c m y k c m y k

Max: 39.2OCMin: 26.6OC RH: 22%Rain: Nil

Forecast: Cloudy sky. Rainor thundershows likely.Max/Min temp. 40/26ºC

WEATHER

49,46,171WORLD CONFIRMED CASES

STATE GOVERNMENT BULLETINS

CASES

(+3,595)

1,03,935

(+42)

(+57)TS: 1,634

DEATHS

(+61)

3,216

AP: 2,489

38

52

3,22,579213

DEATHS

COUNTRIES,AREAS WITH

CASES

COVID-19 C UNT

worldometers.info/coronavirus

covid19india.org

(+2)

(+4)

ASTROGUIDESarvari; Uttarayana

Tithi: Vaishaka Bahula Trayodasi till 7.40 pm

Star: Ashwini till 10.35 pmVarjyam: 6.07 pm to 7.54 pm

Durmuhurtam: 11.47 am to12.38 pm

Rahukalam: 12 noon to 1.30 pmHIJRI CALENDAR

Ramzan 26,1441 AHPRAYERS

Fajar: 4.35 amZohar: 12.22 pm

Asar: 4.44 pmMaghrib: 6.48 pm

Isha: 8.02 pmSUNSET TODAY 6.42 PM

SUNRISE TOMORROW 5.42 AMMOONRISE TOMORROW 4.07 AM

MOONSET TODAY 4.47 PM

COUNTER POINT

RAMZAN TIMINGS

SEHRI: 4.13 am(TOMORROW)

IFTAR: 6.48 pm(TODAY)

Separatist’s sonkilled in firing

YUSUF JAMEEL | DC SRINAGAR, MAY 19

Two Hizb-ul-Mujahideenmilitants, one of them serv-ing as the outfit’s ‘divisionalcommander,’ were killed in

a 10-hour-long gunfightwith security forces in

Srinagar on Tuesday. Fivesecurity personnel were

injured, one of them critical-ly, in the clash. Though sev-eral parts of the Valley, par-

ticularly southern districts,have witnessed encounters

routinely, it was the firstsuch clash in Srinagar.

The last time the city wit-nessed a fire fight between

security forces and militantswas in October 2018.

■ Full report on Page 4

IN BRIEF

■ CITY... PAGE 3Mental health issues

among doctors on rise

INSIDE

Guest workers go begging

A guest worker with a child in her arms goes on begging in Secunderabad during the lockdown on Tuesday. While thousands of guest workers have left for their native places, some have stayed back in anticipation that work willresume after restrictions were eased in the state. — GANDHI

Kathmandu, May 19:Nepal Prime Minister K.P.Sharma Oli on Tuesdayasserted that Lipulekh,Kalapani and Limpiya-dhura belong to Nepal andvowed to “reclaim” themfrom India through politi-cal and diplomatic efforts,as his Cabinet endorsed anew political map showingthe three areas asNepalese territory.

Addressing Parliament,Mr Oli said the territoriesbelong to Nepal but Indiahas made it a disputedarea by keeping its Armythere. Nepalis wereblocked from going thereafter India stationed itsArmy, he said.

India has deployed itstroops in Kalapani since1962 and our rulers in thepast hesitated to raise theissue, he said, asserting,

We will reclaim and getthem back.

He asserted that theNepal government willmake political and diplo-

matic efforts to reclaimthe territory.

Oli also expressed thehope that India will followthe path of truth, shown bySatya Meva Jayate, whichis mentioned in theAshoka Chakra, thenational symbol of India.

Mr Oli’s remarks came aday after the Cabinet head-ed by him endorsed a newpolitical map showingLipulekh, Kalapani andLimpiyadhura underNepal's territory.

Tensions escalated afterIndia inaugurated theroad link connectingKailash Mansarovar, aholy pilgrimage site situ-ated in Tibet. — PTI

Nepal map to have Indian areasNepal PM says his country will reclaim these areas from India

MD ILYAS I DCVIJAYAWADA, MAY 19

The Andhra Pradeshpolice on Tuesday arrest-ed Ranganayaki Poon-thota, a 60-year-old womanfrom the coastal city ofGuntur, merely for raisingseveral doubts about thestate government’s han-dling of the LG Polymersmishap on the socialmedia platform Facebook.

The Criminal Investi-gation Department (CID)took her into custody fromher house and immediate-ly released her on bail. Shewas charged with defam-ing the government andcreating fear among thepeople!

In an official release, theCID said a case has beenregistered against MsPoonthota under IPC sec-tions 505 (2) (making state-ments conducive to publicmischief), 153(A) (promot-ing enmity between twogroups), 188 (disobedience

to order promulgated bypublic servant), 120-B (cri-minal conspiracy) readwith Section 34 and sec-tion 67 of the InformationTechnology Act.

The message she postedon Facebook was basicallyin the form of a question-naire which suggestedthat vested interests haderased all crucial evidencein the factory after themishap and had deliber-ately misplaced the cru-cial chemical to be mixed

with the styrene (neu-traliser Para TertiaryButyl Catechol).

“This is very misleadingbecause it gives scope todraw an inference that thevapour leak at LGPolymers is deliberate,” asenior CID officialclaimed. He said the reali-ty is that the neutraliseravailable in the plant wasfully utilised and addition-al stocks were airliftedfrom Gujarat.

Ms Poonthota compiledinformation gathered byone Raghu Nadh Malladiand posted it on her FBpage. “I am unaware of thesharing option so copiedthe text from another postand pasted it on my page,”the septuagenarian said.

She said the content wasnot against any politicalparty and her intentionwas to share informationwith people as a citizen.

■ Page 2: Woman’s socialmedia profile shows TD tilt

AP CID takes 60-year-oldinto custody for criticism

● ● THE MESSAGE sheposted on Facebook wasbasically in the form of aquestionnaire which sug-gested that vested inter-ests had erased all crucialevidence in the factoryafter the mishap and haddeliberately misplaced thecrucial chemical to bemixed with the styrene(neutraliser Para TertiaryButyl Catechol).

RAJIB CHOWDHURI,AKSHAYA KUMARSAHOO I DCKOLKATA, MAY 19

Supercyclone Amphanwas stated to be losingstrength as it headedtowards landfall in WestBengal on Wednesdayafternoon. It was main-taining a wind speed of215-225 kmph but declin-ing to an extremelysevere cyclonic storm(ESCS) with gales up to185 kmph, still retainingits capacity to causeextensive damage inOdisha and West Bengal,the IMD said.

Earlier in the day, WestBengal Chief MinisterMamata Banerjee saidthe state governmenthad evacuated aroundthree lakh people fromthe coastal parts in fourdistricts 24 hours beforeSupercyclone Amphanmakes landfall afternoonin the state onWednesday.

AMPHAN WITH185 KMPH GALEHITS WB TODAY

DC CORRESPONDENTHYDERABAD, MAY 19

The first day of significantlockdown relaxations inthe city, except in theCovid-19 red zone contain-ment areas, saw a markedincrease in road trafficeven as shops and other es-tablishments did not openin the numbers expected.

Despite this being themonth of Ramzan, shop-keepers in the Old City

who opened their business-es did not see much interms of footfalls. Shopshave been instructed toopen on odd and even days.

“Compared to the volumeof traffic in pre-Coronav-irus days, what the citysaw on Tuesday was proba-bly about 40 per cent,” saidadditional commissionerof police (traffic), AnilKumar.

Many autorickshawsmade an appearance on the

roads after nearly a two-month absence. With pub-lic transport — RTC busesand Metro Rail services —still not operating in thecity, many autorickshawdrivers managed to findpassengers.

“I was out of work for allthis while because of thelockdown. Though I cannottake more than two passen-gers at a time, I am happythat I can get back to workand earn some money,”

said Dasu, an autorick-shaw driver who usuallyruns short trips from resi-dential colonies inKhairatabad to the nearbybusiness and shoppingareas. “Because there wereno buses, I made two longtrips today. It felt good tobe back at work,” he said.

One of the reasons whymany businesses stayedshut in several areas couldhave been because thedetails of relaxations

might be taking some timeto filter down, a GHMCofficial said. While shopsand establishments wereallowed to open, none wereallowed to open in the con-tainment zones numberingaround 100 in the city.

RTC district bus servicesfound many takers withpeople making trips fromthe city to other districts.

■ Page 2: Officials expectmore shops to open soon

City wakes up slowly to new normalAutos back on road, people leave city in buses; few shops openNEW | REALITY

VUJJINI VAMSHIDHARA I DCHYDERABAD, MAY 19

The Telangana HighCourt on Tuesday permit-ted the state governmentto hold SSC exams afterthe first week of June.

A division bench ofChief Justice Raghav-endra Singh Chauhan andJustice B. Vijaysen Reddydirected the governmentto review the Covid-19 sit-

uation on June 3 to see ifexams can be held fromJune 8. If the situationdeteriorates, the examsshould be put on hold.

The bench noted thatmore than five lakh stude-nts will be appearing forthe exams. “Holding exa-ms for such a huge num-ber is not a joke and it is agigantic step,” it said.

■ Page 2: Two-day gap is amust for SSC exams: HC

SSC exams get HC’sconditional approval

CHINA HOPES INDIA AND NEPALREFRAIN FROM UNILATERAL ACTIONBeijing, May 19: Chinasaid the Kalapani bor-der issue is betweenIndia and Nepal as ithoped that the neigh-bours could refrainfrom “unilateralactions” and properlyresolve their disputes

through consultations. Foreign ministry spo-

kesman Zhao Lijianmade the remarks whilereplying to questions onIndia-Nepal differencesover the border. — PTI

■ Another report on P5

S.A. ISHAQUI I DCHYDERABAD, MAY 19

The Centre has told theTelangana state govern-ment that “lack of proac-tive testing” will not helpthe state contain theCovid-19 pandemic.

Union health secretaryPreeti Sudan, in a letteraddressed to ChiefSecretary Somesh Kumar,pointed out that the statehad a higher positivityrate — the ratio of positivediagnosis to the number oftests conducted — thanthe national average.

“We need to chase thevirus rather than thevirus chase us,” Ms Sudansaid and urged the ChiefSecretary to review thesituation and enhancetesting. Telangana stateaccounted for just 1.5 percent, or 20,754, of the morethan 14 lakh RT-PCR (real-time polymerase chainreaction) tests carried outnationwide, she said.

Ms Sudan noted that thenumber of samples testedin TS was far behindDelhi, Gujarat, Maharash-tra, Rajasthan and TamilNadu, which have report-ed high numbers of Covid-19 cases. “The total num-ber of cases in Telanganaas on May 17 was 1,551,with 34 deaths,” she said.

A health ministry offi-cial said while AndhraPradesh conducted 9,000

tests per day on average,Telangana state’s total isjust over 200.

Ms Sudan noted,“Telangana’s tally of testsper million populationwas far lower than that ofother states, as well as thenational average, betweenApril 30 and May 6. Whilethe all-India testing aver-age was 1,025 per millionpopulation, the figure forTelangana was only 546.”

■ Page 2: Etala evadesreply to Centre’s letter

Centre hits out atTS low test policySays TS has higher Covid-19 positivity rate

DC CORRESPONDENTNEW DELHI/NOIDA, MAY 19

A political tug of war hasbroken out between theBJP-led Uttar Pradeshgovernment and theCongress over 1,000 busesprovided by the opposi-tion party’s UP unit toferry guest workers totheir homes. At least nineletters were exchanged bythe two sides.

The Congress claimedthat as of 5 pm onTuesday, 500 buses werestanding at the Delhi-Ghaziabad border and 500more at Agra and the localauthorities were not per-mitting them saying theyhave no order from thegovernment.

The drama began onMonday when after muchdilly-dallying, the UttarPradesh government ledby Yogi Adityanathaccepted a May 16 requestfrom Congress leaderPriyanka Gandhi to allow1,000 buses to enter thestate from Rajasthan toferry guest workers in UP.It also asked her to pro-vide a list with details ofthe buses, drivers andconductors for smoothtransport of the migrantworkers.

While state Congressleaders claimed that thebuses were not beingallowed to enter the state

by the local authorities atthe Rajasthan border, UPminister Sidharth NathSingh accused theCongress of politicisingthe issue.

“On this sensitive issueof helping guest workersstranded due to Covid-19situation, they (Congress)have proved that theydon’t want to help thembut want to do politicsinstead,” Mr SidharthNath said.

“Numbers of three-wheelers were included inthe list of buses that theyclaimed were deployed toferry migrants,” he added.

Congress chief spokes-person Randeep SinghSurjewala, however, clai-med that the UP govern-ment was creating road-blocks. “The Congress hasgiven 1,000 buses for ourguest workers. But Adity-anath government is play-ing dirty politics over it,”he said.

UP asks details ofCong’s 1K buses

DC CORRESPONDENTNEW DELHI, MAY 19

Congress chief SoniaGandhi has called for ameeting of “like-minded”opposition parties onMay 22 to discuss theNarendra Modi govern-ment’s “mishandling” ofthe Covid19 situation,especially the plight ofmigrant workers.

Apart from MrsGandhi, the leaders, whowould attend the meetingthrough video-conferenc-ing, would include NCPchief Sharad Pawar,Maharashtra CM andShiv Sena chief UddhavThackeray, West BengalCM and TrinamulCongress chief MamataBanerjee, DMK chiefM.K. Stalin and CPI(M)general secretarySitaram Yechury.

It would be the firstmeeting of oppositionparties since a nation-wide lockdown wasimposed on March 25.

While around 18 partieshave confirmed theirattendance, the BSP,AAP and the JD(S) arealso likely to join in themeeting. Sources saidthe Samajwadi Party,which fought the UP As-sembly polls in alliancewith the Congress, is unl-ikely to attend the meet-ing despite an invitationwas extended to them.

CONGRESS CHIEFCONVENES OPPNMEET ON MAY 22

● ● CONGRESS claims thatUttar Pradesh officials arenot allowing the busesorganised by the party toenter the state to ferryguest workers to theirnative places.

● ● UP minister accusedthe Congress of giving thelist of cars and three-wheelers and not buses.

BALU PULIPAKA I DCHYDERABAD, MAY 19

A group of Indian scien-tists who have been work-ing on understandingchanges happening to theCoronavirus that causesCovid-19 has found thatsome structures of thevirus are undergoing cha-nges that show that thevirus, in India, is diverg-ing from the Wuhanstrain.

Scientists also cautionedthat the overall low test-ing rate in the countryand a smaller number of

genome submissions areemerging as major bottle-necks in the assessment ofthe evolution of SARS-CoV-2 in India.

According to Dr Syed EHasnain, vice-chancellorof Jamia Hamdard and aformer head of the city-based Centre for DNAFingerprinting and Diag-nostics, the group studied4,000 SARS-CoV-2 sequen-ces available in publicdatabases, including stra-ins sequenced in India.

■ Page 2: Experts look atlow mortality in India

Group flags viruschanges, few tests

Vol. 83 No. 140 Established 1938 | 16 PAGES | `6.00deccanchronicle.com, facebook.com/deccannews, twitter.com/deccanchronicle, google.com/+deccanchronicle

TABLOIDSPORTS|8Banned: Spitting gum and saliva

Kohli talks high ofthrowdown practice

WORLD|5Trump threatens

to quit WHO

LOW TESTING IN TSSTATES TESTS +TIVE

DONE CASESTN 279462 9227

Maha 230857 25922

AP 201196 2137

Gujarat 122297 9268

Kerala 39380 534

TS 22842 1388

India 1947041 78057

THE LARGEST CIRCULATED ENGLISH DAILY IN SOUTH INDIAHYDERABAD I WEDNESDAY I 20 MAY 2020

From Page 1

“Other studies focusedmajorly on the genomicaspect of the virus. Ourstudy evaluated bothgenomic as well as func-tional aspects of the virusin the Indian and globalscenario. Large-scaleanalysis revealed signifi-cant changes in some pro-teins of the virus. We alsofocused on conserved pro-teins that can be targetedas potential diagnosticand intervention candi-dates,” Dr Hasnanin said.

The study by JamiaHamdard, a deemed to beUniversity in New Delhi,the United Kingdom-basedBioInception Labs PvtLtd., an R&D companyfocused on drug discoveryand diagnostics, and

Hyderabad basedEnvirozyme Biotech PvtLtd. (India), an appliedR&D biotech company,started looking at possiblereasons why India, havingthe second largest popula-tion in the world, reportedjust two per cent cases and0.9 per cent mortalities ofthe worldwide cases ofCovid-19.

While global death aver-age is 40 deaths per mil-lion, as on May 17, in Indiait was two per million.“We began investigatingpossible reasons for this,”Dr Hasnain said.

Dr Hasnain explainedthat open reading frames(ORF) are responsible forprotein production in anorganism. SARS-CoV-2has 12 ORFs and based onthe mutational analysis of

these ORFs, they foundthat their data suggestscrucial mutations inIndian isolates, whichmay affect infectivity ofSARS-CoV-2 in the Indianpopulation.

The Indian samples ofthe virus revealed thatthey were closer to thevirus variations in China,Kuwait, Spain, Norwayand Canada, indicatingthat these strains trav-elled from these countriesinto India.

He said their study indi-cated that delayed restric-tions enforced by Indiacould have resulted in thedifferent strains of viruscoming into India, partic-ularly from Europeanhotspot regions.

“More such studies arerequired to understand

the pathogen’s outbreakdynamics, which willeventually lead to mitiga-tion of the disease. Thelow sampling rate and asmaller number ofgenome submissions aremajor bottlenecks inassessing evolution ofSARS-CoV-2 in India. Wehope the government willwork to increase the sam-pling rate as well asgenomic submissions forfurther studies,” he fur-ther said.

“A rapid and diversesequencing of viralstrains will helpresearchers find betterdiagnostics probes leadingto higher sensitivity andspecificity, improved drugefficacy and broad-spec-trum Covid-19 vaccines,”Dr Hasnain said.

CITY pg 2DECCAN CHRONICLE | HYDERABAD | WEDNESDAY | 20 MAY 2020

IN BRIEF

TRS corporatorheld for gambling

Hyderabad: The Malkajgiripolice arrested seven per-

sons including TRS corpora-tor Bilegilika Shivaji fromJawaharnagar Municipal

Corporation for indulging ingambling. Police raided the

house at Kasturbanagar inMoula Ali based on a tip-off.

The arrested were Shivaji,corporator of the second

ward of JawaharnagarMunicipal Corporation, C.

Kiran, K. Raju, P. Rakesh, G.Rajesh Khanna, I. Bhasker

Reddy and P. Raju. Theywere booked under the IPC,

Gaming Act, DisasterManagement Act and

Epidemic Diseases Act.About `1.21 lakh cash, seven

cellphones and 14 sets ofplaying cards were seized.

Teachers workingas labourers: Cong

Hyderabad: AICC secretaryand former MLA Ch

Vamshichander Reddy saidteachers were being forced

to work as daily wagelabourers or join the Rural

Employment GuaranteeScheme ‘Upadhi Hami’ tosupport their families, as

they have not received theirsalaries for more than two

months. On Tuesday he toldthe media that 4 lakh teach-

ing and non-teaching staff ofprivate schools were paid

not more than `3,500 as theMarch salary, and nothingafter that. He appreciatedthe Government Order 45

that no school should collectfees from students and

directed the management topay the salaries of their staff.

He appealed to the govern-ment to release the 2019-20tuition fee reimbursement ofof intermediate, degree andPG students, immediately so

that the management would-n't face many problems in

disbursing their employees’salaries.

Two-day gap mustfor SSC exams: HC

From Page 1 “The state should take steps

to protect its children,” thebench added. The courtdirected the education

department to ensure thatthere are more exam cen-

tres, which should be locat-ed in schools or colleges

having large campuses. Eachcentre should have a suffi-

cient number of thermalscreening kits to screen stu-dents upon entry, and thereshould be adequate medicalstaff to look after the med-ical needs of the students.

It said social distancing mustbe maintained inside andoutside the centres. After

every exam, the centreshould be disinfected. A

two-day gap must be main-tained between each exami-

nation. It directed thedepartment to provide

helpline numbers to parentsand students which can beused in an emergency or incase of confusion. It askedthe department to ensure

that students in red zones orcontainment zones are safely

taken to the centres. Thecourt vacated the stay

orders on the SSC examissued on March 20 as cases

of Coronavirus beganspreading. The court had

stayed the exams on a PILfiled by one Bala Krishna

Mandapati. Last week, withthe situation stabilising, the

government filed a vacatestay petition seeking permis-

sion to hold the exams.

IREDDY SRINIVASREDDY | DCHYDERABAD, MAY 19

Union minister of statefor home G. Kishan Reddystrongly refuted ChiefMinister K.Chandrashekar Rao’scriticism of the Centralgovernment’s `20 lakhcrore economic stimuluspackage.

On Tuesday the minis-ter addressed the pressthrough a video confer-ence, and questioned howTelangana state had lostout on the financial pack-age. He condemned theChief Minister’s allega-tions that the Centre’spolicy is against the fed-eral spirit and said thepackage would provide aneconomic stimulus acrossthe country.

He clarified that the OneNation-One Grid schemehas to be implementing aspart of the reforms anddemanded to know inwhat way the packagewas not useful toTelangana state. Heclaimed that theNarendra Modi govern-ment is adopting a vari-ety of policies to bringinvestment to the countryand said this was not thetime to resort to votebank politics.

He then criticised thestate government’s

schemes, saying theRythu Bandhu scheme isnot applicable to all farm-ers but only to thosefarmers who sow cropslisted by the state govern-ment. “Did we opposeyour policy on RythuBandhu,” he asked. “Ifwhat you have done iscorrect, how come whatthe Centre had done iswrong? This practice oftwo-facedness isn’t fair,”he said.

Mr Reddy said that eightcrore farmers across thecountry have benefitedunder the EmploymentGuarantee Scheme andadded that three crorepensions are being grant-ed to old people and wid-ows. The minister saidthat the Centre has alsoincreased the FRBM limitfrom three to five percent. He challenged theChief Minister to pointout any drawbacks in thechanges made to FRBM.

Experts look at low mortality in India

DC CORRESPONDENTHYDERABAD, MAY 19

BJP state president BandiSanjay Kumar onTuesday ridiculed K.Chandrashekar Rao forcriticising the stimuluspackage announced bythe Centre.

Reacting to the ChiefMinister’s remarks on thepackage at a press confer-ence on Monday, MrSanjay pointed out thatthe TRS leaders would filltheir pockets if theCentre directly releasedfunds to the state govern-ment.

He reminded that theReserve Bank of Indiahas issued guidelines in2019 with regard to directfunding to the state gov-ernments. It had madeclear that restrictionsmay be imposed in granti-ng loans to the state gov-ernments under the waysand means advances, MrSanjay said.

The RBI guidelines wereaccepted by all the stategovernments includingTelangana state. “Why isKCr now finding faultwith those conditions,”he asked.

He said it is “silly” ofthe Chief Minister tokeep speaking about thefeudal and federal sys-tems. He said that the peo-ple will certainly realisehow good the package isfor the country which isexperincing an economiccrisis due to the Covid-19lockdown.

Mr Sanjay said that MrRao during demonetisa-tion and introduction ofGST had surpassed BJPcadres and leaders inpraising Prime MinisterNarendra Modi. “Now heis suddenly taking a U-turn for reasons bestknown to him,” MrSanjay said.

FOUR MORE DIEOF COVID IN TS,

TOLL RISES TO 38BALU PULIPAKA I DCHYDERABAD, MAY 19

In a sudden spike, four personsdied from Covid-19 inTelangana state, the healthdepartment said, taking thetoll to 38. The four deathsreported were that of two men,aged 75 and 70 years, and twowomen who were 38 and 68years old.

The number of Covid-19cases rose to 1,634 with author-ities reporting that 42 moreindividuals were confirmed onTuesday as suffering from thedisease. Of these, 34 were fromthe Greater Hyderabad whilethe rest were from among theguest workers returning hometo the state. The guest workerswho tested positive belongedto the districts of Siricilla,Karimanar and Yadadri.

With Tuesday’s cases, thenumber of Covid-19 patientsfrom this category of peoplerose to 77, the health depart-ment said. Nine persons weredischarged on Tuesday takingtheir total to 1,011 while thenumber of active cases cur-rently were 585, the depart-ment said.

Hairy tale

A woman trims the hair of a client at a hair studio in Secunderabad on Tuesday after the government gave relaxation during the lockdown and allowed salons to open. — R. PAVAN

MORE SHOPS MAY OPEN SOONFrom Page 1

RTC officials said stricthygiene and distancingmeasures were beingenforced to ensure thesafety of passengers andstaff. Though the stategovernment has allowedfood establishments toopen – but only for take-aways – only a few restau-rants that usually serve

takeaway orders wereopen for business.

Officials said they expectmore of these establish-ments to open in the com-ing days. There is alsosome possibility ofHaleem, a favourite dish ofthe city during the monthof Ramzan may becomeavailable for people toorder in the next couple ofdays.

S.A. ISHAQUI I DCHYDERABAD, MAY 19

The Krishna RiverManagement Board(KRMB) has sought fromTelangana government ona priority basis detailedreports of various irriga-tion projects taken up by iton Krishna River.

KRMB had written a let-ter to Telangana’sPrincipal Secretary(Irrigation) following acomplaint by his AP coun-terpart to the board alleg-ing that the TS govern-ment is going ahead withexecution of irrigationprojects includingPalamuru-Rangareddy,

Dindi, Bhaktha RamadasLift Irrigation SchemesWater Grid Project takenup under MissionBhagiratha, andThummilla Lift IrrigationScheme. The AP govern-ment complained to theboard that Telangana isgoing ahead with execu-tion of new projects with-out them being appraisedby KRMB, CWC or theApex Council. It said theseadversely affect projectsalready existing and ongo-ing with prior sanctionsgot by the erstwhile APstate to meet drinkingwater needs of chronicallyand critically drought-prone areas of

Rayalaseema, Nellore andPrakasam districts of AP.

The neighbouring gov-ernment further statedthat Telangana has alsoenhanced the scope ofthree ongoing projects,including Kalwakurthy,Nettempadu LiftIrrigation Schemes andSrisailam Left Bank Canal(SLBC) started by erst-while AP state. The boardhas asked Telangana gov-ernment to refer KRMB’slatest reminder Letter No.2/04/2018/KRMB/2394-96dated 16.10.2019, whereinthe board asked govern-ment of Telangana to fur-nish DPRs/details of theprojects listed therein and

those taken up. The boardreminded the Telanganagovernment that it has notsubmitted the same tilldate.

KRMB stated that undersection 85(8)(d) of AndhraPradesh ReorganisationAct, 2014, functions of theboard include “making anappraisal of any proposalfor construction of newprojects on Godavari orKrishna rivers and givingtechnical clearance, aftersatisfying that such proj-ects do not negativelyimpact the availability ofwater as per the awards ofthe tribunals constitutedunder the inter-stale RiverWater Disputes Act, 1956,

for projects already com-pleted or taken up beforethe appointed day.”

The board reminded thatas per para-7 of theSeventh Schedule of thesaid Act, “No new projectsbased on water resourcesarrived at based on appro-priate dependability crite-ria on Godavari or Krishnarivers can be taken up bythe state of Telangana orstate of Andhra Pradeshwithout obtaining sanctionfrom the Apex Council onRiver Water Resources. Allsuch proposals shall befirst appraised and techni-cally cleared by the respec-tive board before sanctionby the said Apex Council.”

Krishna Board seeks TS dataAP complains TS executing projects on Krishna waters without its consent

From Page 1

Ms Sudan pointed out that“at all-India level, the per-centage of positive sam-ples to total tests (positivi-ty rate) is about 4.12 percent whereas inTelangana, it is 5.26 percent, which shows that ifwe carry out RT-PCR test-ing aggressively, we willbe able to identify casesand be able to have bettercontainment by breakingthe chain.”

Finding fault with thestate administration fornot using private laborato-ries for RT-PCR testing,though the number of gov-ernment labs is small, MsSudan said: “this indicatesthe capacities of the labsare not utilised optimally.”

Asked about the letter,TS health minister EtalaRajendar told DeccanChronicle it was addressed

to the Chief Secretary whowould give an appropriatereply explaining thestate’s approach.

He said it was the TS gov-ernment which had firstsaid that the rapid testswere not accurate, and thefirst to alert the Centreabout the spread of thevirus from the TablighiJamaat congregationreturnees. “We aimed atconducting targeted testsand not for conductingtests blindly to createpanic among the people,”he said.

Mr Rajender said that inthe US 16 out of 100 testsreturn positive while inTelangana state it stood atsix. “This shows our accu-rate approach,” he said.

Reacting to the letter,state Congress presidentN. Uttam Kumar Reddysaid that since the begin-ning the Congress had

been pointing out theerrors in the govern-ment’s approach. TheCentre’s letter establishedthat the state governmentwas trying to hush up thefactual situation, he said.

Mr Reddy recalled thatChief Minister K.Chandrashehar Rao hadsaid that paracetamolcould treat Covid-19 andthat showed he lackedunderstanding of the dis-

ease. Though the IndianCouncil for Medical andResearch had repeatedlyadvised more tests, MrRao had been dodging theissue by diverting theattention of the people.

BJP state presidentBandi Sanjay Kumar saidthat since the beginningthe party had beenexpressing doubts on thegovernment’s approach.He said the BJP hadrequested the Centre tosend another inter-minis-terial team to the statekeeping in view the atti-tude of the KCR govern-ment.

BJP spokespersonKrishna Sagar Rao in astatement demanded theresignation of ministerRajendar for endangeringthe population of the stateby deliberately conductingfewer tests.

He alleged that Mr

Rajendra had not onlyunderperformed duringthe crisis but also willfullymisled the people, theOpposition and the media.

Reacting to the criticism,Mr Rajender said,“Opposition parties, par-ticularly the Congress andthe BJP, are worried butthe government’s han-dling of the situation hasattracted appreciationfrom across many sec-tions. It is Chief MinisterK. Chandrashekar Raowho had alerted the stateadministration sinceMarch 2 and kept it on thealert to combat the virus.”

He asked if theOpposition wanted moredeaths. “Don’t they wantthe people to live withcourage? What exactly dothey want with theirunmindful and meaning-less criticism,” he asked.

Etala evades reply to Centre’s letter on tests

TRS leaders maygrab funds: Bandi

DC CORRESPONDENTHYDERABAD, MAY 19

Chief Minister K.Chandrashekar Rao plansto divert the waters of theKrishna river to AndhraPradesh through thePothireddypadu project,which is not doing justiceto the people of the state,especially southTelangana, Mr N. UttamKumar Reddy, TelanganaPradesh Congress

Committee president,alleged on Tuesday.

He alleged that it wasonly due to the inefficien-cy and tie-up of Mr Raowith the Andhra PradeshChief Minister Y.S. JaganMohan Reddy that AP gov-ernment had released GO203 listing some projectson the Krishna river.

The senior leaderdemanded that Mr Raoresign the day thePothireddypadu head reg-

ulator enhancementworks begin operation.

He was addressing apress conference alongwith MPs, A. RevanthReddy and KomatireddyVenkat Reddy at GandhiBhavan in the city onTuesday.

The TPCC chief accusedMr Rao of conspiring withMr Jagan Mohan Reddy tocause losses to Telanganafarmers of another 7 TMCwater from Srisailam for

AP. He said that theCongress would launch anagitation on PothireddyPadu water-lifting on June2.

Mr Uttam Kumar Reddyalso attacked Mr Rao forcorruption in Kalesh-waram tenders and ques-tioned how `21,000 croreworth of tenders werefloated and closed duringthe lockdown period.

Mr Revanth Reddy, TPCCworking president and

Malkajgiri MP said, thenChief Minister Y.S.Rajashekar Reddy had ini-tiated the lifting of 44,000cusecs of water in 2005 forAP only with the consentof Mr Rao, who was then aUnion minister.

He recalled that whenthe Congress leaders P.Janardhan Reddy andMarri Shashidhar Reddyhad protested against this,Mr Rao had not supportedthe Telangana leaders.

CM wants to divert Krishna waters to AP: Uttam

DC CORRESPONDENTHYDERABAD, MAY 19

Chief Minister K.Chandrashekar Rao willhold an extensive high-level meeting atPragathi Bhavan onThursday to finalise thepolicy on regulated crop-ping patterns. He isexpected to discuss dis-trict-wise cultivation ofspecific crops.

Ministers, district col-lectors, district agricul-ture officials and dis-trict representatives ofRythu Bandhu Samithihave been invited toattend the crucial meeting.

Agriculture ministerS. Niranjan Reddy isholding extensive meet-ings with the officials ofagriculture departmentand Prof JayashankarTelangana StateAgriculture University(PJTSAU) scheduled onTuesday and Wednesday.

The officials will pre-pare a cropping map ofdistricts that will be pre-sented during the meet-ing chaired by the ChiefMinister on Thursday todecide the way forward.

The government hasdecided to bring 70 lakhacres under cotton dur-ing the Vanakalam(Kharif) seasonm 40 lakhacres under paddy and15 lakh acres under redgram out of the expected1.30 crore acres of culti-vated area. The ChiefMinister on Tuesdayafter the Cabinet meet-ing announced that thevariety of the paddy tobe sown by the farmerswill prescribe by thegovernment. He pointedout that the TelanganaSona variety of thepaddy has internationaldemand as it had lessglucose and the stategovernment will encour-age its cultivation.

CM TO FINALISECROPPING PATTERN POLICY

Kishan defendsCentral package,hits out at KCR

G. Kishan Reddy

Bandi Sanjay Kumar

From Page 1

A look at her FB pagereveals that she is veryactive on social media andshares her views on con-temporary political andsocial issues. An ardentfan of former chief minis-ter N. ChandrababuNaidu, she has his photoas her profile picture withthe caption ‘malli nuvveravali’ (you should comeback). She criticised theCentre’s stimulus pack-age, particularly becauseit ignored the hospitalityindustry, which she saidtakes care of people fromthe time they brush theirteeth to going to bed atnight. Official sources saidthe social media teamworking for the ChiefMinister had been observ-

ing her posts for a longtime and flagged it to thehigher ups. Use of phraseslike ‘Prison Thinking’ as acaption for Mr Reddy’sphoto and ‘VisionThinking’ for Mr Naiduand some other posts ques-tioning the capital shiftingdrew the attention of thetop brass, sources added.

Even though it is not acrime to support any polit-ical party, her son Shankarsaid, “We don’t supportany political party.”Shankar’s grandfatherestablished the famoushotel Shankar Vilas in theheart of the city. “She is nodoubt a great admirer ofMr Naidu’s vision ofdevelopment and active onsocial media but neverintended to demean any-one,” he said.

Woman’s SM profileshows TD tilt ●● Finding fault with the

state administration fornot using private labo-ratories for RT-PCRtesting, though thenumber of governmentlabs is small, Ms Sudansaid: “this indicates thecapacities of the labs are not utilisedoptimally.”

CITY pg 3DECCAN CHRONICLE | HYDERABAD | WEDNESDAY | 20 MAY 2020

IN BRIEF

Ph.D SCHOLARHANGS DUE TO

UNEMPLOYMENTJAYENDRA CHAITHANYA T. | DCHYDERABAD, MAY 19

Depressed allegedly at beingunemployed, a 33-year-oldPh.D scholar committed sui-cide by hanging at his home inMedipally on Monday.Medipally police said the vic-tim, Goguloth Raveender 33,had completed his Ph.D atOsmania University inEnglish in 2019 and had beenstruggling to find a job.

Raveender, 33, is survived byhis wife G. Rajitha, a home-maker, and two children agedless than five years. The fami-ly stays at Dwarakanagar,Boduppal.

On Monday evening, whenRajitha was the children,Raveender went to a bedroomand latched it from inside.When he did not open the door,Rajitha opened a window andpeeped inside, only to seeRaveender’s hanging from theceiling fan.

With the help of neighbours,she broke open the door andbrought him down. He wastaken to RBM Hospital wheredoctors declared him broughtdead, said the police.

“The couple had bought ahouse recently. His wife saidthat Raveender was upset forthe last three to four days, andwas locking himself in theroom for long hours. OnMonday also, he did the samebut took the extreme step,”said Medipally sub-inspectorP. Ravi Kumar. The coupledoes not have issues betweenthem and unemploymentseemed to have botheredRaveender, police said.

Bustling with activity

Autorickshaws carry passengers in the busy Kukatpally area during the ongoing nationwide Covid-19 lockdown, in Hyderabad, on Tuesday.The Telangana state government has allowed autorickshaws and district buses to ply with limited number of passengers to maintain socialdistancing. — R. PAVAN

SANJAY SAMUEL PAUL I DCHYDERABAD, MAY 19

TSRTC started its servic-es on Tuesday all overthe state except in Hyd-erabad, which is a redzone. Around 6,000 buseswhich were parked foralmost for two monthswere back on the roads.

The decision to resumeservices was taken bythe state Cabinet onMonday and announcedby Chief Minister K.Chandrashekar Rao.

Speaking to DeccanChronicle, executive dire-ctor, operations, E. Yad-agiri, said “With all theCovid-19 precautions, es-pecially sanitising andsocial distancing norms,the buses started at 6 amon Tuesday in all the 32districts.”

He said “There werenot many passengers,most of the buses’ occu-pancy rates were low.Buses waited for passen-gers. There has been nochange in the tariffs.”

Jubilee Bus Station(JBS) in Secunderabad ishandling bus to and fromthe Karimnagar side.TSRTC authorities des-ignated certain points onthe city’s outskirts tooperate services to andfrom other districts.

TSRTC BUSESBACK ON ROADSAFTER 2 MONTHS

HARLEEN MINOCHA | DCHYDERABAD, MAY 19

At least 300 students of theUniversity of Hyderabadand close to 80 Indian andInternational students atthe English and ForeignLanguages University arestranded at their hostelsdue to the lockdown,adding to worries, concernsand homesickness amidstthe uncertainty.

Students on theUniversity of Hyderabad

campus have raised com-plaints against the authori-ties for doing the bare min-imum for teaching and non-teaching staffers, and stu-dents in hostels during thelockdown.

Abhishek Nandan, presi-dent, UoH Student Union,said, “One issue is that ofthe university authoritiesnot establishing appropri-ate safety measures for stu-dents in hostels. We havebeen demanding soaps andhandwash to be provided in

the washrooms for a longtime now. We understandthat the situation is suchthat expecting the wash-rooms to be cleaned daily isout of the question, hencewe have stopped asking.”

He said that the universi-

ty is not providing handgloves and effective masksto the mess workers comingfrom outside, which hasadded to the worries of 300students eating every day atthe hostel mess.

Countering this, UoH

spokesperson Prof. VinodPavarala said, “We do haveoutsourced workers comingto the university campus,and we have issued an advi-sory to their agencies toprovide safety gear to theworkers. The agencies havethe primary responsibilityfor this, and not the university.”

At the English andForeign LanguagesUniversity, students bothIndian and International,have been provided with

induction cooktops andbasic utensils to cook theirmeals, while the mess serv-ice remains shut.

On being asked how dothese students spend theirspare time at the hostel,most students said they lean towards technolo-gy and the Internet thesedays, with Netflix and social media to killtime, while others are uti-lizing it for honing different skills like paint-ing and poetry.

Stranded varsity students worried over facilitiesDue to lockdown about 300 UoH, 80 Eflu students are stranded in Hyd universities VIRUS | THREAT

BALU PULIPAKA | DCHYDERABAD, MAY 19

Given its history of anattractive habitat for wildleopards in the past, Icrisat,the premier crop researchinstitute at Ramachandra-puram, has been alerted tothe possibility of the Myla-rdevpalli leopard finding itsway into the institute’svast, well-wooded campus.

Though the chances ofsuch a development areremote, forest departmentis learnt to have alertedICRISAT authorities tomend any gaps in its bound-ary fences and also attendto any vegetation along theboundary that might makeit easy for a leopard to useto leap into the campus.

It may be recalled that aleopard had made campusits home for a few months la-st year and also once in 2014.

MYLARDEVPALLILEOPARD MAY GOTO ICRISAT

●● AROUND 6,000 buseswhich were parked foralmost for two monthswere back on the roads.

●● HE SAID that the university is not providing handgloves and effective masks to the mess workers comingfrom outside.

●● PRESIDENT OF Uoh said One issue is that of the univer-sity authorities not establishing appropriate safety meas-ures for students in hostels.

Hyderabad: The All IndiaEducational Society TS andAP demanded that the gov-

ernment take all measures forthe safety of students, par-

ents and teachers during theSSC exams. It suggested the

government take over or takeon rent function halls near

the exam centres where par-ents can stay as they wait for

their children. The societyasked the government to

convene a meeting with theNGOs, societies, federations,and associations involved in

educational activities to solvethe problems of the private

schools that are facing diffi-culties due to the lockdown.

Educational societyurges govt for safety

Hyderabad: As many as16,264 persons have been

penalised in the state for notwearing masks in public.

Hyderabad recorded the mostviolations at 3,892, followed

by Warangal (1,846),Ramagundam (1,461) and

Rachakonda (1,105).Khammam came next with

867 cases and Cyberabad fol-lowed with 844.

After the government madewearing of masks at publicplaces mandatory and pre-scribed a fine of `1,000 on

violators, the police startedenforcement from May 7. May7 to May 13, 4,719 cases were

booked and another 11,545people were penalised

between May 13 and 19.

16,264 fined for notwearing mask

Hyderabad: At least four per-sons were injured when two

groups clashed over the saleof poor quality pickle at

Bapunagar, police said onMonday. The injured were

taken to hospital. Police hasregistered a case.

According to Langer Houzinspector K. Srinivas, the

clash started when a personquestioned a grocery shop

keeper about the pickle.They soon exchanged blows

and their families joinedthem and beat each other

with sticks and bats.

Four injured inclash over pickle

ATHER MOIN I DCHYDERABAD, MAY 19

Shops in several marketsin the old city opened onTuesday after two monthsof lockdown.

However, customers didnot step out of houses forshopping even thoughonly five days are left for Id.

Shops in the Pathargattiand Patel market areaopened alternatively onthe first day of lockdown-4. GHMC officials havemarked the shops withodd and even numbers todifferentiate the shops.On the first day, the shopswhich were marked aseven have opened, whileodd numbered ones willopen tomorrow. Hawkerswere not allowed to dobusiness on the roadside.

Mohammed Arif ofKhatoon sarees said sincemany shops have openedafter a gap of almost twomonths. We spent thewhole first day cleaningand setting things inorder. Only five days areleft for Id, instead ofdoing business in odd-even scheme and restric-tions on working hours, itseems better to stay athome. It is not feasible todo business on an alter-nate day full of

overheads.He requested the gov-

ernment to reconsider theodd-even plan and allowtraders to do business in

night hours consideringthe Ramzan season.People will not step out ofhomes on hot days whilefasting. He also demand-

ed to waive electricitybills and reduces taxes forthe current financialyear.

Another cloth merchantrevealed that they wereunable to introduce newtrends as we could notpurchase new stock for Idthis time due to the lock-down. “Every year, wepurchase new stock 20-30days before the com-mencement of Ramzan,but this time we could notgo anywhere for purchas-ing as the lockdown wasin force,” he said.

He said people are notzealous about shoppingthis time due to the lock-down as the campaign‘Say No to Id shoppingthis year to help theneedy’ gained momentumwith backing from across-section of theMuslim community.

Hawkers are not allowed to carry out their business on roadside

Shops in city open upto very few customers

MADDY DEEKSHITH | DCHYDERABAD, MAY 19

The Greater HyderabadMunicipal CorporationCommissioner D.S.Lokesh Kumar said shopswere being given odd andeven numbers to imple-ment the rule of openingon alternate days. Shopsnumbered one can openon Mondays, Wednesdaysand Fridays while thoseallotted number two canremain open onTuesdays, Thursdays andSaturdays.

In case of a disputebetween two adjacentshops or cluster of shopsregarding opening on aparticular day, all shopswould be shut till the endof lockdown, he said. MrKumar visited Malakpetalong with Charminarzonal commissionerAshok Samrat and

verified numbering ofcommercial shops.

The GHMC has madewearing mask comp-ulsory for shop employ-ees as well as customers.Shops have been told toensure foot markings forsocial/physical distanc-ing and provide hand san-itizers at the entry andexit points.

“We are following ‘nomask, no goods/no service’ policy. Any viola-tion will attract `1,000fine,” Mr Kumar said.Shopping malls, restau-rants, pubs, bars and cinema halls will remainshut.

Takeaway services fromrestaurants are permitted. Some salonsopened thought it was aTuesday. Providing relief to people waitingfor long for a hair-cut or shave.

Odd-even normsto be monitored

●● GHMC OFFICIALShave marked the shopswith odd and evennumbers to differenti-ate the shops. On thefirst day, the shopswhich were marked as even have opened,while odd numberedones will open tomorrow.

KANIZA GARARI I DCHYDERABAD, MAY 19

Positivity rate in guestworkers for Covid-19 ismore than 20 per cent inIndia due to their immunecompromised state afterwalking hundreds ofmiles, malnutrition,which is ever present andoften being asymptomaticcarriers of infection.

In the states of Biharand Uttar Pradesh, therate of positivity is ashigh as 26 per cent, whilein states of south Indiathe positivity is low at 3 to4 per cent as they arereturning mainly fromclusters in Maharashtra,especially Mumbai.

The accommodationthat guest labourers canafford on their meagre

salaries is poor. Some 10-15 people are crammedinto one living space, liv-ing, sleeping and eating incramped spaces wheresocial distancing is a joke.

Yet distancing is one ofthe major factors for con-trolling the infection, andit’s something impossiblefor poor people to do incities, when the lockdowndoes not permit people toeven sit outside.

Dr K.K. Aggarwal, for-mer president of theIndian MedicalAssociation, said guestlabourers have movedfrom huge living clusterswhere there is a possibili-ty for them to be asympto-matic carriers of Covid-19.“Testing and isolatingthem is important so thatthe infection does notspread further. Many of

them will have only mildsymptoms and they willnot require hospitalisa-tion. They are a most vul-nerable and exposed popu-lation and they have to beduly protected andrespected,” Dr Aggarwalsaid.

Their high level of vul-nerability is due to theirhistory of travel for hun-dreds of kilometres wherethey are exposed to multi-ple places. Their immunecompromised state is dueto malnutrition makingthem susceptible to thevirus.

Dr Mustufa Afzal, seniorinfectious disease special-ist with Care Hospitals,says, “Most workers areasymptomatic carrierswhich is the main cause ofinfection. They havewalked without proper

food and water. Shelterwas only close to the high-ways or railway tracks.Many of them are middleaged and may not beaware of having a medicalcondition such as hyper-tension and diabetes.These factors are nowcoming to the fore oncethey contract the infec-tion. Hence the rate ofpositivity is high inthem.”

The continuous stress ofwalking, urge to returnhome and inability tosecure work due to thelockdown resulting inlack of income has addedto their physical and men-tal stress, making themmore susceptible. Socialdistancing is not anoption and in the era ofCovid-19 that is an invita-tion to the disease.

Guest workers more prone to virus TS ADVOCATETRUST TO EXTENDFINANCIAL HELPVUJJINI VAMSHIDHARA | DCHYDERABAD, MAY 19

The Telangana High Courton Tuesday directed theState Advocates WelfareTrust to extend financialassistance to all needyadvocates without refer-ence to the maximum 10years standing at the Bar.

The court said all otherconditions prescribed inthe guidelines are requiredto be satisfied to get finan-cial assistance. The courtgave these directions onthe petition challengingthe Trust’s decision to imp-ose the 10-year condition.The money was allocatedby the state to help advo-cates during the lockdown.

NATION pg 4DECCAN CHRONICLE | HYDERABAD | WEDNESDAY | 20 MAY 2020

SHORT TAKES

2 FORMER MAJORGENERALS BOOKED

FOR CORRUPTION

3L EVACUATED INWB AHEAD OF

CYCLONERAJIB CHOWDHURI | DCKOLKATA, MAY 19

West Bengal has evacuatedaround three lakh people fromthe coastal parts ahead of thesuper cyclone Amphan. ChiefMinister Mamata Banerjeeassured Union home ministerAmit Shah about her govern-ment’s preparedness to dealwith any eventuality.

“Cyclone Amphan is likely tohit Sagar Island in South 24Parganas at around 2 pm onWednesday. We have evacuatedaround two lakh people and50,000 people in South 24Parganas and North 24Parganas respectively. In EastMidnapore and WestMidnapore, around 40,000 and10,000 people respectively wereevacuated. Earlier duringCyclone Bulbul, 1.80 lakh peo-ple were evacuated,” she said.

“Union home minister calledme regarding preparedness. Itold him we are doing well,”she added.

Cyclone Amphan is expectedto make a landfall onWednesday afternoon in theSundarbans delta of the Bay ofBengal in between Digha WestBengal and Hatiya Islands inBangladesh in the form of a“very severe cyclonic storm.”

Banerjee, who will monitorrelief operations from thestate secretariat onWednesday by spending thenight there, ordered chief sec-retary Rajiva Sinha to informthe Railways Ministry toensure no movement of theShramik Special trains to thestate from Wednesday till May21. Also, the Kolkata PortTrust, which was playing acrucial role in cargo handlingof essential items suppliesamid lockdown, has suspend-ed its operations as a precau-tionary step to avoid damagesdue to the cyclone.

New Delhi, May 19: The CBIhas booked two former MajorGenerals for alleged corrup-tion in conducting Group Cand D examinations in theSurvey of India in 2002, result-ing in wrong selection of 44candidates as those who hadsucceeded were made to fail,officials said on Tuesday.

The FIR has been registeredagainst the then BrigadierM.V. Bhat, Director, SurveyTraining Institute (STI), andthe then Brigadier K.R.M.K.Babaji Rao, Deputy SurveyorGeneral, STI. Both of themretired as Major Generals,they said.

Other names include J.K.Rath and R. Rama Singh, thethen officials of STI.

The agency has registeredthe FIR after a two-year-longpreliminary inquiry based ona complaint from a vigilanceofficer in the Ministry ofScience and Technology whoalleged malpractices in compi-lation of marks in the answersheets of the Limited Departmental CompetitiveExamination for Group D to CTopo Trades held duringOctober 2002 in the Survey ofIndia.

It was alleged that candi-dates who had passed weremade to fail and vice versa,resulting in wrong selection of44 candidates.

The agency had alleged thatanswer sheets were deliberate-ly manipulated by accusedofficers to favour selected can-didates, they said.

YUSUF JAMEEL | DCSRINAGAR, MAY 19

Two Hizb-ul-Mujahideenmilitants, one of themserving as the outfit’s‘divisional commander,’were killed in a 10-hour-long gunfight with secu-rity forces in Srinagaron Tuesday. Five securi-ty personnel wereinjured, one of themcritically, in the clash.

Though several parts ofthe Valley, particularlysouthern districts, havewitnessed encountersroutinely, it was the firstsuch clash in Srinagar.

Last time the city wit-nessed a fire fightbetween security forcesand militants was inOctober 2018 in whichtop Lashkar-e-Tayyabacommander MerajuddinBangroo was killed alon-g with his close associateFaiz Ahmed Waza andthe owner of the housein which the militantduo was hiding in thecity’s Fateh Kadal area.

Director General ofPolice, Dilbag Singh,termed it as a major suc-cess of the securityforces and confirmedthat among the slain isJunaid Ashraf Khan,

son of prominent sepa-ratist leader and amir ofTehrik-e-Hurriyat partyMuhammd AshrafSehrai who is a closeconfidante of Syed AliShah Geelani.

The other militant kil-led in Srinagar’s denselypopulated Dana Mazaar,Nawa Kadal locality hasbeen identified as TariqAhmed Sheikh, a resi-dent of southern

Pulwama district. Junaid went missing

on March 23, 2018 afterhe left his Srinagarhome to offer Fridayprayers at a nearbymosque. Next day, thefamily reported the mat-ter to the police but soona photograph showing26-year-old Junaid whohad done MBA fromUniversity of Kashmirholding an AK 47 assault

rifle went viral. The mes-sage posted with it saidthat Junaid had joinedHizbul Mujahideen.

The fighting whichbroke out overnightafter the security forceslaid siege to DanaMazaar on receivingintelligence input aboutthe presence of the mili-tant duo in a privatehouse left the residentialhouse which was being

used as a hideout by mil-itant duo destroyed anda few more damaged.

Soon after the fightingended, people in largenumbers took to the stre-ets to protest. The policeused force to dispersethem, which led to clash-es between stone-peltingmobs and security forcesin the neighbourhood,the witnesses said.

Some of the residentsalleged that the securityforces looted gold orna-ments and other valuab-les from their home afterthey had fled to safety.

The authorities strong-ly denied it and said thatthe security forces, infact, evacuated severalfamilies to safety to avo-id harm coming to them.

“It being a congestedarea, the J&K policetogether with the CRPFbefore launching the op-eration to flush out ter-rorists, evacuated peopleliving in the nearbyhouses to safe locations,”said a police officer.

A resident said that thesecurity forces arrivedin the areas at around 2am. Shortly after thearea was brought undersiege, internet weresnapped in Srinagar.

NAYEAR AZAD | DCPATNA, MAY 19

With an eye on theAssembly elections, theBJP has started takingmeasures to strengthenits organisational struc-ture in Bihar.

According to BJPleaders in Patna, theparty’s top leadershipin the state has been intouch with its district-level functionaries andtaking feedback regu-larly.

Talking to this news-paper BJP spokesper-son Nikhil Anand said,“We are a politicalparty which has beenworking round-the-clock to strengthen theideology and organisa-tion. We never do any-thing in particular forelection, rather we arealways ready to face theelections. Our statepresident is in touchwith party workers on a

daily basis throughaudio and video confer-encing and is takingstock of the socio-politi-cal situation and feed-back regarding ourorganisation as well asCorona pandemic”.

The BJP is part of theruling coalition inBihar being led by ChiefMinister Nitish Kumar.After facing a massivedefeat in Jharkhandand unable to form agovernment inMaharashtra, the com-ing Assembly electionsin Bihar is crucial forthe BJP.

The Assembly elec-tions in Bihar are duelater this year.

Sources said that theBJP is planning to offi-cially kick start its pollcampaign from May 31

onwards after PrimeMinister’s monthlyradio programme“Maan Ki Baat” isaired.

The BJP insiders saidthat a special team ofseven members knownas “Saptrishi” is beingformed at booth levelwhich will hear thebroadcast and give itsfeedback to the party’sstate president.

The special teamincludes women, repre-sentatives from weakersections such asScheduled Caste,Schedule Tribe (SC andST) and EconomicBackward Class (EBC)apart from booth com-mittee president, thebooth in charge andalso co-in charge.

Party leaders are of

the view that ground-level mobilisation playsa crucial role in decid-ing the outcome of anyelection.

“The focus of the spe-cial team is to strength-en the party’s organisa-tional structure espe-cially at the boothlevel”, a BJP insidersaid.

There are about 73,000booths in Bihar out ofwhich BJP has appoint-ed in charge or boothlevel presidents at62,000 booths, partyleaders said.

“During this Coronaoutbreak and lockdownperiod, our party lead-ers are working hard toprovide relief to dailywage earners and guestworkers who arereturning from otherstates. Party activitieswill resume after thelockdown period isover,” a BJP leader inPatna said.

VINEETA PANDEY | DCNEW DELHI, MAY 19

Life is several citiesstarted limping back tonormalcy as severalstates gave a slew ofrelaxations in the lock-down norms.

According to govern-ment’s morning data,there have been 1,01,139cases and 3,183 deathsin the country. In thelast 24 hours, 4,970 newcases and 134 deathshave been reportedwhile 2,350 patientshave recovered. Theoverall recovery num-ber is 39,173. As per PTI,there were 1,01,688cases in India whileCovid19india.org put

the overall figure at1,02,329 and 3,169 deathstill Tuesday evening.

In several states, pub-lic and private trans-port was back on theroads, shops openedand people startedgoing to office after 57days.

In states that relaxedrules for Lockdown 4,many went for walks inneighborhood parks,while domestic helpsand construction work-ers were back at work.E-commerce was alsoactive, with a surge inonline orders for non-essential items. In citieslike Delhi, where theMetro is still shut, theroads were crowded

with cars and taxis.With many migrant

workers returninghome, Covid-19 casesare rising in severalstates, including UttarPradesh, Bihar, Odishaand Jharkhand. Moremigrants are expectedto return home in thedays ahead.

On Tuesday, the rail-way ministry said theconsent of destinationstates for migranttrains wasn’t neededany longer. Earlier, theCentre had said the con-sent of the receivingstate was a must forShramik Specials. TheRailways said over 21lakh people were sent totheir home states

through 1,595 “ShramikSpecials”. A railwayofficial said the stategovernments were pay-ing for all these trainsand no migrant wasbeing asked to pay.

While the total caseshave exceeded one lakhin eight weeks, thegrowth rate of activecases is three per cent,which means the dou-bling rate is 23 days,said economistShamika Ravi, who istracking the Covid-19graph. She said it wasimportant to under-stand this rate hadn’tchanged in the pastthree days and a strug-gle was on to flatten thecurve.

Amid Covid battle, BJP to beginBihar election campaign soon

RABINDRA NATHCHOUDHURY | DCBHOPAL, MAY 19

Former MP Prem ChandGuddu on Tuesday raised abanner of revolt against theBJP leadership here andvowed to defeat state waterresources minister TulsiSilawat, a loyalist ofJyotiraditya Scindia, in theensuing by-elections inSambre.

A prominent Dalit leader inIndore, the former MPcrossed over to the BJP fromCongress ahead of 2018Assembly elections afterbeing denied ticket by theGrand Old Party. He took tosocial media to spit venomagainst Scindia and Silawatcalling them anti-farmers.

“I will challenge Silawat in

the ensuing by-elections inthe Sambre Assembly con-stituency”, he said and addedthat Silawat’s defeat in the by-poll would be the defeat ofScindia.

The sudden ‘unprovoked’attack on Scindia and Silawatby Guddu has taken BJP bysurprise. Silawat is also aprominent Dalit leader in theregion.

Political circles here areagog with talks that Guddumay be fielded by Congressagainst Silawat.

Meanwhile, the BJP serveda show cause notice to Gudduseeking a reply from him onhis statement within sevendays. Sources said the partymay initiate disciplinaryaction against him for his out-burst against Scindia andSilawat.

Ensuing MP bypollslead to revolt in BJP

New Delhi, May 19: Studentswhose plans to study abroadhave been affected due toCovid-19 will get a freshchance to apply for JEE-Mains, the entrance exam forengineering colleges, the HRDMinister announced onTuesday.

In view of representationsreceived from various Indianstudents who were scheduledto join colleges abroad but arenow keen to pursue their stud-ies in India due to changed cir-cumstances arising out ofCovid-19, the National TestingAgency (NTA) has decided togive an opportunity, HRDMinister Ramesh PokhriyalNishank said.

The application window forJoint Entrance Exam (JEE-Mains), which opened onTuesday, will have to be com-pleted by May 24.

Students who were not ableto complete their applicationform due to other reasons canalso make use of this opportu-nity, NTA Director VineetJoshi said.

The exam will be held acrossthe country from July 18-23.

FRESH CHANCE TO APPLY FOR

JEE-MAINS

Encounter in Srinagar killsson of top separatist leader26-yr-old Junaid had done MBA, he joined Hizbul Mujahideen in 2018

Several houses were destroyed in Dana Mazaar locality of Srinagar’s Nawa Kadalarea on Tuesday due to encounter. — H.U. Naqash

Rlys: Over 21 lakh guest workershave returned to home states

9 workers killedin road accidentBhagalpur, May 19:Nine guest workerswere killed onTuesday when thetruck carrying themoverturned in an atte-mpt to avert a head oncollision with a bus inBihar’s Bhagalpur dis-trict, police said.

The incident took pl-ace around 6 am on N-ational Highway-31 ne-ar Ambho Chowk, Na-ugachhia Superinten-dent of Police NidhiRani said.

The workers, all mal-es, had started their

journey on bicycles sixdays ago from Kolkataand they might haveboarded the truck so-mewhere en route, theofficer said. The driverand cleaner of the tru-ck, which was comingfrom WB via Katihardistrict in Bihar, fledfrom the spot, she said.Identities of some ofthe workers have beenascertained from off-icial documents, Ranisaid, adding that theyhailed from East andWest Champaran dis-tricts. — PTI

4 guest workerskilled in MahaDC CORRESPONDENTMUMBAI, MAY 19

In yet another accidentinvolving guest work-ers, at least four per-sons were killed and 22were left with grievousinjuries after theirvehicle hit a stationarybus in Yavatmal districton Tuesday. The truckwas full of guestlabourers and it washeaded from Solapur toNagpur when the acci-dent took place.

The police found thatthe group was on their

way to board a ShramikSpecial train to Jharkh-and from Nagpur.However, they met withthe accident beforereaching Nagpur rail-way station. The acci-dent took place at 3.30am, when their vehiclewas passing throughKolwan village and thedriver failed to see thestationery bus. Theinvestigators said thefour including the driv-er had sustained severeinjuries and they suc-cumbed before reach-ing the hospital.

● ● ACCORDING TO BJP insiders a special team ofseven members known as “Saptrishi” is beingformed at booth level which will hear PM’s radioprogramme and give its feedback .

K. RAM MOHANDoB: 08-12-1936 DoD: 17-05-2020YOU WILL BE DEARLY MISSED— Inserted by Family Members.(For details, call 8885067601,

Abhijeet Khamamkar)

SAD DEMISE

OBITUARY

G.R. KRISHNA (Retd. LIC)

DOB: 01.07.1942 DOD: 18.05.2020Deeply mourned by:G. Aravinda (Wife) &

Family MembersPh : 9490792567

(S/2021/D00084)

10th DAY CEREMONY

Sri M. LINGAM D.O.D: 12 May 20

S/o Late. Malla Danaiah on 21st May 20

Lunch followH. No. 1065, Kalashiguda

Bollaram, Sec’bad.9849259078

- MALLA FAMILY -(S/2021/D00081)

OBITUARY“I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever.”

Psalms 23:6

P.Y. SHOBAN KUMAR DOB: 14.10.1952 DOD: 16.05.2020

Called to glory on 16.05.2020His memorial service will be held on

20 May 2020 at (Aler)Inserted by: FAMILY MEMBERS

7036771111

(B/2021/D00008)

IN LOVING MEMORY OF

Sri KOTIKE LAXMIAH DOB: 29.08.1937 DOD: 09.05.2020

Your memories will remainin our hearts forever.

Inserted by:Smt & Sri JAVVAJI LAXMAN

RAO & FAMILY(B/2021/D00009)

50th BIRTHDAYREMEMBRANCE

I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever.Ps.23:6

JELLA MOSES VIKRAM RAJ Watery eyes of family and friends, anguishand sorrow that runs really deep, “Weepnot around me, “Says the withering rose,for” Iv’e just about, gone to sleep.”

Loving Mother,Jella Sunanda Solomon Raj & Family

040-23221251

(S/2021/D00080)

IN LOVING MEMORY

S. SELVANATHAN MUDALIARDOB: 23.11.1930 DOD: 20.05.2019

We remembered you with silent tears /Gone from our site but not from our heart.

By : FAMILY MEMBERSPh : 040-27502735/9866226749

(S/2021/D00083)

100th BIRTH ANNIVERSARY

Late P. PRABHAKAR RAO H.D. CIVIL SERVICE IAS (Retd.)

DOB: 20 May 1920From :

WIFE AND ALL FAMILY MEMBERS(S/2021/D00078)

10th ANNIVERSARY “The righteous shall be in everlastingremembrance. Psalms 112:3

Mrs. MARIAMMA JOHN DOB: 02.10.1952 DOD: 20.05.2010Inserted by: FAMILY MEMBERS

(S/2021/D00075)

10th DAY CEREMONY

UPPALA KIRANMAI 57 Years DOD: 11.05.2020

We still feel your presence and you are always in our hearts.

Inserted with grief:Husband : Uppala NagenderSon : Uppala Srinivas Rao

Daughter : ShilpaMother-in-law : Uppala Padmaja

Uppala Rajender & Vandana UppalaPeddi Suresh & Peddi Veena

Uppala Latha

(S/2021/D00065)

15th ANNIVERSARY

Mrs. N. DAISY MARGARETTEDOB: 28.04.1958 DOE: 20.05.2005

“Your love is our inspiration, who canreplace your love in our lives. Lonely inthe world, is hard to live. Our loss, is yourgain to be with the Lord.”

Fondly remembered by:(Husband) Nune Krupavaram (Son) Frenny Jones & Family

(Daughter) Christina Evangeline &Family

(B/2021/D00007)

IN MEMORY

10th DAY CEREMONY

RUDRAGANI NARSING RAO DOB: 13.11.1948 DOD: 11.05.2020

“Gone from our sight,but not from our hearts.”

Inserted by: Rudragani Familyand Near & Dear

Ph: 9701103078, 9849712303

(B/2021/D00006)

United Nations, May 19:UN chief Antonio Guterr-es has suggested holdingthe annual General Asse-mbly session in Septemb-er under a “different for-mat”, such as using pre-recorded messages of wo-rld leaders, saying it is“highly unlikely” that He-ads of State and Governm-ent will be able to travel toNew York for the high-le-vel week due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

The UN is commemorat-ing its 75th anniversarythis year and the GeneralAssembly session, heldannually in September, br-ings world leaders, minist-ers and diplomats from193 Member States to NewYork and the UN headqua-rters along with the mediaand thousands of civil so-ciety members.

New York is the epicen-tre of the Covid-19 pan-demic in the US where356,278 cases and morethan 28,302 deaths havebeen reported. In a letterdated May 18 to Presidentof the 74th session of theUN General AssemblyTijjani Muhammad-Ban-

de, Secretary-General Gu-terres said the medicalcommunity anticipatesthat the Covid-19 pandem-ic “will continue to cyclewith varying degrees ofseverity” across the world

in the coming months,requiring internationaltravel restrictions to rem-ain in place for some dest-inations, as also social dis-tancing and curbs on lar-ge gatherings. — PTI

WORLD pg 5DECCAN CHRONICLE | HYDERABAD | WEDNESDAY | 20 MAY 2020

Colombo, May 19: A seniorSri Lankan army officer waspromoted to major-general Tu-esday, less than a year afterbeing convicted in Britain ofmaking threatening gesturestowards Tamil demonstratorsin London. Priyanka Fernan-do was elevated from the rankof brigadier, one of around15,000 service members prom-oted on the 11th anniversary ofthe crushing of the Tamil Ti-gers that ended a decades-longcivil war. A London court fou-nd him guilty last year of publ-ic order offences and he wasordered to pay over £4,000 infines, compensation and costsafter being filmed in 2018 mak-ing threatening gestures atTamil activists outside the SriLankan high commission.

Sri Lanka’s government con-demned Fernando’s “offensivemanner” at the time and recal-led him as a defence advisor.He has since appealed againsthis conviction.

Some 177 senior officers and14,617 other ranks were elevat-ed Tuesday in what an armystatement called “a record pro-motion bonanza”. The 37-year-long separatist war ended withthe killing of Velupillai Prabh-akaran, the Tamil Tiger supre-mo, on May 18, 2009. May 19has been marked in recent yea-rs as “National War HeroesDay” to commemorate securi-ty forces and civilians killed ina conflict estimated to have cl-aimed over 100,000 lives.

CONTROVERSIALLANKAN OFFICER

PROMOTED

IN BRIEF

Beijing bans sale of wild animals for food over disease riskTAKING | STEPS

Beijing, May 19: Farmersin China are being offeredcash to quit breeding exot-ic animals as pressuregrows to crack down onthe illegal wildlife tradethat has been blamed forthe Covid-19 outbreak.Authorities have for thefirst time pledged to buyout breeders in an attemptto curb the practice, ani-mal rights activists say.

China has in recent mon-ths banned the sale of wildanimals for food, citing therisk of diseases spreadingto humans, but the traderemains legal for other pu-rposes, including researchand traditional medicine.

The deadly Covid-19 — fi-rst reported in the centralChinese city of Wuhan —is widely believed to havepassed from bats to peoplebefore spreading worldwi-de. Two central provinceshave outlined details of abuyout programme to helpfarmers switch to alternat-ive livelihoods. Hunan onFriday set out a compensa-tion scheme to persuadebreeders to rear other live-stock or produce tea andherbal medicines.

Authorities will evaluatefarms and inventories andoffer a one-off payment of120 yuan per kilogram ofrat snake, king ratsnake

and cobra, while a kilogr-am of bamboo rat will fet-ch 75 yuan. A civet cat —the animal believed tohave carried Severe AcuteRespiratory Syndrome(SARS) to humans in ano-ther coronavirus outbreak

nearly two decades ago —would fetch 600 yuan.

Neighbouring Jiangxiprovince has also releasedplans to help farmers disp-ose of animals, as well asfinancial aid. The state-run Jiangxi Daily newspa-per reported last week thatthe province has morethan 2,300 licensed breede-rs, mostly rearing wild an-imals for food.

Their stock is worth abo-ut 1.6 billion yuan, thereport said. Both Jiangxiand Hunan border Hubei,the province where the Co-vid-19 first emerged in De-cember. Animal rights gro-up Humane Society Inter-

national (HSI) said Hunanand Jiangxi are “major wi-ldlife breeding provinces”,with Jiangxi seeing a rap-id expansion of the tradeover the last decade.

HSI China policy special-ist Peter Li said that simi-lar plans should be rolledout across the country. Buthe cautioned that Hunan’sproposals leave room forfarmers to continue breed-ing exotic creatures aslong as the animals are notsent to food markets. Theprovince’s plan also doesnot include many wild ani-mals bred for fur, tradi-tional Chinese medicineor entertainment. — AFP

China tillers: Cash to quit wildlife trade

8 killed in Pakterror attacks

Islamabad/Karachi: SevenPakistani soldiers and a civil-ian driver were killed in two

separate terror attacks in therestive Balochistan province.Terrorists targeted a vehicleof the Frontier Corps using

improvised explosive devicesin the Pir Ghaib area on Mo-nday night, killing six Pakist-an Army soldiers, including ajunior commissioned officer,

said Inter-Services PublicRelations, the media wing ofthe Pakistani military. A civil-ian driver Abdul Jabbar wasalso killed in the attack. In aseparate incident in Balochi-stan’s Kech, another soldierwas killed during an excha-

nge of fire with the militants.

Israeli FM’s firstcall is to India

Jerusalem: Israel’s newly ap-pointed Foreign Minister

Gabi Ashkenazi on Tuesdaycalled External Affairs Minis-

ter S. Jaishankar in what ishis first phone call abroad, aday after the two vowed to

work together to strengthenand expand the multi-facet-

ed bilateral relationship for amutually beneficial partners-hip. It was a “general courte-sy” call by the new Israeli fo-reign minister with emphasison “resuming high-level vis-

its and further strengtheningof our bilateral strategic

partnership. And taking for-ward our cooperation in the

wake of this pandemic”,sources said.

Iraq: Rocket hitsnear US embassy

Baghdad: One rocket hitnear the US embassy in Bag-hdad early Tuesday morning,security sources said, the fir-st to land in the high-securi-

ty zone in weeks. The blastcould be heard across the Ir-aqi capital and triggered se-

curity sirens at the US emba-ssy compound but did not

cause casualties, sources co-nfirmed. There was no imme-diate claim of responsibility.It follows more than two do-

zen similar attacks againstAmerican interests in Iraq si-nce October that the US hasblamed on Iran-backed fac-tions among Iraq’s security

forces. The volleys of rocketshave strained ties betweenBaghdad and Washington.

4 killed, 24 hurtin China quake

Beijing: A 5-magnitude earth-quake has struck China’s sou-

thwestern Yunnan province,killing at least four people

and injuring 24 others, accor-ding to officials. One personwas trapped in debris, state-run Xinhua news agency rep-orted. It said that rescue andrelief teams, including firefig-hters and emergency respon-se, have been sent to the qu-

ake zone. According to theChina Earthquake Networks

Center, the shallow quake st-ruck Qiaojia county at 9.47

PM on Monday. Tremors werefelt in Qujing city’s Huize co-

unty, cities of Zhaotong, Xua-nwei and Chuxiong Yi Auton-

omous Prefecture.

● ● HUNAN PROVINCE setout a compensation sch-eme to persuade breed-ers to rear other livesto-ck or produce tea andherbal medicines. Jiangxiprovince has also releas-ed plans to help farmersdispose of animals, aswell as financial aid.

Pekanbaru, Indonesia,May 19: A Sumatran tig-er has been found dead inan apparent case of poac-hing, Indonesian authori-ties said Tuesday, under-scoring the threats to thesurvival of the criticallyendangered species.

The 18-month-old male’sdecomposing body was fo-und on Monday with itsleg caught in a trap near apalm oil plantation in Su-matra’s Riau province. “Ithad already been dead forseveral days when theteam found it,” said localconservation agency headSuharyono, who goes byone name.

“We concluded it wasintentional because thehunter tied a pig carcassto the trap in order to attr-act and kill the tiger.”

Hunters often kill tigersto sell their skins to colle-ctors. Poaching is respon-sible for almost 80 percent of Sumatran tigerdeaths, according to TRA-FFIC, a global wildlife tra-de monitoring network.In February, a Sumatrantiger was found dead inBengkulu province afterbeing caught in a hunter’strap. Less than 400 Suma-tran tigers are believed toremain in the wild.

— AFP

Sumatran tiger inperil found dead

Washington, May 19: Inan ultimatum to the WHO,US President Donald Tru-mp has said he would “re-consider” America’s mem-bership of the UN healthbody and threatened to“permanently freeze” thefunding to it if it failed todemonstrate its “indepen-dence” from China in thenext 30 days.

Trump halted America’sfunding of up to $500 mil-lion annually to the WorldHealth Organisation lastmonth while a review wasbeing done to assess itsrole in “severely mismana-ging and covering up” thespread of the deadly Cov-id-19 when it first emergedin the central Chinese cityof Wuhan.

In a four-page letter toWHO Director General DrTedros Adhanom, Trumpsaid, “It is clear the repeat-ed missteps by you andyour organisation in resp-onding to the pandemichave been extremely costlyfor the world. The onlyway forward for the WHOis if it can actually demon-strate independence fromChina.” “My administrati-on has already started dis-cussions with you on howto reform the organisati-on. But action is neededquickly. We do not havetime to waste,” he wrote inhis letter, which he tweet-ed on Monday night.

“That is why it is myduty, as President of theUnited States, to informyou that, if the WHO doesnot commit to major subst-antive improvements wit-hin the next 30 days, I willmake my temporary freezeof United States funding tothe WHO permanent andreconsider our membersh-ip in the organisation,”the president said.

Trump, who is seekingre-election in November,said he cannot allow theAmerican taxpayer dollarsto continue to finance anorganisation that, in its pr-esent state, is so clearlynot serving America’s int-erests. More than 320,000people have died due to theCovid-19 pandemic andover 4.9 million people inf-ected around the world.

The US is the worst-hitcountry with over 92,000deaths and over 15 lakhconfirmed Covid-19 cases,

according to Johns Hopk-ins University. In his letterdated May 18, Trump alle-ged that the WHO has fai-led to publicly call on Chi-na to allow for an indepen-dent investigation into theorigins of the virus, despi-te the recent endorsementfor doing so by its own Em-ergency Committee.

On Monday, Chinese Pre-sident Xi Jinping dispelledthe criticism of secrecyand cover-up, saying “allalong, we have acted withopenness, transparencyand responsibility. Wehave provided informationto WHO and relevant coun-tries in a most timely fash-ion”. Trump has accusedChina of covering up, whi-le Australia and the Euro-pean Union have called formore transparency in Chi-na’s Covid-19 control effor-ts including an independe-nt inquiry into the originsof the virus. — PTI

Covid: Trump issues threat to quit WHOHe says US will act if UN health body fails to demonstrate independence from China in next 30 days

Washington, May 19: USPresident Donald Trumphas disclosed that he is ta-king antimalarial drughydroxychloroquine dailyto ward off the deadly Cov-id-19, though health expe-rts have warned it may beunsafe. Speaking at a mee-ting of restaurant executi-ves on Monday, Trumpsaid he began taking thedrug after consulting theWhite House doctor, thou-gh stopped short of sayinghis physician had actuallyrecommended it.

“A couple of weeks ago, Istarted taking it,” the pres-ident said. “Here’s my evi-dence: I get a lot of positi-ve calls about it,” Trump

told shocked reporters. “Ihave been taking it (hydro-xychloroquine) for about aweek and a half,” he toldreporters, asserting thathe has zero symptoms ofthe deadly Covid-19, whichhas killed over 90,000 Ame-ricans in the past threemonths. There is no evi-dence hydroxychloroquine(HCQ) can fight off Covid-19, though clinical trialsare under way.

Medical experts and theUS Food and Drug Admin-istration (FDA) have ques-tioned the efficacy of theantimalarial drug and wa-rned of the potentially ha-rmful side effects, includ-ing heart problems. — PTI

Donald discloseshe’s taking HCQ

Beijing, May 19: Chinaon Tuesday accused Presi-dent Donald Trump of usi-ng it “as an issue” to shiftthe blame from his “inco-mpetent response” to cont-ain the Covid-19 at home,hours after he threatenedto pull the US out of theWorld Health Organisati-on if it failed to demonstr-ate “independence” fromChina. “The US tries touse China as an issue toshift responsibility andbargain on its internation-al obligations to WHO”,which is a miscalculation,Chinese Foreign Ministryspokesman Zhao Lijiantold a media briefing here.

He was responding to qu-

estions on Trump’s letterto World Health Organisa-tion chief Tedros Adhan-om Ghebreyesus threaten-ing to “permanently free-ze” the US funding to theUN health agency if it fai-led to demonstrate its “in-dependence” from Chinain the next 30 days.

“The US leadership’s let-ter is full of vague expres-sions,” Zhao said. “It triesto mislead the public tosmear China and shift theblame from its own incom-petent response” to stopthe spread of the virus inthe US, he said. “It is futi-le. Currently, Covid-19 isstill spreading in the USand many other places,”

he said, adding that the USpoliticians should stop theblame game and workwith the international co-mmunity to stop the spre-ad of the virus.

He also sought to dismissTrump’s threat to “perma-nently freeze” US contrib-ution to the WHO and hig-hlighted China’s increasi-ng contributions to the gl-obal body. He said theWHO membership contri-butions are jointly deter-mined by the member stat-es. “It cannot be determin-ed by US itself. Paying as-sessed contributions ontime is the obligation ofthe member states ofWHO,” he said. — PTI

Trump warning bid to shiftvirus response blame: China

BOY PICKED BYDALAI NOW ACOLLEGE GRADBeijing, May 19: Chinasaid Tuesday that a boywho disappeared 25 yearsago after being picked bythe Dalai Lama as TibetanBuddhism’s second-high-est figure is now a collegegraduate with a stable job.

Very little informationhas been given about Ge-dhun Choekyi Nyima orhis family since he wentmissing at age 6 shortlyafter being named the 11thPanchen Lama.

China, which claims thatTibet is part of its territo-ry, named another boy tothe position, Gyaltsen No-rbu, who is rarely seenand is believed to bespending most of his timein Beijing.

U.S. Secretary of StateMike Pompeo had also iss-ued a statement on Mon-day calling on China to“immediately make publicthe Panchen Lama’swhereabouts and to upho-ld its own constitution andinternational commitmen-ts to promote religiousfreedom for all persons.”

— APDoctors and nurses wearing masks hold placards as they stand along a thoroughfare during their protest against cuts to psychiatric care fundingin the Ukrainian capital of Kiev on Tuesday. — AFP

Beijing, May 19: Chinaon Tuesday said the Kala-pani border issue is betw-een India and Nepal as ithoped that the two neigh-bours could refrain from“unilateral actions” andproperly resolve their dis-putes through friendly co-nsultations. Foreign Min-istry spokesman Zhao Lij-ian made the remarks at amedia briefing here whilereplying to questions onIndia-Nepal differencesover the border andIndian Army chief Gen.M.M. Naravane’s remarksthat Kathmandu wasobjecting to the newlybuilt road by India at thebehest of “someone else”.“Kalapani is an issuebetween Nepal and India,and we hope the two coun-tries properly solve theirdisputes through friendlyconsultations,” Zhao said.

Zhao also said Nepaland India also should“refrain from unilateralactions that might compl-icate the situation”. GenNaravane said on Fridaythat there were reasons tobelieve that Nepal object-ed to India’s newly inau-gurated road linking Lip-

ulekh Pass with Dharch-ula in Uttarakhand at thebehest of “someone else”,in an apparent referenceto a possible role by Chi-na on the matter.

He said there was no dis-pute whatsoever betweenIndia and Nepal and roadlaid was very much with-in the Indian side. Defen-ce Minister Rajnath Sin-gh had thrown open the80-KM-long strategicallycrucial road at a height of17,000 KM along the bor-der with China in Uttara-khand earlier this month.

Nepal has raised object-ion to the road, saying the“unilateral act” wasagainst the understand-ing reached on resolvingthe border issues. — PTI

● ● FOREIGN MINISTRYspokesman Zhao Lijianwas replying to questio-ns on India-Nepal borderdifferences and IndianArmy chief Gen. M.M.Naravane’s remarks thatKathmandu was objecti-ng to the road at behestof ‘someone else’.

China: Kalapani isIndia-Nepal issue

Pre-recorded messagesat UNGA meet: Guterres

NOBLE LAUREATES CALL FOR $1 TNTO PROTECT CHILDREN AMID VIRUSWashington, May 19: Asmany as 88 Nobel laureat-es, including Kailash Sat-yarthi, along with globalleaders such as the DalaiLama have come togetherto call for the governmen-ts to spend $1 trillion onmarginalised children du-ring the lockdowns andthe post Covid-19 world.

A statement, signed am-ong others by ArchbishopDesmond Tutu, GordonBrown and Kerry Kenne-dy, highlights how Covid-19 has exposed and exace-rbated pre-existing inequ-alities. Noting that the Co-vid-19, restrictions placedon the majority of the wo-rld’s population, and theaftermath will have a dev-

astating impact on themost vulnerable, the state-ment, issued at the initiat-ive of India’s 2014 NobelPeace Laureate Satyarthi,calls for the governmentsto invest 20 per cent oftheir Covid-19 response tothe poorest 20 per cent ofhumanity.

— PTI

SON SNATCHEDIN HOTEL 32 YRSAGO REUNITEDBeijing, May 29: A Ch-inese couple whose sonwas abducted in a hotelin 1988 have been reunit-ed with him after 32years. Mao Yin wassnatched aged two, whilehis father stopped to gethim some water on theway home from nursery.

His parents searchedthe country for him andhis mother distributedmore than 100,000 flyers.

The family were reun-ited at a police news con-ference on Monday, andthe son — now 34 — saidhe planned to spend timewith his parents. “I wou-ld like to thank the tensof thousands of peoplewho helped us,” said LiJingzhi, the mother.

In April, state mediasaid, police received atip about a man fromSichuan Province insouth-west China — ab-out 1,000km from Xian -who had adopted a babyyears earlier. Policefound the adoptee and aDNA test was carriedout to see if he was relat-ed to Mao Zhenjing andLi Jingzhi. It came posi-tive. — Agencies

2 PAK ISLAMISTULTRAS GIVENDEATH PENALTYIslamabad, May 19: Ananti-terrorism court inPakistan has sentencedtwo Islamist militants todeath for being involvedin a 2017 suicide bombi-ng that killed 82 people.

Accused Nadir Ali andFurqan were identifiedby the eyewitnesses andjudicial magistrate Mus-htaq Ali Jokhio throughCCTV footage. The duo,who were sentenced todeath by the court werefound guilty in the bom-bing in Sehwan Sharifarea of Sindh province.Over 250 others werealso hurt when a suicidebomber launched a gren-ade before blowing hims-elf up at the Sufi shrineof Lal Shahbaz Qaland-ar in Sehwan Sharif onFebruary 16, 2017.

The Islamic State hadclaimed responsibilityfor the attack that hit asSufi Muslims were gath-ering to perform thedhamaal ritual. The shr-ine’s caretakers had alsoidentified the convicts,claiming that they hadseen them congratulati-ng each other in theparking lot. — PTI

Kailash Satyarthi

EDIT pg 6DECCAN CHRONICLE | HYDERABAD | WEDNESDAY | 20 MAY 2020

Exactly 90 years ago, India and also the rest of the world was broughtto their knees by the Great Depression of the 1930s. It was marked bya sudden fall in prices, a crash of demand and also a shortage ofmoney with people. Now, the world is witnessing a similar phenom-

enon, albeit caused by humankind locking itself at home to keep away thehighly infectious Coronavirus. In fact, according to US-based investmentbank Goldman Sachs, the Indian economy is expected to contract nearly 45per cent in the first quarter — which is worse than the economic mayhemwitnessed in the 1930s in India. It expects a washout of the financial year2020-21, with the size of Indian economy shrinking by five per cent — a lossof $160 billion (`12 lakh crores) worth output by a conservative estimate. Theeconomic devastation caused by the 2020 Coronavirus shock in India couldbe greater and much widespread because a significantly larger population ofthe country is dependent on formal economic activity than that of 1930sIndia. The government was the only entity that had the wherewithal to back-stop the impact. When the lockdown was announced, its impact was antici-pated by everybody who had the basic knowledge of economics. We were thefirst to call upon the Narendra Modi government to loosen its purse stringsto prevent the crash of demand or depression and to provide sovereign-backed working capital loans to micro, small and medium enterprises(MSMEs). While the small businesses were given a lifeline, the governmenthas ignored suggestions to put cash in the hands of people to sustain demandin the economy.

Though PM Narendra Modi has grandly announced about `20 lakh croresworth stimulus package to support a wavering economy, the analysis ofannouncements made FM Nirmala Sitharaman showed that it was a merejugglery to hog the limelight and divert attention from fast-risingCoronavirus cases. Instead of supporting the economy when it needed themost, Ms Sitharaman focused on medium and long term reforms. To supporther policy, she reiterated Mr Modi’s oft-quoted statement that it is better toteach a person how to fish rather than give him the fish. However, one won-ders how learning fishing would help a person who is going to die of hunger!For such a person, giving the fish is the only solution.

In 1930, when the cash crops of Indian farmers found no buyer because ofthe Great Depression, lakhs of farmers were on the verge of starvation andhad no cash. But the viceroy of the day, Lord Willington, refused to provideany government support or stimulus to the country’s economy and letIndians sell their family gold to sail out of the crisis. One of the after-effectsof this policy was Salt Satyagraha and the intensification of the Indian free-dom struggle. One could understand the indifference showed by Willingtonto the plight of Indians, but it is difficult to fathom the same shown by theModi government. History is taught to help the current generation to avoidmistakes committed by those in the past. If we don’t take lessons from histo-ry, the same fate would await us as it did our forefathers.

20 MAY 2020

Cash relief crucial, FMdidn’t acknowledge that

Punjab chief secretaryKaran Avtar Singh iscaught in a controversythat could have political

repercussions. Predictably, it’sclear CM Amarinder Singh isgoing to let the slugfest betweenhis colleagues and his bureau-crats slide.

The CM’s excise policy thatseeks to give relief to liquor con-tractors has split the stateCouncil of Ministers. The chiefsecretary, who is also financialcommissioner (taxation) andadministrative secretary of thePunjab excise department, hasearned the ire of the ministers forhis alleged “rude behaviour”. Arather sensitive lot, maybe it isthe Corona lockdown that is caus-ing frayed tempers being dis-played in public.

During the last meeting on theissue, all the ministers walked outmid-way to protest the chief secre-tary’s “attitude”. Inexplicablegiven that we’re talking of a sea-soned babu here.

Further, sources say, all minis-ters have resolved not to attendany cabinet meeting where Karan

Avtar Singh is present.Apparently, even AmarinderSingh’s efforts to resolve the spathave not appeased his colleagues.Moreover, a party MLA hassought a probe claiming there is agovernment-contractor nexus inthe excise department.

This has given Punjab Congressleader and Rajya Sabha MPPartap Singh Bajwa the opportu-nity to pepper CM AmarinderSingh with barbs disguised aspleas for transparency. Bajwa hasasked that the chief secretary beeither cleared of such charges orremoved from his post, squarelyputting the CM in an unenviableposition.

The mantris may have won theround because, in the next meet-ing, the chief secretary proceededon half-day leave, authorising thenext senior most IAS officer,home secretary Satish Chandra,to chair the meeting. And now,bowing to pressure, Amarinderhas stripped the chief secretary ofhis additional charge as financialcommissioner (taxation).

Clearly, this is an unfortunatesituation in a state that is fighting

the ravages of Coronavirus out-break. A spat like this betweenministers and the state chief sec-retary is the last thing that theCM needs. For there are signsthat even as this saga unfolds,there could be more that is hiddenfrom the public eye. And mean-while, both revenues and victims,wilt in utter neglect

IAS OFFICER’S RESIGNATIONREJECTED

The Haryana government hasrejected the resignation of IASofficer Rani Nagar and insteadrecommended to the Centre thather cadre be changed to her homestate Uttar Pradesh. The 2014-batch officer had resigned fromservice on May 4. In her letter tochief secretary Keshni AnandArora, the officer cited “personalsafety on government duty” as thereason behind her decision, andalso posted the letter on herFacebook page.

The IAS officer held the chargeof a director in the Haryanaarchives department and that ofadditional director in the socialjustice and empowerment depart-

ment in Haryana.In an FB post last month, she

had expressed her desire to resignfrom the service “after the lock-down” and go back to her nativeplace in UP. She had cited issuesrelated to her safety. She hadmade news in 2018 when sheaccused an additional chief secre-tary-level officer of harassing her.According to sources, the stategovernment had conducted aninquiry into her allegations butdid not charge the officer.

Rani Nagar’s case comes closeon the heels of another IAS officerKannan Gopinathan from Keralawho had resigned from servicelast year but the government hasrefused to accept it. Instead, it hasbooked him for refusing to rejoinduty amid the Coronavirus out-break. Hopefully, Rani Nagar’scase will have a better ending.

SPECIAL CONSIGNMENTThere was a special passenger

on the Indian Air Force (IAF)transport aircraft that flew withmedical supplies to Sri Lankarecently. Besides medicines, theaircraft also took Indian Foreign

Service (IFS) officer Gopal Baglaywho is India’s new HighCommissioner to Sri Lanka.Before his latest assignment,Baglay was a joint secretary inthe Prime Minister’s Office(PMO).

Sources say that though Baglayhad been appointed India’s envoyto Sri Lanka back in February,the envoy-designate was unable totake up his new assignment due tothe announcement of the nation-wide lockdown by the Modisarkar. He was forced to cool hisheels until this opportunityarrived when India gifted 12.5tonnes of medical supplies to itsneighbour, and Baglay hopped onfor the ride.

During his career in the diplo-matic service, Baglay has beenIndia’s deputy high commissionerto Pakistan, joint secretary in-charge of Pakistan, Afghanistanand Iran, as well as spokespersonof the ministry of external affairs.

Share a babu experience! Followdilipthecherian@Twitter.com.

Let’s multiply the effect.

As mantris,babus slug it

out, chief secythe fall guy

Ionce asked latePrime MinisterP.V. NarasimhaRao if the non-aligned nations’

movement had becomesomewhat redundant.“That’s why they arequeueing up to join it!”he snapped back sarcas-tically. I forget nowwhich applicants he hadin mind, but PrimeMinister NarendraModi’s recent engage-ment with NAM con-firmed that multilater-alism still has its uses.A show of collaborationover Covid-19 helps todistract attention fromshameful failures athome and the yawninggulf between wealth andpoverty. By also high-lighting India’s regionalprominence, it drawsattention to Mr Modi’sclaim to PanditJawaharlal Nehru’smantle.

Of course, BJP-ruledIndia is far from non-aligned. But perhapsfew NAM membershave ever been genuine-ly nonaligned. In thebad old Cold War days,some were nonalignedin favour of the UnitedStates, others in favourof the Soviet Union.Each NAM nation hadits own axe to grind.Pandit Nehru, whowanted American armsand aid, exploded in anote: “I dislike moreand more this businessof exchange of personsbetween America andIndia. The fewer per-sons that go from Indiato America or that comefrom the United Statesto India, the better.”

Mr Modi, too, seeks tobe an Asian — perhapsworld — leader but withfull American endorse-ment. He makes nobones of his delight atbeing made to feel he isan intimate byPresident DonaldTrump. He also warmlyembraces PresidentTrump’s protégé andally, Israel’s born-again

Prime Minister,Benjamin Netanyahu,who he proudlyaddresses by his nick-name “Bibi”.Undoubtedly, a strongstreak of personal vani-ty runs through theseaffectations, but as therecent tinkering withlabour laws in some ofIndia’s states indicates,they also have a bearingon policy. Curbs onlabour activism arebound to appeal toAmerican businessmen.So will India’s backingof the World HealthAssembly’s EuropeanUnion-sponsored draftresolution on Covid-19as it takes up its newposition this week aschair of the WorldHealth Organisation’sexecutive board.

The Geneva meetingcomes at a delicate time.China’s President XiJinping is one worldleader whom Mr Modihas not been able tosweet-talk into cosyintimacy. Mr Xi is per-fectly happy to over-whelm India withChinese exports, but therecent clashes betweenthe border troops of thetwo countries recall IanFleming’s novelGoldfinger — “Once ishappenstance. Twice iscoincidence. The thirdtime it’s enemy action.”Nor can Mr Modi haveendeared himself toChina by publiclyrepeating that now isthe time to lure awayAmerican investorsthere.

Vigorously defendinghis government’srecord over the pandem-ic, Mr Xi claimed inGeneva on Monday thatChina “acted with open-ness, transparency andresponsibility”. He alsobacked the WHO’sdirector-general, Ted-ros Adhanom Ghebre-yesus, whose leadershipis under fire fromWashington. Mr Xi willundoubtedly reactangrily if the WHO real-

ly gets cracking aboutan “impartial”, “inde-pendent” and “compre-hensive” evaluationand blames the Chinesefor not taking all neces-sary measures to killthe disease at an earlystage, or if it blames theWHO. The fat will be inthe fire if on top of allthis, the India-chairedWorld Health Assemblyresponds favourably toTaiwan’s desire to beheard or in some waysupports the US standon Uighurs.

In his present state ofexhilaration at beinginvolved in these loom-ing global issues, MrModi is unlikely to havemuch time for eitherthe South AsianAssociation forRegional Cooperation(whose members heorganised for a recentvideo-conference) orNAM. Far from beingpart of any consultativeprocess, both organisa-tions are supplemen-tary to Indian diploma-cy. True, despite its ownneeds, India hasensured medical sup-plies to over 123 coun-tries, including 59 inNAM. But the realpoint, as Mr Modistressed, is that since aglobal crisis affects therich and poor, devel-oped and developingalike, it demands “anew template of globali-sation based on fair-ness, equality, andhumanity”.

This could be India’schance of helping toshape a new worldorder and for Mr Modito seize the spotlightthat was onceJawaharlal Nehru’s.The problem is that it isdifficult in these days ofinstant communica-tions to reconcile anykind of leadership with

the spectacle of hun-dreds of thousands ofweary jobless workerstrudging along India’sdusty highways in theblazing heat, beingfleeced by truck drivers,crammed like sardinesinto three-wheeler tem-pos, and every so oftenmown down by over-loaded lorries or speed-ing trains. The pandem-ic has aggravatedIndia’s economic plight,as it has done theworld’s, but widespreaddistress and starkunemployment alreadystared India in the face.

Despite a slightimprovement, Indialags behind Sudan andsub-Saharan EquatorialGuinea, as well asneighbouring Bhutan,Bangladesh and SriLanka in global health-care rankings. Therange of differenceswithin India, betweenGoa and Kerala at oneend, and Assam andUttar Pradesh at theother, does not mask theoverall shortage of doc-tors, nurses, caring staffand hospital beds. If 80per cent of all qualifieddoctors report for duty,the doctor-populationratio is 0.62:1000 againstthe WHO’s minimumstandard of 1:1000.India’s 0.9 hospital bedsper thousand is lessthan one-third the WHO norm of three perthousand. A primaryhealth centre with sixbeds at the most catersto 30,000 people in ruralareas. The less saidabout their quality thebetter.

In the 1940s, whenIndia was one of thepoorest countries in theworld, an Indian, theNizam of Hyderabad,was reckoned to be therichest. Eighty yearson, India is still poor,but Asia’s richest manis the Indian tycoon,Mukesh Ambani, inwhose RelianceIndustries Facebookhad recently invested$5.7 billion. That thedeal was finalised dur-ing the ongoing Coron-avirus pandemic expos-es the coexistence ofIndia’s glittering wealthand grinding poverty.

The writer is a seniorjournalist, columnist

and author

Curbs on labouractivism are bound

to appeal toAmerican

businessmen. Sowill India’s backing

of the WorldHealth Assembly’s

European Union-sponsored draft

resolution onCovid-19

Subhani

Modi & Nehru’s mantle:Global role eludes India

In the absence of a clearly demarcated boundary between India and China,border patrols of the two countries frequently stray into territories theother side claims as its own from time to time. When the going is relative-

ly smooth between New Delhi and Beijing, the governments of the two coun-tries discourage their respective media from whipping up jingoistic emotions,if not they quietly feed nationalistic fervour, raising the pitch.

Keeping this in mind, we urge both countries to quit wrangling about theMay 5 Galwan Valley incident in eastern Ladakh in which apparently hun-dreds of troops of the two countries jostled. It was ugly. Later, Chinese mili-tary helicopters were spotted over the area. India responded with a pair ofSukhoi-30s taking to the skies. Chinese official media claimed this was theworst blow-up since the Doklam crisis of 2017. The Indians have tried to playdown the matter. But the Chinese appear to be stretching things out a bit. TheGlobal Times, the English-language external propaganda arm of the commu-nist state, has accused India of building “defence fortifications” on its side.The facts are difficult to establish in such cases, but let good sense prevail. Fora start, the language of threats must be eschewed followed by talks through thenormal protocols. It is clear that local commanders have failed to sort thingsout. This may suggest that higher level military intervention is needed. Wehope it doesn’t have to go any higher. India and China are two of the world’smost populous and important countries. It is possible that one of severalissues may be on China's mind — Nepal, for one. The Chinese may be makingthings just a bit more difficult for India when Nepal is revving up a territori-al dispute with it. Or, China may be miffed with India for asking questions,along with the US, on the origin of the new Coronavirus. A third possibility isIndian ministers talking publicly about hosting American companies if theypull out of China. Whatever the cause, it must be finessed soon.

Soothe dragon’s feathers

Sunanda K.Datta-Ray

DilipCherian

Reflections

Dilli Ka Babu

CENTRAL PACKAGEThe Atmanirbhar BharatAbhiyan packageannounced by PrimeMinister Narendra Modiand finance ministerNirmala Sitharaman is abubble with only air in it. Itconsists of only loansunder various names tovarious sectors of theeconomy and every rupeepassed on thereunder isrepayable by the recipientone day or the other.There’s no immediate cashinflow into the economy.Unfortunately there’s nostrong opposition in thecountry.

Vedula SrinivasHyderabad

AIR INDIAIn this crucial times, Air India isplaying a crucial role in bringingback Indians who are stuck abroadwhile no other airlines is interestedin the job. Air India alone airliftedthousands of Indians and as well asforeigners who are stranded inIndia and abroad. Air India’s pilots,cabin crew and the ground staff arerisking their lives doing this oner-ous task. Now is the time for theCentre to ponder if it has to priva-tise the airlines. Instead, it shouldthink of its revival.

Sai Pavan AnugulaHyderabad

FINDING FAULTOn the one hand Chief Minister K.Chandrashekar Rao says states arenot beggars and that responsibleelected persons should not be dic-tated by the Centre. (KCR: Centre’s stimulus is an empty shell, DC, May19). In the same breath he says thatRythu Bandhu amount will begiven to those farmers who sowwhat the government had suggest-ed. The farmers know what is goodfor them. We depend on their pro-duce. There is no point in dictatingterms to them.

Bindhu Madhav RaoVikarabad

LETTERS

Furore over fraud onCentral Bank in London

NEW DELHI, May 19Opposition in the Lok Sabhasought to link Prime Minister’sSecretary, Mr. P.N. Haksar withsome of the development in thecolossal fraud committed on theL o n d o nbranch ofthe Cent-ral Bankof India.

The me-ntion of Mr. Haksar’s name inconnection with the fraud,involving over Rs 2 crores in for-eign exchange, was promptlydubbed as “purely politicallymotivated” by the Minister ofState for Finance, Mr. P. C. Sethi.

50 YEARS AGO IN

DECCAN CHRONICLE

ADITYA SINHA T. VENKATESWARLUEditor Printer & Publisher

DECCAN CHRONICLE offices are located at:

Hyderabad: 36, Sarojini Devi Road, Secunderabad - 500 003, Ph: 040-27803930-4; Fax : 040-27805256Vijayawada: No.C-3 & 4 Patamata, Industrial Estate, Auto Nagar, Vijayawada (A.P.), Ph: 0866-2555284/2555287; Telefax: 0866-2555234Visakhapatnam: Survey No.1/3A Beach Road, Near Kailasagiri Ropeway, Sector-9 MVP Colony,Visakhapatnam - 530 017 (A.P), Ph: 0891-2552333/2552334; Fax: 0891-2755285Rajahmundry: Vemagiri, Dhawaleswaram Rd, Rajahmundry, Ph: 0883-2417618/2417208; Telefax: 0883-2417208Anantapur: Thapovan colony, Bangalore By-Pass Road, Anantapur - 515004, Ph: 08554-276903; Fax:08554-276904Karimnagar: Survey No.1341, Vavilalapally Colony, Jagityala Road, Karimnagar - 505 001, Ph: 0878-2228908; Telefax: 0878-2220433Nellore: Survey No.527/2, Burranpur Village, Venkatachalam (M), Chemmudugunta Panchayat, Nellore,Ph: 0861-2348581/82; Telefax: 0861-2348580Chennai: SP-3 Developed Plot, Industrial Estate, Guindy, Chennai - 600 032, Ph: 044-22254747/ 48/50/51;Advt Fax: 22254765/22254766/42305325Bengaluru: 5th Floor, BMTC Commercial Complex, 80 Feet Road, Koramangala, Bengaluru-560 095 Ph:080-43460500; Fax: 080-22960552. Coimbatore: 77, Vivekananda Road, Ramnagar, Coimbatore - 641 009, Ph : 0422 2231255Kochi: No.3-B, 3rd Floor of DD TRADE TOWER, Kaloor-Kadavanthara Road, Ernakulam, Ph: 0484-4039408Thiruvananthapuram: St Joseph�s Press, TC 15/1040, Cotton Hill, Thycaud (PO), Thiruvananthapuram695 014 Kozhikode: Door No 6/1002 E, First Floor of City Mall, Opp. YMCA, Kannur Road, Kozhikode - 673 001,Fax : 0495 4019 018Gram: CHRONICLE Postal registration no: No. H/SD-348/2006-08

Plan for prepaid meters raises concern

Power bill may goup with reforms

quickBITES

INDICATORS %Sensex 30,196.17 0.56Nifty 50 8,879.10 0.63S&P 500* 2,949.69 -0.14Dollar (`) 75.64 0.36Pound Sterling (`) 92.50 -0.55Euro (`) 82.64 -0.67Gold (Oz)* ($) 1,731.80 0.00Brent crude ($/bbl)* 35.18 1.06IN 10-Yr bond yield 6.035 -0.248US 10-Yr T-bill yield* 0.732 -1.348

* As of 8:00 PM IST

FPIs withdraw$6.4 billion inMarch quarterForeign investors turned netsellers in the March quarter andpulled out $6.4 billion from theIndian equity markets largelydue to the Covid-19-led risk-averse environment, a Morning-star report said. In comparison,FPIs bought net assets worth$6.3 billion in the December2019 quarter. FPIs were net buy-ers in January ($1.71 billion) andFebruary ($265 million). Theysold net assets worth $8.4 bil-lion in March.

PSBs sanction`6.45-L cr loans inMarch-May: FM

State-owned banks have sanc-tioned about Rs 6.45 lakh croreworth loans to various sectorsbetween March 1 and May 15."Loans worth over Rs 6.45 lakhcrore were sanctioned by PSBsduring March 1 May 15 for 54.96lakh accounts from MSME,retail, agriculture & corporatesectors; A notable increasecompared to the Rs 5.95 lakhcrore sanctioned as of May 8,"finance minister NirmalaSitharaman said in a tweet.

1,043 MW ofwind, solarcapacity added India added about 715 megawatt of utility scale solar capaci-ty in Jan.-March 2020, down 67per cent from 2163 MW a yearago. Clean energy consultancyBridge To India said, the coun-try added 328 MW of utilityscale wind capacity in the quar-ter ended March, which wasdown 65 per cent as comparedto 944 MW in January-March2019. "India added total utilityscale solar and wind capacity of715 MW and 328 MW,” it said.

Tata PowerQ4 profit vaultsover two-foldTata Power posted a two-foldsjump in its consolidated netprofit to Rs 475 crore in theJanuary-March quarter com-pared to Rs 172 crore in theyear-ago quarter. "PAT was up177 per cent at Rs 475 crore asagainst Rs 172 crore due togain on sale of Cennergi invest-ment offset by impairment pro-vision in SED & reversal of MATCredit due to transition to newtax regime in the renewablesbusiness," the company said.

pg 7HYDERABAD | WEDNESDAY | 20 MAY 2020

ANDREA SHALALSTEVENSVILLE, MAY 19

Maryland's decision toreopen non-essential busi-nesses came just in timefor high-end guitar makerPRS Guitars, which kept374 workers on its payrollduring an eight-weekshutdown that has gougeda deep hole in revenues,executives said.

About 90 PRS employeescame back to a very differ-ent workplace on Monday,their work stations spacedsix feet apart, with one-way "traffic lanes" drawnon the factory floor and a55-gallon drum of handsanitiser on hand.

To enter the facility, nearthe Chesapeake Bay in theeastern part of the state,each had to have a temper-ature check, and everytime a hand-sanded andfinished guitar changeshands, it must now becarefully sanitised. Andthat's a lot of sanitising,considering each guitarreceives some 20 hours ofhand labour.

The story of PRS and its

phased return to work isbeing replicated all overthe United States as morefirms resume operationsafter the strict closuresaimed at containing thespread of the new coron-avirus are rolled back.

Founder Paul ReedSmith said the companytook on millions of dollarsin debt to keep payingworkers and ensure pro-duction could resumewhen the lockdown ended.

The third-largest electricguitar maker in theUnited States, PRS has theloyal support of some ofthe biggest names in themusic business, includingCarlos Santana, who hasbeen playing Smith's gui-tars since 1980, and JohnMayer .—Reuters

RAVI RANJAN PRASADMUMBAI, MAY 19

Bharti Airtel's sharesgained over 11 per cent onimpressive fourth quarterfinancial performance, asthe telecom major report-ed 15.1 per cent on year-on-year rise in revenue and asharp jump in average rev-enue per user (Arpu).

Its shares closed at Rs599.15, up 11.34 per cent onthe BSE and went up to Rs603 intra-day, setting a new52-week high, as broker-ages were impressed withthe results and expect fur-ther revenue benefitsaccruing to the companyfrom expected telecom tar-iff hike in the next two-three years.

Other telecom stocksalso played catch up asVodafone Idea sharesgained 16.92 per cent andMTNL, 1.93 per cent.

However, Airtel reporteda net loss of Rs 5,237 crorefor the March quarter, ascompared to a net profit ofRs 107 crore in the corre-sponding period last yeardue to an exceptional itemof Rs 7,004 crore, mainlyfrom reassessment ofspectrum dues.

Airtel’s consolidated Q4revenues at Rs 23,723 crorewere up 15.1 per cent yearon year. The company'sboard on Monday, okayed adividend of Rs 2 on sharesof Rs 5 face value.

Arpu for the quarter roseto Rs 154 compared to Rs123 YoY. The lockdown sit-uation would aid Arpugrowth in the mediumterm, a report fromEdelweiss said.

Kotak Securities said,"Bharti's 4Q FY20 printwas solid on all fronts—16per cent on-quartergrowth in India wirelessrevenues, 27 per cent on-quarter growth in Indiawireless Ebitda, healthysubscribers additions,strong data volumegrowth.”

PRS resumes hand-building guitars,

at a safe distance

MADHUSUDAN SAHOONEW DELHI, MAY 19

With the Covid-19 pan-demic outbreak that hasshattered the financialbackbone of almost allsectors in India, develop-ers and builders have areason to worry as theyare likely to witness a sig-nificant dip in sales oftheir residential flats inthis fiscal as compared toa year ago, leaving over alakh of units to remainunsold. The real estatesector is expected to incura whopping loss of Rs 1lakh crore this fiscal.

The residential segmentis likely to be the hardesthit in the coming 5-12months, forcing all theentities to curtail opera-tions, revisit planneddevelopments and invest-ments, according to a sur-vey by KPMG India.

As per an industry esti-mate, over four lakh resi-dential flats were sold lastyear, but a significant con-traction in sales is likelyto happen this year. "Thecredit crunch impact dueto the Covid spread willcreate residential salescontraction, bringingdown sales from 4 lakhunits in 2019-20 to 2.8-3lakh units in 2020-21across in top 7 cities,incurring a projected lossof over Rs 1 lakh crore atthe end the current fiscal,"

the survey said.Chintan Patel, partner &

leader (building, construc-tion & real estate), KPMGin India, said, "With thispandemic outbreak, thereal estate sector is likelyto be handicapped in theshort term, impactingover 250 related industriesand economic sectors."

However, to capitalise onthe intervention proposedby the government, theindustry should resumeoperations post-lockdownby leveraging technology

innovations. "I think thesemeasures are likely torevive activity, accelerat-ing Indian real estate'sturnaround over the com-ing 12-18 months."

With subdued demand inthe sector, counter-strate-gies have to be devised tomitigate the impact with afocus on cost optimisa-tion, liquidity improve-ment, space design andlayout efficiency maximi-sation, re-negotiations ofcontracts, and calibrationof business operatingmodels across the board.

Experts believe theCentre needs to supportthe sector with immediatemeasures. "The most sig-nificant step is none otherthan the financial supportin the form of providingadditional funding, loos-ening lending norms,extending repaymentschedules, etc," Patel said.

Realty may see `1-L cr loss: KPMG

SANGEETHA GCHENNAI, MAY 19

Let us brace for higherpower bills, going ahead.While privatisation ofpower distribution compa-nies (discoms) can raisetariff rates, the proposedsmart prepaid meters willforce the customers to payfor power at unsubsidisedrates upfront.

Discoms have been wit-nessing financial lossesdue to power theft, inaccu-rate metering and billinginefficiencies. As theyhave run up a debt of overRs 54,000 crore, the Uniongovernment thinks pri-vatisation is the way out.

While announcing vari-ous stimulus measureslast week, finance minis-ter Nirmala Sitharamanhad said that electricitydistribution companies inUnion territories will beprivatised on a pilot basisand she expected this to bea model to be replicated instates later. The ministerhoped that this wouldimprove efficiency andattract investment in thesector.

"When efficienciesimprove, the cost shouldcome down. If privatisa-tion improved efficiencies,in cities like Mumbai andDelhi, where the discomshave been privatised, thepower bills should havecome down. Instead thepower bills have gone upsignificantly. Further, inplaces with higher densityof consumers, the powercost should be lower. Butthis has been otherwise inthe cities," said Prasanta

Nandi Chowdhury, gener-al secretary, ElectricityEmployees Federation ofIndia.

In theory, privatisationcan bring down costs dueto competition. But in thecase of discoms, privatecompanies operating in aregion has no competitionand hence there will be nopressure on keepingprices low.

Further, smart prepaidmeters will make powertariffs the same for poorand rich alike. In the cur-rent system, the cost perunit varies with consump-tion, and this ensures thatthe poor receive sub-sidised power. With pre-paid meters, all the cus-tomers will have to buypower at the same rate.

However, analysts thinkthere will be some govern-ment mechanism to sup-port the poor when theprepaid system is adopted.

"The government hasbeen discussing on pro-viding subsidies under

Direct Benefit Transfer tothe poor rather than sub-sidising the rates underthe proposed power sectorreforms. However, therehas been no decision yeton this," said VipulaSharma, director, ratings,Brickwork Ratings.

According toChowdhury, DBT trans-fers will not preventpower bills from going up."We have seen this in thecase of LPG cylinders.Despite petroleum pricesfalling sharply and subsi-dies coming under DBT,the LPG bills have goneup," he said.

However, Vibhuti Garg,economist, IISD/Indialead- IEEFA believesthere's no need to jumpthe gun now. "TheNational Tariff Policy isnot yet out. This will giveus more clarity on whatwould be the terms andconditions while privatis-ing discoms and whethergovernment will regulatepower tariffs," he said.

Airtel stockjumps 11% onrevenue gains

KYUNGHEE PARKMAY 19

Qantas Airways Ltd saidputting extra spacebetween passengers onplanes could lead to a bigincrease in airfares anddiscourage people fromflying.

"Social distancing on anaircraft isn't practical,"Qantas CEO Alan Joycesaid during a briefing withreporters on Tuesday. Theairline won't be keepingmiddle seats empty. If sucha move was implemented,it could mean there wouldonly be 22 people on a 128-seat aircraft, Joyce said."That means airfares aregoing to be eight to ninetimes more than they aretoday."

Joyce said there haven'tbeen confirmed cases ofCovid-19 being transmit-ted on Qantas flights. Theairline is currently onlyflying about 5 per cent ofits pre-crisis levels domes-tically and 1 per cent of itsinternational network.

Countries around theworld have advocatedsocial distancing to helpcurb the spread of thecoronavirus. Proposals forsocial distancing on planesinclude keeping middleseats empty, but many inthe industry have arguedagainst that. The Inter-national Air TransportAssociation says it doesn'tsupport the idea, and thatwearing of face coveringsfor passengers and masksfor crew are more effectivemeasures to ensure thesafety of all on board.

Qatar Airways said onMonday its cabin crew willwear full-body protectivesuits. Crew are also kittedout with goggles, glovesand masks, while passen-gers will be required towear face coverings.

Ian Hosegood, medicaldirector at Qantas, saidtransmission of the viruson flights is "extremelylow" as filters on aircraftare very effective and pas-sengers face in one direc-tion. Qantas isn't makingit mandatory for passen-gers to wear face masks.

—Bloomberg

Airfares couldjump 9-foldwith socialdistancing:Qantas

ASHWIN J PUNNEN MUMBAI, MAY 19

India Inc is increasinglyembracing the concept ofmatch-funding to max-imise fund-raising in sup-port of Covid-19 reliefmeasures. Companiessuch as Amazon India,Zerodha, Razorpay andPepsiCo India have imple-mented match-funding intheir internal and exter-nal fund-raising pro-grammes in tie-up withnon-profit organisations.

Match-funding is prima-rily based on commit-ments from the corporatesto fully or partially matchthe raised funds with theircontributions. Experts saydonors feel motivated ifthey find that their contri-butions are match-funded.

As Covid-19 pandemichas affected lives andlivelihood, companies andNGOs have opted formatch-funding to generatemaximum value for theircontributions.

Amazon India hasrecently collaborated withNGOs, including Habitatfor Humanity India and

Akshaya Patra, to raise Rs100 crore. As a part of thecollaboration, AmazonIndia makes 100 per centequal contribution toevery donation made byits Prime members. Thedonations by the non-members are beingmatched by a 10 per centcontribution from the e-commerce giant.

Stock broking firmZerodha has collaboratedwith online crowdfundingplatform Ketto to helpHabitat for HumanityIndia in the mission toprovide daily wage earn-ers with essential goodsand hygiene kits. Zerodhahas committed to match100 per cent of each dona-tion. Till date, the NGOhas supported more than2,57,000 individuals across

the country."The need is immense.

Our partnership withZerodha and Ketto willenable us to provide essen-tial supplies to vulnera-ble," said Rajan Samuel,MD, Habitat for HumanityIndia.

Nithin Kamath, CEOand founder, Zerodha feelsthat everyone shouldcome forward to helpthose who have been hitby the crisis in thisunprecedented time.

Following the match-funding model, PepsiCoFoundation launched adouble matching gifts pro-gramme in April. Underthis programme, PepsiCoFoundation will match allemployee donations bytwo-fold and offer thegathered fund to its NGOpartners that are helpingthe communities affectedby Covid-19.

Payment gatewayRazorpay aims to raiseRs10 crore to offer masksand sanitisation items tomedical professionals.The company has pledgedto match every contribu-tion equally.

SHILPA P.MYSURU, MAY 19

Southern Star, one of the old-est star hotels in Mysuru,has closed down and its man-agement has terminated allthe employees, citing thelockdown and the pandemicsituation.

In the notice to the employ-ees, its general manager stat-ed, "the hotels have beenaffected (by the lockdown)very badly and the situationwill continue indefinitely,even after the lockdown hasbeen lifted.This is becauseaccording to World HealthOrganisation the pandemicmay take a long time to erad-icate…Under the circum-stances the management hasdecided to close down thehotel by terminating theiremployees and staff."

The notice further said,"The management will settleall the dues including termi-nation compensation to all

the employees/staff as perthe prevailing rules".

Hotel southern Star is aunit of Indra hotels (Mysore)Pvt Ltd.

The decision has come tolight just when the hotelowners are being assured ofpermission to open theirhotels in next three days bychief minister B. S.Yeddyurappa, according toMysuru Hotel Owners'Association head C.Narayangowda.

Mysuru being a majortourism destination, at least30 per cent of its people aredependent on tourism, andover 1 lakh people depend ontourism in Kodagu. About 10per cent of the tourists toMysuru are foreigners.

Narayangowda said thereare 405 hotels in Mysuruwith 9,500 rooms, employingat least 25,000 people. Thehotels are suffering a loss ofRs 10 crore per day due to thelockdown.

Mysuru’s Southern Star hotel shuts shop

Record $20 billion current account surplus likely this fiscal

Companies promise tomatch Covid-19 donations

SANGEETHA GCHENNAI

Despite an estimated 20 percent decline in exports,India would see a recordtrade surplus of $20 billionthis year as the subduedeconomic activity willshrink imports more.

As imports continue toplunge due to the Covid-19-driven disruptions, Indiamay end the current fiscalwith a record currentaccount surplus of about$20 billion, according to ananalysis by brokerage firmBarclays. The country willsee a current account sur-plus after a gap of 14 yearsor since first quarter of2006-07.

Following the nationwidelockdown, both exportsand imports plummeted to

all-time lows in April—exports dropped 36.65 percent in April while importsfell by 47.36 per cent lead-ing to a trade surplus of0.16 billion.

"Our current accounttracker points to a smallcurrent account deficit of$3 billion in Q1, followed bysuccessive 'unwelcome'surpluses, mirroring sub-dued economic activity.Given this, we raise ouraccount surplus forecast to$19.6 billion or 0.7 percent

of GDP for FY21, up from$10 billion previously fore-cast," Barclays said.

It is an unwelcome devel-opment as the surplus willbe driven almost entirelyby the lockdown of theeconomy to contain thepandemic outbreak, andhelped by the plunge incrude prices and not byexcess exports earningsover imports.

According to theFederation of IndianExport Organisations, the

export from the country isexpected to fall by 20 percent in the current fiscal."We expect that export dur-ing the current financialyear is likely to fall by 20per cent. In value terms,this will be around $50 to 60billion," Fieo director gen-eral and chief executiveofficer Ajay Sahai said onTuesday. "Personally, I feelthere has been not a singleword on exports in the eco-nomic stimulus announcedby the government," headded.

On the other hand, bothoil and non-oil imports willbe shrinking this year. Oilconsumption eased inMarch and collapsed inApril, falling to 55 percentof the past year's average.The gold import bill hasalso shrunk.

SHILPA P.MYSURU, MAY 19

RTIL Limited (formerlyknown as Reid andTaylor (India) Limited)has shut down its plantat the Thandya industri-al area in Tandavapurain Nanjangud taluk andits employees and work-ers have been dis-charged from their serv-ices.

A notice issued by liq-uidator RavishankarDevarakonda has stat-ed that, the NationalCompany Law Tribunal(NCLT) had by its orderdated 5 February 2019directed that RTIL is tobe liquidated in themanner laid down inChaper 3 of the

Insolvency andBankruptcy Code 2016."

The notice furtherstated, "I have done mybest possible efforts torun the company as agoing concern for over14 months since thecommencement of liq-uidation but regret toinform that now I haveno other option otherthan to discontinue thebusiness operationsdue to reasons includ-ing ongoing job workarrangement being dis-continued by RNTDistributors PrivateLimited; there are nosale orders on hand ason date; the companycontinues to incur loss-es at Ebitda level; theelectrical supply has

been disconnected dueto non payment of dues;there is no working cap-ital support from thecustomers/creditors ofthe company and noavailable cash flows torun the day to day oper-ation of the company.

"In the meeting heldon 5 May 2020, pursuantof section 35 (2) of thecode, all these chal-lenges were discussedwith the stakeholders(financial creditors) ofthe company, and theconclusion reached wasthat there was nooption but to perma-nently shut down theoperation of the plantand to discharge allworkers and employ-ees."

Reid & Taylor goes into liquidation

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GAMES pg 8DECCAN CHRONICLE | HYDERABAD | WEDNESDAY | 20 MAY 2020

Throwback TuesdayThrowdown specialist Raghu helped us improve against quicks: KohliNew Delhi, May 19:Throwdown specialist D.Raghavendra’s ability torachet up speeds in excessof 150-155 kmph with thesidearm enormously con-tributed to Indian bats-men’s improvementagainst fast bowling inrecent years, acknowl-edges skipper Virat Kohli.

The sidearm is a cricket-ing equipment that isshaped like a long spoon,with its far end designedto hold and hurl the ball atgreat speeds.

“I believe the improve-ment this team has shownwhile playing fast bowlingsince 2013 has beenbecause of Raghu,” Kohlisaid during an InstagramLive session withBangladesh star TamimIqbal.

“He has good conceptsabout footwork, bat move-ment of players. He hasimproved his skills somuch that from sidearmhe easily hurls the balls at155 kmph. After playingRaghu in nets, when yougo into the match, you feelthere is a lot of time,”Kohli added.

It is no surprise thatRaghavendra has been acrucial member of theIndian cricket team’s sup-port staff for years now.

Kohli said he never hadself doubts at any time,including while engineer-ing those big chases inhigh-pressure interna-tional matches.

“To be honest, I neverdoubted myself in gamesituations. Everyone whois human has doubts andweaknesses. Have theirnegatives. So in practiceduring tours, if youhaven’t had a good sessionyou feel you don’t havethat flow,” Kohli added.

The prolific scoreradded, “Best part aboutmatch situation is thatyou don’t need to think somuch. You react to situa-tions knowing your role.”

— PTI

Kolkata, May 19: TheCricket Association ofBengal (CAB) on Mondaysaid they are awaiting formore clarity from theBCCI on opening the EdenGardens for training afterthe central governmentgave a go ahead forresumption of sportingactivities across the coun-try in its fresh guidelinesfor the fourth phase of thenationwide lockdown.

The Ministry of HomeAffairs on Sunday saidstadiums will be allowedto stage games withoutspectators which maycome as a huge relief withthe much-anticipated

Indian Premier Leaguebeing postponed in thewake of the Covid-19 pan-demic.

“With regard to trainingof players, it has beenstated by the IndianCricket Board (BCCI) thatit would study guidelinesat the state level and willwork in sync with state

cricket associations tochalk out a programmefor skill-based training ata local level.

“Therefore, CAB wouldwait for such guidelinesbefore taking a furtherdecision in the matter,”the CAB said after a meet-ing of its office bearersvia video conference.

The Eden Gardens,where the CAB office issituated, is shut since thefirst phase of the nation-wide lockdown that beganon March 25 to combat thespread of Covid-19 pan-demic.

“As the Associationwould like to ensure safe-ty of our players as wellas our staffs, there wouldbe a medical committeemeeting via video confer-ence on Thursday to dis-cuss and frame the proto-cols, parameters includ-ing guidelines to be adopt-ed to maintain safety andhygiene in the office,” itsaid. — PTI

Manfalut (Egypt), May19: On a hot Saturdayafternoon, MahrousMahmoud is busy as canbe. The professional foot-ball player, however, isworking up a sweat in a dif-ferent way these days as astreet vendor.

At this time of the year,Mahmoud would be on thefield playing as a defenderfor Beni Suef, a club inEgypt’s second division.But like millions in theArab world’s most popu-lous country, he has beenhit hard by theCoronavirus pandemic.

These days, he heads towork in a crowded marketin an Upper Egypt town.S h o u l d e r- t o - s h o u l d e r,shoppers jostle aroundstalls as he prepares a pan-cake-like pastry.

Prior to the pandemic,Mahmoud made about $200a month playing for hisclub. That went a long waytoward feeding his familyof three. The league wasshut down in mid-Marchand Mahmoud’s mainsource of income dried up.

Egypt has implemented astrict curfew and closedcafes, malls and othershops as part of a govern-ment effort to stem thespread of the virus.

His club told players tostay at home until theycould return to playing.That’s not an option forMahmoud. His family hasto eat. “I should do anykind of work to help feedthem,” he said.

The market in Manfalut,a town 350 kilometressouth of Cairo, hasremained open throughoutthe pandemic, bustling asshoppers buy provisionsfor the evening meal thatbreaks the daily fast dur-ing the Islamic holy monthof Ramadan. The smallpancakes that Mahmoudmakes, called qatayef in

Arabic, are among themost favourite Ramadandesserts.

The 28-year-oldMahmoud is the eldest oftwo sons. His fatherworked as a part-time driv-er but is retired with heartproblems. He supports hisfather, mother and brother,who live in one room of athree-storey building theyshare with six other fami-lies of his uncles.

Mahmoud showed athlet-ic talent from a young age.He started as a boxer in alocal club, then moved onto handball, before coachesconvinced him to join theclub’s soccer team. By 16,he went professional.“They told me I would be agood defender,” saidMahmoud, whose team-mates nicknamed himKompany after formerManchester City captainVincent Kompany.

However, Mahmoud seesLiverpool defender Virgilvan Dijk as his role model.Mahmoud helped his teamto the top of its league, andhe hopes to advance to thecountry’s top division.

In the meantime, he’lljust have to keep working,despite the dangers.There’s his family, andanother reason to saveMahmoud had been sched-uled to get married nextmonth. “Nobody isimmune. But those like meand my family have to sur-vive,” he said. — AP

Indian cricket team captain Virat Kohli in action in this file photo.

Footballer turnsa street vendor

Mag gives Coronatwist to Tokyo logoTokyo, May 19: TokyoOlympics officials areincensed that their Gamesemblem has been used inthe cover design of a localmagazine that combinesthe logo with theCoronavirus.

Tokyo spokesman MasaTakaya said in an onlinenews conference onTuesday that organisershad requested the ForeignCorrespondents Club ofJapan “take down’’ theimage.

Takaya did not answer adirect question if Tokyo2020 was planning a legalchallenge. He suggestednegotiations were going on“in a private manner” withthe Tokyo foreign journal-ists’ club.

“It is very disappointingto see the Games emblembeing distorted and associ-ated with the novelCoronavirus, which affectshuman life, people’s lives,

the economy, and our socie-ty,” the Tokyo spokespoer-son Takaya added.

“The design is clearlyusing the design of theOlympic emblem. Wetherefore consider it aninfringement on our legal-ly secured copyright to theTokyo 2020 Olympicemblem,’’ he furtheradded.

In an article about thelogo published several daysago by the Asahi Shimbunnewspaper, it named theartist as AndrewPothecary.

It identified him as aBritish designer based inJapan who serves the mag-azine’s art director.

The artist said he viewedthe design as a parody,though other designersinterviewed by the newspa-per suggest parody was dif-ficult with a topic such asthe virus and pandemic.

— AFP

CAB awaits clarity from BCCI

India faces challenge todraft in home umpires

SHORT

TTuurriinn:: Cristiano Ronaldoreturned to training with

Juventus in Turin on Tuesdayafter an absence of over two

months because of theCoronavirus pandemic.

The 35-year-old drove himselfinto the Juventus Training

Centre in a Jeep with tintedwindows.

The five-time Ballon d’Or win-ner will undergo medical and

physical tests before joining upwith his teammates in training,

according to media reports.Juventus players returned toindividual training on May 4,the day Ronaldo returned to

Italy after spending lockdownin his native Portugal.

For the past two weeks, hehas been in quarantine in his

villa in Turin. Ronaldo played inJuventus’s last Serie A game

before the season was suspend-ed, a 2-0 win over Inter Milan

behind closed doors at theAllianz Stadium — AFP

CR7 RETURNSTO JUVENTUSFOR TRAINING

TAKES

Bolt proud fatherof a baby girl

Armstrong began doping at 21

Swiss Olympianloses ban appeal

KKiinnggssttoonn:: Jamaica’s Olympicsprint legend Usain Bolt hasbecome a father for the first

time after welcoming the birthof a baby girl with partner Kasi

Bennett, reports said Monday.Jamaican Prime Minister

Andrew Holness appeared toconfirm the birth of Bolt’s

daughter in a social media post.“Congratulations to our sprint

legend Usain Bolt and KasiBennett on the arrival of their

baby girl!” Holness wrote onTwitter.

Local media reports said thecouple’s daughter was born onSunday. No further details were

immediately available.Bolt, 33, had revealed he was

expecting a daughter withBennett on social media in

March, jokingly warning anyfuture suitors to steer clear of

his daughter. “Any man! Anyboy! Don’t play with me!” the

eight-time Olympic gold medal-list quipped. Bolt, the worldrecord holder at 100m and

200m, retired from athletics in2017 after a decade of domi-

nance. — AFP

PPaarriiss:: Disgraced formerAmerican cyclist Lance

Armstrong has revealed he firststarted doping from the age of

21, during his first season as aprofessional. “Wow, straight to

the point, probably 21,”Armstrong replied when asked

how old he was when he firstdoped as part of an ESPN doc-

umentary.The exchange with US journal-

ist Marina Zenovich appeared ina 90-second trailer released on

Monday for a two-part docu-mentary called “Lance” whichwill be broadcast by ESPN on

May 24 and May 31. During theclip, in which former US Postal

Service teammates TylerHamilton and George Hincapierespond to the same questionabout performance-enhancing

drugs, Armstrong, now 48,explains there are “a bunch of

ways to define doping”.Armstrong dominated profes-

sional cycling in the 2000s andwon the Tour de France seven

years in a row. — AFP

LLaauussaannnnee:: SwitzerlandOlympic finalist Bralon Taplinlost his appeal against a four-

year ban for dodging a dopingtest, and will miss the Tokyo

Games and the next two trackand field world championships.

The Court of Arbitration forSport on Tuesday said its judge

found Taplin’s explanation “tobe implausible’’ that he was

never approached or chaper-oned to give a sample after

winning an April 2019 race inGrenada. The judge “was com-fortably satisfied that the ath-

lete was guilty of the offense ofevading sample collection,’’ the

court said in a statement.The 28-year-old Taplin, a for-

mer NCAA relay champion run-ning for Texas A&M University,is banned until Sept. 24, 2023.

Taplin finished seventh in the400 final running for Grenada

at the 2016 Rio de JaneiroOlympics, and is the eighth

fastest man on the all-time listat 400 indoors. — AP

Sydney, May 19: Australian Rules footballers havereportedly been told to limit their sexual partners tominimise the chances of Covid-19 disrupting plans fora season restart next month.

AFL officials have told players that one-night standswill not be banned but they could be punished if theyengage in risky behaviour such as a string of hook-ups, Melbourne’s Herald-Sun reported.

“I think what it is saying is calm down a bit guys andjust keep the visitors down to a minimum. There’s nopoint going through this if randoms (sexual encoun-ters) are coming from everywhere,” Collingwood clubpresident Eddie McGuire told radio station Triple M.

The AFL intends to resume on June 11 and has imple-mented strict health protocols for players. — AFP

LIMIT YOUR ONE-NIGHTSTANDS: OZ FOOTBALL

Regd. No. H/SD/509/2018-20Printed and Published by T.

Venkateswarlu on behalf of DeccanChronicle Holdings Limited. Printedat Deccan Chronicle Press situatedat Plot No. 9 Alwal Village, VallabhNagar Taluk, Medchal Malkajgiri

Dist. Telangana and Published at 36,S.D. Road, Secunderabad-3.

RNI Registration No. 3081/1957.Editor: Aditya Sinha

NO PRESSURETO TOUR, SAYSWINDIES HEAD

New Delhi, May 19:Lack of experience,especially in Tests, willpose a “huge challenge”for Indian umpires whenthey get down to officiatein the post Covid-19 pan-demic scenario, feel cur-rent and former officials.

The ICC CricketCommittee on Mondayrecommended theappointment of localmatch officials (umpiresand match referees) inthe short-term to avoidinternational travel inthe wake of the Covid-19pandemic.

With S. Ravi droppedfrom the ICC elite panelof umpires last year,there is no Indian in thepremier category fromwhich match officialsare usually picked forTests.

The lower rung — ICCinternational panel ofumpires — has fourIndians but only one ofthem, Nitin Menon (3Tests, 24 ODIs, 16 T20s),has experience of the

longest format and thattoo has not come in high-pressure games.

The other three — C.Shamshuddin (43 ODIs,21 T20s), AnilChaudhary (20 ODIs, 20T20s) and VirenderSharma (2 ODIs and 1T20) — have no Testexperience but they arein line to officiate a five-day game duringEngland’s tour of Indiain January.

“It is a massive chal-

lenge but a great oppor-tunity at the same time.Different formats bringdifferent kind of pres-sure. In the Tests, thepressure is created bythe close-in fielderswhile in limited overscricket, the noisy crowdmakes the umpires’ jobtougher,” former umpireHariharan, who stood in34 ODIs and two Testssaid.

“Not just umpiringdecisions, factors likeaggressive appealingand bad light also comeinto play often and therethe neutral umpires aremore likely to take anunbiased call sub-con-sciously than localumpires,” he said.

Local umpires have notofficiated in Tests since2002 while a combinationof an ICC and localumpire is in practice inODIs. In T20s, localumpires are in charge.Match referees need tobe neutral in all threeformats. — PTI

London, May 19: WestIndies captain JasonHolder has said he won’tforce his players into trav-elling to England for athree-Test series amid theCovid-19 pandemic.

The West Indies wereoriginally scheduled toplay the Test series fromJune 4.

“Each player has to becomfortable in makingthe step. It’s been madeclear if we are to hop on aplane and go over toEngland to play, it must besafe” Holder told BBCRadio 5.

“Certainly from my per-spective, I won’t be forc-ing anyone to go any-where,” Holder added.

Last week, ECB directorAshley Giles said theyhave to create an environ-ment where West Indiesand Pakistan both feelsafe while travelling tothe United Kingdom. Heassured that a completerisk assessment would bedone before taking theplunge. — PTI

COACH-PLAYERTRUST CRUCIAL,SAYS BANGARNew Delhi, May 19:Sanjay Bangar has under-lined the importance oftrust in creating a strongrelationship betweencoaches and players, say-ing it plays a major role inhelping them discuss theirinsecurities.

“I think trust is a majorfactor, it could be a mentalconditioning coach, or itcould be skill coach,”Bangar said on a nationalsports show.

“It’s very important for acoach and player to formthat sort of a relationshipwherein the player canconfide his insecuritieswith the coach and be restassured that whatever hasbeen conveyed to thecoach it does not really gooutside the two of them.The coaches tend to dou-ble up as mental condi-tioning coaches primarilyfor the reason that theyspend a lot of time withthe players and numbertwo is the trust that a play-er enjoys with a coach,” hesaid. — PTI

Bayer Leverkusen’s Kai Havertz (in red) scores his side’s opening goal during theirGerman football league match against Werder Bremen in Bremen on Monday. Havertezgot two goals (in 28th and 33rd minutes), Mitchell Weiser and Kermen Demirbay gotgoals in the 61st and 78th minutes respectively as Leverkusen won 4-1. T. Gebre Selassiescored the lone goal for Bremen, in the 30th minute. — AP

Quarantine forCzech champsPrague, May 19:Reigning Czech cham-pions and currentleague leaders SlaviaPrague said onTuesday the entireteam will go into quar-antine after a playertested positive for theCoronavirus.

Suspended since mid-March, the country’stop-flight First Leagueis set to resume onSaturday, with Slaviadue to travel to MladaBoleslav for their open-ing game on May 26.

“The club is in quar-antine untilThursday,” tweetedSlavia directorJaroslav Tvrdik.

The League FootballAssociation (LFA) saidTuesday it had tested1,442 players from thetop two divisions, withtwo testing positive —

the other from Slavia’snext opponentsBoleslav.

Slavia players willundergo control testson Friday and Monday.

“The team expects tohold the first trainingsession on Fridayafternoon, dependingon the outcome of thetest,” said Tvrdik.

“We want to play onTuesday if the secondtest next Monday isnegative,” he added.

The Boleslav playerwho tested positivewas due to undergo acontrol test onTuesday, with resultsexpected Wednesday.

Slavia Prague areeight points clear ofsecond-placed ViktoriaPlzen in the FirstLeague. Boleslav arefifth, trailing Slavia by21 points. — AFP

●● The ICC CricketCommittee hasrecommended theappointment oflocal matchofficials (umpiresand matchreferees) in theshort-term to avoidinternational travelin the wake of theCovid-19pandemic.

●● With the Egyptianleague shut due tothe Coronaviruspandemic, MahrousMahmoud of BeniSuef club works in acrowded market,preparing popularRamadan desserts tofeed his family.

High flyer

With regard to training of players, it has beenstated by the Indian cricket board (BCCI) that itwould study guidelines at the state level and willwork in sync with state cricket associations tochalk out a programme for skill-based training ata local level.

— CRICKET ASSOCIATION OF BENGAL,said in a statement

In this May 9 photo, 28-year-old footballer MahrousMahmoud (right) makes Ramadan sweets at a souq inManfalut, a town 350 kilometres south of Cairo in theprovince of Assiut, Egypt. — AP

CORONA || CURSE

BIPIN DANI

‘Smoking is injurious tohealth’. Everybody isfamiliar with the statuto-

ry warning on cigarette packetsand tobacco ads. But the NovelCoronavirus, transmitted bydroplets of infected salivaamong other ways, has given us anew cautionary note — ‘Spittingis injurious to health’. The warn-ing extends to sports fields too,where chewing gum and spittingit out has become the norm.

“In the post Coronavirus world,there is definitely the danger ofspat out chewed gum carryingthe virus from an infected playerto others,” says Deckline Lietao,a fitness coach and sports condi-tioning specialist who works atthe Padukone-Dravid centre inBangalore.

Speaking exclusively to DC,Lietao, who hails from Mumbai,says, “Many sports personsbelieve that gum chewing helpsto shorten the body’s responseand reaction time and reducesstress and drowsiness. But thereis very small research to proveso.”

Caffeinated chewing gum is

believed to give a slight mentalboost to players because of thecaffeine content. According tohim, “there is no harm in adultcricketers or other sportsper-sons using it. Also, it is said thatit helps female players morethan males,” says Lietao, whowas ex-India captainMohammad Azharuddin’s per-sonal fitness consultant.Incidentally, he also trainedwomen cricketers AkanshaKohli and national player Veda

Krishnamurty. Dav Whatmore, an internation-

al coach who has worked withthe international teams of SriLanka, Bangladesh andPakistan, and IPL and Keralateams, and will be joining theBaroda team soon, believes thatchewing gum is a way of achiev-ing concentration. “It can be agood thing for certain players. Ipersonally didn’t do much of it.Sometimes players can acciden-tally swallow it too,” he says.

“Disposing of chewed gum prop-erly is important,”

he stresses. “Spat out onthe field, it can be trod-den on, and it’s notnice to clean it off —it’s happened to mebefore!,”he rues.

Dr. ChaitanyaSridhar, a Sport &Performance psy-chologist who hasconducted morethan 1,500 ses-

sions with Indian and foreignathletes, believes that chewinggum could have started as ahabit that was picked up by somefrom their fellow cricketers, andhas over time become part of therituals of the game. “Also, bychewing gum, the mind isfocused on something akin to,

let’s say, breath; else the mindcan wander off to unwant-

ed aspects and stress out.Here it’s being directedto something,” sheexplains.

Krish Srikanth report-edly recited chants onthe field, to achieve thisgoal.

TURN TO PAGE 2

glam sham

3 >>

c m y k c m y k

hyderabadSushmita Sen’s warrior mindset

matinee

8 >>

Priyanka misses Bollywood

WEDNESDAY | 20 MAY 2020

CHRONICLELIFE POST COVID

Banned: Spitting gum and saliva

In the new coronavirus scenario, established habits like spitting out chewing gum on sportsfields and using saliva on cricket balls, is dangerous. Players will have to change

(L-R) M.S. Dhoni and Australian cricketer Aaron Finch; The International Cricket Council’s cricket committee has recommended on medical advice that spitting should be prohibited while the coronavirus outbreak persists

The poetic resonancePoetry keeps many a heart upbeat even during the bleakesthours we’re passing throughSWATI SHARMA

DECCAN CHRONICLE

The following versescaught our attention, prob-

ably because of the collectivewe seem to feel like at thismoment in the world.

“Life has spiraled out of con-

trol,You can't grasp it for a second;You don't know what else to dobut give up.Time to take control.Get life organized,One thing at a time,One step at a time.”

— Marcelina Hardy

Poems, and the rhythms theydelicately linger around, findtheir way to an open heart, nomatter how desolate or eager.Various studies across theworld have also found that writ-ing poems reduces feelings ofanxiety, fear and sadness.

TURN TO PAGE 2

In the post coronavirusworld, there is definitely

the danger of spat out chewedgum carrying the virus from aninfected player to others

— DECKLINE LIETAO, a fitnesscoach and sports conditioningspecialist who works at thePadukone-Dravid centre inBangalore

KanganaRanaut

released apoem Aasmaan

on Tuesday

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1

“Focusing on an object/aspect/gum will aid inreducing unnecessary negative thinking, thusindirectly aiding performance,” she says. “In addi-tion, we tend to store stress in the jaw and neckregion. Therefore, chewing can reduce the tight-ness and stress. Moreover, there is some researchthat claims that it helps in managing the stress

hormone too.”It’s not all good,

though. While theright amount can beuseful, “the disadvan-tage is that, if it’soverused, it causestightness in the jaws,defeating the veryaim of relaxing.Excessive usageimpacts the gut aswell,” says DrChaitanya.

Not everyonechews gum. Sometop basketball play-ers are known tochew their mouth-guard instead! Dr.Chaitanya points outthat there are health-ier alternatives —saunf, or fennelseeds, can be usedinstead. It’s a diges-tive too, she says.

“Cricketers andother sportspersonsacross the world areaware of the dangersof COVID-19 andhow it spreads, andwill be careful aboutthis. They mightneed to be a littlecautious but I reallydon’t see any causefor concern here asdiscipline is anessential ingredientof sport,” sheasserts.

There’s also theissue of applying

saliva on the cricket ball. Dav Whatmore feels thiswill be a habit that’s harder to change, “as this hasbeen done all players over time.” But he feels it“can be done if all are reminded constantly andthere is an alternative.”

In Dr. Chaitanya’s opinion, “It’s more of arelearning that is needed. It will take a while, butnecessary precautions and cues will aid in thisaspect too. Using some reminders especially in thebeginning will help curb the action,” she conclud-ed.

Banned: Spitting gum...

Virat Kohli chewing gum

2Wednesday 20 May 2020

Deccan Chroniclethe buzz

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1

Closer home, celebrity lyricist, poet,screenwriter and marketer PrasoonJoshi’s verses have frequently left anencouraging sense of hope to thosearound him, especially so during thelockdown. But he’s not the only one.Kangana Ranaut, AyushmannKhurrana, Anushka Sharma, AliaBhat and Amitabh Bachchan are alsoamong Indian celebrities who haveidentified with poems to cope duringtimes of stress.

Alia Bhatt recently took toInstagram to share a video of herselfreciting a poem on mother earth.Actress Kangana Ranaut released apoem called Aasmaan in her voice,which talks of a child’s journey fromthe womb to the world outside, goingon to telling her mother that nowheredid she find the love and warmth ofher mother’s womb.

Then there are verses from a poemby actor Ayushmann Khurrana,which have evoked a plethora of emo-tions among his fans and readers. Itreads, “Aaj lagta hai kaash kar deinsab kuch theek, iss duniya ko karkerewind (I wish today we could makeeverything alright, undo our mess bysetting the world on rewind). Butbelieve me, this is nothing but the col-lective karma of mankind.”

A POETIC HEART

According to Jhilam Chattaraj, anacademic and poet, poetry’s rhythmicpatterns illuminate powerful nonver-bal reactions within people and helpalleviate stress. “Poetry is both chal-lenging and cathartic at such times.While some may experience anavalanche of a creativesurge, others may run dryowing to the unnaturalslowness of things. Butpoets are observers of thefinest details and are drivenby the compulsion toexpress and share,” saysJhilam, adding, “Itreminds me of theIrish poet SeamusHeaney’s words:‘The world is adifferent placeafter it’s beendescribed by apoet’.”

V i n a t iBhola, aninternation-ally pub-lished poetand author ofU d a a r i ,believes thatwriting helpspeople organ-ise theirt h o u g h t sand makesense ofa trau-maticexpe-

rience. “As a tool, poetry can help usrebuild ourselves in inexplicableways,” Vinati explains. “We can pourourselves out and still be full — that ishow powerful this artform is.”

In fact, according to Vinati, there isnothing called good poetry or badpoetry. “How strongly a poem canmake one feel is all that makes the dif-ference,” she adds. “Like I’ve men-tioned in my book Udaari, poetry isso much more than romanticisingemotions. It is an art, as simple as

breathing and as complex as living.”For Dr Anjali Chhabria, psy-chiatrist and psychotherapistand author of the book Death isNot The Answer:Understanding Suicide and the

Ways to Prevent It, writingpoems helps one break free fromendless mental cycling. “Whenthe body or mind is under

stress, we start using differ-ent defence mechanisms

to cope with it. Whilesome may use anaggressive kind ofdefence mechanism,called a reaction for-mation, others mayuse avoidance,”points out Dr Anjali.“But there are a fewwho will use sublima-

tion, and poetry is oneform of sublimation

through which peoplecan convert their emo-tions, feelings andstress into somethingpositive. That is defi-

nitely one way of dealing with notonly stress but also negative emo-tions. Jotting down a poem some-times also relieves and relaxes suchpeople.”

“Cricketers and othersportspersons across

the world are aware of thedangers of COVID-19 and

how it spreads, and so theywill be careful. Players willbe cautious, as discipline is

an essential ingredient ofsport”

— DR CHAITANYA SRIDHAR, a Sport & Performance psy-

chologist

There’s also the issue ofapplying saliva on the cricketball. Dav Whatmore, an inter-national coach, feels this will

be a habit that’s harder tochange, as this has been

done all players over time.But he feels it “can be done

if all are reminded constantlyand there is an alternative.”

Spit-polishing by the bowler

The writing cure: Poetry asa tool for self-expression

ActressKanganaRanautreleased apoem calledAasmaan inher voice onTuesday,which talks ofa child’sjourney fromthe womb tothe worldoutside, goingon to tellingher motherthat nowheredid she findthe love andwarmth of hermother’swomb

Poetry is bothchallengingand catharticat such times.While somemayexperience an

avalanche of a creative surge, othersmay run dry owing to the unnaturalslowness of things. But poets areobservers of the finest details

— JHILAM CHATTARAJ, an academic and poet

Verses from a poem by actor Ayushmann Khurrana, which haveevoked a plethora of emotions among his fans and readers. Itreads, “Aaj lagta hai kaash kar dein sab kuch theek, iss duniya kokarke rewind (I wish today we could make everything alright,undo our mess by setting the world on rewind). But believe me,this is nothing but the collective karma of mankind.”

There is nothingcalled good poetryor bad poetry. “Howstrongly a poemcan make onefeel is all thatmakes thedifference,"says VinatiBhola, aninternatio-nallypublishedpoet andauthor of Udaari

The Biwi No 1actress revealed

that she wasdiagnosed with

the autoimmunecondition called

Addison’s diseasein September

2014 that left herfeeling like she

had no fight leftin her

DC CORRESPONDENT

Actress and former beau-ty queen Sushmita Sen

in her new YouTube videotitled Warrior, showed off herkiller Nunchaku skills whilecandidly addressing beingdiagnosed with an autoim-mune condition.

The Biwi No 1 actressrevealed that she was diag-nosed with the autoimmunecondition called Addison’sdisease in September 2014that left her feeling like shehad no fight left in her.

“A fatigued body filled withimmense frustration &aggression. The dark circlesunder my eyes can’t evenbegin to explain the darktimes I endured for 4 longyears :) To have steroids sub-stitute cortisol & to live withits innumerable side effectstook its toll. There is NOTH-ING more tiring than to livewith a chronic illness.Enough was enough, I had tofind a way of strengtheningmy mind, allowing my bodyto follow suit. I meditatedwith #Nunchaku (sic),” shewrote.

The actress went on toreveal that learning the mar-tial arts turned her sufferinginto an art form. “I healed intime, my Adrenal glandswoke up, no more steroids, nowithdrawls & NO AUTOIMMUNE CONDITION as of2019. Lesson : NO ONEKNOWS YOUR BODY BET-TER THAN YOU, LISTEN TOIT. :) There is a warrior in allof us, never give up!!! (sic),”

she wrote before thank-ing her teacher NupurShikhare for being herrock through this jour-ney.

In the past, actressShilpa ShettyKundra too hasopened up abouther autoimmunedisease calledAPLA, which led tovarious miscar-riages. As reportedby a daily, Shilpawanted anotherchild after havingher son Viaan,but, due to hera u t o i m m u n edisease, she suf-fered a coupleof miscar-riages.

Sushmita Sen’s warrior mindsetThe actress got candid about her struggles with Addison’s disease, whichshe conquered by learning martial arts

glam sham3Wednesday 20 May 2020

Deccan Chronicle

Always in the news for her daringcolours and prints, fashion designer

Masaba’s positivity and quick wit have con-stantly delighted her fans. But if reports areto be believed, the stunning daughter ofactress Neena Gupta who separated from herhusband Madhu Mantena in 2018, has foundlove again in actor Satyadeep Mishra.

Incidentally, Satyadeep, who had made hisBollywood debut with No One Killed Jessicain the year 2011, had married Aditi RaoHydari in 2009. The couple separated fromeach other in 2013.

While nothing is known for certain betweenMasaba and Satyadeep — given how privateMasaba is about her personal life — we seethat not only are Masaba and Satyadeep pret-ty cosy on social media, leaving adorablecomments on each other’s posts, but alsoMasaba’s friends seem to be followingSatyadeep too.

We are also told that the two, who were inGoa to spend a weekend, have been stuckthere owing to the lockdown.

Here’s wishing them happiness!

Andrew lauds AamirDC CORRESPONDENT

Andrew Millison, a well-known international per-maculture designer and a

professor at Oregon StateUniversity, recently released anepisode on his YouTube channelon Aamir Khan and Kiran Rao’sPaani Foundation. Andrew visit-ed a village in Maharashtra tounderstand the work that theydo on watershed managementand was completely amazed bythe work the villagers havelearnt to do thanks to the watercup competition held by thePaani Foundation. In theshort film that he made andreleased on YouTube, the

professor described it as thebiggest permaculture project inthe world, bringing Aamir onestep closer to seeing his vision ofhaving drought-free and sustain-able villages come to life.

Founded by AamirKhan, Kiran Rao,Reena Dutta andS a t j a y j i t

Bhatkal, the Paani Foundationis a non-profit organisation thatlooks into the areas of droughtprevention and watershed man-agement in the state ofMaharashtra. The foundationprovided training to the vil-lagers in watershed manage-ment.

The workers then raised thelevel of a spillway to ensure arise of the water level in thewhole reservoir, which in turnreplenished their water supply.Permaculture is the develop-ment of agricultural ecosystemsto achieve sustainability andself-sufficiency, which is whatthe foundation is working withas well.

Masaba in ahappy spaceFashion designer Masabaand actor SatyadeepMishra may have foundlove in each other

Permaculture designer Andrew

Millison described theactor’s Paani

Foundation as world’s biggest

permaculture project

Yesteryear lead actressSimran is being roped in

to play the mother in RajTarun’s upcoming film direct-ed by debutant SanotshMohan. “It will almost be a re-entry for Simran in Telugu ifshe agrees to do the film,” saysa source close to the unit.

The team felt that Simranwill bring a fresh appeal in therole. For her too, it will be achange from the type of roleshe’s usually cast in. Her lastTelugu film was John AppaRao 40 Plus, released in 2008.She has, however, been activein Tamil cinema.

Raj Tarun will be playinga stand-up comedian in

the film.With the Government

relaxing lockdown

restrictions further, the teamis hoping that film shoots willbe allowed to resume nextmonth.

Genelia to makea comeback?

She’s reportedly being considered forChiranjeevi’s Lucifer remake

Genelia D’Souza, once aleading lady in Telugu,could now be making a

re-entry into Tollywood.According to a source, she willbe approached for a big budgetfilm that stars none other thanChiranjeevi. Recently,Chiranjeevi announced thatwould be doing the remake ofMalayalam film Lucifer, andSujith of Saaho fame woulddirect it. “The director hasnow almost finalised the

script and while discussing itwith Chiranjeevi, they thoughtof Genelia for one character,”says a source. They mayapproach her once permissionis granted for film shoots toresume, the source adds.

There are also reports thatdirector Trivikram Srinivaswants to rope her in for anupcoming film, the sourcereveals. Genelia had sharedscreen space with all the topactors at one time.

Rana Daggubati’s Haathi Mera Saathi isthe latest on the list of films reportedly

releasing directly on an OTT channel. Thetri-lingual film (Hindi, Tamil and Telugu) isdirected by Prabhu Solomon. The film, titledAranya in Telugu, was due to be released onApril 2, but because of the COVID-19 pan-demic, the release had to be postponed.

According to a source, Netflix hasapproached Suresh Babu for the film and,“Suresh Babu told them that he wants totalk to Prabhu about the offer, and take adecision jointly with him.”

The film is based on the environmentalactivist Jadav Payeng. “Thoughtheatres may open in thecoming months, it is stilldoubtful whetheraudiences will cometo theatres. So,this is the bestchance to recoverthe money invest-ed in the film”,added the source.

Rana’s filmcould go theOTT waySuresh Babu is reportedlymulling Netflix offer

4Wednesday 20 May 2020

Deccan Chronicletollywood

Simran to play RajTarun’s mother?

Actor Satyadev has been doing bothweb series and films. He has been using

this lockdown period to write new scripts. “I have already completed few,” he says,

adding that, as of now, he is writing forhimself.

“If any director or production houseapproaches me, I will narrate my scripts tothem and if they like them, they can takemy story,” he says.

Asked if he has plans to turn director, hesays, “I am concentrating on acting, but iftime permits, I may take up direction in thenear future.”

The actor’s latest web series Locked hasbeen winning him a lot of appreciation. Hisupcoming film Uma Maheswara UgraRoopasya is ready to hit the screens, but therelease has been delayed because of thelockdown.

“Will turn directorif time permits”

— Snippets by Suresh Kavirayani

5Wednesday 20 May 2020

Deccan ChroniclebodyliciousNIRTIKA PANDITA

While dark circles under the eyes are a commonoccurrence, the rising temperature merged withthe increased exposure to UV rays from our vari-

ous devices are adding to our woes.Also called Panda eyes, experts say that the condition

can also be a result of allergic conditions like eyelideczema in sensitive skin that causes chronic roughness,leading to darkening. Dermatologists also opine thaterratic sleeping hours and stress during the lockdowncan also be a key cause of panda eyes.

“During the lockdown, the main cause of having darkcircles is stress and no fixed sleeping schedule. In addi-tion to that, genetics plays an important role in havingdark circles as well. They make us look fatigued andaged, and can pull down one's entire confidence,” saysdermatologist Dr B.L. Jangid.

According to the dermatologist, people with dark cir-cles due to a genetic or allergic condition should consulta doctor as no home remedies will be effective and caninstead worsen the condition. “In the case of pigmenta-tion — an increased melanin pigment — apply de-pig-menting creams. If you are experiencing under-eye hol-lowness that gives shadow darkening, fill that areawith fillers and not de-pigmenting cream,” she adds.

Since at home, Dr Jangid recommends applyingchilled tea bags on each eye for 10-15 minutes. “Itshrinks blood vessels and reduces fluid retentiondue to antioxidants and caffeine, further reducingpuffiness. The tannins in the tea reduce discoloura-tion as well. Follow this religiously for a fewweeks,” suggests the dermatologist.

Cosmetologist Pooja Nagdev recommendschamomile tea as it carries anti-inflammatory prop-erties that help soothe strained capillaries in yourunder-eye area. If not that, the cosmetologist sug-gests using cucumbers as they have skin-energisingand mild astringent properties. “Refrigerate freshcucumber and cut it into thick slices. Apply theslices over eyes for 10 minutes lightly. The cucumberjuice that remains over eyelids can be gently tappedinto the skin using fingertips,” says Nagdev.

Whereas, make-up artist Khushboo Giri advisesusing lemon water ice-cubes for under eye treatmentat home. “Mix lemon juice in water and make icecubes of them. Place theses ice cubes over your eyesfor two-three minutes while gently rubbing them. Ithelps to get rid of discolouration around the eyes,”she explains.

Dr Jangid adds that making a paste of almond andmilk will bring about better results. “Milk can helpreinvigorate the natural sheen of your skin andalmonds have anti-inflammatory benefits. Make a

paste and apply the mixture for 10 minutes,” says the der-matologist.

However, the experts swear by one basic home reme-dy with no proven side-effect — potatoes. While DrJangid suggests putting potato slices on each eye for 10-15 minutes as it has natural bleaching agents that canhelp to lighten the skin colour, cosmetologist Nagdevpoints out that it is a great remedy for swollen eyes andis proven to have enzymes known for astringent prop-erties. At the same time, potatoes help to reduceinflammation and tighten the skin.

“Cut half a slice of potato, prick it and keep it in therefrigerator. Apply this daily over the eyelids for 10minutes and then rinse with water. Apply a good undereye cream afterward,” advises the cosmetologist.

Giri suggests grating a chilled potato and applying itsjuice to the under-eye area. “After you squeeze out thejuice, mix it with one teaspoon of honey and two tea-spoons of lemon juice. Apply on the affected area andleave on for 30 minutes then rinse it off,” says the make-up artist.

Dr Jangid also advocates for making lifestyle changeslike staying hydrated, sleeping well and reducing stressfor healthier skin.

From lemon water ice cubes topotatoes, experts suggest a myriad

of home remedies for dark circles

Treat your dark circles

Get rid of back acnePRIYANKA CHANDANI

Most people experience acne asthey hit puberty, and the prob-

lem usually goes away by the timeone’s late teens roll around.However, it often continues intoone’s 20s and 30s, with women overthe age of 25 even prone to develop-ing back acne. The condition, whichcan persist owing to genetic and hor-monal factors, can cause blackheads,whiteheads, and pus-filled spots ifnot cured for long, and can alsoimpair one’s quality of life due tothe negative psychological effect itmay have.

According to a dermatologistSujeet Shanshanwal, back acne iscaused due to sebaceous gland activ-ity that produces sebum (oil) on theback, ultimately causing acne in thatspot. “The back is among the parts ofthe body where if the sebaceousgland activity increases, it developsacne,” he explains, adding that theproblem of back acne varies frompatient to patient and can increase ifleft untreated. “Whether it is face orback acne, the reason is the same butone needs to be careful and notignore in the beginning. They start

as tiny plumps with no infection andonce they become infectious, theyturn red. Once that continued tofraction, then they develop pus thateventually can turn into cysts if leftuntreated,” the dermatologist eluci-dates.

While some cases see intense acnedue to medical conditions,intake of excess dairy prod-ucts and junk food canalso cause the skin tobreak out. Skin spe-cialist KashishTiwari attributesback acne to the riseof hormones in theblood. “The sebaceousglands produce anexcess of oil and at thesame time, if the deadskin cells are not removedproperly, then that willobstruct the follicles and lead toacne, whiteheads, and blackheads,”she says adding that everyone hasthe bacteria that develop acne livingon their skin. “Many times it doesn’tcause any problem, but as the oilbuilds up on the skin, it starts creat-ing acne issues because the bacteriamultiplies,” the specialist explains.

While the majority of women startusing home remedies in the earlystages of acne, doctors recommendtaking medical advice if the acnepersists or continues to come back.“Initially, Benzoyl Peroxide orTriclosan soap can help remove theinflammation activity but that too

has limited contact with yourbody, so one needs to seek

medical solution to getrid of it completely,”

suggests DrShanshanwal.

Although there aremany treatments foracne, including topi-cal treatments and

medication at thebeginning, the problem

can be avoided with basicdaily hygiene. It is suggest-

ed to those prone to acne towear loose-fitting workout clothesmade of cotton and wash the clothesafter every use. “If you can’t showerimmediately, then use cleansingwipes and wipe the sweaty skin. It issuggested that you don’t use harshskincare products,” Tiwari suggests,adding that women may go for hand-held bags over backpacks.

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NOTICEReaders are advised to make appropriate enquiries while responding toadvertisements in these columns. Deccan Chronicle Holdings Ltd. does not vouchfor any claims made by the Advertisers. The Printer, Publisher, Editor and Ownerof Deccan Chronicle Holdings Ltd. shall not be held responsible / liable for anyconsequences, in case such claims are found to be false.

DOMESTIC

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6

Deccan Chronicle

Wednesday 20 May 2020

coffee-break

Taurus: An estranged friend mayreturn after much cajoling.Unexpected sources bring monetarygains. Avoid getting involved in your

colleagues’ problems.

Gemini: Confronting unexpectedproblems may affect peace athome. Hopes for a differentromance may be dashed today.

Avoid spending much on real estate.

Leo: Social obligations keep youbusy, bringing opportunities tomeet new people. Express yourlatent creativity. Your tasks get

easier if you plan them well.

Virgo: Guard against overreactingto minor disagreements. Whentaking calculated risks, ensureyou hedge your bets. Keep your

plans discreet till things materialise. Don’tpay heed to gossip.

Cancer: An overview of your projectsgives you an edge over competition.Avoid seeming too dominating; bediplomatic. Your workload may

increase. Be judicious with finances.

Capricorn: Low self-esteem couldexhaust you without reason.Inactivity forces you to seek refugein sleep. Your partner and you are

out of sync.

Aquarius: You may be caught offguard, avoid impulsive decisions.Students may hear positive newsregarding higher-education. Your

attitude inspires confidence in others.

Pisces: Personal relationships needattention and a healthy dose ofspace and independence. Gooddelegation of tasks enable you to

focus on the bigger picture. Avoid spendingsprees as expensive impulse buys may leavea whole in the pocket.

Scorpio: New business venturesrequire time and attention.Though discussions get volatilesometimes, you’d take away inter-

esting insights. Plan your finances well.

Libra: Your detached state ofmind will enable you to objective-ly analyse troublesome aspects ofyour relationships. Expect difficul-

ty in dealing with change, especially aroundromantic relationships.

Sagittarius: Be careful in love lifebecause lover/beloved coulddeceive. Even initiatives to developa romantic relationship may fall

short of expectations.

Aries: Expect improvement forchronic ailments. You’ll do socialwork for popularity. Use thisopportunity to further your skills

and career.

Your day today

By Dr C.V.B. Subrahmanyam

Jr. NTR, Tollywoodactor. He is best knownfor his roles in Student

No.1, Aadi, Simhadri,Rakhi, Yamadonga,

Temper, JanathaGarage, Nannaku

Prematho, Jai Lava Kusaand Aravinda Sametha

Veera Raghava amongst others.

You share your b’day with

scrabble brand | G2 R1 As Ms S1

DIRECTIONS: Make a 2 to 7-letter word fromthe letters in each row. Add points of eachword, using scoring directions at right. 7-letter words get 50-point bonus. “Blanks”used as any letter have no point value. AllJudd’s words are in the Official ScrabblePlayers Dictionary (Merriam-Webster) andOSW Official Scrabble words (Chambers).JUDD’S Solution Tomorrow

TODAY’S RATINGS: 21 AVERAGE; 23 GOOD; 25 OUTSTANDING

Word Mine

How many words of four or more letterscan you make from the letters shown intoday’s puzzle? In making a word, each

letter may be used once only. Each wordmust contain the letter at the top of thepyramid. There should be at least one

nine letter word. Plurals, foreign wordsand proper names are not allowed.

TC R T

H R S E E

ANSWERS:chest, crest, erect, etch, ether, reset, rest, retch, secret, sect, setter,sheet, steer, street, stretch, STRETCHER, teeth, terse, test, tester, tether, there,these, three, tree

WHAT TO DO

Fill in the gridso that every

row, everycolumn, and

every 3x3 boxcontains thedigits 1 to 9.Every puzzlehas only one

correctsolution.

YESTERDAY’S ANSWER

SU◆DO◆KU

YESTERDAY’S ANSWER

SU◆DO◆KU 2

Did you think the

SU◆DO◆KUon the left was easy?

Try this. Check the solution tomorrow.

Tips available at www.sudoku-xls.com

DC-AGE SU DO KUFORUM: Discuss theSU DO KU puzzlesprinted and con-

tribute mind teasersof your own at

www.sudexel.com/forum

In "The Faerie Queen,"Edmund Spenser wrote,"So double was his

pains, so double be hispraise."

This is only fair; and itcan apply in a bridge deal -- like today's. How shouldSouth play in three no-trump after West leads theheart queen?

South had a close bidover his partner's takeoutdouble. He was a littlestrong for one no-trumpand a little weak for twono-trump. He compro-mised by jumping to twospades, showing 9-11points and at least fourspades. North's cue-bid ofthree hearts was game-forcing and strongly sug-gested three-card spadesupport. With four spades,North would have raised.When South showed hisheart stopper, North washappy to pass.

South had six top tricks:one spade, two hearts, onediamond and two clubs.From the bidding, it waslikely that West held thespade king-queen and clubqueen. But were the spadesor the clubs breaking 3-3?Declarer found a line thatallowed him to test bothsuits.

After winning the firsttrick with his heart king,South led a spade: queen,ace. West won the nexttrick with the spade kingand exited with a low heartto dummy's ace.

Dummy's spade 10 wascashed, but West discardeda heart. Now came a clubto the ace and the clubjack: queen, king. Whendeclarer played a club tohis 10, both opponents fol-lowed. So a diamond to theace allowed South to cashdummy's club six for hisninth trick.

If West had turned upwith two or four clubs,South would have exitedwith a heart, hoping toforce West to lead awayfrom the diamond king.

Copyright United FeatureSyndicate

(Asia Features)

bridge

PHILLIP ALDERSEEING DOUBLE IS TWICEAS GOOD

Across6.Association of com-

panies (10)8. Had (5)

10.Group of trees (5)13.Unusually good (11)14.Hackneyed (5)17.Religious songs (5)19.Wipe out (10)

Down1. Cereal crop (4)2. Exploited (4)3. Ship’s prison (4)4. Grain store (4)5. Decorate (9)

7. Undeveloped capac-ity (9)

9. Vote in (5)11.Spacious (5)12.Pig enclosure (3)15.Taverns (4)16.Reverberation (4)17.Strong and healthy

(4)18.Match up (4)

QUICK CROSSWORD

YESTERDAY’S ANSWER

Across: 1. Lagoon, 3. Gear, 7. Wren, 8.Frosty, 10. Stamina,13. Adverse, 16. Matter, 17. Grip, 18.Tops, 19. Player.

Down: 1. Lewd, 2. Ghetto, 4. East, 5.Rhythm, 6. Trinket,9. Smidgen, 11. Permit, 12. Astray, 14.Stop, 15. Spur.

hocus focus

C A L V I N A N D H O B B E S | B i l l W a t t e r s o n

25

coffee-break7Wednesday 20 May 2020

Deccan Chronicle

jumble

Dennis the Menace

B L O N D I E | D e a n Y o u n g a n d J o h n M a r s h a l l

A N D Y C A P P | R e g S m y t h e

T A R Z A N | E d g a r R i c e B u r r o u g h s

T H E W I Z A R D O F I D | P a r k e r a n d H a r t s d

A R C H I E | B i l l H e n r y S c a r p e l l i & c r a i g b o l d m a n

Priyanka Chopra was seen four yearsago in the Bollywood film Jai Gangaajaldonning the cop uniform for the role of

SP Abha Mathur. After that, she had a chanceto be seen in three more Bollywood movies:One opposite Salman Khan, the second oppo-site Aamir Khan and a possible Shah RukhKhan starrer as well.

While she recently did The Sky Is Pink withFarhan Akhtar for director Shonali Bose, shehas not done a typical Bollywood film in a longtime. “She is also filming for The White Tigerwith Rajkummar Rao, which is based on thebook The White Tiger by Aravind Adiga, butthat is not a Bollywood movie either. She was todo Bharat with Salman but opted out of it dueto her wedding; she had to do the film Salutewith Aamir Khan, but Aamir opted out of it,leading to him being replaced by Shah Rukh.She could have worked with Shah Rukh ineither of that film or perhaps the third editionof Don with Farhan, but that project has notmoved. So it is but obvious that an entertainerlike her would miss Bollywood because she hasgrown up in this industry,” says an industrysource. PC, who also did films like Baywatchand A Kid Like Jake, is also to be seen in filmslike Cowboy Ninja Viking and Matrix 4, amongother films in the West. It seems like Bollywoodwill have to wait for one of its beloved actress-es to be back on the big screen.

—Sanskriti Media

8Wednesday 20 May 2020

matineePriyanka missesBollywood

The actress has not done a typicalBollywood film in four years, with

even upcoming projects beingcatered to the West

While Lockdown 4 has forcedmany small film producers to lock

down their businesses, the biggerones are taking a much bigger hit.

Films like Sanjay Leela Bhansali’sGangubai Kathiawadi starring AliaBhatt, the Amit Sharma directedMaidaan starring AjayDevgn, and the A.L. Vijaydirected Kangana Ranautstarrer Thalaivi all havehuge sets pending inabeyance. With the onsetof the monsoon by theend of June and earlyJuly, the lockdown isexpected to be lifted inred zones only whenthey change colour, themakers have nowrequested the govern-ment to waive off therent of these studios.

“Most of the film shootsare set in Film City, whichis controlled by the govern-ment. All sets, includingBhansali’s sets, are situatedthere. If the rent is waivedoff, the filmmakers can main-tain their sets and not breakit. Constructing each setwould amount to spending

crore of rupees. For example, the setof Gangubai is worth around `15crore, showing Mumbai’sKamathipura red-light area in the 60s,

a stadium for Maidaan hasbeen set up in nine acres ofland costing over `7 crore,and two different sets forThalaivi have been createdwhich cost over `5 crore. Ifthe sets are broken and made

again later, they will havebigger losses and

hence the IndianMotion PicturesP r o d u c e r s ’A s s o c i a t i o n(IMPPA) hasrequested thegovernment towaive off therent, also keep-ing in mindthat monsoonsare just aroundthe corner,” ani n d u s t r ys o u r c ereveals.

—SanskritiMedia

Bollywood’s looming rent crisis

LIPIKA VARMA

Neena Gupta’s secondinnings in Bollywood

has been fruitful, with theactress even doing bigfilms like Badhaai Ho,Shubh Mangal ZyadaSaavdhan, and Panga.However, she warns thatbeing on top comes at aprice.

“I feel when you are suc-cessful, you are more lone-ly. I am very lonely when Iam not working.Sometimes your friendsmay be busy with theirfamilies — thankfully Ihave a family so I amhappy — but sometimeswhen your families areaway, one feel bored. Theday goes by but theevenings are very tough. Itry managing it somehowby going out, playing ten-nis or going shopping,”she shares, advising otherlonely people to find ahobby that they love.

“Do something to engage

yourself in things you liketo do. Join a music anddance class so you arelearning something,” shesays. Gupta opines that itis very easy to get caughtin a trap of self-pity.

“You start looking at oth-ers and feel self pity aboutbeing lonely, but you cango watch a movie by your-self; it’s quite natural. Youcan think of all the nicethings that the God hasgiven you like your hair,your body and yourskills,” she suggests,adding that spending timewith friends is also anexcellent help.

“If you have some goodclose friends, instead ofgoing to professionals anddiscussing your problems,you can talk to yourfriends. In case if youdon’t have such kind ofclose friends whom youcan talk to, then seek pro-fessional help. It will sure-ly help you,” the 60-year-old advises.

Success makesyou lonely

WhilePriyanka

recently did TheSky Is Pink with

Farhan Akhtar, shehas not done a typ-

ical Bollywoodfilm in a long

time

Deccan Chronicle