யார் இந்த பீலா ராஜேஷ் ஐ.ஏ.எஸ்.,?

Updated : ஏப் 07, 2020 01:51 | Added : ஏப் 06, 2020 23:29 

சென்னை: சுகாதாரத்துறை செயலாளர் டாக்டர் பீலா ராஜேஷ் ஐ.ஏ.எஸ்., இவரை தான் இன்று இன்று தமிழகமே உற்று நோக்குகிறது. ஒவ்வொரு நாளும் தமிழகத்தில் கொரோனா தொற்று எண்ணிக்கை, பாதிக்கப்பட்டவர்களுக்கான சிகிச்சை, என அரசின் அனைத்து நடவடிக்கைகளையும் ஊடகங்கள் முன்பு புள்ளிவிவரங்களுடன் இவர் தான் அறிவித்து வருகிறார். இவர் தான் மத்திய, மாநில அரசுகளுக்கு இடையே ஒரு தொடர்பு பாலமாகவும் இருக்கிறார். கொரோனா அளவுக்கு தமிழகத்தில் இப்போது பலருக்கும் தெரிந்த பெயர் பீலா ராஜேஷ். யார் இந்த பீலா ராஜேஷ்.. அவரது பின்புலம் என்ன?

பாரம்பரிய குடும்பம்:

பீலா ராஜேஷ் பாரம்பரிய குடும்பத்தை சேர்ந்தவர். வெங்டேசன் - ராணி தம்பதிகளுக்கு மகளாக 1969ம் ஆண்டு பிறந்தார். பீலாவின் அப்பா வெங்கடேசன், போலீஸ் டி.ஜி.பி.,யாகப் பணிபுரிந்து ஓய்வு பெற்றவர். அவரது அம்மா ராணி வெங்கடேசன், பாரம்பர்ய காங்கிரஸ்காரர். நாகர்கோவிலை பூர்வீகமாகக் கொண்ட ராணி வெங்கடேசன், 2006 சட்டசபைத் தேர்தலில் சாத்தான்குளம் தொகுதியில் போட்டியிட்டு, எம்.எல்.ஏ., ஆனவர். தூத்துக்குடி மாவட்டம் வாழையடி தான் வெங்கடேசனின் சொந்த ஊர்.

வெங்கடேசன் - ராணி வெங்கடேசன் தம்பதிக்கு இரண்டு மகள்கள், ஒரு மகன். மகன் கார்த்திக். மகள் பீனா இருவரும் சிங்கப்பூரில் செட்டிலாகிவிட, மற்றொரு மகள் பீலா மட்டும் இந்தியாவில் இருக்கிறார்.

டாக்டர்.. பின் ஐ.ஏ.எஸ்.,:

பீலா, படித்து, வளர்ந்தது எல்லாமே சென்னை, கிழக்கு கடற்கரை சாலையில் உள்ள கொட்டிவாக்கம் தான். படிப்பில் கெட்டிக்காரராக இருந்த பீலா, மெட்ராஸ் மருத்துவக் கல்லூரியில் எம்.பி.பி.எஸ்., முடித்தார். 1989 ஒடிசா கேடர் ஐ.பி.எஸ்., அதிகாரியான ராஜேஷ் தாஸை காதலித்து 1992ல் திருமணம் செய்து கொண்டார். திருமணத்துக்குப் பின், ராஜேஷ் தாஸ் தமிழகத்துக்கு தன் பணியிடத்தை மாற்றிக்கொண்டார். இவர்களுக்கு இரண்டு மகள்கள். தற்போது மதுவிலக்கு அமலாக்கப் பிரிவின் ஏ.டி.ஜி.பி.,யாக ராஜேஷ் தாஸ் உள்ளார். கொட்டிவாக்கத்திலுள்ள இவர்கள் வீட்டுக்கு அருகிலேயேதான் பீலா ராஜேஷின் பெற்றோரும் வசிக்கின்றனர்.

வைராக்கியம்:

கணவரைப் போல தானும் படித்து உயர்பொறுப்புக்கு வர வேண்டுமென்ற உத்வேகத்தில், இந்திய குடிமைப் பணிகள் தேர்வெழுதி 1997ம் ஆண்டு ஐ.ஏ.எஸ்., ஆனார் பீலா ராஜேஷ். முதலில் இவருக்கு பீகார் மாநில கேடர் ஒதுக்கப்பட்டது. ஐ.பி.எஸ்., அதிகாரியான தன் கணவர் தமிழகத்தில் பணிபுரிவதை மேற்கோள்காட்டி, 2000-ம் ஆண்டு தமிழகத்துக்கு தன் பணியிடத்தை தற்காலிகமாக மாற்றிக்கொண்டார்.

பின்னர், 2003-ம் ஆண்டு பீகாரிலிருந்து பிரிந்து புதிதாக உதயமான ஜார்க்கண்ட் மாநிலத்துக்கு மாற்றப்பட்டார். பின் மத்திய அரசின் பணிக்குச் சென்றவர், இந்திய ஹோமியோபதி மருத்துவம், மத்திய ஜவுளித்துறைகளில் பணியாற்றினார். நீண்ட போராட்டத்துக்குப் பின், மீண்டும் தமிழ்நாடு கேடர், இவருக்குக் கிடைத்தது.

தமிழ்நாட்டில் செங்கல்பட்டு துணை கலெக்டர், நகர் ஊரமைப்பு இயக்ககத்தின் இயக்குநர், மீன்வளத்துறை இயக்குநர் எனப் பல்வேறு பொறுப்புகளை வகித்த இவர், சுகாதாரத்துறை செயலாளராக, 2019 பிப்., மாதம் பொறுப்பேற்றார். ஆரம்பம் முதலே பீலா ராஜேஷ் துடிப்புடன் செயலாற்றுவதில் பெயர் பெற்றவர். இரவு எந்நேரமானாலும் கொட்டிவாக்கத்திலுள்ள தன்னுடைய வீட்டுக்குச் சென்ற பின் தான் இரவு உணவை உண்பார்.

இறகுப் பந்து விளையாடுவதில் மிகுந்த ஆர்வம் கொண்ட பீலா, சுகாதாரத்துறை செயலாளராக நியமிக்கப்பட்ட பிறகு, பணிச்சூழல் காரணமாக இப்போது விளையாடுவதில்லை.

கொரோனா வைரஸ் பாதிப்பு தமிழகத்தில் அதிகரித்து வரும் நிலையில், பீலா ராஜேஷுக்கான பொறுப்பும் அதிகரித்துள்ளது. தினமும் காலை 8 மணிக்கெல்லாம் முதல்வர் எடப்பாடி பழனிசாமி, தலைமைச் செயலாளர் சண்முகம் இருவரிடத்திலும் கொரோனா பாதிப்பு குறித்த அப்டேட்டுகளை பகிர்ந்துகொள்கிறார்.

18 மணி நேரம் உழைப்பு:

தமிழகம் முழுவதும் எடுக்கப்படும் சுகாதார நடவடிக்கைகள், பாதிக்கப்பட்டோருக்கு வழங்கப்படும் சிகிச்சை, புதிய நோயாளிகளின் பட்டியல் என்று ஒருநாளைக்கு 18 மணிநேரம் பம்பரமாக உழைக்கிறார். இரவு 12 மணி வரையில் கொரோனா நடவடிக்கைகளை மேற்பார்வையிட்டுவிட்டு வீட்டுக்குச் சென்றால், காலை 6 மணிக்கெல்லாம் திரும்ப எழுந்துவிடுகிறார்.

பீலா ராஜேஷிடமிருந்துதான் தினமும் ரிப்போர்ட்டுகளை மத்திய அரசும் பெறுகிறது. பலருக்கு கொரோனா இருப்பது உறுதி செய்யப்பட்டு, தமிழகம் பரபரப்பாகி உள்ள சூழலில், பதற்றமில்லாமல் நிதானத்துடனும் ஓய்வில்லாமலும் பணியாற்ற வேண்டிய மிகப்பெரும் பொறுப்பு பீலா ராஜேஷுக்கு இருக்கிறது. ஊடகங்களை நம்பிக்கையுடனும், தைரியத்துடனும் எதிர்கொண்டு அனைத்து புள்ளிவிவரங்களையும் தெரிவித்து வருகிறார்.

மக்களின் நம்பிக்கையை பெற்றுள்ள இவர், கொரோனாவையும் வெல்வோம் என்ற நம்பிக்கையை மக்கள் மனதில் விதைத்துள்ளார். அவரது துரித நடவடிக்கைகள் தொடரட்டும்...

AWAIT SIGNAL FROM CLIENTS

Staffing cos fear job cuts after lockdown period

D.Govardan@timesgroup.com

Chennai:07.04.2020

Nearly 3.5 million employees who are on the rolls of various staffing companies are on tenterhooks as they wait for reopening of factories and offices with bated breath, hoping there’s no job loss after the lockdown. For now, there is no clarity as the principal employers are yet to given an assurance on salaries or jobs. However, they haven’t said anything to the contrary either.

Quess Corp, among the largest private sector employers with 3.85 lakh staffers on its payroll, and facility management firm UDS, with about 55,000 employees, are yet to get any clear indication from their clients.

“It is a kind of a humanitarian scene. As of now, there is no problem due to the clear directive from the respective state governments and the Centre not to downsize and to ensure payment of salaries. Until the lockdown period, nothing will change. At the same time, no client has given any signal about downsizing or retaining employees,” says Quess Corp COO Guruprasad Srinivasan.

Since closures and lockdowns happened only towards the third week of March, most companies did not face problems paying March salaries. “We are not sure of what will  happen for April, with the lockdown on till April 14. Several of our employees are sitting at home, assuming they are still employed. That is worrying,” says UDS founder MD Raghunandana Tangirala.

“Almost 90% of the workers have got their salaries for the lockdown period in March. As for salaries for the April lockdown period, there is no clarity from the clients who are the principal employers of these temporary staff, even though they are on our rolls,” adds Tangirala.

Guruprasad feels there will not be any problem in terms of salaries for the lockdown period in April too, since the governments have insisted against downsizing. “Even if the lockdown is going to be lifted after April 15, it may not be for all sectors. IT/ITeS may get back to work on the lines of the ‘one by two’ policy adopted by the Singapore government (half the workforce works on alternate days). Until April 30, no major disruptions are expected. But sectors like retail, cinemas and malls may continue to remain shut,” says Guruprasad.

“We are trying to do something called Quess Employment Exchange to redeploy resources from segments that are not yet open to sectors that are operating by mapping the supply and demand,” he adds.

AWAIT SIGNAL FROM CLIENTS

Staffing cos fear job cuts after lockdown period

D.Govardan@timesgroup.com

Chennai:07.04.2020

Nearly 3.5 million employees who are on the rolls of various staffing companies are on tenterhooks as they wait for reopening of factories and offices with bated breath, hoping there’s no job loss after the lockdown. For now, there is no clarity as the principal employers are yet to given an assurance on salaries or jobs. However, they haven’t said anything to the contrary either.

Quess Corp, among the largest private sector employers with 3.85 lakh staffers on its payroll, and facility management firm UDS, with about 55,000 employees, are yet to get any clear indication from their clients.

“It is a kind of a humanitarian scene. As of now, there is no problem due to the clear directive from the respective state governments and the Centre not to downsize and to ensure payment of salaries. Until the lockdown period, nothing will change. At the same time, no client has given any signal about downsizing or retaining employees,” says Quess Corp COO Guruprasad Srinivasan.

Since closures and lockdowns happened only towards the third week of March, most companies did not face problems paying March salaries. “We are not sure of what will

happen for April, with the lockdown on till April 14. Several of our employees are sitting at home, assuming they are still employed. That is worrying,” says UDS founder MD Raghunandana Tangirala.

“Almost 90% of the workers have got their salaries for the lockdown period in March. As for salaries for the April lockdown period, there is no clarity from the clients who are the principal employers of these temporary staff, even though they are on our rolls,” adds Tangirala.

Guruprasad feels there will not be any problem in terms of salaries for the lockdown period in April too, since the governments have insisted against downsizing. “Even if the lockdown is going to be lifted after April 15, it may not be for all sectors. IT/ITeS may get back to work on the lines of the ‘one by two’ policy adopted by the Singapore government (half the workforce works on alternate days). Until April 30, no major disruptions are expected. But sectors like retail, cinemas and malls may continue to remain shut,” says Guruprasad.

“We are trying to do something called Quess Employment Exchange to redeploy resources from segments that are not yet open to sectors that are operating by mapping the supply and demand,” he adds.

Tiger at NYC zoo tests +ve, other big cats appear ill too

New York:07.04.2020

A tiger at the Bronx Zoo has tested positive for the coronavirus, in what is believed to be the first known infection in an animal in the US or a tiger anywhere.

The 4-year-old Malayan tiger named Nadia — and six other tigers and lions that have also fallen ill — are believed to have been infected by a zoo employee who wasn’t yet showing symptoms, the zoo said. Nadia started showing symptoms on March 27, and all are doing well and expected to recover, said the zoo, which has been closed to the public since March 16 amid the surging coronavirus outbreak in New York. The test result stunned zoo officials: “I couldn’t believe it,” director Jim Breheny said.

The finding raises new questions about transmission of the virus in animals. The US department of agriculture, which confirmed Nadia’s test result at its veterinary lab, said there are no known cases of the virus in US pets or livestock. But it suggested that those infected should, “out of an abundance of caution,” avoid contact with their pets and other animals.

There have been a handful of reports outside the US of pet dogs or cats becoming infected after close contact with contagious people, including a Hong Kong dog that tested positive for a low level of the pathogen in February and early March. Hong Kong authorities concluded that pet dogs and cats couldn’t pass the virus to human beings but could test positive if exposed by their owners. AGENCIES

‘CATASTROPHE’ AVOIDED

HC lets cat owner to go out to buy pet food

TIMES NEWS NETWORK

Kochi:07.04.2020

The Kerala high court on Monday avoided a ‘CATastrophe’ at the home of a cat owner by allowing his plea to go out during Covid-19 lockdown to buy pet food.

A division bench of Justice A K Jayasankaran Nambiar and Justice Shaji P Chaly, while allowing the plea, also noted that the lockdown has shown that the high court cannot remain shut. “The enforcement of a lockdown period, in the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic, has brought with it a fair share of litigation before this court, reminding us, once again, that there can never be a lockdown of the judicial institution, and that its doors must always be opened to the knocks of the hapless citizens,” the judgment said The court then allowed N Prakash of Ayini Nada Road at Maradu in Kochi to travel to the pet shop at Kadavanthra so as to buy food for the three cats at his home during a hearing held through video conferencing. The petitioner can carry an affidavit required during travel during the lockdown and a copy of the judgment for hassle-free travel, the court directed.

The court, which is considering only urgent cases, said that it is happy to have come to the aid of the felines. “We are also certain that our directions will help avert a ‘CATastrophe’ in the petitioner’s home,” the court said in the judgment, in a lighter vein.

During the hearing, additional advocate general Ranjith Thampan submitted that animal feed and fodder are included in the list of essential items and that the petitioner can go out to procure animal feed by carrying a self-declaration. The court allowed the petition after taking note of the submission of the additional AG.

Some community spread in hotspots, says AIIMS chief

DurgeshNandan.Jha@timesgroup.com

New Delhi:07.04.2020

There may be some community spread of Covid-19 in hotspots and these areas need to be monitored closely to prevent community transmission of the virus, AIIMS director Dr Randeep Guleria said on Monday, even as fresh coronavirus cases in the country registered a slight dip and fell below 500 for the first time in the past five days.

As Dr Guleria’s remarks triggered a fresh debate over the stage of Covid-19 transmission in the country, the health ministry concurred with the doctor’s statement. “What the AIIMS director has said is not in variance with what we have been explaining,” health ministry joint secretary Lav Agarwal said.

Agarwal added the government was following the strategy of cluster containment strategy when a limited number of cases were being reported from a particular area. This action was being intensified when a larger number of cases came to light.

Maharashtra remains worst-hit state with 868 confirmed cases

“If we go by the wordings (of AIIMS Director), he said localised community transmission, which implies larger number of cases are being found in a particular area – something we have been stating too,” the official said.

He added that the government’s efforts are aimed to ensure the country does not enter stage 3 of transmission, when it becomes difficult to identify the source of infection. As per latest data from the states, the number of coronavirus cases recorded so far was 4,757, with 479 fresh infections on Monday. There were 16 deaths reported in the last 24 hours, with Maharashtra accounting for seven, taking the total death toll from the virus to 132.

The health ministry has confirmed 4,281 cases and 111 deaths. It reported nearly 700 new cases on Monday, a bulk of which have earlier been by TOI through confirmed reports from states. Maharashtra remains the worst-affected state with 868 confirmed cases and 45 deaths, followed by Tamil Nadu (621cases and 6 deaths) and Delhi (525 cases and 7 deaths). Maharashtra also recorded the highest number of 120 fresh coronavirus positive cases, with Mumbai’s tally alone crossing 500 to end the day at 526. Of the seven deaths, four were from Mumbai and one each from Vasai-Virar, Kalyan and Thane. These included the death of a 30-year-old pregnant woman from Nalasopara (East), the first case of a pregnant woman becoming a victim of coronavirus. She was also the youngest in the state to succumb. In Delhi, several hotspots for Covid-19 have sprung up recently. Most prominent of them is the Nizamuddin cluster which accounts for 329 out of 525 Covid-19 cases in the state. East Delhi has at least two other hot spots – Dilshad Garden, where a 38-year-old woman spread Covid-19 to more than a dozen persons and a cancer hospital in the same area where two doctors and 16 nurses have been found positive for the disease.

The health ministry said the in-charge of all districts across states have been explained about Covid-19 focussed crisis management plan. Telangana chief minister K Chandrasekhar Rao said on Monday that the state could see 100-110 more Covid-19 cases in the next few days, even as 30 new positive were reported.

‘Lockdown in India far more effective than other nations’

07.04.2020

Data show that social distancing in India in the wake of coronavirus outbreak has been more effective than in other countries, Public Health Foundation of India president K Srinath Reddy tells Sushmi Dey. Excerpts:

After almost two weeks of lockdown now, what is your assessment of its impact on Covid-19 transmission?

We must recognise that there is a lag period between infection and clinical symptoms. This is usually around 5 days but can extend to 14 days. So the impact of the lockdown, in terms of markedly slowing down the rate of transmission, will be mostly seen in its third week and beyond. Even at present, we are seeing an impact on the lengthening of doubling time of the infected cases. Google mapping data also show that social distancing in India has been more effective than in many other countries.

What is the current growth trend in terms of new cases? What is road ahead for us?

We are still on the ascending limb of the infection curve, though we seem to have brought it to a lower slope by slowing down transmission. The doubling rate of detected cases has ranged between 3 and 5 days but now seems to be closer to the latter. We should expect to see some more new cases, even when the curve bends. We should try to bend it soon by combining the beneficial effect of lockdown with maintenance of social distancing and personal protection measures.

How serious is the issue of Tablighi Jamaat? How difficult is it going to be to control the transmission after such incidents?

Even though the congregation took place before the lockdown, it was a very ill-advised breach of social distancing. Added to the danger posed by the large size of the gathering was the foreign origin of several persons who were part of it. The mingling of foreign visitors from many infected countries made transmission very easy. As the infected persons then dispersed across the country, the virus found many new persons to infect in multiple locations. Public health, intelligence and law enforcement agencies are making heroic efforts to quickly trace participants and identify cases as well as contacts for isolation.

The government has maintained that if lockdown and social distancing measures are followed stringently, the chain of transmission can be disrupted.

It has been clearly demonstrated in multiple countries, even during previous respiratory virus epidemics, that social distancing prevents person to person spread. Lockdown is a stronger measure, which involves a society wide form of distancing ... that is effective in interrupting the transmission chain of a highly infectious virus.

Are we likely to see an upswing of the epidemic?

More new cases are likely to appear for some more time but if containment measures are effective, it will slower rate of increase. Then the curve will come down.

Is coronavirus disease here to stay? Will it become a seasonal infection, like H1N1, and the seasonal coronaviruses that cause symptoms of common cold?

Planet Earth is a good home for viruses as it is for humanity. Our task is to keep them confined to the wild and not invite them into our habitat and human bodies through acts of ecological vandalism, distorted development paradigms and fetish for exotic animal flesh. I believe this virus will stay as a long-time resident of this planet.

Is the summer going to be a saviour?

I hope so. Though this coronavirus is new and its behaviour patterns are not fully known as yet, the limited evidence that is available suggests that it will wane in summer. We must remember, of course, that India is a large country with many climatic zones.

EMPTY ROADS: Delhi’s Connaught Place wears a deserted look during a nationwide lockdown in the wake of pandemic on Monday

JNU, UGC, Neet and IGNOU PhD exams postponed

New Delhi:07.04.2020

The ministry of human resource development has decided to postpone entrance exams, including JNU, UGC, NET and IGNOU PhD and several others keeping in mind the lockdown. Human resource development minister Ramesh Pokhriyal Nishank said: “The Director General of National Testing Agency has been advised to postpone the last date for submission of applications for various exams”.

The Union minister said: “This includes admission examinations of Jawaharlal Nehru University, UGC NET, IGNOU PhD, ICAR exam, NCHM-G and management course.” The deadline for all these exams has been extended by one month. The ministry of human resource development has also directed the CBSE, NIOS and NTA to prepare a revised schedule of examinations. Along with this, autonomous bodies and the NCERT have been asked to prepare an alternative academic calendar.

The ministry has taken this step so that all students can apply for these exams with ease and accessibility. In view of the risk of coronavirus infection, the central government has also decided to postpone the NEET examinations. Admission cards were to be issued for the Neet exams but have not been issued. Now, the ministry has issued a notice to postpone the examinations.

“After the nationwide lockdown is implemented, it is no longer possible to conduct this type of examination,” said a senior official. The JEE Main examinations have also been postponed. The Indira Gandhi National Open University (IGNOU) has extended the last date for submission of the form for the term-end examination to be held on April 30, 2020 without any late fee. Students can submit the June TEE examination forms on the official website of IGNOU. The deadline for submission of assignments has also been extended to April 30. IANS

WB’s youngest coronavirus patients discharged

Sumati Yengkhom & Suman Chakraborty TNN

Kolkata  07.04.2020

: A nine-month-old girl and her six-year-old sister, Bengal’s two youngest Covid-19 positive patients, were discharged from Beliaghata ID Hospital on Monday. Both had tested negative in confirmatory tests that were done in a 24-hour gap late on Sunday. They were released along with their mother, who had tested negative before but had to stay back in the hospital for her kids.

Along with the trio, two others — including a 51-year-old Salt Lake businessman — were released after they tested negative in the dual confirmatory tests. The Salt Lake AD block resident was treated at AMRI Salt Lake.

After the children were brought to the hospital on March 28, the state had quickly deputed a paediatrician attached with the Sagore Dutta Medical College & Hospital at Beliaghata ID. “The lower immunity of the children, particularly the ninemonth-old baby, was of particular concern to doctors. However, for the last eight days, the kids remained stable. During the SARS and MERS outbreaks before, it had also been observed that young children though susceptible to such viral diseases did not depict symptoms like adults,” a senior doctor said.

Full report on www.toi.in

This Noida Covid-19 officer can’t hold his newborn

Snehil.Sinha@timesgroup.com

Noida  07.04.2020

: It’s a girl! With the message came overpowering emotion. Rajeev Rai was ecstatic, but also relieved after quarantining himself in the guest room of his house for nearly three weeks so as to not endanger his pregnant wife and their eight-year-old daughter. He also had to give up on that special fatherhood moment of cradling the newborn in his arms. That’s how it will be for a while.

Rai is the field officer leading the massive containment exercise to check the spread of the novel coronavirus infection in Noida, which has UP’s most Covid-19 cases so far (58). Each time a person tests positive, the containment protocol demands extensive sanitisation of the neighbourhood and sealing it for a period of time. Rai oversees this and, with cases in Noida surging in the last two weeks, his field visits have only gone up. So at home, he has distanced himself — staying confined to a guest room and the living area to avoid any contact with his family.

Moments after he saw his newborn daughter — from near the door of his wife’s hospital room — on Monday afternoon, Rai had to go back to work. He returned to the hospital late evening to savour the moment, standing three metres away from his wife and daughter, on the doctor’s advice.

A beaming Rai later told TOI he would continue to quarantine himself and not go anywhere near his wife and child till his current task is completed. “It’s one of the greatest days of my life. Both of them need to be in hospital for a few more days under observation. They are already susceptible to infections and I don’t want to increase the risk any further. It definitely would have been great to hold my girl and be by their side. But duty calls and we all have work to do,” said Rai, who otherwise holds the post of subdivisional magistrate (Dadri).

Full report on www.toi.in

MISSING FATHERHOOD MOMENT: Rajeev Rai saw his newborn daughter from near the door of his wife’s hospital room, standing 3m away on doctor’s advice

‘Isolated’ youth sent to jail for misbehaving with nurses

TIMES NEWS NETWORK

Varanasi  07.04.2020

: A youth who had returned from the UAE and tested Covid-19 negative, was arrested and sent to jail on Sunday night for allegedly misbehaving with nursing staff and violating quarantine norms in the isolation ward of DDU district hospital in Varanasi.

The nurses took up the matter of the youth, a resident of Machhodari locality, who was kept in the isolation ward while his test report was pending, with divisional commissioner Deepak Agrawal, district magistrate Kaushal Raj Sharma and SSP Prabhakar Chawdhary on Sunday when they were on an inspection tour of the hospital.

The nurses alleged that the youth was not staying in his bed and meeting other patients of the ward and was even insisting on having specific food and fruits.

When the DM tried to convince the youth to follow the instructions of the doctors and nursing staff, he started arguing with the officials. When he did not see reason, the officials asked inspector Cantt to lodge an FIR against him.

Full report on www.toi.in

Social distancing a matter of duty: SC

Dhananjay.Mahapatra@timesgroup.com

New Delhi:07.04.2020

The Supreme Court has institutionalised video-conferencing during the lockdown period and said every individual and institution must implement measures designed by health authorities and governments to reduce the spread of Covid-19.

While providing modalities for use of video-conferencing facilities for hearing of urgent cases and even recording of evidence, a bench of CJI S A Bobde, Justices L Nageswara Rao and D Y Chandrachud said, “Faced with the unprecedented and extraordinary outbreak of a pandemic, it is necessary that courts at all levels respond to the call of social distancing and ensure that court premises do not contribute to the spread of the virus. This is not a matter of discretion but duty.”

It added, “It is necessary to ensure compliance with social distancing guidelines issued from time to time by various health authorities, government of India and states. Court hearing in congregation must necessarily become an exception during this period.”

Using its extraordinary powers under Article 142 of the Constitution, the bench attempted to institutionalise the use of video conferencing facilities for hearing of urgent matters by HCs and trial courts, a consensus which had emerged administratively on Friday during a videoconference meeting between the SC e-committee’s head Justice Chandrachud and judges heading e-committees of 23 high courts.

The CJI-led bench authorised the SC and HCs to adopt appropriate “measures required to ensure robust functioning of the judicial system through video-conferencing technologies consistent with peculiarities of judicial system in every state and dynamically developing public health situation”.

Full report on www.toi.in

DESPERATE TIMES, DESPERATE MEASURES: North MCD workers sanitise a locality in New Delhi on Monday

Kamal flays Modi over govt’s ‘failure to take care of poor’

TIMES NEWS NETWORK

Chennai:07.04.2020

Actor and MNM president Kamal Haasan on Monday flayed Prime Minister Narendra Modi for the “lack of focus of his government in coming to the rescue of the poor and the needy in the time of their crisis in the wake of the 21-day lockdown across the country”.

Comparing the “lockdown” with “demonetization”, Kamal Haasan in an open letter blamed Modi for his ‘failed vision’. “A visionary leader will act fast, even before an issue becomes big. You had a four-month window to act on this pandemic, but ordered an ill-advised lockdown, giving the nation’s1.4 billion population a mere four hours to react,” Kamal Haasan said.

Terming the Centre as a “balcony government” that seemingly serves the interests of the middle class and affluent, Kamal urged Modi to safeguard the interests of all segments of people. “While demonetization led to loss of savings and livelihood of the poorest, this illplanned lockdown is leading us to a fatal combination of loss of both life and livelihood,” he said.

According to him, while Covid-19 will continue to find more victims, a situation is being created for a fertile playground for “Hunger (H), Exhaustion (E) and Deprivation (D) to flourish”. Coining a new term, Kamal said HED’20 is a malady that is smaller in profile, but far deadlier than Covid-19. “Its impact will be felt long after Covid-19 has vanished,” Kamal said.

While demonetization led to loss of savings and livelihood of the poorest, this illplanned lockdown is leading us to a fatal combination of loss of both life and livelihood

KAMAL HAASAN

Actor and MNM chief

OUT OF STOCK

Shortage of edible oils in grocery shops as mills down shutters

Yogesh Kabirdoss and V Ayyappan TNN

Chennai:07.04.2020

Grocery shops are running out of packaged edible oil as mills in Tamil Nadu have downed shutters and there are restrictions on movement of transport vehicles.

Neighbourhood shops in different pockets of Chennai and suburbs are turning customers away. Karthik, who runs a provision store inside Zam Bazaar market, said packed edible oil could not be transported to local markets. "Several shops are not placing fresh orders because there are logistical issues. So, traders are not placing new orders either," he said.

Cooking oil distributors say 13,000 tonnes of branded packed gingelly oil, refined groundnut oil, refined sunflower oil and coconut oil, mostly consumed by households, is sold in Chennai every month. This translates to about 4.33 lakh litres of packed cooking oil sold in the city everyday, with sunflower oil the most sought. This daily sale number does not include unlabelled oil.

A M Vikramaraja, president of Tamil Nadu Vanigar Sangankalin Peramaippu, said oil mills across the state have not resumed operations because of non-availability of labour.

"Oil milling is labour intensive. Ninety per cent of the work force that includes a large number of guest workers have left for their hometowns once the lockdown was announced," he told TOI. While grocery shops have ran out of stock, he said, departmental stores have stocked adequate quantity of edible oil. "The issue could be resolved, if all departmental shops are reopened," he added.

Tamil Nadu has 20 major oil mills with a majority concentrated in north Chennai, Erode, Virudhunagar and Thoothukudi districts. This apart, more than 2,000 small oil mill units are spread across the state.

Tense 9 minutes for TNEB as state went dark at 9pm

Sivakumar.B@timesgroup.com

Chennai:07.04.2020

Senior officials of TNEB and state power minister P Thangamani spent tense moments at the discom headquarters as people of the state switched off lights to light lamps between 9pm and 9.09pm on Sunday, responding to a call given by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

The power managers were taken aback when the power demand dropped by about 2,200 MW, as against their earlier assessment of 1,000-1,2000MW. However, the grid was saved from highvoltage problems like collapse of sub-stations, transformers, feeder lines and a possible blackout by shutting generation units to the tune of 2,200MW.

In 2012, the entire northern grid broke down, plunging several parts of north India into darkness for several hours. “In case of a blackout, generation facilities would take a hit and it may take about 10 hours to restart generation,” said a senior TNEB official. After breakdown, it may take days and weeks to get back to normalcy in distribution, he said.

As per Tangedco’s estimates, the peak lighting demand is only 2,000MW, and this includes streetlights. Officials feel that apart from lights, people could have switched off other electrical equipment too, throwing to the wind all advisories issued to the contrary in the last few days. The drop in demand in Chennai was about 350MW and the rest of it was in districts.

The total demand at 8.45 pm on Sunday stood at 10,091MW. At 9pm, it was down to 9,012MW and at 9.10pm the demand stood at 7,908MW, said the official.

“At 9pm we put our thermal, hydro and gas units on standby mode to prevent surge in voltage in the grid. After 10 minutes, when the demand started increasing, we restarted gas and hydro units. Thermal units were restarted at slow pace. The power frequency in the grid touched a maximum of 50.25hz and we successfully managed to keep the voltage at normal level,” said the official.

Across the country, demand fell by 31,000MW on Sunday night. “The drop in southern region was 6000MW,” said the official.

Some areas in Chennai complained about voltage fluctuations on Sunday night and Monday morning. “Some transformers may have given trouble. But we have restored normalcy,” said the official.

Lock Down FAQs

State to check on victims of domestic violence

May Be Silenced By Shutdown, Say Experts On Drop In Distress Calls

Aditi.R@timesgroup.com

Chennai:07.04.2020

The state commission for women has directed the social welfare department to keep tabs during the lockdown on women in the city who had earlier complained about domestic violence.

The commission and social workers are on alert as the exclusive helpline for women, 181, has received only four calls in the last 12 days from women in the city, when it normally gets 15-20 calls a day.

The commission has asked the department to ensure that social workers provide shelter, medical aid or counselling to victims of violence and also to ensure that all one-stop centres are well equipped to take care of those in need.

“We don’t know how many women are comfortable seeking help since they are stuck with their families all day inside their homes and don’t know how to seek help during these times,” said Kannagi Packianathan, chairperson of the commission.

“We are now following up on women who had previously complained of abuse, just to ensure they are alright,” said a social welfare department source.

Women’s organisations said they too have not received any complaints from women since the shutdown. “They usually come to us when their spouses or families are away from home or when they are alone. But now they are not,” said R Geeta, an adviser to the unorganised workers federation. “And this is also a time when lack of money or unemployment can create more tensions and conflicts in a household and usually it’s the woman who bears the brunt,” said Geeta.

“Or maybe women are not seeking help because they are happy that their spouses are standing by them during these turbulent times. This is another possibility,” said Sujata Mody, president of Penn Thozhilalargal Sangam. She too did not receive any complaint but pointed to cases where women said that their spouses were now sober and more responsible at home.

“Low reporting does not necessarily indicate more violence. It’s high time that we stop thinking that only men from the working-class are capable of inflicting violence on their women,” she said.

Section 144: Cops in dilemma over ‘essential’ services

TIMES NEWS NETWORK

Chennai:07.04.2020

Police personnel on the field tasked with enforcing prohibitory orders under Section 144 of CrPC are confused. On the one hand, they are asked to enforce the order strictly, and, on the other, several categories of vehicles have been deemed ‘essential services’ that they can’t stop.

Motorists’ behaviour and police response to violations too differ from zone to zone. In north Chennai it is on-thespot penalty, while in south violations are rare, but the few that venture out on to the roads are dealt with strictly.

While a section of officers feels police are unable to act freely, an inspector blamed senior officers for asking field personnel to leave behind their lathis. “Without lathis, how can we enforce the ban? In some places, policemen play safe by pleading with people to stay indoors.”

While senior officers instruct those in the field to advise people with a smile, a woman sub-inspector said, “Many people, mostly teenagers, make sarcastic comments when we drop offer advice.” Recently, director general of police J K Tripathy issued a circular to police personnel, saying heavy vehicles like trucks that empty should not be stopped following requests from traders.

And, unlike earlier, bikes seized from violators will be released only after further orders. “Because, many pay Rs 100 as fine and take away their vehicle. They fail to realize their fault and repeat the offence the next day,” said Sivashankar (name changed) an SI at Ambattur. “Now, vehicles can be detained for more than a month.”

In the past 12 days, police booked 7,460 people and seized 3,625 vehicles for violating prohibitory order. Separately, they registered 16,245 cases for violating rules like riding triples, drunk driving and not wearing helmets and seized 7,392 two-wheelers and 323 autorickshaws.

Police book over 1K cases in 12 hours

Chennai: The Tamil Nadu police have so far registered about 91,782 cases against people for violating the prohibitory orders under Section 144 of CrPC since March

24. According to police data, at least 90,918 people have been arrested and about 69,589 vehicles seized. Police have slapped more than ₹20.60lakh fine on the violators. In Chennai, during the 12-hour period from 6am to 6pm on Sunday, police registered about 1,035 cases against people roaming on roads violating the prohibitory orders. Police seized about 471 vehicles including 374 two-wheelers, 11 cars, 13 heavy vehicles, 73 other vehicles. Meanwhile, police have formed 180 permanent and temporary check-posts across all arterial city roads and deployed about 4,000 personnel to man them. Each post is manned by at least eight policemen including an inspector and a sub-inspector. In many places, armed reserve police personnel are deployed and they collect details of those roaming on roads. TNN

Door sticker stigma troubles those in quarantine

Ram.Sundaram@timesgroup.com

Chennai:07.04.2020

It’s more than the disease and its symptoms. Chennaiites who call up the corporation’s Covid-19 helpline are worried about the stigma brought in by quarantine stickers pasted outside their houses. Tele-counsellors handling these calls are fighting to eradicate the stigma and beat callers’ anxiety.

A team comprising doctors, Greater Chennai Corporation (GCC) officials and 80 volunteers from Loyola College, reachs out to thousands of people in home quarantine over phone and answers calls from public to GCC helpline (044 -4612 2300).

In case of those in home quarantine, the team first checks if they have developed any symptoms like cough or cold. If yes, a rapid response team is sent to the spot.

Or else, the team comes up with a series of follow-up questions to check if they are facing any psychosocial issues like depression, loneliness or stigma.

Even before counsellors finish their inquiry about symptoms, callers ask about stickers as there is a lot of fear and anxiety about stigma associated with this, said Andrew Sesuraj, an assistant professor from Loyola who is deployed at this centre. “Only after explaining the importance of following the protocol, they understand and answer our other questions,” he added.

His colleague Gladston Xavier said, “In case they face anxiety or loneliness, we help them in working out an hourto-hour schedule to keep their minds occupied.

They are encouraged to read, paint, make calls to their friends or engage themselves in games or movies etc. They are also advised to exercise at least for an hour everyday, he added. On a positive note, the helpline has so far not received any calls about religious stigmatisation, said other telecounsellors.

As far as calls from public to the helpline are concerned, there has been a spike in number of panic calls related to Phoenix Mall and they are resolved as and then. Most other calls from public are about emergency travel passes, general hygiene and access to food, water and other essentials. GCC’s zonal-level authorities take care of these issues. Besides this, they rarely do get calls from self-quarantine people about their sexual frustrations, said other tele-counsellors.

Caution: Booking tickets to fly? You may not get refund

Pvt Airlines Open Booking Sans Govt Nod

Ayyappan.V@timesgroup.com

Chennai:07.04.2020

Planning to fly on or after April 15. Beware. You may not get refund of ticket fare in case the suspension of flights continues beyond the lockdown period and you want to cancel the booking.

Though there is no clear instruction from the Centre on flight operations resuming after April 14, private airlines have opened bookings and started sending out promotional emails urging people to travel.

Many people, most of them stuck in different cities, have booked tickets.

Minister of civil aviation Hardeep Singh Puri on Monday said the government is yet to decide on resumption of flight services. He also tweeted that reports of flight resumption after April 14 are mere speculation. This has put in a fix people who had already booked tickets and those planning to do so.

As per the new cancellation policy, airlines will not issue refunds for tickets if flights are suspended because of the shutdown. Instead, they will hold the money as a credit so that the passenger can travel anytime within a year. So, if the shutdown is extended, people who have booked for flying on April 15 and on subsequent days may not get their money back.

Air Passengers Association of India (APAI) national president D Sudhakara Reddy said, “Its unfair that airlines have opened booking without instructions from the government. Now, those who have booked will have to suffer as they will not get their money back. The association is planning to raise the issue with the ministry.” The APAI has already raised the issue of airlines not refunding ticket fares for flights cancelled during the shutdown period.

The idea of using the same ticket by paying a difference in fare, if any, at a later date makes sense only to those who are stuck away from their workplace or the city of residence because they may have to travel when the situation normalises. “I am waiting to book a ticket from Kolkata to fly to Chennai where I live. I do not want to book unless I am sure that there will be flights,” said Priya Kumar.

However, Air India is not taking bookings till April 30.

Meanwhile, the demand for tickets has forced one-way fare beyond the ₹10,000 bracket on major routes. A one-way ticket from Chennai to Kolkata is now selling for a price ranging between ₹10,000 and ₹17,000 for travel on April 15. Only two flights are now open for booking. On the Chennai-Delhi route, the fare is between ₹5,400 and ₹8,400.

People who had booked tickets and those who were planning to book are in a fix after the civil aviation minister deemed reports of flight resumption after April 14 speculation

Covid: Free treatment for govt staff

Chennai:07.04.2020

The Tamil Nadu government has announced free treatment for frontline staff of its essential services departments if they test positive for coronavirus. The treatment will be provided both in government and private hospitals. They will also get ex-gratia of ₹2 lakh.

This is applicable to all categories of officials belonging to health and family welfare, revenue and disaster management, police, sanitary and conservancy employees of rural and urban local bodies dealing with prevention work, and other departments directly involved in Covid-19 prevention, identification, quarantine and treatment activities. TNN

How doctors are saving dialysis patients

U.Tejonmayam@timesgroup.com

Chennai:07.04.2020

Access to dialysis units during the nationwide lockdown is becoming difficult for kidney failure patients and doctors arehaving to make tough decisions to continue to provide the lifesaving treatment.

Some nephrologists are advising patients to opt for home dialysis and some tertiary care hospitals are offering pick-up and drop for their patients, while a few others are recommending patients to dialysis units closer to their homes.

Nephrogologist Dr Georgi Abraham said he had recommended 50% of his 150 patients on regular dialysis to switch to peritoneal dialysis at home if they find it difficult to get to a hospital. Peritoneal dialysis requires a doctor to insert a catheter into the abdomen to help filter blood through the peritoneum, a membrane in the abdomen. In the treatment, a special fluid called dialysate flows into the peritoneum to absorb the waste. The dialysate is drained from the abdomen after it draws waste out of the bloodstream. The process takes a few hours and needs to be repeated four to six times a day. “Anybody can be on peritoneal dialysis as long as their peritoneum is healthy. But we can only suggest this option with our patients and not enforce. Even now, we are training two of our patients to perform dialysis at home,” he said.

Latha Kumaraswamy, trustee of Tanker Foundation which offers free dialysis to patients from economically weak backgrounds, said a small percentage of their patients who undergo dialysis in eight of their centres in the state have found treatment centres closer to home as they cannot access their regular facility due to the lockdown. “We have some good samaritans who bring our patients to the units. Some of our patients are autodrivers and cab drivers who can come on their own. We have 570 patients in each of our units and now about 1% in that has found centres closer to their homes,” she said.

But the biggest challenge for doctors is to protect patients who are at a greater risk from contracting Covid-19 while they visit hospitals.

Dr Rajan Ravichandran said in the absence of a rapid test kit to detect Covid-19, his patients, who come for dialysis, are tested for white blood cell count and the levels of oxygen saturation in the bloodstream, which drop if a patient has a viral infection. “We conduct these tests if patients show symptoms of fever or cough. But if they do not show symptoms and carry the virus, it’s going to be another issue,” he said.

A patient undergoing dialysis at a unit run by Tanker Foundation in Thiruverkadu

After rapid deaths, docs go back to case sheets

‘Virus May Be Affecting Central Nervous System’

Pushpa.Narayan@timesgroup.com

Chennai:07.04.2020

After four sudden deaths of Covid-19 patients in Tamil Nadu in the past three days, the health department has asked experts to do a minute-to-minute analysis of their case sheets. An infectious diseases expert in the private sector, meanwhile, said the virus could be invading the central nervous system of some of the patients, besides affecting the respiratory system.

Health secretary Beela Rajesh said on Monday that doctors have also been asked to keep a close watch on people showing symptoms of the disease. Doctors said five of the six Covid-19 deaths in the state happened rapidly. “Critically ill patients usually have severe acute respiratory infection (SARI). In some cases it leads to septic shock and multi-organ failure. We did not see these in at least three patients who died. They came with respiratory infection and before we could do much they went into cardio-respiratory arrest. We couldn’t bring them back,” said a senior doctor.

A 57-year-old woman from Vyasarpadi in Chennai, who was taken to the Rajiv Gandhi Government General Hospital at 5.30pm on Sunday with respiratory infection, was stable and responding to treatment till around 5am on Monday. Her samples were sent for Covid-19 test. “We put her on a non-invasive ventilator for a few minutes before we intubated her. She died at 7.30am,” said dean Dr R Jayanthi.

Infectious diseases expert Dr Subramaniam Swaminathan said medical literature suggests that the virus could be having a neurological impact.

“The effect of this novel virus may not be confined to the respiratory tract. It may be invading the central nervous system,” he said. And when it does, it masks hypoxia (low oxygen level) and allows the body to function normally. That probably explains what many doctors have been observing: Covid-19 patients with low oxygen level (hypoxia) not showing discomfort.

The state expert panel comprising infectious diseases experts, pulmonologists, intensivists and critical care experts will now go through the dead patients’ case records and compare them with international protocol and emerging evidence from literature to learn more, the health secretary said. The new protocol for those testing Covid-19 positive includes a chest X-ray, lung ultrasound and, if needed, a chest CT scan.

Doctors are discussing if putting patients early on ventilator helps. “But 90% of people who were put on invasive ventilators could not be revived,” said infectious diseases expert Dr V Ramasubramanian. There is another group that argues that putting patients on non-invasive ventilators could increase infection risk as the virus can get dislodged on surfaces of equipment, walls and healthcare workers.

SAFETY NET: A disinfection tunnel at the Rajiv Gandhi Government General Hospital

Indian zoos on alert as US tiger gets infected

Vishwa.Mohan@timesgroup.com

New Delhi:07.04.2020

Following a report from the US where a tiger at the Bronx Zoo in New York tested positive for Covid-19, India on Monday kept its zoos, national parks, wildlife sanctuaries and tiger reserves on the “highest” alert, asking authorities to watch the big cats on a 24x7 basis for any abnormal behaviour and take “immediate preventive measures to stop the transmission and spread of the virus from human to animals and vice-versa”.

With 2,967 tigers, India is currently home to 75% of the global tiger population.

The Bronx Zoo incident is the first known case in the world where a human infected a big cat with Covid-19 and has sent alarm bells ringing across the globe. While there is growing concern among people who have pets, there is no evidence to suggest that pets are at risk.

Confirming the instance of a tiger being infected, the United States department of agriculture on Sunday advised that anyone sick with Covid-19 should restrict contact with animals, including pets, during their illness.

Reduce human-wildlife interface and restrict movement of people to national parks: Ministry

Taking cue from the US example and the USDA’s detailed note on it, India’s environment & forests ministry on Monday wrote to the chief wildlife wardens of all states/UTs asking them to “reduce human-wildlife interface and restrict the movement of people to national parks, sanctuaries and tiger reserves”.

The ministry, as precautionary measures, also advised wildlife/zoo authorities not to allow keepers, handlers and veterinary officials in the vicinity of animal enclosures “without safety gear, preferably personal protective equipment” and “isolate and quarantine” sick animals.

“Mammals like carnivores, especially cats, ferrets and primates to be carefully monitored and fortnightly samples of suspect cases to be sent to the designated animal health institutes to initiate Covid-19 testing while following all bio-containment and safety measures required to handle this high-risk pathogens as per national guidelines,” said S P Yadav, member secretary, Central Zoo Authority, in his note to all states and UTs.

The government also identified three animal health institutes of the Indian Council of Agricultural Research where Covid-19 testing would be initiated. These institutes are the National Institute of High Security Animal Disease in Bhopal, the National Research Centre on Equines in Hisar and the Centre for Animal Disease Research and Diagnostic, IVRI, Izatnagar, Bareilly.

Referring to the Bronx Zoo case, the National Tiger Conservation Authority, in its separate advisories, asked all tiger reserves states to gear up all frontline staff and veterinary officials to detect the disease and prevent any spread in tigers in the wild.

“Tigers may be observed for symptoms consistent with Covid-19, such as respiratory signs of nasal discharge, coughing and laboured breathing, through direct observation to the extent possible besides through camera trap images for visible symptoms,” said Vaibhav C Mathur, assistant inspector general of forests, NTCA, in his note to states.

The USDA, in its statement on the Bronx Zoo case, said that the samples from the infected tiger were taken and tested after several lions and tigers at the zoo showed symptoms of respiratory illness.

It said, “Public health officials believe these large cats became sick after being exposed to a zoo employee who was actively shedding virus.”

NO VISITORS: Delhi Zoo wears a deserted look due to Covid-19 scare

30% pay cut for PM, mins & MPs; MPLADS suspended

TIMES NEWS NETWORK

New Delhi:07.04.2020

The Union Cabinet on Monday approved an ordinance to cut salaries of the Prime Minister, all ministers and sitting MPs by 30% for one year in the wake of the Covid-19 crisis and also decided to suspend the MP Local Area Development Scheme (MPLADS) for two years. The twin moves will release ₹7,900 crore to combat the disease.

Information and broadcasting minister Prakash Javadekar told the media that President Ram Nath Kovind, Vice-President Venkaiah Naidu and governors of states have also voluntarily offered to take the 30% pay cut as a social responsibility. The move, intended as an austerity measure, reflects the thinking in government that the political class should signal that it is not standing apart from the economic hardship caused to the common people. The wage cuts will come into effect from April 1for a year and the suspension of MPLADS fund will be for 2020-21and 2021-22. The total amount will be transferred into the Consolidated Fund of India. Javadekar said the ordinance route was taken as a salary cut of MPs requires a change in law. He added the Salary, Allowances and Pension of Members of Parliament Act will be amended in the next Parliament session. The suspension of MPLADS, however, did not go down well with the opposition with several Congress leaders protesting that it will impact ongoing development works in their constituencies and affect people directly.

Lowest ever GST on imports in March

The Centre earned just over ₹18,000 crore through integrated GST (IGST) on imports in March — the lowest since the new tax regime kicked in 30 months ago. This indicates collections in the coming months may be weaker due to the pandemic, putting additional pressure on the Centre which faces demands for fiscal stimulus. Officials said the latest IGST numbers were probably on account of factory shutdowns in China and hence lower imports. P 13

Salary cut a landmark decision that sends right signals: Javadekar

The government said that most MPs would anyway set aside a substantial part of their constituency funds for Covid-19 mitigation.

Responding to a question on how much would be saved due to 30% salary cut, Javadekar said the amount was not important. “This is a landmark decision that sends the right signals. Many MPs have already announced to donate ₹1crore each from their MPLADS fund to fight Covid-19. Some felt the money under this scheme should be utilised to deal with the pandemic. This is our social responsibility,” the minister said. There has been concern in the government that if there are layoffs and wage cuts in non-government sectors, the perceived privileges of official jobs will stand out in sore contrast.

Asked if the Centre was expecting states to take similar decisions of pay cut for their MLAs and MLCs, Javadekar said it was a matter for state governments and the Centre could not comment on it.

Meanwhile, some states have already decided to do this. While the Kerala government has decided to cut a month’s salary of all its staffers and this will go to the state disaster relief fund, Telangana, Andhra Pradesh, Odisha and Rajasthan have also announced salary cuts of government employees depending on their rank. Maharashtra has decided to pay salaries in instalments. Karnataka chief minister B S Yediyurappa has given up a year’s salary.

DEALING WITH THE PANDEMIC: Prakash Javadekar