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JOURNALISM OF COURAGESINCE 1932

DA ILY FROM: AHMEDABAD , CHAND IGARH , DELH I , JA IPUR , KOLKATA , LUCKNOW, MUMBAI , NAGPUR , PUNE , VADODARA

THURSDAY, APRIL 23, 2020, NEW DELHI, LATE CITY, 14 PAGES `6.00 (`8 PATNA & RAIPUR, `12 SRINAGAR) WWW.INDIANEXPRESS.COMJOURNALISM OF COURAGE

SINCE 1932

PRITAMPALSINGHNEWDELHI, APRIL22

WITHMORE than 3,000 con-victsacrossDelhibeinggrantedbailorfurloughtopreventover-crowding in jails in thewake ofthe coronavirus outbreak, theDelhi High Court has devised anewway of making sure con-victs mark their attendance —viaWhatsApp video calls andthroughGoogleMaps.Inthreedifferentorderstem-

porarily suspending the jailterms of three convicts, JusticeAnup Jairam Bhambhani saidthestephasbeentaken“inview

of thedireneedofdecongestingprisons, considering the un-precedented public healthemergencyexistingatthistime”.Justice Bhambhani ordered

that the convicts, Ompal, Rahatand Babu Lal, make a video callto the investigating officer orshare their live location viaWhatsAppsotheydon’thavetovisit the police station everyweek.“The appellant will make a

videocall everyFridaybetween11 am and 11.30 am to the IO,andincasetheIOisnolonger inservice or is otherwise unavail-able, then to the SHOof the po-lice stationwhere the casewas

registered. (The appellant will)also ‘drop-a-pin’ on GoogleMaps, so that the IO/SHO canverify the appellant’s presenceand location,” state JusticeBhambhani’s orders in all threecases.In the case related toOmpal

(41),thejudgeorderedthat“thiscourt is persuaded to grant tothe appellant interim suspen-sion of sentence for a period of45days”.Aspertheprosecution,Ompal, while working as adriver of a van that loadedmoney in ATMmachines, hadstolen Rs 51 lakh after handingdruggedfoodtothoseaccompa-nying him. He is serving eight

years in jail.Ompal has sought interim

suspension of sentence for twomonths, on the ground that hehasaboyaged14andtwingirlsaged two.Hetold thecourt thathiswifehadtakenupateachingjob, but since the school wasclosed, she was not being paidand was unable to sustain thefamily.ThecourtsuspendedRahat’s

jailtermuntil July17,whileBabuLal will stay out of jail for threemonths.The court, in three different

orders passed on April 20, alsosaid: “Considering the prevail-ing lockdown, the furnishing of

surety as a condition of bail, isdispensedwithat this stage.”Rahat (30), in judicial cus-

todysinceMarch4,isservingsixmonths in jail for rash andneg-ligent driving, which led to thedeath of a person riding pillionon a scooter. His counsel con-tended thatRahatwouldbeex-posed to avoidable and gravehealth risk inprison.ThecourtdirectedthatRahat

“will not leave the State ofHaryanawithoutpermissionofthe court and ordinarily resideinhisplaceof residence”.Babu Lal (73) is serving 10

years in jail term for sexuallyabusingaminor.Whilegranting

him relief, the court said,“Althoughtherecordshowsthatthe applicant has only been inprison since February 24, 2020,and that he has been convictedof heinous offences under thePOCSO Act, in the unprece-dentedcircumstancesof apub-lic health emergency and theconsequent need to decongestprisons... thiscourtispersuadedtogranttotheappellantinterimsuspensionofsentenceforape-riodof threemonths.“Theappellantsshall furnish

to the Jail Superintendent theircell phone number, which iskept active and switched on atall times,” thecourt said.

PAGE1ANCHOR

TodecongestTihar, jail termsarebeingsuspended.RenukaPuri

Jail terms on hold, convicts to be tracked via WhatsApp, Google Maps

Collaborationlooks at newareas, e-tailcould be firstNANDAGOPALRAJANNEWDELHI, APRIL22

In the first consumer-facing of-fering to come out of theFacebook- Reliance Industriesdeal,thetwoentitieswillcollab-orate over the JioMart e-com-merce platform.While detailsarenotavailable,itispossiblethemartwill useWhatsApp’s busi-nessfeaturestoquicklybringlo-cal stores on board to reach outtocustomers.In a call after the announce-

ments, Facebook’s VP andManagingDirectorforIndia,AjitMohan, said the“entireenergy”is on trying to figure out howtheycouldhelpsmallbusinessesinthecontextof thecoronaviruspandemic, and the resultinglockdownin India.“We will really start to ex-

ploremultiple areas of collabo-ration,” he said, adding theywouldlookathowto“opennewdoors”and“newavenues”. “Wehave articulated that the firstmajor collaboration involving

CONTINUEDONPAGE2

9.9%SHAREFORMORETHAN RS43,450CR

DealwillboostJioMart, take itto3croresmallkiranashops, saysMukeshAmbani

PRANAVMUKUL&SANDEEPSINGHNEWDELHI, APRIL22

IN THE largest FDI in the Indiantechnologysector,USInternetgi-antFacebookwillbebuying9.99%stake inReliance Industries Ltd’sdigital unit Jio Platforms Ltd, for$5.7 billion (more thanRs 43,450 crore).While helpingReliance pare its debt of nearlyRs3 lakh crore, thedealwill alsogive the oil-to-telecomgiant ac-cess to the over 400 million-strongdatabaseofWhatsApp,asitseekstojumpstartitscommercebusinessunderJioMart.Facebook,in turn,makes its long-awaitedforayintoIndiantelecomspace.The deal has come at a time

whenglobalmergersandacqui-sitions have hit roadblocks dueto theCOVID-19crisis.RILsaidthatconcurrenttothe

investment, Jio Platforms,Reliance Retail Ltd andWhatsApp, which is owned byFacebook,havereachedanagree-ment to “further accelerate”

CONTINUEDONPAGE2

THEFIRSTmajornon-distressdealduringthepandemic ispartof thedebt-reductionplanofIndia’sbiggestcorporateentity—andcould leadtotheaccelerated launchofReliance’se-commerceplansonthe JioMartplatform.ForFacebook,thepartnershipcouldhelp itnavigatetheregu-latoryenvironment, in-cluding for initiativessuchasWhatsAppPay.

Win-winforthefirmsE●EX

PLAINED

BIGINDIA NUMBERS

388millionJiosubscribers

400million+WhatsAppusers

241million+activeFacebookusers

Industryestimates,October2019

ABANTIKAGHOSH&DEEPTIMANTIWARYNEWDELHI, APRIL22

AMID INCIDENTS of violenceagainsthealthcarepersonnelde-ployedinfightingCOVID-19,theUnion Cabinet onWednesdaycleared an ordinance to makesuch attacks a cognizable andnon-bailable offence, with amaximum jail term of sevenyearsanda fineof Rs5 lakh.Briefing reporters on the

Cabinet decision, UnionInformation and Broadcasting

MinisterPrakashJavadekarsaidthe ordinance to amend theEpidemicDiseasesAct,1897,willcover all healthcare personnel,including ASHA (AccreditedSocial Health Activist) workersat thecommunity level.According to the proposed

amendments, if the injuries in-flicted are not grievous, the jailterm may range from threemonthstofiveyears,andthefinefrom Rs 50,000 to Rs 2 lakh. Incase of serious injuries, the jailtermmayrangefromsixmonthstosevenyears,andthefinefrom

CONTINUEDONPAGE2AmitShah,HarshVardhaninteractwith IMAWednesday. PTI

BUSINESS AS USUAL

BYUNNY

Govt changing law to stop attacks onhealth workers: 7-yr jail, Rs 5 lakh fine

WomenworkersatanMNREGSsite inChaksunear JaipuronWednesday.Express

RAVIKBHATTACHARYA,ATRIMITRA&SANTANUCHOWDHURYKOLKATA,APRIL22

WEST BENGAL Chief MinisterMamata Banerjee onWednes-day accused the Centre of dis-patchingfaultyCOVID-19testingkitstothestate,andstronglycrit-icised it for sending teamstoas-sessthesituationontheground.“They are showing an atti-

tude that theywouldhavebeenhappyifthereweremoreCOVID-19casesinBengal,”Banerjeetolda press conference. “Rapid testkits sent to the state have nowbeenwithdrawn because theywere faulty. Thankfully, ourhealth department orderedsomekitswhichwere very use-ful.Iftherehasbeenahealthhaz-ardhere,thenwearenotrespon-sible for it.Whose fault is it?Wehave to conduct timely tests. Ifwe fail to do so, then patientsmaydie,” shesaid.“Canards are being spread

that Bengal is not conductingenoughtests,”thechiefministersaid. However, against the14,000 test kits sought by thestate, the Centre had sent only2,500, shesaid.TheICMR,Banerjeesaid,sup-

plied rapid testing kits, BGI RT-PCR kits, and antigen kits. Ofthese, “therapid testingkitsandBGIRT-PCRkitswerebothwith-drawn as per communicationfromNationalInstituteofCholeraandEntericDiseases(NICED)onApril 21”, and “antigen kits arenotbeingsuppliedtohospitalsinthestateso far”, shesaid.

CONTINUEDONPAGE2

Governor saysno takers forBengal Covidtoll, Mamatatargets Centre

DEEPMUKHERJEE&VIVEKDESHPANDEJAIPUR,NAGPUR,APRIL22

ATLEASTtwostateshaveseenasharp jump inMNREGS num-bers inthepast fewdaysamidsttheextended lockdown.Rajasthan Deputy Chief

Minister Sachin Pilot, who alsoholds the Rural Developmentand Panchayati Raj portfolio,told The Indian Express on

Wednesdaythat insixdays, thenumbers in the state had goneup from 62,000 on April 17 to

6.08 lakhonApril 22.In Maharashtra, MNREGS

Commissioner RangaNayak re-ported an increase in the ruralemploymentguaranteeschemenumbers fromabout 40,000onApril 12 toover1 lakhnow.Pilotsaidthesurgehadbeen

particularlysharpsincesomere-strictionsduetothecoronavirusspreadwere eased onMonday.“WestartedplanningfromApril17, before the modified lock-down started, to ensure that

maximumworkwas generatedunder the MNREGS. Withindays, we have registered an in-crease of 10 timeswith the cur-rent figure of engagedworkersbeing6.08 lakh.”Governmentdata showthat

the total number of MNREGSlabourers rose from 62,000 onApril17,to2lakh,2.5lakh,3lakh,4.5 lakh and6.08 lakhover suc-cessivedays.Pilot said the only way to

CONTINUEDONPAGE2

ANANTHAKRISHNANGNEWDELHI, APRIL22

POINTING TO concernswithinthe OBCs and the SC/STs thatreservation benefits are notreaching the truly deservingamongthem,theSupremeCourtWednesdaysaidthegovernmentis “duty-bound” to periodically

reviewtheprocessinordertoen-sure that the benefits “trickledownandarenotusurpedby”theaffluent inthesecategories.Ruling as unconstitutional a

January 2000 order of theGovernor of the erstwhile stateof Andhra Pradeshwhich pro-vided100percentreservationtoST candidates in posts of schoolteachers in Scheduled Areas, a

five-judge Constitution Benchsaid: “Now there is a crywithinthe reserved classes. By now,there are affluents and sociallyand economically advancedclasseswithinScheduledCastesand Scheduled Tribes. There isvoicebydeprivedpersonsofso-cial upliftment of some of theScheduled Castes/Tribes, but

CONTINUEDONPAGE2

Affluent in OBC, SC/ST not letting quotabenefits trickle down, review lists: Bench

THEWORLD

TRUMPBACKSOFFBROAD IMMIGRATIONBANAFTERANGERPAGE 12

KAVITHAIYERGADCHINCHLE (DAHANU),APRIL22

THE LYNCHING of two sadhusandtheirdriverhassetoff apo-litical war of words inMumbaibetweentheOppositionBJPandthegovernment.Onthegroundintheforest, though, isastoryofhowlocalofficials, includinganNCP leader and former MLAcandidate, a sarpanch and thepolice could do little to check amob fired by a dangerous ru-mourmill.The Indian Express spoke to

several local residents, eyewit-nesses, police and local officialsto reconstruct the sequence ofevents that led to themurdersrightunderthenoseofthepolice.On a normal April evening,

400menwould not have gath-ered inminutesonthehighway

alongside this remotevillageonthe border of Maharashtra andDadra-Nagar Haveli in Dahanutaluka, Palghar, 150 km fromMumbai.SincetheCovidoutbreak,the

summer’sseasonallabourersareCONTINUEDONPAGE2

Aroadblockoutsideavillagenear theattacksite inPalghardistrictofMaharashtra.Kavitha Iyer

Palghar lynching: Sarpanch saysshe watched attack for 2 hrs, NCPleader couldn’t control mob either

INSIDE

MINISTERPUTSOUTLISTOFACCUSED,SLAMSOPPOSITIONPAGE7

Facebook picks stake,Jio set to tap into vastWhatsAppuser base

CORONACOUNT

652DEATHS

3,960RECOVERED

4,62,621sampleshavebeentestedasonApril21

20,471CASES

Ten-fold jump in Rajasthan MNREGS numbers,more than double in Maharashtra as curbs ease

THEEDITORIALPAGE

GOING BACK TO ANEWSCHOOLBYAMEETAMULLAWATTALPAGE8

New Delhi

THESECONDPAGE2 WWW.INDIANEXPRESS.COMTHEINDIANEXPRESS,THURSDAY,APRIL23,2020

Health workersRs1lakhtoRs5lakh.Theinvesti-gation into the attackmust becompletedwithinamonth.The amendments will also

apply to harassment by land-lordsandneighbours.Thepenalprovisions can be invoked incase of damage to property, in-cludingaclinicalestablishment,a facility identified for quaran-tine and isolation of patients,andmobilemedicalunits.“The Epidemic Diseases

(Amendment)Ordinance, 2020manifests our commitment toprotecteachandeveryhealthcareworkerwho is bravely battlingCOVID-19onthefrontline. Itwillensuresafetyofourprofessionals.There canbenocompromiseontheir safety,” Prime MinisterNarendraModitweeted.Modi is scheduled to hold a

videoconferencewithchiefmin-isters onApril 27 to discuss theCOVID-19situation.HomeMinister Amit Shah,

whoheldameetingwithdoctorsandmembersof IndianMedicalAssociation (IMA) along withHealthMinisterHarshVardhanonWednesday, tweeted: “PM@narendramodi’s govt is com-mitted to protecting thosewhoareprotectingIndiaduringthesechallengingtimes.Bringinganor-dinance to end violence againstourdoctors&healthworkersisatestimonyofthesame.Safetyanddignity of our doctors at theirworkplaceisnon-negotiable.”The IMA,which had earlier

threatenedaprotest,hasdecidedtowithdrawit.In separate letters to states,

Union Home Secretary AjayBhalla and Union HealthSecretary Preeti Sudan askedthem to ensure the safety ofhealthcareworkers.Meanwhile,with 1,486new

cases and 49 deaths being re-ported in the last 24 hours, thetally is now20,471 cases (3,959recovered)and652deaths.And, adayafter asking states

nottouserapidantibodytestsfortwodayspendingfieldvalidation,following complaints of varyingaccuracy, Indian Council ofMedical Research (ICMR) reiter-ated these tests should be usedonlyforpurposeofsurveillance.“Globally also, the utility of

thistest isevolvingandit iscur-rently being used for detectingthe formation of antibodies inindividuals. These test resultsarealsodependentonfieldcon-ditions.AsnotedbyICMR,thesetestscannotreplacetheRT-PCRtesttodiagnoseCOVID-19cases.ICMRhas assured assistance tocollect data fromvarious statesto assess the scope and extentofutilityof theserapidantibodytests in field conditions, andICMR shall keep advising thestates on a regular basis,” theUnionHealthMinistry said in astatement.Inalettertostatechiefsecre-

taries, ICMRADGDr G S Totejasaid:“Iwouldagainreiteratethatantibody rapid tests are largelyto be used as a tool for surveil-lancewith respect to formationof antibody in persons exposedtothevirus.”Inanaddendumtotheexist-

ingtestingstrategy,theICMRhasnowsaidthat“pregnantwomenresidinginclusters/containmentareaorinlargemigrationgather-ings/ evacuees centre fromhotspot districts presenting inlabourorlikelytodeliverinnext5days should be tested even ifasymptomatic.”In his letter, Union Home

SecretaryAjayBhallaurgedstates,UTs and district authorities to“take strict penal action againsttheoffenderswhoobstruct gov-ernmenthealthofficials,orotherhealth professionals and/ or re-latedpersons,whoareauthorisedundertheDisasterManagementAct,2005,inthedischargeoftheirlawfulservices”.“A fewheinous instances of

unrulybehaviourbypeoplehavealsobeenreportedinsomeparts

of the countrywhere the familyand relatives ofmedical profes-sionals, suspected to have dieddue toCOVlD-l9 infection,wereprevented fromperforming thelast ritesof thedeceased. Insuchcases, adequate security shouldbeprovided,andstringentactionshouldbe takenagainst suchof-fenders,”hesaid.States have been told to ap-

point nodal officers to redresssuchsafetyissues.ListingtheCentre’sinitiatives

tosafeguardthehealthandsafetyofdoctors,Sudanwrote:“Doctorsandhealthprofessionalsareintheforefront of the fight againstCOVID-19.Theskillsandspiritofserviceamongtheseprofession-alsplaces theminauniqueposi-tion to savepeople fromthedis-ease. It is of utmost importancethatadequatemeasuresaretakenforensuringtheirsafety.”Sudanalsosaidthatordersfor

1croresetsofpersonalprotectiveequipment (PPEs) have beenplaced with the 50 newly ap-proveddomesticmanufacturers,and5.11lakhPPEshavebeensenttothestatessofar.”

Palghar lynchingathome, there’snoworkonthefarms, and in the 600-oddhouseholds that make up thetwinvillagesofGadchinchleandDivshi,thelockdowndidlittletocheck thespreadof rumours.Fordaysprecedinglastweek’s

lynching of the threemen, ru-moursof kidnappersandorgan-harvestershadbeenflyingthickonWhatsApp—all false; therehavebeennoincidentsofkidnappingortheftof organs.Yet, like inseveralothervillages inDahanu,menoffivevillagesaroundGadchinchleincluding two in the UnionTerritoryofDadra-NagarHaveli,initiatedacalls-whistles-torchlightflashessystemofcommunicatingduringall-nightvigils.SowhenaMarutiEecodrove

pastGadchinchlearound8pmonApril16,themenofGadchinchle,Divshi, Dabhadi, Talavli andRudanawere ready,with torch-lightsandbamboosticks.The Eeco, with victims

Mahant KalpavrukshaGiri (70),SushilgiriMaharaj(35)anddriverNareshYelgade,wastakingStateHighway73off Dahanu-JawharRoad, en route to Surat, likely toducktheMumbai-Gujarathigh-way checkposts enforcing thesealingof stateborders.TheEecowasstoppedbarely

1 km from Gadchinchle, at alockdownbarricademannedbyguards from Dadra-NagarHaveli, and turnedback.GadchinchleSarpanchChitra

Choudharilivesexactlybetweenthe border point and theMaharashtraforestdepartmentcheckpost outside which thelynching occurred. Her homeperched on a small slope, sheheardthecarpassinginthequietof night and then heard it as itturnedaroundandpassed,backin the direction it came fromwhere a couple of dozenmenstood, tenseandarmed.Acommotioneruptedsoon,it

wasaround8.30pm,sherecalled,andshewent to the spot. “Thereweremen fromour village andfromnearbyvillages,itwasathickcrowdscreamingaroundthecar.Itwas impossible to reasonwiththem.Iwastryingtopullonebackand then another, but themenwere screaming atme too. TheytoldmeIwasfreetohandovermychildren’s kidneys to themen inthecar—theyhadabsolutelynodoubtwhotheseoutsiderswere.The WhatsApp messages hadsaidthekidnapperscouldbeim-personators,performers,dressedeven as policemen,” ChoudharitoldTheIndianExpress.Multipleeyewitnessaccounts

concurthatthemob,havingseenonly the rare vehicle along thisroadduringthedaysandnoneaf-terdusk, thought ithadstoppedcriminals. Choudhari, 35, in hersecond term as Sarpanch,laments that she could do little.“For the two hours that I was

there,themobwasrainingstonesandshakingthecar,butthemeninsidewerestillunharmed,”shesaid. She left a little after thepo-licearrived, intwobatches.ChitraChoudhariwaspicked

up along with her husbandShevak forquestioningaround2amlater thatnight, andasked toname those involved in the vio-lence.“Nowthefamiliesof thosearrested are threateningme, thewomen camehere and saidmyhouse should be broken down.That’s why I placed a new signsaying‘Sarpanch’onmydoortwodays back—at least if there’s anattack onme somepeoplemayseethesignandbackoff,”shesaid.Nationalist Congress Party

leader Kashinath Choudhari,Palghar Zilla Parishadmemberandtheparty’s losingcandidatefrom Dahanu in the 2014Assembly election, said he ar-rivedalittleafter10pm,withthesecond batch of policemen, af-ter first stopping at Kasa policestationabout9.30pm.“Wesawlockdownroadblocksalongourway, andwhenwereached, themob kept asking how this Eecohad escaped the roadblocks.Whentheytrytogosomewheretheirvehiclesareseized,andthiscar appeared to be circling thearea,”hetoldTheIndianExpress.The sarpanch, who is a BJP

member, her husband andwomen from a hamlet acrossthe road, said the NCP leader’sarrivalappearedtoenergisethemob, and somebegan to chant:‘Dada aala, Dada aala’ (bigbrotherishere).TheNCPmanisseen in thevideoclipsof the in-cident,wearingaT-shirt, stand-ingback fromtheassailants.HetoldTheIndianExpressthat

hetriedtocalmthepeoplebutbythen, the Eeco had been up-turned.“Policetriedtheirbest,but

themenweredrunk,unwillingtoreason. Still,wemanaged to getonesadhutositinsidethechowkibecausehehadbeeninjuredandput theother two inanotherpo-lice vehicle. But suddenly,whenpolicewere escorting themanfrom the chowki into thepolicevehicle, the attack began again,and itwasover inminutes.” TheNCPleadersaidtherewasnopo-liticalmotive tovisiting the spot,and he confirmed that the BJPsarpanchhad triedhard to calmthe crowd. “But the policewerealsoattackedandbeaten,andwecouldn’tdoanything,” hesaid.That is key to the tragedy—

and theprobe: the arrival of thepolicewhenthevictimswereun-harmed and their subsequentmurder in their presence. TheKasa police station’s official ac-count is thatsuspensionsandanenquiryareordered.Localpolice-men said theirmenwere vastlyoutnumberedbythemobbayingforblood,andtheirattempttodis-pelrumoursdidn’twork.OnApril9,Palgharpolicehad

tweetedwarningpeople againstspreadingrumours—aboutcoro-navirus and other subjects. OnApril11, thePalgharpolice regis-teredacaseagainst theadminofaWhatsAppgroupinBoisarafterreceiving a complaint about acommunally offensivemessageon aWhatsApp group. DahanuMLAVinodNikole of theCPI(M)said therewere at least twopre-vious near-lynching incidents,oneatSarniPatilpadainvolvingadoctor on April 14, and one atWakivillageinvolvingrailwayof-ficials,aroundthesametime.“Had the police done some

workover the lastmonth to as-surethepeoplethattheyaresafeand that the rumours are fake,and had the police come pre-paredaftertheexperienceofthe

previousincidents,thelynchingcould have been prevented,”Nikole toldThe IndianExpress.With thepolice arresting110

menwith the search for otherscontinuing, the villages have al-most emptied out, themen re-portedly hiding in the forestaroundGambhirgad,theescarp-ment opposite the village thatgivesititsname.Manyhomesarelocked, others occupiedbyonlywomenorseniorcitizens.Amongthe 110, at least 14 are fromChowkipada,alittlefartherinsidefromGadchinchle.Thepolicesaidnineaccusedarejuveniles.“Thosewho did it ran away

fromhome,andthosewhodidn’thavealsohadtorun,”saidSevantiBorsa,motherofaccusedRustomBorsa. “If they’renot releasedbythe time the lockdown ends,we’regoingtostarvewithoutanyincome.”Someresidentsarealsofollowers of godman GuruNarendra Maharaj, and wearbadges andmedallions bearinghisphoto.“Wewouldneverharma sadhu,” said SakurGavit. “Wewouldbowourheadstothem.”There is now a police unit

fromGoregaonpostedinthevil-lage,menshelteringfromtheaf-ternoonsun in tents.But Gadchinchle itself does

not have even a police chowki.The sarpanch said it often takestwo hours for men from theKasapolicestation,35kmaway,toarrive.Theforestchowkihasaguard,whomadethecall to thepolice that night. Outside, theremnants of those three hourslie,shatteredglassfromtheEecoand police vehicle, an assort-mentofslippers,woodensticks,andadryingpatchof blood.

Bengal toll“Everyday, they (Centre) are

telling uswhat to do andwhat

nottodo,sendingpeopletolookinto the lawandordersituationandwhether lockdownisbeingimposed or not. They are send-ing people to find outwhetherpeople in Bengal are getting ra-tionsorwhether theyarebeingabletotakeabath.Theyarealsosendingusstrongly-wordedlet-ters.Wecanalsosendthemlet-ters.Butthat’snotthepoint.Ourgovernment is doing the best itcan to stem the spread of thepandemic,” shesaid.Her comments came a day

after a war of words broke outbetween the state and theCentre over the arrival of twocentral teams inKolkata.Meanwhile,inaninterviewto

The Indian Express, JagdeepDhankhar, Governor of WestBengal, raisedared flagover thehandling of the COVID-19 pan-demic in thestate. “TherearenotakersfortheCOVID-19deathfig-ures on account of the series ofdiscrepancies by the state gov-ernment.Theconcernof thepo-liticalparties,themedicalfrater-nityandcitizensiswellpremised.Thetrustdeficitonthiscountbe-tween the government and themedical fraternity as also be-tween the government and thepeoplehasattractednationalandglobalfocus.TheconceptofAuditCommittee,unheardofsofar,hasworsenedthesituation,”hesaid.Healso tookacriticalviewof

thestate’scriticalpublicdistribu-tionsystemduringthelockdown.“FromallovertheState,IhavegotworrisomeinputsaboutPDSbe-ing hijacked politically, rationdealersbeingsubjectedbyrulingpartyworkers tocoercivemech-anism and distribution takingplaceinapoliticisedmannerun-der token issuedby theworkersof therulingparty.Thishijackingis a very poor reflection on the

publicfunctionariesandtheywillhave to be held accountable fortheir lapses, failuresandinactioninofficialduties,”saidDhankhar.Responding to these allega-

tions,MayorofKolkataandstateUrban Development MinisterFirhadHakimsaid, “Withall re-spect,IchallengethehonourableGovernor to showme a singlecasewhere the TMC or anyoneattached to the party has doneany corruption in regard to therationing system. In the hardlockdown situation, may betherewassomeproblemindis-tributionsystem.But that isnotcorruption. After getting infor-mation from public, the ChiefMinister herself took strict ac-tionagainstthedepartmentandthe secretary. The governmentis trying hard to normalise therationingsystem,”Hakimsaid.Regarding the discrepancies

in the number of Covid 19deaths,Hakimsaid,“Thegovern-ment has no intention to sup-press the facts. TheGovernor isalways in tunewith thevoiceofopposition, especially BJP. Thestate government is continu-ously fighting against Covid 19andtheChiefMinisterhashitthestreets herself to spread aware-ness.Thestategovernmentisdo-ing this on its own,without anyhelp from the centre. And justseewhatistheGovernordoing?”

Quota benefitstheystilldonotpermitbenefitstotrickle down to theneedy. Thus,there is a strugglewithin, as toworthinessforentitlementwithinreserved classes of ScheduledCastesandScheduledTribesandOtherBackwardClasses.”The Bench, comprising

Justices Arun Mishra, IndiraBanerjee,VineetSaran,MRShahand Aniruddha Bose, agreedwith Senior Advocate RajeevDhavanthatthelistsofthoseen-titledtoreservationmustbere-vised fromtimeto time.“In our opinion, it was

rightly urged by Dr RajeevDhavanthat theGovernment isrequiredtorevisethelists. Itcanbedonepresentlywithoutdis-turbingthepercentageof reser-vation so that benefits trickledown to the needy and are notusurped by those classes whohave come up after obtainingthebenefits forthelast70yearsor after their inclusion in thelist. The Government is duty-boundtoundertakesuchanex-ercise as observed in IndraSawhney... andasconstitution-ally envisaged. TheGovernment to take appropri-ate steps in this regard,” it said.Onthe2000order,theBench

said “the G.O.Ms. No.3/2000providingfor100percentreser-vation is not permissible undertheConstitution, theouter limitis 50 per cent as specified inIndraSawhney”.In1992,aConstitutionBench

of the Supreme Court, ruling inIndra Sawhney & Others vsUnionof India, capped the totalpermissible reservation at 50percent.“Areservationthatispermis-

siblebyprotectivemode,bymak-ingit100percentwouldbecomediscriminatory and impermissi-ble.Theopportunityofpublicem-ployment cannot bedeniedun-justlytotheincumbents,anditisnottheprerogativeoffew.Thecit-izens have equal rights, and thetotalexclusionofothersbycreat-inganopportunityforoneclassisnot contemplatedby the found-ing fathersof theConstitutionofIndia.Equalityofopportunityandpursuit of choice under Article51-A cannot be deprived of un-justlyandarbitrarily,” itsaid.“By providing 100 per cent

reservation to the ScheduledTribes has deprived theScheduled Castes and OtherBackward Classes also of theirduerepresentation.Theconceptofreservationisnotproportion-atebutadequate,asheldinIndraSawhney.Theaction is thusun-reasonableandarbitraryandvi-

olative of provisions of Articles14,15and16of theConstitutionof India. It also impinges uponthe right of open category andScheduledTribeswhohaveset-tled in the area after 26thJanuary1950,” theBenchsaid.Rejecting the state’s argu-

ments, the Bench said “therewerenosuchextraordinarycir-cumstancestoprovidea100percent reservation in ScheduledAreas. It is an obnoxious ideathattribalsonlyshouldteachthetribals.Whenthereareotherlo-cal residents, why they cannotteachisnotunderstandable.Theaction defies logic and is arbi-trary.Merit cannotbedenied intotobyproviding reservation”.TheBenchwashearingachal-

lenge to the decision of theAndhraPradeshHighCourt thatupheld the government order.Giventhecircumstances,it,how-ever, allowed the request not toquashtheappointmentsalreadymade, butwarnedagainstmak-ingsuchprovisionsinthefuture.Itnotedasimilargovernment

order was issued by AndhraPradesh in 1986 which wasquashedbyStateAdministrativeTribunal and an appeal beforethe Supreme Court was dis-missedaswithdrawnin1998.“Afterwithdrawal of the ap-

peal from this Court, it was ex-pected of the erstwhile State ofAndhra Pradesh not to resort tosuch illegalityof providing100%reservation once again. But in-stead, it issuedG.O.Ms. No.3 of2000,whichwasequallyimper-missible... It was least expectedfrom the functionary likeGovernment to act in aforesaidmanner as theywere bound bythe dictum laid down by thisCourt in Indra Sawhney... andother decisions holding that thelimitofreservationnottoexceed50%,” itsaid.

MNREGSrevive the rural economy nowwas throughMNREGS wages.“Wehavemademore than99%ofduepayments.Ouremphasisis to give themmaximum indi-vidual work, rather than com-munity work, to ensure socialdistancing,”hesaid.OnWednesday,heinspected

MNREGSwork sites falling un-der the jurisdiction of theChaksu panchayat samiti nearJaipur,andinstructedofficialstoensure social distancing, med-icalkitsandsoapsfor labourers.“Even if a person is givenworkfor constructing his own homeunderthePradhanMantriAwasYojanaundertheMNREGS,thatindividualwill bepaid. Even forcommunity works, we havemadesure that the labour forceis spreadout,”hesaid.Maharashtra MNREGS

Commissioner Nayak told TheIndian Express they had started“a very aggressive campaign toprovideworks to the needy, af-fected by the coronavirus pan-demic”. He said theywere alsofocusingonindividualworks,aslargegatheringsarenotallowed.“But about 20% of the atten-dancecanbeattributedtocom-munityworksaswell,”hesaid.Nayaksaidtheyhadfinalised

about 35,000 individual worksunder216categorieslikediggingofwells at farms,making cattlesheds, horticulture work andconstruction of homes underthe Awas Yojana. “I have askedthestaff topersonallyapproachthe beneficiaries, instead of theotherwayround,topro-activelyspeedupworks.”Maharashtrahasalsoissued

orderstopublishthelistof thesebeneficiariesatgovernmentof-fices such as that of the collec-tor, zilaparishadCEO,sub-divi-sional officers, tehsildars andgram panchayats. RajasthanMNREGS Commissioner P CKishansaid thedemand for thescheme is expected to increasein the next fewmonths, withevenrelativelyaffluentvillagersseekingjobsafterlossof incomeduring the lockdown.

FROMPAGEONE

Jio set to tap into vast WhatsApp user base

Facebook-Jio collaboration will be visible first in e-tail

businessonJioMart.Underthis,the company said, itwouldof-fer consumers theability toac-cess the nearest kirana,whichcandeliver products and serv-ices after transactions viaJioMartusingWhatsApp.“In the very near future,

JioMartandWhatsAppwillem-powernearly three crore smallIndiankirana shops todigitallytransactwitheverycustomerintheir neighbourhood. Thismeans all of youcanorder andgetfasterdeliveryofday-to-dayitems fromnearby local shops.Atthesametime,smallkiranascan grow their businesses andcreatenewemploymentoppor-tunities,” RIL Chairman andManaging Director MukeshAmbanisaidWednesday.The deal also opens up

WhatsApp’sentireuserbaseforReliance, including the cus-tomers on rival telecomplat-forms. “WithWhatsAppfirmlyentrenched as the dominantOTT messaging platform inIndia, Jiowillnowhaveachan-nel for promoting their otherdigital services directly to thecustomersoftheircompetitors.Moreover, over time it’s alsopossible toexpect Jio tousetheWhatsApp relationship to try

convert Bharti (Airtel) andVodafoneIdeacustomertotheirnetwork,” Bernstein Researchsaidinanote.With its largest investment

yetinIndia,theCalifornia-basedFacebookhasfinallysucceededaftermultiple attempts to getinto Indian telecom space. JioPlatforms Ltd ownswirelessbroadband, homebroadband,enterprisebroadbandandnar-rowband internet-of-thingsbusinesses,aswellasabouquetof digital apps. The transactionputsJioPlatformsataround$66billion in enterprise value(whichincludesthemarketcap-italisationofacompanyaswellas thedebt andcashon its bal-ancesheet).SincethedealwithReliance

isonlyforaminoritystake,nei-ther FacebooknorRIL isboundin any way to an exclusivearrangement.So,apartfromJio,Facebook can look at similarpartnershipsonotherplatforms,includingwithinWhatsApp.In2015,thesocialmediagi-

anthadattempted tooffer freeInternet services to Indian cus-tomersunderitsFreeBasicsplat-form,buttheplanwasfoiledbytelecommunication regulatorTRAI,whichdisalloweddiffer-

entialpricing.Now, as per a banker, “Not

onlydoesFacebookgetaready-madeplatformwithahugecus-tomerbase,itmayhaveavoidedthebighurdleofspendingtimeongetting approvals for doingbusinessinIndia.”The move to part with a

stake in Jio Platforms is in linewithReliance’s plans to divestsharesinitsunitstobringdownthe company’s debt,while en-hancingitsequityvalue, incaseitgoesinforaninitialpublicof-fering.Thecompany’soutstand-ing debt as on September 30,2019, was Rs 2.92 lakh crore($41.2 billion),while cash andcashequivalentswereatRs1.35lakhcrore($19billion).Earlier, Reliance signed an

agreement todivest stake in itstelecom towers business toBrookfield,andis intalkstosella stake in the optic fibre busi-ness, which has been trans-ferred to an InfrastructureInvestmentTrust. A top invest-ment banker said that theFacebook deal is in linewithMukeshAmbani’sAGMspeechlast year,wherehe saidhewasworkingwithgloballeadersandwouldmakethecompanydebt-freebyMarch2021.

“Itisawell-thought-outplanandisbeingexecutedtoperfec-tion.Itmustbeunderstoodthatwiththescaleofhisbusinesses—oil&gas, telecom,digitalandretail—there isnoroomforer-ror. IunderstandthatAramco’sdue diligence is currently on(Relianceplanstosell20%stakein its refining andpetrochemi-cals business to Saudi giantAramco) and the RIL Group isalso learnt to be working onbringing in a global strategicplayer into its retail business,”theinvestmentbankersaid.Analysts expect Reliance to

nowfurtherexpandonthedig-italfront.“FacebookcanhelpJiomove to the next level as theyhave the expertise, technologyandglobaltalent”,whilereliev-ingitsdebtconcerns,saidanan-alystwithaglobalresearchfirm.As per the India head of a

globalinvestmentbankingfirm,“WhatReliance is doing is cre-ating a permanent businesscontinuity plan. The businesswill not bedependent nowonhowsuccessful thenextgener-ation is, as it will continue togrowwiththestrategicpartner.Itislikesuccessionplanningasitcoversthebusinessfromalotofperceivablerisksinthefuture.”

JioMart,which isessentially tohelpsmallbusinesses,thereareabout 60million small busi-nesses in India. Andwedobe-lievethereistheopportunitytohelp them connectwith theircustomersandhelppeople lo-cate stores andmerchants, lo-catetheproduct,”Mohansaid.AnshumanThakur,headof

strategy at Reliance Jio, saidduring the call: “As we cometothepost-COVIDera,andtheeconomicrecoverythatwe’reallhopingfor, thereisa lotthat

wecandotogether,andsothetiminghasbeenappropriate.”Thakur described the deal

as a “long-term partnership”,and said the initial productswould be focussed on smalland medium enterprises aswell as themerchants, “wherewecangoinwiththeproductsthat they understandwell al-ready”.One hurdle for using

WhatsAppwillbethefact thatthe just over amillion Indianscurrently have access to the

WhatsAppPayfeaturewhichisyettogetregulatoryclearance.However, Reliance hasJioMoney,whichcouldbeinte-gratedintotheJioMartproducttomakepaymentsseamless.Thakur said Facebookwill

have a seat on the board of JioPlatforms, alongwith an ob-server seat. “Facebookwill beour largest partner. that is anexpressionofthecommitmentandtrust.”However, Thakur clarified

thattheinvestmentorthepart-

nershiporcollaborationdidnotmean that the companies(Facebook and Jio)would stopcompeting in the market.“Therewillbethingswherewewillbedirectlycompetingwitheach other; in themarket theentitiesareindependentofeachotherineveryrespect,”hesaid.Whichmeans that once it

gets clearance,WhatsApp Paywill compete directly withJioMoney.Also,Jiohasmessen-gers that compete withWhatsAppforuserattention.

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Frontlineworkersareat risk,andnot justfromCOVID-19NEWEPISODEEVERYDAY

Reportersdetailhowhealthworkersarefacing increasedpressure,howstigmaisdrivingattacks,andwhyIMAdemandedachange in lawtoprotect them

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ASTHASAXENANEWDELHI, APRIL22

FLOWER PETALS, whistles andclapsfilledtheairas24-year-oldSushma Devi, a nurse workingwith a private hospital in Delhi,returnedhomeafter recoveringfrom COVID-19. Wearing facemasks, neighbours came out oftheir homes in Kishan Ganj,VasantKunj,towelcomethe‘co-ronafighter'—inastarkcontrastto reports of some healthcareworkersbeingharassed in theirlocalities.Postedinthelivertransplant

block of Max Hospital, Saket,

DeviwasdischargedonApril19.“I reached home around 10

pm and was pleasantly sur-prised by the warmwelcomefrommyneighbours.Allof themwere clapping for me... someeven lit candles. I feltextremelyspecial,” she told The IndianExpress.Devi had resigned from the

hospital inFebruarybutcontin-uedtobeondutyduringtheno-ticeperiod.OnApril13,shegavea sample for testing after somehealthcareworkersinthehospi-tal testedpositive.“I was sitting in my room

whenthereportcameout... I felthelpless. I immediately in-

formedmy teamand an ambu-lance was dispatched to my

hometotakemetothehospital.Within those few minutes, Ipulledmyself together.Ithoughtaboutmypatientswhoneedmeandthatgavemecourage...,”shesaid.Fivedaysaftershetestedpos-

itive, the hospital tested heragainonApril17andthereportscame out negative. “Duringmystay,Ifollowedproperhealthhy-giene, and the staff extended alot of support andmotivation,”said Devi, who was asympto-matic.Hailing fromManipur, she

liveswithheruncle.Heandnineother familymemberswho livein the same buildingwere iso-

lated after she tested positive.Her aunt and sister have testednegative.Devi has now been advised

home isolation for 14 days.“There were many unfamiliarfaces(atthehospital)butIfoundacommonspirit amongeachofthem. With my family underquarantine, neighbourspitchedin to provide essential items—theywould leave them outsideour door. They all used to askaboutmyhealth and send theirblessings,” saidDevi.In Delhi, more than 75

healthcareworkers across vari-ous hospitals have tested posi-tive so far.

3THEINDIANEXPRESS,THURSDAY,APRIL23,2020

THEOUTBREAK TheCity

WWW.INDIANEXPRESS.COM

SAKSHIDAYALGURGAON,APRIL22

AUTOMOBILEMANUFACTURERMaruti SuzukiWednesday re-ceived permission from theGurgaon district administrationto resume operations at itsManesarplantwith600workers.“Maruti has been given per-

missiontooperatetheirManesarplant in IMTManesar. They hadtopreparetheplantfirst.Whenitis in a position to safely handleworkers, they can start opera-tions.Itisnotapermissionatthatlevel,buttheyhavetokeepusin-formedofwhentheystarttheop-erations,” saidVSKundu,moni-toring officer appointed by thestateforCOVID-19inGurgaon.Asperofficials, thecompany

had applied for permission tooperatewith 4,696 employees,but they received permissiononlyfor600workers.“Theyhave9,800employeesattheplantandhad applied permission foraround 50% of those, as per theGovernmentof Indiaguidelines.

But we have allowed them tostartwith600.Wewantthemtofirst work out a system for thesafetyoftheirworkers,whichforusisofparamountimportance...When this operation stabilises,wewill consider scaling it up tomoreemployees,” saidKundu.The “Permission Certificate”

states that employees are per-mitted towork in a single shift.“Further, as directed, no othermanufacturing/service activity

is permitted in the unit otherthan those approved under theguidelines of the Ministry ofHomeAffairs,Govt.of India,dur-ing the said lockdown period,else strict action will be takenand youwill be responsible forthesame,” states thecertificate.“The application is recom-

mendedforpermissiontooper-ate for600employeesonlydur-ing lockdownperiod, subject tophysicalinspectionandsubmis-

sionof allnecessarydocumentsin supportof their claim(decla-ration,SOP,photographs,etc)be-fore commencement of actualoperation,” it adds.OfficialsfromMarutiSuzuki,

said they are still unclear aboutifandwhentheywillresumeop-erations. “Our Manesar plantcannot operate independent oftheGurgaonunit because com-ponentsmovebetweenthetwo.Wehaveappliedforpermissionfor the Gurgaon unit but havenot yet received an update.Weare in discussion with theDeputy Commissioner regard-ing this,” said a companyspokesperson.KuldeepJanghu,generalsec-

retary of the Maruti UdyogKamgaarUnionsaid:“Asofnow,wehavebeen told thatproduc-tionwill not begin... Employeesare getting their salarywithoutanydeductions so far.”Officials said the administra-

tionhasreceived300applicationsfromindustrieslookingtoresumeoperations and permission hasbeengrantedto“around30”.

ATFARIDABADAPARTMENTCOMPLEX

Policeteamthatrushedtohelpheralsoattackedbycrowd

SAKSHIDAYALGURGAON,APRIL22

FIVEPEOPLEhavebeenarrestedbyFaridabadPoliceforallegedlybeating up an Asha worker onTuesdaywhileshewasconduct-ingadoor-to-doorcoronavirus-related survey on behalf of thedistrict administration.Police said the incident took

place at AshiyanaApartment inSector62, and identified theac-cused as Ird Khan, Hafiz,Shekhawat, Nafis, and Jalalu, allresidents.AnFIRhasbeenregis-teredundervariousIPCsections.“When I knocked on this

family’sdoor,theyrefusedtoco-operate. Ihadaskedif therewasanybody in the housewho hadtravelled from outside or at-tendedtheTablighiJamaatgath-ering. I calledmy senior officer;he came and asked themwhythey were not participating inthe survey, but theyweredisre-spectful towards him as well,”AshaworkerRekhaSharmasaid.“He finally called the police,

whoalsotriedtomakethemun-derstand,butacrowdeventuallygathered... people became ag-gressive and beat us up withsticks,” shesaid.Sharma,aSector65resident,

has been employed as an Ashaworkerforthelastsixyears.Herclaim that police personnel aswell as the health teamwerebeaten up by residents withstickswasconfirmedbyapoliceofficer, who had reached thescene following the healthteam’s call.“We were patrolling in

Subhash Nagar when we re-ceived information that somepeopleweremisbehavingwithanAshaworker.Wereachedthespot and tried to urge them tocooperate,buttheycontinuedtomisbehave. A crowd slowlygathered and people startedbeating us up.We had to even-tuallyask forbackuptomanagethe situation and arrest the ac-cused,”hesaid.Sharma as well as an assis-

tantsub-inspectorsustainedin-juries totheirarmsandlegsandwereadministered first aid.DistrictSecretaryof theAsha

Workers’ Union in Faridabad,SudhaPal,saidproblemsarebe-ing faced by field workers on adailybasis.“We are going out individu-

ally to conduct the survey. Thisis not something new becauseAshaworkers always go to thefield alone, but the situationrightnowissuchthatpeoplebe-

come very aggressive. Somepeoplearetryingtosaythatthishashappenedyesterdaybecausetheresidentswerefromaminor-ity community, but that is nottrue;ithasbeenhappeningwithothercommunitiesaswell,”saidPal.“When they go to homes, a

lot of our workers are cross-questioned by residents — ‘youcometoaskaboutfeverandcold,but has your government evercome to ask if we have food inour homes, if our stoves areburning?’ This is happeningacrossHaryana.Wehavespokento seniorofficials inChandigarhabout this. In this situation, ourworkers need to be sentwith ateam,whichalsohasmalemem-bers,notontheirown,”shesaid.PoliceCommissionerKKRao

warnedthatstrictactionwillbetakenagainstanyonefoundmis-behavingwithAshaworkers.“In this difficult time, the

health department is workingveryhard.Ashaworkersarecon-ducting door-to-door surveys,but people do not seem to un-derstand this and are harassingthem.Strict actionwill be takenagainst anyone found to be in-dulging in such behaviour, andtheywill be sent to prison,” hesaid.

THE HAND THAT FEEDSAmanfeedsmonkeysnearKamlaNehruParkatNorthDelhi’sCivil Linesarea,Wednesday.AmitMehra

Ashaworker beatenup on duty, 5 arrested ANANDMOHANJ

&SOMYALAKHANINEWDELHI, APRIL22

THEFEVERcameunannounced,confiningAshaworkerSeematoher home inPremNagar.Whileher mind dwelt on seven pre-scription cards for pregnantwomen classified as seriouscases in her area, she knew themedicinewouldnotreachthemuntil she recuperates.Seema’sjobinvolveslooking

after the basic health needs of1,600people, includingkeepinga close watch on 35 pregnantwomen. With what littlestrength shehad left, Seemaat-tended tomultiple phone callsfrom panicked residents withdoubtsaboutcoronavirussymp-toms. “I have been counselingpeople inmy area about socialdistancing and symptoms ofcoronavirus. I alsohave tomakesure pregnantwomen get theirmedicines,” saidSeema.AttheforefrontoftheCOVID-

19 fight are Asha (AccreditedSocialHealthActivists)workers,now part of the “corona foot-warriors containment and sur-veillance teams” tasked withalerting authorities about sus-pectedcases.Teammembersaresupposed to inquire about thewell-being of people and avail-abilityof essentialmedical sup-plies in their area of operation,apartfromadvisingresidentsonuseofmasksandsocialdistanc-ing. However, they have to do

these tasks overthephone.Laxmi, who

workswithAshaworkers and de-cides if theyshould visit a pa-tient'shouse,saidmost of themdon’thavemasks,glovesorhandsanitisers.“Ashaworkers used to visit

theirareasduringthefirstphaseof the lockdown. They laterstopped stepping out of theirhomesandarenowadvisingpa-tients over the phone. Themostvulnerable people in this lock-downarepregnantwomenwhoneedmedicalattentiontoreducethe risk of stillbirths and otherpregnancy-related complica-tions,” shesaid.

Asha work-ersareapartofacrucialmedicalsupply chain.There are 6,035ASHA workersinDelhi, one forevery 3,300people.Currently, they

only step out of their homes tovisit their local dispensary anddropthemedicinesatapatient'sdoorstep. They also try to con-vince other women to stay athomeandnottaketheirchildrentodispensariesforvaccinations.Manju (40), an Ashaworker

fromDwarka Sector 15, used tocounselpregnantwomenonnu-trition.Thesedays,sheisapartofateamoffivetaskedwithcheck-ing up on people under home

quarantine. “I have been doingthis sinceMarch.We go to theirhomes and ensure they are fol-lowingrules,andpastethe'homequarantine' poster outside theirresidence.Afterthis,wetakeup-datesover thephone,”shesaid.Among those shemonitors

are a fewmenwhowere at theNizamuddinMarkazandarenowquarantinedatahouseinDwarka:“Ihaveamaskandapairofgloves.Ihaven'tbeengivenasanitiser,soIcarryonefrommyownhouse.”At Pul Prahladpur, Bhagwan

Devi’s phone does not stopbuzzing. She has around 2,000people inher localityandhas tokeepatrackofanyonecomplain-ing of coronavirus symptoms.Recently, alongwith police, shevisited the house of a womanfrom the neighbourhood whocomplainedoffever.“Thankfully,shedidnottestpositive.Iusedtostep out every day since I don’tknowhowtodomyjoboverthephone. I advise people not totouch their face and clean theirhands.Itisatiringjob,”saidDevi.Asha workers Kundan and

Reena said they too have beenmanagingwork over the phoneand avoid going out as theyhaven’t been given gloves ormasks.Reenasaidshegetsatleastfour calls a day from expectingmothers,and“goestothedispen-sary to get themmedicines”. “Icovermymouthwith a chunni,getthemedicinesanddropthemoff at thewoman’s house. Thishappens at least twice aweek,”shesaid.

On frontlines of corona fight, Delhi’s6,000 Asha workers play many roles

Probe ordered asman quarantined atgovt centre dies

Flowery welcome home for nurse who recovered

Charged underUAPA, Jamiapanel memberdenied bail

Admin gives nod for Maruti plant to reopen

ABHINAVRAJPUTNEWDELHI, APRIL22

A 60-YEAR-OLDman, who hadcome toDelhi fromTamil Naduto attend the Tablighi Jamaatgathering at NizamuddinMarkaz lastmonthandeventu-ally tested positive for coron-avirus, died at a governmentcentre in Sultanpuri onWednesday.The man, Mohammad

Mustafa, had been put underquarantine since he had mildsymptomswhenhis test resultscameout.Divisional Commissioner of

Delhi Sanjeev Khirwar said hewas initially admitted to RajivGandhiHospitalandbroughttothe centre after being dis-charged. He said people withmild symptoms are kept at thecentre as per governmentguidelines. There are separateblockshereforpositiveandneg-ative cases.Heissurvivedbyhiswifeand

twocollege-goingsons.Officialssaid hewas brought t to the fa-cility two-threedaysago.A Delhi government official

said an inquiry has been or-dered. The exact cause of thedeath will be ascertained afterthemedicalreport isout,saidanofficial.Theeventhas ledtoafurore,

with some who stay there ac-cusing the administration ofnegligence.FathimaMuzaffer,amember

ofAllIndiaMuslimPersonalLawBoardwho lives inChennai andis coordinatingwith the family,said the man was fromMettupalayam in Tamil NaduandhadcometoDelhiinthesec-ondweekofMarch.

Hewasaretiredgovernmentservant and suffered from dia-betes.“Hehadcomplainedtohisfamily that he was not givenproper treatment,” Fathima al-leged.Around 700 people, mostly

those who attended theNizamuddin event, are kept atthecentre.Mustafa was taken to Lok

Nayak Hospital after his healthstartedworsening, andwas de-clareddeadonarrival.Aman from the centre said

that soon after the death,manypeople gathered outside theirrooms and started alleging thathediedduetonegligenceof theadministration.He alleged, “There is total

chaos here, food is served verylate. People herewake up earlyand have to remain hungry forlonghours.”Sub-Divisional Magistrate

Nagendra Tripathi said there isfood for 800 people, preparedand served on time. He said ateamof fourdoctorsandaround12 paramedical staff is also de-puted there.Fatima said hewas brought

to the facility on April 19. “Hewasadmitted to thehospital onMarch 29... on April 19 he wasdischarged,” shesaid.

ASHAworkersatSangamVihar,Thursday.They lookafterbasichealthneedsofpeople,pregnantwomen. TashiTobgyal

SushmaDevi (24)wasdischargedonApril19

Thefirmsoughtpermissiontooperatewith4,696staffers

THEC RONAFIGHTERS

PRITAMPALSINGHNEWDELHI, APRIL22

NOTING THAT the “gravity ofoffence” against arrested Jamiacoordinationcommitteemediacoordinator Safoora Zargar isserious, a Delhi Court rejectedher bail plea. Police havecharged her with hatching aconspiracy to incite riots inNortheastDelhi.Metropolitan Magistrate

Vasundhara Chhaunkar deniedrelief to Zargar, noting that theDelhi Police’s Special Cell hasbooked her under the stringentUnlawfulActivities(Prevention)Act (UAPA).Themagistrate, in her two-

page hand-written order, ob-served that she was “not in-clined” tograntbail at this stageas sections 13, 16, 17 and 18 oftheUAPA(dealingwithterroristacts or funding) have been in-voked against the accused,which is “grave”, “serious is na-ture”andcanonlybetriedbythesessionscourt.Thecourtalsonotedthatthe

accusedisbookedunderIPCsec-tions 147, 148, 149 and 120B.Later, police had added IPC sec-tions124A(sedition),302(mur-der), 307 (attempt tomurder),and 153A (promoting enmitybetween different groups ongroundsof religion, etc).The court’s order came on

Zargar’s application seeking bailon theground that shehasbeenfalselyimplicatedinthecase,andthatsheisentitledtothereliefbe-ing awoman. Zargar’s counselalso said she has already beengrantedbailinanotherFIRlodgedinconnectionwiththeviolence.The magistrate, however,

was of the view that this is nottheappropriatestage forherre-leaseonbail.

Theeventhas ledtoafurore,withsomewhostaythereaccusingtheadministrationofnegligence.ADelhigovernmentofficialsaidaninquiryhasbeenordered

Online oroffline exams:JNU saysschools, centrescan take a callNewDelhi:TheJawaharlalNehruUniversity admin-istration WednesdaysaidSchools and SpecialCentres of the universitywould be given the free-dom to decide if theywant toholdonlineorof-flineexamsoracombina-tion of both, signallingthattherewouldbenosettemplate for examina-tionsintheuniversitythisyearduetothelockdown.JNU Registrar PramodKumaralsosaidthediffer-ence in the mode of ex-aminations can vary notjust from one School tothe other, but also in dif-ferent Centreswithin thesame School. The deci-sion, the universityclaimed,wastakenbytheAcademic Council (AC)members throughonlinecirculation of the resolu-tion. The JNU Teachers’Association, however, al-leged the resolutionwasnot circulated to severalmembers including theirrepresentatives in theAC.

4 new casesin Gurgaon,1 in NoidaGurgaon:FournewCOVID-19 caseswere recorded inGurgaonWednesday. “Awoman from Gurgaon,who works at a bank inBhiwadi,Rajasthan, testedpositive,” confirmed DrJaswantSinghPunia,CMO,Gurgaon.Officialssaidtheother three patients areresidents of Rajiv Chowk,Sector 39, andOmNagar.A 15-year-old girl fromKasganj tested positive inNoidaWednesday.

Fight breaksout at hospitalNew Delhi: A fight brokeoutatLokNayakHospitalWednesdaybetweenhos-pital authorities and aCATS ambulance staffmember over the admis-sion of a COVID-19 pa-tient. “The hospital re-fusedtoadmitthepatientand paramedical staffquestioned the authori-ties. Inminutes it turnedviolent,”aCATSemployeesaid. The hospital said itwould respond after apreliminaryenquiry.

BSES holdsoutreachNewDelhi:PowerdiscomBSES organised a virtualoutreach session witharound40representativesofRWAsfromSouthDelhi’sSaket and RK PuramTuesday,wherein its exec-utives took feedback frompeopleontheirexperiencesand expectations as con-sumers during the lock-downperiod,thecompanysaidinastatement.ENS

CORONAWATCH

New Delhi

SOURAVROYBARMANNEWDELHI,APRIL22

THEDELHI government's teamof 'coronawarriors', comprisingpersonnel from police, angan-wadis and civic bodies, have anewtaskathand—checkingonevery residentaged60oraboveandred-flaggingthosewithseri-ousmedicalconditions.The decisionwas taken af-

ter aDelhiHealthDepartmentanalysis found that of the 48COVID-19deaths registered inthe city, 25were aged 60 andabove. An overwhelming 88%hadcomorbiditiesorpre-exist-ingailments,whichaggravatedtheirconditions.During his daily briefing

Tuesday,ChiefMinisterArvindKejriwal also shared the con-cern,appealingtopeoplefallinginthisagebrackettoremainin-doors. The CM said they needto take "special care" of theirhealthtoavoidcomplications.Senior officials told The

IndianExpressthatthemovetoutilise the services of the 'co-ronafootwarriorscontainmentand surveillance teams' —whicharemulti-sectoralteamsconstituted at the level of all

13,750pollingbooths inthecity—stemsfromthatconcern.Accordingtoanorder issued

byChiefSecretaryVijayDev, theteams, which are headed bybooth-level officers (BLOs), areexpected to have one civil de-fence volunteer, ASHA/angan-wadi worker, MCD sanitationworker and a Delhi Police beatconstable.Senior IAS officer Sanjay

Goel, state-level coordinator ofthe teams, said they have al-ready started collecting data attheground level. “EachBLOhasa list of voters in their jurisdic-tion. Using the rolls, they havebeen asked to call up residentsaged60oraboveandask if they

have anymedical conditions ornot. Every personwith amed-ical condition will be red-flagged. The names will besharedwith the health depart-ment and the district magis-tratesconcerned," saidGoel.Headdedthattheteamswill

thenrecommendthatthosered-flaggedintherollsbetestedfirstwhensamplesarecollectedfromthe respective areas. The Delhigovernment has started rapidantibody tests at a limited scale,aswell as randomRT-PCR testsat thecommunity level.During the last Lok Sabha

polls,therewere18.5lakhvotersinDelhiaged60andabove.AsonApril 22, Delhi had registered2,248 COVID-19cases,ofwhich1,464 patients were aged lessthan50,359between50-59and425aged60orabove.Sofar,724patientshaverecoveredwhile48havedied.Kejriwalsaidco-morbidities

among the dead include dia-betes,cancer,heartandrespira-toryailments.“ThatiswhyIhavebeen stressing please takeproper care of the elderly andpeople with health complica-tions. Especially those agedabove60,"hesaid.Other tasks theteamsof co-

rona warriors are expected tocarry out includemaking callstohouseholds in their jurisdic-tionstoenquireaboutthewell-being of people, availability ofessential items, and advisingthemtowearmasksandensuresocial distancing."Theyshallalso inquirewith

the household whether theyknow of any suspected coronacase in their neighbourhood.Theteamsshallalsodofootpa-trolling and visit each house-hold as per their own scheduleon a daily basis and identifysuspected corona patients, ifany. In case any suspected caseis identified, to carry out theprotocol already circulated forasuspect, includingquarantine,testing, tie-up with doctors,etc," the order constituting theteams states.Goelsaidnoteveryteamhas

fivemembers as inmany cases,ASHAworkersalsohappentobethe local BLOs. "Each team hasaround 500 households undertheirjurisdiction.Theygenerallymanage to cover around 50households in a day, throughtelephone calls and visits," hesaid. The teams have also beenasked to encourage people todownloadtheAarogyaSetuapp.

E-TENDER PRESS NOTICEThe EXECUTIVE ENGINEER, CD-VI, I&FC Department, Govt. of Delhi, Bharat Nagar Office Complex, Delhi-110052, invites on behalf of the President of India, online item rate tender from theapproved and eligible contractors registered with I&F Department and contractor who are registered with other Deptt. and got their registration verified from I&FC Deptt. UPTO 3.00 P.M. on23.04.2020 for the following: -1. Name of Work:- Removal of obstructions / waste material etc. from the bed of Link drain No. II from RD 495 M to RD 1190 M and 500 M extended portion along with Supplementary drain &

removal of malba in the periphery of Link Drain No. II and disposal of same at EDMC dumping point. Head of Account:- 2711-Non Plan Maintenance Drainage, Estimate Cost:- Rs.17,88,078.00. Earnest Money:- Rs 35,762.00 Time Allowed:- 11 Months, Last Date & Time of Submission of Bids Through E-Procurement Solution:- 23.03.2020 upto 3:00 P.M., Time &Date of Opening of Tender:- 23.04.2020 at 3.10 P.M.. Tender ID No. 2020_IFC_190158_1

2. Namc of Work:- Removal of obstruction / waste materials etc. from Toe drain along R.M.E. from RD 0 M to RD 3240 M, extended portion from Baba colony road to Burari regulator in the lengthof 500 M and 260 m along Baba colony road , removal of malba in the periphery of Toe drain and disposal of same at EDMC dumping point. Head of Account:- 2711-Non Plan MaintenanceDrainage. Estimate Cost:- Rs.19,70.000.00, Earnest Money:-Rs.39,400,00, Time Allowed:- 11 Months, Last Date & Time of Submission of Bids Through E-Procurement Solution:-23.04.2020 upto 3:00 P,M., Time & Date of Opening of Tender- 23.04.2020 at 3.10 P.M.. Tender ID No. 2020_IFC_190220_1.

3. Name of Work:- Removal of obstruction / waste materials etc. from Burari drain RD 2280 M to RD 6038 M, removal of malba in the periphery of Burari drain and disposal of same at EDMCdumping point. Head of Account:- 2711-Non Plan Maimenance Drainage, Estimate Cost- Rs. 23,16,916.00, Earnest Money:- Rs. 46,338.00, Time Allowed:- 11 Months, Last Date & Time ofSubmission of Bids Through E-Procurement Solution:- 23.04.2020 upto 3:00 P.M., Time & Date of Opening of Tender:- 23.04.2020 at 3.10 P.M.. Tender ID No. 2020_IFC_190222_1.

4. Name of Work:- Cleaning and removal of Malba / Waste Matarial / Obstructions from New drain from RD 0 m to RD 5400 m and disposal of the same to the MCD dumping site including supply& installation / fixing of floating trash barrier near RD 0 m. RD 1420 m. RD 2825 m & RD 5200 m of New Drain for collecting floating material, hyacinth etc. from water surface of the drain and itsdisposal to nearby dhalao to maintain free flow of water. Head of Account:- 2711-Non Plan Maintenance Drainage. Estimate Cost:- Rs. 46,54,624.00, Earnest Money:- Rs. 93,092.00, TimeAllowed:- 11 Months, Last Date & Time of Submission of Bids Through E-Procurement Solution:- 23.04.2020 upto 3:00 P.M., Time & Date of Opening of Tender:- 23.04.2020 at 3.10 P.M.,Tender ID No. 2020_IFC_190223_1.

5. Name of work:- Cleaning and removal of Malba / Waste Matarial from Burari Creek drain from RD 0 m to RD 6500 m, RD 6900 m to RD 8863 m & New Course from RD 0 m to RD 600 m anddisposal of the same to the MCD dumping site including supply & installation / fixing of floating trash barrier near RD 450 m, RD 900 m, RD 1100 m, RD 1400 m, RD 1770 m. RD 2120 m. RD2900 m & RD 6100 m of Burari Creek Drain for collecting floating material, hyacinth etc. from water surface of the drain and its disposal to nearby dhalao to maintain free flow of water. Head ofAccount:- 2711-Non PIan Maintenance Drainage, Estimate Cost:- Rs. 46,87,174.00, Earnest Money:- Rs. 93,743.00, Time Allowed:- 11 Months, Last Date & Time of Submission of BidsThrough E-Procurement Solution:- 23.04.2020 upto 3:00 P.M., Time & Date of Opening of Tender.- 23.04.2020 at 3.10 P.M., Tender-ID No. 2020_IFC_190224_1.

6. Name of Work:- Cleaning, removal of Malba/Waste Material / floating material and to keep the drain clean on daily basis under maintenance period including supply & installation of new floatingtrash barriers and repair of existing floating trash barrier at Drain No.6 for collecting floating material, hycinth etc. and its disposal to nearby MCD Dhalao. Head of Account:- 2711-Non PlanMaintenance Drainage, Estimate Cost:- Rs. 54,56,856.00, Earnest Money:- Rs: 1,09137.00, Time Allowed:- 09 Months, Last Date & Time of Submission of Bids Through E-ProcurcmentSolution: 23.04.2020 upto 3:00 P.M., Time & Date of Opening of Tender:- 23.04.2020 at 3.10 P.M., Tender ID No. 2020_IFC_190225_1.

Note:- The enlistment of the contractors should be valid on the last date of opening of tenders. In case the last date of opening of tender is extended, the enlistment of contractor should be valid onthe original date of opening of tenders.The tenderer shall have to scan zerox copy of the mode of Earnest Money Deposit this office and other relevant documents as required in NIT and then upload the same scanned copies, duly signedby him owning responsibility. for their correctness / authenticity in support of their eligibility, along with the tender at web site. Attested copy of relevant documents and Earnest money in physicalform as stated above should be deposited in the office of EE, CD-VI, l&FC Deptt., Govt. of Delhi, Office Complex, Bharat Nagar, Delhi-110052 before the last date & time for submission of price bidsin the form of treasury challan / deposit at call receipt of schedule bank / fixed deposit receipt of schedule bank / demand draft of a schedule bank issued in favour of Executive Engineer -CD-VI,l&FC Deptt. failure to furnish the original mode of Earnest money and all relevant documents before the closing of the tender will entail rejection of tender. Details of above mention work can be seenand downloaded from the web site https://govtprocurement.delhi.gov.in upto 15.00 Hrs. on 23.04.2020 No manual tender shall be accepted only tender submitted through E-procurement portalshall be considered.

Sd/-DIP/Shabdarth/0013/20-21 EXECUTIVE ENGINEER: CD-VII

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IRRIGATION AND FLOODCONTROL DEPARTMENTGOVT. OF NCT OF DELHI

NOTICE INVITINGe-TENDERS

The Executive Engineer, CivilDivision No. XIV, I&FCD invites onbehalf of the President of India, onlinetender for the following work:NIT No. EE/CD-XIV/NIT/02/2020-21Percentage RateHOA: (2711 Maintenance Flood)Name of work: Repair of 10 Nos.Boat Carriage Trolley of small size, 2Nos. big size for Shikara Boat, 4 Nos,Motor Boat Engine of 40 HP, 1 No. of15 HP lying at Timparpur Store for theyear 2020. Estimated cost Rs.6,18,900/- & Earnest Money Rs.12,378/- Period of completion: One(01) Month. Last date & time of sub-mission of tender: upto 3:00 PM, on05.05.2020. (Tender ID2020_IFC_190268_1).Tender forms and other details can beobtained from the websitehttps://govtprocurement.delhi.gov.inDIP/Shabdarth/0018/20-21

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Ahead of Ramzan,police reach out with‘stay home’ message

Theteamswill includepersonnel frompolice,anganwadisandcivicbodies

‘Corona warriors’ have new task:Calling everyone aged 60 & above

ASTHASAXENANEWDELHI, APRIL 22

THE TOTAL COVID-19 casesin India crossed 20,000Wednesday, with Delhi ac-counting for over 10% of thecases.OnWednesday, thenum-berof positive cases in the cap-ital reached2,248,with92freshcases and one more death. Sofar,48people inDelhihavedieddue to the virus.Amongthosewhotestedpos-

itiveare12peoplefromtwofam-ilies,includinga45-day-oldinfant,fromChuriWalanGaliinChandniChowk. Thedistrict administra-tionistracingtheircontacts.Ofthe12members, three are admittedtoLokNayakHospital. Thehospi-talhasadvisedthefamilytoadmitthe infant aswell. Theothers areathome.Frontlinehealthcareworkers,

meanwhile, continued to bearthe brunt as seven tested posi-tive for thediseaseatDelhigov-ernment-runBabuJagjivanRamHospital. According to sources,the hospital falls in the vicinityof B-Block, Jahangirpuri, fromwhere31peoplerecentlytestedpositive during communitysampling. “Since all positivecasesfromtheareawereasymp-tomatic, it’s difficult to gaugehow the staff caught the infec-tion. Residents of the localitycome to our hospital for treat-ment as it is the closest,” said aseniordoctor fromthehospital.At state-run Baba Saheb

Ambedkar Hospital, 57healthcareworkerswerequar-antined after a patient fromJahangirpuri R Block died. The40-year-oldwomanwasadmit-tedto themedicineemergencyonApril16.Thehospitaladmit-tedher to the isolationward asshewas a suspected COVID-19patient. ShediedonApril 18.“Samples of all healthcare

workers have been taken, theyhave been advised homequar-antine.Wearealsotracingclose

contacts of the patient,” said aseniordoctor fromthehospital.A nurse working at

Safdarjung hospital has alsotested positive for COVID-19.Over 75 healthcare workers inDelhi have been infected so farandmanyareunderquarantine.Nine percent of the total

samplessentfortestinginDelhihave testedpositive forCOVID-19.TheDelhigovernmentiscar-ryingoutdailyhouse-to-housesurveillanceandsanitisationofareas in87 containment zones.So far, 5,619 samples have

been collected from contain-ment zones.Among the total casualties

reportedsofar,thehighestnum-ber of deaths is due to co-mor-bid conditions, the data sharedbythehealthdepartmentstated.Out of the total deaths, 40 peo-ple have died due to co-morbidconditions. The data furtherstates that 90% of those underthe age of 50 years died due toco-morbidities.“Ten people under 50 years

havediedandnineof themhadpreviousillnesses,”saidaseniorofficer from the health depart-ment. However, the highestnumberofdeathsisreportedbe-tween60andaboveagegroup.Meanwhile, to help reduce

theburdenonambulances, cabaggregator Uber has offered tohelp the Delhi government bytransporting non-COVID-19,non-critical patients in coordi-nation with CATS ambulancehelpline 102. The departmenthas also ordered hospitals tomake arrangements for disin-fection of hearse vans and am-bulances used to transferCOVID-19patients.

4THEINDIANEXPRESS,THURSDAY,APRIL23,2020

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North body teachers,sanitation staff saynot paid for 2 monthsABHINAVRAJPUTNEWDELHI,APRIL22

WHILE THEY are at the fore-front of the COVID-19 battle,teachersandsanitationwork-ersofNorthCorporationhaveanotherworryontheirminds—theyhavenotbeenpaidfortwomonths. Around 30,000sanitationworkersand8,000teachers are employed in theNorthbody.RamNiwas Solanki, gen-

eralsecretaryoftheMunicipalCorporation Teachers’Association, said that thoughthedelay in salaries is a regu-larfeatureinthecivicbody,theproblemescalatedduringlock-down.Hesaid theassociationismullingacall tonotdistrib-ute food for aday, if the situa-tionpersists.The South andEastMCDs

have,meanwhile,beenabletopaysalariestill lastmonth.North corporation com-

missioner Varsha Joshi saidsafai karamcharis have beenpaidforFebruary:“Fortheoth-ers,thelastfullsalarywaspaidfor January. I try to pay safaikaramcharis in the firstweekofeverymonth.Thisisthefirsttimeithasn’tbeenpossible.”Another official blamed

theNorth body’s poor finan-cialconditionandafilepend-ing beforeDelhi governmentforthesituation.Leader of Opposition and

AAP leader Surjeet PanwarsaidtheDelhigovernmenthaspaid all dues toMCDs. “Theykeep blaming governmentjust topassthebuck,”hesaid.Another AAP leader said theallegationswerebaseless: “It’sunfortunatethatBJPisplayingdirtypolitics insuchtimes.

SOMYALAKHANINEWDELHI, APRIL22

TOENSURE thatno social gath-erings takeplaceatmosquesoron the streets in the month ofRamzan,whichstartsthisweek,the Delhi Police has spoken toseveral imams and other reli-gious heads about social dis-tancing norms in the time offastingand feasting."DCPs have held meetings

with imamsandmaulvis aboutthe community offering prayerinside their homes. They havealso video-recorded this mes-sage and sent it acrossWhatsApp groups for a widerreach," said Joint CP (southernrange)DeveshSrivastava.DCP (southeast) R PMeena

said there are over 150 big andsmall mosques in his district,andmost religious heads havebeen spoken to personally. "Ihave requested them tomakeannouncementsaboutthisfrommosques;manyhavestartedal-ready. The video messagesrecorded by the heads say thatsocial distancing has to be fol-lowed, people shouldn't gatherat mosques, should stay athome."DCP (Dwarka) Anto

Alphonse said he has met andspokento59 imams,whileDCP(outer north) Gaurav Sharmasaid that apart fromannounce-ments beingmade bymaulvis,information is being shared onWhatsApp groups and "Dos &

Dont's are being pasted at eachnookandcorner".Joint CP (northern range)

ManishAgarwal said that apartfromreligiousheads, theyhavereached out to AmanCommitteemembers.“We are getting a lot of co-

operationfromthecommunity.About sehri (pre-dawn meal)and iftar (evening meal), wewill ensure thatpeople stay in-doors and that no crowdinghappens outside shops in themorning. We have told thecommunity that they shouldstock up on special items theywant to eat, such as khajoor,while routine shopping,” saidAgarwal.DCP (Northwest) Vijayanta

Arya said that therewas hardlyany troubleduringother recentfestivals as people are "ex-tremely aware about the pan-demic. We will ensure thatrestaurantsonlydohome-deliv-ery and take-away. Extra de-ployment is already in place,and if need be, we will havemore force”.In Haryana's Faridabad, all

mosques will remain closedduring Ramzan, said theDeputy Commissioner of thedistrict on Wednesday. “Inkeeping with the instructionsissued by the government, nomosqueshouldbeopenedatallin view of the lockdown.During the festival, all thepeo-ple should be in their homes,”said Deputy CommissionerYashpal Yadav.

Police bookTahir Hussainunder UAPANew Delhi: Delhi Policehave booked suspendedAAP councillor TahirHussain under theUnlawful Activities(Prevention) Act (UAPA),officers saidWednesday.Hussain, who is ac-

cusedofmurderandriot-ing, was also booked un-der the UAPA by theSpecial Cell of the DelhiPolice for his alleged in-volvement in NortheastDelhi riots. He was ar-rested 10-12 days ago forhisallegedinvolvement inthe riots, said a seniorpo-lice officer.ENS

2,487CASES

48DEATHS

846RECOVERED

CORONACOUNTDELHI NCR

Infant among92newcasesin capital, onemore death

STOP & SWABCommuterscomingfromDelhi toNoidaarecheckedforsymptomsofCOVID-19,adayafter theGautamBudhNagardistrictadministrationsealedtheborder.Only thoseengaged inessential services,withaUPpass,arebeingallowedtoenter.OnWednesday,however,police letvehiclespass throughwithawarning.AbhinavSaha

New Delhi

5THEINDIANEXPRESS,THURSDAY,APRIL23,2020

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EXPRESSNEWSSERVICEMUMBAI, APRIL22

MAHARASHTRA HOUSINGMinisterJitendraAwhadwasad-mitted to a hospital on Tuesdaynight,daysafterhehadputhim-selfunderhomequarantineow-ing to contact with a COVID-19positiveperson.Heissaidtohavegothimself

admitted to Jupiter Hospital inThane after he found he hadfever.Later in the night, however,

due to suspicion that he hadCOVID-19 symptoms, he wasmoved to Fortis Hospital inMulund,Mumbai.Around a fortnight ago, a

number of people who hadcome into contactwith Awhad,including police personnel, hadtestedpositive for coronavirus.Awhadhad thenundergone

aCOVID-19test,andtestedneg-ative.However, on April 13, the

ministerannouncedthathewas

isolatinghimselfathishomefor14days.Meanwhile, Fortis Hospital

acknowledged that Awhad hadbeen brought to the hospitalwhere he is being tested and isunderobservation.Aspokesper-son for thehospital said thathisconditionwasstable.AwhadrepresentsThanedis-

trict'sKalwa-MumbraAssemblyconstituency.Heisthefirstmin-isterintheMaharashtraCabinetto be admitted to hospital dur-ing theCOVID-19pandemic.

EXPRESSNEWSSERVICEMUMBAI, APRIL22

APOLICEMANinthesecurityde-tail of UnionMinister RamdasAthawale tested positive forCOVID-19onWednesday.Officialssaidthepoliceman,a

driverinAthawale'sconvoy,wassuffering from fever and throatinfection and had been on sickleave since April 5. He under-went a test on April 18, andthe results revealed thathewasinfected.He has been admitted to a

hospital atPanvel.A senior police officer said

threeotherpolicemenwhowerepartof theconveyandwouldsitin his car have been asked toquarantinethemselvesathome.“When we inquired with

him, he said that he doesn’t re-memberifheevencameincon-tactwithanyonewhohastestedpositive,” saidanofficer.Since the day the lockdown

was announced, Athawale hasbeen staying at his Bandra resi-dence, Samvidham.“Till April 5, theywould just

gotohisresidenceandsitdown-stairs as none of the VIPs havebeensteppingoutsincethetimelockdownhasbeenannounced.Besides, the driver never wentclosetotheminister,”saidasen-iorofficer.The driver, a Kharghar resi-

dent, had sent his family to hisnative place before the lock-downwasannounced.

Stuck with no work,Central team writesto Bengal ChiefSecy; reply awaitedRITIKACHOPRANEWDELHI,APRIL22

THE TWO Inter-MinisterialCentral Teams (IMCTs) taskedwithassessingWestBengal'shan-dlingoftheCOVID-19outbreakinsevendistricts could not do anymeaningfulworkforthethirdsuc-cessiveday,withthestategovern-mentignoringtheKolkatateam’srequestforadetailedpresentationonninepointsandinspectionvis-itsto12hotspots,nineCOVIDhos-pitals,sixmarkets,andfourquar-antine centres across Kolkata,Howrah, East Midnapore andNorth24Parganasdistricts.AmongthepointstheCentral

teamhassoughtdetailsonarethetesting scale, testing facilities,availabilityofpersonalprotectiveequipment(PPE)forhealthwork-ers,availabilityofICUbeds,venti-lators and oxygen supply, inci-denceofCOVID-19amonghealthworkers,andtheprocessofdeter-miningthecauseofdeath.The team in North Bengal,

tasked with monitoring pre-paredness in Darjeeling,Kalimpong and Jalpaiguri, alsocould not move out onWednesday.Theteamhadits firstbriefing

in threedays fromthe JalpaiguriCommissionerontheoverallsta-tusof theoutbreak inDarjeeling,Jalpaiguri and Kalimpong.Another detailed briefing, re-quested by team leader VineetJoshi,was initiallyscheduledat7pm, butwaspostponed to10.30pmon account of rain andhail-stormintheevening.The IMCT, led by Additional

Secretary Apurva Chandra, is

learnt tohave spentWednesdaywaiting forWest Bengal ChiefSecretaryRajiv Sinha to respondto a letter requesting field visitsanddetailedpresentationby thestateHealthDepartment.“Wehaven’theardfromthem

thewholeday.Thisisourthirddayhere, andwehaven’t done any-thingmeaningful yet,” a teammembersaidontheconditionofanonymity.InadetailedlettertoSinhaon

Wednesdaymorning, Chandra,besides seekingpresentationonninepoints,alsorequestedinfor-mationon themethodof identi-fying suspected cases andquar-antining those patients. “TheIMCTwould also like to under-stand anyproblems faced byhestate government in implemen-tation of the lockdown orders,availabilityoftestingkits,etc,andsupport required from theGovernment of India in this re-gard,”theletterstates.Onfieldvisits,Chandrawrote,

histeamshouldbeaccompaniedby“relevantofficersofthehealthdepartment, local bodies andother departments involved inimplementing the health anddisinfection measures, apartfrom supply of essential com-modities, operation of quaran-tine centres and the manage-ment of the relevant hospitals”,andnotapoliceofficer.OnTuesday,theIMCTwasac-

companied by an ACP ofWestBengalPoliceforitshour-longtourof Kolkata to assess the imple-mentationof thelockdown.Chandrawrote to Sinha after

the state government sought tode-escalate confrontationwiththeMinistryofHomeAffairs.

SANDEEPASHARMUMBAI, APRIL22

MAHARASHTRAneedsmore in-stitutional quarantine facilitiesandaramp-upofitscontacttrac-ingprogramme in slumpocketsto contain the spread of coron-avirus inMumbai,acentral teamtold state authorities onWednesday.Following anon-spot assess-

ment of COVID-19 care arrange-ments in Asia’s largest slumDharaviandanotherslumsettle-ment atMarol inAndheri, an in-ter-ministerial central team(IMCT), headed by AdditionalSecretary (Ministry of FoodProcessing Industries) ManojJoshi, instructed officials to aug-mentquarantinefacilitiesindenseslumpocketsonanurgentbasis.Concerned over the high in-

fection rate and routine lock-downviolations inMumbai, theHomeMinistry had earlier senttwo separate IMCTs toMumbaiand Pune, authorising them togive directions to the state au-thorities forredressal.Whencontacted,JoshitoldThe

Indian Express, “Wehave soughtmoredatafromtheBMConhowmanypeoplehavebeentestedin

themajorslumcolonies.Wehavealso asked formoredata regard-ingquarantiningarrangementsinthesedensepockets.”After caseswere detected in

Dharaviandtheotherslumpock-etsofMumbai, thesheerdensityof population sparked fears ofcommunitytransmission.In Dharavi alone,which has

nowseen189cases, including12deaths,more than60,000 fami-lies and roughly 8.5 lakhpeoplearecrampedina2.4sqkmsprawl,making it oneof thedensest hu-manhabitationsintheworld.Advocating aggressive isola-

tionasthebestformofdefenceindense habitations, the centralteamonWednesdaydemandeda200percentincreaseininstitu-tional quarantine-beds. Local as-sistant commissioner KiranDighavkar,whoaccompaniedtheteamtoDharavi, said, “We’ve setupquarantinecampsthatcanac-commodate1,000people at onetimefornow.Thecentralteamhasasked us to augment this to ac-commodateupto3,000people.”On Wednesday, when the

IMCT visited Dharavi, local au-thorities highlighted these chal-lenges,whilepresentinghowtheyhadresortedtoswiftcontacttrac-ing and aggressive isolation of

high-riskcategories.Between April 1 (when the

firstcasewasreportedinthearea)and Wednesday, Dighavkarclaimedtheyscreenedapopula-tionof 40,000people in the set-tlementwith thehelp of privatemedics and fewer clinics. “Wehave taken swabsof 680people.Sofar2,780peoplehavebeenputunderobservation. This includes2,100underhomequarantineand680under institutional quaran-tine.Of the latter, 210havebeendischarged,”Dighavkarinformedthe team,while showing themquarantinefacilitiessetupbytheBMC—a300-bed facility at theRajivGandhiSportsComplexandanother700-bedfacilityinamu-nicipalschoolcomplex.The team is expected to visit

slumsettlementsnearGovandiintheeasternsuburbsonThursday.While the civic authorities

shared award level data of vari-ousarrangementsputinplace,theteamhasnowsought“slumspe-cificdata”.TheCentrehasalsotakencog-

nisance of allegationsmade byMaharashtraLeaderofOppositionDevendraFadnavisoverviolationof the ICMRprotocols regardingsuspected COVID-19 deaths bymajorhospitalsinMumbai.

EXPRESSNEWSSERVICENEWDELHI,APRIL22

INAmovetoassuagefearsraisedbyindustrialunits,theMinistryofHome Affairs (MHA) onWednesday said that punitivemeasuresinitsguidelinestoallowsomeindustries to restartopera-tionswith conditionshavebeenmisinterpreted.The clarification follows rep-

resentations byvarious industryandexportassociations toclarifytheprovisions.While the Press Information

Bureau called these apprehen-sionstobe“wrongandincorrect”,asprovisionswereprecautionaryinnature, theMHA’sofficialhan-dle tweeted, “MHAGuidelinesmisinterpreted. Penalties underDM(DisasterManagement) Act‘05 applicable if offence occurswithconsent,cognisanceorneg-ligenceofemployer.”Industry representatives said

thatemployersshouldnotbeheldresponsibleifanyemployeetestspositiveforcoronavirus.“...If carried out as a ran-

domised inspectionwith trans-parencyandsubmissionofreport,monitoring could be effectivewithoutbeingheavy-handed,”CII

director-general ChandrajitBanerjee said. “At the sametime...CII suggests that itwouldnotbe correct toholdemployersculpable in case COVID-positivecases are foundamongemploy-ees, as it is found that infectionscanspreadeventhroughasymp-tomaticcarriers.”“Thereshouldbenocriminal-

ity inCOVIDmanagement in in-dustry.Wewilltakeittothehigh-est level,” Labour SecretaryHeeralal Samariya said during awebinar in response to similarconcerns raised bymembers ofindustryassociationFICCI.Ravi Sehgal, chairman,

Engineering Export PromotionCouncil of India, said thatwhiletheproblemisnotattheministry-level inDelhi, “everything boilsdown to the state level and theirinterpretationofthelawandrules.TheMHAneeds to call all statechiefsecretariesandformamod-uluscommontoallof India.”TheIndianExpresshadonApril

21 reported that firms inpocketsacrossthecountryhadraisedredflags over the interpretation ofpunitivemeasuresforviolationofsafety procedures, especially ifworkerstestpositiveforCOVID-19despitethefirmsfollowingsafetyandsanitisationprocedures.

MAYURAJANWALKARRATNAGIRI, APRIL22

EVERY summer, said DevduttaPatil, customerswait for theAlp-honso.Thisyear, forthefirsttimethat he has been in themangobusinessfor30years,itisthekingoffruitsthatiswaitingforbuyers.OnSundaynight, sonVikram

supervised the packing of 72boxescontainingtwodozenman-goeseachattheirhomeinRatna-giri, for their first dispatch toMumbai this season,with someeasing of the lockdown startingthenextday.AsfourworkersandmembersofthefamilyplacedtheAlphonsoinlayersofhay,VikramsaidtheboxeswereheadedforfortheAPMCmarket inVashi, NaviMumbai,about340kmaway.Still,hedoesn’texpecttocome

anywhere close to their usualsales. “We are readying about

1,000 boxes, last year we sold2,500,”Devduttasaid.Ratnagiri had four active

COVID-19 cases Sunday. For themangotrade,thatfuelstheecon-omyofMaharashtra’scoastaldis-tricts, the lockdown is a secondblowinclosesuccession,aftertheuntimely rain inDecember cost-ing40percentof theyield.VivekBhide,thepresidentofa

cooperativeofmangoproducersand sellers, estimates that thethree districts of Konkan regionproduce3.5lakhmetrictonnesofmangoeseachyear.An estimated 30,000 to

40,000metrictonnesoftop-grademangoes fromKonkan are ex-ported every year. The overseasdemandhas alsobeen impactedbythecoronaviruspandemic.Recently, mango farmers

reachedouttothegovernmenttofacilitate the retail sale of Alph-onso, includinginmajormarkets

likeMumbai,ThaneandPune.WhileAlphonso rates, in the

rangeof Rs 800 toRs2,000 for apeti (box of four to sevendozenmangoes), are not dramaticallylower than earlier, problems in

supply chains have made thebusiness sluggish, said Bhide.“Usually byApril 20,most farm-ershave sold50per centof theirproduce,”hesaid.AmarDesai said thatnot just

the fresh fruit,with its short shelflife,butalsothemangoprocessingbusiness has been affected. AnumberofsmallentrepreneursinRatnagiritradeinmangoproductslikesweets,pulpandbottledjuice,pointedoutDesai.Sunil Pawar,managingdirec-

torofMaharashtraStateAgricul-turalMarketingBoard, said theyhavestartedtodirectlylinkfarm-erswith consumers inurbanar-eas now. The board has a list ofmango farmers ready for this upon theirwebsite. “Wehave alsostarted sending vehicles to dis-tricts like Satara, Nashik, SangliandKolhapurforfarmerstoselltoconsumersthere,”hesaid.Pawarsaidaround300tonnes

ofmangoeshavebeensenttobu-yers inothercitiesviatheBoard’sintervention,whilearound2,235tonneshaveleftformarketsabro-adfromitsVashitreatmentcentre.“Similarinterventionsarebe-

ing carried out by AgricultureDepartment. Some wholesaletradershavetiedupwithfoodde-liveryapplicationslikeZomatotohomedelivermangoes,”hesaid.Lastweek,KonkanBhumiPra-

tishthan,anNGOassociatedwitharounda thousandmango farm-ersthatworkswiththestategov-ernment, stepped in to enablefarmerstoreachurbancustomers.FounderSanjayYadavraosaidAl-phonsosalesmaydroptoRs1,000croreasopposedtoRs3,000crorelast year.However, socialmediahas helped. “Nowdemand is sohigh,wearetryinghardtofulfillit.”Amar Desai fears the pinch

maybefeltthemostaheadofthenext harvest. “Whatever thefarmerearnsduringMarch,April,May iswhat sustainshimfor theyear. He uses it in October-Novemberforhisnextharvest.”--WITHINPUTSFROMPARTHA

SARATHIBISWASINPUNE

Kerala to deduct salary ofgovt staff, cut MLAs’ paySHAJUPHILIPTHIRUVANANTHAPURAM,APRIL22

THE KERALA Cabinet onWednesday decided to deductone month’s salary over fivemonths fromgovernment em-ployees,PSUworkersandstaffofquasi-governmentinstitutionsinordertomopupresourcesduringthe economic crisis stemmingfromthelockdown.A30per cent cut inmonthly

salarywill be effected forminis-ters, legislators andmembers ofall governing boards for a year.Electedmembersinthethree-tierlocalbodieswillalsotakea30percentcutinhonorarium.CM Pinarayi Vijayan said

COVID-19 has had a huge eco-nomic impact. “Kerala has beenhitbadlyandweareaconsumerstate.Thestateisgoingthrougha

fiscal crisis as tax collection rev-enuehasfallendrasticallyandre-mittances fromexpatriateshavealso stopped... Expenses forhealthcare services and foodsafetyareunavoidable...”Hesaidthatgovernmentem-

ployees and their organisationsexpressed willingness to con-tributeonemonth’ssalarytoChiefMinister’s Distress Relief Fund.Accordingly,thesalaryforsixdayseverymonthwillbedeductedforthenextfivemonths.Thoseearn-ing less thanRs 20,000 amonthwillbeexempted,theCMsaid.Keralareported11newcasesof

COVID-19onWednesday—sevenfromKannur,twoinKasargod,andone each from Kottayam andMalappuram.Fiveof themcamefromabroad and threewere in-fectedthroughaprimarycontact.Onepersonisahealthworkerandtwo are house surgeons atKozhikodeMedicalCollege.

WorkersweighandsegregateAlphonsomangoesaspergradeatawarehouseownedbySanchinLanjekar inRatnagiri.AmitChakravarty

Sample testing shift: InMaharashtra,private labs overtake govt facilitiesKAUNAINSHERIFFMNEWDELHI, APRIL22

MAHARASHTRA, WHICH hasemerged as the ground zero ofthe coronavirus outbreak in thecountry, has become the firststatewherethenumberofsam-plestestedatprivatefacilitieshasovertaken those at governmentlabs — by nearly double onTuesdayalone.With 5,221 cases so far, the

highestinanystate,Healthofficialsarebankingon largescale testingasakeytooltoisolateandcontainthespread.And,accordingtooffi-cial figures availableWednesdaymorning,Maharashtrahastested82,304 samples so far, of which41,794—50.78%—weredone intheprivatelabs.The figures show that on

Tuesday,privatelabstested4,211

samples while government fa-cilitiestotalled2,255inthestate.There are twomain reasons

for thesurge inprivatetesting,agovernment official said.“Physicians have been givenwider discretion, they can pre-scribelabtestsforasymptomaticpeople too. Also, in the case ofMaharashtra,afewlabsstoppedtesting temporarily after theSupremeCourtorderedfreetest-ing for all. They have now re-sumed in full capacity,”hesaid.Theofficialwasreferringtothe

courtmodifyingitsorderandclar-ifying that free tests are only forAyushmanBharat beneficiariesand economicallyweaker sec-tions. The court ruled that theCentre’spricecapofRs4,500pertestwouldcontinueforothers.“Private labs, inmy opinion,

have twice the capacity as thatof government labs asweoper-

ate 24x7. Also, the outbreak inDharavi is contributing to bignumbers coming to privatelabs,” Arokiaswamy Velumani,CEO of Mumbai-basedThyrocare, said. Dharavi hasrecordedover180cases.Officialsalsopointedoutthat

Maharashtrahasthelargestpri-vate labnetwork in thecountry,with 20 of a total of 87 opera-tional in thestate.In Delhi, meanwhile, only

25% (6,734) of the total 26,627samples tested are fromprivatelabs,upfrom19%twoweeksago.Officialfiguresshowthatthe

rise in testing at private labs inMaharashtrahasalsoresultedinan increase inpositivecasesbe-ing reported. In the last oneweek, the average total positivecases in the state stood at 5.30%oftotalsamplestestedasagainst4.33%thepreviousweek.

In government labs, thisnumber stood at 6.46% for thelast week and 5.47% the weekbefore; in private labs, it was4.085%and2.97%, respectively.Mappingtheshift,thefigures

showthatprivate labs testedanaverageof3,133samplesperdayover the last seven days, com-pared to 2,175 in governmentlabs. An identical trendwas re-portedthepreviousweek,whenprivate labs testedanaverageof2,029samplesperday,asagainst1,898 ingovernment facilities.Officialfiguresfromacrossthe

month present a stark contrast,andshowthepaceatwhichtest-ing at private labs have gainedgroundinMaharashtra.OnApril 9, government labs

tested 12,984 samples, 5,091morethanprivatelabs.Thetrendheldoverthenextweek,withgov-ernmentlabstesting25,283sam-

ples,5,424morethanprivatelabs.The trend started shifting

subsequently in theweeks thatfollowed,withtwodaysrecord-ing themaximumgapbetweenthe two.On April 19, 4,241 samples

weretestedinprivatelabs,com-paredto2,389ingovernmentfa-cilities.Tuesdaymarkedthenextbig jump.In Delhi, similarly, there has

beenanincreaseintestinginthe10 approved private labs aftertheapexcourtorderonApril14.In the last oneweek, private

labs tested551samplesperday,on average, against 926 in gov-ernmentfacilities—butonApril17 alone, private labs tested asmany2,048samples. In thepre-viousweek,private labs inDelhitested 152 samples per day, onaverage,comparedto882ingov-ernment labs.

Alphonso feels the heat, farmers struggle to reach markets

MaharashtraHousingMinister JitendraAwhad

RamdasAthawale

Cop in Athawale securitydetail tests positive

Minister in quarantine isnow in Mumbai hospital

Punitive action forcorona among staffmisinterpreted: MHA

MaharashtraHealthMinisterRajeshTopewiththecentral teaminDharavi.Express

CENTRALTEAMVISITSDHARAVI

Step up testing, quarantiningin slums, Maharashtra told

J&KAmarnathYatramay becancelledJammu:Uncertainty pre-vailed over the fate of thisyear's pilgrimage to theAmarnath cave shrine inSouthKashmirwithanof-ficial release onWednesday announcingits cancellation due to thecoronaviruspandemic,be-forebeingwithdrawn.Theyatra has been scheduledfrom June 23 to August 3.The decision to “cancel” itwas taken at ameeting ofthe Amarnath shrineboard, chaired by J&K L-GG CMurmu. A later state-ment said it “may not bepossible” to organize thepilgrimage in2020. ENS

KARNATAKARelief for ITservices,constructionBengaluru: The KarnatakagovernmentWednesdayissued anorder extendingthe lockdown in the statetillMay3,butbrought“se-lect additional activities”like in situ constructionwork and IT serviceswithminimalworkforceundera category that can beginoperations frommidnighton April 23. “IT firmss canworkwithminimumstaffbut rest shouldwork fromhome. No number of em-ployees has been speci-fied,”educationministerSSureshKumarsaid. ENS

MAHARASHTRA92-year-oldwoman inPune recoversPune:A92-year-oldwomaninPunehasrecoveredfromCOVID-19.Whatmakes itevenmore remarkable isthatshehadsufferedparal-ysis sevenmonthsago.Sheandfourothermembersofher family tested positiveand were admitted toSymbiosis Hospital in thefirst week of April. “Allmembers includingher 3-year-oldgreat-granddaugh-ter were dischargedTuesday,” said Dr VijayNatranjan,hospitalCEO.PTI

CORONAWATCH

AwomansellspoultryinAssam’sBaksadistrict.DasarathDeka

New Delhi

CT/GD SHISHU KUMAR MISHRAONGC JORHAT

23-04-1999

CISF proudly remembers the supreme sacrifice of thisbrave-heart. On this day, he laid down his life at altarof duty while fighting with militants. His courage andbravery would remain an abiding source of inspiration

for the force. The force will remain eternally indebted to him for hisnoblest deed.

Lt Col DS Mahlawat(17 June 1973 – 20 April 2020)

Fraternity of Army Educational Corps expressesprofound grief and sorrow on the sad demise of Lt ColDS Mahlawat on 20 April 2020. The Officer was post-ed at Sainik School Gopalganj as Vice Principal.Commissioned into Army Educational Corps on 08

December 2001, he will always be remembered for his selfless and dedi-catied service to the Corps. We pray to the Almighty to bless eternal peaceto the departed soul and give strength to the bereaved family.

Maj Gen Devesh GaurAddl DGMT (AE) & Col Comdt

and All Ranks of Army Educational Corps

SALUTE THE SOLDIER

6THEINDIANEXPRESS,THURSDAY,APRIL23,2020

THEOUTBREAK Nation

WWW.INDIANEXPRESS.COM

VAIBHAVJHAAHMEDABAD,APRIL22

ONSUNDAY, 19-year-old ParvezAnsariwokeupwith high feverandacutecoughathisrentedres-idence in a migrant colony inAmraiwadi of Ahmedabad, andmade a video call to his familybackinRanchiinJharkhand.The family was shocked.

BetweentheirlastphotoofAnsarione-and-a-halfmonths ago andSunday, he appeared to havetransformed from a cheerfulteenager toascrawnyfigure,un-abletoevenspeakproperly.Ansarihad been trying to come homebutcouldn'tduetothelockdown,theyadded.Afterthefamilyreachedoutto

them,officialstookAnsaritohos-pital.Theysaidhehadtuberculo-sis andhad suffered kidney fail-ure.IntheRabaricolonywherehestays, largepartsof itnowemptyof itsmigrant labourers, neigh-bours said theyhadofferedhimfoodseveraltimes,buthecouldn’teatduetoillness.Onseeinghisstate,thefamily

toldAnsaritomakeavideoseek-inghelpandsend it to them.ThefamilythensentthevideotoBhorSinghYadav,theOfficeronSpecialDuty to the Jharkhand ChiefSecretary, after which the

AhmedabadPolicewasnotified.In the video, a half-dressed

Ansari is sittingon the thresholdof his one-room flat, his handsfolded, speaking feebly throughlong pauses: “Meri haalat bahutkharab hai.Ghar pahuncha dijiye(My condition is extremely bad.Pleasesendmehome).”Yadav told The Indian Express

over the phone: “The boy ap-pearedextremelyfeebleandmal-nourishedandwesoughtthehelpof theAhmedabadPolice to res-cuehim.Whenateamarrivedathisresidence,theyrealisedhehadbeen sick for many days. Hisneighbourshadofferedhimfood,buthecouldn’teat.Hewastakentoahospital.”R T Udavat, the in-charge at

Amraiwadi Police Station, said:“Ansariwasfoundinafrailcondi-

tion and we admitted him toAhmedabadCivilHospital.”Ansari'sfamilysaidhewentto

Ahmedabadone-and-a-halfyearsago, anddidodd jobs for a living.His last employment was at apackagingcompany.ElderbrotherTauhid, 25, said

Ansariwashealthywhenhecamehome. However, on return toAhmedabad, hewasn’t able tofindwork.“Weaskedhimtocomeback, but he insisted hewouldstay.HehadtakenaroomonrentforRs1,200.Then,aroundMarch20, he informed us hewas notfeelingwellandweaskedhimtoreturn.Whenhe said hehadnomoney,we senthimsomeusingmobilebanking.BecauseofJanataCurfewonMarch22andlaterthelockdown,hecouldn't leave.”Tauhidaddedthatwhilethey

spokeregularlywithhim,hedid-n't tell themhehad takena turnfor the worse or that he hadstoppedeating.Atestat theCivilHospitalhas

shownAnsaridoesn'thavecoro-navirus.MedicalSuperintendentDr J PModi said, “Hehas TB anddue to this, his symptoms areanorexia and weight loss.”Acknowledging that Ansari hadno one by his side, he said theyweretakinggoodcareofhim.The family knows this, as it

waitstospeaktohimagain.

Stranded in Ahmedabad,migrant teen makes video call,family finds him ailing, starving

AnemaciatedParvezAnsari

AVISHEKGDASTIDARNEWDELHI, APRIL22

MANUFACTURERS OF coverallsuits, a critical PPE item, willhavetogiveaswornaffidavit tothegovernmentsayingtheywillmaintainqualitystandardsandbe liable to prosecution underlawif there is a “wilful lapse” inquality.Battling a shortage across

India, the government onWednesday revised norms formanufacture of coveralls —-considered themost essentialpersonal protective item forfrontline staff engaged in con-tainingthespreadofCOVID-19.Itwill allowonlygenuineman-ufacturerstoviefortestingtheirsamplesandbelegallyaccount-ableforsub-parqualityofprod-uct —- a key policy elementmissing in the regulation ofmanufacturing and testing ofthis itemso far.Traders getting coveralls to

cash in on the captive demandin the country have, therefore,been taken out of the picturedue to the revised norms. Onlytextilemanufacturers can nowapplyfortestingand,uponpass-ingofsamples,manufacturetheitem.Another loophole plugged

by the revised norms is thatmanufacturerswill have to de-clare where their manufactur-ing units are, based on whichtheirsamplesandproductswillbeassignedauniquecode.

The revised norms, sharedwiththetwolabsof thegovern-ment that are engaged in test-ing —DRDO and SITRA inCoimbatore — say that theUnique Certification Codeshould “form the basis forplacement of orders by HLL”,which is procuring for thegov-ernment.The new norms, framed by

the TextilesMinistry, are appli-cable retrospectively. All codesto coverall samples assigned inMarchwillthushavetobemod-ified.Officials told The Indian

Express that this will ensurethat substandard coveralls donot floodthemarketorgetpro-cured by organisations in largenumbers. “The testing labora-torymaybe responsible for theintegrity of the prototype sam-plesubmittedbytheapplicant,”thenormssay. “It is therespon-sibilityof theprocuringorgani-sation to complete its due dili-genceprocessbeforeplacementof the supplyagreement.”Recently, a large part of a

coverall consignment fromChina, part of a donation, wasfound to be below acceptablestandards in India.As per estimates, India

might need 1.5 crore coverallsfor medical staff fightingCOVID-19 by June. The govern-ment is trying to ramp up do-mestic production by identify-ing reliablemanufacturers. It isalso exploring options to im-port, officials said.

Under new norms,coverall makers canbe prosecuted overlow-quality product

EXPRESSNEWSSERVICECHENNAI, APRIL22

TAMIL NADU Chief MinisterEdappadi K PalaniswamiWednesdayannouncedexgratiapaymentof Rs50 lakh to thekinof frontline personnel who dieduringCOVID-19duty,adecisionthatcameinthewakeofthecon-troversy over the burial of aChennai neurosurgeon and aprotest by city doctors demand-ingbetter facilities.Palaniswami said itwas the

duty of the state government toshow gratitude towards healthworkers,andpromisedasafeanddignified system for buryingthosewhodieofthecoronavirus.Frontlineworkersfromdiffer-

ent departments such as health,police, local administration andsanitation,willbeeligible forthesolatium if they die due to thevirus.“Afamilymemberwillalsobe providedwith a governmentjobbasedontheirqualification,”Palaniswami said. The earlier exgratiasumwasRs10lakh.On Sunday, the family of the

neurosurgeon—whoranaprivatehospital in the city and died ofCOVID-19—was attackedwhenthey tried to bury him. TheAIADMK government coppedcriticismfromoppositionpartiesand themedical fraternity overthelackofcoordinationbetweenthe police and the HealthDepartment that led to the uglyepisode.Also,aprotestcallbyresident

doctorsofChennai’sRajivGandhiGovernmentGeneralHospital—who threatened toabstain fromduty onWednesday if not givena better quarantine facility—leftthegovernmentfirefightingmorecontroversy. The protest waswithdrawn after the hospitalarrangedhotelroomsforthem.

TN: Rs 50 lakhfor kin of thosewho die inCOVID fight

AFTERBURIALROW

UNIONMINISTER of ConsumerAffairs, Food and PublicDistribution RAM VILASPASWAN tells HARIKISHANSHARMA that there is no short-age of foodgrain in the country,and about the steps being takento ensure the smooth supplyacrossstates.Excerpts:

Howwillyouensurethatthesupplyoffoodgrainremainssmoothincomingdays?AsonApril20,wehaveastock

of524.5lakhmetrictons(LMT)offoodgrain—289.5 LMT rice and235LMTwheat.Besides,procure-menthasbeenstartedfortherabicropfromApril15,whichwill in-creasethestockfurther.Ourmonthly requirement is

about60LMT. Ifwe take intoac-count requirement under thePradhan Mantri Garib KalyanAnna Yojana, an additional 180LMTwill be required. Thus,wehave sufficient foodgrain in ourgodowns.Thereisnoshortage.Asfar as lifting of foodgrain and itstransportationisconcerned,thatworkisbeingdoneatwarfooting.AllemployeesandworkersoftheFoodCorporationofIndiaaredo-ing a fantastic job; the PrimeMinister himself has recognisedtheirefforts.Injust27days,about44.58 LMTgrain has been liftedandtransportedtodifferentpartsof the country until Monday.That’snotchild’splay.

Buttherearecomplaintsregardingnon-availabilityoffoodgraintothepoor,particularlymigrantlabourersinmanystates.Wearemonitoring thesitua-

tion regularly. I am in constanttouchwith states. I have spokentoministersin-chargeoffoodsup-pliesdepartmentsof18states,in-cludingUP, Bihar,West Bengal,TelanganaandTamilNadu.These

states have started lifting food-grainaccordingtotheirquota.Besides,weareprovidingrice

at Rs 22per kg andwheat Rs 21per kg under the OpenMarketSale scheme. Any state can buygrains for distribution amongpeople not covered under FoodSecurityAct. There isno require-mentofauctioning—theycantakeasmuchgrainastheyrequire.

UnderPMGKY,therewasanannouncementofproviding1kgpulsestopoorfamiliesatfreeofcost.Isthatavailableonground?There are someproblems as

far as supply of pulses are con-cerned.Wehaveabufferstockofpulses but these are un-milled.Therewas a problemofmillingthese pulses but now that hasbeensortedout.Somestateshavereceived supply of pulses,whileothersareintheprocess.Wewillrampup supply of pulses in the

comingdays.

WilltheCentreextendadditional5-kgfoodgraintothepoorunderPMGKYbeyond3months?Asofnow, it isupto June.We

willassessthesituationafterthat.

Somestates,includingBihar,havefailedtoidentifyabout40lakhbeneficiariesunderNFSA-2013.Haveyoutakenupthematterwiththesestates?Yes,it’struethatabout40lakh

people,outofthetotalnumberac-ceptedunderNFSA,havenotbeenidentified as beneficiaries underthis Act. I have spoken to BiharDeputy CMSushilModi and re-quested him to take necessarystepstocompleteidentificationofsuch people. I have also spokenwiththeCMofHimachalPradesh.Identifyingbeneficiariesisthere-sponsibilityofstates.

ThereisademandforuniversalisationofthePublicDistributionSystem.Doyouthinkitstimehascome?Wewant to help the needy.

States cangive ration toasmanypeopleastheywant;theycantakefoodgrain under OMS and useStateDisasterResponseFund.

ThereisademandthatNFSAbeneficiaries’number,whichwasfixedonthebasisof2011Census,shouldberevised.Willthegovernmenttakeastepinthisdirection?Thenumber of beneficiaries

underNFSA is fixed as per 2011Census. According to the provi-sionsofthisAct,therevisionofthepopulationcoveragewillhappenatanintervalof10years.ThenextCensus is due in2021. So, the re-visionofNFSAbeneficiaries’num-berwill be done on the basis ofthat.

‘Enoughfoodgrain ingodowns,noshortage’

WITH

RAMVILASPASWAN

FOODMINISTER

THE EXPRESSINTERVIEW

AMILBHATNAGARNOIDA,APRIL22

A VEGETABLE vendor died onWednesday, two days after hewasallegedlyassaultedbyapo-lice sub-inspector (S-I) inAligarh. Family members ofLuvkush alleged that he wasbeaten upby a police officer onMonday morning and suc-cumbedtoinjuries.Theystagedaprotestwith the body outsideJalalpur Police Chowki onWednesdayafternoondemand-ingactionagainst theofficer.“Wehaveaskedthefamilyto

give us awritten complaint let-ter,withanyevidencetheyhaveandwewill take action accord-ingly.Thebodyhasbeensentforpost mortem and once the re-portcomes,wewillbeabletoas-certain the cause of death andthefactsof thecasecanbehigh-lighted,” said Aligarh

Superintendent of Police, City,Abhishek.“Around9amonMonday, a

policeman posted in JalalpurPoliceChowkiunderDelhiGatePolicestationhitLuvwithastickbecause hewas late in clearinghis stall.Hebeganexperiencingpain in his back and chest sincehewashit inhis spinal cord.Hewas treated in a governmenthospitalandwasbroughthomethe following day. OnWednesdaymorninghiscondi-tionworsened andhe died.Wedemandstrictactionagainstthepoliceman,”claimedarelativeofLuvkush,whohailedfromDelhigatearea.The familymembers, along

with nearly 50 local residents,blockedthelaneoutsidethepo-liceboothforafewhours.Seniorpolice officers reached the spotandpersuadedthefamilymem-bers to hand over the body forpostmortem.

EXPRESSNEWSSERVICELUCKNOW,NOIDA,APRIL22

APOLICEconstablewas injuredwhen vegetable vendors al-legedlypeltedstonesat apoliceteamtryingtoimposelockdownnorms in the old city area ofAligarh onWednesday, officerssaid.TheAligarhdistrictadmin-istration ordered closure ofBhojpuraarea,whichhasaveg-etablemarket,aftertheincident,which occurredwhen a policeteam asked vendors to closetheir shops after the scheduledtimefixedbytheadministration.Twocoronaviruscases-thefirstfromthedistrict-werereportedinAligarhonTuesday.Theinjuredconstable,Junaid,

43, was admitted to the districthospital for treatment. His con-ditionwas stable, doctors said.Six persons were detained inconnectionwiththeincident.AnFIR was registered against 34namedand50unidentifiedper-sons at City Kotwali police sta-tion on several charges includ-ing attempt to murder and

voluntarilycausinghurttodeterpublicservantfromhisduty,po-lice said.Later in the day, Aligarh

District Magistrate ChandraBhushanSinghorderedthatthemarket in Bhojpura areawouldremain closed and added thatpeople should opt for NumaishGround for purchasing vegeta-bles.According to the police, on

Wednesday,theywereinformedthatshopsattheBhojpuramar-ketwere open even after 11 ameven as the scheduled timingwas 6 am to 10 am due to thelockdown.Apoliceteamwenttothe spot and found two veg-etable vendors arguing overmoney.When constable Junaidintervened and asked them toclose their shop, bothvegetablevendorsbeathimup,policesaid.Circle Officer, City, Vishal

Pandey said around10minuteslater,othershopkeepersreachedthe spot and started peltingstones at the police team.Additional police force reachedthe spot and used force to dis-perse thegathering,hesaid.

Vegetable vendors clashwith police in Aligarh,one constable injured

Vegetable vendor diesafter ‘assault’ by cop

ASADREHMANLUCKNOW,APRIL22

FORTHE last severalweeks, themedicinewardofKingGeorge’sMedicalUniversity (KGMU)hasbecomehome for 120-oddem-ployees, including doctors andother staff.“Welookoutforeachother.It

ischallengingforusbecausewehavenotbeen inasituation likethis before where everyone isstayingatthehospitalaftertheirshift,”saysDrFarmanKhan(26),junior resident at themedicineward, which has been turnedinto theCOVID-19ward.Thewardhastillnowhad11

positive cases out of which 7havebeendischarged. Itwases-tablished in the first week ofMarchafterthehospitalreceivedits first suspectedcase.DrKhansayseveryoneisbat-

tlingissuesbackhomebutistry-ing their best to not let it showwhileworking.“My65-year-oldfather, who suffers from highblood pressure and heart prob-lems, is stuck in Rampur sincethelockdownstarted. Iamwor-riedabouthim,butIcan’tbedis-tracted while on duty,” saysKhan.

His family lives inDubaiandhis father had come to Rampurtolookaftertheirancestralfarmin Rampurwhen the lockdownwasannounced. “Since then,hehasbeenthere,alone.Thatwor-riesmethemost,” saysKhan.Dr D Himanshu (40), the

nodal officer and ward in-charge, says the biggest chal-lenge is the fear of infection.“Four teams have gone intoquarantine and some have re-turned to duty. In each team,there were around 25 people.Currently, there are 53 staffmembers in quarantine,” headds.Dr SaurabhPandey (31)was

among the doctors who werequarantined. A senior residentdoctor, he was in quarantinefromMarch18toApril 1.Pandeysaidthebiggestchal-

lenge for himwas tomaintaindistance from his wife, also adoctor, who is in an advanced

stage of pregnancy. “I wouldhavelikedtobearoundherthen.ButIknewIcannottakeanyriskso she moved to a relative’shouseand Imoved toaquaran-tine facility,” says Pandey, whohas testednegative.Lucky Balmiki (26) is a sani-

tation worker at the COVIDward.Working at theward andliving in a roomprovided at thehospital since April, Lucky sayshis shift stretches beyond thestipulated six hours on mostdays.“Ihavenoissuesworkingex-

tra hours. This is the first time IfeelIamdoingsomethingforthecountry and its people.Otherwise, who cares about acleaner,” saysBalmiki.Lucky’s supervisor Kamlesh

Kumar (48), who is posted as aclerk at the medicine ward ofKGMU, feels this is the time forpeople like him and othersworkingunderhimtostepup.“Ihavenotmetmyfamilyformorethan a month, but it doesn’tbothermemuch.Peoplelikemehave worked all our lives, butthisisthetimetoreallyshowourworth. It feels like I amasoldierfightingforthecountry.Thedaythe PM told the country to ap-plaud forus, I feltpride.”

COVID ward home now, Lucknowhospital staff meet challenge head on

AN EXPRESS SERIES

THEC RONAFIGHTERS

Thestaff ofKingGeorge’sMedicalUniversity.Express

SRINATHRAOMUMBAI, APRIL22

A51-year-oldmanwho refusedto collect groceries fromadeliv-eryman after learning that hewas aMuslimwas arrested inMumbaionTuesday,hoursafterhis Islamophobic commentswere recorded on video by theemployee.The target of the communal

remarkswas32-year-oldBarkatPatel,aMiraRoadresidentwork-

ingwithgroceryserviceGrofers.The first of Patel’sninedeliv-

eriesonTuesdaywasatthehomeofSupriyaChaturvediatJayaParkat 9.40 am. Asmandated by hisemployers,Patelwasrequiredtogive Chaturvedi her parcel out-side the gate of her apartmentcomplex. Just as hewas abouthand over the parcel,Chaturvedi’s father, Gajananstoppedher.Accordingtothephonevideo

thatPatelhandedoverthepolice,theaccusedfirstwantedtoknow

thenameof thedeliveryman.“Theladywantedtotakethe

parcel but the man said no.Whenhesaidhewouldnottakeparcel fromMuslims, I did notsay anything and started torecordhimonmyphone. Itwasveryhurtful,”hesaid.On Tuesday evening, Patel

registered a complaint atKashimirapolicestation.Thepo-lice bookedGajananChaturvediunder the Indian Penal Code forcommittingadeliberateormali-cious act with the intention of

outraging Patel’s religious feel-ingsandbeliefs.SanjayHajare, senior inspec-

tor,Kashimirapolicestation,saidthattheaccusedwasfoundattheaddresswhere Patelwas to de-liver thegroceriesandidentifiedasthemanrecordedinthevideo.Patel said that ever since the

lockdown was enforced, cus-tomers have been treating himwithmore respect. “Weare tak-ing a huge riskwhile doing so.MostcustomersunderstandwhyIamout,”hesaid.

Mumbai man refuses to take delivery from Muslim, held

MILINDGHATWAIBHOPAL,APRIL22

A DOCTOR and a policemanwere pelted with stones inGaswaniareaofSheopurdistrictonWednesday.Dr PawanUpadhyay, posted

at a government hospital inVijyapur, went to the village,about 140 km from the districtheadquarters of Sheopur, tocheck on Gopal Shivhare, a 21-year-old who had returned tothevillage recently.Gopal’s fatherGangaramar-

gued with the team, claimingthathisopponentsinthevillagegave officials false information.Hesaidhissonwasnotathome.Gaswani police station in-

chargeBrijmohanRawatsaidASIShriramAwasthireachedthespotwhendoctorssoughtthepolice’shelp to locateGopal.When theytried to enter the housewhereGopal was reportedly hiding,Gangramallegedlythrewastonewhich hit Awasthi (52) on thehead,causingheavybleeding.Hissonsalsoallegedlythrewstones.The doctor and others in thescreening team were unhurt,whileGopalescaped.RawatsaidGopalworkedfor

aliquorcontractorinGuna.Alo-cal panchayat secretary had in-formed the police and healthworkersaboutGopal’sarrival inthevillage.ThepolicebookedGangaram,

histwosonsandwife.GangaramandhissonAshishwerelaterar-rested. Sheopur SP SampatUpadhyay said NSAwill be in-vokedagainstthemainaccused.

Doctor,policemanpelted withstones in MP

New Delhi

EXPRESSNETWORK 7WWW.INDIANEXPRESS.COMTHEINDIANEXPRESS,THURSDAY,APRIL23,2020

DEPARTMENT OF WOMEN AND CHILD DEVELOPMENTGOVT. OF NCT OF DELHI Ilnd FLOOR, KASHMEERI GATE, DELHI-06

(Women Empowerment Cell)F. 60(748)/DWCD/WEC/Misc. Matter/2018-19 Dated:22.04.2020

PUBLIC NOTICEAny aggrieved woman who feels threatened or is facing any kind of violence or has been in a domestic relationship withan adult male person can seek relief through various mechanisms of the Department of Women and Child Development,Govt. of NCT of Delhi.

1. Implementation of the Protection of Women from Domestic Violence Act, 2005Protection Officers have been appointed to assist the Mahila Courts for better & effective protection of the rights of womensuffering from domestic violence.

2. 181- Women in Distress Helpline- {24x7} and 9350-181-181 Whatsapp Helpline {24x7}She can call toll free Helpline Number or send a message on Whatsapp Helpline operated by the Delhi Commission forWomen.

3. Institutional Services- {24x7}...... any woman who is found to be in difficult circumstances, destitute woman or women in need of care & protection, canget shelter in Govt, and NGO run Women Homes/ Shelter Homes, some of them exclusively meant for destitute pregnant& lactating women. List is available on the department's website www.wcddel.in

4. Sakhi- One stop Centre Scheme- {24x7}......any aggrieved woman can also approach Sakhi Centre set up in each Distt. of NCT of Delhi which provides support &assistance to women affected by violence with a range of integrated services under one roof i.e. psycho-social counselling,legal assistance, police facilitation, medical care and temporary shelter. List is available on the department's websitewww.wcddel.inA woman in distress can avail the facilities mentioned above either through 181WHL, Police, Social Worker or on her own.Please visit this department's website www.wcddel.in for related informations.

Sd/Dip/Shabdarth/0019/20-21 Director, WCD

MOHAMEDTHAVERMUMBAI, APRIL22

MAHARASHTRA HOMEMinister Anil Deshmukh onWednesdayreleasedthenamesof 101 individuals who havebeenarrestedforthelynchingofthreemen in Palghar lastweek,andreiteratedthattherewasnocommunalangle to thecrime.Deshmukh accused the op-

positioninthestateof indulgingin “communal politics”, andmocked their claims as“Mungeri Lal ke haseen sapne”(daydreaming).After two sadhus —

Kalpruksh Giri and ChikneMaharaj — from an ashram inKandivili, Mumbai, and theirdriver Nilesh Telgade werelynchedinthepresenceofpoliceinGadchinchlevillageinPalgharon April 16 night, allegationsweremadeonsocialmediathatthekillerswereMuslim.AvideoofthelynchingsurfacedonApril

19andquicklywentviral.“I haveputout the listof 101

people...notoneamongthemisMuslim.Whiletheincidenttookplace,someoneinthevideosaid‘oyebas,oyebas...nowstop,nowstop... however, it was twistedas...Shoaibbas (Shoaib, stop)... Itwas given a communal colourandthencommunalpoliticswasplayed using this,” Deshmukhsaid during an interaction onFacebook.Over thepast fewdays, both

the home minister and Chief

MinisterUddhavThackerayhavesaid thevictimsbelongedtothesamecommunity as theattack-ers.Deshmukhspokeabout theallegedmisrepresentationofthevideoearlieronWednesday,too.In the morning, the home

ministerpostedthenamesofthe101accusedonTwitter,withthemessage: “The listof the101ar-rested in the#Palghar incident.Especiallysharingforthosewhowere trying tomakethisacom-munal issue.”In another tweet, he said:

“Palghar mob lynching is agrotesque incident which hap-peneddue to rumoursonsocialmediaaboutchildkidnappers&thieves prowling in the area. Ahigh level inquiry is going on &meanwhilepeoplearerequestednot to fall for rumours & verifythe facts fromtrustedsources.”Deshmukhalsopostedalink

toareportontheincidentbythefact-checking site Boomlive,which included screenshots ofWhatsApp messages about

childlifters and thieves, whichwerecirculatedinvillagesintheareabefore the incident.OnWednesday, Deshmukh

saidtheincidenthadtakenplaceinanAdivasiarea,andhadbeenprovokedbyrumoursofchildrenbeing abducted. “Within eighthoursof the incident, thepolicehad arrested 101 people in-volved in the lynching fromnearbyforestsandmountains.Aspecial IG is investigating, andthematterhasbeentransferredto theCID,”hesaid.Theminister added: “...We

knowweall inMaharashtra arefightingcorona...ourpolicemen,doctors,ASHAworkers,nurses...Itisveryunfortunatethatatsuchatime,communalpolitics isbe-ingplayed.Thisisnotthetimetodopoliticsbut tocometogetherandfightcorona.However,eveninthissituationsomearehaving‘MungeriLalkehaseensapne’... Itisunfortunate... I requestevery-one to come together and helpfight corona.”

EXPRESSNEWSSERVICERAIPUR,NEWDELHI, APRIL22

THECHHATTISGARHunitof theCongressonWednesday lodgedaformalcomplaintagainstArnabGoswami, editor-in-chief andfounderof RepublicTVchannel,andaccusedhimof“deliberatelymaking inflammatory state-ments” and using derogatorylanguageagainstCongresspres-identSoniaGandhi inhisshow.Asof lateevening,Raipurpo-

licewere in theprocessof regis-teringanFIR,officials said.InMaharashtra, state Youth

Congress(YC)presidentSatyajeetTambe said he had filed a com-plaintagainstGoswamiinSanga-mnerandinstructedYCworkersto file complaints in all districts.InNagpur, state PowerMinisterNitinRaut’ssonKunal,aYCoffice-bearer, filedasimilarcomplaint.Maharashtra’sMoS (Home)

Satej Patil said the state govern-ment is weighing legal options

againstGoswamiforallegedlyin-citing communal hatred in thePalgharlynchingcase,asalsode-famingSoniaGandhi.InRaipur,ChhattisgarhHeal-

th Minister T S Singh Deo andstateCongresspresidentMohanMarkamapproached the policewith a formal complaint letteragainst Goswami. The letterstated,“Hisstatementsaredivisi-ve on the basis of religion. HemadedefamatorycommentsontheCongressnationalpresident,proof of which is available onYouTube.”Singh Deo later tweeted: “I

have just filed a complaintagainst... Arnab Goswami inRaipur for deliberatelymakinginflammatorystatementsonhischannel to invokehatred...”AseniorRaipurpoliceofficer

said,“Wehavereceivedthecom-plaint and are in the process ofregisteringtheFIRunderSections153 (a) (promoting enmity ongroundsofreligion,race,etc),295(a)(deliberateandmaliciousacts,

intended to outrage religiousfeelings) and 505 (statementsconducing to publicmischief).Wearestarting investigation.”Congress communications

in-charge Randeep SurjewalatweetedaclipofGoswami’spur-ported comments on Sonia onhisshow.In the clip tweeted by Surje-

wala, Goswami ostensibly says:“Aapki party aur aapke party keRomeseaayehueItalywaaliSoniaGandhichupnahinrahti.Aajwohchuphain,manhimanmainmu-jhe lagtahaiwohkhushhai...wohkhush hai ki santon ko sadkon pemaaragaya, jahanpeunki sarkarhai.Reportbhejegiwoh,wohItalymainreportbhejegimainbolrahahoon.dekhiye jahan pemaine eksarkar bana li, wahan pe Hindusanton komainmarwa rahi hun.Aur wahan se wah-wahimilegi.wahbeta,wah..bohotachakiyaSoniaGandhiAntoniomaino.”Goswamididnot respond to

a message sent to him late onWednesdayeveningseekinghis

comment on the FIR. However,Goswami,whohoststheflagshipprime-timedebateonhischann-el, began the show addressingthe action by some Congressleaders.Thankingthosewhostoodby

him “ever since Sonia Gandhithrewa tantrum telling her fewremaining chief ministers thatshewantsme immediately ar-rested”,Goswamisaid,“Ihavenohesitation in saying to SoniaGandhi, comearrestme”.Addressing the Congress

chief, he said, “Nobody is scaredof youoryour familyanymore”.He said the “thousand FIRs youare filing across India” showedher “nervousness”. He calledRajasthanandChhattisgarhchiefministers as Sonia’s “puppets”,who,hesaid,havebeenaskedbytheCongresschief toarresthim.OnTwitter,thetopfivetrends

onWednesdayeveningwereei-ther in support of Goswami orasking forhisarrest.

With inputs fromMumbai

DELHICONFIDENTIAL

AT THE GRASSROOTSAFTERHAVING interactedwithpeople fromdifferentwalksof life during the lockdown, PMNarendraModiwill addressgram panchayats across the country on the occasion ofNational Panchayati Raj Day on Friday. Hewill also interactwith participants throughvideo-conferencing. According totheMinistryofPanchayatiRaj,thePrimeMinisterwill launchthee-GramSwarajPortalandMobileAppontheoccasion.TheSwamitva Schemewill also be launchedduring the event. Itwilladdmomentumtoeffortstoalleviatepovertyinruralar-eas,thePMlatersaidinatweetwhilereferringtotheApril24event. “I look forward to this interaction,”hewrote.

TESTING TIMESCONDUCTING THE remaining board exams after the lock-down ends is not the onlyworry for the CBSE. Over 1 croreanswer scripts need to be evaluated. Evaluationworkwasstoppedmidway inMarch after theCBSEdecided toput theongoingexaminationonhold.Itneedsatleastone-and-a-halfmonthstocompletetheevaluationprocess.TheCBSEisnowconsideringwhether theanswer scripts shouldbedeliveredtoexaminers’homes forevaluation.

HIGH PRAISEMICROSOFT CO-FOUNDER Bill Gates has written to PMNarendraModi commending his handling of the COVID-19crisis.HehaspraisedModi’s leadershipandproactivemeas-ures of the government to flatten the curve, such as the na-tionwide lockdown and identifying hotspots. Gates has alsocommended the Arogya Setu app in his letter, pointing outthattheIndiangovernmentis“utilisingitsexceptionaldigitalcapabilities”.

GREENER FUTURESPEAKINGONEarthDay onWednesday, UnionMinister forEnvironment,ForestsandClimateChangePrakashJavadekarsaid that despite the pandemic, 40 environmentministersfrom across the world will meet virtually to discussSustainableDevelopmentGoals in the light of COVID-19.Hesaidthatsincethelockdown,wehavewitnessedcleanrivers,good flora and fauna, a green earth, blue skies and stars atnight, pointing towards amore sustainable lifestyle throughlesspollutionfromcarsandindustries.Cautioningpeoplenotto takea romantic viewof a resurgentplanet, Javadekar saidthewayforwardwasnotrevertingto“villageliving”butattain-ingSustainableDevelopmentGoals.

MaharashtraHomeMinisterAnilDeshmukh

Maharashtra minister releases names ofPalghar accused, slams ‘communal politics’

FIR against Arnab Goswami over ‘derogatory’remarks against Sonia, ‘divisive’ comments

LIZMATHEW&APURVAVISHWANATHNEWDELHI, APRIL22

MAHARASHTRA MAY still begrapplingwith the coronaviruscrisis inMay, but ChiefMinisterUddhav Thackeray also has aconstitutionalcrisistoresolvebythen.Thackeray,whotookoathon

November 28, will have to getelectedtoeitherof thehousesofthe state legislature beforeMay24, as Article 164(4) of theConstitution stipulates.However, the ElectionCommission has already post-ponedRajyaSabhapolls,byelec-tionsandcivicbodyelections inthewakeof thepandemic.Thereisalsothelegalissueof

Thackeray having to be nomi-nated to the Legislative Councilon one of its two vacancies.According to Section 151A ofRepresentationofthePeopleAct1951, election or nomination tothe post cannot be done if “theremainderofthetermofamem-berinrelationtoavacancyislessthanoneyear”.Thetermsof thetwo vacancies in the LegislativeCouncil endon June6.Sources in the BJP —which

was accused of having a role inMaharashtra Governor B KKoshiyarinotapprovingthestatecabinet’s recommendation tonominate Thackeray as MLCfrom the governor’s quota —-

saidtheissuewasjust“constitu-tional andnotpolitical”.“The Maharashtra govern-

ment should consult constitu-tional experts or legal luminar-iesandseekadvicetoresolvethecrisis. Or it should approach theEC forawayout. It isnotapolit-icalissuebutaconstitutionalcri-sis,” saidaseniorBJP leader.TheMaharashtracabinetrec-

ommendedThackeray’snametoKoshiyari for one of the vacantposts in the Upper House afterthe ECdeferred elections indef-initely. As the decisionwas de-layed, Shiv Sena leader SanjayRaut,inaveiledattackontheBJP,sought to knowwhowas stop-pingtheGovernorfromapprov-ingtherecommendation.“Thereis nothing to hide aboutKoshyari’s BJP affiliation. But Iwould like to make one thingclear, that Uddhav Thackeray isgoing to be CMof MaharashtraevenafterMay27,”Raut said.BJPsourcessaidthelegalpo-

sitionwas clear. The time limit

forabypoll tofillvacancies issixmonths from the date of occur-renceofvacancy.“Providedthatnothingcontainedinthissectionshallapply if - (a) theremainderof thetermofamember inrela-tiontoavacancyis lessthanoneyear; or (b) the ElectionCommission in consultationwith the Central Governmentcertifiesthatit isdifficulttoholdthe by electionwithin the saidperiod,” theRPAct says.Theposts in question fell va-

cant after the resignationof for-mer NCP leaders RamraoWadkute and Rahul Narvekar,both of whom joined the BJP inOctober 2919 ahead of theAssemblyelection. Thegovernornominates12of theCouncil’s 78members and the six-year termof all the nominees ends onJune6.Whileitcouldbearguedthat

theGovernor’snominationisre-served for “personshaving spe-cial knowledge or practical ex-perience in respect of suchmatters as the following,namely: Literature, science, art,co-operativemovementandso-cial service” under theConstitution, courts cannot in-terferewith the Governor’s de-cision evenwhenapolitical ap-pointment ismade.Legal experts pointed out

that there could be an alterna-tive solution to the COVID-in-duced constitutional crisis. Thismaybe found in apolitical situ-

ationinPunjabin1995.Congressleader Tej Parkash Singh, whowas then not amember of theAssembly,wasappointedamin-ister in September 1995. InMarch1996,beforehecouldgetelectedwithin sixmonths, theminister resigned butwas sub-sequently appointed again asminister during the term of thesame legislature.Whentheappointmentwas

challenged, the Punjab andHaryanaHC dismissed the pleabuttheSupremeCourtheldthatSingh’s second appointment“without getting elected in themeanwhilewasimproper,unde-mocratic, invalid and unconsti-tutional”.Thedecision,however,was only an academic exerciseas it camein2001,wellafter theAssembly had completed itsterm.J Jayalalithaa also briefly re-

signed as Tamil Nadu ChiefMinisterin2001despitewinninga hugemandate owing to legaltroubles.Asshewasconvictedincorruptioncases,Jayalalithaawasnot allowed to contest electionsbutwaselectedpartyleaderandbecame CM. Before her six-monthwindowtogetelectedex-pired, the SC ruled that her ap-pointmentwasunconstitutional.Jayalalithaaresigned,appointingO Panneerselvamas CM for fivemonths. However, after theMadrasHighCourtacquittedher,shecontestedandwonaby-elec-tionin2002andreturnedasCM.

EXPRESSNEWSSERVICENEWDELHI, APRIL22

THE RS 15,000-crore COVID-19emergencypackageannouncedbythegovernmentonApril9gottheCabinetnodonWednesday.Under the India COVID-19

Emergency Response andHealth System PreparednessPackage, the funds will beutilised in three phases withRs7,774crore,sanctionedforim-mediate COVID-19 emergencyresponse. The remaining fundswill be utilised for support overthenextone to fouryears “tobeprovided undermissionmodeapproach”,thegovernmentsaid.Thepackageisaimedatslow-

ing andcontaining the spreadofcoronavirusinthecountrybyde-velopingdiagnosticsandCOVID-dedicated treatment facilities. Itwill also be used for centralisedprocurementofessentialmedicalequipment anddrugsneeded totreat patients. The fundwill beusedtopropup“resilientnationaland statehealth systems to sup-portpreventionandpreparednessfor futurediseaseoutbreaks, set-tingupoflaboratoriesandbolstersurveillance activities, bio-secu-rity preparedness, pandemic re-search and proactively engagecommunities and conduct riskcommunication activities”, thegovernment said in a statementonWednesday.

In the first phase, the UnionMinistry of Health and FamilyWelfarewith the support of alltheother lineministrieshasun-dertaken several activities in-cluding expanding diagnosticslaboratories network and in-creasing testing capacity. Thegovernment said that “leverag-ingontheexistingmulti-diseasetestingplatformsunderNationalTB Elimination Programme, or-dersforprocurementof13lakhsdiagnostickitshavebeenplacedtoaugmentCOVID19testing”.Amajority shareof thepack-

age,apartfromthementionedac-tivities, will also go towards“strengthening pandemic re-searchandmulti-sectornationalinstitutions and platforms forOne-Health,communityengage-ment and risk communicationsand implementation,manage-ment,capacitybuilding,monitor-ingandevaluationcomponent”.

MILINDGHATWAIBHOPAL,APRIL22

THEBJPgovernment inMadhyaPradeshhasdecidedtoformad-ministrativecommitteestoman-age the affairs of urban bodieswhose terms have expired andelectionshavenotbeenheld.Indoingso,ithasundonethe

previousCongressgovernment’sdecision to appoint officials asadministrators.Theadministrative commit-

teeswill functionforoneyearoruntil elections are held,whichever isearlier.

The Opposition Congresscalled the decision unconstitu-tional.FormerCMKamalNath’smedia coordinator NarendraSaluja said the party will chal-lenge thedecision in court afterstudyingdifferentaspects.“Howcan you replace administratorswith electedmembers whoseterms have expired?” askedCongress leader BhupendraGupta.Welcoming the decision,

state BJP president V D Sharmasaid, “The committees will beable to establish better coordi-nationbetweenpeopleandbod-iesandmonitorworks.”

ADILAKHZERSRINAGAR,APRIL22

FOURMILITANTSwerekilled inanencounterinsouthKashmir’sShopiandistrictonWednesday.Following inputs aboutpres-

enceofmilitants, security forceslaunchedacordonandsearchop-eration inMelhoora area, policesaid.Militantsfiredatthesecurityforces,triggeringtheencounter.J&K Police said themilitants

are“unidentified”andthat theywillwait forDNAsamples toas-certainidentities.Thisisthesec-ond consecutive encounter inShopianwhere the police havemaintained that the slainmili-tantswere“unidentified”.IGPKashmirVijayKumarcon-

firmed that fourmilitants havebeen killed in the operation. He

said police have collected DNAsamplesofthefourmilitants.“Weareconductingburialinpresenceof themagistrate.Sofar, thefam-ily of one of the militants hascome.Wewill show them (thebody).Iftheyidentify,thentwotothreefamilymemberswillbeper-mittedtoparticipateintheburial.Thosewhoclaimthebodieslater,their DNA sampleswill take forfurthercourseofaction,”hesaid.OnApril 17,when twomili-

tantswerekilled in Shopian, po-lice had said themilitantswerenotidentified.However,twofam-ilies said themilitantswere theirsonsandallegedthepolicedidnothandoverthebodies.Thefamilieshavenowsubmitted anapplica-tion to theDistrictMagistrate ofBaramulla,wherethebodieswereburied,demandingthebodies.OnApril8,whenaJeMcom-

mander was killed in an en-counter in Sopore, a largenum-berofpeoplegatheredtoattendhis funeral despite the policesayingthat“legalheirshadgiveninwritingtoadheretosocialdis-tancing when the body washandedover to them”.On April 4, four militants

were killed in an encounter inKulgamdistrict.A“goodnumberof people” attended funerals ofthreemilitants despite COVID-19advisory,police sources said.“We had to register three

cases and nearly 100 peoplewere arrested for violating theCOVID-19 restrictions. Theywerebailedout,”anofficersaid.“Whatwaswitnessedinthetwoencountersearlier thismonthisapparently a reasonwhy hand-ing over the bodies to the fami-lies isbeingdelayed.”

NewDelhi:ItwasopentoboththeCentreandstatestofixthepriceofsugarcane, but the latter cannotdecideonaprice lower than thestatutoryminimumpricefixedbythe Centre, the Supreme CourtruledWednesday.“ByvirtueofEntries33and34

List III of seventh Schedule, boththeCentral Government aswellastheStateGovernmenthavethepower to fix the price of sugar-cane. The Central Governmenthaving exercised thepower andfixed the ‘minimumprice’, thestate government cannot fix the“minimumprice” of sugarcane...Atthesametime,itisalwaysopenfortheStateGovernmenttofixthe‘advisedprice’,alwayshigherthanthe “minimumprice…,” a five-judgeConstitutionbenchheadedbyJusticeArunMishrasaid.ENS

ABHISHEKSAHAGUWAHATI, APRIL22

TWOBROTHERSwith criminalrecords, whowere recently re-leased from jail owing to aSupreme Court directive to de-congest prisons due to theCOVID-19outbreak,werekilledin mob violence in Assam’sBaksa district onWednesday,police said.Thube Prateek Vijay Kumar,

SP of Baksa, told The IndianExpress that Biswajit Das (24)and Haradhan Das (35), resi-dents of Athiabari village underGobardhanapolicestationofthe

district,werekilledWednesdaymorning. Twopersonswere ar-rested,andpoliceareonthehuntfor others even asmost peopleinthevillagehavegoneintohid-ing,headded.“We are trying to ascertain

whattranspiredbetweenthevil-lagersandthemen.Amobofvil-lagers attacked their house andkilledthetwopersons.Peopleinthevillagereallydislikedthem,”apoliceofficer said.Residents of neighbouring

areastoldTheIndianExpressthatthe brothers had earned the ireofvillagersbecauseofextortion,threats and accusations ofkidnapping.

UddhavThackerayUnionministerPrakashJavadekarannouncesthecabinet’sdecisions.AnilSharma

Constitutional crisis loomsfor Uddhav amid corona crisis

Rs 15,000-croreCOVID packagegets Cabinet nod

2 brothers killed in mobviolence in Assam

State can fixsugarcane pricehigher thanCentre, says SC

4 unidentified militants killedin Shopian encounter: police

Bhopal:Adayafterheinductedfive ministers in his cabinet,Madhya Pradesh ChiefMinister Shivraj SinghChouhanonWednesdayallo-cated portfolios. Health andHomewere allocated to sen-ior BJP leader NarottamMishra,whileAgricultureandFarmers’Welfarewent to BJPMLAKamalPatel.Jyotiraditya Scindia loyal-

ists Tulsiram Silawat andGovind Rajput were given

chargeofWaterResourcesandCooperatives portfolios, re-spectively.Silawat held the Health

portfolio in the Kamal NathgovernmentwhileRajputwasRevenueandTransportminis-ter.BothhadresignedasMLAsandwillhave towinelectionstovalidate their stay inoffice.Tribal DevelopmentDepartmentwas allocated toMeena Singh, a tribal leaderfromVindhyaregion.ENS

Chouhan allocates portfolios

Madhya Pradesh: Panels to run urbancivic bodies whose terms have expired

New Delhi

8WWW.INDIANEXPRESS.COM

THE WAY FORWARDDespite fiscal concerns,moregovernmentsupport isneededtomitigateeconomic fallout.Centremustspelloutastrategy

IT ISDIFFICULT at this stage to accurately assess the cost of the disruption in eco-nomicactivitiesdue to the lockdown,but itwill be severe.As reported in thispa-per,accordingtosomeestimates,the33-daylockdowninthisfinancialyear,April1 toMay3,whichessentially translates toa lossof 23 fullworkingdays,will lead

to an economic contraction this financial year. To be sure, the government has relaxedthe lockdown restrictions on some activities post April 20. But a pick up in these seg-ments is likelytobemuted,driveninpartbydisruptionsinsupplychains, labourandlo-gistical issues and the fall in end-consumer demand. Even after the lockdown is fullylifted, economic activities areunlikely to return tonormal in thenear term. The impactof joband incomelosses, especially those in the informalsector, consumerbehaviour—discretionary spendingmay takeahit— risk aversionby firmsandbanks, and continu-ation of social distancing norms, among others, will determine how economic activityshapes up after the lockdown.Muchwill also depend on the depth and breadth of thepolicy response.TheReserveBankof India (RBI)hasundertakenaseriesofmeasuresaimedateasing

the economic and financial fallout. However, the central government’s response, so far,hasbeen limited—Indiahasoneof thestrictest lockdowns in theworldwithoneof thethinnest covers of social protection. The first government package aimed at ensuring asteadysupplyof foodgrainsandeasingof cashwoesofvulnerablesections.Butwith in-vestmentactivityandexportsexpectedtoremaindepressed,andtheeconomylikely tobelargelyreliantongovernmentspendingandrestrictedhouseholdconsumption,morefiscal support isneeded.Therearefiscalconcerns.Thecombinationofasharpslowdowningrowthandgovern-

ment tax revenueswill itself push up the fiscal deficit beyondwhat has beenpegged tomaintaincurrentlevelsof spending.Addtothistherequirementtosupporttheeconomyandthedeficitwillwidenfurther.Theseverityoftheslowdownnecessitatesmoregovern-ment support. In fact, government spendingmaywell have to be front-loaded. SectorswhichhavebeenhitthehardestsuchasMSMEs,airlines,hotels,exportswillhavetobepro-vided relief. Failure todo sowill result in job losses, anda rise inbankruptcies, throttlingthefinancialsystem,makingevenagradualrecoverymoredifficult.TheCentremaywanttokeep thepowerdry for the “unknowns” thatmayyet arise, andmay favouropting forseveral roundsofmeasures, calibrating its responseas thesituationunfolds.But it is alsonecessary for it tospelloutabroadstrategyonhowit intendstosupport theeconomy.

PAY THE PIPERRegulators inAustraliaandFranceshowtheway:Dominantdigitalplatformsshouldnot freeloadonmediacontent

DIGITAL PLATFORMS COULD be pushed off the catbird seat if regulatorymovesafoot inAustralia andFrance findresonance inother countries. Forover a decade, they have leveraged news provided by themedia to drivetraffic to their search engines and social hubs, and simultaneously lever-

aged their dominance to avoidpaying for the content. Theyhave argued that they sendbackclicks to themedia,whichcanbemonetised, but the inequality is stark.Australiantreasurer JoshFrydenberg reports that almosthalf of theonlineadspend inhis countrygoes toGoogle, aboutaquarter toFacebookandtherest toallpublisherscombined.TheAustralianCompetitionandConsumerCommission(ACCC)hadsoughtavoluntarycodetoensuremoreequity,but theconversation languished, andthenthedevastatingeffectof thecoronaviruspandemiconadrevenuesof thepresslentasenseofurgency.Now,theACCCwillsubmitadraftmandatorycodetolegislatorsbyJuly, forcingplatformstosharead revenue, pay fororiginal content, andgivepublishers access touserdata, rankingal-gorithmsandpolicies fordisplayingnews.Earlier thismonth, France became the first nation to invoke an EU copyright reform

requiringpaymentfornewssnippetsreproducedfromlocalpublishers,butGoogleretal-iatedbythreateningtowithdrawnewsservicesfromFrance.Thecompetitionwatchdog,whichbelievesthat thisconstitutesmisuseofmarketdominance,has forcedit tonegoti-atewith news providerswhile it investigates further. In 2014, Google hadmade good asimilar threatagainstSpain,anddoesnotoffer itsnewsproduct inSpainevennow.While the financial crisis inmediahasbroughtmatters to ahead, saving thepress is

not the principal concern, since the Australian government has already extended sup-port. This is aboutmarketmorality, and theobjective is toeraseanold inequalitywhichhasallowedplatformstotransformthemselvesintotrillion-dollarcompanies, literallyattheexpenseof themedia,whosecontentdrives traffic to them.Generatorsof newsandcreatorsofopinionshouldbepaidfortheirpainsnotbecausetheyhaveanabsoluterightto life,butbecauseif theydied,platformswouldfallbackoncontentgeneratedonsocialmedia by individuals, interest groups and communities, and the problemof fake newswould be amplified.Whilemoves tomakeplatformspay for news are obviously aboutmarketmorality, theyare finallyabout thehealthof societies.

OIL SPILLOilpricecrashmaywreakeconomichavoc.But there

arewaysofmakingthebestof abadtime

MIDAS,KINGOFPhrygia,thetalefromancientGreecegoes,turnedevery-thinghetouchedintogold.Thiswasnoblessing,sinceMidasstarvedtodeath— you can’t eat amedium of exchange. And a store of abstractvalue is of little use inmeeting basic biological needs. Till recently, the

parablewaswidelythoughttobeacautionarytaleaboutgreedandchasingwealth.Turnsout, itmighthavebeenapropheticallegoryaboutthecoronaviruspandemic,oreventheneed forabalancedeconomicdiet.Thepriceof (crude)oil—“blackgold”,peopleunoriginallycall it—hasdroppedtobe-

low-$40/barrelonMonday in theUS.And thepriceof Brent crude, the internationaloilbenchmark, tradedbelow$20/barrelonTuesday,approximately two-thirds lower thanitwas in Januarybefore theoutbreakof COVID-19. In theUS, producers arepaying con-sumers to take the slick off their hands. Oil isn’tworth the barrel it comes in. This is, ofcourse, an economic disruption, an over-supply problem that couldwreakMidas-levelhavocontheeconomy.But, till thathappens, for thosewhocan, thereareways tomakethebestof abaddeal.Companies andnationswith thedeeppockets and reservoirs of hope that the “fun-

damentals of the global economy are strong” could simply get paid to take care of thesurplus. Imagine, ifyouwill, theelectoralsuccessforthegovernmentthathandsoutfreefuel ahead of the first post-corona poll. For individuals, too, hoarding is an option. Thedownside is that a favourite topic of small talkmay be denied to people, who, stuck athome already, have little of interest to report on awkward video chats with long-lostfriends. There’s nomorediscussinghowexpensivepetrol has become. But perhaps themoney theyare saving thanks to a crash in fuel prices couldbeused todouse themanysorrowsof isolation,andinvestinaconversationallubricant.It’snowcheapertobuyabeer.

Going back to a new school

AmeetaMullaWattal

Guru Prakash

Post-pandemic, a shift inmindsetwillbeneeded—toteachand learn

AMBEDKAR, IN OUR CRISISEvenamidpandemic,casteatrocitiescontinue.Representationiskey

“NOMOREPENCILSnomorebooks/Nomoreteacher’s dirty looks/ Out for summer/ Outtill fall/ We might not come back at all/School’soutforever.../School’soutwithfever”.ItseemstheselyricsofAliceCooperhave

comebacktohauntus.SincethemiddleofMarch,millionsofstu-

dentshavebeenoutofschool,becauseoftheCOVID-19 lockdown. This has also affectedmorethanonelakhstudents,whocouldnotcompletetheirClass12boardexaminations.Today, even after amonth of announce-

mentsandextensions,itisdifficulttopredictwhen schoolswill restart. Schooling is sup-posedto lookafter theemotional, socialandbehaviouralhealthof children,which isdia-metricallyopposite tosocialdistancing.Presently, teachers are trying to engage

withonlineteachingandlearning.Thetech-nologymayvaryacrossschoolsandstatesbutaseducators,wehaveto lookat the implica-tionsofthesenewlearningprocessesforourlearners.From live TV broadcasting of academic

subjects, video interactions, online theatre,toworkingwith special needs learners, it isallaboutembracinglearning“anywhereany-time”. It is apparent that technological eval-uation systems, touchscreen paper correc-tions, digital books and smart boards havebecomethenewreality.Goingforward,inthenewpost-pandemic

environment,whatwillberequiredisahugeshiftinmindset—bothsocialandemotional.Anewapproachisneededtoteachinthisal-teredonlineparadigm.Unfortunately, as far as the education of

theruralpoorstudentsisconcerned,theyin-habit the bottom of a digital abyss.Governmentswillhavetothinkveryseriouslyabout allocatingmoremoney in the budgetfor technicaleducation inschools.However, wherever students have been

involvedwithonlinelearning,theirresponseshavebeenverygood—thishasstrengthenedtheresolveofteachersacrossthecountry,andhas inspiredthemtoworkharder.But the role of the teacher has not been

fully understood during this crisis. Teachersare as important as healthworkers becausetheyare lookingafter themental, emotionaland social health of children at home.Althoughitistooearlytojudgehowthelearn-ingtrajectorywillbeaffectedbyonlineteach-

ing,itisveryclearthatfuturetransformationswill ensure that classroom transactions arecomplemented with novel technologicaltools.Thenewchallengeis,howtokeepthou-sandsofchildrenoutofschooliftheirparentsareallowedtoreturn to theirworkspaces—evenif inastaggeredmanner.And,wheneverthishappens,whoassumesresponsibilityforachild’ssafetyandlearningathome?Within this new school/learning para-

digm, itwill have tobe seenhowbest toen-gage the children not only in education butin socialisingwith their peers, creating safezonestoplay,and,howtoalsoprovidemealsand support familieswhich areworking. InIndia,home-learningona largescalewillbeachallenge,essentiallybecauseofnon-avail-ability of equipment and network-connec-tivityissues,andthefactthatparentsmaynotbe inapositionto facilitatehome-learning.We need to ensure that teachers come

back towork so that hands-on training canhappen— sincemany of themmay not betechnologically adept. Formany teachers,their entireworld has changed: From tradi-tionalteachingtoolstojugglingwithgadgetsand software, they are relying only on theirpersonalunderstanding.If schoolopensinJulyorevenlater,3,000

children cannot simply come back. A post-pandemicschoolplan isessentialandhastobe prepared.With a staggered opening, thegovernment and school leaderswill have tothinkofnovelmethodsbywhichchildrencanbe assimilated back into the school setting.Andthishas tobe lookedatbearing inmindthenormalschoolcalendar.Perhapstheneweducationpolicyneedstoberevisitedquicklyandrecalibrated.Some practical things that can be done

are: Cleaning and sanitising the classroomsandareaswherechildrenconvergeregularly;increasing themedical staff andcounsellorsin schools; planning a new school calendarwhereanyeventwithlargegatheringsofstu-dents/parentsisavoided,that is,sportsdays,annual days and parent teachermeetings.There can be cancellation of excursions andinter-school eventswithin and outside thecity;reworkingofschooltimingsandputtingin place of student attendance on a rota ba-sis. Schoolwalls couldhave colourful, picto-rialdepictionsandslogansthatsensitisestu-dents onbasic cleanliness andhygiene such

aswashinghands,andsocialdistancing—al-thoughtoomanydisplaysofpandemicvisu-als shouldbeavoidedas it createsanxiety inthemindsofchildren.Weneedtoensurethebuilding of a strong parent-school partner-ship,ifsocialdistancinghastobeunderstoodand implemented; conduct periodicwork-shops by psychologists,medical practition-ersandcounsellors tohelpsensitise thestu-dents, enabling them to understand thesituation.Whenstudentsreturntoschool,theywill

be the least prepared for any formof tradi-tional testing — all such testingmeasuresshouldbeput onhold at all levels and thereshouldbemoreemphasisoninstructionandemotionaldevelopment.Particularly,thestu-dents in pre-primary and primary— in theagegroupofthreeto10—willfinditverydif-ficulttogetintoaroutinebecausetheywouldhavebeenoutof school forover sixmonths.At the primary level, when children return,they should be allowed to have their ownlearning options — creating personalisedportfolios andproject-based learning is im-portant.This will enable the children to find a

sense of academic freedom, which theywouldhavemissedintherestrictedconfinesof their homes. As far as senior students areconcerned,wehavealreadylost2020andthissituationmaystretch to2021, as far as regu-lar school learning is concerned.Hence, it isimperative that when dealingwith seniorstudents, we should help themunderstandthe importance of resilience andmentalstrengthinordertofaceclimaticchange,dis-ease, natural andman-made disasters andevenrapidtechnologicalchanges.The pandemic has truly reiterated the

muchclichédskillsof the21stcentury:Dec-isionmaking,problemsolving,abilitytoinno-vateand,most importantly,adaptability.These are extraordinary times, andwe

needextraordinarymeasures.Thestatesandboardswillhaveto,perhaps,lookbeyondtra-ditionalboardexaminationsnotonlyforthecurrent year, but also for 2021. There is nodoubtthatreturningtoschoolafterthispan-demicwill truly be adisruptive learningex-erciseatall levels.

Thewriter isprincipal, SpringdalesSchool,PusaRoad,NewDelhi

ASTHECOUNTRYfacesthecoronaviruscrisis,thereareconversationsaboutthenewpost-pandemicsocialorderandthecircumstancesthatwouldshape it.Onlya fewdaysago,weremembered B R Ambedkar on his 129thbirthanniversary.Today,itisapttolookagainatthedominantsocialorderandtheinstitu-tionsofpower,patronage,propertyandpres-tigethat ithascreated.Itissadtoseenewsofcaste-relatedatroc-

itiesevenduringthecurrentcrisis,whenthesociety isexpectedtoshowsocialsolidarity.ThenewsofaDalitcouplebeingbeatenmer-cilessly went viral recently. Theywere as-saultedbecausetheyrefusedtosell thelandthatwasrightfullytheirs.Avideowasmadeof the incident, with caste-related slurshurled on the couple. Making such a videoandspreadinghatredrequiresaudaciousbel-ligerence on the part of the oppressor. Thisis the result of a social process, andpoliticalintervention alone cannot address this pre-vailingsentiment.Socialdistancingwassuggestedasoneof

theprecautionarysteps tocontain thevirus.However, in a society likeours,where tradi-tional social prejudices and hierarchies aredeeply embedded, discriminatory practicescan masquerade as social distancing.Thankfully, voices emerged from the de-pressed classes fromall over theworld and

theWHOhashadtofinallyreplacethephrase“socialdistancing”with“physicaldistancing”.This is an opportunemoment for schol-

ars,thinkersandactivistsfromtheDalitcom-munity to brainstormon a roadmap for theemerging Dalit narrative. Raising difficultquestions is theneedof thehour.Ambedkarhimselfhasnotbecomeasubjectof intellec-tual inquisitiveness. Restricting his colossalpersonality merely to a maker of theConstitution or as a leader of the depressedcommunity is amassive dent to his legacy.Hisscholarshipanddeeplymeaningfulinter-ventionsingenderstudies,anthropologyandeconomicsmustalsobestudiedandpursueddispassionately. Policymakers and intellec-tuals fromtheDalitcommunityandbeyondmusttogetherevolveamechanismtounder-take robust research and produce scholar-ships on the relatively unexplored dimen-sionsofAmbedkar’s thought.On the political front as well, April 14

(Ambedkar’s birth anniversary) andDecember6(hisdeathanniversary)mustbeoccasions formore than rhetorical symbol-ism.Theso-calledAmbedkaritepoliticsislos-ing its sheen and traction among the subal-tern masses. Parties with a focus onindividuals and families like theBSPandLJPhavenomeaningfulcontributionlefttomake.The future of Dalit assertion needs to be

primarily focusedon representation—real-timerepresentationatkeydecision-makingpositions, which has not happened despitemaking affirmative action a constitutionalcommitment.JusticeCSKarnan,aDalitjudge,wasreprimandedbythecourt,afterhemadeaccusationsof castediscriminationandcor-ruption against fellow judges. On the otherhand,noquestionswereraisedwhenagroupof SupremeCourt judgescameoutandhelda press conference against the prevailingprocessesintheapexcourt.Itisthesocialcap-italof theuppercaste,underthemoderneu-phemismofa“network”,thatactsasasafetynetemergingfromcaste-basedcamaraderie.Themainstreammediahasthesamestory.Itis next to impossible to locate a subalternvoice inthefourthpillar.Thereisanurgentneedtogetoverthephe-

nomenonof“behalfism”.Nooneisentitledtospeakonsomeoneelse’sbehalf. Foreffectiverepresentation, having a voice is a prerequi-site. Formany years, the cause of the subal-tern communitieswasunder the custodian-shipof theupper-classelite.Letusresolve, inthemonth of Ambedkar’s birth anniversary,toensuresocialdiversityatourworkplaces.

ThewriterisassistantprofessoratPatnaUniversityandvisitingfellowatthe

IndiaFoundation

If school opens in July oreven later, 3,000 childrencannot simply come back. Apost-pandemic school plan isessential and has to beprepared. With a staggeredopening, the governmentand school leaders will haveto think of novel methods bywhich children can beassimilated back into theschool setting. And this hasto be looked at bearing inmind the normal schoolcalendar. Perhaps the neweducation policy needs to berevisited quickly andrecalibrated.

There is an urgent need toget over the phenomenon of‘behalfism’. No one isentitled to speak onsomeone else’s behalf. Foreffective representation,having a voice is aprerequisite. For many years,the cause of the subalterncommunities was under thecustodianship of the upper-class elite.

FOUNDED BY

RAMNATH GOENKA

B E C A U S E T H E T R U T H I N V O L V E S U S A L L

§ §

THEINDIANEXPRESS,THURSDAY,APRIL23,2020WORDLYWISE

Whoever controls themedia,controls themind.

— JIM MORRISONTHEEDITORIALPAGE

MASS PICKETING BEGINSWHILEOFFICIALWORKandbankingopera-tionswereparalysedas the five-daypicket-ing of government offices began in Assam,thousandsof people throngedthestreets inGauhatitocontinuetheirprotestagainstthe“repressivemeasures” takenbythegovern-ment last Saturday. An official spokesmansaidhundredsofpicketershadbeenarrestedbut therewere no reports of any untowardincidentfromanywhereinthestate.Thecallfor picketing had been given by the All-Assam Students’ Union and the All-AssamGanaSangramParishadonApril18followingthefailureofnegotiationsontheissueof for-eignnationals in thestate.

BJP ON ASSAMTHENATIONALEXECUTIVEof theBharatiyaJanata Party demanded that the army bewithdrawnforthwithfromAssamandallre-pressivemeasuresberevoked.Thefour-pagepolitical resolution adoptedby thenationalexecutive at its firstmeeting strongly criti-cised the Congress (I) government’s “unde-mocratic” functioningandsaidthat the“so-lution to the (Assam) problem should besought by negotiation and persuasion andnot by coercionor repression”. “Thenotori-ous extra-constitutional sources of powerare again in evidence and their operationsare even more unashamedly overt. ThePrimeMinister’ssonaddressingmeetingsof

high police officials and extending assur-ances to themas if he is the government inpower is only one instance,” the resolutionsaid.

IRAN SANCTIONSCOMMON MARKET FOREIGN ministersmeetinginLuxembourghavedecidedtotakestrong diplomatic and economicmeasuresagainst Iran but are still unsure of thetimetable for implementing them, sourcessaid. The measures include economicsanctions against Iran if a series of lesserdiplomatic moves fail to influence Iranianauthorities to release American hostages attheUSembassy inTeheran.

APRIL 23, 1980, FORTYYEARSAGO

New Delhi

THEINDIANEXPRESS,THURSDAY,APRIL23,2020

WHATTHEOTHERSSAYEstranging potential partners and sowing seeds of distrust withunsubstantiated allegations is a distraction that will not only cost lives butalso add to the world’s economic woes. — CHINADAILYTHE IDEASPAGE

WWW.INDIANEXPRESS.COM

IT ISEARLYtospeculatewhat theworldwilllook likewhenweemerge fromtheCOVID-19 tunnel. As yet, we cannot see the light atthe end of the tunnel. We do not knowwhetherasuitablevaccinewillbefoundthatwill allow us to work and live alongsideCOVIDwith little fear— aswedo nowwithinfluenza— or if no reliable vaccinewill bediscovered for someyears andwewill be inthe shadow of COVID-19, practising socialdistancing,conductingfrequentteststomakesurewedonot have the viruswhile contin-uingwithour livesand livelihood.The jury is out on themysteriousways

ofCOVID-19andalsoontherighteconomicresponse to it. We know from the historyofworldwarsandpandemics that suchca-tastrophes can turn the trajectories of na-tionsupsidedown,convertingwinners intolosers, and vice-versa. Yet, despite the un-certainty, it is important to think about fu-turescenariosandtry todothebestwecantomake sure that theworld economy andits constituentnationsdowell, andpeopledo not suffer unnecessarily.We are begin-ning to see the early contours of how na-tional economies are doing and wecanmakesomedeductionsbasedonthese.This, if ever, is the time for people toput aside their differences and worktogether to confront the challenge facedbyhumanity.One critical problem is striking the right

balance between curbing the spread of thevirusandkeepingtheeconomyfunctioning.Wecannothave thepoor, the labourers andthemigrants bear the brunt of the effort tocontain the spread of the virus, and nor dowewant toweaken the foundations of theeconomysomuchthatweemerge fromthepandemicontoaneconomicwasteland.Thechoice between lives and economy is also achoicebetween livesand lives.India’s effort to curb the spread of the

virushasreceivedappreciation—notjustthestateofKerala,whichhasgotaccoladesfromaroundtheworld,butthecountryasawhole.The incidence of COVID-19 remains low inIndia.Ofevery10millionpeople,thereareasyetfiveliveslost inIndia.This isvastlylower,notjustcomparedtoBelgium,whichtopsthelist with 5,180 fatalities for every 10millionpeople, butmanyother nations, such as theUnitedStateswith1,370fatalities,Spainwith4,550,Italywith4,080andtheUKwith2,550fatalities.To be fair, the low fatality, per 10million

population, is not specific to just India.Wehavecomparablylowfigurescurrentlyinal-most all African and South Asian nations.Thus, it is seven forBangladesh, three forSriLanka, nine for Pakistan, two for Tanzania,one forNigeria, and0.3 for Ethiopia. Noonefullyunderstandsthesehugedifferencesbe-tweenEuropeandNorthAmerica,ontheonehand,andAfricaandSouthAsia,ontheother.This cannot be because these nations aremore isolated. Bangladeshis are among themostgloballyscatteredpeopleandEthiopiahashugeinteractionswithChina,butthefa-tality ratesare lowinbothcountries.Why isthis so?Theshortansweriswedonotknow.But,

nevertheless,wehave to takeall reasonableprecautionstokeeptheviruscontained. It isimportant to realise that the risk cannot becut tozero—nothing in life isazero-riskac-tivity.Todefeatthevirus,theaimhastobetokeep the “reproduction number”, or R-0,

down to less than one — R-0 refers to thenumber of people, on average, who get in-fected by each infected person.When R-0reaches less than one in any given region,such as is the case in Kerala, we know thattheincidenceofthediseaseiswindingdownin that region.The economic policy challenge is about

how to come out of the lockdown. This hasto be done carefully, but quickly. A study byresearchersattheUniversityofOxford,of thestringency of lockdowns in 73 countries,places India right on top. For a short while,thisisworthit,andalsoimpressiveforapop-ulous nation like India. But the top rank onthe stringency index is not something anycountry will want to occupy for long. Thatwillhaveadevastatingeffectonthepooranddamage the nation’s long-run economicprospects.TherearestudiesshowingthatIndia’sun-

employment rate is now at 24 per cent, anall-timehigh.Marchalsosawthebiggestout-flowofcapitalfromthenationeverrecordedin onemonth— roughly $15 billion left thenation. This also happens to be the largestcapitaloutflowfromanyemergingeconomyinMarch. Clearly global players are reactingto the fact that theeconomyisnot function-ing. This has weakened the Indian rupee,which is now at an all-time low. Some ofthese problems are inevitable in thisdystopian world; we can deal with theseproblemsforashortwhile.Butif thesetrendspersist, Indiawould end up ceding space to

other nations in global trade, exports andbusiness, and the sufferingwill be huge ontheworkingclasses.Oncethisphaseofthelockdownendson

May 3, wewill have to start opening busi-nesses,allowingtheprivatesector,especiallythe informal enterprises andsmall firms, tooperate.Therewillhavetoberulesofbehav-iourinplace,suchassocialdistancing,masks,hand-washing,butwehavetobegintofacil-itate poor labourers to reach their place ofwork, and our farms and factories to func-tion.Also,wehavetoencouragetherulesofbehaviourtocontinueby“participation”andnot bybureaucratic “permission”. India hasa long history of the “permit raj”, where allbusinesses were beholden to the bureau-cracyforwhattheydid.Thishadatendencyto strangle all but a few big firms and hadheld up the nation’s economic growth forlong.We have to guard against the risk ofslidingbacktotheseoldhabits—lapsingintothese habits can bring an end to India’sgrowthstory.India, and for thatmatter, all emerging

nations, stand at a crossroads. Importantmissteps, at this unexpected turning pointof theworld,willnotbelikethenormalmis-takes wemake and correct. Missteps nowcanchangethecourseof thenation’strajec-tory fordecades tocome.

Thewriter isCMarksProfessoratCornellUniversityand formerChiefEconomistand

SeniorVicePresident,WorldBank

9

COVID-19,Anewdiseaseofthecoronavirusfamily, has engulfed almost the entireworld.DevelopedcountriessuchastheUS,Spain, Italy, France andGermany seem tohavesufferedthemost. Indiahasmanagedtokeepthenumberof those infectedrela-tivelylow,despiteitshighpopulationden-sity. The government has had to makesomehardchoices.Savinglivesandreduc-ing human casualties was the govern-ment’s first prioritywhen it imposed the21-day lockdown— thiswas extended by18 days. An unfortunate fallout of this di-rectivewas the sudden loss of income fordailywagers, informal sectorworkersandthose employed in the gig economy. Thelockdownmadethingsdifficultformigrantworkersandmanyof themwere forcedtostart a longwalkbackhome.During unprecedented crises, such as

the one we face today, administrationsacross the world take time to organisethemselves and initiate relief operations.InIndia,thefirsttaskof theadministrationwas tomanage the healthcare system. Ittook time to stabilise the labour force bymakeprovisionforfoodandshelter.Atthesametime,thebattleagainstthepandemichas kindled our desire to innovate, learnand findways toconnect andsupportoneanother during times of social distancing.We have put technology to great use toachieve this, by rapidly setting up data-basedmonitoringplatformstomanageandcontainthespreadofthevirus,tohelpeachothermeet immediate needs and cater toour emotionalwellbeing, and support theunderprivilegedfinancially.Communities,civilsocietyandcorporateshavecomefor-wardtopartnerthegovernmentinrender-ing public services. Some of these initia-tives have the potential for widerdeployment.Among these initiatives is the Surat

MunicipalCorporation’sCOVID-19TrackerApp, which helpsmonitor people underhome-quarantineandtracksthehealthsta-tusof thosewitharecenthistoryof foreigntravel. Fromahands-on control room, thecitymaintainsadatabaseandtracksmorethan 8,500 individuals using this applica-tion. In Bengaluru, the Brihan BengaluruMahanagar Pallike developed aCoronavirusWar Roomwithin 24 hours.This24x7warroommapseveryCOVID-19positive case using GIS, tracks healthcareworkersusingGPS,anddrawsupcontain-mentplansusingheatmappingtechnolo-gies.Thecityhasforgedpartnershipswithacademia and private sector technologycompanies. A COVID-19 data dashboardwas launchedonApril 7.Nagpur’s city ad-ministrationhascollaboratedwiththepri-vate sectoroutfit,HLL Lifecare, to launchacoronavirusappforthebenefitof sympto-matic citizens. If this app detects COVID-like symptoms ina citizen, it alerts a teamof doctors immediately. Similarly, the E-Doctor Seva, a public-private partnershipinitiative inAgra, offers tele-videoconsul-

tationfacility.Peoplecansecureonlineap-pointmentsandhaveatele/videocallwitha doctor. Doctors provide online prescrip-tions,andinemergencycases,delivermed-ications to thepatientsbycabs.Manycitieshavealsorepurposedexist-

ing innovations rapidly at little or no costto offer support during this crisis. For ex-ample, in December 2019, the GreaterChennaiCorporationwasdevelopingamo-bile app to crowd-source information onoperational flaws in existing civic infra-structure — such as potholes and faultypipelines. During the lockdown, this appwas customised for COVIDmonitoring.CitizensofChennaiusedthisapptovolun-tarilyreporttheirsymptomstohelpthead-ministrationmaplikelycasesandtakeap-propriateprotectivemeasures.Several other innovative approaches

havebeenadoptedtosanitiseanddisinfectpublicplacesduringthelockdown.Forex-ample, Bharat Heavy Electricals Limited(BHEL) hasmanufactured “Bhelmister”, adisinfectant sprayer, in four days. Thisequipment was deployed in theMelvisharamMunicipality,TamilNadu, tosanitisestreetsandareaswithahighnum-berofsuspectedandquarantinecases.Themachineuseswatermixedwithasanitiser,atomisedthroughaspraynozzleandcon-verted to fine droplets. It can pump out2,000litresofdisinfectantintwohoursandis placed on a vehicle to access narrowlanes.Rajkot has leveraged corporate social

responsibilitytoavailsupportfromacom-pany, thatmanufactures agriculturalma-chines, toprocure18highclearanceboomsprayers—usedforsprayingpesticidesoncrops.Thesemachinesareusedtodisinfectthecity’s roads.Acrosscities,communitieshavecollab-

oratedtoprovideessentialstothepoorandset up community kitchens. Residents ofRaipur set up a food control roomwithin24 hours of the lockdown. Every day, ap-proximately15,000packetsofcookedanduncooked foods are distributed to theneedy with the help of nearly 104 non-profit organisations, self-help groups andover10,000volunteers. InUP,theLucknowMunicipal Corporation has establishedcommunitykitchensatmultiplelocations,which feedmore than4,000people daily.Similar kitchens have come up in Aligarhand Saharanpur as well. In Kerala, 1,255communitykitchensacross14districtsdis-tribute more than 2.5 lakh food packetsdaily. InChandigarh,theadministration, incollaborationwithmarketcommitteesandtheChandigarhTransportUndertaking,hasdeployedover70busestotransportessen-tialsuppliesfromthecentralmarketfordis-tribution to residentwelfare associationsthrough144 licensedvendors.These initiatives have shown that

India’s “social capital” — its citizens, civilsociety, corporatesandacademia—are itsstrength during a crisis. Hence, when thePrimeMinister called upon us to applaudthefrontlineworkerswhoareriskingtheirlives to keepus safe lastmonth, the entirecountryexpressedsolidarity.Thisisatimewhenresponsibleresidentsarenotaskingwhat their city cando for thembutaskingwhat theycando for their city.

Kumar isMissionDirector, SmartCitiesMissionand JointSecretary,Ministryof

HousingandUrbanAffairsandAgarwal isCEO,WorldResources Institute India

There are studies showingthat India’s unemploymentrate is now at 24 per cent, anall-time high. March also sawthe biggest outflow of capitalfrom the nation everrecorded in one month —roughly $15 billion left thenation. This also happens tobe the largest capital outflowfrom any emerging economyin March. Clearly globalplayers are reacting to thefact that the economy is notfunctioning. This hasweakened the Indian rupee,which is now at an all-timelow.

What we can dofor the city

FromusingtechnologytotrackCOVID-19casestosettingupcommunitykitchens,battleagainstpandemichaskindledinnovation,waystoconnect

CR Sasikumar

India—itspeopleanditsleadership—isrisingtothechallengeofthemoment

THEULTIMATEtestofaperson’scharacterisnotwheretheystandintimesofcomfortbuthowtheyrespondtoadversity.ThechallengeposedbyCOVID-19couldtesttheleadershipqualitiesofpeopleonavarietyoffronts,rang-ing fromthepersonal to theorganisational.In India, theentiregovernmentmachin-

eryhas risen to the occasion— it stands tallinthecollectivefightagainstthevirus,whichhasbroughtevenglobalsuperpowerstotheirknees. The country has demonstrated re-markable resolve under the leadership ofPrimeMinisterNarendraModi. In this timeof crisis, theprimeministerhashad theun-flinchingsupportof130-croreIndians. It isatestimonytothePM’sleadershipskillsthatacountrywith somuch diversity, and a fed-eral structure of governance, has put up aunitedfrontagainst thepandemic.Wehaveshowntheworldwhat “India first”means.I recall the image of PMModi - a leader

who had received an overwhelming politi-calmandate less than a year ago— appeal-ing on national TV to the 130-crore peopleof Indiaandpleadingwiththemwithfoldedhands to comply with social distancingnormsandtheproactivemeasurestakenby

thegovernmenttotacklethepandemic.Thisshowshis strengthof character, concern forthepeopleof thecountryandfaithinthena-tion’sabilities. Ittakesafar-sightedleadertoanticipate the onslaught of the pandemicandannouncemeasuressuchasthe“janatacurfew”,enforceatimelylockdown,andun-dertake capacity building exercises tomeetthechallengesposedby thepandemic.As the prime minister of the world’s

largest democracy,Modi has gone an extramiletohelpothernations.Brazil’sPresidentJairBolsonarohasconveyedhisgratitudetoPMModi.Earlier,hehadrequested India forthe drug, hydroxychloroquine, by invokingthe Ramayana legend of Lord HanumanbringingsanjeevanitoLakshman.Theprimeminister’s outreach across continents givesweighttotheargumentsthatIndiahasacru-cial role in thechangingglobalorder.Theunequivocal complianceof thepeo-

pletotheprimeminister’sclarioncalltoob-serve the lockdown isa testament tohis ac-ceptability across the political, social andreligiousspectrum.Hiscredoof“nationfirst”hasbroughtadiverserangeofpeopleunderone umbrella, which, in turn, has strength-

ened PMModi’s resolve to fight the pan-demic.Hehasalwaysgivenpre-eminencetothesafety,healthandwelfareofthepeopleofthecountry.All thestateshave followedthedirectivesandadvisoriesof theCentreinlet-ter and spirit. Never in its history has Indiawitnessedsuchahighdegreeofcooperativefederalism. Moreover, after an appeal byModi,peoplefromallsectionsofsocietyhavemadevaluablecontributionstothePMCaresFund. It is indeed ahumbling experience tosee young and aspiring sportspersons auc-tiontheirmedalsandtrophiestocontributeto this fight. Oldmen andwomenhave do-nated their lifetimesavings.Thecrisishasalsotaughtussomeimpor-

tant lessons. The real heroes today are thecoronawarriorswho are fighting to ensurethat we stay safe, healthy and bewith ourfamilies.Theadministrativemachineryatalllevels and police, health officials and socialworkers have been on their toes to ensurethatweare safe andcomfortable. Letusnotforget to convey our gratitude to these he-roeswhowork inunsafeenvironments.I should also mention that as a Union

minister, I closelymonitored 20 districts in

RajasthanwhichalsoincludedBhilwara,oneoftheworst-hitdistricts.Duringmydailyin-teractionswith the district administrationand the other officials deployed to combatthepandemic, I found themonestepaheadof thecrisis intheirplanningandexecution.Thedatashowsthatcontainingtheoutbreakwasaherculeanexercise.Around3,900sur-veyteamswereconstituted,whichsurveyed4.5-lakh houses, screened 23-lakh people,isolated18,000peopleandtested theminaspanof just threeweeks.Thiscouldhappenbecauseeveryonebe-

lieved that fighting thepandemic is ourna-tionalduty.Therehavebeensomeuglyinci-dents as well. They are unfortunate andundesirable.Wemust take it as a challengeand support the administration andstrengthenthePMintacklingthischallenge.Thepainandconcern inhiswordsandeyesare palpable.Wemust empathisewith hissentiments and regard it our national dutyrisetotheoccasion.Everythingwedotodaywillbeseenfromtheprismof “nationfirst”.

Thewriter isUnionministerofHumanResourceDevelopment

The test of a nationRamesh PokhriyalNishank

LETTERS TO THEEDITOR

RIGHTS VIOLATEDTHIS REFERS TO the editorial,‘Unfreedom of press’ (IE, April 22).BookingajournalistundertheUAPAforbenignpostsonsocialmediaisunwar-ranted. This is yet another example ofanoverreachofpowerattainedthroughinvoking andmisusing an archaic lawtosilence thevoicesof dissent.

VarunDas,Zirakpur

THISREFERSTOtheeditorial,‘Unfreedomofpress’(IE,April22).ThebookingofJ&KreporterPeerzadaAshiqandphotojour-nalistMasratZahraundertheUAPAovertheirpublishedworksis blatantharass-mentandintimidationof thepress.

SSPaul,Nadia

GOODBYE GENETHIS REFERS TO the editorial, ‘Cat andMouse’ (IE,22April). ThispassingawayofGeneDeitch,theanimatorofTomandJerry aswell as Popeye, is a tragedy. Fordecades, even today, the cartoonswerefor entertainment for generations. TomandJerry, inparticular,wereanactofge-nius—withoutdialogue,thecharactersstill kept you rivetedwith their hijinks.Popeye,hisloveforOliveOil,andrivalrywithBluto,too,issomethingmanychil-dren could relate to. Unfortunately, asmany of us found out, the powers of

spinachweregreatlyexaggerated.AbhijitChakraborty,Howrah

NEW NATIONTHISREFERSTOthearticle, ‘Nationaf-ter lockdown’ (IE, April 22). It is quiteevident thatunder theguiseof theco-ronapandemic,therulingdispensationisaimingatmassbehaviouralchangesand favourable collective responses.This will change the character of thenation.

ShekharDeshmukh,Mumbai

LETTER OF THEWEEKAWARD

To encourage quality readerintervention, The IndianExpress offers the Letter oftheWeek award. The letteradjudged the best for theweek is published everySaturday. Lettersmay be

e-mailed toeditpage@expressindia.comor sent to The IndianExpress, B-1/B, Sector 10,Noida-UP 201301.

Kaushik Basu

Postlockdown,India’seconomyshouldnotlapseinto‘permitraj’.Atthiscrossroads,misstepscanchangenation’strajectoryfordecadestocome

An unexpected turning point

KunalKumar andOPAgarwal

New Delhi

10 WWW.INDIANEXPRESS.COMTHEINDIANEXPRESS,THURSDAY,APRIL23,2020

HIMACHAL PRADESH PUBLIC WORKS DEPARTMENTTel. 01972-288041, Email- ee-bar-hp@nic.in

INVITATION FOR BID (IFB)

The Executive Engineer HPPWD Division Barsar on behalf of Governor of H.P. invites/reinvites the item rate bids, in electron-ic tendering system from the eligible class of contractors registered with HPPWD for the works as detailed in the table.

The bidders are advised to note other details of tenders from the department website www.hptenders.gov.inExecutive Engineer,

HPPWD, Division BarsarDistrict Hamirpur H.P.Pin. 174305

on behalf of Governor of Himachal Pradesh0083/HP

Sr. Name of work Estimated Cost Starting Date Earnest Deadline forNo. for Money submission

downloading of Bid.Bid

1 17,55,299=00 04-05-2020 33,900=00 13-05-2020From 10:30 up to 10:30

A.M. A.M.

2 31,10,265=00 04-05-2020 54,200=00 13-05-2020From 10:30 up to 10:30

A.M. A.M.

3 21,04,305=00 04-05-2020 39,100=00 13-05-2020From 10:30 up to 10:30

A.M. A.M.

4 5,56,740=00 04-05-2020 11,200=00 13-05-2020From 10:30 up to 10:30

A.M. A.M.

5 12,69,864=00 04-05-2020 25,400=00 13-05-2020From 10:30 up to 10:30

A.M. A.M.

Routine Repair and Maintenence on Barsar Deotsidhroad km. 0/0 to 11/400) Time :-One Year Cost of form:-500/- Eligible class of contractor:- Class A to D

Routine Repair and Maintenence on Jalari Galore,salouni, Bijhari Deotsidh road km. 0/0 to 30/300) Time :-One Year Cost of form:-1500/- Eligible class of contrac-tor:- Class A to D

Routine Repair and Maintenence on Jalari Galore,salouni, Bijhari Deotsidh road km. 30/300 to 50/800)Time :-One Year Cost of form:-500/- Eligible class of con-tractor:- Class A to D

C/O link road to Village Jiyana Lower H.B.(Jiyana) Km.0/0 to 0/700( Sh:- P/L Tarring in km. 0/0 to 0/350,0/410 to0/550 and P/L interlocking paver block at Rd. 0/350 to0/410) Under SCSP Head Time :-Two Month Cost ofform:-350/- Eligible class of contractor:- Class D

C/O link road from Nagareda to talai km. 0/0 to 1/950 (Sh:- P/L Soling & M/T in km. 0/0 to 1/0) Under OTMNPHead Time :-Two Month Cost of form:-500/- Eligibleclass of contractor:- Class D

Re-03

Short Term Notice Inviting E-TendersGist of e-NIT No. 06 of 2020-21 Dated 21.04.2020

For and on behalf of Lt. Governor U.T. of Jammu & Kashmir, Executive Engineer,Mechanical, SKIMS, Soura, Srinagar, invites online e-bids in Two (02) cover system fromRegistered Contractors/ Companies/ Societies/ Firms having experienced operational Staffrequired for the operation of Lifts as per the details in the tender document:-

GOVERNMENT OF JAMMU AND KASHMIRSHER-I-KASHMIR INSTITUTE OF MEDICAL SCIENCES, SOURA

OFFICE OF THE EXECUTIVE ENGINEER, MECHANICALE-mail: mechanicalskims@gmail.com

Sr. Name of the Work Estimated CostNo. (in Rs. )1. Annual Contract for the Operation of Three (03) Nos of Passenger Rs.

Lifts at Sarai-I & II & Genetic Centre, SKIMS, Soura. 15,40,100/-

The complete tender document is available at website: http://jktenders.gov.in. InterestedBidders/Tenderers may view, download the e-Bid document, seek clarifications and submit theirbids online upto the date and time mentioned in the table below. Tender Document contains qual-ifying criteria for bidders. Specifications, Bills of Quantities & Terms and Conditions of the con-tract and other relevant details.

No. SIMS 139 EX./MECH/2019-20/209-19 Sd/- Executive EngineerDated: 21.04.2020 Mechanical, SKIMS.

i. Date and Time of downloading/ Sale of Tender docu-ments (Starting Date)

ii. Date & Time of Bidding Queries/clarification/Pre-Bid meetiii. Last Date & Time of Bid uploading

iv. Date of Submission of hard copies (Original EMD/FDR &DD only)

v. Date & Time of Commercial/ Technical Bid (Cover-I)Opening

vi. Date & Time of Financial Bid (Cover-IInd) opening

vii. Cost of e-Bid Document

viii. Amount of Earnest Money Deposit (CDR/FDR)

ix. Completion Time

x. Budget Head

22.04.2020 at 11.00 hours

27.04.2020 upto 14.00 hours30.04.2020 upto 16.00 hours01.05.2020 upto 14.00 hours

02.05.2020 at 11.00 hours (or nextconvenient day)Shall be intimated separately

Rs. 1,000/- (Rupees One Thousandonly)

Rs. 30,800/- (Rupees Thirty Thousand& eight Hundred only)Annual contract

Non Plan for the Year 2020-21

Subject:Proposals for One Stop Centre for Women from the interestedParties/Firms/NGOs.

ADVERTISEMENT NOTICEThe Department of Social Welfare intends to establish a “One Stop Centre” for

Women under the scheme ‘Sakhi’ launched by the Ministery of Women and ChildDevelopment Government of India. The Scheme envisages to support the Womenaffected by violence both in private and public spaces and who are the victims of phys-ical, sexual, emotional, psychological and economical abuse. In this regard proposalsare invited from the interested Parties/Firms/NGOs for establishment and manage-ment of One Stop Centre for Women at District Srinagar, initially for a period of 02years from the date of start of the contract. The requirement of human resource to runthe “One Stop Centre” smoothly 24 x 7 is as under:-

● Centre Administrator● Case Worker● Police Facilitation Officer (PFO)● Para Legal Personal/Lawyer● Para Medical Personal.● Psycho Social Counsellor● IT Personal● Multi Purpose Helper.● Security Guard /Night Guard.

The intending agencies willing to bid for the assignment should fulfill the following criteria:-● The Agency/Organization/Institution/Trust /NGO should be registered under the relevant

Act for a minimum period of 03 years and is involved in Programmes related to Women &Children.

● The Agency should be financially secure, having maintained audited balance sheets ofthe accounts for the last 03 years.

● The Agency should have an experience of undertaking similar assignments with State orCentral Govt. agencies (supporting documents to be submitted)

● The Agency should have qualified, experience and professional human resource in therequired sectors working on full time basis.

● The Agency should not be blacklisted by any funding agency and no Court case shouldbe against the Organization.

● The Agency must agree with the objectives, financial resources, expected outputs etc setin the guidelines of the Scheme.

● The Agency must have clear policies on human resource engagement, administrativecapacity and management skills.

● The Agency must provide the relevant information in the proposal such as introduction ofthe organization, correspondence address (email address & contact number) organiza-tion is registered under which Act and registration certificate, brief report of activitiesundertaken in the last 3 years, summary of audited accounts of last 3 years and list of allregular positions working in the organization.

● The Agency must furnish self attested affidavit about (i) not blacklisted (ii) no Courtcase.(iii) agree with the objectives and outputs set in the guidelines of the Scheme.

The proposals should be Marked, Packaged and Submitted as under:-1. Sealed proposals shall be submitted in one outer and two inner envelopes.2. The first inner envelope shall be marked as ‘Technical Proposal’, mentioning the RFP

Title on top and addressed as follows:-District Programme Officer ICDS (Member Secretary One Stop Centre)

Old Secretariat Ground Floor ACB Building3. In case, any technical Bid is found to be incomplete in any respect, the same shall

be rejected summarily.4. The 2nd inner envelope shall be marked as ‘Financial Proposal’, mentioning the RFP

Title on top and addressed in the same manner as 1st envelope.5. In the Financial proposal, the rates should be indicated clearly, both in figures and in

words in Indian Currency. The rates quoted should be inclusive of all taxes. No addi-tional amount will be paid for Taxes, over and above the quoted rates.

6. Both inner envelopes, properly sealed shall be kept in an outer envelope, mentioningthe RFP Title on top and addressed in the same manner as the first inner envelope.

7. All the three envelopes, that is two inner and one outer shall indicate Agencies nameand address.

8. The rates quoted should remain valid for a period of 24 Months from the date of open-ing of the tender.

9. Proposal received in any manner other than as outlined will be invalidated.10. The proposals may be sent within a period of 15 days from the date of publication of

this notice in the local dailies.The interested parties can also have the details with regard to establishment & man-

agement of One Stop Centre available/download on website: www.wcd.nic.in .District Programme Officer,

ICDS, Srinagar.No: DPO/ICDS/Sgr/2020-2021/ 3970-73Dated: 21.04.2020.

GOVERNMENT OF JAMMU & KASHMIROFFICE OF THE DISTRICT PROGRAMME OFFICER, ICDS SRINAGAR

(MEMBER SECRETARY ONE STOP CENTRE)Old Secretariat Ground floor ACB Building

E-Mail:-dpoicdssrinagar@gmail.com, Ph: 0194-

DIPK-NB-102/20

PRESS NOTICE FOR e-TENDERING

The Executive Engineer JSV Division Jubbal invites tenders on behalf of Governor of Himachal Pradeshfrom approved eligible contractors for the following work(s) through e-tendering process :-

BOQ and tender related conditions can be downloaded from the website www.hptenders.gov.in .

HIMSOOCHNA EVAM JANSAMPARKNo. 141-52 dated 16/04/2020

Sr. Name of Work Estimated Earnest Time Last date of filing/No. Cost Money uploading the

(in Rs.) (in Rs.) tenders throughe-Tendering

1 ` 21,80,00,005 ` 26,80,000 36 MonthsEngineering, procurement, construction, testing, commissioning, trialrun of various components of (Providing FHTC to Left House Hold forNal Se Jal under Jal Jeevan Mission under Jubbal & KotkhaiConstituency in Jal Shakti Division Jubbal in Tehsil Jubbal & KotkhaIDistt. Shimla HP( Under Jal Jeevan Mission- Har Ghar Nal Se Jal ) in sin-gle package on “Turn-key job basis” with completion period 36 Monthsincluding all seasons and trial run period of 3 months & defect liabilityperiod 0f 6 months after trial run period2020_HPIPH_36650_1

Last date of upload-ing tenders :-

Up to 11.00 Hrs IST(GMT + 5:30 Hrs)

11/05/2020.Date of opening of

tenders :-After 11.30 Hrs IST(GMT + 5:30 Hrs) of

11/05/2020.

0094/HP

General Public is hereby informed thatone girl Namely: Sahiba, D/o:Badshah Hussain, R/o: Sahab Singhkamakan, VPOBawana, Delhi has beenmissing / kidnapped since 18.03.2020 at9:00 pm from the area of P.S. Bawana,Delhi. In this regard a case videF IR /DD No . 137 /2020 da ted

19.03.2020 has been lodged at P.S. Bawana, Delhi. Thedescription of the missing girl are as under: Age:14 years, Height: 4’5", Face: Long, Complexion: Fair,Built: Thin,Wearing:Red colour suit and pajami. Sincereefforts have been made by local police to trace out the girlbut no clue has come to light so far. Any person havingany information or clue about this girl kindly inform to thefollowing.Website: http//cbi.nic.inE-mail Id - cic@cbi.gov.inPh.: 011-24368638, 24368641Fax No. 011-24368639DP/191/ON/2020

SHOP.S. Bawana, Delhi

Ph.: 011- 27752534, 7065036321

SEARCH FORMISSING/KIDNAPPED

Sahiba

IRRIGATION AND FLOODCONTROL DEPARTMENTGOVT. OF NCT OF DELHI

NOTICE INVITINGe-TENDERS

The Executive Engineer, CivilDivision No. XIV, I&FCD invites onbehalf of the President of India, onlinetender for the following work:NIT No. EE/CD-XIV/NIT/03/2020-21Item RateHOA: (Maintenance Flood)Name of work: Supply of TrunkingRadio sets on hiring basis for theflood season year 2020. Estimatedcost Rs. 6,72,582/- & EarnestMoney Rs. 13,452/- Period of com-pletion: Six (06) Months. Last date& time of submission of tender:upto 3:00 PM, on 05.05.2020.(Tender ID 2020_IFC_190269_1).Tender forms and other details can beobtained from the websitehttps://govtprocurement.delhi.gov.inDIP/Shabdarth/0017/20-21

IRRIGATION AND FLOODCONTROL DEPARTMENTGOVT. OF NCT OF DELHI

NOTICE INVITING e-TENDERSThe Executive Engineer, Civil DivisionNo. XIV, I&FCD invites on behalf ofthe President of India, online tenderfor the following work:NIT No. EE/CD-XIV/NIT/01/2020-21Percentage RateHOA: (Maintenance Flood)Name of work:- Extensive repair andrenovation of 34 Nos. AluminiumBoats of size 12’, 15’, 18’, 20’ & 25’long lying at Timarpur Store (Tilefactory) of I&FC department for theyear 2020. Estimated Cost Rs.12,36,490/- & Earnest Money Rs.24,730/- Period of completion: One(01) Month, Last date & time ofsubmission of tender: upto 3:00 PM,on 05.05.2020. (Tender ID2020_IFC_190267_1).Tender forms and other details can beobtained from the websitehttps://govtprocurement.delhi.gov.indip/Shabdarth/0016/20-21

New Delhi

AASHISHARYAN&PRANAVMUKULNEWDELHI, APRIL22

FACEBOOK’SPURCHASEofanearly10%stakeinRelianceIndustries’digitalbusinessunitJioPlatforms brings one of theworld’s largestInternet companies on the tablewith India’slargest telecomplayer. The $5.7-billiondeal,which valuesReliance’s digital operations ataround $66 billion, pushes the Indian con-glomerateahead in itsplansofde-leveragingitsbalancesheetwhileacceleratingthelaunchof itsnewcommercebusiness. Further, itnotonlymarks Facebook’s long-pending formalentry into India’s telecomsectorbutalsocat-apults it toaplaceamong thebiggest foreigninvestorsinIndia’stechnologyspace.

WhatdoesthedealmeanforRelianceIndustries?BackinAugust2019,whileaddressingthe

company’s shareholders at the annual gen-eralmeeting, Reliance Industries ChairmanMukeshAmbanihadsaidthegrouphadpre-paredaroadmapforbecomingazeronet-debtcompanywithin 18months. The Facebookdeal significantly contributes to that plan byparing about Rs 43,574 crore from its out-standingdebtasofSeptember2019ofRs2.92lakhcrore.Theotherprimarycontributorstothedebt-reductionplanwillbeapotential$15billion (aroundRs 1.05 lakh crore) dealwithSaudi Aramco for a 20% stake in Reliance

Industries’refiningandpetrochemicalsbusi-nessandRs7,000crore froma49%sale in itsfuel retail joint-venture to British firm BP.However,expertsbelievetheAramcodeal tobe under threat on account of the oil pricescrashcausedbytheCOVID-19outbreak.Besides the balance sheet de-leveraging,

thetimingofthedealwithFacebookissignif-icantforanotherreason:onlineplatformssell-ingessential goodshavesuddenlywitnessedanupsurgeindemand.Forexample,beforetheoutbreak, just 1%of theRs80,000-crore gro-cerymarket in Indiawas representedbyon-lineplayers. After the lockdown, onlineplat-formsstartedtoaccountfor50%ofthegrocerydemandinthecountrybysomeestimatesbe-foreitcorrected.“We’reoneof thefewindus-tries thathasgotmorethanenoughbusinessbutnot enough resources,” saidHariMenon,CEOof India’s largestonlinegrocerBigbasket.Expertshavesaidthearrangementamong

Reliance Retail, Jio Platforms and Facebook-ownedWhatsApptoofferconsumerstheabil-ity to access the nearest kiranas, or grocerystores,whichcanprovideproductsandserv-icestotheirhomesbytransactingwithJioMartusingWhatsApp, has comeat a very oppor-tunetime.WhatsAppboasts400millionusersin India.Further,usingWhatsApp’sbasealsoallowsRelianceRetail topromoteitsservicestousersof Jio’srival telecomplayers.

WhatdoesthedealmeanforFacebook?Facebookhasbeentryingforyearstogetits

fingerintheInternetpie.In2015,ithadexper-imentedwithFreeBasics,whichprovidedfreeaccesstobasic Internetservicesasapartner-shipwith service providers. However, criti-cisedforbeingawalledgarden,itsoonpulledout of the idea after differential pricingwasdisallowedbythetelecomsectorregulator.It had even looked at the possibility of

beaming free Internet from the air using asolar-powereddrone calledAquila, and en-abledlowcosthigh-speedWi-Fi insomere-mote parts of Indiawith an initiative called

ExpressWi-Fi. But data was expensive inthose times, and free access to the Internetwas envisioned as the easiest way to bringthenextbillionusersonline. Then, RelianceJiohappened. It launchedwithdata rates solowthattheybecametheindustrystandardin one of the largest onlinemarkets in theworld. Jio alone helped bring 388millionusers online, well over a third of whatFacebookhadplanned.ThepartnershipwithReliancecouldalso

helpFacebooknavigate the regulatoryenvi-

ronment in India, where it has had severalskirmisheswiththeauthorities,includingforitsmajor initiativessuchasWhatsAppPay.

Whatdoes itmeanfor India’s Internetecosystem?The deal also marks Facebook’s entry

among elite investors in India’s technologyspace, joiningthelikesofSoftBank,AmazonandGooglethathavetogetherpouredinbil-lions of dollars in Indian tech startups andtheir own ventures over the years. Prior to

JioPlatforms,Facebookhadinvestedaround$20-25millioninsocialcommerceplatformMeesho in 2019, and participated in a $110millionfundingroundforedu-techcompanyUnacademyearlier thisyear.The deal with Reliance also gives

Facebookaccesstothelatter’sbouquetofdig-ital apps. These include in-house apps suchas JioMoney, Jio TV, etc in addition to theyoung startups acquired by Reliance or itssubsidiaries across categories such as logis-tics,e-commerceandartificial intelligence.

Whatdoes itmeanforReliance’sdatalocalisationprinciples?InJanuarylastyear,speakingattheVibrant

Gujarat Summit, Ambani had stressed thatIndia’s data “must be controlled andownedby Indianpeople -andnotbycorporates, es-peciallyglobalcorporations”.“ForIndiatosuc-ceed in this data-driven revolution,wewillhavetomigratethecontrolandownershipofIndian data back to India - in otherwords,Indianwealth back to every Indian,” he hadsaid.WhilesomehaveraisedtheredflagoverFacebook’strack-recordondataprivacyissues,executives of both companies saidWednesdaythatdatasharingwasnotapartofthedeal.“Therewillbeareasthatwewillcol-laborate inbut therewill be areaswherewewillpotentiallynotagreewitheachother,”aJioofficial said. Facebook, on the other hand,maintained its stance in favour of an openecosystemfordatatoflowacrossboundaries.

11WWW.INDIANEXPRESS.COM

SHAJUPHILIPTHIRUVANANTHAPURAM,APRIL22

BY JANUARY30, the day India—andKerala—reporteditsfirstCOVID-19case,a23-year-oldmedicalstudentwhohadreturnedfromWuhan,asmanyas800personswithChinatravel history had already been kept underobservation inKerala.Kerala,whichhastodateseen437cases,

308 recoveries and two deaths, has consis-tentlystayedaheadofthecoronaviruscurve,with its70%recovery ratebeing thehighestinthecountry.Keralahassofartested20,821samples, also thehighest foranystate.Whatsetsitscontainmentstrategyapart?

Legacy of public healthMuch before Kerala became a separate

state in 1956, the region had seen severalpathbreakingpublichealthinterventions. In1879, theerstwhileTravancore rulersmadeaproclamationmakingvaccinationcompul-sory for public servants, prisoners and stu-dents. In1928,aparasite survey,done inas-sociationwith the Rockefeller Foundation,ledtothecontrolofhookwormandfilariasis.This communityhealth legacygot a fur-

therboostasthestate’sfocusonliteracyandwomen’s education helped it attain near100% vaccination levels and develop a cul-ture of personal hygiene. TheWorldHealthOrganization,inasurveyheldin12countriesin2005,foundthathand-washingwithsoapafter defecation had a prevalence of 34% inKerala, the highest among the states/coun-tries surveyed. Sowhen the state began its‘Break the Chain’ campaign during theCOVID-19 outbreak — to promote hand-washinganduseofsanitisers—itonlyservedto reiterate someof thosebestpractices.

Health infrastructureAcriticalfactorinKerala’sCOVID-19battle

hasbeenitsrobusthealthcaresystem,consid-eredonaparwith thoseofmanydevelopedcountries.InJune2019,KeralatoppedallstatesontheNITIAayog’sannualhealth indexwithanoverall scoreof74.01,morethan2½timesthatof theleast-performingstate,UP(28.61).Though Kerala has only been investing

5%of itstotalstateplanoutlayonhealthcare

—whichisalsoroughlythenationalaveragespendinginthesector—its focusonhealth-care at the level of Primary Health CentresandCommunityHealthCentreshasstooditin good stead. With the management ofthesecentresinthehandsof three-tier localbodies,manyofthesehavemoderndiagnos-ticfacilitiesandoffertele-medicineservices.The state’s private health sector, once

dominatedbytheChurch,hasgrownrapidlyinthelasttwodecades,mainlyonthebackofinvestmentfromNRIsandcorporatehealth-care groups. At present, Kerala has 142,924bedsinitshospitals,ofwhichtheprivatesec-toraccounts for93,042.

Focus on the front lineOn February 1, the state’s coronavirus

control cells laid out guidelines on testing,quarantine, hospital admission and dis-charge criteria — a living document that isregularlyupdated.

Until late January, the state did not haveany testing facility and throat swabs of sus-pected cases had to be sent to the NationalInstitute of Virology (NIV), Pune. But by thefirst week of February, NIV-Alappuzha gotsanction to conduct the tests. Over the lasttwomonths,Kerala’sCOVID-19testingfacil-itieshavegrownto13,tenofthoseinthegov-ernmentsector.Thestatealsosteppedupitsmedicalfacil-

ities,turningdefuncthospitalsintoCOVID-19facilities.Sofar,38governmenthospitalshavebeenconvertedintoCOVID-19hospitals,and800ventilatorsinpublichospitalsand1,578intheprivatesectorhavebeenidentified.

Lessons fromNipahWhilebroadlystickingtotheprotocolset

upbytheIndianCouncilofMedicalResearch(ICMR), Kerala put in place its rigorous sur-veillance network, one that had been fine-tuned to perfection during the outbreak of

theNipahvirus in2018and2019.Besidestracingcontactsofpositivecases,

Kerala strictly enforced 28 days of homequarantinealthoughthegeneral incubationperiodof thevirus is14days.FromearlyMarch, the state screened all

international passengers. Even if someonemanaged to skip airport screening, theywouldhavetodealwithvillagecommittees,who kept the health department informedabout fresh arrivals and ensured they re-mained indoors. In hotspots of KasaragodandKannurdistricts,somevillagepanchay-ats even launched call centres, connectingthosequarantinedwith theauthorities.Besides, route maps of positive cases,

drawn through GPS data, were released tohelppeopleself-reportif theysuspectedtheymighthavecomeincontactwithaninfectedperson.Geo-mappingof thoseunderobser-vationenabledbetter clustermanagement.Once flight operationswere suspended,

thestatefocusedoninter-stateroadandrailtravellers. Thosewho reached Kerala fromother states sinceMarch 8 - and their con-tacts -wereasked to isolate themselves. It’sthis strategythathelpedthestate rein in in-fections from participants of the TablighiJamaat event in Delhi.While several otherstatesstartedactingonlywhenpositivecasesfrom among the Tablighis were reported,Kerala had already placed around 217 suchpersonsunderobservation.Eventually,20ofthemtestedpositive.

Social, political participationDespite the largely bipolar nature of

Kerala’spolitics,almosttheentirestatewouldstay tuned towatch ChiefMinister PinarayiVijayanaddresshisdailypressbriefingsonthestate’stacklingof thesituation.WhileHealthMinister Shailaja holds dailymeetingswithdistrictmedical officers, the ChiefMinister’sOffice coordinateswith other departmentssuchaspolice, revenue, electricity, etc. Everyevening, theCMchairs a reviewmeeting at-tended by, among others, Dr B Ekbal, chair-manof theexpertcommitteeonCOVID-19.The KudumbashreeMission, the state’s

povertyeradicationandwomenempower-mentprogramme,hasbeenatthefrontlineswith volunteers pitching in tomakemasksand launchingcommunitykitchens.

What the Jio deal means for Reliance & FacebookSIMPLYPUTQUESTION&ANSWER

Facebook’spurchaseofnearly10%stakeinJiomarks itsentry in India, improvesReliance’sbalancesheet,allowseachcompanytogainfromtheother’s reach

Why India tightenedFDI rules, and whyit’s China that’s upsetPRABHARAGHAVANNEWDELHI, APRIL22

INDIARECENTLYreviseditsForeignDirectInvestment(FDI)policywiththeobjectiveofpreventing“opportunistictakeovers”offirms hit by the lockdown induced by theCOVID-19 outbreak. Themove has upsetChina, which has termed it a violation ofinternational trade principles (The IndianExpress, April 21). A lookat themove, andthe implications:

Whatwastheamendment?OnSaturday, thegovernmentsaidfirms

inneighbouringcountrieswantingtoinvestinIndiancompanieswouldfirstneeditsap-proval. An entity of a country that shares aland borderwith India can now invest infirms here “only under the Governmentroute”.Thisalsoappliesto“beneficial”own-ers—eveniftheinvestingcompanyisnotlo-catedinaneighbouringcountry,itwouldstillbesubjecttotheseconditionsif itsownerisacitizenorresidentofsuchacountry.While thenotedidnotnameanycoun-

try,analystsseetheamendmentsasaimedat possible Chinese investments. The deci-sion camedays after China’s central bank,thePeople’sBankofChina(PBoC)hadraiseditsshareholdinginHDFCtoover1percent.HDFC vice chairman andCEOKekiMistryhad said that PBoC had been an existingshareholder,owning0.8%asofMarch2019.China’s FDI has grown five-fold since

2014and, as of December2019, its cumu-lativeinvestmentinIndiaexceeded$8bil-lion — “far more” than investments byother countries that share borders withIndia, according to the Chinese govern-ment.ABrookingsIndiapaperpegstheto-tal current and planned Chinese invest-ment in Indiaatover$26billion.

WhatwasChina’s response?ChinahascalledforIndiatorevisethese

“discriminatorypractices”andtreatinvest-mentsfromdifferentcountriesequally.“TheadditionalbarrierssetbyIndiansideforin-vestors from specific countries violateWTO’s (WorldTradeOrganization)princi-ple of non-discrimination, and go againstthegeneraltrendof liberalizationandfacil-itation of trade and investment.More im-portantly, theydonot conformto thecon-sensusofG20leadersandtradeministerstorealizeafree,fair,non-discriminatory,trans-parent,predictableandstabletradeandin-vestment environment, and to keep ourmarkets open,” said Ji Rong, spokespersonfor theChineseEmbassy in India.

What is India’sargument?Indiamaintainsthepolicyisnotaimedat

anyonecountryandthatthemoveisaimedat curbing “opportunistic” takeovers ofIndianfirms,manyofwhichareunderstrain.“The amendments are not prohibiting

investments.(Wehave)justchangedtheap-provalroutefortheseinvestments.Therearemanysectors in India that arealready sub-jecttothisapprovalroute,”aseniorgovern-ment official had said, adding that “many”othercountriesweretakingsuchmeasures.

Whathaveothercountriesdone?Before India, the European Union and

Australia had initiated similarmeasures.These, again, were seen as being targeted

atChinese investments.On March 25, the European

Commissionissuedguidelinestoensure“astrong EU-wide approach” to foreign in-vestmentscreeningatsuchatime.TheaimwastopreserveEUcompaniesandcriticalassets,notablyinareaslikehealth,medicalresearch, biotechnology and infrastruc-tures essential for security and public or-der,withoutunderminingtheEU’sgeneralopenness to foreign investment.On March 30, Australia temporarily

tightened rules on foreign takeovers overconcernsthatstrategicassetscouldbesoldoff cheaply. This followedwarnings thatdistressedAustraliancompaniesintheavi-ation, freight andhealth sectors couldbe-come vulnerable to buyouts by state-owned enterprises, especially China. Allforeign takeover and investment propos-als will now be scrutinised by Australia’sforeign investment reviewboard.Spain, Italy and theUS toohave imple-

mentedinvestment-relatedrestrictions,ac-cordingtoKhaitan&CopartnerAtulPandey.

Is thereanygroundfortheargumentthat India’smoveisdiscriminatory?Someexpertsnotethattheamendments

applyonlytoborderingcountries.“Now,therearedifferentsetsof procedures for thesamesetof investmentsbasedonwhichcountrythecompanyisinvestingfrom.Thisiswherethepotential issueof discriminationarises,”saidatradeexpertonconditionofanonymity.“WhileIndiacandiscriminateinfavourofdo-mesticinvestment,discriminationagainstcer-taincountries fornon-security reasonsmaynotbeseenfavourablyontheglobalstage.”Therecouldalsobeapotentialviolation

ofnon-discriminatoryobligationsundertheGeneral AgreementonTrade in Services, ifthe sectors concerned involve services, theexpertsaid.“Mostoftheothercountriesthathavetightenedtheirinvestmentregulationshave done so unanimously,whichmeansthatitwouldapplytoallcountries.”

HasIndiadonethisbefore?Themovetoimposeadditionalrequire-

ments for certain countries is seeminglyunprecedented. So far, India has imposedsuchmeasuresoninvestmentsintocertainsectors, according to legal experts.For instance,while FDI in pharmaceu-

ticals had been allowed under the auto-maticrouteuntil2011,thegovernmenthadmandated approval for any investmentcomingintothesectorfromNovemberthatyear,saidPandeyofKhaitan&Co.“Thishadhappened after the government wasalerted to intentions by certain overseasfirms to increase investments in India’spharmaceuticalindustrywithanintentiontopotentiallytakeovertheseentities.Thisdecisionwastakenwithnationalhealthse-curity inmind.After thenewgovernmentwas elected in 2014, the policywas liber-alised,butevennowinvestmentisonlyal-lowed up to 74 per cent under the auto-matic route,”headded.In2010, thegovernmentbannedFDI in

cigarettemanufacturing following recentannouncements by Japan Tobacco that itwouldincreasestakeinitsIndiansubsidiaryto74percentfrom50percent,accordingtoSingh andAssociates senior partnerDaizyChawla. In the past, India has also blockedcertain FDI investments during bilateralstandoffswithChina,accordingtoPandey.

Behind containment in Kerala: robusthealthcare system, effective strategies

E EXPLAINEDTHEINDIANEXPRESS,THURSDAY,APRIL23,2020

TOP 10STATES

INDIA COUNT: 20,471 (652 DEATHS)

5,221Maharashtra

1,596 Tamil Nadu

1,801 Rajasthan

945Telangana

1,592MP

1,412 UP

2,156 Delhi

2,272Gujarat

427 Kerala

Have a question on the COVID-19 outbreak andwhat you should/should not do?Write to explained@indianexpress.com

813 Andhra Pradesh

CORONAVIRUSOUTBREAKDAILYCOUNTOFDEATHS, INFECTIONS

85,996Iran

187,327Italy

149,044Germany

134,635United Kingdom

159,315France

208,389Spain

57,999Russia

830,789US

83,868China

95,591Turkey

TOTAL CONFIRMED:2,603,147 DEATHCOUNT: 179,778Source: JohnsHopkinsUniversity,updatedat11pmonApril 21

RESTOFINDIAAndamanandNicobarIslands 17ArunachalPradesh 1Assam 35Bihar 126Chandigarh 27Chhattisgarh 36Goa 7Haryana 254HimachalPradesh 39JammuandKashmir 380Jharkhand# 45Karnataka 425Ladakh 18Manipur 2Meghalaya 12Mizoram 1Odisha 82Puducherry 7Punjab 251Tripura 2Uttarakhand 46WestBengal 423

UnionHealthMinistryupdateasof11pm,April22.Somestatesmayhavereportedhighernumbers.Onlystateswiththemostcasesarelistedabove.

3,960PATIENTSDISCHARGEDIN29STATESACROSSTHECOUNTRY

500

450

400

350

300

250

200

150

100

50

0

March22

March23

March24

March25

March26

March27

March28

March29

March30

March31

April01

April02

April03

April04

April05

April06

April07

April08

April09

April10

April11

April12

April13

April14

April15

April16

April17

April18

April19

April20

April21

April22

59 recovered2deaths

266activecases

327confirmed

194

138activecases

375395confirmed

179recovered

2deaths

255recovered

2deaths

■Confirmedcases■Activecases

CCOONNFFIIRRMMEEDD:: 437 (untilApril22)RREECCOOVVEERREEDD::308DDEEAATTHHSS::2(March28,April 1)CCUURRRREENNTTAACCTTIIVVEECCAASSEESS:: 127

HOW CURVE FOR ACTIVE CASES DIPPED IN KERALA

Reliance IndustriesChairmanMukeshAmbaniandwifeNeetaAmbani inMumbai; (right)Facebookco-founderMarkZuckerbergduringavisit to India.

@ieExplained#ExpressExplainedIf there are questions of current or contemporary relevance that youwould likeexplained, pleasewrite to explained@indianexpress.com

Dailycumulativecounts forconfirmedcasesandactivecasesover1month.Onanyday, thegapbetweenthetwocurves (shaded)represents thesumtotalof recoveriesanddeaths.Datasource:GovernmentofKerala

APFile

ExpressArchive

New Delhi

12THEINDIANEXPRESS,THURSDAY,APRIL23,2020

THEOUTBREAK TheWorld

WWW.INDIANEXPRESS.COM

PAKISTAN

ImrantestsnegativeforcoronavirusIslamabad: PakistanPrime Minister ImranKhanwastestednegativefor thenovelcoronavirusonWednesday, his aidesaid,asthenumberoftheCOVID-29 cases crossed10,000 in the country.Khan, 67, agreed for thetest after Faisal Edhi, thesonof latephilanthropistAbdul Sattar Edhi andchairman of the EdhiFoundation, who methimlastweektestedpos-itive for the coronavirus."Iamhappytoreportthathis test is NEGATIVE,”government's chiefspokesperson FirdousAshiq Awan tweeted.Awan said the family ofthe PrimeMinister hadalready testednegative.

ImranKhan

PANDEMICWATCH

NEPAL

Indiagifts23tonnesofmedicineKathmandu: India onWednesday gifted 23tonnesofessentialmedi-cinestoNepal.Indianam-bassador Vinay MohanQuatra handed over themedicines to Nepal'sMinister of Health andpopulationBhabubhaktaDhakal. A tweet by theIndian embassy said ,“The consignment, as agift from the people ofIndia to the people ofNepal, includes8.25 lakhdosage of critical medi-cines”. The Nepal armyhas also initiated pur-chaseofmedicinesworthRs 15 million from anIndian public sector un-dertakingbody.

SINGAPORE

Over1,000foreignworkerstestpositiveSingapore: Over 1,000foreignworkers, includ-ing Indian nationals,testedpositiveforcoron-avirus in Singapore onWednesday, taking thetotal number of infec-tionsto10,141,asthecity-state battles a secondwave of contagion. The"vast majority" of thenew cases arework per-mit holders residing inforeignworker dormito-ries, the Ministry ofHealth (MOH) said in itspreliminary release offigures.More than 1,000foreignworkers, includ-ing Indian nationals, areamong1,016newCOVID-19 cases confirmed inSingapore Wednesdaynoon, according to offi-cial figures.

BUSINESSGROUPS’FURYoverblanketban ledtochangeof tack

NONEWGREENCARDStobe issuedbyUSfor60days

PRESIDENTLEAVESDOOROPENformorerestrictiveorder in future

MICHAELDSHEAR,ZOLANKANNO-YOUNGS&CAITLINDICKERSONWASHINGTON,APRIL22

PRESIDENTDONALDTrumpsaidonTuesdaythathewouldorderatemporaryhaltinissuinggreencardstopreventpeoplefromim-migrating to the United States,but he backed away fromplansto suspend guest worker pro-gramsafterbusinessgroupsex-ploded in anger at the threat oflosingaccess to foreign labour.Trump, whose administra-

tion has faced intense criticismin recent months for his han-dling of the coronavirus crisis,abruptly sought to change thesubjectTuesdaynightbyresum-ing his assault on immigration,which animated his 2016 cam-paign and became one of thedefiningissuesofhispresidency.He cast his decision to “sus-

pendimmigration,”whichhefirstannounced onTwitterMondaynight, as a move to protectAmericanjobs.ButitcomesastheUnitedStates economysheds itswork force at a record rate andwhenfewemployersarereachingoutforworkersathomeorabroad.More than22millionAmericanshave lost their jobs in the eco-

nomicdevastationcausedby thevirusandeffortstocontainit.Trump said that his order

wouldinitiallybeineffectfor60days,butthathemightextendit“based on economic conditionsatthetime.”“Wecandothatatalittle bit different time if wewant,” he saidof a secondexec-utiveorderthatcouldfurtherre-strict immigration.Whilenumerousstudieshave

concluded that immigrationhasan overall positive effect on theAmericanwork force andwagesforworkers, Trump ignored thatresearchonTuesday.

“Bypausing immigration,wewill help put unemployedAmericans first in line for jobs asAmerica reopens. So important,”the president said. “Itwould bewrongandunjust forAmericanslaidoffbythevirustobereplacedwithnewimmigrantlabourflowninfromabroad.”Lawyers at the Justice

Departmentwere still studyingwhetherthepresidenthadthele-gal authority tounilaterally sus-pendtheissuanceofgreencards,an order that caught officials offguard,asperpeoplewithknowl-edgeof theannouncement.NYT

USPresidentDonaldTrumpatatask forcebriefingat theWhiteHouse inWashington.Reuters

WHEN EARTH DAY MEETS COVIDMembersof theEnvironmentalHealthCitizens’AssociationofKoreawearmasksrepresentingvirusesduringanevent tocelebrate the50thanniversaryofEarthDayatGwanghwamunSquare inSeoul, SouthKorea,onWednesday. AP

GUYFAULCONBRIDGE&ESTELLESHIRBONLONDON,APRIL22

BRITISH PRIMEMinister BorisJohnson onWednesday faced acall for an inquiry into his gov-ernment’shandlingof thecoro-naviruscrisisafterfailingtofullyexplain partial death data, lim-ited testingor the lackof equip-ment forhospitals.TheBritishgovernmentsays

759morepeoplehavediedinUKhospitals, taking the total to18,100.The government has given

conflicting explanations ofwhyitfailedtojoinaEuropeanUnionventilatorschemeandadmittedthere have been problems get-tinghealthworkersenoughpro-tectiveequipment.“Once we are through this

crisis, therewill of course needtobean independent inquiry to

officially review the govern-ment’s response to the pan-demic,” Ed Davey, acting leaderof theLiberalDemocrats, said.“The inquirymust have the

strongestpossiblepowersgiventhe shocking failures onprotec-tive equipment for staff and theslow response of the govern-ment - to get to the truth and togiveBoris Johnsontheopportu-nity to answer the increasinglyseriousquestions.” REUTERS

PRESSTRUSTOFINDIACOLOMBO,APRIL22

THE HEALTH authorities in SriLankahaveincreasedtestingforthe coronavirus in the denselypopulatedslumshereafterover1,000 peoplewere quarantinedfollowing one positive case inoneof theshanties.With 12newcases reported

onWednesday,thetotalnumberof COVID-19 infections reached323inthecountry.Sevenpeoplehave died so far of the disease,while105have recovered.“Wehaveincreasedconduct-

ing PCR tests on people fromthose areas,” Anil Jasinghe,Director of General Health

Services said.Themove comes after over

1,000peopleweresentforquar-antinefollowingthediscoveryofone positive case atBandaranaikeRoadarea in cen-tralColombo.Jasinghe said that over 500

vendors at the wholesale fishmarketwerealsosubject toPCRtests due to the threat of com-munity transmission. A fish re-tailerwhoisaCOVID-19positivehadvisited themarket recently,Jasinghesaid.Police have issued new

guidelines for mobile traderswho visit residential areas forservicesduring the lockdown.They have to be adequately

protected,police said.

ASSOCIATEDPRESSTEHRAN,APRIL22

IRAN’SREVOLUTIONARYGuardsaid it put the IslamicRepublic’sfirstmilitary satellite into orbit,dramatically unveilingwhat ex-pertsdescribedas a secret spaceprogramwith a surprise launchWednesdaythatcameamidwidertensionswiththeUnitedStates.Therewasno immediate in-

dependent confirmation of thelaunchofthesatellite,whichtheGuardcalled“Noor,”orlight.TheU.S.StateDepartmentandIsraeliofficialsdidnotimmediatelyre-spond to requests for commentwhile the Pentagon said it “willcontinue to closely monitorIran’s pursuit of viable space

launchtechnology.”However, such a launch im-

mediatelyraisedconcernsamongexperts onwhether the technol-ogyusedcouldhelpIrandevelopintercontinentalballisticmissiles.Already, Iranhasabandoned

all the limitation of its tatterednucleardealwithworldpowersthat President Donald Trumpunilaterally withdrewAmericafrom in 2018. Trump’s decisionsetoffamonthslongseriesofes-calatingattacksthatculminated

in a US drone strike in Januarythat killed a top Iranian generalin Iraq, followed by Tehranlaunching ballistic missiles atAmericansoldiers in Iraq.As the world grapples with

the coronavirus pandemic andhistorically low oil prices, themissilelaunchmaysignalanewwillingness to takerisksby Iran.US Army Major Rob

Lodewick, a Pentagonspokesman, told the AP thatAmerican officials continue tomonitor Iran’sprogram.“WhileTehrandoesnotcur-

rently have intercontinentalballistic missiles (ICBMs), itsdesire to have a strategiccounter to the United Statescould drive it to develop anICBM,” Lodewick said.

PATRICKKINGSLEYMOLLEHUSVEJBORDERCROSSING,APRIL22

SHE DRIVES from the Danishside, inherToyotaYaris.He cycles from the German

side, onhiselectricbike.Shebringsthecoffeeandthe

table, he the chairs and theschnapps.Thentheysitdownoneither side of the border, a yardor twoapart.And that ishowtwooctoge-

narianlovershavekepttheir ro-mance alive despite the closure

of the border that falls betweenhis home in the very north ofGermany and hers in the verysouthofDenmark.Every day since the police

shuttheborder,KarstenTüchsenHansen, an 89-year-old retiredfarmer, and IngaRasmussen, an85-year-oldformercaterer,havemet at theMollehusvej bordercrossing to chat, joke anddrink,whilemaintainingamodicumofsocialdistance.We’re here because of love,”

saidTüchsenHansen,whenIvis-itedthemlastweek.“Loveisthebest thing in theworld.”

Then he poured anotherglassof schnapps.The couple’s unlikely ro-

mance began in Denmark twosummers ago, in slightly lesssentimental fashion.TüchsenHansen, carrying a

grandbouquetofflowers,wasonhiswaytodropinunannouncedon another elderly Danishwidowhe’dknown fordecades.Butbeforehereachedherhouse,hemetRasmussen.Rather taken, he decided

against visiting the firstwoman.Instead,TüchsenHansen impul-sively gave the flowers to

Rasmussen.Heinvitedhertodin-nerinGermanyandthepairsoongrewclose,muchtothesurpriseofRasmussen’sthreedaughters.Their happy routine came to

anabrupthaltonMarch13,whenthe Danish government an-nounced itwould close its bor-ders the next day to all but peo-pletravellingforwork.Frightenedshewould be locked out of herhomeland, Rasmussen hurriedback toherhouse inDenmark, a15-minutedriveaway.Neither knewwhen they’d

nexthold theother’shand.Butthentheyhatchedaplan.

On a quiet lane that windsthrough the flat farmland be-tween their two homes, a fewhundred meters from whereTüchsen Hansenwas born, thepolice blocked the road onlywith a flimsy plastic barrier. It’sabout halfway between theirtwo homes, so Rasmussen andTüchsenHansenhavemetthereforapicniceveryafternoonsincetheshutdown,usuallyat3pm.Ingentledeferencetomedical

advice, theytry toavoidphysicalcontact. “Theworst thing iswecan’t embrace each other,”TüchsenHansen said. “We can’t

kiss.Wecan’tmakelove.”The Danish mayor of a

nearby town, Henrik Frandsen,firstnoticedthecouple’sroutine.Cycling along the border 10

daysafteritwasclosed,Frandsenstruck up a conversation withthem.Touchedbytheirstory,helaterpostedapictureofthemonFacebook.Within days, they had be-

comeregionalcelebrities,thefo-cus of several reports in localnewspapersandradiostations.“Ithinkitbringspeoplesome

hope, a little bit of light in thedarkness,” saidFrandsen. NYT

KarstenTüchsenHansen(89)andIngaRasmussen(85). NYT

‘I THINK IT BRINGS PEOPLE SOME HOPE, A LITTLE BIT OF LIGHT IN THE DARKNESS’

Closed border can’t stop elderly couple: ‘Love is the best thing in the world’

Iran launches first military satelliteDESTROYGUNBOATSHARASSINGU.S. SHIPS: TRUMP

Washington: US PresidentDonald Trump said onWednesday he had orderedthe United Statesmilitary toattackanddestroyanyIranianvessel that harasses US Navyships."I have instructed the

United States Navy to shootdownanddestroyanyandall

Iraniangunboatsif theyharassour ships at sea," Trump saidonTwitter.Theorder cameoneweek

after 11 small armed IranianRevolutionary Guards Corpsspeedboats swarmedaroundUS Navy and Coast Guardships in international watersin thenorthernGulf.AFP

Lanka intensifies Covidtesting in Colombo slums

Boris Johnson

UK PM under fire overhandling of virus crisisas deaths cross 18,000

Trump threatens to end tradedeal if China does not honour itLALITKJHAWASHINGTON,APRIL22

US PRESIDENT Donald TrumphasthreatenedtoterminatethetradedealwithChina if Beijingdidnothonour itsprovisions inthe wake of the coronaviruspandemicthatoriginated inthecountry.While China has reported

82,788novel coronavirus cases,including 4,632 fatalities, theUnited States registered over824,600 cases and more than45,290 deaths —the highest intheworld.ChinaandtheUS in January

signed Phase-1 of the tradedealas theworld's twotopeco-nomicpowersmoveforwardtoend their bitter tit-for-tat two-year tariff war that had rattledmarkets and weighed on theglobal economy.The deal, which calls on

China tobuy$200billionworthof US products, is set to moveaheadasplanned.However, the

US-ChinaEconomicandSecurityReviewCommission in a reportsaidChinacouldinvokeaclauseintheagreementthatallowsforfresh trade consultations be-tween the twocountries "in theevent of a natural disaster orotherunforeseeableevent"."If that happens, we'll do a

terminationandwe'll dowhat Ican do better than anybody,"TrumptoldreportersonTuesdayduring his daily White House

pressconferenceoncoronavirus.The presidentwas respond-

ing to aquestionas tohowcon-fident he is that theChinese arenot going to invoke the naturaldisasterclausementionedinthetradedeal."There is nobody ever been

tougher on China than me,"Trump said, reiterating thatChina had been ripping the USoff foryearstillhewaselectedasthepresident. PTI

MISSOURIBECAME thefirstUSstate tosuetheChinesegovernmentoveritshandlingof coronavirusandtheeconomic losses

ACHINESE foreignministryspokesmandismissedtheaccusationas‘nothingshortofabsurdity’andlackingfactualorlegalbasis

THECIVIL lawsuit, filedinfederalcourt,saysMissourisufferedtensofbillionsofdollarsindamages,andseekscashcompensation

ASTATEMENTbytheAttorneyGeneralread, ‘TheChinesegovernmentliedtotheworld... silencedwhistleblowers...’

U.S. STATESUESCHINAOVERCOVID LOSSESE●EX

PLAINED

THE DECISION to allowguestworkervisasisseenas a concession to busi-ness groups,whichwereup in arms over theprospect of a full immi-grationban.Aspecificre-frain was about farmworkers, ofwhich immi-grantsmakeupaconsid-erablenumber.Excludingthemcouldaddpressureto an already strugglingindustry, said experts.However,while the con-cessionwill please busi-ness groups, analystssuggested the movecoulddamageTrumppo-litically,asanti-immigra-tion activists are seen asa significant part of hisvoterbase.

Mixedresponsetothestepback

Trump backs off broad immigration ban

GABRIELABACZYNSKABRUSSELS,APRIL22

IT MAY take European Unioncountries until the summer orevenlongertoagreeonhowex-actly to finance aid to helpeconomies recover from thecoronaviruspandemic asmajordisagreementspersist,ablocof-ficial saidonWednesday.AsummitonThursday isex-

pected to produce only a broadagreementtousetheEU’s2021-27jointbudgettohelpkick-startgrowth. The bloc’s 27 nationalleaders should also rubber-stamp500billioneurosofrescuemeasureseffective fromJune.“Myhopeistomakeprogress

inJune, July,”saidtheEUofficial,whoisinvolvedinpreparingtheleaders’ summit.But a final deal might take

even longer: “Political lines aremoving ... but it will take time,”theofficial stressed.Wealthy,fiscallyconservative

countries likeGermany, Austria,Denmark, Sweden, Finland andthe Netherlands have rejectedcallsbyailingsoutherneconomies—ledbyItaly,FranceandSpain—toselljoint“coronabonds”toraisefundstorestartgrowth.The official said there was

still “real reluctance” in somemember states to back theCommission’s recovery fundproposal. REUTERS

Disagreementspush back EUrecovery dealby months

EUCommissionpresidentUrsulavonderLeyen

New Delhi

13SENSEX: 31,379.55 ▲ 742.84 NIFTY: 9,187.30 ▲ 205.85 NIKKEI: 19,137.95 ▼ 142.83 HANG SENG: 23,893.36 ▲ 99.81 FTSE: 5,758.77▲ 117.74 DAX: 10,376.19 ▲ 126.34

THEINDIANEXPRESS,THURSDAY,APRIL23,2020

ECONOMYWWW.INDIANEXPRESS.COM

GOLD`41,705

RUPEE`76.68

OIL$26.15

SILVER`38,100

Note:Spotgoldmarketsshutdueto lockdowninmajorstates. *IndianbasketasonMarch19,2020

Internationalmarketdatatill1900ISTs

SANDEEPSINGH&PRANAVMUKULNEWDELHI,APRIL22

EVENAS its profits and cash re-serves have been growing overtheyears,abigoverhangforRelia-nce Industries (RIL) has been asharpriseinitsgrossandnetdebt.Thegroup saw its net debtmorethandoublefromRs76,388croreinMarch2015toRs1,57,236crorebytheendofSeptember2019.Whiletheproposeddealwith

SaudiAramco to sell 20per centstake in RIL and the agreementwithBrookfield todivest stake initstelecomtowersareinthewor-ks,Wednesday’s announcementofsaleof9.99percentstakeinJioPlatforms Ltd to Facebook for aconsiderationof$5.7billion(overRs43,000crore)cameasashotinthe arm for the group that hasbeenlookingtoreduceitsdebt.

Shareprice of RIL jumpedby12percentonWednesday,beforeclosingatRs1,363pershare,withagainof10.3percent.A report byMorgan Stanley,

whichactedasthefinancialadvi-sor toRILandJioPlatformsLtd inrelation to the investment byFacebook Inc, said that the stakesalewill “lowerRIL’s net debt by

12 per cent and be 1.5 per centearnings accretive. It could alsodrive amultiple re-rating as RILmultiples have previously re-rated30per centduringbalancesheetdeleveragingcycles.”Italsosaidthatifallassetmon-

etisationplans includingholdingsin energy, telecomand contentbusinesseswere to be consum-

mated, “weestimatepotential tolowerRIL’snetdebtandliabilitiesby80percent, i.e.by$39billion”.Edelweiss, in itsreportonthe

JioPlatforms-Facebookdeal,said,“ThetransactionallaystheStreet’sconcernonRIL’s leverageandin-stilsconfidenceinmanagement’stargettoachievezeronetdebtbyFY21.SynergiesduetoRIL’spart-nership with Facebook are aknownunknownandcandriveasignificantre-ratingforthestock.”There are somewhosay that

RIL chairmanMukesh Ambanihasbeenworkingtowardsastrat-egythatwillnotonlybringdownthegroup leveldebtsignificantlybutwill also insulate his enter-prisesfromanumberofperceivedrisks.WhileFacebook’sstakepur-chaseinJioPlatformshasbeenan-nounced, sources say that SaudiAramcoiscurrentlydoingitsduediligence to pick up 20 per centstake inRIL’s refining andpetro-

chemicalsbusiness.There are somewhosay that

RIL group is also working onbringingalargestrategicinvestorinitsretailbusinesstoo.Aninvest-mentbanker,whodidnotwishtobe named, said that RIL groupseemstobeworkingtowardssaf-eguardingAmbani’s enterprise’sinterestagainstanyriskgoingfor-wardbybringing in large strate-gicplayersintohisbusinesses.“Onceyouhavebuiltabigen-

terpriseandthebusinessreachesitsmaturity, it isgoodtoencashabitandalsoseethat thebusinesscontinueswithoutanyhasslego-ing forward by roping in a largestrategic investor. ThedealwithAramcowilljustensurethatalongwithproviding itwithcashtore-tire somedebt.” Thebanker saidthedealwillbeawin-winforbothpartnersandatthistimeAramconeedsRILmuchmoreanditwon’tfindabetterpartneraround.

NETDEBTMORETHANDOUBLEDBETWEENMAR2015ANDSEPT2019

ENSECONOMICBUREAUNEWDELHI,APRIL22

INANOTHER set of FAQs on theVivadseVishwasdisputeresolu-tionscheme,theCentralBoardofDirect Taxes (CBDT) onWednesdayclarifiedthatentitiesagainstwhomnoticehasbeenis-suedwithout prosecutionbeinginstitutedcanavailthescheme.Incaseswhereprosecutionhasbeeninstitutedforanassessmentyear,the prosecutionwill have to becompoundedbefore filingdecla-rationunderthescheme,itsaid.TheCBDThad,onMarch4,is-

sued a detailed FAQs on thescheme. In itsWednesday circu-lar, thedepartmenthasmodifiedtheanswertoaquestionpertain-ing to prosecution caseswith aviewto“reflectthecorrect intentof law”.“Ithasnowbeenclarifiedthatwhereonlynotice for initia-tion of prosecution has been is-suedwithout prosecutionbeinginstituted, theassessee iseligibleto filedeclarationunderVivadseViswas,”theCBDTsaid.IntheMarch4FAQs,theCBDT

saidthatwherenotice for initiat-ionofprosecutionhasbeenissued

with reference to taxarrears, thetaxpayerhas a choice to compo-undtheoffenceandoptforVivadseVishwas.However,theschemewillnotcovercaseswhereprose-cutionhasalreadybeeninstitutedandispendinginthecourt.“This circular clarifies that

wherenoticeforinitiationofpros-ecutionhasbeen issuedwithoutprosecutionproceedingsbeingin-stituted,theassesseewouldbeeli-gibletofiledeclarationunderViv-adseVishwas,”NangiaAndersenLLPdirector Sandeep Jhunjhun-wala said. Consulting firmAKMGlobal tax partnerAmitMahes-hwarisaidthatearlier,therewasalack of clarity on applying forVivad seVishwas schemewhenprosecution proceedings hadbeeninitiatedandinstituted.In theUnionBudget2020-21,

the Centre had announced theVivadSeVishwas.Incaseswherea taxpayer’s appeals arependingbefore appellate forums, highcourtsandtheSupremeCourt,hewill have theoption to settle thedispute on payment of 100 percent tax (125 per cent in searchcases)andgetcompletewaiverofinterestandpenalty ifhepaysbyJune30.

COVID-19:EPFO settles6.06 lakh claims,pays out `1.9K crin last 15 days

ENSECONOMICBUREAUMUMBAI,APRIL22

THE BENCHMARK Sensex onWednesday rallied by 2.42 percent,aidedbythe10.3percentral-lyinRelianceIndustries(RIL)whi-chsignedadealwithFacebookforthe sale of 9.99per cent stake inRIL’s subsidiary Jio Platforms forRs43,547crore($5.7billion).The 30-share Sensex rose

742.84points to31,379.55,whilethe NSE Nifty jumped 205.85points,or2.29percent,to9,187.30.The rupee,meanwhile, hit 76.91atday’slowbeforeclosing15paise

upat76.68againsttheUSdollar.Meanwhile,Brentcrudeoilre-

boundedfromtwodaysof lossesand US futures surged onWednesday, bolsteredby tenta-tivediscussionsofadditionalsup-plycutsfromOPECproducersandUSinventorybuildsthatwerelessdire thansomeanticipated.Asof1720GMT,Brentwasup$1.54,or8percent,at$20.87abarrel.Intra-day,ithadfallento$15.98,itslow-estsinceJune1999.USWTIcrudefutures for June delivery rose$3.09,or26.7percent,to$14.66abarrel.OnMonday,USfutureshadclosedatarecordminus$37.63abarrel.WITHREUTERS

AASHISHARYANNEWDELHI,APRIL22

BRUSHINGASIDE privacy con-cerns, fooddelivery appZomatofounder Deepinder Goyal onWednesdaysaidhiscompanywasmakingitmandatoryforitsdeliv-erypartnerstoinstallthegovern-ment’s contact tracingappAaro-gyaSetuandkeepitrunninginthebackgroundbeforeallowingthemtologintotheirownprofiles.“Wehavemadesurethatthey

(deliverypartners)canonlyloginto their ZomatoDeliveryPartnerappiftheirphonehastheAarogyaSetuappinstalled,andisrunningasabackgroundprocessontheirphone,”GoyalsaidonTwitter.OnApril15,adeliverypartner

of the companyhad testedposi-tive for COVID-19, followingwhichZomatoissuedastatementsaying that all thehouseswhichthepersonhadvisitedwith foodandgroceryordersinthepastfewdayswere being kept under ob-servationbytheauthorities.Zomato’sdecisiontomakethe

installation of Aarogya Setumandatory for its delivery part-ners comesevenasexpertshaveraised several questions on theapp’s privacypolicy andefficacy.Whilelegalexpertsareoftheviewthatthereisneedforfurtherclar-ity onhow thedata collectedbytheappisstoredandusedbythegovernment, cybersecurity ex-perts doubted theefficacyof theapplicationitself.Someexpertsalsosaidtheapp

wouldbeusefulintruesenseonlyif IndiaconductsenoughCOVID-19tests.“For the app to work effi-

ciently, certain conditions are tobe fulfilled. The first one is that agoodnumber of tests have to beperformed across the country.Andthesepatientsoughttohaveasmartphonewith theapp,onlythen can a cluster be formed forbiggerinter-mobilecommunica-tion,”aChennai-basedindepend-entcybersecurityexperthadtoldTheIndianExpress.Apart from its delivery part-

ners, Zomatoalsourged itsuserstodownloadtheapp,whichitsaidwould“goalongwayincontain-ingthespreadofCOVID-19”.“Wealsoencourageouruserstodown-load theAarogya Setu app. I amawareof theallegedprivacycon-cernsthatsomeofushaveagainstusing the app. But even if theseconcernswerewell-founded,itisa small cost topay for thesakeofthe collective long term,” apressstatement sent by the company,andattributedtoGoyal,said.Household services firm

UrbanClap, now rechristenedUrbanCompany,alsosaidthatallitspartnerssuchasairconditionerrepairmen,electricians,plumbers,amongothers,wouldnowhavetomandatorily install the app ontheir phones and show it to theuserthattheywereCOVID-19freewhen theywent to their homesforprovidinganyservice.

ENSECONOMICBUREAUNEWDELHI,APRIL22

THEEMPLOYEES’ProvidentFundOrganisation (EPFO)hasproces-sed6.06 lakhclaimsanddisbur-sed an amount of Rs 1,954 crorein last15days in theonline facil-ity to allowwithdrawal not ex-ceeding the basic wages anddearness allowances for threemonthsorupto75percentoftheamount standing to amember’scredit in the EPF account,whichever is less, in thewakeoftheCOVID-19pandemic.Including settlement of clai-

ms, the total disbursal in last 15days is Rs3,600.85 crorebypro-cessing 10.02 lakh claims, aLabourMinistry statement said,addingthat90percentofclaimshavebeensettled inthreework-ingdays.In addition, Rs 481.63 crore

havebeendistributedby theex-empted PF trusts to 40,826 sub-scribersunderthisscheme,itsaid.Theschemeallowingadvance

withdrawal was notified onMarch 27 and the online facilitywaslaunchedonMarch29.

ENSECONOMICBUREAUNEWDELHI,APRIL22

THEGOVERNMENTwill under-take labour reforms in abigwayin the comingmonths and therewillbenohurdlesforthem,Labo-ur SecretaryHeeralal SamariyasaidWednesday.HealsoruledoutappropriatingfundsoftheEmplo-yees’StateInsuranceCorporation(ESIC) for payment of wages toworkersor toemployers tomeettheir salary bill amid the lock-downtocounterthepandemic.On the concerns raised by

some industry representativesabout punitive action againstthemif theirworkersgetCOVID-19, Samariya saidno criminalityshouldbeassociatedwiththisandassured them of taking up thematteratthehighestlevel.“ESIC (fund) ismoney of the

insuredpersons and employerswhoare contributing (to this so-cial security scheme). It alreadyhasaprovisionthatifanemployeeis unemployed, then25per centofwagescanbepaid...butdivert-ingmoney(of theESIC) tosome-bodyelse or paying thewages isnot at all advisable becausewewant to reduce the contribution

furthersothatit(ESIscheme)canrun in betterway in future,” hesaidduring awebinar organisedbyindustrychamberFicci.At present, anemployer con-

tributes 3.25 per cent and em-ployee contributes 0.75per centofgrosssalarytowardsESI.Aboutlabourreforms,hesaid

theParliamentaryStandingCom-mitteeonLabourhasgivenitsre-port on the Code on IndustrialRelationsand itwouldsoonsub-mitareportontheCodeonSocialSecurity. TheCentrehasalsocol-lected data of migrantworkersfrom states aswell as districts.“Weareworking towardsmeas-urestogivethememploymentaswellasrelief,”Samariyasaid.Headdedthathewill takeup

thestimulusfortheprivatesectortomeetwages,addingthatdedi-cated transport forworkers is amust and the economyneeds tomove as it is difficult to survivewithzeroincome.

Labour Secy: DivertingESIC money, using it topay wages not advisable

BRIEFLYIGSTrefunds:ExportersgetextensionNewDelhi:Thegovernmenthas extended the alternatemechanism facility for ex-porters to claim IGST re-funds in cases ofmismatchininvoicenumberinGSTre-turnsandshippingbill filedwithcustomstillDecember31, 2019, the Central Boardof Indirect Taxes andCustoms(CBIC)saidinacir-cular.PTI

AirMauritiusinvoluntaryadministrationNairobi:AirMauritius hasenteredvoluntaryadminis-trationaftercoronavirus-re-lated disruptionsmade itimpossible for it tomeet itsfinancial obligations in theforeseeablefuture,itsboardsaidonWednesday.Notably,state-ownedairlineAirIndiaholds a10per cent stake inAirMauritiuswith the for-mer’schairmanandmanag-ingdirectorrepresentingtheairline on Air Mauritius’board.REUTERS

Grossdebt Cash&cashequitable NetdebtFY15 1,60,860 84,472 76,388FY16 1,81,079 86,033 95,046FY17 1,96,599 77,226 1,19,373FY18 2,18,763 78,063 1,40,700FY19 2,87,505 1,33,027 1,54,478FY20* 2,91,982 1,34,746 1,57,236

All figures inRscrore; *Asof September2019Source:Companyannual reportandcommunication

DEBTSITUATIONOFRELIANCE INDUSTRIES

After FB’s Jio investment booster, RILin talkswith other investors to pare debt

‘Migrant wages sent homeset to drop $142 bn in 2020’

Overtaking FDI inflows: Last year, remittances overtookforeign direct investment (FDI) flows as the main source offoreign exchange for low- and middle-income countries

Source:WorldBank/PTI

Global remittances are set to tumble by $142 billion in2020, the sharpest fall in recent history, a report by theWorld Bank estimates

~20%:Fall inmoney thatmigrantworkers send home,whichwould largely be due to afall in theirwages andemployment overseas

$714BILLION:Remittances in2019,which increased after adip in 2016mainly due to lowoil prices

$572BILLION:Expected fallin remittances in 2020, adecline of $142billion

~1BILLION:Number ofmigrantswho help feed, clotheand shelter up to three people“back home”. Of these:■270millionwork outsidetheir home countries■ 760million are internalmigrants

19.7%:Expected fall inremittances for low- andmiddle-incomenations, fromarecord$554billion in 2019 to$445billion in 2020

28%:Fall in remittances thatEurope andCentral Asiawillsee, the biggest among allregions, due to combinedeffect of the pandemic and theoil price slump

`

ENSECONOMICBUREAUMUMBAI,APRIL22

ATAtimewhenmanycorporatesare facing fund crunch and de-faultsinthewakeofthelockdownandclosureofunits,theSecuritiesand Exchange Board of India(Sebi) has proposed exemptionfrommakinganopenofferfortheallottees, alongwith liberal pric-ingnorms for preferential shareissuesofstressedcompanies.The markets regulator has

proposedexemption frommak-ing anopenoffer for allottees ofpreferentialissueinstressedcom-paniesiftheacquisitionisbeyondthe limit prescribed. To avail thisexemption, listed companiesneedtoensurethatpreferenceis-sue ismade to persons/entitiesthat arenotpartof thepromoterorpromotergrouponthedateoftheboardmeetingtoconsiderthepreferential issue, according to aSebi draft paper. India Inc hasclosed down units across thecountry and sales have plum-metedamidthelockdown.Sebihasproposedthatpricing

shouldnotbe less than theaver-ageoftheweeklyhighandlowofthe volume weighted average

pricesoftherelatedequityshareson a recognised stock exchangeduring the twoweeksprecedingthe relevant date. Currently, thedeterminationofthepricingcov-ersaperiodof 26weeksormoreforfrequentlytradedshares.Itsaid,“Listedcompaniesthat

arefacingfinancialstressaregen-erally inneedof fund infusion totideover the stress situationandtherebyavoidinsolvencyorbank-ruptcy.Suchlistedcompaniesfacecertaindifficultiesinraisingcapi-talthroughconventionalmeans.”

More relaxation infundraising norms ofstressed firms proposed

NewDelhi:Sebiwilllookintoissuesbeingfacedbycorpo-rates due to COVID-19 andconsidermore steps tohelpthem tide over the chal-lengesaspartof itscontinu-ing efforts tomake it easierto dobusiness even in suchdifficulttimes,theregulatorybody’s chairmanAjayTyagitoldrepresentativesof IndiaInconWednesday. PTI

Sebi assures ofmore stepsamid lockdown

TUESDAY’SSURGEwaslargelyinresponsetotheReliance-Facebookdeal—withRIL’ssharesrising10.3percentontheBSE—andsellingpressuremayre-emergeathigherlev-els.Eventually,COVID-19updatesandsignalsfromtheearningsfrontwoulddictatethemarkettrend.

RIL-FBdealhelpssurgeE●EX

PLAINED

Sensex, rupee rise; US crude jumpsover 26% after Monday’s record low

VIVADSEVISHWASSCHEME

Declarations can be filedeven where prosecutionnotice has been issued

INTERVIEWWITHVIKRAMSMEHTA,CHAIRMAN,BROOKINGS INDIA

ONMONDAY, crude oil pricesin the US became negative.VIKRAMSMEHTA,ChairmanofBrookings India and SeniorFellow, Brookings Institution,spoke to ANANT GOENKA,Executive Director, IndianExpress Group, and UDITMISRA, Deputy AssociateEditor,The IndianExpress, aboutwhat caused it— andwhat theoutlook is now.

GOENKA:Vikram, it’scertainly something that isgoing tohappen just once inour lifetime, isn’t it?MEHTA: Yeah, what hap-

pened is a technical issue ... re-lated to the May Futures con-tract fromWTI (crude oil) andbasically, you know, all thetraderswhowereholdingontothatderivativepaper,neededtooffload it. They couldn’t findanyonetoroll itoverbecauseofthe shortage or constraint onstorage. So rather than takingthe delivery of the product inMay, they justbid lowtheprice,desperate to get rid of that pa-per.Andasyouknow,normallythese sort of contracts getrolled over pretty easily be-cause thedifferentialbetween,let’s say the May Futures andthe June Futures, is not thatgreat. But this time around,JuneFutureswas tradingat$20a barrel and May Futurescrashedto-$37.Sothedifferen-tial was such that no one wasactually able to roll it over.But this technicality reflects

a fundamental reality of themarket. And the reality is thatit’s ahugelyoversuppliedmar-ket.

GOENKA: Is it correct thatthere are certain typeof oilproducerswhoareproducing at around$10abarrel; others, like shaleproducers, at around$30abarrel; and there are somewhoareproducing at lessthan$5 abarrel?MEHTA: You’re absolutely

right. Someof the fields, thegi-ant fields that have been pro-ducing for the last God knowshowmany years, you can pro-duce at a few cents a barrel.But I thinkonehas togoone

step beyond the marginal costof production and ask what isthebudget requirementsof theoilproducers. I amgoingtotakea slightly macro view. What isthe oil price that oil producersneed to break even, to balancetheir budget?You’ll be amazed, Saudi

Arabia needs a price of $82 abarrel, andthe lowest, themostrobust of the oil producers,Qatar, requires a price ofaround $40 a barrel and,Algeria, at the other end, over$100 a barrel. So the Saudi oilcompanyAramcomightstill begeneratingaprofit.Onastand-alonebasis, its balance sheet is

notgoingtogounder.But sinceSaudi Aramco contributes 80per cent of the revenues to theSaudiexchequer, the fact is thatSaudi Arabia will have to veryquickly draw down from itssovereignreserves if itwants tomeet its social and economiccommitments, and that’s thebig issue.At the industry level, you

have theNOCs, theNationalOilCompanies and then the pri-vate companies, and if youweretoorder theoil companiesbysizeand indeedprofitability,you’d find that, probablyof thetop 20, 16 are NOCs. And thenthe four like, Exxon and Shelland Chevron andmaybe Total;the rest have dropped off thatlist.Occidental, forexample. Itsshare prices are below valueand that’s unique. That I thinkis the reason for saying, youmight well have sounded thedeath knell of the oil industry.

Goenka:Am Iwrong inmyunderstanding thatnobodyis producing less becauseofthe fear that if theydo theywill be forced tonot produceat all, orwill neverbe able togoback to theoriginalvolumes?MEHTA: The fundamentals

of the oil industry are not just

determined by demand andsupply, they are also deter-mined by geopolitics, by thepaper trader — yesterday wasall about paper trading. Theyare also determined to someextent by the exchange rate.Demand has fallen by such

an extraordinary level — thisquarter, some estimates say itwill fall by 30million barrels aday,which is theentireproduc-tion of OPEC. Now against thatkind of a demand destruction,a 10 million barrels a day sup-ply cut, which is what Saudiand Russia have agreed to, isnotmaking any difference.Point number two is that, if

you do reduce supplies, somefields, some reservoirs couldget permanently damaged.

Goenka: So arewe (India)going to see amajorreduction inour annual oilbill?MEHTA: Oh yeah, I haven’t

done the numbers, but therewill definitely be a significantreduction.Butonaperunitba-sisobviously,because thepricehas fallen. But ourdemandhasfallen aswell. The big questionis: What are you going to dowhen the economy starts topick up again?

Misra: As oil prices fall,should thegovernmentraise taxes andboost itsrevenues, or pass on thelowerprices to consumerstoboost consumption?MEHTA: Iwould do the lat-

ter, I would actually look to re-ducing theprices.And I amnotsayingthat initially itwillboostdemandbecause that dependsverymuchoneconomic resur-gence. But I think itwill be po-litically foolish, frankly, for thegovernment to continue tocharge all of us the same pricewhen the world price has col-lapsed.

Goenka: Is thewhole causeof renewable energy,especially in India, ahopeless cause, at theseprices of oil?MEHTA: It’s not a hopeless

causebecause it cannot be andmust not be a hopeless cause.So let’shopethatnoone ingov-ernment says that. It’s going tobe complicated by the price ofoil, of course, butmoreby sup-ply chain issues.The China supply chain is

broken. That’s back to my ear-lier point that we will have totakeaslightly longer-termviewof all these issues. If you take ashort-termview,youaregoingtosay,yeah,okay, “forgetaboutrenewables”.But you’ll wake up, two

years, fiveyears, fromnowandyou’ll find yourself living in ahell-hole once again.(Edited excerpts. Transcribed by

Mehr Gill)

‘It’s the death knell for the oilindustry ... will also damagebudgets of oil exporting nations’

The fundamentals of theoil industry are not justdeterminedbydemandandsupply, they are alsodeterminedbygeopolitics, by thepapertrader—yesterdaywasall about paper trading.They are alsodeterminedto someextent by theexchange rate. Demandhas fallenby suchanextraordinary level— thisquarter, someestimatessay itwill fall by30millionbarrels a day,which is the entireproduction ofOPEC.Nowagainst that kind of ademanddestruction, a 10millionbarrels a daysupply cut,which iswhatSaudi andRussia haveagreed to, is notmakinganydifference.

VIKRAMSMEHTA

Thedecisionbythetwocompaniescomesevenasexpertshaveraisedseveralquestionsontheapp’sprivacypolicyandefficacy

“Weareworking towardsmeasures to give thememployment aswell asrelief.”

HEERALALSAMARIYALABOURSECRETARY

Aarogya Setu mandatoryfor delivery partners ofZomato, Urban Company

New Delhi

VolLXXXVIIINo.141 Regd.No.DL-21046/03-05

R.N.I.No.506/57. PrintedandPublishedbyR.C.Malhotraonbehalf of The IndianExpress (P) LimitedandPrintedatThe IndianExpress (P) LimitedPress,A-8, Sector-7,Noida -201301andPublishedatThe IndianExpress (P) Limited,MezzanineFloor, ExpressBuilding, 9&10,BahadurShahZafarMarg, NewDelhi-110002. Editorial office:The IndianExpress (P) Limited,MezzanineFloor, ExpressBuilding, 9&10,BahadurShahZafarMarg, NewDelhi-110002. Phone:0120-6651500.Advertisingoffice: The IndianExpress (P) Limited,B1/B, Sector -10,Noida -201301.Phone:0120-6651291.Chairmanof theBoard:ViveckGoenka,Chief Editor:RajKamal Jha, Editor:Unni

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14THEINDIANEXPRESS,THURSDAY,APRIL23,2020

SPORTWWW.INDIANEXPRESS.COM

HAZLEWOODWANTS INDSERIESATADELAIDEFast bowler Josh Hazlewood has suggested the entire Border-Gavaskar Trophy beheld at one venue -- Adelaide Oval. "The bowlers and batters would probably behappy with that, it's (Adelaide Oval) probably been the best cricket wicket the lastfour or five years... I wouldn't mind it," he said.

CROSSWORD4099

ACROSS

1 Recognisesandarrests (10)

8 Warning!Thiswomanisdangerous (5)

9 Awelder renovating theshelteredsideof aship (7)

10 Oneneedsplucktoplay it(7)

11 Dailywoman,perhaps (5)

12 Confirmit if a try ismadecorrectly (6)

14 Oddstance foraclimb(6)

17 Emir’soff toseeScrooge(5)

19 Theartof eatingout (7)

21 Studio that is laterconverted(7)

22 Puce-coloured jumpers(5)

23 Priestverydisposedtoobstinacy (10)

DOWN

2 Thejobofadebt-collector?(7)

3 Washresinout (5)

4 Hehasatitlewithinhisgrasp(6)

5 Dotheyhavepiercingeyes?Just theopposite (7)

6 Pullsupthegrass (5)

7 Satandgavenewprivilegesforsomepeople (10)

8 Yet it’senoughfoodtogoround(6,4)

13 Skinspecialist (7)

15 I’d fill in theresult - it’sobvious (7)

16 Educationalmeasure?(6)

18 Peoplecountonthemtosendthemtosleep(5)

20 Thoseonthewristsarepreferable to thoseontheears (5)

ARIES(Mar21-Apr20)Mars’ intriguingrelationshipwithNeptune isprettynearperfectas faras

allworkandprofessionalambitionsareconcerned,butonly if youareable torecognisethedifferencebetweenthewaytheworld isontheonehand,andthewayyou’d like it tobeontheother.

TAURUS(Apr21-May21)Likemostpeople,youareblessedwithaplanetaryalignmentwhich

confers inspirationandimagination.What ismoreimpressive inyourchart is themanner inwhichyourcreativepowersandspiritualaspirationsare triggered.Youshouldalways try tosee thebest inpeople.

GEMINI (May22- June21)Continuedcloseattentiontoafinancialmatter isdesirable, although

notessential.Whenotherpeopleabandontheirresponsibilities, youwillbe theonewhoknowswhere to turn,foryouhaveanamazingwealthof experiencetodrawonfromthepast.

CANCER(June22- July23)Yourdailyplanetsreveal this tobeaspecialday if youhaveproposals to

put forwardandarguments towin.However, the long-termperspectiveevokesdeepmemoriesandcouldcauseyoutoreflectonall those thingswhichhappenedso longago.Hopefullycertainrecollectionsareno longeraspainfulastheywere.

LEO(July24-Aug23)Secrecy isnotoneofyourbetter-knowncharacteristics,buttodayyoureallyhave

tokeepsomethingtoyourself.Don’tworryaboutdeceivingpartnersas longas there isnoself-interest involved. Itmaybe,forexample, thatyoukeepsomething fromthemfor theirowngood.

VIRGO(Aug24-Sep23)If youarebeginningto feelas if you’rewalkingupthedownescalator, then

you’reprobablyprettymuchintunewiththestars.Thesecret istochangedirectionnow,beforeyouendupinthewrongplace.Youwon’t lose thethreadcompletely, even if otherpeoplethinkyouhave.

LIBRA(Sep24-Oct23)Carryonwithall-importantprofessionalmoves,regardlessof

associates’potentially time-wastingordisruptiveactions. Ifyougivecharitableactivitiesahighpriorityyouwilldowhatthemysticalphilosopherscall‘makingmerit’,withmanygoodresults in the future.

SCORPIO(Oct24-Nov23)Plutohasplayedaprofoundrole inyourchart formanyyears, soemotional

intensity isnothingnew.Ontheotherhand,occasionallyanewpitchof excitement is reachedand, rightnow,under theMoon’spowerful sway,youmaydemandanewlevelof commitment.

SAGITTARIUS(Nov24-Dec22)Yourmaterialandbusiness interestsmayhavetocomefirst,nomatterhow

muchyouhavetospendorinvest. If youhaveanyuncertaintiesatwork,or inanymajorpublicambition,youmayput importantdevelopmentsonholduntil thepictureisclearer.

CAPRICORN(Dec23- Jan20)SoberSaturnandjovial Jupiterareonceagainbeingactivated, reminding

everyonethatyouaremuchmorethanthematerialisticstereotypeof anastrologicalcliché.Don’tbeafraid tospeakyourmind,orbreakoutof therut inwhichyouhaveburiedyourself.

AQUARIUS(Jan21-Feb19)Sparea little timeforyourphysicalwell-being,andusetheopportunity

providedbytoday’s lunarpositiontocleanupyourdietandcheckoutanewfitnessregime.Don’tbeperturbedbya financialdelay,butkeepaneyeonotherpeople,just tomakesure that they’redoingwhat theysaidthey’ddo.

PISCES(Feb20-Mar20)TheSunissailingalong inasensitiveregionof yoursolarchart,which is

astrological short-handforsayingthatalthoughcolleaguesmayseemtobequitehappy,someone, somewhere, isabouttohit theroof.Keepyourpsychicantennaebuzzingandtry tospotproblemsbeforetheyarise.

SUDOKU418

8

DifficultyLevel3sInstructionsTosolveaSudokupuzzle,everydigitfrom1to9mustappear ineachofthenineverticalcolumns, ineachoftheninehorizontalrowsandineachofthenineboxes.

DifficultyLevel1s=Veryeasy;2s=Easy;3s=Medium;4s=Hard;5s=VeryHard;6s=Genius S

OLU

TIONSUDOKU418

7

Givenbelowarefour jumbledwords.Solvethejumblestomakeproperwordsandmovethemtotherespectivesquaresbelow.Selecttheletters intheshadedsquaresandjumblethemtogettheanswerforthegivenquip.I___;thereforeI_.-ReneDescartes(5,.,2)

ETVAI ELTYHM

EHINT NUDNIK

SolutionsCrossword4098:Across:1Valise,4Easter,9Shearer,10Strip,11Reset,12Eyesore,13Nothingleft,18Notable,20Bravo,22Cairo,23Sardine,24Steady,25Fluent.Down:1Vestry,2Leeks,3Scratch,5Aisle,6Turnoff,7Ripped,8Free-and-easy,14Outlive,15Liberal,16Knocks,17Honest,19Brood,21Abide.

JUMBLEDWORDS

OVERTHEHEDGE byMichael Fry&TLewis

CALVIN&HOBBES byBillWatterson

MARVIN byTomArmstrong

DAYTODAY BYPETERVIDAL

SOLUTION:VITAE,THINE,METHYL,UNKINDAnswer:Ithink;thereforeIam.-ReneDescartes

Governingbodies in tennisget together tosetup fundfor thosestrugglingdueto toursuspension

SHAHIDJUDGEMUMBAI, APRIL22

THEGLOBAL lockdown to control the coro-navirus pandemic has kept tennis players,particularly the lower-ranked ones, on ten-terhooks. The tour – essentially, their liveli-hood–hasbeensuspendedsinceMarch,andupdates fromtheworldof tennishavebeenall about thecancellationof tournamentaf-ter tournament.LateonTuesday,however,therewasfinally

onepieceofnewsthatsentawaveofoptimismamong the lower- rankedplayers. The sevengoverning bodies of the sport – theInternational Tennis Federation (ITF),Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP),Women’s TennisAssociation (WTA) and thefourGrandSlams–havedecided to set up afundtofinanciallyassistplayersduringthispe-riod. “Tennis’ seven international governingbodiesareworkingtogethertocreateaPlayerReliefProgrammetoprovideassistancetotheplayerswhoareparticularly affectedduringtheCOVID-19crisis.Thesediscussionsarepro-gressingwell anddetails arebeing finalised,”readalettersenttotheplayersbytheITF.The details of the financial aid are yet to

befinalised,butbasedonareportbyTheNewYorkTimes, apoolofoverUS$6millionisex-pectedtobeformedbythegoverningbodies.“Thisisgoingtobeveryhelpfulforthelower-ranked players,” saysworld no. 443 RutujaBhosale.“Atthemomentweareallathome,so the expenses aren’t asmuchbecausewearenottravelling,butyoustillneedtopayforessentials.Andthereisnoincome.Basically,we’ve all been just surviving right now. So,thiswilldefinitelyhelp.”In addition to the sumproposed by the

governing bodies, the ATP Players’ Council,headed byworld no. 1 Novak Djokovic andalso including Roger Federer and RafaelNadal,hasproposedfurtherfundstobecon-tributedbyplayers ranked in the top100 insingles and the top 20 in doubles, based ontheirrankings.The20doublesplayersaretocontributeUS$5,000each,thetopfiveinsin-gles are to chip in with US$ 30,000 each,ranks6-10withUS$20,000,11-20withUS$15,000,21-50withUS$10,000and51to100withUS$5000.Alldonationstothisfundare

voluntary, and should all players accept theproposal, itwouldamounttoUS$1,050,000.Furthermore,Djokovicissaidtobepush-

ingforsupporttobegiventoplayersranked250to700,withasumofUS$10,000each.“Outsideof250iswheretherealfinancial

struggle is,” Djokovic said in amessage to agroup of players, according to theNewYorkTimes. “We feel that we all need to get to-getherandhelptheseguysout.Manyofthem

arethinkingtoleaveprotennisbecausetheyjust can’t survive financially. Unfortunately,there isavery largeamountofplayers inthegroupbetween250and700 that isnot sup-portedbyfederationsordon’thavesponsors.”While the news has beenwell received,

there is concern that some of the playersoverlooked for this fundmay struggle oncethe tour restarts. “This is definitely helpfulandreallysomethingthatwillupliftplayerswhoaresuffering,butIhopethingsaremadefair toagreatersetofplayers,” says26-year-oldSidharthRawat,ranked438.“Atthemo-mentthehelpwillgo for250to700,but thepersonranked249maybestrugglingjustasbadly. I’d say the players ranked 200 andabovestrugglebecausetheoneshigherthanthatmarkcanearnsomemoneybyjustmak-ing it to theGrandSlamqualifiers.”There’s been a lot of speculation that

lower-rankedplayersarestruggling tosur-vive the lockdown and have decided tomoveonfromthesport. Since the tourwas

suspended inMarchandtill July13at least,therehasbeenasumofapproximatelyUS$56,834,845 on the men’s circuit, and US$34,224,127 on the WTA tour that couldhave been earned by players in prizemoney.Theseeventshowever, areonly forhigher-rankedplayers. The oneswhoplayin the lower tiers are playing for muchsmaller prize money, which means theirsavings are just as low.“If itweren’tformyparents, I’dbeout(fi-

nancially) by now. I’m blessed to have par-ents to support me, but I can’t do this for-ever,” saysworldno. 655ArjunKadhe,whoat26,hasearnedatotalofUS$94,117inprizemoney so far. The thought of financial aidcoming in, though,haskepthimupbeat.“Thatmoneycanbeusedtoinvestinten-

nis, be it training or travel. It’ll help gettingthings startedagain.”Asofnow, it’snotconfirmedwhowillbe

getting howmuch. But for the players, justthebeginningoftheprocessgivesthemhope.

Lower rung gets a helping hand

India’sRutujaBhosale, ranked443intheworld, couldbenefit fromtherelief fundbeingworkedoutbythesport’sgoverningbodies.

DDCA secretaryin jail, colleaguesthought he hadCOVID-19PRESSTRUSTOFINDIANEWDELHI/MEERUT,APRIL22

CONTROVERSIALDELHIandDistrictsCricketAssociation(DDCA)generalsecretaryVinodTihara iscurrently in jail forallegedly failingto"complywithGSTnorms"aftergoing"in-communicado" amid speculation that hewasself-isolatingwithsymptomsofCOVID-19. "A Delhi resident named Vinod Tiharawas arrested by Directorate of RevenueIntelligence (DRI) wing of Noida onMarch17onallegationsof violationsofGSTnormsand is currently inMeerut jail," SSPMeerut,AjaySahni, toldPTI.Therewasnoimmediateclarityontheex-

act nature of the violation he has been ac-cusedofcommitting.TiharaisDelhicricket'srepresentativeat theBCCIandan influentialfigureinstate'scricketbody.Tiharahadbeen"unreachable" since mid-March leavingDDCAofficials,includingmembersofhisfac-tion, flummoxed. "For the longest time,wewereunder the impressionthatVinod jihastestedpositiveforCOVID-19.Oneortwopeo-plewhocontactedhisfamilymembersweretold that he is under isolation. His phone isswitchedoff for thepast onemonth," a sen-iorDDCAoffice-bearer toldPTI.Duringa recentonlinehearing inamat-

ter of financial misappropriation of funds,organised by DDCA ombudsman Justice(Retd) Deepak Verma via Skype, one of thebody's lawyers, known for his proximity toTihara, told the apex councilmembers thathehadtestedpositivefornovelcoronavirus."Weall freakedoutaswehadmetTihara

tillMarch 15 at various places.We told himthat why weren't we informed as we allneeded to quarantine ourselves. He thenchanged track and said that if you peoplewould have been COVID-19 positive, thenyouwouldhaveknownbynow. Itwas verysuspicious," theApexCouncilmemberwhowassuspendedthatday, said.Infact,someofthemembersarenowwon-

deringhowdidalettersignedbyTiharainsup-portof oneof the lawyers,whoseservicewasbeing terminated, get submitted toOmbud-sman,whenallthiswhilehehadbeeninjail.

RogerFederercalledforamergerbe-tween the men's ATP Tour and theWTA,whichrunsthewomen'scircuit,as tennis wades through a lengthycoronavirusshutdown."Justwonder-ing ... am I the only one thinking thatnow is the time for men's andwomen's tennis to be united andcometogetherasone?"thewinnerof20 Grand Slam singles titles said onTwitter."Iamnottalkingaboutmerg-ing competition on the court, butmergingthe2governingbodies(ATPandWTA)thatoverseethemen'sandwomen's professional tours ..." RafaNadal also voiced his support. "Hey@rogerfederer as you know per ourdiscussions Icompletelyagreethat itwouldbegreattogetoutofthisworldcrisis with the union of men's andwomen'stennisinoneonlyorganisa-tion," saidNadal. REUTERS

Federer suggests amerger of ATP, WTA

Olympic-boundathletes told totrain within Indiatill year-end

THOSEMONTHS,THOSEMINUTESForced intoanunprecedentedlockdown,sport is staringatunfathomabledespair. Indianathletes, though,havegiventhecountryreasonstorejoice inthepast.The IndianExpress looksbackatabunchof thesememories.

In a chatwithTUSHARBHADURI,HARBINDERSINGH recollectsthe storywhenIndia reclaimed thehockeygold the last

timeOlympicswereheld inTokyo

READTHESTORYONindianexpress.com

@indianexpress.com

NEWDELHI:The IndianOlympicAssociationdecidedtoasktheSportsMinistrytoallowna-tionalcamperstoundergooutdoortrainingin-sidemajorsportscentresinthecountrybyfol-lowingnecessaryprecautions.Atthemoment,theathleteshavebeenbarredfromanytrain-ing even inside the SportsAuthority of Indiafacilities. Themeeting, held via video confer-enceunderthechairmanshipof LalitBhanot,wasattendedbyIOAPresidentNarinderBatra,Secretary General RajivMehta and TokyoOlympics IndiancontingentChefDeMissionBPBaisya,apartfrom62representativesfromvariousNationalSportsFederations.ItwasalsodecidedthatOlympic-boundathletesshouldtrainwithinthecountrytill endof theyear inordertoavoidanyrisk.TheIOAalsoagreedthatthe "decisions on extension of contracts forHigh Performance Directors, chief/headcoaches, coaches andother support staff till2021or2024needstobedoneonprioritybySAI and theministry for smoothhandling oftrainingfor2021andthereafter". PTI

At themomentweare all at home,so the expenses aren’t asmuchbecauseweare not travelling, butyou still need topay for essentials.And there is no income.Basically,we’ve all been just surviving rightnow.So, thiswill definitely help.”

RUTUJABHOSALEWORLDNUMBER443

New Delhi