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PM talks to KCR, three other
state CMs on Covid situation
PNS n HYDERABAD
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on
Thursday spoke to chief ministers of
Telangana, Andhra Pradesh, Odisha
and Jharkhand about the COVID-
19 situation in their respective states,
government sources said.
He also spoke to lieutenant gov-
ernors of Jammu & Kashmir and
Puducherry, the sources added.
While details of these interactions
could not be ascertained, Modi had
also held a review meeting earlier in
the day on the pandemic situation
in various states and districts. Modi
reviewed the progress of vaccination
and the roadmap for scaling up pro-
duction of vaccines in the next few
months, the PMO had said.
According to the latest data from
the Union Health Ministry,
Telangana reported 6,026 fresh
Naidu name missing in CM back in Pragathi Bhavan after defeating Covid
opposition letter to PM
SNCN ACHARYULU
n HYDERABAD
Former Chief Minister and Telugu
Desam Party (TDP) national pres-
ident N Chandrababu Naidu finds
himself an increasingly isolated
man after the 2019 Lok Sabha and
Andhra Pradesh Assembly
Elections with political parties at
the state and national level keep-
ing him at an arm's length.
On the day, 13 opposition par-
ties wrote to Prime Minister
Narendra Modi demanding free
vaccination across the country
since the second wave of Covid-19
has left thousands dead in its
wake.
The letter was signed by Sonia
Gandhi, HD Deve Gowda, Shard
Pawar, Mamata Banerjee, MK
Stalin, Akhilesh Yadav and other
important leaders who were once
considered close to Naidu, but the
TDP supremo’s name did not fig-
ure in the letter.
This royal rebuff is being seen as
an expression of the lack of trust
the opposition parties now have in
Naidu who had once made frenet-
NIGHT CURFEW
Over 15K booked for
violations in Telangana
PNS n HYDERABAD
Over 15,000 people have been
booked till date in Telangana for
allegedly violating the night curfew
imposed in the wake of rising
COVID-19 cases. The number of
cases booked for night curfew vio-
lations is 15,523 as per data from
the Telangana Police.
Most of the violations took place
in Hyderabad. People were found
violating curfew norms by roam-
ing outside on streets without any
work. When confronted, many of
them made excuses and tried to
@TheDailyPioneer
ANALYSIS 7 MONEY 8
SENSEX, NIFTY RISE FOR 2ND DAY;
AUTO, IT STOCKS TAKE CHARGE
RLD chief Ajit Singh dies of Covid
ormer Union minister and Rashtriya Lok Dal President Ram Nath Kovind, Prime Minister
F (RLD) leader Ajit Singh passed away at a
Gurgaon hospital on Thursday morning
battling COVID-19, his family said.
Narendra Modi, Congress leader Priyanka
Gandhi Vadra, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister
Yogi Adityanath and Samajwadi Party
He was 82. Singh, a prominent supremo Akhilesh Yadav were
farmer leader and the son of former among several leaders who
prime minister Chaudhary Charan condoled the death of the Jat
Singh, was diagnosed positive for leader. A message posted by
COVID-19 on April 20, the family Jayant Chaudhary on behalf of the
said in a statement. "Chaudhary family said, "Throughout his life
Ajit Singh ji was diagnosed as
COVID+ on the 20th April. He battled
journey, Chaudhary Sahib was
loved and respected by many. He, in
his condition till the very end and
breathed his last today morning, the 6th of
turn cherished this bond with all of you
and gave his best consideration and efforts
May, 2021," his son Jayant Chaudhary tweeted. for your welfare".
Include scribes in Covid warriors category: PCI
he Press Council of India on Thursday reiterated its recommendation to
Tthe Centre and state governments that journalists be included in the
category of 'COVID warriors' and also given insurance cover. In a statement,
the print media watchdog commended
the governments of Odisha, Bihar and
Madhya Pradesh who have considered
journalists among "frontline workers
for their hard work in this pandemic
situation" and have extended financial
help to them.
2 other hand, saw its COVID-19 tally
stood at 2,579 with 52 more casual-
ties. Andhra Pradesh is among the
ten states/UTs accounting for over 70
per cent of new daily cases report-
ed in the country. Others in these ten
include Maharashtra, Uttar Pradesh,
COVID-19 cases taking the tally to Delhi, Karnataka, Kerala, Haryana,
over 4.75 lakh while the death toll West Bengal, Tamil Nadu and
CM rules out lockdown in the State
ML MELLY MAITREYI
n HYDERABAD
Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar
Rao is back in action at Pragathi
Bhavan, after recovering from
Covid-19. After testing positive for
Covid on April 19, the Chief
Minister went into home isolation
at his farmhouse in Yerravelli. He
has now stepped into Pragathi
Bhavan after 20 days. Although he
was doing well with his parameters
being normal quite early in the
recovery phase,
2 2
ic efforts to bring all anti-BJP par-
Centre can't shirk
ties onto one platform.
Once known for his political responsibility of
acumen and sagacity, Naidu has
played a crucial role in national
politics. However, the situation has
universal vax: Rajan
changed after the Naidu-led TDP PNS n HYDERABAD
was routed in the 2019 Assembly
elections and the Congress-led The Centre needs to take the
opposition alliance supported by responsibility of vaccinating all
the TDP supremo faced a drubbing the people in the country as part
in the Lok Sabha elections. of the measures to control the
COVID-19 pandemic and it
2 cannot shirk its responsibility,
former Governor of RBI C
Rangarajan said on Thursday.
Speaking at the inaugural ses-
sion of a virtual conference
organised by ICFAI Foundation
for Higher Education here, he
said it involves a lot of expendi-
ture, the Centre has to take up
universal vaccination while
states need to spend on other
medical infrastructure such as
improving hospitals, recruiting
more medical staff.
2
Double mutant engulfs Maha, Guj, K’taka, UK variant in N India
PNS n NEW DELHI
The UK strain of coronavirus is
escape from cops. currently dominating parts of north
Besides, even basic Covid norms India while double mutant could be
are still not being followed, consid- found mostly in Maharashtra,
ering that nearly 2.44 lakh people Karnataka and Gujarat, Sujeet
in the state have been booked for Singh, Director of National Centre
not wearing masks. The number of for Disease Control (NCDC), has
persons fined for 'not maintaining said. He, however, added that the
social distancing' is 9,141. As many B1.1.7 lineage of SARS CoV-2 (UK
as 2,491 persons were booked for variant) is declining in proportion
large public gatherings. Although across the country in the last
consumption of liquor, pan, gutka, month and a half.
tobacco etc., in public places is pro- Addressing a press briefing on
hibited, at total of 9,851 people vio- Wednesday, Singh said the UK
lated this rule across the state. strain is dominating parts of north
India including Punjab (482 sam-
2 ples) and Delhi (516), followed by
facebook.com/dailypioneer
HYDERABAD, FRIDAY MAY 7, 2021; PAGES 12 `3
www.dailypioneer.com
GLAD I WASN'T
TYPECAST: ABHISHEK
BANERJEE P:9
Rajasthan. Besides, Jharkhand is
among the ten states/UTs collective-
ly accounting for over 75 per cent of
deaths reported in a day as per the
latest data, others in this league being
Maharashtra, Uttar Pradesh,
Karnataka, Delhi, Chhattisgarh,
Haryana, Punjab, Tamil Nadu and
Rajasthan.
For the third day in a row, Andhra
Pradesh on Thursday reported more
than 20,000 new cases of coronavirus
in the last 24 hours. Odisha, on the
crossing the five-lakh mark on
Thursday with 10,521 fresh cases --
the highest so far in a single day --
pushing the tally to 5,00,162, while 17
fresh fatalities raised the toll to 2,121.
Jharkhand reported 141 new COVID-
19 fatalities taking the death toll to
3,346, while 5,770 new positive cases
pushed the state's tally to 2,63,115.
‘No vaccination-no duties'
say healthcare workers
ANUSHA PUPPALA
n HYDERABAD
'No vaccination, no duties', say
bodies representing healthcare
workers (HCWs) and frontline
workers (FLWs) in Telangana State.
HCWs and FLWs say they are
struggling to get vaccinated as
walk-in vaccination has been
stopped even for them, though no
self-registration option is available
for HCWs and FLWs in the CoWIN
portal of Arogya setu app.
"How can those working in Covid
wards be refused for vaccination?"
ask HCWs and FLWs. Many HCWs
and FLWs are awaiting second
dose. If this continues, HCWs and
FLWs are planning to boycott duties.
"Why HCWs and FLWs are
denied vaccination, thought they are
also to be protected in this pandem-
ic? And also, why no self- registra-
Telangana (192), Maharashtra (83)
and Karnataka (82).
He said 10 top government lab-
oratories and institutions have
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SPORTS 12 Published From
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Page 11
Monsoon onset over Kerala likely on June 1
xtended forecast suggests that Kerala on time, around 1 June. This is an
E monsoon will arrive in Kerala
around June 1, its normal
onset date, said M Rajeevan,
early indication. India MET
department official monsoon
forecast on 15 May and
the secretary in the Ministry rainfall forecast update
of Earth Sciences, on around May 31," he
Thursday. The India tweeted. The southwest
Meteorological monsoon, which brings
Department (IMD) will nearly 75 per cent of the
issue an official monsoon country's rainfall, is
forecast on May 15, he
said. "Monsoon 2021
expected to be normal this
year, the IMD said. The
update: India MET department
extended range forecast
Long Period Average will be
98 per cent with an error margin
suggests monsoon will arrive over of plus and minus 5 per cent, it said.
Delhi imposes restriction
on Telangana and Andhra
NAVEENA GHANATE
n HYDERABAD
In a first, the Delhi government has
imposed restrictions on travelers
from Telangana and Andhra
Pradesh, requiring them to go on
14-day institutional quarantine on
any route from the respective
States to Delhi.
The Delhi Disaster Management Buying Metro train tick-
Authority announced these restric- ets made safer with
tions, citing a virulent variant of
COVID-19 reported to have been smart ticketing system
found recently in the State of
3
Andhra Pradesh and Telangana
and mentioning that the new
strain has a shorter incubation through flights
period with high transmission /trains/buses/cars/trucks or any
rate and the progress of disease is other mode of transportation are
much more rapid in this strain. required to be taken in public
As per the order issued by Vijay interest with the objective that this
Dev, Delhi Chief Secretary, "addi- new virulent strain of COVID-19
tional precautionary measures in should not enter and transmit
respect of the persons coming into the territory of NCT of Delhi".
from the States of Andhra Pradesh
and Telangana to NCT of Delhi 2
Ajit always raised his
hief Minister K Chandrasekhar has ruled out imposition of lockdown in
C the State. He categorically stated that such a measure would not only voice in the interests
bring people's life to standstill but also devastate the State's economy. of farmers: Prez
Citing Telangana's experience and the situation in other States, the Chief
Minister observed that in spite of imposition of lockdown there has been
no remarkable reduction in the positive cases. KCR spoke to Prime
Minister Narender Modi on
Thursday and requested him to
supply required quantity of medical
oxygen to the State.
Why lockdown 5
is not good,
explains CM
PNS n HYDERABAD
Chief Minister
Chandrasekhar Rao seems to
K
have done a thorough analy-
sis before deciding against
lockdown in the State.
Foremost it will disrupt
the lives of 25 lakh to 30 lakh
migrant workers engaged in
Telangana. During the first
wave of corona, their lives
were adversely impacted. It Gold, silver rally
would be difficult to get
them back to State should reflecting global
they disappear once again; recovery
tion option is available for HCWs, and, that too, at a time when
FLWs below 45 years", questioned food grains have been pro-
Dr K Mahesh, president of
Healthcare Reforms Doctors
Association (HRDA).
He added, "Though a few doctors
duced on a record scale in
the State this season.
Across the State, paddy
was being procured in 6,144
8
were hesitant initially for vaccina-
tion, many are still due for second
paddy purchase centres and
the paddy purchase process TODAY
dose and recovered from Covid. It involved a chain of workers
has become daily headache for from IKP centres, in-charges, ALMANAC
both private and government doc- hamalis, weighing personnel, Month & Paksham:
tors to queue up and argue with vac- Chaitra & Krishna Paksha
cination staff.
2 2 Panchangam
Tithi : Ekadashi: 03:31 pm
Nakshatram :Purva Bhadrapada: 12:26 pm
Time to Avoid : (Bad time to start
any important work)
Rahukalam : 10:37 am – 12:12 pm
Singh said the information on
genome sequencing has been
shared with the states twice in
Yamagandam : 03:23 pm – 04:59 pm
Varjyam : 10:58 pm – 12:44 am
February, four times in March and Gulika : 07:26 am - 09:01 am
again four times in April. Good Time : (to start any important work)
He said in the video-conferenc-
ing with states, the Health Ministry Amritakalam : NIL
also informed about the current Abhijit Muhurtham : 11:47 am – 12:38 pm
status of variants of concern and
new mutants and stressed on HYDERABAD
increased and stringent public WEATHER
health interventions. Forecast: Mostly sunny
The double mutant variant, also Temp: 35
known as B.1.617, is mostly dom- Humidity: 51%
inating Maharashtra (761), West Sunrise: 05:47 am
been sequencing the genomes of Bengal (124), Delhi (107) and Sunset: 06:38 pm
coronavirus since December. A Gujarat (102), Singh said.
Current Weather Conditions
total of 18,053 samples have been
sequenced so far, he added. 2 Updated may 7, 2021 5:00 PM
HYDERABAD | FRIDAY | MAY 7, 2021 hyderabad 02

Somesh gets down to field level TS to get 25.5 lakh tonnes of

chemical fertilizers for Kharif
monitoring of Covid OP services PNS n HYDERABAD

Central government has allo-

Inspects outpatient service at Urban Health Centre
ML MELLY MAITREYI
n HYDERABAD
Five days after the sacking of
Health Minister Eatela Rajender
and a day after the High Court's
serious remarks that the State
government has not been doing
enough to curb the spread of the
pandemic, Chief Secretary
Somesh Kumar personally went
to the field on Thursday to
inspect the ongoing fever survey
in the city.
The fever survey was started
two days ago in the State capi-
tal as part of focused initiative
to curb covid-19 and 641 teams,
each team comprising Asha
works, ANM and GHMC ento-
mology worker with thermo
scanner, have been going on
door to door survey to identify
persons with fever and Covid
symptoms and to give medicine
kits.
The government also started
out-patient service in every
Basthi Dawakhana, urban
health centre and other govern-
ment hospitals to conduct Covid
tests. Those with slight fever
were given medicine kits.
Somesh Kumar, accompa-
nied by Medical and Health
team officials inspected the out-
patient services at Urban
Primary Health Centre at
Boggulakunta and examined
the arrangements made for the
OP service and counselling and
medicines given to the patients.
Doctors explained that they
were providing regular services
at the Health Centre and Covid
OP services at the nearby
Community Hall to prevent
crowding of patients and trans-
mission of virus.
The Chief Secretary instruct-
ed the doctors to give medicine
kits to those with Covid symp-
toms without waiting for the test
report. If the fever persisted for
four to five days, then they
should be given steroids. The
early intervention would help in
recovery of patients at home
itself and to prevent hospitaliza-
tion.
Somesh Kumar on Thursday
said that the door-to-door fever
survey and the outpatient ser-
vice were yielding good results
in the GHMC area and they
were being extended to all the
districts in the state.
In the last one week, the num-
ber of positive cases in the State
as per the government data has
been declining- from 7,754
cases on April 30 to 6,025 cases
on May 5.
The downward trend of the
pandemic began after the night
curfew was imposed from April
20 and with improvement in
people's adherence to Covid
appropriate behaviour,
Government sources said.
The ongoing vaccination
though at a slow place, with
49.59 lakhpeople above 45 years
vaccinated so far in twomonths
accounting for over 12.25 per
cent of population and over 3.96
lakh people recovering from
Covid situation is coming under
control, they added.
Somesh Kumar said the
ongoing fever survey, outpatient
service and call centres for
guidance to be started in every
district soon, would help in
tackling the covid symptoms at
early stages and help in people's
recovery at homes or Covid care
centres without need for hospi-
talisation.
He also said different IAS
officers were monitoring sup-
ply of medicines, Remdesivir,
oxygen and measures were
being taken to check black-
marketing of Remdesivir.
These measures, government
sources said, should help in
bringing down panic and anx-
iety and State would be able to
tide over the crisis without hav-
ing to go for lockdown like
some neighbouring States.
However a final call would be
taken before the night curfew
ends on May 8 on further
extending the night curfew
along with weekend curfew.
cated 25.5 lakh tonnes chem-
ical fertilizers to the State for
the ensuing Kharif season
(Vaanakalam).
Agriculture Minister S
Niranjan Reddy held an online
meeting to review the supply
and stocks of fertilizers for the
Kharif season to commence
from June 1 with the represen-
tatives of South Central
Railway, fertilizer companies,
Telangana State Markfed
Corporation on Thursday.
The Minister said that at
No vaccination-
no duties'...
Continued from page 1
Health officials should release
a circular and allow healthcare
workers to go for walk-in vac-
cination and it wouold be bet-
ter to establish designated vac-
cination centre in each district
for HCWs n FLWs so that they
can concentrate more on their
duties of saving lives".
Dr Vijay, General Secretary-
Telangana Junior Doctors
Association(JUDA), said, "It is
very depressing that DH decid-
ed to stop vaccination for
healthcare workers who are at
the highest risk working in
Covid wards and directly in
contact with Covid patients; if
this scenario continues, we will
boycott duties as it is risky for
us to work in hospital without
protection in the form of vac-
present 6.65 lakh tonnes of
chemical fertilizers were avail-
able and of that 3.73 lakh
tonnes was urea and 2.92 lakh
tonnes of other fertilizers.
He instructed the officers to
take advance steps in the wake
of pandemic situation and
keeping in view last rainy sea-
son experience so as not to face
any problems in the supply of
fertilizers. Niranjan Reddy said
that the buffer stocks with the
Markfed should be transported
to primary agricultural cooper-
ative societies in the districts and
improve the capacities. The
stocks position should be mon-
Nizamabad MP quits
webinar to analyse BJP
poll results in middle
MARTHI SUBRAHMANYAM
n VIJAYAWADA
Differences among the BJP
leaders came to the fore with
the Nizamabad MP D Arvind
Kumar leaving the webinar
convened by the Telangana
BJP President Bandi Sanjay
Kumar in the middle of it,
angry at the denial of an out-of-
turn opportunity to address the
participants on the Nagarjuna
Sagar by-election results.
Bandi Sanjay on Thursday
convened a webinar for the
party field officers to analyse
results of the Nagarjuna Sagar
by-elections, Khammam and
itored to ensure that buffer
stocks would not come down.
The storage godowns con-
structed by state warehousing
corporation would be available
in the next 15 days and the
new godowns in Warangal,
Khammam, Wanaparthy
should be utilised for storage
of fertilizers.
Fertilizers should be trans-
ported first to Adilabad,
Karimnagar and Nizamabad
districts. He said the officials
and staff of all departments
should work in coordination to
avoid any problems in the
supply of fertilizers to farmers.
Khammam explained the rea-
sons for the defeat of the party
candidates. In Nagarjuna Sagar,
though the BJP fared miserably,
they said that it gave tough fight
to the TRS faring better than the
Congress. When the field offi-
cers suggested to him to con-
vene a meeting to discuss and
strengthen the organisation,
Bandi Sanjay agreed to hold a
meeting soon.
When the review of the
results of Nagarjuna Sagar by-
election and municipal corpo-
ration elections was taking
place, Dharmapuri Arvind
sought opportunity to speak.
However, Bandi insisted on fol-

Delhi imposes restriction on KCR talks to IICT Director cination. The Govt should take Warangal Municipal lowing the agenda as any devi-
strict measures at least now in Corporation elections. ation would send wrong signals
view of the new emerging Bandi Sanjay asked the field to the cadres at large. He asked
on increasing O2 capacity strain in AP, which is 15 times officers to give their opinion on Arvind to speak when the field

Telangana and Andhra

Continued from page 1
As per the restrictions, "All
persons arriving from Andhra
Pradesh and Telangana in
NCT of Delhi by flights
/trains/buses/cars/trucks or
any other mode of transporta-
tion shall have to undergo
mandatory government insti-
tutional quarantine or paid
quarantine for 14 days at facil-
ities established/identified by
the concerned District
Magistrate".
Further, any person who
has been successfully vaccinat-
ed (two doses) and produces
certificate to the effect or hav-
ing negative RT-PCR Report
(not older than 72 hours prior
to undertaking the journey)
shall be allowed home quaran-
tine for 7 days.
As for people arriving from
the State of Andhra Pradesh
and Telangana and checking
into State Bhawans situated in
NCT of Delhi, the Resident
Commissioner of respective
State Bhawan shall be respon-
sible for ensuring the compli-
ance. In respect of persons
checking into hotels, resorts,
hostels, homestays, dormito-
ries etc. in NCT of Delhi, the
owner of the above-mentioned
places shall be responsible for
ensuring the compliance.
Persons travelling from
Andhra Pradesh and
Telangana to other States
through NCT of Delhi by road
shall be allowed without dis-
embarking from the vehicle en
route inside NCT of Delhi.
Government officials who
are travelling to NCT of Delhi
from the State of Andhra
Pradesh and Telangana on offi-
cial work are exempted from
the aforesaid instructions, if
they are asymptomatic. The
Chief Secretary requested the
Government of Andhra
Pradesh and Telangana to ade-
quately inform and sensitize
their residents, who are com-
ing to Delhi, about the instruc-
tions stipulated in this order.
PNS n HYDERABAD
Chief Minister K dose.
Chandrashekar Rao, who
reviewed the medical oxygen
availability, spoke to IICT
Director Chandrasekhar over
phone and inquired with him
could the state improve its
medical oxygen capacity.
As advised by the IICT
Director, KCR instructed the
medical and health depart-
ment officials to immediately
purchase 500 oxygen enrich-
ers. They should acquire more
later. Measures also should be
taken to set up systems that
would produce oxygen in
short duration.
On vaccination, he said pri-
ority should be given to those
who were due for the second
He said people should not
panic and if they developed
Covid symptoms, they should
used the medical kits being
supplied by the government.
These kits would be distrib-
uted by Asha workers and
ANMs. Pamphlets about pre-
cautions to be taken to curb
the spread of covid would
also be distributed.
He directed the Panchayat
Raj and municipal officers to
spray sodium hypochloride
to sanitise the surroundings.
People's representatives should
become part of the sanitation
drive, he said.
more virulent than the current
variant". Dr Vishnu, president
of the Telangana Junior Doctors
Association(JUDA) said,
"Another vaccination drive
must be conducted for all
healthcare workers and front-
line workers who were not
vaccinated previously”.
Over 15K booked...
Continued from page 1
The Telangana government
initially imposed night curfew
on 20 April and later extend-
ed it up to May 8. The curfew
will be in force from 9 p.m. till
5 a.m. the next day. According
to the order, these violations
are prosecuted under sections
51 to 60 of the Disaster
the votes polled in favour of the
BJP and its dismal perfor-
mance in these elections. The
field officers told the meeting
that the BJP gave tough fight to
the TRS. Had the BJP paid
attention in 10 more divisions,
it would have secured more
seats. The BJP leaders in
on Wednesday directed the
state government to decide by
May 8 if a lockdown can be
imposed during weekends and
extend night curfew hours.
However, as per official fig-
ures, the number of cases has
been declining and as per
Chief Secretar y Somesh
Kumar 'there are no plans to
impose lockdown as situation
officers would give their opin-
ion and tried to convince the
MP on that. However, express-
ing his dissatisfaction over it,
Arvind quit the meeting stating
that he was at a loss as he failed
to comprehend why he was
invited to the meeting at all if he
was not allowed to speak.
Include...
Continued from page 1
The Press Council of India
(PCI) reiterated its recom-
mendation to the Centre and
state/Union territory gov-
ernments regarding insur-
ance of journalists and for
including journalists in the
category of COVID Warriors.
While reiterating its reso-

CM back in Pragathi Bhavan after

Double mutant...
Continued from page 1
The South African variant,
also known as B.1.315, was
predominantly found in
Telangana and Delhi. Brazilian
variant (P1) was only found in
Maharashtra in a negligible
proportion, he said.
Singh said there is a fre-
quent written communica-
tion on the variants by the
Health Ministry and the
NCDC to all states and UTs.
He said states/UTs are
advised to keep strict surveil-
lance in the districts report-
ing new variants of concern
where they can take up strin-
gent public health measures
including contact tracing,
genome sequencing of posi-
tive samples of persons hav-
ing history of international
travel.
HYDERABAD
BULLION RATES
GOLD
` 48, 200(10 gm)
` -2
200
SILVER
` 74, 200 (1kg)
` 1400
CHICKEN
RATES `/KG
Dressed/With Skin
Without Skin
Broiler at Farm
EGG
RATES `/100
HYDERABAD 365
VIJAYAWADA 400
VISAKHAPATNAM 355
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Continued from page 1
He continued in home isola-
tion as his RT PCR test on
April 29 did not give a definite
result. He had to undergo the
test again on May 4 under the
supervision of his personal
physician Dr M V Rao and his
team. He then tested negative.
The doctors said he had recov-
ered fully and could resume
his routine.
With the election of Mayors
and Chairpersons in the seven
urban local bodies -which
were won by TRS candidates-
scheduled for May 7, KCR was
engaged mainly with the selec-
tion of candidates for the top
posts in the local bodies from
among several aspirants.
The Chief Minister, having
taken over Medical and Health
portfolio from Etela Rajender
(who has since been dropped
from the Cabinet), is expect-
ed to hold a review on the
pandemic and take a decision
before May 8 on whether the
State should extend the night
curfew or opt for week-end
lockdown as suggested by the
High Court on Wednesday.
The anticipation is that
there would be some clarity, at
least after the review, on the
roll-out of the expanded vac-
cination programme to cover
those in the age group of 18 to
`125 44 years. That programme,
`142 supposed to have been
launched on May 1, is still on
`86
hold due to shortage of vac-
cines.
The State continues to wit-
ness a surge in the number of
fresh cases in the second wave
of the pandemic. Amidst spec-
ulation that the State might
also announce lockdown like
some States in the country, the
State government chose to
impose night curfew from
Management Act 2005 and is under control'. Evidently the lution of September last year,
Section 188 of IPC as well as state is not inclined towards the PCI urged all state gov-
other applicable laws. Officials lockdown or curfew. Even the ernments, Union territories
pointed that this was imple- night curfew was imposed on and the central government
mented to sensitise people to the suggestion of the High to frame and implement a
CM rules out lockdown in the State Why lockdown the gravity of the situation.
It may be mentioned here
Court. It may be mentioned
here that the Telangana High
group insurance scheme for
the journalists on the lines of
that the Telangana High Court Court gave a 45-minute dead- the policy framed by the
Continued from page 1
He also brought to the PM's notice the fact that the quantum of is not good... Haryana government.
oxygen allotted to Telangana from Sriperumbudur in Tamil Nadu Continued from page 1 The Council also recom-
and Bellary in Karnataka was not coming to the State.
KCR said that as Hyderabad had become popular as the medical labour who load and unload
paddy, transport them to
Centre can't shirk Naidu name... mended to the central, state
governments and the Union
territories to include the jour-
hub, people from neighbouring States like Maharashtra,
Chhattisgarh, Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh were coming to
Hyderabad for Covid treatment. Hence, the burden on hospitals in
FCI godowns for distribu-
tion to different areas. Lakhs
responsibility of... Continued from page 1 nalists in the category of
'COVID warriors' like doc-
the city had increased. In addition to patients from Telangana, 50 of workers would partici- Continued from page 1 Naidu had, till the 2019 elec- tors, confer them with the
per cent of patients coming to Hyderabad were from other States, pate in the paddy procure- tions, invariably been a step same benefits and give imme-
thus affecting the availability of oxygen, vaccine and Remidesivir ment and transport process, "Vaccination is important. It ahead of his political adver- diate financial assistance to
injections. At present only 440 tonnes of medical oxygen per day he said. If lockdown was has to be universal. saries and had always the families of all those jour-
was reaching the State and it should be increased to 500 tonnes, he imposed, these workers Therefore it is the responsi- changed his political friends nalists who died due to
requested the Prime Minister. Similarly the supply of Remidesivir would go away to different bility of the government and according to the prevailing COVID-19. The Council,
injections should be increased from the present 4,900 to 25,000 places, farmers would face I would say the central gov- situation. But during the Lok therefore, urges the central
injections per day. KCR said that so far 50 lakh doses of vaccine hardships in storing the ernment to take on itself the Sabha elections, Naidu took government as well as
had been supplied to the State by the Centre and it should be paddy, and the whole paddy expenditure which areto be a wrong decision at the state/UT governments to take
increased based on the demand. The state would require 2 lakh to procurement process would incurred in terms of vacci- wrong time. He went out of necessary steps for the welfare
2.5 lakh doses per day and they should be supplied at the earliest, be hindered. nating the people," the- his way to bring anti BJP-par- of journalists, the statement
he said. Later, Union Minister Piyush Goel, on the instructions of Besides, transport of former Chairman of the ties on a common platform said.
the Prime Minister, spoke to KCR and assured him that all the essential food items, vac- Prime Minister's Economic and hoped that BJP will lose Fresh coronavirus cases
issues represented by the Chief Minister would be addressed at the cines, oxygen, would be Advisory Councilsaid. power at the Centre. and fatalities in India hit a
earliest. Assuring KCR that measures would be taken soon for adversely affected. Thus, "I think the responsibili- Unfortunately for Naidu, record daily high with
ensuring sufficient quantities of oxygen and Remidesivir injections, the imposition of lockdown ty of the government is very his expectations were dashed 4,12,262 new infections and
Goel said that the Centre would take steps to supply oxygen from would result in govern- clear or the government of as he himself lost power in 3,980 fatalities being report-
eastern States, instead of Tamil Nadu and Karnataka. ment itself creating a diffi- India is very clear and it Andhra Pradesh and BJP ed, taking the tally of cases to
cult situation for people. should not shirk this respon- retained power at the Centre. 2,10,77,410 and the death
Hence, the government was sibility. I know this will Other opposition parties toll to 2,30,168, according to
April 20 at the behest of the demic was evident from the not ready for it. "So, we can- involve a too have lost confidence in the Union Health Ministry
High Court. The night curfew, pressure on hospital beds as not impose lockdown," he great deal of expenditure Naidu. data updated on Thursday.
initially clamped for 10 days, well as the demand for oxygen said. However, he said as an that has to be borne and that
was later extended till May 8. beds and Remdesivir injec- alternative to lockdown is the responsibility clearly of
On Wednesday, the Chief tions. The fact that the Forest they would identify areas the government of India,"
Secretary said the cases were Development Corporation with high number of cases hesaid.
declining and reiterated that had to step in and supply and announce micro-level Later, talking to, he said
the pandemic was 'under con- 1,000 tonnes of timber to cre- containment zones imme- that since vaccination
trol'. He, however, said that mate the dead showed that the diately and take up mea- should be the Centre's
Chief Minister would review ground situation was in stark sures to curb Covid. responsibility, the question
the situation in a day or two contrast to the picture given There were lakhs of cab, of different pricing of vac-
and take a call. by the government, many autorickshaw drivers and cines for different sectors
Many are taking the data pointed out. transport sector workers would not arise.
released by the government Complaints are mounting who would be affected. If Currently there are three
(showing a dip in the number from people and in social industries were closed, what levels pricing fixed by the
of positive cases over the last media about shortage of hos- about employment of lakhs COVID-19 vaccine makers-
10 days) with a pinch of salt. pital beds, injections and of families, he sought to central, state government
There is criticism from sever- drugs. Black-marketing of know. In addition to coro- and private supplies.
al quarters, including opposi- Remdesivir injections and na, people would suffer "I am saying the vaccina-
tion parties, that the numbers exorbitant charges collected by from deprivation and the tion is the responsibility of
dipped due to a reduction in private hospitals and shortage whole economy would be the central government. The
the number of tests. of vaccines have become adversely affected. Central government should
The intensity of the pan- major public concerns. bear all the cost.

Printed and published by B Krishna Prasad for and on behalf of CMYK Printech Ltd., Phone: 040-23322341, Hyderabad Office: F-502, Diamond Block, Lumbini Rockdale, Somajiguda, Hyderabad - 500 082. Telangana. Printed at
Sree Seshasai Enterprises, Plot No.19, IDA Balanagar , Hyderbad-500037, Medchal -Malkajgiri District, Telangana. Chief Editor: Chandan Mitra. Resident Editor: B Krishna Prasad, AIR SURCHARGE of Rs 2.00.
HYDERABAD | FRIDAY | MAY 7, 2021
hyderabad 03

The high cost of death

PNS n HYDERABAD
In the wake of the second wave
of the Coronavirus, the death
of a person has become a cost-
ly affair in city. The treatment
costs has multiplied because of
diversion of drugs like
Remedisivir, which are alleged
to have been sold in black mar-
ket, oxygen cylinders and also
the freezer boxes used to pre-
serve bodies.
In fact, the daily rent of the
freezer boxes has almost been
doubled to Rs 15,000 per day
from the previous Rs 8000 per
day. Sometimes, depending on
the circumstances, the rent
goes up to Rs 25,000 too.
The second wave, compared
to the first wave, is dangerous.
Under its impact, the positive
cases have gone up and also
deaths due to the virus. The
increase in freezer box rents to
increasing the deaths in the
city, which is more than nor-
mal, and due to non-availabil-
ities of mortuaries in hospitals,
including private hospitals.
In case of death of Covid
patients at inappropriate time,
to preserve the body till the
next day, the family members
are using the ambulance ser-
vices fitted with freezer boxes.
Only in cases of inordinate
delay in cremation of the bod-
ies and to preserve those bod-
ies that have higher propensi-
ty of greater disintegration
because of death due to various
diseases, the bodies used to be
preserved in freezer boxes.
Neighbours as well as rela-
tives are attributing the death
of a person to Coronavirus.
Moreover, the private hospitals
are not making a parcel of the
dead body as per the protocol.
Because of these reasons, the
family members, against their
wishes, have to preserve bod-
ies in freezers. The owners of
the ambulance with freezer
boxes have been cashing in on
the opportunity and hiked the
rent of the boxes from Rs 8,000
to Rs 25,000 per day.
According to Yadaiah,
owner of a freezer box in
Secunderabad, there is no
truth in the allegation that the
rents of thee boxes have gone
up manifold. Depending on
the current needs, the rent has
been hiked to an extent. He
has to provide gloves, PPE kits,
masks, face shields to the
ambulance driver and his
assistant daily. Moreover, the
ambulance requires to be sani-
tised every day. Because of the
reason, the rent has been
increased.
Rachakonda Commissioner
of Police Mahesh Bhagwat
said that the police officials
have been initiating stringent
measures to rule out any prob-
lems to the people. He said that
raids and vigil on those who
exploit the situation has been
stepped up. He called upon
people to lodge a complaint
with the police if anyone is
found selling Covid medi-
cines, injections, oxygen cylin-
ders and any other thing in
black market dialling 100 or
the Rachakonda police on
9490617111. To complain to
Hyderabad police, the com-
plaint should be lodged
dialling 9490616555 and to
Cyberabad police, the number
for contact is 9490617444.
KCR condoles
Chowdary Ajit
Singh's death
PNS n HYDERABAD
Chief Minister K
Chandrashekhar Rao has
mourned the death of
former Union Minister
Chowdary Ajit Singh. In
his message, KCR said
Ajit Singh who worked s
Cabinet minister several
times had continued the
proud legacy of his father
Chowdary Charan Singh
and emerged as the
Farmers' leader in the
country.
He recalled that Ajit
Singh had extended his
wholehearted support to
the Telangana statehood
movement and to the
political process for
Telangana becoming a
separate state. Telangana
people would remember
those who extended their
support to realise their
aspirations, KCR said.

Rachakonda police
collect 274 units of
blood over 2 days
PNS n HYDERABAD

A total of 274 units of

blood were collected dur-
ing blood camps organised
in the Rachakonda Police
limits over the last two
days to help Thalassemia
patients.
To help patients during
the Covid pandemic, the
Rachakonda police had
organised three blood SELF-LOCKDOWN
donation camps in coordi- In the wake of a huge number of the people from the temple town of Vemulawada as well as
nation with the Indian Red surrounding villages being infected by the Coronavirus, shrine authorities have suspended
cross in Yadadri Bhongir Kodemokku, the popular ritual at the Rajarajeshwara Swamy temple. On the other hand, local
Zone. Rachakonda police traders have decided to impose self-lockdown in the temple town from May 6 to May 15. All
commissioner Mahesh business establishments will be operated from 6 am to 2 pm. The spurt of Covid cases in the
Bhagwat appreciated all temple town began after Shivakalyana held on March 31.
the good Samaritans.

Second wave accelerates TS reports 52 Covid

demand for organic food deaths, 6,026 cases
PNS n HYDERABAD
In the wake of the Covid sec-
ond wave, everyone is paying
attention to what they eat and
special attention to anything
and everything that is organic,
outright rejecting food that is
grown using fertilisers.
People are paying attention
to consuming naturally grown
fruits, vegetables, pulses and
milk and milk products. In
tune with the taste of the con-
sumers, several organic stores
have come up in the city.
According to the statistics,
the market for organic prod-
ucts has increased from 25 per
cent earlier to 100 per cent
now. Even the tier-2 and tier-
3 towns have shown much
demand for these products. In
fact, 6.38-lakh tons of organic
food products, worth Rs
4,685.90 crore, have been
exported in 2020.
Food grown using chemical
fertilisers contains hazardous
chemicals which are harmful to
human health. Several studies
indicate the root cause of BP,
obesity, sugar, cancer and other
diseases as consumption of
food cultivated using chemical
fertilisers. According to central
government statistics, 77 per
cent of food grown using
chemical fertilisers contains
harmful chemicals while only
25 per cent of the organic
food contains that. Moreover,
the organic food is tastier,
besides being nutritious.
There is a lot of demand for
organically grown rice, herbs,
drinks, fruits, vegetables and
Aswagandha capsules. Market
sources indicate that demand
for natural honey has increased
by 60 per cent. People earlier
hesitated to buy organic food
because of their prohibitive
cost and limited availability.
Earlier, only a few farmers cul-
tivated organic food. As the
technology improved and bec-
ause of the e-commerce portals
the availability of organic prod-
ucts had increased.
PNS n HYDERABAD
Telangana has reported 6,026
new Covid cases and 52 deaths
during the 24-hour period.
The new cases pushed the
state's cumulative tally to
4,75,748.
The death toll has mounted
to 2,579. The case fatality rate
rose marginally to 0.54 per
cent but still below the nation-
al average of 1.1 per cent.
For fourth day in a row, the
state reported more recoveries
than the new infections.
A total of 6,551 people
recovered from Covid during
the 24-hour period that ended
8 p.m. Wednesday. With this,
the cumulative number of
recoveries has gone up to
3,96,042. The recovery rate
improved further to 83.24 per
cent against the national aver-
age of 82 per cent.
The number of active cases
has also come down to 77,127.
The number had crossed
80,000 early this week.
The government and pri-
vate laboratories tested 79,824
samples during the 24-hour
period. According to the daily
media bulletin released by the
health department, the state
has so far conducted
1,33,47,076 tests. Samples test-
ed per million population
improved to 3,58,599.

Buying Metro train tickets made

safer with smart ticketing system
PNS n HYDERABAD
The Hyderabad Metro Rail has
been implementing smart ticketing
system, using QR Code, to rule out
the need for commuters to directly
buy tickets from the counter.
The people are apprehensive to go
out as the virus is spreading vigor-
ously under the impact of second
wave. Even if they are to go out, they
are taking a lot of precautions.
Keeping this in mind, the
Hyderabad Metro Rail authorities
have introduced the smart ticketing
system. What one needs to have to
avail the ticket is just a smart phone.
After the TSRTC, the second
largest public transport system in the
city is Metro, which is running up
to a distance of 69 km divided in
three corridors. The Metro trains
run daily from 6.30 am to 7.45 pm.
What the commuters should have
a smart card and the phone should
be able to scan QR Code. The
smart ticketing system will eliminate
the need for people standing in
queues. The smart tickets can be
bought using four mobile applica-
tions - TS Sawari, Phone Pay, Make
My Trip and PayTM. While the TS
Sawari is a state government mobile
application, the rest of them are pri-
vate mobile applications.
Currently, the Metro Rail author-
ities provided facility to commuters
to buy tickets from one station to
another in all the three corridors.
The Phone Pay enables the com-
muters to buy smart tickets not only
in Hyderabad, but also in other
metro cities like Bangaluru, Mumbai
and Delhi. On pressing relevant
logos and giving instructions on
travel destinations and number of
commuters the ticket price will be
displayed.
The people can buy one way tick-
et or both ways. The ticket can be
shared with others.

Smart City Start-up challenge Good Samaritan

to support and scale start-ups
PNS n HYDERABAD
Smart City Living Labs at the
International Institute of Information
Technology (IIIT), Hyderabad, in
association with Ministry of
Electronics & Information Technology
and The Smart City Mission have
launched a Smart City Start-up chal-
lenge.
The programme is envisioned to
support and scale start-ups that are
building sustainable, inclusive and
innovative solutions for smart cities.
The month-long programme gives
selected start-ups an opportunity to
pitch to smart city technology MNCs,
smart city officials and the winner will
get an equity-free grant of Rs 10 lakh
for further development.
Any start-ups with solutions or
products with smart city use cases can
apply, especially tech start-ups work-
ing with products with smart city use
cases, market ready products with or
without customers, expertise in com-
mercially deploying the solution and
research with market ready products.
Application deadline is June 1.
Smart City technology can make
cities more effective and efficient,
which is necessary given the project-
ed rapid growth in urban populations
over the next few decades.
donates stretcher
trolleys to OGH
PNS n HYDERABAD
In view of the ongoing second
wave of Covid-19 pandemic,
an employee of a private
company, Srilatha Sharvari
has donated about 10 stretch-
er trolleys on Thursday for
patients at OGH.
The patient inflow to avail
Covid and non-Covid health
care services at OGH has
increased in the last few days
and the additional infra-
structure will go a long in
improving patient mobility
within the hospital premises.
HYDERABAD | FRIDAY | MAY 7, 2021 hyderabad 04
CS claims on
Covid false, ELECTION OF MAYORS, Revanth demands Malla
alleges Gudur Reddy, KTR’s ouster
PNS n HYDERABAD

BJP senior leader Gudur

Narayana Reddy on Thursday
DEPUTY MAYORS TODAY
DUGGU RAGHU the two municipal corporations
PNS n HYDERABAD

TPCC working president and

made it clear that claims of
Chief Secretary Somesh
Kumar that the Covid situa-
tion was under control were
false.
In a statement issued here
on Thursday, he said that the
Chief Secretary has been lying
to people. He alleged that the
government has been trying
to show that all is well with
regard to Covid by under
reporting the number of cases
and deaths.
He said that the govern-
ment and private hospitals
were flooded with Covid
patients and beds were not
available. The Chief
Secretary’s claim that suffi-
cient beds were made avail-
able was false.
“Let us make calls to hos-
pitals in the presence of the
media. I am sure that we
would not get even one bed
with a ventilator immediate-
ly. Such is the situation,” he
pointed out.
The BJP leader said that no
action has been initiated to
implement the promise of
the Chief Minister that the
vaccine would be adminis-
tered free of cost to all with an
expenditure of Rs 2,500 crore.
He said that the Chief
Secretary has been handling the
situation for the past few days.
However, he was not available
to anyone to make representa-
tion on the issues.
n MEDCHAL/MALKAJGIRI
Election of municipal chairmen
and vice-chairmen and mayors
and deputy mayors will take
place for municipalities and
municipal corporations that
went to polls recently here on
Friday duly adhering to Covid-
19 regulations. The election of
municipal chairmen and vice-
chairmen will be elected for
Siddipet, Achampet, Jadcharla,
Kotturu, Nakrekal municipali-
ties, while mayors and deputy
mayors will be elected for
Warangal and Khammam
Municipal Corporations.
Elections were held to five
municipalities and two munici-
pal corporations on April 30. The
counting of votes took place on
May 3. All arrangements have
been made for the indirect elec-
tion of municipal chairmen and
VH ridicules Somesh for stating no need for lockdown
PNS n HYDERABAD
Congress senior leader V
Hanumantha Rao lashed out at
Chief Secretary Somesh Kumar
for stating that there is no need
for imposing a lockdown in the
state though Corona cases have
been on the rise.
He ridiculed Somesh Kumar
for stating that everything is in
vice-chairmen, mayors and
deputy mayors.
Gazetted officers appointed by
District Collectors have served
election notices on Thursday. As
per the schedule, the ward-
member elects will take oath at
3 pm on Friday, while the elec-
tion of the municipal chairmen
and vice-chairmen will be held
at 3.30 pm.
The SEC insisted that those
who take part in the special
meeting should test negative for
the virus. If any of the ward
control in the state. He asked the
Chief Secretary that it could be
better if the latter tells what is
good in the state. He said that
Corona patients are facing a lot
of trouble in the state as they are
not getting beds and oxygen in
hospitals.
He asked Somesh Kumar
whether the lives of people are
not important and demanded
members-elect are under quar-
antine as they tested positive,
they can take part in the pro-
ceedings through a video confer-
ence and can take their oath.
Such members can take part in
voting through a teleconference.
The presiding officer should
record it on his mobile phone.
The SEC put the condition that
no victory rallies should be
allowed at the end of the oath-
taking ceremony.
Meanwhile, the TRS leader-
ship has appointed observers for
that the Chief Secretary tell facts
to people.
He alleged that the govern-
ment is not taking any the
decision though the High Court
has directed it to impose lock-
down if needed and conduct
one lakh Corona tests every day.
He demanded that the gov-
ernment deposit Rs 10,000 in
the accounts of the poor and Rs
and five municipalities. For
Greater Warangal Municipal
Corporation Ministers A
Indrakaran Reddy and Gangula
Kamalakar were appointed as
observers. Minister Vemula
Prashanth Reddy and TRS
General Secretary Nookala
Naresh Reddy will officiate as
observers for Khammam
Municipal Corporation.
Minister for Animal
Husbandry Talasani Srinivas
Yadav will officiate as an observ-
er for Kotturu municipality,
while TRS general secretary T
Ravinder Rao would be the
observer for Nakrekal munici-
pality. Former mayor of
Karimnagar Ravinder Singh and
Telangana State Forest
Development Corporation chair-
man Vanteru Pratapa Reddy
will officiate as observers for
Siddipet municipality.
5,000 for auto and cab drivers.
He asked the government to
provide proper Corona treat-
ment to people.
Speaking to the media at his
residence on Thursday, VH
lashed out at BJP state unit chief
Bandi Sanjay Kumar for
terming West Bengal Chief
Minister Mamata Benerjee as
Mamata Khan and Mamatha
Malkajgiri MP A Revanth
Reddy questioned four mem-
bers of the IAC Committee--
Raghunandan Rao, Prashanth
Jeevan Patil, Bharathi Holikkeri
and Swetha Mohanty-- to tell as
to why they didn’t visit the farm-
houses constructed in Survey
No.657. Similarly, why the
Committee had failed to visit
the farmhouses of Gandra
Srinivas, Minister Malla Reddy
and Namasthe Telangana man-
agement? he questioned.
What the government was
doing when 160 constructions
were constructed illegally at
one place. He demanded that
Chief Minister
Chandrasekhar Rao dismiss
Ministers Ch Malla Reddy and
KT Rama Rao from the Cabinet
for encroaching temple lands.
He questioned the govern-
ment to tell as to why it is not
responding to the question
Begum.
He demanded Bandi Sanjay
tender apologies to Mamata
immediately. It is not fair for
Bandi Sanjay Kumar to criticise
Mamata, who was elected as
the Chief Minister three times,
as he wished. Suggesting him
to change his language and
alleged that BJP leaders are not
even sparing women leaders.
TPCC working president and Malkajgiri MP A Revanth Reddy addressing the
media at Deverayamjal on Thursday
raised by the High Court on warned.
irregularities. He alleged that On Thursday, Revanth Reddy
Minister KT Rama Rao had visited the Deverayamjal Seetha
brought a stay from the Rama Swamy temple area
Supreme Court in this regard. where lands in Survey Nos 212
He alleged that the real estate to 218 were encroached.
mafia has been taking the lands Later, speaking to the media,
of the poor farmers threatening he said that he visited an 84-
K them around Greater acre venture, which was taken
Hyderabad. He demanded that up illegally in prohibited lands
the Municipal Administration in Deverayamjal. He alleged that
respond to illegal constructions the government has been tak-
taking place around Greater ing up the registrations of the
Hyderabad. “Or else, we will lands located in 22A, which
approach the courts on these were placed under the prohib-
illegal constructions”, he ited list.
Sridhar Babu rules out joining TRS
HYDERABAD: Is the Congress going to face another shock in the form
of former minister Duddilla Sridhar Babu? The rumors are spreading in
political circles that the TRS is trying to rope in Sridhar Babu to fill the
gap in Karimnagar district created by former minister Eatala Rajender.
The rumors also spread that already the TRS is in touch with Sridhar
Babu and putting its efforts to attract him into its fold. The rumours
further stated that he will join the TRS after May 20. However, Sridhar
Babu ruled out the rumours. Speaking to The Pioneer, Sridhar Babu
said, “I don’t want to react to such silly rumours and questioned that
why would I change the party?” Responding to rumours, the senior
Congress leader’s followers said that the TRS has been trying to rope in
Sridhar Babu into its fold since long time.

Oxygen plants to be set up in Medak, Sangareddy, Siddipet dists

PNS n SIDDIPET
Minister for T Harish Rao has
ordered a special team of the
National Highways Authority of
India (NHAI) to identify suitable
places to set up oxygen plants in
Siddipet, Sangareddy and Medak
districts to overcome the oxygen
shortage being experienced by Covid
patients.
The state government has decid-
ed to set up oxygen plants at Gajwel
and Siddipet in Siddipet district,
Sangareddy in Sangareddy district
and Medak and Jogipet in Medak
districts for benefit of Covid
patients.
To identify suitable sites for the
same, a special team has arrived in
Siddipet. The minister has asked the
authorities to ground the works in a
week.
The plants to be set up in Siddipet,
Medak and Sangareddy would have
a capacity to produce 1,000 litres of
oxygen, while those proposed to be
set up at Gajwel and Jogipet would
have a capacity of 500 litres.
The plants would be set up under
the National Highways Authority of
India, while the DRDO maintains
the oxygen plants.
n To identify suitable sites for the same, a
special team has arrived in Siddipet.
The minister has asked the authorities
to ground the works in a week.
n The oxygen plants would be set up
under the National Highways Authority
of India, while the DRDO maintains the
plants.

BJP candidate Shyam Sundar, who unsuccessfully
contested from 34th division of the Warangal
Municipal Corporation, climbs cell tower on Thursday
BJP candidate
alleges injustice,
Isolation kits to people suffering
from Covid symptoms: Collector
PNS n KARIMNAGAR
District Collector Shashanka
has directed district medical
and health officials to imme-
diately give people identified as
having Covid symptoms in
door-to-door survey Corona
home isolation kits.
Addressing medical and
health authorities and district
authorities through a telecon-
ference held here on Thursday
to review the Covid services in
continue at all PHCs and pri-
mary health sub-centres. The
district headquarters govern-
ment hospital is treating 187
Covid patients, he said adding
that there is no shortage of
medicines, oxygen and beds in
the hospital. He asked the
hospital superintendent to
extend the best treatment to
the Covid patients.
He directed officials to give
Karimnagar District Collector
Shashanka has
vaccine only to those who
have booked the slot in
SHORT TAKES
3 held for black-marketing
Remdesivir injections
WARANGAL URBAN: Three persons were arrested by the Task Force
police for selling Remdesivir injections in the black market at exorbitant
prices on Wednesday, and seized 28 Remdesivir vials and Rs 20,000
cash from their possession. The arrested were identified as Bagaji
Manohar of Mandi Bazar of Warangal, Kulipaka Kumara Swamy of
Bheemaram and Aitha Ashok of Kareemabad in Warangal. Addressing a
press conference here on Thursday, Warangal Police Commissioner
Tarun Joshi said the Task Force team arrested three pharmacists, assis-
tant pharmacists at Lifeline Hospital in Hanamkonda, under the limits of
Subedari police station after receiving credible information about black
marketing of Remdesivir injections. He said the accused purchased the
Covifor from Hetero Drugs in Hyderabad at Rs 2,800 per vial. “While
they are supposed to sell a vial at Rs 3,490 (MRP), taking undue
advantage and inevitable situations of Covid patients, they were selling
each vial at Rs 35,000 to Rs 45,000,” he said. The arrested have been

threatens suicide government hospitals, he said

that teams of ASHA workers,
ANMs, panchayat staff and
PNS n WARANGAL municipal employees have
toms. He asked officials to
appoint district-level nodal
advance. Additional district
collector Prasad Lal, DMHO
Dr Sujata, government hospi-
handed over to Subedari police for further action. “A case has been
registered and further action will be initiated based on the merits of
investigation,” the Commissioner of Police said.
tal superintendent Dr

BJP candidate Shyam Sundar, who unsuc-

cessfully contested from 34th division of the
Warangal Municipal Corporation, on
Thursday climbed on top of the cell tower
and threatened to commit suicide if justice
is not rendered to him in the counting of
votes, which he alleged to have been
manipulated to favour City Chamber of
Commerce leader Diddi Kumara Swamy.
He demanded recounting of votes.
He charged TRS leaders with misuse of
power to tamper with the election results
and declared him as unsuccessful in spite
of winning the seat. He alleged conspiracy
in his defeat.
He criticised officials being partisan,
instead of acting transparently. They learnt
from social media that he is leading in the
counting of votes and misused their author-
ity to ‘defeat’ him.If justice is not done to
him, he would have no alternative except
committing suicide.
Stating that he has full faith in the law of
the land, he urged all lovers of democracy,
media friends to cooperate with him and
render justice to him.
SP exhorts people to get vaccinated
PNS n MEDAK
District Superintendent of Police
Chandana Deepti called upon people
to receive their vaccine as advised by
doctors and cooperate with the dis-
trict administration to eradicate the
Coronavirus from the district. She
asked people to observe precautions
like observing physical distance,
wearing of masks, washing hands as
frequently as possible to keep the virus
at bay.
She asked the people to observe
precautions framed by the govern-
ment, medical and health department
and police and receive the vaccine to
save society from the virus.She sug-
been constituted to undertake
door-to-door visits to identify
officers to monitor the teams
and give necessary protective
Ratnamala, district TB officer,
Dr Ravinder Reddy, district
Covid-19 patients and to give
them home isolation kits to
equipment to the team mem-
bers. He said that the Covid
immunisation officer Dr Sajida
and others took part in the
those who have the symp- outpatient treatment should meeting.
Door-to-door Covid survey in Mulugu dist Achampet municipal
MULUGU: As per the directions of the government, from Thursday ward members-elect
onwards, they would be conducting household surveys in every village,
identifying inmates with Covid symptoms and providing them with a home to take oath today
isolation kit to start treatment immediately, disclosed DMHO Dr Appaiah.
He said that everyone in the village should contact the nearest primary PNS n NAGAR KURNOOL
health centre immediately without any delay if they suffered from cough,
cold, fever or shortness of breath or any other health-related problems. District Collector L Sarman on
Otherwise, they should visit the district hospital. DMHO Dr Appaiah over- Thursday directed the munic-
saw the vaccination process on Thursday in the district. Earlier, officials ipal commissioner to make
went to the Tadvai Primary Health Centre while overseeing the vaccination arrangements for the oath-
programme they spoke to the medical officer and staff.They enquired staff taking of newly elected ward
about the available health services in the PHC. Officials also examined the members of Achampet munic-
attendance register of employees of the health centre. Then they spoke to ipality on Friday amidst adher-
patients present in the health centre and asked about their health condition ing to Covid-19 precautions.
and the services they were getting there. Following the visit to the PHC, He inspected the municipal
the DMHO and his team met the medical staff at Indira Nagar. The DMHO office here and found that
pointed out that even those who had been vaccinated must wear masks there was no suitable place in
and follow Covid precautionary measures. the municipal office to conduct
the proceedings on Friday and
suggested the municipal
authorities to make arrange-
ments for conducting the oath-
taking ceremony at the adja-
cent Sorojinidevi Auditorium
of Government Girls High
School.
The seating arrangements
should be such that there
should be six feet distance
between any two seats. The
whole venue should be sani-
tised by evening and conduct a
mock session, he said directing
RDO to make suitable arrange-
ments for the same. He inspect-
ed the saplings planted as part
Police personnel creating awareness among people on vaccination in Medak on Thursday of Haritaharam and noticed
withering them away. He vent-
gested to the police personnel to the shot. She appealed to elected rep- ed his ire at municipal author-
receive the vaccine first to convince resentatives to cooperate with the ities for not watering them
the people that the vaccine is safe so police and sensitise villagers to receive and not taking steps to put the
that they will come forward to receive the vaccine. tree guards in order.
Enrolment for TS EAMCET-
2021 online coaching
RAMAGUNDAM: NTPC-Ramagundam under its Corporate Social
Responsibility (CSR) activities is sponsoring online coaching for TS
EAMCET-2021 aspirants through Sahaya Seva Society. Students study-
ing Class XII from the project affected villages can collect and submit
the application form from 10 am to 5 pm till May 12 at CSR Vocational
Training Centre near Sai Seva Samithi.
FoB to be built in Patancheru
Patancheru: Local legislator Gudem Mahipal Reddy has said that a
foot-over-bridge (FoB) will be constructed at a cost of Rs 5 crore near
Patancheru bus stand, which is located very close to the national
highway. He inspected the proposed site for the construction of the
bridge, along with the local corporator Mettu Kumar Yadav and
GHMC officials. He said that the construction of the FoB was needed
in tune with the growing needs of the increasing population. Since
the vehicular traffic volume is very high on the national highway,
people are finding it difficult to cross the road. Sometimes, people are
becoming victims of road accidents while attempting to cross the
road. Therefore, the FoB is needed. The bridge would have an
escalator and lift, he said adding that the works related to the FoB
would be grounded very soon.
Trial pit for Gattu LI
scheme commenced
RAMAGUNDAM: Major irriga-
tion authorities in the pres-
ence of local MLA Bandla
Krishna Mohan on Thursday
conducted the trial pit to iden-
tify suitable site for construc-
tion of Gattu Lift-Irrigation
Scheme.Addressing a gather-
MLA Bandla Krishna Mohan conducts the ing on the occasion, the MLA,
trial pit to identify a suitable site for thanking Chief Minister K
construction of Gattu Lift-Irrigation Chandrasekhar Rao for coop-
Scheme in Gadwal on Thursday eration to execute Gattu LI
scheme, said that the project
works have commenced with the trial pit works and felt that the pro-
ject would turn dried lands of the region into fertile soil. Gattu MPP
Vijay Kumar, KT Doddi ZPTC Rajasekhar, Balagera sarpanch
Hanumanth Naidu, irrigation superintending engineer Srinivasa Rao,
executive engineer Vijay Kumar, divisional engineer Ramakrishna and
others were present on the occasion.
HYDERABAD | FRIDAY | MAY 7, 2021 nation 05

‘No pendency in dispatch Guidelines for

expeditious Union Minister’s convoy
vaccination of
attacked in West Bengal
of oxygen concentrators’ aviation personnel
PNS n NEW DELHI

The Centre on Thursday

PNS n KOLKATA

Union Minister of State for

PNS n NEW DELHI
The Union Health Ministry on
Thursday said no oxygen con-
centrator, received as aid from
abroad, is lying with the cus-
toms authorities at any port of
import as these consignments
are being cleared swiftly.
In all, 3,000 oxygen concen-
trators have been received as
global aid to support the
Central government's efforts
and that of the states and
Union Territories in their col-
lective fight against the second
wave of the coronavirus pan-
demic, it said in a statement.
China has sent 1,000 oxygen
concentrators, Ireland 700, the
UK 669 in four consignments,
Mauritius 200, Uzbekistan 151,
Taiwan 150, Romania 80,
Thailand 30, and Russia 20, the
ministry said.
Some news reports have
claimed that oxygen concentra-
tors are lying at Customs ware-
houses awaiting clearance.
"The news is totally incor-
rect, not based on facts and
without any basis. The Central
Board of Indirect Taxes and
Customs has clarified that
there is no such pendency
with Indian Customs. The
Indian Customs is swiftly clear-
ing all consignments and no
such figure of pendency exists
across any port of import," the
health ministry said in the
statement.
The oxygen concentrators
are either delivered to the
identified tertiary care institu-
tions or been dispatched for
delivery. The relief material has
been dispatched by road and
air too, it said.
"There are no oxygen con-
tractors lying in the ware-
house of the Customs
Department, it is clarified."
The Indian Customs is sen-
sitive to the need for availabil-
ity of COVID-related imports
including oxygen and oxygen-
related equipment and are
working round-the-clock to
fast track and clear the goods
on arrival expeditiously with-
in hours, the statement said.
The goods are given high
priority for clearance by the
customs systems. While the
nodal officers get alerts on
email for monitoring and
clearance, monitoring by
senior officers for the penden-
cy of COVID-related imports
is also being undertaken, it
said.
Recently, the issue of 3,000
Oxygen concentrators report-
edly lying with the customs
authorities came up in the
Delhi High Court and the
same was clarified by the gov-
ernment counsel that present-
ly no such consignment is
pending.
The Ministry of finance
also clarified the matter
through an official release on
May 3 in response to allega-
tions on social media about
3,000 oxygen concentrators
allegedly lying with the cus-
toms authorities.
It stated, "We have again
checked with our field forma-
tions and there is no such con-
signment lying with the cus-
toms. However, since a photo-
graph has also been put on
Twitter, if anybody has infor-
mation as to where it is lying,
the same may be informed to
us and we will take immediate
action."
issued guidelines to facili-
tate expeditious COVID-19
vaccination of aviation per-
sonnel working in govern-
ment as well as private enti-
ties.
A dedicated vaccination
facility will be established
by the airport operators in
their respective airports to
facilitate expeditious vacci-
nation of staff, the guide-
lines issued by the the Civil
Aviation Ministry stated.
Priority during vaccina-
tion should be given to the
air t raf f ic cont rollers
(ATCs), cockpit and cabin
crews of the airlines as well
as mission-critical and pas-
senger-facing staff, it said.
India has been badly hit
by the second wave of coro-
navirus infections even as
hospitals in several states
are reeling under a severe
shortage of vaccines, oxy-
gen, drugs, equipment and
beds.
The guidelines stated that
the operator should imme-
diately contact the state
governments or private ser-
vice providers (hospitals),
which are willing to set up
COVID-19 vaccination
centres at the airports.
There can be more than
one service providers at
any airport depending on
number of personnel work-
ing in the aviation ecosys-
tem," it stated.
External Affairs V
Muraleedharan's car was van-
dalised at Panchkuri village in
West Midnapore district on
Thursday while he was visit-
ing the area in connection
with alleged post-poll vio-
lence on saffron party work-
ers.
Muraleedharan alleged in
a tweet that the "TMC goons"
were behind the attack on his
convoy.
"I went to West Midnapore
to meet party workers who
have been attacked and their
MHA asks WB Governor to give
homes were vandalised. I
was moving from one house
report on law and order in state
to another with my convoy NEW DELHI: The Union Home Ministry has asked West Bengal
and then all of a sudden a Governor Jagdeep Dhankar to give a report on the law and order
group of people started situation in the state, particularly the violence that took place following
charging towards us and the election results last weekend, officials said on Thursday. The Home
attacked," Muraleedharan Ministry had earlier asked the state government to submit a report but
said. "I am safe, but my dri- has not yet received it, the officials said. The governor has been asked
ver was injured, few car win- to assess the situation and submit his report to the ministry at the
dows were also smashed," earliest. The ministry has formed a four-member, headed by an
the minister told PTI. additional secretary ranked officer, to investigate the post-poll violence.
BJP national secretary The BJP claims six of its workers were killed by TMC supporters, a
Rahul Sinha who was accom- charge denied by the Mamata Banerjee-led government.
panying the minister claimed
that the attack took place
despite the presence of the
police personnel.
Nadda condemns attack
An officer of Kotwali NEW DELHI: BJP president JP Nadda on Thursday condemned the
police station in West attack on Union Minister V Muraleedharan's convoy in West Bengal
Midnapore said that they are and claimed that "TMC-sponsored" violence was in full swing in state
probing into the incident of after the assembly poll results were declared. Union Minister of State
the attack on the minister's for External Affairs V Muraleedharan's car was vandalised at Panchkuri
convoy. village in West Midnapore district on Thursday while he was visiting
"It happened at around the area following alleged post-poll violence on saffron party workers.
12.30 pm today when some Muraleedharan alleged in a tweet that "TMC goons" were behind the
unidentified people attacked attack on his convoy. Condemning the attack, Nadda alleged that law
the minister's convoy," he and order has completely collapsed in West Bengal.
said.

INDIA CORNER 4 women allege

Ajit always raised his voice in rape by godman Maha ATS seizes over 7 kg Gujarat: 46 held for
the interests of farmers: Prez
resident Ram Nath Kovind on
PNS n JAIPUR

Four women, three from the

uranium worth `21.3 crore taking out procession
PThursday condoled the demise
of Rashtriya Lok Dal leader
Chaudhary Ajit Singh and said he
same family, have accused a
self-proclaimed godman of
raping them in his ashram in
PNS n MUMBAI

The Maharashtra ATS has

radioactive and dangerous to
human life", he said.
Deputy Inspector General,
to ‘eradicate Covid’
always raised his voice in the Jaipur, police said on Thursday. seized over seven kg of natur- ATS, Shivdeep Lande said the PNS n AHMEDABAD drums.
interest of farmers. Singh, aged The women filed a com- al uranium worth about Rs seized natural uranium has a "After being alerted about
82, passed away at a Gurgaon plaint against Shailendra 21.30 crore and arrested two purity above 90 per cent. Police have arrested 46 people the incident, we have arrested
hospital on Thursday morning bat- Mehta, accusing him of raping persons in this connection, an "The ATS is investigating for taking out a religious pro- 46 men involved in taking out
tling COVID-19, his family said. them when they used to visit official said on Thursday. how the accused persons knew cession at a village in the procession," Rana said.
“Saddened by the demise of Tapasvi ashram to attend The substance is "highly the substance was uranium," Gandhinagar district to "erad- A section of people from the
Rashtriya Lok Dal chief and for- Satsang and other activities, radioactive and dangerous to he said. icate coronavirus", an official village believed coronavirus
mer Union Minister Chaudhary Ajit Singh. He always raised his voice Station House Officer, human life", the ATS official The anti-terror agency is said on Thursday. could be eradicated by pour-
in the interest of farmers. As a public representative and a minister, Bhankrota police station, said quoting a report of an also verifying from where the This is the second such ing water on a local temple of
he left a different mark on the politics of the country. My condo- Mukesh Choudhary said. analysis conducted by the Afzal Husain Choudhary (31), accused had procured the incident in Gujarat in the last their deity, he said.
lences to his family and well wishers,” Kovind tweeted in Hindi. "The victims said they have BARC. a resident of Mankhurd in the "highly radioactive" substance few of days. All the 46 accused were
been visiting the ashram along Acting on a specific infor- eastern suburbs here, the offi- and to whom they were trying All COVID-19 prevention booked for violating police
with their family members for mation, the Nagpada unit of cial said. sell it, he said. norms were allegedly violated notification regarding gather-
years. The women used to stay the Anti-Terrorism Squad The ATS subsequently The ATS on Wednesday during the latest procession ings under section 188 of the
Covid swab sticks packed in at the ashram for a couple of
days in the name of service
(ATS) had apprehended a 27-
year-old Thane resident, Jigar
nabbed Choudhary from the
premises of Kurla Scrap
registered a case against the
accused under provisions of
taken out in Raipur village of
Gandhinagar on Wednesday,
Indian Penal Code and provi-
sions of the Disaster
and it was then when the Pandya, with some small Association in Mankhurd and the Atomic Energy Act-1962, Deputy Superintendent of Management Act and the
unhygienic conditions in slum accused used to rape them,” he
said.
pieces of the valuable sub-
stance on February 14 this
seized 7.100 kg of natural
urnaium from his possession,
based on a complaint by
regional director, central
Police M K Rana said.
In a video that went viral on
Epidemic Diseases Act, the
official said.
case has been While the three women year, he said. he asaid. region, Atomic social media platforms on On May 3, a similar incident
Aregistered against from the same family regis- Pandya was allegedly trying The seized uranium was Minerals Directorate of Thursday, around 100 men took place at Navapura village
a supplier of swab tered a case on Tuesday, the to sell it illegally and was in sent to the Bhabha Atomic Exploration of Research, and women, many without in Ahmedabad where a large
sticks used for fourth woman lodged an FIR search of a possible customer, Research Centre (BARC) at Nagpur, another official said. masks, were seen participating number of women carrying
collecting nasal and on Wednesday. he said. Trombay for analysis, he said. The two accused were on in a procession in the village. water pots on their heads took
throat samples for The matter came to light During his interrogation, The report received from Wednesday produced before a While women were carry- out a procession to a local tem-
COVID-19 testing, when one of the victims the ATS team got information the research centre mentioned local court which remanded ing water pots on their heads, ple, believing that pouring
after a video allegedly refused her husband to take that the uranium pieces were that the substance was natur- them in the custody of the ATS several men were leading the water on the temple would
showed that the their daughter to the ashram. given to him by one Abu Tahir al uranium, which is "highly till May 12, he added. procession while beating eradicate COVID-19.
items were being
packed in unhygienic
Goa govt cancels
Kerala govt to grant parole to Won’t arrest IPS officer Shukla
conditions at a slum
in neighbouring Thane district, police said on Thursday. Earlier this
week, a video surfaced on social media, which showed that swab
sticks were being packed at a slum in Sant Dnyaneshwar Nagar in
prisoners to ‘decongest’ jails permission for
till next hearing: Police to HC
Ulhasnagar, an official said. Following this, officials from the Food
and Drug administration (FDA), local civic body and police visited PNS n THIRUVANANTHAPURAM Prisons made the request in the film shootings
the slum and recovered packets of swab sticks from a few light of the second wave of
households on Wednesday, he said. A case has been registered In view of the unprecedented Covid 19 in prisons across the PNS n MUMBAI of the cyber cell police would PNS n PANAJI
against the supplier, who had hired labour from the households, increase in the COVID-19 case- state as a measure for "de-con- be sent to Hyderabad, where
under various sections of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) and Epidemic load in the state, the Kerala gov- gestion to ensure social distanc- The Mumbai police told the Shukla is presently posted, to The Entertainment Society of
Diseases Act, he said, adding that so arrests have been made so far. ernment has decided to grant a ing", according to a recent Bombay High Court on record her statement in the Goa (ESG) on Thursday can-
The video showed women and children packing swab sticks that are two-week parole for eligiblepris- Home Department order. Thursday that they would not case. celled all permissions granted for
used in COVID-19 tests, without wearing any gloves or masks, it oners to decongest jails and The Committee, which had take any coercive action or The bench, which was hear- film and television serial shoot-
was stated. Some sticks were also left lying on floor mats and maintain social distancing there. met early last month, decided arrest IPS officer Rashmi ing Shuklas petition, noted ings in the state in the wake of
children handled them with their bare hands, the official said. A state-level executive com- that those prisoners who are eli- Shukla till the next date of that the case pertains to the raging COVID-19 pandem-
Women were being paid Rs 20 for packing 1,000 swab sticks in
mittee, headed by the Chief gible for parole in the year and hearing of her plea challenging However, Shukla had offences under the Official ic. ESG is the Goa govern-
plastic packets, the official said, adding that further probe is
Secretaryconstituted under the those who are willing to go on an FIR registered by the police skipped the summons. Secrets Act, the Information ment's nodal agency which is
underway.
Disaster Management Act, took parole may be granted the leave, in a case of alleged illegal The case also pertains to Technology Act and the Indian empowered to give permission
a decision in this regard based it said. phone tapping. alleged leaking of sensitive Telegraph Act, which are pun- for commercial shootings in the
on the request of the Director Prisoners come under Last month, the police documents related to police ishable up to three years only. coastal state.
Delhi sees major jump in General of Prisons and
Correctional Services and the
government accorded permis-
restricted category, as per rule
397 (L) of Kerala Prisons and
Correctional Services
issued two summons (on April
26 and April 28) to Shukla,
asking her to appear before the
postings.
Senior counsel Darius
Khambata, appearing for the
The petitioner is serving in
Hyderabad. She may have not
been able to appear before the
Several film and TV serial
makers from Mumbai and
Chennai recently shifted their
Covid containment zones sion for the same, official
sources here said.
(Management) Rules, 2014,
would not be eligible for parole,
BKC cyber department in
Mumbai for recording her
police, told a division bench of
Justices S S Shinde and Manish
police here for questioning
due to the COVID-19 pan-
shootings to Goa in the wake of
the surge in COVID-19 cases in
he national capital has wit- The Director General of the order further said. statement. Pitale on Thursday that a team demic, the HC said. their respective places.
Tnessed a staggering 1,349
per cent jump in the number
of its COVID-19 containment
zones in the past one month,
with South Delhi accounting
for the maximum 21,172
Moral fabric dismembered to a great extent, says HC
such zones out of the total PNS n NEW DELHI membered to a great extent," Chandhiok, who recently
47,704, according to official a bench of Justices Vipin “We are still not understanding the gravity recovered from COVID-19
figures. Northeast Delhi has The Delhi High C ourt Sanghi and Rekha Palli said. said he faced immense diffi-
600 containment zones close- Thursday said the moral fab- The observation came in of the situation and that is why we are not culties in getting plasma from
ly followed by East Delhi (504) which has the lowest number of such ric of people has been "dis- response to a suggestion by a coming together. Which is why we are recovered patients and urged
zones. Delhi had 3,291 containment zones on April 6. The number membered" to a great extent as senior lawyer that medical seeing instances of hoarding and black the court to make it mandato-
shot up to a staggering 47,704 -- an increase of over 1,349 per cent - instead of coming together to professionals who have retired marketing. Our moral fabric has been ry to donate plasma once a
- by Tuesday. According to data from the city government's revenue fight the Covid-19 pandemic, as well as medical and nursing patient recovers.
department, south Delhi has the maximum number of 21,172 con- they are engaging in hoarding students can be tapped to dismembered to a great extent.” He said that just like the
tainment zones -- nearly 45 per cent of the total -- followed by central and black marketing of oxygen provide assistance in the pre- State has a responsibility
Delhi (7,114), New Delhi (4,946) and southwest Delhi (3,238). Out of cylinders, medicines and con- vailing situation when there is towards the welfare of the
the 11 districts in the national capital, seven have less than 3,000 centrators. shortage of personnel also not nership, to assist the court. daily basis. a handful of people were tak- people, the citizens too have a
containment zones. These are North Delhi (2,801), West Delhi "We are still not under- just medicines, equipment and To this, the bench said peo- Senior advocate and amicus ing all the decisions and there responsibility.
(2,525), Southeast Delhi (2,027), Northwest Delhi (1,487), Shahdara standing the gravity of the sit- beds. ple would have to be "incen- curiae Rajshekhar Rao said was need to bring in more He said that once a person
(1,290), Northeast Delhi (600) and East Delhi (504). Since the begin- uation and that is why we are S enior advocate Nitya tivised" in the form of some having the infrastructure was people at the ground level, so recovers from COVID with
ning of the pandemic, Delhi has had a total of 65,527 containment not coming together. Which is Ramakrishnan also suggested comfort or some compensa- not enough, we need to have that the burden on the hand- the help of government
zones, with South Delhi recording 22,546, the highest in the city. Of why we are seeing instances of that a committee of experts in tion to encourage them to personnel manning the infra- ful who are making decisions machinery, they have the
these, 17,823 have been de-contained. hoarding and black marketing. the field of health be constitut- venture out and expose them- structure. is eased. obligation to help others by
Our moral fabric has been dis- ed, like a public-private part- selves to the infection on a He also said that presently Advocate Tarun donating their plasma.
 HYDERABAD | FRIDAY | MAY 7, 2021

06
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Incredible India
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PAPER WITH PASSION

Blithesome

T
The Congress doesn't seem to mind electoral losses.
But it must bounce back for a balance in democracy
he propensity of the Congress to lose an election, and then to turn its back on
the humiliation, is glaring. Any electoral debacle would ideally trigger an appraisal
exercise within a party. It is surprising that the urgency of self-evaluation, the need
deserves respect MATTHEW HAYDEN

for corrective measures and for the right people to carry these out is missing in the
Congress. It has already been a couple of days since the party suffered a total loss in
The world media has been quick to judge India, a fascinating
four of the five Assembly elections. The Tamil Nadu verdict can at best be a consola-
tion for the Congress which merely piggybacked the winning DMK. Surprisingly, not
country in all ways, as it currently reels under the pandemic
many senior leaders, and certainly not the party leadership, have spoken on its sorry

I
ndia is in the middle of the
performance. It seems the Congress, as always, has turned its back to the losses. It pandemic second wave’s
is only a matter of time before the G-23, a splinter battering, as never seen
group within the Congress, will strike back asking before. As it battles the
alarming spread of the virus, the
for course correction. The “insiders” scuttled every world media has spared no
past attempt by this group to pin accountability on time in lambasting a country of
the leadership. Not many in the Congress want to a whopping 1.4 billion where
alter the cosy arrangement that exists in the top ech- the sheer numbers make the
implementation and success of
elons. But the absence of a peacemaker between any public scheme a challenge.
this group and the Sonia-Rahul-Priyanka troika will I have been visiting India for
worsen the situation for the party’s “first family”. over a decade now and have
The Congress has already lost some of its promis- travelled all over the country,
especially Tamil Nadu which I
ing second-generation leaders to the BJP and oth- consider my “spiritual home”. I
ers, and the latest round of electoral reverses might have always had the highest
convince others who are on the brink of quitting. It respect for the leaders and pub-
has not only lost power to the BJP and others in the last six years but also forfeited lic officials who are entrusted
with the task of running such a
its status of the principal Opposition in at least half a dozen States. diverse and vast country.
There are two pressing issues for the Congress to address. One, Rahul cannot Wherever I went, the peo-
run the party through a proxy. The spin doctors around him would suggest he is reluc- ple greeted me with love and
tant to return as the party president but it is a very convenient arrangement. It gives affection, for which I remain in
Rahul the cushion to isolate himself from the ignominy of defeat but grab the credit their debt. I can proudly claim
that I have seen India up close
in case of a victory. If Rahul doesn’t want to lead the Congress, he should step aside over the years and that is why
and allow a democratic and transparent election for a new leader. That leader should my heart bleeds to see it not only
enjoy all the independence that Rahul had when he helmed the party. Two, it has long in agony at the moment, but also
been suggested that Priyanka is the magic wand that can rid the party of all its woes. for the bad press that has been
hurled at it by those who I am
But that’s not happened. She has remained as much a part-time politician as her broth- not sure spend any time here to
er and her electoral track record is no better than Rahul’s. She is the third most — understand India, its people
if not the second — powerful leader of the part. Just like Rahul, her politics has been and their myriad challenges.
more about photo opportunities than building on any energy that her occasional vis- As a cricketer and lover of
the game, I have maintained my
its to UP may have generated. The party’s poor performance in the UP panchayat association with the sport which
elections is another telling comment on the “charisma” of Priyanka, who her admir- has allowed me to come to India
ers see as another Indira Gandhi. A stronger Congress is needed to restore the bal- to cover the Indian Premier
ance of order in our parliamentary democracy. The Congress must rise from the ashes League (IPL). Many of my fel-
low countrymen have also been
and recognise the problems before even thinking of solving them. playing in the IPL for years. In
this context, at a time when the
world has been shutting doors
PICTALK on India and lambasting the
Government, I thought of shar-
ing my thoughts while in India,
to give a perspective not avail-
able to those sitting thousands
of miles away.
I am not a data person, but
some of the figures I gathered
from some of the media reports
are astonishing. India has already
vaccinated over 160 million peo-
ple (five times the population of
Australia) and has been conduct-
ing 1.3 million tests a day. The
point I am making is not to over-
look the sheer vast numbers and
the challenges associated with it.
When one conjures up
thoughts of India, a singular
word comes to mind.
Incredible; a word popu-
larised by the Indian Tourism
slogan, “Incredible India”.
Even now, being caught in the
political crossfire of the Scott
Morrison Government’s deci-
sion to temporarily ban the
travel to Australia, nothing
has changed my mind about
this ancient civilisation.
As of now, this heaving
mass of humanity reels in the
wake of the pandemic; the
new normal replacing various
religious festivals, exotic wed-
ding celebrations, bustling
streets jampacked with street
vendors and livestock, all
sadly — like the Morrison
Government’s travel policy —
temporarily put on hold.
Looking out the window
of my room overlooking
Bengaluru, a truss has been
established; as if a siesta has
been called in respect to health
authorities’ call to action for
our new global anthem:
“Isolate, stay home, sanitise
your hands, wear your mask,
social distance.” A race busi-
ly running in the background,
in many cases for life itself, as
national resources like oxygen
and critical medical supplies
are being re-routed from man-
ufacturing plants to hospitals
and care facilities. The simple
truth: The demand for basic
medical facilities is making the
supply look more like one of
Usain Bolt’s competitors.
In short, hectic has been
replaced with nervous. One
can truly sense the fear and
anxiety as India faces off
against the challenges of this
horrific pandemic. Begging
I HAVE A DEEP the question, why is an Aussie
ex-cricketer away from his
CONNECTION TO beloved country and family at
such a critical, even danger-
MOTHER INDIA ous, time? On the surface is
WHICH DOCKS INTO the commercial value for my
family, having played and
MY LIFE'S MISSION: worked on every IPL since its
TO CONNECT conception in 2008.
It’s true, my remuneration
PEOPLE AND is significant and, yes, it pays
ORGANISATIONS my family’s bills. More broad-
ly, however, I have a deep con-
ON PURPOSE AND nection to Mother India
which docks into my life’s mis-
STRATEGY. MY sion: To connect people and
PURPOSE IN organisations on purpose and
strategy. My purpose in sup-
SUPPORTING THE porting the IPL this season
IPL THIS SEASON was to provide a welcome
relief to the monotony of
WAS TO PROVIDE A extended periods of partial or
WELCOME RELIEF hard lockdown. Every evening
from 6.30 pm, cricket lovers,
TO THE MONOTONY and let me tell you there are a
few, went online or turned on
OF EXTENDED the television to watch their
LOCKDOWN PERIODS favourite franchise battle.
As a genuine lover of the
game since I was four years
old, my voice, full of excite-
ment, helps narrate our great
game by bringing an authen-
tic positive view to the crick-
et community. Cricket, as so
often throughout history, has
been and is the silver lining
to our COVID cloud. The
cricketers, especially in the
IPL, have understandably
been soft targets of the media
and, because of their contrac-
tual obligations, cannot
defend themselves.
It makes all the more
important for people such as
me, who have once been in a
similar situation but can now
from the outside not only
share a “player’s perspective”
but also speak up for them.
India is a rich civilisation
which has very few parallels
in the world and, in its hour
of need, the least we can do
is to appreciate its cultural,
regional, linguistic, human
development and other com-
plexities before passing any
judgement on it.
(The writer is a former
Australian cricketer; Board
Member, Australia India
Council (DFAT) and the
Goodwill Ambassador for
India, Institute for Australia
India Engagement. The views
expressed are personal.)

People walk across an intersection during a sandstorm in Beijing PTI

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR SOUNDBITE
BJP HAS NO IDEA OF BENGALI CULTURE Ajit Singh had given

Brewing crisis
Sir — In the West Bengal Assembly elec-
tion, the Bharatiya Janata Party’s, suppos-
edly invincible election juggernaut was van-
Ensure adequate vaccine doses support to our
Statehood movement.
The people would
quished in the long-drawn fight. The saf- accomplished. Even in the midst of this chaos remember those who
our country is trudging with dauntless faith and
Nepal is staring at a political and humanitarian fron army was led by none other than Prime
Minister Narendra Modi. The reasons for confidence.
extended their
support to our aspirations.
emergency in these uncertain and testing times the BJP’s defeat are not difficult to analyse.
After the Parliament election, the BJP
Moreover, according to the latest survey
a third wave is inevitable. Under such circum- Telangana Chief Minister

A
s the cases of COVID-19 infection rise steadily in Nepal, the country is engulfed started believing that it could wrest power
by a looming political storm. The Communist Party of Nepal (Maoist), headed from the TMC through coalescence of social
engineering, religious polarisation, advoca-
by former Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal ‘Prachanda’, has withdrawn sup-
cy of nationalisation, noisy campaigns,
port to the KP Sharma Oli-led Government. Now, Oli will have to face the trust vote on psychological warfare and inflaming the
May 10 which, under the current circumstances, he might not survive. However, Oli anti-incumbency against Mamata Banerjee.
has been quick to offer the olive branch and a few deals to the Opposition Nepal Congress.
Noteworthily, Oli had played a masterstroke in the 2017-18 elections by merging his
In the run-up to the voting, they
demonised the Muslims, promised to ban-
ish the Muslim infiltrators, offered citizen-
party (the CPN-UML) with the archrival CPN (Maoist). ship to the numerically strong migrant
This had not only weakened a strong Opposition but Matuas-the scheduled caste Vaishnava sect,
rent the air everywhere with religious chants
also ended the premiership tussle between Oli and
and had been deeply disrespectful towards
Prachanda. However, differences between these two
Mamata Banerjee all through. Perhaps, that
competitive and power-hungry leaders were out in the was the genesis of the slogan — “Bangla Nijer
open within months of the Government’s formation.
Meyekei Chaay” — which literally means
This tussle finally ended in March this year with the “Bengal wants none but its own daughter”
Supreme Court declaring the “merger” illegal and restor- – which transformed the election into a bat-
tle between ‘son of the soil versus the out-
ing the individual status of the two parties. sider’. This is the third consecutive victory
Considering Oli fails the floor test on May 10, his
for Trinamool in the Bengal Assembly
two year-plus administration will be remembered for election. Since 2011, it has been leading in
all elections in the State, whether Assembly
his assertion, authoritarianism, hunger for power, bla-
or parliamentary. There is no gainsaying the
tant lies, misgovernance, foreign policy failures and, fact the saffron outfits proved to be out of
above all, corruption. Oli centred his ultra-nationalistic outlook around an anti-India cam-
sync with the culture of Bengal.
paign. His country’s geographical constraints notwithstanding, he chose to badmouth Haridasan Rajan | Kozhikode
India’s goodwill for political gains and compromised Nepal’s integrity by signing the Treaty
of Mutual Legal Assistance with China and allowing its embassy to micromanage local THE PAINFUL DIVORCE
Sir — Bill and Melinda Gates have filed for
affairs. Besides, corruption charges in the procurement of medical supplies to fight COVID- divorce to end their 27 years of marriage.
19 had led to the Army’s intervention last year. But the Oli Government is still crying foul Divorce is sad and stressful for most peo-
against a private drug agency in Nepal that was assigned to procure vaccines from the ple who go through it. They are hyper-
Serum Institute of India. While the firm is accused of making profits out of human agony, wealthy, but that doesn’t make them less
human. One hopes they are able to walk the
the Oli Government did not bother to audit the agency which is found to have close ties difficult path forward as amicably and gen-
with several Ministers. With the chances of a fresh election brightening, Nepal stands close tly as possible. Bill has said that they both
to a major political and humanitarian crisis. The pandemic has reached the Everest base will continue their work together at the
camp and the people can’t find medical help. The health infrastructure, already in a sham- Foundation.
The Gates Foundation has spent more
bles after the 2015 earthquake, is overburdened. It’s time for the Nepalese people to rethink than $50 billion, mostly on essential glob-
democracy in the existing form and start questioning politicians. al health and development initiatives.
he plight of the COVID-19 patients in our
T Government and private hospitals who are
in need of medical oxygen, ventilator sup-
port and medicines cannot be expressed in
words. Death of several Coronavirus patients
due to the shortage of medical oxygen is report-
ed from every nook and corner of our coun-
try. We are going through a tough time.
Normalcy of life has been hit hard by the dread-
ful pandemic. The ongoing economic slow-
down due to it has left millions in the lurch.
The Centre, the State and all authorities con-
cerned are on their toes trying their best to
restore the normalcy. Yet, it seems to be a hard
nut to crack and a task that is far from being
Vaccinations, education and campaigns
against HIV/AIDS and malaria have long
been on the Foundation’s agenda, but over
the years, Melinda’s voice was heard push-
ing for an increased focus on family plan-
ning efforts envisaging that family planning
makes families healthier, wealthier and hap-
pier. And as they— Bill and Melinda — are
transiting into the next phase of their lives,
we should respect their wish for personal
privacy. Only time would tell where lies the
future of their highly influential Foundation
in times to come.
N Sadhasiva Reddy | Bengaluru
IT’S PLAIN SHAMEFUL
Sir — It refers to the editorial ‘Wide of the
mark’ (May 6). It’s shameful that our scien-
tists are unable to accurately predict the
COVID-19 pandemic — the number of
cases, when it will reach its peak, when it
stances the only practical remedy to rein in the — K Chandrasekhar Rao
pandemic is to ramp up the vaccination
process. The Centre has to shoulder the Moscow is ready
responsibility of accelerating the vaccination to facilitate direct
process and must negotiate with vaccine man- dialogue between
ufacturers on pricing and production. Israel and Palestine
Meanwhile, the State Governments will have
to evolve a creative solution to inoculate all irre-
spective of their age-group and financial sta-
both through
bilateral efforts and
as a member of the international
tus. Instead of bickering with the Centre over quartet of Middle East mediators.
this issue, the State Governments will have to
accelerate the vaccination drive on a war foot- Russian Foreign Minister
— Sergei Lavrov
ing and mobilise their own resources.
Unfortunately, some superficial observers in
our country are beating around the bush and There is going to be a
many are involved in black marketing of oxy- severe crisis in blood-
banks. People who
gen and medicines. We all need to work togeth-
er irrespective of our differences to overcome haven't been
vaccinated till now
the current crises.
Prabhakaran Vallath | Kerala needs to step forward
and donate blood.
will subside, making the curve flat etc. If one Singer
or two scientists or institutes are of the mark — Sonu Nigam
then it can be understood but if all are giv-
ing predictions which are far from real then
The report we got
is that there's no
it does raise serious doubts on the research breach of the bubble.
work going on in our institutions. How it happened is
We are going through one of the worst very difficult to say.
crises and we need to have accurate data to
plan accordingly. It seems that our scientists BCCI president
are firing arrows in the dark just based on — Sourav Ganguly
faulty hypotheses. Since there is no dearth
of technological tools available with our sci- What Facebook,
entists, we expect them to give us as accu- Twitter, and Google
rate data as possible. Indeed our scientists have done is a total
need them to facilitate our Government as disgrace and an
vaccinating all 18 plus citizens will take embarrassment to our
months if not years and is no mean task. country. They must
Bal Govind | Noida pay a political price.
Send your feedback to: Former US President
letterstopioneer@gmail.com — Donald Trump
 HYDERABAD | FRIDAY | MAY 7, 2021

07
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FIRSTCOLUMN Looking beyond the

THE WAR IS FAR
FROM OVER
Much like everyone else, medical professionals are also
learning from and adapting to the pandemic
oxygen crisis in India DEEPIKA BHASKAR

While there are a lot of lessons to be learnt from this emergency, the task of adding health
to the Concurrent List under the Constitution must be taken up on priority
A
s the India oxygen story leaves the world
wondering and different versions of the pre-
paredness of the nation make headlines glob-
NC NITA ally, it’s time we start looking at the crisis from a dif-
PRAJAPATI RADHAKRISHNAN ferent angle. That the Government should have been
better prepared and that they should have seen this

I
n the early days of the pandemic, a 15-year-old girl from Kasganj in coming, has already been said a million times. That
Uttar Pradesh (UP), was having fever, a low blood count and was we celebrated too early and should have been more
suspected to be a blood cancer patient. The unusual part was her careful, is widely acknowledged. While the blame
distressing cough and oxygen saturation of 85 per cent. Then her COVID- game will continue, it’s time to rethink our priori-
19 test came positive. More exasperating than treating a new infection ties. There is no disputing the fact that we were not
was managing the terror surrounding it. Soon the nurses, junior doc- prepared for the second wave and it just blew away
tors and other patients’ relatives were asking us what to do. All we had the entire Government machinery. It exposed the
fact that our disaster management services were
was a faith in what we knew and a belief that the infection would run faulty and their plans were not methodical. The
its course. Since then, it has been a journey full of fear, panic and despair. Centre-State debates and the blame game took its
COVID-19 came to us at a time when Google has started replacing doc- own toll. It was, however, marvelous to see how var-
tors in our country. When every decision is looked at with suspicion ious social groups and individuals rose to the occa-
and social media is deepening the divide between the caregiver and the sion and took steps to help out in any way they could.
patient. Today, the same space is drowned with requests for oxygen, Anthony Fauci, the Chief Medical Advisor to
beds, medicines and for a second opinion. We lose someone we know, the Joe Biden Administration, in an interview rec-
ommended steps to be taken on an immediate, inter-
almost daily these days and when it happens, we blame the “system.” mediate and long-term basis to overcome this cri-
Surely someone is culpable. sis. The immediate steps suggested by him were:
Now, it has been more than 12 months since we saw the Kasganj Make an emergency group that will visit the situ-
girl. We started with no knowledge of how to plan for a pandemic. It ation every day and suggest measures; focus on the
was the time when all and any planning seemed alarmist. We were used immediate need for oxygen, beds and medicines
rather than the long-term strategy of vaccination
though it should keep going on simultaneously as
a long-term strategy; rope in the Army to help with
the situation; shut down the entire country for a few
weeks. While these suggestions are relevant and have
been known to work for both China and the US,
we must realise that whenever the lockdown is
opened, we will plunge back into the crisis. This is
because, the mutability of the virus is unpredictable
and we are dealing with a political class and pop-
ulation that doesn’t understand the importance of
to diagnosing and treating infections like tuberculosis, malaria, dengue COVID-appropriate behaviour and the severity of
and HIV. With COVID-19 the system responded, even before we realised the situation.
it. The system started to train healthcare workers and doctors, nurses, To keep the economy from crashing; to save the
attendants, housekeeping, security and administrative staff in hospitals lives of the people; to take all measures to keep them
were trained. They were told how to don the Personal Protective Equipment healthy and to keep the stoves burning in their
(PPE), how to wash hands and wear masks, how to deliver oxygen homes so that they can feed their families is tough.
and other things. The disease forced us to be fastidious about every-
Even as we choose strategies to fight one variant,
the next one will be ready to play hide and seek with
thing. Those who learnt became trainers for their underlings. However, us. What options are we left with, then?
we needed to track patients to contain the infection for which testing India’s National List of Essential Medicines, as
numbers were scaled up. Further, testing labs were established, PCR also the World Health Organisation’s (WHO’s)
machines were ordered and microbiologists were empowered. It became model list of essential medicines, lists oxygen as one.
a battlefield. Samples had to be collected properly, transported and report- As AIIMS Director, Randeep Guleria puts it,
ed without pendency. Multiple departments and Governments worked “Many of the patients can be saved by giving just
one treatment, that is by giving oxygen.” Therefore,
to take the pandemic head-on. a strategy of having more oxygen beds makes a lot
The battle continued. There was fatigue from extreme heat. Many of sense. However, there is no official data on the
stopped eating and peeing during duty hours for fear of removing PPE. overall requirement of oxygen of the country. Hence,
Medicine felt more like a punishment than a profession at times. Many preparedness has suffered and the future demand
fell ill and tested positive. Many cried. In between all this, there was of oxygen cannot be predicted. Piped oxygen in hos-
resilience. Some learnt to say “yes” and move ahead. There was a relief pitals is much safer and cheap in comparison to oxy-
when each patient got discharged. By now, the battle has become a gen cylinders which are unsafe, logistically challeng-
ing and expensive. The purity of oxygen and whether
war. The system continues with relentless efforts even when soldiers it is medical grade or not, is equally challenging.
are falling. Beds need to be arranged, oxygen cylinders are required to Procuring oxygen concentrators from abroad
be filled and medicines should be allotted to hospitals. And caught between is also being actively pursued to artificially produce
the devil and the deep sea are non-COVID patients like the Kasganj girl, oxygen, which is then transported to medical estab-
facing the collateral damage. Fighting one disease is a formidable chal- lishments. In large hospitals, liquid oxygen is filled
lenge in itself and Coronavirus compounds the situation for such patients. in large tanks and supplied through a network of
pipes to the outlet near the patient’s bed. Piped oxy-
The UP task force has reported over 12 lakh Coronavirus cases in the
gen is more automated and it is easier to control the
State so far with a case fatality of a little over one per cent. Data on bed levels. The Government had created guidelines for
occupancy, availability of medicines, oxygen and consumables are mon-
itored twice daily by both health services and the medical education
department. Deaths are to be reported within six hours of occurrence.
The task force links all State and Central institutes, Government and pri-
vate medical colleges in effort to diagnose, treat COVID-19 and pre-
vent it. Medical professionals are wiser today even as the war is far from THE SC STAMPED ON THE FACT THAT MAHARASHTRA HAD
over. And much like everyone else we are also learning and adapting NO RIGHT TO AWARD ANY QUOTA AFTER THE 102ND
to this crisis. After all, this is a first pandemic for all of us. AMENDMENT TO THE CONSTITUTION. FADNAVIS MISLED US.
(Prajapati is Additional Director, UPDGME. Radhakrishnan
heads the Pediatric Hematology-Oncology Department, Child —MAHARASHTRA MINISTER
PGI, Noida. They are part of the UP COVID task force.
The views expressed are personal.)
THIS IS
ALSO THE
TIME TO management of medical oxygen at
REALISE THAT the start of the pandemic to ensure
WHAT WILL that the supplies were enough in hos-
pitals. The first wave was managed
SAVE OR DEFEAT well but when the new strain of the
US IS OUR OWN virus started infecting more people,
STRENGTH, the numbers escalated. The demand
WHETHER IN rose from 1,500 metric tonnes (MT)
TERMS OF to 6,000 MT within 72 hours. This
CONTRACTING led to a panic situation as no one was
THE DISEASE prepared for it.
OR IN TERMS OF While India has the capacity to
OUR SURVIVAL. produce 8,500 MT oxygen, it has a
HENCE, WE NEED stock of 4,000 MT. The crisis also
TO FOLLOW happened due to supply chain man-
OUR SCIENTIFIC agement failure. Oxygen transport is
WISDOM THAT not easy due to its highly inflamma-
IS SILENTLY ble nature and the vehicles carrying
BECOMING oxygen cannot run very fast. The
MORE availability of cryogenic tankers was
IMPORTANT limited. However, as usual, we have
AND WIDESPREAD been resilient and the Government
THE WORLD OVER has roped in the security forces to
help tide over the oxygen crisis in the
country. They have been ferrying
oxygen from abroad and the Defence
Research and Development
Organisation (DRDO) has set up an
oxygen generation plant at the
AIIMS in New Delhi. Four more
plants capable of generating more
than 1,000 litres of oxygen per hour
will soon start functioning in the
RML Hospital, Lady Hardinge,
Safdarjung and the AIIMS in Rohtak.
The system can cater to 190 patients
at a flow rate of five litres per minute
and charge 195 cylinders per day.
The Medical Oxygen Plant tech-
The writer is Registrar, nology has been developed by the
IIT-Delhi. The views DRDO based on the on-board oxy-
expressed
are personal. gen generation unit of the Tejas light
combat aircraft and will help over-
POINTCOUNTERPOINT
ASHOK CHAVAN
come the logistics issues of oxygen
transportation. The IAF is making
relentless sorties to airlift oxygen
from abroad and one of its C-17 air-
craft flew 35 hours to fetch cryogenic
oxygen containers from England.
Earlier, another C-17 flew 14 hours
non-stop to get cylinders from
Germany. Looking at the serious sit-
uation, the IAF has to date brought
in more than 60 cryogenic contain-
ers and 900 oxygen cylinders from
Singapore, Dubai, Bangkok,
Frankfurt and the UK, clocking
over 140 flying hours. While there are
a lot of lessons to be learnt from this
crisis, the importance of adding
health to the Concurrent List under
the Constitution has been pointed
out by the Finance Commission. This
must be taken up on a priority basis.
It is imperative that central health
schemes are implemented in States
and the Centre and State
Governments work in tandem. If all
concerned perform their duties in
time and there is cohesiveness in
functioning, the next crisis during the
predicted third wave of the pandem-
ic can be averted.
Meanwhile, it is heartening that
several startups and corporates have
stepped up the fight against the sec-
ond wave of the contagion in India.
The Paytm Foundation is raising over
`10 crore to donate oxygen concen-
trators across India. Zomato Feeding
India, in association with logistics
firm Delhivery, has started the ‘Help
Save My India’ endeavour to source
oxygen concentrators. Action
COVID-19 Team Grants (ACT
Grants) have taken the task of fund-
THE STATE GOVERNMENT SHOULD HAVE PLAYED A
PROACTIVE ROLE AND FURNISHED SIGNIFICANT
INFORMATION TO SUBSTANTIATE ITS CASE.
—FORMER MAHARASHTRA CM
DEVENDRA FADNAVIS
ing ideas that can solve the global
health crisis. Google and Microsoft
have pledged to support India. Apple
has also offered to extend its support
to India. Many NRIs have formed
social groups that are collecting
funds and have opened charities to
send the required supplies to India.
Amazon has offered to bear the cost
of airlifting oxygen concentrators to
India. A new US public-private-part-
nership called ‘A Global Task Force
on Pandemic Response: Mobilising
for India’ will provide the country
with critical medical supplies, vac-
cines, oxygen and other life-saving
assistance.
With so much help pouring in
from all quarters, all India needs to
do is stand strong, take the immedi-
ate steps and prepare for the future
to avoid another such crisis.
Defeating the virus that changes
everyday and keeping normal life
going will be tricky in a vast coun-
try like India. With all the required
support from across the world, we
will definitely come out of this cri-
sis very soon. What remains to be
seen, however, is how we will fare in
future. We have survived past disas-
ters and will wade through this with
immense global and internal support,
India-specific wisdom, a strong will
power and community coopera-
tion. This is also the time to realise
that what will save or defeat us is our
own strength, whether in terms of
contracting the disease or in terms
of our survival. Hence, we need to
follow our scientific wisdom that is
silently becoming more important
and widespread the world over.

Pandemic politics is a disservice to the country

This is the time for us to come together as a nation and rally behind our leaders, who are doggedly working towards COVID recovery

I
ndia is reeling under the
impact of the second, more
virulent wave of the
COVID-19 pandemic. And the
number of cases and casualties
are just mounting up. As the
Government scrambles to han-
dle the situation, fingers are
being pointed at Prime Minister
Narendra Modi and there have
been calls for his resignation
from some quarters. In the eyes
of the Opposition, the Press,
both Indian and international,
and some communities, Modi
is responsible for every short-
coming in the country.
However, this blame game has
not helped in addressing the
problem. As a nation, the need
of the hour is to rise beyond
COVID politics and establish
fundamentally strong arrange-
ments for providing relief to the
suffering citizens.
Indeed, some errors may
have occurred in arresting the
second wave of the virus.
VK SAXENA
The writer is Chairman,
Khadi and Village
Industries Commission.
The views expressed
are personal.
However, we must remember
that India is a large and popu-
lous nation with unique chal-
lenges and it is almost impos-
sible to take into account every
detail and caution while devel-
oping national strategies and
implementing the local actions
of these wider programmes.
Often, people do not cooperate
unless forced to do so.
We must realise that our
historic cumulation of knowl-
edge has not given us enough
understanding about the behav-
iour of this microscopic beast.
Most researches on the
COVID-19, including the
invention of the Coronavirus
vaccine, are only a few months
old and we are yet to discover
the long-term effects and effec-
tiveness of the measures being
prescribed and adopted. As
such, the policy-making hori-
zon at the national level also
does not have an accumulated
experience to bank upon and
derive from. If you analyse the
matter, India has actually done
much better than many
advanced countries. First, many
western countries, including
the US, allowed civil protests on
the need for masking up and
people argued that imposing
the mask rule was against their
fundamental rights guaranteed
by the Constitution. India has
imposed the mask rule much
more sincerely than any other
country in the world.
As for social distancing,
India imposed stringent guide-
lines and meticulously imple-
mented them. However, there
is a view that this regulation
could have been better fol-
lowed in election rallies and
religious congregations. With
the cooperation of the people
and all political outfits, this
could have been coordinated
better, though. Or even better,
the elections and the Maha
Kumbh could also have been
put off for some time in view of
the outbreak, but that is not an
easy decision to take.
Vaccine production is one
important and primary
response to the pandemic that
India excelled at. It invested
heavily in this and brought out
effective vaccines at affordable
prices. India also became a
global leader and shipped mil-
lions of doses for free to coun-
tries in trouble, as part of its
“vaccine diplomacy.” Many
countries, including the US,
kept for domestic use what they
produced, without shipping
out a single vial. Now, when we
are falling short of vaccines for
our own citizens, this “vaccine
diplomacy” is paying off and
other nations are lending a
helping hand and shipping the
precious doses to us.
Till the second wave of the
contagion exploded and we
fell short of vaccines, our pub-
lic vaccination programme was
a very systematic one. India
began its inoculation pro-
gramme from the most vulner-
able section of the society. In
Germany, senior citizens who
registered for vaccination in
January are still waiting to get
their first dose. In Switzerland,
which has a tiny population the
vaccination programme that
started in December 2020 has
still covered only eight per cent
of the citizens.
However, India is shown in
a bad light, all the while, which
is a trend in international one-
upmanship, to which even
Indians in India and abroad
greatly contribute. If the per
unit population death by the
virus is computed, India has the
least number of casualties per
crore of population. It is only
that India is visible because of
its large population and the
absolute numbers affected by
the virus. Also, we are visible
because of the dramatic footage
of cremations of the dead while
the rituals in other communi-
ties may not be that dramatic
looking.
We must realise that by
highlighting and constantly fill-
ing the television channels and
social media with negative
information of the tragedy
India is undergoing and not giv-
ing enough coverage to the
enormous amount of positive
work the nation is doing
towards the mitigation of the
pandemic, we only stir up anar-
chic conditions and delay recov-
ery. Also, nations like Pakistan
and China are determined to
show India in a poor light.
China in particular has an axe
to grind because as a nation, it
was isolated during the first
wave of the outbreak and
COVID-19 was called the
“Chinese virus.” Politics over the
pandemic will only provide
India-bashing fuel to China and
its allies. We will play into the
hands of international cartels
that want to see India underde-
veloped and politically chaotic.
This is the time for us to
come together as a nation and
rally behind our leaders, who
are doggedly working towards
COVID recovery and the devel-
opment of the country. If we
don’t recognise our role as cit-
izens, we will just turn out to be
our own worst enemies and
spin within the negative spiral
that we ourselves create, know-
ingly or unknowingly.
HYDERABAD | FRIDAY | MAY 7, 2021 Money 08
nd Covid resurgence bringing
Sensex, Nifty rise for 2 day; renewed challenges for India
auto, IT stocks take charge PNS n NEW DELHI

The spiralling crisis from

PNS n MUMBAI
Equity gauges Sensex and Nifty
notched up gains for the second
straight session on Thursday fol-
lowing hectic buying mainly in
auto, financial and IT counters.
The BSE benchmark Sensex
closed higher by 272.21 points or
0.56 per cent at 48,949.76. In
volatile trade, the index oscillat-
ed between a high of 49,011.31
and a low of 48,614.11 during the
day.
Similarly, the NSE Nifty ended
with a gain of 106.95 points or
0.73 per cent at 14,724.80.
On the Sensex
chart, Bajaj Auto,
H D F C ,
Infosys,
Tech Mahindra and ICICI bank
emerged as the prominent gain-
ers.
On the other hand, PowerGrid,
ONGC, Bajaj Finserv, IndusInd
Bank, and NTPC were the major
laggards.
Of the Sensex constituents, 20
shares ended with gains.
"The trend of positive news
alternating with negative news
continues. President Biden's deci-
sion to back waiving intellectual
property rights on vaccines is a
big positive.
This will
quicken the vaccination process
enabling countries like India to
come out of the pandemic faster,"
said V K Vijayakumar, Chief
Investment Strategist at Geojit
Financial Services.
But data on daily infections
indicate a rise, though mild, after
five days of decline, he said
adding lockdowns and restric-
tions on mobility are increasing,
impacting the economic recovery.
Elsewhere in Asia, barring
China, bourses ended with gains
as investors noted signs of eco-
n o m i c r e c ov e r y f r o m t h e
COVID-
19 pan-
demic
impact.
On
the forex
m a r k e t
f r o nt , t h e r u p e e
ended 13 paise high-
er at 73.78 against
the US currency.
resurgence of COVID-19 cases
in India has dented support for
the ruling BJP but voter sup-
port for Prime Minister
Narendra Modi and his party
will remain strong over the
coming quarters and through
this humanitarian crisis, Fitch
Solutions said Thursday.
The sudden and steep surge
in the number of coronavirus
cases – the highest-ever
4,12,262 new infections and a
record 3,980 daily death toll in
a day – has swamped the
health system, which seemed
to have collapsed.
While containment mea-
sures will weigh on India's
ongoing economic recovery,
the localised nature of restric-
tions means that the actual
impact is likely to be much less
severe relative to April-June
2020 when a strict nationwide
lockdown was imposed, Fitch
Solutions said.
It forecasted real GDP to
grow 9.5 per cent in 2021-22
(April 2021 to March 2022).
Risks to this forecast are to
the downside, as the surge in
new daily COVID-19 case-
loads will most likely see an
extension and expansion of
lockdowns, it said adding that
the resurgence of COVID-19
cases exposed cracks in the
Indian healthcare system.
"While there appears to be
signs that the spiralling
COVID-19 crisis in India has
dented support for the ruling
BJP, we maintain our view that
voter support for Prime
Minister Modi and the BJP will
remain strong over the coming
quarters and through this
humanitarian crisis," Fitch
Solutions said. This second
wave in India has been wide-
ly attributed to the B.1.1.7
variant – first identified in the
UK – which had ramped up
cases in Punjab. Another pos-
sible culprit is a homegrown
variant, B.1.617, with two wor-
rying mutations that originat-
ed in Maharashtra, the worst
affected state.
"In addition to this, in India,
a year of COVID-19 fatigue
gave way to an ill-advised
euphoria over herd immunity
as cases began to dip in
January 2021.
"Inadequate government
measures and people not
adhering to public health
guidelines, such as wearing
face masks and maintaining
social distancing, are also the
main reasons for India's
upward tick in infections," it
said.

Paytm launches Petrol price hiked by 25 Wipro partners MONEY MATTERS

vaccine finder tool paise, diesel by 30 paise
PNS n NEW DELHI
Fintech major Paytm on
Thursday launched 'COVID-
19 Vaccine Finder' - a platform
to help citizens check the
availability of vaccination slots
- on its Mini App store.
The platform will help citizens
to check the availability of vac-
cination slots for a specific date
by individually entering differ-
ent pin codes or district details
along with age group (18+ or
45+), a statement said.
In case the slots are saturat-
ed for the near future, users
can select the option for real-
time alerts from Paytm once
any slot is free, it added.
"The automated process
reduces the hassle and ordeal
of refreshing the platform for
new slots repeatedly. The data
is sourced on a real-time basis
from the CoWIN API where
a slot can be booked to take
the vaccination," it said.
A Paytm spokesperson said
the new feature will help users
find COVID vaccine slots in
their locality and set for alerts
when new slots open up.
"We believe that with the
combined efforts of
Government, organisations,
and citizens, we are on the
right track to recovery. Our
priority is to build collective
resistance to the deadly virus
as a nation, thus catalysing the
process of herd immunity," the
spokesperson added.
Various tools, including one
being launched by social
media giant Facebook, aim to
help people find places near-
by to get inoculated.
Mass scale vaccination is
being seen as one of the ways
to curb the deadly second
wave of the COVID-19 pan-
demic.
PNS n NEW DELHI
In one of the steepest increase
since daily price revision was
started, petrol price on
Thursday was hiked by 25
paise per litre and diesel by 30
paise as oil companies raised
rates for the third straight day
to pass on to consumers
the increase in international
oil prices.
Petrol price in Delhi was
increased to Rs 90.99 per litre
from Rs 90.74 while diesel
rates went up to Rs 81.42 a litre
from Rs 81.12, according to a
price notification by state-
owned fuel retailers.
Rates have been increased
across the country and vary
from state to state depend-
ing on the local incidence
of taxation (VAT).
This is the third straight day
of increase in petrol and diesel
prices since state-owned fuel
retailers ended an 18-day hia-
tus in rate revision during
assembly elections in states like
We s t HPCL had reduced petrol
price by 67 paise a litre and
diesel by 74 paise per litre
effected between March 24
and April 15.
Oil companies, who have in
recent months resorted to
unexplained freeze in rate
revision, had hit a pause
button after cutting
prices marginally on
Bengal. April 15. This coincid-
In three ed with electioneering
days, petrol hitting peak to elect
price has new governments in
increased by 59 five states including
paise per litre and West Bengal.
diesel by 69 paise No sooner had
- neutralising voting ended, oil com-
most of the reduc- panies indicated an impending
tion that came increase in retail prices in
between March 24 view of firming trends in inter-
and April 15.
After raising petrol
national oil markets.
Despite the concerns about
price by a record Rs 21.58 per
litre and diesel by Rs 19.18
rising Covid cases in India
denting demand, crude oil
since the government raised prices in the international
excise duty to an all-time high market have risen primarily on
in March last year, state-owned account of strong US demand
fuel retailers, IOC, BPCL and recovery and a weak dollar.
with Transcell
Oncologics
PNS n BENGALURU
Wipro Limitedhas
announced a partner-
ship with Transcell
Oncologics to transform
vaccine safety assessment
using augmented intelli-
gence (AI). This partner-
ship combines Transcell's
stem cell technology with
the augmented intelli-
gence capabilities of
Wipro 'HOLMES' to
"improve the safety" of
global vaccine immuni-
sation programmes,
Wipro, an IT, consulting
and business process ser-
vices company, said.
"By applying AI to the
vaccine development
process, our solution is
capable of predicting
adverse neurovirulentim-
pacts resulting from vac-
cinations," Bengaluru-
headquartered Wipro
said in a statement.
Gold, silver rally reflecting
global recovery
old in the national
Gcapital on Thursday
rose by Rs 439 to Rs
46,680 per 10 gram
reflecting recovery in
global precious metal
prices, according to
HDFC Securities. In the
previous trade, the
metal had closed at Rs
46,241 per 10 gram.
Silver also rallied Rs
1,302 to Rs 69,511 per kilogram from Rs 68,209 per kilogram in the
previous trade. In the international market, gold was trading with
gains at USD 1,792 per ounce and silver was trading flat at USD
26.72 per ounce. "Gold prices got support from weaker dollar as
traders and investors are waiting key US data," according to HDFC
Securities, Senior Analyst (Commodities), Tapan Patel.
Rupee rises 13 paise to settle
at 73.78 against US dollar
he rupee strengthened
Tby 13 paise to end at
73.78 (provisional) against
the US dollar on Thursday,
supported by positive
domestic equities and weak

India's fiscal response to Corona UnitedHealth IOC renews medical

American currency. At the
interbank forex market, the
local unit opened at 73.87

conservative, large stimulus needed Group donates against the greenback and
witnessed an intra-day high

PNS n BENGALURU

India's fiscal response to the

employment programme in
the worst-hit districts, possibly
focused on women workers,
$1m to support
pandemic fight insurance for petrol of 73.77 and a low of 74. It finally ended at 73.78 against the
American currency, registering a rise of 13 paise over its
previous closing. On Wednesday, the rupee had settled at
73.91 against the American currency. Meanwhile, the dollar
COVID-19 pandemic has so
far been conservative, accord-
ing to a new report, which sug-
gested a Rs 5.5 lakh crore
and increasing the central con-
tribution in old-age pensions
to at least Rs 500. A Covid
hardship allowance to 2.5 mil-
PNS n NEW DELHI

stimulus package to deal with
the crisis. Bold measures will
be required to emerge stronger
from the crisis, said the report,
'State of Working India 2021:
One Year of Covid-19,' released
on Wednesday by Azim Premji
University.
Further, coming as it does
on the back of depleted sav-
ings, debt, and reduced fall-
back options, the second wave
can lead to potentially larger
impacts on work, incomes,
food security, health and edu-
cation, the report said.
The states, who are at the
forefront of the pandemic
response in terms of contain-
ment as well as welfare, are
severely strained in their
finances.
"There are thus compelling
reasons for the Union govern-
ment to undertake additional
spending now," it said. The
report proposed extending free
rations under the PDS beyond
June, at least till the end of
2021, and cash transfer of Rs
5,000 for three months to as
many vulnerable households as
can be reached with the exist-
ing digital infrastructure,
including but not limited to
'Jan Dhan' accounts. It suggest-
ed expansion of MGNREGA
entitlement to 150 days and
revising programme wages
upwards to state minimum
wages, and enhancing the pro-
gramme budget to at least Rs
1.75 lakh crore.
The report also proposed
launching a pilot urban
lion Anganwadi and ASHA
workers ofRs 30,000 (5,000 per
month for six months) was
also suggested, among others.
"These measures, taken
together, will amount to
approximatelyRs 5.5 lakh crore
of additional spending and
bring the total fiscal outlay on
Covid relief to around 4.5 per
cent of GDP over two years",
it said, adding, this large fiscal
stimulus is justified given the
magnitude of the crisis.
The report cautioned that
failure to take action now will
cause short-term hardship to
continue and may compound
the long-term effects leading to
years of lost welfare gains,
and increased poverty as well
as loss of savings and produc-
tive resources can lead to
poverty traps.
UnitedHealth Group on
Thursday said it is donat-
ing USD 1 million (Rs 7.4
crore) through United
Health Foundation in
response to the growing
coronavirus crisis in India.
This donation extends
the company's global com-
mitment to fighting
COVID-19, including a
previous donation of USD
1.5 million to India,
UnitedHealth Group said
in a statement.
The contribution will
fund the procurement of
2,500 oxygen concentra-
tors to help address India's
nationwide shortage of
oxygen as well as other
critical medical equipment
essential for treating severe
COVID-19 infection, it
added.
pump attendants
PNS n NEW DELHI
State-owned Indian Oil
Corporation (IOC) has
renewed insurance cover for
petrol pump attendants and
LPG delivery boys as it looked
to secure its frontline workers
against health emergencies.
In a statement, IOC said
besides renewing medical
insurance for frontline work-
ers, the company will contin-
ue to provide ex-gratia assis-
tance to the family of the
deceased.
"Standing strong with its
frontline workers, IOC has
renewed IndianOil Karma
Yogi Swasthya Bima Yojana
with effect from May 1, 2021.
“The medical insurance will
cover more than 3.3 lakh retail
outlet customer attendants,
LPG delivery boys, tank truck
crew, security guards at
pipelines etc across the coun-
try. These personnel are at the
forefront of IOC's endeavour
to keep the energy supply
lines uninterrupted, despite
the pandemic," it said.
The medical insurance will
continue to cover the person-
nel along with their spouse
and two children. Claims up to
Rs 1 lakh can be availed for
expenses on hospitalisation
and COVID related diseases.
On accidental death of an
insured, the family will be eli-
gible for compensation of Rs
2 lakh.
index, which gauges the greenback's strength against a basket
of six currencies, fell 0.30 per cent to 91.03. Brent crude
futures, the global oil benchmark, fell 0.33 per cent to USD
68.73 per barrel.
Honda advances maintenance
shutdown of plant amid Covid
Honda Cars India on
Thursday said it is
advancing maintenance
shutdown at its Rajasthan-
based manufacturing plant
by around ten days in the
wake of second wave of
COVID.The Japanese
automaker, which sells
models like Amaze and City,
has decided to shut produc-
tion at its Tapukara-based facility for 12 days starting from May 7 in
order to curtail spread of coronavirus infections. "In view of the cur-
rent severe situation from the second wave of COVID-19, the compa-
ny has informed its associates and suppliers that the company is
making calendar adjustments along with its maintenance block clo-
sure at its manufacturing plant in Tapukara, Rajasthan," a Honda Cars
India spokesperson told PTI. The production will be halted from May
7 till May 18.

SpiceXpress transports medical
equipment from China to Delhi
PNS n MUMABI
SpiceXpress on Thursday
transported 1,100 oxygen con-
centrators and other COVID-
19-related medical equipment
from Nanjing in China to
New Delhi.
The consignment was air-
lifted in SpiceXpress wide-
body A330 aircraft, according
to a statement.
SpiceXpress, which is the
freighter arm of Gurugram-
based no-frills carrier SpiceJet
has airlifted over 11,050 oxy-
gen concentrators from the
US, Hong Kong, Singapore
and China so far, said the
statement.
These oxygen concentra-
tors have been ordered by
SpiceHealth and other organ-
isations, it added.
With a network spanning 63
domestic and 50 internation-
al destinations and a fleet of 19
cargo planes, SpiceXpress is
capable of flying over 600
tonnes of cargo daily to
domestic and international
destinations.
‘If India is in dire straits, then world too is’
PNS n WASHINGTON
If India is in dire straits, then
the world is in dire straits, the
head of a top business advoca-
cy group has said, as the US
corporate sector mounted an
unprecedented effort to help
India successfully fight the
COVID-19 pandemic.
“The speed with which the
COVID crisis in India has
escalated and ravaged the
entire country, it has created a
sense of urgency in the corpo-
rate community,” Nisha Desai
Biswal, president of US India
Business Council told PTI in
an interview.
She said that the US compa-
nies were probably the first to
realise that things were moving
in a perilous direction, as they
were hearing about it from
their workforce in India.
As a result, they started
mobilising early on. It was
about two weeks ago that the
American business communi-
ty started mobilising their
resources.
A newly created Global Task
Force on Pandemic Response,
composed of CEOs of top 40
companies, announced an
effort to provide massive
immediate assistance to India
including shipping 1,000 ven-
tilators and 25,000 oxygen
concentrators. The Task Force,
through its Steering
Committee, is working close-
ly with the White House, the
US State Department and the
US Agency for International
Development to coordinate
corporate donations and with
the Indian Government as
well. Last week, it had a meet-
ing with Secretary of State
Antony Blinken, and on
Wednesday morning it had a
meeting with Indian officials in
particular from the Niti Aayog.
“We have mobilised an out-
pouring of support from the
corporate community from
across sectors,” she said.
The companies that
mobilised on the ventilator
initiative range from Facebook
and Amazon to Goldman
Sachs, Bank of America,
Amway, Qualcomm, VMware,
Union Pacific, McCormick
and Cardinal Health.
Tata Steel shares jump 6 pc
after March quarter earnings
hares of Tata Steel on Thursday
Sgained nearly 6 per cent after
the firm posted a consolidated net
profit of Rs 7,161.91 crore for the
quarter ended March 2021The
stock jumped 5.59 per cent to its
52-week high -- of Rs 1,128.80 on
BSE. At the NSE, it rallied 5.49 per
cent to Rs 1,129 -- its one-year high. Tata Steel on Wednesday post-
ed a consolidated net profit of Rs 7,161.91 crore for the quarter
ended March 2021, mainly on account of higher income The com-
pany had reported a net loss of Rs 1,615.35 crore in the year ago
quarter, Tata Steel said in a BSE filing. During January-March 2021,
the company's total income jumped to Rs 50,249.59 crore, from Rs
37,322.68 crore earlier. Total expenses rose to Rs 40,052 crore, from
Rs 35,432.42 crore in the January-March period of 2019-20. On a
standalone basis, Tata Steel reported a Rs 6,593.54 crore net profit
during the January-March quarter.
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dailypioneer

Friday
May 7, 2021

GLAD I WASN'T TYPECAST:

ABHISHEK BANERJEE
A
ctor-casting
director Abhishek
Banerjee says
after starring in
back-to-back
comedy films, he was scared
of getting typecast, but his
role of the fearsome killer
Hathoda Tyagi in the series
Paatal Lok helped him break
out of that image. Banerjee,
who turned recently 36, has
emerged as one of the most
successful faces on OTT
platforms with movies such
as Unpaused and Ajeeb
the world of entertainment
as a casting director in 2015
and one of the rules that he
abides by is to not repeat his
actors in similar roles. He
runs casting company
Casting Bay with Anmol
Ahuja.
The actor, however, is
quick to clarify that he will
continue to balance his slate
with all kinds of roles. He is,
however, more attentive
towards what he is being
offered to him now! “I am
paying more attention to the

Daastaans post the critical
and commercial success of
the neo-noir show.
The actor shot to fame
with light-hearted movies
like Stree, Bala and Dream
Girl that cemented his posi-
tion as a comedy star but
Banerjee had hoped that
people will also take note of
his dark role in the Marathi
SALT is
characters and I understand
that there are some charac-
ters that are going to be
easy, and some are not going
to be easy. I am trying to
strike a balance. I am not
saying I am not taking up
easy characters because
that’s my bread and butter.
But I will also experiment
with roles.”

film Ajji. And now his wish
seems to have come true! “I
was getting a bit scared of
typecasting and felt why are
people only offering me
comedy? Why are they not
able to see beyond my com-
edy? And that too, when I
had done Ajji,” Banerjee
said.
The actor said he knew
not bae!
With his career taking off
with the 2018 hit Stree,
where he played Janna, a
friend to
Rajkummar
Rao,
xcessive salt in reduce salt intake and processed meats up to
food and bev- provide people with 360mgs, according to its

that not many people had
watched Ajji but expected
filmmakers to take note
of his performance. “I
was wondering as to
how I am getting the
same kind of roles
only to play and how
do I break this.
Thankfully, Paatal Lok
broke it for me. People
started realising that I
am not only good at
comedy and that I can
pull off different kinds
of characters,” said
Banerjee, adding that a
director’s trust in an actor
can help change percep-
tions. “It is also necessary to
take risks,” he noted. “After
a time, you will get bored of
doing the same thing, the
audience and the maker too
will get bored. So why not
try and apply different rules
with different characters?”
Banerjee made his start in
Banerjee said 2020 was sup-
posed to be his big year but
with the coronavirus pan-
demic affecting every walk
of life, some of his releases
were postponed. But things
did change overnight for
Banerjee when the trailer of
Paatal Lok dropped on his
birthday last year! It made
him believe in the universal
law that all good things take
time.
With 2021
bringing a more
severe second wave
of infections in the
country, Banerjee,
who has a slew of pro-
jects, including the
Varun Dhawan-starrer
Bhediya, Rashmi Rocket with
Taapsee Pannu and Karan
Johar’s Dostana 2, said he is
still hoping for the best. As
the only child in his family,
the actor said his birthdays
used to be a day of celebra-
tion but with the surge in
Covid-19 cases, it will be
spent in helping as many
people as possible. “Last
year was very difficult
because when the lockdown
was announced, it was new
for all of us. We had not
seen anything like this. It
was quite depressing and
grim. Now it seems, this is
how it is. And when every-
thing is falling apart around
you, you don’t know how to
celebrate your birthday,” he
added.
E
erages is
putting people
at greater risk
of potentially
fatal heart dis-
ease and strokes, the
World Health
Organisation (WHO)
said recently, issuing
fresh guidelines for lim-
iting sodium content.
An estimated 11 mil-
lion deaths globally are
associated with poor diet
each year, including 3
million attributable to
high sodium intake, it
said in a report.
In many wealthy
countries, and increas-
ingly in lower income
nations, a significant
proportion of sodium in
the diet comes from
manufactured foods
such as bread, cereal,
processed meats and
dairy products including
cheese, the WHO said.
Authorities must
establish policies to
information to make the benchmarks.
right food choices, “Excess dietary sodi-
WHO Director-General um intake increases
Tedros Adhanom blood pressure and con-
Ghebreyesus said. sequently increases the
“We also need the risk of cardiovascular
food and beverage diseases,” the WHO said.
industry to cut sodium Cardiovascular dis-
levels in processed food,” eases are the leading
Tedros said in a state- cause of deaths from
ment. non-communicable dis-
Sodium chloride is the eases worldwide, respon-
chemical name for salt sible for 32% of all
and sodium is a mineral deaths, the WHO said.
that regulates the High sodium intake is
amount of water in the associated with obesity,
body. chronic kidney disease
The new WHO bench- and gastric cancer, it
marks, for 64 food and said. WHO recommends
drink categories, are that people consume less
aimed at guiding health than 5g of salt (or less
authorities in its 194 than 2g of sodium) per
member states in talks day, it said.
with the food and bever- Its global target, set in
age industry. 2013, is for a 30% reduc-
For example, potato tion in the population
crisps should contain a average intake of salt by
maximum of 500 mgs of 2025, it said, adding:
sodium per 100g serv- “The world is not cur-
ing, pies and pastries up rently on track to meet
to 120 mgs and this goal.”

INSPIRED
BY THE
WONDERFUL
ENTIRETY
OF DOTS
xuberance dispatched of dots —both reassuringly clas-

E
with ebbing honesty,
practicality and com-
fort— ‘Batasha’ incul-
cates that deep within
the DNA! Perhaps this
is the reason why it all
started with the wonderful
entirety of dots. Half a century
ago, the versatility of dots could
be found everywhere either as a
decoration for eccentric art, as a
symbol of femininity, in utilitar-
ian objects and if you look
closely, even in nature. It is, of
course, also one of the most
ubiquitous motifs in fashion
and yet it can seem thoroughly
distinct.
Label Earthen’s new collection
is equal parts fun and flamboy-
ant, it radiates in the expansive
wisdom of art and in turn we
can cultivate experiences that
give joy to everyone. The uni-
versality, happiness and comfort
sic and of-the-moment can be
savoured in the vibrant and
vitalising collection.
From timeless saris in mono-
chromatic tones to kurta sets
and lehengas that merge classic
with contemporary, these
perennial pieces will quickly
become everyday sources of
happiness. This delicious print
meanders across cosy fabrics
like cotton mal and wispy
organza. Many of the styles are
stamped with scalloped dupat-
tas, voluminous silhouettes that
light and airy and the celebra-
tion of comfort that is
omnipresent. But above all, it is
an unprecedented tale of joy
presented with the vigour of
sometimes bold and sometimes Born in early 2019, Label stands for 'born from earth'.
itsy bitsy dots. These ensembles Earthen is the brainchild of The designs are inspired by the
have a piece of history and a Priti Shekhar, a passionate fash- texture of nature which is raw,
creative bravery pulsing beneath ionista and celebrated designer coarse but at the same time, it is
it all! in the fashion circuit. Earthen warm and gentle.
 10

Hyderabad Friday May 7, 2021 what’s brewing?

LUCKY ALI QUASHES Tamil comedy actor Kottai. He played the side-
kick to Ajith’s character in
the film, which was released
in 1996. The film was a

Pandu dies of Covid-19 huge box office hit and

became a pop culture sensa-

DEATH RUMOURS
fans. He joined the film
industry following in the
footsteps of his brother,
Idichapuli Selvaraj, who was
also a well-known comedi-
fter veteran actor health.” an in the industry. Before
tion at the time, establishing
him as an actor.
Pandu’s other memorable
role was in Vijay’s block-
buster film, Ghilli. In the
2004 action film, he played
the role of a cop, and was
appreciated for his perfor-

A
Nafisa Ali quashed
rumours of Lucky
Ali’s death on
Twitter, the singer
took to Instagram
on Wednesday and issued a
statement.
“Hi everyone, just
addressing the rumours. I’m
alive and well and resting in
peace at home. Haha. Hope
you all are staying in and
staying safe. May God pro-
tect us all during this devas-
tating time,” he shared in an
Instagram story.
She told a news agency, “I joining show business, he mance.
chatted with Lucky Ali 2-3 was pursuing his interest in He is also known for his
times today. He is fine. He painting. It is noteworthy roles in films like Gokulathil
does not have COVID. In that he played a vital role in Seethai, Kaalamellam
fact, he has antibodies. He is designing the flag of the Kadhal Vaazhga, Mannava,
busy planning his music and AIADMK party, which was Vaali, Poomagal Oorvalam,
concerts. We were talking founded by matinee icon Jodi, James Pandu, Badri
about virtual concerts hap- MG Ramachandran. among others.
pening and all such things. Pandu made his screen Pandu is the third mem-
He is on his farm in debut in the 1970s. And he ber of the Tamil film frater-
Bengaluru and his family is went onto work with lead- nity to succumb to the virus
there with him. I just spoke ing stars and directors span- in the last few weeks.
to him, everybody is fine.” ning three generations. He Recently director
In December 2020, a has shared screen space Thamira and KV Anand
video of Lucky’s perfor- with titans like MGR and had also died of
mance at a local Goan Sivaji Ganesan and went on Covid-19.

P
The rumours of the O restaurant went viral on opular comedy and were admitted to a pri- to work with Kamal Pandu is
Sanam singer passing away social media. Nafisa actor Pandu passed vate hospital. His condition Haasan and survived by
started doing the rounds had shared the away on Thursday deteriorated on Thursday Rajinikanth. He has his wife and
on Tuesday. Soon after, video on her due to Covid-19 morning and he breathed also worked with three sons,
Nafisa took to Twitter social media related complica- his last at the hospital. He Vijay and Ajith. One Pintu,
and wrote, “Lucky is and shared tions. He and his wife was 74. of his noted roles Prabhu
totally well and we that the per- Kumudha had tested posi- Pandu is a household was in the romantic and
were chatting this formance was tive for the virus recently name among Tamil movie drama, Kadhal Panju.
afternoon. He is on his shot at
farm with his family. Arambol
No Covid. In good in North Goa.

Kim Kardashian denies

JOHN DAVID importing stolen
WASHINGTON Roman sculpture
TO STAR IN GARETH im Kardashian has her name without authorisa-

K
ended up at the centre tion and because it was never
of an illegal art smug- received (and) she was
EDWARDS’ TRUE LOVE gling row after an
ancient Roman sculp-
ture was imported in
unaware of the transaction.
We encourage an investiga-
tion and hope that it gets
ctor John David Washington is her name to California. The US returned to the rightful own-

A
set to team up with Rogue One: officials claim that the statue was ers.”
A Star Wars Story director stolen from Italy. Art dealer and interior
Gareth Edwards on the upcom- As per reports, the court docu- designer Axel Vervoordt,
ing science-fiction film True ments list the importer name named in the court papers,
Love. “Kim Kardashian dba Noel has worked with Kardashian
The movie will mark Washington’s Roberts Trust in Woodland Hills, and West on many of their
another outing in the genre following California.” An invoice states, properties, as per reports.
Christopher Nolan’s Tenet. “for the sale of the defendant Referred to as ‘Fragment
According to a news agency, the plot statue by Vervoordt to Noel of Myron Samian Athena’,
details on the New Regency film is being Robert Trust, dated March 11, the statue is said to be from
kept under wraps, but it is set in the near 2016.” The Noel Roberts Trust is the early-to mid-Roman
future and is from an original idea from linked to Kim Kardashian and Empire. The report states
Edwards. her estranged husband Kanye that it was seized in May
Edwards, whose directing credits also West’s real estate purchases in the 2016 “as part of a larger
include 2014’s Godzilla, will write and US, as per the report. 5.5-ton (5,000 kg) ship-
helm the project. Kim has, however, denied pur- ment worth $745,000.”
Rogue One producer Kiri Hart will chasing the sculpture. A The suspicion under
back True Love along with Edwards. spokesperson for Kardashian told which it was seized was
Washington was last seen in the a news agency, “We believe that it “protected cultural
romantic drama Malcolm & Marie. may have been purchased using property from Italy.”

FUN
ARCHIE CALVIN AND HOBBES

GARFIELD
REALITY CHECK SPEED BUMP CROSSWORD

NANCY

SUDOKU
Yesterday’s solution

GINGER MEGGS

Rules
l Each row and column can
contain each number (1 to 9)
exactly once.
l The sum of all numbers in
any row or column must
equal 45.
 11

Hyderabad Friday May 7, 2021 tollywood

PUSHPA TO BE
released in 2 parts?

TEAM RRR UNITES conic Star Allu the pre-production phase, that Allu Arjun has given his

I
Arjun and sources. But for Pushpa, the consent for the same and left
Sukumar’s third film unit worked on various the final decision to Sukumar.

TO FIGHT COVID
outing Pushpa is
currently in produc-
tion. It is being said
that the film unit is now con-
templating releasing the
movie in two parts. The film
was supposed to hit the
screens on August 13, 2021,
but with the pandemic
RR by the maverick filmmaker SS around, the makers are going
factors from time to time and
discussed the idea with Allu
Arjun. According to the
sources, the film’s story has a
huge span and Sukumar found
a scope to add more interest-
ing elements to the script.
Allu Arjun who did Arya
and Arya 2 with Sukumar
seems to have been convinced
Sukumar might arrive at a
conclusion on the same in a
few more days. If everything
goes as per the plan, the first
part will hit the screens
towards the end of 2021 and
the second part will arrive
next year. A formal confirma-
tion on the same is awaited.
Fahadh Faasil is making his

R
Rjamouli is undeniably one of the to push the film’s release to a with the idea. Telugu debut with Pushpa,
most-awaited films in India. The later date. With ample time in The while Rashmika
stellar team of the film shared a hand to rework the script and buzz Mandanna plays
video on their Twitter space and analyse the output generated is the leading lady
Mega power star Ram Charan, so far, director Sukumar is in the movie.
Young Tiger Jr NTR, Alia Bhatt, Ajay Devgan, reportedly convinced to bring Devi Sri
and of course, our ace director Rajamouli the film to the audiences in Prasad is the
stressed on the awareness of obeying safety pro- two parts, ala Baahubali music direc-
tocols for our wellbeing in the crisis. and KGF. tor for the
In the video, the team stands united, speak- The choice to have film that
ing in various languages to reach a diversity of two releases Mythri Movie
people across the nation. Alia Bhatt spoke in for Makers is
Telugu whom fans approved as ‘perfect dialect’. Baahubali bankrolling.
Ram Charn, Jr NTR, Rajamouli spoke in and
Kannada, Malayalam, and Tamil. Bollywood KGF
star Ajay Devgn spoke in his mother tongue, was
Hindi. With this amazing gesture, a huge num- made
ber of fans might get the right message of stay- during
ing safe and following basic guidelines amid the
pandemic.
All the stars urged people to wear masks and
get vaccinated without fail. Sharing the video,
Ram Charan wrote, “Wear a mask and get vac-
cinated when available! Let’s #StandTogether to
stop the spread and save our country from
#COVID19”. The video has since gone viral on
social media, grabbing netizen’s attention irre-
spective of language and region.
RRR is a historical fiction that marks Ajay Danayya and is based on two well-known revo-
Devgn and Alia Bhatt’s Telugu debut. The lutionaries from the pre-independent era —
much-anticipated click, produced by DVV Alluri Sita Ramaraju and Komaram Bheem.
VAISSHNAV TEJ’S NEXT

Genelia all set for

AN OTT RELEASE?

second innings
ctress Genelia two kids, Genelia decided to learnt that husband Riteish is

A
D’Souza had
swooned Telugu
audiences with
her various versa-
tile projects. Be it
Boys, or Happy or
Bommarillu, the bubbly
actress had carved a niche for
herself. After she married
Bollywood actor Riteish
Deshmukh and blessed with
be a homemaker. Often, as
we know through her social
media handles, she is in
touch with her Telugu co-
stars, and especially she
shares a great bond with hero
Ram Pothineni, her co-star
from Ready.
Now, the latest we hear is
that the Katha would love to
start her second innings. It is
extremely elated about her
acting comeback. Besides
Hindi, Genelia also wants to
focus on the South where she
actually got her first major
break and went on to make it
big. She is open to do some
important roles and roles
with substance. We hope
directors and producers are
listening..

NAMITHA’S OTT PLATFORM

aisshnav Tej made a 19 pandemic, the movie industry ‘NAMITHA THEATRE’
V
sucessful debut with has been hit hard again.
Uppena. Uppena Considering this, the buzz that ctress Namitha that she is venturing onto the first-ever platform

worked on all fronts —
be it Vijay Sethupathi’s
powerful show, Krithi
Shetty’s innocent acting, Devi Sri
Prasad’s music, Buchi Babu Sana’s
writing, and Vaisshnav’s natural
performance, the film scored well
with critics and audiences alike.
The film turned out to be a mas-
sive success and thus set a new Box
Office record for a debut hero.
However, the makers of Vaisshnav’s
second movie may not cash in on
the craze of Uppena.
With the second wave of Covid-
A
director Krish is contemplating needs no intro-
going for an OTT release for duction to the
Vaisshnav’s second movie, is doing Telugu audi-
the rounds. ences. She shot
The yet-to-be-titled film is a to fame with
complete rural drama and has the film Sontham and
Rakul Preet as Vaisshnav’s roman- later acted with
tic interest. It is based on the novel Balakrishna in Simha.
Kondapolam written by Both the films gave the
Sannapureddy Venkata Ramireddy. actress a huge following.
The film’s post-production work is Later, she moved to
almost complete and the makers Kollywood and even took
are planning for an OTT release part in one of the seasons
instead of a theatrical release, given of the Bigg Boss TV show.
the quandary over releases. The latest we hear is
the OTT space by launch-
ing her own OTT plat-
form named Namitha
Theatre.
Namitha made the offi-
cial announcement on the
same. In association with
a software engineer Ravi
Varma, Namitha will be
starting this new OTT
platform. The actress
wanted to showcase short
stories and movies based
on true incidents through
her OTT platform. It is
dedicated to such con-
cepts.
Namitha hinted about
this development a week
back by sharing a video of
hers, voicing for the
promo. With Namitha
Theatre, the actress wants
to encourage young film-
makers who want to do
films on medium budgets.
Other details of the
projects that will stream
on the platform will be
announced soon.
HYDERABAD | FRIDAY | MAY 7, 2021 sport 12

shortpasses
VEDA LOSES SISTER TO COVID-19
NEW DELHI: Indian women's cricketer Veda
Krishnamurthy's sister Vatsala Shivakumar has died
due to Covid-19, two weeks after her mother
succumbed to the dreaded virus. The 45-year-old
Aussies fly out to Maldives
died at a private hospital in Chikkamagaluru on
Wednesday night.
Covid-infected Hussey,
PFIZER, BIONTECH TO DONATE VAX
Balaji flown to Chennai
LAUSANNE: Vaccine developers Pfizer and Chennai: Chennai Super Kings’
BioNTech will donate doses to inoculate athletes batting coach Mike Hussey and
and officials preparing for the Tokyo Olympics, the bowling coach L Balaji have been
IOC said on Thursday. Delivery of doses is set to flown into the city from Delhi in
begin this month to give Olympic delegations time an air ambulance as they recover
to be fully vaccinated with a second shot before from Covid-19, a top franchise
arriving in Tokyo for the games. official said on Thursday.
Hussey and Balaji were
MALIK 1 WIN AWAY FROM OLY among the prominent non-play- RCB’s New Zealand players Kyle Jamieson, right, Scott Kuggeleijn, Finn Allen and
SOFIA: Sumit Malik was still in contention to qualify ing staff to test positive when the Director of Cricket Operations Mike Hesson pose for photo hesson_mike/Instagram
for the Tokyo Games but it was all over for Amit IPL was ‘indefinitely suspended’
Dhankar and Satywart Kadiyan, who were ousted
from the World Wrestling Olympic Qualifiers after
losing at different stages of the competition on
on Tuesday.
“We decided to bring Hussey
and Balaji to Chennai by an air
NZ IPL-based Test players
ambulance as we have better con-
to leave for UK on May 11
Thursday.
tacts here and wanted to ensure
SHOOTERS RECEIVE 1ST DOSE better medical facilities in case of
NEW DELHI: Many shooters, coaches and officials any need,” the CSK official said.
from India's Olympic-bound contingent received their He further said the duo was PTI n CHRISTCHURCH earliest date it could obtain for
first dose of Covid-19 vaccine across cities on ‘asymptomatic and doing fine.’ the team’s arrival in the UK.
Thursday. The shooters were to get vaccinated before
leaving for Zagreb, Croatia on May 11 to participate
PTI n NEW DELHI owing to Covid-19 cases inside its bio-
bubble.
the Caribbean will fly to Auckland,
Johannesburg and Trinidad on their
The CSK official said Hussey
would have to wait for a Covid-19 F our members of New
Zealand’s Test contingent
However, pace spearhead
Trent Boult will return home

in the European Championship.
ARCHERS TO MISS SWISS WC
KOLKATA: India's Olympic-bound archers will not
get to compete in the Stage 2 World Cup in
Lausanne as their visa application has been rejected
by the Switzerland Embassy.
ED SHEERAN TO SPONSOR IPSWICH
LONDON: Four-time Grammy winner Ed Sheeran will
be the shirt sponsor for his boyhood team Ipswich
Town next season. The 30-year-old will see his logo
appear on the men's and women's first-team shirts.
ODISHA FC ROPE IN VILLA
NEW DELHI: Odisha FC roped in football legend
David Villa, who has joined the club's football
committee and will head the global football
operations of the club.
MAN UTD VS L’POOL ON MAY 13
MANCHESTER: Manchester United will have to play
three Premier League matches in five days after their
postponed clash with Liverpool was rearranged for
May 13.
STERLING RACIALLY ABUSED
LONDON: Man City forward Raheem Sterling has
T
he Australians flew off to
Maldives, the South Africans
headed home as the suspended
IPL’s foreign cricketers bid adieu to
India, hoping that the country recov-
ers from the mayhem unleashed by a
second wave of Covid-19 cases.
The 40-strong Australian contin-
gent, except for a Covid-positive Mike
Hussey, left for Maldives on Thursday
to serve out the waiting period before
they can board a flight to Australia
once the travel restrictions end on May
15.
“We can confirm that Australian
players, coaches, match officials and
commentators have been safely trans-
ported from India and are en route to
the Maldives,” Cricket Australia stat-
ed in a release.
“The Australians will remain in
Maldives until the conclusion of the
travel pause pertaining to flights from
India to Australia,” it added.
Of the 40 Australians involved in
the league after three early pullouts, 14
were players, including mega-stars
such as David Warner, Pat Cummins,
“CA and the ACA extend their sin-
cere thanks to the BCCI for their
responsiveness in moving the
Australians from India to the
Maldives...,” the statement read.
JAYAWARDENE TO COMPLETE
QUARANTINE IN MALDIVES
Mumbai Indians on Thursday
said that their local stars have reached
home while it has also ensured a safe
passage for its Australian contingent
to Maldives along with Sri Lankan
head coach Mahela Jaywardene, who
also will be quarantining there.
The five-time champions posted
a series of tweets and shared the trav-
el plans of its players and support staff.
“Indian players have embarked on
their journey back to their hometowns.
All Covid-19 related travel and safe-
ty protocols have been diligently
adhered.
“Mumbai and Ahmedabad based
players and support staff members will
return home via Ahmedabad on a
charter flight. The cabin crew has com-
pleted seven days quarantine at the
respective charter flights arranged by negative report to be able to leave involved in the now-suspend-
the franchise. the country. ed IPL, including captain Kane
Among its foreigners, while swash- “Hussey has to wait and get a Williamson, will leave India for
buckling all-rounder Kieron Pollard is Covid negative report before he the United Kingdom on May 11
from the West Indies, opener Quinton can leave India. We will make while the rest will make their
De Kock hails from South Africa. arrangements for a charter when way back home on Friday, the
Pacer Trent Boult and bowling it is safe for him to fly,” the offi- country’s cricket board has
coach Shane Bond are from New cial added. PTI announced.
Zealand. New Zealand are scheduled
to play hosts England in a two-
match Test series, beginning on
June 2, before facing India in
the World Test Championships
final at Southampton from June
18.
“We’ve worked closely with
the BCCI and the IPL franchis-
es on the various departure
strategies and we’re very appre-
ciative of their support during
what is, clearly, a very challeng-
ing time,” New Zealand Cricket
(NZC) chief executive David
White said in a statement on
Thursday.
Rajasthan Royals Bangladesh pacer Mustafizur Rahman, right, and KKR all-rounder Shakib Skipper Williamson, pacer
Al Hasan pose for a photo in flight as they reach Dhaka on Thursday @Mustafiz90 Kyle Jamieson and spinner
Mitchell Santner, as well as
briefly to see his family before
joining the Test squad in early
June, for the second match
against England and the WTC
final.
The New Zealand-based
Test squad members will depart
for England on May 16 and 17.
“Along with the balance of
the New Zealand-bound IPL
players, support staff and com-
mentators, Boult is scheduled to
depart New Delhi tomorrow on
one of two charter flights, arriv-
ing in Auckland on Saturday
before undergoing managed
isolation,” the NZC stated.
“...Boult will leave MIQ
(Managed Isolation and
Quarantine) on May 22 and will
spend a week at home with his
family, training at Mt
Maunganui before departing
for the UK in early June,” it
added.
New Zealand team trainer
Chris Donaldson, who has
been with the Kolkata Knight

Shakib, Mustafiz return to Dhaka

been racially abused on Instagram less than 48
hours after the Premier League's social media
boycott ended.
NAGAL REACHES QUARTERS
MADRID: Sumit Nagal came from a set down to
defeat Ukraine's Sergiy Stakhovsky 4-6, 6-1, 6-4 in
the round of 16 at the Prague Open ATP Challenger
Tour clay court event on Thursday.
ABU DHABI T10 FROM NOV 19
ABU DHABI: The fifth edition of the Abu Dhabi T10
league will be held here from November 19 to
December 2 Agencies
and Steve Smith among others.
The 11 South Africans in the
league boarded flights for
Johannesburg as their country has not
imposed any restrictions on travel from
India, which recorded more than 4 lakh
Covid-19 cases on Thursday and close
to 4,000 deaths.
“My constant prayers is with the
people from India to get through this.
Pls Take care of yourselves,” Proteas star
Faf du Plessis, who turned up Chennai
Super Kings, posted on Instagram.
Cricket Australia thanked the
BCCI for its assistance in ensuring that
players were able to leave India with-
in two days of the league’s suspension
team hotel in Delhi,” the franchise stat- physio Tommy Simsek, will Riders, will also return home
ed. remain in a mini-bubble in briefly to see his family before
“Australian players and support New Delhi before departing for reconnecting with the Test
staff members will fly to Maldives on Dhaka: Bangladesh internationals “Thank you @Sah75official, the UK, ahead of preparations squad.
a special charter. MI has made Shakib Al Hasan and Mustafizur happy to know you’ve landed for the Test series against White said IPL players,
arrangements for their 14-day quaran- Rahaman on Thursday afternoon home safely in Dhaka with England, and the WTC final support staff and commentators
tine stay in Maldives before flying returned safely to Dhaka on a Bangladesh teammate @Mustafiz9 against India. returning to New Zealand
them back to Australia,” it said. chartered flight arranged by the from Ahmedabad. Stay safe, and There were 17 New would adhere to all regulatory
The franchise has two Australian Rajasthan Royals and the Kolkata see you soon.” KKR tweeted. Zealanders involved in the IPL, protocols, including pre-depar-
players — hard-hitting batsman Chris Knight Riders after the IPL was “Alhamdulillah, we have safe- including 10 players. ture Covid-19 tests.
Lynn and pacer Nathan Coulter-Nile. indefinitely postponed. ly back in Bangladesh without any “We are also very grateful Those returning home
“Head coach Mahela Jayawardene While KKR posted the news trouble. I would like to thank to the England and Wales from India also include Stephen
will also complete his quarantine in of Shakib’s safe arrival here, @rajasthanroyals and @KKRiders Cricket Board for accommodat- Fleming, Brendon McCullum,
Maldives before returning to Sri Mustafizur took to Twitter to franchises for making it happen. ing the early arrival of the four Kyle Mills, Shane Bond, Mike
Lanka,” it added. thank both the franchises for I would also like to thank our members of the Test squad Hesson, Tim Seifert, Adam
The players and support staff facilitating their Delhi-Dhaka health ministry for it’s contribu- currently in India.” Milne, Scott Kuggeleijn and
from New Zealand, South Africa and flight. tion,” Mustafizur wrote. PTI NZC said May 11 is the James Pamment.

Barty in Madrid final 4 English counties offer to host IPL-14

Madrid: Rafael Nadal swept
into the Madrid Open quarter-
finals on Thursday with a 6-3, 6-
3 victory over Alexei Popyrin,
while Ashleigh Barty booked her
spot in the women’s final by end-
ing the run of wildcard Paula
Badosa.
Barty cruised into the
women’s decider with a 6-4, 6-
3 victory over Badosa, as the
world number one avenged last
month’s loss to the Spaniard in
Charleston.
Barty, the 2019 French
Open champion, is targeting a
fourth title of the year following
her wins at Melbourne’s Yarra
Valley Classic, in Miami and on
clay in Stuttgart.
In men’s, Dominic Thiem,
the Madrid runner-up in 2017
and 2018, also reached the last
eight after beating Alex de
Minaur 7-6 (9/7), 6-4.
But world number three
Daniil Medvedev exited in the
last 16 following a 6-4, 6-7
(2/7), 6-1 defeat by 16th seed
Cristian Garin of Chile. AFP
PTI n LONDON
F our premier English coun-
ties — Middlesex, Surrey,
Warwickshire and Lancashire
— have expressed interest in
hosting the remaining 31
games of the Indian Premier
League, which was postponed
after coronavirus breached the
bio-bubble to infect four
Indian cricketers.
With India anticipating a
third wave of the pandemic
later during the year, BCCI is
exploring a window in
September after the conclusion
of India’s England tour to com-
plete the tournament.
Indian cricket team’s senior opener Shikhar Dhawan on Thursday said he has India’s tour of England
received the first dose of the Covid-19 vaccine. “Vaccinated. Can’t thank all our ends on September 14.
frontline warriors enough for their sacrifices and dedication. Please do not hesitate According to ESPN
and get yourself vaccinated as soon as possible. It’ll help us all defeat this virus,” Cricinfo, Lord’s, Oval (both
Dhawan tweeted. London), Edgbaston
(Birmingham) and Emirates
Old Trafford (Manchester) are
understood to be part of the
group who wrote to the ECB
expressing their interest.
“The plans would see the
tournament completed in
around two weeks in the sec-
ond half of September,” accord-
ing to the report.
BCCI is ideally looking at
a 20-day window with multi-
ple double headers in order to
complete the tournament.
It is expected that at the
ICC Chief Executives Meeting,
the representatives of the BCCI
and the ECB may discuss the
matter.
A logic that goes in the
favour of the tournament is
that it provides a good oppor-
tunity to all the players to pre-
pare for the World T20 which
in all likelihood will be moved
to the UAE from India.
And if both IPL and World
T20 are played in the UAE, the
pitches might get slow during
second half of the global tour-
nament, so England would be
a better option to host the
League.
However, there are some
issues that need to addressed.
When India’s tour of England
ends on September 14, at that
time at 30 Indian cricketers will
be there but flying others
would be an onerous task,
keeping in mind the quaran-
tine rules.

Chelsea set up all-English CL final Saina,

AFP n LONDON
Srikanth's Olympics
hopes hang in the balance
C helsea set up an all-English
Champions League final
against Manchester City as goals
from Timo Werner and Mason
Mount beat Real Madrid 2-0 in
a dominant display on
Wednesday to seal a 3-1 aggre-
gate victory at Stamford Bridge.
If anything, the scoreline
flattered Madrid as the 13-time
European champions had no
response to Chelsea’s greater
strength and speed. The Blues
should have ran out far more
convincing winners as they
toyed with the tired visitors in
the second half.
However, Werner’s cush-
ioned header into an empty net
on 28 minutes after Kai Havertz’s
initial effort came back off the
crossbar and Mount’s tap-in
five minutes from time were
enough to seal their place in
Istanbul on May 29.
“To never lose the concen-
tration, focus and positive ener-
gy on the pitch — it was a huge
performance and well deserved,”
said Chelsea manager Thomas
Mason Mount (19) celebrates with his Chelsea teammates after he scores his side second goal against Real Madrid
Tuchel, who has masterminded
a huge turnaround in Chelsea’s
season since replacing the
sacked Frank Lampard in
January.
Backed by Russian billion-
aire owner Roman Abramovich,
Chelsea’s £220 million spending
spree last summer has been
rewarded with a first Champions
League final since they lifted the
trophy for the only time in
2012.
“We never lost the hunger,
the desire to defend,” added
Tuchel. “In the second half we
had even better structure to
defend and it was a fantastic per-
formance.
“We could have scored so
AP
much earlier and more to be
safe, but it’s no time for criticism
now. It’s a fantastic achieve-
ment and big congratulations to
the team.”
Madrid boss Zinedine
Zidane welcomed back captain
Sergio Ramos for the first time
in six weeks, while Eden Hazard
was handed a rare start in an
quoteunquote
I CAN'T PUT IT INTO
WORDS. TO GET THAT
GOAL LATE ON, YOU
CAN SEE BY THE
CELEBRATIONS, IT WAS
A MASSIVE GOAL AND
GAVE US BREATHING
SPACE
Mason Mount, Chelsea player
injury-hit season on his return
to Stamford Bridge.
But the Belgian was again a
peripheral figure as Madrid’s
over-reliance on Karim
Benzema to provide a goal
threat was exposed.
“We needed to be better
going forward,” said Zidane.
“We didn’t have any clear
chances. They made a number
of them and that’s football.
“We fought and tried but
they deserved to win and go
through.”
PTI n NEW DELHI
L ondon Olympics Bronze-
medallist Saina Nehwal and
men’s star Kidambi Srikanth’s
last hopes of Olympic qualifi-
cation hang in balance as the
Indian Government negotiates
for their participation in the
Malaysian Open amid a ban on
flights from India in that coun-
try.
Following the postpone-
ment of the India Open (May
11-16), Saina and Srikanth’s
hopes of qualifying for the
Tokyo Games hinge on the
(May 25-30) Kuala Lumpur
event followed by the Singapore
Open (June 1-6).
In the wake of an unprece-
dented Covid-19 surge in India,
Malaysia and Singapore have
banned flights from the coun-
try effective April 28.
“The Sports Ministry,
through the Ministry of
External Affairs, has
approached the Malaysian
Government requesting to
grant permission to the Indian
Badminton Team to travel to
Malaysia to participate in the
Malaysian Open scheduled
from May 25 to May 30,” the
Sports Authority of India said
in a statement.
“This is in light of a tempo-
rary travel ban that has been
imposed by Malaysia on trav-
ellers from India, owing to the
rising Covid-19 cases in India,”
it added.
After an initial request
made earlier this week, the
Indian High Commission in
Malaysia “received informa-
tion from the Malaysian
Government that the travel of
the team may not be possible
immediately.’’
“However, with 19 days
left for the competition to
begin, the possibility of travel
cannot be ruled out complete-
ly,” SAI stated.
The tournament is one of
the last events that contribute to
Olympic qualification which
ends on June 15. All top Indian
singles and doubles players like
PV Sindhu, Saina Nehwal,
Kidambi Srikanth, Sai Praneeth,
Satwiksairaj Rankireddy, Chirag
Shetty, Ashwini Ponnappa and
Sikki Reddy are due to partic-
ipate in this.
With direct travel not pos-
sible, BAI had been trying to
work out a solution and was
exploring alternative routes to
reach Malaysia via Doha or Sri
Lanka.