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NOSTALGIC SUSHMITA ISRAEL-HAMAS TRUCE BHARDWAJ NO MORE Sushmita Sen takes trip down memory An Egypt-brokered ceasefire came into effect India’s first Dronacharya awardee coach in lane as she celebrates 27 years of her between Israel and Hamas, ending the 11-day boxing, OP Bhardwaj, passes away after battling prolonged illness becoming Miss Universe LEISURE | P2 bloodshed in Gaza INTERNATIONAL | P10 SPORTS | P12
VOLUME 11, ISSUE 51 | www.orissapost.com BHUBANESWAR | SATURDAY, MAY 22 | 2021 12 PAGES | `5.00 Coastal districts on ‘Yaas’ alert
POST NEWS NETWORK of roads likely to be blocked by trees TRAINS CANCELLED falling due to the possible cyclone. Bhubaneswar, May 21: The India n 74 trains originating/ terminating at Power distribution companies and Meteorological Department (IMD) Bhubaneswar & Puri and trains passing telecom providers are told to remain Friday said a low pressure area, which through East Coast Railway route on prepared to start restoration work as may give birth to cyclone ‘Yaas’ will take Howrah-Chennai line cancelled soon as the calamity is over. Adequate shape in the Bay of Bengal Saturday. generators have been kept in ready con- A cyclonic circulation lies over n Centre asks Odisha, West Bengal, dition to ensure uninterrupted drink- State relaxes terms southeast and adjoining central Bay Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu and ing water supply. Jena said collectors of Bengal between 3.1 km & 5.8 km Andaman and Nicobar Islands to ensure have identified suitable pucca build- that health facilities are stocked with above mean sea level. Under its in- ings to keep people in safe shelter. essential medicines and supplies of global tender for fluence, a low-pressure area is very Water Resources chief engineer likely to form over east-central Bay of Jyotirmay Ratha said a 24-hour con- Bengal and adjoining north Andaman So far 39 fishermen are in the deep trol room will be established with the Sea May 22, the IMD said. The low-pres- sea and they are expected to return to coordination of three departments— vax procurement sure system may intensify into de- the shore by Saturday morning, he Rural Development, Works and Water pression May 23 and into a cyclone May DGP Abhay holds a discussion with ODRAF personnel on OSAP 6th Battalion added. He said the authorities of Indian Resources. 24. The cyclone is likely to make land- premises in Cuttack, Friday OP PHOTO Naval Ship Chilika and Indian Navy A toll-free number will also be is- POST NEWS NETWORK DRDO’s antibody fall between Odisha and West Bengal. have been alerted and are in touch sued for people so that they can sound detection kit to give The system is very likely to move Chief Secretary SC Mahapatra, after nies, telecom providers, authorities with the state government to meet their grievances and seek help in case Bhubaneswar, May 21: In north-westwards and reach Odisha- a meeting with senior officials, said of NDRF, ODRAF, Odisha police, state the challenges posed by the possible of any emergency during and after the a bid to attract more vac- results in 75 mins West Bengal coast around May 26 that the state administration is geared Fire Service and apprised them about calamity. Stating that five teams of cyclone, said Ratha. Since the cyclone cine manufacturers, the NEW DELHI: The Defence morning, the IMD said. up to meet the eventuality if cyclone their role during the crisis. NDRF have so far returned to Odisha is taking place in the summer, there state Cabinet Friday relaxed Research and Development Apart from putting at least 14 dis- ‘Yaas’ has any impact on the state. “The DIG of Indian Coast Guard has from Gujarat, Jena said 17 NDRF is little likelihood of any flood situa- the terms of the global ten- Organisation (DRDO) has tricts on high alert in the wake of the Special Relief Commissioner (SRC) informed us that two of their flights teams, 20 battalions of ODRAF and 100 tion in the state, he claimed. der floated for procurement developed a COVID-19 anti- IMD’s forecast, the state government PK Jena, who held a series of meet- and two ships are making rounds of teams of Fire Service are in readi- Police DG Abhay held a review of Covid-19 vaccines. body detection kit that offers Friday urged the Indian Navy and ings on the matter, spoke to collectors the Bay of Bengal. They will rescue ness for relief and rescue operation. meeting with officials of ODRAF and Briefing media persons results in just 75 minutes, the the Indian Coast Guard to be pre- of 14 districts, different line depart- the fishermen if trapped anywhere in Besides, the forest department has said the disaster management wing after the meet, Chief defence ministry said Friday. pared for the emerging situation. ments, power distribution compa- the sea,” Jena said. been put on alert to ensure clearing is fully prepared to face any exigency. Secretary SC Mahapatra said, The testing kit is called DIP- “To facilitate the participa- COVAN and it offers a “signif- tion of manufacturers of icantly faster turn-around- vaccines to be stored in su- time as it requires just 75 IRREGULAR by MANJUL AP HC declares percool temperature, the stor- minutes to conduct the test without any cross reactivity age condition has been re- Another day, another record with other diseases,” the Kotia poll invalid vised up to (-)20°C subject to ministry’s statement noted. POST NEWS NETWORK Mayurbhanj (546). condition that the vaccines Now, white fungus Only two districts -- Gajapati (53) will remain stable and main- Bhubaneswar, May 21: Odisha cases in Odisha and Malkangiri (73) -- reported less tain their potency at 2°C to 8°C Friday reported the highest single- than 100 new cases, the health offi- for at least 12 hours.” day spike of 12,523 new COVID-19 SAMBALPUR: Three patients undergo- cial said. Relaxation has been ap- cases and a record 27 more deaths, ing treatment at VIMSAR in Burla Khurda and Koraput reported four proved in the EMD, bid se- a Health Department official said. were diagnosed with white fungus deaths each, followed by three deaths curity and liquidated dam- The new cases were recorded after infection Friday while two others each in Nuapada, Rayagada and ages to attract more vaccine days and 3.8 crore doses by testing 61,665 samples Thursday, tak- were found having black fungus Sundargarh. There are 1,09,438 active manufacturers within the 120 days. ing the positivity rate to 20.30 per cent. infection. Their condition is stated to cases in the state at present. country and abroad, he said. The Cabinet also ap- The state has so far reported 6,68,422 be critical. However, medicines In all, 5,56,501 patients have been As each vaccine is pro- proved the tender for con- cases of COVID-19 and 2,430 deaths. required for their treatment are not cured of the diseases, including 9,870 prietary in nature and is struction a portion of available at the premier hospital. The Of the new infections, 7,012 were in the last 24 hours. not comparable to any other Rengali Left Bank Canal (7 government has been apprised of the detected at different quarantine cen- Meanwhile, the Odisha govern- vaccine, the price evalua- km) at a cost of `247.13 crore. No hanky if he gets emotional cases while AIIMS is being contacted, in front of public. He himself has tres and the remaining 5,511 were VIMSAR Superintendent Dr Lala ment discontinued plasma therapy tion mechanism will be The work will be completed given this instruction local contact cases. Khurda district, Mohan Nayak said. for the treatment of COVID-19 in made by comparison of within 36 months. of which the state capital the state as per the revised guidelines basic quoted prices of each The Cabinet has ap- Bhubaneswar is a part, reported the Cuttack (1084), Angul (930), issued by the Union Ministry of POST NEWS NETWORK bidder excluding GST. All proved the proposal to waive highest 1,842 new cases, followed by Sundargarh (715), Puri (568) and Health and Family Welfare. bidders will be treated in- off license fee and other 13 Naxals killed in Pottangi, May 21: The Andhra dependently. government fees on liquor Pradesh government received a jolt The state government has ‘on’ shops in view of the re- Maha encounter Friday as the Andhra High Court de- announced free vaccination strictions imposed due to Mumbai: At least 13 Naxals were killed clared the panchayat and zilla parished for the 18-44 age group. Later, Covid last year. The shops re- in an encounter with police’s C-60 elections in the state, including in following shortage in supply mained closed during June commandos in Gadchiroli district of WHITHER disputed Kotia panchayat, as invalid. from Indian vaccine man- to December, 2020. Maharashtra Friday, officials said. The As per the directive of the Supreme ufacturers, the state decided The Excise department skirmish took place around 5.30 am in LOCKDOWN Court, the High Court stated that the to procure vaccines from has formulated a proposal the forest at Kotmi in Etapalli, where Andhra government has violated the open market through to provide graded relief to the Naxals had gathered for a norms related to holding of elections global tender by the Odisha liquor ‘on’ shop licensees meeting, said Sandeep Patil, DIG of in panchayat and zilla parishad bod- State Medical Corporation after taking into account Gadchiroli. “Based on specific inputs, ies. Elections to panchayats and zill Ltd. The corporation floated the profit margin earned the police party, comprising C-60 parishad bodies are supposed to be held a global e-tender for pro- on value of liquor lifted by commandos, had launched a search four weeks after the notification, but curement of 3.8 crore doses each licensee. operation in the forest,” he said. P8 the Andhra government held the elec- of vaccines in four phases. Accordingly, 364 out of a tion in Kotia within a week from the It expects 75 lakh doses in 30 total of 613 ‘on’ licensees date of notification, violating days of the purchase order, have been granted partial Tejpal acquitted the norms. 2.25 crore doses within 60 waiver of license fee for the It may be noted here that leaders of days, 3.75 crore doses by 90 period. of rape charges Andhra BJP, TDP and Jana Sena had Panaji: A sessions court in Goa Friday moved the Andhra High Court against acquitted journalist Tarun Tejpal of the elections in Kotia April 3. sexually assaulting a former female A three-member division bench of colleague. Tejpal, former Tehelka the High Court took up hearing of editor-in-chief, was accused of the case April 6 and put a stay on the Oil prices see 11th sexually assaulting the colleague elections. Challenging the HC move, inside the elevator of a luxury hotel in the AP government moved the Goa in 2013. Additional sessions judge AG Square in Bhubaneswar witnesses a rush as people go for shopping and other works ahead of the two-day weekend Supreme Court and got permission Kshama Joshi acquitted Tejpal. P9 shutdown, Friday OP PHOTO from the apex court and held elec- hike this month tion in Kotia. MARKET WATCH AGENCIES CITY FUEL PRICES PETROL `93.81 (+0.19) New Delhi, May 21: Petrol ` INDEX VARIATION price Friday inched closer DIESEL 91.36 (+0.32) Centre mulls producing Covaxin abroad to the `100-a-litre mark in Mumbai, while diesel A litre of petrol in Mumbai SENSEX 975.62 50540.48 crossed the `91-mark. This now costs `99.32 and diesel AGENCIES The MEA and the Department of new development came after is priced at `91.01 per litre.
BOURSES NIFTY 15175.30 269.30 Biotechnology (DBT) will also pre- India, Pfizer at impasse oil companies raised rates Fuel prices differ from DOLLAR 75.69 `0.74 New Delhi, May 21: To address the pare a roadmap to address raw ma- again after a hiatus of two state to state depending on shortage of COVID-19 jabs in the terial supply constraints for Covishield over vaccine indemnity days. Petrol price was in- the incidence of local taxes `0.22 EURO 89.05 country, the government is explor- and identify the sources of raw ma- NEW DELHI/NEW YORK: Pfizer and New creased by 19 paise per litre such as VAT and freight CURRENCY ing the possibility of boosting pro- terial, sources said. and diesel by 29 paise a litre. charges. Rajasthan levies GOLD `48,390 `154 Delhi are at loggerheads over a demand duction of vaccines, including iden- Many states have complained about by the US drugmaker for legal protec- This is according to a price the highest value-added tax SILVER `71,645 `659 tifying manufacturing sites for the shortage of vaccines. To address tion from any claims linked to the use of notification by state-owned (VAT) on petrol in India. It indigenously developed Covaxin out- the issue, the government has been tak- its COVID-19 vaccine in one of the fuel retailers. The hike – is followed by Madhya BULLION side India, sources said. deliberate upon the options, includ- ing measures to ramp up the pro- world’s biggest markets, sources told the 11th this month – pushed Pradesh and Maharashtra. The government also intends to ing voluntary licence, compulsory li- duction of Covaxin. Reuters. India has not given any manu- petrol and diesel prices to all- Oil companies revise rates WEATHER take up the matter with the World cence and government use authori- Last week, VK Paul, Member facturer of a COVID-19 vaccine indemni- time high levels across India. of petrol and diesel daily Health Organisation (WHO) to step up sation under the Patents Act, 1970, (Health) in the Niti Aayog said Covaxin ty against the costs of compensation In Delhi, petrol rates climbed based on average price of BHUB CTK Covaxin production. available to increase the availability requires a Biosafety Laboratory-3, a for any severe side effects, which is a to `93.04 a litre and diesel benchmark fuel in the in- y It will also take up with Moderna, of drugs and vaccines used for treat- facility which is not available with all. condition Pfizer has obtained in many rose to `83.80. ternational market.
MAX 37.2° 38.3° Johnson and Johnson and other vac- ment of COVID-19. The DBT and the Drug Controller countries where its shots have already Rates had already crossed This is the 11th increase
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TEMP cine makers the issue of granting The Ministry of External Affairs General of India (DCGI) have been the 100-mark in several in prices since May 4. The MIN 27.8° 28.5° and the US. “The whole problem with Forecast voluntary licence to third-party man- has also been asked to take up the asked to identify manufacturers hav- cities in Rajasthan, Madhya state-owned oil firms ended Pfizer is the indemnity bond. Why Humidity 95% 100% ufacturers in India on transfer of matter with AstraZeneca, the maker ing BSL-3 facility as well as those should we sign it?” a government Pradesh and Maharashtra. an 18-day hiatus in rate re- Light rain technology basis. of Covishield, to encourage them to who can establish such a facility to in- With the latest increase, the vision they observed dur- Rainfall 19.6mm 37.6mm very likely source with direct knowledge of These issues were discussed in an grant more voluntary licences in crease manufacturing sites in India, the matter told Reuters. price in Mumbai too was ing Assembly elections in inter-ministerial meeting May 18 to India. sources said. inching towards that level. states like West Bengal. P2 REBECCA TO STAR IN APPLE’S LADY GAGA RECALLS SATURDAY | MAY 22 | 2021 | BHUBANESWAR WOOL SERIES ADAPTATION TRAUMA OF BEING RAPED Actor Rebecca Ferguson will play the lead role in Wool , a drama Grammy and Oscar-winning singer Lady Gaga has series based on American author Hugh Howey’s best-selling opened up about her trauma of being raped, while book trilogy, set at Apple. According to Variety, the dystopian speaking on Oprah Winfrey and Prince Harry’s drama has Graham Yost on board as showrunner. Ferguson, series The Me You Cant See. Gaga remembers
y who will also serve as executive producer, will portray the role being 19 when a producer threatened to burn her
k y m leisure of Juliette, an independent and hardworking engineer. music if she didn't take her clothes off. c FORTUNE FORECAST ‘WE NEED TO FOCUS ON ‘Will work on ARIES For no reason whatsoev- LITERARY TRANSLATION’ er, you may clam up today. Of course, you will give credit to others wherever they've Noted poet and lesser known contributed. But you need to be more literary critic generous than that, says Ganesha, and share the secrets of your success with Dr Hrushikesh Mallick is your compatriots. known as one of the trendsetters in Odia performing TAURUS literature. No wonder, his Ganesha predicts that maiden poetry anthology today, you will be suc- cessful in money matters. ‘Dhana Saunta Jhia’ won There is, at best, only an outside chance that any stimulating event or the Odisha Sahitya thrilling escapade will occur today. In Akademi award in 1988. short, the day may be boring. art forms’ With more than 40 ARINDAM GANGULY,OP Odissi danseuse and Padma Shri awardee books to his credit, Guru Aruna Mohanty needs no introduction to the art and GEMINI Mallick has been n What will be your focus areas as Today will be a day of joy, OSNA President? culture aficionados of the state. A recipient of the Central happiness and festivities honoured by many and State Sangeet Natak Akademi Awards, she is arguably on the home-front. You prestigious literary n I was Akademi’s Vice-president a will try and spend as much time as possi- Odia language and literature. few years back, so I am aware of its the finest among the Odissi dancers in the country. She has ble with the children and will enthusiasti- organisations in the n We have plans in place to pub- history and objectives quite well. travelled across the globe to present solo and group cally participate in home improvement n What will be your immediate lish old classics again as the prac- OSNA works towards the growth of projects. You will be able to solve pending state. Mallick reveals his issues at home by taking an intelligent plans after assuming office? tice has been stopped for some all sorts of art forms such as the- presentations. Needless to say, her dance speaks a interest in them, says Ganesha. plans for the growth of time. I believe this will help to atre, music, dance, folk art and oth- thousand words. Known for her attempts to challenge Odia language and nFirst, I will work on the Odisha reach out to the new generation ers. At the moment, the cultural Sahitya Akademi awards which readers. events are on hold due to Covid-19. gender stereotypes through dance, Aruna, who has been CANCER literature once he have not been announced in But the recorded performances of selected to head Odisha Sangeet Natak Akademi, shares Your speech will today assumes office at the the last five years. I will also try n Do you believe that literature of many artistes are being streamed explode your thoughts. to organise more literary events other languages affects Odia? digitally. Therefore, I will try to in- her future plans with Orissa POST. Excerpts: You will ponder over helm of the Odisha to expand the reach of Odia What will be your plan for the volve as many talents as possible new deals and decide to act only after much thought. Ganesha Sahitya Akademi. language. growth of Odia literature? and showcase their skills online. on a global platform, I will pay at- years. How would you take the issue feels that you met with success in your Also, we have to be prepared to open tention to other lesser known forward? ambition to achieve a breakthrough. nHow would you react after being n What is the role of OSA in n I don't think any language ever auditoriums, subject to government’s folk dance and music forms nominated as OSA chief? promoting new writers? affects other languages adversely. approval, once normalcy returns. such as Dalkhai, Bagha nOdissi Research Centre, In fact learning multiple lan- Nacha, Ghumura an autonomous insti- LEO n Frankly speaking, I didn’t ex- nThe Akademi selects the best au- guages is the best way for the stu- n What are the works that you want Dance, Gotipua tution of Government You will feel a little pect this position. I will thank thor every year through a com- dents of literature to know global to complete which were left unfinished which are on the of Odisha is func- uneasy today. You will Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik petition and publishes the best cultures. For the growth of Odia when you were vice-president? verge of disap- tioning for the feel that nothing is and the selection committee for work to encourage the new literature, we have to focus on pearance. growth of Odissi. going right. You will try choosing me as the President of writers. translation of Odia books to other n We had launched district-wise cul- Instead of work- to organise yourself and concentrate OSA.I will give my best to live up languages so that they can know tural activities based on local art n The state ing separately, your scattered energies today. This n phase of uncertainity will be gone in a to the expectations of the gov- Please reveal your plans for the the richness of our language and forms like Sambalpuri dance, Chhau government the Akademi few days, assures Ganesha. ernment and for the growth of revival of old classic literature? literature. PNN dance, Gotipua among others. There has been will coordinate were also plans to organise festivals seeking with the unit in interior pockets. The purpose was classical to achieve VIRGO to attract more and more tourists to status for the target. The time today is ripe the less explored regions. I would Odissi for to venture into a new Sushmita gets like to continue these activities. many business. Projects that have been put-off will n Amid the ongoing pandemic finally be completed. Looking into the situation, what are your plans to help week ahead, you are most likely to give nostalgic out state’s performing artistes? yourself an energy zap. Parties will be all fun and entertainment. Mumbai: Sushmita Sen thanked everyone for their n First, I will have discussions with took a trip down wishes and blessings. officials of other Akademis, Minister LIBRA memory lane as she The actress also added Motherland INDIA have shared for 27 years of the Department and others to learn celebrated 27 glorious that the victory in 1994 ...Happpyyyyy 27th & counting Thank you about issues like ground realities, “Efforts made are never in vain, even when they years of her winning the not only changed her life, Anniversary of India’s #misscolombia1994 fund allocations among others. Then may seem otherwise”. Miss Universe pageant it also made history. first ever victory at Carolina @carogomez- I can say anything on the issue. Let this be your motto in 1994. She also shared a Sharing a stunning #MissUniverse in Manila films for teaching me for the day. Today may not seem to be the lovely throwback picture throwback picture of her- #philippines’ grace!!Thank you to all n As a consummate Odissi danseuse most productive day, especially when it of herself along with a self, she wrote, ‘Have you ‘That early morning the kind & loving peo- and now being the President of comes to interviews. You may feel like the rook in the chess set — sometimes com- heartfelt post. ever stared at the on 21st May 1994, not only ple, from around the OSNA, how do you plan to ing back to square one despite making Dedicating the post to impossible & thanked changed an 18 yr olds life globe, that touched my undertake the further growth of many moves forward to the ultimate Motherland India, God for giving you the forever...it made History!! life from a very young the art? checkmate! So remember, persistence is Sushmita penned a heart- opportunity to make it #mahalkita Philippines age & inspired the the key, says Ganesha. felt note where she possible? I have!!! To my for the romance we woman I am today. AGENCIES n Since Odissi is already popular
SCORPIO Add a pinch of innovation SUDOKU and inventiveness to your post To solve the Sudoku puzzle, fill in the boxes in such a daily working style. There PEANUTS CROSSWORD manner that every row, column and 3x3 box contains shall be order in the chaotic way you perform your tasks – the digits 1 to 9, without repeating any. though not apparent to others. Revitalise yourself and plunge into work with new- found zest and vigour, advises Ganesha.
SAGITTARIUS You will enjoy the magic of the Midas touch today, feels Ganesha. In busi- ness, sheer brilliance will help you derive the best possible results in productivity and clinching new con- tracts. Your approach, in general, will be methodical, disciplined and systematic for most part of the day. CALVIN AND HOBBES CAPRICORN Your power of reasoning will be strong today, says Ganesha. Those of you beginning your career will show a disposition to take up a job in television or print media. The spiritual SOLUTIONS side of you may also come to the fore and make you feel at peace, especially when visiting a holy place.
AQUARIUS You will spend the day introspecting, but the mental peace will still seem distant. Some unavoidable circumstances will force you to handle the situations with diligence, BREVITY feels Ganesha. Due to your devotion to the CROSSWORD Almighty and spiritualism, you will be able to deal with problems pretty well.
y PISCES
It is difficult for you to be
k y m part of one team and to c work as a member on two teams, but today you can do anything you want. You will be able to show your expertise to your team today and will be
praised by all. Women will make a profit CHECK FOR SOLUTIONS OF THE PUZZLES TOMORROW SUDOKU today and will feel encouraged. P3
SATURDAY | MAY 22 | 2021 | BHUBANESWAR special
k y m ASSAULT ON 4TH ESTATE DECRIED c At a time when many believe that India is becoming unsafe for journalists and studies reveal how scribes are becoming soft targets of police, the highly condemnable incident of police brutality on Dattatreya Nayak, Puri district correspondent of leading Odia daily Dharitri, has invited widespread criticisms from all walks of life. While many demanded exemplary action against the erring men in khaki, some others termed the act of police as ‘murder of democracy’ and pleaded for a ‘Journalist Protection Act’ in the country...
I totally condemn this kind of police highhandedness. Why should police be so overreactive on media persons? If they find somebody violating the law, they should register a case. But such an act of police is highly condemnable. Earlier, a petition has been filed in the Supreme Court seeking to make the consent from higher authorities mandatory for filing cases against media persons. The Supreme Court has reserved its order. Vikas Singh, President, Supreme Court Bar Association
The DGP has taken the alleged police assault on a fruit seller and a working journalist seriously. The DGP has done the right thing by ordering a probe into the incident. The probe report will say who was at fault. The DGP will certainly take action against the police personnel if they are found guilty Gopal Nanda, former Odisha DGP
We condemn all sorts of attacks on media and particularly this incident. This seems to be a ‘state terrorism’. It looks that the state government doesn’t want media to report truth. Journalists are becoming soft targets. Journalists are working for the society but the government machinery and police think that media is their enemy as it exposes their omission and commission. We have all sympathy with the journalist. Action should be taken against all the culprits. Umakant Lakhera, President, Press Club of India
Dharitri district correspondent Dattatreya Nayak staging a dharna on the Grand Road in Puri to protest the police atrocity against him OP PHOTO
I strongly con- It is highly con- condemns the incident. while sympathy is an exception. A criminal case Media is the mirror of demn such a demnable that the There must be an im- under the relevant Sections of IPC should be reg- the society. The police cowardice act police are assault- partial probe into the istered against the cops involved in inhuman highhandedness on a re- of police on a ing a journalist. incident and stern ac- treatment. If a journalist of an established news- porter is highly con- journalist. Police should pro- tion should be taken paper has been subjected to such torture by cops, demnable. Police should This is totally unac- tect the scribes while against the culprits then police brutalities on Dalits and tribals could take action against the ceptable in a democ- on duty. The state Prafulla Kumar be easily imagined. law breakers. They must racy. Instead of acting government should Mohanty, Cuttack Biswapriya Kanungo, human rights activist not harass working jour- responsibly and help- immediately take District Journalists’ nalists ing people during the action against the Union president While the state government has allowed the Jayanta Sarangi, trying times, police of- police officials street vendors selling essential items to open their Puri MLA ficials were indulged involved in the shops till 11am, why the police used force against in such an inhuman assault. There is a need for Journalist Journalists are doing their duty amid this pan- the vendors to close their shops before 10am. The act. Exemplary action should be taken in this Protection Act in the country. demic. A reporter in brutal torture of the Misuse of power is case and those responsible for this must be removed Ashwani Dubey, Advocate-on Record, Puri has faced police representative of a re- always condemnable. from their job. Supreme Court brutality in this trying puted newspaper who Journalists are doing Pradosh Patnaik, senior journalist times. We condemn the was just performing their work to bring the Attack on journalists is assault on the Fourth incident. Poor people his duty is unaccept- truth to us. People from Police atrocity against journalists is rising by Estate of democracy. are now facing a difficult able and downright all walks of life must the day in the state. The duty of police is to pro- Police highhanded- situation to earn their abuse of vested power come forward to protest tect people and not to attack journalists who are ness is not acceptable. livelihood. Police high- by the cops in Puri. It against police working round the Many media persons handedness on vendors is further shameful that highhandedness on the clock for the people had faced assault from is also condemnable. the cops manhandled journalists during this pandemic. police in the past. Muhammad the journalist in the If the journalists are Journalists are now Moquim, presence of a senior Premanand Mohanty, former president not safe in a welfare gathering informa- Barabati-Cuttack MLA officer. I have sought of Puri Bar Association state, how could one tion for news reports the intervention of the National Human Rights assure that the people by risking their lives Commission on the issue. I strongly condemn are safe? I strongly con- during the pandemic. Journalists have Pradipta Kumar Nayak, rights activist the police attack on the demn this and de- Police attack on work- every right to question Puri journalist. I de- mand strong action ing journalists is the authority when they Journalists are doing their best to safeguard the mand proper investiga- against the police per- highly condemnable see any injustice hap- freedom of speech. It is tion into the matter and sonnel involved in Rabi Ranjan Sahu, Cuttack Citizens’ Forum chief pening around. The an attempt to crush the strong action against the act. journalist, instead of free speech. I highly the police Pradyumna Kumar Mohanty, state vice shooting the barbaric condemn the incident Bhabani Shankar president of National Journalist Welfare Board While journalists are collecting news putting attack by cops on the and urge the state gov- Mishra, president of their lives in danger due to the pandemic, police vendors, decided to ernment to take strin- Koraput Press Club This is a very shameful and barbaric incident. assault on a reporter speak out and question gent action against the We have witnessed attacks on journalists by an- in Puri is highly con- the police action. cops involved in the tisocial elements for demnable. The Besides being a jour- act. Journalists are Media is the fourth fearless reporting. But, Odisha Human nalist, the scribe acted frontline workers and estate in a democracy. in this case, the police Rights Commission more as a human and must be respected rather than so are the police offi- Attack on journalists is have assaulted a young should take suo motu subjected to police atrocities. cials. Any wrongful ac- like killing democracy. reporter which is cognisance of the in- Sankar Prasad Pani, Orissa HC lawyer tion against them is Pramod Rath, highly condemnable. cident and ensure unacceptable. president of This is high time the stern action against This is astonishing that on one hand the gov- Manoj Jena, chairperson, Sambalpur authorities laid down the concerned ernment is declaring them frontline workers and Human Rights Front Lawyers’ detailed guidelines for policemen. Police on the other they are Association all government officials highhandedness subjected to barbarity I strongly condemn and police regarding against fruit and of police. The police the attack on the jour- how they should be- vegetables vendors are at fault by beating nalist by Puri police. have with the journal- is unacceptable up the scribe and have The journalists are the Vegetable and fruit sellers are running their ists and how to deal with atrocities against scribes. Satya Ray, senior journalist set a bad example by real heroes who are business under the Rabi Das, senior journalist beating a poor vendor. bringing facts to the scorching sun. Police I condemn police The police department fore. The constitutional brutality against ven- I strongly condemn assault on the needs to undertake spe- structure will be under dors is a crime. We it. Police attacked the Fourth Pillar of cial training on being threat if no action is condemn police as- journalist in Puri in a democracy. This in- sensitive especially to taken against the guilty sault on a fruit ven- bid to hide their loop- cident has proved the poor at the time of cops. The police in dor and a working holes. The police that the concerned pandemic when their Odisha are yet to come journalist in Puri. should act responsibly policemen lack hu- livelihoods are at stake. out of their colonial Stern action should at least during this manity. The culprits Priya Ranjan Sahu, senior journalist mindset. be taken against the pandemic. If you are will be brought to Chittaranjan Dash, advocate policemen not able to protect the justice if the victim Police don’t have the Nilakantha Mohanty, Secretary of Chhatra scribes, at least allow journalist opts for right to physically as- A working journalist Bazar Puja Committee them to perform their legal recourse sault anyone. They are had to face police assault duty honestly. Debashis Panda, criminal lawyer misusing the powers even after revealing his Journalists are no- Prasanna Kumar Mohanty, President, Odisha conferred on them identity. Who has given body’s enemies. There
Union of Journalists is a need for strong ac-
k y m under the Epidemic the authority to police c The Chief Minister has declared journalists as Act during this lock- to attack media persons? tion against the police frontline warriors against Covid-19. Many jour- down. The highhand- Indian National Congress personnel responsible The freedom of press of cannot be curtailed. nalists have lost their lives on the line of duty amid edness of Puri police condemns the incident for the incident Press is the Fourth Pillar of democracy. Even the pandemic. Some police personnel have as- further vindicates the Binayak Das Pramod Pattnaik, the Supreme Court in a recent judgement has saulted reporter Dattatreya Nayak just to hide their fact that rudeness of Mahapatra, Daitapati & journalist, made it clear that media has freedom to report. own fault. Cuttack district journalists’ union the police is a rule Congress leader Sambalpur P4 SATURDAY | MAY 22 | 2021 | BHUBANESWAR downtown/state
‘Yaas’ fear grips PURI GETS 150-BED COVID-19 HOSPITAL
k y m POST NEWS NETWORK c BOOST TO HEALTH INFRA Bhubaneswar, May 21: In a bid to meet the growing demand for THE HOSPITAL HAS COME UP ON healthcare facility for Covid pa- THE PREMISES OF SHRI Balasore dist tients, Chief Minister Naveen JAGANNATH MEDICAL COLLEGE AT Patnaik Friday inaugurated a 150- PURI, IN COLLABORATION WITH bed district Covid hospital at Puri SUM HOSPITAL, BHUBANESWAR on virtual mode. THE FACILITY HAS 90 GENERAL The hospital was built on the OXYGEN BEDS, 40 HDU BEDS AND premises of Shri Jagannath Medical 20 ICU BEDS College at Puri, in collaboration with Sum Hospital, Bhubaneswar. IT IS EQUIPPED WITH A HIGH The facility has 90 general oxy- QUALITY LABORATORY AND gen beds, 40 HDU beds and 20 ICU DIAGNOSTIC FACILITY beds. It is also equipped with a high quality laboratory and diag- ENTIRE EXPENDITURE FOR THE nostic facility. FUNCTIONING OF THE FACILITY Speaking on the occasion, WOULD BE BORNE BY CMRF Patnaik said the hospital will be helpful in providing better med- been connected with oxygen impact, the state contained the sible effort to provide the best treat- Education Minister Samir Ranjan ical care to critical Covid patients pipeline, and the number of oxy- virus with a greater success, he ment facilities and save precious Das, Sports Minister Tushar Kanti of the district and that they would gen beds would be further increased said, adding, “This year in the sec- lives, he said. Behera, deputy chairman of the not have to look for hospitals in if required. ond wave, we have so far been able Appealing to people to follow State Planning Board Sanjay Das POST NEWS NETWORK All measures have been Bhubaneswar or Cuttack. “This is a very challenging time to contain it largely. The recovery Covid norms to beat the pandemic, Burma, Puri MP Pinaki Mishra, The entire expenditure for op- for all of us in the country. The rate is also improving.” Patnaik said the success in con- Western Odisha Development Bhograi, May 21: Fear has gripped taken to ensure supply eration of the Covid hospital will pandemic has created a huge hu- The Chief Minister said that taining this pandemic lies in check- Council (WODC) chairman Asit people of the coastal district of of electricity, drinking be met from the Chief Minister’s manitarian crisis. It’s a threat to our the state has a robust Covid infra- ing the virus and breaking its Tripathy, Chief Secretary Suresh Balasore with the IMD forecast- Relief Fund (CMRF), the Chief lives, our health, and our general structure and the government is chain. Chandra Mohapatra and ACS ing that Cyclone ‘Yaas’ is likely to water and food to people Minister announced. wellbeing,” the CM stated. working to improve it further. The Among others, Health Minister Health PK Mohapatra, attended hit it. The district administration in cyclone shelters He stated that all the beds had Last year, despite the economic government is making every pos- Naba Das, School & Mass the meeting. is also bracing for tackling the im- pending situation. A number of virtual meetings in- keeping an eye on the ongoing IMD volving the District Collector, SP and forecasts. If the situation deterio- BRACING FOR STORM block-level officials were conducted rates, people living in low-lying Chariot construction Thursday. Steps to minimise in- areas will promptly be taken to frastructural damage and protect shelters. people have already been discussed. Balasore district sharing bor- begins in bio-bubble It has been decided that tehsil- ders with West Bengal is continu- dars, additional tehsildars, BDOs, ously getting feedback about ‘Yaas’. fire officers, health officers, block With apprehensions about the AGENCIES Once a servitor reports for duty, chairmen and officials of other storm growing, fishermen who the SJTA first takes his sample departments concerned will work have ventured out into the deep Puri, May 21: The Shree Jagannath and he stays in isolation at Shree in coordination. sea are also returning. The ad- Temple Administration (SJTA) Gundicha Bhakta Niwas till ar- Meanwhile, all the 22 cyclone ministration has asked them to re- Friday started chariot construc- rival of the test results. “If test re- shelters and 160 schools in this turn by May 23. tion activities at Rath Yard in the port comes negative, then only the block have been sanitised. It has Remembering the devastation highly protected bio-bubble, official servitor is allowed to enter the been done so that people can be caused by ‘Amphan’ last year, peo- sources said. Rath Yard or else sent to Covid-19 evacuated to these shelters quickly. ple have started taking precau- With 10 more persons testing facility. A Covid-19 negative report Similarly, all measures have been tionary measures. People living positive for Covid-19, the number is mandatory to enter into the bio- taken to ensure supply of elec- in thatched houses are also worried of such servitors increased to 18. bubble zone,” an SJTA official said. tricity, drinking water and food to and taking precautions. Similarly, However, none of the Covid-19 pos- The decision on adopting the people taking shelter in these build- farmers are seen brining the har- itive servitors had so far entered into bio-bubble technique was taken ings. The administration is also vest to safer places. Heavy rain lashes Bhubaneswar, Friday OP PHOTO the Rath Yard, Puri Collector after eight servitors tested posi- Sarthak Verma told reporters. tive for the virus recently. He said that the district admin- “The bio-bubble will keep the Panigrahi, Pathak istration introduced the bio-bubble servitors, who are engaged in con- system. struction of chariots, safe from Cong attacks state on rising Covid deaths “The bio-bubble has been en- Covid-19 infection as they will not test nCoV positive sured at Rath Yard. Only autho- come in contact with outsiders. POST NEWS NETWORK CONGRESS PARTY LEADER SURESH on the Centre in managing the POST NEWS NETWORK rised personnel are allowed inside Only those associated with the ROUTRAY SAID AROUND 150 Covid crisis in Odisha. “The state the site. Specific police arrange- chariot construction work will be Bhubaneswar, May 21: The PEOPLE SUCCUMB TO COVID-19 government should focus on in- Bhubaneswar, May 21: Gopalpur ment and barricading has been allowed to enter the bio-bubble Congress party Friday attacked EVERYDAY IN ODISHA creasing the beds, oxygen facility MLA Pradeep Panigrahi and for- done for that, reviewed the security starting today,” Verma pointed out. the state government for rise in and other healthcare assistance mer IFS officer Abhay Kant Pathak, arrangement at the chariot con- He said that inside the bio-bub- Covid deaths in the state. for the people of Odisha,” Routray lodged in the special jail at Jharpada struction site,” Puri SP said in an ble, thermal screening of the servi- Party leader Suresh Routray HE SAID THAT THE STATE pointed out. here, have tested positive for Covid official Twitter post. tors is being regularly conducted said around 150 people succumb to GOVERNMENT SHOULD NOT RELY He added, “The Union gov- Friday. The sources said that both The bio-bubble is an arrange- and they will undergo the test fre- Covid-19 everyday in Odisha. “The ONLY ON THE CENTRE IN ernment has not been giving ad- Panigrahi and Pathak who have ment where the people can work quently. Construction of the char- state Health Minister and Chief MANAGING THE COVID CRISIS equate money to the states. The been kept in isolation are under- safely without interference of out- iots began on the auspicious oc- Secretary are, however, clueless state government should un- going initial treatment. siders. The people are protected as casion of Akshaya Tritiya, May about it. Where are they? Let them tion,” Routray said, asking the needy Covid patients. derstand the need of the hour Sources also confirmed the duo all the persons entering the bio-bub- 15, for the Lord’s annual car festi- visit the crematoriums and wit- state government to ensure timely The Congress MLA asked the and work towards ensuring vac- will be immediately shifted to Covid ble zone must be Covid-19 negative. val scheduled to begin July 12. ness the intensity of the situa- vaccination and treatment to the state government not to rely only cine to the people.” hospital in case of deterioration in their health. On the other hand, the state prisons directorate has re- quested the Bhubaneswar ‘NCC Yogdan’ helps Municipal Corporation (BMC) au- NO VAX DRIVE IN 2 DISTS TODAY thorities to send a Rapid Response twin city residents Team (RRT) to Jharpada special jail POST NEWS NETWORK Union government which is likely nate a total of 49,660 persons across daily to look after the positive pris- in virus war to streamline the vaccination drive the state. A total of 394 active sites oners. As many as 96 prisoners Bhubaneswar, May 21: The state across the state. were used to inoculate people out of the 195 tested were found pos- POST NEWS NETWORK health department Friday an- As per the information by Friday against the pandemic Friday. itive for the virus recently. nounced that there will be no vac- night, the state has now a stockpile As per the latest information The BMC officials have assured Cuttack, May 21: The 4 (O) CTC cination drive Saturday in two dis- of 2,96,350 Covishield doses from from the state health department, the directorate of all help. The su- NCC, under the guidance of Cuttack tricts of Odisha. the Centre while a total of 3,45,910 the government has been able to perintendent of Jharpada special Group of Odisha Directorate, has These districts are Keonjhar doses of Covaxin from the central inoculate a total of 69,19,986 per- jail has been asked to keep in touch been extending its support to the and Sonepur. However, the state share are also with the state gov- sons till now. The vaccination with the BMC authorities, district people of twin cities in handling the government got a boost with more ernment. drive in the state started January administration and CDMO to avoid pandemic situation, an official said. supply of Covishield from the The state Friday could vacci- 16 this year. any eventualities. The cadets have been motivated to volunteer for the national duty to fight Covid-19 under ‘NCC Yogdan’. Cadets are deployed to ON ALERT help in relief efforts and facilitate Odisha dedicates awareness vehicles functioning of various agencies involved in fighting the pandemic, the official said. to sensitise people about pandemic To achieve the task, two helplines have been created and are being POST NEWS NETWORK managed by NCC cadets. Assistance is being provided with respect to Bhubaneswar, May 21: The state information on distribution of re- government Friday dedicated eight lief material, medicines, essential awareness vehicles to sensitise peo- commodities, community assis- ple about the severity of the second tance, data management, queue wave of Covid-19. and traffic management, making The vehicles decorated beauti- of masks and hand sanitisers. fully and fitted with audiovisuals sys- The cadets are engaged in spread- tems, were launched in joint col- ing awareness about the impor- laboration of the state health and tance of ‘SMS’— use of sanitiser, family welfare, Odia Language, mask and social distancing— Literature and Culture, and through video messages on Twitter Information and Public Relations de- and WhatsApp. During the pan- partments. The initiative was demic, a 30-member group of Aryan launched in the presence of Institute of Engineering and Information and Public Relations and Technology, Bhubaneswar, Cadets Odia Language, Literature and of 4(O) CTC NCC, Cuttack opened Culture secretary Bishnupada Sethi, Under the initiative, the vehicles sitise people on the severity of the a Covid Help Desk under the guid- culture director Ranjan Kumar will cover four districts — Khurda, novel coronavirus which has ance of OC, 4(O) CTC and ANO Lt Dash and Unicef state culture co- Puri, Cuttack and Jagatsinghpur— brought life to a stand still, said an
Rudra Prasad Nanda. The temporary shed for devotees on Grand Road in Puri is being removed as state braces for cyclone Yaas, Friday ordinator Basudev Malabisoi. in the next three months and sen- official.
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SATURDAY | MAY 22 | 2021 | BHUBANESWAR special
k y m GAGGING PEOPLE’S VOICE c In recent times, attempts by the state to gag media have reached a new low. Cases of assaults on journalists have become dime a dozen. No wonder, India has slipped to 142 on the 180-country World Press Freedom Index. An unflattering commentary on a country which prides itself as the largest functioning democracy of the world. The state has demonstrated its intolerance for criticism. In Odisha also, there have been numerous cases of cold-blooded assaults on scribes. In the latest such case, the district correspondent of Oriya daily Dharitri was ruthlessly beaten up while he was carrying out his duty--braving risks to his life and family during the second wave of Covid-19. A visual presentation of the atrocities by the police on the scribe and the widespread outbursts of people’s anger against the khaki terror.
Mediapersons at Barbil in Keonjhar come out in support of Dattatreya Nayak Police unleashing brutality on Dattatreya in Puri (File Photo)
Mediapersons holding a meeting at Bant in Bhadrak. They passed a resolution condemning the savage attack by the police on the scribe
Journalists condemning the incident at a meeting at Malkangiri
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Journalists hold a meeting at Bhuban in Dhenkanal condemning the attack on the scribe Journalists of Anandapur Press Club submit a memorandum to the ADM regarding the incident OP PHOTOS P6 SATURDAY | MAY 22 | 2021 | BHUBANESWAR power post
FOCUS COMBATING PANDEMIC Be only a burning fire for
progress, take whatever comes to
k y m you as an aid to your progress and c immediately make whatever progress is required. THE MOTHER LOANS OF NO USE
he government has of diesel was less by 1.7 per cent, adopted the policy of tak- sale of cars was less by 7 per cent ing loans in large and the numbers of inter-state e- Ch’garh whistleblower T amounts to tide over the way bills issued was less by 17 per crisis brought by the Covid pan- cent in April 2021 as compared to demic. The total borrowings of March 2021. Therefore, the basic the Central government were 74 per indicators show a downward trend fights lone battle cent of GDP in December 2019. in April as compared to March. The This has increased to 90 per cent reasons for the increase in GST col- district Women and Child Development (WCD) officer in the Mahasamund in December 2020. The Finance lections in April are a mystery to district of Chhattisgarh is on a crusade against departmental corruption. Minister had announced in the me. I do not preclude the possi- AHe has gone on a hunger strike for the government’s inaction in a `30 Budget for 2020-21 that the gov- bility that the government may lakh corruption case related to various state government schemes. Though ernment will continue to make have asked the Public Sector the amounts appear small, it is the principle that matters for this champion heavy borrowings to tide over the Enterprises to pay advance GST in of honesty in administration. first wave of the pandemic. The bor- order to prop up the data. Sudhakar Bodele is demanding action against the departmental officers rowings will only rise due to the Remember that rating agencies who were involved in the embezzlement of funds of `30 lakh in two schemes second and possibly the third and The government has adopted the policy of taking have warned to reduce India’s rat- of the WCD department in Mahasamund district. the fourth waves. loans in large amounts to tide over the crisis ing from present B--- to “junk” if Bodele has alleged that substandard material worth `20 lakh was purchased Bharat Money obtained as loans are brought by the Covid pandemic. The total the borrowings of the government between March 20 and 21 under Chief Minister Kanya Vivah Yojana (CMKVY). Jhunjhunwala put to use in two different ways. continue to rise. That would lead He has also alleged irregularities of `10 lakh under the Ready to Eat (RTE) They can be invested in productive borrowings of the Central government were 74 per to capital flight and a host of other scheme. Despite complaints, no action was taken against the guilty staff, the activities. The borrower can pay problems. Be that as it may, it is to WCD officer complained. the interest and principal amount cent of GDP in December 2019. This has increased be seen whether the rise in GST col- Earlier, the officer brought the matter to the knowledge of the district Collector. THE LOANS from the additional earnings. This to 90 per cent in December 2020 lections sustains in the coming Despite promises when no action occurred, then he asked for permission and is like an industrialist borrowing months especially in the light of a place to go for a hunger strike. When the officer was not granted permis- BEING TAKEN money from the banks to put up the lockdowns due to the second sion, he sat on a hunger strike at home. BY THE an industry and paying the in- given the example of Venezuela, mars and making her own fighter wave of the pandemic. All eyes are on how the government responds to Bodele’s “tactics”. Watch terest and principal from the ad- which is not even able to provide jets. The loans taken by the gov- The government must take the this space for updates. GOVERNMENT ditional earnings made. food to its citizens because of the ernments of the US and China following steps in this difficult OF INDIA AND Alternatively, the money can be huge burden of debt. At least six are, therefore, more like the loans circumstance. One, it must make DOCTORS CALL FOR AN INDIAN MEDICAL SERVICE used cover the losses. In this case, developing countries namely, taken by the industrialist for put- a steep increase in the import duty LARGE additional earnings are not made. Zambia, Ecuador, Lebanon, Belize, ting up factory. The loans taken by on fuel oil. I am in favour of a The devastating Covid crisis has renewed demand for the creation of an NUMBERS OF As a result, the interest has to be Suriname and Argentina have de- the Government of India are more four-fold increase so that the retail Indian Medical Service along the lines of the all-India services such as IAS paid out of the already meager faulted on their loan repayments. like the loan taken by the jobless price of petrol becomes about `150 and IPS etc., at the earliest. The sec- DEVELOPING earnings. Say, a worker loses her Further, as many as 90 countries employee. per liter, likewise in the case of ond wave of the epidemic has caught job. She takes loan to manage the have approached the International We should not be distracted by diesel. This will lead to a reduction India’s creaking health infra- BABUDOM COUNTRIES ARE household. Let us say she gets the Monetary Fund for emergency some contrary indicators. The in oil consumption. The revenues structure on the wrong foot again. BYTES LIKE THE LOAN same job at the same salary after loans. It is clear that though loans GST collections in April 2021 were earned must be used to reduce It has blown the lid off the ‘sys- a few months. Now, she has to pay taken by the developing countries `1.41 lakh crore against `1.23 lakh the debt so that we can stand dur- tem’ exposing the shortage of crit- Dilip Cherian TAKEN BY A interest on the borrowings made in the past are becoming an un- crore in March and about `1.0 lakh ing the third and maybe fourth ical beds, oxygen, equipment and WORKER TO during the period of joblessness bearable burden yet they are push- crore per month in the last two waves of the pandemic. Two, the doctors and other medical staff. out of the same earnings as before. ing themselves deeper into the years. Other economic indicators, government must cut its con- Sources say that this demand has been raised on several occasions by sev- TIDE OVER THE Her standard of living is now low- same quagmire by borrowing more. however, point in the other direc- sumption. The salaries of the gov- eral medical organizations including the Indian Medical Association (IMA), PERIOD OF ered. In effect, she has multiplied The use of money from the loans tion. A survey by McKinsey has re- ernment servants, except front- the Federation of Resident Doctors Association (FORDA) and the doctors’ the hardships of joblessness in taken by the Governments of ported that 86 per cent people in line workers, must be cut to one-half association of the prestigious All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS). JOBLESSNESS transferring it to the future be- United States and China are some- India were positive about their in proportion to the reduction of Those in the know say that recently FORDA has renewed the demand and cause of the additional burden of what different. The US has made economic future in January 2021. the incomes of the poor people. It written to Prime Minister Narendra Modi asking him to expedite the cre- interest. direct cash transfers to its citi- Only 64 per cent are positive in is a tragedy of majestic proportions ation of a national medical service. Interestingly, the Parliamentary Standing The loans being taken by the zens out of the loans and also in- April 2021. A paper published in that the “served” is suffering while Committee on Health and Family Welfare had also suggested that the gov- Government of India and large vested in new technologies. For the Diplomat magazine has re- the “server” is doing okay. Three, ernment explore the possibility of setting up an exclusive service as part of numbers of developing countries example, the US Government has ported that the Purchase Manager’s the government must make huge the much-needed changes that have now become necessary to revamp the are like the loan taken by the provided huge grants to explore the Index (PMI) has fallen. A 50+ PMI investments in new technologies. healthcare system. Will Modi oblige? worker to tide over the period of use of “phages” that are available indicates that purchase managers It is a shame that the supplier of joblessness. These are being used in nature for therapy, including of businesses are positive; while vaccines to the world is importing RETIRED BABU IS ‘INDISPENSABLE’ FOR MVA GOVT to maintain the present levels of that of the Covid patients. Similarly, 50- PMI indicates they are negative. vaccines for her own use. government consumption and not China has invested in building its It is reported that the PMI has It is common practice with state governments, but when the Maharashtra for new investments. The World own space station independent of fallen from 54.6 in March 2021 to The writer is a former government decided to reappoint IAS officer VK Gautam, who retired last Bank has, therefore, warned that the US and Russia, making tem- 54.0 in April 2021. The consump- Professor of Economics at month as additional chief secretary in charge of Irrigation as an officer on this policy will create more trou- peratures as high as those of the tion of petrol in April 2021 was IIM Bangalore. special duty (OSD) in the same department, it has not gone down well with ble in the long run. The bank has sun, landing her satellite on the less by 6.3 per cent, consumption The views are personal. other officers, serving as well as retired. The rationale offered by the MVA government is that Gautam had shown able leadership in the post and the government would continue to benefit from his experience and ability to handle large projects. Sources say that the MVA government was actually keen on retaining SPECTRUM PALESTINE CRISIS Gautam’s services on a three-year contract as Irrigation Secretary. However, it could not do so since the post of secretary is a cadre post and cannot be made contractual to retain an IAS officer. So, it made him an OSD instead. Gautam’s retention on a contractual basis seems to have upset quite a few senior IAS officers, who see this as a wrong trend. It is also pointed out that Biden’s Israel Problem Gautam has an inquiry pending against him for alleged violation of rules as a member of the Commonwealth Games managing committee more than hen asked whether he this approach to the bilateral re- since the current crisis began, the thorities’ systemic abuses and a decade ago. would insist on a cease- lationship has ultimately been US has blocked UN Security Council crimes in the occupied Palestinian But Gautam is not the only senior official to have benefitted. Chief Wfire after the escalation in detrimental to both countries. statements calling for an immedi- territories and within Israel. Recent Secretary Ajoy Mehta after retirement has been hired as principal advisor violence between Israel and Hamas, Netanyahu knows all too well ate ceasefire, leading UN diplo- reports by the main Israeli human to the Chief Minister’s Office (CMO). Similarly, R Mopalwar who retired in US President Joe Biden said that how to influence US politics, par- mats to conclude that the Biden rights group, B’Tselem, and Human 2018 is overlooking major road projects in the state and RA Rajeev is still head- he would speak to Israeli Prime ticularly when violent conflict administration wants to keep that Rights Watch make a compelling ing MMRDA although he retired in February. Minister Binyamin Netanyahu “in erupts. He has long exploited the fact body “silent” in the matter. case that Israel is now an So, while retaining retired babus may be bad in principle, it is a widely an hour, and I’ll be able to talk to that the US inevitably reiterates Moreover, May 17, just as the vi- “apartheid” state, not a democracy. prevalent practice and not just in Maharashtra. you after that.” Far from a Biden Israel’s “right to self-defense” with- olence in Gaza was intensifying, The Still, with key Democratic Party gaffe, the President’s apparent def- out taking into account Israeli lead- Washington Post reported that voices challenging the pro-Israel Share a babu experience! Follow [email protected]. erence to Netanyahu raises alarm- ers’ responsibility for triggering Biden had approved the sale of hegemony within their own party, Let’s multiply the effect. ing questions about the nature of a crisis. This time, too, US officials, $735 million in “precision-guided the US political landscape is grad- the US-Israel relationship. regardless of party affiliation, have weapons” to Israel, raising red ually changing. It is doubtful that Israel is what scholars of in- tended to shy away from ac- flags for House Democrats who Biden would have used the word Fawaz A. Gerges ternational relations would call knowledging Netanyahu’s direct have been calling on the adminis- “ceasefire” if not for a joint state- WISDOM CORNER “the tail that wags the dog.” Given role in sabotaging reconciliation be- tration to push for a ceasefire and ment issued by 29 Democratic the asymmetry of power between tween Palestinians and Israelis, take a more active role in addressing Senators urging an “immediate” Decide what you want, decide what you are willing to exchange for it. Establish your priorities and go to work. BIDEN’S STANCE IN the two, one would expect the disenfranchising Palestinian citi- the root causes of the conflict. The one. One of the vanguards of this H. L. HUNT United States, as the superpower zens of Israel, and empowering following day, after coming under growing movement is Senator THE CURRENT that furnishes Israel with $3.8 bil- his country's most extremist and increasing pressure at home and Bernie Sanders, who commands I really believe that everyone has a talent, ability, or skill that he can lion per year in military aid, to xenophobic forces. abroad, and after speaking with a significant share of support mine to support himself and to succeed in life. CONFLICT DEAN KOONTZ lay out the ground rules for their Biden knows Netanyahu well, Netanyahu, Biden issued a state- within the Democratic Party base. AMOUNTS TO A relations. Yet in Israel’s case, the having dealt with him first as a ment expressing support for a cease- Equally promising, American The first step toward success is taken when you refuse to be a GREEN LIGHT FOR reverse is true. Senator and then as Vice President fire. But Netanyahu has made it Jews are increasingly skeptical of captive of the environment in which you first find yourself. Since the 1980s, the US foreign- for eight years in the Obama ad- clear that he is not ready to end the MARK CAINE Netanyahu. Despite new voices in ISRAEL TO policy consensus has been that ministration. In 2011, Netanyahu airstrikes on Gaza, and the White the Democratic Party and the CONTINUE ITS Israel knows best how to preserve publicly humiliated America’s first House remains seemingly unwill- American Jewish community, it its security, and that unequivocal Black President, Biden’s former ing to persuade him otherwise as will probably take a generational WORDSWORTH MILITARY US support, not pressure, would boss, by lecturing to him about US long as Hamas is still indiscrimi- shift in US foreign-policy circles to CAMPAIGN induce it to take the risks necessary policy and Israeli security live on nately firing rockets into Israel. bring the pendulum back to the mid- Cachinnatory for peace. Hence, US presidents American television from the Oval Clearly, Biden belongs to the gen- dle on issues concerning Israel and AGAINST HAMAS often defer to their Israeli coun- Office. Worse, he later colluded with eration of US officials who cling to Palestine. achinnatory refers to loud or immoderate laughter. Though this may terparts on questions of war and congressional Republicans to try to the hoary vision of Israel as a shin- Cseem to be celebrating boisterous high spirits, it dates from the early peace in the Middle East, even kill the 2015 nuclear deal with Iran. ing democracy in a sea of Arab The writer is Professor of nineteenth century, at a time when gentlemen in England did not laugh out though vital American interests Biden’s stance in the current and Muslim autocracy. Biden and International Relations and loud, at least not in public. It has about it a sense of the distaste we feel are at stake there. Yet far from giv- conflict amounts to a green light for like-minded Democratic and Middle Eastern politics at the when persons nearby are carousing too loudly for comfort. That master of ing the US leverage over Israel or Israel to continue its military cam- Republican leaders are willfully London School of Economics. the second-rate novel, Sir Edward Bulwer-Lytton, was a great user of the advancing the prospects of peace, paign against Hamas. Three times oblivious to evidence of Israeli au- ©PROJECT SYNDICATE word and illustrated its exuberance in his Paul Clifford of 1842: “If Paul’s comrade laughed at first, he now laughed ten times more merrily than ever. He threw his full length of limb upon a neighbouring sofa, and literally rolled with cachinnatory convulsions; nor did his risible emotions subside until the Pinarayi’s gamble Ban WhatsApp entrance of the hung-beef restored him to recollection”. It also appears in Fan by Henry Harford, published in 1892, in which the heroine is visiting Sir, The Communist Party of India (Marxist in Kerala is preparing for a generational shift Sir, This refers to Indian government’s London Zoo: “The laughing jackasses laughed their loudest, almost in the state. Before the Assembly elections, a massive thrust was laid on the changeover by direction to WhatsApp to withdraw its frightening her with their weird cachinnatory chorus”. The Romans clearly etters inducing fresh faces as party members and legislators. The party refused to give tickets to those new privacy policy. Crores of Indians use knew of this unrestrained outpouring of immoderate humour, since the word who had contested consecutive Assembly elections and won twice, and to Lok Sabha election WhatsApp and the messaging company is from Latin cachinnare with the same sense. losers. It went ahead with its plan despite advice against doing so by some party veterans. has a monopoly in the Indian and global TOL THE EDITOR People of the state have given their thumbs-up for Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan’s plans. market. The company’s new privacy Readers of Orissa POST The new Cabinet does not have a single member of his erstwhile team. However, of all the policy is a blatant attempt to abuse its are most welcome to contribute letters ministers, KK Shailaja’s omission sparked an outrage in the state. The popular ‘Shailaja authority and dominance. As per the GoI, (200 words), articles and teacher’ was credited with efficient Covid-19 management in the state. The quick containment the new changes undermine the sacro- LOL columns (between 750-1250 words). Contributors are of the 2018 Kerala Nipah virus outbreak was possible due to Shailaja’s efforts, people say. Vijayan sanct values of information, privacy, assistant, requested to send their did not budge; he wanted to make a big and bold statement. The second-time, 75-year-old, CM data security and user’s choice, while it Ignore ‘H’ "Please heat my contact numbers and full is keen to run the state with a new, enthusiastic team. The CM has broken a trend by beating harms the rights and interests of Indian
rice for me." When the postal address/email ID. They may also anti-incumbency and landing a superb victory for the LDF. His role in ticket distribution is citizens. The company must withdraw
k y m send in their valuable comments, opinion c n English teacher told his teacher returned to his office, and suggestions, preferably by email, no hidden secret; the splendid win can also be seen as his own. Taking fresh faces along with its new privacy policy or else the gov- Astudents that when pronouncing he met an empty bowl. He asked the to: [email protected] him is a challenge, too, for Vijayan apart from the fact that he can function according to his ernment must take exemplary action of a word beginning with the letter "H" assistant, "Where is my food?" The will. The success of the Vijayan-2 government can always be laid at the CM’s doorsteps for banning it. The Facebook-owned com- they should ignore the "H" as in hour, assistant replied, "You said I should “guiding the inexperienced” team while failure can ways be attributed to the ‘newcomers’. pany will comply when they are threat- honor, and honest. That day when heat the rice for you, but you also B-15, Rasulgarh Industrial Estate, The CPM has, on its part, sent a message that it is a party that counts on ideologies and team; ened with a ban. leaving for class, he left a note for his instructed us to ignore the 'H.'" Bhubaneswar-751010 individuals are secondary to its interests. Ganapathi Bhat, AKOLA Aman Raghuwanshi, UJJAIN P7 DELHI BIHAR
SATURDAY | MAY 22 | 2021 | BHUBANESWAR
k y m Centre to set up ‘Defence COVID CAUSES ORPHAN CRISIS c
AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE which made it more difficult for her Enclave’ in Central Vista to recover from the coronavirus. New Delhi, May 21: Three days When repeated knocks were of no At present, the Defence Minister, his deputy, Defence Secretary, Army chief, Navy chief after their father died of the coro- avail, relatives poured water on the as well as several three-star officers have their offices at the South Block navirus, six-year-old twins Tripti girls from the windows to keep them and Pari were found sleeping next open. When the doctor arrived and PRESS TRUST OF INDIA their own large “Defence Enclave'” to their mother, unaware that she announced that their mother had that is also required from security was also a victim. died, they were taken away. New Delhi, May 21: The govern- point of view. The new enclave In the new pandemic wave sweep- ment will set up a large “Defence will be constructed by 2026 and ing India, thousands of children “Emotional Tragedy” Enclave”' to house top defence brass this will be part of the ten buildings have lost one or two parents. In The head of UNICEF India, In this photo taken May 11, 2021, twin sisters Tripti and Pari, who lost their and personnel under its ambitious to be constructed under the com- India, there are already millions of Yasmin Haque, said that such chil- parents due to the coronavirus, play with toys AFP PHOTO Central Vista redevelopment proj- mon central secretariat,” a source orphans. The prospect of a prolif- dren “not only live in emotional ect, official sources in the Union told this news agency. eration of abandoned minors wor- tragedies, but are also extremely Social media calls on people to must be met by government officials, Housing and Urban Affairs The redevelopment of the Central ries many people. likely to be neglected, abused and provide breast milk and food for ba- and if there are no relatives to take Ministry said. Vista – the nation’s power corridor The names of Tripti and Pari exploited.” bies who have lost their mothers. care of them, they are placed in According to the sources, the – envisages a new parliament build- have been changed and they are now In another case, the media re- Some coronavirus orphans are shelters. Smriti Irani, Minister for Vice President’s house and its ing, a common central secretariat, taken care of by their mother’s ported last month that a baby was also being illegally adopted on so- Women’s and Children’s nearby buildings will be demol- revamping of the 3-km Rajpath uncle Ramesh Singh. found next to his mother. The baby cial media. Srivastava said that Development, warned this month ished to pave the way for con- The offices of the Navy, Army and from Rashtrapati Bhavan to India Singh said: “I keep telling the girls had been dead for 48 hours and her helpline receives at least 300 calls that adopting informal methods to structing the Defence enclave. The Air Force are also spread across sev- Gate, new Prime Minister’s resi- that their parents will go home his neighbour was worried that and messages every day. adopt COVID-19 orphans is “trap” new residence of the Vice President eral parts of central Delhi, in- dence and Prime Minister’s office, soon.” Her name was also changed he might be infected with the virus. “Our authorities have a heavy and “illegal.” Agence France-Presse will come up near the North Block. cluding the Lutyens’ Zone. Many and a new Vice President enclave. to protect the children’s identity. Cybersecurity expert Akancha burden and people feel annoyed. In received a message on WhatsApp that At present, the Defence Minister, operate from hutments near the “The land where the vice pres- “I don’t want to tell them the Srivastava said: “We don’t know this case, it is very easy to mis- included a two-year-old girl and a two- his deputy, defence secretary, Army North and South Blocks. ident's house exists at present will truth now… they are still too how many people are dying, let takenly assign children to some month-old boy for adoption. chief, Navy chief as well as sev- “There are currently various also be used for the new enclave young.” Singh said their heart- alone how many orphans there trafficking rackets or to adopt rack- The news said: “Children of eral three-star officers have their offices of the defence ministry at along with the nearby land,” the broken mother rejected her hus- are.”However, online evidence ets,” she said. Brahmins”, implying that these chil- offices at the South Block. many places. They will now have source said. band’s normal diet after his death, shows a devastating scale. According to Indian law, orphans dren are Hindus in the upper class. MONEY LAUNDERING PROBE REFLECTIONS Man loses job, abandons wife
INDO-ASIAN NEWS SERVICE of coronavirus,” said Ravi Shankar Singh, an investigating ED raids premises Patna, May 21: A man, who lost officer of Government Railway his job in the second wave of coro- Police, Buxar. navirus, abandoned his wife at “Both Verma and Pragati de- Bihar's Buxar railway station cided to return home. They linked to Kalra Thursday, police said. reached Buxar on the Pune-Patna Vivek Verma, a native of express on Thursday. After reach- Searches are being conducted on at least Mirzapur under Bariya police ing Buxar, he told her to stay at station in Uttar Pradesh's Ballia the railway station while he 10 places in the national capital region district, had recently married his arranged for a vehicle to go to Facebook friend Pragati Singh, a Ballia. Pragati waited there for PRESS TRUST OF INDIA chines from these premises and it native of Arihauli in Kushinagar hours but he did not return. When was alleged that they were being police station in the same he was contacted on phone, he New Delhi, May 21: The hoarded and sold in the black district. said that he would never go to Enforcement Directorate Friday market. “Verma, working for an MNC Ballia,” the police official said. raided at least 10 premises linked Kalra had denied any wrong- company in Pune, secretly tied He said that the local police to businessman Navneet Kalra and doing and claimed that the con- the knot with his Facebook friend has been asked to put Verma's his associates in Delhi-NCR as part signment was kept for regular sale. Pragati Singh and both went to mobile phone under surveillance of a money laundering probe linked He was sent to 14 days judicial Pune. They stayed for a few weeks in a bid to trace him, while a ve- to a recent case of alleged hoard- custody by a local court here in Pune before the company where hicle was arranged to send the ing and black-marketing of oxy- Thursday. he was working, removed him woman to her family in Ballia gen concentrators, officials said. The agency, officials had earlier Reflection of Jama Masjid in a puddle of rain water in New Delhi, Friday PTI PHOTO from the job in the second wave under police security. The concentrators are in short told PTI, will probe if the oxygen supply as they are being anxiously concentrators were illegally hoarded scoured by those gasping for breath and sold to the family members amid the second wave of the Covid- or caregivers of coronavirus-in- 19 pandemic in the country. fected patients at exorbitant prices, ‘White fungus’ just a normal infection: Doctors Official sources said the searches thereby leading to generation of are being conducted on at least 10 "proceeds of crime" as defined Experts say there is no ment for a long period are vul- places in the national capital region under the PMLA. nerable to candidiasis. under provisions of the Prevention The ED is empowered to question such disease as “white "When Covid-19 becomes severe of Money Laundering Act (PMLA). and record the statements of the ac- fungus”. The infection that in patients and they become hy- The raids are aimed to gather ad- cused and it can even attach their is being reported is poxic, steroids are one of the main- ditional evidence, they said. properties during the course of in- stays of treatment besides anti-vi- The ED had recently booked vestigation, following which it files nothing but candidiasis rals and antibiotics. That Kalra and others under the anti- a charge sheet before a special predisposes the development of a money laundering law, taking cog- PMLA court seeking their prose- AGENCIES fungal infection depending on the nisance of a Delhi Police FIR filed cution under the anti-money laun- dosages of steroids given and how May 5 after policemen raided some dering law. New Delhi, May 21: At a time long they have been given. Steroids restaurants and premises owned Kalra was nabbed by Delhi Police when states are witnessing a rise cause suppression of immunity," and linked to Kalra. Crime Branch sleuths from in black fungus (mucormycosis) said Dr Ishwar Gilada. The police had recovered more Gurgaon Sunday night and was cases, a disease primarily affecting Experts said the most common than 524 of these life-saving ma- formally arrested the next day. immune-compromised Covid-19 candidiasis infection is oral thrush. patients, reports of another fungal “This infection generally affects infection, called “white fungus” areas or parts of the body that have caused a stir. and misconception. It is basically age to sinuses, eyes, brain and re- have a thin lining, mucocutaneous However, experts say there is candidiasis, a fungal infection quires extensive surgery. junctions like lips, nose, or inside no such disease as “white fungus”. caused by a type of fungus called “Mucormycosis is more dan- the mouth and genital area,” Dr The infection that is being reported Candida. It is the most common gerous because it is normally not Gilada, known to be the first per- is nothing but candidiasis, fungal infection,” said infectious found in the human system, and we son to raise the alarm against AIDS they said. diseases specialist Dr Ishwar Gilada. normally do not see many cases. in India, said. The first reports of white fungus The experts also said there was Candidiasis is easily diagnosed He said the warning signs to came from Patna, Bihar. However, no basis to reports that “white fun- and easily treated. Most of the look out for are headache, pain in the government-run Patna Medical gus” is more dangerous than times, it is not life threatening, un- one side of the face, swelling, loss College and Hospital (PMCH) dis- black fungus. less you miss treatment or symp- of vision or diminishing vision missed these reports. Dr Kapil Salgia, pulmonologist toms completely and it becomes and ulcer in mouth. A simple mi- Now, a fresh case of so-called at the Bombay Hospital, who has invasive,” Dr Kapil Salgia said. croscopic examination under 10 white fungus has been detected in been treating black fungus patients, Those with frail immunity, suf- per cent KOH (potassium hydrox- Uttar Pradesh. said mucormycosis was more in- fering from diabetes and have been ide) can be done to detect the in- “White fungus is just a myth vasive and might cause lot of dam- on steroids during Covid-19 treat- fection, Dr Gilada said. Travails of a wife to cremate husband A WOMAN FLED FROM A QUARANTINE CENTER TO PERFORM LAST RITES TO HER HUSBAND WHO PASSED AWAY ALMOST A WEEK BACK
INDO-ASIAN NEWS SERVICE
Patna, May 21: A heart break- ing incident came to light in Bihar’s Munger district where a woman fled from a quaran- tine center to perform last rites to her husband who passed away almost a week back. Vikas Mandal, 28, a native of Ramnagar Patan village tested Corona positive and his health deteriorated May 13. His wife, Kanchan Devi, ad- REPRESENTATIONAL PHOTO mitted him in Begusarai Sadar hospital where he died Munger and request the hus- of the health department of “The victim requested the during treatment. band’s kin again May 14 but Samastipur also did not ad- health officials of Sadar hos- As she was alone in the they refused. They also re- dress the issue of the two pital to hand over the dead hospital, she requested help quested neighbours for help women and put them into body of her husband. We im- from her in-laws for cremation but nobody came forward. quarantine center. mediately came forward and but they refused. Kanchan Then, they decided to go Kanchan and her mother handed over the dead body then approached her own to Samastipur’s Patalia vil- requested the officials of the for cremation. We have
family but they also did not lage under Vibhutipur police quarantine center to release arranged the ambulance and
k y m c help. Kanchan's mother, how- station, the native village of them so that they would go to sent the dead body to crema- ever, came forward and Kanchan Devi. Begusarai. Eventually, tion ground at Simaria Ghat reached Begusarai Sadar hos- The male members of the Kanchan fled from the quar- where Kanchan performed pital to help her daughter. family, instead of helping antine center six days after her the last right,” said Sanjeev Both Kanchan and her them, complained with district husband's death and May 18 Kumar Chaudhary SDO Sadar mother decided to go to administration. The officials and reached Begusarai. of Begusarai. P8 TEMPLE FOR ‘CORONA SATURDAY | MAY 22 | 2021 We have appealed to the DEVI’ COMES UP IN TN Centre to provide maximum As the severe second wave of Covid-19 aid. The prime minister is sweeps across the country, not sparing this sensitive. We don't want to district too, a Coronadevi temple has come
indulge in politics up on the outskirts of the city, thanks to a y
UDDHAV THACKERAY | mutt, seeking divine intervention to put an
k y m national MAHARASHTRA CHIEF MINISTER end to the raging pandemic c
of the day uote Govt objects to Twitter’s ‘manipulated’ tag on toolkit tweets The UP CM is bound to nod in PRESS TRUST OF INDIA vestigation process. agency is undertaking the inves- designate certain tweets as 'ma- favour (of According to sources, the whatever PM says). tigation, Twitter has unilaterally nipulated', pending investigation Even after ruining New Delhi, May 21: The govern- Ministry of Electronics and IT has drawn a conclusion in this matter by the law enforcement agency. health services from ment has objected to Twitter using written a strong communication to and arbitrarily tagged it as 'ma- Such action not only dilutes the district to villages, 'manipulated media' tag for tweets the global team of Twitter regis- nipulated media', government credibility of Twitter as a neutral the exchange of praises is going on on an alleged Congress toolkit used tering its objection to the 'manip- sources said. and unbiased platform facilitat- to target the Centre over its Covid- ulated media' tag on tweets made Such tagging by Twitter appears ing exchange of views by the users AKHILESH YADAV | 19 handling, sources said. by some political leaders with ref- pre-judged, prejudiced and a de- but also puts a question mark on SAMAJWADI PARTY PRESIDENT The government has asked erence to the toolkit allegedly cre- liberate attempt to colour the in- Twitter's status as an "intermedi- Twitter to remove the 'manipu- ated to undermine, derail and de- UP has strongly vestigation by local law enforce- ary", they said. fought the lated media' tag as the matter is mean the efforts of the government ment agency, the sources This comes in the backdrop pandemic pending before law enforcement against the Covid-19 pandemic. pointed out. of Twitter labelling as 'manip- challenge under able agency, and made it clear that the In its communication to Twitter, The ministry has termed such ulated media' a tweet by BJP guidance of the social media platform cannot pass the ministry has stated that a com- unilateral action by Twitter as an spokesperson Sambit Patra on prime minister, judgment when the issue is under plaint has already been made by one effort to influence the fair investi- the alleged toolkit prepared by cooperation of the investigation. of the concerned parties before gation process and a clear over- the Congress to target the Modi Union government, alertness of his Investigation will determine the local law enforcement agency reach, which is totally government. public representatives and a massive the veracity of the content and questioning the veracity of the unwarranted. Twitter says it "may label Tweets campaign by their district not Twitter, it has asserted while toolkit and the same is under in- The ministry has further stated that include media (videos, audio, administrative teams asking the microblogging plat- vestigation. in its communication that Twitter and images) that have been de- YOGI ADITYANATH | UP CHIEF MINISTER form not to interfere in the in- While the local law enforcement unilaterally chose to go ahead and ceptively altered or fabricated."
After Friday Environmentalist evening, the city will have Air India passengers’ data less than one day of Sunderlal Bahuguna Covaxin stock and 13 Naxals killed eight days of dies of Covid-19 Covishield doses left leaked in major cyber attack for this category
ATISHI MARLENA | AAP MLA in Maha forest PRESS TRUST OF INDIA While the level and scope of so- phistication is being ascertained New Delhi, May 21: Air India's through forensic analysis and the SHORT TAKES passenger service system exercise is ongoing, SITA has con- provider SITA faced a sophisti- firmed that no unauthorised ac- encounter cated cyberattack in February tivity has been detected inside the Lockdown in K’taka leading to leak of personal data system's infrastructure after the in- of certain number of the na- cident, it added. extended till June 7 tional carrier's flyers, an offi- "Air India meanwhile is in li- Bangalore: Karnataka Chief cial statement said Friday. aison with various regulatory agen- Minister B S Yediyurappa Personal data -- including name, cies in India and abroad, and has Friday announced extension of date of birth, contact information, apprised them about the incident lockdown from May 24 to June passport information, ticket in- in accordance with its obligations," 7 for a period of 14 days to formation and credit card data -- the airline said. contain the spread of which was registered between Air India along with the service PRESS TRUST OF INDIA coronavirus in the State. The August 11, 2011, and February 3, provider is carrying out risk as- stringent restrictions are 2021, has been leaked of a certain sessment and would further up- Dehradun, May 21: Renowned already in effect from May 10 number of Air India's passengers, passengers -- across the world has date as and when it becomes avail- environmentalist Sunderlal and was supposed to end on AGENCIES surrender, but they failed to com- the statement issued by the air- been "affected" due to the cyber- able, it said. Bahuguna, who pioneered the May 24. However, due to the ply and the commandos replied line said. attack on SITA, the statement said. The airline said it has taken fol- Chipko movement, died of Covid- new order, they would end on Gadchiroli (Maharashtra), May by firing at the Maoists. "While we and our data proces- SITA is based out of Geneva in lowing steps after the data security 19 at the All India Institute of the morning of June 7. "We 21: Registering a major victory After an encounter lasting for sor continue to take remedial ac- Switzerland. "Air India would like incident: Secured the compromised Medical Sciences in Rishikesh have taken some decisions in the ongoing war againt rebels, about 90 minutes, the Maoists tions...We would also encourage to inform its valued customers servers, engaged external spe- Friday. He was 94. regarding the lockdown after the Maharashtra Police Friday made good their escape in the passengers to change passwords that its passenger service system cialists of data security incidents, He is survived by his wife, two discussing them with our gunned down most-wanted 13 thick forests, ending the dawn fir- wherever applicable to ensure provider has informed about a so- notified and in talk with the credit sons and a daughter. Bahugubna senior Ministers, chief secretary and other officials," Maoists, including 7 women, in a ing in which the police extracted safety of their personal data," it phisticated cyber attack it was sub- card issuers and reset the pass- was cremated with full state hon- the Chief Minister told fierce gun-battle in the deep forests a heavy toll on the rebels' side. said. Data of 4.5 million passen- jected to in the last week of words of Air India frequent flyer ours at the Poornanand Ghat on the reporters. near Etapally, officials said here. A subsequent search of the gers -- which includes Air India's February 2021," the airline said. programme. banks of the Ganga in Rishikesh. The 90-minute encounter be- vicinity revealed the bodies of 13 Known for his pioneering role in tween the Maoists and the crack Maoists, including 7 women and the Chipko movement, during force of C-60 commandos, which six men, carrying a collective re- which activists hugged trees to Lockdown started around 6 am today in the ward of Rs.60-lakhs on their heads, MOCKERY OF LOCKDOWN save them from being felled, extended in Kerala Paydi-Kotmi jungles, may have and they belonged to the dreaded Bahuguna had been undergoing resulted in at least 4-5 more of the groups active locally. treatment for Covid-19 at AIIMS- Thiruvananthapuram: The rebels getting injured but they es- The police also recovered a Rishikesh since May 8. Kerala government Friday caped in the jungle. cache of weapons like one AK-47 Admitted to the hospital after announced a one week Home Minister Dilip Walse- and one stengun,, 5 SLRs, three 303 testing positive for the infection, extension of the state-wide Patil visited the Gadchiroli Police revolvers, two 8mm guns, one pis- Bahuguna's condition had turned lockdown till May 30, to headquarters to personally con- tol, and a huge stock of ammuni- critical last night with his oxygen contain the spread of the gratulate the teams and the top tion and explosives, besides arti- level dropping drastically. COVID-19 pandemic. The state police officers including Sanjay He was on CPAP therapy in the has been under lockdown cles of daily use from what since May 8 after weekend Saxena, Sandip Patil, Ankit Goyal, appeared to be a temporary camp ICU of the premier hospital and restrictions and lockdown-like Manish Kalvaniya, Sameer Shaikh area. breathed his last at 12.05 pm, AIIMS curbs imposed earlier failed to and Somay Munde, Bhausaheb The district police and sur- Director Ravikant said. Prime create any desired impact in Dhole, all IPS, among others. roundings have been put on alert Minister Narendra Modi condoled terms of the daily caseload of An official spokesperson for the in other talukas for any retaliatory Bahuguna's death. the infected persons. On May Anti Naxal Operations (ANO) unit attacks by the Maoists. "Passing away of Shri Sunderlal 16, the lockdown was said that early Friday, following a This is the second important Bahuguna Ji is a monumental loss extended to May 23. tip-off that a group of Maoists success in the anti-Maoist cru- for our nation. He manifested our were planning to come to the local sade of the Maharashtra Police centuries-old ethos of living in villages for its regular extortion in the past 7 months after an harmony with nature. His sim- J&K reports 1st purposes, a team of C-60 com- October 2020 encounter in plicity and spirit of compassion mandos was deployed to carry out Gyarapatti forests saw 5 Maoists, will never be forgotten. My thoughts black fungus death combing operation in the forests. including 3 women, shot dead. are with his family and many ad- At that time, a gang of around Maharashtra Home Minister Dilip mirers. Om Shanti," the prime min- Jammu: Jammu and Kashmir 60-70 heavily armed Maoists began Walse Patil, who was on his first ister tweeted. Friday reported its first death due to black fungus after a 40- firing indiscriminately in the di- visit to Gadchiroli after taking Chief Minister Tirath Singh year-old Covid-19 recovered rection of the police teams. over the home portfolio following Rawat described it as a big loss patient died of mucormycosis The police first made appeals to the resignation of Anil Deshmukh, not just for Uttarakhand and India at Government Medical the rebels to lay down arms and praised the police for the operation. Vehicular traffic moving as usual during lockdown in Hyderabad UNI PHOTO but for the entire world. College (GMC) hospital here, an official said. The patient who was admitted to GMC hospital has succumbed to the High Courts must avoid passing infection, Financial ‘Strengthen facilities for kids orphaned by nCoV’ Commissioner, Health and impossible Covid orders, says SC Medical Education, Atal The centre said it is giving high priority to prevent and National Crime Records Bureau (CCTNS) for tracking missing per- Dulloo, told PTI. Giving (NCRB) tools like Crime Multi sons and automated photo match- PRESS TRUST OF INDIA ties to the people will keep in mind details, Principal of GMC combat crime against women, children, senior citizens Centre Agency (Cri-MAC) for shar- ing web-based application UNIFY the advice of the High Court”, it hospital Dr Shashi Sudan and scheduled castes/ scheduled tribes, and is putting in ing inter-state information among to search pictures of missing per- New Delhi, May 21: Observing that said. The bench said that looking Sharma said the man suffered place institutional mechanisms for preventing and police, Crime and Criminal sons, unidentified bodies, among high courts should refrain from at the matter in depth, “We are of from a high degree of diabetes Tracking Network & Systems others. passing directions not imple- the opinion that the High Court of 900 level and was countering human trafficking mentable, the Supreme Court should consider looking into the immunocompromised. Friday stayed the Allahabad High possibility of implementation while PRESS TRUST OF INDIA reiterated to states/union territo- Court order relating to manage- passing any directions, and if any ries to focus on vulnerable sec- ment of the Covid-19 situation in such direction is not implementable, Monsoon arrives New Delhi, May 21: The Union tions, especially children, who may Uttar Pradesh in which it had also then the High Court should refrain over Andaman home ministry has asked states have been orphaned due to loss of said that the entire healthcare sys- from passing it”. and union territories to strengthen parents due to COVID-19," it said. tem in villages and small cities of It said the High Court should New Delhi: The Southwest facilities for vulnerable groups, The Centre has asked states and the state was “Ram bharose” (at adopt the doctrine of impossibil- Monsoon has arrived over especially children, who have been union territories to "immediately God’s mercy). ity (a situation when it is impossible Andaman and Nicobar Islands, orphaned in the second wave of review" the existing facilities for A vacation bench of Justices for a party to perform), which has the India Meteorological the COVID-19 pandemic in order to such groups, especially for chil- Vineet Saran and BR Gavai said the been upheld by this court. Department said Friday, an check human trafficking, a gov- dren who have been orphaned, sen- directions of the High Court passed “We are staying the order but indication that it will soon ernment statement said on Friday. ior citizens who may require timely May 17 shall not be treated as we are not staying the proceedings reach the mainland. "The The centre said it is giving high assistance and support (medical directives but an advice to the UP before the High Court. The mat- Southwest Monsoon has priority to prevent and combat as well as safety and security), and government. ter be listed July 14,” the bench advanced into some parts of crime against women, children, members of the scheduled At the same time, the bench said while appointing senior ad- South Bay of Bengal, Nicobar senior citizens and scheduled castes/scheduled tribes who may said there are some observations vocate Nidesh Gupta as amicus cu-
y Islands, entire south Andaman Sea and some parts of north castes/ scheduled tribes, and is need guidance to access govern- in the order which may be well riae to assist in the matter. It
putting in place institutional mech- ment-supported facilities. meaning but passed by the court in said the High Court while con-
k y m Andaman Sea today, the 21st c May, 2021," the IMD said. Last anisms for preventing and coun- The states have been asked to anxiety to provide relief to the sidering a matter on manage- week, the IMD had said that tering human trafficking. effectively deploy the women help general public. “Such directions ment of Covid-19 situation which the monsoon was likely to "Taking into account the impact desk in police stations and anti- cannot be implemented and it shall has a national or trans-national make an onset over Kerala on of the second wave of the COVID- human trafficking units in dis- be treated as advice and not di- ramification should refrain from May 31, a day ahead of its 19 pandemic, particularly on vul- tricts. rections. The state government, dealing with it as the top court is normal schedule. nerable groups, the MHA has again The centre has asked states to use which will work to provide facili- seized of the issue. OXYGEN LEAKAGE TRIGGERS PANIC P9 Our motive is SATURDAY | MAY 22 | 2021 | BHUBANESWAR Oxygen leakage at the North Bengal Medical not only to kill a militant, College and Hospital in Siliguri triggered panic but to end militancy as among Covid patients and their families Friday well to secure the morning, officials said. The incident happened environment for the around 9.15 am when the leakage was detected people of Kashmir in a pipe supplying oxygen to the Critical Care y Unit (CCU) at the Covid block, hospital
VIJAY KUMAR | IGP KASHMIR
k y m national superintendent Dr Sanjay Mallick said c
of the day uote NARADA CASE:
Those who are CAL HC ORDERS taking steroids India faces antifungal drug shortage should also HOUSE ARREST OF keep checking their AGENCIES running low on amphotericin B blood sugar levels. In RARE COMPLICATION ADDS TO COVID WOES using rapid antigen tests. FOUR LEADERS most cases, one who as black fungus cases spiked and These tests, less accurate than the is not diabetic finds Bangalore, May 21: India said had asked federal authorities to RT-PCR method, are advised only that after taking steroids, the blood Friday that it was working to alle- provide more doses. for symptomatic cases and imme- sugar level shoots up to 300 to 400. viate a shortage of a medicine used RURAL TESTING diate contacts of laboratory-con- Hence, it is essential to continuously to treat a rare fungal disease hitting Overall, India's Covid-19 infection firmed positive cases, according monitor one's sugar levels Covid-19 patients as its healthcare tally stands at 26.03 million, with to the state-run ICMR. system reels under a massive wave a death toll of 291,331, health min- GOVT VERY ‘CAUTIOUS’ DR RANDEEP GULERIA | DIRECTOR AIIMS of coronavirus infections. istry data showed Friday. The Union Ministry of Health Cases of mucormycosis, or ‘black The country conducted roughly and Family Welfare has made ef- The state fungus,’ a potentially serious com- two million tests Thursday, but ex- forts to ramp up supply and avail- government plication which causes blurred or perts have said infections and ability of Amphotericin-B, the anti- was in the double vision, chest pain and breath- deaths could be between five to 10 fungal drug used in treatment of process of floating a ing difficulties, have surged in times higher than official estimates Black Fungus disease. A statement PRESS TRUST OF INDIA global tender for India, mostly among Covid-19 pa- as the virus spreads to the vast from the government said Friday, "In procurement of tients. At least 7,250 such cases hinterland. May 2021, 3,63,000 vials of Kolkata, May 21: The Calcutta corona vaccines have been found across the country India aims to double its testing Amphotericin-B will be imported, High Court Friday ordered the PRAMOD SAWANT | GOA CHIEF MINISTER as of May 19, local media reported. capacity to 4.5 million per day by thereby resulting in total availability shifting of two West Bengal min- “In this battle of ours, another around 250,000 infections and 4,000 it and also increase imports. the end of June, of which 60% in the country (inclusive of the do- isters, an MLA and a former mayor Telangana, new challenge of black fungus has deaths daily. That would lead to a nearly 250% would be through rapid antigen mestic production) of 5,26752 vials, of the city, who were arrested by Tamil Nadu, also emerged these days,” Prime With mucormycosis cases ris- increase in supply to around 570,000 tests, according to the government. --3,15,000 vials will be imported in the CBI in the Narada sting tape Rajasthan, Minister Narendra Modi tweeted ing, India's health ministry said vials in June, the ministry said As part of the effort, the state- June 2021. along with the domestic case, to house arrest from jail in- Odisha, Gujarat and Friday. India has the second-high- it was looking to rope in more com- Friday. Some Indian states like run Indian Council of Medical supply, the countrywide availability carceration. Chandighad have est tally of Covid-19 cases in the panies to produce the antifungal Maharashtra, home to the financial Research (ICMR) this week ap- of Amphotericin-B will be enhanced The court passed the direction declared black world and has been reporting drug amphotericin B used to treat capital Mumbai, said they were proved home testing for Covid-19, to 5,70,114 vials in June 2021." modifying its earlier order that fungus stayed their bail granted by a spe- (Mucormycosis) as an epidemic. The cial CBI court Monday when the Centre has also asked the states to four leaders were arrested. declare an epidemic. The state The court directed that the two should also declare it as an epidemic Mamata to contest ministers, during their period of immediately Goa court acquits Tejpal house arrest, can deal with offi- H D KUMARASWAMY | JD(S) LEADER cial files sent to them online and hold from Bhawanipur AGENCIES SEXUAL ASSAULT CASE meetings through video confer- encing. The judges of the divi- New Delhi, May 21: In a major set- sion bench presided by Acting Chief SHORT TAKES back, the Goa government lost the Justice Rajesh Bindal, who differed INDO-ASIAN NEWS SERVICE rape case against former editor- on the issue of recalling the stay on in-chief of Tehelka after a metro- bail to the four accused, decided Ram Rahim gets Kolkata, May 21: Chief Minister politan magistrate court Friday to refer the matter to a larger bench. Mamata Banerjee, who lost to acquitted the senior journalist of For the purpose, the Acting Chief 48–hour parole BJP's Suvendu Adhikari in rape charges, filed by a junior col- Justice has constituted a five-judge Chandigarh: Jailed Dera Nandigram, is likely to contest league who had accused Tarun bench consisting of himself, Justices Sacha Sauda chief Gurmeet from Bhawanipur. Tejpal of sexually assaulting her I P Mukerji, Harish Tandon, Ram Rahim, who is currently Bhawanipur sitting Trinamool in a five-star resort in Goa in 2013. Soumen Sen and Arijit Banerjee. lodged in Rohtak's Sunaria MLA Sovandeb Chattopadhyay Goa government will not toler- The matter will be taken up for jail, has sought 'emergency has submitted his resignation to ate any wrong done to a woman, hearing at 11 amMay 24. parole' to meet and attend the Speaker Friday. However, said Chief Minister Pramod Sawant The new bench will hear the to his ailing mother. Haryana Chattopadhyay is likely to con- and added that his government November 7, during a conference CBI's prayer for transfer of the govt grants 48-hour parole. tinue as a cabinet minister and con- would appeal against the verdict in organised by the Tehelka media GOA GOVT TO case from the lower court to itself. Earlier, he was denied bail test from some other seat. the Bombay High Court. group in 2013. Panchayat Minister Subrata on several occasions, Sources in the party said that According to Special Public Tejpal subsequently stepped MOVE HC: CM Mukherjee, Transport Minister including his plea to meet the party has decided Banerjee Prosecutor Francisco Tavora, the down as editor of Tehelka Firhad Hakim, Trinamool Congress the ailing mother. Ram PANAJI: Goa Chief Minister Pramod will contest from her traditional verdict was a "serious setback" November 20, three days before Sawant Friday said the state govern- MLA Madan Mitra and former Rahim was granted parole winning seat -- Bhawanipur in and the state government will be the Goa Police filed a First Kolkata mayor Sovan Chatterjee October 24 last year on his ment will challenge in the high court South Kolkata. Party sources indicated that preparing to file an appeal against Information Report against him were arrested by the CBI on Monday wife Harjit Kaur's plea that journalist Tarun Tejpal's acquittal in Banerjee had in the last two his mother Naseeb Kaur, 85, Banerjee expressed her willingness the order in the High Court. accusing him of rape. a 2013 rape case by a district court morning in connection with the suffering from a heart assembly elections contested and to contest from Bhawanipur and Tejpal has been booked under sec- Tejpal was arrested November here. A sessions court at Mapusa Narada sting tape case that is being disease was seriously ill. won from the Bawanipur seat but so Chattopadhyay who is now the tions under sections 376 (rape), 341 30, after a local court rejected his Friday acquitted Tejpal of sexually investigated by the agency as per this time she decided to contest state agriculture minister has (wrongful restraint), 342 (wrongful anticipatory bail application. assaulting his former female col- a 2017 order of the high court. from Nandigram in East been asked to resign from that confinement) 354A (sexual ha- After his arrest, Tejpal spent league in an elevator of a five star Modifying its earlier order of May Midnapore against turncoat seat. rassment) and 354B (criminal as- nearly eight months in police and resort in Goa. Talking to reporters, 17, the division bench, also com- Another Mumbai Suvendu Adhikari. Banerjee was, Chattopadhyay, who submitted sault), of the Indian Penal Code. judicial custody. He was later re- Sawant said, “We will not tolerate prising Justice Arijit Banerjee, on cop dismissed however, defeated by Adhikari. his resignation to Speaker Biman "He has been acquitted from all leased on bail by the Supreme any injustice to be meted out to the Friday directed that "considering Though Banerjee was sworn Banerjee in the afternoon, said charges. Order not given yet. It Court, months after a 2,846 page women in Goa. We will challenge the the age and health issues of the ac- Mumbai: Assistant Police in as the chief minister of the that he had resigned following will be uploaded later," Tejpal's de- charge sheet by the Crime Branch district court's order before the high cused, three of whom are said to Inspector Riyaz Hisamuddin state, according to the rule she the party's decision. The minister, fence counsel said. of the Goa Police. Charges against court soon in this case." Sawant be admitted in hospital, instead of Kazi, arrested by the NIA in will have to become an MLA however, didn't divulge other de- According to the complaint filed Tejpal were later framed by the claimed that there was enough evi- custody in jail, all the accused per- the case of SUV with within six months after the for- tails saying that he would do what- against Tejpal by the junior col- trial court in Goa in 2017, paving dence against the accused. sons can be put under house arrest explosives found near mation of the government. ever party will ask him to do. league, the rape allegedly occurred way for the trial. in their own homes." industrialist Mukesh Ambani's residence and the subsequent death of businessman Mansukh Hiran, was DEALING WITH CRISIS dismissed from service Friday, an official said. Culpable homicide charge IAF pilot killed against barge master, others Moga (Pb): An IAF MiG-21 Bison aircraft crashed during heavy rain in a field in INDO-ASIAN NEWS SERVICE Corporation Ltd (ONGC) and master and others are also charged Punjab's Moga district, killing Afcons Infrastructure Ltd (AIL) with common intentions, negli- its pilot Squadron Leader Mumbai, May 21: Mumbai Police announced compensation for the gent acts causing hurt to others, etc, Abhinav Choudhary, officials has lodged an FIR invoking victims. said Mumbai Police spokesperson, said. The aircraft was on a charges of culpable homicide not The development came two days Deputy Commissioner of Police S training sortie from Suratgarh amounting to murder against the after the police launched its probe Chaitanya. in Rajasthan when it crashed master of the Barge Papaa-305 based on an accidental death report Of the 342-plus offshore instal- in Langeana village Thursday and others in connection with lations of the ONGC, including night, said Moga the vessel tragedy in the Arabian ARABIAN SEA TRAGEDY 243 fixed and the rest floating, five Superintendent of Police Sea which left at least 60 dead of the latter including barge Papaa- Gurdeep Singh. The Indian Air and many more missing, officials to ascertain why the barge allegedly 305 were caught in the turbulence Force has ordered a Court of said Friday. failed to adhere to safety norms of the cyclone and the vessel sank Inquiry to ascertain the cause Yellowgate Police have acted on despite warnings of the impending late Monday. of the accident and said it a complaint filed by barge chief Cyclone Tauktae which wreaked A spokesperson for ONGC said condoles the tragic loss of its engineer Rahman H Shaikh who havoc on the country's west coast that it will provide an immediate officer. "The aircraft crashed ` in a field and caught fire. It was among the survivors rescued last Sunday onwards. relief of 1 lakh to all survivors and ` was raining heavily at the by the Indian Navy earlier this Besides culpable homicide not 2 lakh to the families of the de- time," Singh said. week even as Oil & Natural Gas amounting to murder, the barge ceased or missing. Homeless people wait for food being distributed by volunteers, at a roadside in Chandni Chowk area of New Delhi PTI PHOTO nCoV could become like common cold in future: Study Congress pays tributes to PRESS TRUST OF INDIA lectively develop immunity,” Adler searchers noted that some evidence up a situation where an increasing run," said Alexander Beams, study Rajiv Gandhi on death anniv said in a statement. indicates that one of these cold- proportion of the population will first author and graduate student New Delhi, May 21: The novel The study suggests that changes causing relatives might have once become predisposed to mild dis- at University of Utah. "We have PRESS TRUST OF INDIA coronavirus responsible for Covid- in the disease could be driven by been severe, giving rise to the ease over the long term. “In the shown that mild infections will 19 could cause no more than com- adaptations of our immune re- ‘Russian flu’ pandemic in the late beginning of the pandemic, no one win, as long as they train our im- New Delhi, May 21: The Congress mon cold-like coughs and sniffles sponse rather than by 19th century. The parallels led had seen the virus before. Our im- mune systems to fight against se- Friday paid tributes to former within the next decade, according changes in the virus it- the scientists to wonder mune system was not prepared,” vere infections," Beams said. prime minister Rajiv Gandhi on his to a study. self. Although the SARS- whether the severity of Adler explained. However, the researchers noted 30th death anniversary and said The research, published in the CoV-2 virus is the best- SARS-CoV-2 could simi- The models show that as more that the models do not account for he proved that a foresighted and journal Viruses, makes this likely known member of the larly lessen over time. adults become partially immune, every potential influence on disease committed leadership can benefit prediction based on mathemati- family, other seasonal They built mathe- whether through prior infection trajectory. For instance, if new a nation for decades to come. cal models that incorporate les- coronaviruses circu- matical models incorpo- or vaccination, severe infections all virus variants overcome partial Rajiv Gandhi was assassinated sons learned from the current pan- late in the human rating evidence on the but disappear over the next decade, immunity, Covid-19 could take a May 21, 1991 at Sriperumbudur in demic on how our body's immunity population, body's immune the researchers said. Eventually, the turn for the worse, they said. Tamil Nadu by a woman suicide changes over time. and they response to only people who will be exposed to The team also noted that these bomber at an election rally of the y “This shows a possible future are less SARS-CoV-2. the virus for the first time will be predictions will hold up only if the Congress party.
that has not yet been fully ad- danger- Analysing children who are naturally less key assumptions of the models Former Congress chief Rahul
k y m c dressed,” said Fred Adler, a pro- ous. several sce- prone to severe disease, they said. hold up. "Our next step is com- Gandhi paid floral tributes to his 'RememberingRajivGandhi'. fessor of mathematics and bio- The narios "The novel approach here is to paring our model predictions with father at his memorial -- Veer Bhumi Paying homage to the former logical sciences at the University re- and their recognise the competition taking the most current disease data to as- -- here. He also posted a picture of Prime Minister, the Congress put of Utah in the US. “Over the next ver- place between mild and severe sess which way the pandemic is his father on Twitter along with the out several tweets hailing his decade, the severity of Covid-19 sions COVID-19 infections and ask which going as it is happening," Adler words, "Truth, Compassion, contribution in the nation's de- may decrease as populations col- set type will get to persist in the long added. Progress", and used the hashtag velopment. Our great sympathies INTERNET EXPLORER TO P10 and support to the SATURDAY | MAY 22 | 2021 | BHUBANESWAR people of India, and what is RETIRE ON JUNE 15, 2022 happening there relative to the Microsoft has said that it is retiring pandemic, to those who have its long-standing browser Internet lost their lives and are Explorer on June 15 next year after suffering as a result of the serving the netizens for over 25 Covid-19 crisis years. The veteran web browser
GERRY RICE SPOKESPERSON, IMF
k y m international | was released with Windows 95 c of the day uote ISRAEL-HAMAS FIGHTING Election chief considers
Everyone would like to dissolving Suu Kyi’s NLD ‘bite’ us somewhere or ‘bite Egypt-brokered truce comes into effect off’ some part of us, AGENCIES but they should know that we knock the Sine the outbreak, Egypt worked to provide a framework that both sides could agree on. It was not immediately clear Yangon, May 21: Myanmar’s teeth out of those who want to do what the terms of the cease fire were, but its success is likely to bolster the country's diplomatic credentials junta-appointed election commis- that, so they can’t bite sion will dissolve Aung San Suu Kyi’s National League for VLADIMIR PUTIN | PRESIDENT, RUSSIA INDO-ASIAN NEWS SERVICE Democracy Party (NLD) because of what it said was fraud in a Gaza, May 21: An Egypt-brokered Hamas claims victory November election, news outlet This new data ceasefire came into effect Friday be- An official from the Palestinian Myanmar Now said Friday, citing highlights the tween Israel and the Palestinian militant Hamas group says a commissioner. incredible Hamas movement, ending an 11-day Israel’s declaration of a cease- Myanmar Now said the deci- impact that both fire represents a defeat for doses of the vaccine bloodshed in the Gaza Strip. sion was made during a meeting The election fraud Prime Minister Benjamin can have, with a The ceasefire came into force at with political parties that was boy- Netanyahu and “a victory to the conducted by the NLD in second dose of the 2 am, reports Xinhua news agency. cotted by many parties including Palestinian people.” Ali Barakeh, Oxford/AstraZeneca vaccine According to Egypt’s official the NLD. November was illegal ‘so a member of Hamas’ Arab and providing up to 90 per cent MENA news agency, Cairo will Myanmar’s army seized power Islamic relations bureau, told we will have to dissolve protection send two security delegations to Feb 1, overthrowing and detain- Israel and Palestine to ensure the The Associated Press that the ing the elected civilian leader Aung NADHIM ZAHAWI | VACCINES MINISTER, UK the party’s registration’, implementation of the truce. militants will remain on alert San Suu Kyi, who fought for democ- until they hear from mediators The heaviest fighting between racy for decades before tentative re- said Thein Soe, the who have been working for days Israel and the Gaza militants since forms began a decade ago. I believe that in between Hamas and Israel. chairman of the 2014 has so far killed 232 The military justified the coup addition to the junta-backed Union Normandy Palestinians, including 65 children, by accusing Suu Kyi’s NLD of ob- format, there will be and 12 Israelis. UN Secretary General Antonio taining landslide victory through Election Commission a direct conversation After mediation by Egypt, Israel’s Benjamin Netanyahu said his its role in brokering the deal. Guterres welcomed the cease- a manipulated vote, though the with the President of Cabinet approved the unilateral country’s political leadership has “I extend my sincere gratitude fire and called on all sides to electoral commission at that time the Russian ceasefire late Thursday, with a stressed that the reality on the to President al-Sisi and the senior observe it. had rejected its complaints. committed the election fraud "will Federation. I also see a format for Hamas representative confirming ground will determine whether Egyptian officials who played such Israeli forces and Gaza Strip The election fraud conducted be considered as traitors" and ac- involving the US in this discussion the Islamist organisation’s agree- fighting continues. a critical role in this diplomacy,” militants have fired thousands mis- by the NLD in November was illegal tion will be taken against them.
VOLODYMYR ZELENSKY | PRESIDENT, UKRAINE ment shortly afterwards. If the Palestinians continue with Biden said at the White House. siles back and forth since May 10, “so we will have to dissolve the A spokesman for the junta and Taher al-Nuno said the rocket attacks, the ceasefire will be He said the US, the UN and other in response to the rockets fired by party’s registration”, the chair- for an underground pro-democ- Palestinian “armed resistance” lifted immediately, he added. partners stand ready to help the Palestinian militants in Gaza to man of the junta-backed Union racy national unity government, would honour the ceasefire as long US President Joe Biden wel- Palestinian Authority with hu- retaliate for Israel’s violation of Election Commission (UEC), Thein which includes ousted members SHORT TAKES as it is upheld by the Israel side. comed the ceasefire, expressing manitarian aid and reconstruc- the sacred Islamic holy site of Al- Soe, was cited in the report as say- of the NLD, did not immediately re- Israeli Prime Minister “sincere gratitude” to Egypt for tion assistance. Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem. ing. Thein Soe said the people who spond to requests for comment. Borders opened to vaccinatinated SERENE SNOWFALL Brussels: The European Union Tibet an integral part has recommended to open its external borders to non- essential travel into the bloc if travellers have been fully of China: White paper vaccinated against Covid-19. The Council of the EU, PRESS TRUST OF INDIA representing the 27 member Lama’s successor has states, adopted a Beijing, May 21: China Friday recommendation that eases claimed that Tibet has been an to be approved by govt the Covid-19 restrictions for integral part of the country non-EU travellers whose origin since ancient times and blamed China Friday asserted that any countries report no more than British imperialists for culti- successor to the present Dalai 75 cases per 100,000 vating the “Tibet Independence” Lama should be approved by it, inhabitants over the last 14 concept, it said. ruling out recognition to any heir days. Before the criteria were Justifying the Chinese troops nominated by the India-based updated Thursday, the upper taking over of the strategically Tibetan spiritual leader or by his limit was 25 cases. vital Himalayan region in 1951, a followers. The reincarnation of the Dalai Lama and other grand white paper on Tibet released by the Living Buddhas has been Chinese government said that with subjected to approval by the Iran’s new elite the “peaceful liberation of Tibet” central government since the from Iraq militias 70 years ago. “Tibet has been an in- Qing Dynasty (1644-1911), tegral part of Chinese territory claimed an official white paper Tehran: Iran has handpicked since ancient times, and one of the issued by the Chinese hundreds of trusted fighters main Tibetan-inhabited areas in government here. from among the cadres of its China,” the document said. most powerful militia allies in “In the aftermath of the Opium times of remote antiquity, the an- Iraq, forming smaller, elite Wars in the middle of the 19th cen- cestral people inhabiting the Tibetan and fiercely loyal factions in a tury, the UK-led imperialist powers Plateau had close ties with the Han shift away from relying on began to cultivate the idea of ‘Tibet and other ethnic groups in terms Chalets are pictured after an overnight snowfall in the village of Le Sepey in Ormont-Dessous, Switzerland REUTERS large groups with which it independence’, intentionally un- of blood, language, and culture.” once exerted influence. The dermining China’s sovereignty “Following the peaceful libera- new covert groups were and territorial integrity”, the white tion, all ethnic groups in Tibet, Pak PM inaugurates trained last year in drone paper titled ‘Tibet Since 1951: united under the strong leadership Oli, Oppn alliance stake claim to form govt warfare, surveillance and Liberation, Development and of the Communist Party of China, online propaganda and Chinese-assisted nuke Prosperity’ said. have worked together and stood firm PRESS TRUST OF INDIA answer directly to officers in It said China is a unified multi- in safeguarding national sovereignty, Iran’s Quds Force, the arm of power plant in Karachi ethnic country with a long history unity and territorial integrity,” it Kathmandu, May 21: Nepal’s po- its Revolutionary Guards (IRGC) that controls its allied and the Tibet has developed through said. All those counties formerly litical crisis deepened on Friday PRESS TRUST OF INDIA militia abroad. the combined efforts of all the eth- classified as “poor” have risen out as both embattled Prime Minister nic groups in the country. of poverty, and the people are K P Sharma Oli and the Opposition Islamabad, May 21: Pakistan “Abundant archaeological and leading better lives in every re- parties staked a claim for the for- Prime Minister Imran Khan Friday academic research shows that in spect, it said. mation of a new government by inaugurated the country’s first Anti-Asian hate submitting letters comprising sig- Chinese-assisted 1,100MW nuclear crimes bill passed natures of lawmakers to President power plant in Karachi that coin- Bidya Devi Bhandari. cided with the celebration of the Washington: President Joe Prime minister Oli reached the 70th anniversary of the establish- Biden has signed a legislation President’s office Shital Niwas a JSP-N president Mahantha makers. Deuba, along with the lead- ment of diplomatic ties between the to address the sudden couple of minutes ahead of the Thakur, JSP-N Parliamentary Party ers of Opposition parties, reached all-weather allies. increase in hate crime against Opposition leaders. leader Rajendra Mahato and PM the President's Office to stake claim Khan virtually performed the Asian-Americans in the He submitted the letter claim- Oli had signed the letter submit- for the post of prime minister. inauguration of the plant, formally aftermath of the Covid-19 ing support of 121 lawmakers from ted to the President, CPN-UML Nepal President Bidya Devi known as Karachi Nuclear Power pandemic and expressed hope his own party CPN-UML and 32 leader Bishnu Rimal was quoted Bhandari told the Opposition Plant Unit-2 (Kanupp-2 or K-2), that such crimes would now be more accurately counted lawmakers of Janata Samajbadi as saying in The Himalayan Times. alliance that she will seek ad- which was built with the support and reported so that it can be Party-Nepal (JSP-N) for his reap- Earlier, Nepali Congress President vice from constitutional experts of China. ended. “It will provide pointment pursuant to Article 76(5) Sher Bahadur Deuba claimed to before taking a call on govern- The prime minister who attended resources to create specialised of the Constitution. have garnered the support of 149 law- ment formation. the ceremony from Islamabad said hate crimes units that will also the completion of the project was help states create hotlines for made possible due to the collabo- hate crimes at state and local ration between Pakistan and China. levels that will be accessible “The project will produce 1,100 for people with limited BBC fell ‘below standards’ over Diana interview megawatts of clean energy, which English proficiency,” Biden is particularly important for us as said after signing the THE INDEPENDENT INQUIRY FOUND BBC’S JOURNALIST BASHIR MOCKED UP FAKE BANK STATEMENTS THAT FALSELY Pakistan is one of the 10 countries legislation, which has become most affected by climate change,” a law after his assent. SUGGESTED INDIVIDUALS WERE BEING PAID FOR KEEPING THE PRINCESS, UNDER SURVEILLANCE he said. The construction of K-2 plant INDO-ASIAN NEWS SERVICE the report states that Diana, her life, including her “unhappy started in November 2013 and its Afghan district Princess of Wales, was keen on marriage” to Prince Charles, their fuel loading started December 1, 2020 London, May 21: An independent the idea of an interview with the affairs and her bulimia. and after several tests, the plant was falls to Taliban inquiry has revealed that the BBC BBC, it is clear that the process Responding to the inquiry find- connected to the national grid Kabul: Jalrez district in “fell below its high standards of for securing the interview fell far ings, Prince William said he was March 18, 2021. Afghanistan’s Maidan Wardak integrity and transparency” over short of what audiences have a “most saddened” that his mother K-2 is a generation III, state-of- province have fallen to the the 1995 interview with the late right to expect. never learned she had been deceived, the-art plant with improved safety Taliban after heavy attacks by Princess Diana. “We are very sorry for this. Lord adding that she was failed “not just systems, especially internal and the militant group for three The inquiry revealed Thursday Dyson has identified clear failings.” by a rogue reporter” but also by external accident prevention abil- straight days, an official that former BBC reporter Martin In a letter sent by Davie to Prince “BBC bosses”. In a separate state- ity and enhanced emergency re- confirmed Friday. Mahdi Bashir had acted in a “deceitful” Charles, the Director-General apol- ment, his brother Harry said that the sponse capability, according to Rasikh, an MP from the way and faked documents to obtain ogised for Bashir’s “lurid and untrue “ripple effect of a culture of ex- Chairman Pakistan Atomic Energy province, said the district the interview while the broad- claims” and accepts that the vet- ploitation and unethical practices” Commission (PAEC) Muhammad Governor’s compound and the caster’s own internal probe in 1996 eran journalist made the claims ultimately took his mother’s life. Naeem.
police headquarters were into what happened was “woefully allegations about how the inter- surveillance. The BBC carried out “intending to play on the Princess’s “Our mother lost her life be- He told a webinar Thursday that
k y m c captured by the Taliban. He ineffective”, Xinhua news agency. view was obtained. its own investigation into the issue fears, in order to arouse her inter- cause of this, and nothing has K-2 and the upcoming K-3 nuclear added that at least seven The independent inquiry, by It found Bashir mocked up fake in 1996, but it “fell short of the high est in him, and without concern for changed. By protecting her power are safe to operate and their security force members were retired judge Lord Dyson, was bank statements that falsely sug- standards of integrity and trans- the impact on those he maligned”. legacy, we protect everyone, and inauguration would be a milestone killed during the attacks on commissioned by the broadcaster gested individuals were being paid parency”, according to the inquiry. According to the the BBC, this uphold the dignity with which in the country’s quest to increase the district, adding that some last year, after Diana’s brother, for keeping the Princess, who died soldiers were missing. The BBC’s incumbent Director- was the first time a serving British she lived her life,” the Duke of the share of nuclear power in elec- Earl Spencer went public with in a car crash in France 1997, under General, Tim Davie, said: “Although Royal had spoken openly about Sussex added. tricity generation. We are pleased to partner COOK TO DEFEND ‘APP STORE’ P11 with AMNS (ArcelorMittal SATURDAY | MAY 22 | 2021 | BHUBANESWAR Nippon Steel) and to supply the Apple Inc CEO Tim Cook Friday will take the growing industrial LNG demand in witness stand to defend the App Store, a India, a country that aims to more than booming part of the iPhone maker’s double the share of natural gas in its business that “Fortnite” maker Epic Games energy mix by 2030 compared to today says is a monopoly that Apple abuses. He is THOMAS MAURISSE | expected to make the most extensive
SENIOR VICE PRESIDENT LNG AT TOTAL public remarks on the App Store business
k y m business c of the day uote RBI to transfer `99K cr surplus to Centre ‘Covid to obstruct recovery Our macro strategy team AGENCIES transition period of nine months in domestic consumption expects the overall impact on the (July 2020-March 2021). pandemic Mumbai, May 21: The Reserve During the meeting, the board ap- restrictions on GDP Bank of India (RBI) Friday de- proved the Annual Report and ac- of petroleum products’ ` to be about 150 bps cided to transfer 99,122 crore as sur- counts of the Reserve Bank for the in base case scenario. Even if we plus to the exchequer, a move that transition period. AGENCIES assume a 300 bps impact if will help the government to chan- “The Board also approved the statewide restrictions prolonged, nelise more resources to combat the transfer of `99,122 crore as sur- New Delhi, May 21: The resur- nominal GDP growth in FY22 can still second wave of Covid-19 pandemic. plus to the central government for gence of Covid-19 is expected to ob- be around 13-14% The decision to transfer the sur- the accounting period of nine struct the recovery in domestic
JITENDRA GOHIL | HEAD, EQUITY ANALYST, plus amount for the accounting months ended March 31, 2021 (July consumption of petroleum prod- CREDIT SUISSE, INDIA period of nine months ended March 2020-March 2021), while deciding to ucts, said India Ratings and 31, 2021 was taken at a meeting of maintain the Contingency Risk Research (Ind-Ra) Friday. lative basis, production, domestic the central board of the RBI, held Buffer at 5.50 per cent.” In a report, the ratings agency consumption and exports on a The increase in through video conferencing, under The RBI had transferred `57,128 cited that India's domestic con- YoY basis declined by 11%, 8.7% the general the chairmanship of Governor crore as surplus to the central gov- sumption of petroleum products and 13.3%, respectively, during index of Shaktikanta Das. The surplus is LENDING A HAND ernment for the accounting year declined 1.8 per cent month on FY21. Similarly, domestic crude agricultural commonly called 'dividend'. The decision to The accounting year of RBI is truncated as it has 2019-20. month to 4.4 million barrels per production fell 3.1% Y-o-Y. labourers and rural The accounting year of RBI is transfer the surplus aligned its July-June accounting year with the A year before that (2018-19), the day (mb/d) in March 2021, after "During March 2021, the pro- labourers is mainly truncated as it has aligned its July- amount was taken government's April-March fiscal year RBI had transferred `1.76 lakh achieving FY21's peak level of 4.5 duction volumes of Oil and on account of an June accounting year with the gov- at a meeting of the crore which included `1.23 lakh mb per day in February 2021. Natural Gas Corporation, Oil increase in the prices of rice, wheat- ernment's April-March fiscal year. central board of the The central bank also decided to maintain a crore as dividend and `52,637 crore "The mom decline is likely to India and fields under produc- Contingency Risk Buffer at 5.50% in line with atta, maize, jowar, ragi, mustard oil, The RBI has followed a July- RBI, held through excess provisions identified as per have been higher in the months of tion-sharing contracts decreased recommendations of the Bimal Jalan Committee report meat (goat), vegetables and fruits, June financial year since 1940, video conferencing the revised Economic Capital April and May due to the fresh re- 3.7% y-o-y, 1.8% y-o-y and 2.3% y- firewood and kerosene when it moved away from a Framework (ECF). strictions imposed to curb the sec- o-y, respectively." THE RBI HAD TRANSFERRED `57,128 CRORE AS SURPLUS TO THE CENTRAL DPS NEGI | January-December financial year. In the Budget 2021-22, the gov- ond covid wave," the agency said. "Domestic production de- GOVERNMENT FOR THE ACCOUNTING YEAR 2019-20 DIRECTOR GENERAL, LABOUR BUREAU The RBI also decided to maintain ernment had pegged the divi- "However, Ind-Ra opines that clined 1.6% m-o-m during the a Contingency Risk Buffer at 5.50 dend/ surplus of RBI, nation- the consumption levels to have month." On a cumulative basis, per cent in line with recommen- The RBI Board, according to a re- of the second wave of Covid-19 on alised banks and financial remained higher on a yoy basis a fall of 4.7% Y-o-Y in domes- In one of the dations of the Bimal Jalan lease, also reviewed the current ` due to the lower base effect largest efforts the economy. institutions at 53,510.61 crore. tic crude production was reg- of its kind, we Committee report. The panel had economic situation, global and do- With the change in RBI’s ac- For the fiscal year 2020-21, it was caused by the more stringent istered during FY21. Besides, ` are facilitating a free prescribed a Contingency Risk mestic challenges and recent pol- counting year to April-March (ear- revised downwards to 61,826.29 restrictions imposed during the report pointed out that in and safe vaccination Buffer range of 6.5 per cent to 5.5 icy measures taken by the Reserve lier July-June), the Board discussed crore, from the earlier estimate the same period last year." March, natural gas production drive for more than per cent for the RBI. Bank to mitigate the adverse impact the working of the RBI during the of `89,648.51 crore. As per the report on a cumu- increased 11.3% Y-o-Y. 1,50,000 of our frontline staff and employees. Thousands of our delivery partners JSW Steel reports are already vaccinated Labour min hikes variable DA DEEPINDER GOYAL | Housing sales may plunge highest ever profit FOUNDER AND CEO, ZOMATO for workers in central sphere SHORT TAKES PRESS TRUST OF INDIA during April-June quarter New Delhi, May 21: The Ministry Amazon adds Pak of Labour & Employment Friday ing this quarter as compared with announced a hike in variable dear- the corresponding period of the to its sellers’ list ness allowance for more than 1.5 previous year, said Rangarajan in Islamabad: E-commerce giant crore workers in the central sphere a webinar on the Hyderabad mar- PRESS TRUST OF INDIA Amazon has added Pakistan by `105 to `210 per month. ket. He said it's difficult to esti- to its sellers’ list making The hike, which will be effec- mate the quantum of fall in per- New Delhi, May 21: JSW Steel Pakistani entrepreneurs tive from April 1, 2021, will also centage terms. Rangarajan, who is Friday posted a manifold jump eligible to sell on the platform, result in an increase in rate of also COO of Housing.Com and in its consolidated net profit to the Commerce Ministry minimum wages for central sphere relief to different category of work- Makaan.Com, said sales were de- `4,191 crore for the quarter ended announced Friday. The employees and workers. ers engaged in various scheduled cent in April but have been ad- March 31, and said it will spend ministry said that Pakistani It will be for scheduled employ- employments in the central sphere versely impacted this month. over `25,000 crore on projects in manufacturers would gain ment in central sphere and appli- at a time when the country is strug- The Delhi-NCR market is worst Odisha, Karnataka and Jammu & access to a worldwide e- cable to the establishments under gling with the second wave of the affected, he added. “Real Estate Kashmir. The company had commerce platform with the authority of central govern- Covid-19 pandemic, it added. will bounce back strongly and we clocked a net profit of `188 crore Amazon and it would open up ment, railway administration, The VDA is revised on the basis will see a solid recovery,” said in the corresponding quarter of a new chapter of the supply mines, oil fields, major ports or of average Consumer Price Index Rangarajan. With a fall in infections the previous financial year, JSW chain where Pakistani any corporation established by the Steel said in a BSE filing. manufacturers could sell for Industrial Workers (CPI-IW), in Maharashtra, Rangarajan said directly to customers. central government. These rates are a price index compiled by the PRESS TRUST OF INDIA told reporters. the demand in MMR and Pune will Its total income in January- equally applicable to contract and Labour Bureau. According to PropTiger, housing revive quickly. Ankita Sood, Head March 2021 jumps to `27,095 crore, casual employees/workers. The average CPI-IW for of July New Delhi, May 21: Housing sales sales fell drastically at 19,038 units of Research at Housing.Com and compared with `18,009 crore in the Talking to PTI, Chief Labour to December 2020 was used for un- may decline y-o-y during the April- in April-June last year across eight PropTiger, said prospective home year-ago period. Total expense rose Volvo Group joins Commissioner Central (CLC) D dertaking the latest VDA revision. June quarter across eight major cities from 92,764 units in the year- buyers are searching for properties to `20,752 crore, against hands with Ikea PS Negi said, "the dearness Labour Minister Santosh cities on sluggish demand due to ago period because of the nation- on its realty portals, indicating `17,056 crore a year ago. hike ranges from `105 to `210 Gangwar said the revision will the second wave of Covid-19 pan- wide lockdown. that demand will bounce back once On a standalone basis, JSW New Delhi: Swedish per month for workers in the benefit about 1.50 crore workers demic, a senior company official of Delhi-NCR, Mumbai the second wave subsides. Steel's net profit grew to `4,018 automotive firm Volvo Group central sphere". engaged in various scheduled em- PropTiger said Friday. Metropolitan Region (MMR), Pune, Meanwhile, PropTiger said in crore, from `242 crore a year ago. Friday said it has joined hands In a statement, the labour min- ployments in the central sphere However, sales are expected to Bangalore, Hyderabad, Chennai, a statement that Hyderabad has The standalone total income dur- with Bangalore’s civic body istry said it has notified and re- across the country. "This hike in bounce back during the second Kolkata, and Ahmedabad are the reported the maximum increase of ing the said quarter was at `24,593 BBMP and compatriot IKEA to vised the rate of Variable Dearness VDA will support these workers half of the 2021 calendar year on eight cities tracked by PropTiger. 39 per cent year-on-year in housing crore, higher from `15,423 crore set up a 100-bed Covid care Allowance (VDA) with effect from particularly in the current pan- pent-up and festival demand, "We may see a decline in hous- sales during the January-March in the same period of financial centre. The facility set up at April 1, 2021. This will be a major demic times". PropTiger COO Mani Rangarajan ing sales" across eight cities dur- period of this calendar year. year 2019-20. the Karnataka Institute of Endocrinology on Old Madras Road will commence operations in two phases. It has been equipped to cater to Aus-UK trade deal can help spur post-pandemic revival Covid-19 positive individuals, who are either asymptomatic, or exhibiting mild symptoms AGENCIES British public has been fairly agricultural goods being or seeking isolation services, painless, with predictions of UK phased in over a ten year pe- the company said in a London, May 21: When Australia exports to Australia increasing riod, but clearly not everyone statement. and the UK began discussing a by up to £900 million per year. will be happy. free trade agreement (FTA) in The deal should also create wel- Less controversially, the FTA 2020, they issued a joint statement come opportunities for British will hopefully secure trans- Country’s gas with remarkably similar objec- firms through improved access parent customs procedures tives. It now seems that a meeting to fast growing Asian markets which minimise costs and ad- output rises 23% of minds is imminent. such as Vietnam and China. ministrative burdens for busi- The countries’ shared language, The agreement would reduce nesses, while maintaining the New Delhi: India’s natural gas production jumped 22.7 per history and similar legal systems tariffs on goods, ideally to zero – the safety and quality of prod- cent in April after Reliance mean a deal should be relatively a situation retained between the ucts, including food. Industries Ltd and its partner easy to finalise. It will also be UK and the EU after Brexit. The agreement should also REPRESENTATIONAL PHOTO BP Plc ramped up output from highly significant, seen by the But while this reduction would enhance opportunities for busi- their eastern offshore KG-D6 UK as a key step towards accession be beneficial to consumers, tariff ness travel and support the block, government data to the influential Comprehensive free access to agricultural prod- would do “irreversible damage” produce in any sort of a quantity mutual recognition of profes- released Friday showed. India and Progressive Trans-Pacific ucts is becoming a contentious to their livelihoods. to the UK”. She added, “It’s just sional qualifications. produced 2.65 billion cubic Partnership, a group of 11 Pacific issue for some in the UK. Farming In response, the president of way too expensive and way The UK government has meters of natural gas in April, Rim countries representing 13% groups there have argued that the Australian national farmers' too far.” promised that National Health up from 2.16 bcm in the same of global GDP. cheap produce from massive in- federation said Australian farm- A potential compromise Service operations and drug month last year, as per the So far, selling the FTA to the dustrial operations in Australia ers were “just not able to ship our could see tariff-free access for prices are not on the table. data released by the Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas.
Cummins India Second wave flattens fizz for soft drink industry: Crisil shuts Pune plant AGENCIES which account for over 50% of the Though these restrictions are stag- folio of players, was impacted less New Delhi: Engines and market, indicates as much. As things gered across regions and are less during lockdowns compared with power equipment New Delhi, May 21: India’s non- stand, Crisil said Pepsi and Coca-Cola stringent this time around, juices and bottled water. This is due manufacturer Cummins India alcoholic beverages industry, led have a combined market share of Beverages full-year revenue may to higher in-home consumption of Friday said it has temporarily by cola giants Pepsi and Coca- over 80% in India's non-alcoholic bev- sales volumes will still be 10 per cent CSD, driven by increasing access to closed its Pune-based engine Cola, is unlikely to reclaim pre-pan- erages industry. " be adversely impacted below pre-pan- refrigeration," the agency said. facility to combat the Covid- demic levels this fiscal, ratings The manufacturing operations are in the peak season once demic levels." Furthermore, the analysis assumes 19 situation in the city. The agency Crisil said. "Indeed, de- either owned by them or are done again due to localised Besides, the decline in demand by a fifth in the first company has shut down the spite some claw-back after an es- through third-party bottlers in dif- lockdowns and restrictions on agency cited quarter of this fiscal. Kothrud-based plant from timated decline by a fifth last fis- ferent regions of the country." movement to contain the that operating "Recovery is expected from the May 20 to May 23 after the cal, revenue will still be 10 per Last fiscal, a strict nationwide second wave of the profits may be second quarter with the surge in Pune Municipal Corporation cent short of the fiscal 2020 mark," lockdown and subsequent re- pandemic more resilient, number of cases and consequent (PMC) officials issued an the ratings agency said. strictions over April-September driven by contin- lockdowns peaking in June, and the
advisory to the firm. "Credit profiles of players, severely affected peak season de- NITESH JAIN I DIRECTOR, uation of cost- pace of vaccination also picking up,"
k y m c “Accordingly, in compliance however, remain resilient be- mand as summer months alone CRISIL RATINGS control meas- Crisil said. with the advisory, the cause of their cost-control meas- account for two-thirds of annual ures and improving "But a major part of peak season company has closed the said ures, strong balance sheets and cola sales. umes will be adversely impacted in wave of the pandemic.” product mix. volumes would be lost by then, and plant operations from May 20 ample liquidity." "A redux looms now." the peak season once again due to "This will affect out-of-home con- "Demand for high-margin car- any subsequent resurgence in in- to May 23,” Cummins India As per an analysis of 13 Crisil- According to Nitesh Jain, Director, localised lockdowns and restrictions sumption of beverages the most in bonated soft drinks (CSD), which fections especially in the rural seg- said in a regulatory filing. rated bottlers of Pepsi and Coca-Cola, Crisil Ratings, “Beverages sales vol- on movement to contain the second the first quarter. forms two-thirds of the beverage port- ment will be a monitorable." P12 SATURDAY | MAY 22 | 2021 | BHUBANESWAR sports
INDIA WOMEN’S TEAM FIELDING COACH SHARMA STRESSES ON PHYSICAL FITNESS
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k k y y m m c Series against England ‘EVES NEED TO BE ATHLETIC’ c
PRESS TRUST OF INDIA ‘a great preparation’ New Delhi, May 21: India’s women cricketers are not as athletic and strong as their foreign counter- SOUTHEE FEELS TWO-TEST SERIES AGAINST ROOT & CO TO SERVE AS A parts when it comes to running around the park and that is some- BOOST FOR THEIR WORLD TEST CHAMPIONSHIP FINAL AGAINST INDIA thing fielding coach Abhay Sharma will work on extensively with them during the upcoming UK tour. Sharma, who has worked a lot with the men’s India U-19 team, was with the national women’s team for the first time during the home series against South Africa in March. Since the series was organised last minute, Sharma did not get a lot of time with the players but he is looking forward to working with them on an individual basis during the UK tour, starting June 16. The Indian team are scheduled to play a Test, three ODIs and as many ders and they are not that strong.” “The running between wickets T20s against the hosts. It was India’s first series in 12 is a huge part of the game. If the “Overall development is needed months and the players looked team is having good coordination as far as fielding is concerned. The under prepared. South Africa ended then you can convert those singles game is changing, you have to be up winning both T20s and ODIs. into twos and that is one area where more athletic. Technically, work “We have to accept that there is we can add pressure on the oppo- needs to be done. What I observed a huge difference between foreign sition.” is that a lot of girls are struggling teams and our girls. The South Young opener Shafali Verma is with their throwing techniques. African girls were more athletic, seen as the next big thing in “If you develop wrong technique they cover the ground quicker and women’s cricket but questions have in your early days then it troubles they are little stronger also,” said been raised over her fitness. Sharma you with injuries. Once the tech- Sharma. “What I see that we are said she is improving rapidly. nical side is taken care of, then standing on technique, we are not “During the last series also we you can build on the strength part,” standing on strength. We need to worked a lot on her fielding. As Sharma told this agency before be strong on both fronts,” he said. far as weight loss is concerned she PRESS TRUST OF INDIA Tests in three weeks will be much which they lost on boundary count- entering the bio-bubble in Mumbai Improvement is also needed on has really worked hard but just of a workload after a welcome back. “It’s tough being emotional ahead of the UK tour. catching and running between the weight loss doesn’t make you a bet- Southampton, May 21: Senior break for many. “It’s exciting to and caught up with it, you look at In the home series against South and match up to my expectations. wickets, he said. “Last series what ter fielder or a player. New Zealand pacer Tim Southee be- play three Test matches in a short it as an amazing game of cricket, Africa, Sharma observed that the “But as of now technically they I saw was there was a lapse in “We are working on her field- lieves that the upcoming two-Test space of time,” Southee said after which did wonders for the one day opposition players were much faster really need to work hard. What I judgement in some cases, may be ing, things like cutting down the an- series against England would serve his first training session at the game, from the players that were in the field. “This time I will inter- have noticed in women’s cricket because they were playing after a gles and judging the ball early. You as “great preparation” for his team Ageas Bowl following a three-day involved in it. act with more on a one to one basis is that a lot of U-19 players are long time. A lot depends on the will see a big improvement very as it gears up for the marquee hard quarantine. “It’s one of those matches you re- rather than group and assess what going on to play for the senior team. frame of mind. We will work sin- soon. She is a very sincere girl and World Test Championship final “It is something that the team live and relive for the rest of your lives. they feel about the game and then try Workload is more on their shoul- cerely on that front. does whatever has been told to her.” against India here. doesn’t get to do that often. We’ve When we turn up at Lord’s there will New Zealand are playing two come off a bit of a break, which has be few guys who will have mixed Tests against England at the Lord’s been nice, and (we have) been able emotions,” Southee said. (Jun 2-6) and Birmingham (Jun to get some conditioning into our The post-quarantine training in 10-14). The WTC final final is sched- bodies,” Southee said. Southampton is also very helpful Messi to skip season finale First Dronacharya uled from June 18. He believes that they will be as they would play India at the Asked if the focus will be on the ready to cope with the rigours with same venue. “I imagine we’ll prob- ASSOCIATED PRESS The 33-year-old Messi has been WTC final, Southee said: “Anytime some quality training sessions in ably be in the same room when we with Barcelona for his whole ca- you get to play a Test match for the next two weeks. come back and it’s nice for the Barcelona, May 21: Lionel reer, but he tried to leave fol- awardee boxing New Zealand, it’s an amazing op- “So, the guys are refreshed in guys who haven’t been here to be Messi might have played his lowing the 2019-20 season, saying portunity and I don’t think you some sort of way, using the next cou- able to come here and experience final game for Barcelona. The he wasn’t happy with the direc- treat them as warm-ups. Our focus ple of weeks to get ourselves pre- it,” he said. “And when you come Argentina star has been given tion the club was taking. is first and foremost on the two pared and ready to play three Test back for the final, you’re a little permission to skip the team’s The Copa America starts June coach passes away match series against England.” matches. They are in quick suc- bit more comfortable having spent final game of the Spanish league 13, when Argentina takes on But the 32-year-old with 302 Test cession but we have had a chance some time here.” (La Liga) season — at Eibar Chile. Barcelona are third in the wickets didn’t deny that it was in- to prepare physically leading into At 32, Southee believes that he Saturday — so he can have extra Spanish league, seven points be- deed a great opportunity to gear up this with some strength and con- has many more years of Test cricket rest ahead of the Copa America, hind leader Atletico Madrid and for the big battle against India. ditioning stuff. left in him with a role model like Barcelona said Friday. five behind Real Madrid. “But great to have those matches “Now, it’s just getting our loads James Anderson to emulate. Messi didn’t train Friday. The team could get overtaken leading to the final. So for us, it’s to a point over the coming weeks “Age is just a number and it’s Barcelona is out of contention for by fourth-place Sevilla, which great preparation for that final but so that we can rock on to those great to see guys like Jimmy bowl the league title. His contract ex- is two points back ahead of a we are looking at two-match se- three Test matches.” at 38, and it’s a dream playing for pires at the end of this season, home match against Alaves. Last- ries against a quality English side He said stepping in to the Lord’s your country and I would like to do and he hasn’t given an indication place Eibar has already been in their conditions,” Southee said. ground will be emotional for them it for many more years to come,” he will sign a new one. relegated. Southee also didn’t feel that three remembering the World Cup final he signed off. CR7 highlights Seven charged with involuntary manslaughter in Maradona case Portugal for Euro ASSOCIATED PRESS were ignored,” adding that Maradona “showed unequivocal Buenos Aires, May 21: Seven signs of a prolonged agony period” PRESS TRUST OF INDIA plished coach for Services. In 1975, THE SQUAD health professionals who tended of at least 12 hours. when NIS came up with the pro- to Diego Maradona in the days be- The care that Maradona received New Delhi, May 21: India’s first posal for coaching diplomas, in GOALKEEPERS: Anthony Lopes fore his death have been charged at the rented house, the report said, Dronacharya awardee coach in boxing, Mr Bhardwaj was picked (Lyon), Rui Patricio (Wolves) and with involuntary manslaughter. “did not fulfill the minimum re- boxing, OP Bhardwaj, died Friday to start the course,” Gupta said. Rui Silva (Granada); DEFENDERS: Maradona, who led Argentina to quirements” for a patient with his after battling prolonged illness and “I am proud to say I was among his Joao Cancelo (Manchester City), victory in the 1986 World Cup, died medical history, and that he would age-related issues here. He was 82 first students. He was an inspira- Nelson Semedo (Wolves), Jose of a heart attack November 25 at have survived with “adequate hos- and had tragically lost his wife tion,” he added. Fonte (Lille), Pepe (Porto), Ruben a rented residence outside Buenos pitalisation.” Santosh to ill-health about 10 days In 2008, Bhardwaj had even Dias (Manchester City), Nuno Aires following brain surgery two neurosurgeon Leopoldo Luque and Maradona had suffered a series ago. taught some boxing techniques to Mendes (Sporting Lisbon) and weeks earlier. He was 60. psychiatrist Agustina Cosachov, of medical problems, some due to Bhardwaj was bestowed the high- Congress MP Rahul Gandhi for a Raphael Guerreiro (Borussia A medical board’s report given the two leaders of Maradona’s excesses of drugs and alcohol. He est national honour in coaching couple of months. Former national Dortmund); MIDFIELDERS: Danilo to prosecutors this month con- medical team, and five other health was reportedly near death in 2000 jointly with Bhalchandra Bhaskar coach Gurbax Singh Sandhu, who Pereira (Paris Saint-Germain), Joao Palhinha (Sporting Lisbon), cluded that Maradona was in agony professionals with involuntary and 2004. Bhagwat (wrestling) and OM was among his first set of students Ruben Neves (Wolves), Bruno for more than 12 hours, did not re- manslaughter. A doctor, a psy- Julio Rivas, a lawyer for Luque, Nambiar (athletics), when it was at NIS, said the man from Chennai Fernandes (Manchester United), ceive adequate treatment and could chologist, two nurses and a nurse said earlier this month that med- introduced in 1985. was a hands-on instructor. Joao Moutinho (Wolves), Renato still be alive if he had been prop- coordinator were the others. ical forensics of the report were “He had been unwell for many Gulati said Bhardwaj was Sanches (Lille), Sergio Oliveira erly hospitalised. The medical panel’s report said flawed and “biased... With no sci- days with a lot of health issues driven by a desire to make things (Porto) and William Carvalho Prosecutors Wednesday charged “the patient’s signs of risk of life entific foundation.” and was hospitalised. Age was a fac- better for the sport. “He was a dy- (Real Betis); FORWARDS: Pedro tor and there was also the shock of namic man. I remember, in those Goncalves (Sporting Lisbon), losing his wife about 10 days back,” days, when there were no com- Andre Silva (Eintracht Frankfurt), TL Gupta, a close family friend puters and hardly anyone knew Bernardo Silva (Manchester and a former boxing coach, told how to type, he bought a type- City), Cristiano Ronaldo HI bags Etienne Glichitch Award this agency. writer from a trip to Russia,” (Juventus), Diogo Jota Bhardwaj was India’s national Gupta said. (Liverpool), Goncalo Guedes PRESS TRUST OF INDIA striker Sam Ward, who suffered a boxing coach from 1968 to 1989 and “He would write letter after let- (Valencia), Joao Felix (Atletico career-threatening eye injury in also served as a national selector. ter to authorities demanding bet- Madrid) and Rafa Silva (Benfica). Lausanne, May 21: Hockey India 2019, was named as recipient of Under his tutelage, Indian pugilists ter amenities for boxers at NIS (HI) Friday won the prestigious the Super Fair Play Trophy Rene won medals at the Asian Games, the using that typewriter. He typed ASSOCIATED PRESS Palhinha, who made their debut Etienne Glichitch Award in recog- G Frank. Commonwealth Games and the with just one finger because he with the national team in March. nition of its contribution to the The Guust Lathouwers Memorial South Asian Games. had no formal training in typing,” Lisbon, May 21: Cristiano Ronaldo The 36-year-old Ronaldo will be growth and development of the Trophy – for an individual who Boxing Federation of India remembered Gupta, who retired will lead a talented Portugal squad playing in his fifth straight sport in the country. has made a significant mark on President Ajay Singh condoled his as chief instructor from the NIS a that will try to defend their European Championship. He is six The awards were announced by the development of umpiring – demise. “OP Bharadwaj ji has been few years ago. European Championship title. goals from tying the all-time scor- the game’s governing body FIH went to Croatia’s Ivona Makar. a flag-bearer for the sport of box- Former national federation sec- Coach Fernando Santos ing record for a men’s national during the HockeyInvites virtual Sharon Williamson of New ing. As a Coach, he inspired a gen- retary general Brigadier (Retd) Thursday announced his list of 26 team. The record of 109 goals is conference as part of its 47th FIH Zealand was named as the winner eration of boxers, and coaches PKM Raja, during whose tenure he players for next month’s tourna- held by former Iran striker Ali Congress which concluded with Hockey Federation, acknowledg- of the HRH Sultan Azlan Shah while as a selector, his work has was a national selector, said ment, when Ronaldo will be sup- Daei, the only other male football the FIH Honorary Awards. ing its “tremendous efforts to im- Award for dedicating thousands been visionary and unparalleled,” Bhardwaj was highly respected ported by the likes of Bruno player to surpass the 100-goal mile- “Hockey India was announced prove playing conditions through of voluntary hours toward the de- Singh said. for his contribution to the sport. Fernandes, Bernardo Silva, Diogo stone. as the winners of the Etienne new infrastructure and the im- livery of New Zealand's brand-new “I join my colleagues in the “He was a Services Sports Jota and Joao Felix. Portugal will play in a difficult Glichitch Award in recognition of plementation of youth develop- National Hockey Centre in Boxing Federation of India to Control Board legend. A truly re- Also included in the Euro 2020 Group F that also includes Germany, its remarkable contribution to the ment models”. Auckland. mourn this irreplaceable loss and markable coach and also a very squad was 22-year-old Sporting France and Hungary. Both Germany growth and development of The Polish Hockey Association The FIH Honorary Awards took pray for his eternal peace.” impressive personality. It is un- y Lisbon forward Pedro Goncalves, and Hungary will have home games Hockey,” FIH said in a release. picked up the Theo Ikema Award, place on the opening day of the A pioneer in Indian boxing, fortunate that in the last couple of
who has never played for the na- against Portugal in the group stage. The award gives recognition to thanks to the various hockey de- 47th Congress. The Congress ses- Bhardwaj was the first chief in- years his multiple health issues
k k y y m m c c tional team. Goncalves was key “I have great confidence in my numerous individuals, teams and velopment projects resulting in 30 sion will take place on Saturday and structor for the sport at the National restricted him greatly,” he said. this season in helping Sporting players and I have the conviction organisations for their outstanding newly trained coaches and over 3000 the agenda will include, elections Institute of Sports in Patiala. Gupta said that Bhardwaj had a win their first Portuguese league that Portugal is a title candidate,” contributions to the sport of hockey. schoolchildren being introduced to for the position of FIH President “He started his career in the fierce personality which often came title since 2002. Back in the squad Santos said. Portugal’s prepara- The Pablo Negre Award was the sport within the country. and for four positions of EB Army School of Physical Training to fore at any perceived ill-treat- were Nuno Mendes and Joao tions will begin May 27. presented to the Uzbekistan Among individuals, England Ordinary Member. in Pune and became an accom- ment of boxers.
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