WEDNESDAY 25 MARCH 2020 VOL. 3 NO. 151 DELHI PAGES 8 `5.

00

HAPPY UGADI
H Simultaneously published from Hyderabad | Warangal | Tirupati | Amaravati | Visakhapatnam | Khammam | Kurnool | Delhi: RNI No: DELENG/2017/74095 H
H Follow @ /thehansindia | /thehansindiaweb | /thehansindia | /thehansindia | /thehansindia H

Modi puts
HOLIDAY NOTICE
The offices of The Hans India
will remain closed on
Wednesday March 25, 2020 on
account of Ugadi.

India under
There will be no issue
of the edition on
Thursday March 26, 2020

STAY HOME
STAY SAFE
Ugadi, a low-key
affair this year
lockdown
Hyderabad: The two Telugu
states would be celebrating
‘STAY WHERE YOU ARE’ FOR 21 DAYS Police clear the an�-CAA protest at Shaheen Bagh amid complete lockdown in the na�onal capital
‘Sarvari’ (night) Ugadi on a low

Keep fighting spirit up: PM

in the wake of the coronavirus disease (Covid-19), in New Delhi on Tuesday

Shaheen Bagh protest site

key under the shadow of the New Delhi: In his address
deadly coronavirus which has to the nation on Tuesday,
been playing havoc around the Prime Minister Narendra

cleared amid virus lockdown

world. The festive mood in Modi announced that start-
both the Telugu states Telan- ing midnight (March 24-
gana and Andhra Pradesh is
dampened following lockdown
25), the entire country will
be under complete lock-
32 States, UTs under complete clamp down
across the country. Footpaths down for the next 21 days. New Delhi: Coronavirus government is commit- nationals. Cases of a few
full of smalltime vendors sell- The Prime Minister reit- cases in the country ted to countering the im- more persons having New Delhi: The Delhi police
ing flowers, neem flowers erated that the next 21 days crossed 500 and one pact of COVID-19. tested positive for the in- on Tuesday cleared the Removal in everybody’s interest: BJP
(vepa puvu), mango leaves and are critical from the point more death from the in- According to a state- fection were reported hotbed of anti-CAA protests New Delhi: Welcoming the amended Citizenship Act.
people buying various other of view of containing the fection reported on Tues- ment issued by the Prime from di�erent states dur- - Shaheen Bagh after 101 removal of anti-CAA pro- Terming it a protest on a
goods, new clothes and tem- spread of coronavirus in day taking the toll to ten, Minister's O�ce (PMO), ing the day. days amid a nationwide testers from Delhi's Sha- "baseless" issue, the BJP
ples gearing up for special pu- India, while requesting as Prime Minister Naren- Modi said it is critical to The earlier nine deaths lockdown due to deadly heen Bagh, BJP's national leader said, "The CAA
jas and darshans is missing everyone to stay at home dra Modi said it improve social cohesion were recorded in Maha- coronavirus. spokesperson Shahnawaz doesn't take anybody's cit-
now. In fact, many houses may and not venture out on is impera- to safeguard national se- rashtra (2), Bihar, Kar- Cops reached the site at Hussain on Tuesday said izenship. It is about giving
have to do with Ugadi the streets. tive to curity. nataka, Delhi, Gujarat, around 7 am. The protestors dispersal of the agitators citizenship to minorities
Pachchadi (chutney) without Urging all citi- keep During the interaction, Punjab, West Bengal and refused to budge despite re- from the site was in the who are facing persecution
vepa puvu the main and most
important ingredient as no
zens to practice
social distanc- CORONA the
fight-
Modi emphasised the
need to tackle the spread
Himachal Pradesh.
Thirty-seven people
peated persuasion and force
had to be used to clear up
best interest of everyone in
view of the coronavirus
in the neighbouring coun-
tries. It does not take away
shops are selling them. The
state governments have de-
cided to hold digital Ugadi
ing to break the
cycle of the
spread of the
Cases: 545 ing
spirit
of the
of pessimism, negativity
and rumour-mongering.
"He underlined the im-
have been cured/dis-
charged/migrated, ac-
cording to the o�cial
the site, according to an o�-
cial. The o�cial further said
that large gatherings are
outbreak. People protest-
ing against the citizenship
law at Shaheen Bagh and
the citizenship of any In-
dian." Similarly, people
have been misinformed
celebrations. Panchangasra-
vanam by the respective Gov-
ernments and political par-
coronavirus in-
fection, Modi said
that many people
Deaths: 11 people
up
while
portance of social dis-
tancing, asking media to
generate awareness
data. As cases of the viral
infection surged, author-
ities have put almost the
banned due to Section 144
being imposed in the capi-
tal. The police detained nine
other places were removed
by the Delhi Police on Tues-
day morning amid the
about the national popula-
tion register (NPR) from
the start, he said. In these
ties where purohits read out are under the illusion tackling the about its importance, in- entire country under people- three men and six coronavirus lockdown in grave times, the mankind
the predictions indicating that this measure is only spread of the form people about the lockdown, banning gath- women. the national capital. The needs to stand together
what is in store for the people for those infected by the virus. lockdown decision by ering of people and sus- After clearing Shaheen agitators, mostly women, and survive the corona
in general and leaders and virus, which could jeopard- As 32 states and union states, and also highlight pending road, rail and air Bagh o� protestors, the had been on a sit-in at Sha- pandemic rather than
parties will be telecast live to ize the safety of individuals territories imposed com- the impact of spread of tra�c in unprecedented Delhi Police tightened secu- heen Bagh for over three protesting on "baseless"
avoid direct human contact. and families alike. plete lockdown till March the virus through inclu- steps till March 31. rity at the protest site under months to protest against issues, Hussain added.
He also took note of the 31, the Centre asked sion of international data Authorities have also Section 144 imposed in the
speed at which the virus is them to clamp curfew and case studies about taken a serious view of capital due to coronavirus plete lockdown till March 31 ported 30 coronavirus posi-
spreading. "We need to wherever necessary in other countries in the pa- several people continu- pandemic. in the Union Territory in or- tive cases, including 1 death.
break the chain of spread of the wake of people defy- pers," the statement said. ing to venture out de- Jafrabad in Northeast der to control the spread of The Delhi government has
this coronavirus pandemic. ing lockdown orders. According to the data spite the lockdown con- Delhi and Turkman Gate in coronavirus. shut down public transport
Today, India is at a point Prime Minister Modi, updated on Tuesday sidering that the coming old Delhi were also cleared Kejriwal took to Twitter and closed shops, barring
which will eventually de- while interacting with morning, the total num- days and weeks are go- o� protestors on Tuesday to announce the lockdown essential services. 492 cases
cide how we are able to senior journalists from ber of COVID-19 cases ing to be extremely criti- morning. Clearing of anti- from March 22 to March 31 of novel coronavirus have
come out of this crisis," the the print media via video rose to 492, including cal to contain the spread CAA protest sites comes two and wrote, "Extraordinary been reported across India,
PM said. links, said citizens need 446 active cases. The fig- of the disease. days after Delhi CM Arvind times call for extraordinary including 9 deaths, accord-
Con�nued on Page 5 to be assured that the ure includes 41 foreign Con�nued on Page 5 Kejriwal announced a com- measures." Delhi has re- ing to Health Ministry.

ITR, GST filing, Aadhaar-PAN Governor greets SSC exams

linking deadlines extended Telugus on Ugadi put off in AP
H N S ANS EWS ERVICE HANS NEWS SERVICE
New Delhi: government has
Union Finance also extended the Hyderabad: Governor Tamilisai Amaravati: In view of the co-
Minister Nir- last date for link- Soundararajan on Tuesday extended rona pandemic and the ur-
mala Sithara- ing PAN card greetings to the people of Telangana on gent need to control it, the
man on Tues- with Aadhaar the occasion of Ugadi. “On this happy Andhra Pradesh Govern-
day announced from March 31 to and auspicious occasion of Sri Sarvari ment has decided to post-
various statu- June 30. The Fi- Naama Samvatsara Ugadi, the Telugu pone the SSC board exami- Nagalgav village in Jukkal Mandal
tory and regula- nance ministry is New Year Day, I extend my heartiest nations that were scheduled
tory compli-
ance relief
already working
an economic
greetings to the people of Telangana and
to all the Telugu people living elsewhere
to be held from March 31.
State Education Minister Villages adopt social
distancing to the core
measures amid package to miti- in the world. Ugadi is a festival of joy and Adimulapu Suresh an-
a complete gate the impact hope and the New Year shall bring with it nounced that the SSC board
shutdown al- of coronavirus new cheer and a bright future,” the Gov- and the state government
most all over on the Indian ernor said in her greetings. The Gover- have thought it better to
the country to economy. Prime nor said she is confident that the new postpone the tenth class ex- HANS NEWS SERVICE close to Maharashtra and
control the Minister Naren- year will usher in peace, prosperity, har- aminations for two weeks Karnataka which also regis-
spread of the dra Modi has also mony and happiness to all people and due to the state-wide lock- Nizamabad: While people in tered growing number of
highly contagious 31 to June 30, 2020. announced setting sections of society. It will also reinforce down. global city like Hyderabad virus cases every day.
coronavirus or The deadline for up of a task force, to the courage in the people in fighting pan- Speaking to media, the Ed- have been behaving in irre- In Jukkal mandal,
Covid-19 infection. filing returns of be headed by demic novel coronavirus and emerge vic- ucation Minister said that sponsible manner by violat- Padampally, Nagalgav and
The last date for goods and services Sitharaman, to look torious. “We shall pledge in this new year the State Government would ing the instructions pertain- Kathalavadi villages on Kar-
filing belated in- tax (GST) for at measures to limit that we, our family members, our rela- review the situation after ing to lockdown, people in nataka border and Peddag-
come tax return March, April and economic hardship tives, and our friends shall stay healthy March 31 and come up with some rural areas like Jukkal ulla Tanda and Chandegav
(ITR) for the FY May this year has caused by the by strictly complying with the directives the new examination sched- in Kamareddy district joined villages cut o� relations by
2018-19 has been ex- also been extended COVID-19 pan- issued by the Government from time to ule. The decision to postpone hands with administration prohibiting the movement
tended from March till June 30. The demic. time,” she said in a statement. the examinations was taken and set an example by im- of people from surrounding
at a high-level review meet- posing self-quarantine by habitations at Maharashtra
ing chaired by Andhra closing entry and exit points border. In some places, lo-

WINDOWS
Pradesh Chief Minister YS of the village and with full cals deployed panchayat
Jagan Mohan Reddy on consent of the residents to workers as guards to moni-
Tuesday. The state govern- prevent the spread of coron- tor the people’s movement
Withdraw cash from any Ex-CM of Jammu & Kashmir ment has also decided to ex- avirus. Similar gesture was and stop them to enter the
Rajya Sabha polls scheduled ATM free of charge Omar Abdullah released
tend the deadline for the
state entrance exams for
shown in Pedaganjam of
Chirala in Prakasam district
village. The local Police and
Revenue o�cials extended
for March 26 put off New Delhi: The Union government Srinagar: The Jammu and Kashmir gov- professional courses. The in Andhra Pradesh. support to the communities
New Delhi: The Election Commission has postponed the Ra- has reduced charges for digital trade ernment has revoked Education Minister said The village heads with the for adopting an innovate
jya Sabha elections transaction and ATM cash with- the Public Safety Act that the deadline for online support of locals sealed the method to curb the move-
due to the threat of drawals to promote digital financial (PSA) of former chief application submission for roads by constructing walls ment of people between the
coronavirus. The 18 transactions at the time of COVID-19 minister Omar Abdullah the Engineering Agriculture and in some places blocked villages.
Rajya Sabha seats of pandemic. As per the decision an- and ended his detention and Medical Common En- by erecting permanent iron Panchayat Sarpanches
seven states were to nounced by Finance Minister on Tuesday more than trance Test (EAMCET) has gates across the road. Tree warned of registering crimi-
be voted on March 26. Nirmala Sitharaman, debit card hold- seven months after he been extended from March logs were also placed across nal cases if any person found
It is believed that now ers, who withdraw cash from any bank and two other former 29 to April 5. He also said the roads to ensure no out- a travel history to other vil-
the new date of elec- ATM, can do it free of charge for the chief ministers - Farooq Abdullah and that the deadline for the side vehicle enters their vil- lage during the lockdown pe-
tion will be released next three months. " ...so you may Mehbooba Mufti were detained ahead of submission of online appli- lage in many areas of the riod. A team of o�cials were
only after getting relief from COVID-19. A total of 55 Rajya have a debit card from a bank, a par- the revocation of Article 370 on August 5 cations for the Integrated Telangana border. visiting the village regularly
Sabha seats of 17 states were being vacated in April. On ticular bank, but you will now be al- 2019. "Government issues orders revok- Common Entrance Test In Kamareddy district, lo- and conducting medical
March 26, the Commission issued notification for elections lowed, without additional charges, to ing detention of Shri Omar Abdullah," (ICET) and the Engineering cal communities resolved tests to the people who are
to these seats. Most of the seats in several states including draw cash from any other bank's ATM Government Spokesperson Rohit Kansal Common Entrance Test not to allow outside people su�ering from fever and flu,
Haryana, Himachal Pradesh have been elected unopposed. for the next three months," the Fi- tweeted. The order comes just a day be- (ECET) has been extended in their villages mainly in Nagalgav Revenue Inspector
Only 18 Rajya Sabha seats were to be elected through voting. nance Minister said. fore the hearing in the apex court. from April 2 to April 9. Jukkal and Madnur mandals Venkatesh said.
2 CITY DELHI WEDNESDAY 25 MARCH 2020

`5k to construction workers: Kejri Over 1,000 cases

New Delhi (PTI): The Delhi gov-
ernment will give Rs 5,000 to con-
esses who are extending help in
this fight against the virus.
In a tweet in Hindi, he shared
the list and address of 234 shel-
against violators
struction workers as their liveli- Arvind Kejriwal on Tuesday ters across the city and also their Police personnel
hood has b een a�ected due to said no new coronavirus case has map locations for people to trace stop commuters
coronavirus outbreak, Chief Min- been reported in the National the nearest shelter. "I have come during
ister Arvind Kejriwal announced Capital in the last 24 hours and to know that some people are not lockdown in the
on Tuesday. the biggest challenge now is to not getting food due to curfew. wake
Addressing a press conference let the situation go out of control. If you are in contact with some- of novel
in the evening, he said no new The Chief Minister said on one who is looking for food and coronavirus
case of coronavirus has been re- Twitter that five people infected support, then send them to the pandemic at
ported in Delhi in the past 40 with COVID-19 have been dis- nearest Shelter of Delhi Govern- Delhi- UP
hours, and the earlier number of charged from hospitals after get- ment, food has been arranged Border in
virus-infected patients has also ting treatment. "In the last 24 there," Kejriwal said. Delhi has Ghazipur,
gone down from 30 to 23. hours, no new case (of coron- been under lockdown since Mon- New Delhi on
He said that he has constituted avirus) has been reported. Five day as a preventive measure Tuesday
a five-member doctors' panel to people have been discharged. We against the spread of coronavirus.
suggest a plan to deal with the sit- should not be happy right now," Chief Minister Arvind Kejri- New Delhi (IANS): Delhi Police Delhi Police Act." A Delhi Police
uation if Delhi enters stage 3 of he tweeted at 9.59 am. "The wal, his deputy Manish Sisodia has registered 1,012 cases in dif- spokesperson said: "Of the total
the coronavirus pandemic. biggest challenge now is to not let and Health Minister Satyendar ferent areas of the National Cap- cases registered, 100 cases were

“
The panel has been asked to the situation go out of control. Jain met Lt Governor Anil Baijal ital on the first day of the lock- registered in various police sta-
submit its report within 24 hours, Need your (people''s) cooperation on Tuesday to discuss measures down implemented to prevent tions under section 188 of the IPC.
he said. Kejriwal said it was good I have come to know that some people for this," to contain the spread of coron- the spread of coronavirus epi- While 475 under section 65 of
that some patients have recov- Kejriwal added in his tweet in avirus in the National Capital. demic that has claimed at least Delhi Police Act and 323 under
ered but cautioned about a long are not getting food due to curfew. If Hindi. The National Capital has Delhi Police Commissioner S N nine lives in India so far. section 66 of Delhi Police Act, 801
battle ahead against the deadly reported 30 cases of COVID-19. Srivastava also attended the high- A police o�cer said on Monday cases were registered under Delhi
virus. you are in contact with someone who is look- Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal level meeting at the LG o�ce, an that most of these cases were reg- Police Act. Among the 15 districts,
He appealed to the people to on Tuesday said due to Curfew, a o�cial said. The situation emerg- istered under Section 188 of the the maximum 29 cases were reg-
help each other in these di�cult ing for food and support, then send them to number of people were not able ing out of the coronavirus out- IPC and Delhi Police Act. The istered in South East District un-
times. He said people should not to get food, and urged the public break was discussed in the meet- Delhi Police said in a statement: der Section 188. Whereas in this
discriminate against and harass
the nearest Shelter of Delhi Government, to send such people to the nearest ing, they said. Thirty cases of "These criminal cases were regis- district the highest and total 211
those professionals such as doc- food has been arranged there shelters of Delhi Government, COVID-19 have been reported in tered under Section 188 of the IPC cases were registered under Delhi
tors, nurses, pilots and air host- where food was arranged. Delhi so far. and Sections 65 and 66 of the Police Act."

Lawyers approach HC against restrictions Take care of

in Delhi govt's advocate welfare scheme unorganised
New Delhi (PTI): Several lawyers for the welfare of all the practicing tional Capital and their exclusion
sector workers,
Tuesday approached the Delhi
High Court seeking direction to
advocates of the National Capital
who are on the rolls of BCD. A 13-
from the scheme is “arbitrary”
and “not in conformity with the Sonia tells
the AAP government to extend
the benefit of 'Chief Minister's Ad-
member committee of advocates
was set up to give recommenda-
constitutional scheme and pol-
icy”. Another petition on the issue Cong CMs
vocates' Welfare Scheme' to all tions for the utilisation of the Rs was filed by advocate Avdhesh Ku-
lawyers enrolled with the Bar 50 crore grant towards the mar Singh seeking to quash the
Council of Delhi (BCD) irrespec- scheme and the government had Delhi government's March 17 cir-
tive of whether their names ap- accepted the recommendations cular on providing benefits to
pear in the voters list of the Na- given by the panel, it said. The pe- lawyers, on the ground that it was
tional Capital or not. Advocate titioner’s advocates Balvinder discriminatory and arbitrary and
Naginder Benipal, representing Singh Bagga, Manisha Saroha, violates the provisions of the Con-
five petitioners who are practicing Vivek Jain, Shivam Chanana and stitution. The plea sought direc-
lawyers, said he mentioned the Vaibhav Kalra have challenged the tion to the Delhi government to
matter on phone before the regis- Delhi government's decision to re- include dependent parents of the
trar (listing and filing) of the High strict the scheme to only those advocates in the scheme and to
Court and was informed by the members of BCD who are in the transfer the allocated fund
court o�cial that the plea will be voters list of Delhi. The petitioners amount in the account of BCD. It
listed once the coronavirus threat said they are enrolled with the also sought that BCD be directed
is over. BCD and have membership of to utilise the funds in consultation
The petition said that in No- Delhi High Court Bar Association with various bar associations in Fallen leaves on a deserted road at Connaught Palace a�er a mild shower on the second day of the lockdown put in the
vember 2019, the Delhi govern- and while they practice in courts Delhi, including the Supreme wake of coronavirus disease outbreak, in New Delhi on Tuesday New Delhi (IANS): Congress
ment had announced the scheme here they do not reside in the Na- Court Bar Association. interim chief Sonia Gandhi has
written to party's Chief Minis-

Delhi ranks second in per capita income in the country

ters to take measures to ensure
welfare of those working in the
unorganised sector since many
of them had lost jobs due to
coronavirus scare.
PURNA SINGH State Domestic Product of Delhi at around 20.2 percent in 2015, which demand has reached 7016 MW. In her letter to the Chief
prevailing prices has increased by has increased to 21.88 percent in Ministers of Rajasthan, Chhat-
New Delhi: The income of Delhiites 55 percent during the last five years. 2019. South Delhi has the highest Special features of tisgarh, Punjab and
is continuously increasing. The per The growth rate during 2019-20 is forest area of 84.63 sq. km, while Economic Survey Puducherry, the Congress
capita income in the Capital ranks estimated to be 7.42 percent, which East Delhi has the lowest forest The Delhi government has im- leader said that immediate
second in the country. People here is 5 percent higher than the Na- area. There is only greenery in the plemented the recommendations steps should be taken regarding
are also fond of vehicles, the scope tional growth rate. area of 3.75 square kilometres. of the 5th Delhi Finance Commis- the welfare of the construction
of which is constantly increasing. According to the survey report, The Delhi government claims sion for the period 2016-17 to 2020- workers facing hardships due
The Economic Survey of Delhi the government has spent more that the plantation campaign has 21. The number of factories oper- to the spread of the virus.
2019-20 was presented in the Delhi money on the social sector. In the increased greenery in Delhi. 19 ating in Delhi was 8968 in 2014, "At this juncture it is critical
Legislative Assembly on Monday. financial year 2019-20, 78.84 per- agencies, environmental clubs and which increased to 9121 in 2018. Es- that such workers are given
It has been shown that while the cent has been allocated for social welfare organizations are con- timated workers employed in these benefit which they are entitled
Delhi government is full of money, sector in the total allocated budget tributing to it. Last year, 21.15 lakh increased from 416927 in 2014 to to under various statutory pro-
the income of the common people for programs and projects. This saplings were planted. 4.57 lakh 419578 in 2018. visions," Sonia wrote in the let-
has also increased. At the National time the highest amount has been saplings were also distributed to the Total water resources are 937 ter to Congress Chief Minis-
level, the per capital income is likely allocated in the field of education. people. The number of agricultural MGD available for distribution near ters. She directed the CMs to
to reach Rs 389143 as compared to Which constitutes 28.98 percent of holdings increased by 1.68 percent. Delhi Jalboard. About 83.42 per- keep her informed about the
Rs 134432. the total budget. 12. 71 percent for one crore three lakh, which in- cluster buses. By February 2020, cent of Delhi's households have the work done by them.
The survey presented by Deputy social security and welfare. 13.83 creased to one crore 86 lakh in 2018. 733 new buses have started running Number of electricity facility of drinking water supply Sonia Gandhi wrote a letter
Chief Minister and Finance Minis- percent on medical and public It has increased to one crore 13 lakh in Delhi under the cluster scheme. consumers increased from the pipeline. There are 675 on similar lines to Prime Min-
ter Manish Sisodia said that the in- health. 14.50 percent on housing 92 thousand in 2019. There was a 2809 were deployed in DTC buses The benefit of Delhi govern- slum slums in Delhi. Of these, 3.6 ister Narendra Modi for the
come of Delhiites is three times and urban development, 13.73 per- growth of 3.69 percent over the pre- and 2809 in cluster buses. ment's electricity bill exemption is lakh people are living on 799 welfare of the construction
more than the countrymen. cent on transport, 8.78 percent on vious year. that the number of consumers is hectares of land. workers. "Considering the ex-
Ranked second among the states water supply and sanitation. The pressure on private vehicles South Delhi is the greenest increasing continuously. In the last There are 1432 dispensaries, 7 traordinary situation I request
with highest per capital income in as well as public vehicles has in- In terms of greenery, South Delhi 10 years 74.81 percent consumers primary health centers, 1172 nurs- you to consider advising the
India. Vehicle hobby is growing creased. The network of Metro is is at the top, while greenery in East have increased. There are 59.94 ing homes, 251 maternity homes, state building and other con-
Delhi has maintained its revenue Of course, parking problems are laid in Delhi. Metro has become the Delhi is much lower. Talking about lakh electricity consumers during 222 polyclinics, 88 hospitals, 17 struction welfare boards to roll
surplus position continuously. The increasing day by day in Delhi, but lifeline of Delhi. 25.97 lakh passen- green area, the total forest area in 2018-19. There was also an increase medical colleges under Delhi's out emergency wage support
revenue surplus stood at Rs 6261 the hobby of vehicles is not decreas- gers are traveling by metro every 2015 was 299.77 square kilometres. in power purchase. In the last 10 health sector structure. Number of for the construction workers
crore during 2018-19 as against Rs ing. The total number of vehicles in day. Common mobility card facility It has increased to 324.44 sq. km in years, 57.98 percent power is being beds in hospitals has gone up to who are in distress," Sonia
1569.16 crore in 2017-18. The Gross the Economic Survey 2017-18 was has been implemented in DTC and 2019. The green area of Delhi was procured and distributed. Power 5770. wrote.

WINDOWS
Police earmark separate Police to address queries BJP welcomes removal ICMR doc says India far
Daily wagers in Delhi seek help, lane at Delhi-Noida border through social media of Shaheen protesters away from corona stage-3
post videos on social media New Delhi (PTI): The police have ear- New Delhi (PTI): The Delhi Police on New Delhi (PTI): Welcoming the removal of HANS NEWS SERVICE
New Delhi (IANS): Amid the nationwide lockdown, the con- marked a separate lane at the Delhi-Noida Tuesday said it will be replying to queries anti-CAA protesters from Delhi's Shaheen
dition of daily wagers seems to have turned pathetic with border for emergency vehicles to pass dur- regarding the lockdown in the National Bagh, BJP's national spokesperson Shah- New Delhi: Currently, India has the capac-
many posting their videos of distress on social media. ing the lockdown imposed in the wake of Capital through social media. "Hi! Delhi. nawaz Hussain on Tuesday said dispersal of ity to test 10,000 corona samples per day.
A video posted from Facebook account and shared by many the coronavirus outbreak, o�cials said on If you have any question on the #Lockdown, the agitators from the site was in the best in- On reaching the infection in the commu-
daily wagers, including handcart-pullers, have appealed the Tuesday. tweet your query with the hashtag terest of everyone in view of the coronavirus nity, millions of samples may have to be
government for help. A person is seen in the post saying, "We The police have also put up a board #LockdownQuery between 5-6 PM and to outbreak. People protesting against the citi- taken for examination every day. The state
don't have anything to eat. I appeal the Delhi government which reads doctors, media, ambulances, answer it for you. zenship law at Shaheen Bagh and other of infection of Kovid-19 (Corona) is wor-
and the Bharat sarkar for help." The other people in the video police and other exempted vehicles should #StayAtHomeSaveLives," the Delhi Police places were removed by the Delhi Police on risome, but India is far away from Stage-
are seen saying they couldn't go to their native places due to use the lane. "Separate lane at Noida Bor- tweeted using it's o�cial handle. On Sunday, Tuesday morning amid the coronavirus lock- 3. Doctor of Indian Council of Medical Re-
the lockdown. The Congress has also demanded help for the der to facilitate Emergency Services' Ve- the Delhi Police imposed prohibitory down in the national capital. The agitators, search (ICMR) Raman Gangakhedkar said
distressed. Senior Congress leader Kapil Sibal reiterated the hicles," Deputy Commissioner of Police orders under section 144 of the CrPC till mostly women, had been on a sit-in at Sha- that there is still time. We can avoid very
Congress demand for financial help for the poor rendered East district Jasmeet Singh tweeted. March 31, banning protests and other heen Bagh for over three months to protest big danger. He said that he has nothing to
jobless due to coronavirus scare. He demanded at least Rs The move comes after many commuters gatherings. against amended Citizenship Act. Terming hide. He believes that there is a transition
10,000 for each of them.Urging the government to work fast complained that they were having di�- Section 144 of the Criminal Procedure it a protest on a "baseless" issue, the BJP period for mankind in the world, but coun-
and not wait for the calamity to reach its doors, "When at culty entering Delhi from Noida amid the Code bans assembly of four or more leader said, "The CAA doesn't take anybody's tries like India can avoid its great side ef-
war, respond on a war-footing." Sibal tweeted. lockdown. people at a place. citizenship. fects through strict discipline.

For Advertisement Space Booking

Contact: 09717809984
DELHI WEDNESDAY 25 MARCH 2020 NATION Umasanka 3
r
Indian Navy tracks Pak Shivraj passes floor test; Congress MLAs absent
Why a double standard
naval ship movement game in battle against
corona?': Kamal Nath
New Delhi (IANS): The Indian
2 CRPF troopers killed
Bhopal (IANS): Former Madhya Pradesh Chief
Navy has tracked the movement Minister Kamal Nath on Tuesday asked his suc-
of newly commissioned Pakistan
in fratricidal firing
cessor Shivraj Singh Chouhan why the BJP gov-
naval ship Yarmook from Roma- ernment is playing a double standard game
nia enroute Red Sea to Karachi, against the coronavirus pandemic.
sources said on Tuesday. Srinagar (IANS) Two CRPF troopers were killed on Tuesday in a Chouhan, who took oath on Monday night,
The sources added that a big fratricidal firing incident in Srinagar city. proved his majority by winning the trust vote in
ceremony has been organised in Police said the incident took place in the water wing of CRPF in Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan and former Chief Minister Kamal Nath during a mee�ng, in the Assembly on Tuesday.
Pakistan where thousands of Dalgate area of the city. Bhopal on Tuesday Taking to Twitter, Nath said , "The trust vote
navy personnel gathered to wel- Both slain troopers belonged to 114 battalion of CRPF. was a formality and could have been held later.
come Yarmook. Spokesman of the CRPF, Neeraj Rathore said both were killed Bhopal (PTI): A day after assuming o�ce, Mad- Shivraj Singh Chouhan-led government. While others are being harassed for flouting the
The international community, in a fratricidal firing incident after some heated argument between hya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Later, Devda adjourned the House till 11 am curfew norms, but the government chooses to
however, criticised the Pakistan the two. Chouhan passed the floor test in the state As- on March 27. In the morning, the BJP issued defy them and calls a session to seek a vote.
government's decision for a After hearing gunshots colleagues of the two troopers rushed to sembly on Tuesday by voice vote. No member whip to its MLAs to support the trust vote. Ear- This is the first day. The government doesn't
mass gathering to welcome the the spot and carried them to the hospital where doctors said they of the opposition Congress was present in the lier, Kamal Nath resigned as chief minister of practice what it preaches."
ship. Its move is against the so- were dead on arrival, the spokesman added. House. As the special session of the state Assem- the state last week after his government lost ma- The Rajya Sabha elections scheduled for
cial distancing norms being The slain troopers have been identified as constable Jala Vijay bly began, Chouhan moved a one-line proposal jority following the resignation of 22 Congress March 26 across the country have been post-
adopted across the world in the and constable Siju. to seek trust of the House, which was endorsed MLAs. Chouhan, 61, is now back as Madhya poned due to COVID-19, the Election Commission
fight against COVID-19. Police has registered an FIR into the firing incident. by members through the voice vote. Senior BJP Pradesh chief minister for a record fourth term. announced on Tuesday.
Indian Navy warships and sur- MLA Jagdish Devda, one of the members of the After winning the trust vote, Chouhan took a However, in Madhya Pradesh, the irony could
veillance aircraft tracked the On Monday, China organized ing of its naval forces and Pak- speaker's panel, was on the chair of Speaker. dim view of the absence of Congress MLAs in be underlined that despite curfew being im-
movement of the ship a week ago a keel laying ceremony of a sec- istani naval personnel during the Two Bahujan Samaj Party MLAs, a legislator the Assembly. "It is undemocratic on part of the posed in Bhopal and Jabalpur which have to-
in the Indian Ocean region, ond ship of Type 054 A/P at keel laying ceremony. of the Samajwadi Party and two independent Congress that its members remained absent gether reported seven positive cases of the coro-
sources said. Hudong Zhonghua Shipyard in The ceremony was attended MLAs - Surendra Singh Shera (Burhanpur) and from the House," he told reporters. However, navirus and 45 districts placed under lockdown,
The Pakistan Navy commis- China for the Pakistan Navy. by o�cials from Hudong Vikram Singh Rana (Susner) - also supported Congress MLA P C Sharma said Tuesday's trust the new Chief Minister chose to seek a trust vote
sioned the 2300-tonne Corvette China, which has been fighting Zhonghua Shipyard, Pakistan the BJP government during the floor test. There vote had no meaning. The BJP government on Tuesday in the absence of the Opposition af-
PNS Yarmook at a ceremony the battle against coronavirus Navy o�cers and representa- are four independent MLAs in the state, but two should have sought the trust vote after byelec- ter the Assembly was convened at a short notice
held at Constanta Port, Romania and has adopted social distanc- tives from Chinese naval equip- of them were absent during the floor test. The tions in 24 Assembly seats lying vacant, the for- of 12 hours.
on February 13, 2020. ing, however, allowed a gather- ment firms. House unanimously passed the trust vote of the mer state minister said.

Forgery case against Omar freed after 8-month detention, PSA revoked
Scindia closed Srinagar (PTI): Former Jammu
‘Can’t remember a better meal’
Bhopal (PTI): The Madhya Pradesh Economic O�ences Wing has and Kashmir chief minister Omar
closed a case against former Union minister Jyotiraditya Scindia and Abdullah was on Tuesday freed af- Srinagar: Former Jammu and Kashmir chief minister Omar Abdullah, who
his family members, where they were accused of falsifying a property ter eight months in detention after was released on Tuesday after nearly eight months of detention, posted an
document while selling land, an o�cial said on Tuesday. Scindia quit the administration revoked the emotional message on Twitter of his first meal with parents in months.
the Congress on March 10 and later joined the BJP. His resignation stringent Public Safety Act (PSA) “Had lunch with my mum & dad for the first time in almost 8 months. I
from the Congress triggered a revolt in the Madhya Pradesh party against him. A swarm of media can’t remember a better meal even though I’ve been in a bit of a daze &
unit, with 22 MLAs who belong to his camp also tendering their res- personnel and supporters, many don’t remember what I ate,” he tweeted on Tuesday afternoon
ignations. of them in masks, waited for him He also changed his Twitter bio to: 'Former PSA Political detinue, former
This led to collapse of the Kamal Nath-led state government last outside his residence after he was CM of J&K state, former Union Minister, former MP, former MLA. Vice Presi-
week. On March 12, when the Congress was in power in the state, the released. dent JKNC.’ His release order was issued after charges under the Public
Economic O�ences Wing (EOW) decided to verify facts afresh into The National Conference Safety Act (PSA), slapped on him on February 5, were revoked.
the complaint against Scindia and his family of allegedly indulging leader, who turned 50 on March
in wrongdoing while selling a land in Gwalior in 2009. 10, has been under detention since the makeshift detention centre af- a three-page dossier that was chal-
"The complainant, Surendra Shrivastava, approached us for the August 5, when the Centre an- ter news came in that her son was lenged in the Supreme Court by
second time on March 12 seeking a re-look into his complaint against nounced the revocation of Jammu about to be released. his sister Sara Abdullah Pilot. The
Scindias. We forwarded the complaint to our Gwalior o�ce which, and Kashmir's special status un- He was kept at the state guest- Supreme Court last week asked
after a re-investigation, closed it," a top EOW o�cial said. According der Article 370 and its bifurcation house Hari Nivas, just a few hun- the Centre and the Jammu and
to sources in the EOW, it closed the case against Scindia and his into the union territories of dred metres from his o�cial resi- Kashmir administration to in-
family on Friday. Incidentally, Kamal Nath also stepped down as chief Jammu and Kashmir, and Ladakh. dence. His father, former chief form by this week if it was releas-
minister on Friday after his government was reduced to a minority. The order revoking the PSA minister Farooq Abdullah, was ing him.
On March 12, Shrivastava filed a fresh complaint against Scindia against him was issued by Home also charged under the PSA and A bench of Justices Arun
and his family, alleging that by falsifying a registry document, they Secretary Shaleen Kabra. Abdul- released on March 13 after 221 Mishra and M R Shah told the
sold him a piece of land at Mahalgaon which was smaller by 6,000 lah was booked under the strin- days in detention. PDP leader and counsel appearing for the Centre
sqft than the original agreement in 2009, the EOW o�cial said. He gent act on February 5, hours be- former chief minister Mehbooba that Abdullah's sister's plea
initially lodged the complaint on March 26, 2014 against Scindia, fore his six-month custody under Mufti continues to be under de- against his detention would be
who was then a Congress leader, and his family. But it was investigated preventive detention was to end. tention. On February 5, Omar Ab- heard on merit if he was not re-
and closed in May 2018 (when the BJP was in power in the state), The government has revoked his dullah, who was junior foreign leased soon. The petition, which
the o�cial said. Earlier this month, 22 MLAs loyal to Scindia resigned detention with “immediate ef- Na�onal Conference leader Omar Abdullah poses for a photograph with his minister and commerce minister may now become infructuous,
father and party chief Farooq Abdullah and his mother Molly Abdullah a�er he
from the Congress, paving way for the BJP to come to power in the fect”, the order stated. Abdullah's was freed from deten�on as the administra�on revoked the stringent Public in the Atal Bihari Vajpayee-led could have come up for hearing
state again. Senior BJP leader Shivraj Singh Chouhan took oath as mother was the first to arrive at Safety Act (PSA) against him, in Srinagar on Tuesday Cabinet in 2000, was served with on Wednesday or later this week.
chief minister of the state on Monday night.

With passenger trains stopped, RS, LS Secretariats

closed in view of

Rlys focuses on freight services coronavirus outbreak

New Delhi: The Rajya
Sabha and the Lok Sabha
ANAND SINGH national transporter on March sential commodities without secretariats have been
23, Bajpai said, 474 were for es- any delay, amidst various re- shut completely in view
New Delhi (IANS): With the sential commodities, like grain, striction imposed in the wake of of the coronavirus out-
suspension of passenger, mail salt, edible oil, sugar, milk, fruits Covid-19. break and no one will be
and express train services, the & vegetables, onion, coal and pe- "Railways has slashed the de- allowed to attend office.
Indian Railways is focusing on troleum products. The rest 121 murrage and wharfage rates for While the Rajya Sabha
speeding up transportation of rakes were used for transporting goods and parcels by half of the Secretariat has been shut
essential commodities across iron ore, 48 for steel, 25 for ce- prescribed rates till March 31," till Friday, the Lok Sabha
the country. ment, 28 for fertilizer and 106 it said. Secretariat will be closed
"The Indian Railways never rakes for containers, he added. Free time for loading or un- till March 31.
stopped even during the war. On Sunday, the Railway an- loading of wagons, and for re- "The Rajya Sabha Sec-
Please understand the serious- nounced suspension of passen- moval of consignment from the retariat has been shut-
ness of the circumstance. Stay at ger, mail and express trains -- railway premises has been in- down till Friday and no
home," the Ministry tweeted on around 13,600 -- from Monday creased to double of the pre- one shall be allowed to at-
Tuesday night. to March 31. scribed free time till March 31. tend office in view of the
Rajesh Dutt Bajpai, Executive The Railway Ministry in a Indian Railways staff, de- coronavirus threat," a
Director, Ministry of Railways, statement said during the lock- ployed in control rooms for op- source said. There are
said, around 9,000 freight trains down in various states, railway eration of freight trains, line over 1,400 officers and
were being run daily. "The In- employees, deployed at various staff, maintenance staff, security staff working in the Rajya
dian Railways is making all ef- goods sheds, stations and con- personnel and medical staff in Sabha. Meanwhile, a Lok
forts to ensure availability of es- trol offices, would continue to railway hospitals are working Sabha communication
sential commodities, and work 24X7 to ensure supply of 24X7. "The Indian Railways un- said the office would re-
Locals collect drinking water from uninterrupted freight services essential items. derstands its crucial role during main closed till March 31
a roadside tap during the are being run despite of various The Ministry said it was work- this difficult time and requests but officers could direct
lockdown imposed in the wake of restrictions due to Covid-19," he ing in close coordination with all to support in ensuring faster staff in case of exigencies
coronavirus pandemic, in Kolkata said. the state governments for loading and unloading of essen- of work.
Of the 891 rakes loaded by the smooth handling of rakes of es- tial supplies," it said.

WINDOWS
Rlys to produce hospital Kashmir's first +ve COVID-19 350 FIRs lodged against B'luru civic body deploys
Corona: Kerala Police to hold case treated successfully
beds, stretchers, IV stands violators of lockdown drones to fight COVID-19
online hackathon for solutions Srinagar (IANS): The first positive case
Thiruvananthapuram (IANS): The Kerala Police on Tuesday an- New Delhi (IANS): To meet the growing requirement of es- of coronavirus in Srinagar has been suc- Lucknow (IANS): About 350 FIRs have been lodged in Bengaluru, March 24 (IANS): Bengaluru civic
nounced that it would hold an online hackathon titled Code-Vid- sential medical items in the wake of coronavirus epidemic, cessfully treated, an official said on Tues- the past 24 hours in Uttar Pradesh for violation of the body has deployed drones for spraying disinfec-
19 to get ideas on how to cope with the COVID-19 virus, that has the Indian Railways has decided to manufacture at its pro- day. Deputy Commissioner Srinagar lockdown in the state. tants over all the areas of the city to combat
taken a toll of Kerala. Ninety one people in Kerala have so far duction units hospital beds, stretchers, IV stands, ventila- Shahid Choudhary, quoting the Director Additional chief secretary home, Avanish Awasthi, coronavirus, a top official said on Tuesday.
tested positive, with over 63,000 people under observation. Doc- tors, etc. "In the wake of pandemic Covid-19, the railway, in of the Sher-e-Kashmir Institute of Med- told reporters here on Tuesday that 250 FIRs had "Disinfectants will be sprayed using drones to
tors are keeping their fingers crossed as more test results are ex- consultation with production units and zonal railway work- ical Sciences, tweeted: "Srinagar's first been registered on Monday and 100 on Tuesday. sanitise public spaces. Mechanical sweepers to
pected. shops, has decided to use its facilities, like Chittaranjan COVID-19 positive case successfully He said that the state government had started be deployed for intensive cleaning. Jetting ma-
The Cyberdome wing of the Kerala Police has asked all those Loco Works, Integral Coach Factory, Chennai, Rail Coach treated: Director SKIMS. Let's #Break- preparing to tackle the Corona virus from February chines from BBMP will be employed in this exer-
interested to log on to their link at the Cyberdome, latest by Factory, Kapurthala, Diesel Loco Works, Varanasi, and Rail TheChain". The first positive case of and the results were apparent now. cise," tweeted Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara
March 29. It has been titled 'Come forward, showcase your tech- Wheel Factory, Yelehanka, to manufacture these essential Covid-19 in the Kashmir Valley was re- He said that all departments of the state govern- Palike (BBMP) Commissioner B.H. Anil Kumar.
nical skills, stop-prevent, contain the pandemic COVID-19'. State items" to help combat the pandemic, the Indian Railways ported on March 17. A woman from Khan- ment were working in close coordination to deal with Powered by six propellers, the drones have a
Police chief Aloknath Behra on Tuesday evening conducted vehi- said in a statement, here on Tuesday. The Railway Board yar in downtown Srinagar, with travel the prevailing situation. capacity to lift 15 litre disinfectants provided by
cle checks on the roads and later told the media that since it was has issued necessary instructions to the General Managers history of Saudi Arabia, had tested posi- "More than one lakh people have come to the the civic body to spray in places when there is
the first day of the lockdown, some leniency was being shown to of these production units to explore the feasibility to man- tive and had been undergoing treatment state form other places during the past ten days. We more human density.
violators. "It won't be like this from now on, and we will under no ufacture items, like simple hospital beds (without mat- at the SKIMS. Meanwhile two more per- have gone in for a lockdown to ensure social distanc- Six nozzles under the propellers spray the dis-
circumstances allow anyone to come out for a ride and such tress), medical trolleys for hospitals and quarantine facili- sons, with travel history to outside J&K, ing and also prevent spread of the virus," he said. infectant from the drone with a flight time of 20
things. Very strong action will be taken against those who violate ties, IV stands, stretchers, hospital footsteps, hospital were found positive on Tuesday, taking He lauded the fact that almost all anti-CAA minutes.
the directives. This is being enforced for the benefit of the people bedside lockers, washbasins with stands, ventilators, PPEs the total number of cases in Kashmir to protests had been called off in view of the Corona A single battery can power the drone to spray
only," said Behra. like masks, sanitizers, and water tanks. three. scare. the liquid in an area of three acres.
4 EDIT ��������������������������������

mostly related to tax and regulatory issues, to infuse due on March 15 would be computed at nine per

������������� confidence into Indian stock markets which have

been on a roller-coaster ride in the past couple of
weeks. On Monday, India’s stock markets collapsed
cent against the existing 12 per cent. This lower in-
terest rate will be levied up to June 30 this year.
Apart from extending deadline for filing delayed

������������� with Sensex suffering its worst-ever crash. The

benchmark index plunged 3,935 points, 13.15 per
cent, to close at 25,981 points. NSE Nifty followed
IT returns for FY19 up to June 30, Sitharaman also
waived minimum average balance fee being levied
by banks on account holders for next three months.

I n the wake of countrywide lockdown to contain

the deadly coronavirus, Finance Minister Nir-
mala Sitharaman on Tuesday announced some
suit and nosedived by 1,135 points, or 12.98 per cent,
to settle at 7,610 points. Investors lost a whopping
Rs 14.22 lakh crore on a single day. However, mar-
This measure will put some extra money into the
hands of people as they can withdraw all the funds
available in their saving accounts. She also waived
steps to support businesses and lift sentiment. kets rebounded and ended in green zone after FM’s ATM withdrawal fees and digital transaction
Many expected the Finance Minister to come out announcement on Tuesday. But there is no guar- charges. In recent days, there have been apprehen-
with a full-fledged economic revival package as the antee that the latest steps will be enough to calm sions in many quarters that the Central government
economy has been reeling under an unprecedented stock markets in long run. might impose financial emergency in the wake of

Ugadi: Some epicurean

onslaught because of the crisis triggered by COVID- However, some initiatives like extension of the coronavirus impact. But Finance Minister ruled out
19, a communicable disease caused by coronavirus, deadline for filing GST returns for the months of such step. Her announcement came as big relief for
which is crippling all the key sectors including March, April and May to June 30, will provide some many. But the fact of the matter is that the latest

thoughts for Telugus!

travel, tourism, manufacturing and what not. But relief to companies, especially MSMEs. But the gov- measures are not enough to put the battered econ-
the Finance Minister disappointed everyone by say- ernment should have extended the deadline for pay- omy on a growth track. The Centre needs to do
ing that a revival package would be announced later ment of last instalment of advance tax which was more. A comprehensive revival package is need of
by Economic Task Force. Recently, the Central gov- scheduled for March 15. That step would have pro- the hour. As suggested by industry bodies, a Rs 2
ernment constituted the Economic Task Force to vided big relief to companies which are reeling un- lakh-crore stimulus package that puts more money W CHANDRAKANTH
assess the impact of the deadly pandemic on the der the adverse impact of corona crisis. Instead of into the hands of people is imperative to revive con-
economy and suggest remedial measures. Perhaps,
the Finance Minister came out with new steps,
extending the deadline, the Finance Minister said
interest rate on delayed payments of advanced tax
sumption demand so that economic growth picks
up. Can the Modi government do that? W oeful part of our civilisation is that we never documented our food
properly despite producing a mass of literature surrounding
mythologies and history. Ramayana and Mahabharata tell us that both
vegetarian and non-vegetarian foods were prevalent. Perhaps, in the
north, dairy products dominated the cuisine.

Chronicles of yore in times of corona

Using of clay ovens, cauldrons and open fires also taught them to dry
and pickle food to preserve it. All the four seasons gave them a vast variety
and they made an excellent use of the same. Compared to other lands,
India had seen a more stable life from the Vedic period.
We know that they grew rice, peas, sesame, and melons. And they do-
mesticated cows, pigs, bu�alo, and sheep. If you visited someone in early
TALKING OF civil servants I came across in India, you would most likely be served rice, veggies, meat, and wheat
my career. It was his habit to bread.
MANY THINGS leave the office on the dot, at In the north, they tended to eat food that was more bland (not spicy),
the closing hour. One day, to with a lot of dairy products (yogurt and butter), and lentils. In the south,
annoy him, a subordinate sent you might find the food spicier, and served with rice and maybe coconut.
a thick and complicated file Those who lived near the oceans, rivers, or lakes would serve fish and
just as he was about to leave. seafood.
Sastry gave it a long look. The Later on, religion began to influence what food was to be eaten. The
file contained many flags to fa- Hindus came to see the cow as a sacred animal and would not eat it. Mus-
cilitate reference to the docu- lims were forbidden to eat pork. And though India had learned about
ments it contained. He pulled chickens from Thailand and sheep from the Middle East, many Indians
out a flag marked ‘K’, threw it chose to be vegetarians, rather than be guilty of killing animals. (Buddhism
away, wrote in the file “where was a great influence).
Dr Mohan Kanda is flag K”? Sent the file back The Telugu, Trilinga or Andhra or Andhaka cuisine too was enriched
and left for the day! with its ecology. It had a fair interaction with the regions like today's Ma-

O
After completion of my harashtra, Karnataka and Tamil Nadu.
ne upshot of the Covid– training at the Lal Bahadur The southern food was not documented much even in the middle ages,
19 scare has been the Shastri National Academy of so we need to depend heavily, to draw information about the same, on
self-imposed exile it Administration in Mussoorie, literature.
has caused, particularly in the I was posted to Krishna district Let's move over to the Satavahana regime. Historians have mentioned
elderly to which category this in Andhra Pradesh as an Assis- that the food that the Telugus had was as varied as it is now. We had 'Anna
columnist most decidedly be- tant Collector under training. Prasadas', wheat products, lentil mixes along with meat and fish prod-
longs to. While being moder-
ately inactive has been the nat-
One of the initial tasks en-
trusted to me was the prepara-
The bridge across the river Naguleru was completely ucts.
What could be the one product that we can trace to our history and
ural state of things over the
past decade or so after super-
tion of the Village Economic
Report of the village to which
submerged and one had only the ribbon of the road to culture? 'Kudumu'. Even 'Undrallu'? Yes, because these have been on the
o�er to Lord Ganesha since ancient times. Dairy products led to the mak-
annuation, the extent of immo-
bility demanded by the present
I was posted for training as a
village officer. The village was
indicate where the sides of the bridge were. Once ing of 'Payasam' since at least two thousand years ago.
Pan cakes too were a part of it but called di�erently in the Telugu land
situation is somewhat difficult Pamarru which was also the again, ignoring the peril of the swelling and swift - Atlu. Call it Dosa or Adai, we had all those varieties served since long
cope up with.
As Ghalib once said, “Subah
village in which my predeces-
sor R V V Vaidyanatha Iyer had waters, I persuaded the fragile Standard Herald car, here.
Our mothers and sisters were so patient and so caring that they further
Hoti Hai Sham Hoti hai Umar
yun hi tamaam hoti hai”.
also been trained. Though
sorely tempted to plagiarise his with the glasses rolled up, to brave it across the evolved several crunchy and yummy savouries like 'chakkilalu, laddu,
bobbatlu, taalikalu, ariselu, gaarelu, boorelu (all those stu�ed items),
Morning comes, then
evening. All life is like that. En-
brilliant report, I resolved to
do an original job and, in the invisible bridge. Finally, and with a little assistance dhappalam (this one should and must have sweet pumpkin if nothing
else) etc were the norms.
nui, in other words.
In such circumstances, it is
event, put out a passable effort.
The highlight of the one
from extremely helpful local villagers, we made it to Wedding, festivals and special occasions had quite a spread of sweets
and other condiments along with fruits. And pickles? You name it. A sim-
natural for the mind to cast its
roving eye over events of by-
month stay in Pamarru was the
companionship I developed
the other side. That all of us had a great time ple mango gave us a yearlong accompaniment with every meal. Raw
mango, dried ones, cut ones all pickled nicely, with red chilli powder/green
gone days and to recollect with the ‘karanam’ of the vil- celebrating Diwali at the other end was the chillies, turmeric, fenugreek, salt and oil turned our daily meal into a

compensation for all the excitement and fright

them. From among the most lage Sanjeeva Rao, who had spicy a�air. Leaves like Gongura (in Andhra) turned into an essential in
eligible candidates of those only passed the intermediate the households. One was never bothered about the burning hot chilli be-
memories, this columnist has examination, but could have cause we had plenty of ghee to go with it into the rice. Tamarind, goose-
chosen a few that offer the given today’s professors of house, was literally floating on trees lay across the roads, elec- had a great time celebrating berries, tomato etc were the other stu� that pickles were made of yogurt
most promising fare by way of English a run for their money. water up to its hood. We some- tric poles were twisted into Diwali at the other end was the and buttermilk were taken straight or got mixed with vegetables to add a
entertainment in these diffi- Pamarru village lay on the how managed to get into the weird shapes by the fierce compensation for all the ex- special flavour. Don't forget 'pulihora' and raagi sankati or raagi mudda -
cult times. highway connecting Machili- car and drive through the sheet winds and the roads had citement and fright. the second one was on the menu of Emperor Srikrishna Devaraya, records
As my training days were patnam to Vijayawada. My wife of water all around us. In fact, breached in several places. I have chronicled elsewhere suggest.
drawing to a close, and my Usha had also joined me for my as I turned into the road from One more reason why we that the primary reason for my Tribals simply hung their meat for drying in their houses to be eaten
posting as a Sub-Collector was one month’s stay. A bit of a the gate of the guest house, all ought to have turned back joining the civil services was later.
round the corner, my mother climb down, as a matter of fact, I could see ahead of me was just promptly and return to my father’s keenness upon my In its counterpart in Telangana region, bachali kura and puntikura
persuaded me to consult an as- compared to Switzerland water and was impossible to Machilipatnam. Partly sheer taking up that profession. After have been in use since long. At least from the information that could be
trologer about the possible where we had originally hoped tell where the road margin foolhardiness, partly the lure I had concluded giving the in- culled from Kakatiya rule and earlier from the Satavahana rule. Either
place of my posting. The pro- to spend our honeymoon! In ended, and the canal bund be- of the in-laws place, or simply terview at the UPSC, he flew to be it during the Assaka regime, Ikshavuku, Salankayanas, Eastern
duction put out was that I November 1969 a serious cy- gan. With a sigh of relief, we the reluctance to beat a re- Delhi the next day, anxious to Chalukyas and before them Pallavas, all these sustained the basic food
would be posted to a place on clonic storm hit the coast of drove back to Machilipatnam. treat, we pressed on. Very soon ascertain how I had fared. A made up of millets, rice, wheat and meat and fish.
the banks of a major river. Nat- Andhra Pradesh State. Krishna The adventure should have we reached a place where river full debriefing followed, at the The Deccan Plateau evolved its own patchi pulusu, the easiest con-
urally, I started dreaming district was one of the worst ended there under normal cir- called now Naguleru crossed end of which he exclaimed, coction which could be made and served in five minutes. Of course, am-
about the nice bungalow in sufferers. Severe gales and cumstances. But not for yours the road. The bridge across the “How was I to know that there abali/gatka were always served, more so during the summers along with
which I had seen the Sub-Col- heavy rains came with the cy- faithfully! Diwali was round the river was completely sub- was so much you did not sarva pindi. Come Sankranti, sakinaalu was a must.
lector live in Rajahmundry; clone. When we woke up one corner and Ramachandrapu- merged and one had only the know!” A realisation more or Came the Muslim impact and non-vegetarian acquired a more aromatic
and the pretty house that was morning, we found that our bed ram, where my in-laws stayed, ribbon of the road to indicate less on the lines on which my flavours, rich texture and taste.
the Sub-Collector’s residence was floating on water! Having was just a few hours’ drive where the sides of the bridge brother had earlier assessed Gudalu, mokkajonna gaarelu, pyalalu, ponganalu, saddulu continued
in Vijayawada. And when the cautiously waded our way out away. So, the inclement were. Once again, ignoring the me, when he stated that all my throughout the centuries.
news actually came, it was to of the room, we found that the weather notwithstanding, my peril of the swelling and swift knowledge could have been Mirchi bajji was and is a celebrity in all the regions that Telugus stay.
Ongole that I was posted. It guest house was slightly below sister-in-law, the ever-faithful waters, I persuaded the fragile written in bold letters behind Idly and wada could have been later additions. But dosa has been there
was only after some enquiry the level of the canal across the Ravi, our helper Usha and I set Standard Herald car, with the a postage stamp! Or, for that since long.
that I learnt that there was, af- road and was totally sub- off to Ramachandrapuram. No glasses rolled up, to brave it matter, my ignorance in small Boti kura, talakaya koora, liver fry, chinta chiguru mamsam, paya,
ter all, a river close by, namely merged. The canal had sooner had we travelled a few across the invisible bridge. Fi- letters all the way from Hyder- khemma mutteelu and golichina mamsam were the primary meat items
the Gundlakamma! breached its bund overnight miles away from Machilipat- nally, and with a little assis- abad to New Delhi! of non-vegetarians. And came the Muslims influence, rice parked itself
The late B R K Sastry was and overflowed across the road. nam than we found that the tance from extremely helpful (The writer is former nicely around several of these in the form of biryanis.
easily one of the sharpest, My car, which was parked on cyclone had, indeed, wrought local villagers, we made it to Chief Secretary, Government of Try these age old delicacies during this quarantined 'Ugadi' and cele-
quickest and most efficient the verandah of the guest a great deal of havoc. Uprooted the other side. That all of us Andhra Pradesh) brate the time it has given you to stay together.
Happy Ugadi!

CERTAIN FACTS ABOUT THESE INVISIBLE INVADERS

HANS NEWS SERVICE SARS-CoV2 sneaks its entry into comes to SARS-VO2, our immune sys- It leads to fluids settling down in the
the respiratory tract through the res- tem is not trained enough, one should alveoli and puss also forms. The pneu-

S ARS-CoV2 is not the same as the

flu virus, though it is a respiratory
virus. This entitles it to silently settle
piratory droplets that contain the
virus or smear the virus with our fin-
gers or any other contaminated ob-
say.
The good news is that the same im-
mune system could be, perhaps,
monia phase carries symptoms such
as a high fever, chills that may be ac-
companied by shaking, coughing up
down in our respiratory system from jects. From inside the nostrils, it be- enough to deal with this virus if every- mucus that’s greenish, yellow, or
our noses to our lungs. We know that gins its deadly journey., science thing remains in our upper respiratory bloody, chest pain, shortness of breath,
lungs help us breathe in and breath journals point out. tract, that is above our trachea or and other breathing difficulties. Next,
out carbon dioxide. There are spikes on the surface of windpipe. So if we have a sore throat, we may be needing a ventilator.
We have seen many viruses in the the coronavirus that consist of pro- nasal congestion or a dry cough or any Real trouble occurs when our im-
past and remember some of them like tein. These protein spikes are the key such upper respiratory system symp- mune system begins to send chemicals
adenoviruses, rhinoviruses, respira- to the viruses’ ability to invade the toms or even a dry cough, it is to some and cells to not only our lungs but all
tory syncytial viruses (RSV) influence cells in your respiratory tract. They extent, a little extent, some relief. over your body. The destruction then
and other coronaviruses. help the virus find and bind to ACE2, When it goes down to the lower part extends beyond your respiratory tract.
As long as SARS-CoV2 is happy with a protein on the surface of your cells of the system? It leads to shortness of Our blood pressure starts to drop, and
residing in out upper respiratory sys- that the virus’s ace in the hole, so to breath, chest pain or tightness, a our organs start to fail.
tem or tract, we have not much of a speak, to get into your cells. This virus deeper cough, and other difficulties in Do we come back from this stage?
problem. In fact, some of the viruses then tricks your cell into helping it get breathing. That is where faith matters. Better
are happy with their upper portion de- inside the cell. It uses an enzyme These symptoms can come from in- trust in the God you believe. All the
pository positions, while some others called furin that is present in your cells flammation of our respiratory tree, best.
do try to occupy the ground floor of to break the protein spikes in half, al- otherwise known as our bronchial However, there is a silver lining to
the respiratory tract i.e., lower respi- lowing the spikes to then guide the tree. It means that it could become a it too. Most infected people do not al-
ratory tract. The difference is that this virus into your cells. This virus then pneumonia when Alveoli, which are an ways send their people to places of
SARS-CoV2 does monkey business. It hijacks your cells’ machinery to make important part of the respiratory sys- worship. But, why risk it at all? Stay
not only occupies the upper respira- more copies of itself. tem whose function it is to exchange indoors or stay out of contact with
tory tract but also the lower tract too. Our immune system probably has chance to set up specialised sentries mune system then scrambles to deal oxygen and carbon dioxide molecules people. Society can do without us for
it is that whimsical and opportunist. never ever seen anything like SARS- and weapons ready to recognise, catch, with the emergency with no real clear to and from the bloodstream, is in- a while rather than without people at
Don't forget this. CoV2 before and hasn’t yet had the and eliminate these intruders. The im- plan specific for SARS-CoV2. When it fected with the virus. all.
������������������������������� NEWS 5

Cartoons, TikTok, memes �������������� ��������������

HANS NEWS SERVICE
��
� ������������������ for quarantine facilities. A senior

offer relief amid corona scare

o�cer is deployed at govern-
Amaravati: Eighth coronavirus
��������������� ment hospitals, laboratories and
case has been confirmed int the ���������������������� at quarantine facilities.
state on Tuesday. According to ������������������� Special o�cers at mandal level
health and family welfare de- have been appointed to monitor
partment’s bulleting, the patient
��������� and follow up all the foreign re-
can check with my office; it’s had travelled from London to � ����������������� turnees.
work from home and not work Tirupati in Chittoor district. The ������������������� The principals of medical col-
at home!” cries the husband. In 25-year-old, who tested positive, leges have been empowered to
another forward, a man holding arrived in Chennai by flight at said. They were kept under strict recruit manpower to increase
a broomstick in one hand and a 11.30 am on March 18. From isolation and being monitored. capacity of labs to handle 1,000
pile of clothes and an iron box there, he travelled to Srikala- All laboratories are made func- samples a day. At present, there
on the other, screams, “Yes my hasti by car by 3 am on March 19. tional round-the-clock starting are four labs in the state to test
company has asked me to work As he developed symptoms on from Tuesday. In addition, the the Covid-19 cases, including one
from home. But that doesn’t March 23, he was admitted to the government issued orders for each at SVIMS, Tirupati in Chit-
mean you make me do all this! I Ruia Hospital in Tirupati and equipment required for three toor, Siddartha Medical College
have to finish the office work as tested positive. more laboratories at Kadapa, in Vijayawada in Krishna, Ran-
well!” Of the 76 samples tested, 61 Visakhapatnam and Guntur. garaya Medical College at Kaki-
In another meme, when trav- proved negative and 14 results Dedicated teams and GPS-en- nada in East Godavari and Anan-
ellers were eagerly wait in a are awaited, while one con- abled vehicles are working for tapur Medical College in
� ���������������������� flight for the take off. An an- firmed on Tuesday. sample collection. A total of Anantapur district. Each lab has
nouncement arrives - ‘This is A total of 453 new foreign re- 12,131 beds have been arranged the capacity to test only 60 sam-
������������������� your pilot speaking. I am work- turnees arrived, the bulleting at district and sub-district level ples a day.
�������������������� ing from home today.’
���������������� As more and more workplaces
�����������������������
�����������������
downed their shutters, employ-
ees, who are confined to their No work for MGNREGS workers work to the workers from the vil-
lages of foreign returned people,

in villages of foreign returnees

homes, turn to social media plat- though they are not confirmed
��������������������� forms to seek some relief in or- as coronavirus positive.
������������� der to ease their nervousness. He said that they were not
In addition to these, the video HANS NEWS SERVICE that 576 foreign returned people forcing any people to take up the
about Nithyananda’s therapy to arrived in the district. The o�- works though they are all yet to
RANI DEVALLA toons, memes and TikTok videos mood as many wake up to the re- use neem, turmeric and jaggery Ongole: The government in- cials said most of the people are complete the 100 days work. He
centred on novel coronavirus alities of the pandemic. water (panakam) provides gen- structed the o�cials to continue from Ongole urban, Ongole ru- confirmed that the MGNREGS
Visakhapatnam: Sets of ironed theme started trickling in on Such creative content laced erous dose of humour. “At a time the MGNREGS works, though ral, Inkollu, Machavaram, Epu- workers stopped from work were
clothes remain untouched in various social media platforms. with humour come as a relief at when the state government is lockdown is ordered in the State. rupalem, Parchuru, Kandukuru, not receiving any compensation
cupboards as professionals set- From redefining the objective a time when anxiety and fear considering steps to intensify But it advised the ground- Ponnaluru, Tanguturu, Uppala- or wages as the government
tle for ‘comfy’ casuals to work of ‘work from home’ to dissuad- continue to mount while fight- safety measures through imple- level o�cials to let the workers padu, Vetapalem and other vil- didn’t give any orders to them.
from home, a preventive step ing people from sneezing while ing against self-imposed quar- mentation of state-wide lock- take up works in all villages ex- lages. The MGNREGS o�cials an-
considered by several employers holding the mobile phone and antines. down and enforcement of 144 cept in those places where peo- DWMA Project Director in nounced that the number of peo-
to contain the coronavirus pan- self-styled Godman Several memes strike a chord CrPc, coronavirus-themed ple returned from a foreign land Prakasam district K Seenareddy ple o�ered work fell from
demic that continue to infect Nithyananda’s ‘pachapat- with women. In a creative con- memes help us overcome our and were kept in isolation. said on Tuesday morning that 1,22,689 on Monday to 69,989 on
thousands across the world. tinivratham’ therapy, the list tent, a woman was seen giving anxiety, especially during the pe- At a review meeting, based on the instructions from Tuesday. They said that workers
As more and more profession- seems to be long enough to tickle instructions to her husband to riod of gloom,” says M Narayana Prakasam District Collector Dr the higher o�cials, they asked from 272 gram panchayats were
als opt to work from home, car- the funny bone, lightening the cut veggies for the meals. “You Rao, who works in a private firm. Pola Bhaskar said on Tuesday the ground-level sta� to say no not o�ered work on Tuesday.

‘Using currency notes HOLDING ASSEMBLY SESSION WILL

is not safe, can be
transmission agents’ BE HISTORIC BLUNDER: NAIDU
���������������������
� ������������������������������������������������������ essary to close all possible gaps
People advised to prefer digital transactions ����������������������������������������������� in preventing community trans-
�������������������������� mission of the dreaded virus.
SAMBASIVA RAO M

Amaravati: The currency notes

packets and other packaged
products in the soap water for
some time before they are used.
� �������������������������������������������������������
�������������������������������������������������
The TDP national president
advised Chief Minister YS Jagan
Mohan Reddy’s government to
������������������������
act as virus transmission agents At the same time, fruits and veg- duly follow the Central govern- � ����������������������� generously contribute to the gov-
and the people are advised to de- etables also must be used after � ���������������������������������������������������������� ment's advisories on educating ernment as part of their support to
����������������������
pend more on digital transac- dipping them for some minutes ����������������������������������������������������� people. the cause of fighting the deadly
tions instead of direct cash pay- on light soap water. The fruits This is not a time for the State ����������������� virus.
ments while purchasing goods and vegetables must be washed
� ����������������� ������������������������������� government to criticise Opposi- ����������� Naidu discussed the need for
during the spread of pandemic at least three times. They should ��������������������������������������������������� tion but it should rather focus on contributions during an online
� �����������������������
coronavirus. be washed first with light soap ���������������������������������������� sensitisation of every individual conference with his party leaders.
The main threat is from car- water and then with normal wa- ����������������������� to save himself, save their fami- �������������������� These funds may be used by the
riers but not actual patients, ob- ter for proper purification of the lies and thereby save the commu- ��������������� government in the battle against
served Dr G Vijaya Saradhi, sen- produce. At the same time, the HANS NEWS SERVICE dreaded coronavirus. nity from the impending danger. ������������������ the coronavirus epidemic.
ior surgeon in Guntur. He said vegetables and fruits could also He warned that any wrong de- He stressed the need for gov- Following Naidu’s call, TDP MLAs
that when the carriers come and be cleaned by using light hot wa- Amaravati: TDP supremo N cision in this time of great human ernments and organisations to HANS NEWS SERVICE and MLCs donated one-month
purchase essential commodities ter. This procedure would pre- Chandrababu Naidu said that health crisis would prove to be a use online digital platforms more salary. Meanwhile, TDP MP Kin-
like milk, vegetables and others, vent the transmission of the conducting an Assembly Session historic blunder. e�ectively in order to render Amaravati: TDP national president jarapu Rammohan Naidu an-
they pay money through the virus.” when coronavirus was posing a He said that RS polls were services to di�erent sections of N Chandrababu Naidu announced nounced one month salary for
notes and coins. The notes can He said that the actual pa- threat to the lives of people in the postponed just two days ahead of people by eliminating physical a donation of Rs 10 lakh on his be- Srikakulam coronavirus victims.
carry the virus. At the same time, tients would not come out of the country will be a historic blun- polling which reflects the seri- contact to the maximum possible half and on his family members' He announced Rs 70 lakh under
we cannot avoid purchasing es- house and they remain in house der. ousness of the virus outbreak. extent. behalf to the Chief Minister’s Re- MPLADS to be meant for virus
sential commodities by using the quarantine. But, the relatives or The State government pro- Speaking on the precautionary The government should ac- lief Fund (CMRF) on Tuesday. fighting cause.
notes and coins. family members of the patient posed to start the Budget Session measures to prevent spread of tively extend such online services Along with him, all his party The MP wrote a letter to Prime
Vijaya Saradhi further said come and buy di�erent products of the Assembly on March 27 to coronavirus, he suggested people to farmers who are su�ering co- MLAs and MLCs donated one Minister Narendra Modi to sanc-
that, “One must be extremely in the market. Thereby they pass Vote-on-Account Budget. In to maintain distance at public rona-inflicted losses in agricul- month salary to the CMRF to fight tion financial assistance for small
cautious now. That means, max- transmit the virus to others. a press release on Tuesday, Naidu places. ture, horticulture, aqua and poul- against the pandemic coronavirus traders and daily wage workers
imum cleanliness should be fol- Once, the virus spreads in the pointed out that the Rajya Sabha Naidu strongly advocated per- try sectors. disease in the State. who are suffering a lot due to lock-
lowed.” market it would be di�cult to elections were indefinitely post- sonal and hand hygiene on the The Leader of Opposition ap- He called upon the people to downs and curfews.
Though the banks encourage prevent, he cautioned. poned to ensure social distancing part of every individual and also pealed to the Centre to waive
digital transactions, it is in- The surgeon added that there and asked the State government the need for advancing 'digital so- taxes on all required sanitary municipalities and corporations. package and compensation to the
evitable for the common man to were instances of spreading of to consult legal and medical ex- cialisation' on a mass scale as an products especially masks and Doctors should be given ID cards rural agricultural labourers un-
use the currency. At this junc- other viruses in the past, perts before conducting the As- e�ective means to make PM hand sanitisers. People should to go and render their services der Section 7 of the MG National
ture, Vijaya Saradhi suggested through the currency notes and sembly session during a period Narendra Modi's call for strict cooperate in ensuring sanitation during lockdowns. Rural Employment Guarantee
that, “It is better to dip the milk other commodities. when there is outbreak of the lockdown a success. This is nec- and hygiene in villages, towns, Naidu demanded a special Act (NREGA).

Tirupati gears up for COVID-19 exigencies Keep fighting Modi puts India
under lockdown
� �������������������������������������������������������
� ���������������������������������������������������
spirit up: PM Continued from P1
Modi said that several states
have already announced a lock-
down over the past few days
Continued from P1 and that this must be taken se-
� ��������������������������������������������������������� A top functionary of the central govern- riously.
����������������������� ment called up some of the Chief Ministers Earlier in the day, Union Fi-
� ��������������������������������������������������������� and apprised them of the necessity of impos- nance Minister Nirmala
ing the curfew if people continue to venture Sitharaman had, in a press con-
� ��������������������������������������������������������������� out of their homes. ference, announced a slew of
������������������ The state governments and the union ter- economic measures to ease reg-
ritory administrations have been advised to ulatory and compliance provi-
� ����������������������������������������������� impose curfew wherever necessary as many sions amid the ongoing coron-
people continue to go out of their homes de- avirus pandemic.
V PRADEEP KUMAR Such rooms are used to contain air- spite the lockdown ordered to check the On March 19, during his ad-
borne contaminants within the room. spread of the virus, a government o�cial dress last week, the Prime
Tirupati: As the number of coron- Negative room pressure is an isola- said. The state governments have been told Minister had appealed to the
avirus cases has been increasing in tion technique used in hospitals to that public gatherings could lead to escala- people to observe a day-long
the country and with the fears of prevent cross contamination from tion of the prevailing situation. "Now, it is 'Janata Curfew' on March 22.
community transmission of the virus room to room. up to the state governments to take action He had also said that the re-
rising, the government is putting It includes ventilation that gener- as per the local situation and give necessary solve and patience of the peo-
everything ready to face any eventu- ates negative pressure to allow air to instructions to the district magistrates who ple are critical to combat coro-
ality. flow into the isolation room without ��������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������� have the powers to impose curfew," the o�- navirus.
Though there were no positive going from it. The air will be mechan- ������������������������������������ cial said. Cabinet secretary Rajiv Gauba "I request people to avoid
cases in the pilgrim city so far, 10 neg- ically filtered or disinfected by ultra- asked state governments to immediately going to hospitals for a routine
ative pressure rooms are being built violet radiation or chemical means To a question, he said so far, there have also tested negative, confirmed identify and earmark hospitals to deal with check-up to ease pressure on
at Ruia Hospital on war-footing of before being released to the sur- were maximum 4-5 patients at the DM&HO Dr M Penchalaiah. the coronavirus outbreak. the medical staff," PM Modi
which seven will be ready in the next rounding outdoor environment. isolation ward at a time. But, in the Meanwhile, Padmavati Nilayam In a letter to Chief Secretaries of all the had said, urging those who can
one week. These rooms are meant for Speaking to The Hans India, event of sudden rise in the cases like which was taken over by APTDC re- states, Gauba also said it is absolutely essen- to postpone surgeries.
coronavirus positive cases if any. COVID-19 nodal officer at the Ruia in other countries, the hospital is cently to accommodate its tourists tial that surveillance and contact tracing of The reported cases in India
Each positive case will be kept in Hospital Dr S Subba Rao has said that ready to isolate the patients. For this, has been made a quarantine centre all positive cases is taken up and no sus- rose to over 500 on Tuesday
each room which will have an at- only positive cases will be kept in another 200 beds have been readied and all arrangements are in place pected or high-risk person is left out. even as states and Union Ter-
tached bathroom, TV and other these rooms while the negative and at medicine and surgical wards which there. "All states should immediately identify ritories across the nation an-
amenities so that patient can stay suspected cases will be kept in the can be used under exigencies. Collector Dr Bharat Gupta, Joint and earmark hospitals dedicated for man- nounced curfews and lock-
there alone without any pressure or isolation rooms and wards. As of now, He said that so far they sent 23 Collector D Rajendra Prasad and agement of COVID -19 cases and ensure downs. Domestic flights in the
contact with other positive cases. Dis- 34 beds isolation ward is ready at old samples for COVID-19 test and in all RDO V Kanaka Narasa Reddy have that they are in a state of full readiness to country have also been sus-
trict Collector Dr N Bharat Gupta has maternity hospital. Of which 20 are cases the reports were negative. visited the facility on Monday deal with the situation in the event of a pended from March 25 until
been showing special care on the isolation rooms and the other 14 beds Presently, there are three patients in evening along with the isolation further spike in the number of confirmed March 31 to contain the
speedy completion of these rooms. are placed in a hall. isolation at Ruia Hospital and they wards at Ruia Hospital. cases," he said. spread of the outbreak.
 TODAY’S QUOTE CORONA FOREX (in `)
Gold better bet for Indian investors Govt bans export of sanitisers, ventilators US Dollar 79.25 South

“
Today, gold is more relevant than ever before for The Central government on Tuesday banned export of all Euro 86.91 African Rand 4.98
the Indian investors. In such �mes of uncertain�es sani�sers and ven�lators with immediate effect in wake
and global market turmoil, gold possesses the ability of the coronavirus outbreak. "Export of all sani�sers is UAE Dirham 22.82 Hong Kong Dollar 11.3
to significantly improve risk-adjusted returns of prohibited, with immediate effect," the Directorate
por�olios across various levels of risk and act as a General of Foreign Trade (DGFT) said in a no�fica�on. It Thai Baht 2.67 Japanese Yen 0.79
hedge against infla�on and our data confirms this also banned exports of all types of ven�lators, including
British Pound 92.87 New Zealand Dollar 46.65
– WGC Managing Director-India Somasundaram PR any ar�ficial respiratory apparatus or oxygen therapy
Australian Dollar 47.64 Saudi Riyal 22.33
Canadian Dollar 55.6 Swedish Krona 8.6
Swiss Franc 81.44 Singapore Dollar 55.29

DELHI WEDNESDAY 25 MARCH 2020

BIZ BRIEFS
Mkts rebound amid PLANT CLOSURES
Automakers
Moody’s downgrades
ONGC rating
Amara Raja to
to lose `2,300 cr

steps to fight corona

suspend mfg
Hyderabad: The Amara Raja
Group on Tuesday said it has per day New Delhi: Moody's Investors
decided to suspend manufac- New Delhi: Auto industry Service on Tuesday downgraded Cites uncertain oil
turing operations till March- body SIAM on Tuesday state-owned Oil and Natural Gas prices, govt guidelines
end in the wake of the coron- said the closure of manu- Corporation's (ONGC) rating in
on dividend
avirus pandemic. Considering
that most of the manufactur- Sensex up 693 points in line with global facturing plants by vari-
ous automakers and
view of the uncertain oil price en-
vironment, depleting cash re-
ing operations are continuous
process in nature, steps for markets; Nifty gains 191 points component manufactur-
ers due to coronavirus
serves of the government and
government guidelines con-
a significant deterioration in oil
prices over the last month that is
safe shutdown have com- pandemic would lead to a straining its ability to lower divi- predicted to persist for most of
menced, the Tirupati-based Mumbai: A day after su�ering revenue loss of over Rs dends. 2020, ONGC decided to pay an
group said in a statement. The their biggest single-day collapse, 2,300 crore per day. The rating agency downgraded interim dividend of Rs 5 per share
group will be reviewing the sit- benchmarks Sensex and Nifty on "As per quick esti- ONGC's local and foreign cur- last week, resulting in cash out-
uation continuously and will Tuesday staged a sharp recovery mates by SIAM, it is ex- rency issuer ratings to Baa2 from flows of Rs 6,300 crore, which has
take all necessary steps as re- in line with global markets as in- pected that plant closure Baa1. It also downgraded the rat- reduced its cash reserves. ONGC
quired from time to time, it vestors held out hopes that meas- of auto OEMs and com- ings of the unsecured bonds is- had consolidated cash and cash
added. The Amara Raja group ures by governments across the ponents will lead to loss sued by ONGC
employs around 16,000 people. world will o�set the economic of more than Rs 2,300 and those issued
damage caused by the coronavirus crore in turnover for by its subsidiary
pandemic. each day of closure," So- ONGC Videsh
HUL 3rd most The BSE gauge Sensex closed ciety of Indian Automo- Ltd. The outlook
692.79 points or 2.67 per cent bile Manufacturers on all ratings re-
valued company higher at 26,674.03, after a highly (SIAM) President Rajan mains negative, it
New Delhi: Hindustan Unilever volatile trading session. The index Wadhera said in a state- said.
Limited (HUL) on Tuesday be- swung between a high of 27,462.87 6.95 per cent. While realty, capital avirus lockdown hitting the Indian ment. All major au- "Given the in-
came the third most valued and a low of 25,638.90 during the goods and basic materials indices industry hard and causing job tomakers like Maruti creasingly uncer-
firm by market capitalisation, day. Likewise, the NSE barometer ended up to 2.01 per cent lower. In losses, Finance Minister Nirmala Suzuki India, Hyundai, tain oil price en-
helped by jump in its share Nifty settled 190.80 points, or 2.51 the broader market, BSE midcap Sitharaman said an economic Honda, Mahindra, Toy- vironment,
price. The company's scrip per cent, up at 7,801.05. and smallcap indices rose up to package to help tide over the crisis ota Kirloskar Motor, Tata ONGC's depleted cash reserves, equivalents of Rs 6,700 crore as
climbed 8.34 per cent to close Both Sensex and Nifty had suf- 1.56 per cent. With the coron- will be announced very soon. Motors, Kia Motors and and government guidelines that on September 30, 2019.
at Rs 2,028.75 on the BSE. Dur- fered their worst ever single-ses- MG Motor India have an- constrains state-owned enter- "ONGC's dividend policy is
ing the trade, it advanced sion drop in history on Monday. nounced temporary prises' ability to lower dividends, based on the guidelines issued by
10.66 per cent to Rs 2,072.30.
The FMCG major's market val-
Indices had closed with up to 13
per cent plunge. On Tuesday, In-
Monitoring mkt volatility: FM shutdown of plants.
Two-wheeler makers
ONGC's ratings are materially
challenged at the previous rating
the Government of India in May
2016, which requires all govern-
uation rose by Rs 33,817.07 dian equities followed an im- New Delhi: The Centre and various regulatory bodies are closely mon- like Hero MotoCorp, level and its credit profile insu�- ment-owned companies to pay a
crore to Rs 4,39,188.07 crore, proved investor sentiment in Asia itoring the stock market volatility, Finance Minister Nirmala Sithara- Honda Motorcycle and cient to remain above India's minimum annual dividend equal
helping it take the third rank in after the Federal Reserve an- man said on Tuesday. Recently, market regulator Sebi issued guidelines Scooter India, TVS Mo- Baa2 sovereign rating. The rating to 5 per cent of their net worth
the list of top companies by nounced limitless bond-buying to curb the heightened volatility caused due to the Covid-19 outbreak, tor Company, Bajaj Auto, outlook is negative in line with even if they do not have su�cient
market capitalisation (m-cap). programme to support the US she said at a media briefing on the Centre's plan to introduce new Yamaha and Suzuki Mo- the outlook on India's sovereign profits," Moody's said.
On Monday, HUL informed the economy. Top gainers in the Sen- statutory and regulatory norms which will ease the economic fallout torcycle have also sus- rating," said Vikas Halan, senior Despite depleted cash reserves,
BSE that it has signed an sex pack included Infosys, Bajaj of the pandemic. Besides, Sitharaman said that the Reserve Bank of pended production. Be- vice-president, Moody's. ONGC is expected to meet its
agreement with Glenmark Finance, HUL, Maruti, HCL Tech India, along with the Ministry of Finance, are closely monitoring the sides, tyre makers and "Further, the downgrade re- debt repayment obligations given
Pharmaceuticals to acquire its and Reliance Industries; while stock market volatility. The Minister reiterated that the matter is of other major auto compo- flects our expectation that its access to capital as a state-
intimate hygiene brand M&M, IndusInd Bank, ITC, Pow- utmost concern to the government and that the Centre is in touch nent makers too have ONGC's credit metrics will owned company. "However, its
'VWash'. HUL was followed by erGrid and L&T were among the with regulators over it for at least three times a day. Lately, the India shut down manufactur- weaken beyond the tolerance lower cash reserves have dimin-
HDFC Bank at fourth rank in losers. Sectorally, BSE IT, teck, en- VIX or fear index has jumped to touch new highs on the back of the ing activities due to the level for its ratings, if oil prices re- ished the company's capacity to
the list, with a valuation of Rs ergy, FMCG, auto, bankex, finance investors' concerns over the economic fallout. coronavirus outbreak. main low for a prolonged period," protect its credit profile from oil
4,19,718.16 crore. TCS is the and metal indices advanced up to he said. Against the backdrop of price shocks," Halan said.
country's most valued firm,

India Inc hails Centre’s steps

with a market valuation of Rs
6,38,974.83 crore, followed by
RIL whose valuation stood at INVOKING IBC

Govt raises default threshold to `1 cr to tackle corona impact

Rs 5,97,856.32 crore at the
close of trade.

Milk demand Say waiver of penalty, late fee and interest on GST will also help industry
New Delhi: The central gov- such force majeure causes of
goes up 5-10% ernment on Tuesday raised Move aimed at shielding MSMEs from insolvency default," she said. New Delhi: India Inc on ner, EY, said, "Extended
New Delhi: Mother Dairy, the threshold for invoking in- proceedings due to corona crisis: FM Spelling out other relief Tuesday said the govern- time for payment under
which supplies over 30 lakh solvency under the IBC to Rs measures, the finance minis- ment's move to extend the the Sabka Vishwas
litres of milk everyday in the 1 crore from the current Rs 1 ter said no additional fees will deadline for filing income Scheme as well is a wel-
national capital region, said it lakh with a view to prevent be charged for late filing dur- tax and GST returns and come measure as compa-
is not facing any major supply triggering of such proceedings ing a moratorium period from raise threshold of default nies were struggling for
disruptions in spite of 5-10 per against small and medium en- April 1 to September 30 in re- that could trigger insol- making the payment in the
cent increase in demand on terprises that are facing cur- spect of any document, return, vency of a company would lockdown scenario."
Tuesday, amid lockdowns in rently the heat of coronavirus statement etc, required to be help businesses, especially Assocham President Ni-
the wake of coronavirus pandemic. Talking to re- filed in the MCA-21 Registry, MSMEs, tide over the neg- Chandrajit Banerjee ranjan Hiranandani said
spread. However, Parag Milk, a porters, Finance and Corpo- irrespective of its due date. ative impact of the coron- the industry looks forward
major player in Maharashtra, rate A�airs Minister Nirmala She further said that the avirus outbreak. crunch, and thus, tide for the broader economic
said it is facing challenges in Sitharaman said the govern- mandatory requirement of At a press conference on through these tough packages like One time
distribution of milk from the ment may also consider sus- holding meetings of the board Tuesday, Finance Minister times," CII Director Gen- Roll Over for debt restruc-
last two days, because of re- pending some key provisions of the companies within pre- Nirmala Sitharaman an- eral Chandrajit Banerjee turing across the indus-
strictions in movement of its of the Insolvency and Bank- tion 4 of the IBC 2016 to Rs 1 measures relating to statutory scribed interval provided in nounced that the govern- said. Deloitte India Part- tries to be announced soon
employees and distributors ruptcy Code (IBC) in case the crore from the existing thresh- and regulatory compliance the Companies Act (120 ment has waived charges ner M S Mani said the ex- for resurrecting its eco-
from local authorities. "We current situation following the old of Rs 1 lakh," Finance Min- matters across sectors in view days), 2013, shall be extended on cash withdrawals from tension of GST return fil- nomic health.
are relentlessly working to- outbreak of COVID-19 contin- ister Nirmala Sitharaman said, of COVID-19 outbreak. by a period of 60 days till next ATMs of other banks as a ing timelines together "These proactive steps
wards ensuring and meeting ued beyond April 30, 2020. adding that it will be imple- "If the current situation two quarters, i.e. till Septem- precursor to a broader with the deferment of e- are the need of the hour
the demand for milk across "Due to the emerging finan- mented straightaway. continues beyond April 30, ber 30. Besides, applicability stimulus package for the invoicing and new returns to mitigate some of the
the region with no major sup- cial distress faced by most This will by and large pre- 2020, we may consider sus- of Companies (Auditor's Re- economy distressed by the announced earlier would hardships that the busi-
ply disruptions. As milk is an companies on account of the vent triggering of insolvency pending section 7, 9 and 10 of port) Order, 2020 shall be coronavirus outbreak. allow businesses to focus nesses are going
essential commodity, we are large-scale economic distress proceedings against micro, the IBC 2016 for a period of six made applicable from the fi- "Waiver of penalty, late on resumption of business through," said Sohinder
closely working with all our caused by COVID 19, it has small and medium enterprises months so as to stop compa- nancial year 2020-2021 in- fee and interest on GST processes once normalcy Gill, director general, So-
stakeholders and taking all ef- been decided to raise the (MSMEs), she said while an- nies at large from being forced stead of from 2019-2020 no- will also help industry resumes in future. ciety of Manufacturers of
forts to ensure seamless flow threshold of default under sec- nouncing a series of relief into insolvency proceedings in tified earlier. cope up with the huge cash Abhishek Jain, tax part- Electric Vehicles.
in the value chain to serve

` to average at 77 per
consumers at these challeng-
ing times.
COVID-19
SEC concludes
$ in 2020: Fitch RETAILERS TAKE STEPS TO
MAINTAIN SOCIAL DISTANCING
Infosys probe
New Delhi: Infosys on Tuesday New Delhi: Fitch Solutions on
said the US Securities and Ex- Tuesday revised down its forecast
change Commission (SEC) has for the Indian rupee, saying the cur-
concluded the investigation in rency will average 77 per US dollar New Delhi: Big retailers, which Taken up measures like handles. “We are managing the avoid a large gathering inside
the whistleblower allegations in 2020 and 80 in 2021 amid ongo- are presently dispensing only restricted entry, faster- queue in such a way that people the store. The tokens are prop-
made last year, and that it ing global risk-o� sentiment and essential items amid the lock- are standing away from each erly sanitized with disinfectants
does not anticipate any further likely steep monetary easing. down, are taking precautionary billing facili�es to reduce other,” Avenue Supermarts and then handed over to cus-
action by the regulator. In Oc- It saw real GDP growth at 5.4 per measures like restricted entry human-to-human contact CEO and Managing Director tomers”.
tober last year, Infosys had in- cent in 2020-21 fiscal that starts in the currency. "We are, however, re- and marked lines to main- Neville Noronha said. Walmart India, which oper-
formed stock exchanges of April and 5.8 per cent in the follow- vising our forecast for the rupee to tain social distancing to Avenue Supermarts that ates in cash & carry format, has
having received anonymous ing financial year. "We at Fitch So- average Rs 77.00/$ in 2020 and Rs avoid coronavirus infec- runs D-Mart stores, is hand- also marked lines and is only
whistleblower complaints al- lutions maintain our view for the 80.00/$ in 2021, versus Rs 73.00/S tion at their stores. ing out coloured coupons to permitting one person per
leging certain unethical prac- Indian rupee to persist on a long- and Rs 75.00/$ previously," it said. Some stores as Reliance its customers waiting out- membership card. “We have
tices by the top management. term weakening trajectory against The Indian rupee has depreciated Fresh, More, Walmart and side in the open area and marked the floors of our Best
It then started a probe into the the US dollar," it said in a note. by about 7 per cent since January Metro Cash & Carry are then allowing entry of a par- Price stores with yellow stripes
matter and roped in external Over the short-term horizon, the and has averaged 72.10 to a US dol- even screening body tem- ticular colour at a time as and boxes to designate enough
investigators. US market regu- ongoing global risk-o� sentiment lar in 2020. perature of their cus- part of its crowd manage- space for each member to main-
lator SEC had also initiated a and likely steep monetary easing "The rupee's weakness initially tomers before allowing ment plan. “We are calling tain safe distance from each
probe into the matter. In a reg- will pressure the rupee weaker, al- began with risk-o� sentiment as a them entry into the store. out the colour as yellow, other,” said a Walmart India
ulatory filing on Tuesday, In- though this would be partially result of the central bank's takeover Metro Cash & Carry India green and then 20 to 30 peo- spokesperson.
fosys said it has received a no- counteracted by a sharp improve- of Yes Bank, which raised fears said it is pre-packing loose com- Several retailers like Future, ple are walking inside the store. He further said: “The stores
tification from the SEC stating ment in India's terms of trade due among investors regarding the modities to avoid infection at its DMart, and Walmart have When these people out from the are also equipped with contact-
that its investigation investiga- to the plunge in oil prices as a result banking sector's stability. The drop stores and is ensuring plenty of marked special lines on their store, then we call the next less thermometers for conduct-
tion has concluded. “The com- of the ongoing oil price war. has since been sustained by investor cash tills and mobile checkouts shop floors to maintain social colour,” said Noronha. ing temperature checks. Entry is
pany does not anticipate any Over the long term, the rupee's concerns around the growing to reduce the billing time. It has distancing. They are also regu- Metro Cash & Carry MD & barred for those detected with
further action by the SEC on overvaluation and structurally Covid-19 pandemic, which is still also introduced a token system larly sanitising the stores and CEO Arvind Mediratta said: “We fever and high-touch surfaces of
this matter." higher inflation relative to the US causing a massive sell-o� in global to avoid large gathering at disinfecting all touchpoints have initiated a token system to our stores are being regularly
would exert downside pressure on risk assets," it said. stores. which include trolly and basket manage the customers and cleaned with disinfectant.”
 COVID-19

TESTING TIME 7

TOKYO OLY SUCCUMB TO VIRUS Global death

Tokyo (AFP): The 2020 Tokyo Olympics
have been postponed to no later than the
summer of 2021 because of the coron-
World Health Organisation information,
the Tokyo Games “must be rescheduled
to a date beyond 2020 but not later than Tokyo 1940: the Games that became toll nears
17,000
avirus pandemic sweeping the globe, the summer 2021, to safeguard the health of
International Olympic Committee an-
nounced on Tuesday.
The Games were scheduled for July 24-
the athletes, everybody involved in the
Olympic Games and the international
community”.
the ‘Missing Olympics’
August 9, but after telephone discussions “The leaders agreed that the Olympic Tokyo (AFP): The decision to postpone the 2020 “I carry a grave resolve. The Olympics should nat-
between IOC president Thomas Bach and Games in Tokyo could stand as a beacon Olympics over the coronavirus pandemic is unprece- urally come to Japan. If they don't, the reason for
Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, a of hope to the world during these trou- dented, but in some ways Japan has been here be- this must be something unjust," said Kano in his
historic joint decision was taken for the bled times and that the Olympic flame fore -- the cancelled summer Games of 1940 were plea to the IOC. The Japanese had a special reason
first postponement of an Olympics in could become the light at the end of the also due to be hosted in Tokyo. for wanting to celebrate 1940, as it coincided with
peacetime. tunnel in which the world finds itself at Japan’s military aggression in Asia forced the an- the 2,600th year since the enthronement of the na-
Abe said Bach was in “100 percent present. nulment of what became known as the "Missing tion's legendary first emperor, Jimmu.
agreement” when Japan asked the IOC “Therefore, it was agreed that the Olympics" after the Games were switched to Tokyo launched an official bid in 1932 and found
to push back the Games. In a joint state- Olympic flame will stay in Japan. It was Helsinki before finally being scrapped because of themselves up against Rome and Helsinki. Japan en-
ment, the pair said that based on current also agreed that the Games will keep the World War II. Tokyo officials originally touted a bid gaged in a fierce lobbying campaign that included
name Olympic and Paralympic Games for the 1940 Games as a way to show the city had re- pleading with Italy's fascist dictator Benito Mus-
Tokyo 2020,” the statement concluded.
Athletes relieved of The decision will be a devastating blow
covered from the devastating 1923 earthquake, ac-
cording to author David Goldblatt in his history of
solini to step aside in their favour.
"In the you-scratch-my-back kind of deal that has
stress, says IOA for the city of Tokyo, which had won
widespread praise for its organisation,
the Olympics entitled "The Games".
In much the same way, Japan framed the 2020
become the norm in international sports politics,
Mussolini announced with unusual candour, 'We will
New Delhi (PTI): The Indian Olympic Associa- with venues finished well ahead of time Olympics as the "Recovery Games" -- a chance to waive our claim for 1940 in favour of Japan if Japan
tion (IOA) on Tuesday welcomed the IOC's de- and tickets massively oversubscribed. show the country is back on its feet after the cata- will support Italy's effort to get the XIIIth Olympiad
cision to postpone the Tokyo Olympics by one The Olympics, which has experienced strophic 2011 triple disaster of earthquake, tsunami for Rome in 1944," wrote Goldblatt. With just Tokyo
year in view of the worsening COVID-19 pan- boycotts, terrorist attacks and protests, and nuclear meltdown. and Helsinki left standing, the IOC plumped for the
demic, saying the country's athletes have but has been held every four years since Tokyo's 1940 bid was spearheaded by Jigoro Japanese capital by 37
been relieved of having to train during a 1948, would be the highest-profile event Kano, the founder of judo and first Japan- votes to 26.
global health crisis. "IOA welcomes the deci- a�ected by the virus that has killed thou- ese member of the International
A woman wears a scuba mask and a surgical mask as a precau�on against
sion of IOC. Discussions were held by IOC sands and closed sports competitions Olympic Committee, who
the spread of the new coronavirus, while buying food in a popular market in
with organisers and all stakeholders prior to worldwide. stressed the importance Lima, Peru on Monday
this," IOA Secretary General Rajiv Mehta told The IOC has come under increasing of bringing the Games
PTI. "Soon after the lockdown is over, IOA pressure in recent days to postpone the to Asia for the first Paris (AFP): The number of deaths around the world from the
would be holding meetings with athletes, fed- Games, scheduled to start on July 24, time. novel coronavirus cases stood at 16,961, according to a tally com-
erations, sponsors, etc. to revise plans. "This with 1.7 billion people across piled by AFP on Tuesday from o�cial sources.
decision today, relieves our athletes of wor- the planet in lockdown More than 386,350 declared cases have been registered in 175
ries of having to train now during epidemic to prevent the fur- countries and territories since the epidemic first emerged in China
and perform their best in four months from ther spread of in December. The tallies, using data collected by AFP o�ces from
now," he added. The COVID-19 pandemic has COVID-19. national authorities and information from the World Health Or-
killed more than 16,000 people globally. ganization (WHO), likely reflect only a fraction of the actual num-
ber of infections.
Many countries are now only testing cases that require hospi-
talisation. Italy, which recorded its first coronavirus death in Feb-
ruary, now has more fatalities than China with 6,077, as well as
having 63,927 declared infections with 7,432 recoveries.
China -- excluding Hong Kong and Macau -- has to date declared
81,171 cases, including 3,277 deaths, with 73,159 people recovered.
It reported 78 new cases and seven new fatalities since Monday.
The third worst hit country is Spain with 2,696 fatalities and
39,673 infections, followed by Iran with 1,934 fatalities and 24,811
cases, France with 860 deaths and 19,856 cases, and the United
States with 499 deaths and 46,440 cases. Since 1900 GMT on
Monday, Myanmar reported its first case.
By continent, Europe has listed 199,779 cases and 10,724 deaths
to date, Asia 98,748 cases and 3,570 deaths, the US and Canada
together 48,519 cases with 523 deaths, the Middle East 29,087
cases and 1,966 deaths, Latin America and the Caribbean 6,217
cases with 112 deaths, Oceania 2,225 cases with nine deaths and
Africa 1,778 cases with 57 deaths.

ICELAND CONFIRMS FIRST DEATH

Reyjavik (AFP): Icelandic health authorities said on Tuesday that
a patient in her 60s had died from COVID-19, marking the coun-
The Olympics have never before been delayed in their 124-year modern history, try's first confirmed death from the new coronavirus.
but were cancelled in 1916, 1940 and 1944 during the two world wars
According to a state-
ment from The Na-

Hantavirus kills a man in China,

tional University Hos-
Japanese people defy COVID-19 pital of Iceland, the
Icelandic woman had
to admire cherry blossoms
people frantic on social media
also been su�ering
from a chronic illness.
Tokyo (IANS): Neither the coro- Park, where numerous groups of It is the first death
navirus pandemic nor the eco- families and friends gathered for from COVID-19 to be
nomic impact prevented the picnics. New Delhi (IANS): As novel coronavirus wreaks havoc shoulders. An infected person may also experience confirmed o�cially.
Japanese people from coming While some played volleyball, on the world and its economy, China is apparently wit- headaches, dizziness, chills, and abdominal problems. According to Ice-
outdoors to take part in the an- baseball and football, others pre- nessing resurgence of another virus, this time from ro- According to the Center for Disease Control and Pre- landic media reports,
nual tradition of admiring the ferred to throw a frisbee, all amid dents that reside in the dark underbelly of our world. vention (CDC), Hantaviruses are a family of viruses an Australian tourist
cherry blossoms (sakura), which a festive atmosphere that seemed Global Times tweeted on Tuesday that a person from spread mainly by rodents and can cause varied disease who was confirmed to
marks the beginning of the spring to defy the possibility of a coron- "Yunnan Province died while on his way back to Shan- syndromes in people worldwide. have the virus died
season in the country, a media re- avirus infection.Despite the nu- dong Province for work on a chartered bus on Monday. Infection with any hantavirus can produce hantavirus early last week. But the
port said on Tuesday. merous cancellations of tourist He was tested positive for #hantavirus. Other 32 people disease in people. man's symptoms were
The good weather is drawing groups to the country in recent on bus were tested". Hantaviruses in the Americas are known as "New not typical of COVID-
large numbers of residents into weeks, a large of number of for- The tweet went viral on various social media platforms, World" hantaviruses and may cause hantavirus pul- 19 and doctors have yet
the streets and parks to enjoy the eign tourists could also be seen with people saying does coronavirus needs a backup monary syndrome (HPS). Other hantaviruses, known as to determinine the ex-
full bloom of the pink and white enjoying the blossoms along with now?" "I think am ready to move to another planet. Hon- "Old World" hantaviruses, are found mostly in Europe act cause of death.
cherry blossoms, an annual event the locals for long hours. "I have estly," tweeted one user. Hantavirus Pulmonary Syn- and Asia and may cause hemorrhagic fever with renal The subarctic island
which the Japanese celebrate mixed feelings. It's great to see drome (HPS) is a severe, sometimes fatal, respiratory dis- syndrome (HFRS). Each hantavirus serotype has a spe- nation on Tuesday re-
with picnics under the trees, Efe people enjoying life, but at the ease in humans caused by infection with hantaviruses. cific rodent host species and is spread to people via ported 588 confirmed
news said in the report. One of the same time it is a little bit scary," Early symptoms of HPS include fatigue, fever and mus- aerosolized virus that is shed in urine, feces, and saliva, cases of the new coro-
most popular spots to enjoy the said 25-year-old French resident cle aches, especially in thighs, hips, back, and sometimes and less frequently by a bite from an infected host. navirus.
blossoms is Tokyo's iconic Yoyogi of Tokyo.

Great Wall of China

partly reopens to visitors
Beijing (IANS): The famous Badaling and some other sections still remain
section of the Great Wall of China closed.
partly opened on Tuesday, after be- The Badaling section is located in
ing closed for almost two months Beijing's Yanqing district, about 60
due to the coronavirus pandemic km northwest of the city centre.
which originated in the Asian giant
last december.
It was one of the first sections to
open to the public and also the most DEATHS: 17,451
The scenic area will be open be- popular segment of the Unesco
tween 9 a.m. and 4 p.m., and the World Heritage among tourists. ITALY: 6,077
daily number of visitors will be The scenic area received more
capped at 19,500, reports Xinhua than 9.9 million visitors in 2018. CHINA: 3,277
news agency. The move came on the same when
As of 2 p.m. Tuesday, a total of 892 the capital of Hubei province Wuhan, SPAIN: 2,800
tickets had been reserved. the epicentre of the pandemic, an-
Visitors must book tickets on the nounced that it will lift outbound IRAN: 1,934
official website or through WeChat in travel curbs from April 8 after over
advance and register with their per- two months of lockdown. FRANCE: 860
sonal information to get a health On January 23, Wuhan declared
code, while their temperatures will unprecedented traffic restrictions, AMERICA: 588
be checked upon entry. including suspending the city's pub-
A one-way circular tour route has
been designed to prevent the gather-
lic transport and all outbound flights
and trains, in an attempt to contain
HOLLAND: 276
ing of crowds.
The cableway, the China Great
the epidemic within its territory.
Similar restrictions were soon in-
JAPAN: 42
Wall Museum, the ancient Great Wall troduced in other areas in Hubei.
Serbian soldiers set up beds for treatment of possible COVID-19 infected pa�ents inside of the Belgrade Fair, Serbia on Tuesday
 COVID-19

TESTING TIME 8

AIIMS docs forcibly evicted

by landlords fearing virus
Man fatally poisons himself, Navy men not into essen�al
wife hospitalised in US ops to work from home
An Arizona man died and his wife was The Indian Navy has issued guidelines for
hospitalised after officials said they treated personnel to work from home while
themselves with a deadly home remedy for meeting requirements of essential opera-
the new coronavirus — a popular fish tank tions, the force said on Tuesday. In an ad-
additive that has the same active ingredient visory for its men, the Navy said that
12th class students, covering their faces to protect as an anti-malaria drug. The drug, known "personnel not on duty to be available on
themselves from Covid-19, take a look of their notes as chloroquine phosphate or chloroquine telephone and required to close up at A private company worker flies a drone to spray
before entering an examina�on hall, at a school in short notice". A man disinfectant to mi�gate the spread of coronavirus,
Chennai on Tuesday wearing a in Bengaluru on Tuesday
mask, looks
from a closed
China to lift lockdown gate during Woman with no travel
on Hubei province lockdown in
the wake of history tests positive
Beijing: China decided to lift the three-month coronavirus
lockdown on more than 56 million people in the pandemic, in Noida: A 47-year-old woman with no recent his-
central Hubei province, the epicentre of the Kolkata on tory of foreign travel has tested positive for
deadly coronavirus outbreak, on Wednesday Tuesday COVID-19 here, taking the number of coronavirus
amid warnings by experts of a looming second cases in Gautam
wave of the COVID-19 infections in the country
due to the steady rise in "imported cases". The
prolonged lockdown of Hubei's capital Wuhan
Airline sta� harassed by cops for commuting to workplace Buddh Nagar dis-
trict to nine, offi-
cials said. Her hus-
will end on April 8, lifting the mass quarantine New Delhi: Several doctors and nurses at AIIMS have been touch with both suspected and confirmed coronavirus pa- tory in wake of Covid-19 outbreak. Several airline and air- band and daughter
over the city with a population of over 11 mil- forcibly evicted from their rented homes by landlords due tients. Some societies have also stopped them from enter- port staff were allegedly harassed by police while commut- have been quaran-
lion. China on Tuesday reopened a section of to the fear that it would make them more susceptible to ing, the doctors said. This, ironically, comes just two days ing to their workplace despite telling the enforcing authori- tined, while their
its iconic Great Wall to visitors, as the country novel coronavirus, the premier hospital’s Resident Doctor’s after Indians took to their balconies and streets at 5 pm on ties that the aviation profession comes under "essential housing society
limped back to normalcy after the outbreak of Association has said in a plea for help sent to the Prime Sunday to collectively commemorate the dedication and services". Acting on the reports of harassment, the Avia- has been com-
the coronavirus pandemic. The Badaling sec- Minister’s Office and the health ministry. In a letter to hard work of public health workers in containing the coron- tion Ministry wrote to all state governments this afternoon, pletely sealed -- no
tion of the Great Wall will be open daily from 9 Home Minister Amit Shah, the Association said many doc- avirus pandemic after Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s ap- telling them that airline and airport staff are "supposed to entry or exit al-
am to 4 pm. The daily number of visitors will be tors are now stranded on the roads with all their luggage. peal. In the last few days, several stories of harassment maintain services and facilities" and need to commute to lowed except in
capped at 19,500. Around 60 kilometers from Union Health Minister Harsh Vardhan assured people faced by doctors have also surfaced on social media. their workplace despite the coronavirus lockdown. India emergency cases,
Beijing, it's the most popular section of the wall that all paramedics are taking precautions, "they''re not Apart from frontline health workers, national carrier Air has disallowed international flights for a period of one the administration said. Meanwhile, two more
for tourists. As of 2 pm on Tuesday, a total of carriers of infection in anyway. Any harsh steps will demor- India and the country's largest domestic carrier IndiGo week from Sunday. Also, domestic flights will not not be al- people have been tested positive in Kolkata for
892 tickets had been reserved by visitors to visit alise them, derail the system". The medical professionals, have also said that their crew has faced instances of being lowed from this midnight until March 31. However, cargo the novel coronavirus, both the victims had a
the area, state-run Xinhua news agency re- the letter says, face constant harassment as they are in ostracized from their communities due to their travel his- flights will be allowed. travel history to London and Egypt. The total
ported. number of cases now mounts to nine.

4 death in Maha
th
WHO praises India
Mumbai (IANS): A 65-year-old man who arrived here from UAE via Ahmedabad passed Geneva: The executive director of the World Health Organisation (WHO), Michael J Ryan, on
away due to COVID-19 late Monday night, while the number of positive cases shot up to 107 Tuesday said that India has a tremendous capacity to deal the coronavirus outbreak situa-
in the state with 10 new cases, officials said here on Tuesday. tion as it has experience of eradicating two pandemics, namely small-pox and polio.
The latest coronavirus casualty takes the death toll due to the disease "There is a need in the number of labs where a surge is seen. India is
in Mumbai to four in the past one week and the national toll to 10. An- a very populous country and the future of this virus will be considered
other 94 suspected cases are admitted to various city hospitals, accord- in a very highly and densely populated country. India led the world in
ing to Municipal Corporation of Greater Mumbai (MCGM). eradicating two pandemics, small-pox and polio so India has a tremen-
With four more new coronavirus positive cases reported in Gujarat, dous capacity," J Ryan said during a daily press brief on COVID-19 pan-
the total such cases in the western state climbed to 33 on Tuesday, as demic. "There are no easy answers. It is exceptionally important that
the authorities decided to put the entire state under lockdown. Out of countries like India show the way to the world as they have done be-
the four new cases since Monday, three got the infection locally while fore," he added.
one got infected abroad, including a man, 32, from Surat had travelled to According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), the number of
Saudi Arabia. Another man, 66, got infected locally. One man aged 53 cases worldwide has surpassed 3,30,000, while the number of deaths
and one woman aged 54 in Gandhinagar got infected locally. has exceeded 16,000.
The number of confirmed cases in Haryana rose to 16 on Tuesday, The COVID-19 outbreak in the United States has the potential to ex-
Health Department officials said. The number of positive cases reported ceed that in Europe, the World Health Organization (WHO) said Tues-
from Gurgaon now stand at 10, they said. Besides, a case each has been day as the number of reported US cases surges.
reported from Panchkula, Faridabad, Palwal and Sonipat. Two people have tested positive The pandemic began in China in December but the epicentre has since shifted from Asia
for coronavirus in Panipat, the officials said. Test reports of 65 samples were awaited, they to Europe. WHO spokeswoman Margaret Harris told reporters during a virtual press confer-
said. Entire Haryana went under lockdown on Tuesday, a day after the state government is- ence that 85 percent of the new cases reported to the global body overnight had come
A BMC worker sprays disinfectant on the sued the order to help check the spread of coronavirus. from Europe and the United States, now the two "main drivers of the outbreak". A vendor, wearing mask, sits near sacks of
premises of a residential area to contain the onions at the Sahibabad Fruits and Vegetables
spread of coronavirus during lockdown, in Market in Ghaziabad on Tuesday
Bhopal on Tuesday
MUMBAI POLICE SEIZE
Centre asks States to
2.5 mn masks worth `15 cr 6 Pak Civil Servants
sacked for selfie
fund isolation wards Mumbai (IANS) In a major swoop, Mumbai Police have seized
three truckloads of 2.50 million masks worth Rs 15 crore Karachi, Pakistan: Pakistan has suspended six
New Delhi: As coronavirus cases surge, the Cen- hoarded illegally and busted a four-member gang, Home civil servants after they posed for a selfie with
tre on Tuesday asked all state governments to Minister Anil Deshmukh said here on Tuesday. a coronavirus patient in a quarantine centre,
release funds for setting up of additional med- "The masks were being hoarded by the gang and were in- an official said on Tuesday.
ical facilities like hospitals, clinical laboratories tended for sale in the black market. The seizure includes over The selfie -- widely shared on social media -
and isolation wards to combat the pandemic. 325,000 N-49 masks, plus others of different varieties," Desh- - pictured a group of men around the apparent
The move came as the number of coronavirus mukh told mediapersons. patient, several of them smiling broadly and
cases in the country crossed 500. He said that at the height of the ongoing COVID-19 crisis, Ma- none wearing face masks.
"The central government has asked all the harashtra is facing a massive shortage of all types of masks The picture was taken at a quarantine facil-
state governments to deploy fiscal resources for and this seizure is expected to ease the problems somewhat. ity near Sukkur in virus-hit Sindh province,
establishing additional medical facilities such as The seizure came after a tip-off received by Mumbai Police where 399 of the country's 892 COVID-19
hospitals, clinical labs, isolation wards, expand- Commissioner Param Bir Singh last week on a gang hoarding cases have been recorded so far.
ing and upgrading existing facilities to combat the heavy-demand masks for exorbitant prices. "Six of the government employees have
the challenge posed by COVID-19," an official Accordingly, a trap was set up by Senior Inspector of Police been suspended and put into quarantine,"
statement said. Meanwhile, a Chinese national (Crime) Mahesh Desai who posed as a customer and finally Rana Adeel, deputy commissioner in Sukkur,
working in Umred in rural Nagpur was on Tues- managed to bust the gang by raiding locations in Mumbai told AFP.
day detained and shifted to a hospital in view of and Thane. While four persons have been arrested, the police The commissioner added the six -- employ-
the novel coronavirus outbreak, police said. The are on the lookout for two absconders, said Deshmukh. ees of the provincial land department -- were
man had arrived in the country in December Deputy Commissioner of Police (Crime) Akbar Pathan said visiting a local politician who was in quaran-
from China, from where the coronavirus broke the four accused were produced before a magistrate and re- tine after contracting the novel coronavirus
out, an official said. manded to police custody till March 27. during a visit to Iran.

SPANISH ARMY FINDS BODIES IN NURSING HOMES

Madrid (AP): Spanish army troops disinfecting nursing
homes have found, to their horror, some residents liv-
ing in squalor among the infectious bodies of people
French lab gets US approval New York gets 400 ventilators
that authorities suspect have died from the new coron- Lyon (AFP): French diagnostics firm Biomerieux said New York: New York on Tuesday received 400 ventila-
avirus. Prosecutors have launched a judicial probe. Tuesday it had secured emergency approval from US tors for its hospitals as the people affected by the coro-
Defense Minister Margarita Robles said the elderly regulators for a coronavirus test that can produce re- navirus seek medical assistance. The United States has
were “completely left to fend for themselves, or even sults in 45 minutes, potentially offering a new tool for been facing an acute shortage of lifesaving ventilators
dead, in their beds.” She said the discovery included stemming the outbreak. The company said its Biofire used in the treatment of the deadly disease. President A cop stops
several nursing homes and several bodies but did not Covid-19 test was developed with funding from the US Donald Trump tweeted about New York receiving the commuters
give exact locations for the nursing homes or exactly Defense Department, which will be distributing the ventilators for its hospitals and said,"The World Market a�er the State
how many bodies were found. The news came as Spain tests while Biomerieux awaits full commercial approval for face masks and ventilators is Crazy. We are helping Government
on Tuesday announced a record daily rise of 6,584 new for the US market and elsewhere. Biomerieux said it is the states to get equipment, but it is not easy. Just got enforced
coronavirus infections, bringing the overall total to ramping up production at its sites in Salt Lake City, 400 Ventilators for @NYCMayor Bill de Blasio. Work be- lockdown in
39,673. Utah, so that its kits -- which rely on easy-to-use nasal ginning in 4 hospitals in New York! Millions of different the city amid
The number of deaths also jumped by a record num- swabs -- could be widely available in the coming weeks. type items coming!" coronavirus
ber of 514 to 2,696. Madrid took over a public skating pandemic, in
rink Tuesday after the city morgue overflowed. To date, Simón, head of Spain's health emergency center, told a % of the country's total cases. Security forces guarded Lucknow, on
1,535 people have died in the hard-hit Spanish capital, daily briefing. Simon also said 5,400 health workers the outside of the Palacio de Hielo ice skating complex Tuesday
more than half of the national total. The region has over have been infected by the coronavirus that is relent- on Madrid's northeastern outskirts as funeral vans en-
12,350 infections. “This is the tough week,” Fernando lessly marching across the world from China, some 14 tered the building via an underground car park.

Printed and Published by K. Hanumanta Rao, on behalf of Hyderabad Media House Pvt. Limited, Flat.No.609, 6th Floor, Kirti Shikhar Building, Plot.No.11, Dist.Center, Janakpuri, New Delhi- 110058.
and Printed at M/s. Marutinandan Printers & Publishers, A-15, Bara Bagh, G.T Karnal Road, Industrial Area, New Delhi - 110033. Editor: V Ramu Sarma. RNI No: DELENG/2017/74095