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12
62 casualties take toll to 758, AP reports 4,944 fresh cases Andhra Pradesh recorded 62 Covid-19 deaths in the last 24 hours, the highest single-day toll in the state due to the virus. The number of deaths to Covid-19 shot up to 758. Meanwhile, the number of cases increased to 58,668 as another 4,944 new Covid-19 infections were confirmed in the state. On the brighter side, 1,232 more patients were dis- charged from hospitals, taking the total number of recoveries to 25,574. The number of active cases stood at 32,336. The East Godavari district reported 10 Covid-19 deaths while nine deaths were report- ed from Vizag, eight from Chittoor and seven in Srikakulam district. Six deaths each were report- ed from Anantapur and West Godavari districts while five each were reported from Guntur and Prakasam districts. Kurnool district reported four deaths while one death each were recorded in Vizianagaram and Kadapa districts. As many as 13,86,274 sam- ples have been tested in the state, of which 37,162 were tested in the last 24 hours. Of the 25,574 patients dis- charged from hospitals across the state so far, 22,896 are locals and 2,259 and 419 had returned from other states and countries, respectively. Meanwhile, West Godavari accounted for 623 of the 4,944 fresh infections, Guntur 577, Chittoor 560, East Godavari 524, Kurnool 515, Anantapur 458, Krishna 424, Kadapa 322, Visakhapatnam 230 and Vizianagaram 210. India's Covid-19 fatality rate has dropped significantly to 2.43 per cent from 3.36 per cent on June 17 due to effective clinical management of coro- navirus cases, the Centre said on Tuesday, asserting the coun- try has handled the pandemic "relatively well”. Thirty states and Union Territories have Covid-19 pos- itivity rate lower than that of the national average which stands at 8.07 per cent, Rajesh Bhushan, officer on special duty in the Union health min- istry, told a press conference here. “Nineteen states and UTs are performing more than 140 tests per day per million pop- ulation. Just doing tests is not enough, they have to be done at a level of 140 tests per day per million so that the rate of positivity reduces and comes down to 10 per cent first and then continue the testing process so that the rate of positivity further reduces to 5 per cent or lower," he said. "So that is the ultimate aim to maintain this level of testing and bring positivity lower to 5 per cent eventually or even lower than that," he said. In India, the Covid-19 deaths per million population stand at 20.4 per million which is amongst lowest in the world, Bhushan said. "There are several countries where the deaths per million is 21 times or 33 times higher than in India. The global aver- age stands at 77 deaths per mil- lion population," he said. "So far, the nation has man- aged Covid-19 relatively well. The Government of India is cooperating with all states and UTs. All decisions are being taken based on science and evi- dence-based inputs and in consultation with domain knowledge experts," Bhushan said. He also shared a chart showing that the Covid-19 case fatality rate has declined from 3.36 per cent on June 17 to 2.43 per cent now. He asserted that the signif- icant decline in the case fatal- ity rate has been due to effec- tive clinical management of cases. India recorded 37,148 Covid-19 cases in the last 24 hours, pushing its tally to 11,55,191 , while the total number of recoveries increased to 7,24,577, according to Union health ministry data issued on 8 am Tuesday. The death toll due to the dis- ease rose to 28,084 with 587 fatalities reported in a day, the data showed. There are 4,02,529 active cases of the coronavirus infec- tion currently in the country, while 7,24,577 people have recovered till now. Thus, 62.72 per cent people have recovered so far, the ministry said. Oxford vaccine produces cell mediated immune response The coronavirus vaccine developed by Oxford University and AstraZeneca shows promise as it can gen- erate both antibodies and cell-mediated immune responses, say several scien- tists in India and abroad, while cautioning that there is still a long way to go. Very promising , comfort- ing and interesting were some of the reactions from the sci- entific community a day after The Lancet revealed the vac- cine appears safe and induces a strong immune response following the first phase of human trials. Doses of the vaccine were given to 1,077 healthy adults aged between 18 and 55 in five UK hospitals in April and May as part of the phase one clinical trial. With scientists and researchers across the world racing to develop a vaccine against the disease that has infected more that 14.7 mil- lion people across the world and claimed more than 6,00,000 lives, the Oxford- AstraZeneca results are being examined closely. It is ideal" that the vaccine is able to generate both humoral and cell mediated immunity, virologist Upasana Ray said. Humoral immunity is the production of antibodies by the body's B cells. While anti- bodies make up the protein component of the immune system, T cells offer vital cell- mediated immunity, she explained. Ray, senior scientist at Kolkata's CSIR-Indian Institute of Chemical Biology (CSIR-IICB), added that both components are essential to provide effective immuno- logical memory and also for long-term protection. As expected, the YSRCP gov- ernment on Tuesday announced the names of its two nominees for the Legislative Council seats under the Governor’s quota. Proving the rumours that did rounds on Monday to be true, the AP government announced the names of for- mer MP Pandula Ravindra Babu and Zakia Khanam as its nominees for the two MLC seats. YSR Congress Party president YS Jaganmohan Reddy finalised the two candidates as he was keen on giving more representation to the Scheduled Castes and Muslim communities. However, their terms are expected to be very short, since the YSRCP govern- ment has already ini- tiated the process to abolish the State Legislative Council. Ravindra Babu had resigned as Member of Parliament to join the YSRCP. Jagan during his Padayatra had promised the East Godavari leader a Legislative Council post once the party came to power. Zakia Khanam is being hon- oured with the MLC nomina- tion in recognition of the ser- vices rendered to the party by her husband Ali Khan. The Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) told the National Green Tribunal Tuesday that over 1.60 lakh healthcare facil- ities across the country have not obtained requisite permission under Bio-medical Waste Manage ment (BMWM) Rules and running without authori- sation. The apex pollution mon- itoring body told the green panel that as per the annual report submitted by state pol- lution control boards, out of 2,70,416 healthcare facilities, only 1,11,122 units have applied for authorisation and 1,10,356 HCFs have obtained authoriza- tion under BMWM Rules, 2016. Continuing with the reforms in education sector, the State Government will be intro- ducing LKG (Lower Kindergarten) and UKG (Upper Kindergarten) in the form of Pre-Primary PP 1 and PP 2 in State-run schools besides placing Anganwadis adjacent to the schools while focusing on skill development and job orientation in higher education. Chief Minister YS Jaganmohan Reddy, during a review meeting on School education and Jagananna Goru Mudda held here on Tuesday said that there should be synergy between PP1 and PP2 with primary education and the syllabus should be drafted with care. Of the 55,000 Anganwadi, 35,000 do not have own build- ings and they should be placed besides the schools, the Chief Minister said. When officials brought to his notice that there were no junior colleges in 270 mandals, the Chief Minister said that high schools can be convert- ed into junior colleges and the officials should see to it that vacancies are filled up. Teaching in junior colleges should focus on competitive exams and steps should be taken to enable the students to face the IIT and JEE entrance tests. Learn to learn concept should be developed with dig- ital education, he said. To improve English stan- dard among students, TOEFL type of exams should be con- ducted, the Chief Minister said. Focus should be laid on digital education and comput- er knowledge should be imparted to the students. S-I suspended for ‘tonsuring’ Dalit man A police sub-inspector, who allegedly beat up a Dalit youth black and blue and later chopped off his hair and shaved his moustache inside the police station in East Godavari district has been suspended. The alleged incident took place in Sithanagaram police station in the limits of Rajahmundry Urban Police District. Taking action immediately as soon as a complaint against the alleged highhandedness of the sub-inspector was filed, Eluru range DIG KV Mohan Rao suspended the cop. Based on a complaint, sub- inspector Shaik Feroz Shah allegedly beat up Vara Prasad severely and chopped off his hair as well as his moustache inside the police station. When news of this broke, the police department condemned it in one voice, terming it “an inhuman act”. The department is also contemplating implementing the SC/ST Atrocity Act on other persons who are respon- sible for this shameful act. North Zone DCP P Satyannarayana Rao is inves- tigating the case. Despite Tirupati on lock- down again and unfazed by the staff being infected, Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams (TTD) chair- man YV Subba Reddy on Tuesday asserted that dar- shan services for the devotees in Tirumala will continue unhindered. Subba Reddy, speaking to reporters here, said an analy- sis done by the Board revealed that devotees were not the reason for the rapid transmission of the virus as claimed. He also said that they would provide darshan for devotees who had booked online. Local bookings were suspended in the wake of the lockdown curbs in Tirupati, said the chairman advising those who are in contain- ment zones not to come for darshan to Tirumala. In view of a surge in coro- navirus cases in Tirupati, officials reimposed total lockdown to contain the spread of the virus in the city. The fresh lockdown will be in force till August 5. Barring essential services, all other shops will be allowed to open only between 6 AM and 11 AM in the temple town. TDP national president and former Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu alleged that Dalit youth Vara Prasad was tonsured at Seethanagaram in East Godavari district just because he objected to illegal sand mining. “Jungle Raj has returned to AP. Vara Prasad's head was ton- sured by leaders belonging to YSRCP in East Godavari dis- trict's Seethanagaram Police Station", said Naidu in a scathing attack on the Jaganmohan Reddy govern- ment in the State. The TDP chief said that the alleged tonsure took place in the presence of policemen who heckled and beat the man “to pulp” and thus destroying the self-esteem of a Dalit. In a major boost to the dairy sector in the state that is expect- ed to unleash a white revolu- tion, the Andhra Pradesh gov- ernment inked a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Anand Milk Union Limited (Amul) here on Tuesday. The MoU was signed by Special Chief Secretary Poonam Malakondaiah and AMUL’s Chennai Zonal Head Rajan in the presence of Chief Minister YS Jaganmohan Reddy. Ravindra Babu, Zakia Khanam set for Council

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62 casualties take toll to 758,AP reports 4,944 fresh cases

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Andhra Pradesh recorded 62Covid-19 deaths in the last 24hours, the highest single-day tollin the state due to the virus. Thenumber of deaths to Covid-19shot up to 758.

Meanwhile, the number ofcases increased to 58,668 asanother 4,944 new Covid-19infections were confirmed in thestate. On the brighter side,1,232 more patients were dis-charged from hospitals, takingthe total number of recoveriesto 25,574. The number of activecases stood at 32,336.

The East Godavari districtreported 10 Covid-19 deathswhile nine deaths were report-ed from Vizag, eight fromChittoor and seven inSrikakulam district.

Six deaths each were report-ed from Anantapur and WestGodavari districts while fiveeach were reported fromGuntur and Prakasam districts.Kurnool district reported fourdeaths while one death eachwere recorded in Vizianagaramand Kadapa districts.

As many as 13,86,274 sam-ples have been tested in the state,of which 37,162 were tested inthe last 24 hours.

Of the 25,574 patients dis-charged from hospitals acrossthe state so far, 22,896 are localsand 2,259 and 419 had returnedfrom other states and countries,respectively. Meanwhile, WestGodavari accounted for 623 of

the 4,944 fresh infections,Guntur 577, Chittoor 560, EastGodavari 524, Kurnool 515,

Anantapur 458, Krishna 424,Kadapa 322, Visakhapatnam230 and Vizianagaram 210.

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India's Covid-19 fatality ratehas dropped significantly to2.43 per cent from 3.36 percent on June 17 due to effectiveclinical management of coro-navirus cases, the Centre saidon Tuesday, asserting the coun-try has handled the pandemic"relatively well”.

Thirty states and UnionTerritories have Covid-19 pos-itivity rate lower than that ofthe national average whichstands at 8.07 per cent, RajeshBhushan, officer on specialduty in the Union health min-istry, told a press conferencehere.

“Nineteen states and UTs areperforming more than 140tests per day per million pop-ulation. Just doing tests is notenough, they have to be doneat a level of 140 tests per dayper million so that the rate ofpositivity reduces and comesdown to 10 per cent first andthen continue the testingprocess so that the rate of

positivity further reduces to 5per cent or lower," he said.

"So that is the ultimate aimto maintain this level of testingand bring positivity lower to 5per cent eventually or evenlower than that," he said.

In India, the Covid-19deaths per million populationstand at 20.4 per million whichis amongst lowest in the world,Bhushan said.

"There are several countrieswhere the deaths per million is21 times or 33 times higherthan in India. The global aver-age stands at 77 deaths per mil-lion population," he said.

"So far, the nation has man-aged Covid-19 relatively well.The Government of India iscooperating with all states andUTs. All decisions are beingtaken based on science and evi-

dence-based inputs and inconsultation with domainknowledge experts," Bhushansaid. He also shared a chartshowing that the Covid-19case fatality rate has declinedfrom 3.36 per cent on June 17to 2.43 per cent now.

He asserted that the signif-icant decline in the case fatal-ity rate has been due to effec-tive clinical management ofcases. India recorded 37,148Covid-19 cases in the last 24hours, pushing its tally to11,55,191 , while the totalnumber of recoveries increasedto 7,24,577, according to Unionhealth ministry data issuedon 8 am Tuesday.

The death toll due to the dis-ease rose to 28,084 with 587fatalities reported in a day, thedata showed.

There are 4,02,529 activecases of the coronavirus infec-tion currently in the country,while 7,24,577 people haverecovered till now. Thus, 62.72per cent people have recoveredso far, the ministry said.

Oxford vaccine produces cellmediated immune response�� � ��-����.�

The coronavirus vaccinedeveloped by OxfordUniversity and AstraZenecashows promise as it can gen-erate both antibodies andcell-mediated immuneresponses, say several scien-tists in India and abroad,while cautioning that there isstill a long way to go.

Very promising , comfort-ing and interesting were someof the reactions from the sci-entific community a day afterThe Lancet revealed the vac-cine appears safe and inducesa strong immune responsefollowing the first phase ofhuman trials.

Doses of the vaccine weregiven to 1,077 healthy adultsaged between 18 and 55 in

five UK hospitals in April andMay as part of the phase oneclinical trial.

With scientists and

researchers across the worldracing to develop a vaccineagainst the disease that hasinfected more that 14.7 mil-lion people across the worldand claimed more than6,00,000 lives, the Oxford-

AstraZeneca results are beingexamined closely.

It is ideal" that the vaccineis able to generate bothhumoral and cell mediatedimmunity, virologist UpasanaRay said.

Humoral immunity is theproduction of antibodies bythe body's B cells. While anti-bodies make up the proteincomponent of the immunesystem, T cells offer vital cell-mediated immunity, sheexplained.

Ray, senior scientist atKolkata 's CSIR-IndianInstitute of Chemical Biology(CSIR-IICB), added that bothcomponents are essential toprovide effective immuno-logical memory and also forlong-term protection.

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As expected, the YSRCP gov-ernment on Tuesdayannounced the names of itstwo nominees for theLegislative Council seats underthe Governor’s quota.

Proving the rumours thatdid rounds on Monday to betrue, the AP governmentannounced the names of for-

mer MP PandulaRavindra Babu andZakia Khanam asits nominees forthe two MLCseats.

YSR CongressParty president YSJaganmohan Reddyfinalised the two candidatesas he was keen on giving morerepresentation to the

Scheduled Castes andMuslim communities.

However, theirterms are expected tobe very short, sincethe YSRCP govern-

ment has already ini-tiated the process to

abolish the StateLegislative Council.

Ravindra Babu had resignedas Member of Parliament to

join the YSRCP. Jagan duringhis Padayatra had promised theEast Godavari leader aLegislative Council post oncethe party came to power.

Zakia Khanam is being hon-oured with the MLC nomina-tion in recognition of the ser-vices rendered to the party byher husband Ali Khan.

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The Central Pollution ControlBoard (CPCB) told the NationalGreen Tribunal Tuesday thatover 1.60 lakh healthcare facil-ities across the country have notobtained requisite permissionunder Bio-medical WasteManage ment (BMWM) Rulesand running without authori-sation. The apex pollution mon-itoring body told the greenpanel that as per the annualreport submitted by state pol-lution control boards, out of2,70,416 healthcare facilities,only 1,11,122 units have appliedfor authorisation and 1,10,356HCFs have obtained authoriza-tion under BMWM Rules,2016.

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Continuing with the reformsin education sector, the StateGovernment will be intro-ducing LKG (LowerKindergarten) and UKG(Upper Kindergarten) in theform of Pre-Primary PP 1and PP 2 in State-run schoolsbesides placing Anganwadisadjacent to the schools whilefocusing on skill developmentand job orientation in highereducation.

Chief Minister YSJaganmohan Reddy, during a

review meeting on Schooleducation and Jagananna

Goru Mudda held here onTuesday said that there should

be synergy between PP1 andPP2 with primary educationand the syllabus should bedrafted with care.

Of the 55,000 Anganwadi,35,000 do not have own build-ings and they should be placedbesides the schools, the ChiefMinister said.

When officials brought tohis notice that there were nojunior colleges in 270 mandals,the Chief Minister said thathigh schools can be convert-ed into junior colleges and theofficials should see to it thatvacancies are filled up.

Teaching in junior collegesshould focus on competitiveexams and steps should betaken to enable the students toface the IIT and JEE entrancetests. Learn to learn conceptshould be developed with dig-ital education, he said.

To improve English stan-dard among students, TOEFLtype of exams should be con-ducted, the Chief Ministersaid. Focus should be laid ondigital education and comput-er knowledge should beimparted to the students.

S-I suspended for‘tonsuring’ Dalit man�� � ��,�.������

A police sub-inspector, whoallegedly beat up a Dalit youthblack and blue and laterchopped off his hair andshaved his moustache insidethe police station in EastGodavari district has beensuspended.

The alleged incident tookplace in Sithanagarampolice station in thelimits ofR a j a h m u n d r yUrban PoliceDistrict.

Taking actionimmediately assoon as a complaintagainst the allegedhighhandedness of thesub-inspector was filed, Elururange DIG KV Mohan Raosuspended the cop.

Based on a complaint, sub-inspector Shaik Feroz Shahallegedly beat up Vara Prasadseverely and chopped off his

hair as well as hismoustache inside thepolice station.

When news ofthis broke, thepolice department

condemned it inone voice, terming it

“an inhuman act”.The department is also

contemplating implementingthe SC/ST Atrocity Act onother persons who are respon-sible for this shameful act.

North Zone DCP PSatyannarayana Rao is inves-tigating the case.

������������������� ���� ���������������� � �������

Despite Tirupati on lock-down again and unfazed bythe staff being infected,Tirumala TirupatiDevasthanams (TTD) chair-man YV Subba Reddy onTuesday asserted that dar-shan services for the devoteesin Tirumala will continueunhindered.

Subba Reddy, speaking toreporters here, said an analy-sis done by the Boardrevealed that devotees werenot the reason for the rapidtransmission of the virus asclaimed. He also said thatthey would provide darshan

for devotees who had bookedonline. Local bookings weresuspended in the wake of thelockdown curbs in Tirupati,said the chairman advisingthose who are in contain-ment zones not to come fordarshan to Tirumala.

In view of a surge in coro-navirus cases in Tirupati,officials reimposed totallockdown to contain thespread of the virus in the city.The fresh lockdown will bein force till August 5.

Barring essential services,all other shops will beallowed to open onlybetween 6 AM and 11 AMin the temple town.

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TDP national president andformer Chief Minister NChandrababu Naidu allegedthat Dalit youth Vara Prasadwas tonsured at Seethanagaramin East Godavari district justbecause he objected to illegalsand mining.

“Jungle Raj has returned toAP. Vara Prasad's head was ton-sured by leaders belonging toYSRCP in East Godavari dis-trict's Seethanagaram PoliceStation", said Naidu in ascathing attack on theJaganmohan Reddy govern-ment in the State.

The TDP chief said that thealleged tonsure took place inthe presence of policemen whoheckled and beat the man “topulp” and thus destroying theself-esteem of a Dalit.

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In a major boost to the dairysector in the state that is expect-ed to unleash a white revolu-tion, the Andhra Pradesh gov-ernment inked aMemorandum ofUnderstanding (MoU) withAnand Milk Union Limited(Amul) here on Tuesday.

The MoU was signed bySpecial Chief SecretaryPoonam Malakondaiah and

AMUL’s Chennai Zonal HeadRajan in the presence of ChiefMinister YS JaganmohanReddy.

Ravindra Babu, Zakia Khanam set for Council

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It can be safely assumed thattop leaders of both the YSRCongress Party and the

Telugu Desam Party will beholding their breath whileGovernor BiswabhushanHarichandan takes a deci-sion on the APDecentralisation andInclusive Developmentof All Regions Bill, 2020,and the AP CapitalRegion DevelopmentAuthority (Repeal) Bill,2020.

For the YSRCP government,headed by YS JaganmohanReddy, a favourable decision bythe Governor will help in strik-ing a major blow to the TDP.

According to senior leadersin the TDP, alleged procedur-al lapses by the YSRCPGovernment, probably due tothe hurry in getting the Billspassed, have left the door openfor a legal challenge. This givesthe TDP some hope that evenif the Governor gives his assentto the Bills, it may be able toblock the YSRCP from goingahead with its plans to make

Vizag the de factocapital of the state,

irrespective of its insis-tence on three capitals.

The TDP believes thatthe YSRCP’s proposal is

against the spirit ofAP Reorganisation Act,

2014 that has no mention ofsuch an three capitals, butspecifically says that “a capitalshall be be developed for theresiduary state of AndhraPradesh”.

Accordingly, the previousTDP Government headed byN Chandrababu Naidufinalised the area nearVijayawada now known asAmaravati as the future capi-tal of the state and named itAmaravati. This area was laterrecognised as a “Smart City” bythe Union government andgranted Rs 500 crore for itsdevelopment.

Prime Minister NarendraModi laid the foundation stone

for Amaravati and later allocat-ed Rs 2,500 crore for its con-struction, besides assuring thepeople of the state thatAmaravati would be a moredeveloped city than Delhi.

Earlier, theSivaramakrishnan Committeeappointed by Centre had rec-ommended against building acapital city on highly fertilelands. The SivaramakrishnanCommittee favoured the cap-ital city at Donakonda ofPrakasam district. However,

Naidu vehemently rejected thisrecommendation and insistedon Amaravati. This insistencehas now come in handy for theYSRCP to target the TDP.

If the Governor does give hisassent to the two Bills, it wouldbe seen as a victory of sorts forthe YSRCP government andactually strengthen it, whileweakening the TDP.

Meanwhile, it may beremembered that the BJP stateunit is doing its best to build itsbase in the state, and its stand

on the SEC issue is proof ofthis. BJP leader KamineniSrinivas moved court seekingreinstatement of NimmagaddaRamesh Kumar as the SEC,that too with the backing of hisparty. A weakened TDP wouldbe a prayer answered for theBJP.

Though the Governor is

supposed to act as per theConstitution, the possibilityof Harichandan taking a deci-sion that may give some lever-age to the BJP cannot be ruledout. In fact, despiteConstitutional barriers, manyGovernors act as per the polit-ical interests of their parentparties in their respectivestates. This has been morecommon of late. For instance,the Governors of MadhyaPradesh and Rajasthan (bothprominent BJP leaders) actedagainst the Congress govern-ments in the recent past.

Coming to AP, Harichandanhad earlier given his consent tothe Ordinance promulgatedby the YSRCP governmentcurtailing the tenure of the SECfrom five years to three, effec-tively removing NimmagaddaRamesh Kumar from his post.After a legal battle, the ordi-nance could not be imple-mented.

This may induceHarichandan to think long andhard before giving his assent tothe decentralisation Bills.

If the Governor doesapprove the Bill, thereby actingin favour of the StateGovernment, his decision maybe challenged in the court bythe aggrieved party (the TDP)that will claim that it goesagainst the AP ReorganisationAct, 2014. Also, the Congresshas taken up this issue and hasbeen pointing out that only theCentral government has thefinal say in the location of theHigh Court in any state. TheCongress has already hintedthat it may challenge thedecentralisation measure in acourt of law if it is approved bythe Governor. This would nat-urally make Harichandan wary,and cautious.

If both the TDP andCongress stick to their stands,the State may well see a repeat

of the events that unfolded inthe SEC case.

As of now, both theGovernment and the principalopposition are exuding confi-dence that the Governor wouldtake a decision that will helpfulfil the 'real aspirations' of thepeople of overall development.

It’s another matter altogeth-er whether the two parties areinterested in the real aspira-tions of the people or whetherthey are attributing their owninterests to the citizenry.

Meanwhile, theGovernment is preparing for a‘mini’ Cabinet reshuffle onWednesday to fill the twoberths vacated by Pilli SubhashChandra Bose and MopideviVenkataramana.

It certainly hopes that theGovernor may take a decisionon the two Bills before swear-ing in the new Ministers,thereby adding to the celebra-tions.

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“Data is one of the importantfeatures of every organisation.Data Science is an extensionof various data analysis fields.It is very relevant in the com-puter era and it needs a lot ofexposure,” said Prof T PapiReddy, Chairman, TelanganaState Council for HigherEducation (TSCHE).

He was the chief guest atthe inaugural session of atwo-day national webinar on‘Application of Statistics andData Science’ organised by theDepartment of Mathematics,GITAM Deemed to beUniversity, here on Tuesday.

He observed that DataScience uses a lot of theoriesand techniques that are partof other f ields l ikeInformation Science,Mathematics, Statistics andComputer Science. GITAMPresident M Sri Bharatchaired the inaugural sessionand suggested that the acad-emicians integrate the bene-fits of Statistics and DateScience into society. He men-tioned that the Data scientists

should be able to utilise toolsand technologies associatedwith Big Data as well.

GITAM Vice-ChancellorProf K Sivarama Krishnastressed the importance ofData scientists in the corpo-rate sector. GITAM Pro Vice-Chancellor Prof N Siva Prasadobserved that Data Sciencerequires computational meth-ods and Statistics is moreprominent than Mathematics.

Earlier, Dr MallikarjunaReddy, convener of the webi-nar, welcomed the panelists,who had come from acrossthe globe. He opined thatthis webinar is a platform todiscuss some of the applica-tions of Statistics and DataScience

Andhra UniversityStatistics Department headProf KSrinivasa Rao, OsmaniaUniversity former Prof MKrishna Reddy, Medeva.ioCompany Data scientist DrVenugopal Rao, Prof ASubramanian, Prof GA RamaRao, Prof K Maruthi Prasadand others participated inthe webinar and deliveredthe expert lectures.

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Turning the nationwide lock-down due to the Covid-19pandemic into an opportuni-ty, Waltair Division of EastCoast Railway has taken initia-tive to take-up safety relatedengineering works during thelockdown by utilising the timeand workforce.

Railways suspended passen-ger train services on March 25and that allowed it the chanceto complete pending mainte-nance works, including trackrenewals, repairs, re-condi-tioning of railway track andrenewal of scissor crossovers.The Division has carried outThrough Rail Renewal(Primary) of 28 track kilome-tres in Sigadam-Chipurupalliand Gajapatinagaram –Komatipalli sections. For thesafety and smooth running oftrains, 12 numbers of thick webswitches were laid during themonth.

Deep Screening of 16 kmtrack carried out in Rayagada– Theruvali Section with BCMmachine. Permanent speedrestriction of 50 kmph betweenKumharsodhra and Gidam inKK Line has been cancelledand speed increased to section-

al speed of 55 kmph, therebyachieving a saving of nineminutes of running time.Furthermore, permanentspeed restrictions betweenMallividu- Lakkavarapukotaand Jeypore- Dhanapur in KKLine have been lifted therebyachieving a saving of runningtime.

Two Diamond crossings inWaltair Marshalling Yard

Cabins, which were existing onwooden layout have been con-verted to pre-stressed concrete(PSC) sleepers layout therebyincreasing the safety quotient,enhancing the asset reliabilityand ease in maintenance effort.Apart from these works sever-al track maintenance workscarried out over the Divisionwith observation of social dis-tancing and Covid-19 protocol.

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Alluding to the emerging evi-dence, Council of Scientific andIndustrial Research (CSIR)chief Shekhar C Mande hasasserted that airborne trans-mission of COVID-19 isindeed a "distinct possibility"and advised people to wearmasks even in enclosed spaces.

His remarks came days afterthe World Health Organisationacknowledged the emergingevidence of airborne spread ofthe novel Coronavirus. In ablogpost on CSIR's website,Mande referred to findings ofvarious studies and wrote, "Allthese emerging evidences andarguments suggest that indeedairborne transmission ofSARS-CoV-2 is a distinct pos-sibility."

The CSIR chief advised peo-

ple to avoid large crowdedgatherings, keep enclosedplaces like workplaces well-ventilated and wear maskseven in enclosed spaces.

"In open spaces, the small-sized droplets get dissipated inthe air very quickly. Moreover,emerging evidence also sug-

gests that the encapsulatedvirus in such droplets also getsinactivated by sunlight.However, the concentration ofvirion-encapsulated dropletsis likely to be higher in placesthat are not well ventilated," hesaid substantiating his claims.

Earlier this month, theWHO had acknowledged theemerging evidence of airbornespread after an open letter byover 200 scientists outlinedevidence that showed floatingvirus particles can infect peo-ple, who breathe them in. Formonths, the WHO had insist-ed that Covid-19 is transmittedvia droplets emitted when peo-ple cough or sneeze. Dropletsthat do not linger in the air, butfall onto surfaces - that's whyhand washing has been iden-tified as a key prevention mea-sure.

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With the Covid19 pandemicincreasing the burden ondoctors, the Telangana gov-ernment has decided toutilise the services of 1,191PG medical students, whoappeared for final exams thisyear. They will be engaged asSenior Residents in variousspecialties in six hospitalson a contract basis with aconsolidated remunerationof Rs 70,000 per month.

As per the GO Rt.No. 951,the doctors will be engagedfor a period of one year, or tillthe actual need ceases,whichever is earlier by follow-ing the terms prescribed forcontract/outsourcing of ser-vices. Of these, 250 doctorswill be deputed to Gandhihospital, 100 to King Kotihospital, 150 to TIMSGachibowli, 50 to theGovernment Chest Hospital.Another 400 residents will beengaged in eight GovernmentMedical Colleges with 50doctors per institute. About241 doctors will be assignedto hospitals under the admin-istrative control of TelanganaVaidya Vidhana Parishath

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Telangana has reported 1,430new Covid-19 cases onTuesday pushing the Statetotal to 47,705. With thedeath of seven patients, thedeceased tally is 429. Asmany as 2,062 patientsrecovered from the infection.

With this, the total recov-ered patients’ numberreached 36,385, while theactive cases are at 10,891.Among the fresh cases, theGHMC has accounted for703 cases, 117 from RangaReddy, 105 from Medchal inthe last 24 hours.

In all, 29 out of 33 districtsreported cases on Tuesday.As many as 16,855 sampleswere tested on Tuesday andin total 2,93,077 sampleswere tested.

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A 37-year-old man commit-ted suicide by jumping fromthe fifth floor of a building atBS Maqta on Tuesday. Policelater found his wife’s bodyunder suspicious circum-stances in their home on thethird floor.

The deceased couple hasbeen identif ied as LNageshwar Rao and his wifeL Roja (29). Rao was a masonby profession. The couplewas blessed with two chil-dren, both sons. They migrat-ed from Srikakulam toHyderabad six years ago andwere residing at BS Maqta,Begumpet.

According to police,Nageshwar Rao jumped fromtheir building and committedsuicide. When the neighbours

went to inform his wife, theyfound the door locked frominside and no one was open-ing it despite repeated knock-ing. When they forcefullyopened the door, Roja’s bodywas found in their bed room.Both the children were pre-sent in the house.

Police were informed, whorushed to the spot and beganinvestigation. Based on acomplaint from Roja’s fatherA Simhachalam, thePanjagutta police registered acase and began investigation.Police are clueless as to howRoja passed away as therewere no signs of physicalassault on her body, or anyinjuries. The bodies were sentfor post-mortem. Police saidthat Roja’s cause of death willbe ascertained based on thePME report.

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The Supreme Court on Tuesdayasked the Centre to file an affi-davit within two weeks givingdetails about the funds madeavailable to all States and UnionTerritories for running ChildCare Institutions (CCIs).

The top court also asked advo-cate Gaurav Agarwal, who hasbeen appointed as amicus curiaeto assist the court in the matter,to submit a note on the goodpractices that are being adoptedby various States for the care andwelfare of children.

A bench of Justices L

Nageswara Rao, Hemant Guptaand S Ravindra Bhat said in itsorder, Aishwarya Bhati, addi-tional solicitor general, appearingfor the Union of India requests for

two weeks' time to file an affidavitgiving particulars of the funds tobe made available to all the Stategovernments and UnionTerritories.

It said, the amicus curiae isrequested to prepare a note on thegood practices that are beingadopted by various States for thecare and welfare of the childrenon the basis of which they pro-pose to issue certain directions assought for by him. The note maybe circulated to all the advocateson record of the States and UnionTerritories. The top court postedthe matter for further hearing onAugust 13. July 15, Agarwal fileda note and sought directions ofthe court with regard to educationof children in CCIs, contact withthose released, review of theircases, need for institutionalisation

and COVID-19 related mea-sures. The top court had notedthat in Andhra Pradesh, whichhad 27,243 children in CCIsbefore the lockdown due to thepandemic, have restored 24,611children with theirparents/guardians and at presentthere are 2,632 children in carehomes.

After perusing the report ofAndhra Pradesh, the court hadsaid that only 70.06 per of the pro-posed funds for the year 2019-2020 were received by the Stateand the status pertaining to thebalance funds was not clear.

It had noted that in Assam

about 550 children out of 2,406children, who were in CCIs priorto the lockdown, were restored totheir parents and guardians andasked the State to furnish detailswith regard to education of chil-dren and follow up action afterthe release of children.

Similar submissions weremade by Bihar, Delhi,Chhattisgarh and Gujarat withregard to restoration of childrento their parents or guardians. TheGujarat government had saidthat it was giving Rs 1,500 asfinancial assistance to the childrenafter their release from the CCIafter which the top court asked

the counsel for the State to spec-ify whether it was one-time pay-ment or monthly payment.

The top court had sought sta-tus report from different Stategovernments on steps taken toprotect children in shelter homesamid the pandemic, and alsocompliance of its April 3 order inthis regard. It had said a detailedorder was passed by the court onApril 3 dealing with all issues per-taining to children in conflict withlaw and several directions weregiven to the State governments fortaking preventive measures toprotect children from the spreadof COVID-19.

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Governor Biswa BushanHarichandan and ChiefMinister YS Jagan MohanReddy expressed deep shockand sorrow over the demise ofMadhya Pradesh GovernorLalji Tandon on Tuesday. In astatement, Harichandanrecalled the services of Tandonas the Leader of Uttar PradeshLegislative Council for twoterms, member of theAssembly for three terms andas a Minister in the UP gov-ernment.

The Governor said Tandonalso served as a member in the15th Lok Sabha. As Governorof Madhya Pradesh, Tandonwould be remembered for theinitiatives taken to streamlineacademic activities of stateuniversities, Harichandan said.He offered condolences to

members of the bereaved fam-ily.

The Chief Minister, in a sep-arate message, expressed hisgrief over Tandon’s demiseand said the latter had a longinnings in public life in UPpolitics. Jagan extended hiscondolences to the bereavedfamily members.

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Lieutenant General ManojPande, AVSM, VSM;Commander-in-Chief of theAndaman & NicobarCommand (CINCAN), arrivedat Visakhapatnam on July 20on a maiden three-day visit tothe Eastern Naval Command(ENC).

The visit assumes impor-tance in the current geo-polit-ical scenario in which theEastern Naval Command andthe Andaman and NicobarCommand have to act in closecooperation with each other.The General is accompanied byArchana Pande, PresidentDefence Wives WelfareAssociation(DWWA).

Lt Gen Manoj Pande calledon Vice-Adm Atul Kumar Jain,Flag Officer Commanding-in-

Chief ENC and held opera-tional discussions. Later, hewas briefed on the responsibil-ities of the Command andother operational activities ofthe Indian Navy on the EasternSeaboard.

Lt Gen Manoj Pande took

over as the 15th Commander-in-Chief of the Andaman &Nicobar Command on June 1this year. The General Officerwas commissioned into theCorps of Engineers inDecember 1982 and is a grad-uate of Staff College, in the

United Kingdom, and attend-ed the Higher CommandCourse at Army War College,Mhow and the NationalSecurity Studies Course atNational Defence College, NewDelhi.

During his 37 years of dis-tinguished service, the GeneralOfficer has taken an active partin Operation Vijay andParakram. He commanded anEngineer Regiment along theLine of Control in Jammu &Kashmir, an Engineers Brigadeas part of a Strike Corps, anInfantry Brigade along theLine of Control, a MountainDivision in the High AltitudeArea of Western Ladakh and aCorps deployed along the Lineof Actual Control (LAC) asalso in Counter InsurgencyOperations area in the NorthEast.

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In a most shocking inci-dent, a 17-year-old girlwas allegedly sold by herbrother 's wife for Rs30,000 to a prostitutionracket at Singarayakondavillage in Prakasam dis-trict. The heinous crimecame to light after the vic-tim managed to escapefrom the organisers of thesex racket and dialled 100(police) and alerted thepolice.

Inspector of Kandukurpolice station Vijay Kumarsaid that the girl's fatherhas two wives and thevictim girl is the daughterof the second wife. Thegirl, along with her moth-er and father, stayed atMasumuru area nearKavali Town in Nelloredistrict.

Due to some disputesbetween the girl's par-ents, the girl had beenstaying with his brother(who is son of the girl'sfather's first wife's son) atSingarayakonda area inPrakasam district for thepast few months. Thegirl's brother's wife Jyothisold the minor girl to oneK Madhavi, the kingpin ofa prostitution racket forRs 30,000 a month ago.

Madhavi and her asso-ciates Srikanth and othershave been running a sexracket in a house betweenSingarayakonda andKandukur near a granitefactory. They shifted thegirl to the brothel and

pushed her into the fleshtrade. They also physical-ly and mentally harassedthe girl when she refusedinitially. Unable to bearthe harassment and tor-ture, the girl escaped fromthe clutches of the gangand alerted the police.

The police rescued theminor and arrested herbrother's wife Jyothi,organiser of the sex tradeK Madhavi and a few oth-ers. Police are also sus-pecting the role of thegirl's brother. The victimwas admitted toKandukur hospital formedical examination.Police formed a specialteam led by DeputySuperintendent of Policeto investigate the case,identify and rescue girls,who were sold and pushedinto the flesh trade.

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The Special Operations Team(SOT) Malkajgiri Zone organ-ised a decoy operation underNeredmet Police Station limitsand nabbed an inter-statehuman trafficker and rescuedthe two victims on Mondaynight. The arrested person hasbeen identified as A ShivaKumar (27), a resident ofDilsukhnagar. Another per-son, identified as Chinna, themain organiser, is absconding,said the police.

According to police, Chinnaand Shiva have good contactswith human trafficking organ-isers from West Bengal,Mumbai and other parts of thecountry.

They contact their sourcefrom other States and procureyoung girls on a contract basisfor a period of six months toone year with a false promiseof providing jobs to their par-ents. After reaching Hyderabad,they are forcibly dragged intoflesh trade. Chinna and Shivahave taken a house atDilsukhnagar near the busstand and brought two younggirls from West Bengal.

They uploaded pictures ofthe girls on social media andarranging customers andforced them into prostitutionactivities.

They are also taking themsecretly to customers’ resi-dences on contacting themover the phone and after trans-ferring the amount into theiraccounts they are arrangingthem at the customer’s place.The sex racket was being runsince the past couple of months,confessed the accused.

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Floral tributes were paid to themortal remains of Lance Naik(L/Nk) Laveti Uma MaheshwaraRao on arrival at Visakhapatnamon Tuesday. L/Nk UmaMaheshwara Rao of 12 EngineerRegiment died while undergo-ing treatment after he wasinjured in an explosion at BatalikSector, Ladakh on July 18.

Wreath laying ceremony withMilitary Honours was conduct-ed at the Visakhapatnam airport.Wreaths were placed by officials

from Station HQs (Army), dis-trict administration and the citypolice as a mark of respect to thedeceased for his supreme sacri-fice. The funeral of L/Nk UmaMaheshwara Rao will be held athis native place at HUDCOColony nears RIMS inSrikakulam district with MilitaryHonours.

The funeral of L/Nk UmaMaheshwara Rao will be held athis native place at HUDCOColony near RIMS inSrikakulam district with MilitaryHonours on Wednesday.

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Continued from Page 1

"The preliminary findingslook very promising withresponses to the vaccine sim-ilar to what is seen post natur-al infection," added BeateKampmann, professor of pae-diatric infection & immunityand director of The VaccineCentre, London School ofHygiene and TropicalMedicine.

"The immune responses tothe ChAdOx1 nCoV-19 vac-cine were measured both interms of quantity and qualityof antibody as well as for T cellresponses to the spike proteinin a subgroup of individuals,Kampmann said in a state-ment. Researchers also foundit promising that a boosterdose of the vaccine in 10 of thetrial's participants producedmore immune response.

"Trial participants devel-oped the all-important neutral-ising antibodies, in most casesafter one shot, and in all casesafter two shots," noted IanJones, professor of Virology atthe University of Reading inthe UK.

Satyajit Rath, an immunol-ogist from the NationalInstitute of Immunology inNew Delhi, found it interestingand promising that the boostwith the same vaccine candi-date tended to increase anti-body levels further despitepre-existing antibodies.

"The vaccine candidateshows no unexpected awfuladverse effects," Rath told PTI,adding that the formal addi-

tion of paracetamol showingsome relief from adverseeffects without modifyingimmune responses is usefulinformation too.

Commenting on the sideeffects of headache and fatiguereported by the participants inthe study, experts said they arenot a major concern and com-monly observed in vaccines.

"Such side effects have beenseen in other vaccines as welland these subside in a few days'time. So, as of now, I don't seethese as major points of con-cern," Ray said.

The results show the desiredand expected effects in termsof the immune response anddoes not have serious adverseeffects seen in the numbersrecruited so far", said StephenEvans, professor of pharma-coepidemiology at the LondonSchool of Hygiene andTropical Medicine in the UK.

While the study showedthere was an immune responsegenerated by the vaccine, sci-entists cautioned that directevidence showing whether ornot it would prevent or reduceactual novel coronavirus infec-tion has not been document-ed yet.

"Generating immuneresponse and providingimmunological protectionmight not always run parallel,"Ray said.

"Hence, long term popula-tion-based studies where vac-cinated people could be mon-itored for future infection/out-break are important," theCSIR-IICB virologist added.

Pointing to the way for-ward, she said there should beelaborate trials in geographicallocations where severities andmortality of COVID-19 arecurrently high.

According to the virologist,another concern is monitoringlong the immunity lasts interms of antibodies being gen-erated and also the T cellcounts.

"We do not know yet if thecurrently observed levels areenough to protect againstinfection. The study needs tobe run longer," Ray said.

Rath agreed."Data that T cell responses

are occurring too are expect-ed but still comforting to have,although they provide as yet noinformation about whetherthey are functionally relevantfor providing protection," hesaid.

"It is a comforting study inthat there are no unpleasantsurprises, and it allows thisvaccine candidate to move onto actual efficacy trials," theimmunologist noted.

Vaccine development is amulti-phase process. Phase 1trials are small-scale, usuallyinvolving few participants, toassess whether the vaccine issafe for humans.

Phase 2 trials often involveseveral hundred subjects, andmainly evaluate the efficacy.

The final phase involvesthousands of people to furtherassess the efficacy of the vac-cine over a defined period oftime, and can last severalmonths.

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Continued from Page 1

On this occasion,Jaganmohan Reddy spoke toAMUL Managing DirectorRS Sodhi over videoconfer-ence. The Chief Minister saidthat the pact would play a vitalrole in the development of thedairy sector in the state. “Also,it is a significant step towardsthe transformation of women'slives besides being immense-ly beneficial to the womengroups in the state. The Statehad spent Rs 11,000 croreunder YSR Cheyutha and YSRAasara for women,” he said.

The Chief Minister hopedthat the government assis-tance would be used tochange the lives of womenboth economically and social-ly. "Good days have come forgovernment cooperativedairies and Andhra Pradeshwill be the gateway to thesouthern states," he said.

Continued from Page 1

The opinion of expertsshould be taken as to fromwhich class the digital educa-tion should be introduced, hesaid.

The proposal to providedongle or iPad from Classes8 or 9 should be consideredtowards imparting high-enddigital learning, the ChiefMinister said. One sectionwill be devoted for highschool dropouts in SkillDevelopment Centres alongwith those who completedITI and Polytechnic.

There should be one build-ing in every Lok Sabha con-stituency to train teachers,the Chief Minister said.

The officials appraised theChief Minister about the reg-ulatory measures being takento monitor private schools asper the guidelines of theCommission.

The Chief Minister saidthat there should be regularmonitoring of private schoolsand there should be a com-plaint box in every school.

Goru Mudda is an impor-tant part of school educationand the quality of foodshould be maintained at anycost, the Chief Minister said.The success of Goru Muddadepends on how the officialsare reacting to the com-plaints, he said. Steps shouldbe taken to see that SOP isstrictly followed in imple-menting Goru Mudda.

Utensils used for cookingshould be clean and a shedfor cooking should also beset. This should be includedas the tenth item in SOP ofNadu Nedu in schools.Hygiene should also be givento priority in schools. Amechanism should be devel-oped to fully utilise the ser-vices of village secretariatstaff, he said.

Minister for SchoolEducation AdimulapuSuresh, Principal SecretaryEducation, B Rajasekhar,School EducationCommissioner V ChinaVeerabhadrudu and otherofficials participated in themeeting.

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Continued from Page 1

Out of these 2,70,416 nos ofHCFs, only 1,10,356 HFCsare authorized till the year2019, it said.

"Apart from those who haveapplied and those who haveobtained authorisation, thereare about 50,000 healthcarefacilities who have neitherapplied nor taken the authori-sation," CPCB said in itsreport.

A bench headed by NGTChairperson Justice AdarshKumar Goel directed the statesto expedite the process andcomplete it by December 31and file a compliance reportwith the CPCB.

According to the report, 25state and union territorieshave completed their invento-ries of all healthcare facilitiesand 10 namely; Assam, Kerala,Mizoram, West Bengal,Jharkhand, Chhattisgarh, Goa,Gujarat, Meghalaya andUttarakhand have yet to do it.

The tribunal asked theseStates to expedite the processand complete the same posi-tively by December 31, 2020and file a compliance report

with the CPCB. The reportsaid there is no CommonBiomedical Waste TreatmentFacilities (CBWTFs) in sevenStates and UTs namely --Andaman & Nicobar,Arunachal Pradesh, Goa,Lakshadweep, Mizoram,Nagaland and Sikkim to caterservice of treatment and dis-posal of biomedical waste.

It said that these States aremanaging disposal of biomed-ical waste with existing captivetreatment facilities installed byhealth care facilities or bydeep burial of waste.

These States have reportedthat they are under the processof setting up of new CBWTFs,the report said. With respect toMonitoring of HealthcareFacilities like VeterinaryHospitals, Animal Houses,AYUSH Hospitals, etc', it isstated that Andaman &Nicobar, Assam, Jammu &Kashmir, Manipur, AndhraPradesh, Chhattisgarh,Karnataka, Meghalaya,Nagaland, Rajasthan andTripura have not provided anyinformation.

CPCB conducted randominspections of veterinary hos-

pitals and animal houses andobserved that majority of themhave not obtained authorisa-tion from prescribed authori-ty.

Hospitals have not regis-tered with the CBWTFs fortreatment and disposal ofBMW generated in their vet-erinary hospitals.

No segregation of waste atsource is practiced throughseparate color-coded collec-tion bins and records are notmaintained, the report said.

The tribunal also noted that150 out of 200 CBWTFs haveconnected with Central serv-er of CPCB for transmission ofonline continuous EmissionMonitoring Systems.

CBWTFs in Gujarat, TamilNadu, MP and West Bengalhave installed CBWTFs in allfacilities, however some of theCBWTFs are yet to connectwith CPCB server, the tri-bunal noted and said that gapsneed to be bridged.

The NGT reiterated its ear-lier direction for constitution ofDistrict Planning Committeesto monitor DistrictEnvironment plans coveringimportant environmental

issues. We also find it necessaryto require state pollution con-trol boards to ascertain statusof compliance of norms by theCBWTFs, specially that nobiomedical waste is disposedby CBWTFs at any place in anillegal manner and report thesame to the CPCB, it said.

The green panel directed allthe states and union territorieswhich are lacking in compli-ance to take further steps andgive their reports to the CPCBonline.

A further consolidatedreport be compiled by theCPCB based on informationcollected from all the pollutioncontrol boards as onNovember 30, 2020, the NGTsaid.

The direction came on aplea filed by a UP-based jour-nalist Shailesh Singh seekingdirections for closure of allhospitals, medical facilitiesand waste disposal plantswhich were not complyingwith the waste managementrules. It had alleged that rag-pickers were allowed unautho-rised transportation of wasteand they disposed it in anunscientific manner.

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The two seats fell vacantafter the Governor acceptedthe resignations of PilliSubhash Chandra Bose andMopidevi Venkata Ramana.Both of them were elected tothe Rajya Sabha in the recent-ly held elections. They will be

sworn in as Rajya Sabha mem-bers on July 22.

The government, accordingto YSRCP leaders, has no sec-ond thoughts on its decision toabolish the Council.

A resolution to abolish theLegislative Council has alreadybeen passed and forwarded tothe Union Government.

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"His only mistake was toquestion the illegal sandmining in the region. Whatis happening to AP police-men? Why have they becometoys in the hands of the cor-rupt ruling party men? This

is a serious violation ofrights,” Naidu said.

In a post on Twitter, Naiduassured that the TeluguDesam Party will stand withVara Prasad and make surethose responsible for thisbarbarian act are strictlypunished.

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The containment measures inGreater Hyderabad MunicipalCorporation (GHMC) arenothing but mere eyewash.Several residents in contain-ment zones are pointing thatthey haven't seen sodiumhypochlorite being sprayednear their apartments or resi-dences in the city.

Initially, GHMC took up a lotof containment measures withtankers and jetting measuresduring lockdown. They claimedto have sprayed thousands oflitres of sodium hypochloritewhen people were confined tohomes.

Now when people are roam-ing, the containment has gonefor toss. Apart from Covid-19containment, corporation hasbegun anti-larval operationsto curb seasonal diseases. Thishad added the work on theentomology wing, which hadseveral workers infected withCovid-19.

According to GHMC, "Atotal of 125 teams are coveringboth Covid-19 and mosquitocontrol activities in every local-ity and balancing as per caserecording of Covid and denguemalaria.”

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GMR HyderabadInternational Airport hasramped up its cargo capabili-ties by inducting a uniquemulti unit load device cooldolly to maintain unbrokencold chain for time and tem-perature sensitive shipmentssuch as pharmaceuticals andperishables.

The multi cool dolly atHyderabad air cargo was vir-tually launched on Tuesday bySenior Economic Advisor,Ministry of Civil Aviation(MoCA) Vandana Aggarwal(IES), during the third webi-nar on 'air cargo-changingdimensions' organised byGMR Group as part of itsongoing webinar series on'reposing the faith in flying'.

With the multi ULD cooldolly, RGIA is now poised toserve its customers with aseamless and controlled envi-ronment at the airport for han-dling their critical and highlytemperature-sensitive com-modities.

Comprising a steel trailerand aluminum insulated con-tainer, the cool dolly acts as amobile storage unit from AirCargo Terminal to the aircraft.

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Eleven policemen have beenconvicted for the 1985 killingof Raja Man Singh, the then-titular head of Bharatpur, aprincely state in Rajasthan. Acourt in western UttarPradesh's Mathura, where thecase had been heard for the lasttwo decades, will pronounce itssentence tomorrow.

The killing, which took placeFebruary 21, 1985, created apolitical storm in Rajasthanand eventually led to the resig-nation of Congress ChiefMinister Shiv Charan Mathurtwo days after the incident.

In a statement, DushyantSingh, Raja Man Singh'sgrandson, described the eventsthat led to the killing.

"In the 1985 Assembly elec-tion in Rajasthan, the Congressfielded a retired IAS officer,

Brijendra Singh, against RajaMan Singh, who was contest-ing as an independent candi-date, in the Deeg constituen-cy," Dushyant Singh said in thestatement.

"At the time Congress work-ers insulted the Bharatpur flagand this made Raja Man Singhvery angry. He drove his jeepinto a stage set up for the thenchief minister's rally and dam-aged a chopper meant to trans-port the chief minister," thestatement added. All this hap-pened on February 20.

The following day, accordingto the statement, as Raja ManSingh and two of his associateswere going to the local policestation to surrender, they werefired upon by a police team ledby Deputy Superintendent KanSingh Bhati.

Raja Man Singh and hisassociates were killed on thespot.

Among those convictedtoday was Kan Singh Bhati.

Two days after Raja ManSingh's killing Shiv CharanMathur, then the CongressChief Minister, resigned.

On February 28 a notifica-tion was issued for a CBIinquiry. The case was firstheard in a Rajasthan court butit was shifted to Mathura oninstruction from the SupremeCourt. It took more than 1,700hearings and 35 years for ajudgment to be pronounced.

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The Rajasthan High Courton Tuesday requested theLegislative Assembly speakerto defer action on disqualifi-cation notices to dissidentCongress MLAs till July 24, thespeaker's counsel said.

The court will pass appro-priate orders on the writ peti-tion filed by Sachin Pilot and18 dissident legislators onJuly 24.

The high court had onFriday given a four-dayreprieve to Sachin Pilot andother Congress dissidentsfrom any action by RajasthanSpeaker on the disqualificationnotices served on them by

extending the hearing intotheir petition.

Pilot was sacked as deputychief minister and the presi-dent of the state unit of theparty after he rebelled againstChief Minister Ashok Gehlot.

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The much-awaited meeting ofNepal's ruling communist partyon Tuesday failed to sort out thedifferences between PrimeMinister K P Sharma Oli andthe rival faction led by partyexecutive chairperson PushpaKamal Dahal "Prachanda" aspolitical issues did not figureduring the brief deliberationsheld in the absence of the pre-mier. The meeting of theStanding Committee of theNepal Communist Party (NCP)was held at the Prime Minister'sofficial residence at Baluwatar inthe national capital but it did notdiscuss political issues, saidGanesh Shah, member of theStanding Committee and asenior party leader.

Prime Minister Oli did notattend the meeting of the 45-member Standing Committee,he said, adding that the nextmeeting of the top body of theNCP will be held a week later.

The meeting took place afterit was postponed seven times toallow Oli and Prachanda moretime to sort out their differences.

However, on Tuesday also themeeting was deferred by twohours as Prime Minister Oli

held a one-on-one meetingwith party's executive chairman"Prachanda" to settle key issuesover power-sharing.

The meeting mainly dis-cussed the natural disasters thathave hit the country, he said.

The next meeting of theStanding Committee was decid-ed to be held on July 28 at 11 amat Baluwatar to review theparty's activities, government'sperformance, finalising divi-sion of work among party'scadres and leaders, and pro-posed general conventionamong other issues, he said.

However, "informal meet-ings may take place among thesenior leaders of the party

before the Standing Committeemeeting with the view to resolv-ing the internal feud in theparty," Shah said.

The members at the meetingexpressed sadness over the lossof life and property due to thefloods and landslides in differ-ent parts of the country as aresult of continuous rains andurged the government to carryout relief works in a speedymanner.

“There was only one agendafor today to direct the partymembers to respond to natur-al disasters,” said Narayan KajiShrestha, party's spokesperson.

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A Ghaziabad-based journalistwas hospitalised after he wasshot at by some assailantsnear his home and nine peo-ple have been arrested so farin connection with the case,police said on Tuesday.

The attack comes days afterVikram Joshi, who works witha local daily, lodged a complaintat the local Vijay Nagar policepost against some people forharassing his niece on July 16.

Joshi was returning home inVijay Nagar area with his twodaughters on a motorcyclewhen he was waylaid by overhalf a dozen armed men ataround 10.30 pm on Monday,officials said.

The journalist was shot in

the head by one of the accused,who then fled the spot, leav-ing him severely injured. Hewas taken to a hospital wherehe is in a critical condition,they said.

Senior Superintendent ofPolice, Ghaziabad, KalanidhiNaithani said nine people,including two of the threenamed in the FIR, have beenarrested while the local policepost in-charge was suspendedin the wake of the incident.

“The FIR was registeredunder Indian Penal Code sec-tions 307 (attempted mur-der), 506 (criminal intimida-tion) and 34 (act done by sev-eral people with a commonintention) on complaint byJoshi's brother Aniket Joshi,”Naithani said.

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General public would not beallowed toenter the Kasimedufishing harbour here to buyfish effective Tuesdayas part ofanti-COVID measures, theTamil Nadu government said.

Also, several regulationslike a fixed time slot for salebyfishermen to vendorsbetween 3 am and 8 am havebeen introduced against thebackground of people throng-ing the harbour to buy fishoften flouting anti-COVIDnorms like social distancing.

As per decisions taken at ahigh-level meeting in whichtop officials and representa-tives of mechanised boatsassociation and traders tookpart, only 50 to 70 boatswould be allowed per day toset out for fishing from theKasimedu harbour, FisheriesMinister D Jayakumar said.

"The general public shall notbe allowed to enter the harbourunder any circumstances tobuy fish," he said in a statement.

Permission would be givenonly to 50 mechanised boats tosell their catch at the fishlanding site and sale by fish-ermen to vendors shall beconfined to five hours from 3am to 8 am.

Traders would be allowed toenter the harbour only inbatches of 150 people andonly after a group returned fol-lowingpurchase, another batchmay proceed.

Those operating mecha-nised boats should not put uptheir catch for sale in thevicinity of fishermen workingon catamarans, the Ministersaid adding the norms areeffective from today.

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Swami Sugunendra Teertha,head of the Puttige mutt, oneof the Ashta Mutts of Udupi inKarnataka, has tested positivefor coronavirus and was admit-ted to a hospital on Tuesday,hospital sources said. The seerhad voluntarily gone for a testas he was having a fever andafter the result returned positive,he was admitted to the KMCHospital at Manipal near Udupi.His health condition was stable,hospital sources said. Theswami's disciples and the devo-tees of the mutt offered prayersseeking his early recovery. TheAshta Mutts are a group of eightreligious institutions establishedby 13th century philosopherMadhwa charya in and aroundthe famous Udupi Sri Krishnatemple. Udupi district hasreported 2,321 COVID-19cases with 661 being active.

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The Enforcement Directorate(ED) has attached about Rs 13crore worth properties of KamalMehta, former chairman of theJodhpur national university, inconnection with a money laun-dering probe linked to allegedissuance of fake degrees, theagency said on Tuesday. "Theattached assets includes 12 flats,3 plots, a building and 31 bighasagricultural land located inJaipur, Jodhpur and Delhi andsome amount lying in bankaccounts," the ED said in a state-ment. The case relates toissuance of fake degrees andmark sheets, it said.

A provisional order in thiscontext has been issued underthe Prevention of MoneyLaundering Act (PMLA) bythe Jaipur office of the centralprobe agency and the assets areworth Rs 12.98 crore.

The agency, in 2017, hadattached properties worth Rs8.53 of Mehta and his trust thatran the private university.

The agency initiated probein the case after taking cogni-

sance of an FIR and chargesheets filed by the Jaipur spe-cial operations group (SOG) ofthe state police against Mehtaand his associates.

"Accused Mehta is aManaging Trustee of KushalEducation Trust and had estab-lished Jodhpur NationalUniversity at Jodhpur in 2008,"the ED said.

"While working as the chair-man of university, he activelyindulged in running a syndicatefor issuing and selling fakedegrees and mark sheets to stu-dents for money," the ED alleged.He appointed four national

coordinators of the university byissuing fake authorisation lettersin the name of Registrar for thepurpose of collection of fees,forms and conduct of examina-tion, the ED said.

These national coordina-tors, it said, had various cen-ters, sub-centers under them atvarious places in the country.

"The appointment of nation-al coordinators and centers,sub-centers was not approvedby the University GrantCommission," the ED said.

The agency said its probefound that "Mehta illegallyreceived around Rs 22.3 crore

through these national coordi-nators. These amounts weredeposited in various bankaccounts opened in the nameof Jodhpur National University,Kushal Education Trust andSurya Nagri Education Trustand other different entities atJaipur and Jodhpur."

The accused "establishedparallel office in Jaipur andissued more than 25,000degrees, mark sheets to variousstudents between 2010 and2014," according to the agency.

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Tripura Chief Minister BiplabKumar Deb on Tuesday apol-ogised for his statements com-paring Punjabis and Jats withBengalis, and said he did notintend to hurt sentiments.

Deb had stirred a controver-sy by saying Punjabis and Jatsare physically strong but lessbrainy while Bengalis areknown to be very intelligent.

In a series of tweets in Hindion Tuesday morning, the chiefminister sought forgivenessfor his remarks and said manyof his friends were Punjabisand Jats, and he is proud ofpeople hailing from the twocommunities.

"I always salute the contribu-tions of the Punjabi and Jatcommunities in the freedom

struggle of the country. And Ican never imagine raisingquestions on the role played bythese two communities inadvancing India," Deb tweet-ed.

"I had expressed the viewssome people have about them.I am proud of Punjabi and Jat

communities. I have livedamong them for quite sometime... If my statement has hurtanyone's feelings, I apologisefor that," the chief minister saidon Twitter.

Addressing a programme atthe Agartala Press Club onSunday, Deb had said everycommunity in India is known forits certain type and character.

A video clip of the chiefminister's statement had goneviral on social media.

"For Bengal or Bengalis, it issaid that one should not chal-lenge them when it is regard-ing intelligence. Bengalis areknown as very intelligent andit is their identity," Deb washeard saying in the clip.

Punjabis and Jats are knownfor their physical strength, theBJP leader had said.

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A fresh spell of heavy rainslashed the national capital onTuesday, inundating low-lyingareas and affecting traffic move-ment in parts of the city.

Residents shared on socialmedia pictures and videos ofrainwater gushing into theirhouses and vehicles navigatingwaterlogged roads. The IndiaMeteorological Department(IMD) had predicted isolatedheavy to very heavy rains inDelhi and neighbouring areas onTuesday and Wednesday.

"The rainfall intensity anddistribution are very likely todecrease significantly thereafter,"it had said. The convergence ofmoist easterly winds from theBay of Bengal and southwester-ly winds from the Arabian Seais likely to continue over north-west India for another two-

three days, weather experts said.The monsoon trough is also

running through the region.These two factors together led tomoderate to heavy rains inDelhi-NCR, they said.

On Sunday, at least four peo-ple died as heavy rains lashed thecity, inundating low-lying areasand bringing traffic to a stand-still at key stretches.

According to the IMD, theSafdarjung Observatory hadrecorded 74.8 mm rainfall onSunday. Ridge and Lodhi Roadweather stations had recorded 86mm and 81.2 mm rainfall,respectively. Rainfall below 15mm is considered light, between15 mm and 64.5 mm is moder-ate, and above 64.5 mm is heavy,according to the IMD.

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he next time the world'srich are forced into lock-down, they would like to

have an escape ready to a remoteand sunny beach. Or perhaps toNew Zealand, one of the fewcountries that has eliminatedCovid-19.

They are willing to pay for theprivilege, of course.

They can turn to programsthat guarantee citizenship orresidency in exchange for invest-ment in the host country, usingspecialty firms such as Henley &Partners, the world's biggest cit-izenship and residency advisoryfirm. With the persistent threatof viral infections and suddenlockdowns, the company is help-ing those with deep pockets buyaccess to a safe haven.

For instance, you can acquirethe right to live, work and studyin New Zealand if you part withNZ$3 million ($2 million) orNZ$10 million, depending onthe type of investor resident visayou choose. About 1.2 million

euros ($1.4 million), including aproperty purchase, will get a mar-ried couple citizenship in Malta.

"They're now realizing: Let'sactually get the contingency planin place," said Dominic Volek,Henley's head of sales, said of hispotential customers. "That's whywe've seen quite a spike now, notonly in inquiries, but also in thefamilies actually signing up andsaying, 'Let's start the process.'"

New inquiries jumped 49% in

the first four months of this year,compared with the same periodin 2019, according to the com-pany. There was a 22% increasein those wanting to proceedwith an application for new cit-izenship or residency rights.

The wealthy aren't just inter-ested in Caribbean islands wherethey can self-isolate on sandybeaches. They're looking toAustralia and New Zealand,countries that impressed with

their handling of Covid-19.Nadine Goldfoot, a managing

partner at law firm Fragomen,said the pandemic has drivenwealthy people to take action."What is becoming and willcontinue to be very importantnow in people's selection processis how the country has fared dur-ing the pandemic and how thegovernment has approached it,"she said.

Additionally, people view themove as a wealth-management

tool as much as a way to travelvisa-free, according to Henley.Interest in Portugal's residence-by-investment programincreased in recent months,attracting clients hoping to investin the country's stable real estatemarket and take advantage of itsrelatively low coronavirus casecount.

To be sure, even the world'swealthiest can't escape imme-diate quarantines and travelbans. Receiving second pass-ports or residency rights takestime - at least three months forCaribbean programs and muchlonger for the ones in theEuropean Union.

Still, even as travel-relatedbusinesses suffer, Henley isexpanding. The company recent-ly established an office in Nigeriaand will soon open another inIndia, where surging virus casesand tensions on the border withChina have increased the num-ber of wealthy Indians planningfor a potential escape.

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A man was arrested on Tuesdayfor riding his high-end bike upto a speed of almost 300 km perhour on a flyover, police said.After a selfie video of the man'sreckless ride went viral onsocial media, police arrestedhim for putting his life and thatof others at risk and seized his1000 CC bike. Identified bypolice as Muniyappa, he rodehis bike on the nearly 10-kmlong Electronic City flyover,accelerating almost to 300KMPH as he whizzed pastsome vehicles, including carsautorickshaws and trucks thatwere moving in both directions."This video made viral by therider...going at a dangerousspeed of almost 300 kmph atEcity flyover putting his own &others life at risk..CCB tracedthe rider & seized bike Yamaha1000 CC.. handed over to traf-fic," Bengaluru CP SandeepPatil tweeted.

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West Bengal Chief MinisterMamata Banerjee Tuesdayaccused the BJP-led NDA gov-ernment of "hatching a conspir-acy" to try and topple dulyelected governments of opposi-tion-ruled states by using cen-tral agencies annd moneypower." Addressing a virtualrally of the TMC on 'Martyrs'Day', she declared West Bengalwill continue to be run by itsown people and not "outsiders",an apparent reference to chal-lenger BJP. Banerjee alleged theCentre has deprived Bengal ofresources, and asserted peoplewill give a befitting reply to it forthe injustice done to the state. "Aconspiracy is being hatched bythe union government to desta-

bilise the elected government ofBengal by using central agenciesand money power. The BJP isthe most destructive party thecountry has ever seen.

"When the country is busyfighting the COVID pandemic,the BJP is busy destabilising theelected governments inRajasthan and West Bengal afterMadhya Pradesh," she said.

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Amid the ongoing political cri-sis in Rajasthan, a meeting of theCongress Legislature Partyended here with Chief MinisterAshok Gehlot asking the stateCabinet to meet at his residenceat 4 pm.

The Cabinet meeting hasbeen called to discuss the coro-navirus situation, states's finan-cial condition and social welfareschemes, officials said.

According to party sources,the Congress Legislature Party(CLP) meeting lasted for aboutan hour and a half.

The CLP meeting had start-ed with a delay of two hours ata hotel on the outskirts of Jaipurwhere party legislators support-ing the Ashok Gehlot govern-

ment are camping. Senior partyleaders, including AICC gener-al secretary in-charge for theRajasthan Congress AvinashPande; K C Venugopal; AjayMaken; Randeep Surjewala;Vivek Bansal and Chief MinisterAshok Gehlot attended themeeting.

This was the third meeting ofthe CLP in the past one week.

A political turmoil is ragingin the state apparently becauseof a tussle for power betweendissident Congress leader SachinPilot and Gehlot.

Last week, Pilot and 18 otherMLAs rebelled against the chiefminister, defying a party whip toattend two Congress LegislatureParty meetings. Pilot was thensacked as deputy chief ministerand state Congress chief.

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Some employees of Air Indiahave succumbed to COVID-19 , an official circular of theairline has said, as itannounced a fixed compen-sation amount for the next ofkin. However, Air Indiaspokesperson did notrespond to PTI queries onhow many employees havebeen infected and have dieddue to coronavirus.

The internal circular datedJuly 20 noted that "manyemployees of the companyare getting COVID positiveand some of the employeeshave also succumbed to thepandemic." "To safeguard theinterests of the families, it hasbeen decided to make an ad-hoc payment to the family orlegal heir of employees, whodie during the period ofCOVID-19," the circular, acopy of which has beenaccessed.

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The CBI on Tuesday ques-tioned Congress MLA KrishnaPoonia and Deva Ram Saini,the OSD to Rajasthan ChiefMinister Ashok Gehlot, inconnection with the allegedsuicide by a police officer inChuru district on May 23,officials said.

A team of the CBI's specialcrime unit in Delhi is in Jaipurto record statements in con-nection with the death ofRajgarh Station House Officer(SHO) Vishnudutt Vishnoi,whose body was found hang-ing from the ceiling of his offi-cial residence.

The team questioned Saini,the Officer on Special Duty

(OSD) to the Rajasthan chiefminister, for nearly two hours,while Poonia was quizzed forabout two-and-a-half hoursat her residence, the officialssaid.

This was the second timePoonia, an Olympian, wasquestioned in connection with

the matter. The agency hadquizzed her for nearly threehours at her Jaipur residenceon Monday evening, the offi-cials said.

The Bharatiya Janata Party(BJP) and the Bahujan SamajParty (BSP) have alleged thatPoonia was putting pressure onVishnoi, which triggered hisdrastic move, a charge deniedby the Sadulpur MLA.

The questioning comes at atime when Gehlot is engrossedin a pitched battle with his betenoire, Sachin Pilot, who hasbeen ousted from the post ofdeputy chief minister, which,in turn, has raised questionsover the stability of theCongress government inRajasthan.

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The Delhi government onTuesday approved doorstepdelivery of ration to eligiblebeneficiaries, Chief MinisterArvind Kejriwal announced,terming it as a "revolutionary"move.

The scheme will be knownas "Mukhya Mantri Ghar GharRation Ration Yojna", he said.

The scheme, which wasapproved at a cabinet meeting,is expected to be rolled out inthe next 6-7 months aftercompleting tendering processand other necessities.

"Under the scheme, wheat,flour, rice and sugar packedhygienically in bags will bedelivered to doorstep of peo-ple. Taking ration from a PDSshop will be optional," he saidin a virtual press briefing.

In its previous stint, theruling AAP was involved in along drawn tussle with the LtGovernor's office over its flag-ship doorstep delivery of rationscheme.

In March 2018, LtGovernor Anil Baijal hadasked the Delhi government to

refer its proposal for doorstepdelivery of ration to the Centrewith full details. With theimplementation of the scheme,the Centre's 'One Nation OneRation Card' scheme will alsocome into effect in Delhi, saidthe chief minister.

The state governments incooperation with the Centredistributes ration but thereare different kinds of com-plaints like shortchanging,overpricing, delays and quali-ty. Getting ration should beright of the poor, he said.

"In five years since the AAP

came to power, we have madeseveral changes. Now, ration isavailable to the people," hesaid.

Kejriwal said he and DeputyChief Minister Sisodia, as RTIactivists before joining politics,fought for rights of people toration and even faced attacksfor it from the ration mafia.

"We used to fight for rightsof the poor in the slumsthrough Parivartan organisa-tion. We made maximum useof RTI for helping poor peopleget ration in a proper way," herecalled.

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The Supreme Court has agreedto hear former Delhi law min-ister Jitender Singh Tomar'splea challenging the Delhi HighCourt's verdict holding as "void"his election to the legislativeassembly in 2015 polls for fur-nishing false information ofhis educational qualification inthe nomination papers.

A bench headed by ChiefJustice S A Bobde issued noticeseeking replies from the respon-dents concerned, includingthose who had contested fromTomar's constituency and itsreturning officer.

"Issue notice," said the bench,also comprising Justices A SBopanna and VRamasubramanian, whichheard the matter through video-conferencing.

In its verdict on January 17this year, the Delhi High Courthad held Tomar's election to TriNagar constituency in 2015

polls as "void".It said false declaration by the

Aam Aadmi Party leader abouthis educational qualificationthat he had obtained a valid LLBdegree, and vocation has result-ed in "inducement and thwart-ed free exercise of electoralright of the voter".

In the apex court appeal,Tomar, represented by advocateKush Sharma, has sought settingaside of the high court verdict.

He said the high court had"erroneously held that the appel-lant (Tomar) had not lawfully

obtained his LLB degree andwas not duly enrolled as anadvocate at the time of filing hisnomination, and further heldthat nomination of the appellantwas improperly accepted".

The appeal has claimed thaton date of declaration, Tomarwas holding a valid and subsist-ing LLB degree awarded byTilka Manjhi BhagalpurUniversity in 1999.

It alleged that the high courtverdict had come on a pleawhich had challenged Tomar'sgraduation degree, which didnot form part of his January 16,2015 affidavit, and not his LLBdegree.

It claimed that the "highcourt ought not have given thefinding that the appellant(Tomar) had not 'lawfullyobtained LLB degree and wasnot duly enrolled as an advocateat the time of filing his nomina-tion' as a criminal trial on thesubject matter is presently ongo-ing before the trial court..."

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A medical team traversedlandslide-prone muddy roadsand crossed a flooded river tohome quarantine a womanand her contacts in a remotehamlet in Arunachal Pradesh'sPapum Pare district, officialssaid on Tuesday.

The woman had recentlysneaked into neighbouringAssam's Sonitpur district tomeet her relatives withoutinforming authorities of eitherstate and returned to her KarbiColony hamlet on July 18,sparking fears among herneighbours that she mighthave been infected with coro-navirus, they said.

After being alerted by theresidents of Karbi Colony, amedical team led by DrSimanto Borah of Tarasso pri-mary health centre undertooka 30-km journey to reach thehamlet on July 19 and homequarantined the woman and

her local contacts,Papum Pare District

Reproductive and ChildHealth Officer (DRCHO) DrWorar Taku said.

The health personnel com-pleted a portion of the journeyon motorbikes and covered theremaining distance on foot,

crossing the Tarasso riverwhich is in spate due to floods,Dr Taku said.

"Ten people, including thewoman, her family membersand other local contacts, havebeen home quarantined.Antigen testing kits are notavailable in the PHC at themoment. The quarantined per-sons' samples will soon becollected for COVID-19 tests,"Dr Simanto Borah said.

A video of the medical teamcrossing the flooded river hasgone viral on social media,grabbing the attention of ChiefMinister Pema Khandu.

Lauding the health person-nel for their dedication towork, Khandu tweeted:"Immense respect to ourhealthcare workers & police-men who are on #COVID19duty even in such extremeweather conditions and ininaccessible areas. Let us standsolidly behind our#CoronaWarriors."

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India has had to struggle might-ily to gain influence in a domainthat could have come moreeasily earlier as its foreign pol-icy carries "three major burdens"from its past -- Partition, delayedeconomic reforms and pro-longed exercise of the nuclearoption, says External AffairsMinister S Jaishankar.

The former diplomat makesthese remarks in his new book"The India Way: Strategies for anUncertain World", which isscheduled for release onSeptember 7. With the periodfrom the 2008 global financialcrisis to the 2020 coronaviruspandemic seeing a real transfor-mation of the world order,Jaishankar analyses the chal-lenges India faces and spells outpossible policy responses.

As India rises in the worldorder, it should not only visu-alise its interests with great clar-ity but also communicate themeffectively, he writes in thebook.

Jaishankar says India's foreign

policy carries three major bur-dens from its past.

"One is the 1947 Partition,which reduced the nation bothdemographically and political-ly. An unintended consequencewas to give China more strate-gic space in Asia. Another is thedelayed economic reforms thatwere undertaken a decade anda half after those of China … the15-year gap continues to putIndia at a great disadvantage."

The third, Jaishankar says, isthe prolonged exercise of the

nuclear option. "As a result,India has had to struggle might-ily to gain influence in a domainthat could have come so muchmore easily earlier..."

He terms his book an "effortto contribute to that endeavour,encouraging an honest conver-sation among Indians, withoutdiscouraging the world fromeavesdropping".

In a statement, publishersHarperCollins India says thevery nature of internationalrelations and its rules is chang-

ing and for India, this meansoptimal relationships with all themajor powers to best advance itsgoals.

"Jaishankar analyses thesechallenges and spells out possi-ble policy responses. In doing so,he is very conscious of balanc-ing India's national interest withinternational responsibilities.He places this thinking in thecontext of history and tradition,appropriate for a civilisationalpower that seeks to reclaim itsplace on the world stage," it says.

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Work from home, yes. Classesfrom home, that too. But travelfrom home?

The COVID-19 pandemicforced a new normal as people,particularly in urban India, wentabout their jobs and academicsfrom the confines of their homes.Now, as one month slips intoanother and the infection showslittle sign of abating, the young,the not-so-young and the restlessare touring the world – fromtheir armchairs, their living roomcouch or maybe their beds.

The new breed of ‘travel pota-toes' are not just browsing the netbut actually booking holidaysthrough major travel operators.So, you can drive around Berlin,walk through the Sistine Chapelor go up the Eiffel Tower.

Virtually if not really is whatVritti Tandon decided to dowhen the long planned familytrip to Europe didn't happenbecause of the global pandemic.

"I booked for Florence andParis. I got to see and know so

much more about Eiffel Tower,Notre Dame, Statue of David,Uffizi Gallery and many others.The guides were well-informed,interactive and gave many funfacts along with tips for futuretravel,” the Class 12 Delhi studentsaid.

It had been a long and difficultsummer and the 17-year-oldwas despondently surfingthrough images of places shecould have visited in a 'normal'2020 when up popped a link fora travel company providing vir-

tual tours.Tandon knew it was her best

bet as leisure travel doesn't seempossible in the foreseeable future.

With 11,55,191 COVID-19cases and 28,084 fatalities tillMonday, India is behind only theUS and Brazil in the global tallyand has currently restricted inter-national air travel to repatriationmissions only.

So, from no option to sudden-ly spoilt for choices, Tandon satin her pyjamas, set the AC to herpreferred temperature and

explored the two European citieslast month from the comfort ofher home.

“I have to admit that beforebooking I was a bit iffy aboutwhether this would be worth it.But after having visited Paris andFlorence, I am now looking for-ward to Barcelona. I will strong-ly recommend this to everyone,"Tandon said.

With no holidays beingplanned in the near future, sev-eral companies have jumped on

the virtual travel bandwagon.MakeMyTrip offers a live ‘vir-

tual guided tour' experience withlocal hosts and travel guidestaking the tourist sightseeing invideo platforms. Others, likeExpedia, offer a part live and partrecorded experience, including alicensed guide led webinarpacked with photos, videos, pollsand a fully interactive chat func-tion. There is also a live Q&A atthe end.

From driving around Berlin orBarcelona, admiring the stunningtreasures of the VaticanMuseums and Sistine Chapel andthe Uffizi Gallery to a fun-packed tour of Harry PotterStudio in London, there aremany journeys on offer for arm-chair travellers.

Many international tours,with a duration of at least 60minutes or more, cost less thanRs 1,300 per person on Expedia.International and domesticexperiences on MakeMyTriptoo are not pocket-heavy andstart at Rs 799 and Rs 99 per per-son, respectively.

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Megastar Amitabh Bachchan,who is undergoing treatmenfor coronavirus at a hospitalhere, says his COVID-19 diag-nosis has led him to look atevery moment of life in all itsglory.

The 77-year-old actor andhis 44-year-old son, actorAbhishek Bachchan, on July 11were admitted to the isolationward of Nanavati Hospitalafter they were diagnosed withthe virus.

Amitabh's daughter-in-law,actor Aishwarya Rai Bachchanand his granddaughterAaradhya Bachchan were shift-ed to Nanavati last Friday,almost a week after they test-ed positive for COVID-19.

On his blog, Amitabh onMonday talked about dealingwith lack of company and a"wandering mind" in isola-tion.

".. it is the silence and theuncertainty of the next … it is

a wonder of the nature of life.. of all that it brings to us eachmoment , each living breath-ing day..

"in the activity driven pastdays of normalcy, never wasthere inclination to assess or sitback and think of whatthoughts invade us now .. butthey do now with a regularitythat fills those idle hours, sit-ting, thinking, looking outinto no where," he wrote.

The "Gulabo Sitabo" star,who regularly updates fansand well-wishers about hishealth on social media, said headmires thinkers and visionar-

ies who used their "superiorwisdom" for the good ofhumanity.

Amitabh said he hopes thetime he is spending away fromhis loved ones soon comes toan end.

"In the condition of thesolace in the room of cure .. therestlessness keeps in the searchfor reaction .. for a connect ..for something to respond to ..to do .. to do just more thanwhat the condition dictates ..

".. at times you find it .. attimes you stare at barren wallsand with empty thoughts .. andyou pray that they be filledwith the life of existence .. ofreaction and company."

The Bollywood veteran,who has graced the silverscreen for over five decades,once again expressed his grat-itude to his admirers for theirgood wishes.

"All of you push yourprayers and concern each hourI know .. and I have only fold-ed hands .."

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Sir Edwin Lutyens’ Delhi,with its heritage and a graceso fragile, will soon bescarred and disfigured as itsiconic architecture and lush

greenery may give way to modernbuildings after the UnionGovernment remains steadfast withits plan to redevelop its stretch fromthe Rashtrapati Bhavan to the IndiaGate and even beyond till theYamuna front.

Some of the mansions sprawlingin the cool, green light of the day, withtheir symmetry — striking and flaw-less — are waiting to be razed to theground. The trees that have stood wit-ness to history may not survive to tella tale of another day. The amaltas treesthat broke into soft yellow blossomsevery summer, the sun-warm jamunsdotting the grassy grounds and the bit-ter-sweet smell of neem pods whencrushed under the feet after rains mayslip into the twilight sepia of oblivion,though assurances continue of no treesbeing felled during the exercise.

Lutyens’ Delhi stands as a trib-ute to the time and the timeless spir-it of the city. The leafy boulevardswalk you back to the memories of anera bygone under a soft lilac sky.Generations have grown up to iden-tify the city with its pristine architec-ture shimmering in the amber sun-shine like a jewel unspoilt in theemerald green. The Central Vista,with some of the most iconic build-ings of Delhi, came into being whenthe British capital was shifted toDelhi from Calcutta in 1911.Architects Edwin Lutyens andHerbert Baker designed large sec-tions of the area with iconic featuresbut could not complete their task.The green expanse left was later filledup with buildings that house CentralGovernment offices, though these areno match to the Lutyens’ creations.

Restructuring the Lutyens’ willtake away from the city its soul andcharacter. It will irreversibly deface thecity and rob it of its identity anduniqueness. The stakeholders, howev-er, claim that this will not affect theimposing edifice and architecture asconceived by Lutyens as long as all theregulations are followed.

The revamp has been proposed tomeet the crushing need for space andreflect the aspirations of a new andresurgent India as pleaded byGovernment sources. But then, whycan’t the lawmakers and Governmentemployees find space to live andwork elsewhere in this ever-expand-ing city? The swathe of green and high-end lifestyle of Lutyens’ Delhi cushionsits residents from the hoi polloi, from

the crowded zones where thecity lives and breathes. The rul-ing elite will have a real taste oflife in the capital if they rubshoulders with the commoners.It will give them a hands-on feel-ing of the traffic jams, the crowdand the dust, the filth and thegarbage, poverty and lawless-ness, lack of orderliness — all ofwhich are unheard of within thesafe bastion of Lutyens’ Delhi,like the palace of Oscar Wilde’sThe Happy Prince, where sorrowwas not allowed to enter.

The proposal envisagesonly the three top-most func-tionaries of India’s democracy,the President, Vice Presidentand the Prime Minister, livingand working from the RaisinaHill. The Central Vista revampbrings down the babus literal-ly from their exalted positionon the Raisina Hill to theplains, alongside the Rajpath. Isthere a message, too, that theyare only public servants? TheNorth and South Block will beconverted into museums — butdo we need more of them andthat, too, within Lutyens? Wealready have the national muse-um and the archives. Havingswarms of visitors in thesehuge buildings every day willnecessitate heavy police pres-ence in view of their proximi-ty to the presence of the high-est dignitaries of the country.

Ten square doughnut-shaped buildings, comprising 51Ministries of the CentralGovernment, will come up atfour locations of the CentralVista. One of them would

replace the Indira GandhiCentre for Arts near a round-about with heavy traffic densi-ty. The police or the NDMC willbe under tremendous pressureto cater to the extra load of traf-fic, parking, civic and otheramenities.

In addition, hutments are tobe razed to house office com-plexes, robbing the heritagezone further of its greenery andopen space. The subways andthe metro link to be provided forseamless movement betweenthe office complexes are a mam-moth exercise, difficult to be exe-cuted without altering or scar-ring the beauty and symmetry.The proposal to add anotherbuilding to the existingParliament House will againencroach upon the greenexpanse left alone so thoughtful-ly by Lutyens and Baker to pre-serve the unique façade of NewDelhi.

Around 2,000 people filedobjections with the DDA and1,200 were called for hearings.Some averred that the change inland use was not legally tenable.Others felt that the revamp can-not be done in isolation withoutconsidering the surroundingzone. Besides, a detailed study isrequired to study the impact ofthe resultant pressure on civicamenities, traffic and trans-portation.

Experts have also warnedthat any plan of such magnitudeshould not be executed in haste.They have cited instances ofgreat cities that have integratedmodern refurbishments with

iconic historical structures seam-lessly and have befittingly ren-ovated heritage structures tosuit our new-age demands. Evencities like Washington DC,London and Paris have beenmodernised where new-agearchitecture has been blendedand balanced with the heritagelook and the old-world charm.

In this great city, our coun-trymen and our generations tocome have a stake. For a pro-ject of this significance and ina location as critical, thereneeds to be a widespread con-sultation before taking anysuch decision of historical sig-nificance. And finally, the mootpoint is: Whether there is aneed for such a project at all?

The best thing heard aboutthe Central Vista revamp is theshifting of the residence ofthe Prime Minister to theRashtrapati Bhavan precincts.This will clear up an importantarterial road from that zone toSouth Delhi. Lutyens’ Delhineeds to be decluttered further.All political party offices andthe sarkari ones working fromhutments within New Delhishould be moved out, extend-ing the green belt further. Whynot conduct an exercise toassess whether so manyMinistries are actuallyrequired? Babus of our exaltedbureaucracy won’t underminetheir own strength. We need anoutside expert to deliberate,something on the lines of therecent restructuring of myriadcadres in the Railways. Let thecore strength remain in

Lutyens’ zone and the restmoved out to marked areas likethe CGO complex or in newhubs. In this digital age with thefacility of video conferencing,do we need overcrowding andincreasing pressure on civicamenities in a heritage zone?

Instead, the iconic IndiaGate environs, giving theimpression of an embattledfortress with police barricadesand fortifications, need to befurther opened up and beauti-fied. The majestic RajpathLawns lie trampled under theugly green PWD poles foralmost six months of the year,half in preparation for theJanuary 26 parade and theother half in dismantling thewhole façade. It’s time to decidewhether a resurgent India,whose democratic credentialsare solidly established, stillneeds to purvey its militarymight in a parade everyRepublic Day.

With evidence of continu-ous settlement since the 6thcentury BC, Delhi is one of theoldest inhabited cities in theworld. Destroyed several timesas it passed into the hands ofmany ruling dynasties, the cityhas been built and rebuiltaround its treasured ruins.And now, with plans to revampthe Lutyens’ Delhi, the city onceagain stands muted at thecrossroads of time, war-wearyand subdued, pleading with abroken soul to be left alone.

(The writer is former IPSofficer and Central InformationCommissioner)

As the Coronavirus plays havoc with economiesand lives around the world and goes into thecommunity spread stage in India, throwing up

visions of large scale illness, deaths and a totteringhealthcare ultimately collapsing, there’s some goodnews on the horizon. Early human trials of a vac-cine developed by global biopharmaceutical com-pany AstraZeneca and the University of Oxfordshowed that it is not only safe but seemed to buildan immune response in volunteers. Not only did thepeople injected with the vaccine build neutralising anti-bodies, there was also a spike in their numbers of

T cells or white blood cells that protect humans from pathogens and actively destroyinfected cells. Encouragingly, the WHO has described the Oxford vaccine as the lead-ing candidate in a worldwide race to halt the pandemic. But researchers are taking acautious approach as it is early days yet and there is still much work to be done beforethey can confirm if the vaccine will manage the pandemic. By their own admission,they do not know as yet how strong an immune response is needed to offer long-term protection.

The next phase of the clinical trials, therefore, is even more crucial. The Phase IIItrials, in low-to-middle income countries like Brazil, South Africa and India, will demon-strate the vaccine’s efficacy among a large number of people. We would be lucky ifa formal rollout happens by the year-end. And out of the two billion doses that will becreated, a whopping 300 million will go to the US. Plus, as the UK will have the intel-lectual property rights over it, other countries, including India, will need to enter intocommercial deals. However, the one advantage that India has over other not so well-heeled nations is that AstraZeneca has entered into a deal with the Pune-based SerumInstitute of India for trials and to supply one billion doses for low-and-middle-incomecountries before 2020 end. Logically, we should get the dibs on the shots. However,the good news is that the Oxford vaccine is not the only candidate and if researchersat Bernstein are to be believed, though the vaccine has shown positive data, the barset by programmes from Pfizer Inc, BioNtech SE and Moderna Inc is much higher.The titers from immunised patients were lower than convalescent patients, whereasBioNtech and Moderna vaccines both elicited IgGs substantially higher than conva-lescent controls. India has two trials running concurrently in Delhi and Hyderabad withresults expected in October. Whatever the clinical efficiencies at this stage, at least abeginning has been made. Humanity can rest assured that help is at hand and soon.

The timing, they say, is everything. So once theSupreme Court paved the way for the construc-tion of a Ram temple at Ayodhya, respecting civil-

isational belief and the heave of collective emotionand faith — one that had been appropriated by pol-itics — one would have expected the exhibitionist pro-paganda around it to ebb away. Yet a grand �������� or foundation-laying ceremony is beingplanned during the nation’s worst time, in the mid-dle of a pandemic, natural disasters and a stalled econ-omy, if only to keep the temple agenda, and by exten-sion those who live off it politically, alive. Everybody

may be looking towards divine intercession in helpless times but does that behove thetemple trust to host a grand ceremony, the expensive resources for which could beused for much-needed COVID-19 relief, or take liberties with social distancing rules as250 guests, including 50 VIPs, are expected to attend a public gathering? The Government’sown advisory against public outings for those above 60 will be defeated as most guests,including Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh and ��� ������ LK Advani and Murli Manohar Joshi, are above that age limit. Question is whetherthese leaders will prize their religiosity over public service and messaging. Five silverbricks, symbolising the five planets as per Hindu mythology, will be used to lay the foun-dation, 11 priests from Varanasi and Ayodhya will congregate to do the rituals and toward off evil spirits, silver figurines of a male and female snake and a tortoise will beburied at the construction site. Huge CCTV screens will dot Ayodhya for devotees tocatch a glimpse of the proceedings, never mind if it encourages some kind of crowd-ing. Granted, the ruling BJP has ridden a majoritarian wave to get its verdict and in theabsence of a challenging Opposition, will ride the pandemic trough out, efficient or not.So it doesn’t need to mount another lavish showcase of its Hindu pride. Unless it wantsto divert attention from its mishandling of the economy and burdening India’s migrantworkforce. Agreed, it has to satisfy its core constituency of Hindu voters and ideologuesbut does that mean humouring them to such an extent that consciously privileges themand their rights over followers of other faiths and practices despite pandemic restric-tions? And while world over prayers are on, wishing the end of COVID-19, how canthe temple authorities justify that prayers during the ceremony on August 3 or August5, being the most auspicious days, would help in ridding the country of the virus?

Of course, the political undertones are not too difficult to miss. The expected cer-emony coincides with the first anniversary of the revocation of special status of the for-mer State of Jammu & Kashmir and the abrogation of Article 370. While the Governmentmay claim to have enacted that within a constitutional space and is already trotting outfigures of developmental funding to justify the conversion of territories, the celebrationsat Ayodhya say otherwise. They are meant to be a mid-term campaign of the ModiGovernment that it has fulfilled the promises made in its manifesto in record time. Theevent is also an indication that identity politics, which had been derailed by the pan-demic, will gain momentum, examples of which are apparent from the way the Governmentis pursuing dissenters and activists even in the middle of a pandemic. Take the case ofVaravara Rao, who was arrested in the Elgar Parishad-Maoist links case in 2018, whichis now with the NIA. At 80, he is COVID-19 positive and was moved to a hospital muchlater. There is radio silence on his status with his family unaware of his condition. TheOpposition criticism came from Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) chief Sharad Pawar,who said instead of a ��������� now, the Government should focus on the pandem-ic and the economy. But the Modi Government, which has apportioned health man-agement to respective States and knows that it could pass the buck in case of a wors-ening disease spiral to them, can hardly be expected to share Pawar’s concerns overMaharashtra, the worst-hit State. Congress leader Digvijaya Singh joined the chorusafter Pawar made the move. But both leaders represent the ruling coalition in Maharashtraas partners of the Shiv Sena, which lauded the temple construction and claimed to have“laid the road” to it, “not for politics but out of faith.” The political fissures were all tooapparent as Shiv Sena leader Sanjay Raut said that Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeraywould attend and that the fight against the virus was being fought “by our doctors inwhite attire, whom we call �� ����(messenger of God).” Question is whether LordRam himself would have condoned such celebrations or helped the sick instead. Theproblem is that there is no end to the temple card; it will continue to be used for his-torical corrections that are guided by narrow political considerations. Ayodhya’s god-king wouldn’t like his ��� to be tampered with. Yet, who cares?

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Sir — This refers to the report,“T20 World Cup postponed”(July 21). The InternationalCricket Council’s (ICC) decisionto hold in abeyance the T20World Cup in the wake of theCOVID-19 pandemic is wel-come. Given that the cricketersthemselves have not been unableto play the sport, the idea of con-ducting a major tournamentlike the T20 World Cup this yearseemed to be absurd. Althoughthe ICC’s decision may come asa shock to cricket aficionados,they must not lose hope as thedeferment of the World Cup hasenhanced the possibilities for theconduct of the Indian PremierLeague (IPL).

Tushar AnandPatna

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Sir — This refers to the editor-ial, “Rajasthan wrangle” (July21). The more pertinent ques-tion is why is the Congressunable to retain talent andyoung leaders? The Gandhifamily must take the entire

blame as it failed to reward thosewho performed. Assam’sHemanta Biswa Sarma quitbecause he wasn’t taken serious-ly. Jyotiraditya Scindia, too,walked away after he was repeat-edly marginalised by the KamalNath Government.

Both Sonia Gandhi andRahul Gandhi showed little sen-sitivity towards their concernsand, instead, backed those par-

tymen who humiliated the youthleaders. Like Scindia, SachinPilot, too, was close to RahulGandhi but was betrayed. Sincelong there have been calls for theparty to introspect but the grandold party has been unable tocontain rising resentment. Thetime to introspect, too, seems tohave gone now.

ShadabVia email

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Sir — The University GrantsCommission’s (UGC’s) new set ofguidelines, asking universitiesto conduct the final year/finalsemester exams beforeSeptember 30, is unjust. Thosestudents in the rural areas will bethe worst sufferers. Aren’t stu-dents’ lives more important than

these examinations? It is anestablished fact now that main-taining physical distance andbreaking the chain of infection isthe best remedy to fight the virus.Wouldn’t the UGC be putting thestudents’ lives at stake? Manyhave travelled back to their homeStates and will have to return forthe exams. The UGC mustreverse its order and assess thestudents on the basis of marksobtained in internals.

Nagendra Kumar VempalliHyderabad

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Sir — The Coronavirus pandem-ic has forced us to inculcate a lotof safety-related habits andbehavioural changes, too. Butwhat’s striking is that accordingto a BBC report, more than onemillion people have given upsmoking since the pandemic hit.This is a positive development,which must be incorporated inour lives well beyond the lock-down and the pandemic.

AyushVia email

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The Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT)has introduced a new kind of form for fil-ing tax returns and form 26AS in antici-

pation of better tax compliance, wherein form26AS will now be pre-loaded with informationrelating to investments as well. With this, theCBDT has given another opportunity to citizensto file accurate and true income returns for theassessment-year 2018-19 by July 31. The CBDThas been scanning computerised records of tax-payers and sending messages via the ShortMessaging Service (SMS) and emails to taxpay-ers who have been found to be remiss in theirduty to the nation.

The big question is why is such an exerciseneeded at all? Despite various innovative ideasadopted by the CBDT to encourage people to paytheir taxes regularly, India has not movedtowards a practical and easy tax regime wherepeople diligently file their taxes and disclose theirtrue income. We are yet to reach a stage wherewe, as a society, take pride in filing our taxes anddisclosing our actual income.

In view of this general reluctance to pay taxesamong Indians, an altogether new tax regimeshould be introduced without the largely-mis-used exemptions that we currently have. Whydo we need to give two confusing options to tax-payers of either availing some exemptions or get-ting a flat basic �� lakh as tax-free income? Onlythe latter option of �� lakh as tax-free incomeneeds to be retained.

The tax system should be further simplifiedby abolishing cess, surcharges and so on. It is amatter of concern that despite repeated assur-ances by the Government, the much-awaited,new and simplified Income Tax Act has not beenintroduced in the country to replace the six-decade-old Income Tax Act of 1961, which isnow full of confusing amendments.

The implementation of the Raja ChelliahCommittee recommendations to fix the highesttax slab at 30 per cent, to be in tune with mostcountries around the world, had abolished thepractice of converting black money into whitemoney. Gradually increasing the highest slab, aswell as imposing cess and surcharges, hasundone the good achieved earlier. Hence, thehighest tax slab of 30 per cent should be restoredso that people find it advantageous to keep theirincome books honest.

Rather a permanent Voluntary DisclosureScheme (VDS) should be introduced with a pro-vision for people to declare their income at thehighest suggested tax rate of 30 per cent. It couldbe any income without the taxpayer having todisclose its source.

This will make all cash transactions, espe-cially in property deals, accounted for if regis-tration fee on property deals is also reduced tosay, just two per cent, from what it is at present.The names of all those disclosing their incomesunder the suggested 30 per cent slab should beon the tax department’s website so that status-conscious people may race to disclose theirincome.

The basic tax exemption now fixed at �� lakhshould pave the way for abolishing all tax exemp-tions, including on charity, donations, contribu-

tion to political parties and even agri-cultural income. The fact remains thatan ordinary farmer does not earnmore than �� lakh. And this provisionis grossly misused by ultra-rich people,including celebrities to declare theirunaccounted income as agriculturalincome through purchase of somefarmland meant for the purpose ofevading taxes only.

Income tax slabs should be 10 percent and 20 per cent for incomesbetween �5-�10 lakh and �10-�15lakh respectively and thereafter itshould be 30 per cent for the rest. TheLK Jha Committee recommendationsto make the calendar year the FinancialYear (FY) too, should be implementedin line with most countries around theworld. The fiscal year of April-Marchis a colonial legacy which was intro-duced by the British in India for theirown interests and convenience.

Rather than concentrating on smallcash transactions through BhimAppand so on — which result in frauds per-petrated on illiterate people — allsales and purchases above �10,000should be compulsorily made throughbank transactions only. For this to work,transaction charges on credit cardsshould also be slashed to just half percent (Goods and Services Tax-exempt-ed). That, too, should be borne by theCentral Government, with all incentiveson purchases made through creditcards abolished.

Such a system will fetch much high-er tax revenue for the Government. Thepresent two per cent transactioncharges on credit cards force traders tocharge it separately from customers,specially where trade margins are low.

Banks issuing credit cards will earnmuch more even with a half per centtransaction charge because of theirincreased use. Plus, two sets of creditcard swiping machines should be madecompulsory for every GST-registereddealer so as to avoid cash payments bythose seeking to evade taxes.

The Input Tax Credit system in theGST regime, particularly in the man-ufacturing sector, is the biggest sourceof corruption and tax evasion. TheGST invoices left out by ordinary cus-tomers are sold by traders to manufac-turers/producers to avail false Input TaxCredit. Reforms in the Input TaxCredit system can only be possiblethrough drastic changes in the GST tax-structure, wherein basically only twoGST rates of 10 per cent and 30 per centexist, abolishing all other existing GST-rates. Abolishing lower slabs of threeand five per cent will be more thancompensated by abolishing slabs of 12and 18 per cent. On the other hand,abolishing the highly corrupt system ofInput Tax Credit from the manufactur-ing and producing sector will fetchmuch more revenue to the exchequerand it will not harm the manufactur-ers/producers because of abolition ofhigher GST slabs of 12 and 18 per cent.

In the same way, a GST of 18 percent in the service sector is excessive-ly high, where for example those par-ticipating in TV panel discussionshave to pay roughly half of their hon-orarium in tax, including GST andincome tax. All Government paymentscan be considered to be exempted fromGST to avoid unnecessary Governmentaccounting by putting tax from oneGovernment pocket to other.

Unfortunately, unmindful policy-makers brought clutch-plate and clutch-bearing under different GST slabs of 18and 28 per cent respectively. Likewisesimilar items sold by confectioners, likesweets, biscuits, savoury items and soon, attract different GST slabs, with dia-betes-causing sweets attracting justfive per cent GST.

To remove confusion and abnor-mality, invoices for items like gold jew-ellery can be drawn in two parts, onefor metal and embodied items and theother for making charges so that 10 percent GST may be payable only on thelatter. Cess on extra-luxurious itemsshould be replaced by additional GSTslabs in multiples, going as high as 50per cent in some cases.

The Government must also bringpetroleum products under the GSTregime to ensure uniform pricing ofpetrol and diesel in all States.

At present, India is the only coun-try in the world to have so many GSTslabs. Zero per cent GST should onlybe retained on totally unbranded rawmaterials, which cannot be consumedwithout giving them a finishing touch,for example agricultural products, fish,meat, cotton, yarn and so on. All itemsof long-term use like cars, air-condi-tioners, television sets, refrigerators andso on could attract 30 per cent GSTwhile their parts could uniformlyattract 10 per cent GST. In the end, theGovernment must realise that taxrationalisation on even small things canresult in more revenue earning for theGovernment and turn a country thatavoids paying its taxes into one thattakes pride in doing so.

(The writer is an RTI consultant)

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Among the most common age-related neuro-degenerativediseases affecting people above

the age of 60 is Parkinson’s Disease(PD). It is second only to Alzheimer’s.With an ageing population andincreased life expectancy due to bet-ter healthcare, India will see a propor-tional rise in cases of PD, making ita major health problem. The diseasewas first described by a British doc-tor named James Parkinson in 1817as the “shaking palsy.” Today, an esti-mated 10 million people worldwidehave PD and it affects one per centof the population above the age of 60.Men have a 50 per cent higherchance of developing the disease ascompared to women. Though theprevalence of this disease in India isless compared to other countries, the

absolute number of cases is muchhigher due to a larger population. Pluswithin India, the prevalence of thisdisease varies across regions and theParsi community has the highestcases.

PD is a slowly progressive disor-der with no identifiable cause. Itresults from loss/degeneration ofdopamine-producing cells in a regionof the brain called the substantia nigra.The cause of cell death/degenerationis not known. The disease manifestswhen more than 60 per cent of thedopamine-producing cells are lost.Dopamine is a neurotransmitterwhich helps in transmitting signals todifferent parts of the brain tosmoothen our movements.

Like many other diseases, PD isalso not fully understood despite allthe research available today and,therefore, many myths are associat-ed with it. Statistically there is anincreased risk of developing PD inpeople exposed to certain pesticidesand among those who have had priorhead injuries, while there is a reducedrisk in people who smoke tobaccoand drink tea or coffee. Genetic fac-tors have been implicated but have

not been proven conclusively in thetransmission of the disease.

It usually starts with a barely-noticeable tremor in just one handfollowed by slowing of movement andstiffness in the limbs. As the diseaseprogresses, simple tasks of walking,writing or talking become difficultand the muscles become rigid. Sowhat are the common myths andmisconceptions associated with thisdisease? As the world celebrates July22 as the ‘World Brain Day’, it is vitalto bust some of the myths on PDsequentially.

Myth: Hand tremors are a con-firmed sign of PD.

Fact: While it is true that handtremors are seen in most patients ofPD, they may be absent in up to 25per cent of the patients. Tremors canalso be caused by stroke, multiple scle-rosis and traumatic brain injury.However tremors in PD always occurat rest (while not performing anymovement of the limb) and alwaysbegin on one side of the body.

Myth: PD only affects our mobil-ity.

Fact: Tremors, stiffness or rigid-ity of the limbs and slowness to ini-

tiate movement are the hallmark ofthis disease. However, the body alsoloses its ability to balance. Besides this,there could be difficulty in swallow-ing, chewing and trouble speakingclearly. There is increased sweatingand salivation. Day time sleepinessand loss of urinary control are othermajor problems faced by thesepatients, combined with loss of visu-al-spatial orientation and visual hal-lucinations.

Myth: PD is hereditary.Fact: Most cases aren’t hereditary.

It’s rare for the disease to be passeddown from parent to child. However,having a first-degree family member(a parent or sibling) with Parkinson’sraises the risk by three per cent.

Myth: PD is not treatable.Fact: There is treatment but

there is no cure, so what does thatmean? With treatment a person withPD can lead a good quality of life butthe medications have to be taken life-long. The medications only controlthe symptoms and do not take careof the underlying cause of the disease.It is just like treating diabetes or highblood pressure. We cannot curethese diseases but can bring them

under control with medication.Myth: Drugs used to treat PD are

not safe and can worsen the disease.Fact: There are no drugs in

Allopathy without side-effects. Drugsused in the treatment of PD can overa period of five to 10 years cause dysk-inesia or abnormal, involuntary anduncontrolled movements of the limbs,eyes or the lips. This may requireadjustments of the frequency anddose of the dopaminergic drug alongwith the addition of another medica-tion. These drugs are safe for long-term use.

Myth: The disease affects onlythe elderly.

Fact: It is true that PD has high-er prevalence in the age group above60 years. However, in India nearly fiveper cent of the patients are below 40years of age. More than 10 per centpeople now being diagnosed in theUS are less than 40 years old. A recentstudy found that the prevalence of thedisease ranges from 41 people per1,00,000 in the fourth decade of lifeto more than 1,900 people per1,00,000 among those who are 80years and older.

Myth: When medications fail,

there is no hope.Fact: When a person has dis-

abling tremor or dyskinesia, which isunresponsive to medication or if thesymptoms become resistant to med-ication after many years of treatment,these patients can be offered a surgi-cal option called the Deep BrainStimulation (DBS). DBS can helprelieve the symptoms of tremors, stiff-ness or rigidity and dyskinesia. In thisprocedure, electrodes are placed inthe brain and are connected to a stim-ulator device. Similar to a heartpacemaker, the neurostimulator gen-erates electrical impulses to regulatebrain activity. Because DBS canworsen cognition or memory prob-lems, it is not recommended for peo-ple with dementia.

Myth: The disease follows a pre-dictable pattern of progression.

Fact: PD is very unique to eachperson. The progression of this dis-ease cannot be predicted even byexperts, implying that a few years intothe disease some people may be in afar better physical shape as comparedto others.

Myth: One can get tested for PDin a lab for confirmation of the diag-

nosis and early treatment.Fact: The diagnosis of PD is

based on clinical examination of apatient and not based on lab reportsor brain imaging. The identificationof at least two symptoms amongbradykinesia (slow movements), resttremor, rigidity and postural instabil-ity can confirm the diagnosis. Brainimaging may be used to look for othercauses of PD-like diseases.

Myth: PD is fatal.Fact: Although PD is a dis-

abling disease and its diagnosis is dev-astating, it is not a death sentence. Itis not like a heart attack or a strokethat can immediately be life threat-ening. It is a slow, progressive disease,which over a period of time makesthe patients dependent on others fortheir mobility and activities of dailyliving. However, the progressiontakes many years and with continuedmedication many patients are able tolead a normal life. Boxing legend,Mohammad Ali lived with this dis-ease for 32 years and Hollywood starMichael J Fox has been living with PDfor the last 29 years.

(The writer is a consultantNeurosurgeon at Apollo Hospital)

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HP India on Tuesday saidit is witnessing a surge indemand for gaming andcommercial laptops overthe last few months as cus-tomers are looking fordevices that support bothwork from home andleisure activities amid theCOVID-19 pandemic.

"Gaming has definitelyseen an upsurge, especial-ly in the current context inthe last few months, simi-larly on the commercialside. Gaming has movedfrom being a niche to beingpart of the lifestyle andessentially, more and morepeople are gaming andusing it to relieve stress,socialise," HP India MarketSenior Director, PersonalSystems Vickram Bedi said.

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The collection efficiencyof micro-finance institu-tions (MFIs) have wit-nessed an improvement inJune following the easing oflockdown restrictions, saysan Icra report.

It said relaxation in lock-down restriction hasenabled domestic MFIs tore-establish their connectand convince a large num-ber of borrowers to startpaying their instalments asit will be cost-effective forthem.

This resulted in betterthan expected collectionefficiency in June 2020 forthe rating agency's sampleof 21 MFIs. "For mostMFIs, especially those witha sizable presence in ruralregions, the collection effi-ciency has improved to 40-70 per cent in June.

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Economic activity continues toremain weak and will lead toa 6.1 per cent contraction inIndia's GDP in the current fis-cal, a foreign brokerage said onTuesday.

The Reserve Bank is likely topause at the upcoming policyreview in August and cut ratesby 25 basis points each in theOctober and Decemberreviews, Japanese brokerageNomura said in a report.

All the analysts expect a con-traction in the GDP due to theCOVID-19 pandemic, whichhas impacted both supply anddemand forces in the economysince March. Official data alsosuggests a surge in inflation,which will further drag downthe GDP in real terms.

Nomura said the June quar-ter will be the 'nadir' from agrowth perspective and the

economy will contract by 15.2per cent and the GDP willnever come into the positiveterritory in the remaining partof this fiscal.

It estimated contractions of5.6 per cent in Septemberquarter, 2.8 per cent forDecember quarter and 1.4 percent in the March quarter,which will give a full fiscal

GDP at negative 6.1 per cent. “Overall, aggregate demand

continues to lag aggregate sup-ply, especially due to weakservices activity and subduedurban consumption demand,”it said.

Demand has taken a largerhit from the lockdown, likelyreflecting higher precautionarysavings by consumers amid ris-

ing income uncertainty. Incontrast, the supply side isconstrained only to the extentmandated by the rules, it said.

The brokerage said thegrowth estimates are arrived atafter analysing 'ultra' high fre-quency indicators such as var-ious mobility indices, employ-ment and electricity demand toglean the direction of thegrowth trajectory.

On the monetary policyfront, it said the RBI, which hasalready cut rates by a cumula-tive 1.15 per cent since thebeginning of the pandemic, isnot done yet.

“We do not believe this is theend of the easing cycle, becauseof the mounting growth risks,and relatively unscathed medi-um-term view of benign infla-tion,” it said, adding that giventhe limitations on the fiscalside, the central bank will haveto do heavy lifting.

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Global shares advancedTuesday after European lead-ers worked out a deal to sup-port their virus-strickeneconomies.

Shares rose in Paris,Frankfurt and London after aday of gains in Asia. U.S.futures also advanced.

The 27 EU leaders agreed toan unprecedented 1.8 trillion-euro ($2.1 trillion) budget andcoronavirus recovery fundafter one of their longest sum-mits ever. To cope with thebiggest recession in its history,the EU will establish a 750 bil-lion-euro ($858 billion) coro-navirus fund, partly based oncommon borrowing, to besent as loans and grants to thehardest-hit countries.

That is in addition to theagreement on the seven-year,1 trillion-euro ($1.14 trillion)EU budget that leaders werehaggling over even before thepandemic.

France's CAC 40 added1.3% to 5,158.36 whileGermany's DAX jumped 1.9%to 13,295.20. Britain's FTSE100 climbed 0.7% to 6,306.01.U.S. shares were poised forgains, with Dow futures gain-ing 06% to 26,798.5.

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The apex policymaking bodiesfor direct and indirect taxes onTuesday signed a pact for datasharing on automatic and reg-ulatory basis.

A Memorandum ofUnderstanding (MoU) wassigned between the CentralBoard of Direct Taxes (CBDT)and the Central Board ofIndirect Taxes andCustoms(CBIC) for dataexchange between the twoorganisations, an official state-ment said.

MoU was signed by CBDTChairman Pramod ChandraMody and CBIC Chairman MAjit Kumar. It will facilitatesharing of data and informa-tion between CBDT and CBICon an automatic and regularbasis, it added.

"In addition to regular

exchange of data, CBDT andCBIC will also exchange witheach other, on request andspontaneous basis, any infor-mation available in theirrespective databases whichmay have utility for the otherorganization," the statementsaid.

This is an ongoing initiativeof CBDT and CBIC, who arealready collaborating throughvarious existing mechanisms.

"A Data Exchange SteeringGroup has also been constitut-ed for the initiative, which willmeet periodically to review thedata exchange status and takesteps to further improve theeffectiveness of the data shar-ing mechanism," it added.

The MoU supersedes theearlier MoU signed betweenCBDT and the erstwhileCentral Board of Excise andCustoms (CBEC) in the year2015.

The statement said that sig-nificant developments havetaken place since the signing ofearlier MoU in 2015, includingintroduction of GST, incorpo-ration of GSTN and change inthe nomenclature of CBEC toCBIC.

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Amid COVID-19 pandemic,key officials of engineeringand construction conglomer-ate Larsen & Toubro havetaken voluntary pay cut of upto 53 per cent, including a24.19 per cent salary cut by itsgroup chairman A M Naik,according to the company'sannual report.

Naik drew a total remuner-ation of Rs 6.18 crore for2019-20 as against Rs 8.15crore in 2018-19, according tothe annual report of the infra-structure giant.

L&T Chief ExecutiveOfficer & Managing DirectorS N Subrahmanyan took homeRs 27.17 crore for 2019-20,showing a pay cut of 43.91 percent.

"Reduction in managerialremuneration is mainly due tocost reduction measures vol-untarily adopted by Executive

Directors in the current pan-demic scenario and reducedperquisite value," the reportsaid.

On the other hand the aver-age percentage increase madein the salaries of employeesother than the managerialpersonnel for the year 2019-20was 4.70 per cent.

"Considering the impact ofCOVID-19 on the business,the Executive Directors havetaken a voluntary reduction of50 per cent on the entitledcommission," the report said.

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The Ministry of Statisticsand ProgrammeImplementation (MOSPI)has begun the process forrecruiting Chief Statistician ofIndia as incumbent PravinSrivastava would retire onAugust 31.

The eligible candidates arerequired to submit theirapplications for the post withthe ministry by August 17, asper a notice issued by MOSPIon July 17.

Pravin Srivastava wasappointed as the ChiefStatistician of India (CSI) inOctober 2018. His tenureends on August 31, 2020.

According to the ministry'snotice, the CSI would have atenure of three years whichmay be extended by addition-al two years.

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The record high forex reservesof USD 516 billion, of whichUSD 81 billion added sincegovernor Shaktikanta Das hasassumed office, will helpgreater foreign fund inflowsand lower the cost of overseasfunds for corporates, says areport.

Governor Das' efforts sinceassuming office in December2018, resemble those of theBimal Jalan-YV Reddy era adecade ago when the reservestouched for the first time toadequately cover imports, andthe reserves at over USD 516

billion are sufficient to bufferthe economy against any con-tagion, Bank of America said ina report on Tuesday.

The present forex reservesare sufficient to cover 14.9months of imports, which arearound 20 per cent of GDP,said the report, adding pre-Covid, the import cover was11.4 months. The higherimport cover is also due to thefalling crude prices.

Given the high forex cover,the report also assumes a flatcurrent account provided oilaverages at USD 43.7 a barrelfor the year and FPIs pump inUSD 7 billion of more through

the course of the year. "The record high forex

reserves at USD 516 billion

should enable greater portfolioinflows going ahead as ade-quate forex reserves reduce

rupee risks on one hand and onthe other, domestic corporatesshould be able to raise moneyabroad cheaper,” the reportsaid without quantifying howmuch will the FPI inflows orhow much the interest costbenefit would be.

Also, at the present level,forex kitty covers 88.7 per centof foreign investments, andthis can be 100 per cent if thereserves climb to USD521 bil-lion. Higher FPI cover is thanksto the Sensex coming off 9.4per cent so far this year, itadded.

According to the report, theRBI has built adequate forexreserves after 10 years, whenthen governors Jalan and hissuccessor Reddy were on a dol-lar buying spree and also callsupon the central bank to con-tinue to buy forex when thedollar weakens and allowdepreciation if it strengthens.

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State-run Bharat Earth MoversLimited (BEML) on Tuesdaysaid it has received a Rs 557crore order from the Ministryof Defence (MoD) for supplyof 1,512 Track Width MinePlough (TWMP), a de-mineequipment, for T-90 tanks usedby the Army.

The system, which wouldfacilitate individual mobility totanks while negotiating mine

fields, will be manufactured atBEML facilities with the helpof M/s. Pearson Engineering,UK, the company said.

It said, out of 1,512 Mineplough BEML will supply 100numbers within 12 months,another 250 in subsequentyears and order will be com-pleted within seven years.

According to the state-runBEML, under the Make inIndia policy the contract hasBuy and Make (Indian) cate-gorisation with a minimum of50 per cent indigenous contentin the make portion of the con-tract.

"We are proud to be associ-ated with MoD to enhance thecapability of the Indian Army.BEML signifies the true spiritof Make in India and enablerfor Atmanirbhar Bharat, BEMLCMD Deepak Kumar Hotasaid.

These mine ploughs will befitted on T-90 tanks of IndianArmoured Corps which willfacilitate individual mobility totanks while negotiating minefields, the release said.

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Vedanta Group firmHindustan Zinc Ltd (HZL)on Tuesday reported a 23 percent decline in net profit at Rs1,359 crore for the quarterended June 30.

The company had posted anet profit of Rs 1,765 crore inApril-June quarter of last fis-cal, Hindustan Zinc said in afiling to the BSE.

Total income dropped to Rs4,673 crore during the quarteras against Rs 5,416 crore in theyear-ago period.

Commenting on the perfor-mance, HZL CEO SunilDuggal said, "Our strong per-formance during these difficulttimes demonstrates the spiritand resilience of our people,

who transformed a crisis intoan opportunity.

"The resulting streamliningof our operations has also laida strong foundation, whichwill have a lasting positiveimpact on the performance."

HZL's Deputy CEO ArunMisra said the company suc-

cessfully restarted its opera-tions post lifting of COVID-19lockdown in April. "In theseuncertain times, our prioritycontinues to be safety of ourpeople and continuity of ouroperations in order to deliverrobust growth in the quartersto come," he said.

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Hindustan Zinc on Tuesdaysaid its board has approvedappointment of Arun Misra ascompany's CEO, effective fromAugust 1.

In a filing to the BSE,Hindustan Zinc said, "As thecurrent tenure of Sunil DuggalCEO and WTD (Whole TimeDirector) is expiring on July 31,2020, board has approved theappointment of Arun Misra(currently Dy CEO) as CEOand WTD to be effective fromAugust 1, 2020." The compa-ny further said that the secondtenure of A R Narayanaswamyand Arun L Todarwal as inde-pendent directors is expiringon July 31.

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In a possible breach of regu-latory guidelines, borrowersof HDFC Bank were forced totake GPS devices along withthe purchase of car for aboutfour years till December2019, sources said.

According to sources, theexecutives of the country'slargest private sector lendercompelled vehicle loan cus-tomers to get GPS)devicescosting Rs 18,000-20,000 dur-ing 2015 to 2019.

Reportedly, these GPSdevices were of a particularmake indicating at conflict ofinterest and violation of reg-ulatory norms.

On this issue, an HDFCBank spokesperson said, "Asyou are aware we have saidwhat we had to in the matter.And there's nothing to add.

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Budget carrier IndiGo's deci-sion to retrench 10 per cent ofits total workforce owing to theimpact of the coronavirus pan-demic is the "beginning" of a"painful" process and in theprevailing conditions, the pos-sibility of one or more airlinesgoing out of business cannot beruled out, according to CAPA.

Besides, third-partyinvestors are unlikely to investin any airline under the presentconditions, and the companieshave the only option to seekcapital infusion from the pro-moters, it said.

IndiGo, which is the largestcarrier by domestic marketshare, on Monday said it plansto hand over pink slips to 10per cent of its around 23,500-

strong workforce amid lack ofdemand due to curtailed trav-el restrictions. "The decision by@IndiGo6E to lay off 10 percent of its staff is the beginningof a painful process for Indianaviation as things start tounravel from the impact of#COVID19India. It will beimpossible to survive this cri-sis without a strong balancesheet," CAPA India said.

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To minimise accidents andenhance marine environment,the government on Tuesdayannounced separate opera-tion routes for merchant andfishing vessels in south-westIndian waters.

The Arabian Sea around thecountry's south-west coast is abusy route with a substantialnumber of merchant shipspassing through the area alongwith a large number of fishingvessels also operating there,

resulting in collisions and lossof lives at times.

"Meeting the long-pendingdemand, the Ministry ofShipping has separated theoperation routes of merchantvessels and fishing vessels insouth-west Indian waters, con-sidering the safety and effi-ciency of navigation," the min-istry said in a statement.

There have been reports ofcollisions resulting in damageof property, environmentalpollution, and loss of lives, theministry said.

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The domestic mining and con-struction equipment (MCE)sector is likely to see a volumedecline of over 20 per cent inCY 2020 on account of loss ofsales in April and May, and anoverall weakness in the econ-omy, Icra said on Tuesday.

The domestic credit ratingagency said it continues tomaintain negative outlook for

the domestic MCE sector."The MCE industry is

expected to suffer a volumedecline of over 20 per cent inCY2020, due to two months oflost sales and an overall weak-ness in the economy," Icrasaid in a statement.

After three strong years andindustry volume peaking atabout 94,000 units, CY2019saw industry volume fall by 16per cent, it said.

Plagued by tight liquidityconditions, delayed paymentto contractors and an overallslowdown in governmentspend on infrastructure activ-ity, MCE volume has wit-nessed a sharp contractionsince December 2018.

"Partial recovery was visi-ble from December'19 withsome relief on payments andgovernment spending," itsaid.

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rom Bollywood stars likeSRK, Jhanvi Kapoor,Kartik Aryan, ShraddhaKapoor, Anushka Sharmato global superstars suchas Priyanka Chopra,

Michael Jackson, etc., celebrityphotographer Dabboo Ratnanihas shot them all through hishigh-tech lens!

“Since my juniorcollege I was

inclinedtowards theprofession ofphotography,the camera ismy vision.

There was noglamour back

then and it wasa less approach-able job to do

due to fewerincentives.

If any-thing,backthen,celebri-ty pho-tography

waslooked

downupon. It

was the eraof fashion

designers and choreographers,”shares Dabboo in a recent livesession!

In the past 25 years, he hascemented himself as one of themost celebrated names in theBollywood industry. He walkedinto the sphere of photographywith love and passion. DabbooRatnani’s style is distinct, he isan artist who dedicates one ofhis subsets to a specific prop.The photographs need to havethe ability to influence the pub-lic’s perception of various kinds.This career requires spontaneityand fire because there is intensecompetition out there.

Indeed, the lockdown gavehim an ample amount of time toexplore his way of photographyincluding updates on editingsoftware, how to play with back-drops, create snapping close-ups,or improve lighting methods.“It’s a continuous interactionwith an actor to gauge theirexpressions. It has taken a lot ofhard work for me to reach here.Today, my wife Manisha and Ihave honed that sharp eye fordetails, to the extent that it hasturned into us automatically.Recently, I was planning a shootwith actor Varun Dhawan and atyre was our prop. Instinctively,our minds as a photographersconnect us to the dots on ‘oh,

where can I find a tyre now!’,” hetells Vibha Kagzi, who organisessessions on career spotlightsfrom diverse arenas.

Celebrity photography is asense of engagement, giving it aheart and a soul. There’s a blendof passion and pleasure. DabbooRatnani creates images withmeaning and feeling. “We wereshooting with the legendaryAmitabh Bachchan and he wassupposed to sit in an auto-rick-shaw wearing a tuxedo. Hehelped me improvise out of hisown experiences, shaping anauthentic vision. He knew exact-ly how to take advantage of theenergy that was present, so thesekinds of improvisations are likelyto happen on location,” he adds.

On being asked about how hemakes female celebrities com-fortable for his semi-nude pho-toshoot concepts, he terms theparticular concept as fine art. “The key factor is trust betweenthe photographer and my sub-ject. We try to convey a sense offreedom and it’s all done taste-fully. Most of the time, my wifeis present on location and sheensures female celebrities don’tfeel uncomfortable at all,”Daboo explains. He further saysthat celebrity photography iskind of a paparazzi routealthough it’s a tough field to

break into. Thebiggest critics aregoing to be thecelebrities and theirmanagers.

Dabboo Ratnaniworks with gruelingwork ethics. “Myphotos reach themasses, gracefulcelebrities acing theimages. They send apowerful voice to thepublic building anemotional connection.Being a celebrity is thedream of many, be itfor fame or the extrav-agant lifestyle. But behind allthat glamour and glitz, I amunshakeable about capturing amessage in a moment,”expressed the celeb go-to pho-tographer!

/(:�//����39�000The actress made heracting debut whenshe was just 18 yearsold. Within two

years, the young actress haddone three projects in Kannadaand is currently busy withPrema Entha Maduram, herfourth project. Speaking of herunplanned debut into the indus-try she says, “My debut into act-ing happened with the flow. Oneof my friends told me aboutauditioning to get into cinemaor Television. Since I was free, Igave an audition and gotthrough for my first Kannadaserial. Later, I worked for NagaMandala, another Kannada seri-al. After its completion, I waitedfor about two to three monthsbefore I bagged another project.While I was working on mythird project, I got offeredPrema Entha Maduram. Mydates were clashing with my pre-vious serial and my producerwasn’t willing to send me here. Ihad to think about my careerand chose Prema EnthaMaduram over my Kannada ser-ial.”

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Speaking of working in the

Telugu industry after doingthree projects in Kannada, theactress says, “It’s good to beworking for another language. Ilove exploring and found thework here to be amazing. But atthe end of the day, my goal is toentertain the audience. That iswhat I used to do with my previ-ous performances and I’m con-tinuing the same.”

“I had great support from myfamily. I had very fewer preposi-tions from them. Whatever Iwant to do in life, I know theywill support and respect mydecision,” she said speakingabout the support she receivedfrom family.

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How well did the Telugu audi-ence receive this Kannada beau-ty? The actress says, “The audi-ence in Telugu responds verywell in comparison to my previ-ous project. I worked for Kasturiand Udaya, which were not asfamous as Zee. Prema EnthaMaduram gave me more famethan ever.”

For this four-serial old actor,every character she playsbecomes her favorite. Explainingthe same she says, “All the char-acters I played so far whether

Kannada or Telugu, I loved thembut never demand them, I neverwill. We’ve to accept the charac-ter that comes our way and giveour 100 per cent to it, that iswhat an artist must do.”

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The pandemic has hit every-one’s job and lifestyle. Artistesare no different. Speaking ofhow different it is to workamidst the pandemic, Varshasaid, “I did not expect that theshoot would resume so quickly. Iwas thinking they would resumeonly around December this year.Luckily, we got back soon.Initially, there was a kind of fearand I panicked on the sets, buteverything is being monitoredwell and taken care of, efficient-ly.”

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The actress says she spent an ample amount of free timeduring the lockdown with herfamily. “We, as artistes, don’t get enough time to spend withour families. Thanks to the lockdown, I could spend qualitytime with my parents which oth-erwise wouldn’t have been possi-ble with my busy lifestyle. Forthe last three months, I havebeen binge-watching web seriestoo. When I get a break from my

shot, I still go back watchingsome series,” Varsha shares.

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Speaking of how she managedwith not knowing the languagewhen she first joined the Teluguindustry, Varsha shares, “I cameto Hyderabad in December lastyear. I had actress MeghnaLokesh here by my side to helpme out with the language andpeople here. We both were giventhe same flat, hence it was easyfor me to survive here despitenot knowing the language ini-tially. When I just started tolearn the language and adjusthere, the lockdown was imple-mented and I feel I lost the flownow. I will start learning againand will soon be able to speakfluently.”

“All artistes want to exploredifferent languages. At present,my heart and soul are on PremaEntha Maduram. Once I finishthis project, I might take upanother Telugu project,” says thehopeful actress.

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WednesdayJuly 22, 2020

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facebook.com/dailypioneer

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FUN

Rules

ARCHIE

GARFIELD

SUDOKU

REALITY CHECK SPEED BUMP CROSSWORD

GINGER MEGGS

NANCY

CALVIN AND HOBBES

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hile the scare of theCOVID-19 pandemiccontinues, citizensacross the countryhave tested positive;some have been hos-

pitalised while others havebeen advised to stay homecare and isolation. The lat-ter includes those who areasymptomatic or with mildsymptoms and have testedpositive for the novel virus.

While many have fol-lowed strict precautionarymeasures to avoid contract-ing the infection, it isanother daunting task toprepare oneself for the timeahead in isolation-famil-iarising some of thenuances of living at least afortnight in a single roomgoes a long way. IANSlifespoke to Dr. Suresh Sankar,Nephrologist and SeniorVP Clinical Affairs,NephroPlus who adviseshome care for mild cases.

3�<���B�9����It is alright to suspect

that you are infected if youhave a fever for no reason,experience a sore throat,headache or weakness. Firstand foremost isolate your-self from your family; sec-ondly, consult your doctorand explore if testing is rec-ommended. The rationalebehind this is, if one testspositive, the likelihood ofinfection transmission ishigh in the period immedi-ately before and after. Ifyou test negative, well andgood but there are caveatshere which your doctor can

guide. You might want totest after symptom onset,to ensure that the likeli-hood of the false negative isavoided. Testing at theright time is crucial.

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Empty or move outthings that others may needas you begin to occupy theroom. Entry of inanimateobjects are permitted butcannot be moved out againduring the period of isola-tion. It is best to prepareyourself with the following:Limited inventory of per-sonal clothes,

<��39�/�����,9�':��B&(:�����/�,9(�� Personal bath needs

� Washing powder or liquid

� Washing liquid for vessels

� Toilet cleaning liquid

� Waste paper basket

Get into a routine, don’t count the days and beblissful that you are doingan immense amount ofgood to your loved ones byisolating. Rotate what youdo, so that you are notbored. If you have a hobbyit is a wonderful time toindulge in it. In the firstweek of illness, it is advis-able to go easy, especially ifyou are on the upper sideof 40; you will tend to tireout easily. There might be

some anxiety, video callfriends or family; if it helpsyou to share the facts thatare part of the pandemicwith loved ones or friends,do it. Some might prefer tobe discrete, but we are alldifferent.

Medical monitoring: It islikely you will have medicalguidance with regards totreatment and recommend-ed monitoring includesfever, pulse rate and oxygensaturation (Pulse ox as it iscalled). For medicationpurposes, strictly followwhat your doctor has pre-scribed- do not go by whatis on the internet or whatsome groups may forwardto you, trust your expert.Fever can be erratic andvarying in degree, but youshould not fret. It is a bittricky for a lay person;there are frequency andthresholds to know; keep inconstant touch with yourdoctor and share anyuneasiness that you mayfeel, immediately.

Diet and food delivery: Awell balanced diet with lotsof fruit and vegetables andadequate protein and lot ofgood hydration is recom-mended. The key here isappropriate “infection con-trol” when food is deliv-ered: best it is left on toyour plate without contact.It is good to have small andfrequent meals with fruitsand nuts. Loss of taste andsmell can be issue for some;keep yourself well hydratedthroughout the day by con-suming sufficient amountsof water.

Waste handling: Best leftwithin the room in a basketand bag dropped in to asecond larger bag from out-side with bleach powder fordisinfection.

2nd week: Will likelybecome easier as the illnesswanes with relatively betterenergy. Not a sign tostretch our energy or stepout but more cerebral workand work engagementswith calls and emails helps

After recovery: Testing is

not recommended for mildillness. But one may chooseto do it. It is best if you areaware of how healthauthorities will respond tothe same. Get rid of the toi-letries, put your clothesand bed linen in a disinfec-tant before washing, do asurface cleaning of thefloor, contact surfaces andtoilet. You might want todo it twice. Sun dry the pillows and cushionsand leave the room wellaerated for three days (justa safety margin). Let thevirus die a natural death.

Now you are good to go.Home is back to normal!

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New Zealand Cricket chair-man Greg Barclay has said

that a decision on the fate of the2021 Women’s World Cup willbe taken in the next two weeks.

Barclay’s comments cameafter the International CricketCouncil (ICC) on Mondaysaid the event, to be held inNew Zealand from February 6to March 7, was still on sched-ule despite the Covid-19 threat.

“The decision (about theODI World Cup) will be madein the next two weeks,” Barclaytold Radio New Zealand.

“...Because if there is aneed to postpone that eventthen obviously we need toknow that sooner rather thanlater and likewise if it is togo ahead then we need tomake a final decision sothat we can throw allthe resources neces-sary to run a firstclass world event inFebruary.”

Though NewZealand is amongthe least affectednations by thepandemic, pos-sible travelrestr ic t ions

there and around the world atthat time make the event a big-ger logistical challenge.

“How do you get teamstravelling around the world,

they’ve got to hub throughother countries and what

are the implications ofthat?” Barclay wondered.

“Then getting themthrough the quarantinerestrictions that may be

in place and of courseall of that comes with acost and so there arebudgetary implicationsheading into February

(but) all of that is sur-mountable,” he added.

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Former speed merchant BrettLee reckons Australia’s pace

triumvirate would hold the keyduring the year-end home Testseries against India and is keen tofigure out how much the kook-aburra ball swings without sali-va Down Under.

Pat Cummins, Mitchell Starcand Josh Hazlewood form a finepace attack for Australia.

With the ban on saliva due tothe Covid-19 pandemic, one ofthe world’s fastest bowlers wantsthe custodians of the game tocome up with an “artificial sub-stance” to maintain the balancebetween bat and ball.

“Playing at home obviouslygives you that advantage, but thatsaid I know that India will packa full strength squad to tourAustralia. I still believe if Australiais to win our bowlers hold thekey,” Lee said.

The kookaburra seam is not

as pronounced as Dukes or SGTests balls and the flattening ofseam coupled with ban on salivawill make it harder for bowlers ofboth teams.

“It will definitely change theway the game is played so wedon’t want to make it even hard-er for bowlers even more than itis currently is,” said the 43-year-old Lee.

India’s pace attack, whichhas been phenomenal in the past

three years, has the capability of“knocking over any top order” inworld cricket but it will again boildown to how much the ballswings.

“India have got someextremely good pace bowlersthat are capable of knocking overany top order. Once again I thinkit comes down to how the ball willswing or not swing in differentconditions (Adelaide, Brisbane,Melbourne and Sydney).”

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With the ICC T20World Cup’s post-ponement clearing

the decks for a full-fledgedIPL, the glitzy event’sGoverning Council will meetin a week or 10 days’ time toplan its next course ofaction, eyeing UAE asthe host this year.

An IPL betweenSeptember and earlyNovember has beenmade possible by the ICC’sdecision on Monday to post-pone the T20 World Cup inAustralia, scheduled forOctober-November, due tothe Covid-19 pandemic.

“The IPL GC will meetwithin a week or 10 days andall decisions (including finalschedule) will be taken there.As of now, the plan is to havea full fledged IPL comprising60 games and most likely inthe UAE,” Patel said.

Asked about the mainchallenges in conducting theevent in current scenario, Pateladded: “Just the operationalside of it. Whether you do ithere or outside, it doesn’t mat-ter (with no crowds).”

The franchisees hadalready been working on theirplans for the IPL even beforethe ICC announcement.

With majority of theIndian players not havingaccess to grounds amid thepandemic, teams will need atleast three to four weeks to getthem match ready.

Foreign players will fly indirectly to the UAE from theirrespective countries.

“Our players will need atleast three to four weeks oftraining, if not more. We willfinalise all our plans once the

BCCI announces the dates. Itlooks like the IPL will be in theUAE and we are ready forthat,” a team owner said.

Since India tour Australiafor a four-Test series rightafter the IPL, training of theTest players is also an impor-tant issue.

Test specialists likeCheteshwar Pujara andHanuma Vihari, who are notpart of the IPL, are likely to

train for the eagerly-awaitedseries in a bio-secure environ-ment at the newly-renovatedMotera Stadium inAhmedabad during the timeof the IPL.

A few fringe players areexpected to join them atMotera along with the Indianteam’s support staff, which isfree during the IPL.

Work from home hasbecome the norm amid the

pandemic, therefore, there is apossibility that IPL commen-tary will happen from thecomfort of the living room, asafer and cost effective-optionconsidering the likes of SunilGavaskar, who is 71, areinvolved.

The viewership is expect-ed to be a record one with peo-ple craving for Live cricket,something KXIP co-ownerNess Wadia has said.

However, it remains to beseen how much the broadcast-ers and teams are able toattract from the sponsors inthe current financial climate.

More moot points andquestions ahead of the IPLGC meeting:

1) More double headersexpected (original schedulehad only five double headers).

2) BCCI will need to pro-vide a Standard OperatingProcedure to IPL teams eventhough they will have theirown SOPs in place.

3) Will the BCCI compen-sate teams for not being ableto generate gate money thisyear?

4) Will there be virtualcommentary from Star Sports?It was seen in the recent 3TCevent in South Africa with thelikes of Aakash Chopra, DeepDasgupta and Irfan Pathancommentating from home.

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England star Ben Stokes has outdone West Indies cap-tain Jason Holder to become the world’s top-ranked

Test all-rounder while also attaining a career-best thirdposition among batsmen in the ICC Test PlayerRankings, following a match-winning performance atOld Trafford.

Stokes, who trailed Holder by 54 rating points goinginto the second Test in Manchester, enjoys a lead of 38points after his memorable knocks of 176 and 78 notout and a match haul of three wickets helped Englandwin by 113 runs and level the three-match series 1-1.

Stokes ended Holder’s 18-month reign at the top,becoming the first from England at the summit sinceAndrew Flintoff in May 2006. His tally of 497 ratingpoints is the highest by any Test all-rounder sinceJacques Kallis aggregated 517 in April 2008.

India’s Ravindra Jadeja remains in third spot withAustralian Mitchell Starc and Ravichandran Ashwinrounding up the top-five.

Among batsmen, Stokes is joint-third with MarnusLabuschagne, only behind Steve Smith and India skip-per Virat Kohli, with specialist batsmen like KaneWilliamson and Babar Azam below him in the list. Hiscaptain Joe Root is ninth while opener Dom Sibley hasadvanced 29 places to a career-best 35th position aftera sturdy first innings 120.

Cheteshwar Pujara and Ajinkya Rahane have adropped a spot each to be eighth and 10th respective-ly.

Stuart Broad, who was not pickedfor the opening Test, returned to thetop 10 of the bowlers’ rankings afterclaiming three wickets in eachinnings.

He is now England’s top-rankedbowler, one slot ahead of JamesAnderson, who dropped to11th after being rested forthe match. Chris Woakes,who scalped five in thematch to reach the 100-wicket mark, is in 21stposition, his highestsince late 2016.

For the West Indies,Holder remains the top-ranked West Indies batsmanin 41st position despite slippingfour places.

He has also dropped a slotamong bowlers to take thirdplace, behind Pat Cumminsand Neil Wagner.

London: The Indian women’scricket team has pulled out of theproposed tour of England due tothe Covid-19 pandemic, accord-ing to media reports.

The Indian women’s team wasoriginally slated to play a bilater-al series comprising three ODIsand three T20Is against Englandin June which got postponed dueto the coronavirus outbreak.

However, the England andWales Cricket Board (ECB)announced it was in talks withtheir Indian and South Africancounterparts to host a tri-series inSeptember.

“With South Africa due toarrive later in the summer, it hadbeen hoped the three sides wouldplay a tri-series, but the risingnumber of cases in India meanthey will not be able to travel,” theBBC reported.

“It is understood Englandwill try to extend the seriesagainst the Proteas,” the reportsaid. PTI

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Pakistan bowling coach WaqarYounis says the nature of pitch-

es in England has changed and itgives them the option of playingtwo spinners when the Test seriesbegins in hot conditions nextmonth.

Younis said the ongoingEngland-West Indies series hasshown that the pitches atSouthampton and Manchester arenow slow and sluggish.

“We will see how the pitchbehaves in the third Test betweenWest Indies and England atManchester but there is no doubt

that the behaviour of pitches haschanged in England,” Younis saidduring an online media interac-tion.

“Early to say who will play but

we have got an idea after the WITest matches. We are trying to pre-pare those players who can beeffective on such pitches. We arelooking at all option look at weath-er as well it gets hot in August andwe might even have to think aboutplaying two spinners as well,”Younis said.

The former pacer said theteam management will keep an eyeon the third Test as well.

Pakistan’s first Test againstEngland begins from August 5 atManchester.

Younis said Pakistan’s trackrecord in England was good andhe remained optimistic that theteam will not disappoint in thecoming series.

“I am sure we will not let oursupporters and followers down. Wewill try to make them proud of uswith our performances.”

Karachi: Pakistan bowlingcoach Waqar Younis on Tuesdaysaid he has moved on from thehurt caused by MohammadAmir’s Test retirement last yearand considers the pacer a cru-cial part of the national team’splans going forward.

Having initially pulled outdue to the birth of his secondchild, Amir made himselfavailable for next month’sT20 series on Monday.Waqar welcomed him backsaying, “Amir remainspart of our plansfor the future ashe is experi-enced. Wewant tou t i l i s ehim if heis up tothe mark,if he can win

matches for Pakistan. Next yearwe have the World Cup.”

Waqar defended the deci-sion to call Amir to join thesquad in England to replaceHaris Rauf.

“We called Amir because heis part of our white ball cricketplans. And if we felt this was the

ideal opportunity to assess allour bowlers going forward.It is not about this seriesbut also about future com-mitments including theWorld Cups coming up,”

Waqar said.“We want to

see how he is bowl-ing as we want toget a fair idea ofwhich bowlers totake forwardand assessthem all,” headded. PTI

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The Indian Super Leaguemay be held either in Goa

or Kerala while Kolkata is setto host all the I-League match-es with likely kick-off in

November, as theAll IndiaF o o t b a l lF e d e r a t i o n(AIFF) seeks to

stage both thecompetitions in a sin-

gle city in view of the Covid-19 pandemic.

The League Committeeof the AIFF, which met virtu-ally on Tuesday, deliberated onthe likely venues and dates ofthe two top leagues in thecountry.

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�' !!����2��A�� �!������������������5����&��5'�*��3Cricket Australia(CA) on Tuesday said itaccepts the ICC’s decision topostpone this year’s T20 WorldCup owing to the COVID-19pandemic, reiterating thatthere was considerable risk inhosting 16 teams “in the cur-rent environment”.

“The COVID-19 pan-demic is impacting sport-ing tournaments acrossthe globe and cricket isnot immune,” CA’s inter-im chief executive and chiefexecutive of the ICC T20World Cup 2020, NickHockley said in a statement.

“The complexities andrisks around hosting a 16-team international event in

October in the current envi-ronment ultimately provedsufficient for the ICC to post-pone the event,” he added.

The global event was sup-posed to be held from October18 to November 15 in Australiabut the CA, in May itself, had

expressed its inability tohost amid a second surgeof Covid-19 cases in thestate of Victoria.

“We accept theICC’s decision to post-

pone the T20 World Cup inAustralia. It was a decisionmade with the safety andwellbeing of fans, players,officials and staff in mind.”

“We are confident thatwith this decision, we will give

ourselves the best chance tosafely welcome fans into theoutstanding venues across thecountry to enjoy watchingthe world’s best men’s crick-eters compete in this majorglobal event in either 2021 or2022,” Hockley said.

Australia successfully host-ed the women’s T20 WorldCup in February-March thisyear and the country aims to dothe same with the men’s event.

“The ICC women’s T20World Cup earlier this yearwill forever be remembered asa groundbreaking momentin Australian sport, and Ihave no doubt the men’s edi-tion will also be a spectacularevent,” Hockley said. PTI

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+�����C �������� ������$� �7������� �! ������� ��� Melbourne: India will have toundergo a two-week quarantineperiod, most likely in Adelaide,once they touch down inAustralia for the much-anticipat-ed tour later this year, saidCricket Australia acting chiefNick Hockley.

Hockley’s statement is incomplete contrast to the views ofBCCI president Sourav Ganguly,who had already made it clearthat he was not in favour of atwo-week quarantine period forthe Indian team once they dis-embark in Australia.

Hockley said all the playersand support staff will be provid-ed with the best of the facilitiesto train within quarantine rules.

“The two-week quarantineis pretty well-defined. What weare working on is making sure

that even within that quarantineenvironment, the players havegot the absolute best trainingfacilities, so that their preparationfor the matches is as optimal asit can possibly be,” Hockely wasquoted as saying by ESPNcricinfo.

“We’ll obviously take theguidance of the health expertsand the authorities. Whether it’sa hotel on-site or hotels in closeproximity to venues, it’s certain-ly about creating that environ-ment where we are minimisingrisk of infections and creating abio-secure environment is theabsolute priority.”

The website reported thatnot just the visiting Indian teambut also the IPL-returnedAustralian cricketers will have toserve the mandatory quarantineperiod. PTI

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Scientists 'accidentally'create new species of fish

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he third install-ment of theGreen IndiaChallenge,launched byRajya Sabha

member JoginapalliSantosh Kumar seems to bemaking great strides.Today, it was actressAnupama Parameswaranand Sushmita Konidala,daughter of Chiranjeevi,who took up the challengeto promote green living.

Anupama accepted thechallenge given by her col-league from the industry,Kalyani Priyadarshan, andplanted a sapling at her res-idence in Tiruchirappalli,Kerala.

The actress took toInstagram to share a pictureof her planting a saplingwith a caption explaininghow she was upset after shehad recently planted 25saplings in her plot nearbybut due to the lockdown,couldn’t take care of themwhich led to two of themdrying up. Due to lack ofspace, the actress said, shecould plant only one rightnow, but would soonmake up for two others.

Anupama further nomi-

nated several other celebri-ties including SobhitaDhulipala, NivethaThomas, among others, andasked fans to do the same.

Sushmita Konidela, theeldest daughter of MegastarChiranjeevi, accepted the‘Green India Challenge’given by renowned fitnesstrainer Shilpa Reddy, andplanted three saplings ather office premises inJubilee Hills. She toonominated her sisterShreeja, Allu SnehaReddy among oth-ers, to plant threesaplings andchallengeothers to dothe same.

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he Pioneer wasthe first toinform you (onMarch 3) thatleading pro-ducer Allu

Aravind has got thenods of filmmakerslike Sukumar, SudheerVarma and VenuUdugula to do webseries for aha OTTplatform, which he co-owns. While we’vealready reported thatSudheer Varma’s webseries — a dark crimethriller consisting of 10episodes — has beenlocked, with NaveenChandra attached tospearhead it, Venu’sproject, which he pro-duces, is based on cele-brated writer Chalam'sacclaimed work

Maidanam. KaviSiddharth is set tomake his directorialdebut from a screen-play of Venu.

Now, we’ve learntthat Sukumar’s showtoo is more or lessconfirmed. A sourceclose to the Telugustreamer confirms,“The series will spannine episodes, narrat-ing nine different lovestories à la AmazonPrime’s highly-ratedand loved anthologyseries Modern Love,which was based onthe weekly columnpublished by The NewYork Times. A Chinesenovel has served asthe inspiration forSukumar who will actas the show runner.

He is adapting it tosuit Telugu sensibili-ties with his band ofwriters now. Aravindand the creative forcebehind aha havealready given theirvote to the roughscript in place. Sukuhas already spoken tosome of his writerassistants and formerassistant directors whoare now directors tohelm some episodes,while he will helm oneor two episodes,before he completelyshifts attention to hisfeature film, Pushpawith Allu Arjun. Itwouldn’t be a surpriseif contemporaries ofSukumar direct a couple of episodes aswell.”

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fter his debutfeature film,Paper Boy, failedto strike a chordwith the audi-ence, writer-

director V Jayashankarr,who is known for his shortfilms like The God Must BeCrazy, Half Girlfriend, andRamayanam lo thupakulaveta, is gearing up for therelease of his next endeav-our, Vitamin She.Prominent filmmakerKrish unveiled its first lookon Sunday on Twitter. Aconcept-driven comedyentertainer made as a webfilm, it features fresh facesSrikanth Gurram andPrachi Thaker in the leadroles. The latter played alead actress in someGujarati films and was alsoseen as Kalyanram’s sister

in Pataas.Talking about the film,

produced by RaviPolishetty under FullMoon Media Productionsbanner, the director tellsus, “What if artificialintelligence overrideshumans is the film’s gist.Leo (played by Srikanth)will be seen as a HR asso-ciate in a corporate firm,who suffers fromNomophobia. Forced toupgrade to a brand newsmart phone, he soonlearns that the latestmodel comes with Laila(voice assistant) — anartificial intelligence lifecoach, virtual assistantand cheerleader. With itshelp, he begins to lead areal life. However, aftersome time, things spiralout of control as it starts

to affect his career andlove life (with HR manag-er Vaidehi played byPrachi) and these episodesare narrated in a hilariousfashion. Overall, the pointI’m driving home in theend is that technologymay dictate daily humanlife in the future but it willnever prevail over humanemotions.”

Set in Hyderabad,Jayashankarr planned toshoot the film, presentlyin post-production, in 15days but due to problemsobtaining permissionsover COVID-19 regula-tions, he managed to wrapit up in a week, withoutcompromising on thequality. He intends torelease it on a prominentOTT platform shortly.

— NG

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he makers of NagaShaurya’s untitled nextwith Subrahmanyapuramdirector SanthosshJagarlapudi are consider-ing resuming the shoot

from next month. The sportsdrama, which sees Shaurya as anarcher, has been shot for a coupleof days in March before Covid-19 outbreak put brakes on theproceedings. According to asource, film’s producers SharrathMarar, Narayana Das Narangand Ram Mohan Rao have spo-ken to the director if he is inter-ested in picking up from wherehe left off starting from Augustand the director had no issues.Shaurya too is game as long asthe shoot is planned with allsafety measures in place. Aschedule chart is being preparednow and by the end of this week,the shoot plan will be ready. Thedirector wants to kick-off thefresh schedule by filming por-tions which require fewer artists.As it’s a sports drama, crowdscenes are necessary but he willbother about it at a later time.

The film sees Romantic girlKetika Sharma alongsideShaurya, while Naseer and Satyaround off the supporting depart-ment. Kaala Bhairava has beensigned on to render tunes.

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ctress AnuEmmanuel, whomaintains a low-pro-file socially and onsocial media as well,aspires to bid

farewell to her introvertnature and be more expres-sive once the COVID-19 cri-sis ceases. Taking to herInstagram page, where shecommands over a million fol-lowers, the slender beauty,addressing fellow introverts,wrote, “Fellowintroverts,are youready tonot beintro-vertswhenallthisis

over? (Sic)”. The actress, whohas shared screen space withactors like Pawan Kalyan,Allu Arjun, Nani, NagaChaitanya and Gopichandamong others in her nearfour-year career in Telugu,will be next seen in AlluduAdhurs, featuringBellamkonda Sreenivas.She has pinned highhopes on the film, asher Telugu CV hard-ly boasts of any

superhits.

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ctress LakshmiManchu saysmeditation hashelped herunderstand her-self, and accept

her anger and disappoint-ments.

Asked what drove hertowards meditation,Lakshmi said, “It happenedby fluke, though evenbefore meditation, I wasreally into self-discovery, interms of ‘why am I here?Who am I? Why was Iborn? What is this life?’ Ihad a lot of questions in myearly years, being in ele-mentary, and then, I think Iwas in my ninth gradewhen I took my first courseof quantum physics or self-discovery. When I was 18, Idid my first real meditationcourse. I got hooked on itbecause what it teaches youthat everything youneed is withinyou."

"I lovebelieving

that life is not stuck in thisbody, and that we have somuch of our soul journey,which is continuous. So,doing meditation alignsyou with your purpose,even in this life,” she added.

She has been practicingmeditation for a long time.

“I’ve been very consistentsince the quarantinebecause now I have noexcuse not to meditate,”said the actress, who hasspent six days in a medita-tion and past life regressionretreat.

Talking about how it hashelped her, she said, “It hasreally helped me under-stand who I am like, acceptall of me, my anger, myupsets, my up and downs,my disappointments and toreally be aware of it and tolearn that and to come toterms with life, which is

always going tokeep giving

you twistsand

turns.”

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