Coimbatore Collector tests COVID-19 positive; hospitalised COIMBATORE: District collector K Rajamani tested positive for COVID-19 and got admitted to a private hospital here on Wednesday, official sources said. Rajamani had mild fever and throat pain, so he took a test at the hospital late Tuesday. The result confirmed that he was infected with the virus, they said. However, he went home and was back at the hospital this 8FREE PRESS NATION morning. By then, the fever and pain subsided, the sources said. He was exhausted visiting the THURSDAY | JULY 16, 2020 | INDORE containment zones to check the arrangements made to prevent further spread of the virus. India, EU decide to expand ties AGE3NCIES ority that India attaches to at- tioned by the EU side and that New Delhi tracting foreign direct invest- they expressed the faith in Indi- ment and continued efforts of an institutions in addressing India and the 27-nation Euro- his government to liberalise the them. pean Union on Wednesday decid- regulatory environment. Modi On terrorism, the two sides ed to set up a high-level dialogue said 'Aatmanirbhar Bharat' (self- reaffirmed their strong commit- to enhance trade and investment reliant India) initiative is aimed ment to combat terrorism in all and iron out lingering differ- at integrating domestic produc- its forms and manifestations, in- ences over the long-pending free tion in India to global supply cluding its financing, and coun- trade agreement, while vowing chains. tering radicalisation. to expand their overall ties in ar- A joint statement issued after eas like defence, nuclear energy the talks said the high-level dia- and health, during a virtual sum- logue on trade and investment mit. will aim at fostering progress on Reflecting growing congruence the trade and investment agree- in ties, the two sides also un- ments, addressing trade irritants veiled a five-year roadmap for Prime Minister Narendra Modi attends India-EU Virtual Summit 2020, in New and improving conditions for further boosting their strategic Delhi, on Wednesday PTI traders and investors on both partnership, announced institu- sides as well as discuss supply tion of a separate maritime dia- terrorist activities against India mutually beneficial trade agree- chain linkages. logue and released a declaration and other countries of the region ment and that talks on it may "The leaders agreed to further on moving towards a more circu- too figured in the talks. start in the next few months. develop their trade and invest- lar economic model. In his opening remarks, Prime Launched in June 2007, negoti- ment relations to unleash their Secretary (West) in the Exter- Minister Narendra Modi ations for the proposed Broad- full potential particularly in the nal Affairs Ministry Vikas stressed on greater cooperation based Trade and Investment context of post-COVID-19 eco- Swarup said India's relations between democratic nations to Agreement (BITA) have wit- nomic recovery and support sus- with China did come up in the deal with the new problems that nessed many hurdles as both tainable growth and jobs on both talks and Prime Minister Naren- have cropped up globally in the sides have major differences on sides," it said. dra Modi shared New Delhi's economic field after COVID-19. crucial issues. The negotiations Asked whether human rights views on the ties as well as also On trade ties, Swarup said the on the pact has been stalled since issues in the context of Jammu on the current situation in the two sides have expressed their 2013. and Kashmir and Citizenship border areas. commitment and agreed to work At a press conference, Swarup Amendment Act figured in the Pakistan's continued support to for a balanced, ambitious and said Modi emphasised on the pri- talks, Swarup said it was men- Ganguly in home quarantine Assam flood situation worsens; KOLKATA: BCCI President Sourav Ganguly on Wednesday was forced to go into home quarantine after his elder brother and Cricket Association of Bengal (CAB) Joint Secretary Snehasish Ganguly tested positive for Covid-19. 92 dead, 36 lakh affected Snehasish has been admitted to the Belle Vue Clinic here after his Covid report returned positive, a CAB source said. “His report came positive today. He’s been admitted to the Belle Vue Hospital,” the source told IANS. “See, they live in the same house. As per protocol, he will have to be in home quarantine for a stipulated period,” another source close to the Ganguly family said. Snehasish was moved to their ancestral house, where Sourav is based, in Behala after his wife and in-laws at his Mominpur residence tested positive for the deadly virus. Continued from page 1 AGENCIES mals were rescued as 95 Guwahati per cent of the world-fa- PILOT’S START-UP FALTERS... mous Kaziranga national "We have proof of horse-trading: Rs 20 crore was offered. Seven more people died in park, home to more than Those who took the money are holed up at the hotel in flood-related incidents in 2,200 one-horned Indian Manesar. Our deputy chief minister and PCC chief (Pilot) Assam on Wednesday and rhinoceros, was inundat- himself was negotiating the deal and, at the same time, nearly 36 lakh people ed. Officials of Assam giving statements that no horse-trading was on. What clar- across 26 districts are af- State Disaster Manage- ifications are you giving when you yourself were involved fected by the deluge, an of- ment Authority (ASDMA) in it," Gehlot charged. Sources said Gehlot was miffed ficial bulletin said. said that over the past four when AICC general secretary K C Venugopal conveyed a According to the daily weeks, 66 deaths due to the message from the Gandhi family, asking him to bury the flood report of the Assam floods were reported while hatchet. Holding his ground, Geholt responded that he had State Disaster Manage- 26 others have been killed expected that the leadership would immediately expel Pi- ment Authority (ASDMA), in separate landslides lot for his "anti-party" activities. It was the conciliatory three people died in Mori- since May 22. note struck by Pilot in the morning which persuaded gaon district, two in Barpe- The ASDMA officials said Gandhis to bring him back in the "family." Pilot had told ta, while one each in Sonit- that two persons drowned the media: "I am not joining the BJP. Those who are saying pur and Golaghat districts. on Monday in Dhubri and this are just trying to malign me in the eyes of the Gandhi So far, 92 people have died Morigaon districts but family." The manner in which Surjewala repeatedly de- in flood-related incidents these deaths were not flood- scribed Pilot as a "yuva saathi" (young colleague) also in- in the state, it said. While related. They said more dicated that the political farce will end soon. "Stop talking 66 people died in floods, 26 than five rivers, including through the media and discuss all issues within the ‘pari- were killed in landslides. the Brahmaputra, are flow- var’ and in the party forum," Surjewala advised. The Con- According to forest offi- ing above the danger mark gress firefighter also underscored the special affection the cials, at least 66 animals in many places in 12 dis- Gandhi family had for Pilot who was made the PCC chief were killed while 117 ani- tricts. even after he lost the Lok Sabha election in 2014. Since Con- gress President Sonia Gandhi had told party leaders not to yield to the "political blackmail," party sources said he may have to wait for a while before he can be ‘reinstated’ with respect. Indications are that a face-saver is on the Is Vasundhara’s absence cards and he may be inducted as a national general secre- tary of the party and all actions initiated at the instance of the chief minister may be reversed one by one. It is under- stood that three rebel MLAs have already rung up the chief damaging BJP chances? minister and expressed a desire to return. SANGEETA PRANVENDRA second term. The job was en- Diggy trains guns... Jaipur suring victory of BJP candi- dates for 4 RS seats. The num- Yesterday, Pilot was sacked as Rajasthan Deputy CM and A political crisis is raging in bers were stacked in a way a PCC chief by the party.The decision to sack him was tak- Rajasthan and the existence slight slip of a vote or two en at a CLP meeting where as many as 102 MLAs unani- of the Ashok Gehlot govern- could cause the defeat of one mously demanded that Pilot be removed. "He was also ment has been put on stake. candidate – something Raje made Rajasthan PCC president and Deputy Chief Minis- The crisis began during the could not afford. The candi- ter. How old is he? Merely 37-38 years old. Have some pa- recently held Rajya Sabha dates in the fray were then tience. How many people are there who have climbed the political ladder so quickly?" the Congress leader asked. "But he has worked against the norms of the Congress party. It is saddening. I wanted to have good relations with Sachin Pilot. Just like I had with Rajesh Pilot and Mad- havrao Scindia. These youngsters don't have patience, which is a key trait in politics," he added. Singh also ridiculed the claims of former Madhya Pradesh MLAs that work requested by them was not done as they were Scindia supporters and said, "These are blatant lies. We have a list of all the work that was done on the request of these former MLAs".