The Asian Chronicle Oct 20_2nd

Vol V, Issue XIV

16-31 October, 2020 Pages 16, Price Rs. 5/Faridabad (NCR)

Vol-V, Issue-XIV, Published for the period 16-31 October, 2020. Printed & Published by Virender for and on behalf of Karamvir Kamal (Owner) from 2569, Street No. 2, Jawahar Colony, N.I.T, Faridabad, Haryana and printed at Joy Printers, 3G-142, N.I.T. Faridabad-121001, Haryana. Editor Karamvir Kamal* (responsible for selection of news under PRB Act 1867), Sub Editor Bhoomika Mohan. RNI No. HARENG/2016/67803. Executive Office: 431, Saraswati Vihar, Gurugram-122004, Haryana. Contact +91 9212 46 0446, 9899 73 1532, Email: asianchronicleindia@gmail.com, WWW.THEASIANCHRONICLE.COM | WWW.THEASIANCHRONICLE.IN

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Why did Trump criticize India?

Trolls are making Bollywood celebrities flee social media Inside

Laughter is the best medicine Indeed, it is true that laughter is strong medicine. It triggers physical and emotional changes in the body. Laughter

Women entrepreneurs seeking survival by remodelling

Coronavirus pandemic to cost millions of jobs and recession in economic growth in India.

Momentum investing is having its best time in India since 2008 crisis Momentum is a thing. For years now, some investors have generated excess returns or alpha over a benchmark index

by buying stocks that have done well in the recent past, and likewise getting rid of laggards in their portfolio.

Pollution may spur spread of COVID 19 Faridabad (NCR) 16-31 October, 2020 www.theasianchronicle.com

nation

Pratyasha Mohanty

The novel human coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic has claimed more than 600,000 lives worldwide, causing tremendous public health, social, and economic damages. Although the risk factors of COVID-19 are still under investigation, environmental factors, such as urban air pollution, may play an important role in increasing population susceptibility to COVID-19 pathogenesis.

Experts have said, air pollution may increase transmissibility of the novel coronavirus making people more vulnerable to the disease and aggravating the COVID-19 situation, while warning that those who have had the infection in the past may also have to face new challenges. According to doctors, respiratory illnesses like viral influenza increase with a spike in pollution levels as poor air quality leads to inflammation in the lungs making it more vulnerable for the virus to penetrate. Like the common cold, the transmission of this virus is expected to increase with a rise in pollution levels. We may see a further surge in cases said the experts.

Long-term exposure to NO2, which largely arises from urban combustion sources such as traffic, may enhance susceptibility to se-

vere COVID-19 outcomes, independent of long-term PM2.5 and O3 exposure. The results support targeted public health actions to protect residents from COVID-19 in heavily polluted regions with historically high NO2 levels. Continuation of current efforts to lower traffic emissions and ambient air pollution may be an important component of reducing population-level risk of COVID-19 case fatality and mortality. Most fine particulate matter comes from fuel combustion, like automobiles, refineries and power plants, as well as some in-

door sources like tobacco smoke.

Breathing in such microscopic pollutants, experts said, inflames and damages the lining of the lungs over time, weakening the body’s ability to fend off respiratory infections.

Italy showed a possible link between PM 2.5 concentration and excess mortality to the extent that one unit increase is associated with a 9 per cent increase in COVID-19 mortality.

With winters approaching and easing of the coronavirus-induced lockdown, Delhi-NCR is bracing for months of poor air quality. The

national capital's air quality was in the 'poor' category . “It would be a taxing time for testing centres as they have to cater to people with coronavirus and also non. Experts feel the worst-affected would be people in the lower socioeconomic class with no access to masks and also vulnerable to additional risk factors such as chulla smoke.

In an analysis of 3,080 counties in the United States, researchers at the Harvard University T.H. Chan School of Public Health found that higher levels of the tiny, dangerous particles in air known as PM 2.5 were associated with higher death rates from the disease.The results of this paper suggest that long-term exposure to air pollution increases vulnerability to experiencing the most severe Covid-19 outcomes.

We need to prepare ourselves for the worst, as pollution level increases and with winter setting in. It will be a dangerous combination.People with respiratory illness, like asthma and bronchitis, were at much higher risk of contracting coronavirus infection.

For people who have tested positive for COVID-19, it is going to be a double whammy, with pollution making things worse. Post-COVID fibrosis and immunoparalysis make their lungs more susceptible to superadded bacterial pneumonia and other viral respiratory illnesses.

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Thus everyone is urged to get inoculated with the influenza vaccine and pneumococcal vaccine to prevent additional infections in these times For individuals belonging to the high-risk groups who are at extremes of ages and suffering from chronic disease are advised to stay indoors or at least restrict their movement to bare essential activities outdoors. While outdoors, wear a mask at all times and stay away from firecrackers during Diwali.

Keep inhalers handy and consult a doctor at the earliest. Even for the others, it is strongly recommended that they minimize their outdoor activities and wear a mask at all time . As India's COVID-19 caseload mounted to 74,94,551 with 61,871 new infections being reported in a day, while the number of recoveries surged to 65,97,209 pushing the recovery rate to 88.03 per cent, according to the Health Ministry data .The death toll climbed to 1,14,031 with the virus claiming 1,033 lives during the same period.

Most countries even our country are not taking it seriously enough and aren’t doing enough given the scale of the harm that air pollution is doing to all of our health . Because studies has provided evidence that counties that have more polluted air will experience higher risks of death for Covid-19.

Bihar Polls: Vote Safely Amid the Pandemic TAC News

The Bihar government is trying to increase voter turnout in the upcoming assembly elections without letting its guard down in the fight against COVID-19, a stiff challenge especially since public activities have increased because of election campaigning and the ongoing festival season.

“Definitely festivals and elections increase public activities and these are bound to contribute to the COVID-19 surge. We regularly discuss the Kerala model during our meetings as how one Onam festival sparked a surge in cases in Kerala” according to Pratyag Amit, Health Secretary of Bihar. “We are keeping a close watch. It is a challenging period for us.

The health department has adopted a multi-pronged approach in order to control the spread of the virus. Bihar is conducting about 120,000 tests everyday, and the state had 10,621 active cases on Sunday evening. The number is not high compared

to the figures of the other states but an election activity may surge up the numbers.

“We have identified districts which are reporting constant Covid-19 cases and are a little bit towards surging. Patna, Araria and Saharsa are the districts we have put on our watch,” said Amrit.

On Sunday Patna recorded 316 new

Covid-19 cases while Araria and Saharsa recorded 72 and 15 new cases respectively.

Some other districts, such as Bhagalpur, Muzaffarpur and Purnia, are also under watch as they have been recording a constant increase in numbers.

In Patna, the government has done a sero survey and identified certain pockets which are contributing to the list regularly.

The administration has also clamped restrictions in these areas.

“Nominations are being filed for the elections. We have set up our camp equipped with testing and primary treatment facilities at the nomination centres,” said Amrit.

“During public rallies we set up our camp at a distance from the venue and people can voluntarily come and get their tests done at the centre.”

For the second challenge – to increase the voter turnout – district administrations are working on awareness programmes. “We have identified 40 booths in each assembly segment of Patna, which had recorded a low voter turnout in the previous election,”

said Kumar Ravi, district magistrate, Patna. “Our special focus on these booths.”

In the past few days, apart from ads, the district administration has organised a bike rally, lighting rally and various games in the area, aimed at encouraging people to cast their votes and to make them aware of the Covid-19 guidelines.

A contactless voting has been planned on the election day with strict Covid-19 protocol.

Similar efforts are being made in the other districts of the state. Ravi said a lot of complaints of violatiation of Covid-19 guidelines had come during the nominations and accordingly first information reports have been registered against the parties and the candidates Similar efforts are being made in the other districts of the state. Ravi said a lot of complaints of violation of Covid-19 guidelines had come during the nominations and accordingly first information reports have been registered against the parties and the candidates.

Faridabad (NCR) 16-31 October, 2020 www.theasianchronicle.com

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society

Rediscovering ‘Ekatvam’!

Evlyn Ann

Tanishq, a Tata Group promoted jewelry brand, has become a household name on social media since the past couple weeks. The company gained the sight of Twitter aficionados because of its recent advertisement on its new line ‘Ekatvam’.

The ad begins with a Muslim mother-in-law accompanying her pregnant, Hindu daughter-in-law to her baby shower. The daughterin-law is astonished to see her husband’s family organize a function for her that is not usually followed in their community. Contrary to what happens in all the soaps we Indians are exposed to, this mother-in-law with utmost delight assures her that she is her own daughter and every family does things to make their daughters happier.

For what seems like a soothing

and feel good advertisement which exquisitely captures the beauty of relationship, was not well accepted by the 21st-century liberal minds.

Twitter flooded with BoycottTanishq hashtags, arguments and counter-arguments on inter-faith marriages, secularism and unity among masses.

‘Ekatvam’ is a Sanskrit word meaning Unity or Oneness in Divine Consciousness or Quality.

Textbooks and speeches of national leaders have been familiarizing us with the word ‘‘unity’ since the time of independence.

Who hasn’t heard, ‘Unity in Diversity’? But the need of the hour is to practice the unity and brotherhood that is professed.

It is worth pondering, in a commercial portraying a harmonious family of an interfaith couple, what spurred this backlash? How can harmony be understood in two different ways? Is there another side of the coin that is unseen?

Any person, irrespective of religion, within the territory of India, extending to Indian nationals living abroad, can perform marriage under the Special Marriages Act, 1954. The freedom of an individual comes with the right to choose their life partner. The idea of interfaith marriages is still indigestible to most of the 21st-century Indian society. Although we are, pretending to be, trying hard to destigmatize homosexuality after its decriminalization, inter-caste and interfaith marriages are still anathemas. When it comes to marriage, the concept of brotherhood and oneness is nothing but decorative words of being an Indian citizen.

Fear of family traditions being spoiled, concern about how the kids will grow, tensions around conversion and future and finally, the impressions of the society, the reasons to withhold people in love against getting married are, twopenny-halfpenny.

Further, if it involves a Muslim boy, like in this ad, it is strapped to love jihad - an alleged Islamophobic conspiracy theory. In a secular state like ours, it is shameful of our society to restrict this freedom of individuals with so-called idiosyncrasies. It is natural to be true to one’s own religion and community but it should come with accepting others too. It is nothing but bigotry that was exhibited in this case and cannot be defended in the name of loyalism to one’s religion or sentiments towards safeguarding the community from ‘creative terrorists’.

The ad was loathed by many for promoting sexism. “Why does it always have to be a Hindu daugh-

ter-in-law?” Sexism is not new to the advertising world. Girls running after guys because of their smell, hungry boy ‘nagging like a girl’, vaginal whitening products to ‘entice’ men and many more. If sexism was the reason for the backlash, why has it waited until now? The power of anonymity facilitated by social media has made our tongues strong enough to twist anything and everything.

Hindutva activists demonstrated in front of three Tanishq stores in Indore, demanded a display of the apology for six months, and called for the registration of an FIR from the police. The intolerant and fanatic side of the Indian society has managed to succeed as the ad was withdrawn by the company due to its concern for their employees, partners and staff. Considering the trolls, humiliations and baseless criticisms faced and tamed by many, it is ignominious that a prestigious company gets threatened by social media retaliations and ‘peaceful demonstrations’ of the ‘deeply hurt’ ones.

As the Tanishq spokesperson said, what happened was indeed against the objective of ‘Ekatvam’.

It was an unfortunate display of insolence to the concept of ‘oneness in divine quality’. If an ad can question the unity and oneness of the nation, then it is evident that ‘unity in diversity’ is yet a dream to achieve. If an ad can turn two sects against each other, then we have to build a stronger foundation of brotherhood. If an ad can make us violent and intolerant then we have to inculcate an unbigoted tomorrow for the abatement of the bigoted today.

Women entrepreneurs seeking survival by remodelling the business

Haritha Senthilkumar

Coronavirus pandemic to cost millions of jobs and recession in economic growth in India. This had overseen major loss to both men and women entrepreneurs.

Women in entrepreneurship can generate transformational employment in India with 150–170 million job opportunities, which is more than 25% of the new jobs required for the entire working-age population by 2030, says a joint report by Bain & Company and Google in February 2020.

It was drawn from a new study that in Indian Cities, most of the women entrepreneurs are remodelling their business to survive in the coronavirus pandemic economic recession.

According to the survey, Women-owned businesses saw a sharp decline in revenue: 73% reported being negatively impacted by the pandemic, and almost 20% were nearly

wiped out.

Despite the gender gap in India, women entrepreneurs are looking at survival as significant and around 16 million women-owned businesses, fewer than 20% of all enterprises in the South Asian nation with most of them largely single-person operations.

The spirit of remodelling the business echoed the success of many entrepreneurs.

Bain & Co., Google, and AWE Foundation surveyed almost 350 women entrepreneurs

and small businesses and found that 54% had already made business shifts including new products or services and another 24% planned to change by December. About 90% of them said they believe they will survive the crisis.

The transitions made in business models include releasing new products or services, digital sales and delivery channels, as well as reorienting supply chains, sales and marketing. Some 60% of the businesses reported including new products and services, while 46% of entrepreneurs focused on retraining and learning new skills which would be a fortune to them.

A woman entrepreneur, Megha Chawla a partner at Bain and the study’s lead author has said that "Post the initial few months, there has been rapid responsiveness,” “A few characteristics of women-owned enterprises in India, such as being service-oriented, smaller and less capital-intensive, enabled faster adaptation.”

Path to restart Jet Airways seems tough and uncertain, say experts

A day after the plan to put Jet Airways back in business got approval, experts have said that it is going to be “very tough and uncertain”.The carrier’s creditors approved a multimillion-dollar resolution plan on Saturday under which Jet Airways would be acquired by an investor consortium.

However, experts say the road ahead is very long. “The path to restart operations is very tough and uncertain,” aviation advisory and research practice CAPA, India head Kapil Kaul told news agency PTI. The plan submitted by a consortium of London-based Kalrock Capital and UAE-based businessman Murari Lal Jalan comes after months of talks over the airline’s future and was confirmed in a regulatory filing.

The plan will now be submitted to the NCLT for its final approval. If the court allows, the airline’s new ownerswill have to grapple with the Covid-19 pandemic and the uncertainty on aviation demand that lies ahead.

“A clean sheet of paper revival with new aircraft and network, but old brand, may be the best path forward. Remaining fleet probably better off monetised and disposed of, especially given the new Covid and post-Covid reality,” said Sanjiv Kapoor, an independent consultant who previously held senior positions at Vistara and Spice jet.

“The terms agreed by the creditors don’t make sense to me,” said Kapil Kaul, Chief Executive Officer South Asia for CAPA-Centre for Aviation.

“Funding and strategic resources required have been grossly underestimated. The path to an orderly restart of operations, especially in the postCovid-19 scenario, is uncertain. For the sake of Jet employees, I hope it works.”

Airline revenues plunged 80 per cent in the first six months of 2020, according to industry despite pruning costs just over 50 per cent during the second quarter, compared to the year-ago period.Cash-strapped Jet Airways had announced temporary suspension of services on April 17 last year.

At the peak of its operations, Jet Airways had little over 120 planes.

When the operations came to a halt due to mounting debt woes and unpaid salaries, the airline had around 16 own planes.After Jet halted operations, at least 280 slots were vacant in Mumbai and 160 in Delhi, which were then given to its rivals. The revival plan is also based on getting some of these slots back.

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education

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Are online classes making kids tech-savvy or tech-dependant?

Nishica Choudhary When schools decided to go online because of the lockdown, the biggest concern for parents was the extended screen that their kidswould be looking at. Six months later, parents now say that their children cannot be separated from technology.

Whether it is doing their homework online or participating in extracurricular activities, children have aced the online game, but have also come to rely on technology a lot.

This has left parents wondering whether the positives outweigh the negatives.

The coronavirus pandemic has become a norm and in order to adapt, schools across the country have switched to remote learning. Children have been asked to stay on track with their syllabus through an online learning model at home. This transition from classroom-based to online learning can be quite stressful for children as it is a change from their normal structure and they are not accustomed to the new way of learning. At the moment, it is important for parents and teachers to acknowledge the anxiety that students might be feeling.

Due to stress, parents might start noticing behavioural changes in their children such as excessive arguments, refusals, opposition, defiance, or withdrawal, and it is not unusual for some kids to fall further behind.

During this phase, parental support and guidance is very crucial.

Traditional Schools Are Way Behind to Begin With

Technological advancements move at lightning speed, with the average device losing its edge over a new and better device after about two years. Businesses and private companies are keeping up, but classrooms are notoriously lagging behind.

The problem is that institutions that rely on public funding find it much harder to get approval for advancements that may seem to some, a luxury. The mind-set that technology is a “fluffy” extra is still pervasive in the older generation of taxpayers who got by without touching a computer.

However, the majority of jobs in the current market require at the very least, a basic understanding of the computer, the Internet, and how to navigate software like Microsoft Word. Like it or not, technology is embedded into the fabric of modern society.

Schools do their students a disservice if they do not expose the kids to technology in the classroom.

One of the most common criticisms of modern education revolves around the idea that there is already too much nonhuman influence in classrooms, particularly in gradeschools. It will take a comprehensive, well-planned approach to handle these unique challenges of the modern scientific age.

Potential Physical Problems for Children

For children, there’s an even more significant physical threat from too much technology: inactivity. According to Athletico Physical Therapy, sitting for hours at a time can lead to all sorts of physical problems. As classrooms become increasingly dependent on tech, students are at a higher risk for a wide range of ailments.

Decrease in Attention Span

In a classroom situation full of screens, keyboards, video conferences, several audio input sources and multiple visual ones, school-children are literally bombarded with stimuli day in and day out. Even the simple task of reading a book can involve two to three electronic devices, peripherals, and keyboards. Some experts worry that modern classroom tech is working to decrease the attention span of students significantly.

Lack of a Human “Filter”

In a classroom situation full of screens, keyboards, video conferences, several audio input sources and multiple visual ones, school-children are bombarded with stimuli day in and day out.

The more wrong technology we have in a classroom, the less input their students get from individual teachers. Humans are needed in schools to act as intermediaries between electronic sources of data and

human minds. As technology becomes an all-encompassing milieu in classrooms, the vital role of students with their teachers and their peer connections can become even more isolating.

Creates Disadvantages in Rural Communities

Standardization of educational norms, which includes a lot of in-class technology, is leaving rural and poor communities behind.As it becomes necessary to equip modern schools with more devices, rural and cash-strapped districts are routinely left out of the advancement loop. This lack of exposure to technology is one of the critical problems that technology-based teaching faces.

Poor Socialization Skills

What happens to children whose primary social interaction is with machines? Social psychologists have pointed out that kids, who already spend much of their free time online are now “locked” into a world with minimal human interaction.More of the wrong technology in classrooms can only serve to make this problem worse-especially when there is no normal life-balance.

What’s the Solution?

Until states make changes accordingly, and schools make the right choices for the appropriate tools–the technological landscape

of America’s educational system will continue to be a patchwork of programs with varying success rates.

According to Instructure, we need to reevaluate how we measure success. By moving away from standardization, we can target a student’s weaknesses and strengths and can create a much more effective learning plan.

Technology is what allows this to be possible by collecting and evaluating data from each student. As with all topics related to education, there are unique challenges industry leaders will have to grapple with daily.

Why the need for funds? Teacher training is at the top of the list, followed closely by resources for individual students. Technology is not cheap, and if classrooms are to be outfitted appropriately, there must be a way to pay for the right equipment.

Although technology can be a powerful tool in the classroom, there are many critical areas that we need to address.There is, however, a temptation on the part of many to see technology as a replacement for human-led instruction.That attitude, along with a shortage of needed funds, is a crucial roadblock in the way of real progress.

The Covid-19 pandemic has exposed how rooted structural imbalances are between rural and urban, male and female, rich and poor, even in the digital world. With the existing digital divide, expanding online education will push the digital have-nots to the periphery of the education system, thereby increasing inequity in educational outcomes.

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tech.

Educational Youtube Channels for School Students In this new normal which we may call this period, our schools have risen to the occasion and switched to online teaching.

Akshinta Das

In a bid to provide a digital audiovisual learning platform to the teachers and students of New Delhi Municipal Council (NDMC), the civic body on Wednesday launched two educational YouTube channels – ‘Atal Adarsh Shiksha’ and ‘Navyug Pragati’.

“In this new normal which we may call this period, our schools have risen to the occasion and

switched to online teaching. Unprecedented times require unprecedented measures, so despite all odds, our educators have been working hard to find innovative solutions to make learning better and accessible to all,” NDMC Chairperson Dharmendra said.

He said the teachers will now upload their lessons on YouTube. This will help the students understand the lessons with ease and continue with their studies from their homes.

These videos will be used in the online classroom sessions and teachers will provide question-answer sheets related to the subject of the video to the students.

The NDMC Chairperson believes this approach will compensate for physical classroom teaching by the teachers.

He further informed that the channels would broadcast videos by experts on different topics for the nursery level to Class XII. However, in the first phase, focus will be on the primary wing for all the subjects and will be broadcast from the NDMC Education YouTube Channel. These videos are based on school syllabus and have been made by NDMC teachers who teach in different schools.

Dharmendra hoped that these videos will not only help the stu-

dents of the NDMC, but every student and will be used widely.

YouTube channels to be broadcast by experts

He further stated that the YouTube channels will broadcast videos by experts on different topics for the students from nursery level to class 12. The broadcasting of the lessons will be conducted in phases with the first phase focusing on the primary wing for all the subjects and will be broadcasted from the NDMC Education YouTube Channel. The video lessons will be based on the school syllabus and have been prepared by the NDMC teachers who teach in different schools.

The chairperson also added that these video lessons will not only help the students of NDMC but every student and the videos and lessons will be used widely.

Online Classes during Lockdown

Classes have been conducted online by the schools across the country due to the COVID-19 pandemic and lockdown because of which the schools have been shut since March 2020. The different state boards

have been conducting classes for the students through the online mode along with broadcasting the lessons on TV or the radio or the YouTube channels.

In this new normal which we may call this period, our schools have risen to the occasion and switched to online teaching. Unprecedented times require unprecedented measures, so despite all odds, our educators have been working hard to find innovative solutions to make learning better and accessible to all," NDMC Chairperson Dharmendra said.

He said the teachers will now upload their lessons on YouTube. This will help the students understand the lessons with ease and continue with their studies from their homes.

These videos will be used in the online classroom sessions and teachers will provide question-answer sheets related to the subject of the video to the students.

The NDMC Chairperson believes this approach will compensate for physical classroom teaching by the teachers.

He further informed that the channels would broadcast videos by experts on different topics for the nursery level to Class XII.

Scientists reveal potential of swine coronavirus jumping from animals to people Ann Mary Philip

Washington: A strain of coronavirus which causes acute diarrhea in piglets may have the potential to spread to humans as well, according to a new study which says the virus could "negatively impact the global economy and human health."According to the researchers, including those from the University of North Carolina (UNC) at Chapel Hill in the US, the coronavirus strain, known as swine acute diarrhea syndrome coronavirus (SADS-CoV), emerged from bats and has infected herds of pigs throughout China since it was first discovered in 2016.

They said outbreaks of such an illness have the potential to wreak economic havoc in many countries across the globe that rely on the pork industry.

In the new study, published in the journal PNAS, the scientists conducted lab tests to assess the potential threat from SADS-CoV to people, and found that the virus efficiently replicates in human liver and gut cells, as well as airway cells.

"Efficient growth in primary human lung and intestinal cells implicate SADS-CoV as a potential higher-risk emerging coronavirus pathogen that could negatively impact the global economy and human health," the scientists wrote in the study.

Though it is in the same family of viruses as the betacoronavirus SARS-CoV-2, which causes the respiratory illness COVID-19 in humans, the scientists said

SADS-CoV is an alphacoronavirus that causes gastrointestinal illness in swine.

They said the virus causes severe diarrhea and vomiting and has been especially deadly to young piglets.

SADS-COV is also distinct from two circulating common cold alphacoronaviruses in humans, HCoV-229E and HCoV-NL63, they added.

"While many investigators focus on the emergent potential of the betacoronaviruses like SARS and MERS, actually the alphacoronaviruses may prove equally prominent -- if not greater -- concerns to human health, given their potential to rapidly jump between species," said study co-author Ralph Baric, a professor of epidemiology at UNCChapel Hill.While SADS-CoV has not been

known to affect humans to-date, the researchers said coronavirus strains found in animals have the potential to infect humans as well -- an effect known as spill-over.

According to the scientists, a wide range of mammalian cells, including primary human lung and intestinal cells, are susceptible to SADS-CoV infection, with the virus showing a higher rate of growth in intestinal cells found in the human gut, unlike the novel coronavirus which primarily infects lung cells.

While studies have suggested that crossprotective immunity often prevents people from contracting many coronaviruses found in animals, the researchers believe humans have not yet developed such a defence to SADS-CoV. "SADS-CoV is derived from

bat coronaviruses called HKU2, which is a heterogenous group of viruses with a worldwide distribution," said Caitlin Edwards, another co-author of the study.

"It is impossible to predict if this virus, or a closely related HKU2 bat strain, could emerge and infect human populations," Edwards said.However, given the broad host range of SADS-CoV, coupled with its ability to replicate in primary human lung and gut cells, the researchers believe the virus demonstrates "potential risk for future emergence events in human and animal populations."

Edwards and her colleagues tested the broad-spectrum antiviral remdesivir as a potential method of treatment for the infection, and the preliminary results showed that it had robust activity against SADSCoV.However, the scientists cautioned that more testing is necessary on additional cell types, and in animals to confirm these findings. "Promising data with remdesivir provides a potential treatment option in the case of a human spill-over event," Edwards said.

"We recommend that both swine workers and the swine population be continually monitored for indications of SADS-CoV infections to prevent outbreaks and massive economic losses," she added.While surveillance and early separation of infected piglets provide an opportunity to mitigate larger outbreaks and the potential for spillover into humans, Baric said vaccines may be key for limiting global spread and human emergence events in the future.

nation Twitter tighten rules to ensure fair US election Basim Sheikh

US presidential elections are drawing closer.

Journalists and politicians are fiercely and actively participating in their activities. Meanwhile, twitter has announced to tighten its rules and policies in order to ensure fair elections in the United States.

The advent of internet has enabled people to put across their viewpoints through social media platforms. Netizens busily partake in online campaigns and news of every sort gets viral within a short period of time.

Twitter is mostly known for online gossips. Netizens maliciously gossiping about a particular candidate may result in serious events in the real world.

Considering the contemporary internet activities, twitter is planning to beef up the authentication process.

On Thursday, twitter publicly announced to enforce the security of high-profile politicians, campaigns, and journalists as a preventative step.

These drastic measures have been taken to forestall netizens to foster any kind of malicious gossip or unauthentic news. The presidential election is unarguably a big event, not only for the US but also for the rest of the world. Election result will sooner or later impact the markets of many countries. Therefore, netizens all across the world are excited to hazard guesses about upcoming activities and events.

Federal and state politicians, political parties, candidates, presidential campaigns, and journalists are the target accounts for the updated security. These accounts will be asked by the system to use strong and reliable passwords in the first place. Also, a confirmation through email address or phone number will be enabled to reset passwords.

Twitter also advised account handlers to enable two-factor authentication requiring back-up validation.

A few past events have compelled Twitter to reform its security policies. Besides, the social media manipulation that majorly influence the public opinion about a party has also been considered owing to the upcoming election.

People are seen getting swayed by internet activities. Fake news is prevalent throughout the internet, and opposing views create unnecessary conflicts on the internet.

Recently, a few cases of hacking of high-profile accounts were reported, which caused an undue uproar among netizens. The question arose that if the accounts of even reputed entities are not safe, how regular netizens can ensure the safety of their account.

Tweets that can potentially menace the sanctity of elections will be labelled and taken down forthwith.

Besides, if the original competition is vitiated in any way, twitter has its systematic procedures to handle the matter.

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Why did Trump criticize India?

Lalit Garg

The presidential election in America has reached a very interesting point. On November 3, the general public of America will vote to elect the new president.

There is a direct competition between President Donald Trump and his rival Joe Biden. The role of American residents of Indian origin is also important in these elections, yet Donald Trump's criticism of India once again is not only disgusting, contradictory but purely politically motivated. Even if this criticism is due to pressure on the corona epidemic and the growing environmental crises, is the criticism or discussion of India justified in the absence of accurate response to such questions related to the people of our country? Such statements and criticisms are indicative of political immaturity, but also reflect the blind thinking of Trump. This kind of lighting is needed to woo the voters, not such blinds. ‘Light’ a very simple but somewhat infidel kind of thing.

She strips everyone off one day or the other. Surely those who want to keep him imprisoned in veils.

Everyone is naked in politics and everything is justified in politics, which was also highlighted by Donald Trump in the ongoing war campaign in America. "Look at China, how dirty it is," cites Donald Trump, who criticized India.

Look at Russia, look at India, they are very dirty, the air is dirty. �It is surprising that such a discussion of India is needless. It is well known that Trump has described India and Indians as his friend or companion on many occasions. The Prime Minister of India, Narendra Modi has organized a big event for Indians settled in America so that

Trump gets the support of Indians.

The friendship between Modi and Trump has also increased, with the relationship between India and the United States having a vision of mutual interest, Trump is assuming that he will get more votes of Americans of Indian origin in America, but still, should they have condemned India in terms of pollution or environment?

Of course, he has wrapped Russia and China with India in this too, but his particular emphasis on India has gone wrong to many people. Criticizing India through Trump in this way can also go against him in American politics.

This was the last round of direct presidential debates in the US and it is not only unfair but also shameful to criticize India by name and try to shamelessly defend its environmental policies.

The question is, was this a fair opportunity for Trump to criticize India in this way? Has Trump realized that the majority of IndianAmerican voters are likely to vote for Democrat candidate Joe Biden? This method of opposing politics in its favour seems to be damaging for Trump. Its immediate effect has been seen by Trump himself in his country. His antiIndia statement has not only been termed as misleading, but it has also been considered as disappointing and unfortunate. Although India is among the polluted countries, India may also have a role in the countries responsible for climate change, but the current governance of the US is no less guilty in the matters of climate change, environment and pollution. Therefore, the policy of blaming others for covering up their shortcomings cannot go anywhere.

So when it comes to countries responsible for climate change,

Trump's remarks do not stand up.

The fact is that America is largely responsible for climate change, but it is blaming others for their responsibility under the leadership of Trump. The devastation that the most developed country saw in the Corona epidemic has also become a big question on the governance there, when Donald Trump has accepted that New York is turning into a ghost town.

People cannot stop the country, because of this, the people of the country will start committing suicide. On deaths in the US from the Coronavirus, Trump said, "It's not my fault, it's not even Biden's fault, it's China's fault that came to America." In this way, the criticism of Russia and China from the mouth of Trump is understandable, but keeping India together is also diplomatic and practically wrong and a sign of political immaturity.

Trump has done his job recklessly.

They do not care that their country has moved towards increasing strategic partnership with India and as such, targeting India as criticism can lead to a rift between unfair and growing friendship in every way.

Indo-US relations stand on the threshold of a new adventure era, Trump and Modi have made extensive efforts for this, why at such a time, Trump's disrespectful criticism of India? The satisfactory bilateral relationship between the two countries was seen to emerge as an unexpected strategic necessity due to Modi's visionary thinking.

It began in September-October of 2008, when the foundation of a complex strategic-defence relationship related to the nuclear issue was laid, and its credit goes to the political resolve of the then US President George W. Bush and Prime Minister Man-

6

mohan Singh. This has given India a unique place in the international nuclear community, and that too while we were away from the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty.

This marked a significant change in the bilateral relations between the two countries, as earlier the relationship between these two big democracies was often described as tense. Even though 25 years ago, Bill Clinton and Narasimha Rao began to bring flexibility in the unusual relationship between America and India, the mutual interest agreement, closeness and friendly relations between these two countries were only during the rule of Modi and Trump. This friendship filled both the countries with new energy and aura. Narendra Modi and Trump have tried to shape a lasting bilateral relationship. But are the relations between America and India still not very comfortable in terms of political compatibility and strategic culture?

What does Trump's criticism of India mean? Apparently, after Trump's attack, Democrats are now standing in favour of India as a whole, saying that Trump will not respect the vitality, beauty and diversity of our South Asian community.

People of Indian origin are expected to balance between the elections taking place in the US and the emerging issues, India should officially avoid active and decisive participation in American politics, it is clear that this latest criticism of Trump will be of Indian origin. People have an adverse effect on him; they will walk away from the trump even if he does not want to. In such an environment, Indian experts must emphasize how much India or which country has contributed to climate change. Environmental pollution and climate change is not the problem of any one country, it is an emerging burning problem of the world, and all countries need to make efforts to solve it.

This is the right time for India, even if the criticism of Trump has passed for us, but in the context of these burning problems, India should consider its efforts and become more practical. Our counting in the polluted countries of the world is a matter of concern for us, there is also a barrier on our growing world image, so we should be ready to remove our country from the list of these polluted countries.

For its rapid development, it has become necessary to treat the rising pollution at war level. Whether the air is dirty or traffic pollution, climate change or increasing natural exploitation - how long will we continue to give the world a chance to criticize? There is such a mist or fog around us that we do not know if morning is going to happen or night?

7 Santhosh Kumar

Faridabad (NCR) 16-31 October, 2020 www.theasianchronicle.com

Are Bigger Homes the Order of the Day?

real estate

final price like never before.

Larger homes – the buyer profiles

Vice Chairman – ANAROCK Property Consultants

Across cities, the trend of office work shifting into our homes – the much-talked-about work-fromhome (WFH) effect – has taken hold. A home office, previously considered a luxury or even completely unnecessary, is now an important feature. It not only helps homeowners to separate work from personal life to some extent, but enables the focus required for optimal WFH productivity.

1. Salaried people who either already own a home or were in the process of finalizing their first home purchase.

Current homeowners merely need to upgrade, and first-time homebuyers just need to set their sights higher. Across the major cities, buyers are viewing homeownership with a renewed sense of urgency and are factoring in the new WFH environment.

Many companies have discovered first-hand that WFH is a viable option and are willing to extend it to employees who can maintain productivity under these changed circumstances. Some companies have even given their employees a permanent WFH option, while others have extended it to mid-2021. Like their owners, homes now need to multi-task efficiently.

A separate workspace is therefore essential, and many homebuyers are willing to shift to cheaper suburbs and even to smaller cities to get larger homes.

In most cities, homebuyers are opting for 2.5-3 BHK configurations wherever they can purchase them within their budgets. The peripheral areas of our cities are invariably cost-effective – and even a larger home amounts to an added expense, homebuyers correctly see it as a secure investment for what are currently less-than-certain times.

Even in other respects, the quest for larger homes is not a surprising

The Indian homebuyer population is not exclusively salary-driven – the country also has a vibrant entrepreneurial culture. Many small-time business owners are now relocating their previous workplaces to their homes to save on office rental costs and the daily commute.

Interestingly, latest trends suggest that cities like Bengaluru and MMR are especially conforming to the new WFH reality - the need for more space. For instance, over the last few months, enquiries for larger homes in Bengaluru have increased up to 40% with property seekers predominantly scouting for 3BHKs (avg. 1,800 sq. ft. built-up area) as against the previously-preferred 2 BHKs. The current buyers are largely working couples with children, most currently pursuing the WFH and e-learning options. In many cases, their budgets have not increased - rather, they are willing to settle for peripheral locations to secure bigger homes and a better lifestyle at a more affordable price.

WFH as the ‘new normal’

Entrepreneurs

trend.

A natural progression

Most Indians begin their homeownership journey with small ‘starter’ homes, fully intending to upgrade to larger homes at a later stage. Upgrade decisions are usually taken when finances improve on the back of higher salaries, as a higher salary improves affordability. Affordability is an important point here.

In previous times, home prices would grow inexorably over time.

However, salaries and savings grew too, so there would eventually come a point when one could comfortably afford to buy a larger home via a home loan.

No doubt, a question mark currently floats above the issue of salary increments in the immediate future. The coronavirus pandemic

has seriously dampened India’s economic vibrancy, stifling companies’ growth prospects in some instances and actually causing them to scale back their manpower in other instances. Many retained employees have taken temporary salary cuts.

Nevertheless, housing affordability has improved in tandem with the times. To boost consumption, the RBI has brought lending rates down to a two-decade low and thrown several other sweeteners into the mix. In Maharashtra, stamp duty charges have been brought down for the duration of the festive season.

On their part, developers have not only trimmed prices to their lowest best, but also responded to the current exigencies by offering several cost-saving incentives. Moreover, serious buyers can negotiate the

Likewise, we are also seeing an increase in enquiries for bigger spaces in MMR. In previous months, many buyers sought to upgrade from 1 BHK to 2 BHKs. In Noida and Ghaziabad, an increasing number of buyers are looking for 3 or 4 BHKs, as opposed to the previously-preferred 2 BHKs. Those with lower budgets look for 2 BHK + study (2.5) of around 1,200 sq. ft. of built-up area.

In Gurgaon, demand for both 2 and 3 BHKs is as consistent as before. In Hyderabad, the preference for large homes of minimum 3 BHK was in place even before the pandemic and its fallout.

The home as the new focal point

No matter how disruptive the COVID-19 pandemic is, it will eventually be contained. The economy is already recovering, and employment will not only stabilize but grow. Eventually, many people will return to their offices to work. Nevertheless, some of the lessons we have learned will not be unlearned.

For instance - WFH works, but it needs larger homes.

Also, cutting out the daily commute saves both time and money, simultaneously boosting productivity and job satisfaction. The previously trendy 'compact' homes are only viable when we can work in an external office.

Perhaps the two strongest messages we have received from the COVID-19 pandemic are that our homes are the only environments that we can actually control, and it makes sense to not only own this precious domain but to make it as large as possible.

Why streamlining the compliance ecosystem is imperative for the country

Dr. Niranjan Hiranandani

Prime Minister Narendra Modi has reportedly issued an urgent diktat to the Department of Promotion for Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT) and government think tank, Niti Aayog to draw up a new framework to ease the compliance burden on the industries and the common people. It is a long- due pronouncement that we were awaiting with bated breath as the country (read industries) was languishing with complicated, time-consuming, and hassling processes, if it wanted to do honest business.

Picture This! In order to set up an eatery in the national capital of Delhi, the entrepreneur needs to have a minimum of 45 documents in place. Compare this to getting a firearm, this comes to a lot lesser at around 19 documents.

As per the study by the National Restaurants Association of India (NRAI), a business unit is burdened with compliance issues. In India, one would need anywhere between 22 and 36 licenses to start a venture, while in China, an entrepreneur would require only 3-4 licenses to set up a restaurant.

Even the Economic Survey tabled for the year 2019-20 has a similar fact file to show.

A manufacturer in India needs to conform to

Onerous compliances and complicated regulatory framework has been the bane of our country from the time immemorial. Though recently, India has climbed 79 positions on the World Bank’s Ease of Doing Business rankings, a lot more needs to be done to advance the position further 6,796 compliance items which are time-consuming and wastes productive man-hours.

Even in the most industrialized states in the country like Maharashtra and Gujarat, a business unit is burdened with hundreds of compliance items. In Maharashtra, there are 3,657 compliances while in Gujarat, there are around 3,048 compliances. After Maharashtra and Gujarat, Tamil Nadu, Uttar Pradesh, and Karnataka rank among the states with a high compliance burden.

At the central level says research by com-

pliance management services company, TeamLease Compliance, there are a total of 677 acts, 25537 compliances, and 2282 regulatory filings combined that with the various state-level acts and compliance, we would have a total of 859 acts, whopping 44000 compliances, and around 4436 filings.

The various industry bodies and trade associations were crying hoarse in the past to overhaul the system for businesses to be set and run successfully, which fell on deaf ears and had no effect in the past. The demand for single-window clearance, easing the process of licensing and permission for various sectors like real estate, hotel, and restaurants found empty promises but no action so far.

In the post–COVID era when India is setting its sight on the global business arena, wishing to establish itself as a manufacturing hub, it has become imperative for the government to mend the ways they run businesses in their backyard.

Therefore, it is believed that the new diktat on easing the compliance burden by the PM focuses on an extension of the validity period for licenses also making the renewals automated, anonymous or faceless inspection to arrest malpractices and lowering the cost of starting a venture by lowering the fees levied.

Certainly, the government has envisaged a

new regime for business by taking these crucial steps and to polish its image in the eyes of the world.

To simplify the processes and permissions gamut, DPIIT has advised states, ministries’ and departments to detect the bottlenecks and hold-ups in the system. The new regime will also cover agencies and departments that directly give services to the people of the country. The instruction also underlines to move the entire process online from offline, inspections to be done anonymously. The recent announcement by the government to roll out a faceless assessment for income tax is a step in the direction to let go of redundant practices.

If at all the government is fruitful in overhauling the system, it will eclipse the inherent flaws that the country has come to live with.

The reduction of cost will induce positivity in the MSME sector making businesses competitive and viable. But it’s still a long way to go for the country to moult and make way for the new growth as a mammoth groundwork will be desired by the authorities as well as the people of this new India.

If it is achieved, nothing can stop India from the coveted spot under the sun. Amen!

The author is the President of the National Industry body, ASSOCHAM

Book Review

literature

Faridabad (NCR) 16-31 October, 2020 www.theasianchronicle.com

8

Impressions by IRS Officer, Neha Chakravarthy becomes Amazon Bestseller Every writer dreams to be a bestseller, the moment he starts to scribble his dream masterpiece. And it is needless to say that very few achieve this rare distinction! The beauty of being a Bestseller is always charming and gives ample motivation to the writer to pursue further his literary journey. As only the writer knows the pain and hard work associated with writing a bestselling masterpiece where he had endured sleepless nights.

And who could know it better than IRS Officer, Neha who has Chakravarthy achieved the feat of being an

Neha Chakravarthy

Amazon Bestseller with her exciting poetry collection; Impressions.

Impressions is an anthology of 225 poems exploring themes like the beauty of falling in love, Recovering from a heart break, Healing survival after physical abuse, Protesting against violence, betrayal & oppression, Femininity & Divinity these poems celebrate the strong & indomitable women & encourage the development of an ode-to-life spirit among human beings. Impressions is grabbing the #1 position in Amazon Bestseller category

whereas #2 in Hot New Releases.

Talking about the celebrated book; Ms. Chakravarthy says; "Impressions have been the mirror image of my emotions and I am really thankful to my readers who have given my debut brainchild such Immense love and affection. I am sure that I will be able to write such soulful poetries in the future which will be an exciting read for poetry lovers. I am grateful to Literia Insight who signed a newbie poetess like me and guided at every step so that I can achieve this rare honour."

Beyond The Crossroad

"Beyond The Crossroads " is the debut novel

by Padmaja Mishra. It is a novel that takes you through a roller-coaster of emotions, situations, crises and psychological hide and seek.

The novel if categorized, falls on the genre of inspiration. It addresses the millennial issues, the one's that people tend to avoid. It is quiet unexpected from a debut author, to have cast such an impact on the reader's mind. She is just twenty and has proved that 'age is just a number'.

The book has beautifully carved out characters, all of which are fully explored by the writer. The female protagonist, Ruchika Sen, is a successful entrepreneur, but has had her own share of miseries that haunt her present.

The male lead, Aahan Khatri, is a struggler but lives in the present. Nevertheless, life has its own twisted trajectory. Apart from them, we especially, loved the supportive and caring character of Sameera and Yash. Almost all the characters would feel real and relatable because in today's messy world, each one is insecure and afraid of certain things. There are scenes which move you to the core, some would touch your heart right at the weakest point, the other would puddle your eyes with happy tears.

The titles to each chapter is well suited and intriguing. The book has also got well written quotations that would prove as a lifelong lesson for many. In a particular episode, the author writes about death, "Death. How does it feel? Both for the one who succumbs to it and for those who are left behind to mourn the loss? What about the one who is still living with the absence that death has caused?"

And while writing about feelings, she adds, "Sometimes, no matter how much you guard your emotions, but ultimately, they just flow boundless." and isn't it the most agreeable sentence?

The book has a collection of life affirming quotes. She writes, "Life often makes us stand at the same point from where we have been running since long." She emphasizes on the hopeful aspect and says, "Amid all the dark clouds, please hold on. Cling on to the last

branch, for definitely, the night would fade and dawn would approach you." She adds "Think of all the possibilities that, you can become!" and we can't agree more on this.

The only thing we felt bad about was Neil.

That character won our hearts. But life was unfair. Yet again, may be, "You don't seek love, it seeks you. " The climactic chapters are extremely well written and fills you with goosebumps. Overall, the novel has covered up everything that today's readers demand, romance, drama, positivity and a lot more. It screams out loud that mental health must be taken care of. You enter the book with mixed emotions, but when you come out, it is all hopeful, well-lit and confirming to life.

We would recommend you to read this and get an insight into how beautiful life can be despite of the oddities.

The book is available at Amazon, Flipkart and Haneul Store. An e book version is also available on Kindle. Reach out to the author directly @storyweaverpadmaja in Instagram and Facebook.

Padmaja Mishra

Faridabad (NCR) 16-31 October, 2020 www.theasianchronicle.com

9

life style

Sajeeda Feroz

The mighty bamboo trees may look like any normal flora but in reality, they are far more valuable in more ways than one. Right from the time it is a seedling to the time it grows to a massive height of more than 40 metres, a bamboo tree undergoes a deep change resulting in its strength and vigour making it stable and durable.

If we keenly examine the growth of the bamboo tree, we shall arrive at the realisation of the immense life lessons itoffers us.

The bamboo seedling when buried in the earth and watered, does not rise in the next few days.

It doesn’t rise during the course of the next year either or the year after that or another year after that.

But there is a catch though, the shoot needs nourishment from the earth, water and sunlight consistently for it to gain strength, even if you don’t see it surface for days on end.

It may seem like the seed wasn’t good enough to give birth to the plant but what we can’t fathom is the magic happening beneath. On average, the bamboo shoot takes at least three years to surface from the ground below. Until then it’s the root system which is at work,creating the toughest foundation to withstand any danger that could present itself.

After an intense wait of four to five years or sometimes more, the shoot gradually peeps out of the ground, the sapling presents itself for the world to watch in awe and then the inevitable happens. The shoot grows at a pace which may seem unnatural and within a period of four to five weeks it grows

LESSONS FROM THE BAMBOO TREE to the skies and stands tall at 80 feet or more.

Its growth is so swift that in a few bamboo trees, we can literally see it growing in length right in front of our eyes if watched closely.

This is the story of the amazing bamboo tree and it does teach us a few life lessons which bears a strong resemblance to our lives as well. The bamboo tree teaches the way we should live life, thus giving room to realise our true potential and make it worth living.

Bide your time. Prepare yourself.

Build a strong foundation.

The bamboo tree takes years to surface, but takes just days to achieve maximum height. Meanwhile the root is laying the most robust foundation over which the shoot shall thrive when it is born.

To be successful in life, get your roots well - imbibed in all aspects necessary to make you stronger in life. Invest time in assembling knowledge to spear – head you in the right direction. Lay the foundation for a solid groundwork so that

nothing can shake you off your core no matter what troubleyou may have to face. Your groundwork shall always have your back.

Put forth the element of surprise unleashing your true potential.

Once the bricks of development have been laid and you are confident enough to take it to the next level, break through all barriers and rise up from the ground. Unleash your true power and talent.

Your solid preparation will launch you forth like an arrow hitting right at the bull’s eye. This is just the beginning and you have far more seas to conquer, nevertheless this approach shall help you in getting it done. Spring forth when the world least expects it.

Believe in yourself and work with perseverance.

During the initial period when the farmer grows the bamboo tree, he doesn’t lose hope and believes that the bamboo tree will surely rise some day and he works with consistent efforts watering the plant every day, giving it the right compost while taking care that the ground is exposed to a good amount of sunlight. He perseveres and works day in and day out with consistent efforts thus helping the plant get the required nutrition.

Never lose hope. Believe in yourself, your dreams and goals but at the same time work hard on them in tune with the current trends and technology.Persevere, be patient and committed towards your goals. Create your own light at the end of the tunnel and victory shall find you.

Be simple yet useful.

The narrow, well-made bamboo treelooks simple and unyielding, but caters to a myriad of industries

ranging from medicine to handicrafts. It may look lean and hollow, but is capable of offering some of the best environment friendly products known to mankind. The final product is durable and long lasting and bamboo products are in demand all over the world.

Make yourself useful to people around you. Help out as much as you can. Take care of less fortunate, for a life lived serving humanity is one of the best ways to live your life. You will someday achieve your goals but let that not avert your attention from loved ones. Keep them close. As much as we need success and carve our identities, the essence of love and friendship keeps the spirit alive.

Bend against the strongest wind but don’t break.

The bamboo shoot looks weak and hollow but in reality, the long and slender tree can easily withstand the ferocious winds and storms. The secret behind this intense firmness is that the bamboo tree doesn’t stand against the wind, it humbles and bends against it, thereby building resistance while protecting itself against the impact as well. At the end of the attack, it still reigns standing its ground.

Similarly, when there is nothing going in tandem with your plan, stand your ground. Don’t break.

Let things unfurl themselves so that you can have a clear sight at your goal. Sometimes not reacting to negative shortcomings is the best reaction. Be patient and everything shall fall into place when you least expect it.

Live life like the bamboo tree and see your life prosper.

Healthy Respiratory System- Guard Against Diseases

Shubh Mathur

least 15 minutes is the most cost-effective remedy for a healthy respiratory system.

A healthy diet and consistent physical exercise

With a crazy virus sticking around us, common cold and viral fever with the seasonal changes have come as a double whammy. To combat the approaching diseases, it is a prudent approach to keep the respiratory system at its full potential. The complex breathing system keeps restlessly working all day long to fuel each cell of our body and hence, here is a list of some natural remedies to achieve optimum lung health.

The benefits of exercise and a healthy diet will translate into a robust respiratory system. Getting adequate sleep and doing little movements while working can help you climb the pyramid of health in your daily life. Seasonal fruits and vegetables and fruits are the best sources of micros like vitamins and fibre, while pulses and wheat (roti) make the portion of carbohydrates in the body. A holistic meal will help the body fight a virus like nothing else. One should make a point to add mild or intense exercise as per one’s fitness goals status as it helps feel better both physically and mentally.

Keeping hydrated

To start with, keeping the body hydrated is of utmost importance on a sick day.

Water being an irreplaceable hunger-satiating liquid, can, sometimes, be replaced with the fruit juice. In this monsoon season, something warm like a soup or lemon tea can do wonders for your digestive system as well.

Steam inhalation

It’s the Grandmother recipe for getting rid of the cold. One can make this 10x more effective by adding mint and caraway seeds

Quit smoking

that will cure dry cough and sore throat.

One or two tablespoons of a medicated rub, which contains natural ingredients like kapoor and Nilgiri, can be added in a bowl of hot water. Doing this regularly for at

If you smoke, don’t. Smoking causes lung cancer, chronic bronchitis and emphysema.

It inflames the respiratory system and spurs in oxidative damage. More than 90 per cent of lung cancer deaths are attributed to smoking. It is to be remembered that passive smoking is as injurious as active smoking. If someone in your house does smoke,

keep a distance with him, or at best, ask him to quit.

Resort to Yoga

As the breath moves, so does the mind; When one is steadied, the other too becomes steady HATHA YOGA PRADIPIKA 11.2

Pranayama not only strengthens the lungs, in fact, it is beneficial for circulatory, endocrine and the digestive system too. The breathing process tones up the lungs and the retention helps in better supply of oxygen. Following reasons will make clear why Pranayama is a crucible of benefitsmCreates mindfulness and breathing awareness mCalming effect on the brain and thus there is clarity of thought mIncreased efficiency levels and productivity mEnhances memory and concentration mHelps to balance and regulate emotions mReduces impulsive behaviour mIncreases stamina and energy levels of both body and mind.

Faridabad (NCR) 16-31 October, 2020 www.theasianchronicle.com

life style

Laughter is the best medicine

10

As per a study by a 2017 study titled Advances in Physiology Education, laughter stimulates multiple physiological systems that decrease levels of stress hormones, such as cortisol and epinephrine, and increase the activation of the dopamine-dispensing reward system of the brain.

LAUGHING BURNS CALORIES

Rhythima Agrawal Indeed, it is true that laughter is strong medicine. It triggers physical and emotional changes in the body. Laughter strengthens our immune system, lifts our mood, reduces pain, and protects us from the stress-related diseases. Nothing works faster or more dependably to bring your mind and body back into balance than a good laugh. Humor lightens your burdens, inspires hope, connects you to others, and keeps you grounded, focused, and alert. It also helps you release anger and forgive sooner.

With so much power to heal and renew, the ability to laugh easily and frequently is a tremendous resource for surmounting problems, enhancing your relationships, and supporting both physical and emotional health. Best of all, this priceless medicine is fun, free, and easy to use.

As children, we used to laugh hundreds of times a day, but as adults, life tends to be more serious and laughter more infrequent. You can improve your emotional health, strengthen your relationships, and find happiness by taking time from your busy routine for some laughter and joy.

Humor-associated laughter has numerous health benefits, so here are some reasons, you should laugh it up:-

LAUGHTER MAY REDUCE YOUR BLOOD PRESSURE

High blood pressure (hypertension) is one of the most dangerous side effects of stress, as well as a huge risk factor for heart disease and stroke. However, it's hard to be stressed when you're laughing, so researchers have investigated whether laughter can bring blood pressure down.

There are more than a few studies that show a reduction of blood pressure after

laughter, such as a 2017 study in the Journal of Dental and Medical Research, where 40 patients undergoing hemodialysis listened to CDs of comic shows for 16 30-minute sessions over eight weeks, and saw a decrease in blood pressure.

LAUGHTER CAN REDUCE ANXIETY AND OTHER NEGATIVE EMOTIONS

Laughter therapy has also been shown to improve anxiety in patients with Parkinson's disease, reduce anxiety and depression in nursing students, and improve optimism, self-esteem, and depression in menopausal women. A 1990 study in Psychological Reports looked at the effects of humorous laughter on threat-induced anxiety. Subjects in the experiment group listened to a humorous tape while waiting for their shock. The placebo group listened to a non-humorous tape, and the control group did not listen to any tape. The humor group reported that their anxiety decreased during the anticipatory period, and those with the highest self-reported level of sense of humor had the lowest reported anxiety.

LAUGHTER MAY ACT AS A NATURAL ANTI-DEPRESSANT

A 2017 study in the Korean Journal of Adult Nursing tested the effects of laughter therapy on 42 residents of two longterm care hospitals. The laugher therapy, which the subjects undertook over eight sessions, for 40 minutes twice a week, included "singing funny songs, laughing for diversion, stretching, playing with hands and dance routines, laughing exercises, healthy clapping, and laughing aloud."The results showed reduced depression and general mood improvement as well as improved sleep in the experi-

ment group compared to the control group.

LAUGHTER CALMS STRESS HORMONES

A 2014 study in the International Journal of Obesity found that laughter can burn calories. Researchers broke a group of 45 participants into two groups, half of whom watched film clips intended to evoke laughter for approximately 10 minutes, and half who watched film clips unlikely to stimulate laughter. Both groups were attached to a "calorimeter" that measured energy expenditure and heart rate. They determined that those who laughed during their viewing burned up to 10 calories in 10 minutes, as compared to those who did not laugh and did not burn any calories.

As laughter, humor, and play become integrated into your life, your creativity will flourish and new opportunities for laughing with friends, coworkers, acquaintances, and loved ones will occur to you daily. Laughter takes you to a higher place where you can view the world from a more relaxed, positive, and joyful perspective.

Faridabad (NCR) 16-31 October, 2020 www.theasianchronicle.com

health

Reasons why fast food is bad for health

11

Shivani Shukla

If fast food is your go-to comfort food or any-time-of-the-day food then you’re doing it wrong. The greasy, sugary and full of fat food makes you happy with every single bite but is it really worth it? How bad can this indulgence be for you? With risks we already know and consequences we associate with, fast foods are a definitive no-no.

Still not convinced? Read on.

You’re consuming high amounts of sodium and hydrogenated fats

What are the ingredients used to make those crispy golden French fries? Potatoes and seasoning, right? Wrong. Sodium and hydrogenated fats. Most of the fast food has excessive amounts of salt making it notoriously high in sodium. Consuming these insane amounts causes a buildup in your system, which can lead to a series of medical problems. On the other hand, hydrogenated fats are basically what most of the junk food is fried in. These fats have a long shelf life and are extremely cheap to buy.

Furthermore, constantly reheating such fats causes a change in their chemical composition which leads to them becoming carcinogenic. Yes, you’re literally consuming carcinogenic food with a crazy amount of sodium whenever you decide to give in to your cravings.

What French fries do to you? Filled with trans fat and chemicals, French fries have been proven to increase the mortality risk along with other chronic diseases like hypertension, diabetes, heart disease and obesity.

In 100g of fries

Total calories: 312 Total fat: 15g

You’re consuming leftover and low quality food ingredients

Ever seen a hamburger advertisement?

Bright green lettuce, melty-gooey cheese, lush red tomatoes, a guarantee of freshness and the most important ingredient? Truckloads of lies. Fast food chains do not sell what they advertise. The ingredients used are not even good quality, let alone high quality. The vegetables are contaminated with pesticides and devoid of any vitamins and minerals. The patty? You will never know which part of the chicken it came from or even if it’s chicken that you’re eating! In short, from vegetables, cheese to the chicken, everything is processed and adulterated. What a hamburger does to you?

High in saturated fat and dietary cholesterol, burgers can increase the level of cholesterol in your body and make you vulnerable to heart disease.

In one hamburger: Calories: 540 Cholesterol: 80mg

You’re getting addicted to refined sugar

Once you taste it, it’s hard not to reach out for fast food again. Fast food contain high amounts of refined sugar and are known to be addictive. Fried food is especially rich in refined sugar so consuming such addictive substances is likely to make you dependent on it. Think of all the diabetes inducing, overly sugary milkshakes and ice creams and how harmful they can be for your health. Moreover, it does not contain any nutrients which makes it difficult for our body to metabolize sugar.

What full-fat ice creams and milkshakes

do to you? Milkshakes are high in calories and sugar. This can lead to a variety of problems in both adult and children alike. From diabetes to obesity or tooth decay, any person can fall prey to this.

In 500ml of milkshake: Calories: 670 Sugar: 54-160g

When extra calories are leading to weight gain

Think about it, if you’re basically eating sugar, sodium and fat disguised as a meal, you’re bound to put on a few kilos. Fast food is processed and full of chemical additives which translates to empty calories.

With zero amount of nutrition and crazy amount of calories, they’re sureshot path to weight gain. The situation gets worse if you don’t lead an active lifestyle, because then you’re eating more calories than what you’re burning, leading to a surplus of calories exceeding your daily calorie intake.

What pizza does to you? Pizza can spike the level of fat in your body. These heightened fat levels can displace your blood’s good cholesterol and lead to clogging and hardening of your arteries. You also increase you risk of a stroke or a heart attack.

In one large slice of pizza: Calories: 311 Total fat: 19g

When it’s making you vulnerable to diseases

Fast food contains high levels of fat, which

are called saturated fatty acids. These fats can raise the blood cholesterol levels and lead to an increased risk of cardiovascular diseases. Due to additives present in such food, cancer becomes another risk for the person consuming this food. Other health problems like constipation, bloating, acne and tooth decay stem from overdosing on fast food.

What Samosa’s do to you? With hydrogenated, trans and saturated fat, and a whole lot carbs. Samosa is the ultimate Indian junk food. This much loved treat is as deadly as any other food item mentioned above.

In one samosa:

Calories: 308 Total fat: 25g

opinion

Manikya Dheeren

Regulate Social Media A Proven Destabilizer

Online discussions simply mirror what is already happening in the society. A strong enforcement of rule of law will allow greater freedom of expression online and weaken the need for regulation.

Today’s social media hydra was just waiting for the marriage of technology evolution with psychological insights since the internet’s early days itself when people created webpages, ogled at celebrities, searched old friends and services, typed emails, scoured for pornography, peddled conspiracy theories, and frequented chatrooms. Emerging platforms like Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and WhatsApp evolved to suck users deeper into virtual cocoons. They have spawned compulsive personality traits vastly different from peoples’ original selves, fed and weaponised off the very information we search or publish. The rewards accrue to a few like social media influencers, while the repercussions of short-lived personal gratification are increasingly being felt by young people, families, communities and even governments.

Arguably, the changes happened too fast for governments to respond. But that is no longer the case. The 2018 EU General Data Protection Regulation, with norms like protecting the “vital interests of data subjects” and other individuals, offer solid templates for social media regulation. Indian regulators must apply a similar template. After all, the Supreme

Faridabad (NCR) 16-31 October, 2020 www.theasianchronicle.com

Court ruled privacy to be a fundamental right in India in 2017. Besides, social media is also an information broadcaster like mainstream media. Parity demands the same media regulations and responsibilities applying to both. Letting tech companies escape regulation makes a mockery of competition and media laws besides endangering individual and social well-being.

The Indian government appears to have made up its mind about the need to regulate content on social media. In a recent Supreme Court filing, it has submitted that new social media regulations will be notified by early next year. Broadly, the goal of these regulations will be to make social media platforms more liable for the content they host. Another goal will be to enforce traceability of content, ostensibly to enable accountability. According to the filing, the government is worried about “unimaginable disruption to the democratic polity” from unregulated social media content. If the proposed regulations go through, India will join a burgeoning list of countries that regulate social media, including recent regulators such as Australia, Singapore, Europe, and old hands such as China.

Most agree that obviously illegal content should be regulated; child pornography, direct and specific threats, violent extremist videos, and the like. The need to regulate anything that is not obviously illegal, however, is unclear and must be scrutinised. The government argues that unregulated social media promotes misinformation, hate speech, defamation,

threats to public order, terrorist incitement, bullying, and anti-national activities. While this may be true, it is unclear why content regulation is the answer, if the content is not obviously illegal. In addition, social media is simply a platform for expression; making the platform liable for content, even if it is obviously illegal, makes only as much sense as making a transporter, restaurateur, or a cell phone network provider liable for content of any discussion that uses their infrastructure.

The government is to outline new powers for the media regulator Ofcom to police social media.

It is supposed to make the companies protect users from content involving things like violence, terrorism, cyber-bullying and child abuse.

Companies will have to ensure that harmful content is removed quickly and take steps to prevent it appearing in the first place.

They had previously relied largely on self-governance. Sites such as YouTube and Facebook have their own rules about what is unacceptable and the way that users are expected to behave towards one another.

YouTube releases a transparency report, which gives data on its removals of inappropriate content. The video-sharing site owned by Google said that 8.8m videos were taken down between July and September 2019, with 93% of them automatically removed by machines, and two thirds of those clips not receiving a single view. It also removed 3.3 million chan-

12

nels and 517 million comments.

Globally, YouTube employs 10,000 people in monitoring and removing content, as well as policy development.

Facebook, which owns Instagram, told Reality Check it has more than 35,000 people around the world working on safety and security, and it also releases statistics on its content removals. Between July and September 2019 it took action on 30.3 million pieces of content of which it found 98.4% before any users flagged it.

There are also challenges to regulating content that is not obviously illegal. Consider misinformation or fake news, for example. Who decides what is fake and what is not? Even if some content is fake, who decides whether it was satire or intentioned to create harm? Even if the intention is to create harm, who decides when it is permitted (freedom of expression) or prohibited? Besides, how exactly does one implicate social media for fake news? Even before the advent of social media, fake news was regularly peddled and relished (e.g., the Ganesh idol drinking milk, the Bangalore Nale Ba woman, Amala and Kamala; the list is endless).

Social media, at most, increases the scale and speed of spread of misinformation.

Regulation of social media content should be best left to the tech companies themselves. There are several reasons.

First, they have an obligation. It could be argued that they are monetising a public resource — data of citizens. So, like licensees of the broadcast spectrum, who must abide by some public interest obligations in exchange for the opportunity to monetise a public resource, social media companies have an obligation to the public to limit spread of misinformation, extremism, hate speech, etc. Second, these companies have a strong incentive — survival. Customers will automatically gravitate away from a platform where a large amount of content is objectionable or untrustworthy. Threat of regulations also provides an incentive.

Third, only they have the resources and the background to address the problem.

Ex post detection and removal of objectionable content will require development of sophisticated tools and technologies. Fourth, they have been at it already. YouTube, which employs 10,000 people globally for monitoring and removal of objectionable content, took down 8 million videos in 2018 during a three-month period, 81% of which were removed automatically, and three-quarters of those clips never received a single view. Facebook, which employs over 30,000 people of detection and removal, removed over 15 million pieces of violent content during a three-month period in 2018, over 99% of which was done automatically.

Freedom of expression on social media is integral to a healthy, thriving democracy. We will be stronger by enabling and cultivating it, not curtaining it.

Faridabad (NCR) 16-31 October, 2020 www.theasianchronicle.com

13

news

India launches dolphin safaris on River Ganga to boost eco-tourism

India, on the occasion of the Ganga River Dolphin Day, launched an interesting campaign, My Ganga My Dolphin, in a bid to promote and boost eco-tourism in the country. The ecotourism programme has been launched at six destinations by the National Mission for Clean Ganga (NMCG).

The programme includes dolphin safari in Uttar Pradesh, Bihar and West Bengal, all three states blessed with the River Ganga’s presence.

My Ganga My Dolphin was also launched to conduct Dolphin census in the 250-km stretch from Bijnor to Narora.

In this first-of-its-kind initiative, dolphin safaris will begin in Kahalgaon (Bihar), Bijnor, Brijghat, Prayagraj and Varanasi (all in Uttar Pradesh), and Bandel (West Bengal).

Rajeev Ranjan Mishra, NMCG director general called it a unique initiative to “integrate Gangetic dolphin and Ganga conservation with local livelihoods which is in line with the concept of Arth Ganga.”

The statement released by the Jal Shakti Ministry read, “This is a joint venture of WII, NMCG and the State Forest Departments, for sustainable tourism linking livelihood through Dolphin Conservation for

Momentum investing is having its best time in India since 2008 crisis Momentum is a thing. For years now, some investors have generated excess returns or alpha over a benchmark index by buying stocks that have done well in the recent past, and likewise getting rid of laggards in their portfolio.

For investors using momentum investing strategies in India, things have gotten even better this year. While the Nifty 50 index has risen 52% from its March lows, the Nifty Alpha 50 index has risen 79%.

What’s more, in the market’s fall between mid-February and end-March, both indices fell at the same pace. As a result, the Nifty Alpha 50 index has ended up outperforming the broad market by nearly 30% this year.

The Alpha index includes stocks that have generated the highest alpha in the recent past, with even their weight in the index depending on the quantum of excess returns.

“The return premium is evident in 212 years of US equity data (from 1801 to 2012)—as well as UK equity data dating back to the Victorian age... in 40 other countries and in more than a dozen other asset classes. Some of this evidence predates academic research in financial economics, suggesting that the momentum premium has been a part of markets for as long as there have been markets," they wrote.

Of course, all this is not to say that investors can blindly follow this strategy.

Like with all of investing, there needs to be some checks and balances.

“A key downside of this investment approach is that some stocks can turn illiquid when the market corrects. In simple terms, if momentum investing fetches extraordinary returns when the market is rallying, during a correction, the losses can be equally steep," said Andrew Holland, chief executive officer, Avendus Capital Alternate Strategies.

“The return premium is evident in 212 years of US equity data (from 1801 to 2012)—as well as UK equity data dating back to the Victorian age... in 40 other countries and in more than a dozen other

asset classes. Some of this evidence predates academic research in financial economics, suggesting that the momentum premium has been a part of markets for as long as there have been markets," they wrote.

Of course, all this is not to say that investors can blindly follow this strategy.

Like with all of investing, there needs to be some checks and balances.

“A key downside of this investment approach is that some stocks can turn illiquid when the market corrects. In simple terms, if momentum investing fetches extraordinary returns when the market is rallying, during a correction, the losses can be equally steep," said Andrew Holland, chief executive officer, Avendus Capital Alternate Strategies.

The Father of Momentum Investing

Though not the first momentum investor, Richard Driehaus took the practice and made it into the strategy he used to run his funds. His philosophy was that more money could be made by "buying high and selling higher" than by buying underpriced stocks and waiting for the market to reevaluate them.

Driehaus believed in selling the losers and letting the winners ride while re-investing the money from the losers in other stocks that were beginning to boil. Many of the techniques he used became the basics of what is now called momentum investing.

ecotourism along the Ganga river.”

Congratulating the nation on the occasion, the Jal Shakti Minister Shri Gajendra Singh Shekhawat informed that in recent years, the number of Gangetic Dolphins has significantly gone up. He also requested people to support the Dolphin Conservation campaign and explained the importance of biodiversity.

As of now, trained volunteers from the local community, known as Ganga Praharis, will lead tourists at all these dolphin sites on boat rides. Ganga Praharis are those who are continuously working for cleanliness of the Ganges in every state.

History of Ganga River Dolphin Day Apparently,

India

celebrates

Ganga River Dolphin Day every year on October 5 as the Ganga river dolphins were declared national aquatic animals in 2010.

Then, in 2012, dolphin conservation began in the country in joint efforts by the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) and UP government.

According to Suresh Babu, Director (river, wetland and water policy), WWF, the goal is to ensure water connectivity and depth needed for the survival of dolphins.

Number of Gangetic dolphins in India

In India, the dolphins can be seen in Assam, Bihar, Jharkhand, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh and West Bengal. According to reports, there are about 3700 Gangetic river Dolphins in India.

Scientists return from Arctic with wealth of climate data

Rhythima Agrawal

An icebreaker, carrying scientists for studying the Arctic has returned to its homeport in Germany. The scientists have collected enormous data that will help researchers to predict climate change better in the coming years.

The RV Polarstern which arrived on Monday in the North Sea port of Bremerhaven had set off more than a year ago. The scientists had set off prepared for bitter cold, and polar bear encounters — but not for the pandemic lockdowns that almost scuttled the mission half-way through.

“We basically achieved everything we set out to do,” the expedition’s leader, Markus Rex, told The Associated Press by satellite phone as it left the polar circle last week. “We conducted measurements for a whole year with just a short break.”

Markus added that the ship had to break away from its position in the north for three weeks in May for picking up supplies and rotate team members, but that didn’t cause significant problems to the mission.

“We’re bringing back a trove of data, along with countless samples of ice cores, snow and water,” said Rex, an atmospheric scientist at Germany’s Alfred Wegener Institute for Polar and Ocean Research that organized the expedition.

More than 300 scientists from 20 countries such as

United States, Britain, France, Russia and China took part in the 150-millioneuro ($177-million) expedition to measure conditions in one of the most remote and hostile parts of the planet over a whole year.

Much of the information will be used to improve scientists’ models of global warming, particularly in the Arctic, where change has been happening at a faster pace than elsewhere on the planet.

The expedition is known by its acronym MOSAiC. The Polarstern anchored to a large floe last fall and set up a camp on the ice, creating a small scientific village protected from wandering polar bears by alarms and scouts.

“We went above, and beyond the data collection we set out to do,” said Melinda Webster, a sea ice expert at the University of Alaska, Fairbanks, whose work is funded by NASA. Webster, who led a team of 14 scientists during the fourth

leg of the trip, said it would likely take years, or even decades, to sift through the data.

“This is an extremely exciting time to get into Arctic science because of the changes that are happening,” she said.

“We need to get all the help we can because it’s important to understand what’s going on and the more people help out, the better.”

Rex, the expedition leader, noted that the ship encountered unusually thin and mushy conditions in the region above northern Greenland this summer that allowed them to make an unplanned detour to the North Pole.

“We are watching the Arctic sea ice die,” said Rex, adding that he thinks there may be no summer sea ice in the Arctic soon. This would cause not just significant disruption to indigenous societies in the region but also interfere with the planet’s cooling system.

“We need to do everything to preserve it for future generations,” he said.

Faridabad (NCR) 16-31 October, 2020 www.theasianchronicle.com

haryana

Crops will be purchased at MSP in any case: Dushyant Chautala

Deputy Chief Minister,Dushyant Chautala said that farmers will not have to face any problems while selling their crops. The crops will be purchased at the Minimum Support Price (MSP) in any case.

The Deputy Chief Minister visited several grain mandis of district Jind today to take stock of the crop procure-

ment work. While interacting with the farmers in the grain mandis of Jind, Alewa and Uchana, he said that this year the weather has been favourable for the crops, due to which the harvest has been good in the state. This year, twice the amount of paddy has reached for sale in the mandis as compared to last year, and has been procured within

Scooties distributed to female public representatives 42 female public representatives of Panchayati Raj Institutions of seven districts including Bhiwani, Charkhi Dadri, Jind, Hisar, Sirsa, Fatehabad, and Kaithal were encouraged by distributing scooties by Hero Company for their commendable work and announced that a felicitation ceremony will soon be organized in Panchkula to honour women public representatives from five districts of northern Haryana.

While addressing the women representatives at the programme organized in Jind, the Deputy Chief Minister said that the State Government is constantly making efforts for the development and upliftment of women in rural areas. In the election of Panchayati Raj Institutions, 50 percent reservation will be given to women so that women do not lag behind in any field but can come forward and contribute their 100 percent in the development of the state by playing an important role in the development of their area, and village, he added.

He said that the State Government is also making efforts to increase the income of panchayats. Warehouses will be built to stock 7 lakh metric tonnes of food grains in rural areas, he added. He said that

Panchayats will get income of Rs 100 per quintal for storing grains in these warehouses.

Not only this, HCS officers have been appointed by the State Government on the posts of Chief Executive Officers in Zila Parishad for the development of rural areas, he added.

He said that the first programme to honour women public's representatives has been organized in district Gurugram. He said that the State Government is working to uplift every section of the state.

Many such schemes have been implemented by the present State Government, due to which every section of society is moving towards prosperity. Regarding the recently implemented Agricultural laws, he said that these laws will prove to be very beneficial for farmers and agriculture. Crops are being procured at Minimum Support Price (MSP) and will be procured at MSP in future as well, he added.

MLA Julana, Mr. Amarjeet Dhanda also addressed the programme. Principal Secretary, Development and Panchayats Department, Mr. Sudhir Rajpal gave detailed information about the steps being taken by the department for the development of rural areas.

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Developers to pay interest for delay: HARERA orders

24 hours at MSP and delivered to godowns and mills.

He said that 38 lakh MT of paddy has reached the mandis so far this year, out of which 31 lakh MT has been procured. Not only this, an amount of Rs 2050 crore has also been paid in the accounts of farmers.

He said that the three agricultural laws that have been implemented recently by the central government are fully farmer friendly. With the enactment of these laws, while the farmers have the freedom to sell their crops anywhere, many crops are being purchased on MSP as well. He said that many crops including mustard, pulses, maize, millet, cotton will be procured at fixed prices.

He said that under the Bhavantar Bharpai Yojana only four crops were included in the first phase, but now the scope of this scheme has been increased to include 11 horticultural crops, including tomato and ginger crops.

The Deputy Chief Minister also heard the problems and complaints of the people of the constituency at Kisan Bhawan in Uchana. During this, he directed the officers to redress problems on the spot.

In the complaint against “Sepset Properties Pvt. Ltd.’ for the project “Paras Dews” sector-106 Dwarka Expressway, the HARERA bench headed by Dr. K.K.Khandelwal ordered the promoter to pay Delay Possession charges (DPC) to the allottees as there is a delay of one and a half years. The promoter is directed to pay approximately a sum of Rs. 2 crores as DPC. Likewise, in the complaints against the project “Indiabulls Centrum Park” being developed by ‘Selene Constructions Limited’ in sector 103, Gurugram, the Authority has also ordered to pay DPC to the allottees of the project as there is a delay of almost 5 years in delivery of possession to the allottees.

For the execution petition against ‘Raheja Developers Limited’ the Authority has ordered to attach a bank account for a decretal amount of Rs. 2,61,64,200. Similarly, in an execution petition against ‘Ireo Grace Realtech

Private Limited’, the Authority has summoned the bank manager to appear personally and place on record the details of the accounts of Ireo Grace Pvt. Ltd. as it has been observed that even after the directions by the Authority to attach bank account, the bank officials have not come forward to answer the warrants of attachment. The Authority has held the same for bank manager of the account related to ‘Kashish Developers Limited’.

The Authority has performed a very significant and decisive role, as always, in imparting justice to all the aggrieved persons who approach HARERA, Gurugram for redressal.

Chairman Dr. K.K.Khandelwal, who is extremelyempathetic and compassionate in his approach towards distressed and afflicted persons, is always dedicated to deliver justice which is impartial and unbiased and is always guided by the principle of natural justice.

Deputy Chief Minister, Dushyant Chautala said that the shops of Haryana Khadi and Village Industries Board will be operational in all the district headquarters of the state in the next six months.

The high-quality products of the Board will be sold at these shops. A big shop will also be opened at the Rest House of the Public Works Department in Chanakyapuri in New Delhi so that Khadi products of Haryana can be sold to foreign tourists. All these shops will be attractively designed in the same

standard, size and design.

Deputy Chief Minister, who also has the portfolio of Development and Panchayats Department during a review meeting being held under his Chairmanship directed the officers of ‘Haryana Khadi and Village Industries Board’ to encourage the villagers of the rural areas of the state to start manufacturing biscuits made of Bajra, Kurkure and various new products other than khadi jacket, kurta - payjama, bedsheet, quilt, pickle, honey, soap, oil, shampoo and

spices. He said that Micro, Small, and Medium Industries (MSMEs) manufacturing the said products will be given Mudra-Loan under the ‘Atmanirbhar Bharat Yojana’ of Centre Government.

Dushyant Chautala said that the state government wants to promote products made by ‘Haryana Khadi and Village Industries Board’ in a big way. He further added that the products will be sold with a ‘logo’ of the Board on it so that ‘Haryana Khadi and Village Industries Board’ emerges as a brand.

Health Minister, Anil Vij launched an Android application and web portal called 'Asha-Pay' for digital payment and monitoring of the state's authorized social health workers (Asha workers). This will benefit 20268 Asha workers working in the state.

Vij said that Asha workers are a major strength of our department. With the help of this app, the payment of their monthly honorarium and incentive amount to Asha workers will be digital and faster, he added. He said that along with this,

verification and acceptance of the performance and evaluation report of Asha workers will also be digital.

This was earlier done in person, due to which the submission of the report and payment of the amount was delayed, he added. He said that with the launch of this app, the old demand of Asha workers will be fulfilled. With the help of this app, the process will be fully monitored by Additional Chief Secretary and MD level officers themselves. He congratulated the officers over the cre-

ation of this application by the National Health Mission itself.

The Health Minister said that all Asha workers will be provided CUG SIMs with facility of unlimited calls and 30 GB of 4G Internet monthly data so that this process can be linked to Geo Locations soon.

Through this app, Asha workers will upload their daily and monthly activities. Asha workers will also be able to view their incentive claims and find out about the approval and payment and incentive amount.

3 persons arrested against drug-peddling

Haryana Police, in separate incidents, have arrested three persons on the charges of drug-peddling and seized 50 kg ganja and 380 tablets falling under the category of banned medicines in district Fatehabad. In addition, Police have also confiscated 967 bottles of illicit liquor and arrested seven persons in this connection.

A spokesperson of said that a team of CIA while conducting checking near village Badopal on National Highway signaled an Innova car to stop. A search of the vehicle led to the seizure of 50 kg ganja. The arrested accused were identified as Malkiyat Singh and Vikram, from district Hisar.

In another incident, a Police team during patrolling had arrested Gurpreet alias Babu, a resident of Dhani Babanpur after it recovered 380 intoxicating tablets from him.

The spokesperson said that in separate cases, police have booked seven persons. And recovered 774 bottles of country-made liquor, 136 bottles of Indian Made Foreign Liquor, and 57 of beer in the district. Besides, two vehicles used in illegal transportation of liquor were also impounded.

Khadi board will be opened in all dist. HQ

Asha-Pay launched for payment and monitoring Asha Workers

Faridabad (NCR) 16-31 October, 2020 www.theasianchronicle.com

Khadi board will be opened in all dist. headquarters 15

Haryana Deputy Chief Minister, Dushyant Chautala said that the shops of Haryana Khadi and Village Industries Board will be operational in all the district headquarters of the state in the next six months. The high-quality products of the Board will be sold at these shops. A big shop will also be opened at the Rest House of the Public Works Department in Chanakyapuri in New Delhi so that Khadi products of Haryana can be sold to foreign tourists. All these shops will be attractively designed in the same standard, size and design.

Deputy Chief Minister, who also has the portfolio of

Development and Panchayats Department during a review meeting being held under his Chairmanship directed the officers of ‘Haryana Khadi and Village Industries Board’ to encourage the villagers of the rural areas of the state to start manufacturing biscuits made of Bajra, Kurkure and various new products other than khadi jacket, kurta - payjama, bedsheet, quilt, pickle, honey, soap, oil, shampoo and spices. He said that Micro, Small, and Medium Industries (MSMEs) manufacturing the said products will be given Mudra-Loan under the ‘Atmanirbhar Bharat Yojana’ of Centre Government.

Dushyant Chautala said that the state government wants to promote products made by ‘Haryana Khadi and Village Industries Board’ in a big way. He further added that the products will be sold with a ‘logo’ of the Board on it so that ‘Haryana Khadi and Village Industries Board’ emerges as a brand.

On this occasion, the Chief Administrator of ‘Haryana Khadi and Village Industries Board’ Ms. Ritu, OSD to Deputy Chief Minister, Kamlesh Bhadu, along with officers of Haryana Khadi and Village Industries and Industry and Commerce Department were present in the meeting.

haryana

8 competitions will be organized on occasion of Haryana Day

Sports and Youth Affairs Minister, Sandeep Singh, said that on the occasion of Haryana Diwas on November 1, 2020 the Sports Department will organize eight competitions for boys and girls of under-21 category and under-19 category at the district level. In this sports competition, standard operating norms (SOP) of social distancing will be strictly followed to deal with the corona crisis.

Sandeep Singh shared this information in a meeting organized with District Sports and Youth Affairs Officers and Coaches in Panchkula today. Director, Sports and Youth Affairs Department, SS Phulia was also present in

the meeting.

He informed that in this competition, four individual games will be conducted in athletics, wrestling, boxing, badminton and four team games of hockey, kabaddi, football and handball. Apart from this, a webinar will also be organized by the Sports Department on the youth.

He said that players of the state have made their mark on the national and international level due to which the state has got the opportunity to host the Khelo India Games-2021. He directed the officers to start preparing immediately so that the Khelo India Games -2021 can be conducted successfully and wherever there is a

need to strengthen the basic infrastructure that should be completed on priority. He shared his experiences of visiting the sports stadiums and other facilities built in various states of the country.

He said that good facilities have been provided in many stadiums at a low budget with an excellent level of maintenance. The State Government will leave no stone unturned to make the Khelo India Games-2021 memorable, he emphasized.

He said that under the Haryana Sports & Physical Fitness Policy 2015, sportspersons have been provided with facilities like cash incentives and reservation in jobs.

Villages will get 24hrs electricity in next 18 months Shatrujeet Kapoor, Chairmancum-Managing Director of Uttar Haryana Bijli Vitran Nigam and Dakshin Haryana Bijli Vitran Nigam said that in the next 18 months, 24 hours power supply will be provided in all the villages of Haryana.

The foresightedness of Chief Minister, Manohar Lal has brought Bijli Nigams to a profitable situation and in this ‘Mhara Gaon-Jagmag Gaon' scheme has played a pivotal role.

The line loss of Bijli Nigams which was 80 percent in last 5 years has now been reduced to around 20 percent and in future, efforts will be made to bring this up to 15 percent.

He informed that two percent of the profit earned by Bijli Nigams will be spent on Public interest.

Construction of a library in the name of Sardar Patel in Kachhwa

village that has been started today is the first step taken in this direction.

This is the first such library of Haryana and Kachhwa village which will be constructed at a cost of Rs. 20 lakh under this scheme. In the coming time, Nigam will be setting up 40 to 50 such libraries every year.

Kapoor was addressing the villagers at the inauguration of Sardar Patel Library at village Kachhwa in Karnal district today. He said that this library will provide special benefit to the youth and children to increase their intellectual levels.

About 3,000 books will be kept in this library and Gram Panchayat will constitute a committee to run this library, he said.

Kapoor said that earlier in the rural area only 12 hours power supply was provided, due to the lines losses

power cuts were also done but then the Chief Minister decided to end this line losses for which the ‘Mhara Gaon Jagmag Gaon’ scheme was launched in the year 2015 from the village Dayalpura in Kurukshetra.

Presently, 4750 villages out of about 7000 villages in the state are getting 24 hours power supply. The process is underway in about 100

villages. In Kaithal, Sonipat, Palwal and Narnaul districts, the work of ‘Mhara Gaon Jagmag Gaon’ scheme is swiftly going on, he said.

He said that Haryana government has recently reduced the electricity rates, consumer spending electricity up to 200 units will have to pay Rs. 2.50 per unit and 10 paise per unit for farming, while the State government purchases electricity at Rs 4 per unit.

He informed that Chief Minister, Manohar Lal has also announced power relief for the industries.

Under this, any industrial owner who will run his operations for additional hours at night, then he will get the power supply at a lower rate of Rs.5 per unit.

Kapoor said that in the past a lot of cases of transformer theft have been reported in the state, the

biggest reason for these thefts is presence of copper element in the transformers, but now the State government is replacing copper with aluminum in the transformers so as to stop the thefts.

He informed that the Bijli Vitran Nigams are now running in profit.

The Nigam in the year 2017-18 has made a profit of Rs 412 crore, Rs 300 crore in the year 2018-19 and Rs 330 crore in the year 2019-20 despite the COVID-19 Pandemic.

Two percent of this is to be spent under the CSR scheme as dividend.

Under this, the Nigam has decided that those villages which have supported the Nigam for ‘Mhara Gaon Jagmag Gaon’ scheme, libraries will be set up in the name of Sardar Patel, number of such libraries will continue to increase in future as well.

CM approves Integrated Solid Waste Management Cluster Project “State Teachers Award-2020: teachers can apply till Nov 2

In a bid to further strengthen Waste Management System in Haryana, Chief Minister, Manohar Lal today approved the Integrated Solid Waste Management Cluster Project.

Under this project in the first phase, Solid Waste Management Plants will be set up in four clusters.

The Chief Minister gave this approval while presiding over the meeting of Cabinet Sub-Committee on Infrastructure of Integrated Solid Waste Management Cluster Projects in Haryana held here today.

Deputy Chief Minister, Dushyant Chautala, Urban Local Bodies Minister, Anij Vij and Transport Minister, Mool Chand Sharma who

are members of this committee were also present in the meeting.

The Chief Minister directed the officers of the concerned departments that under this project, door-todoor collection of waste should be strengthened.

Besides this, necessary arrangements while adopting new techniques should be made in the dumping yard so as to ensure that environment is not polluted during waste disposal.

The Chief Minister also directed that apart from cities, possibilities of implementing this project at the village level should also be explored, so that Waste Management in rural areas can also be ensured in

proper and systematic manner.

Additional Chief Secretary, Urban Local Bodies Department, S. N. Roy said that under the Integrated Solid Waste Management Cluster Project, Waste Management Plants will be set up in cities, where processing of waste will be done. After this, a Regional Engineering Land Fill will be set up by combining three-four districts, where the remaining waste will be disposed off after processing.

He informed that in this project, along with the primary source of waste, a provision has also been made for lifting of roadside waste. For successful im-

plementation of the project, electronic weighing machines will also be installed at the dumping ground and CCTV cameras will also be installed. This will help to monitor activities being carried out by the agency hired for Waste Management and will also ensure disposal of waste without harming the environment.

Chief Principal Secretary to the Chief Minister, D.S. Dhesi, Additional Principal Secretary to the Chief Minister V. Umashankar, Principal Secretary, Town and Country Planning Department, Apoorva Kumar Singh and Director, Urban Local Bodies Department, Amit Kumar Agrawal and other officers were present.

Haryana Government has invited online applications for 'State Teacher Award 2020' from eligible teachers working in government schools of the state. Eligible teachers can send their online applications till November 2, 2020.

Giving information about this, a spokesperson of Haryana School Education Department said that eligible teachers can apply by logging on to the department's website schooleducationharyana.gov.in and the teachers then have to click ‘State Award -2020' link mentioned under the title 'Online Application'.

The teacher will have to up-

load the desired documents after analyzing the awardpolicy issued by the department and understanding the prescribed criteria and have to submit all the information asked in the application.

According to the spokesperson, the eligible teachers can send their online applications from October 19 to November 2, 2020 till 12 midnight on the above mentioned link given on the website.

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Faridabad (NCR) 16-31 October, 2020 www.theasianchronicle.com

Trolls are making Bollywood celebrities flee social media

reel life

TAC Desk: Normally, a high social media engagement is a good sign for an influencer; however, when these “muchloved” followers lash out with the choicest abuses and negative comments, it is natural for even the best of the lot to lose their cool.

Celebs who once charged a bomb to endorse brands now seem just too nervous to post anything.

With the death of Sushant Singh Rajput triggering non-stop hatred against some movie actors, the likes of Sonam Kapoor and KritiSanon lashed out at fans and labelled social media a “toxic place”.

Recently, actress Sonakshi Sinha announced a very public Twitter exit owing to incessant negativity from trolls. That piece of news was followed by reports of singer Neha Bhasin, actor Aayush Sharma and Zaheer Iqbal quitting social platforms to avoid the trolls.

Sushant Singh Rajput

Post Pandemic Shooting Starts in Delhi- NCR

Renowned singer Daler Mehendi and actress Kavita Tripathi were spotted shooting for their upcoming song “ Mamla Gadbad Hai” from the upcoming feature film Shatranj. The shooting was held in Noida and a part of the song will be shot in Ghaziabad. Along with shooting, a brief press meet was held in the presence of producers- Anand Prakash and MrinalniSingh, Director – Dushyant Pratap, Singer - Daler Mehendi and Actress - KavitaTripathi.

Shatranj is an upcoming Suspense thriller and will most probably be released this year in theatres. The movie’s shooting is in full swing. TV actor Hiten Tejwani will be playing a lead role along with Kavita Tripathi in the movie.

The film is produced under the Anand Motion Pictures banner.

TALES OF RISING RANI winner of 8 film festival gets India proud globally

Platforms with no love

Bollywood actor Adhyayan Summan, who has also been trolled before, points out that there appear to be no pros left to be on a public platform. Talking about how the virtual world has become extremely toxic and delusional, he says, “Not everyone is thick-skinned.

Some get extremely affected by what these trolls say. In the past, people have committed suicide because of cyberbullying. I honestly believe it is going to get worse because there is no censorship.

This needs to stop.”

Lending his thoughts on the matter, SsumierPasricha, who is popular for his ‘Pammi Aunty’ act and has been very vocal about his thoughts on various platforms, believes actors are easy targets.

“Most trolls are fake accounts with no identity and they usually write negative things to instigate a response or just to push the ‘trending’ hashtag,” says Ssumier, pointing out the trolling as a

16

Sonakshi Sinha

Sonam Kapoor

strategy to become viral and part of social media marketing sometimes.

“The best way to deal with faceless trolls is to block them and try not to pay attention to negativity,” he says.

Time to leave

Babumoshai Bandookbaaz actress Bidita Bag, who’s also had to deal with a constant flow of negative comments on social media, decided to put a rest to her public account for some time and focus on her work instead.

“For the time being, I am on a social media detox. I have decided that if I am not an expert on a subject, I would rather not speak on it just to look ‘woke’.

Often, these trolls are ruthless and they

circulate old posts and edited content to pull you down. Therefore, as much as possible I try to keep the communication one-way now.”

VJ and popular actor Shaleen Malhotra shares his perspectives on the matter too. According to him, however, when a celebrity decides to join a social media platform he or she agrees to receive the bouquets and brickbats that come with the fanfare.

“The kind of stardom that actors witnessed in the early 70s and 80s were mainly because the private lives of these stars were a mystery for fans. However, with social media, everyone has access to them and there is direct communication,” he points out.

Tale of Rising Rani has been Produced under the banner of Stripes Entertainment LLP by Ashok Kumar Sharna & has been Written, Directed & Edited by Prakash Saini.

Taking the vision of our Honourable Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modiji ahead the story revolves around a girl child and her fight with the system (Beti Bachao Beti Padhao), a fight of a girl child to get justice for her cousin sister the story is set in the backdrop of rural India where these incidents go unnoticed and also the girl child does not get justice, based on the true incidents & the unjust panchayat system how the lives of a innocent girl gets shattered life, the characters in the film are played by the real locals.

With the courage finds a way very old shackles from generations.

The film has officially been screened in various festivals and is the winner of Indie Meme film festival (Austin), 53rd Worldfest Houston, London Independent Film AwardsWorld film carnival (singapore)oniros film awards ( italy)Semi FanalistLondon Greek Film Festival Los Angeles film festival awardsOfficial Selection New york city independent film festival Columbia film festival of the artsReverside International film festival and many more...The film has won loads accolades in festival circuit all over the world making India proud globally with a simple narrative with real characters. In real conditions.

86 percent of UK women facing mental issues

Rhythima Agrawal

A survey conducted by a UKbased company has shown that there has been a rise of mental distress by 49% among employees, as compared to the year 2017-19.

Indeed the COVID-19 pandemic has slowed down economies, and people are facing the brunt of stress and tension, working from home.

Women are getting affected more due to their disproportionate schedules altered due to work-fromhome and household chores.

Work-related stress and household duties have led to severe mental health problems among many women.

The UK has been leading a 4- day week campaign to tackle the mental health issue of overwork among in-

dividuals. A report by a think tank, Compass, states that there has been a rise of mental distress by 49% among employees, as compared to the year 2017-19. The working hours have increased significantly.

Women have been facing more difficulties as they have to work and take care of their children as well.

The report focused that Britain has been facing burnouts and that women have more likely increased their working hours by 43% than the standard work time, as compared to men. But those women who have children dealt with more mental health problems last year.

This stat stands at a whopping 86% of women, and this is more than or equivalent to the UK's average.

The head of a well-being centre said that employees felt relieved when they were given the option of

starting later or sharing some job roles with others. This was an encouragement for staff well-being, which is essential for a workplace's productivity. Emma Mamo, Head

of a well-being centre Mind said, "As we try and manage our lives around Covid-19, employers could take forward more measures such as working from home or different hours to suit people's lives".

The report also stated that the impending recession and mass unemployment could lead to an unprecedented mental health crisis.

The UK government formed a working time commission for the public sector. The 4 Day Week campaign aims to reduce workload pressure by encouraging individuals to work for four days a week.

This way, shorter working time can lead to equal work share among all, across the economy.

Joe Ryle, a campaigner at 4 Day Week campaign, said, "It's extremely concerning that overall the shift to working remotely has re-

sulted in workers doing more hours and not less". He further added the country desperately needs a fourday working week to rebalance the economy, boost mental health and give people more time to spend doing the things they love.

Lisa Cameron, a politician of the Scottish National Party, a spokesperson for mental health, gravely specified that the report was an eye-opener and it's really important to strive and maintain a worklife balance in the society. This will economically prove beneficial for businesses and employees alike.

"The four-day working week has emerged in recent months as a potential avenue for flexible working across the economy, which is why the Scottish government has set up a commission to explore the possibility further in Scotland", said Lisa.