VINEETA PANDEY | DCwith agency inputsNEW DELHI, APRIL 9

In a desperate bid to con-trol the rising coronavirusfatality rate, the Centrehas decided to begin clini-cal trials for convalescentplasma therapy on criticalpatients. The Indian Coun-cil of Medical Research(ICMR) is preparing a pro-tocol document, that willbe released soon.

The ICMR has alsochanged its testing strate-

gy in hotspots, whereeveryone with influenza-like illness symptoms(fever, cough, sore throat,runny nose) must be test-ed now, irrespective ofwhether they are connect-ed to Covid-19 patients ornot. India on Thursdayreported 30 new deaths inone day, taking the totaltoll to 209 as percovid19india.org, a cro-wdsourced website thatupdates the numbers fre-quently. With 737 newcases since Wednesday

evening, the total numberof positive Covid-19 caseshas risen to 6,653, of which5,842 are still in hospitalwhile 602 have recovered.

Maharashtra, with 1,135cases and 72 deaths, is stillthe epicentre of the pan-demic in India. The statereported 79 new cases andnine deaths on Thursday.About 80 per cent cases inthe state surfaced in thelast eight days.

■ Page 4: ICMR revisestesting for hotspots

India’s Covid-19 toll 209,737 new cases recorded

c m y k c m y k

Max: 36.2OCMin: 23.2OC RH: 85%Rain: 18

Forecast: Cloudy sky. Rainor thundershowers likely Max/Min temp. 37/24ºC

WEATHER

ASTROGUIDESarvari; Uttarayana

Tithi: Chaitra Bahula Tadiya till9.36 pm

Star: Visakha till 9.58 pmVarjyam: 5.20 am to 6.47 am;1.41 am to 3.10 am (Sunday)

Durmuhurtam: 8.35 am to 9.24am; 12.42 pm to 1.31 pm

Rahukalam: 10.30 am to 12noon

HIJRI CALENDARShabaan 15,1441 AH

PRAYERSFajar: 5.02 am

Zohar: 12.27 pmAsar: 4.38 pm

Maghrib: 6.36 pmIsha: 7.45 pm

SUNSET TODAY 6.31 PMSUNRISE TOMORROW 6.03 AM

MOONRISE TODAY 9.02 PMMOONSET TOMORROW 7.51 AM

COUNTER POINT

Vol. 83 No. 100 Established 1938 | 16 PAGES | `6.00deccanchronicle.com, facebook.com/deccannews, twitter.com/deccanchronicle, google.com/+deccanchronicle

TABLOIDWORLD|5Joe Biden presumptive

Democratic nominee

BUSINESS|7Labour shortage

affects harvesting

1,555,019COVID-19 CASES IN THE WORLD

STATE GOVERNMENT BULLETINS

CASES

(+737)

6,653

(+18)

(+15)TS: 471

DEATHS

(+30)

209

AP: 363

12

06

91,830209

DEATHS

COUNTRIES,AREAS WITH

CASES

CORONA C UNT

worldometers.info/coronavirus

covid19india.org

Coronavirus to decide future of economy: RBICentral bank says growth forecast depends on how fast virus is stopped; lower oil prices can’t offset demand loss FALAKNAAZ SYEDMUMBAI, APRIL 9

The Covid-19 pandemicwould impact economicactivity in India, due to thelockdown and decliningglobal trade and economicgrowth, and hangs overthe country’s future like aspectre, said the ReserveBank of India (RBI) onThursday.

In its Monetary PolicyReport released onThursday, the RBI said,“Covid-19, the accompany-

ing lockdowns and theexpected contraction inglobal output in 2020 weighheavily on the growth out-look. The actual outturnwould depend upon thespeed with which the out-break is contained and eco-nomic activity returns tonormalcy. Significantmonetary and liquiditymeasures taken by theReserve Bank and fiscalmeasures by the govern-ment would mitigate theadverse impact on domes-tic demand and help in

spurring the economicactivity once normalcy isrestored. Risks around theinflation projectionsappear to be balanced atthis juncture and the ten-tative outlook is benignrelative to recent history.But Covid-19 hangs overthe future like a spectre.”

Prior to the outbreak ofCovid-19, the report saidthe outlook for domesticgrowth for 2020-21 waslooking up but the Covid 19pandemic altered this out-look. “First, the bumper

rabi harvest and higherfood prices during 2019-20provided conducive condi-tions for the strengthening

of rural demand. Second,the transmission of pastreductions in the policyrate to bank lending rateshas been improving, withfavourable implicationsfor both consumption andinvestment demand.Third, reductions in thegoods and services tax(GST) rates, corporate taxrate cuts in September2019 and measures to boostrural and infrastructurespending were directed atboosting domestic demandmore generally but the

Covid-19 pandemic hasdrastically altered this out-look,” rued the RBI report.

The central bank said theglobal macroeconomic out-look is overcast with theCovid-19 pandemic, withmassive dislocations inglobal production, supplychains, trade and tourismand the global economycould recession. “Finan-cial markets across theworld are experiencingextreme volatility; globalcommodity prices, espe-cially of crude oil, have

declined sharply. Thesespillovers are being trans-mitted through financeand confidence channels todomestic financial mar-kets more immediately.These effects wouldinevitably accentuate thegrowth slowdown,” it said.

The Reserve Bank saidthe sharp reduction incrude oil prices, if sus-tained, could improve thecountry’s terms of trade,but this gain can’t offsetthe drag from the shut-down and loss of demand.

KANIZA GARARI I DCHYDERABAD, APRIL 9

The cost of one set of per-sonal protection equip-ment (PPE) varies from`1,200 to `3,000. With thedemand for them surgingin the backdrop of Covid-19, many players, includ-ing unscrupulous ones,have entered the market.

This has made it crucialfor medical associations,hospitals and government

departments to check thequality of the PPEs beforeplacing orders.

The demand is such thatdentists, general surgeonsand medical staff in smallhospitals are required towear them. Surgeons, whocarry out minor proce-dures in small hospitals,need protection as they goclose to patients.

Senior dentist Dr K.Satyendra Kumar said thatdentists will have to wear

PPE when they carry outprocedures as they dealwith the oral region, whereaerosols are generated.Dentistry procedures willnow require a PPE and N-95 mask.

“Till the lockdown is lift-ed, no procedure can bedone without this protec-tion,” he said.

The guidelines have com-pelled the Indian DentalAssociation to look forPPEs in the market and

they find that the rates aredifferent and so is the qual-ity.

A senior surgeonexplained, “The virus isnot going to die after thelockdown. Post-lockdown,there are going to beextreme precautions thatdoctors, nurses and otherstaff in hospitals will haveto take. In the operationtheatre, distance cannot bemaintained and we willneed PPE. We are also try-

ing to source them but arefinding that the market isbeing exploited by vestedinterests.”

Earlier, there were only ahandful of PPE manufac-turers in the country butafter Covid-19 was declareda pandemic, many othershave sprung up.

Mr Rajiv Nath, forumcoordinator of theAssociation of IndianMedical Device Industry,said “There are licensed

manufacturers who areusing the standard andspecified protocol. The PPEhas to go through a processbefore they are certified.But, of late, unscrupulousplayers have mushroomedand we have alerted thehealth ministry about thesame as it could be a dan-gerous proposition.”

A senior doctor, on condi-tion of anonymity, saidthat the market is beingexploited by new manufac-

turers with no experience,whatsoever.

The other problem iscaused by large corporatehospitals, which hoardstock.

“The manufacturers sup-plying to corporate hospi-tals are not willing to partwith their material as theyare high-paying clients. Itis only the small and newones who have problems inprocuring the equipment,”he said.

PPE prices surge as makers exploit big demandSeveral low quality products flood market while health workers struggle to procure safety equipmentHEALTH | HAZARD

OPEC, allies meetto cut oil output London: Top oil producers

from the Organisation ofPetroleum Exporting

Countries (OPEC) and itsallies reportedly decided tocut oil production by up to

15 million barrel per day.The OPEC group will cut 10

Mbpd while non OPECnations are expected to cut

up to 5 Mbpd.

US thanks India for HCQ tablets

Washington: US PresidentDonald Trump on Wedn-

esday thanked India forPrime Minister Narendra

Modi’s decision to allow theexport of malaria drug

Hydroxychloroquine to theUS. “Thank you India andthe Indian people for the

decision on HCQ. Will notbe forgotten!” he tweeted.

Banks cautionon EMI frauds

New Delhi: Leading bankshave reached out to cus-

tomers to caution themagainst ‘EMI moratorium

frauds’ and strongly advis-ing them not to share sensi-

tive information like OTPand PIN with the imposters.

IN BRIEF

BALU PULIPAKA I DCHYDERABAD, APRIL 9

One more person died ofCovid-19 in the state, tak-ing the toll to 12 onThursday. On the otherhand, the state registeredthe lowest number ofcases in a week, with 18people confirmed as hav-ing been infected by coro-navirus, taking the total to471.

Health minister EtalaRajendar said the govern-ment had decided to desig-nate 101 locations acrossthe state as hotspots forCovid-19 and has imple-mented a strict contain-ment policy of not allow-ing anyone to enter or exitthe identified areas forany reason. The govern-ment had on Wednesdaydeclared 14 containmentzones in the state capital.

Mr Rajendar expressedthe hope that the dip innew positive cases is anindication that the state isheading for a day whenthere will be no more newcases.

Mr Rajendar said that655 samples were testedsince Wednesday. A totalof 414 patients are beingtreated at Gandhi andKing Koti governmenthospitals. The disease bur-den from those who visit-

ed the three-day religiouscongregation from March13 in the Nizamuddin areaof Delhi and their contactshere constitutes thebiggest chunk of patients,388.

He said some of the Delhi

returnees or their con-tacts who tested positivewill begin to be dis-charged after they testnegative.

■ Page 3: Containmentzones barricaded

1 more dies dueto Covid in state101 locations in TS to be designated hotspots,18 new cases in state takes total to 471, toll 12

A wedding in progress at a home in Nacharam with just the family members attendingby wearing masks during the lockdown on Thursday. — S. SURENDER REDDY

Wedlock in lockdown

JAYENDRA CHAITHANYA T. I DCHYDERABAD, APRIL 9

In an alleged incident ofracial discrimination, twoyoungsters from Manipurwere denied entry into asupermarket as the secu-rity guards called themforeigners.

The police has taken themanager of the supermar-ket and two securityguards into custody.

The incident took placeat Star Supermarket inthe Panama area in Vana-sthalipuram on Wedne-sday. A video of the inci-dent that was shot andposted on social mediawent viral. The two stu-dents were identified asAngam Weapon, 24, anengineering graduate,

and his friend Thang KaiHaokip, 22, a final engi-neering student at a pri-vate college in the city.

Mr Angam Weapon toldDeccan Chronicle, “It wasabout 3.15 pm when wewent to the supermarketto buy vegetables. As wereached the entry line, thesecurity guards stoppedus saying that foreignnationals are not allowed.They were calling us for-eigners because our looksare not similar to that ofour fellow citizens. Evenshowing our Aadhaarcard did not help us, asthe security guards werenot ready to listen to usand bluntly objected toour entry.”

■ Page 2: No one at storecame to their help

2 Manipuri youthsdenied mall entry

SAMPAT G. SAMRITAN | DCVIJAYAWADA, MARCH 9

Two more deaths, oneeach in Guntur and Ana-ntapur, were attributedto Covid-19, taking thetoll to six on Thursday.

The 45-year-old victimfrom Guntur and the vic-tim from Anantapuraged 70 had died on April7. Their samples testedpositive on Thursday.

The state also regis-tered 15 fresh positivecases — 11 from Prak-asam, two from Gunturand one each from EastGodavari and Kadapa —taking the total to 363.One Covid-19 positivepatient was dischargedafter he recovered inChittoor district. He isthe tenth patient to bedischarged. The Gun-turvictim was a cable TVoperator who visitedhouses of his subscribersto collect monthly fee.

2 MORE DEATHSRECORDED INANDHRA PRADESH

AKSHAYA KUMARSAHOO | DCwith agency inputsBHUBANESWAR, APRIL 9

Odisha on Thursdayextended the lockdownby another 15 days, thefirst state to do so whilethe Centre weighs theproposal, as the state rep-orted two more Covid-19positive cases, taking thetotal Covid-19 count to 44.

The extension was ann-ounced by Chief MinisterNaveen Patnaik soonafter an emergency meet-ing of the state Cabinet.

“Taking into considera-tion the Covid-19 situa-tion in the state, the StateCabinet decided to exte-end the lockdown tillApril 30. Besides, it hasbeen decided that allschools will remainclosed till June 17,” theCM announced.

The government alsourged the Union govern-ment to continue suspen-sion of flight and railwayservices till April 30.

The two new positivecases were reported fromDhenkanal and Bhub-aneswar.

ODISHA BECOMESFIRST TO EXTENDLOCKDOWN

BHASKAR HARI SHARMA | DCNEW DELHI, APRIL 9

Despite Prime MinisterNarendra Modi’s appealand banging of utensils toexpress gratitude for theirrelentless battle againstcoronavirus, doctors con-tinue to be the targets ofmob frenzy across India,including in Delhi.

Two women doctors ofthe government-run Safda-rjung Hospital were assa-ulted on Wednesday nightas they went out to buyfruit and vegetables atGulmohar Enclave mar-

ket, near Gautam Nagar,where they live. They werereportedly heckled by a

man for being outsidetheir house.

The police, on the com-

plaint of one of the doctors,arrested a 42-year-old manfor assaulting the doctors.

The doctors, posted in hos-pital’s emergency unit,were not dealing with

Covid-19 patients. Theman, a local, accused themof spreading coronavirus,and said “you doctorsbring infection from thehospital and spread ithere”, according to thelocal RWA head. When thedoctors said they knew theimportance of social dis-tancing, the man began toabuse them, allegedlytwisted their hands,pushed them and fled.

Shockingly, some doctorsand nurses at AIIMS werethreatened with evictionfrom their residences bytheir landlords over fearsof the virus spreading.

2 women docs blamed for virus, attackedRABINDRA NATHCHOUDHURY | DCBHOPAL, APRIL 9

Two resident doctors ofAll India Institute ofMedical Science (AIIMS)Bhopal were allegedlyabused and physically

assaulted by the policewhen they were return-ing home after attendingemergency duty onWednesday evening.The two doctors releaseda video on Thursday nar-rating their ordeal.“We had disclosed our

identity by showing themour identity cards. Thepolicemen abused us andthen assaulted us, sayingthat doctors are spread-ing coronavirus,” the twodoctors said. They report-ed the matter to the cops.The resident doctors’

association of AIIMS-Bhopal demanded strin-gent action against thecops. One policeman wassuspended on Thursdayin connection with theincident and a probe wason, the investigation offi-cer said.

2 AIIMS docs beaten by cops, probe on

Singles, not allowed to mingle!

THE LARGEST CIRCULATED ENGLISH DAILY IN SOUTH INDIAHYDERABAD I FRIDAY I 10 APRIL 2020

The actual outturnwould depend upon the

speed with which the out-break is contained and eco-nomic activity returns tonormalcy... But Covid-19hangs over the future like aspectre

— RBI IN MONETARY POLICY STATEMENT

CITY pg 2DECCAN CHRONICLE | HYDERABAD | FRIDAY | 10 APRIL 2020

IN BRIEFCop hurt in roadmishap, critical

Hyderabad: A Sultan Bazaarpolice constable who was

riding on a motorcycle felldown from the vehicle when

he tried to avoid hitting adog that suddenly came in

his path. Police said consta-ble Mamidi Raju was return-

ing home at about 3 amafter completing duty when

the incident occurred atChaderghat bridge. He felldown and lost conscious-

ness. He was wearing a hel-met but it fell off due to the

impact, police said. The con-stable was shifted to the

Yasoda Hospital at Malakpetwhere his condition is stated

to be critical.

EFLU to conductonline exams

Hyderabad: The academiccouncil of the English and

Foreign Languages University(EFLU) on Thursday decidedto conduct the end-semester

examinations scheduled forMay online, using the open-

book or take-home examina-tions or term papers or

assignments/projects in viewof the ongoing lockdown. Thedecision was taken at a meet-ing consisting of 40 membersof the academic council with

the Vice Chancellor and itwas decided that the sit-

down mode of the examina-tion should be dropped forMay. The council approved

the conduct of PhD viva-voceexaminations online.

35-yr-old juniorartist found dead Hyderabad: A junior artist,

Vishwa Shanti, 35, was founddead in her apartment, the

SR Nagar police said onThursday. She was stayingalone and police said the

death might have been acci-dental. According to the SR

Nagar police, she used totake sleeping pills. She might

fallen in her bedroom in astate of semi-consciousness

and suffered a head injury.Shanti had not been answer-ing the phone for three days.

Her mother then asked thehouse owner to check. He

called the police, who brokeopen the door and enteredthe house only to find her

dead.

Telugu CMs differ on lockdownKCR wants complete lockdown, Jagan wants it only in hotspotsS.N.C.N. ACHARYULU I DCHYDERABAD, APRIL 9

There is difference ofopinion between the twoTelugu states on continua-tion of lockdown beyondApril 14.

Chief Ministers K.Chandrashekar Rao ofTelangana state and Y.S.Jagan Mohan Reddy ofAndhra Pradesh had con-veyed their respectiveopinions to PrimeMinister Narendra Modiduring Wednesday’s videoconference with CMs ofvarious states.

Mr Rao is firm on a com-plete lockdown for twoweeks from April 14. TheCMs of certain otherstates too expressed a sim-ilar opinion during theirinteraction with the PrimeMinister.

But Mr Reddy wants con-tinuation of lockdownonly in areas where thethreat of coronavirus iscontinuing.

In a video conferenceheld by Mr Modi with lead-ers of various parties inParliament, YSRC MPVijayasai Reddy, a closeassociate of the Chief

Minister, maintained thatfor the convenience of peo-ple, the lockdown shouldbe lifted from those areaswhere coronavirus caseshave not been registered.The MP maintained thatlockdown should continueonly in the coronavirushotspots.

TRS ParliamentaryParty leader K. KeshavaRao reiterated MrChandrasekhar Rao’sopinion that the lockdownshould continue for anoth-er two weeks.

In support of his stand,the YSRC MP pointed outthat due to lockdown; allstates in the country arelosing huge revenues.Compared to other states,the situation in AP isacute as at the time ofbifurcation itself AP hadinherited a financial cri-sis. It will thus be very dif-ficult for AP to manage if

it continues to lose furtherrevenues.

In normal conditions, APgovernment earns `165crore revenue per day.After the lockdown, APhas not been getting evena single rupee. Though theCentre released around`3,000 crore for threeweeks, the AP governmenthad to borrow `1,000 crorefrom the Reserve Bank ofIndia two days ago.

Meanwhile, APSRTC hasstarted advance reserva-tions for travel after April14 in anticipation thatlockout could be lifted.

HC lauds TS forfighting virus

Parts of city get sporadicrainfall, highest in Bolaram

Motorists hit the roads inundated with water in Begumpet after rain lashed the cityon Thursday. — R. PAVAN

T.S.S. SIDDHARTH I DCHYDERABAD, APRIL 9

In line with the predic-tions made by the IndianMeteorological Depar-tment (IMD), the city wit-nessed a brief and spo-radic spell of rain.

Some places like LBNagar also witnessed ahailstorm on Thursdayevening. As of 7.30 pm, thehighest rainfall of 36.5mm was recorded atBolaram. The second andthird were at SrinagarColony and the Centre forEconomic and SocialStudies (CESS), whichreceived 24 and 23 mm,respectively.

The IMD centre near theBegumpet airportreceived 18 mm rainfall,which is just two millime-

tres short of the highestrainfall registered for theyear 2019 at 20.2 mm onApril 19.

“There is an unseasonaltrough oscillating fromeast to west over thesouthern peninsula.Whenever, it moves to theeast, Telangana state andOdisha receive rains. Wepredict that this activitywould subside in the next

24 hours,” MaheshPalawat, chief meteorolo-gist, Skymet (a privateweather forecasting out-fit), told Deccan Chronicle.

The IMD has also issueda weather warning for the state for Friday. Itwarns of thunderstormaccompanied by hail,lightning and gusty winds of 30-40 kmph atisolated places in the dis-tricts of Hyderabad,Ranga Reddy, MedchalMalkajgiri, Medak,Sangareddy, Khammam,Jangaon, Mahbubnagar,Ya d a d r i - B h u v a n g i r i ,Nagarkurnool, Nalgonda,Suryapet, JogulambaGadwal, Wanaparthy,Mahbubabad, Warangal,Jaishankar-Bhupalpallyand Bhadradri Kotha-gudem districts.

VUJJINI VAMSHIDHARA I DCHYDERABAD, APRIL 9

The Telangana High Cou-rt on Thursday lauded thesteps taken by the stategovernment in tacklingCovid-19, such as helpingthe poor during the lockd-own, protecting doctorsand announcing incenti-ves for frontline workers.

Dealing with five PILson Thursday, the divisionbench comprising ChiefJustice RaghavendraSingh Chauhan andJustice T. AmarnathGoud, observed: “TheTelangana government isdoing its best to curb thefurther spread of Covid-19cases… they are tryingtheir level best to ensurethat coronavirus does notspread further.”

The High Court had con-verted letters addressed toit by various advocatesinto PILs. These lettershad highlighted issuessuch as the sufferings ofmigrant labour, attackson doctors, complaintsthat the paramedical staffwas not being providedpersonal protection equi-pment (PPE) and privatehospitals being permittedto levy a fee for the Covid-19 test.

During the previoushearing, the court hadasked for a report fromthe government on thesteps initiated to curb theepidemic.

On Thursday, after itwent through the interimreport submitted by thestate government explain-ing the steps initiated byit, the bench opined thatthe government was onthe right track to curtailthe disease. The courtasked the petitioners to

report to officials if theynoticed any flaws in thegovernment’s approach.When an advocate askedfor all doctors and med-ical staff to be providedwith N-95 masks, JusticeChauhan observed, “TheTelangana state govern-ment is not sitting with itshands folded; rather it isfighting the Covid-19 men-ace 24 hours a day. Thereis a huge gap between de-mand and supply of N-95masks and other equipm-ent not only in Telanganastate but in the entireworld. On this issue, onecannot blame the Telan-gana state government.”

Every country in theworld is trying to find away out of this situation,the Chief Justice said.

Advocate-General B.S.Prasad informed the ben-ch that the governmenthad ordered a sufficientnumber of N-95 masks. He said every returneefrom the event at theMarkaz mosque inNizamuddin, Delhi, hadbeen traced as well as amajor portion of theircontacts, and they havebeen quarantined.

The bench inquiredabout the situation ofmigrant labour and sup-ply of food and medicinesto them and directed thegovernment to submit amore extensive reportwith all facts and figures.

The hearing wasadjourned to April 15.

●● VIJAYASAI REDDY,YSRC MP pointed outthat due to lockdown;all states in the countryare losing huge revenues

●● ADVOCATE-GENERAL B.S. Prasadinformed the benchthat the governmenthad ordered a suffi-cient number of N-95masks.

An opportunity in calamity

The lockdown due to Covid-19 pandemic comes in handy for the GHMC authorities to implement their decades-long-pending plan of laying a con-crete road in the Kavadiguda corridor, one of the busiest routes, in Secunderabad, on Thursday. — GANDHI

●● THE IMD centre nearthe Begumpet airportreceived 18 mm rainfall, which is justtwo millimetres shortof the highest rainfallregistered for the year2019 at 20.2 mm onApril 19.

HARLEEN MINOCHA | DCHYDERABAD, APRIL 9

Alankrita Ranjan andAnkit Bangar would havetied the knot on April 19 inHyderabad’s MrugvaniResorts. The couple was tohost close to 300-400 familyand friends in a grandwedding.

But an uninvited guest —the dreaded coronavirus— made them change theirplans. The two chose to

prioritize the safety and well-being of theirnear and dear ones andpostponed their weddingindefinitely just a fewweeks before the big day.“There was a strange fearamong all of us when the news of thespread started trickling infrom across the globe.Many of our guests wereto fly down from differentcountries, including thegroom who is in the US

currently. When some ofthem started to back out,we didn't want to celebrateour big day without the

presence of those impor-tant to us, so Ankit and Itook the final call and toldour families that we would

rather postpone the wed-ding,” said Alankrita.

Asked if they facedfinancial issues due to the postponement, shesaid that most vendorswere cooperative. Eventhough they were notrefunded the money paidin advance, the vendorsassured her it was safewith them until she decid-ed on a new wedding date.

A bridegroom in Secu-nderabad, who had not

made any payments yet,but was to visit his home-town for the nuptials onApril 28, is now unsurewhether he will get mar-ried this year.

The wedding business inwedding-crazy India hastaken a massive hit sincethe lockdown. PraveenAggarwal, owner ofClassic Gardens inSecunderabad said, “Closeto 50 weddings have eitherbeen postponed or can-

celled. These weddingswill now likely take placesometime later this yearor the next year. Theindustry is going to suffera loss of at least 50 per centof our revenue this yearand even the next.”

However, couples feelthat postponing their big day to a time when all their near and dearones can be present willonly add to the celebra-tion.

Some couples opt to put off their nuptials due to lockdownFamilies were set to host close to 300-400 family members and friends in the weddingVIRUS | DREAD

●● ASKED IF they faced financial issues due to thepostponement, Alankrita said that most vendorswere cooperative.

●● EVEN THOUGH they were not refunded themoney paid in advance, the vendors assured her itwas safe with them until she decided on a newwedding date.

Cong preparesfor relief workIREDDY SRINIVAS REDDY | DCHYDERABAD, APR 9

State Congress presidentN. Uttam Kumar Reddy onThursday asked partyleaders and cadres to pre-pare a plan for extensiverelief operations as theongoing lockdown wouldhave a long-lasting impacton the people.

Addressing senior lead-ers during a video confer-ence, Mr Reddy said nor-malcy might not return tothe state immediatelyafter the end of lockdown,which is most likely to beextended.

Therefore, he said,Congress leaders shouldprepare a comprehensiveplan to extend help andrelief to the people affect-ed by lockdown. While thepriority is to supply foodto daily wage earners,migrant workers, thehomeless and other poorsections, Congress leaderswould also need to workout a plan to help thosewho have lost their liveli-hoods or jobs due to thelockdown, he said.

Mr Reddy demandedthat the state governmentrelease a ‘white paper’ anddisclose the ‘real statis-tics’ pertaining to coron-avirus besides facts on thefinancial situation. Hesaid it was unfortunatethat people had startedraising apprehensionsthat the state governmentwas hiding the real statis-tics of coronavirus pati-ents, suspects and deaths.He said such apprehen-sions were triggered dueto the failure of authori-ties to release media bul-letins on a regular basis.

He said Chief MinisterK. Chandrashehar Raohad been giving contradic-tory statements. In hisearlier press conference,

he had claimed that thestate would be free fromCovid-19 after April 7.Things have changed afterthe emergence of freshcases related to returneesfrom the Tablighi Jamaatcongregation in Delhi.

Therefore, the govern-ment must release a statuspaper. He said the govern-ment should also disclosefigures on the availabilityof hospitals, beds, ICUunits, ventilators, drugsand medical equipment,testing kits and medicalprofessionals involved inthe anti-coronavirus oper-ations and the estimatedamount required to dealwith the situation.

DC CORRESPONDENTHYDERABAD, APRIL 9

Former minister and BJPleader D.K. Aruna onThursday demanded thatthe government come tothe rescue of farmerswho grow oranges andlemons as buyers werenot coming forward dueto the lockdown.

In a press statement,she appealed to ChiefMinister K. Chand-rashekar Rao to fix a min-imum support price fortheir produce. The farm-ers also not able to exportthe produce, she said.

She urged the govern-ment to purchase orangesproduced in the state atthe price in the Nagpurmarket, the biggest mar-ket in south India for ora-nges and supply it to thepeople through the civilsupplies department.

Govt: Call 104 or108 for any help

Woman ends life,jumps off terraceJAYENDRA CHAITHANYAT. | DCHYDERABAD, APRIL 9

A 21-year-old woman atChandanagar committedsuicide by jumping fromher apartment early onThursday early hours.She did not leave behind asuicide note.

According to Chandana-gar police, K. Pooja Amb-ika, 21, a private employeeand engineering student,was living with her par-

ents K. Yedukondalu andSamanthanakmani, ta-ilors, at Rajeev Swagruhain Papireddy Colony ofSerilingampally mandal.

She was reportedly suf-fering from thyroid andobesity issues due towhich she was distressed.

At around 5 am onFriday, when her parentswere asleep, Pooja went tothe terrace on the fifthfloor and jumped. The sec-urity personnel informedher parents.

BALU PULIPAKA | DCHYDERABAD, APRIL 9

The government onThursday appealed to thepeople with serioushealth conditions, includ-ing those requiring dialy-sis, treatment for canceror other health problems,to call either the 104 or 108helplines for assistance.

“Whether it is transportto get to a hospital ormaking sure they receivethe treatment they need,the government assuresthat their needs will beattended to in a matter ofhours,” health ministerEtala Rajendar said.

He said Chief MinisterK. Chandrashekar Rao,who reviewed the Covid-19 situation, called forstrict implementation ofcontainment at the 101designated hotspots.“Ninety-nine per cent ofpeople are observing the

lockdown as per the ChiefMinister’s call. The ChiefMinister instructed thatpeople suffering from ot-her conditions because ofthe lockdown should notbe denied of their treat-ment,” Mr Rajendar said.

He said the state hadabout 1,500 thalassemiapatients who need bloodtransfusion twice amonth and appealed topeople to donate blood.“Just call 104 or 108 andthe government willmake all arrangementsfor donors. If the breadwinner of a family is inquarantine or undertreatment for Covid-19,then the government willdo everything it can toassist such families,” MrRajendar added. The gov-ernment has set uptelemedicine facilities forpeople to speak with doc-tors in case they needother medical assistance.

LOCKDOWN PUTSFARMERS INDEEP DISTRESS

NO ONE ATSTORE CAME TO

THEIR HELPFrom Page 1

Angam Weapon, one of theManipuri youth who wasstopped at a supermarket inVanasthalipuram said heclearly told the securityguards that they are not for-eigners, and not infected withCovid-19. “No one at the storecame to our help, which is real-ly sad,” said the youngster.

Mr Angam Weapon said thatthe manager of the store didnot come to talk to them eventhough they waited for sometime and they went back with-out purchasing vegetables atthe supermarket.

He said this was the firsttime they have had such ahumiliating experience in thecity. “The mentality of the peo-ple should change; is it notracism?” he said.

The Vanasthalipuram policeregistered a case on securityguards Dileep Kumar, K.Shankaraiah and manager D.Venkata Ramana, and tookthem into custody.

UoH STUDENTS INCOVID-19

SURVEILLANCE DC CORRESPONDENTHYDERABAD, APRIL 9

The state government hasdrafted students from the pub-lic health department of theUniversity of Hyderabad(UoH) to carry out epidemio-logical fieldwork in the dis-tricts across as part of its con-tainment strategy against thespread of Covid-19.

About 15 second semesterstudents of the Masters ofPublic Health (MPH) who vol-unteered for the work wereissued orders by the districtauthorities to participate inactive and passive surveil-lance teams.

In addition, four researchscholars and 30 students,including MPH seniors andalumni, submitted their cre-dentials to the governmentand offered to work for thehumanitarian cause.

Vice-Chancellor Prof. AppaRao Podile lauded the stu-dents’ motivation to serve vol-untarily in this hour of crisis.The government also appreci-ated the spirit of the volun-teers and promised to considerthem for future placements.

CITY pg 3DECCAN CHRONICLE | HYDERABAD | FRIDAY | 10 APRIL 2020

IN BRIEFComplete curfew

With the GHMC notifying some localities in Hyderabad as containment clusters demanding complete curfew-like situation to prevent thespread of the coronavirus, Hafeez Baba Nagar in Chandrayanagutta wears a deserted look on Thursday —P. SURENDRA

Govt seals the areaaround Badi Masjid

TRS says BJP MP’sdegree is fake

SHRC asks reportson street kids’ plightDC CORRESPONDENTHYDERABAD APRIL 9

The State Human RightsCommission (SHRC) hassought reports from theGHMC commissioner andthe Hyderabad district col-lector over the plight ofchildren who have taken tobegging on the streets fortheir livelihood in the wakeof the spread of the coron-avirus disease.

The directionscame afterBalala HakkulaSangham, an organisationwhich works towards prote-cting the rights of children,approached the commissionbased on a story publishedin Deccan Chronicle, ‘Streetchildren beg for survivalamid lock down’, on April 7,that highlighted the plightof the children who are leftwith no option but to beg onthe roads.

The commission directedthe officials to submit theirreports before April 22. In

his petition to the commis-sion submitted along with acopy of the DC story, Mr B.Achyuta Rao, honorary pre-sident of Balala HakkulaSangham, stated that there isevery possibility of childrengetting infected by the killervirus. Even the beggingmafia and anti-social ele-ments may harm the childrenby kidnapping them, he said.

Mr Rao requested the com-mission to direct the autho-

rities to rescueand rehabilitatethe children in

a safe shelter and providethem food besides takingcare of their other needs.Deccan Chronicle haddepicted how these childrenhave no access to masks orsanitisers and have taken tobegging on the roads aftertheir parents, who wereeking their livelihood bydoing odd jobs at traffic sig-nals, are now withoutmoney and are finding it dif-ficult to make both endsmeet.

Religious site has been converted into quarantine centreATHER MOIN I DCHYDERABAD, APRIL 9

The government onThursday cordoned offthe area surrounding theJamia Masjid Moazza-ampura (Badi Masjid),Mallepally, one of the 12containment zones in thecity. The mosque is thecentre of the TablighiJamaat for the city andhas been converted intoa quarantine centre.

Chief Secretary Som-esh Kumar, principal sec-retary, municipal admin-istration, Arvind Kumar,Director General ofPolice M. MahendarReddy, police Commi-ssioner Anjani Kumar,GHMC commissionerD.S. Lokesh Kumar,Hyderabad collector

Sweta Mohanty andNampally MLA JafarHussain Meraj inspectedthe area.

Mr Somesh Kumarsaid, “the administra-tion will ensure that thepeople will not be allo-wed to move outside andno one will be allowed toenter the zone.” Covidpatients had been shiftedto hospital, and areaswhere they were foundhave been cordoned off.

“The people residing inthe zone should confinethemselves to their ho-uses. We will ensure wewill provide essentialcommodities at theirdoorstep. Residents willbe provided a phonenumber for emergencyhelp. There is no need topanic,” he said.Mr

Lokesh Kumar said theGHMC in consultationwith the police willdecide on relaxing curbsto allow people to pur-chase essentials. Res-idents of houses wherepositive cases werefound will get essentialitems at their doorstep.

He said a GHMC med-ical team will be postedto monitor the situation.Teams will carry out adoor to door survey forsymptomatic cases.

Police commissionerAnjani Kumar said, “We

have been working on theissue for the last oneweek. The main purposeis to contain the spread ofthe virus. In coordina-tion with the GHMC thepolice had initially iden-tified 12 areas and the nu-mber may go up to 15.”

He said the GHMC hascompleted the survey onthe requirements ofessential commodities ofthe people residing in thecontainment zones. “Ourrole is to ensure thatstocks are regularlyrefilled. If something isrequired for the peopleresiding in the zone thepolice will provide it.Each of these clustershas provisions for a med-ical emergency. GHMCofficials and DCPs areworking on this aspect.”

VIKRAM SHARMA | DC HYDERABAD, APRIL 9

For doctors, medical staffand private security per-sonnel at the GandhiHospital, a majority ofwhom were working roundthe clock, the past monthhas been gruelling. Leavealone treating coronaviruspatients, they were at theirwits end dealing with hun-dreds of individuals whowere put in isolation wardswhile they awaited testreports.

While they continue to bein the frontline, Thursdaywas the first day that thestaff was able to breatheeasy.

No individual is beingallowed inside the hospital

for coronavirus tests sinceWednesday and it came as amuch-needed break forhundreds of staffers.

The shifting of the gynae-cology ward to the govern-ment maternity hospital atSultan Bazaar, a moveaimed at making the Gan-dhi Hospital exclusively forcoronavirus positive patie-nts, offered further respite.

“Ever since the numbersof those who had to under-go tests began increasing,our patience and profes-sionalism were put to thetest. Due to the massiverush, test reports wouldtake two or more days andkeeping suspected casesunder strict watch in isola-tion wards was a challeng-ing task. Many would get

angry and abuse us and wehad to bear their tant-rums,” a doctor at the hos-pital told Deccan Chronicle.

He said that now that thetests were not being done atthe hospital, it was the firstslightly relaxed day forthem. “But we are keepingour fingers crossed as wehope and pray the numberof coronavirus positivepatients does not go up,” headded.

At the main entrance, anambulance came to a halt

this afternoon. “Have youcome for testing?” a securi-ty guard asked the manseated in the ambulance.When he replied in theaffirmative, the guard toldhim that he needed to pro-ceed to the governmenthospital in King Koti fortests and isolation.

“Many persons came fortests since yesterday but wedirected them to the Kotihospital. Till a couple ofdays ago, we had to escortthe person to the help desk,take them in a lift to theseventh floor for coron-avirus test. We had to keepan eye on them as theywould just disappear afterwaiting for several hoursfor tests. After the tests, wehad to be very watchful of

them when they were in theisolation wards for a day ortwo. Now, all of this isover,” said a securityguard.

The police has stepped upsecurity at the hospital,with barricades placed tillthe entrance to the buildingand a sub-inspector andfour constables deployed oneach floor. The strengthwas increased on Thursday.

Meanwhile, hospitalsources said that the shift-ing of equipment and fur-niture from the gynaecolo-gy ward to the sultanbazaar maternity hospitalwas completed by thisevening.

All the doctors, nurses,lab technicians and otherstaff in the gynaecology

ward were asked to reportat sultan bazaar fromFriday where they will beworking in three shifts.

“A separate building hasbeen made available in thesultan bazaar maternityhospital where the gynae-cology ward of Gandhi hos-pital has been shifted,”sources said.

Over the past week, fourdeliveries were performedat Gandhi hospital. ''Thewomen had been admittedas they were suspected tobe infected with coron-avirus. Luckily, all of themtested negative and theywill be discharged shortly,''they said.

On an average, over 30deliveries are performed atGandhi Hospital daily.

Only Covid patients in Gandhi, staffers get breakNo one is allowed inside Gandhi for tests, suspects will be sent to Koti hospSTRICT | NORMS

DC CORRESPONDENTHYDERABAD, APRIL 9

Muslims observed the sacred night ofShab-e-Baraat (the nightof forgiveness) withinthe four walls of theirhouses due to restric-tions imposed in thewake of Covid-19.People avoided congre-gational prayer of Isha(night prayer) in themosques. They also did not visit

the graves of their lovedones as per rituals.People spent time in say-ing namaz and specialsupplications in thenight.

The gates of themosques, including his-toric Macca Masjid andShahi Masjid, PublicGarden, were remainedclosed for common peo-ple. The religious schol-ars opted to addresstheir disciples on socialmedia platforms usingtechnology.

No congregational prayers due to virus

NARENDER PULLOOR | DCNIZAMABAD APRIL 9

The political war betweenTRS and BJP leaders isheading for a crescendo inNizamabad district, amidthe Covid-19 crisis. Leadersfrom both parties have havelodged complaints with thestate government and theElection Commission aga-inst each other. TRS socialmedia in-charge Y. SatishReddy complained to the ECthat Nizamabad MP D.Arvind of the BJP hadgiven false informationabout his educational quali-fications. Mr Arvind statedthat he had completed post-graduation in political sci-ence from a deemed-to-be-universally at Rajendran-agar in Rajasthan in thedistance mode in 2018.

University distance edu-cation wing directorPrakash Sharma said thatthere was no student namedArvind, son of D. Srinivas(Rajya Sabha member), inthe university records, theTRS claimed. The TRStweet to the EC also had anattachment of the purport-ed letter of the university.

BJP district presidentBaswapuram Laxminarsa-iah had complained to theState Election Commissionin March against formerMP K. Kavitha, allegingthat she had lied about herproperty in the MLC byelec-tion affidavit. He demandedcancellation of her nomina-tion. In view of the lock-down, the byelection hasbeen postponed.

Speaking to newsmenhere on Thursday, MrArvind said that rulingparty leaders were trying togain political mileage withsuch baseless and ill-timedallegations. “I am ready tosubmit my PG original cer-tificates to the ChiefMinister if he asks for it,”he said.

10 GATHER AT PLACE OF WORSHIPDURING LOCKDOWN, ARRESTEDJAYENDRACHAITHANYA T. I DCHYDERABAD, APRIL 9

Despite repeatedinstructions not to gath-er at any place to pre-vent the spread ofCovid-19, a group of 10people was found gath-ering at a place of wor-ship.

The police registered acase against the 10,including two minorboys, and the in-chargeof the place of worship.

The Bachupally policesaid they received a tip-off on Wednesdayevening that the grouphad gathered at theplace of worship to offerprayers.

A patrol reached thespot at IndirammaColony Phase II inNizampet. On seeing the

police, the group fledfrom the place but theteam caught one personwho resides in the vicin-ity and questioned him.The others who hadgathered at the placewere identified.

Bachupally inspectorP. Jagadeeshwar said,“The group did not fol-low social distancingnorms. They have beenbooked under the IndianPenal Code and theEpidemic Disease Act.”

Good Friday, Easter serviceto be live-streamed onlineSANJAY SAMUEL PAUL | DCHYDERABAD, APRIL 9

Good Friday and EasterSunday church serviceswill be live-streamed onsocial media platformsin view of the lockdown.Bishop M.A. Danielurged the community tofollow the lockdown pro-tocols and pray at home.

The Centenary Meth-odist Church will go liveon Gospel TV, on GoodFriday, from 12,30 pmand on Easter Sundayfrom 5 am to 6 am.

On the same network,English and Hindustaniservices will be live-streamed via Zoom. Thetimings are GoodFriday: 8.30 am English

and 10 am to 12 noonHindustani. On Easter,English at 8.30 am,Hindustani at 8 am.

The Church of SouthIndia’s (CSI) WesleyChurch, Ramkote, willbe live on YouTube.

Rev U. Daniel said, “Wehave services through-out this Holy Week at6.30 pm online. GoodFriday service will befrom 11.00 am to 3 pm.Sunrise service onEaster will be at 4 am.”

The John WesleyChurch, Malkajgiri, willbe on Facebook with theGood Friday service at12 noon and the Eastersunrise service at 5 am.

The Millennium Chu-rch at SD Road, Secund-erabad, will be broad-

casting on Aradhana TV.The timings are GoodFriday 12 noon and Ea-ster service at 2.30 pm.

The St. Mary’s Basi-lica, Secunderabad, willoffer the Mass onlinethrough Catholic-Hub, aYouTube-based channel.The timings are GoodFriday 6 pm; HolySaturday 10 pm till mid-night; Easter Sundaymass at 9:30 am.

IIT-H GIVES 100 LTRS OF

SANITISERHARLEEN MINOCHA | DCHYDERABAD, APRIL 9

The Indian Institute of Tec-hnology Hyderabad (IIT-H)has been provided nearly 100litres of hand sanitiser perday to the Sangareddy dis-trict administration sinceApril 4. The sanitiser is dis-tributed among the people.The hand sanitiser has beendeveloped by a research gro-up led by Dr Jyotsnendu Giri,associate professor of thedepartment of biomedicalengineering, IIT-H, called theENARM Lab. The sanitiser issaid to be at par with thestandards recommended byWHO and the US Centres forDisease Control.

Dr Giri said, ‘Being a res-earcher in an IIT, it is my dutyto serve our nation throughscientific research and innova-tion. This is my small contri-bution to our society in this ffi-cult time.’

CONTAINMENTZONES

BARRICADEDFrom Page 1

Telangana is hoping to keepdischarging cured Covid-19patients.

“We hope that we will getthe results tonight or tomor-row. Once we get confirmednegative tests, we should beable to discharge some 60 to 70patients. After Thursday, allthose who returned fromother countries will haveended their quarantine peri-ods. From now on we hope wecan keep discharging curedpatients and that the state willbe free of Covid-19 cases byApril 22 or 23, provided nonew cases crop up,” MrRajendar said.

Reflecting on the highestnumber of cases in the statecoming from the GreaterHyderabad MunicipalCorporation limits, the minis-ter said, “these are small pock-ets in the city where Covid-19cases have been found andfamilies of these patients, ortheir contacts live. Our goal isto stop the disease fromspreading outwards fromthese pockets,” he said.

The government has set upcontainment zones whichhave been barricaded by thepolice at Moula Ali, PahadiSharief, Panjagutta, Balapur,Malakpet Race Course Road,Khairtabad Bada Ganesharea, Chintalbasti,Ramgopalpet, Hasmathpet,Jagadgirigutta and Mallepally.

“The government sincerelyappeals to those living in thesecontainment zones contact 104or 108 services if they live incramped homes. The govern-ment will shift such people tocomfortable quarantine facili-ties where distance betweenpeople can be maintained soany possibility of diseasespreading among them can beeliminated,” Mr Rajendarsaid.

DC | IMPACT

TOP-COPINSPECTS COVIDAFFECTED AREASDURGA PRASAD SUNKU I DCHYDERABAD APRIL 9

Hyderabad police com-missioner Anjani Kumarand principal secretarySunil Sharma visited sev-eral containment areas inthe city and inspected themeasures taken for safetyand security. Mr Kumarsaid the police was strict-ly enforcing the isolationand monitoring of con-tainment areas.

After visiting Khair-atabad, Mr Kumar said,“There are seven pointswhere barricades havebeen set up. Each pointwill be covered by CCTV.The purpose of barricad-ing is to contain the spr-ead of virus by curbingthe movement of people.”

In the evening, the Mall-epally containment areabehind Mallepally BadiMasjid was inspected byCS Somesh Kumar, DGPM. Mahendar Reddy, MrKumar.

●● TRS SOCIAL media in-charge Y. SatishReddy complained to theElection Commission thatNizamabad MP D. Arvindof the BJP had givenfalse information abouthis educational qualifications

●● THE BACHUPALLYpolice said theyreceived a tip-off onWednesday eveningthat the group hadgathered at the placeof worship to offerprayers.

●● REV U. DANIELsaid, “We have serv-ices throughout thisHoly Week at 6.30 pmonline. Good Fridayservice will be from11 am to 3pm.”

●●THE POLICE hasstepped up security atthe hospital, with barri-cades placed till theentrance to the building.

●● GHMC MEDICALteam will be posted tomonitor the situation.Teams will carry out adoor to door survey.

Wakf Board todistribute food

Hyderabad: The Wakf Boardhas sanctioned `2 crore fordistribution the food grains

and grocery kits among poorduring Ramzan in the wake

of the lockdown. The board held an emer-gency meeting under the

chairmanship of MohammedSaleem who said the kits will

be distributed in the slumareas and villages. He said

that the TS Wakf Board wasthe first in the country which

came up with such a plan.The board has already dis-tributed food grains worth

`20 lakh.

Umasankar

NATION pg 4DECCAN CHRONICLE | HYDERABAD | FRIDAY | 10 APRIL 2020

SHORT TAKES

BIHAR MLAS,MANTRIS TO TAKE

15% PAY CUT

MAMATA TOATTEND PM’S

MEETING

Mumbai Municipal Corporation workers prepare an isolation centre at the NSCI dome during a government-imposed nationwide lockdown asa preventive measure in Mumbai. — RAJESH JADHAV

RABINDRA NATHCHOUDHURY | DC BHOPAL, APRIL 9

A doctor in Indore onThursday succumbed toCovid-19 causing uneasein medical fraternity aswell as the administra-tive circle here.

Satrughna Panjwani,62, is the first doctor inMP who died of Covid-19.

The doctor tested posi-tive for coronavirus onMarch 5 and was admit-ted in the local hospital inIndore.

“The doctor was suffer-ing from cough and feverand tested negative twiceon March 3 and March 4.But he tested positive onMarch 5, leading to his

admission in the hospi-tal. He died on Thursdaymorning”, an office-bear-er of Indian MedicalAssociation said.

He indicated that negli-gence by the doctor mighthave led to his death.

He appealed to the med-ical staff and health per-sonnel to take adequateprecautionary measureswhile treating the coron-avirus patients.

An eminent doctor ofBhopal, BhubaneswarGarg expressed shockover the demise ofPanjwani.

However, he said thedeceased had ignoredbasic protocols whiletreating the coronaviruspatients, leading to the

infection. The deceased’sthree sons are currentlyliving in Australia.

Chief Minister ShivrajSingh Chouhanexpressed grief andshock over the demise ofthe doctor.

The tragic incidentcomes in the wake of atleast 21 health officialstesting positive for coron-avirus in MadhyaPradesh.

The doctor was amongtwo people who died ofCovid-19 in MP onThursday taking thedeath toll due to the virusto 33 in the state.

Two major cities in thestate, Indore and Ujjainhave recorded majority ofdeaths reported in the

state due to coronavirus.While Indore recorded

23 deaths, Ujjain reportedfive deaths.

The state governmenthas sealed three cities ofBhopal, Indore and Ujjainto tackle the virus out-break.

Meanwhile, 70 freshcases of coronavirus pos-itive were reported in MPon Thursday taking thetally of confirmed casesin the state to 411.

Indore recorded highestnumber of confirmedcases at 221, followed byBhopal which reported 98coronavirus positivecases.

While 33 people in MPdied of Covid-19, 25 coro-navirus patients have

recovered so far. According to official

information, there weretotal 29,914 beds availablein both government andprivate hospitals in thestate. Of them, 9,492 havebeen identified as isola-tion beds.

As many as 1,598 inten-sive care units (ICUs)were currently availablein the state hospitals.

While seven testing cen-tres for coronavirus arefunctional in the statenow, four more such cen-tres were on the anvil.

The latest trend of thevirus spreading tentaclesto small cities and ruralareas in the state hascaused concern in theadministration here.

Small cities such asKhandwa, Khargone,Dhar, and Barwani havereported coronavirus pos-itive cases in the lastthree days.

Similarly, a number ofvillages in Gwalior-Chambal region have alsoreported confirmedcases. “Eighteen out of 52districts in the state haveso far been affected bycoronavirus,” the ChiefMinister said.

He said the virus out-break was almost undercontrol in the state. But,the attendees of religiouscongregation inNizamuddin have con-tributed to the spread ofthe virus in the state inlater stage.

MP doc succumbs to Covid-19Doctors alleged that the deceased didn’t take adequate precautions while at work

From Page 1

ICMR on Thursdayrevised its testing strate-gy for Covid-19 forhotspots, clusters, largemigration gatheringsand evacuee centres.

Here everyone showingsymptoms of influenza-like illness have to betested irrespective oftheir links with patients.

They will go throughthe regular “rRT-PCR”test within seven days ofillness, and if negativean antibody test will bedone after another sevendays of illness.

As of now, only five cat-egory of people were test-ed — all symptomaticindividuals with interna-tional travel in the past14 days, and all the symp-tomatic contacts of lab-confirmed cases, allsymptomatic health careworkers, all patients withSevere AcuteRespiratory Illness(fever, cough and/orshortness of breath) andasymptomatic direct andhigh-risk contacts of aconfirmed case who aretested once between Day5 and Day 14 of cominginto his/her contact.

As testing picks up —13,143 samples were test-ed Wednesday out of

overall 1.3 lakhs so far —health agencies believethe numbers may alsoshoot up.

Expanding the ambit ofthe treatment of criticalCovid-19 patients, Indiais exploring several med-ical options, besideshyd r o x yc h l o r o q u i n e(HCQ), given in combina-tion with antibioticazithromycin, and anti-viral drugs.Convalescent plasmatherapy has reportedlybeen successful in coun-tries like South Korea,China and the UnitedStates.

Doctors have claimedthe condition of critical-ly ill Covid-19 patients

improved substantiallyafter being given anti-body-rich plasma fromothers who had recov-ered earlier.

Elsewhere in the world,a drug called EIDD-2801is also going for clinicaltrials after it showed itcan reduce lung damageduring Covid-19.

As scientists worldwidescramble to make Covid-19 vaccines, India too hasbegun work wholegenome sequencing ofcoronavirus to under-stand the evolution ofthe virus.

To strengthen thehealth infrastructure instates, the Centre has sofar disbursed `4,113crore from the `15,000-crore Covid EmergencyResponse and HealthSystem PreparednessPackage. This includesmounting emergencyresponse to slow andlimit Covid-19’s spread,setting up of laborato-ries, bolstering surveil-lance activities, bio-secu-rity preparedness andpandemic research.

Tamil Nadu (738), Delhi(669), Telangana (471),Uttar Pradesh (410),Rajasthan (383), AndhraPradesh (363) and Kerala(345) too have a high caseload.

ICMR revises testingstrategy for hotspots

NAYEAR AZAD | DCPATNA, APRIL 9

The Bihar cabinet has passeda proposal to deduct 15 percent salaries of MLAs andministers and divert the mon-ey towards the coronavirus er-adication fund which is beingset up by the state governme-nt. The proposal to deductsalaries is being seen as aneffort to prevent the surge incoronavirus cases in the state.

Reports suggest that the stategovernment has been worriedover the sudden rise in Covid-19 cases in Bihar. As of nowthe total number of cases inthe state has surged to 51 withone death.

As per an assessment, themaximum number of caseshas been reported from Siwandistrict. A large number ofmigrants from the district goto other states and MiddleEastern countries every yearfor work. “Out of 12 new cases,10 are from Siwan district. Atleast nine of them came in co-ntact with a coronavirus posi-tive person who had a travelhistory to Oman”, Sanjay Ku-mar, Principal Secretary, statehealth department told repor-ters. So far 11 districts in Bih-ar have been affected with Siw-an 20 cases followed by 7 casesfrom Munger, 5 each have beenreported from Patna, Gaya andBegusarai and one case eachfrom Saran, Nawada,Bhagalpur and Lakhisarai.

RAJIB CHOWDHURI | DC KOLKATA, APRIL 9

West Bengal Chief MinisterMamata Banerjee will attendPrime Minister Narendra Mo-di’s meeting on April 11 withall the CMs on the Covid-19 pa-ndemic after facing sharp crit-icism from the BJP for skip-ping a similar discussion earli-er. Hinting at lockdown exten-sion, she also asserted that hergovernment would “cooper-ate” with the Centre’s decisionon it.

“Total lockdown has beenunder way till April 14. Whatwill happen after that, is notknown rightaway. I have beeninvited to a meeting to be heldon April 11. I will attend it,”Ms Banerjee told the industryand trade representatives dur-ing a consultation onThursday.

She said, “The lockdown isnot going to end because of thespread of the disease. Nexttwo-three weeks will be sensi-tive. It has to be acceptedalthough none of us likes it. Itseems the lockdown would beextended. We will co-operatewith the Centre on its decisionon the lockdown extension.”

On April 2 the TrinamulCongress supremo wasslammed by Union ministerBabul Supriyo and GovernorJagdeep Dhankhar after shedidn’t attend the PM’s meetingwith the CMs, claiming thatshe had not been invited there.

JAILS SAFERTHAN MUMBAI IN

PANDEMIC: HCKALPESH MHAMULKAR | DC MUMBAI, APRIL 9

The Bombay High Court onThursday refused to grantinterim bail to an accused say-ing that it cannot allow him tobe released and put his life atthe risk of contracting coron-avirus. The situation in jailwas much better than that inthe city of Mumbai, the courtobserved while hearing a bailplea filed by a murder accused,resident of Ghatkopar area inMumbai. Justice Gautam Patelwas hearing a bail plea ofJitendra Mishra, a murderaccused who is lodged inTaloja prison in Navi Mumbaifor the last 18 months. Mishra,a resident of suburban Ghat-kopar, had sought interim bailciting the pandemic.

Justice Patel, who heard theplea through video conference,told Mishra’s lawyer Shaile-ndra Singh, “You (applicant) h-ave no idea what is happeningin the city. The jail authoritiesare better equipped than themunicipal authorities out-side.” He also referred to thesituation in Worli area callingit “a mess”. Worli Koliwada incentral Mumbai has emergedas one of the Covid-19 hotspotsin the city. The high court fur-ther said that it was aware ofthe directives given by theSupreme Court pertaining toreleasing prisoners whereverpossible. Refusing to grant bailto Mishra, the court said theapplication be listed for hear-ing before a regular court whi-ch will resume after lockdownis over.

Mumbai has 381containment zonesso far, all sealedDC CORRESPONDENTMUMBAI, APRIL 9

The number of contain-ment zones in Mumbai,which has become theepicentre of Covid-19outbreak in the state, hasshot up from 146 to 381 injust eight days.

Maharashtra reported162 new Covid-19 caseson Thursday, taking thestate tally to 1,297, ahealth official said.

This is the highest riseso far in the number ofcoronavirus patients in asingle day he said. Out ofthe 162 new cases, 143have been reported fromMumbai alone.

An area which may be ahousing society or aslum pocket is declaredas a containment zoneeven a single suspectedpatient is found there.These areas are totallysealed by the authoritiesand only medical shopsare allowed to remainopen there.

The BMC has closeddown the vegetables andfruits markets and hasalso banned the hawkersin all the containmentzones of the city. Suchzones identified by theBMC so far include

slums, isolated build-ings, nursing homes andhousing colonies.

A senior BMC officialsaid, “Despite severalinstructions to stayhome, people are seen onthe road at the pretext ofbuying vegetables andfruits. Hence, the BMCchief has given direc-tives to shut down allvegetable/fruit markets,hawkers and sellers incontainment zones aspreventive measures forreducing the effect ofCovid-19.”

If anyone found roam-ing out of the house sell-ing vegetables/fruits incontainment zones dur-ing this period, legalaction will be initiatedagainst the offenderimmediately, he added.

BHAGWAN PARAB | DCMUMBAI, APRIL 9

The uncertainty overthe fate of MaharashtraChief Minster UddhavThackeray has finallybeen cleared as the statecabinet on Thursday de-cided to recommend hisname for being nomina-ted as a member of theState Legislative Coun-cil from the Governor’squota.

Thackeray earlier wasset to be easily electedas an MLC during thebiennial elections ofnine Legislative Coun-cil seats from the MLA’squota, that were fallingvacant on April 24. Ho-wever, the polls weredeferred by the ElectionCommission due to theCovid-19 outbreak andthe national lockdown.

The events raised que-stion marks over Udd-hav continuing as theCM, as he is currentlyneither a member of St-ate Legislative Assem-bly nor of the Council.

AKSHAYA KUMARSAHOO | DCBHUBANESWAR, APRIL 9

Now with an extendedlockdown till April 30,blood banks in Odisha,which often hit headlinesfor shortage, are going toface even tougher timesahead. Despite puttingelective surgeries onhold, several hospitals inthe state have been strug-gling to meet the dailyrequirements of blood in

the past few weeks.Though the government

is tight-lipped about thecurrent stock status ofthe blood banks, sourcessaid the lockdown hasimpacted availability ofblood for emergency sur-geries, postpartum hem-orrhage cases, tha-lassemia, sickle-celldisease and cancerpatients.

Realising this emer-gency imperative, BJDpresident and Odisha

Chief Minister NaveenPatnaik has requested hisparty MPs, MLAs and allrepresentatives of urbanlocal bodies andPanchayati RajInstitutions to use ‘JibanBindu’ blood donationprogramme to collectblood.

The National BloodTransfusion Council’s(NBTC) interim guide-lines issued last weekemphasises on continuityof supply of safe blood

and recommends resum-ing both outdoor and in-house donation, in com-pliance with social dis-tancing standards, bio-medical-waste disposalrules and infection con-trol guidelines.

As per the guidanceissued by Director ofNBTC, Dr Shobini Rajan,“Voluntary blood dona-tion needs to continue.People are at no risk ofdeveloping Covid-19through the blood trans-

fusion or via a blooddonation procedure.”

“In Odisha, blood dona-tion has dramaticallyreduced due to the imple-mentation of social dis-tancing, cancellation ofblood drives. Supportneeds to be extended foreasy movement of donorsand supply chain of criti-cal materials and equip-ment used in blood andcomponent collection.”said SuryaprabhaSadasivan, healthcare

public policy lead, ChaseIndia.

“It is encouraging tosee the Chief Ministerstep in to offer solutionsto this pressing concern.One donation infuses lifein 3-5 patients. In the cur-rent circumstances, mak-ing special provisions forblood collection campswith limited people andfollowing other precau-tions should be done,”said Dr Gourang CharanRout.

Lockdown threatens to ‘bleed’ Odisha dryBlood donations have gone down in state drastically after the lockdownLIFE | MATTERS

UDDHAV TO BEMLC FROMGUV’S QUOTA

● ● As scientists world-wide scramble tomake Covid-19 vac-cines, India too hasbegun work wholegenome sequencing ofcoronavirus to under-stand the evolution ofthe virus.

● ● Elsewhere in theworld, a drug calledEIDD-2801 is alsogoing for clinical tri-als.

● ● MAHARASHTRAREPORTED 162 newCovid-19 cases onThursday, taking thestate tally to 1,297.

● ● AN AREA isdeclared as a contain-ment zone even if asingle suspectedpatient is found there

OBITUARYWith profound grief we inform the saddemise of our beloved

Dr. Injeti Dwarakanath Naidu(Retd. Senior Medical Officer, APSRTC, Hyd.)

S/o Late Dr. Injeti Chalapathy NaiduDOB: 25-06-1948 DOD: 08-04-2020

May His Soul Rest in PeaceCeremony to be held at our residence on20th April, 2020, 12.00 noonAddress: Dr. No. 10-3-86/3/A, Plot No. 72/A,Teacher’s Colony, East Marredpally,Secunderabad-500026.Phone: 9849436205.Fondly remembered by: FAMILY MEMBERS

(S/2021/D00013)

DEAD MP TIGERHAD NASALFLUID SECRETIONDC CORRESPONDENTBHOPAL, APRIL 9

Death of a tiger inPench reserve forest inMadhya Pradesh lastweek has sparked fearsof coronavirus out-break among wild ani-mals in the state.

“It is not confirmed ifthe tiger in Pench diedof Covid-19. There isabsolutely no reason tofear on coronavirusoutbreak among wildanimals since severalmeasures have alreadybeen undertaken toprotect them,” aspokesman of the for-est department toldthis newspaper here onThursday.

According to him, thedeceased tiger hadsecretion of nasal flu-ids, a symptom ofCovid-19. However,there were no reportsof human interferencein the reserve forest inrecent times andhence, there was hard-ly any chance of thetiger being infectedwith the virus.

RLYS DRAFTS PLANSTO PROTECT ITS 13LAKH EMPLOYEES

New Delhi: Mapping all its 13lakh employees and identify-ing potential quarantine facil-ities for each of them is part ofthe protocol drafted by CentralRailway to insulate its staffersfrom Covid-19. - PTI

SAD DEMISEHe led a blessed life and kept his faith

in Shirdi Sai Baba

ADARSH KARAN SINGHDOB: 29-04-1974 DOD: 09-04-2020

May His Soul Rest in PeaceFuneral to be held today 10-04-2020

12 noon at HIG 44, Phase-IBHEL Township, RC Puram

Inserted by: ARCHANA SINGH (WIFE)9000911622

(S/2021/D00013)

Paris, April 9: Morethan 1.5 million cases ofthe novel coronavirus havebeen registered worldwide,according to a tally com-piled by agencies at 0530GMT Thursday from offi-cial sources.

The tallies, using datacollected from nationalauthorities and informa-tion from the World HealthOrganization (WHO),probably reflect only afraction of the actual num-ber of infections. Manycountries are only testingthe most serious cases.

The United States, wherethe pandemic is spreadingmost rapidly, has recorded4,32,132 cases, including14,817 deaths. Spain hasdeclared 1,46,690 caseswith 14,555 deaths, andItaly 1,39,422 infectionswith 17,669 deaths. Europeremains the worst hit con-tinent with 7,72,592 casesand 61,118 deaths.

The UN Security Councilwill hold a closed video-teleconferencing sessionto discuss the Covid-19 sit-uation, the first time theworld body’s top organ isholding a meeting on theraging coronavirus pan-demic that has killed morethan 88,500 people globallyand infected over 1.5 mil-lion others.

Council President for themonth of April, theDominican Republic hasformally scheduled aclosed video-teleconferenc-ing (VTC) “in connectionwith the impact of Covid-19 on the issues that fallunder the SecurityCouncil’s mandate.”

UN Secretary GeneralAntonio Guterres will par-ticipate in the session, as abriefer. Guterres’ spoke-sman Stephane Dujarricsaid at the daily pressbriefing that the UN chiefhas been asked by theSecurity Council to brief.“He will basically give abroad update on theimpact of the virus on theUN’s operations, politicaloperations, peacekeeping,humanitarian.”

It remains to be seenwhether any press state-ment by the Council on theCovid-19 situation isissued after the meeting.Special Envoy fromDominican Republic to UNAmbassador Jose Singerand President of SecurityCouncil for April had saidthat a Council meeting onthe coronavirus situationhad been requested by fiveor six ambassadors andthe Dominican Republicwas working to schedulethe discussion.

A plane carrying 90 tonsof UN health, water andsanitation aid arrived inVenezuela on Wednesdayto help the cash-strappedcountry fight the coron-avirus pandemic.

The shipment includes28,000 Personal ProtectiveEquipment kits for healthworkers, oxygen concen-trators, pediatric beds,water quality control prod-ucts and hygiene kits, theUN said. “This is the firstUnited Nations humani-tarian shipment in sup-port of the VenezuelaCovid-19 outbreak,” saidPeter Grohmann, the UN’shumanitarian coordinatorfor Venezuela.

Venezuela, sufferingfrom a crippling economiccrisis that has led to short-ages of basic food andmedicine and forced somefive million people to fleethe country, has 167 con-firmed cases of virus andnine deaths. The aid dona-tions are part of an initialphase of the response tothe pandemic and will goto help "children, womenand vulnerable families”at 14 designated hospitals,50 outpatient clinics andchild development centers,according to UNICEF’sVenezuela representativeHerve Ludovic de Lys.

— Agencies

WORLD pg 5DECCAN CHRONICLE | HYDERABAD | FRIDAY | 10 APRIL 2020

With Sanders ending his campaign, former-Vice President’s path cleared for a showdown with Trump U.S. || POLLS

Washington, April 9: JoeBiden has become the pre-sumptive Democratic nom-inee after his last remain-ing opponent SenatorBernie Sanders ended hisUS presidential campaign,clearing the former VicePresident’s path to nomi-nation and a showdownwith President DonaldTrump in the Novemberelections.

Hours after becoming thepresumptive nominee ofthe Democratic party on

Wednesday, Biden held avirtual fundraiser withKamala Harris as specialguest, fuelling speculationthat the Indian-origin USSenator may be his run-ning mate in the presiden-tial elections.

Biden, 77, emerged as thepresumptive nominee ofthe Democratic party afterleftist Senator Sanderswithdrew from the raceand endorsed the formerVice President for theNovember presidential

elections against Trump.“I wish I could give you

better news, but I think youknow the truth, and that is

that we are now some 300delegates behind VicePresident Biden, and thepath toward victory is vir-tually impossible,” Sanderssaid in a livestream afterthe call.

“So while we are winningthe ideological battle andwhile we are winning thesupport of so many youngpeople and working peoplethroughout the country, Ihave concluded that thisbattle for the Democraticnomination will not be suc-

cessful. And so today I amannouncing the suspensionof my campaign,” he said.

Indian-origin Senatorfrom California, Harris, 55,withdrew her bid from thepresidential race last yeardue to low poll ratings.While in race, she andBiden had bitter politicalfight. But, she laterendorsed Biden after theformer vice presidentmade substantial gains inthe Democratic primary.

Hours, later Biden invit-

ed Harris as a special guestfor his virtual fundraiser.In view of the social dis-tancing measures beingenforced across the coun-try due to the coronaviruspandemic, Biden campaignhas resorted to innovativevirtual fund raising. In hisremarks, Biden expressedhow “lucky” he felt to havea “partnership” withHarris going forward.

“The idea, Kamala, thatyou ran a hell of a race andyou endorsed me means a

lot. It’s not an easy thing todo, but, you know, thanksfor making the time andfor being so loyal,’ Bidensaid. “And I’m so lucky tohave you as part of this,this partnership going for-ward, because I thinkwe’re going together wecan make a great deal ofdifference, and the biggestthing we can do is makeTrump a one-term presi-dent. So I’m coming foryou, kid," Biden said.

— PTI

Biden becomes presumptive Democratic nominee

Global coronavirus cases top 1.5 million US has recorded 4,32,132 cases, Europe remains the worst-hit continent with 7,72,592 cases and 61,118 dead

Iran says virus deaths pass 4,000 Wuhan fears 2ndattack by virus

Taiwan demandsapology from WHO

‘Covid ceasefire’in Yemen beginsRiyadh, April 9: TheSaudi-led coalition began aunilateral ceasefire inyemen’s long war onThursday, saying it hopedthe initiative to preventcoronavirus in the impov-erished country would leadto a wider political solu-tion.

The Iran-backed Huthirebels have not made anycomment on the coalition'sdeclaration of a two-weekpause in the five-year con-flict that took effect from0900 GMT. If the ceasefiredoes hold, it would be thefirst breakthrough sincethe warring parties agreedto a UN-brokered ceasefirein the port city of Hodeidaduring talks in Sweden in

late 2018. The United Arab

Emirates, a key ally in thecoalition which drew downits troops last year as theconflict became increas-ingly intractable, applaud-ed the Saudi move as “wiseand responsible”.

“Hope the Huthis rise tothe occasion. The Covid-19crisis eclipses everything— the international com-munity must step upefforts & work together toprotect the Yemeni peo-ple,” UAE Minister of Statefor Foreign Affairs AnwarGargash tweeted. “It is animportant decision thatmust be built on, on bothhumanitarian and politicallevels,” he added. — AFP

Taipei, April 9: Taiwandemanded an apologyThursday from the WorldHealth Organisation chiefafter he accused theisland’s government ofleading personal attacksagainst him and hisagency’s response to thecoronavirus pandemic.

WHO director-generalTedros Adhanom Ghebre-yesus called Wednesdayfor unity to fight the dis-ease after US PresidentTrump criticised the glob-al health body and threat-ened to cut its funding.

During a press confer-ence Tedros spoke of theabuse — including racialslurs — he had been sub-jected to since the publichealth crisis began.

He largely avoided men-tioning Trump by namebut did single out the gov-ernment in Taipei, whichhas been frozen out of theWHO after political pres-sure from Beijing.

“Three months ago, thisattack came fromTaiwan,” he told reporters

in Geneva, referring toonline criticism andinsults.

“Taiwan, the ForeignMinistry also, they knowthe campaign. They didn’tdisassociate themselves.They even started criticis-ing me in the middle of allthat insult and slur, but Ididn’t care,” Tedros said.

The comments sparkedanger in Taiwan, whichdescribed Tedros’ com-ments as “baseless”.

“Our country has neverencouraged the public tolaunch personal attacksagainst him or made anyracially discriminatorycomments,” foreign min-istry spokeswomanJoanne Ou said.

The ministry added itwas seeking an apologyfor “slander”. In aFacebook post, PresidentTsai Ing-wen invitedTedros to visit Taiwan andlearn from its handling ofthe epidemic, challenginghim to “resist pressurefrom China”.

— AFP

Wuhan, April 9: Hai-rstylist “Ah Ping” is back inbusiness now that Wuhan’scoronavirus lockdown hasbeen lifted, but his salonhas no customers, onlyempty chairs and lingeringfears over a contagion thatcontinues to haunt the city.

Wuhan is waking from itscoronavirus nightmare,loosening tight restrictionson movement and businessas the global pandemic’slaunchpad tries to move on.

But full recoveryremains hampered by fearof a potential new wave ofinfections. Many busi-nesses and all schools arestill closed, restaurantsaren’t allowed dine-in cus-tomers, and some neigh-bourhoods remain sealedoff behind barriers.

Residents need to showthey have a “healthy” ratingon a mandatory phone appto leave their homes, usepublic transport, or entermost public spaces. “Whenpeople come out, infectionswill probably rise. I’m reallyafraid of this,” said “AhPing”, a nickname.

The 43-year-old, whodeclined to give his fullname, also worries aboutgetting his life restarted.He paid his salon’s quar-

terly rent of 15,000 yuan($2,100) in full just beforeWuhan was locked downon January 23.

Now another rental pay-ment is due. “Isn’t that ter-rible? I paid 15,000 in rentand did no business,” hesaid. While many otherChinese cities are gettingback to near-normal,Wuhan’s government hasmade clear that easing con-trols poses new perils andthat a return to usual lifewill have to wait.

In some areas, it’s beentwo steps forward, one stepback. Wuhan authoritiessaid 70 residential neigh-bourhoods — out of nearly7,000 recently declared“epidemic-free” — lost thatstatus this week, prolong-ing lockdown measuresthere. — AFP

Don shuts asylum centresat US borders to fight virusSan Diego, April 9: A USBorder Patrol agent would-n’t let Jackeline Reyesexplain why she and her15-year-old daughter need-ed asylum, pointing to thecoronavirus. That con-frontation in Texas camejust days after the Trumpadministration quietlyshut down the nation’s asy-lum system for the firsttime in decades in thename of public health.

“The agent told us aboutthe virus and that wecouldn’t go further, but shedidn’t let us speak or any-thing,” said Reyes, 35, whowas shuttled to a crossingMarch 24 in Reynosa,Mexico, a violent bordercity.

She tried to get home tocrime-ridden Hondurasdespite learning her broth-er had been killed thereand her mother and 7-year-old daughter had fled tothe Nicaraguan border.But she was stuck inMexico as the virus closedborders in CentralAmerica.

The US government usedan obscure public healthlaw to justify one of itsmost aggressive bordercrackdowns ever. Peoplefleeing violence and pover-

ty to seek refuge in the U.S.are whisked to the nearestborder crossing andreturned to Mexico with-out a chance to apply forasylum. It eclipsesPresident Donald Trump’sother policies to curtailimmigration — whichoften rely on help fromMexico — by setting asidedecades-old national and

international laws.Mexico is again provid-

ing critical support. It’saccepting not onlyMexicans, but people fromGuatemala, El Salvadorand Honduras whoaccounted for well overhalf of all US borderarrests last year.

The Trump administra-tion has offered little detailon the rules that, unlike itsother immigration polic-ies, have yet to be chal-lenged in court. The secre-cy means the rules got lit-tle attention as they tookeffect March 20, the sameday Trump announced thesouthern border was cl-osed to nonessential travel.

“The administration isable to do what they alwayswanted to do,” said AaronReichlin-Melnick, policycounsel for the AmericanImmigration Council,which has criticized theadministration.

“I don’t see this slowingdown.” The administra-tion tapped a law allowingthe head of the Centers forDisease Control andPrevention to ban foreign-ers if their entry wouldcreate “a serious danger”to the spread of communi-cable disease. — AP

Tehran, April 9: Iran’shealth ministry onThursday said 117 newdeaths from the novelcoronavirus took the totalto 4,110 in one of the coun-tries worst hit by the pan-demic. But ministryspokesman KianoushJahanpour said the latestfigures showed there was adownward trend in thenumber of new coron-avirus infections.

“Today we are clearlyseeing a decline in thenumber of new cases,”Jahanpour said in a tele-vised news conference.“We have identified 1,634new cases, bringing thetotal number of confirmedcases to 66,220.”The spoke-sman praised the people ofIran for following guide-lines aimed at stopping thespread of the disease.

“We owe the reduction inthe number of cases of thedisease to... our beloved

people, as well as to theintervention of our col-leagues in the health sys-tem.

“In the past 24 hours wehave lost 117 people. Wehave had a total of 4,110deaths due to the Covid-19disease.”Iran, whichannounced its first Covid-

19 cases on February 19, isby far the worst hit by thepandemic in the MiddleEast, according to officialtolls.

But there has been specu-lation abroad that the realnumber of deaths andinfections in the countrycould be higher. — AFP

BORIS JOHNSONMAKING STEADYPROGRESS IN ICULondon, April 9: BritishPrime Minister BorisJohnson’s health contin-ues to improve on hisfourth day in the intensivecare unit (ICU) of aLondon hospital where heis being treated for thecoronavirus, DowningStreet said on Thursday.

The 55-year-old was shift-ed to the ICU of St.Thomas’ Hospital inLondon on Monday nightas his condition worsenedover 10 days after he hadtested positive for the coro-navirus and went into self-isolation.

He has since received“standard oxygen treat-ment” but has not beendiagnosed with pneumo-nia or required a ventila-tor to aid his breathing.

“The Prime Minister hada good night and continuesto improve in intensivecare at St. Thomas’ Ho-spital. He’s in good spir-its,” spokesperson said.

“He’s stable, improving,sat up and engaged withmedical staff. I’ve knownthe Prime Minister for along time and I wish himwell in this difficult timeand I think things are get-ting better for him,” UKCulture Secretary OliverDowden said. — PTI

Safety measures

A health worker sprays disinfectant on a migrant worker who arrived from Malaysia, before entering a quarantinecentre at Soewondo Air Base in Medan, North Sumatra, Indonesia, Thursday. — AP

● ● FEW DDARING Indians,who remained in Wuhanwhere the novel coron-avirus first emerged andthen became a global pan-demic, have a word ofadvice for their compatri-ots back home: follow thestrict lockdown and self-isolation measures toarrest the spread of thedeadly disease.

● ● AS MMANY as 10 drugsare currently under clini-cal trial in the US as partof the administration’s“unprecedented” effort tofind a therapeutic solutionto the fast-spreading coro-navirus pandemic, Pre-sident Donald Trump said.

● ● A TTWO-MMONTH-old baby who was believed tohave been Italy's youngest COVID-19 patient hasbeen released from hospital after overcoming thedisease, media reports said Thursday. the babywas no longer running a temperature or fever andwas released with her mother, who has recoveredfrom a bout of pneumonia, the reports said.

● ● THE UU.S. HHAS no objection to Europe sendingmedical supplies to Iran, which has bene badly hitby the deadly coronavirus, President DonaldTrump has said. The Trump administration hasimposed one of the toughest economic sanctionson Iran alleging that it is going ahead with itsnuclear ambition and it is supporting terroristorganisations to destabilise the Middle east.

IN BRIEF

Mujibur killer’smercy plea declinedDDhhaakkaa:: Bangladesh PresidentMd Abdul Hamid has rejected

the mercy plea of a formermilitary captain, sentenced to

death for his involvement inthe 1975 coup in which the

country’s founderBangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur

Rahman was assassinated,removing the last hurdle forhis hanging. A district court

in Dhaka on Wednesdayissued a death warrant

against Abdul Majed, whowas arrested in Dhaka on

Tuesday after hiding in Indiafor nearly two-and-a-half

decades. Dhaka’s District andSessions Judge Helaluddin

Choudhury issued the deathwarrant with Supreme Court’sspecial permission during the

ongoing Covid-19 holiday.

Shot down Indianspy drone: Pak

IIssllaammaabbaadd:: Pakistan onThursday claimed that itshot down a small Indian

surveillance drone forallegedly violating airspace

along the Line of Control.According to a statement by

the Pakistan Army, theIndian Quadcopter in a

“provocative act” intruded600 meters inside across the

LoC on the Pakistani side inSankh sector for surveil-

lance. “This blatant act wasaggressively responded to

by Pakistan Army troopsshooting down Indian quad-

copter,” according to thePakistan Army. Such unwar-

ranted acts by the IndianArmy were a clear violationof established norms, exist-ing air agreement between

two countries, it said.

Taliban protestsrelease of inmates

KKaabbuull:: The Afghan govern-ment said it would release

another 100 Taliban inmatesThursday, even though the

insurgents have walked out oftalks over a comprehensive

prisoner swap and dismissedKabul’s piecemeal freeing ofcaptives as “unacceptable”.The administration of Pres-

ident Ashraf Ghani on Wedne-sday released 100 low-riskTaliban prisoners who had

vowed never to return to thebattlefield, and officials said

the same number of insur-gents with similar profiles

would be set free Thursday.The releases come as Ghani

faces an ongoing political cri-sis, US fury over a flounderingpeace process and a growing

coronavirus epidemic inAfghanistan, where officials

fear the disease could run riotthrough the country’s prisons.

Fire at privatecare home kills 4

MMoossccooww:: Four people diedand at least six were taken tohospital suffering from smoke

inhalation after a fire brokeout in a Moscow retirementhome, investigators said onThursday. Residents at the

private care home in thecity’s northwest pleaded forhelp from windows as thicksmoke filled the building, a

source in emergency servicessaid. There were more than

50 people in the facility whenthe fire broke out Wednesdayevening, Russia’s Investigative

Committee, which probesserious incidents, said in a

statement.

Baghdad, April 9: Iraqi Pres-ident Barham Saleh nominatedspy chief Mustafa Kadhemi onThursday as the country’s thirdprime minister-designate thisyear, moments after his prede-cessor ended his bid to form agovernment. Kadhemi, the 53-year-old head of the NationalIntelligence Service, has ascend-ed to the role as Iraq faces abudget crisis brought on by thecollapse in world oil prices andthe spread of the novel coron-avirus. “This is a huge responsi-bility, and a difficult task,” saidSaleh in his nominating speech,describing Kadhemi as some-one with integrity and reason.

His nomination was attendedby ministers, political rivals andeven the United Nations’ repre-sentative in Iraq, indicatingwidespread support forKadhemi that neither of theprevious PM-designates hadenjoyed. Moments before theceremony, his predecessorAdnan Zurfi announced he waswithdrawing his candidacy dueto “internal and external rea-sons,” without elaborating.Zurfi had been staunchlyopposed by hardline Shiite fac-tions with close ties to Iran,which enjoys vast political andmilitary influence in Baghdad.

SPY CHIEF NAMEDIRAQ’S THIRD

PM-DESIGNATE

MASS RAMZANEVENTS IN IRAN MAYSTOP: KHAMENEITehran, April 9: Iran’ssupreme leader suggestedThursday that mass gath-erings in the Islamic Re-public may be barred thro-ugh the holy Muslim fast-ing month Ramzan amidthe coronavirus pandemic.

Supreme LeaderAyatollah Ali Khameneimade the comment in atelevised address as Iranprepares to restart its eco-nomic activity while suf-fering one of the world’sworst outbreaks. He is alsothe highest-ranking offi-cial in the Muslim worldto acknowledge the holymonth of prayer andreflection will be disrupt-ed by the virus and theCovid-19 illness it causes.

— AP

Donald Trump

Joe Biden

EDIT pg 6DECCAN CHRONICLE | HYDERABAD | FRIDAY | 10 APRIL 2020

The nation is seized of the question of whether it should extend the 21-day lockdown Prime Minister Narendra Modi has declared to containthe pandemic Covid-19 but there is hardly a discussion on what wehave achieved in the past 16 days by shutting ourselves down. Many

states have demanded an extension of the measure. Odisha chief ministerNavin Patnaik has announced his state will go under the punishing regimefor another fortnight; several other states have announced sealing of some ofthe Covid hotspots. The Prime Minister is understood to have told party lead-ers during a teleconference on Wednesday that the government is contem-plating introducing “strong measures to ensure social distancing”. The Unionhealth ministry is also pushing for more effective implementation of the lock-down. While the government is very keen on imposing the social distancingprotocol, undoubtedly a key tool in containing the pandemic, little progresshas been made in improving the screening and testing process. While screen-ing is important to identify potential patients and stop them from spreadingthe virus, tests are a sure indicator to understand the extent of the spread. Asper the data published by the Indian Council for Medical Research, India hastested 1.27 lakh samples till April 7.

Sadly, this is almost similar to the number of samples the United States,which has of late woken up to the threat posed by the deadly disease, testsevery day. The relatively successful model of Kerala and Bhilwara in fightingthe disease illustrates the fact that while strict social distancing norms arekey, the tracing, screening, isolation, testing and treatment processes areequally important in ensuring that the number are within limits. Kerala,which has recorded just two deaths and reported about 350 positive cases haveconducted more than 12,000 tests and quarantined more than one-and-halflakh people. The success of Bhilwara, the new model that is emerging fromRajasthan, is attributed not only to the ruthless containment but to also exten-sive screening and testing. As per reports, the government set up about 7,000teams which went on a house-to-house search and screened or tested over 20lakh residents. The lockdown and the carefully planned follow-up action pro-duced instant results with the district, a hotspot two weeks ago, reporting nonew case in the last five days. On the contrary, the figures across the nationsaw a surge in both the number of patients and the deaths after two weeks oflockdown. This indicates that lockdown alone cannot work wonders; it mustbe followed up by meticulous planning and resolute action on the ground.Limiting people to their homes is an easy administrative task which the gov-ernment can implement using the police force but making the most of theexercise calls for more imaginative action. Focus on hotpots with aggressivescreening and random and rapid tests can also help. The proof of the pudding,as they say, is in the eating.

10 APRIL 2020

Hydroxychloroquine (HCQ) is no Sanjeevani, as it has not been clinical-ly tested as a deterrent against the coronavirus. It is a Sanjeevani forPrime Minister Narendra Modi, however, going by the encomiums

heaped on him by the Presidents of America and Brazil, Donald Trump andJair Bolsonaro. Each praised him for unbanning the anti-malarial medica-tion for its export to their nations. “Will not be forgotten!” Mr Trump tweet-ed, thanking Mr Modi for his “strong leadership in helping not just India buthumanity in this fight”. Mr Bolsonaro went further, comparing Mr Modi toHanumanji, who couriered the Sanjeevani plant to save a dying Lakshman.Neither the World Health Organisation (WHO) nor the USA’s Food and DrugAdministration (FDA) have given HCQ the Sanjeevani status. Yet when hasscience ever convinced a member of the Axis of Strongmen?

Whether or not HCQ works, each leader gets to show off that he is a man ofaction. (It helps if you monopolise your mass media. Also, no one dare callyou out for lying, in this Age of Alternative Facts.) Mr Trump got to againshow his voters that he gets things done — a necessary demonstration theday he learnt his opponent in this November’s election would be the toughestoption he faced. Mr Bolsonaro hopped on the bandwagon as he faces pressure for his casual attitude to the coronavirus and his efforts to endBrazil’s lockdown.

For Mr Modi, it’s whispered that his eye is on the Nobel Prize — for India’scontainment, so far, of Covid-19. A year ago, Mr Trump claimed thatJapanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe had nominated him for the Nobel Prize.Maybe it is Mr Modi’s quid pro quo for the HCQ. What will be clear in 2020though is that whoever gets the Prize for peace, no strongman will get it formedicine or economics.

Optics and strongmen

Lockdown fine, but testsweapon to vanquish virus

“I love to go [to the market] andsee all the things I am happy with-out.” — Socrates

It was due. Humanity and theEarth were crying for it. Arebirth… but it could happenonly after a black death.

Global institutions became toobig. Gigantism became too large.Full-scale capitalism took charge.Humans became numbers for out-reach, output and scalability in thedevelopment sector. Like inmatesin a prison.

Between multinational compa-nies and the World TradeOrganisation, everything linked tomankind went into a spin — self-generated and manufactured.Increased wealth did not make forhappier human beings.

Anything that was powerless orvoiceless, was devoured withgreed and heartlessness. Peakingwith the screaming realities star-ing us in the face today. TheSustainable Development Goalsachieved little, the MillenniumDevelopment Goals are limping.

Vast tracts of land disappeared,fossil fuels became precious, seasbegan to rise. Climate Changebecame the new “scare”. Even that

was not good enough to bringhumanity to its senses — voluntar-ily.

The busy-ness of acquiringwealth, power, fame, remained un-stemmed. It was well-accompaniedwith avarice, greed, ostentation,display. Backroom parlaysensured “consensus” for fulfillingeach — read corruption.

The scenario became as glib as itcould get. “Instant” and “Now”were the mantras. Wealth andaccess made it possible.

A virus became the great equalis-er. Brought it all to a halt. Now,mankind is struggling with ques-tions that have not occurred tomost at the turn of the century.The rising questions in themselvesare a puzzle for most.

Suddenly, the “I” is turning intoa “We”. A collective spirit is silent-ly escalating in the desperation tosurvive the onslaught of an unsee-able virus. Arrogance is taking atoss. Rich economies facing aCovid-19 explosion need help fromthe less wealthy.

Are we going to learn from history?

Before the EuropeanRennaisance, religious and philo-sophical beliefs spread and inter-

mingled across trade routes. Therewere conflicts and the Crusadeswere like a culminating symbol ofthat era.

Scholars began delving intoancient Greek and Roman texts insearch for a new value system.There were innovations in pub-lishing and the arts. The printingpress arrived with long-termimpact. Increased literacy meantpeople could read and interprettexts for themselves, not via apriest.

More than anything else, though,it was the Black Death that impact-ed the rise of the Renaissance.Words like “Great Mortality” eeri-ly evoke the Covid-19 era. The‘Great Pestilence’ spread relent-lessly across large tracts of Europeand Asia.

People were stupefied that theydid not know how to stop thespread. The balance of power andwealth in Europe completelychanged. Society was primed forthe Renaissance.

Are we primed for a “coronais-sance”? Let’s look at the pointersthat hark back to history.

There has been an exceptionalglobal exchange of diverse socio-economic-cultural-anthropological

and scientific theories. A widespectrum of stakeholders havedeveloped one or other form ofinterconnectedness — both physi-cally, and more importantly now,virtually. Religious thinking hastaken various forms, including thefundamentalist, with an equalnumber of diverse responses to it.

The Internet is an explosion ofinformation like never before. TheSmartphone is increasingly mak-ing this flow of information avail-able for anyone, anywhere, evenacross the Digital Divide.

Then comes Covid-19 and theworld is dumbstruck. From royal-ty to ministers to the poor, no oneknows where the virus will strikenext. Figures of death is what peo-ple are looking at, day in and dayout. The fear psychosis hasreached mob hysteric levels.

Is there a chance that Humanismwill make a comeback? Will con-cepts of spirituality and justicetake root?

A book written in the mid-1970shas re-emerged for relevance timeand again. Now maybe the time togive it its due: Small Is Beautifulby E.F. Schumacher. Almost tenyears ago, Madeline Bunting revis-ited the book and the concepts in

an article in the Guardian of UK.Between the book and the article,in the Covid-19 scenario, there arestrong takeaways.

The large scales of big marketsand big political entities led to adehumanisation of people and theeconomic system. Profit was theonly guiding factor, disregardinghuman need. Down the line, peopletried to revive the human / smallaspect. Again, voracious expansionof consumer capitalism distortedthese initiatives.

As Schumacher indicated in hisbook: Human happiness would notbe achieved through materialwealth. Going back to the humanscale is imperative – to focus onhuman needs and human relation-ships. From that will spring the eth-ical response of stewardship to theenvironment.

Maybe time to take a leaf fromConfucius: “We are so busy doingthe urgent, we do not have time to dothe important.”

Neelima Mathur is an India-based executive producer-

researcher-writer, mentor andtrainer for documentary and NGOfilms. She is also festival director,

Lakeside Doc Festival.

Is world all setto experience

‘coronaissance’?

Since we Indiansseldom fail tobrag about our“uniqueness”,which we tend

to equate with “great-ness”, here are tworecent examples of ourparticular attributesthat the world is likelyto regard with amuse-ment or curiosity in thecontext of the coron-avirus crisis.

The first concerns reli-gion and its misuse forsparking social animosi-ties even at an especiallydifficult moment, andthe second the notion ofimpunity for the politi-cally powerful. Unlike inany other country, mat-ters relating to thesehave been in the news,and have occupied ourconsciousness, nearly asmuch as steps taken tofight the novel coron-avirus (Covid-19).

At a time when theworld seems to be con-templating the most effi-cient ways of copingwith the calamity, ourpublic concerns tooshould have been solelyabout the extremelycomplex questions thatrelate to fighting anunknown disease, thedramatically risingcurve of mortalitycaused by it whichalready seems to be on ascale that may exceedfatalities produced bywar, and the toll thesetwin concerns are likelyto take on the economictemplate of nations.

Instead, we havebowed to pseudo reli-gion, its accomplicepseudo-science, super-stition, and the show ofpolitical power. In thiswretched project wehave unquestionablybeen aided by influentialsections of the mediathat relentlessly prac-tise the art of succumb-ing to authority by notquestioning it and bywagging its tail before a

bone is thrown. Since charlatanism

appears to be the defin-ing characteristic ofmuch that passes forreligious practice in thiscountry, and since thesedays a large body ofpoliticians appears to beoverly keen to advertiseits closeness to the ritu-alistic aspect of religion(religious philosophiesare beyond them andcannot help improvetheir electoral karma),we may begin by citingthe example of YogiAdityanath, chief minis-ter of our largest state,Uttar Pradesh, and arro-gant abbot of a Hindureligious order.

In his persona areseamlessly united bothideas that are having afield day in the country— the prejudicial use ofreligion and the cockyuse of political power.The morning after thePrime Ministerannounced a three-weeknational lockdown onMarch 24 as the primaryresponse to the Covid-19challenge, this man hadthe gall, for no reasonother than self-promo-tion, to move the statueof Lord Ram from onetemporary location inAyodhya to another atthe head of a large bodyof men who were withinbreathing distance ofone another — in fla-grant violation of socialdistancing norms — andwithout earing facemasks.

Junior civil servantshave been suspended bythe Union governmentfor failing to anticipatethe rush of daily income-earners out of thenational capital, andcrowding the AnandVihar bus terminus asthey sought to headhome to rural UP andBihar, fearing theywould die of starvationin Delhi if they stayed onafter the lockdown was

announced so suddenlyand without any priorpublic discussion.

In keeping with thisspirit, it is a fair ques-tion to ask: Should theholy man-CM of UP benot set up for question-ing under Section 188IPC for defying a nation-al directive issued fromthe highest level in a sit-uation that betokens anational emergency?

Not only has this nothappened, the statepolice under the controlof this hubris-filled for-mer “history-sheeter”has had the temerity tofile an FIR against theDelhi-based founder-edi-tor of a prominent Web-based news and currentaffairs journal whichreported the fact of theCM leading the religiousceremony in Ayodhyaon March 25 after thenational lockdown hadcome into force.

What would leadIndia’s fightback againstthe menace of Covid-19— the pointing out offailures and shortcom-ings in the government’seffort by honest sectionsof the media, or thewhims and fancies ofundeserving public ser-vants thrust into highoffice? The Modi govern-ment seems to havegiven the game away byrecently pleading inSupreme Court that onlythe officially-authorisedversion of the anti-Covid-19 campaign bepermitted to be used bythe media. This is no dif-ferent from censorshipand will be resisted byall democrats.

If it weren’t for theconstitutional bucca-neer Adityanath’s

pronounced disregard of

a national instructionissued in a time of crisis,it may be safely said thatthe Tablighi Jamaat’scallous disregard of sci-ence, and of the nationaland global mood gener-ated by the Covid-19emergency, thatdemands condemnation.

But it must be stressedthat TJ’s internationalcongregation in NewDelhi in mid-March,which is officiallythought to be responsi-ble for nearly one-thirdof all corona-positivecases in India, must notbe exploited to feedIslamophobia andengender a communalcrisis, as is being doneby the organised reli-gious right and its mediaaccomplices who havebusily touted the expres-sion “bio-jihad”.

That is no way to fightthe Covid-19 challengeall across the country. Itmay be time for theCentral government tosound a caution. It isuseful to know in thiscontext that in a primar-ily Muslim country likePakistan too, the reli-gious rabble is filling themedia with absurdities.Surely, the goal therecannot be to overwhelm“Hindu rule”. And inthis country, the fanat-ics on the so-calledHindu side have heldparties where “gau-mutra” or cow’s urinewas drunk as an anti-dote (since the cow issacred to most Hindus) to the novelcoronavirus.

If TJ and its asininecounterparts amongother religious groupsare a collection of bump-kins, whose actions canindeed have dangerousconsequences, what dowe say of RashtrapatiBhavan? On March 18,when the nation wasalready in the grip ofanxiety relating toCovid-19 although thelockdown was still a fewdays away, PresidentRam Nath Kovind invit-ed MPs from Rajasthanand Uttar Pradesh forbreakfast (more than ahundred hungry souls),and there are no photosof masked men andwomen at the jamboree.How clever was that?

On March 18,President Ram

Nath Kovind invitedMPs from

Rajasthan andUttar Pradesh for

breakfast, andthere are no pho-

tos of masked menand women at the

jamboree. Howclever was that?

Subhani

Divisiveness, impunityhurts anti-Covid battle

NeelimaMathur

Anand K. Sahay

Far & Near

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LETTERSRISKY DECISIONIndia succumbed to USpressure (US: India gave29mn HCQ pills, DC, April9). The Centre is not seri-ous in fighting Covid-19.On what basis is it sayingthat the virus will not goout of control when 29deaths occurred in a singleday? The virus is spreadingin countries where peopleare disciplined. In Indiamany don’t follow lock-down. What will govern-ment do have if HCQ stockfalls short?

AAllaannkkrriittaa KK..Hyderabad

ABANDONING PETSThank you for the sympatheticreport on rich people abandoningpets (Owners abandon high breedpets fearing Covid, DC, April 9). Iwonder how these people can livewith their conscience. To dumpyour dog and drive away is a sadcommentary of our times. In spite ofthe havoc brought about by thevirus by man’s treatment of ani-mals, humans will never learn.

Raseel AhluwaliaSecunderabad

CARE FOR SENIORSMany senior citizens suffering fromlife threatening ailments need dial-ysis and medical care. The lock-down is posing serious risks tothem. Our government’s effortsshould also be to take care of thesepatients. Ola and Uber must beallowed to operate medical emer-gency cabs as in Bengaluru.Secondly, CGHS here must give per-mission by mail or SMS.

Srikanti SubrahmanyamHyderabad

NEW DELHI, April 9

Defence Minister Swaran Singhsaid in the Lok Sabha today thatthe old concept of military bal-ance between India and Pakistanno longer had any relevance as“we have to be ready for a possi-ble com-b i n e dthreat fromChina andPakistan.”

Making a statement in responseto a calling attention motion byDr. Sushila Nayyar (Cong-O) andothers on the reported Sovietdecision to supply 200 tanks toPakistan, the Defence Ministersaid that according to informa-tion with the Government about150 tanks (T-54 and T-55) from theSoviet Union were received byPakistan some time ago.

50 YEARS AGO IN

No fresh arrivals ofUSSR tanks in Pak

This week alone sees gains of 12.7 per cent quickBITES

INDICATORS %Sensex 31,159.62 4.23Nifty 50 9,111.90 4.15S&P 500* 2,802.57 1.91Dollar (`) 76.29 0.09Pound Sterling (`) 94.60 -0.73Euro (`) 82.94 -0.10Gold (Oz)* ($) 1,718.20 3.17Brent crude ($/bbl)* 33.07 0.70IN 10-Yr bond yield 6.490 0.740US 10-Yr T-bill yield* 0.768 0.524

* As of 9:30 PM IST

Cognizant withdraws 2020 forecast Cognizant Technology SolutionsCorp said it was withdrawing itsforecast for the year due to theuncertainties caused by the coro-navirus pandemic. It said theoutbreak increasingly affected itsbusiness in late March, mainlydue to project delays in Indiaand the Philippines, whereemployees shifted to work-from-home. Cognizant said reducedclient demand, primarily in thetravel and hospitality industries,also impacted its business.

HDFC Bank cutslending rateby 0.20 per cent

Largest private sector lenderHDFC Bank has cut its lendingrate by 0.20 per cent, amidst agradual decline in cost of bor-rowing across the system. Themarginal cost of funds basedlending rate (MCLR) has beenreviewed across tenors sinceTuesday, according to its web-site. The revised overnightMCLR stands at 7.60 per cent,while the one-year MCLR, towhich most loans are linked,has been put at 7.95 per cent.

Blue Dart cutsrates; govt maylet couriers runExpress logistics servicesprovider Blue Dart Express saidit has reduced retail tariff pricesby 25 per cent, amidst reportsthat the government may allowoperations of courier and parcelservices to enable companies tosend and receive documents ata time when the country isunder coronavirus lockdown,sources said. Blue Dart’s aircrafthave been operating during thelockdown across cities enablingessential shipments.

Naredco seeks$200 bn stimulusfor economy

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Editor: Aditya Sinha

Realtors' body Naredcodemanded a stimulus packageof at least $200 billion torevive the economy from theadverse impact of Covid-19 aswell as suspension of insolven-cy law provisions for sixmonths to prevent companiesfrom becoming bankrput andacquired by foreign entities.Naredco president NiranjanHiranandani said the govern-ment must allow one-time debtrestructuring of the realtors.

pg 7FRIDAY | HYDERABAD | 10 APRIL 2020

New Delhi, April 9:Apparel retailers areexpected to offer large-scale discounts to clear oldstocks and also perk upconsumer sentiments oncethe lockdown is lifted, sayindustry players.

A series of lockdownsaround the world hasseverely impacted the fash-ion retail ecosystem asstores all over the worldshuttered, resulting in can-cellations of late Summerand Autumn merchandiseand a build-up of unsoldSummer 2020 within thebusiness, they said.

Benetton India MD &CEO Sundeep Chugh saidalthough "there is certain-ly no specific discountingstrategy post-lockdown, asa brand we would want touplift the sentiments ofour consumers through a

welcome-back strategyencapsulating season spe-cific offers and engage-ments at our stores".

Chugh further said,"Weanticipate the lockdownwould be lifted by/duringmid-season, and that's thetime when generally mid-season offers prevail andwe would mostly align withthe same as per the marketecosystem."

Spykar Lifestyles CEOSanjay Vakharia said thesituation would dependentirely on how long doesthe lockdown continue andwhen the restrictionswould be eased.

"Also whether lifestylebusinesses will be the lastto open or they will openalong with the rest is to beseen. But if the lockdownis lifted in this month wemay be at the beginning of

the Spring Summer sea-son, not necessitating anearly end of season sale.

However, if opening isdelayed, the Spring sum-mer will be on discountthen," he said.

Giving a global perspec-tive, Forever New’s coun-try manager Dhruv Bograsaid the Covid-19 crisis

seriously disrupted theglobal supply chain forfashion early this year.

Leading fashion brandsmanufacture out of Chinaand Southeast Asia. Just asChina began to sputter intoaction by early March, aseries of lockdownsaround the world severelyimpacted the ecosystem offashion retail as stores allover the world shut down,resulting in cancellationsof late Summer andAutumn merchandise anda build-up of unsoldSummer 2020 within thebusiness, he added.

As for his company,Bogra said,"Forever Newhas very swiftly and active-ly managed its inventorybut we expect to be dis-counting our older mer-chandise and runningexciting promotions on our

more recently launchedlines, once the malls re-open, in the months of Mayand June/July."

When contacted aRaymond spokespersonsaid,"As the current situa-tion is highly unpre-dictable, we have to waitand see how things unfoldin the coming weeks. Themonth of May might wit-ness some consumer pro-mos as brands will try tomake up for the lost sales.”

A report by IIFLSecurities had said apparelplayers are expected tomoderate launches in thisseason and focus on reduc-ing inventory obsolescencerisk. Smaller players arelikely to face cash flow con-cerns as the period ofreduced operations elon-gate.

—PTI

Mumbai, April 9:Aviation consultancyCAPA on Thursday saidallowing domestic air-lines to take advancebookings from April 15 is"unfair" to consumerssince a decision on liftingthe nationwide lockdownis yet to be taken.

During the lockdown,only special flightsapproved by theDirectorate General ofCivil Aviation, medicalevacuation flights andthose carrying cargo, areoperational.

While the governmentis yet to decide on liftingthe lockdown, Indian air-lines have started takingbookings for travel ondomestic flights fromApril 15.

—PTI

MADHUSUDAN SAHOONEW DELHI, APRIL 9

Despite the Centre's direc-tion to states to allowmovement of essentialgoods and services,including farm produceand fertilisers, farmersfind harvesting and trans-portation difficult due tothe lockdown and theresultant labour shortage.

A Srikakulum-basedfarmer, who growscashew and vegetables inhis 100-acre field inAndhra Pradesh, has thisto say: "Normally I pay Rs200 per day to the 100-oddlabours for collectingcashew nuts from myfield, but they are notcoming now due to thecoronavirus scare andfear of police harassment.They get free rice, dal anda little money from thestate government and sothey prefer to stay athome. I also cannot takevegetables to the mandisdue to unavailability oftransport facility."

There is also a similarstory for Himmat SinghGujar, who grows wheatin his fields in Dousa,Rajasthan. "The harvestseason for crops likewheat and gram is cur-rently going on while thecrop-cutting season formustard has just complet-ed. In the absence of dailylabourers, farmers aretrying to do crop-cuttingwith the help of their fam-ily members and neigh-bours," Gujar said.

An agriculture ministryofficial has confirmedthat many district-levelauthorities have informedthe ministry about the sit-uation, where much ofthe yield is ready to be

harvested but are leftunattended due to labourand transport disrup-tions.

Agriculture ministerNarendra Singh Tomar,along with state agricul-ture ministers, onThursday reviewed stepstaken to alleviate theproblems of farmers.

The Union ministerasked the states to sensi-tise field agencies aboutexemptions granted tofarming-related activitiesduring the lockdown peri-od. "They should allowmovement of farm pro-duce, farming products,fertilisers and farmimplements and machin-ery," he said.

In the meeting, issuesrelated to farming opera-tions and harvesting,agriculture marketingand 'mandi' operations,procurement at MSP, pro-visions of inputs likeseeds and fertilisers, andmovement of productswere discussed. "Issuesregarding harvesting,procurement, availabilityof inputs, credit andinsurance were alsoraised," said an officialpresent in the meeting.

Labour shortage, transporthurdles affect harvesting

RAVI RANJAN PRASADMUMBAI, APRIL 9

The stock market closedwith strong weekly gainsof over 12.5 per cent afterseven weeks of decline.

With benchmark indicesup 22 per cent from Marchlows, technically the stockmarket has entered thebull phase again afterfalling sharply in March.

Market gains of above 20per cent is defined as anentry into the bull phaseby equity market analysts.

On Thursday, continuingwith the bull run thatbegan on Tuesday, theSensex and Nifty-50gained over 4 per cent onglobal hotspots of coron-avirus showing signs ofcontainment, leading tofirm global cues, and inanticipation of anotherstimulus package beingworked out by the centrlgovernment for small andmedium businesses.

The Sensex closed at31,159.62, up 1265.66 points,or 4.23 per cent, while theNifty-50 closed at 9111.90,up 363.15 points, or 4.15per cent.

“India’s stocks joinedother Asian markets toenter a technical bull mar-ket on optimism that gov-ernment steps will helpcontain the coronavirusoutbreak and stimuluspackages will ease the eco-nomic damage,” said aBloomberg report.

Dharmesh Shah,head–technical, ICICIDirect, said, “Structurally,the index (Nifty) has wit-nessed a faster pace ofretracement as it entirelyretraced preceding five

sessions decline (9038-8055) in just two sessions,indicating structuralimprovement. This helpedthe index to witness thelongest pullback in magni-tude since the life high of12430. The current pull-back off March low of7511 is longer (1621 pointsor 22 per cent) comparedto mid-March pullback(1604 points or 19 percent).”

“Equity benchmarks set-

tled the truncated week ona cheerful note under-pinned by firm globalcues. Nifty ended the weekat 9,111, up by 12.7 percent. Nifty Midcap,Smallcap behaved in tan-dem with benchmarks asthey rallied over 7 percent, each. Sectorally, allmajor indices ended in thegreen, led by auto, phar-ma, and financials,” Shahsaid.

“The current week’s

rally was supported bythe strong marketbreadth, indicating reju-venating market strength,as throughout the weekmarket breadth wasstrong compared to thepast seven week’s breadthunderpinned by around15 per cent incrementalcash turnover,” Shahsaid.

In the last two week’ssharp cool-off of around40 per cent in India VIXindex, which gauges sen-timents, have aided theindex to witness a robustmove in the current weekand Nifty-50 decisivelyclosed above the immedi-ate resistance of 9000,indicating subsiding fearamong market partici-pants, ICICI Direct said.

Abating downwardmomentum along withelongated uptrend signi-fies structural turn-around that makes us con-fident that any pullbackfrom hereon should becapitalised as an incre-mental buying opportuni-ty, paving the way for nextleg of up move, ICICIDirect said.

Amit Gupta, head–deriv-atives, ICICI Direct, saidthe Nifty-50 has seen arecovery from the lows of8,000 on the back of notjust short covering, as themove is supported by addi-tion of fresh long posi-tions.

Foreign portfolioinvestors were net buyersof equities worth Rs1,737.62 crore, this wasthird day of net buyingafter huge sell- off inMarch of equities worthRs 60,000 crore by them.

Airline sellingtickets during

lockdownunfair: CAPARAVI RANJAN PRASAD

MUMBAI, APRIL 9

Mutual fund industry assets undermanagement fell sharply in March2020 by Rs 4.96 lakh crore to Rs 22.26lakh crore as on March 31, 2020from Rs 27.22 lakh crore at the closeof February, 2020, data released byAssociation of Mutual Fund InIndia (Amfi) showed.

A sharp fall in stock marketbenchmark indices by around 25per cent and close to Rs 2 lakh crorewithdrawal from the debt / incomeand arbitrage fund category ofmutual funds were the main reasonfor such a heavy fall in the industryAUM.

However, the silver lining was oneyear -high inflows into equity mutu-al funds, which surged to Rs 11,722

crore in March, an improvementover Rs 10,795.81 crore in February .

Equity linked Savings Scheme(ELSS) category also saw inflowsworth Rs 1,551 crore.

Even equity exchange traded fund

(ETF) categories also witnessedinflows of Rs 6,911.37 crore.

G Pradeepkumar, CEO, UnionAMC, said, ”In spite of markets see-ing significant correction, the netinflow into equity funds were high-er by 7 per cent over February 2020.Almost every category of equityfunds has seen healthy net inflowsin the last one month. The netinflows were especially good inMulti Cap, Large Cap & FocusedFund category of funds— highercompared to February in the rangeof 28 per cent to 40 per cent.

The significant jump of 83 percent in net inflow in March 2020over previous month in ELSS cate-gory of schemes can probably beattributed to the normal rush toinvest in tax saving instrumentstoward the year end.

Discounts on apparels likely after lockdown

LIC given moratoriumon long-term loans FALAKNAAZ SYEDMUMBAI, APRIL 9

Taking a cue from theReserve Bank of India(RBI), the insurance regu-lator on Thursday allowedlife insurance companiesto provide three-monthdeferment on payments ofEquated Monthly instal-ments (EMI) for all termloans that were outstand-ing as on March 1, 2020 toborrowers reeling underfinancial distress amidthe outbreak of Covid 19.

The move will provide abreather to public sectorbehemoth Life InsuranceCorporation of India(LIC) as availing of themoratorium would notmake these loans non-per-forming asset (NPA) on itsbooks besides providingshort-term relief to theborrowers.

LIC is a lender of lastresort to various stategovernments, NBFCs andmany corporate houses.On the other hand, privatelife and non-life insurancecompanies refrain fromgiving term loans.

The InsuranceRegulatory andDevelopment Authority ofIndia (Irdai) in a releasesaid that it has receivedrepresentations fromindustry associationsseeking moratorium on

repayment of term loanssanctioned by the insur-ers, in the context of out-break of Covid-19.

The terms and condi-tions of extending thebenefit of the moratoriumare similar to those issuedby the central bank in itsdirections dated March 27.

“Considering the cash-flow problems faced by theborrowers and in linewith the RBI directions,the following instructionson providing moratoriumon repayment of termloans are hereby issued:In respect of term loans,insurers are permitted togrant a moratorium ofthree months towardspayment of instalmentsfalling due betweenMarch 1, 2020 and May 31,2020. The repaymentschedule for such loansand also the residualtenor, will be shiftedacross the board by threemonths subsequent to themoratorium period,” saidthe Irdai.

MICHAEL GONSALVESPUNE, APRIL 9

French carmakerGroupe PSA, which wasto start its India inningswith the rollout of itsCitroen brand this year,has announced a rejigof India market plansamid the coronavirusoutbreak.

The group will nowlaunch its first product,the Citroen C5 Aircrossmid-sized SUV, inJanuary-March (Q1)2021 instead of inSeptember 2020 asannounced earlier.

"Groupe PSA in Indiain close co-ordinationwith its new dealerpartners has decided tore-time the launch of itsdebut vehicle theCitroen C5 AircrossSUV to Q1 2021, whileensuring industrialreadiness," the carmak-er said in a release.

The re-timing isaimed to move the com-mercial launch to apotentially more posi-tive economic activityperiod where consumersentiments are upbeat,it said.

However, Groupe PSAhas not made anyrearrangements to theproject timeline for 'C-Cubed'—its programmeto locally design anddevelop its first ground-up, made-in-India vehi-cle—which is also slat-ed to be introduced in2021 as announced in2019 by Carlos Tavares,chairman of the MD onboard, Groupe PSA.

PSA skips 2020, re-times

Citroen launchto 2021

SANGEETHA GCHENNAI, APRIL 9

The Indian Chamber ofCommerce foresees golddemand coming down toaround 480 tonnes in 2020,almost half of what theWorld Gold Council esti-mated earlier.

The chamber estimatesthat purchases can plum-met 30 per cent in 2020,from the estimateddemand of 690 tonnes lastyear, due to the economicimpact of the virus out-break, which would affectemployment and income.A 30 per cent decline willtake the annual golddemand to 483 tonnes,against 700-800 tonnes pre-dicted by the World GoldCouncil earlier.

Following the coron-avirus outbreak, the gems

and jewellery sector hascome to a complete stand-still in the country.Wedding purchases werealso affected, as there wererestrictions on such func-tions. Increased volatilitycoupled with higher priceshad impacted the demandseverely even before thecoronavirus outbreak,finds ICC. Gold importshave come down by 73 percent to 25 tonnes in theMarch quarter.

Gold being a discre-tionary item, job lossesand fall in incomes willhave a negative impact ondemand. Moreover, thegold price outlook is verybullish, as investors willseek the safe haven duringtimes of crises. Gold isalready trading around all-time high levels in theinternational market.

SANGEETHA GCHENNAI, APRIL 9

After the quarter postdemonetisation, netabsorption and new com-pletion of office space sawthe steepest fall in Marchquarter.

In March quarter, theoffice market saw a netabsorption of 8.6 million sqft, a decline of 30 per centfrom 12.3 million sq ft in Q1

2019. Last such drop waswitnessed in Q1 2017 afterdemonetisation, whenabsorption had dipped to4.3 million sq ft against 10.6million sq ft in the year agoquarter. However, in Q12018, it moved up to 6.8 mil-lion sq ft and doubled to12.3 million sq ft in Q1 2019,as per a report by JLLIndia.

While the momentumcontinued in the first two

months of Q1 2020, inMarch several leasingdeals in the final stages ofnegotiation were deferredwith occupiers asking forthe removal of lock in peri-ods and a downward revi-sion of rents. Further,occupiers have put up deci-sions regarding fresh takeup of spaces on hold for thenext couple of months.

Bengaluru, Mumbai andDelhi NCR accounted for

nearly 75 per cent of thenet absorption. Net absorp-tion in Mumbai andChennai more than dou-bled in Q1 2020 as com-pared to Q1 2019, led bystrong leasing activity inthe first two months byIT/ITeS occupiers.However, the global healthcrisis arrested the growthof the Hyderabad marketwith 78 per cent drop in netabsorption.

Office space demand, supply fall in March quarter

Gold demand seen dipping

MF assets down `4.96 lakh crorebut equity inflows up `11,722 crore

Market enters bull phase,up 20% from March lows

FC BUREAUNEW DELHI, APRIL 9

Thanks to higher outputin mining, manufactur-ing and electricity sec-tors, the industrial out-put, measured by theIndex of IndustrialProduction (IIP) forFebruary, rose to 4.5 percent from the revised fig-ure of 2.1 per cent in the

previous month, govern-ment data released onThursday said.

The IIP data forFebruary 2019 was at 0.2per cent.

"The cumulativegrowth for the periodApril-February 2019-20over the correspondingperiod of the previousyear stands at 0.9 percent" the release said.

IIP UP 4.5% IN FEBRUARY

GAMES pg 8DECCAN CHRONICLE | HYDERABAD | FRIDAY | 10 APRIL 2020

No playing PakKapil snaps at Shoaib, says India doesn’t need moneyNew Delhi, April 9: Thelegendary Kapil Dev onThursday slammedShoaib Akhtar's idea of amade-for-television three-match ODI series betweenIndia and Pakistan toraise funds for the Covid-19 pandemic, saying“India doesn't need themoney” and it is notworth risking lives for acricket match.

Akhtar on Wednesdayhad proposed a closed-door series to jointly raisefunds to fight the deadlyvirus both in India andPakistan. Dev said theproposal is not feasible.

“He is entitled to hisopinion but we don’t needto raise the money. Wehave enough. For us, whatis important right now isthat how our authoritieswork together to deal withthis crisis. I am still see-ing a lot of blame game ontelevision from the politi-cians and that needs tostop,” Kapil said.

“Anyway, the BCCI hasdonated a hefty amount(`51 crore) for the causeand is in a position todonate much more if theneed arises. It doesn’tneed to raise funds.

“The situation is unlike-ly to get normal anytimesoon and organising acricket game means put-ting our cricketers at riskwhich we don’t need to,”said the World Cup-win-ning former captain.

Dev said cricket shouldnot even matter for atleast the next six months.

“It is just not worth therisk. And how muchmoney can you make fromthree games? In my view,you can't even think ofcricket for the next five tosix months,” he added.

Dev said the focus, at themoment, should only beon saving lives and takingcare of the poor who arestruggling to make endsmeet in a lockdown situa-tion.

“Cricket will resumewhen things get normal.The game can’t be biggerthan the country. Thepressing issue is to lookafter the poor, the hospitalworkers, the police and allother people who are onthe frontline of this war,”said the 61-year-old.

As an Indian, Dev feelsproud that his country isin a position help othernations including theUnited States.

Like everyone else, Devis at home and practisingsocial distancing.

Asked how he views thecurrent situation, he said:“Nelson Mandela stayedin a tiny cell for 27 years.Compared to that, we arein a privileged position(that we just have to stayat home for sometime).There is nothing biggerthan life at the momentand that is what we needto save.” — PTI

Tiger Woods enjoys a quarantine lunch with his girlfriend Erica Herman (left), daughter Sam (second from left)and son Charlie at the Augusta National Club in Augusta, Georgia (USA).

Indian captain Virat Kolhi (second from right) has a conversation with the field umpire as his counterpart TimPaine walks off after their altercation during their second Test match in Perth, in this file photo.

Sports Authority of Telangana State chairman AllipuramVenkateshwar Reddy (second from left) and TelanganaMinister for Animal Husbandry Talasani Srinivas Yadav(second from right) distribute groceries to the needy atthe Lal Bahadur Stadium in Hyderabad on Thursday aspart of the week-long free distribution programme inview of the lockdown imposed to fight coronavirus.

SHORT

BBeerrlliinn:: Wearing gloves forhygienic reasons and observing

social distancing on the pitchare among the challenges fac-

ing Bundesliga footballers backin training this week amid

hopes the league could resumenext month.

Most of the 18 clubs inGermany’s top flight returned

to their clubs on Monday, albeitin small groups with limited

contact to meet health guide-lines due to the coronavirus.League matches in Germanyhave been suspended since

March 13.The German Football League

(DFL) is in talks with the clubsand authorities about the

Bundesliga resuming on May 2,but with matches played infront of empty terraces andfans locked out while publicevents remain banned in the

country.A decision about when thecompetition can resume is

expected on April 17, whichcould make it the first of

Europe’s top leagues to return.Meanwhile, the league’s stars

are adjusting to training in theera of social distancing.

Defending champions BayernMunich, who were four points

clear when the league was halt-ed, were typical of sides in

holding sessions in smallgroups. — AFP

GERMAN SIDESBEGIN CLOSEDDOOR DRILLS

TAKES

Wimbledon earnsbig via insurance

UFC to stage fightamidst lockdown

Bryant’s bookretains top spot

HHyyddeerraabbaadd:: Despite calling offthe 2020 edition of

Wimbledon, the organisers areall set to get as much as £114

million ($141 million), a sumthat will help them offset an

estimated revenue loss ofaround £250 million.

A week after the tournamentwas cancelled, a first since the

World War II, due to theCoronavirus pandemic, more

details of the insurance policyhave emerged.

The All England Club report-edly updated its Wimbledon

insurance policy years ago toinclude the infectious disease

clause following the worldwideSARS outbreak in 2002.

The Club’s risk and financesub-committee is charged with

assessing all potential risks tothe annual tournament, includ-ing global pandemics, terrorist

attacks and even the death of amonarch, which would thrust

the country into a time ofnational mourning.

The recently canceled 2020British Open golf is also cov-ered by pandemic insurance.

LLooss AAnnggeelleess:: The UltimateFighting Championship is aim-ing to circumvent coronaviruslockdown restrictions by stag-

ing an event on an Indian reser-vation in California later this

month, US media reported onWednesday.

The New York Times reportedthat UFC chief Dana White

planned to hold UFC 249 at theTachi Palace Resort Casino incentral California on April 18,

sidestepping state guidelines. The casino — which has been

closed since March 20 becauseof the Covid-19 pandemic — is

on land belonging to the Tachi-Yokut Tribe. Indian reservationstypically operate independently

of the states in which they arelocated, outside of local gov-

ernment or US federal govern-ment control. By staging the

event on tribal land, organizersalso evade the requirement to

obtain sanctioning from theCalifornia State Athletic

Commission. — AFP

WWaasshhiinnggttoonn:: Kobe Bryant isback atop the best-seller lists,

days after the late Los AngelesLakers superstar was selected

to the Hall of Fame.The latest release from

Bryant’s Granity Studios, TheWizenard Series: Season Onewill debut at No.1 on The New

York Times’ middle-grade hard-cover list that will be published

April 19. Earlier this week, ithad already hit No.1 on

Amazon’s bestseller list for chil-dren’s basketball books.

Bryant’s company describes itas a story of strain and sacri-

fice, supernatural break-throughs, and supreme dedica-

tion to the game. Bryant wasthe series creator and envi-

sioned the story lines.Other books created by

Bryant’s content companysoared in popularity in the days

following the basketball leg-end’s death in a helicopter

crash on January 26. — AFP

Hockey hero isstuck in the USNew Delhi, April 9: TheSports Ministry onThursday swung intoaction after hockeyOlympian and member ofthe 1975 World Cup win-ning team, Ashok Diwandesperately sought help toget back to country fromthe USA, where he isstruck due to travel restric-tions.

The spike in Covid-19pandemic cases across theglobe has forced the coun-tries to enforce lockdownin their territories.

His deteriorating healthadding to the trauma, the65-year-old Diwan made adistress call to the IndianOlympic Association (IOA)President Narinder Batra,requesting him to take hisplea to the higher authori-ties.

Ministry sources con-firmed that SportsMinister Kiren Rijiju hasreceived the letter and hasforwarded the same to theMinistry of ExternalAffairs.

“The Sports Minister hasasked appropriate authori-ties to evaluate the situa-tion and take a call on thismatter,” a Sports Ministrysource confirmed.

Dhyanchand awardeeDiwan had firstapproached Batra for help.

“I need your help as I amstuck in USA and havedeveloped some healthproblems. I had to attendhospital in emergency lastweek in California. I amnot feeling well these days,

moreover doesn’t haveinsurance here. The med-ical costs are very highhere,” Diwan wrote toBatra, who also headsInternational HockeyFederation (FIH).

“Originally, I was sup-posed to fly back on 20thApril by Air India but dueto the ongoing epidemicsituation my travel dateshave been pushed back.

“I request a favour for for-warding this message toHonourable SportsMinister and ExternalAffairs Minister for help-ing me with a hospital formy check up or if they canarrange earlier departurefrom San Francisco toIndia,” he added.

The hero of 1975 WorldCup-winning team alsopromised to pay all thebills after returning toIndia. “Kindly, treat thisurgent as I am really in badhealth here,” he said.

Diwan travelled toSacremento in Decemberlast year to spend timewith his son, who worksthere. — PTI

Antetokounmpodonates masks

Paine calls out Clarke’s bluff

Tiger devours meal at AugustaMiamia, April 9:Reigning Masters cham-pion Tiger Woods had arelaxed dinner with lovedones on Tuesday insteadof the MastersChampions Dinner hewas once scheduled tohost Tuesday at AugustaNational.

The Masters has beenpostponed to Novemberby the coronavirus pan-demic, with Woods, a 15-time major winner and

five-time Masters cham-pion, among those stay-ing home to try and slowthe spread of the deadlyvirus.

So instead of hostingpast Masters winners atAugusta National, Woodshad a meal at his SouthFlorida home and tweet-ed a photo of himselfwith his “guests” — girl-friend Erica Herman, hisdaughter Sam and his sonCharlie.

“Masters ChampionsDinner quarantine style.Nothing better than beingwith family,” Woodstweeted.

Woods was wearing hisMasters green jacket witha red shirt, his typicalfinal-round shirt, and theMasters champion's tro-phy, a replica of thecourse's famed club-house, on the table infront of him.

Food was only seen at

the edges of the photo butit looked to be the samemeal Woods said inFebruary that he plannedto serve at the ChampionsDinner.

“Being born and raisedin SoCal (SouthernCalifornia), having fajitasand sushi was a part ofmy entire childhood,”Woods said of his menuplans in a Masters confer-ence call.

— AFP

Hobart, April 9:Australian cricket teamdidn’t want to unnecessar-ily provoke Virat Kohlibut his predecessorMichael Clarke’s claims ofplayers being scared tosledge the Indian captainin order to protect theirIPL deals is far fromtruth, said current Testskipper Tim Paine.

Paine rubbishedClarke’s claims that histeam had “sucked up” toKohli in order to land fatdeals with IPL franchises,calling it a a tactical deci-sion not to engage Kohliinto verbal duel duringthe 2018-19 series.

“I certainly didn’t noticetoo many people beingthat nice to Virat or nottrying to get him out oranything like that,” Painetold ESPNcricinfo.

“I thought everyone whohad the ball in their handor when we were battingwere trying their absolutebest to win the game forAustralia. I’m not sure

who was going easy onhim; we certainly had athing where we didn’twant to provoke any fightwith him because wethink that’s when he playsat his best,” Paine said.

India are scheduled totour Australia fromOctober, 2020 to January,2021 to play four Tests,three One DayInternationals and threeTwenty20 International

matches.“Who knows what will

happen this series and, aswe saw in the documen-tary, there was still quite alot of heat in some ofthose games. I certainlywasn’t holding back, butagain the IPL’s not a hugedraw for me at themoment, so I had nothingto lose,” Paine said.

“But anytime our guysgo out and play a Testmatch for Australia,they’ll be giving theirabsolute all and I’m prettysure they’re not thinkingabout an IPL contract.”

Paine said verbal warswon’t win matches.

“What you say on thefield is irrelevant 99 percent of the time.Sometimes you can get alittle inside someone’shead or something likethat, but if you’re not bat-ting well and not bowlingwell, all the talk in theworld doesn’t mean any-thing,” Paine said.

— PTI

Athens, April 9: Greekbasketball star GiannisAntetokounmpo and hisbrothers donated 10,000surgical masks to theAthens suburb of Zografouon Wednesday to help fightthe coronavirus outbreak.

“The municipality ofZografou wants to expressits great gratitude to theAntetokounmpo family foroffering 10,000 masks to theresidents of the city as ameasure of protectionagainst the Covid-19virus,” a statement fromthe municipality said.

The gesture from the fam-ily, “in addition to the sub-stantial offer to the citizensof Zografou, proves theclose bond that theAntetokounmpo brothershave with the city thatremained for several yearstheir home,” it added.

Milwaukee Bucks stand-out Giannis, last season'sNBA MVP, and his broth-ers Thanasis, Kostas andAlexis grew up in povertyin their early days inGreece where their parentshad arrived from Nigeriaas immigrants.

They grew up sellingmerchandise in the streetsof the capital in order tohelp their poor family, butbasketball changed theirlives and Giannis signed a$100 million four-year con-tract with the Bucks in2016.

“I thank from the bottomof my heart theAntetokounmpo brothers

for their generous offerwhich acquires evengreater dimensionsbecause it takes place dur-ing these difficult times forthe entire planet,” saidZografou mayor VassilisThodas.

“With their offer theyconfirm that they have notforgotten the city andwhen the nightmare of thecoronavirus is over, themunicipality will honourGiannis and his brothersaccordingly,” he added.

EENNGGLLIISSHH FFOOOOTTBBAALLLLEERRSS TTOO HHEELLPP NNHHSS

Premier League playersannounced they hadlaunched an initiative togenerate funds forBritain’s National HealthService (NHS) to helpagainst the coronaviruspandemic.

The idea — named#PlayersTogether — hasbeen set up on Wednesdayto “help those fighting forus on the NHS frontline”during the Covid-19 out-break. “It is about we, asplayers, collaboratingtogether to create a volun-tary initiative, separate toany other league and clubconversation,” a statementfrom the group said.

Individuals such asLiverpool’s captain JordanHenderson, Tottenham’sHarry Kane and Arsenal’sPierre-Emerick Aubame-yang were among those topost on social media aboutthe move. — AFP

Karachi, April 9: The Pakistan Cricket Board willconduct fitness tests for over 200 of its locked-downplayers via video link and the drills, among others,include push-ups, sprints, burpees and the ‘Yo-Yo’test.

The tests, a bid to keep the contracted players inpeak physical condition in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, will be conducted on April 20 and 21,‘ESPNCricinfo’ reported.

Pakistan’s coach cum chief selector Misbah-ul-Haq, along with team trainer Yasir Malik, has writ-ten a letter to the players, intimating them of theplanned fitness tests.

“With all the limitations and lack of resources atthe moment, we have chalked out this new fitnessbattery with everyone given an equal opportunity,”the letter reads,” Misbah said. — PTI

PAKISTAN TO CONDUCTFITNESS TESTS ONLINE

FLORIDA FANSUES WOODS ASCADDIE SHOVESLos Angeles, April 9: AFlorida man is suingTiger Woods and caddieJoe LaCava over analleged shove at the 2018Valspar Championshipand his lawyer asked wit-nesses to come forwar.

Attorney Josh Dreschel,who represents BrianBorruso, issued a state-ment seeking the public’shelp in identifying voiceson a video that appears tocapture portions of theincident.

“We’re asking anyonewho was there to contactus and let us know if yousaw the incident, if youknow whose voices are onthe video and if you mayhave video or pictures ofthe incident,” Dreschel, ofthe St. Petersburg-basedJosh Firm, said.

“Unfortunately, the PGAhas refused to cooperate,even though we are confi-dent they have the inci-dent on video.”

The lawsuit, filed onTuesday in Florida’sPinellas County, claimsthe incident took place onthe 13th hole in the thirdround of the tournamentat Innisbrook nearTampa, Florida.

The complaint, seekingsome $30,000 in damages.

— AFP

●● Ashok Diwan, partof the Indian teamthat won the 1975hockey World Cup, iscurrently stranded inCalifornia, USA, andhas sought help fromthe Sports Ministryto get him back toIndia.

Regd. No. H/SD/509/2018-20Printed and Published by T. Venkateswarlu on behalf of DeccanChronicle Holdings Limited. Printed at Deccan Chronicle Press

situated at Plot No. 9 Alwal Village, Vallabh Nagar Taluk, MedchalMalkajgiri Dist. Telangana and Published at 36, S.D. Road,

Secunderabad-3.RNI Registration No. 3081/1957. Editor: Aditya Sinha