The New Indian Express Wishes its readers a Ayudha Pooja Our offices and press will remain closed today and there will be no issue of the paper on Monday CHENNAI  SUNDAY  OCTOBER 25, 2020  `8.00  PAGES 24  VELLORE EDITION LAST DATE TO FILE FY2019-20 ITR EXTENDED TILL DEC 31 SECOND EXTENSION AMID THE PANDEMIC The Centre on Saturday extended the deadline for individual taxpayers to file tax returns by a month till December 31 MORE TIME TO FILE GST RETURNS For those whose accounts need to be audited, the new deadline to file income tax returns is Jan 31, 2021. Those who need to furnish report in respect of international/specified domestic transactions have also been given time till Jan 31. In May, the Centre had extended the various due dates to file ITRs for FY-20 from July 31 to Nov 30 in view of Covid-19 ■ ■ Separately, the government extended the due date for filing GST annual returns for FY2018-19 by two months till Dec 31 Further, adding to the festive cheer, the government late on Friday night announced a waiver of interest on interest for loans up to `2 crore, irrespective of whether moratorium was availed or not Jan 31, 2021 NEW DUE DATE FOR PAYMENT OF SELF-ASSESSMENT TAX 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 ‘Poor hygiene behind India’s low Covid death rate’ S U M I S U K A N YA D U T TA @ New Delhi COUNTRIES with poor hygiene, sanitation and quality of water appear to have a lower Covid-19 case fatality rate as compared to rich countries with better hygienic conditions, a study has found. The latest analysis by researchers in India has added to the growing body of evidence in support of the “hygiene hypothesis,” which argues that areas or countries with high levels of background infections are likely to experience fewer Covid-19 deaths. Till Friday morning, India had registered 1,17,306 infection deaths even though the total Covid-19 caseload in the country was 77,61,312. This means the country has a case fatality ratio of 1.5%, among the lowest in the world. Within the country Bi, har, which lags behind most states on socioeconomic development parameters, managed to keep the death rate at 0.5%, or one third the national average. Bihar is not alone with a low CFR. Kerala and Assam with a rate of 0.4, Telangana 0.5, and Jharkhand and Chhattisgarh at 0.9 have CFR less than one. But Maharashtra, Gujarat and Punjab, which are more developed states, have CFR values of 2 or higher. The paper has been published by the Council for Scientific Industrial Research, National Centre for Cell Science in Pune and the Chennai Mathematical Institute. The researchers have analysed various developmental parameters, including measures of water and sanitation, and Covid-19 deaths per million in over 100 countries and have found that the poorer the water- sanitation scores, the lower the deaths per million. “Paradoxically better sanita, tion leads to poorer ‘immune training’ and thus could be leading to higher deaths per million,” the paper said. Several immunological studies in the past have suggested that exposure to bacterial or parasitic infections can strengthen the immune system against future infections. “We found deaths are low in areas with poorer sanitation and it could be due to a process called immune training,” Parveen Kumar, epidemiologist, CONTINUED ON: P7 told TNIE. BJP threatens sedition case against Mufti J&K BJP leader Kavinder Gupta said Mehbooba Mufti’s statement that she will not raise tri-colour till J&K’s flag and constitution was restored, is ‘anti-national’ and that a sedition case can be filed against her. “Her remarks are an insult and humiliation to Indian flag,” he added 75% engineering seats vacant after Round III counselling SUSHMITHA RAMAKRISHNAN @ Chennai IN a year of pandemic and economic downturn, Tamil Nadu is witnessing a steep drop in engineering aspirants. After three rounds of counselling for the engineering admissions (TNEA-2020) only 26 per cent of the seats have been filled. That is, only 42,421 of the 1,61,877 seats across 458 colleges have been taken. Interestingly, a whopping 40 per cent of students who registered for counselling failed to turn up. They may, however, get another chance at the supplementary counselling, which is held after the fourth round. Data shows that while so many students did not turn up for the counselling, the number of applications filed this year saw a 20 per cent rise — from 1.33 lakh in the previous year to 1.6 lakh this year. Faculty attribute the trend to the decrease in job security and poor pay package offered by firms. “This has been the case for the last few years,” says a teacher working with a Chennai-based college. WITH THIS ISSUE ANCHOR ANARCHY PLUS 12 PAGES India USA Brazil 1.5 2.6 2.9 Mexico 5.9 UK 5.5 Italy Spain France 8.1 3.4 3.6 73 64 105 102 90 70 2014-15 Rural 2004-05 20 2009-10 2011-12 2017-18 KUMAR VIKRAM & RAJESH K U M A R T H A K U R @ New Delhi /Patna AJAY Sahni of Kurdhani village in Bihar’s Muzaffarpur has been sitting idle for the past six months. He used to work in Delhi as an electrician and led a fairly comfortable life, until March end when lockdown kicked in. “There is no scope of employment in the village nor did I get any work under the MGNREGA or any other gov- 2018-19 1,03,267 2016-17 32 1,25,557 2015-16 56 15 Number of industrial workers 98,971 2017-18 1,04,057 Nitish faces big challenge with rising unemployment taking centre stage where caste and community factors used to make or break governments Source: Reserve Bank of India PEOPLE’S Alliance for Gupkar Declaration is an anti-BJP platform but it is not anti-national, National Conference president Farooq Abdullah said on Saturday after being named chairman of the grouping. PDP chief Mehbooba Mufti is the vice-chairperson while Sajjad Gani Lone of People’s Conference has been named spokesman of the alliance. For med by seven mainstream parties to fight for restoration of Article 370, the outfit also adopted the flag of the erstwhile J&K state as its symbol as a mark of defiance to the constitutional changes made by the Centre on August 5 last year. The seven parties are the National Conference, PDP Peoples , Conference, JKPM, ANC, CPI(M) and the CPI. Congress was also part of the August 4, 2019 Gupkar Declaration but its leaders have of late been skipping meetings. Talking to reporters, Abdullah said, “The BJP is making false propaganda that People’s Alliance is anti-national. We are not anti-national but we are anti-BJP. They have made attempts to divide the country and divide the federal structure. They trampled the Constitution by abrogating Articles 370 and 35A last year. Our aim is to ensure that rights of people of Jammu, Kashmir and Ladakh are restored.” Spokesman Sajjad said the outfit would release a white paper within a month on governance lapses in J&K since the reading down of Article 370. “The white paper will not be rhetoric. It will be based on facts and figures to present the reality to people of J&K and country,” Lone said, adding, “We will tell people of country about the truth and lies of J&K. People of J&K and India deserve to know the reality of J&K.” The next meeting of People’s Alliance will be held within two weeks in Jammu, which will be followed by a convention on November 17 in SrinaP8 gar. Unemployment rate (per 1,000 population) Urban F AYA Z W A N I @ Srinagar Despite recording over 77 lakh Covid-19 cases, India’s fatality rate stands at 1.5%— among the world’s lowest JOBS, NOT CASTE, TO SWING BIHAR POLLS NC president chosen chairman of People’s Alliance, Mehbooba Mufti vice-chairperson We are against BJP, not India, says Farooq CURIOUS STATS ernment scheme,” Sahni said. To make ends meet, he was forced to sell fish sometimes. Mahesh Sah of Ratnali village is also in the same boat. He returned from Mumbai where he worked with a textiles firm. “We managed to return in April but have not got a single man day’s work with the MGNREGA so I now work as a farm labourer,” he said. Sahni and Sah are not isolated cases of migrant workers unable to get meaningful employment. A majority of the 22 lakh migrants who returned to the state have not managed to get jobs, adding to the already growing unemployment in the state. Not surprisingly, the Rashtriya Janata Dal, the Bharatiya Janata Party and the Janata Dal (United), the top three contenders in the ongoing Bihar polls, have all made unemployment a major talking point, and for good reason. RBI’s recently released Handbook of Statistics on Indian States says Bihar’s unemployment has risen steadily in the past 15 years. While the urban unemployment rate was 64 per 1,000 in 2004-05, it went up to 105 in 2018-19. Similarly, the rural unemployment rate jumped from 15 to 102. The data has also revealed that, barring the Northeast, Bihar is the only state where the unemployment rate has crossed 100. The number of industrial workers has also decreased in the past four years, indicating that factories have fallen on bad times. While there were 1.25 lakh workers in 2014-15, the number fell to 1.04 lakh in 2017-18. (See graphic 2) As Nitish Kumar took charge as chief minister in November 2005, he is vulnerable on this front. Sensing this, the RJD’s Tejashwi Yadav has left no stone unturned to take advantage. In the manifesto released on Saturday, the party promised that if voted to power, giving 10 lakh jobs would figure in the first cabinet meeting. CONTINUED ON: P7 INTERVIEW Lalu out, Tejashwi in RJD’s poll manifesto Rashtriya Janata Dal on Saturday released its poll manifesto promising 10 lakh jobs and loan waiver for the farmers. The cover page of the manifesto displays photographs of Mahatama Gandhi, Dalits icon B R Ambedkar, freedom fighter Maulana Abul Kalam Azad, socialist veterans-Ram Manohar Lohia and Karpoori ThakurLoknayak Jayprakash Narayan among others. Curiously, it does not have photo of the party’s founder and its charismatic leader Lalu Prasad but Tejashwi Yadav’s photo finds a prominent space on the cover page of the party’s election manifesto TN DIGEST EPS to discuss lockdown extension with experts Chennai: Chief Minister Edappadi K Palaniswami is holding discussions with all District Collectors and the Health Experts Committee on October 28 to decide whether to extend the lockdown and on relaxations to be announced, if needed. ‘JAGAN SHOULD’VE WRITTEN TO GUV’ Arumughaswamy panel gets ninth extension Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Jagan Mohan Reddy violated the doctrine of separation of powers between the executive and the judiciary by writing a letter to chief justice of India S A Bobde, senior advocate and former additional solicitor general Indira Jaising told TNIE INDIRA JAISING Former additional solicitor general Q&A: P7 ALL SET FOR DUSSEHRA A devotee lighting an earthen lamp at Patnasahi Puja Pandal at Old Town, Bhubaneswar on Saturday | BISWANATH SWAIN BUDDING STRIKER From a humble beginning to scoring big goal S R I N I D H I P R @ Chennai GROWING up, Mareeswaran Sakthivel’s idea of a dream was owning a hockey stick. Finances were so tight — his parents work in a matchstick factory in Kovilpatti — that a hockey stick was a luxury they couldn’t afford. The family’s focus was on securing two square meals a day, the hockey stick could wait. But Sakthivel’s repeated pleas finally bore fruit as his family took out a loan, an indulgence they couldn’t afford, to grant his son his wish. That decision has reaped rich rewards as Mareeswaran essentials. made the cut for junior men’s However, seeing the 20-yearcore group camp inside the old’s relentless passion for the SAI premises at Bensport, his parents degaluru. The 20-yearcided to take a loan to old is one of only two buy him a stick — a boys from TN (the othdecision that they er is S Karthi) who won’t regret now. will be in the camp. It was N MuthukuT he of ficial anmar who first spotted nouncement will be the striker in 2015. made in a few days. Having seen a spark Hailing from Kovilin him, the coach took Mareeswaran patti, Mareeswaran him under his wings Sakthivel did not have the best and made him join the of facilities nor the financial Sports Development Authorisupport during his early days. ty of Tamil Nadu’s (SDAT) In a family of four, their Sports Hostel of Excellence in spending was limited to Kovilpatti. Since then, he has been supported by SDAT and Hockey Unit of Tamil Nadu (HUTN). Thanks to this, his training, diet and academics streamlined. “When he came to the sports hostel, he was lanky. There was some hesitation whether to pick him or not. But we knew he had the potential. So, apart from his skills, we focussed on his physique in order to improve his game,” says his coach Muthukumar. Results began to come his way after spending extra time in building his endurance and P2 strengthening the core. Chennai: TN government on Saturday extended the term of Justice Arumughaswamy Commission — formed to probe the death of former CM J Jayalalitha — by three months. This is the ninth extension the State has granted the panel. Madurai cracker unit explosion toll touches 7 Madurai: The toll in Sengulam cracker unit explosion in touched seven with another worker, Mahalakshmi (50), dying on Saturday. Police have booked case against unit owner A Shanmugaraj, lessee Vairamuthu and manager R Sundaramoorthy. HONOUR KILLING SHOCKER IN RAJASTHAN A man in the state’s Alwar district allegedly killed his sister on Saturday, upset about the 22-year-old’s relationship with a man. The suspect has been arrested and a probe is on