First india jaipur edition-05 may 2020
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SAMPLE RECEIVED SAMPLE NEGATIVE 3,684 UNDER EXAMINATION 1,29,258 1,22,513 IN RAJASTHAN DISTRICT TOTAL NEW TOTAL CASES CASES DEATH AJMER 172 +4 1 ALWAR 12 +1 1 BANSWARA 66 — — BARAN 1 — — BARMER 3 +1 — BHARATPUR 114 — 2 BHILWARA 37 — 2 BIKANER 38 +1 1 CHITTORGARH 90 +23 1 CHURU 14 — — DAUSA 21 — — DHOLPUR 15 +3 — DUNGARPUR 7 — — HANUMANGARH 11 — — JAIPUR 1022 +29 44 JAISALMER 35 — — JHALAWAR 41 +1 — JHUNJHUNU 42 — — JODHPUR 721 +89 11 KARAULI 3 — — KOTA 212 +3 6 NAGAUR 119 +1 2 PALI 28 +15 — PRATAPGARH 4 — 1 RAJSAMAND 4 +2 — SWAI MADHOPUR 8 — — SIKAR 7 +1 2 TONK 134 — 1 UDAIPUR 15 +1 — OTHER DIST. 2 — 2(UP) TOTAL 2998 +175 77 OTHER (Italy) 2 — — EVACUEES 61 — — GRAND TOTAL 3061 +175 77 USA 1,200,794 69,064 +466 SPAIN 248,301 25,428 +164 ITALY 211,938 29,079 +195 UK 190,584 28,734 +288 GERMANY 165,745 6,866 +11 RUSSIA 145,268 1,356 +76 TURKEY 126,045 3,397 +56 BRAZIL 101,826 7,051 +26 IRAN 98,647 6,277 +74 CHINA 82,880 4,633 +3 CANADA 59,858 3,767 +85 BELGIUM 50,267 7,924 +80 N’LANDS 40,770 5,082 +26 ECUADOR 31,881 1,569 +5 COUNTRY TOTAL TOTAL NEW CASES DEATHS DEATHS GLOBAL STATE OF AFFAIRS WWW.WORLDOMETERS.INFO LAST UPDATED: MAY 4, 2020, 11:00 PM CORONA ALERT JAIPUR l TUESDAY, MAY 5, 2020 l Pages 12 l 3.00 RNI NO. RAJENG/2019/77764 l Vol 1 l Issue No. 328 24°C - 38°C OUR EDITIONS: JAIPUR & AHMEDABAD www.firstindia.co.in www.firstindia.co.in/epaper/ I twitter.com/ thefirstindia I facebook.com/thefirstindia instagram.com/thefirstindia COVID-19 UPDATE RAJASTHAN 77 DEATHS 3,061 CONFIRMED CASES WORLD 2,50,155 DEATHS 36,13,084 CONFIRMED CASES INDIA 44,870 CONFIRMED CASES 1,524 DEATHS FAREENOUGH! Never talked about charging migrants workers 85% fare borne by railways, 15% by state govts, says Centre Every PCC shall bear the cost for rail travel, says Sonia Gandhi Bihar & MP have decided to fund rail travel of its workers New Delhi: The Indian Railways has said that it is charging only standard fare in Shramik special trains from State Govern- ments, which is just 15 % of the total cost incurred by Railways. “The Railways is not selling any tickets to mi- grants and is only board- ing passengers based on lists provided by States,” said sources from the Ministry of Railways. The Railways is running Shramik special trains keeping berths empty in each coach to maintain social distancing, said sources adding the trains are returning empty from destinations under lock and key. Free food and bottled water is also be- ing provided to the mi- grants by Railways. “The Railways has run 34 Shramik special trains so far from different parts of the country and is ful- filling its social responsi- bility of providing safe and convenient travel es- pecially to the poorest of the poor in a time of cri- sis,” the sources added. Thespecialtrainsarebe- ing run to transport mi- grant workers, pilgrims, tourists,studentsandother persons stranded at differ- ent places in the country due to lockdown. Turn on P6 New Delhi: Congress in- terim President Sonia Gandhi on Monday said thatherpartywillbearthe cost for rail travel of every needymigrantworkerand labourer to their respec- tive home towns during the lockdown. She said that Congress had taken the decision as the Centre and Rail Min- istry had completely ig- nored party’s repeated requests to ensure provi- sions of “safe and free rail travel of migrant workers and labourers to their home-towns.” “In- dian National Congress has taken a decision that every Pradesh Congress Committee shall bear the cost for the rail Turn on P6 Bonding over booze: People give social distancing a miss! New Delhi: Liquor shops reopened across the country in the non- containment zones after 40 days from Monday with people queuing up inlargenumbers,giving social distancing norms a toss at some places. MHA had extended the 40-day nationwide lockdown from Monday for two more weeks and allowed liquor and to- bacco shops to open in the green and orange zones. Many liquor shops had to be shut as people, who gathered outside the outlets, did not follow social dis- tancing norms, while in some cases police had to use mild force to dis- perse the unruly crowd. Large number of peo- ple made a beeline in Uttar Pradesh that reo- pened 26,000 liquor stores, while Rajasthan had to close most of the shops where social dis- tancing norms were not being followed. As per the govern- ment notification, shops selling liquor have to en- sure social distancing and also make sure that not more than five peo- ple are present at one time at the shop. Cong to pay rail fare of needy migrants: Sonia Migrants from Nagpur arrive at Lucknow railway station by a special train on Monday. —PHOTO BY ANI BEACONof HOPE The Keukenhof flower garden in Holland, with its seven million spring-flowering bulbs, is the most ‘beautiful spring garden in the world’. For the first time in its 71-year history, it is closed due to coronavirus lockdown. However, its magnificent blooms can still be seen in all their multi-coloured glory—virtually—thanks to Dutch photographer Albert Dros, who was given exclusive access to the Garden of Europe. Gardeners had been working hard to prepare the site for its annual flower festival, planting 7million bulbs! Liquor shops reopened on Monday but were shut down as crowd became unruly; In Raj shops will now open on Tuesday after proper barricading, said Excise Dept Stranded penniless in crisis? Gehlot opens govt’s ‘wallet’! Kartikey Dev Singh Jaipur: Hours after Congress President Sonia Gandhi an- nounced that state units will pay for the train tickets of strand- ed laborers across the nation, Rajasthan Chief Minister and senior Congress lead- er Ashok Gehlot, known to be sensitive towards the people’s hardships, also an- nounced free travel for laborers looking to go out of state. Gehlot emphasized that his government will en- sure that labourers will not have to pay from their own pocket in this time of crisis. “Thegovernmentwill bear the expenses of those who want to catch a train back home and will also make arrange- ments for free travel of those opting for road journey till Rajasthan’s boundary,” Gehlot said. Chairing a marathon three and a half hour long video conference with senior bureau- crats, nodal officers, of- ficials of various de- partments, district col- lectors, superinten- dents of police and of- ficials of health depart- ment, Turn on P6 Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot during a video conference with officials of various departments where DB Gupta and Rajeeva Swarup were also present on Monday. CM announces to pay for train & road travel of all outgoing labourers heading home Speed up testing in Jodhpur & Nimbahera: Gehlot Asks officials to create awareness in public that lockdown hasn’t ended Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot has instructed the district collectors to assess the damage caused by hailstorm and storm and provide assistance for human loss immediately. He has also instructed to give assistance of up to 4 lakh rupees, as per rules, to the next of kin who died due to recent hailstrom in Tonk district. “In the last few days there has been hailstorm in various districts in which crops have been damaged. For this, all the District Collectors have been asked to gather information about the crop at the earliest, so that special girdawari can be done if required,” Gehlot said. CM REVIEWS DAMAGE CAUSED BY HAIL SPREADING “DEADLY VIRUS LIKE TERRORISM”: MODI ON PAK AT NON-ALIGNED SUMMIT New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday delivered a sharp takedown of Pakistan during a video address to the summit of Non-Aligned Movement (NAM), pointing to its focus on terror even amid the coronavirus pandemic. Without naming Pakistan, PM Modi said, “Even as the world fights COVID19, some people are busy spreading some other deadly viruses such as terrorism, fake news and doctored videos to divide communities and countries”. P6 New Delhi: Centre said it will be “facilitating return of Indian nationals stranded abroad on compelling grounds in a phased manner,” from 7 May. “Travel would be arranged by aircraft and naval ships. Indian Embassies and High Commissions are preparing a list of distressed Indians. INDIA TO BRING CITIZENS STRANDED ABROAD FROM MAY 7
- 2. NEWSJAIPUR | TUESDAY, MAY 5, 2020 02www.firstindia.co.in I www.firstindia.co.in/epaper/ I twitter.com/thefirstindia I facebook.com/thefirstindia I instagram.com/thefirstindia Handwara martyr Col Sharma’s last rites to be performed today Jaipurdairy&RCDFat loggerheads,reachesHC HC dismisses plea seeking CBI probe on quarantine centres First India News Jaipur: The dispute relating to the collec- tion of cess by the RCDF from Jaipur Dairy reached the high court on Monday. A single Judge Bench of Justice Ashok Gaur stayed the collection of 7.94 Crore rupees as Cess/ service fee charged by RCDF from Jaipur Dairy. The order came on a petition filed by Jaipur Dairy through its ChairmanOmPrakash Pooniya. Counsel for the petitioner Dr Abhi- nav Sharma appearing for Jaipur Dairy told the bench that the Board of the Dairy was having a dispute with the RCDF on the issue of collection and pay- ment of cess as the same can be levied as a tax upon a tax and only the Central Gov- ernment is authorized to levy a tax, however, the RCDF has been col- lecting cess from vari- ous dairies of the State since 1992. First India News Jaipur: Raj high court has dismissed a PIL seeking CBI inquiry into expenditure on quarantine centres for corona patients. The division bench of CJ Indrajeet Mohanty and Justice Satish Shar- ma said that govt em- ployees and even their families are like corona warriors. They have been giving everything and working to the best of their abilities. The bench said that state govt has been maintain- ing an account of ex- penditure on quaran- tine centres, therefore, any kind of interfer- ence by court would not be appropriate and dis- missed the PIL filed by lawyer Prakash Thaku- ria. He has claimed that Rs 2400 per person is being spent in quaran- tine centres. First India News Jaipur: People of the city were misty-eyed and full of gratitude when the news of the arrival of the body of the son of the soil mar- tyr Colonel Ashutosh Sharma landing at the airport reached them. IAF aircraft brought the body at 3.30 pm on Monday and it was cer- emoniously taken in an army truck to Army hospital at Jaipur Mili- tary Station in the pres- ence of martyr’s moth- er, wife Pallavi, daugh- ter, and brother. The body will be kept at 61 cavalry polo ground today for last respects. CM Ashok Ge- hlot will visit polo ground to pay his re- spects to the martyr Colonel Ashutosh Shar- ma of 21 Battalion of Rashtriya Rifles. Colo- nel sacrificed his life while saving the hos- tages from the terror- ists in a fiercely fought encounter in Handwara in Kashmir. The two- time Sena medal win- ner had himself opted for the posting in dis- turbed Kashmir while he could have conveni- ently stuck to a desk job anywhere. The funeral will take place today at the mili- tary station with full state honours in the presence of CM Gehlot, Army Welfare Minister Pratap Singh Khachari- yawas, and other digni- taries. Khachariyawas represented the state govt on Monday while paying respects to the martyr’s body. Earlier as the body of Col. Sharma passed the streets of city people paid their respects with folded hands from their terraces. It was pin- drop silence when the belongings of Col. Shar- ma were handed over to his family. He had last called his family on 1 May and said that he was busy in an opera- tion and would soon jointhefamilyinJaipur for few days but he ar- rived draped in the tri- colour. His wife, Pallavi, had expressions of pride apart from visible personal loss all throughout. CM ASHOK GEHLOT WILL VISIT POLO GROUND TO PAY RESPECTS TODAY Army personnel carry the coffin of martyred Col Ashutosh Sharma at Jaipur Airport on Monday. Col Sharma’s brother Piyush and daughter Tamanna. Col Sharma’s wife Pallavi at the Airport. Jaipur: With the joint efforts of state Con- gress government and BJP-led Centre, over one crore students in Rajasthan shall be able to attend regular les- sons on Aakashwani. Prakash Javadekar, Union I&B Minister on Monday accepted the request made by state education minister Go- vind Singh Dotasara to make a few slots avail- able on radio platform so that students of ru- ral areas can also learn their regular school les- sons, who unlike the private school students, were deprived from ac- cessing online classes. Prasar Bharati gave a nod to run 51 classes which shall run till June 30. Each class shall run for 55 min- utes, Dotasara said add- ing “It’s a new begin- ning where the politics has taken a backseat for the sake of students’’ future. We are thankful to the central govern- ment for accepting this request which will ben- efit over one crore stu- dents in the state.” Dotasara further opined that central gov- ernment will also per- mit slots on Doordar- shan too. “I have re- quested for the slot on DD also and am hoping to get permission on same grounds,” he said. Dotasara, a few days back, had written a let- ter to Javadekar re- questing him for a few slots on Akashwani and Doordarshan to ensure rural students too can learn their lessons dur- ing lockdown as they have been unable to do so due to lack of broad- band connectivity and electronic gadgets. Unlike the private school students, these students can’t attend online classes as they don’t have required in- frastructure including high speed internet and gadgets like smart- phones and computers. Now, this decision comes as a blessing for them, he said. BJP state president Satish Poonia also sup- ported Congress gov- ernment in this cause. He had also written a letter to Javadekar pushing for the facility. Centre, state govts unite for sake of students in Raj COMBATING CORONA First India News Jaipur: Senior BJP leader V Satish has been stuck in Jaipur where he came for a meeting but got stuck as the central govt had suddenly announced a lockdown. V Satish has been in the party office for the last 40 days. The nation- al joint secretary (or- ganization) of the party has been staying in a room in state party HQ. He has been looking af- ter organisation matters of AP, Gujarat, Maha- rashtra, and Rajasthan. Despite being in poli- tics, he lives the life of a yogi. He gets up early at 5 AM. Then he attends shakha in party office that is also attended by state general secretary (organisation) Chan- drashekhar. The shakha session is over after in- tellectual discussion that is followed by VC and audio bridges from 9 am. He interacts with party officials, MPs, and MLAs. He also joins meetings with central leadership through VC. The focus is on BJP worker’s public service during the corona crisis. He takes rest only for an hour in the entire day but works till 9 pm. Satish was sent to BJP by the RSS, which he had joined as a mem- ber of ABVP. HE has completely devoted himself to the organisa- tional work. Restlessdaysof lockdownfor workaholicVSatish 1200 pilgrims leave for WB from Ajmer First India News Jaipur: Nearly 1200 zayreens will be able to celebrate Eid at their home. Thanks to a spe- cial train that left with them from Ajmer to Sealdah in West Bengal. Senior divisional com- mercial officer Mahesh Chand Jevlial said that the railway had made adequate arrangements for the passengers and followed all norms of social distancing and safety. The zayreens who were stuck in Ajmer for the last two months be- cause of lockdown seemed happy to get the chance to go back home. Kolkata resident Shab- nam said that she was happy that she was able to go back home. An- other passenger from Kolkata Abdul Kalam cheerfully waved his hands to express his happiness at being able to go home. Additional Nazim of dargah committee of Khwaja Moinuddin Chishti, Dr Adil said that food has been ar- ranged for passengers at various stations. Finance will not be constrain for drinking water supply: Kalla ‘Pandemic has made online edu a necessity’ Poonia thanks PM for free slot on AIR First India News Jaipur: The State gov- ernment has taken nec- essary steps to ensure drinking water supply during summers and lockdown period. PHED minister Dr BD Kalla said that fi- nance will not be con- strain for drinking wa- ter supply. “CM Ashok Gehlot has already sanctioned Rs 50 lakh each to dist collectors as a preemptive measure,” he said. The PHED minister assured that the state govt would not let any shortage of drinking water. Drinking water is be- ing supplied through tankers in rural as well as urban areas. He as- sured that lockdown would not impact on drinkingwaterschemes. 1962 tankers have been doing rounds every day in 27 cities while 640 tankers have been tak- ing water to 757 villages and hamlets per day. First India News Jaipur: Governor Kalraj Mishra said that COVID-19 has brought a huge change in our lives. He said that this pandemic has made on- line education a neces- sity. According to Gov- ernor, lockdown is no permanent solution of Covid 19. “We need to do research to find a per- manent solution for this disease,” he said while addressing a webinar of Bikaner Technical Uni- versity on Monday. More than 1000 teach- ers, students, and their parents joined the we- binar. In his address, the governor said that the Indian constitution is a pillar of human val- ues. They are inherent in constitutional du- ties. Only human val- ues can remove oppres- sion from society. First India News Jaipur: State BJP Presi- dent Dr Satish Poonia has thanked PM Naren- dra Modi and Union min- istersPrakashJavadekar and Ramesh Pokhariyal Nishank for a free slot on AIR for studies of school children. Air has allotted free slot for 51 days follow- ing requests from Dr Poonia and edu minis- ter Govind Singh Do- tasara. The latter after writing a letter to Ja- vadekar had requested state BJP president to push the matter with the union minister. Now that AIR has allot- ted time, he has ex- pressed gratitude. He said GOI has taken the decision in the interest of students of the state. First India News Jaipur: On Monday, the commissioner lifted curfew from the marked areas under Jawahar Nagar and Vidhyadhar Nagar police stations. On the other hand, cur- few was imposed in Brahmpuri and Sadar police station areas. DCP Rahul Jain in- formed that the curfew has been removed from New Raja Park to Suraj Maidan in Jawahar Na- gar and Power House Sector-9 to PHED office and nearby areas in Vidhyadhar Nagar. Traffic down, losses up: Jpr airport faces `29 cr lossFirst India News Jaipur: The operation of flights around the world is affected due to COVID-19. Flight opera- tions at Jaipur Airport have also been com- pletely shut for the last 40 days, from March 25 to May 3. In such a situ- ation, the airport ad- ministration has faced a loss of Rs 29 cr in rev- enue. While the opera- tions of international flights were stopped from March 22, the op- erations of domestic flights were stopped from March 25. The airport adminis- tration receives reve- nue from landing charg- es, night halt charges, passenger service fees from passengers, user development fees, and other commercial ac- tivities during flights. But, no activities have taken place for the last 40 days. In the two phas- es of lockdown, only the medical flights were op- erated from Jaipur Air- port. Although cargo flights could also be op- erated, it did not hap- pen due to low cargo bookings. On average, the air- port administration generates a revenue of Rs 21.66 cr. In last 40 days, the administra- tion has faced a loss of about Rs 13 cr from user development fees, Rs 4 cr from passenger ser- vice fees and Rs 8 cr from night halt charges. Senior BJP leader V Satish Governor Kalraj Mishra Govind Singh DotasaraPrakash Javadekar Curfew lifted and imposed at some places of the city Dr Satish Poonia —PHOTOSBYMUKESHKIRADOO
- 3. RAJASTHANJAIPUR | TUESDAY, MAY 5, 2020 03www.firstindia.co.in I www.firstindia.co.in/epaper/ I twitter.com/thefirstindia I facebook.com/thefirstindia I instagram.com/thefirstindia Liquor shops flout rules, shut down after 2 hours Nirmal tiwari Jaipur: Excise depart- ment could not open all IMFL&IMCLoutletsin state despite its claims of finishing all formali- ties for it during lock- down. State govt had decided to resume sale of liquor in the state after 42 days in accord- ance with the modified guidelines. While most shops could not open due to incomplete for- malitiesandpaperwork and those which man- aged to open had to close down shutters with in two hours due to heavy rush queuing outside shops flouting social distancing. Situation in Ban- swara and Kota went out of hands and police had to resort to lathi charge. Excise Com- missioner BC Mallick then decided to order closure of all shops un- til further orders. In Jaipur 206 & 198 outlets of IMFL & IMCL re- spectively could not open shops. Excise department now plans to open all shops in all zones on Tuesday after ensuring proper barricading and other provisions for so- cial distancing outside all shops. It claims it will have a policeman outside all 6665 IMCL and 1000 IMFL shops. Only the shops in curfew & containment zones will remain closed. State has al- ready lost Rs 12 crore in lockdown and has opened liquor shops to resume much needed revenue but it will also have to ensure that these shops don’t con- vert into coronavirus vending outlets. People waiting for the liquor shop to open in Mansarovar area. —PHOTO BY MUKESH KIRADOO Six deaths in Raj; 175 new cases found, most from Jodh Jodhpur: 10 held for pelting stones at police First India News Jodhpur: 10 persons including a woman were arrested for pelt- ing stones at policemen on Monday in Jodhpur. ADCP Umesh Ojha said that some people were unnecessarily sitting outside their homes in milkman colony. When they were asked to go inside, they refused. They pelted stone at po- lice when they got strict. A police vehicle got damaged. Ojha said they were arrested un- der section 151 for dis- turbing peace. Kota: 3 new cases reported, medical teams screen vendors First India News Jaipur: Six corona deaths were reported in last 24 hours taking the total to 77 along with 175 new corona positive cases. Four of the deaths were report- ed from Jaipur while two deaths were re- ported from Jodhpur. Maximum 89 new cases came from Jodhpur, 29 from Jaipur, 23 from Chittorgarh, 15 from Pali, 4 from Ajmer, 3 each from Dholpur & Kota, 2 from Rajsa- mand and one each from Alwar, Barmer, Bikaner, Jhalawar, Na- gaur, Sikar and Udaipur were found. The state total for co- rona positives stands at 3061. State has test- ed 129258 samples so far out of which 122513 have reported negative while reports for 3684 samples is awaited. Jaipur leads the most positive cases tally with 1022 cases. First India News Kota:Threenewcorona cases have been report- edinKotatakingthetoll to 212. Two were found in rural area of Suket while third was an el- derly from Indira area. Half the city has been placed under cur- few, which will remain in force till Friday. Dis- trict administraton has made alternative arrangements to sup- ply ration, milk and vegetables. But, people have been facing lot of problems due to errat- ic supply. Medical teams screened all vegetable vendors going to cur- few bound areas under orders from UDH min- ister Shanti Dhariwal. 90 found +ve in Nimbahera First India News Chittorgarh: Total cases in Nimbahera reached 90. There were 40 cases till Sunday evening and 23 more reported on Monday. District collector Chetan Deora has alerted teams with in- structions that no one who has come into con- tact of infected should be left out of sampling. He has deployed four more screening teams in Nimbahera. Cop helps pregnant lady coming from Barmer, deliver her baby Shiv prakash purohit Jodhpur: The police- men are doing all they could in addition to their duties to prevent the spread of the co- rona infection. On Monday, the Jodhpur Commissionerate po- lice once again pre- sented an example of humanitarianism. DCP West Preeti Chan- dra reached Akhalia crossing while visiting the curfew areas of the city. After some time, a vehicle coming from Barmer, broke down at the Akhalia intersec- tion, where she saw that the vehicle was carrying a pregnant woman from Barmer. During this time, the pregnant woman got started experiencing labour pain. As per the circumstances, the lady constable on duty at the spot carried out a safe delivery of the woman in the car, who gave birth to a baby girl. Meanwhile, the doc- tor and nursing staff from a private hospital were called, who checked the health of the mother and child. After that, they were shifted to the private hospital. DCP Chandra also reached the hospi- tal to see the mother and child. MP Rathore assures all help to SDM First India News Jaipur: BJP MP from Jaipur Rural, Rajya- wardhan Singh Rathore held meeting of block level officials in panchayat samiti conference hall. He re- viewed efforts to deal with corona and gave necessary instruc- tions. BJP leader Ma- hendra Yadav and all mandal presidents and party workers were present. Rathore promised and assured SDM that there will be no paucity of resources in Bansur. Several areas in Kota will remain under curfew till Friday. Excise dept plans to open shops, ensuring social distancing norms, on Tuesday DCP West Preeti Chandra with the new born at a private hospital. Cops ensuring that only one rider travels on two-wheelers. —PHOTO BY SUNIL SHARMA
- 4. n the face of the present un- precedented crisis, the country has seen an alarming spurt in the number of instances where clinical establishments, includ- ing hospitals, have refused treatment of non-covid19 ail- ments, and consequently, turned away patients. Some of these patients ultimately succumbed to their ail- ments. The reasons for the denial are aplenty ranging from the compelling lack of requisite medical equipment to insufficiency of manpow- er and other resources, to the fear of COVID-19 mani- festation in the subject seek- ing treatment, etc. The suffi- ciency, or otherwise, of the justifications notwithstanding, the incidents highlight the ex- istence of a much greater co- nundrum. There is a need to resolve the apparent incom- patibility between the citi- zens’ fundamental right to healthcare and the right to safety and security of the medical practitioners, espe- cially in such testing times. The situation may be best un- derstood through the prism of the legislation holding the field governing doctors. In India, doctors are gov- erned by the Indian Medical Council (Professional Con- duct, Etiquette and Ethics) Regulations, 2002, pre- scribed by the Medical Council of India. Although the council is now defunct on account of repeal of its parent legislation, these regulations continue to hold the field being saved by the transitory provi- sions in the new enactment. The regulations begin by re- minding that the prime object of the medical profession is to render service to humanity and that whoever chooses this profession, assumes the obliga- tion to conduct himself in ac- cordance with its ideals. Fur- ther, it is unequivocally stated that a physician is free to choose whom he will serve. He should, however, respond to any request for his assistance in an emergency or whenever temperate public opinion ex- pects the service. The regula- tions conclude, lest one forgets, any violation of these regula- tions shall constitute profes- sional misconduct and render the physician liable for disci- plinary action. The liability may even arise in tort, thereby, giving rise to a claim for dam- ages. The resounding mandate of the paramountcy of sav- ing life was cited with ap- proval by the Supreme Court in the celebrated case of Pt. Parmanand Katara v. Union of India and Ors, wherein the court went further to hold that whenever the pro- fessional is unable to render the requisite services to save the life, he must assist the patient in reaching the prop- er expert, as early as possi- ble. There is, therefore, a statu- tory obligation, and not merely a moral duty, to treat patients when called upon. Interesting- ly, the Law Commission of In- dia, under the chairmanship of Justice M. Jagannadha Rao, in its 201st report proposed law for imposing stricter statutory duties and corresponding lia- bilities on hospitals and practi- tioners in emergency care. However, the recommenda- tions never made it to the stat- ute book. Seen from the other side, it is equally incumbent upon the government in a welfare state to ensure the protection of its frontline warriors. Those who work tirelessly, day in and day out, to keep us in the comforts of our homes, should not be subject to unnecessary harass- ment from others. The right to work without fear enures in them as also the right to not be bound to treat each and every person asking for his/ her services. Where the ail- ment is one not in the range of expertise of the treating doc- tor, he may even refuse the treatment and refer the patient to another physician. Any inca- pacity detrimental to the pa- tient or which can affect his performance can be reasonable ground to refuse treatment. Such incapacity may even be on account of inadequate equipment or protective gear. There is, therefore, a need to harmonize the apparently conflicting rights of doctors vis-à-vis the society, so as to prevent the addition of an unwanted dimension in our fight against the pandemic. After all, the law is a watchdog and not a bloodhound. THE VIEWS EXPRESSED BY THE AUTHOR ARE PERSONAL I DHRUV GUPTA The writer is a practising advocate in the Supreme Court of India PERSPECTIVEJAIPUR | TUESDAY, MAY 5, 2020 04www.firstindia.co.in I www.firstindia.co.in/epaper/ I twitter.com/thefirstindia I facebook.com/thefirstindia I instagram.com/thefirstindia G Vol 1 G Issue No. 328 G RNI NO. RAJENG/2019/77764. Printed and published by Anita Hada Sangwan on behalf of First Express Publishers. Printed at Bhaskar Printing Press, D.B. Corp Limited, Shivdaspura, Tonk Road, Jaipur. Published at 304, 3rd Floor, City Mall, Bhagwan Das Road, C-Scheme, Jaipur-302001, Rajasthan. Phone 0141-4920504. Editor: Jagdeesh Chandra, responsible for selection of news under the PRB Act SONIA GANDHI PUSHES BJP ON BACKFOOT he Congress Party moved to the centre stage of national politics with Sonia Gandhi’s announce- ment to pay for the migrant workers’ journey back home. In an oblique reference to Trump’s Gujarat visit, she wondered why a govt spent Rs 100 crore to transport and provide food for one public event in Gujarat cannot extend the same courtesy to migrant workers. Suggest- ing lack of compassion on part of the Cen- tral government, she also asked why the railway ministry which gave Rs 151 crore to the PM Cares fund was not large-hearted enough to bear the cost of the displaced workers headed home. The Congress Working President describ- ing the migrant labourers, who have been forced to return to more secure and familiar environs after the sudden lockdown rendered them jobless and hungry, as the backbone of the economy and ambassadors of the coun- try’s growth. In a letter, she said, “When our Government can recognize its responsibility by arranging free air travel for our citizens stranded abroad, when the government can spend nearly Rs 100 crore on transport and food, etc for just one public programme in Gujarat when the Rail Ministry has the lar- gesse to donate Rs 151 crore to the PM’s Co- rona fund, then why can’t these essential members of our nation’s fabric be given a fraction of the same courtesy.” After pushing the BJP on the back foot by taking up the cause of migrant workers who were being asked to pay for their rail ticket and food packets, Sonia found herself on the same page as Subramaniam Swamy, Rajya Sabha MP of the ruling party. Echoing her views in stronger words Swamy tweeted, “How moronic of the Government of India to charge steep rail fares from the half-starved migrant labourers! Indians stranded abroad were brought back free by Air India. If Rail- ways refuse to budge then why not make PM CARES pay instead?” Comparing the scale of “the tragedy” with the movement of millions of refugees from Pakistan, Sonia said, “Post the partition of 1947, this is the first time India witnessed a tragedy with such massive human cost…” Although some BJP leaders hit back at the Congress for the statement, the government swung into damage control as the govern- ment apparently agreed to bear 85 percent of the cost with the states left to bear the re- maining 15 percent. Swamy’s second tweet cleared the air, “Talked Piyush Goel office. Govt will pay 85% and State Govt 15%. Mi- grant labour will go free. Ministry will clari- fy with an official statement.” Amit Malviya of the BJP tweeted that Railwayshadalreadysubsidised85percent. Heeding Sonia’s Rajasthan CM Ashok Gehlot promptly announced that the state will pay the labourers rail fare. At the end of the day, Sonia seemed to have won this round of political war. IN-DEPTH T COVID-19andtheemergentneed toharmoniserightsofdoctors The right to work without fear enures in them as also the right to not be bound to treat each and every person asking for his/her services. Where the ailment is one not in the range of expertise of the treating doctor, he may even refuse the treatment and refer the patient to another physician There is a need to resolve the apparent incompatibility between the citizens’ fundamental right to healthcare and the right to safety and security of the medical practitioners, especially in such testing times ristotle was right. Humans have never been atomized indi- viduals, but rather social beings whose every decision affects other people. And now the COV- ID-19 pandemic is driving home this fundamental point: each of us is morally responsible for the infec- tion risks we pose to others through our own behavior. In fact, this pandemic is just one of many collective- action problems facing hu- mankind, including cli- mate change, catastrophic biodiversity loss, antimi- crobial resistance, nuclear tensions fueled by escalat- ing geopolitical uncertain- ty, and even potential threats such as a collision with an asteroid. As the pandemic has demonstrated, however, it is not these existential dan- gers, but rather everyday economic activities, that reveal the collective, con- nected character of mod- ern life beneath the indi- vidualist façade of rights and contracts. Those of us in white-col- lar jobs who are able to work from home and swap sourdough tips are more dependent than we perhaps realized on previously in- visible essential workers, such as hospital cleaners and medics, supermarket staff, parcel couriers, and telecoms technicians who maintain our connectivity. Similarly, manufactur- ers of new essentials such as face masks and chemical reagents depend on im- ports from the other side of the world. And many peo- ple who are ill, self-isolat- ing, or suddenly unem- ployed depend on the kind- ness of neighbors, friends, and strangers to get by. The sudden stop to eco- nomic activity underscores a truth about the modern, interconnected economy: what affects some parts substantially affects the whole. This web of linkag- es is therefore a vulnerabil- ity when disrupted. But it is also a strength, because it shows once again how the division of labor makes everyone better off, exactly as Adam Smith pointed out over two centuries ago. Today’s transformative digitaltechnologiesaredra- matically increasing such social spillovers, and not onlybecausetheyunderpin sophisticated logistics net- works and just-in-time sup- ply chains. The very nature of the digital economy meansthateachof ourindi- vidual choices will affect many other people. Consider the question of data, which has become even more salient today be- cause of the policy debate about whether digital con- tact-tracing apps can help the economy to emerge from lockdown faster. This approach will be ef- fectiveonlyif ahighenough proportion of the popula- tion uses the same app and shares the data it gathers. And, as the Ada Lovelace Institute points out in a thoughtful report, that will depend on whether people regard the app as trustwor- thy and are sure that using it will help them. No app will be effective if people are unwilling to provide “their”datatogovernments rolling out the system. If I decidetowithholdinforma- tion about my movements and contacts, this would ad- versely affect everyone. Yet, while much infor- mation certainly should remain private, data about individuals is only rarely “personal,” in the sense that it is only about them. Indeed, very little data with useful information content concerns a single individu- al; it is the context – wheth- er population data, loca- tion, or the activities of others – that gives it value. FOR FULL REPORT LOG ON TO WWW.PROJECTSYNDICATE.COM Coronavirus & the end of individualism A THE SUDDEN STOP TO ECONOMIC ACTIVITY UNDERSCORES A TRUTH ABOUT THE MODERN, INTERCONNECTED ECONOMY Be not quick in your spirit to become angry, for anger lodges in the heart of fools. —Ecclesiastes 7:9 Spiritual SPEAK Top TWEET Ahmed Patel @ahmedpatel Deeply distressed to hear about the passing away of Shri Ramesh Dutta, former Deputy Mayor (MCD) and a committed Congress worker. My condolences to his family and well wishers Dharmendra Pradhan @dpradhanbjp Welcome the decision of GOI and thank Hon. PM Shri @ narendramodi, HM Shri @ AmitShahand EAM @ DrSJaishankar ji for the timely decision to bring back Indian nationals from abroad. #IndiaFightsCorona
- 5. QUENCHING THIRST... A man drinking water using tube-well in Kolkata on Monday. —PHOTO BY ANI INDIAJAIPUR | TUESDAY, MAY 5, 2020 05www.firstindia.co.in I www.firstindia.co.in/epaper/ I twitter.com/thefirstindia I facebook.com/thefirstindia I instagram.com/thefirstindia New Delhi: More than 11 lakh samples have beentestedforCOVID-19 as of Monday morning, according to the Indian Council of Medical Re- search (ICMR). “A total of 11,07,233 samples have been test- ed as on May 4, 9 am,” ICMR said.A day earli- er, the medical research body had said that cur- rently there are 315 government and 111 private laboratories, operational and report- ing to it. According to ICMR, there are 363 labs, including govern- ment and private, con- ducting Real-Time RT PCR test for COVID-19 in the country. While 42 laboratories are en- gaged in TrueNat Test and 21 for CBNAAT Test in India. India’s count of COVID-19 cas- es has reached 42,533, including 1,373 deaths, according to the Minis- try of Health and Fam- ily Welfare on Monday. 2,553 more coronavirus cases were reported and 72 people succumbed to infection in the last 24 hours. Currently, there are 29,453 active cases while 11,706 patients have been cured. —ANI MORE THAN 11 LAKH SAMPLES TESTED FOR COVID-19: ICMRIndia’s count of COVID-19 cases has reached 42,533, with 1,373 deaths, says Health Ministry IMedics collect samples from a COVID-19 patient to test the status of his infection at Chaudhary Brahm Prakash Ayurved Charak Sansthan in New Delhi on Monday. —PHOTO BY ANI Kolkata: West Bengal has the highest mortal- ity rate in the country at 12.8 per cent, Inter Ministerial Central Team (IMCT) leader Apoorva Chandra wrote in his final obser- vations to state Chief Secretary Rajiva Sinha, before leaving for Delhi. “This extremely high mortality rate is a clear indication of low test- ing, weak surveillance and tracking,” Chandra said in the letter. A discrepancy has been brought to the fore in the number of COV- ID-19 cases reported by the state in its medical bulletins and its com- municationwiththeUn- ion government, Chan- dra noted in the letter. The team, led by Chandra, returned to the national capital af- ter having completed two weeks of stay in the city. —ANI Bengal has highest Covid-19 mortality rate: Central team Police instruct women to wear mask at a govt hospital in Kolkata. New Delhi: The SC re- served its order on a batch of petitions seeking restoration of 4G internet services in J&K claiming the 2G service available in the Union Territory is not sufficient for educa- tion and business pur- poses amid the ongo- ing coronavirus-in- duced lockdown. A three-judge bench headed by Justice NV Ramana said that it is taking into considera- tion all the issues in the matter and that it does not require any additional material in the case. “We will pass appropriate orders in the case,” Justice Ra- mana said. During the hearing, attorney general KK Venugopal said that the orders that have been passed specifically stat- ed that restrictions of internet speed are re- quired for national se- curity. Venugopal said that it's about the pro- tection of the lives of the entirety of the pop- ulation of Jammu and Kashmir and not just the COVID-19 patients. Petitions need to be examined against the larger public interest of national security, he added. —ANI SC reserves order in plea to restore 4G Internet in J&K New Delhi: The Su- preme Court on Mon- day refused to consider a plea against the buri- al of the bodies of those who died of COV- ID-19 at three cemeter- ies of Mumbai's Ban- dra area, saying the Bombay HC should de- cide it finally within a period of two weeks. A bench of Justices R F Nariman and Indira Banerjee said HC, which was already hearing the matter, should consider the is- sue. The court asked the petitioner Pradeep Gan- dhy to press for orders before the High Court. The petitioner chal- lenged the validity of the Bombay High Court's interim order of April 27, refusing to stay burial of such de- ceased at Ward Konkani Muslim Cemetery no. 80, Khoja Sunnat Jamat Kabrastan Bandra West and KhojaIsna Ashari Jammat Kabrastan Bandra West. The petitioner was apprehensive of a “po- tential catastrophe” that may befall upon the residents living in the densely-populated surrounding area over there. “Intheabsenceof any interim protection, the petitioners’ writ peti- tion would be infructu- ous as the burial process will continue and irre- versible damage would be caused to the neigh- bouring area. —ANI Plea seeking stay on corona victims’ burial, dismissed New Delhi: SC on Mon- day, declined to enter- tain a plea challenging appointment of a judi- cial officer as judge at the Karnataka High Court minutes before the swearing in. The Bench, compris- ing Justice Deepak Gupta and Justice An- iruddha Bose, took up the plea through video link at 10 a.m, half an hour before the sched- uled swearing in of judges in the Karnata- ka High Court. The petition was dis- missed 15 minutes be- fore judicial officer Pad- maraj N Desai was to take oath as an addi- tional judge of the high court. Dismissing the plea, the court said it couldn''t entertain such a plea at the eleventh hour, also it interfered with the presidential order on the judge''s ap- pointment. The appointment was challenged by Shi- vamogga Principal Dis- trictJudgeRKGMMMa- haswamiji referring to breach of seniority and also sought stay on the swearing in. —ANI SC junks plea against K’taka judge’s appointment WREATH-LAYING CEREMONY OF ARMY MEN KILLED IN HANDWARA Srinagar: The Indian Army held a wreath-laying cere- mony for security personnel who lost their lives in the Handwara encounter in J&K. Colonel Ashutosh Shar- ma, Major Anuj Sood, Naik Rajesh Kumar and Lance Naik Dinesh Singh had lost their lives in the Handwara encounter on May 2. While four Army personnel and a police Sub-Inspector lost their lives in the encounter. DELHI AIRPORT UNVEILS PLAN FOR PASSENGER TRAVEL New Delhi: GMR-led Delhi International Airport Ltd (DIAL) has come up with robust planning for travel of air passengers when the COVID-19-led lockdown ends. The measures include use of so- cial media and in-airport channels to inform pas- sengers about the importance of social distanc- ing, wearing a mask at all times, hand hygiene, printing boarding pass at home and highlighting their name and flight details to reduce touch- points at the airport. The SOP details the usage of areas and need for disinfection. UNITY AWARD: LAST DATE OF NOMINATIONS EXTENDED New Delhi: The last date of invitation of nom- inations for Sardar Patel National Unity Award has been extended till June 30, the Ministry of Home Affairs said.The Centre has instituted the award as the highest civilian award in the name of Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel, for contribution in promoting unity and integrity of India. The award seeks to recognise the notable and inspir- ing contribution made by individuals or institu- tions or organizations in this field and reinforces the value of strong and united India. NMCG’S IDEATHON TO FIND RIVER MANAGEMENT STRATEGIES Mumbai: The National Mission for Clean Ganga (NMCG) on May 1 organ- ised an IDEAthon event to explore how the current Coronavirus crisis can shape the river manage- ment strategies for the future. The event that was based on the ‘The Future River Management’ witnessed participation of over 500 expert panelists from various countries and international organi- zations. The NMCG had organised the event under the Ministry of Jal Shakti and NIUA. The ministry in its statement said that the river cities need a special focus to capitalize on not only the socio-cultural significance of the river but also the ecological importance. New Delhi: Two floors of the Border Security Force headquarters in Delhi have been sealed after a staff member was tested positive for COVID-19, officials said on Monday. The eight-storeyed BSF head office is lo- cated in the CGOs com- plex on Lodhi road that also houses the CRPF headquarters, which was placed under simi- lar sealing on Sunday after two staffers tested positive.”A head con- stable of the BSF work- ing in the force head- quarters has been found COVID-19 posi- tive late night on May 3. He last attended office on May 1,” a BSF spokesperson said. “He was working in an office on the 2nd floor. Offices on first and second floors of the headquarters have been closed as a precaution,” he said. All those who came in his contact have been identified and quaran- tined. They will also be tested for coronavirus, he added. The BSF head office houses the office of its Director General (DG) and other senior com- manders apart from its operational and admin- istrative wings. Prior to the detection of the case, the spokes- person said the head- quarters was closed early by 4.00 pm on Fri- day as a special precau- tionary measure. Officials said this was done as the head constable had then ex- hibited some illness symptoms and he was immediately sent for medical care. All attending staff vacated offices. —ANI Two floors of BSF HQs sealed after staff member tests positive New Delhi: India on Monday, lodged a strong protest with Pakistan over a recent Pakistan SC order that allows for the conduct of the gen- eral elections as well as setting up a caretaker government ahead of the polls in Gilgit-Bal- tistan. The region is claimed by India as part of the Indian state of J&K. A statement from the Indian foreign min- istry said India sent the protest note to a senior Pakistan diplomat. “The Government of Pakistan or its judici- ary has no locus standi on territories illegally and forcibly occupied by it. India completely rejects such actions and continued attempts to bring material changes in Pakistan occupied areas of the Indian ter- ritory of Jammu and Kashmir. Instead, Paki- stan should immediate- ly vacate all areas un- der its illegal occupa- tion,” the Indian state- ment said. The statement said it has clearly been conveyed to the Paki- stani side that the en- tire Union Territories of Jammu and Kash- mir and Ladakh, in- cluding the areas of Gilgit and Baltistan, are an integral part of India by virtue of its fully legal and irrevo- cable accession. —PTI India demarches Pak diplomat over Baltistan issue THE ORDER Srinagar: Three paramilitary troop- ers were among four persons killed in a brief shootout at Wangam area of Qa- ziabad Handwara in north Kashmir’s Kupwara district on Monday. Militants attacked 92 bn CRPF (A Coy) party at Wangam at around 5:32 pm. In the attack, two CRPF men were killed on the spot while two others suffered inju- ries in the shootout. Both the injured were shifted to hospi- tal where one among them succumbed on the way, they said. The paramilitary troopers retaliated and the exchange of fire continued for around five minutes, they said. As the guns fell si- lent, one more body was spotted near the shootout site and investigations have been launched to ascertain whether the body is that of a civilian or someone else, they said. PRO CRPF Pankaj Singh told that mili- tants attacked the CRPF party at Wangam. —Agencies 3 CRPF men among 4 killed in Handwara
- 6. INDIAJAIPUR | TUESDAY, MAY 5, 2020 06www.firstindia.co.in I www.firstindia.co.in/epaper/ I twitter.com/thefirstindia I facebook.com/thefirstindia I instagram.com/thefirstindia WHO WILL BE NEW DGP OF HIMACHAL PRADESH? Who will succeed Sitaram Mardi as DGP of Himachal Pradesh on June 1 ? In all probability, 1989 batch IPS officer, Sanjay Kundu will suc- ceed him. If Kundu declines the offer, then his batchmate SR Ojha may be called from central deputation to take over as DGP. WHO WILL BE NEW CHIEF SECRETARY OF KERALA? In Kerala, the Government goes by seniority.If this principle is taken into account 1986 batch IAS officer Vishwas Mehta will succeed Tom Jose on June 1. ASWANI BHATIA TO BE NEW MD OF SBI? Managing Director & CEO at SBI Mutual Fund Ashwani Bhatia is likely to become new MD of the State Bank of India. FOUR IAS OFFICERS, OUT OF 24, OF 1988 BATCH, POSTED AS SECRETARIES IN GOI Out of total 24 empanelled officers of 1988 batch, only four IAS officers have been posted as Secre- taries, while the postings of seven officers of this batch presently on central deputation, were up- graded to Secretary level in Government of India. 14 UBI GMS TO BE PROMOTED TO CGM RANK SOON A total of 14 general managers of Union Bank of India will be promoted to chief general manager rank soon. The bank will start the evaluation pro- cess soon for all 55 GMs to promote 14 of them. LT GEN SUKHDEEP SANGWAN’S TENURE AS DG, ASSAM RIFLES, ENDING NEXT MONTH The tenure of Lt Gen Sukhdeep Sangwan, SM, Director General , Assam Rifles is ending on May 13, 2020. SIKKIM IS COVID FREE AND SIKKIM CADRE IAS OFFICER RAJE DOES SAME WITH MP DISTRICT 2007 batch Sikkim cadre IAS officer Jitendra Singh Raje, who is currently on deputation to Madhya Pradesh as District Collector in Neemuch, has made the district ‘COVID-19 free,’ which is now a ‘Green Zone.’ Incidentally, Sikkim is also now entirely ‘COVID-19 free.’ LT GEN KJS DHILLION ASSUMES CHARGE AS DG, DIA Lt Gen KJS Dhillion has assumed charge as Director General, Defence Intelligence Agency and Deputy Chief of Integrated Defence Staff (Intelligence). SHRIKANT MADHAV VAIDYA TO SUCCEED SANJIV SINGH AS CHAIRMAN, IOCL ON JULY 1 Shrikant Madhav Vaidya, Director (Refineries), IOCL, will be taking over the charge as Chairman, Indian Oil Corporation Limited (IOCL) on July 1. He will succeed present incumbent Sanjiv Singh retiring in June, 2020. SCI CHAIRPERSON HK JOSHI CONTINUES ADDITIONAL CHARGE OF DIRECTOR FINANCE HK Joshi, Chairperson & Managing Director, Shipping Corporation of India (SCI), will continue holding an additional charge of Director (Fi- nance), SCI till June 19, 2020. 17 IAS OFFICERS OF 2019 BATCH TO JOIN UP After completion of Foundation Course at LBSNAA, Musoorie, 17 IAS officers of 2019 batch, who have been allotted UP, will join their cadre next week. The state govt has issued their posting orders as Asstt Collectors in various districts. Accordingly, Divyanshu Patel, Bara- banki, Junaid Ahmad, Bareilly, Gunjan Dwevedi and Sandya Chabra, Bulandshahar, Diksha Jain, Mathura, Anurag Jian, Gorakhpur, Himanshu Nagpal, Saharanpur, Soumaya Gurunani, Meerut, Ankur Kaushik and Amit Kale, Agra, Amritpal Kaur, Muzzafarnagar, Lakshami M, Hardoi, Suraj Patel, Bahraich, Manish Meena, Varanasi, Puja Yadav, Kanpur, Prashant Nagar, Ayodhya, Sumit Yadav, Deoria and Pranata Aishwarya, Lucknow. POWERGallery Stranded penniless... Gehlot asked the Collec- tors to ensure that the new guidelines issued by Union Home Minis- try are followed proper- ly. “Migrants and la- bourers coming in from other state will have to stay in quarantine. Those who have symp- toms like cough, cold or fever, they should be kept in institutional quarantine. Others can stay inside their homes in quarantine. The dis- trict collectors need to ensure this and there can be no lacunae in this,” Gehlot instructed the officials. CM also in- structed the officials to take action against pri- vate hospitals that are refusing to treat pa- tients. “the Collectors need to look into this. The state government has started 428 mobile OPDs also to provide medical treatment to non-covid patients. Along withtreatmentof patients fighting seri- ous ailments, focus should also be on preg- nant women and vacci- nation of kids,” he said. CM also asked the of- ficials to go all out for ‘ruthless containment’ in Nimbahera on the lines of Bhilwara. “Fo- cus on containment conducting proper plan- ning. Sample collection should be increased and it should be ensured that no delay is caused in obtaining results of sample testing. Samples should be sent to Bhil- wara instead of Udai- pur. Survey and screen- ing should be done of each household,” he said. During the VC, Ge- hlot specially instruct- ed Jodhpur Collector Prakash Rajpurohit since Corona has been spreading fast in Jodh- pur. CM is apprently not too happy with the Col- lector’s performance thus far. Gehlot also asked Jodhpur officials to speed up obtaining the test results saying that the sooner they get hold of test results, the sooner they will be suc- cessful in stopping the infection. “a message should go in general public that lockdown is still in effect in state and no major relief has been given, barring a few necessary items and services. People should not get out of home if not necessary. People need to be made aware of not breaking Centre and state’s guidelines,” he said. Fare enough!... Sources said Jharkhand, which has received two trains till now, has paid its dues. Originating states like Rajasthan and Telanga- na are also paying for the travel of workers in their states. —ANI Cong to... travel of every needy worker and migrant la- bourer and shall take necessary steps in this regard. This will be the Indian National Con- gress’ humble contribu- tion in service of our compatriots and to stand shoulder to shoul- der in solidarity with them,” a statement is- sued by Sonia read.She stressed upon the im- portance of workers terming them “ambas- sadors of our nation’s growth” and alleged “when Rail Ministry has largesse to donate Rs51 crores to PM’s fund, then why can’t these essential mem- bers of our nation’s fab- ric be given a fraction of the same courtes?” —ANI FROM PG 1 New Delhi: Congress leader Priyanka Gan- dhi Vadra hit out at the Centre asking that if the government can bring back Indians stranded overseas through air, free of cost, then why cannot it give free rail travel facility to labourers amid lock- down. “The workers are na- tion builders. But today they are stumbled. When we can bring back stranded Indians free of cost by airplane, when we can spend Rs 100 crore on Namaste Trump event from the government treasury, when the Railway Min- ister can give Rs 151 crore in PM's Care Fund, then why cannot the workers get the fa- cility of free rail travel during this epidemic?” she said on Twitter. “The Indian National Congress has decided that it will bear full ex- penses of rail journey of workers returning home.” Congress had taken the decision as Centre & Rail Ministry had completely ignored party's repeated re- quests to ensure provi- sions of ‘safe & free rail travel’ of migrants. —ANI ‘Whycan’tworkerstravelforfree?’ Only 610 COVID-19 cases from 112 backward dists,says Amitabh Kant New Delhi: Amitabh Kant, Chairman of EG 6 and CEO NITI Aayog, said that only 610 covid-19 c a s e s have been reported from 112 backward districts of the country. “We have worked there with Collectors in 112 backward districts, which we call aspira- tion districts that come under the aspirational district programme. Till now in those 112 districts, only 610 cases have been reported that is only 2 % of the na- tional level infection.” MIGRANTS’ TRAIN FARE CENTRE BEHAVING LIKE EAST INDIA CO. New Delhi: Congress spokesperson Jaiveer Shergill said, “Both in the lockdown and demonitisation, BJP govern- ment behaved like the East India Company by looting the common man, ignoring the pain of the weaker sections of society, focusing on filling government cof- fers rather than pocket of the people of India.” “Three I's, ill-planning, insensitive ap- proach and irra- tional decision making, are the common traits exhibited by the BJP govern- ment during demonitisation and lockdown causing pain, anguish and distress to the vulnerable sections of the society,” added Shergill. ‘BIHAR GOVT TO PAY RAIL FARE OF STRANDED WORKERS’ Patna: Bihar CM Nitish Kumar said that stranded people of Bihar, including migrants and students, coming back to the state via special trains will not have to pay for rail tickets and their fare will be paid by the state government. “Once they reach Bihar they will be kept in quarantine and after 14 days will be allowed to go back to their final des- tination. Everything will be paid by the Bihar government,” he said. “A quarantine centre has been set up. All of them will be staying at the quarantine centre for 21 days. They will be given an amount of Rs 1000 each.” The Indian National Congress has decided that it will bear the full expenses of the rail journey of the workers returning home. —Priyanka Gandhi Congress General Secretary On the one hand, the Railways is charg- ing ticket fare from migrant workers stranded in various states of the coun- try, on the other hand, the Ministry of Railways is donating Rs 151 crore in PM- CARES Fund. Solve this puzzle! —Rahul Gandhi Congress Leader New Delhi: India has seen almost 70 per cent decline in oil and gas demand but has been able to fill its strategic reserves of petroleum products, Petroleum and Natural Gas Minis- ter Dharmendra Prad- han said on Monday. Pradhan held a social media live conversation to address the concerns of people in the wake of situation created by Covid-19. Responding to a ques- tion on oil price and de- mand, he said the world is seeing reduction in demand due to the Cov- id-19 pandemic and lockdown. “India has also seen almost 70 per cent de- cline in oil and gas de- mand. The oil and gas sector is going through unprecedented chal- lenges. Despite chal- lenges, our refineries are operating, supply chain working. India has been able to fill its strategic reserves of petroleum products. Our oil companies have procured almost 7 MMT oil at low prices. Almost 20 per cent of our demand has been stored. —Agencies ‘Gas demand 70% down but India filled its strategic reserves’ Today we are entering third phase of the lockdown. Prime Min- ister Narendra Modi said ‘Jaan hai to Ja- haan hai’ and fol- lowed it up with the mantra ‘Jaan bhi aur Jahaan bhi’. We have to follow the lockdown while slowly resuming economic activities. Dharmendra Pradhan Minister for Petroleum & Gas New Delhi: The well- ness & beauty industry units must register t h e m - selves un- der MS- MEs to avail ben- efits from v a r i o u s schemes, said Union Minister Ni- tin Gadkari on Monday. Interacting with the members of the well- ness and beauty indus- try through a video con- ference, Gadkari said: “This industry should register under the MS- MEs so that they can benefit from various schemes of the Minis- try of MSME.” —ANI ‘Beauty industry should register under MSME’ New Delhi: Addressing a media briefing here today, Joint Secretary (Home Affairs), Punya Salila Srivastava said: “MHA has asked states to ensure that there are no issues in inter-state cargo movement. MHA Control Room Number 1930 and NHAI helpline number 1033 may be used by drivers / transporters to lodge any complaint pertaining to lockdown.” New Delhi: With 1,074 COVID-19 patients getting cured in the last 24 hours, India's recovery rate has further moved to 27.52%, said the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare. Talking to media, Lav Agarwal, Joint Secretary, Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, said: “A total of 1,074 people have been cured in the last 24 hours. This is the highest number of cured patient in a day. 11,706 people have been cured till to date. The recovery rate is 27.52 per cent. —ANI MHAADVISORYOVERRISINGINFECTION 1,074 COVID-19 PATIENTS CURED IN 24 HRS New Delhi: In a veiled attack on Pakistan, Prime Minister Naren- dra Modi said at the vir- tual Non-Aligned Move- ment (NAM) summit that while the world is fighting the novel coro- navirus, some people are busy spreading oth- er deadly viruses such as terrorism and fake news. "Even as the world fights COVID-19, some people are busy spread- ing some other deadly viruses such as terror- ism, fake news, and doc- tored videos to divide communities and coun- tries," the Prime Minis- ter said taking a swipe at the neighbouring country without nam- ing it. Pakistan has been continuing its at- tempts at cross-border infiltration of terror- ists even as the world is battling the challenge thrown by coronavirus. Its leaders have peddled fake videos in order to create divisions. Secu- rity agencies have traced thousands of so- cial media handles based in Pakistan spreading fake news. The Prime Minister, in his remarks through video conferencing, said India is taking care of its citizens against COVID-19 and is also ex- tending help to others and has ensured medi- cal supplies to 123 part- ner countries including 59 members of NAM. He said the humanity today faces its most se- rious crisis in many decades. "At this time, NAM can help promote global solidarity. NAM has of- ten been the world's moral voice. To retain this role, NAM must re- main inclusive," he said. He said India has shown how democracy, discipline, and decisive- ness can come together to create a genuine peo- ple's movement. "During this crisis, we have shown how de- mocracy, discipline, and decisiveness can come together to create a gen- uine people's move- ment. Indian civiliza- tion sees the whole world as one family. As we care for our own citizens, we're also ex- tending help to other countries," the PM said. "Despite our own needs, we have ensured medical supplies to our 123 partner countries including 59 members of NAM . We are active in global efforts to de- velop vaccines.” —ANI Modi takes up ‘terror virus’ at NAMVEILED ATTACK New Delhi: The Union Health Ministry said the disease curve is relatively flat as of now, while 2,533 new cases, which is the highest number of cas- es in a single day, were reported in the past 24 hours, and needed a collective effort to pre- vent peaks. Joint Secretary, Health, Lav Agarwal, said In the last 24 hours 1,074 recoveries (high- est in one day) were re- ported. As the curve is relatively flat as of now. If we work collectively, peaks may not come, but if we fail then, we may see spikes in cas- es,” said Agarwal. —ANI ‘Covid-19 curve relatively flat now’ If we analyse the closed data of COVID-19 cases and calculate the outcome ratio that indi- cates the status of cases as in whether they have recovered or died, then it is found that outcome ratio has increased from 80:20 from April 17 to 90:20 on Monday. —Lav Agarwal,Joint Secy,MoHFW
- 7. TALKING POINTJAIPUR | TUESDAY, MAY 5, 2020 07www.firstindia.co.in I www.firstindia.co.in/epaper/ I twitter.com/thefirstindia I facebook.com/thefirstindia I instagram.com/thefirstindia ARE STRINGENT LOCKDOWN MEASURES EFFECTIVE IN CURBING COVID-19 SPREAD? An R(eff) of less than one means each infected person spreads the virus to less than one other person, on average. By keeping R(eff) be- low one, the number of new infections will fall and the vi- rus will ultimately disappear from the community. Conversely, the larger the R(eff) val- ue, the more freely the virus is spread- ing in the commu- nity, and thus the faster the number of new cases will rise. This means a higher number of cases at the peak of the epidemic, a greater risk of the health system be- coming over- whelmed, and ulti- mately more deaths. T o understand the spread of Covid-19, the pandemic is more usefully viewed as a series of distinct lo- cal epidemics. The way the virus has spread in different countries, and even in particular states or regions within them, has been quite varied. A New Zealand study has mapped the coronavirus epi- demic curve for 25 countries and mod- elled how the spread of the virus has changed in response to the various lock- down measures. The research, which is yet to be peer-reviewed, clas- sifies each country’s public health re- sponse using New Zealand’s four-level alert system. Levels one and two repre- sent relatively re- laxed controls, whereas levels three and four are stricter. By mapping the change in the effec- tive reproduction number – R(eff), an indicator of the ac- tual spread of the virus in the commu- nity – against re- sponse measures, the research shows countries that im- plemented level three and four re- strictions sooner had greater success in pushing the R(eff) to below one. EFFECTIVE REPRODUCTION NUMBER – R(EFF) ASTUDYHASMAPPED CORONACURVEFOR25 COUNTRIESAND MODELLEDHOWTHE SPREADOFTHEVIRUS HASCHANGEDIN RESPONSETOVARIOUS LOCKDOWNMEASURES HERE ARE SOME OF STUDY’S FINDINGS FROM STATES AND NATIONS AROUND THE WORLD NEW SOUTH WALES, AUSTRALIA The effect of Australia’s strict border control measures, implemented relatively early in the pan- demic, can clearly be seen in the graph below. Federal and state governments introduced strict social distancing rules; schools, pubs, churches, commu- nity centres, entertainment venues and even some beaches were closed. This prompted the R(eff) value to drop below one, where it has stayed for some time. Australia is rightly regarded as a success story in controlling the spread of Covid-19, and all states and territories are now mapping their paths towards relaxing restrictions in the coming weeks. SINGAPORE Singapore is a lesson on why you can’t ever relax when it comes to coronavirus. It was hailed as an early success story in bringing the virus to heel, through extensive testing, effective contact tracing and strict quaran- tining, with no need for a full lockdown. But the virus has bounced back. Infec- tion clusters originating among migrant workers has prompted tighter restrictions. The R(eff) currently sits at around two, and Singapore still has a lot of work to do to bring it down. Individually, these graphs each tell their own story. Together, they have one clear message: places that moved quickly to imple- ment strict interventions brought the coronavirus under control much more effectively, with less death and disease. And our final example, Singapore, adds an important coda: the situ- ation can change rapidly, and there is no room for complacency. ITALY Italy was relatively slow to respond to the epi- demic, and experienced a high R(eff) for many weeks. This led to an explosion of cases which overwhelmed the health system, particularly in the country’s north. This was followed by some of the strictest public health control measures in Europe, which has finally seen the R(eff) fall to below one. Unfortunately, the time lag has cost many lives. Italy’s death toll of over 27,000 serves as a warn- ing of what can happen if the virus is allowed to spread unchecked, even if strict measures are brought in later. UNITED KINGDOM The United Kingdom’s initial response to Cov- id-19 was characterised by a series of missteps. The government prevaricated while it considered pursu- ing a controversial “herd immunity” strategy, before finally ordering an Italy- style lockdown to regain control over the virus’s transmission. As in Italy, the result was an initial surge in case numbers, a belatedly successful effort to bring R(eff) below one, and a huge death toll of over 20,000 to date. NEW YORK, USA New York City, with its field hospital in Central Park resembling a scene from a disas- ter movie, is another testament to the power of uncontrolled virus spread to overwhelm the health system. Its R(eff) peaked at a stagger- ingly high value of eight, before the city slammed on the brakes and went into complete lockdown. It took a protracted battle to finally bring the R(eff) below one. Perhaps more than any other city, New York will feel the economic shock of this epidemic for many years to come. SWEDEN Sweden has taken a markedly relaxed approach to its public health response. Barring a few minor restrictions, the country remains more or less open as usual, and the focus has been on individuals to take personal responsibility for controlling the virus through social distanc- ing. This is understand- ably contentious, and the number of cases and deaths in Sweden are far higher than its neighbour- ing countries. But R(eff) indicates that the curve is flattening. A health worker uses an infrared thermometer to measure the temperature of a laborer at the construction site of a residential building in Ahmedabad. —REUTERS A police officer raises a baton at a man who, according to police, had broken the social distancing rule, outside a wine shop during an extended nationwide lockdown in New Delhi, India. —REUTERS SOURCE: THE CONVERSATION CONCEPT: DIVYA HEMNANI DESIGN: ABHISHEK GUPTA
- 8. Choose happiness and good health. Work towards the goals. These are a way of life, not just an aim. —Jagdeesh Chandra, CEO & Editor, First India JAIPUR | TUESDAY, MAY 5, 2020www.firstindia.co.in I www.firstindia.co.in/epaper/ I twitter.com/thefirstindia I facebook.com/thefirstindia I instagram.com/thefirstindia 08 2NDFRONTPOSTAL REG NO. JPC/010/2019-21 Yogesh Sharma M igrant. This word has s u d d e n l y gained much pop- ulism in the political sphere of the nation and rightly so, for thinking of lakhs upon lakhs of mi- grant labourers is the foremost duty of every citizen special- ly in the present times. The dictionary describes it as noun, meaning a person who moves from one place to another. However the adjective, and this where things get inter- esting, denotes “tend- ing to migrate.” And this is where the real story begins. Congress President Sonia Gandhi had an- nounced that her par- ty would pay for the travel expenses of mi- grant labourers. Close on the heels of Sonia’s announce- ment, Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot, a Congress stalwart and a Gan- dhi family loyalist, also made an an- nouncement that his government will bear the travel expense of migrants going out of state. Gehlot’s initia- tive has been appreci- ated by all in the party and outside. Sometime after Ge- hlot, PCC Chief and Deputy Chief Minister Sachin Pilot gave a statement, albeit akin to a ‘migrant’ (remem- ber the adjective)! Pilot thanked Sonia Gan- dhi for the decision and said that workers have a huge contribu- tion in strengthening our country. “Now when they have got permission to go back, it is cruel to charge fare from them. When we can bring people from abroad in chartered plane, the Centre should also bear fare of these migrant workers,” he said. Pilot, who has had a history to ‘migrate’ from giving credit to the Rajasthan govern- ment, which inciden- tally is his own, did not say anything for the state government’s de- cision and rather fo- cused his statement supporting Sonia Gan- dhi’s statement. This has got tongues wag- ging in the relevant political circles once again that while the entire nation has been lauding CM Ge- hlot’s decision, but the Rajasthan Pradesh Congress Committee has not said anything over it, let alone thanking him. Pilot’s tactical si- lence on this part of the story has surprised and amazed everyone in the party, including Gehlot camp and sen- ior party leaders at New Delhi! 98PEOPLEAVAILE-OPD ON THEFIRSTDAYOFLAUNCHFirst India News Jaipur: Health Minis- ter Dr Raghu Sharma launched the first of its kind tele-medicine portal www.esanjee- vaniopd.in and dedi- cated it to the people of the state. Congress leader Dharmendra Rathore accompanied him on the occasion. Dr Sharma said that although consul- tation for non-Cov- id-19 diseases is available across state hospitals the portal will save time, money and make available best consultation from the comfort of home. He informed that the portal will bring services of 30 doctors from across the state to the door- steps of people. Con- sultation services will be available from 8 am to 2 pm daily. NHM director Nar- esh Thakral said that 240 doctors have been trained for online con- sultation. He said that the services will be ex- panded to all govern- ment hospitals in a phased manner so that the services reach eve- ryone in the state. Nodal officer for the online project Ravindra Kumar in- formed that to avail the services, one will have to register on the portal through mobile phone by gen- erating an OTP. The patient will then re- ceive a token number and patient id on his mobile after this. The patient will be required to log into the portal with the provided patient id and token number to avail of the consul- tation. There will be a facility to down- load the e-prescrip- tion from the portal as well. 98 patients have been benefited from online consultation from 40 dedicated doctors on the first day. This facility will help patients suffer- ing from general ail- ment from travelling to the hospital, seek- ing appointment from doctors, paying fees, their time & energy in doing the whole act. Renowned doctors, otherwise difficult to access will be easily available from the comfort on the pa- tient’s home through this portal. After free medicines & tests and Janata clinic, tele- medicine is a big step by the Gehlot govern- ment to make its agen- da of Nirogi Rajasthan true in its spirit. Ahmed asks PCCs to mobilise resources for tickets to migrants He urged people to make it a ‘people’s movement’ New Delhi: Soon af- ter Congress interim chief Sonia Gandhi announced that her party will bear ex- penses on rail tick- ets for stranded mi- grants across India, senior party leader Ahmed Patel on Monday said he had asked all state units to mobilise all pos- sible resources for the cause and urged people to make it a “people’s move- ment”. Patel, Congress treasurer and Rajya Sabha MP from Guja- rat, tweeted: “As di- rected by the Con- gress President, in my capacity as Treasuer (All India Congress Commit- tee) I request Pradesh Congress Committees to mobi- lise all possible local resources to help the migrants purchase tickets to get back home.” “Let us make this into a people’s move- ment, please contact AICC if you require assistance,” he said. His statement came soon after So- nia Gandhi pointed out to the plight of migrants stuck across the country and money charged from them for ferry- ing them back to their home states and announced that her party will bear the cost of their rail tickets. Sonia Gandhi’s an- nouncement came amid the reports that the migrants were be- ing charged for their travel by trains to their respective states. The railways has earlier said that it was charging the state gov- ernments for the Shra- mik special train tick- ets. The railways also clarified that the Sh- ramik Special trains are meant for “nom- inated people” iden- tified and registered by state govern- ments and the rail- ways will not issue any tickets to any individual or enter- tain any request from any groups. The railways has started to run the Shramik Special trains for transport- ing the labourers from May 1, almost 40 days after the pas- senger, mail and Ex- press trains services were suspended. Till now the nation- al transporter has run over a dozen of Shra- mik Special trains on the request of the state governments to ferry the migrant labourers. —IANS 12,000arrestedinstatefor violatinglockdown:Soni‘Distribute masks and sanitiser in each house at Ramganj’ Shivendra Parmar Jaipur: The third phase of lockdown be- gan from Monday with specific guide- lines for different zones viz. Red, Or- ange and Green. ADG (Crime) BL Soni said that the state govern- ment has notified an ordinance under Epi- demic Management Act making certain provisions compulso- ry like wearing a mask, following so- cial distancing, ban on spitting at public places, ban on assem- bly of more than 5 persons, not organiz- ing functions like wedding etc without permission. Soni said that the infringement of the act attracts pris- on term along with fines. He categorically said that the police will take all the incidents of attack or misbehavior with corona warriors like doctors, nurses, pa- ra-medical staff, asha sahyogini, police and others very seriously. In order to highlight the police seriousness on infringement of lockdown guidelines, Soni elaborated on the latest data. He said that so far, 12,000 per- sons have been arrest- ed under CRPC provi- sions across the state. 2,100 cases have been registered and action has been taken against 4572 persons under sections of Epidemic Act, Disaster Manage- ment and IPC. He in- formed that a dedicated team was constantly monitoringsocialmedia and has so far acted against 266 persons by registering 187 cases. Speaking about peo- ple roaming about with- out valid reasons, Soni said that police have is- sued challans to 2 lakh 42 thousand vehicles un- der MV Act and seized over 1 lakh 18 thousand vehicles along with re- covering Rs 4 crore as fines from the offenders. ADG Soni said that the police were also very alert on the black marketing issue and has so far registered 114 cases under the Es- sential Services Act. He appealed to the peo- ple to respect corona warriorsandfollowlock- down guidelines. He re- quested all to stay at home and be safe and moveonlywithmaskfol- lowingsocialdistancing. AHMED PATEL @ahmedpatel As directed by Congress President,in my capac- ity as Treasuer(AICC) I request Pradesh Congress Committees to mobilise all possible local resources to help migrants purchase tick- ets to get back home. Let us make this into a ppl’s movement,pls con- tact AICC if you require assistance. Vikas Sharma Jaipur: During his VC with state officials on Monday, CM Ashok Gehlot especially fo- cused on Corona situa- tion in Ramganj, which refuses to be off limelight and con- stantly keeps throw- ing up corona positive cases. Gehlot dedicated an entire session of VC for Ramganj as his seri- ousness for Jaipur was clear when he had ap- pointed his trusted of- ficer and a former CMO aide Ajitabh Sharma as the nodal officer. Cur- rently Principal Secre- tary (Energy) Ajitabh Sharma took his task seriously and immedi- ately resorted to ag- gressive sampling from Ramganj which is reflected from 4,000 samples he collected from Ramganj alone. Sharma was forth- coming with some im- portant suggestions whicharepartof his‘Ad- vance Strategy’ for hot- spot. Sharma’s experi- ence until now has brought him to the in- ference that 6-7% ap- pear to be infected in the area so he instruct- ed the health teams to opt for target sampling to save lives. Now Shar- ma desires to make peo- ple of Ramganj aware of and provide them with masks and sanitisers whichwillstoptheinfec- tion spread further in both symptomatic and asymptomatic cases in Ramganj.DuringtheVC, Sharma stressed on con- tinuing the target sam- plingalongwithadvance strategy to keep close watch on cluster wise in- fection in the area. Tar- get sampling is focusing on all aged persons and people with co-morbities likeheart,lung,diabetes, BP, etc. These people are taken to the hospital on the first sign of any symptom of corona in- fection. The government is fo- cusing a great deal on Ramganj due to the fact that out total 28,150 sam- ples from Jaipur, 6,873 were taken from Ram- ganj. Out of total 1,008 positives in Jaipur, 547 are from Ramganj. Shar- ma, therefore, wants to execute his advance strategy in letter and spirit along with strictly executing curfew so that much awaited results can be seen in coming one month and Ramganj goes off the red zone list. Notably, for the last cou- ple of days, Ajitabh is happy with the success of his Ramganj Corona sample mission. Ajitabh Sharma Guj: Desperate to go home, migrants pelt stones at police Sonia Gandhi Ashok Gehlot Sachin Pilot First India News Surat: The Surat po- lice lobbed teargas shells and resorted to lathicharge to disperse hundreds of migrant workers who clashed with the cops and pelted stones at them near a village in Surat district on Monday. The workers were desperate to return home, even as the third phase of lock- down started. Similar clashes erupted in Rajkot when scores of la- bourers took to streets demanding that they be dis- patched to their hometowns. In Surat, some migrant work- ers even had their heads tonsured in protest. In Vareli vil- lage in Surat district, hundreds of migrant workers clashed with police while demand- ing for arrangements to help them return home. They even pelt- ed stones at the po- lice, forcing the latter to lob teargas shells and lathicharge the workers. Some vehi- cles parked on Surat- Kadodara road were also damaged, police said. WILL ‘MIGRANT’ BE A CAUSE OF CONGRESS’S WORRY? TETE -A-TETE AJITABH’S CONTAINMENT PLAN Police officers detain people during a protest by migrant workers demanding to return to their home states in Surat. 6-7% people appear to be affected in Ramganj Health Minister Dr Raghu Sharma launched online OPD portal www.esanjeevaniopd.in on Monday. BL Soni
- 9. For India, the mega fund- raiser concert, which was live-streamed on Face- book on Sunday, saw a massive Hollywood and Bollywood participation. Amitabh Bachchan, Ak- shay Kumar, Shah Rukh Khan, Aamir Khan, Ayushmann Khur- rana, Hrithik Roshan, Ranveer Singh, Tiger Shroff, Vicky Kaush- al, Vidya Balan, Katrina Kaif, Rani Mukerji, Arjun Kapoor and Diljit Dosanjh were among 85 artists who participated in the virtual concert to raise funds for those af- fected by the novel coronavirus. Also joining in were Priyanka Chopra and Nick Jonas, Anushka Sharma and Virat Kohli, Kareena Kapoor Khan and Saif Ali Khan, and Aishwarya Rai and Abhishek Bachchan. International stars including Jack Black, Will Smith, Russel Pe- ters, Mick Jagger, Nick Jonas, Joe Jonas and Sophie Turner were also part of the concert. Everyone did their bit to entertain the audi- ence while performing at the noble show, which was organised by filmmakers Karan Johar and Zoya Akhtar. Over Rs 3 crore was raised by the end of the four-hour digital concert. All the proceedings will go to India COVID Re- sponse Fund. Am- itabh Bachchan gave a tribute to the late actor and his close friend Rishi Ka- poor during the concert. SRK and Hrithik turned singers. A y u s h m a n n Khurrana, who is also an estab- lished singer, sang ‘Ik vaari’ and ‘Mitti di k h u s h b o o ’ . Akshay Ku- mar recit- ed a poem, titled ‘Tumse Ho Nahi Paega’. Aamir Khan and his wife, film- maker Kiran Rao, spoke about how important it is to extend sup- port to the needy. They also sang ‘Jeena isi ka naam hai’. Alia Bhatt, along with sister Shaheen and composer Ankur Tewari, sang ‘Ik kudi’ from her film ‘Udta Punjab’ while Priyanka Chopra Jonas too recited a poem on the current situation. Madhuri Dixit Nene performed her rendi- tion of popstar Ed Sheeran’s Per- fect with son Arin on the piano and Anil Kapoor urged everyone to become ‘Mr India’ by staying at home. Farhan Akhtar along with his band performed the songs of ‘Rock On’, while the film’s com- poser trio, Shankar Ehsaan Loy, belted out some of their blockbust- er hits. Abhishek Bachchan spoke of about how memes are lighten- ing up the mood of people during the ongoing serious health crisis. The concert for OUR TIMES!Bollywood & Hollywood came together for #IForIndia fund raiser concert online on Sunday, showing solidarity across the globe! I JAIPUR, TUESDAY MAY 5, 2020 www.firstindia.co.in I www.firstindia.co.in/epaper/ I twitter.com/thefirstindia facebook.com/thefirstindia I instagram.com/thefirstindia 09 —IANS
- 10. very person, every society, every country works with hindsight, a.k.a. experience. What sets individuals, communities and Nations apart is working with fore- sight !! Our great Nation has been running with a very noisy system of democracy. It is good, as long as it allows discussion & debate. Our country has been running on a ‘first-past-the-post’ election system. Though not truly representative of ma- jority opinion, at least it has worked far better than autocracies. !! We had our share of huge problems like Wars with neighbours, Emergency, communal strife, droughts, floods, earthquakes, terrorism, assassinations, economic meltdown, etc . But the Govts of the day always over- came them in some ingenious way or the other . SO FAR SO GOOD !! That was the OLD NORMAL. Now, within a matter of weeks the Corona Pandemic has upended EVER- THING !! The 5 Trillion Dollar question is : Do we continue as before, with everybody talking in different voices to score sub- tle or crude political brownie points ?? The answer, my dear Countrymen, is a resounding NO, NO, NO !!! WHY ??......You may ask !! If 40% of the people trust the Govt they voted for, there are still 60% who will either be mistrustful or, at best, scepti- cal about the Govt’s motives. Ruthlessly efficient work (a euphe- mism for Hard decisions), is urgently needed at the ground level to control this scourge and satisfy millions of hun- gry stomachs. HOW DO WE ACHIEVE THAT ?? It would be stupid to expect our simple citizenry to participate proactively or to co-operate fully. So far we have not been able to do that. If we are a smart Nation we will pick up these signals : After the 24th March announcement by our PM for complete lockdown of our country , some 120million (12 crore) stepped out onto the roads and walked back to their distant homes defying that order. There were news about riots and ar- son in Surat. Legislators celebrate birthdays/mar- riages etc with hundreds of fawning supporters , etc etc. Don’t these early signs ring a loud Gong in the National Consciousness ?? What is the best course of action ?? ANSWER : Leaders of all parties have to set an example via Statesmanship. They have to override parochial thinking. RAINU SINGH cityfirst@firstindia.co.in E UNITE or PERISH !! SOLUTION Freeze the current political system where it stands. All parties agree to resume from that point once we are fully rid of this Corona scourge. Form a National Govt with a sim- ple agenda to defeat this enemy, save the economy and keep the peo- ple from hunger. This show of unity and statesman- ship will galvanize the Indian pub- lic like never before........ even more than the freedom movement !! Respected Lawmakers, don’t sit glued to your seats of power. These seats will be restored ‘status quo ante.’ The PM will head the National Govt, Cabinet will have representa- tives from all parties with a solid & simple programme to defeat the disease, protect the economy and feed the have-nots. Hon’ble Legislators, please listen, you may not be left with anything to Govern if we de- lay and make another mistake. Many may think it is a far-fetched idea. More will pooh-pooh this suggestion. Surely there is nothing to see in the rear view (hind- sight) as such a situation never passed us by. Normal vision will not suffice as the clouds are too dark !! National leaders will need foresight to UNITE to defeat the Beast growling in the dark forest ahead .........at the end of a literal DEAD END !! Once Victorious on those 3 fronts, we shall return to business as usual. There is just no time to weigh the pros and cons. Either we get the public behind the Govt en masse or we risk losing everything !! CHOICE IS CLEAR : show statesmanship to save our country, or chase mirages of narrow political objectives !! FACEOFTHEDAY SHILPA AGRAWAL, Model YOUR DAYHoroscope by Saurabbh Sachdeva LEO JULY 24 - AUGUST 23 You must save to buy a new vehicle. On professional front, you must look for the right opportunity at the right time. Your family is trying their best to help you in fulfilling your dream. You will start with a new business soon and don’t worry funds will be taken care of. LIBRA SEPT 24 - OCTOBER 22 You will come up with many new ideas today, on professional front. Your payment that has been stuck for a long time will get released today. Don’t worry too much about your sibling’s future, everything will be just fine. Your friends are really precious for you. ARIES MAR 21 - APR 20 You will be financially independent soon. Overseas travel is on the cards for the sole purpose of business. You must do whatever it takes to reach your destination as you are not one of those who gives up easily. Don’t get in any controversial relationship. SAGITTARIUS NOV 23 - DEC 22 You will derive immense satisfaction in helping someone in need. Try and maintain healthy relationship with your colleagues for the sake of peace of mind. Possession of property is on the cards. Avoid being overconfident and make sure to go through the whole thing again. GEMINI MAY 21 - JUNE 21 New financial prospects will come for you. You love to do shopping and sometimes your obsession exceeds your necessity, please work on it. Adventure lovers will have some good time today. Don’t be high headed in the matters of love. You are working on your temperament. AQUARIUS JAN 21 - FEB 19 Good work in project will be really admired by your boss who may recommend your name for something big in future. Money comes from inheritance for you. You will your inner strength today and remember anything is possible if you decide on it. Don’t hesitate from helping your friends. TAURUS APR 21 - MAY 20 Money flows and money flows out, its a cycle so you should never worry. You will solve a critical problem in office today. You will go and meet your parents today after long time. Let nothing affect your spirit. Love life keeps you satisfied and you love your partner. CAPRICORN DEC 23 - JAN 20 You will get promotion in your current job but you may be in dilemma, if you want to continue or not. A new source of income will help those who are in state of taking caring of the parents. Avoid any legal complications with your sibling for property. VIRGO AUG 24 - SEP 23 You can say goodbye to all your worries as a new phase of life will start soon. You can expect a baby, so congratulations is on the cards. An outing with the family is on the cards. Keep away from evil eyes, don’t reveal your plans to anyone except someone close. CANCER JUNE 22 - JULY 23 You will quit your major old bad habit today. Don’t be hasty in the matter of love, give time and take time. You can expect some guests at home today. Some of you will enjoy the new phase of your life. A school or college picnic is on the cards for some. PISCES FEB20 - MARCH 20 On professional front, you may spoon feed a junior in office today. Your finances are at place and you are doing what you must in your best capacity to build a life that you want. You may travel with your near and dear ones to a far distance place. Romance is in the air. SCORPIO OCT 23 - NOVEMBER 22 You will excel in anything that will devote time to. Make sure to use soft, humble words with your lover today. Remember to go to the gym if you have enrolled. Your prior commitments will keep you busy today. Your efforts in academics will be appreciated by everyone. 10 HOLLYWOODJAIPUR | TUESDAY, MAY 5, 2020www.firstindia.co.in I www.firstindia.co.in/epaper/ I twitter.com/thefirstindia I facebook.com/thefirstindia I instagram.com/thefirstindia
- 11. An artistic TRIBUTE! S tar couple Aishwarya Rai Bachchan and Abhishek Bachchan’s daughter Aaradhya paid an artistic tribute to all the frontline workers who are combating COVID-19. Both Aish and Abhi took to Instagram to share a picture of the doodle by their little in-house artist The doodle featured two hands joined with ‘Thank You’ and ‘Dhanyawaad’ written on them while sketches of frontline workers like health- care workers, teachers, media professionals, police officials, army personnel, and sanitisa- tion workers are seen surrounding the thank- ing hands. The lower portion of the sketch fea- tured Aaradhya standing and holding the hands of her par- ents who are both seen standing on her either side. The 8-year-old also sketched the necessary precau- tionary measures against COVID-19 in her tribute to frontline workers. —ANI ETCwww.firstindia.co.in I www.firstindia.co.in/epaper/ I twitter.com/thefirstindia I facebook.com/thefirstindia I instagram.com/thefirstindia JAIPUR | TUESDAY, MAY 5, 2020 11 Admires SRK’s ENERGYajol is a great admirer of super- star Shah Rukh Khan’s ‘wonder- ful energy’. Kajol recently con- ducted a session called #AskKajol on Twitter, answering a lot of fans’ queries. When a Twitter user asked her about one thing she likes the most in SRK, Kajol said: “His amazing energy.” Kajol and SRK have worked together in several movies like ‘Baazigar’, ‘Kuch Kuch Hota Hai’, ‘Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham’ and ‘My Name is Khan’. Another user shared a still of the two actors from their movie ‘Kuch Kuch Hota Hai’. Reacting to it, Kajol wrote: “Memories and Friends. Two words.” On the film front, Kajol will be next seen in Netflix’s ‘Tribhanga’. —IANS K SUNNY PRANKS ON HUBBY! S unny Leone pulled a prank on her hus- band Daniel Weber by making him be- lieve that she had acciden- tally chopped off her fin- ger. Sunny took to Instagram to share the video of the same. In the video, she cries out for help, shouting out to her husband that she has chopped off her. Daniel comes in running and pan- ics, and runs around as he tries to figure out how he can help. However, when Sunny draws his attention towards the phone, he understands that he was being recorded all the while, and this was just a prank. When Sunny asks Daniel how much he enjoyed the prank, he said: “Generally, I am a pretty serious person in life. That is just my per- sonality. I actually don’t even like pranks that much. I don’t even like pranks on other people and I definite- ly don’t like pranks on me. So, if you want me to rate your prank, I think it’s a zero because I hated that it was done on me.” —IANS ents who are both seen standing on her either side. The 8-year-old also sketched the necessary precau- tionary measures against COVID-19 in her tribute to frontline workers. —ANI Nicole’s huge INFLUENCE! S inger Keith Urban says his wife and ac- tress Nicole Kidman has been a huge influence on his creativity. In a recent interview, Urban also shared that he has zero interest in acting. “I have zero interest in acting. Nic (Nicole Kidman) has zero interest in being a musician. It makes for a harmonious flow in our house. But there’s no question that Nic has been a huge influence on my creativity, simply for the way she approaches things in such a bold way. Curiosity makes her go toward something regardless of whether she thinks she can do it or not,” he said. —IANS A mid the lock- down due to coronavirus, actressEmma Stone has shared a mental health advice, urgingpeopletospend more time writing in- steadof fretting.Since May is mental health awareness month, Stone has shared words of support to the people struggling during the COVID-19 pandemic. “Many of us are dealing with isolation, anxiety and uncertainty during this COVID-19 crisis, and this includes the 17 million kids and teens in America that’s one in five who have a mental health disorder,” she said. —IANS A fox reportedly killed several chickens at Grammy-winning singer Ed Sheeran’s farmhouse amid lockdown. According to a source, it was his property in Suf- folk, England, which was attacked by foxes. “He’s lost a couple in recent weeks and they are not so easy to replace with the nation being in lockdown. So, he’s made sure their coop is dou- bly secure so he doesn’t lose his entire stock to foxes,” a source told the portal. The source add- ed, “Ed is very much in tune with nature and loves fresh produce from his gardens so he doesn’t want he lose any more of his girls to foxes.” Ed recently revealed that he has been garden- ing under quarantine. Along with wife Cherry Seaborn, Ed is growing organic fruit and vege- table in a greenhouse. —IANS Urging people! SNACK ATTACK Kajol Aishwarya Rai Bachchan ... her Instagram post Ed Sheeran Emma Stone Nicole Kidman with Keith Urban Sunny Leone ... her Instagram post
- 12. 12 CITY BUZZJAIPUR | TUESDAY, MAY 5, 2020www.firstindia.co.in I www.firstindia.co.in/epaper/ I twitter.com/thefirstindia I facebook.com/thefirstindia I instagram.com/thefirstindia Doctors spread cheer! CITY FIRST AHMEDABAD videoof 60doctorsfromdifferentcitiesacross India dancing to the song ‘Happy’ by global artiste Pharrell Williams has gone viral on social media. In the video, the doctors can be seen dancing to the tunes of the hit song in hospitals,theirhomes,gardens,terraces.The aim of the video was to create awareness on the importance of mental health during the lockdown and to spread cheer among the masses. The video was also appreciated by veteran actress Raveena Tandon in a post on Instagram, “If God forbid, I am ever even a bit unwell, I want to be treated by one of these HAP- PY DOCTORS.” cityfirstgujarat@gmail.com A Unique Wedding SHIV PRAKASH, JODHPUR T he wedding cer- emony of Ajay, son of Jodhpur city business- man Sunil Mundra and BJP Mahila Morcha’s district vice president Neelam Mundra, took place in a unique man- ner on Monday in Jodh- pur. Where lakhs of rupees are usually spent at weddings and a lot of people attend the wedding ceremony, Ajay and Mansi’s wed- ding has set an example in this time of the co- rona crisis. Neelam Mundra said that everyone wishes to have their son’s wed- ding ceremony lavishly, but keeping in mind the way the whole world is suffering from the pandemic, we decided to hold our son’s wedding in the presence of only four family members. The health of the grand- mother of the girl is not well. So, after both par- ties agreed, we married our son in a normal program while maintaining social dis- tance. The amount saved during this wedding ceremony would be used to provide essen- tials and ration to 11,000 needy families. cityfirst@firstindia.co.in UNFORTUNATE DEMISE HAPPY B’DAY! Uma Bharti (top) and Sukhram Bishnoi celebrated their birthdays on 3 May, Sunday. We wish them all the best! BUZZ O n the occasion of Late Raghu Sinha’s 95th birth anniversary, a special programme will be webcast on the Facebook page of Pt. Vijayshankar Mehta, in his loving memory, on Tuesday from 5 PM to 6 PM. —City First MEMORIES RAJASTHAN: Historian Dr Varsha Joshi, who presented research work on various aspects of the social and cultural life of Jaipur on the International level, passed away at the age of 55 on Saturday night. Dr Joshi was working as Associate Professor at the Institute of Historical and Development Studies and was also associated with NGOs like Vaagdhara, Rupayan, and more. RAJASTHAN: Shanti Devi, mother of Susheel Sharma breathed her last on 30 April in Bharatpur. The bereaved son was unable to attend the last rites of his beloved mother due to the lockdown. WHAT’S HAPPENING! CITY FIRST O n Monday, Reliance Industries and Jio Platforms an- nounced that Sil- ver Lake will in- vest `5,655.75 crores into Jio Platforms. The investment value of the Jio Plat- form is an equity value of `4.90 lakh crore, an en- terprise value of `5.15 lakh crore and it represents a 12.5% premium to the equity val- uation of the Fa- cebook invest- ment announced on 22 April. In the wake of the severe economic disruptions caused by the COVID-19 pan- demic, globally and especially within India, this partnership with one of the most renowned tech-investors globally, Silver Lake, has a special signifi- cance. cityfirst@firstindia.co.in Enabling opportunities! RAJASTHAN: IAS Ansh Deep took the charge as Collector of Pali district on 1 May. On the first day of his duty, Rajya Sabha MP Om Mathur handed over PPE kits, sanitizers and gloves to prevent the spread of the coronavirus in their area. RAJASTHAN: Deputy Chief Whip Mahendra Chaudhary commissioned the newly constructed 33/11 KV Grid Sub Station (GSS) at Kuchaman city in Nagaur district on Monday,which will solve the voltage problem and provide uninterrupted power supply to the residents.The cost of building the GSS would be around Rs 1 crore 50 lakh. RAJASTHAN: During the on-going lockdown situation, Daksh Dudh Dairy and DMR, in collaboration with Bhamashah is contributing their bit by providing food for nearly 150 people on a regular basis and has pledged to provide the same till the lockdown ends. Managing Director of Daksh Dudh Dairy, Dinesh Yadav shared that even though Corona has greatly affected the life of common man and the economy of the country, we all have to fight together so the loss can be compensated. RAJASTHAN: Amidst our fight against the coronavirus, Maa Vaishno Seva Samiti honoured policemen with the mementos on Monday. Committee member Arpit Sharma, Sanjay Yadav, Dinesh Sharma, Omprakash Sharma, Rajesh Chaudhary, Rakesh Sharma,Akhil Sharma,Azad Panwar,Vishal Sharma were present on the occasion, where Corona warriors were being honoured. RAJASTHAN: A Jaipur-based online institution, Help India, has been awarded the ‘World Record United Kingdom Star-2020’ for promoting social work and extending during amidst the ongoing lockdown.The institution has been organising different training programs over video conferencing and more than 67,000 people across the country are participating on a daily basis.Along with this, Help India is also providing masks, food packets and sanitizers to needy people in different areas of the Rajasthan state. coronavirus in their area. RAJASTHAN: The specially-abled Corona Warrior Dr Rohitash Jatav, who was posted at the Uchain Hospital, Bharatpur, met with an accident on Friday morning while returning to his home after doing night duty in the hospital, and died on the spot. On his sudden demise, Jogendra Singh Awana expressed condolences to his family and promised all possible help along with Rs. 1 Lakh to Sugad Singh, father of Rohitash. RAJASTHAN: MLA Rafiq Khan is continuously extending his support to combat COVID-19, and on CM Ashok Gehlot’s birthday, he handed over a cheque of Rs. 11 lakh from his MLA fund to Dr Sudhir Bhandari, Principal of SMS Medical College, on Sunday, to purchase necessary equipment and goods for the hospital. RAJASTHAN: On the occasion of CM Ashok Gehlot’s birthday, AICC National Media panelist Sandeep Chaudhary planted a Gulmohar tree at his place of residence and wished him a long and healthy life. RAJASTHAN: During the lockdown across the country, Women’s Mentor Forum (WMF) organised a webinar on Monday, where top 100 Vital Voices Alumni, Smita Mankad was seen in a conversation with Founder and Director of ARCH College of Design, Founder and Chairperson of women’ Mentor Forum and Business Vital Voices Lead Fellow, Archana Surana on the theme ‘Finding your purpose in the New Normal’. WMF is a network of over 600 women entrepreneurs and professionals who have come together to ‘Pay it Forward’ through mentoring since 2011. RAJASTHAN: During the ongoing online musical series ‘Sumiran’, initiated by Rajasthan Forum, in association with Shree Cement and Raghu Sinha Mala Mathur Charity Trust amid the lockdown, Sanwar Mal from Bikaner mesmerized the online viewers with his performance of Rajasthani devotional songs. He was accompanied by his nephew Mohit and Rahul Kathak while playing the instruments. Sabha MP Om Prakash Mathur handed over PPE kits, sanitizers and gloves to prevent the spread of the coronavirus in their area. ELITE MISS RAJASTHAN 2020!: Jagdeesh Chandra launched the poster of ‘Elite Miss Rajasthan 2020, Season 7’ on Monday at his residence, along with the Director of Elite Miss Rajasthan Gaurav Gaur and models Akanksha Bhalla and Mona Gautam. The auditions of the beauty pageant will take place after lockdown ends, in different cities of the state. WHAT’S HAPPENING! Smita Mankad Neelam and Sunil Mundra with Ajay and Mansi