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JOURNALISM OF COURAGESINCE 1932

DA ILY FROM: AHMEDABAD , CHAND IGARH , DELH I , JA IPUR , KOLKATA , LUCKNOW, MUMBAI , NAGPUR , PUNE , VADODARA

MONDAY, JUNE 22, 2020, NEW DELHI, LATE CITY, 14 PAGES `6.00 (`8 PATNA & RAIPUR, `12 SRINAGAR) WWW.INDIANEXPRESS.COM

MIHIRVASAVDANEWDELHI, JUNE21

TABLE TENNIS balls, shuttle-cocks,badmintonandtennisrac-quets, wrestlingmats, javelins,high jump bars, hockey sticks,boxing headguards, mountainclimbingaccessories,gymequip-ment, sportswear — the list ofsportsequipmentimportedfromChinagoesonandon.Butnow,amidtherisingclam-

ourtoboycottChinesegoods fol-lowing theborder clash that left20 Indian soldiers dead, leadingplayers in India's sports industry

findthemselvesinatoughcorner.The reason: More than half ofIndia’ssportsequipmentimportsare fromChina, according to theDepartmentofCommerce’sdatafor2018-2019(seebox).“Theyhavemorethan50per

centshareinthesportsmarket,”says Lokesh Vats, managing di-rector of domesticmanufactur-inggiantVats. “Wesay ‘vocal forlocal’ but government policiesover the decades have led toChineseproductscompletelyin-vadingourmarkets.”Table tennis star Sathiyan

Gnanasekaransays India is self-reliant when it comes to rac-

quets and tables, but “Chinamanufacturesballsalmostlikeamonopoly”.ShanghaiDoubleHappiness

(DHS),hesays, suppliesballs forallworldtourevents,apartfromWorld and AsianChampionships.“AllIndianplay-erspractisewiththesamesetofballs to get used to the spin andbounce. At other levels, you seeballs with different brandnames.Buteven if youbuyasetfrom Stiga (Sweden) or Stag(India), you will find that it ismanufactured in China,” saysGnanasekaran.It’s thesamestory fora lotof

brands. JayKowli,generalsecre-tary of theBoxing Federation ofIndia, says that a popular brandamong Indian boxers isAustralia'sSting.“Buttheyareall

made inChina,”hesays.Kowli, however, insists that

only India-made equipment isusedatthedomesticlevel.“Indiahasastrongmanufacturingbase

forboxingequipment.However,sincetheyhaveenoughbusinessin India, they haven’t gonethroughtheinternationalfeder-ation’s certification process. Sowe have to import equipmentforelitetrainingcentresandtopboxers,”hesays.Boxing’s equipment import

bill for 2018-19 stood at aboutRs 3 crore, with China account-ing forRs1.38crore.Pran Nath Chadha, who is a

member of the Sports and ToysExportersAssociation inmanu-facturing hub Jalandhar, saysChinese manufacturers are“leading exporters for combat

sportsgoodslikematsandotherprotectiveequipment”.But India’s relianceonChina

goesdeeperthanimportingfin-ishedproducts, sayofficials andplayers. Domesticmanufactur-ers, whomainly export hockeysticksandballs, cricketbats andballs, boxing equipment andchess boards, among otheritems,“dependalot”onrawma-terial fromChina.Vikas Gupta of Soccer

International,aJalandhar-basedexporthousethatmanufacturestheVectorbrandoffootballs,vol-leyballs, basketballs and rugby

CONTINUEDONPAGE2

PAGE1ANCHOR

YOGA DAY, LADAKHIndo-TibetanBorderPolice (ITBP)personnelmarkInternationalDayofYoganearKhardungLa inLadakhonSunday.PTI

JOURNALISM OF COURAGESINCE 1932

WORLD

THREESTABBED TODEATH INUK TERRORATTACK: POLICESLOWDOWNTESTING, SAYSTRUMPASCOVIDCASES INCREASEPAGE12

CITY

RETDMEAOFFICIALATTACKED,WIFEKILLEDINROBBERYBID PAGE4

INSIDE

BJP,OPPOSITIONPARTIESSPAROVERLADAKHSITUATIONPAGE7

SPORT

DOMESTICCRICKETSTALWARTRAJINDERGOELISDEADPAGE14

Model village schemehit by lack of interest,funds: ministry study

Delhi riots: Bail to schoolowner, court says noevidence of PFI linkANANDMOHANJNEWDELHI, JUNE21

GRANTINGBAILtotheownerofa school who was arrested inconnectionwith the NortheastDelhi riots in February, a Delhicourt has observed that the po-lice"chargesheetisbereftofma-terialshowingthelinksofappli-cant with PFI, Pinjra Tod group

andMuslimclerics”.The court also said “it is

prima facienot established thattheapplicantwaspresentatthespotat the timeof incident”.Faisal Farooq, owner of

Rajdhani Public School, wasamongeightpeoplearrestedinacaseofriotingoutsidetheschoolin the Shiv Vihar area onFebruary 24. He has been in jail

CONTINUEDONPAGE2

SUNNYVERMANEWDELHI, JUNE21

BANKSHAVEstarteddisbursingfunds to Micro, Small andMedium Enterprises under the100% Emergency Credit LineGuarantee Scheme announcedby Finance Minister NirmalaSitharaman last month but formanyfirms,hithardbythepan-demic lockdown, credit is still ahugechallenge.

Viablecompanies,withgoodcredit history, are able to raisefunds, but the most needyamong theMSMEs are facing adoublewhammy: slump in de-mandand lackof finance.Officialdatashowsthatasof

June 18, state-owned bankssanctioned loans worthRs 40,416 crore under thescheme of which Rs 21,028.55crorehasbeendisbursed.This scheme categorically

CONTINUEDONPAGE2

‘Soldiers killed in Galwan Valley had injuriescaused by sharp weapons, multiple fractures’VARINDERBHATIALEH, JUNE21

THE20Indiansoldierswhowerekilled in the clashwith Chinesetroops in Galwan valley on thenight on June15-16 suffered se-riousinjuriesapparentlyinflictedby sharp-edgedweapons, andmultiple fractures, sourcessaid.

The Indian soldiers foughtback valiantly, and inflicted sev-eral casualties on the Chinese.PrimeMinister NarendraModihadsaidonJune17that“Deshkoiss baat ka garv hoga ki hamaaresainikmaarte-maartemareyhain.”The hand-to-hand combat

onsteepandjaggedterraincon-tinuedforseveralhours.Anum-berof Indiansoldiersdieddueto

drowning/cold,apparentlyaftertheywerethrownorfell intotheriverduringtheclash, it islearnt.“From the condition of the

bodiesofthemartyredsoldiers,itappearedthat theyhad foughtafiercebattle.Itappearedthatthey[Indian soldiers] killed many[Chinese]. The injuries lookedlike multiple stab wounds in-flicted with sharp-edged

weapons, and several of themalsohadmultiplelimbfractures,”anofficialatLeh'sSonamNurbooMemorial (SNM)Hospital, whohadseenthebodies,saidoncon-ditionof anonymity.SourcestoldTheIndianExpress

that from the conversationwiththewoundedsoldierswhowerebrought to thehospital in Leh, it

CONTINUEDONPAGE2

DEEPTIMANTIWARYNEWDELHI, JUNE21

INAsignificantrejigofCovidcon-tainment measures in the na-tionalcapital,theCentrehasaskedtheDelhigovernmenttodelineateallcontainmentzonesafresh,enu-merate all households evenout-sidecontainmentzones,conducta serological survey among20,000Delhiites, and associateeverydistrictwithabighospital.In a meeting held at North

Block on Sunday with ChiefMinisterArvindKejriwal,DeputyCMManishSisodia andL-GAnilBaijal, among others, HomeMinisterAmitShahalsoinstructedtheDelhi government to send adetailed report to theCentre oneveryCoviddeathinthecity.Thismust includewhen the patientwasbrought to thehospital andfromwhere,amongotherdetails.TheMinistryofHomeAffairs

(MHA)onSunday said these in-structionshadbeengivenbasedonareportsubmittedbyacom-mittee led byNITI Aayogmem-ber Dr V K Paul. The reportwaspresented during themeetingheldatNorthBlock.

“The Home Minister in-structed that the Delhi govern-mentmust assess every Coviddeath as to when the patientreached the hospital and fromwhere. If the deceasedwas ear-lier in home isolation, whetherhe/shewas brought to the hos-pital in timemust be a key en-quiry. Every deathmust be re-ported to the Centre," anMHAstatement said.It added that the Home

Minister has instructed that allpositive cases must first go toCovid centres and only thosewhohaveproperarrangements

CONTINUEDONPAGE2

Situation very tough,talking to India andChina, says TrumpSHUBHAJITROYNEWDELHI, JUNE21

INHIS first comments since theclash between Indian andChinese troops on the night ofJune15-16,USPresidentDonaldTrumpdescribedthetensionbe-tweenthetwocountriesas“verytough”,andsaidhisadministra-tionwas talking to both to helpthemresolvematters.“We’re talking to India.We’re

talkingtoChina.They’vegotabigproblemthere,theyhavecometoblows, andwe’ll seewhat hap-pens.We’lltryandhelpthemout,”TrumptoldreportersattheWhiteHouseearlySundayIndiatime,onthewaytohisfirstpost-Covid-19electionrallyinOklahoma.The IndianExpresshas learnt

that some phone calls areplanned soon between topTrump administration officialsand the Indianside.Last month too, Trump had

offeredto“mediateorarbitrate”in the border dispute betweenIndia and China, saying hewas“ready,willingandable” toease

CONTINUEDONPAGE2

HARIKISHANSHARMANEWDELHI, JUNE21

ALMOST SIX years after PrimeMinister Narendra Modi an-nounced the Saansad AdarshGramYojana(SAGY),urgingMPsto adopt one ormore villages intheirconstituencyandturntheminto 'model villages', a studycommissionedbytheMinistryofRuralDevelopmenthasobservedthat the scheme has notmade“anysignificantimpact”andthat“inthecurrentformat... (it)isnotachievingthedesiredpurpose”.Thestudy,conductedaspart

of the Fifth Common ReviewMission(CRM)for“independentassessment” of the progress of

various programmes andschemes of the RuralDevelopmentMinistry,waspre-pared by a 31-member CRMteam led by Rajeev Kapoor, re-tired IAS and State InformationCommissioner,UttarPradesh.The team, with retired bu-

reaucrats, academics and re-search organisations as mem-bers, visited 120 villages,including about a dozen SAGYvillages, in 21 districts acrosseight states — Chhattisgarh,Kerala, Madhya Pradesh,Manipur, Meghalaya, Odisha,Rajasthan, andUttar Pradesh—duringNovember4-14,2019.Commentingonthescheme,

thereportsaid,“InmanyofSAGYCONTINUEDONPAGE2

REVIEWMEETINGWITHCDS,SERVICECHIEFS

Preparednessof forcesalreadyhigh,DefenceMinister told

KRISHNKAUSHIKNEWDELHI, JUNE21

FOLLOWINGTHEviolentborderface-off with China on June 15that left 20 Indian soldiers dead,DefenceMinister Rajnath SinghtoldthemilitarytopbrassduringareviewmeetingSundaythatthegovernmenthasgiventheforcesfreedomto“giveabefittingreply”if thereisfurtherescalationfromtheotherside,sourcessaid.Themeeting, they said, also

discussed the existing protocolaround the use of firearms andways to respond inchangedsit-uations.“Indiadoesnotwantes-calation,butif thereisanyaction

fromChina,theforceshavebeengiven the freedom to give a be-fittingreply,”sourcessaidaboutthediscussions.This was the key takeaway

from the meeting betweenSinghandChief ofDefenceStaffGeneralBipinRawat,ArmyChiefGeneral MM Naravane, NavyChief Admiral Karambir Singhand Chief of Air Force Air ChiefMarshal R K S Bhadauria to dis-

cuss the situation in easternLadakh and along the entire3,488-kmboundarywithChina.Sourcessaidthetopbrasswere

toldthatthegovernmenthasfaithintheircompetencetohandleanysituation, and thatmilitary com-manders on theground “are thebestjudgeofthesituation”.While Singh was informed

that the “preparedness of allforces is already high”, sourcessaid the government conveyedthat the infrastructure build-upin eastern Ladakh, which Chinahas reportedly objected to, willcontinue. The forces have alsobeen asked to “be vigilant” onland, at seaand inair.

CONTINUEDONPAGE2

SHUBHAJITROYNEWDELHI, JUNE21

AS RUSSIAN Foreign MinisterSergei Lavrov hosts the Russia-India-China trilateral foreignministers’ meeting on June 23and Defence Minister RajnathSingh heads to Russia MondaytoattendtheVictoryDayparadeonJune24,Moscowisemerginga key player amid the tensionbetweenNewDelhiandBeijing.

Over the last few weeks,MoscowhasbeenmoreengagedwithNewDelhi.This flowsfromthe understanding that RussiahasleverageoverBeijingbecause

of recent proximity, while NewDelhihashadahistoryof robustbilateral ties with Moscow.DuringtheDoklamcrisisin2017,Russian diplomats in Beijingwere among the fewbriefed bytheChinesegovernment.In fact, the phone call be-

tween Indian Ambassador toRussia,DBalaVenkateshVarma,andDeputyForeignMinisterIgorMorgulov took place just twodays after the border clash

CONTINUEDONPAGE2

DefenceMinisterRajnathSingh

RBIMAYhavecutreporateto4%butcredittoMSMEsisstillgoingoutat8-14%.First-timeborrowersareoutandhighratesdeterstressedfirms.Lackofdemandhasshrunktheirspace.

WhytheirhandsaretiedE●EX

PLAINED

Don’twant escalation but if China acts,give befitting reply: Rajnath to top brass

PMNarendraModi,ChinesePresidentXi Jinping.AP file

LOCKDOWNDAY

89

CONCERNDELHI:More

than 3,600 newcases Saturday.Fastest growth intop ten states

CAUTIONANDHRA: Growthhas picked up inlast one week.Over 2,500 newcases in this period

A GLIMMERMADHYA PRADESH:Growth down to1.39%, lowest

growth among allstates

KEYSTATESTOWATCH■Maharashtra■Gujarat■Delhi■TamilNadu■Bihar■WestBengal

TOTALCASES1,28,20526,73756,74656,8457,50313,531

DOUBLINGRATE**

24.3733.8913.0417.2428.2021.10

SURGEIN24HRS3,8275383,1372,115250355

7-DAYAVG.GROWTH*

2.95%2.12%5.52%4.18%2.55%3.41%

TRACKING INDIA’SCOVIDCURVE

CASES:4,10,460

RECOVERED:2,27,755 |DEATHS: 13,254TESTS:68,07,226 |DOUBLINGRATE:20.12**

*CompoundedDailyGrowthRateover last7days **Calculatedover7-daygrowth

BasedondailydatabyCentre, ICMR, stategovernments

Russia hosts India, China ministerstomorrow, Rajnath to attend parade

Gym,athleticsequipment `1,002.5cr(China`694.77cr)Badmintonracquets `130.31cr(Japan`53.42cr,China`42.7cr)TableTennis `17.77cr(China`11.54cr,mainlyTTballs)Football `18.57cr(China`12.84cr,mostlymachine-stitchedballs)Otherequipment `357.32cr(China`197.25cr)

Source:Dept of Commerce, Export ImportData Bank (FY 2018-19)

MOST IMPORTS FROMCHINA

China boycott call rattles sports market: ‘Can’t suddenly do it’

BUSINESS AS USUAL

BYUNNY

THEEDITORIALPAGE

ATIMEFORMATURITYBYYOGENDRAYADAVPAGE8

THE IDEASPAGE

PLAYINGINTOCHINA’SHANDSBYSPSINHAPAGE9

UnlikeUS,Russia response toChinahasbeencalibrated

High rates, low demand: StressedMSMEs can’t tap into Govt relief

Report every Coviddeath to us, realigncontainment zones:Centre to Delhi govt

HomeMinisterAmitShahwithDelhiChiefMinisterArvindKejriwal. PTI file

New Delhi

THESECONDPAGE2 WWW.INDIANEXPRESS.COMTHEINDIANEXPRESS,MONDAY, JUNE22,2020

RajnathThemeeting cameadaybe-

fore theDefenceMinister leavesfor Russia to attend the 75thVictoryDayParadeinMoscow.On June19, Singhhad reiter-

ated PrimeMinister NarendraModi's line at the all-partymeeton theborder situation that “theforceshavebeengivencompletefreedom to take necessary ac-tion”.On Saturday, a statement is-

sued by the Prime Minister'sOfficehad said that the all-partymeet was “informed that thistime,Chineseforceshavecomeinmuch larger strength to the LACand that the Indian response iscommensurate”.Mirroring the build-up by

China, India too hasmoved for-ward troops and augmented itsmilitary strength along theboundarywith China in all sec-tors.Following the face-off, Singh

has been conducting regularbriefingswith themilitary lead-ership. During onemeeting onJune17,hehadaskedtheforcestobealertand“prepareforanysitu-ation all along the borderwithChina, not restricted to justLadakh”.

Galwan ValleyappearedthattheIndiansoldierswent all out at theChinese aftertheir CommandingOfficer, Col BSantoshBabu,wasattacked.“They [Indian soldiers]went

with full aggression after theirColonelandtwootherswhowentaheadwere attacked... Then theIndiansoldierslaunchedafullat-tack.Theyweresaying[tostaffatthehospital] that they snatchedwhateverknivesetc.,andhitthem[Chinese] back hard,” a sourcesaid.The sources told The Indian

Expressthatatleast18injuredsol-dierswere being treated in Leh,andmorethan40hadbeensenttomilitaryhospitalselsewhereinthe country. The Army has notgiventhenumberofsoldierswhowereinjured.SoonaftertheclashinGalwan

valley, around230kmfromLeh,the Army ordered largescalemovementoftroopstoLadakh.Abuild-uphadbeen taking placesincetheChineseforcesstartedtogather instrengthalongtheLineofActualControl(LAC);theclashlastweekhasledtoastrategicre-assessment.Col(Retd)SonamWangchuk,

aherooftheKargilwarandMaha

Vir Chakra awardeewho lives inLeh, told The Indian Express thathe believed that the Indian sol-diers had killed at least twoChinese for every life that theyhadlost.“Therewerecertainstructures

thatwere built by these people[Chinese] onour side. A surveil-lancepartyhadgonetheretoseeif those structures had been re-moved or not,” ColWangchuksaid.“Afterthisincident,welost20

boysbut in return the casualtiesthatweinflictedweremorethandouble, around40-43. I amsureweretaliatedhard.Ourboys,whoare mainly from Punjab andHaryana, are of strongbuild andwhen it comes tohand-to-handcombat,wedefinitelyhaveanup-perhand.Iamgettingreportsthatour boys also killed many[Chinesesoldiers].”The Chinese, ColWanchuk

said,neveradmittheircasualties.“This happened in1962 aswell.OuroneKumaoncompanykilledathousandoftheirs,whilewelost130boys. Evenat that time, theydid not admit their casualties.Mostprobablythistimetootheywillnotadmitit,”hesaid.LehonSundaywasalmosten-

tirely shut, locked downby theadministration to control thesurgeofnovelcoronavirus infec-tions.Roadswerebarricadedandmarketsweredeserted, andpo-lice and security forceswereoutinstrength.Nocivilians,includingtheme-

dia,were allowed tomove, andonly Army, police, and govern-mentvehicleswereontheroads.The silence in the largest townand joint capital of the UnionTerritoryof Ladakhwasperiodi-callybrokenbytheroaroffighterjetsoverhead.OnSaturday,Ladakhreported

92positivecasesofCovid-19,tak-ingthenumberofactivepatientsto 718, including146 in Leh and572 inKargil district. A total 539patients are in home isolation,while 120are inCovid care cen-tres.Threeweeksago,onMay30,theUThadonly30activecasesofCovid-19.This is themostdifficult time

for Ladakh in decades. Tourism,themainstayoftheregion'secon-omy and the only source of in-comeforthemajorityofthepeo-ple, is inashambles.Flightshaveresumedbuttheonlypassengerson board aremigrantworkers,personnel of the Border RoadsOrganisation,andmediapersons.In2019,over1.33lakhtourists

hadvisited Ladakhuntil the endof June; this year, thenumber sofar is only6,055. The tourism in-dustryisbracingforanestimatedloss of over Rs 400 crore in rev-enues this year. “It appears that2020 is going tobeworstyearofour lives,”GhulamMustafa, oneofLeh'stophoteliersandheadofthehoteliers'association,said.

Stressed MSMEsexcludesfirst-timeborrowersandthose whose accounts haveturnedbad.AseparateschemeforstressedMSMEsisyettobeoper-ationalised.Banksarenotaskingforfresh

collateralontheseloansunderthescheme, but since it is extendedonly to existing borrowers run-ning credit facilitieswithbanks,their factory land,plantandma-chinery ismostly pledgedwiththebanks.One significant deterrent,

sourcessaid,isthattherateof in-terestchargedbybanksundertheschemeisalmostatparwithmar-ket rates anddoes not offer anysubstantialconcession.Lastmonth, the RBI had cut

reporate40basispointsbringingittoarecordall-timelowof4percent.Thishasn’ttranslatedtoanyrelief forborrowers.For, under the scheme, inter-

estrateofbanksandfinancial in-stitutions have been capped at9.25 per cent per annum,whileNon-Banking FinancialCompaniescanlendatmaximumof 14per centper annum. State-owned banks are lending ataround 8 per cent, dependinguponthecreditworthinessoftheborrower.Industrysourcessaysuchhigh

ratesmake credit unviable forstressed companies that need aworkingcapital loan foraperiodthattheirunitswereshut.Sources said that alongwith

cheapercredit,MSMEsneedgov-ernment support in loweringfixedcostsandshort-termbene-fits like waiver of electricitycharges. “Otherwise, notmany

will survive this onslaught andtheywill have towindup,” saidAnimesh Saxena, President ofFederation of IndianMicro andSmall&MediumEnterprises.“Theseareissueswearetalk-

ing to the government about…that this loan availability shouldnot be only for existingborrow-ers.Thereisalotofpaperworkre-quirement in borrowing frombanks…andmostMSMEsfailonalotoftheseparameters,”hesaid.Apartfromexorbitantinterest

costs, raising loans under theschemeisnoteasyevenfornon-NPAcompanies.“Borrowers are asked topro-

videutilisationdocumentfortheloanandbanksdirectlydisbursetheloanamountforoutstandingsof government statutory pay-ments (such PF and TDS dues),salarypayments and settlementof suppliers –which practicallyleaves nothing with the bor-rower,” said K E Raghunathan,Former National President, AllIndia ManufacturersOrganisation.Thegovernmentshouldmake

loans available even for stressedMSMEs(thosewhichareSpecialMentionAccount-2), andwaiveinterestburdenforloansuptoRs2 crorewhichare largely formi-croenterprises,hesaid.K K Balli, President of East

Delhi-based Association ofWholesaleReadymadeGarmentsDealers saidbanksarecallingupMSMEswithland,plantandma-chinery to extend loans. “Whywouldbanks give loans to smallplayers and garment traders iftheydonothaveadequatecollat-eral?Theseplayerscangetover-draft and cash credit against hy-pothecation,”hesaid.Inareportreleasedlastweek,

CRISIL Rating said it expectedMSMErevenuesandprofitabilitytofallsteeply,hittingmicroenter-prisesthehardest.Microenterprisesaccountfor

32per cent of theoverallMSMEdebt. Consumer discretionary,construction, export-linked

MSMEsandtextileandceramicsplayersarebeingseenasthemostaffected.“ForMSMEs, the fall in rev-

enuewillbesteeperat17-21percent,while EBITDAmarginwillshrink200-300basispointsto4-5 per cent as weak demandgnaws away gains from lowercommodity prices. A sharp de-cline at the operating levelwillalsoimpactcreditworthiness,ag-gravating the liquidity stretchtheseunits havebeengrapplingwith,particularlyontheworkingcapitalfront,”thereportsaid.Need for fresh loans among

small andmediumenterprisesmayalsobe lowbecausethere isnopick-upindemand.“Wedonotneed additionalworking capitalloans since there is not enoughdemand inmarket and interestkeepspilinguponadditional fa-cilities,” said a Ludhiana-basedMSMEplayermanufacturingautoparts.

Model villagevillages, theHon’bleMPdidnotgive any significantmoney fromMembers of Parliament LocalArea Development Scheme(MPLADS). In isolated cases,whereMPshavebeenpro-active,someinfrastructuredevelopmenthas takenplace, but the schemehasnotmadeanyperceptibleim-pact. As such, these villages can-notbecalledModel(‘Adarsh’)vil-lages,”thereportsaid.Citingcasestudiesfromsome

ofthesegrampanchayats,there-port added, “It is recommendedthattheMinistrymayreviewtheschemeforenhancingitsimpact.”For instance, in Kallikkad

gram panchayat in Kerala, theteamcouldnotfindany“remark-able achievement” under thescheme. “Even though theNeyyardam PHC is shown as aSAGYachievementbut it cannotbetakenassuch...”InAroodvillage of Khandwa

district inMadhya Pradesh, theteamfoundthatoutof118activi-ties planned in2014, only about

“60percent...havebeenachievedand the rest arepending for lackof fund”.AtNongbahMyrdonvillagein

Meghalaya, the teamobserved,“TheconceptofSAGYhasnotper-colateddowntofieldofficial.”AftervisitingBaudaiSAGYvil-

lageinPrayagrajinUttarPradesh,the teamobserved, “it is ironicthattheAdarshGramisyettobedeclaredODF.”“Overall,nosignificantimpact

of this schemewas noted,” theteam recorded after visiting amodel village inBawanblock ofHardoidistrict inUP.Elsewhere,theteamobserved

mixedresults.“Convergence ofMGNREGS

withMPLADhas been done inSAGYvillageTilkojaofKorbadis-trict (in Chhattisgarh)whereaslesserconvergencewasobservedintheChapkavillageofBastardis-trict.”Progressofworkwasbetterin

theGPwheretheHon’bleMPhastakenkeeninterestandallocatedsubstantial amount fromMPLAD,”thereportadded.Theteamhadgoodwordsfor

afewgrampanchayats.InTakhelpanchayatofImphal

EastDistrict,forinstance,theteamobserved“publicbathroomsnearponds,children'splaygroundetc...whichlookedimpressive”.Of the twoSAGYvillages the

teamvisitedinRajasthan,there-port laudedDaulatgarh, avillageinBhilwara.“Thisisrelativelyde-veloped village…This village isvery urbanised due the variousdevelopment schemes takenupattheinitiativeof theEx-MP.”Inhis first IndependenceDay

address in 2014, PrimeMinisterNarendraModi had announcedSAGYaspart of nation-building,urging Lok SabhaMPs to "makeone village of his or her con-stituency a Model Village by2016...after2016,selecttwomorevillages... andafter2019... at leastfivemodelvillages".HealsoaskedRajyaSabhaMPsto"adoptoneofthevillages",saying"ifweprovide

onemodelvillageineachdistrictofIndia,thenthesurroundingvil-lages shall be automatically in-spiredtofollowthatmodel".Since the launch of the

schemeonOctober11,2014,only1,855grampanchayatshavebeenselectedacross fivephases, withonlyseveninPhase5.

Delhi riotssinceMarch8. FarooqalsoownsVictoria Public School, andbothhisschoolsweredamagedintheriots.Ina“briefnote”sharedbythe

DelhiPoliceonJune3whilefilingthe chargesheet, itwas claimedthatinvestigationintotheriotingincidenthadrevealedthatFarooqhad“linkswithprominentmem-bers of Popular Front of India,Pinjra Tod, Jamia CoordinationCommittee,HazratNizamuddinMarkaz and someother funda-mentalMuslimclerics, includingDeoband”.Policealsoclaimedthatitwas

onFarooq’sinstructionsthatDRPConventSchool,theschool“adja-cent and rival” to Rajdhani, twoparking lots, andtheAnilSweetsbuildingwere“systematicallyde-stroyed”bythemob.Additional Sessions Judge

VinodYadav,whograntedbailtoFaisal,notedtherearecontradic-tions inwitness statements, andthe investigatingofficer (IO)hadtried to file a supplementarystatement of a prosecutionwit-ness"tocoverupthedeficiency".According to the order, the

firststatementofthewitnesswas“recordedprobably”onMarch8,inwhichheclaimedtohaveseenthe applicant in front of thegateofRajdhaniPublicSchoolaround1.30pm. “He further claimed tohaveheardhimaskingtheguardof the school to permitMuslimpersonsinsidetheschool”.Theor-der states that in his statementrecorded by theMetropolitanMagistrate onMarch11, “hedidnotsayawordabouthavingseenthe applicant at the sceneof oc-currenceorhavingheardstatinganything to the guard of theschool”.TheIOthentriedtofileasup-

plementary statement “on thesamedaywherein thiswitnessclaimedthathegotfrightenedbe-foretheLd.MMbecauseofwhichhecouldnotstateanythingabouttheapplicant”,theorderstates.On police allegations that a

(gulel)slingwasfoundontheroofoftheschool,thecourt,aftergoingthroughrecords,notedthatitwasfound16days after the incident.Thecourtsaidthatifthepresenceoftheaccusedcouldnotbeestab-lished,thenthegulelcouldnotbeattributedtohim.The police note also stated,

“FarooqhadvisitedDeobandjustonedaybefore the riots started,thatis,onFebruary23.”“Evidenceofconspiracyisfur-

therbroughtoutby the fact thaton thedayof the riots, that is, onFebruary24,manychildrenfromMuslim families left the schoolearly, alongwith their parents,duringthehalf-timerecessitself,”policehadclaimed.Farooq's lawyers, RKKochar,

Gaurav Kochar and GauravVashist arguedbefore the courtthat the IPC sections againstFarooq cannot be invoked sincetherewasnomaterial on recordtosubstantiatehispresenceatthespot.Thecourtsaidthat innoneof

theCCTV footage is the accusedpresent,and"ifitisprimafacieno-ticeablethattheaccusedwasnotpresentatthesceneofoccurrencethen naturally, the evidenceagainsthiminrespectofsections397/395/436/455 IPC will fallshort”.Onpoliceallegationsthatthe

accusedis“statedtohavemobileconversationswith one lady...who is stated to behaving linkswithSaifulIslamLawFaculty”,thecourt observed that shewas "infactareporter”withanewspaper.Police had also said that

Farooq had conversationswithfour other people, but the court

notedthatoneofthemwasanad-vocate, another a local MLAwhosechildrenstudyinthesameschool, and the thirdpersonwastheapplicant’scousin."Admittedly, the IO has not

collected the call detail recordoftheabovenamedpersons.Exceptbaldallegation, thereisnomate-rialtosubstantiatethattheappli-cant had conversed with theaforesaid persons in relation tocommunal riots.When the IOwas confronted in this regard,thenhestatedthatfurtherinves-tigation on the aspect of terrorfunding is underway... in thechargesheet there is hardly anymaterial to substantiate thealle-gationofterrorfunding...,"theor-derread.Thecourt,whilegrantingbail,

alsonoted, "It ismade clear thatnothinginthisordershallbecon-struedanexpressiononthemer-its of evidence to be adduced inthematter."

Centre to Delhianddonotsufferanyco-morbidi-ties be allowed to stay in homeisolation.Healsoaskedfordetailsonthenumberofpeopleinhomeisolation in the city, and for theDelhigovernmenttotaketechni-calhelpinrealigningcontainmentzones.According to theMHA, key

pointsspelledoutbythecommit-teeincludedelineationofthe242containment zones in the stateafresh.Strictperimetercontrolofthesezonesandactivitieswithinthem have also been recom-mended."Itwas also informed that a

serological surveywill be con-ductedacrossDelhibetweenJune27 and July 7 inwhich sampletesting of 20,000peoplewill bedone. Thiswill helpwith a com-prehensive assessment of thespread of infection inDelhi andassist futureplanning," theMHAsaid in its statement. Serologicalsurveysareusedtodeterminetheprevalenceofadiseaseinapopu-lation.Contact tracing andquaran-

tining of all contacts of infectedindividualswith use of AarogyaSetuandItihasappsarepartoftherecommendations.The Centre has also fixed a

timetable for the implementa-tion of the recommendations,with theDelhi government be-ing told to comeupwith a planby June 22, form district-levelteams by June 23, delineate allcontainment zones afresh byJune 26, complete 100% surveyof those in these containmentzonesbyJune30,anddoalarge-scale survey in the rest of thecapitalby July7.

Sports marketballs, says they importpolyurethaneandethylene-vinylacetatefoamfromChinafortheirproducts.“The rawmaterial quality in

India is not goodandwecannotreachthedesiredstandardtoex-port ourproducts tomajormar-ketsinEuropeandUSAaswellinIndia. Chinese manufacturersprovideuswithhigh-qualityrawmaterial at a very competitiveprice,”hesays.Vats,whose firm is based in

another manufacturing hubMeerut, says China is “far, faraheadindyeingandengineering”aswell. “The iron rods, benches,curling andmulti-stations thatyouseeatgymsareall importedfrom China because they arecheap. Almost all thematerialused for tracksuits comes fromChinabecauseitischeap,”hesays.Pricingandsuperiortechnol-

ogyarecitedastheotherkeyrea-sons. For instance, amajority ofthemachine-stitched footballssold in India aremade in China,alongwiththeartificialturfsthatdot the country. “Weneed to in-vestinresearchanddevelopment,andovercomepricingproblems,”saysVats.“Wecan’tjustsuddenlystart boycotting Chinese prod-ucts.” (WITHSHAHIDJUDGE&

NITINSHARMA)

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Todayonthe3Thingspodcast,we lookathowMumbai’smunicipalbodymanagedtocontaintheCovid-19crisis insideoneofAsia’s largest slums.

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YOUNGTRAVEL ENTREPRENEURS IN THENORTHEASTARENOWREROUTINGTheythrewcautiontothewind,givingupsalariedjobsinmetrostostartwhattheycall ‘immersivetravel’ intheNortheast.Now,hitbythepandemicandsubsequentlockdown,theseyoungmenandwomenarenowtryingtorethinktravel.

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Russia hosts India, China ministers tomorrow

Situation tough, talking to India and China: Trump

between Indian and Chinesetroops inwhich 20 Indian sol-diers, including aColonel-rankofficer, werekilled.“The officials discussed re-

gionalsecurity,includingdevel-opments on the Line of ActualControlontheborderbetweenIndia and China in theHimalayas,”abriefstatementbythe Russian Foreignministrysaid.EarlyJune,beforetheJune6

LtGen-leveltalksbetweenIndiaand China, Foreign SecretaryHarsh Vardhan Shringla “up-dated” Russian AmbassadorNikolay Kudashev on the “re-centdevelopments”onthesitu-ationalongtheLAC.Thiswastheonlypubliclyavailablemeetingbetween the ForeignSecretaryandaforeignAmbassadorattheheightof theborderstand-off.TheMoscow-Beijing axis is

alsosignificantwhentheUShasbeenatloggerheadswithChinain recentmonths and Russiamuchmore calibrated, even in

its response on the Covid out-break.Tuesday’s RIC Foreignmin-

istersmeeting,whichwas putoffinMarch,willbethefirstop-portunity for External Affairsminister S Jaishankar andChinese State Councillor andForeignMinsterWangYitoen-gageinthattrilateralformat.Asked on the possibility of

discussingtheIndia-Chinaten-sion,Lavrovhadsaidlastweek:"The agenda does not involvediscussing issues that relate tobilateral relations of a countrywith anothermember of thisformat."Moscow,too,hasresponded

inaverycalibratedmannerlastweek.On June17, Russian am-bassador Kudashev tweeted,“Wewelcomeallstepsaimedatde-escalationattheLAC,includ-ing the conversation betweenthe twoFMs, and remainopti-mistic.”“The existence of theRIC is

anundisputable reality, firmly

fixedon theworldmap.As forthecurrentstageofofthetrilat-eralcooperation,therearenoin-dications that it might befrozen,”hehadsaid.According toRussiannews

agency TASS, RussianPresidentialSpokesmanDmitryPeskovsaidthatKremliniscon-cernedoveraclashbetweenthemilitaryontheborderbetweenChinaandIndiabutbelievesthatthetwocountriescouldresolvethisconflictthemselves."Certainly,wearewatching

with great attention what ishappening on the Chinese-Indianborder.Webelieve thatthis is a very alarming report,"Peskov said. "Butwe considerthatthetwocountriesarecapa-bleof takingnecessarysteps toprevent such situations in thefuture and toensure that thereis predictability and stability intheregionandthatthis isasaferegion for nations, first of all,ChinaandIndia.”The Kremlin spokesman

emphasized that China andIndiaareRussia’sclosepartnersandallies, and "haveverycloseandmutually beneficial rela-tionsbuiltonmutualrespect."DefenceMinister Singh is

expected to attend theVictoryDayparadeearlierscheduledonMay9.PrimeMinisterNarendraModiwasinvitedfortheparade,whichgotpostponedduetotheCovidpandemic.LikeModi,ChinesePresident

Xi Jinpinghadbeen invited fortheMay9parade, butnowit islikelytobeattendedbyaseniorDefenceministeriallevelrepre-sentativefromBeijing.Soitmayoffer awindowof opportunityforthetwosidestobreaktheice.The setting inMoscowwill

beinterestingsincetroopsfromIndiaandChinawillparticipatein theVictoryparadeaswell. Atri-service 75-member IndianmilitarycontingenthasalreadyreachedMoscow. It is led by aMajor-rank officer of the SikhLightInfantryRegiment.

the tension. Indiahadvirtuallyrejected theoffer, saying itwasengagedwithChina to resolvetheborderrow.Early last week, White

HousePressSecretaryKayleighMcEnanysaidthePresidentwasaware of the situation and theUSwas closelymonitoring it.During a phone call on June 2with PrimeMinisterNarendraModi,Trumphaddiscussedthematter,thespokespersonsaid.US Secretary of State

Michael R Pompeo also com-mentedonChina’s actions lastweek,saying,“ThePLA(People’sLiberationArmy)hasescalated

border tensionswith India, theworld’smostpopulousdemoc-racy. It’smilitarising the SouthChinaSeaandillegallyclaimingmore territory there, threaten-ingvitalsealanes.”Inanaddresson‘Europeand

theChinaChallenge’atthe2020Copenhagen DemocracySummitFriday,deliveredvirtu-ally, Pompeo called the rulingChinese Communist Party a‘rogueactor.’The top US diplomat on

China, Assistant Secretary ofState for East Asian andPacificAffairsDavidStilwell,hascalledChina’s actions that led to the

clash inGalwanValley “similartoactivitywe’veseeninthepaston [other] border disputes”.Several steps taken by theChinese,includinginHongKongandIndia,havenotbeen“reallyconstructive”, he said, adding,“We’re obviouslywatching theIndia-Chinaborderdisputeveryclosely... Again,wedon’thavealotofvisibilityandwedon’thavea lot of opendialoguewithourChinesecounterparts.”On the Senate floor, Senate

Majority Leader MitchMcConnellsaidthatforthesakeof grabbing territory, Chinaap-peared to have instigated the

most violent clashwith Indiasincethewarbetweenthemin1962.Notingthenuclearstatusofthetwocountries,McConnellsaidtheywere“encouragingde-escalation”.Texas Congressman Lance

Gooden,oftheRepublicanParty,also came out in support ofIndia. Saying China cannot betrusted, Gooden tweeted, “Asmorenewscomesoutaboutthedeadly conflict betweenChinaandIndia,onceagainCHINAap-pearstobeanaggressivebadac-tor… The CCP (ChineseCommunist Party) cannot betakenattheirword,EVER.”

New Delhi

3

BORN ON MAY 30, 1965, M Gopikrishnanis a renowned philanthropist, socialworker and entrepreneur.A qualified pro-fessional with over 20 years of rich experi-

ence in the pharmaceutical business, Gopikrish-nan is currently the Director of Shri BalajiMarketing, which is an Exporter & Distributor ofAyurvedic Natural Herbal & Pharmaceutical Medi-cines.The company has a unique product – RUB NRUN – which is a very effective Ayurvedic naturalherbal oil that brings instant relief from muscularpain.This medicine has carved a niche for itself inthe Pain Management category. RUB N RUN isquite popular in India and many European andMiddle East Countries.

He considers his ability to understand the prob-lems and needs of people as his biggest strength. Itis due to his unflinching passion to serve themasses that Gopikrishnan has won several awardsand accolades for his social and philanthropic ac-tivities. His expertise lies in providing high qualitycare and support to socially and economically dis-advantaged people or sections who experiencegrave difficulties in their lives. He has successfullyworked with individuals, families and groups,within a variety of settings. He possesses wide ex-perience coupled with a meticulous understand-ing of relevant legislation, procedures and tech-niques in his area of operation.

His easy-going temperament and the ability tostrike a chord with people make him able to getalong with people with ease. His mild nature cou-pled with his unflagging commitment to socialwelfare has further nurtured his passion to servethe masses in overcoming their day-to-day or-deals. Being in the pharmaceutical industry for along time has also contributed to him being capableof assisting, serving, counselling and teachingother people efficiently. He has the power to influ-ence and motivate people. Also, through his longand satisfying stint as a social worker, he has de-veloped practical and innovative problem-solvingskills to solve the problems of other people.

The highly qualified director possesses degreesof M. Phil, MBA and BSc and proficiency in fourlanguages, viz., English, Telugu, Tamil and Hindi,and has hands-on knowledge and experience inMarketing, Exports andAyurveda.Apart from this,he has several professional memberships of re-puted institutions across the country.He is a SenateMember in Bharathidasan University, Tiruchira-palli, Tamil Nadu. He is also a Member of RotaryClub, Pollachi, Coimbatore District in Tamil Nadu,and a Member of Southern Railway – DivisionalRailway Users Consultative Committee,Madurai, inTamil Nadu. He is also a Hospital Advisory Com-mittee Member, in both Govt. Medical College &Hospital at Theni, Tamil Nadu and at Medical De-partment at Dindigul,Tamil Nadu.

Social work is a demanding and varied profes-sion, which requires a professional to don manyhats on any given day – adviser, therapist, care-taker, administrator, clinician, among others. It mayseem that to adapt to these many roles, a socialworker must possess limitless knowledge,expertiseand capability.However,possessing empathy,activelistening, social perceptiveness, coordination, per-suasion, and cooperation are the must-have traitsin an individual if he is to be a good social worker.

It is a profession that often requires great com-passion in the heart to help out the needy and poorpeople. With 25 years of experience in social ac-tivities, Gopikrishnan uses many of these skills togreat effect to develop strong interpersonal bondswith individuals and groups of individuals to bringabout meaningful exchange of dialogues and un-derstand their problem from the grassroots. He is apatient and active listener, a trait which helps himforge healthy and productive relationships witheveryone around. He exudes great communicationskills while trying to understand the problems ofhis countrymen, solving them with ease and effi-ciency. His experience in the pharmaceutical in-dustry has bestowed him with the gift of patience,which helps in listening carefully to the problemsfaced by people in society. His empathetic naturemakes him identify with or vicariously experienceanother person’s situation effectively. It is both anintellectual and emotional process, making it eas-ier to involve and connect with the other person’sproblems. His ability to coordinate, persuade and

cooperate with individuals and multiple partiesmake him invaluable in the field of social service.

Gopikrishnan’s efforts have been widely recog-nised by many international and national forums,with many of them lauding his endeavoursthrough awards and accolades. His social contri-butions have been widely covered in many publi-cations and by media houses, highlighting thework that he has been doing with a noble mission.Definitely, his social activities and contributionstowards society make him highly eligible for an ho-nour from the Indian state.

He has won many international and nationalawards and honours for his contributions to society.In 2019, he won the Mahatma Gandhi Samman,for nation building from NRI Welfare Society (UKChapter) atThe House of Commons, London. Simi-larly, in 2019, he won the GlobalAchiever’sAwardfor Business Excellence from Ayurveda Division-India Russia Business Alliance during the India-Russia Business Dialogue in Moscow, Russia.

He received the Indian Achievers’ Award fromMinister Santosh Gangwar, MP (Rajya Sabha), forBusiness Excellence and inspiring social contribu-tions, given by the IndianAchievers’ Forum in NewDelhi. He has also won Nelson Mandela Interna-tional Peace Award, for fostering the ideals of Hu-manitarianism from the Open International Uni-versity in Colombo, Sri Lanka. The list of suchrecognitions is endless as he has been at the fore-front of philanthropic activities to improve the livesof innumerable citizens with his singular approachto social work.

Today, the world has been challenged by a mi-croscopic beast named coronavirus.This challengehas disrupted our lives unimaginably. Amidst allthe pandemonium and panic, our delivery of es-sentials continues unabated, thanks to the selflessand gritty efforts of COVID-19Warriors.Their pen-chant to serve us amidst the chaos is truly worth ap-preciating.They have kept themselves at the front-lines and served us our daily essentials while wecontinue to stay indoors.

With home delivery services being excludedfrom the lockdown, delivery staff have been at thefrontline to keep the city ticking. Hotels, retail andwholesale shops, fish and meat stores, medicalshops, vegetables and fruits outlets depend on de-

livery personnel to keep their businesses runningand ensure that customers’ demands are met.TheCOVID-19 warriors have made our lives easieramidst the lockdown and even during the Unlock 1phase.

Amidst this crisis and the resultant lockdown inIndia, people are finding it increasingly difficult tofind essential goods such as wheat, rice, pulses,salt, sugar, etc.The weaker sections of our societyare the most affected, as these people survive ondaily wages and earnings.With factories shut andproduction halted, their lives have been upendedbeyond measure.

Even in these harrowing times of COVID-19when the world is locked down, M Gopikrishnanhas not wavered for a second. He has continuedwith its philanthropic activities.Taking a leaf out ofCOVID-19 warriors’ book, he has launched sev-eral initiatives to reach out to the poor and needyof our society. It is this commitment of his towards

the people of this country that makes him standout in the crowd.

The COVID-19 pandemic has caused havoc inthe world today and not only the economy but thewhole society is affected by it today.The basic ne-cessities of people are not getting met, as the cur-rent crisis has overwhelmed the government ma-chinery. Food and drinking water are not reachingpeople in adequate amounts. Local citizens under-stand this problem and thus have come out of theirown accord to help the weaker sections of society.

Many stories are doing the rounds on the inter-net and newspapers regarding how people havebeen helping the authorities meet the needs ofthe masses. They’re establishing communitykitchens, langars in gurudwaras, distributingcooked food packets, dry rations, medicines, dailyessentials etc., to help the needy in whicheverways possible.

As soon as the pandemic started to take its tollon the common people and migrant workers,

M Gopikrishnan started his philanthropic drive tohelp the masses. On 26th April 2020,M Gopikrishnan reached out to the fishermenfamilies in the Aliyar Dam area of the Coimbatoredistrict, and Scheduled Tribes in Cinnarpathi andNavamalai. He provided all the necessary and es-sential food grains and items such as dry rations,rice, vegetables etc.Through his unwavering com-mitment, he has helped 150 families in the timeof the COVID-19 lockdown, ensuring that thesepeople can sustain themselves. A total of 7,500people have benefitted through his initiatives. M.Gopikrishnan has also extended help to sweep-ers and police officers with reusable rubber glovesand reusable masks, which are very importantprotective equipment in these times. His dedicationto serve the socially excluded and marginalisedpeople in society is truly worth appreciating at atime when the world itself has come to a halt andpeople don’t have the means and measures tomeet two ends meet.

A social worker par excellenceM Gopikrishnan relies on his extensive knowledge of social work principles, techniques and practices and theirapplication to community issues to make high-quality care and support available to socially and economically

weak people and has been reaching out to help them during the COVID-19 pandemic

M Gopikrishnan, philanthropist, socialworker and entrepreneur

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The man with a golden heart: M. Gopikrishnan

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New Delhi

SHIVAMPATELNEWDELHI,JUNE21

A 26-YEAR-OLD swimmingcoach at aDelhi government fa-cility in Central Delhi'sJhandewalan died after testingpositive for coronavirus onWednesday, twodaysbeforehisbirthdayandfourmonthsintohismarriage.Ashutosh Gupta's family

Sundayallegednegligenceonthepart of Lady HardingeMedicalCollege(LHMC),claiminghewasnot given timely treatment andthefamilywasaskedtohelpwraphisbodyinprotectivecoveringaf-terhedied.His brother Ankit (20) said

Ashutosh had won medals inmany swimming competitionsover thepast five years and sup-portedthefamilyfinancially."Hewasadmittedinthe'orangezone'of the hospital and died a fewhours after the test results cameout. I waswith him in thewardthroughout, along with mymotherandcousin.Afterhedied,the hospital sent one of their at-tendants towrap the body,whotookmyhelpto liftandmoveit,"saidAnkit.Hospitalmedical directorDr

NNMathursaidhehas initiatedaninquiryintotheallegationsandistakingthematterseriously.Healso said the 'orangezone' of thehospital is where patients sus-pectedofhavingcoronavirus,and

awaitingtestresults,arekept."This patientwas youngand

obese.Hewas admittedat 2 amon June 17 and died within 12hoursofadmission.Afterthere-port was received as positive...the patient was planned to beshifted to Covid emergency butcollapsed prior to shifting," saidDrMathur.He added that the body

shouldhavebeenputinabagin-sidethewardasperprotocol,andthehospitalisfindingouthowthebodywashandledafterdeath.The eldest of three siblings,

Ashutoshwasabouttoturn27onJune 19 and got married inFebruary. Hiswife and 47-year-old mother are awaiting theirCovidtestresults.Ankit said no one from the

familyhasdevelopedanysymp-toms.AshutoshhaddevelopedafeverandwastakentotheLHMC

afterJune10midnight,wherehewas tested and asked to homeisolate."Hehadproblemsbreathing

sowearrangedforanoxygenma-chine for him. On June 14, weweretoldbythehospitalthattheCovidreporthadbeenmisplaced.We then got him tested at SirGanga RamHospital and theysharedtheresultonJune17,"saidAnkit.Dr Mathur said Covid re-

ports are collected from sam-pling centres and in the past,they have sometimes beentaken by the wrong person."From the past four-five days,results are now coming out onthe same date of the test andpatientscanaccessthemontheRT-PCR application. So thesethings (misplacement) shouldnot happennow," he said.Ankit said he watched his

brother die at the hospital onWednesday afternoon after hebeganfoamingatthemouth.Thefamilyhopedtheywouldbepro-vided some compensation asAshutoshwas themain earningmemberof thefamily.Ashutosh's father Rajendra

PrasadGuptaworked as a secu-rityguardataschoolfortheblindnearConnaughtPlacebeforethelockdown,but ispresentlyoutofwork. Ankit is preparing for anexam to enter the Delhi Police."He used to support us all athome,nowwedon'tknowwhatwillhappen,"saidAnkit.

ClassifiedsPUBLIC NOTICEPPEERRSSOONNAALL

II,, rreeeennaa kumari dulane singhw/o-14649544MHav.Anilkumar tomar r/oVPO- thakkarbapanagar, Dist - ahmedabadgujarat-382350, have changedmyname fromreenakumaridulane singh to reena tomaraffidavit date 15-Jun 2020beforemadan lal guptadelhi.

0040539906-7

II,,GGHUSSAINBASHA,S/O-JC-767918YSUBGOKARI JAFFARHUSSAIN,R/O-VPO-BIJINAVEMULA,TEH+MANDALAM-KOILKUNTA,DISTT-KURNOOL,ANDHRAPRADESH-518134,have changedmyname,fromGHUSSAINBASHAtoGOKARIHUSSAINBASHA,forall,futurepurpose,&-inmy-father’s service-recordmydate-of-birthwrongly-mentionedas-28/11/1998insteadof-29/11/1998.

0040539906-5

II,, YOGESHSACHDEVAS/OSATYAPALSACHDEVR/O-J-96,GROUND-FLOOR, KIRTINAGAR,RAMESHNAGAR,DELHI-110015.CHANGEDMYNAMETOJOGESHSACHDEV.

0040539906-3

II,, SHIVANID/OVIJAYSHARMAR/o. PLOT.NO.134,KHASRANO.639VIKAS-KUNJ LONI-DEHATGHAZIABAD UTTAR-PRADESH201102.havechangedmyname toSHIVANISHARMA. 0040539906-4

II,,MohdRashid,S/oRasheedKhanR/o-E-49/H-220 Janta-MajdoorColonyWelcome-SeelampurGarhiMenduDelhi-110053 changedmyname toRashidKhan. 0040539906-2

II GURVEENKAURKOHLI D/O-NARENDERSINGHKOHLIR/OH.NO.J-13/23L, RAJOURI-GARDEN,NEWDELHI-110027,AFTER-MARRIAGECHANGEMYNAMEGURVEENKAUR. 0040539906-1

II,, GMAHABOOBBASHA,S/O-JC-767918YSUBGOKARI JAFFARHUSSAIN,R/OVPO-BIJINAVEMULA,TEH+MANDALAM-KOILKUNTA,DISTT-KURNOOL,ANDHRAPRADESH-518134,have changedmyname,fromGMAHABOOBBASHA toGOKARIMAHABOOBBASHA, for all,futurepurpose.

0040539906-6

PUBLIC NOTICEÀf½fÊ Àff²ffS¯f I û Àfcd¨f°f dI ¹ff ªff°ff W` dI JÀfSf ³fa.-304/212, 305/212, 306/212, 307/212, 213, 214,215, 216, 217, 223, 224, 227, 303/2015, 308/221,311/225, 310, 219, 222, EdS¹ff 40 ½f¦fÊ Rb M ªfû ¶»ffgIC-113, ¦f»fe ³fa. 2, ¦f¯fZVf ³f¦fS, ´ff¯O½f ³f¦fS I fg¸´f»fZ¢Àf,¦fif¸f- Vf¢I S´fbS JfÀf, B»ffI f VffWQSf, dQ»»fe-110092¸fZÔ C´fdÀ±f°f W`Ü ·fcd¸f ´fS A½fdÀ±f°f ¸fI f³f ªfû ¨ffS ¸fadªf»ffW` ªfû I e L»f õfSf ¸fe³ff QZ½fe ´f°³fe À½f. A÷ ¯f Ib ¸ffSdÂf´ffNe d³f½ffÀfe ¸fûW»»ff ÀffWZ¶f¦faªf Af¹fÊ Àf¸ffªf ´f±f, L´fSf³f¦fS dªf»ff IZ Af¸f ¸fb£°ffS³ff¸ff E½fa ½fÀfe¹f°f³ff¸ff ³feSªfdÂf´ffNe ´fbÂf À½f. A÷ ¯f Ib ¸ffS dÂf´ffNe d³f½ffÀfe ¸fûW»»ffÀffWZ¶f¦faªf Af¹fÊ Àf¸ffªf ´f±f, L´fSf ³f¦fS dªf»ff L´fSf E½faAaªfd»f dÂf´ffNe ´f°³fe ³feSªf dÂf´ffNe õfSf dQ»»fe I ûMÊ ÀfZ I Sfd»f¹ff ¦f¹ff ±ff, dªfÀfZ ¸fe³ff QZ½fe õfSf dQ³ffaI 12.05.2020I û d³fSÀ°f I Sf dQ¹ff ¦f¹ff W`Ü A¶f C¢°f ¸fI f³f ¸ffd»fI f³ffWI dÀfRÊ ½f dÀfRÊ ¸fe³ff QZ½fe I f W`Ü dQ»»fe ÀfZ L´fSf Af³fZIZ Ii ¸f ¸fZÔ ªf¸fe³f I f ¸fc»f QÀ°ff½fZªf I WeÔ d¦fS ¦f¹ff CÀfI fI ûBÊ Qb÷ ´f¹fû¦f ³f I Sm dªfÀf ½fªfW ÀfZ ¹fW ³fûdMÀf Àf½fÊÀff²ffS¯fI û Àfcd¨f°f dI ¹ff ¦f¹ff W`Ü Sd/-

B. DHARAdvocate

Ch. no. 553

PUBLIC NOTICEMY CLIENT SH. ANIL BHALLA S/OLATE SH. SATYA DEV BHALLAR/O K-19, FIRST FLOOR,KAILASH COLONY, NEW DELHI,HAS SEVERED ALL HIS RELATIONAND DISOWNED HIS WIFE SMT.VISHU BHALLA AND THEIR SONNAMELY ANUJ BHALLA ANDSMT. HARSHITA BHALLA HISWIFE AND THEIR CHILDRENFROM HIS ALL MOVABLE-IMMOVABLE PROPERTIES DUETO THEIR DISOBEDIENCE,NEGLECT AND CRUEL BEHAVIORTOWARDS MY CLIENT. IF ANYPERSON DEALS WITH THEM, MYCLIENT SHALL NOT BERESPONSIBLE FOR THEIR ACTSAND DEEDS.

Sd/-R.K.S. BAJWA & ASSOCIATESCH.NO. 114, LAWYERS BLOCK

SAKET, SAKET COURTSNEW DELHI-110017

PUBLIC NOTICEMy Client Raj Kanwar S/o Late Sh. TaraChand R/o H.No- 35, Chandani MarketNaharpur Village, Rohini Delhi 110085disowned their Son Named Kamaljeet(Age 38 Years) S/o Raj Kanwar From MyAll movable/ immovable Properties/Assets. For their Wrong BehaviorHereafter My Client not be heldresponsible for any kind of acts done,Criminal activities by him in money orTransaction and any Illegal/ Legal AndProperty Purpose in Future. AnybodyDealing With Them in any mannerwhatsoever will be doing at his/ her owncost, Risk & Responsibility.

Sd/-RITU VERMA (ADVOCATE)

Enrl. No:- D/1126/92OFF:- B-25, GUPTA PALACE A-2/42,

RAJOURI GARDEN, N.DELHI-110027

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SECURITYGUARDAMONG4ARRESTED

JIGNASASINHANEWDELHI,JUNE21

A94-YEAR-OLD retiredMEAof-ficial was attacked and his 88-year-oldwife stabbed to deathduring a robbery at theirSafdarjung Enclave residence inSouthwest Delhi on Saturdaynight. Police said the securityguard of the buildingwhere thecouple lived, alongwith threeofhisassociates,allegedlyoverpow-ered Baldev Raj Chawla and hiswifeKanta,slitthewoman'sneckwhenshetriedtoresist, andfledwithmoneyandjewellery.DCP (Southwest) Devender

Arya said the four accused --guard Rajesh (18), Gyanender(22),Om(18)andPramod(26)--

were arrested on Sunday fromLakhimpurKherinear theNepalborder.Policesaidallhailfromtheneighbouringcountry.Thecouplelivedontheupper

ground floor in SafdarjungEnclave'sA1block.Police said that around9pm

Saturday,theaccusedwenttothecouple's house. DCP Arya said:"The guardwas appointed twoweeksago.WhenKantaopenedthedoor,shesawthemen.Beforeshecoulddoanything,theyover-powered the couple. Kanta triedtostopthembutoneof themat-tackedherwith a sharp object."Theyforcedherhusbandtositonthesofaandtiedhishandswitharope.Police said the accused then

went to the bedroom and fled

withmoneyandjewelleryworthRs55,000.Police said Chawlamanaged

togoout, takethelift tothethirdfloor and alert his neighbours.They immediately called theRWApresident, whomade the

PCR call. Thewomanwas takento a hospital but succumbed toher injuries. Police said the cou-ple had two children but bothdiedafewyearsago.Police saidChawla is still in a

state of shock and has not beenable to give details of what ismissing from his home. RWApresidentVKMalhotrasaid,"Thecouplewere registeredwith theDelhi Police's senior citizenscheme and police constableswould often visit them. One oftheir security guards had beenworkingwith themfor25years,andthecouplehiredanotheronerecently. He didn't have policeverification."Aseniorpoliceoffi-cersaid,"Themenhadbeenplan-ning the robbery for two days.They booked a cab from

Safdarjung Enclave toNepal onJune18.Rajeshhadbeenreferredto the couple by their domestichelp.TheaccusedwerefleeingtoNepalwhentheywerecaught."JitendraKumar, theother se-

curity guard from the building,said, "I got a call froma residenton the third floor about the rob-bery. I rushed to their homeandfound aunty lying on the floorwith injuries onher neck. Unclewassittingonthechair,shocked.Hetoldustherobberstookevery-thing and killed aunty." Kumarsaidthecoupledidn'tmoveoutalotdue to theiroldage, andtheirdomestichelpwouldarrangeforgroceries and medical help."Their daughter-in-law andgrandchildrenliveintheUS,"saidtheguard.

RetiredMEAofficial attacked, hiswifestabbed to death inSafdarjung robbery

SAKSHIDAYALGURGAON,JUNE21

FOR THE last eight years, PremKumar(35)hadbeenworkingasasecurityguardatacommercialcomplexinGurgaon.Intheafter-mathof thelockdownduetotheCovid-19 outbreak, he has beenreducedtoswitchingprofessionsand taking up employment as alabourerfora living.“Iwent through a very diffi-

cult timeduringthe lockdown. Iwas desperate and the securitycompany Iworked forwas nei-ther callingmetoworknorpay-ingmeany salary. InApril, Iwasatapointwhere Iwasnoteatingfoodfortwo-threedaysatatime,”saidKumar,whosewifeandtwochildren residewith his parentsinhisnativeBihar.“Whenthelockdownwasre-

laxed, I left the company I wasworkingforandstartedtakinguplabourwork through a contrac-tor.Thepayishalfofwhatitusedtobe,andthejobisnotstable,butatleastIamfillingmystomachto-

day,” he said, adding that thecomplex heworked at earlier isyettore-openitsdoors.Security agencies across

Gurgaon further corroborateKumar’sclaims,statingthatwithmallsandschoolsstillclosedandoffices and industries operatingwithlesserstrength,theyarenotreceiving payments from theirclients,duetowhichthey,inturn,arefacingissuespayingtheirstaff.“Most of our clients havenot

been paying us since the lock-down.We are trying tomanagewhatever payments we can tominimise our staff’s problems.Wearegivingthematlast50%oftheir salary,” said an official atSecura, a security company thatdeploys over 50personnel at of-ficesandindustriesacrossthecity.At Denetim Services also,

whichhas“10-15personnel”de-ployed at shopping centres andmalls inGurgaon, staff has beengetting only part of their pay-ment. “Nobody is keeping secu-rity, sowhywill theymakepay-ments.Wearepayingourstaff towhateverextentwecanmanage.

Weareunabletopaythemforthewholemonth but are trying togiveenoughsotheycanmanageday to day expenses,” saidAnubhav Khiwani, founder ofDenetimServices.OfficialsatSDSSecurity,which

has over 3,000 personnel de-ployedinoffices,mallsandindus-triesinGurgaon,saythedemandforpersonnelhasreducedby40%.“Wehad toaska lotof staff togoonunpaid leave.Wehavemadewhatever paymentswere owedtopeopleandhavekeptthemon

thejob.Wewillreachouttothemoncework resumes again,” saidSushilKumar,branchheadofSDSSecurity,addingthatalotof theirstaffhasalsoreturnedtotheirvil-lages. This latter fact has alsoemergedas adominant trend incondominiums inGurgaon, sev-eralofwhicharefunctioningwith“25-30%” lesser staff thanusualbecause many have returnedhomepost-lockdown.AtNirvanaCountry,forexam-

ple,membersoftheRWAsaid“25-30%” of their staff has returned

homeoverthelastmonth,withnotime framehavingbeengivenasto their return. “We are around30%shortofstaff,which,asfarasIknow, has returnedhome…Wearemanagingbyredefiningourin-ternalneedstoensureweareableto copewith thenumberof peo-ple available.Wehave 10 gatesleadingtooursociety,butareonlyallowing visitor entry from 4,whichcutsdownthestaffrequiredat these,” said Rohit Chopra,General Secretaryof theNirvanaCountryRWA.PrincetonEstate isoperatingwith “70-80 %” of itsusual staff. “We had signed anagreementwithourfacilityman-agementservicetoprovideus50%ofthestaffatanypointintime.Thisis now their responsibility,” saidArati Pandya,ActingSecretaryofthePrincetonEstateRWA.Asecurityguardemployedat

acondominiuminGurgaon,whodidnotwanttobenamed,said,“Iworkedallthroughthelockdown.Weusedtostayinsidethesocietyitself and do our duties so therewasnochanceofinfectionenter-ingthepremises.”

47-yr-old police headconstable dies of virus

IRS officer’s suicide:Note names 4 colleagues

Jain’s healthimproves afterplasma therapy

BRChawlaandwifeKanta

THEINDIANEXPRESS,MONDAY, JUNE22,2020

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426-year-old swimmingcoach dies of coronavirus

AshutoshGupta’s familyallegednegligenceonthepartof LadyHardingeMedicalCollege

MAHENDERSINGHMANRALNEWDELHI,JUNE21

DAYSAFTERa57-year-oldIndianRevenue Service (IRS) officer al-legedly committed suicide byhanging himself at hisChanakyapuri home, The IndianExpresshaslearntthatthesuicidenoterecoveredfromhisbedroommentioned four colleagueswhowereallegedlyharassinghimaf-terhefiledavigilancecomplaintagainstoneof them.KeshavSaxena, a1988-batch

IRSofficer,waspostedasprincipalcommissioner in the I-Tdepart-ment at ITO. Police said theyaresendinghislettertoexpertsattheForensicScienceLaboratory (FSL)tomatchhiswriting,andareinves-tigatingthematterafterapproach-inghisseniorsandcolleagues.When contacted, Additional

DCP(NewDelhidistrict)DeepakYadav said, "Enquiry into this

matterisgoingon.Weareexam-ining all persons concerned andrelevantrecords."OnMay27,Saxena,a resident

of BapuDhaminChanakyapuri,wasfoundhangingbyhiswife.ShetookhimtoPrimusHospitalwherehewasdeclareddeadbydoctors."Wereceivedacall fromthehos-pitalauthoritiesabouttheincident.Saxena had used a bedsheet tohanghimself.Wealsofoundasui-cidenote inhisbedroom.Weareprobing thematter," DCP (NewDelhi)EishSinghalhadsaid.Aseniorofficerprivytothein-

vestigation said: "The victimmentioned four colleagues. Heclaimedoneof themstartedcre-atingtroubleafterhefiledacom-plaintagainsthimwiththeirvig-ilance department." "Before anylegal action,we are taking legalopinion andverifying facts fromhisdepartment,"theofficersaid.So far, inquest proceedings

hasbeen initiatedunderSection174ofCrPC,policesaid.

Lockdown hits security guards in Gurgaon,placement agencies say strapped for cash

EXPRESSNEWSSERVICENEWDELHI, JUNE21

A47-YEAR-OLDDelhiPoliceheadconstablediedfromCovid-related complications at Panchsheel HospitalSunday, said officials. The deceased, Lalit Kumar,waspostedwiththe4thbattalionoftheDelhiArmedPolice.HisfamilylivesinKhajuriKhas.Heworkedasareadertoaseniorofficer inDAP.PolicesaidKumarwasunderhomequarantineafter

heshowedmildsymptoms.OnJune17,hewastestedforCovidatGTBhospital.Hisresultsreturnedpositiveaftertwodays.OnSaturday,hissoncalledpoliceandinformedthem hisfatherwasunwell.Aseniorpoliceofficersaid,“Kumarcomplainedoffeverandbreathlessness.HewasimmediatelyshiftedtoPanchsheelHospital,buthediedonSunday.“Kumarissurvivedbyhiswifeandtheir 20-year-oldsonand12-year-olddaughter.Tilldate,ninepolicepersonnelhavediedduetoCovid

andmore than800personnelhave testedpositive forthevirus.

SeveralcondominiumsinGurgaonare functioningwith25-30%fewersecuritystaff.Archive

EXPRESSNEWSSERVICENEWDELHI,JUNE21

THECONDITIONofDelhiHealthMinisterSatyendarJainhas improvedandhis feverhas subsided, adayafter he was administered plasma therapy for thetreatment of Covid-19.According to sources, the condition of the 55-

year-oldminister is improvingandhe isbeingmon-itored by doctors.Jain is likely to comeout of the ICU byMonday.

Hewas shifted toMaxhospital onFridayafternoonafter his conditionworsened.He was earlier admitted to the Delhi govern-

ment-run Rajiv Gandhi Super Speciality Hospitalon Tuesday after he developed breathlessness,fever and a drop in oxygen levels, shortly after hehadtestednegative for thevirus.However,assymp-tomspersisted, hewas testedagainandhis reportscamepositive onWednesday.Recently, KalkajiMLAAtishi, Delhi government

advisor Abhinandita Mathur and AAPmedia pan-elistAkshayMarathehadalso testedpositive.Noneof themhavebeenadmitted tohospitalsandarere-ported to have onlymild symptoms.

NewDelhi:AstudyconductedbyAIIMS doctors has found thatyoga can reduce not just mi-graines but even lower treat-ment cost of the disease. Thestudy, 'Effect of yoga as add ontherapy inmigraine', was pub-lished in the online issue ofNeurology, themedical journalof the American Academy ofNeurology. The new researchsuggests that yoga may helppeoplewithmigraine, and lead

to headaches that happen lessoften, don't last as long and areless painful. A total of 114 pa-tients with episodic migrainewere recruited to one of twogroups for thestudy."Thefirstgroupreceivedcon-

ventionalmedicaltherapyaspre-scribedbytheirdoctors,whilethesecond got conventional treat-ment, plus a yoga programmethatincludedbreathingexercises,relaxation techniques and yogic

postures," the study stated. Theyoga protocolwas prepared byyogaphysiciansat theCentre forIntegrative Medicine andResearch(CIMR)atAIIMS.DrGautamSharma,professor

in-charge, Center for IntegrativeMedicine and Research, AIIMS,and one of the authors of thestudy, said: "Performing yoga isa stress-buster; several studieshave shown stress is one of theprecipitants formigraine."ENS

Yoga reduces migraines: AIIMS study

New Delhi

MALLICAJOSHINEWDELHI, JUNE21

ADAY after L-G Anil Baijal saideveryonewho tests positive forCovid-19will have to report toCovid care centres, the Delhigovernment is scrambling toarrange enough ambulances toferry these patients. There arearound 460 ambulances in thecityatpresent.Theseincludethecabs(OlaandUber)thatthegov-ernment has requisitionedspecifically forCovidpatients.“The daily case load in the

cityisincreasing.Wedonothaveenough ambulances to takeeveryone to Covid care centresforassessment.Wearetryingtopush another 500 vehicles intothe systemtobeused as ambu-lances, but even they will fallshortifeveryonehastobetakentoCovidcarecentres. Ifapatientuses a personal vehicle or cabservices, they will put driversand companions at risk,” said aseniorDelhigovernmentofficial.Delhi has seen over 3,000

caseseverydayforthepastthreedays. On Sunday, the city saw3,000newcases and63deaths,taking the total cases to 59,746anddeathsto2,175.Ofthe24,558activecases,6,054areinhospitalsand 1,631 are in Covid care andhealth centres. An additional12,106areunderhomeisolation.

At present, those who testpositive are contacted byhealthofficials and a call centre ap-pointedbytheDelhigovernment,and their health assessment isconducted. If they do not havemoderate or severe symptoms,they are recommended homeisolationwithinstructionstocon-tact officials if thepatient devel-opsmoreserioussymptoms.On Friday, the L-G had or-

dered that everyonewho testspositiveforCovid-19willhavetospendaminimumoffivedaysinCovid care centres, after whichtheywouldbeclearedforhome

quarantineif theymeetthecrite-ria. After stiff opposition fromtheDelhigovernment,thisorderwasmodifiedandonevisittothecarecentremademandatory.Services of the call centre

were also cancelled by the L-G.Sourcessaidthishascreatedasig-nificantissue.“Astheoldpracticewas scrapped and the newonehasnotkickedinyet,assessmenthasnothappenedforseveralpa-tients since Friday. Thesepeopleshould have been in the systemalready,assessedandgiveninfor-mation,”saidanofficial.A Delhi government official

said the issue has been raisedwith higher authorities in thegovernment and a solution istrying tobereached.

THEINDIANEXPRESS,MONDAY, JUNE22,2020

THEOUTBREAK THECITY

WWW.INDIANEXPRESS.COM

5

SUKRITABARUAHNEWDELHI, JUNE21

ANELECTRICIAN by profession,Rajesh Gupta displayed hiswares of the day — cabbages,brinjals, onions, ginger andlemon—on his cart in a lane inSangam Vihar, trying to makethe best of his new innings as avegetablevendor.In SangamVihar, one of the

city’s biggest unauthorisedcoloniesandhometoa largemi-grantworking-class population,unemploymentiscurrentlyubiq-uitous.“Myeldersonworkedina

shopherebut theowner saidhecan’tpaythestaff.Myyoungersonalsotookoutavegetablecartbutbecause sales are so low, theamountspentonbuyingtheveg-etableswas gettingwasted. Sonowbothof themarelookingforwork,” said Bipin Gupta, a veg-etablevendoratthemainmarketinSangamVihar’sGblock.Hearingthis,ParvatiRawat—

whowashagglingwithhimoverthe price of coriander — alsopiped up: “My husband is alsowithout work at home. Heworkedasadriverforafamilyformany years, but they askedhimto stop coming after the lock-

down. My son worked at acounteratacinemahallandthesewere the first to close down.Earlier this month, he finallyfoundworkinGurgaonatacom-panythatmanufacturesmasks.”In this climate of pervasive

joblessness, residents are turn-ing to improvisation and adap-tationtomakeendsmeet.Rajeshwent through the lockdownwithout any work. However,even after the city began open-ing up again, he found that hewasnotbeingcalled forwork.“People have no money to

spare so they’re only callingwhen they have extremely ur-

gentwork.Beforethelockdown,Iwas earning aroundRs1,000aday but I found myself barelyearningRs300after that. Itwasjust not enough to run thehousehold, so for about aweeknowI’vebeenbuyingvegetablesatOkhlamandiandsellingtheminthegalis.ThatgetsmeRs200-300per day, of which the profitisnegligible,”hesaid.His neighbour Rahmatullah

had gone back to his village in

Bihar’sMotihari district duringthe lockdown but returned fivedaysago,hopingtoresumeworkat the garmentmanufacturingunit inOkhlawhichusedtoem-ploy him before the lockdown.Thatwasnotsuccessful.Now,hemans a ramshackle corner panandtobaccoshopthatusedtoberunbyhis17-yearoldson.“Myfamily isbackatourvil-

lage for now. I used to earnaround Rs 14,000 permonth atthefactory,myoldersonusedtoride an auto, the younger oneused to run this shop. So thereweremultiplepeopleearningforthe family.Nowit’s justme,and

sincethere’snootherworktobefound, I’m just sitting at thisshop. Yesterday, I made salesworth Rs 500 — of which theprofitisjust10%—whichisnoth-ing,”hesaid.Many others have not been

abletoadaptinthismanner.“Myhusband used to sell footwearmade here to shops inmarketslikeGreaterKailashandShahpurJat.Now,nooneinthemarketsarebuyingthese.Theonlyworkthatonemight get fromtime to timeisconstructionworkatthelabourchowkbuthedoesn’tknowhowtodothatwork,”saidArtiDevi,an-otherresidentof thearea.

ECLIPSEDAmultipleexposure imageof thetheannularsolareclipseasseenfromIndiaGateonSunday.PraveenKhanna

BJP asks itsMPs to visit169 testingcentres

MAKING DO WITH LESS

No jobs, Sangam Vihar residents turn to vegetable carts, roadside shops

SOURAVROYBARMANNEWDELHI, JUNE21

THE INCREASE in collection ofdaily samples for Covid testinginDelhi, after being nudged bythe Centre, has pushed up thependency of results in labs bymore than double within aweek — from 2,382 on June 12to 7,439 on June 18 — officialrecords show.TheUnionMinistryofHome

Affairs had on June 14 directedthe Delhi government to carryout10,000testsdailybyJune16;15,000byJune18;and18,000byJune 20. On June 14, 4,371 testswereconducted in thecapital.According to data sourced

fromtheHealthDepartment,thenumber of tests carried out onJune15,16,17and18were5,824,6,510, 8,452 and 12,389 respec-tively. The number of samplescollected were 6,105, 7,786,8,093and15,766respectively.As districts focused on col-

lectingmore samples, the pen-dency went on increasing.Expectingariseinpendency,thehealthdepartmenthaddirectedall labs—both inpublicandpri-

vatesector—toworkontheirfullpotential and “further ramp uptheirtestingcapacityonprioritytomeet the increased demandof processing”.AccordingtoanICMRreport

datedJune20,Delhihas44labs,out of which 19 are govern-ment-runand25private.Outofthegovernment-runlabs, threeare under the Delhi govern-ment, while the rest functionunder theCentre.As per health department

data,thenumberofsamplescol-lectedbythegovernmentpend-ingatvariouslabswere3,478onJune15; 5,116on June16; 6,892

onJune17;and7,439onJune18.The Delhi government did

not respond to requests for acommentonthematter.DistrictMagistrates, on condition ofanonymity, said the increase inpendency was along expectedlines as the capacity of process-ing samples in the labs has notincreased asmuch as the dailycollection.The ICMR had on June 14

written to the Union HealthMinistry saying Delhi’s overalltestingcapacityisaround18,000samples per day, when takeninto account the advancedCOBAS6800testingmachinein-

stalled at the Centre-runNational Centre for DiseaseControl (NCDC).However,initsaffidavittothe

Delhi HC on June 9, the Delhigovernmenthadstated that thecity’s testing capacity stands ataround8,600perday—2,900ingovernment labs and 5,700 inprivate labs. “NCDClabsandthelabat IGIB,CSIRreceivesamplesfromall over the country, beingnational labs,” the governmenthadmentioned.RT-PCR tests are considered

the gold standard frontline testforthediagnosisofCovid-19.RT-PCR tests takeminimumtwo tofive hours, which includes thetimetakenforcollectionofsam-ples and their transportation tolabs.Inreality, ittakesmoretimefor the results to come out duetocapacityconstraints.Antigen detection tests,

whichwereinitiatedinDelhionJune18, throwupresultswithin30minutes and do not requireconventionallabsforprocessing.However, according to an ICMRadvisory, thosewho test nega-tive in the rapid antigen testshouldthenbetestedbyRT-PCRtoruleout infection.

COVIDFIGHT

15000

12000

9000

6000

3000

0June12 June13 June14 June15 June16 June17 June18

■Samplestested ■Positive■Negative ■Pending

5,075

5,925

4,371

5,824

6,510 8,452

12,389

PENDENCYMORETHANDOUBLES

Testing in Delhi doubles in aweek, pending results up too

ABHINAVRAJPUTNEWDELHI, JUNE21

UNION MINISTER of State forHomeAffairsGKishanReddyhaswritten a letter to all BJPMPs ofDelhi, asking them to visit rapidantigendetectiontestingcentresin the capital. Covid-19 testingthrough the rapid antigenmethodologyhadcommencedat169centresinandaroundDelhi’scontainmentzonesonThursday.“In order to augment the ef-

fortof theGovernmentofNCTofDelhi, theGovernment of India,afterhavingaseriesofdiscussionsunder thechairmanshipofAmitShah ji with officers of GNCTD,ICMR,Ministry of HomeAffairs,hastakenadecisiontosetup169rapid antigen detection testingcentresacrossalldistrictsofDelhi.“Further, to inform that the

UnionMinister has desired thatyou,beingtherepresentativefromyour Lok Sabha constituency, itwouldbe in the fitness of thingsthat you visit all testing centresfallingwithin your constituency,inco-ordinationwith thedistrictadministration,”theletterread.WestDelhiMPParveshSahib

Singhsaidhehasvisitedaround12 centres in his constituencywithofficials. “The idea is to seeif every centre is properly func-tioning,infrastructureisinplace,and if social distancing ismain-tainedornot.”Reddywas accompanied by

DelhiBJPpresidentAdeshGupta,Northeast Delhi MP ManojTiwari andother leadersduringtheinspectionofthetestingcen-tres inAshokNagar and SunderNagari on Saturday. East DelhiMP Gautam Gambhir said hewouldbevisitingthecentresthisweek. Reddy said the Centreplans to conduct at least 6 lakhrapidantigentestsatthecentres.

SeveralcartshavesprungupatSangamVihar.GajendraYadav

EXPRESSNEWSSERVICENEWDELHI,JUNE21

FIVEDAYSaftera62-year-oldin-mate of Mandoli Jail passedaway, his Covid-19 result hascome positive. This is the firstcase of a Delhi prison inmatesuccumbing to thevirus.Delhi Prisons DG Sandeep

Goel said, “The inmate died ofnoapparentcauseonJune15inthe evening, apparently whilesleeping. Inquest proceedingsand Covid-19 test were con-ducted,theresultofwhichcamepositiveon June20.”The inmate, Kanwar Singh,

wasconvictedandsentencedforlife in a 2016 murder case inAman Vihar area. The DG saidthe deceased had been atMandoli Jail since July2018.Goel said, “The inmatewas

lodgedinaseniorcitizenbarrackwith28others.”Hesaidall28in-mateswill now be tested: “Wearemonitoringtheirhealth.”Singhwasasymptomatic,and

thesourceoftheinfectionhasnotbeenconfirmedyet,saidofficials.After the report came positive,SinghwascrematedasperCovidnormsandprecautions.In March, two videos were

released from Rohini andMandoli jail by undertrial pris-oners, alleging poor conditionsinside the barracks. Inmates al-legedfoodwasn’tproperandthebarrackswereovercrowded.DGGoel said the allegations

were false and all barrackswerebeingmonitored byhealth offi-cials every day: “Wemake sureeachinmateisscreenedregularly.Most positive cases in the jailshaverecovered,othersareasymp-tomatic. For senior citizens,wemakesuretheirdietandhealthisstable.Wealsohaveseparatebar-racks forpositivepatients, to iso-latethemfromothers.”Delhi has three prisons —

Tihar, Rohini andMandoli—andasof Sunday, at least 23 inmateshavetestedpositive for thevirus.Of them, 16have recovered andonehaspassedaway.

62-yr-old is 1st Coviddeath at Mandoli jail

ANANYATIWARINEWDELHI, JUNE21

WITHTHE L-G ordering that allthose who test positive in thecity are to report to Covid carecentresforassessment,patientsquarantined in these facilitiessaythatwhilebasic systemsarein place, a few snags remain. Atpresent, thosewho have eithermild or no symptoms are beingreferredtothesefacilitiesandaregivenbasicmedical support.At the Government Girls

Senior Secondary school atBadarpur,whichhas83patients,MangalSharma(46),whoworksas a private driver and lives nearSouth Extension Part II, was ad-

mittedonJune18afterhistestre-port fromRamManohar LohiaHospitalconfirmedhewasposi-tiveadayearlier.“Igotacallfromthehospitalthattheyaresendinganambulance,”hesaid.Onarrivalhewas given a bucket, soap forcleaning clothes, toothpaste andbrushandablanket/sheet.Sharmasaidauthoritiesasked

himifhehadaprivatebathroomat home that could be used byhim exclusively. “I have threefamilymembersathomeandweallshareonebathroom.TheysaidthatIwillhavetogotothecentre.Authoritiescamehomeandsani-tisedeverything,”hesaid.Housed in a roomwith four

people,hesaidlunchanddinnerare satisfactory but hewished

that theyconsideredthedietsofpatients:“Ihavediabetes,andinthemorningtheygivebreadwithjam...Mysugarlevelsarefineandmonitoredbydoctors.”He said cleanliness is also a

concern:“Theyhaven’ttakenthesheetsof previous inmateswhohave left, they are just lyingthere. Wewere given just onesoap bar and I had to ask myfamily to sendmore.”A doctor stationed at the

school checks them daily, andpatients are allowed to take awalk in theplayground.Delhi government nodal of-

ficer Dinesh Kuman Dondyansaid theywould raise the issueof meals with the vendor. "Wewill inform the vendor about

this, though we do not givesweetfoodassuch.Patientswithco-morbiditieshavebeeneatingthesamefoodasothers.”

If patients housed at the fa-cility developmoderate or seri-oussymptoms,theyaredeferredto dedicated Covid hospitals

whichhaveICUbeds,ventilators,alongwithoxygensupport.At present, there are 1,426

patientsin14Covidcarecentresacrossthecity.Thereisspacefor4,883more.At Terapanth Bhawan in

Chhatrapur, Deepali (27) whohasbeenadmittedsinceJune18,with her daughter Khushi (11)joiningonJune20,saidsheissat-isfied with the facilities. “Oneroomissharedwithanotherper-son,andthere isatoilet,balconyandAC.Thefoodisalsogood.”Having a sore throat, the

South Delhi resident, whosehusbandhasbeenworkingsincethelockdownasanemployeeofa supplier of medical materialsuch as PPE andmedicines, got

testedatMadanMohanMalviyaHospital on June 17. Four dayslater, shegotacall fromthehos-pital informingher of the resultandthatanambulancewill takeher to thecentre.“I get a call thrice from the

doctor, who checks if we areok. I am currently havingparacetamol and vitamin C.But there isno thermometer tocheck if I have temperature,though the doctor gives usmedicines if we feel that wehave it.” The facilityhas170pa-tientscurrently, andhas theca-pacity to house 180.Naresh Kumar, in-charge of

the facility, said, “Doctors checkon them twice a day, and ifneeded, alsovisit them.”

AtNehruHomeopathicHospital,oneof the14centres

At Covid care centres, basics in place, room for improvement

3,000 new cases, scramble toarrange enough ambulances

Thecityhasbeenseeing3,000-pluscases for thepastthreedays.PraveenKhanna

*Total active cases

Pvthospitalswillofferbedsatsubsidisedrates:OrderNewDelhi:TheDelhigov-ernmentsaid inanorderonSaturdaythat108pri-vate hospitals in the citywill provide all Covid-19beds at subsidised rates.TheDDMApassedanor-der Saturday cappingcharges inprivatehospi-tals. Subsidised rates atanother seven hospitals— Max Smart SuperSpecialtyHospital,Saket;Sir Ganga Ram KolmetHospital; Maha DurgaCharitable Trust; SirGanga Ram CityHospital; CygnusOrthocare; Saroj SuperSpecialty Hospital; andBansalGlobalHospital—willbeapplicabletoonly60% of the total bedsavailable,sincetheyhavereservedmore than halfthe beds for Covid pa-tients. Before admittingpatientsintheremaining40% beds, theywill haveto get a consent formsigned, theorder stated.

57,000UGapplicationson2nddayofDUregistrationsNewDelhi:Ontheseconddayof registrationsfor itscourses, Delhi Universitysaw 57,312 applicationsfor its undergraduatecourses,18,837 applica-tions for its postgraduatecourses and 2,071 PhDapplications.Theregistra-tion portal will remainopen till July 4. The bul-letin of information hasbeen uploaded on theuniversitywebsite.

QuarantinecentreinauguratedNew Delhi: Delhi BJPPresident Adesh GuptaandMLAVijenderGuptainauguratedanisolation-cum-quarantinecentreatAntarikshSociety,RohiniSector-14, Sunday. Theydistributed food packetsand ration kits and alsogave away face masksmadebyself-helpgroupsat Sampurna Centre inSector-9,Rohini.ENS

BRIEFLY

CORONAVIRUS IN THECAPITAL

TOTAL CASES:59,746 | NEWCASES:3,000Cases Recovered Deaths Tests

June19 3,137 1,828 66 13,074June20 3,630 7,725 77 17,533June21 3,000 1,719 63 18,105Total 24,558* 33,013 2,175 3,70,014

*Total active cases

New Delhi

6THEINDIANEXPRESS,MONDAY, JUNE22,2020

THEOUTBREAKWWW.INDIANEXPRESS.COM

DELHICONFIDENTIAL

SENDING A MESSAGEWHILE YOGA Daywas used by several personalities fromacrossthepoliticalspectrumtopromoteIndiaanditsculture,LJP leaderChiragPaswanstoodout.Onsocialmedia,Paswanpostedpicturesof himperformingyogawithamessage: “Tokeep away from violent and negative thoughts, the Chinesegovernment shouldalsopractice yoga so that they can learnto live inunityandpeace insteadof violence.”

OFFICE RULESWITH THE number of Covid-19 cases rising in governmentbuildings, manyministries have reintroducedwork-from-home guidelines for a section of their staff, especially thosewith comorbidities. In such times, a recent circular by theElectionCommissionstandsout. Thecommissionhasaskedall itsemployeestostartworkingfromofficewhilefollowingpreventivemeasuresissuedbytheHealthMinistry.Onlyem-ployeesresidingincontainmentzonesarepermittedtoworkfromhome. The circular has officers and staff worried givenafewcaseshavealreadybeenreportedfromNirvachanSadan.

ISSUE AT HANDWITHTHESupremeCourt deciding to stay theRathYatra inPuri inviewof theCovid-19outbreak, theVHPhasgotanewissue at hand. VHP secretary general Milind Parande onSundaysaid thecourtmust review its ruling.Hepointedoutthat the yatra had been conducted uninterrupted for hun-dredsofyearsandsaidthestategovernmentmustfindawayout.Hearguedthatduetothepandemic,millionsofdevoteesare not expected to turn up. He said the apex court shouldhaveheardall stakeholdersor at least trusteesof the templebeforedelivering theverdict.

SADAFMODAKMUMBAI, JUNE21

ACTIVIST Gautam Navlakha’sfamily and lawyers have raisedconcerns regarding the “de-plorableconditions”inwhichhehas been kept at a school func-tioning as a temporary jail inKharghar,NaviMumbai.On Saturday, Navlakha,who

is under arrest in the KoregaonBhimacase,wasallowedaphonecall, inwhichheconveyedtohispartner and lawyer that 350 in-matesweresharingsixroomsat

theschool,withthreetoiletsandacommonbathingspace.Navlakha was shifted last

month from Tihar Jail toMumbai, and has since beenkept at the school as new in-mates are supposed to bequar-antined for 21 days to bewatched for coronavirus.Navlakha’s partner Sahba

HusainsaidshespoketohimonSaturday after a gap of 15 daysfollowingpermissionfromaspe-cial court. “He said 350 inmateshavebeenkeptinsixclassroomswithonlythreetoilets,sevenuri-nals and one common bathing

space,withoutamugorabucket.Heissharingaroomwith35oth-ers,”Husainsaid.Sheaddedthatmanyinmates

hadbeenforcedtosleepincorri-

dors,withoutanyaccesstofreshair, andwere at risk of catchingskin infections due to the over-crowding,apart fromCovid-19.“This is sheer punishment

andinhumantreatmentofapo-liticalprisonerlikehim,”Husainsaid, adding that the inmatesweretotallycutoff fromtheout-sideworld.Denying the allegations, an

official said arrangements hadbeenmade at the school as perrequirementsoftheprisonman-ual, thesameasatothertempo-rary jails across the state. “Wehave so far not received any

complaintabouttheinadequacyof toilets or bathrooms,” RaigadCollectorNidhiChoudhari said.She added that the inmates

mightbeshiftedoutbyendofthemonthastheschoolmanagementhasrequestedforthereturnofthepremises. However, a PrisonDepartment official said a deci-sionwasyettobetakenonthis.Incidentally,several inmates

at the Kharghar school havebeen there for more than 21days, the stipulated quarantinetimebefore transfer to jail.Navlakha,67,wasnamedasan

accusedbythePunepolicein2018

in connection with the ElgarParishadevent onDecember29,2017. The police have said theeventwasbehindtheviolenceinKoregaon Bhima on January 1,2018.He surrenderedbefore theNIA inDelhi onApril 14 this yearafterhispleaseekingextensionoftime to surrender, including ongrounds that hemight contractcoronavirusinprison,puttinghimatriskgivenhisageandunderly-ingconditions,wasrejectedbytheSupremeCourt.Lastmonth,whilehis bail pleawaspendingbeforethe Delhi High Court, he wasshiftedfromDelhitoMumbai.

PRESSTRUSTOFINDIALUCKNOW,JUNE21

ARELATIVEwearingaprotectionkit will be allowed to sit in thehospital roomwhere MadhyaPradesh Governor Lalji Tandonis admitted, a senior MedantaHospitalofficial saidonSunday.Tandon,85,wasadmitted to

thehospital inLucknowonJune11withbreathingproblems,dif-ficulty inurination, and fever.“Atthistime,heneedsmoral

support. A television has beeninstalled in his room.He is con-

scious.Hecannotspeakasatubehasbeenputonhim.Buthewillrecognise you. Hewill raise hishand, smile slowly. He is re-sponding,”MedantaHospitaldi-rectorRakeshKapoor toldPTI.In a hospital bulletin issued

onSaturday, thedoctorhadsaidTandonwas in stable conditionandrecoveringslowly.

Eye on bypolls, BJPskips action againstcross-voting MLAMILINDGHATWAIBHOPAL, JUNE21

TWODAYS after a BJP legislatorallegedlyvotedforCongresscan-didate Digvijiya Singh in theRajya Sabha polls in MadhyaPradesh,therulingpartyhasnotevenservedashowcausenoticetoGunaMLAGopilal Jatav.The four-time Dalit MLA al-

legedly voted for Singh despitethe party whip to vote forJyotiraditya Scindia in the elec-tion to the Upper House onFriday.The decision to not act

against Jatav seems to be dic-tatedbytheupcomingbypollsto24 seats. The Dalit communityhas substantial votes in theGwalior-Chambalregionwheremostof theseseatsarea.On the day of voting, Jatav

claimed that he had voted forScindia but BJP leaders said hevotedforSingh.Beforecastingthevote,MLAshavetoshowtheballotto authorised leaders present inthevotingarea.WhenThe IndianExpresscontactedhimonSunday,Jatavrefusedto comment.Jatav’s vote did not make

any difference to the results,because the BJP had sufficientnumbers towin two seats. Butit left the ruling party red-faced, more so because threenational-level leaders of theparty, includingUnionMinisterPrakash Javadekar, were in

Bhopal. BJP leaders tried todownplay the matter,claiming it was ahuman error.A candidate required 52

first preference votes to win.TheBJPhas107MLAs. TwoBSPMLAs, one SP legislator andthreeof the four Independentshadalsoassuredsupport to therulingparty candidates.WhileScindia got 56 votes, the otherBJP candidate Sumer Solankigot 55. While Jatav allegedlyvoted for Singh, thevoteof oneBJPMLAwas declared invalid.“We are not even consider-

ing the issue now,’’ said a BJPleader. Given that it’swell shortof majority in the 230-memberHouse,theBJPisnotkeenonact-ing against Jatav. Even in theAssembly session in July 2019,the BJP, then in the Opposition,hadnotactedagainsttwomem-berswho votedwith the rulingparty on a Bill. The party hadthen claimed that it had not is-suedawhip.InRajyaSabhaelec-tions,however, thepartyhadis-suedone.TheSamajwadiPartyhasex-

pelled its loneMLA inMadhyaPradesh, Rajesh Shukla, whovoted for theBJP. Shukla saidhehadusedhisdiscretionbecausethepartyhadnotgivenhimanydirection.TheBSPisyettodecideonac-

tion against its twoMLAswhowent against the party’s statedline tovote for theBJP.

EXPRESSNEWSSERVICENEWDELHI, JUNE21

AS THE Covid-19 pandemicrages around the world, manypatientshaveturnedtothetech-niques of yoga to conquer thedisease, Prime MinisterNarendraModisaidonSunday—the sixth International Day ofYoga—as he emphasised theneed tobuild immunity againstthevirus.Now, more than ever, the

worldisrealisingtheimportance

of yoga, Modi said in his earlymorningaddress to thenation.ThePrimeMinister, inhis15-

minutespeech,talkedaboutthedifferent techniques and formsof yogawhich, he said, canhelpboost the respiratory and im-munesystems.“If our immunity is strong

thenwecanmoreeffectivelyde-feat this disease. There are sev-eraltypesofyogaasanastoboostimmunity. Those postures in-crease the strength of our bodyand strengthen our metabo-lism,”hesaid.

The PrimeMinister also re-ferredtoa“largenumberofCovid-19patientsallovertheworld”re-

sortingtoyogatechniques.“The Covid-19 virus specifi-

callyattacksourrespiratorysys-tem. The one technique thathelps in strengthening our res-piratory system the most isPranayama,i.e.thebreathingex-ercise. In general, the ‘AnulomVilomPranayam’ ismorepopu-lar. It is also very effective... Alarge number of Covid-19 pa-tients all over theworld are re-sortingtotheseyogatechniquestoday.Thepowerofyogaishelp-ingthemdefeatthisdisease,”hesaid.

Modi’s exhortations cameevenasthisyear’sYogaDay,un-dertheshadowofthepandemic,wentbywithoutanyoftheusualpublic gatherings. It was cele-brated instead through elec-tronic and digital media acrossthecountry.Appropriately enough, this

year’sthemewas‘YogaatHomeandYogawithFamily’.Theeventis going digital for the first timesince June 21, 2015,when it be-gan to be celebrated across theworld, coinciding with theSummerSolsticeeachyear.

MANISHSAHULUCKNOW,JUNE21

FIFTY-SEVENinmates, includingfive pregnant girls, of a shelterhomeinKanpurhavetestedpos-itive for coronavirus in the lastfourdays.AwomanClassIVem-ployee at the shelter also testedpositive.Ofthefivepregnantgirls,one

is HIV positivewhile another isinfected with Hepatitis C, saidDeputy Chief Probation OfficerShruti Shukla.Kanpur District Magistrate

BrahmaDeoRamTiwarisaidthefive girls were pregnant whenthey came to the shelter homeand are from Agra, Etah,Kannauj,FirozabadandKanpur.“The pregnant girls are vic-

timsof offences committedun-der the Protection of Childrenfrom Sexual Offences Act(POCSO)… Two of themwerepregnantwhentheyreachedthehome in December. They arearoundeightmonthspregnant,”saidShukla.Thespreadof theviruscame

to light when one inmate wasfoundpositiveinarandomsam-pling test on June 12, said thehome superintendent.Following this, all the 171 in-mates were tested in the lastfour days and 57 of them, aged15-17 years, were found to beinfected.Theshelterhomehouses in-

mates between 10 and 18 yearsofage,andtheyarekeptthereonthe directions of the DistrictChild Welfare Committee(CWC). The remaining 114 girlsand 37 employees have beenquarantined in a separatebuilding.TheKanpuradministrationis

trying to trace how the virusreachedthehome.Officialssus-pect that the Covid-positivestaffercouldbethesourceasshewould visit hospital with in-mates for their treatment. Thismonth,sixgirlshavecometotheshelter home and one of themhas testedpositive.“All 57 girls and thewoman

staffer of the girl’s home havebeenadmittedtohospitals,”saidShukla.The shelter home also has a

women’sprotectionhomeonitscampus. Samples of all the in-mates were negative, saidShukla.

Five pregnantgirls among 57Covid-positiveinmates inKanpur shelter

Yoga helping people conquer Covid, says PM

MP Governor’s relative tobe allowed in hospital room

LaljiTandon

PMModi inDelhi ANI

GautamNavlakha

MARKING INTERNATIONAL YOGA DAYEnthusiasts performed exercises at their homes or in small groups, keeping inmind social distancing norms

Soldiersperformyoga inSiachen. PTI

SachinTendulkarandhis family inMumbai. TwitterBJPchief JPNaddaathishome.PTI

Atanakhara, inNoida.GajendraYadav

Participantsworemasks inlightof thepandemic, inNewDelhi.PraveenKhanna

PresidentRamNathKovindatRashtrapatiBhavanonSunday.PTI

ChhattisgarhChiefMinisterBhupesh Baghelathis residence inRaipur. Twitter

VicePresidentMVenkaiahNaiduandhiswifeUshaattheir residenceinDelhi. PTI

350 in 6 rooms at jail quarantine, Navlakha reaches out to kin

MPRAJYASABHAELECTION

PRABHARAGHAVAN&KAUNAINSHERIFFMNEWDELHI, JUNE21

THEnearly10weeksof thelock-downsawa“significant”declinein utilisation of the PradhanMantri-Jan Arogya Yojana (PM-JAY)bybeneficiaries,withaver-age weekly claims falling 51%comparedtothemonthsleadingupto it, officialdata shows.Ananalysisofdatapublished

byPM-JAYforthelockdownpe-riod(March25toJune2),againstthe 12weeks before it (January1 toMarch 24), reveals that thedecline included critical proce-dures.Atthesametime,fewPM-JAY beneficiaries availed of theCovid-19 packages announcedin April andMay compared totheoverallcaseloadinthecoun-try, according to the NationalHealth Authority (NHA) that

monitorsthegovernment’sflag-shipAyushmanBharat scheme.Overall, therewas a 57% de-

cline in surgical procedures —from62,630claimsperweekonan average pre-lockdown to27,167 during the lockdown.Medicalcasesrecordeda46%fall— 65,341 average claims perweek before the lockdown to35,108.In terms of average weekly

claims, PM-JAY witnessed an80%decline inplannedcareand56%inunplannedcarebetweenMarch25and June2.The analysis, authored by

OwenSmith,ParulNaib,PulkitKSehgalandSheenaChhabra,alsoshoweda “slight” shift fromthepublictotheprivatesectorinthelockdown period, perhaps be-causegovernmenthospitalsarebearing the brunt of the coron-avirusburden.Theperiodalso sawadecline

(by68%) in theuseof respiratorypackages suchas those forpneu-monia, febrile illness orpyrexia.Since these symptomscorrelatewithCovid-19,theauthorssaidthisshowstherewasnocorrespondingsurgedespitethepandemic,atleastonthenationallevel.“The future course of the

pandemic in India remainshighlyuncertain,butduringthelockdownperiodanalyzedhere,there is littleevidenceofasurgeinCovid-19caseloadsatleastona national level. Therefore it ismore likely the threat of Covid-19,nottheactuality, that isdriv-ing the trends,” stated the au-thorsof theanalysis,whichwaspublishedon June18.Asof June10,atotalofnearly

8,500 tests and approximately6,000 treatment packages hadbeenavailedofbyPM-JAYbene-ficiaries suspected of or con-firmed to have coronavirus, the

NHA told The Indian Express.Therewasahugejumpbetweenthe figures for April (826 tests,853 treatment packages) andMay(4,057testsand2,426treat-mentpackages).As of June 10, India had

1,33,632activeCovid-19cases.The sharpest decline was

seeninnon-urgentelectivepro-cedures such as cataract, andknee and hip replacements.From 4,073 average claims perweek for cataract, the numberfell to a dismal 50 in the firstweekofthelockdown,beforere-boundingtoanaverageof687inthe last threeweeks. In case ofkneeandhipreplacements,cor-responding numbers fell from339to12inthe firstweekof thelockdown,beforerisingtoanav-erageof 165towards theend.Thehigh-costcardiovascular

surgerieswitnessedanearly80%dropinthefirstweekofthelock-

down. Aweek before the lock-down, therewere 2,269 claims,whichdropped to anaverageof768 in the first three weeks ofthe lockdown. In the last threeweeks,theaverageweeklynum-bers rose to1,440.Amongtheplannedandun-

avoidable emergency proce-dures that could be life-saving,one treatment that didn’t see amajordeclinewaskidneydialy-sis – seeing an average drop of6%.Most of this declinewas ac-counted forbyprivatehospitalsinMaharashtra (the state at theheart of India’s Covid crisis),which sawamassive 84% fall indialysis under PM-JAY. Similarfacilities inAndhraPradeshsawa fall of nearly40%.Consequently, dialysis ac-

countedfor51%ofallclaimsun-der PM-JAY during the lock-down,comparedtoitsusual20%share.

Cancer care procedures un-der PM-JAY fell 64% across thecountry,whileevenunavoidableprocedures likeheart stents,by-pass, child deliveries and othermedicaltreatmentsdeclined56%on average. The June 18 reportshowedthatof these, “relativelycommonbut higher-cost” heartprocedureslikestentsandbypassdroppedaround78%initiallybutthenpickedup.Again,thesteepestdeclinein

oncology care was seen inMaharashtra, followedbyTamilNadu (which also has a highcoronavirus tally).NormaldeliveriesusingPM-

JAY across the country droppedaround 28%, and Caesarean by23% — an overall fall of 26%.Bihar’s public hospitals andChhattisgarh’s private hospitalsaccountedforthelargestdropinnormal deliveries — approxi-mately84%and95%respectively.

PM-JAY saw57 pc fall in surgeries,46 pc inmedical care during lockdown

New Delhi

7THEINDIANEXPRESS,MONDAY, JUNE22,2020

EXPRESSNETWORKWWW.INDIANEXPRESS.COM

Cloudyskiesplayedspoilsport inmanypartsof thecountryduringtheannularsolareclipseonSunday.Solareclipsesoccurwhenthemooncastsits shadowonthesun. Inanannulareclipse, thesun,moonandtheeartharealigned inamannerthat thesunappearsonlyasaslimcircleof light forawhile.Theeclipse,beginningandendingwithapartialphase, lastedfrom9.16amto3.04pm.

12.23PM,PUNE 12:52PM,CHENNAI

11.57AM,LUDHIANA 10.20AM,NEWDELHI

12:53PM,LUCKNOW

PRAVEENKHANNAGURMEETSINGH

VISHALSRIVASTAVPTIASHISHKALE

CHASING THE ECLIPSE

SHUBHAJITROYNEWDELHI, JUNE21

US PRESIDENT Donald TrumpthoughtChinawas“thegreatestcheater in the world”, he was“not sympathetic” to PrimeMinister NarendraModi on thewaiver to Iranoil sanctions, andwas worried about Pakistan ifTaliban regained control inAfghanistan,formerUSNationalSecurityAdvisorJohnBoltonhasclaimed inhisnewbook.If Bolton’sclaims inhisbook,

TheRoomWhereItHappened—aWhite House Memoir, are to bebelieved, he felt that the post-Balakotcrisiswas“neverreally”acrisis, but he had chosen not toignoreitsinceIndiaandPakistanwerenuclear-armedneighbours.Bolton also claimed that US

envoy to the UN Nikki HaleywantedtogotoIndiaandvisittheDalaiLama,butwasnotallowed.In the290-pagebook, theUS

National Security Advisor fromApril 2018 to September 2019wrote that Trump told officials“whyhe thought Chinawas the‘greatest cheater in theworld’ asrecentlyprovenbytheirbehaviorinthetradenegotiations,thuspre-cipitatingariffoneconomicpowerasthebasisofmilitarypower”.On theUS sanctions against

countriestradingwithIran,Boltonclaimed,“Oneimportantloopholefor Iran was the oil waiversgranted to eight countries(Taiwan,China,India,Japan,South

Korea, Italy, Greece, andTurkey)whenrenewedsanctionstookef-fect in November 2018, sixmonthsafterUSwithdrawalfromthe nuclear deal… Taiwan,Greece, and Italy quickly haltedpurchasesofIranianoil,sonotre-newingtheirwaiverswasagiven.State’sbureaucratsfoundendlessreasons to extend the otherwaivers, as ‘clientitis’ took hold.‘But India is so important,’ or‘Japanissoimportant,’...OneoftheworstcasesinvolvedIndia,which,liketheothers,wasbuyingIranianoilatpriceswellbelowtheglobalmarket because Iranwas sodes-peratetomakesales.”“India complained it would

be disadvantaged not only be-causeofhavingtofindnewsup-pliers, butalsobecause thenewsourceswould insistonprevail-ingmarket prices! India’smak-ing this argument was under-standable, but it wasincomprehensible that US bu-reaucratsechoeditsympatheti-cally,”heclaimed.“HesaidexpresslyintheOval

onMarch 25, ‘I’m ready to cutthem off,’ and on April 12 said,‘Increasethesanctions.Maxthemout,doitrightaway,includingonthe oil,’ and onApril 18 said, ‘Goto zero.’ In a phone call withPompeo, Trump had not beensympathetic to India’s PrimeMinisterNarendraModi, saying,‘He’llbeokay’,”Boltonwrote.On theNikkiHaley incident,

he wrote, “Haley asked him(Trump)aboutatripshewantedto take to India to visit theDalaiLama. The purpose of this tripwas unclear, other than gettingaphotoopwith theDalai Lama,always good for an aspiringpol.But the minefield she strayedintobyraisingtheChinatradeis-sue showed a political tin ear:once Trump wondered howChinawould viewHaley’s see-ing theDalai Lama, the tripwasessentiallydead.”On the post-Pulwama

Balakot episode, he wrote,“...Afterhoursofphonecalls, thecrisis passed, perhaps because,in substance, there never reallyhadbeenone.Butwhentwonu-clear powers spin up theirmili-tary capabilities, it is best not toignore it…”On Pakistan, he recalled ex-

plaining to Trump “why weshouldcounterterroristsintheirhome base andwhy Pakistan’snuclear-weapons programmadeitimperativetoprecludeaTaliban haven in AfghanistanthatmightacceleratePakistan’sfalling to terrorists”.

ADILAKHZERSRINAGAR, JUNE21

FOURMILITANTS, including aPakistani national, have beenkilled in two encounters inSrinagarandKulgam,accordingtopolice.“A total of two operations

have takenplace in theValley inthe last 24 hours. In Srinagar,threemilitants were killed onSundayand theywere all locals.InKulgam,aforeignterrorist,JeMCommanderTayabWaleed,waskilled. In both the operations,therewasnocollateraldamage,"IGP Kashmir Vijay Kumar toldThe IndianExpressonSunday.A cordon and search opera-

tionwaslaunchedintheZadibalareaofSrinagar,leadingtoagun-battle on Sunday morning, inwhich threemilitants affiliatedto theHizbulMujahideen (HM)and Islamic State Jammu andKashmir (ISJK)werekilled.Internet services were sus-

pended in Srinagar district be-fore theencounter.“Thehidingterroristswerere-

peatedly appealed to surrenderthrough family members andcommunitymembersoftheareabuttheyinsteadstartedfiringin-discriminately upon the search

party,whichwasretaliatedlead-ing to an encounter,” J&K policespokespersonsaid.“Allthekilledterroristswereaffiliatedwithpro-scribedterroroutfitHM/ISJK.”Thethreemilitantswereiden-

tified as Srinagar residentShakoor Farooq Langoo, ShahidAhmad Bhat of Bijbehara’sSemthan and Mohsin fromSrinagar’s Anchar, police said intheevening.MohsinwasmissingsinceMay26,policesourcessaid.A Pakistani national was

killed and twomilitants man-aged to escape during anotherencounter in Kulgam onSaturday,police sources said.“Thekilledterroristwasiden-

tified as TayabWaleed@ ImranBhai@GaziBaba,aPakistanina-tional affiliatedwith proscribedterror outfit JeM. According topolicerecordshewasoperationalcommander of JeM andwas anexpert inmaking IEDs besidesbeingasharpshooter,”thepolicespokespersonsaid.Police said they have recov-

ered a US-made M4 carbinefromtheencounter site.Addressing the media on

Sunday, IGP Kashmir said that106militantshavebeenkilledsofar this year and there are 150-200activemilitantsintheValley,mostof theminsouthKashmir.

J&KPolice: Paknational among4militants killedin2 encounters

EXPRESSNEWSSERVICENEWDELHI, JUNE21

SENIOR CONGRESS leaderAshwani Kumar on Sunday saidwhile the opposition cannot befaultedforaskingthegovernmentand Prime Minister NarendraModi “pertinent questions”, it istime for the nation to present a“unitedface”againstChina.ArguingthattheIndiandiplo-

macy isnowontest,Kumarsaid,“Wemustlendthemoralsupportof the entire nation for them toleveragethegoodwillenjoyedbyIndiainthecomityofnations.”Hesaid “Chinese aggressionwill beresisted by the fullmight of theIndianstate”andassertedIndia’s“response to Chinese brutalitymustfactortheneedtoavengethemartyrdomof ourbrave soldiers

whogavethesupremesacrificeinthelineofduty”.“Whentheoppositionwants

to ask some questions, particu-larlywhen these are concernedwithnationalsecurity,theoppo-sitioncannotbefaultedinraisingpertinentquestions....Atthistime,thenationhastoshowaunityofpurpose and thereforewemustpresentaunited faceagainst theaggressor,”Kumarsaid.HealsonotedCongresspres-

ident Sonia Gandhi’s statementthat while dealing with theChinese,thenationstandsbehindtheArmyandthegovernment.

PROFESSOR RATTAN LAL, thewinnerof thisyear’sWorldFoodPrize — considered the equiva-lent of a Nobel Prize in agricul-ture — says wemust improveour soil health to not only toboost crop productivity, andmake farming profitable, butalsotomitigatetheeffectsofcli-mate change. He spoke toMANRAJGREWALSHARMAviaSkype.Excerpts:

Whatwouldyourecommendforthesuccessof smallfarmers?Punjab, Haryana, and Uttar

Pradeshhave a largenumber ofsmall farmers. For one, I wouldurge themnot to burn the cropresidue. Burning of rice straw is

not good for the soil, environ-ment, or thehumanhealth.Second, all the crop residue

should be returned to the soil.The soils in northern states aredepletedoforganicmatterpres-ent in the top layer. Thismattershouldcomprisearound2-3percent of the top soil but in thehighly depleted Indian soils, itspercentage is about 0 .1-0.2 percent. We practice extractivefarming, take away everything,anddon’tusecowdungmanure.Wehave a rule of soil health

management called the law ofreturns. Itmeanswhatever youtake fromland,youmustreturnin some formor the other. If weremove nitrogen, phosphorus,potassium and organic matter

from it, wemust return it too.Health of the soil is like thehealthofahumanbeing.Soil isabank account—you can’twith-drawmore than you put in. Solookafteryour soil.Thirdly,don’tuseinputssuch

as fertilisers indiscriminately.Farmers often broadcast fer-tiliserinstandingwaterinpaddyfields. The temperature is highandmostof thisfertiliserwillei-ther volatilise, causing globalwarming, or leach into theground, affecting our health.Inject fertiliser directly into thesoil, don’t broadcast on the sur-face.Fourthly,don’tusetopsoilfor

brickmaking. The top layer ofsoilhasbeenbuiltbynatureafter

millionsofyears.Sandminingisvery bad for soil. Carve out spe-cificminingsites,don’ttouchtherestof the land.Iwouldalso request farmers

not to practice flood irrigation.Just likewecan’tbreathe inwa-ter,norcantheorganismsinthesoil.Adoptdripirrigation,itsaves

water,andplantsgrowbetterastheir roots don’t get drowned.Floodirrigationmustbebanned.

Youbelievesoil isa livingorganism.Yes, soil is alive with 25 per

cent of all biodiversity. Did youknow that antibiotics like peni-cillin come frommicroorgan-isms living in the soil? But weuse fertilisers andpesticides in-discriminately and the soil dies.Soilmustneverdie. It shouldbeprotected, it shouldbe restored.Our shastras say dharti ismata.Earthshouldbeworshipped.

Shouldthegovernmenthelpin implementingsoil rights?Yes, the government should

reward farmers for ecosystemservices with an equivalent of$16ayearperacre.Farmerswhofollow good practices, grow acrop cover and let it mulchshouldberewarded.Farmersnotonly produce healthy food but

also mitigate climate change,and improvewaterquality.Healthof thesoil, plants, an-

imals, environmentandthehu-mans is interconnected. If thesoil health deteriorates, so doesours.

Whatrolecanfarmersplay inmitigatingclimatechange?Farmersareabigstakeholder

in mitigating climate change.Soilsarecarbonsinks—ifyouin-crease the organic matter byphotosynthesisingCO2fromtheatmosphereandbuilduptheor-ganicmatter in India to 2 -3percent in the next 20-30 years,many problems related to cli-mate changewill be alleviated.A healthy soil will protect you

from flooding in themonsoonanddrought in thesummers.Start the afforestation of the

Shivaliks to replenish our riversand groundwater besides put-tinganendtofloodingandland-slides.

DoesCovid-19presentanopportunityfor farming?Covid-19hasshownthatna-

ture can recover in a very shorttime if you stoppolluting it andadoptsustainablepractices.Dipin pollution has improved thequality of our air and water.Sustainablefarminghasabrightfuture,andCovid-19haspointedawayto it.

FULLINTERVIEWONwww.indianexpress.com

VARINDERBHATIALEH, JUNE21

THEGALWANValley in Ladakh,whereIndianandChinesetroopsclashedonJune15,onceechoedwith songs by LataMangeshkarandMohammedRafi.PhunchokTashi, aveteranof

the1962Indo-Chinawar,recallsa timewhen the Chinese ArmyusedloudspeakerstoplayHindisongs in an attempt to befriendtheIndiansoldiersandgetthemto leave theirposts.Now84-years-oldandliving

in Stok village, around 17 kmfrom Leh city, Tashi told TheIndian Express that two of thesongs the Chinese used to playwere Mangeshkar’sMan DoleMera Tan Dole from the 1954movie Nagin, and Rafi’s TumsaNahiDekha fromthe1957movieof thesamename.“I was in Daulat BegOldi (in

Ladakh) aspart of 14 J&KMilitiaCompany (which would laterformtheLadakhScouts).WegotorderstoreachGalwanValley.Atthat time, our post was called‘nayi post’ (newpost)... In thosedays, it was considered a dropzone and aircrafts used to dropration supplies.We used to pa-trol using horses and yaks. I re-member that Chinesewere ontop of the hill on the other side,whilewereintheplains,”hesaid.Tashisaidthetwosidesfaced

off for several days. “They keptsittingon topof thehill on theirside and we on the ground onour side. They had put up huge

loudspeakersandusedtomakeannouncements in Hindi – Yehjagah na aapka hai, na hamaarahai, aap bhi vaapis jao, hum bhivaapisjarahehain(Thislandnei-ther belongs to you, nor us. Youalso go back, we are also goingback). Then, after their lunchtime, they used to play songs...Fordays, theykeptondoing thesame thing and playing thesesongs,”Tashi said.He said the purpose of play-

ingthesongswas“anattemptbythe Chinese to befriend us andconvinceus toheadback”.Tashi, who retired as

Honorary Captain in 1988, saidthe Chinese activity along theLineofActualControlwasacom-mon occurrence even in 1962.“Therewasneveradisputesincetheywereontheirsideontopofthehill andwewereonour sideoftheriverintheplains... Idonotknow the exact reason whattranspired the ongoing tension,but itmustbebecause Indiahasnow created ample road infra-structureonour sideof the LAC,whichmight have troubled theChinese,”hesaid.

EXPRESSNEWSSERVICENEWDELHI, JUNE21

CONTINUINGWITH a volley ofquestions over PrimeMinisterNarendraModi’s remarksonthesituationinLadakh,theCongressSunday askedwhether the PMhas endorsed the Chinese posi-tionthatitsforcesneverintrudedintoIndianterritory.Adayafter accusingModi of

having“surrendered”Indianter-ritory to Chinese aggression,Congress leader Rahul GandhionSundaytookanotherswipeathim,sayingthat“NarendraModiis actually Surender Modi”.Hourslater,theCongress’ssocialmedia department head RohanGupta tweeted that “the bhaktsarealsonowhonestlyadmitting

thatitshouldbesurrenderModiandnotSurenderModi”.TheCPMtootargetedthePM,

sayinghis remarkshavecomeasamajorsetbacktothelegitimacyof theactofheroismof thebravesoldiers and undermines thestrengthofthediplomaticeffortsto resolve thedispute. In a state-ment, theparty said thegovern-ment’sclarificationshavenotonlyfailed to clear the air but haveaddedtotheconfusion."To attribute the questions

arising from the PM's observa-tionswhichcontradicts theposi-tions of MoD andMEA to 'mis-chievous interpretation' is, to saythe least, unfair.We seek a cate-gorical response to the queryabout theprecise locationof theclashandthecircumstances thatled to it, which should help in

clearingtheairandcreatecondi-tions for pursuing our officiallystatedobjective of de-escalationandrestorationofpeaceandtran-quility...,” theCPMsaid.Senior Congress leader Kapil

Sibal, at a press conference, said,“Is it not correct that China hasnever claimedGalwanValley asits territory? Is it alsonot correctthat China has now committedbrazen transgressions intoGalwan Valley?... Why is thePrimeMinister denyinghis ownDefenceMinisterandEAMstate-mentthatChinesehavesoughttoerect structure in the GalwanValleyonourside?...If ‘noonehasintruded into our territory’ and‘nooneisoccupyingourterritory’,whatwasbeingerectedbyChinaorwhatstatusquoanteordisen-gagementwereweseeking.”

MANAMANSINGHCHHINACHANDIGARH, JUN21

MAJOR GENERAL LachhmanSingh Lehl, one of India’s finestmilitarybrainsandoneof itslastsurviving officers to have takenpart in both the 1948 and 1971wars,passedawayinNewDelhionSaturday.Hewas97.Maj Gen Lehl was commis-

sioned in the Regiment ofArtilleryin1943.Hetookpart inthe 1948war in Jhangar area ofJammu and Kashmir as a cap-tain,andcommandedadivisionin the1971war.For his role as a forward ob-

servationofficerwiththe50ParaBrigade, he was decoratedIndia’s third-highest gallantryaward, theVirChakra.Punjab Chief Minister

Amarinder Singh tweeted.“Sorry to learn of the passingaway of Major General LS Lehl,whoplayedanimportantroleinthe 1971 victory in Bangladesh.Myheartfelt condolences to hisfamily.RIP.”MajGenLehlplayedapivotal

role in the 1971war in the EastPakistan sector, which wouldlater come to be known as thecountry of Bangladesh. HewastheGeneralOfficerCommandingof 20MountainDivision,whichwon the crucial battles of HilliandBogra.The GOC of Pakistan’s 16

InfantryDivision,MajGenNazirHussein Shah, had surrenderedto Maj Gen Lehl at the end ofthewar.

JohnBolton

PhunchokTashi

Trump thought ‘Chinagreatest cheater in world’:Former US NSA in memoir

In 1962, when Lata,Rafi songs echoedin Galwan Valley

Maj Gen Lehl,renownedveteran of 1948,1971 wars,dies aged 97

THE EXPRESS

INTERVIEWWITH

RATTANLALWINNER,

WORLDFOODPRIZE

‘Soil a living being, can boost farm output, mitigate climate change’

Cong, CPM target PM forremarks on Ladakh situation

EXPRESSNEWSSERVICELUCKNOW,JUNE21

BJP PRESIDENT J P Nadda onSunday accused theCongress ofpoliticising every issue, fromCovid-19 to the standoff withChinaandslammeditfor“break-ingthemoraleof theArmy”.Addressing a virtual rally,

Nadda said, “We have been inOpposition for a long time. In1962, when there were prob-lems,westoodwiththegovern-ment. Similarly, in 1965, ourparty stood with the govern-ment. Then, in the 1970s,whenwehad to get Bangladesh inde-pendence, our party stoodwiththe government. But when theCorona pandemic came orChina, the Congress has always

done politics andwemust un-derstand this...Wehavebeen inOpposition for a long time. Youcantaketuitionsfromusonhowtobe in theOpposition.”“Let’s talk about Galwan

Valley. Theway our Armywasfighting there and taking care ofevery inch of our land and pro-tected our borders…Where theentire country is standingwiththem,theCongresspartyiswork-ing day andnight to break theirmorale.We are not asking youhowmuch landChina tookdur-ingUPA (rule)…Today,we cansaywithpridethatfrom2014tillnow,98percentof border roadshavebeenmade,”saidNadda.Taking a dig at CongressMP

RahulGandhi,hesaid,“NarendraModiisnowSurenderModi.Heisnotonlytheleaderofhumans,but

also of thedevtas. Youhave saidthisonTwitter.Youshouldunder-standthelanguageofGod.Modijiisnotonly the leaderof humans,butalsoofdevtas,”saidNadda.Nadda thanked partywork-

ers across the country for help-ing people during the Covid-19outbreak. “When theworld su-perpowerswerefeelinghelplessand smaller countries’ health-care systemswere alsohelplessandbreakingdown…Inthesit-uation,Modijigaveleadershiptoacountryof135crorepeople.Heimposedatimelylockdownandtookdifficultdecisionsandkeptthepeopleof this country safe,”hesaid.Speaking at the virtual rally,

Chief Minister Yogi AdityanaththankedthePrimeMinisterforhisleadershipduringtheoutbreak.

Corona or China, Cong hasalways done politics: Nadda

CongressleaderAshwaniKumar

‘Time for nation to presentunited face against China’

New Delhi

8WWW.INDIANEXPRESS.COM

UNLIKE CHINAIndia’sdemocracyisbestservedbyOppositionthatasks

questionsevenasitshowssolidarity,governmentthatanswers

PRIMEMINISTER NARENDRAModi’s concluding remarks at the all-partymeeting on Friday sparked confusion and invited questions. Neither hasanyone intruded into Indian territory, nor has anyone capturedmilitaryposts, thePMsaid.Thisdidn'tseemtosquarewiththeofficialcommunica-tiononExternalAffairsMinisterSJaishankar’sphoneconversationwithhis

Chinesecounterpart inwhichhetoldhimthatChinesetroops’attemptstoerectastruc-tureinGalwanValleyontheIndiansideof theLACreflectedanintenttochangethefactson the ground. The statement seemedmore problematic seen alongside the unprece-dentedandformalChineseclaim,alsoonFriday, thattheGalwanValleyis locatedontheChinese side of the LAC. The PMOclarified on Saturday, saying that the PM’s statementpertainedtothesituationaftertheclashof June15,andthegovernmentunderlinedthattheChinese claimtoGalwanValleywasnot inaccordancewithChina’s ownposition inthepast. Given thenatureof the LACdispute, its history and, as importantly, its geogra-phy, ambivalence over framing itwill always be fraught.More sowhen lives have beenlost and tempersarehigh. That’swhy it’sdisappointing that in its clarification, thePMOlabelled the questioning of the PM’s remarks as “mischievous” and “motivated propa-ganda”, an “unnecessarycontroversy” to “lower their (soldiers’)morale”.On thedayaf-ter, theproblem isnot just that thePMO’s clarificationmaynot set thequestions to rest—butalso that itpaints theveryactof questioningas improperand illegitimate.That the government held an all-partymeeting and that the PMspoke to leaders of

theOppositiononthe face-offwithChinaspeaksof ademocracythatdoesnot freezeorshutdownincrisisbut seeks tohandle it throughmeans thatonlydemocraciespossess—acomingtogether,apoolingofwisdomandresources,acrosspoliticalandpartylines.ThesoldierswhodiedontheLACwerefightingforanationthattakesprideinthespacesandfreedomsofall itscitizens,acrossdivisionsandfaultlines,toaskquestionsof,andar-guewith, their government. It is alsobecause India is anopensociety that, in this coun-try, thesoldierswholost their livesonthenightof June16havebeengivenpublic funer-alsevenasChinarefuseseventoacknowledge,muchlesstopubliclymourn,itsowndead.Eversincethiscrisisbegan, leadersof theOppositionhave, infact,showedadmirable

maturityandrestraint,exceptfortheoddexceptionlikeRahulGandhi’s immature“whyishehiding”and“SurenderModi” targetingof thePM.Leading lightsof theOpposition,fromMamataBanerjeetoMayawatitoSharadPawar,havenotgivenintothetemptationof usinga troublednationalmoment tosettlepolitical scores. Thegovernmentneeds toreciprocate—notonlybytakingtheOppositiononboard,butalsobyrespectingitsrighttoaskquestions,withoutattributingmotivesorname-calling.AsIndiaframesaresponsetoChina’sactofaggression,andpreparesforthelonghaulahead,nationalinterestisbestservedbyanOppositionthatasksquestionsevenasitshowssolidarityandsupport,andbyagovernment that listens—andanswerswithhonestyandcivility.

RETURNING TO THE CITYAseconomicactivity resumes,governmentmusteasepassage

ofmigrantworkers tooldandnewplacesofwork

THE PHASE OF large-scale exodus of migrantworkers frommajor urbanand industrial centres to their home states is over. Not only has PrimeMinisterNarendraModiemphasised“unlock,unlock,unlock”asthewayforward,many industries have restarted in some form. Sectors such asFMCGarereportinghigherdemand—whetherforstaples,biscuits,snacks

andinstantnoodlesorsoapsandsanitisers—thanevenduringpre-COVID,simplybecauseofmorepeoplestillsittingat, ifnotworkingfrom,homes.Whilethehealthcareandtele-comindustriesoperatedevenduringthe lockdown,onecanexpectothersaswell—theneedtoavoidcrowdedtravelingandshoppingshould,forinstance,benefittwo-wheelermakersande-commerceplatforms—torampupcapacityutilisationinthecomingdays.Allthisshouldresultinthereturningmigrantlabourersleavingtheirvillagesagain.Their

goingbackwas,afterall,triggeredbythesuddenlossofworkandnoearningsforevensus-tainingthemselves,letalonesendinghome.Itwasanentirelyrationalresponse.Thatsamelogicwouldmake themhead again to their erstwhile or newplaces ofwork.Manpowershortages inproductionassembly lines, loadingandunloadingof goodsormakinghomedeliverieswillforceFMCGcompanies,automanufacturersandonlinegrocerstopayhigherwages intheshort run.Paddygrowersof PunjabandHaryana,whohavealwaysreliedonmigrantworkersfortransplantationoperations,areleftwithnochoiceeither.Forthelabour-ers, too, thewagepremiumsandlackof livelihoodoptionsbackhome—MGNREGAworkpaysjustRs194daily inBiharandRs201inUP—aregoingtobesignificant“pull” factors.TheModigovernmenthas launchedaGaribKalyanRojgarAbhiyantoprovide liveli-

hood opportunities through focused public infrastructureworks in 116 districts withlargereturneemigrantworkerpopulations.Butsuchschemescannotsubstitute forpri-vate sector activity inwhich this workforcewas previously engaged. There is a strongcase to increase thenumber of trains fromUP, Bihar, Jharkhand,West Bengal andothermigrant labourer-origin states,with strict enforcement of social distancing,wearing ofmasks andno issuing of unreserved tickets. Such trainsmay currently be runningwithlowridershipnumbers.Butthatwouldchangeasthedemandforlabourpicksup.There-sultant trickleof people returning forworkcanbemanagedbetter—and inamorehu-maneway—thanduring theexodus.

A time for maturity

Yogendra Yadav

Thecountryneedsade-escalationof rhetoric. Thegovernmentneedsroomtodecide its strategy

THEALL-PARTYMEETmayhavehelpedtofur-thernationalinterestinawaythatnoneoftheleadersmayhaveintended.ThePMwantedittobeashowofhissupport;hisownstatementandits inevitablefalloutresultedinshowcas-ing the critics. TheCongress took thewrongposturefortherightreasons:Itwantedtoaskcorrect questions to the government, butendedupappearingpetty.Thenon-Congressopposition said the right thing for thewrongreasons:Theywereeitherkeentocurryfavourwiththecentralgovernmentorhappytoletitcook its owngoose. In the end, the “hiddenhand”ofdemocraticpoliticsensuredthatacol-lisionofthesepettydesignsproducedacollec-tivegood:TheNarendraModiregimereceivedamuch-neededbreatherwithoutaringingen-dorsement.Thisneeds tobebuiltupon.Thestand-off

withChinahas exposed that this regimehascompromised national interest. Let us notcompound thedamageby trying to focusonitsfailuresinthemidstofanationaleconomiccrisis andhealth emergency. The only thingworsethanwhatthisgovernmenthasalreadydonewouldbe a knee-jerk attempt to undothedamageviasomegimmickthatisboundtoboomerang and inflict deeper injury to na-tionalinterest.Lettherebenoconfusiononthisscore.We

arenot lookingatoneerrorof judgment.Thepresentmessisaresultofatleastfivefailures.Lackoflong-termforeignpolicyforesightcom-binedwithintelligencefailuretoanticipatetheChinese incursion, refusal to respondonce itwas discovered, loss of nerve in backing thegroundtroopsandfinallyeconomyoftruthinfacinguptoandsharingtheharshgroundre-alitywiththenation—allthishasledustotheembarrassingmessthatwefindourselves in.True, facing up to determined assault fromChina is not easy andanyother governmentmaynothavemadeadramaticdifference.Butthechasmbetweenclaimsandrealitymaynothavebeenasbig.Theprimeminister’s desire for global ap-

probation and anoverwhelmingneed to beseenontheworldstageisonlymatchedbyhis

lackofunderstandingofhowinternationalpol-iticsoperates.Thefailureisastonishinglycon-sistent, fromhis aborted attempt at cultivat-ingNawazShariftoimaginingthatheisaclosebuddyof theUSPresident topretending thathe enjoys a special personal rapportwithXiJinping.ThePMcannottellpersonal-publicitygainsforhimselffrompolicy-politicalgainsforthecountry.Whilehecouldgetawaywiththeu-turnonPakistanandthecountryisyettoseethecostofTrump’srepeatedsnubs,thelackofforesight inmaking senseof theChinesede-signs is nowpainfully evident and lies at thebottomofthecurrentfiasco.Thiswas reinforced by a series of opera-

tional failures. Clearly, thegovernment failedtoanticipatetheseriousnessoftheChinesein-cursionthistimeduetoaKargil-likegoof-upinusingtheavailablemilitaryandelectronic in-telligence.Once the incursion tookplaceandwasknown,thegovernment’sentirefocuswasonperceptionmanagementratherthanman-agement of the borders. Oddly, the govern-ment’s successwith thepliantmediawas itsundoing as it could not leverage domesticdemocraticnoisetoitsadvantage.Throughthecharadeofde-escalationanddisengagement,Chinacouldseethat thegovernmentof Indiawasunder little domestic pressure to regaintheterritoriesfreshlycapturedbythePLA,thateverythingwasnegotiable.Andwhenitcametoactualconfrontation,thepoliticalleadershipshoweda loss of nerve. The “noescalationatanycost”messagefrompoliticalleadersmeantthatChinawasfreetoescalatecostsforIndia.Theworstfailure,andtheoneattherootof

allotherfailures,isthefailuretofaceandstatethe truth. Ever since news of the incursionstartedfilteringin,thegovernmentwentonadrive to coverup the facts about theChineseoccupation, culminating in the PM’s lie (“nooneentered”) in theall-partymeet. Thiswasnotjustafauxpasatoddswiththewell-knownfactsandtheofficialpositionof theMEA.Thisstatementwasprepared, perhaps rehearsedand thenbroadcast to theworld,without anappreciationof its diplomatic consequences.ThereislittlesurprisethattheChinesepropa-

gandamachine is gleefully translating andspreadingourPM’smessage for its ownpur-pose. In anyother country, such a statementbytheheadofthegovernmentcouldendangerhispoliticalcareer.Yetthisisnotthetimetofocusnationalen-

ergy onhis blunder.Weneed to rememberthat thismess is not just of hismaking. Anygovernmentwouldhavetodealwiththehugeand difficult legacy on the Chinese border.Besides, in a democracy, there is a time foreverything. There is time for national unityand there is time for political contestation.Anyonewhoputsnationalinterestabovetran-sientpoliticalgainswouldnotwishtopinthegovernmentdownat this stage for its failureandcertainlynot topush it intoamisadven-tureeitheronthemilitaryoreconomicfront.Jingoisticnationalismisthelastthingweneedtoday.National focusonexternal securityat this

stagewouldbeahugedistractionfromtheon-goingmedicalemergencyandeconomiccrisis,somethingwe simply cannot afford. Even apartialdiversionofnationalresourcesforamil-itaryengagementwouldbleedoureconomyandextinguishwhateverlittlehopeswehaveof a timely recovery from the present eco-nomiccrisis.Besides,evenifwewerenotfac-ingthistwinchallenge,retaliationisnotawisemove. The only thingworse than a simple-mindedpacifism is hot-headedmilitarism.Notwithstanding the bravery of our armedforces,anyattemptatmilitaryretaliationcouldbecounter-productive.Wecannotaffordaflat-footedeconomicboycotteither.So,this isamomenttotakeadeepbreath,

think of the long-termstrategic, diplomaticand economic options available to recoverwhatwehavelost.Thecountryneedsade-es-calation of rhetoric. The government needssomeroomtodecide its strategy.Maturena-tions do not reactwhen provoked, they re-spondwhen they choose to.Hemaynotde-serveitorevenacknowledgeit,butthis isthetimetohelpthePMretrievethesituation.

ThewriterisnationalpresidentofSwarajIndia

We need to remember thatthis mess is not just of thePM’s making. Anygovernment would have todeal with the huge anddifficult legacy on theChinese border. Besides, in ademocracy there is a time foreverything. There is time fornational unity and there istime for politicalcontestation. Anyone whoputs national interest abovetransient political gainswould not wish to pin thegovernment down at thisstage for its failure andcertainly not to push it into amisadventure either on themilitary or economic front.Jingoistic nationalism is thelast thing we need today.

FOUNDED BY

RAMNATH GOENKA

B E C A U S E T H E T R U T H I N V O L V E S U S A L L

§ §

THEINDIANEXPRESS,MONDAY, JUNE22,2020 WORDLYWISENoGovernmentcanbe long securewithout

a formidableOpposition.— BENJAMIN DISRAELITHEEDITORIALPAGE

Freeze Frame E P Unny

RajeshKochhar

WHY THE STATUE WAS TOPPLEDSlavetradermonumentmemorialisedmindsetthathasnoplaceinmodernworld

BLACKLIVESMATTERprotestorsatBristolinEngland toppled an 18-ft-high statue of a17th-century slave-trader, Edward Colston,andthrewitintotheriver.Thestatue,erectedmore than a century ago, commemoratedhis philanthropy. From today's perspective,what he didwith hismoney pales into in-significancecomparedtohowhecamebyit.For400years,slaveryhadthesanctionof

thechurch,royalty,merchants,scientists,andthe public. Prince Henry the “Navigator”,who initiated theexplorationof theAfricanwestcoast,wasappointedtheGrandMasterof thewell-endowedOrder of Christ by thePope.TheOrderbecametheprince’spowerbase,providinghimwithfinancialresourcesanddisciplinedmanpower.In1441,ahandfulofAfricannativeswere

captured and brought to Portugal. In 1444,anexpeditionunderthebannerof theOrderofChristreturnedwithacargoof235slaves.One-fifthofthenumberwerehandedovertothe church, which converted them toChristianityandsold them.Englandmadeamodestbeginninginthe

slave trade in 1562when Sir JohnHawkinssent300slavesfromAfricatoanislandintheWestIndiescalledHispaniola.Hisyoungrel-ative, FrancisDrake, beganhismaritimeac-tivitiesunderhisguidance.Inhisadventures,HawkinshadthesupportofQueenElizabethwho was making a significant statementwhenthe1581ceremonytoconferaknight-hoodonthenavigator,sea-pirate,slave-run-ner and patriot, Sir Francis Drake, was heldnot inherpalacebutonhis ship,TheGoldenHind.In1660,KingCharlesIIgavearoyalchar-

ter to the Company of Royal AdventurersTrading to Africa. Three years later, its re-newed charter explicitly mentioned slavetrade as one of its activities. By this time,England had acquired colonies in St Kitts,BarbadosandJamaicaintheWestIndies,andMarylandandVirginia inNorthAmerica. In1672, the company made way for RoyalAfrican Company (RAC), which lasted till1752. These two companies included asstockholdersmembers of the royalty, otherinfluentialpersons,theLondoncommercialestablishment, andColston. Between1672-1713, RAC bought 1,25,000 slaves on theAfrican coast of which 1,00,000 reachedEnglishWest Indies where theywere sold.In1660itself,CharlesII issuedaroyalchartertotheRoyalSocietyalso.TheSocietywasde-scribedasatwinsisterof theslavecompany.It owned stock in it and held overlappingmembershipwithit.Theexploitationofslavelabourand theadvancementof naturalhis-tory proceeded hand in hand. Finally,England banned slave trade in 1807, andabolished slavery in 1833. By this time,Englandwaswell-entrenched in India anditseconomyhadbecome industrial.The ban on slave trade did notmean its

immediatebanishment. In1830,SirCharlesMalcolm, superintendent of the BombayMarine,decidedtomeettheshortageofsea-men in the BombayMarines (later IndianNavy)byimportingmanpowerfromtheeastcoastofAfricaandthenearbyislands.Theseports were already notorious as “the greatemporiaof theslave trade”.CommanderJohnCroftHawkinswasdi-

rected to bring “as many able-bodied lads

as you can, in age from twelve to eighteen,free from all disease and bodily infirmity,and of that compact symmetry best calcu-lated for seamen”. He bought about 30Negroboys, someofwhomwere“of amoretenderagethanwasauthorised”.Twoof theboysstatedbefore themagistrate that theyhad not received anymoney but had beenordered by their master to board the shiptoBombay.Hawkinswas held guilty of slave trade,

imprisoned, and ordered to be transportedtoAustralia for a termof seven years. In theeyesoftheestablishment,hehaddonenoth-ingwrong.Hewas seen as the victim in thewarfarebetween the judiciary and thegov-ernment. From Bombay, he was taken toMadraswherehewasfetedasanofficeranda gentleman. On reaching Jakarta, the cap-tain decided that the ship would changecourse and proceed to England. In London,theKinggavea freepardontoHawkins.TheEastIndiaCompanycompensatedhimfinan-cially and tookhimback into servicewherehe flourished.Slavery treated the enslaved as sub-hu-

man, nothing more than muscle power.Banningapracticethroughlegislativeactiondoesnotaffect thatmindset.Changingit re-quires coordinatedactionon legislative, ex-ecutive, social, and economic fronts.Whenthe extant framework is being challenged,insisting on lawandorder is tantamount topreserving and strengthening the discred-ited framework.

Kochhar isauthorofTheVedicPeople:TheirHistoryandGeography

England made a modestbeginning in the slave tradein 1562 when Sir JohnHawkins sent 300 slavesfrom Africa to an island inthe West Indies calledHispaniola. His youngrelative, Francis Drake,began his maritime activitiesunder his guidance. In hisadventures, Hawkins hadthe support of QueenElizabeth who was making asignificant statement whenthe 1581 ceremony to confera knighthood on thenavigator, sea-pirate, slave-runner and patriot, SirFrancis Drake, was held notin her palace but on his ship,The Golden Hind’.

CHINA’S DEALCHINA SUGGESTED THAT its border prob-lemwithIndiabesettledonthebasisof thepresent line of actual control. In an inter-view to the editor of a New Delhi defencejournal, the Chinese vice-premier, DengXiaoping, said; ‘‘I thinktheborderproblembetween IndiaandChinacanbesolved inapackage deal". In the eastern sector, Chinacould recognise “the so-called McMahonLine”,whichwasaleftoverbyhistory.Askedto elaborate, Deng said: “While we canrecognise thepresent lineof actual controlto theeastensector, Indiashouldrecognisethestatusquo in thewesternsector”.Dengsaidthat if thetwosidescouldnotreachan

accordonthisproblem,“thenwecanput itaside” .“Thisproblemshouldnothinderde-velopment of relations between our twonations”. Inreplytoanotherquestion,Dengsaid there were no serious differences be-tween the two countries on internationalissues. He said he was aware that PrimeMinister IndiraGandhiwaskeentosolvealldisputeswithChina.OntheKashmir issue,Dengsaid:“This isaproblembetweenIndiaand Pakistan and should be settled amica-bly” (China has until now supported thePakistani stand that thepeople of Kashmirshould be allowed the right of self-deter-mination).HesaidtheChineseforeignmin-ister,HuangHua,wouldvisit Indiasoonand

inviteMrsGandhi to visit China. China hasbeen claiming about 1,15,000 sq km ofIndianterritory.Of this, it isactually inpos-sessionof about25,000 sqkmin thewest-ern sector.

BOOSTING POWERMOST STATES HAVE agreed to PrimeMinister IndiraGandhi's suggestiontoplantheir power generating capacities at least10 per cent ahead of the rate of growth indemand.Thetwo-dayconferenceofpowerministerswhich ended inDelhi today, alsoagreedtotheproposal fora420kvnationalpower grid in the central sector to come totheaidof thestateswhichrunintodistress.

JUNE 22, 1980, FORTYYEARSAGO

New Delhi

9THEINDIANEXPRESS,MONDAY, JUNE22,2020

WHATTHEOTHERSSAY“The fact is that instead of being a regional bully, India must learn to peacefullycoexist with all its neighbours in the spirit of harmony and mutual respect.”

—DAWNTHE IDEASPAGEWWW.INDIANEXPRESS.COM

The estimated economic costof rice in 2020-21 is Rs37,267/tonne and that ofwheat is Rs 28,838/tonne.Even if one takes aconservative and lowerballpark figure of Rs30,000/tonne for simplicityas the combined economiccost of rice and wheat, thevalue of this ‘excessive stock’,beyond the buffer norm, isRs 1,50,000 crore. This isunproductive capital locked-up in the Central pool of FCI.Unlock this by liquidating‘excess stocks’ through openmarket operations as muchas can be done by inviting theprivate sector in a big way tohold these stocks, atwhatever reasonable marketprice it can get.

Findingway forwardBelatedall-partymeetingexhibitedmuch-neededsupport forgovernment, also flagged

issues thatneedtobeaddressed

SOMEYEARSAGO,assomeoneaspiringtobe the primeminister of India, NarendraModi had alluded tomy friendly visit toChinaandproclaimedthatweshouldhaveshown “red eyes” to Beijing instead. I hadbecome external affairs minister after along journey India and China had em-barked upon together, following thenPrimeMinisterRajivGandhi’spath-break-ing visit which resulted in a thaw of thepost-1962freezeinrelations.Wetooksev-eralstepstorepairthedamagethatoures-trangementhadcaused.Weoptedtoopenup trade and business with China, unde-terred by the pending issue of the LAC.RegardingthesensitivityabouttheLAC,wehad the Peace and Tranquility agreementwithamechanismforperiodictalksatthelevel of Special Representatives. Slowandsteadywas themutually acceptedpace toiron out the differences of perception ontheLAC—inthehopethatwewould,ulti-mately,beabletoaccomplishdemarcation.This allowedperiodic stand-offs betweentheIndianArmyandthePLAtoberesolved,despite the differing perceptions regard-ing theLAC.The reports of themost recent trans-

gressions by China, in terms of the placeson themap and the number of incidents,suggest that the current scenario is quitedifferent from the pattern of the past.Similarly,ourresponse,too,seemsdifferentin that the talks initiated aremilitary-to-militaryinsteadofbeingsteeredbythefor-eignministry.Themilitarycan,atbest,takesteps to reduce the local tension and givefeedbackforthegovernmentstolookatthedifferences of perception again. But thistime, the Chinese seem to be looking forsomethingelse.ThereisapoliticalmessagethatcanbeseeninthecontextofconcertedeffortsbeingmadetosurroundandisolateChina. The concerns about the origin andhandling of COVID-19 as well as USPresident Donald Trump’s calculationshaveonlyaddedto thepressure.Whatever be China’s ambitions in the

EastChinaSea,theIndianOcean,theOBOR,and theworld, India needs to take a posi-tionthatsuitsitandaddressesitsimmedi-ate concerns rather than play “follow theleader” to those whose current positionmight be adversarial to China but couldchange radically in a short period. Indiamayhaveenoughforitself intermsofmil-

itaryware,butitisfarfromadequatetoen-gage in a two-front engagement and joininpolicing the Indo-Pacific.Ifwethinkcarefully,wewouldat least

figure out that an India-Chinawar is nei-therdesirablenorfeasible. Infact,nowarisreallypossible inour times. In the comingyears, we might all have to think moreabout economic survival thandominanceandpowergames.Where is the charm that PMModi re-

serves forglobal colleagues?Couldhenothavedrawnonhisreserves,ashedrawsontheRBIreservestokeepthedomesticecon-omyfromstallingincrisis?Orarewetobe-lieve that China is immune to the charmanditssenseofself-interestissostrongthatfamiliar gesturesmean little. Be that as itmay,withthereportof tragiccasualtiesonthe Indian side, the first since 1975, this isno longer something that can be treatedwith a shrug of “this too shall pass”. Wehave reached the point of no return, so tospeak.ThequestionsposedbytheCongressmightnotbeanswered,but thingscannotgoon like this.Ifwarisnotapracticalsolution,howdo

wego forward?Tobeginwith,wehave togaugehowmuchChina flexes itsmusclesto dominate and expand, or howmuch itis prepared to engage in somesymbolismthat it thinks serves another purpose.Whileweareonthatjob,wemightaswellfigure out howwewant to position our-selves.Wewanttoleadintheworld—andwecan,insoftware,sports,culture,etc.Wealso want to be an economic power thatcanmatchChina—perhaps indue courseit is possible, butwith a lot of hardwork.Wewant to be amilitary power tomatchChinaaswell, forwhichwewillhavetoin-novate on the strategies of warfare andtraining.Wewanttowinfriendsandinflu-ence people, but for that wewill have toshowthat liberty isuniqueto India for theworld toemulate.Whatever callwe take,Doklammust-

n'tberepeated. It is for thegovernmentofthe day to find the way and not for theOpposition to shoulder the burden. Ourabilitytopulloff surgicalstrikesandairat-tacks, surely, is a reputation that doesnotconfine itself to our western border. Ofcourse, the targetmightnotbeanequallysitting duck.We need to draw the line ofhonourwith care, but draw itwemust. Ifever India had amann ki baat to say, it isthis.The belated all-partymeeting exhib-

itedthemuch-neededsupportforthegov-ernmentbutflaggedissuesthatneedtobeaddressedaspartofalargerapproach.Howareweto livewithaneighbourwedidnotchoose,butneedtolivewithinhonourandcooperation?

Thewriter isa seniorCongress leaderand formerexternalaffairsminister

INDIAISSTARINGatsomestressfulmonths.Fighting the coronavirus on one hand, anddefending the borders fromChinese incur-sions on the other will require mobilisinglarge resources. Most economists are pro-jecting the fiscal deficit (Centre and statescombined) to be about 10-11 per cent ofGDP. Going beyond that may not be veryprudent. It requires urgent scanning andpruning of unproductive public expendi-tures.While the sale of non-strategic stateenterprises has been on the cards for quitesometime,theNarendraModigovernmenthasnotbeenverysuccessfulonthatfrontsofar.Andnow,giventherecessionaryoutlook,it may not be easy to get a good price for“state silver”.However, there is one area which the

ModigovernmentcantaptoraisemorethanRs 1,00,000 crore, provided it takes boldsteps. It is the“mountainsof grain” that theFoodCorporationof India(FCI)hasaccumu-lated. As on June 1, FCI had unprecedentedgrain stocks of 97 million metric tonnes(mmt) intheCentralPool (seeFigure).Evenon July 1, when the procurement of rabiends, FCI is likely to have grain stocks ofabout 91-92 mmt, against a buffer stocknormof41.12mmtthatarerequired for thePublicDistributionsystem(PDS),andsomestrategic reserves. So, compared to thisnorm,onJuly1,FCIwillhave“excessstocks”of at least 50mmt.The estimated economic cost of rice in

2020-21 is Rs 37,267/tonne and that ofwheat isRs28,838/tonne.Even if onetakesaconservativeand lowerballpark figureofRs30,000/tonne for simplicityas thecom-binedeconomiccostof riceandwheat, thevalue of this “excessive stock”, beyond thebuffernorm, isRs1,50,000crore.This isun-productivecapital locked-up in theCentralpool of FCI. Unlock this by liquidating “ex-cess stocks” through open market opera-tions as much as can be done by invitingtheprivatesector inabigwaytohold thesestocks, at whatever reasonable marketprice it can get. It will not recover its fulleconomic cost, as they are much higherthan the prevailing market prices, but bynot liquidating it, FCI will keep incurringunnecessary interest costs of about Rs8,000-10,000croreperannum.This is sim-ply dumb foodpolicy.TheModi’sgovernment’srecentamend-

mentof theEssential CommoditiesAct, viatheordinance route, cancomehandy to in-stilconfidenceintheprivatesectorforbuild-ing large scale storage. The ordinance as-sures that stocking limits will not beimposedontheprivatesector,exceptunderexceptional circumstances such as naturalcalamity, and wars. It should, however,delete the clause of “extraordinary pricerise”, if it really wants to invite the privatesectorbuildinglargeandmodernstoragefa-cilities (silos). It will propel investments inbuildingmore efficient food supply lines.Theonlyconditioncouldbetoregister large

storage facilities under theWarehousingDevelopment and Regulatory Authority(WDRA) to know howmuch stock is therewith theprivate sector, andwhere.The other two ordinances relating to

agri-marketing are already commendable.Theoneon“TheFarmers’ProduceTradeandCommerce (Promotion and Facilitation)Ordinance,2020” createsmultiplechannelsfor farmerstosell theirproduceoutsidetheAPMCmandisystemandalsohelpstowardsanunfettered all Indiamarket for agri-pro-duce. Of course, itwill be resisted bymanystates that are taking undue advantage oftheAPMCmandis’virtualmonopolypower.But if thecentralordinanceis implementedin its true spirit, itwill be agamechanger.The other ordinance named “The

Farmers (Empowerment and Protection)Agreement on Price Assurance and FarmServices Ordinance, 2020” aims to encour-agecontract farming.Thebasic ideabehindthis isthatfarmers’sowingdecisionsshouldbemade in view of the expected prices ofthose crops at the time of harvest. It is for-wardlookingandmorealignedtothelikelydemand and supply situation. The currentpractice, where farmers’ sowing decisionsaremore influencedby last year’s price, of-ten leads to theproblemof boomandbust.Although honouring an assured price re-mainsachallengewhenactualmarketcon-ditions differwidely at the timeof the har-vest, there are ample cases of successwithvaryingmodels of contract farming hedg-ing theprice risksof farmers.Together,all thethreeordinancesare in

the right direction, andwithminor refine-mentsas theybecomelaw, theycan laythe

foundation of a muchmore efficient agri-marketing system in India than the exist-ingone.TheModigovernmentneedstoen-sure they are implemented properly bystates, which will benefit both the farmeraswell as theconsumer.Themain losers inthis game would be some arhatias (com-mission agents), who have been scoopingup an unduly large share in the agri-valuechains.Somelocalpolitical leaderswhoareinclosenexuswiththearhatias’ lobbymayalso lose clout.Theother relatedarea tomobilise addi-

tional resources is that of food subsidy. Inthe Union budget of 2020-21, a sum of Rs1,15,570crorehasbeenprovisionedforfoodsubsidy. This number is highlymisleadingas FCI has been asked to borrowmore andmore resources from other sources, espe-cially the National Small Savings Fund(NSSF). As onMarch 31, 2020, borrowingsfrom the NSSF were Rs 2,54,600 crore, onwhichFCIpays interest rateof 8.4 to8.8percent per annum. So, the real food subsidybill for2020-21amountstoRs3,70,170crore(Rs1,15,570croreplusRs2,54,600crore).LettheModigovernmentlistentoitsownchiefeconomicadvisor,whathisteamhadtosayinTheEconomicSurvey:Reducethecover-ageunderPDS;linkissuepricetoatleasthalfof the procurement price; andmove grad-uallytowardscashtransfers.Thesestepswillsave aminimum of Rs 50,000 crore annu-ally.Andthecountryneedstheseresourcesdesperatelytosavelives,bothfromthevirusandatborders.

Thewriter is Infosys chair professor foragricultureat ICRIER

FIRM AND CAUTIOUS

THIS REFERS TO the article, ‘The roadfromGalwan’ (IE, June19).Thebloodyfaceoff on the LAChashurtleddown-hill the already tense India-China re-lations. Resolving the disputed areasin eastern Ladakh will becomemoredifficult now.Retaliationwill escalatematters without any concrete gains.India must tread cautiously, talk ofpeace but keep its powder dry.Firmness and not foolishness is re-quired at this juncture.

VijaiPant,Hempur

NO REAL CHANGETHIS REFERS TO the editorial, ‘Easiersaid’ (IE, June 19). TheDepartment ofTelecommunications’ decision not touse Chinese equipment and IndianRailways cancelling a contract aresymbolic and meant to pacify thecommonIndian.Thegroundreality isnot going to change. Chinese firmshave invested heavily in the Indianmarket — it is difficult to get rid ofthem. “Boycotting Chinese goods” isalso not going to work until we canmanufacture indigenously at a com-petitive cost.

AnilKumar Jain, Jaipur

PEACE HURDLESTHISREFERSTOthearticle, ‘Biting thebullet’ (IE, June19).Thewriter’snarra-tive seems to ring true that theChineseaggressionin1962couldhavebeen averted if in 1960 JawaharlalNehru had accepted China’s offer toend the border dispute through give-and-take. Of course, the present all-powerful BJP leadership could haveachieved what Nehru could not, iffromthedayafter comingtopower itdared to shun a jingoistic agenda. Inthat case there would have beenpeace.

TarsemSingh,Mahilpur

THIS REFERS TO the article, ‘Biting thebullet’ (IE, June 19). China, itself faringrelatively better, has taken full advan-tageof thegloomysituationprevailingdue to COVID-19 globally to show ag-gressionnotonlyagainstIndia,butalsoother Asian nations. It has deceivedIndia in the disguise of manyModi-Xisummits. None of the options sug-gested by the author are realistic as anationalist BJP would never concedeanypartof land toChina.

RavdeepSinghHundal,Ferozepur

WORRYING SIGNSTHIS REFERS TO the editorial, ‘GobiManchurian’ (IE, June 20). Before thecurrent wave of hyper nationalismand isolationism swept the world,there was a belief that whatever thedifferences between governments,people could always connect. Thatseemstohavechanged.Theminister’sremark about Chinese cuisine is hu-mourousatone level.But it isalsodis-turbing. “Chindian” as Indian as any-thing else. Jingoism now threatensdiversity and adapatability — thingsthatmake India great.

BiswadeepChatterjee,viaemail

LETTERS TO THEEDITOR

IF ONE THOUGHT creatingmisinformationduring a tense international situationwasdoneonlybyforeignadversaries,thatnotionhasbeenchallenged in the last twodays.Prime Minister Narendra Modi, ad-

dressing the All-Party meet, said, “Na va-haan koi hamaari seema mein ghus aayahai aur na hi koi ghusa hua hai, na hihamaarikoipostkisidoosrekekabzemeinhai” (No vehicle has entered Indian terri-tory, norhasa singleoneof ourpostsbeencaptured by anyone). This was said in thecontext of the confrontation at GalwanValley, where 20 soldiers of the 16 Biharregiment laid down their lives.Simply put, Prime Minister Modi was

saying that neither was any intrusion al-lowednor is thereany intruderwithinourterritory. Further, none of our posts hasbeen taken over by anyone. Modi did notsay that therewas no attempt at an intru-sion. He clearly said, in the same speech,that thebravesonsof thesoilhadrebuffedthosewhodaredtochallengeBharatMata.However, somevestedinterestspainted

the townred(pun intended)with themis-information that PMModi claimed therewas no intrusion attempt at all and thatnothing happened on June 15-16.Now that this crude attempt -- which

plays right intoChina’squest tocreatecon-fusion in India -- has been defanged, onemust ask why these people spread such

misinformation.Surely, therewasasmall sectionofpeo-

ple who did not even read the PM’s state-ment correctly andweremisled. But quitea fewof thosewhowent to townwith thismisinformationalsohappentobecompul-sive, partisan critics of NarendraModi.These people are also, in some way or

the other, beholden to the UPA regime.They sought to take our attention awayfromsomeuncomfortable truths byman-ufacturing controversies.Eversince tensionswithChinawerere-

ported, the history of India-China borderissueswasdiscussed invariousmediaandfora.Andsomehard facts fromthepastbe-gan to surface.The history of the Jawaharlal Nehru

government’s Himalayan blunder is well-known. In a craven surrender of land, itgave up the strategically important AksaiChin region of about 37,000 square km.Every time Indians fumeover an incorrectmapof India that leavesoutAksaiChin,oneis reminded of the cavalier “not a singleblade of grass grows there” attitude ofNehru. But this is perhaps too far back inthe past.Onewouldhaveexpected latergovern-

ments tohave learnt fromthebetrayal thatmany say broke Nehru so badly that henever recovered. But later Congress gov-ernments were, at best, just as bad as the

Nehru government.Specifically, theManmohanSinghgov-

ernment allowed China to occupy hugetractsof land.Reports in2013said that theUPA gave up about 640 square km of landacrossDepsang, Chumar andPangongTsotothePeople’sLiberationArmy.Therewerea reported 600 incursions made by Chinafrom2010 to 2013.This loss of landwas only the tip of the

iceberg.The loss of economic, military and

strategic initiative over the years has setIndia back by decades with respect toChina.Whenitcomesto theeconomy,evenas

DengXiaoping in the 1980swas changingthe direction of China’s economy throughreforms, theCongress’seconomicmisman-agement took India in the opposite direc-tion. The divergence between the twocountrieshasbecomesohugethatacoun-try whose economywas floundering ear-lier is nowmany times bigger than India’seconomy.Onthe lossof strategic initiative, listen-

ing to UPA’s Defence Minister in 2013 onhow India was far behind China in build-ing any border infrastructure would suf-fice. Itwas a damning admission.In contrast, the Modi government has

accelerated the building of border infra-structure,which is oneof the reasonswhy

thedragon is rattled.Byapproving thecre-ationof roadsbyBROwithin100kmofaer-ial distance from the LAC, removing bu-reaucratic roadblocks, delegating powersto the operational levels rather than hav-ing all approvals come fromdefencemin-istry, theModigovernmenthasshownthatitmeans business.On the geopolitical front, too, theModi

government’s China policy has been a de-parture from that of the UPA.While therehas been a hand of friendship extended atMamallapuram, a bloody nose was alsodealt out at Doklam.While Modi went toWuhan, his government did not acceptChina’sOBOR(OneBeltOneRoad)initiative.To help the Congress wash away the

Bofors taint, a loudsectionof thecommen-tariat triedtoslandertheModigovernmenton the Rafale matter. It did not succeed.Similarly, to wash the Congress’s taint of1962 and 2013, the same loud section ofthecommentariatmanufacturesnewsandcontroversies to show the Modi govern-ment as “weak” on China.But thedangerouspart is theyaredoing

thisat thecostofnational interest, ata timewhenChinawould rather see India politi-cally divided than united.

Thewriter is a retiredmajor general ofthe IndianArmyandwas awarded the

Vishisht SevaMedal

TwistingPM’sspeechisamanufacturedcontroversybyhiscompulsivecritics

Playing into China’s hands

S P Sinha

IDEASONLINE

ONLY IN THE EXPRESS

●●YOGAFORUNITY:RAMESHPOKHRIYAL

NISHANK

●●THEDIGITALDIVIDE:TANUSHUKLAAND

VIRENDRASINGHNIRBAN

www.indianexpress.com

SalmanKhurshid

Offloadingexcess foodgrainstocks throughopenmarketoperationswillgeneratemuch-neededresources for thegovernment

Crisis and Mobilisation

byAshokGulatiFROM PLATE TO PLOUGH

CR Sasikumar

■WheatStocks(July1)■BufferStockNorm(R+W)■RiceStock(July1)

MillionTonnes

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02005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020*

*2020 firgure isof June1. Source: FCI

GRAINSTOCKS IN THECENTRALPOOL ANDBUFFERSTOCKNORM (JULY 1)

New Delhi

10 WWW.INDIANEXPRESS.COMTHEINDIANEXPRESS,MONDAY,JUNE22,2020

U.P.R.V.U.N.L. TENDER NOTICE HARDU-AGANJ THERMAL POWER STATIONSuperintending Engineer, ECCC,Kasimpur. 1. E-Tender No.06/ECCC/ECCD-III/HTPS/2019-20, Name ofwork “Fire Fighting system installation workaround multistory towers and officer’s club inNew Colony Harduaganj Thermal PowerStation, Kasimpur (Aligarh)”, Estimated CostRs. 41,73,777.00, Earnest Money Rs.84,000.00, Tender Cost Rs. 4200.00+756.00 (18% GST) Rs. 4956.00.ExtendedLast date and time for submission of e-bid(http://etender.up.nic.in) 30.06.2020 upto02.00 Hrs., Extended e-bid Openingdate/time (Part-I) 01.07.2020 at 04.00 Hrs.or later. Time of completion 06 Months. 2. E-tender No. 10/ECCC/ECCD-III/1X660MW/HTPS/2019-20, Name of work“Construction of RCC Road, drain, CISFBoundary Wall, in new colony, HarduagnajThermal Power Station Colony Kasimpur(Aligarh)”, Estimated Cost Rs.4,29,88,502.25, Earnest Money Rs.8,68,000.00, Tender Cost Rs. 15000.00 +2700.00 (18% GST) Rs. 17700.00.Extended Last date and time for submissionof e-bid on date 30.06.2020 up to 02:00 Hrs.Extended E-bid opening on date/ time (Part-I) 01.07.2020 at 04:00 Hrs of later. Time ofcompletion 09 month. SUPERITENDINGENGINEER, ELECTRICITY CIVIL MAINTE-NANCE CIRCLE, Kasimpur 3. E. TenderNo. 77 /ECMC/ECMD-II/HTPS/2019-20,Name of work “SUPPLY & SERVING OFTEA ETC. IN CONFERENCE ROOM in2X250 MW HTPS, KASIMPUR”. Estimatedcost 4.58 Lac, Earnest money 9,000.00, E-Tender cost Rs. 500.00+90 GST(18%) Rs.590.00. Tender extended date extended Lastdate and time for submission of e-bid(http://etender.up.nic.in) 01.07.2020 up to14:00 Hrs., e-bid extended date/time forOpening (Part-I) 02.07.2020 at 16:00 Hrs. orlater. Time of Completion- 12 Month.Superintending Engineer. Coal HandlingCircle Kasimpur Aligarh): 4. Tender No.ET-03/CHC/CHD ‘C’TPS/HTPS/2019-20,“DAY TO DAY AND ROUTINE MAINTE-NANCE OF BULL-DOZERS”, Estimatedcost Rs.5.52 Lacs. Earnest MoneyRs.11040.00, Cost of tender documentRs.600.00+Rs.108.00 (GST) = Rs.708.00Extended Last date of E-bid Submission22.07.2020 up to 13:00 Hrs., Extended Dateof Hard Copy Submission date 23.07.2020up to 13:00 Hrs, and Date of opening Part-I24.07.2020 at 16:00 Hrs. NOTE: (1) Thedetails for submission of bids will be avail-able on e-procuremen website:http://etender.up.nic.in w.e.f. dated:-20.05.2020 at 10:00 Hrs. (2) The bidders arerequired to be registered with U.P.Electronics Corporation, Ashok Marg,Lucknow by depositing requisite fees for par-ticipation in the e-Tendering. The biddermust also be registered with their DigitalSignature Certificate (DSC) in the e-biddingsystem, after that the bidder can participatein bid submission activity. SUPERINTEND-ING ENGINEER. OPERATION & MAINTE-NANCE CIRCLE-IV, D’TPS, KASIMPUR 5.E-Tender Notice No. ET- 12/O&MC-IV/DTPS/EMD-II/DT.P.S./2020-21, “Overhauling of M/S GE Make Spectronic 0.4KVACB Breaker Installed in Unit 8 & 9 and BOPArea, Harduaganj ‘D’ Thermal PowerStation, Kasimpur, Aligarh for the period ofOne Year” Estimated Cost Rs. 5,78,536.00.Earnest Money Rs. 11,571.00 Cost ofTender document Rs. 600.00 +108.00 (GST)= Rs. 708.00 Opening date of tender are asbelow:-Due date of Submission of e-Bid(Technical & Financial) at e-procurementwebsite http://etender.up.nic.in : 25.07.2020up to 14:00 Hrs., Due date of depositingTender Cost & Earnest Money in the HTPSaccount through RTGS/B.G. up-to maximumon dated: 25.07.2020 up to 14:00 Hrs. duedate of submission of hard copy of all therequisite documents in the office of under-signed maximum on dated: 27.07.2020,Tender opening date, Part-A: 27.07.2020 at16:00 Hrs. NOTE: (1) The details for submis-sion of bids will be available on e-procure-ment website: http://etender.up.nic.in w.e.f.18:00 Hrs. dated:- 23.06.2020. (2) The bid-ders are required to be registered with U.P.Electronics Corporation, Ashok Marg,Lucknow by depositing requisite fees for par-ticipation in the e-Tendering. The biddermust also be registered with their DigitalSignature Certificate (DSC) in the e-biddingsystem, after that the bidder can participatein bid submission activity. SUPERINTEND-ING ENGINEER, OPERATION & MAINTE-NANCE CIRCLE- 1. DTPS. HTPS, KASIM-PUR 6. E-Tender Notice No.: ET-02/CAMD/DTPS/HTPS/2020-21. Name ofwork: Round the clock Up keeping and rou-tine cleaning of TG Hall, Service Buildingand chimney Elevators and rescue work ofpassengers in any of the elevators of 2X250MW, HTPS, Kasimpur (Aligarh) as and whenrequired. Estimated Cost: Rs. 5,48,856.00/-,Earnest Money: Rs. 11,000.00/-only. TenderCost: Rs.708.00/ Period of Work: 01 Year.Extended Due date of Submission of e-Bid(Technical & Financial) at e procurementwebsite http://etender.up.nic.in : 06/07/2020upto 14:00 Hrs., Extended Due date ofSubmission of Hard Copy of all the requisitedocuments with Tender Cost & EarnestMoney, in the office of Undersigned:07.07.2020 up to 14:00 Hrs. Tender shall beopened on Extended Date Part-A:07.07.2020 at 16:00 Hrs. and Part-B: shallbe intimated later. NOTE: (1) The details forsubmission of bids are available in the biddocument uploaded on the e-procurementwebsite: http://etender.up.nic.in (2) The bid-ders are required to be registered with U.P.Electronics Corporation, Ashok Marg,Lucknow by depositing requisite fees for par-ticipation in the e-Tendering. The biddermust also be registered with their DigitalSignature Certificate (DSC) in the e-biddingsystem, after that the bidder can participatein bid submission activity. 7. E-Tender NoticeNo.: ET-06/CAMD/DTPS/HTPS/2020-21.Name of work: Breakdown maintenance ofFire lines, Valves, NRV’s, Diesel Engines offire fighting system installed at BOP of2x250MW DTPS, HTPS. Estimated Cost:Rs. 5,52,054.00/-. Earnest Money:Rs.11,050.00/-only. Tender Cost:Rs.708.00/-(With GST) Period of Work: 01Year. Due date of Submission of e-Bid(Technical & Financial) at e-procurementwebsite http://etender.up.nic.in : 27.07.2020upto 14:00 Hrs., Due date of Submission ofHard Copy of all the requisite documentswith Tender Cost & Earnest Money, in theoffice of Undersigned: 28.07.2020 up to14:00 Hrs. Tender shall be opened on DatePart-A: 28.07.2020 at 16:00 Hrs. and Part-B:Shall be intimate later. NOTE: (1) The detailsfor submission of bids are available in the biddocument uploaded on the e-procurement

website: http://etender.up.nic.in (2) The bid-ders are required to be registered with U.P.Electronics Corporation, Ashok Marg,Lucknow by depositing requisite fees for par-ticipation in the e-Tendering. The biddermust also be registered with their DigitalSignature Certificate (DSC) in the e-biddingsystem, after that the bidder can participatein bid submission activity. 8. E-Tender No. T-01/AHD/‘D’TPS/HTPS/2020-21, Name ofwork: Round the Clock Operation, Routine &Preventive mechanical maintenance andBreakdown mechanical maintenance of AshHandling Plant of Unit No. 08 & 09, ‘D’TPS,HTPS Kasimpur for a period of one year,Estimated cost of Work; Rs. 75,67,620.00,Earnest Money: Rs. 1,52,000.00, TenderCost: Rs. 1180.00 (1000.00+180.00 GST),Due date of Submission of e-Bid (Technical& Financial) at e-procurement websitehttps://etender.up.nic.in : 25.07.2020 upto14:00 Hrs., Due date of depositing TenderCost & Earnest Money in the HTPS accountthrough RTGS up-to maximum on dated:25.07.2020 up to 14:00 Hrs., Tender openingdate, Part-I: 27.07.2020 at 16:00 Hrs. NOTE:(1) The details for submission of bids will beon the e-procurement website:https://etender.up.nic.in w.e.f. 09:00 Hrs.dated 20.06.2020. (2) The bidders arerequired to be registered with U.P.Electronics Corporation, Ashok Marg,Lucknow by depositing requisite fees for par-ticipation in the e-Tendering. The biddermust also be registered with their DigitalSignature Certificate (DSC) in the e-biddingsystem. After that the bidder can participatein bid submission activity. SuperintendingEngineer, Operation & MaintenanceCircle-IV, Hdi, ‘D’T. P.S., Kasimpur 9.Tender No. ET.-06 /O&MC-IV/EMD-I/Hdj,‘C’TPS/2020-21, Technical Audit ofGenerators. GTs, 220KV/132KV Switchyard& 6.6KV Electrical System of U#7, U#8 &U#9 of Harduaganj TPS” as per scope ofwork, for the period of one year” EstimatedCost Rs. 22,70,000.00 Earnest Money: Rs.45400.00 Cost of tender document: Rs.2300.00 + Rs.414.00 (GST) = Rs. 2714.00Opening date of tender are as below:-NowExtended due date of Submission of e-Bid(Technical & Financial) at e- procurementwebsite http://etender.up.nic.in: 06.07.2020up to 14:00 Hrs., Due date of depositingTender Cost through RTGS (in the HTPSAccount) & Earnest Money through RTGS(in the HTPS Account) BG up to dated:06.07.2020 up to 14:00 Hrs. Now Extendeddue date of submission of hard copy of allthe requisite documents in the office ofundersigned maximum on dated:08.07.2020. Tender opening date, Part-A:08.07.2020 at 16:00 Hrs. NOTE: (1) Thedetails for submission of bids will be alreadyavailable (ID No. 2020_RVUNL_469035_1)on e-procurement website:http://etender.up.nic.in w.e.f. 18:00 Hrs.dated: - 11.05.2020. 2) The bidders arerequired to be registered with U.P.Electronics Corporation, Ashok Marg,Lucknow by depositing requisite fees for par-ticipation in the e-Tendering. The biddermust also be registered with their DigitalSignature Certificate (DSC) in the e-biddingsystem, after that the bidder can participatein bid submission activity. 10. Tender No. ET-13/O&MC-IV/EMD-I/Hdj. ‘C’T.P.S./2020-21,“Testing of ICT-1T, ICT-2T, 91, 10T, R-1, R-2at Harduaganj TPS, Kasimpur,” as per scopeof work, for the period of one year”Estimated Cost Rs. 3,60,000.00 EamestMoney: Rs. 7,200.00 Cost of tender docu-ment: Rs.400.00 + Rs.72.00 (GST) = Rs.472.00 Opening date of tender are asbelow:-Due date of Submission of e-Bid(Technical & Financial) at e-procurementwebsite http://etender.up.nic.in: 27.07.2020up to 14:00 Hrs., Due date of depositingTender Cost through RTGS (in the HTPSAccount) & Earnest Money through RTGS(in the HTPS Account) BG up to dated:27.07.2020 up to 14:00 Hrs, due date of sub-mission of hard copy of all the requisite doc-uments in the office of undersigned maxi-mum on dated: 29.07.2020 up to 14.00 hrs.Tender opening date, Part-A: 29.07.2020 at16:00 Hrs. NOTE: (1) The details for submis-sion of bids will be available on e-procure-ment website: http://etender.up.nic.in w.e.f.18:00 Hrs. dated: - 22.06.2020. (2) The bid-ders are required to be registered with U.P.Electronics Corporation, Ashok Marg,Lucknow by depositing requisite fees for par-ticipation in the e-Tendering. The biddermust also be registered with their DigitalSignature Certificate (DSC) in the e-biddingsystem, after that the bidder can participatein bid submission activity. SUPERINTEND-ING ENGINEER, OPERATION AND MAIN-TENANCE CIRCLE-II. ‘D’TPS. KASIMPUR11. E-Tender Notice No. ET-04/O&MC-II/TMD/DTPS/20-21, Name of Work:Operation & maintenance of air conditioningsystem of 2X250MW, DTPS, HTPS,Kasimpur” under TMD, DTPS, Kasimpur fora period of one year” Estimated Cost: Rs.21,42,000.00, Earnest Money: Rs.42,840.00, Tender Cost: Rs. 1,180.00 Duedate of Submission of e-Bid (Technical &Financial) at e-procurement websitehttp://etender.up.nic.in : 22.07.2020 upto14:00 Hrs., Due date of depositing TenderCost through RTGS (in the HTPS account) &Earnest Money through RTGS (in the HTPSaccount)/B.G.: 22.07.2020 up to 14:00 Hrs.,Due date of submission of hard copy of allthe requisite documents in the office ofundersigned: 24.07.2020 up to 14.00 Hrs.,Tender Opening Date: Part-I 24.07.2020 at16:00 Hrs. NOTE: (1) The details for submis-sion of bids will be available on e-procure-ment website; http://etender.up.nic.in w.e.f.17:00 Hrs, dated 18.06.2020. (2) The bid-ders are required to be registered with U.P.Electronics Corporation, Ashok Marg,Lucknow by depositing requisite fees for par-ticipation in the e-Tendering. The biddermust also be registered with their DigitalSignature Certificate (DSC) in the e-biddingsystem, after that the bidder can participatein bid submission activity. 12. E-TenderNotice No. ET-05/BMD/CTPS/O&MC-II/19-20, “Work of Insulation and Refractory in dif-ferent areas (Boiler furnace Ist & IInd pass,Pipes, Bends, Valves, Ducts etc) of Boiler,Milling & Fan system of Unit-7 -htps-kasim-pur-aligarh for a period of one year”Estimated Cost Rs. 4,04.864.00. EarnestMoney Rs. 8,100.00, Cost of Tender docu-ment Rs. 500.00 +900.00 (GST) = Rs.590.00 . Extended date of tender are asbelow:-Due date of Submission of e-Bid(Technical & Financial) at e-procurementwebsite http://etender.up.nic.in : 07.07.2020upto 14:00 Hrs., Due date of depositingTender Cost through RTGS (in the HTPSaccount) & Earnest Money through RTGS (inthe HTPS accoun)/B.G.: 07.07.2020 up to14:00 Hrs., Due date of submission of hard

copy of all the requisite documents in theoffice of undersigned: 09.07.2020, TenderOpening Date: Part-I 09.07.2020 at 16:00Hrs. Note: (1) The details for submission ofbids are available w.e.f dt-23/10/2019 at09:00 Hrs. in the bid document uploaded onthe e-procurement website:http://etender.up.nic.in (2) The bidders arerequired to be registered with U.P.Electronics Corporation, Ashok Marg,Lucknow by depositing requisite fees for par-ticipation in the e-tendering. The bidder mustalso be registered with their Digital SignatureCertificate (DSC) in the e-bidding system,after that the bidder can participate in bidsubmission activity. 13. E-Tender Notice No.ET- 05/ O&MC-II ‘D’ TPS/BMD-I ‘D’ TPS/20-21, “Cleaning of Boiler & ESP of Unit # 8 &9, 2x250MW, HTPS, Aligarh” for a period ofone year” under DMD-I ‘D’ TPS, HarduaganjThermal Power Station” Estimated Cost Rs.18,55,000.00, Earnest Money Rs. 37,100.00Cost of Tender document Rs. 1900.00+342.00 (GST) = Rs. 2,242.00 Opening dateof tender are as below:-Due date ofSubmission of e-Bid (Technical & Financial)at e-procurement websitehttp://etender.up.nic.in : 22.07.2020 upto14:00 Hrs., Due date of depositing TenderCost through RTGS (in the HTPS account) &Earnest Money through RTGS (in the HTPSaccount)/B.G.: 22.07.2020 up to 14:00 Hrs.,Due date of submission of hard copy of allthe requisite documents in the office ofundersigned: 24.07.2020, Tender OpeningDate: Part-I 24.7.2020 at 16:00 Hrs. Note:(1) The details for submission of bids areavailable w.e.f. 22.6.2020 at 17:00 Hrs. inthe bid document uploaded on the e-pro-curement website: http://etender.up.nic.in (2)The bidders are required to be registeredwith U.P. Electronics Corporation, AshokMarg, Lucknow by depositing requisite feesfor participation in the e-tendering. The bid-der must also be registered with their DigitalSignature Certificate (DSC) in the e-biddingsystem, after that the bidder can participatein bid submission activity. 14. E-TenderNotice No. ET-06/BMD/CTPS/O&MC-II/19-20, “Work of De-scaling of pressure parts &removal of soot from heating surface of boil-er by steam blowing through wallblower/long retractable soot blower (LRSB)and their preventive maintenance of boiler ofUnit No-7-htps-kasimpur-aligarh for a periodof one year” Estimated Cost- Rs.2,28,975.00, Earnest Money- Rs- 4,600,00,Cost of Tender document -Rs- 500.00+90.00 (GST) = Rs. 590.00. Extended dateof opening are as below: Due date ofSubmission of e-Bid (Technical & Financial)at e-procurement websitehttp://etender.up.nic.in : 07.07.2020 up-to14:00 Hrs., Due date of depositing TenderCost & Earnest Money through RTGS (in theHTPS account): 07.07.2020 up to 14:00Hrs., Due date of submission of hard copy ofall the requisite documents in the office ofundersigned:-09.07.2020, Tender OpeningDate: Part-I: 09.07.2020 at 16:00 Hrs. Note:(1) The details for submission of bids areavailable w.e.f. 30.11.2019 at 17:00 Hrs. inthe bid document uploaded on the e-pro-curement website: http://etender.up.nic.in (2)The bidders are required to be registeredwith U.P. Electronics Corporation, AshokMarg, Lucknow by depositing requisite feesfor participation in the e-tendering. The bid-der must also be registered with their DigitalSignature Certificate (DSC) in the e-biddingsystem, after that the bidder can participatein bid submission activity. 15. E-TenderNotice No. ET-06/O&MC-II ‘D; TPS/BMD-I'D' TPS/20-21, “Break-down maintenance ofESP & Daily routine maintenance of ESP ofUnit # 8 & 9, 2x250MW” for a period of oneyear” under BMD-I 'D' TPS, HarduaganjThermal Power Station" Estimated Cost Rs.7,08,000.00. Earnest Money Rs. 14,200.00Cost of Tender document Rs. 700.00+126.00 (GST) = Rs. 826.00 Opening dateof tender are as below:-Due date ofSubmission of e-Bid (Technical & Financial)at e-procurement websitehttp://etender.up.nic.in : 22.07.2020 upto14:00 Hrs., Due date of depositing TenderCost through RTGS (in the HTPS account) &Earnest Money through RTGS (in the HTPSaccount)/B.G.: 22.07.2020 up to 14:00 Hrs.,Due date of submission of hard copy of allthe requisite documents in the office ofundersigned: 24.07.2020, Tender OpeningDate:. Part-I 24.7.2020 at. 16: 00 Hrs. Note:(1) The details for submission of bids areavailable w.e.f. 00.6.2020 at 17:00 Hrs. inthe bid document uploaded on the e-pro-curement website: http://etender.up.nic.in (2)The bidders are required to be registeredwith U.P. Electronics Corporation, AshokMarg, Lucknow by depositing requisite feesfor participation in the e-tendering. The bid-der must also be registered with their DigitalSignature Certificate (DSC) in the e-biddingsystem, after that the bidder can participatein bid submission activity. 16. E-TenderNotice No. ET-08/O&MC-II/BMD/CTPS/2019-20," Round the clock(Day & Night) Lifting & Shifting of Coal Millreject spelled out from pyrite hopper or frommill (at “O” meter) of Unit No-7 to coal yardof old plant or other specified place withinthe HTPS plant through tractor trolley” for aperiod of one year under Boiler MaintenanceDivision, Harduaganj Thermal PowerStation" Estimated Cost Rs. 8,82,750.00,Earnest Money Rs. 17,660.00 Cost ofTender document Rs. 900.00 +162(GST) =Rs. 1062.00 Extended date of opening areas below: Due date of Submission of e-Bid(Technical & Financial) at e-procurementwebsite http://etender.up.nic.in : 07.07.2020up-to 14:00 Hrs., Due date of depositingTender Cost through RTGS (in the HTPSaccount). & Earnest Money through RTGS(in the HTPS account)/B.G: 07.07.2020 up to14:00 Hrs., Due date of submission of hardcopy of all the requisite documents in theoffice of undersigned:-09.07.2020, TenderOpening Date: Part-I: 09.07.2020 at 16:00Hrs. Note: . (1) The details for submission ofbids will be available w.e.f 10/02/2020 at17:00 Hrs. in the bid document uploaded onthe e-procurement website:http://etender.up.nic.in (2) The bidders arerequired to be registered with U.P.Electronics Corporation, Ashok Marg,Lucknow by depositing requisite fees for par-ticipation in the e-tendering. The bidder mustalso be registered with their Digital SignatureCertificate (DSC) in the e-bidding system,after that the bidder can participate in bidsubmission activity. SUPERINTENDINGENGINEER ELECTRICITY CIVIL MAINTE-NANCE CIRLE, Kasimpur 17. E-TenderNo.07/ECMC/ECMD-I/HTPS/2020-21,Name of work: Roof treatment in residentialbuildings of new colony, at HarduaganjThermal Power Station, Kasimpur Aligarh,UTTAR PRADESH. Estimated cost Rs.

26.79 Lac, Earnest money Rs. 53,000.00,Tender cost Rs. 3000.00+540.00 GST(Present Rate is 18%) = Rs. 3540.00,Extended Date and time for submission of e-bid http://etender.up.nic.in) 20.7.2020 upto14.00 Hrs., Extended Opening date/time(Part-I) 21.7.2020 at 16.00 Hrs. or later.TIME OF COMPLETEION 12 MONTHSuperintending Engineer, MMC, HTPS,Kasimpur (Aligarh) 18. Tender No. & Nameof Division: ET-35/MMC/EPD/CTPS/HTPS/2020, Name ofSupply: Procurement of general consum-ables & electrical spares for HTPS,Kasimpur Estimated cost: Rs 3,55,787.00,Earnest money: Rs. 7000.00, Tender cost:Rs 354.00, Date of Starting of E-bid submis-sion: 13.04.2020, Extended Last Date ofsubmission of E-bid: 08.07.2020, Tendershall be opened on Extended date:09.07.2020 (Part-I), 10.07.2020(Part-II) E-Tender ID 2020_ RVUNL_457409_1Eligibility Conditions: Onlymanufacturers/their authorized dealers/Experienced Supplier can participate in thistender. 19. Tender No. & Name of Division:ET-41/MMC/EPD/CTPS/HTPS/2020, Nameof Supply: Procurement of DistanceNumerical Relay for Harduaganj -Etah220KV feeder, HTPS, Kasimpur Estimatedcost: Rs 1,39,500.00, Earnest money: Rs2800.00, Tender cost: Rs 118.00, Date ofStarting of E-bid submission: 20.05.2020,Extended Last Date of submission of E-bid:08.07.2020, Tender shall be opened onExtended date: 09.07.2020 (Part-I),10.07.2020 (Part-II) E-Tender ID:2020_RVUNL_470135_1 EligibilityConditions: Only manufacturers/their author-ized dealers can participate in this tender.20. Tender No. & Name of Division: ET-42/MMC/EPD/CTPS/HTPS/2020, Name ofSupply: Procurement of LT cables & Aerialbunched Cables for colony area HT/LT lineand sub-stations of HTPS KasimpurEstimated cost: Rs 19,48,950.00, Earnestmoney : Rs 40,000.00, Tender cost: Rs2242.00, Date of Starting of E-bid submis-sion: 20.05.2020, Extended Last Date ofsubmission of E-bid: 08.07.2020, Tendershall be opened on Extended date :09.07.2020 (Part-I), 10.07.2020 (Part-II) E-Tender ID: 2020_RVUNL_470136_1Eligibility Conditions: Only manufacturers/their authorized dealers can participate inthis tender. 21. Tender No. & Name ofDivision: ET-43/MMC/EPD/CTPS/HTPS/2020, Name ofSupply: Supply, Installation and commission-ing of IRIG-B Hub in GPS synchronization at220/132KV substation of HTPS Estimatedcost: Rs 1,99,500.00, Earnest money: Rs4,000.00, Tender cost: Rs 236.00, Date ofStarting of E-bid submission: 20.05.2020,Extended Last Date of submission of E-bid:08.07.2020, Tender shall be opened onExtended date: 09.07.2020 (Part-I),0.07.2020 (Part-II) E-Tender ID :2020_RVUNL_470137_1 EligibilityConditions: Only manufacturers/their author-ized dealers/ Experienced Suppliers canparticipate in this tender. 22. Tender No. &Name of Division: ET-44/MMC/EPD/CTPS/HTPS/2020, Name ofSupply: Procurement of 11KV Triple PoleManually Operated Switch (TPMO Switch)for 11KV line in colony area, HTPS & 220 KVisolator jaw spares for 220KV Switchyard ofHTPS Estimated cost: Rs 1,08,000.00,Earnest money: Rs 2,000.00, Tender cost:Rs 118.00, Date of Starting of E-bid submis-sion: 20.05.2020, Extended Last Date ofsubmission of E-bid: 08.07.2020, Tendershall be opened on Extended date:09.07.2020 (Part-I), 10.07.2020 (Part-II) E-Tender ID: 2020_RVUNL_470139_1Eligibiligy Conditions: Only manufacturers/their authorized dealers/ ExperiencedSuppliers can participate in this tender. 23.Tender No. & Name of Division: SET-48/MMC/EPD/CTPS/HTPS/2020, Name ofSupply: Procurement of 11KV ArmouredXLPE Aluminium 3C X 240 sq mm cable forEMD-III, HTPS, Kasimpur Estimated cost:Rs 16,32,000.00, Earnest money: Rs32000.00, Tender cost: Rs 1888.00, Date ofStarting of E-bid submission: 30.05.2020,Extended Last Date of submission of E-bid:08.07.2020, Tender shall be opened onExtended date: 09.07.2020 (Part-I),10.07.2020 (Part-II) E-Tender ID :2020_RVUNL_475990_1 EligibilityConditions: Only manufacturers/ theirauthorized dealers can participate in this ten-der. 24. Tender No. & Name of Division:SET-49/MMC/EPD/CTPS/HTPS/2020,Name of Supply: Procurement of 03 phase440 volt stabilizer for elevator for EMD-III,HTPS, Kasimpur Estimated cost: Rs7,00,000.00, Earnest money: Rs 14000.00,Tender cost: Rs 826.00, Date of Starting ofE-bid submission: 30.05.2020, ExtendedLast Date of submission of E-bid:08.07.2020, Tender shall be opened onExtended date: 09.07.2020 (Part-I),10.07.2020 (Part-II) E-Tender ID :2020_RVUNL_476991_1 EligibilityConditions: Only manufacturers/ theirauthorized dealers/ Experienced Supplierscan participate in this tender. 25. E-TenderNo. : ET-12/MMC/EPD/CTPS/HTPS/2020,Name of Supply: Supply of Limit switch forOverhauling of Unit No. 8 & 9 of ‘D’TPS,Kasimpur. Estimated cost: Rs. 912392.00,Earnest money: Rs. 18000.00, Tender cost:Rs. 500.00 + 90.00 (GST), e-Bid online sub-mission extended End Date: 02.07.2020Tender shall be opened on extended date:04.07.2020 (Part-I) & 08.07.2020 (Part-II)Eligibility Conditions: Only reputedManufacturers/ their Authorized Dealer canparticipate in this tender. Note :- For furtherdetails please log on our web site i.e.http://etender.up.nic.in U.P.R.V.U.N.L E-Tender Notice E-Tenders are invited for thefollowings supply/works items in two parts.Part-I shall contain Tender Cost/Earnestmoney and other necessary documents asper pre-qualifying conditions and Part-II willcontain price bid as per bill of quantity.Tender specification may be downloadedfrom the website (http://etender.up.nic.in)and other specification details can be seenon Nigam website www.uprvunl.org Thecontactors have to submit the hard copybefore the schedule date/time in the concernoffice in sealed envelope containing detailsof the tender mentioned on the envelope.Tenders are advised to send their hard copydirectly to the concerned tendering authorityof the Circles/ Division. Who reserve theright to reject any or all the tenders withoutassigning any reason thereof. “SaveElectricity Enhance National Productivity”Sd/- Superintending Engineer (H.Q.)Harduaganj TPS, Kasimpur, Aligarh ´fÂffaI30/A²fe.Ad·f.(¸fb.)/d½fÄff´f³f/I` ¸´f-1(23)/20 dQ³ffaI 20.06.2020

New Delhi

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@ieExplained#ExpressExplainedIf there are questions of current or contemporary relevance that youwould likeexplained, pleasewrite to explained@indianexpress.comE EXPLAINED

THEINDIANEXPRESS,MONDAY,JUNE22,2020

YUBARAJGHIMIREKATHMANDU,JUNE21

LASTWEEK, Nepal’s Parliament cleared aConstitutionAmendmentBill thatendorsesthe country’s newmap that includes terri-torieswithIndia—Limpiadhura,LipulekandKalapani. Weeks earlier, Nepal PrimeMinister K P Oli had said in a speech thatthoseareaswouldbebroughtwithinNepal'smap and possession. This has been a trou-bledphaseinNepal-Indiarelations,oftende-scribed in textbooks as “unique”, “time-tested”andcementedby“commonheritage,culture,civilisation,historyandgeography”.

Favouring IndiaPrevious standoffs havebeeneffectively

resolved through direct negotiations, back-channel diplomacy and an accommodativespirit onbothsides.King Mahendra convincingly assured

Indiawaybackinthe1960sthataroadbuilttoconnectNepalwithTibethadonly“devel-opmental significance and no strategic sig-nificanceatall”.In the 1980s, King Birendra annulled a

contract that Chinahadwonunder a globaltender to build the 210-km KohalpurBanbasaRoadclosertotheIndianborder,af-ter RajivGandhi raised concerns over secu-rity.Birendrahandedthe taskover to India.According to the accounts of

BishwabandhuThapa,HomeMinisterin1962,KingMahendra “gave theKalapani locationtemporarily to India” on Prime MinisterJawaharlal Nehru’s request following India’ssetback in thewarwithChina.However, thisis not in linewith India's official perception.FormerForeignSecretaryShyamSaranwroteinTheIndianExpress(June13,2020),that“bothMonarchsMahendraandBirendrathrivedonadietofanti-Indiannationalism”.According to Punya PrasadOli, a former

DirectorGeneralofNepal’ssurveydepartment,KingBirendrahadaskedhimnottomakeanis-sueof theKalapanidisputeinthe1970s.All these are seen as instances of Nepali

rulersmaintaining a delicate balance in re-lationswithtwogiantneighbours,buteven-tually favouring the southwhenever IndiaandChina's interestshaveclashed.

The turning pointA12-pointunderstandingamongNepal's

eight political parties including Maoists,signed inNovember2005 inDelhi, scriptedtheousterof themonarchy.Indiawasforlongafactor—andtoalarge

extentthesoleexternalactor—inNepal'sin-ternal politics. Butwhen India openly tooktheleadroleintransformingNepalintoasec-ularrepublicfromaHindukingdom,itsetoffeventsleadingtoIndialosingitscloutandal-lies inNepal.The suspension of themonarchy and its

subsequent abolition in 2008, and declara-tion of Nepal as a secular country, was fol-lowed by Nepal’s journey towards federal-ism. None of these crucial issues wasdiscussedat length inParliament.The European Union took a very open

stancethatsecularismwillhavenomeaningwithouttherighttoconversionbeingincor-porated as a fundamental right in the newConstitution.This ledtoresentmentamongthemajoritypopulationaboutthis“imposedsecularism”. Other radical agenda got over-shadowed as the civil-society-new-poweraxis and international stakeholders simplydismissed theseas regressive forces.The EU and the US,which had begun to

emergeas India's allies inNepal’s transitionafter2005-06,begansupportingradicalfed-eralismbasedonethnicity,higherautonomyandwiththerighttoself-determinationthatinitiallyMaoistshadbacked.China,worriedaboutthecombinedpres-

ence of India, US and EU inNepal and theirinfluenceoninternalpolitics,beganincreas-

ingitspresenceandinvestmentinNepal,tar-getingtourism,post-earthquakereconstruc-tion, trade and energy,with amessage thatits interest inNepal isno less than India's orits alliesput together.AlthoughpoliticalpartiesbackedbyIndia

in the2005-06movement continue tobe inpower in Nepal, they have visibly becomemore andmoredistant fromNewDelhi. TheMaoists,whoarenowpart of the rulingNCPheaded jointly byOli and Prachanda, are nolongerunderIndianinfluence.

Relations, then an nowTwomajorquestions that cropup in the

contextofbilateralcontext.WhydidChina'scloutincreasetothislevelwhenIndiaappar-entlycalculatedthatthemonarchy'sexitwillincrease its own influence on Nepal? AnddoesIndiahaveanyinstitutionalalliesleft inNepal, like the monarchy and NepaliCongress like in thepre-2005phase?TheNepaliCongresswasformedinIndia

in the early 20th century andmany of itsleadersparticipatedinIndia'sfreedomstrug-gle,thinkinganindependentanddemocraticIndiawouldhelp establishdemocracybackhome.Theparty,despiteconsistentlytakingthe lead role in themovement for amulti-partydemocracywithconstitutionalmonar-chy, was often branded “pro-India” byCommunists given their close ties withIndian National Congress and socialists.However,followingthe12-pointagreement,theNepaliCongresswasforcedtoacceptthe

leadroleofMaoists(Communists)intheim-pending political change, and agree to dis-pensewith constitutionalmonarchy that ithadall alongsaidrepresented“forcesofna-tionalism”and“symbolofunityindiversity”.Duringmajorface-offs,threetradeembar-

gos since the1970s and sensitive security is-sues, theKingsofNepalandtheIndianPrimeMinisters, directly or byusingback channels— including Indian royalty and evenshankaracharyaswhenNepalwasaHinduna-tion—have succeeded inbringing the crisestoanend.Butovertheyears, India’sfocusonNepal

appears drivenmore by security concernsand threat perception than by promoting asoftpower-basedapproach like in thepast.Duringthecurrentspellofdispute, India

has once again begun ‘valuing’ commoncivilisational ,cultural,historicandpeopletopeople ties.

India’s old allies, todayIndia’s old allies are regretting having

alignedwith theMaoists."Nothing could have been amore erro-

neous judgment of India in 2006 than thatMaoistsweretheemergingforcesofthepeo-ple andbringing them to the centrestage ofNepalipoliticsandpowerwouldconsolidatedemocracy,"aseniorNepaliCongressleadersaid."Ithinkitisabouttimethatwereviewedthe12-pointagreementandrestoreourleadroleinNepalipoliticsratherthanbeingseenas follower of theMaoists,” saidGopalManShrestha,oneoftheeightleaderswhosignedthe12-pointagreement.Besides themonarchy, Nepali Congress

andintherecentpastMadhespartiestosomeextent, the only other institutional ally thatIndiahashad is theNepal army. Thechief ofeachnationalarmyhasenjoyedthestatusofHonoraryGeneraloftheotherside,onarecip-rocal basis since 1950.WhenOli refused toacceptIndia’sinvitationforastatevisitinApril2006,duringablockade, itwasthearmiesofbothsides—especiallyatthethenchiefs’level–thatdidthehomeworkfor lifting it.Oli became a nationalist and gained

muchpopularitythankstotheblockade.Butin the current sentiment triggered by theborder dispute, the idea of nationalism hasonce again been appropriated by aCommunistleaderwhohasallthroughcon-centratedstatepowersuponhimself. It’sOliwho isdictatingNepal-India relations.

‘Need to settle NREGA the moment work isexecuted... pay at the end of working day’

What changed in India-Nepal ties?Nepal’sParliamenthasclearedamapthat includesareaswith India.Whathashappenedtotherelationsbuiltonhistorical ties?A lookat the influence Indiaoncehad inNepal, andwhere it stands today

TOP 10STATES

INDIA COUNT: 4,10,461 (13,254 DEATHS)

1,28,205Maharashtra

56,845Tamil Nadu

14,536Rajasthan

11,724MP

16,594 UP

56,746 Delhi

26,680Gujarat

13,531West Bengal

5,983Bihar

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Write to explained@indianexpress.com

8,697Karnataka

UnionHealthMinistryupdateasof11pm,June21.Somestatesmayhavereportedhighernumbers.Onlystates/UTswithatleastonecaselistedabove.2,27,756 PATIENTSDISCHARGEDIN34STATESANDUNIONTERRITORIES

RESTOFINDIAAndamanandNicobarIslands 47AndhraPradesh 8452ArunachalPradesh 135Assam 4904Bihar 7533Chandigarh 404Chhattisgarh 2041DadraandNagarHaveli 68Goa 754HimachalPradesh 656JammuandKashmir 5834Jharkhand 1965Kerala 3039Ladakh 836Manipur 777Meghalaya 44Mizoram 140Nagaland 201Odisha 4856Puducherry 286Punjab 3952Sikkim 70Telangana 7072Tripura 1186Uttarakhand 2301

CORONAVIRUSDASHBOARD

410,451India

238,275Italy

204,952Iran

305,801United Kingdom

236,748Chile

245,938Spain

2,260,972US

1,032,913Brazil

251,338Peru

TOTAL CONFIRMED:8,835,095 DEATHCOUNT:465,284Source: JohnsHopkinsUniversity,updatedat11pmonJune21. JHU’sIndiatallyandHealth

Ministry’stally(below)maynotmatchastheseareaccountedatdifferenttimes.

THEWORLD583,879Russia

Onwhethermuchof theextraborrowingthisyearwillbeusedtomakegoodtheshortfall inrevenuecollectionIt is adynamicprocess. If hypothetically, the

governmenthadprovided incomesupport andcapitalsupport,andifhypothetically,thatmeantthat businesseswere able to recover andmakesomemoney, then the governmentwould getmore tax revenues and those revenueswouldhavebeenusedtoshoreuptheBudget,andthensome of the incremental borrowings could gointo other things. But the government has notchosentothat.Therefore,Iagreewithyou,espe-ciallysinceitisunlikelythatthegovernmentwillmeet evena small percentageof its investmentcommitments in this calendaryear. Itwouldbeabsurd to think of that in themiddle of a lock-down. And therefore, what the governmentwouldneedtodoispreparetoborrowtomeetitstaxrevenueshortfall.Andthatisagoodthingbe-causeitwillmaintainthegovernmentBudgetatwhereitwas,atamuchhigherproportionoftheGDP,andamuchhigherproportionofthedeficit.It is unfortunate that we are in a situation

whereweare lookingatonedatapoint. Forex-amplethisyearwesaythatthegovernmentbor-rowed12 crores, last year it borrowed7crores,without having an idea aboutwhat is going tohappen to these 12 crores, andhowweare go-ing tochange thesituationgoing forward.Mostsensibleandeffectivefinanceministries

budget inathree-yearcycle. India isaglaringex-ception. If wehadamedium-term fiscal frame-work,we should have been advocating for tenyears—wewouldhavetosay,OK,we’regoingtohavetoborrowthismuchbetweennowand2023,becausewearegoingtobehitonthetax front in2020andpossibly2021.Astaxrevenuesrecoverin2021-22-23,wearegoingtoborrowless.So,overthelifetimeof themediumterm,hereismyplantorecovertheeconomyandmaintainthesolvencyandsustainabilityofpublicfinances.Wedonothavetheinstrumentation,wewrite

budgetsonfile,andtheconsequencesareappar-entnow.Wearetalkingaboutsayingwhetherweshouldborrow20lakhcrore. It isaveryweakan-alytical statement. And it is unfortunate thatweareinthissituation...Whatgovernmentshavecho-sentodo—beitUPAorNDA—iswritesomethingthathasnobearingontheannualBudget.Mediadoesn’tlookatit,businessdoesn’tlookatit.So,wepay thewages for our own technical incompe-tence, andyes, therefore,wewill onlyborrowto

makeuptaxrevenuesthisyear,withoutanyreck-oningofhowwearegoingtosolvetheproblem.

Onchallenges incashtransfers, suchasidentifyingbeneficiaries,andtheoptionofexpandingthesethrough NREGA, JanDhanEitherIhavetobelievethegovernmentwhen

ithasbeensayingverydramatically,includingthePrincipal EconomicAdviser, that they have thetechnology to carry out cash transfers, and that

thesuccessofthisgovernmentisitsabilitytomakecashtransfers,directbenefittransfers…However,whenduringsuchacrisis,whenpeopleareactu-allygoinghome,andthenwesitdownanddecide,“Oh,let’shaveanall-Indiarationcard”,thatmeansthat theprogramme to reachout to thepopula-tionofIndia,usingAadhaar,JanDhan,andmobile,thathasbeentoutedasoneofthemajorsuccessesof thisgovernment, isnotfit forthepurpose.I need toknowwhether thegovernment ac-

ceptsthisornot,becauseboastfulnessisaccompa-niedbyexcuses.Soifyoursuccessistruethenmakegoodon it. Use your instruments in this crisis totransfermoney.Ifyoucannot,acceptthatyourar-chitecture isnot fit for thepurpose,andthereforeyouneedtodootherthingstotransfermoney.Theobviouswaytotransfermoneywouldbe

not to sit in the Capital and decide how themoneywill be transferred, but to ask the statesand local governments to identify thosewhoneedthetransfers,andthusmobilisecommuni-ties. But for that, youneed tomake apolicy an-nouncement that priority would be incometransferscomewhatmay,withthesamealacrityastheyetgloriouslyunspentPMCareswasmo-bilised.Ifevenafractionoftheattentionthatwasdevotedtothatwasshowntowardstransferringmoney,thenabetterjobwouldhavebeendone.So,comingupwiththesebureaucraticexcuses–thatyoucan’tidentifypeoplewhentheTVchan-nelshaveshownyouwheretheyaretoyourface— I find difficult to accept. If migrants can bebeatenup, theycertainlycanbe identified.There areways to do this.When it comes to

NREGA,itisagoodthingthatthegovernmenthasdone,buttomakeitbetterwewill requireasus-pension of the rules. There are two important

thingshere–ifyoucannotguaranteeworkintheoriginalNREGA,youwillpaythemintheirbank-ing accounts directly. I thinkweneed to have asettlementonNREGAat themomentwhen theworkisexecuted.ThosesittinginNITIAayogandotherswho comeupwithwonderful solutionsusingartificialintelligencearenotcapableofthisbasictask– thatistopaypeopleattheendoftheworkingday…paythemwhatyouowetheminademand-basedprogramme. There I think, thegovernment is falling farshort.Toanextent, thisgovernmentfailureisubiquitousforthepast15-20years,whichIthinkthepeopleinpoliticalau-thorityknow,andthereforewhattheyaretryingtodo isavoidrelying toomuchontheexecutioncapability of the government, and relying toomuchonour capability…Sowearemaking toomuchnoise on income supportwhen the gov-ernmenthasclearlysaidthat itwouldnotdoso.

OnwhethertheadditionalNREGAallocationinthe lockdownpackage isanacknowledgementthatsomemigrantworkersmightnotcomebacksoon,andwhether industryshouldworryManyofthepeoplewhocamefromUP,Bihar,

Jharkhand,MPtoMaharashtra,Kerala,Goa,toex-tremely lowend,badlypaid, and insecure jobs...Iftheytakeacallthatthereasonwhytheydidso–thedreamthattheysawforthemselvesandtheirfamilies– is going to be frequently disrupted bysociety, not the government, which tells them“youcomelast”, thentheywillstayback.Thepoint isnot increasingNREGAallocation.

NREGAhastobefaithfullyexecuted,whichisnotthe casewith the bureaucracy. It is a demand-driven program. Andwe have been rationingNREGAandnoonewantstocommentonthat.Soyes,wemusttakeNREGAandeveryotheroppor-tunityavailabletothem.Theidea ofemphasisingNREGAisahumaneone,andIamhappythatthegovernmenthasdonethis.Itfliesinthefaceofso-cietalinstinctstogetthingsbacktonormal—thatnormalwasaveryuglynormalforthemigrant.

TranscribedbyOmMarathe

(EDITEDEXCERPTS)VIDEOS

HTTPS://YOUTU.BE/-DU_KLTJ7UKHTTPS://YOUTU.BE/CSZKWVJWURW

HTTPS://YOUTU.BE/OC_EBC-GB9O

AUDIENCEQUESTIONS

Onwhetherthegovernmentshouldhave infusedequity inbusinessesoverprioritisingcreditIt is difficult todo thiswithoutbeingac-

cusedofcommunism.Basically,thisisusingtaxpayermoney to infuse equity andmak-ingthegovernmentashareholderinthepri-vate sector. This could be done in principle.Oneway is by starting to infuse equity andthen have a program that converts this todebt, and then the government exits. Theproblemwith the debt-equity route is theneed for a bondmarket thatworks, andwedonothaveagoodprivatebondmarket.Weneed to do financial engineering that Ithought the governmentwould have beendoing in thepast2.5months.

OnhowIndiawill fareduringthecomingdecade,projectedtobeoneofdebtanddepressionEvenbefore thecurrentcrisis, Ihadbeen

sayingwehaveadifficultdecadeaheadifwecontinue to rely on the consumption of thetop150milliontopowerourgrowthprocess...Thiscrisishasmadethemattermoreurgent.And today, we will have to take steps tochange the output composition of demandinwaysinwhichwecanhavemoreinclusiveandsustainablegrowth.Thiswill requirere-forms,butnotofthesortthegovernmenthasannounced.Thesewouldbeinpublicadmin-istration, our credit policy, industrial policy,etc.Ifwedothesereforms,IbelievethatIndiaisa largeenougheconomytobefine.

InthisE-XplainedheldafewweeksbeforehequitasDirector,National InstituteofPublicFinanceandPolicy,RATHINROY,ex-memberofPM’sEconomicAdvisoryCouncil,discusseschallengesandoptionsinalikelyrecessionaryyear.HespoketoPVAIDYANATHAN IYERandANIL SASI

RathinRoy(left) inconversationonZoomwithPVaidyanathanIyerandAnilSasi(aboveright)

NepalPMKPOliandIndiaPMNarendraModi in2016.ExpressArchive

SIMPLYPUT

New Delhi

12THEINDIANEXPRESS,MONDAY, JUNE22,2020

THEWORLDWWW.INDIANEXPRESS.COM

IT WAS USED IN HIS FAMOUS ‘UNPLUGGED’ SHOW

COBAINGUITAR SELLS FOR $6MILLIONThe guitar Kurt Cobain played on Nirvana’s 1993 “MTV Unplugged” performancemonths before his death sold for an eye-popping $6 million at auction. The 1959Martin D-18E that Cobain played in the band’s rare acoustic performance and sub-sequent live album was sold to an Australian man at the auction in Beverly Hills

ROMANIA

FugitiveIranianjudgediesafterfall fromhotelinRomaniaAFUGITIVE Iranian judgewantedbyIranoncorrup-tion charges andby rightgroups for jailing and tor-turing journalists wasfound dead of apparentsuicideFridayatahotel inRomania where he hadbeenstaying,accordingtoIranianofficials.Thejudge,Gholamreza Mansouri,was a co-defendant in amajorfinancialcorruptiontrialinvolvingseveralsen-ior judges accusedof em-bezzlement and bribery.Iran’schiefofinternationalpolicing,HadiShirzad,saidonFridaythataccordingtoinformation Iran had re-ceived from Interpol inBucharest,Mansouri hadjumpedoutofahotelwin-dowtohisdeath.

GholamrezaMansouriwasfounddeadatahotelinBucharest

TOPOFTHEWORLD

USA

ProfessorwhoaskedstudenttoanglicisenamesentonleaveA COMMUNITY collegeprofessor in Oakland,California, is onadminis-trative leave after askinga Vietnamese-Americanstudentto“Anglicise”hername because he felt itsounded “offensive” inEnglish. In aWednesdaynightemailexchangethatwas quickly shared totens of thousands on so-cial media, MatthewHubbard, a professor inthe Laney Collegemath-ematics department, re-peatedly asked the stu-dent, Phuc Bui DiemNguyen, to “Anglicise”her name because it“sounds like an insult inEnglish”.

CHINA

HKsecurity lawmaybepassedinJune:reportBeijing:China’stoplegisla-tivebodywillmeetonJune28, about aweek after itslast gathering, the officialXinhuanewsagency saidonSunday, a shorter thanusualgapfollowingthean-nouncementofdetailsofadraftHongKong securitylaw. The draft law hasalarmed foreign govern-ments and Hong Kongdemocracy activists,whoareconcernedthatBeijingiserodingthehighdegreeof autonomy granted tothe territorywhen itwashanded over to China in1997fromBritishrule.

PETERNICHOLLSREADING, JUNE21

A STABBING rampage in thesouthern English town ofReading, inwhich three peoplewere killed and three otherswere seriouslywounded, is be-ing treated as terrorism, policesaidonSunday.A 25-year-old man was ar-

rested on suspicion of murderafter thestabbingsonSaturdayevening in a park in Reading,which is about 65 km westof London.A security source told

Reuters that the man, who re-mains in police custody, isa Libyan.“Counter TerrorismPolicing

can now confirm that the stab-bing incident that happened inReadinglastnighthasnowbeendeclared a terrorist incident,”Thames Valley Police said in astatement.Prime Minister Boris

Johnson,whohasdescribedtheincident as appalling, held ameeting on Sundaywith secu-rity officials, senior ministersand police to be updated aboutthe investigation, a spokesmanfor Johnsonsaid.The stabbings took place on

a sunny evening hours after arallybyanti-racismprotestersinthe park, Forbury Gardens, but

appearedtobeunrelatedtothat.“The Black Lives Matter

event had finished some threehours previous and was by allaccountsaverywell conducted

peacefuldemonstrationandthisis not a connected attack withthat whatsoever,” Jason Brock,theheadof thelocalcouncilau-thority, told theBBC.REUTERS

ASSOCIATEDPRESSMINNEAPOLIS, JUNE21

ONEMANisdeadand11peoplesuffered non-life-threateningwounds in a shooting inMinneapolis, police there saidearlySunday.Minneapolis police had first

said10peoplehadbeenshotwith“various severity levels of in-juries,”butrevisedtheirtotalup-ward in a tweetposted just after3amThemandiedatthehospital,notat thescene,accordingtothepolicedailymediabriefingsheet.Noonewasincustodyincon-

nectionwith theshootingasof 4a.m.,accordingtoapolicereleasethat said preliminary investiga-tionindicatedthat“individualsonfoot” started shooting around12:30amandlaterfledthescene.An initial tweet from

Minneapolis police advised thepublic to avoid the area inUptownMinneapolis,acommer-cial district that includes several

bars and restaurants.Minnesotabegan allowing bars and restau-rantstoreopenwithlimitedserv-iceonJune1aftersomesixweeksof closure because of the coron-aviruspandemic.Photographs posted to social

media showedwindows at theLandmark’sUptownTheatreandanotherstorefrontshotout.Screamswereaudibleonalive

video posted to Facebook thatshowedtheaftermathatthescene.Small crowdsofpeoplegathered,withsomecrouchedovervictimslyingonthepavementbeforepo-liceofficersonbicyclesshowedupto attend to them. Splatters ofbloodonthepavementwerevisi-ble in thevideoafter thevictimswere taken to local hospitals—someviaambulanceandothersinprivatevehicles, according to thepolicerelease.Theareaisabout5kilometres

west of theMinneapolis com-mercialareaandneighbourhoodhit by rioting in the wake ofGeorgeFloyd’sMay25death.

ASSOCIATEDPRESSSYRACUSE, JUNE21

NINE PEOPLE were shot at aSaturday night “celebration” incentralNewYork,authoritiessaid.Of theninevictims, onewas

a17-year-oldboyincriticalcon-ditionwithagunshotwound tothe head and eight others —ranging in age from 18 to 53—were expected to survive, a re-lease fromSyracusepolice said.No one was immediately

takenintocustody,andSyracusePolice Chief Kenton Buckneremphasized that the investiga-tionwas in its early stages in anappearance at a press confer-encealongsideSyracuseMayorBenWalsh.Syracuseofficershadarrived

at thescene justbefore9pmforreports of a stolen car, but re-spondingofficersweremetwithby people who said shots hadbeen fired into the crowd of a“few hundred,” Buckner said.Thepolice chief saidhis officersdidn’thear thegunshots.

REUTERS&APTULSA, JUNE21

US PRESIDENT Donald Trump,addressingaless-than-fullarenafor his first political rally inmonths, blasted anti-racismprotests and defended his han-dling of the coronavirus onSaturday inabid toreinvigoratehis re-electioncampaign.ThePresident,whorevels in

largecrowdsandhadpredictedthat his first rally in monthswouldbeepic, blamedtheme-dia for discouraging attendeesand cited bad behavior bydemonstratorsoutside,butdidnot specifically acknowledgethatmany seats in the 19,000-seat BOK Center arena wereempty.Trump sought to use the

eventtobringmomentumbackto his campaign after comingunder fire for his responses tothecoronavirusandtothedeathof George Floyd, a Black manwho died in the custody ofMinneapolis police.The smaller-than-expected

crowd robbed him, at least fornow,oftheabilitytohighlighten-thusiasmforhis candidacyasanadvantage over his expectedDemocratic challenger, formerVicePresidentJoeBiden,whohaseschewedlargecampaignevents.Trump told supporters at his

campaign rally that the US hastested25millionpeople,farmorethananyothercountry.The“badpart,” Trump said, is thatwide-spread testing leads to loggingmorecasesof thevirus.“Whenyoudo testing to that

extent, you’regoing to findmore

people,you’regoingtofindmorecases,”Trumpsaid.“SoIsaidtomypeople, ‘Slow the testing down,please.’Theytestandtheytest.”Trumpopted toholdhis first

rally in110daysdespiteconcernsfrom local health officials that itcouldleadtofurtherspreadofthevirusinTulsa.Mostof thoseinat-tendancedeclinedtowearamask.“In an outrageousmoment

thatwillberememberedlongaf-ter tonight’s debacle of a rally,President Trump just admittedthat he’s putting politics aheadofthesafetyandeconomicwell-beingof theAmericanpeople—even as we just recorded thehighest number of newCOVID-19 cases in almost twomonthsand 20millionworkers remainout of work,” according to theBidencampaign’s statement.Oklahoma has reported a

surge in new coronavirus casesinrecentdays,andthestate’sde-partmentofhealthwarnedthatattendees facean increasedriskof catching thevirus.“I’m not concerned about it.

I think it’s mostly a hoax,” at-tendeeWillWilliams,46,saidofthe coronavirus, questioningwhyDemocratswere notmoreconcernedaboutpeoplewhodiefrom drug overdoses.Williamsdidnotwearamask.

AP&REUTERSBARCELONA, JUNE21

SPAINREOPENED its borders toEuropean tourists Sunday in abid to kickstart its economywhile Brazil and South Africastruggled with rising coron-avirus infections.Theheadof theWorldHealth

Organizationhaswarnedthattheglobalspreadofthevirusisaccel-eratingafteradailyhighof150,000newcaseswasreportedlastweek.SpainonSundayendedana-

tional state of emergency afterthreemonths of lockdown, al-

lowingits47millionresidentstofreely travelaroundthecountryforthefirsttimesinceMarch14.

Spain also dropped a 14-dayquarantine for visitors fromBritainandcountriesinEurope’s

visa-free Schengen travel zonetoboost itsvital tourismsector.Buttherewasonlyatrickleof

travellersatMadrid’s airport.Britainwilloutlineitsplansto

ease the coronavirus lockdownthisweek, healthministerMattHancock said on Sunday, poten-tiallyrelaxingthetwo-metreruleon social distancing, allowingmany businesses to reopen inearlyJuly.Manyemployers,espe-ciallyinthehospitalityandleisuresectors, have said the rule thatpeoplemust remain twometresapartwillpreventthemfrombe-ing able to operate as lockdownmeasuresarelifted.

Dubaiwill allow foreignvisi-torstoenterfromJuly7,whilefor-eignerswithresidencyvisaswillbeabletoenterfromJune22,theDubai Media Office said onSunday. It said those enteringwouldhavetopresentcertificatestoshowtheyhadrecentlytestednegative for the coronavirus orwouldundergotestsonarrival.Serbianswenttothepollson

Sunday to elect a newParliament in Europe’s first na-tionalelectionsincecoronaviruslockdowns took effect threemonthsago,withtherulingcon-servatives expected to win acomfortablemajority.

MOHAMMEDMUKHASHAFADEN, JUNE21

SOUTHERN SEPARATISTS haveseizedcontrolofYemen’s islandofSocotraintheArabianSea,de-posing its governor and drivingout forces of the Saudi-backedgovernmentwhichcondemnedtheactionascoup.The Southern Transitional

Council(STC)declaredselfruleinthe south inApril, complicatingU.N. efforts to forgeapermanentceasefire in awar that has sepa-ratistsandthegovernmentfight-ingasnominalalliesinaSaudi-led

coalition against the Houthigroup,whocontrolthenorth.On Saturday, the STC an-

nounced it had seized govern-mentfacilitiesandmilitarybaseson themain island of Socotra, asparsely populated archipelagowhich sits at themouth of theGulf of Aden on one of theworld’sbusiest shipping lanes.The government which is

led by President Abd-RabbuMansourHadi condemned theaction as a “full-fledged” coupon the island and accused STCforcesof attackinggovernmentbuildings in “gang-stylebehaviour”.REUTERS

3stabbedtodeath inUKterrorattack:police3othersseriously injured;25-yr-oldLibyanmanarrested

Atthesceneof the incident,whichtookplace inpark inReading,65kmwestof London,onSunday.Reuters

One dead, 11 injured inMinneapolis shooting

Nine shot at inNY ‘celebration’

Trumpathis rally inTulsa,Oklahoma.Reuters

U.S. PRESIDENT’SFIRSTPOLITICALRALLY INMONTHSMARREDBYLOWATTENDANCE

Test less, Trump suggests as cases rise‘Whenyoudotesting to thatextent,youaregoingto findmorecases’

Thecrowdat therallywasmuchsmaller thanexpected.NYT

TikTok teens say theysank President’s rallyTAYLORLORENZ,KELLENBROWNING&SHEERAFRENKELJUNE21

USPRESIDENTDonald Trump’scampaignpromisedhugecrowdsathisrallyinTulsa,Oklahoma,onSaturday, but it failed to deliver.HundredsofteenageTikTokusersandK-popfanssaythey’reatleastpartiallyresponsible.BradParscale,thechairmanof

Trump’s re-election campaign,postedonTwitteronMondaythatthe campaign had fieldedmorethan1millionticketrequests,butreporters at the event noted theattendancewas lower than ex-pected. The campaign also can-celledplannedeventsoutsidetherally for an overflowcrowd thatdidnotmaterialize.TikTok users and fans of

Korean pop music groupsclaimed to have registered po-tentiallyhundredsof thousandsof tickets for Trump’s rally as a

prank. After @TeamTrumptweeted asking supporters toregister for free tickets usingtheir phones June 11, K-pop fanaccounts began sharing the in-formation with followers, en-couraging them to register forthe rally—andthennot show.The trend quickly spread on

TikTok, where videoswithmil-lions of views instructed view-ers to do the same, as CNN re-portedTuesday.“Ohno. Isignedup for a Trump rally, and I can’tgo,” one woman joked, alongwith a fake cough, in a TikTokposted June15.“It spreadmostly throughAlt

TikTok—wekept it on thequietsidewherepeopledopranksanda lot of activism,” saidYouTuberElijahDaniel,26,whoparticipatedin thecampaign. “K-pop, TwitterandAltTikTokhaveagoodalliancewhere they spread informationamongsteachotherveryquickly.Theyallknowthealgorithmsandhowtheycanboostvideos togetwheretheywant.”NYT

PresidentTrump justadmitted that he’sputtingpolitics aheadofthe safety andeconomicwell-beingof theAmericanpeople.”

—BIDENCAMPAIGN

Spain opens borders, UK to unveil plan to ease lockdownDubaiallowstourists toenter fromJuly7,Serbiansvote inEurope’s firstpost-lockdownelection

Travellers fromParisarrive inMadridonSunday.Reuters

Yemen separatists seizeremote island from govt

FOR THOSE WHO HAD SEVERE CASES, RECOVERY CAN BE LONG AND ARDUOUS

In New York, Covid-19 frontlines shift from ICUs to recovery wardsJOSEPHGOLDSTEINNEWYORK, JUNE21

CHARLIE BLUEWEISS, 33, wokeup believing hewas in a secretinfirmary in an airport some-where,maybe in China. Hewascertain someone was stalkinghim; threatening messagesseemed to keep appearing onscreensaroundhim.As his confusion—which is

common among Covid-19 pa-tients who have spent a longstint onamechanical ventilator

—dissipatedinthecomingdays,Blueweissbegantotakestockofhissituation.Herealizedthathewas in the intensive careunit atNewYork-PresbyterianHospital/Weill CornellMedical Center inManhattan and that thosescreensweredisplayinghisvitalsignsandmedicalupdates.The15daysontheventilator

left a deep sore on one cheek,andhestruggledtounclenchhisrighthand.Hisrightfootburnedwithpain, andhewas tooweaktositup.Hecouldnotunlockhisphonetocallhiswifebecausehis

handsweresoswollen.Whenhefinally reached her, he asked,“WhenamIcominghome?”Home, in Queens, would

have to wait. On April 28,Blueweisswastakeninagurneyto 11 North, a former inpatientpsychiatricwardatWeillCornellthat had been turned into aCovid-19recoveryward.With the peak of the coron-

avirus crisis inNewYork City inthe past, hospitals and theirmedical staff are no longerstraining under the number ofcritically ill patients — once so

numerousthatventilators,dial-ysis machines and even seda-tives randangerously low.The front lines of the virus

fighthaveshiftedfromintensivecare units to recovery areas like11 North, and similar units atother hospitals, like RuskRehabilitation at NYU LangoneOrthopedicHospital.Here,doc-torsarefindingthatforthemostsevere cases, recovery can be alongandarduousprocess.Patientswhosurvive lengthy

intensivecareunitstaysduringor-dinarytimes—afterheartsurgery,

caraccidents,shootings,sepsisorrespiratory failure— often facelengthyrecoveries.Somepatientsreport cognitive deficits, includ-ingdifficultyconcentrating.Manystruggle to return to their jobs.Aboutone-thirdhaveanxiety,de-pression or symptoms of post-traumaticstressdisorder,saidDr.Lindsay Lief, a pulmonologist atWeill Cornell whoworkswithpost-ICUpatients.“In theCovid era, I think this

will bemagnified,” Lief said.She noted that the typical

Covid-19patient inan intensive

careunitwasgenerallythereforan unusually long time — onestudy suggested at least twoweeks. Thatmeansmoremus-cle loss and increased risk ofotherproblemsaswell.Even thosewhose lungs are

mostlyhealedmaybequitedebil-itated after long immobilisationinanICU,wheretheyareadmin-isteredhighdosagesofsedatives.Somemust relearn to swallowwithout choking. Others havecripplingnervepain.Othershavecognitivedeficits, includingtrou-blewithwords.NYT

CharlieBlueweiss,33, spent15daysonaventilatorwhileundergoingtreatment for thecoronavirus.NYT

THEUKhasseenastringof attacks inre-centyears involvingstabbingsthathavebeenclassifiedas ter-roristattacks. In2017,eightpeoplewerekilled inLondonwhenassailantsdroveavanintopedestriansbeforegoingonastabbingspree.LastNovember, twopeoplewerestabbedto

deathneartheLondonBridge,andinFebruary,amanwhoworea fakesuicideveststabbedtwo

people inSouthLondon.UKpoliceauthoritieshavesaidthecoronavirus lockdowncouldmaketheproblemworseas isolatedpeoplemaybecomevulnerable toradicalisation.

Stringof stabbingattacks inUK

New Delhi

13THEINDIANEXPRESS,MONDAY, JUNE22,2020

ECONOMYWWW.INDIANEXPRESS.COM

Market WatchFPIS INVEST `17.9KCR IN JUNSOFARNew Delhi: Latest depositories data showed that a net sum of Rs20,527 crore was pumped into equities by foreign portfolio investors(FPIs) between June 1-19, while they withdrew a net Rs 2,569 crorefrom debt segment, taking total net investment to Rs 17,985 crore. PTI

HOLDINGSOFDOMESTIC INSTITUTIONAL INVESTORSAT14.4%ASOFMAR ’20

SANDEEPSINGHNEWDELHI,JUNE21

EVEN AS foreign portfolio in-vestors (FPIs) rushed to sell outtheir holdings in Indian compa-nies during the quarter endedMarch 2020 following the riskaversionafterconcernsroseoverglobal economic growth follow-ingthespreadof thecoronaviruspandemic,domesticinstitutionalinvestors (DIIs) raisedtheirhold-ing inNSE-listed entities, hittinganalltimehighof14.4percent.Accordingtotheshareholding

filed by 1,575 of the total 1,631companieslistedontheNationalStock Exchange (NSE) for thequarter endingMarch 31, 2020and data sourced from nsein-fobase.com, a joint initiative ofNSE andPRIMEDatabase,whileFPIsreducedtheirholdinginNSE-listedcompaniesfromafouryearhigh of 20.24 per cent inDecember2019to19.13percentas onMarch31, 2020,DIIs ledbymutual funds (MFs) increasedtheir holdings to all-time highlevel of 14.4 per cent from14.06percentinDecember2019.Holding of domesticMFs in

companieslistedonNSEreachedanall-timehighof7.97percentbyvalue as on March 31, 2020. Itstood at 7.79 per cent as of

December2019.Inabsolutevalueterms,how-

ever, all categories lost signifi-cantly following a sharp correc-tion inmarkets inMarch due toCOVID-19. TheSensex fell 23percentinMarch,andbetweenJanu-aryandMarchitlost28.6percent.While the total value of FPI

holdingsfelldownby32percentfrom Rs 30.72 lakh crore inDecember2019 toRs20.92 lakhcrore in March 2020, the totalvalueofDII holdingsdeclinedby26.2 per cent fromRs21.34 lakhcroretoRs15.74lakhcrore.

The reduction in FPI holdingand increase in holdings byDIIsamidstthepandemichasresultedinnarrowingof thegapbetweenFPIandDIIholding.The gapbetween FPI andDII

holdinginNSE-listedcompanies,which stood at 6.18 percentagepoints in December 2019, nar-rowed to4.73percentagepointsattheendofMarch2020.Overthelast six years, the gap has beensteadilynarrowing.Data shows that while FPI

holding has come down from19.54percentMarch2014to19.13

percentinMarch2020,DIIhold-inghasgoneupsignificantlyfrom10.63per cent to14.4per cent inthesameperiod.This also indicates the grow-

ing influence of domestic in-vestors and the deepening ofIndianmarkets through theMFroute. In fact, theMFholding inNSE-listedcompaniesinthesameperiodhasrisensignificantlyfrom2.8percentto7.97percent.“I see the quarter ended

December 2016 as an inflectionpoint as the government an-nounced demonetisation in

November.Theincrementaleffectwashighersincethenasformali-sationofeconomyhappenedandmoney started getting chan-nelised intomutual funds,” saidPranav Haldea, MD, PRIMEDatabase.HeaddedthatincreaseinMFholdinghascreatedastrongcounterbalancetoFPIs.“Ten years back, when FPIs

pulledout,therewasnocounter-balanceotherthanLIC.However,nowMFs keep themarket rela-tivelystable. InMarchalso,whenFPIspulledout,domesticMFssawitisaninvestmentoptionandtheyinvested,”Haldeaadded.Insurance companies, how-

ever, have not been able to in-crease their holding in the sameperiod,and inthesixyearperiodtheir holding has come downmarginally from5.49per cent in2014 to 5.11 per cent inMarch2020. Even in thequarter endedMarch2020,whileMFsincreasedtheir shareholding inNSE-listedcompaniesoverthatintheprevi-ousquarter,insurancecompaniessawadeclineintheirholdingfrom5.16percentto5.11percent.FPIs,however,continuetore-

main the biggest non-promotershareholdersintheIndianmarketand their investment decisionshaveahugebearingonthestockprices and overall direction ofmarkets.

BRIEFLYPNBplanstohitcapitalmarketinQ4New Delhi: The country’ssecondlargestlenderPunjabNationalBankisplanningtohit capital markets in thefourth quarter this fiscal toraise funds to help meetgrowth needs and regula-tory requirements. At themoment, the bank is suffi-ciently capitalisedwith thecapital adequacy ratio of14.14per cent at the endofMarch2020,PNBManagingDirector S SMallikarjunaRaotoldPTI inaninterview.

IndiahikesexposureinUSgovtsecuritiesNewDelhi:Indiabecamethe12th largest holder of USgovernmentsecuritiesattheend of April, with holdingworth$157.4billion,accord-ingtoofficialdata.Aftersig-nificantly reducing the ex-posure inMarch to $156.5billion, Indianmarginallyhiked the holding by $0.9billion to $157.4 billion thenextmonth, the data fromtheUSTreasuryDepartmentshowed.

RCapsaysitsdebtservicingtobedelayedNew Delhi: RelianceCapital (RCap)will not beable to service its debt in atimelymanner followingdowngrading of its bondprogramme by CARERatings. PTI

KARUNJITSINGHNEWDELHI,JUNE21

CHHATTISGARHENVIRONMENTMinisterMohammadAkbar haswritten to the central govern-ment,requestingthatcoalblocksintheregionofHasdeoandMandriversandaproposedelephantre-serveareainthestatenotbeauc-tionedforenvironmentalreasons.According to experts, there arefour coal blocks—Mogra South,Mogra II, Sayang andMadanpurNorth— in theareaoutof the41blocks set to be auctioned forcommercialmining in linewithanannouncementbyPrimeMini-sterNarendraModionThursday.“I request that coal blocks in

theareaof theHasdeoforestandMandriversaswellasthoseintheareaoftheproposedelephantre-serve not be included in theup-coming auction,” saidAkbar in aletter to the Prakash Javadekar,UnionMinister forEnvironment,ForestsandClimateChange.Akbar said therehadbeenan

increase in incidents of elephantattacksonhumanhabitations asaresultofanincreaseinthepop-ulation of elephants and theChhatisgarhgovernmenthadan-nounceda1,995-squarekilome-tre area as the Lemru ElephantReserve,whichwas also part ofthe area set to be allocated. Henoteditwasessentialthatminingactivitiesintheseareasbestopped

forthesafetyoftheforestsandtheenvironmentinthestate.Separately, Jharkhand has

moved the Supreme Court toblocktheauctionofitscoalblockswhich are a part of this auction,citing the need for a fair assess-ment of the social and environ-mental impact ofmining in theareaaswellasapoorinvestmentclimatewhichwasunlikelytore-sult in the states receiving a fairvalueintheproposedauctions.Activist and lawyer Sudiep

Shrivastavaalsonotedthatthear-eas in Chhattisgarh containeddenseforestsandalsoareaswheretribalswhowerepreviouslydis-placedfortheconstructionoftheBangodamon theHasdeo riverwere resettled. He said that itwouldbea“doublewhammy”forthesetribalstobedisplacedagainforcoalmininginthearea.Shrivastava noted that these

areashadbeenclassifiedas‘nogo’zones for coal mining by theEnvironment Ministry. The

Ministry had, in 2009, classifiedforest areas in the countryas ‘go’and‘nogo’zoneswithminingbe-ing banned in the ‘no go’ zones.Subsequently, a governmentpanelsetuptoreviewtheefficacyand legality of forest clearanceprocedureshad raisedquestionsonthelegalityof thebanonmin-ingin‘nogo’zones.Shrivastava pointed out that

Indiahadsufficientlylargeprovenandindicatedreservesofcoalthatdensely forested areas could beexcluded fromcoalmining. “Weare innowaycompromisingourenergy security if we excludethesedenselyforestedareasfrommining activity,” he said, notingthatonly15percentofIndia’scoalreserveswereindenseforests.AccordingtotheCoalMinistry,

Indiahasprovencoal reservesof148.8billiontonnes,indicatedre-servesof139.2billiontonnesandinferred reserves of 31.1 billiontonnes. Domestic production ofcoalwas728.7milliontonnesandtotal coal importswere 235.24milliontonnesinFY19.The Mogra II, Sayang and

MadanpurNorthcoalblockshavepreviouslybeenallocatedformin-ing and then surrendered,whiletheMogra South block has notbeenallocatedpreviously.Shriva-stavasaidtheCentreshoulditselfstudyproposedminingareasandobtain relevant environmentalclearancessothatsuchblocksarenotallocatedinthefirstplace.

Mumbai: The Reserve Bank ofIndia (RBI) on Sunday said lend-inginstitutionsshouldassignzeropercentriskweightonthecreditfacilities extended under theEmergency Credit LineGuarantee Scheme (ECLGS) toMSMEborrowers.“As credit facilities extended

undertheschemeguaranteedbyNCGTCarebackedby anuncon-ditional and irrevocable guaran-tee provided byGovernment ofIndia, it has been decided thatMember Lending Institutionsshall assign zero per cent riskweighton thecredit facilitiesex-tendedunder this scheme to theextentofguaranteecoverage,”theRBIsaidinanotification. PTI

Don’t assignrisk weight oncredit underECLGS: RBIto lenders

PRESSTRUSTOFINDIANEWDELHI,JUNE21

DIESEL PRICE on Sunday hit afreshrecordhighafterrateswerehikedby60paise per litrewhilepetrolpricewasup35paise, tak-ing the cumulative increase inrates in 15days to Rs 8.88 a litreandRs7.97respectively.PetrolpriceinDelhiwashiked

toRs79.23perlitrefromRs78.88,whiledieselrateswereincreasedtoRs78.27alitrefromRs77.67,ac-cording to aprice notification ofstateoilmarketingcompanies.

Diesel pricehits recordhigh after 15thstraight day ofhike in rateREUTERS

MILAN,JUNE21

ITALYISclosetounveilingtheap-provalof guarantees fora6.3bil-lioneuro ($7billion) financingofFiat Chrysler (FCA), two sourcesfamiliar with the matter said,pavingthewayforthelargestcri-sis loanforaEuropeancarmaker.FCA’s Italian division has

tappedRome’s COVID-19emer-gency financing schemes to se-cureastate-backed,three-yearfa-cility to support the group’soperations inthecountryaswellasItaly’scarsector,inwhichabout10,000businessesoperate.

‘Italy close toannouncingFiat Chrysler’s$7-billion loan’

LALITKJHAWASHINGTON,JUNE21

THEUSeconomyisdoing“amaz-ingly” well, President DonaldTrump has said, stressing thatAmerica iswitnessing “record-setting”numbersintermsofjobs.Trumpmade the comments onSaturdaywhile responding to aquestion on the US economy,whichhas beenbattered by thecoronaviruspandemic.Thecountry’sunemployment

rate for Aprilwas 14.7 per cent,whichwasthehighestsince1948.With the addition of 2.5millionjobs,themonthlyratedroppedto13.3percentforMay.

The economy had lost 22.1million jobs inMarch andApril

whenmost parts of theUSwereunderlockdownduetothecoro-

navirus outbreak. InMay, somebusinesseshavereopenedandre-hiring ofworkers haspickedup.Trumphaddescribed the num-bersasanaffirmationofthegoodworkhis adminstration is doing.“TheUSeconomyisdoingamaz-inglywell,”Trumptoldreporters.“Iwouldsaythatthenumbers

thatwe’re doing are record-set-ting numbers.Wehave record-settingjobnumbers,”hesaid.“Wehaverecord-setting,asyouknow,retail sales numbers; that justcameout.TheUSeconomyisdo-ingvery,verywell,”heasserted.Earlier KevinHassett, senior

adviser to thepresident and for-mer chairmanof the Council ofEconomicAdvisers at theWhite

House, told CNN that the coun-try’seconomyiscomingbackwayfasterthanonethought.“RightnowIthinkeconomists

needtobehumbleandrecognisethat when we’ve got 17 stateswhere credit card spending isabovewhere itwas last year al-ready, that it suggests that thiseconomy is really, really comingbackway faster than I thought,”Hassette said. At the same time,he conceded that the economywouldbehit if therewas tobe asecondwaveof the coronavirus.“Ifthereisasecondflare-upthat’s,youknow,biggerthanwhatwe’veseenandtheeconomydoeshaveto move towards more shut-down,”hesaid. PTI

Chhattisgarh asks Centre to excludefour blocks from commercial coalmining over environment concerns

RISING INFLUENCE OF DIIs ONNSE-LISTED COMPANIES

Quarter FPI DII MFownership ownership ownership

Mar31,2020 19.13% 14.40% 7.97%Dec31,2019 20.24% 14.06% 7.79%Mar31,2019 19.65% 13.69% 7.20%Mar31,2018 19.14% 12.67% 6.17%Mar31,2017 19.73% 12.04% 5.00%Mar31,2016 19.28% 11.52% 4.32%Mar31,2015 20.69% 10.39 % 3.57%Mar31,2014 19.54% 10.63 % 2.80%

Source:nseinfobase.com;Ownerships invalue terms

Green certificate sales fall55% to 3.33 lakh in MaySales of renewable energy certificates (RECs) tumbledover 55 per cent to 3.33 lakh units inMay compared to 7.5lakh in the samemonth a year ago, as per official data

2.78LAKH:Number of RECstraded on the IndianEnergyExchange (IEX) inMay,compared to5.5 lakh in thesamemonth last year

0.55LAKH:Number of RECstraded on thePower Exchangeof India (PXIL) lastmonth, asagainst 2 lakh inMay2019

WHATARERECs:RECs are atype ofmarket-basedinstrument to promoterenewable sources of energyand development ofmarket in

electricity. OneREC is createdwhen onemegawatt hour ofelectricity is generated froman eligible renewable energysource

REQUIREMENTUNDERRPO:Under the renewablepurchase obligation (RPO),bulk purchasers like discoms,open access consumers andcapacitive users are requiredto buy certain proportion ofRECs. REC trading isconducted on the lastWednesday of everymonth

HIGHERSUPPLY:Bothnon-solar andsolarRECswitnessedhigher supplyat thetwopowerexchanges inMay,withsell bidexceedingbuybids:BIDSATIEX:■>2.8 lakh:RECswithbuybids■>31 lakh:RECswithsell bids

BIDSATPXIL:■>0.55 lakh:RECswithbuybids■>16 lakh:RECswithsell bids

OVERALLBIDS:■>3.33 lakh:RECswithbuybids■>47 lakh:RECswithsellbids

Source: IEX/PXIL/PTI

THESHARPriseinDIIholdingoverlastsixyearshasprovidedacounter-balancetotheFPIsinIndianmarkets.EveninMarch2020,whenFPIspulledoutanetofRs61,900crorefromIndianequities,DIIsinvestedanetofRs55,595crore.

CounterbalancetoFPIoutflows

DespiteCOVIDconcerns,mutual fundsleadDIIholding in listedcostoall-timehigh

ENSECONOMICBUREAUMUMBAI, JUNE21

TWELVE PUBLIC sector under-taking (PSU) banks have sanc-tioned Rs 40,416 crore in favourof 12.43 lakh accounts and dis-bursed Rs 21,029 crore among5.81 lakhaccounts in theMSMEsector under the EmergencyCredit Line Guarantee Scheme(ECLGS) scheme as on June 18.GujaratandTamilNadureceivedthehighestsanctionsofRs4,156croreandRs4,012crore, respec-tively, till June 18, according togovernmentdata.The cumulative sanctions

nowwork out to around 14 percentofthetotaltargetofRs3lakhcrore. The average sanction andaverage disbursement per ac-

count isRs3.25 lakhandRs3.62lakh, respectively. State Bank ofIndia(SBI)hasrecordedthemax-imumcumulativesanctionsanddisbursementsofRs15,950croreandRs10,667crore,respectively,which is0.8percentand0.5percentof its total loanbook.Asperthescheme,bankscan

lend Rs 3 lakh crore till October31,2020,ofwhich14percenthas

alreadybeenalreadysanctionedby PSU banks till June 18. Theymayneed to sanctionRs 33,400crorepermonthforthenextfourmonths tomaintain their shareinoverall bank credit, accordingtoaCARERatingsreport.Bank of Baroda (BoB) has

recorded the second largest cu-mulative sanctions at Rs 4.987crore(whichis0.8percentofto-tal loanbookand5.7per centoftotal MSME loan book as onDecember31,2019).Punjab National Bank sanc-

tionedloansworthRs4,271croreand disbursed Rs 1,367 crore.CanaraBanksanctionedRs3,983crore and disbursed Rs 1,954crore. “SBI and BoB have 22 percent and 65 per cent of overallloan book undermoratorium,”thereportsaid.

Gujarat andTamilNaduwit-nessed disbursals of Rs 1,657croreandRs2,560crore,respec-tively. Other states which re-ceivedsignificant levelsof sanc-tions and disbursementsincludedMaharashtra (Rs4,009crore sanctions), Uttar Pradesh(Rs 3,094 crore) and Rajasthan(Rs2,608crore).“TheECLGS scheme is a spe-

cific step to the unprecedentedsituationof COVID-19. It aims toprovidethereliefandisexpectedto increase the liquidity of theMSMEsectorandprovideanad-ditional credit of up to Rs 3 lakhcrore at low cost,” the ratingagencysaid.PSUbankshadaround58per

centandprivatesectorbanks35per cent market share in totalbankcreditasonMarch31,2020.

Emergency credit: PSU banks sanction `40,416 crto MSME sector, highest in Gujarat and Tamil Nadu

WITHTHEskirmishattheborderwithChina,the‘BoycottChinaPr-oducts’sentimentisrunninghigh.Thedangers of any rashmove inthisdirectionarewell-known.SNSUBRAHMANYAN,CEOandMDofLarsen&Toubro,inaninterviewwith SHUBHRA TANDON, cau-tionedthattotakeatotalviewonboycotting Chinese goods is notfeasiblecurrently.Editedexcerpts:

Howdoyouthinkthecallof‘BoycottChina’willimpactthecapitalgoodssector?One has to be realistic and

practicalwhether it is possible.ThereareChinesecompaniesthathavesetupshopsinIndia,Chinesegoods are frommany points ofviewefficient and cost-effective.So,totakeatotalviewthatwecanboycott theChinese goods is notfeasiblebecausewealsohavebal-ance of trade, and trade is obvi-ouslyinclinedtowardsChina.Butif thecountrythinksfromalong-

termmeasureandlooksatChinaas an enemy country,we got toputinplacepoliciesandprocessesso that over a period of timewecouldmakethiseffective.

IncasesomeimporttariffsareleviedoncomponentsandgoodscomingfromChina,whatwillbetheimpactintermsofsuppliesandprices?Itwill affect becausemanyof

us have placed orders on someChinese companies. If there is asuddenimpositionof importtar-

iff and then there is a suddenchangeinlaw,onewillhavetode-pendonthegovernmentforcom-pensationonsomeoftheseissues.Secondly,wewillhave to findal-ternativesourcesof suppliesandthose can be costlierwhichwillleadtosomecosts.

Giventhatgovernmentfinancesaresostretchedandthere’suncertaintyinpolicies,howsustainableisittodependongovernmentorders?Inthelastfewyears,thereisan

over-dependenceonthegovern-mentforinfrastructureandengi-neering orders for a fair amountof contracts. This is because theprivate sector in Indiawhich isveryvibranthasover-stretchedit-selfintermsofleveragingitsdebt,balance sheet and someof themhave overestimated the kind ofrevenues that will come in.Therefore,thereisalotofturmoil.Having said that,wehave tode-

pendonthegovernmentsidefororders,whichhasbeenthecase.Ithinkthesituationisgoingtocon-tinuelikethisforsomemoretime.

UdayKotak,whiletakingoverastheCIIpresident,saidthegovernmenthasdoneenoughandit’sfortheprivatesectortostartinvestingevenif itmeanstoexport.Doyouagree?Onehas to agree to that. In a

countrylikeours,thegovernmentalone cannot domuchof the in-vestmentsandithastobebackedby private-sector investment. Ialso agree that the governmenthasdonewhat it can in termsofempowering the private sectorfrom a liquidity, moratorium,NCLTdeferment,fromsustainingthe MSME point of view.However, the entrepreneurialspirit has to comeback. The in-vestmentspurthastocomebackandthatcanonlyhappenwithde-mandcomingback. FE

Boycotting China items not feasible: L&T MD-CEO

GujaratandTamilNadureceivedthehighestsanctionsof `4,156croreand`4,012crore,respectively, till June18,accordingtogovernmentdata

“I requestthatcoalblocksintheareaoftheHasdeoforestandMandriversaswellasthose intheareaoftheproposedelephantreservenotbeincludedintheupcomingauction”

MOHAMMADAKBARCHHATTISGARHENVIRONMENTMINISTER

PRESSTRUSTOFINDIANEWDELHI, JUNE21

COMPANIESWILLnotbeabletoclaim input tax credit (ITC) forGST paid on hiring commercialvehicles for transportation ofemployees, if providing such aservice is not obligatory underany law, the Authority forAdvanceRuling (AAR)has said.On an application filed by

Prasar Bharti BroadcastingCorporation (All India Radio),Shimla, the Himachal Pradeshbench of AAR cited Goods andServices Tax (GST) law to stateITC shall be available on fulfil-ment of one condition— “suchgoodsorservicesorbothshallbeobligatory for an employer toprovide to its employees under

anylawforthetimebeingforce”.The applicant,who is apub-

licservicebroadcaster,soughttoknowwhether ITCwillbeavail-able on taxi hiring services likepickup/drop-off staff, includingladiesandhandicappedemploy-ees, inoddhours.

AAR: Cos can’t claim ITC onGST paid for hiring vehiclesfor employee transportation

NewDelhi:GSTwillbeleviedonsaleoflandforwhichpri-mary amenities — likedrainage,waterlineandelec-tricity—havebeenprovidedbyrealestatedeveloper,Guj-aratBenchofAARsaid. PTI

‘Developed landsold as plots willattract GST’ SNSubrahmanyan. File

SAYS AMERICA WITNESSING ‘RECORD-SETTING’ NUMBERS IN TERMS OF JOBS

US economy doing ‘amazingly’ well: Trump

PresidentDonaldTrumpalsoassertedtheUShas“record-settingretail salesnumbers”. AP

New Delhi

THEINDIANEXPRESS,MONDAY, JUNE22,2020

SPORTWWW.INDIANEXPRESS.COM

14

VolLXXXVIIINo.192Regd.No.DL-21046/03-05R.N.I.No.506/57. PrintedandPublishedbyR.C.Malhotraonbehalf of The IndianExpress (P) LimitedandPrintedatThe IndianExpress (P) LimitedPress,A-8, Sector-7,Noida -201301andPublishedatThe IndianExpress (P) Limited,MezzanineFloor, ExpressBuilding,9&10,BahadurShahZafarMarg, NewDelhi-110002.Editorialoffice: The IndianExpress (P) Limited,MezzanineFloor, ExpressBuilding, 9&10,BahadurShahZafarMarg, NewDelhi-110002.Phone:0120-6651500.Advertisingoffice: The IndianExpress (P) Limited,B1/B, Sector -10,Noida -201301.Phone:0120-6651291.Chairmanof theBoard:ViveckGoenka,Chief Editor:RajKamal Jha,Editor:UnniRajenShanker, Editor (Delhi):RakeshSinha** **Responsible for selectionofNewsunder thePRBAct. Copyright: The IndianExpress (P) Limited.All rights reserved.Reproduction inany

manner, electronicorotherwise, inwholeor inpart,withoutpriorwrittenpermission isprohibited. The IndianExpress®

CROSSWORD4150

ACROSS1 Whereto findthecavalrymanhadenlisted freely (2,3,6)

9 Nicesurroundings (7)10 Asect representedasbeing inaclassbythemselves (5)

11 It’s sobadhalf-a-dozenstart toleave (4)

12 Beat this forapolitical slogan(8)

14 Hemayfollowanacewithclubs,of course (6)

16 Drinkconcessiongivenbackbythe firm(6)

18 Criminal takes twofoolishpeople in (8)

19 Ablowonthehead(4)22 Averysmallmeasureof corn(5)

23 Lastdropofdrama(7)

24 Thepoint in thesepuzzles is tostarta fight!(5,6)

DOWN2 Newbook(5)3 Whenhe’saroundonemovesquickly (4)

4 Upset,yethasnewunderstanding(6)

5 Leaderwhoseutterances inofficearerecorded(8)

6 Instructionsused in theservices? (7)

7 Whatanaccusationofbody-snatchingwouldbe?(5,6)

8 Manof intelligencemovescentrestage(6,5)

13 Actsdisagreeably(8)

15 Aspired, inaway, tohelplessness (7)

17 UnitedStates isaftera recordinOlympicevent (6)

20 Aminorprize (5)21 Vivacity I found inarevolutionarysphere(4)

ARIES(Mar21-Apr20)As theMoonsweeps through themost personalreaches of your

solar chart youwould bewelladvised to payurgentattention tomatters close tohome.WorkingArienswill beencouraged to get as far aheadas they can, andnot to letrandomemotions interferewith theworkingday.

TAURUS(Apr21-May21)If there is tobeathemefor theweek,it shouldbethatargumentscanbe

positive—andthat it’sgoodtoclear theair. The favourablewaytoharmoniseyour lifewithtoday’s stars is tosetout to takedecisionsandopennewlinesof communication.

GEMINI (May22- June21)You’re still receivinga valuable shot ofenergy fromMars’relationshipwith

your sign but, in general, thesituation is looking ratherless organised. So, if youdohavepractical tasks tocomplete, youmust be sureto stepupyour levelof concentration.

CANCER(June22- July23)TheMoon’s friendlypresence is adefiniteplus, but thefact that it’s your

personal ruler is anadditionalsign that youcanafford to raiseyour sights. If you’remakingplans for tomorrow, though,understand that circumstancesmayhave changedbeforetwenty-fourhourshavepassed—and that theremightbeextra costs.

LEO(July24-Aug23)You’re about to facesomeharddecisions, not all ofwhichwill be ofyour ownmaking.

Today you can spend asmuchtime as youwishday-dreaming, for your fantasieswill point theway to the truth.Mind you, if youwant respect,then you’ll have to earn it.

VIRGO(Aug24-Sep23)This isaspecial timeof year, andyoushouldmoveforwardwith

confidenceandfaith inyourfuture.Setyourself up forapositive timebyseekingalliesatworkandplanningsocialinitiativesathome. Justonewordof cautionthough-secretfeelingscouldbeabout tobecomepublic.

LIBRA(Sep24-Oct23)It’s time to indulgeyour ambitions andacceptresponsibility over

others. This is something youoften tend to avoid, in spite ofthe fact that, as currentdevelopments shoulddemonstrate, you are able tohandle your dutieswithunique skill.

SCORPIO(Oct24-Nov23)Pay attention to thelegal situation andmake sure thatyou arewell aware

of your rights. It’s a positivemoment for travel, althoughanydelays could be causedby familymembers orhome commitments. Takesimple precautions nowandyou’ll thank yourselfin future.

SAGITTARIUS(Nov24-Dec22)The strongestemerging theme inyour solar chart is adesire for prestige

and status, and thiswillobviously help those ofyouplanningprofessionalpromotion. Your dailyplanetary patterns,though, focus onyourneed to sort out jointfinancial affairs.

CAPRICORN(Dec23- Jan20)Youmust pay extraattention to familymembers’ needstoday, for if

they are not satisfied theyhaveways, evenunintentionally, of sabotagingyour hopes in return. Scratchtheir backs and they’ll scratchyours. That’s theway theworldworks.

AQUARIUS(Jan21-Feb19)Stay busy andrealise that a dayspent copingwithroutine chores need

not be dull. Also, checkuponyour physical situation andtake steps to get in shape,cleaningupyour diet andexercise. After all, your body isa shrine, as themystics alwaystell us.

PISCES(Feb20-Mar20)It’s a fair day fortaking sometimeoff andindulging in a

private affair or devoting alittle time to an artisticactivity. If unavoidablecommitments beckon, try tomake themaspersonallyenjoyable as possible. There’snopoint in sufferingwhenyoudon’t have to.

SUDOKU4147

DifficultyLevel5sInstructionsTosolveaSudokupuzzle,everydigitfrom1to9mustappear ineachofthenineverticalcolumns, ineachoftheninehorizontalrowsandineachofthenineboxes.

DifficultyLevel1s=Veryeasy;2s=Easy;3s=Medium;4s=Hard;5s=VeryHard;6s=Genius S

OLU

TIONSUDOKU4146

Givenbelowarefour jumbledwords.Solvethejumblestomakeproperwordsandmovethemtotherespectivesquaresbelow.Selecttheletters intheshadedsquaresandjumblethemtogettheanswerforthegivenquip.Asympathetic___canbequiteasdearasa____.-Homer(6,..,7)

SOLUTION:REFER,VIZOR,INDICT,BEHALFAnswer:Asympatheticfriendcanbequiteasdearasabrother.-Homer

FREER CIIDNT

VIZIOR AELBFH

SolutionsCrossword4149:Across: 1Porter,4Aphorism,9Sagely,10Bellpush,12Prop,13Pater,14Menu,17Inproportion,20Bedtimestory,23Lure,24Verne,25News,28Imperial,29Camber,30Hacienda,31Xerxes.Down:1Post-paid,2Regroups,3Ella,5Presentiment,6Oils,7Inures,8Mahout,11Lawoftheland,15Domed,16Horse,18Moneybox,19Eyesores,21Elfish,22Tropic,26Brae,27Rage.

JUMBLEDWORDS

OVERTHEHEDGE byMichael Fry&TLewis

CALVIN&HOBBES byBillWatterson

MARVIN byTomArmstrong

DAYTODAY BYPETERVIDAL

RAJINDER GOEL 1942-2020

RajinderGoelneverplayedTestcricket,but thedomesticgiantwill forever remainoneof thegreatest Indianspinners

The best of the nearly menSANDIPGNEWDELHI, JUNE21

RAJINDERGOEL,thestalwartleft-armspinnerwhodiedonSundayat77afterprolonged ill-ness,wasarguably thegreatest of his craft tohaveneverplayedTestcricketforIndia.Yet,heleftIndiancricketricherwithhisskilfulbowling,charmingpersonality and relentlessdrive tomouldyoungcricketerstillhegrewtooweaktodraghimself to thedistantdomestic fieldsofIndian cricket, always spotting a smile andstewinganoldstoryortwo.Whenheleft thedomestic fieldattheage

of43after24yearsoffirst-classcricket,hehadinhisledger750scalpsat18.58—637offthemcoming in theRanji Trophy,wherehe’s com-fortablythehighest-everwicket-taker.Hewassodeceptive—aclassicalspinner,whoincor-porated cunning andbeauty in equalmeas-ures— thatheenjoyedone-upmanshipoverthefinestbatsmen,cuttingacrosseras.Even the top Indian spinners of that era

sought his advice to counter the legendaryVijayManjrekar, as destructive a player ofspinonecouldeverbehold.ButGoelusedtofind his inside-edgewith a frequency thatmade the great Bombay batsman admirehimandadmit thathewasoneof the finesthehadever faced.Manjrekarpassedon themantle of the Bombay School of batsman-ship to SunilGavaskar,whowas in asmuchaweasdreadof thebeatificallysmilingGoel,whonabbedhimfive times inhis career.Goel stamped such a lasting impression

onGavaskarthatthelatternamedhimasoneof the ‘idols’ in his eponymous book. “He istheonebowlerwhomIhavereallydreadedfacinginmylife.Ihaveneverbeenabletofeelcomfortable against his left-hand spinnersandGoel has been the onewho, because ofhisflattertrajectory,hasnotgivenmetheop-portunity tostepdownthetrackanddrive,”the legendaryopenerhadwritten.Butthen,Goelwasnotadart-the-ball-in-

at-the stumpsmodern-day DRS-poweredleft-armspinner.Rather,hehadseveralbowsinhisstringandasharper-than-swordmind.Hehad abeautiful action andpivot, used togetniceloopanddrift.Whatmadehimvery

difficultwas the subtle changes hemade inflightanddrift.Goel’sreleasetoowasroman-ticised.Soneatandunfussy,noheavytweaksor rips, no visible strain onhis lithe body ormalleablewrits,thathehypnotisedbatsmenwithhisuncannyminimalism.Yet,aTestcapeludedhim,makinghisstory

the greatest so-close-yet-so-far narrative inIndiancricket,perhapsworldcricket.Theclos-esthecametowasagainst theWest Indies inBangalorein1974-75,whenBishanSinghBediwassuspendedondisciplinarygrounds.Hewaswidely tipped tomakehisdebut, but instead,theteamchosetwooff-spinners,EASPrasannaandSVenkataraghavan toally leg-spinnerBSChandrasekhar.It was a logic Goel could never grasp.

“When India played two off-spinners in(Erapalli) Prasanna and (Srinivas)Venkataraghavan,whatstoppedthemfromplayingtwoleft-armspinners?”hehadonceremarked.Itpuzzledhimthroughouthislife,buthewasneverbitter.

Close friendsGoel’spathtotheIndianteamwasblocked

byBedi’sprowessandstature,butthetwore-mainedclosefriends.“Acontentedmanwhohad no bitterness,” says Bedi. “Amanwho

couldnot get angry,” chimes in formerBCCItreasurer Anirudh Chaudhry,whoworkedcloselywithGoelasthelatterservedHaryanacricket inseveralcapacities–includingtalentspotterandmentor–afterhisplayingdays.Chaudhry’s father and formerBCCIpresi-

dent Ranbir SinghMahendra said that "thecricketworldhaslostoneof itsfinestjewels."“Hiscontributiontothegameposthisre-

tirementwasmassiveandhewouldeagerlywatch even an inter-district game in searchfor talent and remained the pivot for selec-tion of Haryana cricket teams till he regret-fully laid down his office on account of theLodharecommendations,”Mahendrasaid.Fewcricketershaveworndisappointment

sogracefullyandstoicallyasGoel,whotillhislastdaysusedtogroomcricketersfromHaryanaandremainedagrandfatherlypresenceatnon-descript,dustycricketgroundsofthestate.“He

wasadomesticmatchreferee fora longtime,thenheused to travel to everyground in thecountrytospottalents.Idon’tthinkthereisanycricketer in the country to not have passedthroughhiseyes,”saysChaudhry.A friendly, amiable figure,Goelwouldnot

only impartyoungcricketerswith trade-spe-cificknowledge,butalsousedtotransportthemtothetimeheplayedcricket.“Hewasourwin-dow into the1970s, used to tellme somanygreatstoriesthatmademefallinlovewiththegame.Hekeptgivingbackmore to thegamethatithadgivenhim,”accordingtoChaudhry.Goel, though, was averse to praise, and

alwaysundersoldhimself.“WhatcouldhaveI done except bowlingwell? I loved cricketand that wasmy life. There will be regretsbutyoudowhatyouhavetodo,”hehadsaid.Thoughunfortunatethathepliedhiscraft

at thepinnacleof India’s spinbowling riches,severalgenerationsof Indianbatsmenhonedtheirskillsfacinghim.“It'sbecauseofbowlerslikehimthatweIndianbatsmenbecamegoodplayersofspinbowlingintheworld.Youneedtobeagoodqualitybatsmantofacethemandtheymeantbusinessbychallengingeachbats-manfromthefirstball.Theywerehigh-qual-ity bowlers to face and if a batsmancanplaythem, then they canplay any spinner in theworld,”reflectsDilipVengsarkar,whousedtokeenlyawaittheTimesShieldsothathecouldplay“GoelSahab”.Heremembersanothermatch,inRohtak

in1984,whenanautumnalGoelmoppeduphalf theMumbaisideinthefirstsession.Thenatureofthesurfacehardlymatteredtohim,someofhisfinesteffortshadcomeongreen-tops. “He meant business by challengingeachbatsmanfromthefirstball. Itwasunfor-tunatethathedidnotplayTestcricket,”saysVengsarkar.That couldwell be the epitaphof his life

and career. Yet, that should not define him.Forhewasmuchmorethanthat,atextbookcase of how to handle the setbacks of a ca-reerwithadisarmingsmile,toillustratethatyoucouldbeaheroeven if youdon’tplayatthe highest level of cricket. As ‘Goel Sahab’hadrepeatedseveraltimesinhislife:“Whatcould I have done except bowlingwell?” Atrue romanticof thegame.

Afriendly figure,RajinderGoelwouldnotonly impartyoungcricketerswithtrade-specificknowledge,butalsousedtotransport themtothetimeheplayedcricket. File

PADMAKARSHIVALKAR

IANDRajinderGoelsharedthesamephilos-ophy – jo mil gaya usi komuqaddar samajhliya. I am a big Dev saab (Anand) and(Mohammed) Rafi saab fan. I don’t know ifRajinderalsolikedDevsaab,butthelinefromHum Dono (Mein zindagi ka saath nibhatachalagaya) connectedus.Wewere left-arm spinners, contempo-

rariesandbothofusmissedthebusintermsofplaying for India.We shouldhaveplayed forIndiabutweweren’tpicked.Thosewhowereinchargeof Indiancricketthenwouldbeabletotellyouwhyweweren’tpicked.Betweenus,wehadover1,300 (1,339) first-classwickets,butwere considered tobenot goodenough.Later the BCCI gave us the LifetimeAchievementAward andacknowledgedourcontribution to Indian cricket and thatwas amemorablemoment.We played as opponents in the Ranji

TrophyandDuleepTrophy.Wehadahealthyrivalry.Butwehadhugemutualrespectaswell.Infact,Ithoughtofhimasgod-send,suchwasmyrespectforhim.Asabowlerhewasunique.Hecarriedanx-factorwhichnobodyhadandhisperformanceattestedthat.Icannotexplainthat(specialtouchinhisbowling)toyou.Thosewho havewatched him or playedwith oragainst himknew the special aspect he car-ried.Hewasalsoafantastichumanbeing.Rajinderbowledflatterbutvariedhisflight.

Hisstylewasdifferent.Spinnersusedflightandlooptoteasethebatsmenthosedays.Heteasedthe batters all right, but in a differentway.Becauseof his flatter trajectory,hedidn’t givethebatsmantimetostepdownthewicketanddrive.Hewasveryaccurateandpinnedthemdownontheback foot.Topbatsmen,mastersagainst spin, struggled toplayhim.Over thepast fewdecadeswehaveseen theprolifera-tionofflattertrajectoryspinners,thankstolim-

ited-overs cricket. ButRajinderwasdifferent.Hewasn’tabitsandpiecesspinner.Hevariedhispacesowell.Whathehadwasspecial,no-bodycouldprobablymatchthat.Ithinkhewasa better bowler thanme. Hewas indeed astrongcontendertoplayforIndia.Despite being a flatter trajectory spinner,

hewasneverabadwicketspinner.Hewasanall-weatherbowler,becausehereadthebats-menwell andwasadept at changinghis tac-ticsaccordingtoconditions.Indiancrickethadsomegreatspinnersdur-

ingour time.As far as left-armspinwascon-cerned,BishanBediwasanautomaticpickfortheIndianteam.Bishanwasagreatbowler,butIdon’tknowwhatpreventedtheauthoritiestoplaytwoleft-armspinners intheXI. (Erapalli)Prasanna and (Srinivas) Venkataraghavanplayed together. So if twooff-spinners couldplay,whynottwoleft-armspinners?ButIdon’twant togobacktowhathadhappened inthepast.Letthatbedoneanddusted.The news of Rajinder’s passing is a huge

shocktome.Hewasachampioncricketer.(Padmakar Shivalkar is a former Bombay

left-armspinner;played124first-classmatchesand took 589 wickets at 19.69. He spoke toShamikChakrabarty)

‘Jo mil gaya usi komuqaddar samajh liya’

ShivalkarandGoelaccountedfor1,339first-classwickets.Expressfile

DIMITROVTESTSPOSITIVEFORCOVID-19Grigor Dimitrov confirmed in a social media post that he has testedpositive for Covid-19. The world No. 19 was one of the players competingon the Adria Tour with other high-profile players like Novak Djokovic,Alexander Zverev, Dominic Thiem in front of a packed crowd.

GoelstampedsuchalastingimpressiononGavaskarthatthelatternamedhimasoneofthe‘idols’inhiseponymousbook.“HeistheonebowlerwhomIhavereallydreadedfacinginmylife.Ihaveneverbeenabletofeelcomfortableagainsthisleft-handspinnersandGoelhasbeentheonewho,becauseofhisflattertrajectory,hasnotgivenmetheopportunitytostepdownthetrackanddrive,”thelegendaryopenerhadwritten.

New Delhi