is in the stage the outbreak. This could have saved the world DEVELOP VACCINES named Mrna-1,273 Vaccine and is very sions. Hence in all probability there of testing multiple versions of the vac- rect alcohol gel application needs to be taught to every household and BECAUSE MORE the media has a vital role to play here. A blanket ban should, howev- from the current pandemic and its resultant fall- unlike the usual vaccines in use that are may be an approved therapeutic drug cine on mice, ferrets and Rhesus mon- outs. OFTEN THAN NOT prepared from weakened (live) or (to treat COVID-19) long before sci- keys exposed to the Coronavirus with- er, be imposed on any media/social media portal spreading misinfor- "This is the problem with the whole vaccine SUCH EPIDEMICS killed viruses. entists actually arrive at a licenced, in a research facility. mation. The public should be educated not to resort to panic reac- infrastructure, it is reactive and not enough DISSIPATE LONG Scientists working at Moderna say marketable vaccine. Historically, the promise of break- tions of hoarding food and other commodities. This will be counter- anticipatory. Oh, SARS is gone now, let’s forget BEFORE A VACCINE the vaccine has been made using a tried Several drug makers, most promi- through medicines and treatments productive and lead to more chaos. All non-essential services like the fight we were on and just move on to other CAN PASS and tested process. And at the same nently Gilead Sciences (California) — appears to rest with private companies, Outpatient Departments, elective surgeries and so on should be sus- projects”, says one of the prominent scientists THROUGH THE time experts reiterate that it will take an anti-HIV drug company and and not the federally-sponsored man- pended in all hospitals across the country for two months. This should from the biotechnology industry. many months to know if this vaccine Toyama Chemical (Japan) are testing ufacturing sites. Drug companies are The last decades have seen myriad vaccine REGULATORY LINES has served the intended purpose or not. medicines developed for other diseases often seen to be reluctant to develop be done both to avoid any unnecessary public gathering and travel AND BE APPROVED. and to free up resources to tackle the worst. All educational institu- R&D work in progress trailing off after outbreaks The main goal of this first set of tests as a possible Coronavirus treatment. vaccines because more often than not of infectious diseases which were Coronavirus AND THE FINANCIAL is to find out if the vaccine is safe. If it The most promising, broad spectrum such epidemics dissipate long before a tions should be closed for at least two months. The most vulnerable IMPLICATIONS OF — those over 70, diabetics, heart patients, those with dementia and cousins, like the SARS and the Middle East is, later studies will determine how well anti-viral drug that has come up is vaccine can pass through the regula- Respiratory Syndrome (MERS), fizzled out. SUCH R&D WORK it works. Such rapid development of a Remdesivir, the same drug that was tory lines and be approved. And the immunodeficiency — should have protocols in place and preferably Whenever a “mysterious” new illness emerges ARE TOO HIGH ON potential vaccine is unprecedented, and tried in controlling the Ebola virus out- financial implications of such R&D should be isolated for two months. A travel advisory should be issued and public alarm is at its peak, there’s a race to THE COMPANIES TO it was possible because researchers were break with poor results. work are too high on the companies to to avoid all but the most essential travel, which should be clearly defined. develop a way to prevent or treat the disease. But HANDLE, ONCE THE able to use what they already knew Gilead and health authorities in handle, once the disease and the cus- Social security measures should be stepped up. Hoarding of any essen- by the time a promising candidate is ready, it’s DISEASE AND THE about related Coronaviruses that had China are racing to test it on people in tomers dissipate quite suddenly. tial material and disinfectants should be acted against immediately to often too late and the outbreak is on the wane. CUSTOMERS caused SARS and MERS. controlled trials. This US-based Charitable donations are being ensure free availability of disinfecting material to the public at reason- The world has seen this happen with the out- Besides this advancement, there are biotechnology company had already used to support prominent pharma breaks of Zika, Ebola, SARS, MERS interspersed DISSIPATE QUITE others on the job for the benefit of shipped this drug to China to be used groups and promising projects and the able rates and on subsidised rates or free for poor households. A fed- SUDDENLY eral disaster management department with daily public updates from between epidemics of H5N1 and H7N9 avian, humanity. In a suburb south of Boston, on the patients even without FDA leading player in this is the Coalition the Prime Minister should be set up. This is the time for a daily “Jann swine and H1N1 influenza. robots are manufacturing a potential approval on requests from treating for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations ki baat,” not just a one-off address to the nation. The reasons for such incomplete work are vaccine. Another candidate vaccine — physicians. (CEPI). This is supporting Inovio and varied — the potential patient pool for clinical development work for which started Another drug Kaletra — a combi- Moderna groups for vaccine develop- There is a saying in trauma care: “The treatment of bleeding is trials dries up once an infectious outbreak sub- when SARS terrified the world in early nation of two anti-HIV drugs from ment and its co-founders are the to stop the bleeding”. The same goes with COVID-19. “The treatment sides and the pool of medical customers for a 2000s — sits in deep freeze in a repos- pharma group AbbVie is in trials. The Governments of Norway and India, the of Coronavirus is to stop it from spreading”. We are in the so-called drug also disappears as an epidemic disappears itory ready to be thawed and formu- anti-malarial drug Chloroquine is Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation and “Golden Hour” of Advanced Trauma Life Support. But it won’t last long. quite unpredictably, offering little chance to lated into thousands of vials for further another relatively safe drug with high the Wellcome trust. The window is not more than 15 days. There’s no need to panic, only recover an investment of what could be hundreds testing. Yet another is being put togeth- activity against the Coronavirus, For future disaster preparedness to act quickly, logically and responsibly. This is a war which people of millions of dollars. Currently, various R&D er at facilities in San Diego and though this needs some definitive against infectious disease outbreaks we and Governments need to fight together. Of course there will be some works have been going on in parallel. The one Houston, with projections that it could clinical trials to mark its efficacy. need funds from Governments and losses which can be minimised by right action at the right time. at the most advanced stage is at its first human be tested on people by the summer of The laboratory of Beth Israel in philanthropic organisations to support Empowerment of masses through right education and their participa- trial in Kaiser Permanente Washington Health 2020. Another laboratory in San Diego, collaboration with Janssen is working pharmaceutical groups not just in tion is the key to combat this. However the Government cannot leave Research Institute in Seattle, where four patients the Inovio, is using a new type of DNA to accelerate another vaccine. This lab- their basic research but for the late stage received jabs — the first being a 43-year-old technology to develop a potential vac- oratory is using a common cold virus developments as well. it for the masses to fight it out either. A joined-up thinking is required. mother of two. This vaccine developed at cine. It is named INO-4,800 and is to deliver a Coronavirus antigen into (The writer is a doctor by profes- (The writer is a UK-based International Healthcare Policy Expert) Moderna therapeutics uses pre-existing technol- planned to enter human trials by the cells to stimulate the immune system. sion) Birth of a new work culture As more and more people worldwide work from home, many core company policies for remote workers, telecommuting, FOREIGN EYE cybersecurity, crisis management and so on will need an overhaul

parked in garages, cleaner city air, ly to vacate plush commercial spaces. employees. While most global cor- continue to grow. tive measures could prove a hundred occasional wildlife appearances in Real estate valuations for most of porations and Government staff will The Uttar Pradesh Government times better than a cure in the long deserted streets and fishes and dol- these spaces will undergo a huge have access to substantial number of has done a commendable job by run. This is also more likely to bring phins being spotted in rivers and downgrade as anchor corporations earned leaves per year, it is the medi- announcing a certain fixed amount a sense of professionalism found oceans closer to cities. Many point exit. This will impact financial firms, um small size and micro-firms transfer for daily wage earners and lacking in many workers in the out that large technology companies banks and developers with exposure which will have to rethink their poli- labourers, who are likely to lose liveli- unorganised sector as additional EXTEND DEADLINE and global corporations, which to office properties. Long-term leas- cies. Most small firm employees hoods for some days due to tempo- answerability, including regular FOR BREXIT already have flexible work options, es are also most likely to come would lament lack of earned leaves rary shutdowns of cities and towns. health checks will foster discipline. superior cybersecurity fixes and under stress. Shift to a home work- in their respective set-ups for fear of This initiative should trigger similar Finally, many core company policies British Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s gung-ho KUMARDEEP BANERJEE streamlined work from home poli- station also means daily power con- losing jobs. moves by other State Governments like creating new work protocols for cies, will be the first ones to deliver sumption patterns will shift geogra- The situation becomes far graver but it will still leave out a huge chunk remote workers, telecommuting, Eurosceptic rhetoric once any of you would have seen large chunks of jobs home. The ques- phies within cities. Traditionally, for a country like India which has far of the urban workforce in the unor- remote access and cybersecurity suggested indifference to a cartoon doing the rounds tion is what happens to smaller during weekdays, power demand more Micro, Small and Medium ganised sector. Think of your domes- policies, remote recovery, crisis man- risk, but in response to the Mof social media which shows firms and micro-firms that do not peaks in office complex zones shift- Enterprises (MSMEs) and family tic help, cooks, delivery agents and agement, virtual private network Coronavirus he appears to a man sitting on a couch with a lap- have access to these high-end solu- ing to residential complexes at night firms employing less than ten peo- so on, who are mostly considered a management and many such will have discovered a new top and an accompanying caption tions and seek maximum efficiency and entertainment zones like malls, ple. Add to this the support staff like temporary workforce. Traditionally need an overhaul. which reads, “Oh that meeting was from (in many cases) shoestring bud- shopping complexes hotels and so on housekeeping, cleaners, drivers, they do not have earned sick leave or Pandemics don’t need passport capacity to engage with just an email!” Some of you reading gets and minuscule employee during the weekends. However, with maids, office delivery persons who medical insurance and post-retire- for entry into geographies. It may evidence and a new flexibility this now might have gotten used to strength. These firms will find it dif- a likely crumbling of traditional make up a vital part of any office. ment benefits. create a temporary shutdown of in economic policy. Such music streaming in from your neigh- ficult to manage productivity. There cubicles, power consumption pat- Most of them today would be fear- Threats like COVID-19 should borders and may give strength to pragmatism must be applied bour’s house, as you sip on your are many more likely outcomes terns will even out across the ful of reporting a fever or a season- be a wake-up call for voices opposed to a globalised world. also to the Brexit question. favourite beverage while on a video which will need fresh thinking, par- cityscape all the days of the week. al illness and in turn spread diseases employers/employees to demand However, one should remember that An extension to the call with 30 of your colleagues in ticularly in the areas of urban space This will also stem demand for bet- across communities, homes and group insurance for micro and small pandemics require multinational casuals. The new workplace is here planning, power management, ter broadband and network connec- offices. With global trends shifting to firms and seek recognition of tem- cooperation to formulate an integrat- transition period will surely and chances are it will change the human resource management and tivity, 24/7 demand for electricity and the work from home culture, a fresh porary workforce for benefits on the ed strategy for citizen safety and have to be sought. Only the way humans will ever work, that is many integrated policy issues. chic meeting joints in residential clamour for some kind of group same lines as their permanent health. This should bring nations Prime Minister’s vanity are if they stay long enough, to reboot When companies realise that neighbourhoods. insurance for the unorganised sector counterparts. Contrary to popular closer, now more than ever. against it. Those obstacles planet Earth. The global pandemic they can perform optimally with A crucial aspect of modern and mandatory earned leaves, spe- belief, this may actually bring down (The writer is Country Manager, must be set aside. has ensured a new world of cars remote workers, they are most like- office work is earned sick leave for cially for a country like India, will costs for many employers as preven- India, ITI Council) (The Guardian editorial) VIJAYAWADA | FRIDAY | MARCH 20, 2020 money 08 CAPSULE Coronavirus impact may render 3.8 cr people jobless in tourism and hospitality sector Max Real Estates, New York Life PNS n NEW DELHI become 51:49 The coronavirus impact could Air India may cut salaries by 5 pc NEW DELHI: Max Ventures render 3.8 crore people job- and Industries Ltd (MVIL) on less, which is around 70 per PNS n MUMBAI break, which has brought Thursday said group cent of the total workforce in On Tuesday, the almost its entire internation- companies Max Estates Ltd the tourism and hospitality Government-owned Air India airline issued a al operations save the US, (MEL) and New York Life sector, according to a group- may cut salary of employees Canada and a few other mar- Insurance Co have become ing. The Federation of by 5 per cent amid its grow- circular stating kets, to the ground," a source 51:49 per cent shareholders in Associations in Indian ing financial woes particular- that it is told PTI. NSPL --a wholly owned Tourism & Hospitality ly in the wake of the coron- withdrawing According to another subsidiary of MEL. (FAITH) also said there avirus pandemic, which has source, privy to the develop- Earlier in February, should be a support fund for nearly grounded its entire entertainment ment, the carrier has also shareholders' agreement was twelve months to support international operations, allowance to decided to take off from fly- executed by Max Estates Ltd basic salaries with "direct sources said. executive pilots ing its over 100 reemployed (MEL), a wholly owned transfer" to the affected The reduction will be across pilots on contract as part of subsidiary of MVIL with New tourism employees. the board, they say. nearly two years ago, has various cost cutting measures. York Life for investment in "As a result of this pandem- The loss-making airline, already taken some steps such Air India spokesperson was Nortern Propmart Solutions ic, Indian tourism industry is which is in the as reduced flying allowances not available for comments. Ltd (NSPL). looking at pan India bank- process of a sec- to cabin crew besides with- On Tuesday, the airline "We would like to inform that ruptcies, closure of business- ond attempt of drawing entertainment issued a circular stating that it the board of directors of es and mass unemployment," privatization allowance to executive pilots, is withdrawing entertain- NPSL, in their meeting held on FAITH said in a letter to after failing to among others. ment allowance to executive March 18, 2020, allotted the Prime Minister Narendra get a single “Air India is considering a pilots. It also said that all cabin securities to MEL and New Modi. buyer 5 per cent pay cut to its crew including on contract York Life as specified in our It is believed that around 70 employees as it rostered for flying duties from letter dated February 12, 2020. per cent out of a total 5.5 crore faces huge April 1 will have revised lay- workforce could get unem- financial crisis over allowance of USD 100 for ployed, which is around 3.8 due to the 30 hours and after that USD crore people. This effect of job ongoing coronavirus out- 4 for every additional hour. losses and layoffs has already Sebi gives 45-day relaxation Noida techie begun throughout the coun- try, it added. to firms for filing Q4 results tests Covid-19 The figure is for direct as ArcelorMittal IndiGo announces well as indirect jobs. NEW DELHI: Markets reg- lar. The decision has been positive pay cut for senior "A large percentage of total ulator Sebi on Thursday taken in the wake of coron- SIS puts 4-stage graded plans to cut tourism business activity of gave relaxation of 45 days to avirus pandemic, which has PNS n NEW DELHI employees, CEO India, which is estimated at companies for filing fourth resulted in many restric- NEW DELHI: IndiGo CEO USD 28 billion+ in forex and quarter financial results and tions, including free move- IT company HCL production Ronojoy Dutta announced on response system for biz upwards of Rs 2 lakh crore in one-month extension to file ment of people, thereby Technologies on Thursday PNS n NEW DELHI all 4 dimensions of our busi- PNS n NEW DELHI Thursday that the airline was domestic tourism activity will results for 2019-20. hampering businesses and said one employee from its ness. instituting pay cuts for senior be at economic risk through Besides, relaxation of one day-to-day functioning of Noida office has tested posi- Security and Intelligence The company said that it Global steel major ArcelorMittal employees and he would the year. Thus, in excess of Rs month has been given for companies. tive for coronavirus. The Services (India) on Thursday has done a 360-degree com- on Thursday announced plans himself take the highest cut of 5 lakh crore of direct tourism filing quarterly corporate “Development arising due employee is currently in an said it has put in place a four- munication covering online of reducing productions in 25 per cent amid the novel industry and almost double governance report and three to the spread of the virus isolation ward, the company stage graded response system and offline media to ensure Europe to ensure wellbeing of coronavirus pandemic that has that of total economic activi- week each for shareholding warrants the need for tem- said in a statement, adding to tackle the dynamic and that its employees are aware of employees amid the spread of hit the aviation industry hard. ty is at risk," the letter said. patten and statement of porary relaxation in compli- that all prescribed protocols of evolving nature of the novel the measures to keep them- deadly coronavirus in the con- "With the precipitous drop in With declining revenues, investor complaint reports, ance requirement of listed sanitisation and contact trac- coronavirus pandemic. selves, their family and the tinent. The outbreak has revenues, the very survival of almost all tourism businesses the regulator said in a circu- entities,” Sebi noted. ing have been done. "Covid-19 has started society safe. impacted several European the airline industry is now at are running out of working "Unfortunately, one affecting India a bit late com- "Training cascaded down to countries in which Arcelor- stake," Dutta said in his email capital. However, with the employee from our Noida pared to other countries, but the billing employees who, Mittal operates, the company to employees. "We have to pay responsibility of staff and pay- Financial Institutions (both months of all statutory dues office has been tested positive at SIS we have had the bene- apart from the safety and pre- said in a statement. "Given the careful attention to our cash ment of their salaries, EMIs to banking & non-banking)," the whether GST, Advance Tax for the Novel Coronavirus fit of learning from our group cautions orientation, are being extent of the outbreak, the flow so that we do not run out service, advance tax, PF, ESIC, letter said. payments, PF, ESIC, customs while he was in self-isolation companies in Singapore and trained on additional services health and safety implications, of cash." GST, excise and other state Additionally, FAITH duties at the central govern- after his return from interna- Australia on the communica- needed by customers," it said. and particularly the impact it is "With a great deal of levies, bank guarantees, secu- requested the PM for doubling ment level or at any state tional travel and hence our tion and prevention protocols The company "is the first having on several European reluctance and a deep sense of rity deposits, this industry working capital limits on government level the excise office is following all govern- to ensure that our employees port of call for customers as countries in which Arcelor- regret, we are therefore needs your support now more interest free and collateral fees, levies, taxes, power & ment and heath advisory pro- and customers are supported they are having additional Mittal operates, the company is instituting pay cuts for all than ever, it added. free terms. This will prevent all water charges, bank guaran- tocols," HCL Tech said. and cared for," the company service needs whether on taking steps to reduce produc- employees, excluding Bands A "We request you for a tourism businesses from going tees & security deposits and "The employee is currently in said in a filing to BSE. security or facility manage- tion from its European opera- and B, starting April 1, 2020," twelve-month moratorium on bankrupt, it added. deferment of all renewals, an isolation ward and all mea- The company is prepared ment and we have geared up tions to ensure the wellbeing of the chief executive officer said. our EMIs of principal and "Sir, additionally to pre- across the tourism, travel, sures are being taken to provide well ahead with the continu- our training and procurement our employees is maintained interest payments on loans vent insolvency, we request hospitality & aviation indus- best medical care to him and ity plans, it said adding that engines to support the cus- and that production is aligned and working capital from you for a deferment for 12 try," the letter said. support to his family," it added. the graded action plan covers tomers." with demand," it said.

Dr Reddy's Yes Bank moves SIDBI to start Sensex ends 581 pts lower; RBI extends Rs 60,000-cr Swavalamban launches credit line to Yes Bank Puri Jagannath Express on Jun 5 Temple's FD to SBI Nifty below 8,300 generic opioid n n MUMBAI: The Small PNS NEW DELHI PNS NEW DELHI Industries Development Bank n antagonist of India (SIDBI) on Thursday PNS MUMBAI To tide over liquidity issue, the Yes Bank on Thursday said it n said it will start Swavalamban PNS NEW DELHI Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has transferred a Rs 389- Express on June 5 this year Equity benchmark Sensex has extended Rs 60,000-crore crore fixed deposit account of for budding entrepreneurs. ended 581 points lower in a Drug firm Dr Reddy's credit line to Yes Bank so that Shree Jagannath Temple The principal financial highly volatile session on Laboratories on Thursday said it meets obligation of deposi- Administration, Puri, to State institution engaged in Thursday amid heightened it has launched generic tors, sources said. Bank of India. The fixed promotion, financing and fears of a global recession trig- Naloxone Hydrochloride injec- This is in line with assur- deposit (FD) account of the development of micro, small gered by the Covid-19 pan- tion, indicated for complete or ance given by RBI Governor According to the temple has accrued a total and medium enterprises demic. partial reversal of opioid Shaktikanta Das on Monday sources, the RBI's interest of Rs 8.23 crore. (MSMEs) said the decision to The rupee plummeted 81 depression, in the US market. saying the regulator was ready "As per the term of condi- start the train was taken based paise to 75.07 against the US The company has launched to offer liquidity if required assessment found tion of FD placed with us, Yes on the feedback received from dollar during the day. Naloxone Hydrochloride injec- after lifting of moratorium. Yes Bank had Bank Ltd has fully paid all the various stakeholders. After briefly turning positive tion USP, 2 mg/2 mL (1 "I would like to mention liquidity issues but quarterly interest on time up "The Swavalamban Express in afternoon trade, domestic mg/mL) single-dose prefilled that Yes Bank has enough liq- to December 31, 2019. The will start from June 5 and will indices fell in tandem with syringe after the approval from uidity to meet any require- no solvency remaining interest that has travel to 11 enterprising cities Asian peers, with the BSE the United States Food and ment. If there is a requirement, problem or any accrued till March 19, 2020, starting from Lucknow and barometer Sensex settling Drug Administration the RBI will provide necessary other issue has been remitted along with thereafter to Jammu, Delhi, 581.28 points or 2.01 per cent The gainers included ITC, the economic impact of the (USFDA), Dr Reddy's said in liquidity support," he had said. the principal amount of Rs Jaipur, Ahmedabad, Mumbai, lower at 28,288.23. It swung Bharti Airtel, Kotak Bank and coronavirus pandemic which a statement. "Never in the history of 389 crore to SBI account of Bengaluru, Hyderabad, over 2,656.07 points through Hero MotoCorp. continues to weigh on investor The product is a generic ver- banks (in India) have deposi- a trustee is authorised to invest Jagannath Temple Corpus Bhubaneswar, Kolkata and the session. Indian benchmark indices sentiments. During the after- sion of ADAPT Pharma tors lost money. The point is, trust money by an Act of Fund," Yes Bank on Thursday finally to Varanasi in a span of Similarly, the NSE Nifty set- opened in negative following noon session the markets Operations Ltd's Narcan injec- depositors' money is absolute- Parliament. said in a letter, accessed by 15 days covering 7,000 km," it tled 205.35 points, or 2.42 per subdued trades in Asian peers showed marginal pullback but tion, it added. ly safe," Das also said. According to the sources, PTI. said in a statement. The agency cent, down at 8,263.45, after and US markets, said Narendra largely remained short-lived," "We are pleased to bring our As per Section 17 of RBI Act the RBI's assessment found Yes In the letter addressed to noted that the participating dropping below the 7,900 level Solanki, Head- Equity he added. second product to market that 1934, the central bank can Bank had liquidity issues but Chief Administrator Krishan budding and aspiring intra-day. Research (Fundamental), According to traders, stimu- has been designated as a provide liquidity support to no solvency problem or any Kumar of the famous temple entrepreneurs and start-ups Bajaj Finance was the top Anand Rathi Shares & Stock lus packages by global central Competitive Generic Therapy any lender in the form of other issue. shrine in eastern India, Yes will receive over 20 workshops loser in the Sensex pack, tank- Brokers. banks and governments failed (CGT) by the USFDA," Dr loans and advances against The line of credit, however, Bank said it has two more and interactions which shall ing over 10 per cent, followed "Global markets continued to lift investor sentiment in Asia, Reddy's Laboratories North collateral such as stocks, funds comes with a caveat -- the first FDs of Rs 156 crore which help to boost their growth in by Axis Bank, Maruti, M&M, to trade with negative bias and stoking the already-peaking America Generics CEO Marc and securities (other than such exercise by the central will be transferred by the end their entrepreneurial journey. Tech Mahindra and ONGC. high volatility amid fears over fears of an economic recession. Kikuchi said. immovable property) in which bank, the sources said. of this month. Asia stocks dive, dollar soars as NCLAT dismisses claims of Gayatri Devi's ECB plan fails to ease fears grandchildren over Jai Mahal Hotel PNS n HONG KONG words of her predecessor Mario Draghi, whose pledge to PNS n NEW DELHI became his sole legatee by Rajkumari Lalitya inherited Asian equities sank again do "whatever it takes" to pre- virtue of will dated June 23, the shares of Late Maharaj Thursday while the dollar serve the eurozone was seen as The National Company Law 1996," NCLAT said in an order Jagat Singh on February 5, surged as a European Central a turning point in the region's Appellate Tribunal (NCLAT) dated March 12. 1997 on the death of Maharaj Bank plan to spend more than sovereign debt crisis. has dismissed the claims of "Therefore, Rajkumar Dev Jagat Singh," it said while set- USD 800 billion to buy bonds Asian markets initially grandchildren of late Maharani Raj and Rajkumari Lalitya can- ting aside the previous order. failed to instil optimism in climbed on the news but soon Gayatri Devi of Jaipur over the not claim inheritance on orig- NCLAT further said that traders who fear that the world tumbled as investors contem- ownership of the iconic Jai inal 5,050 shares to be legal Maharani Gayatri Devi, who is heading for a virus-fuelled plate months of economic Mahal hotel. heirs of Late Maharaj Jagat was at all material times includ- economic catastrophe. hardship with countries The appellate tribunal has Singh on his death (February ing in 2001, was the sole lega- In what one analyst said around the world in lockdown set aside the previous orders of 5, 1997)," it said. tee of Late Maharaja Jagat could be a "game changer" for to prevent the spread of the National Company Law The NCLAT also said that Singh, had through a letter on the coronavirus-wracked euro- halted when the coronavirus COVID-19, which has now Tribunal (NCLT), which had "alleged acts of oppression April 10, 2001 left it open to Jai zone, the ECB's so-called crisis is judged to be over "but infected more than 200,000 allowed Maharaja Dev Raj and complained of by 1st and 2nd Mahal Hotel to offer the shares Pandemic Emergency in any case not before the end people and killed almost 9,000. Rajkumari Lalitya Kumar respondents occurred around to other existing shareholders Purchase Programme aims to of the year". Seoul tanked more than majority stake in the compa- 2001" and they became share- and declined to subscribe to give financial markets some After announcing the move, eight percent, Singapore dived ny Jai Mahal Hotels Pvt Ltd, holders of Jai Mahal Hotels on any shares. much-needed liquidity as ECB boss Christine Lagarde 3.9 percent and Sydney and which owns the majestic prop- November 14, 2008 and "In view of the aforesaid investors pull the plug on mar- tweeted that "extraordinary Wellington lost more than erty. of succession certificate dated Dev Raj and Rajkumari February 19, 2009. finding the impugned judge- kets. times require extraordinary three percent. Tokyo and A two-member NCLAT February 19, 2009". Lalitya) occurred around 2001. "The Tribunal (NCLT) failed ment dated August 1, 2018 It said the 750-billion-euro action. There are no limits to Shanghai ended down one bench observed that Rajkumar "The alleged acts of oppres- Maharani Gayatri Devi on the to consider the abovesaid passed by the Tribunal cannot (USD 820-billion) programme our commitment to the euro." percent, while Hong Kong was Dev Raj and Rajkumari Lalitya sion complained of by 1st and death of Maharaj Jagat Singh aspects and wrongly held that be upheld. It is accordingly set was temporary and will be Those comments echoed the 2.6 percent off. "can not claim title on the basis 2nd respondents (Rajkumar (her son) on February 5, 1997 Rajkumar Dev Raj and aside," said NCLAT. Follow us on @TheDailyPioneer facebook.com/ dailypioneer

Friday March 20, 2020 Fighting CORONA and boredom

hile being quarantined comes as a relief to the introverts, it’s the gym freaks, partygoers With coronavirus and social butterflies who are having a tough time dealing with empty lanes, prohibi- tions and postponement of plans. The Pioneer engaged in an interactive conversation spreading globally and with some of the frontiers from their respective fields on various topics on how to sur- W vive this crisis. And here are a few ways to deal with these “hard times” and stay safe. rapidly at that,

gymnasiums, Wash veggies in warm responsibility to wash it in warm water for at water for at least 2 minutes least two minutes and practice basic mea- educational institutions, sures like frequently washing your hands and avoiding mass private offices and gatherings,” advises Dr Raghavendra Rao, a physician night-clubs have shut at Apollo Hospitals. Enjoy privileges of On a lighter note, he adds, home and comfort shop following orders “Stay away from WhatsApp The vibrant youth that regularly plan brunches, drinks university. Unverified warnings and so on is forced to practice social distancing. But by the Telangana state and rumours are more danger- the high-spirited youth of Hyderabad have some ous to human psychology than tips on keeping themselves busy during the week- government. This has a virus that hasn’t had commu- ends. nity transmission in our state Manjari Madhavan, an omni sport leader at brought the city to a yet. We have dealt with fatal Decathlon and a student, observed a drastic down- viruses earlier; we will surely fall at the complex since the lockdown in the city. grinding halt. The get through this too.” For the upcoming weekend, she wants to finish her Dr Sunitha Premalatha, chief planned tasks that she couldn’t, thanks to her night nutritionist at Yashoda shifts. Pioneer’s SHIKHA Hospitals has some tips to “Its unprecedented, whatever is happening currently. improve your body’s fight Still, you can make the best out of it, if stuck at home. DUGGAL speaks to against the virus. “Ensure your Why not spend this time on self-improvement? I am adjust- diet includes nutritious food ing and am ready for the change. I would suggest the youth to various people on tips The role of doctors in preventing ranging from citrus fruits to green vegetables use this time to work on themselves while taking necessary pre- Coronavirus is commendable. They suggest like broccoli that boost your vitamin C. cautions and care,” she says. to beat the clampdown that while there definitely exists a life-threat- Consuming a diet filled with fiber, vitamins For clubbing junkies like Rishabh Allugadala, who grooves to ening virus, there is no need to panic. “Since and minerals along with hygiene will help upbeat music on weekends, the clampdown has put a full stop to and how to be safe we know that there will be human contact keep the virus at bay,” she advises. his plans. “My regular nightlife consists of a lot of partying and while doing the simplest chores like buying friendly jams. But now it’s time for me to unleash the masterchef indoors vegetables from vendors, it’s our primary hidden inside me and catch-up on some family time with a cup of hot-brewing coffee and our favourite board game-monopoly,” an exited Rishabh says. A PUBG fanatic, Bhanu Pratap Yadav, working for Uber, is look- Can’t hit the gym? WONDERING WHAT TO DO ON ing at the bigger picture. While he wishes the clampdown wasn’t Workout at home! there, he appreciates the Telangana state government for taking “Now that we are stuck at home, what A WEEKEND IN THESE RESILIENT TIMES! appropriate measures. “It’s sad that we have restrictions around, should we do Katrina?”, asks Yasmin o Why not start a blog?" but we can still make the most out of it. I am working on Karachiwala, celebrity fitness trainer on o Poetry enthusiasts can craft poetry! an energetic weekend by jogging in my colony lane these congealing times of closure. o Latest releases like Special Op, Always a bridesmaid, Man v/s Wild ft. yet avoiding playing outdoor games. This is Nitin Negi, gym practitioner from Battle Rajnikanth, binge-watch! the time for the video-game addicts Fitness at Sainikpuri says that there are a o Wasn't finding the right to time to finish your favourite book? You can now! to take on our gaming con- host of exercises to practice indoors. “Easy, o Spend 20 minutes on meditating to soothe your inner peace. soles and play endlessly uncomplicated exercises are my mantra o Reconnect with your family on a trial of board games like Jenga, with no guilt,” he towards staying fit in times like these. I Scrabble, chess, etc. shares. would suggest gym enthusiasts to do ‘planks’. It helps tighten your core along with push- ups. We, as gym lovers, love doing squats Stay away from WhatsApp anywhere for strength by just lowering the hip from a standing position and then stand- university. Unverified ing straight again,” she advised. warnings and rumours Walking lunges, free sit-ups, jumping jack, are more dangerous to human climbing stairs, abdominal workouts are other forms of exercises to practice indoors. psychology than a virus that Even renowned chain of gymnasiums hasn’t had community Cult Fit has resorted to online classes for transmission in our state their customers. “All of us have sessions on different timings. Due to the clampdown, yet. We have dealt with Cult Fit has started live classes on their app. fatal viruses earlier; we You can tune in to watch these videos will surely get through whenever, depending on your availability and time,” informs Kranthiraju, one of the this too attendees from Kompally. — DR RAGHAVENDRA RAO

ness may take three to six Seattle Public Schools post- weeks to recover. ed on its website that misin- Child psychology experts’ formation has led to fear advice is to be reassuring, and hostility and it urged focus on proactive steps and students to combat racism do research to truthfully and bias. “We are aware of answer children’s questions. reports that some of our SPEAK TO BE HEARD In Kathleen McEvoy’s house Asian students have been t was a routine Jersey. in Norton, Massachusetts, targeted and discriminated game of school- Both girls said they’ve she and her husband, Thom against in connection to yard tag — except talked a little about the virus Daly, decided they wanted COVID-19. This is unac- the children had at school, but Jane, who is a to talk with their 8-year-old ceptable and contrary to our dubbed this ver- few grades ahead, said she daughter, Kennedy, before values of racial equity and I sion has talked about it much something like a quarantine social justice,” district lead- “Coronavirus.” The kids ran more, including in science or school closure was ers wrote. around and tagged one lessons. “I’m not really as announced. “We thought it Lacy Hilbrich’s two another, but instead of being scared of it. It’s still not even would be confusing and daughters, ages 14 and 18, “it,” they “caught” the virus. that many people getting scary for a kid if they were are part of an online school Children like the ones a sick here. And it’s less dan- told that school has to be that has students from all reporter saw playing recent- gerous than the flu,” Jane closed for two weeks,” over the world. They live ly at a school in said. “One of my friends is McEvoy said. “We felt like it near Houston, but some of Washington, DC, are really scared of it, but she’s was important ... to give her her daughters’ classmates are becoming more aware of the honestly really scared of all a lot of information about in countries where there are coronavirus — though they diseases.” how this might impact her quarantines in place. may not fully Beth Young, who lives in life even if we don’t know The virus, she said, has understand it Fort Mill, South Carolina, exactly how yet.” been part of her family’s or know how said she has decided to limit McEvoy, 38, works as a daily discussion. “In our seriously to the conversation with her paraprofessional at a differ- family we all talk about it, so Talking to take it — as it four kids, ages 8, 10, 12 and ent school district and said it’s pretty open and so begins to affect 15. “I don’t want to doom some second graders had they’re not hiding anything kids about their daily lives and gloom them into being talked about how they from us,” said daughter Ally, with school clo- afraid of getting sick thought the virus was 14. “And I think that’s virus? sures and event because, let’s face it, kids get spread. Some thought they helped a lot.” Parents should cancellations, sick pretty often,” she said. could catch it from eating explain that measures like Experts restrictions on “And I don’t need a sniffle to Chinese food or from wearing face masks and travel, and the turn into them worrying touching bats or pigs. closing schools are preventa- NBA nixing the about dying.” The teacher spent some tive and temporary, Howard say be rest of its sea- For most people — time searching for an age- said. She urged them to take son. including children — the appropriate video to help a page from Mister Rogers, calm and Many parents new coronavirus, which them understand how the who taught kids to “focus on are now decid- causes a disease called virus is actually spread, the helpers” — what doc- honest ing how to talk COVID-19, results in only McEvoy said. It’s important tors, teachers, parents and to their chil- mild or moderate symp- to reassure children, to ask scientists are doing to keep dren about the toms, such as fever and whether they have questions them safe. virus. Some cough. For others, especially and to stress safety, said Dr. Whatever the conversa- said they are older adults and people with Jamie Howard, a clinical tion looks like, Howard said, checking in daily, while oth- existing health problems, it psychologist at the nonprofit parents should not collude ers worry talking about it can cause more severe ill- Child Mind Institute. The in their child’s anxiety by could make their kids more ness, including pneumonia. institute and the Centers for refusing to go outside or by anxious or fearful. “We talk The vast majority of peo- Disease Control and buying masks. “In doing about it a lot. I watch the ple recover. According to the Prevention both offer tips those behaviours, you’re say- news every morning and World Health Organisation, on talking to children. ing this is really dangerous they’re always watching it, which has declared the out- Some teachers and coach- and we really are in danger too,” said Nicole Poponi, break a pandemic, people es are working to dispel any right now,” she said. “And mother of Clara, 10, and with mild illness recover in idea that the virus, which that’s not true, and it will Jane, 12, in the Philadelphia about two weeks, while was first recorded in China, make them more anxious.” suburb of Audubon, New those with more severe ill- is tied to ethnicity or race. — AP 10

Vijayawada Friday March 20, 2020 what’s brewing? GoT star Indira Varma confirms she has COVID-19 ame of Thrones shared photos from the pro- and urge you all (and the star Indira Varma duction, in which she’s government) to support us appears to have cosying up to her co-stars, when we do.” confirmed she as it was confirmed the play Indira continued, “I’m in tested positive for had been suspended. bed with it and it’s not nice. G COVID-19. In the caption she men- Stay safe and healthy and be The actress joined the tioned the COVID-19 pan- kind to your fellow people.” series in season four and demic and said she was Fans immediately rushed played Ellaria Sand from “sick in bed with it”, while to the comments to share 2014-2017. At the moment urging others to help one their well wishes, and for a she’s starring in the stage another out during the cri- speedy recovery. production of The Seagull sis. Varma’s post comes just alongside fellow Game of “So sad our and so many two days after fellow GOT Thrones alumni Emilia other shows around the star Kristofer Hivju revealed Clarke at the Playhouse world have gone dark he tested positive for coron- Theatre in London, reports affected by the COVID-19 avirus, as the COVID-19 metro.co.uk. pandemic,” she wrote. condition continued to On Wednesday, she “We hope to be back soon spread around the world.

Drake enters Imtiaz Ali: She reveals self-isolation after hidden aspects of society lady constable levels of this exploration. I the femininity of a girl,” he Kevin Durant poses as a prosti- have met a lot of women that said. tute to help the have tried or are trying to get Describing the character, police nab a rid of the baggage of shame he added, “She is strong in tests COVID-19 dreaded narcotics that they are suppressed by. many ways. One of them is rake has entered self-isolation after basket- A dealer. Will she She is such a journey.” the fact that she is a very ball superstar Kevin Durant was diagnosed succeed? Is she smart We have always seen ‘pushable’ character. She is with COVID-19 just days after partying enough for the job? Her strong not only gullible but you can with the rapper. journey comprises Imtiaz sidetrack her. She is timid Durant is one of four team members who Ali’s latest creation, a web and quite okay to be ignored. D tested positive for the coronavirus on series titled She. That is where her strength Tuesday, a week after he was spotted hanging out “She is about a female lies. She starts from there with Drake at West Hollywood hotspot Nice Guy, cop who becomes an and then she discovers reports aceshowbiz.com. undercover agent. She what it is to actually The Life Is Good hitmaker has now placed him- poses as a prostitute to impose and be power- self under isolation as a precautionary measure, aid the police investi- ful and feel the energy reports the New York Post’s Page Six. gate a certain criminal of a woman in her Drake shared a photograph of the friends’ nexus. It is the journey body.” night out on Instagram last week and ironically of this woman as she The filmmaker reve- referenced death in the accompanying caption goes through the experi- aled he had written this which read, “life is a race and the grim reaper ence of pretending to be story a while back but catches up...till then glasses up”. a prostitute, how she deals was unable to fit it into a The Canadian star has yet to comment with it and what happens to movie format. With the directly on his contact with Durant, but he her and her sexuality. OTT wave setting in, a web recently hinted at his home alone status as he Through the series, we see series was the obvious choice. showed off video footage of his indoor bas- many interesting and hidden “It is a much longer story. ketball court at his Toronto mansion. aspects of society, of this city female protagonists in Imtiaz I’ve had this story for a long “My life for the next however long,” he and of our own personali- Ali’s directorials like Jab We time but I could never really shared in the Instagram Story. ties,” Imtiaz told IANS. Met and Highway. She, too, compromise and fit it to the Following the news of his diagnosis, Durant, The filmmaker, who has boasts of a strong female duration and format of a formerly of the Golden State Warriors, told The written the story, revealed protagonist, Bhumika film. Luckily, the digital rev- Atlantic he was feeling fine and had not experienced his inspiration, saying, “I Pardesi (played by Aaditi olution happened and we any of the flu-like symptoms of COVID-19, but urged fans have met many lady consta- Pohankar). “The greatest could make a digital series and followers to stay safe amid the ongoing health crisis. bles. I met many prostitutes happiness I have is that the out of it. Because it takes “Everyone be careful, take care of yourself and quarantine. as well. I have also met series is called She. Because duration to say this story,” We’re going to get through this,” Durant said. women that are on different it is all about the she of She, Imtiaz said.

FUN

ARCHIE CALVIN AND HOBBES

GARFIELD REALITY CHECK SPEED BUMP CROSSWORD

NANCY

SUDOKU Yesterday’s solution

GINGER MEGGS

Rules l Each row and column can contain each number (1 to 9) exactly once. l The sum of all numbers in any row or column must equal 45. VIJAYAWADA | FRIDAY | MARCH 20, 2020 sport 11 IOA CONFIDENT OF ON-TIME TOKYO OLYMPICS Oly could be delayed, admits athletics chief AFP n LONDON other federations, is that nobody is saying we will be going to the orld athletics chief Sebastian Games come what may. WCoe admitted on Thursday “But it isn’t a decision that has Aus firm as ex-official that the Tokyo Olympics could be to be made at this moment.” moved to later in the year by the Coe, who played a pivotal says Games impossible coronavirus outbreak, but said it role in securing the Olympics for AFP n MELBOURNE was too early to make a definitive London in 2012, said postponing decision. the Games until 2021 could present ustralian Olympic chiefs on Thursday International Olympic problems. Areaffirmed plans to send athletes to Committee chairman Thomas “That seems on the surface of Tokyo 2020, even as a former top official Bach said earlier this week that it an easy proposition, but mem- warned it looked impossible to hold the starting on schedule on July 24 ber federations actually avoid Games. remained the organisation’s goal. Olympic years often to have their Australian Olympic Committee chief But Coe, who is a member of world championships,” he said. Matt Carroll said his organisation was doing the Tokyo Olympics Games Britain’s retired four-time row- everything possible to “fulfil the dreams of Coordination Commission, con- ing Olympic Gold medallist Australian athletes in incredibly difficult cir- ceded in an interview with the BBC Matthew Pinsent called for decisive cumstances”. that a delay was possible. action. “The AOC does not live in a bubble,” he “That is possible, any- “On a global front said, after a worldwide phone conference with thing is possible at the we have other priori- IOC president Thomas Bach. moment,” said Coe when ties and I think the “There is a global health crisis. We asked whether the Games Olympics should at the recognise that people are suffering. Things are could be postponed to very least be saying we changing every day and we must adapt.” September or October. should postpone or “We gain confidence from the IOC’s over- Two people wear masks as they visit newly opened Japan Olympic Museum located near New National Stadium in Tokyo AP/File Picture “But I think the posi- indeed just cancel at riding principles regarding staging the Games. care systems and destroying spective of any threat,” he said. The IOA admitted that coun- tion that sport has certain- this stage and we’ll talk Namely, to protect the health of everyone PTI n NEW DELHI economies across the world. The IOC’s stance has angered try’s preparations have been hit ly taken, and it was certain- about postponement involved and support the containment of the “The coronavirus is creating many athletes, who have accused hard but should the Games hap- ly the temperature of later on,” he told the virus,” he added. kepticism is sweeping through havoc throughout the world but we it of putting them at risk. Some pen, it is nonetheless expecting an the room in the BBC. His comments came as Australia’s chef de Sthe world but the Indian are hopeful it will be contained in officials have also expressed their unprecedented double digit medal conversa- “I just don’t mission at the London 2012 Olympics, Nick Olympic Association on Thursday one or two months. It has already apprehension. haul from the athletes. tion I had think there’s Green, told the Sydney Morning Herald he backed the IOC’s assertion that the been controlled in China, the epi- Responding to the criticism, “Yes, it is true our preparations the other much of a doubted the Games can proceed as planned. upcoming Tokyo Olympics will center of the disease, and we are the world body on Wednesday have been hit with many Olympic day with choice at “A couple of weeks ago, I was as confident weather the COVID-19 pandem- expecting the Olympics to be held conceded that there are no easy qualifiers, Test events and prepara- the IOC this as everyone else, saying the Olympics would ic and be held on time without a without any hindrance on its solutions for the current situation. tory camps abroad being post- and our stage.” go ahead, no problem,” said Green, an glitch. scheduled time,” a senior IOA The pandemic has wreaked poned or cancelled because of the Olympic rowing champion. The International Olympic office-bearer said. havoc on Olympic preparations of coronavirus,” the official said. “I’m pretty robust about it but I don’t have Committee (IOC) and the Tokyo “But having said that IOC is athletes, including those from “But it is not just India, every — 10 or more medals in Tokyo,” he athletes’ preparations as well as the same robustness in my thinking now. I Games organisers are adamant our parent body, we will have to India. Several qualifiers have been country is facing the same situa- asserted. He said the IOA is close- their well-being. actually can’t see how the Games can go ahead, that the Games will start on July 24 abide by what the IOC decides. If suspended and training trips tion so, the impact is same for ly monitoring the situation with all We are also closely working to be frank.” as scheduled despite the coron- the IOC says the Olympics will go abroad are off the table thanks to every competing nation. So, our the stakeholders in the country. with the Government of India, avirus pandemic crippling health on we will have to participate irre- travel restrictions. expectations still remain the same “We are monitoring all our Tokyo Games orgainsers as well as F1 move up mid- Don’t have tournaments, trials till WTA, ATP call off Greece hand over Olympic flame season break season till June 7 IANS n ENGLEWOOD April 15: Ministry advises NSFs competed in the Atlanta 1996 PTI n NEW DELHI “No coach, technical/support AP n WASHINGTON Olympics. Imoto, a UNICEF ormula One will observe its mid-season staff athlete etc presently not in representative, was reportedly a Fshutdown in March and April instead of he sports ministry on Thursday training camp and not staying in the ll men’s and women’s professional last-minute appointment as she late summer due to the ongoing coronavirus Tadvised all national federations to training campus be allowed to inter- Atennis tournaments through June 7 are already lives in Greece and did outbreak, while the organisers of the 24 refrain from conducting tourna- act or mingle with trainee athletes being called off because of the new coro- not have to travel from Japan. Hours of Le Mans have announced a post- ments and selection trials till April 15 without following quarantine proto- navirus pandemic. Greek President Katerina ponement of the iconic endurance race from besides asking them to ensure that cols.” The ATP and WTA announced that Sakellaropoulou in a state- June to September. Olympic-bound athletes are isolated Sports Minister Kiren Rijiju said the entire clay-court circuit “will not be ment said the ancient Olympic “In light of the global impact of the from anyone who is not a part of their all precautionary measures are in held as scheduled” — a day after the start values of “concord, goodwill, COVID-19 currently affecting the organi- training camp. place to ensure that athletes are pro- of the French Open, also played on that brotherhood... are the weapon sation of FIA Formula One World “All sport organisations and their tected by the deadly virus. surface, was postponed from May to to use” against the virus. Championship events, the World Motor affiliate units are advised against “We will ensure that no athlete, September. Last week’s flame lighting Sport Council has approved a change to the holding any sports events, including coach or support staff travel so as to The tours had said last week they ceremony in ancient Olympia 2020 FIA Formula 1 Sporting Regulations, competitions or selection trials till avoid coming in contact with anyone. would suspend play until late April or early was also carried out without moving the summer shutdown period from 15th April, 2020,” the ministry said Any mass gathering is completely May. spectators as Greece regis- July and August to March and April and in a letter to the Indian Olympic prohibited,” he said. The tournaments affected by the tours’ Hellenic Olympic Committee President Spyros Capralos gives Olympic torch to tered its first death from the extending it from 14 to 21 days,” the Association and NSFs, including the “We have made exceptions only suspensions include combined men’s and Imoto Naoko during Olympic flame handover ceremony for Tokyo Olympics AP virus. Federation Internationale de l’Automobile BCCI. for those who have qualified for the women’s events in Madrid and Rome. Lefteris Petrounias ran a lap “Regretfully the COVID- (FIA) said in a statement. It also asked federations to not Olympics or are very close to quali- Also being scrapped are upcoming AFP n ATHENS with the flame and Olympic 19 outbreak made us take The F1 season was supposed to begin allow any non-camper athlete, coach fying. They are very, very critical WTA tournaments in Strasbourg, France, pole vault champion Katerina hard decisions and change our last Sunday in Melbourne with the Australian or support staff in Olympic training because if they miss their training, and Rabat, Morocco, along with ATP reece on Thursday handed Stefanidi lit a cauldron inside the initial plans. We deeply regret Grand Prix, but the race was called off just camps without following proper then it will have a huge impact on our events in Munich; Estoril, Portugal; Gover the Olympic flame to all-marble Panathenaic stadium, that you... were not able to before the start of free practice. quarantine protocols for COVID-19. preparations for Tokyo Olympics,” he Geneva; and Lyon, France. Tokyo 2020 organisers at a cer- where the first modern travel to Greece and join us China, where the coronavirus outbreak The ministry’s two-point direc- added. Both tours also said that their rankings emony held behind closed Olympics were held in 1896. here today,” Greek Olympic originated, had already postponed the tive states: “No exposure to athlete be “For that also, outsiders are pro- will be frozen “until further notice.” The doors. The flame was then hand- Committee chairman Spyros Chinese Grand Prix. Upcoming races in allowed from outside in the campus hibited and strict guidelines are International Tennis Federation also put a In the absence of spectators, ed to Tokyo 2020 representative Kapralos said, addressing Bahrain and Vietnam have likewise been put where training is underway. being issued to ensure that.” halt to its lower-tier events until June 7. Olympic gymnastics champion Naoko Imoto, a swimmer who Tokyo organisers absent from on hold. “All competitors must therefore observe a shutdown period of 21 consecutive days during the months of March and/or April. Athletes returning from high-risk COVID-19 Bayern set cyber- The change was supported unanimously by AFI cancel Indian GP, postpone Fed Cup both the F1 Strategy Group and F1 PTI n NEW DELHI people is more important than sports. Commission,” the FIA said. So, with regret we took the decision to affected nations will be quarantined: Rijiju training sessions The rules require the teams to forgo all he Athletics Federation of India on cancel the first Indian GP on Friday. PTI n NEW DELHI athletes also have to adhere to it,” AFP n MUNICH race and car-related activity during the shut- TThursday cancelled the Indian The second GP (also to be held in Rijiju said while talking to reporters. down and are even barred from communi- Grand Prix hours before it was to begin, Patiala on March 25) has also been ports Minister Kiren Currently, chess ace een to avoid unnecessary travel cating with each other about anything per- paying heed to the government’s direc- cancelled,” Herrmann said. SRijiju on Thursday said Viswanathan Anand has self-isolat- Kwhile maintaining social contact, taining to performance. tive. “All sporting events has been athletes arriving back from ed in Germany after travel restric- Bayern Munich have set up ‘cyber- Advancing the shutdown creates the The event was scheduled to be held suspended till April 15 and the AFI high-risk COVID-19 affect- tions delayed his return to India. training’ sessions where players work out possibility for holding some postponed at NIS Patiala. respects the government’s decision ed countries will have to be in Wrestler Vinesh Phogat and javelin together online by following exercises streamed from races in July and August. Next month’s Federation Cup in the larger interest of the country mandatory quarantine but thrower Neeraj Chopra are among the club’s headquarters. Automobile Club de l’Ouest, which National Senior Championships (April and the health and well being of its refused to be drawn into the sportspersons to have cut short “We all have to try to deal with the situation in organises the 24 Hours of Le Mans, said on 10-13), a qualifying event for the Tokyo people,” the German added. speculation surrounding the their training stints in parts of a positive way,” Bayern coach Hansi Flick told the club’s Wednesday that it decided, based on con- Olympics, has been postponed to a later Asked about the status of the IPL and the Tokyo Olympics. Europe to head back due to the website. sultation with the FIA and the World date. Federation Cup, scheduled for Spelling out the protocol COVID-19 pandemic. “Yesterday (Wednesday) at 11 am, we had our first Endurance Championship (WEC), to post- The development came after hours April 10-13 in Patiala, he said, for athletes arriving from the They have put themselves in ‘Cyber Training’, where the team were coached pone the 88th edition of the race from June after the Sports Ministry advised all “There is no other way for the AFI than most-affected countries China, isolation after returning. remotely. Everyone was motivated, everyone did very 13-14 to September 19-20. national federations to refrain from respect the government’s decision. South Korea, Iran, Italy, Spain, He was also asked about Indian well.” The state of Bavaria has not yet introduced “Postponing the 24 Hours of Le Mans conducting competitions and selection Since the suspension of all sporting France and Germany, Rijiju said boxers, who have been seen at pub- mandatory confinement measures, but Bundesliga from the original dates in June is now the trials till April 15. events remains till April 15, the they will have to follow what has lic events since returning from the leaders Bayern have decided to keep their players at most appropriate way forward in the current Indian athletics’ High Performance Federation Cup is postponed. been mandated for everyone else. Asian Olympic Qualifiers in Jordan home in order to best respect the instructions from exceptional circumstances,” club president Director Volker Herrmann said that the “We will try to hold the Federation “Athletes who are coming back after training in Italy before that. health authorities. Pierre Fillon said. AFI will have to abide by the govern- Cup in May or June, depending on the from countries which are very “They have been tested and Flick contends that keeping players in touch on Putting off the Le Mans event will ment’s directive. situation (of the COVID-19 pandem- prone to coronavirus will be quar- given coronavirus negative certifi- a regular basis is just as essential as the training itself. require adjustments to the WEC and “The Indian GP at Patiala will not ic). We cannot say now when it will be antined as per the government pro- cates by the International Olympic “It will be important that we are in contact with European Le Mans Series (ELMS) schedules. be held on Friday. It is unfortunate for held but we have to still keep the options visions. There will be no exceptions. Committee. They are not in any one another daily. The whole group is there for train- “It is the right decision to delay in light the athletes who are trying to qualify for open as the Olympics is still on.” Anybody who has come from danger but it is advisable that they ing,” said Flick, who directs the sessions which play- of the current situation. We are now the Olympics but the health of Indian abroad is being put in isolation and stay in isolation,” he said. ers can follow via their tablets. working on revising our WEC and ELMS calendars for the remainder of this season, and for AFP n LONDON the WEC’s Season 9, which was due to start in he shutdown of English football English football extend shutdown till April 30 September 2020. Twas extended until at least April We will come 30 on Thursday after the Premier ed rather than accepting the current ed indefinitely for the 2019/20 sea- this crisis we can look at sport and back to you in League and English Football League standings as final or declaring the son in relation to Professional getting the Premier League and the coming (EFL) held crisis meetings. campaign null and void. Football.” Football Leagues back in action.” days with “We’ve collectively agreed that “We’re united in our commit- One option could see the end The sudden shutdown, though, more the professional game in England ment to finding ways of resuming of the 2019/20 and beginning of the could have long-lasting conse- news for will be further postponed until no the 2019-20 football season and 2020/21 come together with no time quences for many lower league both the earlier than Thursday 30 April,” said ensuring all domestic and European for an off-season break. clubs worrying if they will even be FIA World a joint statement by the English club league and cup matches are “Players may need to get their able to survive the next couple of Endurance Football Association, Premier played as soon as it is safe and pos- summer break in now before we fin- months with no income from gate Championship and League, EFL, players and man- sible to do so,” added the statement. ish what was the 19/20 season and receipts. the European Le agers’ bodies. Even if play can commence in roll it right into the 20/21 season A £50 million ($58 million) Mans Series,” WEC UEFA’s decision to postpone early May, that could mean match- without a break,” Brighton striker short-term relief package was and ELMS chief Euro 2020 for 12 months earlier this es stretching beyond the June 30 Glenn Murray said. announced by the EFL to help Gerard Neveu week could allow games to be com- goal UEFA agreed on for finishing “Everyone loves sport, everyone stricken clubs on Wednesday. said. pleted over the summer if strict the season on Tuesday. loves watching football but I really However, there has so far The 24 Hours restrictions on travelling and mass The end of June is when many think the right decision was made been no bailout from the of Le Mans, first gatherings to halt the spread of players’ contracts and loan deals “The FA’s Rules and Regulations laid down by The FA, determine the in bringing it to a halt. Premier League to run in 1923, is tra- COVID-19 are lifted in time. expire. However, the English author- state that ‘the season shall terminate length of its own playing season’. “At this moment in time it’s ensure those further ditionally held dur- The leagues still hope to finish ities are putting no limit of when the not later than the 1 June’ and ‘each “However, The FA’s Board has pretty irrelevant, people’s health is down the pyramid sur- ing the 24th week of the season once play can be restart- 2019/20 season must be finished by. competition shall, within the limit agreed for this limit to be extend- first and foremost. Once we get over vive. the year. 12

Vijayawada Friday March 20, 2020 tollywood Paagal is a rom-com nnounced last Bekkem Venugopal is pro- on associating with August, Vishwak ducing the film, a romantic- Vishwak with a crazy sub- Sen’s new movie, comedy laced with action, ject, Venugopal said the Paagal, with under his Lucky Media. film will go to floors once debutant director Speaking post the muhu- the shoot restrictions are A Kuppili Naressh, rat, Vishwak, who is hot off lifted. was launched in Hyderabad the success of Falaknuma Naressh has assembled a on Thursday. Rana Das and Hit, said he nod- strong technical team for Daggubati sounded the ded to Naresh after finding the project. While clapperboard for the first the story to be exciting. Manikandan, who shot Hit, shot, as Anandi Arts chief P “The film’s genre is some- will be the cinematographer, Kiran switched on the cam- thing that I haven’t attempt- Radhan is on board to com- era. Trinadh Rao directed ed till now,” he stated. pose music. Garry has been the honorary first shot. Expressing his happiness signed on as the editor. Major is based on the life of Major Sandeep Unnikrishnan, a National Security Guard commando, who had led the Black Tornado operation to save hostages in the 26/11 Taj Hotel attack in Mumbai , writes NAGARAJ GOUD We are exploring the human side of Sandeep Chiru's nod to in : SASHI KIRAN Mythri Movie ike withMajor his maid- now, wrapping up close to 50 was martyred in action. Adivi Goodachari and Sunil (from history,” he points en film per cent of the filming. “The Sesh, who has also written Mumbai) are choreographing out in awe, adding Goodachari, direc- major chunk of the next leg the film, is playing Sandeep. the action,” he shares. that both research Makers? tor Sashi Kiran of filming will happen here Sashi mentions that he is try- Sashi goes on to add that and writing went in Tikka has begun in Hyderabad. For B-roll, we ing to keep the film as through the film, he is try- tandem for almost hile Megastar Chiranjeevi has a cou- L shooting Major, his might visit Mumbai again for authentic as possible. “We are ing to present an unknown nine months. “The ple of projects in queue after he second directorial, without a couple of days but it will going for a mix of real loca- side of Sandeep. “The world research is a never end- wraps up Koratala Siva’s Acharya, it much hullabaloo. “That’s how happen only after we reach tions and sets for the shoot. knows he is a hero because ing process. Even recent- looks like he has given in-principle I and Sesh are. We do want to the end of Hyderabad sched- Depending on where the of the lives he saved in Taj ly someone who worked nod for Mythri Movie Makers for a tell what’s happening with the ule,” he states. location is for the day, we are but beyond a hero, he was a with Sandeep in the past W new project. If the grapevine is to be project but after a certain A joint production venture devising our plans. For great human being whom got in touch with us to believed, Y Shankar and Naveen Yerneni of point of time — may be once between Sony Pictures drama portions, we are the world doesn’t know and part some information, Mythri had a word with Chiru recently and the shoot nears completion International Productions shooting in real locations we are trying to bring that but we haven’t met the legendary actor has responded posi- and we enter the editing and G Mahesh Babu whereas for the action part to life. We met his NSG col- him yet. Who tively. It is said that the actor rates the phase,” Sashi tells us, adding Entertainment, Major is we are erecting sets. We leagues, 7 Bihar regiment knows he might production house very high as it that Covid-19 has struck their based on the life of Major haven’t cracked the Taj Hotel colleagues, his school teach- know some- gave his son Ram Charan a career Hyderabad schedule and he is Sandeep Unnikrishnan, a set completely. Only 20-30 ers and friends as a part of thing defining film in the form of using the time to edit the film. National Security Guard per cent of it is complete. As research and discovered which is Rangasthalam. As of now no He informs that he has commando, who had led the far as action sequences go, we unknown facets of his life, useful director is attached to the shot the Hindi-Telugu bilin- Black Tornado operation to are going for a realistic which we are inserting into for the project firmly but Bobby gual in Hyderabad, Mumbai save hostages in the 26/11 Taj approach. Naba-Subbu who the film. For a 31 year old, film.” aka KS Ravindra is the and Himachal Pradesh until Hotel attack in Mumbai. He worked with us for he had quite a bit of travel front-runner to bag it. He is a die-hard Chiru fan and if at all this combination fructi- fies, expect a fan Malvika in talks for Ravi Teja's next tribute to his favourite star. lose on the heels Satyanarayana under A of signing iSmart ALTHOUGH Studios, the film will go to Shankar girl floors sometime next month or Niddhi Agerwal MALVIKA'S ROLE’S in May. The film was to be pri- to play one of the SCREEN TIME IS marily shot in Azerbaijan but C lead heroines, the the makers are now reconsid- makers of Ravi Teja’s next LESS, SHE LOVED IT ering another foreign with Ramesh Varma have shore in the wake initiated talks with AS IT’S INTEGRAL TO of the ongoing Malvika Sharma to play THE NARRATIVE coronavirus the other leading lady. The pandemic untitled film, an action- that she was getting to reteam over there. thriller, sees Ravi Teja in dual with Ravi Teja after Nela Ticket roles. was the icing on the cake. In “Malvika is in final round fact, it was the actor who pro- of negotiations to be the film’s posed her name to Ramesh second leading lady. Although Varma,” said a source. her role’s screen time is less, A production ven- she loved it as it’s inte- ture of educationalist gral to the nar- Koneru rative. The fact

It's a wrap for Jaathi Rathnalu he shooting of are usually busy to com- Sangareddy, the film marks Swapna plete the pending day’s the debut of Mahanati Cinema’s Jaathi work. With Telugu film director Nag Ashwin as a Rathnalu, featur- bodies calling for cancella- producer. T ing Naveen tion of all film shootings in The likes of Giribabu, Polishetty, view of coronavirus, it is Naresh VK, Shubhaleka Priyadarshi and Rahul now certain that the film Sudhakar, Brahmaji, Murali Ramakrishna, is over. will be wrapped up only Sharma, Vennela Kishore, “Except for a day’s shoot- next month. However, the Mirchi Kiran and Mahesh ing, the entire shooting has director is using the time have essayed supporting been wrapped up. Director on post-production,” said a roles in the film, while Anudeep is awaiting the source. Radhan is the tunesmith. dates of Priyadarshi and A comedy thriller shot in The makers are planning to Rahul Ramakrishna who Hyderabad and release it for summer.