REPORTS ON PAGES 2-3

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NEW DELHI, Sunday, August 2, 2020

EVEN as gymnasiums andyoga centres in Delhi havebegun working on reopen-ing after the Centreincluded them in Unlock3, they are facing a tough‘treadmill test’.

Coming to terms both struc-turally and functionally with the‘new normal’, settling outstand-ing dues, getting staffers andclients back are proving to bequite a challenge for the NationalCapital Region’s 5,500 registeredgyms and fitness centers.

Over the 120 day-plus shutdown, thegym and fitness industry in Delhi-NCRhas lost anything between `800 croreand ̀ 1,000 crore, say industry bodies. Asmall-scale gym, for instance, mightTurn to Page 2

Fitness centres eager to restart but pending bills, ensuring

social distancing & risk of infection pose massive challenges

CITYGYMS&YOGAHUBS

SWEAT ITOUT

FIT ENOUGH TO REOPEN?

NEW NORMAL: Wearing masks, Muslims offer Eid al-Adhaprayers at the Jama Masjid in New Delhi on Saturday.

By Chayyanika Nigam in New Delhi

11 killed as cranefalls at top govtshipyard in Vizag

FORMER SP LEADER &MP AMAR SINGH DIES

SEE PAGE 6

SEE PAGE 6

Trump says he will banthe Chinese app whichIndia barred recently

NOW U.S. PREZTARGETS TIKTOK

SEE PAGE 11

57,118 FRESH CASESACROSS INDIA TAKE TOTAL

TO 16,95,988

764 MORE DIE, TOLL

NOW 36,511

1,118 NEW CASES IN

DELHI, TOTAL NOW

1,36,716

26 MORE DIE, TOLL

RISES TO 3,989

C VID-19

PANDEMICDelhi Deputy CMManish Sisodiawrites to UnionHome Minister AmitShah, seekingdirections to L-GAnil Baijal to allowhotels and weeklymarkets to reopen.Baijal had rejectedDelhi government'sdecision to restartthese facilities.

DELHI DY CMCOMPLAINSTO SHAH

is the case fatalityrate now, lowestsince lockdown

was clamped in March, theUnion Health Ministry claimed.

2.15%containment zones in Delhi,reduced from 715. From 3.5lakh people being impacted,

now movement of only one lakh peopleaffected, minister Kailash Gahlot said.

496

PANKAJ NANGIA

SUNDAY

Mail Today, New Delhi / Chandigarh, Tuesday, May 5, 2020 Mail Today, New Delhi, Sunday, August 2, 2020 2

— AMARINDER SINGH, PUNJAB CM

Why it is so difficult for people towear masks, wash hands or not spiton roads. Don’t you care for yourfellow Punjabis?

‘

’

A private hospital inChennai has been

barred from treating Covid-19patients after it allegedlyovercharged a Covid-19

patient, TN health deptt saidin a statement. The hospitalcharged `12.2 lakh from acoronavirus patient for a 19-day medical treatment.

C VID-19

PANDEMIC

continued from page 1

have incurred a debit of Rs 30lakhs and a high-end gym musthave borne losses of approxi-mately Rs 2 crore since the lock-down began, said a member ofthe Delhi Gym Association.

WAITING FOR CLARITY

Many gym owners are waitingfor SOPs from the Delhi govern-ment before they reopen theirfacilities. Several are yet to settletheir pending rent, electricity,water bills and also have to investtowards renovation, repairing ofACs and training equipment.

Though the Centre has permit-ted gym and fitness centres toresume functioning from August5, the Delhi government is yet todecide on reopening. However,the Uttar Pradesh and Haryanagovernments have notified thatgyms in the state will reopenfrom August 5.

A senior manager with FitnessFirst gym in South Extension,not wishing to be named, toldMail Today they are yet todecide on the date of reopening.“We have already done the serv-icing of all machines and saniti-sation work. But we need todecide on the date of reopen-ing,” he said.

Fitness First has around 86branches across the country and35 outlets in Delhi-NCR.

Paras Gupta, 30, owner of Uni-versal Club gym, who is also theSecretary of the Delhi GymAssociation and vice-presidentat UP Gym Association, says allgyms are suffering massivelosses due to the pandemic, withlittle hope for recovery. “I ammyself yet to settle rental issueswith my landlord and there areelectricity bills of Rs 1.5 lakhthat need to be looked into. Wehave three branches in Delhi-NCR. We may need to shut downour East Delhi branch as most ofthe active members were stu-dents – who have now returned

PRAYINGTOGETHER,ONCE MORETHE festive spirit of Eid al-Adha was subdued in thenational capital onSaturday with thecoronavirus pandemicbadly hitting livestocksale for the festival ofsacrifice and restrictingmany people to theirhomes. Despite justaround 10,000 activeCovid-19 cases in Delhi —far better than wasfeared — and easing oflockdown restrictions,many faithful preferredoffering 'namaaz' at theirhomes than visitingmosques. Those whooffered prayers atmosques said a fewernumber of people hadturned up there, and themood was not as ebullientas previous years.

–PTI

which got an immense push dur-ing the lockdown. Fitnessfanatic Ashu Mehta, 28, a soft-ware engineer residing inPanchsheel Park, says: “My par-ents won’t allow me to join agym again, even though I haverecently bought the member-ship in February. In the lock-down I appointed a personaltrainer who gives me online ses-sions. I may continue to takeonline advice rather than workout in the gym.”

Explaining business in the newnormal, Delhi-based yogatrainer Pratibha Mehra, whoruns three studios of Yoga andMe, says she is relieved that thegovernment has finally allowedbusiness to resume. “There aremany people who still want tocontinue with online sessionsrather than returning to the cen-tre. For all those who will startcoming back, we’ve made neces-sary arrangements includingmarking of positions where theycan do yoga. We will allow onlyfive persons at a time. Yoga is allabout breathing and if masksare worn at the time of practice,it might create a problem,” shesays.

Explaining how gym and fit-ness centres will have to ensurethe safety of its employees andmembers, fitness expert andathlete Jinnie Gogia Chugh says,“The pandemic has put thefocus on health and fitness, butgym and yoga centres won’t bethe same anymore. SOPs andguidelines of physical distancinghave to be strictly followed.Gyms will be giving slots tomembers and the time-durationmust be adhered to. Precautionssuch as sanitisation and a sepa-rate pair of gym shoes shall bemandatory. So will small thingslike cleaning the sweat on amachine after a set, and main-taining distance. The opening ofthe gym industry was muchneeded as a lot of livelihoods aredependent on it.”

to their hometowns,” saidGupta.

Chirag Sethi, vice-president ofDelhi Gym Association, said,“To give some relief to the gymowners, we have issued guide-lines to the landlords to eitherwaive the rent or give a 35 to 50per cent reduction at least. Also,we’ve written to the Delhi gov-ernment to adjust the fixed elec-tricity bills, some of which run inlakhs, which can be paid ininstallments over the next few

months.”

SOCIAL DISTANCINGCHALLENGE

Gym owners are also makingarrangements for online regis-tration to keep a check on thenumber of people visiting at acertain time. Malini Chawla Seh-gal, owner of Fit by Ravissantgym in New Friends Colony,said, “Gym culture will never bethe same again, but we all need

to revive the business soon. Weare extending membership to allour existing customers. Now,they have to pre-book theappointment and the machinesthey want to use. No walk-inswill be allowed. Cotton masksand gloves will be provided toeach member and the trainerswill be in their PPE Kits.”

However, fitness enthusiastsare still in a dilemma overwhether to visit health centresor continue digital training,

WILL IT WORK OUTFOR GYMS?

Mail Today, New Delhi, Sunday, August 2, 2020 3NEWS

—SATYENDAR JAIN, DELHI HEALTH MINISTER

Serological Survey will start fromtoday... In last survey, 24% people camepositive. This is a very technical processbut will be conducted across the capital.

‘ The high-levelGroup of Ministers

on Covid-19 has agreed toallow the export ofindigenously made

ventilators. The decisionwas taken as Indiacontinues to maintain aprogressively declininglow rate of fatality.Challans issued by Delhi Police

between June 15 and July 31

97,417

A poor woman and mother offour children, was forced tomortgage her mangalsutra tobuy a television for her chil-dren to take study lessonsfrom Doordarshan. The inci-dent took place in Gadag dis-trict of Karnataka.

Kasturi Chalavadi from Rad-der Naganur village in Nar-gund taluk of Gadag district, amother of four, pledgedher 12-gram goldmangalsutra to getcash for purchas-ing a televisionset so that herchildren could

watch the classes being tele-cast on Doordarshan.

The money lender laterrealised the situation andagreed to give the mangalsu-tra back to the woman andasked the family to return themoney whenever they can.However, few locals pooled inmoney for the family and somepoliticians also pitched in.

Congress MLA ZameerAhmed sent Rs 50,000

and state ministerCC Patil sent Rs20,000.

—NagarjunDwarakanath

Delhi govt begins new

sero survey in the cityBy Pankaj Jain

in New Delhi

THE SECOND phase of

serological survey in the

country's capital started on

Saturday. Special instruc-

tions have been given to all

district officials to detect the

spread of antibodies among

Delhiites and to accurately

assess the population of

corona infection. Random

sampling of people of all age

groups will be done in the

survey.

The tests will have to be

completed by August 7.

There is a target of taking

about 15 thousand samples

from all 11 districts of Delhi.

Random samples are being

collected with the help of the

medical team. This survey

will include only those peo-

ple who have not done any

test of corona before or no

symptoms of corona have

ever been detected.

The number of samples will

depend on the population of

the district in the sero survey.

For sero survey, online train-

ing has also been given to

young doctors, so that data

can be prepared correctly. All

districts have been allocated

different laboratories to send

their samples for tests.

Prior to this, a serological

survey revealed that 23.48%

of Delhi's people have been

cured of being infected with

corona. In this survey con-

ducted by the NCDC(National Center for Disease

Control) and the Govern-

ment of Delhi, antibodies

against covid were found in

23.48 percent people. A total

of 21387 samples were taken

in the sero survey which ran

from 27 June to 10 July.

After this, Health Minister

Satyendra Jain hadannounced that now a sero-

logical survey will be done

every month in Delhi. The

last sero survey was done by

the National Center for Dis-

ease Control (NCDC) of the

central government and the

survey results were also

released by the NCDC itself.

But this time the Delhi gov-

ernment is conducting this

survey at its level.

A mother’s sacrifice toensure studies for kids

By Indrajit Kundu in Kolkata

RAMAKRISHNA Missionauthorities have decided toshut the Belur Math shrinefor an indefinite period start-ing Sunday, August 2.

The decision comes in thewake of the restrictionsbeing extended by the WestBengal government tillAugust 31 with a stricterlockdown being enforcedtwice every week to containthe rapid spread of coron-avirus in the state.

Ramkrishna Missionauthorities had reopened theshrine for devotees on June15 following a phased unlockprocess announced by thecentral government. Formore than a month, devo-tees were allowed limitedaccess to the shrine. Whiletemples dedicated to SriRamakrishna, Sarada Devi,Swami Vivekananda andSwami Bramhananda werereopened in Belur Math, restof the campus, includingSwami Vivekanada’s livingroom and the old shrineremained out of bounds.

Belur Math shrine tostay shut from Aug 2

By Pankaj Jain in New Delhi

THE NUMBER of containmentzones in Delhi has come downto 496 after an extensive reviewby Delhi government, providingrelief to thousands of peopleliving in such restricted areas.

The number of containmentzones in Delhi was 715 by theend of July affecting nearly 3.5lakh people. With the numbergoing down to 496, movement of1.4 lakh people will be affected,Delhi Revenue minister KailashGahlot said in a statement.

The review to decrease num-ber of containment zones byDelhi government comes on theheels of a Health ministry officememorandum earlier this week,allowing all the states andunion territories, to de-notify acontainment zone 14 days afterdischarge of the last confirmedcase which was 28 days earlier.

“As desired by CM ArvindKejriwal all the containmentzones in Delhi were extensivelyreviewed in last 2 days witheach District DM and surveil-lance Team,” Gahlot said in atweet.

In Delhi, a locality is declared

containment zone by districtauthorities if three or more per-son test positive to Covid-19.

In a review of Covid-19 situa-tion in Delhi, on June 27, ChiefMinister Arvind Kejriwal hadexpressed concern over largesize of containment zonesin Delhi as it restrictedmovement of a largepopulation, Gahlotsaid.

“During the last

two days an extensive review ofContainment zones was carriedout with Revenue and Healthofficials. The result has beenquite satisfactory. Against 715containment zones affecting34,8099 people, number of con-

tainment zones is nowdown to 496 which

affect the movementof 10,6211 people,”the minister said inthe statement.

Last survey wasdone on June 27

’

By Ajay Kumar in Gurugram

AMID the ongoing pandemic, itis feared that Gurugram canbecome an epicentre for infec-tious diseases due to inade-quate facilities for biomedicalwaste management.

According to a data availablewith MAIL TODAY, there are220 hospitals and nursinghomes that are operational inthe city and have combinedstrength of 13,183 beds. Butthere is just one waste man-agement unit. Sonia Duhan, aconsultant of Municipal Corpo-ration of Gurugram says, “Wehave one facility namedbiotech management at sec-tor 37 for disposal and recy-cling of bio-medical waste inGurugram. The bio-medical

waste also come from otherdistricts including Rewari.”

“In Corona pandemic, wehave 12 door to door collec-tion vehicles, which collectbio-medical waste generatedfrom houses having Coronapatients in the city. They arecollecting it and transportingit to the facility,” Duhan said.

Shakti Singh, regional offi-cer of Gurugram pollutioncontrol board says, “We havea single unit which is respon-sible for the treatment of bio-medical waste generated inthis region. Incineration ofaround 8 ton bio-medicalwaste is currently underwayin this unit.”

The most alarming factrevealed by the sources thatthis surplus biomedical wasteis thrown out on the vacantlands or most often collectedby the municipal corporationwith the general waste.

Biomedicalmenace inGurugram

RISK OF INFECTIONOne of the biggest concerns of

health experts about Covid-19 ishow readily it can spreadthrough the air via respiratorydroplets in confined spaces suchas gyms. People breathe harderwhen they work out, which ishow the virus spreads from per-son to person.

“Wearing a mask while workingout can lead to respiratoryissues. Heavy sweating duringexercise and poor ventilationcan turn hazardous. Sweatingcan cause surface contamina-tion and can trigger the spread.The other big concern is thatCovid-19 is suspected to be air-borne and it can spread throughair via respiratory droplets,especially in confined spaces.When people breathe more rap-idly and more deeply, they expelgreater numbers of droplets,”said Dr Srinivas Rajkumar T,General Secretary, ResidentDoctors Association, AIIMS.

For instance, in South Korea’sCheonan city, 112 people whoparticipated in Zumba classes

involving high aerobic intensityat 12 sports facilities gotinfected with Covid-19.

Highlighting some of themeasures that can help keep acheck on the spread of Covid-19in a gym, Dr Srinivas RajkumarT said, “It is advisable thatmembers use masks for conven-ience, deploy strict screening atthe entrance and create a nega-tive air pressure using high-flowexhaust fans. Also, maintaininga registry of people who use thepremises is vital to preventtransmission. The elderly andthose with co-morbidities canavoid the gym altogether.”

One has to be extra-cautiouswhile exercising in closedspaces with poor ventilationand while sharing equipment,adds Subhash Jangid, directorand unit head, Bone and JointInstitute, Fortis MemorialResearch Institute, Gurugram.“While wearing of masks isessential, gym users must tryand wear masks made ofbreathable fabric to avoid suf-focation while exercising.”

I am myself yet to settle rental issueswith my landlord and there are electricitybills of Rs 1.5 lakh that need to be lookedinto... We may need to shut down our East Delhi branch as most of the active members were students – who have nowreturned to their hometowns.

—PARAS GUPTA, Secretary of the Delhi Gym Association

‘‘

Gym culture inthe city will neverbe the same again...No walk-ins will beallowed. Cottonmasks and gloveswill be provided toeach member andthe trainers will bein their PPE Kits.

‘

—MALINI CHAWLA SEHGAL,Owner of Fit by Ravissant Gym

‘

Wearing a maskwhile working out canlead to respiratoryissues. Heavy sweatingduring exercise andpoor ventilation canturn hazardous. Sweat-ing can cause surfacecontamination andcan trigger the spread...

—DR SRINIVAS RAJKUMAR T,Gen Secy Resident Doctors’

Association, AIIMS City has just one wastemanagement unit

Therewere total 715containment

zones

Mortagedher

mangalsutra tobuy a TV

Now, 496 containmentzones remain in Capital

‘

‘

4 NEWS Mail Today, New Delhi / Chandigarh, Sunday, August 2, 2020 Mail Today, New Delhi, Sunday, August 2, 2020

File photo of late actor Sushant Singh Rajput withhis sister Shweta Singh Kirti.

By Divyanshi Sharma and

Sahil Joshi in Mumbai

SUSHANT Singh Rajput’s sister,Shweta Singh Kirti, took to socialmedia on Saturday and requestedPrime Minister Narendra Modi tolook into her brother's death caseand ensure that everything is han-dled in a sanitised way, withoutmanipulation of evidence.

Rajput died by suicide on the morn-ing of June 14. The reason behind theactor’s death is being investigated byMumbai and Bihar Police.

Sharing a note, Kirti wrote onInstagram, “I am sister of SushantSingh Rajput and I request an urgent

scan of the whole case. We believe inIndia’s judicial system & expect jus-tice at any cost. @narendramodi@PMOIndia #JusticeForSushant#SatyamevaJayate (sic).”

The note shared by her read, “DearSir, Somehow my heart says that youstand with and for the truth. We arefrom a very simple family. My brotherhad no Godfather when he was inBollywood nor do we have anyoneright now. My request to you isto immediately look into thiscase and make sure thateverything is handled in asanitized way and no evi-dences are tamperedwith. Expecting justiceto prevail (sic).”

Kirti had shared a photo of Rajput’swhite board in which he was plan-ning to start his workout and tran-scendental meditation from June 29.

MUMBAI COPS SEEK LEGALOPINION IN SUSHANT CASE

The Mumbai Police sought a legalopinion if they should assist BiharPolice with the ongoing investigation

in Sushant Singh Rajput’s deathcase, as per sources. As per

Mumbai Police, the BiharPolice has no jurisdictionto investigate the casehence no official docu-ment will be given untilthe court asks.

Rajput’s sister requests PM to look into death case

BiharPolice soughtpostmortem

report of Rajput butcould not obtain it

Party veterans Advani, Joshi could attend

Ayodhya Bhoomi Pujan event via video call

By Kumar Abhishek in Ayodhya and

Nelanshu Shukla in Lucknow

LEADERS of the Ram Jan-mabhoomi agitation, Lalkr-ishna Advani and MurliManohar Joshi, are likely toattend the Ram Mandirbhumi pujan event at Ayod-

hya via videoconferencing. The August 5 event at Ayodhya, which

will mark the groundbreaking ceremonyfor construction of the Ram Mandir, isbeing eagerly awaited by followers acrossthe country.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi isexpected to attend the event while localauthorities and the Uttar Pradesh govern-ment have made elaborate securityarrangements for the bhumi pujan event.However, there has been no confirmationof the same from the Prime Minister’sOffice.

Lalkrishna Advani, Murli Manohar Joshiand other senior leaders of the BharatiyaJanata Party (BJP) and the Hindutvamovement will be attending the eventthrough video conference over their ailinghealth and the coronavirus situation.

The administration has prepared a list of 10top leaders who will be attending the bhumipujan event through video conference.

Sources say, during the bhumipujan event on August 5, PMModi may share the stage withfour other leaders.

Apart from PM NarendraModi, RSS chief Mohan Bhag-wat and Nritya Gopal Das, chiefof Ramjanmabhoomi Nyas, willbe present on the stage alongwith two other dignitaries.

No other leader or saint will bepresent on the stage for the cer-emony.

Local authorities have saidgatherings of five or more peo-ple will be banned in Ayodhyaon August 5 to follow social dis-tancing protocols during theevent.

Huge police deployment willalso be seen across the templetown of Ayodhya with the gov-ernment planning to send anadditional 3,500 police personnelfor the security arrangements.

YOUNG COPS DEPLOYEDFOR PM’S SECURITY Police personnel who havetested negative for coronavirusand are below the age of 45 yearswill be deployed for PM Modi’ssecurity and other arrange-ments in Ayodhya for theAugust 5 event.

A total of 40 companies of(provincial armed constabulary)PAC will be deployed in Ayod-hya, including the 20 existingcompanies. The process of test-ing the police personnel who will

be deployed for security in Ayo-dhya is currently underway.

ADG law and order PrashantKumar and ADG Lucknow zoneSatya Narayan Sabat will leadthe UP Police security arrange-ments in Ayodhya ahead of the

bhumi pujan for Ram Mandir. Two DIG-level officers,

including SSP Ayodhya,Deepak Kumar and 8 Superin-tendent of Police will be in thetemple city to look after thesecurity measures.

Uttar Pradesh Chief SecretaryRK Tiwari will be chairing ameeting on the security arrange-ments in Ayodhya and ADGLucknow zone Satya NarayanSabat will leave for Ayodhyasoon after the meeting.

A TEMPLE COMES TO LIFERam Ki Paidi illuminated ahead of

the historical ceremony for theconstruction of the Ram Temple, in

Ayodhya on Saturday.

File photo of LK Advani andMurli Manohar Joshi.

‘Ram temple coming upwith everyone’s consent’

A RAM temple is being con-structed in Ayodhya withthe consent of everyIndian, Madhya PradeshCongress chiefKamal Nath saidon Saturday, fourdays ahead ofthe foundationlaying cere-mony. Nath’scolleague Digvi-jaya Singh saidformer primeministerRajiv Gandhialso wantedthe temple to come up.

“I welcome the construc-tion of the Ram temple inAyodhya. People of thecountry were expecting

and wishing for this sincelong. The construction ofthe temple is being carried

out with the consent ofevery Indian. It’s pos-

sible only in India,”Nath said in avideo message.

Singh said LordRam is at thecentre of every-body’s faith.“The centre of

our faith isLord Ram!And today,the country

is being run with trust inthe Lord Ram. That’s whywe all wish that a grandtemple should be built atthe birthplace of Ram in

Ayodhya. (Late PM) RajivGandhiji also wanted thesame,” he tweeted.

Singh, however, ques-tioned the muhurt (auspi-cious time) for the groundbreaking ceremony for theconstruction of temple,slated to be held on August,5 in the likely presence ofPM Narendra Modi.

“If we talk about ‘muhurt’,then more than 90 per centof Hindus in this countrywill be those who believe inreligious science... (sic),”he said. “I am neutral tothe fact that there is no‘muhurt’ for the foundationlaying on August 5. This isplaying with the religiousbeliefs (sic),” he said. —PTI

SHIV Sena leaderand Maharashtraminister Eknath

Shinde on Saturday saidthat the construction ofRam temple in Ayodhyawas not a political issue,but a matter of prideand faith for lakhs ofdevotees. Shinde, who isscheduled to visit Gad-chiroli district, of whichhe is the guardian minis-ter, was talking toreporters at the Nagpurairport.

When asked about aVishva Hindu Parishad(VHP) functionary’srecent statement thatthose opposing the Ramtemple and subjectslinked to it were doingso to achieve their polit-ical goals, Shinde said,“Ram temple is not apolitical issue. It is amatter of pride andfaith for lakhs of devo-tees of Lord Ram. ShivSena chief UddhavThackeray went to Ayod-hya when he was not aCM and later whenbecame the CM.” —PTI

Congress leader Kamal Nath

PTI

Chirag said being born in aninfluential family does not guar-antee political success.

“I have said this repeatedlythat just by the virtue of comingfrom a big political backgrounddoesn’t necessarily mean you willbecome a successful politician.You won’t be an establishedpolitician unless you have thepotential. There are many exam-ples where children of big politi-cians could not do anything.

5NEWSMail Today, New Delhi / Chandigarh, Sunday, August 2, 2020 Mail Today, New Delhi, Sunday, August 2, 2020

File photo of Union Finance MinisterNirmala Sitharaman

By Rahul Shrivastava in New Delhi

IN A pragmatic mid-scheme assessmentand switch, the government hasexpanded the eligibility criteria for theEmergency Credit Line GuaranteeScheme beyond the MSMEs to include“individuals who have loans for businesspurpose”.

The emergency credit line guaranteescheme worth Rs 3 lakh crore waslaunched as part of Atmanirbhar BharatMission by Union Finance Minister Nir-mala Sitaraman after a Cabinet clear-ance on May 20 to provide credit relief toMSMEs facing immense hardships dueto Covid-19 driven lockdowns. TheNational Credit Guarantee Trustee Com-pany Ltd (NCGTC) runs the ECLGS inwhich the government provides full loanguarantee to the incremental loans givento borrowers.

Individual entrepreneurs amount to alarge chunk of the country’s businesscommunity. With today’s eligibilityexpansion, doctors running clinics or lab-oratories, chartered accountants, taxi-bus service operators and lawyers who

have taken loan for their business needswill quality for credit under the specialcredit guarantee scheme which was ear-lier aimed to benefit medium and smallenterprises. Individuals like these, alongwith truck owners, agriculture equip-ment owners or shop owners are not reg-istered as MSMEs and they take loans in

their personal capacities. That used tomake them ineligible for availing of thescheme.

Finance ministry sources say that it isestimated that guaranteed credit lineindividuals with business loans may useup nearly Rs 1 lakh crore worth of thetotal Rs 3 lakh crore-scheme.

The department of financial services,part of the finance ministry has beenmonitoring and reassessing the imple-mentation of the scheme since thelaunch. Finance Minister Nirmala Sitara-man has held several rounds of meetingswith stake holders and officials to reviewthe implementation and take feedbackon the eligibility criteria.

A senior ministry official said that asthe scheme has gained traction, the gov-ernment has more workable informationto tweak the policy.

For example, on Saturday, the govern-ment announced the second set ofchanges in eligibility criteria of thescheme.

Earlier, business entities with Rs 25crore outstanding loan and Rs 100 coreannual turnover could avail the scheme.

I am forecasting ittoday that in 20-25

years from now, it iscertain that Chirag

will be countedamong the country’s

top leaders

If someone has tocome forward in

Bihar, then it is theyoung generation

and Chirag is amongthem. He has the

qualities to gobeyond caste politics

‘‘

‘‘

— RAM VILAS PASWAN, UNION MINISTER

MONTHS ahead of theBihar assembly elec-tions, Union Ministerand founder of Lok Jan-shakti Party (LJP) RamVilas Paswan on Satur-

day said he would defi-nitely like to see his sonand LJP president ChiragPaswan become Bihar’schief minister one day. Atpresent, the LJP is analliance partner of the BJPand is part of the NationalDemocratic Alliance(NDA).

Speaking in an exclusiveinterview with India TodayTV’s Consulting EditorRajdeep Sardesai for theshow ‘India Today IndiaTomorrow’, Paswan said hewants his son to be the chiefminister of Bihar.

“I definitely want it… 100 percent. When and how, we willsee… it all depends on Chi-rag… maybe after two years, five

years or in the future. I am fore-casting it today that in 20-25years from now, it is certain thatChirag will be counted amongthe country’s top leaders,” RamVilas Paswan said, adding thathe doesn’t talk of the present,but of the future.

Speaking about the past andhis ties with the BJP, Ram VilasPaswan said he had many oppor-tunities to become chief ministerand that he made a mistake in2005 when Nitish Kumarapproached him to join handsand form government in Bihar.

“Back then, I was stuck in ide-ology… I said I hold the key togovernment formation becauseI have 29 MLAs and I want thata Muslim should be madeBihar’s chief minister. But theJD(U) was not ready back then,neither was the Lalu Prasad’sRJD,” he said. Ram Vilas

‘Chirag can

Paswan said he was made anoffer even during the time of VPSingh but I suggested Ram Sun-dar Das’s name instead.

Speaking about the politics inBihar and its future, he said onething that is clear today is thatthere is a gap between leaders ofour generation (Paswan, LaluPrasad, Nitish Kumar) and theupcoming generation.

“If someone has to come for-ward in Bihar, then it is theyoung generation and ChiragPaswan is among them. It is truethat we are born in the weakersection, but Chirag has the qual-ities that he can go beyond castepolitics and connect with all sec-tions of society. There are lead-ers who are involved in castepolitics, but Chirag is seeingBihar’s politics and the politics

of India and is working towardsit. No one can stop his future.When will he become Bihar’sfuture and later the nation’sfuture, that time will tell.”

‘CM POST NOT MY FOCUS’Meanwhile, speaking also in theshow, Chiraj Paswan, who is cur-rently a Lok Sabha MP andheads the Lok Janshakti Party(LJP), said the chief minister’spost is not his focus and he israther concentrated on empow-ering youth in Bihar’s politics.

Asked if he has had the advan-tage of being from an influentialfamily and that other young peo-ple without such family back-ground face great difficulties inmaking their name in politics,

Eventually, it’s out and out onthe basis of your abilities.”

He said it is true that he had a“soft landing” in politics becauseof his family background, butafter the landing, there is a “bigstruggle to remain there”.

“There are many young lead-ers, even in our party, who haveestablished themselves withouthaving any political back-ground,” he said.

—www.indiatoday.in

Implementationof the ECLGS is adynamic process.Already 40LMSMEs haveavailed the scheme & `1.37 lakh crore has beensanctioned.

‘

— DEBASHISH PANDA, SPECIALSECRETARY, DEPT OF FINANCIAL SERVICES

Now, govt expands credit scheme to individuals

LJP founder Ram

Vilas Paswan on

politics in Bihar

and ties with BJP

one day’ lead nation

LJP chief Chirag Paswan

‘Refusing to join Nitishin 2005 was a mistake’

’

6 NEWS Mail Today, New Delhi / Chandigarh, Sunday, August 2, 2020 Mail Today, New Delhi, Sunday, August 2, 2020

Go-getter whocouldn’t return

11 killed as cranecrashes at shipyardin Visakhapatnam By Ashish Pandeyin Visakhapatnam

IN A major accident at theHindustan Shipyard Limited(HSL) in Visakhapatnam, aheavy duty crashed, trappingmany under the debris. Asmany as 11 people have beenkilled in the accident so farwhile one person is injured.

Of the 11 deceased, four wereemployees of HSL, including asupervisor, while the other sevenwere workers of three contractingagencies, Visakhapatnam DistrictCollector Vinay Chand said.

Bodies of the victims have beenretrieved in the rescue operations andsent for post-mortem. One victim isyet to be identified.

The new crane was erected at HSLabout two years ago but was not yetcommissioned for regular operationsdue to change in contractors. Themishap occurred when workers wereengaged in erecting the crane, PoliceCommissioner RK Meena said. Themassive crane suddenly crumbledand crashed to the ground.

Vinay Chand said: “A new crane wasbeing commissioned. A trial run wasbeing conducted to bring it intofull-scale operation. We'vealso ordered inquiry bothfrom within HindustanShipyard and also a high-level committee from theadministration.”

Dramatic visuals of the crane top-pling down have emerged as peopleat the shipyard stood watching inhorror. DCP Suresh Babu had firstconfirmed the incident.

COMMITTEE TO INVESTIGATEACCIDENT

While HSL constituted aninternal committee,

headed by its Director(Operations), the Col-lector formed an inde-pendent committee ofengineers, comprising

heads of departments of civil,mechanical and electrical engineeringof Andhra Engineering College, toinvestigate the cause of the craneaccident.

“The committees will probe if thereis any human negligence that causedthe mishap,” the Collector said. HSLalso contracted Lead Engineers formaintenance and Squad7 for regularoperation of the crane. “These con-tractors have commenced the fullload trials now and the testing wasbeing done when the tragedyoccurred,” Vinay Chand added.

TheAndhra

Pradesh CM hasdirected the police to

take immediate action

By Rahul Shrivastavain New Delhi

IN March this year, a few hoursafter Delhi’s active rumour millshad churned out that RajyaSabha MP and former Sama-jwadi Party leader Amar Singhhad passed away in Singapore, Ireceived a video message onWhatsapp. It was from someoneclose to Amar Singh. He hadrecorded it from his hospitalroom and declared in true ‘filmistyle’, “This is Amar Singh fromSingapore. I am unwell,harassed, but not scared. Mycourage, passion and senses areintact. My well wishers andfriends (pun intended) hadspread the rumour that Yamraj(God of death) has taken meaway. This is not true. The samevideo was posted on his Twitterhandle titled, “Tiger Abhi ZindaHai”.

Amar Singh passed away in aSingapore hospital on Saturday.

He was a networker like no otherin the recent political history ofIndia. At the zenith of his career,he hobnobbed among celebritiesand connected businesses.

During conversations, he usedto call himself a “Calcutta Boylost in Delhi jungle”.

Mulayam Singh Yadav gave hima Rajya Sabha seat in 1996 andalmost allowed him to run UP’smost influential political party atone point of time.

Writing about Amar Singh isdifficult. Essaying his politicalimpact is a treacherous road.He had once admitted to me ofowning a vault of secrets-somevoluntary deposited with himand some that he had acquired.He had once told me he had alarge collection of CDs –recordings, which many in thecountry may like to consign toflames. A Samajwadi Partyleader in fact used to call him“CD-uncle”.

He saved the Manmohan Singh

government by swinging theSamajwadi Party support infavour of UPA-I, after the over 60-MP strong Left Front abandonedit. The Left opposed the signingof the 123 Agreement part of thenuclear deal with the US.

On July 22, 2008 the UPA faceda trust vote in Lok Sabha. MPsconvalescing in hospitals wereasked to attend the House. ThreeBJP MPs rushed to the well ofthe House and for the first timedeposited currency notes on thetable in front of the SpeakerSomnath Chatterjee as evidence.The charge was that people hadpaid them the money to vote forthe government. The accused,Amar Singh, was later exoner-

ated by a parliamentary probepanel.

Amar Singh always had friendsat every place that mattered. Hestood with megastar AmitabhBachchan, who he had helped inmoment of dire need. He was thelink between the Bachchans andthe Anil Dhirubhai Ambani fam-ily and Mulayam Singh Yadav.For Mulayam Singh Yadav heconnected Samajwad or social-ism to glitz, glamour and power,the business elite, social chic andeven former US President BillClinton, who attended a banquetin Lucknow in 2005.

During the early UPA-II years,Singh was a powerful man.Bureaucrats would admit that heused to land up with files in min-istries and would walk out with a‘yes’ on the business interests ofhis friends.

He was getting too powerful inthe Samajwadi Party. He medi-ated between Mulayam andKalyan Singh, who was out of theBJP. He reeled off another “dush-mani-dosti” (enmity-friendship)song.

Meanwhile Mulayam’s sonAkhilesh Yadav was waiting toinherit the party. He felt threat-ened by Singh’s grip over theparty. In 2010 Singh was expelled.With no party or its MPs backinghim Singh’s power plummeted.

In one of his last posted videosfrom a Singapore hospital he hadsaid, “I may be good or bad. I amyours. In my own inimitable styleI have lived my life. I will beback.” Unforunately, he couldn’tkeep his promise to return.

DELHI Police on Saturdayquestioned former Jawa-harlal Nehru University(JNU) student and activistUmar Khalid in connec-tion with the northeastDelhi riots that tookplace in February thisyear.

Umar Khalid was askedabout his speeches thathe delivered before theriots and about his meet-ing that took place inShaheen Bagh withKhalid Saifi ahead of thecommunal violence.

His mobile phone hasalso been seized.

In June, Delhi Police

arrested Khalid Saifi,founder of United AgainstHate, in connection withthe riots and found dur-ing the investigation thathe played a “crucial role”in arranging a meetingbetween suspended AAPCouncillor Tahir Hussainand Umar Khalid.

Police chargesheet indi-cated that meetingbetween Umar Khalidand Tahir Hussain wasfacilitated by Khalid Saifiand the plan to organiseprotests in Delhi duringUS President DonaldTrump’s visit.

-Arvind Ojha

Police questions UmarKhalid in Delhi riots case

1956-2020AMAR SINGH

He helped UPA-I win the trust vote

In 2010 he wasexpelled from SP

Rescue operations underway after a crane collapsed at theHindustan Shipyard Limited in Visakhapatnam on Saturday.

7NEWSMail Today, New Delhi / Chandigarh, Sunday, August 2, 2020 Mail Today, New Delhi, Sunday, August 2, 2020

By Manjeet Negi in New Delhi

AFTER formulating oneof the most awaited andacceptable educationpolicies for the country,Union Education minis-ter Ramesh Pokhriyal

Nishank said that the days of edu-cation policy implemented byBritish Viceroy Lord Macaulay areover and the country now has itsown education policy in place.

Nishank said that even though there wasexpectation that the new policy wouldmeet opposition, he had consulted morethan 2.5 lakh stakeholders before finalis-ing the new education policy.

“And we have given the country a neweducation policy after a long time. Andthis is the end of days of education poli-cies formulated by the British and we aregoing to get a new education policy wherechildren won’t have report cards but willhave progress cards. And it would dependupon students whatever subject theywant to take and they can opt for musicwith engineering,” Nishank told IndiaToday TV in an exclusive inter-view.

He said the new education pol-icy was formulated after consult-ing the highest number of peoplein the world. “We consulted allstakeholders including students,academicians and common peo-ple before drafting the educationpolicy and putting it out in pub-lic domain,” he said.

Nishank said that more than2,50,000 people gave their sugges-tions and they were taken intodue consideration in all aspectsof education including schooland higher education where “wehave made big changes”.

H E added that afterthe analysis doneby experts, it wassuggested that achild’s brain

develops the most between 3 to 6years and if we can use thatperiod, we can develop themcomprehensively in all types ofactivities through the medium ofgames and education easily.

“We have now prepared a for-mat of 5+3+3+4. We want an all-round development of a childthrough basic education and arealso working to make it voca-tional,” he said.

Nishank termed the decision to

provide elementary education inmother tongue saying that Indiahas 22 different languages andwhen the child studies in his ownlanguage of the language whichhe speaks at home he will bemore comfortable.

“Up to Class 5, the childrenwould learn in their mothertongue and from Class 6, they

will be diverted towards voca-tional education also whereinternships would be providedfor between Class 6 to 12 andthey would also get an opportu-nity to develop their skills,” theminister said.

Nishank said online educationalso been stressed upon in thenew policy on and would also

work on to prepare a newnational curriculum frameworkunder which everybody wouldbe brought onto the same page.

The minister said the new pol-icy aims to aims to achieve 100%Gross Enrollment Ratio inschool education by 2030.

“The initiatives that will beundertaken for this include pro-

vision of effective and sufficientinfrastructure, alternative andinnovative education centres toensure that children who aredropping out of school arebrought back into mainstreameducation, universal participa-tion in school by carefully track-ing students, as well as theirlearning levels,” he said.

By Neeraj Vashistha in Gurugram

AN unarmed man was beaten up by amob in Badshahpur village of Gurugramin Haryana on suspicion that he wastransporting beef in his truck whilepolice and dozens of people watchedover the entire barbarity.

The incident happened on Friday morni-ng at 9 am when a group of cow vigilant-es managed to stop the pick-up truck inBadshahpur after chasing it for 8 km.

The driver, identified as Lukman, waspulled out of the truck and beaten up by

the mob on the suspicion that he wastransporting beef. Even the presence ofthe police, which did little to stop themob, did not deter the crowd from beat-

ing the helpless man to a pulp. Several videos of the incident have

gone viral on social media. The videoshows a helpless Lukman, with his head

bleeding, pleading the mob to let him goas the crowd continues to thrash him. Inthe video, the accused, all unmasked, areseen kicking, dragging, and assaultingthe 25-year-old.

At one point, a man is seen rushingtowards Lukman with a hammer andbashing him with it as Lukman pleadedhim to stop. One more viral video showsLukman sitting in the middle of a crowdwhen a man kicks him on his face ruth-lessly. This is when the police tried tointervene and stop the mob.

One person was arrested for allegedlyinvolved in the incident.

Union Education minister Ramesh Pokhriyal ‘Nishank’. (Inset) All India Democratic Students Organisation activistsburn copies of the new National Education Policy 2020 during a protest outside Patna University on Friday.

‘The govt hasconsulted allstakeholdersfor the NEP’

Cow vigilantes beat man as cops watch

PM MODI: FOCUS NOW ON QUALITY OF EDUCATIONPRIME Minister Narendra Modi onSaturday said the new educationpolicy emphasises on making ‘jobcreators’ instead of ‘job seekers’and is an attempt to transform theintent and the content of thecountry's education system.

Addressing the finale of the SmartIndia Hackathon, he said theNational Education Policy-2020facilitates inter-disciplinary studywhich will ensure that the focus ison what the students want to learn.

“It is not just a policy documentbut a reflection of the aspirationsof over 130 crore people. A largesection of students feel they are

judged on the basis of subjects inwhich they have no interest...often there is pressure fromfriends and families and they startstudying a particular subject with-out interest,” Modi said.

“The new education policy isan attempt to change thisapproach and bring sys-tematic reforms in theeducation system byreforming the intent andcontent,” he added.

“The 21st century is theera of knowledge. This isthe time for increasedfocus on learning,

research, innovation. This isexactly what India's National Edu-cation Policy, 2020, does. We arefocussing on the quality of educa-tion in India. Our attempts havebeen to make our education sys-

tem the most advance andmodern for students of our

country. The policy isabout the spirit whichreflects that we areshifting from the bur-den of the school bag,to the boon of learningwhich helps for life, from

simply memorising tocritical thinking.” - PTI

PM Narendra Modi

A video grab of the incident.

Gurugram police have arrestedone person in this connection

8 COMMENT Mail Today, New Delhi / Chandigarh, Saturday, August 1, 2020 Mail Today, New Delhi, Sunday, August 2, 2020

HUMOURDAILY

I like long walks whenthey’re taken by people whoannoy me.

— Fred Allen

Accept who you are.Unless you’re a serial killer.

—Ellen DeGeneresTomorrow is alwaysthe busiest day ofthe week.

SO FUNNY

PRESIDENT Donald Trump’ssuggestion that the US election bepostponed shouldn’t come as asurprise. This is still quite a leapgiven how volatile the outlook is andhis previous defying of the odds.But enough people have taken hisdefeat as a certainty to start a debateover the future of the RepublicanParty.

The Grand Old Party is now toast,with people divided in the middle.They have been steadily shifting.Whites, from whom the TrumpistRepublicans draw almost all theirsupport, will soon lose their majority.

And if the Trumpists win the internaldebate and find among the number asmarter, more competent front man?Trump’s successor, whoever that is willprobably be less self-obsessed, moreskilled at avoiding pitfalls, better atreading the room, better at pushingthe buttons necessary to further thesort of authoritarian project seen inparts of Europe.

That’s a frightening prospect and itisn’t just a problem for America. It’s aproblem for what we used to know as“the free world”.

Why Trump’ssuccessor maybe even worse

DAY IN NUMBERS

AROUND THE WORLD

THE INDEPENDENTON THE REPUBLICAN PARTY

`87crthe amount GSTcollections havefallen to in July,

says FinanceMinistry report

`242 cramount of

collections fromreal estateactivities

in Mumbai

The Grand Old Party is nowtoast, with people divided

” ”

ONCE India attainedindependence andChina her revolution,the perception of theirborders with oneanother underwent a

drastic change and the catalystto that change was the Chinesemove into Tibet in 1950.

The essential dispute until then restedon the possible negotiations around theArdagh–Johnson line in the WesternSector and the McMahon line in theEastern Sector by India and Chinarespectively. The Chinese occupation ofTibet, which entailed the imposition of aregime alien to the Tibetan culture ledto the flight of the Dalai Lama in 1959.The Indian government accorded himthe status of a Government in Exile.India by then had officially accepted theChinese occupation of Tibet as de jure,without in an inexplicable mannerinsisting on the quid pro quo of the Chi-nese reciprocity in the NEFA sector. Thebeginning of the Sino-Indian border dis-pute is rooted in Chinese claims of sov-ereignty over Tibet and in areas whichChina considered historically belongingto Tibet, and hence to her. Within theChinese imagination they include theNEFA sector (modern day ArunachalPradesh), Ladakh and Aksai Chin.

The Chinese offer In 1960, Zhou Enlai made a take it or

leave it offer to Prime Minister Nehru forsettling the border dispute. The essentialnature of the offer lay in the demands onIndia to make concessions to the Chinesein the Western Sector and the Chinesereciprocating the gesture in the EasternSector. This offer would have meant thatIndia would have had to agree to the Chi-nese hold of territories in Aksai Chin andthe Chinese agreeing and reciprocatingthe same in the NEFA Sector for India.

For an observer looking at the Line ofActual Control today, the Chinese pro-posal in 1960 was for China to drop itsclaim to the NEFA in exchange for Indiadropping its claim to Aksai Chin, withboth sides making concessions over themiddle sector. Such a settlement, as faras China was concerned would have beenin consonance with the realities ofadministrative control as it deemed

existed on ground. The Chinese repeatedthis offer with similar connotations forthe Line of Actual Control to the subse-quent Indian governments as well. Whatis interesting is all the later Indian gov-ernments and rightly so, in consonancewith India’s first Prime Minister’s stance,have rejected these offers. We need tounderstand the current standoff againstthe above historical background and inthe light of the new realities thatemerged since then.

Caught by surprise? Has any ground shifted further between

the time when Prime Minister RajivGandhi made that breakthrough visit toChina and the current intrusions andChina’s policy of salami slicing on theborder? The status quo ante is decisivelybroken by China with respect to areas inand around Pangong Lake, Hot Springsand Galvan valley. Despite some disen-gagement the claims on these areas fromthe Chinese side remain and do get reit-erated time and again. These, inciden-tally, are the very regions in Ladakhwhere India and China fought in 1962. Itis interesting to note that the recent Chi-nese move has come at the time when USand China are locked in a confrontationalrelationship, and when the world, includ-ing China, is battling a pandemic.

What could be the reasons for China topursue this aggressive stance on hersouth western border? In recent timesand under successive governments, Indiahas moved to strengthen infrastructureon the borders: joining the Quad initia-tive with United States and others thathave implications for Chinese maritimesecurity, augmented, substantially, themobilisation and logistical capabilities ofequipment, troops and critical assetsincluding smart and intelligent systemsand their integration in the War Doctrine;initiating a process of raising the Moun-tain Strike Corps that can strike acrossthe Tibetan plateau, and is aggressively

pursuing a high economic growth path.Such actions may have possibly taken

China by a strategic surprise. The Chi-nese response has patterned on thestrategy that they have followed for 70years. China even when “weak” pursuedthe policy of aggressive deterrence,which was manifest in the Korean Warof the 1950s, when the poorly armedPLA forces fought the Americans on the36th parallel. Aggressive deterrencewould mean aggressive actions to pre-vent an adversary gaining long-termadvantages. China, given her completecommitment to the One Belt One RoadInitiative, would want India on thedefensive and not pose a question toChinese economic and political inter-ests at any time. This would, thereforeinclude for the near future, the possibil-ity of thwarting the possibility of anIndian intervention in the China Pak-istan Economic Corridor, and securingthe link road between Tibet andXingjian that goes through Aksai Chin.In the longer run, one may surmise thatChina would like to have an upper handin border negotiations with India wherethe finality of the Chinese annexation ofTibet and the acceptance of fait accom-pli in the Western Sector would be anon-negotiable act. Would that non-negotiable position of China extend inthe Eastern Sector as well?

The OBOR factor One Belt One Road Initiative is per-

haps the most critical strategic bid theChinese leadership has made to asserther status as the dominant globalpower. The rise of India as the possibleAsian Pivot is from that perspective afactor they would want respond to.While the response from the Chinesehas been to turn to aggressive deter-rence short of a conflict that seeks todivert Indian attention and herresources our response should beshaped by our long-term strategic inter-est as well. It does therefore would bega question from our side whether theoriginal Chinese offer of Premier ZhouEnlai is still on the negotiating table orwhether that ground has now shifted?

The writer is a Professor in theDepartment of History, School of

Humanities and Social Sciences, ShivNadar University.

TThhee vviieewwss eexxpprreesssseedd aarree ppeerrssoonnaall..

We have no quarrel. In ademocracy, f ights happenover ideology, policies andprogrammes.

— ASHOK GEHLOT, Rajasthan CM, saying he will forgive the rebels ifthe Congress High Command does

DAY IN WORDS

I would be the first personto help them, but not before14 or 15... Though I havewonderful baggage[ from early yearsin acting] I wouldnever let go of.

There were questions on ustoday so we’ll go away pleasedat picking up three points andgetting a clean sheet.

— STEVEN GERRARD, Rangers manager, on the club’s triumph at

Aberdeen after a late start

— DREW BARRYMORE, actor,

and formerchild star, on

not wanting herdaughters to act

too young

by Ajay VishwasDandekar

““

Classical dancer Anisha Srinivas performs ‘Abhinaya’, the Indian art of expression, as she takes onlineclasses from her home in Hyderabad on Saturday.

DANCE GOES DIGITALAFP

India-China ties, ablast from the past

9SPOTLIGHTMail Today, New Delhi / Chandigarh, Sunday, August 2, 2020 Mail Today, New Delhi, Sunday, August 2, 2020

MG ARUN

THE New Educa-tion Policy (NEP)has proposed aparadigm shift inthe Indian educa-tion system at all

levels – from early learningto higher education.

While most of the reforms sug-gested have been recommendedby various expert committees inthe past, several new elementshave also been added.

NEP recognises that the pur-pose of the education system is todevelop good human beingscapable of rational thought andaction, evidence-based thinkingand possessing scientific temperand ethical values. At the sametime, it envisions an educationsystem “rooted in Indian ethos”for “transforming India, that isBharat” into a knowledge society.NEP mentions contributions ofancient Indians to “mathematics,astronomy, metallurgy, medicalscience and surgery, civil engineering, architecture, ship-building and navigation, yoga,fine arts, chess, and more.” Suchlegacies, it says, should be“researched, enhanced, and put

to new uses through our educa-tion system.”

In principle, there is no contra-diction between scientific temperand promoting traditional knowl-edge and ancient science. Fordecades, science academies haveresearched into the work ofancient astronomers and mathe-maticians as well as texts likeCharak Samhita. Study of tradi-tional medical systems too is anestablished discipline. But intro-ducing modules on ancientknowledge at different levels ofeducation is altogether different.First, ‘ancient knowledge’ itselfhas become a contested territoryin recent years, with everythingfrom virtues of cow urine toherbal Covid cure claiming thetitle. If all such claims are consid-ered ‘ancient knowledge’ andsubjected to research, it will drainon our institutions that arealready starved of research funds.Second, it will open flood gates

MILESTONE FOR NEW SOURCE OF ENERGY THE International ThermonuclearEnergy Reactor (ITER) project, theworld’s largest science project cur-rently underway, has reached a majormilestone this week with the start ofthe machine assembly in France. It isan international collaborative projectwith France as the host country. TheEU is funding 45 per cent of the cost ofITER, while other partners - U.S.China, Japan, Russia, India and Korea– are funding 9 per cent of the project inkind. In recent months, all the partici-pating countries shipped toFrance components and parts– some of them weighingseveral hundred tons eachand over 15 meters long.They have been fabri-cated in factories, univer-

sities and national laboratories in dif-ferent countries. India has supplied agiant outer shell measuring 30 meter indiameter and 30 meter high for thereactor, among other components. Theassembly which began this week maytake up to five years to complete byDecember 2025, scientists hope tolaunch ‘first plasma’ to demonstratefunctionality of the machine.

The ITER machine would replicatefusion the Sun’s power inside the reac-tor. Fusion power – as opposed to fission

in nuclear power plants - is safe,uses minute amounts of fuel

and has no possibility of acci-dent or meltdown. Thetokamak machine that willproduce fusion power hasone million components.

Themachineassembly

has started in France

THE India MeteorologicalDepartment (IMD) haslaunched a mobile applica-tion, ‘Mausam’ for dissemina-tion of weather-related infor-mation and forecast to thepublic. It lets users accessobserved weather, forecasts,radar images as well as warn-ings on weather events.

For current weather, one canaccess temperature, humidity,wind speed and direction for200 cities. This informationwill be updated eight times aday. The feature called ‘now-

cast’ gives three hourly warn-ings of localised weather phe-nomena and their intensityissued, for about 800 stationsand districts in India. In thecase of severe weather, itsimpact is also included in thewarning. Regular city weatherfor preceding 24 hours and 7-day forecast of weather condi-tions is also available foraround 450 cities.Warnings are issuedtwice a day for alldistricts for fivedays in colourcode (Red,

Orange and Yellow) to warncitizens of approaching dan-gerous weather. Red standsfor ‘the most severe category.’Radar images will also beupdated every ten minutes.The app has been developedby IMD, along with IndianInstitute of Tropical Meteo-rology, Pune and Digital Agri-

culture & Youth team ofthe International

Crop ResearchInstitute for Semi-arid Tropics(ICRISAT).

QUANTUM LEAPDINESH C SHARMA

Giant reactor shell supplied by India for ITER

Even as heavy rains lash the Capital, the India Meteorological Department has launchedan app which allows users to track the weather.

UnionEducationMinister Dr RameshPokhriyalNishank

THE Covid-19 pandemic isbeginning to impact foodsecurity globally, scientistshave warned. The pandemichas adversely hit food sup-ply chains, which in turn hasput food security at risk. Themost direct impacts on foodsecurity arise from eco-nomic losses resulting fromvirus control steps like lock-downs, manifesting in loss ofincome of the poor and

their ability to buy food. Inaddition, there are disrup-tions in agricultural supply,production, and distributionof food due to labour short-ages, industry closures, andrestrictions on movement ofpeople and goods. If theseissues are not addressed intime, the situation turn intofood crisis, experts havewarned in scientific journalScience this week.

SIGNS OF A FOOD CRISISDOZENS of scientific groups across the worldare developing different types of vaccinesagainst novel coronavirus.

The Harvard Medical School has developed avaccine candidate that made from adenovirus. whichcauses the common cold. The vaccine has been tested inrhesus macaques and initial findings show that itprotects against SARS-CoV-2, according to resultspublished in journal Nature. The vaccine is now beingevaluated in clinical trials. Vector-based vaccines useviruses to express fragments to stimulate an immuneresponse. Vaccines based on adenovirus have been foundto induce immune responses to various pathogens inboth animals and humans. Now scientists hope thisworks against the novel coronavirus as well.

Now, you can play weather-man

Itlets users

access observedweather and

forecasts

NEP mustspell out‘ancientknowledge’

for mythological tales such asPushpak vimana touted as anexample of aerospace engineer-ing to creep into text books. Tothink this knowledge can be use-ful in contemporary world, asNEP says, is farfetched. You can’texpect Indian Space ResearchOrganisation to dip into ancienttexts before developing nextspaceship to Mars or a transplantsurgeon to look for clues fromGanesh’s plastic surgery. If thedefinition of ancient knowledge iskept open-ended and undefinedin NEP, we are headed towards adangerous whirl.

The author is a journalist,columnist and author based in

New Delhi.

it envisions a system‘rooted in Indian ethos’

PANKAJ NANGIA

Several Chinese

companies are

at the forefront

of Covid research

10 Mail Today, New Delhi / Chandigarh, Saturday, January 12, 2019 Mail Today, New Delhi, Sunday, August 2, 2020

Japan’s capital Tokyo recorded472 new coronavirus cases on

Saturday, the third straight day ofrecord numbers. Nationwide, thedaily count of the coronavirus casesin Japan totalled a record 1,579 onSaturday.

The pandemic is a once-in-a-century health crisis,itseffects will be felt for decadesto come.Most people remainsusceptible to the virus.

‘

’—TEDROS GHEBREYESUS, W.H.O. CHIEFW RLDLY

ISE

AMERICA’S top infec-tious diseases officialhas raised concerns overthe safety of Covid-19vaccines being devel-oped by China and Rus-

sia as the world scrambles foranswers to a pandemic theWHO warned will be felt fordecades.

Six months after the World HealthOrganization declared a global emer-gency, the coronavirus has killed atleast 679,000 people and infected atleast 17.9 million.

As countries across Western Europeannounced new lockdowns andreported historic economic slumps,

the UN health body said thepandemic was a once-in-a-cen-tury crisis and its fallout wouldbe felt for decades.

Several Chinese companies areat the forefront of the race todevelop an immunity to the dis-ease and Russia has set a targetdate of September to roll out itsown vaccine.

But US infectious diseaseexpert Anthony Fauci said it wasunlikely his country would useany vaccine developed in either

country, where regulatory sys-tems are far more opaque thanthey are in the West.

“I do hope that the Chineseand the Russians are actuallytesting the vaccine before theyare administering the vaccineto anyone,” he told a US Con-gressional hearing on Friday.

“Claims of having a vaccineready to distribute before youdo testing, I think, is problem-atic, at best.”

NEW SPIKESIn east Asia, territories which

saw success in tackling theearly wave of the coronavirusare now confronting worryingnew spikes.

Japan’s Okinawa declared astate of emergency Saturdayafter a record jump in cases onthe island — many linked to USmilitary forces stationed there— while Hong Kong opened anew makeshift hospital tohouse Covid-19 patients.

ECONOMIC MESSFrance, Spain, Portugal and

Italy all reported huge contrac-tions in their economies for theApril-June quarter, whileEurope as a whole saw grossdomestic product fall by 12.1percent.

In a sign of the trade-offsbeing forced on European governments, Britain imposednew lockdowns Friday on millions of households innorthern England. —AFP

MEXICO surpassed Britainas the country with the third-highest coronavirus deathtoll on Friday, as the pan-demic reaches new mile-stones in Latin America andthreatens to disrupt effortsto reopen the region’s reelingeconomies.

The record places Mexicobehind Brazil, Latin Amer-ica’s largest and most popu-lous nation, and the UnitedStates. More than 91,000 peo-ple have died in Brazil, andthe U.S. death toll hastopped 152,000.

Mexico on Friday recorded688 fatalities to bring itsdeath toll to 46,688, with424,637 confirmed cases.

The United Kingdom hasrecorded 46,204 deaths and

304,793 cases, according to atally by Johns Hopkins Uni-versity.

Mexican officials say thepandemic is likely far moreextensive than official figuresreflect.

The rising tolls havecemented Latin America’s

status as one of the epicen-ters of the virus. Cases in theregion have doubled over thepast month to more than 4.7million infections.

Colombia, where lockdownsare planned through the endof August, passed the 10,000death benchmark on Friday,tallying 10,105 fatalities. TheAndean country is expectedto reach 300,000 total casesover the weekend.

While the United Kingdomappears to have put thebrakes on the virus, the pan-demic shows few signs ofslowing in Mexico, which has

been trying to restart theeconomy since late May.

“We’re opening when we’renot yet ready to open,” saidRosa Maria del Angel, headof Molecular Pathogenesis atMexico’s National Polytech-nic Institute.

Mexican President AndresManuel Lopez Obrador, whoangered some health advo-cates by refusing to wear amask in public, said on Fri-day that Mexico plans to goahead with IndependenceDay celebrations in the capi-tal’s massive Zocalo Square.

—Reuters

FRESH off a bout of Covid-19, President Jair Bolsonaro said Friday ‘nearly everyone willprobably end up catching thecoronavirus’, urging Brazilians to face up to it and saying therewas nothing to fear.

The far-right leader's latest bidto downplay the pandemic cameas Brazil closed in on the grimmilestone of 100,000 peoplekilled by the virus, the second-highest death toll in the world,after the United States.

Bolsonaro, who is just comingoff three weeks in quarantinewith a case of the virus, pointedto his own case as an example.

“I’m in the high-risk group,” the65-year-old president told jour-nalists during a visit to the south-ern state of Rio Grande do Sul.

“I knew I was going to catch itsomeday, as I think unfortunatelynearly everyone here is going tocatch it eventually. What areyou afraid of? Face up toit,” he said.

“I regret the deaths.But people die every

day, from lots of things. That'slife.”

Bolsonaro has faced criticismfor his handling of the pandemicas it has surged in Brazil.

Bolsonaro, who has comparedthe virus to a ‘little flu’, hasfought stay-at-home measuresto contain it and regularlyflouted social distancing guide-lines, hitting the streets ofBrasilia to exchange handshakesand hugs with supporters.

He tested positive for the viruson July 7 after coming down witha fever, and spent 3 weeks in iso-lation at the presidential palace.

On Thursday, in his first publicevent since his illness, hegreeted a crowd of supporters inthe northeastern state of Piaui,removing his face mask to loud

cheers. The same day, thepresident's office

announced his wife hadtested positive for thevirus. —AFP

A file photo of Brazilianpresident Jair Bolsonaro.

The nation now has46,688 corona deaths

Mexico surpasses UK with3rd highest virus death toll

BOLSONAROCLAIMS COVIDWILL INFECTEVERYBODY

US infectious diseaseexpert Anthony Faucitestifies during theHouse SelectSubcommittee on theCoronavirus Crisishearing in Washingtonon Friday.

AFP

TWO MAJOR drug compa-nies will supply the USgovernment with 100 mil-lion doses of an experi-mental coronavirus vaccine, the Trumpadministration said on Fri-day, as the nation’s tophealth agency predictedthat fatalities would risein the coming weeks.

The agreement calls forthe US government to payFrench drug maker Sanofiand British pharmaceuti-cal giant GlaxoSmithKlineup to $2.1 billion to supplyit with enough vaccinesfor 50 million people,with the option to buyanother 500 milliondoses. The purchase fallsunder the Trump adminis-tration’s so-called ‘Operation Warp Speed’,intended to rush a Covid-19 vaccine to the marketby the end of 2020.

—Reuters

U.S. BUYS 100MN DOSES OF‘POTENTIAL’VACCINE

People walk in Zocalo Square, Mexico City, on Friday.

US MAY NOT USE VACCINESMADE IN CHINA OR RUSSIA

C VID-19

PANDEMIC

Hesays there is

nothing to fearabout the virus.

Mail Today, New Delhi, Sunday, August 2, 2020 11W RLDLY WISE

PRESIDENT Donald Trumpannounced on Friday he will banChinese-owned social mediaapp TikTok from operating inthe United States.

Trump said the popular video-sharing platform could bebarred as soon as Saturday byexecutive order or through useof emergency economic powers.

“As far as TikTok is concerned,we’re banning them from theUnited States” he told reporterson Air Force One as he returnedfrom Florida.

“Well, I have that authority. Ican do it with an executive orderor that [emergency economicpowers].”

The president also made clearhe did not support an Americancompany to purchase TikTok’sU.S. operations after an earlierreport claimed Microsoft was ‘intalks’ to acquire the platform.

Sources told The New York

Times on Friday that a deal wasin the works, but it was unclearwhere the two firms stood.

At the same time, reports hadclaimed Trump was planning toorder TikTok’s Chinese parentcompany, ByteDance to give upownership of the platform.

Sources familiar with the mat-ter said the White House,

ByteDance and potential buyersof TikTok, including Microsoftfailed to produce a deal thatwould result in the Chinese com-pany shedding the app's U.S.operations.

The talks are expected to con-tinue in the coming days.

While Microsoft already ownsprofessional social media net-

work LinkedIn, it would facefewer regulatory hurdles inacquiring TikTok than its moredirect competitors, such asFaceBook Inc, one of thesources said.

But ByteDance’s valuationexpectations for TikTok of morethan $50billion, and its insis-tence on retaining a minoritystake in the app complicateddeal talks, another source said.

TikTok has some 800millionusers around the globe.

—Daily Mail

JAMES Murdoch has quit theboard of News Corp as heblames ‘disagreements overcertain editorial content pub-lished by the company’s newsoutlets’.

The 47-year-old, who is theyounger son of media mogulRupert, had been on theboard of directors since 2013and was the CEO of 21st Century Fox.

He said: “My resignation isdue to disagreements overcertain editorial content pub-lished by the Company’s newsoutlets and certain otherstrategic decisions.”

He did not go into detailabout his differences with thecompany, but has been publicly critical of its newsplatforms in the past.

It means the board will nowconsist of ten members,headed by Rupert and his oldest son Lachlan.

James has spoken outagainst his father’s companyon a number of occasions,with him and his wife Kathrynslamming the family businessfor promoting climate change‘denials’ during the Australianbushfire crisis in January.

The pair released a state-ment saying they were ‘disap-pointed’ by the coverage ofthe fires by Fox News andother News Corp outlets.

“Kathryn and James’s viewson climate are well estab-lished and their frustrationwith some of the News Corpand Fox coverage of the topicis also well known.

“They are particularly disap-pointed with the ongoingdenial among the news out-lets in Australia given obviousevidence to the contrary,”their statement read.

The ‘denials’ were in refer-ence to allegations arsonistsand not climate change wereto blame for the destructivewildfires. —Daily Mail

Murdochscion quitsboard ofNews Corp

A BRITISH teenager has beencharged with hacking Twitterand stealing thousands of dol-lars worth of Bitcoin by takingover the accounts of celebri-ties and top businessmen.

The US Department of Jus-tice charged Mason Shep-pard, 19, of Bognor Regis, withconspiracy to commit wirefraud, conspiracy to commitmoney laundering, and theintentional access of a protected computer.

Mr Sheppard was one ofthree people charged withthe hack, which took placeearlier this month and sawaccounts belonging to BillGates, Elon Musk and Barack Obama hijacked andused to post links to Bitcoinwallets along with falseclaims that payments wouldbe matched.

—Daily Mail

Xi asks for betterChina-Nepal ties

Beijing wants to cash in on India-Nepal ‘rift’

19-year-oldcharged withTwitter hack As far as TikTok is

concerned, we’rebanning them fromthe US. Well, I havethat authority. I can do it with anexecutive order.

— DONALD TRUMP, US President

‘

‘

Microsoft is in talks tobuy the Chinese app

James Murdoch

CHINESE President XiJinping on Saturday saidhe wants to push for acontinued advancementof ties with Nepal amidstBeijing’s sustained foraysto shore up pro-ChinaPrime Minister K PSharma Oli’s grip onpower in the backdrop ofintra-party feud in the rul-ing communist party.

In an exchange of congratu-latory messages with hisNepalese counterpart BidhyaDevi Bhandari on the 65thanniversary of the establish-ment of diplomatic relations,Xi asserted that he was readyto work to bring greater ben-efits to the two peoples of thetwo neighbouring countries.

The Chinese President saidthat he attaches great impor-tance to the development ofChina-Nepal relations and iswilling to work with his Nepalicounterpart Bhandari to pushfor the continued advancementof the bilateral relationship.

Xi, also General Secretary of theruling Communist Party of China,said that since the establishmentof the diplomatic ties, the twocountries have always respectedeach other, treated each other asequals, enhanced political mutualtrust and deepened mutuallybeneficial cooperation.

Noting that he and Bhandariexchanged visits last year andelevated the bilateral ties to astrategic partnership of cooper-ation featuring ever-lastingfriendship for development andprosperity, Xi said the two sideshave stood together throughthick and thin in the fightagainst the Covid-19 and havewritten a new chapter of friend-ship between China and Nepal,state-run Xinhua reported.

Chinese Premier Li Keqiangand his Nepalese counterpartOli too exchanged greetings.

‘DEEP-ROOTED FRIENDSHIP’

Highlighting the deep-rootedcordial friendship since ages, thePrime Minister (Oli) underlinedthat Nepal has consistentlymaintained the ‘One China Pol-icy’ and China has always

respected Nepal’s sovereignty,territorial integrity and politicalindependence, Nepal’s ForeignMinistry said in a statement.

Nepal’s Minister for ForeignAffairs Pradeep Kumar Gyawali,in his message to China’s StateCouncilor and Minister of For-eign Affairs Wang Yi, appreci-ated Wang’s role in strengthen-ing the bilateral ties, it said.

Wang expressed his willingnessto work together with Gyawali

to strengthen communicationand cooperation, implement theimportant consensus reachedbetween the leaders and make apositive contribution to thedevelopment of China-NepalStrategic partnership of cooper-ation featuring ever-lastingfriendship for development andprosperity, the statement said.

Nepal and China establishedtheir diplomatic relations onAugust 1, 1955.

MONEY POWERChina’s political profile in

Nepal has been on the rise in therecent years with billions of dol-lars of investments under Bei-jing’s multi-billion-dollar Beltand Road Initiative, includingthe building of the Trans-Himalayan Multi-DimensionalConnectivity Network.

Besides the investments,China’s ambassador to Kath-mandu Hou Yanqi has madeopen efforts to garner supportfor Oli, who faced a massiverebellion in his party headed byco-chair of the NCP, PushpaKamal Dahal ‘Prachanda’.

Hou met Prachanda and otherleaders seeking their backing forOli but the rebellion against theprime minister has not subsided.

China attaches high impor-tance to Oli continuing in poweras during his tenure in 2016, hewidened China-Nepal ties bysigning the transit trade treatywith Beijing to reduce thedependence of his land-lockedcountry on India. —PTI

‘BEING A GOOD NEIGHBOUR’■ On Saturday, Nepal andChina celebrated their 65th anniversary of theestablishment of diplo-matic relations — sinceAugust 1, 1955.

■ China’s political profile inNepal has been on the risein the recent years with

billions of dollars of invest-ments under Beijing’s Beltand Road Initiative (BRI).

■ Besides the investments,China’s ambassador toKathmandu has made openefforts to garner supportfor Oli, who China attachesgreat importance to.

A file photo of Chinese President Xi Jinping (C) and Nepal Prime Minister K P Sharma Oli.

Now, Trump decides to ban TikTok

Mail Today, New Delhi / Chandigarh, Sunday, August 2, 2020 Mail Today, New Delhi, Sunday, August 2, 2020 Mail Today, New Delhi, Sunday, August 2, 2020 12 RAKHI SPECIALRAKHI SPECIAL 13

RevelryDo famous brothers and sisters in the sameprofession inspire each other or are theycompetitors? Threecelebrated siblings continue the debate. By Simi Kuriakose

WHEN it comes toseeking inspira-tion, there isnone better toturn to thanyour own family.

It is through familial ties that youoften discover, which skill-set torely on and how you intend to useit professionally. Sibling duos whowork together, predominantly, cre-ate powerhouse teams. But eventhose who work independently inthe same profession are ofteninspired by principles and ethicsthat their brother or sister adopts.We speak to three versatile andsuccessful sibling duos on howtheir creative processes differ fromthe others and what they admirein each other’s working styles.

ANUSHKA MANCHANDA ANDSHIKHAR MANCHANDA

SUMEET VYAS AND SHRUTI VYAS

WHILE Anushka Manchanda has a spontaneousapproach to work, her brother Shikhar Manchanda is“systematic”. She adds, “I admire that. He makes plansand functions accordingly. I like to make plans too, butmine generally never work out.” The duo also have thesame taste in music and that helps, given their profes-sion. Anushka adds, “Even though we come from differ-ent musical backgrounds, we complement each othercreatively, often filling each other’s gaps. While wewere at each other’s throats in our childhood, we grewclose to each other as adults.” Shikhar says, “My back-ground is centred on metal. It is from there that I getmy edginess when it comes to the sonic field. My sis-ter’s sound has an edge too, but it is her lighter sidethat I dig.” Ask him if the two have been subject tohealthy competition and he laughs, “What competi-tion? We are in sync with each other when it comes tosound. We support each other because we have gen-uine love, and that is truly the healthy way of being.”

“I THINK Shruti is a genuinely gifted actor. I, on theother hand, am more street-smart. I don’t think Ihave the gift she does,” says Sumeet Vyas about hissister Shruti Vyas. The two actors have their owntrajectory and have excelled in their own way. Theircreative processes though, Shruti admits, are com-pletely different. “Sumeet’s creative expressioncomes with the intention of ease and fun as that ishow he is as a person. I am very intense and fiery asa person so my creative process is full of intensityand fire in it,” she adds. Both Sumeet and Shrutimaintain that they love acting and so the competi-tion isn’t unhealthy. Sumeet says, “We are both inlove with what we do, so the competition is morecraft-orientated than result-orientated, which isbetter.” Shruti agrees, “The fact that we do it [act-ing] makes us happy and that is reason enough forboth of us to not fall into the trap of comparison.Hence happiness comes first, then the job and theidea of self-satisfaction follows automatically.”

MUSICIANS

ACTORS

RAHUL BANERJEE ANDDOLA BANERJEE

SPORTSPERSONS Dola Banerjee and RahulBanerjee have aced archery, which is evi-dent from the awards they have picked up.Dola says “When a family member supportsyou during a tournament, which you need,it is an advantage. If there are mistakes, wecan discuss them. Many from the same fam-ily make it in sports. But participating on anational level from the same family is differ-ent. It’s good for us, as we representedIndia.” Rahul admits that Dola is his supportsystem. At the shooting line during tourna-ments, he could always hear Dola encour-aging him from the stand shouting, in Ben-gali, bhaalo kore kor [do well]. He adds,“That always boosted my confidence. Thesame goes for her as well. She has alwaysbeen a mentor to me. And the competitionwas always, only, on the field.”

ARCHERS

BONDING IN THETIME OF CORONA

THREADING A SUSTAINABLE IDEA

IT’S TIMETO TELLA STORYBy Antara Raghavan

FAMILY is one of the oldestthemes that is written about inthe world. The relationshipsbetween parents and children,and those between siblings havebeen written on extensively.There have been major suc-cesses such as A Suitable Boy,where the protagonist Lata,Savita, and their brother Arun,are one of the major sibling rela-tionships in the book. For this time of the year, theHachette book Celebrate: Rakhiand Bhai Dhuj, is a fun, andmust-time read for any young-ster, and is apt for the occasion.For other readers at this timethere are titles which deal withsibling themes such as DeepaAgarwal’s Blessed. Deepa Agar-wal is known for titles such asCaravan to Tibet. Blessed isabout Selentra, who discoversshe has the extraordinary giftthe Ancients spoke of. Her com-plex relationship with herbrother Dumor is one of themost prominent themes in thenovel. Agarwal remarks, “It’salways wonderful to celebrateclose family bonds, even thoughno relationship is perfect.”

ADITYA JASSI, SINGERAND PALLAVI KHULLAR“I’m usually chill

about most festi-vals. I get to spend

all the festivals withmy wife, parents and son. Theone festival I miss my sisterthe most is, of course, Rakhi,because it’s about ‘us’. We’vealways had a very strongbond. I was always the pro-tective brother forever look-ing out for Pallavi. I’m superthankful to technology for itsort of brought the entireworld closer. Despite her liv-ing abroad, we still stay con-nected and she still ties merakhi, albeit virtually. Surethe physical proximity isamiss, but our hearts arenever distant.”

DR MANOJ GOYAL, DIRECTOR & HEAD,PULMONOGY, CRITICAL CARE & SLEEPMEDICINE, FORTIS MEMORIAL RESEARCHINSTITUTE, GURGAON AND SISTER NEERUGUPTA

The doctor and his sisters usu-ally assembled at one house tocelebrate the festival. But withCovid turning things topsyturvy and him being on duty inthe ward, this year is bound tobe different. “I have receivedthe rakhis online and will betying them myself during aWhatsApp video call. I willoffer my sisters sweets thesame way. We will rememberthis year when we celebrated itwith video calls,” says the doc-tor. The sister, who is elder tohim says, “Our best wishes arewith my brother. We keep pray-ing for him that he does well.

We are worried but we under-stand it is his duty.”

CHEF NISHANT CHOUBEY AND SISTERAAKANSHA CHOUBEY, A RESEARCHSCHOLAR

Since both of them live inDelhi they usually celebratethe festival together wherethey sing, dance and eat a lot.This year is different as theyhave gone to their hometown,Bokaro. “I usually gift her asurprise which is not disclosedtill it is opened. This year toowill be the same,” says Nis-hant. While Aakansha hasdecided to cook a special tradi-tional sweet from Jharkand.She says, “My younger brotheris here too as well as cousinsand extended family. This timearound it seems to be back tochildhood kind of RakshaBandhan.”

DJ & MUSICIAN SARTHAK SARDANA AKASARTEK WITH SISTER OJASVITA SARDANA

“Rakhi this year will actuallyalmost be the same as before,since we both stay in the samehouse. Fortunately or unfortu-nately this time we are doinghome-made desserts. I willdearly miss my boondi kaladoo but she promised tomake it up with a good choco-late pudding! Also seeing thecurrent situation, there is norebate from my sister on thegift amount, it might justincrease only. Although abrother should protect his sis-ters 365 days a year, this spe-cial day helps to bring back theoneness of the family, bindingthe brother-sisters together inan emotional bond of love.”

JEWELLERY DESIGNER MUSSKAN AGARWAAL AND VINAYAK AGARWAL

“Rakhi holds a lot of signifi-cance in my life. I share a veryspecial and fun bond with mybrother. I am elder to him, yetwe both share each of oursecrets. While every yearRakhi is about going out andenjoying our time in ourfavourite restaurants, moviesetc, this year I am cooking aspecial lunch for him with hisfavourites. He is making cus-

tomised leather accessories forme. We will celebrate our daywatching a Netflix series,indulging in food and playingwith our baby pet. We will alsohave our elder sister visiting uswith her little munchkins, sowe are looking forward to family time.”

LAURENT SAMANDARI, CO-FOUNDER ANDMD OF L’OPÉRA

“One of the enduring lessons ofthe Covid-19 pandemic will bethat love, and affection are notbound by material means andthat they can be transmittedspiritually without physicalcontact, as far and as sepa-rated one may be from his orher siblings. My sister Carolineand I always had the exampleof our mother and her brother,our father and his sister whoselove for and mutual dedicationto each other constantlyinspired us for decades.

This year it will not be possi-ble for my beloved sister to per-sonally come and physically tiethe rakhi around my wrist but Ifeel the warmth of her smileand gentle movement of herhands around my wrist.

Caroline, my elder sister, hasinvited me for several weeks toher vacation home, withoutbeing present there herself. Ishall remember her and feelher love and kindness not for afew hours or a day but forweeks if not months.”

—Compiled by Rewati Rau,Antara Raghavan and

Saimi Sattar

By Saimi Sattar

CREATORS are finding newways to go the eco-friendlyroute on Raksha Bandhan

ART AT THE GRASSROOTIt did not start with rakhis,rather it was an attempt to bringabout a change in the region.Artists, social workers, based inand around Nagpur, realisedthat Vidarbha region, which wasnotorious for farmer suicides,was also the site of mono crop-ping of BT cotton, which hadenvironmental and health impli-cations. They started Gram ArtProject five years back. “Wedecided to revive indigenous cot-ton and grow it organically,”recalls Vedant Bhakkad. Theystarted The cotton was spun oncharkhas by weavers fromWardha and naturally dyed. Afew days before Raksha Band-han the group got 100 womenfrom the village on board to workthe threads through differenttechniques like macrom, andcrochet to make rakhis. The firstyear 8,000 rakhis were madewithout giving a thought to theprofits. “We broke even and soldabout 6,000,” saysBhakkad. This year,they 30,000 in 14 differ-ent designs weremade. The Parad-singa, MadhyaPradesh-based

group sells the rakhis through25-30 bulk buyers and alsothrough retail.

IN NATURAL COLOURSVritti Designs has a plethora ofsustainable products. The rawmaterials that go into theirrakhis are sustainable andhandmade. “The fresh tulsi

beads are from Vrindawanand strung by hand by a

70-year-old-man onhand spun threadwhich is organic anddyed in naturalcolours,” says Vivek

Singh who handles marketing.

CUSTOMISED SURPRISES“Last year, someone asked meto make 25 rakhis. I thoughtthe embroidery of my karigarsshould not go waste andattached a small magnet toeach,” says Krishma Bhagat,who used to make customisedgifts till that time. With thepandemic this year, the Khanmarket store has shifted shoponline. A collaboration with agraphic designer this year hasseen rakhi fridge magnets withfunky messages.

(Right): Gram Art Projectuses indigenous cotton.(Above): Vritti Designsmakes rakhis with tulsibeads. (Below): DesiDrama Queen createsrakhi fridge magnets.

Organic cotton, natural

dyes go into making an

eco-friendly rakhi

Poet and translator DeepaAgarwal, author of Blessed

(L-R) Anushka Manchandaand Shikhar Manchanda.

(L-R)Sumeet Vyasand ShrutiVyas.

(L-R) Rahul Banerjeeand Dola Banerjee.

Mail Today, New Delhi / Chandigarh, Sunday, July 19, 2020 Mail Today, New Delhi, Sunday, August 2, 2020 Page 14

LIBRARIES, those sanctuaries ofsilence where book lovers couldbrowse and borrow titles atleisure and students couldpeacefully prepare for examsaway from their hectic home and

school lives, are now feeling the impact ofthe lockdown triggered by Coronavirus.

Many libraries in the National Capital Region havetemporarily closed while some have reopened takingthe requisite precautions. In a world where peoplecan’t immediately pick the same book or newspaperthat other hands have touched or be in crowded areas,many libraries are now taking baby steps to adapt tothe new normal.

Public treasures Many treasure troves for biblio-philes across the city, such as theHazrat Shah Waliullah PublicLibrary in Old Delhi and the cen-tury-old Hardayal Municipal Her-itage Public Library (HMHPL) inChandni Chowk have closed.Rekha Sinha, honourary secretaryof HMHPL, explains, “We’ve beenshut ever since the first days of thelockdown. It is too much of a riskto open it [the library] these days.All we can do is to wait for thingsto settle down.”

The sentiment is shared even byneighbourhood libraries. While

always open to the public, are alsoproceeding with caution. TheHabitat Library and ResourceCentre at India Habitat Centre isshut, although, as the library’sSenior Manager Ainul Abedinsays, “Many members are habitu-ally enquiring and requesting if thelibrary can re-open. For our part,we are just waiting for governmentguidelines.”

The India International Centre(IIC) Library, on the other hand,has been open since July 4. Butonly around six people are allowedin the library at a time. The library,especially books which have beenreturned, is sanitised twice a day.IIC librarian Kanchan Nagpalexplains, “We now have a windowopen for those who want to returnbooks. People put their books in abox. After sanitising the box, wekeep the box closed for a week.There is limited browsing andbooks that are to be issued arealso sanitised.”

Another popular centre, theBritish Council Library (BCL) ispartially open in Delhi, althoughmany other of its branches inIndia have been shut. AntoniusRaghubansie, Director, LearningServices of BCL India, says, “As ofnow, our physical centres remainclosed. When we do resume face-to-face operations, we will take allnecessary precautions.” However,like many other libraries, the BCLis also open digitally.

centres such as Street LightLibrary in Kalkaji are open withrestrictions, others such as theManana Devabhuti DamodarLibrary in Greater Kailash areshut, with no certainty aboutreopening. Anshu Dogra,executive director ofManana DevabhutiDamodar Library,says, “Most of ourmembers are stu-dents. We havedecided to keep thelibrary shut untiluniversities and col-

leges reopen.” The Delhi Public Library, on the

other hand, has reopened. Estab-lished in 1951, it has always been astudents’ hub. As Mahesh Kumar

Arora, Deputy Director (Admin-istration) and the Library

Information Officerexplains, “18 of its 33branches have beenopen since May 5,albeit only for issu-ing and returningbooks.” The days ofvisitors casuallystrolling in, picking

up and discarding books accord-ing to their whims, are over for thetime being. All browsing is cur-tailed. Kavya Joshi, a 20-year-oldDelhi University student, remarks,“At times it is a real pain. I used togo to the Ashok Vihar library mostweekends and spend the daythere. Now I can only go occasion-ally, and I can never stay for long,or browse like I used to do.”

Members keen to returnOther major libraries, which aremembership-based and are not

INSIDE STORY

The Delhi Public Library has been a busy readers’ hub for decades. Now,only four to six visitors are allowed to enter one branch at a given time.

Afew of the

libraries in thecity are open with

the mandatoryrestrictions

Libraries in thelockdownAffected by Covid-19, many city librarieshave either closed on a temporarybasis or gone digital to stay intouch with their avid readers online

by Antara Raghavan

PARVEEN NEGI

The British Councillibrary has been ahaven for booklovers and students.Though partiallyshut, the librarycontinues itsservices online.

Mail Today, New Delhi, Sunday, August 2, 2020 Page 15

Festive Feasts Page 16

In the wellnessof things Page 17

By Saimi Sattarin New Delhi

WHEN the pandemic brokeout, it caught everyoneincluding hospitals, doctorsand the government by sur-prise. “Given the scale andthe stigma associated withthe disease, I often readreports about patients beingturned away. This wasdespite the fact that theDelhi government app indi-cated that beds were avail-able. I wondered how I couldhelp the people?” saysHemant Gulati, advocate,Delhi High Court. Gulatistarted small, initially, by cir-culating his phone numberon social media pages, addingthat if there was a Covidpatient being refused a bed inany private or governmenthospital, they could approachhim to file a writ petition onhis/her behalf in the DelhiHigh Court.

Word got around and slowlyand steadily, people startedcontacting Gulati. “Therewas a lacuna between what

the Delhi government wasclaiming and the ground situ-ation. I started getting some-where around 100 to 120 callsa day even at odd hours. Ihave filed a writ petition atmidnight, sometimes earlymorning, and got the orderswithin seven to eight hours toget the patient admitted.”

Besides taking the legalroute, he also put togetherdata such as the contactnumbers of Chief MedicalOfficers, doctors present atdifferent hospitals, and main-tained it 24X7. He recallsreceiving a call at 3:30 in themorning. “There was a lady atthe other end crying pro-fusely. She was accompany-ing her father in an ambu-lance parked outsideSafdarjung, which did not

have beds. The oxygen levelsin the ambulance were plum-meting.” Gulati swung intoaction and called the doctoron duty at AIIMS, which isacross the road, and got thepatient admitted — all withina span of 50 minutes.

In another case where aSouth Delhi hospital hadthrown out a girl with 85 percent disability, he had to takethe court’s help. The girl wasimmediately admitted to ahospital in Saket while aninquiry was initiated againstthe errant hospital.

Feel Good Factor

He reached outto help kin ofCovid victims

Lawyer Hemant Gulati steppedin when hospitals turned awaypatients during the pandemic

Gulati is nowhelping people

get plasma

Q&AHave things improvedover time?

There were lacunae, whichthe government hasimproved slowly. Earlier, thedata was two days old. I wasmaintaining parallel dataalong with the numbers ofdoctors on duty and CMOs,as sometimes you can’t filethe writ petition immedi-ately.

With the number of people being infectedcoming down every dayin Delhi, have the callsdropped?

Nowadays, the calls that Iget are for plasma becausenow the beds are available. Iam coordinating for it withthe Delhi Governmentnodal officers. The Delhigovernment has approvedthe ILBS Hospital to pro-vide plasma but only if youhave a donor available.

What about extendinghelp to those outsideDelhi?Whenever lawyers havecalled, I have helped themfile petitions. In one case, afamily reached out to saythey were having problemsgetting a patient admittedin AIIMS, Bihar. I called theCMO and facilitated it.

At theheight ofthepandemic,HemantGulati wasreceivinganywherebetween 100 to 120calls everyday, someof themway pastmidnight.

Digital respite Many libraries such as HMHPLand Manana don’t have digitalavenues. For other centres, onlinespaces have become the new hubfor study as well as leisure pur-poses during the lockdown.Raghubansie says, “Our onlinelibrary membership and usagehave seen a steady growth. Our

members enjoy a wide range ofonline collections, from newspa-pers and magazines to best-sellinggraphic novels, self-help onlinetutorials, academic journals,research publications, novels andaudio books.” Avenues for exami-nations are also open in the BCL.Suresh Chauhan, a 21-year-oldstudent, says, “I was afraid there

would be no access at all, but thisway I can continue studying forthe IELTS.” Both the IIC as wellas Habitat are providing digitalresources. The Delhi PublicLibrary has held 11 webinars dur-ing the lockdown. In the ultimateanalysis, avid readers are satiatingtheir thirst for knowledge by dip-ping into digital reservoir.

The India International Centre is still a place where members can browse through journalsand papers provided they maintain social distancing and take all necessary precautions.

16

EAT, PRAY & LOVESUNDAY SPECIAL

KHOYA MITHAI’s co-founderand director Sid Mathur saystheir sales this July haveseen a 40 per cent growthcompared to July 2019. Per-haps because, as he says,

people crave good old traditionalmithai. He says, “Rakhi is one ofour busiest periods, withnumbers increasing quitesignificantly year on year.”

In the monsoon season,themention of Rakshabandhansweets brings to mind one ofthe most loved sweets —ghewar. Agrees ChefAshish Juyal, executivechef, The Westin SohnaResort and Spa and says,“When you say Raksha-bandhan, the first thingthat comes to my mind isGhewar. A traditionalsweet from Rajasthan andmade especially during themonsoon season, it wassomething my whole familywould devour together onRakhi.”

Things of course have beenchanging over the years with siblingsbeginning to gift each other chocolatesand other baked sweets. Says Chef AmitWadhera, Executive Chef, THE Park NewDelhi, “Traditionally, sweets such as kalagulabjamun, kaju katli, besan ke ladoo,were gifted to brothers but with changingtimes, it is their choice of gift hampers withfine confectionery that has gained in popu-larity these days.”

Mail Today, New Delhi, Sunday, August 2, 2020

We share recipes to indulge yoursweet tooth thisRakshabandhan

FESTIVEFEASTS

(Left) Raw turmeric and jaggery halwa by The Westin Sohna Resort and Spa’s Chef Ashish Juyal; Khoya’s Ghewar

By Rewati Rau

MANGO WALNUTSHEERA BY CHEF SANJYOT KEER

INGREDIENTS■ 3/4 cup ghee

■ 3/4 cup semolina

■ 1/4 cup wheat flour

■ 3/4 cup sugar

■ 1/2 cup Mango puree

■ 2 cups water (you can

add more if the sheera is

too dry)

■ 1/2 cup walnuts

METHOD■ Toast walnuts ■ Make mango pulp■ Roast ghee, semolinaand wheat flour onmedium flame till thecolour changes.■ Add sugar and mangopulp and stir quickly.While mixing add water ■ Keep stirring to avoidlumps and add toastedCalifornia Walnuts.■ Cool until the gheeseparates.

ALMOND AND ROSE KHEER

BY CHEF MANISH MEHROTRA

INGREDIENTS■ Full fat milk: 2ltr■ Gobindobhog rice: 120 gm(Or any other rice available)■ Grain sugar: 40 gm■ Rose water: 3-4 drops■ Dried rose petals: 10 gm■ Almonds: 100 gm■ Almond Slivers: 25 gms

METHOD■ Soak the rice in water forabout 20 mins. ■ Heat milk in a heavy bottompan, after a boil, reduce the heatand simmer till milk is reducedto half the original volume.■ Add the soaked rice, afterdraining the water and cook onlow heat till rice is cooked welland the mix thickens. ■ Add chopped almonds andcook for further 15 mins on lowheat till the kheer is thick andcreamy, add sugar. ■ Once cool add rose water andmix. Refrigerate till serving■ Roast some almond slivers inan oven for 180 deg for 5 mins,until golden brown. Garnishwith slivers and dried rosepetals before serving.

WELLNESS

DURING the Covid era,stepping out even for aleisurely stroll is notlikely to happen soon.And holidays at one’sdream destinations

could remain a distant dream.In such a scenario, domestic travel will be

the first to recover and when travellers willbe raring to take off, it’ll be the wellness-industry travel that could lure them in. “Inthese times, what tops the list are goodhealth and immunity — things that, whenclubbed with scenic environs, make for aperfect substitute for even stunning inter-national destinations,” says Manoj Khetan,co-founder of Naad Retreat that nestles ina sprawling green belt near Sonipat.

An ‘escape experience’ in serene sur-roundings tackling issues of health is whatwellness tourism has been touted to be allabout. Although health retreats have beenaround for decades, they were looked at —in the pre-Covid days — as getawaysmostly for those with health problems. Butnow, with leisure tourism options struck offtheir travel list, people are looking at healthretreats as the answer for a relaxed holiday.

“People seem to accept that issues likesocial distancing, which people worryabout even in the poshest of hotels can bedone away with here,” asserts RuchaSukhramani of the Shreyas Retreat in Kar-nataka that is all set to reopen in the com-ing week with all dos mandatory for a safeenvironment well in place. And one of thereasons for this is that the 16-year-old, 25-acre centre has always believed insocial distancing. “We have just 12cottages that stand far apart fromeach other and hence are much inline with Covid-related guide-lines,” says Sukhramani, one ofthe founding members of Shreyas.Geared up with a staff thatbelieves in the benefits of yoga,“guests see us not just as a veryhealthy lot but also as people whoinspire trust from the momentthey walk in,” she smiles.

INDEED, after being con-fined to their homes 24X7 forweeks at a stretch, manytravellers are looking to seekrefuge in an outdoorsy

space. “With the lockdown slowlybeing eased, they’ll be looking toseek refuge amidst nature thathas a calming effect,” says Khetanwhose staff stayed on at Naadthrough the lockdown “furtherensuring the place remainedCorona-free”. And now, with thethree-acre property having beguntheir operation, that is the kind ofsecurity and sanitisation it will beoffering to guests. With peace ofmind, immunity and flexibilitybeing the buzzwords, Naad’sguests appreciate its health-related schedule that include sim-ple practices like oil mouth-wash,gargles and early sleep time thatlets the body self-heal.

Adding to the experience is notjust the Turkish hamam, Swedishand Balinese massages and salt-cave treatments but also the sani-tised ‘resort uniform’ that guestsare required to wear during theirstay here. Khetan mentions howa guest got his parents here say-ing, ‘a health holiday in such envi-rons is far better for them ratherthan one in London or Paris’.”

Agrees Dr Govinda KumarTrivedi, CMO at Balaji Nirogdham

— that opened for stay-in patientsfrom June 15 — as he says, “Peoplehave come to realise that it’s notenough to visit a place like you doon a holiday but also to gain some-thing out of it.” But wellness holi-days, adds Trivedi, are not justabout spas and massages in asanitised environment but a com-bination of interesting pro-grammes. He smiles talking aboutBharatnatyam yoga, kathak yogaand Zumba yoga that are big hitswith guests “as also are our bha-jan sandhyas”. Happy that theonset of Covid-19 has let peoplebecome conscious about theirhealth and well-being, he says,“However healthy we may be oth-erwise, we need to guard ourselvesagainst this virus.” That’s whyTrivedi and his team insist onoffering “a holistic experience”

that lets guests move onto thepath of physical and spiritualhealth.

Incidentally, as with mostretreats, direct walk-in arrivals areno longer acceptable. Only onlineadmissions are allowed and theseare done after a complete screen-ing of details about the guests’medical, family and travel histo-ries. What’s more,one therapist toone guest is the new norm andthere too, besides PPE kits, cur-tains, etc., only minimum interac-tion will be allowed between thetwo. This is being done tolower any risk of virustransmission. “The twocan communicatebefore and after thetreatment sessionsover the phone,”adds Trivedi.

Envisaging a spurt in wellnesstourism, Rejith Daniel, generalmanager of the Viveda WellnessVillage that lies close to Nashiksays, “People have come to realisethat health is of utmost impor-tance.” Viveda opened in the firstweek of July with special offersand programmes connected withNaturopathy, Ayurveda, Yoga,homeopathy and spa treatments“it offers what all ‘smart tourists’want in these times,” smilesDaniel. With just about 16 cot-tages on their premises that give

you a lot of me-time, Viveda’sspecial facilities including

aqua yoga and holisticexperiences all prom-

ise a Covid-free stay.With Corona hav-

ing a deep psycho-logical impact on

the people’s psyche, wellnesstourism is sure to be top priority,feels KR Raghunath of the JindalNaturecure Institute. “Preventivecare has become the need of thehour. And everyone seems to beyearning for a robust immune sys-tem that can fight infectious dis-eases better and prevent theonset of non-communicable dis-eases that are currently responsi-ble for 61 per cent of the deaths inIndia,” adds the senior chairmanof the vast 42-year-old, 120-acreinstitute in Bengaluru. “Whatgives me joy is that millennialswho are already health-consciouswill be even more so after the pan-demic — arming themselves withnot just with indigenous systemsof treatment but also lifestylestrategies to promote the body’sself-healing powers,” he adds.

By Purnima Sharma

Once the pandemic departs, resorts thatpromise health and well-being may besought after by travel aficionados

Directwalk-ins into

retreats are nomore acceptable

(Left to right) The Jindal Naturecure Institute is a vast 120-acre space situated in Bengaluru; Naad Retreat nestles in asprawling green belt near Sonipat.

Viveda Wellness Village issituated close to Nashik.

With leisure tourism options struck off their travel list, people areconsidering centres such as the Naad Retreat Institute for a holiday.

17Mail Today, New Delhi, Sunday, August 2, 2020 SUNDAY SPECIAL

Travel MailON SUNDAY

IN THE

OF THINGS

Mail Today, New Delhi, Sunday, August 2, 2020 18 INTERACTIVE

LETTERS�Shocking to seea man thrashedwith a hammer IT IS extremely shocking thatwith impunity and a hammer, anunarmed man is savagely beatenand kicked to pulp while thepolice and dozens of people dolittle more than watch, showsthe video, demonstrating thehorrific collapse of law near thecountry's capital. Around 9 amon Friday, a group of cow vigi-lante chasing a pick-up truck forabout 8 km managed to flag itdown. The driver, identified asLukman, was pulled out andbrutally assaulted on the suspi-cion that he was smuggling cowmeat in an incident with chillingechoes of the 2015 Dadri moblynching in Noida, also veryclose to Delhi. The victim wasbeaten brutally while the ownerof the vehicles said that themeat was buffalo and he hasbeen in the business for 50 years.After being beating to an inch ofhis life, Lukman was bundledinto the pick-up truck and takenback to Gurgaon's Badshahpurvillage where the men startedthrashing him again. Surely it iscondemnable that the police didnot try to save the victim whilehas reached the spot on thetime. But what is more worse isthat the police filed a complaintagainst "unidentified individu-als". Let me know why did thepolice not save the victim fromaccused? Are the public judge topunish the criminal by theirown? Why did the police notarrest the accused when theywere committing the horrificcollapse of law, even they had tofile cases against unidentifiedpeople?

—B O CHANGA, West Bengal

�Govt has beenunable to help people amid floodsTHE flood situation in northBihar has gone from bad to worseday today. Floodwater enteredareas, which were so far unaf-

1) DOCTOR (TEASER)SIDHU MOOSE WALA

Singer/Lyrics/Composer/Concept : Sidhu MooseWala; Music : The Kidd;Mix Master : Dense

2) TABAAH - OFFICIALMUSIC VIDEO |GURNAZAR FT KHANSAAB |SARA GURPAL |INDIE MUSIC LABELSinger & Lyrics - Gurnazar;Composer : Gurnazar &GoldBoy; MusicProduction : GoldBoy;Qawaali : Khan Saab

3) TSP'S YOUTUBERS ONNEPOTISM

Creative Director:Anandeshwar Dwivedi;Channel Producer:Shreyansh Pandey;Written by: VaibhavShukla, Pratish Mehta;Directed by: PratishMehta

4) RICH VS NORMALRAKSHABANDHAN |SANJHALIKA VLOGShoot by: SanjhalikaShokeen; Edit by: VibhuVarshney; Script by:Kundan

YOUTUBE QUESTION

Mail Today poll

BLOGS

IS J. COLE TRAININGFOR THE NBA?SETH J. Cole is training forthe NBA, according to fel-low rapper Master P. The35-year-old star recentlyjoined forces with Master Pfor a Puma commercial,where it is hinted that J is intraining for a National Bas-ketball Association tryoutand veteran rapper MasterP claims J is serious aboutbasketball. ''I said to getone of these NBA jerseys,it's not gonna be easy. It'sgonna be a lot of hate, it'sgonna be a lot of peoplenot believing in you but youknow J. Cole - he got theright size, he in the gym!

contactmusic.com

There has been a fierce debate among politicians andeducationists over the New Education Policy 2020introduced by the government. Do you think thatthere was a need to change the education policy?

YESTERDAY’S RESPONSE

YESTERDAY’S QUESTION

75%YES NO

25%

WRITE TO THE

EDITORYou can now email your opinionto letters@mailtoday.in

GIGI HADID GUSHESOVER ZAYN MALIK PREGNANT Gigi Hadidgushed over her ''babydaddy'' Zayn Malik in asweet Instagram post andshared a picture of themkissing. Gigi Hadid gushedover her ''baby daddy''Zayn Malik in a sweetInstagram post. The 25-year-old model - whorevealed in April that sheis pregnant with her firstchild - shared a new snapof her and Zayn, 27, kissingand captioned it ''babydaddy''.

contactmusic.com

the first time that the differentparts of Bihar have been affectedby floods. But the people of theseareas are affected by such floodsevery year.

—NOOR AHMAD, Hyderabad.

�Children are mostvulnerable duringthe Covid crisisTHE United Nations Children'sFund (UNICEF) has warned thatthe global epidemic of Covid-19 hasseverely reduced the supply of nutri-tious food, leaving children underthe age of five thinner. It can bepinned. Such children have anincreased risk of developing a debil-itating mental condition, a weakeducational tendency, a weakenedimmune system and a number ofother diseases, and some of thesediseases can even lead to death.However, various United Nationsagencies said that the incidence ofchildhood malnutrition couldincrease manifold if immediate stepsare not taken to address it, urgingnational and state governments toprovide food to such vulnerable chil-dren. They must act immediately,so that their future is ruined.

—ABDUSSALAM, Mumbai

fected, in Purnia district duringthe last 24 hours. The water con-tinued to flow through Madhep-ura town and low-lying areas.Over 19 lakh people from 725 vil-lages spread across 263 panchay-ats in 24 blocks of Madhepura,Araria, Supaul and Saharsa dis-tricts, had been reeling under theimpact of the Kosi flood. It is not

A boy stands near Covid warrior themed idols for Puja

festivities at a workshop, in Bengaluru, on Saturday.JUST CHECKING

PTI

K ASIF

Important festivals like Eid and Rak-shabandhan, which people generally

celebrate with their families, arehappening during the pandemic thisyear. Do you think social distancing

should still be maintained?

Mail Today, New Delhi / Chandigarh, Wednesday, August 2, 2017 Mail Today, New Delhi, Sunday, August 2, 2020 19COFFEE BREAK

MUTT & JEFF

TH

ATA

BA

BY

TH

E M

IDD

LET

ON

S

FRED BASSET

DO

ON

ESB

URY

LAUGHLINE

Mail Today, New Delhi / Chandigarh, Wednesday, August 16, 2017 Mail Today, New Delhi, Sunday, August 2, 202020 COFFEE BREAK

ARIES March 21-April 19The dream of becoming rich through real estate

may come true. Circumstances seem to be in

your favour at workplace. It is possible to get rid

of chronic disease with the help of home

remedies. The changing circumstances at home

front will be pleasing. Business related travel will

make you aware of new opportunities. Students

have to prepare for the competition. It is time to get inner peace

by connecting with spirituality.

LIBRA September 23-October 22

YYoouurr ffoorreessiigghhtt wwiillll pprroovvee ttoo bbee aa bboooonn iinnffiinnaanncciiaall mmaatttteerrss.. YYoouurr rreeppuuttaattiioonn tthhrroouugghhnneettwwoorrkkiinngg wwiillll aadddd vvaalluuee ttoo iitt.. YYoouu wwiillll ffeeeellffiitt aanndd eenneerrggeettiicc.. TThhee ffaammiillyy wwiillll bbee pprroouudd ooffyyoouurr aacchhiieevveemmeennttss.. SSttaarrss aarree ppooiinnttiinnggttoowwaarrddss tthhee nneeww pprrooppeerrttyy.. WWiinnnniinngg tthheeccoommppeettiittiioonn iiss ssuurree ttoo hhaappppeenn ffoorr ssttuuddeennttss..CChhaannggeess iinn rroouuttiinnee aarree ppoossssiibbllee.. LLoovvee rreellaattiioonnsshhiipp iiss rreeaacchhiinnggaa ssttaaggee ooff mmaattuurriittyy..

SAGITTARIUSNovember 22-December 21

Good investment opportunitiesmaterialize, but vet them

closely before investingyour hard-earned money.

The day will be full ofachievements at yourworkplace. Healthyeating habits are showing effects onhealth. You will take care of the issuesrelated to home trouble. The hard workof the students is paying off. The nativesactive in sports will have to work harder,increase their dedication.

AQUARIUS January 21-February 18The fun of life doubles while being fit. Familywill be filled with happiness. You will get theidea of taking a short break from the routine.You will lead juniors in professional life,cheering them on. It will be possible to buythe property at the desired price. At the levelof education, circumstances seem to be beneficial. Old lovecan take firearms again.

TAURUS April 20-May 20

Financial health keeps you happy andconfident. There are chances of gettingdesired progress in professionalmatters. Precaution in eating anddrinking has shown positive effects onhealth. Homemakers will not experiencethe lack of money and all their work will

be completed without hassles. You may get anopportunity of long travel with your loved ones.

SCORPIO October 23-November 21Investing in a planned manner will add to your

wealth. You will earn respect at workplace and

will be a source of inspiration for juniors. Your

serious attitude at work will keep you focused and

help wind up a task quickly. Health concerns will

be removed. Close proximity with spouse will

increase during window shopping. You will plan

exciting activities. Students will get rid of

confusion.

CAPRICORNDecember 22-January 20

Financially, you cherish asecure environment. Past

savings are likely to be enhanced.It will be almost impossible to beat

you in the area of your expertise. It is notpossible to compete with your reasoningability. You will be motivated to live healthy life. You willenjoy the long drive. Property papers may be finalised inyour name. You will get your recognition at the level ofeducation. Close proximity with love partner is possible.

PISCES February 19-March 20

It is possible to improve the financial situation.

The responsibility of the important project in the

field will be handed over. It is possible to get rid of

physical problems. There will be a sigh of relief as

necessary help in domestic work is available.

There are chances of buying property in a posh

area. You will be ready to pay the desired price of

this property. Trip with love partner can be planned.

CANCER June 21-July 22Your sense of justice will be

appreciated by family. It is

possible for businessmen to make

profits from new work. Happiness and

satisfaction will remain in romantic life. The

family will breathe a sigh of relief as their

health improves. The journey will be entertaining and

exciting. The sum of the profits from the property will make

you rich. A boom in real estate profits is possible.

VIRGO August 23-September 22Adding to your skills and knowledge willincrease both income and reputation.Workbench conditions may remainunsatisfactory. The positive impact of activelifestyle is visible on health. Family will help inhousehold chores. Property related

paperwork will be completed. Scholarships are being madeavailable for bright students. If you want to buy a house, thendecide after considering all the options.

GEMINI May 21-June 20Investments made with prudence willbenefit. Your financial situationseems to be favourable. Highofficials will know your abilitythrough your performance.The health of sick person isimproving. You willencourage the whole

family for a common cause. The wishes ofthose who plan to travel will be fulfilled.The house will go up on rent as desired.The hard work of the students will bringthem success.

LEO July 23-August 22

You can remain worried about any new investment.

There are chances of getting increments. Enjoy

healthy workouts and thereby life. You will get full

support from your spouse. The journey done with a

particular aim will be successful. Favourable

chances of buying property are present. Students will be able to

make their mark in the eyes of seniors.

LUCKY COLOUR: Yellow; LUCKY NO: 15 LUCKY COLOUR: Turquoise; LUCKY NO: 5

LUCKY COLOUR: Peach; LUCKY NO: 1 LUCKY COLOUR: Gray; LUCKY NO: 2

LUCKY COLOUR: Silver; LUCKY NO: 11 LUCKY COLOUR: Cream; LUCKY NO: 9

LUCKY COLOUR: Dark Blue; LUCKY NO: 12 LUCKY COLOUR: LEMON; LUCKY NO: 3

LUCKY COLOUR: WHITE; LUCKY NO: 9 LUCKY COLOUR: Navy Blue; LUCKY NO: 4

LUCKY C : Lavender; L NO. NO: 2 LUCKY C. VIOLET; L. NO: 17

Astro Focus

BY Manisha Koushik

IF IT’S YOURBIRTHDAY TODAY

Your thrilling and spine-tinglingnature will lift the downgrading

spirits of the audience. You always tendto draft a strong and effective ploy foryour undertaking. You try to go to any

length to execute and attain your set plans.Discussions with your family members turn

out to be bitter but at the end space will befilled by sweetness only. You are

authoritative and thoroughly probed all thefacts before embarking on any project. You

may not be satisfied by your healthconditions. Your help to poor andneedy will help to wipe off their

tears through pecuniary helpwhich you might getthrough your luck.

ARIES Apr 14-May 14

In the course of meetingpeople, you are likely tocome across someone

who begins to interest you a lot.This could be the start of aromance.

CANCER July 16-Aug 15You and your lover canplan out your course ofaction for some future

activities. Discussions and planscan keep you very busy and takeup most of your time.

LEO Aus 16-Sep 15The chance to make therelationship progress willcome along. Your love

partner is going to give you somegood news which is going to make the day very happy.

LIBRA Oct 16-Nov 15

You like to move ahead andso you will continue to

innovate and encourage your loverto do so also. These new steps willhelp your romance reach dizzyheights.

SCORPIONov 16-Dec 15You radiate charm and energy

and this is the time to take advantage ofit. You might consider dating someonenew and will be very taken up with thethrill of it.

AQUARIUSFeb 12-March 13You do not like messy

affairs so a lot of clearing up hasto be done for some smooth sail-ing in the future. The undividedattention you want is going tocome to you.

SAGITTARIUSDec 16-Jan 13You want your individuality

to be accepted. Without this you willnot be keen to commit yourself toanyone. A short distance journey can be made with your lover.

GEMINI June

16-July 15

You make it a point to keep yourlover happy and it really makesyour day when you are appreci-ated for doing so. It will be apleasant day.

TAURUSMay 15-June 15

You will have an exciting day. Yourlover can spring a surprise on you –maybe a surprise party that will befun. There will be love and joy allaround.

VIRGO Sep 16-Oct 15

There could be panic for

a while. You want to be

the one who wears the pants in

this relationship and can make

this clear in an aggressive way.

PISCESMar 14-Apr 13

Likely to feel a little unwanted andeven a bit jealous of other people,you could go into a sulk. Your loverwill have to go into over drive toassure you that you are the only one.

CAPRICORNJan 14-Feb 11You want more freedomin this relationship and

will not settle for anything less. Evenif you have to move on. you will doso and that also without anyregrets.

By Dr Ajai Bhambi

MOVIES TODAY

*Datesbased

on VedicSun Signs

SONY PIXRAMPAGEL 1 p.m. And 9 p.m.Davis Okoye, a former US Army Special Forces sol-dier and member of an anti-poaching unit, works atthe San Diego Wildlife Sanctuary. He has befriendeda rare albino western lowland gorilla namedGeorge, having saved it from the poachers whokilled his mother, and communicates with Georgeusing sign language. One of the canisters crash-lands in George's habitat, and George is exposed tothe pathogen. As George grows considerably largerand more aggressive, Davis is contacted by geneticengineer Dr. Kate Caldwell, who explains that thepathogen was developed by Energyne to rewritegenes on a massive scale. She had hoped toadvance CRISPR research as a potential cure for dis-eases, but discovered Energyne's plans to use it as abiological weapon, and was fired and falsely sent toprison, resulting in the death of her terminally illbrother. George escapes from captivity and goes ona rampage at the preserve. He is calmed, butGeorge is captured by a government team led byAgent Harvey Russell and put on an airplane.

HBOKUNG FU PANDA 27:15 p.m.Thirty years later, Po is living his dream as theDragon Warrior, protecting the Valley of Peacealongside his friends and fellow kung fu masters, theFurious Five. However, his teacher Shifu tells himthat he has yet to achieve inner peace. Whiledefending a village from wolf bandits who havebeen stealing metal for Shen, Po is distracted by asymbol on their leader's armor, which causes himto have a flashback of his mother and allows thewolves to escape. Po asks his goose father, Mr. Ping,about his origins; Ping reveals that he found Po asan infant in a radish crate and adopted him, but Poremains unsatisfied, wondering how and why heended up in the valley. Shifu learns that Shen hasreturned to Gongmen City and killed ThunderingRhino, the leader of the kung fu council protectingthe City, and is plotting to conquer China with hisnewly developed cannon that was forged with the stolen metal.

WBBEVERLY HILLS COP II 1:50 p.m.Beverly Hills Police Captain Andrew Bogomil (RonnyCox), Detective Billy Rosewood (Judge Reinhold),and Sergeant John Taggart (John Ashton) are tryingto figure out who is behind the "Alphabet Crimes," aseries of mostly high-end-store robberies distin-guished by their monogrammed envelopes with analphabetical sequence the assailants leave behind.Complicating matters is the new "political" state ofthe Beverly Hills Police Department, headed byincompetent and verbally abusive new police chiefHarold Lutz (Allen Garfield), who is doing everythinghe can to stay on Mayor Ted Egan's (Robert Ridgely)good side. Unimpressed when Rosewood calls theFBI to help solve the case, Lutz holds Bogomilresponsible as commanding officer and suspendshim, despite Bogomil's efforts to convince the chiefthat Rosewood was only following a hunch. Lutz alsopunishes Taggart and Rosewood by placing them ontraffic duty. On the way home, Bogomil is shot andinjured by Karla Fry (Brigitte Nielsen), the chiefenforcer of Maxwell Dent (Jürgen Prochnow), who is secretly the mastermind behind the Alphabet Crimes.

STAR MOVIES

ANT-MAN AND THE WASP 1:45 p.m.Two years after Scott Lang was placed under housearrest due to his involvement with the Avengers, inviolation of the Sokovia Accords,[N 1] Hank Pym andhis daughter Hope van Dyne briefly manage to opena tunnel to the quantum realm. They believe Pym'swife Janet van Dyne might be trapped there aftershrinking to sub-atomic levels in 1987. When he hadpreviously visited the quantum realm, Lang hadunknowingly become quantumly entangled withJanet, and now he receives an apparent messagefrom her. With only days left of house arrest, Langcontacts Pym about Janet, despite the strainedrelationship they have because of Lang's actionswith the Avengers. Hope and Pym kidnap Lang,leaving a large ant with Lang's ankle-monitor on asa decoy so as not to arouse the suspicions of FBIagent Jimmy Woo. Believing the message fromJanet is confirmation that she is alive, the trio workto build a stable quantum tunnel so they can take avehicle to the quantum realm and retrieve her.

ZEE CINEMA

PARMANU 11:50 p.m.

In 1995 , Ashwat Raina, an IAS officer from the

Research and analysis Wing, suggests the ministers

to perform a retaliatory nuclear test in response to

the recent nuclear missile tests by China. However,

he is ridiculed and the PMO secretary Suresh Yadav

tells him to keep the file of his plan brief. Ashwat

submits the file along with a floppy containing the

details, but Yadav submits a half-baked plan to the

Prime Minister and ignores the floppy. The test is

hastily conducted without Ashwat's involvement,

who then becomes the scapegoat when an Ameri-

can Lacrosse Satellite photographs the test prepa-

rations and the United States warn India not to con-

tinue with the tests. Ashwat loses his job and three

years later, in 1998 , when a new Prime Minister is

sworn in, he is approached by the new PMO secre-

tary Himanshu Shukla who questions the failure of

the tests. Ashwat explains the most integral part of

the mission was to keep it confidential but it could-

n't happen since no one viewed the floppy.

Mail Today, New Delhi, Sunday, August 2, 2020

Sports

MailGoing to give another try forWorld Cup in 2021: Mithali

21

Ajinkya Rahane is eager to join the Delhi Capitals set-up and looks forward to new IPL season.

IPL IN DUBAI

Rahanehopes tomake hisODIcomebacksoon.

EXCITED TO PLAY

By Boria Majumdarin New Delhi

SEVERAL crick-eters have wel-comed the Indiancricket board’smove to shift the2020 edition of the

Indian Premier League tothe UAE, owing toCOVID-19 pandemic.Among some excited play-ers is Ajinkya Rahane,who is set to be the steelin Delhi Capitals’ battingline-up.

Rahane in the latest episode ofIndia Today Inspiration Series hassuggested that while the safetyand health of family comes first,the hosting of IPL is a breath offresh air. Excerpts:

On IPL being hosted in UAE?I am really excited about IPL hap-pening in Dubai really it was reallylooking forward to it actuallybecause last 3 to 4 months Ihaven’t been doing anything. Imean, I have been doing my fit-ness workout yoga meditationvisualisation but cricketing skillwise I didn’t do anything and I amreally looking forward to this. .

On travelling with the family forthe IPL during COVID-19 times?As an individual, if you take this

COVID-19 situation aside, youwant your family to travel. We gotgood 4-5 months with our familyand as I said safety of our family,safety of our players and safety ofeach and every individual is reallyimportant so the decision is com-pletely up to franchises and BCCI.I don't know what decision theyare going to take but if you takethe COVID-19 situation aside thenyou want your family to be withyou and support you when you areon tour.

On playing for Delhi Capitals?I am really excited with my moveto Delhi Capitals and the oppor-tunity that it brings. Last year,

when I was playing for Hamp-shire, Capitals asked me if I aminterested to play for them. I tookmy time and I thought it’s thebest opportunity for me to learnsomething new and take my gameforward. As an individual I amlooking forward to play for DC,they have International talentand a bunch of players all of themmatch winners.

On plans concerning ODI cricket?I think plan obviously is to comeback to ODI cricket as you knowthat my record. I generally don’ttalk about records, but I think theimportant factor is it has beenreally good especially in the last 3-4 years before I got dropped fromODIs. Whether it was as an open-ing batsman or number 4, myrecord was really good, so I thinkyes may be to comeback into ODIsetup whenever the opportunitycomes. It is important that I workhard on all the aspects and I amreally confident about myself.

On upcoming series Down Under?Yes, it is a very important seriescoming up in Australia especiallywith Smith and Warner back.They set up the team reallywell…their team is overall doingvery well. We won the series lasttime and that was the proudestmoment in our lives but againwhen it is a series against Aus-tralia it would be a challenge.They will be preparing much bet-ter now for us and I think it isimportant we should play as ateam. Really looking forward topersonally doing well in Australiawinning one game at a tie.

Rahane aims good season with Delhi Capitals but saysfamily’s safe travelling is paramount in COVID-19 times

‘‘We will definitelymiss our fans. They

are everything tous. When they comeout to the stadiums,

cheer us, supportus, it feels good.

— Ajinkya Rahane, on playing without spectators

‘‘

‘‘

‘‘

isIPL is important

as we all want to win forthe fans especially after

the situation everyone wentthrough. People are veryemotionally down & sad.

By Aditya K Halder in New Delhi

INDIAN sprint cyclists willresume training at a nationalcamp for the first time sinceMarch at the familiar YamunaVelodrome in the Capital laterthis month. The proposal has

been cleared by the Sports Author-ity of India.

With the Cycling Federation of India (CFI),along with 56 National Sports Federations de-recognised by the sports ministry, the SAIdirectly got in touch with the 12sprinters.

They have been asked to jointhe IG stadium campus from thismonth at the earliest. Theirtravel arrangements are alsobeing taken care of by SAI.

The list includes five sprintersfrom Manipur (namely JemshSingh, Ronaldo Singh,Rahul, Rojit Singh andRejia), two from Andaman(Esow Alben and DavidBeckham), Tiyasha Paul fromWest Bengal and four othersfrom Punjab.

Athletes will be tested for theCOVID-19 on arrival and will stayquarantined for seven days at thehostel facilities inside the campusbefore hitting the velodrome.

So far the two cyclists fromAndaman have already reachedthe camp while five cyclists fromManipur are scheduled to reachthe capital on Monday.

“Sprint cyclists have alreadystarted coming in from theirrespective hometowns. All ofthem will reach by the end ofthis week,” CFI chief OnkarSingh told MAIL TODAY.

T HE official furtherrevealed that thehostel facilities aresanitised and unlikein the past when

two to three cyclists used to sharea room, one room will be allottedto each person. The group hasbeen asked to strictly follow thegovernment prescribed COVID-19 safety guidelines in its stan-dard operating procedure (SOP).

Before the pandemic set in, theYamuna Velodrome used to be aregular spot for the nationalcamp. However, it wasn’t consid-ered for the camp when plans forresumption began in May as theindoor arena was to undergorepair work.

Forced to look at other options,CFI top brass tried to organise

Mail Today, New Delhi / Chandigarh, Tuesday, June 30, 2020 Mail Today, New Delhi, Sunday, August 2, 2020 22 SPORTS

Cyclists to stay in quarantinebefore resumption oftraining at the IG stadium

By S.Kannan in New Delhi

THE Ministry of Youth Affairs andSports has filed an urgent appli-cation in the Delhi High Courtseeking modification of anorder given in February thisyear so that it can discharge itsfunctions freely.

As per the application made inthe matter connected withpetitioner Rahul Mehra vs Unionof India, the ministry wants todeal with the National SportsFederations without any hin-drance. The February 7 orderhad said that both the IndianOlympic Association and thesports ministry have to takepermission from the courtbefore taking any decision onrecognition given to NSFs.

Last month, following argu-ments in the court, recognitionof 57 NSFs was withdrawn. It hasleft all important federationswithout any power to deal withday to day matters.

“It is most respectfully submit-

ted, at the very outset, thedirection contained in Para 6 ofthe order dates February 7,2020, virtually takes away theauthority of the respondentNo.1 (ministry of youth affairsand sport) to deal with NSFs andobstructs the functioning of theanswering respondent and tosuch an extent is ex-facie erro-neous and contrary to law,”says the application filed by thesports ministry’s lawyer.

The application talks about“frequent miscellaneous appli-cations which are being movedby the petitioner from time totime (i) challenging elections tothe NSFs, (ii) requesting thecourt to issue directions whichare restricting the powers ofthe executive power of respon-dent No.1 (sports ministry)

MYAS wants to

deal with NSFs

sans hindrance

camps in Imphal (for sprinters)and Patiala (for endurance rac-ers) but the plans always hit aroadblock as local authoritiesseemed reluctant with risingCOVID-19 cases in the cities.

Five local bikers were laterallowed to train alone in Imphal’sKhuman Lampak Stadium afterweeks of convincing while therest remained indoors.

Most of the cyclists seem happywith the camp being held inDelhi and are eager to train

again. “It has been months sinceI have trained and I am reallyeager to hit the track.

Officials and coaches have alsoensured us of the sanitisation ofthe track and hostel facilities andhave asked us to strictly adhereto the SOPs and social distanc-ing norms. Facility wise Delhi ismuch better and safer than any-where else in the country, so Idon’t really feel worried,” said asprint cyclist.

AFTER 5,61,856votes over 19days, Sunil

Chhetri was voted asthe favourite player ofthe 2019 AFC Asian Cupby fans, edging outEldor Shomurodov ofUzbekistan in the final.

The poll was con-ducted by Asian FootballConfederation on theirofficial Instagram han-dle as Indians floodedthe profile to vote fortheir Captain, Leader,Legend. Chhetri beatShomurodov 51-49 per-cent votes in the votesafter and trailing in theinitial stages of the vot-ing. At the tournamentin United Arab Emirates,India defeated Thailand4-1 before losing tohosts UAE and Bahrainto crash out.—Mail Today

SOUTH Africa’sdirector ofcricket Graeme

Smith does not expectthe national team to beback in action untilNovember at the earli-est and confirmed thescheduled tour of WestIndies has been post-poned indefinitely.

West Indies said lastweek they were hopefulof hosting South Africain September for eithertwo tests or five T20internationals but Smithdisagreed.

“The West Indies tourhas been postponedindefinitely,” he toldreporters on Saturday.“We are struggling tofind the time with theIPL, when our playersare likely to be neededfrom the beginning ofSeptember,” Smith said.

—Reuters

Sprinter Esow Alben isamong the first to reach thecamp and is currently inseven-day quarantine.(Below) Ronaldo Singh andfour others to reach byAugust 3.

CAPITAL TO HOSTCYCLINGCAMP

Sprint cyclists have alreadystarted coming in from their respec-tive hometowns. Hostel facilitiesand the track is already sanitisedwhile cyclists are asked to strictlyfollow safety guidelines.

‘

—ONKAR SINGH, Cycling Federation of India chief

‘

Mail Today, New Delhi, Sunday, August 2, 2020 23SPORTS

vested upon it by the Constitu-tion of India.”

At a time when Indian athletesare preparing for the post-poned Tokyo Olympics, thesports ministry is dealing withseveral issues. With NSFs havingno power at present, the onusof holding camps now lies withthe Sports Authority of India.The application says the respon-dent (sports ministry) has beendisabled from discharging itsexecutive powers. “It has virtu-ally put the court in the shoes ofthe executive which is contraryto the very essence of the doc-trine of separation of pow-ers,” adds the applica-tion.

The sports ministryis very emphaticwhen it says in the

application “policy making andits implementation is a coreresponsibility as well as prerog-ative of the executive and itshould not be hampered fromdoing so.”

The sports ministry also high-lights the fact that to ensuregood governance practice inthe functioning of NSFs, it hasissued the NSDC 2011 (nationalsports code), which is applica-ble to the IOA and all NSFs. “Thepower to take decisions withrespect to all matters relatedto the NSFs and IOA, includinggrant of recognition or with-

drawal or suspension ofrecognition falls under

the ambit of the exec-utive powers ofrespondent No.1(sports ministry).”

Sports Ministryseeks to retain exec control

THE regional gov-ernment ofMadrid has rec-

ommended that theMadrid Open tennistournament next monthbe cancelled due to newoutbreaks of the coron-avirus, the event organ-isers said Saturday. Theclay-court tournament,originally set for May,has been rescheduledfor September 12-20.“The organisers of theMutua Madrid Openstated their concernsabout being able tostage the tournamentfree from health com-plications that mightaffect the players, fansand staff,” the organis-ers said in a statement.

—AFP

RESUMPTION of sport in postCOVID-19 times has been ahuge challenge for the fans. Ata time when many big ticketevents like Formula One, foot-ball leagues in Europe, interna-tional golf tour and cricketseries, have resumed, the bigdifference is no fan presence.

Deprived of watching livesport for months, the return ofimages has been enchanting.Hardcore fans used to watch-ing multiple sport at one timeby flicking channels on theremote are a pampered lot.

The way sport is consumedtoday is very different. It is nolonger reliant on TV commen-tary or reading newspaperreports the next morning.Thanks to the big digitalimprint, the sporting fan getsto choose more of what hewants to consume.

Perhaps, that is why even asthere is intense speculationover the Indian Premier Leaguebeing played this time in Dubai,the news flow for fans hasbegun. Social media is a bigdriver in it and the way starplayers and teams create thehype is fun.

If you are an addict for inter-views, quotes, what the super-star does, there is no limit.Whatever be the sport, there isan overload of info available.But there is still a big challengeto be met, the fan seeks moreand more, and has the right tochoose.

Eventually, when more sport-ing events will resume in com-ing months, with restrictionson entering the stadium, therewill be an even bigger challengefor the package to be con-sumed well. Cricket does greatpackaging with experts talkingnon-stop.

You may not have been sittingin England to watch the Eng-land versus West Indies Testseries, yet there was enough tosee, hear and discuss. From‘Black Lives Matter’ to taking aknee, these are intense topics.Reactions to this are so fast,the fan makes his choice,whether he wants to see it or not.

The IPL, if it happens inDubai in September, will havea less problem in engaging with

the fans. However, in somesport, there is already a fearthey will be left behind if theydo not make radical changes.

Lord Sebastian Coe, presi-dent of World Athletics, hadrecently commissioned a sur-vey where there were somestartling revelations. Appar-ently, track and field fansfeel there has to be asea change in theway events arepackaged. What itmeans is the pro-moter of athleticsevents has tomake radicalchanges to grabthe fans attention.

It could be whilewatching live or onmobile handsets,where the numbers arenow in millions. Merely watch-ing a race end in less than 10seconds is not enough. The fanwants more info. and also bepart of an interactive process.

Mind you, all this can be donevirtually. The world’s biggestmarathon may be taking placein Europe and the fan in Indiawould want to be part of it.Coe, while addressing an audi-ence recently, spoke of how thewhole packaging has to changeas well as presentation fromstadia or studios.

It is well known, compared tofootball or Formula One, view-ership for athletics hasdropped big. So if someone likeCoe, who has been in the sporthimself as a top athlete and isnow a respected administratoris talking of challenges ahead,it applies to almost all sports.

As it is, one is not sure howmany fans will be going to theTokyo Olympics next year.There will be huge restrictionsfor fans and the superstar ath-lete may be even more dis-tanced. Given the way theOlympics are packaged, it maynot be tough for the host city

and the broadcaster tokeep fans enthralled.

The bigger challengeis for the lower rungsporting events, beit in athletics orhockey. Coe’s mes-sage is not to cre-ate an alarm butwarn how one can-not take the fan for

granted. The choiceof watching is huge

and one does not haveto be in front of a televi-

sion necessarily.With high speed internet

available easily, the urge is tobe part of the action in a biggerway. It may sound alarminghow those who have been tra-ditionally running sport didevolve. Who had known whenthe IPL began in 2008, cricket would be consumed sodifferently.

It is no secret the younger fanlot is most important. Theyhave loyalties and follow theirfavourite teams and players.But if one is talking of trackand field and other sportswhich have lesser presence, the time has come to makeinnovations.

After all, to lose the fan basewould be disastrous when sporttoday encompasses the E ver-sion as well.

SPORTSVIEWby S. Kannan

OF INNOVATIONSAND KEEPINGFANS HOOKED

World Athletics survey reveals fans feel there has to be asea change in the way events are packaged. (Below) WorldAthletics president Lord Sebastian Coe.

SAM Horsfield will take a oneshot lead into the final roundof the 2020 Hero Open after atopsy turvy third day at For-est of Arden Marriott Hotel &Country Club.

The Englishman enteredday three in a share of thelead but took total control ashe turned in 31 with a six shotlead.

Late on Friday, ShubhankarSharma (73-71) missed thecut despite a heroic last sevenholes which had four birdies.

However Horsfield ran intoproblems on the back nine. Athree-putt bogey on 10th wasfollowed by double bogey on12th. Then came back-to-back bogeys on 16th and 17thand his back nine came in 40

for a round of 71. He finishedat 14-under and one ahead ofa trio comprising, Danish teenRasmus Hojgaard (66),Welshman Oliver Farr (67)and Finn Mikko Korhonen(67). —Mail Today

Sam takes a shotlead at Hero Cup

Saysit is disabled

from dischargingits executive powers

SportsministerKiren Rijiju

Sam Horsfield struggled atthe back nine on Saturday.

Sports

MailRonaldinho to be releasedfrom house arrest in Paraguay

Mail Today, New Delhi, Sunday, August 2, 2020

Published & Printed by Amit Gupta on behalf of G.H. Prints Pvt. Ltd, A-256, Okhla Industrial Area, Phase -1, New Delhi - 110 020. Published at F – 26, Connaught Place, New Delhi – 110 001. Editor: Dwaipayan Bose

RNI No.: DELENG / 2007 / 21922

T.V. Today Network Limited. Printed at The Indian Express (P) Limited Press, A-8, Sector-7, Noida - 201301 andFirst Floor,

LEWIS Hamilton set him-self up for a record-break-ing seventh British GrandPrix victory by taking poleposition at Silverstone. Inthe old airfield, bereft of

fans, the world champion overcamea patchy qualifying hour to turn inthe required – and customary – per-formance with the 91st pole of hisillustrious career.

Mercedes were in another league from therest. They have sped up sincelast year, the opposition haveslowed down. So it was almostinevitable that Valtteri Bottasshould be next best in theother ‘Black Arrow’,ahead of third-fastestMax Verstappen in theRed Bull.

Hamilton wasthree-tenths of a sec-ond faster than Bot-tas. Verstappen wasone second off thepace, a gulf that threat-ens to leave the season atwo-car procession.

“I think the lap at the end ofQ3 was actually pretty good butyou could just see pretty early

on in qualifying they were justway too fast, as they have beenin the last three races,” said Ver-

stappen.Hamilton had earlierspun at Luffield in Q2.

His car slid sidewayssending out a fan ofgravel that caused ared flag as thedebris was cleared.He had been strug-gling for rhythm with

Bottas on top in thefirst two section of the

qualifying session underpartly cloudy skies and in a

gusty wind.But Hamilton then took con-

trol to make it his seventh

British Grand Prix pole. “I’msuper-happy with that,” saidthe champion.

Fellow Brit George Russellonce again gave good account ofhimself by making it out of Q1for the third consecutive race.That was in contrast to his fel-low Williams man Nicholas Lat-ifi, who spun out and will startlast.

Russell, 22, has the unique dis-tinction of having beaten histeam-mate in every FormulaOne race he has competed in –21 times last season alongsideRobert Kubica and four times inrivalry with Latifi.

The young Englishman contin-ues to impress in contrast to his

great pal, Alex Albon. The Lon-don-born Thai, who came upthrough the karting ranks withRussell, was only 12th best inqualifying, an age behind histeam-mate Max Verstappen.

Albon, 24, is starting to feel thepressure he is under for hisplace. How he manages to holdhis nerve under the scrutiny willdetermine his future with theteam.

Charles Leclerc was fourthquickest with Lando Norris, ofMcLaren, fifth – another gooddisplay for the 20-year-old Britin what is turning into a coming-of-age season.

—Daily Mail

Paris Saint-Germain players pose with the FrenchLeague Cup on Friday night.

PABLO Sarabia scored the winningpenalty in a shoot-out as Paris Saint-Germain warmed up for their assaulton the Champions League in Lisbonby defeating Lyon in Friday’s FrenchLeague Cup final to claim anotherdomestic treble.

The Spaniard’s successful kickcame after Keylor Navas saved fromBertrand Traore and allowed PSG towin 6-5 on penalties after the gameat the Stade de France finished 0-0at the end of extra time.

The victory comes a week after theybeat Saint-Etienne 1-0 in the FrenchCup final, the first competitivematch on French soil since the coro-navirus shutdown.

They had previously been awardedthe Ligue 1 title by virtue of beingtop when the season was ended inApril with 10 rounds of matches

unplayed because of the health cri-sis.

Before penalties, Thomas Tuchel’steam had the better of a terse final

on a sweaty night, but they badlymissed the injured Kylian Mbappe.

The masked France superstarwatched from the stands as Lyon

kept PSG at bay for two hours beforehaving Brazilian defender Rafaelsent off for chopping down Angel DiMaria on the edge of the box late inextra time.

Mbappe was injured in last week’sFrench Cup final, suffering asprained ankle that looks likely torule him out of the ChampionsLeague quarter-final against Ata-lanta in Lisbon on August 12.

PSG are desperate for tangible suc-cess in Europe but on this evidencethey still have some rust to shake offbefore being ready for that test.

“We suffered but it’s beautiful towin at the end. We will celebrate thisand then tomorrow we will start tothink about another big match,” theexcellent Marco Verratti told France2 television.

—AFP

PSG beat Lyon on penalties to win French League Cup

Lewis smashes Silverstone trackrecord to startahead of Mercedesteam-mate Bottas

Red Bull’s Max Verstappen qualifies inthird position at the Silverstone track.

Mercedes racerLewis Hamilton

reacts afterqualifying in

pole position.

QUALIFYING1. Hamilton Mercedes, 1:24.303 sec

2. Bottas Mercedes, 1:24.616

3. Verstappen Red Bull, 1:25.325

4. Leclerc Ferrari, 1:25.427

5. Norris McLaren, 1:25.782

6. Stroll Racing Point, 1:25.839

7. Sainz Jr. McLaren, 1:25.965

8. Ricciardo Renault, 1:26.009

9. Ocon Renault, 1:26.209

10. Vettel Ferrari, 1:26.339

HAMILTONTAKES POLE

Alboncontinues to

underperform inthe Red Bull as he

manages P12 whileLeclerc and Vettel

take P4 and P10respectively

The Paris club

complete another

domestic treble