Washington, March 21

US Defence Secretary Mark Esper on Friday held a telephonic conversation with Defence Minister Rajnath Singh and praised India’s COVID-19 initiative for SAARC countries, the Pentagon said.

The two leaders discussed the COVID-19 pandemic and underscored their commitment to close communication during this period in order to maintain momentum on initiatives that reinforced their comprehensive global partnership, the Pentagon said in a readout of the call.

“During the call, the two leaders also discussed bilateral defence priorities, including the ongoing regional cooperation and initiatives to enhance military-to-military engagement and defence trade,” it said.

Esper expressed his appreciation for India’s leadership in coordinating COVID-19-related relief efforts among South Asian countries and conveyed his intent to visit India at the earliest opportunity, the Pentagon said.

In the wake of the coronavirus crisis, Esper had postponed his scheduled travel to India this month.

He has been roped in by President Donald Trump to combat the coronavirus that has so far infected more than 13,000 Americans and claimed 230 lives. PTI

New Delhi, March 22

The total number of positive coronavirus (COVID-19) cases in India has reached 315 on Sunday, including the foreign nationals.

As of 10.45 pm, on Saturday, out of the 315 cases, 22 were discharged and cured of the virus across the country, the Union Health Ministry said.

While the updated state-wise list is yet to be uploaded, the Ministry said four coronavirus related deaths have been reported in the country so far.

“The total number of confirmed cases so far in the country as on March 21 at 10:45 pm, including foreign nationals was 315,” the Ministry said. — IANS

The Prime Minister had in his address to the nation asked people to stay off the roads and public places during the Janta Curfew, which will be in place for 14 hours from 7am to 9pm on Sunday.

Government and private organisations have announced stopping their services to follow a Janta Curfew on Sunday in fighting the Covid-19 pandemic after Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s appeal to the people of the country to stay at home for a day.

The Prime Minister had in his address to the nation asked people to stay off the roads and public places during the Janta Curfew, which will be in place for 14 hours from 7am to 9pm on Sunday.

“Today, I am seeking one more support from every citizen. It is Janta Curfew – a curfew for the people and imposed by people themselves,” PM Modi had said.

Essential services like police, media, medical services etc will not come under the purview of the curfew.

Also read: For PM’s ‘Janata Curfew’, iconic Chandni Chowk, CP shops to down shutters

Here is what government and private organisations are doing:

* The Indian Railways has said it will not operate any passenger train from any railway station in the country from midnight on Saturday to 10pm on Sunday.

* Mail and express trains will also stop services from 4am on Sunday, the transporter has said. All intercity trains will also remain cancelled till 10pm on Sunday.

* All suburban train services in Mumbai, Delhi, Kolkata, Chennai and Secunderabad will be reduced to a bare minimum as well.

* Budget airline GoAir has announced to voluntarily suspend all flights on Sunday when Janta curfew will be in force.

“GoAir will protect all the PNRs dated 22 March 2020 in view of the Janta curfew for a period of one year under the Protect Your PNR scheme. Passengers can contact GoAir at any time over the next one year to redeem their ticket on any GoAir flight on any date with no charges being levied,” it added.

* Indigo, India’s largest flight carrier, has said it will operate only 60% of its domestic flights on Sunday.

* Air Vistara also announced it will be curtailing its domestic operations on Sunday when Janta Curfew’ would be in force. “Vistara will operate on a reduced network on Sunday, 22 March on account of Janta curfew. Passengers who have been affected by cancellations will be contacted soon,” the airline’s spokesperson said.

* The Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) has announced the closure of its services in the national capital on Sunday, for the first time in 18 years, keeping in mind the ‘Janta Curfew’.

* Delhi’s transport minister Kailash Gahlot said there are no plans to shut down public bus services yet.

Also read: Modi is right to prepare India for a deeper crisis, writes Barkha Dutt

* Mobile app-based cab aggregator services such as Uber and Ola are encouraging drivers to stay off-road on Sunday. The app services will, however, be functional for anyone who needs to avail of cabs in an emergency situation.

* More than 95,000 auto-rickshaw drivers have also extended their support to the PM’s call. Rajendra Soni, general secretary of Delhi Autorickshaw Sangh, said all drivers, irrespective of political affiliation, have decided to cooperate with the government.

* Nearly 15 lakh traders in the national capital will be downing shutters on Sunday. While all markets, both retail and wholesale, will remain shut Sunday, some will extend this curfew for three days—from March 21 to March 23—as a voluntary measure in a bid to contain the community spread of the virus.

* The Noida Metro Rail Corporation (NMRC) will suspend Aqua Line services and the city bus service on Sunday in the wake of Janta Curfew.

* Gujarat chief minister Vijay Rupani has said no government buses will ply on Sunday during the Janta Curfew announced by Prime Minister Modi. State transport buses, those being operated under the BRTS mechanism, as well as city buses will be off the roads in the state on Sunday, the CM said.

* The Tamil Nadu government has also said government bus and Metro rail services in the state will be suspended on Sunday in view of ‘’Janta Curfew’’. Private transport operators and owners of mini-buses too have been asked to extend support and not operate their vehicles on that day.

* Operations of Lucknow Metro will also be suspended on Sunday.

* Most private establishments and some public services will be shut across Bengaluru and the rest of Karnataka on Sunday. The Bengaluru Metropolitan Transport Corporation (BMTC), that provides inner-city services, said they would operate with limited capacity and based on demand. All pubs, bars, malls and theatres, among other places, will remain closed.

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Tribune News Service
Chandigarh, March 21

District administrations of Jalandhar, Patiala, Hoshiarpur, Kapurthala, Bathinda, and Nawanshahr have ordered lockdowns over the next few days on Saturday, as coronavirus cases in Punjab spikes to 13.

Jalandhar Deputy Commissioner Varinder Kumar Sharma and Police Commissioner Gurpreet Singh Bhullar announced that the lockdown would begin at 7 am on Sunday to midnight of Wednesday.

“Only one person from a family would be allowed to move out for availing the essential services,” the officials said.

All commercial establishments except those that sell essentials remain shut,

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Sunday happens to be the day Prime Minister Narendra Modi has appealed the public to join what he called a “janata curfew” from 7 am to 9 pm on Sunday. Only emergency service vehicles will be allowed on roads both within and outside city limits.

Similar lockdown orders came from Patiala, Hoshiarpur, Kapurthala, Bathinda and Nawanshahr. The lockdown will be effective in Patiala until March 24 and in Bathinda until March 27.

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Patiala Deputy Commissioner (DC) Kumar Amit advised the public against paying heed to rumours, especially those on social media.

The development comes as Punjab’s coronavirus cases rose to 13 on Saturday, with 10 more cases being added in a single day.

Seven people associated with a deceased coronavirus victim in Nawanshahr tested positive. Three people also tested positive in Mohali, taking Mohali’s tally to four.

Air Vice Marshal Manmohan Bahadur (retd)

THE call of the Prime Minister to have a thank you ‘din session’ on March 22 is long overdue for the millions who have been slogging, and still have a tough task ahead. While this is certainly for the medics, nurses, public transport operators, home delivery personnel, sanitation workers et al, one can well add a few more who have been doing seva quietly — coronavirus or not. So, when I clap this Sunday, I would also be expressing gratitude for a few more, whom many Indians do not know much about.

Medical services and staff are always caregivers, but spare a thought for personnel of the Army Medical Corps who are in the frontline with the Army — in the very trenches where the adversary trains his fire. On the Siachen Glacier, they serve for months, though the other soldiers are compulsorily brought out after three months. Ever heard of any media coverage for them while the others are in the limelight? Similarly, popping flash bulbs focus on Air Force pilots in their flying overalls, but behind every Siachen helicopter rescue covered in the media, or giving backup to every fighter sortie, are the hardworking technical personnel. They are up on duty in the dark, getting the aircraft ready for the first sortie to take off at the crack of dawn — in the blistering heat of Jaisalmer, or the numbing cold at Siachen Base Camp, day in and day out! Hats off to you guys — what would we pilots have done without you? Our lives have always been in your hands, and you have delivered every time!

And slogging out — absolutely unheralded — are the logisticians. They work from their offices, warehouses, forward logistics bases and in the langars of the infantry platoons on the frontline, aircrew rooms and messes in forward air bases and ships on the high seas. What would the war fighter have done, but for the hot mug of tea and the simple puri-aloo dished out with such love! And let’s not forget, they provision the armament too — so, here’s to all the logisticians for the great job they are doing!

And then, a logistician of a different class — the wife back home, without whom nothing can happen. We menfolk are up and away, without a care for the myriad issues and problems of running the house — the schooling of kids, their falling sick, looking after aged parents and in-laws, and so many more, but still sending you off and receiving you with a smile on your return home. That’s a dedication and love for which one wonders whether any Sunday ‘din session’ would do justice.

So, friends, let the clapping of hands and banging of utensils this Sunday convey our gratitude to the coronavirus warriors; let it also be heard at the Sia La post on Siachen, at the Campbell naval base deep down in the Andamans, and at the IAF’s advanced airstrip at Mechuka in our far East.

Chandigarh, March 20

In the wake of poor occupancy on account of Covid-19 scare, Kalka-New Delhi Shatabdi has been cancelled. The Ambala Railway Division has cancelled 54 trains from March 20 to March 31. Saturday onwards, all three Shatabdi trains stand cancelled. A statement affirmed that the trains will not depart from Chandigarh to any destination. — TNS

List of trains cancelled

No train to Ramnagar

1. 12527 Ramnagar-Chandigarh Express

2. 12528 Chandigarh-Ramnagar Express

Shatabdi stopped, Delhi trail blocked

3. 12005 New Delhi-Kalka Shatabdi Express

4. 12006 Kalka-New Delhi Shatabdi Express

5. 12011 New Delhi-Kalka Shatabdi Express

6. 12012 Kalka-New Delhi Shatabdi Express

7. 12013 New Delhi-Amritsar Shatabdi Express

8. 12014 Amritsar-New Delhi Shatabdi Express

9. 12017 New Delhi-Dehradun Shatabdi Express

10. 12018 Dehradun-New Delhi Shatabdi Express

11. 12029 New Delhi-Amritsar Shatabdi Express

12. 12030 Amritsar-New Delhi Express

13. 12031 New Delhi-Amritsar Shatabdi Express.

14. 12032 Amritsar-New Delhi Express

15. 12045 New Delhi-Chandigarh Express

16. 12046 Chandigarh-New Delhi Express

Haridwar disconnected

17. 12053 Haridwar-Amritsar Jan Shatabdi Express

18. 12054 Amritsar-Haridwar Jan Shatabdi Express

19. 12057 New Delhi-Una Himachal Jan Shatabdi Express

20. 12058 Una –Himachal- New Delhi Jan Shatabdi Express

21. 12063 Haridwar-Una Himachal Jan shatabdi Express

22. 12064 Una Himachal-Haridwar Jan shatabdi Express

No trains to Amritsar

23. 12241 Chandigarh-Amritsar Express

24. 12242 Amritsar-Chandigarh Express

25. 12411 Chandigarh –Amritsar Intercity Express

26. 12412 Amritsar-Chandigarh Intercity Express

27. 12459 New Delhi-Amritsar Express

28. 12460 Amritsar-New Delhi Express

Intercity trains blocked

29. 14095 Delhi Sarai Rohilla-Kalka Himalaya Queen Express

30. 14096 Kalka-Delhi Sarai Rohilla Himalaya Queen Express

31. 14309 Ujjain-Dehradun Express

32. 14310 Dehradun-Ujjain Express

33. 14511 Prayag-Saharanpur Nauchandi Express

34. 14512 Saharanpur-Prayag Nauchandi Express

35. 14523 Barauni-Ambala Express

36. 14524 Ambala-Barauni Express

37. 14217 Prayag-Chandigarh Express

38. 14218 Chandigarh-Prayag Express

39. 14605 Haridwar-Jammu Tawi Express

40. 14606 Jammu Tawi-Haridwar Express

41. 14615 Lal kuan –Amritsar Express

42. 14616 Amritsar-Lal kuan Express

Himachal Pradesh blocked

43. 14625 Delhi Sarai Rohilla- Ferozepur Cantt Express

44. 14626 Ferozepur Cantt-Delhi Sarai Rohilla Express

45. 14673 Jaynagar-Amritsar Express

46. 14674 Amritsar-Jaynagar Express

47. 14681 New Delhi-Jalandhar Express

48. 14682 Jalandhar-New Delhi Express

49. 22479 New Delhi-Lohian Khas Express

50. 22480 Lohian Khas-New Delhi Express

51. 22485 New Delhi-Moga Express

52. 22486 Moga-New Delhi Express

53. 22705 Tirupati-Jammu Tawi Express

54. 22706 Jammu Tawi-Tirupati Express

Saurabh Malik

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, March 20

Nearly four years after two persons were murdered and two minor girls gang raped, the Punjab and Haryana High Court has dismissed an anticipatory bail plea filed by an Army man in the matter. The case was initially registered by the Haryana Police in Nuh district, but the investigation was transferred to the Central Bureau of Investigation.

The accused Ravinder Yadav alias Fauji’s counsel had submitted that the petitioner was serving in the Indian Army and there was no possibility of his fleeing from the justice. Besides, he had no criminal antecedents. As such, he was entitled to anticipatory bail.

Referring to the challan submitted by the CBI, Justice Arvind Singh Sangwan of the high court asserted it indicated the petitioner was allegedly seen holding an unlicenced weapon in his hand at the time of incident. The fact was also corroborated by two prosecution witnesses in their statements given to the investigating agency.

“At this stage, it cannot be said that the petitioner is innocent and has not committed the heinous offence of double murder and gang rape, therefore, finding no ground to grant anticipatory bail to him, present petition is dismissed,” Justice Sangwan said.

The Haryana Police had on August 25, 2016, had registered the FIR for gang rape, murder and other offences under Sections 459, 460, 376-D, 302, 325, 326, 396, 397 of the IPC, the provisions of the POCSO Act and the Arms Act at Tauru police station in Nuh district. The CBI, subsequently, registered its FIR on December 5, 2016, after the probe was transferred to it. The CBI submitted the challan against four accused, after obtaining report from the Forensic Science Laboratory, which indicated matching of DNA profile of the accused persons.

The petitioner moved the High Court after CBI Special Judge dismissed his anticipatory bail application filed after he was summoned by the trial court.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi held a meeting with chief ministers of states. The meeting was held via video conference. The conference with CMs held to review country’s effort to check coronavirus. Union Health Minister Harsh Vardhan was also present in the meeting. Checking the spread of coronavirus was among the issues discussed in the meeting. Chief Ministers of Odisha, Andhra Pradesh, Delhi and Maharashtra among others attended the meeting.

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