www.thehansindia.com
00
CITY
CORONA CASES IN
NCR RISE TO 30:
DELHI HEALTH
DEPARTMENT
P2
WORLD
SHARING INFO :
TRUMP ‘LITTLE
UPSET WITH CHINA’
P7
BUSINESS
S&P CUTS INDIA’S GDP
GROWTH FORECAST
TO 5.2 % FOR FY21
P6
SC asks States
to decongest
jails to check
corona spread
New Delhi: The Supreme
Court on Monday directed
the state governments to
constitute a high-power
committee comprising the
Principal Secretary (Home)
and the Chairman of the state
legal service authority to
determine which class of
convicts or undertrials can be
released on parole or interim
bail. Chief Justice of India SA
Bobde, said that for instance,
prisoners can be considered
for parole or interim bail
where the maximum
punishment is up to seven
years or less. S P7
Kia suspends production in AP plant
HANS BUSINESS
Hyderabad: South Korean
automaker Kia Motors In-
dia on Monday said it tem-
porarily suspended all its
operations with immediate
e�ect at its manufacturing
facility in Andhra Pradesh
in view of the coronavirus
concerns. The company’s
o�ce premises will also
stop functioning until fur-
ther notice.
"In view of the unprece-
dented situation arising out
of the spread of Covid-19
and keeping in mind the
TUESDAY 24 MARCH 2020
H Simultaneously published from Hyderabad | Warangal | Tirupati | Amaravati | Visakhapatnam | Khammam | Kurnool | Delhi: RNI No: DELENG/2017/74095 H
H Follow @
‘Enforce lockdown strictly’
CENTRE ASKS STATES TO TAKE LEGAL ACTION AGAINST VIOLATORS
New Delhi: The Centre on
Monday directed the states
to strictly enforce the lock-
down and take legal action
against violators even as
the number of coronavirus
cases in the country rose to
478 and that of deaths to 9.
The directions were is-
sued after Prime Minister
Narendra Modi lamented
that the people are not tak-
ing the lockdown in the
country seriously.
In a tweet, Modi ap-
pealed to the people to
save their family mem- Cases: 478
bers and themselves by
strictly adhering to the Deaths: 9
directions being given by
the State and Central Gov-
ernments. He requested
the state governments to
make people adhere to the
lockdown.
"Many people are still
not taking the lockdown se-
riously. Please save your-
self, save your family, follow
the instructions seriously. I
request state governments
to enforce the rules," he
said. There are several laws
under which state govern-
ments can take action
against those violating the
lockdown measures.
The government on
Sunday decided to sus-
pend all metro and train
services across the coun-
try as a measure to stop
the spread of COVID-19.
Metro rail services on all
operational networks
across the country will re-
main suspended till March
31, 2020.
All passenger train serv-
ices on Indian Railways in-
cluding premium trains,
Mail/Express trains, pas-
senger trains, suburban
Trains, Kolkata Metro
Rail, Konkan Railway will
be cancelled till March 31.
Con�nued on Page 5
Kejriwal asks people to follow lockdown
WARNS OF STRICT ACTION AGAINST VIOLATORS
HANS NEWS SERVICE
New Delhi: Chief Minister
Arvind Kejriwal on Mon-
day asked the people to
observe the lockdown
strictly to contain the
spread of coronavirus or
face action.
The Chief Minister an-
nounced that 50 per cent
of the DTC buses will be
operational from Tuesday
to ensure those involved
in essential services do
not face problems.
In an online media
briefing, Kejriwal said
the lockdown is for
everyone's benefit and it
is important to ensure
that the virus does not
spread further. He said
the Delhi government
safety and well-being of all suspend all its operations
our consumers, employees, with immediate e�ect.
workers, partners, and as- With this, company's man-
sociates pan India, Kia Mo- ufacturing facility in Anan-
tors India has decided to tapur (Andhra Pradesh)
/thehansindia | /thehansindiaweb | /thehansindia | /thehansindia | /thehansindia H
CORONA
Chief Minister Y S Jagan Mohan Reddy holding a a review mee�ng on Covid-19 at his residence in Tadepalli on Monday
Citizens skirting lockdown
posing challenge to govt
HANS NEWS SERVICE jostling and pushing
Amaravati: Though it has
crowds at the main veg-
etable markets posed a
imposed a lockdown in real challenge to public
the State till March 31 safety.
converting the 'Janata But this is only one as-
Curfew' of Sunday in re- pect of the challenge.
sponse to the Prime The real and immediate
Minister, Narendra danger to the people of
Modi's call, into a gen- Andhra Pradesh is from
eral lock-down invoking those well-to-do and
the British period's Epi- highly 'literate' members
demic Diseases Act, 1897,
its now battling the peo-
of society who have had
all the fun in the foreign
ple's irresponsibility.
Administration every-
countries in the recent
times and had just-re-
where was mocked by
the public who thronged
turned home.
One such youth who
the streets in large num- returned from Paris via
bers in the morning - the Hyderabad to Vi-
window for buying es- jayawada was sent for
sential commodities - es- home quarantine on
pecially in Tirupati. The March 17, got admitted
will take strict action present, the situation in
against violators. Delhi is under control,
He also cited the exam- other countries show that
ples of Italy and the US if the situation is not
where the number of tightened now, the situa-
coronavirus was in hun- tion may soon go out of
dreds initially but rose ex- control. So, follow the
ponentially within weeks. lockdown so that the situ-
In a tweet, he said, “At ation will not go out of
and company o�ce prem-
ises will stop functioning
until further notice," it said.
Kia said all its dealer-
ships remain on call and are
available to customers for
all their requirements via
all digital channels and it is
also ensuring deliveries are
not delayed for eager cus-
tomers as well as service re-
quirements are also being
attended to, without com-
promising on strong safety
precautions. Kia Motors In-
dia will continue to closely
monitor the situation and
ensure the best interests of
Forecast: Showers late. Temp: Max.30°C. Min.20°C. Humidity: 21% Sunrise: 06:20 Sunset: 06:34
to the Government Hos-
pital, the next day and
tested positive to the
dreaded virus.
This has sent the ad-
ministration into a tizzy
and the scramble for lo-
cating the other foreign
returnees revealed that
in Krishna district alone,
there were 1,006 such
citizens. Where are they?
Are they under home
quarantine? No one
knows.
The district adminis-
tration has launched a
door-to-door survey now
to identify and enforce
quarantine if need be
and to prevent the
spread of the virus into
the third stage.
control"
Kejriwal said on the
first day of the lockdown,
it was observed that sev-
eral people involved in
providing essential serv-
ices reached late to work
and faced several hassles.
He said that all reli-
gious places have been
closed. All markets of
Delhi will remain closed
and only vegetable, milk
and grocery stores will be
allowed to open during
this period. He said that
there is no shortage of
goods in Delhi and strict
action will be taken
against the black mar-
keters under the law. So
far, 437 cases have been
registered on 327 com-
plaints.
everyone associated with
its operations in the coun-
try, it said. Company will
also remain connected with
all authorities concerned
and administration and will
extend all possible coopera-
tion and assistance, as and
when required, it added.
The automaker’s Ananta-
pur plant currently em-
ploys 10,000 people. Kia
Motors India's sales in Feb-
ruary stood at 15,644 units.
The company dispatched
14,024 units of Seltos and
1,620 units of Carnival to
dealers last month.
It has also gone ahead
and imposed Section 144
till April 14, Vijayawada
City Commissioner of
Police, Dwaraka Tiru-
mala Rao, said.
Similarly, Visakhapat-
nam too proclaimed Sec-
tion 144, according to
Collector Vinay Chand.
The administration has
opened a 400-bed quar-
antine facility at VIMS in
addition to the 200 beds
in Andhra Medical Col-
lege. Isolation facilities
are being planned in an-
other 62 hospitals.
But, are all those trav-
ellers strictly under
home quarantine? That
is just not known.
Continued on Page 5
AAP govt presents
`65K crore Budget
S Allocates `50 cr to
fight coronavirus
S Lion’s share for
water and sanita�on
New Delhi: The Delhi As-
sembly on Monday passed
a Rs 65,000-crore budget
for the 2020-21 financial
year, with an emphasis on
education, health and
transport sectors.
The Budget presented by
Finance Minister Manish
Sisodia focuses on health
and education, a recurring
theme in the Aam Aadmi
Party government's earlier
budgets.
The government has ear-
marked a separate Rs 50
crore fund for fighting the
novel coronavirus pan-
HC STAYS ALLOCATION OF
HOUSE SITES IN AMARAVATI
HANS NEWS SERVICE
Nelapadu (Amaravati): In
which could be described
yet another jolt to Chief
Minister YS Jagan Mohan
Reddy dispensation, the
three-judge bench of the
Andhra Pradesh High
Court comprising Chief
Justice Jitendra Kumar
Maheswari, Justice Akula
Venkata Sesha Sai and Jus-
tice M Satyanarayana
Murthy on Monday stayed
the order issued by the
State Government to the
VOL. 3 NO. 150
Be serious
PM urges people to
save themselves
New Delhi: Prime Minister
Narendra Modi has asked the
people of India to take the
lockdown announced to con-
trol the spread of coronavirus
seriously and duly follow in-
structions. Taking note of
some were not following in-
structions, Modi urged peo-
ple to save themselves and
their family by following the
instructions seriously. "Many
people are still not taking the
lockdown seriously. Please
save yourself, save your fam-
ily, follow the instructions se-
riously," the PM wrote on
Twitter on Monday.
Seven test
positive for
Covid-19
in Andhra
Amaravati: There is a rise in
the number of Covid19 posi-
tive cases the State. A total of
seven positive cases were re-
ported. A 25-year-old man,
who returned from UK to
Visakhapatnam district,
tested positive for COVID-19.
He came to Visakhapatnam
on March 17 from the UK via
Delhi. As soon as he reached
Visakhapatnam, the Health
authorities scanned him and
suggested that he self-quar-
antine in his home. Later, he
visited Gayatri Vidya
Parishad Hospital along with
his parents for checkup and
he was advised to visit
GGHCCD in Visakhapatnam
on March 21.
demic that has forced a
lockdown in many parts of
the country, including
Delhi.
The minister said this is
the government's initial al-
location and assured that it
will increase this budget if
required. Sisodia an-
nounced that Delhi will
have a separate education
board like other states of
the country.
Continued on Page 5
Capital Regional Develop-
ment Authority (CRDA) to
allot 1,251 acres for the dis-
tribution of house sites to
the 54,307 families in the
villages of Nowluru, Krish-
nayapalem, Inavolu, Kura-
gallu and Mandadam vil-
lages in the Amaravati
capital region. Challenging
the distribution of land in
the Amaravati capital re-
gion for house sites for the
poor, a public interest liti-
gation was filed in the
Andhra Pradesh High
Court by Avala Nanda
DELHI PAGES 8 `5.
LS PASSES
FINANCE BILL,
ADJOURNED
SINE DIE
New Delhi: Lok Sabha
was adjourned sine die
after the passage of the
Finance Bill today,
nearly two weeks ahead
of schedule, in the wake
of the coronavirus out-
break.
The government in-
troduced two bills even
as some Opposition
members, including
those from the Congress,
wanted to know when
the government would
announce a financial
package for sectors af-
fected by the coronavirus
outbreak, saying it was
an "extraordinary situa-
tion". Before adjourning
the proceedings sine die,
Speaker Om Birla em-
phasised the need for so-
cial distancing and work
on e�orts to tackle the
pandemic. The Finance
Bill, 2020, was passed
without any discussion.
The Bill gives e�ect to
the financial proposals of
the central government
for fiscal 2020-21. A deci-
sion to approve the Fi-
nance Bill without dis-
cussion was taken at the
all-party meeting con-
vened by the Speaker.
SC upholds
APHC order
on repainting
govt buildings
HANS NEWS SERVICE
Amaravati: The Supreme
Court on Monday upheld
the Andhra Pradesh
High Court order direct-
ing the State Govern-
ment to repaint govern-
ment buildings striking
down the plea of the
State Government to
overrule the same.
It may be recalled that
the AP High Court re-
cently, dealing with a
public interest litigation,
ordered repainting of all
the Village Secretariats
and directed the Chief
Secretary to comply with
the order within 10 days.
The State Government
challenged the order in
the Supreme Court
maintaining that the HC
could not deal with a PIL
and order the Govern-
ment to change the
colours.
The Chief Justice
Bench of the Apex Court
headed by the CJI, Jus-
tice S A Bobde was of the
opinion that the ruling
parties could not pain
the buildings with their
party flag colours.
Kishore of Krishnayapalem
village in the capital city re-
gion on Wednesday.
Advocate Karumanchi
Indra Neel Babu appearing
for the petitioner con-
tended that the order is-
sued by the State govern-
ment violated a number of
enactments, including the
zonal regulations of the
CRDA Act, the Assigned
Lands Act and the Board
standing orders regarding
the regulations of the Rev-
enue department.
Con�nued on Page 5
2 CITY DELHI TUESDAY 24 MARCH 2020

HC, district
courts lock
down till Apr 4
New Delhi (PTI): The Delhi
High Court Monday suspended
its functioning as well as of dis-
trict courts here till April 4 in
view of coronavirus threat.
The matters of extreme ur-
gency will have to be men-
tioned before the registrar or
joint registrar telephonically
and hearing will take place
through video conferencing.
The high court also said that
the limitation period for any
court proceeding would not be
considered from March 23 till
April 4, 2020 subject to further
orders. Period of limitation
means the time period under
which a suit, appeal or applica-
tion has to be filed.
The decision, taken by an
eight-judge committee headed
by Chief Justice D N Patel, was
communicated in a notification
issued by the high court's Reg-
istrar General.
"The functioning of this
court as well as the courts sub-
ordinate thereto is hereby sus-
pended till April 4, 2020," the
notification said. It noted that
the bar leaders have assured
Corona cases in NCR rise to 30:
Delhi Health Department
New Delhi (PTI): The total num-
ber of coronavirus cases in the na-
tional capital on Sunday in-
creased to 30, even as the Delhi
Health Department issued an or-
der saying people violating the
prescribed norms shall face pun-
ishment.
The Delhi government on Sun-
day also imposed a lockdown in
the entire city from March 23 to
midnight of March 31. These 30
cases include six people from out-
side the city two from Kolkata
and one each from Jammu, Pun-
jab, Rajasthan and Andhra
Pradesh. The total number of
coronavirus cases in the national
capital has thus risen to 30, the
department said in a statement.
By Saturday night, the number of
cases of the deadly virus in the
city stood at 27.
Out of the total 30 cases, five
were discharged, one died earlier,
and one migrated out of the coun-
try. Eleven coronavirus-positive
patients are admitted at Safdar-
jung Hospital, six at LNJP Hos-
pital and five at Rajiv Gandhi Su-
per Speciality Hospital and one
at GTB Hospital, the department
said. During the lockdown, no
public transport services shall be
permitted, and DTC buses shall
operate at not more than 25 per
cent capacity to cater to person-
nel engaged in essential services.
All shops, commercial estab-
lishments, factories, workshops,
o�ces, godowns, weekly bazaar,
etc. shall close their operations
during this period, the order said.
Meanwhile, the health depart-
ment, in an order issued on Sun-
day said, 35,000 foreign-returned
persons have been staying in
Delhi since March 1. "All district
magistrates of Delhi have been di-
rected to undertake a through
verification exercise through
their surveillance teams and en-
sure that all these persons remain
in home quarantine for a mini-
mum period of 14 days.
Everyone who came in contact
with these persons shall also re-
main under home quarantine and
all the cases found positive with
COVID-19 infection shall manda-
torily remained in the isolation
facility of hospital till being dis-
charged by a treating doctor, the
order said. Any person found vi-
olating this shall be prosecuted
and punished with imprisonment
or fine or both under the sections
of the IPC as per the Epidemic
Diseases Act 1897. A total of
2,08,265 passengers who have re-
turned from the coronavirus-af-
fected countries have been
screened at the Delhi airport till
March 21 and placed under sur-
veillance, Delhi Health Depart-
ment authorities said.
Gambhir o�ers ` 50 lakh to govt
hospitals treating COVID-19 patients
New Delhi (PTI): BJP MP
Gautam Gambhir on Monday
offered to release Rs 50 lakh
from his Members of Parlia-
ment Local Area Development
Scheme (MPLADS) fund for
equipment to treat coron-
avirus patients in Delhi gov-
ernment hospitals. In a letter
to Chief Minister Arvind Ke-
jriwal, the East Delhi MP also
offered his help to the govern-
ment in dealing with the cur-
rent situation.
"In furtherance of the
united effort to save to our of the country has been put in
city and citizens from this place from Monday morning.
pandemic, I would like to However, many people were
pledge Rs 50 lakh from my seen openly flouting the rules
MPLAD fund for equipment and taking out procession on
that may be needed for COVID the streets, making the mo-
-19 treatment in state govern- ment a celebration time.
ment hospitals," Gambhir "You will also go and take your
wrote to Kejriwal. family too! Quarantine or jail!
Gautam Gambhir on Mon- Do not be a threat to the whole
day urged people to strictly society and stay at home! The
follow the rules in place amid battle is not with jobs and
lockdown announced by the business, but with life!
various governments across Those who provide essential
the country in a way to stop services should not be dis-
the spread of novel coron- turbed. Follow the lockdown!!
avirus. Jai Hind,' Gambhir tweeted in
Lockdown in various parts Hindi.

High Court asks govt to AAP to implement Ayushman

full cooperation in this regard.
Regarding the functioning of
trial court, the high court di-
rected the district and sessions
judges to prepare a roaster of
judicial o�cers for dealing with
remand proceedings related to
fresh arrests.
"For fresh matters of
extreme urgency, one adminis-
trative o�cer ( judicial) be
nominated in each district who
can be contacted telephonically
by the advocate/ party," it said,
adding that the matters which
are already fixed up to April 4
be adjourned to subsequent
dates and the information
uploaded on the courts'
websites. The high court said
Delhi Judicial Academy shall
suspend all its training pro-
grammes and court attach-
ments till April 4.
It said "'lockdown/ suspen-
sion of work' of courts shall
be treated as 'closure' within
the meaning of the explana-
tion appended to Section
4 of the Limitation Act,
1963 and other enabling pro-
visions of the Act and other
Statutes, as may be applicable
to court proceedings.
reduce congestion in jails
PURNA SINGH
New Delhi: The rising out-
break of the corona virus
poses a risk of infection even
among inmates in prisons. In
view of this, on Monday, the
Aam Aadmi Party government
made a proposal before the
Delhi High Court to reduce
the crowd of prisoners from
the jails of the capital.
The government said that
by giving inmates the option
of special parole and furlough,
the crowd of jails can be re-
duced. By doing this, the con-
dition of infection with the co-
rona virus in the prison can be
estimated.
The Delhi government told
a bench of Justices Hema
Kohli and Subramanian
Prasad that it wanted to
amend its jail rules to provide
options for special parole and
furloughs.
The motion was put before
the court by Additional Stand-
ing Counsel for the Govern-
ment of Delhi, Anuj Aggarwal.
He said that a notification
will be issued within a day to
amend the jail rules to include
two new provisions.
Looking at this proposal,
the court directed the Delhi
government to take steps to
complete the motion pre-
sented within a day.
The plea moved by the two
lawyers has been disposed of
and demanded the closure of
the jails in view of the coron-
avirus epidemic. Along with
this, the court has disposed of
the petition filed by two more
lawyers related to the same
case.
His petition also demanded
that the jails be vacated in
view of the corona virus. The
court disposed of his petition
saying that the Supreme Court
has taken cognizance of an-
other case similar to this.
Bharat scheme: Dy CM Sisodia
New Delhi (PTI): The Delhi gov-
ernment on Monday said it would
implement the Ayushman Bharat
- Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yo-
jana in Delhi from fiscal 2020-21,
changing its stance on the enforce-
ment of the scheme in the National
Capital.
Deputy Chief Minister Manish
Sisodia, who also holds finance
portfolio, made the announcement
while presenting the Delhi budget
in the assembly on Monday. "The
Delhi government will implement
the Ayushman Bharat-Pradhan
Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana in Delhi
in 2020-21 to provide health insur-
ance cover up to 5 lakh per family
every year," he said. The scheme
has been a bone of contention be-
tween the ruling Aam Aadmi Party
and the Bharatiya Janata Party in
the national capital. Delhi BJP chief
Manoj Tiwari has been constantly
attacking the AAP dispensation for
not implementing the scheme in
the National Capital and depriving
people of its benefits.
Meanwhile Delhi government
on Monday said it has set a target
to reduce air pollution in the city
by two-thirds in the next five years
and set aside Rs 30 crore in the
2020-21 budget to install smog
towers across the national capital.
"Green Citizen Awards" will also
be instituted to encourage citizens
to contribute to environment pro-
tection and preservation work,
Deputy Chief Minister Manish
Sisodia said while presenting the
budget in Delhi Assembly. "Keep-
ing the air of Delhi clean and mak-
ing Delhi green is one of 10 guar-
antees of Chief Minister Arvind Ke-
jriwal. Due to various e�orts, air
pollution was reduced by 25 per
cent in the last five years. Our goal
is to reduce it by two-thirds in the
next five years.
"There is also a need to imple-
ment projects to establish smog
towers to reduce pollution on a
large scale. I propose an outlay of
Rs 30 crore under the Pollution
Control and Environment Man-
agement scheme to control air pol-
lution in Delhi," said Sisodia, who
also holds the finance portfolio. Ex-
perts have questioned the feasibil-
ity of smog towers, saying they are
not suitable to Delhi's meteorolog-
ical conditions.
It has allocated Rs 20 crore for
carrying out intensive campaigns
across Delhi to create awareness
and encourage public participation
to protect the environment.

Lockdown: Few vehicles, people on roads Despite lockdown, commuters

New Delhi (PTI): There were few
vehicles and people on the roads in
Delhi on Monday as many stayed
indoors on the first day of the lock-
down in the national capital to con-
tain the spread of the novel coron-
avirus pandemic. On the borders,
police conducted thorough checks
and advised people to return to
their residences.
Doctors, patients going to hos-
pitals, media personnel and those
involved in essential services were
allowed to go. Most of the shops
were shut, but dairies, grocery
shops, chemists, petrol pumps,
ATMs remained open.
]Metro, autos, taxis and cab ag-
gregators have already suspended
their services due to the lockdown.
Indraprastha Gas Ltd shut down
nearly two-third of its dispensing
outlets in Delhi, Noida and Ghazi-
abad as most vehicles went o� the
roads. The firm has some 155 self-
operated compressed natural gas
Barricades are seen on Delhi-Ghaziabad border a�er lockdown, in New Delhi on Monday
(CNG) stations in the National
Capital Territory.
The CNG dispensing operations
at petrol pumps as well as Delhi
Transport Corporation (DTC) de-
pots will continue unhindered. AI-
IMS-New Delhi said it would shut
down its outpatient department
(OPD), including speciality serv-
ices and all new and follow-up pa-
tients' registration from Tuesday
till further orders.
The lockdown come on a day the
Aam Aadmi Party government pre-
sented its first budget after regis-
tering a landslide victory last
month. "Delhi has 30 cases.
Twenty-three are those who have
returned from abroad, seven are
their family members who have
been infected," Chief Minister
Arvind Kejriwal tweeted.
"Currently, the situation is un-
der control. Lessons from other
countries state that if strictness is
not adhered to, things can go out
control.
This is why there is a lockdown
so that the situation does not go
out of hand," Kejriwal said.
The Health and Family Welfare
department had issued a detailed
order on Sunday, notifying the
lockdown in the whole of Delhi,
stipulating various restrictions.
throng State borders
New Delhi (IANS): Despite Delhi
government's order issued on Sun-
day to seal its borders with Uttar
Pradesh and Haryana, massive
tra�c jams were witnessed at the
Delhi-Noida and Gurugram bor-
der on Monday. With the orders,
the borders of adjoining cities have
been shut and no vehicles are be-
ing allowed to ply through the tolls.
While people stood at the border
requesting authorities to allow
them to cross the state border, the
A police official
checks ID cards
of commuters
on the
Gurgaon-Delhi
border a�er
lockdown, in
New Delhi on
Monday
authorities advised commuters to
follow Sunday orders and return
back from the borders. According
to an o�cial posted at Delhi-Gu-
rugram border, an ambulance car-
rying a patient was also stuck in a
tra�c jam and could move ahead
only after over half an hour. A
video of the tra�c jam at the Delhi-
Noida border showed chaos on the
street as locals gathered at the spot
and requested authorities to allow
movement of vehicles.

WINDOWS
DSGMC o�ers Majnu Ka Tilla
Gurdwara to setup quarantine facilities
New Delhi (PTI): The Delhi Sikh Gurdwara Management Com-
mittee on Monday o�ered the 'Serai' (inn) at Gurdwara Majnu
Ka Tilla on the banks of the Yamuna for setting up isolation
wards and quarantine facilities for the treatment of coronavirus-
a�ected people. In a letter to CM Arvind Kejriwal, DSGMC pres-
ident Manjinder Sirsa said all 20 rooms in the inn, equipped
with modern facilities, can be used for this purpose. He said the
DSGMC will provide separate rooms for heath sta�, ample park-
ing in Gurdwara premises and "the most safe and secure envi-
ronment". The DSGMC will also provide langar (free food) to
patients and health o�cials in the 'serai' and will extend all pos-
sible help in other matters, he said. Gurdwaras in Delhi will pro-
vide 'langar' to the needy and those a�ected by the epidemic to
fight hunger, the letter read. “The Gurdwara Committee is
fully prepared to provide packed food packets to government
agencies and other needy institutions”. Sirsa said.
Manipuri woman accuses
man of calling her ‘corona’
New Delhi (PTI): A woman from Manipur
has alleged that an unidentified man spat on
her and called her "corona" in northwest
Delhi's Vijay Nagar area, police said on Mon-
day. A case has been filed and police are trying
to identify the man, they said. The incident
took place on Sunday around 10 pm, the po-
lice said. The woman, who is in her early 20s,
alleged that she was on her way to buy gro-
ceries when the man came on a two-wheeler
and spat on her. He called her "corona" be-
fore fleeing the spot, they said. Dy Commis-
sioner of Police (Northwest) Vijayanta Arya
said a case has been registered under section
509 (word, gesture or act intending to insult
the modesty of a woman) of the IPC and
the matter is being probed.
Jamia forms a committee to
deal with medical exigencies
New Delhi (PTI): The Jamia Millia Islamia
on Monday formed an 11-member com-
mittee to deal with medical exigencies due
to the coronavirus outbreak, o�cials said.
The varsity has also deployed ambulances
on the campus that will be available round
the clock, they said.
Coronavirus cases in India rose to 415
on Monday, the Union Health Ministry
said. To contain the spread of virus, Delhi
is under a lockdown till March 31 and no
public transport, including private buses,
taxis and autorickshaws will be allowed to
ply on the roads. However CM kejriwal
announced that essential items from
neighbouring states - food items like veg-
etables, milk etc. will keep coming.
Three arrested for killing
man, dumping body in a sewer
New Delhi (PTI): Three people have been
arrested for allegedly killing a 35-year-old
man by strangulating him and dumping
his body in a sewer in Shahdara's Anand
Vihar area, police said on Monday. The
body of Manoj was recovered from a sewer
near a JJ camp in Anand Vihar on Friday,
they said, adding that he worked as a
labourer. The accused, Bablu Kumar (26),
Rajan (22) and Baijuv (41), were residents
of JJ camp in Anand Vihar, they said. Dur-
ing investigation, Bablu, confessed that he
held a grudge against Manoj over a per-
sonal issue, a senior police o�cial said. On
Friday,Bablu and Rajan thrashed Manoj
and strangulated him with the help of a
"gamchcha", he said.
Labourers leave NCR ,
no work due to lockdown
New Delhi (IANS): Following the lockdown
due to the novel coronavirus outbreak,
labourers are being forced to leave the Na-
tional Capital as they are left with no work.
The unavailability of transport has added to
their woes as they are now not able to go to
their home towns also. On Monday, some
labourers were seen standing at Hazrat Niza-
muddin and Sarai Kale Khan bus stations
waiting for buses. Vikram Tanwar, a labourer,
told IANS: "I had to walk down all the way to
Hazrat Nizamuddin bus station from Old
Delhi as there was no transport available. I
have to go to Rajasthan for which I will have
to board the bus from Badarpur border. " The
police is asking people not to gather at one
place in order to avoid mass gathering.

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DELHI TUESDAY 24 MARCH 2020 NEWS 3

Commercial activities Guv to address

joint session of Biometric verification to be
banned; essential Assembly, Council

services exempted
on March 27
HANS NEWS SERVICE discontinued for pensions, PDS
Amaravati: In view of the
HANS NEWS SERVICE

Amaravati: The State government

banned commercial activities,
public and private transportation,
except essential services.
In exercise of the powers under
Section 234 of Epidemic Disease
Act, 1897, the Governor issued cer-
tain measures for containment of
COVID-19 through an order on
Monday.
Chief Secretary Nilam Sawhney
stated that following the State-
wide lockdown till March 31 to pre-
vent onset of community trans-
mission of the coronavirus, the
government restricted movement
of public.
However, certain o�ces and
people engaged in essential serv-
ices are allowed to commute in the
State even during the total lock-
down period.
O�ces charged with law and or-
der and magisterial duties, includ-
ing o�ces of Collector, Joint Col-
lector, Sub-Collector or RDO and
MRO will be exempted. The Police,
health, urban local bodies, fire,
electricity, water and municipal
services, bank, ATM, print, elec-
tronic and social media o�ces will
be allowed.
In addition to that, the food, gro-
ceries, milk, bread, fruit, vegetable,
meat, fish and their transportation
related activities and warehousing
will also be allowed.
Hospitals, pharmacies, optical
stores, pharmaceuticals manufac-
turing and their transportation re-
lated activities, telecommunica-
tion and internet services,
including IT & lTeS, postal serv-
ices, supply chain and related
transportation of essential goods
to be allowed.
At the same time, e-Commerce
(delivery) of all essential goods in-
cluding food, pharmaceutical and
medical equipment, take away or
home delivery restaurants and ho-
tels, petrol pumps, LPG gas, Oil
agencies, their go-downs and
transportation related activities
are exempted from lockdown.
Production and manufacturing
units which require continuous
process may continue to function
after obtaining required permis-
sion from the Collector. Manufac-
turing units engaged in production
of essential commodities, private
establishments that support the
above services or are linked to the
e�orts for containment of COVID-
19 will remain open, announced
the Chief Secretary. Other than
those mentioned above, all services
and public transportation came to
standstill till March 31.
ensuing Rajya Sabha bien-
nial elections on March 26
and Assembly Budget Ses-
sion on March 27, the As-
sembly authorities have
taken precautionary meas-
ures to contain the spread of
Covid-9.
Assembly Secretary P
Balakrishnamacharyulu, in
a statement on Monday in-
formed that, they have
taken precautionary meas-
ures to maintain cleanliness
and hygiene in the premises
of the Assembly.
Health and Medical de-
partment o�cials made all
arrangements to screen the
Ministers, MLAs, MLCs, of-
ficials and non-o�cials be-
fore they enter into the As-
sembly. Su�cient medical
sta� and all other equip-
ment are arranged at the As-
sembly, he informed.
On the other hand the
State government is plan-
ning to complete the Assem-
bly Budget session as early
as possible. Since, this is just
Vote on Account, there
would be no big debate. The
Governor will address the
joint Session on March 27.
Government takes the decision fearing
that machines may become potential
agents for coronavirus infection
HANS NEWS SERVICE
Amaravati: The State govern-
ment has decided to discon-
tinue the biometric system for
the distribution of the welfare
schemes, direct cash benefits
and in Public Distribution Sys-
tem amid fear of coronavirus/.
Speaking to this correspon-
dent, K Kanna Babu, Special
Secretary, Department of Gram
Volunteers and Ward Volun-
teers, and Village Secretariats
and Ward Secretariats, said the
government had taken a deci-
sion to stop the use of biometric
based distribution of pensions
and PDS from this month itself.
The government would pro-
vide PDS groceries on March
29. In addition to the pension
to regular eligible beneficiaries,
the government would provide
Seven test positive for
Covid-19 in AP
HANS NEWS SERVICE
Amaravati: There is a rise in the
number of Covid19 positive
cases the State. A total of seven
positive cases were reported.
A 25-year-old man, who re-
turned from UK to Visakhapat-
nam district, tested positive for
COVID-19.
He came to Visakhapatnam
on March 17 from the UK via
Delhi. As soon as he reached
Visakhapatnam, the Health au-
thorities scanned him and sug-
gested that he self-quarantine in
his home. Later, he visited Gay-
atri Vidya Parishad Hospital
along with his parents for
checkup and he was advised to
Rs 1,000 to every white card-
holder in the State on April 4.
The government employees
were already exempted from
biometric based attendance in
all offices in the State.
Fearing that the biometric
machine would become a po-
tential transmission agent for
visit GGHCCD in Visakhapat-
nam on March 21. Immediately,
he was admitted in the govern-
ment hospital and samples were
collected for coronavirus test.
On Monday, he tested positive.
So far, the State government
identified more than 14,000 for-
eign returnees. Blood samples
were collected from 181 people.
Out of them, 7 tested positive,
166 tested negative. Results are
awaited in case 8 samples.
With this new case, the total
number COVID19 positive cases
in Visakhapatnam are three. The
remaining four positive cases
were reported from East Go-
davari, Krishna, Prakasam and
Nellore districts.
the novel coronavirus, the gov-
ernment took the decision. If a
virus affected patient would
touch the machine and press his
thumb impression on it, it may
infect persons who use the
same machine. The virus would
remain for several hours on the
machine itself, experts said.

CORONA THREAT Minister exhorts people to UGADI UTSAVAMS

Health conscious shun

Kailasa Vahana Seva
follow norms to check virus held at Srisailam
Kurnool: On the second of the five-

food delivery apps

RANI DEVALLA
Visakhapatnam: Home cook-
ing appears to have made a
comeback in several house-
holds as many consider it a
safer option amid the loom-
ing coronavirus threat. With
rising concerns about food
safety and maintenance of
hand hygiene, even those
who were dependent on
home delivered food at least
for once a day now think oth-
erwise. This has virtually
driven the health-conscious
to stay away from food deliv-
ery Apps in the recent past.
In a move to avoid possible
infection associated with
food and as a preventive
mechanism to combat novel
coronavirus, health experts
suggest eating cooked food
A couple enjoying their meal prepara�on �me at MVP Colony in
Visakhapatnam
antee that the delivery per-
son handling the parcel will
not sneeze or cough over the
Narayan and his wife Tanya
Narayan enjoy their meal
preparation time. “Home-
ger in the daily diet and
avoiding refrigerated water.
As precautionary measure to
cope with rising corona
scare, experts recommend to
stay calm, practice social dis-
tancing, seek professional
help and stay positive.
Speaking to The Hans In-
dia, Pulmonary and Critical
Care Consultant of ABC
Hospitals K Kavita recom-
mends, “Eat fully cooked
food. Always, stick to eating
as much fresh produce as
possible and stay away from
junk.”
At present, where every
message and topic is centred
on Covid-19, anxiety contin-
ues to grip people. “Mental
health is another important
factor that should be given
prime attention apart from
HANS NEWS SERVICE Minister for Endowments Vellampalli day festival (Ugadi Utsavams) at Sri-
sailam temple, Sri Bhramarambika
Vijayawada: Minister for Srinivas and Chairman of Brahmin Devi was decorated as Maha Durga on
Endowments Vellam- Welfare Corporation Malladi Vishnu Monday. Maha Durga with eight bhu-
palli Srinivas and Chair- assure people that the government will jas (hands) holding Shankam,
man of Brahmin Welfare Chakram, Gada, Padmam, Trishulam
Corporation Malladi ensure supply of essential commodities and others gave darshan.
Vishnu appealed to the through Rythu Bazaars Earlier, special prayers have been
people to strictly follow o�ered to the presiding deities for the
the guidelines issued by The Minister said the Vishnu recalled that well-being of human beings. Chan-
the government to e�ec- State government has the Centre advised lock- deeshwara Puja and Mandapa Aarad-
tively contain the coro- been taking precautions down of three districts. hana have been performed.
navirus in order to pro- to provide essential Prakasam, Krishna and Following Rudra Homam at
tect themselves and commodities along with Visakhapatnam. He said Swamivari Yaga Shala, Chandeesh-
their family members. the vegetables through it was dangerous to wara Homam at Amma Vari Yaga
Addressing a review Rythu Bazaars. Keeping gather in groups at tea Shala was also performed by the tem-
meeting with the district in view the rush of peo- stalls, and RythuBazaars. ple authorities. Later in the evening,
o�cials at the Collec- ple, the RythuBazaars It is highly irresponsi- Kailasa Vahana Seva was organised to
tor’s camp o�ce here on would be shifted to spa- ble to move on roads Swami Amma Varlu. During Kailasa
Monday, they said the cious places. though all the malls, cin- Vahana Seva, special prayers were of-
people should maintain He asked the vendors ema theatres, educa- fered after the deities were seated on
social distance to avoid to sell the commodities tional institutions and the Kailasa Vahana.
the spread of the virus. as per the prices fixed by o�ces were closed. So In view of spread of dreadful coro-
Referring to the lock- the District Collector. far, the virus a�ected the navirus across the nation, the devo-
down of the State till He said su�cient num- foreign returnees, but tees were not allowed to have darshan
March 31 announced by ber of beds would be now it may spread to of Swami Amma Varlu. Almost all pro-
the Chief Minister, they provided to the sus- their family members grammes have been restricted to tem-
said everyone should re- pected cases of caron- and others in the society ple but the devotees were facilitated
main indoors unless it is avirus and there was no if enough care was not to view live programmes through
very important. need to worry. taken, he said. Facebook and YouTube.

Sri Kodandarama Swamy

and most importantly food
prepared at home.
Eventually, this has made
many to give up dining in
restaurants or opting for par-
parcel. We just cannot risk it,
especially when there is a
virus threat,” explains C Nir-
mala, an employee working
in a private firm.
cooked meal is always a safer
option for our health. This
way, the risk of infection
through food is not only
avoided but also cleanliness
maintaining physical health
and following isolation
measures. Staying in touch
with friends over phone,
practising meditation tech-

temple Brahmotsavams begin

cel service or placing an order
online for quite a while. Peo-
ple are conscious about con-
suming balanced diet pre-
pared under hygienic
condition. “When you order
food online, there is no guar-
For those working from
home, mealtime turned out
to be a family activity. Some
couples spending time in-
doors prefer to bond over
cooking. Consultant radia-
tion oncologist Aditya
while cooking nutritious food
is also ensured, following
food safety and hand hygiene
measures,” the couple shares.
Sharing tips on healthy
foods, Tanya suggests includ-
ing turmeric, garlic and gin-
niques via Apps or on in-
dulging in art and craft de-
pending on one’s interest will
help prevent anxiety-related
issues, particularly when a
person is asked to be quar-
antined,” explains Dr Kavita. The TTD to conduct the festival within the shrine
HANS NEWS SERVICE

JANATA CURFEW DAY-2 Tirupati: The nine-day annual Brah-

motsvams of Sri Kodandarama

People rush to stock up essentials

HANS NEWS SERVICE
Vizianagaram: On the second day of
Janata Curfew, the people has vio-
lated the instructions given by the
government to maintain social dis-
tance from others and not to be
crowded at places.
People from various sections on
Monday rushed to grocery shops, su-
permarkets and Rythu Bazaars to
purchase the essential commodities
and vegetables like normal days. Un-
fortunately, the shops which sell
non-essential commodities such as
book shops, electric, xerox, cloth and
hardware also were opened but in
the afternoon the district adminis-
tration has intervened and forced
them to down their shutters.
Though the public transport is
completely stopped, the private vehi-
cles like auto-rickshaws and seven-
seater autos have transported the
passengers. Some private busses also
operated in the morning session. The
private auto rickshaws have charged
around Rs 250 to reach Vizag. The
price of vegetables, however, were
under control at Rythu Bazaars but
in the open market, they raised ab-
normally. The tomatoes are sold at
Rs 40 a kg against Rs 10 at Rythu
Bazaar. Ginger is sold at Rs 150 a kg
Maxi cabs plying with passengers at RTC complex in Vizianagaram
against Rs 50 in Rythu Bazaar.
Large number of four-wheelers
and bikes lined up at fuel stations to
fill their tanks. K Lakshmi, a house-
wife of cantonment area, said “Yes-
terday, we didn’t step out of my
house and today, we need some pro-
visions and vegetables. So, today I am
forced to come out of my home to
purchase some groceries.”
The railway station and RTC bus
stand became deserted and none of
the commuters arrived there. On the
otherside, the government staff com-
ing from other districts like Visakha-
patnam and Srikakulam faced prob-
lems as they don’t have any mode of
transport to reach their destinations.
But some of the commuters, who are
just 50 kms distance from their
homes, have travelled by two-wheel-
ers and reached their workplaces but
rest of them remained at home only.
By the evening, the police stopped
all auto-rickshaws and other vehicles
from moving on the roads. B Sridevi,
Deputy Commissioner of Transport,
stated that they won’t allow any vehi-
cle on roads except those transport-
ing groceries and other essential
commodities till March 31. She said
that the vehicles, which violate the
norms formed by the government,
would be penalised.
Swamy temple began here with Dwa-
jarohanam on Monday.
The hour-long Dwajarohanam,
hoisting of celestial flag carrying the
image of Garuda was held between
8.30 am and 9.30 am and remained a
low-key affair with the participation
of only the temple priests, officials
and Jeeyangars.
In view of the prevailing coron-
avirus pandemic, the TTD manage-
ment decided to conduct the nine-
day annual festival including the
Vahana Sevas to be observed daily in
the morning and evening as part of
Brahmotsavams and other rituals
within the shrine instead on the
Mada streets around the temple, giv-
ing a break to the age-old tradition.
The TTD also cancelled Rathot-
savam and Chakrasnanam to be per-
formed as part of Brahmotsavams
which conclude on March 31.
The temple management also can-
celled Srirama Navami festival cele-
brations which are scheduled for
three days from April 2 to 4 at the
shrine and also the three-day annual
Teppotsavam from April 5 to 7 keep-
ing in view the extraordinary situa-
tion in the country due to the out-
break of coronovirus. Sri Sitarama
Kalyanam will be performed by the Priests performing Dhwajarohanam to mark the beginning of nine-day Brahmotsavams at
priests at the shrine on April 3. Sri Kodandarama Swamy temple in Tirupa� on Monday. (Inset) Idols of Lord Rama, Goddess Sita
It may be noted here that the TTD and Lakshmana.
which is administering Sri Kodan-
darama Swamy temple in Tirupati Sri Venkateswara Swamy temple and instructions and as part of the State-
closed the shrine for darshan to pil- other shrines under its management wide measure to check the spread of
grims along with the famed Tirumala since Friday, following the government dreaded coronavirus (COVID 19).
4 EDIT ������������������������������

������������������������� number of “silent carriers” – people who are infected

by the coronavirus but show delayed or no symptoms
– could be as high as one-third of those who test pos-
��������������������� itive, according to classified Chinese government data
seen by the South China Morning Post. That could
further complicate the strategies being used by coun-
its classification guidelines on February 7, counting
only those patients with symptoms as confirmed cases.
Appeal for global ceasefire
The United States, Britain, Italy and India simply do ANTONIO GUTERRES
not test people without symptoms, apart from medical
workers who have prolonged exposure to the virus.
This much the world knows. The countries that are O ur world faces a common enemy: COVID-19. The virus does not
care about nationality or ethnicity, faction or faith. It attacks

C oronavirus is challenging the mankind as never

before. The US has already declared that it is at
war with the invisible enemy. China is saying it has
overcome the initial phase of hiccups and is now in a
position to control its spread. Of course, no one be-
lieves it. The number of cases of infection doubling in
a week to top 3,10,000 on March 22, points to the in-
creasing challenges for governments world-wide as
they lock down more people and shut borders. The
total number of cases now is 312,000 with 13,407
deaths. Italy leads the toll with 4,825 deaths. A growing
body of evidence shows that people without any major
signs of illness can spread the coronavirus. In that
sense, this is a stealth virus. It has a long, latent asymp-
tomatic phase, and this explains why it is spreading
so quickly. In fact, unknowingly, many healthcare
workers have transmitted COVID-19 to others. The
tries to contain the virus. More than 43,000 people in
China had tested positive for COVID-19 by the end of
February but had no immediate symptoms, a condi-
tion typically known as asymptomatic, according to
the data. They were placed in quarantine and moni-
tored but were not included in the o�cial tally of con-
firmed cases, which stood at about 80,000 at the time.
Scientists have been unable to agree on what role
asymptomatic transmission plays in spreading the
disease. A patient usually develops symptoms in five
days, though the incubation period can be as long as
three weeks in some rare cases. One obstacle is that
countries tally their confirmed cases di�erently. The
World Health Organisation (WHO) classifies all peo-
ple who test positive as confirmed cases regardless of
whether they experience any symptoms. South Korea
also does this. But the Chinese government changed
PART II - ASSAM & CAA
only testing those who show symptoms of COVID-19
have blundered, thanks to the WHO assessment. Italy
failed here. One cannot have a step by step lockdown.
India is doing the same. It should have gone into hi-
bernation long ago. We did not thanks to our politics
and short sight. The 'go corona, go" politicians and
the foolish "corona Modi ka saazish hai anti-CAA ke
khilaaf" politicians abound in this country. You cannot
lockdown selectively. And as bodies pile up, go for fur-
ther lockdowns the lockdown must be national, not
regional as Italy did and failed. Anti-CAA protesters
say they don’t go home. A particular religious practi-
tioner says, he won’t stop going to the place of worship.
We have masses climbing over one another to get into
the trains...What a nation? 'Don’t panic, just prepare,"
the government says. Our moves indicate we only
panic but not prepare.
all, relentlessly. Meanwhile, armed conflict rages on around the world.
The most vulnerable — women and children, people with disabilities,
the marginalized and the displaced — pay the highest price.
They are also at the highest risk of su�ering devastating losses
from COVID-19. Let’s not forget that in war-ravaged countries, health
systems have collapsed. Health professionals, already few in number,
have often been targeted. Refugees and others displaced by violent
conflict are doubly vulnerable.
The fury of the virus illustrates the folly of war. That is why today,
I am calling for an immediate global ceasefire in all corners of the
world. It is time to put armed conflict on lockdown and focus together
on the true fight of our lives. To warring parties, I say:
Pull back from hostilities.
Put aside mistrust and animosity.
Silence the guns; stop the artillery; end the airstrikes.
This is crucial…
To help create corridors for life-saving aid.
To open precious windows for diplomacy.
To bring hope to places among the most vulnerable to COVID-19.
Let us take inspiration from coalitions and dialogue slowly taking
shape among rival parties to enable joint approaches to COVID-19.
But we need much more.

SC strikes down 1983 Act

End the sickness of war and fight the disease that is ravaging our
world.
It starts by stopping the fighting everywhere. Now.
That is what our human family needs, now more than ever.
(The writer is UN Secretary General)

O
ut of 3 crores of a long and complicated history of hos-
plus popula-
tion of Assam,
at least 19 lakh resi-
tility against immigrants from East Bengal,
dating back to well before Partition. The
fear that the CAA would open flood gates
Prime time for collective action
dents are in a State- to refugees from East Bengal, today’s SAMUDRALA V K
less situation, facing Bangladesh, appears to have inflamed pas-

Madabhushi
detention centre on
one hand and litiga-
tion in High Court on
Sridhar the other. The SC su-
Acharyulu pervised NRC
process in Assam has
created havoc. The daughters are asked to
prove that they are born to their parents.
Brothers get citizenship while sisters do
not. The courts approve this strange phe-
nomenon. Muslims and Hindus, the prob-
lem is same for all, lack of documents about
residence, parentage and citizenship.
In Sarbananda Sonowal v Union of India
(2005) 5 SCC 665 the Supreme Court
struck down the Illegal Migrants (Deter-
mination by Tribunals) Act 1983 and Rules
made thereunder as unconstitutional. The
illegal migration was considered as ‘exter-
nal aggression within the meaning of Arti-
cle 355 and held that 1983 Act worked in
reverse direction.
Latest status report filed by the govern-
ment in Writ Petition No. 125 of 1998,
which has been filed seeking deportation
of all Bangladeshi nationals from India
continuing influx of Bangladeshi nationals
into India has been on account of a variety
of reasons including religious and eco-
nomic. There is a combination of factors
on both sides which are responsible for
continuing influx of illegal immigration
from Bangladesh. The important 'push fac-
tors' on the Bangladesh side include:
(a) steep and continuous increase in pop-
ulation;
(b) sharp deterioration in land-man ratio;
(c) low rates of economic growth particu-
larly poor performance in agriculture;
The 'Pull Factors' on the Indian side in-
clude:
(a) ethnic proximity and kinship enabling
easy shelter to the immigrants;
(b) porous and easily negotiable border
with Bangladesh;
(c) better economic opportunities;
(d) interested religious and political ele-
ments encouraging immigration;
The States of Meghalaya, Mizoram and
Tripura have also recorded high rates of
population growth. Illegal immigrants
from Bangladesh have also been using
West Bengal as a corridor to migrate to
other parts of the country.
��������������������������
The Minister of State for Home A�airs
submitted a statement to the Parliament
indicating therein that the estimated num-
ber of illegal Bangladeshi immigrants in
India as on 31/12/2001 was 1,20,53,950. Out
of the total figure of 1.20 crores, 50 lacs il-
legal Bangladeshi immigrants were in As-
sam alone.
���������������������
Our neighbour Bangladesh has the
third-largest Hindu population in the
world, after India and Nepal. There are
more than 14 million Hindus in Bangladesh
sions.
Reports suggest that the protests are in-
tensifying in Assam and other north-east-
A s fears of the COVID-19 pandemic gyrating across the world, the
convivial gesture of India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi in reach-
ing out to the SAARC nations ushered in a new era of regional co-oper-
ern States because the people there are ation. Home to about one-fifth of humanity, South-Asia is a melange of
against granting Indian citizenship to any diverse cultures. During an hour-and-a-half long video conference with
refugee or immigrant, regardless of their the SAARC leaders, New Delhi had left no stone unturned to regain the
religion, as they fear it would alter the re- confidence of regional players. India has positioned itself to lead the
gion's demographic balance, resulting in a battle in the region against this deadly outbreak which is extending its
loss of their political rights, culture, and tentacles across the globe.
land. They think such an o�er of citizen- It is axiomatic that the SAARC, which is almost in a debilitated state,
ship to foreigners will motivate further mi- thanks to misgivings among the member nations, can act collectively
gration from Bangladesh which will be in in areas of mutual benefit and the region as a whole, provided that both
total violation of the Assam Accord, which India and Pakistan should come on board to reach some kind of modus
was a prior agreement reached with the vivendi to re-energise this defunct entity. The ding-dong between India
Central government on migrants and and Pakistan has led to deflection of path what SAARC is meant to
While the rest of India has been protesting both the NRC as well as refugees. follow and fettered exuberance with which it was formed. The SAARC,
a grouping among South Asian nations, lacks vision to deal with the
the CAA, the protests in Assam and Meghalaya have been directed ��������������������������������� 21st century global challenges.
mainly against the CAA. The entire State of Meghalaya was already The National Registry of Citizens was a In spite of having strong cultural and historical ties among the mem-
promise made in the Assam Accord to ber nations, the region has failed to realise its full potential. The SAARC
exempt from the provisions of the CAA by virtue of the tribal areas identify and deport foreigners. By the time provides a platform to discuss matters of regional significance and col-
being covered by the Sixth Schedule of the Constitution, it was published, it became evident that �������������������������������� lective interest. Non-compliance
administered by autonomous district councils. The number of majority of those denied citizenship were
�������������������������������
to the basic principles of charter,
Hindus or indigenous tribes. Protesters amongst which non-interference
pending citizenship applications from potential CAA beneficiaries fear CAA will make NRC redundant and
�������������������������������������
in internal a�airs of the member
in the State is in single digits. Even the States which are completely bestow citizenship on illegal immigrants.
���������������������������������������
�������������������������������������
States is of the utmost importance
exempted from the provisions of the CAA, such as Nagaland, But, Asom Gana Parishad believes Clause
6 of the Assam Accord will insulate Assam
by the parties has proved too
����������������������������������� costly to build mutual trust and
Mizoram and Arunachal Pradesh, where Indian citizens from other from CAA’s adverse impact. Clause 6 of As- ������������������������������������ regional prosperity. Except for on
States require Inner Line Permits, and Manipur, which was added to sam accord relates to constitutional, leg- ����������������������������������� and o� meetings and photo ops of
����������������������������������� leaders, the SAARC gatherings
islative and administrative safeguards to
the list of ILP States to assuage its residents are protesting. They protect, preserve and promote the cultural, ������������������������������������� lacks substance. Being one of the
consider the ILP is insu�cient protection social, linguistic identity and heritage of ����������������������������� least inter-connected regions in
the Assamese people. ��������������������������� the world, South-Asia has been
who have chosen to remain there, because from the provisions of the CAA, such as The Inner Line Permit (ILP) is a system ������������������������� paying a huge price to reap the
that is their homeland. If the conflicts that Nagaland, Mizoram and Arunachal introduced for border areas by the Bengal ������������������������������������� benefits of free trade regimes and
happened in 1947 and 1971 recur, the North Pradesh, where Indian citizens from other Eastern Frontier Regulation, 1873. People ������������������������������������� globalisation. At a time when Bei-
East people apprehend more such influxes States require Inner Line Permits, and Ma- outside such declared areas can visit the ���������������������������������� jing's cheque book diplomacy
of migrants. Unfortunately, the NRC and nipur, which was added to the list of ILP places only if they have a permit. They can- ������������������������������ looked upon as a means to debt
the CAA will increase the possibility. States to assuage its residents are protest- not settle in such areas even with ILP. The ���������������������������������� trap South-Asian nations, all the
The CAA has caused serious fear among ing. They consider the ILP is insu�cient system is now being used to protect certain ����������������������������������� regional players have natural
the people of Assam that it might lead to protection. The permit can be procured areas from the purview of CAA. Places no- ������������������������������ propensity towards India, a bell-
lakhs of Hindus from Bangladesh swamp- quite easily and while there is a system to tified for protecting tribes under Sixth ������������������������������������ wether in the region.
ing indigenous communities. This fear is check whether a person entering the state Schedule Areas of the Constitution too ������������������������������������� As the world is facing a biggest
prevalent except in Bengali speakers’ dom- has the permit, there is no system to check have been placed outside CAA’s purview. �������������������������������� blow at the very beginning of
inated Barak valley, that it will be burden- if anyone with the permit overstays. The ILP is applicable to most areas of other NE ��������������������������������� decade, amid economic slowdown
ing resources and threatening their lan- concern is that despite the exemption from states in Assam, Karbi Anglong, Dima Haso ���������������������������������������� and supply chain disruption, the
guage, culture and tradition. CAA has a CAA, people from Bangladesh, adjoining and Bodoland are protected under the ��������������������������������� major economies across the
2014 cut-o� date, but protesters are claim- the North-East, are expected to be flooding Sixth Schedule. They make only seven out ������������������������������� world seemingly redefine the eco-
ing that Assam bore the brunt of immi- into this region. of 33 Assam districts. ��������������������������������� nomic ties with China. In the
grants from 1951 to 1971, while other states Ethnic insider or outsider is one signifi- ������������������ wake of COVID-19 outbreak, the
did not, and it is unfair to impose more on cant factor that di�erentiate between the �������������������������� entire global economic chain has
the State. Another reason for protests that protests against CAA in the rest of India Home Minister Amit Shah tried to reach been disrupted and the financial systems of major economies across
the people do not trust the Centre and CAA which are against the politics of religious out to political parties, organisations and the world have already been facing pandemic shock. It is clear that in
will undo the Assam Accord. With CAA a nationalism, and in Assam the resistance NE CMs while redrafting CAB to enlist order to deal with aftermath e�ects of COVID-19, the South-Asian re-
new cut-o� date of 31st December 2014 has is more to do with ethno-linguistic identity. their support. His assurance that CAA will gion needs an e�ective and long term strategy to boost up economies.
been fixed, which is in violation of the As- The north-east is a vastly diverse region, not hit ILP and Schedule VI areas appeared Countries like Sri Lanka, the Maldives and Bhutan, whose economies
sam Accord. with hundreds of di�erent communities to have convinced. In fact, there is ILP in are heavily reliant on tourism and allied sectors have started to see
While the rest of India has been protest- inhabiting its seven States, but the long Nagaland (with the recent inclusion of slump owing to travel restrictions, ban on tourist arrivals and flight
ing both the NRC as well as the CAA, the politics of ethnic insider and outsider is a Dimapur), Arunachal Pradesh, Manipur freezes. The entire world has been in the doldrums and full of uncer-
protests in Assam and Meghalaya have common thread that runs through them and Mizoram. Meghalaya is also on the tainty, as a result, the economic prospects of the region also looks bleak,
been directed mainly against the CAA. The all. verge of getting ILP. The Question is demands a concerted action to revive their economies.
entire State of Meghalaya was already ex- Prime Ministers Narendra Modi and whether ILP could wipe out fears of the South Asia, the most densely populated region in the world, with no
empt from the provisions of the CAA by Shinzo Abe of Japan were scheduled to people in Assam or not. As the apprehen- dearth of man-power, can reap benefits of demographic dividend to fur-
virtue of the tribal areas being covered by meet in Guwahati, Assam, days after the sions grow, the movement is intensifying ther its growth momentum. Termed as one of the most disintegrated
the Sixth Schedule of the Constitution, ad- Citizenship (Amendment) Bill was passed in Assam. The students are leading the regions in the world, South-Asia's intra-regional trade constitutes merely
ministered by autonomous district coun- by Parliament. But the protesters ripped movement. 5% of region's trade with rest of the world. It is clear that as long as geo-
cils. The number of pending citizenship o� and burnt down hoardings near the sec- (Concluded) politics supersedes geo-economics, people of South-Asia would be at
applications from potential CAA benefici- retariat in Assam’s capital. Abe subse- (The writer is former Central the losing end. To realise "Make in India", a flagship programme of the
aries in the State is in single digits. Even quently postponed his visit until further Information Commissioner and Government of India, it has to involve the regional players, tapping core
the States which are completely exempted notice. The protests in Assam is because Professor at Bennett University) capabilities, in order to have a competitive advantage in the global scale.
India, with its lucrative market size, can engage more proactively with
its immediate neighbours to resolve trade issues and improving con-

LETTERS
market crashes. But its likely victims in the next phase
are not being reported on. There is the access-to-water-
sanitisers-and-safeguards part of the story. How is test-
ing taking place for this segment of the population? Then
Coronavirus: Poor at receiving end there are the consequences of lay-o�s and shrinking
work in the unorganised labour sector to be reported
are apparently missing in the history of our civilisation
except in the Hellenic period. If humanity has no ethics
in confronting its enemies, why should the Covid-19?
Maybe, it is a lesson at this juncture to change the ways
in which the other is looked upon, the way we turn away
the homeless exiles from our borders and the way we so
nectivity. It would be win-win situation to all the parties in the region,
if they forgo their misgivings, pitch for "Make in South-Asia". Although
the initiative to bring the regional leaders to the table through the
SAARC virtual meet is timely and laudable in the midst of coronavirus
crisis, it is equally important to shed light on prevailing health systems
in South Asia. There has been a clear dichotomy in terms of health serv-

T his is with reference to the report ‘Under Siege’ on

page 1 of The Hans India (23 March). As the virus
has trickled down to the poor from the rich, and enters
its community-spread phase, the challenge of adequately
reporting on how the working classes are being a�ected
is huge. A country with a sharp class divide, and an inept
public broadcaster has a serious problem when a lethal
epidemic is at large. Now that we have moved from iden-
tifying infected individuals to containing community
spread, saving lives depends on access to accurate infor-
mation for the widest number as much as it does on ac-
cess to widespread testing and medicare. But much of
the media that is focused on reporting on the coronavirus
does not reach the people at the bottom of the pyramid.
And if it did, it would not serve their purpose. They nei-
ther need social media, nor data journalism, nor inter-
views with virologists and doctors to make sense of what
they and their families are up against. They need e�ective
messaging on the pandemic — what to watch out for and
where to go for help, depending on where they live. And
how to avail of the monetary help the government might
be giving. The pandemic is being reported to death. Ditto
the economic havoc it is causing, including the stock
on, as economic activity shrinks further in an already
straitened economy. Who will do that on a regular basis?
Beyond some websites, the working class is not on the
radar of most media, except very sporadically.
Ste� Suresh, Hyderabad
II
T he scary coronavirus remains evasive and impercep-
tible, attacking its victims on the sly, and without a
war cry. And we humans on the receiving end remain
helpless and frail in the face of a fully-programmed as-
sault. Donald Trump’s nuclear arsenal, or the armoured
vehicles of the Revolutionary Islamic Guard in Iran car-
rying the banners declaring ‘Operation Crackdown on
the Coronavirus’, or PM Narendra Modi’s ‘56-inch chest’
are of no consequence. The dominant nations of the
world are indeed caught flatfooted for once in the face
of the speed of the spread of the enemy that is unheard
of in the history of modern combat warfare. Deeply ide-
ological and aesthetic questions arise from such a bel-
ligerence. One thing is loud and clear; the ethics of war
heartlessly engage in merciless violence, leaving many
in pain for their lost dear ones. Moreover, when the virus
has struck in the ‘wet markets’ of meat-eating people,
the question of the ethics of animal rights foregrounds
not only the value of animals, but also of what it is to be
human. We urgently need to strategise continually to
defend ourselves through some semblance of principled
behaviour towards those we inhumanly consider our en-
emies. Maybe, we need to learn to keep our environment
clean with absolute respect for nature as well as for hu-
man and animal rights. The human crisis we face should
somewhat blunt our racist or carnivorous appetite, a
manifestation of our apathetic concern for the world we
live in. Our nemesis lies in our assault not only on nature,
but also on our very own species. For too long we have
considered the scales enormously on our side, allowing
great harm to the world around us for the sake of benefits.
It is now payback time.
Srikar Kothapalli, Vijayawada, AP
thehansreader@gmail.com
ices in the Indian-subcontinent. On the one hand, the region, especially
India, due to its cost-e�ective and quality services, attracts considerable
number of medical tourists from Asia and the European Union nations
and on the other, the people of South-Asia face challenges with respect
to accessibility, a�ordability and availability of health services. Abysmal
state of public health care system, in addition to rural-urban and intra-
regional divide, compels the uninsured populace to seek private care
incurring out-of-pocket expenditure eventually leaving millions of fam-
ilies in a state of debt and destitution. The time has come to reinvigorate
and redefine the public health systems in the region.
In the light of COVID-19 emergency, India took the leadership role
in e�orts to combat COVID-19 penetration in the region. India, which
is at the forefront in the battle against deadly-virus, extended a helping
hand by creating the SAARC coronavirus emergency fund with $10 mil-
lion contribution and has been responding to requests from the neigh-
bourhood countries at the drop of a hat, shedding its leaden-footed ap-
proach in dealing with neighbours. India, involving all the players in
the region, has to devise a comprehensive plan of action to deal with
the challenges of similar sort. It is up to the regional players to build
strong, safe and sustainable South-Asia, one of the most disaster prone
regions in the world.
(The writer is Director, Samudrala VK IAS
Academy and columnist on international a�airs and trade)
����������������������������
GOVT SEEKS CBI PROBE
HANS NEWS SERVICE
Amaravati: The state govern-
ment asked the Central Bureau
of Investigation (CBI) to probe
into the alleged land scam perpe-
trated by then ruling party lead-
ers, including TDP president and
former chief minister N Chan-
drababu Naidu, his son Nara
Lokesh, former ministers P
Narayana, P Pulla Rao and others
in capital Amaravati.
The main allegation against
the TDP leaders is that they mis-
used the power for their personal
gains while conceptualising the
new capital Amaravati.
Even though the state govern-
ment already constituted a Spe-
cial Investigation Team (SIT)
duly delegating high powers, it
realised that the Amaravati land
scam involved cross-border fi-
nancial o�ences and hence de-
cided to handover the case to
CBI.
Kumar Viswajeet, Principal
Secretary, home department, is-
sued orders to this e�ect through
GO MS No 46 on Monday. The
state government granted in-
principle consent to the Central
agency under Section 6 of the
Delhi Special Police Establish-
ment Act ,1946.
Chief Minister YS Jagan Mo-
han Reddy constituted a Cabinet
sub-committee on June 26, 2019,
NEWS
AMARAVATI LAND DEALS
and its infrastructure were de-
signed and modified to suit their
personal interests, it alleged.
The sub-committee also found
several irregularities and illegal-
ities with respect to procedure
followed by the erstwhile govern-
ment in acquiring lands, o�ences
committed by dispossessing
landless poor of assigned lands
by an elaborate conspiracy, for-
gery, fabrication of documents,
tampering of records, etc.,
These transactions were penal
� ��������������������������������������������������� o�ences under the Indian Penal
���������������������������������������������������������� Code, the Prevention of Corrup-
tion Act, 1988, The Benami
���������������������������������������������������������� Transactions (Prohibition) Act,
��������������������������������������������������������� 1988, Prevention of Money Laun-
� ���������������������������������������������� dering Act, the government
opined.
���������������������������������������������� A SIT was constituted in this
������������������������������������������� regard and it was notified as a po-
�������������������� lice station with state-wide juris-
diction recently.
� ������������������������������������������������������� Owing to the high profile na-
�������������������������������������������� ture of the accused involved and
the need to carry out investiga-
to verify various allegations the helm of a�airs in the erst- tion in the inter-state and inter-
against the policies adopted, acts while government misused and national areas, it was felt that this
of corruption, nepotism, pilfer- abused their o�cial position to is a fit subject to be investigated
age of public funds and others predetermine the location of the by a national agency such as the
during the rule of Chandrababu new capital and subsequently CBI.
Naidu. The sub-committee sub- purchased lands to unjustly and Hence, a reference and the re-
mitted a detailed report, alleging illegally benefit their associates, port of the Cabinet sub commit-
insider trading by the TDP lead- their companies and businesses, tee were forwarded to the min-
ers in the Amaravati lands. family members and political istry of department of personnel
The Cabinet sub-committee party members. and training, with a request for
concluded that public servants at The boundaries of the capital CBI to take up investigation.
������������������������������
�������������������������������
A decision is taken in
the wake of spread
of coronavirus in
the country
HANS NEWS SERVICE
Amaravati: The State government
has enforced the Epidemic Dis-
eases Act, 1897 to contain the rap-
idly spreading pandemic
COVID19.
The State government an-
nounced that it would enforce the
Act strictly.
The government sounded high
alert and appealed to the people
to follow guidelines being issued
from time to time by the Medical
and Health Department.
This Act empowers the police
to register criminal cases against
the violators.
Director General of Police
Damodar Goutam Sawang said
under Indian Penal Code (IPC)
Section 188, 269, 270 and 271, the
police would register cases against
the violators.
In a statement on Monday,
Sawang explained that the IPC
Section 188 says that Violation of
order promulgated by the govern-
ment is a cognizable o�ence.
The IPC Section 269 IPC says
that negligently doing any act
which is likely to spread infection
Round-the-clock call centres
Amaravati: The AP government
has issued round-the-clock
call centre service numbers
for the people to assist
on covid-19.
The Health, Medical and
Family Welfare department
issued the district-wise
contact numbers and also the
Central Command Control
number on Monday.
People could directly contact
these call centre numbers and
inform the State government.
People were also suggested to
alert the Medical and Health
Department on the suspected
cases in their respective areas.
of any disease dangerous to life is
a cognizable o�ence. For this vio-
lation, there is a provision of im-
prisonment for six months or fine,
or both.
Malignantly doing any act
which is likely to spread infec-
tion of any disease dangerous to
life, will have a punishment up
to imprisonment for 2 years, or
fine, or both under IPC section
270. It is a bailable but cogniz-
able offence.
For disobeying any quarantine
rule, the violators will be punished
with six months imprisonment or
fine or both, under IPC section
5
Call centre numbers:
Srikakulam – 6300073203,
Vizianagaram - 08922-227950
& 9494914971,
Visakhapatnam – 9666556597,
East Godavari – 8841361763,
West Godavari - 08812-222376,
Krishna – 9491058200,
Guntur - 0863-2271492,
Prakasam – 7729803162,
SPSR Nellore – 9618232115,
Chittoor -9849902379,
Kadapa - 08562-245259,
Anantapur - 08554-277434,
Kurnool – 9441300005,
State Control Room Number:
0866 2410978 and
Health Advisory Helpline: 104
271. This is non-cognizable.
The police can arrest the per-
sons without warrant in case of
cognizable offences.
In the case of non-cognizable
offences, the police can arrest
persons with a warrant issued
by respective courts.
It is worth mentioning that the
Chief Minister Y S Jagan Mohan
Reddy, at his Sunday’s media
conference, clearly stated that
the State remains under lock-
down till March 31 and urged the
people to cooperate with the gov-
ernment to prevent the spread of
coronavirus.

Close liquor shops,

bars: Kanna
Urges govt to extend
financial assistance
and distribute ration
to the poor
HANS NEWS SERVICE
Guntur: BJP
State presi-
dent Kanna
Lakshmi-
narayana de-
manded that
Chief Minister
Y S Jagan Mohan Reddy take
steps to close liquor shops and
bars in the State in the wake of
the outbreak of coronavirus.
In a letter written to Y S Jagan
Mohan Reddy on Monday,
Kanna urged him take steps to
distribute ration and provide fi-
nancial assistance to the poor as
they will face problems due to
lockdown.
He appreciated the steps
taken by the State government
to check spread of coronavirus.
He urged the government to
utilise services of village and
ward volunteers in taking pre-
ventive measures against the
spread of COVID-19.
He stressed on the need to
take steps to check spread of
coronavirus through village or
ward volunteers.
O�cials told to ground
4 fishing harbour projects
� ���������������
��������������
������������������������
� ��������������������������
��������������������������
���������������������
�������������������������
��������������
������������������������
�����������������������
����������������������������
HANS NEWS SERVICE
Amaravati: Minister for Fisheries
Mopidevi Venkata Ramana while
reviewing the status of the pro-
posed fishing harbours in the
State under Sagarmala scheme,
instructed the o�cials to ground
the four fishing projects at Up-
pada in East Godavari, Vodarevu
in Prakasam, upgradation of fish-
ing harbours at Machilipatnam in
Krishna and Nizampatnam in
Guntur.
It may be recalled that the Cen-
tral government issued adminis-
trative approval for Rs 288.80
crore with 50 per cent financial
assistance of Rs 144.40 crore from
CSS-Blue Revolution (25 per
cent) and Sagaramala (25 per
cent). The Centre advised the
state government to complete the
projects in four years.
In addition, the Centre had also
accorded sanction for availing Rs
600 crore at the rate of Rs 150
crore for each project. It also re-
quested the State government to
enter into a tripartite agreement
with Government of India and
Nabard.
It was also stated that the bal-
ance funds need to be accessed
from Nabard Infrastrucutre De-
velopment Assistance (NIDA)
loan with 10 per cent contribution
from the State government.
The Minister instructed the of-
ficials to take the concurrence of
the Finance department to enter
into the tripartite agreement with
GOI and NABARD.
Regarding the other fishing har-
bour projects in the phase-11 in
the State, detailed project reports
(DPRs) at a cost of Rs 1,396.23
crore have already been for-
warded to the Centre for financial
assistance under Prime Minister
Matsya Samrudhi Yojana
(PMMSY) to undertake the proj-
ects at Budagatlapalem and Ed-
duvanipalem in Srikakulam dis-
trict, Pudimadaka in
Visakhapatnam and Kothapat-
nam in Praksam districts.
Experts for quarantine at govt facilities
P V PRASAD
Nellore: Amid fears of coron-
avirus spreading like fire from
foreign returnees, medical pro-
fessionals are of the opinion that
instead of advising them to self-
isolate, the state government it-
self quarantine them. There has
been many instances of foreign
returnees not following the in-
struction of self-isolation for 14
days to stop the spread of coro-
navirus. The recent case local
transmission has further fuelled
fears of self-isolation norm be-
ing violated by the returnees.
As soon as they get some sort
of symptoms, not exactly com-
mensurate with Covid-19, the
foreign returnees are approach-
ing the local physicians for some
treatment rather than ap-
proaching the special wing at the
Government General Hospital
for support due to social stigma.
The experienced doctors in
the city say that returnees
should be tested initially at the
airport and the suspicious cases
should be quarantined at the
GGH for observation without
hesitation for preventing further
spread to other family members
and neighbours.
So far, 885 people reached Nel-
lore after visiting various nations
� ��������������� down by police restricting the
movement of people, distribu-
���������������� tion of essential commodities by
�������������� the civic body, availability of veg-
������������������� etables at a particular place
where there is a chance for free
������������������� movement and if necessary
������������ forces would be possible solu-
����������������� tions to address problem of non-
cooperation from people.
��������������������� Further, a senior cardiologist
����������������� Dr K Lakshmi Srinivasa Kumar
from Medicover Hospitals said
� �������������������������������������������������� that there should be strict mon-
��������������������������������������������������� itoring of the foreign returnees
as they carry virus from other
������������������������������������������� parts of the globe and spread it
� �������������������������������������������� unwittingly. Even though the 14-
day self-quarantining is an ap-
���������������������������������������������������� proved measure suggested by
������������������������������� the World Health Organisation,
there should be strict measures
and the people with suspicious their family members are not according to the ground reali-
symptoms have been asked to go wearing even face masks, how ties, he said while adding that se-
through home-based quarantine the spread of the virus can be rious infections of 59 per cent
for 14 days, according to o�cial prevented? There is no proper are leading to cardiac issues af-
data. Chief Minister Y S Jagan monitoring of their movements ter lungs.
Mohan Reddy also directed the and it may not be possible too It may be noted that the first
district collectors to entrust local during the voluntary home- case in the state is from Nellore.
village level police sta� or village based quarantine. So, I feel it is The student, who returned from
secretariat sta� to monitor such better imposing hospital-based Italy, was located and quaran-
cases on a daily basis. quarantine for preventing the tined at the GGH on time. “In fu-
“A US returnee approached next level of local transmission ture, the officials should be fo-
me for consultation within four in case of suspected cases,” said cusing more in such cases as the
days of arrival which indicates senior physician Dr CV Subrah- virus is advancing to the second
how reluctant they are to con- manyam. stage, said Dr V R K Reddy,” a re-
tact government authorities. As He opined that strict lock- tired senior medical officer.

‘Enforce lockdown
strictly’ AAP govt presents Citizens skirting Online registration of BS 4
�65K crore Budget lockdown posing
vehicles gets TS govt nod
Continued from P1
The decision to suspend metro

and rail services as well as other
inter-state passenger transport
was taken at a high-level meeting
of Chief Secretaries of all the
states by the Cabinet Secretary
and the Principal Secretary to the
Prime Minister on Sunday.
All the State governments
were also asked to issue orders
allowing only essential services
to operate in about 75 districts
with confirmed COVID-19 cases.
Only the movement of personnel
engaged in essential services and
vehicles carrying essential items
like food and milk are allowed to
move during the lockdown.
Public transport has been sus-
pended in most areas with only
25% DTC buses plying on Delhi
roads to transport people who are
exempted from the lockdown.
HC stays alloCATION
Continued from P1
All the Delhi government schools are affili-
ated with the Central Board of Secondary Edu-
cation (CBSE).
He presented the Budget in a one-day Assem-
bly session amid a lockdown in the national
capital.
Earlier, Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal had
said the government would not be able to spend
any money if the budget is not passed before
April 1.
"Budget will be presented in the Delhi As-
sembly today. It is necessary to do that despite
a lockdown in Delhi because the government
cannot spend money after April 1 without the
Budget," Kejriwal said in a post in Hindi.
The Delhi Assembly is holding a one-day ses-
sion for the purpose. The Budget session was
earlier scheduled to be held over five days. It
was, however, curtailed to one day because of
the coronavirus threat.
Visitors are not allowed in the Assembly on
Monday and only essential staff will be present.
challenge to govt
Continued from P1
Arrangements are in place but are
the people willing to quarantine
themselves honestly?
Nellore district has 880 such home
quarantined people. District Collect
M V Sheshagiri Babu has converted
the Tourism facility at Tada into a
quarantine centre. In the bordering
Prakasam district too, Collector Pola
Bhaskar is reviewing the situation
from time to time to ensure a strict
home quarantine.
Those fooling around despite the
advice should remember that they
are putting to risk not just their fam-
ily members lives but also that of the
neighbours, near and far.
And more than 10,000 returned to
Andhra Pradesh in these troubled
times!
K CHANDRASHEKAR
Hyderabad: With lockdown in the
state and the deadline of the Supreme
Court to complete the registration of
BS 4 model vehicles by March 31 fast
approaching, the Telangana govern-
ment has decided to provide online
facility of registration of the old pend-
ing vehicles along with new registra-
tions. As per the Supreme Court or-
ders only BS 6 model vehicles will be
registered after April 1 and no old ve-
hicle will be registered by the trans-
port departments.
According to o�cials in the depart-
ment, there were 2.6 lakh BS4 model
(Bharat Stage 4) vehicles and many
of the vehicle owners had booked for
registration.
The transport commissioner
�����������������������������
��������������������������
����������������������������
���������������������������
�������������������������
����������������
MRM Rao had directed the o�cials
to complete the pending registrations
by March 20 but there are many ve-
hicles still awaiting registration. How-
ever, state government has ordered
for lock down in the State till March
31, which makes it di�cult for the ve-
hicle owners to come to the RTA of-
fices.
When asked, the joint transport
commissioner C Ramesh told the
Hans India that the vehicle owners
need not come to RTA o�ces as they
can avail the facility online. The
transport department has specified
in a notice on its website asking the
vehicle owners not to physically visit
the RTA o�ces after applying for reg-
istration. Their vehicles will be
deemed to have registered if they
complete the online process, said the
o�cial. However, the vehicle owners
would have to present physically
along with their vehicle and docu-
ments on a later date whenever the
department asks then to come to the
o�ce. The o�cial said that the de-
partment would provide registrations
number online after completion of
payment of taxes, insurance and
other fees. The vehicle owners have
also been asked to check the website
for updates from time to time.

Secondlocal contact case takes TS total to 33

OF house sites in
Amaravati
Continued from P1
He said that the allotment of
such lands to the poor as house
sites was outright to deceive
them. He pointed out that the
CRDA Act would not allow the
construction of the houses in one
cent of land. “If the government
has the right intention it could
build houses in the land to allot
the same to the poor,” he said. An-
other petition filed in the same
issue was presented by Advocate
Ashok Bhanu. The three-judge
Bench on Monday issued an in-
terim injunction ordering the
stay of the GO.
HANS NEWS SERVICE
Hyderabad: Telangana has regis-
tered the second locally trans-
mitted coronavirus case. A 23-
year-old male student, who came
in contact with the 10-member
Indonesian group in Karimna-
gar, was found to be infected with
the virus on Monday taking the
total number of Covid-19 posi-
tive cases to 33.
Emphasising the need for re-
maining indoors and to follow re-
strictions imposed during lock-
down period till March 31, Min-
ister for Health Eatala Rajender
said that the government was do-
ing its best to contain the virus
and people should understand
their social responsibility for the
their safety as well as that of their
family members and neighbours.
A close watch by Karimnagar dis-
trict administration was being
kept on all the family members of
the 23-year-old locally transmit-
ted person. The first such case
was reported in Secunderabad a
few days back.
Also, for the first time a passen-
ger who returned from Sri Lanka
tested positive to the virus.
Of the remaining four new
cases, two passengers had travel
history from London and one
each from the USA and France.
While all the cases were of the
male gender, (P28 to P32) are in
the age group of 20 to 30 years
while P33 is 56 years old. Accord-
ing to the Health bulletin issued
by Director, Public Health, the
health condition of all the six new
cases is stable.
Health authorities informed
that the health condition of all 32
positive tested patients is good
with no one on ventilator support.
After discharging the first positive
case, authorities stated that some
of them who are on road to recov-
ery would be discharged after fol-
lowing the recommended testing
protocol again.
Meanwhile, it has come to no-
tice of the Health department
that 70 foreign returnees, mostly Health dept
from the state capital, were found
to be ignoring home quarantine seeks police help
instructions.
The Health department in counselling 70
sought the help of local police
station where the concerned foreign returned
person's house is located and ac-
cordingly cops counselled them to stay in home
on the need to strictly follow the
directions failing which strict ac- isolation
tion could be taken as per the
law.
 TODAY’S QUOTE COVID-19 FOREX (in `)
Allow restructuring if NBFC customers default due to corona Spot gold markets shut due to lockdown US Dollar 79.14 South

“
With the coronavirus outbreak bringing economic Spot gold markets in India was on Monday shut due to Euro 85.35 African Rand 4.94
ac�vity to a halt, Centre should allow one-�me lockdown in major states to prevent spread of
restructuring of all regular accounts of NBFCs that are coronavirus. "Spot gold markets in India remained shut UAE Dirham 22.79 Hong Kong Dollar 11.28
today not in default, but those that may become due to lockdown in major states to prevent spreading of
delinquent in the future, without 5 per cent Thai Baht 2.65 Japanese Yen 0.79
COVID-19 infec�on. Gold futures at the MCX for April
provisioning in NBFCs books contract trade steadied near Rs 40,330 in the absence of New Zealand Dollar 45.05
British Pound 91.82
­ FIDC Chairman Ramesh Iyer spot markets," HDFC Securi�es said.
Australian Dollar 45.96 Saudi Riyal 22.3
Canadian Dollar 55.23 Swedish Krona 8.37
Swiss Franc 80.22 Singapore Dollar 54.57

DELHI TUESDAY 24 MARCH 2020

BIZ BRIEFS
Stanza Living’s
safety steps
Hyderabad: Stanza Living,
which provides co-living
Doomsday dances on D-Street
services, announced a slew
of measures for the safety In its worst-ever crash, Sensex plunges 3,935 pts while Nifty falls 1,135 points; Investors lose `14.22 lakh cr
and health of its customers,
employees, sta� and part- Coronavirus con�nues to wreak havoc in stock markets in India and around the world. India’s stock markets began the new trading week on Monday on a
ners across more than 10
cities. “Businesses have been dismal note with Sensex collapsing by a staggering 3,935 points, or 13.15 per cent, to close at 25,981 points on the dreadful day. NSE Ni�y was not far behind
going through a tough time when it cracked 1,135.20 points, or 12.98 per cent, to se�le at 7,610.25 points. Indian currency also plummeted to a historic low against US dollor
with the COVID19 pandemic

`sinks to lifetime low of 76.20 vs $

spreading, and the co-living
space has been no di�erent.
However, as India’s largest
shared living company, and
home to migrant youth from
across the country, there is
even greater onus on us to be
sensitive and prepared to re-
act to the changing environ-
ment,” the company said in
a statement. The company is
providing quarantine facili-
ties at its properties in order
to support local authorities
and governments. Its resi-
dences are being o�ered to
stranded people in the wake
of lock-down across the
country.
Yamaha Motor
shuts shop
Hyderabad: Two-wheeler
major India Yamaha motor,
a subsidiary of Japan-head-
quartered Yamaha, on Mon-
day said it was suspending
operations at its facilities in
the country in view of coro-
navirus outbreak. The com-
pany said it has taken preven-
tive counter- measure of
suspending its manufactur-
ing operations at its facilities
in Chennai, Surajpur (Uttar
Pradesh) and Faridabad
(Haryana) till March 31,
2020. The decision was taken
following the COVID-19 pan-
demic and also the safety,
health and hygiene of its em-
ployees, customers and busi-
ness partners. "The opera-
tions at the Surajpur and
Mumbai: The Indian stock market
su�ered worst-ever single-day
crash on Monday, with the bench-
mark indices plunging as much as
13.15 per cent, as panicked in-
vestors remained in sell-o� mode
amid lockdowns in several states
in the country due to mounting
coronavirus cases.
The BSE benchmark Sensex
plummeted 3,935 points or 13. 15
per cent to close at 25,981.24;
while the NSE barometer Nifty
cracked 1,135.20 points or 12.98
per cent to settle at 7,610.25.
In the very first hour of trade
on Monday, trading on the BSE
and the NSE had to be halted after
the benchmark indices – Sensex
and Nifty – hit the 10 per cent
lower circuit breaker. As trading
resumed after a 45-minute freeze,
losses widened on bourses due to
unabated sell-o�s across sectors.
Global stocks too roiled after na-
tions across the world announced
lockdowns in an e�ort to mitigate
the spread of Covid-19 pandemic,
spiking fears of a mammoth global
recession.
On the Sensex chart, Axis Bank
was the top loser, tanking over 28
per cent, followed by Bajaj Fi-
nance, IndusInd Bank, ICICI
Bank, Maruti and L&T. All sec-
toral indices ended significantly
lower, with BSE bankex, finance,
capital goods, basic materials, in-
dustrials and auto indices plung-
ing up to 16.82 per cent. Broader
midcap and smallcap indices
tanked over 12 per cent each.
"With the spread of Covid-19
continuing unabated and the fears
of global recession increasing, the
Indian markets crashed. The mar-
kets closed much lower in per-
centage terms compared to the
Asian and European markets,
which indicated increased uncer-
tainty regarding the spread of the
virus in India after the govern-
ment indicated that the country
was in a crucial phase in its fight
against the virus,” Vinod Nair,
Head of Research at Geojit Finan-
cial Services, said.
Further measures and lock-
downs are expected after manu-
facturing companies indicated
that they would shut down their
facilities, which would have an
overall impact on business activ-
ity and market confidence, he
added.
The central and state govern-
ments on Sunday announced
lockdown in about 80 districts in
the country where at least one
confirmed case of COVID-19 was
reported. Meanwhile, S&P Global
Ratings on Monday cut its esti-
mate for India's GDP growth for
the next fiscal to 5.2 per cent from
its earlier estimate of 6.5 per cent,
which further worsened the mar-
ket sentiment that has been al-
ready reeling under the coron-
avirus spread.
Mumbai: The rupee on Monday crashed by 100
paise to settle at its lifetime low of 76.20
against the US currency due to heavy dollar
demand and meltdown in equities as lock-
downs to contain coronavirus spread fanned
recession fears.
The domestic currency su�ered its biggest
single-day loss in more than seven months as
FPIs remained net sellers in capital markets.
The rupee which opened on a weak note at
75.90 at the interbank forex market, sank to
an all-time trading low of 76.30 mirroring deep
losses in stock markets. The unit finally settled
at 76.20 against the US dollar, registering a de-
cline of 100 paise over its last close.
"The currency has been weighed down in
the last few sessions also due to broad strength
in the dollar against its major crosses. On the $2 billion via a forex swap today to provide liq-
domestic front, FIIs continued to remain net uidity to the foreign exchange market. It will
sellers in the equity and debt segment and sell- also conduct 500 billion rupees of debt pur-
ing has been to the tune of over $11 billion," chases today and 150 billion of debt purchases
said Gaurang Somaiyaa, Forex & Bullion Ana- tomorrow via an open market operation," said
lyst, Motilal Oswal Financial Services. V K Sharma, Head PCG and Capital Markets
The dollar index, which gauges the green- Strategy, HDFC Securities.
back's strength against a basket of six curren- The Financial Benchmark India Private Ltd
cies, fell by 0.06 per cent to 102.75. The 10-year (FBIL) set the reference rate for the rupee/dol-
government bond yield was at 6.38 per cent. lar at 75.0063 and for rupee/euro at 80.6458.
Global crude oil benchmark Brent fell 4.45 per The reference rate for rupee/British pound
cent to $25.78 per barrel amid concerns over was fixed at 87.4203 and for rupee/100 Japan-
global growth. "Reserve Bank of India supplied ese yen at 68.19.
`14.22 lakh cr evaporates in single day
New Delhi: Investor wealth
took a massive beating of Rs
14.22 lakh crore on Monday
as markets went into a tail-
spin, dropping a whopping
3,934.72 points as lockdown
in several states sent jitters
to investors.

Asian markets sink

Faridabad plants have been
suspended with immediate
e�ect while Chennai plant
will be suspended from
March 24," the company said.
KVB enters
bullion biz
Hyderabad: Karur Vysya
Bank (KVB) has announced
the launch of its precious
metals’ business. The bank
serves nearly 6,000 jewellers
and jewellery manufactur-
ers. In order to serve them
fully, KVB is now o�ers pre-
cious metals (gold & silver)
to its corporate customers
(B2B). “The gems and jew-
ellery business in India con-
tributes about 7 per cent of
Sentiment turned ex-
tremely negative after sev-
eral Indian states an-
nounced lockdown
Hong Kong: Asian markets were hammered on Monday de- following rise in the number
spite massive economic stimulus e�orts worldwide, with of coronavirus cases. As the
investors spooked by the relentless march of the coron- benchmark indices posted
avirus pandemic. their worst ever one-day
The negative mood was fuelled by the failure of US law- crash, the market capitalisa-
makers to agree on a trillion-dollar emergency package to tion of BSE-listed compa-
help the reeling American economy. Wellington nosedived nies too plunged Rs
7.6 percent as New Zealand announced a four-week lock- 14,22,207.01 crore to Rs
down to stop the spread of the coronavirus. The Hang Seng 1,01,86,936.28 crore. In the
Index in Hong Kong ended the day down 4.9 per cent, Syd- first hour of trade on Mon-
ney dropped 5.6 per cent, Shanghai shed 3.1 percent and day, the benchmark indices
Taiwan was o� by 3.7 per cent. Singapore tanked 7.5 per cracked over 10 per cent,
cent, Jakarta lost 3.8 per cent, and Seoul was down 5.5 per triggering a 45-minute trad-
cent. Tokyo was the exception, closing two percent higher ing freeze as coronavirus-
as a cheaper yen against the dollar boosted Japanese mar- led lockdowns across the
kets. The grim trend continued when European markets world stoked fears of a mas-
opened. In early trade, London tumbled 4.8 per cent, Frank- sive global recession.
furt lost 4.6 per cent and Paris was down 4.4 per cent. "It was another black
Monday for the Indian eq-
uity market as the number
of cases is rising exponen-
tially across the world as
well as in India where al-
most overall India is under
lockdown situation. Sebi's
move to curb volatility did-
n't work for the market as
rules were applicable for
both long and short posi-
tions which makes di�cult
new long positions while
short positions caused more
price damage due to lack of
liquidity," TradingBells Sen-
ior Analyst Santosh Meena
said.
"We can say that almost
the worst-case scenario has
been discounted by the mar-
ket in today's trading ses-
sion but it is di�cult to say
about it with confidence
amid a very uncertain event
of coronavirus. If any minor
relief comes in front of coro-
navirus then we can expect
a smart recovery in the mar-
ket," he added.

S&P cuts India’s GDP growth

the country’s GDP and 15 per
cent of total merchandise ex-
ports. India is the second
largest consumer of gold in
the world. KVB is now in a
position to enhance its sup-
port to this important indus-
try”, the bank said in a state-
ment. As a trial base, it
delivered its first shipment
to clients in Chennai and
Coimbatore recently. The
bank is now in the process of
ramping up the business to
fully extend support, to its
existing set of customers
across the nation.
`100-cr fund
from Axis Bank
Hyderabad: The country's
third-largest private sector
lender Axis Bank on Monday
said it has set aside a Rs 100-
crore fund to help curb the
spread of coronavirus. The
money will be used to sup-
port customers, employees,
vendors, government agen-
cies and the community at
large, the bank said in a state-
ment. It has also decided to
waive o� charges for savings
account, current account and
prepaid card customers to-
wards online IMPS and ATM
financial and non-financial
transactions till March 31.
Spend on COVID-19
will be considered
CSR activity: Centre
New Delhi: Spending by corporates
to deal with the coronavirus out-
break will be considered as CSR ac-
tivity under the companies’ law, the
government said on Monday. In In-
dia, over 400 people have been in-
fected by the coronavirus and at least
seven people have died, while many
states have announced lockdown to
curb spreading of the infection.
Under the companies’ law, certain
classes of profitable entities have to
shell out at least 2 per cent of their
three-year annual net profit towards
Corporate Social Responsibility
(CSR) activities in a particular finan-
cial year. "It is hereby clarified that
spending of CSR funds for COVID-
19 is eligible CSR activity," the cor-
porate affairs ministry said in a cir-
cular on Monday. The ministry is
implementing the Companies Act.
CSR funds could be utilised for vari-
ous activities related to COVID-19,
including those relating to preven-
tive healthcare and sanitation, as per
the circular.
A senior official said the CSR funds
could be used for direct expenditure
to contain the spread, morbidity and
mortality due to the disease. Corpo-
rate Affairs Minister Nirmala
Sitharaman tweeted the circular.
forecast to 5.2 % for FY21
SAYS ASIA-PACIFIC REGION WILL LOSE NEARLY $620 BILLION IN INCOME DUE TO COVID-19
New Delhi: S&P Global Ratings on
Monday cut its estimate for India's
GDP growth in the fiscal starting April
1 to 5.2 per cent from its earlier esti-
mate of 6.5 per cent, as it saw the out-
break of coronavirus costing
economies around the globe.
It put "the total and permanent in-
come loss for Asia-Pacific from
COVID-19 at approximately $620 bil-
lion." "This loss will be distributed
across sovereign, bank, corporate and
household balance sheets," it said but
did not give country-wise break up its
estimated loss.
S&P said it has revised estimates for
real GDP, inflation and policy interest
rates for Asia-Pacific nations. For In-
dia, it estimated a 5.2 per cent growth
in 2020-21 (April 2020 to March
2021), down from the previous esti-
mate of 6.5 per cent.
In the following year, it projects a
6.9 per cent growth, down from 7 per
cent earlier for 2021-22. For the cur-
rent fiscal which ends on March 31, it
put the real GDP estimate at 5 per cent.
It estimated a 7 per cent growth in
2022-23 and 2023-24 fiscal years. The
inflation rate was seen moderating to
4.4 per cent in the next fiscal from 4.7
per cent in the current. It would fur-
ther drop to 4.2 per cent in 2021-22 but
rise to 4.4 per cent in the following fi-
nancial year and then to 4.5 per cent
in the year thereafter. Key policy in-
terest rates are projected to fall to 4.25
per cent in 2020-21 from current 5.15
per cent but would rise to 4.5 per cent
in the 2021-21 financial year.
"S&P Global Ratings acknowledges
a high degree of uncertainty about the
rate of spread and peak of the coron-
avirus outbreak. Some government au-
thorities estimate the pandemic will
peak in June or August, and we are us-
ing this assumption in assessing the
economic and credit implications," it
said. The rating agency said the meas-
SBI urges customers
to use digital channels
HANS BUSINESS
Hyderabad: The
Hyderabad Circle
of State Bank of
ures to contain COVID-19 have pushed India on Monday
the global economy into recession and said in view of
could cause a surge of defaults among COVID - 19 and
nonfinancial corporate borrowers. S&P risk of coron-
said a recession across Asia-Pacific is avirus, essential
now guaranteed due to a deep first- and basic banking
quarter shock in China and the shut- services are being
down of activities across G7 economies. provided with
"S&P Global Ratings believe this, to- minimum num-
gether with a loss of household and ber of sta� at the OP Mishra
business confidence in these branches. It ap-
economies, will translate into severe pealed to all the customers to minimise their visit
and more persistent supply and de- to the branches. “As per the guidelines, bank will
mand shocks across the region. Unem- deliver the basic services only - cash deposits,
ployment rates will rise," it maintained. cash withdrawal, remittances, clearing of
Standard and Poor's (S&P) joins a cheques and govt transactions in its branches
chorus of international agencies that from March 23 onwards till further notification,”
have made a similar cut in growth es- OP Mishra, Chief General Manager, SBI Hyder-
timates in recent days. Fitch Ratings abad Circle, Telangana, said in a statement.
had on Friday slashed its growth fore- In view of the lockdown announced by the
cast for India from 5.6 per cent to 5.1 Telangana Government, he has requested SBI
per cent for 2020-21. Moody's In- customers to cooperate and to minimize the visit
vestors Service last week lowered In- to branches for their safety and to prevent the
dia's GDP growth forecast for the 2020 spread of this virus.
calendar year to 5.3 per cent from 5.4 Mishra has also advised the customers to use
per cent it had projected earlier. The the digital and alternate channels like internet
Organisation for Economic Coopera- banking, Yono and ATM services to minimise the
tion and Development (OECD) has cut need for the customers to visit the branches as
its 2020 growth projections for India most of the services are available on these plat-
to 5.1 per cent. forms.
 COVID-19

TESTING TIME 7

Global death toll crosses 15,000 DEATHS: 15,433

Paris (AFP): The number of deaths
around the world from the novel coron-
avirus cases stood at 15,433, according
to a tally compiled by AFP on Monday
from official sources.
More than 358,803 declared cases have
been registered in 174 countries and ter-
ritories since the epidemic first emerged
in China in December. The tallies, using
data collected by AFP offices from na-
tional authorities and information from
the World Health Organisation (WHO),
likely reflect only a fraction of the actual
number of infections.
Many countries are now only testing
cases that require hospitalisation. Italy,
which recorded its first coronavirus death
in February, now has more fatalities than
China with 5,476, as well as having 59,138
declared infections with 7,024 recoveries.
China -- excluding Hong Kong and Macau
-- has to date declared 81,093 cases, in-
cluding 3,270 deaths, with 72,703 people
recovered. It reported 39 new cases and
nine new fatalities since Sunday.
The third worst hit country is Spain
with 2,182 fatalities and 33,089 cases,
followed by Iran with 1,812 fatalities and
23,049 cases, France with 674 deaths and
16,018 cases, and the United States with
471 deaths and 35,224 cases. Since 1900
GMT Sunday, the Czech Republic, Nigeria
and Montenegro announced their first
deaths. Papua New Guinea and Syria re-
ported their first cases.
A Buddhist monk strikes a gong at a pagoda in Phnom Penh, Cambodia on Monday. Buddhist pagodas in Cambodia offered prayer, chan�ng
along with strikes of gongs and drums in hopes of chasing away the novel coronavirus
By continent, Europe has listed 172,238
cases and 9,197 deaths to date, Asia
97,783 cases and 3,539 deaths, the US
and Canada together 36,554 cases with
490 deaths, the Middle East 26,688 cases
and 1,841 deaths, Latin America and the
Caribbean 5,130 cases with 65 deaths,
Africa 1,479 cases with 49 deaths and
Oceania 1,433 cases with eight deaths.
ITALY: 5,476
Aftershocks rattle
Croatian capital
a day after
CHINA: 3,270
strong quake
SPAIN: 2,206
IRAN: 1,812 Zagreb (AP): Croatia has experienced a
series of aftershocks a day after a
FRANCE: 674 strong earthquake caused widespread
damage and injured at least 27 people
amid a partial coronavirus lockdown of
AMERICA: 471 the capital.
Seismologists said Monday at least
HOLLAND: 213 38 weaker temblors were felt in Zagreb
since a 5.5 magnitude quake struck the
JAPAN: 44 capital early Sunday, triggering panic,
the evacuation of hospitals and struc-
tural damage, including the city's
iconic cathedral and other historic
Hungary seeks buildings.
The strongest aftershock was
indefinite extension to around noon, measuring 3.7. It sent
some people rushing out of their
state of emergency homes into public parks despite earlier
warning from authorities against large
Budapest (AP): The Hungarian govern- gatherings in public areas to avoid the
ment is seeking to extend indefinitely the spread of COVID-19.
state of emergency introduced on March For most people, the new coron-
11 because of the coronavirus epidemic, avirus causes only mild or moderate
leading some to fear an unjustified power symptoms, such as fever or coughing.
grab and an erosion of press freedoms. For some, especially older adults and
The bill to be debated Monday in Parlia- people with existing health problems, it
ment would grant the government special can cause more severe illness, includ-
powers, including the ability to rule by de- ing pneumonia. Interior Minister Davor
cree, for as long as the government considers Bozinovic said that 27 people were in-
it necessary because of the epidemic. It jured, including 18 seriously; 250
would also set prison terms of up to five houses were damaged and 59 people
years for those convicted of spreading false had to be housed in temporary shelters
information about the epidemic, and of up after the quake on Sunday.

Sharing info : Trump ‘little upset with China’

Washington (PTI): US President Donald Trump has said he
is “a little upset” with China over its late sharing of infor-
mation on the outbreak of the deadly coronavirus and re-
fusing to accept a visit by American medical experts to the
country “out of pride”.
“They should have told us about this,” Trump told re-
porters at a press conference in the White House on Sun-
day during a briefing on his administration's coronavirus
response.
“I'm a little upset with China. I'll be honest with you, be-
cause as much as I like (Chinese) President Xi (Jinping) and
as much as I respect and admire the country,” he said.
There are now 31,057 confirmed cases across the US, with
390 deaths.
New York state has become the epicentre of the out-
break in the US and accounts for almost half of the coun-
try's cases. Trump said soon after he received information
about the spread of the deadly viral infection in China, he
wanted to send US medical team there. However, China did
not allow.
Without specifying any timeline, Trump said he had spo-
ken to President Xi “specifically” about sending US team to
China, however, “he doesn't want this... this is not some-
thing that he wants”.
The US president said it is "out of pride" that China did-
n't "want us to send people" and "they didn't really re-
spond". "I wish they could have told us earlier about what
was going on inside," Trump said.
"We didn't know about it until it started coming out pub-
President Donald Trump departs a�er a coronavirus task
force briefing with Vice President Mike Pence and FEMA
administrator Peter Gaynor at the White House on Sunday
licly," he said. Trump added that China "was very secretive
and that's unfortunate." Reiterating that America's rela-
tionship with China is "very good", Trump said, "I wish they
(had) told us three months sooner that this was a problem.
We didn't know about it. They knew about it and they
should (have) told us. We could have saved a lot of lives
throughout the world."
Meanwhile, the US and Chinese officials continued with
their war of words over coronavirus on Twitter. “Since early
January, the CCP has retaliated against its citizens and
journalists in China for making information public,
launched disinformation campaigns around the world, and
limited the international community's access to valuable
public health information,” the National Security Council of
the White House tweeted, referring to the China's ruling
Communist Party.
On March 20, Morgan Ortagus, spokesperson of the US
State Department, tweeted, "By Jan. 3, Chinese authorities
had already ordered #COVID19 virus samples destroyed,
silenced Wuhan doctors, and censored public concerns on-
line. @SpokespersonCHN is right: This is a timeline the
world must absolutely scrutinize.”
Responding to the tweet, Hua Chunying, spokesperson
of the Chinese Foreign Ministry, said China has been updat-
ing the US on coronavirus and its response since January 3.
On January 15, the US State Department notified Ameri-
cans in China about the US Centre for Disease Control's
warning against the coronavirus.
“And now blame China for Delay? Seriously,” she said.
China, Hua tweeted, has treated COVID 19 as highly patho-
genic virus according to the law on prevention and treat-
ment of infectious diseases.
“As WHO stated, China identified the pathogen in a
record short time and shared genetic sequence with the
world, which helped others with epidemic response,” she
said. However, Ortagus denied her remarks. "Nonsense.
You call it 'highly pathogenic' now, but last month your offi-
cials blocked a WHO report from calling COVID19 a 'dan-
gerous pathogen'," she said, tagging a link of a 'Financial
Times' article on the topic to buttress her argument.
to eight years for those who interfered with He also announced new restrictive
e�orts to contain the spread of the coron- measures intended to combat the
avirus. Opposition parties and rights groups spread of the virus, including a ban on
are criticizing the proposed indefinite exten- people leaving their homes except to
sion of the state of emergency and fear the buy food and medicine, seeking med-
government may curtail press freedoms in ical attention or going to work.
the name of fighting the new virus.
Sikh group opens food bank to tackle
corona-triggered shortage
Toronto (PTI): A Sikh non-profit organisation has opened emergency food banks
in Canada to cater to the increasing demand for food supplies and hygiene products
in view of the coronavirus outbreak, which has claimed over 15,000 lives globally.
United Sikhs, a UN-a�liated non-profit, non-governmental organisation, said
the food banks aim to help disadvantaged and vulnerable groups, especially sen-
iors citizens and children, the Globe Newswire reported.
All the supplies from United Sikhs are free, the organisation said, which include
canned goods, hot meals, dry goods, medicines, the report said. United Sikhs
Chief Executive O�cer Jagdeep Singh said, “Those who are financially able should
consider donating to United Sikhs today so this free emergency food bank of life
essentials can be expanded to everyone who needs it.”
United Sikhs, which also takes up humanitarian relief and development activ-
ities, has appealed to the public against "panic buying", the report said. The Cana-
dian government has alreadt warned business owners looking to take advantage
of the COVID-19 crisis.
“When the general public is asked to stock their shelves for an undetermined
amount of time, they overlook a great number of families who cannot a�ord to
do so,” United Sikhs manager, Canada chapter, Harpreet Singh said.

or the severity of the o�ence with which

A vic�m of the Covid-19 virus is evacuated from the Mulhouse civil
hospital, eastern France, Monday. The Grand Est region is now the
epicenter of the outbreak in France, which has buried the third most
virus vic�ms in Europe, a�er Italy and Spain.
SC asks States, UTs to consider
releasing prisoners to decongest jails
New Delhi (PTI): The Supreme Court
on Monday directed all states and Union
Territories to constitute high-level com-
mittees to consider releasing on parole
or interim bail prisoners and undertri-
als for o�ences entailing up to 7-year
jail term to decongest prisons in the
wake of coronavirus pandemic.
The top court said overcrowding of
prisons is a matter of serious concern,
particularly in the present context of
coronavirus (COVID19).
In regard to the provisions of Article
21 of the Constitution of India, it has
become imperative to ensure that the
spread of coronavirus within the pris-
ons is controlled, the court said.
A bench of Chief Justice S A Bobde
and Justices L N Rao and Surya Kant
said the state or UT could consider the
release of prisoners who have been con-
victed or are undertrial for o�ences for
which prescribed punishment is up to
7 years or less, with or without fine and
the prisoner has been convicted for a
lesser number of years than the maxi-
mum.
"We direct that each State/Union
Territory shall constitute a High Pow-
ered Committee comprising of (i)
Chairman of the State Legal Services
Committee, (ii) the Principal Secretary
(Home/Prison) by whatever designa-
tion is known as, (ii) Director General
of Prison(s), to determine which class
of prisoners can be released on parole
or an interim bail for such period as may
be thought appropriate," it said.
The top court said it would be open
for the High Powered Committee to de-
termine the category of prisoners who
should be released depending upon the
nature of o�ence, the number of years
to which he or she has been sentenced
he/she is charged with and is facing trial
or any other relevant factor, which the
Committee may consider appropriate.
It also directed that the Undertrial
Review Committee set up by the court
in another matter, shall meet every
week and take such decision in consul-
tation with the concerned authority.
It said that the High Powered Com-
mittee shall take into account the direc-
tions contained its 2014 verdict of Ar-
nesh Kumar versus State of Bihar.
It asked the states and UTs who have
not filed their responses to do so within
three weeks from today and listed the
matter after three weeks.
"Taking into consideration the pos-
sibility of outside transmission, we di-
rect that the physical presence of all the
undertrial prisoners before the Courts
must be stopped forthwith and recourse
to video conferencing must be taken for
all purposes," the bench said, adding
that the transfer of prisoners from one
prison to another for routine reasons
must not be resorted except for decon-
gestion to ensure social distancing and
medical assistance to an ill prisoner.
Delhi AIIMS OPD to
shut from today
New Delhi: AIIMS will shut down its OPD, including spe-
cialty services from tomorrow to contain the spread of
coronavirus or COVID-19, which has infected 415 peo-
ple in India. The country's premier hospital will also
not register new patients.
AIIMS or All India Institute of Medical Sciences had
earlier decided to temporarily suspend routine walk-in
OPD registration of patients from today as it redirects
its resources to control the Covid-19 outbreak.
"It has now been decided that all OPD services in-
cluding speciality services, all new and follow up pa-
tients'' registration in AIIMS hospital and all centres
will remain closed from March 24 till further orders,"
the new circular on Monday said.
On Friday, the AIIMS had issued a circular deferring
all nonessential elective procedures and surgeries and
directed for only emergency life-saving surgeries from
March 21.
The Union Health Ministry has asked hospitals and
medical education institutes to procure sufficient num-
ber of ventilators and high-flow oxygen masks and ad-
vised them to decrease gatherings on their respective
premises.

Presidents in health crises: Trump more hands-on than many

Washington (AP): Woodrow Wilson was more focused
on the end of World War I than a flu virus that was mak-
ing its way around the globe, ultimately sickening hun-
dreds of thousands of Americans, including the presi-
dent himself.
George W. Bush stood with a bullhorn on a pile of rub-
ble after the 9/11 attacks on lower Manhattan and
promised that the people who were responsible “will
hear all of us soon.” Barack Obama was in office for just
a few months when the first reports came in about the
H1N1 virus, which would eventually be declared a pan-
demic like today’s new coronavirus.
Most American presidents will confront a crisis — or
crises — before they leave office, whether it is a natural
disaster, war, economic downturn, public health threat
or terrorism. What matters is how they respond, histori-
ans say. “The number one thing a president can do in a
moment like this is try to calm the nation,” said Julian
Zelizer, a presidential historian at Princeton University.
It's what Franklin D. Roosevelt did during an extraordi-
nary 12 years in office, guiding the nation through a
bleak period of Depression-era unemployment, a severe
Midwest drought known as the Dust Bowl and battle
against the Nazis and Japanese in World War II.
During the influenza of Wilson’s time, which killed an
estimated 50 million people worldwide, including about
675,000 in America, presidents were not involved in pub-
lic health issues in the same way that President Donald
Trump has become engrossed in the US effort against
the new coronavirus. Such issues were left for public
health professionals at the state and local level.
“Wilson never issued any public statement whatso-
ever,” said John M. Barry, author of “The Great In-
fluenza,” a book about the 1918 flu. “He was entirely fo-
cused on the war. Period.”
In fact, Wilson was so focused on the post-war peace
talks that he was a party to in Paris that he, too, ended
up stricken with the flu. He recovered. Trump, on the
other hand, seems intent on being the public face of the
effort against what has become his most serious chal-
lenge in a reelection year. Trump, who has no scientific
or medical training, now leads a daily White House
briefing on coronavirus efforts by a task force he
tapped the vice president to lead.
“The number one thing a president can
do in a moment like this is try to calm the
na�on,”
— Julian Zelizer,
a presiden�al historian at Princeton
University
Trump styles himself as a “wartime president” fight-
ing an “invisible enemy” responsible for hundreds of
deaths and thousands of infections in the US - numbers
that will continue to rise as the virus spreads — and a
dramatic upheaval of everyday life.
Millions of people have been ordered or urged to stay
home for the foreseeable future, cut off from simple
pleasures like going to restaurants, shopping malls or
movies in a bid to slow the virus. But Trump’s crisis
management has earned mixed reviews, with praise
from many supporters and criticism from detractors, in-
cluding mayors and governors who are desperate for
Trump to more robustly use his authority to help them
get much-needed protective gear and supplies for doc-
tors and nurses.
The president’s early attempts to minimise the sever-
ity of the situation, and to suggest that it was under
control, have been panned, though he recently adopted
a more urgent tone. But the damage has been done,
said Scott Morrison, of the Center for Strategic and In-
ternational Studies, citing lack of public trust due to
Trump's early handling of the situation.
“Not having trust and confidence is a huge liability
heading into something this catastrophic,” said Morri-
son, senior vice president and director of the Global
Health Policy Center at CSIS. Obama was a few months
into his first term in 2009 term when reports started
coming in that April about the H1N1 flu. He addressed
the situation that month, assembled a team and ulti-
mately declared both a public health emergency and a
national emergency to deal with the threat.
“This is obviously a very serious situation, and every
American should know that their entire government is
taking the utmost precautions and preparations,” Obama
said as he opened a White House news conference that
month. He said public health officials had recommended
that schools with confirmed cases consider temporarily
closing, and that he had asked Congress for USD 1.5 bil-
lion in emergency funding to help monitor and track the
virus, and to build a supply of antiviral drugs and other
equipment. “Everyone should rest assured that this gov-
ernment is prepared to do whatever it takes to control
the impact of this virus,” Obama said. Dr. Howard
Markel, director of the University of Michigan's Center
for the History of Medicine, said Obama was “very hands
on” during H1N1 — but not as visibly as Trump. Obama's
director of the Center for Disease Control and Prevention
conducted daily briefings from Atlanta.
“He took a step back because he allowed his experts
to run the show,” Markel said of Obama. “He didn't have
to be in front of the podium, but you knew he was
there.” Nearly 12,500 deaths due to the H1N1 flu were
reported in the US between April 2009 and April 2010,
when the World Health Organization declared an end to
the pandemic. Obama spent nearly USD 1 billion and
sent US military personnel to West Africa to help with
the response to an outbreak of Ebola in 2014.
 COVID-19

8 TESTING TIME
DOMESTIC AIR TRAVEL SUSPENDED
New Delhi (PTI): No domestic commercial passenger flight
would be allowed to operate in the country from March 25
onward, the Union Civil Aviation Ministry said in a state-
ment on Monday in order to restrict travel amid the coron-
avirus pandemic.
India has already banned international flights for a week
from Sunday. "The operations of domestic schedule com-
mercial airlines shall cease with effect from the midnight
that is 23.59 hours IST (Indian Standard Time) on March 24,
2020," a ministry spokesperson said. "Airlines have to plan
operations so as to land at their destinations before 23.59
hours on March 24, 2020," the spokesperson added. How-
ever, the spokesperson clarified that the restrictions would
not apply to cargo flights. Earlier during the day, aviation
FROM MIDNIGHT TODAY
regulator DGCA had clarified on Twitter that all cargo
flights -- domestic and international -- can operate as
usual. Meanwhile, Railway stations across the country
wore a deserted look today as the Indian Railways has can-
celled all passenger train operations till March 31 in view of
coronavirus.
The Puratchi Thalaivar Dr M.G. Ramachandran Central
Railway Station in Chennai and Anand Vihar Terminal in
Delhi were deserted as there were no passenger train oper-
ations. Nagpur Railway Station in Maharashtra and
Khardaha railway station in West Bengal also wore a de-
serted look on Monday.
To ensure the essential supplies in various parts of the
country, the movement of goods trains will continue.
The Indian Railways on Sunday stated that the Zonal
Railways have been advised to ensure strict adherence to
the instructions.

Flight passengers take rest at NSCBI Airport during ICMR OKAYS ANTI-MALARIAL A lone staff member works in a government office
in Konkan Bhavan a�er lockdown amid the

DRUG FOR HIGH-RISK PATIENTS

coronavirus pandemic, in Kolkata on Monday coronavirus outbreak, in Navi Mumbai, on Monday

Uddhav imposes 2nd test confirms

curfew in entire Maha Kanika has COVID-19
Mumbai: Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav
Thackeray on Monday said curfew will be im- Lucknow: Bollywood singer Kanika Kapoor
posed in the entire state from Monday mid- tested positive again in a second test for
night as the fight against coronavirus has COVID-19 conducted on Monday. The singer's
reached a "turning point". The next few days sample was
would be crucial, he said, adding that crowds tested again at
will not be tolerated in public places and ac- A man offers the Sanjay Gandhi
tion would be taken against those violating prayers at Post Graduate In-
the government's guidelines. He, however, as- Sacred Heart stitute of Medical
sured that all essential services will remain Cathedral Sciences in Luc-
open during the time of curfew. "We will be Church a�er know after her
enforcing curfew in the entire state from Mon- it was family members
day midnight. We have come to a turning temporarily raised questions
point in our battle against the COVID-19 out- shut as a about the initial
break. The next few days would be extremely precau�onary test reports.
important. We are also sealing borders of all measure Kanika is re-
districts to check the spread of coronavirus," against ported to be sta-
he said. "We will not tolerate crowd in public coronavirus in ble as of now.
places at any cost. Except in case of an emer- New Delhi, on The police are tracing all those who came in
gency, no one will be allowed to roam on Monday contact with her in the last few days. Report-

WHO trial looks at 4 most promising drugs

streets. If these guidelines are violated, peo- edly, 160 persons came in her contact in three
ple will face legal action," Thackeray said. parties after she returned from the UK.

New Delhi: The Indian Council of Medical Research has rec- At a time when nearly 70 drugs and experimental cock-
ommended the use of anti-malarial drug Hydroxychloro-
A recent French study had shown tails are being examined to treat the novel coronavirus
quine “under exceptional circumstances” as a line of treat- hydroxychloroquine may be beneficial (COVID-19), the World Health Organisation (WHO) has an-
ment against high-risk Covid-19 patients. if taken with an an�bio�c mechanism nounced a global trial called ''SOLIDARITY to find out if any
The recommendation comes amid a global debate on for figh�ng a coronavirus infec�on. drug can actually treat infections with the new coron-
whether the anti-malarial drug will prove effective in treat-
ing Covid-19 and also after anti-HIV drugs were used as
However, the scien�fic community has avirus.
The trial, which could include many thousands of pa-
treatment on patients admitted for Covid-19 in Jaipur, as urged cau�on as research is currently tients in dozens of countries, has been designed to be as
well as in a few cases abroad. limited as clinical trials of much larger simple as possible so that even hospitals overwhelmed by
A recent French study had shown hydroxychloroquine scales need to be conducted to conclusively an onslaught of COVID-19 patients can participate, accord-
may be beneficial if taken with an antibiotic mechanism for
fighting a coronavirus infection. However, the scientific
determine the effec�veness of a drug ing to the prestigious journal Science.
Scientists have suggested dozens of existing compounds
community has urged caution as research is currently lim- should not lead to a false sense of security and all other for testing but WHO is focusing on what it says are the four
ited as clinical trials of much larger scales need to be con- precautions such as washing of hands, use of protective most promising therapies.
ducted to conclusively determine the effectiveness of a gear and maintaining 1m distance should be followed as These are "an experimental antiviral compound
drug. usual. called remdesivir; the malaria medications chloroquine
The use of the drug in India, apart from high-risk pa- ICMR’s Director-General Dr.Balram Bhargava issued a and hydroxychloroquine; a combination of two HIV
tients, has largely been recommended for asymptomatic note on the recommendation on Sunday. The note is at- drugs, lopinavir and ritonavir; and that same combina-
healthcare workers involved in the care of suspected or tached with an advisory on how and when the drug is to be tion plus interferon-beta, an immune system messenger
confirmed cases of Covid-19 and asymptomatic household used and on which category of patients. It also provides for that can help cripple viruses," said the article in the
contacts of laboratory confirmed cases, an advisory said. a brief explanation on why this drug is being recom- journal of the American Association for the Advance-
A book seller offers prayers while closing his shop More importantly, it said that this line of treatment mended. ment of Science (AAAS). Workers spray disinfectant in a residential
for next few days before lockdown in the wake of area to contain the spread of coronavirus, at
coronavirus pandemic, at a book market in Kolkata Bavdhan in Pune city on Monday
on Monday
SC switches to hearing cases
Church priest held
through video-conferencing Quarantine houses to be
stamped with stickers
for holding mass New Delhi (PTI): The Supreme Court on Monday heard three
matters through video-conferencing, sticking to the social Chennai (PTI): As many as 3,000 homes are un-
Thrissur(Ker)/Chennai (PTI): As coronavirus distancing protocol aimed at curbing the coronavirus pan- der the quarantine watch for cornavirus in
cases in the country surge past 400, a priest in demic. A bench of Chief Justice S A Bobde and Justice D Y greater Chennai Corporation limits and such
Kerala who conducted a mass at a church defy- Chandrachud sat in court number one, where a large screen houses will be stamped with stickers to ensure
ing a government order against public gather- was installed along with other necessary equipment, and social distancing, the city civic body said on
ings was arrested on Monday while authorities heard lawyers, who argued their cases from a different place Monday. "All the houses where home quarantine
in Tamil Nadu plan to paste 'Do Not Visit' stickers in the apex court through a video-conferencing system in- suspected people are residing, stickers will be
outside houses of home quarantined people. Po- stalled there. The lawyers appearing in these matters argued pasted for alerting others and to ensure social
lice also lodged criminal cases against home from a room in the old registrar wing, where screens, cam- distancing, the corporation said in a release. The
quarantined persons who ventured outside and eras and other equipment for video-conferencing were in- corporation, the biggest in Tamil Nadu, said
have warned that violators of home quarantine stalled. Earlier in the day, a bench headed by the CJI said the "right now 3,000 homes are under quarantine
order will face arrest. The total number of apex court has decided to seal lawyers chambers in and watch in greater chennai corporation limits." On
COVID-19 cases in the country surged to 415, a around its premises and only one court would hear "ex- the stamping of stickers, it said this was a "time
spike from the figure of 360 the night before, ac- tremely urgent matters" through virtual means. The bench of emergency and it has to be taken in the right
cording to the Union Health Ministry. In Kerala, said it was mulling over shutting down its functioning and spirit," in an apparent appeal to people to coop-
priest Pauly Padayatti, Vicar of the Lady of Per- considering to hear urgent matters through virtual means. erate. Bengaluru city Police Commissioner
petual Help church at Koodapuzha in Chalakudy, Kerala High Court on Monday decided to shutdown till April Bhaskar Rao said on Monday those subjected to
conducted the mass on Monday morning in 8 except for emergency functions in view of the coronavirus home quarantine stamping would be arrested if
which at least 100 people had participated, po- outbreak in the state. they were found to visit public places. "5000
lice said. The priest was arrested and later let off The decision, which will come into force from March 24, was Home quarantine stamping was carried to en-
on bail. taken during a full court meeting today. sure they remain home in the public interest."

EXPORT OF MASKS, VENTILATORS: CONG DEMANDS SACKING OF MINISTER

New Delhi (Agencies): Amid scarcity of medical equip-
ment and protective gear for health workers, the Con-
gress has demanded sacking of Union Commerce Minis-
ter and Commerce Secretary for allowing export of
ventilators, surgical and face masks, raw Material for
masks/coveralls till March 19.
"This is criminal as our doctors, nurses and patients
are facing acute scarcity," said chief Congress
spokesperson Randeep Surjewala.
"Should you (the PM) not sack Union Commerce Min-
ister & Commerce Secretary for permitting exports
of ventilators and other raw material?" asked Surjewala.
Earlier the party objected to permission to companies to
export masks and ventilators alleging that these were
allowed till March 19. Surjewala termed it as a "criminal
conspiracy". "Why was it allowed when the country is
facing shortage of such items?" asked Sujewala.
The party attached the notification issued on March 19
by the Director General of Foreign Trade. The Congress
Major suppliers say shortage of
Only 30,000 ventilators are available for 135 crore pop-
Why was it allowed ulation, he said, adding these should be arranged in ade-
quate number. About 95 per cent of ventilators were al-
when the country is
ventilators due to global demand
ready under use for patients suffering from other
facing shortage of such diseases, he added. The Karnataka government on Mon-
day decided to purchase 1,000 ventilators from medical
items? Only 30,000 devices company Skanray Technologies and five lakh
Personal Protective Equipment (PPE), amid rising
New Delhi (PTI): Some of the major suppliers in the country have said
that they have acute shortage of ventilators stock in view of the in-
ventilators are available COVID-19 cases. Health Minister B Sriramulu convened a
meeting with officials to review the situation in the wake
creasing demand worldwide amid the coronavirus outbreak. Officials
sources said the views were communicated at a recent review meet-
for 130 crore population of the coronavirus outbreak, and with the Mysuru-based ing held by Union Health Ministry with around six to seven major in-
firm through a video conference. ternational and national suppliers to assess their supply position,
alleged the government acted when COVID-19 positive The Indian Council of Medical Research on Monday ex- manufacturing capacity as well as the feasibility of importing ventila-
cases started rising. pedited approvals for manufacturing of domestic com- tors. "The meeting was held to assess the availability of ventilators in
The Congress demanded that personal protection mercial testing kits. “We are fast tracking approval for the country, including the local manufacturing capacity as well as
equipment (PPEs), such as special masks, gloves, face kit manufacturers. We want to clarify that those kits that supply through import. "The companies stated acute shortage of
shields, goggles, head covers, rubber boots and dispos- are not approved by USFDA or European CE will be ap- stocks at hand, citing they had sent ventilators to other countries due
able gowns be made available to the health workers to proved by ICMR-National Institute of Virology,” said to increasing demand among coronavirus-affected patients.
protect them against coronavirus infection. Dr.Balram Bhargava, Director-General, ICMR.

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