05

The pandemic has given the world a chance to take outrageously

bold decisions to create a new order where there is no global
warming, no wealth concentration and no unemployment.
NOBEL LAUREATE AND FOUNDER OF THE GRAMEEN BANK, MUHAMMAD YUNUS
IN A CONVERSATION WITH CONGRESS LEADER RAHUL GANDHI,
KOLKATA, SATURDAY 01 AUGUST 2020

THUMBNAILS
A shopkeeper arranges an
idol of Goddess Lakshmi
for 'Vara Mahalakshmi
Vratha’, in Bengaluru on
Friday. � AFP
DU begins online classes:
The Delhi University has
said that it will begin the
2020-2021 academic ses-
sion from 10 August with
online classes for under-
graduate and postgradu-
ate students. The universi-
ty had announced summer
vacations till 9 August. PTI
Pandemic shadow over rakhi biz as siblings refrain from visiting each other
PRESS TRUST OF INDIA
NEW DELHI, 31 JULY
Rajbala spends most of her day
looking up at people walking
past her roadside makeshift
shop without a glance or look-
ing down at the silk and cot-
ton rakhis' lined up, undis-
turbed, in a neat arrange-
ment on the pavement.
Raksha Bandhan, or Rakhi,
one of north India's biggest fes-
tivals, is only three days away
and she hasn't managed to sell
even one rakhi'.
The hours hang heavy, one
slipping into another without
a rupee earned, pushing the
42-year-old rakhi' vendor in
IMD: Normal monsoon
in second half of season
Uttar Pradesh's Ghaziabad
town further into penury.
There isn't much to do.
Nobody has come to buy any-
thing so far, she said deject-
edly, dusting once again the
colourful threads she has
sourced from all over.
As the COVID-19 pandemic
continues its spread across the
country, this is one Rakhi, a
festival that celebrates sibling
bonds, where many brothers
and sisters won't be meeting
in large family parties or even
small lunches and dinners.
There might be some vir-
tual celebrations but the zing
is missing, leading to a joyless
season for vendors like Rajbala
A vendor sprays sanitizer as a preventive measure against the
spread of Covid-19 on rakhis at his shop ahead of 'Raksha Band-
han', in Hyderabad on Friday. � AFP
and small businesses that
were hoping to make some
money to tide them over the
corona crisis. Earlier, women
would go for a walk in the
evening and stop by the shop
to buy rakhis'. This disease has
ruined us completely, Rajbala,
who has been selling rakhis'
for 15 years, said. After four
months of lockdown, the fear
of contracting the infection
runs deeper than ever. I have
asked my brothers to tie a roli'
thread on my behalf. There is
no way we are going to risk each
other's families in these times
by visiting them, said Chhaya
Singh, a homemaker in Ghazi-
abad. She also has no trust in
online shopping.
“Who knows how many
hands the rakhi' will go through
before reaching my brother.
I don't think it is safe, Singh
added.
9-yr-old raped
and murdered
in Meerut
MEERUT, JULY 31
Amrita Mehta, a Gurgaon-
based IT professional, would
normally travel to Jaipur to
meet her brother on the day.
But not this year.
I am apprehensive about
visiting my brother in Jaipur.
I have sent rakhis' to some
cousins and told the rest to tie
one on their own, Mehta said.
The reluctance of Singh
and Mehta to celebrate the day
spells doom for vendors like
Rajbala. And they are only
one cog in the festival wheel.
Pepaa, a recycled paper
product company, would nor-
mally get 15,000 orders for its
plantable rakhis' (with seeds).
This year, the number came
HC dismisses Jahan’s
plea in UAPA case
down to less than 5,000.
The startup deals in nature-
friendly products such as
plantable paper, notepads,
carry bags and calendars, and
its rakhis', aimed at a more sus-
tainable festival, were a big hit.
“Every year, we reported-
ly throw away eight million
rakhis across the country after
the festival. By investing in a
plantable rakhi you can do the
environment a favour, Coim-
batore-based entrepreneur
Divya Shetty said.
Most corporate offices are
closed and with that a major
chunk of her revenue is gone
as they form the bulk of her
clients.

In a heart wrenching incident

HP Covid positive cases up:
Himachal Pradesh CM Jai
Ram Thakur on Friday said
although the positive
PRESS TRUST OF INDIA
NEW DELHI, JUL 31
present petition, the same is
accordingly dismissed with no
order as to costs, the HC said.
South peninsula meteorological division has received 19 % more rainfall than normal a minor Dalit girl was alleged- The Delhi High Courton Fri- Jahan, who was arrested on
ly raped and murdered by her day dismissed a plea by for- 26 February, has challenged
PRESS TRUST OF INDIA The south peninsula mete- neighbour in a village in the mer Congress municipal the trial court order extend-
NEW DELHI, 31 JULY orological division of the IMD Mansoorpur area of Muzaf- councillor Ishrat Jahan, ing, beyond the 90 days man-
has received 19 per cent more farnagar district on Thurs- booked under anti-terror law dated under UAPA, the time

cases have gone up during
the last few days, the situ-
ation was fully under con-
trol. He said that on the
request of the state gov-
ernment, the Central gov-
ernment had provided 500
additional ventilators to
the state. SNS
Punjab hooch tragedy :
Punjab CM Amarinder
Singh on Friday ordered a
magisterial inquiry by divi-
sional commissioner Jalan-
dhar into the suspicious
deaths of 21 people, alleg-
edly due to consumption
of spurious liquor. One per-
son reported to be critical
in the hooch tragedy. SNS
Sonia Gandhi stable: Con-
gress president Sonia Gan-
dhi, who has been admit-
ted to the Sir Ganga Ram
Hospital in New Delhi, is
showing improvement in
her condition, hospital
authorities said on Fri-
day.Gandhi was admitted
for routine tests, accord-
ing to a health bulletin. PTI
M
onsoon is likely
to be normal in the
second half of the
four-month rain-
fall season, the India Meteo-
rological Department (IMD)
said on Friday.
In its Long Range Forecast
for rainfall in the second half
(August-September) of the
2020 Southwest Monsoon,
the IMD said August is likely
to receive rainfall that is 97 per
cent of the Long Period Aver-
age (LPA).
“Quantitatively, the rain-
fall over the country as a
whole during the second half
of the season is likely to be 104
per cent of the LPA with a
model error of plus/minus 8
per cent,” the IMD said.
The LPA rainfall over the
country for the 1961-2010
period is 88 centimetres.
Monsoon in the range of
96-104 per cent of the LPA is
considered normal. The offi-
cial rainfall season in the
country is from June 1 to Sep-
tember 30. The onset of mon-
soon over Kerala was on June
1 and until July 30, the coun-
try had received one per cent
more rainfall than normal.
The northwest division of
the IMD has a 19-per cent defi-
ciency. It comprises Rajasthan,
Uttar Pradesh, Himachal
Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Pun-
jab, Haryana and the Union
territories of Chandigarh,
Delhi, Jammu and Kashmir
and Ladakh. The deficiency
in Jammu and Kashmir and
Ladakh is 50 and 59 per cent
respectively. Delhi has also
recorded a deficiency.
The central India division
has a three-per cent defi-
ciency. The division com-
prises Goa, Maharashtra,
Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh,
Chhattisgarh, Odisha and the
Union territories of Dadra
and Nagar Haveli and Daman
and Diu. The two Union ter-
ritories have recorded deficient
rainfall.
rainfall than normal. The divi-
sion covers Andhra Pradesh,
Tamil Nadu, Telangana, Ker-
ala, Karnataka and the Union
territories of Andaman and
Nicobar Islands, Lakshad-
weep and Puducherry. Andhra
Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Telan-
gana and Puducherry have
received excess rainfall.
The east and northeast
India division has also record-
ed 12 per cent more rainfall.
The division comprises West
Bengal, Bihar, Jharkhand and
the northeastern states.
Meghalaya and Bihar have wit-
nessed excess rainfall. How-
ever, the rainfall has been
deficient in Nagaland, Manipur
and Mizoram.
Assam floods: The flood
situation in Assam has imp-
roved in the last few days ex-
cept in some western distri-
cts, where the Brahmaputra
and its tributaries are flowing
above danger mark for weeks.
The situation started
improving for some days now,
but there are nearly 30,000 peo-
ple taking shelter in relief
camps. Over 1,300 villages in
22 districts are still under the
deluge.
day. UAPA in a case related to for completing the investi-
The accused Sunil Kumar communal violence in north- gation by two more months.
(21)was arrested by the police east Delhi in February, chal- Delhi Police has opposed the
on Thursday night followed lenging an order that extend- plea saying that the HC should
by a complaint of the girl’s ed by 60 days the time for com- not intervene in the matter
family members. Late in the pleting the investigation. as far as the order of the addi-
night Sunil was arrested and Justice Suresh Kumar Kait tional sessions judge, extend-
police recovered the girl’s said there is no illegality or per- ing the time to probe the
body from a nearby field. versity in the trial court's case, is concerned as there was
Rape, however, would be order.Finding no merit in the no infirmity in it.
confirmed only after the
post-mortem report is
obtained, said Manoj Kumar
Chahal, SHO of Mansoorpur
Police Station.
He said that the minor girl
was last seen with accused
on Thursday evening. She and
her elder sister were playing,
when Sunil, asked the
younger one to come along
with him on bike. He told the
elder sister that he would
drop her home.
When she did not return
home the family members
reported to Mansoorpur
police station. SHO said that
a case has been registered on
charges of murder and they
are waiting for post mortem
report to confirm rape. If the
rape is confirmed sections
of rape would also be includ-
ed in the FIR.” SNS

PM to address grand Chhattisgarh on the verge of corona blast

finale of SIH today
STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE
NEW DELHI, 31 JULY
Prime Minister Narendra
Modi will address over 10,000
students on Saturday on the
occasion of the ‘Grand Finale’
of ‘Smart India Hackathon
(SIH) 2020’ that seeks to
‘inculcate a culture of prod-
uct innovation and a mind-
set of problem-solving’
among students in the coun-
try.
The Prime Minister’s
address over a specially built
advanced platform will take
place through video confer-
encing.
“The Grand Finale of the
software edition this year is
being organized online by
connecting all the participants
throughout the nation togeth-
er over a specially-built
advanced platform,” a PMO
note stated here.
“The Smart India
Hackathon is a nationwide
initiative to provide students
with a platform to solve some
of the pressing problems we
face in our daily lives, and thus
inculcate a culture of prod-
uct innovation and a mind-
set of problem-solving. It
has proved to be extremely
successful in promoting out-
of-the-box thinking in young
minds,” the Prime Minister
Office further added.
In the grand finale of the
software Hackathon this year
over 10,000 students will
compete to solve 243 prob-
lem statements from 37 cen-
tral government depart-
ments, 17 state governments
and 20 industries.
More than 4.5 lakh stu-
dents had taken part In the
first round of Smart India
Hackathon 2020. Since the
beginning of the first edition
of Smart India Hackathon
2017 the event evoked over-
whelming support from stu-
dents from all over the coun-
try.
The first Hackathon saw
participation of 42000 stu-
dents which increased to 1
lakh in 2018 and to 2 lakh in
2019.
Earlier, the Human
Resource Minister now Edu-
cation Minister after the
HRD ministry was rechris-
tened as Ministry of Educa-
tion, recently, had chaired a
high-level meeting on Smart
India Hackathon (SIH). He has
deliberated in detail on the
outcome of the previous
hackathons.
The grand finale of the
Smart India Hackathon will
be held from August 1-3.
Prime Minister Narendra
Modi is scheduled to address
the participants on the first
day. Each of the problem
statements will carry a prize
money of Rs 1 lakh.
The student innovation
theme will have three win-
ners- 1st, 2nd and 3rd with
prize money if Rs 1 lakh, Rs
75,000 and Rs 50,000 respec-
tively.
STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE
RAIPUR, 31 JULY
After creeping almost to a
negligible pace, the corona
pandemic is fast assuming a
frightening speed in Chhat-
tisgarh. The situation is so
alarming that ten employees
posted at health minister T S
Singhdev's official residence
in the capital's upscale civil
line locality have been test-
ed positive today.
The detection created a flut-
ter in the health department
prompting the authorities to
quarantine all the staffers
CRISIS MOMENT
Livestock vendors look for customers as they walk with their goats in front of Jama Masjid on
the eve of Eid al-Adha in the old quarters of New Delhi on Friday. � AFP
posted at the bungalow. Infect-
ed staffers have been admit-
ted to hospital, Singh Deo
informed. These staffers might
have been infested by a
woman cancer patient from
Sarguja who visited the health
minister’s residence recent-
ly and was later found to be
Covid-19 infected.
The bungalow staff and
regular attendants under-
went a corona test after the
woman was found corona
infected. Woman came to
Raipur for treatment of can-
cer and was tested Covid-19
positive in a test before the
operation. The pandemic
posted a weak and slow land-
fall in Chhattisgarh initially
with the total number of
infected people were way
below 100 till June 1.
However, with the incep-
tion of unlock 0.1, the picture
began to change and by mid-
July hordes, hundreds of peo-
ple were tested positive in cap-
ital Raipur alone. However,
much to the government’s
respite, the death rate so far
has been abysmally low in the
state.Perturbed at the alarm-
ing rate, the pandemic was
spreading in every nook and
corner of the state, Chief
Minister Bhupesh Baghel had
to appeal the people to adhere
to the pandemic related rules
during both lockdown and the
unlock.
“Stringent lockdown can-
not be avoided if people do
not observe rules. I have
come to know that several peo-
ple are creating hurdles for
Covid warriors and other
health workers in performing
their duties. This should be
stopped if we have to win this
crucial war”, the CM said in
his address to the people of
Chhattisgarh.
Budding cyclist
gets racing bike
from President
NEW DELHI, 31 JULY
A Delhi boy, Riyaz, who
dreamt of excelling as a rac-
ing cyclist, and won a bronze
medal in the Delhi State
Cycling Championship, prac-
tising on a borrowed sports
cycle, today received a gift
of a racing bicycle from Pres-
ident Ram Nath Kovind.
A student of Class 9, Riyaz
hails from Bihar, and works
in an eatery to supplement
his father’s paltry income as
a cook.The President learnt
about his achievements from
reports in the media. Riyaz’s
passion is cycling, and he
practises hard after studies
and work. SNS

Envoys of China, Australia in Delhi exchange barbs over SCS

STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE
NEW DELHI, 31 JULY
The ambassadors of China and
Australia in New Delhi were
involved in a verbal spat over
Beijing's actions in the South
China Sea.
It all started after Aus-
tralian High Commissioner
Barry O’Farrell yesterday stat-
ed that his country was deeply
concerned by China’s actions
in the disputed sea and also
called for restraint along the
Australia deeply con-
cerned by China’s
actions in the SCS and
also called for restr-
aint along the LAC
LAC between India and China.
He said Australia remained
deeply concerned by actions
in the South China Sea that
were destabilising and could
provoke escalation. O'Farrell
noted that on 23 July, Australia
lodged a note with the UN Sec-
retary General refuting China’s
unlawful maritime claims in
the South China Sea.
Australia, he said, reject-
ed China’s claim to historic
rights and internal waters,
its assertion of certain mar-
itime zones, and its con-
tention that there was wide
international recognition of
its South China Sea sovereignty
claims.
Chinese Ambassador to
India Sun Weidong this morn-
ing took to twitter to slam his
Australian counterpart over his
remarks. “Noted remarks by
Australian HC to India on
South China Sea disregarding
facts. China’s territorial sov-
ereignty, and maritime rights
and interests are in conformity
with international law, includ-
ing UNCLOS (UN Convention
on the Law of the Sea). It’s clear
who safeguard peace and sta-
bility and who destabilise
and provoke escalation in the
region,” he said.The Aus-
tralian envoy was quick to
respond, rebutting the Chinese
ambassador's charge and ask- MINISTRY OF HEALTH AND FAMILY WELFARE, GOVERNMENT OF INDIA
ing Beijing to refrain from Advt No. DR-01/2020
actions that unilaterally alter
the status quo. Filling up of various posts on direct recruitment basis in FSSAI
“Thank you, Chinese FSSAI invites online applications from 01-08-2020 for following posts on direct recruitment basis:
Ambassador to India. I would Sl. No. Post Pay Level No. of Posts / Category
hope then you follow the 2016
01 Director (Technical) 13 02 (0BC-01, SC-01)
South China Sea Arbitral
02 Principal Manager 13 01 (UR-01)
Award which is final and bind-
ing under international law, 03 Chief Technology Officer (IT) 13 01 (UR-01)
and also generally refrain 2. The detailed advertisement is available on the FSSAI Website i.e. www.fssai.gov.in The last date of
from actions that unilateral- online application is 31-08-2020.
ly alter the status quo,” the Aus- Vinay Kumar Tarun
davp 17163/11/0005/2021 (Assistant Director)
tralian envoy said.