WITHOUT F EAR OR FAVOUR

Nepal’s largest selling English daily Vol XXVIII No. 46 | 8 pages | Rs.5 O O Printed simultaneously in Kathmandu, Biratnagar, Bharatpur and Nepalgunj 36.2 C 2.4 C Saturday, April 11, 2020 | 29-12-2076 Janakpur Jumla In the wake of lockdown and supply chain disruptions, a food crisis looms Since Nepal relies almost entirely on imports of chemical fertilisers, any disruption to the supply chain could quickly escalate into a food crisis, say experts.

SANGAM PRASAIN KATHMANDU, APRIL 10

On March 31, the heads of three global agencies warned of a potential world- wide food shortage if countries failed to ensure food security while enacting measures to control the spread of Covid-19. “Uncertainty about food availabili- ty can spark a wave of export restric- tions, creating a shortage on the global market,” said the joint text signed by the heads of the United POST FILE PHOTO Nations Food and Agriculture A low farm yield spells a disaster for Nepal. Organization (FAO), World Health POST PHOTO: DEEPAK CK Organization (WHO) and World Trade food crisis is emerging again and this People wait for food aid offered by Kathmandu Ward 9 at Battisputali in the Capital on Friday as the nationwide lockdown over Covid-19 outbreak fears continues. Organization (WTO). time, it’s not due to inadequate pro- For countries like Nepal, which rely duction but a result of the breakdown almost entirely on imports for agricul- in supply chains.” tural inputs, the restrictions that There are total lockdowns in a num- many countries, including India, have ber of countries, including Nepal and imposed in the wake of the Covid-19 India, forcing farmers, field hands, Oli government’s ad-hoc decision-making could pandemic could quickly trigger a food transporters and produce sellers crisis, say experts. indoors during the peak springtime “As around a third of the population harvest season. Without workers, pro- around the world is on lockdown to duce is rotting in the fields, increasing cost the people and nation dearly, say observers prevent the spread of the coronavirus, the threat of food security, according the global supply chain and produc- to Khanal. tion have all broken down,” said The agriculture sector, which con- Uncoordinated decisions have long been the hallmark of the Oli administration but during a crisis as this, Rameshore Khanal, a former secre- tributes 27 percent to the country’s tary at the Finance Ministry. “Nepal GDP, has already been affected by a such decisions could have serious consequences. may also feel the pain sooner or later. comparatively low summer output, of We need to be well prepared.” paddy in particular, caused by the ANIL GIRI Such ad-hoc decision-making has which reflects in the Pokhrel commit- Global crises tend to have ripple delayed monsoon, floods and disease. KATHMANDU, APRIL 10 long been the hallmark of the KP tee’s decisions, say observers. effects on almost all sectors, but espe- Now, the Covid-19 pandemic has fur- Sharma Oli administration, say The lockdown, enforced since cially agriculture and food produc- ther dampened the prospects of a good The Ishwar Pokhrel-led committee for political observers, and Thursday’s March 24, may have helped control the tion. World food prices increased dra- winter harvest and the beginning of the prevention and control of Covid-19 fiasco was just one more link in spread of the disease to a large extent, matically in 2007 and the first and spring cultivation. on Thursday made a debacle. Within the chain. but experts have long said that it’s not second quarters of 2008, leading to Last week, Indian rice traders less than two hours of deciding to Though Nepal has not reported any the only solution and that the authori- political and economic instability and decided to stop signing new export allow people to leave the Valley to go more cases of Covid-19 since the tally ties need to put in place multiple social unrest. The crisis was a result contracts amid the nationwide lock- back to their homes on Friday and reached nine last Saturday, going by measures to fight the pandemic. Apart of severe droughts in major rice pro- down instituted by the Narendra Modi Saturday, a decision that was publicly the unprecedented spread of the coro- from technical steps, one key measure ducing counties and an increase in government to curb the spread of the announced on the Facebook page of navirus in various countries, Nepal is transparency and the free flow of fuel prices. coronavirus. Their decision was trig- the Office of the Prime Minister and continues to face a significant threat. accurate information regarding the “In 2007 and 2008, the markets were gered by labour shortages and logisti- Council of Ministers, the decision was The Oli administration, however, still efforts the government is making to dictated by powerful suppliers and the cal disruptions, as all workers have swiftly reversed and the Facebook does not seem to be treating the situa- fight the disease. price reached alarmingly unprece- been forced indoors.

page itself disappeared. FILE PHOTO POST tion with the gravity it deserves, >> Continued on page 4 dented levels,” said Khanal. “A global >> Continued on page 4 Farmers are selling their produce for a pittance even as customers are paying exorbitant prices Lockdown has meant farmers are unable to travel to Kathmandu to sell produce, relying on traders who seek own profits.

ADITI ARYAL which generate most of KATHMANDU, APRIL 10 what is consumed in Kathmandu, are in a simi- Kanchha Shrestha, a vege- lar situation. Many farm- table farmer in Dhading, ers rely on public trans- is desperate to sell his pro- port to bring their produce duce. His vegetables are to the city for sale, either ready to be harvested and at the central Kalimati dispatched to the markets, bazaar or on their own but he has no means to around the city. But with transport them. He is now all public transportation selling whatever he can at prohibited, farmers are cut-rate prices. Off-season now forced to rely on mid- vegetables like cauliflower dlemen for ferrying their and cucumbers are going produce, who are offering for less than Rs20 per exceedingly low prices. kilo when last year, he was “They [the middlemen] selling the same for Rs 130 set the prices that benefit a kilo. them and we are bound to “The yield looks more comply, or we will be left promising when compared with no choice but to lose to last year, but the reve- our harvest,” said Pushkar nue will be lower than Nepal, a vegetable farmer anticipated,” said from Kavre. “Some farm- Shrestha. ers from the area have Due to the nationwide agreed to sell gourds for lockdown, most farmers in less than Rs10 a kilo to Kavre, Dhading and these middlemen.” Makwanpur districts, >> Continued on page 4

C M Y K SATURDAY, APRIL 11, 2020 | 02 MEDLEY

Inside the Post Quote of the day

People with disabilities who depend on daily income suffer due to National nationwide lockdown, Page 1 Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli on Friday discussed challenges raised by Covid-19 with his Indian counterpart Narendra Modi and stressed the need to keep the supply chain intact during the time of crisis. “I don’t have money. More than my life, I am concerned about my son. The Money Municipality hasn’t given us anything, There are sufficient stocks of food and shipments arrive regularly, officials said amid public concerns over supply disruptions caused by the Covid-19 lockdown. as they say aid is reversed only for people native to the area.” World Kapil BK, a visually impaired man, on the problem brought upon Another horror day of the coronavirus pandemic saw the global death toll pass by the protracted lockdown. 94,000, although there were tentative signs of hope that the crisis was peaking in the United States and Europe. Sports Most read online Spanish La Liga champions Barcelona were in turmoil on Friday after six board directors resigned criticising the clubs’s handling of a social media scandal and the financial implications of the coronavirus crisis. Two of the club’s four vice Nepal Police’s decision to deduct salaries for the Covid-19 presidents, Emili Rousaud and Enrique Tombas, were among those to quit, joined by directors Silvio Elias, Josep Pont, Jordi Calsamiglia and Maria Texidor. fund unfair on its personnel, say critics The Nepal Police’s decision to deduct the pay of all officials above the rank of assistant sub-inspector to contribute to the government’s fund to fight Covid-19 Culture & Arts has been met with dismay, with many believing it could affect the morale of The best thing about Uma is its non-partisan approach. It does not have black and security forces. white characters, rather it treads in the grey zones of reality. It is not a revolution- ary fable, nor it is a piece of anti-Maoist propaganda. It is just a story of the times we lived in. Nepal government derecognises Honorary Consul of Kyrgyzstan Agrawal The Ministry of Foreign Affairs has derecognised Honorary Consul of Kyrgyzstan Sulav Agrawal two days after he was found to have misused the News Quiz vehicle of his office and national flag of the country he represented in Nepal. Nepalis in Portugal live in fear of infection 1. Which border d. Rs 1 million POST PHOTO: ANGAD DHAKAL point has been 4. Kathmandu Metropolitan City A young man bowls during a game of cricket at Gothatar in Kathmandu. but are financially insulated opened for one- has fixed how many designated It has been over three weeks since Nabaraj Pokhrel left his apartment in Lisbon. way cross-bor- sites to sell fruits and vegeta- Like many other countries, Portugal has enforced a state of emergency in light der movement bles following the shutdown of of the Covid-19 pandemic, limiting all residents to their homes. Pokhrel, along with his wife, two children, and two other Nepalis who share the flat, has been

of goods to POST PHOTO Kalimati vegetable market? Nepal? a. Five inside. There’s no work since the city is under a complete lockdown until April a. Tatopani b. Seven On this day in history 17, as the Portuguese government has extended the state of emergency. b. Birgunj-Raxaul c. Nine c. Biratnagar-Jogbani d. Eleven Charges dropped against 26 accused in Bombay blasts d. Rasuwagadi Provinces roll out rapid testing on all suspects and all those 5. Which province has started to BOMBAY – Twenty-six people charged in connection with the March 1993 who’ve returned from India 2. The coronavirus test lab at perform rapid diagnostic tests Bombay-bombings which left more than 300 people dead were freed on Monday After long weeks of pressure from the public and from public health experts, which hospital has started on all individuals staying in for lack of evidence. mass testing for Covid-19 among Nepalis suspected of harbouring the disease sending throat swabs to quarantine facilities? Judge Jei Narayan Patel, who is presiding over the largest trial in Indian his- has finally begun. Sudurpaschim Province began mass testing in Kailali and Kathmandu for due to the a. Karnali tory, ordered the release of the 26 and the dropping of all charges against them. Kanchanpur on Thursday, using the rapid test kits imported from China by malfunction in PCR machine? b. Province 5 “There is not sufficient proof or evidence against them,” the judge said after Omni Business Corporate International, a controversial private firm. a. BPKIHS c. Province 1 the prosecution completed the initial presentation of its case in the trial which b. Karnali Provincial Hospital d. Sudurpaschim began on July 14 of last year. A total of 198 people have been charged in connec- c. Chitwan Medical College tion with the March 12, 1993 bombings of the Bombay Stock Exchange, Air India d. Dhaulagiri Zonal Hospital 6. Which European nation has headquarters, luxury hotels and other landmarks in India’s financial and com- temporarily provided all mercial capital. At least 317 people were killed and more than 1,000 injured in Corrections 3. Province 1 has announced what migrants with full citizenship the serial blasts which occurred on what has been dubbed “Black Friday.” amount as compensation to rights to ensure that everyone Thirty-eight of the 198 people charged in the case are absconding. Our reporters and editors do their best to make sure our reporting is free from families of frontline workers has access to health care and errors. But when we make mistakes that warrant correction, we will be transparent who die on duty while fighting social security? The Kathmandu Post and clarify at the bottom of the specific article. Covid-19? a. Portugal April 11, 1995 If you believe we have got something wrong and it requires correction, please a. Rs 10 million b. France email us at [email protected] with “correction” in the subject line. b. Rs 7 million c. Italy Answers to News Quiz: 1(a), 2(b), 3(c), 4(d), 5(b), 6(a) For the most recent corrections, visit kathmandupost.com/corrections. c. Rs 5 million d. Germany HOROSCOPE ARIES (March 21-April 19) CANCER (June 22-July 22) LIBRA (September 23-October 22) CAPRICORN (December 22-January 19) *** *** **** *** You need to take things more slowly in your If you have an urge to go off on your own today, There is nothing like a strong sense of accom- You can get a lot done with just your enthusiasm relationships. Any impatience you show could try to fight it. Your presence is strongly desired plishment to build your confidence. Today, today, so don’t fret if you don’t have every little only create more stress today, so try to let things by people looking for a solution. Problem- make it your main task to finish as many things detail ironed out right now. Bluffing isn’t just unfold at their own pace. Don’t try to rush ahead solving might not always be your strength, but as you can. Even if you haven’t been feeling something you can do in card games. Talk your of people who are lagging behind. You need to you can help the group find an answer just by down in the dumps about your situation, a little way through any tricky spots today, and use slow down and stay with them. putting in your two cents. boost to your ego couldn’t hurt, right? your bright smile to blind any skeptics.

TAURUS (April 20-May 20) LEO (July 23-August 22) SCORPIO (October 23-November 21) AQUARIUS (January 20-February 18) *** *** ** *** Sharing all your intimate details with close From this morning through tonight, you could Know when to step back today. When the drama Try to spend some time surrounded by nature friends is a good way to get closer, but it’s also a be struck by an insatiable need for more, more, around you gets too intense, step away and find today. Take a long walk outside, work in the good way to get your secrets known to the world. more of whatever you have right now. Your a place to be by yourself. Negative energy may garden, or just admire the flowers in a Without realising it, someone may come extravagant impulses are clearly in control right threaten to cast a shadow over your sunny neighbor’s yard. Getting in touch with the earthy awfully close to spilling one of your biggest now, and they constitute an expression of how mood today, so do what it takes to avoid it. If elements of life will keep you more grounded secrets today. you feel about your life. you’re asked to choose sides, don’t. and balanced.

GEMINI (May 21-June 21) VIRGO (August 23-September 22) SAGITTARIUS (November 22-December 21) PISCES (February 19-March 20) *** *** **** *** Compromising might not seem like much fun From time to time, the awful truth arises: Not Talking to a family member may stir up some There won’t be a single, overriding goal that you right now, but you might have to let go of a few everyone has your best interests at heart. touchy emotions right now, but it’s always have to accomplish today. Instead, you could be things that you thought were must-haves to keep Believe the rumours or whispers you’re better to get things out in the open than to keep dealing with many different, smaller projects, the peace between you and your peers. Letting hearing, but don’t alter who you are or what them deep inside, isn’t it? Do a quick inventory none of which has an urgent deadline. So go of something you really want can be an you’re about. Jealousy is driving this of what you’ve worked on lately in your don’t focus on completion or meeting a empowering experience. malevolence. personal life. particular target.

CROSSWORD SUDOKU

YESTERDAY’S SOLUTION

C M Y K 03 | SATURDAY, APRIL 11, 2020 NATIONAL Covid-19 pandemic pushes provinces to invest in local hospitals All seven provinces are upgrading existing facilities in anticipation of a coronavirus outbreak.

BINOD GHIMIRE among the least developed provinces, KATHMANDU, APRIL 10 too is working to upgrade its hospi- tals. Hari Lamsal, secretary at the The government has always neglected social development ministry, said the areas outside major cities when it provincial government was already comes to development of health facili- working to set up a modern lab at the ties. People from outside the Valley Dhangadhi-based provincial hospital still need to travel to Kathmandu for and upgrading hospitals in all 15 dis- treatment of many diseases. tricts. Development of health facilities He said the government has already was not prioritised even by provincial called for bids to upgrade the district governments that came into hospitals, adding at least one ventila- existence two years ago. However, the tor in each of them. “The pandemic Covid-19 pandemic has led provincial has come with an opportunity to governments to realise that enhance our health services,” he told fighting diseases such as Covid-19 was the Post. “It might take time, but the not possible without well-equipped process has begun.” With four people health services in the provinces and tested positive for Covid-19, the prov- districts. ince has the highest reported case of “The positive side of the pandemic the disease at present. is that it has led to a realisation that As the influx of the Nepali workers the centre alone cannot deal with such returning home from India continues, diseases,” Nawal Kishore Sah, social it is also at high risk of a possible out- development minister in Province 2, break. told the Post. In the wake of the Covid-19 pandem- The province, which fares poorly in ic, all the provinces are investing in health services, is upgrading five of the health sector as the centre has POST PHOTO: PRAKASH CHANDRA TIMILSENA its hospitals, and increasing critical assured them that it will provide the A man sprays a disinfectant solution in the Pashupati temple area in Kathmandu on Friday. care facilities and beds. Sah said that necessary budget. along with the Janakpur-based pro- Dal Rawal, social development min- vincial hospital, four other district ister of Karnali Province, said the hospitals are being upgraded to treat current pandemic has taught a lesson infections. that saving lives is the first priority of He said the government is also plan- the state. This cannot be achieved People with disabilities who depend on daily ning to upgrade hospitals in Parsa, without investing money in the health Mahottari, Dhanusha and Saptari to sector. He said his government plans make provisions for 50-bed wards. The to allocate up to Rs 10 million to all hospitals will have intensive care nine district hospitals. income suffer due to nationwide lockdown units and ventilators. Currently, there are only 17 inten- Sah said that his government has sive care units and 8 ventilators in the They say they don’t get relief from municipalities because they don’t have local identity cards. released Rs 50 million to each of the province. Both numbers are to be hospitals. “Our province is at high doubled within a few weeks “The pres- risk of Covid-19, yet we have very poor ent pandemic led us to ponder on the ANUP OJHA percent of them depend on their daily ting essential relief items from the health facilities,” he said. “The pres- importance of health service,” he told KATHMANDU, APRIL 10 income to make their ends meet. The 2011 census local government,” said Subedi. ent crisis has triggered us to upgrade the Post. “We will continue to invest in “I don’t have money. More than my Devi Parajuli, a rehabilitation ther- our facilities.” the hospitals even after the pandemic Every time the government announc- life, I am concerned about my son,” shows that around apist for people with disabilities, said Sudurpaschim Province, which is is over.” es an extension to the nationwide said BK, 29, who lives in a rented the lockdown and the fear of trans- lockdown, 29-year-old Kapil BK’s wor- room in Bhaktapur. “The municipali- 23,549 people with mission of coronavirus have created ries deepen. The visually impaired ty hasn’t given us anything, as they immense anxiety and psychological man from Doti, lives with his son and say aid is reserved only for people disabilities live in problems among people with disabili- mother. native to the area,” BK, who is surviv- Kathmandu. ties in the lower economic strata. “My wife, who is not blind, eloped ing on flattened rice told the Post. “People with disabilities have to with another man eight months ago The story of Kusam Chaudhari, 26, depend upon others,” said Parajuli. leaving a four-year-old son with me,” and Nischal Magar, 27, both of whom “For example, blind people and people said Kapil BK, 29, who is visually are blind is similar. The residents of Chaudhari. with hearing difficulties have to rely impaired. “My mother came from the Dang, who now live in Kathmandu, She said her parents have been ask- on others even for information on village to look after him. I had been tied the knot just a week before the ing her to return home, but she can’t coronavirus,” said Parajuli. feeding them selling incense sticks nationwide lockdown. even do that due to the lockdown. She said that the society needs to do door to door, but now I am confined “We are good singers, and we “Life has become very stressful and more to help people with disabilities into my cold and damp room,” said thought we could easily run our life complicated for us,” said Chaudhari. who are bearing the brunt of the lock- BK. singing on the road,” said the couple. Sudarsan Subedi, former president down. “I request everyone to motivate BK is not the only person with disa- But with the lockdown, they have run of Nepal Federation of Disabled, said and help the people living with any bilities suffering due to the coronavi- out of money to buy food. “The ward the lockdown has hit disabled people kind of disabilities, because they are rus lockdown, which has already been office has not given us a relief card, who depend on their daily income suffering really hard,” said Parajuli. in force for 17 days. The 2011 census we have nothing to eat, except a sack hard. Meanwhile, BK and his family shows that around 23,549 people with of rice we received from the Nepal “The disabled people have identity chew the last remaining packet of disabilities live in Kathmandu. Blind Association two weeks ago.” cards, but they are not issued from in flattened rice. They need to ration it so According an estimate by the National “It’s been two weeks we are eating the area where they reside,” said that they have at least something to POST PHOTO: HARI GAUTAM Federation of the Disabled, around 50 salt rice without vegetables,”said Subedi. “That is why they are not get- eat tomorrow. An isolation ward built to treat Covid-19 patients at a hospital in Rukum (East). Oli and Modi discuss Insurance Board revises premiums paid by Covid-19 situation and migrant workers before going to work overseas measures to look after Migrant workers will have to spend less on premiums and they can pay from abroad through online payment gateways. CHANDAN KUMAR MANDAL KATHMANDU, APRIL 10 The decision was stranded citizens The Insurance Board has revised pre- made after foreign miums paid by migrant workers Oli stresses easing the supplies and keeping them intact. before going to work overseas, which job department will provide much-needed financial respite to them. raised its concerns POST REPORT in India. For years, tens of thousands of to the government. KATHMANDU, APRIL 10 No death has been reported in Nepal Nepali migrant workers have been but India has reported 228 deaths as of paying for a three-year insurance Prime Minister KP Sharma Friday. package although they get the labour Oli on Friday discussed challenges Though movements of goods and permit of working overseas only for Employment had already signed raised by Covid-19 with his supplies have continued two years. agreements with various online pay- Indian counterpart Narendra Modi through Nepal-India border Now, the Board—insurance regula- ments gateways. With these online and stressed the need to keep the sup- points, there has been a complete tory authority under the Ministry of gateways, aspiring migrant workers ply chain intact during the time of restriction on the movement of Finance—has made changes in policy can make payments for insurance and crisis. people. that only requires a migrant worker to Migrant Workers’ Welfare Fund to get “I held a telephonic conversation pay only for additional six months work permits from the department. with Indian Prime Minister Narendra besides their working tenure of two “The board has asked insurance Modi. We agreed to further strengthen Modi says that India years. companies to accept their fees via our collaborative fight against Covid- The Department of Foreign online payment services and make it 19,” Oli said on Twitter. “We stressed stands in solidarity Employment—the government body easier for migrant workers so they can the need to look after the citizens managing the country’s labour migra- make the payment from wherever stranded in each other’s countries. We with Nepal in tion and governance—has long been they are,” said Paudel. also discussed easing and keeping the criticising the policy for it financially Currently, migrant workers have to supplies intact and I thanked him for the common fight exploits migrant workers. POST FILE PHOTO pay for insurance services at the the Indian assistance including medi- against Covid-19. According to Raju Raman Paudel, For years Nepali migrant workers have been paying for a three-year insurance package outlets of insurance companies, cines to Nepal.” executive director of the board, the although they get the labour permit of working overseas only for two years. which are only set up outside Modi also tweeted about his tele- decision was made following concerns the Foreign Employment Office, phone conversation with Oli. raised by the Department of Foreign um, the board has also introduced new months of processing before workers Tahachal, Kathmandu and other “Spoke today with Prime Minister After reports that thousands of Employment. rates of premium with six months of can migrate. Likewise, sometimes the labour offices outside in provincial of Nepal, Shri @kpsharmaoli. We dis- Nepalis and hundreds of Indians “There has been discussion regard- breakdown. Migrant workers have to worker stays a little longer even when headquarters. cussed the prevailing situation due to were stranded at the border, the two ing why workers were made to pay for pay a varied premium based on their their job contract is over,” said Paudel. Unavailability of online payment COVID-19,” Modi wrote. “I appreciate governments had decided to care for a three-year package whereas age group. “They will get the coverage for an options has affected the government the determination of people of Nepal each other’s citizens in their territo- their work contract used to be for only Paying for six months of additional additional three months after their decision of providing re-entry work to fight this challenge. We stand in ries. two years,” said Paudel. premium will cover workers’ three contract is over.” permits to migrant workers from solidarity with Nepal in our common Oli, in televised address on “Now they do not have to pay for months before departure period in Besides, the board has also asked labour destination countries. fight against COVID-19.” Tuesday, said that around 2,147 one extra year but only six months. Nepal and the other three months will insurance companies to make In August 2019, the government had Currently, both Nepal and India are Nepalis were in quarantine on the This will certainly provide a respite to provide coverage in labour destina- arrangements for accepting premium decided that Nepali migrant workers under a lockdown to contain the Indian side and 0ver 7,00 Indian migrant workers.” tion countries even when their tenure payments via cheques and online pay- could apply and receive re-entry spread of the coronavirus, which has nationals are in quarantine on the As migrant workers do not have to is ove r. ment gateways. labour permits without having to infected nine people in Nepal and 6,771 Nepali side. pay for a whole year of extra premi- “It takes a minimum of three The Department of Foreign come to Nepal.

C M Y K SATURDAY, APRIL 11, 2020 | 04 NATIONAL In the wake of lockdown and supply ...

>> Continued from page 1 “We don’t know if global fertiliser the pandemic subsides, there is an Subodh Kumar Gupta, president of companies will manufacture and opportunity for Nepal, said Khanal, the Association of Nepalese Rice, Oil export at a time of crisis and a severe the former finance secretary. and Pulse Industries, had told the Post shortage of manpower,” he said. “If “Yes, a large proportion of labour that the supply of rice in the country the farm sector encounters even one migrants to India, the Gulf, Malaysia will not be immediately affected as of those problems, then a food crisis is and elsewhere will be returning home there are adequate rice stocks with imminent. We eat rice and without and they will need jobs,” said Khanal. Nepali mills and the market to last rain and fertiliser, it’s impossible to “The government should introduce around three months, and farmers too grow rice.” targeted schemes for them to turn the have paddy stocks. The agriculture ministry said that coronavirus crisis into an opportunity “But now, it seems all countries will the poultry and dairy sectors have to make the country self-sufficient in extend the lockdown indefinitely and already been hit hard by the lock- food production.” this means key producers like India down. The government should develop will not immediately open up their “And fresh vegetables are not get- three strategies: for production, pro- food trade,” said Ram Krishna Regmi, ting to the market,” said Regmi. cessing and storage, said Khanal. chief statistician at the Ministry of Due to adequate winter rainfall, the For example, there is currently no Agriculture and Livestock ministry had expected an increase of link between villages and the urban Development. more than 10 percent in wheat produc- markets and vegetables may rot in the In Nepal’s context, two factors tion but losses are now likely, as tens field. But these vegetables can be will determine whether there is a food of thousands of farmers are indoors dried and stored so that they can be crisis. as wheat ripens in thousands of hec- used in the upcoming months. “The monsoon is the obvious first tares of land across the country. “This way, we can save farmers and factor. The course of the economy as The lockdown may also impact the ensure food security,” said Khanal. well as food security depends entirely ongoing plantation of spring paddy. Nepal imported agricultural goods on the monsoon as we have a rain-fed And if the lockdown continues into worth more than Rs220 billion last fis- agricultural system,” said Regmi. the next few months, the main paddy cal year. The country imports around “Second is the availability of chemi- plantation that normally begins from 600,000 tonnes of rice, 400,000 tonnes cal fertilisers as Nepal is a net import- early May in the hills and early June of maize and 100,000 tonnes of wheat. er of this vital farm input.” in the Tarai will also be impacted. The ministry said that Nepal cur- But things are uncertain, said But with many labour migrants rently has a food deficit of around POST PHOTO: MANOJ PAUDEL Regmi, as the pandemic has thrown returning to the country due to the 600,000 tonnes, which is primarily met A monk lights candles in Lumbini to pray for those who lost their lives due to Covid-19. The infectious disease has claimed the lives of nearly the entire world into chaos, disrupting downturn in the global economy, by imports from India. 100,000 people worldwide. entire industries and supply chains. which is expected to linger even when Nawalparasi folk Saptari prioritises security Farmers are selling ... return sacks of >> Continued from page 1 their own vehicles so they rent Selling their produce locally within them from contractors. This lockdown ‘spoiled rice’ the district is an option for both the has also increased the costs of rent- farmers but the market is not big ing,” said Surya Rijal, an agricultural NABIN PAUDEL forces over health facilities enough. economist. PARASI, APRIL 10 They had scaled up their produc- As demands for fresh produce are Hospitals in the district say they don’t have money to buy protective gear for staffers. tion in the previous years to meet likely to have dropped, with all restau- Residents of Ramgram Municipality demands from Kathmandu, and now rants and hotels closed, prices should in Nawalparasi (West) have returned they have an abundance of crops that either have stayed stable or even fall- sacks of “spoiled rice” and other food- ABDHESH KUMAR JHA provided the office Rs 500,000 to ed Rs 200,000 each. Similarly, the they are unable to sell. en, given the glut of produce in the stuff provided to them as relief in the RAJBIRAJ, APRIL 10 launch awareness campaigns and an National Investigation Office in But in Kathmandu, there is a very market. But transport restrictions, face of the coronavirus epidemic and additional Rs 500,000 to purchase med- Saptari was provided Rs 100,000. different scenario unfolding. Prices of and now the closure of the largest the nationwide lockdown. The Saptari district disaster manage- icines and equipment. But the amount Khanal claimed that the amount fresh produce have soared. According centralised market in the city, have Sohan Kewat, a local of Ward 6, ment committee has distributed is not enough. was distributed as per the decision of to traders at a vegetable market in had the opposite effect. said they were provided substandard half of the money it received from the According to the District Public the disaster management committee. Naxal, consumers in the last week are The government has identified 11 food items in the name of relief. “The provincial government to fight the Health Office, quarantine facilities in “The amount was provided to security paying between Rs70 and Rs 100 for a spaces around the Valley for farmers rice and soya chunks we received is coronavirus epidemic to security Dakneshwori, Shambhunath, agencies to buy equipment and for the kilo of gourds. to sell their produce, but there is ambi- not even suitable for cattle,” said agencies at a time when local health Khadaga, Rupani, Rajgadh and mobilisation of the security personnel And prices are expected to increase, guity in market timings and locations. Kewat. “We will fall ill if we eat these facilities are reeling under a budget Chhinnamasta do not even have ther- in the field,” he added. given that the vegetable market at “A contractor only agreed to carry things.” crunch. mal guns. “The health workers have People’s representatives, political Kalimati, where most retailers source 10 kilos of beans from my farm to Municipality officials, who earlier Of the Rs 5 million provided by the been using a digital thermometer to parties and even some members of the their vegetables from, is now closed. Kathmandu,” said Bishnu Shrestha, a in the week collected data of impover- Province 2 government, Rs 2.6 million measure body temperature of the district disaster management commit- According to farmers from farmer from Kavre. “But I heard the ished families in the town, had started has been given to Nepal Army, Nepal quarantined people there,” said tee have raised questions over the Jitpurphedi, middlemen are using beans were dumped outside the vege- distributing relief from wards 6 and Police, Armed Police Force and Duniya Lal. amount provided to security agencies this as an excuse to cut prices, know- table market in Kalimati since it is 11, halted the programme after facing National Investigation Department by ignoring the health sector. ing farmers have few alternatives. closed.” protests. The municipality had units based in the district. Ashok Kumar Mandal, Saptari This difference in prices can be With both farmers and consumers planned to distribute 10kg rice, one kg The committee headed by the chief Rs 2.6 million out chairman of Nepal Communist Party, attributed to obstacles faced by other in a pinch, it is the middlemen who lentils, half-litre cooking oil, half-kg district officer has provided just Rs and Nepal Congress district president key players in the supply chain, said are making a killing. Even among con- soya chunks and two bars of soaps to 100,000 each to the District Public of Rs 5 million Dinesh Kumar Yadav, both members Mahadev Prasad Luitel, a senior agri- sumers, it is the urban poor and daily each of 2,300 families on its list. Health Office and Gajendra Narayan of the district disaster management culture economist at the Department wage workers who will suffer more, as According to the municipality Singh Hospital to set up isolation was given to committee, condemned the move. of Agriculture. they are out of jobs and generally office, they spent Rs 1 million to buy wards. Both of them said that they were not “Despite a directive from the have fewer savings, meaning they are 250 quintals of rice from Rajesh Rice “We haven’t been able to provide security forces. consulted with while distributing the Ministry of Agriculture to permit less likely to be able to afford the more Shop in Parasi. personal protective equipment to amount. vehicles transporting agricultural expensive vegetables and fruits. “When we’d visited the shop, we health workers who have been “We were not even informed about produce, we have received complaints The Ministry of Agriculture has were shown good quality rice and soya deployed to control Covid-19 in the The money was provided to the the meeting of the disaster manage- of police and municipalities not let- asked the Cabinet to come up with chunks,” he added . district due to lack of money,” said security forces despite the govern- ment committee. The chief district ting them ply the roads,” said Luitel. relief packages targeting the worst-hit According to Gupta, the municipali- Duniya Lal Yadav, chief at the District ment’s separate provisioning of Rs 4.5 officer and the chiefs of the security Transporters are also reluctant to farmers to cover at least the initial ty office will test the food items meant Public Health Office in Saptari. “Some million to Nepal Police, Armed Police agencies decided unilaterally,” said collect and dispatch agricultural pro- investment, according to Luitel. for distribution. Following the inci- of the quarantine facilities in differ- Force and National Investigation Mandal. duce without protective equipment Kanchha Shrestha, meanwhile, is dent, the Nawalparasi (West) District ent parts of the district do not have Department of the province under. Meanwhile, police detained 25 peo- due to a fear of contracting Covid-19, afraid that he will have to take out Administration Office has formed a basic equipment like thermal guns,” According to Saptari Chief District ple, including 14 Indian nationals, which has reduced the quantity of more loans if he is unable to sell his five-member team to investigate the he added. Officer Sunil Khanal, Bhimdal who refused to stay in quarantine. produce collected from farmers, he produce for the entire season. incident. Chief District Officer “The health office should provide Battalion of Nepal Army, the District Security personnel detained them in said. This has provided an opportuni- “If I lose my yield before it reaches Basudev Dahal said the team led by security gear to employees deployed Police Office and Armed Police Bhardaha, Saptari on Wednesday ty for the middlemen to operate in a the market, I will be pushed into debt,” Sagar Gautam, the administrative in the field. But we haven’t been able Battalion 6, Rajbiraj have been provid- evening and have kept them in a quar- market with few competitors, allow- he said. “Other farmers like me are in officer of the District Administration to purchase any due to the lack of ed Rs 700,000 each while Nepal Police antine in Mahuli. Investigation is on ing them to set a price that increases a similar situation and we seek some Office, will verify the quality and budget,” he added. Training Centre and Armed Police to find out from where they entered their profit margins. support from the government in such quantity of the food items procured. According to him, the government Force Battalion in Barmajhiya provid- Saptari, said police. “Most transporters do not have distressing times.” Over 3,000 labourers stranded at various Oli government’s ad-hoc decision-making construction sites across Myagdi could cost the people and nation ...

>> Continued from page 1 While Bidari insisted that the Office Even ruling Nepal Communist Labourers have said the companies behind the projects haven’t At least two senior bureaucrats told of the Prime Minister and the Council Party members admit poor handling the Post that the entire bureaucracy is of Ministers never had a Facebook of the situation by the Pokhrel-led provided them with even the basic necessities. suffering under the incoherent and page, the page itself was a verified committee. inconsistent decisions taken by vari- account that regularly posted govern- “There is less work and more pub- GHANASHYAM KHADKA ous ministers in the Oli Cabinet. mental decisions and updates. licity stunts by this committee,” a MYAGDI, APRIL 10 “Things have become increasingly Experts, however, say that decision standing committee member of the difficult for bureaucrats given the making in the Oli administration has ruling party told the Post on condition Hundreds of workers employed at var- manner in which the political always been problematic and in such of anonymity. “At a time when the ious development projects in Myagdi leadership has been handling the situ- times of crisis, opacity and ad hocism committee should have been working have been stranded as the projects ation for the last three months,” one could cost the people and the country on a war footing and coming up with have stopped work since the country bureaucrat told the Post on condition dearly. clear decisions, it is creating an went into lockdown to prevent the of anonymity because he feared retri- Since the inception of the Oli gov- embarrassing situation.” spread of Covid-19. bution. “After all, as members of the ernment, most of its decisions have Government officials say that politi- An estimated 5,000 people work at ‘permanent government’, we are the been myopic, said Geja Sharma Wagle, cians’ advisors too are making things various development projects in the ones who have to get into damage a political commentator. worse. For one, they lack the under- district. Labourers have said the com- control. The political leadership “That’s why several of the govern- standing and second, they are keen to panies behind the projects haven’t tasked with handling the crisis is ment decisions were reversed later,” leak information to the media. provided them with even the basic inept, with no understanding of the Wagle told the Post. “And we have to take the blame,” necessities. ground reality.” “One recent incident is the scrap- said the bureaucrat who spoke on con- On Thursday, police rescued 25 con- Thursday’s decision to let people ping of a deal with a private company dition of anonymity. struction workers from Singa in Beni leave the Valley for their homes might for the procurement of medical equip- “Governance is not about quick Municipality. Faced with an increas- not have hurt the government much, ment. In this [Thursday’s] case too, it decisions; it is about informed deci- ingly uncertain future, the workers as thousands of people are stuck in is apparent that there’s a total lack of sions, and such decisions require ade- were on their way to their native Kathmandu due to the lockdown and coordination among the government quate homework and coordination villages, said Obigal Roka Magar, are running out of money, food and agencies.” with various agencies.” one of the workers who was on his essentials. According to Wagle, in the kind of Ever since the formation of the Oli way to his native village in Rolpa. Those familiar with Thursday’s governance system Nepal practises, government, many analysts have According to Magar, the contractors development said the Pokhrel-led com- the buck should stop with the prime questioned the wisdom of the prime haven’t paid them wages worth mittee had just floated the idea if the minister, but Oli has often feigned minister’s style of working, saying he Rs2million cumulatively. lockdown should be lifted for those ignorance when it comes to criticism relies too heavily on a small circle of Police on Friday detained Akkal POST PHOTO: GHANASHYAM KHADKA who want to leave the Valley. that his government encounters. advisors and favoured ministers. Bahadur Tamang, a contractor Over 5,000 workers are employed at various construction sites in the district. “But before the decision was for- Oli most recently said that he was “Prime Minister Oli has a tendency behind the construction of the police malised, the media reported about it,” unaware of the fiasco involving the to work with a close coterie and he hospital where Magar works, on the their workers, as many were leaving construction contractors have Narayan Bidari, a secretary at the government’s procurement deal with trusts only a few people,” said Tara charge of shirking responsibility of for home,” he said, claiming that been negligent about the workers’ Prime Minister’s Office, told the Post. private company Omni Business Nath Dahal, chairman of Freedom the workers. projects under local governments security and basic facilities. “For the decision to be formally made, Corporate International, but this is an Forum Nepal, a civil liberty group. “The contractor has been negligent have provided basic facilities to their “The problem is most acute in con- a meeting has to take place and as a old tactic the prime minister has “This results in a lack of interaction of his responsibility towards the workers. struction projects,” he said. “The pro- member secretary of the Coronavirus resorted to often. between Oli, his ministers and party workers during these uncertain But following the lockdown, labour- jects are found to be oblivious about Crisis Management Committee, I was Though the government has leaders before decisions are made.” times,” Dhruba Sharma, information ers employed at the Mistrikhola Hydro the number of labourers working supposed to present the agenda at the entrusted the Pokhrel-led committee And this lack of coordination mani- officer at District Police, said. Project staged protests as the project at the sites.” meeting.” with the task of handling all issues fests in situations like Thursday’s Narayan GC, chief of the didn’t provide them with soap, sanitis- According to estimates from the Bidari said that he was unaware related to Covid-19, its performance backtracking. Construction Entrepreneurs’ ers and masks. They were sent back to District Administration Office, over how an issue that was not even dis- has been questioned since the very “The nation has been paying the Association, Myagdi, said that there their camp after project manager 5,000 workers are employed at various cussed in the meeting appeared as a beginning. price of Oli’s working style—be it were irregularities from workers after Tilak Rana promised to provide the construction sites in the district; 2,000 formal decision in the media. The committee lacks experts and today in a time of crisis or earlier, the lockdown. safety essentials. labourers have returned home since “The Prime Minister’s Office does there is a large representation of when the situation was much more “With the lockdown in place, con- Myagdi Chief District Officer the coronavirus crisis, while over not even have a Facebook page or politicians, with around half a dozen conducive for the prime minister to tractors were struggling to manage Gyannath Dhakal said that many 3,000 are stranded at the sites. Twitter account,” he told the Post. ministers. work,” said Dahal.

C M Y K 05 | SATURDAY, APRIL 11, 2020 MONEY

FOREX Tesla expands US Dollar 122.36 There are sufficient stocks of food and Euro 133.88 locally made line-up, Pound Sterling 152.75 blunting trade Japanese Yen 11.29 shipments arrive regularly, officials say Chinese Yuan 17.39 war impact Qatari Riyal 33.61 Factories manufacturing food products have been allowed to resume production. Australian Dollar 77.63 REUTERS POST REPORT BEIJING, APRIL 10 Malaysian Ringit 28.39 KATHMANDU, APRIL 10 US electric vehicle maker Tesla Inc Saudi Arab Riyal 32.54 There are sufficient stocks of food and said on Friday it has started China Exchange rates fixed by Nepal Rastra Bank shipments arrive regularly, officials sales of two more Model 3 variants said amid public concerns over supply built at its Shanghai plant, meaning disruptions caused by the Covid-19 all Model 3 sedans sold in the country PRICE PER TOLA lockdown are now locally made and not subject BULLION According to the Ministry of to import tax. Industry, Commerce and Supplies, The development comes at the tail Fine Gold Rs 77,000 imports during the last 17 days of the end of a Sino-US trade war character- lockdown consisted of 37,334 tonnes ised by tit-for-tat tariffs on goods and Silver Rs 720 of groceries, 14,054 tonnes of legumes, services as varied as metals and cars, 21,626 tonnes of vegetables, 5,962 which bumped up prices of US made SOURCE: FENEGOSIDA tonnes of fruits, 80 tonnes of dairy goods in China. products, Rs100.87 million worth of It also comes after Tesla suspended raw materials used to manufacture production at its San Francisco Bay GASOLINE WATCH medicines and Rs560.97 million worth Area plant due to the broader impact of medicinal drugs. of the coronavirus, with plans to Industry Minister Lekh Raj Bhatta POST FILE PHOTO resume normal operation on May 4. said that all vehicles entering the The domestic food industry has enough rice to last four months, lentils for three months and edible oil for three months. Tesla said it aims to start delivering country were being sprayed with dis- Shanghai-made Long Range Model 3 infectant at the customs points. The ministry said food factories in access to daily essentials. But due to Grocery inventories are checked cars from June this year, priced 339,050 The government and private sectors the industrial corridor were operating lack of coordination between various daily, and if there is any sort of short- yuan after subsidies. have a combined 125,290 tonnes at 41 percent of capacity, oil factories government agencies, grocery stores age, deliveries are made immediately. The rear-wheel drive variant, with a of rice, 7,294 tonnes of sugar, at 63 percent, drinking water factories have not been allowed to open. If they The District Administration Office driving range of over 600 kilometres 158,990 tonnes of salt, 16,081 tonnes at 90 percent, dairy factories at 50 per- are permitted to open, it is for brief collects data of overall food stocks. before needing to be recharged, differs of legumes and 16,868 tonnes of lentils cent, feed factories at 33 percent, drug periods only. There is regular supply of gasoline. from the imported version which was in stock. factories at 73 percent and brick facto- Talks are also being held to bring Nepal Oil Corporation plans to dis- all-wheel drive and priced 439,900 The domestic food industry has ries at 48 percent of capacity. vegetables from the farmers’ fields tribute full cylinders of cooking gas yuan. The locally made Performance enough rice to last four months, len- Bhatta said that talks were being directly to the market, officials said. from April 12. The corporation has Model 3, for which deliveries are slat- tils for three months and edible oil for held with trade union officials to cre- Salt Trading Corporation and Food been issuing half-filled cylinders due ed for the first quarter next year, three months. ate a safe workplace by following all Management and Trading Company to a spike in demand. will be priced 419,800 yuan, the Factories manufacturing food prod- safety procedures. have started distributing and Masks and sanitisers arrived from California-based automaker said ucts have been allowed to resume pro- Masks, sanitisers and personal delivering food items through food China on April 8 following the reopen- without specifying the price after sub- duction in the first phase under the protection equipment will be pro- distribution centres, cooperatives and ing of the Tatopani border point. sidies. Imported Performance Model 3 government’s plan to reopen essential duced in the country; and if they need mobile vans. Following a video conference among vehicles were priced 509,900 yuan. industries. The government plans to be imported, the process will be The two state-owned companies SAARC countries on April 8, trading Tesla sold 10,160 vehicles in China in to allow industries making materials fast-tracked. have also started online sales of gro- procedures have been simplified March, versus 3,900 in February, needed for construction and The ministry said that shops selling cery item. They have issued 1,113 under the South Asian Free Trade marking its highest-ever monthly development to reopen next after stud- food items would be allowed to open so tonnes of groceries as relief packages Area considering the urgency of the sales in the world’s largest auto mar- ying the situation. that the public would have convenient to daily wage earners. situation. ket, industry data showed. China factory gate IMF head sees worst Top oil producers except Mexico deflation deepens as Covid-19 paralyses economic downturn agree to output cuts: OPEC global economy since Great Depression AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE VIENNA (AUSTRIA), APRIL 10

REUTERS that over 170 nations will have Major oil producers except Mexico BEIJING, APRIL 10 negative per capita income growth agreed to cut output in May and June this year. by 10 million barrels per day, OPEC China’s factory gate prices fell the Emerging markets and low-income said on Friday, after marathon talks to most in five months in March, with nations across Africa, Latin America counter a collapse in prices. deflation deepening and set to worsen and much of Asia are at high risk, The videoconference led by the in coming months as the economic she said. Organization of the Petroleum damage wrought by the coroanvirus “With weak health systems to begin Exporting Countries has been seen as outbreak at home and worldwide with, many face the dreadful chal- the best chance of providing support shuts down many countries. lenge of fighting the virus in densely to prices, which have been wallowing The world’s second-largest economy populated cities and poverty-stricken near two-decade lows due to the coro- is trying to restart its engines after slums, where social distancing is navirus pandemic and a price war weeks of near paralysis to contain the AP/RSS hardly an option,” Georgieva said. between key players Saudi Arabia pandemic that had severely restricted IMF Managing Director Kristalina Georgieva. Investors have grown fearful of and Russia. business activity, flow of goods and leaving their money in emerging econ- The agreement, which also reduces the daily life of people. ASSOCIATED PRESS omies that could be hit hard by a glob- production by eight million bpd from Friday’s data from the National WASHINGTON, APRIL 10 al recession. As a result, capital out- July to December, depends on Mexico’s REUTERS Bureau of Statistics suggested a dura- flows from emerging-market countries consent for it to take effect, the oil An Austrian army member stands next to the logo of the Organization of the Petroleoum ble recovery was some way off, with The coronavirus pandemic will push have totaled more than $100 billion cartel said after the meeting. Exporting Countries in front of OPEC’s headquarters in Vienna, Austria, on Friday. China’s producer price index (PPI) the global economy into the deepest over the last two months, more than The virtual meeting of OPEC coun- falling 1.5percent from a year earlier, recession since the Great Depression, three times larger than the same peri- tries, dominated by Riyadh, and their host a separate virtual gathering of Barkindo warned that the rapid the biggest decline since October last with the world’s poorest countries suf- od at the start of the global financial OPEC+ allies including Russia, as energy ministers from the G20 group economic damage wrought by the year. It compared with a median fore- fering the most, the head of the crisis, Georgieva noted. well as other key non-members, began of major economies in a similar bid to virus meant the industry’s “supply cast of a 1.1percent fall tipped by a International Monetary Fund said Georgieva said there was no ques- just after 1440 GMT on Thursday. ensure “market stability”. and demand fundamentals are Reuters poll of analysts and a 0.4per- on Thursday. tion that 2020 will be an “exceptionally Talks dragged on into the small Stephen Innes, an analyst at horrifying”. cent drop in February. “We anticipate the worst economic difficult” year. She said if the pandem- hours of Friday. Bloomberg News AxiCorp, said the supply cuts were “Our industry is hemorrhaging; Headline consumer inflation also fallout since the Great Depression,” ic fades in the second half of the year, reported that the main sticking “less than the market hoped for” given no-one has been able to stem the bleed- eased somewhat last month, partly led IMF Managing Director Kristalina allowing the gradual lifting of con- point was the refusal of Mexico to sign the hit to demand from coronavirus ing,” Barkindo said, bemoaning com- by government control measures, Georgieva said Thursday in remarks tainment measures and the reopening up to its share of cuts under the deal, lockdowns throughout the world. panies already filing for bankruptcy while core prices remained benign, previewing next week’s virtual of the global economy, the IMF is which would have been 400,000 barrels “The deal currently tabled will only and the tens of thousands of jobs that leaving more room for monetary eas- meetings of the 189-nation IMF and forecasting a partial recovery in 2021. per day. partially offset oil price distress, but have been lost. ing, some analysts said. its sister lending organization, the “I stress there is tremendous uncer- Mexican Energy Minister Rocio that’s what it was supposed to do. Still, Compounding the problem, Riyadh World Bank. tainty around the outlook,” she said. Nahle Garcia tweeted that her country the storm clouds for oil prices will and Moscow had both ramped up out- She said that the IMF will release an “It could get worse depending on had suggested a cut of 100,000 barrels. only completely dissipate when lock- put in a bid to hold on to market share Analysts expect a updated world economic forecast on many variable factors, including the Another virtual meeting is sched- downs are lifted,” he said. and undercut US shale producers. Tuesday that will show just how duration of the pandemic.” uled for June 10 “to determine further Rystad Energy also said market While the US is not in the OPEC or deep first-quarter quickly the coronavirus outbreak has She said that she and World Bank actions, as needed to balance the mar- equilibrium would not be re-estab- OPEC+ groups, it is supportive of a turned what had been expected to President David Malpass will pursue ket”, OPEC said. lished although the cuts for May and reduction in supply in order to stabi- economic be a solid year of growth into a deep at next week’s virtual meetings an The current agreement also fore- June would prevent prices from crash- lise prices and breathe new life into its downturn. agreement to adopt a standstill on sees a six mbpd cut from January 2021 ing. Oil prices have slumped since the shale industry. contraction in China. Just three months ago, the IMF was debt payments over the next year through April 2022. An extension to beginning of the year due to the US President Donald Trump had forecasting that 160 nations would by the world’s poorest nations, freeing the cooperation deal will be reviewed COVID-19 pandemic. expressed optimism about the pros- enjoy positive income growth on a per up money they can use for critical in December next year, OPEC said. At the beginning of the meeting, pects for an agreement–even as the The overall decline in the factory capita basis. Now the expectation is health needs. Saudi Arabia will on Friday also OPEC Secretary General Mohammad talks appeared to be at an impasse. gate gauge was exacerbated by a slump in global oil and commodities prices, which filtered through to crude oil, steel and non-ferrous metal industries, the statistics bureau said in a statement accompanying Sun, sea, sand and space as coronavirus empties Asia’s beaches the data. “The issue of having more supply than demand, and persistently low oil REUTERS ly believed to be higher. The long crackdown against the coronavirus, prices, will intensify deflationary BALI (INDONESIA), APRIL 10 Easter weekend would normally be a even as its spread slows. Australia had pressures,” said Yang Yewei, a Beijing- busy time in Bali, but not this year. 6,152 infections by Friday with 53 based analyst with Southwest Just weeks ago, some visitors were “Business is down almost 95 per- virus-related deaths. Securities. complaining that Bali’s famous sand cent,” said souvenir shop owner Ruju, The co-owner of Bondi Surf “Work resumptions on the produc- and surf spot of Kuta Beach was way who like many Indonesians uses only Seafoods, George Dimitrios said 2020 tion side are faster than the repair in too busy. one name. “I have to borrow money was the worst year in his family’s demand. Downstream demand is Now it is deserted, with access just to buy food.” 47-year-old business and Good Friday recovering slowly and still remains banned as part of measures to curb Not everyone agreed with the sales had been disastrous. weak,” he said. the spread of the new coronavirus, restrictions on the beaches. Bondi made headlines in March The oil and gas extraction sector which has killed nearly 100,000 people Among them was Australian Daniel when thousands of people were seen had the biggest year-on-year price fall around the world and infected more Baker, who said it would be better to ignoring social distancing rules at its of 21.7percent, among the 40 major than 1.5 million. just enforce social distancing of up to world-famous beach. Authorities have industrial sectors surveyed, deterio- The picture in Bali is similar at two metres to prevent the virus since opened up a pop-up clinic. rating sharply from a 0.4percent drop other top Asia Pacific destinations spreading. On the Thai resort island of Phuket, in the previous month. such as Sydney’s Bondi Beach and “When I went for a surf last week I coronavirus has largely eliminated The stringent travel and transport Thailand’s Phuket. was on Kuta reef, one kilometre off- the tourist industry on which it has curbs have now been lifted across “To stop the spread of the COVID-19 shore, the nearest surfer was 200 survived. It is now on a partial lock- much of the country including pandemic, all the beaches in Kuta area metres away, so why can’t I do that?” down to curb the spread of the virus, Wuhan, the epicentre of the outbreak closed for public,” reads a sign in Bali, he told Reuters. which has killed 33 people in Thailand where the virus first emerged in late Indonesia, the country with the high- “I should be able to swim or surf, it’s and infected at least 2,473. 2019. So far the virus has killed more est coronavirus death toll in Asia after important for mental health and exer- The usually busy Walking Street than 3,300 and infected over 81,000 China, where the virus emerged. cise to stay healthy to fight COVID.” in the Old Phuket Town was people in the country. COVID-19 is the disease caused by Bans on public gatherings larger almost empty. Analysts expect a deep first-quarter the coronavirus, which emerged in than two also forced Sydney’s Bondi “The impact is so severe because economic contraction in China central China late last year. Beach to close over the Easter holiday. most of our customers are tourists,” and have grown increasingly pessi- The virus has killed 306 people in On Manly Beach, people were allowed said Ittipat Klomkliang, owner of the mistic about the country’s prospects REUTERS Indonesia out of 3,512 cases, but more to exercise but not swim. Roast Coffee Cafe. for 2020 due to the pandemic’s sweep- Folded chairs and umbrellas are seen on the deserted Patong beach which usually is crowded limited testing than in neighbouring Australians have been told to stay “From China and now Europe, a lot ing global impact. with tourists during a lockdown in Phuket island, Thailand. countries means the figures are wide- home or face dire consequences in the of the tourists have gone to zero.”

C M Y K SATURDAY, APRIL 11, 2020 | 06 WORLD

BRIEFING Break for Asia’s clogged capitals South Korea reports recovered coronavirus patients testing as coronavirus positive again SEOUL: South Korean officials on Friday reported 91 patients thought curbs traffic cleared of the new coronavirus had tested positive again. Jeong Eun- REUTERS kyeong, director of the Korea Centers MANILA, APRIL 10 for Disease Control and Prevention (KCDC), told a briefing that the virus Strict lockdowns, school closures and may have been “reactivated” rather curbs on commerce are giving Asia’s than the patients being re-infected. congested capitals rare respite from South Korean health officials said it transport mayhem, as the global fight remains unclear what is behind the to contain the coronavirus creates a trend, with epidemiological investiga- free-flow of traffic not seen in years. tions still under way. Horns have fallen silent across many Asian cities as cars, vans and motorcycles hum along highways in Russia tells Czechs to hand over India, Thailand, the Philippines and statue of Soviet commander Indonesia, home to some of the world’s worst traffic jams, and its worst levels MOSCOW/PRAGUE: Russia has told the of air pollution. Czech Republic to hand over the stat- Seven of the 11 most gridlocked ue of a prominent Soviet military cities in the world are in Asia, accord- commander that was dismantled in ing to the 2019 Traffic Index of Dutch Prague last week despite Moscow’s digital mapping company TomTom, protests, escalating a rancorous diplo- topped by Bangalore then Manila, matic dispute over the issue. The stat- where the average driver spends ue to Marshal Ivan Konev, who led the equivalent of 10 days a year in Red Army forces during World War traffic queues. In Manila, where street Two that drove Nazi troops from snarl-ups cause an estimated $67 mil- Czechoslovakia, is reviled by some lion in daily business losses, the city’s in Prague as a symbol of the decades chronically jammed Epifanio Delos of Communist rule that followed Santos Avenue thoroughfare was the war. unusually quiet, with home quaran- tine measures keeping most of the New, larger wave of locusts AP/RSS city’s 3.5 million registered vehicles threatens millions in Africa A duck prepares to fly from the edge of a small waterfall at a creek in central Christchurch, New Zealand, on Friday. off the roads. KAMPALA: Weeks before the coronavi- rus spread through much of the world, parts of Africa were already threatened by another kind of plague, the biggest locust outbreak some Pakistani students in Wuhan countries had seen in 70 years. Now Virus death toll passes 94,000, the second wave of the voracious insects, some 20 times the size of the first, is arriving. Billions of the emerge from lockdown with young desert locusts are winging in from breeding grounds in Somalia in but some signs of hope search of fresh vegetation springing psychological scars up with seasonal rains. (AGENCIES) Nearly half of all pandemic fatalities have occurred over the past week. REUTERS “going in the right direction”. ISLAMABAD, APRIL 10 The US recorded 1,783 deaths in the past 24 hours, according to a tally by For more than a thousand Pakistani Trump rails against Johns Hopkins University as of 0030 students stranded in the Chinese prov- GMT Friday, lower than the previous ince of Hubei a gruelling lockdown mail voting day’s record toll of 1,973. lifted this week, but they must now The US has seen more than 16,500 decide whether to try to return to confirmed deaths, the second-highest their home country where cases of ASSOCIATED PRESS tally in the world after Italy, and more coronavirus are rising rapidly. WASHINGTON, APRIL 10 than 460,000 confirmed cases. Mir Hassan, a PhD computer archi- In New York, the epicentre of the tecture student in Wuhan, is desperate President Donald Trump is warning virus in the United States, only 200 to get home to his mother after his without evidence that expanding more people entered hospitals, the father died in February from a heart mail-in voting will increase voter lowest number since the pandemic ailment, their last contact him plead- fraud. But several GOP state officials struck, even though 799 people died ing for his son to come home. REUTERS are forging ahead to do just that, over the last day, Governor Andrew “I want to go home because this is Hassan, 27, a student from Pakistan who undermining one of Trump’s Cuomo said. my motherland ... every day I call my has been trapped in China’s Wuhan city arguments about how elections should “We are flattening the curve by mother she is crying,” he said. after the outbreak of the coronavirus. be conducted amid the coronavirus what we are doing,” Cuomo said, add- In Pakistan, cases are increasing, outbreak. ing, “We have to keep the curve flat.” standing at more than 4,000 on Hafsa Tayyab, a Pakistani medical While Trump has complained that But he declined to predict how New Friday with 66 deaths as the country student in Wuhan, said she was voting by mail was “ripe for fraud,” York would fare in the coming weeks, implements lockdown measures and hoping commercial flights would Republican state officials in Iowa, telling reporters bluntly: “I have no experts warn that crowding, open mid-April and she would get on Ohio and West Virginia have all taken idea.” poverty and weak healthcare infra- the first one she could back to steps to ease access to mail-in ballots, AP/RSS Further lifting spirits, the health structure cause challenges through- Pakistan. following health officials’ warnings Residents desperate for a planned distribution of food for those suffering under Kenya’s improved of British Prime Minister out South Asia. “I would like to go. Firstly, I will be that voting in person can risk trans- coronavirus-related movement restrictions push through a gate and create a stampede, Boris Johnson, the highest profile of In spite of the risks, many students with my family in this critical situa- mission of the deadly virus. The causing police to fire tear gas and leaving several injured, at Kibera slum in Nairobi, on Friday. the 1.5 million people infected by the say they would like to return tion, secondly being a (medical) stu- Republican governor of Nebraska virus, and he ended three days of home and are looking at options for dent I would like to serve my country,” urged voters to apply for absentee bal- AGENCE-FRANCE PRESSE Nearly half of all pandemic fatali- intensive care. commercial flights or government she said. “It’s more stressful for me to lots. Florida’s GOP chairman says the BRUSSELS, APRIL 10 ties have occurred over the past week. However Britain announced anoth- repatriation. stay here while my family is in a criti- party will continue to run a robust But authorities in worst-hit Europe er 881 deaths on Thursday, taking the Pakistan since February has cal zone.” vote-by-mail program. Another horror day of the coronavi- and the United States said a slight total to nearly 8,000. ignored Hubei-based students’ pleas to But other students, many of whom rus pandemic saw the global death decline in daily deaths and infections And despite hopeful signs in leave China as many other countries had young children, are considering toll pass 94,000, although there were gave reason to hope the worst could Western nations as well as in China, flew their citizens out. A foreign min- staying put as they perceive the tentative signs of hope that the crisis be over. where the virus was first detected late istry spokeswoman said that it was situation in Pakistan was likely to Trump has a was peaking in the United States “The fire started by the pandemic is last year, there are fears the worst is reviewing flight operations for places deteriorate and Chinese authorities history of making and Europe. starting to come under control,” said still to come in much of the develop- where Pakistani citizens were stuck now have a system for quashing the The picture of the unfolding eco- Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez of ing world. War-torn Yemen, which has around the world and said students in outbreak. baseless claims nomic catastrophe also became clear- Spain, where fatalities inched down to been experiencing one of the world’s Wuhan had been “very patient and Muhammad Wasim Akram, whose er with the IMF warning of a Great 683 from 757 a day before, pushing that most acute humanitarian crises, on brave” during the lockdown. wife is studying in Hubei had original- of voter fraud. Depression and data showing 17 mil- country’s total above 15,000. Friday reported its first case. Hassan said that the lockdown had ly been desperate for her to return. lion Americans lost their jobs, but a “Our priority now is not to turn Brazilian authorities Thursday con- taken a deep psychological toll, which, Recently, they discussed the situation European Union financial rescue back, especially not to return to our firmed the first deaths in the favelas combined with his father’s death and decided she should stay put. The disconnect between Trump and package agreement offered some starting point, not to lower our guard.” of Rio de Janeiro where crowding and plunged him into distress. “We both decided that she won’t Republican state officials illustrates relief to the barrage of bad news. France also reported that 82 fewer poor sanitation have raised fears of a “Staying in one room, anxiety return back until the situation comes the abrupt, hard turn the president Another 1,700 people died in the people were in intensive care for catastrophe. grows, depression also,” he said, under control (in Pakistan),” he said. and his national political allies have United States on Thursday, while COVID-19, the first fall since the pan- There are similar fears in India, adding that they felt full of joy at the Despite the weeks of challenges taken on the issue. Before the corona- there were hundreds more deaths demic broke out. And Anthony Fauci, where hundreds of millions of new prospect of going outside in Hassan said that he hoped that citi- virus hit, many in the GOP had across Europe, driving the confirmed the US government’s top pandemic poor people are becoming increasing- Wuhan but that psychological chal- zens in his home country learned warmed to mail-in voting, agreeing global toll above 94,000. expert, said the United States was ly desperate. lenges lingered. from Wuhan’s lockdown. that it can be conducted without fraud and even used to their political advan- tage. But Trump’s hard line appears to be driven by his personal suspicions and concerns about his own reelection prospects. Statewide mail-in voting “doesn’t work out well for India weighs tighter lockdown Republicans,” he tweeted this week. Trump’s comments put his REUTERS impossible and the health care system Republican allies in states in the awk- NEW DELHI/ ISLAMABAD, APRIL 10 is overburdened. ward position of trying to defend their The concern is especially grave in practices without criticizing the pres- India accounts for more than half the Mumbai, where more than 1,100 peo- ident. Some said they agreed with tally of those infected with coronavi- ple have tested positive for the virus, Trump, even as their actions seem to rus across south Asia, which crossed including a growing number from the suggest otherwise. Others suggested 12,000 on Friday, government data slums, where a total lockdown is Trump was out of line. showed, despite a harsh weeks-long impossible to enforce. Wendy Weisert of the Brennan clampdown to control the outbreak. One scenario visualises an extend- Center for Social Justice, which advo- India’s capital Delhi, and its ed lockdown in Mumbai, while cates for expanded mail voting, said financial hub of Mumbai, have some curbs are eased in the surround- there had been bipartisan agreement emerged as hotspots and local officials ing western state of Maharashtra, on the election changes needed to are urging Prime Minister Narendra media said. adjust to the coronavirus outbreak. Modi to extend a 21-day nationwide “On balance, our effort has to But she said Trump’s comments this lockdown beyond its expiry date been to stay ahead of the curve,” said week were “adding partisan fuel to of Tuesday. Vikas Swarup, a top foreign ministry decisions that should be no-brainers.” India’s vast shutdown of 1.3 billion official. Trump has a history of making people has left millions out of work India’s tally was still small, com- baseless claims of voter fraud. After and forced an exodus of migrant work- pared to the rest of the world, and the he won the 2016 presidential election ers from the cities to their homes in lockdown prevented a surge that while losing the popular vote, he the hinterland, but state leaders say it would have been difficult to handle, insisted there was widespread voter is more important to save lives. he added. fraud. He set up a commission to “If the trend continues like this, we An internal assessment by a gov- investigate, but it disbanded without may have to extend the lockdown,” ernment body, the Indian Council of finding any examples. said Manish Sisodia, deputy Medical Research, forecast the num- Every state has some version of chief minister of Delhi, where ber of virus cases would have hit mail voting, but with widely varying a religious gathering by a Muslim 820,000 by mid-April without the lock- rules. They range from systems like missionary group last month caused a down, Swarup said. those used in Utah, Washington and spike in cases. “An exponential rise in the infection Colorado, where all voters are auto- Officials have warned that wide- rate could overwhelm our doctors and matically sent ballots, to Wisconsin, spread transmissions could be disas- hospitals,” he said, particularly as where a witness’s signature is trous in a country where millions standards of medical services and REUTERS required for voters to request an of people live in dense slums, infrastructure vary widely across the Daily wage labourers rest inside their quarters at a construction site where activity has been halted due to 21-day nationwide lockdown to slow absentee ballot. social distancing norms are often far-flung nation. the spreading of the coronavirus disease, in New Delhi, on Friday.

C M Y K 07 | SATURDAY, APRIL 11, 2020 SPORTS

BRIEFING

Akmal not to contest corruption charges ISLAMABAD: Batsman Umar Akmal has decided not to contest charges of corruption by the Pakistan Cricket Board, meaning his case will go straight to a judge to impose sanc- tions. The PCB says it has referred the case to the chairman of its disci- plinary panel, Fazal-e-Miran Chauhan, who is a retired Lahore High Court judge. The judge will now issue sanctions against Akmal which could range from a six-month suspen- sion to a lifetime ban. The PCB for- mally charged Akmal last month for two breaches of its anti-corruption code in relation to not disclosing invi- tations to engage in corrupt conduct. Akmal submitted a written reply late last month. However, the PCB says he did not request a hearing before its anti-corruption tribunal.

Romanian FA seeks permission to resume training BUCHAREST: The Romanian Football Federation (FRF) will ask the govern- ment to let football clubs resume training during the state of emergen- cy to allow the league to re-start on May 27, its president Razvan Burleanu said on Friday. Romania has been under a state of emergency to help halt the spread of the corona- virus since March 16, and Romanian President Klaus Iohannis said he will issue a decree next week extending the measure until May 16. Burleanu said the FRF is looking at three sce- narios for the league re-start with May 27, June 3 and June 13 being dis- cussed as resumption dates. “If we start on May 27, we will finish the POST PHOTO: HEMANTA SHRESTHA domestic competitions on June 28,” A worker mows grass at the Dashrath Stadium’s football ground in Tripureshwor, Kathmandu on Friday. The stadium should have hosted Nepal’s return leg matches of the FIFA World Cup and AFC Asian Cup Preliminary he told Pro X. (Agencies) Joint Qualification matches. Nepal were set to play against Taiwan on March 26, Australia on March 31 and Jordan on June 4. But the matches were postponed indefinitely owing to the coronavirus pandemic. Belarusian club puts mannequins in stands Six Barcelona board At least 30 mannequins were placed on seats in the stands for Wednesday’s Cup match. directors quit virtual spectator who is following the match broadcast on television can see REUTERS ly in the post-pandemic era,” said the himself in the stands,” Machulsky BARCELONA, APRIL 10 letter, which appeared in Spanish told The Associated Press. media on Friday. “We also want to “We’re not trying to imitate a full Spanish La Liga champions Barcelona show our displeasure over the unfor- stand. We understand the fans who were in turmoil on Friday after six tunate episode about the social media have refused to come to the games. We board directors resigned criticising accounts, known as ‘Barcagate’, which decided to take a creative approach to the clubs’s handling of a social media we learned about through the press. the situation.” scandal and the financial implications “As our last act of service to the The “virtual tickets” seem to be a of the coronavirus crisis. club, we recommend that elections are profitable sideline for Dynamo Brest. Two of the club’s four vice presi- called as soon as circumstances per- They are on sale for a league game dents, Emili Rousaud and Enrique mit so that the club can be managed in Sunday for 67 Belarusian rubles Tombas, were among those to quit, the best way possible and deal with ($26.90), more than five times the cost joined by directors Silvio Elias, Josep the important challenges of the imme- of the most expensive normal ticket Pont, Jordi Calsamiglia and Maria diate future.” sold online. Some cost as little as 1.75 Texidor. In a letter to fans, the direc- There was no immediate reaction rubles (70 cents). tors pointed a finger at president from Barcelona or Bartomeu. Barca The club said 12 “virtual” tickets Josep Maria Bartomeu and expressed have won eight of the last 11 La Liga were sold for Wednesday’s first leg in doubts about the board’s ability to titles and led the standings when foot- the cup, which Dynamo Brest won 2-0. handle the implications of the pan- ball in Spain was indefinitely post- Buyers came from six countries, demic, which has slashed income and poned last month. Spain has suffered AP/RSS including the United States led to a 70 percent players’ pay cut. one of the worst outbreaks in the Mannequins with the faces of virtual fans who bought tickets online are seen on grandstand seats during the match between FC Dynamo Brest and Canada. Keeping sports arenas They asked Bartomeu to call presi- world, with 15,238 deaths and more and FC Shakhter Soligorsk in Brest, Belarus, on Wednesday. open has been part of Belarusian dential elections as soon as possible than 150,000 cases. President Alexander Lukashenko’s and criticised the club for hiring a Barcelona players, including club ASSOCIATED PRESS the coronavirus pandemic, but attend- cut-out photo. unconventional approach to the coro- third party, I3 Ventures, earlier this captain Lionel Messi, have taken an MINSK (BELARUS), APRIL 10 ances are shrinking as fans decide the They wore a motley array of old navirus. year to monitor social media coverage additional pay cut to guarantee stadium is too risky. shirts ranging from a purple 2016-17 He has said there is no need to close of Barca. Bartomeu has denied non-playing staff will receive full sala- They don’t chant, they don’t move, Fan boycotts have been announced Real Madrid away jersey to early 1990s workplaces and public events, accusations the company created ries while football is paused. and they mostly wear the wrong col- at 10 of the 16 clubs in the top Aston Villa in claret and blue. Other and even played in an amateur social media accounts to smear future Bartomeu, who is unable to stand for ours. They’re not even real. division. That includes Dynamo Brest shirts were stretched over nearby hockey game in front of fans on presidential candidates, and re-election as he has served two terms, Defending Belarusian league cham- and Champions League regular BATE seats. March 28. former and current players, but he became Barca president in 2014 after pion Dynamo Brest has started boost- Borisov. As the real fans stay away, the With few games to watch elsewhere, Despite those assurances, attend- anyway rescinded the club’s contract Sandro Rosell’s resignation. He has ing its home crowds with mannequins mannequins have arrived. some foreign fans have started watch- ances in the Belarusian football league with the firm. I3 also denied any faced increasing criticism from sup- in football shirts and adorned with the For Wednesday’s Belarusian ing games from Belarus instead. have plummeted in a matter of weeks. wrongdoing. porters, who staged noisy protests faces of “virtual fans” who bought Cup semifinal match against Dynamo Brest general secretary Dynamo Brest hosted a game with a “We have arrived at this point against him in the last two matches at tickets online. Belarus is the last coun- Shakhtyor Soligorsk, at least 30 of Vladimir Machulsky wants them to crowd of more then 5,000 last month because we cannot reverse the way the the Nou Camp and called for his resig- try in Europe still hosting profession- the mannequins were placed on seats feel at home. but less than 1,000 attended club is managed in the face of impor- nation. Messi has also been critical of al sports in front of spectators amid in the stands, each topped with a “It’s our creative idea. In this way, a Wednesday’s match. tant challenges in the future, especial- the club’s hierarchy. Athletes face mental health challenge amidst lockdown Health experts warn that a prolonged isolation could take a big mental toll on people whose livelihoods and self esteem are intrinsically linked to competition.

REUTERS tion could take a big mental toll on people identity,” she said. “They see themselves as MELBOURNE, APRIL 10 whose livelihoods and self esteem are intrinsi- athletes and sport is very tied up in that. cally linked to competition. “A lot of athletes Without the sport, the inability to train, these When Olympic swimming champion Kyle are still in an initial shock phase, probably are absolutely risk factors.” Chalmers completed what he knew would be confused and also with some relief after all the Many athletes are putting a brave face on the his final training session before the coronavi- chaos,” Caroline Anderson, a psychologist who lockdown, converting garages and bedrooms rus shutdown, his overwhelming feelings were works with professional and Olympic athletes into home gymnasiums and posting cheerful of sadness and the fear of what was to come. in Australia, told Reuters. videos of themselves on social media keeping Fear does not come easily to the strapping “Probably their two main coping strategies fit by “bench-pressing” their children. Tennis 21-year-old Australian, who has endured two in life are having that competitive edge and great Roger Federer cheered fans with a video heart operations since winning the 100 metres being able to really push themselves physically of himself practising trick-shots against an freestyle title in Rio and raises crocodiles and for six-seven hours a day. They haven’t got that outdoor wall as it snowed at his Switzerland pythons for a hobby. While it took some “pro- anymore which is very difficult.” home. cessing” to digest the fact that his dream of Chalmers has taken to yoga, hiking and an American middle distance runner Emma defending his Olympic title in Tokyo had been exercise bike to keep in shape mentally and Coburn, who took bronze in the 3,000-metre shifted back 12 months, it was the prospect of physically while he awaits the arrival of a steeplechase at Rio, told Reuters: “I’m not feel- not setting foot in a swimming pool for half a loaned swimming pool housed in a shipping ing stress or anxiety about it. I enjoy in general year that really had him rattled. container for his back yard. Former Olympic being at home.” But the weeks and months of “That was my hugest fear, not being able to butterfly champion Chad le Clos is trying to the lockdown will be a time when mental do what I love which is swimming, and if I make the best of the situation by tethering health experts on the payroll of teams and fed- couldn’t do that for six months, I was getting himself to a bungee cord as he swims in his erations earn their keep as they try to plot a pretty edgy about it,” Chalmers told Reuters by own small backyard pool in Cape Town. path for athletes in what is effectively unchart- phone from South Australia. “I love training “It is not ideal, but you have to be creative ed territory. and I love exercising. I think I love training given the limitations you have,” the South Frustration at the confinement has already more than I love racing.” African told Reuters. “That will help to keep spilled over on occasion, with high profile foot- Chalmers is one of thousands of athletes me going.” ball players getting into hot water for breach- whose dreams have been put on hold following The top athletes possess exceptional drive, ing government orders on social distancing by the postponement of the Tokyo Olympics, talent and the ability to perform under relent- hosting parties and drinking sessions. Such while thousands more around the world are in less pressure but they are no less vulnerable to incidents usually occur as celebrations after lockdown with their sporting careers shelved mental health problems. Many have spoken competition, said Gearoid Towey, the founder indefinitely. openly of their battles with depression and of Crossing the Line, a charity focusing on the “Unknowns are quite challenging, especially their recoveries from nervous breakdowns. wellbeing of athletes. for athletes whose days are mapped out Others carry their burdens quietly. A slew have “I think this is slightly different. There isn’t from the minute they wake up to the minute committed suicide in recent years. anything, per se, to celebrate. People are locked they go to sleep,” Chalmers added. “And Self-isolation raises the threat of acute psy- up in their houses,” he said. “You’re probably that’s everybody’s fear, and especially mine, chological events, and not just for athletes with going to get some incidents but with all the getting out of that structured routine and just pre-existing conditions, psychologist Anderson mental health resources in place, sports will trying to work out what to do with that free said. “That sudden stopping of the sport, from generally know which athletes might be prone time now.” a physiological or biological standpoint, there’s REUTERS to ‘wigging out’. You’d like to think they’d have Health experts warn that a prolonged isola- a reduction in endorphins but also (a loss of) A file photo shows Emma Coburn of the US during women’s 3000 metres steeplechase final in Doha last year. extra support for them.”

C M Y K SATURDAY, APRIL 11, 2020 | 08 CULTURE & ARTS (C.R.P.D.) - 3/052/053 Revisiting ‘Uma’—a Maoist combatant’s story Looking back at the 2013 film, it remains a triumph. But could it have done more?

SHREYA PAUDEL workshop and spending time with her boyfriend. The movie also hile I was allows Uma to fall in love twice, a watching rare feat in movies made in South Uma, direct- Asia. Her first lover is killed by ed by Tsering the police, then she falls for a Rhitar hardcore Maoist combatant. A Sherpa, the poignant and funny moment is Wfirst thought that came to my when Uma knows about her preg- mind was, “The flippant jokes nancy outside of the wedlock, in made on Reecha Sharma on front of her hospitalised mother. Comedy Champion were utterly That, I found, radical—given the unfair.” The movie is a sombre context of Nepal where pregnan- reminder of what the country cy before marriage is considered went through during the Maoist akin to serious crime. war. And, as it has been seven Uma is a story of the protago- years since its release, I will take nist. It starts with her and ends the liberty of spilling spoilers as SCREENGRAB VIA YOUTUBE with her. While that seems to be well—readers, consider yourself not have black and white charac- is taken in by the Maoist army, character replies, “You are abso- the sole intention of the director, I informed. ters, rather it treads in the grey The best thing trained and indoctrinated, she lutely correct. But if we start talk- feel as though the immensely tal- Uma is about a young woman zones of reality. It is not a revolu- begins to speak their language. ing about these things, it could ented man missed an opportunity of the same name, who journeyed tionary fable, nor it is a piece of about Uma is its One can hear the words ‘proletar- break the (Maoist) camp. Such to comment on the wider politics from being a high school student anti-Maoist propaganda. It is just iat’, ‘imperialists’ and ‘bourgeoi- minor incidents keep happening of the then Community Party of interested in poetry to a Maoist a story of the times we lived in. non-partisan sie’ littered through some sec- in war. We should ignore these Nepal (Maoist). revolutionary. Uma, played by Uma has cleverly shown inten- tions of the movie, which could things.” Prachanda’s name was invoked Reecha Sharma, is the daughter tions of both the warring parties. approach. also make it a bit inaccessible to Director Sherpa has shot the once and that was all. The movie of a deceased police officer and On one hand is Milan, a dedicated an audience who may not be polit- movie beautifully with stunning did not talk about national issues the role of her mother is per- police officer, who has completely ically astute. camera work and angles. There is and demands of the Maoists. formed by the terrific Mithila bought the dominant narrative of one such scene, two police officers Nevertheless, the movie is not a scene which could be taken Politics of ethnic identity, a major Sharma. Uma’s elder brother, the state. He believes that Maoists callously talk about investing at all a dose of Maoist idealism. straight out of the movie and aspect of the Maoist movement, Milan, portrayed by Saugat Malla, are terrorists and containing money in a business while they Uma’s comrade in arms, Asha, framed on a living room wall— was not explained. Since the is also a police officer. them is his responsibility. For were digging the ground to bury informs her how they have also just before Uma and two of her movie was released in 2013, after These three main characters those who were born after 2000 the bodies they had just killed. killed innocent civilians, just like comrades are called back to go to the country was already witness- have done an exceptional job in and had not got an opportunity to On the other hand, the ambigu- the security forces. In another a mission in Kathmandu, a frame ing the gradual degeneration of showing the emotions running listen to the state broadcasters of ous motivations of Maoists are scene Uma’s comrade, with a is captured in which a long chain the movement, it did not touch on through a family with a police the time, a taste of state propa- also portrayed in the movie. criminal past, attempts to rape a of Maoist silhouettes walk up a the post-revolutionary times. But officer and a Maoist combatant. If ganda is given in a scene when a Initially, as any young revolution- girl, which is immediately con- mountain under the light-orange these expectations are probably you want to witness Dayahang police officer’s voice is heard on ary would, Uma’s Maoist friends demned by Uma. She says, “Those setting sun. too much to fit in a single movie. Rai before he reached stardom, the radio. He defends the killing were encouraged to shoot a police who have set out for revolution do Uma, being a movie about a Who knows, if Sherpa wants to there are a few good comic scenes of a child and vilifies the child as officer by the sheer desire of not go about raping women. Nor young woman, is a commentary make another movie drawing on of him. Other actors have also a Maoist. The film also has sever- avenging their teacher’s killing. do they kill the innocent.” But the on the gender politics of the the contemporary parliamentary done a commendable job. al scenes where Nepal Police Uma herself was initially not hypocrisy within the Maoist Maoist movement. It allows Uma power play of the former Maoists? The best thing about Uma is its embark on extra-judicial killings convinced by the Maoist’s strate- movement is immediately to come home late in the nights Watch Uma on YouTube and judge non-partisan approach. It does with absolutely no remorse. In gy of violence. However, after she exposed after another Maoist after participating in a poetry yourself. BOOKS The conventional margin, reimagined at the centre Nadeem Zaman’s stories have relatable portrayals of Bangladesh here and there, but they do not bring out the true essence of a people and its culture.

The stories seem to depict the heart and soul of Bangladesh, but the setting is not rendered convincingly.

the hundredth time. Much like the story, which holds so much promise and veers off to another unexpected angle, finally languishing into a mediocre tale. Anwara’s waywardness is exciting to imagine, but cannot carry the story for- ward. The presence and agency of women characters in heartening though. They fulfil their whims, they converse and express, they dream and argue. In ‘Dual Income’, Shama reaches for a job even though her husband slightly disapproves. After a promising start, a peek into the middle-class family, of a woman trying to make her way back to the workplace as her husband both supports and opposes her, the story takes a mundane turn—a regular event in the city perhaps, but a rather unsatisfactory climax for a story UP IN THE MAIN HOUSE & building so well. OTHER STORIES This does not, however, take away from the spirited women of Bangladesh as por- Author : Nadeem Zaman trayed in the stories. Mrs Zahir in ‘The Publisher : Unnamed Press Happy Widow’ proclaims, “There are Pages : 163 great advantages to being a widow,” while young Shiuli, displeased with the man she is slated to marry, pouts, “He is no And for stories that seem to make an SHUTTERSTOCK prince.” The other characters are quite effort to delve into the heart and soul of RICHA BHATTARAI trodden, the subaltern, marvels at how Hamid’s daughter’s satisfactory drawn, too, unfurling man- Bangladesh, the setting is not rendered the deliberately ostracised. In his second father-in-law demands a dowry even nerisms and spouting quotes that are, convincingly enough. There are relatable ’m a poor farmer, sahib. Son work of fiction, and the first anthology of though he is a friend, Hamid retorts, “In perhaps, reminiscent of the streets of portrayals of the country here and there, and grandson and stories, Bangladeshi-American writer these matters, no one is a friend. You have Dhaka and beyond. but the stories are unable to bring out the great-grandson of servants Nadeem Zaman has put these characters, friends in business. Are they friendly in The specialty of the stories, that of true essence of a people and its culture, and farmers. The police and so conveniently relegated to the margins of matters of money?” And there it is: the centralising the margin, is clearly a win- just making do with perfunctory and Zilla Parishad see me as the society, at the very centre of his plots. core of humans and their relationships, ner. It adds a humane, gritty yet soft side superficial descriptions. they see insects. As a nui- The stories might be set up in the ‘main no matter which class they might belong to the people who many of us take for The style itself is not exceptional but “Isance. I don’t have money to appear before house’, but the most interesting protago- to. The bitter truth of money, the way it granted each day. Zaman is sensitive in quite comfortable, and it grows on you as them. Without money, they have no ears nists are the invisible ones that keep the mends and sours friendships. The story his treatment of these characters, and you flip through the stories. The author for people like me.” grand house, and the entire world, run- gives readers plenty to mull over as it attempts to view the world from their does have a tendency to lean towards In the story ‘The Father and the Judge’, ning—the cook and maid, the watchkeep- closes unfinished, adding to the raw and perspective. Unlike other stories, the poor lengthy and convoluted constructions, dishevelled villager Shamsher Ali, “giv- er and caretaker, the mugger and the indecisive nature of the characters and or the disadvantaged do not merely ache. take this for example: “Captain ing off the ripe odor of unwashed clothes thief. One of the most interesting stories the plot. They speak out, they protest, they dream Akbar Moyeen, in uniform, glittering and skin”, pays a visit to influential Judge of the seven short pieces is ‘The The title story ‘Up in the Main House’ and philosophise. and blinking with medals, finally Qureshi. He is seeking justice for his Caretaker’s Dilemma’, in which caretaker begins with a similarly interesting theme. But the author seems too eager to estab- sat next to his new wife in the back of the daughter, living a precarious life after the Abdul Hamid is trying to marry off his When the employers are away, house-help lish his characters as the overlooked Toyota that was decked with strings of husband’s infertility becomes common daughter Shiuli. It is a sad story that lays Anwara fulfils her fantasies of draping on “good” in this world. Almost every story marigolds and white roses, and the couple knowledge in the village. When the judge bare everything that goes underneath a the mistress’ dresses and lounging on her has an insertion of a “moral” or “poetic” was driven the fifteen minutes to the flat chastises him and tells him to lodge a veneer of well-being: politics and power; bed. Unable to keep up with her high-hand- line, where the rich are corrupt and god- where, two decades later, Mr Moyeen police report, Shamsher Ali responds of a sexual orientation repressed by fam- edness, husband Kabir is shooed away. less, while the downtrodden are pure of would leave the new Mrs. Rosie Moyeen with the lines above. ily, and the same family controlling its Meanwhile, the elderly security guard heart and deserve all our sympathies. widowed.” And how true are his words, how real his children. Ramzan sleepwalks through his duties, This might be an unconscious bias, but it An earnest attempt to present the lives predicament. Discomfitingly close to life in There are sharp parallels between the addressing Kabir with a paternal “young definitely is overdone in the stories, with of the underserved, their hierarchies and Bangladesh, and indeed, the whole of South poor but proud caretaker Hamid and his blood” that is endearing at first, but quick- the rich and their depravities; the poor limitations; and the infinite possibilities Asia and beyond. The plight of the down- employer Harun Qureshi. When Qureshi ly becomes annoying as it is repeated for and their suffering. their future yet holds.

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