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13MARKETS REBOUND TRACKING GLOBAL PEERS

AMID STEPS TO FIGHT COVID BUSINESSRAISE FUND LIMIT, MAMATA

URGES PM NATIONINDIAN-ORIGIN MP TO GOBACK TO CARE WORK WORLD

chandigarh | gurugram | jalandhar | bathinda | jammu | srinagar | vol.140 no.83 | 18 pages | ~4.50 | regd.no.chd/0006/2018-2020 established in 1881

Tribune News Service

New Delhi, March 24India on Tuesday declared a21-day lockdown across thecountry with effect frommidnight as a major enforce-ment exercise to make peo-ple stay at home and preventrapid spread of Covid-19 asthe country enters a deci-sive stage to combat theglobal pandemic.

“It is a sort of curfew andmore strict steps will be takenthan during Janata Curfew...it is a very necessary step inthis decisive war… the coun-try will have to pay an eco-nomic price for it but to savethe life of every citizen is mypriority and that of the Centraland state governments,” thePM said in his 30-minuteaddress to the nation, the sec-ond in five days.

As the number of infectedcontinues to mount, PM Modisaid experience of countriesaffected severely and thosewhich exercised restraintshowed that social distancingwas the only way to preventthe spread and required 21days to break the cycle.

continued on page 11


Srinagar, March 24National Conference vice-president and former CMOmar Abdullah was releasedon Tuesday after nearly eightmonths in detention as theadministration revoked hisincarceration under the Pub-lic Safety Act.

Soon after his release fromthe Hari Niwas guest house,Omar talked to reporters andurged the Centre to release oth-er detainees and also restorehigh-speed Internet services

in Jammu and Kashmir. “People are detained in

and outside the state. TheCentre should have mercy,release them and sendthem home. I also requestthe Centre to end the Inter-net restrictions,” Omarsaid. He also urged people to

continued on page 11edit: omar’s detention ends

J&K ex-CM Omar Abdullah at his Gupkar residence in Srinagar. AMIN WAR

The Punjab Police registered 230 FIRs and arrested 111 persons for violating curfew. PHOTO:PAWAN SHARMA/BATHINDA

~15,000 cr to augment health infra: PM

Eight months on,Omar walks free

It’s a very differentworld today to the

one that existed on August5, 2019. Omar Abdullah, NC

1.3 bn Indians under 21-day lockdown/thetribunechd /thetribunechd www.tribuneindia.com wednesday, march 25,2020

❝The country will haveto pay an economic

price for it (lockdown)but to save life of everycitizen is a priority….

If we don’t handlethese 21 days well, our

country can bepushed back by

21 years.Narendra Modi, PRIME MINISTER

C VID-19PANDEMIC

Man held in M’rashtra for2002 Bangladesh blastsNew Delhi: A 42-year-oldBangladesh national, MophajjalHussain, alias Mopha Ali Gazi,alias Maphizul Mandal, wantedin connection with three blasts ata mosque in Bangladesh in 2002has been arrested from NaviMumbai in Maharashtra, policesaid on Tuesday. NATION

CRPF jawan kills colleagueat Srinagar’s Dal Lake campSrinagar: Two Central ReservePolice Force men were killed in afratricide incident inside a waterwing camp of the force at the DalLake, officials said. The slain menhave been identified as Consta-bles Siju and Jala Vijay of 114 Bat-talion. PAGE 7

Kendriya Vidyalayas to promoteall students of classes 1 to 8New Delhi: Kendriya Vidyalayasin the country will promote allstudents of classes 1 to 8 irre-spective of whether theyappeared for exams or not, offi-cials said on Tuesday. Classesand exams were suspended tillMarch 31 in view of Covid. PTI

IN BRIEF


New Delhi, March 24The government today sus-pended debit card withdraw-al charges, waived minimumbank balance requirementand postponed the last datefor filing income tax andGST returns till June 30.

Making the announcementvia video-conferencing withher Minister of State AnuragThakur, Union Finance Minis-ter Nirmala Sitharaman saidan economic resuscitationand stimulus package wouldbe announced very soon.

She said regulators and herministry were monitoringdevelopments and volatilityin stock markets in the wakeof Covid-19 pandemic.

Though the Covid Econom-ic Task Force announced byPM Modi on March 22 was yetto be constituted, Sitharaman

said separate sub-groupscomprising parliamentarianswith an interest in finance,academics, industrialists andofficials were working on apackage for the economicallyvulnerable and the industry.

The relaxations announcedtoday covered five areas:Direct taxes, indirect taxes,financial services, corporategovernance and fisheries.

The last date for filingincome tax returns for 2018-19, linking of Aadhaar with

PAN and Vivad Se Vishwasscheme has been extendedto June 30. The last date forinvestments in saving instru-ments has also been extend-ed. The necessary circularsand legislative amendmentsare yet to be issued.

In case of indirect taxes, nopenalty will be imposed ifMSMEs delay filing GSTR-3B due for March, April andMay 2020 by the last week ofJune. Companies with aturnover of above Rs 5 crore

will be charged 9 per centinterest for the delay. Thepayment date for the SabkaVishwas scheme has alsobeen extended to June 30.

In corporate governance,the requirement of holdingboard meetings has beenextended by 60 days and theminimum residency normwaived for company directors.

The government has alsoraised the threshold of defaultunder the Insolvency andBankruptcy Code (IBC) to Rs1 crore. “This will by and largeprevent triggering of insol-vency proceedings againstMSMEs,” Sitharaman said.

“If the current situationcontinues beyond April 30, wemay consider suspendingSections 7, 9 and 10 of the IBCfor six months,” she said. Infisheries, a delay of onemonth in the arrival of inputswill be condoned.

3-month relief for filing I-T, GST returnsTribune News Service

Chandigarh, March 24The nationwide lockdownhas had the employees wor-ried over salaries, especiallythose working in the infor-mal sector. While Punjab,with 3.50 lakh employees,will be transferring salariesdirectly into the accounts ofits employees in April (Marchsalaries are always releasedin April because of year-endclosing), it will also be releas-ing the salaries of employeesin semi-government institu-tions, including universities,boards and corporations,which further employ 1.50lakh persons.

A senior functionary inPunjab’s Finance Depart-ment explained that treasur-ies had to be kept open as an essential service.

“The treasury officer ineach district has the pass-word and user name of theaccount and can transfer thesalary of employees,” he saidwhile assuring that even thepensions would be trans-ferred on time.


Deepender DeswalTribune News Service

Hisar, March 24The purpose of social dis-tancing apparently standsdefeated in many villages ofHaryana as students went totheir educational institutionsto collect their quota of food-grains for midday meals.

The state police swung intoaction after videos of stu-dents visiting a school atGhogarian village of Uchanasubdivision in Jind districtand Samain village of Fate-habad district went viral onthe social media.

In Ghogarian village, nearly60 girls of the governmenthigh school visited the institu-

tion this morning to get theirfoodgrain quota. UchanaSDM Rajesh Khoth, acting onthe video, directed the educa-tion officials to probe the mat-ter. The police also rushed tothe spot after getting alertedby the administration.

The SHO of Uchana policestation, Devender Singh,

said when the police reachedthe school, a few teachersand the sarpanch were in theschool but there were no stu-dents. “We are taking thestatement of the teachersand parents and will takeaction as per the preliminaryinquiry,” he said.

Anuj Singh, a teacher,

claimed that the schoolauthorities did not call thestudents and the staff weremaking arrangement to dis-tribute the ration to the chil-dren at their homes.

However, a video of theSamain school too showedchildren visiting the school.A teacher was even heardtelling the students that ifanybody questioned them,they should say that theywere not called to the school.

Admitting that calling stu-dents to schools for middaymeals when the state hadordered a complete lockdownin view of the Covid scare wasa grave irregularity, Haryana



Chandigarh, March 24Chief Minister CaptAmarinder Singh today saidstrict measures have to betaken as nearly 94,000 NRIshave reached the state sincethe spread of Covid-19.

The state government hasput 48,000 persons, including30,000 NRIs, in a quarantine,mainly at their houses,besides imposing curfew inthe state to check furtherspread of the pandemic.

The case history of Covidpositive persons in the stateso far traces them to NRIs orsomeone who had travelledabroad. The government’smedical bulletin said 29 per-sons had tested positive forthe virus. Of these, 21 weretraced to only one NRI fromBanga in Nawanshahr, whodied within a few days ofreturn from abroad.

The CM said the curfeworders were revised as peoplecame out in droves duringthe relaxation hours thusdefeating the purpose of theexercise. “Curfew has been

imposed for the safety of yourfamily, not because of any lawand order situation. We allneed to stay indoors to fightthe deadly virus,” he said.

The police arrested 111 per-sons and lodged 232 FIRs forviolation of curfew today.

“It is imperative to traceand test all those who hadreturned from Covid-affect-ed countries,” said the CM,adding that of the over 94,000NRIs and foreign-returnedpersons, who had entered thestate in recent days, mosthad been tracked.


94K NRIs returned to Punjab,30,000 in isolation, says Capt

New Delhi, March 24BJP's Shivraj SinghChouhan, who took oath asMadhya Pradesh ChiefMinister for the fourth timeyesterday, won the floor testby a voice vote today.

No member of the Opposi-tion Congress was present inthe House while two BahujanSamaj Party MLAs, a legisla-tor of the Samajwadi Partyand two Independents sup-ported him, as per reports.

Of the four IndependentMLAs in the Assembly, twowere absent during thefloor test. Keeping the stateand its people safe amidCovid-19 pandemic is hisfirst priority, but Chouhanwill also have to ensure thatthe party retains majoritywhen byelections are heldfor the seats vacated byrebel Congress MLAs.

To remain in majority inthe 230-member House,Chouhan will have to win atleast 10 of 24 seats. — TNS

Kids called to schools for midday meal ration

Shivraj wins floortest; Cong absent

Shimla, March 24With people defying the lock-down, the HP Governmenttoday imposed a curfew inthe entire state till furtherorders. Chief Minister JaiRam Thakur said: “Sincepeople are not confiningthemselves to their homes,we have been forced toimpose a curfew which willcome into force after 5 pmtoday till further orders.

“To ensure that people donot face inconvenience, thedistrict administrations willdecide when relaxation is tobe given to facilitate thepurchase of essential com-modities.”

The Chief Minister said theministers had been asked tocoordinate with the districtadministrations.

“Block Development Offi-cers have been told to pur-chase hand sanitisers andmasks for gram panchayatsfor further distribution,”the CM added. PAGE 6

‘Asterix’ co-creator Uderzo dies at 92

1959YEAR SERIES CREATED

370mCOPIES SOLD WORLDWIDE

■ Albert Uderzo, co-creator ofcomic series ‘Asterix andObelix’, died at Neuilly (westernParis) on Tuesday, aged 92

■ Uderzo was initially the illus-trator of the French comic

series written by ReneGoscinny, who died in 1977

■ The two are known as‘fathers’ of the series abouta village of Gauls who standup to Roman occupiers

ATM WITHDRAWALS FREE■ Fee for withdrawals from ATMs

of other banks suspended■ Minimum bank balance

requirement waived■ Last date for investments in

saving instruments extended■ Date for Aadhaar-PAN linking,

Vivad Se Vishwas plan relaxedNIRMALA SITHARAMAN

People defy curbs,HP imposes curfew

MUST TRACE, TEST THEM

It is imperative to traceand test all those who hadreturned from Covid-affectedcountries. Capt Amarinder Singh, CM

❝

6 MORE +VE IN PUNJABWith six more persons testingpositive for Covid-19 on Tuesday,the total number of cases hasgone up to 29 in Punjab. The sixwere relatives of the 70-year-oldNawanshahr resident who diedof the disease last week. Whilethree of the six who tested posi-tive are his grandchildren, theremaining are his relatives,including brother-in-law (50), inPhillaur. Two of the patients hadaccompanied the victim to adoctor during a check-up. TNS

SHAHEEN BAGH VACATEDThe Delhi Police on Tuesdayremoved anti-CAA protestersfrom Shaheen Bagh and otherplaces amid the Covid lockdownin the national capital. Nine pro-testers, including six women,who refused to leave ShaheenBagh, were detained, DeputyCommissioner of Police (South-east) RP Meena said. NATION

EC DEFERS RS ELECTIONSThe EC on Tuesday decided topostpone the Rajya Sabhaelections scheduled for March26 in view of the coronavirusoutbreak. Election to fill 55seats in the Upper House ofParliament was to be held onMarch 26, but 37 candidatesfrom 10 states have alreadybeen elected without a con-test. The decision on holdingthe election for the remaining18 seats will be taken based onthe prevailing situation. TNS

HARYANA ORDERS PROBE■ After videos of students

going to schools in Haryanawent viral, Uchana SDMdirected the education offi-cials to probe the matter.

■ The police also rushed tothe spot after getting alert-ed by the administration.

COUNT

519DISCHARGED 39DEATHS 10

TOKYO OLYMPICS PUT OFFTokyo: The 2020 TokyoOlympics have been post-poned to no later than thesummer of 2021 followingthe Covid pandemic, theInternational Olympic Com-mittee said on Tuesday. TheGames were scheduled forJuly 24-August 9. SPORT

US MAY PIP EUROPEGeneva: The Covid-19 out-break in the US has thepotential to exceed that inEurope, the WHO said onTuesday as the number ofreported cases in the USsurged. WHO spokeswomanMargaret Harris said 85 percent of new cases reported tothe global body overnightcame from Europe and theUS, “now the two main driv-ers of the outbreak”. AFP

NEW VIRUS IN CHINA Beijing: A man in China’ssouthwestern Yunnanprovince has died of han-tavirus, a disease spread byrodents, official media report-ed on Tuesday. The develop-ment comes even as Chinaprepares to lift prolongedlockdown over Covid-19 epi-centre Wuhan on April 8, thuslifting the mass quarantineover the city with a popula-tion of over 11 million. AFP

WHAT IS EXEMPT■ Grocers, meat, fish, fruit, veg-

gie, fodder outlets■ Banks, ATMs, hospitals, chemists■ Print and electronic media■ Power, sanitation, water, telecom■ Petrol pump, LPG outlets

UNDER LOCKDOWN■ Rail, road, air transportation■ Offices, edu institutions,

parks, places of worship etc

Salary worries:Pb, Hry say willbe paid on time


Jalandhar, March 24With seven more persons test-ing positive for Covid-19today, the total number of cas-es has gone up to 30 in thestate. Barring one, the six per-sons are relatives of the 70-year-old Nawanshahr resi-dent who died due to the viruslast week.

Now, the tally of personswho became infected aftercoming into contact withthe Nawanshahr victim hasrisen to 21.

While three of the six whotested positive today aregrandchildren of theNawanshahr man, theremaining are his relatives,including his brother-in-law(50), from Phillaur.

According to informa-tion, the two of patientshad accompanied theCovid victim to a doctorduring a check-up.

The Health Departmentsaid close contacts of thesix persons had been putunder quarantine. Theirsamples have been takenand sent for testing.

With the surfacing of newcases, there is an atmos-phere of fear among resi-dents of Virk village inPhillaur sub-division.

Virk village sarpanch Dar-shana Kumari said some ofthe locals had gone to thehouse of the Nawanshahr vic-tim's brother-in-law to offercondolences to the family.This had put them in a high-risk category. Hence, ninesuch persons were taken to

Jalandhar Civil Hospital forfurther tests.

The victim’s brother-in-lawalso used to play cards withhis friends. This could putthem under scanner too. “Weare trying to verify it. If foundcorrect, then more villagerswill be tested for the disease,”a senior police official said.

Superintendent of Police(Investigations) Sarabjit Singh

said the friends and neigh-bours of the latest patientswere being contacted. "We arealso checking the places wherethe trio might have gone toshop or buy grocery," he added.

As per the department,86 suspected cases andmore than 1,200 peoplehave been quarantined.Till now, only one man hasdied of Covid in the state.

The 29 cases have beenreported from five districts —18 from Nawanshahr, fivefrom Mohali, three fromJalandhar, two from Amritsarand one from Hoshiarpur.

Besides, the departmenton Tuesday ordered to setup five treatment-cum-iso-lation facilities for Covid.These facilities will offerservices free of cost.

According to an orderissued by Principal Secre-tary Anurag Aggarwal, allfive facilities have to bemade operational immedi-ately. These are RajindraHospital in Patiala, CivilHospitals in Nawanshahrand Jalandhar, Gian SagarHospital in Banur, andAdvanced Cancer Centrein Bathinda.

THE TRIBUNE02 CHANDIGARH | WEDNESDAY | 25 MARCH 2020PUNJAB

2 COPS QUARANTINEDThree days ago, two cops hadaccompanied patients toPhillaur Civil Hospital. A videoemerged recently wherein itappeared the cops had not tak-en precautions. After the reportscame positive on Tuesday, bothpolicemen — an SHO and hisgunman — were quarantined.

SGPC employees offer tea and food to policemen in Amritsar on Tuesday. PHOTO: VISHAL KUMAR

A deserted road in Amritsar on Tuesday as the police restrict movement of vehicles in view of curfew. TRIBUNE PHOTO: VISHAL KUMAR


Amritsar, March 24 The Akal Takht hasappealed to the public not toget swayed by rumours andcooperate with the authori-ties by observing the shut-down religiously.

Akal Takht’s JathedarGiani Harpreet Singhappealed to the Sikh com-munity to recite prayerstwice a day and do ‘ardas’for ‘sarbat da bhala’.

“Under prevailing circum-stances, the Sikhs all overthe globe should make opti-mum use of their time byspending it with their chil-dren and educating them onSikh principles, tenets andethics. One must spare atleast half an hour in a day toperform prayers, be itSukhmani Sahib, Japji Sahibor recitation of mool mantrafollowed by ‘ardas’ for thewelfare of mankind at 10 amand 5 pm daily,” he said.

The Jathedar said theworld was plagued byCovid and it was incum-bent upon every individualto be vigilant and take pre-

cautionary measures. Several social media han-

dlers are under the scannerof cyber teams of the Amrit-sar Police. ASI ShamsherSingh of cyber crime cellsaid despite repeated warn-ings, fake news was beingcirculated. “One of the fakemessages which was beingcirculated read that a vac-cine has been developed tofight Covid. I warn groupadministrators to refrainfrom circulating messageswhich have no authenticsource or else be ready toface action,” he said.

Takht: Be wary ofrumour-mongers

Karam PrakashTribune News Service

Patiala, March 24Though the state appears tohave taken steps to delay thecommunity transmission by acomplete lockdown, thehealthcare system seems tobe not well-equipped to han-dle the Covid outbreak.

Barring a few, a majority ofthe civil hospitals in thestate lack ventilators. Notonly just civil hospitals, butsome district hospitals alsodon’t have ventilators.

Currently, hospitalsattached to GovernmentMedical Colleges (GMC) inPatiala, Amritsar and Farid-

kot, collectively, havearound 60 ventilators dedi-cated to Covid patients.

According to the HealthDepartment website, the ter-tiary care, which is advancedhealthcare facility, is beingprovided at the hospitalsattached to GMCs only.

Though the departmentclaims they have already des-ignated around 250 ventila-tors, including those in pri-vate hospitals, for thedisease, the number is stillsmall, given the growingspread of virus.

As per the latest depart-ment figures, 251 personshave been tested for Covid

while 30,000 are under homequarantine. Experts said if allventilators were utilised forCovid patients, it would bedone at the cost of otheremergency patients (cardiac,chest, TB and head injuries).

The department said noteach Covid patient wouldrequire a ventilator. Ventila-tors were required only inextreme cases, it said.

Health Minister Balbir Sid-hu said they had already dedi-cated around 300 ventilators inthe state. He said, “We are try-ing to increase the number to500 in the coming days so thatwe are well-equipped with anysituation related to Covid.”

Majority of civil hospitalsill-equipped to tackle crisis


Amritsar, March 24 In the wake of restrictions onmovement due to Covidthreat, the SGPC has urgedthe state government to initi-ate steps to extend help tothe pilgrims stranded atTakht Hazur Sahib andTakht Patna Sahib so thatthey can return home safely.

Also, the SGPC has directedall gurdwara managements toensure supply of adequate facemasks, sanitisers and hygienein the community kitchen.

In a letter to CM CaptAmarinder Singh, SGPCchief Gobind Singh Longow-al said the SGPC and itsinfrastructure would be avail-able in the need of hour.

“I have requested the CM to

establish contact with theCentral ministry concernedto help out pilgrims who arestuck up at Takht HazurSahib, Nanded, and TakhtPatna Sahib, Bihar, due todisruption of rail and air serv-ice following the outbreak,”he said, adding the SGPCwas geared up to help thehealth authorities in combat-ing the spread of the virus.

SGPC to state: Help pilgrimsstranded at Nanded, Patna

C VID-19PANDEMIC

With 7 new cases, state’s count 30Nawanshahr victim infected 21 | Many of his contacts still under quarantine

GET TREATED HERE■ Rajindra Hospital, Patiala■ Civil Hospital, Nawanshahr■ Civil Hospital, Jalandhar■ Gian Sagar Hospital,Banur■ Advanced Cancer Centre,Bathinda

PHILLAUR: The district admin-istration on Tuesday started adoor-to-door survey in Virk vil-lage after it reported threeCovid cases. Under the super-vision of Sub-divisional Magis-trate Vineet Kumar andDeputy Superintendent ofPolice Davinder Attri, 20 med-ical teams went door to door

examining each and every vil-lager. The police were identify-ing people with whom thethree patients who have test-ed positive had met in thepast couple of days. TheDeputy Commissioner saidthe entire Virk village wouldbe sanitised to check thespread of the virus. OC

DOOR-TO-DOOR SURVEY IN PHILLAUR VILLAGE

IN BRIEF

Chandigarh: Union Food Processing Industries MinisterHarsimrat Kaur Badal on Tuesday assured the industryassociations that their request to allow food processingunits to remain open as well as allow employees freeaccess to units was being considered and guidelineswould be issued regarding this by the Ministry of Con-sumers Affairs. Various associations had approached theminister and detailed the need for allowing them to keeptheir manufacturing units open. TNS

RELIEF FOR FOOD INDUSTRY ON CARDS

Hoshiarpur: In the wake of outbreak of Covid, the supply ofblood in blood banks has been affected. Dr Ajay Bagga, CivilSurgeon (retd), and a social activist said no blood donationcamps were being organised and the number of regularblood donors visiting the banks had declined. Dr Bagga saidif any donor developed flu-like symptoms after donatingblood, he should inform the blood bank immediately. OC

BLOOD BANKS TAKE A HIT

Patiala: The supply of essential commodities such as milk,groceries and newspapers was affected on Tuesday in view ofthe curfew. In Patiala, several shops opened for a brief time inthe morning, but soon the district administration got theshops closed. Vegetable market, hawker market near the busstand and vending sites at Leela Bhawan Chowk, whichremain crowded, were deserted. Patiala SSP Mandeep SinghSidhu said the police used mild force to disperse people whodid not take the warning to stay indoors seriously. TNS

SUPPLY OF ESSENTIAL GOODS AFFECTED

Chandigarh: Radha Soami Satsang Beas and the SantNirankari Mission on Tuesday proposed to CM CaptAmarinder Singh that the government can use SatsangGhars and Nirankari Bhawans across the state to fight thebattle against Covid. Radha Soami Satsang Beas headBaba Gurinder Singh and Sant Nirankari Mission chief ShriGobind Singh called the CM and told him that SatsangGhars and Nirankari Bhawans located across the state wereat the disposal of the government. TNS

DERAS OFFER PREMISES FOR PATIENTS


Chandigarh, March 24Confined to their houses withthe imposition of curfew inthe state, it is time for law-makers to do something dif-ferent. Often surrounded bylarge gatherings, amid theirsupporters and party work-ers, the MLAs are happy pur-suing their hobbies — be itcooking, gardening, playingsnooker or chess, or spendingtime with their pets.

Happy to be among hisfamily members, FaridkotMLA Kikki Dhillon said hevisited his stud farm to seehis horses. “I am in touchwith panchayats and districtauthorities over a campaignagainst Covid,” he said.

Young and energetic ZiraMLA Kulbir Singh Zira triedhis hand at cooking as the offi-cial cook had been given leave.Gidderbaha MLA AmrinderSingh Raja Warring played

chess and did gardening.Gurdaspur MLA Barinder-

meet Pahra preferred to playsnooker, apart from partici-pating in a sanitation cam-paign in his area.

Lockdown: MLAs take to cooking, playing chess

Chandigarh, March 24Senior AAP leader andLeader of Opposition HarpalSingh Cheema has demand-ed that amid Covid scare, thestate government shouldimmediately announce reliefschemes for labourers, dailywage earners, vendors, small-time workers and beneficiar-ies of the government’ssocial welfare schemes.

Cheema, in a letter to ChiefMinister Capt AmarinderSingh, said the governmentshould allow a minimum of~3,000 (advance) per month toskilled and unskilled laborersand other categories, includ-ing rickshaw pullers, masons,electricians, plumbers andothers to overcome the test-ing times. — TNS

Announcerelief for dailywagers: AAP

‘DEFER LOAN REPAYMENT’The party, in a letter toPrime Minister NarendraModi, has urged him toissue directions throughthe RBI to all public and pri-vate banks across thecountry to defer loans liabil-ity of each category at leastfor the next six months (tillSeptember 30) offering100 per cent waiver oninterest incurred thereon.


Chandigarh, March 24Chief Minister CaptAmarinder Singh on Tues-day set up Punjab CMCovid Relief Fund as a sepa-rate entity for donations tofight the crisis in the state.

While appealing to thepeople to donate generous-ly to the fund, the ChiefMinister sought from theCentre exemption for thesame on the lines of theexemptions provided to theCM Relief Fund.

According to a spokesper-son of the Chief Minister’sOffice, the Covid relief fundaccount would enable peopleto make contributions elec-tronically through variouspayment gateways facilitat-ing quick and easy transfer.

All contributions may bemade to the account in thename of “Punjab Chief Min-ister Covid Relief Fund”;account no: 50100333026124;account type: savings; IFSCcode: HDFC0000213; swiftcode: HDFCINBB; branchcode: 0213; branch name:Chandigarh, Sector 17 C.

Thanking the people, theChief Minister said theirinstant response to assistthe government and theirfellow Punjabis in his hourof distress would go a longway in mitigating theirhardships to a large extent.

He appealed to all the peo-ple to donate generously inthe fund, which would beutilised for the welfare offamilies and people in dis-tress due to the lockdown. Healso called upon the people towork towards helping their

Punjabi fellows in this diffi-cult time. He said the peo-ple’s contribution to thefund would be a welfare stepfor the poor and the under-privileged during this criticalperiod of curfew/lockdown.

‘Centre doing little’ Capt Amarinder hasexpressed disappointmentover the announcementsmade by the Union FinanceMinister, terming theseinadequate to address theconcerns of the people,businesses and industry.

“The announcements madeby Nirmala Sitharaman donot fully reflect the concernsin the prevailing situation,”said the Chief Minister, under-lining the need for a compre-hensive package to build theconfidence of all sectors of theeconomy and support theunderprivileged.

CM sets up relieffund, asks Centrefor tax exemption


Ludhiana, March 24A city-based 55-year-oldwoman has tested positive forCovid. The patient, who hasno travel history, has beenadmitted to Dayanand Med-ical College and Hospital.

Civil Surgeon Dr RajeshBagga said the initial reportof the patient had turnedpositive and again a testwas done for confirmationwhich also tested positive.The sample will now besent to the National Insti-tute of Virology, Pune.

“Since she has no travelhistory, we are looking forher contacts to know fromwhere she contracted theinfection. Her family mem-bers, including her chil-dren, driver and maid and

all those who came in hercontact will be quaran-tined,” said Bagga.

The patient first com-plained of fever on March 16and was detected with UTIand later again came to thehospital on March 23. Shewas keeping herself in quar-antine due to fever and noneof her family members hasany travel history, said DrSandeep Sharma, DMCH.

All the family membersof the patient are beingshifted to DMCH and willbe kept in isolation. “Thefamily members of thepatient, including her hus-band and son, and two ser-vants are asymptomaticand tests will be done onthem also,” she said.

Ludhianapatient has notravel history

A section of mediais educating people totake precautionary stepsto fight Covid. However,some media channelshave been creatingmisconceptions and falsenotions about the virus. I appeal to people toignore the rumours beingspread on social media.Giani Harpreet Singh, AKAL TAKHT JATHEDAR

❝

LOCKDOWN NEED OFTHE HOUR: CAPTCapt Amarinder Singhhas welcomed the 21-daycountry-wide lockdownannounced by PM Naren-dra Modi. He said, “Thelockdown is necessary tosave millions of lives fromthe deadly virus. It isimperative to break thecoronavirus cycle, but it isequally important to sup-port those leftwith nomeans tofulfill theirdaily basicneeds.”

All family members of55-year-old woman

will be kept in isolation

Faridkot MLA Khushal Deep Dhillon spends time with his familyand pets; and (right) Gidderbaha MLA Amrinder Singh RajaWarring tries his hand on gardening. TRIBUNE PHOTOS

THE TRIBUNECHANDIGARH | WEDNESDAY | 25 MARCH 2020 03PUNJAB

The Punjab Public Service Commission invites Online Application

Forms from eligible candidates for recruitment to 311 posts of Head

Master/Head Mistresses in the Department of School Education,

Punjab.

Note:This Advertisement is being published as per the requistion

received from the Department of School Education, Government

of Punjab vide letter No. 2020/88680/18/12020 Se/3(3)/4/dated

12.03.2020.

2.0 Reservation of Posts:

* The number of vacancies and reservation of posts is liable to

alteration without any notice.

3.0 PAY SCALE: 10300-34800+5400 Grade pay

(See details in “General Information for the Candidates” regarding

drawing the pay during the probation period.)

4.0 ESSENTIAL QUALIFICATIONS:-

4.1 Should have passed Graduation with minimum fifty-five percent

(55%) marks from a recognized university or institution as per

University Grants Commission Guidelines:

4.2 Should have passed Degree of bachelor of Education from a

recognized university or institution except in case of presons

working to the posts of Vocational masters or Vocational lecturer

or Computer Masters or Computer Faculty as per University

Grants Commission Guideline: and

4.3 Should possess teaching experience for a minimum periof of three

years against the post of a teacher in any Government School

under the control of the Director ( Means Director of Public

Instructions, Punjab)

4.4 Punjabi of Matric or its equivalent Standard is essential.

5.0 AGE:

(i) Candidates should not be below 18 years and above 37

years of age as on 01.01.2020. (See detail in “General

Information for the Candidates”)

6.0 COMPETITIVE EXAMINATION

The Commission shall hold Competitive Examinations for

recruitment to these posts tentatively in May, 2020, details of

which can be seen in Para 6, 7 and 8 of “General information

For the Candidates” of each post available on the website

http://ppsc.gov.in The exact date of exam may be decided and

intimated later keeping in view the public health safety issues.

7.0 The candidates MUST possess the requisite qualification/

experience before or by 31/05/2020.

8.0 Candidates must refer to “General Information For the

Candidates” available on PPSC website, particularly Para-II

before filling the application form. The candidates can ONLY apply

by filling Online Application Form, a link of which is available on

the website of Punjab Public Service Commission

http://ppsc.gov.in

Last date for filling Online Application Form: 30/04/2020

Last date for depositing Application Fee: 07/05/2020

Dated: 23.03.2020 Sd/- (Navreet Kaur Sakhon) PCS

Secretary ExaminationsDPR/Pb/912D

PUNJAB PUBLIC SERVICE COMMISSIONBARADARI GARDEN, PATIALA — 147001

WEBSITE: http://ppsc.gov.in

Short

Advt.

No. 05

Category

Code

Name of Post/Category No. of

Posts

71 General 121

72/73 Ex-Serviceman/LDESM, Punjab 22

74 Wards of Freedom Fighter, Punjab 03

75 Sports Persons, Punjab 06

76 Persons with disability

Blind and Low vision (76A)

Deaf and Hard of Hearing (76B)

Locomotive Disability (76C)

(including Cerebral palsy, Leprosy

cured,Dwarfism, Acid attack victims and

Muscular dystrophy)

Intellectual Disability (76D)

(including Austism and Specific disability) and

Mental illness

OR

Multiple disabilities specified in Serial No. 1 to

4 above, including deaf-blindness

03

03

03

03

77 Scheduled Castes Other, Punjab 31

78/79 Scheduled Castes (Others)

ESM/LDESM, Punjab

06

80 Scheduled Castes other Sports persons,

Punjab

02

81 Balmiki Mazbhi Sikhs, Punjab 31

82/83 Balmiki Mazbhi Sikhs ESM/LDESM, Punjab 06

84 Balmiki/Mazbhi Sikhs Sports Persons, Punjab 01

85 Backward Classes, Punjab 31

86/87 Backward Classes ESM/LDESM, Punjab 07

92 Economically Weaker Section, Punjab 32

Total 311

DEPUTY DIRECTORATE ANIMAL HEALTH/BREEDING, SHIMLA-5,HIMACHAL PRADESH

No. AHY-SML-B(5)-463/2012-1-. Dated Shimla-5. 23.03.2020

OFFICE ORDER

This office order is in reference to advertisement published in the

leading Newspaper on dated 28.02.2020 regarding filling up 49 posts

of Animal Husbandry Attendant (Peon and one post of Chowkidar in

the Directorate). Director, Animal Husbandry Himachal Pradesh vide

letter No. 2-58/78-Vety-Vol-33 dated 23.03.2020 has issued fresh

direction as under:-

“In this context, in order to limit arrival of people in Government

Offices in view of ongoing CORONA VIRUS threat, the process of

accepting for the post of Class-IV advertised by the Department

may be suspended indefinitely. The cutoff date for accepting the

applications will be extended and will be communicated latter.”

Deputy Director,

Animal Health/Breeding,

Shimla Distt Shimla-5.DPR/HP/5701


Chandigarh, March 24The state police on Tuesdayregistered 232 FIRs andarrested 111 persons forviolation of the curfewimposed by Chief MinisterCapt Amarinder Singh inthe state to contain Covidspread, even as theyworked out a comprehen-sive strategy to ensuredoorstep delivery systemsand other basic facilities topeople across the state.

While the maximum of 38FIRs were registered inSAS Nagar (Mohali), 34Amritsar (rural), and 30each in Tarn Taran and San-grur, said DGP Dinkar Gup-ta, adding that the maxi-mum of 43 persons werearrested from Tarn Taran,followed by 23 Kapurthala,15 Hoshiarpur, 13 Bathinda,five Ferozepur, five Patiala,four Gurdaspur and twoLudhiana rural.

The districts that had zeroviolation of curfew wereKhanna, Pathankot, Barnala,Ludhiana, Fazilka andMansa. Two cases of violationof quarantine restrictionswere also reported during theday, disclosed Gupta, adding

that these were from Mukt-sar, which also reported fourcases of curfew violation.

A total of 38,160 police per-sonnel have been deployedon the ground in various dis-tricts for the enforcement ofcurfew, including sealing ofaffected clusters (SBSNagar), besides mainte-nance of essential suppliesand law and order. Theseinclude 981 volunteers.

The DGP directed all dis-trict police chiefs to ensurethat curfew passes wereprovided on need basis tomaintain essential services,including telecom, banks,ATMs, journalists, newspa-pers, doctors, paramedics,sanitary workers, electri-cians, plumbers etc.

He also exhorted the fieldstaff to work as missionariesand social workers in suchtesting times for the citi-zens. He asked them to raiseand deploy a team of about50-100 policemen to coordi-nate the supply of food andmedicines to the people.

He further asked themmobilise young citizens alongwith delivery boys to establisha supply line between kiranashops and consumers toensure doorstep delivery offood and other essential items.

The DGP advised the dis-trict police chiefs to allow thesmooth movement of trucksacross interstate borders tocarry food items into Punjab.

111 held for violating curfew, 232 FIRs lodgedMoga, March 24On the second day of thestate-wide curfew, the Pun-jab Police had a harrowingexperience as people contin-ued to be seen on streetswith no essential work to do.

At some places, the policepersonnel came down heavi-ly on people for violating theprohibitory orders. A few cas-es have also been registeredagainst habitual violators ofthe government orders. Also,in some cases, the violatorsattacked the police personneldeployed on streets.

Reports emerging from

Bathinda, Faridkot, Kotkapu-ra, Moga, Ludhiana, Amrit-sar, Mohali and few other dis-tricts of the states revealedthat some people, particular-ly youth, took undue benefitof the curfew relaxations andstepped out of their houseswithout any real cause.

Initially, the cops let go ofthe violators with a warning,but after reviewing the situ-ation, they made the viola-tors do sit-ups, kneel-downand also slap themselves.

In Moga, the cops evenresorted to cane-chargingon the offenders. — TNS

Cops face hard timein enforcing orders

Chandigarh: A humanrights body has appealed tothe Punjab State HumanRights Commission to actagainst the state police forthrashing people for curfewviolation and circulatingtheir videos. Satnam SinghDhaliwal, president, Univer-sal Human Rights Organi-sation, has sought direc-tions to the DGP to stop“on-the-spot punishment”terming it illegal and viola-tion of human rights. TNS

RIGHTS PANEL TOLD TOACT AGAINST COPS

Police take out a flag march in Amritsar on Tuesday; (below) cops punish curfew violators in Patiala. TRIBUNE PHOTOS

Ruchika M KhannaTribune News Service

Chandigarh, March 24 At least 135 lakh metrictonnes of foodgrain isexpected to arrive in 1,800mandis of Punjab, begin-ning next fortnight. Its pro-curement is going to be oneof the biggest challengesfaced by the state amidCovid scare.

With lakhs of people asso-ciated with the process ofharvesting the wheat crop,the government stares at anightmarish situation. Itwould be impossible to askthe farmers not to harvestwheat or bring it to mandis.

Admitting to the problem,Food and Supplies MinisterBharat Bhushan Ashu saysthey are waiting for direc-tions from the Centre. “Wewill try and persuade theUnion Government to delaythe procurement. The Cen-tre is expected to make an

announcement within twoor three days. Agricultureofficials, too, have beenasked to appeal to the farm-ers to hold on to their wheatstock after harvesting anddo not bring it to the man-dis,” he told The Tribune.

Since a huge labour forceis required for both harvest-ing and post harvest opera-tions, it is unclear whetherlabour movement from out-

side the state would beallowed, although it is stillthree weeks before the pro-curement starts.

Ashu says his immediateconcern is to shift the exist-ing foodgrain out of thestate and create space forthe fresh stock. “Specialtrains have been arrangedto lift the old stocks andmove it to the recipientstates. Today itself, four

special trains will be carry-ing goods out of Punjab andtomorrow 16 trains will becarrying the grain to otherstates. But even with theseefforts, we foresee that ashortage of space for 30-40lakh metric tonnes. That iswhy we are creating addi-tional open storages in themandis, besides using thespace at rice shellingunits,” he says.

State in a spot over wheat procurementWe will try and

persuade the Centre todelay the procurement. Itis expected to make anannouncement within two or three days.Agriculture officials, too,have been asked toappeal to the farmers tohold on to their wheatstock after harvesting.Bharat Bhushan Ashu, MINISTER

❝Tribune News Service

Bathinda, March 24Potato growers in the statehave demanded that they beallowed to harvest the cropduring the curfew. They saythe crop is perishable with arelatively short shelf life, ifnot stored in time.

In addition, in view of theoutbreak of Covid, farmersare also concerned aboutharvesting wheat.

BKU (Ekta Ugarahan)leader Shingara SinghMann said: “The state gov-ernment should allow thefarmers to harvest potato.Besides, it should also pro-vide mask and otherequipment for the safetyof labourers.”

Growers in the RampuraPhul region recently beganto harvest the crop, delay-

ing the process by 20 daysowing to rain. The processof harvesting needs to com-pleted at the earliest, as therise in temperature above32 degrees can pose a seri-ous threat to the crop.

Moreover, the governmenthas already ruled out closureof vegetable supplies, whichare high up in the list ofessential services exemptedfrom any lockdown or curfew.

The growers urge thatlabourers and other personsinvolved in harvesting andstorage process be givengreen passes to ensure thattrucks/vehicles carrying theagricultural produce are notheld up or harassed.

They allege that despitefruit and vegetables beingin the exempt category,there is massive disruptionin the supply chain.

Potato growers seekrelief to harvest crop

C VID-19PANDEMIC

Rajmeet SinghTribune News Service

Chandigarh, March 24Days after completing threeyears in office, the CaptAmarinder Singh-led Con-gress government todayappointed sub-divisionalmagistrates (SDMs) asadministrators in urbanlocal bodies that have com-pleted the five-year term.

In 117 ULBs, the SDMs,mostly PCS officers, havebeen appointed administra-tors. In Zirakpur, AdditionalDeputy Commissioner(ADC), Mohali, has beenappointed administrator. Thelist of administrators issuedyesterday was withdrawnand a revised list was issuedtoday by the Secretary, LocalGovernment, Sanjay Kumar.

Sources said a senior gov-ernment functionary object-ed to the move by the localgovernment to appointdeputy directors, who aredepartmental officers, asadministrators in civic bod-ies like Zirakpur, Kharar,Lalru and others. The civicbodies are witnessing mush-rooming of housing projects.Following this, the list wasrevised and SDMs wereappointed as administrators.

The move indicates thatthe government hasbrought functioning of theULBs under its direct con-trol, with the elections tothe civic bodies in mind.The government plans toconduct elections towardsthe fag end of the year.

Sources say pockets in theULBs had fared poorly dur-ing the 2019 Assembly elec-tions, when Navjot SinghSidhu held the charge of the

department. The govern-ment had cited lack of devel-opment as one of the reasons.

Now, the government wantsto ensure enough funds areallocated for developmentworks under the administra-tors before the elections.

The Punjab Municipal Actrules allow the appointmentof administrators for sixmonths once a ULB com-pletes its five-year term.

As per the government’sdecision to reserve 50 percent seats for women inULBs and panchayati rajinstitutions, the exercise toincorporate reservation inthe delimitation was beingapplied. The delimitationexercise in a number ofULBs is expected to be overby April 30.

117 ULBs’ term over, SDMs take charge


Moga, March 24The Moga police have recov-ered 4.290 kg of heroin, of aninternational market valueof ~21 crore, from the Indo-Pak border in Ferozepur dis-trict. This was revealed hereon Tuesday by SeniorSuperintendent of PoliceHarmanbir Singh Gill.

He said one BagichaSingh, a resident of Fer-ozepur’s Chugee village,was arrested by the localpolice from Dharamkot busstand with 50 gm of heroinon March 20. During inves-tigation, he revealed thatanother consignment ofmore than 2 kg of heroinwas smuggled from Pak-istan into his fields acrossthe fencing along the Indo-Pak border.

Moga Deputy Superinten-dent of Police (Investiga-tions) Jangjit Singh andCIA staff incharge KikkarSingh visited the fields ofthe accused and recoveredfour plastic bottles filledwith heroin. Besides, a .30bore pistol was also recov-ered from him.

Further investigationsrevealed that the accusedhad been getting consign-ments of contraband fromhis counterparts in Pakistan

for the past many years. The SSP said one Amrik

Singh, elder brother ofBagicha Singh, had alsobeen involved in the smug-gling of heroin, and wasarrested. At present, he wasunder judicial custody atAmritsar Central Jail. Hesaid the police had regis-tered a fresh case againstSingh under relevant sec-tions of the NDPS Act andthe Arms Act. Further probewas underway.

On Monday, the CIA andthe BSF had seized 4.27 kgof heroin from an area closeto the border outpostBareke along the India-Pak-istan border.

Officials said the consign-ment was stored in fourplastic bottles. A China-made pistol was also seizedalong with the contraband.

In another incident,BSF troops seized threepackets of heroin weight-ing around 3.25 kg in theAbohar sector

Moga police seizeheroin worth ~21 cr

Saurabh MalikTribune News Service

Chandigarh, March 24The Punjab and HaryanaHigh Court has made it clearthat the imposition of modelcode of conduct is a temporaryphase and the state isrequired to pass an order afterits conclusion. The Bench alsoruled that the model code andother grounds taken by thestate and other respondentsfor non-regularisation of theservices of petitioner-peons

could not be accepted in onesuch matter.

Allowing the petition, Jus-tice Augustine George Masihdirected the respondents toconsider the claim of the peti-tioners for regularisation as inthe case of similarly placednine other employees, whoseservices were regularised.

The ruling came on a peti-tion filed by Baljinder Singhand another petitionerthrough counsel Vikas Cha-trath. The petitioners had

approached the court prayingfor regularisation of their serv-ices in the light of the fact thatsimilarly placed employeesselected and appointed in pur-suance to the same advertise-ment dated August 30, 2010,stood regularised.

Justice Masih was told thatthe petitioners’ claim was notconsidered and decided,resulting in violation of Article14 of the Constitution. Cha-trath submitted that the Pun-jab Government decided to

regularise the services of itsemployees. In pursuance of it,the services of nine employ-ees similarly appointed oncontract basis on the basis ofthe same advertisement wereregularised. But the modelcode came into force whentheir claim was being consid-ered and the process for regu-larisation was stalled. Afterthe model code came to anend, the petitioners again putforth their claim for regulari-sation, but it was not decided.

Can’t avoid decision post poll code: HC

GOVT DOES A ‘FLIP-FLOP’ ■ Sources say the government initially decided to

appoint deputy directors, who are departmental offi-cers, as administrators in civic bodies that are witness-ing mushrooming of housing projects

■ But following objection by a senior official, the list wasrevised and SDMs were appointed administrators

.

THE TRIBUNE04 CHANDIGARH | WEDNESDAY | 25 MARCH 2020HARYANA

I, Joginder Singh Indian PassportNo. (T3403216) s/o Kartar Singh, VPO Dheen, Tehsil Barara, (Ambala), declares in my passport my wife’s nameSurgeet Kaur wrongly written insteadof correct name Late Surjit Kaur.(CL19183928)

PUBLIC NOTICES

Match for Ramgharia 2.8.1991, 2:42 PM, 5’-11”, +2, USA Citizen.Own business. 0018609943244,77430-32549. (CL19183926)

RAMGARHIA/DHIMAN

MAT(M)

Kasauli International Public School,Sanwara affiliated to CBSE requiredPGTs for Chemistry, Biology and IT for Session 2020-21.Applicants are requested to send their resume through this Email ID: [email protected] and for more information contact on these No. 94180-61167, 88949-23167.(CL19183930)

Highly reputed non-sectarian CBSE affiliated school invites applications for immediate post of Principal. Candidate should be a Graduate or Post Graduate B.Ed with minimum 3 years experience in CBSE affiliatedschool. Fluency in English withexcellent interpersonal skills (written and oral) a must. Competitive salary. Send CValong with scanned copy of all documents and recent photographto: [email protected](CL19183685)

Required Vice Principal, ComputerOperator, Receptionist, Counsellor,Primary Teachers TGT PGTDPE Music Staff, at Guru NanakAcademy Ratia Haryana. CBSE Affiliated School. Onlineinterview. Send resume at Email:[email protected] and WhatsApp93153- 29274, 93549- 10934.(CL19183929)

Required Principal/ CoordinatorPost Graduate with 55% & 10 years experience from college or school & also require Computer Teacher Post Graduate with 55% & Marketing Executive with Graduation. Apply within a week alongwith resume at Saraswati College, Rani Ka Bagh,Amritsar. Contact: 98154-66886,75084-11111. [email protected](CL19183136)

CT Group of Institutions, Shahpur& Maqsudan Campuses, Jalandhar(Punjab), invites applications for the regular post of Professor,Associate Professor, AssistantProfessor(s) in Nutrition & Dietetics,Microbiology and Engineering - CSE (IOT), Robotics & Automation,Artificial Intelligence, Data Scienceand Machine Learning). Send resumes within 07 days [email protected] Qualification& Grade: As per UGC, AICTE,IKGPTU norms. Contact: 0181-5055127. (CL19182757)

Shree Balaji Institute forCompetition (BIC), Kangra Requiresfaculty in Physics, Mathematics and English to teach NEET/ JEE/NDA coaching classes. Handsomesalary. Send resumes to Email: [email protected] on March 22, 29 and April 5. No TA/ DA will be paid.Contact: 94592-00015. (CL19182447)

Require Dot Net Developers at Creative Web Designers (India) Pvt. Ltd., SCF-32, Urban Estate-1, Jalandhar. Walk-in interview from 10:00 a.m. to 05:00 p.m. (Monday to Saturday). Call us:0181-5001190 (freshers may alsoapply). (CL19182284)

Enforcement agency needs retired bank officers for recoverypurpose at centres: Hissar, Rohtak, Jind, Karnal, Panipat,Dharamshala, Kangra, Shimla, Solan, Bilaspur, Kullu. Contact:78143-25968, 97795-86064.(CL19183336)

Required teachers for Primary,Dane, Computer, Science, Maths andEnglish teachers. K.C. High School,(CBSE pattern) Shadipur, YamunaNagar. Pick and drop facility provided.Cell: 99969-23429, 85710-83733.(CL19182704)

Alpine Public School, Bhadsonaffiliated to CBSE. Requires PGTCommerce, Biology, Chemistry, 25kms from Patiala. Conveyanceavailable. Interview on 25th and 26thMarch. [email protected]. (CL19183220)

Required experienced IELTSTrainer at Ramamandi, Jalandhar.Salary negotiable. Contact orwhatsapp: 9971248520, 9899967829,0181-2410999. (CL19180968)

Work at home for an export firm in Chandigarh for documentationand follow up. Basic English with some experience preferred.098159-25255. (CL19183922)

(Job vacancy) Pharmacist requiredat Jalandhar. Contact No. 98885-30278. (CL19183919)

SITUATION VACANT

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In homage & remembrance of Brig VK

Bhatnagar, SM (Retd) who passed

away on 21 Mar. Commissioned in 16

CAV, joined 63 CAV as LT in 1957, he

led ‘C’ Sqn in battle & earned a Sena

Medal (Gallantry) in 1971 War. He later

commanded 69 Armd Regt. The

TRESATH FAMILY deeply mourns his

untimely demise.

COLONEL OF THE REGT AND ALL RKS 63 CAV

Brig VK Bhatnagar,SM (Retd)

AMBALA 2 NEW SUSPECTED CASESTwo more suspected Covid patients were reported in Ambaladistrict on Tuesday. Civil Surgeon Dr Kuldeep Singh said awoman (25) returned from Dubai and a man (27) from NewZealand. Both of them had mild Covid symptoms, followingwhich their samples were sent to the PGIMER, Chandigarh,before admitting them to the isolation wards in the local hos-pitals, he added. Dr Singh said so far, none of the total 18 sus-pects in Ambala district tested positive. TNS

Y'NAGAR 5 SAMPLES SENT FOR TESTINGThe Health Department on Tuesday sent samples of fivemore Covid suspected persons, including two children aged 1and 4, at Sonepat medical college. "One person had travelledto Dubai and one has a contact history. The other three sam-ples have been sent on clinical symptoms." He said three ofthem were isolated at Mukand Lal Civil Hospital and two atCivil Hospital, Jagadhri. Meanwhile, a control room has beenset up at room No. 101 of the Mini-Secretariat with helplinenumbers 01732-237801 and 7027972089. TNS

PANIPAT WOMAN’S KIN TEST NEGATIVEThe brother, son and daughter of Panipat woman who testedpositive for Covid at Rohtak-PGIMS on Monday tested nega-tive. The DC has sought contact information of all officers andofficials working in different government departments so theycan be contacted in the event of any exigency or campaignpertaining to Covid. Rohtak MP Dr Arvind Sharma has given a grant of ~50 lakh in the fight against Covid. TNS

KAITHAL 5 ADMITTED TO ISOLATION WARDFive persons were admitted to the isolation ward of theKaithal Civil Hospital on Monday night. With this the numberof persons admitted to this ward has reached six as onemore is already under watch, whose blood samples had beensent to Sonepat medical college. Civil Hospital MS Dr OmParkash refused said of 19 persons admitted to the hospitalso far, 13 tested negative and had been discharged. OC

FARIDABAD DOCTOR TESTS POSITIVEA doctor (45), working at a private hospital, tested positive forCovid on Tuesday, taking the district’s tally to two. He mighthave been infected after coming in contact with a woman (53)who was admitted to the hospital on March 16. DC YashpalYadav said the kin of the doctor’s family had been quarantined.The blood samples of the staff members and doctors who hadattended to the Covid-positive woman were collected. TNS

K’SHETRA 6 ON SANITISATION DUTY GET BURNSSix employees of the Thanesar Municipal Council were taken tohospital on Tuesday after they complained of burning sensa-tion after doing sanitisation using spray pumps they were carry-ing on their backs. The employees were provided spray pumpsfor sanitisation in Thanesar. It was suspected that the employ-ees suffered burning sensation as the bleaching powder wasmixed in wrong proportion.“They were using pumps for the firsttime and might have not used these properly, due to which thewater spilled,” said MC executive officer BN Bharti. TNS

Mukesh TandonTribune News Service

Panipat, March 24The Health Department hasstarted stamping hands ofand pasting notices on gatesof persons who have beenhome quarantined.

The Health Departmentquarantined 446 persons whohad returned from abroad athome. A total of 21 sampleswere collected, of which 12were found negative and onepositive while the reports oneight were awaited.

The Health Department anddistrict administration weretracking persons with travelhistory and started a drive tostamp suspected patients andpaste notices at their homes.

Dr SL Verma, Civil Surgeon,said that stamping had beendone in case of 312 suspectedpatients in the district and 255notices pasted. He said five

patients were put in quaran-tine and six suspected patientsadmitted to the isolation ward.

The Civil Surgeon saidthey had again collectedsamples of the 21-year-oldyouth who was found Covidpositive on March 19.

In Panipat, handsof 312 suspectedpatients stamped

Sumedha SharmaTribune News Service

Gurugram, March 24Gurugram residents are out toaid each other and the admin-istration in the fight againstCovid. Taking to social media,they are offering an array ofservices to keep the city out oflockout-related stress.

Having formed variousgroups online, people areoffering help to senior citizensliving without children andoffered their property as quar-antine homes.

“A large number of peopleneed to be quarantined. Noteverybody has money for paidquarantine and the govern-ment has limited capacity. Ihave a spare house in Sector14 and am ready to convert itas quarantine home,” postedReena Makhija on Facebook.

So far, over 20 people hadmade such offers and theauthorities were looking atoptions. “We’re managingwell with our resources andwill look at this once we feelthe need,” said a senior official.

With the city home to many

senior citizens residing with-out their children, peoplefrom all walks of life offered tovisit them to help out in get-ting groceries, medicines etc.

The residents reached out totechies in Bengaluru, Puneand Chennai through varioussocial media groups, offeringto help their parents in needin the NCR. While the effortswere appreciated, the policeadvised a word of caution.

“Sharing details of yourparents with strangers is notadvisable. We and the localadministration are out tohelp you in the best possibleway,” said police spokesper-son Subhash Bokan.

“People who want to helpshould approach us as it willbe a more focused and bene-ficial. People can register asvolunteers and be a part ofthis,” said DC Amit Khatri.

Good Samaritansgalore in G’gram

Karnal, March 24To avoid mass gathering atgrocery shops in Karnal, thedistrict administration hasearmarked 200 groceryshops in all 20 wards of theMC for home delivery.

DC Nishant Kumar Yadavsaid the councillors wouldassist these shopkeepers toprovide necessary groceryitems to locals. He said ninevendors had been asked todeliver vegetables and fruitsin theses wards daily, so thatthe residents would not go outto buy these items.

Six samples collected The Health Department onTuesday took samples of sixpersons having flu symptoms.

Of them, two persons hadtravelled abroad, two otherscame in contact with a Covidpatient in Panipat and theremaining two came to Karnalfrom Pune and Kerala, experi-encing painful breathing.

Civil Surgeon Dr AshwaniAhuja said all six persons had

been kept in the isolationward of the KCGMC.

Wards at 7 new buildingsThe district authorities haveearmarked seven more build-ings for developing quaran-tine wards. These include Jat

Dharmshala, Sector 12;Aggarwal Dharmshala; Kam-boj Dharmshala; JNV Saggavillage; Scientist GuestHouse of the NDRI; KalkiBhawan of the NDRI; andShri Krishan Parnami PublicSchool, Model Town. — TNS

200 shops to deliver essentialitems at doorstep in Karnal

Nitish SharmaTribune News Service

Kurukshetra, March 24The Red Cross Society andNGOs have come forward tohelp the homeless and labour-ers who have been strugglingto get food and ration in viewof restrictions imposed to con-tain Covid spread.

A large number of people,including labourers, who liveat Brahma Sarovar and othernearby places in the citywould get food at langarsorganised by religious groups.However, following restric-tions on mass gatherings, nolangar was being organised.

A labourer, native of Ghazi-abad, said, “I came here threeyears ago in search of work. Istay at Brahma Sarovar. SinceI have no work for the last fewdays, it has become difficultfor me to arrange food."

Most of the NGOs had beenfocusing on distributingmasks and sanitisers insteadof providing food. “There is noarrangement for homelesspeople like us,” a ‘baba’ fromAndhra Pradesh said.

President of HUM Founda-tion, Kurukshetra, and gov-ernment official SanjayChaudhary said, “We’ve start-ed providing food and rationto the poor people. Those whohave been living in tents andhave the facility to cook arebeing given flour, pulses, saltand other spices, while thosewho are dependent on langars

are being given food packets.”Meanwhile, food packets

were distributed to the home-less by Jagdamba Sewa Sami-ti members at Theme Park.

Secretary, Red Cross, Kul-beer Malik said, “In collabora-tion with Roti Bank and otherNGOs, we’ll be giving lunchand dinner to babas. They’llbe shifted to a dharamshala.

Red Cross, NGOs distributeration among homeless

Some offer quarantinehomes, others out tohelp senior citizensstaying without kids

A social worker gives foodpackets to the needy at ThemePark in Kurukshetra on Tuesday.

FOOD, WATER GIVENTO COPS IN KARNALKarnal: Members of JBD SamajKalyan Samiti, an NGO, onTuesday distributed food pack-ets and water among on-dutycops. Members of the NationalIntegrated Forum of Artists andActivists also distributed foodwith the help of Dera Kar Sewaat the railway station to 30employees who got strandedhere after the parking of Rajd-hani Express. City-based DrManoj Gupta gave 25 person-nel protection kits to cops, whohave been assigned the duty tobring persons with foreign trav-el history and the ones notstrictly following home isolationto quarantine wards. TNS

Tribune Reporters

Chandigarh, March 24The first day of the lock-down imposed to control thespread of Covid evoked amixed response across thestate on Tuesday.

While 90 persons werearrested and 60 FIRs regis-tered for violating prohibitoryorders, scores of vehicles wereeither challaned or impound-ed. At least four persons werearrested for trying to open fac-tories in violation of rules.

Reports said the police had atough time in enforcing thelockdown across the statewith a number of persons ven-turing out, a substantial num-ber of them without any validor justified reason.

While elaborate nakas wereset up across the state to regu-late movement of people andvehicular traffic, the policehad a tough time convincingpeople to remain indoors andrestrict their movement.

At several places, the policeheld flag marches to enforcelockdown orders. Heatedexchanges between policepersonnel and the policewere reported from severalplaces, with the police resort-ing to coercive means likemaking violators do sit-ups todiscourage them from violat-ing prohibitory orders.

Police aiding evacuationof foreignersNavdeep Singh Virk, ADGP(Law and Orders), said thepolice had assisted in theevacuation of a number of

foreign nationals belongingto Brazil, Israel, Germanyand Bhutan. He said theywere helping patients reachhospitals, including AIIMSin New Delhi. He said DSP-level officers were manning

10 entry points in the statefrom 8 am to 10 pm.Karnal: The police arrestedtwo owners of industrial unitsmaking gunny bags to packrice for allegedly assemblingaround 45 employees in the

factory. A total of 75 vehicleswere challaned and eightimpounded by the police.

In several areas, volunteersof NGOs gave packed foodand water to police person-nel. Pharmaceutical entre-

preneur Manoj Gupta distrib-uted 4,600 hand sanitisersand protective kits to cops.Gurugram: The alleged viola-tion of lockdown ordersprompted Commissioner ofPolice Mohammed Akil to

warn the public that the policewould recommend imposi-tion of curfew. On the otherhand, 33 FIRs were registeredand over 300 vehicles, mostlyauto-rickshaws, impoundedfor violating orders.

There was chaos as a resultof heavy vehicular traffic onthe inter-state borders inGurugram. There were lessvehicles on city roads.Sonepat: Two managers of aprivate firm at Bahalpur vil-lage, Ashish Kumar and Bri-jesh, were arrested on thecharge of assembling around200 employees in violation ofprohibitory orders.Thepolice challaned 32 vehiclesand impounded 12.Narnaul: The lockdown didnot have much of an impactin Narnaul, Mahendragarhand Rewari, with shops and commercial establishmentsremaining open andpeople moving in groupsto buy essential and othercommodities.Rohtak: A total of three FIRswere registered and 20 vehi-cles impounded in Rohtak.Kurukshtra: A verbal spatbetween Pehowa DSPDheeraj Kumar and SI Raj-pal about implementation oflockdown orders went viralwhile the police registeredfive cases for violating Sec-tion 144 of the CrPC. AshthaModi played down the verbalspat, claiming that policepersonnel were under stress.Faridabad: The lockdownwas partial in Faridabad,with the police booking 17persons and challaning sev-eral vehicles.Kaithal: Sujan Singh, DC,and Shashank Kumar Sawan,SP, took a round to enforce thelockdown. A near-completelockdown was observed withhardly any major violations.

Lockdown evokes mixed response, 90 arrested

Locals buy sanitisers and masks at a medical store in Rohtak.

STATE TRACKERTotal persons under 8,675surveillanceCurrently under 8,058surveillanceHospitalised 92Persons completing 617surveillanceSamples for testing 405Negative samples 326Results awaited 65Positive cases 16

2 MORE POSITIVE,CASES RISE TO 16Chandigarh: With twomore persons testing posi-tive for Covid, the numberof confirmed cases in thestate rose to 16 on Tues-day. According to Dr SurajBhan Kamboj, DirectorGeneral of Health Ser-vices, the number of posi-tive cases reported fromGurugram now stood at10. Two persons had test-ed positive for Covid inPanipat and one caseeach had been reportedfrom Panchkula, Farid-abad, Palwal and Sonepat,officials said. Test reportsof 65 samples were await-ed, Dr Kamboj said. TNS

KARNAL

GURUGRAM

ORDER GROCERY, VEGGIES VIA APP■ The district admn started mobile app ‘Needs on Wheels’ to

assist people get veggiess, fruits and grocery at their doorstep■ DC Nishant Yadav said locals could download the app from the

Play Store and place orders after registering themselves

HEALTH DEPT SEALSNAULTHA VILLAGE The Health Departmentsealed Naultha village inthe district after a-30-year-old woman was found Covidpositive on Monday. Herhusband and mother-in-lawwere sent to the isolationward at the general hospitaland their samples sent forexamination. Police person-nel and panchayat mem-bers were deployed at theentry and exit points and70 health employeesdeployed in the village.

THE TRIBUNECHANDIGARH | WEDNESDAY | 25 MARCH 2020 05HARYANA

PUBLIC NOTICE

GOVERNMENT OF HARYANA

EXCISE & TAXATION DEPARTMENTNOTICE FOR INVITING e-TENDERS FOR ALLOTMENT OF REMAINING ZONES OF RETAIL LIQUOR VENDS OF REMAINING

DISTRICTS FROM THE GENERAL PUBLIC FOR THE YEAR 2020-21 IN THE STATE OF HARYANA.It is hereby notified for the information of general public that e-TENDERS for ALLOTMENT of zones of remaining retail liquor

vends of the remaining districts against which these zones are mentioned below, are invited for the year 2020-21:-

Schedule for invitation and evaluation for e-Tenders for remaining Zones of retail liquor vends.

1. These e-Tenders will be submitted online as per public notice issued by the Department (published on 07th/8th March,2020) in the leading newspapers inviting e-Tenders for allotment of retail liquor licenses of Zones of vends for the year2020-21. The public notice is available on the departmental website i.e. www.haryanatax.gov.in.

2. The list of remaining Zones of vends in the Districts and venue for evaluation of e-Tenders shall be conspicuously displayedin the office of DETC (Excise) & DETC (ST) concerned. The list shall also be available on the departmental website i.e.www.haryanatax.gov.in.

3. The e-Tenders shall be received and the Zones of vends shall be allotted in the manner prescribed in the Excise Policy forthe year 2020-21 and the Punjab Excise Act, 1914 (as applicable to the State of Haryana), the rules framed thereunder.

4. The allotment shall be subject to the approval of the Excise and Taxation Commissioner, Haryana. He may reject, withoutassigning any reason, any allotment in public interest as the case may be within 10 days of the date of allotment.

PRDH/80525

Sr. No. Name of Distt. Zone Numbers

1 Ambala ZAMB- 33 & 48

2 Bhiwani ZBWN-21,46, 48, 49, 56 & 65

3 Gurugram (East) ZGRE-08, 18, 19, 21, 29, 32, 34, 36, 37, 40, 45, 46 & 53

4 Gurugram (West) ZGRW-06, 07, 11, 13, 14, 22, 28, 36, 40, 42, 44, 45, 47, 48, 49, 50, 53, 60, 62 & 73

5 Palwal ZPWL-01, 02, 17, 18, 19, 37, 39, 42 & 46

6 Panchkula ZPKL-16, 17 & 22

7 Rewari ZRWR-01 & 39

8 Sonepat ZSNP-04, 07, 08, 10, 11, 12, 14, 15, 24, 27, 28, 29, 30, 35, 39, 44, 51, 55, 61, 62 & 65

9 Hisar ZHSR- 11, 22, 24, 29, 38, 45, 55 & 65

10 Jhajjar ZJJR- 17 & 19

11 Jind ZJND-17, 18, 20, 22, 23, 26, 27, 31, 32, 36, 37 & 39

12 Panipat ZPNP-03, 05, 06, 07, 09,11, 15, 17, 18, 22, 25, 27, 29, 32, 34, 35 & 39

13 Rohtak ZRTK-34, 43, 49, 50, 54 & 55

14 Faridabad ZFBD-12, 21, 23, 25, 36, 38, 46, 60, 66, 72, 82, 86, 94, 97, 101& 103

15 Fatehabad ZFTB-02, 04, 05, 06, 07, 09, 10, 13, 14, 23, 38 & 48

16 Jagadhri ZJAG-02, 03, 07, 09, 10, 12, 18, 20, 21, 22, 24, 27, 31, 36, 39, 45 & 53

17 Kaithal ZKTL-15, 16, 19, 20 & 21

18 Karnal ZKNL-01, 15 & 27

19 Sirsa ZSRS-15, 16, 19, 20, 24, 42, 45, 46, 53, 58, 60, 63 & 65

1 Starting date and time for placing e-tenders. 26th March, 2020 (from 09:00 a.m. onwards)

2 Closing Date and time for placing e-tenders. 26th March, 2020 (till 06:00 p.m.)

3 Evaluation of e-tenders. 26th March, 2020 (07:00 p.m.)

Excise & Taxation Commissioner, Haryana.

CORRIGENDUM

Tender inquiry No. 186-87 dueon 26.03.2020

Website: www.pgimer.nic.inand www.eprocure.gov.in

Due date for submission of tendersfor “Purchase of Mitral ValvuloplastyBalloon and Cochlear Implant &Hearing Implant systems throughRate Contract for the period of twoyears” has been postponed and newdate will be intimated shortly.DI-183936 OFFICER IN-CHARGE (HPD).

POSTGRADUATE INSTITUTE OFMEDICAL EDUCATION & RESEARCH,

CORRIGENDUM

Refer to Sainik School

Sujanpur Tira tender notice

published on 01 Mar 2020,

date of tenders process has

been extended till 15 May,

2020.

Sd/- PrincipalDI-183935

I, Service No. JC-579384F Rank Ex SubHony Capt Kewal Singh of Unit 10 JAKRIF C/o 56 APO S/o Man Singh R/oDablehar, Tehsil R.S. Pura Jammu, statesthat my wife Kashmir Kour's DOB has beenwrongly recorded as 09.05.1968 instead ofcorrect DOB 07.03.1967 & her name hasbeen wrongly recorded as Kashmir Kaurinstead of correct name Kashmir Kour inmy service records. Now, I am going toapply for the correction of the same.Concerned please note. DI-183942

NO AADHAAR WORK AT POST OFFICES FOR NOWThe Department of Posts, Haryana postal circle, has sus-pended all Aadhaar-related operations at post offices till fur-ther orders. In orders issued on Tuesday, Chief PostmasterGeneral, Haryana circle, Ranju Prasad said work pertainingto 289 operational Aadhaar centres at post offices and 11post office passport seva kendras (POPSKs) should remainsuspended till further orders. However, post offices wheresocial security pension comes would remain open. TNS

ROHTAK BJP MAN HELD FOR RUMOUR MONGERINGThe police have registered a case underSection 188 of the IPC against Rohtak-based BJP leader Kapil Nagpal forspreading a rumour on the social media.He was arrested today and later releasedon bail. He has been accused of propa-gating a message on social media thatPanipat-based woman who had testedpositive for Covid at PGIMS-Rohtak haddied, whereas the woman was alive andher condition was stable. TNS

FARIDABAD 488 PUT UNDER SURVEILLANCEEven as the number of persons under surveillance in the dis-trict has gone up to 488, authorities have sett up a controlroom at the mini-secretariat. A spokesperson announcedthat the control room with 10 landline numbers - 0129-2221000 to 2221007, 2221011 and 2221014 - would befunctional round the clock and address any query regardinghelp and guidance to deal with Covid. The spokesperson stat-ed that the ambulance service was available on 108 andnational-level helpline numbers 011- 23978046 and8558893911 were available for the purpose. TNS


Chandigarh, March 24The government has decidedto immediately issueappointment letters to 447recently selected doctors asmedical officers even as ithas created a revolving fundof Rs 100 crore each for keydepartments at the forefrontof battling Covid, includingmedical education andresearch, health, revenue,home and urban local bodies.

These and several otherdecisions were taken duringa meeting of the crisis coor-dination committee chairedby Chief Secretary KeshniAnand Arora, here today.

It was decided that theappointment letters wouldbe issued in relaxation ofconditions of character veri-fication and medical exami-nation in a bid to fill allvacant posts. It was decidedthat testing facilities at pri-

vate laboratories wouldbegin at at least four placesand 50 per cent of capacitywould be reserved for use bythe government.

The cost of tests referredby the Health Departmentwould be borne by the stategovernment. Private testinglaboratories would be man-dated to inform the HealthDepartment regarding testreports on all cases, includ-ing those not referred by theHealth Department.

A decision was taken toaugment existing govern-ment testing facilities andmake efforts to create newtesting facilities. It wasdecided that the supply of N-95 masks would be expedit-ed by coordinating with sup-pliers so that emergencystaff and officials on duty inthe Health Departmentcould be provided these onemergency basis.

It was decided that essen-tial medicines, especiallyhydrochloroquine andcholoroquine, would beensured in sufficient quanti-ty and if necessary,increased manifold. Private

ambulances would be requi-sitioned on need basis byDeputy Commissioners con-cerned. It would be ensuredthat critical cases, includingthose of delivery, were priori-tised as per existing practice.

With regard to Chandigarhand Panchkula offices, theHome Department would bethe nodal office for coordi-

nating with UT Administra-tion to facilitate issuance ofpasses and transit of essen-tial services, officials andstaff. The Haryana StateAgricultural MarketingBoard would ensure that pri-vate mandis running with-out permission were restrict-ed to ensure socialdistancing norms.

Govt fast-tracks appointment of 447 docsRelaxes character verification, medical examination terms | To issue letters immediately

Ambala, March 24The National IndependentSchools Alliance (NISA) hasextended support to the Cen-tre and offered to establishquarantine centres at privateschools across the country.The NISA represents over55,400 private schools andhas extended support to thegovernment. — TNS

Chandigarh, March 24 Even as the Health Depart-ment is grappling withCovid, Ayush Medical Offi-cers (AMOs) are protestingagainst the online transferpolicy under which theyhave to submit their choicesby March 26.

They said the online trans-fer policy would affect theirefforts in combating thedeadly virus and demandedthat it be deferred till theCovid threat was over.

In a recent letter to stateHealth Minister Anil Vij overthe online transfer policy,president of the Ayush Med-ical Officers’ AssociationVikas Yadav had described itas punitive and ill-conceived.

He, on the behalf of associ-ation, said, “The Ayush treat-ment is customised andpatient-specific and requirelonger time. The unduetransfer of doctors from one

place to another will createobstacles in giving completeand personal healthcare.”

Yadav said most of the doc-tors were posted near theirpermanent residence andtransfers in different dis-tricts or zones would createhurdles before them in ful-filling their socio-economicresponsibilities.

The association pointedout that the department wasalready facing acute short-age of the AMOs and at someplaces charge of three dis-pensaries was also given to asingle doctor.

It said the online transferpolicy in their sister depart-ment of health was a failedexperiment. — TNS

Ayush doctors resistonline transfers

C VID-19PANDEMIC

TESTING FACILITIES AT 4 MORE PRIVATE LABS■ Testing facilities at private laboratories would begin at at

least four places and 50% capacity would be reserved foruse by the government

■ The cost of tests referred by the Health Departmentwould be borne by the state government

■ Private testing laboratories would be mandated to informthe Health Department regarding test reports on all cases,including those not referred by the Health Department

Say it will affect theirefforts in combating

the deadly virus

Sunit DhawanTribune News Service

Rohtak, March 24The tweet of a junior resi-dent doctor of RohtakPGIMS on unavailability ofN95 masks and gloves atthe institute despite thethreat of Covid spread hasgone viral on social media,with Congress leader RahulGandhi endorsing it andthousands of other Inter-net-users liking andretweeting it.

Dr Kamna Kakkar, a stu-dent of MD (anaesthesia)course and junior residentdoctor at the institute, hadtweeted “When they arrive,please send N95 masks andgloves to my grave. Taaliaur thaali bhi baja denawaha! Regards, frustratedsarkari doctor.” The doctortagged Prime MinisterNarendra Modi, HaryanaHealth Minister Anil Vijand other senior govern-ment functionaries. Thetweet went viral within afew hours. However, theaccount from which thetweet was posted was delet-ed on Tuesday evening.

Extending support to the

young doctor, Rahul Gand-hi tweeted, “I am feelingsad, because this was com-pletely avoidable. We hadtime to prepare. We shouldhave taken this threatmuch more seriously andhave been much better pre-pared.”

On being contacted for hiscomments on this, PGIMS

Nodal Officer for controland management of Covidpandemic, Prof (Dr) DhruvChaudhary, said masks andother protective gear werebeing provided to doctors,paramedical staffers andother employees as per pro-tocol and availability.

Doctors serving at thePGIMS have been complain-

ing of unavailability ofmasks, while authorities —including PGIMS DirectorDr Rohtash K Yadav — havebeen maintaining that therewas no shortage of masks orsanitisers. Yesterday, severaldoctors posted at the PGIMSTrauma Centre had refusedto treat the patients, main-taining they would not workuntil they were given N95masks for protection againstCovid. Emergency servicesresumed after personal inter-vention of senior functionar-ies of the institute.

PGIMS Deputy MedicalSuperintendent DrSandeep, who looks afterthe Emergency wing, saidsome doctors of the Surgeryand Orthopaedic SurgeryDepartments had stoppedwork and demanded N95masks, though three-lay-ered masks were being pro-vided to doctors as per pro-tocol. “N95 masks arerequired only in intensive-care units, operation the-atres and isolation wards.The protesting doctors wereconvinced, after which theyrelented and resumedwork,” he said.

Send N95 masks, gloves to mygrave, tweets PGIMS-Rohtak doc

HISAR PUNIA DONATES SIX MONTHS SALARYWrestler Bajrang Punia hasannounced to donate six months'salary in the fight against Covid. In avideo message on Tuesday, Punia --who is officer on special duty (OSD) inthe Railways -, said he was donatinghis salary towards the Haryana CoronaRelief Fund. Bajrang Punia, who hailsfrom Khudan village in Jhajjar district,has been practicing in Sonepat for theOlympics these days. TNS


Hisar, March 24Chaudhary Charan SinghHaryana Agricultural Uni-versity (HAU) hasannounced Rs 1.5 crore forthe state government’sCovid relief fund.

Vice Chancellor (VC) KPSingh said the HAU man-agement had decided todonate a part of salaries.The university would col-lect about Rs 1.5 crore.

“All employees, includingofficers, teaching commu-nity and non-teaching staff,will give some portion fromtheir one-month salary,which will be contributedto the fund,” said the VC.

The university distrib-uted 300 masks preparedby its department of tex-tiles and apparel design-ing. “The masks will be dis-tributed free of cost amongthe families residing on theuniversity campus to savethem from contactingCovid,” said the VC.

He assured to provideeducational material tostudents through theonline web portal andonline channels. He urgedthem to follow the adviso-ry issued by the Centreand state.

HAU pledgesto give ~1.5 crfor Covid fund

Tweet goes viral, account deleted later | 3-layer masks available, say authorities

ALL DOCS DON’T NEED N95 MASKS, SAYS MS PGIMS Deputy Medical Superintendent Dr Sandeep,who looks after the Emergency wing, said some doctorsof the Surgery and Orthopaedic Surgery Departmentshad stopped work and demanded N95 masks, thoughthree-layered masks were being provided to doctors asper protocol. “N95 masks are required only in intensive-care units, operation theatres and isolation wards. Theprotesting doctors were convinced, after which theyrelented and resumed work, he said


Jhajjar, March 24 Total 292 persons with travelhistory abroad and those whocame in contact with themhave been put under homequarantine in Jhajjar, Rewariand Mahendragarh districtsto check Covid spread.

The district health author-ities have also been pastingposters outside the housesof these persons. However,no positive case has beenreported in any of the dis-tricts so far.

“Samples of 11 personssuffering from fever anddry cough in Rewari weresent for testing and all arenegative. Similarly, twosamples sent in Jhajjar alsotested negative while nonehas so far been sent for test-ing in Mahendragarh dis-trict,” sources said.

Rewari DC YashendraSingh said home quaran-tine had also been stampedon the hands of those withtravel history abroad so that

people could maintain dis-tance from them. Even theundertaking of thesarpanch of their villageconcerned or any otherreputed persons are alsobeen sought from them,wherein such persons

promised to stay home dur-ing the quarantine period,he added.

Dr Vijay Prakash, DistrictNodal Officer for Covid, toldThe Tribune adequate num-ber of doctors and paramed-ical staff had been deputedat the isolation ward in theCivil Hospital while severaleducational institutes hadalso been turned into quar-antine centres to tackle anyemergency situation.

RS Punia, Civil Surgeon,Jhajjar, said seven personswith travel history abroadhad completed the surveil-lance period of 28 dayswhile no suspected patienthad been admitted to anyhospital in the district.

Jhajjar DC JitenderDahiya said a round-theclock control room hadbeen set up in the city toshare vital informationabout Covid among the peo-ple and to get their feed-back and other issuesregarding the arrange-ments to contain it.

292 home-quarantined inJhajjar, Rewari & M’GarhNo positive case reported in any of three districts so far

A home-quarantineannouncement outside a housein Mahendragarh. TRIBUNE PHOTO

UNDER WATCH

127persons in Rewari

107 persons in Jhajjar

56 persons in Mahendragarh


Gurugram, March 24To ensure smooth communi-cation between the adminis-tration and residents,Gurugram Deputy Com-missioner Amit Khatriwill go live on Facebookevery day for an hour at 8 pmfrom today to address Covidand lockdown-related queries.

“Since all of us are goingthrough a tough time, it ismy duty to reach out to themasses to address theirqueries. I shall now be goinglive on Facebook everyday,”said the DC.

According to the administra-tion, those interested in inter-action can reach out athttp://www.facebook.com/Dis-tAdminGgm.

Sources said people weretaking to the social media suchas Twitter to highlight severalissues, including the lack ofdelivery services, public trans-port and difficulty in procur-ing essential services.

Obey lockdown or facecurfew: Police CommissionerWith most people violating

lockdown, the police havewarned of clamping thecurfew if residents failedto co-operate.

Addressing a special pressconference on Tuesday,Police CommissionerMohammad Akil said strictaction would be takenagainst any violation of thelockdown. “It is for yourown safety. However, if youare not ready to cooperatethen we will have no choicebut to go ahead with strictmeasures such as curfew.Let’s make lockdown suc-cessful,” said Akil.Meanwhile, 33 persons werebooked for violating rulesduring the lockdown.

G’gram DC to answerqueries on FB live

Pvt schools offered asquarantine centres

HELPLINE SET UPThe administration has

set up an emergencyoperations centre

to deal with Covid-related issues. Itshelpline numberis 1950. A five-

member team hasalso been formed tokeep a check on thoseput in home quarantine.


Srinagar, March 24Three more persons havetested positive for Covid inKashmir, taking the totalnumber of cases in the UT toseven. These include twoelderly men from Srinagarand a 22-year-old youth fromnorth Kashmir’s Bandiporadistrict.

One of the positive cases, a57-year-old man of Natiporain Srinagar, was a co-passen-ger of the woman who wasthe first positive case ofKashmir, on their returnfrom Jeddah in Saudi Ara-bia.

The other patient is a 67-year-old man of Hyderporain Srinagar. He is a well-known preacher of Deoban-di thought of Islam, with along travel history withinIndia.

“Both men were foundpositive for Covid today.They are under treatment atChest Disease (CD) Hospital,Srinagar,” said Dr SaleemKhan, a governmentspokesperson for Covid.

“The (Bandipora) youthhas a history of travel out-side J&K. Contact tracing ison,” government spokesper-son Rohit Kansal said.

Officials said the Umrahpilgrim had concealed histravel history twice duringhis visits to Sher-e-KashmirInstitute of Medical Sci-ences (SKIMS). However, onMarch 21, he visited SMHSHospital with symptoms ofthe virus, from where he wasreferred to CD Hospital forisolation and testing.

Locals questioned theauthorities for not conduct-ing his tests, even as his co-passenger was found posi-tive.

The city woman becamethe first positive case ofKashmir after she arrived inKozhikode, Kerala, in an AirIndia flight on March 15from Jeddah, along with oth-er pilgrims.

She has been treated suc-

cessfully, said AG Ahangar,Director of SKIMS.

At least 39 co-passengersand five contact persons ofthe woman are yet to be test-ed for the virus.

However, the long travelhistory of the Deobandipreacher across India hasperplexed the doctors.

“His condition is critical.He has pneumonia and notmaintaining oxygen satura-tion even after being admin-istered oxygen supple-ment,” the doctors treatinghim said.

They said he travelledfrom January 1 to January15 to Andaman and Nicobarand returned to Srinagar onJanuary 18.

He went back to New Del-hi on March 7 and stayed fortwo days at Nizam-ud-Din.From there, he travelled toDarul Uloom Deoband inUttar Pradesh and stayedthere between March 9 toMarch 11.

He returned to Jammuand stayed at Sambamosque from March 12 to 16.He travelled to Srinagar onMarch 16 and on the sameday, went to DeobandMarkaz at Sopore town innorth Kashmir.

On March 18, he returnedto his home at Hyderporawhere he developed feverand cough. On March 22, hecame to CD Hospital, wherehe was admitted and finallytested positive for Covid.

The government has des-ignated CD Hospital, Gov-ernment Medical College,Jammu, SKIMS MedicalCollege Hospital, Bemina,and JLNM Hospital, Srina-gar, as Covid hospitals toisolate and treat thepatients.

Even the newly construct-ed in-patient wards of Kup-wara, Shopian, Ganderbal,and Pulwama have beendesignated as isolationwards for Covid patients.

THE TRIBUNECHANDIGARH | WEDNESDAY | 25 MARCH 2020 07JAMMU & KASHMIR/LADAKH

Arun Joshi

THE National Confer-ence vice-presidentOmar Abdullah today

reopened the sketch of theKashmir politics of August 4last year when J&K was astate with special status as hemarked the beginning of hissecond innings in Kashmirpolitics post scrapping ofArticle 370 more than sevenmonths ago – August 5 2019.

Immediately after hisrelease from 232-day-longdetention, unlike his fatherand President of the Nation-al Conference Farooq Abdul-lah, the junior Abdullah didnot hesitate to utter the con-stitutional provisions of Arti-cle 370 and Article 35A, andthe loss of the statehood ofJ&K in a brief interactionwith media. He did not forgetto place a well-appreciatedquarantine in these days ofhorror of pandemic coron-avirus. “First, we have tofight and win the war againstcoronavirus and we muststay at home to do so.”

He said what he wanted todo, and at the same timebought time to speak in detailon these issues that havechanged the terrain and poli-tics of Kashmir. Omar hasextra burden on his shouldersnow, as his father FarooqAbdullah too is keen that hisson steers the course of theparty’s politics in the changedand challenging situation.

It was a calibrated use ofwords by Omar. The politicalterrain of Kashmir has newerchallenges for him – the ideaof the restoration of the state-hood has already been articu-lated in a great measure bythe newly formed Jammuand Kashmir Apni Party,headed by businessman-turned-politician AltafBukhari. Delhi has started

talking to the Apni Party,while at the same time sig-nalling that it was exploringother options as well.

The release of Farooq andOmar within a span of 11days this month falls in thiscritical line of Delhi’s think-ing. It is both an advantagefor Abdullahs – the veteransof Kashmir politics since thedays of Sheikh Abdullah inthe 20th century and subse-quently Farooq and Omar –and also a great disadvantage

Delhi has underlined theimportance of Abdullahs,where some of the politicalquarters in J&K think thatwithout Abdullahs and theirparty, things cannot move inKashmir. They, it is believed,can fulfil Delhi’s wish torestore a semblance of nor-malcy and bring down thelevel of demands to therestoration of statehood.

The widespread NC cadrethat has supported and pro-pelled three generations ofAbdullahs to power and ral-lied behind them, despitemany reservations that inter-rupted their stay in power, isanother pillar of strength.That is, perhaps, the mostimportant factor after Abdul-lah’s charisma and history inKashmir politics.

This advantage gets bal-anced by an equally weightydisadvantage with the per-ception that their release hassomething to do with theirunderlying understandingwith Delhi. The Abdullahs,

unlike others in the politicalframe, cannot walk awayfrom the umbrella of Article370 that they had raised to thelevel of the unique identity ofKashmiris since the dayswhen it entered into the Indi-an Constitution in mid-1990s.

PDP president MehboobaMufti, still in detention, is afactor that cannot be dis-missed easily, though somehave concluded that all thosewho deserted have renderedher party redundant in thepolitics of the post-August 5,2019 era. She continues toinspire fear and awe, that’swhy, some think, her deten-tion is a necessity. This is thepoint that Mehbooba knowswell, and that is explained ina tweet that her daughter Ilti-ja handles.

Reacting on today’s devel-opment, her tweet read, “Alltheir talk of Nari Shakti andwomen emancipationseems like this regime fearswomen the most.”

The real competition inKashmir politics will emergeonly after she is set free andthe course she charts – softseparatism or the politics ofrealism. And, if her detentionis prolonged, people, despiteobliging themselves by “stay-ing at home”, to stall the coro-navirus virus, would be look-ing forward to hear from her.

That will complete thepicture of the competitionand compulsion of Kash-mir politics. Wait is on forthat day and date.

Omar Abdullah begins hissecond innings in politics

Kashmir: Three test positive

THE IMPORTANCE OF ABDULLAHSDelhi has underlined the importance of Abdullahs,where some of the political quarters in J&K think thatwithout Abdullahs and their party, things cannot move inKashmir. They, it is believed, can fulfil Delhi’s wish torestore a semblance of normalcy and bring down the lev-el of demands to the restoration of statehood. The wide-spread NC cadre that has supported and propelled threegenerations of Abdullahs to power and rallied behindthem, despite many reservations that interrupted theirstay in power, is another pillar of strength

NEWS ANALYSISArteev SharmaTribune News Service

JAMMU/srinagar, March 24Strict restrictions wereenforced across Jammuregion on Tuesday to keepthe people indoors whileimplementing the officiallockdown to contain spreadof Covid.

The police acted toughagainst the violators of lock-down and registered 29FIRs against them in Jam-mu district alone, while sev-eral people were also round-ed up and others werepunished on roads.

In a significant decision,the administration has alsodecided to hire retired doc-tors against vacancies oncontract for one year in itsfight against Coronavirus inunderserved areas. The Gov-ernment’s Advisory Coun-cil, in its emergent meeting,also declared to designateGovernment Medical Col-lege (GMC), Jammu, a‘COVID hospital’ for Jam-

mu province and said itwould be readied by Wednes-day evening.

In order to optimise diver-sion of available manpowerand material resources forthe care and treatment ofsuspected/ confirmedpatients, it was also decided

that the OPD services atGMC, Jammu, and its associ-ated hospitals would remainsuspended from tomorrowtill further orders.

The GMC administrationhas appealed to the generalpublic of Jammu Division tostop the routine visits to the

OPD services at the hospitaland its associated institu-tions and requested them toconsult experts telephonical-ly from the list of doctorsprovided separately and onthe hospital websitewww.gmcjammu.nic.in. Thetelephone consultation time

would remain within 10:30am to 4:30 pm. However, theemergency services wouldcontinue as same.

According to the dailyMedia Bulletin on Coron-avirus, as many as 4,765 trav-ellers and persons in contactwith suspected cases havebeen put under surveillanceand, so far, seven cases havetested positive in Jammu andKashmir and one amongthem has already recovered.

A total of 2,928 personshave been kept under homequarantine while 71 are inhospital quarantine. Personswho are under home surveil-lance stand at 1,268 while 498persons have completed their28-day surveillance period.As many as 279 samples havebeen sent for testing of which253 tested negative. Only sev-en persons have tested posi-tive so far and of them, onlyfive are active positive andone patient has recovered.The reports of 20 personswere awaited.

Lockdown: Strict curbs put in place29 FIRs against violators in dist; govt to hire retired doctors; 4,765 under surveillance

Security personnel stop commuters during restriction in Jammu.TRIBUNE PHOTO


Srinagar, March 24An unprecedented lockdownprompted by the threat ofCovid-19 disease entered afifth day on Tuesday in Kash-mir valley as roads weredeserted and markets shut.

The markets across all dis-tricts of Kashmir valleyremained closed and roadsalso remained blocked withconcertina wires and mannedby the police. The lockdownbegan on Friday, a day afterthe first case tested positive inSrinagar following which res-

idents across the city rushedto stock essential suppliesand medicines.

A total of three persons

have tested positive in theValley so far as two fresh cas-es were reported today.

Thousands of people who

travelled from foreign coun-tries and territories whereinfection is widespread havebeen put in quarantine as theadministration pressed wide-spread measures to contain thespread of Covid-19, which hasbeen declared as a global pan-demic. The administrationhas ordered the lockdown ofKashmir valley till March 31,which is likely to be extendedas fresh cases tested positivein Srinagar.

It is for the first time in recentdecades that Kashmir valley isobserving a lengthy lockdownfor an apolitical reason.

Covid-19: Kashmir lockdown enters Day 5Our Correspondent

Rajouri, March 24To monitor coronavirus pan-demic exigency, a 24X7 dis-trict control room has beenestablished in the office com-plex of the Deputy Commis-sioner here.

Meanwhile, the districtadministration has identified31 locations where 1,210 bedswill be available for the quar-antine facilities. Theseinclude Government MedicalCollege and Associated Hos-pital (GMC&AH), Sub-dis-trict Hospitals, Community

Health Centres (CHCs),PHCs and in the boys andgirls hostels of GovernmentMedical College, postgradu-ate/degree colleges, Pahariand Gujjar-Bakerwal.

“More than 450 residents ofRajouri district, includingstudents, have returned fromvarious countries/other statesrecently and are on home sur-veillance for 28 days. Undernew guidelines those whohave returned after March 15shall be under surveillance atquarantine centres,” said DrSanjeev Puri, CMO.

Fiftyfour such persons

from Rajouri town and fromits vicinity will be shifted toboys Pahari hostel.

“Quarantine centre at Gov-ernment Model Girls HigherSecondary School will exclu-sively be for women,” saidDistrict Information OfficerNarinder Raina. Deputy Com-missioner Mohammed NazirSheikh, Senior Superinten-dent of Police Chandan Kohlialong with senior officers ofthe district administrationtoday visited several place,including Boys Pahari hostel,to check the required facilitiesfor the quarantining.

Control room set up at DC office


Jammu, March 24The Army’s Northern Com-mand has intensified meas-ures to combat the outbreakand spread of coronavirus inthe Union Territory of Jam-mu and Kashmir.

The Army has establishedmultiple telephone helplinesto provide information andassistance to the people.

The Defence PRO said withthe spread of the novel coron-avirus, there was a sense ofuncertainty among the peo-ple as many of them were notsure what measures to take tosafeguard themselves andtheir family.

“There have been a series offake social media uploadswhich have created panicamong people. To this effect,the Army has been undertak-ing intense awareness cam-paigns and updating the pub-lic with all relevantinformation during this pan-demic through various plat-forms. The initiatives aremeant to ensure that peopledo not become unwitting car-riers of the virus and are wellinformed about the preven-tive measures to be adopted,”

said Lt Col Abhinav Navneet,Defence PRO.

In order to help the peopleto manage the stresses relat-

ed to Covid-19 and to provideimmediate relief to thoseseeking advice, helplinenumbers have been activated

across the UT. The helplinesare a critical resource for thepeople and will address thequestions of the residents.

Army pitches in, sets up helplines Admn callsvolunteers,retd docsTribune News Service

Srinagar, March 24The Srinagar administrationhas called for volunteers (non-government doctors and para-medics) who wish to workalong with doctors and medicalstaff for the community serv-ice in the ongoing fight againstCovid-19 that has brought thewhole world to a standstill.

District Magistrate Srina-gar, Shahid Iqbal Choudharytweeted, “Non-governmentdoctors and paramedics whomay wish to volunteer forcommunity services alongwith our outstanding doctorcolleagues in pry healthcareand surveillance may join theDistrict Disaster ManagementAuthority [email protected]”.

In another tweet, heannounced that he received atleast 36 e-mails from volun-teers within five minutes.

He also said they wantedminimum footprints on theground and would encouragehome delivery system ofessentials which was beingworked out. The governmenthas also announced that it willprovide people ration inadvance for two months.

The Jammu and KashmirGovernment spokesperson,Rohit Kansal also said retireddoctors would be hiredagainst vacancies on contractfor one year for fighting theCovid-19 in under servedareas. He said the decisionwould be taken in the emer-gency meeting of the Adviso-ry Council. With the Valleygoing for a lockdown for a longperiod after three cases testedpositive so far, the authoritiesare taking several measures tominimise the footprints oflocals outside and have askedthem to stay in their homes.

The grocery stores andother shops have also beenasked to remain shut andnot to gather crowd.

HELPLINESThe Srinagar residents can ask for help on 0194-2467326. The residents of other districts can seek assis-tance through the helpline at Baramulla (0195-2238826),Kupwara (0195-5252996), Shalteng (0194-2496618),Awantipora (0193-3247087), Nagrota (0191-2547896),Akhnoor (0192-4254244), Rajouri (0196-2262477),Batote (0199-8244361), Palma (0196-2261503), Reasi(0199-124 5319) and Narian (0196-0230026).

The helpline numbers for the UT of Ladakh are Leh(01982- 259011), Karu (01982- 249078), Kumbathang(01935- 278113) and Partapur (01980- 221013). Thehelplines will be active round the clock to address gen-eral questions and concerns regarding the prevention ofCovid-19.

ROUND-THE-CLOCK SERVICE■ The Army has established mul-tiple telephone helplines to pro-vide information and assistanceto the people■ It said the helplines are a criti-cal resource for the people andwill address the questions of theresidents and provide the up-to-date information resource■ The helplines will be activeround the clock to address gen-eral questions and concernsregarding the prevention ofCovid-19

Now, 7 cases in UT■ One of the positive cases, a 57-year-old man of Natipora in Sri-

nagar, was a co-passenger of the woman who was the firstpositive case of Kashmir, on their return from Jeddah in SaudiArabia. He concealed his travel history from health authorities.

■ The second patient is a 67-year-old man of Hyderpora in Srina-gar. He is a well-known preacher of Deobandi thought of Islam,with a long travel history within India.

■ The third patient is a 22-year-old Bandipora youth, who hadtravelled outside Jammu and Kashmir. His contact tracing ison. With these three positive cases, the total number of Covidcases in UT has gone up to seven.

Security guard and paramedic staff outside an isolation ward.


Srinagar, March 24Two Central Reserve PoliceForce (CRPF) men were killedin a fratricide incident inside awater wing camp of the forceat the Dal Lake, officials said.

Spokesman for the CRPFNeeraj Rathore said the fratri-cide incident took place ataround 4 pm.

“We are trying to ascertainthe reason that led to the inci-dent,” he said. He identifiedthe slain two CRPF men asConstable Siju and ConstableJala Vijay of 114 Battalion.

“Initial inputs reveal that itwas Jala who opened fire onhis colleague and later shothimself,” the spokesman said.

The two jawans were latertaken to a hospital, where doc-tors declared them broughtdead on arrival.

The shooting created panicin the area. Soon after the inci-dent, police and CRPF officialsrushed to the spot.

CRPF jawan killscolleague, self

The slain two CRPF menas Constable Siju andConstable Jala Vijay of114 Battalion.

Four hospitals designated to isolate and treat patients

A deserted Regal Chowk near Lal Chowk in Srinagar on Tuesday.

THE TRIBUNE08 CHANDIGARH | WEDNESDAY | 25 MARCH 2020OPINION

One riot after another

Covid effect on aviationCovid-19 has badly hit the tourismindustry all over, including India,what with all train, bus and airlineservices coming to a halt. The air-lines have been adopting cost-cut-ting measures because they arefast running out of cash. Thelonger the crisis lasts, the morelikely it is that the future of avia-tion cannot be guaranteed withoutthe government’s aid. At present,no one can foresee the conse-quences. The aviation industry hasto counter this extraordinary situa-tion with drastic and sometimespainful measures. Airline compa-nies may stare at ruin if the prob-lem persists for too long.

GURPREET S MALHOTRA, MOHALI

Lockdown modeThe country has gone into a lock-down mode. The situation shouldbe used to regain or enhance thequality of domestic life. People willget enough time to introspect andthink, discuss ways to make lifehappier or doubts. Even in caseswhere couples have a strained rela-tionship and are not on talkingterms, this is the best time torestart. They can spring a surpriseby exchanging conventional rolesand teaching life skills to children.These times can also be used to add

to knowledge about the things peoplewanted to know, but did not have thetime to find the answer to. Additional-ly, people can play indoor games withfamily members.

SC DHALL, ZIRAKPUR

Take to distancing The Janata Curfew announced by thePM was laudable and followed by thepublic. But the second part of theappeal, to thank the doctors and oth-er workers during this crucial time ofbeating thaali, was taken as amuse-ment and people came out in groups,unmindful of distancing from eachother. As a result, states have beenforced to impose curfew in the inter-est of the public. It is our duty to fol-low the orders. Also, we need patienceas the infection has created panic andfear. That is why the government ispressing upon avoiding non-essentialtravel. We should avoid travelling tocrowded places. It is very importantto take control measures. So, avoidingsocial gatherings, crowed places andshaking hands is a must.

RAJ KUMAR KAPOOR, ROPAR

Corona effectThe Covid outbreak has becomeone the biggest considerationstoday for the common people. Thishas varied effects on people. But,this pandemic has had one com-

mon effect on every person — ithas disrupted the everyday life ofpeople. First, students have beenadversely affected. School and col-leges have been shut down, theirdaily activities like playing outsideand meeting friends has been dis-turbed. Being a Class XI student, Ican understand it well. Second,working class people have alsobeen disturbed as they see liveli-hoods shut down totally. Everyoneis worried about income and dailyneeds, despite the PM assuringthat no one will suffer due to lack ofsupplies. We should hope for thingsto be normal again.

GUNTAS SINGH GILL, LUDHIANA

Bhagat Singh’s legacyThis is with reference to articles onBhagat Singh (March 23). Non-vio-lence is the hallmark of our nation,but it came as a setback when Mahat-ma Gandhi was assassinated. Thosewho seek to portray Bhagat Singh asone committed to terror show inade-quate regard for his commitment.Cheering in the name of BhagatSingh is justified, but it should be con-trolled as the aim is not to injure any-one. Their anniversaries should betaken seriously. We must not shy awayfrom his ideas. His followings aretough but his iconic stature makes ourbelief more impressive in him. Social

groups and civil society organisationshave taken up the issue time andagain for installing of Bhagat Singh’sportrait. I stressed on the setting up ofa Bhagat Singh Chair in one of ouruniversities. By ignoring BhagatSingh, we are just half-heartedlyreposing faith in him. Make him a partof the school curriculum. If we areunable to put Bhagat Singh on thenational scene, let us make it in ourown state. The choice lies in the courtof the decision makers.

JASVINDER S HUMSAFAR, MALOUDH

Drama in MPRefer to the write-up on the politicalscenario in Madhya Pradesh — whathas happened as well as futureassessment about the toppling of theBJP government if the byelectionson 23 seats went in favour of theCongress. While anticipating theresults of these seats in favour of theBJP, the writer forgot to analysewhether the previous candidates ofthe BJP, who fought electionsagainst the Congress and lost,resigned and sided with the BJP, willnot demand the party ticket. And incase they failed, they may sabotagethe chances of the official candidate.Let the byelection be announcedand the country will see anotherpower struggle in the state.

R BANSAL, KURUKSHETRA

Jagdish Chander

IT had been raining outside andI felt cosy, wrapped in a blanketon the bed. The morning alarm

had alerted me half an hour back,but the mind seemed rebellious. Icould hear the occasional thunder-ing of the clouds and the streak oflightning through the thin cur-tains on the window.

However, the temptation of readingthe morning newspaper could not beresisted any longer and I opened thedoor half-heartedly, not sure of thearrival of the newspaper at thedoorstep. I felt the chill of the weatheroutside as wet, icy winds overpoweredme to enter the room through a half-open door. Hurriedly, I started looking

around to get hold of the newspaper,but couldn’t see anywhere. Perhapsdue to the incessant rain and unex-pected chill, the hawker had not beenable to deliver the paper as yet.

I closed the door and went to thekitchen for sips of hot water. After afew moments, feeling restless with-out the newspaper, I opened thedoor again to start the searchafresh. Now, I ventured a little out-side and felt happy to see the wrapof the newspaper lying at one of thesteps. I rushed to pick the bundleand returned to my room with asense of strange gratification.

Before I started unfolding thepaper, my thoughts went to that skin-ny boy who had delivered the paperin spite of the unfavourable morning

weather. I was drawn to a series ofthoughts — what does a newspapercost, only Rs 4-5? But the delivery isregular in spite of the vagaries ofweather. And what a paper! It encom-passes the whole world, throwing upso many options of reading... a com-plete package of reading material…but all this finally at what cost?

During college days, being a stu-dent of economics, we were taughtthe theory of consumer surplus. Tomake it clear, the professor used togive an example of a match box; inthe sense that it cost only a few paise,but its utility was far more valuableand one was ready to buy it even atany price. Similar was the case of thenewspapers, another excellent exam-ple of utility under the present-day

relevance of consumer surplus.My thoughts again go to that deliv-

ery boy who visits in the first week ofevery month to collect the paymentof the previous month’s bill. Stand-ing silently, with his head down,waiting patiently for the responsefrom the inmates of the house, herarely gets that meagre paymentduring his first visit. But withoutgrumbling or with grudges, he visitsagain and again till the payment isreceived. But to me, his visit is veryimportant. Upon hearing the door-bell, I rush to make the paymentwithout asking for the bill. Once, Ihad deliberately paid him more thanthe actual bill in consideration of thetip. But to my surprise, he adjustedthat extra amount in the next bill.

FORMER HOME SECRETARY ANDEX-SECRETARY, JUSTICE

INDIA is still trying to get over theshock of the ghastly communalriots in Delhi in February, inwhich 53 persons were killed and

over 200 injured. And this horrifictragedy was being enacted when USPresident Donald Trump was beingreceived in India with such meticu-lously arranged mega events andattention of the world media was onIndia. If the riots were pre-planned, asclaimed by the government, it was aneminently successful operation.

India has the dubious distinction of‘witnessing’ ghastly communalclashes and the equally shocking dis-tinction of having learnt nothingabout how to deal with the communalvirus, which is even more deadlythan corona. In fact, if communalsickness had been given as muchattention as corona, India would havefound an antidote to it long ago.

The most disturbing aspect of theseriots is that they were perpetratedunder the watch of the Centre. Theresponsibility for ‘public order’ and‘police’ in the NCR squarely restswith the Centre, i.e. the Lt Governor.The S Balakrishnan Committee, con-stituted by the Ministry of HomeAffairs in 1989 to suggest the reorgan-ised structure for the governance ofDelhi, had observed that if full state-hood were to be given, it would resultin a constitutional division of powerbetween the Union and the state andthe Union executive would be denud-ed of executive powers in relation tomatters governed by the State List.The committee had opined that ‘theNational Capital belongs to the nationas a whole’. It had, therefore, recom-mended that the subjects of publicorder and police should be excluded

from the purview of the Delhi Legisla-tive Assembly. The committee hadsuggested making a suitable provi-sion in the Constitution to sanctify thenew structure. It said, ‘We have nodoubt that this will go a long way inassuring the people of Delhi that thegovernment structure will be stableand will not suffer by the play of polit-ical forces.’ The SC had relied on thisreport in its judgment in State of Del-hi vs Union of India (2018).

I knew Balakrishnan well and haveregard for his views, but the experi-ence of the 1984 riots and the recentriots in Delhi has shattered thesefond hopes. It makes no differencewhich party is in power at the Centre— political compulsions rulesupreme. I am particularly struck bythe common features of these twoghastly episodes, 36 years apart.

The debate in Parliament on March11 was most disappointing. It was onfamiliar lines — allegations of foreignfunding, conspiracy hatched by acommunity, lack of intelligence,police lethargy, political interferenceand so on. Surprisingly, there was nodemand for a thorough probe. The

Congress and other opposition par-ties blamed the BJP for political com-plicity, and the BJP returned the vol-lies by pointing to the Congressfailure in dealing with the ’84 riots.

In the 2002 Godhra riots and the ’84riots, civil society took the initiative inbringing out, in a very short time, solid,objective reports by persons of impec-cable integrity to put on record the realstory. This was in sharp contrast to theoften conflicting findings of judicialand other inquiries by the government.No such initiative appears to be in theoffing so far. A committee of eminentcitizens, not having any political affil-iations and who command respect fortheir integrity and courage of convic-tion, be organised soon to bring outthe ‘real’ facts. This is important inthe era of fake news.

It is shocking how little we havelearnt from past riots. In the Delhiriots, fingers are being pointed at theMHA and the Government of India,but there is no mention of the totaldereliction of duty by the Lt Governorand the Commissioner of Police.Instead, the Home Minister has com-plimented the Delhi Police for con-

taining the riots. There could nothave been a greater hypocrisy. For-mer Delhi Police Commissioner SSJog, would say, ‘Delhi Police Com-missioner comes with a lot of fanfareon a horse to take charge and, in mostcases, goes on a donkey when hedemits the charge!’

The police went into overdrive soonafter Trump left, and there was a greenlight from the top. Suddenly, the policewere visible in all riot-affected areas,trying to rehabilitate their own imagethan anything else. Killing of an IBofficer and the destruction of thehouse of a BSF jawan by the riotersshowed how there was no fear of law. Itwas a monumental failure of thepolice, intelligence agencies and thelaw and order machinery as a whole.And the political leadership cannotescape responsibility.

In my book, I have talked of theimportance of separation of religionfrom politics, restricting withdrawalof court cases, strengthening the pro-visions for calling the Army in aid ofcivil power, enacting a law for decla-ration of martial law, enacting a lawon genocide, enacting a law on recon-struction and repairs of places of wor-ship damaged in communal violence,and vigorously pursuing police andcivil service reforms.

The Army may not have to beinvolved in handling communal riotsif the police become decommunalisedand depoliticised. But, this is a big if.Due to lack of political will, it isimpossible to bring about policereforms in any time-bound manner.Even the directives by the SC in 2006have largely remained on paper. It is,therefore, imperative to make legalprovisions for the declaration of mar-tial law. But, the question stillremains — will anyone take a timelydecision to call in the Army?

This is a sad commentary on ourvibrant democracy, but instillingconfidence among the citizens andthe minorities in particular ismore important than merely keep-ing the outward pretences of acivilian authority. It is high timeIndia debates the issues dispas-sionately and rationally.

Letters to the Editor, typed in double space, should not exceed the 200-word limit. These should be cogently written and can be sent by e-mail to: [email protected]

thought for the dayA nation of sheep will beget a government of wolves.

— Edward R Murrow

FELL SHORT: The Delhi riots were a failure of the police and intelligence agencies.

THE TRIBUNEestablished in 1881

Omar’s detention endsFree Mehbooba, too, and restart political process

THE release of former Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister OmarAbdullah after nearly eight months of detention, coincidentallyat the height of Covid fear, is a timely reminder to the rest of the

country as to how it feels to be locked up. Omar’s release comes 11days after that of his father and former Chief Minister Farooq Abdul-lah. Farooq had insisted that his freedom is incomplete till other lead-ers are released. Now one more ex-CM, the former ally of the BJP,Mehbooba Mufti continues to be in confinement. With Farooq andOmar walking free, Mufti’s release can only be a matter of time. Butthese developments raise a fundamental question: what did the gov-ernment achieve by keeping the most important political leaders ofJammu and Kashmir incarcerated for three quarters of a year?

A former constitutional authority of J&K had recently made anextremely flippant remark — revealing his confidential conversa-tion with the head of the Union Territory’s bureaucracy — thatthere was apprehension of a thousand people getting killed after theabrogation of Article 370. This statement exposed a mindset, whichalso reflected in the arrest — first under preventive detention, andthen the dreaded Public Safety Act 1978 — of the most popular lead-ers of the Valley. But contrary to the muscle-flexing bravado of thisvariety, it was the maturity and sobriety of the leaders of J&K thathelped people come to terms with the new reality, however harshand offensive it might have appeared to them. Even while walkingout of Hari Niwas, Omar Abdullah, who turned 50 in detention, wasmindful of the people’s hardship during these trying times of thepandemic caused by Novel Coronavirus.

The Centre should now release Mehbooba Mufti, and then actdecisively to restart the political process. The first step is therestoration of 4G Internet connection, helping people to reconnectwith the world, and also to help them work from home during thisglobal lockdown, just as the rest of the country does. When Delhiand Mumbai have finally realised what a lockdown means, theyneed to empathise with the people of J&K.

Covid delays Tokyo GamesPostponement of the Olympics was a foregone conclusion

THE Olympic Games, the greatest show in the world of sports,have been put off. Tokyo, the city that was scheduled to hostthis festival of youth in July-August this year, has witnessed

three Covid-related deaths so far, but across Japan, the number offatalities stands at over 40. More than 800 people are currentlyinfected in the country — and Japan is relatively unscathed. Thenumber of confirmed cases worldwide passed 3.9 lakh on Tuesday;about 17,000 people have died. The tragedy continues to unfold —experts believe that the situation will worsen in the coming weeks.

In the face of this disaster, Japan asked for a one-year postpone-ment of the Olympics. According to Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, theInternational Olympic Committee acceded to the request. Many ath-letes had been voicing their concerns; for one, athletes across theworld were unable to train due to the fear of getting infected; two, hadthe Games been held on schedule, the athletes would have beenexposed to great dangers in Tokyo because social distancing is impos-sible in sport. True, most athletes are young, fit and have good immu-nity against disease, but thousands of players taking back the virusto their home countries would have multiplied the disaster. Sportsassociations in various countries added their voice to the dissent, andCanada and Australia bluntly said that they would not participate inthe Olympics if the event was not postponed to 2021.

As is often the case, the biggest fear was the loss of money — Japanhad pumped in over $12 billion into the project. At least 60 sponsorsare involved. The Olympics have become such a massive financialmachinery that investors have started prioritising capital over sportand, indeed, life. For many people, sport is a matter of life and death— in a time of disaster, it becomes evident that this is merely rhetoric.Sport is not more important than life. And this is no time for sport.

Delhi communal clashes confirm that there is lack of political will, always

MADHAV GODBOLE

on this day...50 years ago

Kashmir Assembly to meet on March 28NEW DELHI, March 24—The prorogued session of the Jammu and Kash-mir Assembly will be reconvened on March 28 to resume the considera-tion of the State Budget for 1970-71, Mr. G.M. Sadiq, Chief Minister,announced here today. The Jammu and Kashmir Congress LegislatureParty will meet a day earlier, on March 27 at 5 p.m. at Jammu, he toldnewsmen. These decisions were taken following a rapprochementreached between the rival groups, led by Mir Qasim and Mr. Sadiq, in theCongress Legislature Party, at the intervention of the Prime Minister andother ruling Congress leaders. Mr. Sadiq had a 45-minute meeting withthe Prime Minister this evening and Mir Qasim at noon. After meetingthe Prime Minister, Mr. Sadiq told newsmen that the party meetings atJammu on March 27 would discuss the strategy of the party on the Bud-get. There would be a formal vote of confidence in his leadership but themeeting would give evidence that the party was united. He said inanswer to a question that the proposal to reshuffle the Cabinet wasunder consideration for a long time. Reshuffle would be made, but notimmediately. Commenting on the revolt in the party, Mr. Sadiq said: “Itwas a storm in a teacup. Knew before I came to Delhi that the situationwould improve, it has now improved and would improve further. Ourparty is one and there is now greater understanding after the meetingswith the Central leaders.” Asked what changes in the organisationalside would take place in the light of the compromise, the Chief Minis-ter said that a meeting of the Jammu and Kashmir PCC would be calledafter a proper notice. He did not elaborate further.

ambala,wednesday, march 25, 1970

❝ ❞letters to the editor

The daily as article of faith

Instilling confidence among citizens, especially theminorities, is more important than merely keeping

the outward pretences of a civilian authority.

THE TRIBUNECHANDIGARH | WEDNESDAY | 25 MARCH 2020 09OPED

THE Associated Press report-ed from Rome on March 19that “a visiting Chinese RedCross team criticised Ital-

ians’ failure to properly quarantinethemselves and take the nationallockdown seriously.”

On March 12, Lijian Zhao, the offi-cial spokesman for the Chinese For-eign Ministry, tweeted that Covid-19virus originated in the US. Zhao’sallegation was obviously preposter-ous, because if the US had indeeddone any such thing, it would havefirst taken steps to ensure the pro-tection of its own population, know-ing very well that the virus wouldinevitably spill over into its territo-ry. It would not have found itself inthe sorry state it is in today.

US President Donald Trump was sooffended by the allegation that in hispress conference on March 18, he angri-ly denied it, and insisted on callingCovid the ‘Chinese virus’. He repeatedthe nomenclature a couple of times.

On March 18, Eduardo Bolsonaro,the son of Brazil’s President Jair Bol-sonaro, tested positive for the coron-avirus. He issued a tweet in which helikened China’s role in the coron-avirus outbreak to that of the erstwhileSoviet Union during the Chernobylnuclear disaster, alleging a cover-up.“It’s China’s fault and freedom is theanswer,” he tweeted.

His comments, which echoed thoseof Trump, provoked an angryresponse from the Chinese embassyin Brasilia, which tweeted that he hadcontracted a ‘mental virus’ while inthe US a few days ago.

“Sadly, you are a person withoutany international vision or commonsense,” the Chinese embassy tweet-ed. “We suggest you don’t rush tobecome the US spokesman in Brazil,or risk an ugly fall.” Eduardo Bol-sonaro is also the principal foreignpolicy adviser to his father and thehead of the Congressional Commit-tee on Foreign Affairs.

The above incidents point to twothings. First, China is trying hard todeny that Covid-19 originated inWuhan. Second, China is trying tochange the narrative about the virusto suggest that the Chinese authori-ties did a heroic job in containing itsspread inside China, and is now offer-ing support to other countries to over-come the crisis caused by the viruswithin their borders.

Both points are wrong. And there isevidence to prove that. In an articlepublished in the Global Times on Jan-uary 1, it is stated that the seafoodmarket in Wuhan had been closed“after 27 people were hospitalised inDecember 2019 with unidentifiedpneumonia.” Most of them were ven-dors in the market. In another articlepublished in the newspaper on Febru-ary 22, it is stated that a ‘widerspread’ of the virus took place in theWuhan seafood market in ‘earlyDecember (2019).’

Now, the question is: what did theChinese authorities do when the out-break took place in Wuhan in earlyDecember? The answer: Nothing.More than three weeks were thuslost. And the lockdown was imposed

on Wuhan only on January 23, result-ing in the loss of another more thanthree weeks. Thus, the Chineseauthorities virtually took no actionand did not alert the world for sevento eight weeks after the virus wasfirst detected in Wuhan. And all thiswhile, the virus was making its wayall over the world, creating a crisis ofunimaginable proportions.

One cannot help asking: Would theChinese have kept quiet for so manyweeks if the coronavirus werebrought into their country by the USor some other nation? The answer isan emphatic no.

Moreover, is it a heroic act toimpose a lockdown on Wuhan on

January 23, almost eight weeks aftera ‘wider spread’ of the virus tookplace in Wuhan in ‘early December(2019),’ according to their own news-paper, the Global Times.

In addition, as widely reported inthe global media, the Chinese author-ities harassed and silenced 34-yearold Chinese doctor Li Wenliang, whofirst raised the alarm about the coro-navirus on December 30, 2019. Hedied on February 7, after contractingthe disease while working at theWuhan Central Hospital.

The true narrative of the coron-avirus should state that the virusoriginated in the seafood market ofWuhan, and that the Chinese

authorities suppressed the informa-tion about the outbreak of the dis-ease for several weeks before itbecame impossible for them to hideit from the world. The Chineseexported their virus to the rest of the world, which is still strug-gling to control it.

Meanwhile, having controlled thecoronavirus in their own country,the Chinese are busy accusing theUS of producing the virus, which is alie, and lecturing other countries,such as Italy, about what they shoulddo to control it.

China did not just create a prob-lem for itself, it created a problemof devastating proportions for thewhole world in terms of lives lostand economies damaged. The worldshould not let China off the hook bybuying the phoney narrative it istrying to peddle.

The world in general, and India inparticular, should draw some impor-tant lessons from this crisis. One ofthem is that the dependence on Chi-na for strategic goods, such asActive Pharmaceutical Ingredients(API), for India’s pharmaceuticalindustry, should be ended. Indiaimports around 70 per cent of itsAPI from China. Self-relianceshould be created in the strategicgoods sector irrespective of theextra cost involved. China’s leadershave a record of halting exports ofstrategic goods (such as rare-earthminerals) to punish countries thathave defied them.

One also hopes that the coronaviruscrisis will finally convince India’sdecision-makers not to award the 5Gcontract to Huawei. We cannot out-source our strategic communicationsnetwork to an adversarial and unreli-able country like China.

UNDER FIRE: The world should not let China off the hook for creating a crisis of unimaginable proportions.

The true narrative of thecoronavirus should state

that the virus originated inthe seafood market ofWuhan, and that theChinese authorities

suppressed informationabout the outbreak forseveral weeks before it

became impossible for themto hide it from the world.

AN Indian law, the CitizenshipAmendment Act (CAA), isbeing contested by a rank out-sider ‘world body’, the United

Nations High Commissioner for HumanRights (UNHCHR), purportedly repre-senting global ‘interests’.

Contextually though, one doesn’thave any issue with the UNHCHR flag-ging its concern on India’s action (initi-ated through an Act of Parliament) andmoving the Supreme Court, but onewonders whether the UN bodyexpressed apprehension in the past andintervened in the internal affairs ofthree countries which constitute thefocus of the CAA. Did the UNHCHRever apply the same yardstick duringunfolding developments inAfghanistan, Bangladesh and Pak-istan?

Diplomats are likely to miss nuancesof constitutional law of the nation asand when municipal law is broughtface to face with international law onthe high table. Let’s, therefore, gothrough the basics of two laws: munici-pal and international law — as definedby, and universally accepted, Black’sLaw Dictionary. The former is “internallaw of a nation, as opposed to interna-tional law.” The Constitution of India,being the internal/municipal law of thenation, is “opposed to internationallaw”, and hence vice versa. Of course,“opposed to” doesn’t mean, or create,an enmity between the two laws;instead, it clarifies with utmost care thatthe two laws are separate, and not insep-arable, and hence cannot intrude into

each other’s territory. They certainlyaren’t necessary and complementaryto each other. It could be a matter ofsubjective convergence at times, but itcertainly cannot be an indisputableobjective reality all the time.

International law is described thusby Black’s Law Dictionary: “Thelegal system governing the relation-ship between nations; more modern-ly, (beginning 18th century) the law ofinternational relations, embracingnot only nations but also such partic-ipants as international organisationsand individuals (such as those whoinvoke their human rights or commitwar crimes).” Also, termed “publicinternational law; law of nations; lawof nature and nations; jus gentium

(Latin for law of nations). The body oflaw, taken to be common to allcivilised people, and applied in deal-ing with the relations betweenRoman citizens and foreigners); for-eign relations law; inter-state law; lawbetween states (the word ‘state’, inthe latter two phrases, being equiva-lent to nation or country).”

Coming to CAA, let’s be clear that thelaw has been made by Parliament ofsovereign India. Parliament is the cre-ation of the Constitution which, in turn,came into effect on January 26, 1950,through the Constituent Assemblywhich sat from December 9, 1946, toDecember 9, 1949. Thus speaks the Pre-amble to the Constitution: “We, the peo-ple of India... in our Constituent Assem-

bly this twenty-sixth day of November,1949, do hereby adopt, enact and give toourselves this Constitution.”

One of the most prominent chaptersof this Constitution is Part III contain-ing Fundamental Rights spanning Arti-cles 12 to 35. Citizenship doesn’t fallunder Fundamental Rights, but underthe preceding Chapter II: Articles 5 to11. It must be noted that citizenshipcannot be claimed as a FundamentalRight by any non-Indian on the plea ofdiscrimination, especially one not an‘original/by birth inhabitant’ of India.

Before 1947, too, there was India, a big-ger one. If a pre-1947-born Indian comesto post-1947 India, can he/she be stoppedas being foreigner/intruder/illegal immi-grant? This fundamental issue cre-ates the biggest hassle for politicalparties owing to different interestgroups, besides the multi-dimension-al polity of the subcontinent.

India has faced a perpetual problemof minorities fleeing Afghanistan,Bangladesh and Pakistan. It hasalways been an extremely complexscenario: first, the influx of non-Mus-lims from these Muslim-dominatedneighbouring nations, and subse-quently Muslims, into India.

Regarding the CAA, it began withthe Citizenship Act, 1955, which todaystands as the Citizenship (Amend-ment) Act, 2019. Of the original Act’s19 sections, 15 remain intact. Four sec-tions have been amended: 2, 6B, 7Dand 18; and of the four Schedules, thethird has been amended.

The amendment to the Third Sched-

ule provided that for a person belongingto Hindu, Sikh, Buddhist, Jain, Parsi orChristian community in Afghanistan,Bangladesh or Pakistan, the aggregateperiod of residence or service of Govern-ment of India as required under thisclause shall be read as ‘not less than fiveyears’ in place of not less than 11 years.

Understandably, the omission of theword ‘Muslim’ has led to allegationsof violation of Article 14 (equalitybefore law) of the Constitution. TheArticle says: “The State shall not denyto any person equality before the lawor the equal protection of the lawswithin the territory of India.”

Clearly, Article 14 constitutes the ful-crum of the CAA, revolving around thewords: ‘within the territory of India’.Since Kabul, Islamabad and Dhakadon’t fall ‘within the territory of India’,no act of ‘equality’ or ‘discrimination’would fall under the purview of theIndian Constitution as the entire mat-ter gets shifted to the External AffairsMinistry’s policy decision: “whom togive/grant visa/citizenship and whom toreject.” Thus, whereas Taslima Nas-reen, a Bengali Muslim from Dhaka, isrepeatedly denied Indian citizenship, aMuslim Pakistani Air Force officer’sson, Adnan Sami, is granted citizen-ship. Both are Muslims. One welcome.The other unwelcome. Hence, to chal-lenge the CAA on the grounds of viola-tion of the Constitution may not be easybecause, in the end, it’s the privilege ofthe State to grant citizenship to a for-eign national. That’s international law.It’s hard to comprehend how it can fall

ABHIJIT BHATTACHARYYAADVOCATE, SUPREME COURT

India has faced a perpetualproblem of minoritiesfleeing Afghanistan,

Bangladesh and Pakistan.To challenge the CAA on

the grounds of violation ofthe Constitution may not beeasy because, in the end,

it’s the privilege of the Stateto grant citizenship to aforeign national. That’s

international law. It’s hardto comprehend how it can

fall under the ambit ofmunicipal law.

Viewing CAA through prism of international law

PRETEXT: Citizenship cannot be claimed as a fundamental right by any non-Indian on the plea of discrimination.

NIRAJ SRIVASTAVAFORMER AMBASSADOR

Red herrings of the coronavirus narrative

su do ku calendar forecastMARCH 25, 2020, WEDNESDAY

■ Vikrami Samvat 2077

■ Shaka Samvat 1942

■ Chaitra Shaka 5

■ Chaitra Parvishte 12

■ Hijari 1441

■ Shukla Paksha Tithi 1, up to 5.27 pm

■ Brahma Yoga up to 3:36 pm

■ Revti Nakshatra

■ Moon in Pisces sign

■ Gandmool start 4:19 am

■ Vikrami Samvat 2077 start

■ Chaitra Navratre start.

ACROSS1 Lockjaw (7)5 Crouch in fear (5)8 Determinedly (4,1,4)9 Tear open (3)10 Fury (4)12 Be conspicuous (5,3)14 Gain (6)15 Consider (6)17 German shepherd dog (8)18 Male deer (4)21 Sequence (3)22 Ensure (9)24 Build (5)25 Excess (7)

DOWN1 Stand very high (5)2 Dram of liquor (3)3 Undiluted (4)4 Evasive (6)5 Culinary strainer (8)6 Fine painting, for

example (4,2,3)7 Reckoned to be such (7)11 Sound judgment (4,5)13 Maintain one’s position

(3,5)14 Treeless grassy plain (7)16 Spanish cellist (6)19 Outstanding (5)20 Pleasing to the eye (4)23 To bind (3)

quick crossword

YESTERDAY’S SOLUTIONAcross: 1 Exercise, 5 Dash, 9 Satin, 10 Anxious, 11 Under protest, 13 Rotate, 14 Strait,17 With one voice, 20 Entrant, 21 Adapt, 22 Tart, 23 Unseemly.Down: 1 Else, 2 Extinct, 3 Conventional, 4 Scampi, 6 Abode, 7 Hesitate, 8 Extortionate,12 Browbeat, 15 Acclaim, 16 Beaten, 18 Tutor, 19 Stay.

YESTERDAY’S SOLUTION

HARD

8 6 1 3 7 2 5 4 94 3 2 5 6 9 7 1 89 5 7 8 4 1 3 6 26 2 9 1 8 3 4 5 75 4 3 7 2 6 8 9 17 1 8 4 9 5 6 2 32 7 6 9 3 4 1 8 51 8 4 2 5 7 9 3 63 9 5 6 1 8 2 7 4

9 4 5 3

5 2 8 1

7

7 3 6 2

5 1

6 1 9 5

1

3 8 6 4

6 9 2 7

Sunny Partly Cloudy Cloudy Rainy Foggy

CITY MAX MINChandigarh 28 17

New Delhi 33 19

Amritsar 28 18

Bathinda 28 17

Jalandhar 28 18

Ludhiana 29 18

Bhiwani 30 18

Hisar 29 18

Sirsa 30 18

Dharamsala 21 10

Manali 18 03

Shimla 20 08Srinagar 12 06

Jammu 24 15

Kargil 05 --02

Leh 11 01

Dehradun 29 13

Mussoorie 15 08

SUNSET: WEDNESDAY 18:37 HRSSUNRISE: THURSDAY 06:19 HRS

TEMPERATURE IN OC

THE TRIBUNE10 CHANDIGARH | WEDNESDAY | 25 MARCH 2020J&K/LADAKH/HP

Our Correspondent

Kathua, March 24A 45-year-old civilian wasinjured in Pakistani firingalong the International Bor-der in the Hiranagar sectorof Kathua district, whileanother woman, RekhaRani also fell unconscious

after a mortar shell explod-ed near their house early inthe morning.

The injured has beenidentified as Bodh Raj ofManyari village. He wasshifted to sub-district hos-pital and after first aid hewas discharged from there.

The shelling and firing

from across the border inManyari and adjoining vil-lages started at 9.35 pm onMonday and continuedthrough the night. Theshelling ended around 5 am.

In the cross bordershelling an animal died andsome houses were partiallydamaged.

Civilian hurt in Pak firing

Ishfaq TantryTribune News Service

Srinagar, March 24In view of the spread ofcoronavirus and severerestrictions imposed by theadministration to preventits further spread, the J&KHigh Court has issued adetailed circular and guide-lines for hearing of theurgent matters only.

As per the new guidelines,all the urgent matters,which will be notified inadvance, will be heardthrough videoconferencing.

And in case videoconfer-ence is not available, thenthe cases will be heardthrough remote video call-ing through WhatsApp.

The guidelines and circu-lar in this regard was issuedby the Registration General

of the J&K High Court onMonday evening and itwould be applicable in boththe wings of the High Courtin Jammu and Srinagar.

As per this order, thelawyers’ chambers and can-teen in all the courts acrossthe J&K have been orderedto remain closed till March31, 2020.

The High Court has alsodirected that the personal

appearances of accused incriminal matters shallstand exempted till thedate as already notified.Besides, it has been decid-ed that in the cases relat-ed to extension ofremand, personal appear-ances of the accusedwould also be exemptedtill the time being.

Besides, the magistrateshave been asked to decidethe remand mattersthrough videoconferencing.

The Registrar (Judicial)has also been directed toarrange for complete saniti-sation of both the wings ofthe High Court and thesecurity staff have beenasked to deploy thermalscanners at the gates todetect the suspected coron-avirus cases.

Only urgent matterswill be heard: HCLawyers’ chambers ordered to be closed till March 31

Villagers show the mortar fired by Pakistan at Manyari village in Hira Nagar sector. TRIBUNE PHOTO


JAMMU, March 24Amid a complete lockdown toupscale the offensive againstCoronavirus in the UnionTerritory (UT), the demandfor restoration of 4G internetservices has grown louder inJ&K, with the Union Govern-ment facing sharp criticismfor its alleged “insensitivity”.

Political parties, includingthe state unit of BharatiyaJanata Party (BJP), alongwith individuals and apoliti-cal groups, have joined thechorus demanding immedi-ate restoration of high-speedinternet, which was suspend-ed in J&K on the interveningnight of August 4 and August5, 2019, in the wake of scrap-ping of Article 370. People

have taken to social network-ing sites to voice theirdemand for restoration ofhigh-speed internet.

“Restoration of 4G in J&Kis critical during this healthemergency. It will help peo-ple stay informed, aware andconnected with governmentguidelines, emergency serv-ices and family. It will facili-tate working from home forstudents and employees,”said Vikramaditya Singh,scion of royal Dogra family,who had contested parlia-mentary elections fromKathua-Udhampur-DodaLok Sabha seat on Congressticket unsuccessfully.

The BJP said it was anappropriate time for the Cen-tre to consider the restorationof 4G in the UT.

“The J&K administrationshould allow 4G services ofmobile network in the UT asit will help the people to cope-up with the unprecedentedsituation. The government’sactions have brought thedesired results and it isappropriate time now to con-sider allowing the use of 4G,”Ashwani Kumar Chrungoo,senior BJP and KashmiriPandit leader, said.

“At 2G speed, it’s not possi-ble for our startups, studentsand employees to work from

home Sir. Please#Restore4GinJK,” JammuKashmir Startups Associa-tion stated in a tweet to PrimeMinister Narendra Modi.

Altaf Bukhari, president ofthe newly floated JammuKashmir Apni Party (JKAP),has also urged the UnionHome Minister to restorehigh-speed mobile internetin the UT, saying “It wouldenable people, especially stu-dents, to remain engagedinside their homes, therebyeffectively containing the

global pandemic Covid”. “Since all schools, colleges

and universities are closed,millions of students are miss-ing classes, creating anunparalleled education dis-ruption in the region. Earlier,classes were affected due todisruptions created byAugust 5, 2019, decisions,”Bukhari said.

Iltija Mufti, daughter offormer chief ministerMehbooba Mufti, hadrecently said, “World is bat-tling Coronavirus but theJ&K administration is stillunrelenting and refuses tolift the inhuman ban on 4G.In times of Covid pandemic,access to internet and infor-mation is a necessity, not aprivilege. Are Kashmirilives so cheap?”

Residents’ demand for 4G internet gets shriller

■ As per the new guide-lines, all the urgent mat-ters, which will be noti-fied in advance, will beheard through video-con-ferencing.

■ In case video-conferenceis not available, caseswill be heard throughremote video callingthrough WhatsApp

Our Correspondent

Leh, March 24The total number of Covidpositive cases in Union Ter-ritory Ladakh has nowreduced from 13 to 11, withtwo infected patients get-ting cured and dischargedfrom the hospital.

The 11 patients includenine from Leh District andtwo from Kargil District.

Ladakh UT Spokesper-son Commissioner Secre-tary Rigzin Samphel saidonly 11 positive cases wereleft in Ladakh as two Covidpatients had now testednegative, twice. Both weredischarged from the isola-tion ward of SNM Hospital,Leh, on Monday night.

However, the duo havefurther been placed in quar-antine for another 15 days.The sample results of 30were still awaited.

Meanwhile, Union Terri-tory Ladakh has not report-

ed any positive case ofCovid for the past two days.

Samphel said the HealthDepartment had received18 samples on Mondaynight and all had testednegative.

These samples included15 from Kargil and threefrom Leh.

The negative samplereports also included that ofa passenger of GoAir-617,who was admitted at SNMHospital, Leh, afterdeboarding at KBR airport,Leh, he added.

Two Covid patientsrecover in Ladakh

❝The J&K administration should allow 4G servicesof mobile network in the UT as it will help the peopleto cope-up with the unprecedented situation. Thegovernment’s actions have brought the desiredresults and it is appropriate time now to considerallowing the use of 4G.❞

Ashwani Kumar Chrungoo, SENIOR BJP AND KASHMIRI PANDIT LEADER.

HC tells J&K, Ladakh administrationto punish those hiding travel historyJammu, March 24Taking a serious note ofreports that some peoplewere concealing their for-eign travelling historyamid spread of Covid, theJ&K High Court on Tues-day asked authorities ofJ&K and Ladakh UTs tostrictly punish violators ofthe norms in accordancewith the law.

A divisional bench (DB) ofthe high court, comprisingChief Justice Gita Mittaland Justice Sindhu Shar-ma, directed authorities ofboth the UTs to enforcetheir notifications, instruc-tions and orders regardingall disclosures, includingthe travel history, quaran-

tining and isolation, strin-gently. UT authorities shalltake strict measures toensure that all require-ments are strictly enforced,the Bench said. It furthersaid judicial notice could be

taken of the several com-plaints being made in theelectronic and the printmedia with regards to per-sons concealing their for-eign travel history to escapethe mandatory quarantine.

“Some of such personshave been found to be infect-ed and huge public resourceshave been expended ontracking, not only these per-sons, but their several con-tacts during the period up totheir detection”, the Courtobserved and directedauthorities to enforce theirorders stringently. Allauthorities of the UTs shalltake strict measures toensure that all requirementsare strictly enforced. TNS

2 SMVDU professorshide travel historyTwo professors of Shri MataVaishno Devi University(SMVDU) were forcibly tak-en into quarantine afterthey concealed their travelhistory. “Two professors ofSMVDU were taken to aquarantine centre afterthey hid their travel history,”Deputy Commissioner,Reasi, Indu Chib said.


Shimla, March 24Shimla and its surroundingareas and some other partsof Himachal were lashed byswerve thunderstormaccompanied by lightning,sharp showers and sleetthis afternoon. Dark convic-tive clouds overcast the skyand thick fog engulfed thelandscape reducing the vis-ibility to few metres.

Manali, with 18 mm ofrains, was the wettest in theregion followed by Sunder-

nagar 14 mm, Shimla 9 mm,Kangra and Dharamsala 8mm each, Dalhousie 7 mmand Bhunter 5 mm.

The day temperaturesdropped by few notchesand Nahan was the hottestin day with 25°C. Keylongwas the coldest at nightwith a low of -0.5°.

The Met office has issuedyellow warning of heavyrains accompanied by light-ning, hails storm and gustywinds with the speed of 3-040kmph in low and mid hills onMarch 26.

Thunderstorm inShimla, other areas

Ambika SharmaTribune News Service

Solan, March 24Managements of as many asfive industrial units havebeen booked under section188, 269 and 270 of the IPCin the Baddi-Barotiwala-Nalagarh industrial area fordefying the lockdown direc-tions today. As per state gov-ernment directions allindustrial units, except foodand pharmaceutical manu-facturers, were directed toclose their manufacturingoperations yesterday.

SP Baddi, Rohit Malpani,said the police found 11 work-ers undertaking manufactur-ing activity under the super-vision of Sanjay Kumar inone unit, Krish Flexi Packs,at Khera village in Nalagarhindustrial area at mid-night.

A steel unit, Kundlas Loha

Udyog, was found operationalat Barotiwala this morning bya police team. A large numberof workers were foundengaged in work in violationof the directions for closing allindustrial units.

In another case, 10 workerswere found engaged in man-ufacturing activity at NortonLaboratories and PackagingIndustry located at ExportPromotion Industrial Park,Phase I, Jharmajri, in the

Baddi industrial area thismorning by naib tehsildarBalraj Negi. The unit wasoperating without any per-mission and the workers hadnot been provided any safetymasks or sanitisers.

5 Baddi units booked fordefying lockdown orders

Earth digging machines were engaged by Baddi police to digdeep pits on the escape routes leading to Baddi toll barrier.

All industrial units, except food & pharma, were directed to shut manufacturing

DISOBEDIENCE OFORDERS

■ These units have beenbooked for disobedienceof orders, negligence andmalignant act likely tospread infection whichattracts simple imprison-ment up to six monthsand a fine

■ Baddi police dug up (in pic)several escape routesalong the riverbeds at theBaddi inter-state toll barri-er by engaging earth dig-ging machines as bike-borne youth have beentrying to enter this industri-al belt from the neighbour-ing Haryana


Shimla, March 24The government has decid-ed to distribute wheat flourand rice to the NationalFood Security Act (NFSA)families for April and May.The authorities have beendirected to immediately dis-tribute the quota, aspokesperson for the Foodand Civil Supplies Depart-ment said here today.

The supplies have beenallocated district wise. Thegovernment will distrib-ute hand sanitisers andmasks to the people inevery panchayat.

Ration forthe poor


Shimla, March 24Education, Law and Par-liamentary Affairs Minis-ter Suresh Bhardwaj onMonday urged the citi-zens to stay indoors.Besides, he appealed tothe medical staff to pro-tect themselves from thedeadly coronavirus trans-mission by observingsocial distancing.

He inspected DDU hospi-tal and subsequentlyannounced a grant of ~8lakh from the MLA fund

for the hospital. With themoney, equipment, masksand sanitisers can bearranged to treat thepatients properly.

He said the state govern-ment had ordered lock-down in the state from Mon-day onwards, and urgedcitizens to stay indoors forthe next 14 days and call offall social events.

He said it would beensured that the patientsdon’’t face any trouble ingetting to the isolation ward.So far, no case of Covid hadbeen reported in Shimla.

~8 lakh announcedfor Shimla hospital

Our Correspondent

Palampur, March 24In view of the Covid crisis,the Kangra Deputy Commis-sioner has ordered the clo-sure of the Pathankot-MandiNH-154. The highway willremain open only for essen-tial services like the supplyof foodgrain, milk, vegeta-bles, medicines or ambu-lance services.

The Palampur-Hamirpurhighway connectingHamirpur, Bilaspur, Solanand Shimla districts hasalso been closed. Barricadeshave been put up at Thakur-dwara (Palampur) andGhatta near Baijnath onthese highways. People arebeing told to return to theirhomes. Orders have beenissued to impound vehiclesin case of violations.

Palampur SDM DharmeshRamotra, while briefingmediapersons here thisafternoon, said the UnionGovernment had asked the

state governments to keeponly essential services func-tional in districts where con-firmed cases of Covid-19have surfaced or where peo-ple have died. He said ithad also been decided tostop the inter-state bus serv-ices till March 31.

The SDM said policecheck posts had been setup at 15 points in Palam-pur and no vehicles were

allowed to move exceptthose pertaining to essen-tial services. He said allhealth institutions, banks,petrol pumps, fair priceshops and grocery outletswere functioning normally.

He asked people to callthe control room set up inhis office in case of any dif-ficulty. Besides, ambu-lance services are also atthe disposal of public, forwhich the medical super-intendent could be con-tacted anytime.

He said all efforts werebeing made to make avail-able essential services atreasonable rates. Shop-keepers had been directedto not give bulk supply offood grains and restrict thesame to 10 kg of rice andwheat flour to each family.

He said the districtadministration had alsocontacted the Verka man-agement in Punjab for asmooth supply of milkto Kangra.

Pathankot-Mandi highwayshut, essential services on

Our Correspondent

Palampur, March 24In view of the ongoing lock-down, the district adminis-tration has urged the resi-dents of Kangra not to stepout of their houses and pro-tect themselves from theoutbreak of Covid. Theadministration alsoappealed to the locals tocooperate with the authori-ties and follow the guide-lines of the government.

Briefing mediapersons,Palampur SDM Dharmesh

Ramotra said from Tuesdayonwards, the administrationwould introduce stringentmeasures to deal with peo-ple seen roaming aroundthe streets in violation of thegovernment orders. He saidmore police personnelwould be deployed in thefuture, if the situationdemanded. It was beingdone because back in theday, the police officials had ahard time dealing with peo-ple who failed to under-stand the importance ofhome quarantine.

Admn urges localsto follow guidelines

Our Correspondent

Nurpur, March 24Following the recommen-dation of the miningdepartment, the HimachalPradesh Electricity BoardLtd. (HPSEBL) yesterdaydisconnected the powersupply of Shivam StoneCrusher at Mand Boghar-wan in Indora subdivisionfor allegedly indulging inillegal mining activitiesbeyond the mining leasearea. The owner of the unithad been granted mininglease besides requisitepermission by the stategovernment.

The Mining Officer (MO),Nurpur, had served 15days’ notice to the owneron February 17, directinghim to suspend operationsimmediately.

In the notice, the crusherowner was accused of car-rying out mechanical min-ing with chain-mountedexcavators beyond hislegalised mining lease,absence of lease boundarypillars in the lease area,non-payment of royalty tothe state exchequer andkeeping unaccounted stockof finished minerals likesand and grit. The miningauthorities had served anotice under Rule 71 and71(A) of HP Minor MineralsRules-2015.

Neeraj Kant, MO, toldThe Tribune that the ownerof the stone crusher hadfailed to respond to thedepartment’s noticeserved on him on February17 and finally the HPSE-BL’s local authorities weretold to disconnect the pow-er supply to the unit. Hesaid the power supply tothe unit would be restoredafter recovering fine.

Power supplyto stonecrushing unitsnapped

Deserted markets of Palampurafter curfew. RAVINDER SOOD

THE TRIBUNECHANDIGARH | WEDNESDAY | 25 MARCH 2020 11NATION


Lucknow, March 24Keeping his promise of pro-viding a subsistence wageto the Covid 19- hit dailywagers, Chief Minister YogiAdityanath on Tuesdaydeposited Rs 1,000 into theaccount of 5.97 lakh suchlabourers through RealTime Gross Settlement(RTGS) transfer.

Speaking to mediaper-sons, Additional Chief Sec-retary Avanish Awasthi saidthis was just the first phaseof the transfer.

A total of 20.23 lakh con-struction workers registeredwith the Department ofLabour and another 15 lakhpeople doing odd jobs whowere identified in a statewidesurvey would soon receivethe stipend. They includecart pullers, rickshaw pullers,kiosk owners and small busi-nesses affected by the closureof markets, said Awasthi.

The state governmentwould soon provide dryration of 20-kg wheat and 15-kg rice per month to 1.65crore Antyodaya beneficiar-ies. The 84-lakh pensionholders under various cate-

gories like widow, old ageand disability pensionwould also get threemonth’s pension at one goto tide over the Covid-19 cri-sis. On the other hand,starting Wednesday thestate government wouldextend the complete lock-down to all 75 districts fromthe 17 districts facing lock-down till today.

Awasthi said the situationwould be closely monitoredby the district administra-

tion and if they find peo-ple not cooperating inmaintaining the lockdownthen imposing curfewcould not be ruled out.

Until now, 350 FIRs havebeen lodged against thosewho violated the lockdownorders in the 17 districts.

Awasthi said those foundindulging in black market-ing and hoarding would bebooked under NSA.

Appealing to people to notmove out of their houses at

any cost, Awasthi assuredthem that “Dial 112” vanswould be at their service ifpeople required anything incase of an emergency.

Awasthi admitted thataround one lakh personswho have returned to theirvillages in Uttar Pradeshduring the past few daysfrom their place of work inMaharashtra, Gujarat andelsewhere present a mas-sive challenge before thestate government.

Meanwhile, Principal Sec-retary, Health, Amit Mohansaid of the 35 Covid-19infected patients in thestate 11 have successfullyrecovered and have sincebeen discharged.

Another 68 persons aresuspected of being infectedof the disease, who areadmitted to various hospi-tals. Uttar Pradesh has 2,800isolation beds that will soonbe increased to 11,000,claimed Mohan.

UP CM releases aid for daily earnersExtends lockdown to entire state, curfew may be clamped in some areas

20.23L TO BENEFIT■ A total of 20.23 lakh con-

struction workers registeredwith the Department ofLabour and another 15 lakhpeople doing odd jobs will-soon receive the stipend

■ Cart pullers, rickshawpullers, kiosk owners andsmall businesses affectedby the closure of marketswill get the financial aid

■ As many as 84 lakh pensionholders under various cate-gories like widow, old age anddisability pension will also getthree month’s pension

Kolkata, March 24West Bengal Chief MinisterMamata Banerjee has urgedPrime Minister NarendraModi to allow states to bor-row more by raising the lim-it set under the FiscalResponsibility and BudgetManagement (FRBM) Act.

In a letter to the Prime Minis-ter today, Mamata said the“lockdowns” and closure ofbusinesses announced by vari-ous states, including West Ben-gal, to arrest the spread of Covidwould severely restrict thecapacity of states to mobiliseresources. The letter statedthat in view of the lockdowns,there could be little doubt thatthe GST collection, which con-stituted 70 per cent of thestate’s tax collection, wouldplummet this year.

Moreover, with further fallin the tax collection by theCentral Government, thedevolution of funds to statesby the Centre would also suf-fer, the letter read. She underthese inevitable and near cata-strophic fiscal parameters ofstates, she would like to requestthe PM to raise he FRBM lim-it of to at least 5 per cent oftheir GDP during the fiscalyear 2020-21. — TNS

Raise fundlimit,Mamataurges PM


New Delhi, March 24The two Central premierinvestigating agencies —CBI and ED — have askedits officials to scale downoperations and postponenon-urgent interrogationsin view novel coronaviruspandemic and follownationwide lockdown.

Both CBI and Enforce-ment Directorate haveasked their officials to beavailable on phone andavoid going out in field untilit is unavoidable, sources inthe agencies said.

It is learnt from sourcesthat the ED has specificallyasked its officers and staffmembers to work throughphone and if requiredthrough video conferenc-ing.On its part, the CBI hassent communication to itsbranch offices across thecountry asking them toimmediately suspend non-urgent interrogations tillApril 4, as it attributed theinstruction to Covid-19.

“All investigation teamsoutside their respectiveheadquarters may be

recalled with immediateeffect. Report compli-ance,” read the orderissued by the Joint Direc-tor Administration (JDA)to all units of the CBI.

CBI Director RK Shuklahas also in his message toofficers said, “Given theprevailing situation, pleaseensure the safety of allyour employees and theirfamilies as suggested byJDA. The courts areclosed.” He said all workshould wait for anotherweek and urgent commu-nication should be donethrough intra-branch What-sApp groups. As always,currently both agencies areactively probing high-pro-file cases, including YesBank cases, Nirav Modiand Mehul Choksi casesalong with several scamsinvolving business tycoonsand politicians.

CBI, ED halt probeinto bank frauds

Police personnel stop commutersin Lucknow on Tuesday. PTI

Officials have beentold to be available on

phone and avoidgoing out in field

Police personnel use an earthmover to clear the protest site at Shaheen Bagh in New Delhi on Tuesday. PTI

New Delhi, March 24People protesting against thecitizenship law at ShaheenBagh and other places wereremoved by the Delhi Policeon Tuesday morning amid theCovid lockdown in the nation-al capital, officials said.

A total of nine protesters,including six women, weredetained at Shaheen Baghand taken to a nearbypolice station, Deputy Com-missioner of Police (South-east) RP Meena said.

The agitators, mostlywomen, had been on a sit-inat the site for over threemonths to protest the newlyamended Citizenship Act.

People were requested tovacate the site. Action was tak-en when they refused to move,Meena said. About 50 protest-

ers, including men, were at thevenue. “Most of the protestersvacated the site after the policemade an appeal, but a fewrefused. So, the policedetained them,” a volunteer atthe site said. “A decision onresuming the protest will betaken after the situationcomes under control,” headded. On Sunday, duringJanata Curfew, only five

women were at the site, whileothers had left their slippers asa symbol of solidarity. Thewomen were taking all precau-tions amid the Covid outbreakand sanitisers had beenarranged at the venue toensure hygiene, the volunteersaid. Unidentified men hadhurled “inflammable sub-stance” near the site on Sun-day, but none of the five womenpresent there were injured.

Other protest sites in thenational capital, includingJafrabad in Northeast Delhi,Turkman Gate in Central Del-hi and Hauz Rani in SouthDelhi too, were cleared by thepolice. Protesters at Hauz Ranivacated the site at around 7am, said Deputy Commission-er of Police (South) AtulKumar Thakur. — PTI

Anti-CAA protesters removedfrom Shaheen Bagh, other places

~5K for daily wagersNew Delhi: Chief MinisterArvind Kejriwal here onTuesday announced pay-ment of ~5,000 to all dailywagers in the national capi-tal. “All daily wage workerswill be paid ~5,000 to dealwith the situation,” theChief Minister said. IANS

<<

FROM PAGE 1

Omar freedeight monthsafter arresttake safety measures and pro-tect themselves from Covid-19. Earlier in the day, J&KGovernment’s spokesmanRohit Kansal tweeted thatthe detention order of OmarAbdullah had been revoked.

Omar served as J&K’s ChiefMinister from 2009 till 2014.

The former CM, who wasdetained in August last yearwhen a major crackdown waslaunched in the aftermath ofthe abrogation of Article 370,said during his detention hehad “thought a lot” to talkabout political issues, butsaid he would now wait forthe pandemic to end.

“I want to give this messageto all that we should maintainsocial distancing. I will talk indetail later about what hap-pened to J&K after August 5,but first we should save our-selves from this virus,” he said.

“Around 30,000 have beenplaced under isolation. All-out efforts are being made totrace the remaining,” hesaid, adding that constantmonitoring was in progressto keep check on new trav-ellers from abroad.

The CM said DCs hadbeen asked to ensure door-to-door delivery of essen-tial commodities, such asgrocery, milk, fruits andvegetables, through pre-identified hawkers/ distrib-utors, wherever possible.

As per the new guidelines,general exemption is com-pletely barred, with novehicular movementallowed without curfewpasses. Only in case ofemergency, people may bepermitted to go on foot foressentials or to visit doctors

and nursing homes, he said.“In emergency, a resident

can call police or civil con-trol rooms to avail neces-sary essential services,”said the CM, adding thatthe police and civil admin-istration had instructionsto ensure that the citizensdo not face hardships andwere not harassed.

“Instead of blanket per-mission for opening of gro-cery shops, milk vendors,fruits and vegetable shopsand chemists, it has beendecided to allow them toopen on a rotation. so thatat any point of time atleast one shop each is openin a given area. Suchshops will also be allowedto provide door-to-doordelivery on a call,” saidCapt Amarinder.

Kids called toschools formidday meal...Education Minister KanwarPal Gujjar said action wouldbe taken against the teachersif they were found at fault.

District Elementary Educa-tion Officer Devender SinghDhull, meanwhile, said he hadnot come across any such inci-dent in Samain village, butwould take action if the chil-dren had been asked to collectthe ration from the school.

Sources said teachers insome other schools too hadasked the students to collecttheir foodgrain quota.

The Director, ElementaryEducation Department, onMarch 20 had issued instruc-tions to district elementaryeducation officers to deliverthe foodgrains and the cook-ing cost to the children attheir houses in sealed pack-ets by March 25 and hadsought a compliance report.

94,000 NRIs returnedto Punjab, says Capt

Mumbai, March 24The Mumbai police todaybusted a gang of blackmar-keteers who had hoardedface masks worth Rs 15 crorefor sale at inflated prices.

According to the police,sleuths from the crime branchwere tipped off about the gangthat had hoarded face masks,including those of N95 variety,meant for healthcare personnel.

“The gang was planning toexport these to foreign coun-tries apart from selling thesein the local market,” state

Home Minister Anil Desh-mukh told reporters today.

In all, over 25 lakh maskswere seized. The cheap two-ply

single use mask costing Rs 2was to be sold for Rs 25 each tounsuspecting people, Desh-mukh said. The police said thecrime branch first seized morethan 3 lakh N95 masks from agodown near the air-cargo divi-sion of the Mumbai airport.

Following interrogation ofMihir Darshan Patel, a cus-toms agent, who had stashedthe masks with the intentionof exporting those abroad,more than 22 lakh maskswere seized from a godown inBhiwandi. — TNS

Gang of mask hoarders busted 25L PIECES SEIZED■ Over 25 lakh masks were

seized from blackmarke-teers that they intended tosell at inflated prices

■ The state Home Ministersaid the gang was plan-ning to export theseabroad apart from sellingin the local market

Aditi TandonTribune News Service

New Delhi, March 24As Covid-19 cases surged to519 on Tuesday with 10deaths, India braced toenter the community trans-mission stage of the diseasewhere people without travelhistory to affected nationswill begin to get infected,overwhelming the healthsystems and reportingpotentially high mortality.

PM Narendra Modi orderedcomplete national lockdownfor three weeks starting mid-night Tuesday as the countryprepared to flatten the curve ofviral transmission to reducecases as and when Indiaenters the critical third stage,where the virus will start trans-mitting in the community.

As of Tuesday night, Indiawas at stage 2 of transmissionwhere all confirmed cases havea travel history to other affected

countries or a direct contactwith them. India has man-aged to delay communitytransmission stage to 54 daysnow since seeing its firstCovid case on January 30.

Italy, the worst affected in the

world, entered communitytransmission stage in 39 days ofthe first case and the US in 43days. “We have used a mix ofearly passenger screening, sur-veillance and social distancingto stay at stage 2 so far but we

have to prepare ahead which iswhy a complete lockdown hasbeen ordered to prevent peoplefrom mixing and infectingone another,” NITI Aayogmember VK Paul said. TheICMR has already estimated in

a study that community trans-mission stage can be delayedbut not stopped.

With the inevitable staringIndia in the face, the CabinetSecretary today wrote to statechief secretaries asking them toearmark hospitals for manag-ing Covid patients. Eight stateshave so far notified such hospi-tals. These are Gujarat, Assam,Jharkhand, Rajasthan, Goa,Karnataka, Madhya Pradeshand Jammu and Kashmir.

“The Cabinet Secretarysought 100 per cent enforce-ment of curfew and said partiallockdowns will defeat the objec-tive of breaking the chain ofviral transmission. States weretold to step up surveillance andcontact tracing of the infectedbesides organising rapidresponse teams in each district.All Covid hospitals must havefacilities needed to managepatients,” said Health MinistryJoint Secretary Lav Agarwal.

Still at local transmission stage of CovidASSURANCE ON VENTILATORS, MASKSThe Cabinet Secretary on Tuesday held a meeting withDRDO and Bharat Electrical Limited leaders to scale uplocal production of ventilators. Both theseestablishments will work on a ventilator prototypedeveloped by AIIMS, New Delhi, to see if it can be usedfor Covid management. The Cabinet Secretary alsoassured adequate supplies of protective equipmentand masks for healthcare workers saying localproduction and procurement was being ramped up andstates had been asked to place advance orders

STAGES OF DISEASEStage 1 (imported cases only):Nations on stage 1 are theones where all cases havebeen acquired outside thelocation of reportingStage 2 (local transmission):Where the source of infectionis within the reporting locationwith imported cases plus cas-es involving those infectedfrom direct contact withimported casesStage 3 (community trans-mission): Where the infection isreported in people without histo-ry of travel to infected locationsor direct contact with such casesStage 4 (epidemic): Signifiedby very high mortality

BID TO KEEP STAGE 3 AT BAYGovt has used screening, surveillance andsocial distancing measures to successfullydelay community transmission stage of thedisease for 54 days since India saw its 1stcase on Jan 30; Italy reached this stage in39 days, US in 43 days

Maha villagers barentry of migrantsMumbai, March 24Amid Covid scare, residentsof various villages in ruralMaharashtra have barredthe entry of migrantsreturning from cities likeMumbai, Pune, Thane,Pimpri and Chinchwad.

"Residents of villages areunder pressure from theirneighbours not to allowtheir relatives to returnhome," a police official from

Jalna district in the state'sarid Marathwada regionsaid. Men and women fromthe region migrate to workin Mumbai, Pune, Thane,Nashik and other cities.However, with the Maha-rashtra Government shut-ting down businesses aspart of a nationwide lock-down against Covid, themigrants are returninghome. — TNS

He said these 21 days couldmake or break this fight and “ifwe do not control (the pandem-ic), the country can be pushedback by 21 years, some familieswill be devastated. Forget goingout, stay at home…do not vio-late the Lakshman Rekha atyour doorstep”, the PM Modisaid, appealing to the citizenswith folded hands.

The PM said as per WorldHealth Organisation esti-mates, one person withCovid-19 infection couldspread it to thousands. Aninfected person may appearnormal initially as symptomstake several days to manifest,he warned. Citing statisticson the geometric progressionof the disease, he said if theworld touched 1 lakh cases in67 days, the count would

reach 2 lakh cases in 11 daysand 3 lakh in four days.

The governments, bothCentre and state, he saidwould accord priority tohealthcare and were shoringup testing facilities, personalprotection equipment, isola-tion beds, intensive careunits, ventilators and otherequipment. The Centre hadearmarked Rs 15,000 crore tomeet this health challenge.

PM Modi said while theJanata Curfew demonstratedthe collective resolve of the cit-

izens, experience of the pasttwo days during lockdown inseveral parts of the countryshowed people were not takingit very seriously and if thistrend continued, India wouldhave to pay a very heavy price.Thanking everyone — doctors,nurses paramedics, supportstaff, pathologists, lab techni-cal staff, ambulance drivers,health workers, the police, law-enforcing agencies and themedia — he urged the citizensto exercise utmost restraintduring this period of trial.

1.3 bn Indians under21-day lockdown

As per WHO estimates, one person with Covid-19infection can spread it to thousands. An infected personmay appear normal initially as symptoms take severaldays to manifest — Narendra Modi, PRIME MINISTER

❝‘ONE CAN SPREAD IT TO THOUSANDS’

Salary worries:Pb, Hry say will...Dr BS Dhillon, VC, PAU, saidthey would release the salaryof employees on time afterthey received the grant fromthe state government. Therecould be a problem for privatesector employees, especiallythose in small and mediumenterprises and even those ininformal jobs. Most compa-nies make cash payments,and a lockdown would makepaying salaries impossible.

Industry sources say manyindustrialists had already toldthe contractual staff that salarieswould be only for the days theyhad worked. In Haryana, gov-ernment sources said allemployees would get theirsalaries on time. TVSN Prasad,Additional Chief Secretary,Finance Department, Haryana,said, “We have an online sys-tem of treasury in Haryanawhich is centralised. The draw-ing and disbursing officers willpresent salary bills online.”

THE TRIBUNE12 CHANDIGARH | WEDNESDAY | 25 MARCH 2020NATION


New Delhi, March 24The Railways on Tuesdayreminded the county aboutthe seriousness of the Covid-19 virus, saying it neverstopped, even during the war.“Please understand the seri-ousness of the circumstances.Stay at home,” it said.

Railways has suspendedpassenger trains and is oper-ating only freight trains, mak-ing effort to ensure availabili-ty of essential commoditiesthrough its uninterruptedfreight services. Even in thewar time, Railways haven’tstopped passenger trains.

During the situation of lock-down in several states, staffdeployed at various goodsheds, stations and controloffices are working on a 24/7basis to ensure that the supplyof essential items for thenation does not gets affected.

In its statement today, theRailways said that on March23, a total of 474 rakes wereloaded for essential com-modities like food grains, salt,edible oil, sugar, milk, fruits& vegetables, onion, coal and

petroleum products.During the day, it also

loaded 121 rakes of iron ore,48 rakes of steel, 25 rakes ofcement, 28 rakes of fertiliserand 106 rakes of containers.

The demurrage andwharfage rates for goods andparcel have been halved tillMarch 31. An emergencyfreight control room is work-ing in the ministry. Also theRailways, in consultation with

Production Units & ZonalRailway workshops, has decid-ed to use the manufacturingfacilities of its production unit,like Chittaranjan Loco Works,Chittaranjan; Integral CoachFactory, Chennai; Rail CoachFactory, Kapurthala; DieselLoco Works, Varanasi; RailWheel Factory, Yelehanka, tomanufacture essential itemswhich can be utilised for thetreatment of affected people.

The Railway Board hasissued necessary instructionsto general managers of theseproduction units to explore thefeasibility of manufacture ofitems like simple hospitalbeds, medical trolleys for hos-pitals and quarantine facilities,IV stands, stretchers, hospitalfootsteps, hospital bedsidelockers, washbasins withstands, ventilators, masks,sanitisers and water tanks.

Didn’t stop services evenduring war, says Railways

The Patna railway station wears a deserted look in Bihar on Tuesday. PTI

Transportation of tonnes of foodgrain, other essential items in full swing

New Delhi, March 24The Army has intensifiedmeasures to combat the out-break/spread of Covid inJammu and Kashmir byestablishing multiple tele-phone helplines to provideinformation and assistance.

There have been a series offake social media uploads, cre-ating panic among people. Tothis effect, the Army has beenundertaking intense aware-ness campaigns, updating thepublic with all relevant infor-mation during this pandemicthrough various platforms.

These initiatives are meant toensure that individuals do notbecome unwitting carriers ofthe virus and are well-informedabout the various preventivemeasures to be adopted.

Srinagar residents can reachout for help on 0194-2467326,residents of other districts canseek assistance throughhelplines at Baramulla (0195-2238826), Kupwara (0195-5252996), Shalateng (0194-2496618), Awantipura(0193-3247087), Nagrota (0191254 7896), Akhnoor (0192 4254244), Rajouri (0196 226 2477),Batote (0199 824 4361), Palma(0196 226 1503), Reasi (0199 1245319) and Narian (0196 023 0026).The helplines will be active 24x7to address general questionsand concerns. — TNS

Army rampsup efforts tofight virus

NewDelhi, March 24The government today cau-tioned people at large to remainalert against cyber treat andbeware of frauds in the name ofCovid, as malwares in thename of coronavirus are in cir-culation. The Ministry of HomeAffairs stated, “Suchapps/links, if opened, may stealconfidential data from yourphone/computer.”

“Some cyber fraudsters arecirculating a malware linkabout a so-called coronavisusapp like Spymax, CoronaLive 1.1 etc, which, whenopened, steals confidentialdata from the receiver’sphone or computer. Cybercriminals are also takingadvantage of rising coron-avirus concern for collectingcharity, it added. — TNS

MHA warnspeople againstCovid fraud

Vijay MohanTribune News Service

Chandigarh, March 24The reduction in the staffstrength in government officesto contain the Covid-19 out-break will not affect the pay-ment of defence pensions or theissue of new payment orders forthose retiring this month.

The payment of pensionfor the month of March 2020,issue of pension paymentorders (PPO) for personnelretiring on March 31 and theissue of the PPO in case ofdeath have been listed asessential services in ordersissued by the ControllerGeneral of DefenceAccounts on March 23.

As part of the measuresbeing implemented to miti-

gate the spread of Covid, theDefence Accounts Depart-ment as well as other gov-ernment departments arerequired to function with askeletal staff on a rotationalbasis from March 23 toMarch 31.

The orders, however, makeit clear that essential work ofthe department is not to beaffected by reduction in staff.Pay and allowances, accountsand budget, payments, IT

and computer systems andpension sanction have beenlisted as essential services.

Meanwhile, members of theEx-servicemen ContributoryHealth Scheme (ECHS) whoare undergoing long-termtreatment for lifestyle dis-eases have been allowed topurchase medicines fromany chemist shop instead ofgoing to the ECHS polyclinic.

A circular issued by theECHS Central Organisation

yesterday states that veter-ans can purchase theirmonthly quota of all medi-cines for April as per theirprescription and they will bereimbursed for it after May15. This has been done keep-ing in view the guidelines onsocial distancing issued bythe World Health Organisa-tion and check crowding atthe ECHS polyclinics.

Veterans have also beenadvised to avoid visiting poly-clinics except in case of anemergency. Routine medicalexamination, blood pressurechecks and physiotherapyhave been suspended atsome places. Strict proce-dures have also been laiddown for dealing with dentaland oral disorders.

Listed as essential service, defencepensions for March not to be affected


New Delhi, March 24Amid the Covid scare, afresh Western Disturbancehas again brought fairlywidespread to widespreadrainfall/snowfall with gust-ing winds to the WesternHimalayan region, spellingmore trouble for farmers.Rabi crops across manyparts of North India, includ-ing Punjab, Haryana andRajasthan, have witnessedheavy damage due to repeat-ed spells of heavy unseason-al rains accompanied byhailstorm and strong windsthis month.

According to the IMD, sameweather — widespread towidespread rainfall/snowfallwith thunderstorm accompa-nied with lightening, hail and

gusty wind (30-40 kmph) —can be expected in Jammu,Kashmir, Ladakh, Gilgit andBaltistan, Punjab, Haryana,Chandigarh and Delhi, WestUttar Pradesh on Wednesdayas well. During the next 24hours, rain activities willincrease in plains of theregion, it is expected.

Generally, weather takes theturn around the festival of Holior around February-end orbeginning of March. However,spelling bad news for farmers,snow, rains and winds havebeen affecting hills and plainsof the Northwest, includingplains of the region — Punjab,Haryana and Delhi — for mostpart of March.

The Western Disturbancehitting lower latitudes at thistime of the year is unusual,say meteorologists. Accord-

ing to Mahesh Palawat of pri-vate forecaster Skymet, it isnot the first time this type ofweather has been experi-enced in March, but it isunusual. Generally, WDsretreat to higher latitudes byFebruary-end but this yearthey are continuing to affectthe region through March.

As per reports, India regis-tered over 80 per centincrease in rainfall in the firsttwo weeks of March the bruntof which was borne by wheatand mustard producingstates like Punjab, Haryana,Uttar Pradesh andRajasthan. Punjab has beenthe worst hit followed byHaryana, Rajasthan andUttar Pradesh, say farmerswho are now demandingcompensation for damages tostanding crops.

Western Disturbance spellsweather worries for farmers


New Delhi, March 24Though India has extendedthe visas of all foreigners tillApril 15, several countrieshave approached India topermit special flights fortheir evacuation. Sourcessaid requests have beenmade by almost a dozencountries and India will beworking out reciprocalarrangements so that it canalso bring back its nationalsfrom some of these countries.

The UK is exploring thepossibility of India makingan exception in its one-weekclosure of all internationalflights to bring back itsnationals. The Indian gov-ernment is being requestedby a substantial Indian stu-dent community in the UKfor a passage back home asmany of them are runningout of money and are fearfulof the situation there turningfor the worse.

Malaysia, Germany, Franceand Ukraine too have put out

similar feelers while there areIndians in these countrieswanting to return.

Afghanistan in particularis looking for a big helpinghand from India to takeback 2,500 of its nationals,many of them having comehere for medical tourismand religious tourism whentravel restrictions cameinto effect.

So far, India has broughtback some 2,000 of its nation-als from four countries —China, Italy, Iran and Japan.

Several countries urge India forspecial flights to evacuate citizens

Aeroplanes on runway as all the flights stand cancelled after lockdown in Mumbai on Tuesday. PTI

Mumbai, March 24 A 42-year-old Bangladeshinational, wanted in connec-tion with three blasts at amosque in Bangladesh in2002, has been arrested fromNavi Mumbai in Maharashtra,the police said on Tuesday.

Acting on a tip-off, thecrime branch of neighbour-ing the Thane police arrestedMophajjal Hussain, aliasMopha Ali Gazi, aliasMaphizul Mandal, hailingfrom Satkhira in Khulnastate of Bangladesh, fromCidco bus stop on Thursdaywhile he was trying to go toTurbhe in Navi Mumbai, anofficial said. He was stayingin Turbhe for a few monthsdoing odd jobs there.

He was involved in thecrude bomb blasts, one insideand two outside a mosque inBangladesh, Thane crimebranch police inspector NitinThakre said. One person waskilled and many othersinjured in the triple blast,which took place at Ilispur inthe jurisdiction of Colarua

police station, he said. Hus-sain had lost his right handwhen the crude bomb explod-ed while he was placing it out-side the mosque, he said.

He was subsequentlyarrested and awarded lifeimprisonment by a court.However, he was later grant-ed bail on medical groundsand released in 2004 follow-ing which he absconded andsneaked into India from theborder along West Bengalwhere he did some petty jobs.He later came to Mumbai andwas working at some con-struction sites in the metrop-olis and Navi Mumbai, hesaid. Efforts for his repatria-tion are under way. — PTI

B’desh mosque blastaccused held in Maha


New Delhi, March 24As courts across the countrygo into near lockdown due tothe Covid outbreak, the BarCouncil of India (BCI) onTuesday urged the PrimeMinister and Chief Minis-ters to provide at least Rs20,000 monthly allowance toyoung and financially weaklawyers adversely affectedby the pandemic.

“There are only a handful of10 per cent advocates in thecountry who can be comfort-ably stated to be in a positionto survive and subsist with-out any earning during thistime of crisis,” BCI chairmanManan Kumar Mishra said ina letter addressed to thePrime Minister and ChiefMinisters of all states.

Noting that the advocate fra-ternity has no social security,Mishra said if anything hap-pened to a lawyer, “thenhis/her family may be forced tolead a pitiful life, full of depri-vation and starvation as most

of or brother and sisters of thefraternity are the sole or chunkbread-earners of their families,including wife, husband, chil-dren and aged parents.”

“The PM is requested toallocate such funds and pro-vide assistance to the advo-cates directly through thestate governments and/oralso direct the latter to do theneedful, and/or the Centreand the state governmentsmay join hands together forthis cause and may providefor the same jointly anddirectly through the stategovernments, or transfer nec-essary funds to the AdvocatesWelfare Fund of each StateBar Council,” the letter read.

BCI seeks ~20K monthlyaid for young lawyers

Dhaka, March 24 India on Tuesday asked itsstudents studying inBangladesh not to panicand stay at their hostelsafter their colleges wereshut due to the outbreak ofthe Covid pandemic thathas left over 16,500 peopledead worldwide.

The Indian Government’sadvice came amid reportsthat 70 Kashmiri studentsstudying in Dhaka arestranded at Benaport, theborder area between Indiaand Bangladesh, after theircolleges were shut. The out-break of the pandemic hasforced the government to puttravel restrictions.

“If you stay safe, we canbreak the chain. We are hereto help you. Our helplines areavailable 24x7. Please call usat 00880255067371 or00880255067372,” the IndianHigh Commission in Dhakatweeted. Around 7,000 to10,000 Kashmiri youth arereportedly study inBangladesh. — PTI

In Bangladesh,Indians told tostay in hostels

There are only ahandful of 10% advocatesin the country who can bestated to be in a comfortableposition to survive andsubsist without any earningduring this time of crisis.Manan Kumar Mishra, CHAIRMAN, BCI

❝ Triple blasts in 2002Mophajjal Hussain is said tohave triggered crude bombblasts, one inside and twooutside a mosque inBangladesh that killed a per-son and left many othersinjured in 2002. He too losthis right hand in the blast.

ECHS TO REIMBURSE FOR APRIL MEDICINES ■ Ex-servicemen Contributory Health Scheme (ECHS) mem-

bers have been allowed to purchase medicines from anychemist shop instead of going to the ECHS polyclinic.

■ They can purchase their monthly quota of medicines forApril as per their prescription and they will be reim-bursed for it after May 15.

New Delhi, March 24A preliminary study of Covid-19 progression trends acrossthe world by researchers atthe Massachusetts Instituteof Technology (MIT) hasshown that much lesser caseswere seen in hotter zones.

Qasim Bukhari and YusufJameel of MIT in an earlytrends research on the pan-demic concluded that moreresearch should be done con-clusively establish the impactof higher temperatures andhumidity on disease trends.

MIT study indicates that asmany as 90 per cent of the2019-nCoV transmissions untilMarch 22 occurred in regionswith temperature between 3 °Cand 17 °C and absolute humid-ity between 4 to 9g/m3 (gramsper cubic metre).

“The total number of cases incountries with mean Jan-Feb-early March temperature morethan 18 °C and absolute humid-ity of over 9 g/m3 is less than 6per cent,” say the authors.

The novel coronavirus (2019-nCoV) has spread rapidly toseveral countries and has beendeclared a pandemic by theWorld Health Organisation.

As of Tuesday night the dis-ease had been reported by189 nations, an unprecedent-ed scale, with 334,981 con-firmed cases and 14,652deaths worldwide. — TNS

Warm areashave low Covidcases: Study

Women with umbrellas on a deserted road after a mild shower in New Delhi on Tuesday. PTI

ZOOS FACE HARDSHIP IN ARRANGING FOOD FOR ANIMALSNew Delhi: A large number of zoos across the country havebeen facing “severe hardships” in arranging food and drinkingwater for animals due to the restrictions imposed for contain-ment of the novel coronavirus, the Central Zoo Authority said onTuesday. The authority, a statutory body of the Ministry of Envi-ronment, Forest and Climate Change, has now written to statesand Union Territories to specify supply of food and drinking water,and upkeep and health care of captive animals in zoos as“essential services” to exempt them from the restrictions. PTI

PUNE FIRM DEVELOPS TESTING KIT FOR VIRUSMumbai: In what may go down as an important solution inIndia’s fight against Covid, Pune-based Mylabs Discovery Solu-tions has created an indigenous solution to test patients, whichcan halve the time taken for results. “The molecular diagnosticcompany, which received statutory approvals late on Mondayfrom the authorities, can manufacture over 15,000 testing kitsper day from its facility at Lonavala in Pune district and the samewill be ramped up to 25,000 kits per day,” its co-founder ShrikantPatole said. Patole said the company was able to shorten the testtime to 2.5 hours with the “Mylab PathoDetect COVID-19 Qualita-tive PCR kit” as against the prevalent six to eight hours. PTI

BIRDS OF A FEATHER: Pigeons seen at the deserted JalebiChowk during the lockdown in Jaipur, Rajasthan, on Tuesday. PTI

VIRUS TRAIL

Jodhpur (Raj), March 24Inmates at the Central Jailhere began a sit-in on Tuesdaydemanding their release onbail so that they don’t catchthe coronavirus infection inthe “overcrowded” prison.

The dharna follows a letteraddressed Friday to Chief Jus-tice of India SA Bobde in which

the jail inmates argued thattheir confinement violated thesocial distancing protocol need-ed to fight coronavirus.

Jail superintendent KailashTrivedi confirmed that theprotest was on but called it anattempt by the inmates to getout of prison on the pretext ofthe virus outbreak. — PTI

Fearful prisoners seek bail

THE TRIBUNE CHANDIGARH | WEDNESDAY | 25 MARCH 2020

13|BUSINESS GOLD

~41,541Mumbai

SILVER

~39,861Mumbai

USD EURO POUND JPY YUAN CAD AUD SGD HKD~75.94 ~82.48 ~89.27 ~0.68 ~10.79 ~52.64 ~44.91 ~52.46 ~9.79

BSE

692.7926,674.03

NSE

190.087,801.05

Vijay C RoyTribune News Service

Chandigarh, March 24With the Covid-19 outbreakexpected to unleash eco-nomic ramifications, corpo-rates are gearing up toaddress and mitigate itsimpact. Companies such asLudhiana-based HeroCycles, State Bank of India,Axis Bank, JK Tyres andGoAir have announcedmeasures to address andmitigate its impact on part-ners, employees and thecommunity at large.

Hero Cycles todayannounced it is settingaside Rs 100 crore as a con-tingency fund. The fundwill be put to use as andwhen required to mitigatethe impact of Covid-19 situ-ation on employees, suppli-ers, customers and commu-nities across India. Theorganisation has alsoreached out to the govern-ments in states where it hasmajor facilities — Punjab,Bihar and Uttar Pradesh —to extend any help requiredby authorities in address-ing the crisis.

The company has also setup an Emergency Monitor-ing Cell headed by Chair-man Pankaj M Munjal tomonitor the economic reper-cussions of the pandemicand its impact on the organ-isational supply chains.“The Emergency Monitor-ing Cell is overseeing the

planning of supply chainresumption as and when thesituation normalises, med-ical support for employeesand their families, and sup-port for communitiesaround key manufacturingfacilities,” said Pankaj MMunjal, Chairman, HMC, aHero Motors Company.

Earlier, Punjab-based Tri-dent and Sonalika Groupalso announced that therewill be no deduction in payor wages of workers duringthe holidays or slowdowneffected to contain theCovid threat.

Further, country’s largestlender State Bank of Indiahas announced to commit0.25% of its annual profit(FY 2019-20) to fight Covid-19 outbreak situation in

India. The fund used tofight Covid pandemic willbe spent from CSR funds.

The bank will use thisfund for various activitiesrelated to Covid-19, mainlyto support health care forunderprivileged people incooperation with health-care professionals andindustry. Some of the ini-tiatives will centre aroundpromotion of healthcare,including preventivehealthcare and sanitationand disaster management.

Also, in view of the evolv-ing situation around thespread of Covid-19 in com-munities, Axis Bank has setaside Rs 100 crore to sup-port customers, employees,vendors, government agen-cies and the community at

large towards curbing thespread of coronavirus.Moreover, the bank hasdecided to waive chargesfor savings account, currentaccount and pre-paid cardcustomers (wherever appli-cable) towards online IMPSand ATM financial and non-financial transactions, forthe period March 23 toMarch 31, 2020 (both daysinclusive).

Having taken steps forsafety and welfare of itsemployees and their fami-lies, the chairman andwhole-time directors of JKTyre have taken a voluntarycut in their salary by 25%.The other senior manage-ment personnel have alsotaken a voluntary reductionin their salary by 15-20%.

ILLUSTRATION: SANDEEP JOSHI

Corporates gear up tomitigate impact of CovidSet aside funds to deal with repercussions of pandemic

Ishwar Grewal

THE recent global sell-off due to Covid-19has spread its tenta-

cles across the globe, wipingout an enormous amount ofinvestor wealth in India andabroad, the losses increas-ing by the day. The BSESensex, which made an all-time high of 42,273 on Janu-ary 20 this year, plunged to ayearly low of 26,714 onMarch 19, which amounts toa fall of nearly 36%. Equitymutual fund NAVs haveplummeted, a major bankhas gone bust leaving theirAT1 bondholders in thelurch, many promotershave lost control of theircompanies as their pledgedshares had to be sold in theopen market bylenders/institutions/banksto recover their dues.

This brutish fall in thestock markets accompaniedby fulfilling margin calls bybrokers has led to smallinvestors nearly selling outtheir portfolios with hugelosses. The fear of stockprices falling further maybe accentuated by yetanother rude shock thatmay follow suit – a drasticcut in dividends by corpo-rates and mutual funds inthe next financial year.

Credit agencies have down-graded bonds and financialinstruments issued by cor-porates, increasing thestress on the already over-stressed banking system.

Non-performing assets ofNBFCs and banks are goingto skyrocket, affecting fur-ther lending to the micro,small and medium enter-prises. Although recentlySEBI has taken measures toreduce short selling by hik-ing margin requirements forboth the cash segment andthe futures & options, how-ever, I personally feel thesepenalties and measuresbrought about by SEBI arenot stringent enough to stemthe tide of massive short sell-ing that is going on.

As a long-term investor, Iwould urge the Governmentand various other policy-making institutions to con-sider the proposals givenbelow to bring back the ani-mal spirit in the economyand the stock market:

Revoke tax on LTCGThe government’s collec-tion from long-term capitalgains is miniscule in afalling market. If this isdone, sentiment will drasti-cally improve. Paperworkregarding grandfatheringof gains will reduce enor-

mously. Initially, SecuritiesTransaction Tax (STT) wasintroduced in lieu of LTCG.Operating both at the sametime is a double whammyfor investors concerned.

Rationalise DDTFrom FY 20-21 the inci-dence of dividend distribu-tion tax (DDT) will fall onthe investor as per hisincome tax slab and not onthe company which waspaying DDT at a rate of20.35%. Earlier, an investorpaid DDT @10% above Rs10 lakh, now he will have topay DDT as per his income

tax slab. Hence, at the high-est slab, including sur-charge and cess, an investorwill be paying DDT @43%.If the DDT could be fixed ata flat rate of 15% or 20%, itwould bring a big relief tothe investor communityand encourage promoters todistribute more out ofretained earnings as divi-dends to shareholders.

Reduce buyback taxCurrently, a company whichbuys back its own shares fromthe shareholders is taxed@20%. To encourage corpo-rates to reward shareholders

in times of falling shareprices, buyback tax shouldbe reduced, not only will itenhance corporate earningsbut should also have a posi-tive impact on the exchequer.

Promote investment in NPSThe government shouldencourage investors toinvest in the National Pen-sion System as they canalso avail of certain incometax deductions attached toit. This is very essential forbuilding up a corpus foryoung investors and secur-ing a pension for them-selves after the age of 60.

Don’t emulate the WestThe Government shouldnot emulate the high taxrate structure of the West,as the investors there havesocial security and med-ical insurance to fall backon whereas they are sadlylacking in India. Hence,the tax rates in the Westand in India are not com-parable at all.

A concerted effort by RBIto bring down interest rates,a stimulus package by theGovernment keeping inview the demands of varioussectors of the economy,checking malpractices inthe capital market by creditagencies/SEBI should augurwell and restore growth andinvestor confidence.

The black swan beingCovid-19 is a medicalpandemic which can leadto an economic catastro-phe, probably the worstthe world has seen sinceWorld War II. I am hope-ful there is light at theend of the tunnel buthope it is not from anoncoming fast train! Thewaiting is over. The timeto act has come.

The author, 40, is an indi-vidual investor with 22

years of experience in stockmarkets. The views

expressed are personal.

Market freefall: Time for RBI, govt to act

Mumbai, March 24 A day after suffering theirbiggest single-day collapse,benchmarks Sensex andNifty on Tuesday staged asharp recovery in line withglobal markets as investorsheld out hopes that meas-ures by governments acrossthe world will offset the eco-nomic damage caused bythe coronavirus pandemic.

The BSE gauge Sensexclosed 692.79 points higherat 26,674.03, after a highlyvolatile trading session.The index swung between ahigh of 27,462.87 and a lowof 25,638.90 during the day.

Likewise, the NSE barom-eter Nifty settled 190.80points up at 7,801.05.

Both Sensex and Niftyhad suffered their worst-ever single-session drop inhistory on Monday. Indiceshad closed with up to 13%plunge.

On Tuesday, Indian equi-ties followed an improved

investor sentiment in Asiaafter the Federal Reserveannounced limitless bond-buying programme to sup-port the US economy.

Top gainers in the Sensex

pack included Infosys,Bajaj Finance, HUL, Maru-ti, HCL Tech and RelianceIndustries; while M&M,IndusInd Bank, ITC, Pow-erGrid and L&T were

among the losers.Sectorally, BSE IT, teck,

energy, FMCG, auto,bankex, finance and metalindices advanced up to6.95%.

While realty, capital goodsand basic materials indicesended up to 2.01% lower.

In the broader market,BSE midcap and smallcapindices rose up to 1.56%.

“Market seemed to breathea sigh of relief today after thecrash yesterday, in sync withthe global markets. In addi-tion to the huge relief pack-age by the US Fed yesterday,there were also expectationsof a fiscal package by thegovernment,” Vinod Nair,Head of Research at GeojitFinancial Services, said.

The market came off itshighs after no significantannouncements by thefinance minister and thefact that the economicpackage was still in devel-opment. — PTI

Markets rebound tracking globalpeers amid steps to fight Covid

STAGE SHARP RECOVERY■ The BSE Sensex closed

692.79 points higher at26,674.03, after a highlyvolatile trading session. Theindex swung between a highof 27,462.87 and a low of25,638.90 during the day

■ Likewise, the NSE barome-ter Nifty settled 190.80points up at 7,801.05

■ Both Sensex and Nifty hadsuffered their worst-ever sin-gle-session drop in history onMonday. Indices had closedwith up to 13% plunge

■ Top gainers in the Sensexpack included Infosys, BajajFinance, HUL, Maruti, HCLTech and Reliance Indus-tries; while M&M, IndusIndBank, ITC, PowerGrid and L&T were among the losers

.


New Delhi, March 24The industry has welcomedFinance Minister NirmalaSitharaman’s relaxation instatutory and regulatorycompliance matters relatedto several sectors.

“I appreciate the interven-tions announced by theFinance Minister to boost thespirit of industry, in the back-ground of the global coron-avirus pandemic. Extension ofthe last date for availing themuch appreciated ‘Vivad seVishwas Scheme’is a welcomemove, and it will go a long wayin boosting the economy in thishour of crisis,” said CII DirectorGeneral Chandrajit Banerjee.

Assocham president Niran-jan Hiranandani said the hikein default threshold limitunder the Insolvency andBankruptcy Code will greatlyhelp companies where mattersare before NCLT. “The statuto-ry obligations’ relief for com-panies makes for a good start-ing point for the economicrevival curve, especially forthe MSMEs,” he said.

Industry hailssteps taken by FinMin

Kolkata, March 24 Banks are likely to face signif-icant defaults in payment andmiss internal targets as moreand more states announcelockdowns in the wake of thecoronavirus pandemic, seniorofficials of a number oflenders said on Tuesday.

Bankers are also expectingthe Reserve Bank of India(RBI) to come out with a for-bearance package so thataccounts are not classified asNPAs for the next few years.

“There should be someforbearance on account ofcash flow mismatch. Therewill be many defaults in theMSME, retail and relatedsectors,” a senior UnitedBank of India official said.

“We are expecting the RBIto come out with such apackage so that accountsare not categorised as NPAsfor at least the next twoyears,” he said.

Prior to the virus out-break, the state-run lender,

which is set to be mergedwith PNB, was in profits.

“We wanted to close thefinancial year with a busi-ness figure of Rs 2.18 lakhcrore. But because of thisdevelopment, there will bea shortfall,” the official said.

On UBI’s realisationfrom the resolution processthrough the Insolvencyand Bankruptcy Code(IBC), he said the bank’sexposure to Bhushan Pow-er was Rs 800 crore. — PTI

Banks brace for paymentdefaults, missed targets

New Delhi, March 24 Hindustan Unilever Limit-ed (HUL) on Tuesdaybecame the third most val-ued firm by market capital-isation, helped by jump inits share price.

The company’s scripclimbed 8.34 per cent toclose at Rs 2,028.75 on the

BSE. During the trade, itadvanced 10.66 per cent toRs 2,072.30.

The FMCG major’s mar-ket valuation rose by Rs33,817.07 crore to Rs4,39,188.07 crore, helping ittake the third rank in the listof top companies by marketcapitalisation (m-cap).

On Monday, HULinformed the BSE that ithas signed an agreementwith Glenmark Pharmaceu-ticals to acquire its intimatehygiene brand ‘VWash’.

HUL was followed byHDFC Bank at fourth rankin the list, with a valuation ofRs 4,19,718.16 crore. — PTI

HUL 3rd most-valued firm

New Delhi, March 24 E-commerce giant AmazonIndia on Tuesday said it hastemporarily stopped takingorders and disabled ship-ment of low-priority prod-ucts as it focuses on deliveryof essential items likehousehold staples, hygieneand other high-priorityproducts amid the country-wide lockdown to fight thespread of coronavirus.

The company, in a blogpost,said these changes are effec-tive from Tuesday and that itwill reach out to customerswhose orders of low-priorityproducts are pending.

They will be given achoice to cancel their

order and receive arefund for prepaid items,it added.

“...we are seeing anincreased demand for pri-ority products and impor-tant services. To serve ourcustomers’ most urgentneeds while also ensuringsafety of our employees, weare temporarily prioritisingour available fulfilmentand logistics capacity toserve products that are cur-rently critical for our cus-tomers such as householdstaples, packaged food,health care, hygiene, per-sonal safety and other highpriority products,” the blog-post said. — PTI

Amazon halts ordersof low-priority items

Employees wearing face masks work on an assembly line at an auto plant of Dongfeng Honda inWuhan in China’s central Hubei province on Tuesday. AFP

Output resumes in Wuhan

Mumbai, March 24 The liquor industry is join-ing hands with state govern-ments to fight the coron-avirus pandemic bymanufacturing and supply-ing hand sanitisers. The coro-navirus pandemic has led to ahigh demand for sanitisers ashand washing is an effectiveway to keep the infection away.Firms like Diageo and RadicoKhaitan have decided to stopbottling alcohol at some oftheir plants and instead makehand sanitisers. — PTI

Liquor firmsto makesanitisers

Dr Michael Sinclair, a con-sultant psychologist, says“It is understandable thereshould be a level of con-cern. Our minds evolvedfrom cave ancestors to wor-ry: we focus on doom andgloom, we chew it over inour brain and we learn newsurvival skills. That is ourmind just doing what it ismeant to do.”

Control your thoughts“Listen to what your mindsays is there and then lookat the evidence for what isreally there,” says Dr Sin-clair. “We need to recog-nise that it is often a storyour mind is telling us, notthe reality.

Don’t ignore stress symptoms “Sometimes we can makeourselves feel unwell (andlike we might have some-thing like coronavirus)through panic and anxiety –those signs; shortness ofbreath and heart racing,”says Dr Sinclair. “But whenthis happens, instead of try-ing to immediately eradi-cate or ignore those feel-ings, make space for them,describe them as you expe-rience them.”

Keep record of your worriesElizabeth Turp from theBritish Association forCounselling and Psy-chotherapy says you can dosomething practical – some-

thing you can control – tohelp express anxiety. “Allowyourself to worry, put itdown in writing in a note-book, and then put thataway. Once you’ve written itdown, let it go,” she says.

Limit exposure to new infoPsychotherapist SilvaNeves says if you’re strug-gling to cope you don’thave to keep watching livenews, have notificationsturned on or use socialmedia, instead limit yourexposure to the new infor-mation. “You can be strictwith yourself, decide toonly watch the news andread an update on the virusonce a day,” he says.

Take some practical steps There are simple physicalsteps you can take to makeyourself feel reassured. “Dowash your hands with soapand water often, especiallybefore you eat. Or washyour hands with alcohol gel.Follow the medical advice,”says Neves.

Focus on factsTry to avoid being caughtup in the media storm andavoid reading excessivespeculative reports. Stickto respected health-firstwebsites to get clear, sim-ple instructions and factson the coronavirus andhow to handle it.

THE INDEPENDENT

How to curb your anxiety amid pandemic outbreak

The WHO has warnedthere is no need to panic-buy face masks, latexgloves or other extremeprotective gear if youpractice good basichygiene like regularlywashing your hands andcovering your mouth andnose if you cough

Washington, March 24Over 10,000 confirmed coron-avirus cases were reported ina single day in the US, raisingthe number of COVID-19patients to 43,734, as US Pres-ident Donald Trump signedan executive order to preventhoarding of vital medical sup-plies and personal protectiveequipment.

The US also for the first timeregistered over 130 deaths in aday due to coronavirus, takingthe total number of fatalitiesto 550 by Monday night. TillMonday, 43,734 confirmedcases of coronavirus werereported in the United States.Of these, over 10,000 wereadded in one day, according toWorldometer, a websitewhich compiles COVID-19cases.

On Monday, Trump signedthe executive order aimed atpreventing hoarding of criti-cal medical supplies amidthe coronavirus outbreak.

He warned that his gov-ernment would take actionagainst hoarding and exces-sive pricing of vital medicaland personal protectiveequipment as well as sup-plies such as hand sanitis-ers and face masks.

"Very simply, we will notallow anyone to exploit thesuffering of American citi-zens for their own profit," heasserted, warning that theJustice Department willaggressively prosecutefraudulent schemes relatedto the pandemic that haskilled more than 15,000 peo-ple worldwide.

New York State, in partic-ular New York City,

emerged as the hotspot ofone of the worst publichealth crisis in the US inrecent memory. Nearly onein every two Americansinfected by novel coron-avirus are from New York

City which reported 5,085news cases on Monday tak-ing the total to 20,875.

As many as 157 residentsof New York, a city whichhas one of the highest con-centration of people in the

country, have died of coron-avirus so far. Of the totaldeaths in the city so far, 43were reported on Monday.Health officials warned thatCOVID-19-related casualtyfigures in New York are

expected to jump signifi-cantly in the coming days.

President Trump toldreporters at a White Housenews conference that NewYork along with otherhotspots such as WashingtonState and California is the toppriority for his administration."Essential medical suppliesand emergency equipmentare being rushed to NewYork." he said, adding the Fed-eral Emergency ManagementAgency is distributing eightmillion N-95 respirator masksand 13.3 million surgicalmasks across the countryright now. He also announcedthat clinical trials for existingdrugs that may prove effec-tive against the virus willbegin in New York. PTI

Beijing/Wuhan, March 24China on Tuesday decided tolift the three-month lock-down on more than 56 mil-lion people in the centralHubei province, the epicen-tre of the deadly coronavirusoutbreak, on Wednesdayamid warnings by experts ofa looming second wave of theCOVID-19 infections in thecountry due to the steady risein "imported cases". The pro-longed lockdown of Hubei'scapital Wuhan will end onApril 8, lifting the mass quar-antine over the city with apopulation of over 11 million.

Wuhan, the central Chinesecity where the virus caseswere first detected in Decem-ber last year on Mondayreported one new confirmedcase of the COVID-19 afterreporting zero cases for fiveconsecutive days.

Hubei province and Wuhancity which together haveover 56 million populationwere kept under strict lock-down since January 23 with aban on all movement of peo-ple and transportation.

People in Wuhan will beallowed to leave the city andHubei Province, if they holda green health code, mean-ing no contact with anyinfected or suspectedCOVID-19 cases, accordingto a circular issued by theprovincial COVID-19 controlheadquarters, state-run Xin-hua news agency reported.

Other areas in Hubei willlift outbound transporta-tion restrictions fromWednesday. Migrant work-ers who hold green cardsand get negative nucleicacid testing results will besent out of the province totheir workplace directly.

Hubei has so far reported atotal of 67,801 confirmed

COVID-19 cases, including50,006 in Wuhan reflectingon the intensity with whichthe vicious virus, reportedlyemerged from a local live ani-mal market in the city shookthe province. On Tuesday,the NHC reported 78 newconfirmed cases, including74 imported infections tak-ing their total to 427.

The overall confirmed cas-es on the Chinese mainlandhas reached 81,171 by theend of Monday. This includ-ed 3,277 people who died ofthe disease, 4,735 patientswho were still being treatedand 73,159 patients dis-charged after recovery. PTI

THE TRIBUNE14 CHANDIGARH | WEDNESDAY | 25 MARCH 2020WORLD

People line up to get a test at Elmhurst Hospital due to coronavirus outbreak in Queens on Tuesday; US National Guard membersstand besides crates of medical supplies at the Jacob Javits Center in New York. AFP

US reports 10K cases in a day130 deaths in 24 hrs | Trump warns against hoarding of medical supplies

C VID-19PANDEMIC

GLOBAL COUNT

4,01,093DEATHS

17,480RECOVERED

1,03,754

AFFECTED NATIONSITALY 6,077CHINA 3,277SPAIN 2,696IRAN 1,934FRANCE 860US 582UK 335GERMANY 132INDONESIA 55JAPAN 42PHILIPPINES 35BRAZIL 34CANADA 24INDIA 10

TILL MARCH 24

THE COVID-19OUTBREAK IN THE US

HAS THE POTENTIAL TOEXCEED THAT IN

EUROPE, THE WHOSAID ON TUESDAY

SPAIN TOLL RISES BY 514 MADRID: Another 514 people have died in Spain over thepast 24 hours, raising the death toll to 2,696, as the num-ber of infections surged towards 40,000. As the healthauthorities step up the number of tests, the number ofpeople who have been diagnosed with COVID-19 rose bynearly 20 per cent to 39,673, the health ministry said. Atthe same time, the death toll showed an increase of 23.5percent over the figures from Monday.

ICELAND CONFIRMS FIRST DEATHREYJAVIK: Icelandic health authorities said Tuesday thata patient in her 60s had died from COVID-19, marking thecountry's first confirmed death from the new coron-avirus. According to a statement from The National Uni-versity Hospital of Iceland, the Icelandic woman had alsobeen suffering from a chronic illness. It is the first deathfrom COVID-19 to be confirmed officially. According to Ice-landic media reports, an Australian tourist who was con-firmed to have the virus died early last week. AFP

SWISS CASES RISE TO 9,000ZURICH: Switzerland has nearly 9,000 confirmed coron-avirus infections and 90 deaths, the Federal Office ofPublic Health said on Tuesday, adding it was prematureto say the number of new cases was flattening out. Thenumber of new cases rose by fewer than 1,000 sinceMonday, the data indicated, slightly less steeply thanincreases in recent days.

SA ANNOUNCES 21-DAY SHUTDOWNJOHANNESBURG: South Africa's coronavirus cases leaptagain to 554 on Tuesday, the most of any country inAfrica, as its 57 million people rushed to prepare for alockdown that begins on Thursday. Across Africa, 43 of its54 countries now have cases, with the total at 1,788. Thir-teen countries have reported 58 deaths. South Africa hasnot recorded one. South African President CyrilRamaphosa on Monday night announced the 21-day lock-down. Rwanda and Tunisia earlier announced lockdowns.

NEPAL GOES INTO WEEK-LONG LOCKDOWNKATHMANDU: A week-long nationwide lockdown beganin Nepal on Tuesday to stem the spread of fast-spread-ing coronavirus pandemic. On the first day of therestrictions, markets remained closed and roads worea deserted look barring the vehicles of security person-nel and medical facilities. AGENCIES

The “Detroit Sewn” facility has turned into a productionfacility for hospital masks, in Pontiac, Michigan. REUTERS

Now, hantavirushaunts China, 1 deadBEIJING: A man in China’ssouthwestern Yunnanprovince has died of hantavirus, a diseasespread by rodents. Theperson from Yunnanprovince died while on hisway back to the eastern Shandong province forwork on a chartered buson Monday. Hantavirusesare a family of virusesspread mainly by rodentsand can cause varied disease syndromes inpeople worldwide.

Geneva, March 24 India, which led the world ineradicating two silent killers— smallpox and polio — has atremendous capacity in erad-icating the deadly coro-noavirus pandemic that hasnow claimed nearly 15,000lives and infected over threelakh others globally, accord-ing to a top WHO official.

The executive director ofthe World Health Organisa-tion, Michael Ryan, saidIndia, the world’s secondmost populous country, has atremendous capacity to dealwith the coronavirus out-break as it has the experienceof eradicating the small-poxand polio through targetedpublic intervention.

“India led the world in erad-icating two silent killers andeliminating them from thecountry,” he said. India,through targeted publicintervention, ended smallpoxand gave a great gift to theworld. India also eradicatedpolio, he noted.

“India has tremendouscapacities. It is exceptionallyimportant that countries likeIndia lead the way to showthe world what can be done,”Ryan said. “India led theworld in eradicating twosilent killers, small-pox andpolio so India has a tremen-dous capacity,” Ryan said.

“There are no easy answers.It is exceptionally importantthat countries like India showthe way to the world as theyhave done before,” he said.

Diseases such as polio andsmallpox, which once claimedmany lives in India, have beendefeated with targeted publicinterventions. While Indiaattained the polio-free statusin 2014, the country got rid ofsmallpox in 1977.

Ryan’s remarks came asthe WHO said the number ofdeaths due to the coronavirussoared to 14,652. PTI

India has thecapacity toeradicateCovid: WHO

SYDNEY, March 24 As most shopping comes to ahalt under shutdown rulesmeant to slow the spread ofthe coronavirus, an Aus-tralian book shop is getting itsgoods out by bicycle to read-ers in quarantine or reluctantto leave their homes.

Gleebooks, which has run abricks-and-mortar shop incentral Sydney for 40 years,said it decided to make itsonline service free when thegovernment limited publicgatherings to curb the spreadof the illness that has infectednearly 2,000 Australians andkilled eight of them.

From Monday, the restric-tions went a step furtherwhen the governmentordered all retailers to shutexcept for grocery stores,pharmacists and othersdeemed essential.

Whether that includedGleebooks was unclear butcustomers will get their booksregardless, its managersdecided, with the introduc-

tion of free drop-offs in sur-rounding suburbs.

The shop is among thou-sands around the world thathave been forced to reinventthemselves virtuallyovernight to survive thebiggest disruption to a sector

already ravaged by the arrivalof large internet rivals morethan two decades ago.

“Because we’re a bookshopand we’re a retail venue, werealised we needed to make itas easy as possible for peopleto get their books withoutexposing themselves to anysort of risk,” the shop’s eventmanager, James Ross, said.

Customers have embracedthe service, with an immedi-ate spike in online sales, saidRoss. The demand for craftand children’s activity bookshad risen, not surprisinglygiven that many schools haveclosed. Nerida Ross, thestore’s cyclist, said booksoffered an escape for thosecooped up at home.

“A lot of people I know whohave been working fromhome have been using thetime that they aren’t com-muting to read more or talk tofriends or be creative in someway. We’re learning a newway of being and I think read-ing is a part of that.” REUTERS

Australia book shop gets onits bike to distribute ‘hope’

Book delivery cyclist Nerida Rossrides a bike as bookstores hasbegun to offer personal homedelivery services in Sydney.

Prez can’t keep a straight face

Camers captures different expressions of the USPresident, Donald Trump, as he led the daily coronavirusresponse briefing at the White House in Washington.

Amid warnings of2nd wave, Chinato lift lockdown

REU

TER

S

A cyclist squeezes betweencars at a busy intersection inBeijing on Tuesday. AFP

IN BRIEF

THE TRIBUNECHANDIGARH | WEDNESDAY | 25 MARCH 2020 15WORLD

GLOBE TROT

64 migrants found dead in container in MozambiqueMAPUTO: More than 60 suspected undocumented migrantsfrom Ethiopia were found dead on Tuesday in a cargocontainer in Mozambique’s northwest Tete province, ahospital official said. “A truck transporting illegal immi-grants from Malawi, suspected to be Ethiopians, wasstopped at the Mussacana weight bridge in Tete, and 64people were found dead. Only 14 survived,” the seniorofficial, who asked not be named said. AFP

Bangladesh to release opposition leader Khaleda ZiaDHAKA: Bangladesh on Tuesday initi-ated a process to “conditionally”release jailed former Prime Minis-ter Khaleda Zia for six monthsamid the Covid pandemic in thecountry, Law Minister Anisul Huqsaid. The 74-year-old oppositionBangladesh Nationalist Party chief

is serving a 17-year prison term in two graft cases sinceFebruary 8, 2018. He said the decision was taken in linewith Prime Minister Shekh Hasina’s directives and con-sidering the age of the former Prime Minister. PTI

Extinct worm-like creature ancestor to modern-day animalsLOS ANGELES: A worm-like creature smaller than a grain ofrice that burrowed on the sea floor in search of mealslike dead organic matter about 555 million years agomay be the evolutionary forerunner of most animalsliving today — including people. The tiny, worm-likecreature has been named Ikaria wariootia. ComparingIkaria with other early animals, the scientists said theearliest multicellular organisms on the Earth such assponges and algal mats, had variable shapes. PTI

MAINTAINING DISTANCE: Restaurants in Bangkok setup social distancing stalls due to Covid pandemic. REUTERS

ONE STEP AT A TIME!

■ Men wearing protective masks stand as people hike alonga section of the Great Wall in Badaling in Beijing, on thefirst day of its re-opening after the scenic site’s closuredue to Covid.

■ The scenic area will be open between 9 am and 4 pm, andthe daily number of visitors will be capped at 19,500.

■ Visitors must book tickets on the official website orthrough WeChat in advance.

REUTERS

Germany announces biggesteconomic package since WWII$166.5bn earmarked to ease burden on hospitals, clinicsBerlin, March 24 Germany has approved amassive and unprecedentedfinancial aid package of^156 billion ($166.5 bn), thelargest in the country sincethe WWII, to offset the socio-economic damage caused bythe Covid pandemic.

The stimulus package isdesigned to ease the burdenon hospitals and clinics andsupply financial aid to savejobs and companies thathave been affected by thepandemic, reports Efe news.

“The Covid pandemic ischanging our whole lives,”said Olaf Scholz, FinanceMinister and Vice-Chancellor,said while explaining why thegovernment was taking “thenecessary and correct” step ofunveiling such an enormouseconomic aid package.

“We will do everything wecan to prevent this crisis fromendangering the health careof our citizens or the econom-ic processes in this country.”

German authorities fear asevere recession due to thecrisis, with the decline inGDP expected to be “atleast as high” as in2008/2009, Minister of Econ-omy Peter Altmeier warnedwhile announcing a bailoutfund of up to 600 billion forlarger companies.

German Health MinisterJens Spahn, meanwhile,said that hospitals and clin-ics requiring additional staff,beds and equipment wouldreceive financial support.

“If you need more beds, ifyou need more staff andequipment to treat Covidpatients, you will be compen-

sated financially,” Spahn said.Chancellor Angela Merkel

attended the cabinet meet-ing from her home office,

where she has been in quar-antine after coming into con-tact with a doctor who testedpositive for Covid. —IANS

GERMAN ARMY LOSES 6M MASKS IN KENYABerlin:A German army ship-ment of six million face masksneeded to protect against thevirus has vanished in Kenya, theDefence Ministry in Berlin con-firmed. “We are trying to find outwhat happened to the order ofprotective equipment meetingthe FFP2 standard for protec-tion,” a spokeswoman said. AFP

VIETNAM TO CONTINUE RICE EXPORTSHanoi: Vietnam will continue to export rice amid the spreadof the Covid, the vice chairman of the country’s food associ-ation said on Tuesday, countering earlier statements fromlocal customs officials and media reports. Local customsofficials and media reports citing a customs document earlier said the Southeast Asian country, the world’s thirdlargest rice exporter after India and Thailand, had haltedshipments of the grain to ensure food security. In mid-Feb-ruary, Vietnam said all 16 of its confirmed Covid cases hadrecovered, but it has since been battling with an influx ofimported cases from overseas visitors. REUTERS

Jakarta: Indonesia has cancelled the country’s upcoming nation-al examination over concerns about the spread of the Covid, amove that will affect more than eight million students, educationminister Nadiem Makarim said. The decision came as the South-east Asian country announced its biggest daily rise in Covid cas-es, bringing the total number of persons infected to 686. REUTERS

INDONESIA CANCELS NATIONAL EXAMS, AFFECTING MORE THAN 8M PUPILS

Sikh family offers homemade masksWashington, March 24 Amid the fast-spreadingCovid pandemic in the US,a Sikh family based in Indi-ana have made masks in aneffort to help the public andfirst responders in the fightagainst the deadly disease,a media report said.

After learning about theshortage of masks across theUS via media reports,Gurinder Singh Khalsa calledup his doctor friends andasked if he could contributeby making masks at homeand packaged in sanitary con-ditions, said the AmericanBazaar report on Monday.

Once he got the green sig-nal, Khalsa, his wife Gagan-deep Kaur and rest of hisfamily got busy makingmore than 500 emergencymasks packed with doublelayers of thick cotton fabric.

“Based on online researchand advice from publichealth practitioners, wehave started stitching these

general-purpose emergencymasks,” the AmericanBazaar quoted Khalsa assaying in the report Hewants to give these masksfirst to the city officials, firstresponders, police and firstdepartments who are doinga great job in the service ofthe city residents, accordingto the report.

He emphasised that thesemasks produced and packedin a safe environment wereessentially intended for

those who must leave theirhomes with some protection.

In an advisory, the Cen-ters for Disease Control andPrevention said fabricmasks can be used byhealthcare workers whennothing else was available.

The family also intendsto extend the benefit oftheir initiative to thosewho may be experiencingfinancial pinch duringthese times, said the Amer-ican Bazaar report.

“We also hope to offeremployment to those whoare in need of employ-ment,”he said by taking in atleast 100 persons in a monthfor making emergencymasks. “We will be providinga chance of working at homeor work at our safe location.”

According to the latestupdate by the Washington-based John Hopkins Uni-versity, the US has so farreported 46,450 Covid cases,with 590 deaths. —IANS

TAKING INITIATIVEGurinder Singh Khalsa believesthat his emergency mask pro-gramme would allow personswho cannot access the N-95and medical masks to obtainreusable and washable masksfor community use. He empha-sised these masks producedand packed in a safe environ-ment were essentially intendedfor those who must leave theirhomes with some protection.

No end to Kabulpolitical standoffKabul, March 24 Afghan President AshrafGhani and his rival Abdul-lah Abdullah showed nosign Tuesday of endingtheir bitter feud, even afterit cost the impoverishednation $1 billion in US aid— with yet more on the line.

The massive cut wasannounced after an exasperat-ed US Secretary of State MikePompeo visited Kabul in a bidto resolve the standoff that hasseen Abdullah proclaim him-self president despite Ghaniofficially winning last year'scontroversial poll.

Pompeo, who lashed outat the their “failure” tocome to an agreement, saidthe US would immediatelycut $1 billion and was “pre-pared” to pull another $1billion in 2021, with furthercuts possible after that.

The US and the Talibansigned a landmark deal lastmonth that was supposed topave the way for talks

between the Afghan leader-ship and the insurgents, butwith Kabul unable to agreewho is in government, thetalks have stalled.

With a GDP of only about$20 billion, the cuts representa devastating blow toAfghanistan’s donor-depend-ent economy and could hard-ly come at a worse time —with coronavirus spreadingacross the country and Tal-iban attacks on the increase.

Ghani appeared in a tele-vised address on Tuesday toreassure Afghans that “theUS reduction in aid willhave no direct impact on ourkey sectors”, adding that hisgovernment would try tosatisfy the US “throughtalks and negotiations”.

Abdullah and Ghani's riftgoes back to at least 2014,when Ghani bested his rivalin elections that saw allega-tions of mass fraud. Thesame thing happened inSeptember's polls. —AFP

US newspapers urge Chinanot to expel their journalists

Russia in digital payments pushas it limits banknote circulation

Beijing, March 24The publishers of threemajor American newspapershave written an open letterasking China to reverse itsrecent decision to expelmany of their correspon-dents working in the country.

The letter posted onlineTuesday referred to theongoing coronavirus pan-demic, saying the expul-sions threaten access toinformation at a time whenit is needed most. It wassigned by the publishers ofThe New York Times, TheWashington Post and TheWall Street Journal.

“This move — made inretaliation for recent expul-sions by the United Statesgovernment — is one thatwe would protest under anycircumstances," they wrote.“But it is uniquely damag-ing and reckless as theworld continues the strug-gle to control this disease, a

struggle that will requirethe free flow of reliablenews and information." Chi-na said last week that mostAmericans working for thethree publications wouldhave to surrender their

press cards within 10 days.The move followed a Trumpadministration decision tolimit the number of visasfor Chinese working forChina's major state mediain the US. —AP

The US, in announcing the visa limit, cited increasingly harsh surveillance, harassment

and intimidation of American and other foreignjournalists working in China.

Moscow, March 24 Russia has urged con-sumers and businesses touse digital payments ratherthan cash in an effort toslow the spread of the Covidand told banks to limit rou-ble notes in circulation.

Consumer safety watch-dog Rospotrebnadzor thismonth encouraged Rus-sians to move to cashlesspayments, citing WorldHealth Organization guide-lines stating that a virus canlinger on a banknote forthree to four days.

The central bank alreadykeeps banknotes for up to14 days before distributingthem and is now asking oth-er banks to do the same,said Vladimir Demidenko,deputy head of its cash cir-culation department.

Retail banks have alsobeen asked to limit therefilling of ATMs that recy-cle notes and to disinfectterminals regularly.

Digital payments are com-monplace in large Russiancities, but much of the popula-

tion still relies on cash.Russia has reported 438

cases of the Covid. —Reuters

BANK STAFF TO USE PROTECTIVE MASKS■ About 75% of all cash machines in Russia do not recycle

notes and offer either withdrawal services or accept cashdeposits, according to the central bank.

■ The central bank also asked bank staff to use protectivemasks and disposable gloves when accepting cash fromits customers.

UK MP promises to perform role ofcare-worker in IndiaLondon, March 24 An Indian-origin BritishMP said that she will bereturning to her previousrole of a care-worker onTuesday to join the fightagainst the Covid pandem-ic in the UK.

Nadia Whittome, born inthe UK to a Punjabi father,became the youngest MPin the House of Commonsrepresenting her birth-place of Nottingham incentral England after herwin in the December 2019General Election.

“Care workers work tire-lessly to support communi-ties, yet rarely receiverecognition and pay thatreflects their contribution,”she said.

In a swipe at UK HomeSecretary Priti Patel, whois leading on visa changesfor Britain’s post-Brexitpoints-based immigrationsystem based on skills, theOpposition MP said thatthe government viewscare-workers as “notskilled” and that herreturn to the “frontlinejob” was an act of solidari-ty with her colleagues andthe elderly, who are in thehigh-risk category of thecoronavirus outbreak.

“I hope that my return-ing to care work will giveprofile and recognitionto the workers responsi-ble for the dignity, well-being and health of somany,” she said.

Her move comes as thestate-funded National

Health Service (NHS) hadappealed to former andretired doctors, nurses andcare-workers to return towork to assist with theimmense workload as aresult of the rapid spread ofthe deadly virus.

Whittome has criticisedthe government for notgoing “far or fast enough”to stop the spread of Covidin the UK, where the deathtoll hit 335 and a three-weeklockdown is in place toenforce social distancingrules. —PTI

❝ I am returning part-time to my previous jobas a care workerbecause social care isalready in crisis and thecare system is inserious danger offalling apartat theseamsduring theCovidpandemic.

Nadia Whittome

■ Nadia Whittome, born inthe UK to a Punjabi father,became the youngest MPin the House of Commonsrepresenting her birth-place of Nottingham incentral England after herwin in the December 2019General Election.■ The 23-year-old LabourParty MP said she woulddonate the salary from herpart-time role at ExtraCareretirement home to a localCovid support fund.

German mounted police patrol during a partial lockdown in Dresden on Tuesday. REUTERS

The limits will not apply to ATMS that do not recycle notes andare restocked by the banks.

PANDEMIC BAIL OUT

File pic of New York Times Beijing bureau chief Steven LeeMyers after China announced it would expel Americanjournalists from three major US newspapers. AFP

THE TRIBUNE16 CHANDIGARH | WEDNESDAY | 25 MARCH 2020SPORT

Tokyo, March 24The 2020 Tokyo Olympicshave been postponed to nolater than the summer of2021 because of the coron-avirus pandemic sweepingthe globe, the InternationalOlympic Committeeannounced today.

The Games were scheduledfor July 24-August 9, but aftertelephone discussionsbetween IOC presidentThomas Bach and JapanesePrime Minister Shinzo Abe, ahistoric joint decision wastaken for the first postpone-ment of an Olympics inpeacetime.

Abe said Bach was in "100percent agreement" whenJapan asked the IOC to pushback the Games.

In a joint statement, thepair said that based on cur-rent World Health Organiza-tion information, the TokyoGames "must be rescheduledto a date beyond 2020 but notlater than summer 2021, tosafeguard the health of theathletes, everybody involvedin the Olympic Games andthe international communi-ty".

"The leaders agreed that theOlympic Games in Tokyocould stand as a beacon ofhope to the world duringthese troubled times and thatthe Olympics flame couldbecome the light at the end ofthe tunnel in which the worldfinds itself at present. There-fore, it was agreed that theOlympics flame will stay inJapan. It was also agreed thatthe Games will keep thename Olympic and Para-lympic Games Tokyo 2020,"the statement concluded.

The decision will be a dev-astating blow for the city ofTokyo, which had won wide-spread praise for its organisa-tion, with venues finishedwell ahead of time and ticketsmassively oversubscribed.

Highest-profile postponementThe Olympics, which hasexperienced boycotts, terror-ist attacks and protests, buthas been held every fouryears since 1948, would be

the highest-profile eventaffected by the virus that haskilled thousands and closedsports competitions world-wide.

The IOC has come underincreasing pressure in recent

days to postpone the Games,scheduled to start on July 24,with 1.7 billion people acrossthe planet in lockdown to pre-vent the further spread ofCovid-19.

Tokyo was spending some

$12.6 billion to host theGames, according to its latestbudget, and experts believe apostponement could cost itsome $6 billion in the short-term before recouping itwhen they eventually go

ahead.It will also be a bitter blow

to sponsors and majorbroadcasters who rely onthe four-yearly extravagan-za for critical advertisingrevenue. — AFP

NO TIME FOR GAMESIOC postpones Tokyo Olympics till the summer of 2021 due to Covid-19 pandemic

This decision today, relieves our athletes ofworries of having to train now during anepidemic and perform their best in fourmonths from now.

Rajeev Mehta, INDIAN OLYMPIC ASSOCIATION SECRETARY GENERAL

It is with profound sadness that we acceptthe postponement, but in all consciousnessit is the only decision we can support, inlight of the devastating impact Covid-19 ishaving on our nation, our communities andour families. Andy Andson, BRITISH OLYMPIC ASSOCIATION CHIEF EXECUTIVE

The now quick and clear decision topostpone the Olympic and ParalympicGames is a correct and enormouslyimportant step for international sport andthe entire world community.

Alfons Hormann, GERMAN OLYMPIC SPORTS CONFEDERATION PRESIDENT

The IOC has given us some good news byannouncing that the Olympic Games will bepostponed. It will allow all athletes to be ableto compete in equal conditions

Alejandro Blanco, SPANISH OLYMPIC COMMITTEE PRESIDENT

Our belief from the outstanding Rugby WorldCup 2019 in Japan, is that the hosts willcome out of this adversity stronger and morecommitted than ever before to deliver anexceptional Games. World Rugby

It is time for them to stop thinking aboutTokyo 2020 for now and be home and safewith their families. It is what athletes wantand we believe this decision will give allathletes, technical officials and volunteerssome respite. World Athletics

WHO’S SAYING WHAT❝❝

People opposed to the Olympic Games display placards during a rally in front of the Tokyo railway station; and (below) Tokyo 2020president Yoshiro Mori (L) and chief executive officer of the Games Toshiro Muto address reporters in Tokyo on Tuesday. AFP

SOFIAPulev says ready to fight Joshua Bulgarian Kubrat Pulev, theIBF's mandatory challenger,said he saw no problem infighting Briton Anthony Joshuafor the world heavyweight titlein a match without spectators.The 38-year-old formerEuropean amateur super-heavyweight champion Pulev,known as "The Cobra", said hewas ready to face Joshuawhenever the organisersdecide. "I'm ready for June 20,July 25, whenever they say,"said Pulev. "There's noproblem (if the fight is) to bewithout spectators." The 30-year-old Joshua reclaimed theWBA, WBO and IBF belts with aunanimous points win overAndy Ruiz Jr in December.

JOHANNESBURGBob Hewitt to be freed on parole Former tennis champion andconvicted child rapist BobHewitt was on Tuesdaygranted parole which will seehim released next month, theSouth African correctionalservices ministry said.Australia-born Hewitt wasconvicted in May 2015 ofraping two girls aged 12 and13 in the early 1980s, and ofindecently assaulting a 17-year-old girl in 1994. He wassentenced to six yearsimprisonment and has servedthree years, six months and22 days of his sentence at afacility in the coastal EasternCape province. AGENCIES

BRIEFLYNew Delhi, Mar 24BCCI president Sourav Gan-guly on Tuesday said he“doesn’t have an answer” onthe fate of this year’s IndianPremier League (IPL) amid anationwide lockdown to com-bat the Covid-19 pandemic.

The BCCI suspended theIPL, originally scheduledfrom March 29, to April 15after the government sus-pended all visas, barring fewcategories, like diplomaticand employment, making itimpossible for foreign play-ers to participate in the com-petition.

Amid the ongoing completelockdown, it is becomingincreasingly difficult for allthe stakeholders to work outan alternate plan. "I can't sayanything at the moment. Weare at the same place wherewe were on the day we post-poned (the tournament).Nothing has changed in thelast 10 days. So, I don't havean answer to it. Status quoremains," said Ganguly.

The former India captainalso ruled out any possibilityof something being plannedthree to four months downthe line considering the pre-vailing situation worldwide.

"You can't plan anything.The FTP is scheduled. It'sthere and you can't changethe FTP. All around the world,cricket and more so sportshas stopped," he said.

Insurance coverHe also expressed his doubtson whether the current situa-

tion can be covered by insur-ance to make up for the loss-es that all stakeholders willsuffer. "I am not sure whetheryou can get insurance money.Because this is a governmentlockdown. I am not surewhether a government lock-down is covered by insuranceor not.”

"We will have to see. Wehave not assessed all thesethings. At this point of time, itis very difficult for me to giveany concrete answer," saidthe charismatic former bats-man.

The world's richest cricketboard has not yet pledgedany donations to fight theCovid-19 pandemic. Gangulysaid he would have a discus-sion with secretary Jay Shah

to figure out the best possibleoption. “I haven't had a dis-cussion with Jay. Let's see.We will assess the situation,follow directives and seewhat happens," he said.

Helping handThe former CAB presidentalso said if the state govern-ment wants, the Eden Gar-dens indoor facility and theplayers’ dormitory could beprovided to create a tempo-rary medical facility just asthe Pondicherry CricketAssociation has offered to do.

"If the government asks us,we will certainly hand overthe facility. Anything that isneed of the hour, we will do it.There is absolutely no prob-lem," he asserted.

Ganguly welcomed thecomplete lockdown andexpressed hope that themove will help flatten thecurve eventually. "I thinkthis is the best option at thecurrent moment. Certainthings are beyond anybody'scontrol. Whatever directivesthat the government and theMinistry of Health gives us,we have to follow. That's thecase all over the world," hesaid. — PTI

Only war has led to cancellation Berlin 1916 It is not clear when the Games fell victim to the war,but the founder of the modern Olympics, Pierre de Coubertin,decreed that the Berlin 1916 Games still be counted as the sixthOlympiad, even though they never took place.

Tokyo 1940 With Japan at war with China from 1937, diplomaticpressure grew for Japan to give up the Games. The JapaneseOlympic Committee eventually bowed to the inevitable and in1938 told the IOC it would not be hosting the Games, euphemisti-cally citing the “trouble with China” as the reason. They also aban-doned the winter Games, planned in the northern city of Sapporo.The IOC awarded the summer Games to Helsinki instead and thewinter Games to St Moritz in Switzerland, but these too fell victimto World War II.

London 1944 Despite what British Prime Minister WinstonChurchill called the "gathering storm" over Europe due to NaziGermany, the IOC met in London in July 1939 to decide whichcity would host the 1944 Olympics. They plumped for London,

Delayed, Olympics will still be called 'Tokyo 2020'Tokyo: The postponed Olympics will retain the name "Tokyo2020" despite being held next year, the city's governor saidtoday. "The name will remain Tokyo 2020," Yuriko Koiketold reporters after Japan's prime minister said he agreed ayear's delay with the head of the International Olympic Com-mittee because of the coronavirus pandemic.

Never thought I’d see my city like this Sourav Ganguly on Tuesday said the empty roads in hishome city Kolkata, owing to a nationwide lockdown to con-tain the Covid-19 pandemic, were the kind of scenes henever thought he would witness in his lifetime. “Neverthought would see my city like this .. stay safe .. this willchange soon for the better ...love and affection to all...,"Ganguly posted on his Twitter page alongside images ofdeserted roads.

No clarity on IPL right now: Ganguly

Follow the truck: Sehwag’s advice for massesNew Delhi: Former India cricketer Virender Sehwag hassome advice to give those on Twitter amid the coronaviruspandemic and for that, he tweeted the picture of the backof an Indian truck. It had the words “Keep Distance OK”which is commonly found on trucks across the country.“Truck ka paalan kijiye. Please follow this. #Covid_19(sic.),” Sehwag tweeted. On Monday, Sehwag, who neverfails to impress his followers with his social media pun,had shared a video of a rag-picker, who took part in PrimeMinister Narendra Modi’s Janata Curfew clapping initia-tive, to pay tribute to all the medical staff and healthcareprofessionals who are working round the clock. IANS

Nyon (Switzerland), Mar 24UEFA has announced thatit has postponed the Cham-pions League, EuropaLeague and women'sChampions League finals,originally scheduled forMay, due to the coron-avirus pandemic, with nonew date given.

European football's gov-erning body had alreadypostponed the competitionsuntil further notice earlierthis month. UEFA said onMonday that "no decisionhas yet been made onrearranged dates".

"The working group,established last week as aresult of the conference callamong the stakeholders ofEuropean football, whichwas chaired by UEFA presi-dent, Aleksander Ceferin,will analyse the optionsavailable," UEFA said in astatement. "The group has

already begun its examina-tion of the calendar.Announcements will bemade in due course."

The 2020 men's Champi-ons League final had beendue to be played at Istan-bul's Ataturk Stadium onMay 30, with the EuropaLeague final to have beenstaged in Polish city Gdan-sk three days before.

The women's ChampionsLeague final was scheduledfor May 24 in Vienna.

Four of the men's last-16second legs, originally slat-ed for March 17 and 18,were delayed because of thenew coronavirus outbreak,along with all of the EuropaLeague last-16 returngames. Europe's topleagues have all been post-poned, while the 2020 Euro-pean Championship hasbeen put back until nextyear. — AFP

UEFA postpones CL,Europa League finals

Bayern, Dortmund agree for pay cuts Berlin: Footballers at Germany's top teams including BayernMunich have agreed to take pay cuts to help clubs survive theeconomic impact of the coronavirus, media reports saidtoday. Newspaper Bild reports that players and club officialsat champions Bayern, top of the Bundesliga when the seasonwas halted on March 13, have accepted a 20 percent cut intheir salaries. Like all top European leagues the German topflight is losing income from broadcasting, sponsorships andticket sales during the Covid-19 pandemic, with matches inGermany suspended until at least April 2. Bayern has a mas-sive wage bill which reached ̂ 336 million last year, almosthalf of club turnover. Rivals Borussia Dortmund and BayerLeverkusen players are also in talks over pay cut proposalswith management. AFP

Johannesburg, March 24Veteran pacer Dale Steynhas been excluded fromCricket South Africa'snational contracts for the2020-21 season even as left-arm seamer Beuran Hen-dricks was included in the16-member list.

The 36-year-old Steyn hadmade a comeback this Feb-ruary after being laid low byinjury in the last threeyears, hoping to be a part ofthe ICC Men's T20 WorldCup in Australia in October.

The South African board,however, showed faith in theyoung players, awardingcontract upgrades to fastbowler Anrich Nortje, all-rounder Dwaine Pretoriusand batsman Rassie van derDussen -- who played morematches last season.

Former skipper Faf duPlessis has also beenoffered a new contract bythe board, suggesting hewill be an important mem-ber of the team which has abusy summer, whichincludes home Testsagainst Sri Lanka and Aus-tralia. — PTI

No CSAcontract forDale Steyn

Vinayak PadmadeoTribune News Service

NewDelhi, March 24It came as a great relief forthe Indian athletes as newspercolated down that theInternational Olympic Com-mittee (IOC) has postponedthe Tokyo Olympics to 2021.

A few of them are some-what sad that they will nowhave to wait another year toget a shot at Olympics glory,but others saw it an opportu-nity to work hard and get bet-ter at their skills.

Skeet shooter AngadBajwa, winner of back-to-back gold medals at theAsian Shooting Champi-onships, said it was a sad daybut the right call had beenmade. “It is a sad day for meand many others, we haveworked hard to earn the qual-ifications and were lookingforward to competing inTokyo, but under these cir-cumstances we all knew thatthe Games will have to bepostponed,” he said.

The only Indian athlete tohave won two individualOlympics medals, wrestlerSushil Kumar, mirroredBajwa’s views. “I don’t mindOlympics getting pushed to2021. Health of our athletesand general population ismore important that any-thing else,” Sushil said.

“This is the first time that Iam forced to spend time atmy home. My wife and mytwins are thrilled about it, butI have never spent time likethis away from mat. But thesituation is such that we allneed to take care. So it is finethat Olympics can wait,”added Sushil, who had not yetqualified for the Olympics.

Good moveBoxer Vikas Krishan, whoearned his Tokyo ticket at theAsian Olympic QualifierTournament in Jordan, wel-comed the postponement. “Iam very happy and I wel-come this move to postponethe Olympics. It wouldn’tfeel right for sports whenpeople are dying all aroundus,” 69kg division boxer Kris-han said. “It is a relief. NowI am waiting for the daywhen the government tellsus that the danger is overand we can resume thecamps and train hard. Tillthat time, we all have to stayhome and stay clear of thevirus,” he added.

‘Can’t wait to get started’Rifle shooter and OlympianSanjeev Rajput said that he isitching to get back to competi-tive training. “If you ask me,the postponement is anadvantage to us (Indian shoot-ers), for it gives us another

year to fine-tune our tech-nique and work on our weakerpoints,” Rajput said. “But theimportant part for us would beto declare the team and givethem a quarantine facility tothe Tokyo-bound team wherethey can train,” he added.

A step in right direction Indian athletes hail decision to postpone Games

REACTIONS

Indian men’s team chief coach Graham Reid during atraining session in Bengaluru. HI

The situation right now is not good. Life alwayscomes first, everything else can wait. Players'safety is paramount. Everyone who took thisdecision factored this in. I think it's good for

everyone. Now I get more time to prepare, ourtraining plans can be extended. And it's not just

for me, it is true for everyone around the world.Mary Kom, BOXER

Happy that it's postponed even though someof us haven't qualified. We are eager toknow what the qualification (process)would be like going ahead. As an athletewho's played Olympics before I would sayit's good as everyone can chill now and notworry about preparations amid a lockdown. We allhave to be safe first and then we can think aboutpreparations

Saina Nehwal, BADMINTON STAR

It's a good decision because everyone is disturbed.Athletes' health is paramount. No one is training proper-ly. It's not just about India, it's also about the entireworld. We first have to save people from this epidemic.

Bajrang Punia, WRESTLER

It is very disappointing that the Olympics will not goahead in 2020, but given the unprecedented circum-stances facing the world at present it is totally under-standable and expected.

Graham Reid, MEN'S HOCKEY TEAM COACH

It was really required as no athlete is able to train all over the world. It's good that the Olympics is postponed and now we have proper time to train and prepare and plan.

Anjum Moudgil, SHOOTER

Printed and published by Rajesh Ramachandran for The Tribune Trust Printed at The Tribune Press, Sector 29-C, Chandigarh.Published at The Tribune, Sector 29-C, Chandigarh.RNI No. 15/57. Copyright © The Tribune Trust. All rights reserved. Telephones: 0172-2655066-72 Circulation: 0172-2670419, Advertisement: 0172-2670256, 257Editor: Rajesh Ramachandran**Editor for purpose of PRB Act, 1867

CAREER HOTLINEPERVIN MALHOTRA email your queries to [email protected]

Q.I am a Class XII (Humani-ties) student. History is

my favourite subject and afterwatching Indiana Jones, I havebecome very fascinated witharchaeology. But since no onein our family or friends is famil-iar with this field, I don’t knowwhat prospects it offers. Canyou please tell me somethingabout it so that I can convincemy parents?

— MANVEEN SUKHIJA

A.Archaeologists studyextinct cultures and

civilisations, and the past ofliving societies throughexcavation, analysis andinterpretation of their arte-facts, human and otherremains. It includes instruc-tion in archaeological theo-ry, field and sophisticateddating methods, conserva-tion, and cultural and physi-cal evolution.

India has an extraordinari-ly rich heritage dating backto thousands of years acrossits vast and varied landscape.

It wouldn’t be an exaggera-tion to say that 90 per cent ofall archaeological sites havenot been excavated. Modernday archaeologists usediverse remote sensingdatasets, including lasers,remote sensing and satelliteimaging systems to detectand map even totally invisi-ble features ranging fromextinct rivers and fragment-ed walls to entire “hidden”cities. NASA is a rich reposi-

tory of high-resolution data.Preserving our rich and

diverse heritage and pro-tecting it from urbanisation,vandalism, climate changeand neglect is of utmostimportance. But before wedo that, we need to maptheir location.

Moreover heritage can beprotected only when we shareour knowledge with the peopleliving in the surrounding areasand co-opting them in our con-servation effort.

You can study archaeologyat the bachelor’s level oralternatively, you could doyour bachelor’s in historyand pursue archaeology atthe PG level.

A majority of jobs related tothis field are offered by theArchaeological Survey ofIndia (ASI).

There are increasing oppor-

tunities both in the publicand private sectors in her-itage management, museumcurating and academics,regional archaeological serv-ices and development workboth in India and overseas.You can also work with muse-ums, research bodies, travel& tourism industry or withconservation bodies likeIndian Council for CulturalResearch (ICCR) or INTACH.Private collectors alsorequire the services ofarchaeologists.

Specialisations in this fieldinclude epigraphy (deci-phering ancient inscrip-tions), space archaeology,numismatics (the study ofold coins, medals, etc. toreconstruct history), restora-tion and conservation ofancient monuments, her-itage sites and artefacts.

RANKER SCHOLARAPTITUDE TEST (RSAT)Ranker Scholar Aptitude Test(RSAT) has announced this schol-arship for the meritorious ClassXII passed/appearing and degreestudents and provides them withfavourable opportunities for high-er education along with severalawards. Eligibility:Indian students who havepassed or will be appearing inClass XII examination in the cur-rent academic year, can apply forthe award. Selected students willget cash awards, prizes and oth-er gifts.How to apply: Students can visit the online website Deadline: March 20, 2020Check out: www.b4s.in/jc/RSA3

K C MAHINDRASCHOLARSHIPS Delhi K C Mahindra EducationTrust has opened this scholarshipfor Indian graduate students whowant to pursue post-graduate stud-ies abroad. The objective of the

scholarship is to support deservingand needy students and help themcontinue their higher education.Eligibility:Indian students who havesecured admission or haveapplied for admission in rep-utable foreign universities forcourses commencing fromAugust 2020 and have a first-class degree or an equivalentdiploma of a similar standardfrom a recognised university,can apply for the scholarship.

An interest-free loan of up to ~8 lakh will be awarded to thetop three K C Mahindra Fellows. The rest of the successful applicants will get an interest-free loan up to~4lakh.How to apply: OnlineDeadline: March 31, 2020Check out: www.b4s.in/jc/KCM1

CSM TRUSTUNDERGRADUATE MININGSCHOLARSHIP The Camborne School of MinesTrust, UK, has announced thisscholarship for the students pur-suing undergraduate courses atthe University of Exeter. The schol-arship aims to support the studiesof first-year Mining undergradu-ates and offer them financialawards.Eligibility:Indian students who hold anoffer for B.Eng or M.Eng Engi-neering at the University ofExeter (2020), can apply for thisscholarship. As many as 25selected students will get a

scholarship of GBP 6,000 inthree termly instalments.How to apply: OnlineDeadline: May 31, 2020 Check out: www.b4s.in/jc/CTU1

YOUNG INDIA FELLOWSHIP Ashoka University, Haryana, hasannounced this fellowship forundergraduate and postgraduatestudents. The aim of this fellowshipis to recognise and select out-standing young individuals.Eligibility:Indian students with an under-graduate or postgraduate degreein any discipline, who are lessthan 28 years of age, can apply forthis fellowship. Selected studentswill get admission to a one-yearmultidisciplinary postgraduatediploma programme in LiberalStudies and financial assistanceranging from 25 per cent fee waiv-er to 100 per cent fee waiver.Deadline: March 31, 2020How to apply: OnlineCheck out: www.b4s.in/jc/AUS3

— Inputs courtesy buddy4study.com

Bone up on archaeology courses

Q.Our daughter had com-pleted her MBBS last

year. Considering the acuteshortage of medical seats atthe PG level, we are not surewhether she will succeed ingetting a seat. What elsecould she do?

— KEERTI AWASTHI

A.Considering that Indiafaces a shortfall of

around 82 per cent special-ists, there may be a signifi-cant addition of 10,000 newpostgraduate medical seatsfrom the new academic ses-sion this year to improveavailability of specialistsacross the country besidesfacilitating the district resi-dency programme, whichentails at least threemonths of rural posting.

The Board of Governorshas approved the proposalto increase PG seats afterconcerns were raised bystates about the residencyprogramme, saying hospi-tals attached to medical col-leges will suffer if these stu-dents are sent to districthospitals. Serving in dis-trict hospitals is mandatoryfor every PG student.

The Board has given thego-ahead to district residen-cy programme. Presently,we have over 23,000 PG and68,500 undergraduate med-

ical seats in both govern-ment and private collegesacross the country.

The district residency pro-gramme has been in theworks, but the BoG’sapproval will facilitate theincrease in seats in the2020-21 sessions itself.

As for other options, thereare several: Ranging fromHospital managent, PublicHealth Administration, Law,Clinical Research, Commu-nity Health, Pharma market-ing, quality control etc. Butlet her target her first choice(PG in med) first.

Choices for pursuing PG in other fields after MBBS

Q.I have experience of 7years after MTech from

a good institute. I intend tochange my job. I haveapplied multiple timesthrough job portals buy I amnot getting an interview call.Please help me.

A.There are 5 key rea-sons why you may not

be getting an interview calland below are some possi-ble solutions that may helpyou resolve the same - 1. Your resume has responsibil-ities but not accomplishments:Sometimes people make amistake of putting their rolesin their resume and not theiraccomplishments. Pleaseunderstand this is resumeand not a job description.The recruiter will know theresponsibilities of your rolebut what they need to under-stand is if you can be success-ful in the role.2. You're trying to send appli-cations quickly and not "tai-loring" your resume: Eachjob has customised require-ments, this is not a 'one sizefits all' world anymore. Youwill need to go through keywords in the job descriptionvery carefully and accord-ingly adjust your resume.3. You're applying for posi-tions that aren't the right fitfor your background. Pleasedon't do upload yourresume every chance youget. Look carefully for theexperience and educationcriteria. These are two basicparameters. Sometimesthere is an explicitly stated"eligibility" criteria. While

these are flexible, it is still aguideline and backgroundsnot fitting into this guide-line may not be shortlisted.4. Your work experience does-n't appear on the top half ofpage 1 of your resume. For-matting your resume wellin order to place on top ofwhat an employer is look-ing for is vital. Don't "bury"it at the bottom of page 1. Itshould begin on the top halfof page 1, no exceptions. Ifyou bury it, it seems likeyou are giving less impor-tance to it. Remember, yourCV always moves from themost important element atthe top to the least impor-tant element at the bottom. 5. Your resume is too longand is getting skimmed overrather than read closely. Noone has the patience ortime to find the details in alengthy and unwieldlyresume. It puts people offimmediately. If you have alot to add please addannexures but keep yourresume short and simple.Your resume is really ahighlight reel and a salespitch to the company show-ing them how you can helpthem achieve their goals.It's not a list of everythingyou've ever done… at leastnot if you want to get inter-views. You can attempt cre-ating a master resumefrom which you deletethings to make a more cus-tomized short version.— The expert is a Panchkula-based employ-

ability expert and Chief Mentor, MavenCareer Coaching

MENTOR MINUTESSANJAY ARORA

Why am I not gettinginterview call?

CAREERCATURESANDEEP JOSHI

Please maintain your social distance!

SARVESH AGRAWAL

The next two weeks are themost crucial for India inthe wake of COVID-19.Considering this, business-es across the country aretaking precautionary deci-sions which are meant tomaintain social distancingand avoiding unnecessarytravel of employees. Someof the key businesses espe-cially the internet-basedbusiness, startups, andtech giants have mandatedwork from home for all oftheir employees.

Work from home culture

has been gaining populari-ty in businesses for thepast couple of years. How-ever, only a small percent-age of companies and itsemployees are completelyfamiliar with the concept.In this scenario, profes-sionals who are new to theconcept, face the challengeof keeping up their produc-tivity and efficiency.

When you are working ina home setting, you are

likely to get distractedbecause of multiple factorslike family, pets, television,changed eating and sleep-ing routine, and so on.Here, it becomes a chal-lenge for you to be equallyproductive at work as youwould be in the office. Togear up for this, you couldtake the following meas-ures and ensure maximumwork efficiency:1. Plan your day: When you

are working from home,spend some time at thebeginning of the day plan-ning your whole day. Listdown all your tasks andarrange those in descend-ing priority. Set targets forthe day and documentthose as and when youachieve one. Share yourprogress with your teammembers or manager atthe end of the day. Plan thecalls and web conferences

with your team or clientsahead as you would nor-mally schedule a meeting. 2. Stay connected with the team:To stay focused throughoutthe day, it is essential thatyou stay connected withyour team. To do the same,make sure you are alwaysavailable for calls, emails,and instant messagingapps like Hangouts chat.Check-in with your teamevery once in a while

regarding work or to dis-cuss something informal asyou would do in the office.Practising this not onlyensures your focus but alsohelps your team membersto stay on track too.3. Keep dedicated officespace at home: Despitebeing in a home setting,plan work as if you are atyour workplace. Keep adedicated space for workat home that is less proneto distractions and is com-fortable. Have your familyor roommates understandyour work schedule toavoid distractions. Beclear about your work tim-ings which include whenyou will start working,take a break to snack orstretch or walk, havelunch, and when you willend your day.4. Get acquainted with toolsto navigate work-from-home:In order to stay as efficientas possible, it is critical thatyou get acquainted withtechnology as it is throughthis only that you can stayconnected with your worklife - team and theirprogress, clients, boss, part-

ners, and so on. You mustget acquainted with basictools like document shar-ing, using work manage-ment tools like Trello andTeamwork, Google Drive,Dropbox, Skype, and othertools like Google HangoutsMeet, Slack, Team Viewer,and Zoom to coordinatewith your team, havingmeetings and conferenceswith your clients, or to con-duct interviews for recruit-ing new employees.

While it is challenging towork remotely, this is alsoan opportunity for you toacquire and hone so manynew skills like planning, for-ward-thinking, coordina-tion in times of distress, andso on. In addition to this, itis natural that when you areworking from home, youwill save a lot of commutetime and get to spend it withyour family. You couldutilise this time to plan yourwork, spend time with fam-ily, and help your kids man-age their studies when theschools are closed.

The writer is the Founder and CEO ofInternshala, an internship and training

platform (internshala.com)

Make work-from-home work

SCHOLARSHIP ROUND-UP

COURSE CRUISINGBSc GeologyManav Rachna International Insti-tute of Research and Studies (For-merly Manav Rachna InternationalUniversity, deemed to be universityunder Section 3 of the UGC Act,1956) announced the commence-ment of admission to its BSc (Hons.)Geology programme.How to apply: Eligible candidatescan apply online and offline. Visitthe website manavrachna.edu.infor more details. Programmes offered: BSc (Hons.)Geology (3 years) MSc. in Applied Geology: (2 years) Eligibility: BSc (Hons.) Geology.Plus II (with science) Examination/Equivalent Examination with atleast 50 per cent marks in aggre-gate in five subjects, including Eng-lish as a compulsory subject alongwith 4 subjects with the highestscore out of the remaining subjects. MSc. in Applied Geology: 50 percent marks in aggregate in gradua-tion from a recognised university,bachelor’s degree in Geology/Applied Geology.Selection criteria: Marks in quali-fying exams or marks in ManavRachna National Aptitude Test2020 (MRNAT 2020)

MSc EnvironmentalChange and InternationalDevelopmentThe University of Sheffield, UK is

inviting applications for MSc Envi-ronmental Change and Internation-al Development course starting inSeptember 2020.Duration: 1 yearEligibility: Holders of a three-yearbachelor degree with a minimum of60 per cent or "first class" in anarea of the social sciences or medi-cine from a reputable university. Fee: The annual fee for overseasstudents is £23,750. Check out:https://www.sheffield.ac.uk/post-graduate/taught/courses/2020/environmental-change-and-interna-tional-development-msc or contact

Institute of ManagementStudies (IMS) Institute of Management StudiesIMSinvites application for differentcourses for its 2020 batch. How to apply: Applicants seekingadmission are required to fill a sep-arate application form for the same.Applicants can collect the applica-tion form, from the institute by pay-ing ~1000 (cash) for UG courses &~1400 (cash) for PGDM pro-gramme. Eligibility: Candidates should havepassed Plus II from any recognisedBoard of Education such as AISS-CE/IB/ICSE, or equivalent.Deadline: July 2020Check out: http://imsnoida.com/http://imsnoida.in

THE TRIBUNECHANDIGARH | WEDNESDAY | 25 MARCH 2020 17PATHFINDER

COVID-19 IMPACT

USHA ALBUQUERQUE

The world today is in the gripof a deadly viral disease —thisis no horror fantasy movie. Infact, it is much worse, as thedeadly strain of a new evolvedvirus is spreading rapidlyacross the globe having infect-ed more than 3,00,000. Morethan 11,000 have died due tothis around the world. It is apandemic like no other andgovernments, doctors, healthworkers, and others are scram-bling to treat the infected,counsel the quarantined, andmost importantly study thepattern of the virus’ muta-tions and try to predict itsspread so as to contain andmitigate its lethal effects.

Among those workingagainst the clock in helpingsolve the corona virus crisisare Bio-statisticians who,together with doctors and epi-demiologists, are collectingdata about the numbersinfected, the causes for thespread of the infection, thepattern of contagion and so on,conducting statistical analysesand mathematical modelingso as to help advise govern-ment and health advisors onhow to tackle the spread of thisdeadly epidemic.

Bio-statisticians have beenusing base raw data fromthose infected in countrieslike China, S Korea Italy andIran and through mathemat-ical modeling and a range ofstatistical studies and toolswarning governments andhealth workers about thelikely peak in infected casesand fatalities, and the need to'flatten the curve' by intro-ducing mitigating con-straints such as social dis-tancing, quanrantine andenforced hand washing.

Biostatisticians play a veryimportant role as they analyzedata and statistics on livingthings collected during med-ical research studies to draw

conclusions or make predica-tions. They use their knowl-edge of mathematics, statis-tics, and science to research onmatters of healthcare. More-over, by applying statistics totheir scientific research, a bio-statistician in help developstatistical processes to addressissues of human health.Today’s bio-statisticians arealso exposed and trained insome of the top-tier, cutting-edge statistical software pack-

ages such as SPSS or R andtrained to quickly providedescriptive reports on vari-ables, statistics that examinerelationships among differentvariables, statistics that speakto whether some findings like-ly generalised to broader pop-ulations, and more.

WORK PROFILEBiostatisticians typicallywork in a hospital, researchlab or office, alone or with a

team. They will formulate orhelp formulate questions orchallenges related to medicalissues, gather data from vari-ous sources, coordinate thecollection of the data, andthen analyse the data toanswer those questions.They may perform data gath-ering through numeroussources, use a variety of tech-nologies and tools to analysethe information, preparereports on their findings, and

consult with others in themedical field to arrive at theirconclusion. The work of abio-statisticians can include:■ Testing new drugs andusing data to determine risksand effectiveness■ Studying various risk fac-tors leading to disease■ Designing principles forrandomised controlled trials■ Using statistical data to look at links that couldhighlight causes or cures ofdisease■ Evaluating results of cancerand other death threateningdisease studies

Job prospectsMost bio-statisticians work inacademia, with government orprivate research facilities, hos-pitals, and for national, interna-tional, public and private organ-isations involved in the study ofpatterns of health and diseasein populations. Governmentand international organisationslike the National Centre for Dis-ease Control, Indian Council ofmedical Research, WorldHealth Organisation(WHO),United Nations, Médecins SansFrontières and the Centers forDisease Control (CDC), and oth-er international charities target-ing disease outbreaks overseas,regularly recruit bio-statisti-cians, epidemiologists and pub-lic health experts for field sup-port of projects.

Job opportunities in bio-sta-tistics are projected to grow asthe incidence and spread ofdiseases increase. Moreover,advances in the availabilityand processing of “big data”,along with the growing inte-gration of advanced mappingsoftware, will open up newopportunities in this area.

So for those interested inbio-sciences and with a curi-ous and inquisitive mind,this career will be vitally sig-nificant in the comingmonths as we fight this pan-demic for the humanity.

CHANDIGARH | WEDNESDAY | 25 MARCH 2020

GAURI CHHABRA

In an age where there is anexplosion of information,multiple versions of factsand conflation of views andfacts, the need for correctfacts becomes paramount.This is exactly what theMinistry of Informationand Broadcasting does, i.e.bring correct information.Building a robust networkof information systems toinform the masses aboutvarious governmentschemes, new plans and ini-tiatives etc is essential. Inthis regard, the IndianInformation Service (IIS)officers ensure the rightchannelisation, dispersion,and dissemination of infor-mation in leading mediafrontiers to make informa-tion readily available to theIndian population.

ABOUT INDIANINFORMATION SERVICE (IIS)The Indian InformationService (IIS) is the adminis-trative civil service underGroup A and Group B of theCentral Civil Services of theexecutive branch of theGovernment of India.

Indian Information Serviceofficers are the media man-agers of the Government ofIndia. They act as a vital com-munication link between thegovernment and the peopleby way of disseminatinginformation and communi-cating various governmentpolicies and schemes to thepublic at large; and also col-lecting and providing valu-able feedback to the govern-ment for policy formulation.

Most IIS officers work in var-ious media units, which are

under the Ministry of Infor-mation and Broadcastingsuch as DD News, All IndiaRadio, Press InformationBureau, DAVP etc. Duringtheir tenure in the Press Infor-mation Bureau, they are post-ed with various ministries asspokespersons to handle theMinistry’s information andcommunication needs andhelp in policy formulation.

IIS officers are also postedas spokespersons to variousconstitutional bodies suchas Election Commission ofIndia and statutory bodiessuch as Central Bureau ofInvestigation. Besides post-ings all over India, an IISofficer also gets posted to afew foreign assignmentsunder Prasar Bharati.

GENESISIndian Information Service(IIS) was established as anorganised central servicenamed Central InformationService (CIS) on March 1,1960. Prior to 1960, theseposts were manned by offi-cers recruited separately byeach media unit. In 1987,CIS was bifurcated into IISGroup 'A' and IIS Group 'B' .

RECRUITMENTIIS Group-A officers areselected through two modes,

Direct recruitment throughthe prestigious Civil ServicesExamination conducted bythe Union Public ServiceCommission for recruitmentto the various Civil Servicesand also through promotion

to IIS Group-A from theSenior Grade officers of IISGroup-B.

QUALIFICATIONIt is an administered civilservice cadre. This servicecomes under the Ministryof Information and broad-casting. Officers for IIS areselected through the Civilservices exams conductedby UPSC.

Candidates must have adegree from a recogniseduniversity or institute, diplo-ma/PG Diploma in Journal-ism/ Mass Communicationfrom a recognised universi-ty/institution. OR Degree injournalism and mass com-munication from a recog-nised university/institute.

TRAININGAfter the officers are allo-cated the Service depend-ing on their rank and pref-erences in the CivilServices Exam, they under-go a three-month Founda-tion Course at Lal BahadurShastri National Academyof Administration Mus-soorie. This is followed bynine months of professionaltraining at Indian Instituteof Mass Communication,New Delhi. During thetraining period there is alsoa 3-week training modulefor IIS Officer Trainees atFilm and Television Insti-tute of India Pune. There-after, an IIS Probationerundergoes one year On-Job-Training, during which

he/she is attached to vari-ous media units under Min-istry of Information andBroadcasting such as-■ Press Information Bureau■ All India Radio■ DD News■ Registrar of Newspapersfor India■ Publications Division[5]■ Directorate of Field Publicity■ New Media Wing of Min-istry of Information andBroadcasting■ Directorate of Advertisingand Visual Publicity■ Electronic Media Moni-toring Centre

POSTINGS AFTER TRAININGThe Ministry of Informa-tion and Broadcasting hasits own media houses that

help in the disseminationof information from thegovernment to the public.IIS officers are stationedin these media units toserve the government'sinterests. ■ Many IIS officers work inDD News, All India Radio net-works, Prasar Bharathi, etc. ■ They also serve as officersin Press informationbureaus. In these bureaus,they get higher postingsleading them to representrespective ministries in theform of spokespersons. ■ IIS officers are also deput-ed as spokespersons to theComptroller and AuditorGeneral of India, the elec-tion commission of India,and also the Central Bureau

of investigation. ■ They are also deputedinternationally on foreignassignments.

Work profileBy its very nature of han-dling the information andcommunication, the Ser-vice enjoys a great diversityin its nature of work andresponsibilities. The Min-istry of I&B lists the func-tions of an IIS officer in itsofficial mandate as■ To plan and execute themedia strategy to providepublicity to various pro-grammes/schemes of the gov-ernment for the welfare of thepeople across the country.■ Organising press confer-ences and visual publicitycampaigns for disseminat-ing information to the peo-ple on the various activi-ties and policies of theGovernment of Indiathrough various tools ofmass communication.■ Control, supervision andguidance to News Servicesunits of All India Radio andDD News including region-al news units.■ To look after administra-tion and coordination workof PIB headquarters andday to day publicity work ofthe government.■ To guide, supervise andcontrol the field publicityunits of the Central Govern-ment spread across thecountry and to issue timelydirections for effectivemonitoring and evaluationof field units.■ To monitor the complexlegal issues involved in theverification of titles, regis-tration and circulation forNewspapers in India.

GETTING INBiostatistics is a branch of statistics related tomedical and health applications, and so thosegetting into this field must have a strongbackground in science, particularly Biologyand Chemistry. You also need to be good inmaths and statistics and be data proficient asyou will be working with statistical analysisand data presentation software programs.While there are B Sc courses in Bio-statistics,to work in this highly complex scientific fieldwould require a minimum of a Master ofScience (MS) or Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)degree in Biostatistics, mathematics orstatistics. You can get into an MS or MSc inBio-statistics after a bachelor’s degree in LifeSciences, maths or statistics. Coursework willfocus on statistics, advanced maths, dataanalysis, and more. It will also cover certainareas of medicine in order to provide a solidfoundation on which to apply the findings of

the research.The master’s in Bio - Biostatistics is offered

by several universities and institutes,including Delhi and Mumbai University andthe Indian Statistical Institute. Someinstitutes such as SRM University offer anMSc Biostatistics & Epidemiology whichfocuses on the integration of epidemiology,biostatistics and public health. Some of the colleges offering courses in bio- biostatistics:■ Indian Statistical Institute (ISI), New Delhi■ Indian Statistical Institute (ISI), Kolkatta■ Indian Institute of Technology (IIT),Kanpur, Mumbai■ Manipal University, Karnatka■ Shri Venkateshwara University■ SRM University, Chennai

CAREER PROSPECTSSoon after the probationary period of an IIS officer, he gets posted to a mediaunit attached to the government of India. Again, the tenure at the media unit isdependent on the number of vacancies and requirements they have at thepoint of time of induction. So broadly speaking, an IIS officer travels throughthese roles to achieve seniority and related benefits in his career progression.The path traversed by the IIS officer is listed below for quick reference:

RECRUITMENT NOTIFICATION■ Hindi Translator vacancy in Ministry of Information and BroadcastingRecruitment 2020■ Ministry of Information and Broadcasting has issued recruitmentnotification for the post Hindi Translator eligible candidates can submittheir application before April 27, 2020.■ Ministry of Information and Broadcasting March 2020 Notification detailsHindi Translator | MA | Job Location: Chennai | Total Vacancies: 1 |Last date to apply: April 27, 2020

■ In the initial posting as the juniorgrade officer, he serves as theAssistant Director. ■ In the first promotion to a senior role,he is posted as the Deputy Director. ■ In the junior administrative cadre,he is appointed as the Joint Directoror as the Deputy Secretary to theGovernment of India. ■ He is also posted as the Directorin the junior administrative cadre.

■ In the senior administrationcadre, he holds the post ofAdditional Director General, which isequivalently termed the jointsecretary posting to theGovernment of India■ As a selection grade officer, he isposted as Director General. ■ In higher administrative grades,he can be posted as PrincipalDirector General.

Making the information machinery functional

INDIAN INFORMATION SERVICE

SAURABH KUMAR

NEET 2020 is scheduled for-May 3, 2020 and the results ofthe same are expected by June4, 2020.

NEET 2020 is very importantas this year the exams of AIIMS& JIPMER have been abolishedand the admission to these insti-tutes will also be via NEET 2020.So there is lot of excitementamong the students as theyhave to give only one examinstead of three.

The current disruption inthe academic calendarsthroughout the countryshould not upset your prepa-ration for this importantexam. It is time to utilise theextra time at your disposalconstructively. Studentsshould devote up to 8 to 10hours per day to study. Theyshould exhaustively reviseClass XI & XII syllabus andtake one test daily till thetime of actual exam so thattheir body clock can be tunedas per the actual exam. If youdon’t find too many teststhen simply attempt previ-ous years’ NEET papers .These papers will be morebeneficial and will also helpyou to get familiar with theexam pattern.

Remember, NEET is a raceagainst time as you have to

attempt 180 questions in 180minutes. What this means isthat you have one minute toreact as well as solve thequestion and that too withaccuracy. NEET is also ahigh-scoring exam, so youcant afford to give up toomany questions.

Actually, in NEET zoology,botany, inorganic chemistry &organic chemistry do notinvolve numerical calcula-tions, so these subjects shouldbe attempted first as most ofthe problems here are memo-ry or concept or fact based.After completing this, one canmove to physical chemistryfollowed by physics anddevote proper time to calcula-

tions and rechecking these sothat the is no mistake. Pleasedo not create ego issue withany question. If it’s not work-ing in 60 to 90 sec leave it andreview it at the end.

Also remember that for zool-ogy, botany, inorganic chem-istry & organic chemistryNCERT books are the Bible.So don’t forget to revise these.At this time you are advised tofocus more on Class XI syl-labus as most students are cut-off from this due to boardexams. Move to Class XII syl-labus once you have revisedthat of Class XI.

All the best!— The writer is Director Academics,

Vidyamandir Classes

IMPORTANT TOPICS Physics: Modern Physics & Semiconductor devices,Magnetism & matter, Current electricity, newton lawsSystem of particles & rotation motion.Chemistry: Chemical bonding & molecular structure, s & P blockelements, Equilibrium, Chemical Kinetics, d & f block elements.Biology: biological classification, plant kingdom, animalkingdom, cell, human health & disease, ecosystem,principle of inheritance & variation, Human reproduction

TIPS: OTHER IMPORTANT POINTS WHICH STUDENTS CANCONSIDERING FOR ACING NEET 2020 ARE

Get set for race against time

1. Make a practical timetable.2. Prepare according to the

latest syllabus.3. Practice regularly.4. Refer good study material.5. Attempt full-length

mock tests.6. Focus more on topics that

you are weak in.7. Prepare short notes for

last minute revision.8. Avoid guesswork.

Join the virus warriors THE NUMBER GAME■ A total of 15,93,452 lakhcandidates have applied for theNational Eligibility cumEntrance Test (NEET) UG 2020.In the year 2019, for the firsttime, over 15 lakh candidateshad registered for the exam.■ The number was expected toshoot up this year because,the medical entrance exam -NEET has been mademandatory for admission toAIIMS and JIPMER. Thewebsite this year alsowitnessed a very heavy rush. A slight 4.87 per cent rise hasbeen witnessed in the numberof candidates registered thisyear, increasing the 2019 tally by 74,083 candidates. TESTING TIMES: NEET 2020

CAREER COMPASS: BIO STATISTICS

Documents

Today tribune.pdf - Bankingadda