JOURNALISM OF COURAGE SINCE 1932 DAILY FROM: AHMEDABAD, CHANDIGARH,DELHI, JAIPUR, KOLKATA,LUCKNOW, MUMBAI, NAGPUR,PUNE, VADODARA ● REG.NO. MCS/067/2018 -20RNI REGN. NO. 1543/57 JOURNALISM OF COURAGE FRIDAY, APRIL 24, 2020, MUMBAI,LATE CITY, 12 PAGES SINCE 1932 `5.00, WWW.INDIANEXPRESS.COM Cox and Kings: Maharashtraseeshighestsingle-day Audituncovers jump,HousingMinistertestspositive siphoning of crores, fudgingofrecords CORONACOUNT 21,700 686 and bogus sales CASES DEATHS 4,325 RECOVERED 5,00,542 samples have THE COX & been tested as on April 23 KINGS DOSSIER Staterecords 778new cases, AN EXPRESS SERIES 522 in Mumbai PART 1 KHUSHBOONARAYAN EXPRESSNEWSSERVICE MUMBAI,APRIL23 MUMBAI,APRIL23 TRANSACTIONSWORTH MAHARASHTRA THURSDAY Rs 21,000 croreoverfour years registered778 newCOVID-19 (2015-2019)done mainlyto cases, the highestsingle-day siphon offfunds; falsifying jumpinnumbers since the first records; aRs1,100-croreloan coronavirus case in the statein from a“brother to abrother” that the firstweek of March.Overthe violated basic fiduciarynorms; lastfour days alone, the statehas sales worthRs9,000 croreto registered2,000newcases, tak- over 160customers who arebo- ing itstotal to 6,427. The statehas gus or do notexist, inflated bank seen 283deaths, 14 of them over Forty-five recoveredpatientsleave the Covid carecentreatAjwaITI instituteinVadodara. BhupendraRana balances and astring of defaults From top: Anil Khandelwal, the past24hours. —these areamong aslewofal- PeterKerkar and Mumbai continued to add leged irregularities highlighted Rana Kapoor the highestnumber of cases to in the forensic audit of bankrupt the state’s tally, registering 522 One month of lockdown: Covid spread travel firm Coxand Kings, The moreoverthe past24hours — Centrefreezes DA/DR Indian Express has learnt. Bank Ltd whenco-founderRana also itshighest number foraday. Records of the audit, done in Kapoor washeading it. The total COVID-19count in the increase for staff till July widens, but concentrated in same areas February2020 by YesBank has an exposureof city nowis4,205, or 65% of PricewaterhouseCoopers (PWC) morethan Rs 2,267crore to Cox Maharashtra’s total, while six at the behestoflender YesBank, &Kings Group. Lastmonth, Ajay moredeaths on Thursday took 2021, statesmay follow ABANTIKAGHOSH and official records accessedby Ajit Peter Kerkar wassummoned itstollto137.BMC officials said &KARISHMAMEHROTRA The Indian Express detail howthe forquestioning by the that includedinThursday’s D NEWDELHI,APRIL23 companyallegedlyfudged EnforcementDirectorate(ED) in count were 297cases diagnosed ENSECONOMICBUREAU Creates records and window-dressedits connection with the money by private labs betweenApril20 NEWDELHI,APRIL23 INE moreelbow ONE MONTHintothe national figures. laundering case againstKapoor. and April 21. PLA E lockdown, the coronavirus out- Coxand Kings, promotedand Kapoor,currentlylodged in ● room The previous largest single- DETERIORATINGREVENUE po- EX break has spread to morethan controlledbyAjayAjit Peter jail, is accused of takingkick- dayjumpfor Mumbai wason sition in the backdrop of the pan- half the total number of districts Kerkar and his family, wassent to backs in lieu of granting loans to April 19,with 456 cases. demic-inducedeconomic shut- GIVENTHATthe pan- across the country,but remains bankruptcy courtinOctober severalcompanies thathave Among those who tested down has forced the central demicisstraining govern- concentrated in the same areas, 2019,after it defaulted on pay- nowdefaulted on repayments. positive wasMaharashtra government to putonhold in- ment finances, this freeze ananalysis of officialfiguresshow. ments. While the promoter The forensic audit has alleged Housing MinisterJitendra crement in dearness allowance will lead to an estimated The figures show thatwhile group owns 12.20 per cent shares that mostofthe related party Awhad. He wasadmitted to hos- (DA) for48lakh central govern- saving of Rs 37,530crore districtsonthe COVID-19map in the company, the publicowns transactions of Cox&Kings were pital on Tuesdaynight, 10 days ment employees and 65 lakh in the current financial have morethan doubledinthe theremaining 87.80per cent. executed without “proper ap- afterhehad puthimself under pensioners till July2021. year and 2021-22 —creat- lastthree weeks—from211 dis- The travel and tour company provals” from itsboardand with- home quarantine aftercoming The Finance Ministry ingroom forstepping up trictsonApril 1to429 on April Aqueue forfood near Katraj in Pune. PavanKhengre owesRs5,500crore to banksand out anyloan agreement. in contact withapersonwho Thursdaysaid it has decidedthat expenditureonhealth 22 —the heavy load remains financialinstitutions and was The investigation has found tested positive forcoronavirus. additionalinstalment of DA andwelfare measures. If confinedto12administrative one of the topborrowers of Yes CONTINUEDONPAGE2 Sources close to the NCP payabletocentral government states follow the Centre, districtsthat recordedover200 24 districtshaverecordedmore well over halfthe number of leader said he wasmoved to a employees anddearness relief whichtheydo, the savings cases each. than 100positive cases each. cases: Mumbai,Ahmedabad, privatehospital afterdeveloping (DR) to central government pen- will be Rs 82,566crore. In fact, these12accounted for Signallingthe thinspread in other Indore,Pune,Jaipur,Hyderabad, fever.Ahospital spokesperson sioners due from January1, over 50 per cent of the 18,985 areas, 223 districtshaverecorded Thane, Surat, Chennai, Bhopal, Congress tellsGovt said his condition wasstable. 2020, shall notbepaid.While cases forwhichdistrict-wise sta- less than 10 cases eachwhile 182 Agra,Jaipur and Delhi. Dr SanjayOak,former dean the increase is being held back, Government sources said the tistics have been made available others recordeddouble digits. Meanwhile, NITI AayogCEO of KEMhospital, who wascalled DA and DR at current rateswill savings on account of freezing of by the Union Health Ministry. When it comes to urban cen- Amitabh Kant revealedthat the to ease ‘devastating’ CONTINUEDONPAGE2 continue to be paid. CONTINUEDONPAGE2 The dataalso shows that only tres, at least13accounted for CONTINUEDONPAGE2 lockdown, let states Mamatahits the streets, speaks Complaints against PDS plan own roadmaps directly to locked-down Kolkata dealers in Jharkhand, MANOJCG BUSINESSASUSUAL ` 90 per kilo Bihar amid food crisis NEWDELHI,APRIL23 RAVIKBHATTACHARYA BY UNNY &ATRIMITRA ruption in the the Public AHEAD OF Prime Minister ` 118 per kilo KOLKATA,APRIL23 ABHISHEKANGAD Distribution System. NarendraModi’sinteraction &SANTOSHSINGH Almostamonth into the with chief ministers, the ` 145 per kilo IT’S4PMonThursday, and a RANCHI,PATNA,APRIL23 lockdown that beganonMarch Congress on Thursday said a whiteSUV is parkedatMoulali 25, 865 PDS dealers find them- lockdown of “the present na- ` 60 per Dozen in central Kolkata—normally EARLIER THIS week,Jharkhand’s selvesinthe dockinJharkhand ture” wasunsustainable and oneofthe city’sbusieststreet grievance helpline 181received —297 have had their licences cannotcontinue. Askingthe gov- junctions, nowdeserted. Afamil- four calls from Palamu on asin- suspended, nine have had their ernment to come out with a“de- WORLD iar voice rings through the gleday.All the callers had asim- dealerships cancelled, 524have tailedexit strategy” in the 10 neighbourhood, amplifiedby ilar complaint:though the state been issuedshow-cause notices, days leftfor this phase of the loudspeakers perched on lamp had promised70kgrice in April, and 44 face FIRs.The numbers lockdown to end on May3,the posts up to aradius of perhaps their ration dealerinaregoingupdailyinthe state main oppositionparty accused half akilometre. Medininagar wasn’t giving them whichhas 25,445 PDS dealers it of nottakingany concrete “Aami Mamata Banerjee (I am the entireamount and had, in for2.63 crorefamilies. steps to revive the economy. Mamata Banerjee),” it echoes in MamataBanerjee at Moulali, Kolkata, Thursday. Partha Paul fact,confiscatedthe rationcards To help people tide over the The party’s stance, formu- the silence of the lockdown. of 50 others. Thedetails were lockdown,the Jharkhand gov- latedat ameeting of theCongress tions of lockdown norms, the AFTER U.S. FREEZES “Aapnaderkaachhe eshechhi; aa- forwardedtothe district supply ernment had announceddouble Working Committee (CWC), is Congress also urgedthat states WHO FUNDS,CHINA maykhoma korun aapnader Bengal is inside the SUV.“Barite work.You aresuffering, but you officer,who suspendedthe li- ration —70kgrice —for card expected to be articulated by its be allowedtodevise their own STEPSIN—$30 MN saathe dekha korteparchhina, thakun, shusthothakun (stay in- arecooperating with us. Aarkota cence of the dealer and attached holders and 10 kg of rice to 7lakh chief ministers during their in- plans and arguedagainsta“one- gaadi theke naamteparchhi na (I doors, stay healthy),” she says din korun,jotodinnaaamra thecustomers to another dealer. people whose application forra- teractionwith the PM on size-fits-allpolicy”. LET’S NOT SQUANDER have come to you; forgivemefor intoamic in her hand, speaking shokolemilecorona ke taracchi In Jharkhand and Bihar,the tion cards arepending. Monday. With the Centresend- Manyleaders, including WHAT WE ACHIEVED, notbeingable to getout of the through acloth mask that cov- (Please endurefor afew more food crisis triggered by the lock- Bihar,wherethe government ing teamstoseveral Opposition- Rahul Gandhi, stressedatthe SAYS MERKEL car to meetyou).”