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n his much anticipated
IThursday
address to the nation on
night, Prime
Minister Narendra Modi urged
people to observe social dis-
tancing to reduce the spread of
coronavirus and called upon
them to obser ve “Janata
Curfew” on Sunday, March 22,
from 7am to 9pm by staying
inside home, barring those
working in essential services
sector.
In his 30-minute long tele-
vision address, Modi reiterat-
ed there is no need for panic
buying of commodities and
asked people not to hoard any
item like medicines or food or
essential commodities and also
avoid hospital visits related to
routine checkups.
Modi said that the
COVID-2019 pandemic has
affected more countries than
those affected during the World
Wars. Giving the example of a
“blackout” during times of war,
Modi appealed to people to
exercise caution regarding the
novel coronavirus pandemic
and said citizens over 60-65
years must not step out of
their homes.
“People should observe
janata curfew. Which means it
is a curfew imposed on people,
by themselves, for themselves.
Avoid travelling out of the
house unless it is essential
travel. On Sunday, while you
are observing the janata curfew,
at 5 pm, for five minutes, we
must stand outside our hous-
es or in our balconies and clap
for those in essential jobs work-
ing for us during this pan-
demic,” Modi said praising the
services of professionals like
doctors, nurses, medical staff,
police, media and others.
20?BD;4
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“I request the countrymen
to avoid visiting hospitals for
routine checkups. If you have
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appointment for any non-essen-
tial surgery, please postpone for
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one month. We should keep in
mind that pressure should not
Amaravati: The famous hill
shrine of Lord Venkateswara in
come on hospitals,” Prime
Minister Modi said.
Tirumala and all other major
temples will
Urging people to give their be out of
time for a few weeks, Modi said bounds for
every citizen should make oth- devotees
ers aware of the corona pan- while malls
demic. The Prime Minister
said that while world powers
and cinema
halls would be
are struggling with the coron- closed down in Andhra
avirus pandemic, developing Pradesh till March 31 to check
countries like India will find it the spread of coronavirus, the
a big challenge to tackle and State Government announced
curb the infections. on Thursday.
Continued on Page 4 Detailed report on P6
'HOKLVKXWVHDWHULHVOLPLWVFURZGWR
BC055A4?>AC4AQ =4F34;78 services will be discontinued
from Friday, he added. “We
ightening measures further have succeeded in keeping
T to stem the spread of coro-
navirus, the Delhi Government
coronavirus at the contain-
ment stage and it is not at com-
on Thursday ordered the clo- munity level,” he said.
sure of eating joints in the The CM also asked those
national Capital till March 31 directed to undergo quarantine
and banned the gathering of to follow rules or strict action
more than 20 people. may be taken against them. The
However, takeaway and coronavirus has claimed one
home delivery services from life in Delhi and infected 10
the eating joints will continue. people.
Social, cultural and politi- Kejriwal said, “Stay at
cal gatherings with more than home as much as you can and
20 people are not allowed work from home. I want to
across Delhi, Chief Minister appeal to the private sector
institutions to allow their
“Lieutenant Governor Anil employees to work from home.
Baijal has asked all “Senior citizens are the
Government departments, most vulnerable of all, and I
autonomous bodies and PSUs want to appeal to all the senior
to segregate activities and sus- citizens to stay at home and
pend non-essential services,” avoid going out at all hours.
Kejriwal told the media. Senior citizens need to be the
Non-essential Government most cautious of all.”
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ormer Chief Justice of India
F Ranjan Gogoi on Thursday
took oath as a nominated
member of Rajya Sabha amidst
chant of “shame, shame”
and walkout by the
Oppositions MPs.
This is the first time ever
that the House witnessed slo-
gan shouting and walkout dur-
ing an oath taking. House
Chairman M Venkaiah Naidu
ordered that the slogan shout-
ing will not go on record.
5^a\Ta298AP]YP]6^V^X[TPeTbPUcTa “It is very unbecoming of
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Ile ndia will cut itself off from
the rest of the world to tack-
the coronavirus outbreak as
the Government on Thursday
took extreme measures ranging
from banning all internation-
al commercial passenger flights
from landing here from March
22 for one week and asking the
States to enforce work from
home, even in private sectors.
The Government also
directed suspension of conces-
dents, patients and divyang.
In the meantime, the
Council for the Indian School
Certificate Examinations
(CISCE) postponed Class X and
XII examinations, which were
to start from Thursday itself.
The Government has also
advised the citizens above 65
and children below 10 to
remain indoor even as it
assured the general public there
is no community transmission
of the disease in the country so
far and there are sufficient
medical devices like masks for
safety.
In the meantime, the States
continue to report the viral
cases which surged to 197
including four fatalities, the lat-
est one from Punjab on
Thursday. There were more
than 20 fresh cases in last 24
hours with Chhattisgarh and
Chandigarh reporting their
first COVID-19 patients early
on Thursday. One Indian who
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very unfair,” Naidu said as
Opposition members greeted
Gogoi with chants of “shame,
shame”.
Law Minister Ravi Shankar
Prasad, who was among the
first to greet Gogoi when he
entered the House minutes
before the proceedings began,
said what Opposition members
did was grossly unfair.
After taking oath, Gogoi
walked up to the chair to greet
Naidu, who responded to his
greetings with folded hands.
Naidu said members have
the liberty to express
their views outside the House
on the issue.
Continued on Page 4
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tested positive for coronavirus
died in Iran while other infect-
ed Indian citizens are being
provided treatment and taken
care of by the Iranian
Government.
The Government has also
asked railways and Civil
Aviation Ministries to suspend
all concessional travel on trains
and flights, except for stu-
dents, patients and divyang.
The Centre has requested
the States to enforce work from
home for private sector
employees, except for those
working in emergency and
essential services.
“State Governments shall
issue appropriate directions so
that all citizens above 65 (other
than for medical assistance)
except for public representa-
tives or Government servants
or medical professionals are
advised to remain at home,” the
Government statement noted.
To reduce huge gatherings,
all group B and C category of
Central Government employees
will be asked to attend offices
on alternate weeks, and there
will be “staggered timings” for
all employees.
The move comes after the
Central Government allowed
its 50 per cent employees to
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eleaguered Madhya
B Pradesh Chief Minister
Kamala Nath got just 24 hours
to win back the 16 rebel
Congress MLAs as the
Supreme Court on Thursday
directed Madhya Pradesh
Assembly Speaker NP Prajapati
to convene a special session of
the House on Friday for con-
ducting the floor test of the
Kamal Nath-led Congress
Government. The test must be
concluded by 5 pm, the SC said.
A division bench of Justices
DY Chandrachud and Hemant
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work from home and remain-
ing to have staggered working
hours. The Ministry said the
Pharmaceutical Department
and the Ministry of Consumer
7Z_R]]jeYV]RdeURh_
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BC055A4?>AC4AQ =4F34;78
he four death-row convicts
T of the December 16, 2012
Nirbhaya gangrape and murder
case will hang on Friday at 5.30
am inside Tihar jail where they
have been lodged since
their arrest.
Ram Singh, the elder
brother of convict Mukesh,
who was arrested along with
the four other accused —
Vinay Sharma, Akshay Singh,
Pawan Gupta and Mukesh
Kumar — had committed sui-
cide in the jail, while a juvenile,
who subjected the 23-year-old
paramedic girl to unimagin-
able physical torture, was freed
after getting a mild punish-
ment of three years in a
Juvenile Remand Home in the
national Capital.
Earlier, a Delhi court on
Thursday dismissed the plea of
three of the convicts seeking
stay on the execution.
Additional Sessions Judge
(ASJ) Dharmender Rana dis-
missed the plea of Akshay
Kumar, Pawan Gupta and
Vinay Sharma seeking stay
on the death penalty, who
wanted further delay in hang-
ing claiming that the second
mercy plea of one of them was
pending.
The court was informed
by the public prosecutor that
second mercy pleas of Akshay
and Pawan were rejected on
the ground that the first such
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Gupta ordered video recording
and possible live streaming of
the Assembly proceedings when
the floor test is conducted.
The bench directed the
police chiefs of Madhya
Pradesh and Karnataka to pro-
vide security to the 16 rebel
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Affairs have been asked to prices for masks, sanitisers and
take necessary action against health-related materials.
anyone charging exorbitant Continued on Page 4
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said any other petition does
not fall under the purview of
legal remedy in the case.
Meanwhile, the Supreme
Court on Thursday refused to
entertain the plea of Mukesh,
who challenged a Delhi High
Court order which rejected his
claim that he was not in the
city when at the time of crime
on December 16, 2012.
A Bench of Justices R
Banumathi, Ashok Bhushan
and AS Bopanna said the con-
vict has exhausted all his legal
remedies and no fresh evi-
dence can be entertained at
plea was entertained and con- this level.
sidered on merit. The Bench said it does not
He told the court that find any merit in the plea and
advocate AP Singh, counsel for it cannot be entertained.
the convicts, was giving false The Delhi High Court
information stating second had on Wednesday said there
mercy plea of Pawan was were no grounds to interfere in
pending and said that all the the detailed and reasoned
convicts have exhausted their order of the trial court. On
legal remedies. Tuesday, the trial court dis-
Singh also said convict missed Mukesh Singh’s plea
Akshay’s wife has filed for a and asked the Bar Council of
divorce in a city court in Bihar India to appropriately sensitise
which was pending, to which his counsel.
the special public prosecutor Continued on Page 4
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State Assembly Secretary to
ensure that there is no breach
of law and order.
Earlier in the day, the SC
aTQT[2^]VaTbb<;0bXU
suggested that the Speaker
should interact with the rebel
cWThRW^^bTc^P__TPaX] Congress MLAs through video
0bbT\Q[hU^acadbc
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link or the court can appoint an
observer to allay the fear that
the legislators are in captivity.
However, the Speaker refused
to accept the proposal.
The bench said it can cre-
ate conditions to ensure that
“exercise of volition” of the
rebel MLAs is “truly voluntary”.
Congress MLAs if they choose “We can appoint an
to appear in Assembly for trust observer to Bengaluru or some
vote. other place so that the rebel
The bench also ordered MLAs can connect with the
that the Assembly will have a Speaker through video confer-
single point agenda of the floor encing after which he can
test and no hindrance is to be decide,” the bench said.
created for anyone. It asked the Continued on Page 4
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elhi’s Tihar Prison author-
D ities are all set for the exe-
cution of the four convicts, in
Nirbhaya gang rape and mur-
der case, scheduled on Friday
at 5.30 am. Several dummy
runs have been done and offi-
cials are brushing up on details
specified in the jail manual,
said sources.
This is the first time that
four convicts — Mukesh Singh
(32), Pawan Kumar Gupta (25),
Vinay Sharma (26) and Akshay
Singh (31) — will be hanged
together in Tihar Jail, South
Asia's largest prison complex
that houses more than 16,000
inmates.
Earlier, the hangman from
Meerut Pawan Jallad had
reported to the Tihar Jail
&RQYLFW9LQD\
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ith the hours ticking
W away inexorably, hope
that her son will be spared the
noose is fast slipping but,
weary and angry, the woman
stigmatised as "Nirbhaya
rapist's mother" has one last
ask — will she be able to get
his favourite "puri, sabzi,
kachori" meal to him?
Her son Vinay Sharma is
one of the four men sen-
tenced to be hanged in Tihar
Jail at 5.30 am on Friday —
seven years-three months after
the night of December 16,
2012 when a young woman,
who came to be known the
world over as "Nirbhaya", the
fearless one, was gangraped so
savagely that she died a fort-
night later.
With the hangman con-
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ith two fresh cases report-
W ed last week, the number
of people suffering from malar-
ia in the national Capital has
reached 29 this year, the highest
reported in last three years.
According to South Delhi
Municipal Corporation
(SDMC), mosquito-breeding
has been reported in at least 207
households and 746 legal notices
have been issued this year. The
dengue breeding checkers have
checked 1937236 houses and
also issued challans to 28 num-
bers of office and residential
premises till 14 March. Besides,
at least 36 cases of dengue and
17 cases of Chikungunya also
reported this year.
Last year only one case of
malaria reported in 2019, seven
in 2018 and nine in 2017 till the
time, according to data released
by SDMC on Monday.
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he Delhi Legislative
T Assembly Committee for
Peace and Harmony said on
Thursday that it will ask
WhatsApp, Facebook and
Twitter to help it identify
some offenders who have
shared inflammatory posts on
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administration on Tuesday
evening to prepare for the
exercise.
According to the jail man-
ual, the jail superintendent will
oversee the testing of the ropes
and also inspect the gallows a
day before the execution.
"This will be followed by a
dummy execution — a dummy
or a bag of sand weighing 1.5
times the weight of the prisoner
will be hanged and dropped
between 1.830 and 2.440
metres to test the rope" stated
the jail manual.
The execution, specifies
the Delhi Prison Rules 2018,
will take place in the presence
of the superintendent, deputy
superintendent, medical officer
in charge, resident medical
ducting a dummy run on
Wednesday and the Delhi
High Court rejecting yet
another appeal by one of them,
the execution of the four is all
but certain after three post-
ponements.
While the Supreme Court
A senior north Corporation
official said that all the preven-
tive steps have been taken to
reduce the cases. "The key to
prevention of Dengue is ensur-
ing there is no clean stagnant
water in homes and around,
which does not allow the Aedes
mosquitoes to breed, and there-
fore dengue cannot spread," he
said, adding that zonal officials
have been instructed to keep
making people aware by orga-
nizing seminars, functions in
schools and colleges.
The officials are also con-
ducting regular checks for
breeding and regular spraying
and fogging are also being
social media.
The panel, set up to foil
spread of rumours and hate
speeches in the wake of the vio-
lence in northeast Delhi last
month, recorded statements of
14 complainants and of a per-
son accused of spreading
inflammatory content on social
media.
officer and the district magis-
trate or additional district mag-
istrate.
"A guard of not less than 10
constables, warders and two
head constables, head warders
or an equal number from the
prison armed guard, will also be
present. The families of the pris-
oner will not be allowed to wit-
ness the executions. All other
prisoners will be kept locked till
the exercise is over and the bod-
ies removed from the prison,"
stated the jail manual.
The manual specifies that
a medical officer prepares a
report four days ahead of the
date of execution, mentioning
the length of the drop to be
given to the prisoner who is to
be executed.
rejected Sharma's curative
petition on January 14, his
mercy petition was rejected by
President Ramnath Kovind in
February.
And the woman, who
refuses to divulge her name
and says she wants to be
known only as "Vinay
Sharma's mother" is increas-
ingly more despairing.
The years of harbouring
the realisation that her son is
guilty in the horrific crime that
made headlines across the
globe and dealing with unre-
lenting media spotlight have
clearly taken their toll.
"Who are you? What do
you want? There is no one
inside. My husband has gone
out for work. I am Vinay's
mother," said the woman out-
side her home in south Delhi's
Ravidas Camp.
done to control mosquito men-
ace," he added.
South Delhi Municipal
Corporation (SDMC) had
organised a day-long brain-
storming session with experts
and representatives of various
departments on Wednesday to
chalk out a comprehensive
action plan to overcome the
challenges of the vector-borne
diseases.
The experts, scientists and
doctors from the Union
Government, Delhi
Government, the three corpo-
rations, New Delhi Municipal
Council, Armed forces, Sentinel
Surveillance and inter-sectoral
partners attended the session
and a comprehensive action
plan to combat with vector
borne diseases has been finalized
by incorporating their valuable
suggestions, a senior SDMC
official said.
The regarding district health
"The committee ques-
tioned and recorded the state-
ments of 14 complainants, who
had drawn its attention towards
inflammatory content, includ-
ing videos and messages," its
chairman Raghav Chadha said.
"It had also summoned a
person accused of sharing the
inflammatory content through
WhatsApp. The man confessed
to his crime which is punish-
able by imprisonment up to
three years," he said.
The person claimed that he
was not aware of the law and
apologised to the panel. "He has
promised to remove the incit-
ing posts, post a public apolo-
"Two spare ropes for each
prisoner sentenced to death are
kept in reserve. After testing,
the rope and other equipment
will be locked and sealed in a
steel box and kept in charge of
deputy superintendent. If the
prisoner wants, a priest of his
faith may be allowed. On the
morning of the execution, the
prisoner will be visited by
senior officials, including the
superintendent, the district
magistrate/additional district
magistrate and the medical
officer, in his cell," the manu-
al further stated.
"Any documents, including
the will of the prisoner, can be
signed and attested in the pres-
ence of the superintendent and
the district magistrate or addi-
tional district magistrate. Just
before entering the gallows-
enclosure, a cotton cap with a
flap will be put on the prison-
er's face so he can't see the gal-
lows," according to jail rules.
"The wardens will hold the
prisoners and withdraw fol-
lowing a signal from the super-
intendent. After that, the hang-
man draws the bolt," the man-
ual states.
With its narrow lanes,
shabby quarters and open
sewers, the slum colony which
represents the capital's seamy
underbelly, just next to the
upscale government colony of
R K Puram in south Delhi, was
home to four of the six men
convicted of the crime.
And somewhere deep
inside, a narrow, congested
lane leads to the home of
Vinay Sharma. The nameplate
reads Hari Ram Sharma and
outside is the mother of four,
in her 50s but looking older
beyond her years, washing
clothes on a grimy surface. She
doesn't let visitors enter.
"Kya likhoge tum? Kuch
hota hai tumhare likhne se
(What will you write now? Has
anything happened till now
with your writing?) If god
wants he will be saved," she
officials have been directed to
conduct regular checks for
breeding and regular spraying
and fogging are also being done
to control mosquito menace," he
said, adding that besides it,
zonal officials have also been
instructed to keep making peo-
ple aware by organizing semi-
nars, functions in schools and
colleges.
The official further said
that the action plan calls for an
effective and time bound steps
to be taken to minimize the
effect of the breakdown of the
vector borne disease.
Last year, Delhi Chief
Minister Arvind Kejriwal had
launched the mega dengue pre-
vention awareness campaign
from September 1 and
November 15 to combat vector
borne diseases which garnered
a massive support from public
and several other well-known
personalities across the country.
gy on his social media accounts
and make people aware of the
law," Chadha said.
"We will also ask represen-
tatives of WhatsApp, Facebook
and Twitter to join the investi-
gation to establish the identity
of some offenders who shared
inflammatory posts on social
media," he said.
It may be recalled that the
committee has received a total
of 7732 complainants out of
which the committee thor-
oughly screened 3200 com-
plaints and our team of legal
experts found 1000 to be of
urgent consideration.
More than 500 complaints
2^dacR[TPabSTRZbU^aWP]VX]V^]5aXSPh
BC055A4?>AC4AQ
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esilience of law signifies
R inherent safeguards
against human errors and not
the weakness of law, a Delhi
court observed on Thursday
while addressing concerns
over the efficacy of the rule of
law due to the considerable
time consumed by the judi-
ciary in the Nirbhaya gangrape
and murder case.
While dismissing a plea
filed by three of the four
death-row convicts seeking a
stay on their execution,
Additional Sessions Judge
(ASJ) Dharmender Rana
said,"When would the convicts
meet the Creator for their
eternal penitence? The issue
has been pestering the con-
science of the community for
past some time. The time con-
sumed by the process of law
has even led some diffident
voices to timorously question
the very efficacy of 'Rule of
Law'.
"Let me inform all the sus-
pecting souls that in this great
land of Gautam Buddha and
Gandhi, Rule of Law and not
impetuous mob mentality,
decides the fate of even the
lashed out.
"It is all god's wish. Look
at the coronavirus. It is god
who decides everything --
who lives and who dies. It is
beyond the control of any
human. Neither yours, nor
theirs," she said.
And then there is the
glimmer of something resem-
bling hope. "The jail personnel
in Tihar never allowed me to
take food or any other thing.
But if they allow, this time I
would like to take some 'puri',
'sabzi' and 'kachori' for him,"
she asked.
Now, with the end near,
she said she will soon be
meeting her son in jail, for one
last time. The 26-year-old will
be hanged along with Mukesh
Singh (32), Pawan Gupta (25)
and Akshay Kumar Singh (31).
On March 5 this year, a trial
FORVXUHUXPRXUGXHWRYLUXV
BC055A4?>AC4AQ
=4F34;78
egetable prices in the retail
V markets in Delhi have
shot up drastically following
the rumour regarding closer of
wholesale markets in the
national Capital from
Thursday.
In most retail shops across
parts of the city, the price of veg-
etables witnessed an increase of
at least 50 to even 100 per cent.
Cauliflower is being sold at C60
per kilo by Thursday, against
the usual rate of around C25-30
per kilo. Tomatoes are being
sold at 40 compare to 20- 30 per
kg a day before, while Cabbage
are sold at 30 per kg.
The price of bell pepper
also shot up to 40 per kg while
it was earlier sold at 20- 30 per
underscore contents which are
per-se inflammatory, unac-
ceptable by any set of commu-
nity standards; seeks to create
enmity, hatred and violence
amongst different communities;
demeaning, degrading, among
other things. According to the
committee members, some of
the complaints also contain
contents which poses immedi-
ate threat to the life and liberty
of the people and damage to
public and private property
across Delhi inviting thereby the
visitation of serious offences
postulated under section 153A.
"The committee has found
that during the perusal of the
complaints our team of legal
experts have also found traces
of the Commission of offences
Section 25 and 27 of Arms Act
which involves the punishment
of 7 years to imprisonment for
life," said an official.
Communal violence in
northeast Delhi on February 24-
25 left at least 53 people dead
and more than 200 injured.
most wretched criminals and
most abominable crimes. The
resilience of law signifies the
inherent safeguards against
human errors and not the
weakness of law".
The convicts tried to delay
the hanging by resorting to all
kinds of tactics but in vain as
the court on Thursday cleared
the decks for Friday's hanging
by dismissing the plea as no
valid ground was brought to its
notice to justify the stay of exe-
cution of death warrants.
On March 5, a trial court
issued fresh death warrants for
5.30 am on March 20 for the
execution of convicts Mukesh
court issued a fresh death
warrant with March 20 as the
date.
Of the other two convict-
ed in the case, Ram Singh
allegedly committed suicide in
Tihar Jail in 2015 and the
sixth, a juvenile, was sen-
tenced three years of punish-
ment in a reform home and
released in 2015.
While the widowed moth-
er of brothers Ram Singh and
Mukesh Singh has left the
locality and gone back to her
family in Rajasthan, the fam-
ilies of Vinay Sharma and
Pawan Gupta still live in the
slum colony.
The family of Pawan
Gupta sells fruits to make a liv-
ing and refused to talk.
The Nirbhaya case hangs
like a shroud over the colony,
which looks like just another
kg. The prices of tomato, pota-
to and carrots also witnessed
a steep increase in the prices.
Ramveer Singh, a retail
shop owner at Mukherjee
Nagar said the rates of veg-
etables are increased following
the closer of vegetable madis.
However, trade associations
turned down all the reports of
markets being closed due to
cronavirus.
“All the wholesale markets
including the Azadpur one are
open and all precautionary
measures are being taken to
stop contamination from cron-
avirus. Don’t be scared and
avoid rumours. Be alert and
safe. We all have to stop this
virus from further spreading,”
Adil Ahmad Khan Chairman
of Agricultural Produce Market
Committee (APMC) tweeted.
0ZbWPhfW^UX[TSU^a
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he wife of one of the
T death row convict,
Akshay Singh, on Thursday
fainted outside Delhi's Patiala
house court. She said that her
husband is innocent and
along with him her son and
she should be also hanged to
death. Akshay's wife, who
beat up herself with sandals,
was consoled by lawyers out-
side the court.
Crying outside the Patiala
House Court in city, she said
"I want justice too. Kill me
too. I don't want to live. My
husband is innocent. Why is
the society after us?"
"We were living with the
hope that we will get justice
but we are being killed every
Singh (32), Pawan Gupta (25),
Vinay Sharma (26) and
Akshay Kumar Singh (31).
The warrants, which were
issued for the first time on
January 7, have been deferred
four times earlier on the
ground that they were yet to
exhaust all the legal remedies.
A 23-year-old physiother-
apy intern, who came to be
known as 'Nirbhaya' (fear-
less), was gang raped and sav-
agely assaulted in a moving
bus in south Delhi on
December 16, 2012. She died
after a fortnight.
`
Six people, including the
four convicts and a juvenile,
0UcTacWT_a^]^d]RT\T]c were named as accused. Ram
^UcWT^aSTa=XaQWPhPb Singh, the sixth accused,
allegedly committed suicide in
\^cWTabPXSWTa the Tihar Jail days after the
SPdVWcTabb^d[fX[[]^f trial began in the case. The
juvenile was released in 2015
aTbcX]_TPRTP]SbWTWPS after spending three years in a
V^cYdbcXRTbTeT]hTPab correctional home.
After the pronouncement
PUcTacWTVadTb^\T of the order, Nirbhaya's moth-
VP]VaP_TP]S\daSTacWPc er said her daughter's soul will
now rest in peace and she had
bW^^ZcWT]PcX^]5X]P[[h got justice seven years after the
cWTR^]eXRcbfX[[QT gruesome gangrape and mur-
der that shook the
WP]VTS=^f8fX[[VTc nation."Finally the convicts
will be hanged. Now I will get
_TPRT0bWP3TeXbPXS peace," Asha Devi said.
on a weekday morning -- men and murder of the 23-year-old
leaving for work, children physiotherapy intern -- gan-
playing, some women washing graped on a moving bus -- is
clothes, others standing
around chatting idly. But men-
a "horrific mistake" that mer-
its exemplary punishment.
tion 'Vinay Sharma' or 'Pawan "People here have been
Gupta' and it all changes. talking about Vinay, Pawan
The laughter switched to and the other convicts since
awkward silences and people the unfortunate incident took
began to look away when place on December 16.
asked for information on the Publicly most talk in favour of
family. the conviction, but there are a
"Who are you? No, we few who would also say things
don't know anything," said a against the punishment and
woman at the camp as she ask if this will end rape in
stopped other women from India. Some also ask why
talking too. other rape convicts were not
And then some in a group executed," said a nearby tea-
standing close by shared their seller.
views, hesitantly at first and "But one thing we all
then more assertively. strongly feel about is how our
One man forwarded the home has been painted as evil
"boys will be boys" theory by the media and other big
and the others quickly stepped people," he added.
in to say the sexual assault
The prices of vegetables
were witnessed rise in many
areas of north Delhi including
Nirankari Colony, Model
Town, Outram Lane among
others. “I stored essential glos-
sary items including vegetables
fearing unprecedented situation
in coming days. I saw messages
being circulated on social
media and stock my kitchen
with all the essential items that
was being sold on higher prices
compared to earlier,” said
Rakesh Mohanti, an IAS aspi-
rant who lives in Outram Lane.
The Confederation of All
India Traders (CAIT) secre-
tar y general Praveen
Khandelwal also had said that
so far no trade association has
taken any decision to close the
markets in the wake of coro-
na virus.
day for the past seven years,"
she said.
The counsel for the vic-
tim's parents said however
that the convict does not
deserve leniency. "Akshay was
a member of our society.
Everybody is pained for
unnatural deaths, but Akshay
does not deserve leniency,"
the lawyer said.
On March 5, a trial court
had issued fresh death war-
rants for March 20 at 5.30 am,
as the date for the execution
of convicts Mukesh Singh
(32), Pawan Gupta (25),
Vinay Sharma (26) and
Akshay (31).
The court was on
Thursday informed that no
legal remedies of any of the
four convicts in the were
pending in any of the courts.

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elhi Lieutenant Governor
D (L-G) Anil Baijal on
Thursday chaired a meeting at
Raj Niwas to review the pre-
paredness measures to contain
coronavirus outbreak in Delhi.
The meeting was also attended
by Delhi Chief Minister Arvind
Kejriwal, his Deputy Manish
Sisodia and Health Minister
Satyendra Jain.
At the outset of meeting,
Secretary (Health and Family
Welfare) made a detailed pre-
sentation regarding present sta-
tus of COVID-19 in Delhi,
action taken, availability of quar-
antine facilities, availability of
hospital beds, steps already
taken and other proposed mea-
sures to contain coronavirus.
In the meeting it was agreed
that all activities of Delhi be seg-
regated into essential and non-
essential. All non-essential activ-
ities shall remain suspended.
However, all employees to be
available for work from home
telephonically and online if need
be. According to an official,
directions were issued for the
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ollowing the coronavirus
F outbreak, Delhi's Deputy
Chief Minister Manish Sisodia
on Thursday directed private
and Government schools to
postpone the ongoing exams
and remain closed till March 31.
According to the circular
issued by Director of Education
(DoE) on Thursday, the heads
of schools, teaching and non-
teaching staff and students of
the Government, aided, private
and local bodies have been
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E nsuring enough supply of
ration and essential needs
amid coronavirus spread in
the national Capital, the Food
and Supply Minister Imran
Hussain reviewed the situa-
tion with senior officials and
ration dealers association on
Wednesday.
In the meeting, Hussain
directed the Food and Supply
Commissioner (F& CS) to
ensure availability of masks,
hand sanitizers in various
offices of FCS Department.
The minister also directed
that FPS dealers should wear
!!hTPa^[S#cWRPbTX]6´VaP\
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6DAD6A0<
22-year-old woman, a res-
A ident of Palam Vihar, test-
ed positive for the novel coro-
navirus on Thursday, taking the
total count of Covid-19 infect-
ed patients to four in Haryana.
She was a student in London
and had returned to India on
March 14.
The authorities on
Thursday officially confirmed
about the four confirmed cases
in the city. Senior officials con-
firmed that her sample tested in
Delhi was positive.
The third patient is the wife
of a Nirvana Country resident.
The 56-year-old patient, admit-
ted to Safdarjung, tested posi-
tive for Covid and was shifted
to Delhi.
On Wednesday a 44-year-
old businessman who is a res-
ident of Sector 50 had tested
positive for coronavirus and
had recently returned from
London.
"He had returned on March
7 and went to RML in Delhi to
get himself tested on March 9
and has sadly been tested pos-
itive for coronavirus, but we are
yet to receive the report," said
a health official, adding that a
team from Delhi also visited his
residence to collect samples of
his family members for testing.
The victim is currently admit-
ted in an isolation ward of
Delhi's Safdarjung hospital.
The first case of coron-
avirus in Haryana was con-
firmed from Gurugram district,
prevention and control of the
coronavirus. "Mandatory ther-
mal screening at public places
likes malls, courts, offices, hotels,
hospitals, residential complexes
to be done. Efforts should also
be made for thermal scanning of
every person going in public
space," the L-G directed.
"It is mandatory reporting of
suspected positive cases of coro-
navirus at helpline numbers. The
CATs ambulances should be
available for picking up of sus-
pects at thermal screening points
if that person reports that he or
she may have had recent contact
with person who returned after
visiting COVID-19 affected
countries," said the L-G said.
""Permission for home quar-
antine people should be given
only after stamping on hand and
on undertaking do's and don'ts
notified by the Government.
Resident Welfare Associations
(RWAs) office bearers, neigh-
bours may be informed about
the persons under home quar-
antine in that residential com-
plex or area. A workable mech-
instructed to remain at home till
31st March.
"The ongoing annual exam-
inations have been also post-
poned from March 19 to March
31," read the order issued by the
DoE. The notification also clar-
ified that evaluation work of
annual exams would continue to
be carried out by the concerned
teachers from their homes.
The DoE also informed
that the revised schedule of
annual school examinations in
districts including North East
and East Delhi also stands post-
masks and use hand sanitizers
while distributing the ration to
beneficiaries.
Hussian also directed the
Ration Associations to main-
tain hygiene at FPS premises.
Hussian also directed Food
and Supply Commissioner to
extend necessary support to
the FPS dealers in fight against
the global pandemic threat
posed by Corona Virus.
Meanwhile, the office
bearers of Delhi Sarkari
Ration Dealers Association
assured to take all required
precautions to maintain safe
and healthy environment for
the customers and employees
at ration shops.
with officials from the health
department stating that a 29-
year-old woman tested positive
for the deadly disease on
Saturday.
On the other hand, the
Gurugram police is going to
form a special task force (STF)
to deal with the COVID-19 out-
break. The personnel of the STF
will help and spread awareness
among the police personnel
around the quarantine centre
and hospitals.
"The task force will be
armed with mask, sanitisers and
gloves. They will be given train-
ing by a designated doctor to
follow instructions to keep
them safe from the deadly
virus. The duties of the cops will
be changed every 15 days and
after the duty hours, they will
have to undergo necessary
scanning. The department is
also obtaining details of the
policemen who have been on
duties at the hospitals and
quarantine centre," said Nikita
Gehlot, DCP (Headquarter).
Also, Foreigners
Registration Branch (FRO) of
the Gurugram Police has been
2>E83 (>DC1A40:
?X^]TTa_W^c^
anism to make the neighbours
and people aware may be
devised," said L-G.
First Information Report
(FIR) to be registered for viola-
tion of conditions by home
quarantine person under section
188 of Indian Penal Code (IPC)
as prescribed under Regulation
18 of the Delhi Epidemic
Diseases, COVID-19
Regulations, 2020 issued by
Health and Family Department",
the LG added.
"Private sector companies
are also advised to work from
home wherever possible. There
should be contactless digital
transactions. Public should be
advised to practice social dis-
tancing and unnecessary travel
unless emergency, particularly
senior citizens, person affected
with hypertension, diabetes, res-
piratory diseases," the L-G
directed.
"Traffic police should stop
using breath analyser while
checking. There should be waiv-
er of tax for hotel rooms for
quarantined persons. A fine to
poned till March 31.
Referring to an earlier order
issued by the CBSE pertaining
to postponement of board
exams, the DoE said, "CBSE
Board examinations will be
rescheduled after March 31,
2020. CBSE has further
informed us that the re-exam-
inations rescheduled for North-
East Delhi has been further
rescheduled."
The DoE directed the all
head of schools to disseminate
the information among the
teaching, non-teaching staff,
BC055A4?>AC4AQ =4F34;78
ith coronavirus cases
W increasing with every
passing day, the Delhi
Government on Thursday
extended the disinfection drive
facility for Public Service
Vehicles (PSVs).
Till now, Delhi Transport
department has issued 11,081
certificates of disinfection to
PSVs so far. Transport depart-
ment officials said that disin-
fection of PSVs can now be
done anytime whereas it was in
two shifts earlier.
Transport Minister Kailash
Gahlot said, "We have received
an overwhelming response for
directed to maintain health
data of foreign national and
people returning from abroad
and inform the health ministry,
she said.
The local authorities have
already ordered to shut shop-
ping malls, gymnasiums, swim-
ming pools, spas and weekly
bazaars to till March 31.
Moreover, religious, social,
political, academic, sports and
mass gatherings, including
weddings were restricted to 50
people.
The district health depart-
ment on Saturday designated
SGT medical college as a quar-
antine centre which has around
300 beds as a precautionary
measure in the wake of the
deadly coronavirus outbreak.
The department is also plan-
ning to prepare 500 beds in an
isolation centre at Sector-9 PG
collage.
"We have quarantine wards
in Sector-10 hospital and tied
up with private hospitals in the
city for carrying out quarantine
procedures," said Dr JS Punia,
Chief Medical Officer (CMO)
Gurugram.
Umasankar RP_XcP["
be imposed on people spitting in
public places," the L-G further
directed.
"Information, Education
and Communication (IEC)
activities to be intensified by var-
ious means to contain the epi-
demic. Intensive public aware-
ness campaigns and sensitization
drives to be continuous to dis-
seminate the modality of spread
and prevention from infection,"
the L-G directed.
"Preparations should be
made to map availability of
Intensive Care Unit (ICU) beds
and ventilators in government
and private hospitals," said the
L-G. Further, the L-G advised
that concerned district magis-
trates looking after quarantine of
passengers may be strength-
ened by diverting staff from
other districts and departments.
"Provision of mobile vans
with essential commodities of
daily use with essential medical
items at different residential
areas may be explored which will
decrease the need of the people
to visit market," L-G said.
"All Shopping Malls in city
should be disinfected daily and
shall also make provisions of
availability of ample number of
hand sanitisers at main entrance
and individual shops for visitors.
All entry should be allowed only
after cleaning of hands with
hand sanitisers," the L-G said.
students and parents through
messages and phone calls.
The head of schools were
further directed to remain avail-
able on phones for students and
their colleagues to reach out to
them when in need of clarifi-
cation.
The DoE also said besides
schools all colleges, ITIs, poly-
technics in city of Delhi shall
remain closed till 31st March,
2020. "All ongoing examinations
colleges in Delhi shall be
rescheduled after 31st March,
2020," said the DoE.
our 'Disinfection Drive'. Due to
which, we have decided to
extend it for the entire day. Our
motive is to disinfect as many
vehicles as possible."
Notably, the Delhi
Government had initially start-
ed disinfection drive for DTC
and Cluster Buses, the facility
was later extended to other
Public Service Vehicles like
Auto-Rickshaw, Gramin Sewa,
Phat-Phat Sewa, Maxi Cab, Eco-
friendly vehicles for free of cost.
4:D7aVcd`__V]
Rd\VUe`^RZ_eRZ_
#&T^UZdeR_TV
Wc`^W]ZVcd
BC055A4?>AC4AQ =4F34;78
he Central Industrial
T Security Force (CISF) that
frisks lakhs of passengers at
airports across the country has
asked its personnel to adopt a
'minimum touch' approach in
view of the COVID-19 outbreak.
According to CISF official,
the CISF personnel have also
been asked to maintain a dis-
tance of 2.5 cm from passengers
during frisking.
The CISF chief Rajesh
Ranjan and head of airport
security of the force, M A
Ganapathy visited the Indira
Gandhi International (IGI)
Airport on Thursday to take
stock of facilities provided to
passengers.
The DG also reviewed the
arrangements made for CISF
personnel who frisk and inter-
act with thousands of travellers
everyday, a senior official said.
The force has also directed
its intelligence wing personnel,
who are present in mufti at the
airport, to keep a check on
"potentially infected and sick
passengers" so that health and
security officials can quickly
segregate them from others.
"CISF personnel deployed at
63 domestic and international
airports have been sensitised to
adopt 'minimum touch' concept
and also wear masks and not to
touch any item of the passenger,"
a force spokesperson said.
=4F34;78k5A830H k<0A27!!! ]PcX^]#
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C=A067D=0C70Q <D<108)

ith no let up in incidents

W of “quarantined” patients
travelling by trains, as many as
17 persons arriving in Mumbai
from various countries, who
bore “quarantine stamps” on
their hands, were de-boarded
from four different trains on
Thursday.
Railway officials said that
17 passengers, who had
jumped quarantine were
offloaded from Mumbai-New
Delhi Rajdhani Express,
Kutchh Express and Saurashtra
Express, both of which are
Gujarat-bound and Indore-
bound Avantika Express.
In the first incident, six
passengers who arrived from
Singapore were spotted travel-
ling from Mumbai Central to
Vadodara by the Saurashtra
Express of the Western Railway
(WR) on a single ticket in B1
and B2. “They were detected by
alert co-passengers and
Western Railway officials. They
were de-boarded at Borivali
station and handed over to a
medical team,” a senior West
Railway official said.
In the second incident, six
passengers – three each com-
ing from Dubai and France
respectively – who had been
“stamped” for a mandatory
14-day quarantine on their
arrival at the city airport from
international locations—were
found on board the Mumbai-
New Delhi Rajdhani Express
and were offloaded at Surat.
Similarly, in the third inci-
dent, a woman passenger –
who bore a quarantine stamp
on her hand -- was stopped
from boarding Avantika
Express at Mumbai Central
and handed over to the city
medical authorities for further
procedure.
In yet another incident, five
persons suspected to have been
infected by Coronavirus – who
had returned from Thailand -
- were off-loaded from Kutchh
Express at Palghar and hand-
ed over to a district medical
team.
On Wednesday, four pas-
sengers -- who had been
“stamped” at the Mumbai
Airport for a 14-day com-
pulsory quarantine – had
attempted to “escape” from
the medical custody by
boarding the Mumbai-
Delhi Garib Rath train to
train to their home town of
the neighbouring Surat.
However, alert co-passengers
foiled their attempt en route
and handed them over to the
authorities of dstrict medical
authorities at Palghar.
The four passengers had
arrived from Germany to the
Chhatrapati Shivaji
International Airport in
Mumbai. Soon after their
arrival, they had been ‘stamped’
at Mumbai Airport for a 14-day
compulsory quarantine.
Little over an hour after the
train carrying the quartet
departed from Mumbai on
Wednesday, some alert pas-
sengers and the travelling tick-
et examiners raised an alarm
when they noticed the four co-
travellers with the ‘quarantine
stamp’ on the back of their
palms. The train was stopped
at Palghar, the four passengers
were offloaded from coach
Nos. G4 and G5 and prompt-
ly handed over to a medical
team there.
Another shocking incident
came to light on Wednesday
evening in which a resident
from Kalyan – who had report-
edly tested positive for coron-
avirus -- had travelled to
Solapur by train to attend a
wedding where he might have
contact with at least 1,000 peo-
ple. However, the authorities
said that they had not anyone
among those who had come in
contact with him were found
with symptoms of Covid-19 so
far.
The person in question
had returned from the US on
March 6 and on the same
evening, he had headed to
Solapur by Hutatma Express.
Earlier, there were two
more instances of suspected
coronavirus patients jumping
the quarantine from a medical
facility in the state. It may be
recalled that four and three
patients had jumped quaran-
tine and escaped from the hos-
pitals at Nagpur and
Ahmednagar respectively.
However, the authorities traced
them to their homes and
brought them back to the hos-
pitals subsequently.
R^]UTaT]RTfXcW2<b
New Delhi: Prime Minister
Narendra Modi is likely to
hold a video conference with
Chief Ministers of various
states on ways to deal with
the novel coronavirus out-
break.
Sources in the
Government said the video
conference could take place on “This mindset is not cor-
Friday evening. rect. Complacency in respect of
The Prime Minister has a global pandemic like coron-
been pitching for involvement avirus is not appropriate. It is
of people and local authorities essential that each and every
to check the spread of the Indian remains alert and cau-
virus. tious,” he said. Studies of the
In his address to the nation countries hit by the pandemic
on Thursday, Modi highlight- have revealed that it exploded
ed the scale of coronavirus' after a few days, and the num-
impact and noted that there is ber of people infected by it
a view that India has averted grew at a very rapid pace, he
the crisis and all is well. pointed out. PTI

E>4d_ZWWd9Z_UfegR ?aXRTb^UP[R^W^[dbTSX]\PZX]VWP]SbP]XcXiTab $")&`U_`\UcSbUU^UTY^ 6dYPaPcRP]RT[b

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Kolkata: The Trinamool
Congress on Thursday alleged
that Prime Minister Narendra
Modi's address to the nation on
combating coronavirus had a
“hidden Hindutva agenda” and
claimed that he failed to give
any direction on how to tack-
le the pandemic.
The remark was made by
Mamata Banerjee's cabinet
minister Subrata Mukherjee
minutes after the PM's address
in which he urged all Indians
to stay indoors as much as pos-
sible to avoid getting infected
by coronavirus, saying the
world has never seen a danger
as grave as this.
Modi also called for the
“janata curfew” on March 22
from 7 am to 9 pm, saying no
citizen, barring those in essen-
&¶JDUK*RYWVHQWQRWLFHWR1&/RYHUPLQLQJFULVLV 2^aad_cX^]aTPRWTS_TPZ
?=B Q =4F34;78A08?DA
C ongress-ruled Chhattisgarh
Government has sent a notice
to National Coalfields Limited
(NCL) over the differences crop-
ping up between villagers, NGOs
and companies mining iron ore
and coal in the State resulting in
closure of operations affecting the
State exchequers. The Bhupesh
Baghel Government has asked
the representatives of NCL to
immediately resolve the crisis with
other stakeholders.
NCL is a joint venture com-
pany between the National
Mineral Development
Corporation (NMDC) and
Chhattisgarh Mineral
Development Corporation
(CMDC). “The mining lease for
iron ore in Bailadila Hills in
Dantewada had lapsed and fresh
action needs to be taken on
whether or not new leases will be
tial services, should get out of
house.
“He has failed to provide
a direction to the nation in
combating the pandemic.
There is no proper proposals to
tackle it. Rather, he was speak-
ing of ringing bells, this is
absurd. How will you combat
coronavirus by ringing bells,”
Mukherjee said.
“There is a Hidden agen-
da of Hindutva and the RSS in
his speech. We condemn such
an approach during this nation-
al crisis,” Mukherjee, a senior
TMC leader and minister
said.
The TMC leader in the
Rajya Sabha, Derek O' Brien,
wondred whether the PM's
speech was high on gimmicks
and low on solutions. PTI
issued,” said the note to NCL.
A senior NMDC official said
that mining has been halted in the
region because of the agitation and
inquiries initiated by the State gov-
ernment. The tribals, villagers
have argued that those who have
either signed or put their thumb
impressions during the gram sabha
meeting in April 2014 are either no
more alive or their consent was
taken forcefully and hence now all
the conditions and compensation
issue has to reviewed in a fresh
gram sabha meeting.
Baghel has ordered a probe
into complaints received against
the gram sabha which earlier had
approved the project way in 2014
under the BJP ruled Raman Singh
government. What further has
complicated the issue is a report by
district administration that
explains the said gram sabha
meeting of 2014 was a fake one as
only 109 villagers signed in the
Aizawl: Altogether 4,296 peo- along the international border Ahmedabad: In a proactive
?=BQ =4F34;78 produce without concurrence against hoarders, speculators, ple were screened at the was open only at Zokhawthar measure to stop The spread of
of the Central Government. profiteers, blackmarketeers etc. Lengpui airport and other on the Mizoram-Myanmar the coronavirus in Gujarat, the
he Centre on Thursday “On these items, the States and those involved in contra- screening counters along the border. The statement also said government on Thursday
T said prices of alcohols used
in manufacturing hand sani-
may now notify the Central
order in their official Gazette,
vention of the orders of Central
Government and States/UTs in
inter-state and international
borders on Thursday, an offi-
that Health Minister Dr R
Lalthangliana held a meeting
decided to cancel all recruit-
ment exams scheduled to be
tizers have been capped under also issue their own orders respect of the above alcohols. cial said. with Mizoram Kohhran held till March 31 and suspend
the Essential Commodities Act under the EC Act to that effect This will help the manufactur- Not a single confirmed Hruatute Committee (MKHC), state bus services to
on account of coranavirus out- and take necessary actions as ers of hand sanitizers to keep coronavirus case has been a conglomerate of church lead- Maharashtra. Now, these tests
break. per the situation prevailing in prices of their and product at reported in Mizoram till date, ers' committee, and sought its will be conducted after April 20,
Due to COVID-19, prices the respective States”, it said. reasonable and within the reach a health department official help to prevent the spread of said a government release.
of the alcohol used in manu- The decision would of the common people. said. coronavirus on Thursday. Chief Minister Vijay Rupani,
facturing the hand sanitizers empower the Central The Central Government He also said that at least It was also decided in the along with his deputy Nitin
have been exorbitantly Government and States/UTs to has requested the States/UTs to 156 people, who returned from meeting that awareness would Patel, chaired a high-level meet-
increased by the producers in regulate prices, production, advise the manufacturers of abroad recently, have been be created through the weekly ing to review the preparedness
the last couple of weeks. sale, distribution, transport, deodorants to manufacturer placed under home quarantine bulletins of the churches. of the state machinery to
It has also notified that the movement, storage, informa- alcohol based hand sanitizer as a precautionary measure The MKHC also would counter the spread of the novel
raw materials used in manu- tion etc. of alcohols used in spray with ethyl alcohol as though they did not show any take measures to ensure that coronavirus (Covid-19).
facture of essential commodi- manufacturing the hand sani- main content on mass scale in symptoms of being infected mass gathering is avoided at The meeting was held
ties are also essential com- tizer as preventive measure to the same plant which may with the deadly virus. important programmes such as hours before the state health
modities under the E.C Act. avoid infection from COVID- manufacture this alcohol based Meanwhile, an official weddings, memorial stone department formally
States can now ask the manu- 19. It will smoothen the sale sanitizer at very low cost and statement said that the Indo- erections and other important announced that two positive
factures of these alcohols not to and availability of these items make it available in the market Bangladesh border has been events concerning the cases of the coronavirus have
increase the prices of their and carry out operations at the earliest. sealed and the entry point churches. PTI been detected in Gujarat for the
first time after the
outbreak. PTI
83\HDUROG
state government register where-
as 806 lived in the village then.
the Chief Minister post when
Congress decimated the BJP's 10
X]D?X]"hTPab)0ZWX[TbW JLUOJDQJUDSHG
Recently at a gram sabha
meeting at Hiroli, a village pan-
year rule.
“Singh Deo is considered to be IDUPHUVFRPPLWWHG Mahoba (UP): A 12-year-
old girl was allegedly abduct-
chayat located in Dantewada
where there was a demand for clo-
the undisputed leader of mineral-
rich Sarguja district where most of VXLFLGHLQ0DKRED ed and gang-raped in Uttar
Pradesh's Mahoba district,
sure of the mines and alleged they the mining area falls and has sev- Lucknow: Claiming that “gundaraj” and “corruption” police said on Thursday.
were not paid compensation by the eral times lodged his grudges to reached its peak in Uttar Pradesh in past three years, The incident occurred in
state government. the party high command against Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav on Thursday Kabrai area on Tuesday night
Besides NCL, the other com- incumbent CM. He had been eye- alleged that 65 farmers committed suicide in Mahoba when two persons came to
pany whose works will be severe- ing for the CM post since Congress due to financial problems. the girl's house and took her
ly impacted is Adani Enterprises came into power. Singh has not He was talking to reporters at party headquarters. to secluded place and raped
appointed by NMDC as a Mine heeded to the pleas and interest of “In the past three years, 'gundaraj' and corruption her, the police said.
Developer and Operator (MDO) the displaced people in mining reached its peak in UP. They talk about doubling farm- The girl raised an alarm,
for the mine in December 2018.” area citing economic loss to the ers income by 2022 but the reality is that it has become following which villagers
said sources in the government. government, Baghel is all out to half. “On February 29, 14 MLAs and MLCs of the caught a suspect, Chhote
While NCL is yet to respond to the protect the interest of the farmers, party went to Mahoba and met family members of (23), while another, Devideen
demands, Adani conveyed that tribals and affected people. With 65 farmers, who committed suicide due to financial (22), managed to flee from
they came into picture after bid- Adanis already a recognized crisis,” Akhilesh said. the spot, according to the
ding in December 2018 and the MDO, connivance between polit- Trashing claims of Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath police.
gram sabha had approved in 2014. ical and business interests in that his government was number one, he said, “This On a complaint of the
But political sources said that Sarguja Ambikapur mine rich area government is number one in providing poor health minor's family, an FIR has
the issue is due to emerging dif- cannot be ruled out,” said a state facilities and education, giving bad quality mid-day been registered and Chhote
ferences between Baghel and State government official camping in meals, in fake encounters, crimes against women and was arrested. Hunt is on to
Health Minister TS Singh Deo national Capital to get resolve the children, atrocitiesagainst rape victims, corruption and nab the other suspect, the
who was one of the contenders for crisis. promoting casteism.” PTI police added. PTI

*RJRL <X[XcP]cWXST^dcQdbcTSX] ;2?2E2 ,QGLDTXDUDQWLQHV 5X]P[[hcWT

WDNHV :d_fPaPPa\baTR^eTaTS 4FC76H [PbcSPf]
From Page 1
On the steps being taken
on the international front, Joint
deciding to close down mar-
riage palaces, hotels, restau-
rants, banquets and dining

U^a
Srinagar: Security forces have From Page 1 Secretary, Ministry of External places, except home delivery

RDWKDV
busted a militant hideout and “You might think that you Affairs, Dammu Ravi said 201 services and takeaways in the
recovered arms and ammuni- are fine and you will continue Indians were evacuated from entire State.
tion in Kupwara district of to roam around, but that is not Iran on Wednesday. “On March The total tally of 197

56 03
From Page 1
“You know the
Constitutional provision, you
know the precedent, you know
the power of the President (to
nominate a member to Rajya
Sabha). You should not do any-
thing in the House. Whatever
Jammu and Kashmir, police
said on Thursday. =XaQWPhP´b
“Based on a credible input,
Handwara Police with the assis-
tance of other security forces
recovered incriminating mate-
rial from the forest area of
Wader Rajwar, Handwara (area
of the north Kashmir district),”
a police spokesperson said.
A case has been registered
and investigation into the mat-
ter has been initiated, the
spokesperson said. PTI
right according to me. You have
a responsibility to your fellow
citizens to take care,” he said.
Modi also strongly advo-
cated the measure of social dis-
tancing, and advised staying
away from crowds. He also said
that companies must allow
employees to work from
home.
Modi said that “resolution
and restraint” are the most
21 Air India would be going to
Rome to bring back students or
any Indians stranded there.
The flight would return on
March 22,” said Aviation
Ministry Joint Secretary Rubina
Ali. The Ministry also stated
that Air India will be mount-
ing a 787-Dreamliner to Rome
on March 21 to evacuate
stranded students and other
travellers.
include 25 foreign nationals --
17 from Italy, 3 from the
Philippines, two from the UK,
one each belonging to Canada,
Indonesia and Singapore. The
figure also includes 20 cured
and four deaths reported from
Delhi, Karnataka, Maharashtra
and Punjab so far. Delhi has
reported 16 positive cases
which includes one foreigner
and three cured, while Uttar
From Page 1
The Supreme Court on
Thursday also dismissed
death-row convict Akshay
Kumar’s plea challenging
the rejection of his second
mercy petition by the
President.
A Bench of Justices R

views you have you are at liberty
to express outside,” he said.
Gogoi was nominated to
Rajya Sabha by President Ram
Nath Kovind in the vacancy cre-
ated after the retirement of
KTS Tulsi. Earlier, Gogoi
entered the House from the
Chairman’s chamber and greet-
ed members present with fold-
ed hands.
During Gogoi’s 13-month
tenure, the Supreme Court
delivered landmark judgements
in the Ayodhya case, on the
decriminalisation of homosex-
uality, the entry of women in
Kerala’s Sabarimala temple and
the Rafale jet deal along with
Assam’s National Register of
Citizens (NRC).
The Congress has argued
that Gogoi’s nomination to
Rajya Sabha “within four
months” of his retirement will
shake the confidence and faith
people have in the indepen-
dence of the judiciary. The
party has also tried to distin-
guish between Gogoi’s nomi-
nation and that of some of his
predecessors’ entry into the
Rajya Sabha “six to seven years”
after their retirement.
0RXScTbcU^a:P\P[
From Page 1
It also asked the Speaker
whether any inquiry was made
on the resignation of the rebel
MLAs and what decision he
has taken on them.
Senior advocate A M
Singhvi, appearing for the
Speaker, said the day court
begins to give time-bound
direction to the Speaker, it will
be constitutionally problemat-
ic.
The counsel appearing for
Governor Lalji Tandon told the
bench that Nath was “sitting
aside” in the turn of events and
it is the Speaker who is “lead-
ing the political battle” in court.
The bench asked all the parties
how the decision of a Speaker
in matters of resignation and
disqualification of MLAs affects
the floor test.
It said the constitutional
principle which emerges is that
there is no restraint on trust
vote because of resignation or
disqualification being pend-
ing before the Speaker. It said,
therefore, the court will have to
flip around and see whether the
Governor acted beyond the
powers vested in him.
During the hearing, the
bench said that if the
Government loses the majori-
ty when the Assembly was not
in session, then Governor has
the power to direct the Speaker
to summon the Assembly.
“What happens when the
Assembly prorogues and the
Government loses its majority,
then the Governor can call the
Assembly,” the bench said.
Singhvi said the Governor
has very limited power with
regard to functioning of the
Assembly and he can only
summon, prorogue and dis-
solve the House, but he cannot
intervene into the functioning
of Assembly which falls under
the purview of the speaker.
The Governor cannot ask
the Speaker you should do
this, you should not do this, it
is beyond his power, he
said.
important principles in fight-
ing the novel coronavirus pan-
demic. “Resolution and
restraint is very important in
combat against this global epi-
demic. As citizens, people need
to strengthen their resolve to
follow the advisories issues by
State and Central Governments
to fight,” he said.
The coronavirus pandem-
ic has also affected economies
across the world, the Prime
Minister said, adding that the
Centre has constituted a
‘COVID-19 economic task
force’ which will take decisions
regarding the economy in the
duration of fighting the pan-
demic.
“The Government has
decided to constitute COVID-
19 Economic Response Task
Force under Finance Minister.
The task force will remain in
regular touch with all stake-
holders, take their feedback and
make decisions accordingly,” he
said.
He also appealed to people
to allow those in service like
domestic helps to take off, and
also not cut their pay if they are
not able to come to work.
Even as it remained evasive
on the cause of the positive case
reported from Tamil Nadu,
Union Health Ministry said
there was no community trans-
mission so far in the country
and the fourth death reported
from Punjab was that of an
elderly person who had co-
morbid conditions like dia-
betes and had cardiac
issues.
Amid the rapid spread of
the virus, several parts, includ-
ing Kashmir Valley headed
towards a virtual lockdown
with the administration
restricting movement of people
in several parts and banning all
public transport in Srinagar
city. While Mumbai’s famed tif-
fin suppliers, the dabbawalas,
said they are suspending their
services from Friday till March
31 in view of the coronavirus
situation, Punjab and the
national Capital also inched
towards virtual shutdown.
While the Punjab
Government announced sus-
pension of public transport
services from Friday midnight
and restricting public gather-
ings to less than 20 besides
Pradesh has recorded 28 cases,
including one foreigner, as per
the Union Health Ministry
website.
Maharashtra has 48 cases,
including three foreigners and
one death, while Kerala has
recorded 30 cases which
include two foreign nationals
while Karnataka has 15 coro-
navirus patients.
The number of cases in
Ladakh rose to eight and
Jammu & Kashmir four.
Telangana has reported 7 cases
which include two foreigners.
Rajasthan has also reported ten
cases including that of two for-
eigners. Tamil Nadu has three
cases so far. Andhra Pradesh,
Odisha, Uttarakhand, West
Bengal, Pondicherr y,
Chandigarh and Punjab have
reported one case each. In
Haryana, there are 17 cases,
which include 14 foreigners.
In the national Capital, the
upscale Sunder Nagar market
in South Delhi has been closed
till March 31 in view of the
coronavirus outbreak, the
traders’ body said. It is the first
market to shut down in the
capital.
Banumathi, Ashok Bhushan
and A S Bopanna said no
ground was made out in
Akshay’s plea for judicial
review of the decision reject-
ing mercy petition.
Akshay had filed the
second mercy petition on
Wednesday which was
rejected by the President on
Thursday. He had filed his
first mercy plea on January
29 which was rejected on
January 31.
On March 5, a trial court
had issued fresh death war-
rants for March 20 at 5.30
am, as the date for the exe-
cution of convicts Mukesh
Singh (32), Pawan Gupta
(25), Vinay Sharma (26) and
Akshay Kumar
Singh (31).
Meanwhile, Delhi’s
Tihar Prison authorities are
all set for the execution of
the four convicts, in
Nirbhaya gang rape and
murder case, scheduled on
early hours of Friday. On
Thursday, after several
dummy runs and officials
brushing up on details spec-
ified in the jail manual.
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?=BQ =4F34;78 "All universities and affil- ing in close proximity to their tial/emergency services and
iated colleges should post- those directly engaged in tak-

T he Union HRD Ministry

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=4F34;78
mid the Covid-19 out-
A break, the CRPF has begun
restricting movements of its
administrative personnel to
check the spread of the dead-
ly virus. However, operational
units will be allowed movement
for various internal security
and anti-insurgency roles.
Keeping in view the threat
of Coronavirus disease
(COVID-19), all adm. (admin-
istrative) movements are to be
strictly restricted Only ops.
(operational) movements are
allowed and that too with all
precautions/proper sanitations
(use mask and sanitisers)
?C8
The CRPF with a strength
of 3,25 lakh personnel is the
biggest paramilitary force in the
world and has cancelled all
leaves except in cases of
extreme emergency to check
the spread of Covid-19,
declared a pandemic by the
World Health Organisation .
The leaves of personnel who
are already on vacation will be
extended till April 15. In case
of extreme emergency, the per-
sonnel will granted leave for a
period not less than 30 days.
In an advisory issued by
the CRPF headquarters here on
Thursday and circulated to all
the formations, the paramili-
tary discontinued the practice
of grant of audience of the per-
and educational boards
including the UGC have taken
measures to restrict the exam-
inees and examiners in the
current spate of corona scare
across the country. While
HRD Minister Ramesh
Pokhriyal Nishank announced
for launch of e-classes on
Swayam Prabha DTH chan-
nels for school students in
view of coronavirus outbreak,
CBSE and ICSE announced to
postpone the remaining exam-
inations of higher and school
education systems across the
nation.
While the university reg-
ulator directed all universities
and affiliated colleges to post-
pone examinations till March-
end, the Joint Entrance Exam
(JEE-Main) for admission to
IITs and engineering colleges
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too stand postponed according
to the HRD Ministr y's
National Testing Agency
(NTA) directives.
The Staff Selection
Commission (SSC) too post-
poned its key recruitment
examinations as a preventive
measure to check the spread of
novel coronavirus.
UGC in a directive said
the evaluation works too will
be suspended during the peri-
od too.
UZdTfddVUZ_CDR^ZU ?=BQ =4F34;78
pone exams till March 31 and
suspend evaluation work.
Further schedule should be
decided following a review of
the situation," the commission
said in an order.
The Joint Entrance Exam
(JEE-Main) for admission to
IITs and engineering colleges
scheduled from April 5-11
has been postponed and the
new date will be decided in
accordance with the board
exams schedule and other
competitive exams to ensure
there is no clash. The CBSE
and ICSE board postponed
class 10 and 12 examinations
due to the novel coronavirus
threat as was certain changes
in evaluation policy.
"Marking of answer scripts
should take place at the resi-
dences of examiners during
the allocated time period.
I50nCentre
a fresh directive, the
on Thursday allowed
per cent of its employees to
work from home and the
remaining to attend office
every day besides implement-
ing different time slots for
working hours in its effort to
further check the spread of the
coronavirus disease.
An order issued by the
Personnel Ministry directed
the Heads of Departments
(HoDs) to ensure that 50 per
cent of Group B and C
employees are required to
attend office every day and the
remaining 50 per cent staff is
instructed to work from home.
"All HoDs are advised to
draft a weekly roster of duty
for Group B and C staff and
ask them to attend office on
alternate weeks. While decid-
ing the roster for the first
week, HoDs are advised to
office or use their own trans-
port to travel to the offices," it
said.
The order further said
the working hours for all
employees who attend office
on a particular day should be
staggered.
It suggested that three
groups of employees be
formed and asked to attend
office during three time slots
- 9 AM to 5.30 PM, 9.30 AM
to 6 PM and 10 AM to 6.30
PM, the Ministry said. "The
officials who are working from
home on a particular day as
per the roster drawn up
should be available on tele-
phone and electronic means of
communication at all times.
They should attend office, if
called for any exigency of
work," it said.
These instructions shall
not apply to the offices and
ing measures to control spread
of COVID-19, the Ministry
said. The Department of
Financial Services (DFS) and
Department of Public
Enterprises (DPE) may issue
similar instructions regarding
financial institutions and pub-
lic sector undertakings, it said.
The decision came after
the Personnel Ministry on
Tuesday asked all Central
Government departments to
take precautionary measures.
"Discourage, to the maximum
extent, entry of visitors in the
office complex. Routine issue
of visitor/temporary passes
should be suspended with
immediate effect. Only those
visitors who have proper per-
mission of the officer who
they want to meet, should be
allowed after being properly
screened," it had said.

against Coronavirus disease.
The personnel returning after
operational duties should sani-
tise themselves properly, reads
an order issued by the 221
Battalion of the CRPF.
The companies of the 221
battalion are deployed in
Ranchi, Jaipur, Bhopal,
Mumbai and Kerala, officials
said. Similar advisories are
being issued by other battal-
ions, sources said.
The advisory also suggests
that the personnel living with
families (either in Government
quarters or outside) should be
briefed to restrict their move-
ments specially in crowded
areas.
It has further directed the
personnel to avoid consuming
eatables from outside and
should not allow visitors/guests
till April 15. The personnel will
not be issued outpass/station
leave till April 15.
sonnel with the CRPF DG
from March 23 till further
orders in order to prevent the
spread of the virus.
The medical wing of the
Union Home Ministry through
an advisory to all the 7 para-
military forces on Wed stated
that the novel Corona virus is
the most infectious virus the
world has seen in recent times.
The medical wing also said
India is already in the middle
of a pandemic and National
Disaster Act has been put in
place. The Indian Council of
Medical Research has given an
estimated 30 days to prepare.
The only thing that is likely to
slow the exponential growth
and spread of the infection is
measures for prevention of
community transmission, said
the advisory titled "Covid-19
Outbreak: Roles and responsi-
bilities for occupational safety
and health of force personnel.
R^\QPc_P]ST\XR T
?=BQ =4F34;78
aintaining that "very fast"
M movement was being
made on PM Narendra Modi's
proposals put forward during
a SAARC nations' video-con-
ference on coronavirus, the
Ministry of External Affairs
on Thursday said the emer-
gency fund of US $ 10 million
to combat the pandemic in the
region has been opera-
tionalised and the quantum of
assistance, which has been
requested (from India) so far,
has already crossed $1 million.
"I can announce that we
are moving very fast on most
of those proposals and
announcements. On the emer-
gency fund, it is already up and
running. We have received
T`c`_RgZcfdeYcVRe
many requests from other
SAARC countries for assis-
tance in the form of masks,
shoe covers, gloves, disinfec-
tants and other items," MEA
Spokesperson Raveesh Kumar
said.
"The quantum of assis-
tance, which has been request-
ed (from India) so far, has
crossed USD 1 million.
Supplies to Bhutan and the
Maldives have been dis-
patched. Requests from other
SAARC countries are under
various stages of process," he
added.
The SAARC nations
vowed on Sunday to jointly
combat the coronavirus as
Modi proposed an emergency
fund with an initial offer of
USD 10 million from India.
aking strong exception to
Pakistan raising the Kashmir
issue during a SAARC video-con-
ference of heads-of-state of mem-
ber nations on Sunday last, India
on Thursday slammed Islamabad
saying the neighbour "misused" the
occasion as it was "not a political
platform but a humanitarian one".
Making New Delhi's stand
clear on the issue, ministry of exter-
nal affairs spokesperson Raveesh
Kumar said here Prime Minister
Narendra Modi had called for the
SAARC nations' video-conference
to formulate a joint strategy to
combat the coronavirus in the
spirit that a crisis of this magnitude
did not recognise borders.
Asked about Pakistan using the
occasion to raise Kashmir, Kumar
said "We believe that the platform
was to bring the countries of the
region together to address the
pandemic.
This was not a political plat-
form, but a humanitarian one, and
Pakistan misused it."Kumar's asser-
tion came in the backdrop of
Pakistan's State Minister of Health
Zafar Mirza on Sunday during the
video-conference in which heads
of states of SAARC countries were
participating called for an imme-
diate lifting of the "lockdown" in
Jammu and Kashmir to allow virus
containment measures.
Apart from Mirza and Prime
Minister Modi, Sri Lankan
President Gotabaya Rajapaksa,
Maldivian President Ibrahim
Mohamed Solih, Nepalese Prime
Minister K P Sharma Oli,
Bhutanese premier Lotay Tshering,
Bangladeshi Prime Minister Sheikh
Hasina and Afghan President
Ashraf Ghani had participated in
the video-conference.
The Pakistan minister had
said "Equity in health is a funda-
mental principle of public health.
?=BQ =4F34;78
rom a request to curtail the Budget Session in view
F of the coronavirus threat to setting up a pharma
city in Hyderabad, Rajya Sabha saw a number of issues
being discussed on Thursday.
Congress MP BP Bhattacharya made a demand
for curtailment of the ongoing Budget session given
the outbreak of coronavirus but member in Rajya
Sabha Chairman M Venkaiah Naidu said adjournment
is no solution.
Through a Zero Hour mention, Bhattacharya said
official business papers supplied to members every
morning pose a risk to MPs as it is not known who
has handled them and if they have been sanitised.
"We have requested the prime minister to adjourn
the House but unfortunately it is not being done," he
said.
The House, he said, should be adjourned without
any further delay. But Naidu said "adjournment is no
solution" and went on to state that hand sanitisers have
been given to people dealing with papers.

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rinamool Congress MPs in
T Lok Sabha on Thursday
demanded that Prime Minister
Narendra Modi makes a state-
ment in the House on the
efforts to combat coronavirus.
Soon after the Question
Hour, Sudip Bandhopadhyay
(TMC) said while the Prime
Minister is addressing the
nation this evening on the
issue of coronavirus, he should
also make a statement in the
House.
His party colleague Asit
Kumar Mal also demanded
that a statement from the Prime
Minister in the House.
The Prime Minister
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addressed the nation at 8 pm
on Thursday on coronavirus
and efforts by the Government
to combat the threat.
Congress leader in Lok
Sabha Adhir Ranjan
Chowdhur y urged the
Government to ensure that
Indians stranded outside the
country at various airports
should be brought back.
Shiv Sena's Arvind Sawant
referred to the 58 Indian stu-
dents struck at Singapore air-
port and urged the
Government to bring them
home.
He said out of the 58, 25 are
women and they should not
?C8 remain stranded there.
Dayanidhi Maran (DMK) said
while the Government is mak-
ing efforts to contain the spread
of the virus, it seems to have a
"partial" approach towards
Parliament.While he did not
explain his remark, Speaker
Om Birla did not allow him to
speak.
?=BQ =4F34;78
T o meet the current chal-
lenges of increased demand
of hand sanitisers in the coun-
try in view of coronavirus pan-
demic, the Drugs Controller
General of India (DCGI) has
directed the State drugs con-
trollers to expedite the licens-
ing of manufacturers of such
products and monitor quality
standards of the products as per
the relevant law.
Amid CV scare in India,
the hand sanitising gels which
are licensed under drugs and
Cosmetic Rules, 1945 is van-
ishing from the market.
A few days ago, the
Government had notified
masks (2plyand 3ply surgical
masks, N95 masks) and hand
sanitisers under Essential
Commodities Act, 1955 to reg-
ulate their production, quality,
distribution and logistics.
"In light of existing cir-
cumstances arising out of coro-
navirus outbreak, it is required
that the regulatory activities
should be intensified to keep
strict vigil in the matter so that
the people can be protected
from malpractices, said DCGI
in a letter to State drug author-
ities on March 17. The States
have also been asked to submit
the list of manufacturers who
are manufacturing hand sani-
tisers under their jurisdiction
along with product details and
further exercise strict vigil and
regulatory oversight on manu-
facturing and distribution of
such products. Similarly, state
drugs controllers have also
been directed to expedite the
licensing process for manufac-
turers of hand sanitizers by tak-
ing proactive measures to meet
the present challenges of
increased demand of such
product in the country.
The DCGI has further
asked all zonal and sub zonal
offices of CDSCO to coordinate
with state and Union territory
drugs control authorities in
the matter.
?=BQ =4F34;78
he Haryana Government's
T decision to close all farm-
ers' bazars and vegetable mar-
kets till March 31 to avoid large
gatherings in view ofcoron-
avirus outbreak may affect the
national capital region
includingDelhi. The closure of
vegetable and farmers' mandi
may spike vegetable prices not
only in Haryana but also in
Delhi, Punjab and Himachal
Pradesh.
It is estimated that 20-30
per cent of fruit and vegetables
come to Delhi and NCR areas
from Haryana. "All farm-
ers/vegetable markets shall
remain closed till March 31 to
avoid large gatherings in view
of coronavirus," read the order
issued by the Haryana State
AgriculturalMarketing Board.
Traders across the whole-
sale markets said it's a double
whammy forthem over the
last few weeks.
Firstly, there has been a dip
in thesale/auction of agro pro-
duce, which has resulted in
many perishablecommodities
such as fruits and vegetables
rotting in the open.

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^_TaPc^ab3C7^_TaPc^ab The ED has asked the
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e^RXUTa^db[h^__^bX]VcWT
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2XcXiT]bFWT]C<2<?3^[P
BT]bcPacTSb_TPZX]VSdaX]VP
SXbRdbbX^]^]cWTf^aZX]V^U
cWT<B<4<X]XbcahcWTRWPXa
PbZTSWTac^aT\^eTcWT[^RZTc
bPhX]VbWTbW^d[SaTb_TRccWT
SXV]Xch^UcWT7^dbT ing his statement.
0]X[0\QP]X^eTa f^acWC''RaU^a %#&( ZdcVda`_dZS]VW`c
HTb1P]ZRPbT [XVWc\PRWX]TVd]b
?=BQ =4F34;78
T he Enforcement
Directorate (ED) on
Thursday questioned Reliance
Group Chairman Anil Ambani
for over nine hours in connec-
tion with a money laundering
probe against Yes Bank pro-
moter Rana Kapoor and others.
businessman to appear before
it again on March 30.
Essel Group Chairman
and Rajya Sabha MP Subhash
Chandra, who skipped his first
appearance on March 18 owing
to his engagement in the ongo-
ing Parliament session, has
also been issued a fresh sum-
mon to appear before the inves-
tigative agency on March 21.
Officials said the statement
of Ambani, 60, was recorded
under the Prevention of Money
Laundering Act (PMLA).
Ambani arrived at the
agency's office at Ballard Estate
in Mumbai around 9:30 AM
and left around 7 PM record-
;R^ZRgZ`]V_TV+8`ge
Ambani's nine group com-
panies, that were reportedly
under "stress", are stated to have
taken loans adding up to about
C12,800 crore from the crisis-
hit private sector bank.
Ambani was first called for
questioning on Monday but he
sought exemption from
appearance on personal
grounds. The agency then
issued him fresh summons to
appear on March 19.
As many as 44 companies
belonging to 10 large business
groups reportedly accounted
for bad loans of C34,000 crore
of Yes Bank.
?=BQ =4F34;78
n a boost to firepower of the
I infantry soldiers especially
those deployed on the Line of
Control (LOC) facing Pakistan,
India has signed a contract
worth over C880 crore for
procuring 16,479 light machine
guns(LMG)with an Israeli
manufacturer. This ends the
long pending requirement of
the Army to equip the foot sol-
dier with latest and lethal guns.
The deal for the Negev
7.62mm LMGs was inked on
Thursday with Israel Weapons
Industry. The contract was
inked by the acquisition wing
of the Defence Ministry with
the approval of Defence
Minister Rajnath Singh, offi-
cials said here.
The contracted Negev
7.62X51 mm LMG is a combat
proven weapon and currently
used by several countries
around the globe. LMG will
greatly enhance the lethality and
range of Indian soldier vis-a-vis
the presently used weapon.
The provisioning of this
operationally urgent and very
critically needed weapon will
boost the confidence of the
frontline troops and provide
much needed combat power to
the Armed Forces. This deal
comes a year after India inked
a major deal for 72,400 assault
rifles for the infantry. The C700
crore deal with Sig Sauer of US
came almost 15 years after the
Army proposed to replace its
current rifles.
Separate tenders are under
way for 5.5 lakh assault rifles
and 3.5 lakh carbines, bulk of
them to be procured from the
Indian industry under 'Buy
and Make (Indian)' category
and a small share from the
Ordnance Factory Board .
In January 2018, the
Defence Acquisition Council
approved initial approval for
the procurement of 72,400
assault rifles and 93,895 car-
bines at an estimated cost of
?3,547 crore on fast track basis.
The assault rifles are of 7.62mm
calibre while the Carbines will
be of 5.56mm calibre.
?=BQ =4F34;78
eeking to stay clear of
S any controversy, the
Centre on Thursday said
it is premature to say who
is responsible for the
recent violence in Jamia
Millia Islamia in the
national capital.
The Government can-
not divulge much infor-
mation about this incident in
the Upper House as the matter
is subjudice, HRD Minister
Ramesh Pokhriyal Nishank
said in Rajya Sabha during the
Question Hour.
He was asked if the gov-
ernment will set up an enquiry
to investigate role of the Delhi
Police and recover damage
from them.
"When such incidents hap-
pen, there are many facts and
evidences. It is premature to say
who is responsible. The Home
Minister has said the culprit
will not be spared," Nishank
said in the Upper House.
5X[T_W^c^
Responding to another
query if the government will
take videos as evidence to
prove Delhi Police's alleged
hand in vandalism, the minis-
ter said: "I have already said the
matter is subjudice. However,
many questions and doubts
are raised on videos circulated."
Asked if the Centre will
compensate for damages
incurred by the university, the
minister said, "All central uni-
versities are fully funded by the
central government through
UGC. If funds are required, the
university can reach out to the
UGC."
R[TPaTSU^a
?aPSWP]<P]caX
0fPbH^YP]P
?=BQ =4F34;78
T he Centre has approved an
investment of C6.16 lakh
crore so far under the Pradhan
Mantri Awas Yojana (Urban)
with the committed central
assistance being C1.65 lakh
crore. Union Min of State for
Housing and Urban Affairs
Hardeep Singh Puri on
Thursday told the Lok Sabha
that no data regarding proper-
ty-less people is maintained by
the ministry. PMAY(U) seeks
to provide all weather pucca
houses to beneficiaries in eco-
nomically weaker sections in
urban areas.According to him,
poverty alleviation is also a
focus area. "The total invest-
ment approved under
PMAY(U), so far, is C6.16 lakh
crore with committed central
assistance of C1.65 lakh crore,"
he said in a written reply.
Housing sector contributes sig-
nificantly to the country's
Gross Domestic Product with
direct impact on employment
generation, he added.
=4F34;78k5A830H k<0A27!!! ]PcX^]%
EZcfaReZ3R]R[ZeV^a]VdYfed
Amaravati (AP): The famous
hill shrine of Lord
Venkateswara in Tirumala and
all other major temples will be
out of bounds for devotees
while malls and cinema halls
would be closed down in
Andhra Pradesh till March 31
to check the spread of coron-
avirus, the State Government
announced on Thursday.
The restrictions would
come into force from Friday,
Deputy Chief Minister for
Medical and Health AKK
Srinivas (Nani) said briefing
reporters here after a high-level
meeting on COVID-19,
chaired by Chief Minister Y S
Jagan Mohan Reddy.
The daily rituals in all
these temples will, however, be
performed by the priests. Only
the devotees will not be
allowed, he said.
=Q]QdQgQb^cbe]_eb]_^WUbc_VcdbYSdQSdY_^
B0D60AB4=6D?C0Q :>;:0C0
ith rumors of a complete
W shutdown and possible
scarcity of daily essentials grip-
ping the market, Bengal Chief
Minister Mamata Banerjee on
Thursday warned the rumor
mongers of strict action for
“spreading false and fake infor-
mation.”
“Some people are spread-
ing rumor about a complete
shut down and a possible
scarcity of essential items in the
face of corona scare but I want
to warn these elements to desist
from making false, fake and
irresponsible information …
The police have been instruct-
ed to take stringent action
such people who are spreading
such rumor,” Banerjee said.
“All shops are open and will
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Srinagar: Over 160 students,
who were returning from
Bangladesh amid coronavirus
fear, allegedly refused to under-
go isolation and created a
ruckus at the airport, before
they were brought under con-
trol and sent to a quarantine
facility on Thursday, police
said.
“Today, a few students
arrived from Bangladesh at
Srinagar International Airport.
As per the directions of the
Budgam district magistrate,
these students were to be quar-
antined as precautionary mea-
sure vis-a-vis spread of
COVID-19 (coronavirus),” a
police official said.
He said the medical
6LNNLPEDQVQRQHVVHQWLDO
ZRUNLQ*RYHUQPHQWRIILFHV
Gangtok: Sikkim Chief
Secretar y SC Gupta on
Thursday said all non-essential
work in Government offices be
temporarily suspended to avoid
movement of people even as
prohibitory orders under
Section 144 of the CrPC were
imposed in East district in
view of the novel coronavirus
outbreak.
Gupta, while reviewing
preparedness to deal with the
coronavirus outbreak, said
funds have been transferred to
the health department from the
Chief Minister’s Office for pur-
chase of equipment and essen-
Besides the cash-rich Lord
Venkateswara temple near
Tirupati thronged by devotees
from across the country, others
that would be barred for pil-
grims’ entr y include the
Kanaka Durga shrine in
Vijayawada, Srisailam (Lord
Shiva), Annavaram
(Satyanarayana Swamy) and
Kanipakam (Vinayaka).
remain open and there is no
need to fear. Though the bor-
ders with some States have
been sealed there is enough
stock with us and the situation
is normal,” she said adding the
Government was in firm con-
trol of the situation.
Bengal Government has
made elaborate preparations to
deal with situations related to
Corona outbreak Banerjee said.
The Chief Minister who held
a lengthy meeting with private
medical facilities and the nodal
agencies of the Government
said that Corona was a chal-
lenge and her Government
was determined to win it.
“Corona is a challenge and
we will definitely win it,”
Banerjee said appealing to the
private players to come forward
and contribute towards the
SHRSOHQRWEH
VFDUHGWDNH
authorities at Srinagar
SUHFDXWLRQV
International Airport request-
ed these students to cooperate
for the quarantine process to
which they did not agree and
started a protest, breaking win-
dow/glass panes of airport
arrival area.
“At the same time, parents
of these students also started
protest outside arrival terminal
of airport. Airport authority
and the CISF then called in
local police for resolution of the
issue,” he said.
The police team along
with magistrate reached the
spot and tried to pacify the pro-
testers, but, they did not budge
and continued with the van-
dalism, the official added. PTI
tial goods at isolation wards.
The chief secretary asked
the district collectors to seek
additional funds, in necessary,
from the health department for
upgrading facilities in the quar-
antine wards.
He also directed the offi-
cials concerned to restrict the
movement of labourers and put
up travel advisories on taxis
plying between Gangtok and
West Bengal’s Siliguri.
Gupta instructed the trans-
port department to deploy a
medical team at the Sikkim
Nationalised Transport com-
plex in Siliguri to screen
Similarly, major places of
worship of other religions
would also be closed, the
Deputy Chief Minister
said.
Andhra Pradesh is the lat-
est to join a number of states,
including Kerala, Karnataka
and Tamil Nadu, that have
announced a virutal lockdown
and the announcement came
fighting the pandemic.
“This is not time for busi-
ness. We will have to stand by
the people together and fight
against this disease which has
come as a threat to the
mankind,” Banerjee said alleg-
ing her Government has not
been getting the kind of sup-
port it requires from the cen-
tral government to erect a pre-
paredness against any possible
outbreak of the disease. “We are
waiting for the kits from the
Centre but they have not sent
us the kits,” she said.
Presently out of 399,469
people screened and 77 sam-
ples tested in the State only one
person—a son of a bureaucrat
who recently returned from
London — has tested positive,
the Chief Minister said.
She said 25 people have
<>78C:0=370A8 Q 90<<D
earing up its machinery
across all the district head-
quarters, the Jammu &
Kashmir administration on
Thursday imposed strict
restrictions in both Jammu
and Srinagar on the movement
of general public and also
ordered closure of all shops
except those supplying essen-
tial commodities to contain
spread of coronavirus.
So far four positive cases
have been reported in Jammu
& Kashmir, three in Jammu
and one in Srinagar.
In Jammu, Deputy
Commissioner Jammu Sushma
Chauhan directed different
teams along with local police to
strictly enforce the orders on
ground zero. All the markets in
the walled city of Jammu were
tourists coming to the state.
This measure will prevent
overcrowding at Rangpo and
Melli check-posts, he said.
The chief secretary said
students in transit to Sikkim
will have to report to authori-
ties and will be home quaran-
tined.
He advised the students
who are in other states to stay
there and avoid travelling to
Sikkim.
Meanwhile, East district
Collector Raj Yadav issued the
prohibitory orders banning
assembly of more than five
persons at a public place. PTI
2>E83 (>DC1A40:
on the day when it reported its
second positive case of coron-
avirus.
Srinivas said the
Government took this decision
to check the spread of the
dreaded virus though relative-
ly the incidence of COVID-19
was low in Andhra Pradesh.
Malls and cinema halls
would be closed down while
bars and restaurants were being
asked to maintain social dis-
tancing, he said.
The Government suggest-
ed that IT professionals could
work from home.
The Deputy CM asked the
people to cooperate with the
government in COVID-19 mit-
igation measures. Srinivas
suggested that people put off
marriages and other functions
to avoid large
gatherings. PTI
been kept in isolation and
17,500 people have been
advised home surveillance.
“We are procuring 2 lakh spe-
cial suits for the nurses who
involved in corona care …
besides this orders have been
placed for 300 ventilation
machines” she said adding ,
about two lakh gloves and as
many numbers of masks were
being procured.
Apart from the isolation
beds kept available at Beleghata
ID Hospital and Chittaranjan
Cancer Institute, Rajarhat, 50
beds have been kept ready at
RG Kar Hospital and 150 beds
have been earmarked at MR
Bangur Hospital, she said. This
apart, district hospitals at
Siliguri in North Bengal,
Midnapore, Burdwan are being
readied to tackle emergency,
µ2QO\FULWLFDOFDVHV
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Puducherry: In the wake of the
spread of coronavirus, the
Centrally sponsored JIPMER in
Puducherry on Thursday asked
only patients with critical ail-
ments and requiring tertiary
care should visit the
hospital.
Making this appeal through
a circular, JIPMER (Jawaharlal
Institute of Postgraduate
Medical Education and
Research) said this was part of
the precautionary steps to save
patients from the spread of the
novel COVID-19.
The hospital said around
10,000 patients visit the hospi-
tal every day for treatment. So,
it is likely that the patients
include those having symp-
closed down to restrict move-
ment of general public.
Majority of areas of down-
town in Srinagar also observed
complete shutdown following
strict restrictions. A 67-year-
old lady was tested positive in
Khanyar area on Wednesday.
The district administration had
constituted over 20 medical
teams to screen local residents
in the area and detect any sus-
pected case of coronavirus who
may have come in contact with
the lady, with a travel history to
Saudi Arabia.
Meanwhile, Katra town,
base camp of Mata Vaishno
Devi Shrine, wore a deserted
look on Thursday following
suspension of yatra. The trains
reaching Katra ferried less than
100 passengers, many among
them were local residents.
All the hotels and guest
7TP[cW^UUXRXP[bSdaX]VcWTXaS^^ac^S^^aeXbXcX]:WP]hPa[^RP[Xchc^RWTRZcWT]TXVWQ^aW^^SU^abh\_c^\b^UR^a^]PeXadbX]BaX]PVPa^]
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Jaipur: Rajasthan BJP president
Satish Poonia and Deputy Leader
of Opposition in the Assembly
Rajendra Rathore on Thursday
met External Affairs Minister S
Jaishankar in Delhi and sought
immediate return of Indian stu-
dents stranded in several coun-
tries, including the Philippines,
due to the coronavirus outbreak.
Jaishankar assured that the
government is monitoring the
situation. Necessary guidelines
have been given to the Indian
embassies in this regard, the
Rajasthan BJP leaders said in a
statement.
The External Affairs Minister
also said wherever possible, every
effort will be made to bring the
students to the country and,
she said.
The Chief Minister on
Wednesday had ordered a 50
percent reduction in staff atten-
dance at Government offices.
“Daily till next circular the staff
will be allowed to leave office
by 4 pm instead of 5 pm in the
evening so that there is less
rush in trains and buses,” she
said.
Meanwhile, the Trinamool
Congress and the Left blamed
the BJP for mingling politics
with relief work even as the
workers of that party went
about distributing saffron
masks among the people.
“This is obnoxious, dirty
that people of some party will
play politics when the country
is facing such unprecedented
crisis,” a senior Minister in the
Government said.
toms of the virus.
“There is, therefore, a real
risk of those visiting
JIPMERcatching the infection,”
the circular said.
It said patients with minor
ailments seeking medical advice
are discouraged from visiting
the hospital in view of dispro-
portionately high risk of expo-
sure to infection, including
CVID-19, in the crowded hos-
pital.
Specifically, elderly persons
with such chronic ailments like
diabetes, hypertension, cancer
and heart diseases who are on
regular and continued medica-
tion should avoid coming to the
hospital simply for receiving
drugs. PTI
houses across Reasi district
were also directed to close
down commercial operations
after the suspension of yatra till
March 31. Section 144 was also
imposed in different district
headquarters of Kulgam,
Pulwama, Bandipore, Kupwara
in Jammu & Kashmir to restrict
Assembly of more than four
persons at one place. Separate
advisories were also issued by
different deputy commission-
ers urging public to avoid vis-
iting crowded places including
Banks, public parks, and avoid
travelling using public trans-
where it is not possible, they will
be taken care of, according to the
statement.
Rathore said hundreds of
Rajasthan students are stranded in
the Philippines and are unable to
come to India due to the shut-
down of air services. Students
studying there are scared, their
parents are worried and they are
asking for help to come to India,
he said.
The Deputy Leader of the
Opposition in the Rajasthan
Assembly said the Indian Embassy
officials in the Philippines should
contact the stranded students and
provide all possible help to them.
Sikar MP Sumedhanand
Saraswati was also present during
the meeting. PTI
0eXTf^USTbTacTS6PcTfPh^U8]SXPX]cWTfPZT^UR^a^]PeXadb_P]ST\XRX]<d\QPX^]CWdabSPh
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Jaipur: Rajasthan Chief
Minister Ashok Gehlot on
Thursday directed shutdown of
all Government and semi-gov-
ernment departments,
autonomous institutions and
state corporations till March 31
in the wake of the rising cases
of coronavirus.
However, departments
related to essential services will
continue to work, he said.
Gehlot also directed offi-
cials concerned to postpone
examinations in all schools and
colleges till further orders.
He said appropriate
arrangements should be
ensured promptly, taking
lessons from Italy to contain the
coronavirus pandemic. PTI
port buses.
District Magistrate
Srinagar Dr Shahid Iqbal
Choudhary said restrictions
are a preventive measure aimed
at containing spread of the
infection in the district.
The restrictions order
States that public movement
including pedestrian and trans-
port and operation of business
and other kinds of establish-
ments will be restricted across
the district till further notice.
Dr Shahid said the restric-
tions order is an extension of
the order issued earlier under
the disaster management act
2005 adding that all instruc-
tions issued under both orders
must be implemented in letter
and strict. He said violations
would constitute a criminal
offence and attract strict penal
action.
Thir uvananthapur am: temporary difficulty, every-
Kerala Chief Minister one should cooperate con-
Pinarayi Vijayan on Thursday sidering the emergency situ-
sought the support of local ation, he added.
body institutions to check the “The Government will
spread of coronavirus in the make all possible steps to
State, where 24 people ensure adequate supply of
including two foreigners, food and medicines. Local
have so far rested positive for body representatives have a
the virus and over 25,000 are significant role to play in
under surveillance. ensuring normal life to those
In a video conference under surveillance,” Vijayan
meeting held with local body said.
members and officials across Pointing out the respon-
the State, he said an “unusu- sibilities of the civic bodies
al” situation was prevailing in and its members, the Chief
the State and even a minor Minister said they should
lapse would worsen it. initiate special awareness dri-
Though the present ves among migrant and
restrictions imposed to check MNREGA workers who have
the further spread of the suffered job loss due to the
infection would cause some virus outbreak. PTI
?C8
9LUXVVXVSHFWVLQ
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?C8Q 60=378=060A hands,” he said, referring to the
practice in Maharashtra.
he Gujarat Government “On the same lines, we
T said on Thursday that those
undergoing 14-day home quar-
have decided to put coloured
bands on the wrists of sus-
antine for suspected coron- pected patients who are under
avirus infection will have to 14-day home quarantine upon
wear a coloured wrist band. return from abroad,” Patel told
The announcement was the Assembly during a discus-
made by Deputy Chief Minister sion on the coronavirus.
Nitin Patel in the Assembly “People can report to the
here. authorities if they spot anybody
Patel, who handles the with this band on the wrist in
Health portfolio, said this was public,” he added.
necessary to stop such persons All international travelers
from violating home isolation arriving at Ahmedabad and
norms and going out which can Surat airports are being
be harmful for others. screened for the virus infection,
“In some states such per- the deputy CM further
sons are stamped on their said.
Meanwhile, Jammu &
Kashmir Government on
Thursday informed that 356
persons have completed their
28-day surveillance period and,
so far, only four cases have been Jaipur: Rajasthan Governor
tested positive in Jammu & Kalraj Mishra on Thursday
Kashmir. asked people not to be scared
According to the daily of the coronavirus outbreak but
Media Bulletin on Novel take all preventive and pre-
Coronavirus (COVID-19), cautionary measures.
3146 travellers and persons in “Do not be afraid of coro-
contact with suspected cases na. Some caution is needed. Do
have been put under surveil- not go to the crowded places,
lance while as 2337 persons are do not go too close to people,”
under home quarantine. he said in a message to the peo-
Persons who are in hospi- ple of Rajasthan.
tal quarantine stand at 34 and “Those who have a cold
419 persons are under home and fever, (they must) take
surveillance. medicines and be very careful.
Further, the Bulletin said Do not shake hands. Wash
that 156 samples have been sent hands with soap frequently. Use
for testing, of which 144 test- a sanitiser. Put a mask when
ed as negative and only four going out,” he said in his mes-
cases have tested positive. sage. PTI
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Pune: At least 16 shop owners in Maharashtra’s Pimpri
Chinchwad city faced police action on Thursday for defy-
ing the collector’s orders to keep their establishments
closed in view of the COVID-19 outbreak.
The district collector had issued an order under the
Epidemic Act directing all shops, barring those provid-
ing essential services, to remain shut.
“We had informed shop owners in Chikhali area to
keep establishments that do not come under the essen-
tial services category shut,” said senior inspector Satish
Mane of Chikhali police station.
Despite the announcements, at least 16 shops and
establishments, including electronic shops, restaurants
and tea kiosks, remained open on Thursday. “We have
registered a case against 16 shop owners under section
188 of the Indian Penal Code,” he said. Earlier on
Wednesday, the collector had issued an order banning
religious events, cultural ceremonies, festivals, fairs, sport-
ing activities in private or public places where five or more
?C8 people come together. PTI
=4F34;78k5A830H k<0A27!!! ]PcX^]&
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Thane: A special MCOCA
court acquitted 14 persons in a
2012 attempt to murder case in
Maharashtra's Thane city.
In his order on Wednesday,
judge SS Bahalkar held that the
prosecution had failed to prove
all charges against the alleged
accused under relevant sections
of the Indian Penal Code,
Arms Act, Maharashtra Police
Act and Maharashtra Control
of Organised Crime Act.
The 15th accused in the
case died during the penden-
cy of the trial.
According to the prosecu-
tion, on the night of July 13,
2012, victim Rajesh Ghatge
was shot at by the accused at
Thane's Kopri area, where one
of the men also attacked him
;B _PbbTb1X[[U^a
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C=A067D=0C70Q <D<108
PhdaeTSPX]bcXcdcTb M
aharashtra Chief Minister
Uddhav Thackeray on
Thursday laid stress on min-
?=B Q =4F34;78
ok Sabha on Thursday
L passed a Bill which seeks to
accord the status of institution
of national importance to a
Jamnagar-based cluster of
ayur veda institutes. The
Institute of Teaching and
Research in Ayur veda
Jamnagar will be granted insti-
tution of national importance
by conglomerating the cluster
of Ayurveda institutes at
Gujarat Ayurveda University
campus in Jamnagar.
Many MPs while support-
ing the bill demanded that
many Ayurveda institutes in
Kerala and other South Indian
states must also get prefer-
ence. Moving the Institute of
Teaching and Research in
Ayurveda Bill
for passage, the Minister of
State for Ayurveda, Yoga and
Naturopathy, Unani, Siddha
and Homoeopathy (AYUSH)
Shripad Yesso Naik said people
across the globe are now show-
ing greater interest in ayurve-
da which has its origin in
India.
Some amendments moved
by Opposition members were
defeated by voice vote.
The three institutes which
would be clubbed are Institute
of Post Graduate Teaching and
Research in Ayur veda,
Gulabkunwerba Ayurveda
Mahavidyalaya and Institute of
Ayurveda Pharmaceutical
Sciences
0=C8200E8>;4=24
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Muzaffarnagar (UP): An
Special Investigation Team
probing the violence that broke
out during a protest against the
Citizenship Amendment Act
(CAA) here last year filed a
charge sheet against 38 people
in a court on Thursday.
The court of Chief Judicial
Magistrate Ravi Kant Yadav
ordered the accused to appear
before it on March 31.
Of the 38 accused, 17 have
got bail. According to the pros-
ecution, the accused were
arrested for their alleged
involvement in the violence
during an anti-CAA protest
here on December 20 last
year. PTI
Bengaluru: Leader of the
with a chopper.
The victim was severely
injured in the attack and was
rushed to a nearby hospital.
The alleged accused held a
grudge against the victim,
which let to the attack, the
prosecution stated.
The defence pointed out
the loopholes in the prosecu-
tion's argument and the judge
accepted their contention, fol-
lowing which they were
acquitted. PTI
DSSWPebcaTbbTb^]aTSdRX]VRa^fST]U^aRX]Vf^aZUa^\W^\T
imising crowds in Government
and private offices, on board
trains public transport buses
and at places of worship and
strict enforcement of “work
from home” policy, and vowed
to win “war against virus”, as
the confirmed Coronavirus
cases climbed to 49 in the
State.
On a day when the Chief
Minister addressed the people
in the state live through social
media and appealed to them
not to panic and hoard essen-
tial commodities and drugs, the
state authorities announced
that they would screen people
for Covid-19 at railway stations,
Mumbai-Pune Express
Highway and old Mumbai-
Pune highway.
Maharashtra Health
Minister Rajesh Tope said that
if the people did not comply
with the Government advi-
sories and appeals to reduce
crowds at public places, the
state government would have
no alternative but enforce a
total lockdown in the
State.
With four more persons
testing positive for Coronavirus
in different parts of the state on
Thursday, the total number of
A`]ZTVSfde9Z_UfRTeZgZde¶dWR\V
a]R_e`XRZ_a`]ZeZTR]^Z]VRXV
:D<0A274;;0??0= Q
274==08
ifty-year-old Nandagopal,
F a businessman who is also
the district level office bearer of
Hindu Makkal Katchi, had
everything, he aspired for. A
successful businessman, Nandu
as he was known, drove around
in a swanky limousine and
owned a beautiful house in
Tirupur. He was a familiar
face in all public meetings held
across Tirupur thanks to the
24X7 news channels.
But Nandu aspired for
more. When he saw armed
commandoes from Tamil Nadu
Police guarding senior office
bearers like Arjun Sampath, the
HMK president, he too felt the
need of cops to surround him
when he made his public
appearances. It is a status sym-
bol worth displaying, Nandu
and his associates felt.
Though he tried to get the
services of armed cops for his
personal security, the District
administration and the
0RR^aSX]Vc^19?b^daRTbcWT
Opposition in Karnataka
Assembly Siddaramaiah on
Thursday sought to taunt Chief
Minister BS Yediyurappa by
raising questions about his
Government's longevity and
said there was no guarantee
about the ruling BJP continu-
ing in power for remaining
three years.
The former Chief Minister
cited “political developments”
in the BJP for his doubts.
While speaking about
increase in loans availed by the
Government and consequences
that may arise in the future,
Siddaramaiah said “assuming
for argument sake that you
(BJP) will continue (in power)
for three years...”
Immediately responding
to this, Yediyurappa said “we
will be here (continue in
power)..”
Siddaramaiah then said “if
you are continuing... happy
2>A>=0E8ADB>DC1A40:
confirmed Covid-19 rose to 49.
Pune and the neighbouring
Pimpri-Chinchwad have
accounted for a maximum of
19 cases, the break-up of pos-
itive coronavirus cases else-
where in the State is: Mumbai-
11, Nagpur-4, Yavatmal-3, Navi
Mumbai-3, Kalyan-3, Panvel-1,
Thane-1, Ahmednagar-2,
Aurangabad-1 and Ratnagiri-1.
In his social media address
to the people across the state,
Uddhav said: “What we are wit-
nessing a world war against
virus. With the full support of
the people across the state, our
government has been able to
control the pandemic. We will
make all-out efforts to win the
war that we are waging in the
state.”
The Chief Minister said
that he had earlier in the day
spoken to Prime Minister
Narendra Modi and Union
Health Minister Harsh
Vardhan, who had promised
him that the Centre would
extend its support to
Maharashtra. “I appeal to peo-
ple not to panic and hoard
essential commodities and
drugs,” he said.
A day after his
Government decided to restrict
the attendance of employees in
government offices to 50 per
Government of Tamil Nadu
were of the view that
Nandagopal does not qualify to
be guarded by commandoes.
That’s when it happened. Last
week, while he was on his way
back from a party function, a
group of people waylaid him
and assaulted him which left
Nandu ‘injured seriously’.
The Tiruppur Police prob-
ing the case were tense as
instances of skirmishes between
Islamists and activists of Sangh
Parivar were on the high in the
district following the recent
murder of a Hindu activist. But
the cops smelled a rat in the
complaint filed by Nandagopal
as they always ‘mistrust the
obvious’ in all cases. The inves-
tigation by the police and ques-
tioning of Rudramoorthy, dri-
ver of Nandu at the time of
attack, spilled the beans.
According to
Superintendent of Police Disha
Mittal, the attack was planned
and conceived by Nandagopal
and associates to gain political
mileage and some cheap pub-
What happened here
fX]^U SXb`dP[XUXTS2^]VaTbb (Congress), is happening there
93B[TVXb[Pc^ab^]19?cXRZTc
P]ScT]^UcWT\QTX]VX]SdRcTS
Pb<X]XbcTabWPbVXeT]\dRW
]TTSTSbcPQX[Xchc^cWT6^ec
Mr Yediyurappa, what trouble
will I have, but we don't have
guarantee that you will con-
tinue or not, because lot of
things are happening within
your party, we will not get
involved into those things or do
anything.”
Participating in the dis-
cussion on the Budget, he said
“there are lot of political devel-
opments that are happening.”
As someone from BJP said,
there were political develop-
ments within the Congress
also, Siddaramaiah said: “that
means similar developments
are happening among you
(BJP) right? see it is admitted
by themselves (BJP MLAs)
now.
cent and asked the Railways
and other public transport
operators to limit the services
to half the normal capacity, the
Chief Minister once laid
emphasis on minimising
crowds at public places. “After
our appeal to the people, the
crowds at the places of worship
have come down drastically.
Though we have taken decision
to reduce attendance at gov-
ernment and private offices, I
still appeal to the people not to
venture out of their home if
there was no need. Wherever
possible, work at home policy
rigorously”.
“Though we are taken
remedial measures in a satis-
factory manner, we will have to
take a lot of precautions since
the virus is spreading fast,” the
chief minister said.
Uddhav appealed once
again to the people with symp-
toms of Covid-19 to take all
precautions. “ The patients
who have been stamped and
quarantined at home not to
step out of their homes,” he
said.
Heaping praise on the doc-
tors, medical staff and volun-
tary organisations engaged in
fighting in what he called as
“War Against Virus”, Uddhav
said: “Our doctors, nurses, bus
licity. The driver confessed to
the special teams probing the
case that Nandagopal thought
that the assault story would help
him to get the ultimate status
symbol, the armed police
guards! But Rudramoorthy was
not trained in answering the
questions put to him by the
police.
A case has been registered
against Nandagopal for trying
to disrupt public order and to
create enmity between various
religions. The HMK had called
for a hartal to protest the
attacks on its office bearers and
activists by political rivals. But
following the investigation by
the police, the bandh call
evoked no response.
On his part, Arjun
Sampath, president, HMK, has
ordered a probe by a team of
independent professionals
including a retired police
superintendent into the affair.
“If it is found that Nandagopal
was staging a drama, he would
be expelled from the organisa-
tion,” said Sampath.
also.”
Several times in the past
too Siddaramaiah has raised
questions about the longevity of
Yediyuraapa-led Government
that came to power after the
collapse of the Congress-JD(S)
coalition Government headed
by HD Kumaraswamy last year,
due to “internal disgruntle-
ment.”
According to BJP sources,
the win of 11 disqualified
Congress-JD(S) legislators on
BJP ticket and ten of them
being inducted as Ministers has
given much need stability to the
Government.
But “disgruntlement”
among some party seniors and
loyals who failed to get Cabinet
berth and their displeasure
over Yediyurappa's style of
functioning, has posed fresh
challenge to the Government,
sources said. PTI
drivers and voluntary organi-
sations are our soldiers. They
are working day and night to
help us out. Can’t we extend
our co-operation to them by
confining ourselves to our
homes?”
Calling for fighting the
pandemic in a united manner,
the chief minister said: “The
medical disaster that we are
combating is independent of
religion and caste that we rep-
resent. We have to fight the
pandemic as one entity. We
should not indulge in any
mindless acts at this juncture.
Immediately after the outbreak
of Coronavirus in China, the
government there took sever-
al stringent measures to com-
bat the pandemic. No wonder
that China has by and large
tided over the medical crisis.
We also have to tide over this
crisis. I request the people to
co-operate with the
Government in our efforts to
fight Covid-19. We shall also
overcome this crisis”.
In a related development,
the Chief Minister’s office
tweeted: “CM Uddhav
Balasaheb Thackeray has spo-
ken to Hon’ble FM Smt
@nsitharaman to consider the
postponement for the follow-
ing: 1. 31/3/2020 last date to file
belated return for financial
year 18-19 2. 31/3/2020 last
date to file revised return for
0STbTacTSeXTf^UWXbc^aXRP[0\Ta5^acPUcTaXcfPbR[^bTSU^aeXbXc^abX]fPZT^UcWTSTPS[h]^eT[R^a^]PeXadbX]9PX_da^]
CWdabSPh
financial year 18-19”.
“3. 31/3/2020 last date to
pay advance tax to save 234B
interest 4. 30/4/2020 last date
to pay TDS of March 2020 5.
22/3/2020 last date to file GSTR
3B (GST return for February
2020) and to waive off all the
interests, fees, penalties on late
compliance of the above dead-
lines,” the chief minister said in
another tweet.
Meanwhile, State Health
Minister Rajesh Tope said that
to prevent a rapid spread of the
coronavirus, the Maharashtra
Government was contemplat-
ing enforcing total lockdown in
Mumbai.
“To ensure against rapid
spread of Covid -19, we are
considering a total lockdown in
Mumbai. Currently, there is
partial lockdown in Mumbai. If
we choose to go in for a total
lockdown, we should have an
alternative system in place. If
Mumbaikars do not comply
with the advisories we have
issued to them for reducing
crowds, we will have no alter-
native but to enforce a total
lockdown in Mumbai,” Tope
said, while participating in an
interactive programme organ-
ised by a leading Marathi tele-
vision channel.
Meanwhile, Mumbai’s
famed dabbawalas have sus-
pended their tiffin box services
till March 31.
3XVeXYPhPRRdbTb:´cPZP2<^U
TgTacX]V_aTbbdaT^]_^[XRT]^cc^
P[[^fWX\c^\TTcaTQT[<?<;0b
Bengaluru: Congress leader
Digvijay Singh on Thursday
accused Karnataka Chief
Minister BS Yediyurappa of
putting pressure on the State
police to not allow him to meet
rebel party MLAs from
Madhya Pradesh staying here.
Singh said he was confi-
dent of taking back most of the
legislators if he gets an oppor-
tunity to personally talk to
them. Accusing the BJP and
Union Home Minister Amit
Shah of “scripting and execut-
ing” the ongoing political cri-
sis in the central Indian state,
he appealed to the rebel legis-
lators not to take any step that
will favour the JP Nadda-led
party.
“I have full sympathy with
the DGP Karnataka as he is
under tremendous pressure,
and my allegation is that the
pressure is from the Chief
Minister of Karnataka
Yediyurappa.
I charge Yediyurappa that
he has pressurised the DGP, not
to allow me to meet my
Congress legislators,” Singh
said.
?C8
Speaking to reporters here,
he alleged police were not
allowing him to meet, talk or
send letters to MLAs, who are
his voters in the Rajya Sabha
polls,scheduled for March 26.
Terming the developments
as “power game” that the BJP
has scripted in the country,
Singh said it was “conceived
authored and executed” by the
party under Amit Shah.
“You people call it as oper-
ation lotus, it is nothing but
operation money bag. There are
huge sums of money, it hap-
pened in Karnataka in the past.
I don't know how many of
the 22 MLAs have taken the
money, so I'm not levelling
charge against them, but I have
the phone recording of ex-BJP
CM Shivraj Singh Chouhan
and ex-Minister Narottam
Mishra offering money to
Congress MLAs,” he said.
High drama had unfolded
on Wednesday morning near
the resort where rebel MLAs
are staying as Singh staged a
protest accusing the police of
not allowing him to meet the
legislators. PTI
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PD\EHGHDOLQJZLWKDK\GUDKHDGHGPRQVWHUDQGWKHUHPD\FRPHDWLPHZKHQVRXUF “Constitutional values” into the dustbin. Governors, continue to exploit moniously, independently and The anti-defection law should be
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LQJLWVNLOOSRLQWZRXOGEHFRPHDPDVVLYHFKDOOHQJH7KH\PDLQWDLQWKDWVRPHRYHU est. The rule book of our Constitution is, As of now, the anti-defec- upholding the larger public should be amended and made
UHDFWLRQLVJRRGLQWHUPVRIHQVXULQJSUHYHQWLQJSURWRFROVDQGWKDWDORQJZLWKLPSURYHG perhaps, the worst victim amid the tion vests more powers with the interest. The ruling Government straight. The cardinal principle
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the BJP and the Congress continued. are a developing arena. clear that the anti-defection law Assembly, that, too, within a spe-
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,QGLDKDVVHYHUDOWHPSODWHVWRDGDSWIURPLWKDVWRDGRSWDUHDVRQDEOHDQGH[HFXWDEOH Pradesh have exposed the erring knots
of our polity. The Kamal Nath
be impartial. But there have been
many examples where it has
C74 review the functioning of our
Constitutional objectives. As a
is a threat to political stability.
Regional parties must lose their
SODQ%XWLWKDVWREHE\RUGHUWRLPSUHVVXSRQWKHFLWL]HQU\WKHVHULRXVQHVVRIFRP Government is now facing a survival cri- been seen that presiding officers 0=C834542C8>= first step, the Constitution must recognition for violating certain
SOLDQFHDQGWKHLPSRUWDQFHRIDGULOO:KLFKLVZK\WKH30·VFDOODJDLQVWKRDUGLQJ sis as some of its MLAs, those belonging have not acted as impartial
;0FB7>D;314 be amended. The scope to define identified norms of governance.
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leadership. The Congress has accused the
BJP of trying to bribe its MLAs to switch
VXUHRISXEOLFVSDFHVPDOOVDQGLQVWLWXWLRQVDQGVRFLDOGLVWDQFLQJSURWRFROVE\PRVW sides. Our courts, the Supreme Court as
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well as various High Courts, and some-
times even the Speaker and Governors
1RLGDRQHRIWKHWHFKLHKRWVSRWVLVXQGHU6HFWLRQWLOO0DUFK3XQHLVLQLWL gleefully enjoy watching political parties
DWLQJDURWDWLRQDOSURWRFRORIYDULHGRIILFHWLPHVWRDYRLGFRQJHVWLRQDQGOLPLWLQJRIILFH squabbling with each other. If such inci-
dents become routine, the apex court will
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have to spend a chunk of its time in set-
tling such mundane matters. It may get
3HUKDSVWKHVHPLFURGRWVRIORFNGRZQVZRXOGZRUNZHOOLQERWKFRQILQLQJDQG distracted from performing its funda-
FKRNLQJWKHYLUXVUDWKHUWKDQDQDWLRQDOORFNGRZQ7KHODWWHULVDGRXEOHHGJHGVZRUG mental duty to dispense justice to the peo-
ple.
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LW\RIWKHGLVHDVHDVDWDPHDEOHFULVLVUDWKHUWKDQD'RRPVGD\QLJKWPDUH,WFRXOG islators switch loyalties? Even after three
decades and more, politicians have time
OHDGWRDSDQLFHFRQRP\<HWZLWKRXWDQDWLRQDOGLUHFWLYHWKHUH·VQRVHQVHRIFULVLV and again violated the spirit of the 1985
EXWDPLVSODFHGEUDYDGR7KH30·VQDWLRQDODGGUHVVZDVWKHUHIRUHPXFKQHHGHG anti-defection law. This law, referring to
$YLUXVKLWHFRQRP\LVDOUHDG\IO\LQJRIIWKHUDLOVWKHZRUVWKLWEHLQJWKHXQRUJDQ the Aaya Ram, Gaya Ram culture, was
LVHGVHFWRUDQGGDLO\ZDJHHDUQHUVZKRPD\KDYHWRGLVSURSRUWLRQDWHO\EHDUORVV introduced as a bold move to deter the
defection of lawmakers, who are lured by
HV7KHFDVFDGLQJLPSDFWLVEH\RQGJXHVVDEOH,QGLDLVFDXJKWEHWZHHQWKHGHYLO the promise of office, cash or other con-
DQGWKHGHHSVHD³DYLUXVRQRQHVLGHDQGH[WUHPHSRYHUW\RQWKHRWKHU siderations. Since then, the law has been
amended several times to suit the poli-
role but here, too, s/he has been
found to be sympathetic to the
ruling party.
It’s quite clear that the Kamal
Nath Government in Madhya
Pradesh has been reduced to a
minority after 22 of its MLAs
resigned from the Assembly. It’s
true that horse-trading has
become an intricate part of pol-
itics because of a downward slide
in ethics. The hallmark of Indian
democracy is such that it calls
the party/leader, who secures a
majority, to form the
Government. But once the sup-
port diminishes, the best course
for the falling Government is to
tender resignation in a dignified
manner and allow the democra-
tic process to take over. But this
rarely happens as our politicians
are hell-bent on the democracy
turning into a mobocracy.
?A4B4=C5>A< Misuse of Government funds
must be strictly prohibited and
>AB7>D;314 included as an offence. Second,
0<4=343C74 no one should be allowed to
make his/her own interpreta-
20A38=0; tions on Constitutional provi-
?A8=28?;4>5
sions and rules. Bureaucrats are
past masters in this and, thus,
<09>A8CH misguide the politicians in
power. This is why we need to
BD??>ACB7>D;3 take a re-look at the anti-defec-
14C74>=;H tion law.
There have been many com-
2A8C4A8>=C> missions and panels, including
34C4A<8=4 the Dinesh
Committee on Electoral
Goswami
BD??>AC Reforms and the Constitution
Review Commission, which
have stressed the need to do
away with the Tenth Schedule
provision regarding exemption
from disqualification in case of
a split. Some have even recom-
mended that the President and
retirement jobs to the bureaucra-
cy. There’s also the need to
enlarge the kitty of choosing
experts beyond a coterie as
there are several qualified peo-
ple available in all fields.
The Modi Government, too,
is faltering in bringing swift
reforms. It is following the pol-
icy of nepotism and crony cap-
italism, which led to the previ-
ous UPA Government facing
embarrassment from their
appointees quite often.
Networking around the powers
that be and hitting a connection
in the Delhi coterie are the only
criteria today. The fact remains
that unless our national charac-
ter improves, no reforms will
help. However, eternal hope is
the cause of sustaining the
Indian civilisation as we have the
wherewithal to overcome such

>VeR]SZcUW]f
tics of the day, yet horse-trading remains Democracy can survive the Governor should decide on hiccups in nation-building.
the norm. Our leaders as also other office only when the executive, legis- disqualification in coordination (The writer is a retired civil
bearers, like the Speaker and the lature and judiciary work har- with the Election Commission. servant)

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WLPHIRUJOREDODYLDWLRQDQGHYHQLWV,QGLDQHTXLYDOHQW:KHUHZHZLOOKHDGIURPKHUH Yashasvi Singh
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values. In 2007, the sale of pan-
cPZT]QhcWT6^eTa]\T]cX]R[dSX]VcWTbdb_T] golin products outside certified
bX^]^UeXbPbP]SX\_^bX]VcaPeT[aTbcaXRcX^]bU^a hospitals and clinics was out-
U^aTXV]c^daXbcbc^R^]ca^[cWTb_aTPS^U2^a^]PeXadb lawed but none of these helped.
cWTUPRcaT\PX]bcWPccWTT]cXaTbTRc^aXbaTT[X]VUa^\ As of January 2019, nine tonnes
cWTX\_PRcb^UcWTb_aTPS^UcWXb_P]ST\XRFXcWcaPe of pangolins were seized in a sin-
T[[XZT[hc^b[d\_QhP`dPacTacWXbhTPacWTT_XST\XR gle shipment in Hong Kong.
WPb P[aTPSh _dc \X[[X^]b ^U Y^Qb Pc aXbZ CWT 8]SXP] The next 33 tonnes of pangolin
0bb^RXPcX^]^UC^da>_TaPc^ab80C>P]P_Tgc^daXb\ meat were seized in Malaysia and
X]Sdbcah Pbb^RXPcX^] WPb TbcX\PcTS cWPc cWT [^bbTb Singapore in April 2019.
P\^d]cc^C $Ra^aTX]U^aTXV]TgRWP]VTP]S\P]h It is a matter of grave concern
Y^Q[^bbTbQTRPdbT^UPb[d\_X]c^daXbcPaaXeP[bX]<PaRW that China has wildlife trading
P]S0_aX[FXcWSTR[X]X]VaTeT]dTbP[\^bcP[[c^daXb\ bans on the books for three
QdbX]TbbTbPaTad]]X]V^dc^Uf^aZX]VRP_XcP[8c³bWXVW bTaeXRTbcX[[cWTcX\TaTR^eTahWP__T]b5dacWTaUd]Sb decades now but even these have
cX\T cWPc cWT 6^eTa]\T]c X]cTaeT]Tb c^ \XcXVPcT cWT Ua^\cWT<6=A460bRWT\T\dbcQT_a^eXSTSc^bd_ not prevented pangolins from
UX]P]RXP[X\_PRc^UcWTT_XST\XRCWTbTPaTcX\TbfWT] _^accWTbP[PaXTb^UT\_[^hTTbX]cWTX]Sdbcah0\^aP becoming the most trafficked
fTPaTUPRTSfXcWP]d]_aTRTST]cTST\TaVT]RhP]ScWT c^aXd\U^abXgc^]X]T\^]cWb\dbcQTVXeT]^]P[[_aX] mammal in the world. Besides, the
6^eTa]\T]c \dbc f^aZ ^dc P aT[XTU _[P] ^] cPgTb RX_P[P]SX]cTaTbc_Ph\T]cb^][^P]bP]S^eTaSaPUcb regulatory framework in China
RWPaVTbP]Sb[^cP[[^RPcX^] 5TTbU^aP]hd_R^\X]V[XRT]RTb_Ta\XcaT]TfP[\dbc does not specify what wildlife
0\^]VPb[Tf^U\TPbdaTbcWT6^eTa]\T]c\dbc QTS^]TPfPhfXcW4gRXbT\dbcQTTgT\_cTSU^a[X`d^a entails. Further, enforcement has
TgT\_c 6^^Sb P]S BTaeXRT CPg 6BC ^] U^aTXV] P]SX]cTaTbc\dbcQTaTSdRTS^abdQeTacTS^]cTa\[^P]b been lax and there are exceptions
TgRWP]VTQX[[X]VQhc^da^_TaPc^abU^aX]Q^d]Sc^dab P]Sf^aZX]VRP_XcP[[^P]b anyway for licensed retailers for the
5dacWTa6BCQT]TUXcb\dbcQTTgcT]STSc^cWTc^daXb\ 5TSTaPcX^]^U0bb^RXPcX^]bX]8]SXP]C^daXb\ sale of pangolins. The latest ban,
<X]XbcahPc_PafXcWcWT8C<X]Xbcahd]STacWTTg_^ac^U 7^b_XcP[Xch too, has loopholes, which will
allow the trade of wildlife for med-
icines or research to flourish. In a
the South China Agricultural had found a Coronavirus in review of this epidemic, there has
@Q^W_\Y^]icdUbi University in Guangzhou have smuggled pangolins, which was to be a holistic view of all factors.
suggested pangolins (long-snout- a 99 per cent genetic match to the Tushar Anand
Sir — Even as scientists are rac- ed, scaly, ant-eating mammals) as virus circulating in the people. Patna
ing to identify the source of the the animal source for the spread In 2000, China had issued
Coronavirus that is causing havoc of COVID-19. detailed regulations for more BT]Shh^daUUTTSQPRZcc^)
around the world, researchers at The researchers said they than 1,700 protected species, [TccTabc^_X^]TTa/V\PX[R^\
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bank in January, scientists in several
biotechnology laboratories around the globe saw
its close similarity to the SARS (Severe Acute
Respiratory Syndrome) virus and thereby sev-
eral teams started work on vaccine development.
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the world will “need the vaccines” to contain the
6$$5&QDWLRQVWRMRLQWO\KDQGOHWKHSUREOHPLQYLHZRISRURXVODQG current pandemic as it is very possible that this
ERUGHUVOLNH(XURSHLVDFRPPHQGDEOHVWHSLQWKHULJKWGLUHFWLRQ%XW outbreak will not just fizzle out (considering its
PRUHLVQHHGHG,IWKHRXWEUHDNJRHVRXWRIFRQWUROZHFRXOGVHHDQ epidemiology and pattern) like the outbreaks of
the last few decades but could return. In fact, it
DFXWH VKRUWDJH RI EHGV LQ ,QWHQVLYH &DUH 8QLWV ,&8V DQG +LJK could come back with a vengeance (with muta-
'HSHQGHQF\8QLWV+'8V tions and antigenic shifts and drifts).
2QHRSWLRQFRXOGEHWKH*RYHUQPHQWWHPSRUDULO\EULQJLQJDOO,&8 Large pharmaceutical companies such as 78BC>A820;;HC74
EHGVXQGHUIHGHUDOFRQWURORUDWOHDVWPRQLWRULQJWKHLUSUHSDUHGQHVV Merck, Johnson & Johnson and Sanofi, as well ?A><8B4>5
IHGHUDOO\6WDWH*RYHUQPHQWVKDYHQRWEHHQSURDFWLYHRQORFNGRZQV as comparatively lesser-known biotechnology 1A40:C7A>D67
:HVWLOOKDYHDOORZDQFHIRUJDWKHULQJVLQPDQ\6WDWHVZKHWKHUIRUPDU firms like Gilead, Regeneron, Inovio and <43828=4B0=3
ULDJHFHUHPRQLHVRULQVRPHSODFHVHYHQRWKHUZLVH$OOJDWKHULQJV Moderna, are pursuing vaccines and chemicals CA40C<4=CB
RIPRUHWKDQILYHSHRSOHVKRXOGEHEDQQHGXQOHVVDOORIWKHPOLYHWRJHWK to fight the Coronavirus and the estimate is that 0??40ABC>A4BC
HULQWKHVDPHKRXVHKROG6WLOODOOWKH6WDWHVKDYHQRWFORVHGFLQHPDV at least 40 other biotechnology companies, small
and big, are on one or the other research and F8C7?A8E0C4
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development (R&D) mission for a vaccine or a
IDVW5HVWDXUDQWVQHHGWRIROORZWKH(XURSHDQOHDGRIHQVXULQJPLQL drug to save the world at this time of a crisis. =>CC74
PXPRQHPHWUHGLVWDQFHSUHIHUDEO\WKUHHPHWUHVEHWZHHQFXVWRPHUV During the SARS pandemic, a research team at 5434A0;;H
HOVHWKH\VKRXOGEHFORVHGWHPSRUDULO\ Boston was able to secure investments and there- B?>=B>A43
:RUN IURP KRPH LV VWLOO VSRUDGLFDOO\ LPSOHPHQWHG DQG QHHGV by work progressed to clinical trials. The team, <0=D502CDA8=6
DGGUHVVLQJ7KH*RYHUQPHQWDOVRQHHGVWRULQJIHQFHDQHPHUJHQF\ in all likelihood, could have accomplished all the B8C4B3AD6 ogy and is made to a very high stan- summer. This laboratory has earlier used a sim-
EXGJHWOLNHWKH8.DQGWKH86WRKDQGOHWKHFULVHV%RWKHPSOR\HHV phase trials for vaccine development. And had 2><?0=84B0A4 dard. The company claims it can’t cause For any vaccine to be deployed ilar approach to make over a million
DQGHPSOR\HUVQHHGWREHVXSSRUWHGZLWKDGGLWLRQDODQGHPHUJHQF\ that been done during the 2002-2003 epidem- >5C4=B44=C>14 the disease as genetic code copied from after development takes at least a year doses of a vaccine for the Ebola virus
SURYLVLRQVRIVLFNSD\VRWKH\FDQVHOILVRODWHTXLFNO\3XEOLFLQIRU ic, we could have potentially been equipped with A4;D2C0=CC> the virus that causes the disease is used because of the time needed to run clin- that has yet to be licenced. The work
PDWLRQVKRXOGEHPRUHZLGHO\GLVVHPLQDWHG+DQGZDVKLQJDQGFRU a vaccine to use in China in the initial days of and not a “real virus” extract. It is ical trials and attain regulatory permis- done against Coronavirus is in the stage
UHFWDOFRKROJHODSSOLFDWLRQQHHGVWREHWDXJKWWRHYHU\KRXVHKROGDQG the outbreak. This could have saved the world 34E4;>?E0228=4B named Mrna-1,273 Vaccine and is very sions. Hence in all probability there of testing multiple versions of the vac-
from the current pandemic and its resultant fall- 1420DB4<>A4 unlike the usual vaccines in use that are may be an approved therapeutic drug cine on mice, ferrets and Rhesus mon-
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outs. prepared from weakened (live) or (to treat COVID-19) long before sci- keys exposed to the Coronavirus with-
HUEHLPSRVHGRQDQ\PHGLDVRFLDOPHGLDSRUWDOVSUHDGLQJPLVLQIRU "This is the problem with the whole vaccine BD274?834<82B killed viruses. entists actually arrive at a licenced, in a research facility.
PDWLRQ7KHSXEOLFVKRXOGEHHGXFDWHGQRWWRUHVRUWWRSDQLFUHDF infrastructure, it is reactive and not enough 38BB8?0C4;>=6 Scientists working at Moderna say marketable vaccine. Historically, the promise of break-
WLRQVRIKRDUGLQJIRRGDQGRWKHUFRPPRGLWLHV7KLVZLOOEHFRXQWHU anticipatory. Oh, SARS is gone now, let’s forget 145>A40E0228=4 the vaccine has been made using a tried Several drug makers, most promi- through medicines and treatments
SURGXFWLYHDQGOHDGWRPRUHFKDRV$OOQRQHVVHQWLDOVHUYLFHVOLNH the fight we were on and just move on to other 20=?0BB and tested process. And at the same nently Gilead Sciences (California) — appears to rest with private companies,
2XWSDWLHQW'HSDUWPHQWVHOHFWLYHVXUJHULHVDQGVRRQVKRXOGEHVXV projects”, says one of the prominent scientists C7A>D67C74 time experts reiterate that it will take an anti-HIV drug company and and not the federally-sponsored man-
SHQGHGLQDOOKRVSLWDOVDFURVVWKHFRXQWU\IRUWZRPRQWKV7KLVVKRXOG from the biotechnology industry. A46D;0C>AH;8=4B many months to know if this vaccine Toyama Chemical (Japan) are testing ufacturing sites. Drug companies are
EHGRQHERWKWRDYRLGDQ\XQQHFHVVDU\SXEOLFJDWKHULQJDQGWUDYHO The last decades have seen myriad vaccine 0=3140??A>E43 has served the intended purpose or not. medicines developed for other diseases often seen to be reluctant to develop
DQGWRIUHHXSUHVRXUFHVWRWDFNOHWKHZRUVW$OOHGXFDWLRQDOLQVWLWX R&D work in progress trailing off after outbreaks The main goal of this first set of tests as a possible Coronavirus treatment. vaccines because more often than not
WLRQVVKRXOGEHFORVHGIRUDWOHDVWWZRPRQWKV7KHPRVWYXOQHUDEOH of infectious diseases which were Coronavirus 0=3C7458=0=280; is to find out if the vaccine is safe. If it The most promising, broad spectrum such epidemics dissipate long before a
cousins, like the SARS and the Middle East 8<?;820C8>=B>5 is, later studies will determine how well anti-viral drug that has come up is vaccine can pass through the regula-
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Respiratory Syndrome (MERS), fizzled out. it works. Such rapid development of a Remdesivir, the same drug that was tory lines and be approved. And the
LPPXQRGHILFLHQF\³VKRXOGKDYHSURWRFROVLQSODFHDQGSUHIHUDEO\ Whenever a “mysterious” new illness emerges 0A4C>>7867>= potential vaccine is unprecedented, and tried in controlling the Ebola virus out- financial implications of such R&D
VKRXOGEHLVRODWHGIRUWZRPRQWKV$WUDYHODGYLVRU\VKRXOGEHLVVXHG and public alarm is at its peak, there’s a race to C742><?0=84BC> it was possible because researchers were break with poor results. work are too high on the companies to
WRDYRLGDOOEXWWKHPRVWHVVHQWLDOWUDYHOZKLFKVKRXOGEHFOHDUO\GHILQHG develop a way to prevent or treat the disease. But 70=3;4>=24C74 able to use what they already knew Gilead and health authorities in handle, once the disease and the cus-
6RFLDOVHFXULW\PHDVXUHVVKRXOGEHVWHSSHGXS+RDUGLQJRIDQ\HVVHQ by the time a promising candidate is ready, it’s 38B40B40=3C74 about related Coronaviruses that had China are racing to test it on people in tomers dissipate quite suddenly.
WLDOPDWHULDODQGGLVLQIHFWDQWVVKRXOGEHDFWHGDJDLQVWLPPHGLDWHO\WR often too late and the outbreak is on the wane. 2DBC><4AB caused SARS and MERS. controlled trials. This US-based Charitable donations are being
HQVXUHIUHHDYDLODELOLW\RIGLVLQIHFWLQJPDWHULDOWRWKHSXEOLFDWUHDVRQ The world has seen this happen with the out- 38BB8?0C4@D8C4 Besides this advancement, there are biotechnology company had already used to support prominent pharma
DEOHUDWHVDQGRQVXEVLGLVHGUDWHVRUIUHHIRUSRRUKRXVHKROGV$IHG breaks of Zika, Ebola, SARS, MERS interspersed BD334=;H others on the job for the benefit of shipped this drug to China to be used groups and promising projects and the
HUDOGLVDVWHUPDQDJHPHQWGHSDUWPHQWZLWKGDLO\SXEOLFXSGDWHVIURP between epidemics of H5N1 and H7N9 avian, humanity. In a suburb south of Boston, on the patients even without FDA leading player in this is the Coalition
WKH3ULPH0LQLVWHUVKRXOGEHVHWXS7KLVLVWKHWLPHIRUDGDLO\´-DQQ swine and H1N1 influenza. robots are manufacturing a potential approval on requests from treating for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations
NLEDDWµQRWMXVWDRQHRIIDGGUHVVWRWKHQDWLRQ The reasons for such incomplete work are vaccine. Another candidate vaccine — physicians. (CEPI). This is supporting Inovio and
varied — the potential patient pool for clinical development work for which started Another drug Kaletra — a combi- Moderna groups for vaccine develop-
7KHUHLVDVD\LQJLQWUDXPDFDUH´7KHWUHDWPHQWRIEOHHGLQJLV trials dries up once an infectious outbreak sub- when SARS terrified the world in early nation of two anti-HIV drugs from ment and its co-founders are the
WRVWRSWKHEOHHGLQJµ7KHVDPHJRHVZLWK&29,'´7KHWUHDWPHQW sides and the pool of medical customers for a 2000s — sits in deep freeze in a repos- pharma group AbbVie is in trials. The Governments of Norway and India, the
RI&RURQDYLUXVLVWRVWRSLWIURPVSUHDGLQJµ:HDUHLQWKHVRFDOOHG drug also disappears as an epidemic disappears itory ready to be thawed and formu- anti-malarial drug Chloroquine is Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation and
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7KHZLQGRZLVQRWPRUHWKDQGD\V7KHUH·VQRQHHGWRSDQLFRQO\ recover an investment of what could be hundreds testing. Yet another is being put togeth- activity against the Coronavirus, For future disaster preparedness
WRDFWTXLFNO\ORJLFDOO\DQGUHVSRQVLEO\7KLVLVDZDUZKLFKSHRSOH of millions of dollars. Currently, various R&D er at facilities in San Diego and though this needs some definitive against infectious disease outbreaks we
DQG*RYHUQPHQWVQHHGWRILJKWWRJHWKHU2IFRXUVHWKHUHZLOOEHVRPH works have been going on in parallel. The one Houston, with projections that it could clinical trials to mark its efficacy. need funds from Governments and
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WLRQLVWKHNH\WRFRPEDWWKLV+RZHYHUWKH*RYHUQPHQWFDQQRWOHDYH Research Institute in Seattle, where four patients the Inovio, is using a new type of DNA to accelerate another vaccine. This lab- their basic research but for the late stage
received jabs — the first being a 43-year-old technology to develop a potential vac- oratory is using a common cold virus developments as well.
LWIRUWKHPDVVHVWRILJKWLWRXWHLWKHU$MRLQHGXSWKLQNLQJLVUHTXLUHG mother of two. This vaccine developed at cine. It is named INO-4,800 and is to deliver a Coronavirus antigen into (The writer is a doctor by profes-
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any of you would have seen
M a cartoon doing the rounds
of social media which shows
a man sitting on a couch with a lap-
top and an accompanying caption
which reads, “Oh that meeting was
just an email!” Some of you reading
this now might have gotten used to
music streaming in from your neigh-
bour’s house, as you sip on your
favourite beverage while on a video
call with 30 of your colleagues in
casuals. The new workplace is here
and chances are it will change the
way humans will ever work, that is
if they stay long enough, to reboot
planet Earth. The global pandemic
has ensured a new world of cars
parked in garages, cleaner city air,
occasional wildlife appearances in
deserted streets and fishes and dol-
phins being spotted in rivers and
oceans closer to cities. Many point
out that large technology companies
and global corporations, which
already have flexible work options,
superior cybersecurity fixes and
streamlined work from home poli-
cies, will be the first ones to deliver
large chunks of jobs home. The ques-
tion is what happens to smaller
firms and micro-firms that do not
have access to these high-end solu-
tions and seek maximum efficiency
from (in many cases) shoestring bud-
gets and minuscule employee
strength. These firms will find it dif-
ficult to manage productivity. There
are many more likely outcomes
which will need fresh thinking, par-
ticularly in the areas of urban space
planning, power management,
human resource management and
many integrated policy issues.
When companies realise that
they can perform optimally with
remote workers, they are most like-
ly to vacate plush commercial spaces.
Real estate valuations for most of
these spaces will undergo a huge
downgrade as anchor corporations
exit. This will impact financial firms,
banks and developers with exposure
to office properties. Long-term leas-
es are also most likely to come
under stress. Shift to a home work-
station also means daily power con-
sumption patterns will shift geogra-
phies within cities. Traditionally,
during weekdays, power demand
peaks in office complex zones shift-
ing to residential complexes at night
and entertainment zones like malls,
shopping complexes hotels and so on
during the weekends. However, with
a likely crumbling of traditional
cubicles, power consumption pat-
terns will even out across the
cityscape all the days of the week.
This will also stem demand for bet-
ter broadband and network connec-
tivity, 24/7 demand for electricity and
chic meeting joints in residential
neighbourhoods.
A crucial aspect of modern
office work is earned sick leave for
planned to enter human trials by the
employees. While most global cor-
porations and Government staff will
have access to substantial number of
earned leaves per year, it is the medi-
um small size and micro-firms
which will have to rethink their poli-
cies. Most small firm employees
would lament lack of earned leaves
in their respective set-ups for fear of
losing jobs.
The situation becomes far graver
for a country like India which has far
more Micro, Small and Medium
Enterprises (MSMEs) and family
firms employing less than ten peo-
ple. Add to this the support staff like
housekeeping, cleaners, drivers,
maids, office delivery persons who
make up a vital part of any office.
Most of them today would be fear-
ful of reporting a fever or a season-
al illness and in turn spread diseases
across communities, homes and
offices. With global trends shifting to
the work from home culture, a fresh
clamour for some kind of group
insurance for the unorganised sector
and mandatory earned leaves, spe-
cially for a country like India, will
cells to stimulate the immune system.
continue to grow.
The Uttar Pradesh Government
has done a commendable job by
announcing a certain fixed amount
transfer for daily wage earners and
labourers, who are likely to lose liveli-
hoods for some days due to tempo-
rary shutdowns of cities and towns.
This initiative should trigger similar
moves by other State Governments
but it will still leave out a huge chunk
of the urban workforce in the unor-
ganised sector. Think of your domes-
tic help, cooks, delivery agents and
so on, who are mostly considered a
temporary workforce. Traditionally
they do not have earned sick leave or
medical insurance and post-retire-
ment benefits.
Threats like COVID-19 should
be a wake-up call for
employers/employees to demand
group insurance for micro and small
firms and seek recognition of tem-
porary workforce for benefits on the
same lines as their permanent
counterparts. Contrary to popular
belief, this may actually bring down
costs for many employers as preven-
sion)
tive measures could prove a hundred
times better than a cure in the long
run. This is also more likely to bring
a sense of professionalism found
lacking in many workers in the
unorganised sector as additional
answerability, including regular
health checks will foster discipline.
Finally, many core company policies
like creating new work protocols for
remote workers, telecommuting,
remote access and cybersecurity
policies, remote recovery, crisis man-
agement, virtual private network
management and many such will
need an overhaul.
Pandemics don’t need passport
for entry into geographies. It may
create a temporary shutdown of
borders and may give strength to
voices opposed to a globalised world.
However, one should remember that
pandemics require multinational
cooperation to formulate an integrat-
ed strategy for citizen safety and
health. This should bring nations
closer, now more than ever.
(The writer is Country Manager,
India, ITI Council)
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quity benchmark Sensex
E plummeted over 2,100
points and the Nifty gave up
the 7,900 level in opening ses-
sion on Thursday as global
gloom over the Covid-19 pan-
demic continued to hammer
equities.
The rupee too depreciat-
ed 60 paise to 74.87 against US
dollar in morning session.
After sinking over 2,152
points, the BSE barometer was
trading 1812.19 points or 6.28
per cent lower at 27,057.32 at
0930 hours.
Similarly, the NSE Nifty
was trading 520.85 points, or
6.15 per cent, down at 7,947.95
after dropping below 7,900 in
early session.
In the previous session, the
30-share BSE index closed
1,709.58 points or 5.59 per
cent lower at 28,869.51. On
similar lines, the broader NSE
Nifty plummeted 498.25
points, or 5.56 per cent, to end
at 8,468.80.
Bajaj Finance was the top
loser, tanking up to 12 per cent,
followed by HCL Tech, IndusInd
Bank, Kotak Bank and M&M,
while PowerGrid and NTPC
were the only gainers.
According to traders,
European Central Bank's
(ECB) EUR 750-billion stimu-
lus package failed to lift
investor sentiment, stoking the
already-peaking fears of an
economic recession.
Faced with a growing eco-
nomic shutdown amid the new
coronavirus (Covid-19) pan-
demic, the ECB on Wednesday
announced a surprise EUR
750-billion scheme to pur-
chase government and corpo-
rate bonds, as it joined other
central banks in stepping up
efforts to contain the econom-
ic damage from the new coro-
?T^_[TfPcRWcWTBT]bTg^]PbRaTT]^dcbXST1^\QPhBc^RZ4gRWP]VT1B4X] navirus (Covid-19).
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Hong Kong, Seoul and Tokyo
plunged up to 8 per cent.
Incessant foreign fund
outflow also kept domestic
market participants risk-averse,
traders said.
On a net basis, foreign
institutional investors sold
equities worth Rs 5,085.35
crore on Wednesday, data avail-
able with stock exchanges
showed.
Meanwhile, Brent crude
oil futures rose over 1.61 per
cent to USD 25.28 per barrel.
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?C8Q =4F34;78
New Delhi: Shares of Reliance
A pex agriculture financial
institution NABARD has
extended Rs 42,313 crore
financial support during 2019-
20 for building rural infra-
structure.
The financial institution
has so far this fiscal disbursed
Rs 20,869 crore in addition to
providing Rs 5,686 crore for
rural connectivity, a statement
by NABARD said.
Recognizing that the social
aspect of economic develop-
ment is equally important,
NABARD has been supporting
the Centre's programmes to
provide “housing for all by
2022” under Pradhan Mantri
Aawas Yojana – Gramin as well
as clean water and sanitation
under Swachh Bharat Mission
– Gramin.
During the current year,
the National Bank for
Agriculture and Rural
Development (NABARD) has
released Rs 10,935 crore to sup-
port these initiatives, it said.
The other segments sup-
ported by NABARD are drink-
ing water supply, renewable
energy, storage and dairy infra-
structure, etc.
These efforts have rein-
forced and supported the
Centre's initiatives for improv-
ing the rural economy, multi-
ply job opportunities in the
rural market and thus stabilize
income, it said.
During the last five years,
NABARD has disbursed Rs
1,98,485 crore for all-round
economic growth of rural India
with a view to improving the
standard of life of rural poor.
PTI
Industries continued to trade
with losses for the fourth con-
secutive session on Thursday,
falling further by over 5 per
cent. RIL stock tanked 5.34 per
cent to close at Rs 917.10 on the
BSE. During the day, it dropped
8 per cent to Rs 891 -- its 52-
week low. At the NSE, it
declined 5.24 per cent to close
at Rs 917.70.
A heavy sell-off in the
equity market since past few
days has pulled down RIL's
share price as well as its mar-
ket valuation sharply. This is
the fourth consecutive session
of fall for RIL shares which
have dropped 17.14 per cent till
Thursday and lost about Rs
1,20,311.78 crore from its mar-
ket valuation during this time.
On Wednesday, Tata
Consultancy Services went past
Reliance Industries (RIL) to
become the most valued Indian
firm by market valuation.
TCS continued to maintain
lead over RIL in market valu-
ation chart on Thursday also.
At close of trade, the market
valuation of TCS was at Rs
6,13,927.66 crore. PTI
05?Q ;>=3>=
G overnments and central
banks are injecting eye-
popping sums into markets and
applying emergency policy
remedies as they try to salve the
impact of the coronavirus pan-
demic on the global economy.
The pandemic which has
upended all normal life has
seen markets crash as world
growth faces its biggest crisis
since 2008, and so far investors
have largely shrugged off the
stimulus efforts as the outbreak
engulfs the West.
However, stocks in Europe
and the US stabilised on
Thursday following new initia-
tive from the European Central
Bank, which has faced criticism
for not acting more aggressive-
ly so far, and another interven-
tion by the Bank of England.
AFP surveys responses by
major economies as the coron-
avirus has spread from China to
infect the rest of the world,
enforcing national lockdowns
and crippling businesses.
After China, Europe is
now the epicentre of the
COVID-19 coronavirus out-
break and governments have
scrambled to open the spending
taps while also closing their bor-
ders.
The ECB announced late on
Wednesday a surprise $820-
billion scheme to buy govern-
ment and corporate bonds,
boosting funds in the system so
as to help contain the econom-
ic damage from the virus.
The eurozone bank is reviv-
ing crisis-era measures to
encourage bank lending to com-
panies, but caused some disquiet
last week by keeping its bor-
rowing rates on hold.
Meanwhile the Bank of
England cut Thursday its main
interest rate to a record-low 0.1
percent from 0.25 percent, only
eight days after having chopped
the interest rate from 0.50 per-
cent. It also plans to buy an addi-
tional $235 billion in govern-
ment and corporate debt.
European governments
have stepped up with their own
plans, with Chancellor Angela
Merkel warning Wednesday that
Germany faces its biggest test
since World War II.
Berlin has unveiled 550 bil-
lion euros in government-
backed loans "for starters", and
suspended legal obligations for
firms facing acute liquidity prob-
lems to file for bankruptcy.
Britain its providing 330 bil-
lion pounds of government-
backed loans to businesses,
while France will guarantee 300
billion euros in loans to firms
and has announced a separate
aid package worth 45 billion
euros to help businesses and
employees cope.
In hardest-hit Italy, the gov-
ernment has promised to deliv-
er a "very strong injection of liq-
uidity" into the financial system
to generate 340 billion euros in
cash flows.
Spain plans to guarantee up
to 100 billion euros in corporate
loans.
Switzerland's central bank
said Thursday it would intervene
more strongly to stabilise its
franc, while Norway is also
considering intervention as the
krone plunges.
Russia is using its foreign
currency reserves to prop up the
ruble and is also compensating
oil producers directly when oil
prices fall below $25 per barrel,
as they did on Wednesday.
'RZIDOOVLQ
ODWHVW86VWRFNVURXW
New York: Wall Street stocks
plunged again Wednesday as the
economic toll from the coron-
avirus mounts and analysts
warn of a deep recession.
The Dow Jones Industrial
Average tumbled 6.3 per cent, or
more than 1,300 points, to close
the day at 19,898.92, its first
close below 20,000 since 2017.
The broad-based S&P 500
dropped 5.2 per cent to finish at
2,398.10, while the tech-rich
Nasdaq Composite Index tum-
bled 4.7 per cent to 6,989.84.
The Dow fell as much as 10
percent during the early after-
noon, but stocks rallied some-
what near the end of the session
as the US Senate passed a USD
100 billion emergency package
for free coronavirus testing,
sick pay and other benefits
related to the crisis.
Economists are slashing
their forecasts as more sectors
shut down. A note from
JPMorgan Chase projected US
activity would shrink 14 per
cent in the second quarter,
while Europe's output would
plunge 22 per cent.
"These outcomes are worse
than were recorded during the
global financial crisis or the
European sovereign crisis," the
note said of the second quarter.
Petroleum-linked shares
suffered an especially brutal
round as US oil prices plunged
24 percent to USD 20.37 a bar-
rel, its lowest price since 2002 on
a demand outlook that worsens
by the day.
US automakers were anoth-
er hard-hit industry, with
General Motors losing 17.3 per-
cent and Ford 10.2 percent as
the "Big Three" shuttered their
American production plants
because of the virus.
Simon Property Group, a
giant in the shopping mall
industry, plunged 23.7 per cent
as it announced that it would
close all of its shopping malls
through March 29 due to the
virus. AFP

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New Delhi: The government on Thursday
said 76,359 jobs have been created in the tele-
com sector since 2018-19. While replying to
a question in the Rajya Sabha, Minister of
State for Telecom Sanjay Dhotre said of the
total jobs created in the sector, 28,424 were
direct jobs while 47,935 were indirect.
"76,359 jobs have been created since
2018-19 in telecom sector," Dhotre informed
the House.
A total 40,445 jobs were created in 2018-
19 and 35,914 jobs in 2019-20.
Dhotre said job data was provided by
major telecom service providers to the extent
maintained by them.
The minister said the government under
National Digital Communications Policy-
2018 envisages creating 40 lakh additional jobs
in the digital communications sector by 2022.
PTI
GHFOLQHVE\C Y^U]UbWU^SiQYT*91D1
?C8Q =4F34;78
Hong Kong: Asian equities sank again Thursday
while the dollar surged as a European Central old on Thursday gained Rs
Bank plan to spend more than USD 800 billion
to buy bonds failed to instil optimism in traders
G 31 to Rs 40,718 per 10
gram in the national capital
who fear that the world is heading for a virus- amid sharp rupee depreciation,
fuelled economic catastrophe. according to HDFC Securities.
In what one analyst said could be a "game On Wednesday, it had
changer" for the coronavirus-wracked eurozone, closed at Rs 40,687 per 10
the ECB's so-called Pandemic Emergency gram. Silver, however, declined
Purchase Programme aims to give financial mar- by Rs 190 to Rs 35,444 per kg
kets some much-needed liquidity as investors pull against the previous close of Rs
the plug on markets. 35,634 per kg.
It said the 750-billion-euro (USD 820-billion) "Spot gold for 24 Karat in
programme was temporary and will be halted Delhi were trading up by Rs 31
when the coronavirus crisis is judged to be over thanks to sharp rupee depre-
"but in any case not before the end of the year". ciation and steady interna-
After announcing the move, ECB boss tional gold prices," HDFC
Christine Lagarde tweeted that "extraordinary Securities Senior Analyst
times require extraordinary action. There are no (Commodities) Tapan Patel
limits to our commitment to the euro." AFP said.
In the international mar-
ket, both gold and silver were
trading flat at USD 1,482 per
ounce and USD 11.97 per
ounce, respectively.
Meanwhile, the domestic
equity market continued to
trade weak, with its BSE bench-
mark index trading over 500
points lower minutes before the
final closing. PTI
Geneva: Up to USD 200 billion
is needed to rescue the world's
airlines during the coronavirus
crisis, the global aviation associ-
ation said Thursday, appealing
especially to African and Middle
Eastern countries to provide
emergency assistance.
"Support measures are
urgently needed," the
International Air Transport
Association said in a statement,
adding that "on a global basis,
IATA estimates that emergency
aid of up to $200 billion is
required". Airlines worldwide
face an unprecedented existen-
tial threat as the COVID-19 pan-
demic, which has killed more
than 9,000 people around the
world, shuts down global travel.
"Stopping the spread of is
the top priority of governments,"
IATA chief Alexandre de Juniac
said in the statement. "But they
must be aware that the public
health emergency has now
become a catastrophe for
economies and for aviation," he
said, pointing out that "the scale
of the current industry crisis is
much worse and far more wide-
spread than 9/11, SARS or the
2008 global financial crisis."
"Airlines are fighting for
survival," he said, warning that
"millions of jobs are at stake."
IATA expressed particular con-
cern for the situation in Africa
and the Middle East, where
many routes have been sus-
pended, and where demand has
fallen by as much of 60 percent
on the remaining routes.
It pointed out that the air
transport industry's economic
contribution in Africa alone is
estimated at $55.8 billion, sup-
porting 6.2 million jobs and con-
tributing 2.6 percent of the con-
tinent's gross domestic product.
In the Middle East, the con-
tribution stands at $130 billion,
some 4.4 percent of GDP, sup-
porting 2.4 million jobs, it said.
"Airlines need urgent govern-
ment action if they are to emerge
from this in a fit state to help the
world recover, once COVID-19
is beaten," Juniac said. AFP
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asing compliance require-
E ments amid coronavirus
outbreak, regulator Sebi on
Thursday gave a 45-day relax-
ation for companies to file
their fourth quarter results as
well as an additional one-
month time to submit their
annual results.
Besides, the market watch-
dog has relaxed the time-gap
required between two board
meetings of a company.
Companies have also been
provided one-month relax-
ation till May 15 for filing
their quarterly governance
reports.
"Development arising due
to the spread of the virus war-
rant the need for temporary
relaxation in compliance
requirement of listed entities,"
Sebi said in a circular.
With respect to quarterly
financial results, companies
have been given 45 days till
June 30, 2020 to file their
March quarter results.
Under the rules, firms are
required to file their financial
results within 45 days from the
end of a quarter. As per that
time frame, the deadline is May
15.
In the case of submitting
results for the year ending
March 31, the watchdog has
extended the time till June 30.
Normally, listed compa-
nies are required to file their
annual results within 60 days
from the end of a financial year.
"The board of directors
and the audit committee of the
listed entity are exempted from
observing the stipulated time
gap between two meetings for
the meeting held or proposed
to be held between the period
December 1, 2019 and June 30,
2020," Sebi said.
However, the board of
directors and audit committees
would have to ensure that they
meet at least four times a year
as stipulated under listing reg-
ulations.
As per the norms, board of
directors or audit committee
need to meet at least four
times a year, with a maximum
gap of 128 days between any
two meetings.
Among others, the dead-
line has been extended by three
weeks till May 15 for submis-
sion of quarterly shareholding
pattern and statement of
investor complaint report.
In addition, a relaxation of
one month has been given
with regard to filing of half-
yearly compliance certificate on
share transfer facility and year-
ly secretarial compliance
report.
Companies can file com-
pliance certificate on share
transfer facility till May 31
and secretarial compliance
report by June 30.
These decisions have been
taken in the wake of coron-
avirus pandemic, which has
also resulted in imposition of
certain restrictions, including
those related to travel.
The circular would be in
force with immediate effect.
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New Delhi: Retailers have urged the government to pro-
vide a three-month grace period for depositing statu-
tory dues like GST, advance tax, income tax and prov-
ident fund as stores and malls are closed in several cities
due to the Covid-19 outbreak.
The Retailer Association of India (RAI) has asked
the government to help the industry cope with the detri-
mental effects on their business amid the virus pan-
demic.
"Allow us 90 days of grace period for depositing
all statutory dues, like Income Tax, Advance Tax, GST,
ESIC, PF etc. For payments falling due between March
1 and June 30, 2020," RAI said in its representation to
the government.
It has also sought moratorium of 120 days from
banks on installments and interest payments on term
loans and credit lines.
"Currently, the Retail Industry is under lock-down.
With no revenue flow, the impact is significant... The
entire consumption value chain will feel the impact of
store closures," said RAI.
"There is urgent need for immediate economic
stimulus to ensure continuity of retail stores and con-
sumption in India," it added.
Meanwhile, the Shopping Centres Association of
India (SCAI) has asked for GST rebates to offset the
losses on account of lock-downs.
"The implementation of these measures can
immensely help the shopping centres and industries...
Which are already stressed due to the prevailing finan-
cial conditions, in mitigating the effects of this unfore-
seen and presently untreatable pandemic," SCAI
Founder Chairman Amitabh Taneja said.
Sales are already down anywhere between 25 to
50 per cent for retailers and cinema, entertainment and
restaurant businesses are bleeding, he said.
"Once the country is free from the virus, malls that
have emerged as the most vibrant social spaces for
Indians to celebrate their leisure time will play a criti-
cal role to bring back life and uplift sentiments of the
masses...," Taneja added. PTI
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?C8Q <D<108
ithin two days, brokerage
W Bank of America Securities
has sharply cut the June quarter
growth forecast by 90 bps to a low
of 3.1 per cent and the full-year
India GDP target by 100 bps to 4.1
per cent for FY2021, citing an
almost certain global recession due
to the Covid-19 pandemic.
On Wednesday, Bank of
America Securities India had
sharply projected down its June
quarter growth by 80 bps to 4 per
cent and the March quarter of the
current fiscal by 30 bps to 4 per cent,
citing the coronavirus-driven shut-
downs.
It had also pegged full-year
FY2021 growth at 5.1 per cent cit-
ing a likely fall in global growth to
a low 2.2 per cent.
And Thursday’s forecast is
another 90 bps down from the pre-
vious projection for the June quar-
ter growth and a full 100 bps for the
full-year uptick from 5.1 per cent.
When it comes to the global
growth, the same is downgraded by
a whopping 180 bps to a paltry 0.40
per cent—all in a span of just two
days.
Their house economists
Indranil Sen Gupta and Aastha
Gudwani expect the pandemic-dri-
ven lockdowns to run through end-
April, crippling domestic econom-
ic activities across the value-chain—
again a sterner warning from
Wednesday’s projection of the lock-
downs ending mid-April.
“We cut our growth forecast by
a sharp 90 bps to 3.1 per cent for the
June quarter of FY21 and by 40 bps
to 4.7 per cent for the full-year. We
also see the Reserve Bank cutting
100 bps, up from 75 bps (as of yes-
terday), in 2020,” the house econo-
mists said, adding “we are now call-
ing for a global recession.”
They count the GDP impact on
the shutdowns at 50 bps per
month. “We estimate a month’s
shutdown will cost about 50 bps of
annual GDP” and expect the econ-
omy to come out only by FY2022
when GDP may print in at 6 per
cent.
Explaining the rationale for the
doom-scenario, they say a global
recession is a reality due to the esca-
lation in the Covid-19 pandemic
and the general shutdown in India
is seen extending further to the end
of April and not mid-April.
Calling for a global recession, the
brokerage has sharply cut the 2020
global growth forecast by 180 bps to
0.4 per cent—down from 2.2 per
cent Wednesday. This will leave the
US contracting 0.8 per cent and the
global growth engine China plung-
ing to a paltry 1.5 percent in 2020.
Penciling in a 100 bps rate cut
through the course of 2020, they say
this is needed as the real lending
rates are still persisting at high lev-
els for long now as falling demand
is curtailing the pricing power of
corporates further which in turn will
longer the shutdown, speed up
global recession.
“In response, we have added a
fourth RBI policy rate cut by March
2021. We now see 25 bps cuts each
on/before April 3, June, October and
December,” they said.
They also warn that the down side
risks for the country include elonga-
tion of the domestic shutdowns,
weakening of corporate balance sheets
at a time G-3 central banks are run-
ning out of ammunition.
They base their argument to
the India troubles, despite it being
a domestically-driven economy,
to the fact that contagion does still
travel through disruptions in finan-
cial markets as it was seen in 2008.
On the impact of the high real
rates and the falling pricing power,
given the steeply falling consumer
demand, they said high real lending
rates are likely to persist with falling
demand curtailing corporate pric-
ing power.
Although nominal MCLR has
come down by 54 bps so far, on RBI
easing the real MCLR has jumped
by 67 bps with wholesale price
inflation falling 120 bps.
“Therefore we now expect the
RBI to cut rates by 100 bps in FY21
with inflation set to drop to 2.5 per-
cent in 2H of FY21. We see a 25 bps
cut each on/before April 3, June,
October and December,” say the
report, which also sees the RBI
infusing USD 38 billion of durable
liquidity in FY21 atop the USD 76.4
billion so far.
They also expect a reasonably
strong rupee as the reasonably high
forex reserves should prevent a
speculative attack on the unit.

SCRIP OPEN
1,)7<
HIgh LOW LTP CHANGE
%6(
NIFTY 50 8063.30 8575.45 7832.55 8263.45 -205.35 Script Open High Low LTP LUPIN 605.00 653.00 579.15 634.05 GMRINFRA 15.30 16.35 15.30 16.00 MAHSCOOTER 2780.00 2780.00 2350.00 2401.40 JYOTHYLAB 98.00 98.00 90.15 93.65
ITC 150.70 163.55 144.75 160.90 10.20 RELIANCE 925.00 967.50 891.00 917.10 M&MFIN 212.00 231.70 187.25 197.80 BBTC 740.00 756.00 702.40 729.15 EDELWEISS 42.35 46.05 42.30 42.30 GRINDWELL 484.00 497.00 439.50 479.75
BHARTIARTL 416.45 451.65 361.75 444.55 19.00 SBIN 203.80 219.45 198.20 203.85 NCC 19.30 21.15 18.30 20.05 NHPC 18.00 19.20 17.40 18.50 BRIGADE 160.00 171.90 156.40 159.75 CENTURYPLY 102.00 106.35 99.00 102.30
INFY 509.25 558.00 509.25 551.80 17.50 MPHASIS 670.55 700.00 655.00 662.90 ICICIPRULI 285.00 296.25 266.75 281.50 BAJAJHLDNG 2498.25 2498.25 2145.90 2294.75 OFSS 1851.15 1851.15 1572.00 1774.05 VRLLOG 167.70 167.70 134.20 150.40
HDFCBANK 847.00 919.95 795.00 904.60 27.70 BAJFINANCE 2835.00 3050.00 2485.15 2748.65 ICICIGI 970.00 1120.00 805.60 1020.80 HONAUT 26049.80 27224.60 22256.00 24731.70 GREAVESCOT 79.75 84.80 67.65 77.00 CHOLAHLDNG 424.00 452.05 424.00 433.40
POWERGRID 145.40 151.90 140.10 147.45 3.30 INFY 530.00 557.70 511.10 545.40 MFSL 350.00 397.75 321.00 379.20 SYNGENE 238.00 240.70 230.80 234.45 TRIDENT 3.87 3.87 3.35 3.70 MINDACORP 62.85 62.85 56.60 57.15
KOTAKBANK 1095.05 1253.60 1001.00 1194.95 23.00 HDFCBANK 850.00 919.25 795.15 894.80 SBILIFE 570.00 634.00 520.00 609.35 RAYMOND 278.00 278.80 262.00 266.15 VINATIORGA 782.00 782.00 740.00 744.50 FLFL 235.00 235.00 207.80 207.80
HEROMOTOCO1648.00 1789.00 1561.95 1703.10 21.95 ASIANPAINT 1575.00 1651.50 1431.85 1603.00 NIITTECH 1062.00 1099.10 915.75 1036.35 PGHH 9800.00 10000.00 8813.95 9670.75 INFIBEAM 36.60 36.60 33.50 33.85 DISHTV 5.60 5.60 5.35 5.35
JSWSTEEL 157.80 168.70 151.70 166.05 1.70 YESBANK 59.00 62.00 45.15 53.90 RECLTD 93.00 93.20 83.70 89.20 UNIONBANK 29.00 30.30 27.75 28.90 BDL 179.35 179.35 167.00 172.40
BAJAJ-AUTO 2119.75 2377.40 2032.35 2186.70 17.70 ICICIBANK 337.70 369.50 323.00 339.15 GODREJIND 329.40 338.00 303.05 315.35 CADILAHC 250.00 255.55 235.60 245.85 IOB 7.20 7.20 6.51 7.05
IOC 84.45 90.80 82.40 88.00 0.40 INDUSINDBK 420.00 472.35 391.25 443.85 SAIL 25.75 26.50 24.80 25.20 WOCKPHARMA 197.00 198.00 177.00 181.10 VAIBHAVGBL 755.00 790.00 723.55 757.55
IBULHSGFIN 124.00 128.00 82.50 90.25 PFC 90.00 94.25 84.35 89.15 ASTRAL 900.00 998.15 889.20 927.05 IIFL 94.80 96.95 90.00 91.35
HDFC 1502.10 1703.95 1490.10 1620.00 -2.55
HDFC 1535.00 1703.90 1490.80 1621.20 HAVELLS 549.80 559.25 516.05 535.85 SCI 40.00 41.70 35.90 38.50 JCHAC 2330.00 2336.35 2102.45 2215.60
TCS 1559.70 1685.45 1546.75 1636.00 -6.40
MARUTI 4899.75 5090.00 4653.15 4826.05 BEL 68.15 72.45 63.20 64.75 WELCORP 75.45 75.45 75.45 75.45 BALMLAWRIE 76.55 79.90 75.10 78.75
SUNPHARMA 351.70 374.45 347.65 361.30 -1.45
BHARTIARTL 410.20 451.35 381.05 444.90 LICHSGFIN 219.70 237.60 209.20 223.70 DELTACORP 64.55 67.50 63.45 63.45 AIAENG 1425.00 1470.00 1370.00 1414.75
ASIANPAINT 1540.00 1653.95 1431.20 1603.00 -15.20 TATASTEEL 271.00 284.20 260.80 271.95 STAR 299.00 302.20 271.60 275.55 PNBHOUSING 205.00 216.40 200.00 201.55 TCIEXP 635.00 648.00 504.50 631.65
ADANIPORTS 248.00 264.15 241.00 257.00 -3.40 ITC 151.00 163.50 144.80 161.95 AMBUJACEM 154.90 161.05 149.55 154.35 FORTIS 125.00 125.00 115.40 120.40 JISLJALEQS 3.60 3.66 3.55 3.65
GAIL 68.45 72.25 65.60 69.60 -1.25 KOTAKBANK 1099.70 1253.45 1000.35 1207.75 EQUITAS 46.60 52.10 43.20 49.00 IRCON 316.00 349.90 298.10 327.35 CENTRALBK 12.75 12.75 11.75 12.15
DRREDDY 2608.00 2679.90 2495.05 2619.75 -48.70 TCS 1581.00 1685.75 1547.30 1636.10 ADANIPOWER 26.60 28.05 25.35 27.00 ABFRL 176.55 186.75 154.00 176.00 VMART 1708.00 1708.00 1555.45 1643.15
CIPLA 374.80 390.75 362.90 374.75 -7.25 AXISBANK 443.00 463.75 424.00 427.75 SIEMENS 1082.55 1156.15 1042.20 1117.25 AMARAJABAT 484.90 484.90 433.75 449.00 ORIENTREF 160.55 160.60 154.00 155.00
TITAN 879.95 924.40 839.75 902.00 -28.75 TATAMOTORS 70.60 76.50 68.80 72.95 GAIL 69.50 72.25 65.70 69.45 BOMDYEING 43.00 45.20 41.50 42.10 PRSMJOHNSN 44.00 44.00 36.55 37.60
TATASTEEL 268.95 284.50 260.50 272.00 -8.85 JUSTDIAL 349.95 349.95 310.30 316.35 RAJESHEXPO 614.00 614.00 577.50 594.30 AVANTI 284.80 297.30 270.00 278.35 LAKSHVILAS 14.05 14.15 13.90 13.90
ULTRACEMCO 3139.00 3389.75 2955.60 3195.00 -108.55 LT 876.70 884.60 837.50 843.25 ADANIENT 128.00 132.90 118.00 128.95 CROMPTON 215.00 222.20 185.75 209.45 JKLAKSHMI 235.00 241.30 214.75 228.00
NTPC 78.55 84.95 75.05 77.90 -2.65 BAJAJFINSV 6185.00 6200.00 5445.00 5794.20 BOSCHLTD 10100.00 10105.90 9250.30 9558.30 BANKINDIA 35.00 36.80 33.70 35.55 UFLEX 145.00 152.65 143.35 145.50
TATAMOTORS 70.00 76.50 68.75 72.90 -2.60 ADANIPORTS 253.00 263.55 241.15 258.30 CIPLA 379.80 390.45 363.85 374.60 GUJGAS 228.95 234.50 215.50 229.60 VSTIND 3150.00 3409.05 2951.65 3335.45
HCLTECH 418.90 434.60 375.25 419.00 -15.25 HINDUNILVR 1910.00 1910.00 1756.00 1836.65 NAVINFLUOR 1125.00 1202.00 992.35 1118.45 NBCC 15.00 16.35 14.65 15.50 SOLARINDS 965.05 985.25 940.00 962.30
HINDUNILVR 1894.30 1899.00 1757.30 1855.00 -68.80 ONGC 62.00 64.00 58.10 61.10 UJJIVAN 185.00 202.65 171.45 183.80 ADANITRANS 190.00 210.90 189.95 205.70 INTELLECT 51.20 55.00 51.20 51.20
NESTLEIND 13000.50 13448.40 12577.05 13050.00 -486.80 IDEA 3.26 3.57 3.03 3.33 VBL 630.35 668.45 546.20 654.10 SANOFI 6550.10 6550.10 6094.95 6294.85 LEMONTREE 33.50 33.95 30.00 30.90
VEDL 69.45 73.65 67.80 69.70 -3.25 SUNPHARMA 354.45 374.30 348.10 360.20 ACC 1051.40 1130.90 1001.00 1079.75 IRB 58.00 59.70 55.00 57.30 EIHOTEL 75.00 75.00 67.10 67.20
WIPRO 165.00 171.35 159.40 161.80 -8.15 BIOCON 249.00 264.90 235.80 252.55 HEXAWARE 234.00 234.00 204.20 211.20 HINDZINC 134.70 134.80 125.35 126.75 CERA 2200.00 2200.00 2000.75 2096.55
INDUSINDBK 414.75 472.00 391.75 438.00 -22.80 SRF 2790.00 3075.00 2675.05 2932.65 COLPAL 1110.00 1135.75 1065.20 1113.50 REPCOHOME 182.15 182.15 153.45 159.30 WABCOINDIA 5842.90 5937.10 5778.50 5798.55
EICHERMOT 15150.00 16070.00 14853.05 15038.15 -791.00 ASHOKLEY 58.30 58.30 47.25 48.10 MCX 1000.00 1000.00 920.00 941.70 SPARC 100.00 100.00 90.15 93.15 JKCEMENT 1103.80 1103.80 975.00 1015.95 ITDCEM 31.80 32.00 28.00 29.95
MOTHERSUMI 59.00 65.60 58.30 64.00 UBL 855.00 949.65 758.75 877.95 MASFIN 663.80 698.30 628.85 628.85 RALLIS 180.00 185.90 170.70 180.45 CCL 176.50 176.75 156.95 162.50
RELIANCE 920.10 967.00 892.20 917.70 -50.80
IPCALAB 1250.00 1275.00 1165.75 1260.10 MIDHANI 185.00 192.90 178.05 181.10 JINDALSAW 53.00 53.00 43.55 49.90 BAJAJELEC 320.00 340.00 290.00 328.50 HERITGFOOD 239.00 242.80 200.25 201.55
SBIN 202.95 219.75 198.15 203.45 -11.75
RBLBANK 159.95 185.05 150.00 176.80 TATAPOWER 34.40 36.70 32.70 34.20 DBL 249.05 261.00 243.35 252.05 BAYERCROP 3600.00 3700.00 3450.15 3574.95 TEAMLEASE 1792.85 1976.15 1710.55 1863.10
ICICIBANK 336.10 369.60 323.00 335.40 -19.65
BANDHANBNK 203.00 219.75 191.45 200.55 ABBOTINDIA 14187.00 14187.00 12625.05 13262.95 PGHL 3310.00 3512.50 2930.00 3433.30 ITI 49.55 51.30 46.70 48.20 SIS 401.05 401.05 353.20 360.20
GRASIM 481.00 518.80 481.00 492.00 -35.05 VEDL 70.00 73.90 67.90 69.30 TORNTPHARM 1785.00 1830.80 1619.00 1767.10 NOCIL 64.50 64.50 58.80 59.55 KEI 288.00 288.00 267.45 267.85 ARVINDFASN 154.00 176.85 152.00 156.95
TECHM 549.65 577.65 523.00 538.80 -40.85 HDFCLIFE 389.00 433.05 384.40 416.00 NATIONALUM 29.30 31.85 28.25 30.55 CASTROLIND 112.35 119.50 107.25 115.75 NLCINDIA 40.00 42.75 39.10 41.70 CHENNPETRO 63.80 64.50 62.30 63.80
LT 873.90 884.00 837.70 839.00 -65.55 PIDILITIND 1460.00 1496.80 1328.30 1447.55 GLENMARK 195.40 210.50 187.30 205.10 AJANTPHARM 1199.55 1221.25 1152.70 1188.40 QUESS 294.90 294.90 274.65 274.65 UCOBANK 10.64 10.64 9.80 9.93
BRITANNIA 2389.00 2404.00 2260.00 2318.20 -183.75 SHREECEM 18100.00 19399.70 16380.10 17636.25 BASF 930.15 1107.95 917.10 1071.05 SUDARSCHEM 330.00 390.20 293.00 352.50 CREDITACC 495.00 579.45 493.35 569.95 MMTC 12.00 12.00 11.35 11.65
BAJAJFINSV 5865.00 6205.85 5442.65 5842.00 -468.20 POWERGRID 145.85 151.85 140.15 147.30 GODREJPROP 683.00 702.80 640.60 657.15 INOXLEISUR 273.30 275.95 252.00 257.80 CHAMBLFERT 109.70 109.70 102.00 105.80 SUNDRMFAST 290.10 293.75 287.15 289.85
COALINDIA 128.00 133.50 122.00 122.55 -10.50 BPCL 308.15 319.80 285.30 300.25 SPICEJET 34.10 37.25 34.10 34.10 GSKCONS 8100.00 8230.55 7696.25 7986.45 GSFC 39.50 39.50 37.05 37.40 ENDURANCE 670.00 723.45 647.55 709.20
UPL 301.20 313.30 293.00 295.00 -26.85 APOLLOHOSP 1250.00 1250.00 1065.25 1178.60 APOLLOTYRE 89.00 91.30 83.75 86.20 FORCEMOT 760.00 777.00 709.10 732.50 RELCAPITAL 4.32 4.41 4.30 4.32 TNPL 115.00 115.00 102.05 105.60
M&M 331.75 331.80 302.00 316.25 -30.15 HDFCAMC 2201.00 2320.00 2073.30 2295.55 TVSMOTOR 353.00 386.05 342.30 363.80 JAICORPLTD 51.10 53.80 47.70 50.05 PARAGMILK 54.00 60.45 48.50 54.55 VARROC 190.00 192.00 182.55 182.55
MARUTI 4870.00 5096.60 4652.55 4859.00 -493.65 COALINDIA 127.55 133.20 122.00 124.10 POLYCAB 742.00 776.35 678.75 757.30 VENKYS 652.95 678.50 608.40 635.70 MEGH 39.00 40.85 35.25 38.30 SCHAEFFLER 3754.45 4048.20 3557.80 3995.55
HINDALCO 103.00 107.90 97.55 98.75 -10.45 INDIACEM 91.00 100.35 91.00 97.85 LTI 1375.00 1415.70 1207.60 1367.45 WABAG 108.00 112.30 100.30 108.45 KRBL 175.00 175.25 161.40 163.20 HIMATSEIDE 63.00 63.00 59.00 61.05
AXISBANK 441.05 464.95 423.75 428.00 -45.45 DIVISLAB 1761.00 1947.30 1632.70 1871.05 EXIDEIND 132.00 145.00 124.50 140.00 GMDCLTD 35.00 36.65 31.00 33.15 ORIENTELEC 173.65 179.50 164.85 170.00 TVTODAY 136.95 144.20 133.40 140.70
BAJFINANCE 2800.00 3053.05 2484.70 2755.25 -306.10 TITAN 890.00 924.25 840.10 899.80 ADANIGAS 99.80 103.50 96.00 98.75 WHIRLPOOL 1850.00 1869.70 1542.80 1852.05 RESPONIND 83.50 84.00 80.30 83.30 INDOSTAR 258.35 269.70 247.35 260.00
BPCL 311.00 320.00 285.40 297.30 -35.25 BATAINDIA 1081.05 1147.00 1017.20 1100.55 TRENT 452.50 483.40 415.00 467.45 KANSAINER 385.55 385.55 350.85 365.05 COROMANDEL 538.00 540.70 508.50 522.95 TVSSRICHAK 970.00 970.00 900.00 919.45
ONGC 62.15 64.00 58.10 60.90 -7.25 BANKBARODA 61.50 69.00 60.25 61.45 GODFRYPHLP 845.00 877.50 793.90 812.70 JBCHEPHARM 494.00 548.20 479.55 513.85 SUPREMEIND 990.00 990.00 915.00 940.35 TIMETECHNO 31.00 31.00 27.30 28.45
SHREECEM 17990.00 19458.00 16399.90 16900.00 -2393.95 ESCORTS 559.00 602.45 527.10 573.50 BHARATFORG 343.90 343.90 301.40 304.85 AKZOINDIA 2060.00 2070.55 1908.10 1979.90 SOBHA 193.00 193.00 170.20 179.80 IBULISL 64.10 64.10 64.10 64.10
ZEEL 149.00 158.15 138.65 141.45 -22.65 HINDPETRO 195.00 202.35 181.35 190.70 JSWENERGY 42.00 45.90 37.95 44.15 RAMCOCEM 548.70 597.00 534.00 566.95 MOIL 102.45 102.45 93.90 94.60 VTL 846.00 877.95 806.30 867.50
JSWSTEEL 153.60 168.30 151.80 162.65 LAXMIMACH 2535.00 2638.00 2385.10 2602.25 AMBER 1026.25 1185.70 975.00 1097.40 MAHLOG 250.00 264.90 234.85 258.35
INFRATEL 149.90 149.90 120.05 122.50 -27.40
PAGEIND 17800.00 19499.85 17434.80 18120.15 OBEROIRLTY 401.00 450.80 380.70 443.85 TIINDIA 412.90 412.90 377.85 388.90 J&KBANK 13.65 14.30 13.00 14.05
L&TFH 60.00 62.70 56.60 58.20 SWANENERGY 100.00 102.00 98.85 100.05 HINDCOPPER 21.80 22.30 20.40 21.25 TAKE 40.05 42.00 39.80 39.95
1,)7<1(;7 ZEEL 151.95 157.70 138.75 141.20 ADANIGREEN 128.00 135.80 122.90 135.40 HUDCO 21.95 22.25 20.85 21.35 SFL 1353.00 1468.00 1160.40 1457.05
HCLTECH 425.00 434.20 375.50 412.80 BLISSGVS 101.50 102.30 90.15 99.55 JKTYRE 45.00 45.05 42.00 42.20 CORPBANK 10.90 10.90 9.55 9.85
SCRIP OPEN HIgh LOW LTP CHANGE M&M 334.00 334.00 302.15 314.70 ASHOKA 56.00 56.00 49.35 52.95 HFCL 9.00 9.45 8.20 8.88 REDINGTON 78.15 80.65 71.60 72.55
NIFTY NEXT 50 19964.05 20975.15 19387.65 20238.25 -686.50 GRASIM 498.90 518.05 489.00 491.60 ORIENTBANK 39.40 44.65 38.70 41.90 COCHINSHIP 221.00 245.60 217.00 232.30 ESSELPRO 140.00 150.20 138.45 146.60
IDEA 3.30 3.55 3.00 3.40 0.25 PNB 35.30 39.40 34.30 37.20 MINDAIND 261.05 262.75 209.30 251.05 AEGISLOG 125.00 141.95 117.50 140.15 MAHABANK 9.06 9.12 8.25 9.03
ADANITRANS 192.15 211.35 175.55 203.00 10.85 DLF 131.00 140.20 125.65 129.10 BALRAMCHIN 87.50 90.10 84.30 85.00 APLLTD 474.00 507.20 464.85 493.60 BLUEDART 2300.00 2300.00 1977.95 2156.85
LUPIN 594.50 654.00 578.05 637.50 24.60 CONCOR 294.40 304.55 273.65 285.65 GNFC 112.00 115.50 105.55 109.15 DCAL* 55.10 60.90 55.10 57.85 CENTRUM 10.00 10.50 9.20 9.35
MOTHERSUMI 61.00 65.80 58.35 64.00 2.40 3MINDIA 17132.25 17550.00 16330.00 16928.10 PTC 33.75 35.40 33.25 34.35 GODREJAGRO 315.05 319.95 288.70 309.15 ECLERX 366.45 373.55 345.80 352.70
DIVISLAB 1720.00 1946.45 1631.05 1850.00 44.75 NESTLEIND 13400.00 13464.00 12588.95 13108.65 JUBILANT 270.70 286.60 255.15 255.15 BLUESTARCO 625.00 625.00 536.80 579.80 ANDHRABANK 9.40 9.62 8.82 9.14
SBILIFE 565.00 619.90 519.40 607.70 11.45 TATACONSUM 258.00 265.55 231.80 251.10 PCJEWELLER 9.20 10.20 9.05 9.70 DCMSHRIRAM 223.00 247.75 222.50 239.25 GICHSGFIN 62.10 64.00 60.55 61.05
ICICIGI 950.00 1121.00 805.00 1014.00 18.20 WESTLIFE 295.00 323.70 274.55 286.10 DEEPAKFERT 62.00 75.45 57.00 73.00 GARFIBRES 960.10 1055.00 925.00 997.30 ZYDUSWELL 1225.00 1248.80 1192.15 1232.50
PETRONET 178.10 201.45 172.00 193.95 2.90 HINDALCO 107.00 107.80 98.15 99.60 ALKEM 2294.00 2294.00 2106.00 2203.95 GESHIP 188.60 202.75 188.60 194.60 MAHLIFE 235.80 238.70 222.20 230.30
PNB 35.00 39.40 34.30 37.05 0.30 NTPC 78.95 84.90 75.45 78.25 SOUTHBANK 5.99 5.99 5.41 5.48 TATACOFFEE 60.00 60.55 56.25 58.70 MAHSEAMLES 230.00 236.25 215.10 226.10
DABUR 400.45 428.45 390.50 416.00 1.45 PEL 800.00 851.70 745.80 778.50 SUZLON 1.95 1.95 1.90 1.91 NIACL 86.00 88.30 82.00 85.10 DHANUKA 321.00 344.75 300.00 316.30
BIOCON 240.30 264.95 235.55 252.45 0.05 MANAPPURAM 82.00 90.00 75.60 85.30 CEATLTD 744.00 746.80 700.05 714.35 BIRLACORPN 510.00 525.85 487.70 505.10 JAGRAN 40.80 43.50 39.00 42.20
SIEMENS 1086.00 1156.80 1041.40 1113.20 -4.75 NMDC 67.55 72.50 65.60 66.70 RVNL 14.35 14.35 13.60 13.95 JMFINANCIL 62.60 68.95 62.25 67.10 NETWORK18 16.85 17.60 16.80 16.80
HDFCAMC 2189.05 2320.00 2070.00 2290.00 -15.70 INFRATEL 150.00 150.00 121.25 124.00 VIPIND 258.00 258.00 225.00 226.70 FCONSUMER 10.50 10.50 10.50 10.50 JSLHISAR 37.50 37.50 34.00 35.75
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PEL 789.00 852.95 745.00 761.60 -63.95 BHEL 22.90 23.50 21.85 22.50 NAUKRI 1884.00 2065.00 1759.10 1975.65 IDFC 18.90 18.90 16.75 16.90 JAMNAAUTO 24.50 26.35 22.35 25.15 SHRIRAMCIT 956.70 1050.00 836.00 1041.15
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=4F34;78k5A830H k<0A27!!!
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Beijing: China on Thursday
reported no new domestic trans-
missions of coronavirus for the
first time since the deadly virus
surfaced three months ago,
achieving a milestone in its bat-
tle against the pandemic that has
brought the country to a grind-
ing halt and caused an unprece-
dented global health crisis.
While no domestic cases
were reported, Wuhan, where
the outbreak began, still has
6,636 people in hospitals includ-
ing 1,809 in severe condition and
465 in critical condition, local
health commission said.
China now faces a greater
threat of infections of imported
cases, which jumped by 34 on
Wednesday with large number
of Chinese and foreigners arriv-
ing back to join their duties.
While zero domestic cases
is a major milestone, which
heralds the end of domestically
generated Covid-19 cases,
China, however, continues to
grapple with mounting death toll
which climbed to 3,245 on
Wednesday with eight more
fatalities.
The overall confirmed
cases on the mainland reached
80,928 by the end of
Wednesday highlighting the
scale of the cases China dealt
with, making coronavirus per-
haps the worst health tragedy
in the country’s history.
The total included 3,245
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Colombo: Sri Lanka on
Thursday indefinitely post-
poned parliamentary elections
that were scheduled for next
month in the wake of the coro-
navirus pandemic.
The Chair of the Election
Commission, Mahinda
Deshapriya, said the polls
scheduled for April 25 cannot
be held as planned due to the
prevailing situation over the
coronavirus outbreak in the
country
“The new date will be
announced after March 25 and
depends on how quickly the
virus can be tackled,”
Deshapriya told reporters.
The Election Commission
accepted nominations from
political parties and indepen-
dent groups to contest the
April 25 election to appoint a
new parliament of 225-mem-
people who died of the disease
7,263 patients still undergoing
treatment and 70,420 patients
discharged after recovery.
By the end of Wednesday,
192 confirmed cases including
four deaths had been reported
in Hong Kong, 15 confirmed
cases in the Macao and 100 in
Taiwan including one death,
China’s National Health
Commission (NHC) said.
Over 42,000 medical per-
sonnel including hundreds of
&DVHVLQ*HUPDQ\
VRDUSDVW
Berlin: Germany has recorded
10,999 cases of the novel coro-
navirus, official data showed
Thursday, with the number of
new reported infections rising
by 2,801 in a single day.
Twenty people have died
from the viral infection, data
from the disease control agency
Robert Koch Institute (RKI)
showed. North Rhine-
Westphalia remains the worst-
hit state, with 3,033 COVID-19
cases, up 661 from a day ago.
The data is compiled from
regional authorities of cases
tested for the virus. But
depending on an individual
state’s policies, many other
bers.
Over 16 million people
are eligible to vote.
The election was called by
President Gotabaya Rajapaksa
on March 2, six months ahead
of the schedule.
Since Sri Lanka’s detection
of its first COVID-19 case two
weeks ago, the island nation has
been struggling to cope with the
growing threat. There are over
50 confirmed cases with over
200 people being hospitalised.
The country has closed its
international airports and has
announced partial lockdown to
curb the spread of the new
coronavirus.
The Government on
Wednesday imposed a curfew
in the Western coastal areas -
identified as one of the hotspots
where the deadly coronavirus
was at risk of spreading. PTI
doctors and nurses drawn from
different parts of the country
and the military were deployed
in Wuhan and Hubei to bring
the virus under control.
Over 3,000 medical staff
were reported to have contract-
ed the virus with 10 deaths.
Over 56 million people
belonging to area continued to
languish in lockdown situation
with a ban on all public and
private transportation since
January 23. PTI
possible cases may not have
been tested because they show
only mild symptoms or have
not been in contact with a
known case.
With the contagion show-
ing no signs of abating author-
ities have ordered schools
closed, non-essential shops
shut and made repeated calls
for Germans to stay home.
With the pleas appearing to
fall on the deaf ears of some,
two small Bavarian villages
have imposed a lockdown.
Leaders in bigger cities
and regions have also warned
that they may be forced to take
tougher action. AFP
Washington: US congress-
woman Tulsi Gabbard dropped
out of the Democratic presi-
dential nomination race on
Thursday and immediately
endorsed rival Joe Biden as flag
bearer heading into the
November election against
President Donald Trump.
“Today, I’m suspending my
presidential campaign and
offering my full support to vice
president Joe Biden in his quest
to bring our country together,”
the lawmaker from Hawaii said
in an online video message.
“Although I may not agree
with the vice president on every
issue, I know that he has a good
heart, and he is motivated by his
love for our country and the
American people.”
Her move leaves frontrun-
ner Biden and leftist Senator
Bernie Sanders as the final
two candidates in the
Democratic race.
2>E83 (>DC1A40:
#(=4F340C7B8=8A0=C>;;A40274B !'# F78BC;41;>F4A8=FD70=?D=8B743
by Deputy Health Minister
Tehran: Iranian authorities on
Alireza Raisi.
Thursday announced 149 new
deaths from the novel coron-
avirus, raising the toll to 1,284
in a country that is one of the
worst hit by the pandemic.
While Thursday’s death
toll surpassed that of the pre-
vious day’s — 147 were report-
ed on Wednesday — the num-
ber of new cases has fallen,
according to figures provided
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Rome: Italy on Thursday over-
took China's coronavirus death
total and braced for an extend-
ed lockdown that could see the
economy suffer its biggest
shock since World War II.
The Mediterranean coun-
try's toll reached 3,405 after it
recorded 427 new deaths on
Wednesday.
China has officially
reported 3,245 deaths since
registering the first case at the
end of last year.
The number of new
COVID-19 cases is yet to
plateau despite the Italian gov-
ernment's best efforts.
Army trucks delivered
new coffins Thursday to a
Gabbard’s endorsement
comes as somewhat of a sur-
prise, given that she was a
fierce supporter of Sanders in
2016 and supports his Medicare
for All plan for a government
health system to cover every
American.
But Sanders is under
mounting pressure to drop out
after performing poorly in sev-
eral recent primaries including
three states swept by Biden this
week.
“After Tuesday’s election, it’s
clear that Democratic primary
voters have chosen vice presi-
dent Joe Biden to be the person
who will take on President
Trump in the general election,”
Gabbard said.
“I’m confident that he will
lead our country, guided by the
spirit of ‘aloha,’ respect and
compassion, and thus help heal
the divisiveness that has been
tearing our country apart.” AFP
8=0??A>?A80C4;H2>?B0?>;>68B4
A total of 18,407 people
have contracted the disease in
Iran, with 1,046 new cases
confirmed in the last 24 hours.
“In 11 provinces” out of 31,
“the number of infections has
decreased because people have
followed our guidelines”, Raisi
said, renewing the call for
Iranians to stay home. AFP
cemetery in the northern
Italian city of Bergamo that
suddenly finds itself at the
global heart of the unfolding
disaster.
Burials were taking place
30 minutes apart to avoid
contagion through crowds.
Masked undertakers
wrapped from head to toe in
white suits carted the coffins
on gurneys to speed up the
process.
Italy's ANSA news agency
said the deaths of two more
doctors in the nearby town of
Como west of Bergamo on
Thursday brought the total
number of medics killed by the
new disease to 13. AFP
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Jerusalem: With the Israeli
government enacting a series
of emergency measures to
stem the spread of the new
coronavirus, Prime Minister
Benjamin Netanyahu is facing
growing accusations that he is
exploiting the crisis to
entrench himself in power
and undermining the coun-
try’s democratic foundations.
Amid a wave of sweeping
restrictions that have put Israel
in near shutdown mode,
Netanyahu has managed to
postpone his own pending
criminal trial, authorize
unprecedented electronic sur-
Beijing: Police in China’s virus
epicentre Wuhan on Thursday
apologised to the family of a
doctor, who was reprimanded
for trying to issue the first
warning about the deadly
coronavirus outbreak, after a
Chinese government investi-
gation found that their action
against the whistleblower was
New York: Mayor of New
York Bill de Blasio has cau-
tioned that the number of
COVID-19 cases in the city
could increase substantially to
about 10,000 very soon and
called for “urgent interven-
tion” by the federal govern-
ment to help slow down the
trajectory of the coronavirus
pandemic.
The United States has at
least 8,736 cases of coron-
avirus and 149 deaths, accord-
ing to state and local health
authorities and the Centers for
Disease Control and
Prevention.
New York is by far the
worst-hit state, with more
veillance of Israeli citizens
and block parliament from
pressing ahead with legislation
aimed at pushing him from
office.
The moves, on the heels of
the country’s third inconclu-
sive election in less than a year
and under the shadow of
Netanyahu’s corruption indict-
ment, sparked leading oppo-
sition figure Yair Lapid to tell
Israeli citizens that they “no
longer live in a democracy.”
“There is no judicial
branch in Israel. There is no
legislative branch in Israel.
There is only an unelected
f^a[S !
not appropriate.
Li Wenliang, 34, con-
tracted the virus while work-
ing at Wuhan Central
Hospital.
Li, an ophthalmologist, had
sent out a warning to fellow
medics on December 30 but
police told him to stop “mak-
ing false comments”. PTI
than 2,900 cases and 21
deaths. The city added nearly
1,000 cases of individuals
infected by the virus in a span
of just one day.
“So, a hundred plus new
cases yesterday…that is what
I’m seeing as a kind of a gal-
lop now. This morning, the
latest news, 923 cases, but
we’re going to top a thousand
today undoubtedly. We’re
going to be at 10,000 not so
long from now,” de Blasio
told NBC.
He said the exponential
increase in the number of
cases will put a strain on the
city’s hospitals, particularly
the ICUs. PTI
0?
government that is headed by
a person who lost the election.
You can call that by a lot
of names, it isn’t a democracy,”
he said in a recorded video.
The new coronavirus has
spread to more than 100 coun-
tries, infected more than
217,000 people worldwide and
killed more than 8,700. For
most people, it causes only
mild or moderate symptoms,
such as fever and cough. For
some, especially older adults
and people with existing
health problems, it can cause
more severe illness, including
pneumonia. AP
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t was in 1973 when Jack Nilles, a
I NASA engineer, coined the term
“telecommuting”, which implies using
electronics to work remotely. Who knew
it would become a necessity or a medi-
Coronavirus or COVID-19, home has
become the new workplace. Employees,
managers and other office staff in metro
cities — especially Delhi-NCR — are
being asked to work from home to avoid
movement and in turn, the spread of the
deadly disease. However, making such a
protocol work properly could be challeng-
CEOs to do so efficiently.
Roma Priya, founder of Burgeon Law,
believes that getting organised, being
mindful of creating boundaries between
work and personal life are the key to
working from home efficiently. She says,
“One needs to identify when to work and
domestic chores or personal matters. Start
your day early and stick to your regular
working schedules every day. Laying out
clear guidelines for employees will help
employees meet deadlines and check the
Another important factor is to plan the
breaks accordingly and not take leeway
or stretch these breaks. One can also
utilise the time spent on ordinary days
favour of family time or self-care.”
This is the best option for organisa-
tions to ensure that only a few employ-
ees have travelled or are in contact with
those who have recent travel histories,
says Neha Bagaria, founder and CEO,
Jobsforher. She adds, “Gather a cross-
functional team together that includes
business-line leaders, IT, HR, communi-
cations and facilities to plan for different
scenarios and optimise execution to
ensure that there is minimal impact on
the business when everyone connects
remotely. Ensure that employees have the
required equipment at home.”
The absence of face-to-face commu-
nication could be frustrating and man-
aging coordinations from different cor-
ners are taxing. It’s better to use sharing
tools such as G-Suite (drive, sheets,
docs, slides) to collaborate live on docu-
ments.
Narayan Mahadevan, founder of
BridgeLabz, says, “The general notion
about working from home is looked upon
as less-productive as compared to regu-
lar workplace environment. However, if
you give a defined start to the day and
plan all the tasks as per a time-sheet,
achieving targets will become easier.
Taking short breaks while staying con-
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he Indian automotive industry had
T a torrid time in 2019. With new
safety regulations driving up prices fol-
industry found sales collapsing. While
certain models surprised with strong
sales, the Kia Seltos, Hyundai Venue and
eral hitherto popular cars saw sales
decline. As diesel and petrol prices
moved towards parity levels and with
BS6 impacting small diesel engines, the
defying planners expectations. There
were some positives though, Hyundai-
erful turbo-petrol engines on their
cars, consumers not just adopting auto-
matics but also recognising the differ-
ence between types of technology as
well as the move to safer cars.
However, the industry had hoped
that as 2019 turned to 2020, the third
nected to your colleagues always helps in
remote working culture. It’s important to
set reasonable daily goals and not to
multi-task to get the maximum output.
Also, to map the progress, one should cre-
ate and update a to-do list regularly.”
Well, the key driver of change in the
way we work is technology, without which
it wouldn’t have allowed us to complete
tasks and attend meetings from anywhere
in the world, points out Sandip Chhettri,
chief operating officer, TradeIndia. He
says, “We have developed proper report-
ing and tracking software to make sure
our employees remain focussed on their
work. We have also developed a Sales
Force Automation App to monitor the
activity of our SalesForce, which helps
them to work remotely. Working from
home not only benefits employees by
eliminating their daily commutes but also
increases productivity and leads to health-
ier lifestyles. It’s a win-win situation and
employees have more flexibility.”
Shalini Sharma, CEO and founder of
MUMYU, who has led two different ven-
tures while working from home and tak-
decade of the millennium would be
kinder to them. They lined up a whole
slew of exciting new cars, from the sec-
ond-generation Hyundai Creta and
the fifth-generation Honda City to
several new cars and brands showcased
at the Auto Expo that took place in early
February. But by then, word was already
spreading of a new viral infection
doing the rounds in China, the Wuhan
fever or what we know as SARS-CoV-
2 today. It almost led to the cancellation
of the Auto Expo but with some safety
measures in place including masks
and enough hand sanitiser, the event
carried on. It would not have been pos-
sible to have held such an event today.
Even six-seven weeks ago, specula-
tion began to rise on whether the
Chinese would be able to contain their
‘disease’; many of us who are frequent
travellers doubted that. Gradually, it
became a pandemic. Germany, the
United States and the United Kingdom
are all suffering from severe outbreaks
but a few nations have suffered more
like Italy and Iran. And where illness
and death are concerned, the lack of
sales is actually an irrelevance but the
Indian auto industry really didn’t need
this to happen in 2020, especially after
the way it suffered in 2019.
Understandably, a few major media
drives that were scheduled for this week
itself, that of the Honda City and the
Hyundai Creta did not happen. This, of
course, has had a knock-on impact on
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the aviation sector and hotels. The auto-
motive sector spends a lot on promo-
tion and marketing. Thanks to the scare
of the virus spreading and the talk of
social distancing, very few people are
visiting showrooms right now. While
Hyundai India’s SS Kim told me at the
launch of the new Creta that the com-
pany is bolstering online sales, the fact
is that buyers would want to go check
the newer cars at least at a showroom.
On the Creta, for example, how will you
experience the central arm-rest mount-
ed touch controls for the Air Purifier,
which is pretty cool. It is possibly worse
for Honda, which unlike Hyundai did
not even take part at the Auto Expo and
thus, could not even showcase the new
City.
While most of us are sure that
things will tide over with regards to the
virus sooner rather than later, I would
warn folks not to treat March 31 as a
sort of end-date. The auto industry will
not get a reprieve for a while yet. One
reason is the globalised nature of this
industry and with the contagion con-
tinuing in Europe and the United
States, the Geneva Motor Show will not
be the only major show to get cancelled
this year. Forget media drives, the
movement of executives, men and
materiel will come to a shuddering halt.
And even if sales pick up, after a tepid
2019 and weak overall economic sen-
timent, 2020 already seems like a year
best forgotten.
ing care of kids from past eight years, says,
“We are backed by a team of 450 WFH
women employees and four mainline
ones. A WFH setup can be exceptional-
ly successful, only if well executed. The
key is communication, which includes
transparency among the team, proper
flow of information, aggressive approach
to connectivity and a regular follow-up.
The actual work hours at home can actu-
ally turn out to be better than office set-
up because of the home environment and
not let the habit-breaking barrier take
over. It takes almost 40 days to get into
the habit of working from home but it
only takes five to seven days to start falling
in routine of it. If you can bear this tran-
sition time, you will get through the rest
of it.”
Aarti Gill, co-founder of Oziva, says,
“Work from home is usually not a very
popular choice and implementing it
could be challenging for many. However,
while we are at it, given the need of the
hour, implementing and following a
couple of work etiquette remotely can
2SfSS]V`WYjXZV_V
7KHIHDURIDQLQIHFWLRQUHYLYHVGHPDQGIRU
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A mid the rapid spread of the new
coronavirus across Europe, the hall-
mark Marseille tradition of soap-mak-
ing is enjoying a renaissance, as the
French rediscover an essential local
product.
Serge Bruna’s grandfather entered the
then-booming business in the southern
port city more than a century ago. His
father followed suit, although the fami-
ly enterprise was requisitioned during
World War II, when soap was considered
an essential commodity.
Today, Bruna sells soap from the
same shopfront on Marseille’s Old Port
— wearing a sanitary mask and skintight
gloves. “Even though we work in a fac-
tory full of virus-repellent soap, it is good
to take precautions,” he said.
Bruna’s Savonnerie de la Licorne,
which runs four soap shops on the Old
Port, a museum and a small factory in
the heart of Marseille, has seen its shop
sales increase 30 percent and delivery
orders quadruple since Italy declared a
state of emergency over the coron-
avirus.
Julie Dinot wears a mask as she
attends to customers at the Savonnerie
de la Licorne shop on Marseille’s Old Port
in Marseille, Southern France. “We had
fewer tourists or none at all in our stores,”
he said. “On the other hand, (Marseilles
residents) were much more frequent vis-
itors and some even came to stockpile.”
The COVID-19 illness causes mild
or moderate symptoms in most of those
infected but severe symptoms are more
likely in the elderly or people with exist-
help in efficient working. Most important
and effective way to focus on work and
be productive at home is treat it like your
everyday routine and freshen up and
dress and sit for work. You can also
declutter and organise your space and
turn it into a workstation. Be in touch
with your colleagues online.”
Bharath Sastry, CEO of Vistaprint
who worked from home for 1.5 years at
the beginning of her career when she set
up her own startup. She learnt along the
way. She says, “It is is essential to be pre-
pared with adequate equipment. Have
proper infrastructure for yourself and
team, namely laptops, wifi, video/ audio,
a suitable chair and table at home.”
Moreover, creating an office-like set
up is important. She says, “Work during
the day exactly as you would do other-
wise at office. Start off at the same time,
go through your meetings and actions
and end the day as you would do at the
office.” And last but not the least is the
element of trust when working remote-
ly. “Believe that your team is also work-
ing), and trust me they will be,” she adds.
ing health problems. The vast majority
of those infected recover.
As the public rushed to buy supplies
to last during a looming quarantine,
Bruna and his artisans continued mak-
ing soap by hand, filling the port-view
shops as well as boxes destined for export.
With an abundance of local oils, soda
and salt, Marseille boasts a lengthy tra-
dition of producing the natural soaps
once prized throughout Europe. But only
a handful of businesses are still active.
Since French shops were ordered
closed this week as a public health pre-
caution, the Savonnerie de la Licorne
now only carries out deliveries, supply-
ing pharmacies across France and han-
dling individual orders made online.
“I’m not sure that making our soaps
is more important than before, but I
would say that people who have lost the
habit of using Marseille soap have all of
a sudden rediscovered its properties,” he
said.
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DIGGING IN
ast summer, I travelled to
L Ireland to learn about Irish
whisky, a spirit I knew relative-
ly little about. The Irish drink
I knew better was Guinness,
which I enjoyed occasionally
and use to make my favourite
Chocolate Chocolate Cake.
Turns out, I am not alone in my
ndians have expanded their culi- unfamiliarity with Irish whisky.
coffee “in the name of research.”
I was not disappointed. The cof-
fee was flavourful but light, not
bitter at all. It complemented
and softened the sharp Irish
whisky; when you sipped it
through the rich pillows of
fresh, thickened cream, the
bite of the whisky was tamed,
and it was heavenly.

I nary boundaries in all direc-

tions. Taste and preferences
changed along the way and the
audacity of experiments rose.
With growing urbanisation and
millennials staying away from
their families, dining at restau-
rants and cafes that reminded
Indian foodies of a meal rus-
tled up at home became the
preferred choice. Decline in
daily cooking at home due to
changing social dynamics and
attitude towards cooking has
also brought about this trans-
formation and thus powered
this longing for ‘ghar ka
khaana.’ However, these are just
some trends that have created a
new normal.
Reaching out to over 150 experts
— chefs, thought leaders and food
influencers across major cities — a
report by Godrej provides on-
ground insights on food trends from
the four directions — north (Delhi),
south (Chennai and Bengaluru),
east (Kolkata) and west (Mumbai).
Data has been collected from vari-
ous celebrity chefs, home chefs,
professional chefs, food bloggers,
health professionals, media profes-
sionals, mixologists, nutritionists,
restaurateurs, sommeliers, food pro-
ducers, and many more, who shared
deep insights about their respective
areas of expertise.
=>AC7
Think of the north India and
invariably Delhi crosses the mind
first. The place is synonymous with
butter chicken. This was the been the
case, at least until a decade ago. But
the past few years have seen a huge
shift in the dining habits of north
Indians. Regional cuisines have
flourished. Punjabi, Sindhi, Khatri,
Bihari, Muslim, Kayastha, Baniya,
Bengali, North Eastern and even
South Indian flavours are being
explored in the metros and savoured
in smaller towns.
While there is an entire new food
universe that has mushroomed
which includes concept kitchens,
casual diners, clubs, pubs, breweries
— you name it and they have it.
However, as a region, the north con-
tinues to patronise dining out at
restaurants and street food outlets
but the home chef-driven pop-up
concept never took off here.
Even though Delhi remains the
epi-
centre
and trend-
setter when it
comes to the food
industry, but, the past few
years have also seen smaller cities in
the north discovering their own
culinary identities. Lucknow is happy
to pay a premium for Baghare baigan
now, while Chandigarh continues to
celebrate Sarson ka saag. Dehradun
and Nainital have woken up to the
beauty of Jakhiya aloo and Bhang ki
chutney and Bihar’s Litti-Choka is
setting tongues on fire. Delhi mean-
while is happy to indulge everyone
— whatever their preference maybe.
Global warming and pollution
have been issues in focus, and this
has led to a big shift in focus on sus-
tainability, demand for organic food
and back-to-roots dining. Urban
farmers are bringing long overdue
focus on clean crops and millets;
organic grains, and local ingredients
are being celebrated, albeit at a
niche level.
B>DC7
South India comprises the culi-
nary diversity of Kerala, Tamil Nadu,
Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka.
Here is a region steeped in rich culi-
nary traditions that continues to
influence the dining culture, along-
side celebrating new age trends.
All across the South, there has
been an inward focus and native
micro-cuisines are being celebrated;
from
the Temple
cuisine of
Tamil Nadu, to the
Gowda cuisine of Karnataka, from
the Mapilla food of Kerala, to culi-
nary traditions of Rayalseema in
Telangana and more. Large scale
movements like Karnataka spear-
heading the revival of traditional
millets recently or even Kerala’s
jackfruit that has become synony-
mous with the global vegan trend,
characterise the region’s food.
Dining, both in and out, have
been dynamic here. Bengaluru, cel-
ebrates pan-Indian and global trends
in equal measures, while adding it
own innovative spins. You will find
Donne Biryani on brewpub menus
just as easily as you would find
Nikkei-styled ceviches in Asian
restaurants. Chennai, a bastion of
traditional food cultures, is increas-
ingly known for great Asian and
Japanese cuisine options. Micro-
brewing has taken the south, partic-
ularly Bengaluru by storm, with
Hyderabad picking up pace. Across
the Southern states provenance of
food is being given importance,
alongside a demand for both tradi-
tional and modern experiences for
the diner to explore.
These experiences range from
pop-ups by celebrity international
chefs or home chefs championing a
lesser known micro-cuisine. It
includes thematic tables
with story-telling; pairings
with a range of beverages
and even take-home chefs,
pre-prepped food kits and
more. Going back to roots
with traditional home cook-
ing, right down to the use of
cookware particular to a dish
or region is also common today.
40BC
As Eastern and North Eastern
cuisines — be it Assamese, Bihari or
Oriya — gain prominence nation-
wide, within the region, native
cuisines are being revisited by home
cooks and chefs alike, who are dig-
ging deeper into region’s culinary and
cultural repertoire, breaking existing
moulds, challenging stereotypes and
presenting a fresh, more nuanced
perspective on these cuisines.
Local ingredients and indigenous
produce are coming into the limelight
not just in the home-dining space but
also in the restaurant kitchen. For
instance, in Bengal the mounting
interest in reviving and espousing the
region’s mind-boggling indigenous
rice diversity, has encouraged Kolkata
restaurants to put a Tulaipanji or a
Dudheswar on the menu, instead of
the ubiquitous Basmati.
At the same time diners have also
grown more inquisitive about the
what, how, wherefrom and why of the
food they eat. There’s also a growing
proclivity for experiential dining
with a focus on story-telling. The
story behind the food — a slice of his-
tory, an anecdote or even a few words
on the source of ingredients — is as
important as the dish itself. The
growing mindfulness around food
has also encouraged the spirit of
revivalism. Overall it seems that the
key to move forward is to look back
and dig deep.
F4BC
How far we’ve come! We’ve
moved on from Italian, Chinese
and coastal cuisine — to Neapolitan,
Cantonese, and seasonal sustainable
seafood. And this not only in the
busiest urban centres of western
India, but also in Bhavnagar and in
R aigarh, in Udaipur and in
Mangalore.
Mumbai, as the commercial and
culinary capital of the region, has
been long known for its urbane din-
ing scene. It’s a city that knows how
to eat well, on and off the streets, at
home and outside, in front of the
television, at solo tables, at sit-down
multi-course dinners, and at deca-
dent half-day-long brunches. In
recent years, we enjoy celebrity chef
pop ups, we love being fed by talent-
ed regional home cooks, we enjoy
fancy catering events that offer us
flavours from across the globe. And
we ask for and have all of this, with-
out taking ourselves too seriously.
But delightful dining can be
found beyond the Millenium city
and all over the region. Ahmedabad
has restaurants and traditional food
festivals that are destinations unto
themselves; Goa’s restaurant scene
has never been more thrilling;
Nashik is where we make some of
our best wines; Jaipur recently had
a chocolate festival.
And so it follows, that, in the last
decade, we’re asking for more from
our food industry, and we’re getting
it. As purveyors and diners, we have
access, talent, curiosity and interest.
We have knowledge and pride in our
regionality and in the quality of our
ingredients, as well where they (and
we) come from. Mumbai has Latin
American and Ethiopian restaurants
now, yes, but indeed, we also have
Sindhi eateries and food festivals
serving Assamese silkworm pupae
right alongside our burgeoning craft
beer and gin scene.
In the last decade, we’ve gotten
better at understanding food, and
we’re continuing to get better at
understanding ourselves through
what we eat.
Today’s Irish whisky industry is
relatively young. It all but died
out after Ireland gained inde-
pendence from Britain in 1922.
In 1980, there were only two
distilleries, Bushmills and
Midleton, makers of Jameson
and other well-known brands.
Today there are 31. Irish whisky,
like other whiskeys today, is
booming.
Distilleries now are making
balanced and nuanced
whiskeys that are best sipped
slowly like a good scotch, bour-
bon or rye. Before I got to
Ireland, I wondered if Irish cof-
fee there is like German
Chocolate Cake in Germany —
an American creation. But
almost everywhere we went, we
were served an Irish coffee. And
they were delicious. Way better
than anything I had experi-
enced in the States.
These Irish coffees were
served in glass Irish coffee
mugs, some plain, some fancy
and one even cut crystal. The
transparent glass and the mug’s
telltale shape signaled that it
was time for a pick-me-up.
Some versions of Irish cof-
fee in Ireland were simple and
plain, strong with whisky.
Others had been accessorised
with a sprinkle of cocoa or cin-
namon and sweetened with
vanilla-bean syrup, chocolate or
caramel like a fancy coffee
drink. They were all good, but
for me, one stood out.
After lunch one
day, we went to the
Stag’s Head pub
in Dublin. It sits
at the end of a
pedestrian street
and has been a
beloved part of
the Dublin land-
scape for 250
years this year. It is
a warm, convivial
space, the perfect
place to experience
a neat Irish whisky
with ½-pint of
Guinness on the side
— my favourite order
during my trip.
After consuming
my first round, I
ordered an Irish
The Irish Coffee was so
exceptional that I asked the
manager of the pub for the
secret. He was hesitant at first
to tell me, and then said I
wouldn’t believe it. I anticipat-
ed that he was going to say it
was Ireland’s exceptional cream.
But that wasn’t it.
The secret to a great Irish
Coffee, it turns out, is instant
coffee. That’s right, the instant
coffee you can get at the grocery
store. He told me you can’t use
coffee that is too strong, too
flavourful or, in his words, too
“good.” Those coffees will upset
the balance of the drink.
So, you need instant coffee,
Irish whisky and the best cream
you can find, thickened but not
whipped. Layer the coffee,
whisky and cream in that order
in a tall mug. In Ireland, they
use a heatproof glass mug so
you can see all the layers. I suc-
cumbed and purchased an Irish
Coffee mug so I could recreate
the experience at home, but you
can serve it in any heatproof
mug.
When I came home, I start-
ed making the Dublin pub’s
Irish Coffee with instant espres-
so powder because that’s what
I had on hand. A spoonful of
the powder mixed with 5
ounces of boiling water made
the base. I added 1 ounce of
Irish whisky and a big dollop of
thickened, heavy cream. It’s
important that the
water is boiling,
because the cream is
cold and will cool
off the coffee as
you drink it.
This Irish
Coffee
couldn’t
be easi-
er, feels
like a
treat,
and is
b o t h
relaxing
and invigorat-
ing, a welcome
change from hot tea and
hot chocolate when you
come in from the
cold.
°0?

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IOA CONFIDENT OF ON-TIME TOKYO OLYMPICS ?\iS_e\TRUTU\QiUT

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05?Q ;>=3>= and our other federations, is that

W orld athletics chief Sebastian

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?C8Q =4F34;78
kepticism is sweeping through
SOlympic
the world but the Indian
Association on Thursday
backed the IOC’s assertion that the
upcoming Tokyo Olympics will
weather the COVID-19 pandem-
ic and be held on time without a
glitch.
The International Olympic
Committee (IOC) and the Tokyo
Games organisers are adamant
that the Games will start on July 24
as scheduled despite the coron-
avirus pandemic crippling health
care systems and destroying
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economies across the world.
“The coronavirus is creating
havoc throughout the world but we
are hopeful it will be contained in
one or two months. It has already
been controlled in China, the epi-
center of the disease, and we are
expecting the Olympics to be held
without any hindrance on its
scheduled time,” a senior IOA
office-bearer said.
“But having said that IOC is
our parent body, we will have to
abide by what the IOC decides. If
the IOC says the Olympics will go
on we will have to participate irre-
spective of any threat,” he said.
The IOC’s stance has angered
many athletes, who have accused
it of putting them at risk. Some
officials have also expressed their
apprehension.
Responding to the criticism,
the world body on Wednesday
conceded that there are no easy
solutions for the current situation.
The pandemic has wreaked
havoc on Olympic preparations of
athletes, including those from
India. Several qualifiers have been
suspended and training trips
abroad are off the table thanks to
travel restrictions.
The IOA admitted that coun-
0?5X[T?XRcdaT
try’s preparations have been hit
hard but should the Games hap-
pen, it is nonetheless expecting an
unprecedented double digit medal
haul from the athletes.
“Yes, it is true our preparations
have been hit with many Olympic
qualifiers, Test events and prepara-
tory camps abroad being post-
poned or cancelled because of the
coronavirus,” the official said.
“But it is not just India, every
country is facing the same situa-
tion so, the impact is same for
every competing nation. So, our
expectations still remain the same
— 10 or more medals in Tokyo,” he
8cVVTVYR_U`gVc@]j^aZTW]R^V
Coe admitted on Thursday
that the Tokyo Olympics could be
moved to later in the year by the
coronavirus outbreak, but said it
was too early to make a definitive
decision.
International
Committee chairman Thomas
Olympic
Bach said earlier this week that
starting on schedule on July 24
remained the organisation’s goal.
But Coe, who is a member of
the Tokyo Olympics Games
Coordination Commission, con-
ceded in an interview with the BBC
that a delay was possible.
“That is possible, any-
thing is possible at the
moment,” said Coe when
asked whether the Games
could be postponed to
September or October.
“But I think the posi-
tion that sport has certain-
ly taken, and it was cer-
tainly the tempera-
ture of the room
in the con-
versation
I had the
other
day with
the IOC
asserted. He said the IOA is close-
ly monitoring the situation with all
the stakeholders in the country.
“We are monitoring all our
athletes’ preparations as well as
nobody is saying we will be going
to the Games come what may.
“But it isn’t a decision that has
to be made at this moment.”
Coe, who played a pivotal
role in securing the Olympics for
London in 2012, said postponing
the Games until 2021 could present
problems.
“That seems on the surface of
it an easy proposition, but mem-
ber federations actually avoid
Olympic years often to have their
world championships,” he said.
Britain’s retired four-time row-
ing Olympic Gold medallist
Matthew Pinsent called for
decisive action.
“On a global front
we have other priori-
ties and I think the
Olympics should at the
very least be saying we
should postpone or
indeed just cancel at
this stage and we’ll talk
about postponement
later on,” he told the
BBC.
“I just don’t
think there’s
much of a
choice at
t h i s
stage.”
their well-being.
We are also closely working
with the Government of India,
Tokyo Games orgainsers as well as
IOC in this tough time,” he said.
Olympics. Imoto, a UNICEF
0dbUXa\PbTg^UUXRXP[
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05?Q <4;1>DA=4
ustralian Olympic chiefs on Thursday
A reaffirmed plans to send athletes to
Tokyo 2020, even as a former top official
warned it looked impossible to hold the
Games.
Australian Olympic Committee chief
Matt Carroll said his organisation was doing
everything possible to “fulfil the dreams of
Australian athletes in incredibly difficult cir-
cumstances”.
“The AOC does not live in a bubble,” he
said, after a worldwide phone conference with
IOC president Thomas Bach.
“There is a global health crisis. We
recognise that people are suffering. Things are
changing every day and we must adapt.”
“We gain confidence from the IOC’s over-
riding principles regarding staging the Games.
Namely, to protect the health of everyone
involved and support the containment of the
virus,” he added.
His comments came as Australia’s chef de
mission at the London 2012 Olympics, Nick
Green, told the Sydney Morning Herald he
doubted the Games can proceed as planned.
“A couple of weeks ago, I was as confident
as everyone else, saying the Olympics would
go ahead, no problem,” said Green, an
Olympic rowing champion.
“I’m pretty robust about it but I don’t have
the same robustness in my thinking now. I
actually can’t see how the Games can go ahead,
to be frank.”
)PRYHXSPLG
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?C8Q =4F34;78 “No coach, technical/support 0?Q F0B78=6C>= representative, was reportedly a ormula One will observe its mid-season

he sports ministry on Thursday

T advised all national federations to
refrain from conducting tourna-
ments and selection trials till April 15
besides asking them to ensure that
Olympic-bound athletes are isolated
from anyone who is not a part of their
training camp.
“All sport organisations and their
affiliate units are advised against
holding any sports events, including
competitions or selection trials till
15th April, 2020,” the ministry said
in a letter to the Indian Olympic
Association and NSFs, including the
BCCI.
It also asked federations to not
allow any non-camper athlete, coach
or support staff in Olympic training
camps without following proper
quarantine protocols for COVID-19.
The ministry’s two-point direc-
tive states: “No exposure to athlete be
allowed from outside in the campus
where training is underway.
staff athlete etc presently not in
training camp and not staying in the
training campus be allowed to inter-
act or mingle with trainee athletes
without following quarantine proto-
cols.”
Sports Minister Kiren Rijiju said
all precautionary measures are in
place to ensure that athletes are pro-
tected by the deadly virus.
“We will ensure that no athlete,
coach or support staff travel so as to
avoid coming in contact with anyone.
Any mass gathering is completely
prohibited,” he said.
“We have made exceptions only
for those who have qualified for the
Olympics or are very close to quali-
fying. They are very, very critical
because if they miss their training,
then it will have a huge impact on our
preparations for Tokyo Olympics,” he
added.
“For that also, outsiders are pro-
hibited and strict guidelines are
being issued to ensure that.”
ll men’s and women’s professional
A tennis tournaments through June 7 are
being called off because of the new coro-
navirus pandemic.
The ATP and WTA announced that
the entire clay-court circuit “will not be
held as scheduled” — a day after the start
of the French Open, also played on that
surface, was postponed from May to
September.
The tours had said last week they
would suspend play until late April or early
May.
The tournaments affected by the tours’
suspensions include combined men’s and
women’s events in Madrid and Rome.
Also being scrapped are upcoming
WTA tournaments in Strasbourg, France,
and Rabat, Morocco, along with ATP
events in Munich; Estoril, Portugal;
Geneva; and Lyon, France.
Both tours also said that their rankings
will be frozen “until further notice.” The
International Tennis Federation also put a
halt to its lower-tier events until June 7.
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reece on Thursday handed
G over the Olympic flame to
Tokyo 2020 organisers at a cer-
emony held behind closed
doors.
In the absence of spectators,
Olympic gymnastics champion
Lefteris Petrounias ran a lap
with the flame and Olympic
pole vault champion Katerina
Stefanidi lit a cauldron inside the
all-marble Panathenaic stadium,
where the first modern
Olympics were held in 1896.
The flame was then hand-
ed to Tokyo 2020 representative
Naoko Imoto, a swimmer who
competed in the Atlanta 1996
last-minute appointment as she
already lives in Greece and did
not have to travel from Japan.
Greek President Katerina
Sakellaropoulou in a state-
ment said the ancient Olympic
values of “concord, goodwill,
brotherhood... are the weapon
to use” against the virus.
Last week’s flame lighting
ceremony in ancient Olympia
was also carried out without
spectators as Greece regis-
tered its first death from the
virus.
“Regretfully the COVID-
19 outbreak made us take
hard decisions and change our
initial plans. We deeply regret
that you... were not able to
travel to Greece and join us
here today,” Greek Olympic
Committee chairman Spyros
Kapralos said, addressing
Tokyo organisers absent from
Thursday’s ceremony.
F shutdown in March and April instead of
late summer due to the ongoing coronavirus
outbreak, while the organisers of the 24
Hours of Le Mans have announced a post-
ponement of the iconic endurance race from
June to September.
“In light of the global impact of the
COVID-19 currently affecting the organi-
sation of FIA Formula One World
Championship events, the World Motor
Sport Council has approved a change to the
2020 FIA Formula 1 Sporting Regulations,
moving the summer shutdown period from
July and August to March and April and
extending it from 14 to 21 days,” the
Federation Internationale de l’Automobile
(FIA) said in a statement.
The F1 season was supposed to begin
last Sunday in Melbourne with the Australian
Grand Prix, but the race was called off just
before the start of free practice.
China, where the coronavirus outbreak
originated, had already postponed the
Chinese Grand Prix. Upcoming races in
Bahrain and Vietnam have likewise been put
on hold.
“All competitors must therefore observe
a shutdown period of 21 consecutive days

058RP]RT[8]SXP]6?_^bc_^]T5TS2d_ 0cW[TcTbaTcda]X]VUa^\WXVWaXbZ2>E83 ( 1PhTa]bTcRhQTa during the months of March and/or April.

The change was supported unanimously by

?C8Q =4F34;78
he Athletics Federation of India on
T Thursday cancelled the Indian
Grand Prix hours before it was to begin,
paying heed to the government’s direc-
tive.
The event was scheduled to be held
at NIS Patiala.
Next month’s Federation Cup
National Senior Championships (April
10-13), a qualifying event for the Tokyo
Olympics, has been postponed to a later
date.
The development came after hours
after the Sports Ministry advised all
national federations to refrain from
conducting competitions and selection
trials till April 15.
Indian athletics’ High Performance
Director Volker Herrmann said that the
AFI will have to abide by the govern-
ment’s directive.
“The Indian GP at Patiala will not
be held on Friday. It is unfortunate for
the athletes who are trying to qualify for
the Olympics but the health of Indian
PUUTRcTS]PcX^]bfX[[QT`dPaP]cX]TS)AXYXYd caPX]X]VbTbbX^]b
people is more important than sports.
So, with regret we took the decision to
cancel the first Indian GP on Friday.
The second GP (also to be held in
Patiala on March 25) has also been
cancelled,” Herrmann said.
“All sporting events has been
suspended till April 15 and the AFI
respects the government’s decision
in the larger interest of the country
and the health and well being of its
people,” the German added.
Asked about the status of the
Federation Cup, scheduled for
April 10-13 in Patiala, he said,
“There is no other way for the AFI than
respect the government’s decision.
Since the suspension of all sporting
events remains till April 15, the
Federation Cup is postponed.
“We will try to hold the Federation
Cup in May or June, depending on the
situation (of the COVID-19 pandem-
ic). We cannot say now when it will be
held but we have to still keep the
options open as the Olympics is still
on.”
?C8Q =4F34;78
ports Minister Kiren
Sathletes
Rijiju on Thursday said
arriving back from
high-risk COVID-19 affect-
ed countries will have to be in
mandatory quarantine but
refused to be drawn into
speculation surrounding the
IPL and the Tokyo Olympics.
Spelling out the protocol
for athletes arriving from the
most-affected countries China,
South Korea, Iran, Italy, Spain,
France and Germany, Rijiju said
they will have to follow what has
been mandated for everyone else.
“Athletes who are coming back
from countries which are very
prone to coronavirus will be quar-
antined as per the government pro-
visions. There will be no exceptions.
Anybody who has come from
abroad is being put in isolation and
athletes also have to adhere to it,”
Rijiju said while talking to reporters.
Currently, chess ace
Viswanathan Anand has self-isolat-
ed in Germany after travel restric-
tions delayed his return to India.
Wrestler Vinesh Phogat and javelin
thrower Neeraj Chopra are among
the sportspersons to have cut short
their training stints in parts of
Europe to head back due to the
COVID-19 pandemic.
They have put themselves in
isolation after returning.
He was also asked about Indian
boxers, who have been seen at pub-
lic events since returning from the
Asian Olympic Qualifiers in Jordan
after training in Italy before that.
“They have been tested and
given coronavirus negative certifi-
cates by the International Olympic
Committee. They are not in any
danger but it is advisable that they
stay in isolation,” he said.
05?Q <D=827
een to avoid unnecessary travel
K while maintaining social contact,
Bayern Munich have set up ‘cyber-
training’ sessions where players work out
together online by following exercises streamed from
the club’s headquarters.
“We all have to try to deal with the situation in
a positive way,” Bayern coach Hansi Flick told the club’s
website.
“Yesterday (Wednesday) at 11 am, we had our first
‘Cyber Training’, where the team were coached
remotely. Everyone was motivated, everyone did very
well.” The state of Bavaria has not yet introduced
mandatory confinement measures, but Bundesliga
leaders Bayern have decided to keep their players at
home in order to best respect the instructions from
health authorities.
Flick contends that keeping players in touch on
a regular basis is just as essential as the training itself.
“It will be important that we are in contact with
one another daily. The whole group is there for train-
ing,” said Flick, who directs the sessions which play-
ers can follow via their tablets.
both the F1 Strategy Group and F1
Commission,” the FIA said.
The rules require the teams to forgo all
race and car-related activity during the shut-
down and are even barred from communi-
cating with each other about anything per-
taining to performance.
Advancing the shutdown creates the
possibility for holding some postponed
races in July and August.
Automobile Club de l’Ouest, which
organises the 24 Hours of Le Mans, said on
Wednesday that it decided, based on con-
sultation with the FIA and the World
Endurance Championship (WEC), to post-
pone the 88th edition of the race from June
13-14 to September 19-20.
“Postponing the 24 Hours of Le Mans
from the original dates in June is now the
most appropriate way forward in the current
exceptional circumstances,” club president
Pierre Fillon said.
Putting off the Le Mans event will
require adjustments to the WEC and
European Le Mans Series (ELMS) schedules.
“It is the right decision to delay
in light of the current situation.
We are now working on revis-
ing our WEC and ELMS calen-

05? Q ;>=3>=
he shutdown of English football
T was extended until at least April
30 on Thursday after the Premier
League and English Football League
(EFL) held crisis meetings.
“We’ve collectively agreed that
the professional game in England
will be further postponed until no
earlier than Thursday 30 April,” said
a joint statement by the English
Football Association, Premier
League, EFL, players and man-
agers’ bodies.
UEFA’s decision to postpone
Euro 2020 for 12 months earlier this
week could allow games to be com-
pleted over the summer if strict
restrictions on travelling and mass
gatherings to halt the spread of
COVID-19 are lifted in time.
The leagues still hope to finish
the season once play can be restart-
5^W\YcXV__dRQ\\UhdU^TcXedT_g^dY\\1`bY\#
ed rather than accepting the current
standings as final or declaring the
campaign null and void.
“We’re united in our commit-
ment to finding ways of resuming
the 2019-20 football season and
ensuring all domestic and European
club league and cup matches are
played as soon as it is safe and pos-
sible to do so,” added the statement.
Even if play can commence in
early May, that could mean match-
es stretching beyond the June 30
goal UEFA agreed on for finishing
the season on Tuesday.
The end of June is when many
players’ contracts and loan deals
expire. However, the English author-
ities are putting no limit of when the
2019/20 season must be finished by.
“The FA’s Rules and Regulations
state that ‘the season shall terminate
not later than the 1 June’ and ‘each
competition shall, within the limit
laid down by The FA, determine the
length of its own playing season’.
“However, The FA’s Board has
agreed for this limit to be extend-
dars for the remainder of this
season, and for the WEC’s
Season 9, which
was due to start
ed indefinitely for the 2019/20 sea- this crisis we can look at sport and
in September
2020. We will
son in relation to Professional getting the Premier League and come back
Football.” Football Leagues back in action.” to you in
One option could see the end The sudden shutdown, though, the com-
of the 2019/20 and beginning of the could have long-lasting conse- ing days
2020/21 come together with no time quences for many lower league with more
for an off-season break. clubs worrying if they will even be news for
“Players may need to get their able to survive the next couple of both the FIA World
summer break in now before we fin- months with no income from gate Endurance
ish what was the 19/20 season and receipts. Championship and
roll it right into the 20/21 season A £50 million ($58 million) the European Le
without a break,” Brighton striker short-term relief package was Mans Series,” WEC
Glenn Murray said. announced by the EFL to help and ELMS chief
“Everyone loves sport, everyone stricken clubs on Wednesday. Gerard Neveu said.
loves watching football but I really However, there has so The 24 Hours
think the right decision was made far been no bailout from of Le Mans, first
in bringing it to a halt. the Premier League to run in 1923, is tradi-
“At this moment in time it’s ensure those further tionally held during
pretty irrelevant, people’s health is down the pyramid sur- the 24th week of the
first and foremost. Once we get over vive. year.
=4F34;78k5A830H k<0A27!!! b_^ac %

CTP\\P]PVT\T]cd]STabcP]SbX\_^acP]RT^U\h_[PhX]Vbch[T) ?dYPaP
?C8Q =4F34;78 with Arpit Vasavada, helping tion counts for little. this season, including one in Australia this time, he said: Australia, England, the pool of question.”
Saurashtra to their maiden “The question that was New Zealand, but could not “They (Smith and Warner) are players will be not more than Over the past 24 months,
heteshwar Pujara finds title on the basis of first asked on social media (dur- add to his 18 hundreds. important players but if we 20-25 whereas if you talk about India have lost Test series in

C the constant fuss over

his strike rate a tad
unfair and wants to clarify
once and for all that he has got
full backing of the team man-
agement which understands
the “importance” of his style
of play.
In the age of slam-bang
cricket, Pujara brings delight
to the purists of the game by
batting on and on without
worrying too much about
the strike-rate. But to appre-
ciate someone who epitomis-
es patience in Test cricket is
may be asking for too much
from the “millennials”.
Last week, the soft-spo-
ken 32-year-old from Rajkot
found himself at the receiving
end again on social media as
he laboured his way to 66 off
237 balls in the Ranji Trophy
final against Bengal.
To his credit, he overcame
fever and throat infection to
share a game-changing stand
innings lead.
Whether it is playing for
Saurashtra or India, Pujara is
used to constant chatter
around his strike-rate.
“I don’t think there is too
much talk (on the inside). In
media, it is described differ-
ently but the team manage-
ment has been backing me on
this completely. There is no
pressure from the captain,
coach or anyone else,” Pujara,
who is currently getting
much-needed family time
due to the COVID-19 out-
break said.
“I just want to clarify
that when it comes to strike
rate people start pointing
towards team management’s
take on it but there is no pres-
sure on me at all. The team
management understands my
style of play and its impor-
tance.”
For someone who aver-
ages 48.66 in 77 Tests, percep-
ing Ranji final) was ‘why am
I taking so long to score X
number of runs’? Whether I
“People expect big knocks
from me. I always challenge
myself to score a 100 but to
pay attention to that, no, I average close to 50 in Tests
don’t. My job is to make sure means you are scoring a half-
that the team wins at all century almost every second
times. innings.
“People have this ten- “My standards are always
dency to pinpoint one person high and I am not satisfied with
but it is just not about me. If the season that I had but I
you look at any Test series would not call it bad one at all.”
where I have scored runs With uncertainty over the
and taken little bit of time, the upcoming county season in the
opposition batsmen, most of UK due to the COVID-19 out-
them, have consumed same break, Pujara has no game
number of balls. time lined up in the near future.
“I know I can’t be a David The biggest international
Warner or Virender Sehwag assignment for him this season
but if a normal batsman takes is the tour of Australia and he
time there is nothing wrong can’t be more fired up for that.
in that.” Rather than focusing on
the loss in New Zealand, Pujara
The entire batting unit looked at the Australian chal-
had a tough time in New lenge, especially after India’s his-
Zealand with the 0-2 loss in toric triumph Down Under last
Tests marking the end of the year. “It is one of the most
international season. Pujara important series for us.”
collected five half centuries 2WTcTbWfPa?dYPaPQPcbSdaX]V8]SXP´b]TcbbTbbX^] 0? On playing a full-strength
played the way we played in the
last series, we should be able to
beat them.
10 years ago, India used to have
30-50 players who were ready
for Test cricket. I am not say-
England, South Africa and
New Zealand. Pujara said the
batsmen’s shot selection could
“Fast bowlers have to be ing there are no players avail- have been better in New
fresh and ready for that series able. But if they are ready for Zealand where they were com-
and I am sure their workload Test cricket or not, that is the pletely outplayed.
will be managed. Best part
about the tour is that we recent-
ly played in Australia (2018-19).
I feel that is the biggest advan-
tage for us.”
Pujara acknowledges that
no team, including India, is
doing consistently well overseas
and picked the reducing pool of
quality Test cricketers as the
reason for this trend.
“The importance of limit-
ed overs cricket has increased
significantly. You are not getting
too many quality Test players.
Earlier, there was a lot of impor-
tance given to a Test series.
Players used to take ample rest
before that. Now we see so
many injuries during the sea-
son. FPbX\9PUUTabPXScWPcV^X]VX]c^C!F^a[S2d_CTP\8]SXPRP]]^c[^^Z
“If you look India, QTh^]SeTcTaP]fXRZTcZTT_TaQPcb\P]<B3W^]XXUWTXbUXcP]SX]U^a\

1ecSbYS[UdUbcbYc[WUddY^W]QccYfUVY^Q^SYQ\Z_\d
?C8Q <4;1>DA=4 together,” Finch told radio station

ustralia’s ODI skipper Aaron

?Pad_P[[X:PbWhP_WPbcTa\TS8]cTa]PcX^]P[
>[h\_XR2^\\XccTT8>2bbcPcT\T]cc^
T]R^daPVTPcW[TcTbc^R^]cX]dTcaPX]X]VU^acWT
C^Zh^6P\TbPbPY^ZTbPhX]VXc\PZTb]^
bT]bTPbV^eTa]\T]cWPbbWdcS^f]P[[
caPX]X]VRT]caTbSdTc^cWT2>E83 (_P]ST\XR
3VeeVcZW@]j^aZTdRcV
A Finch has said that his coun-
try’s cricketers risk getting a mas-
sive financial jolt if the IPL and
their home season are halted by
the COVID-19 pandemic but
they have to accept the situation
as “we’re all in this together”.
Cricket Australia has already
said that it may review the NOCs
given to the players for IPL and
now the government has imposed
unprecedented travel restrictions,
which are likely to jeopardise the
Australian players’ participation
in the postponed T20 league. The
event which was to start on
March 29, has now been set for
April 15.
“That’s the risk you take
when you have the revenue-share
model, when the organisation
takes a hit then so do we. We
understand we’re all in this
SEN.
“I’m sure in the long run,
everything will be back to normal
at some stage. It’s just hard to say
when.”
Prime Minister Scott
Morrison has announced a blan-
ket “do not travel overseas” advi-
sory that will remain in place
indefinitely, to help contain the
coronavirus pandemic.
At least 17 cricketers have
lucrative IPL contracts and a
number of off-field positions are
also at stake. Australia are also
scheduled to host India for a Test
series and the men’s T20 World
Cup later this year.
Finch, who was scheduled to
join India skipper Virat Kohli at
the Royal Challengers Bangalore,
acknowledged the travel adviso-
ry and expressed helplessness in
?Pc2d\\X]b 0Pa^]5X]RWX]PUX[T_XRcdaT
this extraordinary situation.
“We’ve never seen anything
8]YdaTSFPSTc^_d[[_X]^]B^\TabTc
BH3=4H) Big-hitting Australian
batsman Matthew Wade on
Thursday abandoned plans to
play with English county side
Somerset after being advised to
rest an injured knee.
The 32-year-old had been
scheduled to pad-up for the first
half of the English summer, but
said Cricket Australia had told
to him to recuperate.
like this. That (travel advice) has
changed over the last couple of
hours. That could change in two
weeks or three weeks, it’s hard to
plan anything,” he said.
Pacer Pat Cummins had
become the highest-paid cricketer
during the IPL auction while
Steve Smith, David Warner and
Glenn Maxwell also grabbed
“It’s a big blow,” said wick-
et-keeper batsman Wade, who is
a regular in the Australian Test
team.
“I was looking forward to
the challenge of playing county
cricket... But after discussions
with the Cricket Australia med-
ical team, regrettably, it became
clear that I wouldn’t be in a posi-
tion to join Somerset.” AFP
lucrative deals.
Ricky Ponting is head coach 0]STab^]UTPabeXadbR^d[S
of the Delhi Capitals, while cur-
rent men’s team assistant coach faTRZ4]V[XbWbTPb^]
Andrew McDonald has the reins
for the Rajasthan Royals. 05?Q ;>=3>=
Former Test batsman Simon
Katich is coach of the Kohli-led ngland fast bowler James Anderson
RCB and is assisted by Tasmanian
Tigers chief Adam Griffith.
E fears the global coronavirus pandem-
ic could see the domestic and internation-
al cricket season abandoned completely.
The England and Wales Cricket Board

a`dea`_VU+8`aZTYR_U 8]SXP]f^\T]³bW^RZThcTP\_[PhbUTPa[Tbb[h]^f)=Pe]TTc 0[[2>E83 (cTbcb are due to meet with the 18 first-class coun-
ties, possibly by teleconference, in a bid to

SdaX]V?B;WPeT
see whether the existing structure for the
?C8Q 14=60;DAD 2020 summer can be maintained.
?C8Q =4F34;78
he COVID-19 pandemic notwithstand- 8]SXP´b?a^;TPVdT R^\T]TVPcXeT)?21 The County Championship is meant
to start on April 12 but a delay looks

I ndia’s chief badminton coach Pullela

Gopichand believes the Tokyo
Olympics should be postponed given
the unprecedented crisis that the
world is facing due to the COVID-19
pandemic.
“I have my doubts about the
Olympics. It is not like it is far away.
The preparation has to start now. So,
the IOC has to take a call now for
everyone to relax,” Gopichand said.
“I think, in the present scenario,
with the health scares and all the trav-
el restrictions and all, it is a tough time
and at the moment the whole world
is thinking about health and safety for
its citizens, so I think given the situ-
ation it is better if the Olympics are
postponed,” he added.
The Badminton World Federation
was severely criticised for conducting
the All England Championship earli-
er this month, despite the rapid
spread of the deadly disease.
International players, including
Saina Nehwal, slammed BWF saying
players’ safety was compromised for
financial gains and Gopichand also
didn’t mince any words.
“Definitely, I think it was a wrong
decision on BWF’s part to put the
players at risk by hosting the All
England,” said Gopichand, who is cur-
T ing, the Indian women’s hockey team is
going ahead with its plans to resume
“intense training” from next week, with
striker Navneet Kaur eying an outing at an
Olympics which look doubtful at the
moment.
The team is grouped in Pool A for the
2020 Tokyo Olympic Games where they will
play against top ranked teams such as the
Netherlands, Germany, Great Britain,
Ireland apart from South Africa.
“We will play our first match against the
Netherlands at the Olympics and quite
frankly, we are really excited to play against
them because we have not faced them in the
past,” an optimistic Kaur said.
“We don’t fear playing against these
teams and are focused on preparing well. We
are currently undergoing a week-long recov-
ery which involves light gym session,
stretching and swimming pool recovery.
“Resting well is also emphasised before
we resume intense training from next
week,” she added.
She attributed the Indian team’s upswing
in recent times to a “change in attitude”.
“Apart from winning important match-
es, I think there are a lot of other factors that
have contributed to this change and one of
them being chief coach Sjoerd’s style of play.
“He likes aggression, he has instilled that
belief in us that we are a team that can play
with good speed in our attack,” she said.
“The chief coach always tells us it’s not
over until the last whistle. Even during the
half-time of the Olympic Qualifiers, he said
we will begin the third quarter as though the
scores are 0-0. We have been instilled with
that fighting spirit,” she explained.
Fitness had been one of the key factors
in the team’s recent performance and Kaur
says the team has great awareness about fit-
ness, recovery and diet.
“I also believe our improvement in fit-
ness has been another big factor. Every girl
(including new comers) is aware of the
importance of fitness, recovery and diet,”
added Kaur who scored 10 goals last year.
\PcRWTb^]W^[S
;0DB0==4) The International Hockey
Federation on Thursday extended its sus-
pension of all Pro League matches, includ-
ing fixtures involving India, to May 17 owing
to the COVID-19 pandemic.
“Based on the latest developments of the
COVID-19 outbreak and in particular of the
response to it by the relevant public author-
ities globally, FIH, with the support of all
participating National Associations, has
today decided to extend the postponement
period of the FIH Hockey Pro League to 17
May,” the sport’s world body said.
“Consequently, all matches currently
scheduled until 17 May are on hold. FIH will
keep on monitoring the situation closely, fol-
lowing the recommendations of the World
Health Organization and the decisions of the
public authorities.”
The Indian men’s team was scheduled
to play against Germany in Berlin on April
25 and 26 before taking on Great Britain in
London on May 2 and 3.
India are then scheduled to host New
Zealand on May 23 and 24 before travelling
to Tucuman, Argentina for matches on June
5-6. India’s last tie in FIH Pro League is
against Spain in Valencia on June 13 and 14.
New Zealand and Australia had already
decided not to travel to Europe. PTI
?C8Q :0A0278
he Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB)
T on Thursday claimed that all the
128 COVID-19 tests it conducted on
the players, support staff, match offi-
cials, broadcasters and team owners
involved in the PSL have come nega-
tive.
The PCB had conducted the tests
on March 17. Additionally, Multan
Sultans underwent 17 COVID-19
tests on Monday and results of that
were also negative.
“It was absolutely critical for the
integrity and credibility of the HBL
Pakistan Super League and the
Pakistan Cricket Board that all play-
ers, support personnel, broadcasters
and match officials, those who had
decided to stay back till the end of the
tournament, tested negative for
COVID-19,” PCB Chief Executive
Wasim Khan said.
“In this background, the PCB is
pleased with the outcome of the
results and happy that all these play-
ers and officials have rejoined their
families without any health and safe-
ty doubts or concerns.”
increasingly likely given other sports have
called a halt following British government
advice to avoid mass gatherings.
“Cricket and sport is not the be all and
end all but it is my livelihood, it’s all I know,”
Anderson told the BBC’s Tailenders pod-
cast.
“The season is unlikely to start. It’s still
a little bit hazy as to what’s going to hap-
pen. There’s a chance we might not even
bowl a ball this summer.”
Anderson made the last of his 151 Test
appearances against South Africa in Cape
Town in January before a broken rib saw
him miss the last two matches of the series.
The 37-year-old was not selected for
the Sri Lanka series in the hope he would
be fully fit for the start of the home sea-
son. The Lancashire paceman, England’s
all-time leading Test wicket-taker, added:
“I feel a little bit anxious. Just the not know-
ing is giving me a bit of anxiety.”
England postponed their tour of Sri
Lanka last week. They are next meant to
play the West Indies in a three-Test home
series, starting on June 4.
But if that is not possible, Cricket West
Indies have offered to stage the series in the
Caribbean.
CWI chief executive Johnny Grave said
on Wednesday he had held talks with ECB
counterpart Tom Harrison.

rently in self-isolation after returning
from Birmingham.
There have been calls to extend
the Olympic qualification period,
which ends on April 28, following the
postponement of a number of
Olympic qualifiers.
Gopichand, however, feels there
are no easy answers and BWF is in a
tough spot.
“I think BWF is in a tough spot,
any decision will be criticised. When
you extend Olympic (qualification)
period, you are talking about a lot of
things like accreditations, visas, sup-
port teams, local associations.
“So it is not easy and there are
constraints. Unfortunately it is an
unprecedented situation, so we have
to follow whatever decision they
take.”
The SAI-Gopichand academy in
Hyderabad has been shut down till
March 31 to contain the virus follow-
ing the directive of the Telangana state
government.
Asked if it will affect the prepa-
rations of the Olympic-bound players,
Gopichand said, “The players who had
come from All England via various
places like Dubai, they have to be
quarantined. They don’t have any
tournaments in April, so till the time
it is a two week break from training
it is fine. If it extends further then we
will have see.
“The players also need some rest,
so it is better to stay home and work
on fitness.”
3RQDSSD0DQSUHHWXWLOLVLQJ
>B19`_cd`_^U
?\icU\USdY_^
2dZR_X`]WVcdT`f]U]`dV`feZW@]jX`RYVRU
EUHDNWRZRUNRQILWQHVV
05?Q 7>=6:>=6
S_]]YddUU]UUdY^W
he Olympics going
everything off track. The first focus would be
to stay healthy and be safe during this period.
=4F34;78) In line with a gov-
ernment directive, the
T ahead in Tokyo this year
is “highly unlikely”, the boss
As we’ve travelled so much, I am not going out National Rifle Association of of Asian golf said, and pro-
and mostly sticking to staying at home,” India on Thursday postponed ceeding as planned could
Ponappa, a Red Bull athlete, was quoted as say- its Olympic selection com- cost players the chance to
ing in a statement issued here on Thursday. mittee meeting and all coach- qualify.
Ponappa, a two-time Olympian, is work- ing camps scheduled for April Asian Tour
ing on her finger power and would be doing owing to the COVID-19 pan- Commissioner and CEO
racket drills in this period. demic. Cho Minn Thant confirmed
“In this day and age doing fitness at home The selection committee that all tournaments across
to stay fit is possible. So definitely going to be meeting was planned for the continent had been sus-
doing exercises using loop bands and thera- Friday. pended until at least the
bands and racket drills at home to stay fit and “In view of the outbreak of end of May, in line with the
work on some finger power until we can get COVID-19 and as per recent US PGA and European cut-off,” Cho said. “Today, Indonesia and the
back on court,” she added. directions received from the Tours. we probably have only about Philippines would have the
Likewise, India’s hockey skipper Manpreet Ministry of Youth Affairs & “I think everyone right four or five Asian Tour play- opportunity to get into the
Singh is also focusing on his training in the Sports, the National Rifle now is more in a state of ers eligible for the Olympics over the next two
Olympic year. Association of India has decid- shock, just trying to figure Olympics.” or three months,” said Cho.
“We’re all very much aware of the current ed to postpone its Olympic out what they do with them- On current rankings, “Obviously, that’s not
situation, but the important thing for us is to selection committee meeting selves,” said Cho, speaking only Thailand’s Jazz going to happen.
concentrate on what's to be done right. We've scheduled for Friday, March from Asian Tour headquar- Janewattananond and Gunn “I can understand why
all been briefed by doctors and our support 20, as well as all coaching ters in Singapore. Charoenkul, the Indian pair they would want to push for-
staff in the best way possible, and currently camps proposed in April 2020, With the prospect of of Rashid Khan and Udayan ward with the Olympics —
?C8Q <D<108 we’re in the middle of our training camp, where till further directives received,” scarcely any competitive golf Mane plus Miguel Tabuena there’d be huge revenue ram-
we are undergoing training as usual,” said the the sports body said in a state- before the Olympic rankings of the Philippines would ifications on the economy of
ith the sporting activities either suspend- 27-year-old Jalandhar-born player. ment. qualifying cut-off on June represent the Asian Tour in Japan — but it seems high-
W ed or postponed due to the COVID-19
pandemic, athletes including badminton dou-
“Being an important phase in our prepa-
rations for the Olympics, we are not looking
“The health of our ath-
letes, coaches and administra-
22, Cho said it would be
harsh on players from
the 60-strong Tokyo field.
“Given the amount of
ly unlikely now in my opin-
ion.”Cho said that he hadn’t
bles specialist Ashwini Ponappa are utilising at the things which are not in our control, the tive staff are of paramount unheralded golf nations. golf that was left to be yet heard of any players suf-
the “free” time to work on their fitness and only thing that is in our control is to train well, importance to us,” NRAI pres- “Our plan initially was played, we were hopeful that fering financial hardship but
game. and make sure we're following all the instruc- ident Raninder Singh said in to have about 16 or 17 tour- more players from nations acknowledged that a long
“The Covid 19 has definitely thrown tions,” he added. the statement. PTI naments before the Olympic like Bangladesh, Malaysia, layoff could have an impact.