DAILY FROM: AHMEDABAD, CHANDIGARH, DELHI, JAIPUR, KOLKATA, LUCKNOW, MUMBAI, NAGPUR, PUNE, VADODARA
JOURNALISM OF COURAGE
TUESDAY, APRIL 27, 2021, AHMEDABAD, LATE CITY, 14 PAGES
Centre has allocated
975 MT oxygen to
Gujarat: State in HC
EXPRESS NEWS SERVICE
AHMEDABAD, APRIL 26
EVEN AS several private hospi-
tals in Gujarat have reported an
oxygen shortage, an affidavit
filed before the Gujarat High
Court by Principal Health
SecretaryJayantiRavionMonday
states that the central govern-
ment has allocated 975 metric
tonnes (MT) of oxygen to the
state, which is lesser than the
currentconsumptionof thestate.
Chief secretary Anil Mukim
has written to the central gov-
ernment that the state'’s de-
mand was expected to rise to
1,500 MT thus making it “unvi-
able” to support other states.
Gujarat on Monday reported
Covid patients shifted
from hospital in Surat
after fire in ICU, 4 die
EXPRESS NEWS SERVICE
SURAT, APRIL 26
A FIRE broke out in the intensive
care unit (ICU) of Ayush Hospital
on Station Road in Surat, late on
Sunday,fromwhere15Covid-19
patients had to be shifted to
otherhospitals.However,fourof
them, including a woman, died
after being shifted.
According to fire depart-
ment officials, the fire broke out
“due to a spark in the air-con-
ditioner in the ICU” on the fifth
floor of the facility at Lal
Darwaja. Of the 15 patients un-
dergoing treatment there, four
were on ventilator.
Chief fire officer Basant
Pareek said, “One of our teams
THE EDITORIAL PAGE
GOVT’S VACCINE
RESPONSIBILITY
BY SUJATHA RAO
PAGE 6
INSIDE
AS CASES, DEATHS
SURGE, KARNATAKA
SHUTS DOWN FOR 14
DAYS PAGE 5
TARUN TEJPAL
VERDICT TOMORROW
PAGE 9
BUSINESS AS USUAL
BY UNNY
PAGE 1
ANCHOR Chhatarpur centre opens, but only for those already registered
ASHNA BUTANI &
ABHINAV SAHA
NEW DELHI, APRIL 26
AS THE Covid care facility at the
Radha Soami Satsang Beas com-
plex opened on Monday, fami-
lies of patients who have not
been able to get beds elsewhere
for days flocked to the facility in
SouthDelhi’sChhatarpur —only
to find that walk-in patients
would not be admitted.
Families were told to register
bysendingaWhatsAppmessage
to a district number, and in-
formedthattheywouldgetacall
when their turn comes.
14,340newcasesand158deaths
and as per the affidavit, 52,036
patients are on oxygen support.
The total number of cases in the
state has now crossed five lakh,
adding nealy two lakh cases in
April alone. As per the affidavit,
the state government is keeping
record of oxygen usage “of every
patient... to minimise wastage”.
As per the affidavit filed on
April24,followingdirectionsfrom
theHChearingasuomotupublic
interest litigation (PIL), 1,000 MT
of oxygenwasconsumedagainst
the production of 1,000 MT.
On April 20, government
pleader Manisha Shah had sub-
mitted before the court that
against the state’s daily produc-
tion of 1,100 metric tonnes (MT),
CONTINUED ON PAGE 4
rescued the patients, while an-
otherteamextinguishedthefire.
Smoke filled the area and we
broke open the windows for air
circulation. The patients were
brought down and were shifted
tootherhospitalsbyambulances
but some of them died.”
Officials said that of the 15
patients, six were shifted to
SMIMER hospital, while seven
wereshiftedtoSanjeevaniHospi-
tal and two to SIMS Hospital.
SMC deputy health commis-
sioner Dr Ashish Naik said, “One
patient died in SMIMER
Hospital,whilethreeothersdied
in private hospitals. All these pa-
tientswereonventilator.Among
the remaining four patients ad-
mitted to SMIMER, three are on
BiPAP and one on ventilator.”
THE EXPRESS
INTERVIEW
WITH
SONIA GANDHI
CONGRESS PRESIDENT
PAGE 10
Covid fear and anxiety spread,
cash back in favour with public
SANDEEP SINGH &
GEORGE MATHEW
NEW DELHI, MUMBAI, APRIL 26
AS THE second surge began and
intensified over the last two
months, the reliance of the pub-
lic on cash increased steadily.
During the fortnight ended
April 9, currency with the public
jumped by Rs 30,191 crore to hit
a new high of Rs 27,87,941 crore.
In the six-week period between
Among those who reached
the facility was autorickshaw
driver Pramod Kumar, who had
hoped to get his brother-in-law
Kamal Kishor (50) admitted.
PramodhasbeenferryingKamal
aroundthecityforthepastthree
days, looking for a bed.
After waiting for several
hours at the complex, the two
men decided to go back home.
“There is no big government
hospital that we have not tried.
This was our last hope. We have
tried private hospitals as well,
even though we cannot afford
treatment there. If needed, we
willsellwhateverwehavesowe
can get him admitted. But we
Ambulances line up at MS University’s Samras Hostel that has been converted into a Covid hospital in Vadodara. Bhupendra Rana
CALL AFTER CRITICISM OVER SILENCE
Biden pledges support to PM
on vaccine inputs, key supplies
Beijing offers to help, Chinese envoy
says will facilitate medical supplies
SHUBHAJIT ROY
NEW DELHI, APRIL 26
US PRESIDENT Joe Biden spoke
toPrimeMinisterNarendraModi
Monday and pledged America’s
“steadfastsupportforthepeople
of India” hit by the unprece-
dented surge in Covid cases that
has hit a record high in both case
count and daily deaths.
The United States will pro-
vide a range of emergency assis-
tance, including oxygen-related
supplies, vaccine materials, and
therapeutics, a White House
Ready to help, we need political
consensus to fight Covid: Sonia
Abdicationof leadershipshocking,culpable...ModiGovt
mustrealisebattleagainstCovid,notopponents:Congchief
MANOJ C G
NEW DELHI, APRIL 26
CONGRESS president Sonia
Gandhi underlined Monday the
need for the political leadership
to rise above “our differences”
and come together to fight the
Covid “calamity” as a nation.
In an exclusive interview to
The Indian Express, Gandhi said
that the Congress was ready to
extend all cooperation to the
February 27 and April 9, cur-
rency with the public rose by Rs
52,928 crore, show RBI data.
Experts said the increase in
currencywiththepublicisonac-
countof thefearof impositionof
lockdowns by state or central
governments.
Last year, after the govern-
ment announced a stringent
lockdown in March, currency
with the public had surged.
Between March and June 2020,
currencywiththepublicshotup
need to get a bed somewhere,”
Pramod said.
Lok Nayak, GTB, Ram
ManoharLohiaandRajivGandhi
were among some of the hospi-
tals that he had tried since his
brother-in-law fell sick with
Covid-19, Pramod said.
Kamalreturnedapositivere-
port for coronavirus infection on
Sunday evening. His oxygen lev-
els were 74-75 on Monday, and
he was breathing with immense
difficulty.
Pramod said they had tried
an ambulance initially, but de-
cidedtotravelbyautosinceeven
ambulances don’t have oxygen
these days. “Jijaji likes sitting in
SINCE 1932
statement said about the call.
"India was there for us, we will
be there for them," Biden
tweeted later.
This comes after criticism of
Washington over its delay in re-
sponding and its earlier cold
shoulder to a request for lifting
the freeze on export of raw ma-
terials linked to vaccine manu-
facturing.
CONTINUED ON PAGE 2
GOVT ASKS VACCINE
MAKERS TO CUT
PRICES PAGE 9
Governmentevenasshesaidthe
“abdicationof leadership”bythe
Centre in this public health
emergency is “shocking” and
“culpable.” And there was a
sense people have been “aban-
doned” by an “all-round col-
lapse” of governance.
“We believe that fighting
Covidisnota‘YouversusUs’bat-
tle but is an ‘Us versus Corona’
battle. This battle is, therefore,
beyond political alignments. We
have to fight this battle together
by Rs 3.07 lakh from Rs 22.55
lakh crore in the fortnight ended
February 28, 2020 to Rs 25.62
lakh crore in the fortnight ended
June 19, 2020.
On a year-on-year basis, cur-
rencywiththepublicjumpedby
16.7 per cent, or Rs 3,98,382
crore, as against a rise of 14.6 per
cent, or Rs 3,03,955 crore, in the
same period of last year, accord-
ing to the RBI data.
While the currency with the
CONTINUED ON PAGE 2
Patients in ambulances wait for admission outside the Covid
centre in Chhatarpur, Delhi, Monday. Abhinav Saha
New norms: Treat all
those with symptoms,
mask up at home
KAUNAIN SHERIFF M
NEW DELHI, APRIL 26
UNDERLINING THAT the virus
strain in the second surge is
highly infectious, the head of
India’s Covid-19 task force
Monday recommended that the
time has come to wear masks in
“home settings” to break the
chain of transmission.
Significantly, another mem-
as a nation,” she said. “The Modi
government must realise that
the battle is against Covid, it is
notagainsttheCongressorother
political opponents.”
"A political consensus is es-
sential. We must bring together
all stakeholders to fight a
calamity like the one we are fac-
ing.Unfortunately,theModigov-
ernmenthasrepeatedlydemon-
stratedthatitpreferscoercionto
consensus…I truly believe that
CONTINUED ON PAGE 2
E
EXPLAINED
Signof
insecurity,
● uncertainty
CASH HOLDING is ex-
pected to rise further be-
cause of the recent spike
in Covid cases as people
prefer cash in uncertain
times. The fear of lock-
downs has forced people
to withdraw money from
banks, and to keep cash
with them — both for
medical exigencies and
basic needs in uncertain
times.
ber of the Covid-19 task force
and Director of AIIMS Randeep
Guleria said that given the un-
precedented surge, it is impera-
tive to start Covid-19 treatment
of those who show “classic
Covid-19 symptoms” despite
negative RT-PCR tests or of those
whose results are awaited.
These two key recommen-
dations came as India reported a
record 3,52,991 new cases
CONTINUED ON PAGE 2
3 yrs after
shutdown,
TN to reopen
Sterlite plant
for oxygen
ARUN JANARDHANAN
CHENNAI, APRIL 26
MOVING TO ease the oxygen
shortage that has hit efforts to
tackle the Covid crisis, an all-
party meeting convened by
Chief Minister E K Palaniswami
inTamilNaduMondayreacheda
consensus to reopen the contro-
versial Sterlite copper smelting
plant in Thoothukudi on a “tem-
porary basis” for four months.
Theagreementcomesnearly
three years after the state gov-
ernment shut down the plant,
which is owned by Vedanta Ltd,
followingthedeathsinpolicefir-
ing of 13 people who were part
of heated protests over environ-
mental concerns related to its
operations.
The all-party meeting was
held in Chennai after a public
hearing called by the
Thoothukudi district adminis-
tration Friday failed to convince
local residents about the “emer-
gency requirement” to reopen
the plant to produce medical
oxygen.
According to Vedanta, the
CONTINUED ON PAGE 2
my auto because he gets fresh
air,” he said. They had managed
to get an oxygen cylinder for Rs
4,000, much more than the nor-
malpriceof Rs500,Pramodsaid.
The sprawling Chhatarpur
centremeasures1,700feetby700
feet, and has 500 oxygen beds. It
is manned by the Indo Tibetan
Border Police. The first patient
was admitted to the facility at
10.30amonMonday;byevening,
110 patients had been admitted.
Onlypatientsreferredbydis-
trict surveillance officers (DSO)
are being taken in. Patients can
also call the helpline numbers
011-26655547-49, 011-
26655949, and 011-26655969,
`4.00 WWW.INDIANEXPRESS.COM
‘DID NOT ACT AGAINST ELECTION RALLIES’
Irresponsible...
must perhaps face
murder charge:
Madras HC on EC
Will get counting stopped if no
blueprint before May 2, says court
EXPRESS NEWS SERVICE
CHENNAI, APRIL 26
COMING DOWN heavily on the
Election Commission for “not
stopping political parties" from
violating Covid protocols during
their campaign rallies for
Assemblypollsinfourstatesand
an Union Territory over the last
month, the Madras High Court
said Monday that murder
charges should probably be im-
posedonthepanelforbeing“the
only institution responsible for
the situation that we are in to-
day”.
The scathing observations
camefourdaysaftertheCalcutta
High Court had censured the EC
for not doing enough to ensure
that political parties were fol-
lowing appropriate Covid proto-
West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee arrives at a
polling booth to cast her vote at Bhawanipore in
south Kolkata, on Monday. Partha Paul
DECISION
2021
WEST I I
PHASE 7 SEATS: 34 of 294 TURNOUT: 75.06 %
BENGAL
As Covid curve and
deaths surged, hardly
a blip on EC radar
TMC, Cong asked for curbs which came
April 22 an hour after PM called off rallies
RITIKA CHOPRA
NEW DELHI, APRIL 26
THE MADRAS High Court's
strong words for the Election
Commission (EC) on Monday
may have a basis.
A scrutiny of the EC’s an-
nouncements starting from
February 26, when it declared
the schedule for five Assembly
elections,toApril22,whenitput
stringent curbs on campaigning
in West Bengal, shows that the
fierce second Covid surge regis-
teredashardlyabliponitsradar.
Ironically, its ban on road-
shows, vehicle rallies, and pub-
lic meetings of over 500 people
in West Bengal came as late as
April 22 and an hour after Prime
Minister Narendra Modi can-
celled his four rallies scheduled
there the next day.
This, even though the
Trinamool Congress and the
Congresshadfiledpetitionswith
from where their details will be
sent to the DSOs. Patients have
to provide their name, age, ad-
dress,contactnumber,SpO2and
pulse readings, co-morbidities,
and symptoms.
An ITBP spokesperson said,
“Patients are being referred by
DSOs. Once they have been re-
ferred, it hardly takes any time.
They reach the reception, from
where they are taken to the
ward.”Askedaboutpatientswho
may be serious but are not regis-
tered, the spokesperson said the
admission process was con-
trolledbythedistrictauthorities.
As the day progressed, the
lines grew longer, and families
cols amid the surging second
wave.
“You have been singularly
lacking any kind of exercise of
authority. You have not taken
measures against political par-
ties holding rallies despite every
order of this court saying ‘main-
tain Covid protocol, maintain
Covid protocol’,” the Madras
High Court observed.
Remarkingthatthepanelhas
been “the most irresponsible
over the last few months in not
stopping political parties from
wanton abuse of the Covid-19
protocol",abenchof Chief Justice
Sanjib Banerjee and Justice
Senthilkumar Ramamoorthy
said: “You should be put up on
murder charges probably.”
It asked whether the EC,
which is a Constitutional body,
CONTINUED ON PAGE 2
the EC urging it to end cam-
paigning and reschedule the re-
maining election dates in West
Bengal in the wake of the Covid
surge.
Significantly, by February 26,
when the poll schedule was an-
nounced,theCentrehadalready
warned at least two poll-bound
states (Tamil Nadu and Kerala)
about a spike in their daily new
cases. But the EC merely reiter-
ated the precautions it had put
in place for the Bihar Assembly
elections when the curve was
steadily falling.
A day later, West Bengal was
also added to the list of states
flagged by the Centre as report-
inganincreasingnumberof new
cases.
By March 31, when the last
two phases (Phase 7 and 8) of
West Bengal elections were no-
tified, cases there were steadily
climbing, 982 new infections
compared to just about 320
CONTINUED ON PAGE 2
waited without food or water.
Many were unaware that they
had to register, and thought they
would be admitted on a first
come, first served basis.
Virender from Pandav Nagar
tried to get his wife admitted.
The 45-year-old patient, whose
blood oxygen level was low,
waited in an ambulance.
“There is a lot of confusion.
Some are telling us to call this
number, some others are saying
send a message... Our turn never
came,” Virender said.
After spending four hours at
the centre, the family left to try
their luck at Sardar Vallabh Bhai
CONTINUED ON PAGE 2
Ahmedabad
 2 THE SECOND PAGE
FROM PAGE ONE
Irresponsible...
must perhaps
face murder
charge: Madras
HC on EC
“was on another planet when
poll rallies were held”.
The observations were made
bythebenchwhilehearingape-
tition filed by AIADMK leader
and Tamil Nadu Transport
Minister M R Vijayabhaskar
seeking directions for the EC to
implement strict measures dur-
ing counting on May 2 at his
Karur constituency.
The bench also directed the
EC to prepare a blueprint before
May 2 on how Covid protocol
will be maintained so that “this
state does not succumb to your
idiosyncrasies any further”.
Otherwise, the court warned, it
will order the counting to be
stopped.
Later, issuing an interim or-
der on the plea, the court said:
“Despite repeated orders of this
court, going on like a broken
record at the foot of almost
every order on an election pe-
tition, that Covid protocol
ought to be maintained during
the campaign time, the signif-
icance of adhering to such pro-
tocols may have been lost on
the Election Commission, go-
ing by the silence on the part of
the Election Commission, as
campaigning and rallies were
conducted without distancing
norms being maintained and in
wanton disregard of the other
requirements of the protocol.”
The interim order stated
that the Election Commission
should have planned safety
measures for May 2 as there is
hardly a week left for counting
day. “The matter will appear on
April 30, 2021 to review the sit-
uation when a complete picture
as to adequate steps having
been taken at all counting cen-
tres should be indicated by the
Election Commission,” it stated.
Earlier, the court reminded
the EC counsel that it is all about
“survival and protection” now,
and “everything else comes
next”.
“Politics or no politics,
whether the counting takes
place in a staggered manner or
deferred... at no cost (should)
the counting of votes on May 2
result in being a catalyst to a fur-
ther surge. Public health is of
paramount importance and it is
distressing that Constitutional
authorities have to be re-
minded,” the court observed.
An EC official told The Indian
Express: “The text of the interim
written order of the Honourable
High Court of Madras does not
have any reference to the pur-
ported observations made dur-
ing the hearing in the court.”
The first election after the
pandemic broke out last
February was held in Bihar in
October-November, with the EC
putting in place Covid protocols
such as limiting the number of
voters to 1,000 at a polling sta-
tion, down from the earlier limit
of 1,500.
The next set of elections, for
West Bengal, Assam, Tamil
Nadu, Kerala and the Union
Territory of Puducherry, started
on March 27 and most of it was
wrapped up by April 6, except
for West Bengal where polling
ends on April 29.
Monday witnessed the sev-
enth and penultimate phase of
the eight-phase elections in
West Bengal involving 34 seats
and 284 candidates with over
86 lakh registered voters.
The elections, particularly in
West Bengal, were marked by
huge rallies that were addressed
by Prime Minister Narendra
Modi, Union Home Minister
Amit Shah and Chief Minister
Mamata Banerjee.
On Thursday, hours after
WWW.INDIANEXPRESS.COM
THE INDIAN EXPRESS, TUESDAY, APRIL 27, 2021
DOWNLOADAPP WWW.INDIANEXPRESS.COM
■ VISUAL STORIES
■ DAILY BRIEFING
RS 2 LAKHS DONATED: KERALA BEEDI WORKER IS EPITOME OF BENEVOLENCE
EXCLUSIVE
■ PODCASTS
WEB
■ CUSTOMIZABLE AbeediworkerinKerala’sKannurdistrict,whorollsbeedisforalivingandisdeafinbothears,reachedthe
localbranchofhisbanklastweekwiththeintentionofdonatingRs2lakhoutofhissavingsaccounttothe
Takeaways from Apple’s
NEWS EXPERIENCE
Indian Express
ChiefMinister’sDisasterReliefFund (CMDRF),leavingjustRs850inhisaccount Spring loaded event
★★★★★ ■4.6
NEWEPISODEEVERYDAY
RESEARCH TECH
In this episode, we discuss the latest range
FRANCESMCDORMAND’S AMPME IS A TWS
of new hardware products Apple launched
OSCARSTRIUMPH ALTERNATIVE
in California. From the redesigned iMac to
What it reveals about AmpMe will allow you the iPad Pro, and the niche ecosystem Apple
SCANTHISQRCODETO to create a surround has managed to create for its consumers
DOWNLOADTHEAPP older women characters
in Hollywood sound experience
India third
highest
Modi cancelled four rallies in Monday's all-party meeting
military
Biden pledges support to PM
the state citing several high- was attended by representa-
level meetings to tackle the tives of all major parties, includ-
spender in
Covid crisis, the EC banned ing the main Opposition DMK.
roadshows, vehicle rallies and The parties also decided to form
public meetings of more than
500 people, noting that political
parties and candidates were
“still not adhering to the pre-
on vaccine inputs, key supplies a committee headed by the
District Collector and SP, and in-
cluding representatives of the
government as well as local res-
2020: Study
scribed safety norms”. In what suggests that vac- tain the second wave through the Quad Vaccine Initiatives. standoff that has clouded the idents, to reopen the plant. EXPRESS NEWS
On the same day, the cines could also be shipped, US expedited vaccination, and “The Prime Minister un- bilateral relationship. A senior official of the SERVICE
Calcutta High Court expressed Surgeon General Vivek ensuring supply of medicines, derscored the need to ensure The Chinese Ambassador AIADMK government con- NEW DELHI, APRIL 26
dissatisfaction with the EC over Murthy announced on Twitter therapeutics and healthcare smooth and open supply tweeted: “China firmly sup- firmed that the plant will be al-
the enforcement of Covid that the US plans to share equipment. chains of raw materials and ports India in fighting against lowed to manufacture oxygen INDIA WAS the third largest
norms during the election AstraZeneca doses with the “President Biden con- inputs required for manufac- Covid-19. We will encourage for “four months”. “There is an military spender in the world
process. world: “Sixty million doses to veyed solidarity with India ture of vaccines, medicines, and guide Chinese companies agreement that operations at- in 2020, behind only the US and
be shared as they become and affirmed that the United and therapeutics related to to actively participate into the tached to the oxygen plant will China. According to the latest
Cash is back available. Global pandemics States was determined to sup- Covid-19”, it said. cooperation in facilitating be done in a manner that will military expenditure database
public has been rising, its pace require global cooperation.” port India’s efforts by quickly Hours after the Biden call, various needed medical sup- keep public representatives in- published on Monday by the
slowed after July 2020, before The Biden-Modi call came deploying resources such as Beijing, too, has made a direct plies for India.” formed. There is also a provision Stockholm International Peace
gathering momentum once a day after US NSA Jake therapeutics, ventilators and offer to help. Chinese Foreign Besides Biden, other top to extend the four-month pe- Research Institute, which tracks
again in February 2021. Since Sullivan dialled his counter- identifying sources of raw ma- ministry spokesperson Hua US administration officials riod for further operations if the military expenditure and arms
February 2021, it has risen by Rs part NSA Ajit Doval Sunday terials to be made available for Chunying said Beijing is con- also came out with strong oxygen requirements continue,” trade globally, while the US ac-
80,857 crore. and conveyed to him that the manufacture of Covishield cerned about the “grave situ- statements of support and as- the official told The Indian counted for 39 per cent of the
By comparison, the rise in “just as India sent assistance vaccines,” the statement said. ation” in India, and is ready to sistance. Express. money spent on military glob-
currency with the public be- to the United States as our According to the state- help “if India tells us its spe- US Vice President Kamala DMK MP Kanimozhi, who ally, China accounted for 13 per
tween December 2020 and hospitals were strained early ment, Modi conveyed his cific needs.” Harris said that the US is represented the Opposition, cent, and India accounted for
January 2021 was only Rs in the pandemic, the United “heartfelt appreciation” for Following up, Chinese “working closely” with the said that only operations of the 3.7 per cent of the globe’s share.
33,500 crore. Also, in the three- States is determined to help the offer of assistance and Ambassador Sun Weidong Indian government to rapidly oxygen-generation facility at The US spent a total of $778
month period between July and India in its time of need”. support from the US govern- said that Beijing supports deploy additional support the plant will be allowed “con- billion in 2020, China spent
September 2020, the rise in cur- A PMO statement said that ment and mentioned India’s India and will encourage and supplies . "As we provide sidering the pandemic situa- $252 billion and India’s
rency with the public was Rs Biden and Modi discussed the commitment to contain the Chinese firms to facilitate assistance, we pray for the tion”. It has been agreed that “no military expenditure was
22,305 crore. A jump was, how- Covid-19 situation in their re- Covid pandemic globally medical supplies to India. people of India—including its other plant operations or pro- $72.9 billion. All three countries
ever, seen in the festive months spective countries, including through Vaccine Maitri, and This when the two coun- courageous healthcare work- duction at the copper plant will saw their military spending go
of October and November, India’s ongoing efforts to con- its participation in Covax and tries are in a year-long border ers,” she tweeted. be allowed during this tempo- up compared to 2019, even
when the currency with public rary period”, she said. during a pandemic year. India’s
rose by Rs 88,300 crore between According to Kanimozhi, the spending over 2019 grew by 2.1
become popular of late. Ramzan. This, the Congress ar- and by chance someone can get aspect of Covid-19 treatment; state government should en- per cent, the increase for China
According to bankers, the gued, would give time for the it. There are benefits if you wear but its misuse is an equally im- sure that the temporary permis- was more moderate, at 1.9 per
CURRENCY WITH rise in cash with the public in- fresh wave to wane. In its replies a mask even when you are sit- portant aspect. Even those who sion being granted wouldn’t be cent, while the US saw a 4.4 per
PUBLIC (IN RS CR) dicates greater usage of cash for
transactional purposes — which
to both parties on April 21, the
EC turned down the sugges-
ting with someone at home,”
Paul said.
have 94-95 oxygen saturation
level, the oxygen is reaching the
misused in a later stage to re-
open the entire plant. “Only
cent growth over its 2019 ex-
penditure.
In fortnight ended could have prompted more tions, citing legal and resource “In this situation, it is very key organs. There is no require- their technicians will be al- As a share of the GDP, for the
9 Apr 2021 27,87,941 withdrawals from ATMs. A constraints. important that we wear a mask. ment to make it 98-99 through lowed to access the plant dur- US it was 3.7 per cent, China’s
26 Mar 2021 27,57,750 banker who did not wish to be By this time, West Bengal's We should not unnecessarily oxygen therapy. This is misuse ing this period, and meeting the and India’s military expendi-
named said many people are daily Covid case count was al- venture out. Stay with the fam- because the same oxygen can be medical oxygen requirement of ture were 1.7 per cent and 2.9
12 Mar 2021 27,59,400
withdrawing cash to prepare for most 10,000 — a 10-fold jump ily. However, even with the fam- used for those whose levels are Tamil Nadu will be the first pri- per cent respectively of the part
26 Feb 2021 27,35,013 a health emergency. since April 1. ily, please wear mask. Please below 90. When it is falling (be- ority,” she said. of the GDP.
12 Feb 2021 27,45,374 It is, however, important to A former senior EC officer don't invite people into your low 94), contact your doctor,” Vedanta said in a statement: During the 2011 to 2020 pe-
29 Jan 2021 27,07,084 note that the currency with the said it was legally possible to home. At home, if someone has Guleria said. “We are committed to making riod American military expen-
public has jumped by Rs 9.9 merge the last two phases since aninfection,extracareshouldbe the entire production capacity diture dropped by 10 per cent,
15 Jan 2021
1 Jan 2021
27,16,961
26,74,707
lakh crore or 55 per cent since their dates of notification were takenbecausethevirusishighly ‘Ready to help’ of 1000 tonnes available for the but China saw a 76 per cent
the government announced de- same: March 31. “The RP Act transmissible.Theangleof trans- challenging times warrant the purpose of producing medical growth and India’s military
18 Dec 2020 26,81,605 monetisation on November 8, states the gap between the date missibilityisbecomingclear.Itis political leadership to rise above grade oxygen, and are already spending grew by 34 per cent,
4 Dec 2020 26,77,774 2016. As on November 4, 2016, of withdrawal of candidature very important we don't go out our political differences. We working with experts on how during the decade.
20 Nov 2020 26,73,572 the currency with the public and the date of voting should be orinvitepeopleasweprotectour have done so in the past many best to resolve the logistics of SIPRI said that military
6 Nov 2020 26,36,629 stood at Rs 17.97 lakh crore – at least 14 days. If the families,” Paul said. times. As a country and as a dispatching thus to critical ar- spending in Asia and Oceania
23 Oct 2020 26,19,612 and currently, it amounts to Rs Commission wanted, it could On Monday, Guleria empha- democracy, India has always eas in TN on priority, and subse- “was 2.5 per cent higher in
27.87 lakh crore. have issued a fresh notification sized that people with mild cometogetherincrisis,"shesaid. quently across the nation.” 2020 than in 2019 and 47 per
9 Oct 2020 26,09,171
One of the reasons the gov- for either postponing the 7th symptoms should not panic — As an Opposition party, The plant had been facing cent higher than in 2011, con-
25 Sep 2020 25,85,272 ernment cited for demonetisa- phase of voting till the 8th phase and that this can result in over- Gandhi said the Congress has to protests ever since its entry into tinuing an uninterrupted up-
11 Sep 2020 26,00,933 tionwastomakeIndiaaless-cash or reschedule the last phase and whelming of health infrastruc- insist upon transparency and the state in 1994 over its indus- ward trend since at least 1989”
28 Aug 2020 25,83,042 society.ThegovernmentandRBI hold it with the 7th phase. This ture. accountability from the Govern- trial operations that, local resi- and attributed the rise “prima-
14 Aug 2020 25,93,699 pushed digitisation of payments is possible since the date of no- “In this critical phase of the ment and join the people to put dents and protesters say, have rily to increases in spending by
31 Jul 2020 25,76,289 and slapped restrictions on the tification for both phases was pandemic, we have to ensure pressure on the government to severely affected the popula- China and India, which to-
use of cash on various transac- the same,” he said. that our hospital facilities are recognise that nothing is more tion's health. gether accounted for 62 per
17 Jul 2020 25,80,271 tions; the cash with the public, A senior EC official, however, optimally utilised. There is an vital now than to save lives. The protests, which were cent of total military expendi-
3 Jul 2020 25,71,573 however, continues to rise. said that even if it’s legally pos- unnecessary panic that is caus- “It is as if our people have mostly peaceful, escalated in ture in the region in 2020”.
19 Jun 2020 25,62,967 On the other hand, money sible, it would have been a chal- ing more harm than good. There been abandoned by the all- February 2018 following reports The other top spenders in-
5 Jun 2020 25,44,406 supply in the economy – or M3 lenge to arrange enough forces is panic among patients who are round collapse of governance of Sterlite’s expansion plans. The cluded Russia with $61.7 bil-
22 May 2020 25,12,850 – has gone up over the last cou- to hold elections to about 70 tested positive, and have normal and relinquishment of respon- plant was ordered to shut down lion, the UK at $59.2 billion,
ple of months. M3, which in- seats together at short notice. oxygen saturation; they also sibility. Therefore, our role as an by the Tamil Nadu Pollution Saudi Arabia at $57.5 billion fol-
8 May 2020 24,74,031
cludes currency with public, start searching for hospital beds Opposition to listen to people Control Board and the state gov- lowed by Germany and France
24 Apr 2020 24,24,823 current deposits, savings de- New norms because of which we are expe- and convey their anguish be- ernment over environmental at just under $53 billion each.
10 Apr 2020 23,91,299 posits, and fixed deposits, has Monday and 2,812 deaths in the riencing a huge rush outside the comes all the more imperative,” violations — the case is still
27 Mar 2020 23,41,851 increased by 11.3 per cent, or Rs last 24 hours; the country’s ac- hospitals. Genuine patients will she said. pending in the Supreme Court.
13 Mar 2020 23,08,312 19.17 lakh crore, to a new high tive caseload has reached suffer because of this panic be- Asked if she and her party On May 22, 2018, 13 people CM WRITES TO PM
28 Feb 2020 22,55,771 of Rs 189.07 lakh crore as on
April 9, 2021.
28,13,658.
“In my view, looking at the
cause they will not receive
proper treatment,” Guleria said.
were willing to sit down and
help the Government if it
were killed and several others
were injured when the police Vaccine pricing
the fortnight ended October 9 Blip on EC radar
pandemic and the number of
cases, we have to do clinico-ra-
Guleria said some people, in
panic, have begun hoarding
reached out, ahead, Gandhi
said: “Of course. My answer is
fired on protesters during a
demonstration. is inherently
and November 20, 2020.
According to the RBI, cur-
barely 10 days earlier.
Elsewhere, the second wave
diological diagnosis, for those
whose RT-PCR tests are getting
medicines. “This is also causing
an unnecessary shortage of cer-
an unequivocal yes.”
Chhatarpur unfair: TN govt
rency with the public is arrived was raging. A total 72,330 new delayed but the patient is show- tain drugs in the market. There Sterlite plant Patel Hospital in East Patel
at after deducting the cash with cases were recorded nationally; ing classical Covid-19 symp- is also misuse of drugs because plant has a production capacity Nagar.
banks from the total currency in the daily death count had risen toms, or CT scan shows classical people assume that if they con- of 1,000 metric tonnes of oxy- Tushar Rawat (23), who EXPRESS NEWS SERVICE
circulation. Currency in circula- to more than 450 by March 31. Covid-19 symptoms. We should sume the medicines from the gen. Last week, the company tried to get his father admitted, CHENNAI, APRIL 26
tion, which includes notes in cir- By April 15, the TMC started accept this is Covid-19 and these first day itself (after testing pos- had moved a petition in also left after waiting for a few
culation, rupee coins, and small requesting the Commission to people should get treatment as itive), they can protect them- Supreme Court assuring that it hours. His father, aged 53, TERMING THE differential price
coins, refers to cash or currency club the remaining phases of per Covid-19 protocol...the RT- selves. This causes side effects,” could produce oxygen in the whose oxygen levels were mechanism in the vaccine pro-
within a country that is physi- elections in the state. However, PCR tests also could come neg- Guleria said. plant if it was allowed to reopen. around 81, has been unwell for curement “inherently unfair,”
cally used to conduct transac- on April 15, the EC spokesper- ative because its sensitivity is Guleria, specifically, raised The Central Government and the past 10 days. They would try Chief Minister Edappadi K
tions between consumers and son denied any plans for chang- not 100 per cent,” Guleria said. the issue of “rational” use of the Supreme Court had Lok Nayak Hospital, the family Palaniswami on Monday wrote
businesses. It effectively means ing the election schedule. Flagging the surge, V K Paul, oxygen at home. “In this dis- favoured the idea, but the Tamil said as they left. to Prime Minister Narendra
the currency that individuals On April 16, only after the who heads the Covid-19 task ease 85 per cent will have mild Nadu government opposed it. Chief Minister Arvind Modi demanding measures
across the country hold with daily case count had crossed 2 force said, that there are bene- disease, who will recover The apex court then sug- Kejriwal visited the centre in the from the Centre to “procure
themselves. lakh, the EC, for the first time, fits to wear a mask at home slowly. All of them will recover gested that the state should pur- morning and said 200 ICU beds and supply the entire re-
Between March and June acknowledged an “unprece- given its rapid spread. with supportive treatment. sue the issue considering the would come up there soon. quired quantity of vaccine for
2020, people withdrew cash dented public health situation” “We should stay at home They only need home isolation emergency requirement in “We are also trying to in- administering all groups in-
heavily from bank branches and and imposed curbs on cam- and get treatment (for mild and close monitoring. We have Tamil Nadu and other states. crease oxygen beds in Delhi. cluding those in the age group
ATMs in the wake of the lock- paigning — but for activities symptoms). We have to adopt to watch the warning signs: On Sunday, Chief Minister This morning, I visited the cen- of 18 to 45.”
down, and as dependence on from 7pm to 10 am. the right things… promote high temperature; low oxygen Palaniswami wrote to Prime tre that has been created at the The letter written by
cash transactions rose. It also extended the silence home care. We also have to re- saturation; severe vomiting; Minister Narendra Modi, urging Radha Soami Satsang Beas. Palaniswami criticised the sys-
Bankers say the increase in period for campaigning from 48 member that if there is one pos- and fatigue. If everyone wants him to immediately cancel the There are 150 beds as of now; in tem asking states to procure
currency with the public indi- hours to 72 hours before voting itive case in the house — it is a hospital bed due to panic, diversion of 80 MTs of oxygen to the next two-three days, this vaccines at predetermined
cates that people have started to day for the phases on April 22, very important that the person then no health infrastructure Andhra Pradesh and Telangana. will be pushed to 500 beds, then prices. “Such a differential price
accumulate cash in anticipation 26, and 29. On this day, the total wears the mask; because he can handle this load,” Guleria He said Tamil Nadu would soon 2,000 beds, and finally 5,000 mechanism is inherently unfair
of more stringent lockdown new cases in West Bengal was spreads the virus. I want to say said. require up to 450 MT oxygen beds. We are also creating a 200 since it places a higher financial
measures that states or central almost 7,000. that time has come that we “Some people also think that shortly, which is more than its ICU-bed facility...,” he said. burden on the states. It is also
governments may announce to The TMC had urged the EC to should start wearing masks at if they store oxygen and start current production capacity, The facility was opened in iniquitous since the state gov-
control the spread of Covid-19. merge the remaining three home even in normal circum- oxygen therapy from the first and pointed out that the na- July last year, and capacity was ernments have considerably
People prefer cash during un- phases of voting into one, and stances. Earlier we spoke about day, they would not need oxy- tional allotment plan had ear- ramped up to over 10,000 beds. less fiscal resources at their
certain times, even though debit the Congress had suggested that (wearing a mask) outdoors. The gen later. These are wrong no- marked only 220 MT for the But it was dismantled in command than the central gov-
cards and mobile wallets have voting be postponed until after spread of the infection is faster tions. Oxygen is an important state. February. ernment..,” it added.
Ahmedabad
 WWW.INDIANEXPRESS.COM

3 GUJARAT
THE INDIAN EXPRESS, TUESDAY, APRIL 27, 2021

Decision to classify hospitals to cut down

on oxygen supply in Vadodara revoked
EXPRESSNEWSSERVICE
VADODARA,APRIL26
ADAYafterOfficeronSpecialDuty
for Covid-19, Vinod Rao, issued a
notification classifying the em-
paneled private hospitals across
the city to cut down on oxygen
supply, the Vadodara Municipal
Corporation (VMC) put the noti-
fication “on hold”.
The decision comes after
electedrepresentativesof theBJP
assuredthattheywouldintervene
andhavethestategovernmentin-
crease the oxygen quota for
Vadodara.EarlieronMonday,Savli
BJP MLA Ketan Inamdar wrote a
letter to Chief Minister Vijay
Rupaniseekingimmediatewith-
drawal of the decision.
In his letter, MLA Ketan
Staff work round-the-clock at the oxygen supply unit of the civil hospital in Ahmedabad’s Asarwa. Nirmal Harindran Inamdar said, “Until now, the
VadodaraMunicipalCorporation
(VMC)hadbeenensuringoxygen
supplytohospitalsinthecityand
SANAND GIDC rural Vadodara. But it has now
threegroupsforrationingoxygen
supplyandthusdirecting164pri-
vate hospitals to stop providing
Oxygen treatment to patients
with immediate effect.
The notification was “put on
hold” late on Monday after Rao,
along with elected representa-
tivesfromtheBJP,heldameeting
withGroupCHospitalsthatwere
prevented from offering oxygen
treatment to patients as per the
notification.
Rao said, “Group C repre-
sented that they would optimise
the use of oxygen... The elected
representativesinformedthatex-
tra efforts are being made to re-
ceivetherequiredstockofoxygen
fromstategovernmentforhospi-
tals in Vadodara... In view of all
this, the implementation of noti-
fication for grouping of hospitals
to assist in uninterrupted avail-
ability of oxygen to hospitals (is-
suedSunday)hasbeentemporar-
ily put on hold. All hospitals will
make efforts to further minimise
Inamdar added in his letter to
Rupani, “A month ago, Vadodara
neededonly15tonnesofoxygen,
which has now risen to over 160
metric tonnes. There are several
facilitiescreatedinSavliandDesar
areas for Covid-19 treatment by
the administration as well as pri-
vate charitable institutions but in
the absence of oxygen supply,
whatarethesefacilitiessupposed
todo?ThesupplyofO2 invillages
wasalwayslowbuttocompletely
discontinue it is not right.”
Inamdar, who had submitted
hisresignationtothepartyin2019
citing bureaucrats not paying
heed to development work re-
quests and later withdrew it,
added,“AstheChiefMinister,you
have been sensitive to the needs
of the people and so, you must
make serious note of this issue.
Vadodaracityanddistrictarewit-
nessing admissions from neigh-
bouringdistrictsformedicaltreat-
mentduringthispandemicandit
is important that your decision
groups”. Advocating a lockdown,
Inamdar has said, “The danger of
transmissionof thevirusinsocial
events is high and it is important
to take a decision to impose lock-
down or similar measures to
break the chain of this epidemic
by restraining people.”
Inamdar also raised the issue
of the difficulty being faced in
procuring Remdesivir injections
and urged government action to
stop black-marketing of the drug
as well as to prevent hospitals
from exerting pressure on rela-
tivestoprocurethedrugforCovid
patients.
In Surat, members of the
Indian Medial Association on
Monday, handed over a memo-
randum to the District Collector,
requesting him to smoothen the
supplyofoxygenincityhospitals.
In the memorandum, IMA
Surat wing president Hiral Shah
said, “The daily rise in Covid-19
casesinthecityareseeingpatients
turningupathospitalsinacritical

Oxygendivertedformedicaluse:
been learned that the hospitals
havebeendividedintocategories
and oxygen supply to several pri-
vatehospitalsinthecityandinru-
leakage and wastage of oxygen.” must be based on the gravity of state and in need of oxygen. For
According to Rao, the state the situation in Vadodara.” thelastfewdays,theprivatehos-
governmenthadcappedtheoxy- Inamdar said that the virus is pitalsinthecityarefacingashort-
gen consumption in Vadodara to “slowlyspreading”intheruralar- age of oxygen. There is a daily re-

Unitsshutshop,layoffworkers
ral Vadodara has been discontin-
ued.”
The notification issued on
Sunday classified hospitals into
160 MT, which was its consump- eas because social events that quirement of 230 metric tonnes
tion on Friday. were completely prohibited last of oxygen in hospitals, with
Seekingsupplyof oxygenand yearhavebeenallowed,“causing around 4,000 patients undergo-
Remdesivir in rural hospitals, people to interact and move in ing treatment...”

SEALS 1,500 UNITS Two held for

EXPRESS NEWS SERVICE
AHMEDABAD, APRIL 26
WITH INDUSTRIAL oxygen was
diverted for medical use amid
the pandemic, around 50 indus-
trial units dealing with auto
components at Sanand Gujarat
Industrial Development
Corporation (GIDC) have put up
the shutters recently, leaving a
number of workers out of job.
Several engineering units in
parts of Ahmedabad, Bhavnagar,
Rajkot and Vadodara -- mostly
areas that are facing shortage of
oxygen, have been forced to shut
down too.
“About 50 engineering units
in Sanand GIDC have shut due
to lack of oxygen. These are
largely auto component and
road equipment manufactur-
ers,” Ajit Shah, president of
Sanand Industrial Association
(SIA) said Monday.
Spread over several
hectares, Sanand GIDC has units
dealing with engineering, auto-
mobiles, semiconductors and
electronics.
“While some owners are still
paying salaries to their workers,
many of them have left as there
A staffer carries an oxygen cylinder to the storage area at the
Covid ward of Gandhinagar civil hospital on Monday.
Nirmal Harindran
is no work in these units. Large-
scale layoffs will create another
social crisis, and with the pan-
demic we cannot even ask the
government for oxygen (to re-
sume work in these units),”
Shah said.
The Gujarat Chamber of
Commerce and Industry (GCCI),
one of the primary associations
representing MSME units
across the state, said engineer-
ing units dealing with cutting
steel are also closing down due
to the diversion of oxygen for
medical use.
“Those units, which have
been badly hit, are mostly based
in Rajkot, Vadodara, Bhavnagar
and Ahmedabad,” Pathik
Patwari, the GCCI secretary,
said. The chamber, however,
did not share data related to the
layoffs or the units that have
Several engineering
units in parts of
Ahmedabad,
Bhavnagar, Rajkot and
Vadodara have been
forced to shut down
closed down.
The Indian Express had al-
ready reported that the large
industrial clusters, like the
shipbreaking yard in Alang,
have almost shut down due to
lack of oxygen.
“There were 15,000-17,000
migrant workers at Alang in
January. With shipbreaking
coming to a standstill, more
than half of them have left for
their homes. The shipbreakers
cannot promise their work-
force when the oxygen supply,
diverted for medical use, will
resume and so, they have asked
the workers to leave. Work is
available only on a few plots as
of now. These plots, too, will
soon close down,” Sanjay Singh,
secretary of Alang Sosiya Ship
Recycling and General Workers
Association, said.
AMC appeals to
hair salons, beauty
parlours to close
for a week
Ahmedabad: The Ahmedabad
MunicipalCorporation(AMC)on
Monday appealed to the owners
ofhairsalonsandbeautyparlours
in the city for “voluntary closure”
for a week to break the chain of
coronaviorus infection, while
1,500 of such businesses were
closed down for not following
Covid norms.
The civic body’s solid waste
management department in a
drive closed down the units —
highest of 380 in the North zone,
including68beautyparlours.The
team found more than four per-
sonswerefoundinoneunitalong
withviolationofsocialdistancing
guideline. In the East zone, 242
unitswerecloseddownfollowed
by South zone 233, central zone
186, north west 183 and east 154.
Another 126 units were sealed in
the South west zone of the city.
AMC is planning such drives
among “superspreader” shops in
the coming days. ENS
The certificates were handed over to the four personnel by
Vadodara Commissioner of Police at Police Bhavan Monday.
Four cops felicitated
for donating plasma
EXPRESSNEWSSERVICE
VADODARA,APRIL26
VADODARA COMMISSIONER of
Police Shamsher Singh on
Mondayfelicitatedfourpoliceof-
ficers attached to various police
stations in the city for donating
plasma to Covid-19 patients.
Thefourpersonnel—sub-in-
spectorABMishrafromWarasiya
have recovered from Covid-19.
A certificate of appreciation
and gratitude was handed over
to the personnel by Singh at the
Police Bhavan on Monday.
An official release issued by
the department said, “The
Commissionerfelicitatedtheof-
ficers for donating their plasma
in times of need to Covid-19 pa-
tientsinordertoencourageother
officials, who have recovered
‘illegally’
procuring
remdesivir from
SVP Hospital
Ahmedabad: Two persons were
arrestedSundayforallegedlyille-
gallyprocuring30Remdesivirin-
jections from SVP Hospital in
Ahmedabadusingfakeletterpad
fromaprivatehospital,policesaid.
Altaf Lohiya(26),aresidentof
Danilimda, and Zakir Hussain
Shaikh(19),aresidentofJamalpur,
wereheldbyateamfromtheEllis
Bridge police station. “The main
accusedAltafwhoisastaffatShafi
Hospital in Jamalpur area of
Ahmedabad conspired with two
other accused Zakir Hussain and
YasminBanuShaikhtogetremde-
sivirinjectionsfromSVPHospital
bygettingfakeprescriptionsfrom
Shafi Hospital for Covid positive
patients.FromApril11toApril14,
the accused procured 30 remde-
sivir injections for their personal
gain,”saidaseniorofficerof zone
7 Ahmedabad Police.
All three accused have been
held under IPC sections 420 for
fraud, 467 for forgery of valuable
security, 468 for forgery for pur-

Former Gujarat cadre IAS officer Gujarat BJP chief’s website ‘hacked’
The hacker, who identified
police station, head constable
Kalpesh Nandkishor from
Makarpura police station, Lok
from the virus, to do the same.”
Singh, last week, Singh had
asked the She Teams attached
pose of cheating, 471 for fraudu-
lentlyusingasgenuineanyforged
document and 120b for criminal

succumbs to Covid in Lucknow PRESS TRUST OF INDIA

EXPRESSNEWSSERVICE
AHMEDABAD,APRIL26
FORMERIASofficerSanjayGupta
(58),whospearheadedthedevel-
opmentoftheAhmedabadMetro
between 2011 and 2013 and ar-
restedforallegedRs113-crorecor-
ruption during the tenure, suc-
cumbed to the coronavirus
diseaseinLucknowSundaynight.
Gupta was admitted to a hos-
pital in Lucknow for about a fort-
night.Asourceclosetothefamily
Mondaysaid,“Thefamily,includ-
ing Gupta, were in Lucknow to
takecareofGupta’sailingparents,
who themselves had contracted
Covid-19. Gupta also got infected
and was admitted to a hospital.”
The1985-batchGujaratcadre
IAS officer had played a pivotal
roleinturningaroundtheGujarat
State Petroleum Corporation, be-
forehejoinedtheAdaniGroupin
2002. Later, he started his multi-
business conglomerate, Neesa
Group, which had operations in
hospitality, argo-biotechnology,
steelcasting,informationtechnol-
ogy, and media among others.
In April 2011, then Prime
MinisterNarendraModi-ledgov-
ernmentinGujarathadappointed
Gupta as the head of Metro
Express between Gandhinagar
and Ahmedabad Company Ltd
SURAT, APRIL 26
himself as Mohammad Bilal
from Pakistan, uploaded some
objectionable content on the
Rakshak Vanrajji Shekharji, and
Lok Rakshak Aakash Bhanubhai
from Raopura police station —
police stations in the city to join
hands with a local organisation
for plasma donation.
conspiracyalongwithsectionsof
Drugs and Cosmetics Act and
Disaster Management Act. ENS
(MEGA),aspecialpurposevehicle GUJARAT BJP chief and Navsari homepage of Paatil’s website, a
formedfortheimplementationof MP CR Paatil’s office on Monday statement said, adding that no
theproject.Thecompanyhasnow claimed that his website has police complaint has been
been renamed as the Gujarat been hacked apparently by a filed yet. The content was re-
Metro Rail Corporation (GMRC). Pakistani hacker. moved, it said.
GuptahadquittheMetroproj-
ectinAugust30,2013,toconcen-
trateonhisbusinesses.In2015,he
was arrested by the Gujarat CID
onchargesofcorruptionamount-
ing to Rs 113 crore during his
tenure as the head of the
Ahmedabad Metro. A court later
released him on bail.
In December 2020, the
ExpressGroupofHotelsacquired
sevenpropertiesbelongingtothe
CambayHotels, theflagshipcom-
pany of the Neesa Group.

BRIEFLY Government of India

Bigfirms joinhands Jolly (53), the chairman and Ministry of Food Processing Industries
Panchsheel Bhawan, August Kranti Marg, New Delhi-110049
foroxygensupply managing director of Prolife, a
dyes and intermediates manu- Reference No: M-11/6/2020-(FME)(Part-1)
facturing company based in Ministry of Food Processing Industries (MoFPI) invites applications from eligible and interested candidates
Ahmedabad: The Gujarat Ankleshwar, succumbed to for the following positions on contract basis to work in the National Programme Management Unit under the
Narmada Valley Fertilisers and Covid-19 on Monday. Jolly had PMFME Scheme:
Chemicals Limited (GNFC) has over two decades of experience SI. No Name of the Position No of Vacancy
tripled its oxygen production in chemical industry. ENS 1. Lead Project Manager (State Programme) 1
over the last week from 10,000 2. Lead Project Manager (Knowledge Management) 1
litres per day on April 19 to
30,000litres,thatis3,000cylin-
18%admissions 3.
4.
Lead Project Manager (Capacity Building)
Lead Project Manager (Planning)
1
1
dersdaily,astatementissuedby through108:AMC 5.
6.
Lead Project Manager ( Branding & Marketing)
Manager (State Programme)
1
1
thefirmstated.TheAdaniGroup,
in an official release, also stated Ahmedabad: The Ahmedabad 7. Manager (Knowledge Management) 1
the first shipment of four ISO MunicipalCorporation,inanof- 8. Manager (Capacity Building) 1
cryogenic tanks, with 80 tonnes ficialreleaseMonday,saidofthe 9. Manager (Planning) 1
of liquid oxygen, was on its way 1,300-1,400patientsadmittedto
10. Manager (Branding & Marketing) 1
11. Manager (MIS) 1
from Dammam in Saudi Arabia various city hospitals daily, only
12. Manager(Financial & Micro Credit) 1
to Mundra port. In addition, 225-250, which was 17-18%,
13. Manager (Monitoring & Evaluation) 1
5,000 oxygen cylinders was be- were being done through the
14. Food Technologist 2
ing bought from Linde, Saudi 108 emergency services while 15. Communication Manager 2
Arabia. ENS the rest were done directly. 16. Joint Secretary/ Director (Retired from GOI) 1
“These admissions are referred 17. Pay & Accounts Officer (Retired from GOI) 1
Profileschairman byAMCon20%reservedbedsin
privatehospitals,hospitalsonthe
18. Young Professional-Administration 1

diesofCovid-19 Medicity campus, Sola Civil

The details such as eligibility, experience and selection procedure can be seen on the links
https://www.visionjobs.in/mofpi/ and https://mofpi.nic.in/
HospitalandfourAMC-runhos-
Ahmedabad: Maninder Singh pitals,” it stated. ENS davp 16101/11/0003/2122

Ahmedabad
 4 GUJARAT WWW.INDIANEXPRESS.COM
THE INDIAN EXPRESS, TUESDAY, APRIL 27, 2021

In Ahmedabad city,
98% of critical care
beds occupied: AMC
EXPRESS NEWS SERVICE CASE TRACKER
AHMEDABAD, APRIL 26
Places Confirmed Deaths New cases
OF THE total 8,211 critical care Ahmedabad 1,34,765 2,818 5,679
beds—oxygen-equippedandin- Amreli 5,967 48 158
tensive care units — across gov- Anand 4,444 22 92
ernmentandprivatehospitalsin Aravalli 2,317 37 77
Ahmedabad as well as the mu-
nicipalcorporation-runfacilities, Banaskantha 8,137 79 297
only 191 beds are vacant. Bharuch 7,038 48 135
The data, released by the Bhavnagar 11,597 126 536
Ahmedabad Municipal Botad 1,616 23 21
Corporation (AMC) on Monday
Chhota Udepur 1,655 13 58
forthefirsttimesincethesecond
wave of the coronavirus pan- Dahod 5,635 13 250
demichitAhmedabad,indicates Dang 513 11 28
nearly 98 per cent occupancy DevbhoomiDwarka 10,788 25 52
even as the city recorded 5,619 Gandhinagar 13,597 149 343
cases and 26 deaths due to the
Gir Somnath 3,746 26 121
virus in the previous 24 hours.
Among these vacant critical Jamnagar 21,502 140 668
care beds, 59 are in 176 nursing Junagadh 8,743 63 259
homes, 40 in 167 private Covid- Kheda 5,499 24 149
designated hospitals, 31 in Kutch 7,384 45 232

THE WAIT... Ahmedabad Medicity campus

thathastotalsixhospitalsinclud-
ing Civil Hospital, 20 in
Mahisagar
Mehsana
4,133
13,892
32
71
157
531

& DESPAIR Shardaben hospital, 14 each in

Sheth Lallubhai Gordhandas
Municipal General Hospital and
Morbi
Narmada
4,851
3,687
59
2
66
35
Navsari 3,552 8 125
(Clockwise from above) A VSGeneralHospitaland13inSVP
Panchmahal 6,466 33 176
Covid-19 patient on oxygen Hospital, the AMC data states.
support waits for “Occupancy in Covid-desig- Patan 7,689 69 230
admission at the 600-bed nated private hospitals, health Porbandar 1,567 6 51
facility in Gandhinagar centres and covid care centres is Rajkot 41,871 407 598
Civil Hospital on Monday; A more than 90 per cent. The beds Sabarkantha 5,066 58 161
senior citizen gasps for that are vacant, are mostly isola-
Surat 1,06,497 1,509 1,876
breath inside a car outside tion beds. Thus, in 167 private
Dhanvantari Covid Hospital hospitals, the occupancy is of 94 Surendranagar 5,308 61 199
in Ahmedabad; Relative of a per cent,” a statement issued by Tapi 2,644 9 156
patient breaks down at the the AMC stated. Vadodara 47,589 441 706
Samras Hostel that has Thecivicbodyalsocautioned Valsad 2,859 20 118
been converted into a residents: “Corona(virus) infec-
Other states 148 3
Covid-19 facility in tion in Ahmedabad city is at its
Vadodara; Patients had to peak. Until and unless it is very Cumulative Total New Cumulative
wait for long, some for important, do not step out from discharge: cases: cases: deaths:
nearly 12 hours, before
getting a bed at
your house.”
As per the AMC data, the
3,82,426 5,09,627 14,340 6,472
Gandhinagar highest number of critical care
Civil Hospital; A patient beds – 3,869 – are in 167 private
Firstdose Fullyvaccinated Firstdose Fullyvaccinated
takerstilldate tilldate takerstoday today
outside Vadodara’s hospitals,followedby2,355atsix
Samras facility. differentCovidhospitals,includ- 94,35,424 20,19,205 64,571 83,135
ing the civil hospital on the
Medicity campus.
From the total 1,013 beds for for Covid-19 patients at VS, This, the civic body said, was in
Covid-19patientsatitsfourhos- Shardaben and LG hospitals, it addition to the 100 high-flow
pitals on April 10, the civic body has added a total of 728 beds at oxygen machines and 60 venti-
has increased the number of these facilities. Also, 86 ICU beds latorsthathavebeenmadeavail-
beds to 1,907 until Monday, the and 165 oxygen-equipped ones able at four AMC-run hospitals
statementadded.Fromzerobeds havebeenaddedatSVPhospital. recently.

GOVT AFFIDAVIT TO HC Covid norm

‘Daily supply of violations: 207
cases filed at
Remdesivir injections 3,244 weddings
cut to 16,500 vials across state
per day from 20,000’ on a day
EXPRESS NEWS SERVICE
AHMEDABAD, APRIL 26
EXPRESSNEWSSERVICE
AHMEDABAD,APRIL26
WHAT THE AS MANY as 207 cases of viola-
AFFIDAVIT STATES tion of Covid norms, including
THE GUJARAT government has mask violation, were registered
written to the Centre on Monday ■ As per data on the by Gujarat Police in 3,244 wed-
FROM PAGE ONE to increase its daily allocation of
Remdesivirinjections.Anaffidavit
state-wise allocation of
Remdesivir from April 21
dingsonApril25acrossthestate.
Thegovernmenthadcappedthe
ALL HANDS ON DECK
Centre has allocated 975 MT
filed by the state principal health to 30, as submitted in the number of guests at 50 for such
secretary, Jayanti Ravi, before the affidavit, 1,63,500 functions.

In this Bharuch village, GujaratHighCourt,inresponseto injections have been No wedding ceremony is al-

Darul Uloom converted oxygen to Gujarat: State in HC

into Covid care facility
EXPRESS NEWS SERVICE
SURAT, APRIL 26
WITH THE nearest hospital at
least a few kilometres away, the
Darul Uloom, a school of Islamic
studies, in Bharuch’s Tankaria
village has been converted into
a Covid Care Centre and
equipped with oxygen supply.
The initiative, possibly for the
first time in the history of the
district, was taken after the vil-
lage saw a surge in Covid-19
cases and deaths.
Tankaria sarpanch Usman
Adam said, “The second wave of
the pandemic has been particu-
larly dangerous. At least seven
villagers have succumbed to the
infection in the previous 24
hours. When we shared the
grim stories with the leaders
from the village who are staying
abroad, they suggested that a
Covid Care Centre could be
opened at the Darul Uloom,
which also has the largest hall in
the village.”
Due to the pandemic, Adam
said, students of the Islamic
school were already at home
and the hall closed. This, Adam
added, was possibly for the first
time in the history in Bharuch
that the Darul Uloom has been
converted into a medical treat-
ment facility. “It was needed as
the nearest hospital is around a
few kilometres away,” he said.
According to the sarpanch,
donations have come in from
London and other countries
during the ongoing Ramzan
month.
“So far, we have set up a 30-
bed facility. All the arrange-
ments have been completed
and in next couple of days we
will start treating the patients
here,” he said.
The centre's convenor Yunus
Patel told The Indian Express:
“We have already taken permis-
sion from the local district ad-
ministrative authorities. The
Sheikhul Islam Trust and
Anjuman Trust of Bharuch,
which run several clinics in the
district, have supported our mis-
sion by providing doctors and
nursing staff. We have got per-
mission to start a 100-bed Covid
Care Centre but we are starting
with 30 beds initially. We will
increase the number of beds
gradually.”
Not only Tankaria villagers
but also people from neighbour-
ing villages is expected to bene-
fit from the initiative, Patel said.
the daily consumption for med-
ical use stood at 1,050 MT as of
April 19. The affidavit states that
while consumption is 1,000 MT
at present, “this consumption...is
increasing day by day primarily
due to fact that daily Covid cases
are going up by 4-6 per cent.
Besides, oxygen requirement for
each patient also goes up...”
On April 16, the Gujarat gov-
ernment requested the
Government of India to increase
allocation.Aspertheaffidavit,the
state has seen a daily increase of
8-9 per cent of oxygen require-
ment on an average since April 1.
Gujarat is also supplying oxygen
daily to Maharashtra, Rajasthan,
Madhya Pradesh and Daman.
InthecommunicationofApril
16 addressed to Guruprasad
Mohapatra, secretary to govern-
ment of India in department for
promotion of Industry and
Internal Trade, Mukim stated, “A
total of eight manufacturers are
currently manufacturing 1,100
metrictonnesof medicaloxygen
inthestate...However,thecurrent
Covid-19situationhaswarranted
an increase in the oxygen de-
mand... Gujarat is also supplying
around 100 metric tonnes of
medical oxygen to neighbouring
states. Looking at the current de-
mand and supply forecast, the
state will require approximately
1,500 metric tonnes of medical
oxygenshortly,therefore,making
Of the country-wide allocation for oxygen by the
Centre, Maharashtra tops the list with 1,661 MT.
Uttar Pradesh is allocated 753 MT oxygen and
Madhya Pradesh 543 MT, the affidavit states
it unviable to support other
states...werequestyoutosupport
us with the supply of extra med-
ical oxygen...”
Of the country-wide alloca-
tion for oxygen by the Centre,
Maharashtra tops the list with
1,661 MT, followed by Gujarat
with 975 MT, Uttar Pradesh with
753 MT and Madhya Pradesh at
543MT.Goahasbeenallocateda
dailyof11MToxygenandJammu
and Kashmir another 12 MT.
As per the state government,
suppliers directly supply oxygen
to 61 hospitals and to 77 bottlers
who in turn supply bottled oxy-
gen. Three other hospitals have
pressureswingabsorptionplants
tomakeoxygendirectlyfromair.
Addressing the issue of long
ambulance wait faced by many
citizens,itwassubmittedthat108
ambulance service is the “only
modalitythroughwhichapatient
cangetadmissioninAhmedabad
Corporation and government
quota (beds) in private hospi-
tals...”
It was submitted that in gov-
ernment hospitals, treatment is
meted out to every patient, in-
cludingduringthewaitingperiod
atthehospitalpriortoadmission.
As per the state, it has also added
a fleet of 50 ambulances and in
the next three days, 150 more
ambulances will be added. “This
willdefinitelygoalongwayinre-
ducingthetimelagandthewait-
ing period for patients to be ad-
mitted in hospitals.”
Asperthestate’srecords,also
mentioned in the affidavit, it has
a total of 687 emergency ambu-
lances across the state dealing
with3,544emergencycaseseach
day on an average. Each ambu-
lance per day deals with around
five emergency patients, with a
an average response time of 48
minutesandanother38minutes
spent at the hospital, waiting.
Providing the testing data
from April 1 to April 23, it was
statedthatof the33.62lakhtests
conductedinthestate,13.14lakh
were RT-PCR tests, that is less
than40percent.Thestatehasnot
seen any increase in its share of
RT-PCR tests despite the ICMR
recommending that at least 70
per cent of the total tests should
be RT-PCR.
a direction from the court that is
hearing a suo motu public inter-
estlitigation,statedthatGujarat’s
allocationoftheantiviralinjection
had been reduced to 16,500 vials
a day from the 20,000 vials pro-
cured by the state earlier.
AcommunicationbyGujarat
chief secretary Anil Mukim,
datedApril26,tothesecretaryto
Ministry of Health and Welfare,
Government of India, Rajesh
Bhushan, stated, "...The current
Covid-19situationhaswarranted
an increase in the demand of
Remdesivir injection that is un-
precedented.Giventhehugede-
mand of oxygen and ventilator
(equipped) beds, use of
Remdesivir is of great signifi-
canceinreducingthestay(of pa-
tients) in hospitals, thus giving
somerelief inmakingbedsavail-
able to those in need. Looking at
the current demand and supply
forecast,thestatewillrequireap-
proximately4lakhsinjectionsin
the least. Therefore, we request
you to support us with the sup-
plyofextra4lakhsRemdesivirin-
jection to meet the state's in-
creasing demand."
The communication is a part
of the annexures of the affidavit
submittedbytheprincipalhealth
secretary before the high court.
The state submitted that un-
tilApril30,theperdayallocation
ofRemdesivirhasbeenstipulated
at16,500injectionsfortheentire
state, with distribution now be-
ing decided at the all-India level,
which is significantly lower than
the earlier allocation of approxi-
allocated to Gujarat
■ The highest allocation
has been kept for
Maharashtra at 2,69,200
injections.
mately 20,000 injections a day.
Before the Centre took over the
allocation of Remdesivir for
states, the Gujarat government
woulddirectlyprocuretheinjec-
tions from the manufacturers
and,onaverage,wasmanagingto
procure 20,000 vials per day, the
affidavit said.
"It is pointed out to the
Government of India that the
state requires approximately 4
lakh injections, therefore, in-
crease the allotment on priority.
This issue is being rigorously fol-
lowed up... As on date, the entire
stock (with the Gujarat govern-
ment)isclearedbytheendof the
day," the affidavit submitted by
Ravi states.
As per data on the state-wise
allocation of Remdesivir from
April21to30,assubmittedinthe
affidavit,1,63,500injectionshave
been allocated to Gujarat — the
second-highest among the 14
states under oxygen allocation.
The highest allocation has been
keptforMaharashtraat2,69,200
injections. Gujarat is followed by
UttarPradeshwhere1,22,800in-
jections have been allocated. A
majorityofGujarat'sallocationfor
theperiodof 10dayswillbesup-
plied by Zydus Cadila (1.20 lakh),
Mylan (15,000) and Hetero
(14,500), it stated.
lowed after 8 pm in 20 cities of
Gujarat including Ahmedabad,
Surat, Rajkot and Vadodara.
A statement released by the
officeof GujaratDirectorGeneral
of Police (DGP) Ashish Bhatia on
Monday said, “To ensure that
wedding ceremonies don’t re-
sultinincreaseinspreadof Covid
infection, the state government
has issued guidelines with a cap
of maximum 50 guests... The
DGP Gujarat had issued strict in-
structions to the police force to
ensure that Covid guidelines is-
sued by the government were
being followed at weddings. In
that regard, police has taken
strict action across the state
wherever guidelines were being
violated...”
“The state government had
made it compulsory to register
at the government portal for
marriages in advance and using
database from the portal, police
teams visited 3,244 wedding
ceremonies across the state on
April 25 in which 146 cases of
mask violation and 61 cases of
Covid related guidelines viola-
tions were registered. A total of
78 persons were also arrested in
these cases,” the statement
added.
From December 19, 2020, to
April 25, 2021, a total of 17,571
weddingswerecheckedand727
cases were registered for mask
violation and 149 cases were for
violation of other Covid guide-
lines.
A total of 254 persons were
arrested, it said.

Ahmedabad
WWW.INDIANEXPRESS.COM
THE INDIAN EXPRESS, TUESDAY, APRIL 27, 2021
Fresh Covid cases
see dip; drop
in Lucknow’s
numbers: UP govt
EXPRESS NEWS SERVICE
LUCKNOW, APRIL 26
THE UTTAR Pradesh govern-
ment on Monday claimed that
fresh Covid-19 cases have de-
clined in the state, with 33,574
new cases being recorded in a
24-hour period even as the
number of active cases in the
state breached 3 lakh.
“In the last three days, fresh
Covid-19 positive cases have
gone down in the state. There
is no shortage of beds, oxygen
and life-saving drugs in the
state,” ANI quoted Chief
Minister Yogi Adityanath as
saying.
“In the last four years, we
established 32 oxygen plants in
the state. At present, we have
72 oxygen tankers transporting
oxygen to hospitals across all
districts in the state,” he added.
As per the state Health
Department's bulletin, the
number of active cases has also
started to decline in some of
the worst-hit districts like
Lucknow and Varanasi.
Active cases in Lucknow,
which stood at 52,068 on
Sunday, dropped to 50,627 on
Monday with the recovery of
6,035 cases as against 4,566
new cases in the last 24 hours.
cials said.
“A slight decline is coming in
the infection rate, which is a
good indication. The Chief
Minister has ordered during the
review meeting to be in touch
with people in home isolation
and provide the required med-
icines. While efforts are being
made to improve the oxygen
supply, action is being taken
against hospitals, which are
spreading false rumours of
shortage,” said Additional Chief
Secretary (Information)
Navneet Sehgal.
Lucknow hospitals not
giving beds: BJP MP
Lucknow: A day after
Mohanlalganj MP Kaushal
Kishore’s elder brother died of
Covid-19, the BJP leader wrote
to Chief Minister Yogi
Adityanath on Monday, ex-
pressing concern over the state
of affairs at two government
hospitals in the Lucknow. He
also sought action against those
“failing to provide facilities to
patients despite availability of
beds” at these hospitals.
Kishore claimed that there
were empty beds at King
George's Medical University
(KGMU) “but no new admis-
sions [of Covid patients] are
being done”, and demanded
Karnataka shuts for 14 days
as Covid cases, deaths rise
EXPRESSNEWSSERVICE
BENGALURU,APRIL26
WITHMOUNTINGCovid-19cases
and deaths in Karnataka and it's
capital city Bengaluru, the state
governmentMondayannounced
ashutdownfor14daysbeginning
Tuesday,April27.Themovecame
following a Cabinet meeting
chaired by Chief Minister BS
Yediyurappa Monday morning.
“To stop the spread of Covid,
strong measures are being initi-
ated.Fromtomorrow,for14days,
there will be strict measures for
the whole state. There will be
scopetobuyessentialitemsfrom
6amto10am.After10am,alles-
tablishments must shut down.
Otherthanthegarmentsector,all
manufacturingsectorcompanies
can function. In the garment sec-
tor,therearesixtosevenlakhem-
ployedanditmustnotbeasource
of spread of infections. The con-
struction sector can be opera-
tional.Medicalandessentialserv-
ices will function,” Yediyurappa
said.
“Ifthesituationdoesnotcome
under control in two weeks, we
willtakeadecisiononcontinuing
the shut down. People must fol-
Delhi riot cases: Court says complete
lack of supervision by senior cops
Migrants in Bengaluru leave for their hometowns after the
Karnataka government announced the shutdown. PTI
low rules and prevent this from
happening,” he said. A record
numberof34,804Covid-19cases
werereportedonSundayinclud-
ing 20,733 in Bengaluru. There
have been a record 1,200 deaths
reported in Bengaluru in April so
far including 867 in the last 10
days. In an order issued on
Monday night, Karnataka Chief
Secretary P Ravikumar said, “The
stategovernmentissatisfiedthat
thecurrentcircumstancerequires
more aggressive containment
measures to break the chain of
transmission.” Intra- and inter-
statetravelisallowedonlyincase
of emergencies and metro serv-
EXPRESS NETWORK 5
iceswillnowbecurtailedfortwo
weeks. Attendance at marriages
has been restricted to 50 people
and at funerals to five persons.
“There will be no shortage of
oxygen henceforth since the
Centre has agreed to provide 800
metrictonnes.TheCentrewillalso
provideRemdesivirsupplies,”the
Chief Minister said.
“The Covid pandemic is
spreading in a big way. The cases
inBengaluruandsurroundingar-
eas are on the rise and the cases
havenowexceededthenumbers
in Maharashtra,” Yediyurappa
said after the Cabinet meeting.
Members of the Cabinet said the
measuresbeingtakenweremore
likeaCovidcurfew,andnotalock-
down.
Karnataka has already been
under a semi lockdown over the
past week with hotels, restau-
rants, gyms, bars, clubs not al-
lowed to have customers.
Bengaluruhasbeenunderanight
curfew and a weekend curfew
since April 19.
“Theconditionsinthepresent
situationwillcontinueandessen-
tialserviceswillbeavailablefrom
6 am to 10 am. Bars and restau-
rants can provide takeaway serv-
ice,” the Chief Minister said.
Yediyurappa said the govern-
ment will seek postponement of
allpollsinthestateforsixmonths.
He said the movement of goods
and cargo within the state and
acrossitsborderswillbeallowed.
Yediyurappaalsoannouncedthat
the Cabinet had decided to pro-
vide vaccines free of cost at gov-
ernment facilities for those in the
18 to 45 age group. “In govern-
ment hospitals, those aged be-
tween18and45willbeprovided
free vaccines. The health depart-
mentwillcomeupwiththeplans.
The Central government is also
providing vaccines free of cost,”
Yediyurappa said.
HEMANT DECLARES 1 MONTH’S EXTRA SALARY FOR ‘CORONA WARRIORS’
Ranchi: Jharkhand
Hemant Soren on Monday
tooktosocialmediaandan-
nounced one month’s addi-
No lockdown, curbs
to be enforced
strongly: Pinarayi
As part of fresh curbs, a
SHAJU PHILIP maximum of 50 persons would
THIRUVANANTHAPURAM, be allowed at places of worship
APRIL 26 after ensuring social distancing.
All social, religious, political and
NO LOCKDOWN will be placed cultural events have been sus-
in Kerala but more curbs would pended until further orders.
be required to fight the second Number of persons for funeral
wave of the Covid-19 pan- was limited to 20 and that for
demic. marriage to 50. All marriages
Chief Minister Pinarayi should have to be registered
Vijayan announced the deci- with the state government
sion on Monday after an all- covid-19 portal.
party meeting here. Speaking Counting of votes for the
to reporters, Vijayan said all po- Assembly elections is sched-
litical parties had agreed with uled to take place on May 2.
the government’s stand that a “However, considering the
complete lockdown was not grim situation in the state,
needed. more stringent restrictions
Although fresh curbs would would be required. On the day
be implemented in a stricter of counting of votes on May 2,
manner, the government does all parties have agreed to aban-
not want to see construction don victory processions. At
and manufacturing sectors counting centres or its prem-
coming to a standstill, Vijayan ises, public would not be al-
said. “All productive sectors lowed.
should move ahead with eco- Only officials would be al-
nomic activities. Hence, the lowed entry at the centres. The
government is dropping the entry would be limited to those
idea of complete lockdown. who have taken two doses of
Agriculture, industry, SMEs, vaccine or otherwise those who
NREGS and such sectors should have a RT-PCR test negative cer-
function while maintaining tificate, obtained within 72
Covid-19 protocol,” he said. hours,” Vijayan said.
CM “In these troubled times, will be paid one month of
Corona warriors are work-
ing day and night.
Therefore, the state
their salary as encourage-
ment money.” ENS

In Varanasi too, the number of
active cases dropped from
17,321 on Sunday to 16,083 on
Monday, according to the gov-
ernment bulletin data.
There has been a slight de-
crease in the number of active
cases in Prayagraj also, but in
Kanpur Nagar, Meerut,
Gorakhpur, Bareilly, there has
been a rise in active cases, offi-
TRACKING THE SECOND SURGE
that inquiry be ordered.
He also alleged that at
Balrampur hospital in Lucknow,
there are 20 ventilators but only
five are operational. Kishore said
that if patients die because of
unavailability of oxygen-
equipped beds despite the fact
that they are vacant in hospitals,
those guilty should be booked
for murder.
ANANDMOHANJ
NEWDELHI,APRIL26
ADELHIcourtonMondaydismisseda
reviewpetitionfiledbypolicechalleng-
ing a Metropolitan Magistrate's order
over registering an FIR in a Northeast
Delhiriotscase,sayingthatin"several
cases" it has noticed a "complete lack
of supervision of investigation(s) by
senior police officers of the district".
Additional Sessions Judge Vinod
Yadav observed: "I do not find any
substanceinthepresentpetitionfiled
bythestate.Theinvestigatingagency
wrong side of law. This court has
found in several cases of riots in the
entire length and breadth of police
stationsinNortheastDelhithatthere
was complete lack of supervision of
investigation(s) by senior police offi-
cers of the district. All is not over yet.
If theseniorofficersnowlookintothe
matter(s) and take remedial meas-
uresrequired,sothatjusticecouldbe
given to the victims."
Aspercourtrecords,NisarAhmad
had filed a complaint with SHO
Gokulpuri on February 25, 2020, re-
garding a mob vandalising and loot-
ing his house. Ahmad claimed police
ing the theft.
On March 18, Ahmad gave a de-
tailedcomplaintonhowamobof200-
250peoplewasmobilisedusingapub-
licaddresssystem,where"aclarioncall
was given to persons of a particular
communitytovandaliseandputonfire
thehousesofpersonsofanothercom-
munity". Ahmad's complaint was
clubbedwithanothercomplaintwith
no accused named.
FollowingargumentsbyAhmad's
lawyer,MRShamshad,aMetropolitan
MagistrateonNovember19,2020,or-
deredpolicetoregisteraseparateFIR
in this case -- which was challenged
tional salary to doctors and government has de-
medical workers employed cided that doctors
during the second surge of and medical work-
Covid-19 pandemic. ers employed in
In his post, Soren said, Covid related works
Phone/Fax:-0135-2531152
IYf¹ffÊ»f¹f A²feÃf¯f Ad·f¹f³°ff
³f½f¸fÐ ½fÈØf, »fû.d³f.d½f., QZWXSXfQc³f
Office of the Superintending Engineer, 9th Circle PWD, Dehradun Uttarakhand
Website-http://pwd.uk.gov.in E-mail: sepwdddun@rediffmail.com
´fÂffaI 2174/1Àfe-9/21 dQ³ffaI : 26/04/2021
VfbdðX ´fÂf (Corrigendum)
BÀf I f¹ffÊ»f¹f I e BÊ-d³fd½fQf Àfc¨f³ff Àfa.-2063/1Àfe.-9/21, dQ³ffaI 15.04.2021 IZ õfSf 05 ³fa.
I f¹fûË WZ °fb Sf¿MÑ e¹f ´fid°fÀ´f²ffÊ°¸fI A»´fI f»fe³f d³fd½fQf (BÊ-d³fd½fQf) Af¸fd³Âf°f I e ¦f¹fe ±fe, dªf³fI e
d³fd½fQf dQ³ffaI 20.04.2021 ÀfZ https://www.uktenders.gov.in ´fûMÊ »f ´fS C´f»f¶²f I SfBÊ
ªff³fe ±feÜ dIY³°fb IYûd½fOX-19 IZY ÀfaIiY¸f¯f IZY QÈd¿MX¦f°f »ffIYOXfCX³f WXû³fZ IZY IYfSX¯f A¶f CX¢°f
IYf¹fûË IYe d³fd½fQfEZÔ e-tender portal ´fSX dQ³ffaIY 07.05.2021 ÀfZ CX´f»f¶²f WXû¦feÜ
d³fd½fQf ÀfZ Àf¸¶fd³²f°f VfZ¿f Vf°fZË ¹f±ff½f°fÐ SWZÔ ¦feÜ
WXÀ°ff./-

421 NEW CASES: 3,10,325

hasevidentlybeenfoundtobeonthe tookdownasmallcomplaintregard- by police. (Ba.OXe.´fe. dÀfaWX)
A²feÃf¯f Ad·f¹f³°ff

ACTIVE CASES: 28,73,530

³f½f¸fÐ ½fÈØf, »fû.d³f.d½f., QZWXSXfQc³f
DAYS SINCE
PANDEMIC
BEGAN TOTAL VACCINATION: 14,19,11,223
DAILY DEATHS TOTAL DEATHS WEEKLY CFR OVERALL CFR
2,759 1,97,882 1.73% 1.45%

TESTS TODAY: 17,65,884 | TOTAL TESTS: 28,10,87,061

WEEKLY POSITIVITY: 20.22% | OVERALL POSITIVITY: 6.28%

STATES REPORTING MOST CASES

STATE NEW ACTIVE WEEKLY TOTAL
CASES CASES POSITIVITY VACCINATION
■ Maharashtra 48,700 6,74,770 23.49% 1,43,42,716
■ Uttar Pradesh 33,551 3,04,199 16.13% 1,17,83,880
■ Karnataka 29,744 2,81,061 16.38% 86,73,594
■ Kerala 21,890 2,33,093 20.43% 68,47,062
■ Delhi 20,201 92,358 32.79% 30,03,495 GOVERNMENT OF ODISHA
OFFICE OF THE SUPERINTENDING ENGINEER
STATES REPORTING MOST DEATHS O-100 CENTRAL CIRCLE, RURAL WORKS, BHUBANESWAR
Corrigendum
STATE TODAY’S TOTAL WEEKLY OVERALL No. 2247 / Date 26.04.2021
1st Corrigendum to Bid Identification No. Tender-Online-C.C. 08 of 2021 Dated 13.04.2021 invited vide this office
DEATHS DEATHS CFR CFR Lr. No. 2074 dated 13.04.2021
The List of works appeared at SI. 11 to SI. 16 of the Annexure to N.I.T. No. Tender-Online-C.C.-08 of 2021 issued vide this office Lr. No.
■ Maharashtra 548 67,161 1.16% 1.94% 2074 Dt- 13.04.2021 pertaining to R.W. Division, Nayagarh is here by replaced as under.
■ Delhi 380 14,628 4.00% 1.99% SI No. of the work in Name of work to be read Amount (Rs.
the Annexure to N.I.T. in lakhs)
■ Uttar Pradesh 249 11,414 1.98% 1.62% 11. Periodical Maintenance of 5 years completed PMGSY roads such as (a) Giridipalli to Jhadasahi (b) RD road Rs. 176.79
to Landabadu via. Luhuni (c) PWD road to Narasinghaprasad (d) RD road to Kusadhipi & (e) PWD road to
■ Chhattisgarh 226 7,536 1.80% 1.65% Bankatara under Package No. PM/NGR-1/01
12. Periodical Maintenance of 5 years completed PMGSY roads such as (a) Balugaon to Kodikahania (b) Rs. 129.69
■ Karnataka 201 14,627 2.08% 1.36% Raghunathprasad to Guptapalli (c) ODR to Khuntabandha (d) ODR to Narsinghaprasad (e) Gotirida to
Guando (s) RD road to D. Brundabanapur & (g) Lathipada to Nagpur under Package No. PM/NGR-1/02
Note:DataasonApr26;vaccinationnumbersasofApr25.Deathsincludethosecausedbycomorbidities. 13. Periodical Maintenance of 5 years completed PMGSY roads such as (a) Magarbandha to Fasipalli road & (b) Rs. 134.53
Godipada to Jakeda road under Package No. PM/NGR-1/03
14. Periodical Maintenance of 5 years completed PMGSY roads such as (a) RD road to Gaonbanikilo (b) NH-5 to Rs. 114.72
Gouorachandrapur (c) RD road to Routraypur under Package No. PM/NGR-1/04

Kerala eases File 10 lockdown 15. Periodical Maintenance of 5 years completed PMGSY roads such as (a) New Jagannath Sadak to
Gopinathpur (b) Kasanda to Katakpada (c) MDR-76 to Rajanagar road under Package No. PM/NGR-1/05
Rs. 147.76

Covid discharge cases a day, 16. Periodical Maintenance of 5 years completed PMGSY roads such as (a) RD road to Jasobantapur (b) RD to
Mardarajprasad (c) MDR-68 to Kainthapalli (d) RD road to Ramachandrapur (e) ODR to Balabhadraprasad &
(f) RD road to Badabhuin road under Package No. PM/NGR-1/06
Rs. 120.90

Mumbai Police told

norms to reduce
load on hospitals
SHAJU PHILIP
THIRUVANANTHAPURAM,
APRIL 26
JHARKAHND CHIEF Minister
Hemant Soren on Monday took
to social media and announced
one month’s additional salary to
doctors and medical workers
employed during the second
surge of Covid-19 pandemic.
With a spike in Covid-19
cases putting stress on Kerala’s
health infrastructure, the state
has allowed the discharge of pa-
tients suffering from a mild or
moderate form of the disease
without the rapid antigen test
(RAT). As per the new discharge
norms, which comes into effect
from Monday, a patient in the
mild or moderate category can
bedischargedwithoutRATif the
patient is asymptomatic for 72
hours. However, they have to re-
main in home isolation for 17
days from the day of onset of
symptoms.
Mumbai: To intensify the crack-
down on lockdown violators,
higher officials in the Mumbai
police department have in-
structed all senior police in-
spectors of 94 police stations
across the city to register at least
10 cases of violation every day.
The authorities have said
that the instruction had been is-
sued to ensure that the norms
set out by the Maharashtra gov-
ernment are strictly followed by
citizens. ENS
May lose 200-300
lives daily in 10
days: Goa minister
Panaji: Goa Health Minister
Vishwajit Rane Monday said a
lockdowninGoawascrucialafter
the state reported 38 deaths.
Rane tweeted, “In my interaction
withexperts,Ihavebeentoldthat
wemightlose200-300morelives
perdayinthenext10days, thesit-
uationisreallygrim....Iamconfi-
dentthatHon’bleCMwilltakeour
requestintoconsiderationonpri-
ority”. ENS
Sd/- Superintending Engineer
Central Circle, Rural Works, Bhubaneswar
OIPR- 25082/11/0005/2022
Odisha State Health & Family Welfare Society
Dept. of Health & Family Welfare, Govt. of Odisha
Annex Building of SIH&FW, Nayapalli, Unit-8, Bhubaneswar-751012
E-55 Email id: fmlo.nrhmorissa@gmail.com. Phone No 0674-2392479/80/88(Fax)
Advt.No.10/21 Date: 27.04.21
SELECTION OF AUDITOR- REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS
HIRING SERVICES OF A CHARTERED ACCOUNTANT FIRM FOR STATUTORY AUDIT OF
STATE HEALTH SOCIETY (SHS) & DISTRICT HEALTH SOCIETIES (DHSS) - (FOR THE
FINANCIAL YEAR 2020-21) UNDER NATIONAL HEALTH MISSION (NHM), ODISHA.
The Odisha State Health & Family Welfare Society (State Health Society) invites "Proposal for audit"
from firms of Chartered Accountants (CA) empanelled with C & AG of India and eligible for
conducting audit of major PSUs only for the year 2020-21 and having Head Office or Branch
Office in Odisha State capital i.e Bhubaneswar for not less than three years as on 01.01.2021.
Minimum payable fees fixed is Rs 15.69 lakh.
Detailed RFP: Detailed Request for Proposal (RFP) comprising Background, Terms of Reference
(ToR) and Guidelines for submitting the proposal can be either downloaded from the state's website
www.nhmodisha.gov.in or this can be collected from the O/o Mission Director, National Health
Mission, Health & Family Welfare Department, Government of Odisha, Annex Building of SIH&FW,
Nayapalli, Unit-8, Bhubaneswar, Odisha, PIN : 751012 between 28 April 2021 and 07 May 2021
(10.30 am to 05.00 pm on all working days).
Important Dates:
I. Last date for collection of RFP from Office of SHS: 07 May 2021 (10.30 am to 05.00 pm)
II. Date of Pre-bid conference: 10 May 2021 (3.30 PM)
III. Last date for submission of Proposal to SHS: 17 May 2021 (3.00PM)
IV. Date of opening of Technical bid: 17 May 2021 (4.00PM)
Venue for all the above activities: Conference hall of the Mission Directorate, NHM, Odisha.
Sd/-
Mission Director, NHM, Odisha,
OIPR- 10084/11/0004/2022
Ahmedabad
 WWW.INDIANEXPRESS.COM

6
THE INDIAN EXPRESS, TUESDAY, APRIL 27, 2021
WORDLY WISE

THE EDITORIAL PAGE

Music is God's gift to man, the only art of
Heaven given to earth, the only art of earth
we take to Heaven. — WALTER SAVAGE LANDOR

The vaccine responsibility

FOUNDED BY
§

§
RAMNATH GOENKA
It is Centre’s duty to assist states to combat
BECAUSE THE TRUTH INVOLVES US ALL
infectious disease. It also makes economic sense

FAILING THE TEST Sujatha Rao

It took a tsunami of outrage to wake someone up in IN TRAUMATISED INDIA, saving lives has be- at the cost of sacrificing the already under- Whatisinterestingaboutthecurrentpolit-
come the highest priority to be achieved by funded welfare programmes. icaleconomydiscourseisthetendencytotreat
Washington. India's vaccine diplomacy hurt domestic needs vaccinating70percentoftheadultpopulation Recently, the SII and BB announced their centralgrantsasbelongingto“theGoI”assep-

A
or 654 million people. This article seeks to
FTER A WEEK of empty statements on India’s urgent requirement of raw analyse the implications of the new vaccine
materials to ramp up vaccine production as it battles a gigantic second policy announcements on April 20.
wave of COVID, the United States has said it will “rapidly deploy additional In the past three months, only 40 per
support” to this country. But it evidently took a tsunami of outrage from cent of the 30 crore high-risk population
Indians on social media — this time without government provided hashtags — about the were vaccinated, partly due to the initial vac-
cine hesitancy and later vaccine shortage.
hollowness of a strategic partnership that allows the US to so readily abandon an ally,
As mortality data of Wave II shows 44 per
plus the revelation in US media that the country was sitting on a stockpile of 40 million cent deaths among 20-50 years, the govern-
AstraZeneca (Covishield in India) vaccines that were unlikely to be used, and represen- ment has expanded eligibility criteria to in-
tations by leading experts that the Biden Administration should share these with coun- clude all adults from May 1. This expansion
tries in need. It apparently took all this for US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken to step in the context of another 60 per cent target
in and clear the air. But a historic opportunity was already lost. In a horrific week in which population yet to be vaccinated with a sin-
gle dose, and uneven supplies, will result in
Indians grappled with ever new peaks of COVID numbers — new infections and deaths
distortions and inequities, with the more vo-
— the US seemed to be washing its hands of India’s crisis. It has sparked more questions cal and assertive in urban areas getting ac-
in India about the several “strategic partnership” agreements between the two countries cess rather than the powerless and vulner-
under the Biden Administration. After all, Trump donated ventilators to India at a time able in rural areas and urban slums.
India’smonthlyCOVIDvaccinemanufac-
when the pandemic was raging in his country, and Delhi responded by sending hydrox-
turing capacity is about 60-65 million doses
ychloroquine on his request.
Just weeks after the upbeat “Quad” summit, at which the leaders of Australia, India,
— 60 million by Serum Institute of India (SII)
and1-5millionbyBharatBiotech(BB)against
Japan and the US pledged to “collaborate to strengthen equitable vaccine access for the our final requirement of 1.45 billion doses to
Indo-Pacific”, a US State Department spokesman said “it’s not only in our interest to see cover70percentadults.India’sfailuretofirm
Americans vaccinated; it’s in the interests of the rest of the world to see Americans vac- upadvancepurchaseagreementswithother
cinated”. It should be obvious to all that the virus knows no borders. And that India, with vaccineproducersormovewithalacritywith
its sharp spike in cases in this wave, poses a global health threat. It is in the interests of the theSputnikapplicationisattributedtoamis-
taken notion that SII and BB would be ade-
world to ensure that Indians are vaccinated.
quateforIndia’sneeds.Clearly,adetailedde-
It was reckless of India to give away or sell 66 million vaccines to countries across
mand-supplyanalysiswouldhaveenableda
the world without securing supplies for its own people first. Vaccine Maitri was not more calibrated expansion of the eligibility
misplaced as long as it was restricted to countries in the neighbourhood looking to criteria. Government has announced three
India for help. But shipping out millions of doses to faraway countries whose depend- importantdecisions:One,earmarking50per
cent of the capacity for GoI, the rest for the
ence on India is not as urgent was ill conceived. It only adds to the conclusion that the
Indian leadership was so focussed on patting itself on the back for conquering the virus open market; two, waiving bridging studies
that no one was able to break out of the group think that seemed to have seized the gov-
formarketentryof foreignplayers;andthree,
astonishingly, permitting companies to set
ernment. Now the “pharmacy of the world” is desperate for vaccines, and medical oxy-
the price. The utilisation of the vaccines by
gen. It is far from atmanirbhar. the GoI is unclear — are they for states and if
so how much and on what terms, or for vac-
cine diplomacy, and from which quota will
the foreign obligations be met.
What is interesting about
the current political
economy discourse is the
tendency to treat central
grants as belonging to ‘the
GoI’ as separate from ‘them’
the states, even though the
money spent is from the
direct and indirect taxes paid
by the people. This is strange
thinking as the Central
government is legally
obligated to control the
‘interstate spread of
infectious diseases’ (Entry
29 of the Concurrent List
under Schedule VII of the
Constitution). It is under
such an understanding and
because of the wide
externalities that infectious
diseases entail, that the
pricing policy — Rs 400 and Rs 600 per dose
for the state government and Rs 600 and Rs
1200 for private parties respectively. The SII
vaccineisavailableinEuropeanmarketsforRs
161perdose,Rs210($3)perdoseforGAVIand
will be provided at Rs 150 to the Central gov-
ernment.ThethirdentrantisSputnikthatpro-
posestostartproductioninJuneandisconsid-
ering charging Rs 750 per dose.
The CEO of SII also made three interesting
admissionsininterviews—thatthoughtheRs
150 per dose gives normal profits, the inten-
tion is making super profits; that his (not the
nation’s)firstprioritywillbetosupplyvaccines
to Maharashtra; and third, most worryingly,
the private sector will emerge as the main
providerofvaccinationsinthecountry,notthe
state governments.
Pricing is dependent on actual cost of in-
puts, expenditure incurred on clinical trials,
sales promotion and small profit. For SII, in-
vestment has been minimal since the devel-
opment costs have been borne by Oxford
UniversityandAstraZeneca.Governmenthas
also extended emergency authorisation, be-
sidesRs3,000croreasgrant/advancepurchase
amount,inadditiontotheUSD300millional-
ready received from GAVI to expand vaccine
production.ThoughtheGAVIgrantwasgiven
six months ago, SII does not seem to have ex-
pandeditsproduction.Ithasnowpromisedto
manufacture 100 m doses per month by July
end. How much of this will be available for
India is unclear.
Bharat Biotech’s Krishna Ella is on record
that he might have spent about Rs 350 crore
for development of the vaccine that includes
Phase 3 trials. With the Rs 1,500 crore grant
support from the Centre, BB hopes to expand
productionto700milliondosesperyearfrom
the current level of 60 million.
Over seven states have announced their
aratefrom“them”thestates,eventhoughthe
money spent is from the direct and indirect
taxespaidbythepeople.Thisisstrangethink-
ing as the Central government is legally obli-
gatedtocontrolthe“interstatespreadofinfec-
tiousdiseases”(Entry29oftheConcurrentList
under Schedule VII of the Constitution).
Assistancetostatestocombatsuchdiseasesis
its fundamental duty. It is under such an un-
derstandingandbecauseofthewideexternal-
ities that infectious diseases entail, that the
Centrehasalwaysprocuredvaccinesandother
consumables for states under all National
Infectious Disease Control Programmes.
Besides, such an arrangement also makes
economic sense. In centralising procurement
andbeingthesolebuyer,governmentgetsthe
market power to obtain highly competitive
rates and ensure robust quality assurance
processes and coordinate supplies based on
transparent objective criteria. Secondly, gov-
ernmentalsohasthepowertocappricesofall
essential drugs, based on the costing carried
out by the NPPA.
Withtheincentivesofferedtoforeignplay-
ers,thereisnowamorecompetitiveenviron-
ment.Intheeventofattemptsatcartelisation,
governmentcaninvokecompulsorylicensing
and expand production through the 18 man-
ufacturingcompaniesinIndia,boostingavail-
ability at an administered price.
Simultaneously, GoI should aggressively take
up with the US to support its demand for
waiveroftheIPRonvaccinesandhelpexpand
its availability at affordable prices. In other
words, an intelligent use of authority by the
GoI can halve the estimated expenditure of
aboutRs60,000croreandensureamoreeffi-
cient utilisation of the saved funds to
strengthen health systems.
The next two years will be difficult. This is
not the time to create monopolies and allow

GAME MUST GO ON
With every state individually contacting
thesuppliersandbargainingpriceandsupply,
thediscretionwillbewiththesupplier—who
tosellto,when,where,howmuchandatwhat
It’s misguided moral outrage to call for an end to the IPL rate.Thiswillundoubtedlycreateinterstatein-
equities, wherethe poorerstates will stand to
amid the pandemic
Centre has always procured
vaccines and other
consumables for states
under all National Infectious
Disease Control
willingnesstoprocureforensuringfreevacci-
nation to their people. So, while UP and Bihar
do not even have decent laboratories, instead
of spending their resources on building their
shatteredhealthdeliverysystem,theywillbe
spending an estimated 0.47 per cent and 0.6
profiteering.Instead,thisistheCIPLAmoment
when it took on the MNCs and crashed the
marketofHIV/AIDSdrugsfromUSD12,000to
USD300 per person saving millions of lives
round the world. Needed is a commitment to
peoples’ welfare.

T
sufferduetopoorbargainingpower,whilethe per cent of the SDP respectively for providing
HEINDIANPREMIERLeagueison,beingplayedinabio-bubbletoemptycricket better off may end up paying higher rates but Programmes. free vaccines. The writer is former Union health secretary
stadiumsacrossIndia.Criticsofthesportingspectacle,however,wantthematch
tobecalledoff.Asthesecondsurgeof thepandemicripsthroughthecountry,
with a record number of deaths and spikes of distress, they argue it is insensi-

THE FIRST FAST

tive and uncaring for the game to go on. But this is misguided moral outrage. It offers a false
choice between respecting the dead or fighting the pandemic and being distracted or even
entertained by a cricket match. One does not cancel out the other. The only valid argument
against scrapping a sporting event in the middle of a pandemic is if it violates safety proto-
colsorthreatenstobecomeasourceof contagionorif itdivertspreciousresources,whether
oxygenorlifesavingdrugs,thatcanbebetterputtouseincontainingthecurve.Noneofthese In Ramzan, fasting reinforces the humility and gratefulness at the heart of Islam
apply to the IPL.
True, three Australian players have opted out of the League, worried that they might
not be able to return home if the surge worsens in India. Off-spinner Ravichandran
Sameena Dalwai
Ashwin, too, has taken a break to help his family fight COVID-19. Those are personal
ISTARTEDfastingthisRamzanforthefirsttime ingpatientlyandpeacefully.Thebiggeststrug- the previous prophets, Moses, Abraham and
choices that must be respected. Indeed, the bubble can shield players from the reality
inmylife.Itwasanexperimentinputtingmind gle, jihad, is with one’s own self, as one must Jesus, his brothers. He was aware that all
of the pandemic only to a certain extent. For some, it might even be true that the riv- over matter and as a mark of solidarity with fightangerandarrogancelurkingwithinone- Abrahamicreligionsaregenealogicallybound.
eting contests in a sporting arena offer little solace when fellow citizens fight a deadly fastinginAfrica,Arabiaandmanycountriesof self. The Prophet proclaimed after winning a Then who were the Kaffirs? The word kufr
disease. But it is equally true that for millions more, cricket or cinema or music offers Asia. For years I had wondered: Why would a skirmishwithaQuraishcaravanonce,“Weare means defiant ingratitude. It applied to the
a reprieve. To grudge a few hours of escape to people under stress is to be a killjoy bent religionmakeitspeoplestarveandsuffer?The returningfromthelesserjihad(battle)andgo- Prophet’s own people, the Quraish, who
on planting a flag on the moral high ground. Finally, the IPL is a big money making ma- answerwasclearbytheendof mydayof fast- ing to the greater jihad”, referring to the im- wanted to continue the life of jahiliyyah and
ing. It teaches humility and gratefulness that menselydifficultstruggletoreformtheirown whose hearts were locked or sealed against
chine, generating ads and jobs that a strained economy must not disregard.
is at the heart of Islam. Karen Armstrong, the societyandhearts.Thisideaof innertransfor- the new message of humility.
But don’t cricketers have a responsibility to a country in crisis? As Olympian Abhinav historian of comparative religions, offers the- mation seems to resonate with Mahatma Jahiliyyah and kafirun are very much pres-
Bindrapointedouttothispaper,cricketersmustbemindfuloftheirprivilegeanduseitwell. ological and practical insights about Islamic Gandhi’s concept of satyagraha that urges in- entinourtimes.FromthoserunningtheIslamic
They can follow the lead of Australian Pat Cummins, who has donated $50,000 to the PM practices.She reminds usthatthewordIslam dividualstowintheiropponentswithpatience, State,usingviolencetoterroriseandtorture,to
CaresFund.TheBCCI,theworld’srichestcricketingboard,canuseitsconsiderableresources inArabicmeans“totalsurrender”—tothatone compassion and self-suffering. those showing off their wealth by lavish iftaar
God, who is creator, provider and destroyer. In Ramzan, as the day passes Self-suffering is integral to surrender. In parties. Several people in all religions, nations
and reach to raise both money and awareness. Having said that, the responsibility of fight-
When Muhammad, a merchant from without food and water, we Ramzan, as the day passes without food and and political parties have their hearts sealed
ingthepandemicisnotonplayersorcelebrities,butstateandcentralgovernments.Tomake
everyone — players or celebrities or foreign governments — accountable for an unfolding
Mecca, first received the call from Al Lah (The enter a most vulnerable water,weenteramostvulnerablestate.Aglass againstappealsof equityandjustice.
God) in 612 AD, he was meditating on the of waterbecomesmorevaluablethanpilesof InMecca,thenewreligionofIslambecame
health tragedy risks, ultimately, making no one accountable for it. state. A glass of water
problems that plagued Arabia, where tribal gold. Men and women, rich and poor, master popular amongst women, youth, slaves and
warfareandbloodshedwasontheriseandre- becomes more valuable than andservantallexperiencehungerpangs,apar- weaker clans. Arabia had the same custom of
ligiosity had deteriorated to mere ritualism. piles of gold. Men and ity of experience that can shatter arrogance. killing infant daughters that India struggles
Hispeople,theQuraish,wereaproudtribethat women, rich and poor, When we are hungry and thirsty, we tend to witheventoday.Thefirstpledgethenewcon-

SONG’S END
ruled the city of Mecca. In early 7th century
Mecca,therichclansoccupiedthelandaround
theKabaandthepoorlivedontheoutskirtsof
thecity.Theinfirm,orphansandwidowswere
Pt Rajan Mishra created, sang and taught music that exploited,theweakviewedwithdisdain.Ideas
of honour were inflated. Any slight, real or
illuminated the future, was a bridge to the past
master and servant all
experience hunger pangs, a
parity of experience that can
shatter arrogance. When we
are hungry and thirsty, we
thinkof thosewhoarepoorandhavenofood.
Wefeelobligedtoshareourgoodfortuneand
pay jakaat/zakat. What does the obligation to
pay jakaat mean for current times? In Arabia,
whenfoodwasscarceandsurvivaltough,food
couldsufficeasjakaat.ButasmodernIndians,
verts took was of no lying, no stealing, no in-
fanticide. They freed their slaves. The call for
prayer from the first mosque in Medina was
givenbyaformerslave.Theytreatedtheweak
and infirm with respect and care.
TodaywhenIseeHinduandMuslimmoth-

C
imagined, would invite blood feuds. We use we can pay for the education of children or fi- ers lighting candles to Mount Mary, and peo-
the word jahil in Hindi/ Urdu for an ignorant tend to think of those who nanceprojectsthathelpintergenerationalmo- ple of all faiths kneeling before Haji Ali, I re-
HALA RE PARDESIYA naina laga ke… This famed dadra in the voices of Pt
Rajan and Sajan Mishra — shining names in Banaras gharana gayaki — will
person. Muslims understand it as the pre- are poor and have no food. bility of lower classes of all religions, not just member that Karl Marx said religion is the
Islamic “time of ignorance” or jahiliyyah. We feel obliged to share our Muslims. “opiumofthemasses’butalsothe“sighofthe
be a reminder of the music that survives death — music that, going forward, The new religion of Muhammad urged its Many may be surprised to realise that oppressed”.
matters the most. Pt Rajan Mishra, who passed away on Sunday evening followerstofollowjilm,anancientArabvirtue, good fortune and pay ProphetMuhammaddidnotusethewordkaf-
due to Covid-related complications, has gone much before his time, just short of his 70th whichmeantlivinglifetemperately,respond- jakaat/zakat. firfornon-believersornon-Muslims.Hecalled The writer teaches at Jindal Global Law School
birthday. As tabla maestro Ut Zakir Husain said in his video tribute, “We won’t bask in
the light of his greatness now.”
Born and raised in the narrow alleys of Kabir Chauraha — home to a number of illus-
trious musicians such as Pt Samta Prasad, Pt Kishen Maharaj and Sitara Devi among oth- APRIL 27, 1981, FORTY YEARS AGO
ers — in Banaras, Pt Rajan began learning the ropes of Banaras gharana khayal gayaki
along with his brother, Sajan. Their first and only gurus were famed sarangi players Pt FAVOURING RESERVATION manner in which the reservation policy has ILLEGAL TRAFFIC
Hanuman Mishra and Pt Gopal Mishra, their father and uncle respectively, who taught THE NATIONAL COUNCIL of the Bharatiya been implemented at the Centre and in the HARYANAFARMERSINcollusionwithtraders
them not just the sacredness of their art form but turned them into musicians who could Janta Party today heard several members states. are reported to be taking pre-sold wheat to
demand for reservation to be made on the Delhi straight from the fields, thus depriving
remain relatively untouched by the mayhem of “progress” in the arts. Pt Rajan was older,
he always showed the way forward to younger artists.
basis of economic backwardness and de- AASU BLAMES GOVT the state government of taxes. The farmers
scheduling of the affluent among the THE ALL-ASSAM STUDENTS Union (AASU) are offered up to 50 per cent profit on wheat
It’s difficult to talk about Pt Rajan’s music when it is not in conjunction with his Scheduled Castes and Tribes to check a few has directed its units in the state to prepare which is being quoted at Rs 160 to Rs 170 per
brother’s. One of the few successful classical duos in the country, Pt Rajan and Pt Sajan’s among them monopolising the benefits of for the next phase of agitation if an amica- quintal in Delhi. The trader circumvents reg-
music was nothing to do with jugalbandi, but all about sahgaayan, where the two mu- the scheme. A sizeable number of the 22 ble solution was not found to the aliens’ is- ulated mandis where he has to pay market
sicians amalgamate their music so well that it sounds as one. Their oeuvre has been members who participated in the four- sue through discussions, reports PTI. AASU fee and other taxes. As there are no zonal re-
filled with a number of compositions — bandishes, thumris, and bhajans — that they and-a-half hour discussion on the issue had president Prafulla Kumar Mahanta and strictions on the movement of wheat, farm-
moved amendments to the resolution also General Secretary Bhrigu Kumar Phukan, in erscantakeitoutof Haryanawithoutpaying
created, sang and taught. The two founded Viraam, a gurukul in Uttarakhand, where
suggesting an end to reservation for pro- a joint statement, said that the AASU would taxes. But the unscrupulous among them
they taught khayal singing, with rigour and affection, not like the difficult and unrea- motions. The resolution also called upon reciprocate at the conference table if the helpintheunauthorisedmovementthrough
sonable gurus of an earlier time. It was not his time to go. The musician’s memories the central government to publish a white government did not adopt a “one-sided barriersbypretendingtobegenuineowners
will resonate in the music he leaves behind. paper giving full facts about the extent and view” on the issue. of the stock being carried by trucks.

Ahmedabad

7
THE INDIAN EXPRESS, TUESDAY, APRIL 27, 2021
THE IDEAS PAGE
An unquiet neighbourhood
Efforts to end conflicts in Afghanistan and Myanmar are ongoing, but in neither country
do prospects for positive change look bright
RAJA MANDALA
By C Raja Mohan
EFFORTSTOENDtwomajorconflictsinIndia's
neighbourhood have become intense. To the
east,theAssociationofSoutheastAsianNations
(ASEAN) has produced a diplomatic opening
with Myanmar’s military leadership over the
weekend.TheTatmadaw,asMyanmar’sarmy
is known, took charge of the nation in a coup
in early February and has cracked down hard
on protestors since.
To the west, a peace summit on
Afghanistan,seekingtoenddecadesofconflict
there, was also scheduled to take place in
Istanbul over the weekend. It had to be post-
poned given the Taliban's refusal to join any
such peace conference until all foreign forces
leaveAfghanistan.AlthoughtheUSandNATO
have agreed to leave Afghanistan before
September11,theTalibanhasrefusedtobudge.
TheTalibanwantstodenudeKabulandits
international supporters of the last bit of their
decliningmilitaryleveragebeforethetalksbe-
gin.ScepticismabouttheTaliban’swillingness
for peace has been high ever since the Trump
AdministrationintheUSbeganengagingwith
it in the summer of 2018.
PoliticalforcesinMyanmarworrythatthe
ASEAN initiative will only legitimise the coup
and give the military leadership time to con-
solidate. Similar concerns were expressed
whentheUSandtheinternationalcommunity
began to negotiate with the Taliban over the
heads of the elected government in Kabul.
It is arguably easier to produce peace set-
tlements between states by finding compro-
miseswherepossible,finessingdifficultissues
wherenecessary,glossingovercomplexprob-
lemswithdiplomaticlanguagethatcanbein-
terpretedindifferentways,andkickingthecan
down the road on the most complex issues.
Thosegeneraltechniquesareindeedmuch
hardertoapplywhenitcomestocivilwars.The
stakes for warring parties within a nation are
muchhigher.Oneelementistogaindominant
control over the state. The fear of the winner
taking all is real and power-sharing arrange-
mentsaredifficulttonegotiateandimplement.
More often than not, civil wars have their
originineithersharplydivergentperceptions
about organising and governing the society
or in deep ethnic, religious, regional and lin-
guisticcleavages.Unlikestatesthatcannego-
tiate in a cold-blooded manner about inter-
ests,near-termandlong-term,andfindways
of reconciling them, partially or in full, politi-
cal passions drive civil wars and it is hard to
step back and accept solutions that do not
meet the original demands.
Notwocivilwarsarethesame.Thecontext
and issues at hand in Afghanistan and
Myanmarareindeeddifferent.Butbothhavea
longhistory.ThesourcesoftheAfghanconflict
go back to the late 1970s; since then we have
seen different phases of the conflict — the rise
and fall of a left-wing government, Soviet oc-
cupationandthejihadagainstit,thechaosthat
followed the Russian retreat, the 9/11 attacks,
and the US military intervention that is now
drawing to a close.
AlthoughthecrisisinMyanmarappearsre-
cent, the tension between civil-military rela-
tions is not new. Back in 1988, the army an-
nulledthehugemandatewonbyAungSanSuu
Raghu Raman
THE MINDSPACE of every citizen is seized
with the pandemic in their professional and
personal remits. Bureaucrats, administra-
tors and political leaders are occupied coor-
dinating resources and few have the band-
width to focus on the socio-economic
onslaught that is yet to come. But this fog of
chaos must not obscure the strategic dan-
gers looming over the horizon.
There has always been a stark imbalance
between the law and order situation in India
andgovernment’swherewithaltoaddressthe
same. This pandemic will wreck the already
fragile equilibrium between order and disor-
der. It is only a matter of time before despera-
tiondrivesthehave-notstoexpresstheiranger
andfrustrationunlawfully.Already,pettytheft
and crimes are escalating. Reports of looting
lifesavingresourcesbycitizenssignalsignsofa
breakdown. The problem will be exacerbated
because of depletion of police forces and their
distractionfromregularpolicingandadminis-
trative activities. Once this imbalance begins,
theslipperyslopecanendincivilunrestquickly.
The relationship between order and dis-
order in a society is delicate. Governance is
based on covenants promising solace to law-
abiding citizens and retribution to law break-
ers. No government can govern without this
pact because even the strongest has less than
10 million armed forces and police personnel
Kyiandunleashedmassiverepression.Political
reconciliation was found at the turn of the
2010s, but the uneasy coexistence of the last
decade has broken down.
Whileallcivilwarsaredifferent,thereare
atleastthreecommonthemesinanyeffortat
peace and reconciliation. The first is about
ending violence. In Afghanistan it has been
near impossible to get a resurgent Taliban to
agreetostopitsattacksongovernmentforces
or the civilian population. It has certainly
stopped violence against the US forces, but it
appears determined to push for a complete
military victory.
TheASEANinitiativeinMyanmarcallsfor
an immediate cessation of violence and ut-
most restraint from all sides. The opposition
demanding restoration of democracy might
findthisratherironic,sinceitisthearmythat
is employing violence and has shown scant
restraint. As in Afghanistan, so in Myanmar,
persuading the main perpetrator of violence
to stop is not easy.
ThesecondthemeintheASEANinitiative
— “constructive dialogue among all parties”
to “seek a peaceful solution” — is also com-
mon to all peace processes. But getting the
parties to move towards productive engage-
ment is easier said than done. The Taliban
found all kinds of excuses to delay a dialogue
withtheKabulgovernmentthatitalwayssaw
as illegitimate. So far, it has avoided one. In
Myanmar,thearmymightbereadytoengage
the opposition in a prolonged dialogue and
defuse international pressure; but it will be
hardforthevictimsof thecouptoacceptadi-
alogue on the army’s terms.
That leaves the final theme of the peace
process — the role of third party mediators.
TheAfghanconflict,aswementionedbefore,
has long been internationalised. All major
powers, including regional actors and neigh-
bours, have acquired stakes in the way the
Afghan conflict is resolved.
Most of them are involved one way or an-
other in the various formats of the peace
process.Theexternalactorsareunsurprisingly
Everyone’s war
InCovidcrisis,India’srichmustopentheircoffers;allcitizensmuststepup
to address national security and law and or-
der for 1.3 billion people. Also, our security
forces,likeourhealth,hygieneandotherfront-
lineworkersarenotaninexhaustibleoranun-
tiring resource.
Considerthesecuritypersonnel,forexam-
ple.Indiahasabout1.5millionpersonnelinits
armed forces who are already under heavy
commitment in our western and eastern
fronts. Additional troops have been pinned
down in Kashmir since the abrogation of
Article 370. The situation of Central Armed
Police Forces (CAPFs) is probably worse. They
have been shunted around the country chas-
ing one assignment after another with no
respite,leaveordowntime.Andbecauseofthe
exposureintheirwork,statepolicepersonnel
have been ravaged with a disproportionate
percentage of COVID cases. The efficacy of
these organisations will further diminish
when their (already understaffed and over-
worked)strategicandoperationalleadersstart
succumbing. There is simply no capacity to
spare if the security or the law and order situ-
ation starts to deteriorate.
Bereaved, afraid and frustrated citizens
transform into angry mobs mercurially.
Millions of citizens have been pushed into
poverty adding to abject inequity. Even as the
middleclassisstrugglingforairandmedicines,
millions of poor are compelled to migrate yet
Peace diplomacy, however, is
reinforced by carrots and
sticks. The US is hoping that
the Taliban will moderate
some of its hardline
positions given its need for
significant international
economic assistance for
reconstruction, political
legitimacy as well as the
awareness of the costs of
winning power in Kabul in
opposition to the US and the
West. In Myanmar, too, the
international community
will hope the military would
want to avoid the risks of
political isolation and
economic punishment.
again because they face starvation in addition
to COVID. As James Baldwin pointed out, the
mostdangerouscreationofanysocietyarepeo-
ple who have nothing more to lose. No
covenantof governancecanholdif themajor-
ityfeelcrushedbyinequitabletreatment,they
willhitback.Itmightfeelsafeandinsulatedin-
sidethegatedcommunitiesbutopulencecan-
notwithstandtherageofthedeprivedforlong.
If we are waging a war against the pan-
demicthenwemustrememberthatwaristoo
importantabusinesstobelefttogeneralsorfor
that matter politicians. The pandemic is ar-
guably the biggest crisis faced by our nation.
And the only silver lining in a national crisis is
thatcommoncitizenstakeituponthemselves
to assist each other and contribute to the war
effort — as witnessed in the first migration of
workers when hundreds of volunteer groups
helpedtotalstrangers.Whilethegovernment
may formulate macro-level policies like im-
ports of oxygen and medicines, it’s the sheer
selfless energy and ingenuity of ordinary citi-
zens which provides last-mile connectivity
andsuccourtothesuffering.Andthatiswhere
the battle to take back control from the pan-
demic must begin.
India’shavesmustopentheircoffersindi-
rectactiontohelpthehave-nots.Thenewvac-
cinationpolicyoffersanopportunityforevery
individual to assist those less privileged by
C R Sasikumar
dividedonthenatureofthesolutions.Thisun-
fortunatelymakestheconstructionofaninter-
nal settlement that much harder.
In Myanmar, the ASEAN has set the ball
rolling byagreeingthat a specialenvoy willbe
travelingtotheregionandwillengagewithall
partiestotheconflict.Itremainstobeseenthe
kind of terms that Myanmar might set for the
visit and the dialogue with the opposition.
Peacediplomacy,however,isreinforcedby
carrots and sticks. The US is hoping that the
Talibanwillmoderatesomeof itshardlinepo-
sitions given its need for significant interna-
tionaleconomicassistanceforreconstruction,
politicallegitimacyaswellastheawarenessof
thecostsofwinningpowerinKabulinopposi-
tion to the US and the West. In Myanmar, too,
theinternationalcommunitywillhopethemil-
itary would want to avoid the risks of political
isolation and economic punishment.
But how the Taliban and the Myanmar
armycalculatethesecostsandbenefitscould
beverydifferent.Bothhavelongexperienceof
surviving external pressure and enduring
sanctions.Theycanalsobetontheunsustain-
abilityof externalpressureoverthelong-term
andhopetoexploitthedifferencesamongthe
major powers.
What matters in any civil war, in the ulti-
mateanalysis,isthebalanceofforcesbetween
rivalforcesorafundamentalrethinkingof po-
sitions by the warring parties.
Few civil wars have seen the kind of
massive external effort to change the inter-
nal dynamics as in Afghanistan; but to no
avail. In Myanmar, it is not clear how far the
international community might go. Nor is
there evidence of fresh thinking among the
stronger parties in the two nations. The
prospects for positive change in Afghanistan
and Myanmar, then, do not look too bright in
the near term.
The writer is director, Institute of South Asian
Studies at the National University of
Singapore and contributing editor on
international affairs for The Indian Express
paying for their dosages, thus relieving pres-
sure on the state resources needed for mil-
lions more. Rich corporates, religious and
quasi-religious entities must open their re-
servesandputcashinthehandsof thelowest
stratausinginstrumentslikesalaryadvances,
interest-freeloansanddonations.Institutions
like the NCC and volunteer students must be
trainedinfirst-responsetreatmentsonamis-
sion-modetimeline.Idlecapacity,likeprivate
buses,privateaircraftsandunoccupiedbuild-
ings, must be commandeered for the war ef-
fort.Retiredpersonnelfromthearmedforces,
civil and allied services should be recalled to
augment administrative bandwidth espe-
cially at headquarters.
If the COVID onslaught were to be com-
pared to a type of war, it would be what the
armycallsFIBUA,orfightinginbuilt-upareas.
Thesekindsofoperationsarenotwonbyover-
whelming weaponry or resource superiority.
Instead, they are fought doggedly, street to
street, house to house and room to room, un-
tilcontroliswrestedbackfromtheenemy.So,
insteadof waitingforsomeoverarchingsilver
strategy, we need to fight the pandemic with
thousandsof imaginativeideasandsmallop-
erationstodefeatitatthelocallevel.Thisisin-
deed every man’s war.
The writer is founding CEO, NATGRID
WHAT THE OTHERS SAY
“If whatever little semblance of order that remains in Afghanistan collapses,
the worst sufferers will be the people of that country who have watched a variety
of local and foreign actors play violent power games in their beleaguered land.”
Dear Julio
Ribeiroji,
Our attempts to help the state amidst a crisis
have been politicised and facts of the case
twisted by vested interests
Devendra Fadnavis
AT THE outset, I would like to thank you
for the kind words you have expressed
about my tenure as Maharashtra chief
minister. These words will inspire me to
do better in my life. I also want to express
my utmost respect for you. We may agree
to disagree on certain fundamental issues,
but I have always been impressed by your
straight-forward approach and profes-
sional integrity.
I’m not writing this letter to counter
the views expressed in your article. I take
the constructive criticism in the right
spirit. I’m writing this letter only to clarify
certain facts, which have been twisted and
spread as truth by the fake narrative fac-
tory of the constituents of Maharashtra
Vikas Aghadi (MVA).
First and foremost, we (I and leader of
opposition in the Legislative Council) were
not procuring even a single vial of
Remdesivir injection for the BJP. In fact, we
statedinourlettertothefoodanddrugsad-
ministration (FDA) minister that we were
only trying to facilitate and the FDA should
procure it. We also offered that if there was
anyproceduralproblem,wewouldbearthe
cost. The LoP, Legislative Council, person-
ally met the FDA minister along with the
manufacturer to finalise the modalities of
supply. An official letter was thereafter is-
sued by the FDA to the same manufacturer,
permitting him to supply the said drug ex-
clusively to the state of Maharashtra. So, no
way could they have supplied the drug to
anyoneotherthanMaharashtra.Eventually,
in an interview, the FDA minister has also
conceded as much and said that the quota
was meant for Maharashtra.
Why did I visit the DCP office? One of
the directors of the manufacturing com-
pany had got a call that day from the OSD
of a minister asking him how he was pro-
viding the drug on the request of the LoP.
The director replied that he was giving it to
the government and the matter had been
discussed with the FDA minister. The same
evening,anassistantpoliceinspectorincivil
dress went to him to lay a trap by asking
him to supply Remdesivir, which he flatly
refused. After this trap failed, a group of 8
to 10 policemen and an officer visited his
home. They confiscated his phones and
took him to the police station. The LoP, leg-
islative council, met me and expressed the
apprehension that some foul play was on.
InarratedthedevelopmentstotheJoint
LETTERS TO THE EDITOR
BRIDGE TRUST DEFICIT
THIS REFERS TO the editorial, ‘State of
distrust’ (IE,April 26). The J&K adminis-
tration’s latest order shows that every-
thing is not hunky-dory in the Valley.
Dismissal or other punitive action
against government employees al-
legedly found in “anti-national” activi-
tieswithoutholdinganyinquiryisarbi-
trary and draconian. The need of the
hour is to bridge the trust deficit vis-a-
vis theKashmirisduring thepandemic.
S S Paul, Nadia
ABSURD MOVE
THIS REFERS TO the editorial, ‘Centre’s
second shot’ (IE, April 26). It is evident
that the government has construed de-
centralisation and greater autonomy to
thestateswithrespecttothevaccination
driveinapalpablyabsurdmanner.Inthe
faceof anunfetteredprivatevaccination
drive and deteriorating services of gov-
ernmenthospitals,thecommonpeople
mightbeconfrontedwithunbridledvac-
cine prices in the coming future.
Shreya Singh, Mumbai
AGAINST HUBRIS
THIS REFERS TO the article ‘Where we
went wrong’ (IE, April 26). It's not that
everyone went wrong. Individuals
who were clued in about the second
surge were taking precautions. People
who took it easy and thought they had
got an opportunity to earn again have
suffered a lot.
Priyanshu Mahla, New Delhi
IMMUNE TO SCRUTINY
THIS REFERS TO the article ‘In defence
of bureaucracy’ (IE, April 26). The role
of the civil services in preserving the
unity and integrity of the country is be-
WWW.INDIANEXPRESS.COM
— DAWN
Commissioner of Police more than once.
Subsequently, I tried to contact the
Commissioner of Police, Mumbai on his
landline,mobile phoneand throughsmses,
but there was no response. However, I did
manage to speakto variousofficers andfig-
uredthatitwasaplannedactionconducted
as per the instructions of political bosses in
the government. It was at this point, as you
rightly said, I found it my moral obligation
not to let a person be victimised for agree-
ing to legally supply the much-awaited
drug to Maharashtra.
I didn’t go there unannounced. I had
texted the CP about the developments and
had informed him that I was personally vis-
iting the DCP office since there was no re-
sponsefromhim.Ihadalsoinformedthejoint
CP,additionalCP,andDCP.Wesubmittedthe
FDA order to the DCP who conceded that he
had no knowledge of the order. I asked him
whether they have specific intelligence that
thiscompanyishoardingtheexportstockto
whichtheysaidtherewasnospecificintelli-
gence input. I told him to take action if they
haveevidenceorinputofwrongdoing.Video
footage of the entire episode is available.
The joint CP and additional CP also
reached the venue in 10 minutes. The offi-
cers privately discussed the issue with the
CP on the phone and subsequently allowed
the director of the company to leave with
the instruction that if required he would be
called again for questioning.
Itcanbedebatedwhetheraformerchief
ministershouldvisitapolicestationoraDCP
office. I took a conscious decision to go to
stop the victimisation of a person just be-
causehehadagreedtohelpthestateonour
call and not on government’s call which
never approached him.
Ashomeminister,Inevercompromised
the dignity of the office. Let me assure you
that I would not hesitate to apologise to
even a police constable if I have wronged
him. I appreciate and respect your views
and will try to handle such incidents differ-
entlyinfuture.Iwouldcertainlytrytomod-
erate my impulses as suggested by you.
We believe that as the Opposition, we
should not merely point fingers but also try
and help the state in a crisis, using our re-
sourcesandcontacts.Itiswiththisintention
that the LoP, Legislative Council, went to
Daman to meet members of the industry. I
spoke to the concerned Union minister to
help the manufacturer obtain a loan licence
with an agreement that the major share of
the drug will be delivered to Maharashtra.
Wedidnotexpectthatourgenuineeffortto
help in a crisis will be politicised. Fake and
forgedvideosandstorieswerecirculatedby
supportersof theMVAgovernmentandpo-
litical parties such as the AAP. I will be initi-
ating legal proceedings against them.
The writer is a former chief minister
of Maharashtra
IDEAS
ONLINE
ONLY IN THE EXPRESS
● THEDIP AND THE DIVIDE:
HARSHAVARDHAN
PURANDARE AND SANDEEP
PANDEY
● MUSLIM WOMEN’S RIGHT
TO INITIATE DIVORCE: M R
SHAMSHAD AND
MOHAMMAD UMAR
www.indianexpress.com
yondquestion.Butoverthedecades,in-
fluential members of the elite services
begantoenjoymoreinfluenceintheaf-
fairs of the state than even some politi-
cians. The checks and balances of the
permanent executive remains in its
ownhandsandmakesitimmunetoex-
ternal scrutiny.
Sudip Kumar Dey, Kolkata
A RESTRICTED VIEW
This refers to the article, ‘Complicit in
genocide’ (IE, April 26). I humbly
disagree with it. A similar petition was
filed in 2018, and was dismissed by
the SC, so the present judgment is not
unconventional. As far as the non-
refoulement obligations are
concerned, it is important to note that
it can be enforced only between
“contracting states”.
refoulement obligation cannot be
Non-
paramount to Article 19(1)(e) of the
Constitution, which is meant only for
citizens.
Yash Sinha, Mumbai
Ahmedabad
 8 CALENDAR WWW.INDIANEXPRESS.COM
THE INDIAN EXPRESS, TUESDAY, APRIL 27, 2021

OVER THE HEDGE by Michael Fry & T Lewis

CROSSWORD 4414 DAY TODAY BY PETER VIDAL
ARIES (Mar 21 - Apr 20) LIBRA (Sept 24 - Oct 23)
No doubt you are You don't need
busy with telling that it's not all
professional cares plain sailing at the
and concerns, and moment, yet it is
the signs suggest that you will only a matter of time before you
continue to be so for some time begin to see the reward for all
yet. What motivates you is a your wonderfully splendid
desire to be respected by your selfless hard work and effort.
peers. It's not good enough to And while you're at it, don't
make demands though, you worry about rumours. They're
actually have to come up with just that rumours.
the goods.
SCORPIO (Oct 24 - Nov 22)
TAURUS (Apr 21 - May 21) The answer to social
As far as romance is irritations lies in
concerned, you can teamwork and
expect your mood to genuine
CALVIN & HOBBES by Bill Watterson improve now that compromise, but don't let
Venus is moving into a others take you for a ride. If the
benevolent aspect to your sign. direction at work is unclear you
Your feelings may be drawn must consider all the options as
towards general romantic carefully as possible. You have
hopes as much as to a particular to narrow down the choices
person. But I have a feeling that until there are just two left.
when the bill comes, you
ACROSS DOWN may pay much more than is SAGITTARIUS (Nov 23 - Dec 22)
1 Making a pass into a path 1 Variety of tulip bulb could be really necessary. You're in a gambling
(7) (3,2) mood and a small
4 Father has a hand in fruit 2 Main source of strength for a GEMINI (May 22 - June 21) flutter won't hurt.
production (5) nation (3,5) Youmaybedreaming However, if any
7 What a change in the weather! 3 Possibly get Ray to go round of wealthandriches, important deals are on the
(4) (6) butwhilethisisa stocks it's essential to seek a
8 Insect with a lot to learn? 4 Now it’s gift time positiveperiodfor second opinion. The issues are
(8) (7,3) conjuringupmoney-making too great for any one person to
10 Playthings? (10) 5 It may be powder or cream schemes,itmaynotbethebest handle - even you! And,
12 A meeting place in the (4) timetoputthemintopractice,at however enthusiastic you are,
suburban street? (6) 6 Road now ready to be leastnotwithoutexpertadvice. you must carry partners along
13 Tasted differently it’s said ambushed (7) Unless,thatis,you'recompleting with you.
(6)
15 He has a burning desire
9 Facial feature that attracts
visitors (6,4)
MARVIN by Tom Armstrong apropertydeal.
CAPRICORN (Dec 23 - Jan 20)
CANCER (June 22 - July 23) Whatever you're
(10) 11 Flight path?
Foraverylongtime planning at work or
18 It’s fat and very wet (8)
manyof youhave at home, you must
(8) 12 A game to cut short
beendrawntowards start making
19 Clean the decks for surgical (7)
artisticactivities. preparations now, that is, if you
inspection perhaps 14 This drink can go a hundred
Someof youhaveyettofeelthis haven't done so already. As soon
(4) years back
pullbut,whenitcomes,you as you begin any new venture,
20 An important occasion for an (6)
mustgoalongwithitas unexpected complications will
Eastern airway (5) 16 The shed has a taxi in
otherwiseyouwillsquander inevitably surface. But you'll
21 Continue to make a fuss (5)
yourtalents.Itcouldbethebest turn the tables in about ten
(5,2) 17 Family row (4)
waytofocusyoursecretspiritual days.
andmysticalenergies.
AQUARIUS (Jan 21 - Feb 19)
SolutionsCrossword4413:Across:1Composition,9Niagara,10Eagle,11Even,12
Armagnac,14Picnic,16Rebate,18Resigned,19Lois,22Trial,23Siamese,24 LEO (July 24 - Aug 23) The Moon's position
Stormsignal.Down:2Ofage,3Peak,4Stairs,5Teenager,6Organza,7Intemperate, Thebestadvicethat is benevolent, so
8Teacher’spet,13Singular,15Casuist,17Versus,20Opera,21Bang. canbeofferedatthe make use of your
momentistobeas abundant
down-to-earthasyou advantages. Start early if you
can,giventhatagreatmanyof want to get the best out of
yourcurrentplanetarypatterns inspired plans and proposals. Be
JUMBLED WORDS DifficultyLevel5s
areemanatingfrompractical aware, though, that people
SOLUTION SUDOKU 4453

regionsof yourchart.Thebetter around you could be in a

Instructions yougraspthedetailsatwork,the touchy mood, and that a
Givenbelowarefourjumbledwords.Solvethejumblestomakeproperwordsandmovethemto TosolveaSudokupuzzle, closeryou'llcometoachievinga chance remark might trigger
therespectivesquaresbelow.Selectthelettersintheshadedsquaresandjumblethemtoget everydigitfrom1to9 long-standingambition. an argument.
SUDOKU 4454

theanswerforthegivenquip. mustappearineachofthe
Onlythepubliccanmakea__.It'sthestudioswhotrytomakea___outofit.-MarilynMonroe VIRGO (Aug 24 - Sept 23) PISCES (Feb 20 - Mar 20)
nineverticalcolumns,in Current planetary Work keeps your
(4,..,6)
eachoftheninehorizontal influences are mind off minor
RAGED EEIPTT rowsandineachofthe encouraging you to irritations and may
nineboxes. let go of reality and be the best way to
float off into a dream world. earn respect from partners. If
This is not the easiest thing to you sit around with nothing to
AYSSS AHLNMY DifficultyLevel
achieve but, if you've no do, you'll begin to notice other
pressing commitments, you people's trivial but annoying
1s=Veryeasy;2s=Easy; could consider livening your life habits. But, if you are
3s=Medium;4s=Hard; up a little. You never know, you organising social events, you
it. - Marilyn Monroe 5s=VeryHard;6s= could discover a whole new should make yourself the star
Answer: Only the public can make a star. It's the studios who try to make a system out of Genius social scene. of the show.
SOLUTION: GRADE, SASSY, PETITE, HYMNAL

SALUTE THE SOLDIER GUJARAT WATER SUPPLY &

Shri Charu Chandra Pathak, Asstt. Comdt.
(12.10.1973 - 27.04.2004)
Sashastra Seema Bal fondly remembers and cher-
ishes the valiant act of Braveheart Shri Charu
Chandra Pathak, Assistant Commandant, who made
supreme sacrifice of his life in the line of duty for
Nation.
On 23rd April 2004, militants lobbed a grenade on SSB troops of
7th Battalion at Congress Bhawan, Srinagar (J&K). Shri Pathak
led bravely from the front to counter the maneuvers of the mili-
tants, suddenly a second grenade was lobbed by militants. In this
attack Shri Pathak got severe splinter injuries on his head and
unfortunately succumbed to injuries.
In the recognition of his bravery and sacrifice for the nation he
was posthumously awarded the Police Medal for Gallantry on
Republic Day, 2005. His courage and valor would continue to
inspire us all. We salute the valor of brave soldier.
SASHASTRA SEEMA BAL
SARDAR SAROVAR NARMADA
NIGAM LIMITED
(A Wholly Owned Government of Gujarat Undertaking)
The works under Executive Engineer, Narmada
Project Drainage and Canal Division No. 1, Bharuch,
Narmada Canal Colony, Behind Polytechnic college,
Bholav, Bharuch-392002 are as under:
Tender Notice No: 03 of 2021-22,Tender I.D. No.
458690, 458692, 458695, 458697.
(1) Name of Work: Providing Services of Continuous
patrolling on canal, operation, maintenance, servicing
of gates and vigilant inspection of canal during
Irrigation and Non-irrigation season including cleaning
of canal bank of SR & IP side up to canal outer slope toe
at U/S & DIS of control structure in specified reach of :
(i) Distributaries under Block No. 6D5 & 6F for One year.
(ii) Amleshwar Branch Canal (Ch.50.0 Km to 69.59 Km)
& Distributaries under Block No. 6D4 for One year.
(iii) Luwara Branch Canal (Ch.36.600 Km to 50.40 Km),
Saykha Branch Canal (Ch.0.00 Km to 7.510 Km) &
Distributaries of Block No. 6G3 for One year.
(iv) Luwara Branch Canal (Ch. 50.400 Km to 67.02 Km) &
Distributaries of Block No. 6G6 & 6G7 for One year.
(2) Estimated Amount :
(i) Rs. 30.42 Lakh
(ii) Rs. 39.93 Lakh
(iii) Rs. 37.72 Lakh
(iv) Rs. 34.65 Lakh
Last date of Online submission Dt. 05.05.2021
Note: No bidder shall be assigned more than one work of
above Sr. No. 1 to 4 of Providing Services of Continuous
patrolling on canal, operation, maintenance,....... U/S &
D/S of control structure in specified reach of:
The Details of above notice will be available on SSNNL
Web Site www.sardarsarovardam.org and GOG web-
site www.statetenders.gujarat.gov.in and Tender
documents are available on www.ssnnl.nprocure.com
(INF/BCH/57/21-22)
SEWERAGE BOARD
E-tender Tender Notice No.16 of 2020-21
Tender I.D No. 458808
Gujarat Water Supply & Sewerage Board, invite tender through E-
tendering for the work of Under the M & R To Nagarama Reg.
W.S.S. Providing, Supplying and Fixing Safety Kit and Booster
motor pump set with necessary accessories at Nagrama & Alindra
H/W for 02 Years. Estimated cost Rs.6.80 Eligibility of Contractor
As per Tender Specification Same Type of Work Experienced,
Require qualification as per GWSSB Circulars For details regard-
ing tenders will available online on the website
http://.www.gwssb.nprocure.com. Corrigendum will available
online only. For further information please contact Office Of The
Executive Engineer Public Health Works Division, G.W.S.S.B
Nadiad, Room No. 310, Sardar Bhavan. D - Block, Mill Road,
Nadiad Phone No.: 0268 - 2560996. Last date for on line tenders
submission is Dt.12/05/2021. Conditional bids will not be accept-
ed. Competent authority of G.W.S.S.B reserve the right to reject
the tender without giving all the reasons why it will not be able to
accept all or any of the bids. Griveances related to services of
Gujarat Water Supply & Sewerage Board for Rural drinking water
supply can be lodged on toll free helpline number 1916.
INF/NADI/52/2021-22
SARDAR SAROVAR NARMADA
NIGAM LIMITED
(A Wholly Owned Government of Gujarat Undertaking)
The works under Executive Engineer, Narmada
Project Canal Planning & Design Division, Narmada
Canal Colony, Behind Polytechnic college, Bholav,
Bharuch–392002 are as under:
Tender Notice No. 02 of 2021-22
Tender I.D. No. 458699, 458704, 458705, 458706
Name of Work: Providing Services of
Continuous patrolling on canal, operation,
maintenance, servicing of gates and vigilant
inspection of canal during Irrigation and Non-
irrigation season including cleaning of canal
bank of SR & IP side up to canal outer slope toe
at U/S & D/S of control structure in specified
reach of:
(i) Distributories of Block No. 6D3 for the One year.
(ii) Luwara Branch Canal (Ch.16.737 Km to 36.600 Km)
& Distributories of Block No. 6G2 for One year.
(iii) Distributories under Block No 6G5 for the one year.
(iv) Denwa Branch Canal (Ch. 0.00 Km to 8.125 Km) &
Distributories of Block No. 61 for One year.
(2) Estimated Amount :
(i) Rs. 20.70 Lakh
(ii) Rs. 36.49 Lakh
(iii) Rs. 17.63 Lakh
(iv) Rs. 27.00 Lakh
Last date of Online submission dt: 05.05.2021.
Note: No bidder shall be assigned more than one work of
above Sr. No. 1 to 4 of Providing Services of Continuous
patrolling on canal, operation, maintenance,....... U/S &
D/S of control structure in specified reach of:
The Details of above notice will be available on SSNNL
Web Site www.sardarsarovardam.org and GOG web-
site www.statetenders.gujarat.gov.in and Tender
documents are available on www.ssnnl.nprocure.com
(INF/BCH/58/21-22)
GUJARAT WATER SUPPLY &
SEWERAGE BOARD
E-tender Tender Notice No.17 of 2020-21
Tender I.D No. 458816
Gujarat Water Supply & Sewerage Board, invite tender through E-
tendering for the work of Under the M & R To Vatrak Reg. W.S.S.
Providing, Supplying and Fixing Safety Kit, Chlorine Cylinder
Transporatation with necessary accessories at Malarpura & Bherai
H/W for 02 Years. Estimated cost Rs.6.61 Eligibility of Contractor
As per Tender Specification Same Type of Work Experienced,
Require qualification as per GWSSB Circulars For details regard-
ing tenders will available online on the website
http://.www.gwssb.nprocure.com. Corrigendum will available
online only. For further information please contact Office Of The
Executive Engineer Public Health Works Division, G.W.S.S.B
Nadiad, Room No. 310, Sardar Bhavan. D - Block, Mill Road,
Nadiad Phone No.: 0268 - 2560996. Last date for on line tenders
submission is Dt.12/05/2021. Conditional bids will not be accept-
ed. Competent authority of G.W.S.S.B reserve the right to reject
the tender without giving all the reasons why it will not be able to
accept all or any of the bids. Griveances related to services of
Gujarat Water Supply & Sewerage Board for Rural drinking water
supply can be lodged on toll free helpline number 1916.
INF/NADI/53/2021-22
SARDAR SAROVAR NARMADA
NIGAM LIMITED
(A Wholly Owned Government of Gujarat Undertaking)
The works under Executive Engineer, Narmada
Project Drainage and Canal Division No.1, Bharuch,
Narmada Canal Colony, Behind Polytechnic College,
Bholav, Bharuch-392002 are as under:
Tender Notice No. 02 of 2021-22, Tender I.D. No. 458688
Name of Work : Providing Current repair and maintenance
services and 'O' Miscellaneous service to Residential & Non
residential building for N.P. Colony Bharuch for the one year:
Appox. Amount Rs.14.07 Lakh
Last date of Online submission Dt. 05.05.2021
The Details of above notice will be available on SSNNL Web
Site www.sardarsarovardam.org and GOG website
www.statetenders.gujarat.gov.in and Tender docu-
ments are available on www.ssnnl.nprocure.com
(INF/BCH/56/21-22)
GUJARAT WATER SUPPLY &
SEWERAGE BOARD
E-tender Tender Notice No.02 of 2020-21
Tender I.D No. 458740
Gujarat Water Supply & Sewerage Board, invite tender through E-
tendering for the work of Under the M & R Programme Dana Reg.
W.S.S. Ta. Kapadwanj/Kathlal, Comprehensive Maintenance for
Civil part for 2 years (24 months) of New and Old all civil structure,
Rising and Distribution pipeline Network with all associate compo-
nents etc. Complete Estmated cost Rs. 13.82 Lakh, Eligibility of
Contractor “E-2” class Registered Contractors under irrigation / R
& B Gujarat State, Work Experienced, Solvancy & G.S.T. No. for
details regarding tenders will available online on the website
http://.www.gwssb.nprocure.com. Corrigendum will available
online only. For further information please contact Office Of The
Executive Engineer Public Health works Division, G.W.S.S.B
Nadiad, Room No. 310, Sardar Bhavan. D - Block, Mill Road,
Nadiad Phone No.: 0268 - 2560996. Last date for on line tenders
submission is Dt.11/05/2021. Conditional bids will not be accept-
ed. Competent authority of G.W.S.S.B reserve the right to reject
the tender without giving all the reasons why it will not be able to
accept all or any of the bids. Griveances related to services of
Gujarat Water Supply & Sewerage Board for Rural drinking water
supply can be lodged on toll free helpline number 1916.
INF/NADI/54/2021-22
GUJARAT WATER SUPPLY & SEWERAGE BOARD
E-Tender Notice No. 01/2021-22 (Corrigendum)
Tender are invited through Two bid e-tendering by the Executive
Engineer, Public Health Mechanical Division, Bhavnagar for Drilling of
200 MM Dia. Bore by DTH Rig including supply of 250 mm dia Bore
plug made from MS etc. Complete at various Villages of Bhavnagar
District. (I.D. No. 456859) Tender document can be seen, downloaded
and submitted on website http://www.nprocure.com. The last date for
submission for tender is 30/04/2021 upto 18.00 hrs. & Phy. Submission
on date: 04/05/2021 by RPAD/Speed Post only. Any exemption certifi-
cate will not be accepted. And the office reserved the right to cancel the
tender on any stage without showing any reason. Contact GWSSB toll
free help line no. 1916 for any rural water related problem. All amend-
ments regarding this tender shall be publshed online only.
DDI/BVN/C/55/21-22
TAMILNADU CIVIL SUPPLIES CORPORATION
Head Oice: 12, Thambusamy Road, Kilpauk, Chennai-600 010.
Ph. No. (044) 26426773 Email id : tncsc.tn@nic.in
CIN:U15137TN1972SGC006157
Short e-Tender noTice
no. : BS6/013913/2021 dated : 26.04.2021
Short e-Tender no. : TncSc/21-22/eT-01
Tamil Nadu Civil Supplies Corporaion invites Online electronic tender
for “The purchase of 20,000 MTs of any one of dal namely Tur dal
(Split-Husked & Fatka) / canadian Yellow Lenil (Split-Husked & Laired
no.2) as per Agmark speciicaion”
Complete e-Tender document can be viewed and downloaded through
htps://www.mstcecommerce.com/eprochome/tncsc and also available
in www.tenders.tn.gov.in
The bidders have to paricipate online bidding only with Digital Signature
Ceriicate (DSC) of Class-II or Class-III. For Registraion and further
details contact MSTC LIMITED, Phone: 25222842/ 25251910/ 25261005
e-Mail: mstcsro@mstcindia.co.in
Last Date for Online Submission : 05.05.2021
DIPR/1462/Tender/2021 MAnAGinG direcTor.
GUJARAT WATER SUPPLY &
SEWERAGE BOARD
E-tender Tender Notice No.03 of 2020-21
Tender I.D No. 458744
Gujarat Water Supply & Sewerage Board, invite tender through E-
tendering for the work of Under the M & R Programme Rampura -
Laxmanpura Reg. W.S.S. Ta. Kathlal, Comprehensive Maintenance
for Civil part for 2 years (24 months) of New and Old all civil struc-
ture, Rising and Distribution pipeline Network with all associate
components etc. Complete Estmated cost Rs. 15.12 Lakh,
Eligibility of Contractor “E-1” class Registered Contractors under
irrigation / R & B Gujarat State, Work Experienced, Solvancy &
G.S.T. No. for details regarding tenders will available online on the
website http://.www.gwssb.nprocure.com. Corrigendum will avail-
able online only. For further information please contact Office Of
The Executive Engineer Public Health works Division, G.W.S.S.B
Nadiad, Room No. 310, Sardar Bhavan. D - Block, Mill Road,
Nadiad Phone No.: 0268 - 2560996. Last date for on line tenders
submission is Dt.11/05/2021. Conditional bids will not be accept-
ed. Competent authority of G.W.S.S.B reserve the right to reject
the tender without giving all the reasons why it will not be able to
accept all or any of the bids. Griveances related to services of
Gujarat Water Supply & Sewerage Board for Rural drinking water
supply can be lodged on toll free helpline number 1916.
INF/NADI/55/2021-22

Ahmedabad
 WWW.INDIANEXPRESS.COM

9 EXPRESS NETWORK
THE INDIAN EXPRESS, TUESDAY, APRIL 27, 2021

LITTLE STOCK NOW FOR 18-44 AGE GROUP, SAY BOTH STATES
Govt asks Serum,
Maharashtra, Assam unlikely Bharat Biotech to
to give 18+ the jab from May 1 cut vaccine prices
PAYAL BANERJEE
manufacturers will supply 50
percentof theirmonthlyCentral
awaits a final approval for this NEW DELHI, APRIL 26 DrugsLaboratory(CDL)-released
TABASSUM from the state government. dosestothecentralgovernment,
BARNAGARWALA& The state will open registra- THE CENTRAL government on and will be free to supply the re-
ABHISHEKSAHA tionsforthe18to44agegroupon Monday asked Serum Institute maining50percenttostategov-
MUMBAI/GUWAHATI, theCoWINappfromApril28,but of India and Bharat Biotech to ernments and the open market.
APRIL26 slotsmaynotopenfromMay1.N lower the price of their Covid-19 The government has said
Ramaswamy, director, state vaccines amid criticism from that manufacturers would have
MAHARASHTRAISunlikelytoroll National Health Mission, said, several states who have accused to make an advance declaration
People wait to cast their vote in the the seventh phase of the out its anti-Covid vaccination “Vaccineavailabilityisaproblem. the companies of profiteering of the price for the 50 per cent
West Bengal Assembly elections in Kolkata. drive for the 18 to 44 year age Once we get supply, we will start from the crisis. supply that would be available
group from May 1 due to con- immunisation for all those above The issue of vaccine pricing to state governments and in the
straintsofvaccineavailability,sen- 18 years.” was discussed at a meeting open market.
iorstategovernmentofficialssaid Vacccinationwillcontinueun- chairedbyCabinetSecretaryRajiv Objecting to the differential

Kolkata votes on Monday.

Under the new guidelines
from the Centre, officials said,
People wait for the shots in Mumbai on Monday. Deepak Joshi interrupted for those above 45
years, officials said.
OnMonday,Maharashtrabe-
Gauba. The two companies are
now expected to come up with
revisedpricingfortheirvaccines.
pricing model, Delhi Chief
Minister Arvind Kejriwal had
said this was not the time for

under the shadow

Maharashtrahastoarrangeforits to Bharat Biotech and Serum sponse,itislearnt.“Informally,we came the first state to administer Hyderabad-based Bharat profiteering, and appealed to
own procurement and ensure Institute (of India, or SII). When are in touch with all three manu- over 5 lakh vaccinations in a day Biotech has fixed the price of manufacturers to bring down
enough stock for vaccinating theyprovideusthevaccines,only facturers (including Dr Redddy’s — a jump from its usual 3 lakh- Covaxin at Rs 600 per dose for the price to Rs 150 per dose.

of Covid-19
DIPANKAR GHOSE
KOLKATA, APRIL 26
“DANDAON EKHANE (wait
here),” Debayan Roy told his
68-year-old mother Maitreyi as
they neared Mitra Institution,
their polling centre. Walking
the 100-odd metres to the in-
stitute, Debayan scanned the
scene before hurrying back,
only to find that Maitreyi had
not listened to him, following
him to the centre.
“People are wearing masks,
but there is still a queue. It’s
dangerous, Ma,” Debayan said.
A defiant Maitreyi replied, “I
will vote. We’ll be careful. Stand
at a distance.”
On Monday – the seventh
phase of the West Bengal
Assembly elections – similar
conversations played out
across the 34 seats, including
the four in Kolkata, which went
to polls under the shadow of
Covid-19.
Mitra Institution, located in
south Kolkata’s Bhowanipore,
is a heavyweight polling booth.
It saw Abhishek Banerjee vote
in the morning, and in the af-
ternoon, Mamata Banerjee, in
a wheelchair and sporting a
white mask, cast her ballot too.
Throughout the day, police
personnel separated people
standing in queues. Most peo-
ple that The Indian Express saw
were wearing masks. Inside a
dimly lit corridor was a govern-
ment worker with a bright blue
bottle of sanitiser, a tempera-
ture machine, and a box of plas-
tic gloves.
Across Kolkata, there was a
considerably higher sense of
caution at polling booths, both
from people and from the state
machinery, compared to previ-
ous phases. At a booth at
Beniapukur in Ballygunge, ta-
bles had been set up outside,
and election officials, ID cards
dangling around their necks,
sanitised each hand thoroughly
before people entered. A
polling officer said, “Forget
everything else. We have to be
careful for ourselves and the
voters. We all have families to
go back to once this polling is
done. So we are all being extra
careful today.”
Much of the fear was driven
by the knowledge that Covid-
19 cases in Bengal are rising fast
and that hospital beds are run-
ning out. Outside Beniapukur,
Soumya Roy stopped for a cup
of tea just after voting, and told
three other regulars, “I am
afraid of even taking off my
mask for this tea. Have you read
the newspapers? The positivity
rate in Kolkata is above 40 per
cent.”
At the tea stall, there was
much discussion about who
was responsible for the in-
crease in cases, and if it would
affect the election results.
“There are so many factors.
Who will vote? And who will
choose not to in these times?
That can change many things,”
Soumya said, sagely.
Yet, there was consensus on
who the “villains” are.
“All these politicians are vil-
lains. The EC is a villain for hold-
ing these elections nonstop.
The parties all blame each
other, but nobody stopped their
rallies,” Soumya said.
After someone pointed out
that the Left had stopped their
rallies, Soumya responded,
“Even they did it too late... And
look at the country’s situation.”
adults up to 44 years of age – the
largestdemographicgroupinthe
state.
Five other states — Rajasthan,
Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, Punjab
and Kerala — had on Sunday said
that they would postpone this
next phase of the vaccination for
the same reason.
In Guwahati, Assam Health
Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma
also said on Monday that he
doubtswhethervaccinationof18-
45-year-oldswillbegininthestate
bythefirstweekof May,pointing
towardsthetwinissuesofvaccine
availabilityandannouncementof
Assembly poll results on May 2.
“Vaccineorderhasbeengiven
The Indian embassy in Abu Dhabi tweeted images of buildings in UAE lit up in colours of the Tricolour in solidarity with India as the country battles a
second wave of Covid-19. PTI
then can we begin the vaccina-
tion,” Sarma told the media.
“Today, the Centre has given a
guideline,basedonwhich...itwill
be ascertained what amount of
vaccine each state will get.”
Pointing out that the Assam
election results are on May 2,
Sarma said, “Moreover, by May 4
payments need to be made.
Becauseoftheseprocesses,Idon’t
think vaccination of the 18-45
bracketwillbegininthefirstweek
ofMay.Butregistrationwillbegin
on the portal.”
Maharashtra has also written
totheSIIandBharatBiotech,ask-
ing about their stock availability
but has received no official re-
Labs).Buttheexistingstockseems
tohavebeenbookedbytheUnion
government.Manufacturershave
an upper hand in deciding how
much stock to supply to which
state,” a state official said.
An official from the state
DirectorateofHealthServicessaid,
“Our communication channel
withSIIisopen.Weareinconstant
dialogue but we still don’t know
how much stock, if at all, it can
supplywithinthenextfewdays.”
ThestatehasnotwrittentoDr
Reddy’s Labs since it has not an-
nounced its vaccine rates. The
Maharashtra health department
isalsoworkingonaglobaltender
to procure vaccines, while it
plus immunisations per day, and
1.05lakhvaccinationsonSunday.
The state has administered 1.43
crore doses till now.
Sarma said that as of now
Assam’soxygenrequirementdue
to Covid-19 patients is 20 MT per
day, while the capacity at hand is
61MTperday.Hetweeted,“Over
next 10 days we are comfortable
with Oxygen supply. Over next
weekweshallalsooperationalise
3 more Oxygen plants. We've a
stock of 25,000 Remdevisir...”
“Inthenexttwodays,thestate
willtakeseveraldecisionsandan-
nounceplanforthenextphaseof
vaccination,”HealthSecretaryDr
Pradeep Vyas said.
state governments, and Rs 1,200
per dose for private hospitals.
Pune-based Serum Institute
of India (SII), the world's largest
vaccine maker in terms of vol-
ume, has announced a price of
Rs400perdoseforCovishieldfor
state governments, and Rs 600
per dose for private hospitals.
Bothvaccinesareavailableto
the central government at a rate
of Rs 150 per dose.
The Centre has relaxed its
vaccination strategy in the third
phase of the mass inoculation
programme,underwhichevery-
one above the age of 18 will be
eligible for a shot from May 1.
In the new vaccine regime,
The Congress termed the
new policy as "discriminatory
andinsensitive",andaccusedthe
government of allowing vaccine
makers to profiteer to the tune
of Rs 1.11 lakh crore.
SII has defended pricing
Covishield at 1.5 times the initial
rate, saying the earlier price was
based on advance funding, and
the company has to now invest
in scaling up and expanding ca-
pacity to produce more shots.
Announcing the price of
Covaxin, Bharat Biotech
Chairman and Managing
Director Krishna M Ella had said
that recovering cost is essential
for innovation. PTI
Goa court to
pass verdict in
Tejpal case today
Panaji: The District and Sessions
Court at Mapusa in North Goa is
expected to pronounce its judg-
ment in the trial of former
Tehelka editor-in-chief Tarun
Tejpal, accused of raping a
woman in 2013, on Tuesday.
Tejpal faced trial in a
November 2013 case in which
the woman had accused him of
sexually assaulting her inside a
liftinafive-starhotelinGoadur-
ing an event. Tejpal, who was ar-
rested on November 30, 2013,
was later released on bail and
had denied the allegations.
Additional sessions judge
ShamaJoshiisexpectedtodeliver
the verdict, concluding a trial
held the last seven years. In the
eventthatTejpalisconvicted,the
court may hear the prosecution
and defence arguments over the
quantumof sentence.Inthetrial
held in-camera, the prosecution
examined71witnessesandcross
examined five defence wit-
nesses. ENS

Delhi scrambles for beds, HC gets After Rewari, five SC panel red-flags Goa rail project;
Ashoka Hotel as its Covid facility die in Hisar due to for tweaks in power, road plans
MALLICA JOSHI
& SOFI AHSAN
NEW DELHI, APRIL 26
FOLLOWING A request from the
Delhi High Court, the Delhi gov-
ernment has ordered Ashoka
Hotel, a five-star facility, to set
aside 100 rooms for a Covid
Health Centre for judges and ju-
dicial officers of the court and
their families. The facility will be
linked to Primus Hospital in
Chanakyapuri.
An order to this effect was
passed by the Chanakyapuri
Sub-DivisionalMagistrate,Geeta
Grover, on Sunday.
It comes when families of
Covid patients across the na-
tional capital are scrambling to
get beds and access to hospital
care. The High Court itself has
made several observations criti-
cal of the Centre and the Delhi
government on this issue while
hearing pleas on the Covid crisis.
On April 22, when dealing with
theissueof hospital beds,Justice
Vipin Sanghi had observed: “It is
a four-fold increase (in cases).
People are not getting beds.
Forgetabouttheordinarymanon
the road. Even if I were to ask for
abed,Iwouldnotgetiteasily.”On
Monday, Delhi recorded 20,201
cases, with a positivity rate of 35
per cent, and 380 deaths.
SDMGrover'sorderstates:“A
request has been received from
Delhi High Court for setting up
of CHC facility for the Hon'ble
Justices and other judicial offi-
cers of Delhi High Court and
SDM order says hotel facility
for ‘Justices, other judicial
officers, and their families’
their families. Now, therefore, I,
Geeta Grover... in exercise of
powers...and in overall immi-
nent public interest, do hereby
require the100roomsof Ashoka
Hotel, New Delhi for setting up
of Covid Health facility for the
use of Hon'ble Justices and other
judicial officers of Delhi High
Court and their families and
place at the disposal of Primus
Hospital, Chanakyapuri, New
Delhi with immediate effect...”
The Registrar General of the
DelhiHighCourt,ManojJain,did
not receive calls or respond to
text messages from The Indian
Express seeking comment.
Grover confirmed to The
IndianExpressthattheorderhad
been passed. “It will take at least
tilltheendof theweekforthefa-
cility to become operational. It
will be only for judges, HC staff
and their families, as is men-
tioned in the order,” she said.
Ashoka Hotel is owned and
operated by India Tourism Dev-
elopmentCorporationLimited,a
Government of India undertak-
ing. ITDC has been trying to find
a private player to operate the
property for a while now.
Previously, 22 hotels in the
city were linked to hospitals to
help increase the number of
beds for Covid patients. These
arepaidfacilities,wherepatients
with severe symptoms cannot
be admitted. Each room is sup-
posed to have an oxygen facility.
According to Sunday’s order,
hotel staff will be provided pro-
tective gear and basic training.
Alltheservices,includingrooms,
housekeeping, disinfection and
food,forthepatientsshallbepro-
vided by the hotel. Charges shall
be collected by the hospital,
which will pay the hotel.
Biomedicalwastedisposalwillbe
theresponsibilityof thehospital.
Primus Hospital can also ac-
commodatetheirdoctors,nurses
andotherparamedicalstaffatthe
hotelonitsownexpenseafterde-
ciding the rates with the hotel.
Accordingtoapreviousorder
for other hotels to be linked to
hospitals, the hospital will be
paid not more than Rs 5,000 per
patient per day, inclusive of con-
sumables, services of doctors,
nurses, paramedical staff and
nursing staff. “Investigation
charges,ifany,shallbechargedby
thelinkedhospitalattheirsched-
uledratesandforoxygensupport
the linked hospital is allowed to
charge at the hotel Rs 2,000 per
day basis. The medical services
providedbythelinkedhospitalat
their facility shall be charged at
theirrespectivelyschedulerates,”
the earlier order stated.
oxygen shortage
EXPRESS NEWS SERVICE
CHANDIGARH, APRIL 26
A DAY after four Covid-19 pa-
tients died gasping for oxygen at
a private hospital in Rewari, five
more Covid patients died in an-
other private hospital in Hisar
that ran out of oxygen in the
earlyhoursonMonday.Agitated
family members accused the
hospital authorities of not pro-
viding timely treatment to their
kin, while the hospital blamed
thedistrictadministrationfornot
giving adequate oxygen supply
to the hospital.
Following orders from chief
minister Manohar Lal Khattar,
home minister Anil Vij has
marked a magisterial probe into
oxygenrelated deathsinRewari,
Hisar and Gurgaon.
InthelatestincidentatHisar’s
Soni hospital, all five patients
who lost their lives were on ven-
tilatorsupport.Theywereidenti-
fied as Arvind (60), a resident of
Mansa, Punjab; Rajeshwar (45),
Satender(26)andRajeRam(67),
residents of Hisar and Delhi res-
ident Anil Kumar.
Thehospitalranoutofoxygen
late Sunday night. After about
four hours, barely two cylinders
could be arranged, but by the
timethesupplycouldberestored,
these five patients had died.
Whileangryfamilymembers
blamedthesedeathsonthe hos-
pital authorities, Dr. Rajat Soni
fromtheinstituterefutedallsuch
allegations and said all the pa-
tients were provided adequate
medical treatment.
“Out of the 22 beds, 15 beds
were reserved for Covid-19 pa-
tients in the hospital. We had
seven oxygen cylinders, but the
plant that supplies us O2 could
notreplenishtheseintime.There
wasalongqueuewhenourteam
went to the plant and we could
get oxygen only by 0400 hours
Monday.Wearrangedtwocylin-
ders from other sources, but by
the time our team returned and
oxygen was restored, five pa-
tients had died,” Dr Soni said.
Meanwhile,CMManoharLal
KhattarvisitedPanipatandHisar
on Monday to review the supply
of oxygen and progress of work
on makeshift hospitals in both
the districts.
TheCMsaid,“Ilearntaboutthe
mishap that took place in Hisar’s
Soni hospital. The exact cause of
deathisbeingascertained... Ihave
also given instructions for a mag-
isterial probe. Deputy
Commissionerhasbeengivenin-
structionssothatsuchanincident
doesnottakeplaceagain.”
State’s Home-cum-Health
minister Anil Vij too said, “Strict
action shall be taken against
thosefoundnegligentduringthe
investigations.Thereisnodearth
of health infrastructure in any of
our government hospitals...”
MAYURA JANWALKAR
PANAJI, APRIL 26
RAISING SERIOUS environmen-
tal concerns, the Supreme
Court's Central Empowerment
Committee (CEC) has red-
flaggedakeyrailexpansionpush
in Goa and recommended cru-
cial changes to two other pro-
posed projects -- a highway and
a power transmission line -- in
the state.
These projects had been
clearedbytheCentrelastyearde-
spiteconcernsbeingraisedatvar-
ious levels since they would cut
through the Bhagwan Mahaveer
Wildlife Sanctuary (BMWS) and
theMollemNationalPark(MNP)
in South Goa.
In its report dated April 23,
the CEC said that it does not find
any justification in doubling the
railwaytrackfromCastle Rockin
Karnataka to Kulem in Goa as it
“will destroy the fragile eco-sys-
tem of the Western Ghats which
is an internationally recognised
Biodiversity hotspot and also
one of the most important
wildlife corridor of the country”.
Based on an application filed
by Goa Foundation, the CEC also
recommended that the align-
ment of the Goa-Tanmar
Transmission Project for laying
of electric lines for additional
400 KV feed to Goa be redrawn
and modified along the existing
220 KV line. This will “help in
saving the precious forest cover
and wildlife in the ecologically
fragile and biodiversity rich
Western Ghats”, the CEC stated.
On the four-laning of NH 4A
fromAnmodneartheKarnataka
border to Mollem, the CEC rec-
ommended that the height of
the road be increased to min-
imiseanimalroadkillsandman-
animal conflict, and suggested
modifications.
On July 3, 2020, The Indian
Express had reported on how
the three projects were cleared
by the Standing Committee of
the National Board for Wildlife
(SC-NBWL), which said that the
Goa State Wild Life Board
(GSWLB) had “recommended
the proposals in its meetings”.
However,sixmembersof the
state board, all noted environ-
mentalists, had told this news-
paperthatnorecommendations
were made, and that the mitiga-
tion measures suggested were
“unscientific”.
Goa Foundation director
Claude Alvares said the CEC had
taken into account all aspects of
theprojects.“TheWesternGhats
aretooprecioustobedamaged,”
Alvares said. The Foundation's
application had stated that the
three linear projects involve di-
version of about 170 ha forest
and sanctuary land.
When contacted by The
Indian Express, Goa govern-
ment officials said they would
respond after going through
the CEC’s report. In its 110-
page report, the CEC has asked
the Supreme Court to consider
revoking the permission
granted by the SC-NBWL for
the double-tracking project. It
said the “project will only
be marginally enhancing the
capacity of the most inefficient
section of the Railway Network
passing through ecologically
sensitive and bio-diversity
rich Tiger Reserve, Two
Wildlife Sanctuaries and a
National Park”.
The CEC observed that “the
estimate of projected increase
in traffic from Karnataka to Goa
furnished by the Railways is not
based on facts and is without
any sound reasoning and as sta-
tistics show mostly includes
empty rakes returning to Goa
and that despite the change in
policy on import of coal the
same has not been reflected in
the projected traffic from Goa
to Karnataka”.
DatafromtheSouthWestern
Railway, the CEC noted, show
that coal from Goa and
Krishnapatnam Ports (Andhra
Pradesh)formsabout92percent
and 62 per cent, respectively, of
the goods traffic movement to
the hinterland in Karnataka.
It also stated that during its
site visit to Mormugao Port
Trust, and as confirmed by the
Railways in their response to
the CEC, “recently revised pol-
icy of Government of India does
not support import of coal and
the new policy encourages use
of indigenously mined coal”.
“The increased number of
trains and wider openings
through the ecologically sensi-
tiveWesternGhatsforlayingthe
track will further fragment the
habitat...,” the CEC said.
Ahmedabad
 WWW.INDIANEXPRESS.COM

10 GOVT & POLITICS

THE INDIAN EXPRESS, TUESDAY, APRIL 27, 2021

‘Fighting Covid is not You vs Us battle but

Us vs Corona battle...need to fight this together’
In the unprecedented Covid crisis, the Centre and Opposition-ruled states face off over critical supplies of oxygen and vaccines. Coming after a long, bitter
election campaign in four states and a Union Territory, the divide has hardened. Congress president SONIA GANDHI in an interview to MANOJ C G speaks on
the role of the Opposition, the management of the Covid crisis and what needs to be done. Excerpts:
Mrs Gandhi, how is Rahul What’s your view of the cine order as late as in January, wasteful and unnecessary proj-
Gandhi doing? Your son-in- Centre’s Covid crisis 2021andthattooforaminuscule ects like the Central Vista. This is
law has recently recovered management? 1.1 crore doses. Not only this, our not the time for vanity or unnec-
from Covid, how’s the family? The Modi government’s re- government exported 6 crore essary projects. The resources
Rahul is now improving. As sponse to the second wave of vaccines between January 2021 freed are more urgently needed
you know, Covid is an unpre- Corona has been a complete dis- toMarch2021,whilevaccinating to do all that I have enumerated
dictable disease and we have to aster, bordering on utter negli- less than 4 crore of its own citi- above.
wait and watch for some more gence and leaving the people to zensduringthisperiod.Itdelayed
days.Of course,Iamworriedalso fendforthemselves.Theentirefo- approvals and adopted an exces- Isn’t there a need for a
about Dr Manmohan Singh, and cus has been on the Assembly sively centralised approach. political consensus?
all our other fellow citizens who elections instead of rising to the Under the new vaccination Apoliticalconsensusisessen-
are facing an unprecedented cri- occasion to provide leadership policy, our own citizens will pay tial. We must bring together all
sis on account of this pandemic andmanagementofthehugeup- more than the price of export of stakeholders to fight a calamity
affecting so many loved ones. surge in disease. Even now, their vaccinefromIndiatoothercoun- like the one we are facing.
What is happening is horrifying decisionsarearbitraryandparti- tries. How can this be justified? Unfortunately, the Modi govern-
andIwisheveryonetheverybest san.Theirduplicityisinexcusable. How can differential pricing be ment has repeatedly demon-
and urge everyone to remember But that’s only one aspect of accepted? Government of India strated that it prefers coercion to
that precaution, prevention and it. The abdication of governance shouldhavebornethecostof the consensus. The Congress party
treatmentarethekeystofighting has been a complete let down. entire vaccination and provided has decades of experience. It has
Covid. There has been no strategy or it free to all citizens. This would managedmanynaturaldisasters.
preparation at all. have been the correct way for- Its knowledge and expertise can
This is one of the worst public Their own sero-surveys gave ward instead of creating two be of immense value to the gov-
health crises in recent times. amplewarningof asecondwave, groupsofpeopleanddiscriminat- ernment.Itrulybelievethatchal-
In the Emergency Room, it is theParliamentaryCommitteeon ing with the young in the age lenging times warrant the politi-
said, a detailed investigation Covid produced a 120-page doc- group of 18 to 45 years for pur- cal leadership to rise above our
can wait, all hands need to be ument enumerating the actions pose of vaccination and disown- political differences. We have
on deck for critical care. Given they ought to have taken and the Sonia Gandhi at the Indira Gandhi Memorial, New Delhi, in November last year. ANI file ing complete responsibility for done so in the past many times.
this situation, how do you see Opposition, including the vaccinating them. Asacountryandasademocracy,
your role and the role of the Congress, warned them repeat- India has always come together
Congress? edly. Theyignoredallthree,even around Covid be framed supply. In fact, they have already Do you have specific in crisis.
I feel our role is two-fold. The accusing us of spreading panic. beyond party lines? been assisting other states with suggestions that can be
firstistoinsistupontransparency Nonewfacilitieswerecreated. Firstly,thevirusiseverywhere. We have to put as it. Punjab and Rajasthan have worked on immediately? The Covid curve in India
and accountability and join with The capacity for beds was not in- Forthelastoneyear,theCongress much pressure as doneafairlygoodjobasfarasvac- First, the government should started rising again in mid-
the people to put creased. The med- Party has extended its full coop- possible on the cinations are concerned. Those crack down on February. The
pressure on the ical sector was not erationtothegovernment.Webe- government to act states that planned in advance black marketeer- Congress, too,
government (to)
recognise that The Modi
supported finan-
cially in any way.
lieve that fighting Covid is not a
“YouversusUs”battlebutisa“Us THE EXPRESS even now. It is still andlaidoutaclearmanagement
strategy have done better.
ing of vital drugs,
oxygen and other Thegovernment
like other
parties, held
nothingismorevi- government’s
tal now than to
response to the
The adequate pro-
visionofmedicines
versus Corona” battle. This battle
is, therefore, beyond political INTERVIEW not too late. Timely
action, leadership
and management of
Even Maharashtra, despite
the onslaught of pandemic, has
necessitiescreated shouldcrackdownon rallies, street
by the pandemic
blackmarketeering corner meetings
save lives. The ab- was not done. The alignments. We have to fight this WITH leftnostoneunturnedandthere- and ensure supply and road shows
dication of leader- second wave of necessary eco- battle together as a nation. The SONIA GANDHI Covid can still save sultshavejuststartedshowingin of life saving med- ofvitaldrugs.Ensure throughout
ship that we are Corona has been a nomic support to Modi government must realise CONGRESS PRESIDENT lakhs of lives. flattening of the curve of surging icinesatfixedrates. oxygensupplyto March in Kerala,
witnessing today complete disaster, themigrantlabour that the battle is against Covid, it infections.Overall,theattitudeof Second, ensure everyhospital Tamil Nadu,
is shocking and bordering on utter and the disadvan- is not against the Congress or governancehastobetransparent, oxygen supply to throughseamless Assam and West
culpable. It is as if negligence and taged by way of Rs other political opponents. making provision for oxygen; accountable, facilitative, cooper- every hospital logistics.Createnew Bengal. Didn’t
our people have 6,000-incomesup- Iwasdeeplysaddenedbythe stopping black marketeering of provision for oxygen in view of ative and supportive in crisis through seamless this send out the
been abandoned
leaving the people port was not pro- contemptuous response of the medicine; availability of beds; the onslaught of Covid? Why did rather than opaque, aggressive logistics.Involvethe
hospital wrong signal?
by the all-round to fend for vided. They have Modigovernmenttothecompre- homecareprotocols;vaccination; thegovernmentnotactuponthis and heartless. industry as a part- infrastructureona You are right,
collapse of gover- themselves. The now proceeded to hensiveandcarefullyconsidered quick testing and tracing; eco- report? ner andmakeopti- warfootingthrougha and to be honest, I
nance and relin- entire focus has turn India into an suggestions I have sent as well as nomic support to the disadvan- …Secondly,bringtogetherthe The Opposition-ruled states mum use of partnershipbetween myselfquestioned
quishment of re- been on the importer of vac- those made by Dr Manmohan taged and genetic sequencing of resources of government and in- have questioned the new Disaster governmentandthe the correctness of
sponsibility. Assembly elections. cines and oxygen, SinghandRahulatvarioustimes. thevirusapartfromgeneralCovid dustrytoimmediatelysupplement vaccination policy? Management privatesector. anelaboratepolit-
Therefore,ourrole when we were in Is it correct for the Modi govern- management. Since you ask the number of beds by creating Noothercountryintheworld Authorityfordeliv- ical campaign in
as an Opposition effect producing ment’s ministers to attack about priorities, I will say this. temporaryfacilitiesonawarfoot- has such an insensitive and dis- erables. the middle of the
to listen to people and to convey more than enough to cover our Opposition leaders or find faults Firstly, immediately divert all ing…Due to a lackadaisical and criminatory vaccine policy. Third, create new and suffi- pandemic. I had noticed that
their anguish becomes all the needs. They exported 1.1 million with Opposition States in the resourcestowardssupplyingoxy- thoughtless approach in the vain Tragically, we have a situation cient hospital infrastructure on a while those on the stage were
moreimperative.Wehavetoput vialsofRemdesivirwithoutensur- middle of the pandemic, instead gen to hospitals across the coun- beliefthatthepandemichadbeen where we have one nation and war footing through a partner- fairly protected with masks and
as much pressure as possible on ingadequateprovisionsforfellow ofreachingouttoworktogether? try. News report of deaths of pa- controlled, the number of Covid five vaccine prices from two vac- ship between government and some semblance of distance be-
thegovernmenttoactevennow. Indians. tients owing to lack of oxygen in beds in the country actually de- cinemanufacturers.Howcanthe the private sector. Ramp up test- tween each other, the crowds
Itisstillnottoolate.Timelyaction, Theyhavefailedoneverysin- If the government reaches out so many places are devastating clinedsinceJanuary2021andnow Modigovernmentremainamute ing and tracing massively. were largely not wearing masks
leadership and management of glefrontandyet,evenastheirpo- to the Congress for help and and reflect criminal callousness wehaveanabsoluteshortage. spectatortothisbrazenprofiteer- Fourth,financiallyincentivize and very closely packed.
Covid can still save lakhs of lives. litical opponent, I don’t feel a ideas...are you open to sitting on the part of the authorities. …Thirdly,rampuptestingex- ing and discriminatory pricing of our doctors, nurses,paramedical In fact, I spoke to some of my
The second is to use our net- sense of retribution. I feel deeply, down (with them)? Where was the advance plan- ponentially…Transparency and vaccine?Itgivesstrengthtothear- staff, frontline medical workers colleagues regarding holding big
work of workers and leaders to deeply saddened and very angry Of course. My answer is an ning? Should no one be held ac- publicly available data go a long gument that the government is and other frontline Corona war- rallies once the numbers started
provide as much help, assistance atwhattheyhavedone–ormore unequivocal yes. This is why we countable? Let us not forget that wayinensuringthatpeopleabide complicit in vaccine profiteering riors tackling the disease. risingsignificantly.Unfortunately,
andhealingtothosewhoaresuf- accurately not done. It is truly wrote to the Prime Minister giv- India is amongst the largest pro- by safety rules and take precau- atthecostofpeopleinthemiddle Fifth,providesafetransporta- thoughnotasingleonedisagreed,
fering. Our party has set up con- tragic that we have come to this. ingpositiveandconcretesugges- ducersofoxygenintheworld.We tionary measures. If you try and of the pandemic. tionof migrantlabourfromcities there was pressure to continue
trol rooms in every state. Our Livesarebeinglostbecausethose tions and repeatedly offering produce 7,500 metric tonnes of hideorsugar-coatthefacts,if you Let us not forget that India is byspecialtrainsandothermeans. simplybecausewecouldnotstop
frontal organisations, including in charge didn’t get their priori- help. The Congress Party has oxygenperday.Wehaveenough don’t face up to the reality, you the largest producer of vaccines RampupMGNREGAworkacross unilaterally. The institutional
Youth Congress, are reaching ties right. years of experience in govern- oxygentomeetourneeds.Sowill cannot deal realistically with the in the world. This capacity has the country so that those return- mechanism like the Election
out…we are pooling our re- ment and disaster management. thegovernmenttellusthereason pandemic. been built over last 70 years be- ing home and those without Commission was oblivious to is-
sourcestohelpasmanypeopleas The virus doesn’t follow forthecurrentscarcityofoxygen? ginning from the BCG vaccine to livelihoods have access to basic suinganydirectionsorguidelines,
possible (with) access to oxygen, political faultlines. In the first What are the key things that Isn’t it correct that a The Congress is in power in becoming an exporter of vaccine income. whichwasitsessentialresponsi-
beds and medicines…I am regu- phase, the states worst hit need to be addressed right Parliamentary Standing three states, what are the in the 1980s. Even for Covid vac- Sixth, allocate Rs 6,000 per bility. They just looked the other
larly in touch with our state gov- were non-BJP-ruled states but now? Committee in its report dated lessons being learnt? cine,WHOorderedvaccineswith family income support without way. At least our party withdrew
ernmentsandsoareanumberof UP and Karnataka curves are Therearesomanyissuesthat November 21, 2020 asked the Both Chhattisgarh and Indiancompaniesmonthsbefore any delay. atsomepointalthoughitmaynot
our colleagues. rising. Shouldn’t the discourse require immediate attention: government to make adequate Jharkhand have surplus oxygen we did. India placed its first vac- Finally, divert funds from have been enough.

PM talks Covid
cooperation
with Japanese
counterpart
EXPRESS NEWS SERVICE
NEW DELHI, APRIL 26
PRIME MINISTER Narendra
Modi on Monday discussed the
Covid-19 situation with his
Japanese counterpart Yoshihide
Suga as the two leaders under-
scored the importance of close
cooperation between their
countries to overcome the chal-
lenges posed by the pandemic.
They spoke of working to-
gethertocreateresilientanddiver-
sified supply chains, ensuring re-
liable supply of critical materials
andtechnologies,anddeveloping
newpartnershipsinmanufactur-
ing and skill development to deal
with the crisis, the MEA said.
During the telephonic talks, the
two leaders exchanged views on
regional and global challenges
posedbythepandemic,itadded.
“Spoke to PM @sugawitter of
Japan on (the) phone. We re-
viewed the progress in various
ongoing bilateral initiatives. We
alsodiscussedourcooperationin
diverseareasincludinghightech-
nology, skill development and in
fightingtheCOVID-19pandemic
together,” Modi tweeted.
Rawat briefs PM Modi on armed
forces push in pandemic fight
EXPRESS NEWS SERVICE
NEW DELHI, APRIL 26
CHIEF OF Defence Staff Gen
Bipin Rawat on Monday briefed
Prime Minister Narendra Modi
on the efforts and operations by
the Armed Forces to assist states
and civil administration in fight-
ing the surging second wave of
Covid-19.
The IAF has been transport-
ing medical equipment, includ-
ing oxygen tankers, both within
the country and overseas, while
the Navy has joined the Oxygen
Express mission to transport
medical essentials to Laksha-
dweep. Armed Forces Medical
Servicesstaff havebeendeputed
to exclusive Covid-19 facilities
that DRDO has set up in Delhi,
Varanasi, Lucknow, and some
other cities.
Gen Rawat informed the PM
that “all medical personnel from
armed forces who have retired
or taken premature retirement
inthelasttwoyearsarebeingre-
called to work in Covid facilities
within proximity of their pres-
ent place of residence”. Other
medical officers “who retired
earlier have also been requested
CDS Gen Bipin Rawat with PM Narendra Modi, in Delhi. ANI
to make their services available
for consultation through med-
ical emergency helplines”, he
said.
Also, all medical officers on
staff appointments at the
Command, Corps, and Division
headquarters, and at the head-
quarters of the Navy and Air
Force, will be deployed to hospi-
tals, Gen Rawat told Modi.
The PM was told about nurs-
ing personnel being employed
in “large numbers to comple-
ment the doctors at the hospi-
tals”, the Defence Ministry said
in a statement.
In view of the shortage of
medical oxygen in several parts
of thecountry,“oxygencylinders
available with armed forces in
various establishments will be
released for hospitals”, Rawat
told Modi. The forces were “cre-
ating medical facilities in large
numbers, where possible mili-
tary medical infrastructure will
be made available to civilians”,
he said.
ModireviewedAirForceoper-
ations to transport oxygen and
other essential medical supplies.
A C17 transport aircraft of the IAF
landedinDubaionMondaytopick
upsevenemptycryogenicoxygen
containers,whichwerescheduled
toreachPanagarhinWestBengal,
where the armed forces have a
base,by5.30pm.TheAirForcehad
brought four cryogenic oxygen
tankers from Singapore to
PanagarhonSaturday.
The transport fleet of the Air
Force has been flying sorties to
transport essential medical
equipment all over the country.
“PM also discussed with the
CDS that Kendriya and Rajya
Sainik Welfare Boards and
Officers posted in various head-
quartersinveterans cells may be
instructed to coordinate the
servicesof veteranstoextendthe
reach to maximum extent pos-
sible including in remote areas,”
the government said.
Defence Minister Rajnath
Singh had earlier held two re-
view meetings with the armed
forces and other wings of the
Ministry, and asked them to
work on a war footing to extend
all possible assistance to the civil
administration.
DRDO reopened its Covid-19
facility in Delhi last week with
500 beds. A 500-bed Covid hos-
pital in Patna, a 450-bed hospi-
talinLucknow,a750-bedfacility
in Varanasi, and a 900-bed facil-
ity in Ahmedabad are either al-
ready working, or will become
functional soon.
Pune: Dip in cases, but no end
to scramble for critical needs
AJAYJADHAV
&ANURADHA
MASCARENHAS
PUNE,APRIL26
THE SITUATION is not as encour-
agingasinMumbai,butcontinu-
ous decline in active cases for the
last one week has raised hopes
thattheworstinthesecondwave
might be over in Pune as well.
Unlike Mumbai, Pune is still re-
portingmorethan10,000casesa
day,thoughonMonday,thisnum-
ber dropped below 6,200, the
lowest this month.
Butduringthepastoneweek,
active cases in Pune have come
down by more than 25,000. It
peaked on April 19 when the city
reported1.25lakhCovid-positive
people. On Monday, this figure
was just about one lakh, though
still the second highest in the
country after Bengaluru.
The decline has brought some
relief to those managing the rush
ofCovid-19patients,thoughithas
madelittledifference,asyet,tothe
scrambleforhospitalbeds,oxygen,
orevenRemdesivir.
“The demand for medical
oxygen has not gone down,
since the number of hospi-
talised patients has not yet
At the Central Railway
Hospital near Pune railway
station. Arul Horizon
started to reduce. We are some-
how managing the supply of
medical oxygen to meet the de-
mands of civic and government
hospitals,” said Yuvraj
Deshmukh, executive engineer
at the PMC, who is coordinating
supplies of oxygen to hospitals.
Many large private hospitals
saidtherewasnochangeintheflow
of critical Covid-19 patients. Many
of these patients were still strug-
glingtofindbeds.
“We are getting fewer
Remdesivirinjectionsascompared
to the demand,” said Ganesh
Bidkar, leader of the House in the
PMC.
FULL REPORT ON
www.indianexpress.com
MUMBAI CASES
DROP, THIRD
DAY IN A ROW
Mumbai: For the third day
in a row, Mumbai has
shownadipinfreshCovid-
19cases,withitspositivity
rate on a slow but steady
decline from over 17.5 per
centuntilafortnightagoto
13.6 per cent now. On
Monday the city recorded
3,876 cases, down from
5,542onSundayand5,888
on Saturday.
Whilecivicofficialssaid
they suspect Mumbai has
crosseditssecondpeakand
willseeaconsistentdecline
inCovid-19cases,thedrop
cannotbesolelyattributed
to that. Between Saturday
and Sunday, Mumbai’s
daily tests fell steeply —
from 40,298 to 28,328.
Until a week ago the city
wastesting55,000-60,000
people a day. Civic officials
saidthedailytestingnum-
berstendtoreduceoverthe
weekendandpickupagain
throughtheweek. ENS

Ahmedabad
 E EXPLAINED
WWW.INDIANEXPRESS.COM

11
THE INDIAN EXPRESS, TUESDAY, APRIL 27, 2021
@ieExplained
#ExpressExplained
If there are questions of current or contemporary relevance that you would like
explained, please write to explained@indianexpress.com

CORONAVIRUS DASHBOARD EXPLAINED THE PANDEMIC

INDIA ACTIVE CASES

3000,000
2,813,658
Complexities of herd immunity
In several metros where serosurveys showed high immunity levels, Covid cases are still surging. What
1,679,740 2,813,658 does that say about the concept of ‘herd immunity’? Accounting for transmission involves several factors.
2000,000 ThepopulationtouchedbyCovidcanalso

EXPERT be estimated by the Infection Fatality Rate

(IFR). This is the total number of deaths di-

EXPLAINS vided by the total people infected. In India,

the estimate is 0.08%. So this number can be
used to back-calculate the number of infec-
1000,000 Dr Tushar Gore tions based on the number of deaths in the
LAST 10 DAYS different cities.
Apr 16 Apr 25 From The Indian Express panel Thetablealongside showsthenumber of
of specialists, exclusive insight people exposed to Covidin some metros un-
Note: The April 25 figure in this graph is based on the government update on April 26
til January 31 using the method above.
WE HAVE all heard of immunity that results (BasedontotaldeathsuntilJanuary31;there
INDIA TOTAL CASES WORLD TOTAL CASES inadramaticreductionof dailycases.Despite is a lag between infection and death and this
17,313,163 147,325,436 serosurveys indicating many metros such as isignoredforpresentdiscussion.)Usingpop-
Delhi, Mumbai, and Pune having reached ulation estimates for 2020, the estimate for
Source: Ministry of Health & Family Source: Johns Hopkins University,
Welfare, updated at 11 pm on April 26 updated at 11 pm on April 26 high levels of immunity, the same cities are percentage of the population with prior ex-
seeing an explosive surge. posure to Covid and susceptible population
Does “herd immunity” really protect is calculated.
from subsequent waves? The answer is not The reasons behind the recent surge are

Drug for common bowel a simple yes or no. It depends on how wide-
spread the virus is in a community and its
transmission rate.
A sample being collected for a serological survey in Delhi last year. Most seosurveys
have suggested high immunity levels in the metros. Praveen Khanna/Express Archive
not fully understood. The one factor that is
not in doubt,however,isthat interactionand
contact with the population has increased

disorder found to blunt The number of daily cases depends on

three factors: The number of infectious peo- ESTIMATING EXPOSURE FROM DEATHS
since February. Such increased contact in-
creased the virus in circulation and led to in-

Covid-19 vaccine response

ple in the population, the number of suscep- creased cases in the susceptible population.
tible individuals, and the rate of transmis- Deaths till No. of people Population % Population Susceptible As the table shows, there is still a large
sion of the virus. Jan 31 infected till estimate infected population enough susceptible population in the met-
The rate of transmission is dependent on Jan 31 (crore) (crore) (crore) ros and can lead to many new cases – as is
PEOPLE WHO take a commonly-pre- After a single dose of vaccine, only the nature of the virus and the extent of con- Bengaluru 4,391 0.55 1.1 49.90% 0.55 being seen now.
scribed drug for inflammatory bowel about one-third of participants (103 tactbetweenindividuals.Theherdimmunity
Delhi 10,853 1.36 2.2 61.70% 0.84 Where it’s headed
disease (IBD) should not assume they of 328) treated exclusively with inflix- concept is based on lowering the number of
are protected after a first dose of imabgenerated adequate levelsof an- susceptibleindividuals.If sufficientindividu- Mumbai 11,356 1.42 2 71.00% 0.58 The future trajectory depends on the na-
Covid-19 vaccine, say the authors of a tibodies to the virus for the vaccine to als in the population are immune (either tureof theviruscausingthisrecentsurge–in
large-scalestudythatfoundmanyhad beconsideredeffective.Inparticipants throughvaccinationorapriorexposure),then addition to behaviour patterns. If the virus,
poor antibody responses. simultaneously taking infliximab and thenumberof susceptibleindividualsdrops. In a room with a high scenario is higher, then even inthe formof a new strain, isnot infect-
The research measured antibody immunomodulator drugs, the levels For example, if the immune population is number of susceptible in- these will find more sus- ing the prior infected population, then the
responses after vaccination with the of antibodies were even lower after a 70%, then the susceptible population is 30%. dividuals, and a certain ceptible individuals and good newsis thatwehavedealtwiththis sit-
Pfizer-BioNTech or the Oxford- single vaccine dose; only 125 of 537 The prediction for future cases, unfortu- number of viruses (balls THE EXPERT number of cases will in- uation last year and managed to control it
AstraZeneca Covid-19 vaccine in 865 met the threshold of a positive anti- nately, is not that simple. If the rate of trans- bouncing around), the DR TUSHAR GORE’s crease. This point is often (even though the scientific reasons behind
people treated with infliximab, an body test. missionincreases(duetochangeinsocialbe- balls will land on many focus area is missedinherdimmunity the control are not completely understood).
anti-tumournecrosisfactor(anti-TNF) However, in a sub-group of people haviourandincreasedcontact)thenevenwith susceptible individuals pharmaceuticals. He discussions. The implicationis that current casesare only
biologic drug, prescribed to around who had previously been infected alargepercentageoftheimmunepopulation, and “infect” them. In con- studied at IIT-Bombay The “herd immunity” amongst the susceptible population, and,
two million people worldwide. (One with Covid-19, and also in the few pa- asignificantnumberof dailycasescanresult. trast, in a room largely of and the University of number is not a static therefore, lowering activity (to levels similar
of the brand names under which in- tients studied who had already had a immune individuals and Minnesota, and has number but it changes tolastyear)willleadtocontrol.Thereissome
fliximab is marketed is second dose of vaccine, Not a static number with same number of worked at McKinsey and depending on the rate of reason to believe that this is the case, based
Remicade, which has got the vaccine-triggered an- A visualrepresentation presents the con- balls, many balls will land Novo Nordisk. He is the transmission of the virus on anecdotal evidence that this wave is dis-
regulatory clearance in tibody responses rose sig- cept in a more palatable, if mostly approxi- on only immune individ- former MD/CEO of and the extent of virus proportionately affecting the higher socio-
India.)Anti-TNF drugsare nificantly,indicatinganef- mate, manner. Imagine a room with suscep- uals and “die” after a cou- Resonance Laboratories, a present. economic segments. A new virus strain in-
effective treatments for fective response after two tible and immune individuals. The virus is a ple of bounces. Thus the niche pharmaceuticals differenttothepastexposureof anindividual
immune-mediated in- exposures.Basedonthese ball bouncing from one person to other. If it numberofcasesinthesec- manufacturer.
In the metros would have resulted in all sections getting
flammatory diseases, but observations, the re- hits a susceptible person, it sticks to the per- ond room will be fewer. Serosurveysindicated affected equally.
by suppressing the im- PAPER searchers conclude that son and a new case is generated. If it hits an The crucial point in that Covid had touched In the other scenario, however, the fight

mune system, they can
reduce vaccine effective-
ness and increase risk of
serious infection, the re-
CLIP
people taking anti-TNF
drugs should be consid-
eredapriorityforasecond
NEW RESEARCH vaccination.
immuneindividual,itbouncesontothenext this example is that the number of balls 56% of population in Delhi by January; 75% is much tougher and questions loom about
individual. It can bounce only a couple of (virus particles) in the two scenarios are in some slums Mumbai in November, and currentvaccinesaseffectivetoolstofightthis
bounces after which it “dies”. equal. If the number of balls in the second about 30% in Bengaluru in November. strain. Then we are back to square one.

Why govt wants you to mask up at home too

searchershavesuggested. The CLARITYstudyre-
Led by the University cruited 6,935 patients
of Exeter and the Royal Devon and withCrohn’sdiseaseandulcerativeco-
Exeter NHS Foundation Trust, and litis from 92 UK hospitals between
published in the journal GUT, the pa- SeptemberandDecember2020,toin-
per is an output from the CLARITY vestigate the impact of these drugs on
Study is funded by the UK National COVID-19susceptibilityandprotective
Institute of Health Research (NIHR) immunitythatfollowsinfectionorvac- KAUNAIN SHERIFF M
and Crohn’s and Colitis UK. The re- cination. Previously, the study found NEW DELHI, APRIL 26
search found that people treated with thatinfliximabbluntstheimmunesys-
infliximabhadsignificantlylowercon- temtoCOVID-19infection,potentially THE HEAD of India’s Covid-19 task force, Dr
centrations of antibodies, when com- increasing the risk of reinfection. V K Paul, has said the time has come to wear
pared to 428 people on an alternative The two main forms of IBD are ul- masks at home settings to break the chain of
treatment, vedolizumab. cerative colitis and Crohn’s disease. transmission. His recommendation comes
For a vaccine to be effective, it Symptoms include urgent and fre- asIndiareportedarecord352,991newcases
needs to trigger a sufficient number of quent bloody diarrhoea, weight loss, on Monday and 2,812 deaths in the last 24
virus-targeting antibodies to prevent pain, and extreme fatigue. hours; the country’s activecaseloadhasnow
any subsequent infection. Source: University of Exeter reached 2,813,658.
What is the reason for this
recommendation?
Covid-19 spreads primarily from person
to person through respiratory droplets,
which travel in the air when someone
coughs, sneezes, talks, shout or sings. These
droplets can then land in the mouths or
noses of people in the vicinity, or may be
breathed in.
Again, a large population does not show
symptoms. The asymptomatic people can
continue to spread the infection at home, at
afasterpace.DrPaulstressedthatevenwhen
asymptomatic people are talking, they can
spread the infection.
That is why we have been seeing entire
families, in this wave, turning positive, even
when most of them have stayed indoors.
But why during the second wave?
Asignificantproportionof thevulnerable
population in India have been showing se-
veresymptomsincludingshortnessof breath,
andmanyhaverequiredhospitalisation.The
surge in the requirement of oxygen beds has
overwhelmed the health infrastructure.
Masks are mainly intended to protect
others from Covid-19 rather than
just the wearer. Therefore, the rec-
ommendation is aimed not just at
breaking the chain of transmission,
but also at protecting those at high-
est risk.
There are two targeted out-
comes. First, the elderly and those with co-
morbidities can be protected significantly,
even if one member of the family has an
asymptomatic infection. Second, it can re-
duce the local house outbreaks that have
marked the second wave.
Did the government cite any evidence
while making these arguments?
Yes, it cited data from the North Carolina
Department of Health and Human Service
to say that there is a negligible risk of trans-
mission when there is a distance of 6 feet be-
tween two persons and when both of them
are wearing masks.
According to the data cited, the risk is
1.5% (low) when both people are wearing
masks, 5% (medium) when only the infected
person is wearing a mask and uninfected
persons are unmasked, 30% (high) if the in-
fected person is not wearing a mask but the
uninfected person is wearing one, and 90%
(highest) when neither the infected
nor the uninfected person is wear-
ing a mask.
Have any other countries made a
similar recommendation yet?
The US Centers for Disease
Control and Protection (CDC) makes an al-
mostsimilarrecommendation.TheCDCsays
masks should still be worn in addition to
staying at least 6 feet apart, especially when
indoorsaroundpeoplewhodon’tliveinyour
household.
TheCDCstressesthatolderpeople,specif-
ically,shouldwearamaskwhenaroundpeo-
ple who don’t live in their household. Which
effectivelymeansthatif anewpersoncomes
home,thevulnerableneedtowearamaskto
reduce the risk of getting infected.
Apart from what the government has
cited, has any other study shown the
benefits of indoor masking ?
Yes.Astudyof ChinesefamiliesinBeijing,
acceptedforpublicationintheBritishMedical
Journal, has found that indoor masking it is
79% effective in curbing transmission — but
only before symptoms emerge.
The study of 335 people in 124 families
found that the risk of household transmis-
sion was 18 times higher with frequent daily
close contact with the primary case; face
mask use by the primary case and family
contacts before the primary case developed
symptoms was 79% effective in reducing
transmission;however,wearingamaskafter
illness onset of the primary case was not sig-
nificantly protective.
“The findings inform universal face mask
use and social distancing, not just in public
spaces, but inside the household with mem-
bers at risk of getting infected. This further
supports universal face mask use, and also
provides guidance on risk reductionfor fam-
ilies living with someone in quarantine or
isolation,andfamiliesof healthworkers,who
may face ongoing risk,” the authors write.

WhatMcDormand’sOscarstell—andconceal—aboutHollywoodageism
KABIR FIRAQUE
NEW DELHI, APRIL 26
FRANCES McDORMAND was 63 years and
306 days old on Sunday (Monday morning
in India) when she won the Academy
Award for Best Actress in a Leading Role, for
her performance in Nomadland. Of the four
othernominees,ViolaDaviswas55,andthe
other three below 40.
Itwasthe 94thBestActress awardatthe
Oscars, counting joint winners and repeat
winners as all separate. Only on 10 of these
94occasionshasthewinnerbeenabovethe
age of 60 — including McDormand twice
— and only on 18 occasions has the winner
been aged between 40 and 59.
That last bracket of 40-59 just excludes
McDormand, who was three months short
of her 40th birthday in 1997 when she won
the first of her three Oscars. Her award for
Fargo (1996) is just one of 66 — 70% of 94 —
that have gone to women in their 20s and
30s at the time they received these awards.
Frances McDormand in Nomadland
(2020). She has won her three acting
awards at ages 39, 60 and 63.
Ageism in Hollywood
In a way, the predominance of younger
Oscar winners for Best Actress underlines
theageismthatexistsinHollywood.Putan-
other way, the visibility of seasoned ac-
tresses such as McDormand tends to ob-
scure the same trend.
the Center for the Study of Women in and 30s (29%). The majority of male char-
CHARACTERSIN2020FILMS BESTACTRESSWINNERSBYAGE Television and Film at San Diego State
University, told The Indian Express, by email.
acterswereintheir30s(31%)and40s(28%).
■ Males 40 and over accounted for 52%
■ Female and ■ Male “Since they receive a great deal of atten- of all male characters. Females 40 and over
40
tionafterbeingnominated,weassumethat comprised 32% of all female characters.
Under 20 12 moreactressesover40areworkingandthat ■ There were almost twice as many
9
ageism has diminished in film. However, male characters as female characters aged
20s 24 30
10
we have to remember that the success of 60 and over: 6% of female and 10% of male
30s 29 justafewactressesdoesnotreflectthestate characters were in this age group.
31 of employment for the majority of these
20 women,” she said. The age of Oscar winners
40s 16
28 The average age of the 94 Best Actress
50s 10 The big picture winners (at the time of winning) is 37.3
14 10 The 2021 Oscars recognised films re- years. The oldest winner so far is the late
60s+ 6
leased in 2020. And films released last year Jessica Tandy at age 80 in 1990, for Driving
10
broadlycontinuedthetrendofolderwomen Miss Daisy (1989). Katharine Hepburn won
Source:MarthaLauzen,‘It’saMan’s(Celluloid) 0 getting fewer roles than younger women — thelastof herfourBestActressOscarsatage
World: Portrayals of Female Characters in the 20s 30s 40s 50s 60s 70s 80s andoldermen.Thisisoneof severalaspects 74 (she also won twice in her 60s).
Top Grossing US Films of 2020’ covered in a report, authored by Dr Lauzen Six of the ten 60-pluswinners feature in
andpublishedbyherCenter,ontheportray- the last 10 years alone, including
als of female characters in the top-grossing McDormand at ages 60 and 63, and Meryl
“The more mature actresses, including However, the visibility of these women can US films of 2020. Among the findings: Streep at age 62.
Frances McDormand and Viola Davis, tend skew our perceptions of how female char- ■ Female characters remained younger In contrast to two-thirds of Best Actress
togetmoresubstantialrolesandsobecome acters over 40 are faringoverall,”DrMartha than their male counterparts. The majority winners, just over one-third —33 of 94 —
more prominent during awards season. Lauzen, founder and executive director of of femalecharacterswereintheir20s(24%) BestActorwinnershavebeenunderage40.

Ahmedabad

12 THE WORLD
THE INDIAN EXPRESS, TUESDAY, APRIL 27, 2021
TOPOFTHE
WORLD
Alexei Navalny
RUSSIA
Navalny’s
activistnetwork
orderedtostop
operations
RUSSIA ON Monday or-
dered jailed Kremlin critic
Alexei Navalny’s network
of regional activist groups
to stop their activities as a
court reviews a request to
outlaw them and his Anti-
Corruption Foundation,
representatives of the
groups said. Moscow’s
state prosecutors have
askedthecourttolabelthe
groups “extremist”, a step
thatwouldeffectivelyforce
theactivistnetworksetup
by President Vladimir
Putin’s most high-profile
opponent to stop cam-
paigning and push them
underground. REUTERS
AFGHANISTAN
Rockethitsgovt
compound,16
childreninjured
AROCKEThittheprovincial
governor’s compound in
Afghanistan’seasternKunar
provinceonMondayduring
a religious ceremony,
wounding at least 16 chil-
dren, local officials said,
blamingTalibaninsurgents.
Iqbal Sayeed, the governor
of Kunar, said a Taliban
rocket hit the compound’s
hall as a holy Quran recita-
tion competition was tak-
ing place. Religious affairs
officials were also injured.
REUTERS
TURKEY
532arrests
orderedinprobe
overGulenlinks
TURKISH PROSECUTORS
ordered the arrest of 532
suspects including 459
serving military personnel
in an operation targeting
people linked to a Muslim
clericwhoAnkarasayswas
behind a 2016 attempted
coup, state-owned
Anadolu news agency said
on Monday. The investiga-
tion was being conducted
in 62 provinces as part of a
sustained crackdown
against the network of US-
based preacher Fethullah
Gulen. REUTERS
‘Nomadland’ wins best picture, Zhao makes history
JAKE COYLE
APRIL 26
CHLOÉ ZHAO’S Nomadland, a
wistful portrait of itinerant lives
on open roads across the
AmericanWest,wonbestpicture
Sunday at the 93rd Academy
Awards, where the China-born
Zhao became the first woman of
colour to win best director and a
historicallydiversegroupof win-
ners took home awards.
In thebiggestsurprise of a so-
cially distanced Oscar ceremony
held during the pandemic, best
actor went to Anthony Hopkins
forhisperformanceinthedemen-
tia drama The Father. The award
hadbeenwidelyexpectedtogoto
Chadwick Boseman for his final
performanceinMaRainey’sBlack
Bottom. The night’s last award, it
ended the ceremony on a down
note, particularly since Hopkins
wasn’t in attendance.
Hours later, Hopkins made a
belated victory speech from his
Welsh homeland and paid trib-
utetoBoseman,whohesaidwas
“taken from us far too early”.
TheNomadlandvictory,while
widely expected, nevertheless
capped the extraordinary rise of
Zhao, a lyrical filmmaker whose
PeopletakeselfiesoutsidetheColosseumonthedayof itsreopening,inRomeonMonday. Reuters
Hit hard by Covid-19 initially,
Italy tiptoes towards normality
REUTERS
ROME, APRIL 26
ITALY INCHED forward towards
normality on Monday as coffee
bars, restaurants, cinemas and
theatresreopenedinmostregions
aspartofaphasedspringtimere-
laxation of Covid lockdowns.
“Finally!” said Lorenzo
Campania, an elderly man from
a small village near Rome, as he
had breakfast seated at an out-
door table near the capital’s cen-
tral Piazza Venezia.
Fourteen of the country’s 20
regions have been designated
yellow zones, meaning there is a
relatively low risk from Covid.
Five are classified orange and
UK-Iranian aid worker UK’s Johnson denies reports that Rare UAE rebuke for Israel
sentenced to another he said ‘let the bodies pile high’ over violence in Jerusalem
year in jail by Iran court GUY FAULCONBRIDGE,
REUTERS
APRIL 26
AN IRANIAN court sentenced
British-Iranian aid worker
Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe to an-
other year in jail, just weeks af-
ter she finished a prior five-year
sentence, a decision Britain
called “inhumane”.
When Zaghari-Ratcliffe was
freed from house arrest last
month at the end of a sentence
for seeking to overthrow Iran’s
government, her family had
hoped she could go home to
London.
But she was immediately or-
deredbackintocourttofacenew
charges of propaganda against
Iran’s ruling system.
“So, the lawyer was sum-
moned to (the judge’s) office to-
day and was shown the verdict,
but was not given a copy. One
year’s sentence, plus one year’s
travel ban (which I presume run
consecutively),” her husband
Richard told Reuters in an email,
adding that an appeal would be
filed within 20 days.
THIS YEAR’S OSCARS BECAME THE MOST AMBITIOUS AWARD SHOW HELD DURING THE PANDEMIC
AnthonyHopkinsinascene
fromTheFather.Hopkins
wonthebestactoraward,but
didnotattendtheceremony
winningfilmisjustherthird,and
which — with a budget less than
$5 million — ranks as one of the
most modest-sized movies to
win Hollywood’s top honour.
“I have always found good-
ness in the people I’ve met
everywhereIwentintheworld,”
said Zhao when accepting best
director, whichKathryn Bigelow
(The Hurt Locker) was the only
previous woman to win.
The most ambitious award
show held during the pandemic,
the Oscars rolled out a red carpet
and tried to restored some glam-
ourtoagrimyear.Forthefirsttime
ever, the nominees were over-
whelminglyseeninthehomedur-
ing a pandemic year that forced
theatres to close and prompted
radicalchangeinHollywood. AP
one, Sardinia, red.
In the yellow zones, coffee
bars and restaurants are now al-
lowed to serve customers out-
doors after a near-total shut-
down of about six weeks.
However, having a quick
espressoandcornetto,theequiv-
alent of the French croissant,
standing at the bar — a morning
ritual for millions — will still be
prohibitedforanothersixweeks.
“People really want to come
and have their breakfast stand-
ing up at the bar,” said Loredana
Pompeii, the owner of a bar in
central Rome.
Outdoor amateur team con-
tact sports were also allowed
again. The re-opening of pools
and gyms will be phased in over
ASSOCIATED PRESS
Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe
The Iranian judiciary could
not be reached for comment.
In a statement calling for
Zaghari-Ratcliffe’s release,
British Foreign Secretary
Dominic Raab said: “This is a to-
tally inhumane and wholly un-
justified decision.”
Earlier, Prime Minister Boris
Johnson told reporters: “I don’t
think it’s right at all that Nazanin
shouldbesentencedtoanymore
time in jail.”
Zaghari-Ratcliffe, a project
manager with the Thomson
Reuters Foundation charity, was
arrested at a Tehran airport in
April 2016 and later convicted of
plotting to overthrow the cleri-
cal establishment.
And the winners are...
(Above) Chloe Zhao; (Right) Frances McDormand and
Yuh-Jung Youn; (Below) Daniel Kaluuya. AP
Best picture: Nomadland
Best actress: Frances
McDormand, Nomadland
Best actor: Anthony
Hopkins, The Father
Original screenplay:
Promising Young Woman,
Emerald Fennell
Best supporting actor:
Daniel Kaluuya, Judas and
the Black Messiah
the next few weeks, with strict
social distancing rules in force.
Theatres,cinemas,museums
and cultural heritage sites re-
opened, albeit with limited ca-
pacity of no more than 50 per-
centforthoseindoors.Manyalso
required online reservations in
order to control the flow. The
Colosseum re-opened for indi-
viduals but not for tour groups.
Italy was the first Western
country to be hit-hard by Covid
inearly2020,andhealthofficials
havestressedthatpeopleshould
still be careful, wear masks and
keep social distancing.
Some restaurants with out-
door space said they would wait
to reopen until June 1, when in-
door dining will be allowed.
ANDY BRUCE
& WILLIAM JAMES
LONDON, APRIL 26
BRITISH PRIME Minister Boris
Johnson on Monday denied a
newspaper report that he had
saidhewouldratherbodiespiled
“high in their thousands” than
orderathirdCovid-19lockdown.
Johnson is facing a stream of
allegationsinnewspapers—allof
Student’s Snapchat profanity leads to US top court free speech case
MARK SHERMAN
WASHINGTON, APRIL 26
FOURTEEN-YEAR-OLD BRANDI
Levy was havingthat kindof day
where she just wanted to
scream. So she did, in a profan-
ity-laced posting on Snapchat
that has, improbably, ended up
before the Supreme Court in the
most significant case on student
speech in more than 50 years.
At issue is whether public
schools can discipline students
over something they say off-
EU sues AstraZeneca over delays
in delivery of Covid-19 vaccine
27-nation bloc says firm did not respect contract, didn’t have ‘reliable’ plan
FRANCESCO GUARASCIO
&GISELDA VAGNONI
BRUSSELS, APRIL 26
THE EUROPEAN Commission
said on Monday it had launched
legal action against AstraZeneca
for notrespecting its contract for
the supply of Covid-19 vaccines
and for not having a “reliable”
plan to ensure timely deliveries.
AstraZeneca said in response
that the legal action by the EU
was without merit and pledged
to defend itself strongly in court.
Under the contract, the
Anglo-Swedish company had
committed to making its “best
reasonableefforts”todeliver180
million vaccine doses to the EU
inthesecondquarterof thisyear,
for a total of 300 million in the
period from December to June.
But AstraZeneca said in a
statement on March 12 it would
aim to deliver only one-third of
that by the end of June, of which
about 70 million would be in the
second quarter. A week after
that, the Commission sent a le-
gal letter to the company in the
first step of a formal procedure
to resolve disputes. read more
AstraZeneca’s delays have
contributed towards hampering
the 27-nation bloc’s vaccination
drive,asthevaccinedevelopedby
Oxford University was initially
supposed to be the main one in
an EU rollout in the first half of
UK PM
Boris
Johnson
them denied — about everything
fromhismuddledinitialhandling
oftheCovid-19crisistoquestions
over who financed the redecora-
tion of his official apartment.
The Daily Mail newspaper
cited unidentified sources as
campus. The topic is especially
meaningful in a time of remote
learning because of the coron-
avirus pandemic and a rising
awareness of the pernicious ef-
fects of online bullying.
ArgumentsareonWednesday,
viatelephonebecauseofthepan-
demic, before a court on which
several justices have school-age
childrenorrecentlydid.
The case has its roots in the
Vietnam-era case of a high
school in Des Moines, Iowa, that
suspended students who wore
armbandstoprotestthewar.Ina
Best supporting
actress: Yuh-Jung
Youn, Minari
Adapted screenplay:
Florian Zeller and
Christopher Hampton,
The Father
International film:
Another Round,
Denmark
Best director: Chloé
Zhao, Nomadland
Animated feature:
Soul
Documentary
feature: My Octopus
Teacher
Original score: Soul,
Trent Reznor, Atticus
Ross and Jon Batiste
E
E X P L A I NE D
Sending a
● message
EUOFFICIALShavereportedly
saidthatthemovetosue
AstraZenecawasbecausethe
blocwantedtosendouta
messagethatitwaswillingto
takestrictactiontosecurethe
vaccinedosesthatithador-
dered.However,someEU
members,including
Germany,wereinitiallyop-
posedtothemoveonthe
groundsthatitwasunlikelyto
speedupdeliveries.Thecom-
panyhasfacedmultipleset-
backsaroundtheworldthat
havedelayedboththemanu-
factureanddistributionof its
vaccine,anditremainstobe
seenif theEUlegalactionwill
haveaanyeffectonitsability
tomeetitscommitments.
this year. After repeated cuts in
supplies, the bloc changed its
plans and now relies mostly on
the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine.
Under the contract, the case
will need to be resolved by
Belgian courts.
“The Commission has started
last Friday a legal action against
AstraZeneca,” an EU spokesman
said,notingall27EUstatesbacked
REUTERS
themove.
saying that, in October, shortly
after agreeing to a second lock-
down, Johnson told a meeting in
Downing Street: “No more
f***ing lockdowns — let the bod-
ies pile high in their thousands.”
Asked whether he had made
the remark, Johnson told broad-
casters: “No, but again, I think
the important thing, I think, that
people want us to get on and do
as a government is to make sure
that the lockdowns work, and
they have.” REUTERS
Brandi Levy. Reuters
landmark ruling, the Supreme
Court sided with the students,
declaring students don’t “shed
their constitutional rights to
freedomof speechorexpression
India link: Win
for ‘My Octopus
Teacher’, Irrfan
and Athaiya
remembered
Los Angeles: My Octopus Teacher,
which credits Indian filmmaker
Swati Thiyagarajan as associate
producer and production man-
ager, won the best documentary
featureattheOscars,whereactor
IrrfanKhanandcostumedesigner
BhanuAthaiyawerehonouredin
the ‘In Memoriam’ segment.
“We won!!! Best documen-
tary feature Oscar!!!,”
Thiyagarajan tweeted after My
OctopusTeacherbaggedtheOscar.
The Netflix documentary, di-
rected by Pippa Ehrlich and
James Reed, documents film-
maker Craig Foster’s unusual re-
lationshipwithafemaleoctopus
in a South African kelp forest.
Like every year, the Academy
Awards also paid tribute to in-
dustrylegendswhopassedaway
in the previous year in its three-
minute‘InMemoriam’montage.
Khan and Athaiya were re-
membered along with Chadwick
Boseman, Sean Connery,
Christopher Plummer, Olivia de
Havilland, Kirk Douglas, Max von
Sydowandothers. PTI
Pandemic rages in
Latin America amid
vaccine shortage
REUTERS
BUENOS AIRES, LA PAZ,
BOGOTA, APRIL 26
LATIN AMERICANS, hard-hit by
the coronavirus pandemic, are
struggling to get vaccinated, a
threat to the region’s fragile eco-
nomic recovery as lockdowns
tightenamidadangeroussurgeof
infections and rising death tolls.
The region of some 660 mil-
lion people has recorded almost
30% of the world’s 3.2 million
Covid-19 deaths to date, despite
being home to just 8% of the
world’s population. Whilecoun-
tries in Africa and Asia also lag
behind Europe and North
America on inoculations, health
expertssay LatinAmerica'sneed
for vaccines is the most urgent.
The scarcity comes down to a
fewfactors:highincomecountries
snapped up most of the available
doses,andLatinAmericanofficials
haveciteddifficultiessealingdeals
for their own people. A plan to
manufacturetheAstraZenecavac-
cinelocallyhasbeenhitbydelays,
DUBAI, APRIL 26
THE UNITED Arab Emirates on
Monday warned that any moves
to change the historic identity of
Jerusalem threaten peace, and
called on Israel to put an end to
violence following the latest
clashes between Israelis and
Palestinians in the city.
The statement was a rare re-
buke of Israel by the UAE, which
haswelcomedtensof thousands
at the schoolhouse gate.”
Levy’s case has none of the
loftymotivesof Tinkerandmore
than its share of teenage angst.
Levy and a friend were at a
convenience store in her home-
town of Mahonoy City,
Pennsylvania, when she took to
social media to express her frus-
tration at being kept on her high
school’sjuniorvarsitycheerlead-
ing squad for another year.
“F*** school f*** softball f***
cheerf***everything,”Levywrote,
in a post that also contained a
photo in which she and a class-
China censors reaction
to Zhao’s Oscars as
South Korea lauds Youn
HUIZHONG WU
TAIPEI, APRIL 26
CHLOÉ ZHAO’S history-making
Oscars sweep, winning best di-
rector and best picture, is being
met with a muted response in
her country of birth, and even
censorship.
Zhao’s Nomadland is the sec-
ond film directed by a woman to
win a best picture Oscar. She is
the first woman of colour and
second woman ever to win the
Oscars for best director.
Yet,inChina,whereZhaowas
born,herhistory-makingsuccess
has not been trumpeted or cele-
brated. State media in China re-
mainedsilentasofMondayafter-
noon,withnomentionofherwin
by either CCTV and Xinhua, the
two main state-run outlets.
Instead, there was even cen-
sorship. A post announcing
Zhao’s directing win by film
magazine Watch Movies, which
has over 14 million followers on
theubiquitousWeibomicroblog,
was censored a few hours after
WWW.INDIANEXPRESS.COM
People queue up outside a
vaccination centre in La Paz,
Bolivia. Reuters
and suppliers like Russia have
facedtheirownhold-ups.
Meanwhile,theglobalCOVAX
programmetosupplyvaccinesto
poorer countries has been
bogged down by production
glitches, a lack of support from
wealthy nations, and a recent
movebyIndia,thebiggestvaccine
manufacturer, to curb exports.
With vaccine roll-outs lag-
ging behind once ambitious
plans, coronavirus cases have
soared, with intensive care units
from Argentina to Colombia fill-
ing up and death tolls hitting
record highs.
of Israeli tourists and signed a
slewof dealsto strengthenbilat-
eraltiessincetheadministration
of former US President Donald
Trump brokered a historic and
surprise deal to normalise rela-
tionsbetween thetwo countries
some seven months ago.
The UAE Foreign Ministry
said in a statement, carried on
the Emirates’ state news agency,
that it was concerned over “acts
of violence committed by right-
wing extremist groupsin theoc-
cupied East Jerusalem”.
mate raised their middle fingers.
The post was brought to the
attention of the team’s coaches,
who suspended Levy from the
cheerleading team for a year.
Levy, now 18, is finishing her
freshman year in college. “I was a
14-year-oldkid.Iwasupset,Iwas
angry. Everyone, every 14-year-
old kid speaks like that at one
point,” she said. Her parents filed
afederallawsuit,claimingthesus-
pensionviolatedtheirdaughter’s
constitutional speech rights, that
hasnowreachedallthewaytothe
US Supreme Court. AP
it appeared Monday morning. A
hashtag called “Chloe Zhao wins
Best Director” was also censored
on the platform with users com-
ing across an error message say-
ing, “according to relevant laws
and regulations and policies, the
page is not found.”
Instarkcontrast,SouthKorea’s
Youn Yuh-jung, who played the
grandmotherinMinari,couldstill
besearchedontheChineseinter-
net. Youn got the best supporting
actress award, becoming the first
KoreanperformertowinanOscar.
And in Youn’s home of South
Korea, “Actor Youn Yuh-jung”
topped Twitter’s trending list
whileotherSouthKoreancelebri-
ties quickly offered their congrat-
ulations. Lee Byung-hun, a South
Koreanactorknownabroadforhis
role in the G.I. Joe series, posted a
photo of Youn clutching an Oscar
trophy.“Impossibleisjustanopin-
ion,” he wrote on the post. Bae
DoonafromtheacclaimedNetflix
seriesKingdomandawell-known
actorKimHye-sooalsocongratu-
lated Youn on their social media
accounts. AP
Ahmedabad

13 ECONOMY
THE INDIAN EXPRESS, TUESDAY, APRIL 27, 2021
SENSEX: 48,386.51 ▲ 508.06 (1.06%) NIFTY: 14,485.00 ▲ 143.65 (1%) NIKKEI: 29,126.23 ▲ 105.60 HANG SENG: 28,952.83 ▼ 125.92 FTSE: 6,946.91 ▲ 8.35 DAX: 15,261.13 ▼ 18.49
PANDEMIC WATCH
Turning vacant
MCA NOTICE
offices into Covid
care facilities: Govt
seeks cos’ support
GujaratUniversityconventionandexhibitioncentrein
AhmedabadhasbeenturnedintoaCovidfacility.TheMCA
hasurgedcompaniestoexploreturningvacantoffice
spacesintotemporaryCovidcarefacilities. NirmalHarindran
ENSECONOMICBUREAU
NEWDELHI,APRIL26
AS THE number of Covid-19
patientscontinuerisingacross
the country, the Ministry of
Corporate Affairs (MCA) has
urged companies to look into
the possibility of converting
their vacant office spaces into
temporaryCovidcarefacilities
witheitherisolationbedsora
combination of isolation and
oxygen beds. In a notice on its
website, the MCA said that in
view of the work from home
mode adopted by most of
theirpeers,companiesshould
lookintosettingupsuchtem-
porary facilities to cater to the
rapidly rising Covid-19 case-
load in the country.
“I would like to appeal to
your company to come for-
wardandsupplementgovern-
ment efforts in fulfilling the
risinghospitalisationneedsin
view of the second Covid
surge. Your prompt and tar-
getedeffortswillcertainlyhelp
inprovidingthemuchneeded
relieftothecitizensduringthis
difficulttime,”MCASecretary
Rajesh Verma said in a post.
AsofApril25,thetotaltally
of Covid-19 cases in India
ComMin
BRIEFLY
helpdesk
New Delhi: The Commerce
MinistrysaidMondayithas
startedaCovid-19helpdesk
to help resolve issues of ex-
porters and importers re-
lated to international trade.
‘Indiatogrowat
10.2%in2021’
NewDelhi:OxfordEconom-
icsonMondayreviseddow-
nwardsIndia’s2021GDPgr-
owth forecast from 11.8 per
cent earlier to 10.2 per cent.
Domesticflights:
CapstillMay31
New Delhi: The limits im-
posed on airfares and on
number of domestic flights
that can be operated in the
Indianmarketwillextendtill
May 31, the Civil Aviation
Ministry said Monday. PTI
UpGradgets
$120million
NewDelhi:Onlineeducation
companyUpGradsaidMon-
dayithasraised$120million
in funding from Singapore-
based Temasek. FE
FormerMDof
Marutinomore
Mumbai:Formermanaging
director of Maruti Suzuki
India Jagdish Khattar (79)
passed away Monday mor-
ning after a cardiac arrest,
sourcesclosetohimsaid. PTI
PaytmWealth
Community
NewDelhi:Paytmhaslaunc-
hedPaytmWealthCommu-
nity,avideo-basedplatform
tolearnmarkettrading. ENS
crossed the 17 million mark,
while active cases went past
the 2.5 million mark. Most
major states and cities across
India,includingNewDelhi,are
facing acute shortages of in-
tensivecareunitbeds,medical
oxygen, vital medicines
needed for treatment of
Covid-19, ventilators, and
othernecessaryinfrastructure.
The MCA had, through an
earliernotificationonApril22,
saidthatthefundscompanies
and startups use to set up
Covid care facilities such as
makeshifthospitalswouldbe
eligible for consideration as
corporatesocialresponsibility
(CSR)activity.Thiswasinaddi-
tion to notifications issued by
the MCA last year in March
and August, where it had said
that spending of funds to
tackle the Covid pandemic
and in development of vac-
cine,drugsormedicaldevices
forCovid-19wouldbeconsid-
eredasaneligibleCSRactivity.
Companies with a mini-
mum net worth of Rs 500
crore, turnover of Rs 1,000
crore,ornetprofitofRs5crore
are required to spend at least
2 per cent of their average
profitforpreviousthreeyears
on CSR activities every year.
RBI caps pvt bank MD, CEO age at 70 Markets shrug off concerns
Upperagelimitfornon-executivedirectors,includingtheChair,shouldbe75years
ENSECONOMICBUREAU
MUMBAI,APRIL26
THE RBI on Monday fixed the
tenure of the managing director
(MD),chiefexecutiveofficer(CEO)
and whole-time director (WTD)
inaprivatesectorbankat15years
andprescribedthemaximumage
at70yearsforsuchfunctionaries.
Unveiling the norms regard-
ing the chair and meetings of the
board, composition of certain
committees of the board, age,
tenureandremunerationofdirec-
torsandappointmentofWTDson
Monday,theReserveBankofIndia
(RBI) said the upper age limit for
non-executive directors (NEDs),
including the Chair of the board,
should be 75 years and after at-
taining the age of 75, no person
can continue in these positions.
The total tenure of an NED,
continuouslyorotherwise,onthe
boardofabank,shouldnotexceed
eightyears.Aftercompletingeight
years on the board, the person
maybeconsideredforre-appoint-
Apple announces first
US East Coast campus
in North Carolina
ASSOCIATEDPRESS
CUPERTINO,APRIL26
APPLE ANNOUNCED plans on
Monday to invest more than $1
billion in North Carolina to build
the company’s first East Coast
campus,amoveexpectedtobring
atleast3,000newjobstothestate.
The development comes as
partofaneffortbyAppletoupin-
vestment as the US begins re-
building from the Covid pan-
demic,asperanApplestatement.
North Carolina Governor Roy
Cooper said he privately spoke
with Apple CEO Tim Cook, who
explained that “he feels good
WORK ON DIVESTMENT PROPOSALS AT ADVANCED STAGE: OFFICIALS
‘Stimulusbuiltin’,govttofocus
onrollingoutBudgetproposals
SUNNYVERMA
NEWDELHI,APRIL26
EVEN AS sections of the industry
are demanding an economic
package to support the economy
batteredbysporadicstatespecific
lockdowns, the government is
currently focussed on effective
implementation of the Budget
proposals as they have a lot stim-
ulus already built into them, two
senior government officials said.
Sources said the idea is to get
thecapitalexpendituregoingand
explorethepossibilityofanyfresh
economic package later on, de-
pendinguponhowtheeconomic
situationevolves.RisingCovid-19
infectionshaveresultedinseveral
states imposing lockdowns,
which is affecting supply chains
and making recovery difficult
acrosssectorslikeaviation,hospi-
tality, tourism, among others.
WhiletheCentralgovernment
has announced steps to ease im-
ports of oxygen as well as related
medical equipment, and ex-
tendedtheemergencycreditline
facilitytostressedcompanies,an-
otherroundofeconomicpackage
is yet to be discussed. The Centre
hasadvocatedagainstimposinga
COVID-19 IMPACT
‘Lockdowns, travel curbs by
states dampen fuel, ATF sale’
Lockdowns and travel restrictions imposed by some states
have dampened sale of auto fuels and aviation turbine fuel
(ATF), leading to refining and marketing companies
reducing throughputs, an Icra report said
BENCHMARKMARGINS
SUBDUED:
ThebenchmarkSingaporegross
refiningmargins(GRMs)remain
subduedduetotheglobalsupply
overhangamidademand
slowdown&areunlikelyto
Why is it important: Though it is expected that retail prices of auto fuels would be hiked from May,
the said rise is likely to be calibrated over a period of time, given the resurging pandemic
MAXIMUM TENURE
OF 15 YEARS
■ The MD & CEO or
WTD, who is also a
promoter or major
shareholder, cannot
hold these posts for
over 12 years. However,
in extraordinary
circumstances, at the
sole discretion of the
RBI, such MD & CEO or
WTD may be allowed to
continue up to 15 years
ment only after a minimum gap
of three years, the RBI added.
In addition to sitting fees and
expenses related to attending
meetings of the board and its
committees as per extant statu-
tory norms/practices, the bank
mayprovideforpaymentofcom-
pensationtoNEDsintheformofa
fixed remuneration commensu-
rate with an individual director’s
AppleCEOTimCook Reuters file
aboutourdiversity,inclusionand
anti-discrimination landscape.”
The campus and engineering
hub is set to be located in the
Raleigh-Durham area’s Research
Triangle Park.
E Nov 2020 hack
E X P L A I NE D
Infra
among
● focus areas
AMONGTHEfocusareas
of theBudgetistheinfra-
structuresector,which
willseeamajorityof the
budgetedcapitalexpendi-
tureforFY22.Asthesector
couldcreateamultiplier
effectintheeconomy,
progresshasbeenmade
ontheproposalforcre-
ationof thedevelopment
financeinstitutiontofund
keyinfrastructureprojects.
national lockdown, while stress-
ing that having “micro contain-
ment zones” as a strategy to deal
with surging Covid-19 infections
across states is the way forward.
“We have our deliberations
everydayintheFinanceMinistry.
Thefocusisonsavinglives.There
is no discussion of an economic
package. We believe the Budget
already has a lot of stimulus built
in and we are focussed on deliv-
ering on that. The work with re-
gardtoalotofdisinvestmentpro-
materiallyimproveinthe
near-term
FACTORSTHATCOULD
DAMPENOILDEMAND
ANDGRMs:
■ Travel restrictions imposed
responsibilities and demands on
time, which are considered suffi-
cient to attract qualified compe-
tent individuals. However, such
fixed remuneration for an NED,
other thanthe Chair of theboard,
should not exceed Rs 20 lakh per
annum, the RBI said.
The MD & CEO or WTD, who
isalsoapromoterormajorshare-
holder,cannotholdthesepostsfor
over12years.However,inextraor-
dinary circumstances, at the sole
discretion of the Reserve Bank,
such MD & CEO or WTD may be
allowedtocontinueupto15years.
While examining the matter
of re-appointment of such MD &
CEO or WTD within the 12-15
yearsperiod,thelevelof progress
and adherence to the milestones
for dilution of promoters’ share-
holdinginthebankshouldalsobe
factored in by the RBI.
“TheChairoftheboardshould
beanindependentdirector.Inthe
absenceof theChairof theboard,
themeetingsof theboardshould
bechairedbyanindependentdi-
rector. The quorum for the board
Global crude
falls on India’s
Covid surge,
supply rise
REUTERS
LONDON, APRIL 26
OIL FELL on Monday on fears
that surging Covids-19 cases in
India will dent fuel demand in
the world’s third-biggest oil im-
porter, while the end of a force
majeure on exports from a
Libyanterminalandanexpected
supply increase from OPEC+
added to pressure.
Brent crude was $1.08, or 1.6
per cent, lower at $65.03 a bar-
rel by 1329 GMT. US West Texas
Intermediate (WTI) crude was
down 97 cents, or 1.6 per cent, at
$61.17 a barrel.
posals is at an advanced stage,” a
senior official told The Indian
Express when asked about the
need for another round of stimu-
lus package.
“The budgetedcapitalexpen-
diture in 2021-22 is higher by al-
most35percentcomparedtothe
previousyear,muchofwhichwill
be spent on infrastructure sector
to create a multiplier effect in the
economy. This is in line with the
vision outline in the National
Infrastructure Pipeline, and pro-
videacushionagainstanytempo-
rary slowdown in momentum of
recovery,” the official added.
Progress has been made on
some of the crucial Budget pro-
posalslikesettingupofadevelop-
mentfinanceinstitution(DFI),and
raising the foreign direct invest-
ment (FDI) limit in the insurance
sector to 74 per cent.
In the 2021-22 Budget
Estimates (BE), capital expendi-
ture has been pegged at Rs 5.54
lakh crore, a rise of 34.5 per cent
over the 2020-21 BE of Rs 4.12
lakh crore and 26.2 per cent in-
crease over FY21 Revised
Estimates (RE) of Rs 4.39 lakh
crore. “With this increase capital
expenditureaspercentageofGDP
increased from 1.8 per cent in BE
by many countries on
flights from India
■ New Covid mutant,
responsible for a virulent
second wave, spreading to at
least 10 other countries
EFFECTOFLOWDEMAND:
Althoughnotassevereasin
April2020,slowdownin
demandisleadingto:
■ Refining and marketing
companies cutting down on
capacity utilisation
■ Low revenues and operating
profitability for such
companies
Source: Icra/PTI
meetings should be one-third of
the total strength of the board or
three directors, whichever is hig-
her,” it said. At least half of the di-
rectorsattendingboardmeetings
shall be independent directors.
The Audit Committee of the
board (ACB) shall be constituted
with only NEDs. The Chair of the
board shall not be a member of
theACB.TheACBshallmeetwith
a quorum of three members. At
least two-thirds of the members
attendingthemeetingof theACB
shouldbeindependentdirectors.
Theboardshouldconstitutea
risk management committee
(RMCB) with a majority of NEDs.
“ThoughacaponCEOtenures
is contented to separate owner-
shipfrommanagement,itwould
have a pernicious impact upon
shareholder interest of private
banks. As such a limitation on
tenure would boost short-term
decisions by the CEO thereon, it
would be in contradiction to the
stakeholderinterest,”saidSonam
Chandwani,managingpartner,KS
Legal & Associates.
WTO head: Targeting China
with trade reforms won’t work
PHILIPBLENKINSOP
BRUSSELS,APRIL26
CHINAISmorelikelytocooperate
with global trade reforms if it is
not made to feel a target of other
internationalpowers,theheadof
the World Trade Organization
(WTO) said on Monday.
AnxiousaboutChina’spower-
ful state-owned enterprises, the
United States, European Union
and Japan are pushing for curbs
on industrial subsidies they say
distort the global economy.
However, their proposals re-
quire unanimous approval from
the WTO’s 164 members includ-
ing China. They also argue China
should no longer benefit from
concessionsfordevelopingcoun-
GOLD
`46,976
Note: Gold, silver rates at Delhi spot market; gold per 10 g, silver per 1 kg; Crude oil (Indian basket) as on April 23, 2021
2020-21 to 2.5 per cent in BE
2021-22,”accordingtotheBudget
documents.
Last Friday, the government
saiditwasrestartingthePradhan
MantriGaribKalyanAnnaYojana
(PM-GKAY)toprovideadditional
5 kg of foodgrains per month (for
MayandJune)freeof costtoben-
eficiariescoveredbytheNational
FoodSecurityAct,2013—atanes-
timated cost of Rs 26,000 crore.
To provide relief to stressed
companies, the Finance Ministry
has also expanded the scope of a
government-guaranteed credit
facilitytohealthcareandstressed
sector companies that have loan
dues for up to 60 days (or SMA-1
accounts), as against 30 days ear-
lier (SMA-0).
Responding to a query on
whether another loan morato-
rium or other measures for the
bankingsectorwouldberequired
given the mounting pressure on
companies, Finance Minister
Nirmala Sitharaman — speaking
atanonlinediscussionorganised
byTheIndianExpressandFinancial
Timeslastweek—said:“Although
I am monitoring the economy in
a very detailed fashion on an
everyday basis, at the moment I
don’t have a plan.”
over surging Covid cases, rise 1%
ENSECONOMICBUREAU
NEWDELHI,APRIL26
MARKET BENCHMARKS made a
healthy start to the week on
Monday as investors rushed to
banking, consumption and en-
ergystocks,inspiteofthegrimsit-
uation on the Covid-19 front.
The 30-share BSE Sensex
openedstronglyandremainedin
the positive territory all through
theday,closingat48,386.51—up
508.06 points or 1.06 per cent.
Similarly, the 50-share NSE
Nifty jumped 143.65 points, or 1
per cent, to finish at 14,485.
In the Sensex pack, Axis Bank
was the top performer, rallying
4.40 per cent. ICICI Bank spurted
3.63 per cent after the company
reported a nearly four-fold jump
in March quarter consolidated
profit over the weekend.
Meanwhile, HCL Tech, HDFC
Bank, Maruti, Sun Pharma, TCS,
NTPC and ITC were the laggards,
droppingasmuchas2.87percent.
WTODirector-GeneralNgoziOkonjo-Iweala has saiddealings
shehadwithChinahavebeenveryconstructive. Reuters file
tries given it is on course to be-
come the world’s largest econ-
omy.“WealsohavetoshowChina
is not being targeted... When
Chinafeelsitisbeingtargeted,and
RUPEE
`74.73
Data of almost
20 mn BigBasket
users leaked from
Moved to secure mechanism quite
some time back, says company
ENSECONOMICBUREAU
NEWDELHI,APRIL26
HACKERS HAVE uploaded per-
sonallyidentifiabledataofaround
20 million users belonging to on-
line grocery platform BigBasket
ontheinternet.Thehackwasfirst
reported by cybersecurity firm
Cyble in November last year,
which said that the hackers had
put up the data for sale for Rs 30
lakh. About 50 different data
points such as phone numbers,
emailIDs,passwords,deliveryad-
dresses, order details such as last
order date, order value, number
of times ordered, etc. has been
leaked by hackers.
The incident has come at a
time when BigBasket is in the
processof beingacquiredbysalt-
to-software conglomerate Tata
group,andisawaitinganodfrom
the Competition Commission of
India (CCI).
Last year, when the hack was
reported,thecompanysaidthatit
had filed a police complaint in
with Cyber Crime Cell in
Bengaluru and was verifying
claims made by cyber experts.
OnMonday,thecompanysaid
inastatement:“Thisarticle/social
media post refers to an alleged
data breach in Nov-2020 and not
somethingthathashappenedre-
cently. The reason we know it’s
notrecentisthatthearticle/social
media post mentions the release
of hashed passwords. We had
eliminated all hashed passwords
from our system and moved to a
secureOTP-basedauthentication
mechanismquitesometimeback.
Also, our site does not collect or
store any sensitive personal data
of customers like credit card de-
tails. So customer data continues
to be safe and no further action
needs to be taken by customers”.
Indianfirmshaverecentlywit-
nessed several data breaches.
SENSEXENDSAT48,386.51,NIFTYAT14,485
■The30-shareBSESensex
closedat48,386.51,up
1.06%,whilethe50-share
NSENiftyjumped1%to
finishat14,485
■Meanwhile,therupee
gained28paiseovertheUS
dollartocloseat74.73
“Domestic equities shrugged
off rising Covid-19 cases and re-
bounded mainly led by sharp re-
covery in financials,” said
Binod Modi, head—strategy at
Reliance Securities.
VinodNair,headofresearchat
Geojit Financial Services said the
marketmayremainvolatileinthe
coming days as Covid cases con-
tinue to be high, with April F&O
expiryandtheupcomingFederal
OpenMarketCommittee(FOMC)
meeting in the US being crucial
events this week.
it’s onlyabout China, you geta lot
of resistance,” WTO Director-
GeneralNgoziOkonjo-Iwealatold
a conference hosted by the
EuropeanCommission. REUTERS
WWW.INDIANEXPRESS.COM
OIL SILVER
$63.62 `67,987
International market data till 1900 IST
POLICECOMPLAINT
FILEDLASTYEAR
■Lastyear,whenthe
hackwasreported,
BigBasketsaidithad
filedapolicecomplaint
inwithCyberCrimeCell
inBengaluruandwas
verifyingclaimsmade
bycyberexperts
■Theincidentcomesat
atimewhenBigBasketis
intheprocessof being
acquiredbysalt-to-
softwareconglomerate
TataGroup,andis
awaitinganodfromthe
Competition
Commissionof India
Earlier this month, retail broking
companyUpstoxhadalertedcus-
tomers of a security breach that
includedcontactdataandKYCde-
tails of customers.
Priortothat,lastmonth,hack-
ers had claimed breaching the
customer database of e-wallet
firm MobiKwik.
India does not have a robust
mechanism for user data protec-
tion and penal actions, if any, in
cases of data breaches. The
Personal Data Protection Bill,
whichissaidtocontainprovisions
dealing with the same, has been
pending in Lok Sabha since 2019.
A Joint Parliamentary
Committee, which was initially
supposed to submit its report on
the Bill by March, has sought ex-
tension till the first week of
Parliament’s Monsoon session.
In the absence of the Bill, the
Information Technology Act of
2000 and the rules made in 2011
form a regime of data protection,
which several experts have said
are inadequate.
Meanwhile, the rupee gained
28paiseovertheUSdollartoclose
at 74.73 on Monday, ending its
four-session losing run amid
weakness in the greenback and
positive domestic equities.
A fall in crude oil prices and
improvedriskappetitesupported
thelocalunitevenasworriesover
surging Covid-19 cases restricted
the gains. In the four sessions to
Friday, the rupee had declined by
66 paise or 0.89 per cent on wor-
ries over a record surge in cases
and lockdowns in various states.
Seen off the first
wave, we have
largely adapted:
RBI article
NewDelhi:AmidasurgeinCovid-
19 infections, the only way for-
ward is speedier vaccination,
ramping up of health infrastruc-
tureandobservingpandemicpro-
tocols, an RBI article said.
Noting that healthcare infra-
structureandvaccinesuppliesare
strained, financial markets are
reelingandearningsforecastsface
downgrades,thearticleauthored
by RBI Deputy Governor M D
Patra and other officials said, “Yet
this too shall pass. We have seen
off the first wave, and we have
largely adapted”. The Reserve
BankofIndiasaidviewsexpressed
in the article are those of the au-
thors and do not necessarily rep-
resent its views. ENSWITHPTI
Ahmedabad

14 SPORT
THE INDIAN EXPRESS, TUESDAY, APRIL 27, 2021
BRIEFLY
RaniRampal,6other
women’shockeyteam
playerstestpositive
New Delhi: Seven members of the
Indian women’s hockey team, includ-
ingcaptainRaniRampal,andtwosup-
port staff members on Monday tested
positive forCOVID-19ahead of atrain-
ing camp at the Sports Authority of
India’s(SAI)CentreinBengaluru.Allthe
playersandsupportstaff areasympto-
matic andhavebeenplacedunderob-
servation at the SAI centre.“They were
testedonApril24,postquarantineafter
theirreturnfromtheirrespectivehome
towns to their training base at SAI
Bengaluru,asper thelaid downproto-
col,”theSAIsaidinastatement.Besides
Rampal, the others who have been in-
fected are Savita Punia, Sharmila Devi,
Rajani, Navjot Kaur, Navneet Kaur and
Sushila.Thetwosupportstaffmembers
who have tested positive are video an-
alystAmrutaprakashandscientificad-
visor Wayne Lombard. PTI
Moretests,no
quarantineinupdated
Olympicrules
Tokyo:TokyoOlympicorganizersandthe
IOCaretounveilnewplansthisweekto
explain how 15,400 Olympic and
ParalympicathletescancompeteinJapan
when the games open in three months
inthemidstofapandemic.Therolloutof
thesecondeditionof the“Playbooks”—
an IOC guidebook explaining how the
games can be pulled off — comes as
Tokyo,Osakaandseveralotherareashave
beenplacedunderathirdstateofemer-
gency as coronavirus cases surge.
Organizers are expected to announce
dailytestingforathletes.Theyarealsoex-
pected to drop a 14-day quarantine re-
quirement, allowing athletes to train
when they arrive. Athletes will be re-
quiredtostaywithina“bubble”consist-
ingof theOlympicVillageonTokyoBay,
and venues and training areas. Japan’s
Kyodo news agency, citing unnamed
sources,saidathletesandstaff will have
tobetestedtwicewithin96hoursbefore
leaving home. They will also be tested
upon arrival in Japan. The Playbook for
athletesistobeupdatedonWednesday,
withPlaybooksformediaandothersun-
veiled on Friday. The first edition pub-
lishedinFebruarywasvague,andthere
are doubts the latest editions will offer
much specificity. A final edition of all
PlaybookswillbepublishedinJune.AP
Barcelona Open ideal
preparationforclaycourt
season,saysNadal
Barcelona: World number two Rafa
Nadal said his gruelling 6-4 6-7(6) 7-5
win over Stefanos Tsitsipas in the
Barcelona Open final on Sunday could
preparehimforlongbattlesaheadinthe
European claycourt season. The 34-
year-old,whoclaimedarecord-extend-
ing12thBarcelonatitle,sufferedaback
injuryinMelbourneearlierthisyearbe-
fore he was beaten by Tsitsipas in the
Australian Open quarter-finals.
Following a spell out on the sidelines,
the20-timesGrandSlamchampionre-
turned to action at Monte Carlo this
month,goingoutinthequarters.Butthe
Spaniard,whowillbelookingfora14th
FrenchOpencrownwhentheclaycourt
GrandSlambeginsonMay30,showed
hewasreturningtohisbattlingbeston
Sunday,savingamatchpointbeforego-
ingontowinninghisfirsttitleof 2021.
REUTERS
In the right mind space, Deepika mints gold at Archery World Cup
SHIVANI NAIK
MUMBAI, APRIL 26
RAINY-UNSETTLING winds and big-stage
bumbles; clucking tongues of critics and re-
turn journeys without medals. Deepika
Kumari has gone through them all in the
last decade. Every time the expectations
soared – based on results leading up to an
Olympics - Deepika was catapulted into
that cauldron of bubbling hope. A prodi-
gious recurve, Deepika would take on more
tension than the 40-42 poundage of the
bowstring on her shoulders. A wilting on
the biggest stages would follow in the big
pressure matches, and she never quite
strung together slick words to parry away
the media scrutiny.
Moreover, in a sport colour coding your
precision over concentric circles and assign-
ing points in a jiffy, nobody quite under-
stood the forlorn figure at the shooting sta-
tion. Heading into her third Olympics
though, Deepika has brought a fair amount
of emotion to the show: happier emotions.
And you could see it when she won the
individual gold at the Guatemala World Cup
on Sunday.
Vol. LIV No. 72 RNI No. 15048/1968. Printed and Published by Hareshkumar K Bhagdev on behalf of The Indian Express Private Limited. Published at : 3rd Floor, Sambhav House, Bodakdev, Ahmedabad 380 015.
Phone (Board) : 26872481- 82- 83, Fax No. 26873950. Printed at : Bhaskar Print Planet, Survey No. 148P, Changodar-Bavla Highway, Tal. Sanand, Dist. Ahmedabad. Chairman of the Board : Viveck Goenka, Chief Editor : Raj Kamal Jha, Editor : Unni Rajen Shanker, Editor : (Gujarat) Leena Misra *
(*Responsible for selection of News under the PRB Act) Copyright : The Indian Express Private Limited. All rights reserved. Reproduction in any manner, electronic or otherwise, in whole or in part, without prior written permission is prohibited. The Indian Express®
Ashwin leads the pull-outs
Off-spinner leaves IPL to support family fighting Covid; Aussies Zampa, Richardson also going home
SHAMIKCHAKRABARTY
KOLKATA,APRIL26
RAVICHANDRAN ASHWIN has decided to cut
shorthisIndianPremierLeague(IPL)seasonto
support his “family and extended family”.
Australian medium pacer Andrew Tye, and
compatriots, leg-spinner Adam Zampa and
seam-bowling all-rounder Kane Richardson,
are returning home as well. Earlier, England
batsmanLiamLivingstonehadpulledoutciting
bubble fatigue. A grim Covid scenario outside
hasstartedtopenetratetheIPLbubble.
Sofar,21matcheshavebeenplayedinthis
year’stournamentwith39gamesleft.Afterthe
Mumbai and Chennai legs, the tournament is
moving to Delhi and Ahmedabad for the next
phase.Thefinalphaseofgroupleaguefixtures
would be played in Bangalore and Kolkata.
Amidaragingdebate,whetherornotthe2021
IPL should continue, Australia and Kolkata
Knight Riders (KKR) fast bowler Pat Cummins
hasdonated$50,000tothePMCaresFund.The
firstmatchinDelhiisonWednesday,between
ChennaiSuperKingsandSunrisersHyderabad.
Thecityisreelingunderanacuteoxygenshort-
age.Inthelast24hours,Delhirecorded20,201
fresh Covid cases and 380 fatalities. And India
andDelhiCapitalsoff-spinnerAshwindecided
toexitthetournament.
“I would be taking a break from this years
IPL from tomorrow. My family and extended
familyareputtingupafightagainst#COVID19
andIwanttosupportthemduringthesetough
times. I expect to return to play if things go in
therightdirection.Thankyou@DelhiCapitals”,
Ashwin tweeted after the match against
SunrisersonSunday.
Afewdaysago,Ashwin’swifePrithihadre-
marked that the virus had reached their
doorstep.OnSunday,KKRassistantcoachDavid
Hussey told The Age that some of the players
weregetting“twitchy”.Andafranchiseofficial
toldthispaperthata“bigchunk”oftheoff-the-
field conversations in the team have been re-
volvingaroundthesituationoutside.“Thereare
playersand/orsupportstaffintheteamwhose
close relatives have been affected by the virus.
It’snoteasy,”hesaid.
Three Australians leave
CloseontheheelsofAshwin’stweet,came
anRCBTwitterpost,confirmingthedeparture
of Zampa and Richardson. “Adam Zampa &
Kane Richardson are returning to Australia for
personalreasonsandwillbeunavailableforthe
remainder of #IPL2021. Royal Challengers
Bangaloremanagementrespectstheirdecision
andoffersthemcompletesupport,”itsaid.
On Sunday, Rajasthan Royals medium
Knights slay hapless Kings with twin tweakers
SYNOPSIS
■ Finger-flicking spinners Narine and
Chakravarthy applied the squeeze,
Captain Morgan aced the chase.
SRIRAMVEERA
APRIL26
ON A slow-and-low pitch, Kolkata strangled
Punjabwiththeirspinnersinthemiddleovers.
It seemed they wouldn’t get to 100 but Chris
Jordan swung his bat around to push the total
to123.ThechasegotofftothefamiliarKolkata
wobble, but captain Eoin Morgan and Rahul
Tripathisettledtheissue.
The finger-flicking spin pair
In the essence of their art, they seem to be
soulmates:carromballhere,anoff-breakthere,
somecomeonabitslow,othersskidonquick.
Adecadeback,theirtribewouldhavebeenre-
gardedas‘mysteryspinners’;thesedaysthere
Shooting the recurve individual final,
Deepika thrice found herself in a crunch
over the last three days of the event. But
she’d compose herself into stillness to let
the technique and muscle memory take
over. Then she would turn around to the
coach who would validate with a 'badhiyaa.'
And she'd beam away a relieved grin and
guffaw to the team standing behind her.
She was taking her time alright. But she
was pulling out the solid arrows that got the
job done - be it in team or individual.
An unlikely sight of the once teenager,
who grew up in front of an expectant coun-
try, trying to squeeze a medal out of her
prodigious talent, now beginning to enjoy
the pressure.
Speaking to The Indian Express during
lockdown last year, Deepika said "I know
my high level at competitions. I'm not wor-
ried about social media videos of my rivals
training in their backyards through lock-
downs while we are indoors. When com-
petitions come, I'll show my high level to
the world."
Keeping the fletches from falling into
disrepair was her only concern. Marriage to
fellow archer Atanu Das and sessions with
psychologists also helped yield confidence.
PAT CUMMINS DONATES
TO FUND OXYGEN SUPPLIES
Kolkata: Pat Cummins has donated
$50,000 to the PM Cares Fund to pur-
chaseoxygensuppliesforIndia’shospi-
tals. In a Twitter post on Monday, the
AustraliaandKolkataKnightRidersfast
bowlerwrote:“Asplayers,weareprivi-
legedtohaveaplatformthatallowsusto
reachmillionsofpeoplethatwecanuse
forgood.Withthatinmind,Ihavemade
a contribution to the ‘PM Cares Fund,’
specificallytopurchaseoxygensupplies
forIndia’shospitals.”
Cummins also urged fellow players
to come forward, as India is fighting a
toughbattleagainstthepandemic.“Ien-
couragemyfellowIPLplayers–andany-
oneelsearoundtheworldwhohasbeen
touchedbyIndia’spassionandgeneros-
ity – to contribute. I will kick it off with
$50,000.”AtatimewhenseveralIndian
cities are facing oxygen shortage,
Cummins, Australia’s Test vice-captain,
has come forward hoping that his con-
tribution “will make a difference to
someone”. He also spoke about being
“advisedthattheIndianGovernmentis
oftheviewthatplayingtheIPLwhilethe
populationisinlockdownprovidesafew
hours of joy and respite each day at an
otherwisedifficulttimeforthecountry”.
ENS
pacer Tye flew from Mumbai to Doha on his
waytoSydney.AccordingtoCricketAustralia’s
officialwebsite,thisfollowstheAustralianfed-
eral government’s decision to “stop almost a
third of flights from India due to the surge of
coronavirus cases”. India recorded over 3.52
lakh new Covid-19 cases in the 24 hours end-
ing 8 am on Monday.
Manycountries,includingAustraliaandUK,
have either banned or reduced the number of
flightsfromIndia.
It has made a lot of players anxious about
returning home after the IPL. The T20 league
now has 14 Australian players including big
names like Steve Smith, David Warner, Glenn
Maxwell and Cummins, as well as Delhi
CapitalsheadcoachRickyPonting.
CricketAustraliaismaintainingregularcon-
tact with the players and on Monday, CA and
the Australian Cricketers’ Association issued a
joint statement saying: “Cricket Australia and
the Australian Cricketers’ Association remain
in regular contact with Australian players,
isnorealmysteryaboutthem,butSunilNarine
and Chakravarthy did the job in the middle
overstostranglePunjab.Therewasalotofdew
ontheoutfield,anditwouldnothavebeeneasy
as the two kept wiping the ball dry after every
delivery, but they held their poise to strangle
therunflow.Resultantly,thewicketscame,and
Punjabdawdledtowardsabelow-partotal.
It must be said that wicketkeeper Dinesh
Karthikgotthemoodearlyinthismiddle-overs
spell. “Varudu varadu!” (It’s coming, coming)
hewouldencourageChakravarthy,alongwith
little tips on the line and angle of attack, and
theywereoftenspoton.
Chakravarthy kept tweaking and ripping
themasdidNarine,whocarefullyexpungesjoy
from his visage after a wicket; in fact, so does
Chakravarthy. Both got their chances to play
‘cool’afewtimesonthenight.
Narine struck in the 12th over with the big
wicketofMayankAgarwal.Itwasn’tagreatball,
butAgarwalshovelledhispulltothedeepmid-
wicketfielder.Inhisnextover,Narineslippedin
an89.1kmphoff-breakthatthreadedthebat-
The Koreans — Kang Chae Young, Jang
Monger and the top-ranked An San — hold-
ers of the 1400 FITA record and compulsive
champions are not easy to break through.
Deepika’s edge though is that she’s been in
every wretched scenario conceivable.
Overcoming those performance demons,
she is now embracing the pressure.
Up against American Mackenzie Brown
in the gold medal final, she led 3-1 before
Brown levelled proceedings. But unde-
terred, Deepika would ring in a 29 before
the decisive arrow fetched up.
She'd later say her heart was beating
quite audibly, scaring her into nervousness.
But there was no twitchy wreckage this
time, as she'd send the arrow top right, just
millimetres out of the 10 circle. Brown got
a 9 too, but further away - giving the Indian
her third World Cup title. It came just a few
hours after she helped India to a gold in the
team event – striking a spectacular 10 for
the win.
"She's confident because of the experi-
ence now," says former Olympian Dola
Banerjee. "She was always very determined
to correct her mistakes, whether technique
or mentally. Very dedicated and obsessive.
But now she's shooting like a team captain,
Ravichandran Ashwin withdrew from the IPL on Sunday to support his family
during the COVID-19 pandemic. BCCI
coaches and commentators taking part in the
Indian Premier League, which is being con-
ductedunderstrictbiosecurityprotocols.“We
willcontinuetolistentofeedbackfromthoseon
the ground in India and the advice of the
AustralianGovernment.
“Ourthoughtsarewiththepeopleof India
atthisdifficulttime.”
Angst pierces bubble
Thispaperunderstandsthatplayersandsup-
portstaffarenotworriedaboutbubblesafety,as
theyfeelthattheyaresafeinside.Butthesitua-
tionoutsidehasstartedtoimpacttheIPL.
On Saturday, while speaking to in-house
media, Ponting had said: “We right now are
probably the safest people in the country be-
ing in the bubbles that we are in. Continually
I’maskingtheboysatbreakfasteverydayhow’s
everything going on the outside, how’s fam-
ily...” Australia and Mumbai Indians pacer
Nathan Coulter-Nile dittoed. “I was surprised
to see AJ (Tye) go home, and then Zamps
Eoin Morgan’s unbeaten 47 was the
cornerstone of KKR’s chase. BCCI
like a senior should. Calmly.
"Maybe it's meditation, maybe work
with a mental trainer. But I also think she's
happy being in the Indian camp with her
group and they travel and compete to-
gether. The camaraderie is helping her. She
just needs to stay motivated." Deepika was
definitely buoyed by the achievement.
“It's been a long time since I shot in the
finals. It feels great and, at the same time,
I’m happy and nervous. It gives me confi-
dence and pushes me to give better per-
formances,” she told World Archery.
Perfect score for Atanu
While Deepika has found her peace,
men's recurve Atanu Das found his roar
against Spain's Daniel Castro.
The Spaniard was shooting a good con-
sistent range. But there was not much he
could do when Das pushed up a level in the
fifth set to hit a Perfect 30 to win his first
World Cup. "It feels amazing,” the 29-year-
old says. “I have worked for so many years
and now this is paying off.
“I just gave my best. I didn’t think about
the future or the past, just present. It’s beau-
tiful. It’s a big boost for me ahead of the
Olympics. I’m working in the right way."
ON THE TUBE
Indian Premier League
DC vs RCB, 7.30pm, Live on Star Sports Network
(Zampa)andRicho(Richardson),butwhenyou
speak to them, you definitely understand
wherethey’recomingfrom,”Coulter-Niletold
cricket.com.au,adding:“IspoketoZampsalit-
tle while ago and he made a very compelling
argumentforgoinghome.Butforme,Ifeellike
it’s safer for me to stay in the bubble than try
andgethomeatthemoment.”Thegeneralsen-
timent is that although bubble life is tough,
whichsawthelikesofLivingstone(Royals)and
JoshHazlewood(ChennaiSuperKings)optout
of the IPL, staying inside it is much safer in the
currentsituation.
TheBCCIisbackingitsbio-securityarrange-
ments and safety measures, including three
testsadayandbio-bubbleenforcers.
Also, separate IPL check-in counters have
been set up at airports. And there’s a school of
thoughtthattheIPLhasbeenadistress-buster
forthedurationofthematches.“Evenwiththe
country being in a situation that it is, I think
cricket can still bring a lot of joy to people,”
Pontinghadsaid.
pad gap of Moises Henriques to crash into the
stumps. Chakravarthy joined in the fun with a
96.3 kmph screaming carrom ball that beat
Nicholas Pooran’s heave to bowl him. With
PrasidhKrishnacreatingtroublewithhisshort-
of-lengthkickers,Punjablookedliketheywon’t
cross100butChrisJordan’sbreezy30gotthem
to123.
Captain Morgan aces the chase
The chase must have prompted a familiar
sinkingfeelingforKolkata,whowerewobbling
at 17 for 3, that included a stunning catch.
Narine had miscued the heave towards cow
cornerbutthewiryRaviBishnoicoveredsome
30metresfromdeepsquarelegbeforethrow-
inginadivetotakeasensationalcatch.
But captain Morgan and Tripathi steadied
thenerveswithpositiveintent.Theydidn’tex-
actlycounterattackbutdidn’tretreatintoashell
either. They played their shots, ran well, and
withthefourscomingataregularclip,therun
rate didn’t pose any problems. “We knew that
if we bat with proper cricketing shots, we can
Husband-wifeduoofAtanuDasandDeepikaKumariclinchedthemen’sandwomen’s
individualrecurvegoldmedalsattheArcheryWorldCupStage1. AtanuDasTwitter
WWW.INDIANEXPRESS.COM
‘How are franchises
spending so much
when people are
not being accepted
into hospitals?’
New Delhi: Rajasthan Royals pacer Andrew
Tye, who left for Australia midway the IPL in
the wake of COVID-19 surge in India, was
critical of the franchises spending insane
money on cricket at a time when their coun-
try is facing an unprecedented health crisis.
Tye, however, said the league should go
ahead if it was a means to relieving stress or
giving a glimmer of hope to those who are
suffering due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
“Looking at it from an Indian point of
view, how are these companies and fran-
chises spending so much money, and the
government, on the IPL when there’s people
not being able to get accepted into hospital?
“If sportcancontinue and beoneof those
avenues to relieve stress or give a glimmer of
hopethatthe worldisOKand thereis light at
the end of the tunnel, I think it should go
ahead,” Tye was quoted as saying by
cricket.com.au. “But I know that’s not every-
one’sfeelingsandIcompletelyrespectevery-
one’s views from all angles.”
He said players (in the IPL) are safe now
but at the same time asked “if it’s going to
stay safe”. The 34-year-old Tye left the IPL on
Sunday as he feared getting “locked out” of
his own country in the wake of a COVID-19
surge in India. He had not got a game with
the Royals so far and his contract with the
franchise was worth Rs one crore.
“There was a number of reasons, but the
main one was with the situation that has
started to happen back home in Perth with a
lot of cases in hotel quarantine coming out
of India,” Tye told ‘SEN radio’ from Doha on
Monday. “Now there’s been a community
case in Perth governments are trying to re-
strict numbers coming back in, especially
Western Australia.”
The bubble fatigue was also a factor, said
Tye. After Tye’s pulling out, the Australian
duo of Kane Richardson and Adam Zampa
(both Royal Challengers Bangalore) with-
drew citing “personal reasons”.
However,notallAustraliansareverycon-
cerned. Pacer Nathan Coulter-Nile, who has
aRs5croredealwithMumbaiIndianswould
rather be in the bio-bubble than risk a trip
back home at this point. PTI
win this,” Tripathi would say later, which is
whattheydid.
Morgan did what he always does, unfurl-
ing his calculated charges down the track to
seamers interspersed with punchy drives. He
didn’t let the required run rate climb at all, as
hekeptplayingtheboundaryshotseverynow
andthen.Mostattackstrytheshortballathim
andsodidMohammedShami,butontheslow
and low Motera track, the left-hander dis-
missed that threat with a six early on in the
piece.HecrashedShamiforacoupleoffoursin
the powerplay and once the required rate be-
came less than run-a-ball, settled in to rotate
the strike. Tripathi is a free-flowing batsman
and though he fell, Karthik hastened the end
withacoupleof bighits.
BRIEFSCORES: PunjabKings123/9(Mayank
Agarwal 31 off 34b, 1x4, 2x6, Chris Jordan 30
off 18b, 1x4, 3x6, Sunil Narine 2/22, 10 dots,
PrasidhKrishna3/30,12dots)losttoKKR126/5
(EoinMorgan47notoutoff40b,4x4,2x6,Rahul
Tripathi 41 off 32 b, 7x4, Mohammed Shami
1/25,17dots)by5wickets.
Ahmedabad