KOZHIKODE l MONDAY l JULY 13, 2020 l `7.00 l PAGES 28 l CITY EDITION NOW, JOHNS HOPKINS SUES TRUMP ADMINISTRATION After Harvard and MIT, Johns Hopkins University has moved against the plan to remove foreign online students from US CASE FILED IN DIST COURT, WASHINGTON DC ‘DECISION IS GRATUITOUS, CRUEL’ Johns Hopkins University filed a lawsuit in US District Court in Washington, DC on Friday against the the Trump administration’s order to abruptly rescind accommodations for online learning for 5,000 international students at the university and thousands more across the country. Hopkins sought a temporary restraining order against the US decision ■ ■ “The (Trump) administration’s decision is gratuitous, cruel, and inimical to what this country is about,” Johns Hopkins University President Ronald J Daniels said Hundreds of thousands of Indian students in the US will be affected by the decision of the Trump administration 1.94 lakh INDIAN STUDENTS HAVE ENROLLED IN THE US AS OF JANUARY THIS YEAR CHENNAI ■ MADURAI ■ VIJAYAWADA ■ BENGALURU ■ KOCHI ■ HYDERABAD ■ VISAKHAPATNAM ■ COIMBATORE ■ KOZHIKODE ■ THIRUVANANTHAPURAM ■ BELAGAVI ■ BHUBANESWAR ■ SHIVAMOGGA ■ MANGALURU ■ TIRUPATI ■ TIRUCHY ■ TIRUNELVELI ■ SAMBALPUR ■ HUBBALLI ■ DHARMAPURI ■ KOTTAYAM ■ KANNUR ■ VILLUPURAM ■ KOLLAM ■ WARANGAL ■ TADEPALLIGUDEM ■ NAGAPATTINAM ■ THRISSUR ■ KALABURAGI Swapna threatened economic security: NIA Sachin revolts, claims Gehlot govt in minority The agency produces the key suspect and Sandeep Nair before the special court (for NIA and CBI cases) here, a copy of which is with TNIE, the agency submitted that it had collected materials to show that Swapna and fellow suspect Sandeep Nair had acted with an intention to threaten the economic security of India. The materials will be submitted before the court on Monday . In the application seeking custody of the accused for 10 days, NIA stated before the court that further evidence has to be collected in this case. Detailed investigation has to be carried out to detect the gold and money trail, and unearth the larger conspiracy in the case. Swapna and Sandeep, who have been on the run, landed in NIA net on Sat● More on P4 urday  . A R U N M & P R A M D A S @Kochi THE National Investigation Agency (NIA), which is probing the security angle in the gold smuggling case, has received enough indications that the actions of the suspected were serious enough to threaten the country’s economic security . NIA sources said there are sufficient materials to prove the involvement of Swapna Suresh, the second suspect in the case, who misused diplomatic immunity to carry out the illegal activity Earlier, the . sleuths had submitted that they have to look into the terror angle behind the gold smuggling. As per a report submitted by the NIA before the Special Additional Sessions Court The key suspects in the gold smuggling case, Swapna Suresh and Sandeep Nair who were taken into custody in Bengaluru on Saturday, were brought in a car to the NIA office in Kochi on Sunday | A SANESH DRAMATIC SCENES NIA sleuths produce key suspects Swapna Suresh and Sandeep Nair before the Spl Addl Sessions Court (for NIA and CBI cases) on Sunday The court remands the accused in three-day judicial custody NIA shifts Swapna and Sandeep to the Covid-19 first-line treatment centres in Thrissur and Karukutty (Angamaly) respectively The agency files an application before special Judge P Krishnakumar, seeking a 10-day custody of the suspects for further interrogation. The court to consider it on Monday Customs arrests gold collector Rameez The Customs officials on Sunday arrested Perinthalmanna native Rameez, who is suspected to have collected smuggled gold in the past. The interrogation of Ramees is under way in Kochi Triple lockdown in containment zones along Kerala coast KERALA CASE DIARY 435 cases reported on Sunday 3,743 under treatment 7,873 cases have been confirmed so far 4,095 recovered 4 MIGRATED 31 DEATHS 35 active clusters identified in the state Kerala death toll up to 31 The death toll in Kerala went up to 31 on Sunday. The swab samples of Valsala, 63, who died in Thrissur on July 5 and Babu, 52, who passed away in Alappuzha on July 7, tested positive on Sunday. E X P R E S S N E W S S E R V I C E @T’Puram THE state government has announced a 10-day triple lockdown in critical containment zones along the coastal belt starting from 6am on Monday The lockdown will . be in effect in such zones until 6pm on July 23. The coastal containment zones are Manikyavilakam, Poonthura and Puthenpally wards under the Thiruvananthapuram corporation; Chavara and Panmana in Kollam; Pattanakkadu, Kadakkarappally , Cherthala South, Mararikulam North, Kuthiyathodu, Thuravoor and Arattupuzha in Alappuzha; Chellanam in Ernakulam; Veliyamkodu, Perumbadappa, and Ponnani and Tanur municipalities in Malappuram. While people cannot leave or enter critical containment zones, arrangements will be made to facilitate reverse quarantine for those in need. A 24-hour rapid response team comprising revenue, police and health officials will be deployed in these zones for surveillance and to deal with emergencies. The government has announced a ration of 5kg rice for families residing in such areas. Shops selling essential commodities will be open from 10am to 6pm. Milk booths can operate from 5am to 10am and 4pm to 6pm every day Night travel, between 7pm to 5am, will . be banned. All central and other state institutions, offices and corporations will remain shut in places where the triple lockdown is imposed. Hospitals, medical shops and allied medical establishments — including manufacturing and distribution units — can function. Activities related to forests, jails, treasury, electricity, potable water and sanitation will be allowed. The services of home guards will also be utilised. Lockdown in state capital extended for another week In the wake of a large number of cases without known sources of infection being reported, district collector has decided to continue the lockdown in the Thiruvananthapuram corporation area for another week. Vinay Kumar (second from L) working for a contractor. “Where is the factory here to engage us?” he asks | RAKESH KUMAR RETURNEE MIGRANTS ‘GOD IS EASIER TO FIND THAN A JOB IN BIHAR’ RAJESH KUMAR THAKUR @ Patna IF you thought the economy is all about demand and supply, think again against the backdrop of the post-lockdown scenario in this Bihar village. “Sir, ham log yaha bhagwan ko pa sakte hai, par rojgar nahi,” (Sir, we can get God but not employment). This is what Ajoy Kumar (25), a skilled iron-casting worker, had to say when asked if he had a job, at Mile-Pakri village, about 35 km from Patna, in Vaishali district. Ajoy is among 150 migrant labourers who returned to the village from as far as Tamil Nadu, Punjab, Delhi, Gujarat and Haryana following the Covid-19 lockdown. The village is part of the Raghopur Assembly segment in Vaishali district, represented by for mer deputy chief minister and RJD’s chief ministerial candidate Tejashwi Yadav (Lalu’s son) for state polls due later this year. Most of the aged villagers are banana cultivators, while youngsters go outside the state for livelihood. Brick-kiln owner Rakesh Kumar says he hired some of the migrant labourers when they did not find work elsewhere. Mintu Kumar (35), an auto repair mechanic, was among scores of workers who returned from Gujarat’s Surat and other cities. He says he sells ‘golgappa’ on a cart in the area. “We are in a strange situation where work is hard to find for so many labourers like me. So, I thought Mega job scheme On June 20, the Centre launched a `50,000 crore job scheme for returnee migrants in 116 districts in six states. As many as 12 Union ministries pooled 25 works for the scheme. Yet, jobs appear to be scarcely available in Bihar it is better to work as a vegetable or ‘golgapa’ vendor than wait for a job,” he said. Ditto Dheeraj Kumar (40). He returned to the village from Delhi, and though a skilled construction worker, he has no job. He says there are more than 100 others, who are masons and carpenters, but none of them has got a matching employment. Arun and Vinay Kumar of neighbouring Bidupur village say they were hired by a private contractor who pays them `200 per day “We were . paid `600-700 per day by a flour mill owner in Punjab. We have to survive, that’s all,” says Kumar. The reality of joblessness is stark in many villages: migrant workers simply kill their time playing cards or gossiping. “We have become nikkamah (useless),” says Vijay Kumar Choudhary of Mahnar village. He refused to be photographed while playing cards. Villagers say they have not been given any work under MGNREGA or other government schemes. According to official figures, around 25 lakh migrant labourers returned to Bihar following lockdown. The government claims to have completed skill mapping of over 20 lakh such workers so that they could be given employment as per their skills. An official statement last Thursday claimed that more than 10 crore man-day works have been created under various government schemes since lockdown. Says he won’t attend Congress Legislative Party meeting called by Gehlot on Monday RAJESH ASNANI AND RICHA S H A R M A @ Jaipur/New Delhi RAJASTHAN may well be going the Madhya Pradesh way with state Congress chief and Deputy Chief Minister Sachin Pilot revolting against party veteran and Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot. In a message to media, Pilot said he won’t be attending the Congress Legislative Party meeting on Monday and that Gehlot’s has become a minority government. Pilot also claimed he has the support of 30 MLAs. There are reports that the young leader is in touch with the BJP but it could , not be immediately verified. According to sources, the trigger for the revolt is a police notice to Pilot in connection with a case related to poaching of party MLAs to topple the state government. Differences between the two leaders were brewing for some time but reached a tipping point on Sunday with Pilot, along with a group of MLAs supporting him, rushed to Delhi to meet Congress chief Sonia Gandhi. However, he reportedly could not meet her. Sources said Avinash Pande, the AICC general-secretary incharge of Rajasthan, told Sonia there was no danger to the Congress government in the state. Meanwhile, the Cong ress rushed a team of senior leaders from Delhi to Jaipur on Sunday evening to resolve the crisis. “The party organisation incharge KC Venugopal is also reaching Delhi on Monday and a meeting could be planned after that,” said a senior Congress leader, terming Pilot’s ac- @ New Delhi The Railway Board has decided to implement 20 ideas given by its employees to ensure safer train journeys and enhance passenger comfort. Some of the suggestions include a warning bell for travellers at stations before the train departs, real-time CCTV monitoring and printing of unre- One of the suggestions include a warning bell for travellers at stations before the train departs. 10 order, has decided to implement 20 such entries. Some of the technical suggestions that are to be implemented include a vehicular system for ultrasonic flaw detection development developed by the North Central Railway, using pyrometers to tions a ‘pressure tactic’. Pilot reportedly spoke to senior Congress leader Ahmed Patel in Delhi, who assured him the party will ensure that no injustice is done to him. The political turmoil in Rajasthan, coming barely three months after the debacle of Congress government in Madhya Pradesh after Jyotiraditya Scindia joined the BJP over similar differences with senior party leaders Kamal Nath and Digvijay Singh, has left senior leaders worried. “Worried for our party. Will we wake up only after the horses have bolted from our stables,” Congress leader Kapil Sibal tweeted. According to party sources, the problem started during the Rajya Sabha elections last month when Gehlot claimed there were attempts to topple his government. The Congress managed to win two seats while one went to the BJP . Finger-4 and Depsang to be taken up at crucial meet China not clear on Finger-4 The Chinese have not been clear on Finger-4, too. “The troops from both sides have disengaged from the exact location of Finger-4 but the Chinese troops continue to hold the ridge around,” said a senior Army officer. Chinese soldiers clashed with Indian Army troops on the inight of 5 and 6 M AYA N K S I N G H @ New Delhi EVEN as the first phase of troop disengagement on the Line of Actual Control (LAC) has been smooth, Chinese troops are yet to pull out from the Depsang bulge. This is likely to be taken up in the meeting between Corps Commanders of India and China this week. “Lt Gen Harinder Singh and Maj Gen Lin Liu will meet this week to discuss and decide on standoff at Y-junction, Depsang Bulge,” a source said. In Depsang, the Chinese have moved their troops and equipment up to the Y-Junction. “The Chinese sitting at this point is affecting our patrolling at 5 points as Y-Junction is out way to Patrols and it here that the routes fork into two routes, which have Patrolling Point (PP) 10, PP-11, PP-11A, PP-12 and PP-13 between them,” said a senior Army officer who had served in the area, which is 30 km south-east from the important Daulat Beg Oldi advanced landing ground, which is the world’s highest landing ground. CCTV monitoring, water coolers on trains soon served tickets through mobile phones. The national transporter, in 2018, had launched a dedicated portal to record innovative ideas of its employees across all zones and implement them across the railway network. According to officials, the portal received over 2000 entries from September 2018 and December 2019. The railways, through its July Pilot has been Rajashtan Congress chief for over 6 years, but Gehlot is pushing for a change. Under party Constitution, the Pradesh Congress Committee chief can hold the post for 5 years EXPRESS READ IDEAS ON TRACK EXPRESS NEWS SERVICE Gehlot wanted a new state Congress chief monitor temperature of tracks developed by the Malda division. Among the suggestions to improve passenger comfort are natural water coolers that need no electricity and have a life of 10 years. These coolers have already been installed at Borivali, Dahanu Road, Nandurbar, Udha- na and Bandra railway stations. Real-time CCTV footage monitoring is also one of the suggestions. Currently, Humsafar trains have CCTVs installed in them but their footage is not monitored in real time. Northern Central Railway has devised a method to monitor it real-time with a display unit being provided in the guard’s compartment. Aishwarya Rai, daughter contract coronavirus HIMA SAYS 400M OR 200M DOESN’T MATTER, I LOVE TO RUN Coming back from injury, Hima Das feels competition is required for her to choose between the two and will go by coach’s decision | P11 Mumbai: Actor Abhishek Bachchan said his wife, actor Aishwarya Rai Bachchan, and daughter Aaradhya will be “self quarantining at home” after they tested positive for the novel coronavirus on Sunday. Amitabh Bachchan and Abhishek had tested positive on Saturday. P7 WITH THIS ISSUE THE ESSENTIAL CAMPUS DIGEST YOUR LIFE COACH 28 PAGES, INCLUDING 16 OF edex (TABLOID)