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Seal borders to stem migrant exodus, ensure
shelter, food, wages, rent relief: Govt to states
Onus on DMs,
SPs To Check
Migrant Influx
Bharti.Jain@timesgroup.com
New Delhi: In a move to curb
the movement of migrant
workers on roads and high-
ways, the Centre on Sunday
used the Disaster Manage-
ment Act to fix responsibility
on district magistrates and
senior superintendents of
police to seal district and sta-
te borders while making ar-
rangements for those on the
roads to be housed in shelters
besides also dissuading such
workers from leaving their
FULL COVERAGE: P2-14
current place of stay.
The measure followed con-
cerns that continued move-
ment of lakhs of migrant wor-
kers from various cities to the
hinterland could lead to a pro-
blematic spread of Covid-19 in
rural areas and was accompa-
nied with directions to ensure
salaries were paid and emplo-
yment was not terminated du-
ring the ongoing national lock-
down and the ensuing shutte-
ring of economic activity in
large parts of the country.
Responding to questions
whether the government was
LOCKDOWN
DAY
5 Dubai, Saudi returnees slipped under
US death toll
rises to 2,300,
doubled in 2 days
T he US toll topped 2,300 on
Sunday, after the death
count on Saturday doubled
from the figure two days ago.
Anthony Fauci, director of
National Institute of Allergy
and Infectious Diseases, said
the pandemic could cause 1-2
lakh deaths. Meanwhile, the
global death toll rose to 31,412
on Sunday. P 11
SpiceJet pilot
tests positive
A SpiceJet pilot, who did
not operate any inter-
national flight this month,
tested positive for coronavi-
rus on Saturday. Subsequ-
ently, the DGCA has “tem-
porarily” exempted pilots
and cabin crew from breath
analyser tests. TNN
Railway resumes
parcel service to
ferry essentials
T he railways has resu-
med its special parcel
service to ferry essential
items like dairy products,
medical equipment, medi-
cines, groceries and food
items across the country. It
was discontinued in 1974
as it wasn’t cost-effective.
Meanwhile, the speed of
freight trains have been in-
creased to 40kmph. TNN
Spain princess
1st royal to die
from Covid-19
S panish princess
Maria Teresa of Bour-
bon-Parma has become the
first royal to pass away due to
coronavirus complications.
The 86-year-old, who died in
Paris, was a cousin of Spa-
in’s King Felipe VI. Her brot-
her Prince Sixto Enrique
de Borbon confirmed her de-
ath. P 11
Turn to Page 3
OPEN near you!
1-YEAR-OLD AMONG 5 RUN OVER ON E-WAY
➤ Five people from UP,
including four migrant workers
and a one-year-old child, were
run over in the early hours of
Sunday by a speeding truck
on the Kundli-Manesar-Palwal
(KMP) expressway near
Pachgaon, where they were
seeking a ride back home to
their native village
➤ UP CM Yogi Adityanath
orders compulsory quarantine
for all those who entered the
state after national lockdown
and medical checkup for
those who came to the state
after March 1. Buses carrying
them will first take them to
a hospital in their respective
districts. He also appeals
to UP natives, still stuck in
States struggle to handle migrants who’ve poured in
A s states rushed to seal their borders on Sunday to stem the avalanche of migrant workers, they
also had another daunting task — screening and providing food, transport and shelter to them.
Jaipur was swamped with hungry and weary families, with at least 1.25 lakh who arrived from Gu-
jarat and Maharastra being screened on Sunday. In MP, the influx intensified on Sunday. More than
3,000 had reached Morena till 5pm. Hundreds more are on the way. In UP, the Agra district admini-
stration requested the Army to help transfer stranded migrants to their destination, a day after a
delivery boy of a Delhi restaurant died after walking 200km from the capital to Agra. TNN
caught unawares by the mig-
rant outflow, Lav Agarwal, jo-
int secretary in the health mi-
nistry, said the entire situa-
tion due to the global and na-
tional spread of coronavirus
radar, leading to major spike in cases
TEAM TOI
W
hen Dubai authorities
began door-to-door
screening on Satur-
day for Covid-19 cases in Naif,
one of the city’s populous loca-
lities, public health officials in
Kerala felt a stab of anxiety.
Nearly 70% of those who have
returned to the Kerala’s Ka-
sargod district in the past few
days lived in this crowded
commercial-cum-residential
area of the Gulf metropolis.
These returnees — Kasar-
god accounted for 34 of the 39
cases reported in Kerala on
Friday — have now been tag-
ged “high-risk” and are being
tested for the virus. “These pe-
ople have become the biggest
concern for the state,” said Dr
Amar Fettle, Kerala’s nodal of-
ficer for infectious diseases.
Many of those who retur-
ned from the Gulf in February
and early March were neither
screened at airports nor advi-
sed to quarantine themselves.
The focus then was on pas-
sengers from China, South Ko-
rea, Iran, Spain, Italy and Ger-
many. Dubai and Saudi Arabia
weren’t even on the radar. Or-
ders for screening passengers
from the Gulf did not come un-
til March second week.
As a result, in the past 10 da-
ys, several states are seeing a
spike in the number of pati-
ents with a history of living in
or transiting through the Gulf.
Continued on P 7
Seniors in a lather as TV soaps run dry
Mohua.Das@timesgroup.com
G
anesh Krishnamurthy,
76, sits back on his couch
in Chennai, worried
about Sreemoyee and her est-
ranged husband Anindya in
Kolkata. “Anindya needs a
stent for his heart, Sreemoye-
e’s former love interest has re-
appeared in her life while their
son wants to leave them and go
away to another country...
Things are at a critical junctu-
re and I don’t know how long
I’ll have to wait to see what hap-
pens to Sreemoyee and her fa-
mily,” he rues. ‘Sreemoyee’
isn’t a relative but the title cha-
racter of a popular Bengali se-
rial who keeps the septuagena-
rian company for a few hours
every evening. Or at least she
MONDAY, MARCH 30, 2020 | PAGES 18 | PRICE ` 4.
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RISKY RIDE: Migrants heading home hop on to a truck loaded with
LPG cylinders in Lucknow on Sunday
other states, to stay put till
lockdown is lifted
➤ Day after a 39-year-old
delivery man working for a Delhi
restaurant died after walking
was unprecedented in scale
and the Centre had done its
best to anticipate as well as
respond to the developing si-
tuation. States were directed
to ensure all employers, be it
HOW CASES ROSE FROM 3 TO 1,000 THIS MONTH
1,200
1,000
3
Only 3 cases
in country, all
800 from Kerala
600
29
400 1st spike. 14
Italians, 6
200 Agra cases
0 health authorities are fin-
March March
1 4
130 new cases in one day
across India, highest so far
E ven as India’s Covid-19 co-
unt crossed the 1,000
mark, states on Sunday re-
ported 130 new cases, the hig-
hest for a single day. The day
also saw a spike in infections
in Delhi with 23 new cases
while Maharashtra reported
two deaths, reports Durgesh
Nandan Jha.
This is the first time that
Delhi’s single-day virus co-
unt has entered double digits
and authorities said it was a
worrying sign. Late on Sun-
day, Punjab reported a death
from the infection, the fourth
on Sunday nationally. The
overall death toll from the vi-
rus has now risen to 31.
With no shoots, Goregaon’s Film City has hit the snooze button
did till the coronavirus lock-
down shut down television
production across the country.
Unlike the younger tech-
savvy population which relies
on the web and OTT platforms
| TIMESOFINDIA.COM | EPAPER.TIMESOFINDIA.COM
.in/openshop
Lscanp ay
200km towards his native
place, Agra administration
seeks Army’s help to ferry
stranded migrants. Army
deploys 10 trucks
in the industry or in shops or
commercial establishments,
shall make payment of wages
to their workers.
Wages on due date: P 7
105
562
Cases
256 cross
Cases 500
hit 100 50+
cases in
a day for
1st time
March
14
March March
20 24
March
Sunday was also the third
consecutive day when the co-
unt of new cases was crossed
100 in the country, indicating
that the infection was sprea-
ding. States have reported
1,122 coronavirus cases so far.
UP too reported its hig-
hest number of new cases, 19,
12 of these from Meerut, four
from Noida, two from Ghazia-
bad and one from Bareilly. All
12 cases in Meerut today were
contacts of the Bulandshahr
man who had been reported
positive on Friday.
In Gujarat, two of the five
people who have died so far
were found to be less than 50
years of age.P 7
to stave off boredom while lock-
ed down, one cannot underrate
the role of television in the lives
of the older generation that
grew up in an analogue era, na-
vigating channels instead of
Not one migrant will
starve in state: KCR
Roushan.Ali@timesgroup.com
Hyderabad: Chief minister K
Chandrasekhar Rao on Sun-
day said Telangana govern-
ment will not allow a single
migrant worker in the state to
starve.
“We will supply12-kg rice or
wheat flour free of cost and give
`500 per person. Rice or wheat
flour and financial assistance
will be given to them even if
they do not have a ration card,”
he said at a press conference on
Sunday.
“The state government re-
cognises the migrant workfor-
ce as partners of Telangana de-
velopment. They are part of the
state building process. We will
not allow them to suffer or star-
ve. We will give them cooked fo-
od, if needed. They can stay
back in Telangana,” he said.
In the rapid survey conduc-
ted by the state as many as
12,436 teams of migrant wor-
kers, comprising 3.36 lakh
members, have been identified
to be working in the state main-
ly in the districts of Hydera-
bad, Rangareddy and Medchal.
‘Will take care of you’:P2
PROGRESSION
OF CASES
1,110 0-100
44 days
Cases
cross
1,000 100-500
10 days
500-1,000
5 days
29
Govt to enforce
cluster isolation
for hotspots
T he government has started
identifying emerging hots-
pots for the infection to enforce ri-
gorous cluster isolation to avoid
community transmission, he-
alth ministry joint secretary Lav
Agarwal said on Sunday. The
Centre’s move comes after certa-
in areas witnessed a huge jump
in number of Covid-19 cases. As
reported by TOI in its edition da-
ted March 29, the government
has decided to put in place a he-
alth risk profiling mechanism
for migrant workers on the mo-
ve. The profiling mechanism was
originally meant for internatio-
nal passengers. P 6
the web. Now, they are trapped
in a cycle of reruns since TV
networks have no new episodes
to telecast.
“It’s depressing that I am
left with nothing these days,”
says Patna’s Sarita Sinha, 62,
for whom a diet of Bhojpuri so-
aps was her only escape from
monotony and the darkness of
the ongoing pandemic. Than-
kamani A, a 50-year-old home-
maker in Thiruvananthapu-
ram, is “mentally preparing
for the coming weeks” after
her son told her that her favou-
rite serials may soon stop ai-
ring while those like Ashok
Mangalkar from Nagpur, who
sought refuge in the comfort of
Marathi soaps, feels a void.
Reruns of old shows: P6
INDIA’S LARGEST ENGLISH NEWSPAPER
ScanPay
73 One A pp for All A pps
PM apologises for
hardships, says there
was no other option
TIMES NEWS NETWORK
New Delhi: Prime Minister
Narendra Modi on Sunday
When I see my poor
brothers and sisters,
I feel they must be thinking
said he was sorry for the
hardships caused by the na-
tional lockdown to contain
what sort of a PM (is he) for
putting us in these troubles.
I ask for their forgiveness in
the spread of Covid-19, but
particular... But India with
3 more test +ve, underlined that there was no
other option in a “war like”
its 130cr population has
no choice... The fight with
T cases rise to 70 situation to combat the high-
ly infectious disease.
corona is a fight
Assuring people during between life
C ovid-19 cases rose to 70 in
Telangana with three
more testing positive on Sun-
his monthly radio address
‘Mann Ki Baat’ that India
and death
and we have
day. CM K Chandrasekhar would win this war against to win this
Rao said 11 in hospital qua- coronavirus, Modi said, “I battle
rantine have recovered and ask forgiveness from all citi- —Narendra
were likely to be discharged zens. And my ‘atma’ says you Modi | PM
on Monday. “If state does not will definitely forgive me.
get any new positive case af- Some decisions have had to
ter April 7, Telangana will be be taken because of which Asks survivors to
free of coronavirus,” the CM
said. P2
you have to face many types
of difficulties. Particularly
spread awareness
when I see my poor brothers
and sisters and I feel they I n his Mann Ki Baat, PM
Modi interacted to two Co-
CM hints at delay must be thinking what sort
of a Prime Minister (is he)
vid-19 survivors from Agra
and Hyderabad and urged th-
in govt staff pay for putting us in these troub-
les. I ask for their forgive-
em to spread awareness abo-
ut the disease. “I would like
C iting fall in revenue col-
lection due to coronavi-
rus crisis, the chief mini-
ness in particular. It is pos-
sible many people are upset
with me… I understand your
you to make an audio clip of
your experience and share it
on social media. It will remo-
ster hinted at the possibili- problems. But India with its ve fear from people’s minds
ty of delay in release of sa- 130 crore population has no and at the same time make
lary to all government choice but to take the steps them aware of the necessary
employees. He also indica- that have been taken.” precautions,” PM told told
ted cut in perks. If requi- Ram Gampa Teja of Hydera-
red, the State would seek Rs ‘Life & death fight’: P7 bad. P2 &7
10,000 crore overdraft (OD)
from the Centre, the CM sa-
id. TNN
No protective gear,
State cops scan fume frontline medics
call records to
T
he Covid-19 pandemic
trace contacts
U.Sudhakarreddy
has brought to the fo-
re that all is not well
with the country’s medical
staff.
@timesgroup.com A dozen doctors in five
states have contacted the
Hyderabad: Intelligence
sleuths in Telangana are
analysing call data record
highly contagious virus —
mainly due to lack of
masks, gloves and perso-
(CDR) of Covid-19 positive nal protection equipment
patients to identify places (PPE) — and there are ma-
they visited and people they ny resident doctors and in-
met as part of a massive terns who feel they, as the
contact-tracing process. frontline medical soldiers
With 70 testing positive who handle patients every
in Telangana for novel coro- hour, are “sitting ducks”.
navirus and more than
Doctors in war without
25,000 under surveillance, This nurse has to make do with
their armour, P 6
a plastic raincoat at Government
ding it increasingly diffi-
cult to trace all their con-
In Kolkata, young doc-
tors are upset as they have
Doon Medical College
tacts. Officials said that
CDR analysis could help as
to run fever clinics wea-
ring plastic raincoats.
uld be customised and dis-
carded every 4-5 hours).
it would reveal the cell pho-
ne tower location of the co-
ronavirus positive patients.
“We know there is a
scarcity of PPEs. But if
one of us is infected, it will
“Do you send soldiers
on the warfront without
guns? Then why are you
An SP rank officer told
TOI that the health depart-
be a blow to the morale of
the fraternity,” said a doc-
sending doctors to fight
this war without proper
ment had approached them
after many positive pati-
tor who is part of the Co-
vid-19 team at the Medical
kits,” said Dr Ravi Ranjan
Kumar Raman of Nalanda
ents were caught hiding tra- College Hospital in Kolka- Medical College and Ho-
vel details. ta. (Experts say plastic ra-
incoats offer protection
spital in Patna.
Continued on P3 against viruses, but sho- Slow to buy masks: P6
Dip in energy
T to store paddy, demand as
chilli in schools to lockdown bites
save bumper crop has been sown in over 38 lakh
D omestic demand for pet-
rol, diesel and jet fuel
declined by up to a third in
Roushan.Ali@timesgroup.com the last five weeks, while
acres to make up for losses in power consumption drop-
Hyderabad: Scores of class- the past few years. “All crops ped by a quarter, after the
rooms that normally echo put together are in over 51 21-day lockdown brought
with academic lectures and lakh acres. We have chilli, ma-
discussions will become ize and other crops as well
stocking centres for paddy that need to be purchased
almost all commercial and
industrial activities to a
halt, reports Sanjay Dut-
and other agriculture produ- from farmers and stored,” sa- ta. Power consumption fell
ce in Telangana. id a top government official. to 2.59 billion units on Fri-
With a bumper crop of “The state government re- day, a level last seen on
over 1.05 crore metric tonne of quires Rs 35,000 crore to pro-
paddy alone expected in April cure paddy and other agricul-
March 1, 2015, when India
had 25% less generation ca-
and farmers
in Telangana Continued on P4
ture pro-
ducts from
pacity, according to latest
data from grid operator
farmers
barred from
moving out of their villages and to make transportation,
due to the lockdown, storage and other logistic ar-
POSOCO.
Lower demand for refi-
ned products has forced
chief minister KCR has now rangements. Farmers need state-run oil refiners to ta-
zeroed in on empty schools to not panic. The government per crude processing and
save the agri produce. As a re- will buy every grain and invoke ‘force majeure’
sult, paddy and other agri other agriculture produce of clause to put off oil ship-
products would be temporari- farmers by going to their re- ments for April after they
ly stored in government scho- spective gram panchayats,” ran out of storage for crude
ols and junior colleges until KCR said on Sunday. and refined products. Liqu-
the stocks are transported “Don’t rush to towns to efied natural gas impor-
out. sell your produce. Every stre- ters have deferred cargoes
Telangana does not have et and transport facility has under the same clause af-
warehousing capacity for been locked down. You will ter the lockdown sent CNG
such huge stocks and this was not be allowed to move out of vehicles off the road, lea-
the first time that paddy alone your villages,” KCR said. ding to a dip in demand. P6
 2 TIMES CITY | Viral Worry
CONTRIBUTIONS TO
FIGHT COVID-19 RISE
Hyderabad-based Heritage Foods
has announced a contribution
of `1Cr to fight Covid-19. This
includes `30 lakh each to the
Telangana and Andhra Pradesh
CM relief funds, and `10 lakh
each to the CM relief funds
of Karnataka, Tamil Nadu,
Maharashtra and Delhi
Govt Ramps Up Steps To Fight Back Virus
T health staff to get GOVT GUIDELINES FOR HOME QUARANTINE
new roster system
Sribala.Vadlapatla
@timesgroup.com
Hyderabad: Health depart-
ment is gearing up to put in pla-
ce safety measures for medical
staff and their family members
as they are vulnerable. Prepa-
rations are underway to firm
up a roster system to maintain
self-imposed quarantine for fi-
ve days on rotation basis. Doc-
tors, staff nurses, paramedics
and outsource staff have to ma-
intain the self-imposed quaran-
tine for five days after working
for an equal number of days.
According to instructions
issued (a copy available with
TOI) to all teaching hospitals,
government medical colleges
and speciality hospitals under
the Directorate of Medical
Education (DME), one-third
staff have to maintain self-im-
posed quarantine for five days.
After the quarantine period,
they have to duly report other-
wise their quarantine period
would not be considered as “ on
duty” and strict action would
be taken against them. Cur-
rently, the hospital administra-
tion is preparing lists of person-
nel to be in quarantine.
The instructions also clari-
fied that doctors should not car-
ry out any private practice and
mingle with the general public
during the quarantine period.
Health of the staff in quaranti-
ne would be monitored. If they
display any symptoms, they
would not be sent home. Also,
transport facility would be ma-
de available to the medical staff
to go the hospitals. The govern-
ment is also taking measures to
provide accommodation on the
hospital premises or rented ac-
commodation in nearby area-
s.A clarity on these measures
would emerge in a few days.
Meanwhile, a few post-gra-
duate medical students said
they were finding it difficult to
get accommodation in nearby
No stigma
attached to
Covid-19: T
patient to PM
TIMES NEWS NETWORK
Hyderabad: In his latest episo-
de of ‘Mann Ki Baat’ on Sunday,
Prime Minister Narendra Modi
spoke to two Covid-19 survivors,
including Ram Gampa Teja, an
IT professional from Hydera-
bad, who told the PM that qua-
rantine was not a punishment
and there was no stigma atta-
ched to the disease.
Teja told PM Modi he was
scared after he tested positive
for coronavirus but felt reassu-
red because of the doctors and
hospital staff.
“I work in the IT sector and
had gone to Dubai for an official
meeting. I got fever as soon as I
returned and after five to six da-
ys the doctors conducted a test
and I was found positive,” Teja
said, while sharing his experi-
ence during the radio telecast.
“Although I was scared in
the beginning, the doctors and
nurses at Gandhi Hospital took
good care of me and gave me the
BATTLING COVID
strength and assurance to over-
come the situation,” said Teja,
whose parents living in Ma-
hendra hills faced social boy-
cott for days.
When PM asked Teja about
the response from his family, he
said that he was relieved after
they tested negative. “I was real-
ly worried for them but I heaved
a sigh of relief after it was fo-
und that no other family mem-
ber has got infected,” he said.
Teja further stressed the
fact that quarantine is not a pu-
nishment. “Being in quaranti-
ne is for our own good. Quaran-
tine is not a prison. People sho-
uld know that there is no stigma
attached to it,” he added.
The PM also requested Teja
to share his experience on soci-
al media. “ It will help remove fe-
ar from people’s minds and ma-
ke them aware of the necessary
precautions to protect themsel-
ves,” he said.
Modi also spoke with Ashok
Kapoor, a resident of Agra, who
along with his five family mem-
bers, recovered from Covid-19.
Volunteers distribute food to the needy
Returnees cry foul
over Q-norm rules
Hyderabad: Despite being
asymptomatic after the
mandatory 14-day quarantine
period, several foreign returnees
have complained that officials
are considering the day they
inspected the house of an
individual as Day 1instead of the
date of arrival in the city. So,
many end up in a month’s
quarantine.
A woman, who arrived from
Qatar on March 19, said GHMC
officials visited her house on
March 28 and asked her to be in
home quarantine until April 14.
“I have not developed any
symptoms since the time of
arrival and was supposed to
remain in home quarantine until
April 2. However, the officials
asked me to remain in quarantine
until April 14,” she said.
Another resident, who is in
home quarantine since March 13,
said her isolation might end only
on April 8. “ The officials who
visited my residence had very
little knowledge of English and
Hindi and I know very little
Telugu. They came on Day 10 of
my quarantine, but counted it as
Day 1,” another resident said.
Officials clarified that unless
an individual develops
symptoms, it was not necessary
to remain in home quarantine
after the mandatory 14-day
period. “The date of arrival
should be considered as Day 1,
not the day of inspection. If a
mistake has happened at our end,
we will correct it. Individuals
facing this problem can contact
us and the error will be rectified,”
said GHMC zonal commissioner,
Serilingampally, N Ravi Kiran . TNN
hospitals. “It is problem for tho-
se staying in private residences
and we hope to find a solution
soon,” a PG doctor said on the
condition of anonymity.
GHMC takes up disinfection
drive, screening at Khairatabad
Nabinder.Bommala
@timesgroup.com
Hyderabad: As many as 350
families underwent scree-
ning for fever at the CIB Qu-
arters in Khairatabad and
were advised to home qua-
rantine themselves for 14 da-
ys. The screening was done
following the death of a Co-
vid-19 patient, who was a resi-
dent of the area. GHMC staffers spray disinfectants in Khairatabad on Sunday
Disinfectants were also
sprayed in and around the
CIB quarters on Sunday and lishments such as shops and for assistance,” said an offici-
sanitisation activity was ta- places of worship in that area al. “Unlike foreign returnees,
ken up in Indira Nagar, loca- were sanitised,” said an En- we cannot completely restrict
ted near the quarters. forcement Vigilance and Dis- the movement of all people in
“Eight vehicles have been aster Management official. that locality,” he added.
pressed into service to spray GHMC officials said that resi-
disinfectants in the locality. dents in the locality were also that the patient who passed
Sodium Hypochlorite was briefed on preventive measu- away did not move around
sprayed on pavement, rai- res to keep themselves safe.
lings, gates and all other pla-
ces that people tend to ac- quarantined soon after he by Khairtabad MLA Danam
cess,” said Hyderabad mayor was tested positive. His neigh- Nagender, GHMC zonal com-
Bonthu Rammohan, who mo- bours have been asked to fol- missioner of Khairathabad,
nitored the activity. low home quarantine guideli- P Pravinya and the police .
Man cycles to shrines Techie develops app to help achieve
despite lockdown social distancing during grocery runs
TIMES NEWS NETWORK
C Q
ity-based Ram Chand-
ran, who has been cyc-
ling to religious shrines
across India and Nepal, is
continuing his travels despite
the lockdown in the country.
He was cycling on Natio-
nal Highway 44 in Ambala on
Friday when volunteers hel-
ping migrant workers stop-
ped and offered him food and
gave him hand sanitizers and
masks, mistaking him for a
migrant returning home.
Ram Chandran, however,
told the group of volunteers
that he was on a quest to visit
250 temples in India and had
taken leave for two-and-a-half
months for his trip. “I started
my journey from Jagannath
Temple in Puri and from the-
re I went to Kali Temple in
Kolkata, then to Pashupati-
nath Temple in Kathmandu,
THE TIMES OF INDIA, HYDERABAD
MONDAY, MARCH 30, 2020
➤ The English and Foreign Language 65 CASES FOR ➤ According to the Rachakonda
University through its university LOCKDOWN VIOLATIONS police, as many as 800 passports
social responsibility (USR) initiative ➤ Out of a total of were seized and handed over to
has contributed more than `75,000 to 1,989 Covid-19 suspects district authorities
fight Covid-19. Contributions came under Rachakonda ➤ After enforcing the regulations
from faculty members and other staff Commissionerate, 1,740 and orders due to Covid-19
persons have been lockdown, a total of 29 violation
➤ Secretary of IPS Association,
verified so far cases and 36 petty cases were
Anjani Kumar, has informed that
the Telangana IPS Association will booked in the commissionerate
➤ Of those, three were
contribute one day salary of each positive cases and 1,664 ➤ Police said 33 two-wheelers and
member to the CM Relief fund and persons are in home Citizens gather at a chicken shop ignoring social four four-wheelers were seized for
one day salary to PM Relief fund quarantine distancing norms on Sunday violating the lockdown
Photo credits: Venkat Rao M, Anil, Syed Omar
70 Covid-19
cases in state,
Quarantine of persons is restriction of
activities or separation of persons who 11 recover
are not ill, but who may been exposed
Roushan.Ali@timesgroup.com
to an infectious agent or disease, with
the objective of monitoring symptoms Hyderabad: The number of
and early detection of cases coronavirus positive cases
went up to 70 in Telangana
➤ Quarantine is different from isolation, with three more persons tes-
which is the separation of ill or infected ting positive on Sunday.
persons from others, so as to prevent the Chief minister K Chand-
spread of infection or contamination rasekhar Rao, while giving
out figures, said that 11 per-
Who should be home quarantined? sons in hospital quarantine,
➤ All people, who have a travel have also recovered and tested
history from other countries negative during fresh tests.
(symptomatic/asymptomatic) KCR said the 11 patients
will be discharged on Monday
➤ Asymptomatic ➤ Suspects who are after following all protocols to
contacts of lab negative before discharge ensure that there is no scope of
confirmed cases from isolation facility coronavirus spreading from
these patients again.
Home quarantined person should The chief minister said
➤ District authorities shall without fail put NOT THE TIME FOR SELFIES: Students take a group selfie on a deserted road at Gurdwara Road in Ameerpet that 58 people are under qua-
quarantine stamp on the forehand of the ignoring lockdown and social distancing norms rantine treatment, including
person who must undergo home quarantine Instructions for family members of home quarantined persons ➤ Visitors should not be a 76-year-old person, who tes-
ted positive for coronavirus
allowed inside the house
➤ Stay in a well- ➤ If another family ➤ Only an assigned ➤ The caregiver should ➤ Avoid touching bed and is also suffering from va-
ventilated single member needs to stay family member wear a medical mask sheets or clothes used ➤ Clean and disinfect toilet rious other ailments.
room, should in the same room, should be tasked fitted tightly when by the quarantined surfaces daily with regular “If the state does not get
not move out it’s advisable to with taking care of in the same room and person, or direct contact household bleach solution/ any new Covid-19 positive case
of the allocated maintain a distance such person especially during movement with the skin phenolic disinfectants after April 7, Telangana will
room during the of at least 1 metre be free from coronavirus.
quarantine period between the two ➤ Use disposable gloves when ➤ Frequently touched surfaces such as ➤ Clean the clothes Let’s hope and pray that we be-
cleaning surfaces or handling bedside tables, bed frames and other and other linen comes a Covid-19 free-Telang-
➤ Needs to stay away from elderly soiled linen; handling body furniture, bathroom and toilet surfaces used by the person ana,” CM said.
people, pregnant women, those with fluids, stool, urine and waste should be cleaned and disinfected at separately using common
co-morbidities within the household, etc. Wash hands after removing gloves least once daily household detergent and dry
chronic obstructive pulmonary
diseases, etc DURATION OF HOME We will take care of
QUARANTINE you: CM to workers
➤ Restrict his/ ➤ Under no ➤ The home quarantine
From P 1
her movement circumstances period is for 14 days
within the attend any from contact with a
M
any migrants work in
parts of the social/religious confirmed case or earlier
Khammam, Peddapalli
house gathering e.g. wedding if a suspect case (of and Ramagundam etc .
whom the index person KCR said the workforce would
HE/SHE SHOULD FOLLOW PUBLIC is a contact) turns out be provided temporary
HEALTH MEASURES AT ALL TIMES: negative on laboratory accommodation at marriage
➤ Wash hand as often thoroughly testing halls other function halls, as
with soap and water or with well as cooking facilities or
➤ The person with cooked food for them. The chief
alcohol-based hand sanitizer
symptoms should remain minister also addressed
➤ Use disposable ➤ Avoid sharing at home until their migrant workers and said: “We
paper towels if household items e.g. symptoms are resolved consider you all our sons,
available or dedicated dishes, drink utensils, based on either clinical brothers, sisters and
cloth towel and keep towels, bedding, or and or laboratory daughters. We will take care of
replacing them other items An elderly couple being transported on a two wheeler at LB Nagar on Sunday findings you.” TNN
Full refund City doctors go for video call
for rly tickets
till April 14 consultation, hosps follow suit
Amrita.Didyala infection, I ask them to go to
Hyderabad: Passengers who
cancelled their tickets before
@timesgroup.com I am redirecting a
few patients to
government notified hospi-
tals,” said Dr Sanjeev Singh
the announcement of the can- Hyderabad: Dozens of doc- related specialists and also Yadav, general surgeon and
cellation of trains by Indian tors in the city have started telling them about whom to secretary Indian Medical As-
Railways between March 21 attending to their patients sociation (IMA) Telangana.
contact for sanitization,
and April 14 will be given a full through video calls and au- In special cases , where
refund. dio calls due to the ongoing
spraying and other such the prescribed drugs are not
“No cancellation fee will Covid-19 crisis. services. If there is no available over the counter,
be charged and the full amo- A few doctors have also improvement, I redirect doctors are scanning and
unt will be refunded. This is opened up their clinics to of- them to hospitals sending prescriptions.
applicable to both online tick- fer free consultations. “I have 20-25 consulta-
ets and the tickets bought over Many doctors also said Dr Sanjeev Singh Yadav | tions per day, which are done
GENERAL SURGEON, SECY (IMA)
passenger reservation system that they are constantly in to- either on video or audio calls.
“Even commercial estab- nes and call GHMC officials (PRS) counters,” reads an offi- uch with the medical supply given via WhatsApp or text I mention on the prescrip-
cial release from South Cen- staff to find out where parti- message. Few doctors are al- tions that this is a tele-con-
tral Railway (SCR). cular medicines can be bo- so providing paid consulta- sultation. The prescriptions
According to SCR officials, ught, based on the proximity tions, for cases that need in- are scanned and sent on
passengers can get a refund to the patient's location and depth examination. Whatsapp. The only problem
up to three months from the are then relaying this infor- “I am continuing consul- is that not all pharmacies ha-
A source in GHMC said date of the journey for the mation to patients. In addi- tations for my post-operation ve psychiatric medicines and
PRS tickets purchased thro- tion to this, many hospitals patients but also advising it become difficult for pati-
ugh counters. In the light of for also extending tele-medi- and prescribing medicines ents to acess them,” said Dr
much as he was 74 years old. COVID-19, passenger train cine services. on WhatsApp to patients Virinchi Sharma, consultant
“The patient’s family was The area was also inspected services in SCR zone inclu- In a majority of cases, the- complaining of fever, abdo- psychiatrist.
ding premium trains, express se are free consultations ex- minal pain, anal issues etc. If He takes up around 10 pa-
trains, passenger trains, sub- tended to existing patients there is no improvement, I re- id consultations per day, and
urban trains, are cancelled till and the opinions as well as direct them to hospitals and answers over 15-20 queries
April 14. TNN prescription of medicines is if it looks like a respiratory free of cost.
#LOCKDOWN
HEROES
F rom doctors, nurses,
bankers to milkmen
and security guards,
there are many frontline
Sribala.Vadlapatla sions such as milk, eggs and
@timesgroup.com APT APP FOR CHANGE bread. Users can book the 15-
warriors who are battling
it out daily to ensure we
After the virus outbreak and lockdown minutes to pick up all other
Hyderabad: With Union and grocery items. The SMS will are safe and taken care
state governments stressing announcement, I thought that technology cost the users 15 paisa per of during the lockdown.
on the need for social distan- could be put to use to achieve social message. We salute all these real,
cing to tackle the coronavirus distancing. Residents of our apartment have “ At our apartment comp- unsung heroes.
pandemic, a city-based techie already stated booking slots on the app and lex, we also have a security
has now developed an app to guard stationed at the super If you know of
Chandran (right) with a volunteer enable social distancing.
there has been a substantial reduction in bazaar so that people mainta- #LockdownHeroes whose
The web-based applica- the length of queues —Vijayanand Reddy in social distance while shop- stories you would like to
Nepal. From there, I went to tion developed by Vijayanand ping, during their designated share please log on to
Haridwar and then to Jawala- Reddy, will help citizens prac- who owns a fin-tech startup has been a substantial reduc- time slots, ” Reddy added. www.toilockdownheroes.
ji in Himachal Pradesh. Then tise social distancing at gro- had checked the feasibility of tion in the length of queues,” Currently, the app is being com. We will seek to get
I went to Vaishno Devi and cery stores, vegetable mar- the app by implementing it at Reddy said. provided for free to those in- in touch and feature
Golden Temple,” said the kets and super his apartment The system works in such terested in testing it. “ An
select stories in The
man who has spent a month
and 27 days cycling alone.
bazaars. Using
the app, people
#LOCKDOWN complex in Ku-
katpally. “ We
a way that super bazars or
shops will have to integrate
apartment in Bengaluru has
come forward to test this mo- Times of India newspaper.
“ I am travelling on the be-
lief of Sri Ram and God and
can book a slot
at particular
HEROES have about
2,500 flats and
with the app to enable boo-
king of slots. Once users book
del. We will also be providing
a demonstration of the appli- Food stock: Food Corporation
so far, in this journey, my bicy- stores in the city — this will 8,000 people residing in our a slot, they will receive an cation to other super bazars. of India, Tealangana, has
cle has not got punctured help prevent overcrowding — apartment complex. We also SMS with an allotted timing. “The app will avoid crowding augmented supply of
even once. due to curfew, I ha- thereby helping people main- have an in- house medical There are two types of type of grocery stores and reduce foodgrains from surplus to
ve been stopped at many pla- tain the required distance shop and a super bazaar. Resi- slots available - a five-minute the chance of contracting the deficit places. FCI Telangana
ces,” Chandran said and ad- from each other while ma- dents of the apartment have express time slot and a 15-mi- virus while waiting in queu- has positioned sufficient stock
ded that he was cycling to Hy- king purchases. already stated booking slots nute time slot. The five-minu- es,” said KV Chandra, a resi- for supply to needy regions in
derabad now. The 38-year-old techie for the super bazaar and there te is meant to buy basic provi- dent of Kukatpally. southern states. TNN
THE TIMES OF INDIA, HYDERABAD
MONDAY, MARCH 30, 2020
To Keep Food Supply On, Farmers Seek Bailout
‘Defer Loan POLICE DISTRIBUTE ESSENTIALS TO MIGRANTS
Repayment,
Waive Off
Interest’
TIMES NEWS NETWORK
Hyderabad: Farmers are fa-
cing hardships due to 21-day
nationwide lockdown, said
Consortium of Indian Far-
mers Association (CIFA) on
Saturday, in a letter to Prime
Minister Narendra Modi and
chief ministers of all states.
CIFA demanded that go-
vernment issue a moratori-
um on loan repayments
and interest waiver on crop lo-
ans. Farmers are facing pro-
blems due to closure of shops,
non-availability of pesticides
and fertilisers and labour
shortage due to barricading
of villages.
CIFA general secretary
Bojja Dasaradharami Reddy
told TOI, “During the lock-
down, it is extremely impor-
tant to ensure that food supp-
lies are maintained, and the
population does not become
vulnerable to the risk of se-
condary infections due to
malnutrition on account of
short supply of food.”
“We suggest an immediate
removal of all village barrica-
des. Most farms require farm
labour from neighbouring
villages and the barricades
prevent the free movement of
labour which is effecting the
farm operations, such as pick-
ing of chillies, vegetables,
horticulture crops and other
crops which are currently re-
ady for harvest,” Reddy said.
If prompt action is not ta-
ken to address this issue, it is
likely that there will be a huge
loss of crops on account of the
produce not being harvested.
The barricades have hinde-
red access to towns in case of
health emergencies. The bar-
ricades have been installed by
local communities either on
their own or on instructions
of local panchayat authoriti-
es or local law enforcement
personnel,” Reddy added.
CIFA demand a message
be sent that barricading of
villages is not permitted un-
less as a containment strate-
gy on the instructions of the
local health authorities in ca-
Records will
help in contact
tracing: Cop
From P 1
T
he police department is
trying to help health aut-
horities by analysing the
CDR. In-call data records help
identify whom did they speak
with and whether they met,” the
officer said.
DGP M Mahendar Reddy, in
a tweet on Sunday, said: “State-
wide data has been collected and
residences of 22,000 persons ha-
ve been geo-tagged by Saturday
using TSCOP app so that frontli-
ne officers can continuously mo-
nitor their movements.” He also
said that active surveillance on
home-quarantined foreign re-
turnees was underway. Cops ha-
ve found that some foreign retur-
nees have given the wrong add-
ress at the immigration counter.
“When we were checking the
addresses of foreign returnees,
many were incorrect. In some
cases we are collecting addres-
ses from the regional passport
office. The missing foreign re-
turnees’ cell phone call records
are also being obtained to identi-
fy them. We are leaving no stone
unturned,” an officer said.
Railway employees want more
masks & sanitisers on trains
Arya.Sharan@timesgroup.com
Hyderabad: Railway employe-
es of freight trains in SCR have
complained of lack of masks
and sanitisers on trains.
“Officials and workers in
signal and telecommunica-
tions, engineering depart-
ments and gatemen work on
tracks and we deal with them
on a daily basis. There is a signi-
ficant shortage of masks, glo-
ves and hand sanitisers,” an
employee told TOI.
Track machine employees
have also urged the authorities
to stop their work as they were
being asked to work in groups
with nary a care for social dis-
tancing. Locomotive pilots have
also demanded the sanitization
of freight train cabins.
Locomotive pilots also high-
lighted the shortage of saniti-
sers. “The locomotives, of
which we take charge at vario-
SATELLITE TELECASTS TO HELP STUDENTS classes,
➤ To help students preparing for competitive
examinations like EAMCET, NEET and JEE,
the state government has started telecasting
lessons through T-SAT network channel
➤ The network will be telecasting 500
episodes to help students prepare for exams.
The lessons will be telecast until May 3
se of a spike in Covid-19 cases.
“The instructions cur-
rently issued, while permit-
ting farm operations, are si-
lent with regards to the issue
of supply of pesticides and
fertilisers to farms. The ferti-
liser and pesticide shops are
being closed by the local law
enforcement only to be ope-
ned as soon as the police leave.
It is necessary to provide cle-
ar instruction to the law en-
forcement authorities so that
they do not close down the fer-
tiliser and pesticide shops,”
said Dasaradharami Reddy.
CIFA suggested that in or-
der to limit the physical move-
ment of people, the govern-
ment should make arrange-
ments to deliver the stock
from the shop to the farmers
on a fixed fee basis based on
the delivery distance so as to
prevent large scale movement
Constable on patrol
attacked, manhunt on
TIMES NEWS NETWORK
Hyderabad: A police cons-
table who was on patrol duty
as part of Covid-19 lockdown
bandobust at Sanathnagar
was allegedly assaulted by a
group of youngsters on Sa-
turday night. Due to the as-
sault, the constable suffered
a fracture and police laun-
ched a manhunt to nab the
offenders.
Around 7 pm on Saturday,
a team of Sanathnagar poli-
ce, comprising sub-inspector
(SI) Venkateshwarulu and
three constables, went to Al-
lapur for patrolling. The te-
am members split and went
into different lanes to check
whether people were moving
in the streets. Constable Na-
veen Kumar, who went to Ma-
sjid Galli, noticed a group of
youngsters in the lane and as-
ked them to disperse.
“The youngsters picked
up an argument with the
constable, who was alone.
The youth confronted him,
arguing that they will conti-
nue to stand together near
their houses and obstructed
us crew changing points, need
to be sanitised,” an assistant lo-
comotive pilot of a goods train
said.
Meanwhile, to negate any
possibility of contracting infec-
tions, the mandatory breathaly-
ser has been done away with for
crew operating freight trains,
an SCR official release said. “To
implement the measure and en-
sure no compromise on safety,
locomotive inspectors have be-
en deputed to keep a stringent
check. Likewise, manual sig-
ning of attendance registers in
lieu of biometric verification
has also been arranged,” said
Police distribute food to the homeless in Bollaram, Secunderabad on Sunday
Qare providing
online
but many are
➤ As per the schedule on the official website,
lessons will be telecast round-the-clock,
allowing students to study at their convenience
➤ Meanwhile, as part of its Integrated School
Programme, CBSE is offering a foundation
course for competitive exams through the
DIKSHA app and website
of farmers to the nearby
towns. “There is a difficulty
in marketing perishable go-
ods such as vegetables due to
non-availability of transport.
While some states such as
Andhra Pradesh and Telang-
ana have already announced
that the produce will be pur-
chased from the villages di-
rectly, a comprehensive poli-
cy is required to be framed
and a system put in place so
that the crops do not get dama-
ged waiting for the arrival of
the government agencies to
procure perishable agri pro-
duce and other agri produce
at fair prices. The policy may
also provide for a redressal
mechanism to promptly add-
ress any issues which may be
faced by the farmers in selling
their produce,” he added.
CIFA alleged that farmers
are facing a lot of harassment
him,” Sanathanagar police
said. During the argument,
two men hit the constable
with sticks and eight others
punched him with their
fists,” Sanathnagar SI D Pai-
di Naidu said.
Due to the assault, the
constable suffered a fracture
in his left leg and sustained
internal injuries. Based on
the complaint lodged by Na-
veen Kumar, Sanathnagar
police registered a case un-
der sections 332 (voluntarily
causing hurt to a public ser-
vant while discharging his
duty), 188 (Disobedience to
order duly promulgated by
public servant), 269 (Negli-
gent act likely to spread in-
fection of disease dangerous
to life), 148 (rioting) r/w 149 of
the IPC and Section 3 of the
Epidemic Diseases Act, 1897.
“The constable is out of
danger. We have put up a
picket at Allapur and a man-
hunt has been launched to
nab the accused, including
Irfan and Syed Fazil. All the
accused were workers in
small business establish-
ments,” the SI said.
Locomotive pilots have de-
manded the sanitization of
freight train cabins. They
highlighted shortage of san-
itisers. Track machine employ-
ees have urged to stop work
chief public relations officer of
SCR, Ch Rakesh.
“The breathalyser is next to
the Crew Management System
(CMS) machine in the same
kiosk in most places. Both the
machines get used multiple ti-
mes in an hour. We have taken
steps to avoid any spread of in-
fection through them,” he ad-
ded. In a letter dated March 27,
the Railway Board stated that
crew members with history of
alcoholism will not be allowed
the relaxation. They will be re-
quired to provide a declaration
stating they are not under influ-
ence of alcohol.
TIMES CITY | Viral Worry
➤ Rachakonda police distributed
essential supplies to migrant
labourers on the outskirts of the city
➤ A total of 200 labourers from West
Bengal were fed in Balapur, while
groceries were distributed to nearly
400 poor families in Neredmet
from the local law enforce-
ment personal while trans-
porting labour from the ne-
ighbouring villages.
“In recent times, there has
been a massive increase in the
number of auto rickshaws in
rural areas, as they provide
last mile connectivity in the
most interior villages apart
from forming the backbone of
labour transport. However,
since the lockdown, law enfor-
cement have not been permit-
ting the autos to ply between
villages and rightly so, as it is
difficult to maintain social
distancing norms in an auto .
However, there is every need
to address the issue of labour
shortage and it is suggested
that the road transport autho-
rities may operate special bu-
ses in rural areas in order to
facilitate safe movement of la-
bour to farms,” he said.
-
ilk
"
i I !
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filled with unvalidated information , causing panic and confusion . At such a time, it is imperative
that you rely only on a reliable, trusted and credible source of information like The Times of India.
.................................................................................................................
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ENSURE THAT YOU CAN SAFELY CONTINUE READING TOI AT HOME:
011P4
O o
0
O The newspaper bundles are loaded onto trucks by handlers wearing gloves and face masks .
I ss°
Umasankar3
Pic: Chitti Babu
Hit by lockdown, auto
drivers seek govt’s help
TIMES NEWS NETWORK sekhar Rao on March 22 anno-
Auto unions urged the unced that one month’s ration
Hyderabad: Auto rickshaw dri- state government to in- and 12 kg of rice will be given to
vers in the city, who are strugg- tervene and provide some each of the 87.59 lakh white ra-
ling to make ends meet amid the economic relief to auto tion cardholders in the state.
lockdown to prevent the spread While the relief from the state is
of Covid-19, sought help from the
drivers, especially to those yet to arrive at many places,
state government. who do not have ration unions say that many auto dri-
Most of the auto drivers buy cards with them vers who depend on their daily
food with the money they make earnings to feed their families
each day and have no savings to ver. “I request the government to do not have white ration cards.
fall back on. They said their fa- help us overcome these tough ti- “This unprecedented 21-day
milies have been struggling for mes,” Rameez added. Rameez lockdown is forcing a lot of auto
food and other basic amenities and his family are from Warang- drivers to struggle for even the
Q
due to the unprecedented 21-day al and have been residing in Hy- basic needs. While those who ha-
Good Samaritans lockdown. derabad from the past 2 years. ve white ration cards will recei-
and organisations
“Our first concern is how to Similarly, another auto dri- ve the ration in a few days, those
have come forward to
feed our families, not the virus. ver, M Ramnath said, “I do not who do not have the cards will be
work with Rachakonda We usually earn about `500 to have any money left to finance the ones who will suffer the
police to serve the `600 per day which we use to buy my auto or to even buy groceri- most,” said Satti Reddy, a mem-
needy and vulnerable food, save up for rent and pay es. I am the only earning mem- ber of Telangana Auto Drivers
Mahesh Bhagwat | RACHA- other bills. With the government ber of my family and I do not Joint Action Committee.
KONDA POLICE COMMISSIONER
announcing the lockdown, we even have a white ration card to “None of them were prepa-
have no other means of income avail benefits of the govern- red for this lockdown and are
or savings to fall back on. We will ment. I request the government struggling to feed their families.
Several platforms starve to death if this continues to help us survive these tough ti- We request the government to
for a longer period,” said Mo-
hammad Rameez, an auto dri-
mes.”
Chief minister K Chandra-
consider our plea and help the
auto drivers,” said Reddy.
charging hefty fees.
Through TSAT, my son can
download the schedule 23-yr-old trainee pilot rides HAPPAIMES
and attend classes as per
his choice and study at 550km, rams bike into divider 1
his own space Hyderabad: A 23-year old trai- urney on highways full of o
M Kumari | A PARENT
nee pilot who works at Begum-
pet airport sustained injuries
heavy vehicles is suicidal as
the rider can crash due to slee-
Knowledge is Safety!
In light of the Covid-19 in a road accident in the early plessness and fatigue. Also, the Read the paper to enhance
pandemic, it is imperative hours of Sunday near Chatan- lack of driving skills among your awareness and safety
that the government declare a palli bridge under Shadnagar some two-wheeler riders make
during these times.
moratorium on the loans dis- on Sunday. The victim had tra- them vulnerable as they can’t Healthcare vouchers
bursed to the farm sector for velled 550 km overnight even manoeuvre between the heavy to be won daily.
one crop season similar to the as there is a countrywide lock- vehicles and steep curves,” sa- Convert points to
moratorium declared on wor- down amid Covid-19 outbreak. id a Cyberabad traffic police 5X TIMESPOINTS
king capital loans taken by The victim was on a bike officer. The victim sustained for assured rewards.
companies, Reddy said. and rammed into the road divi- multiple injuries and was rus- Weekly Points Bonanza!
“It is further requested der at around 4.45am, while hed to a private hospital. A ca- Weekly draws for 12000
that the government provide travelling from Madanapalle, se was registered in Shadna- TIMESPOINTS,every Sunday.
interest free loans for the next Chittoor. “Taking up such a jo- gar. TNN T&Cs apply vartiopalion window : 7 to IM
crop season in order to facili- 1 1
tate easy access to capital and
1
prevent loan sharks from ta-
GOVERNMENT OF TELANGANA
king undue advantage of the Secretary?
DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH & FAMILY WELFARE Q2. Which cricketer s
farmers. Apart from the abo-
RECRUITMENT OF MEDICAL PROFESSIONALS leadership ban ended
ve, it is requested that the go-
Applications are invited from medical professionals , i.e., Doctor on Sunday?
vernment provide an insu-
rance cover of `50 lakh to each Nurses and Lab Technicians (including retired medical professionalsi - r
lbParlickple,smsymir
deployment on contract basis by the Department of Health & Fanriy
farmer and farm labourer
Welfare , Government of Telangana.
Details of the process of empanelment , remuneration pay abla nr:
currently risking their life in
order to feed the country and online application form are available at: health.t elangana.gov.in
treat them on par with our he- Last date of application is 3 April . 2020. Stay Safe Tlpl
alth care professionals,” Red- Sd/- Special Chief Secretary to G o v e r n m e n t W ash hands 1 soap and
dy concluded. Department of Health & Family W e lfa re water 1
AIM W
AW
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 4 TIMES CITY | Viral Worry THE TIMES OF INDIA, HYDERABAD
MONDAY, MARCH 30, 2020

Supplies Ease, Prices Soften After A Soar Pic: Venkat Rao M

With plenty of FEW TAKERS FOR SOCIAL DISTANCING IN CITY’S MARKETS CM assures
farmers govt
While your neighbourhood supermarket is following

arrivals, veggie social distancing norms, wholesale markets at

rates down by half
Preeti.Biswas@timesgroup.com
Hyderabad: At a time when
poultry prices are soaring in
the city, vegetable rates have
now reduced after the supply
chain bottlenecks started to
ease in the last one week.
Last week, the surge in
purchases and shortage of
supply resulted in a hike in ve-
getable prices across the city,
with some vendors charging
as high as `100 for 1kg of toma-
toes. However, due to arrival
of fresh vegetables in the last
one week, prices have inched
back to normalcy with rates
dropping by almost 50%.
For example, the Erragad-
da market received only 1,057
quintals of vegetables on
March 23 as against 2,207 qu-
intals on March 28. Similarly,
Falaknuma market received
307 quintals of vegetables on
March 23 as against 565 quin-
tals on March 28, and Kukat-
pally market received 183 qu-
intals on March 23 as against
606 quintals received on
March 29.
“We have recently recei-
AP doubles ration
quota for 3 months
Amaravati: In a major relief to
the poor, the AP government has
decided to double the free ration
supply for three months.
A family of four, which is
presently getting 20 kgs of rice a
month, would now get 40 kg for
three months and the entire
supply will be free. But instead of
giving the entire 40 kgs of rice at
one go, the government would
distribute ration twice a month
that would facilitate rice
cardholders to easily carry the
stock home. This means that
each cardholder would get
ration six times in the next three
months. After the April quota of
ration distribution, which
started on Sunday, there would
be another five free ration
distribution till the end of June.
“Chief minister YS
Jaganmohan Reddy has already
announced that April quota of
ration will be given free of cost
and directed officials to double
the quota for three months,” civil
supplies commissioner Kona
Bowenpally, Shamshabad and Gudimalakapur
will offer MSP,
buy paddy
Unlike local Despite repeated attempts
vendors, no distance to encourage social
From P 1
is maintained at these distancing, vendors were
markets, where people seen parking their vehicles at
were seen milling around
making purchases
close quarters and unloading
vegetable stocks
A griculture activity has al-
most doubled in Telanga-
na due to 24x7 power supply,
At Shamshabad marketyard hundreds of people were
Rs 10,000 per acre per annum
government sop to farmers to-
seen flooding the marketyard at once wards crop input and water
availability from various irri-
…There are no proper in and out gates for gation projects.
such a huge market. We have only one The chief minister assu-
gate for entry and exit. It always packed red farmers that the govern-
like this. Anna this market traffic should be ment will offer a minimum
checked once (sic) support price and purchase
paddy. KCR also said that far-
—Mittu on Twitter, on the condition at Bowenpally market mers were at liberty to sell the-
ir produce to either govern-
People were seen moving about at a Nampally market ment that would set up
without following social distancing norms procurement centres in all the
villages or to private mer-
WHAT IS SOCIAL CM PROMISES MORE TO HELP FARMERS Key outtakes from CM’s address on Sunday VEGGIES BACK ON YOUR PLATE… chants, but only at minimum
DISTANCING? Government to bring labourers Government will Villagers told to remove Mar 22-23 Mar 29 support price to be fixed by the
from Bihar by arranging special Vegetable government.
Social distancing is spend Rs 35,000 crore to blockades and allow (in `) (in `)
trains if needed as 95% labourers procure produce from officials into villages to “The state government
deliberately increasing the Tomato 50- 100 18- 30 will deposit cheques for the
physical space between people involved in loading and farmers procure paddy
paddy purchased from far-
to avoid spreading illness unloading paddy and custom Bhindi 50-80 35-45
milled rice are from Bihar Sarpanches and officials given authority to decide mers into their bank accounts
distribution of 12kgs of free rice with or without biometrics Cauliflower 30-55 16-25 directly,” KCR added.
WHY IS IT IMPORTANT? About 6,500 experts in
Staying at least six feet
mounting harvesting machines `1,500 to be CM to meet rice millers on Monday Cabbage 25-35 12-20
would be given special passes deposited directly Farmers told to not gather in
away from other people
lessens your chances of
and allowed to harvest the into accounts crowds. CM mentioned example of
Dondakai 30-40 30 Buyers throng
catching the coronavirus
crop as agriculture labour is not
available due to coronavirus
of white-card
holders
South Korea where one person had
infected 59,000 people
Potato 35-60 45
meat markets
Onions 30-60 30-40 Vijayawada: People ignored
social distancing norms at their

Fears recede, but chicken price rises to `190/kg

ved fresh produce due to
which the prices have been re-
duced. Panic buying has also
stopped with households ha-
ving stocked up already to ad-
just to the lockdown routine,”
said Seenu, a rythu bazaar
vendor from Sainikpuri.
With supply line hindran-
ces removed, the prices of ve-
getables came down signifi-
cantly. Tomatoes which cost
`50-100 per kg a week are now
available for purchase at `18-
30 per kg. Prices also dropped
for other vegetables such as la-
dyfinger, cauliflower, cabbage
among others.
Though the demand-supp-
ly gap still exists in grocery
items, it has been reduced con-
siderably by mobile rythu ba-
zaars and online grocery sto-
Sasidhar told TOI.
Meanwhile, long queues
were seen at ration shops across
the state on Sunday. With the
civil supplies department issuing
guidelines for distribution of rice
and dal, the officials visited each
and every shop to ensure social
distancing was maintained
during the distribution. They
also ensured that cardholders
cleaned their hands before
collecting the ration. TNN
res making a comeback.
“Now, the local vendors
are again visiting our doors-
teps and supplying groceries.
I was happy to see that the lo-
cal vendors too are offering sa-
nitizers and taking precautio-
nary measures,” said Varsha
Narra, a housewife.
Nabinder.Bommala
@timesgroup.com
Hyderabad: With myths
surrounding the consump-
tion of chicken and spread of
coronavirus subsiding, pri-
ces of poultry have been see-
ing a sharp rise over the past
few days.
Chicken prices, which
had fallen to `50 per kg until
mid-March, rose to `190 per
kg on Sunday. With people re-
alising that chicken con-
sumption does not cause co-
ronavirus and chief mini-
ster K Chandrasekhar Rao’s
issuing a statement busting
myths, the demand for poult-
ry products has risen. Mar-
ket rates of chicken on
March 25, 26, 27 and 28 stood
at `135, `152, `168 and `177 per
kg, respectively.
“The demand for chicken
and eggs rose after people
saw that others who were
consuming chicken did not
fall ill. The CM’s statement
also helped the industry,” sa-
id Errabelli Pradeep Kumar
Rao, president, Telangana
Poultry Federation.
A butcher at a meat store
on Road No 7, Banjara Hills
said that customers coming
to his store also helped put
Venkat Rao M said Mohammed Mazher, a
staffer at TenderCuts, a meat
store in Banjara Hills.
Meanwhile, Chakradhar
Rao, president, Indian Poult-
ry Equipment Manufactu-
rer’s Association, stressed
that the government should
not restrict the movement of
vehicles transporting bird
feed amid the lockdown.
“Prices of poultry products
also dipped as birds were be-
ing killed and distributed for
free due to lack of bird feed
A crowded chicken shop in the city on Sunday in market. Only if poultry fe-
ed reaches farmers the in-
an end to the rumours. “Se- chicken after noticing peo- dustry will survive,” said
veral commuters bought ple buying meat at my store,” Rao.
peril while buying fish, chicken
and other non-vegetarian items
here on Sunday. Despite the
lockdown, major markets sell-
ing non-vegetarian food re-
mained open on Sunday.
Chuttugunta, Patamata and
other Sunday markets wit-
nessed big crowds. The majori-
ty of sellers and buyers moved
in the markets without wearing
masks or using hand sanitisers.
The AP government’s state-
ments promoting poultry and
aqua food might have led to the
rush in markets. “A strong im-
mune system is very important
in the fight against coronavi-
rus. Chicken and fish are cheap-
er protein providers and we pre-
fer them,” said Goli Govardhan,
a buyer at the Durgapuram
market. TNN

Slum-dwellers in Cantt struggle to
make ends meet amid lockdown demurrage, wharfage
TIMES NEWS NETWORK
More needs to be done to improve
sanitation: Old City residents
Secunderabad: As the lock-
down has brought daily life to
a standstill, residents of over
a 100 slums in Secunderabad
Cantonment areas are
struggling to make ends me-
et. Most of the 5,000 families
staying in the eight civilian
wards in the Cantonment are-
as are daily-wage earners, do-
mestic helpers, construction
and sanitation workers.
Resident Welfare Associa-
tions (RWAs) of nearly 300 co-
lonies have been told by their
employers to stay home. “I
used to earn of `2,000 to `3,000
per month, now who will take
care of us?” said K Nagamma
(38), a domestic helper and re-
sident of Indiramma Nagar
in Rasoolpura.
Durgaiah (28), a daily wa-
ger, said the SCB staff and lo-
cal ward members have failed
to help him during the crisis.
“The state government had
announced it will supply rice,
SCR not to levy Pandemic hits Cantt board’s
property tax collection hard
charges till April 14 TIMES NEWS NETWORK WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW
Charminar: Sanitation efforts in the Old City areas have left TIMES NEWS NETWORK Secunderabad: The corona- ➤ Portal to pay property
locals dissatisfied especially since the outbreak of coronavirus. virus outbreak and the 21-day tax through online:
Residents have asked the state government to look into the matter Hyderabad: The South Cen- lockdown has hit the proper- www.scb.gov.in
and improve sanitation standards immediately. They said that tral Railway (SCR) has deci- ty tax collection by Secunde-
➤ Number of properties:
while all possible steps were being taken to ensure people stayed ded not to levy any charges rabad Cantonment Board
in their homes, not much was being done to keep areas for stacking, detention and (SCB).The board had plan- Over 57,000
surrounding their homes clean. Touching upon sanitisation ground usage of goods and ned to generate around `100 ➤ Number of civilian
measures being taken up at certain places in the city, Syed Naser parcel freight traffic up to crore revenue from property wards: 8
Ahmed from Jahanuma told TOI that effective sanitisation and April 14 amid the Covid-19 tax, but has only managed to
Operating over 270 freight
fogging needed to be done within the localities. lockdown. collect around `50 crore thro- ➤ Main cash counter:
“We have been asked to break the chain of Covid-19 by staying Operating over 270 fre- trains in the last six days, SCR ugh online payment. SCB main office, open ➤ Last date for payment: March
at home. We are doing our utmost best and following the ight trains in the last six da- has transported fertilizers, The last date for payment between 9 am and 4 pm 31, up to 5 pm
government instructions. However, when you pass through the ys, SCR has transported fer- coal to thermal power plants of 2019-20 property tax, which
streets, there is garbage everywhere which poses a health risk to tilizers, coal to thermal po- and food grains across the is one of the major sources of
residents. While sanitisation has been taken up in some areas, wer plants and food grains country, inform officials revenue for the board, was
more needs to be done throughout the entire city to ensure a across the country, said initially March 31. At a recent Elected reps spread awareness
healthier atmosphere for all,” Syed Naser said The residents also officials. board meeting, SCB chief ex- Secunderabad: Ministers, MLAs, civic body corporators and
complained of a prevalent mosquito menace in their area. “We have decided to cut SCR has been running ecutive officer SVR Chandra SCB ward members are spreading awareness on preventive
—Omer bin Taher down the rates of wharfage freight train services to Sekhar said that the deadline measures to combat the spread of coronavirus among residents
(fee charged on goods for not transport essential commo- will not be extended further of cantonment areas.
oil and dal through fair price Several families in slums removing them from the rail- dities since March 22 and the and property owners will ha- Ward member J Maheshwar Reddy visited residential areas
shops, but in the Canton- also said SCB officials were way after the expiry of the zone has registered freight ve to pay the tax online. in Bapuji Nagar, Soujanya Colony, Kamsali Bazar and the weekly
ment, the officials concerned only making announcements free time for such removal) loading of 10.17 million ton- There are around 50,000 vegetable market at Peddathokatta and distributed masks to
are not implementing this. I on preventive measures rat- and demurrage (charges le- nes (MTs), averaging to aro- properties, including resi- the vendors. Another ward member S Keshava Reddy went on
have five family members to her than providing them es- vied for detaining rolling und 1.70 MTs every day. dential and commercial, in rounds in his ward in an autorickshaw making public
feed,” he said. sential items. stock after the expiry of free “Meanwhile, we are ensu- Cantonment areas. announcements on the precautionary measures to be taken in
time) for goods and parcels,” ring that a doctor is available Tax inspectors say that order to fight the spread of the virus.
chief public relations officer for the rail staff on call. The due to the fear of contracting Meanwhile, the SCB’s health and sanitation wing is spraying

Covid-19 blanks out Telugu

of SCR, Ch Rakesh said. working places, including of- te infection, property owners disinfectants at bus stops in Gunrock Enclave, Sitaramnagar
“Furthermore, the free ti- fices and shed premises are not paying the tax at the and various other cantonment areas, sanitising buildings,
me for loading and unloa- along with the rest houses board office. “Some people residential areas, schools, libraries, parks and markets. TNN
ding the trains and for remo- are continuously sanitized are not opening the door, say-

soaps, production halts

val of the consignments and disinfected to provide a ing that they would pay it on- perty owners and ward mem- a month. However, SCB mem-
from the railways has been safe environments,” Ch Ra- line,” said a tax inspector. bers have urged the board to bers said that only the CEO
doubled,” he added. kesh said. Meanwhile, several pro- extend the deadline by atleast can take a call on the matter.

Young sarpanch shows way in fighting virus

TIMES NEWS NETWORK
Hyderabad: TV serial ad-
dicts in the Telugu states will
soon miss their favourite
shows as production of the
new episodes came to a grin-
ding halt from March 21.
“Episodes are shot much
in advance, so there are some
more which will continue to
be telecast but these will last
probably for two or three da-
ys,” a television producer sa-
id. Meanwhile, Telugu TV
channels are planning to tele-
cast movies in the slots where
otherwise serials would have
been telecast.
There are at least 70 fiction
serials and another 20 non fic-
tion serials that are not being
telecast on various channels,
according to Telugu Televi-
sion Producers Council presi-
dent A Prasada Rao. The seri-
als are telecast for five hours
during prime time which is 6
pm to 11 pm everyday in addi-
tion to at least three hours in
the afternoon. There are near-
ly 7,000 people involved in Te-
lugu TV serials production,
including actors and technici-
ans.
“Once things settle down,
the production will continue,
if necessary at a faster pace,”
said a producer K Ramesh Ba-
bu who is also the treasurer of
the producers council. As of
now, on a given day at least two
episodes are shot for a serial.
Some of the most popular
TV serials which people have
been addicted to include Kart-
hika Deepam, Intinti Gruha-
lakshmi, Vadhinamma, Mou-
naragam, and Prema Entha-
madhuram.
Such is the popularity of
TV serials in the Telugu states
that their publicity has lite-
rally overtaken the publicity
that is given for new film rele-
There are at least 70 fiction
serials and another 20 non
fiction serials that are not
being telecast on various
channels, according to
Telugu Television Producers
Council president
A Prasada Rao
ases. Though pasting of pos-
ters on walls and public places
is banned in Telangana, the
publicity material is seen eve-
rywhere in Hyderabad. The
paid-for publicity also hap-
pens in the form of bill boards
and at bus stops.
There, however, is a lot of
criticism for TV serials as the
episodes are said to be drag-
ging and viewers being un-
happy about it. In the space
that will be vacated by TV seri-
als, Telugu film audiences
will be able to watch movies.
In the Telugu states, remakes
of serials from other langua-
ges like Tamil, Kannada and
Bengali are common because
of their storyline. However,
there are no dubbed serials.
Aditi.Mallick@timesgroup.com
Hyderabad: A 23-year-old yo-
ung woman sarpanch of Ma-
danapuram village in Nal-
gonda district has been ta-
king rounds of her village to
ensure that people stay home
during the 21-day lockdown.
During the first few days
of the lockdown, Akhila Ya-
dav, a BSc graduate and sar-
panch of the village stood out-
side her village holding a
stick to stop people from ente-
ring it without a valid reason.
“Earlier, people were not ta-
king the lockdown seriously, I
saw people from other villa-
ges travelling here for no va-
lid reason. So I sat at the ent-
rance of the village and put
up barricades. I would ask
them the reason for roaming
outside and entering the vil-
lage if they have a genuine re-
ason, they were allowed to en-
ter. Or else I would ask them to
go back,” said Akhila.
During the first few
days of the
lockdown, sarpanch
Akhila Yadav stood
at the entrance of her
village with a stick to
stop people from
entering it without
a valid reason
She would stand at the ent-
rance from morning till after-
noon. After a break, she wo-
uld again stand there, till the
curfew hour. After the restric-
tions on people’s movement
were tightened, she removed
the barricades, but the sar-
panch has been regularly ta-
king rounds of the village to
ensure people stay home du-
ring the lockdown period.
“This is the time we have
to take precautions to save
ourselves and loved ones
from the pandemic. I know I
can’t protect everyone, but
this the least I can do for the
safety of my village. If one
person gets the infection, the
whole village can be affec-
ted,” she said, adding, “If I
find a new vehicle or new fa-
ces in the village I enquire
about the reason for their vi-
sit, especially if someone co-
mes from the city.”
She has also been asking
villagers to take an alternati-
ve road while venturing out to
buy essentials. The young
sarpanch has also been going
door-to-door to educate villa-
gers on ways to protect them-
selves and symptoms of Co-
vid-19. “It is important they
know about the symptoms.
There are around 1,600 people
in the village, and we have dis-
tributed around 2,000 masks
here. But there is a shortage
of hand sanitisers,” she said.
The sarpanch worked for
10 months in Hyderabad in
2018, before returning to her
village and getting elected as
sarpanch.
THE TIMES OF INDIA, HYDERABAD
MONDAY, MARCH 30, 2020 TELANGANA/ANDHRA PRADESH | Viral Worry 5

CITY WEATHER
SUNDAY’S TEMPERATURE

37.2˚ 23.6˚
Harvest Disruption Amid Lockdown T plans survey of
PARTLY CLOUDY SKY
MAX MIN Scarcity May
Result In
COVID-19
NO AAM BAAT
Mango farmers in Visakhapatnam district
are worried that the current pandemic is
going to hit procurement and export chains
migrant workers
Hiked Prices
TIMES NEWS NETWORK
➤ The procurement process usually
begins after Ugadi and continues till May
➤ Banganapalli, ➤ The current
Q We fear that the clampdown could
seriously affect mobility of agricultural
labour, drastically affecting procurement
to extend help
Srinath.Vudali@timesgroup.com
SUNRISE TUE 06.11 AM Vijaywada: A farmer from Suvarnarekha, lockdown has capacity… A large team of people are ‘Lockdown without
Rasalu are brought all employed in orchards to pluck fruits. They
SUNSET MON 06.29 PM Chandrayunipalli village in Hyderabad: Telangana chief
planning is cruelty’
Andhra Pra- the best local farm work to a usually live on the farms till the end of the secretary Somesh Kumar has
MOONRISE MON 10.07 AM varieties standstill
desh has season. With such restrictions in place, we directed the labour depart- Hyderabad: AIMIM chief
MOONSET MON 11.30 PM complained will not find labour and transport —G Latcha ment to conduct a survey Asaduddin Owaisi has branded
➤ Lakhs of daily wage workers find
SUNDAY’S REPORT | Partly cloudy to the AP employment in the procurement process Reddy | OF TUNI WHOLESALE MARKET across the state for identifying the 21-day nationwide
sky. Maximum temperature to be Lokayukta, migrant labours engaged in lockdown as cruelty.
around 37 and 23 degree Celsius.
Source: IMD
Justice
Lakshman
Reddy, conveying the plight
WHAT’S AT 60,000 hectares | Land 5L tonnes | Is
STAKE? is under mango cultivation considered a 20% of average
annual yield
projected this year
the unorganised sector and not
registered with the labour de-
partment. Around 3.35 lakh
“State governments of UP,
WB & Bihar are doing nothing to
aid these stranded migrants.
AQI of Pollutant in Andhra Pradesh regular yield
of farmers in the area, where migrants have been identified You cannot “play it by the ear”
POLLUTION
Q
PM2.5. Reading as
WATCH beetroot and carrot crops are Losses for the rural economy will be monumental if the lockdown continues until now. with people’s lives. A lockdown
on Mar 29 (7pm)
not being harvested due to a —M Ayyappa | WHOLESALER FROM NARSIPATNAM The move comes in light of without thinking about the
SUNDAY’S AVERAGE PPM lack of skilled labourers. exodus attempt by many mi- welfare of India’s vast majority
DATA | AVERAGE VALUE The issue has risen due to grant workers after a 21-day na- is plain cruelty,” tweeted
SANATH NAGAR NA the movement restriction in ket that is near Chittoor but several states arrive at supplies may result in the taken, he said, without its tionwide lockdown was an- Owaisi. Reacting to migration
light of a 21-day nationwide geographically falls in Chintamani market to buy prices sky-rocketing. complete closure. nounced. “The state govern- of workers from Delhi, he
IDA BOLLARAM 40.91 lockdown. A shortage of ve- Karnataka. vegetables and fruits, that Upon receiving the “Officials should ensure ment issued directions to all questioned if Telanagana chief
ZOO PARK 53.76 getables is, hence, being seen Scores of lorries carry- are later transported to Hy- farmer’s complaint, the that bottlenecks at the gro- the district collectorates to co- minister K Chandrashekar Rao
in the markets. ing vegetables to the market derabad, Bangalore, Chen- Andhra Pradesh Lokayukta und level are removed. Talk ordinate with labour depart- should help the migrant
ICRISAT PATANCHERU 40.2 Further, a lack of coordi- are being blocked at a nearby nai etc. With the supply cha- directed Chittoor district to your counter parts across ment for conducting a survey workers with transport
CENTRAL UNIVERSITY 34.38 nation between revenue, po- check posts despite assuran- in being interrupted, whole- collector to ensure ease of the border to mitigate the dif- to identify the number of mi- facilities. He also alleged that
lice and other government ces from authorities that the- sale fruit markets like LB Na- movement of essentials. ficulties of the farmers at grants and their location of state governments of Uttar
IDA PASHAMYLARAM 39.17 wings is resulting in scarcity re is no bar on the movement gar in Hyderabad are also Adequate measures to main- one end and consumers on stay, if any, and their problems. Pradesh, West Bengal and Bihar
of vegetables and fruits in of essential commodities. getting affected. tain social distances in the the other,” Justice Laksh- The exercise started on Satur- not providing aid to stranded
GOOD RANGE Chintamani whole sale mar- Wholesale traders from An artificial scarcity of wholesale market should be man Reddy said. day,” senior officials in Labour migrants. TNN
0-60μg/m3 department told TOI.
The state labour depart- We already informed that it is

Take over pvt hospitals, Two new cases reported ment has received numerous
complaints in the past few
days, with a majority of them
seeking police permissions at
not possible,’’ sources said.
The survey document pre-
pared by the officials mentions
that officials will be collecting

AVERAGE AQI ACROSS

FOUR MAJOR CITIES
(AQI-air
quality
index)
HRF urges T, AP govts in AP, state tally rises to 21 check posts, which will help
people return to their native
states. Interestingly, most of
information like problems
(stranded/no work/no stay/no
food/medical facility) to know
(Data for 24hrs till 4pm on Sunday) TIMES NEWS NETWORK the complainants were from why they wanted to return to
According to reports, even TIMES NEWS NETWORK migrants of Odisha. their native place, require-
Vijayawada: The Human at a trying time like this, Guntur MLA, family test negative; “Odisha workers are gener- ments (food/dry ration/stay/
HYDERABAD

BENGALURU

79 Rights Forum (HRF) on some private hospitals are Vijayawada: Andhra Pradesh
remain in quranatine in pvt college ally known to be more aware of water/medical assistance),
CHENNAI

57 62
46 Sunday urged the govern- up to the odious practice of on Sunday registered two more their rights when compared to number of men, women and
DELHI

ments of Andhra Pradesh
and Telangana to take over
Source: Central Pollution Control Board all private hospitals and
nursing homes so as to meet
the challenge posed by the
Covid-19 pandemic.
ALMANAC “They should be acqui-
30-03-2020 (MONDAY)
red along with all human re-
Sri Shaarvari Nama; Aya- sources, available medical
resources and must be run
nam: Uttaraayanam;
Ruthuvu: Vasantha; Maa- by the government. Several
sam: Chaitra; Paksham: State governments have al-
Shukla; Tithi: Panchami ready moved in this direc-
26-01; Nakshatram: Kritti- tion. In fact, the govern-
ka 15-17; Yogam: Preeti ment of India must follow
18-16; Karanam: Bava the example of Spain and
13-13; Varjyam: Nil; Rahu- nationalize all private ho-
kaalam: 16-56 to 18-27; spitals across the country
Durmuhurtam: 16-50 to for effective mitigation of
17-38; Amruthakaalam: the pandemic,” VS Krishna
12-39 to 14-25 and S Jeevan Kumar, mem-
bers of the HRF AP&TS Co-
ordination Committee, said
in a press statement.
NAMAZ TIMINGS “One dreads to imagine
what would happen in the
● Fajar | 05.13 am (Tues-
day) to 06.08 am
● Zohar | 12.32 pm to
04.39 pm
● Asar | 04.45 pm to AP govt tells grocers
06.26 pm
● Maghrib | 06.39 pm to
07.33 pm
● Isha | 07.42 pm to
04.59 am
to shut by 11am,
Jagan takes stock
profit-at-any-cost and are
even offering treatment
packages, said HRF
event of a big outbreak. Will
our public health system,
as it exists now, be able to
meet the contingency? We
feel it cannot cope and will
be completely overwhel-
med if there is a huge brea-
kout. Which is why all pri-
vate health providers and
their facilities should be
placed into governmental
control in order to enhance
our capacity to deal with
this crisis. Such a step wo-
uld help us be better prepa-
red,” they said.
They said that testing fa-
cilities are simply not eno-
ugh and there is a pressing
need to expand them massi-
vely at the earliest.
Covid-19 positive cases, taking
the total number of cases to 21.
Interestingly, both the cases ca-
me in close contact with a 25-
year-old Covid patient, who re-
cently returned from Birming-
ham. The father of the youth
tested positive on Friday. Now,
the mother and sister have tes-
ted positive.
According to the health
authorities, both the newly in-
fected patients had been under
home isolation before getting
admitted to the Government
Hospital for Chest & Commu-
nicable Diseases on March 28.
The 25-year-old youth from
Padmanabham mandal in Vi-
sakhapatnam district has been
pursuing his higher education
in England and arrived at Del-
hi airport on March 17. He rea-
ched Vizag airport and subse-
quently home in his father’s
car on the same day. After the
Expecting
mom rushed to
hosp by cops
TIMES NEWS NETWORK
Guntur: In a huge relief to the local community and the workers from other states, children in each family, their
administration, Covid-19 tests carried on 16 people, including a working in Telangana. All the native state.
legislator, turned out to be negative. complaints which we got till The purpose of the survey
All the family members of the legislator, too, were tested now is that they want to return is to identify the total number
negative. However, the authorities decided to keep the legislator to their native places and they of migrants both in the orga-
and his family members in the quarantine ward in a private seek labour department’s help. nized and unorganized sectors.
college on the outskirts of the city for a few more days.
Meanwhile, 32 people in the city were admitted to the
isolation ward at a private medical college after they
approached the Covid-19 call centre citing symptoms. Sources
ROADS ➤ Migrant labourers have
been making desperate
said that the authorities sent swab samples of the legislator, his LEADING HOME attempt to return to their
family members and close aides for testing on Saturday after native states after a 21-day
getting them admitted to the quarantine ward. —Samdani MN lockdown was announced
youth developed some fever- March 23. Subsequently, near- ➤ 40 people, natives of north
like symptoms on March 19, ly 20 family members, relatives Indian states working in AP,
the father drove him to the Gay- and primary contacts of the yo- were caught by Jogulamba
atri Vidya Parishad Hospital in uth, including his parents and Gadwal police at inter-state
the suburbs for medical con- siblings, were kept under ho- border on Sunday
sultation on March 21. Upon me isolation or admitted to the
the advice given by the doctors quarantine wards. This is the ➤ They were traveling in
at the GVP, they approached fourth contact case in Visakha- closed containers
the GHCCD on the same day, patnam as a relative of a 65-ye-
where he was admitted to and ar-old Covid patient from Vi- ➤ Another 70 people were
sample was collected. His test sakhapatnam contracted the found in Medak on Sunday
result had turned positive on disease a few days ago.
IT WAS.

SC extends Samdani.MN Idrees Mohammed

Vijayawada:With commuting
becoming a tough affair during
the lockdown, local police ar-
IT IS.
AND ALWAYS WILL BE.
@timesgroup.com
deadline to get ranged transport for two wo-
men in two separate incidents.

BS-IV registered Amaravati: The Andhra

Pradesh government has de-
In one instance, police helped a
pregnant woman who was clo-
TIMES NEWS NETWORK cided to cut down relief du- se to delivering her baby.
ring lockdown by two hours. The family members could

4011,
Hyderabad: Customers People in urban areas can go not find any vehicle due to lock-
and automotive dealers in out to buy essential commo- down. Finally, they approached
the city, who were not able dities only between 6 am and Bhavanipuram police for help
to register their vehicles 11 am from Monday. Earlier, and inspector D K N Mohan
after the lockdown was an- one could shop till 1pm. People collect ration in AP Reddy shifted her to hospital in
nounced, heaved a sigh of Meanwhile, chief mini- his vehicle.
relief after Supreme Court ster YS Jaganmohan Reddy towns. Speaking to the me- According to Mohan Reddy,
extended the deadline of took stock of the situation dia after the review meeting, the doctors had given probable
BS-IV vehicle registra- with ministers and senior health minister Alla Nani date of delivery on April 10. Ho- off` -:

tions. officials at the camp office said that the relaxation sche- wever, on Saturday night she

AH A Y
The applicants stated on Sunday. dule would remain un- developed some complications
that they were facing issu- After studying various changed for rural areas. and experienced pain. As her
es in getting their vehicles measures initiated by dis- Nani said that people in husband who works in an opti-
registered after the lock- trict administrations, the rural areas would be allowed cal shop went to Guntur and
down as the online system chief minister directed the to buy essential commoditi- was held up there, she then cal-
was not functioning. officials to go for more es at the nearest store betwe- led her mother who lives in the
“We are very happy that stringent enforcement of en 6 am and 1 pm. “The CM same neighbourhood. On Sun-

HABI
the supreme court exten- lockdown. He told officials directed that there was no day morning, the mother tried
ded the deadline for BS-IV to reduce the free time as pe- scope for giving more relaxa- to get an auto but could not find
registrations. There was a ople were found unnecessa- tion for people in urban are- one. Their efforts to get an am-
lot of panic among the ve- rily moving out during the as. We appeal to all citizens bulance had also gone in vain.
hicle owners in the last few break period. to stay indoors,” said Nani. In another incident, Krish-
days as the online registra- The CM said five hours He said instructions have na district SP M Ravindranath
tion system introduced by are sufficient to buy vege- been issued to merchants to Babu helped an elderly woman
the state transport depart-
ment was not accessible,”
said P Suryanarayana, an
tables and essential commo-
dities as the government has
largely decentralised mar-
display price of essential
commodities and stick to
prices fixed by joint collec-
suffering from elephantiasis
who was stuck at Pedana reach
her home in Guntur by arran-
.. . . . . . ... .
. .. . . . . . . . . . . ... . . . . .
. .
. . .
. .. . .................
automobile dealer. kets and shops in cities and tors in each district. ging for her an autorickshaw.
The virus needs to be locked down , which is fully automated. The dispatch
and so does misinformation. Because trucks are thoroug hl y fumi gated.

Zoo readies enclosures to beat the heat Syed Omar

TIMES NEWS NETWORK has to be done at least five to
six times a day,” an animal ca-
Hyderabad: With mercury le- retaker at the zoo told TOI.
vels rising steadily, Nehru Zo- This apart, the authorities
ological Park has started ta- have also enhanced their diet
king precautionary measures by adding seasonal fruits like
to avoid summer stress for watermelon, muskmelon and
animals, especially birds and citrus varieties in the food to
reptiles that are not used to all primates (apes, monkeys,
hot weather conditions. Zoo etc.,), birds and bears.
authorities have installed air Also, Glucon-D, electral
coolers, sprinklers, wet jute powder, Vitamin-C, B-comp-
all it ' s doing ri g ht now is spreading
needless panic. About newspapers ,
and o nly then do the newspapers
get loaded. Lastly, hygiene protocols
for instance. Even thoug h a health at the newspaper depots are strictl y
organization as reputed as the WHO adhered to. So . when your morning
says they are perfectly safe. read lands at your doorstep, you know
y ou are p icking up what you always
Yet, we can 't be careful enoug h with
have. Your daily health y habit.
CO\'ID-19. Which is w h y we have
enforced strict safety measures .
at every step in our supp ly chain.
Starting at the printing floor,

.....................................................................
bags and small rain guns in all lex supplements and thermo
enclosures to beat the heat. Water troughs have been kept at various places across the zoo to care liquids are being dissol-
According to zoo authori- provide drinking water to free range animals ved in water and fed to the ani-
ties, foggers have also been in- mals/ birds to beat the sum- The Economic Times is being published every day. If you do not receive
stalled in all the enclosures and the cloth, which is put The four tortoises, two of mer stress.
while ‘thunga’ grass and over doors and windows, are them which over 100 years old, All animal keepers have your newspaper copy in the Covid-19 lockdown . p lease read our e-paper
‘kashkash thattis’ were pla- being watered at least 3 to 4 ti- would also get special care du- been taking up preventive (https://epaper.tim'esgroup.com) and print , if necessary.
ced over the roof, on windows, mes every day. Over 50 air coo- ring the summer. steps from time to time and
ventilators and doors to pre- lers have been put in enclosu- “The shell of the tortoise water troughs were being kept .......................................................................
vent exposure to direct sun- res of chimpanzees, monkeys, heats up very quickly due to at various places in the zoo to
light and cool the air. tigers, jaguars, cheetah, lions the heat. To keep them cool, provide drinking water for
“We are watering the sur- and panthers,” Nehru Zoo cu- we dampen jute bags and pla- the free ranging animals, the
roundings of the enclosures rator N Kshitija. ce them on their backs. This zoo authorities said.
 TIMES NATION THE TIMES OF INDIA, HYDERABAD | MONDAY, MARCH 30, 2020

NUANCED APPROACH NEEDED TO TACKLE UNION OIL MIN PRADHAN SPEAKS TO SAUDI OIL
COVID-19 PANDEMIC, RAHUL TELLS PM MODI MIN FOR UNINTERRUPTED CRUDE, LPG SUPPLIES

FAKEALERT
A weekly check, separating fact from fiction
Doctors In War Without Their Armour
Saddam Hussein saw it coming,
Kolkata docs given raincoats ‘Despite 2-month
Protective Gear
and other viral lies of the week
Delivery Only
R as protective wear, protest notice, acquisition
emember the two large hospitals the Chinese built in
Wuhan at the start of February? Social media warriors
decided last week that the Indian Army had to do better. After 25 Days,
Lo, the army ‘built’ a 1,000-bed facility—described both as a
quarantine and a hospital—
in Barmer in just two days.
The ‘news’ was greeted
Govt Hosps Told
Rema.Nagarajan@timesgroup.com Kolkata: Desperate times
TIMES NEWS NETWORK blow to the morale of the
healthcare fraternity. Most
of the PPE components are
“Given the scenario, we
can improvise. Though not
ideal, raincoats will provide
of masks sluggish’
call for desperate innova- available and garments some protection,” said From P 1
with salutes and folded
Makers of protective

G
hand emojis on WhatsApp overnment hospitals se-
and Twitter, and the chest- eking personal protecti-
thumping didn’t stop even ve equipment (PPE) are
after the army clarified the
report was baseless.
being told it will take a
minimum of 25-30 working days
The fake news mill also for them to be delivered. The Co-
vid-19 emergency procurement
tried to scare people into
cell of HLL Lifecare, the public
staying at home last week.
sector unit acting as the central
One viral post showed
procurement agency for the go-
corpses in trenches,
vernment, has told them this is
supposedly a scene from
due to short supply of raw materi-
the coronavirus mayhem in Italy. But Times Fact Check
als required to manufacture PPE
found it to be a still from the movie ‘Contagion’. Another
and the prevailing transportation
picture showing ‘bodies lying unattended on an Italian situation in the lockdown.
street’ turned out to be from a 2014 artistic tribute to Nazi For government health faci-
victims in Frankfurt, Germany. lities grappling with acute PPE
A couple poised for a kiss was martyred to spin another shortage, this cannot be good
viral story on Instagram. They were said to be Italian news. In many places doctors,
doctors who fell sick after serving covid-19 patients. They nurses and other healthcare
kissed one last time before being isolated, and died half-an- workers are worried and begin-
hour later. The heart-wrenching tale got over 1 lakh likes ning to protest as the shortage is
although it was a big fat lie. They were just flyers framed in forcing them to work without
an AP photograph at Spain’s Barcelona airport. protective gear.
Lies were spun around governments, too. Belgium was According to HLL sources,
said to have banned threesomes and other “non-essential components for PPE kits are ma-
sexual activities”. Former Iraqi president Saddam Hussein de by different manufacturers
became a corona prophet with the claim that he had warned and supplied erratically as most
about a US plan to spread the virus in Iraq, 30 years ago. makers are in the small and medi-
Times Fact Check went over the original AP video but didn’t um sector. With just a few designa-
find the word ‘corona’ in it, of course. ted collection centres where com-
ponents are assembled into kits,
Scan this QR code to there is further delay in getting
watch Kaun Banega them from these centres to where
Kaun Banayega videos they are needed, said the sources.
The sources said over 80,000
PPE kits have been dispatched
tions. Woefully short of per- manufacturing units can Bhaskar Narayan Chaud-
sonal protective equipment
gear clash with govt
M
produce them, like they did hury, a microbiologist at y parents and sister cry
(PPE) for doctors and other in China,” said a doctor. Peerless Hospital. every day when I leave
healthcare workers, Bengal
health department has
However, virologist Am-
itabha Nandy said, “There
Others, like Narayana
Health medic Kaushik Cha-
for work. They ask me
not to go to the hospital but I can’t I ndian makers of personal
protective equipment (PPE)
have asked the government to
started arming them with is no harm in using plastic ki, felt using raincoats vio- skip my responsibilities. Some-
raincoats at some places, in- raincoats since the material lated the WHO guidelines on where in my heart, I know that change certain guidelines for
manufacturing of PPE,
cluding the Medical College is good and offers sound pro- PPE and put doctors at great even if I die, it won’t affect the sy-
including allowing them to
Hospital and the Infectious tection against viral con- risk. “You can’t ask doctors stem,” said Dr Raman. Junior
“self-attest” their products
Diseases Hospital in Kolka- tamination. But raincoats to wear raincoats while doctors at Nalanda believe they
instead of getting them tested
ta, which are in the fore- must be tailored to ensure treating Covid-19 patients. If are sent to the front line “while
front of the Covid-19 fight. at a lab, claiming that precious
that they cover the neck and we get infected, the virus senior and experienced doctors
A section of frontline upper portion of the shoul- could be transmitted to hun- time could be saved in the race
are on the back foot”.
healthcare workers have re- ders that tend to remain ex- dreds of other patients to protect healthcare workers
In Chennai’s private hospi-
sented this. “If even one of posed in the conventional across hospitals,” he said. tals, resident doctors are “ab- fighting Covid-19, reports
us is infected, it will be a ones,” he added. Full report on www.toi.in sconding” from work saying the- Rohan Dua. Union textile
ir parents don’t want them to re- minister Smriti Irani, however,
port for duty. told TOI that no norms would be
REUTERS The central health ministry relaxed as utmost precaution
and state governments had a needs to be taken.
two-month notice about Co- A senior textile official said,
vid-19 in the form of the goings- “Testing only takes two to three
on in China’s Wuhan province days and we can’t go against
where over 3,000 died in three the norms. It’s a difficult time
months. Yet, the task of gathe- and the manufacturers should
ring PPEs, special N95 masks support us to ensure supply.”
and gloves has been sluggish in
all states. A central health mini- mands. “All Covid-19 positive pe-
stry drew up a wish-list just10 da- ople are in NMCH, still we do not
ys ago, stating the country needs have hazmat suit and mask. In-
7.25 lakh body overalls, 60 lakh stead, we have been given nor-
N95 masks and one crore three- mal gown worn in operation the-
ply facemasks. atre. Our principal has also stop-
The fear of contracting the ped coming now for his safety
virus is so high that NMCH Ju- and has left us to die,” said anot-
nior Doctors’ Association wrote her junior doctor.
to the Bihar principal secretary In Mumbai, the former presi-

Centre identifying and the textile ministry claims

that10 lakh masks have been supp-
lied till now. TOI had reported
how the ministry has roped in 11
(health) on March 25, asking se-
nior doctors from other govern-
ment medical colleges and priva-
te hospitals be put on duty while
dent of Maharashtra Associa-
tion of Resident Doctors Kalyani
Dongre wrote to chief minister
Uddhav Thackeray about resi-

emerging hotspots Indian firms to produce PPE suits

Sushmi.Dey@timesgroup.com
New Delhi: With certain ar-
eas witnessing a significant
ry Lav Agarwal said on Sun-
day. The government has also
expanded its surveillance
mechanism to cover migrant
and two for producing masks, in-
cluding N95 masks, Efforts are on
to add more manufacturers in the
coming days. Nodal officials from
the government have been posted
at factories to oversee production
junior doctors be kept as “reser-
ved manpower”. Bihar has11CO-
VID-19 patients at present.
They alleged their principal
A municipal worker wearing a protective suit sprays disinfectant solution in a grave before the burial had quarantined himself in his
of a woman who died of Covid-19 in Ahmedabad home and has ignored their de-
dent doctors forced to wear sing-
le-use three-ply mask for three to
four days. “If a doctor doesn’t ha-
ve protection, how can she or he
protect others?” asked a Mum-
bai doctor.

Muslims take Hindu neighbour’s body for cremation in UP

jump in number of Covid-19
cases, the health ministry is
now identifying emerging
hotspots for the infection to
put in place a rigorous clus-
ter isolation and contain-
ment strategy and avoid pos-
sibility of community trans-
mission.
“The process for identify-
ing emerging hotspots where
there is a high case load has
begun and rigorous cluster
containment strategy would
be implemented at these hot-
spots on a war footing,”
health ministry joint secreta-
workers who are heading out
of cities to go to their native
villages amid a 21-day lock-
down, as earlier reported by
TOI.
Agarwal said the health
risk profiling mechanism for
international passengers will
now be applicable on the mi-
grants who have been on the
move. This means, those who
are on the trek to their home
villages will have to undergo
risk profiling. Those with
symptoms will be kept in iso-
lation and others advised
home quarantine.
and to smoothen transport pro-
blems. However, according to tex-
tile ministry officials, firms have
been producing 5,000 protective
suits in two days. They hope to
push it up to 8,000 per day by
March 30.
On March 23, the indent was
for 10 lakh protective suits. Even
at the optimistic estimate of pro-
ducing 8,000 PPE suits per day, it
would take four months to pro-
duce 10 lakh of them. Perhaps
more worrying is the question of
whether even the 10 lakh PPE su-
its will be sufficient.
Full report on www.toi.in
Piyush.Rai@timesgroup.com battle with cancer at his ho- Videos of the funeral soon went viral on social port the family. Both commu-
me in Bulandshahr’s Anand nities have always stood
Meerut: A crowd of mour- Vihar area, leaving behind
media, drawing accolades from hundreds. The with each other in times of
ners, most of them wearing his wife and four children. cremation took place according to Hindu need,” said Mohammed Zu-
white and brown skull caps, ‘With relatives stuck due rituals and practices baid, a local resident.
baffled onlookers as they to the lockdown, Shankar’s “Given the situation, peo-
carried a body to the crema- distraught wife didn’t know scores of Muslims of the dia platforms, drawing acco- ple are reluctant to come out.
tion ground in UPs Bulands- whom to turn to. area lifted the cot on which lades from hundreds of And in cases of deaths, people
hahr amid chants of “Ram It was then that a group of the body was lying and took users. The cremation took don’t want to take part in big
naam satya hai”. neighbours approached the it to the ghat for the last ri- place according to Hindu ri- gatherings. But here people
Ravi Shankar, in his late family and offered to take tes. tuals and practices. came out in large numbers
40s, had died on Saturday af- out the funeral procession. Videos of the funeral so- “People from the entire though they maintained soci-
ternoon after a prolonged Soon, amid Hindu chants, on went viral on social me- locality came forward to sup- al distance,” another said.

GOVERNMENT OF TELANGANA
0/o Superintending Engineer, I & CADD., Dept., Siddipet.
Those who entered UP after March 1 Demand for fuel, power Army doctor
e-Proc . T.N. No . 01 to 04/2019 -20 , Dt:27 .03.2020. will have to undergo medical tests: Yogi and a JCO
No of the works(04) Name of the works : Kaleshwaram Project-Link-IV-Para llel Conveyor
System-PKG No.1 to 4- Lifting of 333 cumecs of water from Mid Manair Reservoir to Sri
Komaravelli Mallanna Sagar Reservoir comprising Construction of Civil and EM&HM
works in undersigned . ECV: PKG.1 Rs.3286.77 Crs., PKG.2 Rs.6148.48 Crs., PKG.3
Lucknow: UP chief mini-
ster Yogi Adityanath on Sun-
day escalated the precautio-
go a medical checkup for a
potential infection.
Earlier on Saturday, after
sory quarantine. Over 60,000
villages heads have been
approached since Friday
drops post lockdown test positive
New Delhi: An Army doctor
in Kolkata and a junior com-
Rs.680.90 Crs. , PKG.4 Rs.1594.55 Crs. Tender Documents Available for Download
03.04.2020, 3.00 PM to 17.04.2020 , 3.00PM. Tender Submission Dt: 03.04.2020.3.00PM nary steps to arrest the spre- an influx of migrants co- evening with an instruction Sanjay.Dutta@timesgroup.com goes under the same clause after missioned officer (JCO) in
to 17.04.2020., 5.00PM . Pre-Bid Meeting 09 .04.2020 from 11.00AM. Technical Bid ad of coronavirus asking the ming to their native places, to keep the migrants who ha- demand shrivelled as the lock- Dehradun tested positive for
. .
Opening 18.04.2020 , 11.00AM. For other details visit tender telangana gov.in . officials to identify people the CM had instructed to put ve entered their respective New Delhi: India’s demand for down sent CNG vehicles off the Covid-19 on Sunday, increas-
Sd/-Superintending Engineer , who entered UP on or after all who have arrived after village in the past few days, petrol, diesel and jet fuel has de- road and shuttered industries. Oil ing the cases of confirmed
rara, I&CADD , Dept., (KPCC-1) Siddipet March 1and get them under- the lockdown under compul- under quarantine. TNN clined by up to a third in the last minister Dharmendra Pradhan coronavirus cases in the over
five weeks, while power consump- on Sunday explained the situation 13-lakh force to three now.
tion dropped by a quarter as the to his Saudi counterpart and the “Both the doctor, who is a

TIMES inter
coronavirus pandemic and the 21- Aramco CEO and requested addi- Colonel posted at the Eastern

-
day lockdown brought almost all
commercial and industrial activ-
o To book your advertisement, call 9278812222 ities to a grinding halt.
Latest data from grid operator
POSOCO show power consump-
tion dropping to 2.59 billion units
on Friday, a level last seen on
TIMES inter : ' .
March 1, 2015, when India had 25%
T,>,f, r . y ...................................................................
tional LPG supply.
The oil price crash also figured
in the talks.
India imports 55% of the 27.5
million tonne of LPG it consumes
in a year and Saudi Arabia suppli-
es some 200,000 tonne of the fuel ev-
ery month. It is also India's second-
Army Command hospital in
Kolkata, and the JCO had
travelled to Delhi in the sec-
ond week of March,” said an
officer.
The Army has conducted
the “necessary contact trac-
ing” of the two, quarantining

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THE TIMES OF INDIA, HYDERABAD
MONDAY, MARCH 30, 2020 TIMES NATION 7
‘Screening of
flyers should’ve India sets a new high, Truckers avoid deliveries to Covid hotspots
Rachel.Chitra@timesgroup.com On the avoidance list is Kalab-
started earlier’ Transport Congress, says.

130 corona cases a day Bengaluru: Truck drivers uragi, where the first coro- “They don’t even want to
 From P 1 are refusing to deliver essenti- navirus death in India was travel to New Delhi, Mum-
als to places that have seen reported, Ahmedabad, which bai, Bengaluru”.

I
n Maharashtra, for instance,
the novel coronavirus ar-
rived with a group of 40 peo-
ple who had gone on a six-day
trip to Dubai and Abu Dhabi.
“At least 15 from the group have
tested positive so far,” officials
said. After Kasargod became
Kerala’s Covid-19 hotspot in a
single day, the district adminis-
tration put 6,511 people who
came into the district after Feb-
ruary 20 under observation, of
which 127 people are in isola-
tion in hospitals. “The number
of people in isolation will in-
crease in the coming days. The
results of 215 samples are ex-
pected in a day or two,” Dr Fet-
tle said.
Public health officials and
experts say screening of pas-
sengers from the Middle East
should have started much earli-
er in March. “A large number of
professionals and skilled work-
ers from across India migrate
to the Gulf for employment. It
is also one of the most popular
transit hubs. That by itself
makes it a high-risk zone,” said
an activist Dr Sumanth Ra-
man. Kerala now is observing
nearly 300 contacts of these
travellers who landed in Mum-
bai on March 1and dispersed to
10 districts, including Belagavi
district in the bordering state
of Karnataka. More than
three-fifth of the Covid-19 pa-
tients in Maharashtra have an
international travel history.
Count Remains
Over 100 Cases
For Third Day
DurgeshNandan.Jha
@timesgroup.com
New Delhi: India’s Covid-19
count crossed the 1,000 mark
on Sunday, with states re-
porting 130 new cases, the
highest for a single day so
far, even as Delhi saw a ma-
jor spike of 23 new infec-
tions and Maharashtra re-
ported two deaths from the
disease.
This is the first time Del-
hi’s single-day Covid-19 tally
has crossed into double di-
gits. It’s a worrying sign in-
deed, the state authorities
said. Nationally, Sunday was
the third consecutive day
when the count of new cases
was over 100, indicating that
the infection was spreading.
States have reported 1,122
coronavirus cases so far, of
which 30 have died. The
Union health ministry has
confirmed 1024 cases and 27
deaths. Maharashtra, which
now has the highest number
of 203 Covid-19 cases, report-
ed two fresh deaths on Sun-
day, taking the toll in the
state to eight. The wife of a
DODGING THEIR TURN
taxi driver from the western
suburbs of Mumbai and a
man from Buldhana in Am-
ravati division, both in their
40s and without any interna-
tional travel history, suc-
cumbed to the disease.
Local authorities said
Maharashtra’s count of pos-
itive cases has touched 203 in
a very short span. “It took 16
days from the first reported
case to reach 100 for the state.
But the second hundred
cases have come in a quick
span of five days,” officials
said. Dr Anup Kumar, com-
missioner, National Health
Mission said that 35 people
have recovered from the in-
fection and have taken dis-
charged from hospitals
across the state.
Across India, data
coronavirus deaths or infec- saw three deaths, Indore and Driving from Nashik to
AFP
tions.
On the avoidance list is Ka-
some of the metros Delhi, Rehan S, 32, says, “I
have a wife and two kids. Oth-
laburagi, where the first coro- ers have abandoned the vehi-
navirus death in India was re- ing that some three deaths friend’s office in Nagercoil. cles but I haven’t. I fear losing
ported, Ahmedabad, which that occurred this week were He parked it there and re- my income, so I am staying
saw three deaths, Indore and not related to Covid-19. fused to go further saying on.” Bangalore Wholesale
some of the metros. Even plac- Shanmugavelan P, a logis- people are dying in Kanyaku- Food Grains and Pulses Mer-
es like Kanyakumari is being tics firm owner, says, “My mari”. chants Association general
avoided despite the local dis- driver took the truck from Si- Bal Malkit Singh, chair- secretary Ramesh Chandra
trict administration clarify- vaganga (Tamil Nadu) to my man, All Indian Motor says "it's a perception battle."
shows, 119 Covid-19 patients,
approximately 10% of the to-
tal number of cases report-
ed so far, have recovered
from the disease. After Mah-
arashtra, Kerala is worst af-
fected by the Covid-19 crisis
with 202 cases and one death,
as per state data. Gujarat has
reported total 58 Covid-19
cases and five deaths, includ-
ing a 47-year-old man who
succumbed to the disease on
Sunday.
An analysis of the five
deaths in Gujarat reveal that
three were senior citizens
above 65 years of age and two
were below 50 years of age.
In UP, the Covid-19 cases
are rising fast too. In Kera-
la, which has reported 20
new cases taking the state’s
tally to 202 cases.

Spread PM: It’s a fight between life &

awareness, PM
tells survivors death, tough steps necessary PTI
 From P 1
I n his Man Ki Baat pro-
gramme telecast on Sunday,
wondering what kind of PM
could throw his people into a

PM Modi spoke to two Co-
vid-19 survivors and asked
them to spread awareness
about the disease.
The PM also interacted
with two doctors who are
among thousands of health-
care workers in the forefront
of the battle against the dread-
ed disease. Modi interacted
with Ashok Kapoor, 73, a shoe
exporter from Agra whose en-
tire family was infected after
his two sons and a son-in-law
carried the virus from Italy
where they had gone for a shoe
fair in January.
Another survivor, Ram
Gampa Teja from Hyderabad,
told the PM that quarantine
was not a punishment and
there was no stigma attached
to the disease. Two medicos,
P
M Modi said in Maan Ki
Baat, “The fight with cor-
ona is a fight between life
and death and we have to win
this battle. That is why these
tough steps were necessary.
After seeing the rest of the
world, it seemed there is no
other way to keep you and
your families safe.”
He, however, stressed the
need for utmost cooperation
in strict adherence to the lock-
down guidelines as this was
the only way to save people
and their family members.
“Stay at home with your fam-
ily, be careful and safe, we need
to win this battle. And, we will
win,” the PM said in his ad-
dress where he dedicated the
entire 36 minutes to the global
pandemic.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi
matter”.
“I will say to them that if
they don’t comply with the
lockdown rules, it will be diffi-
cult to save ourselves from the
scourge of coronavirus. The
world over, many people nurs-
ed this delusion… all of them
are regretting now,” the PM
said, referring to countries
situation like this, before pro-
ceeding to justify the country-
wide shutdown, the first of its
kind in modern history, by qu-
oting Charak, the father of
Ayurveda, who had said that
prevention could nip a disease
which, if not taken head on
early, could become uncon-
trollable.
During the programme,
the PM interacted with two Co-
vid-19 survivors (one each
from Hyderabad and Agra)
and two doctors (one each
from Delhi and Pune) in con- ©BCCL 2020
versations aimed at boosting
morale as those he interacted
with spoke about how they
were cured and the medical
professionals recounted the
care they were taking of pa-
tients. Modi expressed an-

Fashion Jewellery
Dr Mahendra Atmaram Borse In context of the current which lost many lives. He, guish over reports of some of
and Dr Nitish Gupta, also in- lockdown, he rued that some however, did not take the those asked to stay in home
teracted with the PM and people overstepped the law name of any country. quarantine being ill-treated by

Soaked in Tradition
shared with him their experi- and broke rules wilfully as Taking full responsibility others, pointing out that they
ences in fighting the dis- they were not “trying to un- for the unprecedented deci- had chosen isolation to protect
ease. TNN & AGENCIES derstand the gravity of the sion, he said people must be society from the infection.

LOCKDOWN Present ing

DOUBTS ‘All employers Native Haat Temple Jewellery Collection
WRITE shall pay workers
TO US on due date’
e

A
t :.' 4

To make your life easy during the coronavirus ' .,

' v .,
lockdown, TOI invites its readers to send their
queries at www.toilockdownfaqs.com  From P 1 Disaster Management Act,
2005, states and UTs were Kc
We will seek answers from the police and relevant

A
part from enforcing told to ensure proper screen-
authorities. We request you to keep your questions brief. the lockdown, states ing of migrants on the move
You may also email your queries to lockdownfaqs@timesgroup.com were directed to en- for Covid-19 and keep them
sure all employers, be it in the in government quarantine
industry or in shops or com- facilities for a minimum 14
Answers by Delhi Police spokesperson additional L CKDOWN mercial establishments, shall days as per standard health T t Ali
commissioner Mandeep Singh Randhawa ? FAQS +
make payment of wages to protocol. Health ministry
All cab and auto services are shut. My parents are over the age of their workers, at their work- sources said migrant work-
6b
75 and I don’t have a car. Please advice in case of any doctor or place, on the due date and ers were less of a risk as com- !+ l' ' Sl
SIG/
dispensary visit, how can I travel with them ? - Debabrata Seth without any deduction for the pared to foreign travellers
They can call our senior citizen helpline seeking assistance. You period their establishments and their immediate con-
can obtain an e-movement pass from Delhi Police’s website or are under closure during the tacts, but would need track-
request your local DCP for the same to help them commute. lockdown. ing as some could be carri-
I am required to visit a psychiatrist at RML for my 54-year-old It was also said that wher- ers of the disease.
mentally ill daughter every six months. The next visit is due in April. ever workers, including the As per the order, which
I am 83- years-old and cannot drive and I have to seek someone migrants, are living in rented entails punitive action if vio-
else’s help to drive us there and back. Will I be allowed to go accommodation, landlords lated by any person or any-
without a curfew pass? - R K Bhatia shall not demand payment of one in authority, states and
First, you should check if the OPD is open. It will be better if non- rent for a period of one UT governments shall en-
emergency appointments can be rescheduled. If required, you can month. If a landlord forces la- sure adequate arrange-
call on our senior citizen helpline and request for help bourers or students to vacate ments of temporary shelters
premises, the state police and provision of food for the
Most of us are dependent on various service providers for fixing have been told to make him poor and needy people, in-
electrical, plumbing and other miscellaneous problems. Can we call liable under the Disaster cluding migrant workers
them now to fix problems which may arise? - Prasad BR Management Act. stranded due to the lock-
These don’t come under essential services. In case of an urgent In a fresh order issued by down.
need to fix a leaking tap, the plumber can request for a movement the Union home secretary
pass. The RWA or society can also coordinate these services. under Section 10(2)(l) of the Full report on www.toi.in
My mother passed away on Sunday and as per Hindu rituals I have
to immerse her ashes in the Ganga before the 13th day. How can
we proceed? -Manik Suri
All non-essential travel is
discouraged during the lockdown.
Activists flag sharing info
What happens when
you cancel airline
That said, the local DCP can
be requested for a pass for a of those under quarantine
Buy 1, Get 1 Free !
tickets booked for the maximum of two persons to travel.
period of travel ban? Anam.Ajmal@timesgroup.com on its website. In Delhi, a list
Will the airlines ask for I got a refund from IRCTC for a was anonymously circulated
cancellation charges? - cancelled train on which I had made New Delhi: Digital rights ac- online with details of 722 peo-
Athul Singhi
TOI Reply Each airline
a booking. However I find that the
IRCTC convenience fee and PG fee
tivists have raised concerns
over details of Covid-19 quar-
ple. A similar list was shared
on WhatsApp in Gurgaon. Price starts from Rs. 299/- onwards
has a different policy and ave not been refunded. If the train antined people being shared “The country is facing an Scan the QR Code
you will have to check is cancelled, ideally all this should on social media platforms, extraordinary situation.In a.
Entire collection available on Download the app now

with your concerned
airline what it is offering. get this clarified.
Few airlines are willing
to directly credit the
refund to your account.
They prefer to give ‘online
credit’ which can be used
to book another flight later
in the year. Rescheduling
your flight free of cost is
another option. Please
check with your airline.
have been refunded. Please help to
For all trains cancelled between
March 22 and April 14, refunds are
being given in full. IRCTC says the
refund process is already underway
and the entire amount will be
returned. Only those who had
cancelled their tickets early have
received a partial refund but they
too will be getting back the amount.
(Reply by IRCTC)
calling it a breach of privacy.
Over the last week several
lists, allegedly containing
names and addresses of cor-
onavirus patients from
abroad, were anonymously
made public on WhatsApp.
The Karnataka govern-
ment even made such a list
available on a public website
and announced the measure
on Twitter. It later deleted the
tweet, but the list is still visible
Jewel Maze. . _
such a scenario, it is often
necessary to provide infor-
mation to people regarding
the pandemic and chances of
infection from persons in-
fected. However, while pro-
viding such information care
before 15th April 2020 and get additional complimentary j ewellery
should be taken to ensure
that the privacy of patients is
not violated,” said SFLC le-
gal director Prasanth Su- For order O WhatsApp us on 8828100520 or visit www.jewelmaze.com
gathan. Join us on: © @NativeHaat I ® @nativehaatindia
Full report on www.toi.in
*Deliveri es as soon as lockdown is lifted *T&C App ly
 8 TIMES SPECIAL THE TIMES OF INDIA, HYDERABAD
MONDAY, MARCH 30, 2020

Getty Images

The party is moving online What to do about bad

news you can do
Who says quarantines have to be lonely? People are now finding virtual ways to socialise whether it’s
playing board games together, attending festivals or even knocking back cocktails on video chat
Getty Images
nothing about
Sonam Joshi & Ketaki Desai | TNN count The Alipore Post. “I realised that social
distancing could end up being long-term,”

D
id you just count the Tunaks says the Bengaluru resident whose day-long
in a Daler Mehndi song or festival on Instagram live featured 35 sessions
watch a bat peeing video on on everything from dastangoi and poetry
Twitter? If the answer’s yes, reading to mini-workshops on mental health
you’re probably already going and mango pickling. “The idea was to be
batshit crazy in corona quarantine. creative together, learn a bunch of new things
But instead of losing it at home alone, rather than while away time watching TV,”
some people are finding new ways to says Kejriwal, 29, a writer and marketing
socialise online. head at a Bengaluru-based startup.
Visual designer Shambhavi Ojha de- Similarly, Mumbai-based performance

scribes her 24th lockdown birthday as tir-
ing but refreshing. “My friends set up a
Zoom video call around midnight, and we
ended up talking, playing games and listen-
ing to music until 4 am,” says the Bengalu-
ru resident. Her French boyfriend sang the
French version of Happy Birthday to her,
while her mother, who doesn’t usually bake,
made a carrot cake which her family cut
while she watched on video chat. Her col-
leagues tricked her into believing she had
to give an impromptu presentation but it
turned into a celebration.
We may be stuck in our homes, but that
doesn’t mean socialising is out the window
— in fact, thanks to technology and online
events, there’s something for everyone.
Video chatting app Houseparty has be-
come a hit with many young people over the
last fortnight. You can chat, play games and
also share your screen. So, if you want to
swipe on Tinder while your friends watch
and comment, you can. Freelance writer
Mahima Agarwal says she and her friends
use it to play trivia games late into the night.
“We’re bored of just staring at each other’s
faces but still want to be connected,” the
25-year-old says. She is also planning a date
night with her boyfriend where they both
sip on glasses of wine.
ReRoll, one of Bengaluru’s most popular
board gaming collectives, is replicating real-
world meetups in an online setting. Member
Karthik Balakrishnan says their weekly
Thursday night sessions are now hosted via
a livestream on YouTube. While playing
board games online is tough, they’ve found
Listen
Get ➤ Mumbai-based Kommune has
culture daily live sessions with
storytellers, poets and performers
on its Instagram handle @
on kommuneity
your ➤ Storyteller Neelesh Misra is
hosting Ikkees din, ikkees
couch kahaniyan to make your 21 days
a little more full of stories
How to catch a Covid patient, Sherlock-style
Pursuing those who try to
slip quarantine, officials
are using a combination of
detective skills and tech
Himanshi.Dhawan@timesgroup.com
options like Sketchful and Skribbl, which are
like an online Pictionary, easy for groups to
play. Balakrishnan says, “Since you don’t
have to play in teams, people were dropping
in and out of the game.” They also had a
board game-themed quiz which was a big hit.
“People definitely seem to enjoy being able
to do an activity with their friends online.”
Some are even taking office chai breaks
online. Sanchita Bamnote, 26, an investment
analyst at VC firm Blume Ventures, holds a
daily short informal video chat with her
coworkers on Zoom at 6:30pm. “All day, we
just have calls and Zoom meetings, which
gets exhausting. The idea was to replicate
chai-sutta breaks online,” the Bengaluru
resident says. What started as a group of
four has morphed into the whole team get-
ting together for office banter.
If you’re already fed up with family or
Visit
➤ National Museum is sharing
photographs of exhibits from its
new exhibition Great Steppe:
Time. Space. Culture as part of its
#MuseumfromHome series
➤ The Chhatrapati Shivaji
Maharaj Vastu Sangrahalaya is
sharing stories of objects from its
collection on social media
Chad Crowe
having the same conversations with friends,
you can talk to strangers through a new
video chat initiative Grab Chai, which lets
you have a one-on-one chat or a group call.
Co-founder Suhas Motwani, 25, says the “ser-
endipity factor” of not knowing who you’ll
be talking to is part of the appeal. Who talks
to who, is decided by Motwani and his co-
founder Aditya Mohanty based on a form
people fill on what they’re looking for. And
what are most looking for? Thus far: net-
working. Many of the people who signed up
are startup founders, analysts with VC firms
and people who work in product design and
marketing, so conversations about work are
more common than flirtatious banter.
Others are using social media to get their
culture fix. Rohini Kejriwal came up with the
idea of hosting an online festival on World
Poetry Day (March 21) on her Instagram ac-
Read
➤ Children’s book author Bijal
Vachharajani has started daily
read-aloud sessions by authors
called Thoda Reading Corona. The
videos are posted on the Reading
Raccoons FB page
➤ Publishing house Juggernaut is
making its entire catalogue free
on its app
not declared himself was even shorter,
less than half an hour. The control room
gets 100-150 calls a day with fearful neigh-
bours leaving anonymous tips on those
hiding their travel history.
It is this neighbourly nosiness that the
Kerala administration is banking on too.
The state is currently tracking over 74,000
people in home quarantine. Dr Amar Fet-
tle, state nodal officer for Covid, says the
arts collective Kommune has been organising
daily live storytelling, poetry reading and
music sessions with various artistes on Ins-
tagram, with plans to do play readings, cook-
ing and online workshops. “HomeIsWhereT-
heArtIs started as we realised that people are
alone and art has the ability to entertain,
educate and create empathy,” says co-founder
Roshan Abbas. “Since then, loads of people
are thanking us for keeping their sanity.”
Working out solo may make you fit but
there’s nothing like group exercise to get
that adrenaline going. To fill in that work-
out void, several Zumba instructors are
using the video conferencing app Zoom,
while Cure Fit has started free live classes
on their app, with an option to invite up to
five friends to work out together. Buddies
can see each other’s energy meter and com-
pete. “Formats like dance fitness see over
7,000 users on an average per class,” says
co-founder Ankit Nagori.
All this has certainly made the physical
isolation easier to bear. Tim Urban of the
famous WaitButWhy blog describes the on-
line connections being forged as “social par-
tying”. And while these connections can’t
entirely replicate the joy of physical contact,
they can help us feel less alone, says Paras
Sharma, therapist and founder The Alterna-
tive Story. Sharma has launched a weekly
pay-what-you-want webinar, which functions
as a support group to address quarantine
anxieties. “We were trying to tell people that
they’re not alone, that it is okay to not be 100%
right now and promote a sense of commu-
nity through this time.”
Meditate
➤ Saloni Suri is organising daily
mediation sessions for 21 days on the
Facebook page The Coach
➤ Pilates instructor Yasmin
Karachiwala, who
trains Bollywood
celebrities, is doing
live sessions
on Instagram
on
person need to be tested, not the 997 others
in the village,” he adds.
Fettle says that the phone GPS or app
have only been partially successful and
have to be supported with a team of en-
thusiastic volunteers who can check if
the people have given misleading informa-
tion intentionally or otherwise.
Like Dr Fettle, Mumbai’s assistant mu-
nicipal commissioner for Ward G North,
F
or the fifth time this year, the
world is ending. Week 1, 2020:
embers were still cooling in
the Amazon when, on the
other side of our planet, flames en-
gulfed Australia. The US assassi-
nated an Iranian general, setting off
anxieties about a new World War.
Then: the global economy reeled
from collapse, bloodshed tore
through Delhi’s streets and now,
while relief workers were still find-
ing shelter for be-
reaved families,
every news event
sits overshadowed
by a pandemic un-
furling its death-
cloud around our
globe. Those of us
who have homes are locked in them,
glued to screens broadcasting the
worst of it — suddenly out-of-work
families walking for days toward the
promise of shelter and safety and
food and water, let down by the cities
and leaders they hung their dreams
on. One video shows a family sitting
on the floor eating grass for a meal.
(Forgot to breathe? Same. Drop
your shoulders, unclench your jaw.
Follow an exhale out.)
Things are so bad, you want to
hold your head in your hands but
— cruel twist — you aren’t allowed.
Touching your face is cancelled.
My phone tracks my screen-time
and I’m averaging 7 hours a day.
Tasked with sitting home, helpless
against the pandemic, I’ve nonethe-
less read innumerable articles and
WhatsApp forwards and tweets about
it. (There’s new slang for this inabil-
ity to look away from apocalyptic
news-feeds: ’doomscrolling’.) I seem
to know, without wanting to, what all
the world leaders have said, what ce-
lebrities have said about the leaders,
how journalists feel about the celebri-
ties, and how my aunts feel about all
of it. Stress is terrible for immunity;
a fact that is extraordinarily stressful.
Other things happened this
month, too — all the mundanities
that make up a life. I woke up one
morning with a bad crick in my
neck. I paid taxes and cooked with
my father. I picked a fight with some-
one important to me. I stayed up too
late chatting with a boy I really, re-
ally like who lives stupidly far away.
Ma put oil in my hair and we cut a
cake for my Dadi’s 87th birthday. Her
2-year-old great-grandson, watching
on FaceTime, opened his mouth
wide for a bite and we laughed. It all
felt very illicit. The world is ending.
How can we flirt and fight and sing
es we’ll never get to go, hooked to
the blow-by-blows of tragedies we
can do nothing about. This is new.
It’s too much. It’s lunacy. But look-
ing away would feel madder still.
(Relax the corners of your eyes
and mouth.)
I worry some days that I’m numb
to bad news. I also suspect numbness
is a defence against full-blown
screaming despair about a world
splitting open so regularly that Nor-
mal swings wildly
out of reach in a
Big new direction
Mood every time I’ve be-
gun to grasp its
altered silhouette.
REGA JHA I also know nei-
ther numbness
nor ambiguous despair are of any use
to anybody. As a friend chided: both
are, ultimately, escapes.
We’re called on to do more than
cycle through horror and forgetting.
We’re called on to think clearly and
help people. I’m not there yet. I’m in
awe of the many people — the re-
searchers, doctors, journalists —
who have no choice but to be.
This is what it’s like, we’re all
learning, to live through the writ-
ing of those grim sentences in his-
tory books — the sentences with
death-tolls in them. You mourn in
big ways, you ground yourself with
little things. Everything about eve-
rything changes and, in defiance,
you make your tea how you’ve al-
ways made your tea. You huddle in
with the people you love, make sure
everyone’s eating, then you all
We cut a cake for my
Dadi’s 87th birthday.
Her 2-year-old great-
grandson, watching on
FaceTime, opened his
mouth wide for a bite
and we laughed. It all felt
very illicit. How can we
be flirting, fighting and
singing Happy Birthday?
But also: how can we not?
squint and try to piece together the
new shape of Normal.
My parents and their friends now
meet on group video-calls in the
early evenings. They swap updates

S
neaking out of isolation wards, ig-
noring quarantine to get married
with 1,000 guests in attendance, hop-
ping cities to camouflage travel his-
tory — some Indian Covid-19 patients will
do anything to defy social distancing ad-
visories, forcing doctors and administra-
tors to put on their sleuth hats to track
them down.
Remote heat maps, phone tracking,
crowdsourcing apps and spying neigh-
bours have all been pressed to the task.
States have to create three categories —
one of Covid-19 positive patients, a second
list of suspected cases that need to be
quarantined and a third of people who
can be kept in home-isolation with strict
restrictions. It is the last that is giving
sleepless nights to authorities.
Srinagar district magistrate Shahid
Choudhury laughs at the suggestion that
he may have turned into a desi Sherlock
Holmes in the last one month but admits
that it has taken ‘private eye’ skills to
track down the evaders. Since March 10,
the administration has set up a 24X7 con-
trol room with heat maps and phone
trackers to locate people. The administra-
tion has also recently launched a website
and app called ‘talaashsrinagar’ allowing
people to inform the administration of
suspected Covid cases in their neighbour-
hood. Those skipping quarantine can now
be tracked in a couple of hours.
Choudhary explains: “We received in-
formation that a student had returned
from Italy past midnight on March 19. We
only had his father’s name and that he
lived in the Lal Bazaar area. So we tracked
down the 27 people with that name in the
area, then used phone records to narrow
the search, eventually locating the patient
by 3 am.” The Srinagar administration
has also taken information from banks
on customers who have used ATMs abroad
to recover travel history, ticket informa-
tion from travel agents and flight mani-
festos to track “delinquents”. Tracking
time for another suspected patient who
had returned from Bangladesh but had
lessons from the Nipah outbreak have
helped the authorities. “We have made
three-member teams in wards to keep tabs
on patients. We visit them at random
times, make phone calls and keep check-
ing with neighbours to confirm their
statements,” he says.
The administration has created “pa-
tient flowcharts’’ for each of the positive
cases with the date, time and place of
where the person went and who they met
after arriving in the state. The flowcharts
were circulated widely on social media and
in newspapers to inform the public. “We
are following the triangulation procedure
which means that patient information has
to be verified from more than one source,
so if the suspected Covid patient says that
he went to his village at 10am, we have
used CCTV footage, call records and mo-
bile GPS to confirm this fact,” he says.
It helps not just to bring the secondary
cases into the medical system, but more
importantly keeps those who have not
been in touch with the patient out of the
system. “It is necessary not to clog the
testing system. So if we have the exact
date and time for the person’s visit, only
the two-three people who met the infected
Kiran Dighavkar, depends on the feet-on-
ground approach to check on the 47 quar-
antined patients in Dharavi, Mahim and
Dadar. Most people live in rooms that are
cheek-by-jowl, and there is little by way
of social distancing. But Dighavkar says
that a police van patrols outside the quar-
antined homes every four hours to keep
residents on alert. The team of doctors,
volunteers and police have become unwel-
come guests arriving at odd hours. “We
noticed people kept their phones at home
to avoid detection or washed off the quar-
antine stamps on their hands and started
going out on the pretext of getting grocer-
ies or medicines. So our teams keep an
eye on them with the help of neighbours,”
he says.
His team recently caught a 43-year-old
Dharavi resident who had returned from
the Gulf and left home quarantine. “We
managed to track him down and admitted
him to a hospital,” Dighavkar says. The
man had used chemical to remove the
home quarantine stamp.
But authorities admit that awareness lev-
els are going up. Many people are now coming
to hospitals, admitting that they were afraid
of turning themselves in earlier.
Happy Birthday?
But also: how can we not?
The most overwhelming fact I
know is that humanity lives out its
whole range of emotional possibil-
ity in each moment. As I write and
again as you read, somebody is
watching their child breathe their
last while someone else, maybe
even close by, is having a stoned
silly giggle-fit. The worst things
happening are never the only
things happening but laughing fits
and birthday cake won’t make it to
headlines unless we somehow die
from them.
Calamity, illness, death — these
are our oldest companions. Much
older than cooking, romance, head-
lines. And if being joyous while
others suffer is unethical, then
your every moment of contentment
has been a breach — always, some-
one else has been in great pain.
Only now, we know it.
We hold news of the greatest on-
going sufferings of the world in the
palms of our hands all the time. We
follow death toll updates from plac-
then they sing songs and play dumb
charades. I find it so sweet and so
funny. I almost forget it’s dystopian.
(Think about a kindness someone
has done for you. Ok. Now one you
could do.)
Calamity, illness, death — these
are unavoidable fates, inevitable
visitors, always in the neighbour-
hood, somehow still surprising when
they come knock. All we want, I
think, is to forget that they’re on their
way. To run outside, revel, play. But
we know too vividly that when suf-
fering isn’t at our door, it’s breaking
down someone else’s. I’m telling my-
self that being distressed by distress-
ing days is only a symptom of sanity.
I’m trying to nourish my capacities
for generosity and moral clarity to
keep up with times that promise to
exact more and more of both.
In the meantime, I have little to
offer you besides my notes to my-
self: Sit up straighter, exhale slowly,
wash your hands. Meditate on un-
certainty, history, care. Give easily,
give often. Be patient with both
bangs and whimpers.

Asterix’s appeal in the age of corona
Sandip Roy
The year is 50 BC, Gaul is entirely occu-
pied by the Romans. Well, not entirely…
One small village of indomitable Gauls
still holds out against the invaders.
Uderzo, who brought the indomitable Gauls to life,
died recently but his witty comic still speaks to us
Of course part of it is nostalgia. Once dictatorial state. It could be a Hong ated was that Asterix and Obelix bore
on a long hot summer vacation, for want Kong, a Shaheen Bagh or a Tahrir no malice not even to the Romans schem-
of anything better to do I built myself a Square. Except in Uderzo’s world, the ing to conquer them. Even the boars
model of Asterix’s little village, with worst that happened to anyone was they Obelix hunts seem smilingly resigned
painted cutout characters. I remember were left as Holland puts it “hanging to their fate on the spit. The blacksmith
putting together the blacksmith’s shop, from the branch of a tree with a black and fishmonger came to blows but it all
drawing in the silvery hanging fish at ended with a cheerful drunken feast.
That little corner of Gaul,

L
eading that resistance is one
plucky little droopy mustachioed
Gaul named Asterix, his bum-
bling buddy Obelix and Getafix,
the mistletoe-gathering druid.
Albert Uderzo, the man who brought
those characters to life, died this
week at 92. Uderzo’s comic con-
spirator Rene Goscinny had
died in 1977. Even Anthea Bell
and Derek Hockridge who bril-
liantly transcreated Asterix and
Obelix and all their puns for the
English-speaking world are
gone. Uderzo’s passing, at this
time, in a world beset by death and anx-
iety, feels especially poignant. Friends
have been WhatsApping links to Asterix
and Tintin comics as perfect reading in
a time of lockdown. In the middle of a
corona invasion when the sky seems to
be falling down on our heads, everyone
could do with an indomitable little Gaul
and an invincible menhir deliveryman
no virus could knock down.
the fishmonger next-door, reveling in the
wealth of details. Another time I bought
a Do-It-Yourself cardboard Roman Coli-
seum model with pop-up Gaulish villag-
ers and Roman soldiers. The models sat
on the window sill, gathering dust and
cobwebs. In time, they were
thrown away like most beloved
bits of childhood are but the
memory remains.
For children growing up in
socialist India, Tintin and As-
terix made us feel like citizens
of the world at a time when we
rarely got anywhere beyond Ne-
pal. Tintin was about the joy of unadul-
terated adventure from the jungle of
Congo to the craters of the moon, the kind
of adventures we dreamed about and our
mothers warned us against. Asterix gave
us a kind of witty sophistication — puns,
history, a wealth of detail in each panel,
a feast of “pig Latin” between Obelix’s
boars and Roman pageantry.
At that time, I didn’t think of the con-
STRANGE COINCIDENCE: In the 2017 Asterix and the Chariot Race, the Gauls even
defeated a masked charioteer named Coronavirus
text in which the comics began their
journey in the 1950s. Europe was emerg-
ing from a bruising world war. Uderzo
had lived through the Nazi occupation
of France with Vichy as its centre. In his
comic world though, all of Gaul is not
occupied. “The village of indomitable
Gauls is possibly the most brilliant an-
tidote to Vichy that French literature
has to show,” writes Tom Holland in The
Guardian. If Asterix and Obelix were
resisting the Gauls on paper, in real life
they embodied the French resistance to
another invasion — from Disney.
Come to think of it, that little corner
of Gaul, drawn in such vivid colors by
Uderzo, a man who was himself colour-
blind, could stand in for a pocket of re-
sistance for all times whether against a
Roman army, a majoritarian mob or a
drawn in such vivid colors by
Uderzo, who was colour-blind,
could stand in for a pocket
of resistance for all times
whether against a Roman
army, a majoritarian mob or a
dictatorial state. It could be a
Hong Kong or Shaheen Bagh
eye and stars revolving around their
head.” In real life though, underdogs
often have no magic potion faced with
the juggernaut of the state.
At one level it’s easy to see the appeal.
“The idea of the weak who defeat the
strong appeals,” said Uderzo. “After all we
all have someone lording it over us: the
Government, the police, the tax collector.”
But the bigger lesson I never appreci-
Even the hapless Cacofonix, the bard
who was gagged at every feast, had his
undisputed place in the village. No one
ever said “Go to Totorum or Compen-
dium or any of the other Roman garri-
sons” if they didn’t like someone’s
views. The village understood instinc-
tively their argumentative diversity was
their magic potion.
In the 2017 Asterix and the Chariot
Race, our indomitable Gauls even de-
feated a masked charioteer named Cor-
onavirus. But these days, by Touatis, we
feel especially wistful for an enemy that
could at least be seen, even one as nu-
merous as the Romans. As we batten
down the hatches and try to quarantine
ourselves off from an advancing virus,
as modern druids come together to try
and find a magic vaccine, the death of
Albert Uderzo makes us wistful for
a little gourd of magic potion that could
keep us all safe and a little corner of
the world that can hold out against
all invaders.
THE TIMES OF INDIA, HYDERABAD
MONDAY, MARCH 30, 2020 TIMES XI XII I
TRENDS 9

IX X

II III
Why it’s too early to assign a mortality rate
With the numbers of infected, recovered and dead constantly changing in the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic, it is difficult to assign a fixed
WHAT ARE THE CHANCES
mortality rate for the disease. While most media organisations are reporting a mortality rate of about 4 per 100 infected cases, a closer
OF DYING FROM COVID-19?
analysis of the data shows that this may be misleading. Mortality rate would also be different in different countries and will depend on To give a statistical answer, the simplest formula
various factors like access to quality healthcare, proportion of malnourishment and the overall health of a community will be to divide the number of deaths by the total
Getty Images number of identified cases. For example, if 10 people
have died out of 1,000 infected then the death rate is
TOTAL Reported No. of dead MORTALITY RATE-1 10/1,000 x 100 = 1%. That is, 1 out of every 100 people
Cases =
CASES No. of reported cases (Shown below as Deaths per 100 Infected) confirmed to have coronavirus is going to die. But
experts say there are issues with this formula as
this death rate can be misleading
Closed Cases = Recovered + Dead
Reported CASE FATALITY RATE, INFECTION FATALITY
No. of dead MORTALITY RATE-2
= (Deaths per 100 Closed Cases) RATE AND DEATH RATE IN CLOSED CASES
No. of closed cases
+ Dead While the outbreak is still unfolding, the available
Right now, Active Cases are more than Closed Cases data allows only a crude statistic called the case
Active Over time, Closed Cases will be equal to Reported Cases fatality rate to be calculated, which is based on
Unreported reported cases of an illness. However, more substantial
and MORTALITY RATE-2 will fall data will allow experts to compile the more
Recovered comprehensive infection fatality rate, which includes
everyone who is infected with the virus, including
India’s confirmed cases mortality rate estimates of those who were not tested
tells us that Covid-19 is causing about India Global
CONFIRMED Insufficient testing can make the fatality rate look
3 deaths for every 100 cases 1,024 CASES 5,98,070 larger than it actually is. That is because only a certain
➤ The deaths per closed cases shows us how many set of patients — say, the more severe cases — are
Indians are managing to fight off the disease and 96 RECOVERED 1,31,772
counted. As experts point out, the vast majority of those
recover compared to those who are succumbing 27 DEAD 27,371 infected will only show mild symptoms and may not
to it. About 20% of closed cases end in death, just even require a visit to the clinic. That means their
123 CLOSED CASES 1,59,143
above the global average but well below some
of the worst-hit countries in Europe
Globally, most cases are ending in recoveries numbers are not included in calculating the death rate.
901 ACTIVE CASES 4,38,927 Counting every case would likely bring down the death
The global numbers show the scale ➤ But neither figure takes into account rate, since the number of deaths would be divided by a
➤ However, without ➤ Of the
DEATHS PER of the pandemic but provide little local factors like quality of healthcare much larger number of infected people
knowing the true 27,000 2.6 100 INFECTED 4.6 insight from a policy standpoint on infrastructure, general preparedness, and
number of infected individuals
how to tackle the crisis overall health profile of the population A similar problem will be seen with death rate
Indians, this number is
likely to be lower. Only
tested in
India, about
22 DEATH PER
100 CLOSED
17.2 ➤ About 5 in 100 infections led to death ➤ So, while some countries were able to in closed cases, which is the number of deaths
CASES and 17 of every 100 closed cases ended in divided by the sum of people who were cured and
widespread testing could prove this, 3.3% have mobilise their healthcare systems to rapidly
those who succumbed to the disease. As the above
but India’s testing numbers remain tested positive death. Both these figure are likely to drop test and bring down fatality rates, India is
scenario shows, not knowing the total number of
limited at the moment for the virus as countries ramp up testing not in a position to do the same
people infected and, consequently, the number of
Conf Deaths per Death per 100 those who recovered after showing mild symptoms
On the other end of the
Europe, US seeing Country
cases 100 infected closed cases spectrum, the infected case
means the closed case death rate, too, will move
most closed cases US 1,04,839 1.6 65.7 death rate and the closed case
once all cases are taken into account
ending in death In China, the figures for deaths per 100 death rate are nowhere close
ITALY 86,498 10.6 45.5 infected and the deaths per 100 closed to converging in Italy. HOW TO CALCULATE INFECTION
So far 14 countries have
reported over 100 deaths. CHINA 81,946 4.0 4.2
cases have almost converged. China has Overwhelmed healthcare FATALITY RATE?
The comparison of deaths one of the highest rates of recovery, and resources have meant that The New York Times says that for this,
per 100 infected cases in SPAIN 65,719 7.8 35.5 this convergence illustrates how China has Italy has been unable to researchers often rely on “a kind of blood
these countries shows managed to treat its Covid-19 patients deliver adequate care to testing of large numbers of people in a
GERMANY 50,871 0.7 5.0 while controlling the spread of the disease all its patients
that the death rate for given community”. It is possible to zero
Germany is the lowest FRANCE 33,414 6.0 25.9 in on how many people have been
in this category. Germany It’s a similar story in South The situation appears to be exposed to a disease by testing
IRAN 32,332 7.4 17.6 Korea. It has the lowest deaths
reported 0.69 deaths per 100 worse in other parts of peoples’ immune systems. However,
infected cases. Italy on the UK 14,751 5.2 83.4 per 100 closed cases among Europe, particularly in the such measurement technique “is
other hand has reported the countries analysed and Netherlands, Belgium, most useful after a disease has
10.56 deaths per 100 SWITZERLAND 12,928 1.8 13.1 only Germany has a lower Sweden and the UK. While already spread widely, so it can’t
infected people. But a SOUTH KOREA 9,478 death rate for infected cases. Belgium has the highest be easily used now”. WHO sums it
1.5 2.9
comparison of the closed South Korea has been deaths per infected case, the up by saying, “the infection
cases death rates shows NETHERLANDS 8,647 6.3 98.9 heralded as the example to Netherlands has the highest fatality rate (of Covid-19) will
that while South Korea has follow in tackling the deaths per closed case be lower… However, mortality
managed to treat almost BELGIUM 7,284 11.8 74.8 pandemic is to a large extent
every infected person, AUSTRALIA 3,583 11.3 62.3 determined by access to and
Research: Atul Thakur & Anjishnu Das | Graphic: Sajeev Kumarapuram
Italy has appeared to quality of healthcare”
Source: Johns Hopkins University, Ministry of Health
struggle so far SWEDEN 3,069 3.4 86.8 Note: Global data as of March 28 at 12pm. India data as of March 29 at 8pm

Covidivorces & coronababies: Life during lockdown

Across World, Pandemic Is Radically Altering Approaches To Love, Dating, Sex & Family Relations
AFP
Dan Bilefsky and Ceylan Yeginsu computer screens, the group like whether to send a child on The pandemic is altering
sipped merlot, watched a Lon- a play date, or whether to meet notions of community and ur-

A
fter the pair had sani-
tised the tops of their
beer cans, Morgane
Clément-Gagnon, 33, gazed at
the lanky musician she had
newly met online, sitting 2
feet away on a bench. The two
had initially greeted each
other by touching the tips of
their sneakers. But as laugh-
ter gave way to talk about
their fears, her heart flut-
tered. She leaned in for a kiss.
Racked with fever and con-
fined to her cramped two-bed-
room apartment in Istanbul,
Zeynap Boztas, 42, was feeling
trapped, not only physically
but psychologically: The hus-
The virus has upended the human instinct to come together physically
during a crisis by requiring that people do the opposite, says a professor
of the house and divorce after
finding dating apps on his
iPad two weeks ago was now
lying next to her in bed.
In his apartment in Berlin,
American writer, was attend-
ing a “happy hour” with 15 sin-
gle friends from Berlin, Ma-
drid, London and New York.
As Berlin’s famous Berghain
don DJ and discussed the rela-
tive wisdom of finding a “cor-
ona boyfriend” or girlfriend.
These are glimpses of the
radically altered lives of mil-
lions of people around the
world who are navigating love,
hate and the extensive terrain
in between under the tyranni-
cal rule of the coronavirus.
In a matter of weeks, the
global epidemic has trans-
formed relationships, dating
and sex. Weddings have been
postponed, while divorce rates
have soared in China as the
crisis has eased. Lovers and
family members are suffering
aching separations as borders
apotential suitor, have become
matters of life and death.
The internet has emerged
as a lifeline to millions of sin-
gle people stuck indoors, en-
abling them to go on virtual
yoga dates, attend digital
drag queen karaoke parties
or blow out candles at What-
sApp birthday get-togethers.
The crisis has spawned a
new lexicon. Where once there
were “blackout babies,” we
can now expect a wave of “cor-
onababies” and a new genera-
tion of “quaranteens” in 2033.
Couples whose marriages are
fraying under the pressures of
self-isolation could be heading
ban spaces, with people across
the world gathering every day
on balconies to applaud medi-
cal workers, perform music
and even run marathons.
Sean Safford, a professor of
sociology at Sciences Po in Pa-
ris, said the coronavirus had
upended the human instinct to
come together physically dur-
ing a crisis by requiring that
people do the opposite. “In pre-
vious crises like the terrorist
attacks, people gathered in sol-
Airline lets crew ditch
idarity as people have the de-
sire to find community,” he
said. “Now we are being told to
high heels, wear pants
turn inward and to self-isolate Helen Coffey women to wear high heels.
as the heroic way to be a good Started by actor and ac-

A
band she planned to kick out Michael Scaturro, 38, an nightclub flashed on their have closed. Prosaic choices, for a “covidivorce.” global citizen.” NYT NEWS SERVICE Japanese airline is fi- tivist Yumi Ishikawa, the
nally letting female fli- feminist movement plays on
ght attendants wear tr- the Japanese words for shoe
SHORT CUTS WHERE THERE’S A WILL THERE’S A WAY The ozone layer’s healing, Reuters
ousers and flat shoes instead
of skirts and high heels follo-
(kutsu) and pain (kutsuu).
Ishikawa launched the
wing a nationwide campaign. KuToo hashtag when she
3 new species of flying could recover fully: Study Japan Airlines announced
that they will come into force
tweeted about her experi-
ence of being obliged to
reptiles discovered
T
he ozone layer is continuing to heal and has from April 1. “This will be the wear heels when working at
the potential to fully recover, according to a first time to introduce trou-
S cientists have discovered three new species
of toothed pterosaurs — a community of
flying reptiles that inhabited the Sahara 100
new study. A scientific paper heralds a rare
success in the reversal of environmental dam-
sers and to provide additional
options for footwear,” an air-
#KUTOO EFFECT
age and shows that orchestrated global action line spokesperson said. a funeral parlour.
million years ago. The pterosaurs were part of
can make a difference. It means just under 6,000 It follows Virgin Atlantic’s
an ancient river ecosystem in Africa that was
Antara Banerjee, a CIRES Visiting Fellow at women who work for the car- announcement last year that
full of life, including fish, crocodiles, turtles and
the University of Colorado Boulder rier will be able to choose female cabin crew would no
several predatory dinosaurs, said researchers
, said: “We found signs of climate changes in footwear that “best fits their longer be required to wear
from the University of Portsmouth, UK. The new
the southern hemisphere, specifically in the air needs” for the first time. makeup to work. The airline’s
fossils are helping to uncover the very poorly
circulation patterns. The challenge was show- The decision follows a female cabin crew, known for
known evolutionary history of Africa during the
ing that these changing air circulation patterns nationwide social media their red uniform, were also
time of the dinosaurs. The new findings show
were due to the shrinking ozone hole following movement, #KuToo, which given trousers as standard, ra-
that African pterosaurs were quite similar to
the implementation of the Montreal Protocol. calls for workplaces to ditch ther than having to specially
those found on other continents. These flying
“The emissions of ozone-depleting substanc- dress code rules that force request them. THE INDEPENDENT
predators soared above a world dominated by
es that were responsible for the ozone hole - the
predators, including crocodile-like hunters and
carnivorous dinosaurs. Herbivores such as
CFCs from spray cans and refrigerants – started STATOISTICS Atul Thakur
to decline around 2000, thanks to the Montreal
sauropods and ornithischian dinosaurs are rare.
STAYING FIT: Residents work out on their balconies during a lockdown in Nantes, France
Protocol.” THE INDEPENDENT Correspondence courses
preferred route to a degree
Pablo Escobar’s hippos fill a hole left since Ice Age extinctions Enrolment (%)
PhD 99.96
Regular Distance
0.04
Asher Elbein ivores showing up in unexpect- ago, during the Late Pleisto- native species with competiti- When Colombia’s hippos leave
MPhil 100
ed places. In Australia, feral cene, a wave of extinctions cl- on,” Erick Lundgren from the the water at night to graze in
Postgraduate 47.12 52.88

A hippo near the Hacienda
Napoles theme park which was
once the private zoo of drug
kingpin Pablo Escobar
W
hen Pablo Escobar di-
ed in 1993, the Colom-
bian drug kingpin’s
four adult African hippopota-
muses were forgotten. But the
fields and ponds along the Mag-
dalena River suited them. One
estimate puts their current
population at 50 to 80 animals:
By 2050 there may be anywhere
from 800 to 5,000 in a landscape
that never before knew hippos.
They aren’t the only herb-
camels roam the outback. An-
telope are a common sight in
rangelands from Texas to Pata-
gonia. And feral hogs are ev-
erywhere. A study published
in the ‘Proceedings of the Na-
tional Academy of Sciences’
says the lifestyles of these and
other exotic fauna may be res-
toring the ecological functions
of species lost to extinction
during the last ice age.
Beginning 100,000 years
aimed large animals through-
out the world: mammoths in
Eurasia, horses and giant slo-
ths in the Americas and giant
marsupials in Australia. Re-
searchers suspect that the
loss of these megafauna may
have left holes in the food
webs and other cycles of the
ecosystems where they lived.
“You’d expect that these in-
troductions would have incre-
ased changes and threatened
University of Technology in meadows, they take on roles
Sydney said. “Instead, the similar to extinct giant llamas. Undergraduate 44.07 55.93
creatures that have really Their daytime defecations in PG Diploma 33.8 66.2
flourished have all been ones the waterways dump nutri- Diploma 50.5 49.5
that are ecologically distinct ents into underwater systems. Certificate 27.78 72.22
from native species, and re- But their impacts aren’t are Integrated 99.76 0.24
store lost ecologic capacities.” the same: Pleistocene herbivo- Total 46.95 53.05
In Australia, grazing by res lived in vast, undeveloped Source: AISHE 2018-19
water buffalo, the largest herb- landscapes. Now, many hab-
ivores since the continent lost itats are fragmented and peo-
its giant marsupials, reduces ple have not been as eager to in-
the frequency and severity of troduce wild lions as they have
wildfires, Lundgren said. antelope. NYT NEWS SERVICE
10 COMFORTING THE AFFLICTED AFFLICTING THE COMFORTABLE
THE TIMES OF INDIA
MONDAY, MARCH 30, 2020

A thought for today

The next time you hear about migrant children
near the border, just picture them as your own.
Then think what you would want our government to do
Spitting In The Coronavirus Era
AL SHARPTON
How Europe overcame the urge to spit, and why India might just succeed now

India’s Long March Dipankar Gupta

Elite European aesthe-

tics, rather than fear of
America. Even though TB, not bullet
injuries, was the major reason most World
War 1 soldiers were discharged from
active duty, public spitting continued
A humanitarian crisis has come to the fore with tuberculosis (TB), did
much to discourage
unabated on and off the battlefield.
South Korea and Singapore provide
migrant workers fleeing lockdown on foot public spitting in the contrary examples. Both these countries
West. Is there a lesson successfully banned public spitting by

A
massive movement of migrant labourers back to their native here for India where we are combatting
villages and disruption in supply chains of essential commodities not just TB, but now coronavirus too?
highlight the teething troubles that have accompanied the lock- Social distancing will, hopefully,
down’s initial days. The abrupt announcement of the lockdown and become unnecessary in the not too
directions to citizens to stay put saw contradictory impulses surfacing. long run. We, however, have an
opportunity now to rally public
Police forced even essential services off the roads while many landlords opinion against spitting and this
nudged out tenants unable to pay rent. Living in cities amid inflationary could be for our everlasting good. If
times, commodity scarcities and police harassment can unnerve even the Western world could overcome the
well heeled citizens. Bereft of savings, social support nets and wary of spitting urge, so can we.
the outsider tag, it is no surprise that seasonal migrant labour are Anti-spitting sentiments first rose
heading back to their native villages flouting the lockdown. among European aristocrats and the
high bourgeoisie. This happened well
The visuals of hapless migrant workers walking away from big cities
before Louis Pasteur and Robert Koch
towards inter-state borders undermines propounded the “germ theory”. Only
the collective resolve evident during the later, the more common classes in
Prime Minister’s call for a one-day “Janata cheaper seats began to adopt this view,
Curfew”. The lockdown was meant to clearly imitating their social superiors.
avoid hospitals getting overwhelmed and Science can only do so much, it is how
to buy time for bolstering healthcare capa- the upper echelons behave that often
turns things around.
cities. But mismanagement is producing a
So far, the Indian elite has shown
huge humanitarian fallout with thou- little interest in giving up public
sands of fatigued people walking home on spitting. To ask Indians not to spit is met
empty stomachs. In hindsight, a limited- mostly with disbelief. It is almost as if
period repatriation could have been nature would stop and birds would die.
allowed before the lockdown was clamped. That may now change as the coronavirus
The huge internal migration catching central and state governments fear has prompted Madhya Pradesh
MLAs and parliamentarians to wear
napping doesn’t present a reassuring sight. No less worrying is the
masks to work. As a facial mask is spit
hostile reception some migrants are receiving back home. With no inhibiting, once our netas begin to use it
end to such cascading troubles governments, district administrations, as an essential accessory, the general
municipal bodies, panchayati raj institutions and police cannot rest easy masses too might do the same. At long
by merely shepherding migrant labourers away from highways. They last, a glimmer of hope.
need to arrange adequate night shelters, community kitchens, public We should remind ourselves that
toilets, fever clinics, and make good the promise to deliver free rations. Europe’s success in combating spitting
was not because of law or science,
Economic relief packages by Centre and state need to set aside
as often believed, but because the elite
funds for such wayside facilities lest welfare schemes elude migrant considered it repulsive. Till the 18th
workers. Some chief ministers are coming to the fore by taking up century Europeans (much like many
leadership of lockdown measures. The lockdown’s chaos is also a Indians today), believed that it was
warning to the Centre to take states into confidence before announce- wrong to swallow one’s spit. The great
ments with national implications. India is too big a country and 15th century Dutch philosopher and
diktats from Delhi need to factor in ground realities in the states too. theologian, Desiderius Erasmus,
strongly advocated spitting out saliva
As the lockdown nears a week, all official functionaries from the
for moral and physical reasons.
Prime Minister and chief ministers down to district magistrates This is why spitting continued
must communicate more frequently and effectively with citizens to
avert panic and build confidence and trust in government.
among the lower classes even after the
European courts and big merchants
had condemned it as disgusting. When,
in 1842, Charles Dickens berated the
Americans for public spitting, he was
upset not because the poorer classes
were indulging in this practice but
because members of the American
elite were.
This aversion to spitting might have
remained an upper class affectation,
and no more. The two Great Wars of the
20th century changed all that. They
brought about massive social mobility
and economic growth. Now there was a
sudden surge in the numbers of the
newly arrived middle classes who had
one driving ambition and that was to
imitate the well born. This truly ended
public spitting in the West. In the final
analysis it was not science, but the good
old urge towards status emulation and
social climbing that did the trick.
By the 1930s public spitting had
become so rare that, among other
things, spittoons began to disappear
Most importantly the Indian
upper classes, in the main,
see nothing wrong about
public spitting. It is routine
to see massive amounts of
glob floating out of luxury
cars in India
from bars in London. If left to science,
germ theory would have impacted a
very limited area. Outside laboratory
confines, science made cameo and
uninspiring appearances primarily in
the field of law and public health, but
not in everyday life.
In 1896, New York banned spitting
citing TB as the major reason. Very soon
about 150 other American cities follo-
wed. In 1898, French authorities moved
in the same direction. This, however,
did not significantly lower incidents of
public spitting, either in Europe or in
law; incidentally, they have also been
the most effective in battling the corona-
virus. Korea’s Confucian education and
its longstanding army presence (that
has habituated people to seeing officials
in hazmat suits) are often put forward as
reasons for the country’s success. So far,
Korea and Singapore (not even China)
have been exceptions to the rule.
Unlike the impersonalised Confucian
etiquette we, in India are traditionally
tuned to individualised guru-shishya
norms. Our politics too does not
support regimentation, but mild, slow
release anarchy. Most importantly the
Indian upper classes, in the main, see
nothing wrong about public spitting. It
is routine to see massive amounts of
glob floating out of luxury cars in India.
It is not as if there is a paucity of
laws against public spitting in our
country. One of the earliest was passed
in 1939 by the Madras Government.
Since then, in independent India many
states, such as Delhi, Maharashtra,
Bengal, Uttarakhand have instituted
clear sanctions against spitting. But
nobody really cares, not even the law
enforcing authorities. Clearly, it
requires elite disapproval of this
practice as a necessary condition. That
will nearly always be Stage 1.
Now that our law makers are
wearing masks to work we might have
arrived at Stage 1 of this process in our
own unique Indian way. As facial masks
are spit inhibiting attachments our
legislators will soon set a new social
norm, or aesthetic, against spitting.
Once this happens, Stage 2 is waiting to
take over what with the purported
claim that millions are entering the
Indian middle classes today. This facial
gear, if widely adopted, could bring
public spitting to a stop.
Can this be true? Can we actually
win our spat against spitting?

Fight Social Viruses ‘The positive effect of coronavirus is customers

Coronavirus can’t be defeated if stigma, will not put all eggs in the Chinese basket’
ostracisation and paranoia take hold Engineering products which dominate ■ What will be the long term impact at a golden opportunity. We see this ructure building in overseas markets
India’s merchandise exports have had of coronavirus? golden opportunity helping us touch like water distribution pipelines,

A
midst the lockdown to contain the Covid-19 outbreak, a disturbing a terrible year. However, Engineering The positive effect is that Europe, $90 billion definitely in 2020-21. Let us electric and optic fibre cable and
trend that has emerged is panic driven social ostracisation and Export Promotion Council (EEPC) India America, the Middle East as well as see the positive side. The government railway structure laying are some of the
vigilantism. Reports have already surfaced of how doctors and chairman Ravi Sehgal, feels there’s a others, who were largely dependent on has conducted a lot of meetings and told key areas. Agricultural implements is
other medical staff who are at the forefront of fighting the contagion are silver lining and reason for optimism. He Chinese products, have decided that us to increase and expand capacities, an additional segment to focus. Then
shares his view with D Govardan: they will not put all eggs in the Chinese taking whatever facilities and help are there is the auto sector, where a lot
being forced out of their homes by their landlords fearing infection. basket. As a result, India’s focus should needed to reach that goal. The govern- of auto components are going to be
We have also seen a similar story with airline staff who have ferried ■ What is the scenario with be on capacity building. Some ment actually wants us to touch $200 shifting to India, because until recently
stranded Indians from abroad and are now being viewed as ‘carriers’ of Indian engineering exports unutilised capacity is already billion by 2025. We have to do it in China was the biggest hub for auto
the virus. In fact, Air India put out a statement that vigilante resident this fiscal? there. That is going to be filled five years. Our expectation is that we components. We are also looking at
welfare associations (RWAs) were ostracising and calling the police on Last year, we touched $81 up and people are going should do at least $150 billion. bicycles, hand tools, fasteners,
its crew members who had gone abroad as part of their duty. billion in engineering exports, as to build additional Simply put, if you want a machinery, steel tubes and castings,
And then there is downright racism with people from the Northeast against $76 billion achieved in the capacities. This will be $5 trillion economy, then exports which will be a booming segment.
previous year. This year (2019-20), we like a bonanza for India should be $1 trillion and this ■ The much expected trade pact did
being abused and harassed because of their features. Some have even and I see 2020-21 as a good
were all set to cross $85 billion with the could be further divided into not happen during the recent visit
reported being heckled and told to move to way things were going. Then the trade time for India, where $600 billion from merchandise to India by US President Donald
Wuhan, China. On top of this, in many wars and disruptions in international engineering exports exports and $400 billion from Trump.
neighbourhoods RWAs have been circula- trade came in the form of duties on will do good and even service sector exports. Out We do not want any trade pact.
ting details of those under precautionary Indian aluminium and steel products. touch $90 billion. The of the $600 billion, 25% will That really does not help in exports.
quarantine who are wrongly being conflated Further, the protective measures even fallout will come, the be from engineering exports. What we really want is steel and pig
with positive Covid-19 cases. This is not only in Europe, which put a quota system on extra capacities will Hence, the $150 billion figure iron made available to us at internatio-
our steel, added to the problem. While come and the people who and that is the minimum tar- nal parity price or export parity price,
a breach of the constitutional right to privacy burnt their fingers in as it is popularly known. Credit is
everyone tried to beat the other for get that we have to achieve.
but is also leading to stigmatisation. quota, it got over by September itself. China are coming to India. That is our minimum another key factor. After raw material
Plus, a rise in vigilantism and social We thought January-March will be our Turkey, Brazil, South goal and we will and lower interest credit, high
ostracisation will only lead to people not best time; that’s when the coronavirus Africa and Russia, achieve it. We have electricity cost is another major
reporting Covid-19 symptoms, thereby defeating the very purpose of struck. Any global disturbance affects markets that are also assured the concern that we need to focus on.
the restrictions currently in place. What is required at the moment is the sentiments of the customer. So, equivalent to government. There is a lot of high-tech equipment
self-discipline and communities coming together to support their business has become very conservative India – are ■ Which are that we are getting into and they are
now. These orders will spill over to either full in the sectors power intensive. Power cost in India is
members. Those in precautionary quarantine need to be supported – capacity or very high. States have to be involved to
April-June period. Whatever be the that could
not vilified – and helped in abiding by the restriction measures. slowdown in February/ March, we facing high offer that look at how to resolve this. If these
Patients and their families deserve sympathy, not scorn. Just as doctors expect a boom in the April-June period inflation. kind of things are solved, capacities added
and essential service workers need our genuine encouragement and and that should neutralise the earlier India is growth? and credit made available, then Indian
gratitude beyond symbolic gestures. To defeat the coronavirus, we downfall. now staring Infrast- exports will be pushed in a big way.
must come together and keep the social virus of stigma and paranoia
at bay. Police must take firm steps against those who act out their own dilbert Sacredspace
phobias by victimising others.
What We Need
Coronation of King Covid We can reject everything else:
religion, ideology, all received
As coronavirus rules, here are some wisdom. But we cannot escape
the necessity of love
offerings that are expected to spring up and compassion....
Chidanand.Rajghatta@timesgroup.com Love for others and respect for
Since folks across the world, India in particular, love to name their rights and dignity,
newborn children after any passing phenom, fad, fashion, star, no matter who or what they are:
craze, etc, it would be a useful – or equally, useless – exercise (we ultimately these are all we need.
all need exercise) to think of a future where current vogue
terms will be common names. With this in mind, i present to you The XIV Dalai Lama
the cricket team to represent India in the 2044 World Cup: 1.
Corona Kapoor; 2. Covid Sharma; 3. Virus Sehwag; 4. Viral Kohli; 5. Wuhan

Getting Rid Of All That Clutter

Vihari; 6. Pandmic Pandya; 7. Hebei Pravins Pant (WK); 8. Hydroxychloroquine
Bandopadhyaya (mystery chinaman bowler); 9. Soshal Distan Singh; 10. MERS
Covidia; 11. SARS Ahmed; 12th man: Chini Srinivasan; Manager: Shijin Pingle;
Coach: Hans Sanitiser; Fitness Coach: Vector Ventilator Venkatesh; Spiritual
Coach: Gau Mutra. While the Indian team provides some variety, Sri Lanka will Geetika Jain ment to material possessions. It is a Another part of the mind is clouded dogmas taken out of context, supersti-
be so smitten by the virus that the entire team will be based on it: Coronatunga, good idea to give away all surplus and by future uncertainties. We constantly tions and pointless discussions and

C
Coronathilake, Coronawardena, Coronapaksa, Coronakumara, etc. lutter is suggestive of
In the same spirit, i present to you offerings from Bollywood. Red Virus disorder and mess, a negative
Entertainment will roll out the romantic film Corona Pyar Hain starring phenomenon which needs to be
Corona Kapoor (female lead) and action hero Covinda. Raj Kumar Virani Films identified, understood and then
will make a comedy titled Covidhar Covudhar, and Ameri Khan eliminated. The different kinds of
Movies will make Corona Darona, a thriller. In the south, Coronanidhi clutter that can significantly deplete the
and Coronakaran will star in Tamil and Malayalam biopics, leaving quality of life are not just on the
Coronataka seething as usual. There will also be Hindi TV serials physical plane but also on the mental
called Hum Bug (drama) and Rona Dhona mat Corona (sitcom). and spiritual planes. Normally, there is
Hollywood too will get into the act, launching Steven Spielbug’s epic Covid awareness of clutter only at the physical
and Goliath, James Camera-on’s Co Vidis, and Woolly Allen’s psychological level as it consists of tangible, per-
drama Id and Covid. Bruce Springsheen will belt out “Corona in the USA!” Dij- ceptible articles and these are relatively
ney-Fixar will produce Covid and Corona for kids. Brits will make a TV serial easy to deal with.
called Jewel in the Corona. The media will not be far behind, with a newspaper Whatever we have in our possession,
called Covid Times (Editor: Co Ramaswamy) and a TV channel called Covid-19. over and above what we need, is clutter.
Businessmen and entrepreneurs who will milk millions from the crisis – Clutter is accumulation of redundant
making products ranging from Covideocon TVs to Covidal Sassoon shampoo – will items that need to be sorted out and done
be known as Coronapatis. South Indian restaurants will serve Covidlis and Covidi- away with. According to Feng Shui,
appams. At the annual science congress, Covidiots who’ve graduated from the newly unwanted stuff that crowds living
sprung Covidyapeets will claim they can harness the power of coronavirus to spaces and work spaces can be a major
generate CoVidyut and produce CoMutra as a byproduct. In the US, there will occur inhibitor in the flow of positive energy.
the Coronation of the Great and Tremendous King Covid the First. Finally, Corona Clutter is the result of indecisiveness,
temples and churches will spring up everywhere to appease Covid, the God-King. laziness, greed and excessive attach-
obsolete things to those who have use for
them. Much time and energy which is
dissipated in managing the unnecessary
mess, can be directed towards cultiva-
ting higher aspects of life .
Mental clutter is the most complex,
harmful and also the most difficult
to deal with. It can be in the
form of a jumble of negative
feelings, emotions,
attitudes, prejudices and
perspectives deeply
embedded in one’s psyche,
acquired from one’s surro-
undings, interactions and
life’s experiences.
A large chunk of our mind is shackled
by our past. Unpleasant past experiences,
involving people and events, cloud the
mind with grudges and hostilities. Anot-
her clutter-effect can be when past negati-
vity is directed towards one’s own self,
resulting in self-pity and low self-esteem.
and needlessly worry, brood and get
anxious about imaginary problems in the
unseen future, adding even more clutter
to an already burdened mind. As a result,
beautiful moments of the present are
totally eclipsed by the mental clutter of
past and future. Life stagnates.
In essence, clutter is
confusion. Another common
mental blockage is lack of
clarity, that leads to
confusion regarding life’s
purpose. An entire lifetime is
squandered in frivolousness,
drifting aimlessly, indulging
in mindless pursuits.
A less known clutter which can
significantly arrest one’s growth is
clutter accumulated in the process of
performing one’s religious activity. This
may include time-consuming, little
understood or even misunderstood
religious rituals and rites, traditions and
discourses that lack focus and purpose.
Largely, they do not contribute construc-
tively to life or to one’s personal growth.
How can one dislodge all this clutter?
Meditation is a good way to get
composed and centred. The golden
moments of supreme serenity provide a
perfect platform for the most intimate
interaction with one’s own self – one’s
quintessential Self. This enables one to
explore oneself and know one’s frailties
that are tucked away in the darkest
depths of one’s subconscious. With
regular internal pilgrimage, one starts
evolving spiritually. Positivity sets in,
ego starts dissolving, contentment
seeps in and one comes to grips with the
ephemeral nature of life. We begin to see
physical possessions from a wider
perspective and not as things to cling to,
no matter what. Even the most stubborn
clutter – in all aspects of life – start
yielding. Life begins to regain its sheen.
 TIMES GLOBAL THE TIMES OF INDIA, HYDERABAD | MONDAY, MARCH 30, 2020
LOVE IS THE POWER
TO SEE SIMILARITY
IN THE DISSIMILAR
— THEODOR W ADORNO

GWYNETH PALTROW FOLLOWS SOCIAL DISTANCING, JON BON JOVI BELIEVES HIS 17-YEAR-OLD SON JACOB
ENJOYS VIRTUAL COCKTAIL HOUR WITH FRIENDS CONTRACTED A ‘MILD VERSION’ OF CORONAVIRUS

US VIRUS TOLL DOUBLES IN 2 DAYS TO 2,200

Trump Backs 14-Day Travel Advisory For New York Region Spain reports biggest
Chidanand.Rajghatta
@timesgroup.com

Washington: US President
Donald Trump on Saturday
backed down from threats of
imposing quarantine on New
York after its Democratic go-
vernor said such an act would
be tantamount to a “federal de-
claration of war” against sta-
tes. Confrontation between the
federal government and some
states, and even between some
states, is taking place as the US
death toll from the coronavi-
rus pandemic doubled in just
two days to more than 2,200.
Trump, whose ire has been
directed mostly against Demo-
crat-governed states, instead
settled for a 14-day travel adviso-
ry warning against non-essen-
tial travel to New York and adjo-
ining New Jersey and Connec-
ticut. “On the recommendation
of the White House CoronaVi-
rus Task Force, and upon con-
sultation with the Governor’s
of New York, New Jersey and
Connecticut, I have asked the
@CDCgov to issue a strong Tra-
vel Advisory, to be administe-
red by the Governors, in con-
sultation with the Federal Go-
vernment,” he announced, con-
spike in deaths, Italy
toll crosses 10,000
ceding that “a quarantine will
not be necessary”.
But some states, and even
some counties and cities, are
not waiting for the president to
restrict travel. In an extraordi-
nary sign of tension between
federating units, local officials
in parts of the country have be-
gun instituting unilateral tra-
vel blockade with air embargo
and road barriers against non-
native incursions in an effort
to keep out Covid-19 infected.
New York City, now consi-
dered the epicentre of the pan-
demic in the US, is at the eye of
the political storm with some
states trying to keep out traffic
from the Big Apple given the
extent of infection there —
with one in 1,000 New Yorkers
reported to be infected. Police
in Rhode Island began stop-
ping cars with New York plates
on Friday and the National Gu-
ard was helping them conduct
house-to-house searches to
find people who travelled from
New York and demand 14 days
of self-quarantine. “Right now
we have a pinpointed risk.
That risk is called New York Ci-
ty,” the state’s governor Gina
Raimondo said, outraging her
fellow New York governor An-
drew Cuomo, who called her
actions unconstitutional and
threatened to sue.
Down the coast in Florida,
the state’s Republican Gover-
nor Ron DeSantis deployed Na-
tional Guard at airports and
highways to stop travellers
from New York City and New
Orleans, both considering Co-
vid hotspots, saying he wanted
them to stop “seeding” the vi-
rus in the Sunshine state,
which is home to a large popu-
lation of retirees and is therefo-
re considered vulnerable. As of
Saturday the state reported mo-
re than 4,000 cases, a five-fold in-
crease from a week ago, with 56
deaths. Some 90%] of those de-
aths were of people over 65. In
parts of the country, even local
counties began erecting barri-
ers and checkpoints to prevent
“outsiders” from entering.
Within the US itself, the
pandemic is resulting in a bit-
ter political and ideological
war, with the Republican presi-
dent getting panned from all si-
des for poor handling of the
threat from the get-go (when he
airily wished it away and certi-
fied China’s actions and good
conduct), and then when
things got serious, of waffling
and not acting to ensure supp-
ly of critical equipment.
Trump warriors have also
launched a vicious campaign
against Dr Anthony Fauci, the
country’s foremost infectious
disease specialist, who has be-
en weighing in against the
president’s desire to end the
lockdown and kickstart the
economy next week. As Fauci
warned that the country wo-
uld see “millions of cases” and
between 100,000 and 200,000 de-
aths, Trump supporters called
him an Obama holdover and
Hillary Clinton supporter
who wanted to wreck the eco-
nomy in order to destroy the
Trump presidency.
Full report on www.toi.in
via REUTERS
Barcelona: Spain and Italy
demanded more European
help as they fight still-sur-
ging coronavirus infections
amid the continent’s worst
crisis since World War II. The
confirmed global death toll
surpassed 33,000. Spain and
Italy alone account for more
than half of the world’s death
toll, and are still seeing over
800 deaths a day each.
Spain confirmed 838 de-
aths in 24 hours from coronavi-
rus on Sunday, a new daily re-
cord bringing the total number
of deaths to 6,528, according to
health ministry figures. The
number of confirmed cases in
Spain has now reached 78,799.
Spain’s health emergencies
chief, Fernando Simon, said
the country’s infection rate fell
on Sunday to 9%, down from
18% three days before.
The toll in Italy climbed by
756 to 10,779, the Civil Protec-
tion Agency said on Sunday, the
second successive fall in the da-
ily rate. The agency said more
than 5,200 new cases were re-
Tokyo sees record
daily rise: 68 cases
T okyo has confirmed 68 new
coronavirus cases, a record
daily increase, public broad-
caster NHK reported on
Sunday. The outbreak has
infected more than 1,800 people
in Japan, with 55 deaths as of
Sunday afternoon, excluding
712 cases and 10 deaths from a
cruise ship moored near Tokyo
last month, NHK said. REUTERS
aday earlier, Jerome Salomon,
the head of France’s public he-
alth agency said.
In Britain, a senior medi-
cal official said on Sunday that
some lockdown measures co-
uld last months as the count-
ry’s death toll reached 1,200.
“This is not to say we would be
in complete lockdown for six
months but it means that as a
nation we have to be really re-
sponsible and keep doing what
we are doing until we are sure
that we can gradually start lif-

Death of German state finance

corded in the last 24 hours, the ting various interventions,”
lowest number in four days, for deputy chief medical officer
a total of 97,689 infections. Jenny Harries said.
Spain, Italy, France and The number of confirmed

minister is linked to virus crisis six other EU members have

Berlin: The state finance
minister of Germany’s Hes-
se region, which includes
Frankfurt, has been found
dead. Authorities said he ap-
pears to have killed himself
and the state’s governor sug-
gested on Sunday that he was
in despair over the fallout
from the coronavirus crisis.
The body of Thomas
Schaefer, a 54-year-old mem-
ber of Chancellor Angela
Merkel’s Christian Demo-
cratic Union, was found on
Saturday on railway tracks
at Hochheim, near Frank-
furt. Police and prosecutors
said that factors including
questioning of witnesses
Thomas Schaefer
and their own observations
at the scene led them to con-
clude that Schaefer killed
himself. State governor Vol-
ker Bouffier linked Schae-
fer’s death to the virus crisis
on Sunday.
Bouffier said Schaefer
asked the union to share the
burden of European debt,
dubbed coronabonds, to help
was worried about “whether fight the virus. But the idea
it would be possible to succe- has met resistance from other
ed in fulfilling the popula- members, led by Germany
tion’s huge expectations, and the Netherlands.
particularly of financial Health authorities in
help.” “I have to assume that France reported 292 new de-
these worries overwhelmed aths from the coronavirus on
him,” Bouffier said. Sunday, up 13% on the previo-
“He apparently couldn’t us day and taking the total to
find a way out. He was in de- 2,609 since March 1, as the go-
spair and left us.” vernment raced to relieve
Germany’s federal and pressure on overwhelmed ho-
state governments have spitals in the east. Two modifi-
drawn up huge aid packages ed TGV high-speed trains car-
to cushion the blow of large- ried 36 patients from Mulhou-
ly shutting down public life se and Nancy toward hospitals
to slow the spread of Co- along France’s western coast,
vid-19. Schaefer had been where the outbreak has been
Hesse’s state finance mini- limited so far. The number of
ster for a decade. AP known cases of infection rose
Members of Czech Philharmonic orchestra perform a concert dedicated for hospitals fighting the virus in Prague
to 40,174 on Sunday from 37,575
cases in the Netherlands pas-
sed the 10,000 mark on Sunday.
A total of 771 people have died
from the Covid-19 epidemic in
the Netherlands and 10,866 ha-
ve tested positive, the count-
ry’s institute for public health
and environment (RIVM) said.
Uruguay and Bolivia ha-
ve confirmed their first de-
aths related to coronavirus,
as many Latin America co-
untries went into lockdown
in a bid to mitigate the impact
of the global pandemic.
Egypt shut its beaches as ca-
ses in the Mideast surpassed
50,000. Poland is considering
delaying its May 10 presidential
polls and Russia ordered bord-
ers to close on Monday. Pakis-
tan’s top health official clai-
med that the situation was un-
der control as the number of ca-
ses was limited to 1,571. AGENCIES

Virus-hit Hubei
province begins
domestic flights
Beijing/Wuhan: China on
Sunday resumed domestic
flights in the coronavirus epi-
centre Hubei province, except
for its capital Wuhan, as part of
a plan to ease lockdown in the
region amid a decline in the
number of confirmed cases.
Hubei’s capital Wuhan, which
In a rare case, an infant
dies of Covid-19 in US
Washington: A US infant has
died from the Covid-19 illness,
officials in the state of Illinois
said on Saturday, marking an
extremely rare case of juveni-
le death in the global pande-
mic. At a news conference, go-
vernor JB Pritzker said “an in-
fant” was among the fatalities
Texas hosp 1st in US
to try corona blood
transfusion therapy
A prominent US hospital in
the Houston, Texas, has
infused the blood of a patient,
86-yr-old Spanish princess 108-yr-old, who survived
becomes first royal to Spanish flu & 2 world wars,
succumb to coronavirus is UK’s oldest casualty
London: Princess Maria Teresa of Spain has
died after testing positive for the novel corona-
virus, becoming the first royal victim of the di-
sease, it was reported. The prin-
cess, who was King of Spain Fe-
lipe VI’s cousin, died aged 86 in
Paris on Friday, the London-ba-
sed Metro newspaper said in a
report on Saturday.
London: A 108-year-old woman, who survived
two world wars and the 1918 Spanish flu pande-
mic, has become the UK’s oldest coronavirus
victim after she died within hours of testing
positive for the deadly virus, according to a TRACKING OUTBREAK
media report. Hilda Churchill, who was to ce-
lebrate her birthday on April 5, started sho-
wing mild symptoms of the virus on Tuesday,
Sun newspaper reported.
Countries
United States
Infected

132,637
Death

bore the brunt of the virus for
over two months, would begin
its air services from April 8.
China began to ease its lock-
down of Hubei from March 25
by resuming local transport
services followed by relaxation
of travel for people tested nega-
tive for coronavirus. Chinese
National Health Commission
on Sunday said that 45 new co-
ronavirus cases were reported
in the country on Saturday. A
Fuzhou Airlines flight depar-
ted Yichang city on Sunday
marking the resumption of
flights from the province. PTI
linked to the new coronavirus
over the previous 24 hours.
The state department of
public health said the child
who died in Chicago was yo-
unger than one year old and
had tested positive for Covid-19.
“There has never before been a
death associated with Covid-19
in an infant,” the department’s
director Ngozi Ezike said. “A
full investigation is under-
way to determine the cause of
death.” “I know how difficult
this news can be, especially
about this very young child”
Pritzker said. AFP
2,351
177
countries/
who has recovered from Her younger brother Prince She passed away on Saturday at her care
Covid-19, into a critically ill Sixtus Henry of Bourbon-Parma announced home in Salford city — less than 24 hours after Italy 97,689 10,779 regions hit
patient, becoming the first her demise, as the death toll in Spain increased testing positive for Covid-19 — the disease ca-
China 82,122 3,304
medical facility in the US to try to 5,982, now the second highest in the world af-
ter Italy (10,023).
sued by the novel coronavirus, the daily said.
She is believed to be the oldest British victim of
704,095+
the experimental therapy. The Spain 78,799 6,606 infected globally
individual, who has been in good Princess Maria Teresa, of the Bourbon-Par- coronavirus. Her grandson Anthony Churchill
health for more than two weeks ma Royal Family, was born in Paris, France on said, “The most devastating thing is that we we- Germany 60,659 482
since being diagnosed, donated July 28, 1933 to Prince Xavier and Madeleine de re not able to be there with her in her time of ne- 33,509+
the blood plasma for what is Bourbon. Her death comes the UK’s Prince ed, when she’s been with us through all of ours.” Iran 38,309 2,640 have died
known as the convalescent Charles also tested positive for coronavirus. “It’s heartbreaking for us. Her birthday was just
serum therapy at the Houston The Prince of Wales has “mild symptoms” weeks away and we were all so excited.” Antho- France 38,105 2,609
Methodist Hospital. “(The) of Covid-19, but otherwise remains in good he- ny said Hilda moved to Salford during the reces-
United Kingdom 19,772 1,231 148,824+
therapy could be a vital treat- alth, a spokesperson said last week. Also last sion to find work as a seamstress after surviving
week, Monaco’s Prince Albert II tested positive
have recovered
ment route because the ongoing the Spanish flu as a child. Switzerland 14,829 300
clinical trials are going to take a for the novel coronavirus. A week earlier, the But the pandemic, which spread across the
10,926
Source: Johns Hopkins
while,” Dr Eric Salazar, a scien- Archduke of Austria Karl von Habsburg became world in 1918 killing 50 million people, killed Netherlands 772 University
tist with Methodist, said. PTI the first royal to test positive for Covid-19. IANS Hild’'s 12-month-old sister. PTI

OTHER TOP STORIES

Polish composer Key suspect in

Hospitals turn to
snorkel masks to Ambulances in New York AROUND THE WORLD
AFP

ease respirator load

of ‘The Exorcist’ Easter bombings Asoverload
passes away held in Sri Lanka medical staff are turning to
patients struggling to breathe,
Warsaw/Krakow: Poland’s
Krzysztof Penderecki, one of
the world’s most celebrated
composers, died on Sunday at
the age of 86, his family said.
Penderecki
was known for
his film scores,
including for
William Fried-
kin’s “The Ex-
orcist”, Stanley
Kubrick’s “The Shining” and
David Lynch’s “Wild at Heart”
“After a long and serious
illness, Krzysztof Penderecki
— one of the greatest Polish
musicians and a world autho-
rity in the field of classical
music died,” Poland’s mini-
stry of culture posted on Twit-
ter. He was tested for Covid-19
after his carer was diagnosed
with the illness, but his result
was negative, his daughter Be-
ata Penderecka said. REUTERS
hospitals face an
of Covid-19
Colombo: The Sri Lankan poli-
ce on Sunday arrested a key su-
spect in the last year’s devasta-
ting Easter Sunday terror at-
tack that killed over 250 people.
The suspect was arrested
from the Colombo suburb of
Mount Lavinia and was the
handler of the suicide bomber
who carried out the blast at the
Zion church in the town of Bat-
ticaloa while mass was going
on, police spokesman Jaliya Se-
naratne said. He had provided
lodging and transport to the su-
icide bomber, the official said.
The bomber was part of the
nine-member suicide-squad be-
longing to local extremist gro-
up National Thawheed Jamaat
linked to the Islamic State gro-
up that carried out a series of
blasts, tearing through three
churches and as manyhotels on
Easter Sunday, killing 258 peo-
ple, including 11Indians. PTI
snorkelling masks to stop their
lungs collapsing. “The aim is to
avoid having to intubate the
trachea of the patient and put
them on a respirator,” said
Frederic Bonnier, a respiratory
physiotherapist at the Erasme
Hospital near Brussels. AFP
Couple run balcony
marathon to beat
coronavirus blues
A South African couple who
ran a marathon on the
balcony of their Dubai flat,
streaming it online, plan to take
the project global to beat
Covid-19 blues. Collin Allin, 41,
and Hilda covered the 42km
distance by running 2,100 laps of
their 20-metre long balcony on
Saturday. It took them five hours,
nine minutes and 39 seconds. AFP
are now as busy as on 9/11
Ali Watkins
New York: The first of many
calls that night involved a 24-
year-old man who had a fever,
body aches and a cough that
sounded like a cement mixer.
While the Brooklyn parame-
dics took the man’s fever —
103 degrees — they noticed
frightening vitals that hinted
at the coronavirus: a critical-
ly low level of oxygen was flo-
wing into his otherwise clear
lungs, while his heart thum-
ped with the intensity of a ma-
rathon runner’s. He was ta-
ken to the nearest hospital.
Then almost immediate-
ly came the next call: a 73-ye-
ar-old man with symptoms
similar to the young man’s.
They took him to the hospi-
tal, too. “It’s all a war zone,”
one of the paramedics said.
“I’m terrified,” said Phil
Suarez, who has been a para-
Reuters
HARD TIMES AGAIN
medic in New York City for 26
years and had assisted in re-
scue efforts during the Sep-
tember 11, 2001, terror attacks.
Even as hospitals across
New York become inundated
with coronavirus cases, some
patients are being left behind
in their homes because the he-
alth care system cannot hand-
le them all, according to do-
zens of interviews with para-
medics, New York fire depart-
ment officials, union
representatives and city data.
In a matter of days, the ci-
ty’s 911 system has been over-
whelmed by calls for medical
distress apparently related to
the virus. Typically, the sy-
stem sees about 4,000 emer-
gency medical calls a day. On
Thursday, dispatchers took
more than 7,000 calls — a volu-
me not seen since the Septem-
ber 11 attacks. The record for A couple share their wedding kiss in Vilnius, Lithuania, on Saturday
amount of calls in a day was
broken three times last week. Canadian PM’s health services. Trudeau said
Because of the volume, that he would continue to
emergency medical workers wife recovers self-isolate at home even
though his wife has recovered.
are making life-or-death deci-
sions about who is sick eno-
ugh to take to crowded emer-
from Covid-19
UK PM writes to Britons,
urging them to stay home
gency rooms and who appears
well enough to leave behind. C anadian PM Justin Tru-
deau’s wife said on Satur-
day that she has recovered
UK PM Boris Johnson, who is
self-isolating after testing
They are assessing on the sce-
ne which patients should re- from being ill from Covid-19. “I positive for Covid-19, has writ-
ceive time-consuming measu- am feeling so much better,” ten letters to every UK house to
res like CPR and intubation, Sophie Trudeau said. She said ask people to stay at home,
and which patients are too far she received the clearance warning them things will get
gone to save. NYT NEWS SERVICE from her doctor and public worse before they get better.
The super six
soccer clubs
There are six soccer clubs
that are now valued at over
1 billion euros. The list is led
by Liverpool FC, followed by
Manchester City and in third
place is FC Barcelona
Source: Statista
Battling Virus: Govt To Ease Compliance Norms, E-Retailers Fight Curfew Blues, Internet Use Spikes Even As India Inc Offers Fin Aid
E-tail to take $1bn hit in lockdown Cos advance payday
Grappling With Slowdown Earlier, Forecast Slashed As Biz Comes To Halt
Digbijay Mishra &
Madhav Chanchani TNN
Bengaluru: The 21-day lock-
down will lead to a loss of at le-
ast $1 billion in gross sales as
India’s largest online retail
platforms like Amazon and
Flipkart stop selling non-es-
sentials till at least the middle
of next month, based on cur-
rent government directives.
What’s of further concern is
that the online retail players
are expected to grow only by
5% this year, in the most opti-
mistic scenario, compared to
about 26% growth in the pre-
vious year to reach $23-24 bil-
lion in gross sales. Overall e-
commerce sales, including
movie tickets and other plat-
forms, was $32 billion in 2019,
according to market research
firm Forrester’s data exclusi-
vely shared with TOI.
While online grocery is se-
eing a spike in orders, it consti-
tutes only about 10% of overall
Mother Dairy
seeks to use
e-grocers’
network
John.Sarkar@timesgroup.com
New Delhi: Mother Dairy, one
of India’s leading dairy com-
panies, has written to major
food e-commerce players, in-
cluding Bigbasket, Milkbas-
ket and Supr Daily, to operate
as a team to maintain a smo-
oth supply of milk.
Senior executives at Mot-
her Dairy said the dairy gi-
ant is ready to increase pro-
duction and use the distribu-
tion network of the online
players to reach consumers
at locations that do not have
milk booths.
“We are ready to operate
at our fullest capacity. Cur-
rently, we are operating aro-
und an average of 35 lakh lit-
res a day. If e-commerce play-
ers are experiencing surged
demand in some areas, we
can increase our capacity by
over 10%, with backing of
smooth distribution,” said a
Mother Dairy spokesperson.
FOR SMOOTH
MILK SUPPLY
Earlier, both Amul, India’s
largest dairy player, and Mot-
her Dairy had said milk pro-
curement has increased after
the lockdown, with no immi-
nent chance of a short supply
for consumers.
The consumer demand of
varied categories of milk
products has been as usual,
except for ice-cream, which
has been hit badly, the dairy
player said.
It has also doubled its
supply of fruits and vegetab-
les through Safal brand to mo-
re than 300 metric tonnes in
the Delhi-NCR region amid
the ongoing lockdown.
“Milk and its products,
along with fruits and
vegetables, come under the
essential goods category and
are covered in the list of ex-
ceptions issued by various
states and central govern-
ment authorities, and accor-
dingly movement of stake-
holders is being managed
with the help of local enfor-
cement agencies,” said the
Mother Dairy spokesperson.
Over 40 diesel cars, SUVs to go off road in Apr
Pankaj.Doval@timesgroup.com
New Delhi: Come April and
diesel versions of over 40 cars
and SUVs will be phased out
from the market as compani-
es shift their focus complete-
ly to petrol models and clea-
ner CNG and electric ver-
sions, with the onset of the
BS6 emission norms era.
The move comes at a time
when dealerships are stret-
ched due to closures related to
the coronavirus outbreak,
and there is not much hope to
clear the idle BS4 inventory by
the March 31 deadline after
the national lockdown was or-
dered. The petition of dealers
and some companies to give
them more time to dispose of
the BS4 inventory has already
been dealt with by the Supre-
me Court, and they have been
given permission to only sell
10% of the pending stock.
Many companies have de-
Aggregated
transfer value
of soccer
squads (As of Manchester City
March 2020)
E-GROCERY SALES SPIKE OF NO HELP
3,000
Avg e-grocery sales (in `)
2k-2.5k
2,000
1,000
1k-1.1k
0 0
Pre-virus Post-virus
The spike in grocery sales online
won’t rise further as there are now retail sales online as e-grocery
purchase limits to avoid hoarding
sales for e-tailers. Last year, e-
grocery sales stood at about $2
billion. Online platforms see
$50-60 million in daily sales
around this time of the year,
which for several players is
down to zero. Smartphones,
large appliances, electronics
and fashion are the top drivers
of gross sales for e-tailers,
contributing 60-70% of the to-
tal. To be sure, these data po-
ints are based on current cir-
cumstances and may evolve
further, for better or worse, ba-
Cos, LLPs may get more
time to file pending docus
Sidhartha@timesgroup.com
New Delhi: In a one-time ex-
ercise, the ministry of corpo-
rate affairs is set to roll out a
scheme enabling companies
and limited liability part-
nership (LLP) firms to file all
their pending documents —
going back several years —
without paying any penalty.
The “fresh start” scheme
will be notified in a day or two,
sources told TOI, and will pro-
vide a six-month window to
companies to complete all re-
gulatory filings. The only ex-
ception to the scheme will be
filing of documents related to
creating a charge for purpo-
ses of loans and those on en-
hancement of authorised ca-
pital. “This is a one-time op-
tion for all companies and
LLPs. There is no time bar, so
they can go back in time and
cure all their compliance-re-
lated issues,” said a source, re-
questing anonymity.
The message to the indust-
ry was that there is no need to
worry as the immediate con-
cerns related to filings and
Social media usage jumps 87% as
people log over 4 hrs online daily
Rajesh.C@timesgroup.com
Chennai: The first week of
lockdown saw Indians spend
more than 280 minutes a
day on social media, a spike
of 87% over the previous we-
ek, as people remained indo-
ors. Streaming platforms
and televisions also saw a ri-
se in viewership, while out-
of-home (OOH) media and
radio were neglected, accor-
ding to a survey.
Social media usage, on av-
erage, before the lockdown
was nearly 150 minutes per
day. In the first week of lock-
down, that figure jumped to
280 minutes per day, with 75%
people spending more time on
apps like WhatsApp, Twitter
and Facebook compared to
the week before. The survey
respondents said they acces-
END OF JOURNEY
Vehicles whose diesel versions ride into the sunset
from April with BS6 introduction:
Hatches and sedans |
Maruti Swift, Volkswagen
Polo, Maruti Dzire, Maruti
Ciaz, Volkswagen Vento,
Mercedes CLA*, Audi A4, A6
and A8, Skoda Rapid, Octavia
and Superb
SUV/UVs | Maruti Brezza, Audi Q3, Q5 and Q7, Skoda
Nissan Kicks, Renault Duster,
Koqiaq, Renault Terrano*,
Maruti Ertiga, Maruti SCross, Honda BRV*
*Cars getting phased out completely, both petrol, diesel models
cided to move out diesel ver-
sions from their line-up as
they would have required he-
avy investments to upgrade
to the stricter emission stan-
dard, and thus would become
highly expensive for consu-
mers. The diesel models to
move out include popular
TIMES BUSINESS
Liverpool FC
FC Barcelona
to ease virus woes
Online sales in 2019 (in $bn)
30
23-24
Source: Forrester
20
10
2 said that electronics and other
Total e-tail E-groceries
It may also not boost overall
segment forms a very small part
sed on how India manages to
deal with the pandemic.
“If they (online retailers)
can grow by 5% this year, they
should feel lucky. Even after
the lockdown ends, consumer
spending will be hit. Even
with EMI waivers, people will
push many of their spendings
to next year,” said Satish Mee-
na, senior forecast analyst at
Forrester. According to Mee-
na, retail sales in China were
down 21% in the last two
months and e-commerce sales
EASING COMPLIANCE
The move comes even as
the government held
discussions with
industry bodies
and indicated that
it may initiate a
few more steps
to aid in fulfilling
compliance issues
in the short term
One of the areas flagged
other compliances have been
eased. At the same time, the
ministry has made it clear that
companies should not use the
coronavirus crisis to seek re-
laxations in long-term compli-
ances. Besides, the govern-
ment wants to ensure that cor-
porate governance standards
are not compromised.
For instance, during the in-
teraction with industry gro-
ups last week, one of the large
corporate houses sought a re-
laxation in norms for overall
borrowing limit and sugges-
ted the bar should be raised as
it intended to raise money over
SURGE IN TV, OTT VIEWERSHIP TOO
71% people said they viewed
more content on streaming
platforms compared to a week
ago. The start of prime time for
OTT media consumption shifted
to 7pm from 10pm
76% said they watched TV
between 8am and 9am
72% browsed the internet
more often to get information
about the coronavirus
sed social media often to con-
sume news, and to communi-
cate amid the lockdown due to
the coronavirus pandemic.
According to the Ham-
merkopf Consumer Snaps-
hot Survey conducted on
March 28 across 1,300 people
in New Delhi, Mumbai, Beng-
ones such as Maruti’s Brezza
mini SUV and Dzire entry se-
dan, Renault’s Duster, Sko-
da’s Octavia, Maruti’s Swift,
Volkswagen’s Polo and Au-
di’s Q3 and Q5 SUVs.
“Of the 86 diesel models
currently selling in the co-
untry, a total of 42 will be dis-
THE TIMES OF INDIA, HYDERABAD | MONDAY, MARCH 30, 2020
¤1,405M
¤1,361M
¤1,170M
grew by only 3%, but grocery
is a big part of online sales in
the country, unlike India.
Investors tracking the space
feel the April-June quarter co-
uld be a washout for the sector.
Some e-commerce executives
items would also need to be allo-
wed for deliveries if the lock-
down lasts longer than April 14
as the groceries segment by it-
self is not sustainable in terms
of margins. Some sector-focu-
sed e-tailers like fashion websi-
te Myntra and baby care pro-
ducts seller FirstCry have stop-
ped taking new orders. Others
such as beauty products seller
Purplle and furniture seller
Pepperfry are taking fresh or-
ders but offering delivery only
after April 15.
Even before the outbreak
of the coronavirus, overall
consumer spending was mu-
ted owing to broader economic
challenges. But the virus spre-
ading at this pace brought on-
was the expiry of names
that had been reserved
by entities looking
to set shop
Sources said
the government is
likely to allow
an extension for
name reservation
to those wishing to
set up companies
the next few days and underta-
ke significant capital expendi-
ture. The government, howe-
ver, turned down the request,
arguing that in these times,
when there is a complete lock-
down across the country, fund-
raising and capex were diffi-
cult to make. “This is not busi-
ness as usual, we need to ensu-
re that people are safe and
compliance issues do not hobb-
le them,” said a government
source. The Institute of Char-
tered Accountants of India
and Sebi have already eased
compliance norms for compa-
nies to make life simpler.
Minutes spent (avg)
87%
on social media daily
280
150
Pre-lockdown Post-lockdown
89% said they listened to
radio and music-streaming
apps less often
91% reported noticing less
billboards Source: Hammerkopf
aluru and Chennai, over-the-
top (OTT) media consump-
tion too saw a spike, with 71%
people watching more than a
week ago. The prime time for
streaming platforms this we-
ek began at 7pm, unlike a we-
ek before, when it was betwe-
en 10pm and 12am. Meanwhi-
continued, including seven
from Maruti,” Shashank Sri-
vastava, director (marketing
& sales) at the country’s big-
gest carmaker Maruti Suzu-
ki, told TOI.
Justifying the move, com-
panies said higher upgrade
costs would mean that consu-
mers will no longer be open to
buying diesels. The theory ga-
ins more strength as the gap
between the fuel prices of pet-
rol and diesel has come down
significantly, taking some of
the sheen off the diesel vari-
ants. Also, with diesel vehi-
cles carrying a life-span of 10
years against 15 years for pet-
rol models in markets such as
Delhi-NCR, many consumers
tend to opt for the latter.
Maruti was among the
first ones to announce their
intention to move out of the
diesel segment around one
year ago. “In small cars, the
cost of upgrading diesel engi-
Real Madrid
Chelsea
Manchester United
line commerce to a screeching
halt. Last year, 140 million In-
dians shopped online at least
once, according to Forrester.
This might not grow signifi-
cantly in 2020 even though on-
line grocery and medicine de-
livery platforms are seeing
new customers sign up.
“During a meeting for 2020
projections at the end of 2019,
Amazon India leadership team
was told about economic and
policy challenges in India,
which might be a hindrance to
growth. The mandate was to
grow despite those issues. But
now, with Covid-19, it looks vir-
tually impossible,” an Amazon
executive recently told TOI
when confirmed cases started
to rise in India. Flipkart and
Amazon India spokespersons
declined to comment.
“There will be some per-
manent behavioural change
in consumers,” said T C M
Sundaram, MD at venture ca-
pital firm Chiratae Ventures.
BoI passes on
RBI’s rate cut
Mumbai: Bank of India (BoI)
has passed on the RBI’s 75-ba-
sis-point repo rate cut to borro-
wers whose loans are linked to
the bank’s external bench-
mark rate. BoI has also cut its
marginal cost of lending rate
(MCLR) by up to 25bps. “The ex-
ternal benchmark lending ra-
te, which is linked to the RBI’s
repo rate, has been reduced by
75bps to 7.25%,” the bank said.
The reduction in interest rates
will be effective from April 1,
2020. SBI was the first to bring
down its lending rate after the
RBI cut rates on Friday. TNN
Sidbi offers cheap
loans to some cos
Mumbai: Small Industries
Development Bank of India
has launched ‘Sidbi assistan-
ce to facilitate emergency re-
sponse against coronavirus
(SAFE)’, a scheme through
which businesses can get lo-
ans up to Rs 50 lakh at 5% in-
terest rate. Small businesses
engaged in manufacturing of
hand sanitisers, masks, glo-
ves, headgear, bodysuits,
shoe-covers, ventilators,
goggles, and testing labs can
avail collateral-free loans. TNN
le, 76% of those surveyed said
they watched TV in the mor-
ning between 8am and 9am.
“The digital habits are
undergoing a dramatic
change, with a fresh slew of
consumer apps, benefiting
from strong network effects
in communication, enterta-
inment, food and fitness,
and enabling Indians like
never before,” said Namagi-
ri Anand, managing part-
ner, Hammerkopf.
Tarun Katial, CEO at Zee5
India, said the platform has
witnessed an increase in
over 80% in subscription and
over 50% in watch time in the
last five days. Internet brow-
sing too saw a 72% spike,
compared to a week ago, with
people turning to it for infor-
mation and news amid the
Covid-19 outbreak.
nes to BS6 standards will be
substantial. With the price in-
crease, these vehicles will be-
come unviable for customers.
We will completely stop sel-
ling diesel vehicles from
April next year,” Maruti cha-
irman R C Bhargava had said.
Maruti’s move has been fol-
lowed by others such as Re-
nault, Nissan, Volkswagen,
Skoda and Audi, even though
many others are yet to give up
on diesels. Those still betting
on diesel include Hyundai and
group company Kia, Tata Mo-
tors, Mahindra & Mahindra
and Toyota, Ford, and Merce-
des-Benz. Srivastava said the
share of diesel will progressi-
vely come down as buyers are
increasingly opting for pet-
rols, even in the SUV segment
where diesel had held a strong
sway. The trend gets clearer
when one looks at the falling
share of diesels in SUVs,
hatchbacks and sedans.
¤1,100M Paris St-Germain
¤1,008M
¤1,007M
Hope Giving Money Earlier In Hand Will
Help In Tackling Contingencies Better
TIMES NEWS NETWORK
Mumbai: In a move that will
calm the frayed nerves of emp-
loyees, several organisations
have disbursed March salaries
early. Given the state of the eco-
nomy, and now the Covid-19 im-
pact, job losses and salary cuts
are some concerns that would
naturally make employees an-
xious. An advance payment is
expected to help for now.
Organisations like Tata
Consultancy Services (TCS),
Indiabulls, Marico, Metro
Cash & Carry and SBI Gene-
ral, to name a few, decided to
disburse March salaries befo-
re time to their employees who
are currently grounded due to
the nationwide lockdown, and
are working from home.
In an e-mail to its employees,
TCS said, “In view of Covid-19
pandemic and current lock-
down across the country, the
company has decided to credit
your March’ 20 India salary on
March 27, 2020.” Usually, TCS
credits the salary on the last
working day of a month. About
85% of its employees have been
working from home since co-
untries announced shuttering
of non-essential businesses to
break the chain of the coronavi-
rus transmission. The remai-
ning TCSers continue to func-
tion from campuses as the com-
pany supports critical systems
that run banks, stock exchang-
es, telecom, electricity and reta-
il services.
For the month of March,
Marico disbursed salaries one
Adani, Sajjan Jindal pledge
`100cr each, Kotak `60cr
TIMES NEWS NETWORK
Mumbai: India Inc’s list of
contributors supporting the
fight against the coronavirus
crisis is expanding every day.
Billionaires Gautam Adani,
Sajjan Jindal and Uday Kotak
are the latest to announce
commitments worth crores of
rupees to help India flatten the
virus curve. Adani Foundation
and Jindal’s JSW Group cont-
ributed Rs 100 crore each to
the Prime Minister’s relief
fund, while Kotak and his fi-
nancial services group toget-
her pledged Rs 60 crore to the
PM’s and Maharashtra CM’s
relief funds.
“Funds have also been ear-
marked to source ventilators,
testing kits and protective me-
dical gear, such as masks and
Union Bank MD: Focus
is on zero disturbance
Mayur.Shetty@timesgroup.com
Mumbai: From April 1, Mang-
alore-based Corporation Bank
and Hyderabad-headquarte-
red Andhra Bank will merge
into Union Bank. The merger,
which was announced
and planned last year,
comes into effect amid
the Covid-19 lockdown.
In an interview with
TOI, Union Bank MD
& CEO Rajkiran Rai
explains how the focus is on
zero disruption.
What can customers and
employees of merging
banks expect when they
visit the bank on April 1?
Customers will see the same
branch and the same staff.
The systems and processes
will be the same. In the case of
Union Bank, since all account
numbers are unique, all custo-
mers will retain their account
number after the merger. In-
ternet banking portals and
mobile banking apps will con-
tinue to operate separately. De-
posit products may change
slightly, but it will not make
any difference to staff in terms
of data input. Every branch
has been linked to a ‘buddy
branch’ of Union Bank for any
assistance. A microsite has al-
so been developed for employe-
es with the facility to gets que-
ries addressed.
What are your plans given
the uncertainty caused by
Atletico Madrid
week prior to the normal timeli-
ne, said the company’s CHRO
Amit Prakash. “In addition to
this, we are also facilitating sa-
lary advance for our members
to meet any other unforeseen or
urgent expenditures. These are
GOING BEYOND PAY CHEQUE
In addition to bringing
forward salary payments,
cos are also organising
advances if needed
Those still coming
into the workplace are
provided a special extra
allowance besides free
meals and transportation
In most cases, the cos have
some of the steps we are taking
to ensure that financial constra-
ints do not come in the way of
our members or their families’
health and wellness in the cur-
rent situation,” said Prakash.
Metro Cash & Carry MD &
CEO Arvind Mediratta said,
“We have disbursed salaries on
March 27 so that employees ha-
ve money in hand. Additionally,
we are paying Rs 200-400 to eve-
ry employee who comes to work
plus free meals and snacks.
Transportation has now also
been organised.”
Indiabulls released the sa-
lary for March on the 26th, in-
stead of the usual salary day
which is the last date of the
month. The group’s employe-
es are also contributing a da-
y’s salary, aggregating about
Rs 2 crore, to the PM’s special
gloves,” said JSW Group, ad-
ding that it will also be “con-
verting its facilities” across In-
dia into “isolation wards” in
order to limit the stress on
community hospitals.
Kalyan Jewellers and Fi-
nancial services firm Motilal
Oswal too have joined the cont-
ributors’ list by committing Rs
10 crore and Rs 5 crore, respec-
MORE RELIEF
tively, to Covid-19 rescue and
rehabilitation efforts.
Digital payments platform
Paytm and its rival PhonePe
have launched a donation dri-
ve, saying that they aim to
contribute Rs 500 crore and Rs
100 crore, respectively, to the
PM’s relief fund. Both said
that for every contribution ma-
de via their respective apps,
the Covid-19 outbreak and
the lockdown?
It is difficult to answer this
when there is no good view of
the future and a lot of things
are not in control. Right now,
the focus is on how to protect
staff and keep branch
operations going. As
far as the amalgama-
tion is concerned, the
focus is on zero distur-
bance for customers
and keeping staff com-
fortable so that operations
continue. For the future, we
do have a business plan, but
there will not be any strategy
meeting now. The biggest va-
riable is the Covid virus. How
long will the lockdown conti-
APR 1 MERGER
nue? How long will it take for
a business to come back? We
need to assess the damage
that has taken place and look
at different sectors, what
kind of restructuring is requ-
ired, what is the funding re-
quirement. Even the RBI poli-
cy focus has been on preven-
ting default and maintain the
status quo for three months.
On the back-end, there is
work going on for integra-
tion, so that when things nor-
malise, we can go ahead with
amalgamation.
Will officers of the merging
banks continue to have the
same authority as before in
all matters?
As far as sanctions are con-
¤979M
¤836M
relief fund set up to tackle co-
ronavirus-related issues, a top
company official said. Similar-
ly, employees at SBI General
received their salaries on
March 26, and these include
the off-role staff as well.
credited the salaries into the
employees’ accounts up to
a week before the usual
date of the month’s last
working day
Employees are also
doing their part by
contributing a day’s
salary towards the PM’s
special fund
With the country gripped
by an unprecedented chal-
lenge, most companies are fol-
lowing comprehensive busi-
ness continuity plans. Despite
facing hurdles and bottlenecks
due to a 21-day lockdown, an
early salary is expected to cer-
tainly ease employee pain.
The government had encou-
raged companies to not cut emp-
loyee salaries in these challeng-
ing times. Additionally, to lift
the burden off individual and
corporate borrowers and to
help them tide over the situa-
tion, the Reserve Bank of India
has provided a three-month mo-
ratorium on loan repayments.
(Contributions by Reeba
Zachariah, Namrata Singh &
Partha Sinha in Mumbai &
John Sarkar in New Delhi)
they will contribute Rs 10 each.
Marico Innovation Foun-
dation has announced a grant
of Rs 2.5 crore for med-tech
entrepreneurs coming out
with cost-effective respiratory
solutions like ventilators
which are currently in short-
supply in the country.
“The Adani group will furt-
her contribute additional reso-
urces to support the govern-
ments and fellow citizens in the-
se testing times,” tweeted chair-
man Gautam Adani. On similar
lines, JSW Group chairman Saj-
jan Jindal said, “These immedi-
ate contributions are what we
see is the need of the hour, and
we have earmarked further mo-
netary and non-monetary cont-
ributions so as to dynamically
respond to all societal require-
ments in future.”
cerned, we have maintained
status quo by retaining the
reporting authority structure.
Up to the level of the GM, there
will be no change. If approval
beyond the GM is required,
each GM’s reporting is now
mapped to one of the four
EDs in Union Bank. As far as
rules regarding branch opera-
tions are concerned, each
state has a different system
and the state-level bankers’
committee takes a call on ope-
rations and timing. Over 90%
of branches are operating, ex-
cept in some pockets of Rajast-
han and Punjab. There, too, we
are in discussions with autho-
rities to restart.
What about the head office
functions of the treasury?
We have integrated the treasu-
ries and all treasury operations
will be undertaken from Union
Bank of India. Two other loca-
tions we have kept as backup as
part of our business continuity
plan if there is a complete shut-
down for any reason.
What is your continuity plan
if the situation worsens?
Wehad a couple of cases where
the branch was shut by autho-
rities and staff quarantined.
We are drawing up district-
level lists of healthcare and
testing facilities that will be
available to branch staff. If
the situation continues and pe-
ople are unable to travel, we
will allow them to report to the
nearest branch.
THE TIMES OF INDIA, HYDERABAD
MONDAY, MARCH 30, 2020 TIMES PERSONAL FINANCE 13
Equity: Large Cap 1 Year 3 Year 5 Year Equity: Multi Cap 1 Year 3 Year 5 Year Hybrid: Equity-Oriented 1 Year 3 Year 5 Year
FUND RAISER
BEST Axis Bluechip Fund -8.13 7.04 5.52 SBI Focused Equity Fund* -15.25 3.82 5.22 Canara Robeco Equity Hybrid -10.8 2.39 4.69

`27,939 cr
Canara Robeco Bluechip Equity -13.93 2.08 3.16 Axis Focused 25 Fund -12.42 3.38 5.28 SBI Equity Hybrid Fund* -12.67 2.26 4.06
Tata Index Sensex Fund -23.21 -0.08 1 Canara Robeco Diversified -17.07 1.82 2.35 DSP Equity & Bond Fund -11.97 0.16 4.24

FUNDS Equity: Mid Cap

Axis Midcap Fund -11.06 5.18 5.08
Equity: Tax Planning
Axis Long Term Equity Fund -12.53 2.87 3.77
Hybrid: Debt-Oriented
ICICI Pru Regular Savings Fund -0.14 5.32 6.72
was the net outflow from the open-ended
TO BUY Invesco India Mid Cap Fund
DSP Midcap Fund
-19.9
-19.11
-1.83
-3.28
2.08
4.21
Canara Robeco Equity Tax Saver
Mirae Asset Tax Saver Fund
-17.55
-23.96
1.35
-0.42
2.31
—
Indiabulls Savings Income
Tata Retirement Savings Fund
-1.05
-3.39
6.45
2.91
—
5.3
debt schemes in February 2020, compared to
`1.09 lakh crore in January 2020
Figures are % returns. 3-year and 5-year returns are annualised. Source: Value Research

Is your money safe in the bank?

The collapse of Yes Bank has shattered the myth that banks can’t fail. Find out if your bank is safe and what to do if it fails
DO YOU HAVE
A QUERY?
Send us your personal
finance questions at
etwealth@timesgroup.com
Sanket Dhanorkar
Gross non-performing assets (NPAs) Credit-deposit ratio I am a 46-year-old professor.

T
he recent troubles at Yes Bank What this is What it means What this is What it means Recently, I changed jobs and
meant hardship for customers. NPAs indicate how much of a bank’s loans are A very high gross NPA ratio This shows how much a bank lends A high credit-deposit ratio suggests an received `15 lakh from my
Worryingly, more such episodes in danger of not being repaid. If interest is not means the bank’s asset out of its deposits or how much of its overstretched balance sheet, and may also previous employer as
cannot be ruled out with many received for 3 months, a loan turns into NPA. quality is in very poor shape. core funds are used for lending. hint at capital adequacy issues. gratuity and leave
banks facing financial stress. WORST FIVE GROSS NPA (%) BEST FIVE GROSS NPA (%) WORST FIVE CDR BEST FIVE CDR encashment proceeds. I have
“Yes Bank isn’t a first, it would not be the two children aged 16 and 13.
last,” says a note by ASK Wealth Advisors. IDBI Bank 28.7 HDFC Bank 1.4 IDFC First Bank 1.45 UCO Bank 0.60
I want to keep this money for
However, whenever a bank fails, the Lakshmi Vilas Bank 23.3 Bandhan Bank 1.9 Bandhan Bank 1.19 Corporation Bank 0.60 their higher education. How
RBI steps in to protect customers. Typical- Central Bank of India 20.0 DCB Bank 2.2 IndusInd Bank 0.96 IDBI Bank Ltd 0.59 should I invest it? I have
ly, it arranges for a stronger bank to take been investing `40,000 a
over the ailing bank. Depositors get their UCO Bank 19.5 IndusInd Bank 2.2 RBL Bank 0.95 United Bank of India 0.55
month in mutual funds
money back. Still, the whole Yes Bank ep- Allahabad Bank 18.9 Kotak Mahindra Bank 2.5 Axis Bank 0.93 Central Bank of India 0.54 through SIPs for the last
isode should serve as a wake-up call for three years.
bank customers.This week, we will outline Net NPAs Net interest margin As you are already investing `40,000
a safety blueprint by listing out tell-tale a month in equity funds, you are on
signs of an impending crisis. We will wal- What this is What it means What this is What it means
the right track. You could increase
Banks provide for some loans going bad. The Net NPA is a better This is the difference between NIM will be high for banks with higher low-
so tell you the steps to take if your bank the SIP amount in the schemes you
net NPA is that portion of bad loans which has indicator of the health interest earned by a bank on loans cost deposits or high lending rates. Low NIM
account is suddenly frozen. already invest in. Assuming you
not been provided for in the books. of the bank. and the interest it pays on deposits. and high NPA is a bad combination.
need the money when your children
How to bank safely WORST FIVE NET NPA (%) BEST FIVE NET NPA (%) WORST FIVE NIM (%) BEST FIVE NIM (%)
turn 21, your investment horizon is
Let’s start with some precautionary meas- Lakshmi Vilas Bank 9.8 HDFC Bank 0.5 J&K Bank 0.00 Kotak Mahindra Bank 4.69 5 and 8 years respectively.
ures that can help avoid a liquidity crunch Central Bank of India 9.3 Bandhan Bank 0.8 UCO Bank 0.00 RBL Bank 4.57 Segregate the portfolio for each
or loss of savings if your bank fails. Don’t child. Invest the sum received from
keep all savings tied up in one bank. Main- Punjab & Sind Bank 8.7 Kotak Mahindra Bank 0.9 Punjab & Sind Bank 1.74 HDFC Bank 4.20 your ex-employer in liquid funds of
tain savings accounts in at least 2-3 banks United Bank of India 8.6 DCB Bank 1.0 Indian Overseas Bank 1.94 IndusInd Bank 4.15 the same fund houses and opt for
and spread the money across these ac- Lakshmi Vilas Bank 1.97 City Union Bank 3.99 the STP option. This will help you
Punjab National Bank 7.2 IndusInd Bank 1.1
counts. This should be regardless of sequester the funds.
whether the bank is public or private. This
way, you have multiple options to fall back Provisioning coverage ratio Return on assets JAYANT R. PAI,
on in case one account gets frozen. “En- CFP and Head
What this is What it means What this is What it means
sure different family members bank with - Products,
Banks usually set aside a A high PCR ratio (ideally above 70%) means it shows how profitable A lower RoA means that bank is not able to
different banks. Even if one member’s portion of their profits as a most asset quality issues have been taken a bank’s assets are in utilise assets efficiently. Negative RoA implies PPFAS Mutual
savings get stuck, others can chip in ,” says provision against bad loans. care of and the bank is not vulnerable. generating revenue. the bank’s assets are yielding negative return. Fund
Adhil Shetty, CEO, Bank Bazaar. WORST FIVE PCR (%) BEST FIVE PCR (%) WORST FIVE ROA (%) BEST FIVE ROA (%)
Further, spread ECS mandates for
South Indian Bank 50.4 IDBI Bank 92.4 Indian Overseas Bank -8.07 IndusInd Bank 1.80 I earn `20 lakh a year. In the
loans, SIPs and other bill payments across
different accounts. Amol Joshi, Founder, IDFC First Bank 51.0 Dhanlaxmi Bank 89.3 IDBI Bank -7.63 ICICI Bank 1.68 current financial year, I
PlanRupee Investment Services, recom- Lakshmi Vilas Bank -4.40 City Union Bank 1.57 suffered a loss of `2 lakh in my
mends letting ECS mandates run from a IndusInd Bank 53.0 Indian Overseas Bank 86.2 equity portfolio (share
IDFC First Bank -4.02 DCB Bank 1.03 trading). Is there any
primary bank account while linking in-
RBL Bank 58.1 ICICI Bank 85.7 Allahabad Bank -3.26 Bandhan Bank 0.89 provision to set-off this loss
vestments to a separate bank account. He
suggests using a liquid fund as an alterna- Karnataka Bank 59.3 Corporation Bank 84.6 against my income tax
tive to park surplus savings instead of up to six months at a time—and can be sonnel as it may be a signal that trouble is liability?
keeping large amounts lying in the bank.
Customer deposits are insured up to `1
Capital adequacy ratio extended until a more permanent fix for
the problem is found. During this period,
brewing within the bank. Also monitor
any rating downgrades by credit rating
You have suffered a loss under the
head “Capital gains”. Rules do not
lakh per bank. This year’s budget has pro- What this is What it means the customer will only have limited access agencies. allow loss from capital gains to be
posed hiking this to `5 lakh. However, how It is the ratio of a bank’s capital in This is a measure of a bank’s ability to meet to funds lying in his account, with some Beyond this, monitoring some basic set off against income from any
much of an investor’s deposits with the relation to its risk weighted assets its obligations. A high CAR means the bank exemptions permitted in extreme cases. operating metrics of a bank can give you other source apart from capital
bank are insured depends on the owner- and current liabilities. can absorb losses without diluting capital. In such situations, those with ECS a fair idea of its health. All listed banks gains. Any gain or loss within 12
ship of deposits. Make smart use of the WORST FIVE CAR (%) BEST FIVE CAR (%) mandates from the frozen account will be provide financial statements on their web- months of purchase of equity is
available cover by using different combi- in a fix. The first priority should be to sites, giving a break up of various perfor- short term, otherwise it is long
Lakshmi Vilas Bank 3.5 Bandhan Bank 24.7
nations. If you put multiple fixed deposits change the mandates tied to the frozen mance metrics. Asset quality is a key term. Long term capital loss can be
in joint names with your spouse or chil- Indian Overseas Bank 5.5 CSB Bank 23.0 account. However, changing mandates can monitorable. If your bank’s net NPAs ex- set off only against long term
dren, you can get each covered separately Allahabad Bank 8.7 HDFC Bank 18.5 take some time. If you are unable to shift ceed 5%, it shows bad lending practices. capital gains. Short term capital
if the first named holder in each is differ- the bank mandate to another account, use Ensure your bank provisioning coverage losses are allowed to be set off
UCO Bank 10.3 Kotak Mahindra Bank 18.2
ent. Keep in mind that the insurance cov- your contingency funds to pay off upcom- ratio does not dip below 65-70%. The bank against both long and short term
er is triggered only when the bank under- J&K Bank 11.1 Axis Bank 18.2 ing EMI instalments or credit card dues. will struggle to remain solvent if its bad gains. However, if you are not able
goes liquidation. If it is merely put under You may have debit mandates for SIPs loans have to be written off. Ascertain if to set off your entire capital loss in
suspension or moratorium, the deposit CASA ratio and insurance premium. To ensure these the bank is properly capitalised by check- the same year, both short and long
insurance will not come into play. Your go through without a hitch, change the ing its capital adequacy ratio. A low CAR term loss can be carried forward
What this is What it means
money will remain locked until the sus- It is the proportion of current account A low CASA ratio means the bank mandate by linking with some other ac- suggests the bank’s net worth may be erod- for 8 assessment years. Therefore,
pension is lifted. and savings account deposits in the relies heavily on costlier wholesale count. Provide alternate account details ing. Keep an eye on the Current Account if your only other income is from
Finally, don’t open a fixed deposit in total deposits of the bank. funding, which can hurt its margins. to service providers to prevent redemp- Savings Account (CASA) ratio. A lower salary you can carry the loss
smaller, unstable banks just to get that tions or dividends from being locked up. CASA ratio indicates the bank relies on forward to future years and set it
WORST FIVE CASA RATIO (%) BEST FIVE CASA RATIO (%)
extra 1-2% return. Before opting for such costlier institutional borrowings to fund off as and when capital gains
fixed deposits, evaluate the risks carefully. DCB Bank 23.0 Kotak Mahindra Bank 53.7 Spot the warning signs operations. The credit-deposit ratio of a arise.
City Union Bank 23.4 United Bank of India 51.4 There is no smoke without fire. Several bank is another indicator you can track. SHUBHAM
If your account is frozen IDFC First Bank 24.1 Bank of Maharashtra 48.1 signs can alert you when a bank is in trou- A higher credit-deposit ratio suggests an AGRAWAL,
A moratorium places a complete freeze on ble. If the bank has delayed earnings re- overstretched balance sheet, and may also Senior Taxation
most activities of the bank. Section 45 of South Indian Bank 25.2 IDBI Bank 47.7 leases or if the auditor has resigned or hint at capital adequacy issues. These are Advisor,
the Banking Regulation Act, 1949, empow- Lakshmi Vilas Bank 25.9 Allahabad Bank 47.2 made an adverse comment, find out why. some parameters you should monitor reg- TaxFile.in
ers the RBI to place such a moratorium for Compiled by ETIG Database Source: Capitaline Watch out for exit of key managerial per- ularly to avoid a shock later.

Hunker down for tough times How to make work from home easy
There is little doubt the world is heading towards a recession next year Establish rules and avoid social isolation, says Devashish Chakravarty

W
Uma Shashikant ith a lockdown in place, from people by agreeing on ground rules
Work From Home (WFH) with them. Pretend you are not at home

W
hat will recovery look is a reality. If you are while following rigid work hours. Use
like? Covid-19 has not dealing with the situa- headphones, a hoodie or even tinted
crashed asset prices and tion for the first time, glasses to create boundaries.
stock markets, but real here’s how to master it.
PHOTOS: GETTY IMAGES

lives and real activity. Calendar control

Unlike earlier, there is no manipulation
or speculation. This is different.
There is little doubt we are staring
into a recession, likely to manifest fully
next year. When production comes to a
halt, this is the expected outcome. Busi-
nesses have been forced to stop opera-
tions, there is loss of production across
the board. This won’t be a stop and start
cycle, because the real economy is so
interwoven and interdependent.
The outbreak of the virus is a prob-
lem that needs specific guidance, orders
and regulation from the government.
There is evidence that authoritarian
regimes have done better with compli-
ance and control. Dependence on gov-
ernment action has meant responses
have varied depending on efficiencies
of the machinery. Recovery will be cen-
trally driven. Governments have a long
road ahead.
First, there is no choice but to bring
interest rates down. Lower interest is
expected to trigger demand for goods
and services and revive economies. We
will see a concerted effort across the
globe to keep interest rates down till
economic activity revives.
Second, when the government asks
people to stay indoors and not turn up
for work, the responsibility of provid-
ing for those who lose their income is
high and real. There might be no choice
but to hand out money to the weaker
sections who will face financial ruin
without income. There would be wide-
spread layoffs, cutbacks, leading to
eventual unemployment. Governments
must find the resources for handouts
and borrow heavily, since tax collections
will have dropped.
Third, fiscal stimulus is the only
hope for early economic revival. Gov-
ernments must bear the burden of debt
and spend to revive economies. The
other drivers of the economy —private
consumption, investment demand, ex-
port growth—will all slow down and
take time to revive. Lowering tax to
stimulate demand and place more mon-
ey in the hands of people and business-
es is imperative. Governments must act
to restore confidence, by standing up to
borrow and spend and remain the
source of demand for money.
Fourth, the lending environment
must ease. Even if the RBI brings inter-
est rates down, banks will be able to lend
to businesses only if there are extraor-
dinary steps to enhance liquidity in the
system. This means lowering CRR and
SLR and revisiting provisioning norms.
Retail credit will take much longer to
pick up, but loss of incomes does offer
the scope for liberal personal loans and
loans against securities and assets.
Without financial accommodation for
businesses and households, it can be-
come a bankruptcy crisis.
Fifth, the co-operation between econ-
omies will have to be reworked to facil-
itate global recovery. Economies that
depend on world trade for growth, will
take longer to bounce back. Recent rhet-
oric across nations about closed bor-
ders, local interest over global interest,
and restrictions on movement of labour
and capital, will have to go.
There is a lot that has been lost, and
a lot to rebuild and that won’t happen
in the next quarter. Let’s brace for a
down cycle.
The author is Chairperson of The Cen-
tre for Investment Education and Learning.
Work area
Your first task is to create a workspace
in your house that is conducive for WFH.
Ideally you will work in a room by your-
self behind a closed door. Invest in the
right furniture to make it comfortable.
Keep your desk clean and tidy. Make sure
you have a wall or background that suits
a Skype or video call with colleagues.
Get organised
Get your laptop, diary, pen, cell phone
and chargers in place. If you are in noisy
house, invest in a noise cancellation
headphone. Use a mouse for better effi-
ciency. Figure out who will take care of
the children and keep them from disturb-
ing you with schools closed. .
Master technology
Learn to use the best technology availa-
ble for a WFH. You can use Google Hang-
outs for a team video call and Slack or
similar tools for messaging. Project
management tools like Asana help you
achieve team outcomes while a list app
or a Trello can help organise your day.
Speak to your IT department for any help
you need, including setting up a VPN.
Plan workflow
Plan your work before you start the day.
Have a task list or target sheet in front
of you. Prioritise your projects and
schedule time slots. When you begin a
task, continue it till the end. Do not
switch between tasks or get pulled away
by your need to respond to a new email.
Communication first
The key to success at WFH lies in prior-
itising communication. Prefer to call
your colleagues on video or chat with
them for routine queries instead of send-
ing an email. Ask for regular perfor-
mance evaluations from your manager
and get adequate face time with him. If
you are alone at home, you run the risk
of social isolation. Participate in remote
non-work related video hangouts with
your team. As a manager share more
information than usual with your team.
Block people
The biggest challenge in a WFH routine
is the presence of other people at home
or from your life. Block out distractions
Remember you are earning a salary in
your WFH situation. Stay committed to
your timings and deliverables. Avoid
home chores or personal appointments
during working hours. Don’t abuse WFH
by being unavailable.
Reschedule distractions
What were harmless social media dis-
tractions at office become deadly pro-
ductivity killers in a WFH where there
is no team to pull you back to work. Re-
move social media extensions and switch
off all notifications both in your laptop
browser as well as on your cell phone.
Switch off your mobile data and use it
only for calls.
Cracking productivity
Don’t expect to be super-productive on
Day One. Expect targets to take a hit
while you settle down. To crack the pro-
ductivity code, schedule the toughest
tasks for the morning and calls in the
afternoon. Work in bite-sized chunks of
25 minutes. Thereafter stand up and
walk around for 5 minutes. Use a music
list or a background sound on your
speaker if it helps you focus. When you
are productive and happy, you can enjoy
and appreciate the perks of WFH better.
The writer is Founder and CEO at
QuezX.com and HeadHonchos.com

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a copy
 TIMES SPORT THE TIMES OF INDIA, HYDERABAD | MONDAY, MARCH 30, 2020

STEVE SMITH ELIGIBLE AGAIN TO CAPTAIN ENGLAND WOMEN’S CRICKET CAPTAIN KNIGHT
AUSTRALIA AFTER TWO-YEAR BAN ENDS JOINS NHS AS VOLUNTEER TO FIGHT COVID-19

THE HUNGER WIDE GULF

GALLERY PLAYERS
LOWER
Twitter
RANKED (EARNINGS IN 2020)
THAN 250 WILL NOT
BE ABLE TO BUY WORLD TOP SIX
FOOD IN TWO-THREE

GAMES
Tennis’ Lower-Ranked WEEKS’ TIME.”
—Sofia Shapatava, GEORGIAN
$1,078,902
Ashleigh Barty (Aus)
Players Struggle In
$1,443,834
PLAYER RANKED WORLD NO. 371 WHO
STARTED A PETITION ONLINE

Time Of Coronavirus Simona Halep (Romania)

$485,171
W
ith careers spent ited by multi-millionaires Serena
scratching around Williams, Roger Federer, Novak Karolina Pliskova (Cze Rep)
dusty outposts, Djokovic and Rafael Nadal.
sometimes with
“just US$ 100” in
Shapatava has banked US$
354,000 in career prize money
$3,012,043
Sofia Kenin (USA)
DUTY BOUND: Joginder Sharma
from almost 1,500 singles and dou-
$225,496
their pockets, tennis’ unher-
alded ar my of foot soldiers bles matches. Barely US$ 3,000
Cricketer-turned-cop claim they are struggling to af- has come her way since the turn
THE DOLDRUMS: Former world No.
Elina Svitolina (Ukraine)

ford food after being made un-
Sharma’s efforts draw employed overnight by the coro-
navirus pandemic.
praise from ICC Now, Georgian player Sofia
$6,504,150
of the year after events in An-
drezieux-Bouthion in France, 15 Alla Kudryavtseva (top)
Midland in Michigan, Nicholas- sympathises with the plight of
ville in Kentucky and the Califor- juniors who have become pros.
Bianca Andreescu (Canada)

New Delhi: The International Cricket
Council (ICC) has hailed cricketer-turned
cop Joginder Sharma for doing his bit in
the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic.
Joginder, who bowled the match-winning
final over in the 2007 World T20 final
against Pakistan, is a DSP in Haryana
Police. “In his post-cricket career as a
policeman, India’s Joginder Sharma is
among those doing their bit amid a global
health crisis,” the ICC tweeted on Satur-
day along with Joginder's photos as a
cricketer and cop. The 36-year-old played
four ODIs and as many T20s between 2004
and 2007. He joined the police service after
retirement from the game.
Stay home like the Pujara family,
Shapatava is pleading with the
International Tennis Federation
(ITF) to dig deep and help out the
hundreds of players who lost
their livelihoods when the men’s
and women’s tours went into a
three-month lockdown.
“Players lower ranked than 250
will not be able to buy food in two-
three weeks’ time,” warned Shapa-
tava, who is not optimistic the ITF
will look favourably on her plea. “I
honestly don’t think so,” she said.
“They replied that their plate is
full and they will come back to me
as soon as they can. But after that
email they did not reply with any-
thing.” Shapatava, the world num-
ber 371, is a 16-year veteran of the
nian venue of Rancho Sante Fe.
However, compared to many,
the 31-year-old is well-off. There
are comfortably over 1,000 players
in the WTA rankings. The men’s
ATP Tour has just as many.
Amongst a batch of women cur-
rently locked in the lowest rank of
1,283 is 27-year-old Ksenia Kole-
snikova of Russia. In 2020, she has
officially made just US$ 68.
Many players outside the lucra-
tive top 100 traditionally supple-
ment their meagre incomes by
coaching or playing in European
club leagues. However, those reli-
able revenue streams dried up after
governments worldwide banned
large gatherings to combat the
ITF, after I talked to many of
the people I know and about
their plans for the next three
months and I realised that some
people won’t even be able to
have food,” claimed Shapatava
in her online blog.
“My problem is that my sport
will die as it is, it will die, because
players who are ranked lower then
150 in the world will not be able to
play.” Coronavirus has brought all
with the French Open shifted to
September-October instead of its
traditional May-June slot.
Wimbledon could follow suit
next week when organisers may
postpone or even cancel completely
the grasscourt Grand Slam event
scheduled to start on June 29. Brit-
ain’s Tara Moore, world 233, has
made just US$ 2,500 this year but
her career earnings (US$ 473,500)
has been boosted by wildcards into
Meanwhile, No. 233 Tara Moore’s
(left) career earnings have been
boosted by wildcards into the
BOTTOM SIX
main draw at Wimbledon, an (ALL RANKED JT. 1292)
$2,071
event which may be cancelled
this season
Sevil Yuldasheva (Uzbekistan)
$310
and pocketed a welcome US$
62,000. “There are more impor-
Kseniya Yersh (Belarus)
tant things like life and death, but
$184
a lot of players from smaller
countries, (are) unable to earn
Yepes Medina (Colombia)
any income, unable to claim ben-
$1,189
efits as they are considered ‘self-
employed’,” wrote the 27-year-old
Hwui Wi (South Korea)
Hong Kong-born Moore in sup-
$37
port of Shapatava’s petition.
Former world number 15 Alla
Kudryavtseva sympathised with
Federica Trevisan (Italy)

$1,262
says BCCI: The BCCI on Sunday posted tour. But she plays mostly second- spread of the deadly coronavirus. tennis to a standstill until June 8 the Wimbledon main draw. the plight of the current crop.
images of batsman Cheteshwar Pujara
ary ITF events, a world away from “I started the petition to help at the earliest. The entire clay- In 2016, she made the second The ITF did not respond to
with his family at his home. “Stay home Maria Torres Murcia (Col)
the gilded Grand Slam world inhab- tennis players to be heard by court season has been wiped out round at the All England Club requests for a comment. AFP
with your near and dear ones like the
Pujara Family,” said the caption of the
post.

Using this break to sharpen my

skills, says Vihari: Confined to his home
due to the nationwide lockdown, cricketer
Hanuma Vihari says he will use the time to
“sharpen” his skills for the Australian tour,
scheduled towards the end of the year. “I
am going to use this time to focus on my
fitness, sharpen my skills for county
cricket as well as for the Australia tour in
late 2020,” Vihari told 'ESPNcricinfo'.
CA defers announcement of players
contract: The announcement of Cricket
Australia's players contract list has been
deferred by at least a month due to the
rapidly-spreading pandemic. According to
a newspaper report, Cricket Australia had
“planned to bring forward the announce-
ment of contracts from May to April this
year, in a bid to provide more certainty to
the states given the flow-on effect. But
that plan has been put on hold for now
until the end of April, given the economic
uncertainty due to the pandemic,” the
report said. “The Australian Cricketers'
Association agreed to the move.”
AFI decides to prepare new
calendar: The national inter-state senior
athletics championship scheduled to be
held in June has been postponed after the
national federation on Sunday decided to
frame a new calendar following the su-
spension of global sporting events due to
the COVID-19 pandemic. “We will have this
championship later after August if the
situation becomes stable by May or June,”
deputy national chief coach Radhakrish-
nan Nair said. The AFI said that a new
competition calendar as well as fresh
training programme for national campers
will be prepared by the planning commit-
tee after discussions with coaches and
foreign experts.
BFI motivates boxers through video
conferencing: The Boxing Federation of
India (BFI) has decided reach out to play-
ers through video conferencing to guide
and motivate them during the 21-day
lockdown. BFI president Ajay Singh said,
“My message to all our boxers is to stay
fit, continue with the exercises as directed
by the coaches and try to maintain your
weights as much as possible.”
Ferrari boss sees January end to F1
season: Ferrari team principal Mattia
Binotto believes the coronavirus-hit For-
mula One schedule could push the world
championship into a January finish. Grand
Prix races scheduled for Bahrain, Vietnam,
China, Netherlands, Spain and Azerbaijan
have been postponed. The iconic Riviera
showpiece in Monaco and the season-
opening Australian race were cancelled.
Binotto said, “We are looking at several
options: If you hold them one right after
the other, you can run two or three races
in January.” The 2020 season is not due to
open until June 14 in Canada.
Postponing Olympics saves athletes
from mental turmoil, says Coe: World
Athletics president Sebastian Coe said
Sunday that the decision to postpone this
year’s Tokyo Olympics has saved athletes
from “mental turmoil”. “We didn't want to
have the athletes in a position where they
were countering government advice,
maybe even breaking the law,” Coe told
TalkSport on Sunday. Former Olympic
champion Coe supported the move to push
the Games back to 2021.
Xavi wants ‘total harmony’ to return
to Barca as coach: Xavi Hernandez has
reiterated his desire to coach Barcelona in
the future but suggests he will not return
until a different board brings a new sense
of direction to the club. Hernandez is in
charge of Al-Sadd in Qatar and turned
down an approach in January after Barca
sacked Ernesto Valverde, which led to the
surprise appointment of Quique Setien.
Xavi also said Neymar would be a “spec-
tacular signing”, and singled out Carles
Puyol and Jordi Cruyff as people he would
like to work with. AGENCIES
Juventus squad,
Ronaldo to forgo
¤90mn in wages
Rome: Cristiano Ronaldo and
his Juventus teammates along
with coach Maurizio Sarri ag-
reed to forgo 90 million euros
($100 million) in wages to help
the club during the coronavi-
rus crisis. The club said the
money amounted to four
months worth of wages, a
third of players’ salaries.
The first agreement of its
kind in Serie A since play was
halted three weeks ago means
Ronaldo, the highest-paid pla-
SHORT PASSES
yer in the Italian league, will
give up 10 million euros (more
than $11 million). Juventus
captain Giorgio Chiellini,
who has an economics deg-
ree, led the negotiations with
the club and fellow players.
Fans turn to Belarus to fill
void: With professional soccer
at a virtual standstill around
the globe, fans in need of their
weekly fix are turning to the
Belarusian Premier League to
fill the void as it carries on with
matches despite the coronavi-
rus outbreak. The league, one
of Europe’s least glamorous
competitions whose teams ra-
rely reach the group stage of
UEFA’s elite Champions Lea-
gue, is drawing foreign fans’ at-
tention and a string of new
broadcast deals.
UEFA chief admits current
season may not finish: The
head of European soccer’s go-
verning body said that the
current season could be
“lost” if it is unable to restart
by the end of June, although
‘Dhoni wanted to
earn Rs 30L and
live peacefully’
New Delhi: Former India
World Cup-winning captain
Mahendra Singh Dhoni wan-
ted to earn just Rs 30 lakhs and
live peacefully at his home
town Ranchi, recalled veteran
batsman Wasim Jaffer, who
had shared the dressing room
earlier in his career. Dhoni is a
revered figure in world crick-
et but Jaffer said once he had
told him that all he wanted
was to “make 30 lakh from pla-
ying cricket”.
“In his 1st or 2nd year in In-
dian team, I remember he sa-
id, he wants to make 30 lakh
from playing cricket so he can
live peacefully rest of his life
in Ranchi,” Jaffer answered
on his twitter handle to a que-
ry from a fan on Saturday.
The Mumbaikar, who ear-
lier this month retired from
all forms of cricket, was reply-
ing when a fan asked him his
favourite memory with Dho-
ni. Dhoni has not played for In-
dia in the last eight and a half
month ever since the World
Cup semifinal loss against
New Zealand. PTI
Seasoned Sharath and Tarundeep Boxer Saunders
sorry for ‘hit
look ahead to 2021 Olympics now women’ video
Siddharth.Saxena@timesgroup.com London: British world cham-
pion boxer Billy Joe Saunders
New Delhi: “I’m at an age when was forced to apologise on Sa-
Getty Images even water becomes fat,” Sharath turday after a video emerged
Kamal laughs over the phone. He’s of him handing out advice to
37 going on 38, and sitting at his ho- men on how to attack women
me in Chennai, the renowned tab- if domestic arguments occur
le tennis player is accepting this during ten-
strange time with a mix of calm re- se corona-
signation and quiet optimism. virus lock-
Tarundeep Rai is equally zen downs.
about this. At 36, the veteran ar- WBO su-
cher is banking on trusted muscle per midd-
memory whenever he will be able leweight
to string his bow and take aim at a champion
target that’s been pushed back by Saunders,
at least 12 months. Billy Joe Saunders 30, is seen
Tarundeep and Sharath are two in the vi-
of a possible four Tokyo-bound In- deo giving tips on how to react
Cristiano Ronaldo
dian athletes who will be 37 or more
next year. The other two are aberra- LEAGUE OF VETERANS: Achanta
if “your old woman is....co-
ming at you, spitting a bit of
tions in their own right. Boxer Ma- Sharath Kamal (L) and Tarundeep Rai venom in your face”.
he did not rule out extending ry Kom will be 38 next year, Leander Using a punchbag, he then
it into the next season. Paes a young 47. Both are past mas- ep points out. “Age in archery does currently,” he says. describes how to “hit her on
UEFA president Aleksan- ters at picking themselves up. show up in training. You have long Tarundeep too talks of a sweet the chin” and “finish her off ”.
der Ceferin told the Italian But what does starting over en- sessions all day, standing in one spot. “One good thing with age is Saunders apologised if he
newspaper La Repubblica tail for regular, everyday pros with position, trying to find the target muscle memory. Any slight twitch of “offended any women”. “I wo-
that there were a number of advancing age? Because, like the which is basically just a dot in the any muscle, and you hit off the cent- uld never condone domestic
options for concluding the se- song reminds you, the sun is the distance, it does take a toll on me re. It’s a sport of such fine margins – violence and if I saw a man to-
ason, which has been brought same but you’re older and yes, de- now. That’s where the difference everyone’s shooting 10s these days. uch a woman I would smash
to a halt around Europe by the finitely shorter of breath. between a younger person and me In a tournament, an archer shoots a him to pieces myself,” Saun-
coronavirus pandemic. “The main thing is that it’s the would count,” he says. maximum of 150 arrows if he’s rea- ders said in a post on Twitter.
Olympics,” says Sharath on fin- “With the postponement, essen- ched the finals. In training, we shoot “Apologies if I offended
Turkish WC hero Recber ding motivation, “The idea itself tially you’ll have to repeat the same no less than 500-600 arrows. That’s any women, stay blessed.”
hospitalised: Former Tur- is so big. Even if I’m playing the routine all over again. Only now, it’s how muscle memory is built. I have
kish national team and ex-Bar- last 16 or the quarterfinals, you are harder, a more demanding routine, been doing this since I was 10 years. Athletes, musicians help
celona goalkeeper Rustu Rec- in it for just that. Doesn’t matter if because you’re getting a year older, All these years of just taking aim raise ¤625,000 to fight virus
ber is in hospital after testing it’s one year or four years, that’s and thus, the younger archer has and shooting, the muscles know. Madrid: Athletes and musici-
positive for coronavirus, his what keeps me going.” trained better,” he laughs. But both agree the pushback ans took part in an online glo-
wife said. Recber took on hero Tarundeep agrees. “What do Sharath takes the question to would force an extra effort to be in bal music festival organized
status in Turkey as he kept go- you do? If you’ve reached this far, the T-T table. “I don’t think age mat- top form come 2021. “Yes, it does by the Spanish league that rai-
al at the 2002 World Cup, ancho- you have to go on come what may. ters so much. It’s just the timing of have a setback mentally. You trai- sed more than 625,000 euros
ring his team to the semifinals You find maintaining the training your form, I’d guess. Everyone’s tal- ned for a year keeping a specific ($690,000) for the fight against
and ultimately third place, the- routine gets tougher as you grow king of my age, but the truth also is target in mind, for the Olympics the coronavirus on Saturday.
ir greatest ever performance older. You gave sweat all these ye- that I’m playing my best table-ten- and suddenly it’s not happening,” Barcelona’s Gerard Pique,
in the tournament. ars, maybe you may have to give nis now. Five years ago, it (a cancel- says Tarundeep. Real Madrid’s Sergio Ramos
The powerfully built and blood now, but there’s no going lation) would not have mattered or Sharath knowns he needs to be and tennis star Rafael Nadal
poney-tailed goalkeeper was back,” he tells TOI from Pune. perhaps mattered less, because I slower at the dinner table now in or- were among those who parti-
easily recognisable at the What would these 37-year-old wasn’t in same shape and form. Al- der to be faster at the table tennis cipated in the charity event or-
World Cup due to the black, veterans need to do extra to rema- so, I wouldn’t have had gained in ex- table if and when things resume. ganized to raise funds for the
anti-reflection product he in in the reckoning? “There are perience as I have now. Physically I “In a lockdown period, it’s very dif- purchase of medical supplies
smeared beneath his eyes like still many top archers in the world may be slower than about five years ficult to keep your discipline,” he and to support fans confined
some NFL players. AGENCIES around my age or more,” Tarunde- ago, but I am in my best shape too says but is aware of overall aim. to their homes. AGENCIES
Isolated footballers learn Oly organisers
eye July 23, 2021
No relegation and
to deal without the game start: Reports split prize money?
London: The ri- stuck in Lon- Tokyo: Tokyo Olympics orga- Marcus.Mergulhao “For now, everything is clo-
ches, glamour don as the squ- nisers are eyeing next July as a @timesgroup.com sed till April 15, and depending
and glory of play- ad was forced start date for the postponed Ga- on the situation, we will take a
ing football in into self-isola- mes, Japanese media reported Panaji: The All India Foot- call closer to that. Once the
front of packed tion when Cal- on Sunday, following the histo- ball Federation (AIFF) has restrictions are lifted, we can-
stadiums attracts lum Hudson- ric decision to delay the event started informal talks with not start the league the next
the world’s top Odoi tested po- due to the coronavirus. Given club owners, discussing seve- day. Teams need to train, travel
players across sitive. “It’s the ongoing pandemic and ne- ral possibilities, including arrangements need to be made
borders but with Wojciech Szczesny and Pedro hard not to be ed for preparation time, the the cancellation of I-League and the grounds – not maintai-
the European ga- able to see my most likely plan would be for in a worst-case scenario. ned for some time now – have
me in lockdown, many have been left children,” Pedro Rodriguez, whose the Games to begin on July 23, The AIFF needs about two to be in shape. Our season offi-
isolated from their families. Footbal- children live in Barcelona, said. “I 2021, public broadcaster NHK weeks to kickstart the league cially ends on May 31 and we
lers’ daily routines have been upen- imagine there are many people like said, citing sources within the once restrictions are lifted cannot play beyond that,” said
ded with no games to play for the fore- me. I tell them to stay in the house organising panel. and approximately three we- I-League CEO Sunando Dhar.
seeable future and training sessions and that I miss them.” It came after Tokyo Gover- eks to conclude the remai- With Mohun Bagan alrea-
now conducted alone at home or via Birmingham boss Pep Clotet sent nor Yuriko Koike raised the ning four rounds of the I-Lea- dy crowned champions, the
video-conferencing to maintain so- his family back to Spain before a sta- idea on Friday of moving the gue. But with India under tricky issue of deciding on
me semblance of team spirit. te of emergency was declared in his event to a less hot and humid lockdown till April 15 and the champions doesn’t arise.
“It is a way to keep in contact with homeland, but remained in England time of year. word that everyone may have There is no continental spot
each other, to start a little bit of routine to do what work he could. She argued that this would to stay indoors for even long- on offer for the runners-up,
because I think that is important,” said “I am caught between two make marathons and other ra- er, talk that the I-League may and it’s certain that no team
Brighton manager Graham Potter, worlds,” said Clotet. “I feel I cannot ces easier to endure, meaning have seen its last game for the will be relegated if the league
who has his squad doing communal do my job properly. I keep thinking they could be held in the capi- season is gaining ground. is cancelled.
morning sessions via video. “Our guys ‘Maybe I should go back?’ But I can- tal instead of in northern Sap-
are all here in the UK. They are away not go back because I am working.” poro city, where the Internatio- Vol. XX Issue No.160 Registration No. APENG/2000/03128 Published for the proprietors,
from families, they are missing famili- For others, the greatest concern nal Olympic Committee (IOC) Bennett, Coleman & Company Ltd. by Manikantan, at "Times House", 8-2-351, Road No 3,
es. We sympathise with that, but we felt is filling time and the void left by no had decided to move them. The
Banjara Hills, Hyderabad 500 034, and printed by him at "Times Press" Plot No 5A, Road No 1,
it was right to limit international tra- football. “I am obviously a little bo- Tokyo 2020 team led by Yoshiro
IDA, Nacharam, Hyderabad 500 076, Ranga Reddy Dist Tel No : (040) 23254000, Fax No
vel and to stay at home and be safe.” red since two weeks have passed sin- Mori is currently discussing
Other clubs allowed their stars to ce the beginning of the quarantine at possible dates with the IOC, ac- (040) 23254300. Registered Office: Dr. D. N. Road, Mumbai 400 001. Editor (Hyderabad Mar-
jet home. By contrast, Chelsea’s Spa- home,” Juventus’ Polish goalkeeper cording to the Asahi Shimbun ket): Robin David- responsible for selection of news under the PRB Act. All rights reserved.
nish winger Pedro Rodriguez was Wojciech Szczesny said. AFP newspaper. AFP Reproduction in whole or in part without written permission of the publisher is prohibited.
HITA
Beaches,
monuments
and exotic
locales come to
your living room
Pg 3
Now, a film on corona
Canadian-Persian director Mostafa Keshvari’s film follows seven people
trapped in a lift, one of whom, an Asian, is believed to be a virus carrier
The poster of the film;
and (inset) director
Mostafa Keshvari
T
Sunayana.Suresh@timesgroup.com
he first Coronavirus movie is
ready and its trailer is here.
Canadian-Persian filmmaker
Mostafa Keshvari’s English film,
Corona, is said to be a suspense drama
that carries the tagline ‘Fear is a virus’.
Shot in a single take, the film follows
seven neighbours, all belonging to
different racial backgrounds, who are
trapped in an elevator during a pandem-
ic. Amid discussions about a virus in the
building, one of them, an Asian-origin
woman, coughs, and the lift stalls.
Mostafa, who wrote the story and
filmed it in February before the
Coronavirus affliction was declared a
pandemic, says it was the various in-
stances of racism that inspired the story.
“When the virus first broke out, there
was open racism towards Chinese-ori-
gin Canadians. The virus was referred
#LOCKDOWNMEASURES: RECYCLE, REUSE, TRY ZERO-WASTE DRILL
Smart ways to stock up your pantry
Srishti.Dasgupta@timesgroup.com
very problem has a solution,
E right? Now that you’re
housebound till mid-April,
it’s likely that you can’t make
frequent trips to the markets. In a
scenario like this, learning methods
of preservation and storing food
items in the right manner can really
come in handy. There are several
traditional techniques that help
increase the shelf life of food.
Subhasree Basu, who runs a cater-
ing and delivery kitchen in
Mumbai, says, “In this time of cri-
sis, treat your pantry as your friend.
Remember that hoarding food is not
a solution. Eventually, hoarded food
will rot and go waste. Cook one-pot
nutritious meals, which will lower
the stress of cleaning up later.”
Food preservation can actually
help you sail through in this situa-
tion and you can also save some
money. So, here’s what you can try...
COMMON METHODS OF FOOD PRESERVATION AT HOME
You can make parathas with preserved
PICKLING peas and serve it with pickles
FREEZING
FREEZING
Freeze shelled peas, sweet corn
for later use. Deseed and cut bell
peppers into chunks before freez-
ing. Spinach can be boiled, pureed
and frozen in ice-cube moulds.
Everything must be
zip-locked before being frozen.
Follow us on:
to as the ‘Chinese virus’. As a filmmaker,
who belongs to a minority community,
I could relate to them and decided to use
my film to fight racism," he says.
Mostafa, who condemns xenophobia,
says one of the biggest takeaways from
his film is his learnings about dharma
right from his young age when he was
influenced by Buddhism. “Today, the
fact is that the virus doesn’t belong to
one specific race anymore and all of
humanity must come together to defeat
it. We all have a role in this universe to
fulfill. I may not be able to save lives like
doctors during the pandemic, but I can
make films that could potentially save
lots of people from discrimination and
racism by changing their perspective.”
Mostafa also adds that his diverse
cast and crew has people from
various nationalities, which included
Mrinmoyee Ghose, an Indian student
there who worked as his art director.
PEELS OF VEGGIES CAN BE REUSED
The concept of zero waste is to prevent as much food as
possible from ending up in the landfill. Many veg-
etables can be reused to whip up delicious fin-
ger foods or condiments. For instance, you
can dry potato peels and then fry it in cook-
ing oil with a little salt and pepper.
GO FOR A ZERO-
WASTE DRILL IN THE
KITCHEN. TO PRESERVE
Potato
VEGGIES, I STEAM AND peel
FREEZE THEM UP. AT fritters
TIMES, I MAKE DAL WITH
VEGGIES OR MEAT. MY AIM
IS TO GET MAXIMUM NUTRITION
OUT OF THE LITTLE THAT WE HAVE
Items like fruits, vegetables, meats,
seafood and eggs can be pickled by soak-
ing in a solution containing salt, acid or
alcohol. However, pickled food can be
unsafe if stored at room temperature.
DEHYDRATING FERMENTING
Root vegetables like It is the process that
potatoes and beetroots encourages the growth of
can be sun-dried and good bacteria to inhibit the
stored in the fridge or air- growth of bad bacteria that
tight containers. can spoil different food
Rehydrate in warm water items. Even rice is ferment-
before cooking. ed at home to make idlis.
MONDAY, MARCH 30, 2020 I ADVERTORIAL,
ENTERTAINMENT INDUSTRY PROMOTIONAL FEATURE
BACK BEAT
Salman Khan
enjoys time
with his family
during
quarantine
Pg 4
twitter.com/HydTimes facebook.com/HyderabadTimesTOI instagram.com/hyderabad_times I To advertise with us, call 1800 120 5474
#LifeInTheLockdown
‘I hope we move ARJUN
RAMPAL
more towards
inner peace than
the hoax of
materialistic
happiness’
BY ARJUN RAMPAL
o, here we are, Day 10 of quarantine Arjun spends time unwinding while in
S for me. But let’s level here, so we shall
consider it as Day 5, post the compul-
sory national lockdown was announced. No,
NOW, LOCKED
DOWN WITH OUR
FAMILY, YOU CAN’T
self-quarantine mode
home here with my personal team, dogs and
gym equipment, and was taking a few days to
this is not the Janata Curfew as we all
get everything back home, but by then, every-
witnessed, we know how that panned out, WAIT TO GET THE HELL thing had changed. The team left, including
with a bunch of morons who defeated the
good of all disciplined citizens, by doing a OUT AND WORK. WE my eight-month-old baby’s nanny.
Out of no choice of mine, or maybe some
victory lap in thousands as if they had defeat-
ed the coronavirus.
WORK ALL OUR LIVES divine intervention, the people who ended up
Yet, all is not lost, and now, we all realise the AND SPEND MOST OF staying were Gabriella (Demetriades), Arik
(Arjun’s son), Babblu and Santosh (staff
magnitude of the problem that surrounds us.
I am in a quaint town on the outskirts of
OUR INCOME TO MAKE members), my three dogs — Faff, Dean,
Mumbai, where I have been filming for the BEAUTIFUL HOMES, Brando — and, of course, my gym equipment.
Lucky me. So, that’s my current situation. But
past two months. I have accidentally been self-
quarantined here, since the curfew was
AND ONCE WE ARE this is not what the article is about; hopefully,
imposed on the day I was supposed to leave. CONFINED IN THEM, it shall make sense as we proceed.
The delay happened because I had set up WE FEEL JAILED. CONTINUED ON PAGE 4
TODAY, THE
FACT IS THAT THE
‘ByomkeshBakshiwillstrikeachordagain’ Neha.Maheshwri@timesgroup.com two days. You know, over the last 20 years,
the broadcaster has aired it many times.
VIRUS DOESN’T nother popular show that has hit
A
But I guess it’s making a lot more noise
BELONG TO ONE the small screen once again is because people are home and they are
Byomkesh Bakshi (original run looking for some kind of wholesome
SPECIFIC RACE 1993-1997). The middle-aged Kolkata- entertainment. It’s a show that a five-year-
ANYMORE AND based Bengali sleuth became a national old to an 85-year-old can understand. It
ALL OF HUMANITY favourite overnight with this show. enjoys that range because it’s clean,
Written by Sardindu Bandopadhyay, it wholesome entertainment and that’s why
MUST COME was directed by Basu Chatterjee. Rajit it became popular. They say, sometimes
TOGETHER TO Kapur played the lead with KK Raina basic is more impactful. The show will
DEFEAT IT. WE portraying his friend and assistant. strike a chord again and could even get in
Simple sets, a good script and nuanced new audience.”
ALL HAVE A ROLE acting made the edge-of-seat whodunits And is he looking forward to watching it
IN THIS UNIVERSE fun as well as an intense watch. again? “I don’t know. There is so much else
TO FULFILL Talking about the rerun, Rajit says, “It to watch while I am home (laughs!),
actually feels very strange. It was done especially the stuff I haven’t watched. But
— Mostafa Keshvari, almost 25 years ago, but I am suddenly
yes, I may try and catch one episode of the
Canadian-Persian filmmaker inundated with messages and calls since show for nostalgia sake,” he answers.
KK Raina and Rajit Kapur in the show
Pics: iStock
BE FRUGAL
AND CONSERVE
EVERYTHING. COOK
AND FREEZE IN
PORTIONS AS PER
CONSUMPTION
PATTERN. IN
PUNJABI CUISINE,
WE MAKE PICKLES
OUT OF ALMOST
EVERYTHING.
DEHYDRATE
MUSHROOMS AND
CAULIFLOWERS
— Rahul Arora,
Kolkata-based restaurateur
— Pritha Sen, food historian
PRESERVATION IN TIPS TO INCREASE SHELF
REGIONAL CUISINES LIFE OF SOME VEGGIES
Traditional method of preservation is
■ To keep lemons
from drying, rub a
implemented in various cuisines of
tiny amount of
Bengal, Odisha and the Northeast.
vegetable oil on
You Doma Wang, an expert in Sikkimese
can the skin.
cuisine, says, “We sun-dry meat and
make also pickle and dehydrate vegeta-
bles. In times of crisis, we prefer
■ Coriander
leaves will stay
SUN DRYING Tsamba. It is made of sun-dried corn
seeds (roasted, powdered) which is fresh for days, if
Sun-drying is a reliable
consumed by mixing with Tibetan Pakhala bhat cleaned, dried
method of preserving food
during an emergency. butter tea. It keeps your tummy full for and stored
Fruits like apples, bananas hours.” Pakhala is another such Odia prepa- upright inside a
and pears can ration. It is nothing but cooked rice, washed or glass jar and then
be sun-dried and stored fermented in water. It is also popular in other states. It is known as pani kept inside the
for several days. bhat in Jharkhand, poita bhat in Assam and panta bhat in Bengal. refrigerator.
2 HYDERABAD TIMES, THE TIMES OF INDIA

iStock
VARIETY MONDAY 30 MARCH 2020

Chatty kids Dos and don’ts for diabetics during this lockdown
do better D
iabetics are more susceptible
to all kinds of infection incl-
uding the novel coronavirus.
They may be especially more vulner-
getting hooked
up to social
media as the
news can be fake

at school,
able if their glucose levels are not in as well as
control. It is advisable to maintain a demoralising.
target HbA1c of 7 per cent. Gluco- The smart phone
meters and other technology such can be addictive
as continuous glucose monitoring and intrude into

says study systems are recommended to keep

track of blood glucose in the comfort
of their own homes.
Social distancing and staying
indoors is mandatory and it is more so
Dr Ravi Sankar
Erukulapati
one’s healthy
sleep routine.
Stay away from
smoking and
alcohol as an excuse to beat the blues
if the person is diabetic. Maintaining as they can not only push one into
n a recent study, researchers have found

I that young children go on to achieve more

academic success when their verbal skills
are enhanced. The study, by researchers at the
University of York, looked at why children
from wealthier and well-educated family back-
grounds tend to do better at school.
The researchers found that children from
families of higher socioeconomic status had
better language abilities at nursery school age
and that these verbal skills boosted their later
academic performance throughout the school.
The researchers looked at data from nearly
700 British children. The children’s pre-school
ability was tested at four-years-old and their
educational outcomes were tracked throughout
school up until the age of 16.
Differences in language skills between child-
ren explained around 50% of the effect of fam-
ily background on children’s achievement in the
first year of school. This achievement gap wid-
ened over the course of their education, the study
suggests. Professor Sophie von Stumm, said,
“Our findings show that a child’s learning at
home when they are under five, is really impo-
rtant to their chances of later academic success.
KIDS FROM ADVANTAGED
BACKGROUNDS ARE MORE
FAMILIAR BEFORE STARTING
good personal hygiene, frequent hand
washing and using alcohol-based hand
sanitisers are other basic precautions.
Visiting hospitals for routine outpa-
health-related problems but can be
addictive and lead to a vicious cycle of
ill health and depression.
Reading, bonding with family
SCHOOL WITH THE LANGUAGE tient visits is not recommended now members, exploring otherwise
PATTERNS, LINGUISTIC CODES as it may put the patient at risk of do not fall prey to #CORONALOCKDOWN important now as ignored hobbies, humour are better
contracting the infection. Unless rumours about any fresh fruits and options that can help beat anxiety and
THAT ARE USED IN FORMAL drivers and domestic help stay within vaccines or medicines to prevent the vegetables may not be readily avail- boredom. Drafting a day planner,
EDUCATIONAL SETTINGS one’s own home premises, and one novel coronavirus unless the gover- able right now. One needs to watch both limiting sedentary time spent on
— Professor Sophie von Stumm is absolutely sure of their contact nment endorses them officially. calories and carbs, glycaemic index, the internet, sticking to a good
history, it is advised not to avail their Both blood glucose levels and body portion size and also frequency of sleep-wake up cycle are all essential to
services during this period. Regular weight can shoot up due to lack of food intake as this can go up due to not only maintain a good sleep
Children from more advantaged backgrounds
medication to keep glucose levels, physical activity as one is restricted to boredom, anxiety and low mood. Junk hygiene but also to prevent obesity,
are more familiar before starting school with
hypertension and cholesterol in one’s own home during this lockdown foods and soft drinks are a strict no. control blood glucose levels, maintain
the language patterns and linguistic codes that
check should not be stopped at any period. Walking within one’s own home Uncertainty, concerns about empl- good immunity, keep oneself in good
are used in formal educational settings and are
cost at this time. Medicines are an can combat this to an extent. Yoga, oyment and finances, fear of the spirits and also to make this lockdown
expected by teachers.”
essential commodity, so it is better to aerobics, skipping, stretches, abs, unknown and mere disruption of period as productive as possible in
“Not all children get the same start in life, but
stock them few days in advance. pushups, crunches and light weights daily routine for prolonged periods, all forms.
this study highlights the importance of helping
Approved online chemists with home do not require any sophisticated equip- amongst many other factors can trig- Contact: Dr Ravi Sankar
parents of all backgrounds to engage with their
delivery facilities can be of great help ment and can be practiced at home. ger anxiety, depression and other men- Erukulapati; MRCP (UK), CCT -
children in activities that enhance verbal skills,
now. As there is no proven scientific Household chores such as cleaning and tal health issues even in the otherwise Diabetes & Endocrinology (UK);
such as reading bedtime stories and engaging
benefit from any herbal or household washing also help to a fair extent in brave lot. It’s of paramount importa- Senior Endocrinologist;
the child in conversations,” she said and added,
remedies such as ginger and garlic or burning calories and controlling nce to avoid news from any source that drravihormones@yahoo.com;
“Activities designed to improve verbal skills boost
alternative medicine in preventing or glucose levels, apart from keeping the is not reliable, authentic, and Apollo Health City, Jubilee Hills;
cognitive, social and emotional development, in
treating the novel coronavirus, there home clean! Careful meal planning to scientific; especially if not approved www.askapollo.com;
addition to benefitting parent-child bonding. ANI
is no rationale in trying them. Also, keep weight in check is even more by the government authorities. Avoid Call: 1860-500-1066

T
matters come to your attention.New
TIMES HITORI LOOP THE LOOP responsibilities motivate you. Keep
How to play Rules the faith.Believe in love! Fuzzy think-

FinOlex
1. A number ■ Connect adjacent dots with vertical or horizontal ing leaves many options open.Mak-
may appear lines, creating a single loop (Fig A). ing decisions becomes difficult. Be
just once in ■ Crossovers or branches are not allowed selective in all that you do. You will
each row or
column.
(As shown by dotted lines in Fig B).
■ Numbers in the puzzle indicate the number of FORTUNE Anupam V K a pil profit from the choices that you
(Fig A) Not allowed make. Life can seduce you in vari-
Eliminate lines that should surround it, while empty cells may (Fig B) ous ways.
ENGINEERING | MANAGEMENT | MEDIA | LAW repeat
numbers by
be surrounded by
any number of
r app,rc--r , -,, --t anupamvkap il@gmail.com LIBRA September 22 -
c.r , 1,,' i, 9822042295.
lines. October 22 You will have a mean-
SUDOKU CHALLENGE darkening
cells. (see ■ You can’t draw BIRTHDAY TODAY ingful experience that helps you un-
derstand what is essential.The con-
HOW TO PLAY example)
2. Darkened
lines around
zeroes. I ncrease your magnetic vibrations by wearing shades
of violet, mauve, violet-purple, dove-grey or electric
shades.
sequences of your feelings are more
Fill in the grid cells must ■ Each puzzle has Tip: Your lucky gems are amethyst, all purple-coloured
apparent now. You have a special
so that every never be just one unique stones, diamond, moonstone and pearl. vision of the world. Silence some-
horizontal row, adjacent in solution. You share your birthday with: Celine Dion times is truly golden.You are not at-
every vertical a row or How to begin: tentive and focused enough. Focus
column and column. Example (Fig A) - ARIES March 20 - April 18 You will be ad- on your ideals and values.
every 3x3 box Begin with the zero
3. Unmarked
5. Any cell mired by friends. People think you are genius. SCORPIO October 23 - November 20 Help a
contains the cells must create next to 3. Since no
digits 1-9, ‘sandwiched’ Plan to do all work methodically. You are like- friend towards the right path in life. Focus your
a single lines can be drawn
without between around zero, mark
ly to get an intriguing business opportunity. Be attention on your health and financial respon-
continuous area,
repeating the neighbours of crosses around it, open to change or to the idea that change is sibilities.Give yourself a break and respect your
undivided by
numbers in darkened cells. the same value as shown. Now possible. It is a great day to make friends and own individual style.This is the time to remind
the same row, can be circled. influence people. yourself of your real values. Reap the benefits
4. Every time you there is a cross in
column or darken a (e.g. 6 4 6 ) one space around TAURUS April 19 - May 19 You are in low spir- of your hard work and determination.
box.You can’t cell, you can 6. A “triple” is a 3. So we know the three lines of 3 can only be drawn in the remaining three its today.You may feel pressure from all sides. SAGITTARIUS November 21-December 20
change the automatically special case of spaces. Next, these lines can only be extended in one direction each. Continue, Be open to all sorts of possibilities.Make some- You will be able to make decisions and choic-
digits already circle its vertical sandwich. Circle using the same logic. thing happen that may improve your state of es that will help you create the future you de-
given in the and horizontal the centre cells,
Hints: Keep eliminating possibilities by marking crosses in spaces mind.Don’t make too many plans.New actions sire rather than settling for what comes your
grid. Every neighbours, which and darken the for old problems may help. way without planning.Follow your intuition.You
between dots where a line isn’t possible, i.e., if you have already
puzzle has means they cannot ends.
completed required lines or where a line extension may create a GEMINI May 20 - June 20 You may meet a may overlook important details.Your workload
Level: Medium one solution. be eliminated. (e.g. 6 6 6 )
branch or cause a deadend (Fig B) romantic person. You will have the courage to will increase as well as your responsibilities.
face all problems. You get success by putting CAPRICORN December 21 - January 19 You
your best foot forward but your rash attitude might find yourself in a situation wherein you
creates instability in work relationships. Dis- feel confused or unclear.Don’t take undue risks.
ANIMAL CRACKERS

agreements could erupt.You need to keep your Looking at the past will help you set the stage
temper in check. Take care of your financial for the next phase. Share your thoughts with
your friends. You can ask someone for guid-
GARFIELD

deals.
CANCER June 21 - July 21 You have power- ance in challenging areas.
ful strength today and it is advisable to become AQUARIUS January 20 - February 18 Watch
aware of it.You need to do get positive thoughts out for arguments as emotions will be close to
into your unconscious mind.Start thinking about the surface.A few surprises are in store, so ex-
what you want to do. Your thoughts are like pect the unexpected. Watch your temper. You
magnets.Allow your deeper feelings to emerge. may have a flash of insight that allows you to
LEO July 22 - August 21 You have the per- see the way out of your current problem. You
fect ability to make practical decisions.The pos- see new possibilities for the future.
itive energy creates the changes you seek on PISCES February 19 - March 19You are strong,
the path to higher truth and expansion. This is courageous, radiant, and attracting everyone
an equally good time for thinking and all kinds who sees you.You can learn a lot from others’
of intellectual endeavours. By staying focused knowledge and experience. Don’t be critical of
BEAU PEEP

BIG NATE

on what is meaningful, you make noticeable your own work. You lack confidence and con-
progress. viction today. You have been wondering about
VIRGO August 22 - September 21 Important your chances with a special person.Keep faith.

THE BETTER HALF

MANDRAKE THE
MAGICIAN
B.C.

SOLUTIONS TO GAMES/PUZZLES
MINDBENDER HEALTH CAPSULE TIMES SUDOKU LOOP THE LOOP TIMES HITORI
MUTT & JEFF

Can you decode these stupid quotes said

by different people?
“Sniomkg klils. fi yru’oe kleild, yvuo’e solt a ryev iotpnarmt rapt fo
uyro eifl.” - Brooke Shields
“Het ienrtnet si a teagr ayw ot etg no teh ent.” - Bob Dole
“I velo Cnrlifaoia, I pirtlcalcay wreg pu ni Pnohiex.”
- Dan Quayle

SPELLATHON SCRAMBLE SCRAMBLE

Balzac
MINDBENDER
Today’s Ratings: 10-average 11-good 13-outstanding Rearrange the letters in the President)
B four word jumbles, one letter to GSEEE The motto of dom; to serve all, but love only one. - Honore de Phoenix.” - Dan Quayle (former U.S. Vice
How many words of four or more letters can you make from the each square/circle, to make chivalry is also Answer: The motto of chivalry is also the motto of wis- “I love California, I practically grew up in
E N letters shown in today’s puzzle ? In making a word, each letter four ordinary words LRYOR the motto of
Words: Geese, lorry, liaise, vivify Bob Dole (U.S. Senator from Kansas)
D may be used once only. Each word must contain the central HOW TO PLAY wisdom; to ___ “The internet is a great way to get on the net.” -

A G letter. There should be at least one seven letter word. Plurals, Now arrange the letters in the AEIILS all, but __ only SPELLATHON - Brooke Shields (actress)
important part of your life.”
foreign words and proper names are not allowed. British English circles to form the answer to one. - Honore de DAGE, banged, bead, bend, dean, egad
A Dictionary is used as reference. the riddle or to fill in the missing
FIIYVV Balzac (5,..,4) abed, adage, aged, agenda, bade, badge, band, BAN- “Smoking kills. If you’re killed, you’ve lost a very
word as indicated.

TELEVISION MOVIES ON TV

0630 Sneak Peek

0645 Kadak Start
0800 Music Takatak
1030 Likes Bajao
1200 Toofani Hits
1300 Fab 10
1400 Loudspeaker
1600 Toofani Hits
1700 Shaamdaar Hits
1900 Boht Hard
2000 Loudspeaker
2100 Planet Bollywood News
2130 E Town News
2200 Toofani Hits
2300 Loudspeaker
‘The Ugly Truth’ ‘Cars 3’ ‘Rob-B-Hood’ ‘Qarib Qarib Singlle’
at 2100 Hrs at 2100 Hrs at 2100 Hrs at 2100 Hrs
1300 Made of Honor 0805 Street Kings 0750 Stay ‘Chennai Express’
1435 The Claim 1005 Two Champions of Shaolin 0930 Into The Blue 2 ‘Sanju’ ‘Bhai Mera Big Brother’ 0740 Do Lafzon Ki Kahani
at 2000 Hrs at 1803 Hrs 0947 Gulaal
1635 Breaking Up 1205 Guess Who. 1100 Bad Boys 2 at 1955 Hrs
‘Ready’ 0722 Roop Ki Rani Choron Ka Raja 1204 Iqbal
1805 Series : Jane The Virgin 1405 Underworld: Rise of The Lycans 1350 Pirates of The Carribean: Salazar’s 0715 Bang Bang 0800 Return of Chandramukhi
at 1955 Hrs 1111 Karma 1415 Shamitabh
1900 Series : Parks And Recreation 1515 Terminator: Salvation Revenge 1040 Dus Ka Dum 1120 Deewane Huye Pagal
1625 Robocop 3 1005 Ishq 1447 Kuch Tum Kaho Kuch Hum 1629 Jab We Met
1930 Series : 30 Rock 1705 My Super Ex-Girlfriend 1335 Prem Ratan Dhan Paayo 1420 Beta
1830 Raging Bull 1335 Bajrangi Bhaijaan Kahein 1850 Happy Ending
2000 The Ellen DeGeneres Show 1900 Finding Nemo 1700 Son of Sardaar 1735 Commando 2
2100 Rob-B-Hood 1955 Ready 1803 Chennai Express 2100 Qarib Qarib Singlle
2100 The Ugly Truth 2100 Cars 3 1955 Sanju 2000 Bhai Mera Big Brother
2345 Don Verdean 2305 Khallas 2100 Ram Teri Ganga Maili 2258 Gandhi My Father
2230 Landline 2305 Shanghai Noon 2325 Khiladiyon Ke Khiladi 2230 Loafer The Hero
MONDAY 30 MARCH 2020
Beaches,monumentsandexotic
localescometoyourlivingroom
Amrita.Prasad@timesgroup.com
S
elf-isolation and inability to venture
outdoors may seem like a nightmare for
travel enthusiasts. But people across the
globe have found an alternative in digital tours of
countries, cities and monuments. Google’s Arts
and Culture offers a virtual tour of historical
places/monuments, while national parks,
museums and galleries are giving art enthusiasts
a digital tour. The tourism boards of various
countries/cities are offering a 360 degree peek
into must-visit places and travellers are using
their past travel experiences to tell audio-visual
stories. In a nutshell, virtual tourism has come as
a sigh of relief to many.
“The idea of virtual tourism revolves around
consuming visual content of a destination before
visiting it, or even as an alternate source of
entertainment,” says Purav Shah, CEO and co-
founder of QuaQua, a virtual travel company.
The recent ban on travel has led to an
encouraging surge on the company’s platform.
“While we had approximately 700k visitors on
the platform in the month of February, we are
about to hit a million mark in the next few days
(for March alone). Our social media handles have
not only seen a gradual spike in visits, but the
engagement time has also increased
considerably,” says Purav, adding, “In the
past four months, we’ve had over nine
million video views, and it should reach 10
million by the end of this month.”
Saquib Nazim from Kolkata, who was
supposed to be in Bali now, is exploring
the beaches virtually. “The audio-aided
tour is teaching me more about these
beaches than I would have been able to
learn otherwise. In fact, the AR-VR aided
underwater activities on their website are
pushing me to try them when I visit the
place,” he says.
As part of her studies, Fine Arts and History
student from Delhi University, Vishakha Gaur, was
supposed to travel to Netherlands to visit The Van
Gogh’s Museum. While her plans have been post-
poned now, she continues with her project by study-
ing the museum and the artist’s work through vir-
tual tours. “The digital tour guide has some of the
finest works and letters of the Van Gogh and I can
Virtual tours of popular destinations like the Louvre Museum in Paris, Van Gogh Museum in
Amsterdam, the Taj Mahal, Venice and Malaysia are quite popular among people
Everyonehasapast
here is so much curiosity when couples
T meet for the first time. They want to know
each other’s likes, dislikes, thoughts,
behavioural patterns, eating habits, movie
preferences, value systems... the list goes on.
Couples revel in their sameness and feel united by
common goals, habits and lifestyle.
Although it’s said that opposites attract, it’s
always threatening to a couple, when one of them
is diametrically opposite to the other. The introvert
and extrovert, the vegetarian and the non-
vegetarian, the rich girl and the poor boy, the
rugged outdoor lover and the pampered AC baby,
the fitness freak who is in love with a couch potato,
or vice versa. I find it funny how couples who
haven’t known each other for their entire lives
come together and expect it to be a seamless fit just
because there’s attraction. They have spent their
whole lives fighting for individuality and freedom
and expect a perfect synergy on every level, and
that the past should be history with their first kiss.
They expect to be the only one, the most relevant
one, and for no one else in the past to have ever
HYDERABAD IS TALKING ABOUT
...thanks to virtual tourism, vlogs and photos of travel
destinations that have now become tools of globetrotting
amidst coronavirus outbreak
Virtual tour of a Malaysian cultural trail
read, look at these masterpieces closely and do my
research right from my bedroom. It is giving me
enough time to study them without having to move
anywhere,” says the 23-year-old.
People in self-isolation can spend their time
exploring VR simulations of an existing location.
Samrat Patnaik from TripExploria, says, “People
have now found an inexpensive way of exploring
places like Paris, London and Rome sitting at
home and can choose if they want to travel to that
place after the VR show, in future. However, the
facility is limited to people who have the VR
equipment and large-scale travel companies who
can make the technology available to their
selected customers. For others, travel vlogs and
videos do the job.” Kunjal Karaniya Ganger,
founder, Unplugged Moments, adds experiences
like these “help keep plans alive for the future.”
Experts believe that even watching
inspirational travel content with an infotainment
and storytelling angle can provide respite when
in lockdown. “Self-isolation has created an
urgency to travel more. Hence, content like this
allows you to visit a place virtually and gives you
the surety of adding a location to your future
travel plan, while also giving you the satisfaction
of having travelled as a stop-gap, while the world
heals. People are virtually visiting Venice to view
its beauty through the day or night, ride the
gondola through the grand canal, walk through
St. Mark’s Square — all from the comfort of their
homes,” says Purav.
mattered meaningfully to their partner. They want
to ignore and negate the fact that the love of their
life had a love life with someone else before them,
and perhaps even want or expect their partner to
pretend that no one else ever existed or mattered.
Yet, they will perversely pull out the details of a
past and demand to know everything in “the spirit
of honesty” but will hold it like a sword over the
person’s head at every opportunity henceforth.
Just a generation ago, it was acceptable for a
man to have a past, but not for a woman (who did
he have the past with if not with another woman?),
and now with child laws being outlawed, virgin
brides being a rarity and marriages happening
later and later, it seems women come with their
own past merrily attached. While a sense of
“immorality” is still associated with pre-marital
sex, couples are happy to have been through
options before plunging into commitment. It’s
healthy to know what you like or expect from a
partner, and most importantly, for experience to
uncover what isn’t acceptable or appreciated.
Pre-marital sex is both normal and legal,
Cities that are
being visited the
most virtually
In India: Cities like Agra,
Jaipur, Udaipur, Konark, Hampi,
Pondicherry, Mumbai,
Bengaluru, Mahabalipuram,
Gokarna, Kanyakumari,
Amritsar, Varanasi, Haridwar,
and Jaisalmer
International destinations:
London, Dubai, Bali,
Switzerland, Phuket, Sri Lanka,
Istanbul, Hong Kong, New York,
Rome, Washington, Paris,
Prague, Vienna, Cape Town,
Singapore, and Dubai
HISTORIANS, BLOGGERS AND WRITERS
SHARE PAST TRAVEL EXPERIENCES
Historian Rana Safvi has started an online trav-
el series where she will be sharing photos of
historical places like Daulatabad Fort in
Aurangabad, Dargah of Khwaja Khizr in
Sonepat, Bhitargaon in Kanpur, museums
depicting Mughal poetry and miniature
paintings that she has visited. She tweeted a
picture of herself standing in front of Safa
Shahouri which he captioned, “So, since we
can’t travel and are housebound, let me take you
on a travel series with me to various monu-
ments and museums that I’ve visited over the
years. The elegant Safa Shahouri was built in
1560 by Ibrahim Adil Shah, the Sultan of
Bijapur in Ponda Goa. #travelwithme.”
And she isn’t the only one to do this. Travel
writer Manjulika Pramod has started a travel
series for people to transport themselves to
various destinations virtually. “I am using my
past experiences more judiciously now. I am
dabbling with new ideas of video making. I am
creatively putting together pictures of places
like Thailand, Malaysia, Middle-eastern and
European countries and writing more about
human stories from those places, so people can
read and connect with the vibe of these
Pooja Bedi
Address your relationship issues to Pooja
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however, despite the fact we all have a past, we
make it such a big deal. If someone had a great
friend and spoke warmly of them 10 years later, it
would be acceptable. But you if had sex with a
person and spoke warmly of them 10 years later, it
would not be as acceptable. How strange! A past
that is unacknowledged, is one that controls and
haunts you. Wouldn’t you like to free yourself and
Travelling from the confines of their homes
Rohan and Geetika Baranwal, who got married in February, were supposed to go to
Switzerland for their honeymoon, but the global pandemic ruined their plans of “dancing
like Shah Rukh Khan and Kajol in the snow-capped mountains.” Now, the couple is hooked
to the websites of Switzerland tourism that are offering a panorama view of the country.
“Since we are homebound, we are spending at least two hours every day looking at the
mountains, scenic beauty, old architecture and streets of Switzerland. And while it is
nowhere close to what one feels while in Switzerland, it is giving us enough idea about the
place and helping us plan our honeymoon in the future,” says Geetika.
Monuments, fair, forts, and
museums that are being
viewed the most online
Taj Mahal, Fatehpur Sikri, Jaipur, Hampi,
Badami Caves, Junagarh Fort, Bikaner,
Pushkar Fair, Louvre, Paris, Vatican Museums,
Italy, State Hermitage Museum, Russia
places,” she explains.
Manjulika has also started an illustration
series depicting the culture of places she has
visited and will be creating virtual guided
tours for the same. She stresses that armchair
travelling is getting a revival in this time of
lockdown. “Pictures, videos will have to be
put together with music to relive memories and
talk about a place, people and their cultures,”
adds Manjulika. Traveller Ankur Chugh’s
digital tour of Malta, shared on various social
media platforms, garnered a lot of apprecia-
tion from those who had to cancel their sum-
mer travel plans. “Currently, people can relate
to such audio-visual content more than before,
which is why travel-related video blogging is
also seeing a surge now,” he adds.
your partner from the ghosts and shackles of the
past? It’s so liberating to be aware of a past and to
be at peace with it. To meet them and be able to
smile and thank them for shaping both to
becoming the people they are today. And, if the
past makes you insecure, the problem is not the
past, the problem is either you or the current
relationship you share.
I have recently learnt that my boyfriend of two
years has a past. And sadly, it isn’t a rosy one. I
felt bad that he wasn’t honest with me about it.
How should I handle things now?
People have the right to make mistakes, to atone
and to change. If he’s able to be honest with you
about it now, and shows remorse about what he
did, that’s all that matters. Love and support heals
everything and how nice to have someone love you
for who you are, and not hate you for who you
were. However, if he’s in denial of it or defends his
bad behaviour, then it’s something worrisome you
need to take serious note of.
I like spending time with my fiancé’s family and
friends, but of late that’s all we have been
doing. I know they’re my future family, but it’s
not wrong to want some quality time for the
two of us, right? How do I deal with this?
In India, you rarely marry an individual, you
almost always marry a family. However, it works
both ways, your family and your friends are
HYDERABAD TIMES, THE TIMES OF INDIA
3
Glimpses of a virtual
tour of Venice
Exploring Mumbai through virtual reality:
Bambiayya VR, a virtual reality drive-in taxi
takes you on a digital tour of Mumbai where
the iconic places in the city — the CST, BMC
building, an Iranian café, a Koliwada
precinct, and the chawls — have been
depicted through illustrations.
Meet the Kakar Samaj: Madhya Pradesh
tourism is offering a digital tour giving a
peek into the lives of Kakar Samaj, the rope
weaving community who live amidst the
historical ruins of Burhanpur, MP.
Visit these national parks and
monuments: All national parks in the US are
closed but virtual tours by National Parks
Service is allowing people to take a digital
tour of some of their most popular historical
sites, museums and parks such
as the Statue of Liberty, Yellowstone
National Park in Idaho, Montana, and
Wyoming, Denali National Park and Preserve
in Alaska, Upper Delaware Scenic and
Recreational River in New York and
Pennsylvania, and Devils Tower National
Monument in Wyoming.
For art enthusiasts: Google Arts and
Culture, in association with 2,500+
museums and galleries across the globe
continue to offer virtual tours of The British
Museum, London, Metropolitan Museum of
Art, New York City, J. Paul Getty Museum,
Los Angeles, Louvre Museum, Paris, Vatican
museums, Rome, State Hermitage Museum,
St. Petersburg, The National Gallery of Art,
Washington, D.C., etc.
VIRTUAL TOURISM CAN
PROMOTE RESPONSIBLE TOURISM
TO A GREAT EXTENT BY PUTTING A
CHECK ON THE TOURIST RUSH,
MINIMISING GLOBAL WARMING,
CARBON FOOTPRINTS AND
GLOBAL CARBON EMISSIONS
— Samrat Patnaik
equally important in this alliance and, of course,
“couple time” and “me time” are also necessary.
Sit with your fiancé and work out a balanced
weekly routine with him, which includes all of the
above. Maybe you can suggest alternative
weekends for family and time together, or agree to
a mandatory two days of couple time together
every week.
I am a 40-year-old man and had a love
marriage. Our marriage is 17 years old now, but
my wife continues to be over-possessive and
suffers from an insecurity that someday I will
leave her. She does not let me party with my
friends, drink on social occasions, and has also
started living separately in another bedroom.
We are good friends, but she constantly throws
tantrums and is anti-social. I love her, but
sometimes feel I should walk out and live a
separate life. What do I do?
Tell her that she is making her deepest fears a self-
fulfilling prophecy. Give her a copy of The Secret
and she will realise that as per the law of
attraction, what she believes, she will manifest.
Tell her you would never leave a loving, peaceful
home, but would leave an aggressive, controlling
one. Affirm that you are committed to your
marriage, but that means sharing a bed and life as
a married couple. If you have needs, express it,
and encourage her to express hers.
4 HYDERABAD TIMES, THE TIMES OF INDIA
BACK BEAT MONDAY 30 MARCH 2020

#LifeInTheLockdown
Salman Khan enjoys time with
‘We shall be his family during quarantine
humbled by nature ARJUN
RAMPAL
The actor is practising social distancing with fitness, freshly-grown
produce and artwork at his farmhouse in Mumbai’s outskirts

as nothing and
nobody is greater
than that’
...CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1
Sitting here with nature and two bars of 4G on my
phone, which I get only under the fifth coconut tree
on this property. I find myself lost under that tree,
worrying about all the people I care about, getting in
touch with them, and thinking that my life could end,
less likely by COVID-19 and more likely by a coconut.
I see the panic mankind has gotten into, as if we were
immortals facing mortality. Why? Is it just that we
have assumed that we all are going to live forever, or
is it that we just want to live more, since we are not
done consuming. We all have had the same com-
plaints, during our normal existence, too, much work
and no time for family. Now, locked down with our
family, we can’t wait to get the hell out and work. We
work all our lives and spend most of our income to
make beautiful homes, and once we are confined to
them, we feel jailed.
Then, we are bombarded with an overload of Salman Khan makes a charcoal sketch at his Panvel farmhouse
information about the virus. Lots and lots of theo- tinues at an alarming rate to fulfil human needs and
ries, conspiracies, stories, fake news, panic messages,
economic meltdown, biological warfare, new treat-
species getting extinct is just another day at the of-
fice. News today, gone tomorrow. Governments, the
ALL I CAN DO IS HOPE AND Himesh Mankad/Mumbai Mirror back-to-back on four films, Race 3, Bharat,
Dabangg 3 and Radhe. According to the
ments, celebrities who have been infected (Oh my world over, have indulged in building great armies PRAY THAT LIFE AFTER ast week, the film and TV industry source, it was around 100 days of shoot on
God, they get it, too!), party apps, crazy videos, memes,
fear, fear and more fear. All this floods our social net-
working timelines. The interesting thing is that, now
and weapons of mass destruction, but have failed
when it has come to healthcare. No nation has pre-
pared itself for a pandemic like this. So yes, it’s true
CORONAVIRUS IS ONE WHERE
WE AREN’T SO GREEDY, VOICE- L came to a standstill after film bodies
called all productions to stop work
in light of the coronavirus pandemic. With
each film, followed by month-long promo-
tional campaigns. Now, at the farmhouse,
he is using the amenities to keep himself
BC and AC have donned a new definition — of life that now they have the opportunity to take away all LESS AND SELFISH, WE CAN no shoots or other work commitments, and those around him fit and busy.
Before Coronavirus and life After Coronavirus. Some of our freedom. Implement technologies that will and responding to the nation-wide call for “There’s a big in-house gym, which has
very affluent writers and intellectuals go to the ex- monitor us 24X7. That will be the world we shall
CALL OUT THE DISHONEST AND self-isolation to help contain the outbreak, ensured that Salman’s workout regimen is
tent of saying that the world will never be the same, leave for generations to come. All these thoughts WE CAN PROTECT OUR EARTH Salman Khan has whisked off his Khan- not interrupted. He goes on impromptu
we would need to choose a new world order, which
would mean we lose our freedom (which we have now,
buzz through my mind. Making me feel hopeless,
knowing how easily humans adapt, as I look up
FOR GENERATIONS TO COME daan and dogs to his Panvel farmhouse, the
property that routinely gains traction as
treks in the area around. Since the property
is spread across acres of land, there are dirt
being quarantined), our privacy — maybe by getting through the shade of the coconut tree, almost will- the venue for his birthday parties. “He was bikes, ATVs, bullets and jeeps to get around
chipped or through some biometrics — people can ing a coconut to crash my skull for just being so re- nobody is greater than that. We will be satisfied, be- to shoot for (the Prabhudheva-directed ac- the premises. Sometimes, he also goes out
check our body temperatures and use facial recog- dundant. I then see the sky so blue, smell the air cause if we aren’t, then today will just be the trail- tion-thriller) Radhe in Mumbai till the to harvest fresh fruits and vegetables.
nition, which would then allow governments to mon- which is so clean, listen to the birds, who are audi- er, and the movie will tell another story. I realise that month-end, but when the shoot was can- Everyone is served home-cooked food made
itor our every move, and know our reaction towards ble, and not a mash-up of vehicles, people talking, maybe this coronavirus is nature’s vaccine towards celled, he rushed off to the farmhouse, his with in-house farm produce,” the source
anything we process. They will know that we are news reporters screaming or people rioting. And a virus called humans. favourite place when he’s not working,” re- shares, adding that Salman is also using the
falling sick even before we know it. Bit by bit, we will all I can do is hope and pray that life after coron- It’s time for us to acknowledge that and time for vealed a source close to the development. time to hone his charcoal-painting skills.
be given some of our freedom back. But overall, take avirus is one where we aren’t so greedy, voiceless all of us to give back. You are at home under that roof With the 54-year-old actor is his younger While the actor had shared one of his
this time to put in a new order, a new way of life. Wow, and selfish, we can call out the dishonest and we can with your family, and yet, you feel jailed! Ask your- sister, Arpita, and her actor-husband, most recent works on Instagram (pictured)
a bit too overwhelming. A great way to control and protect our Earth for generations to come. A life self why? Because you want to run around those Aayush Sharma. “Salman is fond of kids last week, more artwork, including some
distract, considering that we were on the cusp of a where we aren’t so gullible and we will live and love mountains, breathe the freshness in the air, swim in and wants to spend time with Arpita, portraits, is in progress.
global economic meltdown, regardless of COVID-19. each other as we do today. We move more towards the lakes, rivers and oceans and travel the world. A Aayush and their kids, Ahil and Ayat (who Salman’s parents, Salim and Salma
Environmentalists have been screaming from inner peace than the hoax of materialistic happi- world in synergy and sync with one another. Not a shares her birthday with her actor-uncle),” Khan, are at the family home in Bandra
rooftops about global warming, deforestation con- ness. We shall be humbled by nature, as nothing and toxic waste dump. the source informed. since it wasn’t advisable for them to travel
In the last two years, Salman has worked and be around too many people.

Elli AvrRam
with her pet cat
‘I foolishly cut down Yami Gautam
says there was
a time when
she had
completely
stopped eating

on food to look thin’

some much-
needed carbs

Ankita Chaurasia/Mumbai Mirror 5 am, do yoga from 5:30 am to 7 am, then

leave for a 12-13-hour shoot day. When
n the last day of our exams, my I returned, I’d hit the gym for an hour,

O sister (Surilie) and I would have

a sweet treat waiting for us when
we returned from school. Our mother had
made it a tradition,” reminisces Yami
Gautam, who’s cooking up a storm while
in self-isolation.
“My love for food stems from sitting
on the kitchen top for hours, watching
my mom cook and bake dish after dish,”
she recounts. On Women’s Day, Yami
had spoken about battling health issues
in the last one year. While the world is is
scrambling to boost immunity to combat
the coronavirus outbreak, the actress has
had to do it since last year, following a neck
injury and a bout of dengue, which left
her immunity and stamina compromised.
She admits that instead of working on it
gradually, she felt compelled to resort to
all this while being in immense pain. I
barely got four hours of sleep,” she rues.
Wiser now, the actress still gets up early
for yoga.
Now, with time to introspect, Yami
hopes people start valuing fitness more
than social media vanity. “As actors, we
have a certain responsibility to look good
and appear presentable at all times.
Instagram is full of picture-perfect bod-
ies. But we are humans and women, too.
Our appearance depends on our mens-
trual cycle. Some days, we look bloated
and that’s normal,” she points out.
AS ACTORS, WE HAVE
A RESPONSIBILITY TO

Guess who is giving Elli APPEAR PRESENTABLE

drastic measures.
“To look leaner and adhere to the
socially-constructed notion that physical AT ALL TIMES. BUT WE
attractiveness in a woman is one of ARE HUMANS AND
her most important assets, I foolishly
WOMEN, TOO. SOME

company?A li’l one called

started cutting down on food and comp-
letely stopped eating some much-needed DAYS, WE LOOK BLOATED
carbs. Also, to ‘appear fit’ during a
hectic shoot schedule, followed by film
AND THAT’S NORMAL
promotions and ad shoots, I’d wake up at

Charles KonstantinAvrRam My son had ‘mild’ case of Lady Gaga’s

T
hese days, Elli AvrRam’s world re- but I wasn’t sure if I liked cats. However,

COVID-19:Jon Bon Jovi

volves around Charles Konstantin when I looked at him, it felt like his soul was
AvrRam, a stray tomcat who entered
her life one fine day, suddenly. Talking about
her furry bundle of joy, Elli says, “I have al-
ways been a dog lover. Since childhood, I have
talking to mine. There was an instant con-
nect, and it felt like I’ve known him all my
life. People may not believe me when I say
this, but I think that God sent him to me for on Bon Jovi says
dad Joe
taken care of my neighbours’ dogs. I secretly
wished on every Christmas and birthday, that
someone would give me a puppy. However, that
a deeper reason.”
Ask him about the kitty’s fancy name and
Elli replies, “Konstantin is my brother’s name,
J he believes his 17-
year-old son had a
‘mild version’ of coron- slammed
hasn’t happened till date. Strangely, I never and I wanted to name him that, but to avoid avirus. During an online
found a connect with cats. I first spotted this confusion, I added Charles, too. This kitty interview, the Bon Jovi ady Gaga’s father, Joe
kitten, when I was shooting for Malang in a
Mumbai studio. He just walked into my van-
ity van and sat around me, lovingly. We fed
walked into my life around the same time my
brother was diagnosed with brain tumour. It
was a tough time for me and Charles’ pres-
frontman said that it
was the “intestinal
kind”. He added that the
L Germanotta, faced a ton of
criticism recently after he
started a crowdfunding campaign
him and I thought that he might leave after ence helped me cope. Even today, when I’ve family had kept him iso- seeking $50,000 (`37.5 lakh, approx)
some time, but he continued to stay there like quarantined myself at home, his presence lated “until all of the to help pay the employees of his New
he belonged to me. It was surprising, as street helps a great deal. He gives me so much love. symptoms had cleared York restaurant, after it was shut
cats don’t tend to stay with you for this long.” I truly believe that finding him was destiny.” and now he’s a hundred down amidst the COVID-19 outbreak.
She adds, “My friends told me to keep him, — Renuka.Vyavahare@timesgroup.com per cent.’’ He said that “To lady GaGa... How many mill-
they could not confirm ions are you worth, you could pay
if it was actually his employees out our your own
For more pictures, go to: www.photos.timesofindia.com COVID-19, since they damn pockets (sic),” wrote one user.
Registration No. APENG/2000/5491, VOLUME No. 20, ISSUE No. 188 Published for the proprietors, Bennett, Coleman & Co. Ltd., by Manikantan at Times did not have any Lady Gaga with father His tweet and campaign page have
House, 8-2-351, Road No:3, Banjara Hills, Hyderabad - 500 034 and printed by him at Times Press, Plot No.5A, Road No.1, IDA, Nacharam, Hyderabad - 500
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Jon Bon Jovi access to the test. been deleted following the backlash.
Joe Germanotta
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