12
W ith States clamouring for the sup- ply of oxygen, the Indian Railways has chalked out a major plan for unhindered transportation of Liquid Medical Oxygen (LMO) across the key corridors of the country through Oxygen Express trains. During the last 24 hours the Railway Oxygen Expresses delivered nearly 150 tonnes of oxygen to health authorities in Nashik and Lucknow. An Oxygen Express train carrying three tankers of liquid medical oxygen arrived in Uttar Pradesh on Saturday morning giving a big relief to the State health infrastructure battling a grim phase of the pandemic. For the movement of the oxygen train, a green corridor was created between Lucknow and Varanasi. The distance of 270 km was covered by the train in 4 hours 20 minutes with an average speed of 62.35 kmph. “Two trucks of medical oxygen arrived in Lucknow around 6.30 am while one truck was offloaded in Varanasi. Each truck has a capacity of containing 15,000 liters of medical oxy- gen” informed Additional Chief Secretary (Home) Awanish Kumar Awasthi to media. He said both the trucks may be used for Lucknow and a decision will be taken soon. The train arrived from Bokaro in Jharkhand. Incidentally, Oxygen tankers filled with LMO at Visakhapatnam and Bokaro are presently being transported through Ro-Ro service of Indian Railways. “The arrival of two trucks of med- ical oxygen will meet around half the demand of Lucknow for Saturday. The state capital will now be in a bet- ter position,” Awasthi said. The first Oxygen Express train that left Visakhapatnam on Thursday reached Nagpur in Maharashtra on Friday evening with seven tankers car- rying the life-saving medical gas. T he horror of Oxygen short- age came to haunt a private hospital in Amritsar as six patients died allegedly due to a shortage of the life saving oxy- gen during the time of Covid pandemic, prompting Punjab Government to order a probe into the incident. The hospital said five of the six patients were infected with Covid-19. Sunil Devgan, the chairman and managing direc- tor of Neelkant hospital where the deaths occurred, alleged that despite the district admin- istration being repeatedly asked to extend help, no one turned up to do the needful. He said six patients, including two women, died due to the short- age of oxygen. Punjab Medical Education Minister OP Soni, however, refuted the charge and claimed that no proper information was given by the hospital about any shortage of oxygen. He claimed a mere simple message was dropped in a WhatsApp group to the administration. As soon as Punjab Chief Minister Capt Amarinder Singh came to know about the inci- dent, he ordered the Amritsar Deputy Commissioner (DC) to initiate a thorough probe. He also said the hospital prima facie seemed to have flouted orders given to all private hos- pitals facing oxygen shortage to shift their patients to Government medical colleges. Devgan claimed that after the death of patients, only five oxygen cylinders were sup- plied to the hospital. The hospital chairman claimed that three main oxygen suppliers have said that Government hospitals are being prioritised. W ith many hospitals reporting a shortage of oxygen amid aggravating coro- navirus cases, the Punjab Government on Saturday ordered the closure of opera- tions at the State’s iron and steel industry to divert oxygen for medical use. Oxygen along with LPG is used in induction, arc fur- naces and rolling mills to cut and shape the iron and steel items to be used by different industry verticals. Iron and steel units are mostly concen- trated in Ludhiana and Mandi Gobindgarh. Punjab Chief Minister Capt Amarinder Singh also ordered immediate establish- ment of oxygen control rooms at the State and district-level. Ordering closure of industrial operations at iron and steel plants, said the CM in a state- ment, adding that the State Government will convey its decision to the Centre. The move has come hours after six patients died at a pri- vate hospital in Amritsar due to oxygen shortage. Taking stock of the situation, the CM said the current allocation of oxygen to Punjab is not suf- ficient to meet its needs and said he has already taken up the matter with the Centre, seeking an increase in quota on an urgent basis. Sudden influx of patients from neighbouring States has put an added burden on the oxygen requirements of Punjab, the CM noted. Capt Amarinder also asked for a feasibility report from the Power Department on the use of ther- mal plants for providing oxy- gen for medical use. Punjab has witnessed a sharp increase in demand for oxygen over the past a few days. C ovid patients continue to have nightmare in the national Capital for want of oxygen. Twenty-one of them died in Jaipur Golden Hospital, while it was touch and go affair for hundreds of others who sur- vived due to replenishment of oxygen in the nick of time. As oxygen supply began to run out and patients and TV channels screamed the plight of patients and their relatives, Batra Hospital in Delhi’s Tughlakabad Institutional Area received emergency oxygen supply from the Delhi Government moments after it exhausted its stock. Similarly, many other hos- pitals received supply in the nick of time. The countdown for the next delivery is on. Delhi’s Saroj hospital closed admission to patients on Saturday due to oxygen supply shortage. The Rohini-based hospital started discharging patients amid the crisis and closed new admissions. Doctor Mayur, who is the incharge of the Covid ward at the hospital, said the facility has 70 critical patients, and there could be a “big disaster” if the hospital doesn’t get oxygen in time. The crisis turned cata- strophic as 20 critically ill patients admitted at Jaipur Golden Hospital at Rohini, died overnight. “The oxygen pressure has dipped as we are running out of stock,” Dr DK Baluja, Jaipur Golden Hospital medical director, told PTI. He said the hospital has over 200 patients and they had only half an hour of oxygen was left at 10:45 am. It received the last refill of oxygen around midnight, after hours of delay. “Nobody has promised anything. Everybody is saying we will do our best,” the med- ical director said when asked if the hospital received any help from the Government. Dr Baluja said the hospital has over 200 patients and 80 per cent of them are on oxygen support. Around 35 patients are in the ICU, he said. The hospital was to receive its quota of oxygen at 05:30 pm but the supply did not reach it till midnight. Even then, the hospital just received 40 per cent of its allocated quota and is again in a situation of crisis. Incidentally, 25 Covid patients had died in elite Sir Ganga Ram Hospital on Friday. Executive Director of Batra Hospital, Sudhanshu Bankata, said the healthcare facility exhausted its oxygen stock at around 9 am. T he Delhi High Court on Saturday asked the Centre about the preparedness to deal with the expected Covid-19 second wave peak in mid-May, terming the massive rise in cases as a ‘Tsunami’, and warned it will “hang” any per- son who tries to obstruct oxy- gen supplies to hospitals here. Talking tough, a bench of Justices Vipin Sanghi and Rekha Palli, said this during a special hearing on a holiday on the issue of mounting oxygen crisis in various hospitals in Delhi. The court said the viral dis- ease has a low mortality and those who have a low immu- nity will eventually die but the problem comes when people who could be saved are also dying. “The mortality rate needs to be reduced.” Referring to a study by a team of scientists from the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), Kanpur, the court noted its assessment that the peak of this COVID wave will come in mid-May. “We are calling it a wave, it is actually a Tsunami,” the court said, and asked the Centre about the prepared- ness in terms of infrastructure, hospitals, medical staff, medi- cines, vaccines and oxygen as on date for the peak. Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, representing the Centre, said there might be a rapid rise in the number of cases in May and June and the country needs to be ready for the worst. He said the Prime Minister and others are working on it and have decided to import oxygen and are also exploring the remotest possibility of gen- erating oxygen from wherever it is possible. New Delhi: Seventy per cent of the city traders are in favour of extending the lockdown beyond April 26 amid the worsening coronavirus crisis in the capital, said the Chamber of Trade and Industry (CTI) on Saturday. Out of the 700 traders organisations participating in a survey, almost 500 were in the favour of extend- ing the lockdown, it added. The survey included traders from Kashmiri Gate, Chandni Chowk, Chawri Bazar, Sadar Bazar, Khari Baoli, Karol Bagh, Kamla Nagar, Rajouri Garden, Nehru Place, South X and Shahdara. New Delhi: Bharat Biotech’s Covaxin on Saturday late evening unveiled the prices of its Covaxin, which will be available to State Governments at 600 a dose and private hospitals at 1,200 a dose. The Hyderabad-based compa- ny said, “Following the Govt of India directives, we announce the prices of COVAXIN vaccines — 600 per dose for State hospitals and 1,200 per dose for private hospitals.” The Covaxin’s export price would be between $15-20 (1,123 to 1,498 approximately). Pune-based Serum Institute of India, which is the other vaccine maker in the country, has said it will sell its Covishield at 400 a shot to States and 600 to pri- vate hospitals. PNS J harkhand reported record 110 Covid casualties on Saturday, which took the Covid toll in the State up at 1,888 as the active caseload crossed the 45,000 mark with 5,152 people found infected by the deadly virus in 24 hours, figures com- piled by the National Health Mission (NHM) revealed. Ranchi alone accounted for 60 Covid deaths on Saturday, the highest reported so far in a day, which took the toll in the district to 546, sur- passing East Singhbhum, the district that reported highest Covid deaths in 2020. A bul- letin released by the NHM highlighted that as many as 16 Covid patients died in East Singhbhum on the day, taking the toll there to 514. These two districts account for more than 60 per cent of the Covid casu- alties in the State so far. Meanwhile, the active case- load in Ranchi jumped to 14,789 on Saturday as the dis- trict reported 1,609 fresh cases of infection against 824 recov- eries. With 570 cases and 368 recoveries, the active caseload in East Singhbhum stood at 6,173, revealed data compiled by the NHM. These two dis- tricts also account for more than 40 per cent of the active cases in Jharkhand. Among other districts, Bokaro reported a spike of 305 cases while Dhanbad and Koderma reported 174 and 212 cases respectively. Latehar reported 215 fresh cases and at least 262 people were found infected in Ramgarh on the day, Government data highlighted. Saturday’s findings also took the Covid tally in the state close to the 2 lakh mark. As per Government data, as many as 1,95,844 people were infected by Covid-19 in Jharkhand so far and around 75.75 per cent of them have recovered. The growth rate of infec- tion in the State also shot up on the day while the doubling rate dropped below 30 days. As per figures shared by the NHM, the growth rate of infection in Jharkhand was 2.66 per cent against the national average of 1.48 per cent, while the dou- bling rate in the State dropped to 26.38 days against the national average of 47.28 days. Amid the unprecedented rise in cases, the vaccination programme against Covid-19 has also failed to achieve the targets set by the Government. On Saturday, the State admin- istered the first dose of the vac- cine to 15,168 beneficiaries, hardly 20 per cent of those reg- istered for the jab. The second jab was administered to 11,551 people, around 4 per cent of the over 2.68 lakh beneficiaries on the day. C hief Minister Hemant Soren on Saturday inaugu- rated Covid Circuits for two districts Ranchi and East Singhbhum to make available oxygen supported beds of one district for the patients of adja- cent districts on a need basis. The CM inaugurated the Covid circuits online here on Saturday. On the occasion, the CM said that with the rise in Covid- 19 cases the need for oxygen supported beds is being felt amidst the spread of the pan- demic. “We have increased the oxygen beds in the state from 2,500 to 10,000 in the last 20 days. Simultaneously, the work of increasing the number of oxygen supported beds is in progress across all the dis- tricts. At present, due to a sudden spike in the cases, oxy- gen beds seem scarce in many districts like Ranchi, Dhanbad, Jamshedpur etc, whereas, many districts have vacant oxygen beds. Given this situation, ini- tially, two Covid Circuits, Ranchi and East Singhbhum were launched by the State Government,” said the CM. The Ranchi circuit com- prises Ranchi, Gumla, Simdega, Lohardaga, Khunti, Ramgarh and Latehar districts, while the East Singhbhum circuit comprises Jamshedpur, Seraikela and Chaibasa. Both of these circuits have a high demand for oxygen supported beds. Patients of these dis- tricts will be allotted oxygen supported beds in adjacent nearby districts. The CM said out of 2,000 oxygen supported beds in the Ranchi circuit 450 beds are vacant. The same is the case with the East Singhbhum cir- cuit. Out of 1200 oxygen sup- ported beds in the circuit, about 500 beds are empty. The CM said the number of infected patients is increas- ing daily in Ranchi, Jamshedpur and other big cities. Due to this the pressure of patients is increasing in Covid dedicated hospitals of these cities. These two circuits will help ease the pressure from the hospitals. The inau- guration of the Covid circuit will reduce the rush of patients from hospitals in big cities and they will be provided with oxygen-supported beds in nearby hospitals easi- ly, where they can get better treatment. The CM said to avoid any problem due to lack of infor- mation, a toll-free number has been issued by the State gov- ernment. Covid infected patients or families who wish to avail this facility to be admit- ted at nearby district hospitals, can call the central control room at 104 or Ranchi centre at 0651-2411144 and Jamshedpur centre at 0657- 244011, 8987510050. This ser- vice is completely free. The CM said, “This initia- tive will help people get better treatment of Covid19 and help people on a large scale.” Soren said that there is no shortage of oxygen or oxygen supported beds in the State. The State Government is ded- icated to the arrangement of all the necessities, given the grow- ing cases of Covid-19. Covid circuit is an example of one such initiative. The infrastructure of hos- pitals established in adjacent districts of major cities is being operationalised. Toll-free numbers have been issued by the state gov- ernment to ensure that there is no panic among the people due to lack of information. Information about beds can be obtained by calling on these toll-free numbers. The CM said, “There is no need to panic in any way. All of us will win this battle against Covid-19, only by staying restrained. Doctors in the State, including the paramedical staff, and other Corona Warriors are working day and night for us. We all have to be together in this fight. The arrangements are improving with every pass- ing day, in a quality manner. Our patience can be an impor- tant link in this fight.” State Development Commissioner Arun Kumar Singh, Principal Secretary to Chief Minister Rajiv Arun Ekka, Urban Development Secretary Vinay Kumar Choubey, Additional Secretary Food Supplies Shantanu Kumar Agrahari, Deputy Commissioner Ranchi Chhavi Ranjan and other officials were present during the occasion.

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With States clamouring for the sup-ply of oxygen, the Indian

Railways has chalked out a major planfor unhindered transportation ofLiquid Medical Oxygen (LMO) acrossthe key corridors of the countrythrough Oxygen Express trains. Duringthe last 24 hours the Railway OxygenExpresses delivered nearly 150 tonnesof oxygen to health authorities inNashik and Lucknow.

An Oxygen Express train carryingthree tankers of liquid medical oxygenarrived in Uttar Pradesh on Saturdaymorning giving a big relief to the Statehealth infrastructure battling a grimphase of the pandemic.

For the movement of the oxygentrain, a green corridor was created

between Lucknow and Varanasi. Thedistance of 270 km was covered by thetrain in 4 hours 20 minutes with anaverage speed of 62.35 kmph.

“Two trucks of medical oxygenarrived in Lucknow around 6.30 amwhile one truck was offloaded inVaranasi. Each truck has a capacity of

containing 15,000 liters of medical oxy-gen” informed Additional ChiefSecretary (Home) Awanish KumarAwasthi to media.

He said both the trucks may beused for Lucknow and a decision willbe taken soon. The train arrived fromBokaro in Jharkhand. Incidentally,Oxygen tankers filled with LMO atVisakhapatnam and Bokaro arepresently being transported through Ro-Ro service of Indian Railways.

“The arrival of two trucks of med-ical oxygen will meet around half thedemand of Lucknow for Saturday.The state capital will now be in a bet-ter position,” Awasthi said. The first Oxygen Express trainthat left Visakhapatnam on Thursdayreached Nagpur in Maharashtra onFriday evening with seven tankers car-rying the life-saving medical gas.

� ��� ������ �

The horror of Oxygen short-age came to haunt a private

hospital in Amritsar as sixpatients died allegedly due to ashortage of the life saving oxy-gen during the time of Covidpandemic, prompting PunjabGovernment to order a probeinto the incident.

The hospital said five of thesix patients were infected withCovid-19. Sunil Devgan, thechairman and managing direc-tor of Neelkant hospital wherethe deaths occurred, allegedthat despite the district admin-

istration being repeatedly askedto extend help, no one turnedup to do the needful. He saidsix patients, including twowomen, died due to the short-age of oxygen.

Punjab Medical EducationMinister OP Soni, however,refuted the charge and claimedthat no proper informationwas given by the hospital aboutany shortage of oxygen. Heclaimed a mere simple messagewas dropped in a WhatsAppgroup to the administration.

As soon as Punjab ChiefMinister Capt Amarinder Singhcame to know about the inci-

dent, he ordered the AmritsarDeputy Commissioner (DC) toinitiate a thorough probe. Healso said the hospital primafacie seemed to have floutedorders given to all private hos-pitals facing oxygen shortage toshift their patients toGovernment medical colleges.

Devgan claimed that afterthe death of patients, only fiveoxygen cylinders were sup-plied to the hospital.

The hospital chairmanclaimed that three main oxygensuppliers have said thatGovernment hospitals arebeing prioritised.

� ��� ������ �

With many hospitalsreporting a shortage of

oxygen amid aggravating coro-navirus cases, the PunjabGovernment on Saturdayordered the closure of opera-tions at the State’s iron and steelindustry to divert oxygen formedical use.

Oxygen along with LPG isused in induction, arc fur-naces and rolling mills to cut

and shape the iron and steelitems to be used by differentindustry verticals. Iron andsteel units are mostly concen-trated in Ludhiana and MandiGobindgarh.

Punjab Chief MinisterCapt Amarinder Singh alsoordered immediate establish-ment of oxygen control roomsat the State and district-level.Ordering closure of industrialoperations at iron and steelplants, said the CM in a state-ment, adding that the StateGovernment will convey itsdecision to the Centre.

The move has come hoursafter six patients died at a pri-vate hospital in Amritsar due tooxygen shortage. Taking stock

of the situation, the CM said the current allocationof oxygen to Punjab is not suf-ficient to meet its needs andsaid he has already taken up thematter with the Centre, seekingan increase in quota on anurgent basis.

Sudden influx of patientsfrom neighbouring States hasput an added burden on theoxygen requirements of Punjab,the CM noted. Capt Amarinderalso asked for a feasibilityreport from the PowerDepartment on the use of ther-mal plants for providing oxy-gen for medical use.

Punjab has witnessed asharp increase in demand foroxygen over the past a few days.

������������� ������������

Covid patients continue tohave nightmare in the

national Capital for want ofoxygen. Twenty-one of themdied in Jaipur Golden Hospital,while it was touch and go affairfor hundreds of others who sur-vived due to replenishment ofoxygen in the nick of time.

As oxygen supply began torun out and patients and TVchannels screamed the plightof patients and their relatives,Batra Hospital in Delhi’sTughlakabad Institutional Areareceived emergency oxygensupply from the DelhiGovernment moments after itexhausted its stock.

Similarly, many other hos-pitals received supply in thenick of time. The countdownfor the next delivery is on.

Delhi’s Saroj hospitalclosed admission to patients onSaturday due to oxygen supplyshortage. The Rohini-basedhospital started dischargingpatients amid the crisis andclosed new admissions. DoctorMayur, who is the incharge ofthe Covid ward at the hospital,said the facility has 70 criticalpatients, and there could be a“big disaster” if the hospitaldoesn’t get oxygen in time.

The crisis turned cata-strophic as 20 critically illpatients admitted at JaipurGolden Hospital at Rohini,died overnight. “The oxygenpressure has dipped as we arerunning out of stock,” Dr DKBaluja, Jaipur Golden Hospitalmedical director, told PTI.

He said the hospital hasover 200 patients and they hadonly half an hour of oxygen wasleft at 10:45 am. It received thelast refill of oxygen aroundmidnight, after hours of delay.

“Nobody has promisedanything. Everybody is sayingwe will do our best,” the med-

ical director said when asked ifthe hospital received any helpfrom the Government. DrBaluja said the hospital has over200 patients and 80 per cent ofthem are on oxygen support.Around 35 patients are in theICU, he said.

The hospital was to receiveits quota of oxygen at 05:30 pmbut the supply did not reach ittill midnight. Even then, thehospital just received 40 percent of its allocated quota andis again in a situation of crisis.

Incidentally, 25 Covidpatients had died in elite SirGanga Ram Hospital on Friday.

Executive Director of BatraHospital, Sudhanshu Bankata,said the healthcare facilityexhausted its oxygen stock ataround 9 am.

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The Delhi High Court onSaturday asked the Centre

about the preparedness to dealwith the expected Covid-19second wave peak in mid-May,terming the massive rise incases as a ‘Tsunami’, andwarned it will “hang” any per-son who tries to obstruct oxy-gen supplies to hospitalshere.

Talking tough, a bench ofJustices Vipin Sanghi andRekha Palli, said this during aspecial hearing on a holiday on

the issue of mounting oxygencrisis in various hospitals inDelhi.

The court said the viral dis-ease has a low mortality andthose who have a low immu-nity will eventually die but theproblem comes when peoplewho could be saved are alsodying. “The mortality rateneeds to be reduced.”

Referring to a study by ateam of scientists from theIndian Institute of Technology(IIT), Kanpur, the court notedits assessment that the peak ofthis COVID wave will come inmid-May.

“We are calling it a wave, itis actually a Tsunami,” thecourt said, and asked theCentre about the prepared-ness in terms of infrastructure,hospitals, medical staff, medi-cines, vaccines and oxygen ason date for the peak.

Solicitor General TusharMehta, representing the Centre,said there might be a rapid risein the number of cases in May

and June and the country needsto be ready for the worst.

He said the Prime Ministerand others are working on itand have decided to importoxygen and are also exploringthe remotest possibility of gen-erating oxygen from whereverit is possible.

New Delhi: Seventy per cent of the city traders are in favour ofextending the lockdown beyond April 26 amid the worseningcoronavirus crisis in the capital, said the Chamber of Trade andIndustry (CTI) on Saturday. Out of the 700 traders organisationsparticipating in a survey, almost 500 were in the favour of extend-ing the lockdown, it added. The survey included traders fromKashmiri Gate, Chandni Chowk, Chawri Bazar, Sadar Bazar,Khari Baoli, Karol Bagh, Kamla Nagar, Rajouri Garden, NehruPlace, South X and Shahdara.

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New Delhi: Bharat Biotech’sCovaxin on Saturday late eveningunveiled the prices of its Covaxin,which will be available to StateGovernments at �600 a dose andprivate hospitals at �1,200 a dose.

The Hyderabad-based compa-ny said, “Following the Govt of Indiadirectives, we announce the pricesof COVAXIN vaccines — �600 perdose for State hospitals and �1,200per dose for private hospitals.” TheCovaxin’s export price would bebetween $15-20 (�1,123 to �1,498approximately). Pune-based SerumInstitute of India, which is theother vaccine maker in the country,has said it will sell its Covishield at�400 a shot to States and �600 to pri-vate hospitals. PNS

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Jharkhand reported record110 Covid casualties on

Saturday, which took the Covidtoll in the State up at 1,888 asthe active caseload crossed the45,000 mark with 5,152 peoplefound infected by the deadlyvirus in 24 hours, figures com-piled by the National HealthMission (NHM) revealed.

Ranchi alone accountedfor 60 Covid deaths onSaturday, the highest reportedso far in a day, which took thetoll in the district to 546, sur-passing East Singhbhum, thedistrict that reported highestCovid deaths in 2020. A bul-letin released by the NHMhighlighted that as many as 16Covid patients died in EastSinghbhum on the day, takingthe toll there to 514. These twodistricts account for more than60 per cent of the Covid casu-alties in the State so far.

Meanwhile, the active case-load in Ranchi jumped to14,789 on Saturday as the dis-trict reported 1,609 fresh casesof infection against 824 recov-eries. With 570 cases and 368recoveries, the active caseloadin East Singhbhum stood at6,173, revealed data compiledby the NHM. These two dis-tricts also account for morethan 40 per cent of the activecases in Jharkhand.

Among other districts,

Bokaro reported a spike of 305cases while Dhanbad andKoderma reported 174 and 212cases respectively. Lateharreported 215 fresh cases and atleast 262 people were foundinfected in Ramgarh on the day,Government data highlighted.

Saturday’s findings alsotook the Covid tally in the stateclose to the 2 lakh mark. As perGovernment data, as many as1,95,844 people were infectedby Covid-19 in Jharkhand sofar and around 75.75 per centof them have recovered.

The growth rate of infec-tion in the State also shot up onthe day while the doubling ratedropped below 30 days. As perfigures shared by the NHM, thegrowth rate of infection inJharkhand was 2.66 per centagainst the national average of1.48 per cent, while the dou-bling rate in the State droppedto 26.38 days against thenational average of 47.28 days.

Amid the unprecedentedrise in cases, the vaccinationprogramme against Covid-19has also failed to achieve thetargets set by the Government.On Saturday, the State admin-istered the first dose of the vac-cine to 15,168 beneficiaries,hardly 20 per cent of those reg-istered for the jab. The secondjab was administered to 11,551people, around 4 per cent of theover 2.68 lakh beneficiarieson the day.

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Chief Minister HemantSoren on Saturday inaugu-

rated Covid Circuits for twodistricts Ranchi and EastSinghbhum to make availableoxygen supported beds of onedistrict for the patients of adja-cent districts on a need basis.The CM inaugurated the Covidcircuits online here onSaturday.

On the occasion, the CMsaid that with the rise in Covid-19 cases the need for oxygensupported beds is being feltamidst the spread of the pan-demic. “We have increased theoxygen beds in the state from2,500 to 10,000 in the last 20days. Simultaneously, the workof increasing the number ofoxygen supported beds is inprogress across all the dis-tricts. At present, due to asudden spike in the cases, oxy-gen beds seem scarce in manydistricts like Ranchi, Dhanbad,Jamshedpur etc, whereas, many

districts have vacant oxygenbeds. Given this situation, ini-tially, two Covid Circuits,Ranchi and East Singhbhumwere launched by the StateGovernment,” said the CM.

The Ranchi circuit com-prises Ranchi, Gumla, Simdega,Lohardaga, Khunti, Ramgarhand Latehar districts, whilethe East Singhbhum circuitcomprises Jamshedpur,Seraikela and Chaibasa. Both ofthese circuits have a highdemand for oxygen supportedbeds. Patients of these dis-tricts will be allotted oxygensupported beds in adjacentnearby districts.

The CM said out of 2,000oxygen supported beds in theRanchi circuit 450 beds arevacant. The same is the casewith the East Singhbhum cir-cuit. Out of 1200 oxygen sup-ported beds in the circuit,about 500 beds are empty.

The CM said the numberof infected patients is increas-ing daily in Ranchi,

Jamshedpur and other bigcities. Due to this the pressureof patients is increasing inCovid dedicated hospitals ofthese cities. These two circuitswill help ease the pressurefrom the hospitals. The inau-guration of the Covid circuitwill reduce the rush of patientsfrom hospitals in big cities

and they will be provided with oxygen-supported beds in nearby hospitals easi-ly, where they can get bettertreatment.

The CM said to avoid anyproblem due to lack of infor-mation, a toll-free number hasbeen issued by the State gov-ernment. Covid infected

patients or families who wishto avail this facility to be admit-ted at nearby district hospitals,can call the central controlroom at 104 or Ranchi centreat 0651-2411144 andJamshedpur centre at 0657-244011, 8987510050. This ser-vice is completely free.

The CM said, “This initia-tive will help people get bettertreatment of Covid19 and helppeople on a large scale.”

Soren said that there is noshortage of oxygen or oxygensupported beds in the State.The State Government is ded-icated to the arrangement of allthe necessities, given the grow-ing cases of Covid-19. Covidcircuit is an example of onesuch initiative.

The infrastructure of hos-pitals established in adjacentdistricts of major cities is beingoperationalised.

Toll-free numbers havebeen issued by the state gov-ernment to ensure that there isno panic among the people due

to lack of information.Information about beds can beobtained by calling on thesetoll-free numbers.

The CM said, “There is noneed to panic in any way. Allof us will win this battle againstCovid-19, only by stayingrestrained. Doctors in the State,including the paramedical staff,and other Corona Warriorsare working day and night forus. We all have to be togetherin this fight. The arrangementsare improving with every pass-ing day, in a quality manner.Our patience can be an impor-tant link in this fight.”

State DevelopmentCommissioner Arun KumarSingh, Principal Secretary toChief Minister Rajiv ArunEkka, Urban DevelopmentSecretary Vinay KumarChoubey, Additional SecretaryFood Supplies Shantanu KumarAgrahari, DeputyCommissioner Ranchi ChhaviRanjan and other officials werepresent during the occasion.

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� How did you come onboard Vighnaharta Ganesh?

I had just concluded workfor another project in late 2020after the lockdown was lifted.That is when I got a call fromthe casting team at ContiloePictures stating that the makersof Vighnaharta Ganesh wantingto know if I was interested inplaying the role of GoddessParvati. I screen tested and theteam promptly brought meon board as Goddess Parvati.It is a deeply fortunate turn ofevents since Lord Ganesha ismy favourite deity. I do believethat such a character choosesyou and not the other wayround. So I consider mylanding the role as GoddessParvati’s blessings. � You have played Sita,Lakshmi and now Parvati, isthere a lesson that you learntwhile playing such strongcharacters?

First of all, I feel extremelyfortunate to have essayed theseGoddesses on the TV screen.Sita, Lakshmi and Parvati areall Goddesses from our epicswhose stories of virtue,ennobling qualities,benevolence and deep intrinsicstrength we have all grown upwith and have deep reverencefor. They are often andcommonly invoked as rolemodels in everyday discourse.I have said this before; peopleare attached to them & they aredeeply integral to our cultureand mythology. So theaudience’s feelings towardsthem are of paramountimportance when I essay sucha role. Plus people have acertain image that they attachwith such a character, in theirminds.� Is it hard to play amythological character?

Yes it is. What happens inthe process of essaying anymythological character is youhave the tremendous challengeto bring an image inside theaudience’s minds and hearts tolife. The audience knows and

understands and thereforeanticipates in a sense what theysee when it comes to charactersfrom mythology. Obviouslythey are also emotionallyattached when it comes totheir favourite deities. Thecostumes, sets, lighting &backdrops are therefore veryelaborate since the genredemands grandeur. I also thinkthe dialogues are definitelyamongst the toughest you’llhear in the medium giventhey are in chaste Hindi.Emoting with all this to conveya look and feel that theaudience will respond andrelate to is by no means easy.It, however, is definitelyrewarding when the audienceresponds to these efforts with

their wholehearted affection &blessings.� What are the challenges ofplaying such characters?

Preparation wise, I havealways tried my best to absorbthe creative vision shared withme and blended it with myown understanding of thesecharacters from the storiesI’ve heard & discoveredgrowing up. Preparation alwayshelps and I always try to put inmy own effort by reading up orlistening time permitting. Ihave striven to portray thequalities these Goddesses areidentified with by our audiencethrough my craft. Theaudience’s love, affection andblessings have been a strongsource of motivation to me forall of them.� How did acting happen toyou?

Quite by accident! I haveactually worked for severalyears as a professional interiordesigner with commercial andresidential projects. I franklywasn’t looking to get intoacting but I have endorsedJewellery & Traditional wearalongside my work as anInterior Designer. Funnily, forover six months I kept notshowing up for the screen testfor my debut show on TV.When I finally showed up forthe screen test, things justtook off. We were on floor formy TV debut in under a weekafter that at Ramoji Rao FilmCity.�Are there any other projectsin the pipeline?

Well, I keep getting calls forprojects and a few discussionsare underway for TV as well asOTT projects. Covidrestrictions have led to shootinglocations being moved acrossthe country and so I am takingmy time to finalise. I hope atthis time everyone stays homeand safe with their loved onesand takes care in these difficulttimes. I genuinely hope that weall emerge swiftly and strongerfrom this spandemic.

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Crime is fodder for OTT entertainment so thereis a veritable glut. However, KathmanduConnection stands tall in competition because

it is a tale woven into the backdrop of the Mumbaiserial blasts with a whole lot of acumen andcomprehensive work.

The tale is put across so simply that there is noscope really to look into padded loopholes in thisleisurely paced, but nevertheless taut thriller hoppingfrom Delhi to Dubai to Kathmandu to Hong Kong;from a fugitive from Lucknow, to a news anchor inDelhi to the Delhi Police department’s celebrated buttainted officer to, of course, the serial blasts.

With so much happening it would have been adifficult job to keep things uncomplicated but thedirector needs to be praised for weaving everythingtogether seamlessly.

It all starts with the abduction of a businessman

and goes on to dip into the multinational underbellyof big dreams, quick jobs, merciless hits andconspiracies that keep you hooked for most of the sixepisodes that this series comes with.

Limiting the episodes to just six is a smart moveas those wanting to view it as a film can do so too,with each episode not exceeding 40 minutes. Thecharacters have played to the hilt to keep the storyin the forefront and that includes Anurag Arora whoplays the cop with family issues. Decorated as anencounter and anti-terror specialist, he gets suspendedafter an unauthorised visit to Kathmandu where themain baddie plays him into the hands of the policewhile settling a score with his mentor and sparkinga transnational war among criminals.

Playing the intense Om Prakash Agarwal AmitSial makes his presence felt as a casual menace on thescene. Hailing from Kanpur, he seems to haveinternalised the UP culture, diction and bodylanguage so comes across as a genuine one fromLucknow University.

The series comes in handy for people reelingunder the second COVID-19 wave and who aremostly homebound.

A must watch.

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Chief Minister HemantSoren held a meeting with

senior military officers in hisresidential office on Saturday.In the course of deliberations,military officials informed theChief Minister that for thebetter treatment of Coronainfected patients, 50 Covidbeds have been prepared in theMilitary Hospital, Namkum.

The Army officials saidthat the treatment of Corona-infected patients will start inthe Military Hospital Namkum

from next Tuesday. It was alsotold in the meeting that theState government has agreed toprovide oxygen to them. TheCM urged the military officersthat the role of the army wouldbe important in this battleagainst Covid-19. Therefore,the army should work in coor-dination with the State gov-ernment to provide better treat-ment to the people here at thetime of this infection.

The Chief Minister saidthat the Indian Army hasintrinsic strengths. The Armyhas come forward to protectthe lives of the Corona-infect-ed patients according to itscapacity and should providerelief by using its healthresources established in thestate. In the meeting, further

coordination was discussedbetween the State government

and the military officials by cre-ating mutual coordination.

Earlier, on April 21, theState government has soughthelp from Indian Army estab-lishments in the State for treat-ment and care of civilian Covidpatients. The CM had chaireda meeting with Army officialson the fast growing case ofcorona infection in the Stateand had asked the Army tocooperate with the State gov-ernment in the kind of situa-tion that is arising due toCovid-19.

The CM had told the Armyofficials that if the Army hadpermission from Centre totreat general Covid patients inthe hospitals in Ranchi’sNamkum and Ramgarh, thenthe State government wouldprovide the oxygen-rich bedsthere, all other medical facili-

ties including ventilators. Hehad said that experienced doc-tors and para medical person-nel and other manpower wereavailable in army hospitals.With their cooperation, coro-na patients would surely getbetter treatment.

In Saturday’s meeting ChiefSecretary of the State SukhdevSingh, DevelopmentCommissioner Arun KumarSingh, Principal Secretary toChief Minister Rajiv ArunEkka, Urban DevelopmentSecretary Kumar Choubey,Campaign Director NRHMRavi Shankar Shukla and MajorGeneral Rajesh Kumar fromArmy, Brigadier Rajat Shukla,Colonel K Vivek and ColonelGagan Pandey were presentalongwith other senior officers.

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JPCC president and StateFinance-cum-Food Supply

Minister Dr Rameshwar Oraonheld a virtual meeting with allthe District Presidents, zonal coordinators, and exec-utive presidents of the partyhere on Saturday.

During this, on behalf ofvarious district heads and partyleaders, it was complained tothe State president that in thishour of disaster, private hospi-tals are being arbitrary.

Party leaders said thatdespite oxygen being providedto many private hospitals, oxy-gen cylinders are not being pro-vided to the patients, they areacting arbitrarily in providingbeds and ventilators, brokersare also active in these hospi-tals to collect huge amountsfrom people. Dr Oraon assuredto convey this sentiment of theparty leaders to the HealthMinister and the Secretary andsaid that their feelings will beconveyed.

Dr Oraon said that the doc-tors and nurses of the State arehelping the people, but the com-plaint of the entire State is a mat-ter of concern due to the arbi-trariness of the operators of pri-vate hospitals. During the virtu-al meeting, Executive presidentKeshav Mahato Kamlesh,spokesperson Alok KumarDubey, Lal Kishore NathShahdev, Dr Rajesh GuptaChhotu and Amulya NeerajKhalkho were present while thevirtual meeting was conductedby State Congress Social MediaCoordinator Gajendra Singh.

Party officials and districtpresidents from across the Statetold that they are constantly get-ting complaints against privatehospitals that they are chargingRs 70,000 to one lakh rupees aday from infected patients andtheir families, while in the pastthe rate of treatment was fixedby the state government. Dr.Oraon said that in this regard,he will talk to the HealthMinister and Secretary and allprivate hospitals will also betasked to hang the list of ratesfixed by the government andpublicise it.

Dr Oraon said now it ismost important that people be

vaccinated, but there are manymisconceptions about vacci-nation among people.

They need to overcome it.People have to be told that thescientists of the country havediscovered safe vaccines andthis has saved more than 65 percent people and there is no riskof life after taking the vaccine.Party workers will have impor-tant responsibilities in the vac-cination work.

He instructed the districtpresidents to ensure the par-ticipation of Congress workersin the vaccination. By placingthe hoardings, people will betold how to follow the protocol;people will be made awareand appealed to work with sol-idarity in prevention of coronainfection. He informed that likethe State level control room,assistance will be provided tothe Covid victims through thecontrol room at the districtlevel as well.

On fixing the three rates ofCovid-19 vaccine by the Centralgovernment, Dr. RameshwarOraon said that this will pro-mote black marketing. Theparty condemns this anddemands that the Central gov-ernment make arrangements toprovide free vaccines to all thepoor and youth.

On the ever increasingnumber of patients in Ranchi,he said that the second phaseof Corona is terrible but at thesame time doctors from dif-ferent districts like Chatra,Hazaribagh, Ramgarh, Dumka,Dhanbad, including other dis-tricts also send patients toRanchi and run away fromtheir responsibilities. This is notappropriate; the civil surgeonsof the districts should activatethe hospitals.

During this period, sever-al suggestions were also madeby various district heads. Thedistrict president of Deogharalso complained that BJP MPDr. Nishikant Dubey hadunnecessarily created bottle-necks. At the same time, mostof the district heads mentionedlack of oxygen supported beds,injections, medicines and ven-tilators and demanded the stategovernment to take immediateinitiative to remove these short-comings.

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Ranchi DeputyCommissioner Chhavi

Ranjan on Saturday appointedmagistrates to monitor theprice of medicines sold in thedistrict and take necessaryaction against retailers foundselling medicines and othermedical equipment at a high-er price than the MaximumRetail Price (MRP) amid anunprecedented spike in Covidcases and an alleged shortage ofdrugs.

The development comes inthe wake of several reportshighlighting the alleged black-marketing of medicines, espe-cially drugs used for treatmentof Covid-19. Some agentsreportedly hoarded life-savingdrugs and sold them at exorbi-tant price to needy patients inthe capital. “No retailer can sellmedicines at a higher price thanthe MRP. This is not the time tomint money,” said Ranjan.

A press communique fromthe district administration onSaturday stated that any retail-er caught selling medicines ata higher price than the MRPwill be punished under the rel-evant provisions of the law. Themagistrates will send reportsabout such discrepancies in

medicine prices to the drugcontroller, the press commu-nique further stated.

Besides, the Ranchi DCalso appointed police officialsand magistrate to monitor thesupply of Liquid MedicalOxygen (LMO) to hospitals inthe district. The agenciesinvolved in oxygen refillinghave been working at their fullcapacity to ensure uninter-rupted supply to oxygen to thehospitals here. However, somereports have alleged that oxy-gen hoarding was rampant inthe city owing to the highdemand and a possible crisis.

Meanwhile, the districtadministration carried out san-itization work at several high-positivity localities in the statecapital to prevent furtherspread of the virus. On thedirection of Ranjan, sanitiza-tion works were carried out atSadar Hospital, Bus Stands,SAIL City, MECON Colony,GEL Church Complex andmany other areas which havewitnessed an explosion ofCovid cases this month.

In association with GAILIndia, the district administra-tion also sanitized the RajendraInstitute of Medical Sciences(RIMS) and other Covid hos-pitals.

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Many Covid patients areusing political connec-

tions to retain ventilator andoxygen supported beds in thenew trauma centre at RajendraInstitute of Medical Sciences(RIMS) even after recoveringfrom the infection and beingleft with minor residual symp-toms that do not require inten-sive care, doctors from thepremiere State-run hospitalsaid on Saturday.

This practice, doctors said,was denying necessary treat-ment to the needy and severe-ly symptomatic Covid patientsamid a rapidly widening gapbetween the number of patientsand the count of available bedsin hospitals.

“We have around 100 bedsfor Covid patients with severesymptoms and at least 20 suchbeds are occupied by patientswho do not need intensivecare anymore,” said a RIMSdoctor who also holds a senioradministrative position in thehospital. “They (patients) use

political connections to retaintheir beds and refuse to shift tonon-ICU Covid wards,” headded, requesting anonymity.

Amid the acute crisis ofdedicated Covid beds and anunprecedented rise in cases ofinfection in Ranchi, the prac-tice of “clinging on to” bedswith ventilators is adding up tothe ordeals of patients who donot have political or bureau-cratic connections, say doctors.

Dr. Ajit Kumar, who wason duty at the Covid ward inSadar Hospital on the inter-vening night of Friday andSaturday, said that aroundseven to eight oxygen-sup-ported beds in the hospitalwere occupied by patients whodid not need oxygen support.

“During inspection, Inoticed that some patientswere not using oxygen masksbut they were still occupyingoxygen-supported beds,” saidDr. Kumar, who also happensto be the joint secretary ofIndian Medical Association’s(IMA) Ranchi chapter. “I hadto force around seven such sta-ble patients to vacate theirbeds in order to ensure oxygensupport to needy Covidpatients who were waiting in

ambulances,” he added. Kumar said that panic hos-

pitalization and hoarding ofoxygen were making the situ-ation worse in the state capitalas many needy patients wereunable to get treatment ontime due to this practice. Panicbuying of Remdesivir injectionswas also a major concern, headded.

In an order issued onThursday, the health depart-ment directed that all medicalcolleges in the state other thanRIMS will directly functionunder the supervision of theconcerned deputy commis-sioner until further notice. Thedecision was taken in the wake

of the Covid-19 situation inJharkhand.

However, a doctor fromSadar Hospital in Ranchi saidthat working directly underbureaucrats mounted addition-al pressure on doctors to ensurebeds to people who had con-nections with “affluent” people.

As per government data,there are around 3000 dedi-cated Covid beds available inRanchi for the over 14,000patients. Recently, the govern-ment asked all private hospitalsto reserve 50 per cent of theirbeds for Covid patients.However, the shortage of bedsstill continues to haunt patientsin the State capital.

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The Kadma area of SteelCity has turned out to be a

new Covid hotspot with over80 positive cases during the last48 hours. Soon after the caseswere reported, Kadma marketwas sealed completely onSaturday. About 15 fresh caseswere reported today. On Friday30 positive cases were found inthe market.

With the surge in cases asmany as eight containmentzones were declared in resi-dential areas close to Kadmamarket. Local civic body -Jamshedpur Notified AreaCommittee ( JNAC ) onSaturday put up barricadesfrom all sides preventing entry

of people to Kadma market.The authorities also put barri-cades on the Kadma main roadrestricting movement of vehi-cles.

Health department offi-cials confirmed that Kadmalocality has around 660 activecases making it the top Covidhotspot. Telco with 530 activecases is the second hotspot fol-lowed by Mango ( 410 activecases) , Sakchi ( 400 activecases) and Sonari which has375 active cases.

Ravi Bharti, city managerof Jamshedpur Notified AreaCommittee said that around450 shops have been shut at theKadma market and that thevegetable vendors and fruitsellers have been shifted to the

adjoining Ganesh PujaMaidan.

As per the records of thehealth department out of 4,891people who underwent Covidtests in East Singhbhum onFriday 810 were found positive.

As many as 16 deaths, thehighest so far also took place inthe past 24 hours. Maximumnumber of Covid affected peo-ple was found in Kadma, Telco,Sonari, Mango and Bistupur.

As people continue to vio-late the Covid-19 guidelinesdespite severe second wave,Jamshedpur Police on Saturdaylaunched an awareness-cum-enforcement drive for wearingmasks in public places acrossthe city. The drive was led bySSP M Tamil Vanan and CitySP Subhash Chandra Jat.

“I appeal to all the residentsto wear masks whenever theyleave their home. Together, wewill defeat Corona,” said SSPVanan. He said that a mask ismust for everyone while step-

ping out of home. Mask is nota substitute for a helmet. Bothare required while riding.

The drive was aimed tocreate awareness on social dis-tancing and wearing masks, inmarket places and busy areas.

Meanwhile, Jamshedpurpolice have announced to reg-ister FIRs against personsfound roaming on roads with-out wearing masks. The policewill register FIRs under theDisaster Management Act andother sections of the IPC.

The administration hasmade it mandatory for every-one to wear a mask (eitherthree-layered or made of cloth)if they are outside their homes.And those violating this ruleare being booked by police.

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There is a change of guardhere in the district health

set up. A noted child specialistAnil Kumar Srivastav has beenmade incharge civil surgeon ofPalamu.

DC Palamau ShashiRanjan said Srivastava whowas already acting civil surgeonfollowing John F Kennedy'sgoing on leave outside the stateand getting hospitalized inPatna, will now be inchargecivil surgeon.

Sources said there is noword if and when Kennedyreturns to Daltonganj fit andhealthy then will there be achange of the baton?

In other important devel-opments the Medinirai medicalcollege hospital and medicalcollege have been brought

under the administrative con-trol of the DC Palamu.

Sources said this measureof bringing the institutionsunder the administrative con-trol of the DC is to plug gapsand to override day to day hic-cups that come in the deliver-ance of health measures.

On Friday April 23 thenodal officer cum DDCShekhar Jamuar on reachingthe Medinirai medical collegehospital in Daltonganj was redto see sagging electricity wiresin the hospital for which he ordered the out-sourcer Balaji Detective ForceRanchi to get it right withoutfail.

Jamuar said dirt and filth inthis hospital here casts all puni-tive eyes on the outsourcerwhich is taking hospitalhygiene for a ride.

Dhanbad: In an early morningincident two goons openedfire on manager of outsourcedmining firm at his Riversidecolony residence underBhoura police station.

The manager MadhusudanSingh sustained bullet injuriesin his right shoulder in thisincident that took place inbetween 6 and 7am .The goonsalso hurled country madebombs inside the house but for-tunately no harm was done .

Deputy superintendent ofpolice ( DSP) Sindri Ajit KumarSinha reached on spot alongwith local police Station offi-cials and took statement ofboth victim and his wife.

Singh claims that two per-sons who had covered theirfaces with black cloth knockedthe doors and when he openedand inquired about work one ofthem opened fire on him.Singh along with his wife,who was standing behind him,somehow managed to closedoors . The goons fired a sec-

ond bullet on doors and hurledbombs inside the house andescaped on a two-wheeler.

DSP Sinha said, the goonsclaimed to be part of gangsterAman Singh gang who isknown for realising extortion .

Replying to media personsDSP said, Aman is in jail nowbut may be his gang membersbe involved in this. Police havefiled a case on the basis ofstatement of Madhusudan andinvestigating the case. Thegoons soon would be identifiedand arrested. Police have recov-ered empty cartridges andremains of the country madebombs from the incident spot.

This happens to be the sec-ond incident of attack onMadhusudan, who works asmanager of an outsourced min-ing firm,in last one year toldthe victim to the media.

He was taken to a localhospital for treatment underpolice protection and is out ofdanger, said the DSP.

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Bokaro saw a major spurt in fresh COVID-19 cases; the dis-trict reported 735 fresh Covid-19 positive cases and 6 deaths

due to coronavirus infections during the past 48 hours. Though,406 patients were recovered and discharged from COVID hos-pital in the same span of time, informed the district adminis-trative official. The total number of active cases rushed to around1531 with 101 deaths in the district.

In view of the rising outbreak of global pandemic COVID-19, AK Pathak Civil Surgeon Bokaro appealed mass to strictlyfollow the SOP, administrative as well as government guidelinesto curtail the spread.“Be safe in your own homes. There is noneed to be panic,” he urged.

A majority of fresh COVID-19 positive cases are being report-ed across the district during the past two weeks.

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In the midst of the secondwave of the Corona pan-

demic, there is good news forthe Garhwa district that theprocess of setting up an oxygenplant at the district headquar-ters has been started.

As of now the governmentis meeting the oxygen demandof hospitals from plants ofother states. Now the govern-ment has decided that oxygengenerating plants will be set upin the districts.

Starting this in Garhwadistrict, a machine has beenreached to set up an oxygenplant. If all goes well, theGarhwa district will soonbecome self-sufficient in termsof oxygen.

Earlier, during the firstwave of Corona, the govern-ment issued tenders for settingup medical oxygen plants in thedistricts of the State. But assoon as the epidemic weak-ened, the government machin-ery stopped paying attention.

This step is a major steptowards becoming self-suffi-cient in the entire Jharkhandincluding Garhwa to fightCorona.

Garhwa civil surgeon

Kamlesh Kumar told that themachine has just arrived here."What is the procedure forthis? How will it be made?How much will be made, allthis matter is being learned

from the Chief Engineer. In Garhwa, the consump-

tion of oxygen cylinders perday in Sadar Hospital are big 3cylinders and small 8 cylinders.

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The second wave of theCoronavirus is a critical

challenge for humanity andcalls for a heroic response toovercome it.

From availing of vaccina-tions, which is a must, it is nec-essary to cultivate hygienichabits and a disciplined lifestyleto stem the spread of this high-ly contagious virus. Our fore-most responsibility is to strict-ly follow all prescribed proto-cols to keep ourselves andthose we come in contact with,safe. There is no vacation fromwisdom. Bringing the pan-demic under control requirescollective action. Everyonemust do their bit.

The escalating globalhealth crisis has reinforced theneed for equipping our innerself-defence mechanisms too.Make sure you sleep enough,work out and meditate. Stressand anxiety weaken yourimmune system. Makingasanas, pranayamas and med-itation an integral part of dailylife can change not just one'sphysical chemistry but alsomake the mind peaceful andresilient. A strong mind canpull a weak body, but a weakmind will mess up even astrong body.

This crisis serves as areminder that no man is anisland unto himself. I urgeeveryone to strictly follow theprotocols enunciated by themedical community includingfrequent washing and santisingof hands, wearing masks andsocial distancing. Interestingly,

our traditional ways such asjoining hands in greeting andthe emphasis of Patanjali YogaSutra on shaucha (purity andcleanliness) show that thesepractices have been aroundfor thousands of years.

Until we defeat the virus,continue to stay indoors, avoidtravelling and going to publicgatherings or communityfeasts.

Abstain from congrega-tional prayers and rituals. Donot worry about not beingable to visit the temple, masjid,gurudwara or church.Meditation and mental prayersare equally if not more effectivethan rituals.

By being responsible youwill protect not only yourselfbut also many more people andreduce the burden on alreadyoverwhelmed medical facilitiesand frontline workers.

Various epidemics, wars,pandemics and natural disas-ters have challenged the humanrace before and they will keepcoming, testing our ability tosurvive. Such times, as the onewe are going through now,bring out qualities of thehuman spirit - its ability toendure and prevail and emergestronger, kinder, and wiser.This is the time to invoke thevalour in us, stand together andovercome once more.

I pray for the safety andgood health of all beings.

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Even in the phase of growingdeaths and thousands get-

ting infected with Coronavirusin the State, black-marketingand hoarding of life savingmedicines and necessary med-ical equipment is rampant inthe State. Right from portableoxygen cylinders to Remdesivirinjection, there are reports ofpeople being forced to buymedicines and equipment at

much higher rates than thefixed MRP.

Although, government hasfixed the price of life savingRemdesivir injection, severalpharmacists across the State arereported to be charging astro-nomical prices for it. Also,there are middlemen at hospi-tals fleecing the dying patientsby charging them as much asRs 1.5 lakh for 6 vials of theinjection. They claim that theinjection has been smuggledfrom neighbouring states andcountries. However, no buyeror seller is ready to come on

record and lodge a complaintwith the authorities.

Similarly, equipment likePPE kits, Pulse Oxymeter etcare being sold at much higherrates than their MRP.Pharmacists in Ranchi are sell-ing Oxymeters at the rate of Rs2000-3000 more than doublethe price of their MRP.

On a complaint receivedRanchi SDM Utkarsh Guptaraided a few medical stores onApril 23 and found that PPEkits and other equipment werebeing sold at 4-5 times higherrates than their MRP. It was

found that a PPE kit of MRP Rs 210 was being sold atRs 800.

Although the Ranchi dis-trict administration has issuedhelpline numbers to complainabout black-marketing duringpandemic, very few people arecoming forward to lodge for-mal complaints for the same.

The situation is worse inrural areas and small townswhere supply of medicines andmedical equipment is less andprivate hospitals and nursinghomes are cashing in on thehelplessness of people.

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Former Health Minister DrDinesh Sarangi has written

to Chairman of Railway Boardto restore of Odiya language inthe railway station nameplatesfrom Chakulia (KanimohuliHalt) to Tatanagar underKharagpur Railway Divisionsituated in East Singhbhum.

In his letter, which is alsomarked to the Union RailwayMinister Piyush Goyal, DrSarangi has said that thisdemand has also been raisedduring the S E Railway Zonalconsultative meetings by KunalSarangi, former MLA and whipof opposition in JharkhandAssembly. He wrote severalletters. But there has been nooutcome.

According to the formerHealth Minister, the railwaystations like Tatanagar,Ghatshila, Dhalbhumgarh andChakulia, cater to the passen-gers of Odisha's Mayurbhanjdistrict and are their mainrailway head in MumbaiHowrah main line.

Moreover, the Governmentof India and the Ministry ofRailways have sanctioned con-struction of Budamara-Chakulia Railway Line in therailway budget and some workorders have been issued forconstruction of railway quar-ters. On construction Chakuliawill be a junction in future.Tata-Badampahad RailwayLine and RajKharsawan-BarbilRailway Line connectingMayurbhanj and Keonjhar dis-tricts of Odisha have junc-tions at Tatanagar andRajkharsawan.

“From reliable sources, wehave come to know that on thepolitical pressure of two MPs,the railway is going to havenameplates in the above saidstation in English, Hindi,

Bengali, Santhali (Olchiki) andannouncements will also bemade depriving Odiya lan-guage of its legitimate rights.That Odiya is a recognised lan-guage in the eighth schedule ofthe constitution and is one ofthe 2nd official languages inJharkhand. We have no objec-tion if all other constitutional-ly recognised languages of thearea are written in railway sta-tions.

We request you to passimmediate necessary ordersfor writing names in Odiya instations from Chakulia(Kanimohuli Halt) toTatanagar, in Railway tickets,and loudspeaker announce-ments along with English,Hindi, Bengali and Santhali inorder to give justice and fairplay Odiya linguistic Minoritiesin Jharkhand and protect oftheir constitutional rights,” DrSarangi noted in the letter.

According to Dr Sarangi,during British Period, Oriyanames were written in all thestations of Singhbhum startingfrom Jeraikela, Goelkera toChakulia. In 1970s it waserased due to conspiracy ofsome miscreants. On our rep-resentations to railway author-ities and at the intervention ofthe then Union DeputyMinister C.P. Majhi wasrestored. Unfortunately, in the1980s Oriya was erased fromrailway stations and tickets. Theformer Health Minister hasdemanded immediate steps torestore Odiya language.

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Guwahati: The Assam policehave arrested a man and his sonfor allegedly burning alive aminor domestic help in Nagaondistrict, police said on Saturday.

The victim, a 12-year-oldtribal girl and an inhabitant ofadjoining Karbi Anglong dis-trict, was allegedly burnt alive byher employers on Thursday.She was pregnant.

According to police inGuwahati, police from the Rahastation in Nagaon district onFriday arrested 70-year-oldPrakash Borthakur and his 25-year-old son NayanmoniBorthakur in connection withthe crime following complaintsfrom the local residents.

A police official said that theaccused claimed that the girlcommitted suicide but initialinvestigation found that the girlwas murdered. The body of thegirl has been sent for autopsy.

The girl had been workingas domestic help withBorthakur's family in Khaigharvillage for five years and was notallowed to go home in neigh-bouring Karbi Anglong dis-trict.The Assam StateCommission for Protection ofChild Rights (ASCPCR) in astatement said that according tothe neighbours, the victim wasphysically and mentally abusedregularly by Barthakur's familyand she was pregnant.

The ASCPCR directed thepolice and the district adminis-tration of Nagaon district toprobe the case swiftly and pre-pare the charge-sheet by incor-porating relevant sections ofthe Protection of Children fromSexual Offences Act, 2012, Childand Adolescent Labour(Prohibition and Regulation)Act, 1986, and the JuvenileJustice (Care and Protection ofChildren) Act, 2015, besidesthe provisions of the IndianPenal Code. IANS

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Patna: The Nalanda MedicalCollege and Hospital (NMCH)in Patna has reported 62 Covidfatalities in the last three days,officials said on Saturday.

The rising number ofCovid-related deaths in thestate capital has sent the healthadministration into a tizzy.

The NMCH logged 21fatalities on Saturday, while 17and 24 patients died onThursday and Friday, respec-tively.

Confirming the develop-ment, Mukul Kumar Singh, thenodal officer for Covid-19 atNMCH, said that of the 21 per-sons who died on Saturday, 16were from different localities inPatna.

As per the health depart-ment's data, Bihar reported12,672 new Covid cases in thepast 24 hours, including 2,801in Patna alone. IANS

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As the country gears up fora fresh round of Covid-19

vaccination from May 1, theCentre on Saturday suggestedthe States to consider setting upof makeshift hospitals withhelp from Governmentresearch agencies like DRDO,CSIR and cooperative entitieslike NCDC or the private sec-tor to ensure a smooth rolloutof the drive under which alladults can take the shot.

The States have also beenasked to ensure adequacy interms of oxygen supportedbeds, ICU beds and oxygensupplies as well hospital staff totake care of any adverse event.

These were some of theseveral recommendationsoffered by the high-level meet-ing chaired by Union HealthSecretary Rajesh Bhushan andDr R S Sharma, Chairman,Empowered Group onTechnology and DataManagement to combat Covid-19 here.

Dr Sharma expressed con-fidence that the CoWIN plat-form is equipped to handle the

complexities of the new phaseof vaccination and asserted thatStates should upload correct andtimely data as any incorrect datawould compromise the integri-ty of the entire system. The reg-istration process on the gov-ernment platform will beginfrom April 28.

With regards to the PhaseIII Vaccination strategy, theStates were specifically advisedto register additional privateCovid Vaccination Centres(CVCs) in mission mode byengaging with private hospitals,hospitals of industrial estab-lishments, industry associa-tions, etc., coordinating withdesignated appropriate author-ity, mechanism for applica-tions/requests and their pro-cessing and monitoring of pen-dency of registration.

The State/UTs were guidedto co-ordinate with Corporateentities/PSUs/GovernmentDepartments for their CSRfunds to facilitate setting upmakeshift hospitals and tem-porary Covid care facilities.Cooperation with NationalCooperative DevelopmentCorporation (NCDC) for repur-

posing healthcare facilities forcreation of Covid facilities wasalso advised.

NCDC Managing DirectorSundeep Nayak said that hisorganization is gearing up to theoccasion and are in the process

of instructing our 18 regionaloffices across the country tohelp the States in their vaccina-tion endeavour.

The States have also beenasked to monitor the number ofhospitals that have procured

vaccines and have declaredstocks and prices on COWINand publicise the facility of‘only online registration’ for agegroups 18-45 year, said an offi-cial from the Union HealthMinistry.

Regarding infrastructureaugmentation for effective clin-ical treatment of the hospitalizedCovid patients, States have beenadvised to review their existinghospital and other Covid treat-ment infrastructure in light ofthe daily new case, daily fatali-ty and those that would requirehospitalization, said the official.

From May 1, all adults willbecome eligible for a Covid-19vaccine and doses can be soldvia the market in the govern-ment’s latest inoculation drive,

although people under the ageof 45 will only be able to receivedoses once private sales begin orif state governments procurestocks for distribution to theseage groups. However, thoseabove 45 will continue to get thejab under the Centre’s vaccina-tion drive.

“Deploying requisitehuman resources with propertraining and mentoring of doc-tors and nurses for managementof patients and strengtheningambulance services, establishing

sufficient referral linkages fordistricts with deficit infrastruc-ture through deployment ofadditional ambulances weresome of the recommendationsoffered to the States,” said theofficial.

They were also advised touse railway coaches for man-agement of mild cases and in themeantime, details of availabili-ty of 3,816 such coaches, across16 Zones of Railways have beenshared with the States, said theofficial.

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Receiving flak over the pre-sumption that people

might end up paying far morefor a Covid shot from May 1,the Centre on Saturday tried toclarify that vaccines procuredby it would be provided free toStates. However, the statementby the Centre was silent on thehigher prices of jabs sourcedby States and private hospitalsdirectly from the manufactur-ers even though the SerumInstitute of India, maker ofCovishield, justified the ratesaying that it remained “themost affordable Covid-19 vac-cine available in the markettoday”.

“It is clarified that theGovernment of India’s pro-curement price for both Covid-19 vaccines remains �150 perdose. GOI procured doses willcontinue to be providedTOTALLY FREE to states,” theMinistry of Health tweeted.

On the other hand, the SIIsaid that Covishield coron-avirus vaccine - to be sold at�600 per dose to private hos-pitals, at �400 to States and�150 to the Centre from May1, when vaccination opens toeveryone over the age of 18 isnot costly.

“Only a limited portion ofSII’s volume will be sold to pri-vate hospitals at �600 per dose.The price of the vaccine is stilllower than a lot of other med-ical treatment and essentialsrequired to treat Covid-19 andother life-threatening diseases,”the SII said in its statement.

“The initial prices (ofCovishield) were kept verylow globally as it was based onadvance funding given by those

countries for at-risk vaccinemanufacturing. The initial sup-ply price for all Governmenti m m u n i s a t i o nprogrammes, including India,has been the lowest,” the com-pany added.

The company also saidthat while the current situationis “dire; the virus is constantlymutating while the publicremains at risk... we have toensure sustainability as wemust be able to invest in scal-ing up and expanding ourcapacity to fight the pandem-ic and save lives.

There had been reportsthat at �600 a dose, people inIndia could pay the most, ofany other country, forCovishield at private hospitals.

Those getting their shots atstate-run hospitals could endup paying the full �400 perdose if states decide they can-not absorb the costs of procur-ing fresh doses directly fromthe makers, reports hadalleged.

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As reports of hoarding,black marketing and

overcharging of Covid man-agement drugs—remdesivir,tocilizumab, favipiravir andoxygen cylinder continue topour from across the States,leaving the patients at thereceiving ends, the DrugsController General of India(DCGI) has finally inter-vened, asking all State andUnion Territory drugs con-trollers to provide dailyupdate on enforcement activ-ities to check such nefariousactivities.

“In light of present pan-demic situation in the coun-try, it has been considerednecessary to collect the dailyinformation on enforcementactivities to prevent black

marketing, overpricing withrespect to Remdesivir,Tocilizumab, Favipiravir andoxygen cylinder,” said DCGIDr VG Somani in a letter toall State and UT drugs con-trollers.

He also asked all zonal,sub zonal offices of DCGI tocoordinate with state andUT drugs control authoritiesin the matter.

With a sharp rise inCovid-19 cases in the coun-try, the demand for drugs liketocil izumab, favipiravir,antiviral medication remde-sivir and oxygen cylindershas also increased.

This, in turn, has led to ashortage of these drugs aswell as oxygen cylinder andled to black marketing andovercharging.

Tocilizumab, which is

said to reduce Covid deaths,is priced above �40,000.There is an acute shortage ofthe drug across the countryas Cipla has run out of thestock while Remdesivir, a drug that isbeing used in emergency totreat crit ical Covid-19patients who are hospitalisedis also in short supply acrossthe country.

Antiviral favipiravir too isalso in short supply.Glenmark PharmaceuticalsLtd, its manufacturer hasassured that it has ramped upproduction capacity to ensurecontinuous supply of thedrug across the country.Same is the case with oxygencylinders which are beingsold in black market at hugeprices as high as �25,000each unit.

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Taking a slew of measures toboost medical oxygen

availability in the countryamid a surge in Covid-19cases, the Central Governmenton Saturday decided to waivebasic customs duty and healthcess on the import of oxygenand connected equipment fora period of three months withimmediate effect.

It was also decided at ameeting chaired by PrimeMinister Narendra Modi toexempt basic customs duty onthe import of COVID-19 vac-cines with immediate effect fora period of three months, agovernment statement said.

This will boost availabili-ty of these items as well as

make them cheaper, it said,adding that Modi also direct-ed the revenue department toensure seamless and quickcustom clearance of suchequipment.

Modi emphasized thatthere was an immediate needto augment the supply of med-ical grade oxygen as well asequipment required for patientcare both at home and in hos-pitals and asked all ministriesand departments to work insynergy to this effect.

He was told that basiccustoms duty was exemptedon Remdesivir and its API(active pharmaceutical ingre-dient) recently, and a sugges-tion was made that the importof equipment related to pro-viding oxygen to patients

needs to be expedited, thestatement said, announcingthe measures.

The items to benefit fromthe decision include medicalgrade oxygen, oxygen con-centrator along with flowmeter, regulator, connectors

and tubing vacuum pressureswing Alabsorption (VPSA)and pressure swing absorption(PSA) oxygen plants, cryo-genic oxygen air separationunits (ASUs) producing liquid/gaseous oxygen.

Oxygen cannisters, oxygen

filling systems, oxygen storagetanks, oxygen cylinders,including cryogenic cylindersand tanks besides any otherdevice from which oxygencan be generated are amongseveral other items under thiscategory.

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Holding the CentralGovernment for its

“approach” responsible forleading to chaos across thecountry, the CPI(M) onSunday asked Prime MinisterNarendra Modi for full utili-sation of the budgeted �35,000crore and PM Cares Fund tocontrol the “tsunami” of Covidpandemic.

“I understand that theremay be financial considera-tions in taking these deci-sions. Immediately, spend thebudgetary allocation of�35,000 crores for the vacci-nation programme. I, imploreyou to forthwith cancel the

project for the construction ofthe new Central Vista in Delhi,put on hold all extravagantexpenditures and transparent-ly release all the money col-lected under PM-CARES fundand transfer the same for thesupply of oxygen and vac-cines,” CPI (M) general secre-tary Sitaram Yechury said inhis letter to the PM.

“In case you are unable toprovide oxygen and vaccines to

our fellow Indians and preventfurther deaths, your govern-ment will lose its moral author-ity to continue. This health andhumanitarian disaster is pre-ventable and must be averted.This is the basic responsibili-ty your government has to dis-charge, which it has failed to doso far,” added Yechury.

CITU leader Tapan Senand Kisan Sabha leaderHannan Mollah also urgedthe Prime Minister to inter-vene on the current vaccina-tion policy which is “puttingprofit over the precious lives ofpeople in the wake of thesevere health emergency” fol-lowing the second wave ofCovid -19 pandemic.

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As an IAF aircraft ferriedsome much-needed oxy-

gen containers from Singaporeon Saturday, Defence MinisterRajnath Singh on Saturdayordered all the defence publicsector undertakings andOrdnance factories to throwopen their health facilities forcivilian Covid patients.

Assuring that the defenceministry will take all steps tohelp the State Governments inmeeting the corona challenge,Rajnath also ordered morebeds for the Sardar Patel coro-na care centre in the nationalCapital.

Taking these decisions afterholding a high-powered reviewmeeting here virtually onSaturday, he also said a 1,000-bed hospital has alreadybecome operational in Gujarat.Another hospital with a capac-ity of more than 500 beds willalso start functioning in thenext three to four days inLucknow, he said. Both thesehospitals are set up with thehelp of the defence ministry.

Meanwhile, one C-17transport aircraft of the IAF leftthe Hindon airbase nearGhaziabad for Singapore earlySaturday morning to airliftfour empty cryogenic oxygencontainers. These containerswere later off- loaded atPanagarh airbase in WestBengal. These filled up con-

tainers will be transported tothe designated centres in thecountry.

Another C-17 aircraft leftthe Hindon base for Pune toload up two empty cryogenicoxygen container trucks whichwere then flown to Jamnagarair base. The same aircraft iscurrently on its second shuttlefrom Pune to Jamnagar, with aload of 2 more empty contain-ers.

Similarly, one C-17 trans-ported two empty containersfrom Jodhpur to Jamnagar ear-lier in the day, IAF officials saidhere on Saturday. One IAFChinook helicopter and oneAn32 transport aircraft tookCOVID testing equipmentfrom Jammu to Leh and fromJammu to Kargil, respectively.The equipment consisted of BioSafety cabinets, centrifuges andstabalisers. These machineshave been made by the Councilof Scientific and IndustrialResearch (CSIR) and nowgiven to Ladakh to enhancetesting.

In New Delhi, Rajnathduring the meeting said theDefence Research andDevelopment Organisation(DRDO) is adding another250 b eds by Saturdayevening at i t s SardarVallabhbhai Patel CovidHospital here.

The minister conducted

the review at a virtual meet-ing attended by Chief ofDefence Staff(CDS) GeneralBipin Rawat, Army ChiefGeneral MM Naravane,Nav y Chief Admira lKarambir Singh and DRDOchairman G Satheesh Reddy,among others.

“All health facilities ofDefence PSUs & OrdnanceFactory Board have beenallowed to provide healthservices to local COVID-19affected civilian population.The MoD officials and thethree Services are closelymonitoring the progress ofvarious initiatives taken bythe Ministry,” he said inanother tweet.

“The Indian Air Force istaking sorties to reduce thetranspor tat ion t ime ofOxygen and other criticalsupplies . One C-17 hasreached Changi airport inSingapore today. These con-tainers of cryogenic oxygentanks will help boosting theoxygen supply in the coun-try,” Rajnath’s office said.

The Armed ForcesMedical Services (AFMS) hasdeployed additional doctors,including specialists, superspecialists and paramedics, atSardar Vallabhbhai Patel(SVP) COVID hospital inDelhi to cater to the currentsurge in COVID-19 cases.

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Expressing concern that theenforcement of Covid-

appropriate behaviour in WestBengal has been “less thanadequate”, the ElectionCommission on Saturdaydirected officials to ensurestrict action under state andnational disaster managementlaws for Covid-compliantbehaviour.

The issues were flagged ata meeting held by ChiefElection Commissioner SushilChandra and ElectionCommissioner Rajiv Kumarwith top state government offi-cials to review enforcement ofCOVID guidelines duringcampaigning in West Bengalwhere two remaining phases ofassembly elections are to takeplace next week.

“The Commission notedwith concern that during pub-lic campaigns for electioneer-ing, the enforcement underthe Disaster Management Act,2005 has been less than ade-quate,” a statement issued bythe poll panel said. The meet-ing was held just a couple ofdays after the poll panel placeda ban on roadshows and ‘pady-

atras’ and placed a cap on thenumber of persons attendingpublic meetings to 500. Theseventh and the last phase ofpolls will take place on April 26and 29, respectively.

During the meet, theCommission was informedthat besides other essentials,2,46,88,000 face masks,17,05,851 face shields and lakhsof sanitiser bottles for pollingpersonnel, and 9,00,00,000 sin-gle hand plastic gloves for elec-tors (considering 85 percentturnout), have been procuredto ensure COVID safe polls.

The Calcutta High Courthas expressed dissatisfactionwith the EC over enforce-ment of COVID-19 healthsafety norms during the ongo-ing West Bengal assemblyelection process, includingcampaigning.

The Executive Committeeof the State DisasterManagement Authority,chaired by the state chief sec-retary, which is tasked with theenforcement of COVID-19-appropriate behaviour underthe 2005 law, needs to step upits assigned statutory duty,the EC statement said onSaturday.

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On the National PanchayatiRaj Day on Saturday, the

Congress finally launched itsnew digital media platform‘INC TV’ to help spread itsmessage directly to the people.

Launching the channelvirtually on Panchayati RajDay, an initiative of formerPrime MInister Rajiv Gandhi,the Congress said the digitalplatform will help raise thevoice of the people by high-lighting the problems faced bythem, especially the poor andthe downtrodden.

On the occasion, AICCGeneral Secretar y K CVenugopal alleged that variousinstitutions in the countryare under attack from thegovernment and this is notbeing highlighted in themedia.

The ‘INC TV’ will high-light news which the govern-ment does not allow to bepublished, so as to enablepeople to know what is hap-pening in the country, AICCsecretary Pranav Jha said.

The Congress has beenaccusing the mainstreammedia of not showing theparty’s views, alleging that itis only highlighting theGovernment’s version.

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After the United Kingdom,UAE and Hong Kong, now

Iran and Kuwait on Saturdaysuspended all commercialflights from India for an indef-inite period with immediateeffect amid rising cases ofCovid.

In a circular, Kuwait’sdirectorate general of civil avi-ation said that it had suspend-ed all direct commercial flightscoming from India, effective

April 24. All passengers arriv-ing from India either directly orvia another country will bebanned from entering unlessthey have spent at least 14 daysout of India, it said in a state-ment on Twitter.

Iran has also decided to barflights from India. MohammadHassan Zibakhsh, spokesmanfor Iran’s Civil AviationOrganization noted there areno routine flights between Iranand India and “flights are oper-ated occasionally.”

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The Ministry of ConsumerAffairs on Saturday said it

is gearing up for monthly dis-tribution of additional 5 kg offoodgrains for free to 80 crorePDS beneficiaries from May 1,to help the poor tide over theeconomic hardship in the sec-ond wave of the pandemic.

Briefing media, FoodSecretary Sudhanshu Pandeysaid, “FCI has geared up itsmachinery of over 2,000 depotsto be ready with stocks for

delivery to States. FCI is intouch with states. We willtogether ensure the supplyfrom FCI to the state govern-ment and thereon to fair priceshops or ration shops.”

He said 80 lakh tonne offoodgrains will be distributedin the next two months costingthe exchequer over Rs 26,000crore. Pandey said pulses arenot included under thePradhan Mantri Garib KalyanAnna Yojana (PMGKAY) viaration shops or PublicDistribution System this time.

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The Centre on Saturday saidit is gearing up for month-

ly distribution of additional 5kg of foodgrains for free to 80crore PDS beneficiaries fromMay 1, to help the poor tideover the economic hardship inthe second wave of the pan-demic.

Additional grains will begiven for two months under thePradhan Mantri Garib KalyanAnna Yojana (PMGKAY) viaration shops or PublicDistribution System.

PMGKAY is being rein-troduced amid request fromsome state governments andafter seeing the high level ofsuccess last year when suddenlockdown was imposed to con-tain the spread of COVID-19.

Briefing media, FoodSecretary Sudhanshu Pandeysaid, “FCI has geared up itsmachinery of over 2,000 depots

to be ready with stocks fordelivery to states. FCI is intouch with states. We willtogether ensure the supplyfrom FCI to the state govern-ment and thereon to fair priceshops or ration shops.”

He said 80 lakh tonne offoodgrains will be distributedin the next two months, thatwill cost the exchequer over Rs26,000 crore.

Pandey said pulses are notincluded under PMGKAY thistime. “Last year it was excep-tional that pulses were given forfree along with grains. NationalFood Security Act (NFSA)scheme is all about cereals.”

Further, the Secretary saidthat there is enough stock withthe government to meet thedemand of grains if PMGKAYscheme is extended beyondJune.

“I can assure you, we havesufficient stock to deal with thesituation. Since procurement is

going on, more stock is com-ing. We are comfortable withthe stocks,” he said.

Asked why the govern-ment was limiting distribu-tion of free grains for twomonths and if this was anindication of lockdown in thecoming months, the Secretarysaid, “The Prime Minister hasclearly said there won’t becomplete lockdown.”

The earlier lockdownimposed in 2020 was to preparethe country with resources toface the challenges of COVID-19, he said. “Why (give freegrains) for two months only?This is the decision of the gov-ernment. The governmentreviews the situation constant-ly. The government thought itprudent that this time twomonths’ announcement shouldbe made...I am sure the gov-ernment will be watching thesituation continuously,” henoted.

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Delhi’s upscale Khan Markethas witnessed 14 per cent

decline in rental during the lastyear amid the Covid-19 pan-

demic and is ranked 21st in themost expensive high streetretail location in Asia Pacificregion, according to Cushman& Wakefield.

Around 80 per cent ofIndian high street retail mar-kets experienced declines inrent during this period, theproperty consultant said in itslatest Main Streets report.

The top three most expen-

sive cities for retail remain asHong Kong, Tokyo and Sydney.

Regionally, among theworst-impacted was HongKong’s premier shopping dis-trict of Causeway Bay, whichsaw a 43 per cent fall in rent toHK$ 870 per sq ft per month.

“Among Indian highstreets, Khan Market saw a 14%decline in 2020 and slipped outof the top 20 most expensivemarkets in the APAC region,”the consultant said.

Khan Market continues to

be the most expensive retailmarket in India with a rent ofUSD 195 per sq ft, followed byConnaught Place in the nation-al capital.

Cushman & Wakefilednoted that India entered thepandemic on strong form withupward pressure on rents inmain streets across the majorcities in the country.

However, the start of lock-downs from Q2 2020 stalledthe momentum and transac-tions have declined even as

markets gradually re-opened inH2 2020.The ongoing wave oflockdowns that occurred acrossthe country at different timesand for varying lengths result-ed in an average decline in rentsof around 9 per cent, but thisranged from 18 per cent and 14per cent in Kolkata andBengaluru respectively to morebenign declines of less than 2%in Chennai and Ahmedabad.

Anshul Jain, ManagingDirector India and South EastAsia said.

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ICICI Bank on Saturdayreported more than three-

fold jump in its standalone netprofit to �4,403 crore for theJanuary-March quarter of2020-21.

The bank had posted a netprofit of �1,221 crore in theyear ago quarter.

Total income (standalone)of the bank rose to �23,953crore in January-March from�23,443.66 crore in the year-ago quarter, ICICI Bank said ina regulatory filing.

On a consolidated basis,the net profit of the private sec-tor lender jumped to �4,886crore in the March quarterfrom �1,251 crore in the lastquarter of 2019-20.

New Delhi:Karnataka Bankon Saturday said it is targetingto grow its business at 12 percent to over �1.42 lakh crore inthe current fiscal year and willgradually increase the share ofretail loan in its portfolio.

In a communication toshareholders, the bank said itstrives to see 2021-22 as a yearof excellence on the back of itshealthy business growth, ‘Cost-Lite’ liability portfolio andstrengthened fundamentals.

“For the new FinancialYear, the Bank is planning togrow its business at a moderate12% to take the total businessturnover (i.E. Total of Depositsand Advances) to around�1,42,500 crore,” it said.As arealignment strategy in itsadvances portfolio, the privatesector lender said it has beeneyeing credit exposure of min-imum 50 % to retail, 35% tomid corporates and not morethan 15% to large corporates.

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The Government onSaturday extended the

deadline for making paymentunder the direct tax disputeresolution scheme Vivad SeVishwas by two months tillJune 30 to ease hardships facedby taxpayers amid the pan-demic.

Also, it has extended thedue date for issuance of noticefor reopening of assessment bytax officers where income hasescaped assessment and send-ing intimation of processing ofEqualisation Levy till June 30.

“It has also been decidedthat time for payment ofamount payable under theDirect Tax Vivad se VishwasAct, 2020, without an addi-tional amount, shall be furtherextended to 30th June 2021,”Central Board of Direct Taxes(CBDT) said in a statement.

The deadline for filing dec-laration under the scheme

ended on March 31.The Vivad Se Vishwas

scheme provides for settle-ment of disputed tax, interest,penalty or fees in relation to anassessment or reassessmentorder on payment of 100 percent of the disputed tax and 25per cent of the disputed penal-ty or interest or fee.

The taxpayer is grantedimmunity from levy of interest,penalty and institution of anyproceeding for prosecution forany offence under the Income-tax Act in respect of matterscovered in the declaration.

CBDT said it had receivedrequests from taxpayers, tax

consultants and other stake-holders to extend time barringdates in view of the severeCovid-19 pandemic ragingunabated across the country.

“In the light of several rep-resentations received and toaddress the hardship beingfaced by various stakeholders,the Central Government hasdecided to extend the time lim-its to June 30, 2021, in the fol-lowing cases where the timelimit was earlier extended toApril 30, 2021, through variousnotifications issued under theTaxation and Other Laws(Relaxation) and Amendmentof Certain Provisions Act,2020,” CBDT said.

The scheme had nettedabout Rs 54,000 crore to theexchequer till early April andmore is expected to come inbased on the declarationsalready filed. The lastdate for making the paymenthas now been extended till June30.

Mumbai:HDFC Bank onSaturday said it has deployedmobile ATMs across India toassist customers during thelockdown.

“At restricted, sealed areas,the ‘Mobile ATMs’ will elimi-nate the need for general pub-lic to move out of their locali-ty to withdraw cash,” the banksaid in a statement.”Duringthe lockdown last year, HDFCBank successfully deployedmobile ATMs in over 50 citiesand facilitated lakhs of cus-tomers in availing cash to meettheir exigencies.”Accordingly,customers can conduct over 15types of transactions using the‘Mobile ATM’, which will beoperational at each location fora specific periodThe ‘MobileATM’ will cover 3-4 stops in aday.”We hope our mobile ATMwill provide a great support forpeople who want to avail basicfinancial services without hav-ing to venture far from theirneighbourhood,” said S.Sampathkumar, Group Head -Liability Products, Third PartyProducts and Non-ResidentBusiness at HDFC Bank.

PTI

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In view of the severe Covid-19 pandemic raging requests

put forward by taxpayers, taxconsultants and other stake-holders, the government hasdecided to provide furtherrelief to taxpayers by extendingvarious time limits of compli-ances.

Accordingly, the time limitfor passing of any order forassessment or reassessmentunder the Income-tax Act,1961 has been extended toJune 30, 2021. This time limitwas earlier extended to April30, 2021 through various noti-fications issued under theTaxation and Other Laws(Relaxation) and Amendmentof Certain Provisions Act, 2020.

Similarly, the CentralBoard of Direct Taxes (CBDT)has also extended the timelimit for passing an order con-

sequent to direction of DRPunder sub-section (13) of sec-tion 144C of the Act for threemonths to June 30, 2021.

The board has also extend-ed the time limit for issuanceof notice under section 148 ofthe Act for reopening theassessment where income hasescaped assessment by threemonths while the same exten-sion has also been given forsending intimation of process-ing of Equalisation Levy undersub-section (1) of section 168of the Finance Act 2016.

It has also been decidedthat time for payment ofamount payable under theDirect Tax Vivad se VishwasAct, 2020, without an addi-tional amount, shall be furtherextended to June 30, 2021.

A finance ministry state-ment said that notifications toextend the above dates will bebe issued in due course.

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The electronics repair mar-ket in India can help gen-

erate over five million directjobs, with a potential to gener-ate revenues of $20 billion perannum, a new report hasemphasised.

According to MAIT, theapex body representing theICT and electronics manufac-turing sector in India, therepair and calibration of elec-tronic subassemblies and prod-ucts is a $100 billion industryworldwide.

“High costs of repairingelectronic goods in developedcountries like the US andEurope are compelling the cor-porates to send goods overseas,where such repair services areprovided at lower prices due toboth skills and cost arbitrage,”said the report titled ‘ElectronicHardware Repair ServicesOutsourcing’ (ERSO) launchedat the Electronics and TelecomManufacturing Summit 2021(MAIT-ETMS).

The report made recom-mendations to the Centre tostreamline and simplify proce-dures to make India a repairand refurbishment hub for ITand electronic products.

“The electronics repairindustry has the potential ofbecoming an emerging sectorfor employment growth inIndia. With the right regulato-ry support from the govern-ment of India, the domesticrepair service sector in Indiacan experience a tremendousboost,” said NitinKunkolienker, President,MAIT.“It will, thereby, gener-ate valuable Forex revenue aswell as create employment,especially during theseCOVID-19 times, which hasmade millions of Indians job-less,” he added.

The report highlightedbackground on the regulatorylandscape and emphasised bot-tlenecks and difficulties beingfaced day to day by the repairunits in India, such as variousregulatory approvals.

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Amazon may soon allowsellers to directly connect

with customers via emailsabout new product announce-ments and sales.

The e-commerce giant iscurrently testing this new fea-ture called “Manage YourCustomer Engagement” thatwill help sellers contactAmazon users who have specif-ically chosen to follow a par-ticular company, reportsCNBC.

The new email campaignoption is a free service for sell-ers, but it’s only available tobrands registered throughAmazon’s Brand Registry pro-gramme.

Launched in 2015, BrandRegistry helps businesses curbthe sale of counterfeits andmore than 350,000 brands haveregistered to be part of the pro-gramme.

“Shoppers’ contact infor-mation will continue to remainprivate.

Amazon will give compa-nies aggregate data when theyuse the tool that shows themhow many emails will go outwhen they decide to sharemarketing campaigns withtheir followers,” the reportmentioned on Friday.

Amazon will tell brandshow many customers haveopted to receive the emails,along with performance met-rics for the campaign.

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The Government onSaturday waived customs

duty on the import of Covidvaccines as well as medicalgrade oxygen and relatedequipment as the nation battledits worst health crisis with a‘tsunami’ of infections settinga new world record for cases forthe third consecutive day.

The Centre also directedcustoms officials to clear allimport consignments, includ-ing life-saving drugs and oxy-gen equipment, used in Covidtreatment on the highest pri-ority.

In a statement, the financeministry said 10 per cent basiccustoms duty on COVID vac-cines as well as the duty andhealth cess on import of oxy-gen and oxygen-related equip-ment has been waived for threemonths.

Medical Oxygen attracts 5

per cent import duty, while thesame for vaccines is 10 per cent.

India reported a record346,786 new infections onSaturday, bringing its total to1.66 crore.

Deaths also rose by arecord 2,624 to total 189,544.

The decision to exemptcustoms duty was taken at ameeting chaired by PrimeMinister Narendra Modi toboost oxygen availability inthe country, the FinanceMinistry said.

Separately, the CentralBoard of Indirect Taxes andCustoms (CBIC) said field for-mations have been directed toclear life saving drugs and oxy-gen equipment consignmentson the highest priority.

Commerce and IndustryMinister Piyush Goyal alsosaid in a tweet that in anotherstep towards fighting COVID-19, customs will expedite clear-ances for import consignmentsrelating to the pandemic toensure critical equipment andmedicine can reach on time.

The government had pre-viously waived customs duty onimported Remdesivir injec-tions and the drug’s active

pharmaceutical ingredients(API) to boost supplies.

“In order to augment theirproduction and availability andto meet the rising demand, itwas decided to grant fullexemption from Basic CustomsDuty and health cess on importof the following items related tooxygen and oxygen relatedequipment for a period of threemonths with immediate effect,”the finance ministry statementsaid.

It was also decided thatbasic customs duty on importof Covid vaccines be alsoexempted with immediateeffect for a period of threemonths, it added.

The 16 oxygen and relat-ed equipment on which duty

has been waived include oxy-gen concentrator along withflow meter, regulator, connec-tors and tubing, oxygen canis-ter, filling systems, storagetanks, cylinders, includingcryogenic cylinders and tanks.

Ventilators (capable offunctioning as high-flowdevices) with nasal canula; hel-mets for use with non-invasiveventilation, non-invasive ven-tilation oronasal and nasalmasks for ICU ventilators toohave been exempted from theimport duty and health cess.

All these items so farattracted basic customs duty inthe range of 5-15 per cent anda health cess of 5 per cent.

“This will boost the avail-ability of these items as well as

make them cheaper. The PMdirected the RevenueDepartment to ensure seamlessand quick customs clearance ofsuch equipment,” the state-ment said.

The exemption fromimport duty would help keeplow the cost of overseas vac-cines that are being eyed tosupplement domesticallymadeshots ahead of openingCOVID-19 vaccination to allcitizens over 18 years of age.Import duty would have madethe imported vaccines costlierthan the ones made by SerumInstitute of India (SII) andBharat Biotech.

While Russia’s Sputnik Vvaccines are due to arrive thismonth or by next month, man-ufacturers like Moderna andJohnson and Johnson havebeen urged to seek emergencyuse approval in India.

Earlier, the governmentwaived import duty onRemdesivir injection, and alsobanned its export.

The government earlierthis month allowed the emer-gency use of imported vaccinesto curb the spread of coron-avirus infections.

In view of providing addi-tional healthcare facilities to

the people of Delhi NCR,Northern Railway on demandof the State Govt. is providing50 isolation coaches equivalent

to 800 beds as Covid CareCenters at Shakurbasti.Shakurbasti station has goodinfrastructure for maintainingthese coaches and also properapproach roads for movementof ambulances etc. Sh.Ashutosh Gangal, GeneralManager Northern Railwaysinformed that 03 patients havebeen admitted at ShakurbastiCovid Care Center.

Northern Railway is com-mitted to do all kinds of efforts/help to fight the war againstCorona.

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Palestinian militants in theGaza Strip fired some three

dozen rockets into Israelovernight Saturday, while theIsraeli military struck back attargets operated by the rulingHamas group. The exchangecame as tensions in Jerusalemspilled over into the worstround of cross-border violencein months.

The barrage of rocket firecame as hundreds ofPalestinians clashed with Israelipolice in east Jerusalem. Theclashes, in which at least fourpolice and six protesters wereinjured, have become a night-ly occurrence throughout theMuslim holy month ofRamadan and show no signs ofstopping.

The UN envoy to theregion, Tor Wennesland, con-demned the violence and saidthe United Nations was work-ing with all sides to restorecalm.

“The provocative actsacross Jerusalem must cease.

The indiscriminate launchingof rockets towards Israeli pop-ulation centres violates inter-national law and must stopimmediately,” he said. “I reit-erate my call upon all sides toexercise maximum restraintand avoid further escalation,particularly during the Holymonth of Ramadan and thispolitically charged time forall.”

The US also appealed forcalm, while neighbouringJordan, which serves as the cus-todian for Jerusalem's Muslimholy sites, condemned Israel'sactions. Jerusalem, home toholy sites sacred to Jews,Christians and Muslims, haslong been a flashpoint in theIsraeli-Palestinian conflict. In2014, similar tensions eruptedinto a 50-day war betweenIsrael and Gaza's ruling Hamasmilitant group.

The Israeli military said atotal of 36 rockets were firedinto Israel throughout thenight. It said six rockets wereintercepted, while most of theothers landed in open areas.

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Pakistan Prime MinisterImran Khan on Saturday

expressed solidarity with thepeople of India battling thedeadly wave of the Covid-19pandemic, saying “we mustfight this global challenge con-fronting humanity together”.

A record single-day rise of3,46,786 coronavirus casespushed India's tally of infectionto 1,66,10,481, while active casescrossed the 25-lakh mark,according to the Union HealthMinistry data updated onSaturday.

The death toll rose to1,89,544 with a record 2,624more fatalities in a day, accord-ing to the data.

In a tweet, Khan said: “Ourprayers for a speedy recoverygo to all those suffering fromthe pandemic in our neigh-bourhood and the world”.

“I want to express our soli-darity with the people of India asthey battle a dangerous wave ofCOVID-19. “We must fight thisglobal challenge confrontinghumanity together,” he said onTwitter. His tweet came afterPakistan Foreign Minister ShahMahmood Qureshi expressedsupport to the people of India inthe wake of a massive surge inCOVID-19 cases in the countryand extended his sympathies tothe affected families. Qureshisaid the COVID-19 crisis is yetanother reminder that human-itarian issues require responses

beyond political consideration."We express our support to

the people of India in the wakeof the current wave of#COVID19 infections that hashit our region hard. On behalfof the people of Pakistan, Iextend our heartfelt sympathiesto the affected families in#India," Qureshi tweeted.

Pakistan continues to workwith the South AsianAssociation for RegionalCooperation (SAARC) coun-tries to foster cooperation totackle the pandemic, he said.

Pakistan has reported 157coronavirus deaths in the last24 hours, the highest sincelast year, while the new num-ber of cases recorded were5,908, the health ministry saidon Saturday.

Pakistan's InformationMinister Fawad Chaudhry alsoexpressed similar sentimentsfor the people of India.“Inthese difficult times our prayersare with people of #India mayGod be kind and may these dif-ficult times get over soon.#coronavirus,” he tweeted.

The tweets from thePakistani leaders came amidstsome signs of rapprochement inthe relations between India andPakistan over the Kashmir issue.

India's decision to revokethe special status of Jammu andKashmir in 2019 angeredPakistan, which downgradeddiplomatic ties with New Delhiand expelled the Indian HighCommissioner in Islamabad.

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US President Joe Biden hassaid that he wants to make

achieving climate and energygoals "a core pillar" of bilater-al cooperation with India andis looking forward to work withPrime Minister Narendra Modion the matter.

Biden's remarks came a dayafter the two countriesannounced a “US-IndiaClimate and Clean EnergyAgenda 2030 Partnership” tocreate stronger bilateral coop-eration on actions in the cur-rent decade to meet the goalsof the landmark ParisAgreement.

“I'm looking forward toworking with India's PrimeMinister Modi in a new part-nership to achieve our climateand energy goals, making thisa core pillar of our bilateralcooperation,” Biden said in hisaddress to the two-day virtualsummit on climate change onFriday.

The partnership includesdeploying 450 gigawatts ofrenewable power to meet theambitious 2030 target for cli-

mate action and clean energy.The partnership will pro-

ceed along two main tracks --the Strategic Clean EnergyPartnership, co-chaired bySecretary of Energy Granholm,and the Climate Action andFinance Mobilisation Dialogue,co-chaired by SpecialPresidential Envoy for ClimateJohn Kerry, a joint statementsaid.

Addressing the final ses-sion of the virtual climate sum-mit on Friday, Biden said thisis about the opportunity thataddressing climate change pro-vides.

It's an opportunity to cre-ate millions of good-payingjobs around the world andinnovate -- in innovative sec-tors -- jobs that bring greaterquality of life, greater dignity tothe people performing thosejobs in every nation, he said.

“For a line-worker, electri-cians, utility workers -- layingtransmission lines, connect-ing battery storage, and mak-ing our electric grid moremodern. For automotive work-ers -- building electric cars,trucks, and buses. Skilled work-

ers installing and charging sta-tions to accommodate themthroughout our countries,” headded.

America is once again step-ping into the leadership role,Biden said.

“We will be joining and apartner -- for the nations andefforts to decarbonise criticalsectors across the board,including the industrial sector,where we'll join with Swedenand India," Biden said.

Biden also welcomedRussian President VladimirPutin's call for carbon dioxideremoval.

“I'm very heartened byPresident Putin's call yesterdayfor the world to collaborate andadvanced carbon dioxideremoval. And the United Stateslooks forward to working withRussia and other countries inthat endeavour," the US presi-dent said.

"It has a great promise. Thisis a moment for all of us tobuild better economies for ourchildren, our grandchildren,and all of us to thrive not justnow, but beyond for the nextgenerations,” Biden said.

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President Joe Biden onSaturday plans to follow

through on a campaign pledgeto formally recognise thatatrocities committed againstthe Armenian people by theOttoman Empire more than acentury ago in modern-dayTurkey were genocide, accord-ing to US officials familiarwith the President's delibera-tions.

Biden spoke to TurkishPresident Recep TayyipErdogan on Friday in antici-pation of his plan, in a presi-dential proclamation to markArmenian GenocideRemembrance Day, to use theterm genocide to describe

the killings and deporta-tions of hundreds of thou-sands of Armenians. US presidents for decades haveacknowledged RemembranceDay to mark the events of1915 to 1923 but have avoidedusing the term “genocide” tosidestep alienating Turkey.

The US and Turkish gov-ernments, in separate state-ments following Friday's call,made no mention of theAmerican plan to recognisethe Armenian genocide.

The White House said

Biden told Erdogan he wants toimprove the two countries'relationship and find “effectivemanagement of disagree-ments.”

The two also agreed tohold a bilateral meeting at theNATO summit in Brussels inJune.

Biden pledged as a candi-date to recognise the massacreof Armenians as genocide,arguing that “silence is com-plicity.” Biden wanted to speakwith Erdogan before makingthe formal recognition, accord-ing to the officials, who spokeon condition of anonymity todescribe Biden's deliberationsand plans.

Friday's call between thetwo leaders was their first sinceBiden took office more thanthree months ago. The delayhad become a worrying sign inAnkara; Erdogan had goodrapport with former PresidentDonald Trump and had beenhoping for a reset despite pastfriction with Biden.

Erdogan on Friday reiter-ated his long-running claimsthat the US is supportingKurdish fighters in Syria whoare affiliated with the Iraq-based Kurdistan Workers'Party, known as the PKK. Inrecent years, Turkey haslaunched military operationsagainst PKK enclaves in north-ern Iraq and against US-alliedSyrian Kurdish fighters. TheState Department has desig-nated the PKK a terroristorganisation but has arguedwith Turkey over the group'sties to the Syrian Kurds.

Erdogan also raised con-cerns about the presence in theUS of cleric Fethullah Gulen,whom Ankara accuses oforchestrating a failed 2016coup attempt, according to theTurkish government statement.Gulen, who has lived inPennsylvania since the late1990s, denies involvement inthe coup.

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The pictures always make itlook so Presidential: Joe

Biden sitting in a tall-backchair, surrounded by thearrayed members of Congressinvited for a meeting at theWhite House.

But inside the Oval Office,lawmakers tell a different story,of a president so warm, soengaged, so animated — stand-ing up, sitting down, calling onlawmakers by name, swappingstories about their hometowns— and so determined to makethem get to work and getthings done. On their way outthe door, they are offered achocolate chip cookie, thatmost American of snacks, a to-go boost for the potential part-nership between this WhiteHouse and the Congress.

“It was the day that you willremember, not so muchbecause you were in the OvalOffice, but because of the atten-tion the president gave to us —the personal attention, thecommitment, the authenticity,”said Rep. Joyce Beatty, D-Ohio,the chair of the CongressionalBlack Caucus.

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Aspokesperson for theXinjiang region called

accusations of genocide“counter to the facts” as Chinacame under more pressure thisweek over its treatment of theUyghur ethnic group in theremote border area.

The British Parliamentapproved a nonbinding motionThursday that said China'spolicies amounted to geno-cide and crimes againsthumanity. Human Right Watchappealed to the U.N. Earlier inthe week to investigate theallegations of crimes againsthumanity.

“The motion adopted bythe British side was totallygroundless,” Xu Guixiang, thedeputy director-general of theCommunist Party's publicitydepartment in Xinjiang, saidFriday.

“The decision was made onthe basis of remarks by somepoliticians, some so-called aca-demic institutes, some so-calledexperts and scholars and someso-called witnesses.”

In recent years, an esti-mated 1 million people or

more have been confined incamps in Xinjiang, according toforeign governments andresearchers. Most are Uyghurs,a largely Muslim ethnic group,Authorities have been accusedof imposing forced labor, sys-tematic forced birth controland torture.

The Chinese governmenthas flatly rejected the allega-tions. It has characterized thecamps, which it says are nowclosed, as vocational trainingcenters to teach Chinese lan-guage, job skills and the law tosupport economic develop-ment and combat extremism.China saw a wave of Xinjiang-related terrorist attacks through2016.

Xu said that hotels in

Kashgar, a historic Silk Roadcity in Xinjiang, were empty afew years ago and entrepre-neurs unwilling to invest astourism fell off because of ter-rorism fears. He said the gov-ernment's policies haverestored a hard-won stability.

The Foreign Ministrylabeled the genocide allegations“a monstrous lie concocted byinternational anti-Chinaforces."

"The UK already faces anumber of problems at home.Those British lawmakersshould mind their own busi-ness and do something tangi-ble for their own constituency,”ministry spokesperson ZhaoLijian said at a daily briefingFriday.

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US health officials lifted an11-day pause on Covid-19

vaccinations using Johnson&amp; Johnson's single-doseshot, after scientific advisersdecided its benefits outweigh arare risk of blood clot.

The Government uncov-ered 15 vaccine recipients whodeveloped a highly unusualkind of blood clot, out of near-ly 8 million people given theJ&amp;J shot. All were women,most under age 50. Three died,and seven remain hospitalized.

But ultimately Friday, theFood and Drug Administrationand Centers for DiseaseControl and Prevention decid-ed that J&amp;J's one-and-done vaccine is critical to fightthe pandemic — and that thesmall clot risk could be handledwith warnings to help youngerwomen decide if they shoulduse that shot or an alternative.

“Above all else, health andsafety are at the forefront of ourdecisions,” CDC Director Dr.Rochelle Walensky said in astatement. “Our vaccine safetysystems are working. We iden-tified exceptionally rare events– out of millions of doses" ofthe J&amp;J shot and will con-tinue to monitor them.

The US decision — similarto how European regulators arerolling out J&amp;J's shot —comes after CDC advisers ear-lier Friday voted 10-4 toresume vaccinations but pan-elists made clear that theymust come with warningsabout the risk. The groupdebated but ultimately steered

clear of outright age restric-tions.

“This is an age group thatis most at risk (of the clotting)that is getting vaccine pre-dominately to save other peo-ples' lives and morbidity, nottheir own. And I think we havea responsibility to be certainthat they know this," said Dr.Sarah Long of DrexelUniversity College of Medicine,who voted against the propos-al because she felt it did not gofar enough in warning women.

The committee membersall agreed the J&amp;J vaccine"should be put back into cir-culation,” panel chairman Dr.Jose Romero, Arkansas' healthsecretary, said in an interviewafter the vote. “The differencewas how you convey the risk ...It does not absolve us frommaking sure that people whoreceive this vaccine, if they arein the risk group, that weinform them of that.”

European regulators earli-er this week made a similardecision, deciding the clot riskwas small enough to allow therollout of J&amp;J's shot. Buthow Americans ultimately han-dle J&amp;J's vaccine will influ-ence other countries that don'thave as much access to othervaccination options.

Dr. Paul Stoffels, J&amp;J'schief scientific officer, pledgedthat the company would workwith US and global authorities“to ensure this very rare eventcan be identified early andtreated effectively.” J&amp;Jalready was working with theFDA on a warning label for theshot.

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Anew coronavirus strain thatis airborne and more

potent than all those found pre-viously in Sri Lanka has beendiscovered in the island nation,according to a top immunolo-gist here.

The variant, which is high-ly transmissible, can remainairborne for nearly an hour andis spreading fast, NeelikaMalavige, the head of theDepartment of Immunologyand Molecular Sciences of theSri Jayawardenapura Universitysaid.

“This variant of coron-avirus is more highly trans-missible than all found so far inthe island. The new strain isairborne, the droplets canremain airborne for nearly anhour,” Malavige said.

Health authorities fearedthat the new variant is spread-ing rapidly after last week'sNew Year celebrations withmore younger people gettinginfected.

“In the next two incubationperiods, the disease canprogress to a third wave,” UpulRohana, of the Public HealthInspectors said, adding that thereal situation would emergeonly in the coming 2-3 weeks.

Meanwhile, the ministry ofCOVID prevention issued newguidelines which would remainin force until May 31.

The guidelines dictate a 50per cent capacity operation formost institutions with all formsof revelry being banned.

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Kuwait on Saturday sus-pended all direct com-

mercial flights coming fromIndia until further notice dueto the worsening Covid-19 sit-uation in the country.

The move came afterinstructions from healthauthorities.

Kuwait's directorate gen-eral of civil aviation said that ithad suspended all direct com-mercial flights coming fromIndia, effective April 24.

All passengers arrivingfrom India either directly or viaanother country will be bannedfrom entering unless they have

spent at least 14 days out ofIndia, it said in a statement onTwitter.

Kuwaiti citizens, their firstdegree relatives and theirdomestic workers will beallowed to enter the country.

Operations of freightflights will continue, itsaid.

Over one million Indiancommunity members live inKuwait, the largest expatriatecommunity in the country,according to the IndianEmbassy in Kuwait.

Earlier, the UK, the UAEand Canada announced banflights from India amid theworsening COVID-19 situationin the country.

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Southeast Asian leaders metMyanmar's top general and

coup leader in an emergencysummit in Indonesia Saturday,and are expected to press callsfor an end to violence by secu-rity forces that has left hun-dreds of protesters dead aswell as the release of Aung SanSuu Kyi and other politicaldetainees.

There is little hope for animmediate breakthrough inthe two-hour gathering inJakarta between Senior GenMin Aung Hlaing and the sixheads of state and three foreignministers representing theAssociation of Southeast AsianNations.

But his decision to facethem offers a rare chance forthe 10-nation bloc to directlydeal with the general whoousted one of its leaders in aFeb. 1 coup.

“The unfolding tragedyhas serious consequences forMyanmar, ASEAN and theregion,” Singapore's ForeignMinister Vivian Balakrishnansaid on the eve of the

summit. One proposal, which has

been discussed in preliminarymeetings, is for Brunei PrimeMinister Hassanal Bolkiah, thecurrent ASEAN chair, to trav-el to Myanmar to meet the mil-itary leadership and Suu Kyi'scamp to encourage dialogue.

He would be accompaniedby ASEAN Secretary GeneralLim Jock Hoi — also fromBrunei — if the junta agreed, aSoutheast Asian diplomat toldThe Associated Press on con-dition of anonymity because heis not authorized to speak tothe media.

Another diplomat saidhumanitarian aid could beoffered to Myanmar if condi-tions improved. The diplomatalso spoke to AP on conditionof anonymity for lack ofauthority to discuss such planspublicly.

Foreign Minister RetnoMarsudi of Indonesia expressedhopes that “we can reach anagreement on the next stepsthat can help the people ofMyanmar get out of this deli-cate situation.”

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Russian President VladimirPutin has signed a decree

allowing the country to limitthe number of Russiansemployed at embassies of coun-tries determined to beunfriendly, or to ban theiremployment entirely.

The measure, announcedby the Kremlin on Friday,comes amid a flurry of expul-sions of Russian diplomatsfrom the United States andEuropean countries andMoscow's retaliatory expul-sions.

The decree directs the gov-ernment to draw up a list ofcountries determined to beunfriendly. It would affect notonly those countries' embassies,but consular offices and officesof state institutions.

The United States last weekexpelled 10 Russian diplomatsin connection with interferencein the 2020 U.S. Presidentialelection and for involvement inthe SolarWind hack of federalagencies.

The Czech Republic last

week expelled 18 Russianenvoys they labeled as spies,prompting Russia to send 20Czech diplomats home. Thatdevastated Czech Embassyoperations in Moscow, prompt-ing Czech authorities onThursday to order 63 moreRussian diplomats to leave sothat both countries had thesame number of staff in theirrespective embassies.

Poland last week said it wasexpelling three Russians andMoscow expelled five in retal-iation. The Baltic countries ofLithuania, Latvia and Estoniaordered a total of four Russianenvoys to leave.

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Dinesh Karthik (25) came up withsome badly needed boundaries in hisbid to improve the scoring rate.

Russell smashed a straight six offMorris in the fifth ball he faced butthat remained his only big hit of thenight.

Morris removed both Russelland Karthik in the same over whichallowed Royals to limit KKR to under140.

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Chris Morris was effective at thedeath yet again as Rajasthan Royalspacers combined accuracy and

guile to restrict Kolkata Knight Riders to133 for nine in the IPL here on Saturday.

Royals pacers, who were smart withchange of pace pace, stifled the KKR bats-men who could not find a way to deal withit after being put in to bat.

Chris Morris, the most expensive play-er in the IPL auction history, proved hisworth with a four-wicket haul.

The other pacers, Jaydev Unadkat(1/25), Chetan Sakariya (1/31) andMustafizur Rahman (1/22), were alsoimpressive.

KKR were not able to find rhythm intheir underwhelming innings.

The highly rated Shubman Gill (11)disappointed yet again. He was droppedbefore his uncomfortable stay in the mid-dle finally ended with a run out off a bril-liant direct hit from Jos Buttler.

The Royals pacers were impressivewith their variations and did not offer thebatsmen any freebies in the powerplay asKKR laboured to 25 for one in six overs.

It became 45 for two in the eighth overwhen Gill's opening partner Nitish Rana(22) made room to cut a wide ball offSakariya but the extra bounce led to hisdownfall as he ended up edging it to thewicketkeeper.

Skipper Eoin Morgan sent SunilNarine ahead of himself to give theinnings a much needed boost but it did

not work with the West Indian departingafter hitting one boundary, leaving KKRat 55 for three in 10 overs.

KKR's troubles worsened afterMorgan got run out without facing a ballfollowing a bad mix-up with RahulTripathi (36 off 26).

Their most destructive batsmanAndre Russell had to wait till the 16th overto get into the middle with the innings notgoing anywhere at 94 for five.

and with an in-form Moeen Alipencilled in at No 3 and SureshRaina to follow, CSK has the fire-power to strike late as well.

Skipper Dhoni is yet to hit hisstraps but coach Stephen Flemingbelieves he would get better withevery outing.

While Chahar has been in thethick of things at the start, spinners

Ravindra Jadeja and Moeen Ali havealso struck crucial blows.

Shardul Thakur has proved expen-sive at times but is a vital cog in the CSK

bowling unit. Add to this the fact thatthe Wankhede stadium has seen mostlyhigh-scoring games and the team thatholds its nerves is likely to come uptrumps on a track like this.

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It would be nothing short of a clash of the titans whenVirat Kohli’s on-a-roll Royal Challengers Bangalore

takes on Mahendra Singh Dhoni’s Chennai Super Kingsin a top-of-the-table showdown at Wankhede Stadiumon Sunday with two points and momentum at stake.

RCB has won all its four matches so far and sits ontop of the standings. CSK, on the other hand, has hitback after losing its opener to claim three straight winsfor the second spot in the points table.

RCB, boosted by a10-wicket hammeringof Rajasthan Royals, willbe keen to continue itswinning streak. However, the task iseasier said than done as CSK is rid-ing high with three good resultsof its own.

Kohli and the highly-ratedDevdutt Padikkal toyed with theRajasthan Royals bowling theother day and will look to lay astrong foundation again against a var-ied CSK bowling attack.

RCB, which has more often notunder-performed amid high expec-tations, has started well. And, Kohli willbe aware of the importance of maintain-ing the intensity in a long league.

The RCB batting appears to be top heavyand reliant on the performances of Kohli,South African maestro AB de Villiers andAustralian maverick Glenn Maxwell.Padikkal’s good form also augurs well for theteam.

However, the RCB batting unit will frontup to Deepak Chahar, who is known for hisability to strike early.

It remains to be seen if the team has whatit takes to bounce back in case there is loseof wickets early in the innings.

The RCB bowling has done the jobso far with Mohammed Siraj beingimpressive. However, they come upagainst a formidable CSK which batsdeep and the importance of early wick-ets can’t be emphasised enough.

Ruturaj Gaikwad emerged fromthree failures with an impressiveknock against Kolkata Knight Ridersand forms a strong opening partner-ship with Faf du Plessis.

A good start will help their cause

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Rishabh Pant’s brute power will be put to testagainst Rashid Khan’s bagful of tricks in an

encounter where Delhi Capitals will start asfavourites against SunRisers Hyderabad due to theirbetter bowling resources.

The much-criticised Chepauk track will hostits 10th and final IPL game of the season in whichboth Pant and his opposite number David Warnerwould pray for a decent surface for their flamboy-ant batters.

With only a couple of first innings total inexcess of 170 across nine games here, the slow andgripping surface at the Chidambaram Stadium teststhe skills of the batsmen in a different manner.

Possibly, it’s the ability to muscle the ball thatwill come in handy on this track and hence the DCskipper’s role as a batsman will become all the moreimportant.

While Shikhar Dhawan is in good form andPrithvi Shaw in not so great touch after the firstgame, the willow-wielders, who depend on sheertiming compared to power may struggle.

In fact, Hyderabad, after playing all its fourgames in Chennai, has only now started to crackthe code of a slow track, evident during the team’scomfortable victory over Punjab Kings after a hat-trick of defeats.

With Kane Williamson back in the mix,SunRisers seemed to have got a better bal-ance in a set-up which is acutely short ofquality India internationals.

With T Natarajan’s death bowlingunavailable for this season and ManishPandey only able to manage a strike-rate of 112 odd, bulk of the respon-sibility is on overseas recruitsWarner, Jonny Bairstow,Williamson and Rashid.

The wily Afghan has againbeen very consistent and hisduel with Pant could be one ofthe most eagerly-awaitedmatch-ups that can send theTRPs soaring.

SRH’s weak link is cer-tainly its bowling attackwith none among SandeepSharma, Siddharth Kaul orall-rounder Vijay Shankarinspiring any sort of con-fidence whatsoever.

So DC will have 12overs out of 20 on whichthey can feast upon if one

takes away the eight bowled byRashid and the seasonedBhuvneshwar Kumar.

However, a bit of tweak intheir XI also won’t be bad eventhough they had comfortablybeaten Mumbai Indians in alow-scoring game here only afew days back.

One area of slight concernwill be Ashwin’s form as he hasbeen going at 8 runs per overand only a single wicket to showfor his efforts. The Chepauktrack could just give him somebreathing space after mostly flat

decks in Mumbai.

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With the second big wave ofCovid-19 hitting big andswamping the country, thefocus on proper food and fit-ness while staying at home has

become even greater. What you eat, eventuallyrevs your metabolism and strengthens yourimmune system and how you direct your bodyto move via exercise ensures that you do notaccumlate weight due to inactivity and stay fit.While most is common knowledge, we haveput together some pointers that will work as aguide to your good health.

������������� ��Most people deal with cravings and food

addiction. Its impact on daily life results in yoyo weight gain. If you can reduce your crav-ings, you can easily solve any obesity-relatedproblems. To deal with cravings, plan mealsahead and keep healthy snacks, like dates, figs,melons, grapes, citrus, berries, raw honey, andsmoothies with coconut water, handy. Thesefoods work really well when you feel the needfor a sugar fix or caffeine. If you are insulinsensitive, eating cucumber slices or leafygreens along with your fruit (or a greensmoothie) will help you avoid the highs orlows.

����������������� �����Introduce intermittent fasting and fasted

work outs to your routine for good results. Bepatient with yourself as the whole process isslow and can take at least four weeks to showresults. Narrowing your feeding window isincredible for brain health and weight loss. Themeals that you can skip or replace duringintermittent fasting are breakfast or dinner. Itis best to avoid snacking when fasting otherthan water. Instead, you can add a squeeze oflemon, have unsweetened coffee (with uptoone table spoon of organic cream), unsweet-ened tea, coconut or MCT oil. Some tips to fol-low while practicing intermittent fasting are:� Don’t cut any foods out of your normal diet.� Eat at least seven servings of whole fruitsand vegetables.� Do one fasted-state work out daily.� Eat at least one omega-3 rich food everyday.� Add one boosting activity each day.

�����������The first step while planning your diet

should be to add some of the dopamine-boosting foods. These foods include, fish,lamb, chicken, cheese, almonds, bell peppers,sesame seeds, spinach, sprouts, broccoli,pineapple, papaya, guava, kale, berries,oranges, lentils, kidney beans etc. With thesefoods you’ll be nourishing your mind as wellas adding energy-inducing foods to yourintake.

��������������������������Foods rich in fibre reduce risk of heart dis-

ease, diabetes, and cancer. Fibre is also a keyingredient for losing weight without feelinghungry. Fibre makes you feel full, because itswells in your stomach when it absorbs liquid.Soluble fibre helps the body eliminate fats andlower cholesterol, giving you a steady supply ofenergy. Some good sources of soluble fiber areOats, Phyllium husk, and fruits such as kiwi,cherries, and dried figs.

��������������Filling our lives with peace also has a direct

effect on good health and weight. Lack ofpeace increases the stress hormone, Cortisol,in the brain, which tells the body to store fat inthe belly. Practices such as meditation, yoga,prayer, listening to music or playing with pets,and enjoying your food help bring peace intoyour life.

When we stay healthy and vibrant, agedoes not matter. With a healthy lifestyle andpositive outlook aging is but a universal phe-nomenon. Most longevity diets are based onfoods eaten in places having the most cente-narians. Most diet advice attributes to eatingmore fresh vegetables, legumes, whole grainsand consuming less meat, dairy products,processed foods, and sugar. We all know this inprinciple, but the real challenge comes inapplication. Let’s make the right choice.

Control your consumption of animal pro-tein. Processed red meats are exceptionallyharmful. From the energy point of view, whenwe substitute animal protein with more plantprotein, there isn’t a single amino that can’t beobtained by consuming plant-based proteinsources. Amino acids are the building blocksfor every protein in the human body but con-suming too many animal proteins (as meatcontains all nine essential amino acids) doesn’tcome without a cost. On the other hand plantproteins contain decent levels of amino acids,enough to keep us going with reduced bloodglucose levels, significantly lower rates of car-diovascular disease and cancers and increasedlifespan.

������������Beginning of the year is usually a good

time for setting goals and committing to newthings, particularly health and fitness goals, itis never too late. All you need to do is to stickto your goals and choose the ones that you canwork on gradually. Simply put: When you fightagainst your body, it’s going to fight back.Cravings, fatigue, and a scale that won’t budgeare all signs of your body rebelling. Your bodyis your home, your anchor. Start to treat it thatway. It’s totally okay to want to change yourbody. Whether it’s weight loss, getting stronger,gaining weight, you need to include your bodyin what ever fitness programme you choose.

Take sometime to write down one or moregoals that are truly for you and only you. Forinstance, you could pen:� Improve my mile run time because runningmakes me feel strong and powerful.� Go to Cross Fit twice a week because I lovehow I feel after lifting weights.� Commit to cooking dinner at home threenights a week because it’s healthier than goingout and improves my relationship with food. � Lose 15 pounds to get back to my “healthy,happy weight” because I like how I look andfeel at that weight.

Take five minutes and write out what youneed to do today to get to your goal tomorrow.It can be as simple as this:� Breakfast: Protein and Carb� Lunch: Protein and Vegetables.� Dinner: Protein, Carb, Wine.� Work out� Meditate five minutes.� Watch The Office

��������������������How much our muscles influence our psy-

chological and brain health is unbelievable.Science shows that when you move your body,your muscles release chemicals known asmyokines into your blood stream that improveyour mood, reduce anxiety and depression,and make your brain more resilient to stress.We call them “Hope Molecules”. Regular exer-cise changes your brain over time and main-tains brain health. Studies show that after sixweeks of activity, we see functional and struc-tural changes in the brain’s reward system thatare similar to what you see from the mostadvance treatments for depression.

�����������������With everyone avoiding their local gyms

due to Covid-19 concerns, it’s only natural thatso many new At Home stationary bikes havecome up in the market. Interest in cycling hasseen a major spike since the start of the pan-demic. It is one of the best forms of cardio youcan do especially long term. Cycling is non-weight bearing, so it reduces the risk of injuriesdue to wear and tear on your joints, particular-ly your knees. On an average, a thirty minutescycling session can help you burn any wherebetween 200-450 calories, if not more, depend-ing on your weight and speed.

�����Yoga helps you find peace, no matter how

crazy life is. When your stress fest is in full force,sleep and breathing become more difficult,which in turn creates more anxiety. Naturally, weprescribe yoga as the fix. The alternate nostrilbreathing (Nadi Shodhana Pranayam) can easeanxiety and calm a busy brain.

Cat/Cow, technically two poses, one is notoften done without the other to counter. Its

repetitions relieve any abdominal crampingcaused by anxiety, making it a great pose tohelp with PMS cramps too.

Legs up the wall allows your nervous sys-tem to chill, reroutes circulation, grounds you,and brings you back to the present.

Headstand increases the circulation ofblood and oxygen to the brain, calming themind. Whether you are out running or indoing reps, it’s shifting your outlook.

������A single set of exercise can elicit mood

improvement. And what gets you in a bettermood than dancing? A study in the Journal ofSports & Exercise Psychology found that highlyactive people were more optimistic than thosewho do little to no activity, and they felt muchmore positive about their physical abilities.

Whether you are looking to shake up yourat-home fitness routine or want to try a work-out that doesn’t feel like a workout, the AfricanDance workout founded over two decades ago,has gone viral during the corona virus pan-demic and for good reason, because it’s funtoo. If you usually avoid dance workoutsbecause you’re worried about keeping in stepor don’t think you have much rhythm, Africandance’s joyful method will quickly change yourmind. Plus, the fact that you’re moving andgrooving from the comfort of your own livingroom means you truly have no reason to fret ifyou miss a move or have trouble keeping up.

To add icing to the fitness cake, encourageyourself to discover Pilates and experience theamazing mind and body benefits. The work-outs use mat-based Pilates, and are designed tobuild core strength and mobility while improv-ing muscle definition and posture. A strongcore is a foundation for a strong body.

�����������������One way to attain the goal to get biologi-

cally younger is to make sure that the maxi-mum amount of oxygen your body uses perminute, typically stays stable until age 35 or 40.To really prevent decline in it, the body needsto be pushed close to its peak performance,usually once or twice a week. Add HIIT, sprint-ervals, fast paced circuits to your regular week-ly cardio. One also needs to build strength. Theaverage adult loses 3 to 8 percent of muscleeach decade after age thirty. However, studieshave shown that women in their 50s and 60swho did a full body strength work out twice aweek effectively made their bodies 15 to 20years younger in one year.

So which ever way you inspire yourself,make sure to eat consciously and exercise regu-lary. Most important, stay happy and loveyourself.

Puri is a Diet Coach and Mehrais a Lifestyle Change Practitioner.

Together, they run Calorie Conscious

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When Gerald Posner, atop US journalist, writesa book, one can be restassured that what hebrings out is the last

word on the topic. Pharma: Greed, Lies,and the Poisoning of America is the firstattempt by Posner to tread in a hithertounexplored world: the world of pharma-ceutical companies.

Everyone in the age group of 50-plusin India has heard of Parke-Davis,Geoffrey Manners, NicholasLaboratories, Wyeth Lab, Roche, Sandozor E Merck. The products churned outby these companies range from Anacin,Saridon, Aspro, (pain killers which werethe most sought after products oncesomeone is hit with headache or com-mon cold or flu) to Forhans (a tooth-paste created by dentists! That’s what themanufacturers claimed) besides othermedicines and drugs.

Way back in the 1970s and 1980s,students in B Sc degree classes whosespecialisation was Chemistry haddreams of joining these pharma compa-nies as chemists and make a reasonablygood life in the corporate world. Nobodyamong us were aware of the crimes com-mitted by some of the pharma compa-nies to manufacture diseases along withmedicines.

It took us years to know that thedrug that cured blood pressure made theuser a heart patient or a diabetic. Thediabetic patient who consumes the med-icine for blood sugar ended up as kidneypatients and this cyclic process madepharma companies part of a vicious cir-cle. The end of one disease lead to thebeginning of another and there was noend in sight to these phenomenon.

Dr B M Hegde, who was honouredby Padma Vibhushan by the president ofIndia and who is described as a cardiolo-gist with a big heart is on record statingthat in 2016, more people lost their livesbecause of drugs that those who suc-cumbed to car accidents, gun violenceand AIDS. Should one elaborate on whyand how the pharma companies sustaintheir huge profits year after year and payhuge dividend to the share-holders?

One is reminded of the battle wagedby Prof Hegde and Dr C VKrishnaswamy of Chennai (both class-mates and colleagues in their battleagainst pharma companies engaged inunder the table dealings) against thedrug Statin, a globally banned product(except in India) used in diabetes.

Posner conveys a wonderful messagethrough Pharma. All that glitters is notgold and not good. Most of the pharma-ceutical companies do not operate in atransparent manner because they aremotivated only by the urge to makecash. For that to materialise, they resort

to all kinds of dirty tricks. That’s whypersons with diabetes end up as cardiovascular patients and speed up the ren-dezvous with their Makers up in the sky.

Pharmaceutical companies and hos-pitals have become part of the healthcare industry and that is the root causeof the state of affairs all over the world.The crave for getting admission in med-ical colleges is just the tip of the iceberg.Only the monied class could managemedical studies in India as the countryfaces a severe shortage of physicians andsurgeons. Though economy has beenliberated from the shackles of controls

and regulation, the education sector isyet to get the freedom it deserves.

What makes Pharma a must read isthat Posner has told the evolution andhistory of global pharmaceutical giantsin a lucid style. An average personshould have knowledge about the phar-maceutical companies which determineour longevity. The author mentions inthe preface that it was in January 2016he sent his editor a proposal with theno-frills working title ‘A History of theAmerican Pharmaceutical Industry’. “Ihad read by then several dozen goodbooks, each about some part of the

story I hoped to cover in its entirety.There were histories of epidemics andpandemics, inspiring accounts ofgroundbreaking lab discoveries, biogra-phies of storied scientists and pharmaexecutives, even business histories ofsome companies. There was no singlevolume that started with the wild any-thing-goes 19th century era of home-grown wonder remedies to today’ssprawling pharma conglomerates thatsell a trillion dollars of drugs annually,”writes Posner in the preface. It was inthe 70 post-war years that pharmatransformed into a mega-industry, theauthor says.

Well, man’s (and woman’s) greed forlongevity too began after the SecondWorld War. Along with this unjustifiablepassion, then world saw the evolution ofmany diseases like cancer, AIDS and car-dio vascular complexities. The greedresulted in the market getting filled upwith rejuvenating drugs, medicines thatoffered eternal youth and vitality andever sustaining beauty. Hundreds ofcreams, ointments and tablets assuringone eternal youthfulness and vigor arethe fall out of this passion for extra life.One has to pay for these demands.

Health and pharma have become com-mercial products that challenge nature’slaws instead of tender, love and care. Didhumanity succeed in this race? Posnerunravels the instances with classic inci-dents. One has to read this book frompage one till the end to understand thedog-eating-dog world of pharmaceuticalcompanies.

Shady deals, mafiosos and illegaloperations with money making as thesole intention form the modern daypharmaceutical industry and health caresector while the Hippocratic Oath isgiven a silent burial by the same personswho are expected to preserve it.

Interestingly, Pharma has a chapteron Swine Flu, a precursor to the Covid-19 devouring the world today. The swineflu scare in US in 1976 and the roleplayed by the media in spreading a scareabout a non-existent pandemic formsthe core of the chapter. It speaks a lotabout the evil designs of the pharmacompanies that came forward to manu-facture vaccines for the pandemic andhow the public exchequer was swindledof $135 million to pay these companies.The political masters of the USA whosanctioned the amount for the develop-ment of the vaccine sat in bewildermentas a popular newspaper spread the wordthat “US calls flu alert on possible returnof Epidemic’s Virus”. Well, the winner, asit turned out, was the Pharma compa-nies…

Spread across 534 pages (excludingthe acknowledgement, bibliography andnotes), this is a must read for those whoare worried over the escalating cost ofhealthcare in the country as well as thesecret behind the craze for MBBS andpharmaceutical courses, the seats forwhich are still short in supply.

Gerald Posner is certain to winmany accolades and awards for thisbook in years to come. He has hit theworld at the right time and with a rightbook. It is a treasure house of knowledgeand information. It is surprising andshocking to see that this book remainsinaccessible to review pages despite thefact that each chapter providing scintil-lating news.

From the perspective of lead-ership, there is much moreto work than just getting a

job. In fact, a significant percent-age of those jobs that existedeven five years ago would notexist in the next five years. On 20June 2014, the first 3D-printedmetal part, a humble titaniumbracket, took to the skies onboard a commercial jetliner.With this, aviation history wasmade by Airbus. Imagine howmany design and manufacturingjobs a 3D-printed model aircraftwill displace going forward! Notjust manufacturing jobs, servicesector jobs in legal, medical andother professions will yieldground to digitization andautomation. In fact, all jobs thatcan be broken up into a simplecause-effect relationship will betaken over from a human beingby a more efficient device.

A leader’s work, fortunately,is deeper than what is demandedby a stereotypical job. CalNewport’s book raises this issueof deep work as the core of aleader’s contribution in the age ofautomation.

To remain valuable in oureconomy, therefore, you mustmaster the art of quickly learningcomplicated things. This taskrequires deep work. If you don’tcultivate this ability, you’re likelyto fall behind as technologyadvances. (Newport 2016, 13)

Deep work is the ability tofocus on a chunk of a job for asustained length of time withoutany distraction. If you are able tolend your entire attention to solv-ing a problem in your organiza-tion for one hour of uninterrupt-ed time, you will develop theability to plug into a space ofdeep attention in your neuralstructure. This kind of work isdifficult to replicate in themachine world. Newport

explains further: The Deep Work Hypothesis:

The ability to perform deep workis becoming increasingly rare andat the exact same time it is becom-ing increasingly valuable in oureconomy. …the few who cultivatethis skill, and then make it thecore of their working life, willthrive. (Newport 2016, 14)Decoding the history of peoplewho have produced worldclasswork such as the biologist CharlesDarwin or the author CharlesDickens, researchers have foundthat they never worked for morethan four or five hours a day.However, their work was deep anduninterrupted by the onslaught ofmodern technology.

Someone aspiring to be aleader will need to set aside spe-cific time to engage in deep work.They have to clear up digitalfreetime and stay away from smartdevices that fragment attention.This will help them not only indoing high-quality work but alsomore efficient work. In short,deep work will help leaders pro-

duce better work in less time.

Modern Misconceptionsabout Work

If you were to visualize yourworld as a limitless field ofaction, which it is indeed, yourwork would seem like a narrow,artificial boundary created byyou. When you finish a job suc-cessfully and exclaim, ‘I havedone a great job today,’ do yourealize that your claim to great-ness does not acknowledge therole of many other people whohave contributed to your tri-umph? Do you acknowledge, forexample, the following contribu-tors to your success: the employ-er who gave you your job, yourcollege teacher who taught youthe skills necessary for it, yourmother who brought you intothis world, your father who paidyour way through school, thecompassionate colleague whohelped you when you were indistress, the old farmer in SouthAmerica who produced thebreakfast cereal you ate in the

morning and the orange tree inFlorida whose fruit nourishedyou? If you did not acknowledgethe role of all these people andmany more besides, perhaps yourstatement, ‘I have done a greatjob’, would be only partially true.Our work is an expression of auniversal field of action, yet wecreate an artificial definition (i.e.,making something finite) out ofan infinite dimension of ourwork. From this crisis of visionarises the following misconcep-tions about our work:

Misconception 1: Our work isequivalent to our qualifications.

Misconception 2: Our workis a 9-to-5 affair.

Misconception 3: Our workis a product, not a process.

Misconception 1: Our WorkIs Equivalent to OurQualifications

In many of my workshops,participants introduce themselvesas ‘I am an engineer’, ‘I am anaccountant’, ‘I am an ENT spe-cialist’ or some such qualifica-tion. To explore the element of

truth implicit in the statement, ‘Iam an engineer’, one may ask thefollowing: ‘Am I an engineer, ordo I have an engineering qualifi-cation? Obviously, my identity asa human being in this world andsociety is much larger than anengineering degree.’ One of themaladies of a highly specializedsociety is that our world view isoften shaped and dominated byour skills at work. Sometimes,our world view shrinks so muchthat we begin to see ourselves asimpersonal cogs in an economicengine.

Misconception 2: Our WorkIs a 9-to-5 Affair

A great illusion that we loveto hold on to is that our worklasts only from 9 am to 5 pm,after which we go home. Thetruth is that our entire existenceis nothing but work. The veryfact of our being alive is ampletestimony that we are at work,whether we are breathing in orbreathing out, working our mus-cles or exercising our minds,working for ourselves or in spite

of ourselves. Taking intoaccount the amount of workthat nature does to keep usgoing (e.g., maintaining ourheartbeats) should convince usthat our work is not temporalbut existential.

Misconception 3: OurWork Is a Product, Not aProcess

Often, what we do is per-ceived, defined and measured interms of a product that is exter-nal to our efforts. Yet all signifi-cant work is really an intrinsicprocess of the unfolding ofhuman consciousness. Even themost tangible product of ourwork is really a process. Themen who invented the first hot-air balloon must have hailedtheir creation as evidence ofhumanity’s final triumph over

gravity. Had they lived to see thedevelopment of the most sophis-ticated rocket, they would havereadily admitted that their bal-loon was only a small and visiblestep in an unending and invisibleprocess of mankind’s inner questfor perfection. Neil Armstrong,the first human to set foot on themoon (20 July 1969) said, ‘That’sone small step for man; one giantleap for mankind.’

So it is with all our work. Webecome caught up in the productor in the ‘idea’ of the product somuch so that the process remainsobscure to our limited vision.The glib, oft-heard expression‘mind over matter’ exposes thelimitation of a vision that sees theconquest of external nature bythe mind as the only worthwhilework in this world.

An excerpt from KarmaSutras: Leadership and Wisdom

for Uncertain Times by DebashisChatterjee, published under theSAGE IIM-Kozhikode Series for

New Managers by SAGEPublications India

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Internet has transcended allboundaries of humanity. We

have reached the pinnacle ofnever-ending cycle of change.Sadly, this course of humancivilisation is irreversible. It isaccepted for all that there is noplace to hide. We are living inan “age of public”. Probably thepoetical words of award-win-ning author Thomas Friedmanthat “World is Flat” have cometrue to all of us. Ulaanbaatar(Mongolia) to Alaska (US),Reykjavik (Iceland) to Santiago(Chile) via Antananarivo(Madagascar) could well bereached in seconds with thehelp of internet. Thus, at anincredible speed, global hasbecome local and local is fastturning into global. The idea,spirit and feel of glocality ismore of ubiquitous today.

Web journalism or onlinejournalism or internet jour-nalism is a definite future ofcreative expressions today. Thisis a kind of a platform where-by an individual potentially canhave instantaneous and globalaccess to all forms of data. Andit is so simple and easy thatpeople can communicate vir-tually with anyone in any partof the world only through amobile or a tablet or a com-puter.

Creativity is consideredthe most treasured act ofhuman beings. True, we are allfast moving towards a “datanation”. If you have the data orinformation, you can simplyrule the whole world. Now thepertinent question is that howto protect it and offer dues tothe innovators. Often largelyunnoticed, this month observestwo important days to protectInternational Copyright Day oralso known as World Book andCopyright Day on April 23 andWorld Intellectual PropertyDay on April 26. The huge net-work of counterfeiting andpiracy of both tangible andintangible goods directly chal-lenges the protection of IPRsworld over.

Impending social changesare revolutionary in nature aswe are an integral part of thedigital revolution. The shift todigital communication andsubsequent technological rev-olutions are fast breaking the

barriers between traditionalmedia outlets like newspapersand magazines and alsobetween the broader mediaand communication networksacross the globe.

Cyberspace is mass space.We are into it. And so are thecriminal elements. Hence, theglobal counterfeit goods andservices are abundant both indemand and supply. Web net-works are being widely used tochannelise these commoditiesand ideas from one corner tothe other. It is sheer violationof the global framework ofIPRs.

It is a wired-up world. Theso-called Information Highwayis touching all of us. The veryfield of web journalism is pos-ing a renewed challenge to theprotection of IPRs. What weneed today is a regulatorymechanism so as to circumventall efforts to steal IPRs and useweb contents as a means to thewelfare of all. The new onlinemedia is one wherein equalityof opportunity and respect forequal distribution of intellec-tual resources are involved.

So, to negate all efforts bythe criminal syndicates, peoplecan remain ever vigilant.Moreover, public offices espe-cially the law-and-order agen-cies must clamp down seriouscharges over the defaulters. Itmust be said the InformationSuperhighway does not suggestan orderly roadmap. Theimpact of new technologies andplatforms or mediums oftenleads to chaotic and disruptivesituations around the world.Sadly, the networks created bylatest technologies are nowhereunder the absolute control ofthe inventors.

Precisely, long before theadvent of the superior tech-nologies, the power andauthority of the all-powerfulState has started eroding. Megacorporations are literally run-ning the day to day affairs ofthe modern State. The Stateshave only remained a vehicle torun the giant machines of busi-ness wherein they have becomea partner. Therefore, how toregulate the big corporations,including tech and knowledgebehemoths such as the Google, Wikipedia,

Facebook, WhatsApp, Twitter,Instagram, LinkedIn havebecome a vexed question.

At the end, one can right-ly say the absolute protection ofthe IPRs is a misnomer.Whatsoever it may be, theglobal governance of IPRs,floated both by the WIPOsince the 1970s and the historictreaty of Trade Related Aspectsof Intellectual Property Rights(TRIPS) of the World TradeOrganization (WTO) of 1995may not be the final guarantorof IPRs in this digital age.

Therefore, the contentsreleased by web journalismwould always be susceptible tostealing and violation byunwanted elements.

At the heart of the narra-tive is how to stop the abuse orunauthorised use of massivecontents that flow throughglobal online journalism.Precisely, IPR is an importantaspect of the process of glob-alisation. Globalisation encom-passes many things, includingthe free flow of ideas, whereindigital media plays the mostcrucial role. And the under-standing is clear today thatwithout adequate protection ofcreative ideas through the glob-al and national IPR gover-nance systems, the interna-

tional counterfeit conglomer-ates would simply take away amajor chunk of hard workmixed with sheer innovativeefforts. It is happening very fastsince the explosion of infor-mation in the 1990s and it’s ahuge loss for the global knowl-edge economy.

Thus, Nobel LaureateJoseph Stiglitz rightly says,“How we regulate and managethe production of knowledgeand the right of access toknowledge is at the centre ofhow well this new economy, theknowledge economy worksand who benefits. At stake arematters of both distributionand economy.”

Along with this what hap-pens is that both globalisedlocalism and localised global-ism accelerate a new process ofoppression, exclusion of many-of those who are at the periph-ery, fast restructuring and gen-eral subordination of localconditions.

The process of globalisa-tion of knowledge has a newground for the growth ofneoliberal forms of economicimperialism mostly dominatedby huge private informationtechnology corporations likethe Google and Facebook.

These and other prominent

knowledge cartels are makingus easily read, write, think andprobably to recreate creativecontents every single day. Theyare positioning themselves atthe centre of production andsimply the distribution ofknowledge.

Fairly, web journalism isthriving at the back of thesegiant knowledge machines.The way these platforms aredistributing knowledge is def-initely at the running the riskof counterfeiting. Globallystrengthening governance sys-tems of IPR is a good idea.

However, crystallising thesame near equally is morethan an uphill task. The reasonbehind is that this “one size fitsall” approach of the global IPRregime launched by the TRIPSAgreement is not feasible fordeveloping and least devel-oped nations. The poor recordof implementation of the agree-ment and inadequate IP gov-ernance structure in many ofthese developing nations areposing a constant threat to pro-tect IPRs.

Again, these nations arefacing more pressing issuessuch as poverty, mal-nutri-tion, terrorism, political insta-bility and above all corruptionin high public offices. So where

is the time to safeguard pre-cious IPRs?

Their combined efforts aremostly directed towards fight-ing for survival and for basicneeds. Many of these developing nations also under-line the protection of IPRs amatter of elite concern orsomething to do with thedeveloped world.

Hence, now more thanquarter of a century, since1995, the strict implementationof the TRIPS Agreement hasstill remained sporadic, exceptin Japan, the US, Europe and insome other specific nations.

The concern today is thathow to enhance unhindereddissemination of knowledgethrough online contents with-out risking the IPRs. Else theinnovators and creators willhave no incentives left for newcreations.

Along with this, the emerg-ing information society needsto address the concerns aboutwidening digital divide andaccess to knowledge in betweenthe advanced and developingnations.

Despite the concerns ofcritical constituencies withinand outside the global IPRgovernance system, one of thepotential threats to the survival

of the system is China’s con-tinued and massive IP theftcases both from the US andother holders of IP. Indeed,America is fighting anotherCold War with China on thisfront.

To conclude, one can sayIPRs demand full protectionboth for the creators and for thewelfare of humanity. Hence, theIPR, a hitherto obscure andarcane area of study till the1990s, now needed to be madea popular discipline startingfrom the schools to the uni-versities. No need to treat IPRspredominantly as a lawyer’sparadise.

Then only the knowledgeeconomy widely growingthrough web journalism can besafely used. It’s the need of thehour. It’s a matter of dignity oflabour. The creators and inno-vators who make their workpublic on online mediumsmust be respected by payingtheir dues.

(The writer specialises inglobalization, international con-flict and global governance. He recently published his book“Globalization and IntellectualProper Rights — A comparativestudy of the patent GovernanceSystems of India and the EU”)

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Gunrunning is a malady whichmars the stability and stolidity

of the larger rubric of the UnitedStates. The American constitutionallows citizens to have legal gunswhich doesn’t border on an auto-matic firearm. Since the inception ofthe British colonial rule and theattendant counter-moves through theAmerican revolution and the patri-ot’s activities, the citizens of UnitedStates have found firearms to be apart and parcel of their civicentourage and day-to-day life.

With the advent of anarchy andpandemonium in the context of theBritish rule, bearing guns in anorganised fashion became a nom deplume for the Americans whichpersisted even when the Americansgained independence.

Gunrunning challenges the fun-damental premise of the USA, bothas a civilised nation and as a purvey-or of the liberal democracy. On theother side of the fence is the agrari-an aggressor, who owns guns, and thederelicts who own advanced weapon-ry which led to the gunrunning inci-dents sometimes at an Americanschool or in a mall or in the lobby ofa cinema hall. It’s much beyond whatDavid Kuresh did to the Americandisciples a few decades back!

Still, from the time of theAmerican myth, the citizens led bytheir leaders have sashayed their per-sonal weapons as instruments ofpride and protection. Vigilantes aspart of the national truth-seekinginstruments have always been part ofthe American myth, wherein, cappedcowboys have been avid subjects ofcinema and musical performancesand presentations in order to manthe western crime filled frontiers ofthe shack towns in the then western

underbelly of a dusty, wind-swept,United States of America. This is howthe American nation has acquired itsgreatness and profundity throughexample setting, deep-seated andfrothing functionalism.

The cowboy mindset of thesuperhero variant is a central motifof American culture and its existen-tial stature much adhered to byPresident Donald Trump. A hero hasto go gung ho with his steed, crackgun and the horse’s hooves, if orderhas to be restored on the side of thejust and the meek’s protection. In thecultural-societal mores, it’s the figureof Charleston Heston, who runs inthe tradition of the gun lobby and theNational Rifle Association (NRA)that messages for the masculineand protective veneer of a responsi-

bly restrained American society andthe larger life.

Let’s delve inside the IIndamendment which legalises gunownership and not the related vio-lence in the American firmament. It’slegal to own a non-assault orientedweapon for personal and familialprotection which should not raisemuch of a question and a poser. Still,what needs to be looked inside is thata few lacunae remain and persist inthe gun laws. One of the major issuesbeing a psychological, medical analy-sis of a prospective gun-owner, whomight be mentally unstable or a juve-nile derelict, and thus poses a threatto the lives of other Americandenizens. Telling issues have beenbrought forth by the American anti-gun lobby, but what stares them right

in the face is the fact that the anti-gun lobby is not as well organised asthe environment lobby or the tobac-co lobby, which, makes the func-tioning of it very difficult in the legaland the financial sense. Still, pitchedbattles have been fought between thegun-runners and the anti-gun lob-bies in the national and state judi-cature with promising results for theanti-gun lobbies as they are largelyled and funded by the lawyers’ guildin the business of things.

One of the cases, which appearedin the US Supreme Court, deals witha January 2019 engagement whichdetails the debate that can theManhattan gun-owners actually andsafely transport the handguns with-out engendering the chances of vio-lence in New York? The Guardian

reports that, “The conservative-majority US Supreme Court hastaken up its biggest gun rights case innearly a decade, agreeing to hear achallenge backed by the influentialNational Rifle Association lobby-group to New York City’s strict lim-its on handgun-owners transportingtheir firearms outside the home. Thenine justices reviewed a 2018 lowercourt ruling upholding the city’srestrictions after three gun-ownersand the NRA’s New York state affili-ate sued, claiming the regulationsimposed in the largest Americancity, violated the constitution’s secondamendment right to “keep and beararms.”

President Joe Biden, too, hasannounced that gunrunning, gunwalking and violence is similar tobeing an epidemic in the organicwhole of the United States. It hasbeen reported in a prominent Indiannational daily that, “US President JoeBiden on Thursday announced lim-ited gun control reforms through sixactions in the aftermath of threedeadly mass shootings, including thekilling of Asian Americans in Atlantaand shoppers at a grocery store inColorado in recent months, callingthe divisive issue an “epidemic andan international embarrassment”.President Biden has announced newgun control measures in order tobelittle the threat of home-madeweapons. Joe Biden has contendedthat America witnesses people dyingeveryday due to gun-related violenceis a blemish on the free, democrat-ic and egalitarian ethos of the UnitedStates of America while convening aplacatory mass for all the citizensunnecessarily stained in Sandy hookand Stoneman Douglas High schooland expressed his angst as, “We are

thoroughly determined to end thismenace of gunrunning in thenation,” as part of his half a dozenexecutive actions since his donningthe mantle of the AmericanPresidency.

President Biden has highlightedand interlinked the violence againstwomen, and the easy accessibility ofassault weapons with their highcapacity magazines.

In a recent move, PresidentBiden appointed David Chipman, aguns control consultant at Gifford’s,as the head of the Bureau on Alcohol,Tobacco, firearms and Explosives(ATF). Though Chipman is a proudgun owner, he has been an activelyavid gun control lobbyist since the lasttwenty-five years. Two themes haveemerged of key interest in the inter-national firmament that gun traf-ficking from the US to the UK hasbeen augmented and the ISIS is alsobehind the gun trafficking trade inMalaysia. Thus, the global overarchof the menace of gunrunning andgun walking cannot be relegated tothe backburner when one refers togun-related violence in the Americanhomeland. District of Columbia VSHeller in 2008 brought to fore thedebate that whether the IInd amend-ment protects the rights of theAmerican citizens to own weapons inself defense but added the rider, that,gun trade will continue to be regu-lated and the right to own guns is notunlimited. Thus, eventually, strength-ening the hands of those, who, cryfoul at the gunrunning crisis in theUnited States of America.

(The writer teaches atInternational Relations andInternational Organisations, IIPA,New Delhi)

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Alearner having accessed and prac-tised the entire spectrum of knowntreasures of knowledge qualifies to

be termed a “Vipra”, a scholar. S/he maystill not have a comprehensive under-standing about the realities of life. His/herknowledge may be still fractioned,depending on what particular disciplineone has explored.

A stage is then arrived at when aseeker may reflect upon the knowledgetreasure already laid down on the tableand put them in synergy for the sake of aholistic understanding. Finally, when onebecomes conversant with the living reali-ties of life, he/she gets closer to the apexof wisdom. One would then become wiseenough to have answer to most of thequestions arising in mind or those posedto him/her by a common man.

Yet, holistic understanding of thedynamics of life cannot be said to havebeen realised. Bear in mind, the entireexpanse of nature is really incomprehen-sible. It always has in its store, enough ofmysteries of life, yet to be explored andknown. Many of them would be reallybeyond the reach of an ordinary seeker.Naturally, many fresh questions beyondthe scope of one’s acquired knowledge

may keep arising in a seeker’s mind. Theseeker thus realises the limitations of hismind, intellect, and knowledge base. Heis then tempted to move beyond his mindand intellect into unexplored territories.

However, by the time the above stageis arrived at, a seeker is able to exerciseenough of self-control. Following which,if the seeker endeavours to get in tunewith the fundal element of consciousness,s/he will be able to move beyond the lim-itations of mind. For, the consciousnesselement is something, which emanatesfrom the primal source itself, and whichimparts intelligence all through the cre-ation chain. Consciousness element,therefore, is said to be omniscient and allpervading. Once the seeker gets fullytuned to the consciousness element, andthen tracks that route, would be able toexplore beyond the known, and reach outeven the hidden mysteries inlaid withnature. They have been in place eversince the creation chain got excited. Withthe onset of the creation chain, the designparameters underlying creation immedi-ately would have come into play. Havingthus, got fully tuned to the element ofconsciousness — the substratum of life —the game plan of the larger would be well

understood. Had there been no designdriving the phenomenal world, it wouldnot have been doing its round for so long,and in such an orderly manner.

Naturally, the one travelling the con-sciousness route is able to strike at andintuitively have realisation of the hiddentruths of life, inlaid with nature. It thenbecomes possible for the seeker to look atthings not simply from man’s perspective,but even in terms of larger mandate ofnature. Having thus understood nature’slarger mandate and human being’s indi-vidualistic concerns, a seeker qualifies tobe a Brahmana. For, s/he then realises thecontinuum in nature, and the unityunderlying all existences.

The paradox, however, is that egotis-tical human mind, bound by its precon-ditioning, restricts our scope of vision.And with a narrowed vision, it becomesdifficult to have holistic realisation of thedynamics of life. That makes it incum-bent upon us to expand our vision, andthen explore existential truths with anopen mind, free from any precondition-ing whatsoever. To prepare the seekers forthe aforesaid task, they were first made tomeditate upon the imagery of MotherGoddess Saraswati. Repeated reflection

on the imagery of Saraswati, supposedlythe beholder of knowledge and wisdom,the seeker realises how to pursue thelearning process so that they realisetruths of life. A detailed look into theimagery will make an interesting reading.

First the word: “Saraswati”. It is madeout of the root-syllable, “Sarasa”, whichmeans something flowing smoothly. Hername, therefore, denotes “flow” or“motion”. It implies that the imageryoffers lessons in how to ensure smoothrun of life, individually and collectively.Metaphorically, “She” is perceived as theconsort of Lord Brahma, the God person-ified for creation. Supposedly, this is inacknowledgement of the fact that therehas to be a self-evident design componentunderlying the whole creation process.Evidently, it must have come into playimmediately with the onset of creationprocess. Accordingly, its origin is assignedto the primal source itself. Therefore, inorder to get to the ultimate truths of life,the focus of learning has to be directedtowards the primal source itself.

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