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SANJAY JOGMumbai

The cash-strapped MahaVikas Aghadi (MVA) govern-ment has no money to paysalaries to 17 lakhemployees, but can shell outRs 1.37 crore for thepurchase of six new luxurycars for ministers and bu-reaucrats of the departmentof school education, youthand sports. Each car -- Toyota Innova

Crysta -- costs Rs 22.8 lakh.These cars will be purchasedfor the use of Minister ofSchool Education VarshaGaikwad, Minister of Statefor School Education Bach-

hu Kadu, Minister of Statefor Sports & Youth WelfareAditi Tatkare, AdditionalChief Secretary of Depart-ment of School Education &Sports Vandana Krishna,and one for the staff (depart-ment use). Incidentally, the Depart-

ment of School Educationand Sports’ proposal to pur-chase the cars has beencleared by the Finance De-partment and also by ChiefMinister Uddhav Thackeray. The department desk offi-

cer, LV Sawant, had issued anotification two days afterMinister of Relief and Reha-bilitation Vijay Wadettiwarhad revealed CONTD. ON P5

OUR BUREAUNew Delhi

The Defence Ministrystepped in on Saturday toclarify matters, after it wassuggested in social mediathat the visit of PM Modi to afrontline general hospital inLeh on Friday was 'staged'and had an artificial ring toit.The online criticism,

which resonated with aKolkata-based newspaper,had twin strands: one, thatNimu -- the place that PMModi visited -- was not afoward post but 35 km fromLeh and one would have totravel 200 km in the other di-rection to reach Galwan. (Aforward post is one which iswithin the range of enemyfire.)Two, the ward which PM

Modi visited to interact withwounded soldiers did notlook like a hospital premises,it was alleged. The facility hevisited was without anymedical equipment -- therewere no saline drips, ventila-tors, medical trays and thelike -- the kind one would seein any hospital, it was point-

ed out. Also, the ambiencewas that of a conference hall,rather than a hospital.Again, the patients had no

visible signs of injuries, theywere not bandaged -- as onewould expect of soldiers whowere recently wounded in astandoff. They were no wristbands -- which all patientsare obliged to wear -- andwere sitting erect as if theywere attending a yoga class.The ministry clarified that

the soldiers were not in any

regular ward of a hospital,but in a hall which is nor-mally used for training.It had been converted into a

ward to accommodate the in-jured bravehearts, who hadbeen kept there since theirarrival from Galwan, in viewof the raging pandemic.They had been segregated asthe hospital has been desig-nated a Covid treatment hos-pital.The ministry further clari-

fied that the said facility is

part of the crisis manage-ment exercise and verymuch a part of the GeneralHospital complex.The clarification did not

prevent the Congress partyfrom politicizing the visit bypointing out that PM Modihad stopped 230 km short ofGalwan valley -- the areawhere the Chinese have en-croached on Indian territo-ry.Senior party leader Kapil

Sibal pointed out that Jawa-harlal Nehru had visited aforward location, NEFA, dur-ing the 1962 war with China;and so did the two otherprime ministers, IndiraGandhi and Lal BahadurShastri.Sibal said satellite images

of the actual intrusion by theChinese do not lie and want-ed the Prime Minister toclarify whether or not theChinese have captured theGalwan valley in Ladakh, in-cluding Patrol point 14where 20 soldiers of the 16thBihar Regiment sacrificedtheir lives.Have the Chinese also not

captured the "hot springs" lo-cated in the CONTD. ON P5

Wet markets are aworry, admits ChinaCHINA: China has promisedto phase out the trading oflive poultry followingconcerns over public foodsafety in the backdrop of thecoronavirus pandemic. Thecountry's market watchdogsaid they would curtail theslaughtering and sale of liveanimals like ducks andchicken in the nation'spopular wet markets. TheState Administration forMarket Regulation told themedia that it would alsoexpand its crackdown on thetrading and eating of wildanimals. Authorities said theywould gradually replace thetraditional trade withcentralised production lines.China has faced global eversince the Covid-19 broughteverything to a grinding halt.The virus, which has snuffedout over 520,000 peopleworldwide, was first detectedin a seafood wholesalemarket in the central Chinesecity of Wuhan late last year

PM Modi: Code for anAatmanirbhar BharatNEW DELHI: Prime MinisterNarendra Modi, on Saturday,launched the Digital IndiaAatmaNirbhar BharatInnovate Challenge toidentify the best Indian apps,already being used bycitizens and have thepotential to scale up andbecome world class. TheMinistry of Electronics &Information Technology alongwith the Atal InnovationMission have come up withthis challenge, which will runin two tracks—promotion ofexisting apps anddevelopment of new apps. "Iurge all my friends in thetech community to participateand help create anAatmanirbhar app ecosystem.Who knows, I may also usesome of these apps made byyou," said the Prime Minister.He said India's techecosystem had made it proudand the pandemic hadbrought about disruption inthe tech world.

Day after ambush,UP cop suspendedKANPUR/LUCKNOW: TheUttar Pradesh police onSaturday suspended thestation officer of Chaubeypurnear Kanpur for his allegedconnivance in the killing ofeight of his colleagues whilethey were going to arrestnotorious local criminal VikasDubey. Authorities alsodemolished the criminal'slavish hideout in Bikru village,the scene of the bloody crime.The police have formedseveral teams to nab theabsconding don, who facesnearly five dozens of cases.Meanwhile, the daughter ofDSP Devendra Mishra lit thefuneral pyre of her father ashe and seven other slainpolice personnel werecremated with full statehonours. The police haveannounced a Rs 50,000 reward for information leading to the arrest of Dubey, while his mother hasurged the cops to "shoot himdead".

VHP warns Netflixof street agitations NEW DELHI: Days aftertelling filmmakers and webseries creators to desist fromhaving "anti-Hindu" contents,the Vishva Hindu Parishad haswarned Netflix of legal andstreet agitations for allegedlyhurting religious sentiments.The VHP has cited instanceswhere Hinduism is allegedlyportrayed derogatorily. Leila,Ghoul, Chippa, Sacred Gamesand Krishna & His Leela havebeen named as exampleswith the names of producersand directors where the VHPsaid, "In the name of creativefreedom selectively onlyHindu Religion is targeted".VHP spokesperson Shriraj Nairsaid they will be compelled todemonstrate if the OTTplatform continues to air suchcontent. Late last year, showssuch as Leila, Patriot Act (bothstreaming on Netflix) wereflagged for their provocativecontent

VOL. 32 NO. 10|MUMBAI, PUNE, INDORE, BHOPALSUNDAY|JULY 5, 2020|16 PAGES

Quality at Value

DASH

BOAR

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ATLANTA: A dog in Georgia is believed to have been the second canine in the US to test positive for the virus that caus-es COVID-19, health officials said. The 6-year-old mixed breed dog was tested after its owners contracted COVID-19 andthe dog began suffering from a neurological illness, the Georgia Department of Health said in a news release onWednesday. The dog was positive for SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19. The dog was euthanized after theneurological illness progressed. Officials said the dog's neurological illness was caused by a condition unrelated to thecoronavirus.

DUBAI: A 53-year-old Indian worker in the UAE has missed a special repatriation flight after he dozed off at theDubai International Airport, a media report said. P Shajahan, who worked as a storekeeper in Abu Dhabi, wassupposed to fly to Thiruvananthapuram on the Emirates jumbo jet chartered by the Kerala Muslim Cultural Centre(KMCC) Dubai, Gulf News reported. It was the first-ever jumbo jet chartered for repatriation. Shajahan, who hadpaid 1,100 dirham (USD 300) for the ticket, said that he did not sleep on the previous night as he kept on waitingfor the confirmation of his ticket for the jumbo jet flying 427 stranded Indians to Kerala, it said.

Coronavirus Cases11,256,982

Deaths530, 273Source - worldometer

Indian dozes off at airport, misses repatriation

AKSHAY KUMAR’S CHOPPER TRIP SPARKS CONTROVERSY, BHUJBAL PULLS UP AUTHORITIES

Fast News

Dog in Georgia tests positive for COVID-19

Sanctity of PM's Leh visitgets lost in 'hospital'

Defence Ministry clarifies soldiers were not in any regular wardof a hospital, but in a hall which is normally used for training

Actor flies to Nashik, probe orderedSANJAY JOG

Mumbai

Bollywood actor Akshay Ku-mar’s Nashik trip in a chop-per has sparked controversy.Maharashtra Minister ofFood and Civil SuppliesChhagan Bhujbal has or-dered an inquiry into the ap-proval given for the actor’sair travel and stay at a resortduring the lockdown. Bhujbal, who is the Nashik

district guardian minister,told FPJ: ‘’I have asked thedistrict collector to probe

how the actor received per-mission for air travel andwhy Nashik city police pro-vided him protection for histravel to the rural part of thedistrict outside their juris-diction.’’ He explained thatthe inquiry will be conduct-ed into the charges of viola-tion of stipulated rules relat-ed to Akshay Kumar’s tour.The Bollywood actor had

landed in the premises of aneducational institute whenhe was received by a few po-lice and administrative offi-cers. He was later accompa-

nied by the police personnelto a resort on the way toTrimbakeshwar where hestayed for a day. Sources said Kumar was

treated by a wellness special-ist in the resort and there-after he flew back to Mum-bai. However, some of the of-ficers from the revenue andpolice department have saidhow can the actor travel in ahelicopter and later in a carwhen there are strict curbsduring the ongoing lock-down which is extended tillJuly 31. Besides, hotels and

resorts have been closed dueto the coronavirus pandem-ic. The probe will reveal whohas given permission toopen the resort and for hisstay there. ‘’This is quite strange. Min-

isters had to travel by road,and they require necessaryformalities for air travel.How did Akshay Kumar getpermission and who allowedhis stay in the resort. Be-sides, who gave persmissionfor the owner to open the re-sort,’’ asked a senior revenueofficer from Nashik. On June 30, the Chief Min-

ister Uddhav Thackeray hadtravelled by road to Pand-harpur for the customaryPuja at the Vitthal temple onthe occasion of AshadiEkadashi.

MVA govt to spend Rs 1.37crore on six luxury vehicles

Hard-pressed topay salaries, butcan buy new cars

AGENCIESNew Delhi

As experts cautioned againstrushing the process for de-veloping a COVID-19 vaccineafter the Indian Council ofMedical Research said itplans to launch one by Au-gust 15, the apex health re-search body on Saturdaystressed that it is followingglobally accepted norms tofast-track vaccine develop-ment for diseases of pan-demic potential.The ICMR said that the let-

ter by Director General ofICMR Dr Balram Bhargavato principal investigators ofthe clinical trial sites wasmeant to cut unnecessaryred tape, without bypassing

any necessary process, andspeed up recruitment of par-ticipants.Bhargava had on July 2

written to principal investi-gators of select medical in-stitutions and hospitals tofast-track human clinical tri-al approvals for the vaccinecandidate 'Covaxin' being de-veloped in collaborationwith Bharat Biotech.All other vaccine candi-

dates across the globe havebeen CONTD. ON P5

World on vaccine fasttrack, so are we: ICMR

OUR BUREAUNew Delhi

As India ramps up coron-avirus tests every day, thecountry is witnessing asharp rise in the number ofinfected persons. In the past 24 hours since 9

am on Friday, as many as2.42 lakh tests were carriedout across the country asagainst 2.30 lakh the previ-ous day. Those foundinfected on Saturday totalled22,744, compared to 20,903 on

Friday and 18,653 on Thurs-day.The country has so far car-

ried out 95.4 lakh tests, andthe Indian Council of Med-ical Research expects the fig-ure to touch the 1-crore markin the next two to three days.The numbers, however, arefar too less considering In-dia's population of over 130crore. The number of thosefound infected till datestands at 6.48 lakh, of which3.94 lakh have recovered.

CONTD. ON P5

Ramped-up tests throwup more Covid cases

Heavy rainfall lashed Mumbai for the second consecutive day on Saturday, causing near waist-deepwaterlogging for some time in the chronic King’s Circle area. Several low-lying areas of the city were alsoaffected, with heavy waterlogging reported in ten areas, including Hindmata in Dadar. Mumbai city, itssuburbs, and neighbouring Thane received more than 100 mm rainfall. Interior Maharashtra also receivedfairly widespread rainfall. The IMD forecast very heavy to extremely heavy rainfall for North Konkan,including Mumbai, in the next 24 hours.

AGENCIESNew Delhi/Kolkata

No passenger flights will op-erate to Kolkata from Mum-bai, Delhi, Chennai, Pune,Nagpur and Ahmedabad be-tween July 6 and July 19, theKolkata airport said on Sat-urday as novel coronaviruscases continue to rise in thecountry.West Bengal Chief Secre-

tary Rajiva Sinha had re-quested the Civil AviationMinistry on June 30 to notschedule any flights betweenJuly 6 and July 19 to the statefrom cities like Delhi, Mum-bai, Pune, Nagpur, Chennai,Indore, Ahmedabad andSurat that have high preva-lence of COVID-19 cases.India resumed domestic

passenger flights from May25, after a gap of two monthsdue to the coronavirus-in-duced lockdown. Scheduledinternational passengerflights are still suspended in

India."It is informed that no

flights shall operate toKolkata from Delhi, Mum-bai, Pune, Nagpur, Chennai& Ahmedabad from 6th to19th July 2020 or till furtherorder whichever is earlier.Inconvenience caused is re-gretted," the Kolkata airporttweeted.The temporary restriction

"is on the request of stategovernment to restrictmovement from high preva-lence cities of coronaviruscases in order to contain thespread of COVID-19", it saidin another tweet.Domestic passenger servic-

es began at the Kolkata air-port and Bagdogra airporton May 28 instead of May 25as the state government'smachinery was involved inrelief and restoration workafter cyclone Amphan's dev-astation. On the insistenceof the state government, theaviation CONTD. ON P5

No flights fromMumbai, 5 othercities to Kolkata

AGENCIESHong Kong

Hong Kongers are findingcreative ways to voicedissent after Beijing blanket-ed the city in a new securitylaw and police began arrest-ing people displaying nowforbidden political slogans.Faced with the sudden

threat of prosecution foranything that might promotegreater autonomy or inde-pendence for the restless city,residents are using wordplay and even subverting

Chinese Communist Partydogma to express their frus-tration. On a bridge in the busy

shopping district of Cause-way Bay, a key spot for pro-democracy protests over thepast year, traffic thunderspast newly daubed graffitithat declares: "Arise, ye whorefuse to be slaves". The phrase is taken from

the first line of China's na-tional anthem. And while thegraffiti could conceivablyhave been written by a patri-otic nationalist, it is most

likely a declaration of dis-sent. Social media and chatforums have filled with sug-gestions for how to find saferways to protest after Beijingon Tuesday imposed broadlegislation banning subver-sion, secession, terrorismand foreign collusion.In a semi-autonomous city

used to speaking its mind,people will find ways aroundthe law, said Chan Kin-man,a veteran democracy activistwho has previously beenjailed for his activism.

CONTD. ON P5

AGENCIESNew Delhi

The CBI has booked acertain Anirudh Singh forallegedly posing as someoneworking for a staff memberof a PMO official and askingBoeing executives to meettop government officers anda minister over a defencedeal bids submitted by thecompany, officials said onFriday.The Prime Minister's Of-

fice (PMO) complained to theCBI after a top Boeing offi-

cial forwarded an email, al-legedly written by Singh, toit. Nearly six months after re-

ceiving the complaint, theCBI registered an FIRagainst Singh.Boeing India Chief of Staff

Praveena Yagnambhat wroteto the PMO detailing activi-ties of Singh, they said.In its communication to

the CBI, the PMO has at-tached the letter and termedit a prima facie act of imper-sonation.

CONTD. ON P5

Hong Kongers get creative, use word play to defy security laws

Man claims PMO link to getinfo from Boeing, booked by CBI

Maharashtraadds 7,074 new

cases to its count,highest so farState's count of casescrosses 2-lakh mark

PIC: B L SONI

PIC: B L SONI

STAFF REPORTER / Mumbai

Maharashtra on Saturdayadded 7,074 new COVID-19cases to its count on Satur-day, the first time it hasbreached the 7,000 markfor new cases recordedwithin a 24-hour period.The overall tally of thestate has also crossed the 2lakh mark, and nowstands at 2,00,064 cases.Meanwhile, the state also

added 295 more fatalities toits COVID-19 death toll onSaturday, the highest tolladded on any day so far,taking the state's death tollto 8,671. Of these 295deaths, however, 124deaths occurred in the last48 hours and the other 171are from a previous period,the state government clar-ified.Meanwhile, Mumbai re-

ported 1,163 new COVID-19 cases and 68 deaths inthe last 24 hours. The totalCOVID-19 cases in the cityhave now jumped to83,237; while 4,830 havedied till date. A total of1,071 recoveries in the last24 hours have taken the to-tal number of recoveriesto 53,463, while the num-ber of active cases is24,524.

Visibility dipped at Mumbai airport, on Saturday

MUMBAI: Family of a 64-year-old man who succumbedto coronavirus infection inneighbouring Navi Mumbaihas alleged that he had to bekept in an ambulance for awhole day before he could beadmitted to a hospital.When he was finally admit-ted, the family did not havethe money to buy an injectionthat cost Rs 32,000. The man,who performed in a musicband, died on June 25."He developed coughing andbreathing problem on June 20.We took him to the Navi Mum-bai Municipal Corporation's(NMMC) COVID hospital atVashi," his son told PTI."There was no bed with oxy-gen supply available, so I wasasked to go to another hospi-tal," he said."I asked them to tell uswhere to go, but they did notguide us and only said go to aprivate hospital," he said."Then I started searchingfor a hospital. After a fewhospitals refused to admithim, I called a cardiac am-bulance and put my fatherin it because he needed oxy-gen support," said the son,who also performs in a mu-sic band.

AGENCIESMumbai

Congress leader PrithvirajChavan alleged on Saturdaythat the ICMR's plans tolaunch a coronavirus vac-cine by August 15 wasaimed only at enabling theprime minister to make abig announcement from theRed Fort.The Indian Council ofMedical Research said onFriday that it aims tolaunch the world''s firstCOVID-19 vaccine by Au-gust 15."Why is ICMR rushing foran unrealistic timeline ofAugust 15for Indian coro-na(virus) vaccinewhenglobal experts aregiving 12to 18 months''time frame,"Chavan tweeted.The Congress leader al-

leged that the ICMR was ina hurry to develop a vaccineonly so that Prime MinisterNarendra Modi could makea major announcementfrom the Red Fort duringthe Independence Day ad-dress.The Union health minis-ter should make a clarifica-tion in this regard, Chavandemanded.

2THE FREEPRESSJOURNAL

MUMBAI | SUNDAY | JULY 5, 2020

LOCKDOWN NCP corporator from Pimpri Chinchwad dies of Covid-19PUNE: An NCP corporator from Pimpri Chinchwad inMaharashtra's Pune district, who had tested coronaviruspositive, died during treatment at a hospital on Saturday, asenior official said.He was found to have been infected by COVID-19 recently, the

official said. "He was being treated at a private hospital inPimpri Chinchwad. He was also suffering from some otherailments," he said.The NCP leader was actively involved in relief work in theindustrial township during the pandemic, sources said.

CM WANTS TWIN DANGERS TO BE COUNTERED EFFECTIVELY

Lack of coordination in govt, says ex-CMAGENCIESMumbai

Senior BJP leader DevendraFadnavis on Saturday allegedthat there was lack of coordi-nation among the three con-stituents of the Maha VikasAghadi (MVA) governmentand also between Chief Min-ister Uddhav Thackeray andhis cabinet in the fight againstCOVID-19.Fadnavis also said that theMVA constituents keep say-ing that they stand with thechief minister, but their ac-tions do not reflect so.The Leader of the Opposi-tion in the Legislative Assem-bly also called for coordinatedefforts and single- commanddecision-making while facingthe pandemic.

The Shiv Sena, NCP andCongress had formed theMVA last year after the As-sembly election to form thegovernment in the state.Fadnavis made the remarkswhile replying to queries fromjournalists about Thaneguardian minister EknathShinde allegedly being in thedark about the transfers ofsome municipal commission-ers in the district. Fadnaviswas also asked about a meet-ing between Thackeray andNCP chief Sharad Pawar thattook place on Friday.Thackeray and Pawar meton Friday in the wake of re-ports of some NCP and Con-gress ministers not being hap-py with the chief ministerover the extension of lock-down in the state till July 31.

"I have been saying thisright from day one that coor-dination is not visible in theAghadi. There is no coordina-tion in the government too."There is lack of coordina-tion among the ministers andalso between the Cabinet and

the chief minister. Coordina-tion has to be there," Fadnavistold reporters in Navi Mum-bai.The former chief ministerfurther said a decision like ex-tending lockdown should be"broadly thought about"."I am not of the view thatthere should be no lockdown.But we are in unlock now, wecan think of partial lockdownin a certain area. We canthink of lockdown on a biggerscale if the situation reallygoes out of hand."But if we lockdown the pol-icy, we will never be able to getout of this. Hence, we need todo alternative thinking andconsider collective wisdom,"he added.Fadnavis also dismissedquestions that some of the

senior BJP leaders were nothappy over the party' new ex-ecutive committee that wasannounced on Friday.Fadnavis said he himself,Union minister Nitin Gad-kari, other senior leaders likeEknath Khadse, Vinod Tawde,Pankaj Munde and SudhirMungantiwar are among thespecial invitees of the execu-tive."I am a worker of the party.So, whoever is running theworking executive, is mineand I am theirs. This is aworking executive thoughtout by all."The central BJP has soughtsome names for the central ex-ecutive. We have given somenames to them. One name youknow, there are two-threemore names," he added.

Chavan questionsICMR plans for

vaccine by Aug 15Alleges that the body was in a hurry so that PM

could make its announcement from Red Fort

Two-km radius for non-essential activitiestweaked to ‘nearby or neighbourhood area'

STAFF REPORTERMumbai

Following the uproar fromvarious sections of Mum-baikars, the Mumbai Policehave reiterated that its earli-er directive restricting peo-ple's movement for non-es-sential activities to within a2-km radius from theirhomes had been modified re-cently. The police have clarifiedthat its prohibitory order is-sued on June 30, imposingsection 144 of the CrPC in thecity till July 15, did not makea mention of a 2-km limit andhad simply stated that move-ment of people for non-essen-tial activities should be re-

stricted to their `nearby orneighbourhood area’ only,and those found flouting thisnorm will be booked for lock-down violations. "It's not 2kms. However,those found loitering away

from their neighbourhood fornon- essential activities willbe booked, " said Mumbai po-lice spokesperson DCP San-gramsingh Nishandar. On June 28, the Mumbai Po-lice had said that people's

movement should be restrict-ed to within 2 kms from theirresidence. Only cases of med-ical emergencies, essentialservice workers and travel tooffices for work have been ex-empted from the norms. Thepolice had then said thatthose found loitering beyondthe 2 km radius for non-es-sential activities would bebooked and their vehicles im-pounded.Over 20,000 vehicles wereimpounded within four daysof the guidelines, while sev-eral thousand people werebooked for lockdown viola-tions as well. This drew flakfrom citizens who were un-happy with the norms andthe checks by the police.

Pune Mayor Murlidhar Moholtests positive for Covid-19

MVA to defend its stand inSupreme Court on Tuesday

SANJAY JOGMUmbai

The cabinet sub-committeechaired by the Public WorksMinister Ashok Chavan onSaturday reviewed thepreparations to defend thequota provided to the politi-cally influential Marathacommunity during a hear-ing at the Supreme Courtslated for July 7. The apex court will hear apetition regarding the ad-mission process for a post-graduate medical courseand also the original peti-tion for Maratha reserva-tion. Incidentally, the govern-ment counsel Mukul Rohat-gi led the legal team was alsopresent during today’s virtu-al meeting.Chavan said, “The reserva-tion for Maratha communityhas been passed unanimous-

ly in the state legislature.There is unanimity amongall that the reservationshould remain in place. TheMaha Vikas Aghadi govern-ment is committed to pro-viding reservations in jobsand education to Marathasand will defend its quota de-cision in the Supreme

Court.’’ He informed that hebriefed the Nationalist Con-gress Party chief SharadPawar and the ChhatrapatiSambhaji Raje the govern-ment’s preparations to de-fend Maratha quota in theapex court.The BJP led governmentthrough the Socially and Ed-ucationally Backward Class-es Act, 2018, granted a 16%reservation in governmentjobs and education to thecommunity in November2018. The Bombay HighCourt in June 2019 upheldthe reservation but ruledthat the quantum of 16%quota was not justifiable.The high court held that theAct should not prescribereservations exceeding theJustice Gaikwad led StateBackward Classes Commis-sion’s recommendation of12% in education and 13% injobs.

SURESH GOLANIbhayandar

It’s no wonder, as to whyelected representativeswho are testing positive forthe infection are not get-ting themselves admittedat Mira Bhayandar Munic-ipal Corporation’s(MBMC) own dedicatedCovid-19 care facility inBhayandar and are insteadopting for private hospitalsto get treated. The answer lies in a videoshowing two dirty andpoorly maintained com-mon toilets in the hospital. The video which went vi-ral on various social mediaplatforms not only exposesthe shoddy facilities forhigh risk patients at theCovid-19 hospital current-ly run by the civic admin-istration in associationwith the state governmentauthorities, but also theblind eye turned by thecivic administration andthe members of the rulinggovernance towards suchserious irregularitiesamid the serious healthcrisis. When contacted, ad-ditional municipal com-missioner- Mahesh Varud-kar said that the issue hadbeen resolved and the con-cerned had been repri-manded, with a warningand undertaking that such

lapses will not be repeatedagain. The government ownedBharat Ratna PanditBhimsen Joshi Civil (Tem-bha) Hospital in Bhayan-dar (west) had been up-graded to a 200-bedded ded-icated Covid-19 isolationfacility amid an alarmingrise in the number of posi-tive cases in the twin-city. The hospital also housestwo Intensive Care Units(ICU) fully equipped withlife supporting measuresincluding much neededventilator facilities. With 276 more people test-ing positive for the viruson Friday, the total numberof Covid-19 cumulative pa-tients has climbed to 3885,even as the death toll hasreached 152.

AGENCIESMumbai

Pune Mayor and BJPleader Murlidhar Moholtested positive for Covid-19on Saturday.Since the pandemic brokeout, Mohol had led thecity’s fight against the dis-ease from the front, super-vising efforts in hospitalsand affected areas.He had also reached out tothe state government aswell as the Union govern-ment over various issuesrelated to tackling the pan-demic. The BJP leader hadbeen instrumental in get-ting the PMC financial as-sistance from the corporate

sector, as well as securingfacilities to upgrade thehealth infratsurture neededfor treating Covid-19 pa-tients.He had attended a reviewmeeting of the pandemicsituation in Pune districton Friday, which waschaired by Deputy ChiefMinister Ajit Pawar. In an-other meeting held last

week, which was also at-tended by NCP chief andformer Union ministerSharad Pawar, state HomeMinister Anil Deshmukhand state Health ministerRajesh Tope, Ajit Pawarhad praised Mohol’s effortsduring the crisis.A few days ago, leader ofopposition in PMC, NCPleader Dipali Dhumal, hadalso tested positive forCovid-19. Congress corpo-rator Avinash Bagawe alsocontracted the virus, but re-covered after treatment.On Thursday, 85-year-oldVasant Limaye, father offormer mayor and KasbaPeth MLA Mukta Tilak,succumbed to the infection.

11,000 Maha jail inmates released temporarily, so far

AGENCIESMumbai

Around 11,000 inmateshave been released tem-porarily from Maharash-tra jails so far to reducecrowding in view of coro-navirus outbreak, stateHome Minister AnilDeshmukh said on Satur-day. He was speaking toreporters after a visit toNagpur Central Jailwhere 41 inmates and 56staff tested positive forthe infection in the lastfour days."There are 37,000 inmates

in Maharashtra's jails. Ofthese, 11,000, includingthose facing up to sevenyears imprisonment,have been released on pa-role to maintain socialdistancing norms in pris-ons. So far, 414 prisonershave tested positive fornovel coronavirus in thestate, and 281 of themhave been released on pa-role," he said. "A total of162 prison staff have test-ed positive so far. Ninejails have been placed un-der lockdown to controlthe virus spread," headded.

Signboard catches fireat Mumbai high-riseMUMBAI: Asignboard fixedon the 19thfloor of a 35-storey buildingin Vikhroli inMumbai caught fire ataround 8:20 pm on Monday,an official said.The fire was extinguishedby 9:45pm and there wereno reports of casualties, headded.

Naxal unit commandergunned down in Gadchiroli

AGENCIESGadchiroli

A naxal who was gunneddown by the police in Ma-harashtra's Gadchirolidistrict has been identi-fied as a commander of aunit, who had Rs 8 lakhreward on his head, an of-ficial said on Saturday.The personnel from C-60, a specialised combatunit of the district police,were on an operation in ajungle under Hedri policehelp centre in Mauza Yel-dami on Friday when anexchange of fire tookplace with Maoist ultras.The body of a naxal wasrecovered from the forestafter the encounter, theofficial said.The police have identi-fied the deceased as Per-

mili Dalam commanderKote Abhilash aliasChander, alias Shankealias Soma (36), residentof Karapalli in Telan-gana, he said.As many as 15 cases, in-cluding murder, had beenregistered against him inGadchiroli, the officialsaid, adding that the de-ceased naxal was carry-ing Rs 8 lakh on his head,the official added.

Video exposes shoddytoilets at MBMC’s

Covid hospitalThe hospitalalso housestwo ICU facilities fullyequipped withlife supportingmeasuresincludingmuch neededventilatorfacilities

MARATHA QUOTA

Cabinet sub-committee chaired by Public WorksMinister Ashok Chavan reviewed legal preparations

SANJAY JOGMumbai

Mumbai faces twin dangersof coronavirus pandemicand outbreak of water-borne diseases in the wakeof torrential rains whichthe city is expected to getfor few more days. Againstthis backdrop, the ChiefMinister Uddhav Thacker-ay on Saturday asked forproper coordination of var-ious agencies in fightagainst virus and also toavoid spread of waterbornediseases in the city.Thackeray wants agen-cies including Brihan-Mumbai Municipal Corpo-ration, Mumbai Metropoli-tan Region DevelopmentAuthority, Mumbai Metro

Rail Corporation, Rail-ways, Mumbai Port Trustand Public Work Depart-ment to work togetherwithout passing the buckagainst each other. CM’s di-rectives are crucial as wa-terlogging in low lying ar-eas and in some parts due

to the ongoing work ofMetrorail may post threatof spread in infection. Hewanted all these agenciesto carry out road repairsand fill up potholes withoutdelays.On the Covid 19 crisis,Thackeray pressed the need

for increase in tracing,tracking, testing and treat-ment, rise in quarantine fa-cilities. He also asked BMCto step up efforts to bringdown the Covid 19 mortali-ty rate which has surged to5.79% in the city.Thackeray said the Centrehas hailed the BMC’s Covid19 containment strategywhich focusses on chase thevirus and reach out to thepatients. However, he re-minded the city administra-tion the fight against virusis not yet over.In order to control mos-

quitos breeding in desertedbuildings or those underconstruction, Thackeraydirected the civic adminis-tration to undertake spray-ing of insecticides.

Asks BMC, MMRDA, MMRC, Railways, MPT and PWD to work together to battle monsoon ailments and Covid

Kin: Patient kept inambulance for a daydue to lack of beds

Two held from Palghar with bannedtobacco products worth lakhs

However, those found loitering will be booked, said a Mumbai Police spokesperson

AGENCIESPalghar

Two persons were arrested and banned to-bacco products worth over Rs 7 lakh wereseized from a scrap godown in Vasai townof Maharashtra's Palghar district, policesaid on Saturday.The district rural police raided thegodown in Gangdi Pada late on Friday andseized gunny bags containing banned to-bacco products worth Rs 8 lakh, Palgharpolice PRO Sachin Navadkar said.The accused, Razuddin and Afzal Mem-on, who is the owner of the premises,

were arrested and booked under relevantsections of the Indian Penal Code andFood and Drug Administration's regula-tions, he said.

PIC: BL SONI

PIC: BL SONI

Chhagan Bhujbalbats for lifting

lockdown

AGENCIES/ Nashik

Time has come to lift lockdown torevive the economy, MaharashtraFood and Civil Supplies MinisterChhagan Bhujbal said on Saturday.The lockdown can continue inareas where the coronavirussituation is "out of control", hesaid, speaking to reporters here.The Maharashtra government hasextended the lockdown, imposedto contain the spread ofcoronavirus, till July 31."Time has come to lift thelockdown. It is a question ofboosting the economy ofMaharashtra and India," the seniorNCP leader said."People are not getting food, thereare no jobs, the economy hascollapsed, the government'srevenues have been hit. Lockdownis fine where the (virus) situation isout of control," he added.

0507-FPP-FPJ-02_MUMBAI 2 05-07-2020 00:24 Page 1

THE FREEPRESSJOURNALMUMBAI | SUNDAY | JULY 5, 2020

350-year-old head constable succumbs to COVID-19MUMBAI: With the death a 50-year-old police head constable,the total number of police personnel from the city whosuccumbed to the deadly virus has touched 43 on Saturday. Theconstable Surendra Pol was attached to the protection branch ofthe Mumbai police. Pol a driver with the protection branch ofthe Mumbai police fell sick in the last week of June. He was

admitted to the Seven Hills hospital in Marol after testingpositive for COVID-19 on June 28. According to the policeofficials, within a few days his condition worsened and he wasgiven ventilator support on Thursday, he breathed his last onSaturday. Pol was a resident of Tagor Nagar in Vikhroli and issurvived by his wife and a son. — STAFF REPORTER

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HEAVY RAINFALL LASHES CITYDIPTI SINGH

Mumbai

Heavy rains on Saturdaylashed parts of Mumbai andthe coastal districts of Maha-rashtra for the second consec-utive day. The India Meteoro-logical Department (IMD)had yesterday issued an Or-ange alert for Mumbai andparts of Konkan Coast in-cluding Raigad and Ratna-giri.On Saturday Mumbai,

Mumbai's suburbs and neigh-bouring Thane received morethan 100 mm rainfall. TheIMD had predicted "veryheavy to extremely heavyrainfall" at isolated places inthe area besides rest of theNorth Konkan over the next24 hours. Meanwhile, InteriorMaharashtra also receivedfairly widespread rainfall, itsaid.The Colaba weather station

in south Mumbai reported 66mm rainfall between 8.30 amand 5.30 pm while the San-tacruz weather stationrecorded 111.4 mm rainfall,said the India MeteorologicalDepartment (IMD). TheThane-Belapur Industry As-sociation area reported 116mm of rain during the sameperiod. In Mumbai suburbs,Kandivali Fire station, Bori-vali Fire Station and Marolfire station recorded highestrainfall measuring 141 mm,135 mm and 124.7 mm respec-tively."Mumbai suburbs and

Thane already received more

than 100 mm rains sincemorning 8.30 am 4 July. Veryheavy to extremely heavyrainfall (>200mm) forecastedfor N Konkan includingMumbai in next 24 hrs. Entirewest coast very active mon-soon," Mumbai IMD DeputyDirector-General K S Hosa-likar said.A statement on IMD website

stated: "Interior Maharashtraalso received fairly wide-spread rainfall with mostlymoderate to isolated heavyrainfall. The intense rainfallactivity is very likely alongthe west coast (including

Mumbai) and adjoining ghatareas of interior Maharash-tra till 4th July and gradualreduction thereafter," it said.The Alibaug observatory in

neighbouring Raigad districtrecorded 87.4 mm rainfallfrom 8.30 am to 5.30 pm on Sat-urday.Harnai in coastal Ratnagiri

district, south of Raigad, re-ported 52.6 mm rainfall dur-ing the period, while the Rat-nagiri city weather stationrecorded 54.1 mm rains.The Colaba weather station

Mumbai recorded 169 mmrainfall during 24 hours from

8.30 am on Friday, while theSantacruz observatory re-ported 157 mm rainfall in thesame period.The disaster management

cell of the BrihanmumbaiMunicipal Corporation(BMC) said water-logging wasreported in low-lying areas ,and as many as ten spots inthe city witnessed heavy wa-terlogging since SaturdayMorning. This includes -Hindmata in Dadar, ShakkarPanchayat Road in Wadala,Dharavi crossroad 4, Sardarhotel in Kalachowki, nearSIES college in Matunga, By-

culla Police station, BelowChembur Bridge, ChemburRailway station, Andheri Sub-way, near National College inBandra. "However there hasbeen no complaint of majorwater- logging so far from citi-zens, areas which witnessedwaterlogging waster recededby evening, SWD staff hasbeen on duty continuouslythroughout," an official said.Traffic diversion was done

five locations including SionRoad no. 24, Hindmata, Sewri,Gandhimarket in King Circleand area near National col-lege in Bandra west.

DIPTI SINGHMumbai

Maharashtra on Saturday re-ported over 7,074 new Covid-19cases on Saturday, the highestsingle-day tally to be recordedin 24 hours till date. With the7000 plus new cases, the over-all tally of the state hascrossed the grim milestone of2 lakh.The state has the highest

number of COVID-19 cases inIndia, followed by TamilNadu, Delhi and Gujarat.The total number of cases in

the state has now reached2,00,064. Meanwhile, record295 more deaths in the last 24hours take the state's deathtoll to 8,671. Out of these, 124deaths occurred in the last 48hours and rest 171 are fromthe previous period.Out of these rest 171 deaths,

163 deaths in Thane districtare from the period April toJune 2020. are from the previ-ous period. These 171 include70 in Thane Municipal Corpo-ration, 15 in Thane, 33 in NaviMumbai, 32 in Kalyan-Dom-bivali, 8 in Ulhasnagar, 5 inBhivandi, 2 in Mira-Bhayan-dar, 2 in Pimpri-Chinchwad, 3in Solapur and 1 in Latur.These 171 deaths have been

shown in the progressive fig-ures instead of showing indaily figures.The current fatality rate due

to covid19 in the state standsat 4.33%.Currently, there are 83,295

active cases in the state whileover 1.08 lakh people have al-ready cured and discharged,the state health departmentsaid in its daily bulletin re-leased on Saturday evening.Meanwhile, Mumbai report-

ed 1,163 cases and 68 deaths inthe last 24 hours. The totalcovid 19 cases in the city havenow jumped to 83,237; while4,830 have died till date. Total1,071 recoveries in the last 24hours have taken the totalnumber of recoveries to 53,463while the number of active

cases is 24,524.The number of recoveries in

the state has reached 1,08,082after 3,395 patients got dis-charged in the last 24 hours.Recovery rate in the state is54.02% as against the nationalaverage of 60.81%. Currently,near 6 lakh people are in-home quarantine and 41,566people are in institutionalquarantine.On Saturday, only two new

coronavirus patients were de-tected in Dharavi, taking itscase tally to 5099. The area,which is known as Asia'slargest slum cluster, hasrecorded just two cases firsttime since the first week ofApril. The current covid 19count of the area stands at2311.

ARD

58,226 1,07,958

DASHB ARD

DD

58,226 1,07,958

DR ASHBAD

,07,958

AIBMUMesCas Dea

2,182

RATHARASAHMshtDea

3,950

2,00,06483,237

4,830 8,671

State crosses 2 lakh markwith highest single-day tally

SANJAY JOGMumbai

Brihanmumbai ElectricSupply and Transport(BEST) with a consumerbase of 10.5 lakh in Mumbai,has proposed to give credit tothe consumers who are over-billed and if recovery basedon estimated bills is morethan actual bills. Excessamounts after adjustment ofthe actual bill will be credit-ed to the consumer accountand they will earn extracredit at the prescribed hold-ing charge.Consumers will be given

slab benefit by apportioningthe actual consumption on amonthly basis. The delayedpayment charges and inter-est on arrears will be calcu-lated on the basis of actualconsumption only and if ex-cess has been recovered thesame will be credited to theconsumer account.BEST’s move comes days

after the Maharashtra Elec-tricity Regulatory Commis-sion had asked the distribu-tion companies to addressthe issue of inflated bills re-ceived for the lockdown peri-od. In response to MERC di-rectives, the MaharashtraState Electricity Distribu-tion Company and AdaniElectricity have announcedEMI facility, non-disconnec-tion of power supply despiteoutstanding and a couple ofother initiatives.Further, BEST has started

meter reading cycle wise innon-containment areas fromJune 15 in order to give billsto consumers on actual basisat the earliest. ‘’As a policy,no disconnections for out-standing payments havebeen carried out during thelockdown period to avoidany inconvenience to con-sumers. Wherever the bill ismore than double that of the

average for the period ofMarch to May, consumerswill be given the option tomake payments in 3 EMIswith carrying cost,’’ saidBEST chief engineer (cus-tomer care) Rajendra Pat-sute.He informed that industri-

al and commercial con-sumers have been billed 10%of their estimated consump-tion from May 19 onwards.Industrial and commercialconsumers are also alloweda three months moratoriumon fixed charges. For all oth-er consumers the estimatedconsumption during lock-down was based on con-sumption of March.According to Patsute, in

April, May and June the con-sumption generally increas-es. ‘’Also during lock downpeople were at home whichmay have increased residen-tial consumption in manycases,’’ he noted.

BEST announces credit,EMI facilities for thosewho got inflated bills

Allow 14-ft-tallGanpati idol:Mandal to CM

AGENCIESMumbai

The GSB Seva Mandal basedin King's Circle area ofMumbai has asked ChiefMinister Uddhav Thackerayfor permission to retain theheight of its Ganesh idol atthe traditional 14 feet.Ganesh Chaturthi celebra-

tions are scheduled to beginon August 22.Amid the coronavirus out-

break, the state has askedorganisations that installsuch idols to curtail theheight to four feet and scaledown celebrations so as toadhere to social distancingnorms and lockdown or-ders.In a statement, GSB Seva

Mandal trustee RG Bhatsaid change in height wouldcreate hurdles as the eco-friendly idol is adornedwith pre-moulded gold andsilver jewellery.The statement said there

would be no immersion ofthe idol this time and dar-shan for devotees would beonline while prasad distri-bution would be through e-commerce platforms.The idol is made of pure

clay at the venue itself.

Move comes daysafter the MERC hadasked the distributioncompanies to address

the issue

Colaba weather station recorded 169 mm rainfall while Santacruz observatory reported 157 mm in the same period

Cops help a cab driver to take his car out of waters; (Right) A fallen tree damages a scooter, on Saturday. –BL SONI

BMC sets up control rooms for coastal sitesCivic body hopes to address waterlogging issues after citizens express concern

DIPTI SINGH Mumbai

After concerns expressed bythe citizens over possibleflooding owing to coastalroad work at various loca-tions in South Mumbai asrain lashes the city, the Bri-hanmumbai Municipal Cor-poration (BMC) has set upthree special control roomsat construction sites.The control rooms have

been set up at three loca-tions Priyadarshini Park,Amarson Park and WorliDairy -- parallel to the con-struction sites. Besidesthese three control roomhelplines, citizens can alsolodge their complaints withthe disaster control roomhelpline(1916) for handlingany emergencies at thecoastal road project site.A BMC official said, “In

order to ensure anti-flood-ing measures at all thesesites, control rooms havebeen set up at each site to at-tend to emergency/com-plaints during monsoon.The citizens can accessthese numbers in case ofemergencies related tostormwater drains or any

other work-related to thecoastal road during themonsoon.”Civic officials said, that

around six drains will be ex-tended up to the new coastalroad project boundary. This

to ensure there is no accu-mulation of rain-water atthe coastal road sites. Thecontractors have also in-stalled dewatering pumps todrain out rainwater in caseof excessive rainfall for en-

suring avoiding flooding."In case of any problem

of water storage, floodingetc in the area under con-struction of 'Coastal Road',the citizens can lodge acomplaint with the con-cerned control room orcall '1916' and give infor-mation about it," said Vi-jay Nighot, chief engineerCoastal Road Project.The BMC has been tar-

geting completion of the10 km long coastal roadproject between MarineDrive and Worli by Decem-ber 2022, despite a five-month disruption lastyear. The Rs. 12,000 croreproject was originally tobe completed in four yearssince the commencementof work in October 2018.On September 25, 2018,

the BMC standing com-mittee gave its nod to theproject and several workswere commissioned thevery next month. However,a court stays till December2019 led to the work comingto a standstill. Contractorsthen said they might re-quire additional time for theproject to cover up the losttime, but senior BMC offi-

cials remained firm on the deci-sion of making the coastal roadoperational by December 2022.The coastal road, once com-

pleted, is expected to be used bynearly 1,30,000 vehicles everyday and reduce the two-hourdrive between South Mumbaiand the city’s western suburbsto 40 minutes.According to BMC officials,

they had earlier told the con-tractors to ensure there is noflooding. Meanwhile, a naturalstormwater channel near Worlisea face has already been di-verted, citing that it could provedangerous during monsoon.

WHERE TO GET IN TOUCH: Amarson park control room: 022–23610221Worli Dairy Control room: 022-24900359 Priyadarshini Park Control room:022–23629410 — PIC BY BL SONI

Incessant rainscause wall collapse in

ThaneNARENDRA GUPTA

Thane

As heavy incessant rainscontinued to lash Thane onSaturday, the civicauthorities have reportedthree incidents of wallcollapse.However, no casualties orinjuries were reported ineither of the three incidents,an RDMC official said.Heavy rainfall waswitnessed in Thane, Kalyan,Bhiwandi and Ulhasnagarsince Saturday afternoon.Water logging and treefalling incidents werereported at several places inthe locality.A 12-feet wall collapsednear Khetale Garden inHajuri area, a six- feet wallin Azad Nagar also camecrashing down, while a 25to 30 feet brick wall alsocollapsed at Jambhulkarchawl which is now in adangerous condition. Nocasualties and injuries werereported," said SantoshKadam, chief of the civicdisaster management cell."We have formed a team offire brigade and RDMCofficials, who rushed to thespot and cleared the debris,said Santosh Kadam.

Cyber crook dupes bizmanafter threatening to circulatesmutty advertisement online

SACHIN GAADMumbai

A 49-year-old jewellery ex-porter from Malabar Hillarea has become the latestvictim of online fraudwhen he was duped to thetune of Rs 51,000. Thefraudster cheated him af-ter threatening to circulateobscene advertisements ofhis name on internet.According to the Malabar

Hill police, on Wednesdaynight the businessman re-ceived an unknown call,the caller was demandingmoney for an escort servic-es which as per the callerhe used a day ago. Whenthe businessman deniedusing any such servicesthe call threatened himand send him a link.When he opened the link,

he was shocked to find hismobile number on an ob-scene photograph with ob-scene text. The business-man immediately calledthe fraudster and askedhim to remove the link,however the fraudster de-manded Rs 3000 for the job.After receiving the pay-

ment, fraudster demandedanother Rs 19,900, when de-nied, the fraudster told the

businessman that he willget a call from the crimebranch. After disconnect-ing the call, the business-man started getting multi-ple calls from differentnumbers in connectionwith the obscene advertise-ment. To settle the matter,the businessman paid theamount however, the mat-ter was far from over.The fraudster then de-

manded another Rs 42,000,however, this time thebusinessman clearly stat-ed that he does not havethat much money. Thefraudster then agreed tosettle for a lesser amountand asked him to pay Rs28,768. However, even afterpaying the money, thefraudster continued to de-mand money.Fed up with the continu-

ous harassment at thehands of the fraudster, thebusinessman finally ap-proached the Malabar Hillpolice station and regis-tered his complaint. "Wehave registered an offenceunder the IPC section ofcheating (420), extortion(384) and under the Infor-mation Technology Actand our investigation isunderway," said an official.

THANE: A 28-year-old man allegedly committedsuicide in a hotel room in Thane city, police said onSaturday.Vinod Ganeri, a marketing executive in a firm, wasfound hanging in a room by hotel staff late Friday

night, Senior Inspector RM Somvanshi of ThaneNagar police station said."No suicide note was found from the spot. Probe into why he took this step is underway," headded.

MAN HANGS SELF IN THANE HOTEL ROOMLOCKDOWNTHE FREEPRESSJOURNAL

MUMBAI | SUNDAY | JULY 5, 2020

4

Visit every Covid Hosp,TMC commissioner

tells his juniors

Degree studentspromoted, butawait results

RONALD RODRIGUES / Mumbai

Apart from the final year,students of all Undergradu-ate (UG) and Postgraduate(PG) courses await their re-sults while, colleges claimmark sheets will be issuedin the following weeks. Col-leges have admitted all stu-dents to the next semesteraiming to start the academ-ic year 2020-21 by August-September, but are yet tocompute the average scoresand provide marksheets.Students have been wait-ing for their results after thestate government an-nounced on May 8, that ex-ams for all academic years,except final year, have beencancelled on account of theCOVID-19 pandemic. KetanVishwanathan, a secondyear student of Commerce,said, "My college has in-formed that I have been ad-mitted to the next semesterbut, I have not received mymarks or results yet." While,Bani Tulekar, a first yearstudent of Finance, said, "Iam already attending onlinelectures of the next semes-ter conducted by my collegeeven though I have not yetgot my marksheet."Degree colleges claim av-erage marks of students arebeing calculated based onthe University Grants Com-mission (UGC) guidelines.A senior official of Jai HindCollege, Churchgate said,"We have admitted students

to the next academic semes-ter. According to the guide-lines, these students will begraded where 50 per centmarks will be given as pertheir performance in previ-ous semester and 50 per centbased on their current yearperformance. We are in theprocess of computing theirmarks and will declare re-sults in the following weeks."Results are not declaredyet because teachers andstaff are facing restrictionsdue to lockdown, claimedUmaji Maske, principal ofSiddharth College, Fort.Maske said, "Our teachersare unable to commute tothe college from far offplaces due to lack of trans-port facilities amidst lock-down restrictions. We arecurrently in the process ofcalculating average scores ofstudents." While AnushreeLokur, in-charge principal ofRamnarain Ruia College,Matunga, said "We will de-clare results of students ad-mitted to the next semesterin the next 10 to 15 days."Uday Samant, higher andtechnical education minis-ter of Maharashtra had ear-lier stated, "Students shouldfocus on preparing for thenext semester as all stu-dents along with those whohave backlog or ATKT willbe promoted to the nextyear. These students willhave to clear the particularsubject exams within thefirst 120 days."

Report Covid results within 24 hrsof admission: PMC to pvt hospitals

AMIT SRIVASTAVA / Mumbai

The Panvel Municipal Com-missioner (PMC) has issueda fresh guideline for thetreatment of suspect coronapatients in all private orgovernment hospitals in itsjurisdiction. Now, after ad-mitting the patient, all thehospitals will have to getCOVID tests done and re-port within the next 24hours whether the patientis positive or not. Based onthe results, the patient willbe shifted to COVID or non-COVID hospitals..As per the order, until theCOVID test's report does notcome and confirms whetherthe patient is positive ornot, it is the hospital’s re-sponsibility to ensure thatthe patient does not come incontact with COVID posi-tive patients in the hospital.

The civic chief has also di-rected that all the hospitalscarry out COVID test withTrueNat or RtPCR or as perthe ICMR guidelines imme-diately after patients are ad-mitted to the hospital. If thetest report is positive inTrueNat, the RtPCR test ismandatory to confirm thereport. “The hospitals willhave to ensure that the re-port must come within 24hours and for this, they cansend the sample at the labMGM Hospital in Kamotheor a private lab,” said a sen-ior official from PMC. Headded that after getting a re-port of COVID, the hospitalwill shift the patient inCOVID or non-COVID hos-pital. “They will also ensurethat during the 24 hours inthe hospital, the patients donot come in contact with co-rona positive patients,”

added the official.According to a civic offi-cial, there were complaintsthat private hospitals werenot entertaining patients inthe absence of COVID testreport and in case they ad-mit patient, the COVID testreport was delayed to fleecethe patient.The civic body also direct-ed that asymptomatic pa-tients should be treated athome. “All asymptomaticpatients should be isolatedat home or at the institutionquarantine centre. Theyshould not be provided bedsunless they develop symp-toms,” said the official.Meanwhile, leader of theopposition Devendra Fad-navis visited Panvel Munic-ipal Corporation and NaviMumbai Municipal Corpo-ration to check the arrange-ment to fight against

COVID-19. He lambasted thestate government over thepoor preparation and alsoshrinking its responsibilityby transferring municipalcommissioner at large scale.

BENEFITS OF STAGGERED OFFICE HOURSOUTWEIGH CHALLENGES: WORKING PROFESSIONALS

SWEETY ADIMULAMMumbai

Echoing the sentiments of urbanplanning and transportation ex-perts, working professionals whoface the daunting prospect of com-muting to work again,while keeping thethreat of COVID-19 at bay, feelthat both thepublic and pri-vate sectorshould pursuestaggeredworking hoursin offices.For instance,Shadab Siddiqui, amanagement consultantworking in the city, believes thatwhile there may be significantchallenges in implementation ofstaggered office hours, the bene-fits are worth overcoming any

teething problems associated withsuch a move.“Most corporates have a digitalattendance recording systemwhich captures swipe-in andswipe-out timings which automat-ically gets translated to monthlypayroll workings. These willhave to be modified by the cor-porates with the help oftheir technology vendorsto factor in the timing ad-justments,” said Sid-diqui.“Also, monitoring the

compliance is a challengefor the authorities, andthis may take the form of

self-reporting of weekly ormonthly attendance logs by thecorporates and surprise audits atbest. So, while the concept of stag-gered working hours sounds good,there will be significant imple-mentation challenges. The city au-thorities would do well to look at

case studies of comparable citiesoverseas which have implementedthis in the past to identify andadopt best practices."Vijayendra Bhaavsar, a corpo-rate communications professionalworking in a private firm, sug-gested that the BrihanmumbaiMunicipal Corporation and stategovernment should identify

places where a lot of corporate of-fices are located and implementthe concept on a pilot-project ba-sis. "There is a high density of cor-porate offices in Lower Parel andBandra Kurla Complex. The au-thorities should enforce staggeredoffice hours for those companiesthat insist their employees come

to office during the COVID-19 pan-demic. Moreover, government sec-tor employees should also beasked to report at different tim-ings," Bhaavsar said. Amruta Ponkshe, associate fel-low at Observer Research Founda-tion (ORF), an independent thinktank, said, "Of course, staggeredoffice timings will be beneficial.In fact, the government shouldcome out with some directives orguidelines regarding this, espe-cially for those for whom going tooffice is essential. Now that we aremoving toward unlocking, stag-gered timings will help in manyways."Ponkshe said ORF has beenmooting the idea of staggered of-fice timings as a way to help withdispersal of traffic. Amid theCOVID-19 pandemic, implementa-tion of the concept can now alsohelp in maintaining social dis-tancing, she added.

SURESH GOLANI / Mumbai

Stung by complaints relatedto overcharging by privatehospitals for the treatmentof Covid-19 in the twin-city,the Mira Bhayandar Munic-ipal Corporation (MBMC)has finally rolled up itssleeves to keep a tab on anysuch fleecing tactics. To ensure private hospi-tals are charge bills in ac-cordance to rates notifiedby the government, thecivic administration has in-stituted a five-member teamcomprising of senior offi-cials who will personallyvisit the private hospitalsfor audit and verification ofmedical bills being chargedfrom Covid-19 patients.“Presently nine privatehospitals in the twin-cityhave tied up with the MBMCunder the 80:20 pattern to fa-cilitate Covid-19 treatment.

The committee will ensurethat the hospitals levycharges prescribed by thegovernment.” said a seniorMBMC officer while appeal-ing citizens to bring to noticeif they have been over-charged by private hospitals. “With the patient countspilling beyond the capacityof the lone public health fa-cility, it is the need of thehour for the managementsof private hospitals to sharethe pandemic burden intrue spirit.” said social ac-tivist and former corpora-tor-Rohit Suvarna. Hospitals are also mandat-ed to install visible boardsdisplaying availability sta-tus of beds under both cate-gories, along with pre-scribed rates, failing whichthe civic administration isempowered to initiate puni-tive action against erringmedical institutions.

NARENDRA GUPTA / Mumbai

A 45-year-old man was arrested for alleged-ly killing his elder brother who used to in-sult him regularly in Kopri area of Thanecity, police said on Saturday.The accused has been identified as AnilRatan Chawla, 29, Shobit alias Pichku Singh(servant), 19 and Abhay Agnihotri, 19, (ser-vant) all are resident of Kopari east inThane. While the deceased has been identi-fied as Mahesh Chawla. The victim alongwith Anil Chawla operated the Ratan Supermarket in Kopari.Police said that the incident took place atthe super market on Friday evening whenthe deceased Mahesh visited the shop wherethe accused Anil and his wife resided onfirst floor of the shop.The situation came to a head on July 2,when the accused allegedly attacked the vic-tim with a an iron rod and killed him on thespot, the official said. The accused had tak-en the help of two workers in the shop to killthe victim, he added.Datta Gawade, police inspector, Kopari po-

lice said, "Anil hatched a conspiracy to killhis brother. He along with servant cleanedthe blood on surface and hid the murderweapon. They informed others that Maheshfell down and was injured". He further said that Anil along with localsand servant called to ambulance and tookhim to a private hospital where he was de-clared dead on arrival.During investigations, the post mortem re-port revealed that he was died due to a deepinjury by a sharp object, said an officer.Police arrested them and produced him be-fore the court and remanded them to policecustody till July 8.

BHAVNA UCHILMumbai

A sessions court has rejected the bailplea of a man booked for being part ofa group that tried to set fire to a hotelin Dongri after the it had denied aroom to them the previous day astheir identity cards showed they werelocals. The man Mohd. Azim Khan was ar-rested for the crime while he was onbail through the High Court in a casein which he was serving life imprison-ment as the decision on his appeal waspending. His bail plea before the ses-sions court claimed that he was false-ly implicated in the present case basedon suspicion and had been recently ad-mitted to hospital as he suffered heartailment and may get infected by coro-navirus if lodged in the jail. The JJ Marg police station had op-posed his bail plea telling the court

that the accused had five crimes reg-istered against him, the investigationis in progress in the present crimeand co-accused yet to be arrested. Ifhe is let out on bail, he may hamperthe investigation, the prosecution toldthe court. As per the police complaint made bythe hotel’s manager, the man hadcome with two men a day earlier for aroom. At the time, the owner of thehotel was at the counter. He had askedthem to show their identity cards.They had left and returned with iden-tity cards which showed they were lo-cals. Hence the owner had denied aroom to them. Furious, they hadhurled abuses and assaulted him. Theowner had made a NC against them.The following day, the owner was notat the hotel and the manager was in-charge. He had seen three men cometowards the hotel’s gate and hurl anexplosive in through the hotel’s door

along with an ignited matchstick. Thedoor of the hotel had caught fire. Thefire was brought under control by himand the hotel staff using the fire ex-tinguisher. The fire brigade vehiclehad also arrived. Additional Sessions Judge PP Raj-vaidya observed in his order thatKhan was convicted in a case of da-coity with murder and was releasedby an order of the HC in Novemberlast year pending decision on his ap-peal. Regarding his medical condi-tion, the court said that he is dis-charged now from hospital and is nownormal. The court found value in the prose-cution’s apprehension that he mayhamper investigation if released onbail and noted that the investigationis in progress and co-accused yet to bearrested.Judge Rajvaidya rejected hisbail plea, while also considering thenature of allegations against him.

MBMC panel to audit inflated bills at pvt hospitals

Man arrested for killingelder brother in Thane

Bail plea of man who hurledexplosive at hotel rejected

NARENDRA GUPTA / Mumbai

The Thane Municipal Com-missioner, Vipin Sharma hasasked each and every DeputyMunicipal Commissioner(DMC) and Assistant Munic-ipal Commissioner (AMC) tovisit all the COVID-19 hospi-tals in their wards instead ofcoming to office. According to civic offi-cial's, this initiative was tak-en by the commissioner tocurb the irregularities andcomplaints against the hos-pitals. The officers fromTMC have complied with thecommissioner order. Report-edly, after taking charge asTMC chief, Vipin Sharma,along with officers has visit-ed each and every ward ofThane city. He also kept aneye on the cleaning of nul-lahs, public toilets and veg-

etable market etc. He spoketo the locals and asked themabout corona related preven-tion and measures.AMC and DMC from TMChave been visiting theCOVID-19 hospitals sincethe last two days and havespoken to COVID-19 pa-tients about their problems.They also inquired abouthow many patients were onventilators and oxygen?What kind of treatment isbeing given to patients bythe hospitals? All thesepoints are mentioned intheir daily reports that issent to the commissioner,who looks into all these re-ports on the same day.According to Vipin Shar-ma, due to the officer’s visit,irregularities and over-charging activities will becontrolled.

Two heldwith 21 kgcannabis

STAFF REPORTERMumbai

The city crime branch hasarrested two persons with21kg ganja worth Rs. 3.30lakh on Friday. The accused were identi-fied as Amit Mishra, 29, andMohammad Faiyaz MuqtarKhan, 29. They were arrest-ed while delivering the nar-cotic substances in the Din-doshi area, said an official. Acting on a tip off a teamfrom crime branch unit 10laid a trap at Dindoshi andnabbed the accused whenthey came to deliver it, saidofficial. They were arrestedunder the charges of NDPSact and produced in thecourt and remanded in po-lice custody till July 7.

Move -ve patients to non-Covid hosp: Panvel commissioner

INSTEAD OF COMING TO OFFICE

THE FREEPRESSJOURNALMUMBAI | SUNDAY | JULY 5, 2020

5LOCKDOWNMizoram postpones opening of schoolsAIZAWL: The Mizoram government has postponedthe opening of schools for the 2020-21 academicsession for an indefinite period as part ofmeasures to curb the spread of the coronavirusdisease, a minister said. The government had

earlier decided to open educational institutions forthe current academic session from July 15.Mizoram education minister Lalchhandama Raltesaid the decision to defer the opening of schoolswas in line with the Centre's directives.

Continued from Page 1Sanctity of PM's Leh visit gets lost...Indian territory, he asked, charging that the Chinese have come 18km inside the Line of Actual Control (LAC) on the Indian side bycapturing the Y junction in Depsong Place, endangering India's DBOairport, which is the lifeline of the armed forces in Siachen glacier.Sibal further pointed out that the local councillors of Ladakh,including the BJP councillor, had sent a memorandum to the PM inFebruary about the Chinese capturing Indian territory. Had the PMacted on this warning on time, India could have stopped theincursion, he said.He urged the Prime Minister to follow the "Raj Dharma" at any costand tell the Chinese to vacate the Indian territory.

Hard-pressed to pay salaries, but can..that the state government has to raise debt to pay salaries to itsemployees. "Situation of the state is such that we will have to take aloan to pay salaries of government employees next month. Exceptfor 3-4 departments, expenses have been cut," he said. He, however, clarified that the government will provide necessaryfunds to fight the war against coronavirus pandemic and pay thesalaries of frontline warriors including police personnel, doctors,paramedics, nurses and other employees from essential services. It must be mentioned here that the government has alreadyimposed a 67% cut in the planned expenditure due to revenueshortfall in the wake of lockdown. The state had to pay 40% of theMarch salary to the elected representatives -- from the chiefminister (CM) to the gram panchayat members, while thegovernment employees got 50% to 75% in the first instalment. Theremaining part of the March salary was released later. Thegovernment’s outgo towards monthly salaries and pension is of theorder of Rs 9,000 crore. It has a revenue shortfall of over Rs 1.50lakh crore since the imposition of lockdown in March. The opposition BJP has criticised the government’s move. BJPspokesman Ram Kadam said the government cannot pay thesalaries of their employees, but can spend to purchase luxury carsfor ministers.

World on vaccine fast track, so are we: ICMRsimilarly fast-tracked, it said, adding that the Drugs ControllerGeneral of India (DCGI) has accorded permission to conduct phase 1and 2 (human) clinical trial of 'Covaxin' based on in-depth scrutiny ofthe available data from pre-clinical studies.Just as red tape was not allowed to become a hindrance in the fast-track approval of new indigenous testing kits or for introducing inthe Indian market potential COVID-19 related drugs, the indigenousvaccine development process has also been sought to be insulatedfrom slow file movement, it said. "The aim is to complete thesephases at the earliest, so that population-based trials for efficacycould be initiated without delay," ICMR said in a statement.After intense characterization and review of all data from BharatBiotech, ICMR said it is supporting the clinical development as thevaccine candidate appears to be promising. In the larger publichealth interest, it is important for ICMR to expedite the clinical trialswith a promising indigenous vaccine, the statement stated.Faced with the unprecedented nature of the COVID-19 pandemic,and the consequent dislocation of normal life, all other vaccinecandidates across the globe have been similarly fast-tracked, it said."ICMR's process is exactly in accordance with the globally acceptednorms to fast-track the vaccine development for diseases ofpandemic potential wherein human and animal trials can continuein parallel," it said. Underlining ICMR was among the world's mostreputed organisations in the field of medical research and its trackrecord of facilitating India's globally respected and acknowledgedvaccine and drug industry speaks for itself, the research body saidtrials will be done following the best practices and rigour.They will be reviewed, as required, by a Data Safety MonitoringBoard, ICMR said. The ICMR has identified 12 clinical trial sites,including medical institutions and hospitals, and has asked theirprincipal investigators to ensure that the subject enrolment isinitiated no later than July 7. In its letter to the principalinvestigators of these sites, ICMR termed the vaccine developmentone of the "top priority projects which is being monitored at the top-most level of the government". The letter further warned that anynon-compliance will be viewed very seriously.

Hong Kongers get creative, use word..."In a public space, one might either not say anything or use an'officially-approved' language to protect themselves," he told AFP."But hidden language is something that cannot be banned by laws."The local government on Thursday said the popular protest slogan"Liberate Hong Kong, revolution of our times" would now bedeemed illegal. For some the phrase represents genuine aspirationsto split Hong Kong from China, a red line for Beijing, but for manyothers it is a more general cry for democracy and an expression ofrising frustration with Chinese rule.But coded language is allowing people to keep the slogan alive.One version "GFHG, SDGM" uses English letters from thetransliterated phrase "gwong fuk heung gong, si doi gak ming".Another more complex example mimics the tone and rhythm of theslogan using the numbers "3219 0246" in Cantonese. Chinese characters themselves also provide ample room forlinguistic subversion. One phrase people have started adoptingonline is "seize back banana", a play on the similar characters intraditional Chinese for Hong Kong and banana. Others have gonefor English slogans that appear positive but are a clear dig at Beijing-- for example the Trumpian phrase "Make Hong Kong Great".The very first arrest made under the new security law involved adeliberate linguistic challenge.

Man claims PMO link to get info from...Yagnambhat alleged that Singh called Boeing executives from amobile phone claiming that he works for one Jitendra Kumar who isspecial assistant to P K Mishra, the principal secretary to the primeminister. In the complaint to the PMO, Yagnambhat said Singh keptreferring to "some defence bids that we have submitted in MoD(Ministry of Defence) and that he has orders from some higher-upsfor us to meet with PK Mishra and Amit Shah". Yagnambhat saidthe company has advised its executives to not respond to his calls. The agency in its discreet verification has found that Singh hadmade calls to Boeing India office on two numbers from his mobilephone in November last year, making the claims of working forJitendra Kumar who he said was the special assistant to Mishra.The special crime unit of the probe agency found that no one withthe name of Jitendra Kumar worked for Mishra, they said

Ramped-up tests throw up more Covid...While the virus has killed 18,655 people in the country, 442succumbed to Covid-19 in the 24 hours preceding Saturdaymorning. The recovery percentage has improved to 60.8 andfatalities accounted for 2.9% of total cases.

No flights from Mumbai, 5 other cities...ministry had made it clear on May 24 that airports in Kolkata andBagdogra were permitted to handle only 20 daily flights each fromMay 28 onwards. On June 30, Sinha told the aviation ministrythrough a letter: "As you know coronavirus is spreading fast all overthe country. Some of the states are experiencing a larger spread ofepidemic though we strongly believe that all the state governmentsare equally vigilant and active towards curbing the spread." WestBengal is also witnessing a steep rise in cases, he had said, addingthat a large number of cases have been reported from peoplecoming into the state from outside with infection. So far, the virushas claimed 736 lives in Bengal. The West Bengal government hasdecided to stop or curtail movement of incoming flights and trainsinto the state, the chief secretary had noted."Accordingly, I approach you with a request kindly not to scheduleany flight to West Bengal from high prevalence places viz. Delhi,Mumbai, Pune, Nagpur, Chennai, Indore. Ahmedabad and Surat andto stop movement of flights from these cities to Kolkata or Bagdografor 2 weeks starting 6 July 2020," Sinha had stated in his letter."I also request you to restrict the number of flights to Kolkata,Bagdogra and Andal from other cities to a frequency of once a weekfor each airline starting 6 July till 31 July, 2020," he had said.The developments come days after West Bengal Chief MinisterMamata Banerjee urged the Centre to stop international repatriationflights and domestic flights to Kolkata till July 31 from states withhigh COVID-19 prevalence.After the resumption of flight operations, on an average 65domestic flights—as against 200 during pre-Covid days—took offand touched down every day since June 2.

Govt urges home start-upsto make world-class appsSANJAY JOG / Mumbai

NITI Aayog, in the combinedpartnership of MeitY andAtal Innovation Mission, haslaunched Digital India Aat-maNirbhar Bharat InnovateChallenge to identify the bestIndian apps that are alreadybeing used by citizens andhave the potential to scaleand become world class appsin their respective categories.This Innovation Challenge

with various cash awardsand incentives of featuringapps on leader boards seeksto create an ecosystem whereIndian entrepreneurs andstartups are incentivised toideate, incubate, build, nur-ture and sustain tech solu-tions that can serve not only

citizens within India but alsothe world. The mantra is toMake in India for India andthe World. It aims at buildinga Digital India and using dig-ital technologies for buildingan AatmaNirbhar Bharat.This will run in 2 tracks:

Promotion of existing appsand development of newapps.The focus of the Track 1

App Innovation Challenge,being launched today is toidentify the best Indian appsthat are already being used

by citizens and have the po-tential to scale and becomeworld class apps in their re-spective categories. This in-novation challenge with var-ious cash awards and incen-tives of featuring Apps onLeader Boards seeks to cre-ate an ecosystem where Indi-an entrepreneurs and start-ups are incentivised toideate, incubate, build, nur-ture and sustain Tech solu-tions that can serve not onlycitizens within India but alsothe world. The Mantra is toMake in India for India andthe World. This shall be com-pleted in a month.Subsequent to this App In-

novation Challenge, govern-ment will also launch Track 2of the AatmaNirbhar Bharat

App Innovation Challengethat will seek to identify In-dian start-ups / entrepre-neurs /companies and en-courage them with ideation,incubation, prototyping androll out of applications. Thistrack will run for a longercourse of a time, details ofwhich shall be provided sep-arately.A specific jury for each

track with experts from pri-vate sector & academia willevaluate the entries received.Shortlisted apps will be givenawards and will also featureon leader boards for informa-tion of citizens. Governmentwill also adopt suitable apps,guide them to maturity andlist on Government e-Mar-ketplace (GeM).

No KanwarYatra in Odishathis year

BHUBANESWAR: The Odishagovernment on Saturdayannounced a ban on "KanwarYatra" by devotees of LordShiva during Shravan monththis year, amid the risingnumber of novel coronaviruscases in the state.In view of the pandemic, thestate government has decidednot to allow 'Kanwariyas' or'Bol Bam' devotees (disciples ofLord Shiva) to collect waterfrom rivers, ponds and otherwater bodies and offer prayerat different Shiva temples onevery Monday during Shravanmonth starting from July 6,Special Relief Commissioner(SRC) P K Jena said.The Kanwar Yatra is an annualpilgrimage of Shiva's followersto pilgrimage sites includingthe temples of Lord Lingaraj inBhubaneswar andDhabalwswar near Cuttack.

Pro-Khalistan SFJ begins voterregistration for 'Referendum 2020' CBCID arrests

suspended copAGENCIES / Chennai

The Crime Branch-Crime In-vestigation Department (CB-CID) of Tamil Nadu Policehas arrested suspended con-stable Muthuraj.Wanted in the Tuticorin

custodial deaths of P. Jeyarajand his son J.Bennicks,Muthuraj was arrested onlate Friday Muthuraj was lat-er remanded to the judicialcustody till July 17.Jeyaraj and Bennicks had

been booked for not closingtheir mobile shop in time onJune 19 by the Sathankulampolice. They were sent to judi-cial custody and lodged in theKovilpatti jail on June 21. Je-yaraj died on June 22 night andBennicks on June 23 morningin judicial custody, allegedlydue to the police torture.

The Madras High Courtwhile hearing the case hadsaid there was prima facieevidence to register a mur-der case against theSathankulam police officials.The court also transferred

the probe into the deaths ofJeyaraj and Bennicks to theCBCID to gather and protectthe evidence till the case ishanded over to the CentralBureau of Investigation (CBI).It has also initiated criminal

contempt cases against threepolice officials -- AdditionalSuperintendent of Police Ku-mar, Deputy Superintendentof Police Prathapan and con-stable Maharajan – for theirbehaviour at the Sathanku-lam police station in front ofKovilpatti Judicial Magis-trate M. S.Bharathidasanwho had gone for an inquiry.

Former IES officerheld for channelpurchase fraud

NEW DELHI: The Delhi policeEconomic Offences Wing hasarrested a former IndianEngineering Service (IES) officerfor duping a Vaidyacharya(Ayurvedic practitioner) of Rs 5crore after luring him to buy aTV channel. The accused Sunilkumar Jha earlier worked asDeputy Director in Doordarshanin Jodhpur and had beenconvicted in a criminal case filedby Doordarshan with regard tocheating and misappropriationof goods from the stores ofDoordarshan.According to police, thecomplainant Pandit Laxman DasBhardwaj is a Vaidycharya byprofession. For the promotion ofhis Ayurveda items and also forspiritual purposes, he came incontact with accused SunilKumar Jha, who introducedhimself as the channel head of adevotional TV channel. Thecomplainant started telecastinghis programmes through thesaid channel.

SC retains virtual modeon opening on Monday

OUR BUREAU / New Delhi

The Supreme Court on Satur-day opened the filing countersof its registry for physical ac-ceptance of documents and fil-ing, but it will continue in thevirtual mode of the hearingthrough video conferencefrom Monday when it resumessittings after a short summervacation from June 22.There shall be truncated

courts hearing only the urgentmatters on the first two days,15 judges sitting in six courtson Monday and 16 on Tuesday,with the only judge not resum-ing work immediately is Jus-tice Rohinton Fali Nariman,whose mother passed away onJune 9. The Supreme Court'spresent strength of the judgesis 32, including the Chief Jus-tice of India.

Each Bench will be hearingonly 20 cases each as donesince the Covid-affected lock-downs in March. The onlydifference is that the judgeswill assemble in the courtrooms in the Apex Court in-stead of the earlier drill ofgiving video hearing from of-fices at their residences here.Four Benches of three

judges each are slated to as-semble on Monday, as per thecause list, and one each oftwo and one judges. On Tues-day, five benches of threejudges and one bench each oftwo and one judges will sit.The important case listed

on Monday before the Benchof Chief Justice SharadArvind Bobde is on the con-tagion of Covid-19 virus inprisons and how to protectthe inmates from the disease.

10-day deadlineto pay vendorsor else penaltyNEW DELHI: The FinanceMinistry has mandated paymentof products bought by thegovernment departments fromthe MSME vendors under theGovernment's e-Marketplace(GeM) ‘within 10 calendar daysafter generation of theconsignee receipt andacceptance certificate (CRAC)."The order, however, comes intoforce for all procurements madefrom October 1.In a circular issued on Friday, theministry has laid stress on promptpayment as anticipated under the'Aatmanirbhar Bharat' policy. Topromote greater discipline andtimeliness in payment to thevendors, the ministry said thebuyers not clearing the billswithin 10 days will have to paythe penalty of 1% inter permonth for the delay beyond theprescribed timeline till the date ofpayment. –Our Bureau

Navy to seek banon unauthorisedsale of armedforces uniform

KOCHI: Taking serious note ofincidents of men using navaluniforms or badges for allegedlyposing as Navy officers inKerala,the Indian Navy onSaturday said it will approachthe state government seeking aban on unauthorised sale ofArmed forces uniforms in thestate.Impersonation of servicepersonnel by others is acognizable offence and thoseindulging in such activitieswould be subject to stringentmeasures in order to avoid anti-national elements from utilizingthis method for ulterior motives,which pose a potentially gravethreat to national security, thenavy said in a statement.The Navy noted that Districtadministrations of Kutch (Gujarat)and Srinagar, and Punjabgovernment had issued ordersfor ban on unauthorized sale ofArmed forces uniform undersection 144 of the CrPC. "IndianNavy is taking up a similar casewith Kerala State government forban of unauthorised sale ofArmed forces uniform in Kerala,"the statement said.The Navy statement came daysafter a 23-year-old man wasarrested by the police here forallegedly posing as an officer(Lieutenant) in Indian Navy.

Charminar, GolcondaFort to re-open for visitors from July 6

VHP man offershimself for corona vaccine’shuman trials

AGENCIESNew Delhi

Amid reports of India'sCOVID-19 vaccine given agreen signal for human tri-als, a top functionary ofthe Vishwa HinduParishad (VHP) has offeredhimself for it.Surendra jain, VHP's

joint general secretary haswritten in this regard tothe Vice Chancellor of PtBhagwat Dayal SharmaUniversity of health sci-ences in Rohtak, which isone of the hospital whosehead was written a letterby ICMR DG Balram Bhar-gava to begin human clini-cal trials for a COVID-19vaccine.Offering himself for the

human trial, Jain wrote, "Iwill be ready, whenever youcall me for these trials."The vaccine is being de-

veloped jointly by BharatBiotech and ICMR. Bharga-va wrote in a letter inform-ing about the clinical trialsto heads of King GeorgeCollege, Vishakapatnam;Pt BD Sharma PGIMS Uni-versity of Health Sciences,Rohtak, and AIIMS NewDelhi Director RandeepGuleria among others.

All looking for Covid vaccine: One from Oxford

OUR BUREAUNew Delhi

Covid-19 or SARS CoV-2,caused by coronavirus, hasthrown an unprecedentedpublic health challenge be-fore the world. With casesand deaths increasing bythe day and no immediatesolution in sight, people areeagerly looking forward tothe much talked about 'herdimmunity', which publichealth experts believe cansave people from infection.What is the "herd immuni-

ty"? It can be obtained intwo ways: With a large num-ber of population getting in-fected, which is fraughtwith the risk of a hugenumber of deaths, or byvaccination of peopleagainst the virus.Though over a hundred

vaccines are being devel-oped, ever since the Pune-based Serum Institute of In-dia, the world's largest vac-cine manufacturer, has an-nounced that the Covid-19vaccine developed by theUniversity of Oxford willhit the Indian markets byOctober this year, millionsof people across the coun-try are looking forward tothis vaccine.At the beginning of June,

AzstraZeneca and SerumInstitute of India (SII) hadreached a licensing agree-ment to supply 1 billion dos-es of the Oxford Universityvaccine against Covid-19 tomiddle and low-incomecountries, including India.To begin with, by this year-end both companies hadcommitted to provide 400million doses.SII CEO Adar Poonawalla

told the Chandigarh-baseddaily ‘The Tribune’ in aninterview that his companyhad last month promised tomake the vaccine availablein the market by October,but based on the ongoingclinical trials, it now ex-pects the AstraZeneca-Ox-ford vaccine to be availabletowards the end of thisyear.When told that some sci-

entists have said that anycoronavirus vaccine is atleast a year away, he said:"Usually it takes about 4-5years to develop a vaccine.Currently there are morethan 100 vaccine candidatesat different stages of trials.Each will take their owntime, and as I said, we arehoping that the As-traZeneca Oxford vaccinewill be available towardsthe end of the year."

Villagers indulge in fishing in the flooded Pobitora Wildlife Sanctuary, in Morigaon, Assam, onSaturday. –ANI

AGENCIESHyderabad

Historic Charminar and Gol-conda Fort, the two majortourist attractions in Hyder-abad, will be re-opened fromJuly 6.Archaeological Survey of

India (ASI) officials said notmore than 2,000 visitorswould be allowed at the cen-trally protected monumentsevery day.The entry tickets for visi-

tors will be sold online.There will be no physicalsale of the tickets. Touristscan book the ticket on ASIwebsite.Officials said they would

ensure strict adherence tosafety protocols issued for allthe centrally protected mon-uments and visitors.Superintendent archaeolo-

gist (Hyderabad circle), Mi-lan Kumar Chauley held ameeting with the officials togiven a final touch to thearrangements for re-openingof Charminar and GolcondaFort.Wearing face mask will be

mandatory for visitors. Theywill also have to maintain so-cial distancing.

Entrance to the monu-ments will have mandatoryhand hygiene and thermalscanning provisions. Onlyasymptomatic persons willbe allowed. No group photog-raphy will be allowed withinthe premises. Officials saideatables would not be al-lowed.As per the Standard Oper-

ating Procedure (SoP) for-mulated by ASI, only digitalpayment is allowed at theparking and cafeteria. Thecafeteria and kiosk insidethe monument shall onlyserve bottled water on digitalpayment.Charminar and Golconda

Fort were closed for visitorsever since the lockdown wasimposed in the last week ofMarch to contain the spreadof Covid-19.Built in 1591 by Hyder-

abad's founder MohammedQuli Qutb Shah, Charminaris the symbol of Hyderabad.According to ASI data, abouta lakh people visit the monu-ment every month.The majestic Golconda

Fort was the capital of QutbShahi kings from 1518 to1687. It also attracts thou-sands of visitors every day.

AGENCIES / New Delhi

Banned pro-Khalistan groupSikhs For Justice (SFJ) onSaturday launched its much-publicised online voter regis-tration for 'Referendum 2020'for people in Punjab througha Russian portal.The Ministry of Home Af-

fairs had in July last yearbanned the SFJ for advocat-ing Referendum 2020, an on-line campaign to demandKhalistan, which seeks a sep-arate homeland for theSikhs.As per the inputs, the SFJ

launched the Referendum2020 voter registrationthrough the Russian websitewww.punjabfree.ru, appeal-ing to the people in Punjaband aged 18 or above fromany religion as well as theSikhs living anywhere else inIndia to register their votes

for participation in the non-governmental Punjab Inde-pendence Referendum.Detailed information re-

garding the registrationprocess was put up in Englishand Punjabi languages on theRussia-based website, whichmentions three steps for reg-istration of votes and thesign-up to receive updatesabout the Referendum 2020.The SFJ has a ground-level

plan to ensure that voter reg-istration form for Referen-dum 2020 reaches everyhousehold in Punjab, despitethe Indian government'scrackdown on the pro-Khal-istan activists.Designated US-based ter-

rorist Gurpatwant SinghPannun made the voter reg-istration announcementthrough a video, putting Pun-jab Police as well as centralsecurity agencies in a tizzy.

The Indian government hassince been in touch with theauthorities concerned as tohow the SFJ used Russian cy-berspace to launch the voterregistration for Referendum2020.In the backdrop of July 1

commitment of IndianPrime Minister NarendraModi and Russian PresidentVladimir Putin to furtherstrengthen the "special andprivileged strategic partner-ship between the two coun-tries in all spheres", use of aRussian portal by the anti-In-dia campaign is a matter ofconcern.Meanwhile, Punjab Police

cordoned off the area aroundthe Golden Temple complexin Amritsar city apart fromthe deployment of a posse ofpolicemen around the shrineand barricades at vulnerablespots.

Tuticorin custodial deaths

AYODHYA: Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra trust will meethere on July 18 to discuss the way forward of temple constructionand the date for 'bhoomi pujan' (land worship). An invitation hasbeen sent to all the members of the trust. "The trust meeting hasbeen called in Ayodhya on July 18. Right now stones which have

gathered moss are being cleaned," the trust general secretaryChampat Rai said. He said there is no discussion among the saintson the issue of increasing the height of the temple. "I have met 200saints and seers in the last 15 days," he said. He said the work oflining is being done on the levelled land.

Ram temple trust members to meet on July 18 in AyodhyaLOCKDOWNTHE FREEPRESSJOURNAL

MUMBAI | SUNDAY | JULY 5, 2020

6

Don still on the run, den pulled down OUR CORRESPONDENT

Lucknow

Almost 40 hours on, Kanpur'snotorious don Vikas Dubey,accused of Friday bloodbathin Bikru village in whicheight cops lost their lives, isstill absconding.Entire UP police force, in-cluding the highly skilled Spe-cial Task Force (STF) andabout two dozen teams, havenot been able to chase the ac-cused till the time of going topress. “The police force ofneighboring states have alsobeen roped in assuming thathe might have slipped there,”an official said.Shocked by the develop-ment, Dubey's mother SarlaDevi told the media, “Vikasshould surrender himself be-fore the police. If he remainsabsconding, police may kill

him in the encounter. I say killhim even if you (police) man-age to catch him. Strict pun-ishment should be given tohim.”A police sub inspector wassuspended Saturday for al-legedly giving clues to the ac-cused about the police teams'massive plan to nab DubeyThursday night."At the time of encounter, hefled the encounter site. Had hefaced the criminals, the situa-tion could have been differ-ent," Mohit Agarwal, Inspec-tor General (Kanpur Range)told the media.District administration de-molished a house belonging toDubey using JCB. The demo-lition was done in the pres-ence of Uttar Pradesh policeofficers.Bulldozers demolishing hishouse, several cars and other

items were seen in visualsshared on social media. The mastermind of thegruesome murder of police-men, Dubey already had 60 se-rious charges, including onein which he murdered thethen minister inside a policestation in 2001.

He was acquitted in this casedespite scores of police per-sonnel being eyewitnesses tothe minister's murder. He con-tinued to enjoy his life andpower barely 150 km awayfrom the state capital Luc-know allegedly due to his po-litical connections.

It has now emerged that acall went from the Local policestation to the electricity de-partment to cut off electricityof Dubey’s village. “Dubeytook advantage of the dark-ness to launch the brutal at-tack on policemen and fledwith his gang,” a source said.

K’taka judge expungesremarks on rape victim

SHANKAR RAJ Bengaluru

Karnataka High Court’s Jus-tice Krishna S Dixit has ex-punged his controversial ob-servations made in a bail or-der in a rape case after thestate government filed a peti-tion requesting the same.It may be recalled that Jus-tice Dixit kicked up a row onJune 17 while granting ad-vance bail to a rape accusedwhen he observed that it was“unbecoming of a woman tofall asleep after rape”. He madethis observation while hearinga rape case of a 42-year-old HRmanager, where the woman issaid to have fallen asleep afterthe incident of rape occurred.In his controversial obser-vation, Justice Dixit hadsaid, “The explanation of-fered by the complainant thatafter the perpetration of theact she was tired and fellasleep, is unbecoming of anIndian woman; that is not theway our women react whenthey are ravished.”His remarks upset lawyers,activists and journalists

across the country. The stategovernment later filed a peti-tion requesting that the obser-vations be expunged as itcould adversely affect the in-vestigation.“Taking note of the con-tents of respondent-State’sapplication which is support-ed by the accompanying affi-davit and also the No Objec-tion tendered by the petition-er-accused thereto, I deem itappropriate to expunge thelast four lines occurring inpara No. 3(c) at page 4 of thesubject judgment dated 22-06-2020, as sought for at para 5 ofthe said Application, the resthaving been retained intact,”Deccan Herald quoted Jus-tice Krishna Dixit’s orderpassed on Friday.

Terrorist killed in encounter in KashmirSRINAGAR:One terrorist was killed in an ongoing encounter atSouth Kashmir's Kulgam district on Saturday. "One terrorist hasbeen killed, operations are going on," Inspector General KashmirVijay Kumar told IANS. The encounter started after security forcesgot an input about the presence of terrorists in Arrah area ofKulgam. As the security forces cordoned off the area and zeroed inon the spot where the terrorists were hiding they came under aheavy volume of fire drawing retaliation of the security forces andtriggering the encounter.

2 killed in West Bengal bomb explosionKOLKATA: Two people were killed and around four injured whenthe bombs they were allegedly manufacturing went off inside ahouse in Murshidabad district, a senior police officer said onSaturday. Their identities were yet to be established as thecondition of those injured and undergoing treatment at a hospitalwas still "critical", he said. The thatched roof of the house, wherethey were allegedly making bombs, also blew off in the explosion,which occurred at Suti town in Jangipur subdivision of the districtaround 9 pm on Friday, the officer said. The house has beendamaged completely, and its owner is on the run, he said. As ofnow, the wife of the house owner is being questioned inconnection with the incident, the officer added.

Wanted criminal held after gun battleNOIDA (UP): An alleged criminal wanted in at least half a dozencases, including robbery and attempted murder, was injured in anexchange of fire with the police in Greater Noida on Saturday,officials said. The incident took place when the accused wasintercepted by officials from the local Dadri police station near theEastern Peripheral Expressway early on Saturday, the officials said."The accused, Irshad, was fleeing on a motorcycle when the cross-firing broke out and he got shot in the leg in retaliatory action bythe police. He has been involved in at least six criminal cases inwhich FIRs have been registered," a police spokesperson said.The injured accused was sent to a nearby hospital and later takeninto police custody, while further proceedings in the case areunderway, the spokesperson added.

R Sharma appointed MP protem Speaker BHOPAL: Madhya Pradesh Governor Anandiben Patel on Saturdayappointed BJP legislator Rameshwar Sharma as the pro-temSpeaker of the state Assembly, an official said. Earlier, JagdishDevda had resigned as pro-tem speaker after his inclusion in theMadhya Pradesh cabinet. State Assembly's Principal Secretary, A PSingh, on Saturday said that the governor has appointedRameshwar Sharma as the pro-tem speaker until the permanentspeaker is chosen. Devda was made the pro-tem speaker after theresignation of previous speaker N P Prajapati. However, Devdaresigned on July 2 as he was included in the cabinet of the BJPgovernment headed by Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan.Sharma represents the Huzur seat of Bhopal district.

Amaravati movement enters 200th dayAMARAVATI: As the protest seeking Amaravati as the capital ofAndhra Pradesh enters its 200th day, around one lakh non-resident people of Andhra living around the world on Saturdayexpressed solidarity with agitating farmers for Amaravati amid theCOVID-19 crisis. On the occasion, former president of TeluguAssociation of North America (TANA) Jayaram Komati said theNRIs are participating in a candlelight vigil in almost 300 citiesacross the world for 'One State, One Capital'. "As the farmers'protest in Andhra Pradesh reached 200 days, we, as NRIs, want toshow our solidarity with the farmers...Amaravati should be ourcapital. More than 250 cities voluntarily came forward to hold thecandlelight vigil," he said in a statement.

Transgenders in Odisha to get pensionBHUBANESWAR: The Odisha government has decided to includemembers of the transgender community in a social welfarescheme which provides a monthly pension to the needy, a ministersaid. Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik has approved a proposal tocover the members of the community under the Madhu BabuPension Yojana (MBPY) which aims at providing financialassistance to the destitute elderly, differently-abled persons andwidows, he said. Around 5,000 transgenders will get a monthlypension in between Rs 500 and Rs 900 depending on their age,Social Security and Empowerment of Persons with Disabilities(SSEPD) minister Ashok Panda said.

Fresh 'unlock 2'guidelines in J&K

AGENCIESJammu

Fresh guidelines under the"unlock 2" phase came intoeffect in Jammu and Kash-mir on Saturday with theUnion Territory administra-tion deciding against open-ing religious places and edu-cational institutions, but al-lowing hotels to operate withfull capacity.There will be no inter-stateand inter-district movementexcept for those carryingvalid passes, while the nightcurfew from 10 pm to 5 amwill continue to remain inforce till further orders.The new guidelines wereissued on Friday night byJammu and Kashmir ChiefSecretary B V R Subrah-manyam and will be applica-ble till July 31. Prior to it, theadministration issued afresh classification of thedistricts in "red", "orange"and "green" categories for asuccessful implementationof the instructions aimed atcontaining the spread ofCOVID-19.Except Bandipora, the nineremaining districts in Kash-mir, including Srinagar, andRamban in the Jammu re-gion have been classified as"red" zones, along withLakhanpur town of Kathua -- the gateway to Jammu andKashmir bordering Punjab.Bandipora and seven other

districts in the Jammu re-gion, including Jammu dis-trict, have been classified as"orange" zones, while Dodaand Kishtwar continued tobe in the "green" zone.Continuing with the proto-col for those returning fromoutside the Union Territory,the order said they wouldhave to compulsorily under-go a COVID-19 RTPCR test,following which they will beunder a 14-day administra-tive quarantine till their re-ports come."Those testing negativewill be released for homequarantine while the posi-tive persons will be sent toCOVID hospitals for treat-ment," it said.Restaurants, includingthose in hotels, which wereearlier permitted to operatefor home delivery and takeaway services, have been al-lowed dine-in with up to 50per cent capacity, while ho-tels and hospitality servicescan now operate with 100 percent capacity.The administration hasalso permitted the intra-dis-trict taxis and maxi-cabs tooperate in the entire UnionTerritory.

Two TMC supporters killedin clash in West Bengal

PREMA RAJARAMKolkata

Two TMC workers were killed on Satur-day in a violent clash between Left-backed SUCI and Trinamool Congress(TMC) supporters in Mypeeth area ofSouth 24 Parganas district. Several oth-ers were said to be seriously injured inthe clash.There was a conflict between TMCand SUCI workers over some petty is-sue in the area. SUCI workers alleged-ly attacked TMC workers in which twoTMC workers have been killed so far.In another incident in the state, Policeof Khayrasole Police station in Birbhumdistrict on Saturday morning recoveredthe bloodied body of a person from Rani-pathar village. The deceased was identi-fied as 45-year-old Shishir Bauri.There were marks on the head on his

head and ear. The victim's familyclaimed that he was shot and killed inwhat they term as a conspiracy theory.Police have started an investigation tofind out if he was shot or killed.Shishir Bauri was called by some peo-ple allegedly to have a picnic on Fridaynight as alleged by his family. Bauri'sbody was found in an empty farm in anearby village, a kilometer away fromhis house. The family claims that hewas killed by people from the grass-roots.According to the Police, the deceasedallegedly was accused of planting abomb at Khayrasole Police station.

Lightningclaims 43 livesin Bihar, UPPATNA/ LUCKNOW: At least23 people were killed and 29others injured after beingstruck by lightning in variousdistricts of Uttar Pradesh onSaturday. According to anofficial statement, eightpeople lost their lives inAllahabad, six in Mirzapur,two in Kaushambi and one inJaunpur. In neighbouringBihar, bolt from the skyclaimed at least 20 lives infive districts, said officials.Nine casualties were reportedfrom Bhojpur, five from Saran,three from Kaimur, two fromPatna and one death wasreported in Buxar, the statedisaster managementdepartment said.

Bihar CM, Dy CM, Speaker to undergo testingLAW KUMAR MISHRA

Patna

Swab samples of BiharChief Minister Nitish Ku-mar, Deputy CM Sushil Ku-mar Modi and assemblyspeaker Vijay KumarChaudhury on Saturdaysent to the testing laboratoryas they were suspected tohave been infected withCovid-19. They had come incontact with chairman ofBihar Legislative CouncilAwadesh Narain Singh onJuly 1 who has tested posi-tive for the pandemic.

Singh was admitted to theAIIMS here on Saturday fol-lowing his swab sampleswere tested positive. His wife,son and seven staff memberstoo have tested positive.Singh had administeredoath to nine newly electedmembers of the Council onJuly 1 in the Council Hall.The CM, Dy CM and speaker

were sitting next to him.Chief minister’s secre-taries and six members inthe office of the deputy chiefminister too sent their sam-ples.According to the health de-partment officials, more than100 people who had attendedthe swearing in ceremony ofthe MLCs have also been

asked to facilitate collectionof their samples. Some secu-rity staff of the Council arealso suspected to be infectedand their samples are beingcollected.Some ministers and legisla-tors who were also present atthe ceremony have also beenasked to allow health staff tocollect their swab samples.All of them are above 60 andconsidered vulnerable toCoronoa virus.Meanwhile, in Bihar, 349new corona positive caseshave been found bringing thenumber to 11466.

Bengaluru under 33-hr lockdown ‘with no exceptions’SHANKAR RAJ / Bengaluru

With Karnataka's capital city reportingan alarming rise in Covid-19 cases, thegovernment has put the city under atough 33-hour-long lockdown ‘with noexceptions’ starting 8 pm on Saturday.The lockdown will start at 8 pm onSaturday and conclude at 5 am Mon-day, Bengaluru City Commissioner ofPolice Bhaskar Rao said.He requested citizens to stay at homeand not ask for exceptions, saying thestrict lockdown is being imposed foreverybody's interest."Lockdown starts at 8 pm on Satur-day and concludes at 5 am Monday inBangalore city. Respected citizens, juststay home and don’t ask for exceptionsas this is being done in everybody’s in-terest, heavens won’t fall if you post-pone by a day. Please exercise self-dis-

cipline and cooperate. Happy Sunday,"Bhaskar Rao said in a tweet.On Saturday, Bengaluru reported 1172fresh Covid-19 cases even as the totalmounted to 8345 with 129 deaths. Kar-nataka on Saturday reported a record 42Covid-related deaths taking the toll to 335.According to the Government’shealth bulletin, 1839 fresh Covid caseswere reported on Saturday with Ben-galuru alone recording 1172 cases.Meanwhile, 32 students who sat forthe SSLC exam in Karnataka havetested positive for the novel coron-avirus so far, according to an officialstatement from the government. Thestudents had taken their exams be-tween June 25 and July 3 have testedpositive for the coronavirus. Over 80students are in home quarantine.More than 7.60 lakh students wrotethe exam. A report from the govt stated

that 3,911 students did not attend the ex-ams as they were in containment zones.In another development, a 65-year-old man, who tested positive for thenovel coronavirus on Friday, collapsedand died on the road outside his housewhile he was waiting for an ambu-lance to arrive. Bengaluru’s civicbody’s Commissioner BH Anil Kumarsaid that the man was walking fromhis home to the end of the road, wherean ambulance was waiting when hecollapsed and breathed his last.Officials claim that the man wanted towalk to the end of the road and boardthe ambulance as he did not want thevehicle to come near his house. “He wasscared of what his neighbours wouldsay and what they would talk about hisfamily if they found out that he hadCOVID-19,” a senior BBMP official wasquoted in the media.

SNIPPETS

Medic collects swab sample from a woman for COVID-19 test, in Chennai on Saturday. –ANI

JHANSI/KANPUR/PRATAPGARH: The eightpolicemen in anencounter with criminalsin Chaubeypur policestation area of Kanpurdistrict, were crematedwith full honours at theirrespective villages. Thepolicemen who attainedmartyrdom in anencounter with criminalsin Kanpur on Friday areDy SP Devendra Mishra(54), Bilhaur circle officer,Shivrajpur police station'sSHO Mahesh Kumar Yadav(42), SIs Anoop KumarSingh (32) and Nebu Lal(48) and constablesJitendra Pal (26), SultanSingh (34), Bablu Kumar(23) and Rahul Kumar(24).

KANPUR AMBUSH

Slain policemencremated with full honours

Lockdown: 65% children becamedevice addictive, says studyARCHANA SHARMA / Jaipur

Around 65% children havebecome device addictive inrecent months and are un-able to stay away from the de-vice even for half an hour.Children are expressinganger, crying, not listening toparents, showing irritablebehaviour when asked toleave the device.These facts have come tolight in a sample survey car-ried out by physicians at JKLone Hospital in Jaipur on203 children to study the im-pact of the COVID-19 lock-down on child health.

The survey says that a totalof 65.2 per cent of studentshave reported physical prob-lems, 23.40% have gainedweight, 26.90% have sufferedheadache/ irritability and22.40% had reported eye painand itching.In fact, 70.70% students withhigh screen exposure duringthe lockdown days have be-havioural problems, 23.90%skipped their daily routines,20.90 per cent became care-less, 36.80 per cent becamestubborn and 17.40% report-ed a reduced attention span.The study was conceived byDr Ashok Gupta, Medical Su-

perintendent & Senior Pro-fessor, Department of Pedi-atrics. Under his direction,this study was carried out byDr. Ramesh Chaudhary,Dr.Dhan Raj Bagri, Dr.Kam-lesh Agarwal, Dr.Vivek Ath-wani and Dr. Anil Sharma.In view of the prevailinglockdown due to the COVID-19 pandemic, data was gath-ered on electronic platformsand social media for thestudy in which the latest andstandard questionnaireswere used to collect the data.After obtaining consent,questionnaires were sent tothe parents. –IANS

Vikas Dubey's momurges cops to kill him

House of history-sheeter Vikas Dubey demolished by the district administration in Kanpur on Saturday.

They had come in contact with chairman of Bihar Legislative Council Awadesh NarainSingh on July 1 who has tested positive

for the pandemic

Vehicles stuck near the toll on TumkurRoad, in Bengaluru on Saturday.

Justice Dixit kicked up arow on June 17 while

granting advance bail toa rape accused when heobserved that it was

“unbecoming of a womanto fall asleep after rape”

AGENCIES / Bengaluru

Karnataka Medical EducationMinister K. Sudhakar has or-dered an enquiry into the al-leged harassment of a womandoctor at a city medical collegeon Saturday, after she com-plained of faulty masks andpersonal protective equip-ment (PPE) and later testedCovid-19 positive."I have taken note of supplyof defective masks and PPEkits to Kempegowda Instituteof Medical Science (KIMS)doctors and ordered an en-quiry," said Sudhakar. Theminister said the manage-ment of the hospital will beheld responsible if foundguilty.

According to the informa-tion shared by Sudhakar, awoman doctor at KIMS raisedan alarm about the faulty PPEkits and shortage of N95masks but was shunned andridiculed by the management."Last week she raised analarm about faulty PPE kitsand shortage of N95 masks.But the administrative med-ical officer at KIMS shunnedand chastised her for raisingthis issue," said one of the doc-tor's cousins in a viral post.Following the alleged ridi-culing, the doctor started buy-ing her own N95 masks butshe later tested positive forCovid-19.Inspite of her predicament,when the doctor again brought

her condition to the notice ofthe hospital management, shewas not spared and again ha-rassed and humiliated."She tested positive forCovid-19 and she appealed tothe hospital authorities andraised her genuine concernsover the faulty protective gear,but she was again harassedand humiliated," he said.Taking a serious note of thedevelopment, Sudhakar, amedical doctor himself saidthe government has taken allnecessary measures."Doctors are our frontlinewarriors battling the pandem-ic. Government has taken allnecessary measures to ensurethe safety of our doctors," hesaid.

Religiousplaces to

remain closed

Probe into B’luru med collegefor harassing female doctor

There was a conflict betweenTMC and SUCI workers oversome petty issue in the area

NEW YORK: A large number of Indian-Americanschanting 'Bharat Mata Ki Jai' and other patriotic slogansstaged a protest against China at the iconic Times Squarehere, demanding an economic boycott and a diplomaticisolation of the country for its aggression against India.

Indians living in New York and New Jersey states alongwith the officials of the diaspora organisation --Federation of Indian Associations (FIA) - raised slogans of'Boycott Made in China', 'Bharat Mata Ki Jai' and 'StopChinese Aggression' among others.

‘Boycott China’ protests at Times SquareLOCKDOWNTHE FREEPRESSJOURNAL

MUMBAI | SUNDAY | JULY 5, 2020

7Pints poured, unkempt hairdos cut, movie theatres on...

PIC: PA

AFTER 3 MONTHS, UK GETS ITS LIFE BACKAGENCIES / London

Pubs, restaurants, hairdressersand cinemas in England on Sat-urday reopened their doors forthe first time in three monthsafter a major relaxation of coro-navirus lockdown restrictions.Restaurants, hairdressers andcinemas were allowed to reopenjust after midnight, with somehair salons welcoming clientsin the early hours, but pubs hadto wait until 6 a.m., after Down-ing Street expressed fears ofearly morning partying, re-ports the BBC.Other places now allowed toreopen in England include out-door gyms, children's play-grounds, libraries, communitycentres, bingo halls, cinemas,museums and galleries, themeparks, amusement arcades, out-door skating rinks, social clubsand model villages.Places of worship can openfor prayers and services, in-cluding weddings with up to 30guestsTwo households will also beable to meet indoors or outside,including for overnight stays,although they have to maintainsocial distancing.

As measures eased, PrimeMinister Boris Johnson urgedpeople to act responsibly, whilethe government's scientific ad-visers said the latest step wasnot "risk-free".Johnson said a timetable forreopening other businesses in-cluding gyms, nail salons andnight clubs would be set outnext week.People in England are still re-quired stay 2-metre apart, butthe new "one metre plus" guid-

ance means they can get closerif they use "mitigation" meas-ures, such as face coverings andnot sitting face-to-face, reportsthe BBC.Each UK nation's lockdownmeasures differ, including vary-ing rules on the reopening offood and drink outlets.In Northern Ireland, pubs andrestaurants can reopen on July10.In Scotland, beer gardens andoutdoor restaurants will be al-lowed to reopen from July 6,and indoor areas can be usedfrom July15.The Welsh government haspromised talks with the hospi-tality sector about a "potentialphased" reopening, but no dateshave yet been given.Prime Minister Boris John-son says the decision to ease thelockdown is based on the scien-tific evidence that people are"appreciably less likely now tobe in close proximity" withsomeone with the virus than atthe height of the pandemic."Let's not blow it now," he said.In other countries, the re-opening of bars and restau-rants has been blamed for aspike in infections.

Prime Minister BorisJohnson says thedecision to ease thelockdown is based onthe scientific evidencethat people are

"appreciably less likelynow to be in closeproximity" withsomeone with thevirus than at theheight of thepandemic.

We should be proud of our heritage: TrumpPrez slams removal of controversial monuments at Mt Rushmore speech

AGENCIESWashington

While public health officialsare urging Americans toavoid large crowds and holdmore muted IndependenceDay celebrations amid aspike of coronavirus cases,President Donald Trump isgoing big for what he ispromising will be a "specialevening" in the nation's capi-tal.Trump is set hold his"Salute for America" cele-bration Saturday with aspeech from the WhiteHouse South Lawn that hesays will celebrate Americanheritage, a military flyover

over Washington, and anenormous fireworks displaythat is expected to drawthousands to the NationalMall.The celebration comes oneday after Trump kicked offthe holiday weekend by trav-elling to Mt. Rushmore for afireworks display near theiconic mountain carvingsGeorge Washington,Thomas Jefferson, AbrahamLincoln and Theodore Roo-sevelt.The president delivered afiery speech in which he ac-cused protesters who havepushed for racial justice ofengaging in a "mercilesscampaign to wipe out our

history." "This movement is openlyattacking the legacies ofevery person on MountRushmore," Trump said.He lamented "cancel cul-ture" and charged that someon the political left hope to"defame our heroes, eraseour values, and indoctrinateour children." He said Amer-icans should speak proudlyof their heritage and should-n't have to apologize for itshistory."We will not be terrorised,we will not be demeaned,and we will not be intimidat-ed by bad, evil people,"Trump added."It will not happen."

Trump Jr’s GF tests +veWASHINGTON:KimberlyGuilfoyle, the girlfriend ofPresident Donald Trump'soldest son, has contract-ed the coronavirus.Sergio Gor, chiefof staff to theTrump cam-paign's financecommittee, saysGuilfoyle was im-mediately isolatedafter the positive re-sult to limit exposure.He says she will be retest-ed to confirm the diagno-sis because she isn't show-

ing any symptoms ofCOVID-19, the disease thevirus causes. Gor saysGuilfoyle is doing well

and canceling herpublic events.Gor says DonaldTrump Jr. testednegative but isself-isolating as aprecaution. He isalso canceling his

public events.The couple was in

South Dakota to holdfundraisers for Trump'sreelection.

LLEIDA: Authorities innortheastern Spain on Sat-urday ordered the lock-down of a county aroundthe city of Lleida due toworrying outbreaks of theCOVID-19 virus.Catalan regional authori-ties announced that as ofnoon local time movementwill be restricted to andfrom El Segriá, aroundLleida, which is home toover 200,000 people. Resi-dents will have until 4 p.m.local to enter the area.This is the first restric-tion of free movementsince the end of Spain'sstate of emergency on June

21.Regional health authori-ties said Friday that theyhad registered a jump in 60cases in 24 hours, takingthe total number of infec-tions to over 4,000 in thecounty.The new outbreaks arelinked to agriculturalworkers in the rural area.Spain was completelylocked down from March toJune to get its coronavirusoutbreak under control, be-fore its national govern-ment ended a state of emer-gency. Over 28,000 peopleare confirmed to have diedfrom the virus in Spain.

Spain locks down county of 200,000

‘Hard lockdown’ in VictoriaMELBOURNE: Australia's Victoria state recorded 108 newcoronavirus cases Saturday, forcing authorities to lock down ninepublic housing towers and three more Melbourne suburbs.Victoria Premier Daniel Andrews said 3,000 people in the housingtowers would go into "hard lockdown," meaning "there will be noone allowed in ... and no one allowed out." Residents in theFlemington and Kensington housing units will receive deliveries offood and medicine, along with alcohol support.The suburbs of Kensington, Flemington and North Melbourne willjoin 36 others in being subject to stage 3 coronavirus restrictions.Residents can only leave their homes for food or essential supplies,medical care or care-giving, exercise or for work or education.

• 3 India returnees test +ve in Singapore

• Brazil approves law requiring masks on

streets, public transport

• WHO team to visit China next week to

investigate origins of coronavirus

• Bangladesh records 3,288 new cases

COUNTRIES CASES DEATHS USA 2,892,476+ 132,129+

Brazil 1,545,458+ 63,295+ Russia 674,515+ 10,027+ India 651,315+ 18,695+ Spain 297,625+ 28,385+ Peru 295,599+ 10,226+

DEATHS

530,019+

11,233,742+CASES

DASHBOARD

CORONAVIRUS CURE CORNERUS FDA okayscombinationdiagnostic testThe US Food and DrugAdministration (FDA) issuedan emergency useauthorization for the thirddiagnostic test for detectionand differentiation of theviruses that cause flu andthe novel coronavirus inindividuals suspected ofCOVID-19."With the authorization ofthese tests, the FDA ishelping address concerns inanticipation of thisupcoming flu season duringthe COVID-19 pandemic,which might be especiallyworrying for someAmericans," Xinhua newsagency quoted FDACommissioner StephenHahn as saying on Friday."With just one swab orsample, combination testscan be used to get answersto Americans faster."This efficiency can go along way to providingtimely information for thosesick with an unknownrespiratory ailment," hesaid. These combinationtests work by testing asingle sample from apatient for multiplerespiratory diseases, suchas COVID-19 and theseasonal flu which canshow similar symptoms.

Wake up and takecontrolof virus:WHO

GENEVA: The WorldHealth Organization(WHO) urged countries hithard by the coronaviruspandemic to "wake up" tothe situation on the groundand to "take control" of thespread of the virus."People need to wake up.The data is not lying. Thesituation on the ground isnot lying," Michael Ryan,WHO emergencies direc-tor, told reporters here onFriday.The World Health Organi-sation's emergencies chiefsays "we need to put up a

fight now" during a peak inthe current wave of thecoronavirus - rather thanfocusing on when a secondwave might come.Dr. Michael Ryan said theworld will be much better atfighting a second wave, ifpeople can learn the lessonsof fighting the first wave.WHO officials empha-sised mask-wearing, socialdistancing, and hygiene byindividuals, along withcontact-tracing and track-ing of cases by health au-thorities as key strategiesto fight the virus.

FATHER-DAUGHTER TIMEA girl is held by her

father while playing a game at an amusement

pier in Wildwood, New Jersey. PIC: AFP

105-yr-old Pak mandefeats COVID-19AGENCIES / Islamabad

A 105-year-old man in Pak-istan's Punjab provincehas been discharged fromhospital after successfullydefeating COVID-19, themedia reported.Fazal Rauf, who is also awar veteran and hasserved in the PakistanArmy, was tested positiveand had been quarantinedin hospital since then,Xinhua news agency re-ported.Rauf was tested for thedisease again on Thurs-day and his report cameout negative.Meanwhile, Pakistan re-ported 3,387 new coron-avirus cases and 68 deaths

during the last 24 hours,taking the total number ofcases in the country to225,283 and the death tollto 4,619, according to offi-cial figures on Saturday.Most coronavirus caseshave been reported fromSindh with 90,721 cases,followed by Punjab with80,297 cases, Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa 27,506 cas-es, Islamabad 13,292 cases,Balochistan 10,717 cases,Gilgit-Baltistan 1,536 casesand Pakistan-occupiedKashmir 1,214 cases.Meanwhile, the Pakistangovernment said it wouldreopen four border check-points with Iran from Sun-day to facilitate the move-ment of goods.

Alabama shooting kills 8-yr-oldAGENCIES / Hoover

An 8-year-old boy was killedon Friday in a shooting at anAlabama's shopping mallthat left three other peopleinjured, police said.Hoover Police Chief NickDerzis said the child waskilled in the afternoonshooting at the RiverchaseGalleria. The police chiefsaid a girl and two adultswere also hospitalized afterthe shooting. Authoritiesdid not release the victims'names.Royta Giles Jr. was shot inthe head when at least onegunman started shootinginside the Riverchase Galle-ria, Hoover, where the littleboy was out shopping withhis family Friday after-noon, reports the DailyMail. Police did not give a mo-tive for the shooting. Derzissaid police are working

promising leads, but did notsay if they had identifiedsuspects."Our prayers go out to allof those affected by this

senseless event," MayorFrank Brocato said.Multiple shots were re-ported near the food courtinside the mall, Police Capt.Gregg Rector said in an ear-lier news release."We don't know at thispoint what led to the shoot-ing or how many gunmenwere involved," Rectoradded.The mall was evacuated af-ter the shooting AnnalisaPope, who works at Hollisterin the mall, told WBMA-TVin a telephone interviewthat she heard six to sevenshots fired."It wasn't just one or two,"she said. "That's what gotme off guard. They (theshots) just kept going." Shesaid the gunshots "soundedlike they were coming fromevery direction." Hooverpolice asked anyone was inthe mall who witnessed theshooting to call authorities.

Royta Giles Jr. was shot in thehead when at least onegunman started shooting

inside the Riverchase Galleria,Hoover, where the little boy was out shopping with his family

COVID-19 doesn’t discriminate. Blaming anyone for giving you the virus is preposterous. Focus your energyin getting treated. Wear masks, wash hands regularlyand maintain social distancing at all cost. The worst is-n’t over yet.

8

I’m about to change my social media bio to ‘COVID-19 sur-vivor’. This was one of the jokes I shared with my col-league after testing positive for the novel coronavirus. I

believe I’m a strong woman, and there was no way I was go-ing to let a virus steal my thunder. I am not denying the factthat this pandemic has taken lives and left many familiesmourning. I have experienced the horror first hand, metpeople who grieved, cursed the government for lack of facil-ities and being denied help on time. I don’t know how my experience can help others. We areall fighting individual battles. But, what I can do is share mystory. So here’s a step-by-step guide on how I, along with myfamily, got treated for COVID-19 free of cost and recoveredwithin 14 days at a state-run quarantine facility (withoutvisiting the hospital).

Background: My father fell ill after he started going to officewhen the ‘33% staff allowed to operate’ rule came into effect— though it was not an everyday travel. He visited our localdoctor who prescribed a five-day antibiotic course and rec-ommended a blood test to check for diabetes and cholesterol.The reports didn’t show anything significant, while hishealth deteriorated rapidly.

Primary symptomsMy then father decided to visit another doctor. Soon, I hadhigh fever and an itching sensation in my throat. My broth-er and mother also showed similar symptoms. However, af-ter visiting the second doctor and taking the prescribedmedicines, all of us, except my father recovered in a day. About five days later, one scary morning, my father startedfeeling breathless. It was then we all decided to get tested forCOVID-19. We were almost ready to visit a private laborato-ry nearby, when a family friend said the same can be done ata quarantine facility in Dadar for free, just by using Aadharcard. My father and brother visited the facility and got testedfirst. Their results came in the next day, which confirmedour worst fears: They had coronavirus. Back home, mymother and I encountered BMC officials who arrived tosanitise the outdoors and neighbouring areas. (Note: Every ward has a quarantine facility where you can get admitted andtested free of cost. The centres are meant for patients with mild symptomswho can be cured through oral medications. Critical cases are shifted to state-run hospitals.)

Social stigmaIt didn’t take long for word to spread. Our neighbours startedlooking at us as if we had suddenly turned into aliens. Wewere treated as outcasts and alienated. No help was offered,even when we were struggling to get essentials. I don’t intendto generalise. I’m sure good Samaritans exist, but there werenone in my sight. The people who extended a helping handwere my employers, colleagues and friends. Reaction of rela-tives was on a different tangent. It can easily be summarisedas an exchange of dialogues seen on soap operas that wasgood in terms of a performance, but sadly lacked empathy.

Getting quarantinedThe following day I left with my mother to get quarantinedand tested at the same facility. Upon reaching, we wereasked to wait at the gate. The volunteers came, sanitised ourhands, checked our oxygen level and pulse. I was anxiousand trembling. They asked me to calm down, took my de-tails, medical history and asked for my Aadhar card(mandatory for admission).

The facilityThe quarantine centre was a school that had been revampedwith beds for patients with mild symptoms, or the oneswhose family members had tested positive. This was morelike a waiting room till we were tested. We were given bedskept at a safe distance. These were more like ‘khatiyas’ witha sponge mattress covered in plastic. A disposable sheet,warm blanket and pillow case were given. We were also pro-vided with a kit of toiletries (toothbrush, toothpaste, soaps)including a bucket to wash our clothes.

In terms of hygiene it was well-maintained. Volunteerswould sweep, mop and sanitise the room once a day. Theonly downside was common washroom (separate onesthough, for men and women). Another drawback, no hot wa-ter! I avoided bathing for the first three nights, since I amnot used to bathe with cold water. Instead, I would mix anti-septic liquid with water to sponge my body.

FoodThe food was pretty decent. Breakfast, lunch, dinner andtea with biscuits were provided. It was a vegetarian farewith the same items everyday – chapatis, dal, rice, one veg-etable, a slice of onion and some pickle. The only dish thatchanged on the menu was the sabzi — being a hardcorenon-vegetarian this was something I had tough time adjust-ing to. Breakfast was the usual poha, upma, dosa, idli, meduvada and vada pav. In case you don’t want the food provid-ed, you can ask your family members to deliver home-cooked food at designated timings. Besides that patientsweren’t allowed to order from restaurants (even the onesproviding healthy meals).

Secondary symptomsThe next day I woke up to no sense of taste or smell. I be-gan sneezing again, so the doctor prescribed some nasaldrops assuming they were allergies (I am allergic to dust). However, things escalated and I felt weak with aheadache — bad enough to not let me sleep. I was giv-en two tablets after which I felt comparatively better.

Testing and Results On the third day, I was given a form with my details,signed by a doctor, which was to be takenfor testing. My mother and I, along withother patients were taken to a nearbyhospital in an ambulance.

The doctors theretook our throat swab

and sent us back to the facility. The

next morning I got acall

from the BMC informingme that I had tested positive,

while my mother wasn’t. I wasmoved to the COVID-19 ward within an hour and mymother was sent home.

COVID-19 wardThis was a wedding hall adjacent to the quarantine cen-tre, exclusively meant for patients who had tested positive. Ithad about 20 patients. Here, I had to stay for another ten days.The doctors prescribed a dosage of antibiotics twice a day in-cluding chewable Vitamin C tablets, a cough syrup and someoral rehydration salts. Here, too, there was one washroom.The only relief was the availability of an electric kettle,which I used to warm water and have a bath, finally! Strange as it may sound, though my father and brotherwere right next to me, we hardly engaged in any kind of ac-tivity together. Apart from occasional small talk, wewere practically glued to our phones. In hind-sight, I think it was the anxiety of havingcontracted the virus that held us backfrom making a lot of conversation. Proba-bly we didn’t want our own anxiousthoughts to spill over the other, it was ourway of keeping each other strong and go-ing.

Having a daily routine helpsIt is of paramount importance to have a routine. Ithelps keep anxiety at bay. Spending ten days withstrangers might sound like a vacation you didn’t ask for,but it is bothersome. My daily routine included listening tomusic, reading books online, play games on my phone, so-cial media engagement and watching movies or videos. In the evening, patients would collectively do yoga for about30 minutes. Doctors would come in every day to check on pa-tients. Some were fine, others had a tough time. Oxygen levelswere monitored, additional symptoms were also treated. Food was the same as the one from the quarantine ward.The only difference being earlier the food parcel was givenin our hands, but after being shifted to the COVID ward, theparcels were left at the door in a basket, which we then hadcollect, one patient at a time.

DischargeI was discharged on the 11th day after testing positive (14days in total clubbing the time in the quarantine ward). Thevolunteers asked me if I’d like to arrange my own vehicleor would prefer going in their ambulance. I picked the for-mer. Words can’t describe how happy I was to leave theplace. Before leaving, I was given a discharge certificate anda stamp on my hand suggesting home quarantine for the

next seven days. There wasn’t a second test since Ididn’t have any persisting symptoms. My brotherand father were discharged five days before me.

Key takeawaysEvery person has different set symptoms. Hiding at homewith the fear of being judged is not going to do any goodto your health. Go ahead and get tested to eliminate anysuspicion and also save those around you. Talk to theBMC officials in your ward so that they can help bysuggesting the best option for you. It is importantto stay calm in a situation like this to avoid caus-ing further damage to your health. My COVID-19 journey might appear to be asmooth ride, but I did encounter patients whohad lost their loved ones because of the virus. Thevirus takes around four-five days to appear in yourtests. If you have mild symptoms getting tested rightaway can show a false negative. However, absolute loss ofsmell (not being able to smell even your soap) or tasteshould not be taken lightly. I didn’t have to pay any mon-ey — be it for the test, medications or my stay at the quar-antine centre. Do not fall for middlemen who suggest al-ternate routes or better facilities in exchange of money.

SUNDAY July 5, 2020 To be circulated with The Free Press Journal

6:30 AM• A glass of warm water mixed

with lemon juice.• A glass of warm water

with half teaspoon cumin.• Dried figs/dates + 4 almonds (soaked overnight).

• 30 minutes of exercise.

7:30 AM: Tea made with mint, ginger, cardamom,

cloves, cinnamon, jaggery and lemon.

9:00 AM: Breakfast which can include: Two eggs, salad with beetroot, carrot, onion,

tomato, and cabbage or dosa/ upma/ oats/ dhokla (protein rich).

11:00 AM: Fruits like orange/ musk melon/ pomegranate/ kiwi/watermelon (any fruit with Vitamin C).

1:00 PM: Lunch: Bhakari/ chapatis, salad, vegetable, dal, rice,chutney or pickle on the side.

4:00 PM: One fruit or one glass of juice.

5:00 PM: Tea as mentioned earlier, followed by 30 minutes of exercise.

8:00 PM: Dinner (same as lunch)

10:00 PM: Quarter teaspoon turmeric with ginger

mixed in a glass of warm water.

Other tips:• Drink 10-12 glasses of water every day.

• Avoid eating too many sweets.• Avoid spicy or fried food.

• Eat more garlic, onion and ginger.

Post-quarantine

careThe ward

Testing

Sanitisation underway

Yoga session

Food

, whic

h was

a veg

etaria

n

Defeating the virus!FPJ’s OSHIN FERNANDESrecounts her quarantine period at a state-run facility after her family tested COVID-19 positive

It didn’t take long for word to spread. Our neighbours started looking at us as ifwe had suddenly turned into aliens. Wewere treated as outcasts. No help was

offered, even when we were struggling toget essentials. I don’t intend to generalise.I’m sure good Samaritans exist, but there

were none in my sight.

My COVID-19 journey might appear to be asmooth ride, but I did encounter patients whohad lost their loved ones because of the virus.

I didn’t have to pay any money — be it for thetest, medications or mystay at the quarantinecentre. Do not fall for

middlemen who suggestalternate routes orbetter facilities in

exchange of money.

THEFREEPRESSJOURNAL

With over 10 million infec-tions and 500,000 dead,medical science is now

seeing COVID-19 as a virus thatdoes more harm than just attack-ing the respiratory system, and insome cases, that damage could becatastrophic. It turns out that the virus can at-tack the pancreas, the heart, theliver, the brain, the kidney, and

other organs. In addition to respi-ratory distress, patients withCOVID-19 can experience bloodclotting disorders that can lead tostrokes, and extreme inflamma-tion that attacks multiple organsystems. The virus can also causeneurological complications thatrange from headache, dizzinessand loss of taste or smell toseizures and confusion.Persons with a pre-condition ofhigh blood pressure and diabeteshave been categorized as most vul-nerable to develop COVID-19.Some people suffering with severecases of COVID-19 are showingsigns of kidney damage, eventhose who had no underlying kid-ney problems before they were in-fected with the coronavirus. Stud-ies conducted by a leading re-search hospital in the UnitedStates say that up to 30% of pa-tients hospitalised with COVID-19can develop moderate or severekidney injury. However, many doc-tors feel that the real percentagecould be much higher as manyCOVID-19 cases may have notbeen reported or may have goneundetected, as witnessed in manyparts of India.It is a known fact that the trio ofkidney, liver and pancreas are thefirst line of defense against illnessas they are responsible for clean-ing and disposing off impuritiesand harmful agents from withinour body. Medication of any kind(including intake of vitamin sup-

plements, Ayurvedic, herbals andhomeopathy) does both good andbad. That is, in helping us guardagainst or recover from ailments,it unduly taxes the defence systemonce the natural or formulatedchemicals have broken down.With no known cure for the dead-ly virus, most of us have startedsolicited and unsolicited un-re-searched un-scientific trials onself to the point of ingesting theridiculous to keep our selves safe,without concern of how these ac-tions may actually harm us.Signs of kidney problems in pa-tients with COVID-19 include highlevels of protein in the urine andabnormal blood work. It is be-lieved that the virus can easily at-tach itself to weak or diseasedcells and tissues within the kid-neys and related organs. Lack ofoxygen absorption and unregulat-ed doses of internally taken im-munity boosters may also causedamage to kidney tissue thanks tosurges in a chemical produced inthe body called cytokine. There-fore, how harmless a treatmentmay seem, it is always a good op-tion to take a medical opinion onwhat is good for the body – if be-ing taken internally.The most natural way of keep-ing the internal defence system inorder is consuming good, clean,alkaline water. Eating plenty offresh fruits and vegetables thathave not been overcooked, moder-ate the quantity of protein and fat

intake, a healthy dose of exerciseand fresh air coupled with breath-ing exercises. Of course, reducingif not eliminating smoking, alco-hol, and non-vegetarian food helpsin reducing the pressure on yourdefence system. To augment your efforts, thereare ways of externally boostingthe strength of the organs whichis called “Tonification”. Let me first show you ways ofself-assessing the health of yourdefence mechanism. If the kid-neys are not functioning properly,weakness sets in from the lowerback down to legs. Most obvioussigns, frequent backaches, pain inknees and ankles, swollen feet, fre-quent urination, and sudden blur-ry vision. The diagram belowshows pressure points which areassociated with different ailmentsand by stimulating these points;pasting mung seed, methi seeds ora Byol magnet; it is possible totone problematic magnet.

Now let me show you simpleways of building the strength ofyour defence system. I say systemand not mechanism is because astrong system is responsible forbuilding the internal defence (im-munity) mechanism. Let us getstarted:Ancient Vedics discovered thatall our organs can be treated bypressure stimulation, applicationof colour, pasting seeds on ourwrist, ankles, fingers, toes - pha-langes and knuckles, ears, nose,eye socket and nails. One canstimulate fingers and toes bytwisting, like the way shown in

the pictures. Do it two to threetimes a day for about five to eightminutes and if feeling uncomfort-able, then wrap the joint or pha-lange of finger with methi, applycolour or magnets, on meridiansystem as a preventive healthcare. By stimulating horizontal, verti-

cal and spiral meridians on fin-gers and toes, nails and the megameridians on wrists, one can getrid of most of the health problems.

Ten Elements Theory:1: Lungs – Large intestine, 2: Heart – Small intestine, 3: Liver – Gall bladder, 4: Kidney – Urinary bladder, 6: Time element, 7: Direction element, 8: Mind element, 9: Soul element. (Protocols that could be used forself-treatment are available onwww.artofselfhealing.in andwww.acusansthan-ald.org.)

(From increasing metabolism toovercoming physical problems,through a series of article, Prof

Luthria will speak about the art ofself-healing through different heal-

ing techniques.)

Wewere on a massive mate-rial acquisition spree.Shopping had become

our past time, entertainment, de-stress mechanism, and much more.We were so busy amassing materialwealth, much of which lies unusedtoday due to lockdown – we had littletime to cultivate spiritual wealth.The coronavirus pandemic is a re-minder to correct that imbalance. Abundant knowledge, deep compas-sion, robust endurance, overflowinglove for all, a keen ability to see di-vinity ( beauty, goodness) in natureand humans around us, and firmfaith – these and more make for ourspiritual wealth. Wealth that cannotbe quantified and measured like ma-terial wealth (houses, land, cars,clothes, fixed deposits, et al), but that

keeps us joyful and motivated evenin trying circumstances. Like mate-rial wealth, spiritual wealth too hasto be cultivated assiduously. Let’slook at some ways to shore up ourspiritual assets.

ENGAGE WITH PEOPLE: Since we areparts of one universal spirit, and in-habiting this common planet, weneed to engage with people, particu-larly those in our immediate envi-

ronment; keep ourselves open to dia-loguing with whoever we come intocontact. Through deep, honest inter-actions is born understanding andcompassion. Also, then we feel ourinterconnectedness. But if we wallourselves in, for any reason, we caninvite negative emotions like alone-ness. Further, reading gritty novelslike A Fine Balance or The Kite Run-ner yields deep insights into the hu-man nature, and promotescompassion. Compassion is best expressed byserving others, in some way. Evenmaking a cupof tea for afamily mem-ber or giving ahand to some-one overbur-dened withchores, puri-fies the souland cementsemotionalbonds. Werarely forgetsomeone whohas lovinglycooked and fedus, for in-stance. Seva ismandatory forspiritualgrowth.

CHALLENGEONESELF: Effecting even a smallchange in our attitude, behaviour orhabits is way more difficult than advis-ing others to change. However, thetruth is when we change, our environ-ment reflects it. By consciously ad-dressing and overcoming our negativetraits or habits, we gain strength.Through consistent self-improvement,we develop spiritual muscle.

BUILD FAITH: Where there is perfectfaith, there is no fear, only peace. Butfaith too has to be nurtured throughsome form of daily prayers, likechanting or meditation – a timewhen you confront yourself, yourdeepest desires, and anxieties andseek to draw out your latent wisdomto resolve these. And since, something more thanhuman action dictates their result,it’s best to summon up at least aworking faith in the universe, in itsmeaningfulness. Strong faith in somedivine presence, deity or a mystic

law or just the universe, comes to ouraid beautifully in crisis, buoying usup with hope and spurring us on.

BOTTOM LINE: A spiritually richperson will be calm in a crisis andeven grow beautifully in it. Let’s ac-cumulate spiritual along with material wealth.

SUNDAY|JULY 5, 2020THE FREEPRESSJOURNALWellness

Apart from taking care of physical fitnessmake sure that you power up your internal and vital organs during the COVID-19 pandemic, writes Prof. G B LUTHRIA

Anappledropped onIsaac New-

ton’s head and he went onto unlock the Laws of Mo-tion. Creativity is the actof turning new and imag-inative ideas into reality.It is characterised by theamazing ability to per-ceive the world in orderto discover hidden pat-terns, to recognise con-nections between seem-ingly unrelated phenome-na and to thereby gener-ate solutions.Edward de Bono writes,

‘Creativity involves breaking out of established pat-terns in order to look at things in a different way.’Path breaking scientists, philosophers, artistes,writers among other creative individuals stumbleupon infinity, the eternal truth, the beauty and thecardinal principles of the universe when theirminds are imaginative and receptive to new-fangledideas.Such talent needs to be nurtured and encouragedby all stakeholders. Make no attempt to kill anyidea however outlandish or weird it may appear onthe surface. For who knows what treasure lies in itsbosom?Interestingly at the nucleus of such works of sci-

ence and art lie silence and solitude. And this is forsome solid reason. When creative and imaginativepeople are all alone they delve deep into theirselves. It has been observed that noted scholars andphilosophers in the midst of their long walks keepthe company of only nature and the universe. Creative people benefit from being in solitude. It isfodder for their thoughts. While being alone theyget to know themselves, they deal with the demonsof their minds and banish all Sisyphean thoughts,they generate space to create something out of theordinary. Isolation helps them to insulate them-selves from the cacophony and results in findingtheir own voice and create something radical.Revolutionary ideas dawn on people through theirunconscious mind which is nothing but a store-house of memory. Several perplexing problems getresolved by such individuals when they go by theirgut feeling or hunch as guidance emanates in theform of inner awareness. For this to occur, creativeindividuals need to have immense faith in the mira-cle working power of the unconscious. It is a seemingly paradoxical situation where increative minds, creative habits require collectiveparticipation too. Solitude helps in germination ofan idea while participation and collaboration em-bellish the product. A visionary gets inspired byreading, connecting with others and even by theworks of fellow travellers. It is quite possible that an individual unlocks hiscreativity by getting the inspiration and picturefrom within but frames it with the assistance oftechnology, say using an i-phone, or listening to apodcast, a YouTube video or by attending a seminallecture. The creative individual is on the razor’sedge and needs to balance solitude with mindful in-teraction.Chase Jarvis, an award winning American pho-tographer and fellow countryman, Ali Edward, ascrapbook story teller, devour magazines, visit mu-seums, and interact with families and children tostir their imagination when not in solitude. On several occasions there is a brain-freeze whencreative juices do not flow in an artiste and theytend to stagnate. Many a time even the most perspi-cacious of creative people are entrapped in thewhirlpool of symbols, signposts and apparent con-tradictions of knowledge. A creative personthrough relentless practise needs to transcendthese insignia and totems to get to the source. Anyone can unlock and develop creativity; indi-viduals need only transfigure their minds from theshackles of boredom and keep evolving by treatingthemselves to retreats of silence and decoding thesignposts.Creative individuals need to harness the potentialof their minds by living and leading a creative lifeeveryday unfailingly. Creative artistes need to over-come what is known as a writer’s block or a painterunable to wield the brush on the canvas of imagina-tion. Such people need to navigate their minds bytempering and moderating expectations. One can-not be a Shakespeare or a Da Vinci every day! Creative citizens have to necessarily build cre-ative teams seeped in the culture of creativity. Theyshould be surrounded by members who bring withthem unique ideas to the platter. It is important toacknowledge such individuals for it will enable anuninterrupted flow of ideas. The creative individ-ual would then be in a zone of happiness and exciting new ideas.It is important for creative people to banish nega-tive thoughts from their minds. Thoughts like, ‘I amno good’, ‘Nothing special is being produced frommy stable’, drain the mind. The idiom and vocabu-lary of a creative individual should be of innova-tive strategies and unique ideas. Comfortable individuals merely make statements,whereas creative people queer the mind by search-ing questions. Such a process opens the vistas forvaried perspectives, possibilities and amazinglynew patterns to emerge. This breaks the status quoand something original emerges in the process.Creative individuals keep perfecting their craft byembracing new technologies and approaches, keeping their tool-box full.

creative you!Say hello to

Since solitudehelps enhance

one’s imaginativepowers, RAVI VALLURI showshow you can

make the most of‘me time’ andbring out thebest in you

spiritualassets

Acquire your

While the pandemic has affectedour materialistic life and growth,MUNMUN GHOSH finds it as an

opportunity to attain ‘non-material’growth and happiness

LEARN A SUBJECT: When we delveinto a subject that interests us, andstudy it systematically, as differentfrom causally surfing the internetand picking up info on it, our mindsremain happily occupied and calm.The resultant knowledge is not onlybound to come handy at some pointin life, but also to enrich our innerselves and boost our confidence. The great philosopher Spinozasaid, “The only permanent joy inlife is understanding life itself.”This world provides inexhaustiblelearning material, so we can keepstudying some aspect or other of itall our lives. Acquiring differentskills like cooking and driving is im-portant too, both to meet our ownpractical needs and to be useful toothers. Capability generates healthyself- esteem.

APPRECIATE BEAUTY: Is there asoul who would notfeel uplifted after lis-tening to any evoca-tive melody like Aemere watan ke logonor The hills are alivewith the sound ofmusic? Marking outsome time daily toenjoy the beautifulthings of this world– natural or human-made, is an unfailing strategy to spiritual solvency. Strolling in the garden, noting different formations of leaves or shades ofgreen in the landscape or even just sky-gazing, can raise spirits as much assavouring a good painting, a good film, or stirring music. Perhaps nothingelevates the human soul like music, the reason why music has always been apart of any important ceremony, spiritual exercise, or celebrations. Singing,playing an instrument or even listening to good music everyday goes a longway in making one a ‘spiritual crorepati’. Appreciation of the good in life invites good fortune.

Stay healthy inside,

out

K 3, CV 4, GV 4, UB 23, Sp6, ↑ Tones Kidneys Liv 8, UB 18 ↑ Tones LiverSi 3, UB 62 ↑ Tones Spine, GB 20, Liv 3 ↓ Clears Vision Liv 3, GB 34, CV 6, UB 17, Sp 10 ↓ Pain in LimbsLiv 3 ↓ treats, if there are Spasms

↑ Tonify i.e. Paste germinatingpoint of mung seed or yellowof Byol magnet touching theskin

↓ Sedate i.e. Paste Methi seed,or white of Byol magnettouching the skin

Mega MeridianHands

Mega MeridianFeet

weekend 9

Trends

As work from home continues, manyfashionistas are finding ways becomfortable yet look stylish. This

brought to the fore cozy couture orfashionable loungewear. SAPNA

SARFARE finds more about this trendand gets tips on how to get it right

The lockdown has hampered everyone’s fashion sense. But strug-gles means innovation. One of the fashion innovations to comeup is of cozy couture. It is fashionable loungwear that lets you

stay fashionable at home. Harshita Gupta, Founder, Hail Women, defines cozy couture as themost comfortable clothing in one’s wardrobe. “It is generally referredto as nightwear in our day-to-day life before lockdown. Since lock-down, being at home 24/7, we find ourselves best suited in suchclothes.Popularity comes with a change of lifestyle of audience/cus-tomer. Since everyone is home struck, it’s natural that these will bemore in demand than any other kind of clothing.”For Nelson Jaffery, Head of Design, Liva, this trend is about‘products in the comfortable clothing category andloungewear’. “The lockdown and quarantine has changedthe fashion game so far. With no social engagements insight, people are opting for comfortable lounge wear cloth-ing instead of their usual go to everyday clothing likedenims or skirts. Social interactions are what made uswant to dress up and put our best foot forward; the lack of which has made us want to stick to our pyjamas

and tracks.”Both Jayant Chowdhary & Nitya Chowdhary whohead the brand 9C Design Co., call this trend comfort-able yet cool. “Casual outfits with a slight hint of

fashion added to give a feel good factor at home is whatcozy couture means to me. Apart from being comfortable,

the lounge entrepreneurs are adding fun and chique elementthat breaks the boredom and monotony.”Talking about it being different from normal casual wear, forNelson, pre-lockdown days daily casual wear includes itemslike denims, wide leg pants, casual dresses etc. “The new nor-mal in lockdown are sweatpants, tracks, joggers and pyjamas.To some extent, it’s the idea of being at home all day that in-duces laziness which makes us not want to dress up. How-ever, dressing up plays an important role in upliftingyour mood by making you feel more productive and

ready to take on your day.”Normal casual wear makes Jayant think of most-ly the ongoing trend. “In normal casual wear, one’s

dressing might not be very cozy and comfortable because they mightbe stepping out on and off while in cozy couture one could team up acape or a shrug on a loose pleated pant.”Harshita feels normal casual wear are much more trendy. “Theyare more likely to style & define and enhance one’s personalitythrough clothing. While cozy wear/cozy couture is all about comfortonly, feeling comfortable is far more important than any other things.Even styling or designs are very different yet basic, even the choice isfabric needs to be more soft and should be relaxing rather fancy.”If asked for suggestions, Nitya suggests adding a lace shrug to thecozy couture. “It gives a sense of updated fashion amidst home envi-ronment. Silk cape is a perfect add on drape to any casual t-shirt togive a formal and dressy look. One can add these fabrics to mix upwith cozy couture for different ways – cottons/modals/ knits/hand-looms/cotton laces.”According to Harshita, there are no set rules. “The whole concept isall about self-comfort from colour to everything. It is for what welove rather than what’s trending in the market & trying to fityourself in that trend. Even for choosy ones and those whoprefer styling in these as well, the max they can go to theprinted fabric option. Generally the cozy couture givesyou option of colour and funny or sarcastic prints nquotes or some basic textures and light weight andsmooth texture.”Nelson wants everyone to look at a particular trend

for inspiration for cozy couture – athleisure trend.“Oversized hoodies with rolled up joggers is a great wayof sporting this trend. If you want something with a little

more structure, a cropped hoodie would be a great al-ternative. Oversized everything works great for this trend.A casual graphic t-shirt with some loose fittedcotton pants can also be good option if you wantto take a break from the pyjamas and joggers.”Post lockdown, one wonders regarding the scopeof this trend. Harshita does not think people willbe adopting this trend later. “By now they aregetting more piled up and desperately waiting tocome back to the fashionista personalities. Itwill take a few days in starting to adapt back tothe previous styling, but they eventually will.Cozy wear makes you feel so comfortable andlazy at the same time. Adapting it after a lock-down situation will help them to slow downfurther, as it will already be so hard for every-one to feel that mentally.”Nelson too is suspicious of the trend’s survival.“We expect a phenomenon of ‘dressing up to make animpression’ to kick in right after the lockdown, wherepeople will want to dress up more and use all the itemsthat were pushed to the back during the lockdown.” On the other hand, Jayant & Nitya think this trend canbe very well adapted. “It’s maintenance-friendly fashionwear; so if minimalistic embroidery or designs can be

added to this, then it might become the casual wearfor house parties.”

The pandemic has hit every-one and every businessgrotesquely. For the world

of fashion, the problems are nodifferent. “Like most other sec-tors except essential services,fashion business too were forcedto shut down operations forweeks impacting production andall channels of distributionwhich has brought the full chainincluding all sales channels to ahalt which we are setting up in anew way as everything unfolds,including changing consumer de-mands,” claims creative directorHemant Sagar.

The impactFashion industry is one of fastestgrowing industries, they followforecasts and have collectionsplanned and ready to execute twoseasons in advance. But a suddenpause to everything has had a ma-jor impact on the ongoing fashioncycle. “Liquidity visibility hasfaded to a greater level. All in allsustenance is a threat to some lev-el. In fact some brands or design-ers are having a hard time stay-ing afloat,” tells celebrity stylistMayuri Nivekar. Most of all karigars / labourworking in fashion are perhaps

struggling to have their basics inplace. “However, I think onlinebusinesses have really got a boost.There are customers who wouldnever imagine buying online andare now surfing online all day,”shares designer Disha Shah.We all know times have beendevastatingly rough for everyone.So let’s dive deep and try to un-derstand the impact of COVID-19restrictions on the fashion indus-try. “The shift will be witnessedafter the lockdown, as we had al-ready completed our wedding or-ders in March. Being in retail weget an advantage of working one-two months prior. July-Septem-ber is not much of business time,so we are not really consideringthe loss of orders during thesemonths. Hence, now with newpublic safety rules, it is expectedto see some drop in sales but it’stoo soon to estimate a figure,”says designer Uzair Parvez Khan. Adding to this, Mayuri says,“Needless to say that the mostcrucial time for making moneyfor designers is the wedding peri-od that starts around Novemberand lasts till June, but, this yearthey are suffering to maintainstaff and revenue because of thetotal shutdown in event industry.”

But designer Victor Robinsonsays since impact is not just onthe Indian fashion industry, butall over the world “helping eachother this time our first priorityinstead of thinking profit andmarket conditions.”

Reassess, realignWhile grappling with the ramifi-cations of COVID-19, the industryis heading for a green movementas conversations around sustain-able practices and conscious con-sumption gain momentum. De-signer Sahiil Kapoor says theyhave been receiving a lot ofqueries regarding the materialthey use for their products. As weknow, this time is the perfect timeto reassess, realign and rebootpassion, goals and purpose, thenext biggest trend will be of re-cycle, revamp and reuse infashion. “As far as celebrity stylingis concerned, we generallydo not repeat clothes, butnow we believe that up-cycling outfits worn atevents and re-wearingthem will be the nextbiggest trend,” say Mayuri and Abhilasha.

Virtual affairWhile it isn’t clear whenthe coronavirus pandem-ic will end, fashion in-dustry heavy-weightshave already started

taking steps to keep the in-dustry afloat. Fashionshows are going to take awhile to resume andkeeping this in mind, re-

cently, The Fashion andDesign Council of India

(FDCI) through a social media postannounced that it would be going dig-ital with ‘India’s first ever digital fash-ion week’. But when the show is hap-pening isn’t revealed yet.In May, Lakme too announced thelaunch of a ‘Virtual Showroom’ withan aim to support designers, artisansand the business of fashion. The Vir-tual Showroom is said to be a freemarketplace platform for designersand artisans to showcase their pastand current collections to consumers,enabling B2C sales for inventoriesthat have been stuck due to the pan-demic. Luxury fashion brand Pradahas invested in a start-up that will cre-ate the first 3D virtual fashion show.Such ideas would be the new commongiven the circumstances.The digital world has so much to of-fer us from conversations, connectingminds and ideas to new learnings; aplatform to innovate and share or justto motivate. “So while we sit back andre-approach the new normal, I feelshowcasing everything digitally canhelp us reach out worldwide audienceand offer the best which will take oneven greater significance in a time ofeconomic hardship,” explainsMayuri. Designers have been showingtheir collections digitally, but itmight just not work for everyoneand every location. “A lot of la-bels are struggling to get labourthese days. Sometimes, it’s us

who avoid opening workshops due

to fear and vice versa. Hence, even ifthe orders start coming, we designershave run out of hands for executingthem,” says Uzair.

A spike in online salesClearly, the fashion industry has suf-fered one of the worst hits. But digiti-sation and impulse purchases havebeen the silver lining in this dark skyfor the world of fashion industry.Disha says, “Honestly, online saleshave spiked up for us. I know it’s as-tonishing, but people surfing the netat home has been quite beneficial tous. Of course due to the lack of cus-tomer appointments and events, we have lost out on physical retailsales, but this has been an eye-openerfor where we believe our brand isheaded.” The online sales channels were theonly survivors of the lockdown. Sothe digital experience is going to winhands on. “Online shopping is defi-nitely going to grow, however, I thinkhuman touch is absolutely necessaryand that won’t go anywhere,” says de-signer Disha Shah. “WFH (work fromhome) is a new trend that is smartpret which is comfortable for multi-tasking. This will become a major seg-ment of fashion purchase,” points outShruti. However, for the premium productmarket, physical experience of theproduct is irreplaceable. Saahiilstrongly feels, “There is a need tomerge offline and online channels fora PHYGITAL experience. Digital plat-forms are a much safer, promising betand need to be leveraged for a bettertactile experience.” With the unlock happening, thestores are slowly opening up, but cus-tomers are yet to feel comfortablewith the shopping experience. “On apositive note, we have seen the marketsentiment growing in favour of Indi-an brands and we are hopeful thatthis will gain momentum in the com-ing future,” he further adds.

THE FREE PRESSJOURNAL

SHIKHA JAIN finds out how theworld of glamour and glitz is tryingto stay afloat amidst the crisis

Get comfy with cozy couture

Tara Sutaria

Shraddha Kapoor

Alaya F

Kareena Kapoor

Khan slays in a

jumpsuit

Justin Bieber rocks a graphic tee

Get inspiredby ShraddhaKapoor,

who slays in nightwear

Alia Bhattlooks cute insleepwear

with colourfulstars

Keep it minimal in aoversizedshirt likeDeepikaPadukone

Shahid Kapoorshows how towear a hoodie

Pre-lockdown era: Model walk the ramp at Lakme

Fashion weekweekend10

SUNDAY|JULY 5, 2020

AGENCIES / Leiden

Astronomers have discovered aluminous galaxy caught in theact of reionizing its surround-

ing gas only 800 million years after theBig Bang. The research, led by RomainMeyer, PhD student at UCL in London,UK, has been presented at the virtualannual meeting of the European As-tronomical Society (EAS).Studying the first galaxies that

formed 13 billion years ago is essentialto understanding our cosmic origins.One of the current hot topics in extra-galactic astronomy is ‘cosmic reioniza-tion,’ the process in which the inter-galactic gas was ionized (atomsstripped of their electrons).Cosmic reionization is similar to an

unsolved murder: We have clear evi-dence for it, but who did it, how andwhen? We now have strong evidencethat hydrogen reionization was com-pleted about 13 billion years ago, in thefirst billion years of the universe, withbubbles of ionized gas slowly growingand overlapping.The objects capable of creating such

ionized hydrogen bubbles have howev-er remained mysterious until now: thediscovery of a luminous galaxy inwhich 60-100 percent of ionizing pho-tons escape, is likely responsible for ion-izing its local bubble. This suggests thecase is closer to being solved. The twomain suspects for cosmic reionizationare usually 1) a population of numerousfaint galaxies leaking ~10 percent oftheir energetic photons, and 2) an ‘oli-garchy’ of luminous galaxies with amuch larger percentage (>50 percent) ofphotons escaping each galaxy.In either case, these first galaxies

were very different from those today:galaxies in the local universe are veryinefficient leakers, with only <2-3 per-cent of ionizing photons escaping theirhost. To understand which galaxiesgoverned cosmic reionization, as-tronomers must measure the so-calledescape fractions of galaxies in thereionization era.The detection of light from excited

hydrogen atoms (the so-called Lyman-alpha line) can be used to infer the frac-tion of escaping photons. On the onehand, such detections are rare becausereionization-era galaxies are sur-rounded by neutral gas which absorbsthat signature hydrogen emission.On the other hand, if this hydrogen

signal is detected it represents a ‘smok-ing gun’ for a large ionized bubble,meaning we have caught a galaxyreionizing its surroundings. The size of the bubble and the

galaxy’s luminosity determineswhether it is solely responsible for cre-ating this ionized bubble or if unseenaccomplices are necessary.The discovery of a luminous galaxy

800 million years after the Big Bangsupports the scenario where an ‘oli-garchy’ of bright leakers emits most ofthe ionizing photons. –ANI

AGENCIESNew York

Anew study has foundthat people whostayed home even

before lockdown and shel-tering-at-home orders wereimplemented may havehelped slow the spread ofthe novel coronavirus backin March and April.

Individual decisions to re-duce movement likelyhelped slow the spread ofCovid-19 in the US, accord-ing to a new study pub-lished in The Lancet Infec-tious Diseases journal.The residents in 25 most

affected US counties began

to limit their public move-ments six to 29 days beforestates implemented stay-at-home orders. The declinein the number of dailytrips people made astracked by mobile phonedata helped slow the spreadof the virus.“Our results strongly sup-

port the conclusion that so-cial distancing played a

crucial role in the reduc-tion of case growth rates inmultiple US counties dur-ing March and April,” saidstudy lead author LaurenGardner from Johns Hop-kins University.Determining the effec-

tiveness of social distanc-

ing is difficult becausecounties and states imple-mented different policies atdifferent times so to estab-lish a reliable indicator ofsocial distancing, the re-searchers used real-worldmobile phone movementdata.Their first step was to es-

tablish a baseline of nor-mal movement betweenJanuary 8-31. They then ex-amined changes throughApril 16 in the 25 US coun-ties with the highest num-bers of confirmed Covid-19cases.From January 24 to April

17, people made far fewerdaily trips than they didduring the baseline period.The findings showed that

individuals began to re-duce movement in earlyMarch, indicating that so-cial distancing began wellbefore the first state, Cali-fornia, imposed a stay-at-home directive on March21.In New York City, for ex-

ample, residents had limit-ed movement to 35 per centof the baseline, the mostsignificant reduction inmovement among the 25 ju-risdictions.Social distancing will re-

main one of the most im-portant ways to control thespread of infections until avaccine is available, the researchers noted. –IANS

ARIES: Avoid attending all kinds of socialactivities as much as possible. Do not neglectyour health or else it will lead to majorcomplications.

TAURUS: Investing in stocks or commoditiescould be a good idea. Your day will unfold justlike the way you had planned. Big businessopportunities are around the corner.

GEMINI: Working professionals will getopportunities to prove their worth and calibreat the workplace. Bosses/ seniors willappreciate your performance.

CANCER: Don’t make a spectacle of yourself.You will learn from your past mistakes. Yourtemper may land you in trouble, hence staycalm and cool.

LEO: With the help of intelligence andcommunication skills, you would be able tosolve problems on your own. Bosses shouldpay attention to employees’ needs.

VIRGO: Be ready, as your bosses are likely togive you additional responsibilities. Keep aneye on your opponents. Stress, tensions areindicated on business and domestic fronts.

LIBRA: Those in the field of agriculture will dowell. Your hard work will pay off. Those whoare thinking to start a new business can thinkof investing in real estate.

SCORPIO: Your social image and relationshipwith people will improve. Fortune and luck willfollow you. Spending time with your spouse willhelp strengthen the romantic bond.

SAGITTARIUS: Business people may lock alucrative deal, some may even think ofexpanding their business. Local businesses arebound to grow.

CAPRICORN: Keep a tab on your emotions anddo not overreact on matters related to love life.Be open to criticism and try to improve yourself.Be very careful while on the wheels.

AQUARIUS: You will feel highly motivated to donew things and take the risk, but it is advi-sablethat you go a little easy. Stay alert and focusedwhile negotiating with clients / partners.

PISCES: If you want to improve yourself, listento what critics have to say. Happiness willprevail. You need to understand your lifepartner to ensure you have a peaceful life.

GUIDING LIGHT

Guru Purnima: The day tocelebrate Guru’s grace

— By Sohan Singh

Guru Purnima is celebrated everyyear on the full moon day of theShakha Samavat in the Hindu cal-

endar. It is a grand festival for Buddhists,Hindus, Jains and Sikhs. On this day,thousands of devotees worship and thanktheir gurus for enlightenment. This day isalso very beneficial to carry out yogic sad-hana and meditation.Guru Purnima is a paradoxical term

with “Gu” meaning darkness and “ru”standing for the removal of darkness.Thus, the guru is believed to be someonewho removes darkness from your life orpath. From spiritual gurus to secularones, people pay respect to teachers allover the country. A guru helps you to con-nect to the guru within. He resides in your“Vishudha Chakra” on the throat andawakens when a person surrenders him-self/herself to the higher self.There is a strong belief that Lord Bud-

dha gave his first sermon on this day. Byachieving enlightenment under the Bodhitree for five weeks, Lord Buddha wentfrom Bodhgaya to Sarnath, where he gavethe sermon on the full moon day. The fol-lowers of Lord Buddha thus celebrate this

day to worship him.In the yogic tradition, however, Lord Shi-

va is seen as the first-ever guru. On thisday, Lord Shiva is known to have trans-mitted the learning of Yoga to his disci-ples the “Saptarishis” or seven sages onthis day. Guru Purnima is also known bythe name “Vyasa Purnima” as on this day,it is believed that Ved Vyasa – the authorof Mahabharta was born, who is known tobe a pioneer of the guru-shishya tradition.On the occasion of Guru Purnima, the

Sikhs also honour their ten spiritual gu-rus. But irrespective of how you see it, orwhich guru you bow to, the purpose is tocommemorate them for their teachings.

(Spiritual organisations keen to be featured in this space contact : features@fpj.co.in)

YOUR DAY By Nilikash P. Pradhan

Two new biomarkers can help predict preeclampsia risk

THE FREEPRESSJOURNALMUMBAI | SUNDAY | JULY 5, 2020

ETCETERA11SYDNEY: Researchers have found that two newly discovered biomarkers can help assess the risk of preeclampsia, a devastatingdisorder that occurs very suddenly in the second half of pregnancy and causes severe health problems for both mother and baby,says a study. Preeclampsia can cause high blood pressure and organ failure in mothers and lead to preterm births and evenstillbirth. It also increases the risk of developing life-long chronic diseases such as diabetes and heart disease. The two novelbiomarkers, called FKBPL and CD44, have the potential to change the way the condition is managed, according to the study. –IANS

STREAM, CHILL, REPEAT!From music, art, to fitness and from

webinars to unique workshops, here aresome interesting online events which willhelp you keep busy during the lockdown

FUN CORNER

Laugh out loud in lockdownWhile you are stuck at home during the lock-

down, the Free Press Journal brings you thebest memes and jokes from the internet. As

even in times of darkness, one should not forget tolaugh. So, sit back, and don’t forget to laugh on thesehandpicked gems and thank us later!

WORKSHOP

LearnKathakfromMadhuriDixit NeneWHAT:MadhuriDixit-Neneteaches you apiece veryclose to herheart, 'KanhaMat Daaro' aKathakcompositionby hermother.Learn and

share Madhuri's childhood experience in thisbeautiful piece. Fee: Rs 250. WHEN: July 11, 12:00 PMTo register visit: www.bookmyshow.com

Selfcare through Drama TherapyWHAT: Drama presents S.E.L.F.C.A.R.E, a seriesof eight online drama therapy selfcare sessions.The first step to mental health is selfcare.Anupriya M. Banerjee-Puthran will be thefacilitator for the workshop. The workshop will beconducted every weekend in July. Fee: Rs 500 perworkshop.WHEN: Weekends for the month of July, 11:00 AMto 1:00 PMTo register write to:doctordramatherapy@gmail.comContact: 9819170889 (WhatsApp/Message)

MUSIC

Sunburn Home Festival: Chapter 1WHAT: India’s first ever Virtual Music Festival ishere – Sunburn Home Festival! Experience thebest music from top DJs across the globe in anever scene before avatar with 3D animations andspecial effects showcasing the live experience of amusic concert with end to end production ofstage, lights, LED, lasers, special effects andmore! Two days and 12 hours of music from yourfavourite artistes all at one destination! CatchVini Vici, Bassjackers, Ummet Ozcan, MATTNand many more for Sunburn Home Festival:Chapter 1. Ticket: Rs 99 onwards.WHEN: July 11 & 12To book ticket visit: www.bookmyshow.com

LAUGH OUT LOUD

Gaurav Kapoor LiveWHAT: Gaurav Kapoor, the funny one, not thefamous one (yet) from Delhi is back in actionwith his first ever online comedy show. His razor-sharp wit and candid humour lead him to winalmost every open-mic he has ever participatedin. Gaurav is a regular featured act at comedyclubs across the country and has performed onthe biggest of stages including opening for VirDas and Russell Brand on his India tour. Sincethen, he has done numerous live shows, releasedvideos on YouTube and have also released a standup special, HahaKaar on Amazon Prime. His

shows are a mix of observational humour andanecdotes where he narrates stories fromcorporate offices, festivals, 90’s era, food, traveland his marriage. Ticket: Rs 499WHEN: Today, 8 PMTo book ticket visit: www.insider.in

The Month End Show - Ep 03WHAT: Presenting "The Month End Show" withSriram & Chocku - a seriously fun show that willmake you laugh and think as well (equal parts). Anew show where we will tell you all about thenews, the happenings and some stuff you need toknow, all of that with a dash of comedy. Tickets:Rs 99.WHEN: Today, 7:45 PMTo book ticket visit: www.insider.in

ATTEND

Gandh PritichaWHAT: Gandh Priticha show is all aboutpresentation of Marathi poems of the past 100years in the form of singing and reading withexpressions. This program is conceptualizedand put together by Dr Aruna Dhere. The showis presented by Dr Girish Oak, Spruha Joshi,Omkar Deshpande, Shruti PohnerkarDeshpande, Madhura Gokhale. The songs in thisshow are recreated and made more melodiousby Omkar Deshpande. This show was stagedearlier and had received great appreciation fromthe audience. As theatres are closed now, we arebringing this wonderful experience live onlinefor you all! Ticket: Rs 200.WHEN: Today, 10.30 PMTo book ticket visit: www.bookmyshow.com

Coronavirus to Facebook fans

See you on Monday, boss!Boss: Do you think you can come in on Saturday? Iknow you enjoy your weekends but I need you here. Me: Yeah, no problem. I’ll probably be late though aspublic transport on weekend is slow. Boss: What time will you get here?Me: Monday

–Compiled by Gaurav Kadam(Disclaimer: These are jokes to lighten your mood indark times)

AGENCIES / New York

Men are more likelyto be seen as ‘bril-liant’ than women,

say researchers in a newstudy measuring global per-ceptions linked to gender.The study, published in theJournal of Experimental So-cial Psychology, found thatthese stereotyped views arean instance of implicit bias,which is when associationsare automatically activatedin our minds.“Stereotypes that portray

brilliance as a male trait arelikely to hold women backacross a wide range of pres-tigious careers,” said studylead author Daniel Storagefrom the University of Den-ver in the US.

“Understanding the preva-lence and magnitude of thisgender-brilliance stereotypecan inform future efforts toincrease gender equity in ca-reer outcomes,” said studysenior author AndreiCimpian from the New YorkUniversity in the US.Previous work by Cimpian

and his colleagues has sug-gested that women are un-derrepresented in careerswhere success is perceivedto depend on high levels ofintellectual ability (e.g., bril-liance, genius), includingthose in science and technol-ogy. Less understood are thefactors that explain this phe-nomenon. To address this,the current study exploredthe potential impact ofstereotypes. In a series of

five experiments, the re-search team surveyed morethan 3,000 people from over78 countries including USwomen and men as well asUS girls and boys betweenthe ages of 9 and 10.To find out more about

gender perceptions of bril-liance, the researchersadopted an indirect way ofmeasuring the stereotype -namely, a tool called the Im-plicit Association Test (IAT).IAT measures the degree ofoverlap between concepts(e.g., brilliant and male)without explicitly askingparticipants whether or notthey hold stereotyped views.The researchers consis-

tently found evidence for animplicit stereotype associat-ing brilliance with menmore than with women.The magnitude of this

stereotype was striking aswell—for example, it wassimilar in strength to the im-plicit stereotype that associ-ates men more than womenwith careers (and womenmore than men with thefamily), which was identi-fied in earlier work.The team also gauged ex-

plicit stereotypes, directlyasking participants whetherthey believed that men aremore brilliant than women.

–IANS

Stay at home, it’s the bestway to stop COVID 19 spread

AGENCIESNew Delhi

With the populationfigures statistics,one would find it

hard to believe the India is“the impotence capital ofthe world.” Unfortunately,India is a country whereconversations about Erec-tile dysfunction (ED) are of-ten a taboo and left unspoken.However, a study by Pfiz-

er Upjohn reveals factsabout the high prevalenceof this lifestyle disease andhow women play a crucialrole in in ensuring thattheir partners get timelyand correct treatment forED by visiting the doctor.ED is the inability toachieve/ maintain penileerection which leads to un-satisfactory sexual intercourse.While treatment is readi-

ly and easily available, men

often shy away from ad-dressing this condition,which can lead to relation-ship and health problems.In light of this, the phar-maceutical companylaunched a survey to gaugepeople’s knowledge of ED,its treatment and the fac-tors that influence treat-ment.According to other re-

search, about 30 percent ofthe men below the age of 40years and 20 percent ofmen across age groups hadexperienced difficulties ingetting/maintaining anerection. 53 percent of menare not even aware of EDand 42 percent of men arewilling to substitute medi-cines prescribed by theirdoctor with a cheaper op-tion or opt for what theirpharmacist suggests. 35percent of men think thatstress is the major catalystfor ED.However, the survey reit-

erates women are slowlyfinding their voice and be-coming more vocal aboutthe issues that matter tothem. Interestingly as perthe survey, 78 percentwomen are aware aboutED, and 82 percent ofwomen said that theywould ask their partnersto visit a doctor to get theright treatment instead oftalking to friends or rely-ing on home remedies.In general the survey also

sheds light on the fact that21percent of women arenot sure if their partnerssatisfy them physically and28 percent of women mightconsider separation iftheir partner does not takeany corrective measure forED.96 percent of doctors

agreed that partners play asignificant role in the suc-cess or failure of the man’sED treatment and may in-fluence decisions regard-ing treatment and even itscontinuation.The survey included 1042

men and women and 307urologists, andrologists,sexologists and consultingphysicians.

–IANS

A luminous galaxywas caught in the act of

reionizing its surrounding gas.The objects capable of creating

such ionized hydrogen bubbles have however

remained mysterious until now

India is the impotencecapital of the world!

So this happened 800 mnyears after the Big Bang

Men more likely to be seenas ‘brilliant’ than women

hris Hemsworth says he is reallyexcited about the biopic on WWElegend Hulk Hogan, whichis currently in

development. The Thor actorrevealed that he will bulk up hisphysique for the much-anticipated film. "This movieis going to be a really funproject. As you canimagine, the preparationfor the role will be insanelyphysical. I will have to puton more size than I everhave before, even more thanI put on for Thor. And then there is theaccent as well as the physicality andthe attitude. I will also have to do adeep dive into the rabbit hole of thewrestling world, which I'm really lookingforward to doing," Hemsworth toldBritish magazine Total Film. —PTI

umail Nanjiani has called out British comedianRicky Gervais for "normalising harmful ideas"against marginalised groups through his comedy.Nanjiani and Gervais recently took part in The

Hollywood Reporter's comedy actor roundtablealongside Ramy star Ramy Youssef, Saturday Night Live'sKenan Thompson and Dan Levy of Schitt's Creek. During their discussion, Gervais said that people often

think that "a joke is the window to the comedian's truesoul". Nanjiani asked Gervais about how does he feels

when people watch his stand-up and assumethe words he says on stage are his actualthoughts. The comedian described it as"occupational hazard" and said, "Thefact is if I play to 15,000 people, thereare going to be rapists, paedophiles,murderers...That someone mighttake you at face value doing anironic joke or a satirical joke, well,yeah, some people try to injectthemselves with bleach. There are

stupid people in the world." Nanjiani, however, didn't take the

answer lightly. "But if you're making somesort of joke where obviously you don't believe it,

but the point of view of the joke is that it's good that these people aremarginalised, I do think that can normalise ideas that would otherwisesocietally be considered harmful," the actor said. —PTI

angana Ra-naut's social me-dia team on Sat-urday accused

Taapsee Pannu of"reaping the fruits of"the former's strugglesand "ganging up on her". Team Kangana madethe allegation in a tweet

tagging Taapsee."Many chaploosoutsiders consis-tently try to de-rail d move-ments startedby Kangana,dey want to bin moviemafia goodbooks, dey gtmovies andawards fr at-tacking Kan-gana and deytake part inopen harass-ment f awoman, shameon u @taapseeu reap thefruits f hrstruggles btgang up on hr,"the tweet said. Taapsee did not

directly respondto the allegations.Rather, she quotedmotivational Tony

Gaskins to point out that"bitter people" will al-ways find "somethingnegative to say aboutanything positive". "A couple of thingshave followed in my life,especially the last fewmonths. Really helped inseeing life in a betterlight. Brought me a lot ofpeace n perspective sosharing it," tweeted theactress. She also shared a quoteby Gaskins that reads:"Bitter people. God lovesthem and so should we.Pray for them. They willfind something negativeto say about anythingpositive. They can't behappy for you becausethey are disgusted withthemselves. Don't be-come bitter with them,become better and prayfor their growth and ma-turity." This is not the firsttime Taapsee has facedheat from Kangana'steam. Earlier, Kangana'ssister Rangoli Chandelhad taken a dig atTaapsee calling the ac-tress a "sasti copy"(cheap imitation) ofKangana.

—IANS

ollywood's new-age starTiger Shroff says thatwhile life is easier for peo-ple from the film industry,

it also takes "double the effort"to emerge from the filmy familyshadow. "Being my father's son,there's an added pressure of beinga star's son. People think it's veryeasy for us. I won't lie, in a way toget a little attention it helps. It'seasier for people who are from thefilm industry but it's double the ef-fort to make it on our own. I man-aged to get out of my father's shad-ow," added Tiger, son of actor Jack-ie Shroff. The young actor also opened upabout his parent's reaction to so-cial media comments on his looksin the initial daysof his career. "Myfather has beenin this industryfor 30 odd years.He has seen thehighs and lowsof the industryand he protectedme from that froma very young age.Now, that I am outthere in the open, Ihave become aneasy target,"

he said. On being constantly trolled forhis roles in movies, Tiger said, "Ienjoy some of the memes andtrolls people share. It's interestingand it's good to be talked about." Asked if he loses his cool ever, hesaid, "I do get angry but at myselfwhen I'm not able to get a shotright or not able to get a step. I amharsh at myself sometimes in or-der to improve. In an industrywhere there is so much competi-tion, just to find one's identity is soimportant. I want people to thinksomething synonymous with myname," said Tiger on him beingtypecast with generic movies of ac-tion cum dance sequences. Speaking about how he handlescriticism, Tiger said: "I like to giveit back to them with my work and

therefore, I take what they sayto heart and take it sportingly." He is fascinated with thewhole superhero universe. "Iwould do anything to do a Spi-derman film. Ever since I was akid, I was enticed by the wholesuperhero genre. I have tried toimbibe their attributes and qual-ities," he said. Asked who he thinks would bestsuit superhero roles, Tiger

said: "I think HrithikRoshan would beperfect to playCaptain Amer-ica becausethis super-

hero is the perfect superhero andHrithik is a perfect hero as well. Ifeel Ranveer Singh would pull offThor because Thor is so electric,and he is the god of thunder aswell." On the personal front, Tigersaid he is not a party per-son. "I'm very awk-ward at socialgatherings. Iusually tend tostay away, I'mnot much of aparty guy noram I a latekind of per-son. I go tobed at 10whiletheseclubsopenaround10:30,"he saidduringa chatshow.—IANS

inger Prince Royce is recovering from the deadly COVID-19, and has urgedpeople to take safety precautions. Royce opened up about his diagnosis in avideo on Friday, revealing that he tested positive for COVID-19 almost twoweeks ago even though he was taking precautions against the disease, reports

people.com. "This is something I never thought would happen to me, but it did," hesaid, adding: "It's something that, I'm in shock. I didn't think it was going to happen tome. I thought that taking precaution by washing my hands and wearing a mask wasgoing to be enough, and it was not," he continued. The singer said that he wasfortunate enough to only experience mild symptoms. —IANS

STHE FREEPRESSJOURNAL

THE STORY Nand Kishor Tyagi (Ayushmaan Sax-ena) is a young school boy living inMeerut. His captivating smile andconfidence earns him the reputationof the ‘most sought after lad’ atschool. While at senior grade, he issmitten by the charms of the eroticworld, finding it exceedingly hard tocontrol his raging libido. He starts byhitting out at his classmate and rakhisister, Priyanka (Rashmi Agdekar).Things begin to change when the newgrammar teacher, Shano Madam(Swara Bhaskar), enters the scene.Shano’s charismatic ways sweepNand off his feet and he soon ob-sessed with her. What he is about todiscover about Shano Madam is be-yond shocking.

THE REVIEWIn India, adult comedy equals as softporn. Writers and directors go to thefarthest extent of making a mockeryout of any social situation concern-ing women. In a patriarchal societylike India, women are simply lookeddown upon as sex objects, whose sole

criteria is reduced to satiating thecarnal desires of a man. Her opinionsand social standing are convenientlydiscarded and relegated to the simpleaspect of being ably equipped to keepa man happy. The series goes all out to show howit is absolutely okay for a high schoolboy to hit out at his teacher. Even asthe series progresses, one will find avery young girl (who is probably noteven a decade old) showing off herrather seductive moves in front of agroup of drunk men. Thankfully, sheisn’t provocatively dressed. And, themen are embarrassed to see her thatway. Yet, the indirect conditioning in-volves that the little song and dancekeep her man from going on a merry-go-round in lieu of searching formore enticing options. The protagonists have made atremendous effort at adding glam quo-tients with their craft, however, theway the plot is directed weakens thevery essence of the plot and deliversviewers the unwarranted connotationof soft porn. The editing is far fromcrisp, and the direction is simply con-

fused. Saxena earns a serious fan fol-lowing with his boyish grin and evolv-ing teenage charm. He is oozing withconfidence and is equipped with fit-ting bouts of energy to carry off therole. Swara Bhaskar has convincinglyessayed the role of Shano. One canwitness the effeminate version ofJekyll and Hyde take over as shetransforms herself into an erotic diva. The narrative is prominently dis-counted for the Amazon Prime stan-dards. However, despite all the effortsmade by writer Shantanu Srivastavathis could have made for an interest-ing narrative if it were tweaked to in-corporate social consciousness andjudicious amounts of glam to flavourthe series more amicably.

—Review by Heer Kothari

NAME OF THE SERIES: Rasbhari NUMBER OF EPISODES: 8PLATFORM: Amazon PrimeCAST: Swara Bhaskar, AyushmaanSaxena, Pradhuman Singh and Rashmi Agdekar,DIRECTOR: Nikhil Bhat RATING: H

Web Watch Rasbhari: Concept of adultcomedy goes for a toss

PrinceRoyce tests positive forCOVID-19 12

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‘There’s added pressurebeing a star’s son’

Says Tiger Shroff, amid the ‘insider versus outsider’ debate

Kangana accusesTaapsee Pannu ofganging up on her

Ajay to make a film onGalwan Valley incident

ctor-producer Ajay Devgn is all set to announce a filmbased on the attack on Indian soldiers by Chinesetroops in Ladakhs Galwan Valley. According to thefilm's description, it will narrate the "story of the sacri-

fice of 20 Indian army men who fought the Chinese army". It is not clear if Ajay will star in the film. The cast and other

crew are under finalisation. The film will be co-produced by AjayDevgn FFilms and Select Media Holdings LLP. On June 15, 20 Indian soldiers lost their lives in a violent faceoff

in Galwan Valley in eastern Ladakh with the Chinese forces. TheGalwan clash occurred at the south bank of the river, which flows in

an east-west direction, before its confluence with Shayok river. It was the first casualties faced by the Indian Army in a clash with the

Chinese People's Liberation Army since 1975, when an Indian patrol wasambushed by Chinese troops in Arunachal Pradesh. Coming up for Ajay soon is Bhuj: The Pride of India. The film also stars

Sanjay Dutt, Sonakshi Sinha, Ammy Virk, and Sharad Kelkar and is writtenand directed by Abhishek Dudhaiya. The film is slated to premiere digitally onan OTT platform soon. —IANS

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t's been an eight-year journey for ac-tress Diana Penty in the Hindi filmindustry. She says it has been a greatlearning experience and that each

film she has done till now has taught hersomething new. The actress made her debutin 2012 with the hit Cocktail starring Saif AliKhan and Deepika Padukone. She was thenseen in films like Happy Bhag Jayegi, Luc-know Central, Parmanu: The Story OfPokhran and Happy Phirr Bhag Jayegi. "It's been a great journey, and a great learn-ing experience. Each film has taught mesomething new — be it about myself, mycraft, my profession, people. I'm also gratefulto have had the opportunity to work with

some wonderful and very talented peoplealong the way," Diana said. She recently shared that follows her gut feel-ing when it comes to picking scripts, and saysthat it has never let her down. Amid the lockdown, Diana has come outwith an initiative called The Khaki Project toextend help and support to Mumbai Police,who have been in the forefront in the city'sfight against the coronavirus outbreak. Onthe work front, she will next be seen in the ro-mantic drama Shiddat, which also stars Mo-hit Raina, Radhika Madan and SunnyKaushal, and is directed by Kunal Deshmukhof Jannat fame on a script by ShridharRaghavan and Dheeraj Rattan. —IANS

Every film has taught DianaPenty something new

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Kumail Nanjiani criticises RickyGervais for ‘normalising harmful ideas’

Chris excited aboutHulk Hogan biopic

FPJ SPORTSTHE FREEPRESSJOURNALMUMBAI | SUNDAY | JULY 5, 2020 13

FPJ SPORTS DESKManchester

Wonder strikes from MasonGreenwood and Anthony Martialhelped Manchester United beatAFC Bournemouth 5-2 and moveinto the top four of the PremierLeague.The Cherries led when JuniorStanislas brilliantly nutmeggedHarry Maguire before firing pastDavid De Gea on 15 minutes.Mason Greenwood equalised on29 minutes with a powerful fin-ish.Marcus Rashford then scored apenalty after Adam Smith's hand-ball, before Anthony Martialmade it 3-1 with a sensationalstrike in off the crossbar just be-fore half-time.King scored a penalty to giveAFC Bournemouth a lifelineshortly after the break, after sub-stitute Eric Bailly handled theball.But Greenwood scored with aspectacular effort on 54 minutes,before Bruno Fernandes nettedwith a free-kick just before thehour mark.Manchester United move onepoint above Chelsea into fourthplace, before the Blues host Wat-ford on Saturday evening. AFCBournemouth remain on 27points in 19th.In the other match, Jamie Vardyscored his 100th and 101st Pre-mier League goals to help Leices-ter City to a 3-0 win over CrystalPalace.Leicester ended their run ofthree matches without a win asall three goals came in the secondhalf.The Foxes nearly took a first-half lead when James Justin hitthe crossbar, while Luka Milivo-jevic went close for Palace with afree-kick.

Kelechi Iheanacho scored hissecond goal in as many matcheswhen he tapped in Youri Tiele-mans' cross on 49 minutes.Vardy doubled the lead with hislandmark goal in the 77th minute,after Harvey Barnes pounced ona slip by Mamadou Sakho to teehim up.

The striker added his secondwith a rising shot in stoppagetime.Leicester remain third on 58points. Palace are 12th with 42.In Norwich Brighton moved tothe brink of safety in the PremierLeague and left last-place Nor-wich closer to relegation after

winning 1-0 at Carrow Road, earli-er in the day.Leandro Trossard's goal in the25th minute was enough to earnBrighton its second victory in fourmatches since the restart of theleague and push the team ninepoints clear of the relegation zone.Norwich stayed seven points

from safety with just five matchesremaining and looked consignedto the drop after one season backin the top flight.Since the resumption, Norwichhas lost four straight leaguegames and also been eliminatedfrom the FA Cup at the quarterfi-nal stage.

Greenwood, Anthony strikeThe former champions Manchester United move one point above Chelsea into fourth place

CURRENTLY FOURTH IN THE LEAGUE WITH 55 POINTS, 31 POINTS BEHIND CHAMPIONS LIVERPOOL

FPJ SPORTS DESKManchester

Fifteen down and yet tofind a opponent, is thejourney of ManchesterUnited in their 15-matchunbeaten run in all com-petitions, FA Cup, Eu-ropa League and Cham-pions League qualifica-tion all remain realisticaims.They are currentlyfourth in the leaguewith 55 points, 31points behind champi-ons Liverpool.Their manager OleGunnar Solskjaer saidhe expected the race toqualify for next sea-son's ChampionsLeague. " I think thelast round of fixtures isgoing to be vital".Solksjaer and his boysunbeaten run across allcompetitions does notmean they havecracked the code asthere is still room forimprovement, feels Sol-skjaer.Former United cap-tain Gary Neville saidon Sky Sports afterTuesday's 3-0 victory

over Brighton & HoveAlbion that the clubstill needed to recruitthree or four new play-ers during the transferwindow to make themtitle contenders again.United are currentlyfifth in the league with52 points, 34 points be-

hind champions Liver-pool with six games re-maining."Gary's right about alot of things... we can'tthink we're there be-cause of the table -we're nowhere nearwhere we should be,"Solskjaer, whose side

face Bournemouth onSaturday, told a newsconference."Consistency has tobe improved. We stillhave to improve onmany aspects of thegame... there's not go-ing to be complacencyand thinking, 'This is

it, we've cracked it.'"We've got so muchwork to do, but it's anenjoyable journey. Youcan see the improve-ment. So, yeah, weneed to make one ortwo very good deci-sions - or more good de-cisions - but it's goingto be a very importantsummer, definitely."Solskjaer said he ex-pected the race to qual-ify for next season'sChampions League byfinishing in the topfour to go down to thewire.United are two pointsbehind fourth-placedChelsea and threepoints behind third-placed Leicester City.Solskjaer's side are lev-el with WolverhamptonWanderers below them."I think the lastround of fixtures is go-ing to be vital," Solsk-jaer added."You've got Chelsea v.Wolves and us againstLeicester - so it mightbe a three-point advan-tage for us or Leicester,and it's still an impor-tant game."

Man U can still improve: SolskjaerSPORTS CAFE

I think the lastround offixtures isgoing to be

vital”.

Olympic champion Lin Dan retiresBEIJING: Legendary Chinese shuttler Lin Dan, the firstmen's singles player to retain the Olympic title, on Saturdayannounced his retirement, bringing down curtains on a two-decade long illustrious career. Considered as one of thegreatest players in history, the two-time Olympic champion,popularly known as 'Super Dan', announced his retirementon China's twitter-like social media Weibo.

Italian Style win Online ShootingNEW DELHI: Italian Style defeated Austrian Rocks 10-8 in athrilling contest on the opening day of the world's first OnlineShooting League. In the 10m air rife event, the two teamswere tied on the first and the sixth rounds. The final is slatedfor July 26 and will be preceded by the third-place match, aday earlier.

FIFA to inspect venues in IndonesiaJAKARTA: FIFA delegates will visit Indonesia in Septemberto closely look at and assess the condition of venues of the2021 U-20 World Cup, the Indonesian Football Associationsaid. Indonesia has officially announced six out of tenpotential sports stadiums in the shortlist for the upcoming2021 FIFA U-20 World Cup venues, reports Xinhua newsagency.

J-League restarts after pandemicTOKYO: Japan's professional soccer league restarted onSaturday after a four-month break caused by thecoronavirus pandemic. All 18 top-flight teams were inaction, and the nine games were played without fans.Japan's popular pro baseball league restarted last month,also without fans. The first division of the J-Leaguesuspended play in February after only one round ofmatches had been played. It is expected to gradually startallowing fans to enter later this month although that couldbe slowed with Tokyo reporting a steady increase inCOVID-19 cases.

Salvi to coach PuducherryMUMBAI: Former India seamer Aavishkar Salvi hasbeen appointed head coach of the Puducherry seniorteam for the upcoming domestic season. Thedevelopment was confirmed by a Cricket Association ofPondicherry (CAP) official who also informed that formerMumbai first-class cricketer Onkar Khanvilkar will beassistant coach and former Rajasthan keeper DishantYagnik will don the role of a fielding coach. The 38-yearold Salvi replaces former Karnataka batsman J ArunKumar as the Pondicherry head coach. All theappointments are for one season.

Football Delhi waives off feeNEW DELHI: Football Delhi has decided to waive off feesfor players registration and clubs/academies accreditationand licensing to lessen the financial burden brought uponthem by the COVID-19 pandemic. This was decided duringFootball Delhi's executive committee meeting held via videoconferencing on Friday. This will be in existence till March31, 2021. "With this measure each of the club and academywill be saving a considerable amount," FD president ShajiPrabhakaran said in a release.

AGENCIESLondon

England on Saturday announced a 13-man squad for the first Test of the three-match #raisethebat series against WestIndies beginning July 8 at the AgeasBowl. Apart from the squad, nine play-ers will remain at the venue as Test re-serves.

Dom Bess has been named as Eng-land's sole spinner in the squad where-as wicket-keeper batsman JonnyBairstow and all-rounder Moeen Alihave missed out.The 22-year-old has won the battlewith Somerset team-mate Jack Leachand Moeen Ali for the slow-bowlingberth he regained over the winter due toLeach's illness and Ali having taken abreak from Test cricket.All-rounder Ben Stokes will becomeEngland's 81st Test captain in the match,which will also see the resumption of in-ternational cricket which has been on ahalt since March due to the COVID-19pandemic. Earlier this week, it was con-firmed that Stokes will replace regularskipper Joe Root as captain.Root, who has returned to Sheffield tobe at the birth of his second child, leftthe secure bubble in Southampton ear-lier this week. He will self-isolate forseven days before joining up with thesquad ahead of the second Test at the

Old Trafford starting on July 16.Both England and West Indies playerswill also be seen wearing a 'Black LivesMatter' logo on the collar of their shirts

in order to show solidarity with the'Black Lives Matter' movement whichhas been going on ever since the deathof George Floyd in US.

England squad for Ageas Bowl battleBess the only spinner ahead of Jack Leach andMoeen Ali, in the 13-man team led by Stokes

England squadBen Stokes (c), James Anderson, Jofra Archer, Rory Burns, Dom Bess, Stuart Broad, JosButtler(wk), Zak Crawley, Joe Denly, Ollie Pope, Dom Sibley, Mark Wood, Chris Woakes.Reserves: James Bracey, Sam Curran, Ben Foakes, Dan Lawrence, Jack Leach, SaqibMahmood, Craig Overton, Ollie Robinson, Olly Stone.

PRESS TRUST OF INDIANew Delhi

The Sports Ministry on Sat-urday removed the Rs 2 lakhcap on the salary given to In-dian coaches for trainingelite athletes in a bid to en-courage them to produce bet-ter results.The move is also aimed atattracting former players tobecome high performancetrainers. The announce-ment came after theministry's decision toextend the contractsof all foreign coach-es till September 30next year."Several Indiancoaches are showingvery good results and need tobe rewarded for their hardwork. The government is alsokeen to attract the bestcoaching talent from acrossthe country to train elite ath-letes and we do not want thecap on compensation to be adeterrent for good coaches tojoin," Sports Minister KirenRijiju said in a release.The ministry release saidthe increased remunerationand longer contract period 'isto attract ex-elite athletesinto the high performancesporting ecosystem, and touse their experience andskill to train athletes bound

for major international com-petitions, including theOlympics'.The future hiring, both In-dian and foreign, will be for afour-year cycle in sync withthe Olympics to ensure con-tinuity. Indian Olympic Asso-ciation (IOA) welcomed themove, saying it will encour-age domestic coaches to pro-duce better results as theyhave been put on par with

their foreign counter-parts."IOA and NationalSports Federationswholeheartedly ap-preciate the decisionof the Sports Min-istry to remove salarycap of domestic coaches.

The cap was limiting ourcoaches who have been pro-ducing high-performance in-ternational medallists," IOASecretary General RajeevMehta said."This decision is also en-couraging for moresportspersons to choosecoaching as a profession now.With new steps to improvethe coaching education, do-mestic coaches would be onpar with internationalcoaches in the future."The remuneration will bedecided on the basis of theirperformance as an athlete aswell as his or her success as acoach.

FPJ SPORTS DESKMumbai

The Reliance FoundationYoung Champs (RFYC) acad-emy has been conferred two-star academy status by theAsian Football Confedera-tion (AFC). The recognition was con-firmed by AFC general secre-tary Dato' Windsor John in acommunication to the All In-dia Football Federation(AIFF) on Friday.RFYC became the firstyouth academy in India to begranted a five-star rating bythe AIFF Academy Accredi-tation process in June, 2019.The other academy that gotthe two-star rating is Ben-galuru FC's Youth Develop-ment programme.Assessments are made onthe basis of the academy'sability to provide leadership,planning, organisation,staffing, recruitment, finance,facilities, coaching, playerhealth, coaching and fitnessamong other requirements."To be granted Two-StarAcademy status is indeed a

proud moment for all of us atRFYC," said Nita Ambani,Reliance Foundation chair-person."Our goal is to unlock thehuge potential of Indian foot-ball. I firmly believe in orderto accomplish that, we needto create a world class eco-system that helps funnel thetalent pool that exists acrossthe country."This recognition by AFCwill only strengthen our re-solve to continue to strive to-wards excellence and ensureRFYC plays its part in put-ting Indian football on theglobal map. I thank AFC andAIFF for the honour."Since the inception of itsjourney in May 2015, RFYChas made rapid strides to-wards achieving its vision ofcreating not only the nation'snext generation of footballstars but also future rolemodels and leaders.RFYC has emerged as notonly the most well-equippedresidential academy in thecountry but also as a nurseryfor budding talents scoutedfrom across India.

Boost for coaches RFYC conferred2-star academy status by AFC

Mid field action during the Manchester United and Bournemouth encounter at Old Trafford in Manchester, on Sunday

ASSOCIATED PRESS / Turin

Juventus goalkeeper Gianluigi Buffonset an outright Serie Arecord on Saturday with his 648th appearance in Italy's topflight.The Turin derby game against Torino moved the 42-year-oldBuffon one ahead of AC Milan great Paolo Maldini, who setthe record in 2009. Buffon matched this record on Dec. 18against Sampdoria.It was Buffon's 915th club match as a professional, extendinghis record for an Italian player.The vast majority of those matches have come for Juventus.Buffon joined the Bianconeri in 2001 after starting his careerwith Parma and swiftly established himself as one of the bestgoalkeepers in the world.He was expected to retire at the end of the 2017-18 season butinstead made a surprise move to Paris Saint-Germain, wherehe won the French league to add to his multiple titles. Hecaused even more of a stir when he rejoined Juventus the fol-lowing year.Buffon recently extended his contract for another season.He could add to his impressive medal collection with a 10thSerie A title with Juventus, which has a four-point advantageat the top of the table.Two other titles were stripped from the club due to the Cal-

ciopoli scandal. Also as punishment, Juventus was relegatedto Serie B but Buffon stayed and helped it win the second di-vision and bounce straight back up.

Keeper Buffonsets Serie A

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